//------------------------------// // 9: Paths // Story: Of the Hive // by law abiding pony //------------------------------// Pranceston led brother and sister through the short entry hall and into the lounge at a miserable pace; just long enough to make Twilight apprehensive, but not enough to give her time to think of a proper greeting. Oohhh, that’s the last straw. Next time I’m making a checklist on reunion greetings. First—hoh boy we’re at the door. Pranceston placed a hoof on the door, and spoke before pushing it open. “You two should have cleaned up better before coming over, both of you look scraggly.” He gave the siblings a disapproving look. Shining Armor’s only reply was to slightly dust off one of his lapels. “There.” The butler glowered at him, and noticed Twilight was fretting over the orange stripe in her bangs. “It’s not frizzy is it? Tell me it’s not frizzy!” “Enormously so. Come along.” Twilight squeaked while trying to run a fetlock through her bangs right as Pranceston pushed the doors open to reveal the middle aged unicorn couple sitting by the lit fireplace. The lounge was always kept very chilly so family and guests would congregate around the central fireplace. Twilight stopped fidgeting with her hair the moment her eyes locked onto her parents. Night Light was the first to stand up from the sofa with his wife not far behind, neither one of them wasted words before roping Twilight into a crushing embrace. Twilight nuzzled her father with tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry papa—” He shushed her while rubbing her mane. “I’ll hear none of that. You’re alive and whole, that’s all that matters.” Twilight Velvet wiped away her daughter’s tears. “That’s right. You’re still my little filly.” Twilight let out a choked half-sob, half-laugh. “I’m not so little anymore.” Velvet tsked. “You will always be my little filly.” She pulled back to pull her son into the group hug. The four of them remained in each other’s embrace for a long, quiet minute. A small part of Twilight was stunned by how much love her family flooded her with, but she pushed that aside to focus on them. The embrace would have lasted longer if a pink alicorn had not come into Twilight’s field of vision. “You’re Cadance, right? I remember you from the wedding.” If Shining Armor had nightmares about changelings, Cadance was caught between fearful hope and revulsion. The body may heal, but the mind was not always so resilient. “Do you not remember anything else?” she asked while raising a hoof to touch Twilight’s withers, but stopped short upon spying the red translucent wings on her back. Twilight didn’t see the cause of Cadance’s hesitation, but she saw it nonetheless. “I’m sorry, I had hoped all of my memory would have come back by now.” A dozen thoughts raced through Cadance’s mind, but one in particular stood out. “Do… Do you remember this?” she said, her voice trembling. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and—” Twilight’s eye dilated to the size of dinner plates as she finished the final verse with her old foalsitter. “do a little shake.” The Element of Magic let off a faint pulse as a cascade of memories flashed before Twilight’s eyes. Her family and foalsitter glanced between each other as Twilight was zoned out as years of memories surrounding Cadance returned to her. Towards the end of it, Twilight’s neutral expressing slowly grew into a beaming smile. “Cadance!” The alicorn was bowled over by Twilight as she wrapped her in a bear hug. “Cadance! I remember it, all of it!” Her smile faltered a little. “At least, I think I remember everything.” Cadance smirked. “I could help you catalogue it all later.” Twilight giggled. "I’ve been meaning to do just that. Ever since I got back to Ponyville, all of my recovered memories are coming back in an annoying jumbled mess.” Velvet pulled her daughter off Cadance and dragged her towards the fireplace. “You can do that later, Twilight, I just want you to know that I’ve been in constant contact with the academy. We’ll have this whole thing sorted out soon enough.” Twilight was momentarily distracted by Pranceston arriving with a tray of hors d’oeuvres. “I don’t think I understand. Sort out what?” Night Light sat behind his daughter to hide the grimace directed at his wife who continued on. “Turning you back to normal, of course. Once the mages at the academy get a chance to see what kind of black magic was done to you, they can start working on a cure.” “I—I don’t know what to say…” Velvet interpreted Twilight averting her gaze as a sign of shocked joy. “There’s no need for words, my dear. It was kind enough for the changelings to save you, but you shouldn’t have to suffer as one of them any longer than you have to.” Suffer? Twilight glanced around the room. “I don’t think that would be… wise.” Shining Armor’s lips twitched upward and nodded slightly in approval, while Cadance remained neutral. Twilight couldn’t see her father’s reaction, but her mother’s was one of understanding. “I realize that hive of yours might have issues with you no longer being one of them, but they must understand you don’t belong with them. You’re an Equestrian, for Celestia’s sake!” “Mother, I don’t want to talk about this right now. Can’t we spend the day catching up?” “Certainly, but only after we visit the academy. What kind of mother would I be if I let you remain in that miserable form for a second longer?” Twilight gritted her teeth, which made her fangs seem far more menacing than they used to. “I am perfectly comfortable with my body, mother. There’s nothing that needs to be fixed.” Velvet shook her head and pulled one of Twilight’s hole riddled forelegs up for all to see, but kept her gaze focused on her daughter’s face. “Twilight, look at yourself. This isn’t normal. Come down to the academy with me.” Shining saw Twilight’s ear twitching along with her eyes narrowing. This won’t end well. “Twily, mom, why don’t we sit down for din—” Twilight shot him a glare before gently pulling her hoof out of her mother’s grasp. Her tone held an edge of steel. “Mother, we cannot afford to be so selfish. If there is anypony who is going to be able to bring lasting peace between Equestria and the hives, it’s going to rest on my withers to do so. I will not burn that bridge just to be a unicorn again.” Velvet’s mouth was little more than a pressed line as Twilight continued. “And these,” she said while pointing at the holes in her leg, “are normal for me.” Night Light moved to interpose himself between the two mares. “Now, now, let’s not ruin the day with such talk. Let’s just settle down for a nice round of tea?” Before either mare could speak he looked up to find the butler hovering nearby. “Pranceston, a pot of Earl Grey if you please.” Velvet shot her husband a scathing glare, but did not argue with him. Night Light took the opportunity to lead Twilight over to the couch and coffee table. “Why don’t you tell us about the hive? It must be a fascinating place if you’re so willing to call it home.” Glad to see papa is still open minded. Twilight waited until everyone sat down to speak. “Despite what the name