Sonic, Silver, Knuckles and Shadow were all standing in the middle of a swamp, knee deep in swamp water, with no idea where on earth they were.
They were all annoyed that even with their individual jaw-dropping powers they STILL had to take the simple bi-plane, the Tornado. Shadow had to stand on the back of the plane, which ticked Sonic off because he wanted to do exactly that. Silver and Rainbow Dash flew alongside, and they had a mini-contest as to who could do the fanciest tricks.
They had stopped at the area where the possible Chaos Emerald was, but all of them had never been there before. Now they were being attacked by mosquitos and wading through thick swampy muck.
"Okay, the signal is coming from an area right in front of us, so we're going in the right direction." Knuckles jabbed at Tails scanner, which Sonic had given him to carry.
"This is stupid." Silver mercilessly fried several mosquitos that were trying to eat his head.
"I... HATE... the water." said Sonic. He looked enviously up at Rainbow Dash, who was flying. Silver was grounded for the moment because the long flight there had dried his power, but Rainbow Dash didn't seem to be effected.
She looked back at Sonic, and they silently agreed. This wasn't the place to do it. Sonic lowered his gaze, mournfully staring down at the stagant mud.
"If I had a Chaos Emerald, we'd be done with everything by now." grumbled Shadow.
Rainbow sighed. "Probably not, Shadow. Discord is after them too, and he likes to make things difficult for us. Belive me, I know."
Shadow began grumbling under his breath so no-one else could hear.
Knuckles stopped abruptly, causing Sonic to bump into him.
"It's here."
The scenery was the same. Bent and twisted mangroves stretched over the swamp like claws. Long grass hid unknown creatures. The air was muggy and humid.
But the swamp had hardened into a sort of circular arena, so they didn't sink to their knees. And in the center of the circle was a crater in the ground.
Sonic and Rainbow Dash were looking down the crater before anyone else. Luck was on their side.
A purple gem was lying, pulsing gently with light, at the bottom of the small crater. It was the Chaos Emerald.
"Yes!" Rainbow Dash pumped the air with triumph as Sonic scooped up the gem and cradled it.
Shadow sighed with either happiness or annoyance, or possibly both. "Okay, now where's the trap?"
"Shhh!" Knuckles said suddenly.
"What?" asked Rainbow Dash, whipping around, already on edge.
"Can you hear that?"
Everyone strained to hear something. At first there was just animal noises and the whistling wind. And then they could hear a low rumbling noise, like thousands of wings beating.
Rainbow's pupils shrank, and she gasped. "I've heard this noise before. It's... It couldn't be..."
The sound grew louder, and now they could hear a chittering noise, like bugs. And booming over it all was a heartless cackle, a sound that chilled to the bone.
The cackle was female.
The sky darkened with thousands apon thousands of creatures, swarming in one huge black cloud. Leading it was one large, grotesquely slender figure, the source of the terrible laughter.
"The changeling army!" cried Rainbow.
The changelings arrived with suprising quickness, and began to land around the clearing. Thousands and thousands landed in the woods, straining to get close to them. Thousands kept descending. They hustled forwards to overcome their opponents, chittering with excitement.
"Stay BACK!!" roared Sonic. He flashed off in a blaze of blue, racing in a blur around his friends. He formed a bluish barrier, causing unfortunant changelings to be thrown back into the crowd.
Some backed off, but some spread their wings and took to the air, trying to get over the top of Sonic's defence. Rainbow Dash yelled as one tried to bite her, so she snapped out her own wings and formed a barrier of her own in the air, in the colors of a rainbow.
A sort of dome formed out of blue and rainbow, holding back the changelings. Silver stepped back in suprise. Knuckles sheilded his face from flying dust and mud. Even Shadow looked slightly impressed.
"A nice trick indeed, little critters."
The changelings suddenly stopped trying to attack and parted their ranks to form a path. Walking down the middle was the tall, slender figure who had spoken. Her mane was a rag-tag of green gossamer, her horn, wings and legs peppered with holes, and a fanged smile stretched across her face.
