Dusk

Chapters

Nothing Is Fine
This Day Is More Than Perfect
I Am Not Twilight Sparkle
You Gotta Face Your Fears
Convergence
Night Flight
Taking the Swarm
Quiet Dissonance
I Am Not
All Hail
Battle Royal
Prologue: Everything's Going To Be Just Fine

Nothing Is Fine

Darkness. Pure, unadulterated darkness. I can't even see my hoof in front of my face, and if it weren't for the fact that I feel its normal force beneath me, I'd be half convinced that the floor is gone.

...I take light steps, just in case.

A lesser pony would panic. But I'm Twilight Sparkle, after all, chosen bearer of the Element of Magic, thrice-over savior of Equestria, and now a Princess to boot. I reserve my panic sessions for when the situation truly warrants it.

Here in the darkness, I know that I am merely lucid dreaming. So, just as in any lucid dream, the appropriate thing to do would be to experiment. A light spell should suffice.

...Except that it doesn't. That tiny piece of data allows me to make one of two sweeping generalizations... either I've dreamed a scenario where I'm all alone in a world of featureless black abyss, or I've dreamed that I'm completely blind. Neither sounds particularly appealing; frankly, I was hoping my dreams would have a little more oomph than this.

"Hello?" I call out. My voice rings out into the emptiness, and I strain my ears to catch wind of a response. What's a featureless, infinite void without company, right?

Just as I expected, a sound reaches my ears, barely audible, yet distinct enough to notice. It's not a voice, it's... noise, plain and simple. It's static. It's feedback. It's the ringing sensation you get after a particularly loud sound fades to silence. And it's all I have. I take tentative steps, first one, then another, towards where I believe the sound is coming from.

The ringing persists, increasing in volume. The timber of the noise changes, too - it's no longer a ringing... but more like a buzzing, or a dull hum. Visions of Vespidae and Aphoidea dance in my subconscious, and I instinctively try to shrink away...

...only to be betrayed. My movements are no longer my own. Fear grips me as I move forward against my will.

Hoofsteps become wingbeats as the floor drops out from under me. My wings flap faster and faster and even faster beyond the point of logic. They feel different, somehow, but I cannot even turn to look. My vision takes on a shade of blue that is all at once alien and entirely familiar.

All the while, the buzzing gets louder and louder and louder still. I want to scream... but all I can do is keep flying, on and on, and the noise gets louder and my head feels like it's on fire and oh Celestia oh mommy somepony please help

"-light! Hey! Twilight!"

I catapult myself up out of bed. My breaths come in quick, ragged bursts.

"A...are you alright?" Spike whimpers. He's curled himself up at the edge of my bed, trying to make himself look as small as possible.

A pang of guilt shoots down my spine, and I take a deeper, slower breath to try to calm down. "I'm fine... but if you could find that dream book by Clift..."

Spike straightens up, scratching his head with a claw. "Symbols of Transformation in Dreams?"

I nod, not wanting to reveal the details. He hops off the bed to fulfill my request when I'm struck with another whim. "...And our copy of The Unabridged Equestrian Bestiary, Volume Five, C to Ch, if you don't mind."

"C-h like in changeling?" Spike's eyes widen as he rushes back to my side. I do my best to keep my expression level in the face of his surprisingly adept deduction. "What happened?"

"It's nothing, I'm sure," I decide to say, but he isn't convinced. His claws tighten around a roll of parchment. "...what is that in your hands, anyway?"

This defuses Spike's worry and allows him to chuckle a bit. "Oh, this... it came for you a few minutes ago, that's why I was trying to wake you up..."

My eyes instantly lock onto the wax seal that was holding it down. It's Celestia's personal seal - which means that she had taken the time to write it herself. An odd lump forms in my throat as I retrieve the scroll and pry it open. Surely it wouldn't be anything bad, right?

The letter starts innocuously enough. "My dear Twilight Sparkle," it reads,

Two nights ago, you fulfilled your destiny and elevated yourself to new heights. Yesterday, you accepted the crown of Equestria's newest princess, and the duties and responsibilities it represents.

Today, I ask you to make the hardest decision of your life.

I gnaw on a hooftip as my eyes scan the page. Princess Celestia is asking me to return to Canterlot. To... leave Ponyville.

A hoofkerchief drifts into my line of sight. I take it from Spike's claws and use it to dab my watering eyes. I finish the letter in numb shock, acutely aware that she hadn't bothered to write "Princess" in front of "Celestia" this time around. The letter and handkerchief drop silently onto my sheets.

Spike already knows what the letter said without my clarification. He places an arm across my shoulders, careful to avoid my folded wings. We stay like that for a few moments; his gaze remains trained on me save to skim over the contents of the letter. "So... what are you going to do?"

I gaze at the floor, eyes dark. "What can I do, Spike? The Princess gave me orders to-"

"No, she didn't," Spike argues. "She asked you. You can say no."

I pull away from Spike, scandalized. "No, I can't! I can't just abandon the throne, or the title, not after getting in front of all of Canterlot to accept the crown!"

"That part doesn't matter," Spike counters. His arms grip my shoulders. "The Princess didn't make the choice for you, and neither did the rest of Equestria. It's supposed to be your decision." He suddenly grips a scroll of vellum in one claw and a dipped quill in the other. "Just say the word, and I'll send in your resignation."

"Abdication," I correct absently, "not resignation. I'd be abdicating the throne."

Spike gives me a half-lidded stare, and I have no choice but to continue.

"Spike," I say with reproach, "abdication is a very big deal. If I were to quit and go back on my promise now... how many ponies would I be letting down?"

"You know it's not that simple, Twilight. We were all caught up in the moment, so no one ever questioned it... but you have a life in Ponyville. You have friends." The look we share reminds me just how impossibly amazing that fact would have been not three years ago. He clears his throat. "Your time in Ponyville has been the best two-and-a-half-odd years of your life. And I've been there for most of it, so I know I'm right."

I sigh. "Of course you're right, Spike. And I wouldn't give up my friends... not for anything." I dab the cloth to my face again, but it's been moistened beyond use by the constant flow of tears. "I... I just don't know."

"Hey." Spike takes my hoof in both his claws. "Whatever you decide, I'll be there for you."

His eyes are full of love, and I can't help but pull him into a big hug and drink it in, let it fill me up and nourish my soul. I'm honestly surprised at how much better I feel after that.

It's then that a curious thing happens... A sound reaches my ears, barely audible, yet distinct enough to notice. It's not a voice, it's... noise, plain and simple. It's static. It's feedback. It's the ringing sensation you get after a particularly loud sound fades to silence.

This is oddly familiar. I scratch at my ear, and the noise begins to fade out.

Spike sighs into my coat, which is signal enough to let him go. "You know," I tease, finally able to smile, "if I take the job, you're getting a pretty big promotion too."

"Number One Assistant to Princess Twilight Sparkle..." Spike sounds it out, scratching his chin. "I kinda like the sound of that. Throw a few gems in there and we have a deal."

The two of us share a laugh before a knock at the door breaks the mood.

"Twilight? Are you home?" A refined mare's voice drifts up through my bedroom window. Silence reigns for whatever amount of time is considered polite and proper before she raps smartly at my door again. "Twilight?"

Spike stands at attention. "That's..."

I glare sharply at the dragonling. "No, Spike. Give me a second, I still need to-"

Aaand he's gone. I sigh and step over to the bathroom sink to wash away the dark rivulets where tears had flowed.

I can hear the squeak of the door and Spike's dreamy "Hi, Rarity..." as he lets her in. "Nice weather we're having..."

"Yes, yes, of course," Rarity replies curtly. "Is Twilight up and about yet? I don't mean to bother, but I absolutely need to see her this instant!" I can hear her hoofsteps on my staircase, so I hastily dry my face and run a brush through my mane.

"I'm up here," I say once I've gotten myself in order. "Come in!"

"Allow me," Spike says from just outside, and he opens my door with a flourish.

Rarity very nearly tackles me to the floor. "Ah, there you are! I need you, urgently!"

An alarm bell rings in my head. I study her expression - she doesn't look injured, nor does she look upset, but she's definitely excited. It's nowhere near Pinkie Pie levels of energy, but the change is definitely startling enough to notice. What could she possibly-

"I was organizing my shop last night. Applejack left quite the laundry list of problems to fix in her brief stint as the owner of the boutique... I need to reorder my fabrics, un-bar my windows, salvage the... things that Applejack put together... Her choices of fabric and color are rather disturbing, but I think I can make it work if I just-"

"Um, Rarity?" I interrupt, nervously. "You needed me for something?" I glance at Spike, who only shrugs in reply.

"Oh, my apologies," she says, just as frantically as before. She pulls me close to her. "As I was working, I had the opportunity to reflect on the last few days... and then I remembered your coronation gown!"

My eyes travel absently to the heap of discarded cloth in the corner of my room. Rarity's gaze follows mine, and in an instant the dress is picked up in an aura of pale blue and turned about gently.

"Now that I look at it closely... it seems to be one of Hoity Toity's designs. It's absolutely wonderful, of course, but it's not... you. Hoity and his people, they don't know you, Twilight. This dress may match your coat, but it fails to resonate with who you are..." She drapes the dress elegantly at the foot of my bed. "I was musing about exactly that last night... when it hit me."

Spike and I glance at each other before I reply nervously. "What hit you, exactly?"

Rarity lifts her leg to her forehead dramatically. "Inspiration." She let out a giggle that was entirely unbecoming of a lady before reining herself in. I gulp audibly. "Never before had a design taken hold of me this way! I worked all night. I even sacrificed my beauty sleep!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Rarity turns to Spike and flushes crimson, her monologue briefly forgotten. Smooth move, casanova. Now all I have to do is find a way out of this mess. I creep slowly towards the door with every intention of locking her in and absconding to... oh, I don't know, anywhere but here.

But my movements don't go unnoticed. "Twilight, my muse, where are you going?" She moves so quickly to bar my exit that I could have sworn she teleported. "You must come with me! Darling, I must have you. I need your body!"

Spike's eyes roll into the back of his head as he faints on the spot.

Before I can think up any kind of response, Rarity's got me by the hoof and goes about dragging me across town. I get the odd glance or two, but it's more because of Rarity's uncharacteristic enthusiasm than the fact that I'm an alicorn princess. Or maybe it's the idea that somepony has the audacity to push royalty around. It could go either way, really - but in any case, Ponyville's citizens ought to be commended for their ability to take such strangeness in stride. I'm going to miss the quiet when I go.

If I go. Not when.

Those apology letters are going to be fun to write. I'm sorry, but I'm going to turn down the chance at being royalty. My job at the library is way too cushy for me to just ignore. ...Can an alicorn even hold a normal job? I really need to research that godhood theory...

"Oh, you're going to look stunning!" Rarity gushes. I snap out of my reverie only to realize that we've already made it to the boutique, and she's already set me on one of her dressing platforms to take measurements. "It's a deep blue silk, blues and purples work so well on you, and the luster of silk would be make it look comfortable and luxurious while breathing better on your coat."

She's pretty much committed herself to this, hasn't she? This wasn't how I had hoped to spend my morning. I decide to try a different tack - hopefully she'd get the hint. "You know, Celestia, Luna and Cadance don't usually wear dresses."

Rarity wrinkles her snout as she stretches her measuring tape down my hind leg. "Oh, and you could tell, couldn't you? Their gowns during your coronation? Ugh! So last century. Though it's no surprise to me that their sense of style is a bit dated, all things considered. You'll be just the thing to breathe fresh air into the fashion of royalty." Suddenly, she blanches. "You... you won't tell them all of that, will you, darling?"

I only have time to shake my head before she redoubles her efforts.

"I'm experimenting with some decorative clips on the wrists of the wings. I've always wanted to try this, but Fluttershy's no help, the dear, and Rainbow Dash turns tail when she hears the words 'clip' and 'wing' in the same sentence..."

"You know, you don't have to do all of this..." Hint. Hint.

"Oh, hush, there's no need for modesty." Her horn glows, and a loosely stitched dress turns a corner to come into view. "Now, if you could put this on, and stand over there..."

I sigh, resigning myself to my fate. Pale blue shifts smoothly to magenta as I take the dress and pull it carefully over my body. I turn in place, just to see how the fabric flows about me. As expected, it looks absolutely beautiful, and I tell her as much.

Rarity blushes. "Thank you, darling. That means a lot, it really does. Now... could you hold out your front left leg? I made the dress according to your old measurements, you see, so I have some adjustments to make." I comply, holding still as best as possible. She puts a hoof to her lips, deep in thought. "Ah, you're a little taller now. Perhaps it needs a collar, to take focus away from the neckline."

I bristle. "Hey. What's wrong with my neckline?"

"...and the wing openings need to shift down your back slightly, they're wrinkling the fabric."

"I was going to ask about that..." I instinctively try to flap my wings, but she slaps at them with a hoof and mutters "hold your pose please". My patience begins to run thin. "Is there anything else?"

"Ah," Rarity says after a moment, "I have good news for you yet. I'm going to need to bring the dress in half an inch at the barrel."

My ears perk up.

"Who knew becoming an alicorn was so good for your figure?" She begins to muse absently. "I mean, especially considering how you still eat like a student at Celestia's School..."

Oh no she didn't. I open my mouth to offer an incisive rejoinder, but am silenced by the sudden appearance of pale blue motes of light all around the boutique. "R-Rarity? What is-"

"Now, hold still, please. I wouldn't want to stick you," she says coolly.

Oh dear Celestia. The blue spots are needles. With the familiar hum of active magic, the needles gather into a single swarm that circles the room before bearing down upon me like the insects from this morning's nightmare. I can feel the electrical pulses streaming from every nerve ending in my body, trying to kick-start my reflexive nervous system and get me out of what is quite obviously harm's way. But fear has frozen me to the spot. For countless, unbearable seconds, my entire existence is shrouded by flying needles and telekinetic glow.

And then, Rarity smiles. "Perfect!" she snips, punctuating it with the sound of scissors cutting thread. I dare to peek into the mirrors, only to gasp in shock. Rarity's masterpiece has transformed into something else entirely before my very eyes. "Rarity... this... what did..."

Rarity giggles. "I'm sorry, dear. One cannot help but show off for royalty, non?"

"No, forget the needles... the dress... it's..." I'm almost afraid to say it, but the dress is no longer beautiful.

It's downright gorgeous.

I surreptitiously shake my perfectly-framed flank, and can already picture lesser stallions going weak in the knees. A single profane utterance graces my lips. "Hot damn."

My reaction draws a high-pitched squeal from my fellow unicorn. She pulls me into a deep, loving embrace... and the noise returns. I shudder at the sound, and try my best to ignore it.

But the ringing persists, increasing in volume. The timber of the noise changes, too - it's no longer a ringing... but more like a buzzing, or a dull hum. Visions of Vespidae and Aphoidea dance in my subconscious, and I instinctively try to shrink away...

"Twilight? Are you alright?" Rarity has let me go, her original expression replaced with one of concern. I lock eyes with her, and the noise disappears again.

In that moment, I think of Cadance and lift my hoof to my chest. In... hold... out. And out goes my hoof, pulling all the stress away with it. "It's nothing," I insist.

Rarity isn't convinced, and she continues to look askance at me. When it's clear that I'm not going to continue, she sighs. "You can come down from there now, I'm all finished."

I shrug, scratch at my ears for a moment, and use my magic to extricate myself from out of the perfectly-stitched dress. It was nothing, I tell myself. A trick of the imagination, or lingering stress from the dream... and the letter...

Rarity is holding up the dress, turning it over to get a look at all sides. "It's... perfect!" she squeals. She pulls me closer to her, holding out her other forehoof. "Imagine the heads you'll turn in Canterlot with this on!"

Canterlot. A little sigh escapes my lips.

It's all Rarity needs. She puts the dress down and looks me in the eye. "Now I know something's wrong. I wasn't going to ask, but you leave me no choice. Why were you crying this morning?"

I give a little start. She had noticed after all - I had thought that I had hidden it well enough. I try my hardest to swallow the lump in my throat as I reply. "Rarity, I promise I'll tell you all about it. I want to tell you all about it. But I want the other girls around to hear."

Rarity's warm, loving smile nourishes me down to my core. "Of course, Twilight." All of a sudden, she glances down at an invisible wristwatch. "My stars, is it that time already? And I'm absolutely famished," she moans, entirely too dramatically. "Would you care to join me for brunch?"

"Of course," I reply. I haven't eaten anything since last night. I don't particularly feel hungry, but that's probably an alicorn thing. "How does Sugarcube Corner sound? That way we can go see Pinkie Pie."

"P-Pinkie?" Rarity exclaims. "Oh, no, no. We can't go to Sugarcube Corner!"

I tilt my head. "We can't?"

I can see little droplets of sweat forming on her brow. Something's up here. "I... of course we can go to Sugarcube Corner. But... well, I'd love to pick up dear little Spikey-wikey first. After all, I did disturb your morning. It's only fair he joins us."

I may not be the Element of Honesty, but I can tell a bold-faced lie when I see one. So I egg her on, a wry smirk crossing my face. "Sugarcube Corner is on the way. We can just pick something up for him there."

Rarity's sweating buckets now. "No, ah, that won't do at all. It, well..."

"Besides, I'd absolutely love to see what Pinkie Pie is up to this afternoon."

The fashionista lets out an unladylike grumble-sigh. "Oh, for heaven's sake, I'm almost as bad at keeping secrets as Applejack is."

I chuckle. "You were laying it on a little thick back at the library." I cast a glance back at the blue dress. "I can't really argue with the results, though."

Rarity throws on a light scarf and swings open the door to her boutique. "Come on, then. You can at least pretend to be surprised."

Pinkie Pie's party was a rousing success, as usual. She hadn't busted out the party cannon - in fact, she confided in me that she was prototyping a portable hoof-mounted launcher for those smaller party emergencies. But a quiet gathering of seven suited me just fine. It makes the next part easier.

"Everyone," I start, clearing my throat. "I have something to say." Hoof goes in... breathe in, hold, breathe out, out goes the stress. Relax. Don't get worked up. If they see you stressed out, imagine how they'll take the news.

My friends wait with varying degrees of patience. Spike nods, beckoning me to continue.

"I... received a letter this morning, from the princess." Breathe in, hold, out. This is it. The bombshell. "They're asking me to move to Canterlot. To take up the responsibilities of the crown." I cringe, awaiting their panicked protests.

They don't come.

"Well, shucks, Twi, that sounds great!" Applejack states, matter-of-factly.

"Gosh," Fluttershy breathes. Her face is the picture of wonder and anticipation.

Rainbow Dash shrugs. "So what's the problem with that?"

That's... not what I had expected. Where's the panic? The sadness? The anger?

"What's the problem?" I repeat, even though I heard her just fine. "The problem is... I'd have to leave Ponyville! I'd be leaving you girls behind! I can't just..."

Pinkie Pie giggles. Giggles! Can't you see I'm in turmoil here? "Oh, don't you worry your silly alicorn head about that!"

Rarity clucks her tongue. "Now, darling, I remember the last time we ignored your concerns-" I cringe. We all remember the last time that happened. "-but I can say with certainty that you have nothing to worry about this time."

"If'n you think a little thing like a chariot ride to the palace is enough to split us up, then you don't know us very well, do ya?" Applejack winks, catching me completely off balance.

I should have known. What was I worried about? My friends... they care about me. I smile back at all of them. "Thank you..." I begin, but I find myself unable to continue as a ringing - the same blasted ringing - enters my ears.

I reach for my ear and rub it. When the noise fades, Rainbow Dash is gesturing at herself proudly, halfway through a sentence. "...to Canterlot and back in thirty minutes, forty tops!"

"Really?" Pinkie Pie teases. "Not ten seconds flat?"

Rainbow Dash chuckles. "Maybe at double- or triple- or quadruple-Rainboom speed, I could make that." She puts a hoof to her muzzle. "I kinda want to try it now."

The ringing becomes full-fledged buzzing. I grunt and shake my head rather violently to try and clear it. When the spots fade from my eyes, Fluttershy is beaming at me. "Twilight, you'll always have a place here in Ponyville... and in our hearts, too." She flies forward and wraps me in her tender embrace. Seconds later, I'm in the center of a group hug. Even Rainbow Dash and Spike can't help but smile warmly as they press against me.

"We love you, Twilight."

And I can feel it. The love. Five ponies and one dragon, giving me the purest, unconditional friendship love I have ever experienced. It feels... so...

The buzzing reaches a fever pitch. A single drop of sweat drops down my forehead. I growl, and prepare a Perception Filter spell. No stupid buzzing is going to ruin my heartfelt catharsis.

I cast the spell...

...and stare into a pair of green, insectoid eyes and a wide, fanged smile. It's Chrysalis... Queen Chrysalis. I yelp and throw everypony off of me. I look around wildly, but her fearsome visage is gone, just as quickly as it had appeared. The girls look at me with concern. Spike opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.

Chrysalis is gone. The ringing is gone. But something else has taken its place. A voice. A different voice. Her voice.

You will return home. All at once, my will evaporates into thin air, unable to take the brunt of Chrysalis's command.

"return... home..." I intone, blankly. I feel like a passenger in my own body. Chrysalis... she's done something to me. I can't...

"That's right," I suddenly hear Rarity say. "You can always return home to us, whenever you..." I honestly can't comprehend the rest of her words as I begin to take wing.

My friends watch me with looks of confusion as I begin a slow, wobbling ascent towards the skylight window.

"Hey, Twilight, where are you going?" Rainbow Dash keeps pace with me, trying to get my attention. And I want nothing but to turn around, tell them all everything's okay.

"Home... return..."

Rainbow flies into my face. "Twilight! Snap out of it!"

The wall comes tumbling down. I let out an odd, staccato noise before my entire body goes limp. With fading vision, I see all my friends, screaming my name in panic, waiting to catch me before I hit the floor.

Author's Note

Original version: http://sta.sh/01xawx5hblqi

This Day Is More Than Perfect

I open my eyes, only to discover myself in an unfamiliar setting. Am I dreaming?

I take a moment to regain consciousness. What just happened? I ask myself as I cast my mind backwards through my memories. In my addled mind, the only thing I can remember are my friends... and Shiny, and the Princess... crying... and then her... and then, green fire, all around...

This isn't a dream. It's a memory. But... when did this happen?

Everything hurts... my head especially. It feels almost as if I had woken up from a long sleep. I strain to lift a hoof to my temples... but my movements are strange and sluggish, almost as if I were moving through water, or gelatin, or perhaps a non-Neightonian fluid...

I take a breath, and my lungs fill up with something that definitely isn't air.

Oh Celestia, I'm drowning.

My consciousness kicks into full throttle as dozens of reflexes all start up at once. My hooves kick, trying futilely to propel me towards the surface. My eyes fly open, treating me to a green-tinted view of the world. My horn lights up... and produces nothing, which only serves to deepen my initial panic.

It's then that I realize... I'm not drowning.