implies, my home resembles Canterlot far more than a bee hive. It has shops, factories, homes, and a palace as large as Canterlot’s own.” Twilight regaled at length about the technological prowess and architectural ingenuity of Stripped Gear with a passion that made Velvet increasingly concerned. Towards the end of her tale, Shining Armor had to interrupt. “Sorry to butt in like this sis, but you never got around to mentioning what that central shield tower was for. Do attacks between the hives happen often?” Twilight used a sip of tea to buy time to think. “I have not personally seen any hives attack one another, but they do happen. As for the attack on me, I still don’t have any memories of the event itself. The shield’s primary purpose is the removal of air pollution so it won’t give away our location.” Cadance had lost most of her discomfort and had a genuine fascination growing about Stripped Gear. “So your hive doesn’t foalnap or anything?” Twilight gave her a reassuring smile. “Cadista never has, and never will. Our love collectors are more than adequate for our needs.” Being the Alicorn of Love, Cadance leaned forward in rapt attention. “How exactly do they collect love?” Twilight remembered Rose from Ponyville. “For us, love freely given is more powerful than any other. As such, our collectors immigrate to Equestria and try to find a spouse or adopt a foal. They remain in Equestria for the rest of their lives… or until they’re run out of town.” Night Light tried to ignore his wife’s directionless scowl. “Are they allowed to return home?” “Of course. It’s just that they love their pony family just as much as their changeling one. So long as they can keep sending love back to the hive, they can do whatever they want with themselves.” Cadance’s visage was marred by confusion. “So changelings are capable of feeling love? Not just feeding on it?” “That’s right. Why do you ask?” “Can’t you just love each other?” Twilight fiddled with her cup. “It’s been tried in the past, countless times. Cadista and her mother were very close.” She glanced at Velvet who let her scowl soften. “But for some reason, the love they shared couldn’t satiate them. We require love from other species, it seems.” Cadance completely forgot her reservations about Twilight’s new species. “I’d like to help with that, if at all possible. Would some of your collectors mind visiting me so I can see why changelings loving one another doesn’t feed them?” “I could certainly ask for volunteers. I doubt Cadista would refuse an opportunity like this.” Cadance’s reply was drowned out by Ratchet yelling over the link. With Ratchet's broadcast ringing in her ears, Gloss galloped towards Celestia's study. “Guards! I must see Celestia!” “I’m sorry, miss, but—” “Twilight Sparkle is in mortal danger! I must inform Celestia immediately!” The two guards looked suspicious. "Last I heard, she’s in Canterlot. Nopony would attack us here… Twice, anyway.” “Listen to me you obtuse ferus caballus! If you don’t get out of my way, Twilight Sparkle is going to die. Do you really think the Princess would want you to ignore a potential threat rather than raise a false alarm? After she almost lost Twilight just three months ago? Do you have any idea what she will do to the two guards who indirectly caused the death of her star pupil? Now, let me through!” The guards hesitated and looked at each other. Without another word, they stepped aside, and Gloss burst into Celestia’s study. ”Princess Celestia!” Ratchet heard Twilight’s confusion over the link as he shattered one of the front windows and jumped through. Ratchet made an emergency broadcast over the hive mind as he flew up and over the second-story banister overlooking the entry hall. He froze as he saw several earth ponies galloping down the hallway in front of him, until they turned a corner. A pair of unicorns weren’t far behind. He was outnumbered. Waiting until they were out of sight, he carefully crept across the hallway and peeked around the corner, but nopony was there. Realizing he had no idea where to go, he sent a request to the hive mind, and a fuzzy outline of Twilight appeared in his vision. He ran down the twisting hallways, left, right, left, until he almost ran straight into a unicorn that looked ready to blast the room Twilight was in. “Assassins!” Twilight shouted. “What?!” “Ratchet just told me assassins have broken into the house!” Shining Armor reacted instantly. "We have to assume we’re surrounded.” He beckoned them to the wall opposite the fireplace. "I’ll raise a shield, Twilight and Cadance, take up defensive positions around me. Did Ratchet raise the alarm?” “Ambassador Gloss already knows.” Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “Hive mind,” Twilight explained. She might have said more, but the muffled clopping of hooves had reached their ears, and a few moments later, four earth ponies crashed through the doors, a pair on either side of the room. They immediately charged towards the Sparkles, protected under Shining Armor’s impenetrable shield. Twilight held a spell at the ready, and kept expecting the earth ponies to slow down, rather than run straight into a magical barrier. It wasn’t until they were nearly on top of them that Twilight felt a familiar numbing sensation in her horn. She knew what that feeling was. It was a void stone. She opened her mouth to warn Shining, but it was too late. *Shunk* As the earth ponies leapt towards the shield, it imploded in on itself. A null magic field multiplied the ambient magical resistance by a thousand-fold, and an entire augmented repulsion barrier spell was forced back into Shining’s horn. He dropped like a lead weight, unconscious before he hit the ground. Cadance, unfortunately, was immediately forced to put her recent combat training to good use, and didn’t have time to worry about Shining Armor. One of the earth ponies, who happened to be carrying a void stone, found herself on the receiving end of an alicorn’s buck. Had she not been an earth pony, she probably would have been dead. Instead, her muzzle was smashed to pieces, and she was flung halfway across the room. Twilight, on the other hand, had barely any formal combat training. However, she did remember her nullification lessons, which involved a very simple credo: get as far away from a null magic field as quickly as possible. So, dodging an earth pony’s short sword, Twilight turned around and ran straight up the wall. Hanging from the ceiling, Twilight had a few precious seconds to reorient herself. Shining Armor was down. Her parents were too deep in the null magic field to do anything but hold their heads in pain. Cadance, on the other hand, was displaying an almost unnerving degree of combat ability, holding her own against the three remaining earth ponies. Twilight was about to tackle one of them when the distinct sound of beating wings reached her ears. Two pegasi shot through the door on her right, and hesitated for the briefest of moments after seeing Twilight hanging from the ceiling instead of standing on the ground. That hesitation was all she needed to gain the upper hand, as the two pegasi