Umbriel was sitting in his cell, having a conversation with Princess Luna.
"Now, there is another thing I would like to ask." said Luna. "Is Queen Chrysalis involved in your schemes?"
"Not necessarily." said Umbriel. "She is actually very neutral in this scenario."
"But you are the second-in-command of the Changeling Empire!" said Luna. "Surely you would be taking orders from your own leader and sister?"
"Actually, my actions are my complete responsibility." said Umbriel. "As they have been for the past few decades. I may not be the complete ruler of the Changelings, but I still harbor my own sense of independence as a ruler. And my followers may not be as numerous as my sister's, but unlike her, I choose only Changelings that I know for a fact will remain loyal to me. Can your sister say the same?"
"What do you mean?" asked Luna.
"You know very well what I mean." said Umbriel. "I'm looking at it right now."
"Celestia and I are family, that is different." said Luna. "It is wrong to base family sole on whom you choose to be in it."
"Yes, I am sure." said Umbriel. "No, I was actually referring to Sunset Shimmer. That ungrateful little--"
"How dare you compare yourself to Sunset Shimmer!" snapped Princess Luna.
"Oh, stow it." said Umbriel, blankly. "You were once no better than her. Does 'Nightmare Moon' ring a bell?'
Reluctantly, Luna nodded.
"Look at me." said Umbriel. "I am not the monarch of my empire. I am not the most powerful being in Equestria. I am not in complete control of it. I do not need it at all. I never did. I am perfectly happy with what I have. I prefer to think small, and only big when it is within my logical grasp."
"And?"
"Beings like you and Sunset Shimmer sicken me!" snarled Lord Umbriel. "You were not happy with what you had! You wanted more! You control the moon, but you wanted everypony to love your night. If I could control the moon, I wouldn't care if ponies weren't happy with it. I would rock that thing through the sky like it was my baby! And then there's Sunset Shimmer: A brilliant and intelligent unicorn, but so selfish and vain that she gave up on her wonderous magical talent to bully a bunch of snot-nosed brats at a high school!"
Luna growled a little, and glared intensely at the Changeling. But to her surprise, Umbriel laughed again.
"You two truly deserve each other." said Umbriel. "I can tell that you have really worked well together, more than you ever did in the past by yourselves. I admire that."
Luna started to calm down.
"I wouldn't normally say this to one like yourself, but..." she hesitated. "Thank you."
"Well, I have to say, Luna:" said the Changeling lord. "Of the two regal sisters, you were always my favorite."
"Oh, am I?" said Luna, warily. "And why is that, may I ask?"
"Well, we just have so much in common. More than you would believe."
Luna narrowed her eyes, but nodded for him to continue.
"We are both the younger siblings of the rulers of our civilizations. We are also very loyal to our elder sisters, even if it means getting the short end of the stick."
"I have not received the short end of the stick." said Luna, sternly.
"Good, and neither have I." grimaced Lord Umbriel. "You are a fine princess, Luna."
"Don't attempt to flatter me, Changeling." said Princess Luna, in an unamused tone. "You are a most dangerous criminal, Umbriel. And I won't forget it."
"Fair enough; Neither will I." joked Umbriel.
Princess Luna turned back to the cell dor, when Umbriel's layered voice penetrated her ears.
"Oh, and I forgot to mention something." said the Changeling lord. "I am utterly bored, just sitting in here all day and night. Could you bring a book in here? Preferably a history book? Just for some light reading, I mean."
Luna scoffed, and returned five minutes later with a book on ancient artifacts.
"This book has eight hundred pages." said the alicorn princess, levitating it onto the table beside Umbriel.. "May it serve you well."
In Umbriel's lair, General Synthe was walking down to the complex's dungeon chambers, escorted by Sigma and Canopy.
"Has the prisoner been brought to a cooperative state yet?" asked Synthe.
"Not quite, general." replied Canopy. "She is one of the most stubborn creatures I have ever dealt with. I still can't believe my squad was able to capture her."
"Looks like I'll have to handle this myself." said General Synthe.
"But sir, you can't even use magic!" said Sigma.
General Synthe, who didn't like being reminded of this, inhaled from his breathing-tube angrily.
"I won't need magic for something as bone-headed as a gryphon!" he snapped. "Now open that door, immediately."
"Yes, sir!" said Canopy, her own horn glowing.
The chamber doors were swung open by telekinesis, and the sounds of loud arguing issued out of the prison.
"Listen, you bugs better let me go, or I swear that I'll cut you to ribbons!" shouted the voice of Gilda. "You should know better than to mess with a gryphon!"
General Synthe approached Gilda, and chuckled in a sinister manner.
"So, you're our first catch of the day, huh?"
"Blow it out your--"
"Quiet." said Synthe, sharply. "Now listen to me. I have a proposition for you."
"Yeah? What did you have in mind, pony?" asked Gilda.