My higher-functioning brain decides to throw in its two bits as my panic gives way to scientific inquiry. Whatever this fluid is, it's keeping me alive. Could it have placed me into some sort of bizarre cellular stasis? Perhaps there is concentrated oxygen permeating the fluid - I remember reading some scientific experiments about that. And then there's magic, of course...

All of that just reminds me of the bigger question.

Where did this memory come from? And why am I remembering it now?

"Where in Tartarus am I?" I ask aloud, despite myself.

"Ah. So you're awake."

That voice... It couldn't be...

That voice... who could it be? I turn about as best as I can in the fluid, trying to discover the source of the sound - ignoring for the moment the question of acoustic dynamics through mysterious magical liquids. I push a hoof outward, only to feel a tough, yet pliable surface beneath it. It's like a... cocoon...

More like a Chrysalis.

"Who's there?" I ask again. "Can you help me?"

"There is no one here to help you, Twilight Sparkle." I hear the rapid fluttering of wings, and am met with a strange creature. She sneers at me from the other side of my... pupa?

That's oh-for-two. Past me isn't all that bright.

But I am nothing if not an inquisitive pony. "Who are you? And where am I?"

The creature hovered closer to me, looking in on me with relish. "I am Chrysalis..."

There we go.

"...the changeling queen. And you... you're exactly where I want you to be."

I let my analytical brain kick itself into gear to process this new information. This creature is Princess Celestia's size, and looks to be a cross between a pony and a beetle, exoskeleton and all. Her wings are diaphanous, and look as if they would simply remain visible, even when not in use... her horn is nothing like a unicorn's, all gnarled and twisted up like that... Her limbs are covered in holes... possibly for weight reduction? Mane and tail... vestigial. Her eyes are the thing I can call the most vaguely equine on close inspection - though even those are green and slitted, focusing on me as if to stare right through me.

I remember the old stories, about great fey creatures that would steal the shapes of ponies, just to trick their loved ones into-

Suddenly, it clicks into place. My face twists into an angry grimace. "You... what did you do to Cadance?"

I... I don't remember any of this. What is going on here?

...Wasn't I just in the library? And then, there was the buzzing... and Chrysalis's...

I have to know what's happening. Perhaps I should just... let this play out.

It all makes sense now. The pony I thought to be Cadance, all of this time... her mannerisms, ever-so-slightly off, her memories of me gone... she was nothing like I remembered her, because she wasn't the old foalsitter I grew up with... the one I loved-

I yelp as a new sensation creeps into me - a sinking feeling, just above my stomach. It feels as if a little piece of me has been ripped away and carried off. "What just happened?" I ask.

The creature named Chrysalis chuckles, paying no mind to my sudden outburst. "So. This 'Cadance' of yours..."

Without warning, Chrysalis wraps herself in emerald fire. I don't have time to blink before the green burst of flame vanishes. But Chrysalis seems to have vanished along with it - leaving something else behind. I gasp audibly, unwilling to believe it, even after seeing it for myself.

Chrysalis's black carapace has given way to soft, equine flesh, covered with pink fur. Her fluttering insectoid wings are now sweeping, feathered appendages, tipped a familiar purple. Her mane is no longer turquoise and hanging freely; it's a tri-colored yellow, pink, and purple, and it's done up in a meticulously crafted style for the wedding.

I look with shock at the perfect facsimile of Princess Cadance.

The changeling laughs in Cadance's voice and she taps her hooves against the walls of my prison. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, right?" Her voice breaks into a shrill cackle.

I have never felt such rage as what I'm feeling now. I kick as hard as I can against the walls, trying to force them to break. My horn flashes again and again as I try to produce enough energy for a spark, but nothing occurs. "Let me go! I'm going to-"

My movement ceases as that sinking feeling returns, stronger than before. I clutch at my heart instinctively.

Cadance - no, Chrysalis - coos with delight. "Such a delicate flavor."

"You're... eating me?" I ask, trying my hardest to hold back the waves of nausea and panic.

Cadance's face twists into an expression of disgust - I flinch for a moment at the very sight of it. "Ugh, no. We're changelings, not barbarians... And I-" With a burst of green fire, she has returned to her original form, and is snapping her jaws at me as I struggle to keep away. "-I care not for the taste of pony flesh."

It takes a few moments for my heart to stop trying to burst from my chest. I struggle to keep my eyes on her as she buzzes around my chrysalis with her translucent wings. "Then... what did you..."

She rolls her eyes and answers as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Love." She licks her lips. "Your love for your precious foalsitter. Affection, friendship, perhaps a touch of charity... complex, aged well..."

I retch at the very thought, and press my ears flat against my head. "Stop," I protest. "Just... what are you after?"

Chrysalis quiets, raising an eyebrow. "Hm. Your brother said you were quick on the uptake. Perhaps he was wrong."

My mouth opens in shocked offense. Insult my intelligence, will you? We'll see about that.

What could she have been planning? To supplant a member of royalty, get close to my brother... wait. The threat against Canterlot! Shining's shield was meant to protect against the changeling invasion! But if Chrysalis was already on the inside... "You're weakening my brother," I finally answer, "because you want Canterlot."

Chrysalis grins. "There's the brilliance that foal of a stallion's always going on about." Chrysalis takes Cadance's form again. "I'm so proud of you," she coos, her voice sickeningly sweet.

I clutch at my chest again, trying my best to think about anypony or anything other than Cadance. "D-don't do that..."

"What?" she asks innocently. "You mean... this?" With another burst of green fire, I'm face to face with Shining Armor. I know it's not him - for Celestia's sake, he can't fly - but I'm transfixed all the same. "Aww," he says, "are you okay, Twiley?"

I shudder. How... how would she know about...

"I hate to see you in pain..." Shining closes the distance between us, placing a hoof against the outer walls of my chrysalis. "I love you, little sister... best friend forever..." I reach a hoof out to his...

I feel my love for my brother being drained from my body. It feels as if she's taking the very life from me, and I can't even lift a hoof to stop her. "Please... don't... Shiny..."

Chrysalis is back, savoring my love like wine. "The love of a brother... the first friend you ever made. Hmm."

My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach - and something splashes back up as a fleeting determination rises in me. "You won't get away with this," I snap. "My friends will..." I clap a hoof to my mouth, already knowing what Chrysalis will do. I try my best to think of something... anything other than my friends. But it's to no avail.

A hungry grimace stretches across her maw as she attacks me again. Her parasitic magic strikes at my heart six times over, and I double over as if in physical pain.

"Amazing." Chrysalis hums her approval. "True friendship. It's really a delicacy, nowadays, especially in Canterlot. Most friendships there are mere facades, or relationships of convenience. The love there is hardly worth the trouble it takes to absorb." She grins, almost gratefully. "It's been a while since I've had the... pleasure... of a good friend."

Something about the way she smiles at that point makes me want to empty the contents of my stomach. I hold it in as best as I can.

"Such complex creatures, ponies are. They're so full of love, of many kinds... perfect for feeding my swarm. Oh, the feasts we will have..."

"Please..." I stammer out. "S... stop..."

The pain in my heart vanishes. I straighten up, looking around for Chrysalis. She hasn't gone anywhere - instead, she's taken to pondering me, a hoof scratching at the back of her head. "Perhaps... I shall."

I'm dumbfounded for a moment. Without thinking, I open my mouth to voice my gratitude, but she cuts me off with a hungry grin.

"Best not to gorge myself, after all. I have Cadance's figure to maintain." With another harsh laugh, she flies away, out of sight.

I watch myself for a moment, completely stymied by what I've just witnessed. Apparently I met Chrysalis, and she revealed her entire plan to me. Not for the first time, I'm wracked with curiosity. Why did I forget all of this?

A few minutes pass in silence.

The cynic in me can't help but chuckle. Turns out I was right, after all. Now all I have to do is get out of here and rub it in everypony's faces. Politely, of course, always politely.

But this isn't the time for contemplation. It's time to act.

I tap into my magical reserves once again. As before, my aura dissolves harmlessly into the green fluid surrounding me.

But... it's still there, isn't it? It's only-

But it's only dispersed, not gone. I open my Stream just a little wider, and am satisfied to feel my magic begin to surround me, dissolved and inert. I keep the pressure on, and within minutes the chrysalis itself is glowing a bright magenta, filled to the brim with a homebrewed magical cocktail.

Based on observation alone, I've put out enough mana to overcome the fluid's magical capacitance. I'm literally floating around in a supersaturated solution of my own magical energy - and I've still got magic to spare.

So I open the floodgates.

Everypony knows what happens when you add extra solute to a supersaturated solution, right?

My magic explodes outward from me, sending green slime and bits of broken chrysalis all about the area. It's a little excessive, but there's nothing wrong with a little overkill now and again.

I glance about, finally able to properly take in my surroundings. I know instantly that I'm in a cave somewhere underground... somewhere relatively close to Canterlot, from what I could subsequently guess. I can see the exit of the cave ahead, so I make a break for it.

I'm not quite sure how much time passes as I barrel down each corridor-

Shoot, I wasn't keeping track.

-but I realize that it's running short. The wedding could be happening any minute now... Chrysalis will win, and nopony will be the wiser. I start teleporting, propelling myself forward at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash proud; it isn't long before I quite literally see the light at the end of the tunnel. With a fresh burst of speed, I run and run until I taste fresh air.

A familiar face greets me outside. Her back is turned, but I'd recognize her from anywhere.

No. No, no, no.

My face splits into a grin as

No no no no no

I dash over to see her. "Applejack!" I yell. "Thank Celestia it's you."

She turns... and bares her fangs.

please no no not this not

My hooves scrabble for purchase against the stone floor as I back away from the changeling. But as I back away, I end up running right into the hooves of... Rainbow Dash?

why is this happening this can't be

The fake Rainbow picks me up by the shoulders, restraining my movements. All around, I can see Fluttershy, and Pinkie, and Rarity... the changelings surround me, wearing my friends' faces but looking more like hungry beasts as they close in...

Everything fades to black, and for the first time I'm actually thankful that I'm watching this from the outside.

Of course I'd want to forget something like that. I'm just... glad that everything worked out in the end. Now, if I can just...

"...wake up."

What... what now?

I groan and try to place a hoof against my forehead. "What... what now?" I moan. My voice sounds strange, almost as if...

I inhale a lungful of green, viscous fluid and curse my luck.

"My, my... what do I do with you?" Chrysalis is shaking her head and clucking her tongue, peering at me through the translucent green walls of my cage. "You're obviously more powerful than I gave you credit for."

"Powerful enough to stop you..." I spit, as I charge up my magic again. If I could bust out once...

Chrysalis pauses for a moment. "No, not by a long shot," she decides, waving me off with a hoof. "I've been planning this day for a long time, Twilight Sparkle. Just because one unicorn figured out my scheme doesn't mean-"

I scoff, giving her a look of disdain. "You don't know who I am, do you?" It's my turn to be smug, you self-righteous pretender. "I'm not just any unicorn, I'm the protégé of Princess Celestia herself, and-"

"Bearer of the Element of Magic, one of the legendary Elements of Harmony, et cetera, et cetera." Chrysalis dismisses me again, not even deeming me worthy of her gaze.

Her reaction takes the wind out of my sails almost immediately. "Wha-"

Chrysalis looks at me, bemused. "I may have underestimated you... but I at least knew who you were. It's only fair that I get the same in return. I'm not a stupid mare by any stretch of the imagination."

"Well, you weren't smart enough to leave Canterlot alone, were you?" I offer in riposte. "My friends will notice I'm gone, and they'll come for me... and when they find me..."

"Oh, they won't." Chrysalis smiles, and I can see the vestiges of mania in her eyes. Her horn begins to glow, and I hear something. Not a voice...

...it's... noise, plain and simple. It's static. It's feedback. It's the ringing sensation you get after a particularly loud sound fades to silence.

Why do I know that so well?

The sound of buzzing wings comes to my ears next, and soon, a smaller creature appears. It's Chrysalis in miniature, with standard pony proportions, a twisted horn, diaphanous wings like a beetle's, and large, opaque blue eyes.

A drone.

Ha! This is the grand plot of the great changeling queen? More shapeshifting? I can't stop the laughter. "You’re making a copy of me? Come on! My friends might be a little short-sighted -" I swallow the bitterness rising up in my throat. "- but they're not stupid. They'll know she's a fake!"

Chrysalis sighs. "I already told you not to underestimate me." The changeling begins to flutter away, but Chrysalis buzzes again and the changeling returns to attention. "Allow me to explain." She lifts a hoof and taps it against my new prison. "Recently, the esteemed Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has been taking up refuge in the Star Swirl the Bearded wing of the Canterlot Archives for hours at a time."

All things considered, there are plenty of other things to worry about here.

But entering restricted sections without approval? Breaking library policy?

You're hoofing the line there, Chrysalis. Those rules are there for a reason.

"She never told anypony exactly what she was hoping to find... but find it she did."

Curiosity gets the better of me. "What were you looking for?"

"An old transformation spell... powerful enough to overcome any kind of detection." Chrysalis's eyes shine with legitimate wonder for a brief moment. "It's even older than I am, and that's saying something."

"Really?" I deadpan, "I wouldn't have put you past a century or two."

Chrysalis smirks. "Flattery will get you everywhere." The changeling flies away absently again, but Chrysalis puts it back in place with the magic in her horn.

I scratch at my ear. "But you're already inside the barrier. Shining Armor trusts you. Why would you need a stronger spell?"

"Oh, you misunderstand," Chrysalis counters. "It's not for me." When I offer no reply, she sighs. "Perhaps a demonstration is in order."

Chrysalis fires a beam of searing green fire, and her drone explodes into gooey black shrapnel. I flinch in surprise-

So do I. Something about this feels... wrong.

-as the pieces of exoskeleton and entrails don't drop to the floor, but are suspended in midair, held up by Chrysalis's telekinesis.

Scratch that. Everything feels wrong.

"Unfortunately, I don't quite have the power for this spell," Chrysalis says overdramatically. She flings a hoof over her forehead before suddenly turning her gaze to me. "For that, I'll need a volunteer."

I can see the predatory look in her eyes as she builds up crackling green energy in her horn, and I already know what she's trying to do.

"Now, if you'll be so kind..." A beam of emerald shoots from Chrysalis's horn towards me. I already know that it's not going to hurt me - no, it'll do much worse than that.

I let loose a torrent of magical energy, enough to overload the fluid's disruptive properties and put up a barrier. But a magic shield against a spell designed to drain magic is like a sandcastle at high tide. Threads of magenta trail from the outer edges of my shield into her horn, only serving to widen the power gap between us.

But I'm not going down that easy. If I can keep my shield up, just a little longer, I might be able to fight my way out of this chrysalis and regroup. I have to win. Too many ponies are counting on me.

"Impressive," Chrysalis comments.

My eyes are screwed shut, sweat dripping, teeth grinding themselves to dust. I have to hold on. For my friends, my brother, and Cadance and Luna and-

"It's as I expected... from my faithful student."

...How dare she.

How dare she?

...Celestia?

My eyes open, and I am greeted with the smiling visage of my beloved mentor, shining as brilliant as the sun.

Celestia. Princess Celestia.

The wind is knocked out of me as I clutch at my heart, unable to stop Chrysalis as she forcibly rips out a piece of my soul.

My shield shatters into dust without my will to strengthen it. Within moments, Chrysalis's spell hits me with full force, tearing my magic power from me. I'm not sure which hurts more, the pain in my chest or in my horn... but combined, it's too much. I stare weakly up at the changeling queen wearing my mentor's face.

Celestia gasps with genuine surprise. "Oh... oh, my... so much..." Her tail twitches involuntarily, swishing through the air in a very... profane way. "Pure, unadulterated devotion... and... oh, your magic..." Her eyes roll into the back of her head as she lets out short, sweet breaths.

Oh, sun and moon, I can't watch this. This is...

I can't help but watch, transfixed with equal parts disgust, hatred, and fascination as Celestia's perfect serenity gives way to something more... base. "It's so good... so..." Her passionate moaning resonates through the cave as she shudders in ecstacy and goes limp, tumbling down out of the sky for a brief second.

Chrysalis... I will end you.

I want to tear her limb from limb. Turn her to dust. Turn her dust into dust, recursion be damned. But I'm reduced to spurting out platitudes instead. "Monster... How dare you defile the Princess like that..." I say weakly. "You won't get away with this..."

My words seem to rouse Chrysalis from her pleasure-induced stupor. Still wearing Celestia's face, she leers at me with hungry eyes as a grimace stretches from ear to ear. I press back against the far wall of my cocoon, trying to put as much distance as possible between myself and the horror.

A shrill cackle erupts from her open mouth, destroying any resemblance the faux-Celestia shared with the genuine article without having to abandon her disguise. "The best part is yet to come, Twilight!" she cries out. Chrysalis's horn shimmers with green and magenta - my magenta - as she restores herself to her original form.

I don't have time to react before she blasts me with another spell. I flinch, bracing for the impact... but it doesn't come, at least, not in the way I expected. I feel an aura of magic surround me, tracing every curve of my body, and I can't help but shudder at the almost oily sensation.

The floating changeling entrails suddenly move of their own volition, wrapped in the same aura that encircles my body. The pieces liquefy and meld together, forming a vaguely pony-shaped mass of biological material.

I watch as two spires of ivory bone of form at the hind end. They divide and divide again - I see the femur, tibia, fibula, and tarsal bones. They take form and set, only to be immediately swallowed up by flesh, skin and keratin. The fully formed legs sprout fur dyed a very familiar shade of purple... and I can't help but gape as a very distinct cutie mark decorates the flanks.

The sight is all at once fascinating and disturbing. Chrysalis copied me... somehow... but why can't I remember-

Bones, muscle, flesh continue to build up, bit by bit, up the spine and out, forming a torso. A pair of forelegs. A neck.

Upon the fully-formed neck, a lower jaw bone. Upon that, the pieces of a skull.

Within the skull, a brai

Wh-where'd the picture go? That can't be it. Why did it stop like that?

I concentrate, trying to will my memories back into place. I have to know what happened next.

...even if I regret it.

I wake up on the floor, shaking off waves of fatigue. My entire body aches. I take in a breath... only to realize I'm not in the chrysalis anymore.

Where am I? Where is Chrysalis?

"Ah. Success." Her voice is coming from above me, where she looks to be... appraising me. Sizing me up.

I appraise her the same way. Chrysalis's drain spell had taken most of my magic, but I've had time to recover, just a little bit. I have enough magic power for one good shot.

One is all I'll need. I light my horn, grinning at the familiar magenta glow.

Chrysalis begins to laugh. Why would she be laughing? "I don't know what you did, Chrysalis," I snap, "but I'm not going to let you get away with it!"

All I need to do lead my target a little bit. Aim for where she's going and hope for the best. She's still hovering next to the chrysalis where I was imprisoned-

No.

It's not possible.

no no no no nononono

There is something in there. Something lavender, the size of a pony. It's slamming its hooves against the inner walls and screaming its lungs out. Screaming with my voice.

My knees get weak. "Oh... Celestia... I'm the..."

A buzzing, like the sound of bees. I immediately lift my head to the noise, standing at attention. Chrysalis is gliding towards me, her horn buzzing with strange magic.

Her lips do not move, but I can feel the force of her will.

You will sleep. You will forget.

"Sleep... forget..." Of course. I must always follow the will of my queen. I will forget everything. I will...

-it stop it stop it this can't be I can't be the-

...

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I set my horn alight, trying to make sense of my strange new surroundings. I'm greeted with the sight of my own face, reflected in magenta light.

A harsh, sharp laugh resonates throughout the entire room.

"Where am I?"

Cadance's face reflects itself in the crystalline walls. "The caves beneath Canterlot, once home to greedy unicorns who wanted to claim the gems that could be found inside. And now, your prison."

Why, Cadance? Why would you do this? I begin a frantic search for the exit. "Help! Help!"

But all I hear is the buzz of her laughter, echoing against the walls...

The memories end there of their own accord. I shudder as I feel myself returning to consciousness, but I keep my eyes closed tight.

Because when I open them, I know I'll be waking up to a lie.

Author's Note

Currently undergoing revisions for EqD posting. Ignore the man behind the green curtain.

I Am Not Twilight Sparkle

I am Twilight Sparkle.

I never thought those words would fail me.

I am Twilight Sparkle. Newly crowned Princess of Equestria. Element of Magic. Student of the magic of friendship under the tutelage of Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia.

Female. Lavender in the coat, indigo in the mane, with purple and pink stripes. Razor straight mane cut, with a little bit of a flip... shimmering ethereal mane and tail possibly pending. Large wings, lavender, barely used.

Beloved daughter of a scientist and a stargazer. Sister to the Captain of the Royal Guard. Sister-in-law to an Empress.

Best friend to five ponies plus one dragon in Ponyville.

I am a fraud. A fake. A liar. A decoy.

A changeling.

I am not Twilight Sparkle.

The sights, sounds and... ugh... smells of the Everfree Forest assault my senses alongside the lingering taste of blood in my mouth. My left eye is beginning to swell, and I'm fairly sure that my right wing isn't supposed to bend like that.

But who cares? I sure as Tartarus don't. Not after this evening.

I had finally found consciousness again, as I recovered from both my two-story fall and the memories I had just uncovered. But my senses were slower in coming back.

The first to arrive had been my sense of touch. I sensed the familiar give of my old mattress, the cool night air against my damp coat - they had taken the time to wash me and put me to bed.

Neither of those had compared to the searing pain of a sprained wing. Every sensation, every breeze that blew across it felt like fire.

Taste and smell arrived at the same time, and the taste of bile in my throat gave me the answer of why I was in bed in the first place. Whether my reaction had come from my sudden injury or from the... memories... I wasn't sure.

Hearing came back next, and I was treated to a six-part cacophony, each voice distinct but not quite coherent to my subconscious mind. One of them, the only male voice, made an excited noise as I pulled my injured wing closer to myself.

And then, there was sight. As I slowly fluttered my eyelids open, I could see five ponies and one dragon, looking to me quietly, searching me for any indication that everything was okay. That Twilight Sparkle had taken a little tumble, but was okay and that everything would be beautiful and magical again.

But Twilight Sparkle is in a cave somewhere Queen-knows-where, sucked dry of her love and magic. Possibly dead, or worse, she's a drone now. There's probably something ironic about that.

... Did I just really think that? What's happened to me?

Their expressions at that moment are imprinted on my mind, even now. But then, I couldn't bear to look at them. "Please... go..." I muttered.

"Twilight, you're back!" Spike cheered, as the others crowded around me.

"Are you okay, sugarcube?" I remember Applejack saying, as she held her hat to her chest. She was so worried for me...

Not for me, for Twilight Sparkle.

"All of you... you have to go..." All I wanted was for them to leave. But, true friends they were, they wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Please, darling, talk to us..." Rarity had plead, staring into me with those sapphire eyes again. I remember every frown line in her face, visible even through her pristine white coat. It didn't look like her at all.

I had crawled towards the footboard, away from the group, and moved for my bedroom door before a yellow wing blocked my path. Fluttershy tried to nuzzle me, and I stepped back to avoid contact. She sighed. "We all know you're upset, and that all these changes are stressing you out."

