Nightmare Equestria

The world below us raced past. Applejack had been right. Once we were out of the city and turned up the speed the Sparrow was fast. I had only been on a few airships before and none in Nightmare Equestria, so it was hard to compare, but the Sparrow was moving at least as fast as the average Pegasus flies. Rainbow Dash or some of the Wonderbolts could have beaten it in a race, but I doubted they could stay ahead for very long. It was moving only a little slower than a train, but because we could fly straight to our destination rather than moving with the terrain, we were making much better time.

Normally I wouldn’t even be able to see the ground we were flying over but only an hour outside of Baltimare the sun had leapt into the center of the sky and remained there since. The pilots of the Sparrow were a little nervous, but AJ was able to talk them down. We were well away from population centers so it was unlikely that Discord or the Nightmare Guard would try to bother us. Despite her confidant tone to the pilots she still ordered two lightly armored pegasi out the door of the Sparrow for a scouting mission. As they flew off she turned to me.

“I don’t suppose we can get a little help from your magic here?”

“Sorry Applejack, most of my spells wouldn’t work on something this large. And the few that would might end up drawing more attention to us. Especially if Discord or Nightmare Moon are out there. Unless Silver has something?”

He shook his head. Silver Hammer had been watching out one of the small side ports since the beginning of the flight. He seemed to love being this high. “My specialty is in spell breaking, not spell making. I know a few things but nothing that could work on an airship.” Then he turned and began watching out the window again. I think he was watching just in case something did attack us.

However despite his fears and Applejack’s precautions nothing disturbed our flight. It was nice to feel the sunlight again. It would have been nice to feel it the way it had been before. The only way that was going to happen was if we found the others. Finding Rarity would be a big step forward, but it wouldn’t be the only step necessary. The next thing we had to do was to start finding the Elements. They were still extremely powerful magical objects. If they fell into the hands of one of Celestia’s enemies then it would cause all kinds of problems. Before I had too much time to contemplate this one of the scouts returned to the ship.

“The farm has been sighted, ma’am. It’s under attack by some kind of creatures. Quick Breeze is staying over the site to keep an eye on it.”

“We need to get there now!” Applejack barked. “Full speed ahead! Drop altitude! Prepare for landing.”

I thought we had been going full speed before but suddenly I was thrown to the back of the ship by the sudden acceleration as AJ continued to give orders to her ponies. The Sparrow dropped down till it was almost skimming the surface of the ground. Silver Hammer opened the back hatch of the ship and watched the land race by.

Over the next rise I saw burst of green light. Suddenly I was afraid, Spike’s flames were always green like that. If a dragon was trying to attack Rarity, we would be in trouble. Suddenly a flash of emerald fire flashed past and exploded right in front of the Sparrow. That was magic I recognized. After it was used on me I would never be able to forget it. I instantly summoned my bubble shield around the Sparrow protecting us against another jade firework.

“Silver! They’re changelings!”

He glanced back at me, then as we flew over the last hill he could see exactly what we were facing. The changeling swarm covered the fields around a small cottage. Looking for all the world like insect ponies the changelings were trying to get inside the cottage, where I could only assume Rarity was hidden.

As we sailed over the battle field Silver jumped out of the back, summoning his mage hammer as he fell. From the distant flashes of light I could tell that he was doing what he was best at. Applejack was right behind him, wearing some kind of armor that I hadn’t noticed her put on. Her Pegasus guard immediately caught her and carried her to ground level. I was almost knocked off my hooves as another explosion glanced off my shield. I raced to the control cabin.

“Get this thing out of here! Get out of range, then come back and get us when we clear this lot out!” I yelled at the two control ponies. Then I was out the back and falling through the air. The shield spell I had cast should last them long enough to make it out of range of the changeling magic.

I began channeling my magic as soon as I was out the back door. I could levitate myself to safety once I was near the ground but I would risk leaving myself exposed. Instead I decided to see how the changelings liked a taste of their own tactics. When the changeling army had attacked Canterlot one of the most devastating parts of their attack was their comet-like entrance. It caused massive damage to many structures in the capital.

I used my magic to form a cone around my head as I dived down towards the squirming swarm below me. The cone was shaped similar to the Mach cone that Rainbow makes when she approaches sonic speeds for her Rainboom. I saw a flash of light emanate from cottage. The thought of these creatures hurting Rarity when I was so close filled me with rage. Immediately I rage shifted. My mane and tail ignited into an inferno, and my body turned pure white. As flames poured from my eyes the cone around me suddenly doubled in size. And just in time for me to hit the ground.

When I hit, my magic sent up a shock wave that threw every changeling in the area back. It also carved out a deep crater. I shakily crawled my way out of the hole I was in and looked around. The battle was still raging but it didn’t look as hopeless from down here as it did from the air. I shook my head to clear it, my rage shift had already faded, then planned my next move. I could guess that the area where changelings were being tossed skyward every couple of seconds was where Silver Hammer was. I began making my way to him through the fray.