launched themselves towards her. Twilight galloped towards the oncoming pegasi, and abruptly grabbed both of them in a telekinetic grip as soon as she was far enough away from the void stone. Twilight slammed the two pegasi into each other as she jumped off of the ceiling and twisted around. Landing on her hooves, two pegasi crashed into the ground behind her with enough force to leave a sizable dent in the floor. Twilight turned her head just in time to see a flash of blue light. A thick, angry bolt of liquid lightning ripped through the air as an orange shield flared to life at the same moment. With a fraction of a second to spare, the spell ricocheted off the shield, fracturing into several fragments that whizzed over Twilight’s head and detonated against the ceiling. The battle had only just begun. Gloss was mortified to discover that she had shouted into an empty study. Celestia wasn’t here. She was about to turn around and demand an explanation from the guardponies when she saw an open door on the other side of the room, leading to a path through the garden. A walk. Twilight is about to get assassinated and the Princess is on a walk?! Gloss galloped into the garden, knowing her only hope of finding the princess in the dense maze of foliage was to follow the cobblestone trail. “Princess Celestia! Celestiaaaaaa! Twilight’s in danger! Twilight’s in danger!” The unicorn had noticed him. Ratchet was lying on the ground below a large dent in the wall, where he had been tossed away like a used rag. Picking himself up, he decided a direct attack wasn’t going to work. Were there more of them? Deciding to take a chance, Ratchet disguised himself as one of the earth ponies he’d seen galloping down the hallway. An explosion almost threw him off his hooves, and he abruptly found himself looking at a cloud of smoke instead of a unicorn. Seizing the opportunity, he galloped through the door. Twilight was by the fireplace, looking very angry and very dangerous. Cadance was under attack by three earth ponies, and was starting to lose ground. She seemed to be aiming for one of them in particular, so Ratchet charged at them and leaped through the air. He felt a strange numbing sensation on his horn before something tore his disguise clean off. Void stones. They’ve got a void stone. The changeling smashed into the earth pony, but succeeded only in knocking her off balance. He scrambled to his hooves, only to get kicked in the side for his troubles. Winded, he stumbled backwards, barely managing to dodge a punch to the face. Suddenly, an orange glow enveloped the room as the magical showdown behind him grew more intense. He needed to get that void stone out of Cadance’s range. Flying into the air, he dove straight into the face of the earth pony mare carrying the stone, and spit in her face. “Aaaaaaaaaauuuuuugggggghhhh!” She screamed as the salve almost instantly solidified, blinding her. Ratchet was thrown into the nearby wall, but he wasn’t done yet. He kicked off, and with a loud crunch, smashed into one of the other earth ponies with enough force to knock her over. As he tumbled to the ground, wondering how many bones he had just cracked, Cadance had the opening she needed. A powerful blow to the head sent the third earth pony sprawling, as Cadance charged at the blinded, void stone carrying mare and bucked her into a corner. Cadance was back in action. Twilight let out a low growl. Now near the fireplace, she was far enough away from the void stones to regain full use of her magic. This is my world, she thought, as she effortlessly diffused another deadly spell lancing through the air. Now we play by my rules. A orange-purple bolt of magic shot towards her opponent, splitting into a hundred tiny shards that rained down on his shield before detonating. Blue lightning zigzagged towards Twilight, only to be harmlessly deflected into a nearby chandelier. Spinning around, Twilight dodged a second bolt of electricity. The third bolt never made it that far. It smashed into a telekinetic field that sucked it into a pulsating orb of electricity and flung it right back at the unicorn, detonating in a flash of blue magic. Without warning, a bright orange glow enveloped the room, as the unearthly cry of a fire serpent summoned from the depths of Tartarus lunged out of the smoke that had obscured the first unicorn. Liquid fire dripped from its underside, igniting the floor below it, as its gaping maw tried to swallow Twilight whole. Twilight jumped into the air and flew over the flaming reptile, landing on the ceiling. A purple energy whip shimmered into existence, and Twilight snapped it at the rampaging elemental. A thin cord wrapped itself around the beast’s neck and slammed it into the floor, half of which was now covered in flames. Without warning, a yellow energy bolt exploded next to her, and another bounced off her hastily erected shield. She lost her grip on the elemental as she deflected another magical assault. Suddenly, Twilight saw a cyan blur rocket across the room as a massive burst of cyan energy smashed into her attacker. Cadance had escaped from the void stone, and was now pummeling one of the unicorns. Seizing the opportunity, Twilight focused her energies, and a bright light began to emanate from her horn. A clap of thunder echoed through the room as the purple changeling unleashed a massive white nova from her horn, covering everything in a fine layer of frost and banishing the fire serpent back to the black abyss it came from. Turning her attention to the fire serpent’s summoner, she picked up a nearby coffee table and hurled it at him. The coffee table froze in midair, as two telekinetic grips fought against each other. The unicorn was powerful, Twilight had to give him that. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t strong enough. The table let out a tormented screech as its metal frame imploded under the titanic magical forces, shattering its glass surface. It inched closer and closer to the unicorn, its metal frame now nothing more than a slab of iron. Realizing this was not a battle he could win, the unicorn yelped and tried to jump out of the way. What remained of the table, unfortunately, abruptly found itself free of the unicorn’s grasp, and smashed into the wall, taking the unicorn with it. Twilight’s sigh of relief was cut short as she heard the unmistakable sound of thundering hooves in the hallway. A second wave of attackers were barreling down on them. Cadance looked up, now tending to a groggy Shining Armor, then looked over to Twilight’s parents, who nodded. Twilight was joined by her old foalsitter in the middle of the room as her parents took up defensive positions around her older brother. Another group of earth ponies stampeded into the room, followed by several pegasi. Twilight flipped gravity for two of them, and the ponies suddenly found themselves on the ceiling. Dodging around a pegasus trying to skewer her, she bucked him in the side and sent him spinning out of control. Another pegasus abruptly found his sword frozen mid-swing by an orange-purple glow. The blade was torn from his grasp and spun around, gutting him