Pinkie popped out next to her, trying and failing to elicit a reaction. "But you can handle anything. You're Twilight Sparkle!"

You're Twilight Sparkle. Well, that was the problem exactly, wasn't it?

I tried to make a break for it. I was halfway ready to teleport out of there. But Rainbow Dash extended a wing, draping it over my shoulder.

"Please... what's going on?" said Spike. Oh, Spike... his face then...

"I'm not... I'm not who you think I am."

Silence reigned.

"I could feel it... your love... it... felt good... and then... I cast a spell, and I saw..."

Spike backed away. "No... you're lying... you can't be a..."

I looked past Spike to the others. Voices began to raise, criticisms of bad jokes and hard cider floated about. Spike had already begun clinging to Rarity, who looked at me with genuine confusion as she stroked his scales.

And then Rainbow Dash tackled me into the wall.

I remember the pain and screaming as my already-injured wing was bent further out of place. "Rainbow..." I whimpered, but she wasn't going to have any of it.

Her eyes were like fire. Sweet Celestia, the fire... "Where is she?" she roared.

"Rainbow, what are you doing?!" Pinkie Pie cried out, even as Rainbow continued to pin me down.

I struggled to find an answer for Rainbow Dash beyond "I don't know", but nothing I had was good enough.

It came as a shock to everypony when she threw a hard right hook, connecting with my face and rattling my skull.

"Where is she?"

Everything turned to chaos. Rainbow Dash, the most loyal of ponies, was reeling back, ready to throw another punch, until Pinkie and Fluttershy intervened, trying their hardest to pull her off of me. "Let go!" she yelled, aflame with rage. "Damn it, let me go!"

Rarity and Spike clung to each other. Spike was sobbing uncontrollably as Rarity tried her best to soothe him with empty words.

And Applejack... she just... stood there. It was as if her brain simply refused to work, refused to comprehend the idea that something so wrong has just happened in front of her very eyes.

I had had a hard time believing it at the time, too.

My vision filled with bright white as I finally managed to muster up the will and power to teleport out of the Library.

I'm not sure how long I've been sitting here since then. Night's fallen properly; the glint of stars is barely visible through the canopy above me. There isn't even any moonlight tonight.

Already some part of my brain is trying to apply some logic to my current situation. It's currently working out exactly what spell Chrysalis used to change me. The way that the changeling - that I was torn apart, and reconfigured...

I remember reading about an old spell, back in school. It was written during the beginnings of Equestria itself, around Clover the Clever's tenure as High Magician. I had thought it would be the perfect complement for my Classical Magic Studies paper.

The Proteus Spell was the first recorded instance of changing one substance into another. It did so by borrowing tactics from the then-popular field of alchemy, breaking something down and building it back up again in a different shape. It was extremely powerful, hard to cast... and permanent.

A few decades later, a powerful unicorn figured out how to adapt the Proteus Spell to create copies of objects that were indistinguishable from the real thing. The findings predated a huge financial crash throughout Equestria as counterfeit currency spread like wildfire. Once they figured it out, the Princesses sealed the spell away. It eventually found its way into the Starswirl the Bearded Wing, which was where Chrysalis must have found it.

Heh. I remember the exact day I read about it, too. That day, Princess Celestia had caught me in the Starswirl the Bearded Wing without permission. Without blinking an eye, she had granted me unlimited access to every restricted tome in the Archives. She even let me move out of my dormitory and into the Library Tower, of all places. My squeal of delight could have shattered windows.

No. That wasn't me. That was Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle is the one who owns the memories, the friends, the family... the life that I have now. At least, the one I had... before...

I scream, long and loud into the night. I don't care if a timberwolf finds me, or if a cockatrice turns me to stone, or if the very forest swallows me up and I am never seen or heard from again.

I don't want to live anymore. Not this lie. I want to...

I want to return. Home. Wait... no, I don't. "Leave me alone," I mutter to myself, ignoring the ever-present buzzing in my ears.

Going back will make the pain go away. And that is very tempting. But right now, all I want is for the buzzing to stop. For everything to stop.

Return.

Home.

I scream again, trying to be heard over my own mind. On instinct I run into the nearest tree, horn first. The pain feels good, and almost quiets the noise. I slam my head into the tree again, gouging out deep scars into the bark, very nearly concussing myself. "Get. Out. Of. My. Head!" I yell, punctuating each word with another strike.

My head is most definitely bleeding now. It's not enough. I rear back for another strike, screaming to the heavens.

Suddenly, there is a set of forelegs wrapped around me. The buzzing stops as I flail around, trying to get a look at my attacker.

"Please..." A quiet voice sobs into my bloody coat. "Don't do that."

It can't be. "Fluttershy?" I look down, where she is still clinging to me with all of her might.

She stares up at me with large turquoise pools of sorrow filled with tears. "D-don't do that," she repeats.

"Fluttershy, what-" I start incredulously. "Why are you here?"

"You don't have to hurt yourself. You have so much to live for, Twili-" Fluttershy clasps a hoof over her mouth, and I take the opportunity to put some distance between us.

"What do you expect me to do, then?" I yell. "I can't..."

Fluttershy closes the distance, bringing a hoof to my lips. "Shh. Don't worry. We're here for you."

We? She doesn't mean... Another voice cuts through the night air, energetic yet layered with traces of frustration and fatigue. "Fluttershy! Where'd you go?"

Pinkie Pie.

Suddenly, she leaps out of the nearby brush, engulfing Fluttershy in a bear hug. "There you are! I thought you'd go chasing after that scream..."

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy says through Pinkie's mane, "I called out as loudly as I could..."

Pinkie looks past the pegasus to me and stares for a long minute. I can't even begin to predict what she's going to do next. When she raises her hoof, I instinctively cringe and step back. But she's not striking me with it. She's offering it to me. "Hello! My name's Pinkie Pie!"

What? This is all wrong. I'm not supposed to...

I reach out a hoof, gingerly. Pinkie leans in, her grin getting wider. Out of nowhere, she decides to pull me into her embrace, shaking me violently, chanting "New Friend" over and over. "Oh my gosh, this is perfect! It's like I get to become friends with you all over again!" Pinkie Pie chatters at her usual mile-a-minute pace, stopping only when Fluttershy gives her a meaningful glance.

I finally recover some sense of... sense. "What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for you, silly!" Pinkie Pie answers. Fluttershy nods the affirmative, fixing me with her usual calm, peaceful smile.

"But... why?"

"If you had really meant any harm, you would have escaped when your cover was blown," Fluttershy states simply.

But that's exactly what I ended up doing... well, after I told them all about it. But why did I tell them about it? Why blow my cover at all? Why couldn't I have just lied again? Why, why, why?

Pinkie Pie tells me the answer before even I can. "You know, Fluttershy and me, we could tell." She puts a hoof on my shoulder, just above my injured wing. "You're sad. And scared. And confused."

"I could feel it, Twi-" Fluttershy covers her lips again. It's a few minutes before she can speak. "I could see it on your face... and I couldn't help but feel like I had to do something."

My gaze is stony. "So that's what I am? Just another creature to take care of?"

Pinkie Pie proceeds to boop my nose, instantly defusing my building anger. "Pony, changeling, whatever you are..." Her face brightens - it's not her mile-wide grin, she was too emotionally worn down to use that. It's a simpering kind of expression, full of resignation and determination at once. "You still deserve to smile. Everypony does."

And I do. I can't help it.

"Come on," Fluttershy beckons, "we'll head back to my cottage. We could all use a little rest right now."

It doesn't take long for us to reach the cottage. Under Fluttershy's watchful eye, Pinkie wraps my head carefully, taking care to add a little extra padding around the base of my horn. Behind me, the yellow pegasus is taking a brush to my wings. I am preened for the very first time; there's a cathartic release every time she removes a feather from my wing. They're both extra careful to watch the sprained appendage, at least until they place it in a brace and fasten it against my side.

"It doesn't look as bad as it did a few hours ago," Fluttershy comments.

I want to say that it probably has to do with alicorn magic and its inherent healing properties, combined with earth pony resilience, but she looks just as worn as I do, so I hold off. I thank them again just as we all decide to turn in in the living room.

As I slowly fall asleep, I can feel it again. Love. It's just as soothing as before. Perhaps more so, now. It doesn't seem possible, but maybe there's something for me after all.

But I must remember the hive. The will of the Queen. Wait... did I think that? I don't think that was me. In fact, I'm really sure that isn't-Home. Return.

Okay, that definitely isn't me.

I know what this is. It's my queen Chrysalis. Last night I was finally aware of the call, the Queen's wish for me to return. home. Last afternoon, I was finally able to comprehend it beyond the level of pure instinct.

And now... now that I can say it for myself... I refuse.

But Chrysalis's will is a tidal wave. I should not resist the will of I have to resist her will. I stand strong, bolstered by thoughts of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, thoughts of friendship and the individual will to survive. I feel myself slipping only slightly but it won't be long until I give in.

Home. Return.

No. I won't. But I am an extension of my Queen's will. I am a tool of her whims. I am nothing without her. I must... return... home.

The mental assault comes again, harder and faster. I don't know how much longer I can keep it up. And just as I feel the desire to resist slip away...

Pinkie Pie is in my face.

"So, I've got a question for you."

I stifle the urge to drop dead of a heart attack then and there. "Don't do that, Pinkie Pie!"

"Do what?" Pinkie cocks her head. In the space of an eyeblink, she's in my face again, our muzzles practically touching. "This?"

"Gah!" I slide backwards, off of Fluttershy's couch, knocking over a tacky, draconequus-shaped lamp. I take the time to right her end table, and the lamp pieces itself together with a flash of light. "You shouldn't sneak up on ponies like that..." I continue, still trying to process Pinkie's sudden intrusion.

"Why not?"

My mouth opens and closes as I struggle for an explanation other than logic and common courtesy. Nothing comes forthwith, so I settle on a flimsy excuse. "You... you're being loud. You'll wake up Fluttershy!"

"Um, actually, I'm already awake," Fluttershy says from her spot on the recliner next to the fireplace. "I couldn't really sleep. Sorry."

Pinkie looks at me expectantly. I relent with a sigh. "Okay. Go ahead, Pinkie. What's your question?"

"What's your name?"

"Seriously?" I deadpan. "My name is-"

No. No it's not.

My mouth hangs open. "I... I don't..."

Pinkie leans in again, clucking her tongue. "Don't be silly, everypony has a name. It's part of who you are!"

"I know how identity works, Pinkie Pie," I seethe. "But 'who I am' was 'Twilight Sparkle', up until yesterday afternoon. And that's not my name to take. Besides... changeling drones..." I can't bear to look at her. "Drones... don't have names."

Fluttershy decides at that moment to ponder the particulars of the rug in the middle of her living room. Pinkie Pie grins at me instead. "Okay, then, pony-slash-changeling formerly known as Twilight Sparkle. You have a golden opportunity here. You are the first ever changeling to pick out a name. You get to make your own 'who you are', starting today!"

"But I'm basically, no, literally a carbon copy of Twilight," I reply.

"Is your name Twilight Sparkle?" Pinkie presses on.

"No!" I yell. "Don't you get that?"

Pinkie gives me a smug smirk. "That's not what Twilight Sparkle would say. You're a different pony after all, aren't you?"

I... wait... did Pinkie just... "Touché."

"Two-shay? That your name?"

"Ugh... no!" I turn to Fluttershy for support, but she is stifling a giggle of her own.

Well. Pinkie has inexplicably driven me to existential crisis. I suppose that's not too far off from the mark from her usual antics. But she has a point.

Let's assume, for the moment, that somepony's identity is the sum total of her experiences. At some point, I diverged from what is typically defined as "Twilight Sparkle", and became something else. It therefore stands to reason that my identity should be defined by the things that make me different. So, when did I cease to be Twilight, and start to be somepony else?

Two points come to mind immediately.

The first was the most horrifying experience of my life.

The second was watching my body get blown to pieces.

Okay. Since the incident at the library, what have I done? I traumatized five ponies and a baby dragon, ran away, nearly gave myself brain damage, screamed into the night... Every memory I could call unique to myself has been full of darkness and pain.

I am not Twilight Sparkle. I'm something darker than that. I am... "Dusk," I sigh. "My name is Dusk."

Fluttershy takes in a breath. "Dusk..." she notes. "It's almost poetic. Um, if you don't mind my saying."

I nod in appreciation before turning to the pink pony. She's got that same odd stare as she tries to peer into my soul. "Well?" I ask. "This was your idea. What do you think?"

Pinkie's nose wrinkles. "Well, it's fine, if you're into the gothy-emo-hardcore scene and all of that... but..."

I allow her to continue. Why did I allow her to continue? Why do I ever allow her to continue?

"Dusk... is more of a stallion's name, don't you think?" A look of sudden realization crosses her face. "You're not... are you..." Pinkie's gaze shifts slowly southward, away from my face and towards... oh dear Celestia.

I blush furiously and curl myself up into a ball. "For Luna's sake, don't do that! I'm a mare, I'm a mare!"

Pinkie's face gets impossibly pinker. "Um, yeah. Dusk. Whoo. Great name. I'll make sure to put it on all the banners for your welcome party." She cringes. "That is, when everypony is in the mood for it. We can invite the others too, hopefully."

I snort. "I think they're more likely to buck me straight to the moon before they party with me." I'm suddenly aware of the elephant in the room - or the lack thereof. "Where are they, anyway?"

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie share a look. Fluttershy shrugs her shoulders. "They were talking about Canterlot last night. And since they're not here, as far as I can tell, they might have taken the midnight train."

That puts them in Canterlot as early as this afternoon. Unless... "Emergency line or regular?"

Pinkie puts a hoof to her lips. "Having your best friend, fellow Element of Harmony and Crown Princess replaced with a changeling probably qualifies as an emergency."

I glare coldly. Next to me Fluttershy mirrors my gaze, bringing the party mare down a few pegs.

"Heh, just saying," she mutters.

"Okay. So I can't go to Canterlot... and Ponyville's out, too..." I'm pacing a circle into Fluttershy's floor. She gives me a wide enough berth to let me think properly, which I appreciate.

My instincts have no problem suggesting another place to go. If Chrysalis had her way, I'd already be serving my place in the hive. She might have some unique job for me, considering my... unique circumstances.

Anything would be easier than resolving my current crisis of duality. After all, I'm not Twilight Sparkle, I have no responsibility towards the ponies connected to her. Even if they mount a rescue mission, which they probably are doing right now, it'd be out of my hooves.

And yet... there's something still left to consider. I don't want to die.

That seems fairly obvious to anypony, but for a changeling... the Queen's will has always trumped the basic need for survival. Chrysalis's directive replays in my mind. I am an extension of her will. I am a tool of her whim. I am nothing without her.

I'd be nothing with her, too. This... self... would be gone. Dead. Lost amid a haze of buzzing.

And then there's that other niggling feeling... conscience. The responsibility to somepony other than myself. I had stolen Twilight's life without her permission. I can't just ignore that.

That settles that, then. For now.

"Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy?" The two ponies turn to me.

The words are familiar, even though I have never said them before in my life.

"I have a plan."

Author's Note

Alternate chapter names:

Title Drop: The Chapter
Pinkie Pie Outsmarts Somepony
Pinkie Pie Stares At Dusk's Crotch
Rule 63? I Don't Even Know Her!
Flashbacks Are Hard

You Gotta Face Your Fears

I said my goodbyes to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie earlier this morning, fully intending to march straight to the hive myself, rescue Twilight and come back, somehow earning redemption in the eyes of those around me, et cetera et cetera.

The plan was, essentially, to go on an odyssey of literal and metaphorical self-discovery that speaks to the concepts of identity and the equine condition.

The thing about plans like that is that they require you to... well, you know.

Move.

But I'm still standing here, straddling the tree line into the Everfree Forest.

"What are you afraid of?"

The sudden voice causes me to nearly jump out of my skin."Afraid? Me? Of course not! All I'm doing is-" I turn around, only to meet Pinkie Pie's smiling face. "Wait. Pinkie, what are you doing here?"

Pinkie just smiles brightly back at me. I'm not oblivious to her intentions, though... the saddlebags full-to-bursting resting on her back were indication enough. Behind her, I could see Fluttershy, looking half as cheerful, but just as determined. Her bags were packed as well, and she looked ahead into the forest.

"No," I snap. "Not a chance."

Pinkie rolls her eyes. "Hmph. As if we're going to let you into the forest alone!"

"I can take care of myself," I reply.

"Oh, so like the other time you went into the forest all alone?" Pinkie chuckles. "How long were you petrified for? Fluttershy never told me."

"That was different!" I say, because it totally is, I mean come on! Unfortunately, another realization quickly sobers my expression. "And technically... that wasn't even me."

Pinkie blinks a bit at that, but it isn't enough to dissuade her. "Whatever it is you're afraid of, we can help! Like... oh! Worried about starving to death in the Everfree Forest? Don't be!" Before I can protest, she shoves a hoof into her saddlebag, digging around and producing a blue plate with a single, immaculately frosted cupcake in its center. "Auntie Pinkie's got you covered!"

"The river that runs through the forest is clean, and Zecora taught me which wild berries are safe to eat," I offer as a rebuttal. "Plus, well, grass."

Pinkie sighs. "What about first aid? What if you run into somepony or something that gets you hurt? Because Fluttershy-"

"I'm an alicorn. Pegasus flight, unicorn magic, and earth pony resilience. And alicorn magic is regenerative, if you haven't noticed," I add, flaring both my wings and brushing my hair aside to reveal that the bleeding around my horn had stopped entirely. "And besides that, I know how to defend myself."

Pinkie pouts. "What about a map? Do you even know where you're going? Aren't you afraid of getting lost?"

"I know exactly where I'm going!" I yell in exasperation. "Because-"

Wait. I shouldn't tell them this. How comfortable would they be, knowing exactly how I planned to get to the hive? The idea of me being a changeling copy of Twilight Sparkle was probably bad enough!

"...because I figured out where the hive is!"

Pinkie Pie, fortunately, did not bother to press the issue. "Well, you're still not going to go alone. Nopony goes into the Everfree Forest alone without Bad Things happening! And I mean Bad Things, capital B, capital T!" She jabbed her hoof into my chest to make sure I got the message. "And then there's something else..." She took in a large gulp of air and paused for effect.

Oh boy.

"Your plan is, essentially, to go on an odyssey of literal and metaphorical self-discovery that speaks to the concepts of identity and the equine condition."

Wait. How did she know about-

"As the protagonist of the story, you need side characters to act either as foils to accentuate your character growth, as outlets for building tension (in the form of comic relief, most likely), or as key elements to advance the plotline."

...What. Just... what.

I can swear I just heard her use parentheses. How do you even do that verbally?

I look over to Fluttershy, who's just as dumbfounded as I am. "I didn't even think you knew those words," I finally admit.

Pinkie grins innocently. "What words?"

I turn to my saner friend, deciding it's easier to just let it go. "What about you, Fluttershy? Why do you want to come along?"

Fluttershy's face disappears behind a pink curtain. "Well... Pinkie's right, nopony should go into the forest alone, but there's more to it than that..."

I nod, allowing her to continue.

"I... don't like this idea. At all. Going straight to the hive is really, really dangerous." She sighs. "But I understand why you're doing it. You want to do what's right. It's..." She trails off into mumbling.

Pinkie nuzzles Fluttershy gently, finishing her thought for her. "It's what Twilight would do in your horseshoes."

I heave a great sigh. "There's no way I can dissuade you, is there?"

Fluttershy shakes her head.

"See? There's nothing for you to be scared of!" Pinkie continues. "You've got me and Fluttershy! The power of three! That's a thing, isn't it?"

"Who says I'm scared?" I snap immediately. Pinkie gives me a knowing look.

Okay. I'm scared. But it's neither the Forest, nor the things inside it that scare me, nor the possibility of opposition.

But there's no need to bother anypony with that, I decide. "Well, come on, then," I say with a sigh and take a step into the forest... the first of many.

The Everfree Forest... For all of the rumors of wild magic storms and untamed creatures, ponies never coming out, hidden villages full of blank-flanked zombie ponies, so on and so forth... it would come as a surprise to learn that it's actually quite navigable. The three of us travel through it with relative ease. Whether that ease came from experience, determination or otherwise was neither here nor there.

As we get deeper into the forest, my horn begins to tingle. It's a subtle thing. Most unicorns would dismiss it as just some extra magic in the air. But I'm not most unicorns. I know exactly what it is; it's Chrysalis, calling me home. And it's telling me exactly where to go.

It's actually interesting to note exactly how many qualities unique to changeling biology found their way into my pony body. I've fed off of love, I can hear the hivemind, my instincts tell me to obey the Queen... but my changeling body was destroyed, its biomass used to build this body. I'm not just a shapeshifted changeling, this is my true form.

How thorough was Chrysalis's application of the Proteus Spell? Was it flawed? It never was tested on living subjects, thank Celestia... the concept of copying the consciousness, or the soul... perhaps an incorporeal part of me stayed when the transformation was performed. But then, why wouldn't I have realized it sooner? I mean, I had been, literally been Twilight Sparkle for the better part of a year-

Let's think about something else now.

Fluttershy moves through the forest like it's her backyard - because it ostensibly is. Her steps are fluid and graceful, and her careful eye spots hazards before even I can see them. But there is still a sense of unease about her. I'm not quite able to place it... and then she looks at me. Our eyes only meet for a split second before she instantly flicks her gaze elsewhere. She's afraid of me.

Something else else, please?

Pinkie Pie is bouncing about, carefree as can be, considering the circumstances. An errant tail twitch or ear wiggle is the only indication I have that she knows where she's going. But soon she stops in her tracks. "Hey, look you guys!" She jabs a hoof at a grove of trees with reddish-brown bark. "It's the fear trees from that one time! They look kinda dull without the faces on them, don't they?"

"I like them better this way," Fluttershy replies, and I chuckle.

Pinkie shudders. "Ooh! Twitchy!" Here we go again.

Fluttershy and I watch her carefully as her flank begins to bounce to an unheard rhythm. One, two. One and two. One, two, three, four...

"My Pinkie Sense says it's time for a musical reprise!" Pinkie announces with finality. "And I've got just the tune!" And suddenly, without warning, she's singing. It's the first song I had ever heard her sing... even if it feels like only yesterday...

"When I was a little filly, and the sun was going down..." she croons, wiggling an eyebrow at me. "The darkness and the shadows..." Suddenly, she's pointing a hoof at Fluttershy.

She flinches at the sudden attention, but chimes in just the same. "...they would always make me frown..."

Now, when I first arrived in Ponyville, this song simply refused to leave my brain. The little earworm persisted for weeks, in which time I had plenty of opportunity to try various harmonies, duets and countermelodies.

"I'd hide under my pillow," Pinkie continues, "from what I thought I saw..."

"But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all..." I finish, as Pinkie's grin stretches incredibly wide.

"Pinkie, you've gotta stand up tall,
learn to face your fears,
You'll see that they can't hurt you,
just laugh to make them disappear..."