"I'm not a pony, I'm a Changeling." said Synthe. "And I understand that you are familiar with a certain unicorn named...Radiant Dawn?"
"Yeah, and what about it?" asked Gilda.
"Well, I think you might like to know that he apparently has...moved on with his life." said Synthe.
"So he's found someone else to love, huh?"
"That is correct." said Synthe.
"Big whoop. I ain't his girl, anymore." said Gilda. "And really, I don't mind that. After all, I broke up with him."
"Really." said Synthe, flatly. "Because I was under the impression that he was the one that broke up with you."
"Yeah, well whoever told you that is a big, fat idiot."
"Well, I was hoping I'd be able to coax you into taking out his new pegasus girlfriend." said Synthe. "She had been quite a nuisance to our operations lately."
"Oh, a pegasus. It wouldn't happen to be Rainbow Dash, would it?"
"Absolutely not." said General Synthe. "It's actually Lightning Dust."
"Oh, I know her." said Gilda. "I have a score to settle with her."
"Then if you agree to eliminate her, then you will be free to go." said Synthe.
"Wait, eliminate?! I didn't mean that I wanted to kill her! She just owed me some money!"
"Then you can take it off her dead body." said Synthe. "Canopy, this one is being difficult again! Use the spell on her!"
"But sir, I haven't tested it out yet on her species!" argued the female Changeling.
"Just do it!" shouted Synthe, anxiously.
"Well, here goes nothing." grumbled Canopy, her horn glowing.
Suddenly, Gilda's eyes started to shake, and glowed green.
"Okay, boss. I'm all ready." said the gryphon, with an eerily low tone in her voice. "One dead pegasus coming up!"
Meanwhile, Ghost was re-located to the garrison, and was being interrogated by Radiant Dawn, Bullpup, and Lightning Dust. The two Shadowbolts, as well as half a squad of unicorns were forcing him to stand still as he faced his interrogators.
"Really, just answer the questions, and we'll get you to a nice, comfy cell." said Bullpup. "Okay, we'll go through them again: What are the Changelings doing here in the city?"
"Love and happiness satisfies our kind." said Ghost. "The ponies in this city are so polite, they practically give it to us for free."
"You don't say..." said Bullpup. "Now, for our next question...."
"What did you do to my sister?!" interjected Radiant Dawn, pounding the table with his front hoof.
"Lieutenant Dawn, sir, please control yourself." said Sergeant Bullpup. "This is not proper royal guard etiquette. At least, not in this city."
"Sergeant, this maniac doesn't deserve this city's trademark sympathy." said Radiant. "He's an insane killer, and has done goodness knows what all over Equestria."
"Radiant is correct." said Ghost. "I am quite deranged. Loodie-loodie-loodie-loo."
Lightning Dust narrowed her eyes.
"Seriously, just answer my boyf--I mean Lieutenant Dawn's question, or I'll make you answer it!" demanded the pegasus.
"Okay, blondie." said Ghost. "I'll play along. I used a teleportation spell on the lovely Sunset Shimmer."
Radiant Dawn fumed as he listened to the Changeling, but said nothing.
"So, where did she go?" asked Lightning.
"I don't know." admitted Ghost. "I meant to send her skywards and then drop her down into the sea, but she went off-course."
"How?" asked Radiant Dawn. "You made that spell, and you couldn't even find a way to perfect it? And for something as simple as having her take a dip in the bay?"
"Hey, I don't want to hear it from you, big boy." said Ghost. "The only reason she went off-course was because I went cross-eyed from all the injuries applied to my head. You and your sister need to learn how to control yourselves."
"It looks like we're going be having a lot of fun here." snarked Radiant. "Lock him up!"
"I don't think so, big boy." said Ghost. "Remember the fact that I can teleport on a whim?"
"Yeah." nodded Radiant.
"And remember the fact that I can also teleport anypony I wish on a whim?"
Radiant didn't like the sound of this.
"Oh, boy." he muttered under his breath.
"Then think fast!" screeched Ghost, his horn glowing.
There was a flash of light, and Radiant was gone. Lightning began to hover.
"Where'd he go?" demanded the bluish-green pegasus.
"He's just signed on for my personal sky-diving class in the forest outside of town." said Ghost. "You have twenty seconds to find and catch him before he hits the ground!"
Lightning Dust, alarmed, shot out of the open window on the ceiling and soared southwards to the woods, leaving a golden zig-zagging trail behind her.
"Men, grab that thing!" shouted Bullpup to the unicorn guards.
"Nuh-uh-uh." said Ghost. "I've really got to go now. Toodles."
The albino Changeling disappeared in a flash of light, to the chagrin and surprise of the guards.
"Quickly, we must send a squad into the forest. Lieutenant Dawn and Sergeant Dust will need our assistance!" Bullpup barked his orders.