with enough force to throw him across the room, his own blade protruding from his stomach. Cadance had grabbed a sword from one of the fallen pegasi and was now engaged in a vicious aerial swordfight with the remaining pegasus. Twilight tried to yank her adversary away, only to realize with mounting horror that Cadance had flown so close to the northeast corner she was back in range of the void stones. All of a sudden, an explosion announced the arrival of two more unicorns, distracting the pegasus for a split second and giving Cadance the opening she needed to end him. “Cadance!” shouted Twilight. Cadance flew over to Twilight as she pointed towards one of the unicorns. Nodding, Cadance unleashed a concentrated beam of cyan energy that slammed into the unicorn's shield. Twilight’s horn glowed a menacing magenta color, and launched a deadly ball of volatile energy at the unicorn. Already cracking under the strain of Cadance’s attack, the unicorn didn’t stand a chance as the energy ball smashed through her shield and exploded. The only thing that remained was a charred husk. Deflecting an energy blast aimed at the back of her head, Twilight turned towards the remaining unicorn, only to hear the sound of more hooves. A third wave was upon them, this time with several more unicorns, all of which started hurling energy bolts at her. Magic missiles flew across the room in both directions as several pegasi flew through the air towards Cadance and Twilight. Everything was happening all at once. Twilight suddenly realized there was nothing between her family and the attackers. While they seemed to be largely aiming for her, she didn’t want to end up with a hostage situation. She flew down and planted herself between the assassins and Shining Armor. Dissolving several more energy bolts in midair, she saw a glint in the corner of her eye, and was immediately faced with a razor sharp blade flying through the air, aimed straight at her heart. She attempted to push it aside, but her telekinetic grip simply slid off. Her blood turned to ice as she realized what was going on; in the hilt of the dagger sat a void stone, and it was almost on top of her. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as the blade inched closer and closer. There was no time to jump out of the way, or duck, or do anything other than register the fact that she was about to die. A thought floated through her mind, overtaking everything else, as she watched the instrument of her demise creep ever closer. I’m sorry, Celestia. And then something blocked her vision. Something grey and furry, with gossamer wings. She heard something through the hive mind. It was nothing more than a feeling, a vague notion, not a coherent thought. But she knew what that feeling was. It was Ratchet saying goodbye. Ratchet had barely caught his breath when a frost nova erupted from Twilight’s horn. Wincing, he cast a simple warming spell on himself before limping over to the wall. He was pretty sure he did something to his right foreleg. Looking around, he noticed that Twilight’s parents had recovered from the effects of the void stone, and were attempting to revive Shining Armor. Twilight herself had just smashed a unicorn with the crumpled remains of a coffee table. As Shining Armor started to groan, Cadance galloped over, after finishing off the other unicorn, only to perk up at the sound of hooves echoing through the hallway outside. Ok, this is bad. Ratchet was injured and couldn’t assist them in his current state. However, now that he was out of range of the void stones, he could disguise himself as a defeated earth pony. The battle raged around Ratchet as he sat as a silent observer, watching Twilight fend off foe after foe. As the third wave came barreling in, he abruptly found himself just a few feet from Twilight as she planted herself between the assassins and her family. Not knowing whether Twilight would need his help again, he discarded his disguise and lifted himself to his hooves. That’s when he saw the pegasus on the far side of the room, as she was about to throw a very sharp object at Twilight. Without thinking, he tried to pry it from her hooves, but his grip wouldn’t hold. A void stone. The blade left the pegasus’ hoof and began its deadly journey across the room. In less than a second, it would plunge into Twilight’s heart and kill her instantly. Ratchet knew what he had to do. His duty as a drone was to ensure the continued survival of his queen at all costs, up to and including his own life. Time seemed to slow to a halt as he leapt off his back legs and flung himself in front of Twilight. He closed his eyes. Ratchet’s body fell to Twilight’s side as a pool of red blood appeared below his unmoving form. The sounds of battle fell away as Twilight stared at her fallen friend. Her eyes began to water, and a tear trickled down her face. A foolish pegasus lunged at her, only to get flung away like a rag doll. The fabric of reality began to warp around Twilight’s horn as powerful energies rippled around her. “No,” she whispered. Her lips trembled, and she said it again. "No!” She remembered all the times Ratchet had been there for her, leading her through her new life, and now her faithful guardian had paid the ultimate price. Something deep inside her snapped, and she let out an ear-shattering scream. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” A magical shockwave of unbridled power was unleashed from the changeling’s horn, obliterating the wooden floor and smashing the ceiling to bits. The walls were torn asunder as everyone in the room was flung clear across the house. Amidst the devastation, only a solitary pink sphere stood upright, as wreckage rained down around Twilight, as though it were coronating her as the Angel of Destruction. Then, everything stopped. Shining Armor had a headache. Being subjected to a void stone was never a pleasant experience, and it was even worse if you were sustaining a spell at the same time. He was only vaguely aware of the chaos that raged around him. He found himself under the protective shadows of his parents, as Twilight planted herself several meters in front of them. Then, something happened. Something that was impossible, but it happened anyway. The changeling that Twilight had spoken so highly of threw himself in front of his sister, and as he fell to the ground, Shining saw a blade protruding from his chest. Shining Armor had lived with his little sister for a long time, and back in the days of stressful tests and barely controlled magical power, he learned very quickly what she looked like right before she exploded. It had saved her bedroom from being annihilated many times. It was also what gave him the sense to use what little magic he had left to throw up a shield around his parents, right before his sister let out an explosion of magic more violent than anything he could remember. As jagged bits of wood rained down around him, his pink shield flickered and died, his magic all but exhausted. Suddenly, everyone on the grounds of the Sparkle manor found themselves floating a few inches off the ground, surrounded by a familiar