When the three of us belt out a "Ha, ha, ha!" in perfect unison, I can't help but start to laugh for real.

But it didn't last long.

Fluttershy notices it first. She freezes, flaring out her wings on instinct. I look ahead, past where Pinkie was hopping backwards to the music, to the beast staring back at us, baring its teeth and growling angrily.

A manticore.

"So... Giggle at the ghostly... guffaw at the- Hey, girls, where'd my backup go?" Pinkie crows, backing up absently.

"Pinkie..." Fluttershy stage-whispers. "Don't move."

She complies, freezing in place at the sound of growling behind her. Slowly, she turns around, and her eyes look into a maw full of sharp teeth. I watch as her expression instantly turns to one of nervous shock. "Uh... ha ha ha?" she yelps.

Pinkie vanishes into thin air before anypony can react. The manticore bites down on thin air and looks around wildly for its missing prey. The party pony reappears, safe and sound, right behind us.

I want to yell at the beast. How dare you even think of attacking my friends? I'd say. No big deal, a magical bolt to the face ought to communicate my message just fine. I light up my horn. "Girls, stay back."

"Wait a minute..." Fluttershy says, even as the manticore braces itself to pounce on us. But I'm not focusing on that. I'm directing my magic into a powerful blast, keeping my mind off of the rage that threatened to turn it into a wild, uncontrollable explosion.

The manticore's expression changes, and it takes a step forward. That's enough of a warning for me. I let the magic fly, even as Fluttershy cries out something I can't understand.

A deluge of green fire pours out of my horn like a torrent, immolating the manticore where it stood. The manticore roars in pain as it charges away, illuminating the woods around it with emerald.

Green fire. That was green fire. Changeling magic.

But that's impossible. I shouldn't have any changeling magic, let alone enough to fire off a blast like that. But considering everything else... the ability to feel the hive, to feed on love from those around me... what did Chrysalis do to me?

I hear a hoofstep behind me. Pinkie's looking down the path the manticore took, marked with tiny, fading wisps of flame.

"Pinkie... are you..." I start, but she holds a hoof up, studying the green fire intensely. Of course she's going to figure it out. I already know what she's going to ask...

"Did you send the manticore to Princess Celestia?"

I put a hoof to my forehead, for lack of an appropriate reaction. "No, Pinkie, I just..."

"Because I've only ever seen green fire twice. One was Spike's fire, and the other was from changeling magic. So it's gotta be one of those."

Despite Pinkie's flawed logic, I still dignify her with a response. "No, Pinkie, I didn't send the manticore to the Princess."

"Then it's changeling fire."

"But it can't be changeling fire," I argue. "I've been using unicorn magic for months. I shouldn't even be able to-"

"Well, which is it?" Pinkie asks, pointing a hoof at me. "You're being awfully confusing." I try to sputter out a reply before Pinkie comments again. "Fluttershy, what do you think?"

We both turn to the pegasus. Her body is trembling, eyes shaded behind her hair as she struggles to come to terms with what has just happened. When she speaks, I feel more dread than I did with the manticore: "You... you hurt it."

"Pinkie was in danger," I reply, trying to stand my ground.

"Manticores are territorial. All we had to do was apologize and get out of his territory." Fluttershy's gaze snaps up to me. Her normally serene face is twisted with rage. "All we had to do was talk!"

I'm completely taken aback. "It was instinct!" I argue. "There's no need to get this upset! Why are you even..."

"That manticore was the one that was injured, two years ago. The one that Nightmare Moon attacked. All it took was a little kindness, and he let us through." Fluttershy's advancing on me, and I can't do anything but step backward. "But you... you immediately set it on fire! You're..." I try to reply, but Fluttershy cuts me off. "You're less like Twilight Sparkle than I thought."

The forest is deathly silent for a full minute. Fluttershy's words send me reeling, more so than Rainbow Dash's hoof did yesterday.

"Fine," I stammer out, "that's... f-fine." I meet Fluttershy's gaze with one of equal intensity. "Because I'm not Twilight Sparkle."

Fluttershy puts a hoof to her lips, realizing what she's said. "Wait, Dusk, I-"

"This was a bad idea," I declare, taking a breath. I feel out the call of the hive again and know exactly which direction to go. "You two can go back. I'll be fine on my own."

Pinkie whimpers from behind me. "Dusk, you don't have to..." I don't bother to turn around. Their voices fade into the backdrop of the forest, drowned out by the constant buzz that lingers in my ears.

So here I am. Alone, in the Everfree Forest, following a sound only I can hear to a place where I'm sure to end up killed or worse. A sane mare would have turned tail and fled long ago. But I'm far from sane.

Stupid. Stupid. How could I have just assumed that everything would be alright? They knew I wasn't Twilight, yet it was so easy to fall back into the usual patterns again. Even for me... how many stolen memories crossed my mind over the last few hours? How simple was it to just forget?

The buzzing kicks in again, right on cue. Return. Home, she's telling me.

With every step I take, I know that I'm just granting her wish.

Before I know it, I can see the tree line start to thin out. The orange light of sunset peeks through the foliage, and the air itself seems to get lighter. That's one leg of the journey down...

or is it?

The growling behind me tells me otherwise. I turn around, by degrees so as not to provoke the beast, but I already know who it is. The manticore from before is glaring down at me. Parts of its flesh are charred and blackened from my last assault, but that only makes it look more intimidating than before.

As it bears down on me, breathing hot, misty breaths that threaten to blow me off of my hooves, I can only think of Fluttershy. "Look," I start, as I backpedal away from the manticore. "I'm sorry for setting you on fire. I was trying to protect my friend. You understand that, right?"

The manticore's growl quiets somewhat, though it still advances, slowly but surely.

A little kindness, huh? Let's see about that.

I stand my ground, making myself look as large and inedible as possible. "I'm going to leave the forest. I'll be out of your... uh, mane... very soon. I won't bother you again."

It crouches lower. But this time, what I thought was a pounce looks more like an attempt to understand what I was saying.

"So..." I try. I don't have Fluttershy's way with animals, so I can only pray that this is working. "Uh, bygones?"

The manticore lowers itself further. Is it agreeing? It's not growling anymore, but I can hear something hissing, and pick up the acrid smell of something acidic burning through the ground.

No. It's not here to make peace. I see its eyes flash, and brace myself for its inevitable attack.

"Stop!"

That... that's not the sound of an angry manticore. That's the sound of an angry pegasus caretaker. I dare to look up, only to find myself yanked backwards by a pair of pink hooves.

From my new vantage point, I can see Fluttershy, clamped on the manticore's stinging tail. "Don't you dare attack my friend!" she yells.

The manticore roars, whipping Fluttershy about like a rag doll. Her grip finally loosens, and she is thrown to the ground.

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie and I cry out. But she's on her feet quickly, staring down the creature.

Her wings splay open. Her posture changes, and her eyes take on all the qualities of a wild animal. The manticore shrinks back under the might of her gaze, and for a moment I'm reminded of Chrysalis. "Go," she commands. "Now."

The manticore complies, retreating deep into the forest and vanishing from sight.

I'm dumbstruck. Applejack and the others always mentioned how powerful her Stare was, but to actually witness it... "Fluttershy, that was amazing," I manage after a moment.

Fluttershy looks back at me. Her smile is weak, her gaze unfocused. Does the Stare usually do that to her? Or...

Oh... oh no.

Pinkie leaps forward before I can. "No, no, please, don't be..." She catches Fluttershy, just as her legs finally give out, and flips her body over into a supine position. There, plain as day, is a deep puncture wound.

It's only then that I finally notice the blood, dripping off of her body and onto the forest floor.

Fluttershy stares past me, into the golden light of the sun. "Oh, look, it's the edge of the forest... we made it after all..." Her eyes flutter closed as her entire body goes limp in Pinkie's arms.

Author's Note

Alternate Chapter Titles:

Plus Two, Minus One
You Can't Laugh This Away
Everything Gets Worse
Hanging Off A Cliff, Lesson One

Major kudos to Starcat5. You know why.

Convergence

Don't panic. No pressure. Just the life of one of your only friends hanging in the balance.

Boy is that breathing exercise hard when you're flying through the air for your life. I'm going to have to ask Cadance about that.

My horn is glowing, using a modified version of Rarity's gem finding spell set to detect a particular herb known for its venom-absorbing qualities. I'm far from the edge of the forest now, and I've already forgotten which way I came from. I'll figure that part out in a second. But first...

There it is!

I don't even bother to land, opting to teleport instead. It's in a rare clearing in the otherwise impenetrable canopy of the forest, and the setting sun provides just enough illumination to find the plant and dig it out of the soil.

Six minutes, forty eight seconds. Not Rainbow Dash speed, but it'd have to do.

I clutch the plant tightly in my aura and spread my wings again, ready to take flight, when suddenly a new voice rings out, making my blood run ice cold.

"Hold it right there, partner."

I'm both horrified and relieved that I recognize the voice. I turn to face her and am met with hard, emerald eyes. "Applejack," I breathe, "it's you."

"Were you expecting a changeling, perhaps?" Rarity's voice cuts in from behind me. There is no joy in her tone... only sheer hatred, seeping out like venom.

Venom. "There's no time, girls. I have to get to-"

"Don't 'girls' us, faker," Applejack says, her gaze piercing straight through me. "We're bringin' ya to the Princess, whether you want us to or not."

My breathing catches, involuntarily. Could she really be... I dare to mouth the name. "P-princess Cel-"

"No, it's Princess Luna," Rarity replies. "Though that's probably to your benefit. I doubt that Princess Celestia would bother to let you live past sunset."

Rarity's cold, unfeeling response all the confirmation I need. This is no idle chat.

They're hunting me.

I have to get out of here.

But the herbs... Fluttershy... "I can't. I need to..." I take wing, catching them both in my downdraft as I take off vertically. My eyes frantically scan for the forest's edge, but the mixture of panic and adrenaline has all but obliterated my sense of direction in the dark, moonless night. I flap my wings again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ponyville to regain my bearings, but something buzzes past me invisibly, and I'm knocked askew by the turbulence left in its wake.

A rainbow contrail loops around, approaching me head on only to stop right in front of me. "You're not getting away this time." Rainbow Dash meets my gaze with the same fire I had seen in the Library.

I backwing furiously, putting as much distance between me and her as possible. "Rainbow, please, there's no time!"

"You're trying to escape," Rainbow Dash states. Her lip curls. "Good."

She reels her left arm back, telegraphing her punch. She's faster than that, and we both know it. But she wants me to know exactly what her intentions are. Her arm swings forward, and I quickly drop down, out of the way of her haymaker, only to have to flap wildly to avoid a sweeping dive kick.

I'm running on instinct and adrenaline alone now, dodging strike after strike as Rainbow Dash presses forward. This is hardly the kind of routine either of us had in mind when she mentioned "awesomeness training" three days ago.

Three days ago... dear Celestia, everything changed so fast. Three days ago we were all still friends. We were laughing together. I was accepting the crown, and they all watched...

I deflect a wild, furious punch and twirl in the air, catching Rainbow Dash with my outstretched wing. The hit sends her tumbling backward, and I know that I only have seconds. Ten seconds flat, perhaps?

It's enough time to get away, enough time to get to Fluttershy and give her WHERE ARE THE HERBS

They're falling out of the sky, dropping right back into the clearing. I take off after them, bringing in my limbs for a high-speed dive. Just as they get in range, I light my horn and wrap my magic around the plants.

I look after Rainbow Dash apologetically before turning around. But before I can escape, I sense a familiar aura flare up underneath me. Pale blue spots fill the air around, above and below me; in the center of each, there's a cut gem, honed to a fine edge and hoof-polished to reflective brilliance. Rarity must have done these all herself.

The swarm of gems closes in, swirling around me like so many shards of glass in a tornado. I can't move, for fear of being literally cut to pieces. I can almost hear her saying, "Hold your pose, darling." It's just like yesterday. Except this time...

The cloud of razors gets closer, biting into my wings as I struggle to stay aloft.

This time, she doesn't care if she hits me or not.

A memory returns to the surface, unbidden. A simple exchange of spells. Rarity had shown me the gem finding spell during an idle visit to the Boutique. In exchange, I showed her how to exert more precision over her telekinesis. She was a quick study - and her natural affinity for gems led to the discovery that she could manipulate them without any effort at all. She was so thrilled, she nearly hugged me to death.

The gems close in, wrapping tightly around me, digging into my flesh all around and leaving open wounds faster than any natural magic can close them up. The harsh reality of the situation crashes in on me once again. There is no mercy to be had here. I'm just a thief, a kidnapper and a liar to them. And I had crossed a line.

Twilight couldn't ask for better friends, really.

The gems stop their assault long enough for Rainbow Dash to slam into my solarplexus. She drives forward with a hoof, and it's a testament to earth pony resilience that I don't black out when I hit the ground with a sickening thud. But she's not done; Rarity suddenly has my hooves and wings held down in her telekinetic grip, and Rainbow is throwing her hooves at my body, relishing each time I gasp for air and cry out in pain.

"Stop," Applejack suddenly says, and Rainbow relents. I look to her, only to see her back turned. She reels her back legs in, balancing on her front half. Her strong legs are tensed, ready to deliver a final blow. "Ah'm gonna finish this myself."

I can hear the sound of her limbs snapping through the air, colliding with pony flesh and cracking bone.

But I can't feel a thing. I can only hear a piercing scream of terror and the sound of violent coughing.

I open my eyes, only to see a mess of curly pink hair in front of me. The obstruction drops from view, revealing a trio of horrified expressions. I may not be a shapeshifter anymore, but I know that right now my expression is a perfect mirror of theirs.

Pinkie Pie convulses on the floor, clutching her chest. There's a trickle of blood dripping from the corner of her lips - lips that, surprisingly, are still turned up in a faint smile.

That's two friends down. First Fluttershy, now Pinkie.

My existence has laid two ponies low.

Wouldn't it be easier to just...

No. There's no time for this.

"Nopony move!" I yell, setting my horn alight. Rainbow Dash steps forward, but I stare her down. "We'll do this later. Pinkie needs help now."

I'm not all that good at healing magic. It's not for lack of trying, though - I studied the theory for a few weeks in Canterlot, but was never able to muster up the magical power to fix more than a paper cut. Pinkie needs more than that. I pour my magical energy into her chest, and her eyes widen as her pain comes back many times over. Within moments, her condition is stable, though it's a long way from fully healed.

As I scan over the affected area, I can tell that my work was shoddy at best. Pinkie needs proper care. She needs...

I wrap her in a cage of force to keep her immobile and turn back to the others. "We need to get to Princess Luna. Take me to her."

Rainbow Dash glares at me and prepares to speak, but in the face of Pinkie's injury, she decides against it, deciding to cut through the brush instead.

I make a move to follow, Pinkie held fast in my aura. "Rarity, could you get those herbs? I need them... for Fluttershy."

Rarity hesitates, but grabs a clump of the plants after a moment. "Fluttershy is already in Princess Luna's care," she replies, an odd look crossing her face, even as relief fills mine.

"Let's get goin'," Applejack drawls. Her eyes have a faraway look to them, almost worse than the one she had in the Library.

The march is long and tense; no one dares say a word, for fear of shattering this unspoken truce. The only sounds punctuating the trip are Pinkie's pained moans. It's enough to get us moving much faster. The edge of the forest comes into view within minutes.

"There! It's Luna!" Rainbow Dash cries out. "Princess, Pinkie Pie needs you!" Her rainbow streak draws a perfect line towards the edge of the forest and the clearing where I had left Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

By the time we get to the edge ourselvs, Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna - and Fluttershy, to my relief - are halfway back to meet us.

Princess Luna fixes me with an unreadable expression as she covers Pinkie Pie in her magical aura. "She can be saved," she announces to no one in particular. "I will get to work immediately." She cradles the broken mare carefully, moving to a more remote location... and leaving the five of us to our own devices.

The meeting is as strained as anypony would expect. I immediately look to Fluttershy and she smiles softly, wordlessly telling me that she is okay. But her gaze lingers over Applejack, Rainbow and Rarity.

Silence rules the hour, at least until I speak. Anything to break the tension. "I'm glad you're alright, Fluttershy."

She nods, maintaining her characteristic silence. "I should be better in a few days," she finally adds. "Princess Luna was able to extract the venom before it did more damage."

Rarity looks between the two of us, but says nothing.

It's Rainbow Dash, instead, who addresses the issue. "What's going to happen now?"

"Now?" I echo. "Now, we wait, and hope that Pinkie Pie will be alright."

Applejack takes in a sharp gasp of air, making us all turn to face her. "We... we oughta go ch-check in on her..." she manages. The five of us move as one towards where Luna was working her magic.

Pinkie lay in the center of a flattened patch of grass. Her chest looks as if it's being lit from the inside as Luna's cerulean-tinted magic re-knits torn flesh and bone. Her expression is much less pained than before.

Applejack can take no more. "Pinkie Pie, Ah'm sorry, I didn't mean ta... Ah could've killed..."

Fluttershy gasps and stiffens, looking to me for confirmation. When I nod, it's as if her world shatters. But then...

Pinkie smiles. It's weak and fragile, but it's a balm for our nerves. "Don't flatter yourself, Applejack," she says weakly. "I shifted rocks for a living before Ponyville. I'm tougher than I look!" She chuckles a bit, putting smiles on our faces, but we all wince when she clutches a hoof to her chest in pain.

"Be still, Pinkie Pie," Luna scolds her as her magical aura continues its sweep over her body.

"But why, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asks, holding back her emotion. "Why did you get in the way?"

"I don't like it when friends get hurt," Pinkie replies. "And I like it even less when friends hurt friends."

"Friends?" Rainbow Dash cries out. "With... that?" Her accusing hoof is like a knife through the heart.

"Her name is Dusk." I turn to Fluttershy. Her wings are open, and she's matching Rainbow's gaze in intensity. "She was trying to save my life. So yes, Rainbow Dash, she is our friend."

Rainbow Dash sputters, completely dumbstruck. "When we let you go looking for the changeling, you weren't supposed to join forces with it!"

Rarity stands with Rainbow, tempering rage with confusion. "How can you put your trust in a changeling? After what they've done to us?"

"It's not that simple..." Fluttershy starts.

"But it is, Fluttershy." We all turn to Luna. Her horn is no longer glowing. Below her, Pinkie Pie is struggling to her feet. The Lunar Princess continues her proclamation, damning as it may be. "Changelings survive off of deception and subterfuge. You can't take her for her word, knowing that she could be under Chrysalis's orders."

I get a good look at Luna's face. What was unreadable before was plainly evident right now - at least to me. Underneath the veneer of equipoise afforded by nigh-immortality, I could see the same frustration, rage and contempt the others wore on their proverbial sleeves.

It's enough to make my eyes water. If not even the Princess has any mercy left for me, how can I possibly expect anypony else to?

It's then that Pinkie stands up, putting herself between us and Luna. "Don't listen, girls," she announces. "Nightmare Moon is trying to trick us."

Luna's jaw opens wide before clamping shut.

Applejack's brow wrinkles. "Are you sure you're okay, Pinkie? That's not Nightmare Moon, that's Princess Lu-" Applejack is cut off with a wave of a pink hoof.

"Don't you get it?" Pinkie continues, even as Luna's face is halfway between anger and shock. "She tried to bring about eternal night. And we're the Elements of Harmony. We can't take her for her word, knowing she could be trying to kill us off."

"Pinkie, why would you even say something like that?" I yell at the delusional pink pony. "She just saved your life!"

Rarity raises her voice to scold Pinkie as well. "Princess Luna is nothing like the Nightmare. She's a changed mare. You know that as well as any of us do!"

"Exactly." Pinkie glares at the others as she trots over to Fluttershy and me. "Ponies are more than what's on the surface. They can change!" With a little wiggle, she wedges herself between us, draping her forelegs over our shoulders. "Dusk has a plan to fix everything. She isn't trying to kill us, or surrender us to the changeling queen, she's trying to get Twilight back. And Fluttershy and me, we're going to stick with her."

I have no words. I know Pinkie's telling the truth, and I can't help but pull her into my embrace. "Thank you," I mutter.

Pinkie flails about. "Don't squeeze, don't squeeze! It still hurts!"

I release her immediately, and she falls to her haunches. Fluttershy laughs quietly next to her as she helps her to her hooves.

"You're crazy," Rainbow Dash cries out hysterically, shattering the moment into pieces. "You're both crazy!" Her eyes lock on me, still full of rage. "You. What mind-control poison did you fill them with? What did you do?"

"Stop that right now, Rainbow Dash! You have no right!" Everypony flinches at the sound of Fluttershy's words - including the mare herself. It's amazing how effective those old lessons turned out to be. "We're going to go with her... whether you like it or not."

I close my eyes. The hive's call points me further down the path, into the gorge below. I take a few steps forward, immediately followed by Pinkie and Fluttershy. Behind us, the forest - and the other girls - sink from view, obscured by the ridge. But there's no turning back now.

"Thank you..." I finally manage as we reach the bottom of the gorge. "Both of you. Really."

"True friends help friends in need," Pinkie states simply. We continue in silence, the dirt slope having given way to flat bedrock underneath our hooves. "So what do you think? Can two injured mares and a rebel changeling take on the entirety of Chrysalis's army?"

"There's plenty of time between here and there," I muse.

Pinkie raises an eyebrow. "You've really got the whole cryptic princess double-speak thing down pat, don't you?" she jeers. "Oh, There's plenty of time between here and there... plenty of time for us to heal, or plenty of time for an ambush, or plenty of time for..."

"Girls, wait!"

"...for something like that to happen..."

I whip around, unable to believe my ears. But Applejack is running down the slope, trying to catch up. "Wait!" she repeats, and the three of us exchange a look and meet her halfway.

Applejack needs a moment to catch her breath. Normally, a quick run like that wouldn't be enough to get her winded, but I can forgive her fatigue considering the circumstances. "Girls... hold on a sec..." she says.

"What is it, Applejack?" Fluttershy asks.

Applejack looks at each of us, in turn. Her gaze lingers just a little bit longer on me, as if she's still trying to work something out in her head. Fortunately, we don't have to wait long for her answer. "Ah'm comin' with ya."

The news is... a pleasant surprise, and I take it in stride with all of the calm and decorum expected of an alicorn princess.

For all of five seconds.

Within the next three seconds, though, Applejack is the unsuspecting center of a four-pony group hug. Pinkie Pie squeezes extra hard, injury notwithstanding. For a moment, she is able to lift the rest of us up bodily, and I'm thoroughly convinced that Princess Luna did too good a job patching her up. When she finally releases us from her herculean grip, it's with three sighs of relief.

Pinkie bounds around us in a loose circle, throwing in a cartwheel or two for good measure. "Oh my gosh, we need to throw a New Party Member in the Party Party!"

"Wait, Pinkie," I say, and she freezes in midair, dropping lightly to the ground. I turn to Applejack. "Not to look a gift pony in the mouth, pardon the pun... but why the change of heart?"