Changelings weren’t hard to beat in a fight individually, but in swarms like this it could be impossible. Especially with the changelings bursting into flame and changing shape every couple of seconds. At the battle of Canterlot we were facing almost the entire changeling army, here however there was much fewer. With heavy use of my stunning spell I was able to make my way towards Silver. As I approached another large batch of changelings were tossed aside like leaves to the wind, clearing a gap so I could get close to him.

Seeing me he roared and swung his hammer around. Acting on instinct I summoned the strongest shield I could. Even that almost wasn’t enough. The hammer’s impact sent me flying backwards like a crochet ball. Still inside my shield I bowled over several dozen changelings before I came to a stop. I was barely able to stand when I dropped the shield. Fortunately I had been knocked to the exterior of the conflict so I didn’t have to worry about any immediate attack.

“Ma’am, this way!” A voice over my head called to me. Hovering there was one of Applejack’s Pegasus guard, whose name I believe was Thunderlane. I blasted him with my anti-changeling spell but he just shrugged it off. If he had been a changeling it would have dropped him like a ten ton weight. Since it didn’t I knew I could trust him. So I followed him through the mess of changelings, clearing my way through with ample use of my stunner spell again. Eventually I was able to meet up with AJ and her guard again. I didn’t have time to check if they were changelings, but since they were fighting the creatures I could only assume.

Applejack and her guards fought as a cohesive unit. Turning as one to attack a new side of the enemy, and defending any ally who stumbled or fell. AJ seemed to be everywhere, kicking at changelings with both her front and rear legs. I couldn’t see her face because of the helmet on her armor, but I could still hear her.

“We can’t get any closer to the cottage because your stallion-friend is knocking down everything that is standing near him. But at least none of these critters can eith…”

A sudden emerald blast hit her full in the face, cutting off her words and dropping her where she stood. My exhaustion, rage, and fear all disappeared in an instant. My eyes shone white with power as I channeled every ounce of my magic.

“THIS ENDS NOW!” I roared, drawing in magic from around me. Then when I had almost reached the peak of magic that I could channel I unleashed it. There was no fancy spells or tricks here, only a raw wave of pure magic that swept out from my body. The magical wave picked up and threw every changeling in the field.

After the noise of battle the sudden silence in the wake of my spell deafened me.

“Nice job” Quick Breeze said.

“I know right?” Then the world quickly faded to black as I collapsed against the ground.

* * *

My head was pounding as I slowly opened my eyes. In front of me was pony with a white coat.

“Celestia? Is that you?”

“No dear. It’s not.” A refined voice answered me. If not Celestia, then who? I tried to make eyes focus. Eventually the unicorn in front of me became clear. Her blue eyes shone at me from under her purple mane.

“Rarity! Is it really you?”

“Well of course dear. I don’t know how so many ponies suddenly know my name, but I am not really going to complain.”

“The others recognized you? Where are they? Are they ok?”

“A few injuries, but otherwise alive and awake. Do you really think I would be standing here talking to you if they weren’t? They are outside, you were one of the worst hurt so we decided it was safe to bring you inside to care for you. And yes some of them recognized me. I dare say I recognized Miss Applejack, it’s her company that has been paying me these past long months, though she wouldn’t make eye contact with me or even talk to me much. The soldier also recognized me, though just like a soldier refused to do anything without orders. So we have pretty much been just waiting for you to wake up.”

“How long have I been unconscious? How could you tell Silver Hammer was a soldier?”

“Oh his name is Silver Hammer? He wouldn’t introduce himself.” She said as she started to lead the way down stairs and out of the small cottage. “Darling, only soldiers would jump out of an airship to start fighting the way he did. Besides he is strong, tall, and stands completely still when not otherwise occupied. Soldier. You have only been out for a couple of minutes. ”

“Oh” Was all I could say. I might need to talk to Silver about that. We couldn’t have him standing out in this way. On the other hoof Rarity always was more observant of ponies than others. We emerged from the cottage to the small group of ponies gathered in front of the door. Applejack was in the middle of getting a report from Thunderlane. I was very excited to see that she was unharmed. When she was hit I thought she might have died.

“All present and accounted for ma’am. No deaths. Three bad injuries, myself included. Flitter has a broken wing, she might not fly again. Cloud Chaser dove to catch her and broke her hoof for it. For myself I have only a sprained wing. The Sparrow was undamaged during the fight thanks to the shield provided by Miss Sparkle. We can be ready to fly again within the hour.”

Applejack nodded curtly, then noticed me standing on the porch of the cottage. “Twilight! I am glad you are ok, that was a fair bit of magic you just performed.”

Silver Hammer who had been watching Thunderlane report spun when AJ first spoke and was beside me before she had finished.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes Silver I am fine. Just a little tired. I think we need to see to our other injured before we continue though.”