golden aura, unable to move a muscle. For a brief moment, everything was quiet again. It was a calm that would not last. “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” bellowed an enraged solar diarch. Three unicorns foolishly attempted to teleport to safety, only to discover that the Sun Goddess was entirely capable of ripping them out of an extra-dimensional manifold mid-teleport. They also learned that getting ripped out of a teleport was extremely painful. “Nopony is going anywhere,” Celestia hissed, slowly lowering herself to the ground as everyone inside what remained of the house was levitated into the front garden. The Princess of the Sun glowered at the assemblage of ponies, before gently lowering Twilight to the ground and releasing her. “Twilight, please tell me which ponies here aren’t going to be executed for treason.” A lone pegasus watched from the mountain face as Celestia restrained the captured assassins. She lowered the telescope from her reptilian eyes after seeing Celestia ripping the fleeing unicorns from their teleports. The rune encrusted spy glass recorded the entire event, including Celestia’s spell. My, my, isn’t that an interesting spell. The pegasus chuckled darkly as she gathered her equipment together. The reptilian slits faded away to be replaced by solid blue glowing eyes. Once her equipment was in place, a ring of green fire encircled her. The flames surged up to encase her in a dome of fire before both she and the dome fell through the ground and vanished with only a thin layer of ash marking her passage. As Celestia finished restraining the prisoners, Cadance galloped over to Twilight who was sitting next to a bleeding Ratchet. “Twilight, if you can carefully remove the blade, I can close his wounds.” Twilight nodded to her before facing Ratchet and started stroking his mane. “You’re going to be okay, Ratchet. Cadance has great healing magic, but I need to remove the blade.” He nodded curtly, but couldn’t suck in a breath as the blade had lodged itself in his right lung. Twilight used every ounce of willpower to keep her fear for his life in check as she carefully bit down on the hilt and pulled it out. Ratchet coughed up blood speckled foam as Cadance began working her magic to repair the damage. Twilight sighed in relief as his breathing eased up. Cadance probed the wound with her magic. “There, that should be enough to stabilize him.” He kept coughing up blood, but his breathing was much easier. Cadance sat back as Twilight wrapped her hooves around him. “You’ll be fine in a few hours, once you clear the blood from your lungs.” Twilight helped him roll over onto his stomach so he could cough easier. “That knife nearly killed me.” His breathing eased up, but between the battle and rapid healing, Ratchet was too exhausted to remain conscious. Twilight freaked as his head fell forward, only to be caught in her hooves. “Ratchet!” Cadance placed a reassuring hoof on her withers. “It’s okay, rapid healing saps the body’s energy. He just needs some sleep.” Twilight wrapped him in her magic and hefted him onto her back at the same time as Celestia flew over to them. “Twilight, does anypony need medical attention?” Night Light and Velvet dusted themselves off after bowing to the princess. “We’re fine, your majesty,” Night replied, “but our home is another matter.” Twilight folded her ears back. "Sorry about that, I just… he wasn’t moving, and I thought—” “Honey, don’t worry about it,” interrupted Night Light, with a reassuring smile. "At least you didn’t turn us into potted plants this time.” Twilight muttered something incoherent, then looked at the drone on her back. “Ratchet’ll be okay, but I’d like to get him somewhere safe.” Celestia nodded before turning to see Cadance help Shining Armor groggily climbing to his hooves. “I should have expected void crystals,” he grumbled loud enough for all to hear as he was lead towards the group. “No pony would be dumb enough to attack the Sparkle family without them.” Twilight could still hear Ratchet’s voice over the Link, but it was as though he was asleep. Cadista’s relief was so strong Twilight could taste it. If it was only me, I’d stay, but I won’t risk my eggs… or Ratchet. Cadista sent her heartfelt acknowledgements, and left Twilight to speak with those around her. She returned to the present to find Celestia and Shining Armor looking at her. “You blanked out there, Twily, are you sure you’re okay?” “Sorry, I was just speaking with Cadista. As for me, I got away with a few cuts and bruises, nothing serious.” Celestia heaved a sigh. “Thank goodness. A platoon of Guardponies should be here shortly, but I do not want to risk any of these…” she looks at the remaining assassins with distaste, “assailants from fleeing. I will take them to the dungeons myself. I’ll return within the hour.” The princess gathered all of the assassins, both living and dead, and teleported all of them back to the castle. Velvet fretted over her son and daughter’s injuries. “Just look at this. Shining, you’re lucky your horn didn’t fracture after suffering feedback like that!” “I’ll be fine, mother. A few bottles of ether and I’ll be back on my hooves in a day.” Velvet scowled at him, but Shining was ultimately not her biggest concern, so she turned to the mare who was. “Young filly, I hope this makes you realize the danger you’re in. Maybe now you’ll give my offer serious consideration this time.” Twilight nuzzled her father as he utilized the first aid kit Pranceston procured to mend a shallow cut on her neck. “Mother, can we not talk about me being a changeling right now? The house is a wreck, Shining’s hurt, we all could have died, and I’m really not in the mood for this right now!” Velvet stomped a hoof. “The house can always be rebuilt, Shining Armor will recover, but you don’t seem to see reason. It doesn’t take a genius to know those assassins were real ponies, and that means they were here because of you; or to be more precise, because of your condition. Ponies are running scared that the changelings are taking over, and this attack wasn’t some peasant rebellion.” Twilight grumbled at her mother’s ranting and started heading towards the kitchen for some water. “Not now mother, please?” Cadance saw where Twilight was going. They might keep ether in the pantry, or at least some fresh tea would help his migraine. She pulled Shining Armor so that she could shoulder a foreleg. “Come on; let’s see if I can’t cure that headache of yours.” He tried to hide his pain, but Cadance could see through the tough guy act, and he knew it. “Thanks honey.” Twilight and Velvet argued long after she arrived at the sink and pulled a cup down to fill, yet the only thing on her mind was Velvet’s constant nagging. “Mother, I told you, I can’t go back to being a unicorn!” “You’re not thinking clearly, Twilight. You barely got a chance to see your own home again before this horrendous attack happened. You’ll never have peace if you stay this way.” Twilight downed the first glass of water on one go. “What do you want me to do? Burn the best bridge we have to ever make changelings and Equestria allies? That’s