Applejack doffs her stetson, holding it to her chest. "Well, I'll tell you. Ah'll be the first to admit, part of it's 'cause I owe Pinkie here a favor, after what I've gone and done..."

She eyes her fellow earth pony, eyes still sorrowful. Pinkie smiles back, past sins already forgiven.

"But if'n you know me at all, you know I like to see the good, honest truth," she adds. "And the truth is, Pinkie Pie was willin' to throw herself in harm's way for ya. Fluttershy, too, if I've got the right idea."

Fluttershy nods, so the mare continues.

"Either Rainbow Dash is right, you've poisoned their minds, and I've got to protect them from you-" Pinkie Pie lifts a hoof to stop her, but Applejack presses on. "-or you're a pony worth trustin'. That idea... settles with me a little better, I think." She replaces her hat on top of her head and clears her throat. "So. Where are we headed?"

I smirk. "First, we're going to set up camp. Fluttershy and Pinkie could use the rest. And then?"

Three ponies and a rebel changeling against the entirety of Chrysalis's army? Our chances are looking better by the second.

"We're headed into changeling territory."

Author's Note

Alternate Chapter Titles:

A Pony Performing a Haymaker... That's a Pun, Right?
Fight Scenes Are Hard
The Author Puts Another Pony In Mortal Danger (Not Really)
Pinkie Pie is a Badflank (But Still Isn't Best Pony)
Face Hoof Turn and Back Around Again
Applejack Von Good-Then-Bad-Then-Good-Again Pony

Night Flight

It's been three hours.

Dawn is in another four, at least as far as I can guess. I can't be sure without the moon's azimuth for reference.

I wonder if Celestia was in charge of the night today? Either way, the moon being new two nights in a row is unprecedented. Any other time, I'd be sitting in the Library, gazing up at the sky through my telescope, documenting the anomaly and recording my findings.

Spike would come outside and grumble at me for pulling another all-nighter... I'd give him some sort of half-formed lecture to justify my actions, like I always did... he'd stomp back inside, and then pop back out long enough to hand me a blanket and a thermos full of hot chocolate, before turning in for the night...

I hold back a sniffle, and the resulting noise is hardly that. Which is a good thing.

The campfire is completely extinguished, not even producing any heat or smoke anymore. I notice Fluttershy stir on her mat, and I whip up a quick warmth spell to enchant her blanket. She quickly returns to a comfortable sleep.

Next to her, Applejack is resting peacefully. Unlike Fluttershy, she hasn't moved a bit, not even noticing the sudden change in temperature. She's as tough as her farmer upbringing has let her become, but even at rest, her hooves clutch onto her hat like a security blanket - though she'd probably deny it if I brought it up.

Pinkie Pie, to her credit, is out like a light. Repeated observation has convinced me that Neighton's first law doesn't apply to her, and no force in Equestria has the ability to stop her whether she's at rest or in motion. I don't bother to question it anymore. My inner scientist went down that road once, and it only lead to pain.

As for me? Well... it's been three hours and fifteen minutes.

Is this a changeling thing or an alicorn thing? Do the Princesses sleep? Does the Queen?

Apparently not, given the current ringing in my head.

After checking on the others one more time, I step away from the campsite. The cool night air used to calm me down and clear my head, and I'm counting on it to work again. I feel the earth beneath my hooves and get to thinking.

Back in school in Canterlot, owing mostly to my nocturnal reading habits, I'd have many a sleepless night. Conventional wisdom suggested a trot around the block or, if possible... a quick flight through the night air. I had the physical stamina of a bookworm and lacked the means and equipment for flight, so I often found myself simply sitting out on the balcony, staring out past the city walls and into the city.

On many occasions, I would see a restless pegasus travel out into the night, their silhouette blocking the moonlight, looping about lazily before returning to their window and disappearing from view. Far less often, a unicorn or earth pony would take a walk out their front door. What was it about flight that compelled those pegasi to leave the warmth of their beds?

After a moment to ponder the thought, I take off, intending to find out.

Wow... just... wow. A mare could get addicted to this. I mean, dear Celestia, the feel of the cool breeze, flowing over and under my primaries, the dizzying change in perspective, the adrenaline rush of moving through the air on your own power, without anything to catch you... Being a unicorn all of my life, I never thought I would ever have the chance to experience any of it. I mean, who'd have thought that little old Twilight Sparkle would sprout a pair of wings and

Damn it all.

Damn it all the way to Tartarus.

The bracing cold instantly loses all of its freshness. It's an empty coldness that grips me now. This plan was a bust from the start.

I look down to the ground, ready to sight my landing, but a cerulean glow catches my eye - it's none other than Princess Luna, standing on a hill, her horn glowing as she casts a spell. I'm too far away to hazard a guess as to what kind, but the point becomes moot when she finishes her spell and looks up at me.

I circle her for a moment, descending slowly. Just as I alight on the ground next to her, she speaks. "The vitality of the three races beats strong in your veins." She looks past me, into the valley to the south. "Fatigue will become less of a problem for you as time passes. Once you claim your dominion, the need for sleep might vanish entirely."

Not the most orthodox of greetings, but it'll have to do. I bow gently. "May I join you, Princess?"

She hesitates for only a moment before beckoning with an outstretched wing. I join her, looking out over the valley. A light tingle brings a hard reminder that somewhere out there, Chrysalis is beckoning me.

"Dusk."

I look to Luna; her expression is inscrutable. "Hm?" I mutter, noncommittally.

"That is your name, am I correct?"

"...It's as close as I'll ever get to one, Your Highness," I reply, the barest note of despair coloring my voice.

"You may call me Luna," she replies. "In the stillness of night, names and titles mean very little. There are no wars to fight or sides to take. No, in the stillness of night there is only rest." Her eyes take on a faraway look, and for a moment she looks every bit as old and weary as an immortal being ought to.

I venture to speak. "But Luna... there are some ponies that don't get that luxury..." My nostrils flare as I take in a breath of the night air. "...present company included."

Luna looks to me again, her brow furrowing. "...I suppose not." Our eyes meet, lingering for quite some time, before she heaves a sigh. "I would like to apologize to you, Dusk. Pinkie Pie's judgment of me was appropriate. I am in no place to criticize your intentions."

"She was a little harsh, though, I'll admit," I say, and Luna acknowledges me with a nod. "There's nothing to forgive, Luna. Not after you saved both Pinkie and Fluttershy."

"...They are my friends," Luna replies after a moment. "If I have the power to save them, then I will, whether we happen to agree or not."

"That's... generous of you," I reply. A familiar, burning question comes to mind. Before we came along, the Royal Sisters were the bearers of Harmony. Which ones did...

Luna catches onto my train of thought, continuing it with a wry smirk. "Generosity, Loyalty, and Honesty were three traits I held dear to my heart." Her grin widens. "Celestia, for her part, was always such a kind soul, albeit with a mischievous streak. There was a time that-"

Part of me - the Twilight Sparkle in me - wanted to hear every word of this. But right now... "Please, Luna, stop."

Luna's eyes widen for all of a second. "Ah... forgive my boldness." She stands apart from me, abruptly.

The silence lingers for longer than it needs to. "Why, Luna?" I finally ask. "Why did you let us go?"

At this, Luna sighs. "Well, to put it in barest terms..." She leans in, conspiratorially. "I had to break up a fight."

The pieces click together instantly. "Applejack?"

"Indeed." Luna smirks. "You're causing quite a stir among the Element Bearers."

The topic was there; our cards were on the table. So I decided to go for broke. "There doesn't have to be an argument," I say. "You could come with us."

An outsider looking in would see two regal alicorns - well, one regal and one not-so-much - transfixed in each other's gaze, neither one willing to move, locked in an unspoken, silent combat. I, personally, would like to think that I'm winning.

"I..." Luna finally responds, "I cannot. We cannot. We are trying to rescue Twilight Sparkle. We are bearing north, to the Hollow Shades, where-"

"You're going the wrong way," I interrupt. "The hive isn't in the Hollow Shades."

Luna gaze is suspicious. "But I have seen it for myself," she replies. "In fact, I was there on the day of the wedding. I had intended to confront the Queen myself with regards to her invasion, but she had been in Canterlot all along..."

"Maybe that's where it was before, but I know where the hive is now," I say. I continue quickly before Luna can ask how. "We're headed there ourselves. We have the same goal. We should work together."

Luna's lips purse. "I have doubts about the willingness of the remaining two Bearers to form an alliance with you..."

I feel my ears droop just a little, but I harden my expression in hopes of hiding the tell. "Well... do you plan to stop us?" When Luna says nothing, I extend my wings and turn back towards camp. "Please... just think about it."

"Good night," Luna calls after my retreating form, "and we shall."

"Until next time," I offer. With a single, dramatic flap of my wings, I take off, ascending higher and higher until Luna is no more than a dot on the ground.

Author's Note

A short chapter, to show I'm not dead.

Taking the Swarm

Dawn comes without incident - which, incidentally, means that Princess Celestia has seen fit not to sear the flesh from my bones with cleansing sunfire. It's a refreshing thought, to say the least, and it gives me hope that today will be a good day.

Applejack, true to form, awakens with the sun. She yawns and shakes her head a few times before replacing her hat on her head. "Mornin', Dusk. Didn' expect ya t' be up," she drawls in an accent made heavier by the remnants of a sound sleep. "Ya sleep okay?"

"It was alright," I answer. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Well, we've got a friend to rescue. Best to get an early start," she says, off-hoof. "So, I hear tell you've got a plan. Wanna fill me in on where we're going?"

I close my eyes for a brief moment. The buzzing is still there, in the back of my mind. We're still being pulled to the southeast. "We're going to descend into the river valley up ahead. The hive is past there."

Applejack pulls out a map of Equestria that she had rolled into her saddlebags. "How do you figure?" she says.

Oh, son of a diamond dog...

No. I'm not going to own up to this... instinct, this stupid changeling thing. I've gotten away with not talking about it up to now, and I sure as Tartarus am not going to start. I hate having Chrysalis in my head, I hate following an instinct that, by all rights, a pony shouldn't have to follow, and I really hate giving the others any other reason to be afraid of me.

Besides, it's too early to start up this kind of drama.

So I grin, preparing to lie through my teeth; it's going to take a lot to convince the Element of Honesty. "Remember when Shining Armor used his shield to send the changelings flying?" She nods, so I continue, pointing a hoof at Canterlot on the map. "Chrysalis was thrown clear to the south, towards the Dragon Badlands and Haysead Swamps." I trace an arc from Canterlot towards the southeast, drawing a large circle around the swamp at the end of the winding river valley. "If we approximate her mass, and take into account the imparted force - assuming, of course, that Chrysalis herself made no attempts to correct her trajectory..."

Applejack wrinkles her nose and mutters something about fancy mathematics before nodding her head. "So you're thinkin' she holed up in there. Fair enough."

I hold back my sigh of relief. It worked.

I'm pretty good at this deception thing, aren't I?

...Oh. Wait.

Dang it, now I'm depressed again.

"Breakfast!" Pinkie chirps, getting the attention of us both. When we look back, she gives us a quick greeting and tosses us a wrapped package before moving to awaken Fluttershy.

Pinkie has produced a scone for each of us from somewhere within the recesses of her saddlebags. The dense pastry is none the worse for wear for two days' worth of travel, and I dig into it with enthusiasm, savoring the sweetness and the flavor of tart blueberries.

Fluttershy awakens with her usual quiet grace, rising to her hooves and stretching her back. Her wings unfold and stretch involuntarily before settling against her barrel.

"How are you feeling?" I ask between bites of scone.

"Much better," she replies. I light up my horn, and a pale magenta aura illuminates her chest, where the manticore had struck; the wound has closed properly, with minimal scarring, but it's probably still tender. It'll be another day at least before she's fully healed.

"We'll take it easy today," I decide.

Fluttershy blushes. "Oh, no, I wouldn't want to slow us down. I'm fine, honestly. I can keep up."

I smirk. "Just let us know if we need to take a breather, okay?" She replies by nodding and rolling up her bed and blanket.

Within minutes, the campsite is picked up and we're back on the move. I do my best to lead everypony in the right direction, only half-conscious of exactly where we're going, but before I know it, we've covered a lot of ground.

Having somepony with us that was so deeply in tune with the earth and its flora only made our journey easier. A large, fallen tree blocked our path, impassable on either side; Applejack found the exact spot to kick it and collapse the old wood. When the river suddenly widened in front of us, she found the safest way across by forging ahead herself. And when we prepared to snack on a patch of wild berries, she slapped them out of our hooves, pointing out another, non-poisonous bush nearby. Her expertise has gotten us much farther than we ever would have managed on our own.

But after traveling this way into the late afternoon, I can't help but be curious. I reach a hoof out to Applejack, who has already kicked out a hole in a particularly thick patch of brush to let Pinkie and Fluttershy through. "Wait," I say, and she turns back to face me. "Why are you doing this?"

Applejack's brow furrows. "I thought I explained that."

"No," I backpedal, "it's not that. It's just... it seems like you're taking on every obstacle yourself! What gives?"

The farm pony blushes. "Well... lemme give it to ya straight. We're not even. I still did y'all wrong."

"You know, Pinkie Pie's already forgiven you." I look past her to where Pinkie is bouncing circles around Fluttershy.

"That's not what I'm talkin' about," Applejack replies. "See, Dusk, this could have gone all different." Her gaze darkens, and I listen with rapt attention. "What if we had caught you first? What if we dragged you all the way to Canterlot? Or worse, what if, in the forest that night, what if we..." She trails off. I don't need her to elaborate, so I simply nod my head. "Chances are we would have left Pinkie and Fluttershy all by their lonesome... and then Shy might have..."

"No," I argue, "You would have gone looking for them first, I'm sure of it."

"No, we wouldn't've." Applejack glares at me for a moment, before sighing. "Me an' RD an' Rarity... we were just... we were so... angry..." She shakes her head, in what looks like an attempt to drive away whatever darkness is haunting her. "Bottom line is, Ah've done wrong by you. I'm not gonna let that happen again."

"Girls," Fluttershy interrupts, "there's something up ahead."

Applejack smiles at me for a brief second before pushing her hat down to settle on her brow. She turns and steps through the brush, ready to valiantly throw herself in harm's way for us, just like Pinkie and Fluttershy had.

It takes a quick application of magical force to stop her.

She stares back at me, confused, before actually taking a look in front of her, seeing what Fluttershy had already noticed - and what I had already sensed, thanks to my ringing horn.

A horde of changelings mill about in front of us, blocking the entrance into a deeper part of the valley. We watch them carefully, but they pay us no mind, distracted by a disturbance in a nearby bush.

"Holy fruitcakes, that's a lot of guards," Pinkie comments.

Fluttershy's eyes narrow at the group of changelings as they move about, circling the bush like a swarm of ants. "No, Pinkie. They're not guarding..." Before our eyes, a body is dragged out into the open, its scaly red tail carving a divot into the ground. It disappears beneath a swarm of drones, all eager to get their share.

We watch in fascination and horror at the changelings as they begin their work. Somewhere beneath the pile of changelings, a scream rings out, growing weaker by the second. I finish Fluttershy's thought for her: "They're feeding."

Chrysalis isn't controlling this group, not directly, anyway, and without her influence, they're operating on instinct alone. I don't know exactly how they captured a drake by themselves, especially one that size, but it's pretty clear that there was plenty of love to be had. I get a perverse thrill as I taste the lingering traces of it in the air.

"We ain't gonna stand a chance of fightin' past them," Applejack says, snapping me out of my stupor. "Dusk, you got a way to sneak us past?"

I ponder the thought for a moment. There are one hundred changelings on the path in front of us, scattered over an area of a few dozen square meters - never mind how I know that. "An illusion spell won't keep us cloaked," I think aloud, "not from that many eyes."

"Um, how about a distraction?" Fluttershy suggests. "Do you have an illusion for that?"

I'm suddenly reminded of another unicorn, one who was particularly proficient with illusion magic, that would be perfect for this kind of plan. I shunt the borrowed memory from my mind before replying. "Even if I did, there's no guarantee I'd distract them at all. Instinct is a powerful thing."

Pinkie stares past the drones into the valley, and for the first time, I notice a curious phenomenon. It's a subtle thing, not something that I can see directly, but something seems to be flowing out from her hooves into the ground itself. With a start, I realize that I've just seen earth pony magic - I'd never been able to sense such a thing, not before my ascension. But I don't have time to be fascinated by the concept.

Pinkie speaks up. "I think that ridge over there might be sturdy enough to climb. We can go around the whole group."

Applejack and I notice the ridge as well; it juts out of the vertical rock face only a few meters below the top of the valley, and there's a slope nearby gentle enough to climb up to it. It's narrow, only about two or three pony-lengths wide from what I can guess, but it's high above the group of changelings settled below.

A larger flow of magic seeps from Applejack's body into the earth, and I can't tear my eyes away from the sight. Applejack's power is like a rushing river to Pinkie's babbling brook. I start to try to work out exactly how the magic works when she clears her throat, returning me to the task at hand, a ghost of a blush coloring my cheeks. "I think she's right," she says after a moment. "We can come down on the other side of them without their findin' out."

I plant my hooves, attempting to summon up the same energy. Applejack looks to me expectantly; it takes a moment before I give up, entirely unable to reproduce the effect. "If you two say it's alright, then it probably is," I say with resignation.

"No flyin'," Applejack warns us. "This plan's a long shot if there ever was one. Ain't no need to make it worse by lettin' 'em see a pair of pegasi in the air." Fluttershy and I nod, folding our wings against our sides.

The four of us move as one, circling around the group to get to the ledge. Before long, our group is creeping along the ridge, keeping as close to the wall as possible in single file. Applejack takes point, followed by Fluttershy and myself, with Pinkie Pie taking the rear. The ridge holds up under our weight, exactly as our earth ponies said it would. But when Pinkie Pie twitches and stage-whispers at me to get my attention, I already know that that's not going to be the problem.

I let out an involuntary shudder as an almost painful tingling shoots through my horn from the chatter of changelings communicating among themselves. "We've got to move," I snap, even as I screw my eyes shut, trying to block out the noise, even as bits and pieces come through. Life... energy... food...

Applejack swears as she peers over the ledge. "They're already comin'. Fluttershy, you gotta get outta here."

"Um..." Fluttershy starts, her gaze locked on the path in front of her, blocked by a group of several drones, staring back with hungry eyes.

"Shootfire," Applejack swears again. "Go on back, everypony!"

"AJ!" Pinkie yells. I don't even have to look to know that our exit route is blocked the same way.

The sound of wingbeats fills the air around us as they close in. Taking to the air now would be suicide. Attack... feed... the swarm says. A lump forms in my throat as I fight an overwhelming urge.

Instantly, wordlessly, Pinkie, Applejack, and I form up around the injured pegasus, pressing her back against the rock face. "What's the plan, girls?" I ask.

To my right, Pinkie Pie crouches low, pawing at the ground with her hoof. To my left, Applejack snorts, her eyes dangerously narrow, legs tensed up to explode at any moment.

feed... consume... enemy... energy... life... My head aches, and for a brief second, my heart feels empty... as if I need something to...

Applejack rears up, yelling to the heavens. She charges headlong into the crowd. "Ain't no horde of changelings gonna take me down!" She turns about, planting her front hooves, and lets loose an explosive kick. The force cracks the exoskeleton of her unwitting victim and sends it flying over the edge of the ledge into the valley below. Another changeling dives at the mare, but she ducks underneath it, treating it to the same fate as its kin.

I take the hint, charging magic into my horn. "Let's move!" I yell. I fire off a blast, watching it ricochet from target to target like a pinball. Four changelings go down under my hoof, but I'm far from done as I take aim again, My aim is true, shot after shot, and I watch with relish as our airborne foes tumble out of the sky.

I hear the crunch of hooves against rock behind me and instinctively look back. But Pinkie's in no danger; I watch as she lifts a changeling high over her head and swings it like a flail into the crowd, knocking them over like tenpins. The attack doesn't faze the horde, and a number of the drones are trampled underhoof by another wave of changelings continuing their pursuit. Pinkie gasps and turns on her heels, pushing a bewildered Fluttershy forward with all of the strength she could muster.

The pair of ponies passes me by, and I fire off a few shots. The purple beams take down a few drones, but it's a pittance compared to the inexorable wall that was bearing down on us. I back away slowly, but my haunches come into contact with Applejack's. With horror, I turn around to see that she, too, has been pushed back by overwhelming numbers.

"Dusk, take Fluttershy and go!" Pinkie Pie suggests.

"Not a chance," I reply, preparing a shield spell. "I almost lost you once, I'm not going to let that happen again." Before anyone can protest, the barrier goes up, putting a half-sphere of magenta force between us and the drones. Sure, it's no city-sized impenetrable barrier, but it'll do for the time being.

"Nice work, Princess..." Applejack starts.

I beam with pride. "Thank you. It is nice spellwork, isn't it?"

"...but now we're trapped like rats in a cage!"

My face falls. "That... could be a problem," I say after a moment.

Fluttershy curls into a ball, watching as the drones press into the shield. "How long will this shield last, Dusk?"

I cringe, knowing they won't like the answer. One of them tries to dive at us, only to bounce off of the shield with a dull thud. But the impact sends a tiny ripple into the barrier, resonating across its entire surface and back into my horn. On top of that, the constant buzz of changeling chatter fills my ears with white noise. "Not... long," I choke out, unconsciously putting more effort into maintaining the shield.

Applejack looks around, finally turning her gaze to the floor. But it's not defeat in her eyes... it's something else entirely. "How much force can this thing take?" she asks me.

I run the calculation in my head. "A few thousand Neightons," I start to explain, "give or take a few hundred depending on the-"

"Not what I meant," Applejack says. "How'll it do against, say, a long fall?"

I purse my lips. "It might hold up, depending on the height. But at that point it's not about force, it's about impulse. A strong shock might be able to-" The rest of my brain suddenly catches up to my calculations. "Wait, Applejack, you're not thinking of-"

A tremor shakes through the earth, bringing us and the nearby changelings to our knees. I look agog at Applejack, who has a devilish grin stretching from ear to ear. She turns to Pinkie Pie. "How about it, Pinks? Feel like shiftin' a rock?"

"This is one doozy of a rock," Pinkie feigns protest as she lifts herself to her hooves. "Ma and Pa will be so proud." She rears back, just as Applejack does the same.

The pair of earth ponies brings down their hooves hard, and I can almost see the magic rush out of their hooves, penetrating the rough stone and leaving behind deep cracks.

The changelings outside the shield relent for only a moment before instinct sends them back on the attack. I steel myself, willing all my magic power into maintaining my shield, but it won't last for much longer...

Instantly, chaos.

The drones break through my shield, shattering it into shards of magenta glass that vanish into motes of light. At the same time, Pinkie's and Applejack's efforts bear fruit. A large chunk of the ridge is falling towards the ground half a mile below. The changelings scatter, much like ants do when their path is blocked, and though a few follow us, it's nowhere near the same kind of threat.