He nodded and I set to work. I checked him first, since I would need his help with the others. Silver Hammer seemed to be fine. He had a few small cuts from when a lucky changeling got a little close. He saw me looking at them.

“Those are from when I realized the little buggers can transform. One disguised itself as you. Believe me, he got the worst of the exchange though.”

I smiled and nodded, but didn’t say anything. I was using the excuse of looking at his cut to examine Rarity. She still stood on the porch of the cottage watching us. Her hair was in disarray but she seemed otherwise unharmed. Applejack limped up beside me, the faceplate on her helmet raised, there was a small gash in the armor there, but it was otherwise unmarked. Under the guise of helping me with Silver’s cut she spoke to me.

“Rarity’s certainly picked up a trick or two in this world. None of the changelings could get close to the cottage. She was blasting them away with her magic, not quite as strong as you, but was like nothing I have seen before.”
I nodded. I was happy that Rarity could take care of herself here. She was very capable in Equestria Proper, but it could have not been the case here. Assured that she would be alright until we had a chance for a close talk I changed the subject to Applejack’s curious armor.

“Speaking of new tricks where did this armor come from? I have never seen anything like it.” The armor was much more impressive than the armor of Celestia’s Royal guard, or even the Crystal Empire jousting armor. Clearly there was nothing ceremonial about this armor. It covered AJ from head to hoof. The entire armor set was a series of metal plates that didn’t leave a single inch exposed. A metal mane formed a steel wave that ran down her neck. Around each hoof was a series of small spikes. With Applejack’s already impressive kick this armor could make her deadly. Even her tail was weaponized, with a large metal spike hanging off the end.

“I should hope you haven’t seen anything like it. It was designed specifically for me!” she said as I moved to tend to some of the other less hurt members of our party. “I had my scientists and unicorn mages work on this as soon as I had the money to fund the research. With my constant trips to the Griffin Kingdoms and beyond I needed a reliable way to defend myself and my crews. Now with Nightmare Moon and Discord on the loose, and apparently changelings as well I wasn’t about to take any risks on this mission. This armor is my pride and joy. It is a top of the line combination of technology and magic.”

I patched a small scratch on Quick Breeze, AJ’s scout before I spoke, “In Equestria Proper I have been trying to convince Celestia to encourage further research into combining modern technologies with ancient magics. Who knows what benefits could be discovered? But she always thought that magic alone was good enough.”

There was a moment of silence as I stared down at the ground, tears starting to well in my eyes. Then Applejack put her hoof around my shoulders.

“Don’t worry sugar cube. We’ll get ‘er back.” Hearing her sharp southern twang again brought a smile to my face. “But we need to finish patching ponies up first.”

Silver Hammer approached as I worked on Cloud Chaser’s hoof. I subtly used my magic to examine her bones and make sure they were in the proper place to heal properly. I wasn’t strong enough in healing magics to be able to force it to heal, especially since it looked like it would heal fine on its own. The same was true of Thunderlane’s sprain. Flitter was another story.

The pink bow in the blue mare’s mane was off center and rumpled. Her face was wet with sweat as she tried not to show how much pain she was in. Without immediate help she would never fly again. A fate for a Pegasus that might as well be a death sentence. Few Pegasi lasted much longer after the loss of their wings, they lost the will to live.

“Rarity! I am going to need your help with this.” The white unicorn seemed surprised that I had called her.

“Well dear I don’t know how much help I will be. I am just a simple country pony with a special talent for understanding rocks.”

“You can help by guiding my magic. Nobody else has the attention for detail that you do. Even if you don’t know what to do, you know that something is wrong, and how to make it right. You have an eye for patterns and when they are broken. I can’t heal this wing without your help.”

She gave me a bemused look but didn’t argue. Instead she walked down from the porch and stood behind the quietly panting Flitter. Cloud Chaser jumped up beside me, despite her broken leg.

“Please let me help in some way! She is my sister, you have to let me help her fly!”

“If you are her sister then you are exactly what I need. Now Rarity will be able to see the pattern she is trying replicate. Also you can lend your strength to Flitter for the healing. Silver you are going to have do the same for me.”

He nodded without a word and came to stand next to me as Chaser went and hugged her sister. With all the players in place I channeled my magic. I was so tired from my earlier channeling that I could hardly open myself to the magic, but with Silver Hammer standing beside me pouring his magic into me I found the strength. With a sudden burst of magic I made the joining. The experience was different for each pony, but I knew that I was in command. It felt just like when my friends and I used the Elements of Harmony. All of our energy and power, our thoughts and focus were all going towards the same goal.

In fact as I thought about the Elements and my friends I could feel a strong bond between myself, Rarity, and Applejack. It was as if there was a chain with iron links binding us together. This was the first time that I had attempted forming a joining like this without all of my friends present. Along with the two unbreakable bonds between the three Element Bearers present I could also feel two more bonds. They were distant and rather than feeling like new forged iron they felted rusted and degraded, but they still felt like they were once the same bond and perhaps could again be the same. Through one of these long range bonds I could feel anger and through the other a sorrow so deep I could almost drown in it. Through the joining I could also feel the minds of those around me.