"Chrysalis, long time no see." Rainbow Dash stopped flying and glowered at the Changeling queen.
"Ah, Rainbow Dash. One of the puny little ponies that tried to stop me at the Canterlot wedding." Her voice resonated, hissing and cruel.
"Wait, what's this about a wedding?" Sonic had stopped running when he saw the Queen, and he looked at Rainbow Dash with a mixture of confusion and disgust.
"Don't even ask." Rainbow gritted her teeth and glared back into Chrysalis' greenish-yellow eyes.
"After my traitorous Shining Armor and that wretched Cadance banished me into the distant corners of Equestria, I fell to the ground to lie wounded and seething for revenge. I was there for months, slowly gathering enough power to rise. But I never could have returned... if it wasn't for Discord."
A ripple of chittering went through the changeling army, and it sounded very much like laughter.
"He came to me, telling me to join a battle against his enemies. My enemies. He healed me with a touch and and offered me revenge, asking me to come to his side and fight against the ones I hate. And of course, I agreed." She swept a glance over the five heroes, a look of menace glowing in her eyes.
"CHANGELINGS, ATTACK!!!"
The army of creatures rushed forwards in a great wave, taking to the sky and racing over the ground. They were ready to fight those who opposed their queen.
"Time to kick butt?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Time to kick butt." agreed Sonic.
Applejack pressed the doorbell to Filthy Rich's mansion. The sound of chiming bells rang grandly though the home.
Applebloom pressed her hooves to her forehead and whimpered. "A'm tellin' ya big sis, Ah don't think this is somethin' natural. Ah don't think - "
She was cut off when the door opened. A plump, smiling housekeeper pony with a grey coat stepped out to greet them. She was wearing a navy blue maid's uniform with white trim with a matching blue shoes.
"Welcome, Ms. Applejack, please do come in! My name is Ms. Dusty Brush. Oh, the Master has spoken very favorably of you indeed, saying you and any of your friends were always welcome under his roof!"
Applebloom relaxed a little bit, and she smiled at the housekeeper as she walked through the door.
The ponies had planned a direct, casual entry to see what they could find after Applebloom's description of Diamond Tiara's apperance. Applebloom, backed up by her friends, had protested strongly against this desicion, but all three crusaders still came along with the group to the mansion.
They walked down the entrance hall, guided by Ms. Brush. The hall was matted with a soft, delicate rose-red carpet so nice that even Applejack wiped her hooves on the doormat. Three doors led off to different places, the kitchen, the servant palour and a bathroom. The air was cool and there was a faint smell of flowers, like jasmine or rose.
The grey pony opened the fourth door at the end of the hall, leading to the living room. After everypony had entered, the crusaders hesitantly followed. They stopped short on the plush carpet and gasped in awe.
The polished white marble floor shone pristinely. Plush red velvet curtains hung from the windows, tied open with golden cords that showed the wonderous garden beyond. Matching red carpets adorned the center of the room. On top of the carpet were two large brown and black sofas, covered with multiple black and red cushions. The walls were painted a tasteful pale brown, with little shining golden patterns like vines, adorned with pictures of Filthy Rich, Diamond Tiara, and a mysterious mare with a purple and white mane and a pale pink coat, smiling as if she owned the world. The scent of rose and jasmine was slightly stronger. A wooden staircase led off upstairs.
"Please sit down, all of you, and make yourselves at home. I will go and call Master Rich." Ms. Brush trotted away up the staircase, leaving the ponies to look at each other in suprise and sit down on the sofas.
The texture was so incredibly soft, it was impossible to describe it. Applebloom nervously hugged a cushion, then quickly dropped it. Diamond would not want her touching anything in her house.
She looked at her friends. They looked just as nervous as she felt, but they were trying to hide it as best as they could. They flashed her frightened smiles.
"Why, hello Ms. Applejack! So lovely to see you!"