Of course, now we're tumbling towards the ground at high speed without a shield. I try futilely to reignite my horn, but keeping the first barrier up had taken more out of me than I expected. I flare my wings to control my descent, watching thankfully as Fluttershy does the same. Together, the two of us go into a dive, aiming towards where Pinkie and AJ were still in freefall.

Fluttershy closes in faster, summoning up the wingpower she had demonstrated so expertly during the tornado fiasco to dodge around falling rocks. I launch a blast of fire at a changeling that threatened to dive down into her, and she continues unhindered. In an instant, she has scooped Pinkie Pie into her hooves, slowing her descent to a safe level. It's up to me to close the distance between myself and Applejack before she reaches the ground.

I shut out the sound of buzzing from above and below, screwing my eyes shut once again as I drop straight down. But the ground is getting a lot closer than I had anticipated.

I watch as the earth pony cringes. Not even the hardiest of earth ponies would survive a fall like this. I pour on the speed, channeling one particular polychromatic pegasus as I streak towards the ground. I dare to make the calculation... and yes, I'll get there just in time to...

"Dusk!"

A changeling drone tears into me from my right side, sending me tumbling through the air. A blast of purple light blows the offender to smithereens, but the damage is already done. I can only watch as...

...as a rainbow-colored bullet streaks past my vision and collects Applejack mere seconds before she would hit the floor.

"Oh, thank Celestia, it's Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy says from above me. I could scarcely believe it myself, but as I look up, watching the rainbow streak cut through swaths of changeling drones as if they were puffs of storm clouds, all the while carrying a shell-shocked farm pony, my face splits into a grin.

Of course, if Rainbow is here, then that means...

A trio of changelings descends upon me, surrounded by green flame. I light my horn, preparing for battle, when the lot of them are instantly cut down by a glittering barrage of gems, wrapped in a familiar shade of pale blue. I flail about wildly in the air, searching the ground below for any sign of-

"Come now, it's not much farther!" Rarity's voice rings out from above me. I look up, confused, but as another welcome sight flies into view, it becomes clear; Rarity is seated on top of none other than the Lunar Princess herself. Her horn shimmers for a second, and the swarm of razor-sharp gems flies back into her saddlebags. "There's a glade up ahead. We can rest there."

Luna and I descend to the valley floor. Rarity bows her head in gratitude and hops down from the Princess's back, taking a moment to adjust her coiffure before beaming at me with confidence.

"You came for us," I say.

"Why, of course," Luna says. She and I share a mutual look of understanding. "We have identical goals, after all. It would be foolhardy not to pursue an alliance."

Rarity steps forward. "I won't pretend there isn't any bad blood between us," she admits, "but you seem to want Twilight safe and sound just as much as we do." She extends a white hoof. "If Pinkie, Fluttershy, and even Applejack can trust you, then I see no reason not to do the same."

I take her hoof eagerly, "That's really all I could possibly ask for, Rarity." The two of us share a smile before the sound of strained wingbeats catches our attention. Fluttershy is panting heavily, trying her best to keep Pinkie Pie in the air, but steadily losing altitude. The pair more or less collapse right next to us, and we immediately help them to their hooves.

The sound of fluttering wings gets louder, so I take a look- Oh, horseapples, we're not done fighting yet.

The remains of the swarm have taken advantage of our slow recovery. There's a mass of fifty or sixty drones remaining, and they're not bothering to try anything tricky, hoping to overwhelm us with sheer numbers. It might just work... that is, if they weren't dealing with two alicorns and half of the Bearers of Harmony.

I light my horn, standing alongside Luna. She gives me one look and shakes her head. "Get the Bearers away from here, Run. Teleport, if you must." she says - no, she orders. "I will face them alone."

I know better than to call one of the Royal Sisters stupid. She has centuries of experience on top of me. But any way you slice it, this is hardly an even fight. "Luna, how are you going to..."

Luna smirks wryly. "Ah. The fall must have addled your brain. I will assist you." Her horn glows, wrapping me in a cerulean blue aura. I turn around to see the others are being held the same way. "Join them so I can teleport you to the glade at the end of the valley. Reconvene with Applejack and Rainbow Dash there, and I will join you shortly-" A dozen drones suddenly break formation, leaping at the distracted Lunar Princess.

"Luna!" I yell out. Luna turns, and with a single blast of chain lightning loosed from her horn, all that remains of them are cinders.

"As I was saying... leave the rabble to me."

I nod sagely before trotting briskly to join the others.

As the teleportation spell begins to take effect, I catch a glimpse of the Princess. She rears up onto her hind legs. "Have at thee!" she yells before charging headlong into the crowd. Her outstretched wings knock scores of drones to the floor, and an array of perfectly executed kicks of her hind legs put neat holes into the enemies unfortunate enough to get a glimpse of her cutie mark.

Her grin is almost manic, eyes wide... she's enjoying this.

I feel a gentle tug against my navel, and the world swirls away in a blur of color.

Author's Note

Alternate Chapter Titles:

The Chapter That Refused to Die
Fight Scenes are Hard 2: Electric Boogaloo
Earth Pony Headcanon Activated
Deus Ex Harmonia
Deus Ex Luna

There's a scene that ended up on the cutting room floor that I might put up in a blog post later. For now, I'm just glad that this is out of the way! :twilightsmile:

Quiet Dissonance

I shake my head to dispel the sensation of spinning. After giving myself a moment to take stock of my situation - four legs, two wings, horn, tail, conscious and aware, heart, lungs, and stomach safely inside my body, all check - I see to the others. Fluttershy seems uneasy if not a little sick to her stomach, Rarity struggles to maintain her composure, and Pinkie's a little giggly... their reactions fall within one standard deviation from the expected emotional response, so I can safely assume they're all okay.

"Luna's teleport spell is fun!" Pinkie crows. "It's all spinny!" She stands up on one hoof and twirls like a ballerina.

Yep, she's fine.

We hear a noise and immediately put ourselves on guard. Within the small wooded area Luna claimed to be a safe haven, the sounds of struggling, breaking branches, and grunts can be heard. The changelings couldn't have found us this quickly, could they?

Rarity cranes her head, ears pricked up. "That's... that's Rainbow Dash and Applejack!" She puts a hoof to her lips. "They're in trouble!" A sudden yelp of pain shatters any doubt.

The four of us cross the tree line and tear through the brush to rush to their aid. As the trees begin to thin out and the scent of the nearby Haysead Swamp fills my nostrils, we suddenly find them.

It's not as bad as we had expected.

It's much worse.

Rainbow Dash has Applejack pinned to the floor with her hind legs, wings flapping to maintain her dominant position. Her arms are being held back by Applejack's strong grip, but the farm pony is running out of stamina fast.

Applejack is obviously in pain, growling through gritted teeth. "If'n ya just calm down, Dash, we can just-"

"Traitor!" Rainbow Dash yells, practically barking into Applejack's face. "You're as bad as the others!"

"Let go, you featherbrained-" Applejack grunts, as she slowly loses purchase on Rainbow Dash's flailing arms. "Ya don't get it, do you?"

"Shut up!" Rainbow roars. She reels her right hoof back, ready to throw a punch straight across Applejack's jaw.

A burst of blue light flares up, leaving spots before my eyes for a brief moment. When they clear, Rainbow is floating in midair, held spread-eagle by Rarity's telekinesis against her will. I glance back at the white unicorn who has sweat dripping down her face from her considerable effort. "Rainbow Dash, stop this at once!" she manages through quickening breaths.

"Quit trying to horn in, Rarity!" Rainbow spits, drawing a gasp from Rarity and myself. "You're worthless! You're all worthless!" She strains against her bonds, causing Rarity to wince. I attempt to assist, but Rarity shakes her head, insisting I stay out of it.

"Dashie, how can you say that?" Pinkie blurts out as she steps over to help Applejack to her hooves.

"You!" Rainbow Dash struggles again, and Rarity strains to keep her limbs suspended. "Don't get me started, Pinkie Pie, because of course you would be stupid enough to fall for lies like that!"

Pinkie reels back, clutching a hoof to her chest as if for a brief second Rainbow had managed to escape her bonds and threw a punch herself. "Rainbow Dash... why would you-"

"You... f-forgot about her..." The other Bearers look to each other in confusion... but I already know what she's going to say. "Twilight... Our best friend, Twilight Sparkle! You forgot about her!" Rainbow's voice reaches a fever pitch. "You all did!"

Applejack jabs a hoof in Rainbow Dash's face. "Now look here. I don't know what's crawled up your plot these past few days, but there ain't nopony here don't care about Twilight."

Rainbow's eyes narrow. "Then why, Applejack? Answer me... if you care about Twilight Sparkle, then why is that... thing-" I backpedal as Rainbow's eyes dart over to me. "- still alive?"

In the space of an eye blink, Fluttershy slaps a hoof across Rainbow Dash's face. No one moves, all of us thunderstruck - even the pegasus herself is looking at her own yellow hoof as if it had betrayed her.

Rainbow Dash is wincing at Fluttershy's sudden strike - not so much from the pain, but from the sheer audacity it took for the pacifist pegasus to perform such a feat. "You... you just..." Their eyes meet, fiery rose against a deep, sorrowful teal.

Fluttershy looks to be on the verge of tears, but her gaze doesn't waver for a second. The rest of us watch, unmoving, as the pair of pegasi communicate more in the space of silence than anypony else could with mere words. It never needed saying, but the bond of kinship between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash is rooted deep within their souls, aged and strengthened by the virtue of the passing seasons. My mind dwells on Spike for a brief moment - at least, until the perennial question of identity forces me to shove those damned thoughts away as quickly as possible.

Rainbow Dash breaks her gaze first, her muscles slackening in defeat. Fluttershy nods once to Rarity, and she looses Dash's restraints. She falls immediately into Fluttershy's waiting arms, sobbing deeply into her chest.

A deep, solemn calm descends upon us as we watch Rainbow Dash shatter to pieces before our very eyes. Rarity places a hoof on my shoulder; I don't bother to shrug away from the contact. Applejack brushes leaves and dust out of her coat; Pinkie Pie appears next to her, a dusty stetson in her hooves, and places it atop her blonde mane. Applejack pulls her into her embrace, and the two share quiet tears.

For a brief, blissful second, there is nothing but silence.

Author's Note

Another short chapter. Wanted to knock out another scene... here you go.

If you haven't noticed, I've rewritten the prologue and first two chapters in preparation for an EqD submission. The goal is to make it so that I'm finally satisfied with my writing before sending it out... though, we'll see how that goes. :pinkiecrazy:

I Am Not

Silence reigns as we settle around a campfire, awaiting Luna’s return. The fire does little to warm our spirits - one could blame the humid air, drifting in from the nearby swamp, or the lack of dry kindling, or the setting sun, lengthening the shadows all around us, or any number of environmental variables. But the chill that pervades has little to do with the actual temperature.

We’re seated in a loose circle, on top of every dry sheet and cushion we had to stave off the elements. Little thought was given to who sat where. But as fate would have it, I just so happened to end up opposite Rainbow Dash.

Even now, her eyes continue to glare at me, through the fire and smoke, trying to bore a hole into my skull with sheer willpower alone. I deign to lock eyes with her occasionally, but her gaze has an intensity of its own, firelight notwithstanding, and I can’t keep up.

Fluttershy had managed to keep Rainbow Dash calm up to this point, but she and Pinkie were asleep now, recovering from their own wounds. All said, I wouldn’t actually fault Rainbow if she decided to leap through the fire and throttle me right now.

Well, damn the consequences then. I clear my throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence for the first time in what felt like an eternity. “For what it’s worth,” I say to Rainbow, “I’m sorry.”

A fleeting look of surprise crosses Rainbow’s face, but it vanishes as quickly as it came, giving way to the same anger. Applejack and Rarity, seated on either side of me, decline to comment, looking between us warily.

“I should have said that in the library from the very beginning,” I admit. “I should have said a lot of things.”

Rainbow sighs and breaks her gaze for a brief moment to roll her eyes. “Well, I didn’t exactly give you much of a chance to say anything, did I?”

Applejack lifts an eyebrow. “Is that an apology, Rainbow Dash?” she asks in a poorly veiled effort to lighten the mood. Pinkie’s checked out for the night, so the effort doesn’t go unappreciated.

Rainbow Dash’s silence, however, quickly puts a stop to that.

“If you’re on the fence, darling,” Rarity cuts in, “then perhaps it’s time now that we clear the air.” She turns to face me, no trace of lightness in her features. “Last night, in the clearing… we had every intention of killing you.”

The words are like a punch to the stomach. Even Rainbow Dash and Applejack seem stunned by the admission. “Yeah,” Applejack adds solemnly, “she’s right. The three of us, we decided that on the way to Canterlot.”

It takes me a moment to recover. “I… had expected that,” I finally say. “For all you knew, I was just some changeling that crept up in the middle of the night to kidnap Twilight out of her bed…”

“That’s not how it went?” Rainbow Dash asks. “Well, how did it go then?”

“What exactly are you, anyway?” Applejack finishes.

No turning back now, it seems. I take in a deep breath, trying to relieve the building buzzing tension in my brain before it threatens to take over. “I’m not Twilight,” I start, “but for quite awhile, I thought I was. I didn’t know until that day… in the library.” It seemed so long ago now - had it really been only two days ago?

Rainbow Dash, it seems, shares my disbelief. “How exactly does that work?” she asks.

“It was a spell,” I start, “an extremely complex and hard-to-cast enchantment that turns something into a perfect duplicate of something else.”

“Or… somepony?” Rarity adds.

I nod and continue. “Chrysalis captured me-” I catch myself, swearing under my breath. “Chrysalis captured Twilight and turned me into a copy of her, down to her memories.”

Rarity’s brow furrows. “So… then you aren’t a changeling after all, are you?”

I shrug my shoulders. “The spell was never meant to be used on ponies. Obviously, something was left behind… I don’t know if that means the spell failed or if it was incomplete…”

Applejack gapes. “Hold on. Then that means… all that destiny stuff from earlier…” Her eyes grow wide. “Dusk… did you…” My solemn nod confirms her fears, and she resolves to sit back, gazing numbly into the sky.

Rainbow Dash cuts us all off before we can say anything else. “Rarity, Applejack… you’re missing the most important point.” She turns to me, her gaze sharp enough to cut diamond. “We only ever met Chrysalis once… and that was months ago. At the wedding.”

Rarity and Applejack share a look of abject horror. My throat runs dry.

“How long have you been here?”

A rustle of branches startles us before I can answer. Rarity and I light our horns in unison, preparing for the worst, but when Luna emerges from the brush, our tension vanishes. I look to her, relief and gratitude etched on my face.

The expression Luna returns seems strange, however, and she quickly turns her gaze to look at the group as a whole. “You are all unharmed?” she asks.

“More or less,” I answer, conveniently leaving out the events of the last hour. “The changelings?”

Luna smiles. “Gone.”

Rarity gapes. “There were at least twenty or thirty in that group that chased us down-”

“No,” Luna corrects, “I went after all of the changelings in the valley.” Her expression turns downright bloodthirsty. “They won’t be coming after us.”

Stars appear in Rainbow Dash’s eyes at the show of badflankery, and Applejack lets out a low whistle. Rarity, however, has a different opinion. “I don’t mean to offend, Luna,” she starts, “but won’t the sudden death and disappearance of an entire swarm of changelings draw some attention in and of itself?”

Luna’s eyes widen, and she curses herself under her breath. “Foalish and more foalish… I allowed myself to get carried away.” She begins to pace in a tight circle. “Although… without any substantial force in the area, we may still have the element of surprise…”

“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “She already knows we’re coming.”

Luna stops in her tracks, and four sets of eyes fix on me in shock and alarm. I immediately regret my outburst.

Luna is the first to reply. “Wh- what do you mean she knows we’re here?”

I sigh. What was I saying earlier? Damn the consequences? “Chrysalis has put out a standing order, recalling all of her changelings to the hive.” As the others sit in silence, either unable or unwilling to put the pieces together, I continue. “She’s in my head. I can hear her. That’s how I know where the hive is… and that’s how she knows where we are.”

“Then… the buzzing… at my boutique, and in the library… that was…” Rarity thinks aloud.

Applejack drives a hoof into the earth, sending up bits of overturned dirt and shifting the fuel in the campfire, causing it to flare up anew. Luna simply stares, as if trying to process the new information.

Before I can say anything else, I am assaulted with a sharp blow to the face.

I don’t even have time to put up a shield before Rainbow Dash is suddenly upon me, a blur of punches and kicks. Every strike feels like a sledgehammer to my heart as her passion and energy is directed into my utter destruction.

Rarity and AJ leap into action, trying to pull the enraged pegasus away from me. Luna’s yells of protest reach Royal Canterlot Voice levels. But in the end, only one thing could have possibly gone through to her.

“You promised…”

The quiet voice cuts through the din. Everypony turns, and I crane my head up to where Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are sitting up, staring at Rainbow Dash with identical looks of betrayal and disappointment.

Rainbow Dash’s assault stops just long enough for me to get away. I crawl out from underneath the pegasus and struggle to my hooves - and then I keep going. I run away… away from the voices in camp, away from the buzzing beacon of the hive, as far as I can go before the crushing despair finally has a chance to catch up with me.

The light touch of a wing awakens me from my slumber. I pull my limbs closer to myself instinctively and crack an eye open, only to see midnight blue feathers and an ethereal, waving mane full of stars. “Luna?” I ask wearily.

“You are awake. Good.” Luna retracts her wing, folding it back against her side.

I lean my neck into the larger alicorn’s body, eyes closing again in an effort to stop the fresh onset of tears. I feel Luna’s body tense up for a moment before she relaxes, allowing me to press into her surprisingly lean barrel.

Luna clears her throat. “Sister did well with the sky tonight,” she says, trying to break the ice.

“It’s nothing compared to yours,” I say into her coat.

It’s not a lie; I’ve been interested in the stars almost as long as I’ve been practicing magic - a remnant of Celestia’s unique brand of education, perhaps. I knew the positions of every constellation and star system almost by heart, and studied the skies with fascination night after night. But what Celestia did by rote, Luna did with artistic grace. The first night of Luna’s return, I couldn’t help but gape - it was like looking at the sky for the first time.

“I’m sure she would like to hear that,” Luna replies. “It would be… interesting, to say the least.”

My brow furrows. If memory serves, I actually did tell her that on one occasion. It was less a slight on Celestia’s part and more of a compliment for Luna, but the sentiment was sincere.

Come to think of it, wasn’t she there for that?

I shudder, unwilling and unable to trust my memories… not when they weren’t even mine. Here, pressed against the body of my friend, I don’t want to do anything except ache.

Luna seems to sense my discomfort. “Twilight Sparkle once wrote me a letter.”

I remember, I want to say. “I know,” I say instead. “It was after the Want It Need It incident.”

“Do you remember my reply, then?” she asks, looking down at my face as I look up into her eyes.

“You said… you said that you owe me your life… and that if I ever asked you for anything, that you would do everything in your power to-”

Luna smirks, putting a hoof over my lips. “I’d like to extend that offer to you as well, Dusk.”

I gasp as a chilling sensation shoots through my spine. There was no mistaking the feeling that I was getting from Luna at this moment. My base instincts take over as I feel Luna’s love nourish my body and soul. For several, agonizing minutes, I simply allow it to happen - but then my rational brain returns. “Why are you doing this?”

“This is not what you desire?” Luna looks at me strangely. “Hmm. Forgive my boldness, then. What is it that you need?”

Luna’s question, though not quite out of left field, still leaves me speechless. I want a lot of things. I want to make my friends happy again, save Twilight Sparkle, and blow Queen Chrysalis to smithereens for what she’s done to us. At the same time, I also want to just give up, go home, and pretend nothing happened. And Luna’s little… display… wasn’t bad either. I could go for that again.

But there is only one thing that I know I need. I think on it for some time, carefully composing my response before giving it in clear tones. “What I need… is to be me.” Luna’s brow furrows. “I need identity.”

“But… changelings do not have-” Luna starts, but I stop her.

“Chrysalis went and screwed that up, though. I’m not a changeling anymore. But I’m not exactly a pony either. I have no idea who or what I am… and this little crisis of identity I’m having by sharing Twilight Sparkle’s memories and shape isn’t helping.”

“What are you saying?” Luna asks.

“Luna, I want you to place a geas on me,” I answer confidently.

“…That is powerful magic,” says the Princess of the Night. “To what end will a geas help?”

“I wish…” I take in a breath. “I wish to forget the memories of Twilight Sparkle.”

Luna breaks eye contact to stare at the ground. “It appears… that you have managed to select the one boon that I am loath to give.”

My heart sinks. “I… I thought you’d say something like that.”

Luna sighs. “Everypony has memories that they would rather forget. I myself might have learned that lesson a little more harshly than most.” Her eyes glaze over for a moment, thinking on days past, before she returns to herself. “But memories are important. They define who you are. To merely discard that away…”

“But they’re not my memories!” I yell before clapping a hoof over my mouth. Luna is taken aback, but nods, allowing me to continue. “I’m sorry… but how can I possibly be myself when my entire being was built on somepony else’s foundation?”

“I will not argue upon the similarities, but I believe that you are a creature all your own,” Luna insists, and I immediately think of Pinkie Pie - You’re a different pony after all, aren’t you?

Tears begin to stream down my face. “If I am so different, then why does it hurt every time I look at them? Why do I feel like I’m lying to them, all of them, simply by existing?” I stomp a hoof. “I need to know who I am. You have to help me.”

Luna’s uncertainty is aggravating. “I-”

“Please,” I insist, staring deeply into Luna’s eyes. For a brief moment, I can taste the undercurrents of love once again before she breathes a sigh of resignation.

“There is a way,” Luna admits. “This is dream magic of the highest order. It is rare for me to cast this spell, and rarer still that it is used for this purpose, but I will do you this favor.” She stops me before I can express my gratitude. “However, in order to do so, you must entrust yourself to me.”

My wings flap involuntarily. “Of course-”

“Your entire self,” Luna warns. “You must subsume your will to mine, allow me direct and full control.”

I bite my lip. “…Yes, Luna. I will.”

Luna smiles darkly. Her horn begins to shimmer its usual cerulean blue as her magic begins to creep over me like a wave. “Then listen, Dusk. Listen to the sound of my voice.”

I stare deeply into Luna’s eyes, feeling her magic diffuse through my entire body. Your eyelids grow heavy, Luna says, and I am shocked for a moment how quickly Luna has entered my mind. Further still, I can’t help but watch as my eyes begin to droop.

For the briefest moment, as my eyes close for good, I see a flash of green.

Good. Sink deeper, and deeper, and deeper still. Let the magic flow through you. As it does, feel yourself drift further and further…

I know this sensation. This isn’t Luna’s dream spell.

The magic fills you up. Your ability to resist falls away. Your body is no longer your own. Your mind is no longer your own.

This is-

SLEEP.

Who is it that you love?

Images flit across my subconscious, and somewhere, far away from here, my body mouths the names as they appear.