It was through this bond that I felt Silver’s magic weakening. He was strong and still had a lot of power to give, but he had just fought for a long time and the joining had taken even more of his strength. Also I could feel Cloud Chaser struggle to maintain the connection. She wasn’t used to using magic in this way. If I didn’t focus on what I was supposed to be doing I could cause some permanent damage.

Rarity had already used the connection to determine exactly what was wrong in Flitter’s wing. Using her guidance and Chaser’s wing as a blue print I worked to set the wing to rights. Some of the muscles had been strained or damaged when the delicate wing bones broke. Also a vein had ripped open, if not repaired then the blood could fill the tissues surrounding it causing even more damage. As my energy level dipped I borrowed more from Silver so that I could make what repairs were needed. Quickly as I dared I set the bones and helped start the healing process there.

Just as I was at the end of both mine and Silver’s strength I felt a rush of warmth run up my leg, like the heat of a summer day and suddenly I felt full of energy and refreshed. From Rarity and Applejack I felt a rush of recognition and even from the two distant connections I felt the distant memory over power all other emotions. I felt something else too. With this rush of power I felt two new entities join the connection. They were very far away, very powerful, and very dark. Their recognition was tainted with jealousy and rage so pure I had never before felt anything like it. I quickly broke the connection between us and fell gasping to the ground. It took me a minute to determine where I was and what had happened.

After a while I realized what had changed. The sun was down. For the entire fight with changelings, the healing and for most of the flight here the sun hadn’t moved an inch. Now it had set and the moon had rocketed into the center of the sky. I felt a chill run down my spine that had nothing and everything to do with the sudden night. Around me I could hear other ponies laughing and talking.

I ignited a light on the tip of my horn so that I could see clearly. It was surprising to feel that I felt completely refreshed. More so than I have since waking up to this nightmare. Flitter and Cloud Chaser were hugging, both excited about the healing. Rarity sat on the ground staring at her hooves. I glanced at Applejack and noticed that she had a very similar look on her face.

“I think we should retire indoors.” I said. I was still trying to wrap my head around what had happened.

“Yes of course darling,” Rarity said. She immediately led the way to the cottage. “Make sure to wipe your hooves before you enter, we can’t have you tracking mud all through the house!”

We quickly made our way to the cottage. Applejack posted two of her uninjured guards outside the door then sent the rest back aboard the Sparrow. At night the smuggling ship was almost completely invisible once aloft, but very exposed on the ground. They would patrol the area from the air to make sure we didn’t have any unpleasant surprises. As we filed into the house Rarity used her magic to lift up a trap door in the kitchen.

“I’ll be right back. I just want to bring up the others.”

“What others?” Silver asked, suddenly on guard. Apparently whatever had filled me with energy had also energized him as well.

“The rest of the family. I wanted to keep them down here until I was sure it was safe. I don’t think you will hurt them. Actually I know you won’t. I can’t tell how I know, I just know.”

She paused at the top of the stairs going down with a thoughtful expression, then descended. After a moment she returned with several other ponies in tow. The first ones up the steps after Rarity were two young mares. They were younger than all of us, but they weren’t fillies by any means. Each was a different shade of gray with a different rock related cutie mark. Both of them seemed strangely familiar to me, and this feeling only grew when I saw their mother. She timidly looked up from the hole in the floor and looked ready to bolt back below at the first sign of danger. Her glasses were balanced on the tip of her nose and her bun was slightly in disarray. Rarity noticed this too and helped her to fix it. One thing that threw me off was the long scar on the mare’s face. I wondered if I knew her from Equestria Proper, where she might not have had a scar.

“We barely had a moment’s notice to get the girls into the cellar before they were upon us. Even when they were hidden those monsters still seemed to know where they were. Celestia only knows what those horrid creatures wanted with them.”

“They wanted their love.” I said to her. Their mother gasped and held them close. “Changelings feed on the love of others. Usually they move slowly, removing someone from a family, transforming into them, the feeding on the love others might have for that pony. They must be starving to attack in a swarm like they did.”

“Well thank goodness we arrived when we did.” Applejack interrupted. “As Rarity guessed my name is Applejack of Apple Industries. My company is paying you for the invention of your new cheaper mage lights. When we heard that there was changeling swarm heading your way we made sure to ride out to make sure you and your family was ok.”

Even though she said it with the steady smile of sure business pony I could tell that she hated the taste of the lie. Her smile never reached her eyes and she couldn’t help but glance sideways at me. Rarity noticed the lie as well but didn’t say anything. Instead she put on a false smile and addressed the family.