what I want mother, to unify our races.” Velvet harrumphed. “If that is your wish, I will not stop you from trying, but you don’t need be a changeling to do that!” Twilight’s nerves were already frayed, and her mother wasn’t helping. She whipped her head around and snapped at her. “And I think I do! Did it ever occur to you that maybe I want to stay this way?!” Velvet recoiled from Twilight’s venom laced words, while Shining Armor and Cadance looked on in silence. “Y-you can’t mean that,” she stammered. "No, I know what this is. Fine, I’ll not speak of this again until you can think of rational arguments instead of resorting to immature shock tactics.” Twilight watched her mother strut off into the living room to help Pranceston with the arriving Royal Guard. Shining Armor shared a worried glance with his wife. “Twilight, was there any truth to that?” The proto-queen set Ratchet down, and hovered a glass of water nearby while tapping him to try and wake him up. “Not you too, Shining…” Cadance rested a restraining hoof on her husband. “Twilight, we’re your family. We’ll love you no matter who or what you are. Your mother’s just worried for you, that’s all.” Twilight’s mood fell as her thoughts drifted to her eggs. “It’s a mother’s nature to worry about her children.” “I know it’s difficult to understand her position Twilight,” said Cadance. “Even I won’t be able to fully understand a mother’s love until I experience for myself one day, but she’s doing this for you.” I’m starting to. Twilight sighed and looked over to her brother and sister-in-law. “I need to show you something.” The Canterlot train yard was much smaller than Ponyville’s, space was at a premium after all. By the time they arrived, Celestia was waiting for them. A small gathering of Royal Guard patrolled the skies, but the princess was focused on Twilight’s carriage as it pulled up. She watched the purple changeling disembark along with Cadance, Shining Armor, and Night Light. “Twilight, why did you want me to meet you here instead of at home or the castle?” “I have to show you something. You may not like it, but you deserve to know.” The ponies shared worried glances as Twilight strode purposefully towards an isolated train car. Twilight announced her intentions to the caretakers to give them a minute to prepare themselves. The older caretaker was horrified. Twilight retorted. There was a short pause before the caretaker replied. Twilight felt Cadista’s gentle touch through the hive mind, sensing her acceptance as she strode towards the incubator. Both caretakers exited the train car as Twilight arrived. “Welcome back sister,” said the younger one, with a bow. “Thank you.” She turned around to face her pony family. “What lies inside is… precious to me. Please be careful.” Before fear of rejection could take hold, Twilight stepped purposefully into to the train car, with Ratchet and the caretakers close behind her. Celestia made a show that she trusted Twilight implicitly, waving off her escort and entering without hesitation. The rest followed her. Celestia noticed the caretakers standing at attention inside a control compartment that dominated the first third of the car, but Twilight was further inside with Ratchet at her side. Curiosity urged her onward and she found herself in a room filled with empty glass incubators, save for the twelve that Twilight was staring at. “Twilight, what is all this?” Twilight forcibly kept her breathing slow so she wouldn’t hyperventilate. “Princess. Would you take the chance to turn me back into a unicorn, if it meant that hundreds of thousands of changelings would never exist?” Cadance and Shining Armor heard the question, but left Celestia to give an answer. The alicorn followed Twilight’s gaze to the twelve purple objects within the incubators. Those can’t possibly… “Twilight. Those are eggs, aren’t they?” The rest of the ponies shot the princess a fearful look before turning to Twilight. Her wings fidgeted as sweat covered her face and neck, but her eyes never left the purple items. “Yes. My eggs.” No one spoke a word as Twilight’s words sank in, that was until Shining Armor took a closer look. “Twily, I—ah, I get that you’re not a pony anymore, and I can… see you lay eggs and all, but just because you lay them doesn’t mean they’ll hatch… right?” Twilight faced her bother with drooped ears and downcast eyes. “They will hatch in less than a month, and I lay a clutch every day.” Shining’s gaze instantly shifted to Ratchet. Temporarily lost memories, vulnerable state, and a way to make her feel obligated to stay with them. “You.” He shoved his muzzle in Ratchet’s face. “Did you take advantage of my sister!?” Before Twilight could react, Ratchet was pushing himself against the wall in an effort to avoid everypony’s venomous glares, save for Celestia. Having read Luna’s complete recounting of her dealings the queens of the past; she knew Ratchet was not the wolf the others believed him to be. She watched Twilight teleport to interpose herself between her family and Ratchet. The group was forcibly pushed back by the spell as the proto-queen glowered at them. “Ratchet didn’t do anything like that!” Shining Armor glanced back at the two female caretakers before turning back to Twilight. “If those eggs are viable, then he must have done something. What about when you were asleep?” Twilight’s face twisted in both horror and indignation at the same time as she slapped him. “He would never do that!” Cadance and Night Light backed off as Shining Armor did his best to not rub his pained cheek. “Maybe instead of jumping to conclusions, you should have asked how!” She tore her gaze away from her older brother. “And for the record…” She inhaled deeply to bring her tone of voice under control. “I fertilize the eggs myself as I lay them.” Celestia moved to stand behind Shining. “Why are you showing us this Twilight?” The proto-queen’s posture eased up at Celestia’s calm exterior. “I remember a lot of your lessons Princess. ‘The more you know, the less you fear.’ You told me that countless times.” Celestia gave her former student a nod of respect. “Queen Cadista has been reluctant to release such information. Understanding is the first step to acceptance.” “Exactly,” Twilight replied. I knew the Princess would understand. “That’s the other reason I wish to remain a changeling. I want our people to be united, and as long as I remain a queen, I can work towards that goal.” Cadance glanced at her husband. “I don’t like to hate, loathe, fear, or revile. Twilight, I want you to know that I’ll do everything I can to make sure the PR campaign succeeds. I won’t have my sister-in-law be afraid to visit because of more assassination attempts.” Night Light nuzzled Twilight before pulling her into a strong hug. “No matter what you are, Twilight. You are always going to be my daughter, and my doors are always open to you.” Tears fell down her cheeks as she wrapped him in her hooves. “Thanks, daddy. I promise to make you proud.” “You say that as if you haven’t already,” he replied derisively. She giggled for a bit until Shining Armor entered her field of vision, and she pulled