Fithy Rich was trotting down the steps, smiling broadly. He didn't share the bratty personality of his daughter. If anything, he was the opposite of Diamond Tiara. Only the tired rings under his eyes and the slight, slight droop of his head gave away anything other than a very kindly and rich stallion.
He politely greeted everyone, even Tails. He smiled and patted the three little fillies on the head, probably unaware that these three little fillies were the sworn enemies of his daughter.
"So, how can I help you?" Mr. Rich sat on the sofa and looked intently at Applejack.
The country pony cleared her throat. "We came ta ask a question. Several important objects were scattered throughou' ponyville, and we've been entrusted ta find them. One went righ' in the direction of your home, Mr. Rich. Could you have maybe seen a colorful light of some kind two days ago, in the evening time?"
Filthy Rich scratched his chin. "I'm sorry Ms. Applejack, I can't say that I have. Perhaps I was taking a bath at the time. You could ask Dusty, or any of the staff, or even my little Diamond. In fact..." He leaned towards the staircase and called out. "Diamond, honey! Could you come downstairs for a moment?"
Applebloom shot a glance of absolute horror at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. He hadn't noticed the horn on Diamond's head, or her glowing red eyes? And now that same filly, the one who hated their guts, was coming downstairs to meet them?
"Coming, Daddy!"
Diamond Tiara herself pranced down the stairs. She held herself regally, she tossed her mane haughtily, and she wore a cruel little smirk.
But there was no horn. There were no glowing red eyes. Just icy blue ones.
Applebloom's mind reeled with confusion. Was it possible that she was hallucinating when she saw her through the window?
Then Diamond Tiara saw her guests. She saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Her smirk fell to a snarl, and her eyes flashed momentarily red.
Applebloom froze. Everyone in the room was in danger.
Diamond composed herself. She looked at her father. "Um, daddy, why did you call me here?"
"I need to know if you saw anything strange two evenings ago. It's very -" Mr. Rich broke off and frowned. "What's that on your tiara, my sweet?"
Applebloom noticed for the first time a red gem was glittering on the tiara, perched on top of Diamond's gorgeous purple and white mane. She didn't know why, but it sent a chill through her body.
Diamond smiled sweetly. "Oh Daddy, it's nothing."
Her words swept over the room. Filthy Rich stiffened, as if he was a puppet being pulled by a string.
He said dreamily, "Yes dear... it's nothing."
Applebloom's heart froze over. She looked up at her sister to see if she had noticed. She stifled a cry of suprise.
Applejack, along with everyone other adult, was stitting bolt upright, staring off into space.
Only the fillies seemed to be free of the spell. Applebloom looked at Diamond Tiara in fright. The spoilt filly was glaring at her. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Daddy, can I take these girls upstairs for a moment?"
Filthy nodded vaguely. "Of course you can, sweetie."
No-one reacted as Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stood, quivering with fright. They nervously followed her up the steps, literally unable to do anything else.
They shuffled into Diamond Tiara's room, but they didn't have time to gaze at the white, purple and pink setting. They trembled as Diamond Tiara closed and locked the door.
She didn't use her hooves.
She turned to face the fillies, and Sweetie Belle screamed.
A horn had appeared on her forehead, hidden from them before by magic. Her eyes were blood red, glowing with absolute hate. The jewel in her tiara shimmered coldly.
Diamond's lips twisted into a terrible smile.
"It's time for you to die."
Silver shot upwards, into the gleaming sunlight. He encased changelings in turquoise energy and threw them back with a yell. Knuckles pounded his way through the ranks of the beasts, roaring like an animal. Shadow appeared and disappeared, the purple glint of the Chaos Emerald in his hand, smashing changelings left and right.
"BE CAREFUL!!" yelled Rainbow Dash, flashing through the air in a tornado of color. "CHANGELINGS CAN CHANGE FORM, THEY CAN LOOK LIKE YOUR FRIENDS!! AND THEY FEED OFF LOVE!!"
She stopped yelling to kick through a swarm of flying changelings, sending them scattering.