“Let’s make some introductions shall we? This Silver Hammer, and Twilight Sparkle who are working with Ms. Applejack. And these are Inkie, Blinkie and Sue Pie.” She said indicating each of the ponies in order. When she mentioned the last name the realization crashed down on me. These ponies looked just like…

“Wait, Pie as in-” I stopped what I was going to say after Rarity gave a small shake of her head, her eyes wide. I didn’t want to cause problems so I shut my mouth with a snap. Silver quickly jumped into the conversation to cover for me.

“So Ms. Pie, have you worked on the farm your whole life?” he asked.

“It’s Mrs. Pie. And yes I have. My husband Clyde and I have been working and living on rock farms since before we could walk.” I saw Inkie roll her eyes at her sister when Sue corrected Silver. There was something strange about this family and there was only one way to get answers. Besides I was willing to bet Rarity needed some answers as well. While Mrs. Pie was talking I signaled to AJ with my eyes.

“I am sorry to interrupt, but we have some business to discuss with Rarity. If you’ll excuse us.”

“Oh of course how silly of me. Please go ahead. I think that I will put the girls to bed.”

The two young mares moaned as their mother escorted them up the stairs. Rarity nodded towards the porch, then again we followed her through the door. Once outside Applejack nodded to her two guards who standing on the porch.

“Take a walk,” she said curtly. The two pegasi immediately left the porch to do a walking patrol.

“Will you tell me about what you are really doing here?” Rarity asked as soon as they were out of ear shot. Since she refused to beat around the bush I wouldn’t either.

“You tell us about what you know about a pony named Pinkie Pie first.”

“Pinkamena Pie vanished several years ago. Right after Mr. Pie died. Sue tries to pretend that everything is ok, like Clyde will be back someday. But he died in the same incident that gave her the scar on her face. Neither of the girls remember it so they must have been pretty young. Sue doesn’t like to talk about it, I think it is still too traumatic for her. Pinkamena hasn’t been seen since before I arrived here. For all I know she is dead. Now I have told you what you wanted to know now it is time for you to answer some of my questions. How do you know so much about me? And how do you know about Pinkamena? What is the real reason you are here?”

Applejack looked pained from Rarity’s news. I kept my face still as a stone. I knew what I had felt during the joining, but I wasn’t about to raise any hopes, at least not yet. Silver looked to me. Rarity was right he was very obviously a soldier. I took a moment to gather my thoughts before I answered.

“Rarity we are your friends. Before you say anything think about the healing we just performed. You felt the link between you, me and Applejack. There is a connection between us because in another world we are friends. Somehow our past was changed and that destroyed the world we had helped to create. In that world Princess Celestia was my teacher, and using the magic of friendship and the Elements of Harmony we were able to defeat the monster Nightmare Moon.” I had lied to get Applejack on my side, and I hated it. If I had any choice I wasn’t going to do that again. From here AJ picked up the narrative.

“The real reason we are here is because you are a bearer of the one of the Elements. The Element of Generosity. Just like I am the bearer of the Element of Honesty and Twilight is the bearer of the Element of Magic. If we can get all of our friends together then we might be able to set things to rights. Or at least bring Celestia back so that she can help us.”

“You the Element of Honesty? You lied just a second ago. And if your behavior earlier was any indication then that is not the first lie that has come my way from you.”

I could see that Rarity’s remark cut Applejack deeply. She knew she had lied and regretted that more than just about anything. Now to have it thrown in her face by one of her closest friends. I quickly took up the story again.

“This world has changed us Rarity. It has changed you, me, and I am sure it has changed the others we haven’t found yet. But what is important is not the pony we were in this world but the pony that we want to change to be. We are your friends Rarity. And together we can make that change happen.”

Rarity was silent, deep in thought. Then, “Why do you two remember? Why can’t I remember anything?”

“You can’t remember because in this world, this nightmare’s shadow of how the world should be, the memories we had together never happened. Celestia blessed the Elements with powerful magic that has allowed us to get those memories back. I don’t understand the spell myself but I know its effects first hand. Once we find your Element you will have your memories back.”

She looked aside into the window of the house, where Sue Pie was sitting in a chair. “What about these memories? What will become of these?”

“They will stay exactly where they are.” AJ replied. Her voice sounded bitter. Then she reached back to a pouch on her armor and pulled out the Element of Honesty. She had taken to carrying it around with her everywhere. I think she was afraid of losing the memories again if she lost the Element. “This is my Element. Yours will look something like it.”

As the Element caught the light from the house we heard a gasp from above our heads. Applejack flicked the necklace around her neck then dropped the faceplate on her armor. Silver Hammer reared and summoned his mage hammer. Rarity put her flank against the door to the cottage her horn glowing. Despite their concerns, I had a pretty good idea of what was up there. Using my magic I summoned a pair of my shields around two small eavesdroppers and lifted them down to ground level. In the two spheres, just as I expected were the two young mares. Inkie pouted in one while Blinkie looked on the verge of bursting into tears.

“It’s her fault!” Blinkie wailed. “I told her not to come out here and listen.”