away from her father. “Twily, I’m—” She muted him with a hoof gently placed over his mouth. A weak smile played across her lips. “I know, B.B.B.F.F. you don’t need to say it because there’s nothing to forgive.” “Maybe not to you,” he replied before turning to Ratchet. He sidestepped Twilight to face the cowed drone. “I acted out of haste and ignorance. The former out of habit of my profession, the latter I hope the coming months will rectify. My apologies.” I can’t really blame him. I’d be probably be that painfully overprotective if I was a warrior as well. Bolstered by Twilight’s reassurance over the hive mind, Ratchet stood up and took Shining’s hoof and shook. “No harm done.” The Guard Captain moved to lightly pat him on the back. “If you ever break her heart, you’re a dead drone. Got it? Good,” he whispered. Ratchet froze in place as Shining’s neutral face came back into his field of vision. “I’d love to stay around, but I have duties to tend to.” He pecked Cadance on the muzzle before bowing to Celestia. “Your Highness.” Celestia returned the gesture with a slight nod of her head, which brought him to his sister. “I want you to promise me to watch yourself out there. This is twice now in the past three months somepony’s tried to kill you.” “I will, big brother.” They hugged one last time before Shining Armor broke contact and departed the incubator. Cadance moved to join her husband. “I’m afraid I have matters of state to tend to before I can return to the Crystal Empire. Good luck Twilight.” Night Light watched his daughter-in-law depart with a yawn. “I’m afraid this is too much excitement in one day for these old bones. I wish you all the luck and love in the world Twilight. Let me see what I can do about your mother, she’ll come around eventually.” “Thanks, daddy.” Twilight always knew her father loved her, but could never fully appreciate just how much until now when he radiated so much love for her that it made what her friends had given her pale by comparison. “You’ve become a fine mare, my darling. Don’t ever let go of that compassion and love for your fellow ponies.” She nuzzled him, enjoying his presence as if she was a little filly wrapped in his hooves again. “You’re the best father I could have ever hoped for.” He pulled back to look her in the eye. Night Light took in her reptilian eyes, fangs, orange stripe, and accepted it all. “You are my daughter Twilight. No matter what you look like, or what you become, remember that I will always love and protect you if you need me.” Twilight couldn’t speak without her voice cracking, so she opted to hug him again. He silently rubbed her mane as tears of joy sank into his fur. Celestia spied the three changelings watching the scene with intense curiosity. Surely they must be used to Twilight’s behavior by now. Night Light patted Twilight on the head before making his way to the eggs. “I trust I raised you right to be a good mother.” She joined him to stare at her progeny. “I hope so.” Night Light sighed and headed for the door. “I’d better get home. Farewell, young one.” Twilight waved goodbye as the older unicorn departed, leaving Twilight with Celestia and Ratchet. The drone started slinking towards the exit. “Why don’t I go find Rainbow Dash so you two can catch up?” Celestia watched him scurry off with an amused expression. He’s rather observant. Twilight huffed at Ratchet running off and was about to speak to him over the Link when Celestia called out. “May we speak somewhere else? It’s getting late. Perhaps you could join me for dinner?” Canterlot Castle had countless rooms, both grand and majestic; but Celestia chose her personal dining room, barely half the size of her bed chambers. It was well decorated, and it had been used many times with Twilight. The room gave the proto-queen an intense sense of nostalgia. “I remember taking so many lessons and impromptu tests in this room.” Celestia grinned. “Do you recall the time you tried to pass your advanced telekinesis test by making your soup swirl around in the air?” Twilight’s cheeks flushed. “Yes, and that the waiter entering the room broke my concentration and the soup splashed all over me. I had garlic stink in my mane for three days after that.” Her embarrassment grew with Celestia tittering. A well groomed pegasus entered carrying two platters of food. Both mares used their magic to lift their covered meals over. The waiter was joined by a second carrying a bottle of wine. “Your Highness?” Celestia nodded for a glass while Twilight declined. “I don’t think I can for the next couple of months.” Celestia waited for the servants to leave before speaking. “It must be difficult having to completely refrain from wine.” Twilight begrudgingly accepted plain water. “Egg laying has its benefits. I may not stop laying for a while, but once I do, it only takes three days to make an egg. Pregnancy as a pony would take ten months. All in all, I think I came out on top.” Celestia hummed in approval and the meal lapsed into a brief silence until she noticed what Twilight’s meal was. “I was not aware changelings were carnivores.” “Omnivores, actually,” Twilight corrected. “As far as I know, all other hives are herbivores like ponies.” “Did you find it odd to eat meat the first time?” “A little, but that was only during my first meal after hatching. To be honest, I love eating meat now, except for breakfast,” she added with an amused snort. “I remember the first time I entertained a griffin ambassador over five hundred years ago. Chipped Beak the Greater as he liked to be called. He made it a point that he would never eat a fruit or vegetable while he was in Equestria. He always ate in the grisliest manner possible to instill fear. It took two hundred more years before I found out they can eat fruit, but it’s like junk food for them more than anything else.” Twilight thoughtfully chewed on a bite. “I think Gilda did the same thing during her visit. Rainbow said it was griffin custom to eat that way, but you taught me to know better.” Celestia watched Twilight dig further into her steak, seeing she was completely at ease in the act. “So what do you plan to do when you return to Stripped Gear?” “I’d like to continue my education into engineering, and learn what I need to be a good queen.” “Will you find time to visit us?” “Of course, but with Canterlot being so anti-changeling right now, I’d rather wait until I can stop laying before I return.” “You seem rather comfortable with the idea of laying eggs.” Twilight twitted with her fork as her wings buzzed with agitation. She knows me far too well. “I’m terrified, princess.” Her fork clattered noisily on the plate as she hugged herself. “It’s all happened so fast. I didn’t even get a month out of the shell to adjust before I started maturing into a queen.” Celestia got up to cradle her former student as she continued pouring her heart out. “And now I’m going to be the mother of hundreds of thousands of changelings, build my own hive, and try to find some way to unite ponies and changelings. I can’t do it all,” she wailed. Celestia said nothing, but continued to embrace Twilight as she expelled all