Pinkie Pie leaps into the air, gasping for breath at the sight of Ponyville’s newest resident as Applejack uses her powerful muscles to shake a tree free of its delicious fruit. Rainbow Dash’s familiar contrail sets itself on a collision course for me. Rarity… pouncing upon me at once, insisting on fixing my mane, and Fluttershy, quietly watching me through her curtain of pink, trying to figure out if I posed a threat…

All of them are in such stark contrast to me, and in any other situation it would be hard-pressed to find anything to connect us. But when the time came, I gladly called them friends - and with their friendship came a power that could overcome the greatest of obstacles.

Their forms shimmer before me, giving way to others still.

My parents, encouraging me to pursue my dreams… Shining Armor, my brother, swearing to protect me from the day I was born… Cadance, trying as hard as she could to show me what love and friendship truly meant… Spike, my surrogate brother, whom I have raised from infancy, and who, in turn, has helped to raise me…

My family.

They join my friends and stand, ghosts of themselves, smiling and waving at me, beckoning me forward.

All at once, their smiles disappear. Their bodies burn away in wisps of green flame.

I yell, wanting to cry out to them. But you do not. They are not yours. You do not love them, nor do they love you.

...Of course. Of course, Luna, you’re right. Why would I-

Who is it that you love?

Two beautiful creatures emerge, bursting forth from the void in flashes of gold and cerulean blue. Faced with their full majesty, I prostrate myself - until a familiar golden-shod hoof extends to me. I look up at the smiling face of my dear mentor, she who lifted me from the depths, allowing me to find myself and face my destiny. Others see her as an untouchable goddess - but I have had the blessed privilege of seeing her equine side - curious, fun-loving, unabashedly kind… and it has only elevated her more in my mind. I take Princess Celestia’s hoof in mine and she lifts me off of the floor.

Next to her, I see the younger of the Sisters, awkward in her body like she was the first day I met her. But before my eyes, her body increases in size, her mane takes on the look of the stars themselves, and her awkward posturing is replaced by confidence and the air of royalty. But beneath, I find a mare similar to myself, unsure how to progress in a world different than everything she knew. I look upon Luna, and she gives me one of her signature mysterious smiles.

The pair of alicorns circle me, drawing closer and closer.

“I… I love…” I begin. But it’s then that a very familiar buzzing makes its presence known. It lingers, just at the edge of my senses.

The alicorns approach me together, still possessed of their same beatific smiles. They walk along two lines that threaten to converge right in front of me. I gasp, knowing what is about to happen. I lift a hoof, trying to escape…

But you do not wish to.

Of course I don’t. Why would I disobey you, Luna?

The beings merge together, colors and shapes and green flame swirling about in my mind… until one figure emerges, staring at me with her own green, slitted eyes

“I love you…” I say. “I love you… Chrysalis.”

Good. Now… wake up.

Yes, Queen.

You arrive at camp just before sunrise. “Hello, everypony,” you say, just as I have instructed. The others look to you with mixed expressions of remorse and relief. None of them have the intellect required to pierce through my expertly crafted ruse…

The pink one’s ear twitches in some odd, unexpected way. Could she have discovered us? Ah, well, there is no need to worry. Your sister shall be along.

My… sister… no… this can’t be…

“Girls,” Pinkie Pie says, “Something’s wrong. We need to-”

At once, one of my faithful drones emerges from the canopy above, descending upon her and pinning her to the floor.

Pinkie Pie… girls… you have to… Do not speak.

My drones appear on all sides. The one called Rarity tries to summon up her magic power and use that trifling telekinesis of hers. But one of my drones excretes its special sputum, the type designed to nullify unicorn magic, and she is quickly subdued.

Rarity, it’s not nullified, it’s dispersed. If you can- You will say nothing.

Applejack lets out a mighty roar, evidence of her own immense strength. But, like Luna before her, she falls under the weight of overwhelming numbers. Her groans fade away to nothing as the others watch helplessly.

Rainbow Dash proves to be a problem, evading my minions with incredible speed. But the Element of Loyalty has one glaring weakness, and I exploit it fully. Three drones overcome the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, and on my command, a horn is lit and pressed down her open muzzle. Rainbow Dash gives up instantly, her muscles slackening, and a band of drones is quick to capture her, pinning her wings to her sides with more squirts of binding fluid.

“I knew it,” Rainbow Dash spits. “I knew you were no good…”

“Dusk…” says Rarity, stunned, “How could you-”

“That’s not Dusk,” Pinkie interrupts, “Or, at least… it’s not…”

Time for me to make my entrance, it seems. I arrive in the campsite, wearing the guise of the Lunar Princess, as I had the night prior. I don’t expect to fool anypony, not anymore… but surely one can be forgiven the chance to show off a bit, hm?

You step aside to let me through. The Element Bearers have been brought to me in a rough semicircle, placed prone on the floor, their eyes only able to peer up at me after a great deal of effort.

“What did you do to Luna?” Applejack says immediately - leave it to Honesty to discern the truth first, I suppose. With little effort, I abandon the disguise, relishing the renewed fear behind their defiant expressions.

You may cast the spell now.

N-no I

Now now. There’s no time for this nonsense. Front right, back left legs forward. Front left, back right legs forward. Step. Step. Face forward. Your vision is blurred with tears, but you hardly need it right now.

Stream, open. Horn, lit. Spell at the ready.

“Dusk…” Fluttershy manages through the horn in her throat, “You have to… you have to fight-”

Cast the spell. I- My- “G-girls… I’m-”

Cast the spell.

“I’m… s-sorr-”

A wave of green energy manifests itself as searing flame that circles each of them before pulling them straight down through the floor. Their panicked screams are the last thing to reach your ears.

Your friends are gone. Luna is gone. There is nopony left.

The last of your will ebbs to nothing, and you fall away, embracing the swarm.

Your mission is complete. Return home.

Author's Note

BAD END

(no this isn't the end)

All Hail

You stand alone in the throne room, the center of the hive. Your body remains rigid and tense, casting a long glance down a row of six newly formed chrysalides.

Closest to you, you see Pinkie Pie, struggling futilely against her bonds. To her left is Rarity. Every few moments a spark floats out of her horn, producing no effect. True, she may not have Twilight’s raw ability, but you watch her nonetheless. I’m not about to let the same escape method work twice.

Further down the line you see Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack, all straining with every ounce of strength they have. They can fight all they like, but they won’t last for much longer… not after I have my way.

Furthest from you, in the oldest of the set of cocoons, is none other than Princess Luna. She is unconscious, already broken, her heart already pouring its love into the hive. She won’t be interfering again.

You begin to march down the line, face expressionless, looking at each of our victims only in your peripheral vision. As you pass by Applejack, a loud thud resounds through the floor. You look in her direction, only to see her hooves pressed against the walls and her face contorted into a look betraying desperation and pleading.

“Dusk, you’ve gotta get us outta here! Fight it!” she says.

I let your gaze linger long enough to give her a sense of hope before you turn to continue your march. It’ll make breaking her down that much more satisfying.

“Don’t bother,” Rainbow Dash mutters from her prison. She fixes you with another glare, as if she were capable of no other emotions. “I knew she was trouble from the start. We should have-”

Fluttershy cuts Rainbow off with a loud sob, her eyes filled with tears. “This isn’t Dusk’s fault… she’s probably in there, and she can’t do anything…”

Oh no you don’t. Keep marching.

“Girls, you’re missing the point,” Rarity suddenly chimes in, voice labored after another attempt at using her magic. “You realize that we’re closer now than we’ve ever been to finding our dear Twilight.”

“That’s right,” adds Pinkie. “All we’ve gotta do is escape!”

Rainbow Dash snorts. “Good luck with that.”

Applejack growls in frustration. “Rainbow Dash, I have had it up to here with-”

“No,” Fluttershy says, her body curled into a ball, suspended in her cocoon. “Let her think what she wants… it’s not like it matters anymore…”

“Now hold on a minute!” Rainbow Dash argues. “All I did was-”

“When she found out,” Pinkie says, her struggling coming to an abrupt halt, “Dusk was the first one to even think of a rescue mission. She was going to go… all by herself. But Fluttershy and me insisted on coming along.”

You stop marching. Far be it from me to ignore a good show.

“I was thinking about it for a while after that, and I came up with something - maybe, just maybe, she knew that something like this could happen. But you know what? She still tried. She tried super hard. And with me and Fluttershy and you guys and Luna… maybe she could have had a chance.”

You get a good look at Rainbow Dash’s face - as expected, it’s the picture of shock and shame. Next to her, Fluttershy looks just about ready to collapse. You can’t buy this kind of entertainment.

Applejack smirks and drives a hoof into her cocoon, threatening to shatter it. “Well, who says she don’t got a chance now?” Her struggles start anew. “Let’s get outta here an’-”

“Ha. Cute.”

You take wing, attending to me immediately, and the five Bearers follow your retreating form towards the doorway, where I have decided to make my grand entrance. All exactly as planned.

See how much easier it is when you just listen? You know, instead of suffering mental breakdowns due to mistaken identity and concocting unworkable plans against insurmountable odds? Of course you do. That was a rhetorical question.

Applejack, in top form, is the first to cut to the heart of the matter. “Where’s Twilight? You bring her out here, or Ah swear-”

I begin a slow, measured approach towards the line of chrysalides. “Making demands and threatening me, all before I even welcome you to my realm? My, how uncouth.” I grimace. “Wouldn’t you agree, Lady Rarity?”

Rarity does not gratify that with a response.

“Well, then, if you must know… Twilight is here. Alive - in a manner of speaking.” I can already feel the love for their missing comrade in the air - it tastes absolutely divine. “She’s no ordinary pony, you know,” I begin, surveying the lot of them, monitoring their expressions as you march blankly at my side. “She never gave up on you. Even if she hasn’t seen you in… how long now… Dusk, would you be a dear and…”

“Nine months,” you reply automatically. “Not since the wedding of Cadance and Shining Armor… not since being left alone at the wedding rehearsal.”

I can watch their hearts sink from here. It’s almost as delicious as the love.

“Oh, is that right?” I ask airily. “I suppose it is - you’re the one with all Twilight’s memories locked up in that head of yours.” You stand stoic as I rap a hoof smartly against your forehead.

“T-Twilight…” Fluttershy breathes the name, and it comes out almost like a sob.

“Oh… well then… her very last memory is of all of you abandoning her, isn’t it?” I put a hoof to my lips in a brief show of theatrics. “Oh, how strong she must have been to still care for you, even after you all broke her heart…”

And down goes Fluttershy.

It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, in countless other victims. The slumped posture, the closed eyes, brimming with tears, the slightly open mouth, jaw slack… she’s given up; her spirit is broken. One down, four to go.

The others react vehemently to Fluttershy’s collapse. It’s the usual fare - cries of “no, please” and “you’ve gotta stay strong”… all things I’ve heard time and again, in every crop of victims, right before I- Well, that would spoil the surprise, wouldn’t it?

Go on, have another look at them.

They’re all on the verge of tears by now. Applejack’s staying strong, I anticipate that I’ll be dealing with her last. Pinkie, on the other hand…

“I suppose you’re all wondering what I’ve done with her, aren’t you?” Just like that, their curiosity is piqued. I begin to reel them in. “Well, after one messy escape attempt, I hit upon a revelation. Twilight Sparkle is quite possibly the most powerful unicorn I’ve ever met. Though that much was clear from the get go, in retrospect. How else would she have earned these?” I hook a hoof under one of your wings and bend it past its full extension, watching as Rainbow Dash cringes instinctively.

“All that magic, and all that love… it would be a shame to simply break her down and leave her to die, or turn her into a drone, like what I’m going to do with all of you- oh, did I let that slip?” Much to their credit, the remaining Bearers seem more interested in Twilight Sparkle’s fate than their own. That’s quality friendship if I ever saw it.

“It made more sense for me to keep her alive and sane - at least, sane enough to function on some level. A power source is no good if it’s dead, you see.” I smirk at the four identically enraged faces before continuing. “The normal methods wouldn’t work here. So I had to try something else. Care to take a guess?”

The four Bearers stare into my eyes, varying degrees of curiosity, outrage, fear, and disgust playing across their faces.

“I let somepony rescue her.” Their confusion quickly turns into shock and anger as the extent of my machinations becomes clear. I decide to reinforce the idea with a visual aid, taking the shape of the Lunar Princess once again.

“Whether it was the Royal Sisters, crashing through the hive and threatening to turn me into dust…” I say using Luna’s booming voice.

A quick change allows me to take on a different form - that of the Captain of the Guard. “...or, perhaps, her beloved brother, leading the Royal Army in an dramatic charge against overwhelming numbers…” My voice has the timbre of a seasoned veteran as I speak. “Or maybe…”

I grin, taking on the delicate, graceful curves of the yellow pegasus trapped in the container right next to them. They stare at me, transfixed with shock. “With the power of love and friendship, we were able to overcome every obstacle, weren’t we, girls?” I coo in her demure, dulcet tone, before breaking character and flashing them a sinister smile.

“You… you’d better fucking drop that disguise… right… now…” I glance at Rainbow Dash’s chrysalis, where she is straining to use her wings and grinding her teeth.

I shrug and return to my normal appearance. “The point is, I let her hope and dream. I let her smile.” I look directly at Pinkie Pie, whose breathing is getting heavier. “And then… I took it all away.”

A sound erupts from Pinkie’s gullet - a mixture of a sob and a pained yelp and a laugh all at once.

“And I did it… over… and over… and over again.”

Pinkie Pie deflates, figuratively and literally, if her limp hair is any indication. “I… girls… I can’t…” she mutters before slipping into unconsciousness amid cries of protest from her friends.

The three remaining Bearers look to each other, and then to me. Their eyes are steeled, as if they are ready to take on another assault to their psyches. But I’m hardly a one trick pony. This is about the right time to try a different tactic. You look at each of them in turn, singling out the one most likely to lose her nerve next… and I strike.

“I’m going to level with you. I hardly expected my plan to work as long as it did. Twilight really does think the world of you, after all. So loyal, and strong, and clever… surely somepony must have noticed anything off in my little double agent.” I turn to the white unicorn as her eyes widen in fear. “Somepony with a keen eye for detail, perhaps?”

Rarity is lost for words, eyes darting back and forth.

“Don’t listen to her, Rarity,” Rainbow Dash warns, but the unicorn isn’t inclined to listen in her current mental state.

“What was it she said again?” I press on. “Something about…”

“My friends might be a little short-sighted… but they’re not stupid. They’ll know she’s a fake!” you parrot.

“Yes, yes, that’s it exactly! She was so sure of herself, wasn’t she?”

“My friends will notice I’m gone, and they’ll come for me… and when they find me…”

“Goodness, it’s like listening to a recording. How interesting.” My eyes linger on Rarity, who has her hooves clasped over her ears, trying to block out the noise.

“You won’t get away with this!" you continue. "My friends will-”

“Stop!” Rarity cries in anguish. “Twilight… I can’t… I’m so sorry…” Her voice trails off into unintelligible muttering as she, too, loses the will to resist any further.

“Rarity!” Applejack bellows, trying to get through to the mare.

“Don’t give up! It’s not your fault!” Rainbow Dash says.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Rainbow Dash. Of course it’s not her fault.” I sidle up to Rainbow’s cell. She leans back, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. But between your emotionless gaze and my words, she has no choice but to listen. “It’s yours.”

“No! Land’s sakes, get out of her head, ya damned parasite!” Applejack yells, slamming her hooves against the rigid walls of her cocoon.

I envelop myself in the green fire of changeling magic and take on the shape of Rainbow Dash herself. She only has the time to look at me for a moment when I suddenly charge, picking you up bodily by the neck and throwing you against Rainbow's cocoon, pressing you into the translucent walls. The pegasus can only watch her own face twist into an angry grimace, one that you saw firsthoof several times over the course of days. You, for your part, play the helpless victim perfectly, flailing and gasping for air right on cue as if your life truly depended upon it.

“Where is she?” I roar in Rainbow Dash’s voice, so that she can hear. “What did you do to her?”

Faced with her own reflection, Rainbow Dash can’t do anything but cower. Her eyes flick over to Applejack, who seems unable to comprehend the scene herself.

“What… what have I…” Rainbow Dash mutters, her eyes wide.

“Damn it, RD, you stay with us now, hear?” Applejack roars, and for a minute, Rainbow Dash almost seems ready to listen.

But I’ve already prepared a riposte. “You made her run,” I say quickly, throwing you violently to the floor and returning to my true self. “You scared her off, and sent her right into my waiting arms. She hated herself for her betrayal… and begged me to take away her pain.”

Rainbow Dash freezes, poised to speak, but unable to form the words. Her eyes water. Her muscles slacken, and I know in an instant that she is mine.

I turn to Applejack, who quickly masks her fear with stubborn pride. “T-try all ya like, I ain’t goin’ down without a fight,” she spits.

You return to your feet, slowly and gracefully, and approach Applejack in her chrysalis. Your face, for the first time since that morning, finally betrays a sense of life. Your eyes shine, and your lips curl up ever so slightly. You part your lips and begin to speak.

“It’s alright, Applejack. Everything’s going to be fine.”

The farm pony’s brow furrows, but she says nothing.

“You didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I had a silly notion and a half-baked plan and I dragged all of you along for the ride.” Your tone is apologetic. “So you took charge. I mean, somepony had to be the responsible one… what with Twilight being gone…”

Applejack chokes back a reply.

“You tried from the very start to look out for all of us. Apple upbringing, perhaps?” Your voice sounds almost sultry as you lean in close, peering through her chrysalis to look deep into her eyes. “You tried so hard… but here… at the very end… you failed. But it’s okay...” you whisper, sending a shudder down her spine.

“Sh- stop…” Applejack manages.

You shush her gently. “No, no, AJ… don’t worry… everything’s going to be fine. See, with Twilight’s power, and all of us helping, my Queen will take care of everything.” You look lovingly towards me. “Everything will be… just perfect.”

Applejack strains against her bonds, but the effort is half-hearted at best. She’s exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It won’t take much to send her past the tipping point.

You look at Applejack with half-lidded eyes. “I’m sure, if you ask nicely, we can stop in Ponyville on our way to take the capital. We can pay your family a visit… and we can end their suffering before it begins.”

Applejack sobs long and loud before petering out into silence.

I set my horn alight, finally ready to continue. My magic works its way freely into their minds, unhindered. I mouth the words, knowing that it is resonating clearly within their heads.

“Who is it that you love?”

Streams of green mist flow out from each of their chrysalides, tinting the air a beautiful emerald as their love finds its way back to me. Soon, broken hearts will become empty ones… and the transformation will begin in earnest.

“Who is it that you-”

“Stop. I will not allow this to continue any further.”

Oh... well this is a surprise, isn't it?

Although, by capturing Luna, I really should have anticipated this outcome.

A blast of powerful magic tears a hole into my ceiling, and down streams a beam of heat and light so intense it's as if the sun itself is positioned directly above us. And in a sense, I'm exactly right.

“I AM Sol Invicta, the Unconquered Sun. The might of Equestria runs deep within my veins. I am your Light. I am your Goddess.

“And you have made me angry.”

Author's Note

Alternate Chapter Titles:

• BAD END CONTINUED

• Bad Things, Capital B, Capital T

• Arpeggio ('cause it's a Harmony, being broken down... Eh? Eh? I'm sorryI'm so sorryI'll just go)

• In Which the Author Briefly Feels Like a Horrible Person

• Deus Ex Sol (really close to being the actual title for this chapter)

• In Case You Were Wondering Where Celestia Was... Here You Go

• The Most Cathartic of Releases (you have no idea how long I've been holding on to this one)

• Italics are Stupid

And no, Celestia's appearance isn't going to magically fix everything. So don't worry about that.

I blocked out scenes detailing each of the five Bearers falling deep into despair, similar to what happened to Dusk in the previous chapter. If there's enough interest, I can add them into the chapter, but for now I feel like I've done enough to the poor girls. :fluttercry:

Battle Royal

that's

Silence. Do not interfere.

"How dare you? You enter my domain, destroy my hive... you're going to pay for that, sun or no sun!" Attack. Do not let her through!

My strongest elites swarm to meet the Sun Princess in combat. Like her sister before her, she will surely be overwhelmed by the sheer number of-

Celestia's eyes flash. Her body glows white hot. My drones... nothing but ash.

Perhaps more drones - no. No changeling can stand against that.

Her gaze turns to my prisoners. With nary a word, the chrysalides go up in flames. Naturally, the victims inside survive, untouched by the cleansing fire.

I can only watch, unable to make a move as Celestia asserts her authority. Luna awakens immediately, invigorated by the presence of her sister. It's a lesson in basic astronomy - the moon's brilliance is merely the sun's, reflected; the same seems to be true here.

I poise myself, dreading a battle between myself and the Royal Sisters, but Celestia surprises me by landing in front of me. I watch her gaze flick over to you before returning to me.

"Luna. Do what you must."

Behind Celestia, Luna nods once and vanishes into a cerulean haze that settles over the five Bearers. She seeks to undo the magic I have done - an acceptable loss, if it gives me time to face Celestia mare to mare.

"Yield," Celestia urges. "Return Twilight Sparkle to me and allow us to leave peacefully, or I will stop you myself."

"You can try," I reply. It's a partial bluff, and we both know it. Celestia held back during our last encounter. If she so willed it, she could level the whole of Equestria. It is foolhardy to challenge the Unconquerable Sun and expect to win.

But I'm not fighting Celestia, the Sun. I'm fighting Celestia, the mare, with very real weaknesses. I smile and beckon you forward. You march to my side stoically, not flinching even as I rest a wing across your back.

Celestia's mask of equipoise is not perfect. I can see and feel the pain and sorrow behind her hard glare. "Twilight is mine," I say. "If you want her... alive... then it is you that will surrender to me."

"I... I will not," says Celestia, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. "I will do what I must... for Equestria." A flare of righteous anger. "I will defeat you."

"Like I said..." I take a confident step towards her, noticing her take an automatic step back to maintain her distance. "You can try."

Celestia grits her teeth. Her wings flare open, and with a single beat, she closes the distance between us, ready to strike with her hooves. I dodge the initial assault, just barely, before attempting a slash across her chest with my horn. Celestia's large barrel stops me from getting the proper movement in, and with a single shove, she places a fair amount of space between us once again.

Her horn lights up, and I quickly prepare my counterspell. In unison, the beams fire, throwing up sparks in the center of the room that...

She... she's distracted...

I... I can...

...I hear her wingbeats closing in and twist my body, avoiding Celestia's charge by mere inches. She twirls gracefully in the air to face me, but I am nimble enough to draw myself in close and strike at her with my hooves before she can counterattack.

She tumbles downward before steadying herself and firing off a salvo of blasts from her horn. But she did leave an opening... all I need to do is...

I can think again... oh thank Chrysalis... I can...

I watch carefully as my Queen takes on the intruder that dared to invade our hive. Surely the great Queen Chrysalis would not be defeated so easily! But they seem almost as equals in power.

Queen, if only you would allow me to rush to your aid... but I do not move, not without your orders...

W-wait... this is wrong. This isn't me!

Why am I...