Sonic was a hurricane of destruction, bringing down changelings in great numbers at high speed, but more just kept on coming.
His mind was working as fast as his legs. 'They can change into someone else? And they feed off love?'
He almost tripped over when he came face to face with... Amy.
"Wha-"
And he was flying backwards, his chin throbbing. He snapped back into gear and landed on his hands, flipping over onto his feet. He was surrounded by an army of people he knew... Amys, Silvers, Shadows, Creams, Knuckles, Rouges, Blazes, Rainbow Dashes and himself.
He groaned. This was gonna get tough.
He launched himself into the ranks, wisely attacking changelings that looked like people that weren't there at the time, but it was still hard to hurt something with the face of a friend.
The changelings were learning fast; they began turning into only replicas of Silver, Shadow, Knuckles and Dash. It became harder and harder to see who was a changeling and who wasn't.
Four Silvers ran towards him, arms outstretched and crackling with magic, and Sonic dashed forward to meet them. But he stopped in confusion as one turned on its fellows and, encasing them in energy, chucked them into each other. He looked up at Sonic. "I'm real me!" he cried as Sonic tensed and eyed him suspiciously. Silver turned and flew back into the sky.
Shadow appeared alongside Knuckles and blocked several attacks from multiple Rouges. He turned and found himself face to face with a hissing changeling, Knuckles nowhere in sight. He groaned with frustration and started attacking the five Knuckles that had joined its side.
Rainbow Dash flew through the air, bucking and kicking the stupid changelings in the form of people who couldn't fly. A Twilight spun into the crowd. An Amy catapulted into an Applejack. A Rarity cannoned into a group of Trixies. She saw a vast herd of Pinkie pies, and shook away bad memories of the mirror pool disaster. She ploughed through a group of Fluttershies too fierce to be the real one.
Sonic slowed for a moment, ramming into a Shadow and sending it down a Cream and a Blaze. He was doing well, until...
He saw a figure out of the corner of his eye, but even he was too slow to turn around and face it. He was slammed on his back in the mud, pinned down by long, holey dark-green legs, glaring up into a fanged grinning face. Chrysalis snarled at him as he struggled, trying to break free. Nearby changelings backed away to see their mighty queen defeat this little rodent.
And then she was surrounded by frothy green light, her laugh changing from harsh and raspy to clearand cocky.
The light faded. Sonic stared up into the face of Rainbow Dash.
She fluttered her eyelashes, and grinned coyly. She said in Rainbow Dash's voice, all warm and buttery, "Come on Sonic. Let's fly away from here, you and I. Come with me."
Sonic realised what was happening. He was so shocked he stopped struggling.
And then her horn was glowing with pale green light, and Sonic felt a strange tugging sensation in his face, chest and gut.
But then the light faded abruptly. The feeling disappeared. The creature's eyes narrowed in confusion, and her face flickered between Chrysalis's and Rainbow's as her concentration broke.
"Why isn't it working?" she hissed in Chrysalis's voice. "What -"
WHAM.
The Changeling queen staggered backwards, now fully Chrysalis again. She glared at Sonic through a black eye. He had gotten off the floor, and was now grinning at her.
He said, "I think what you tried to steal from me was the wrong kind of magic."
And he threw himself at her. Chrysalis wailed in outrage and a wave of changelings swarmed forward to attack Sonic.
He fought hard. He knocked down waves of the creatures, but more just kept on coming. He himself was only tiring slightly, but he could see Silver's magic wavering and Knuckles staggering. His friends couldn't last much longer.
Suddenly, Chrysalis tilted her head to one side, as if listening to some unknown sound. She nodded reluctantly. Then she bellowed, "CHANGELINGS! WE ARE ORDERED TO RETREAT!!"
Then the changelings were backing off as quickly as they came, and Sonic watched them as they took to the sky once more. Chrysalis turned to throw one more look of hate at Sonic, and snarled, "Soon, hedgehog. Soon."
Then she turned and opened her insect's wings, and she flew after her army, laughing like a banshee.