“They never would have known about us if you hadn’t given us away!” Inkie replied.

“Careful they might be changelings in disguise.” Silver whispered. He still hadn’t dispersed his hammer.

“Regardless whether they are changelings or not, I bet they have information we will find valuable.” Rarity watched silently as I lifted Applejack’s Element from her neck. It floated in my magic a few feet away from the bubbles the two ponies were trapped in. “You have seen something like this before. Haven’t you?”

The two girls looked at each other, then Inkie nodded. “We have. We know where you can find it too.”

Then Blinkie said, “But you aren’t going to be happy when you find out.”

* * *

The Sparrow floated silent and invisible in the night air. Silver Hammer, Rarity and I had spent most of the last couple of days working together to weave as many spells as we could into the airship. None of the spells we knew would have worked the previous day because they took so much time and energy to prepare. But the ship was practically humming with magic. It was now completely undetectable even with advanced spells. And now it was even faster than it had been before. If Applejack decided to take up smuggling again we had certainly done her a favor.

Right now a smuggler’s skills were exactly what we needed. After we had gotten the two Pies indoors, a scolding from their mother, and assuring Silver that they weren’t changelings we were able to find out exactly what Blinkie said we wouldn’t be happy about. She was right. We weren’t happy.

The location of the next Element was none other than the nest of the changelings we just defeated. According to Rarity the swarm we fought wasn’t the first swarm they had seen, though they didn’t often try anything against the farm itself.

“When they first arrived they would have blotted out the sun,” Inkie said. “But as it was they came at night. Rarity fought them off, but they didn’t seem too interested in us anyways. One of them however was able to break into the house while Rarity was distracted. It looked like she had been hurt pretty badly. She had a necklace like that on.” She pointed at the Element of Honesty. “She was bigger than the others by far. She even had a small crown on. I felt weak and sick for days after she was gone.”

I grew cold when I heard this story. When Inkie described the changeling I looked at Applejack, whose eyes were wide. “That could only be Chrysalis the queen of the changelings. When she was at the height of her power even Celestia couldn’t defeat her. She must have broken in to feed.”

“But how was she injured? And how did she get a hold of one of the Elements?” AJ asked me.

After a moment of thought I answered. “When Silver and I explored the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters, all the Elements were gone. Not only that but it looked like there had a vicious battle there. The only marks I could recognize were from Nightmare Moon and Discord. It’s possible that the changelings entered the fray as well. Though I have never known Discord or Chrysalis to go hoof to claw except as a last resort. The most likely answer is that with as much magic flying around as there would be there that Chrysalis was injured but was able to smuggle an Element out. And if she has one then we need to get it from her!”

This started another large argument. Silver didn’t want to risk going into the nest. I could tell he was still thinking about trying to start another revolution against the Dark Queen. But I knew we couldn’t come this close to one of the Elements without at least trying to get it. There was no way of knowing what would happen to it if we didn’t. Applejack was in favor too so eventually we were able to talk Silver around.

Even once we decided that we were going to try there was another argument over how we were going to try. Silver wanted to try a full frontal assault. He felt that with our combined power we would be able to blast our way through the clearly starving changelings. AJ wanted to return to Manehattan to gather more of her ponies for a fight. Silver almost agreed with this plan, but he wanted to go Canterlot to pick up more former guards who fought beside him in previous coup attempts, instead of what he called “a bunch of smugglers and pirates.” Rarity, who had stayed silent during the previous argument, spoke up in favor of sneaking in. Sue Pie stated that she thought the best thing to do was to just live and let live, and go on with life as it is. While my friends argued the various pros and cons of the different possibilities I simply sat and watched. All I needed was time to think and I would be able to come to a solution.

“I’ve got it!” I shouted. I knew it. All I needed was time, now I had a way to solve our problem that would work the best. “First off we can’t leave without the Element. The changelings are starving. If they can’t find enough love to support the hive then they will move on. If they move while we are away we might never find them. Or they might move to somewhere where we have no way of reaching them. Second, none of your plans will work by themselves. But it is possible that they could work together.”

On the last word I slammed my hoof onto the table we sitting around. Several ponies jumped at the sudden sound. I was a little surprised by the determination in my voice. It reminded me a little of Celestia.

“For this to work we are going need everyponies help. Are you in?”

I put my hoof in the center of the circle. Silver put his on top almost immediately. Applejack was right after him. Rarity thought for a moment then put hers on as well.

“Very well. This is what we are going to need…”

It was after this lengthy conversation, plus about a week’s worth of prep, that we found ourselves floating over the changeling nest. Quick Breeze had been able to find the location of the nest without giving himself away. From here we could see the dull green glow of the nest. Occasionally a brighter burst of green would betray the presence of a changeling on the surface, but otherwise they were undetectable from this height.