...Celestia deflects my blast with a shield of force, which causes her to stumble backward for a moment. I charge headlong into her... but the Princess is a warrior in her own right. Her solar beam is aimed perfectly and precisely to send me to my knees.

That would have been exactly the case... if I didn't have an army by my side. As a drone zips mindlessly in front of me, taking the blow and exploding into dust like a moth in a flame, Celestia's glare hardens.

"Sacrificing your subjects?" the mare criticizes. "Have you no heart?"

I growl. "Do not speak to me of hearts, Celestia. Mine was broken centuries ago, there is nothing left for me now." Celestia gives a start at that statement; it was worth the minor revelation to catch her off guard. "And do not speak of sacrifice, either," I continue, "when you are so eager to send your beloved student out to fight your battles. Do you realize what you've brought upon her?"

As her face pales, I can't help but grimace in return. My attack was surgical in its precision, attacking the Princess at her weakest point with devastating effect. I light my horn and she clutches at her chest as I begin to siphon off her love for Twilight. A passioned moan escapes my lips before being quickly stifled - of course, one could hardly expect the love of a Princess to be anything but pure and unconditional.

She quickly realizes what I'm up to and casts a spell to close off her heart and defend herself. But the damage is already done. She hesitates ever so slightly, and it's enough for me to rally with a quick combination of blows. She blocks them all with her outstretched wing before leaping backward. I press in, unwilling to give up this gained momentum...

I wrench my gaze away from the fight. My sisters... the other drones... mill about, stirred up by the activity like a swarm of bees. But Chrysalis does not give the order, unable or perhaps unwilling to allow them to interfere.

But... what about...

I turn slowly, straining against the force of Chrysalis's will, towards her victims- no, I mean... my friends...

The others are struggling to their hooves, visibly shaken by whatever Chrysalis had shown them. Luna appears out of a cloud of swirling mist just as Applejack's eyes snap open. Rarity opens her mouth to speak... but I'm too far away to hear it.

I'm in no state to find out for myself, either. She may not have direct control right now, but my body is still standing rigidly at attention.

Pinkie cries out as she sees Celestia fall from the sky, landing right next to me. She looks up at me pitifully as I watch, unable to express any sign of sympathy for her.

...I left my right flank exposed, and had a new burn wound to show for it, but I had landed several hoof strikes and gored her twice with my horn in the exchange. Celestia is no longer the pristine, perfect goddess she claims to be; she is bruised and bleeding. She is mortal. She is vulnerable.

Celestia's fatigued and injured and the Queen has been empowered by her spell; the power difference is practically zero at this point.

She... she might she will lose. And she knows it.

Celestia's knees tremble as she attempts to return to her hooves come on, Princess, you can do it, I know you can, I march towards her, slowly and menacingly no this isn't how this is supposed to end, I have to stop her... come on, body, please move step by step until I finally cast my shadow upon her. My horn lights up as I prepare to cast the blow that will take down the mighty CELESTIA NO PLEASE

A beam of force fires off with the sound of a cannon blast. Chrysalis is lifted off of her feet and catapulted against the far wall.

I flick my gaze to my left, only to see Luna floating high above us, her entire body wrapped in a magical aura. "Do not touch her," she bellows.

Chrysalis recovers surprisingly quickly, fluttering up to meet the Lunar Princess eye to eye. "Ah, yes. The lesser sister." She chuckles. "The one who couldn't handle a horde of drones, let alone put up any kind of a fight."

Luna's face betrays a flicker of embarrassment before returning to an expression of righteous fury. "Merely a fluke," she says. "My sister and I have been and always shall be equals, balanced on the razor's edge-"

Chrysalis scoffs. "A likely story."

Before anypony can blink, a flash of magic cuts a deep, bloody gash into Chrysalis's cheek. The changeling queen yelps in pain, clutching a holed hoof to her face.

"If you'll allow me to finish..." Luna starts. No one dares to breathe a word. "Celestia and I are equals, but she lived for one thousand years without ever having to raise a sword, and it has dulled her senses." She smiles wryly. "No offense, sister dear."

"N-none taken," Celestia manages. My gaze flickers back to Celestia. She is back on her feet, supported by Pinkie and Applejack on either side.

Luna's grin fades and her eyes darken. A swirling miasma of midnight blue and black surrounds her body. "Unfortunately, being banished in the moon, I have not had that luxury."

The cloud of dark magic grows denser and denser. Chrysalis, in a panic, fires a searing green beam at the mass, only to have to dodge when it ricochets wildly away.

As the magic fades, Luna is nowhere in sight. In her place is a sleek black alicorn, bedecked with blue steel plate, her helmet framing green, slitted eyes. "I AM Deimos Selene, the Nightmare Moon. Fight me or prostrate thyself before me. I shall grant thee the opportunity to choose which."

Chrysalis rears back, unsure what to do. For a moment, she hesitates before No. I will not allow it. I have come too far. I won't be defeated now!

With a defiant yell, she charges at Nightmare Moon, closing the distance faster than anypony could have anticipated. She is met by an outstretched wing, and the battle begins anew.

Fluttershy chirps, hiding behind Celestia's massive frame as the rest of us watch in awe. "Do not worry, my little pony," Celestia says, "That's still Luna up there. There is no danger." She looks up wistfully at the figure before looking back at herself. "She will have no trouble holding her off."

My view of the action is suddenly interrupted by a white hoof waving about my face. Rarity's face drifts into view, and I can do little but focus my gaze upon her. "Are-are you still in there, darling?"

"She's still under Chrysalis's thrall, it seems," Celestia answers clinically, an unreadable expression on her face. "Leave her be," she continues with some hesitation, "and gather around. We're going to finish this."

Celestia's horn glows a brilliant gold, and I can sense the fabric of space-time fold in upon itself for a brief second - a summoning spell. Given the current situation, there's only one thing she could possibly be looking for, and as the spell resolves, my suspicions are proven correct.

The flash of light is enough to give everyone pause. But as the spots fade, five glittering gold necklaces have appeared around the necks of each of their owners.

"The Elements of Harmony!" I cry out. If they were to successfully bring that to bear... who knows what would happen? I can't allow this... fortunately, I know exactly how to turn this all around-

"We aren't through, Chrysalis!" A strong hoof drives itself into my side. Well... first things first, I suppose. If I can distract her long enough by...

Applejack looks with awe and pride upon the jeweled necklace covering her breast, but her face falters. "That's only five," she realizes. "We still need the Element of Magic!"

Rainbow Dash raises her hooves in exasperation. "You're right! How are we gonna do this without-"

"Whoa." Pinkie Pie's outburst causes the others to look around in confusion. Eventually, their gazes lock onto Princess Celestia. She looks altogether the same as she always did, with one minor exception. Her tiara is gone, cast aside to make room for a new, entirely different piece of headgear.

"You were saying, girls?" Celestia says, the Element of Magic settling naturally atop her head. At the Bearers' hesitation, she smiles self-assuredly. "It may not be mine now, but I was once Magic's Bearer." Pinkie's gaze flicks over to me, and I struggle futilely to give her some sort of response. Celestia catches her unease and sighs. "I understand your concern," she presses on, "but I need you all to trust me..."

Pinkie flushes. "O-of course, Your Highness-"

"No titles," Celestia corrects gently, "If this is going to work, I need you all to look to me, not as your Princess... but as your friend."

At this, Pinkie grins. "I can do that." The others respond similarly, some with furtive nods, others with confident smiles as they begin to stand in a familiar formation. Their eyes close, and an aura slowly begins to build around the group as a whole, lifting them a few centimeters off the ground.

But it's not going to be that easy. All of this activity was guaranteed to stir something up.

Chrysalis's drones, bereft of a command from the Queen, were simply roving about aimlessly. But an explosion of light and power like that is akin to a flame, drawing in the surrounding changelings like moths.

All but me, of course. Chrysalis took extra care to make things difficult for me.

As the instinct to feed begins to resonate in the hivemind, a few of the drones bare their sharp fangs. Celestia and the girls don't notice, occupied as they are with trying to get the Elements working.

I stare intently at Fluttershy, the nearest of the six, and try to... well, try to do anything. Please, you've gotta hear me. The changelings are right there! Fluttershy!

FLUTTERSHY!

"ffuh"

The pegasus's ears perk up, as do mine. Did I just...

"FFUH"

Great, I can talk! ...Sort of. I test my limbs, which unfortunately still seem to be locked in place. But I'll take what I can get.

They're behind you, Fluttershy! They're gonna pounce any second now!

"buh"

Fluttershy finally turns. "Dusk? Is that-" She gasps as the horde all around them finally snaps into focus. "Girls!" she yells, getting the others' attention. As the aura of magic slowly dissipates, the other Bearers look with alarm on the growing crowd.

Celestia frowns, her eyes still screwed shut, all her focus on maintaining her connection with her Element. "I... I can't... girls, if you wouldn't mind..."

"You got it, Princess," Applejack says, tipping her hat and turning to face the gathering crowd. Pinkie Pie nods her head and drops into a crouch nearby.

"A quick break never hurt anyone," Rarity says calmly, lighting her horn in anticipation.

"The only breaking I plan on doing is with some changeling skulls." Next to Rarity, Rainbow Dash pantomimes rolling up her sleeves. "I've got some frustrations that I've been dying to work out."

The changelings surge forward, crashing into the girls like a wave upon the rocks. Applejack plants her hooves and leaps forward, tackling one changeling and pressing it into the floor while bucking two more behind her.

Rarity grunts, deploying a small force shield and manipulating it carefully around her to deflect the attacks coming from all angles. "This isn't going to work," she mutters to herself.

Pinkie leaps into the fray mere moments before a changeling would have raked through Rarity's side. "I've gotcha covered. Do your locator spell thingy!" she says, bounding from drone to drone and smashing them into the ground.

Rarity smiles and focuses her energy for a brief second. Her eyes widen. "Oh... oh yes." With a fierce glint in her eye, she raises her horn as a shower of sparkling crystal erupts from the ground. "Now this will do nicely."

Pinkie waves a hoof and smiles, even as she boots a changeling skyward.

Rainbow Dash is nearly untraceable, save for the swirl of color left behind in her wake, as she repeatedly dive-bombs the swarm. Suddenly, she stops. "Hey Applejack!" When the farm pony acknowledges her with a holler, Rainbow smirks. "Pull!"

Applejack launches a pair of changelings skyward with two quick kicks, and Rainbow barrels into them full speed, launching all the way across the room and out of sight.

Fluttershy, unfortunately, is surrounded, her calls unheeded by her friends, distracted as they were with their own battles. She whimpers quietly as a few of the drones begin to circle her. I struggle with all of my might to leap to her aid, but...

One changeling leaps into the air, ready to pounce on the poor yellow pegasus.

That same poor yellow pegasus proceeds to grab her assailant out of the air and send it crashing into the floor with a single, graceful sweep of her arms. Behind her, another drone charges forward, but Fluttershy ducks underneath its blind tackle and strikes it with a flap of her wings. She reaches forward, taking the legs out from under another drone and sending it crashing into yet another.

I'm sure that my jaw would have dropped to the floor if it were capable of doing so.

Well, enough of that. Back to struggling for my freedom.

...sending me tumbling through the air. Never before have I faced an enemy with this kind of ferocity - her movements are less those of a princess and more a force of nature. Each time I score a glancing blow, I'm half convinced that she is letting me get away with it just to toy with me.

But the most intimidating thing about her is her heart. I tried to cast my spell and prey off of her weaknesses, only to find her heart surrounded by darkness, albeit restrained and controlled by sheer willpower. The moniker of Nightmare is a worthy one.

We are locked in a bit of a stalemate at the moment, staring each other down. She has summoned forth a great blade of shining steel, the same shade as her armor, and holds it poised above her head, daring me to make a move.

My horn glimmers, ready to fire a blast of changeling fire. In the back of my mind, I listen for my swarm - only to find them engaged in combat. As for her...

Get out of my head!

I look down for a brief second - only to realize my mistake.

The Nightmare's blade cuts a wide swath, I try to avoid it only to

Chrysalis screams and clutches at her head, causing the entire battle to come to a halt. I look upward - gosh, I can turn my head - and catch the end of Luna's swing. I look to Chrysalis, who is barely maintaining her altitude in the face of what must be excruciating pain.

Directly below her, I can follow the path of a small, twisted mass of keratin plummeting towards the ground.

"You!" Chrysalis roars in equal parts pain and anger. "I'll kill you!"

Luna chuckles darkly. "No, Chrysalis. You won't be hurting anyone. Ever."

Luna's blade sings, severing nerves and integumentary tissue, and the hornless, wingless changeling queen plummets towards the ground. Her terrified screech rings in our ears. No one makes a move or utters a sound as she collides with the hard stone floor.

And then, silence.

"Sh-she did it..." Applejack mutters, hardly able to believe it.

"Yeah! Go Luna!" Rainbow Dash hollers, even as the Lunar Princess descends, shedding the raiment of the Nightmare and returning to her true, smaller form.

"She's... is she dead?"

Five sets of eyes turn towards me, mouths agape. "But why would they look this way? Is there something behind me? Hmm... and I could swear that I could hear myself- oh."

Pinkie is the first to run towards me. "Dusk! You're okay!"

"I... guess I am..." I lift a hoof off of the ground, unable to believe it myself. "I'm alive..." As the others slowly approach, I greet them with a tired smile.

Celestia's voice freezes us in our tracks. "Wait. This isn't over."

Sure enough, I hear a faint moan issue from Chrysalis's crumpled form. Luna stands over her, casting a dark shadow upon the fallen queen. "So... so strong..." she groans.

Luna sighs. "Now you see, Chrysalis. You never stood any chance of winning - not as long as we stand together."

"Ah, yes," Chrysalis says. "The power of love."

Luna's brow furrows. "Do not presume to understand-"

"Oh, I understand it," Chrysalis cuts her off, her voice growing more defiant. "I understand it better than you think. Because I had somepony around to show me just how powerful love truly is."

No. No. She couldn't mean...

"Isn't that right, my dear?"

The ground rumbles, and Luna, Celestia, and the girls look about in confusion. I instinctively know to look towards the center of the room as the floor begins to give way.

A tall, green, crystalline spire rises slowly from the hole in the floor. It's cut and polished like a gemstone, but it isn't long until we realize that it's not mineral... it's organic. And there is something inside. Something purple.

The sight renders us speechless. Her body is shriveled, almost completely wasted away, her coat is matted and stained, and her mane and tail are wildly disheveled to the point that she is practically unrecognizable. But there is no mistaking the cutie mark decorating her flank.

Chrysalis grins. "Time to get up, dearest."

She stirs. Her eyes crack open slowly, cringing at the sensation of light. Even when open, they still look glazed over as she stares dumbly in Chrysalis's direction.

"Look who's come to rescue you."

Twilight gasps. Her gaze flits about the room wildly - but her expression only betrays fear and despair before she screws her eyes shut again and curls into a ball, clutching her head to her chest.

"We're here, Twilight!" Rarity suddenly cries out. "We're going to get you out of here. We're taking you home!"

Twilight lets out a primal yell. Her eyes open again - except this time, they're glowing a bright white.

Chrysalis cackles. "That's it, darling. Show us all how much you love them!"

"No... NO!" I cry out. "Everypony, get away before-"

Twilight lets out an ear-piercing scream as her magic explodes outward from her. Celestia is the first to act, deploying a golden barrier to shield us from the stray blasts as they radiate out, caroming around the room and reducing it to rubble, clearing out swaths of changeling drones as if they were dust.

And then, as quickly as it started, it stops, petering out in a few weak sparks as the lavender unicorn crumples to the floor of her prison.

Suddenly, Luna cries out. We look in her direction - only to find that she and the Queen have changed positions. Luna holds a hoof against her chest, feebly trying to stop the blood from pouring out of a new wound dangerously close to her heart.

Chrysalis, meanwhile, stands proudly, her horn and wings glittering like new, mended by Twilight's love and magical power. She cackles madly, staring down at the wounded Princess. "Now it's your turn to see, Luna. With Twilight's love, I have power enough to rival a goddess!"

Luna opens her mouth to speak, only to be picked up by the throat in a green telekinetic aura. She flails about wildly, gasping for air, each movement inadvertently causing her chest wound to bleed out further.

"Girls, now!" Celestia booms. I turn to look at the others, finding them already standing in formation, magic swirling about them like a great wind. But it's taking far too long. Celestia grinds her teeth. "Wait... I... I can't..."

Chrysalis looks at them idly with a smirk. "Oh, dear... having some trouble, Celestia?" She tosses Luna aside like a rag doll and turns to face them head on. "Take your time. I'll wait."

Celestia plants her hooves. "I... I must do this... for Twilight!" She opens her eyes, burning with righteous fury, and releases the built up energy in a swirling, rainbow colored blast.

Chrysalis laughs as she fires her own searing green beam of energy in the opposite direction. The magic collides with a flash and a crack of lightning. "These are the legendary Elements of Harmony?" she says in wonder, as the earth trembles all around us. "This is nothing to me!"

With only a thought, she puts more power into her beam, pushing the Element Bearers back. With horror, I watch as the Element of Magic begins to crack and crumble atop Celestia's head.

The rainbow bends. It curves back and around, streaking past the Bearers towards me.

I don't even remember covering my head.

Prologue: Everything's Going To Be Just Fine

Ponyville's always quiet at night.

Well, no, that's not exactly true... I can think of one, maybe two nights where Ponyville was anything but peaceful. There's the time where Rainbow Dash was so concerned for her perceived reputation that she was convinced that petty larceny was easier than asking her best friend the librarian for a book.

And then there's the time where Princess Luna was so convinced that ponies feared her that she almost cancelled a national holiday.

...And the time a rainstorm sent a tree through my window...

...And then there's the whole vengeful-sister-returning-from-the-moon-to-usurp-the-throne-and-plunge-the-world-into-eternal-darkness thing...

...Of course, there's also the time that an eggheaded purple unicorn exploded in a pillar of light, only to return with a new set of wings and the title of Princess...

Okay, I was lying. Ponyville is anything but peaceful, time of day notwithstanding. But tonight it's quiet, and most importantly of all, it's home. If only for a moment, I can find solace in that.

The chariot carrying my friends and me lands uneventfully in front of the library. A magenta glow snakes out from my horn, unlatching the front door, and I quickly wave my friends inside. They shuffle in one at a time, ragged from exhaustion, speaking words of congratulations or waxing nostalgic about something or other. I file in afterwards, closing the door behind me.

A quiet snore issues from a purple bundle nestled gently on Fluttershy's back. She giggles quietly. "I'll just put this little guy upstairs... if that's okay with you, Twilight." She looks to me for permission - as if she really needed it. A gentle nod sends her on her way.

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank Celestia that's all over with," I groan. My legs finally give in to the unrelenting force of gravity as I slump to the floor with nary a shred of dignity.

Pinkie Pie giggles. "Thank Celestia, huh? So, how many months before everypony starts taking your name in vain?"

I snort, feigning offense. "Pinkie Pie, that's not how-"

"Holy Twilight!" Rainbow Dash exclaims, pointing in a random direction. "How could this have happened?" Her mock expression has the usual air of mischief behind it, and my fake frustration turns into genuine annoyance.

Applejack catches on quickly, composing herself into a dignified pose and placing a hoof over her heart. "As Twilight is my witness, Ah solemnly swear..." The pair of athletes quickly dissolve into laughter on the floor.

Rarity clears her throat and places a hoof to her forehead. "By Twilight Sparkle's magical mane!" she cries out. I growl as four ponies take various levels of amusement at my expense.

Pinkie Pie lifts a hoof, as if to make some grand pronouncement. Her mouth opens, and I'm already cringing in anticipation. "Uh... Twilight's... er, Twilight's... sparkly... Oh, shoot." She pouts and settles onto her haunches, clearly frustrated at her lack of ingenuity.

I take advantage of the momentary lull. As great as that "magical mane" one was, it wasn't right of me to just let this all go quietly. "You know," I start, "just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I'm a goddess. There is no causal link between the alicorn race and divinity." At least... as far as my studies have shown. A sample set of four does not a conclusion make.

The girls continue to smile at me, and it takes a moment for me to register exactly what they're smiling at. Suddenly acutely aware of my new appendages, I snap them once before folding them at my sides. "Still have to get used to these..." I mutter absently, ignoring the unsettling feeling of having one feather be slightly out of alignment.

"That reminds me," Fluttershy's voice says from above, "you shouldn't snap your wings like that. It could lead to..."

I ignore the mare's warning and flare my wings out and in once more, just to hear that satisfying snap- "Oh, OW! Sun and moon, OW! Wing cramp!"

Fluttershy is suddenly right behind me, stifling her own laughter as she digs her hooves into the base of my errant wing. I can't help but let out a little moan of pleasure as I arch into the firm pressure on my back, feeling countless days of tension just melt away.

Rainbow Dash hovers above us, enjoying a little moment of schadenfreude to herself. "Serves you right for turning down my offer to be your flight coach."

I can't even muster up the desire to reply, so Applejack ends up doing it for me. She clucks her teeth. "Don't be like that, RD," she says.

Rainbow shrugs. "I'm not going to cut her any slack, just because she's a princess. In fact, she has a responsibility- no, a duty to be that much awesomer!" Poor conjugation aside, I appreciate the sentiment. She continues her rant by turning to me. "That said, my offer still stands. Any time you want to start on your coolness training, just let me know!"

I nod my assent, and open my mouth to reply before being instantly cut off.

"Just... not tomorrow." Rainbow's face falls. "I've got some work to do getting the weather team together to fix Rarity's mess. It's gonna be a long day..."

Rarity gasps with what looks like genuine shock. "It wasn't that bad, surely!" She looks defiant at first, but withers as five pairs of eyes set upon her. I mean, come on. Checkered skies? Who does that? "Okay, it was that bad," she relents, "but not as disastrous as what Applejack did to my boutique!"

Applejack holds her tongue. "Speaking of total disasters," she says, "I've got to hit the hay myself. I'm hoping to get an early start and make up for the lost time."

"And the animals probably need me, as well," Fluttershy continues. "What about you, Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie Pie blanches. Her eyes shift left, then right, then left again. "Nothing! No plans! No surprise anything! Not yet, no ma'am!"

Wait a minute... I put a hoof to my lips. "Pinkie, did you say... 'not yet'?"

Pinkie's pupils shrink to pinpricks. I can almost see her heart leap into her throat. "Get out of my brain!" She creeps backward out of the library, giving us all a pointed glare as she shuts the door behind her.

"...Pinkie Pie," somepony says. And that was all that needed to be said.

The rest of us linger just a little bit longer, basking in the warmth of companionship. Eventually, I notice the lateness of the hour, and we say our goodbyes... leaving little old me.

Twilight Sparkle.

Princess Twilight Sparkle, gotta get used to that. I feel my cheek muscles contract, pulling my face into a silly grin that persists even as I trudge upstairs. Just as the fatigue finally claims me, I shove my dress and raiment off into the corner of the room.

I don't even remember hitting the mattress.

Author's Note

Original version: http://sta.sh/0s1ir8lb72s