the stress and tension that had built up ever since she had taken her first step out of the chrysalis. The young queen rambled on about other minor stresses and events, while Celestia listened to it all with quiet care. I have no right to harbor ill will towards Cadista when I had similarly high expectations of Twilight. Cadista sensed her distress as well, and sent Twilight as many soothing thoughts as she thought appropriate. I want to ease her troubles, not bury them. Slowly, Twilight’s tears and sniffles slowed and dried up as she had no more to shed. Cadista did not want to intrude any further on Twilight’s privacy. The midnight train out of Canterlot blew its whistle to announce its departure. Twilight and Rainbow Dash rocked slightly as the engine started pulling them along. The two mares watched the city move away from the windows of Rainbow’s cabin. She lightly slapped Twilight. “I can’t believe you got into a fight without me! If I had been there, I’d have kicked the plot off those assassins so hard I’d have scored a field goal all the way to Cloudsdale.” Twilight huffed and tapped Rainbow on the back of the head with a wing. “I would have, but I had no idea where you were, and had no way to contact you.” Rainbow scowled at the ground after the train passed into the tunnel. “Those changelings did a good job in saving you; Ratchet and Gloss, I mean.” Twilight turned away from the window to lounge on the bench. “Well, that was mostly because of the hive mind. Gloss was able to try and warn Celestia about the attack the instant Ratchet saw it coming.” “And where was I that whole time? Napping on the roof of the gym, useless.” Twilight cast a worried glance at Rainbow as she flopped on the bed. “There’s no way you could have known there would be an attack. We were in the middle of Canterlot, for Celestia’s sake.” Rainbow flicked a wing at the excuse. “It wouldn’t be healthy to stay at my side all the time either. Once we get to Stripped Gear, I’ll be perfectly safe.” Rainbow had been facing away from the proto-queen, but now she flipped over to look at her. “And what if you get attacked there too, and I’m not around to help you?” “Dash,” Twilight sighed, “it’s my hive. It’s the safest place for me to be.” “Coulda said the same thing about Canterlot.” “Well, what do you suggest, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight replied with growing exasperation. “I don’t know, just grumbling aloud, that’s all.” Twilight scrunched her muzzle while patting her friend on the back. “I don’t blame you for not being there, if that’s what’s troubling you.” “I know,” Dash mumbled. “Well, you’re in for a big treat when we finally get to the hive. Stripped Gear is an amazing town, just you wait and see.” Rainbow’s mind was filled by an image of a gigantic beehive. “I hope so.” “Good night Rainbow, and… thanks for coming back with me. I know this is difficult for you.” Rainbow Dash craned her neck around. “You’re my friend Twi, I’m not going to let my misgivings towards changelings ever stop me from calling you that.” I hope after you’ve seen what we’re like, you’ll forget about those misgivings. “Sleep well, Rainbow, we’ve got a long trip ahead of us.” The pegasus was too morose to do more than flap a wing in acknowledgement. Twilight left her to her thoughts and cantered over to her quarters. The lamp was on, and Ratchet looked up from his spider walker manual. “Hey Ratchet, how are you feeling?” Twilight giggled. "Yeah, rapid healing can be an exhausting process.” She glanced at the book in his hooves. "Still going over that manual?” Twilight hesitated. "I was… actually hoping to talk to you about something.” Ratchet closed the book and yawned. "It’s about today, isn’t it? I knew you cared about drones much more than Cadista, but I didn’t think you’d blow up a house over me.” He gave her a weak smile. She let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, uh, about that…” “I have to say, I’m flattered, but really, you don’t need to do all that on my behalf.” Twilight sat down next to him and sighed. "I just… I don’t want to lose you, Ratchet. You’ve been the guiding light of my new life, and I can’t imagine living in it without you.” Ratchet fell silent. Only after a long silence did he speak up. "Please don’t take this the wrong way, but… why don’t you just get another drone? Plenty can do my job just as well, and they would all give their lives for you.” Twilight was taken aback. "Because they wouldn’t be you. Maybe the other hives have it differently, but there's not another drone in this entire hive who is you. Sure, they do the same things, they’re even willing to… to die for me, but they still wouldn’t be you. They’d talk just a little bit differently. They’d act in a slightly different way. They wouldn’t have had the same experiences with me that you’ve had.” Ratchet abruptly found himself smothered in a hug from the proto-queen, and tried his best to return it. He wasn’t sure what to say, but perhaps there was simply nothing to be said. Twilight tried in vain to choke back her tears. "Please, please don’t ever leave me, Ratchet.” “Of course not.” He nuzzled her back, in that same affectionate way she had often nuzzled him. They stayed like that for a while, locked in each other’s embrace, until Ratchet yawned again. Twilight giggled. "I suppose we should hit the hay, now.” The two of them slipped under the covers, and Twilight turned out the light, before snuggling up next to Ratchet. It wasn’t long before the soft rumble of the train lulled the two changelings to sleep. Perhaps if Ratchet hadn’t been so exhausted, he would have noticed Twilight’s love flowing over him like an extra blanket. The next morning, Ratchet woke up, wrapped up in Twilight’s warm embrace. Her breath tickled his bangs ever so lightly, and the warmth that permeated his being begged him not to leave her. He might have simply stayed there, were it not for Hot Spice broadcasting the morning menu. He’s actually making Valdect omelets today? I’ve got to get one for Twi, and myself. With the greatest of care, Ratchet pried Twilight’s limbs off of him, and slid out of bed. He made sure the proto-queen was not disturbed before stretching in a cat-like fashion. What surprised him, now that he was on his hooves, was how fully awake he was. Wow, I might not even need coffee today. I haven’t woken up like this since… His train of thoughts slowly ground to a halt when he realized he still felt warmth emanating from Twilight’s direction. He scrunched his muzzle while raising an eyebrow. There’s no way I could feel her body heat from here. If I it didn’t know any better I’d say this feels like… love? Ratchet immediately scoffed at the thought. I guess she’s probably saturated with it after her time in Canterlot, but… wait, she has to be conscious to feed love to another changeling. He scratched the back of his head. Maybe she’s so bloated with love that she’s leaking it to me? I’ve never heard of that, but then I’ve never seen anypony receive the amount of love she has. Ratchet was about to shake her when he realized who the love was meant for. No… that’s impossible!