“Is everypony ready?” I asked. I was nervous about this mission. Usually I had more direction from Celestia, or at least a book to read to find out more about what I was supposed to do. This would be one of the first times where I was leading and planning something this big almost completely alone. The other ponies on board the Sparrow nodded. I wouldn’t let them know how afraid I was. Instead I nodded to Thunderlane. His wing still in a sling so he wouldn’t be taking too much of an active role in the coming operation, but he had still insisted on coming.

I was not about to leave any pony behind but he didn’t need to know that. It was too much of a risk to leave any of the Pegasi at the rock farm, just in case we needed to leave the region quickly.

When he received my nod he opened the back hatch of the Sparrow. Applejack immediately jumped out the back. The rest of her uninjured Pegasi guards were out the door right after her. Most of the Pegasi flew off into the distance. The key to this plan was multisided attack. Each team would have a certain objective if we were going to get out of here alive. I jumped out of the airship shortly after.

AJ had equipped her battle armor with glider wings. They were similar to those on flying squirrels. They would allow her to reach the ground quickly and silently without dying from the fall. It was her job to clear the landing site for me.

Once I was near the ground I summoned my magic and levitated myself. While I was levitating I couldn’t do any other magic so I was very exposed. But Applejack had done her job. There were no changelings around, except for several unconscious ones piled nearby. Once I had landed and looked around for any other changelings I looked up into the sky. I couldn’t see the Sparrow and even with my magic I couldn’t sense it, so there was no way of knowing how things were going for the others. I would just have to trust that the others were doing what they were supposed to.

Quickly I adjusted the changeling costume I was wearing then began to move out. Rarity had made the costume I was wearing, as well as Quick Breeze’s and the one Applejack was wearing over her armor. I had forgotten that Rarity wasn’t a seamstress in this world, the costumes looked hideous and would never stand up to scrutiny. But as long as no pony looked too closely they wouldn’t be able to tell.

Quick Breeze took to the air as soon as I started moving. He didn’t fly like a changeling, but he was a grey Pegasus in a black costume on a dark, cloudy night so he was hard to see even when we knew he was there. Actually the weather was almost perfect for what we had planned. If it were heavy rain, then it would have ruined the costumes as well as several other parts of the plan and fog would have made it impossible to see where we were supposed to land. Lightening would have made it too dangerous to fly and the Sparrow would stand out against the stars of a cloudless sky. I just hoped that our good luck would continue.

Applejack was right behind me as we made our way through the changeling nest. I had specifically asked her to join me here. I could have made it through the nest easier by myself using my magic, but it was comforting to me to have her beside me.

The nest was extremely difficult to navigate. It was built similar to an ant hill, with tunnels leading underground and meandering all over. We knew it was risky heading underground but there was no help for it. The Element would be with Chrysalis and she would be underground.

Quick Breeze scouted ahead while AJ covered the rear. I used my magic to quickly remove any changelings that were a threat, but that was very few. Most that we passed were weak and starving. I tried not to think it about it too much, but I quickly realized why this was. The changelings fed off of love. In Nightmare Equestria, there was a lot less of that flowing around.

Suddenly we were found ourselves in the Queen’s Chamber. We could only tell what it was because it was much larger than any of the other chambers. Sweat broke out along my back at first then I realized that Chrysalis wasn’t in the chamber. The only changelings in the room were workers and guards. This only scared me more.

“Are we too late?” I whispered to AJ. I was terrified that Chrysalis had left and abandoned her hive. However the mare beside me shook her head and pointed towards the raised throne. There on one side was the small crown that Chrysalis always wore. On the other… was the Element! All three of us moved into the room. Breeze moved to a wall and began digging, just like the other changelings. Following his lead Applejack and I began digging as well. From the wall I looked around the room and tried to gage the situation. There were several guards around the throne and some were already looking at us.

“We need a distraction.” I whispered to AJ. She nodded then pressed a small button on the chest of her armor. She paused for a moment then whispered back. “We are too far underground. Can you give it a boost?”

I nodded back to her then after looking around channeled my magic into the small communicator. It flashed then was still. I looked around and saw that one of the changeling guards had seen me perform the magic and was starting to approach.

“Come on Silver…” I didn’t get a chance to finish before a distant explosion shook dirt from the ceiling. Immediately most of the guards in the room and many of the workers ran up the nearest tunnels. I whispered a quiet thank you, to Silver for acting so fast. The throne room was almost abandoned. I was about to move towards the Element when a guard stepped up to me. In the dim green light of the tunnels I couldn’t tell if he knew what I was or not. One thing for sure, he knew I wasn’t supposed to be here. I struggled for something to say to put him off until an armored hoof kicked him across the room.

The room immediately dissolved into chaos. The remaining workers and guards converged on us as AJ kicked off her costume revealing her full armor and Quick Breeze took to the air. With a quick blast I knocked most of the changelings off their hooves to buy Applejack and Breeze some time. Once she was free of her disguise she went to work while I went for the Element. When I was close enough I grabbed it with my magic and shoved in under my costume into my saddle bag.

“I’ve got it!” I yelled to the other two. As soon as Quick Breeze heard that he kicked the changeling nearest him then darted to a tunnel mouth. AJ and I were right behind him. As we ran through the tunnels we encountered more and more changelings. Most of them were just heading to the surface and happened to find us. We were able to deal with them pretty quickly but there were more and more every minute. Finally we came to a tunnel that was completely blocked with changelings. The path we had raced up quickly filled with more of the insect like creatures.

“We’re trapped!” Breeze said. I could tell by the set of his wings that we were close to the surface. Pegasi are always closely linked to the skies, especially when they have flying or weather related cutie marks. He wanted to be free of the tunnels so he could soar. I looked around. Even trying to blast our way through wouldn’t serve much. We would either attract more changelings to our position or collapse the tunnels on top of us. Unless. If the surface really was as close as Quick Breeze felt…

“Quick Breeze! Grab Applejack!” I yelled. He quickly grabbed her and lifted her into the air. I channeled my magic, drawing from some hidden sun-filled reserve, then unleashed it. The spell was similar to the weather cyclone that Rainbow Dash used to clear the snow during my first Winter Wrap Up. I had invented this spell in case the citizens of Ponyville ever let me use magic to help them. Focused and concentrated in this tight corridor it became a powerful drill.

Using this drill I punched through the rock and dirt above my head. I was carried upward by my magic and behind me I could hear Quick Breeze and AJ. With a fountain of dirt and rubble I burst forth on the surface. The other two were right behind. I used a flick of my horn to send the dirt I had dug up back into the hole I had created. Distantly I could see a massive firework show. Silver and blue magic flared against an emerald wave. It seemed Rarity’s and Silver Hammer’s distraction was in full swing. Quickly as we could we began making our way in the opposite direction. AJ used her communicator to signal that we were above ground and making our way to the pickup point.

With a roar the light show behind us suddenly doubled in size. The emerald flashes going against it dropped back as the changelings fled the sudden display of power. To my right I saw a green burst then a flurry of movement as the changeling fell to the ground. I had to hand Nightmare Applejack one thing. She knew how to train ponies under her command. The Pegasi were doing a great job of keeping the skies clear so we could escape. As soon as we set hoof at the pickup location the Sparrow dropped out of the sky with rear hatch open. AJ, Quick Breeze and I were on the airship before it had finished landing.

Before I finished turning all the way around Rarity and Silver came running out of the dark. Silver’s fur was smoking, but Rarity seemed unscathed. They both ran on board and the Sparrow immediately took off. I cast a quick glance at the distant magic display.

“How long will the illusion last?” As soon as I asked the distant lights vanished.

“That long. I told you had never done anything like that before!” Rarity shouted as the airship began to swing around.

“Never mind, it did its job. Now let’s get out of here!” Applejack shouted. She hit the button on her chest and the Sparrow was immediately joined by several armored Pegasi, all covered in black. Applejack counted them while I quickly scanned them with my magic. She gave me a nod, and when she received mine in return she shouted to the control cabin. “We’re good! Let’s Go!”

And we were gone.

* * *

Rarity sat crying softly on the floor. Inkie and Blinkie sat with her and Applejack was hugging her. Once we were away from the nest we saw that the Element we had rescued was the Element of Generosity, Rarity’s Element. We had waited till we were safe back at the cabin before letting her touch it, even though the anxiety was nearly killing her. Once we were inside me and AJ explained things to her.

“Rarity this is your Element. You represent Generosity. It was that generosity that made you risk your life for ponies you barely knew. If you put this on you will remember all the times we had together, and the world that used to be. It can be more of a curse then a blessing as the both of us can attest, but if you want to do it, here it is.”

After a moment of hesitation she took it from us and put it on. Before the light had faded, she clearly recognized us and AJ and I were hugging her. Shortly I let her go. Applejack could comfort the white unicorn, I had to focus on something else. When she had put on the Element I had felt the iron chains in my mind strengthen, becoming an unbreakable bond between the three of us. More than that I felt the two other bonds strengthen. Suddenly the chains that stretched into the distance seemed stronger and nearer. Through these bonds I could feel happiness and more recognition even if the ponies in question didn’t understand why they were happy or what they recognized. I knew that one day those two could join the two here crying on the floor and we could be friends together.

I smiled at the thought. But my smile was stiff and forced. For there was the fifth connection. The last bond. I have five friends. Five ponies I met on the Summer Sun Celebration three years ago. Five ponies who I have shared many adventures, trials, hardships, laughs, and tears. There are four strong, iron clad bonds in my mind. The fifth… the fifth was like a line of spider’s silk, lying on my mind only because it had yet to be brushed away. I had felt this last bond during the healing but had refused to mention it. It didn’t respond when the others had, I felt no emotion from it. No recognition, no happiness, no sadness, no rage. Nothing.

My emotional side tried to hope, but in the core of my being, in basest most logic based part of me, I wept.