//------------------------------// // For Those Who Came In Late // Story: On Swift Wings // by Jade Ring //------------------------------// It all began with the Changelings. Chrysalis, the last of the Changeling queens, knew that her species was dying. In a last ditch effort to save her kind, she transformed a captive from the Royal Wedding, Prince Blueblood, into a creature the likes of which Equestria had never seen. For the first time in their long existence, the Changelings had a king. But the salvation of a species was the last thing on Blueblood's mind. Now called King Carapace, the stallion still nursed a grudge against the mare who had embarrassed him at the Grand Galloping Gala so long ago. Using emotional manipulation, Carapace convinced his new wife to use Ponyville as a breeding ground for their new brood. Working with Filthy Rich (in exchange for providing safe passage for his family from Ponyville before the invasion proper) the Changelings thoroughly infiltrated the quiet village and waited for Chrysalis to begin bearing young. They did not have to wait long. The result of Carapace and Chrysalis' union were indeed Changelings, but unlike any ever seen before. Not content with emotions to feed upon, they nursed an unyielding and unstoppable craving for flesh. When they were unleashed upon the unsuspecting populace, the ponies of Ponyville could have just rolled over and accepted their fate. But they didn't. They fought back, and the Battle of Ponyville was waged. When all seemed lost, the mare called Applejack called upon the latent powers in her blood to bring life to dormant plunderseed vines in the soil beneath Ponyville. The Corrupted Changelings were dispatched and the remainder of the hive fled into the Everfree Forest. Carapace, Chrysalis, and Molt (Chrysalis' most loyal drone) escaped to Canterlot... but not before Carapace fulfilled his revenge and killed the true love of his hated Rarity; the dragon called Spike. In Canterlot, Carapace's plans to overthrow his aunt were foiled by the combined efforts of Prince Shining Armor, Captain Golden Haze of the Royal Guard, and Trixie, personal student to Princess Luna herself. While Trixie and Shining Armor gave their lives in defense of the princesses, it was Chrysalis herself who made the ultimate sacrifice. Recognizing at last the monster she had created, Chrysalis allowed herself to be killed in order to return the remaining Changelings to their original equine forms. Molt, revealed to be the famous explorer Mareco Polo, entrusted Golden Haze with the last living Changeling larva; a new queen. The former hive has rejoined Equestria, though the effects of being drones for so long have yet to be seen. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Meanwhile, Princess Celestia uncovered a mystery. After battling and defeating the beast known as the Smooze in the caverns beneath Canterlot, a weakened Celestia eagerly joined her former pupil Twilight Sparkle in trying to learn about the lost prophecy of Clover the Clever. While their search was ultimately fruitless, they did stumble across something else; evidence pointing to the fact that Starswirl the Bearded, the greatest of Equestria's sorcerers, was somehow still alive. An attack from a mysterious being called the Emissary of Shadows led to the release of the Smooze and the near destruction of the Archives of Truth. Only Twilight's combining of the Archives with their keeper, the blind Brother Veritas, saved the priceless knowledge therein. Finishing the Smooze once and for all nearly killed the now very mortal Celestia and she had no choice but to watch as Ponyville was invaded and her own castle was infiltrated. In the aftermath, Celestia sought hope in the form of the last Changeling queen while Twilight willingly left Equestria entirely with a mysterious unicorn called Nevermore, a member of a group known only as the Guild of Time Defense. She will return... no one's quite sure when. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// And in Ponyville, things have never been worse for some. After relocating to Ponyville to raise his young son Diminuendo, Crescendo, biological father to one Sweetie Belle, struggled with reawakened feelings for Sweetie Belle's mother; Rarity. Aid came in the form of Cheerilee, Ponyville's beloved school-teacher. The mare was no stranger to issues of the heart, as she herself was struggling to get over her feelings for Macintosh Apple and trying to accept his marriage to the Bearer of Kindness, Fluttershy. The two's passion was quick burning... but stifled early when Cheerilee gave her life to protect those of her students in the Battle of Ponyville. There were moments of brightness, such as Rainbow Dash struggling to find her way out of the drunken depression she'd been in since the death of Pinkie Pie and ultimately, through the love of her marefriend Applejack, learning to kick the habit and learn to live again. There were moments of darkness, like Rarity's world being shattered by the death of the drake she loved, the redemptive death of Filthy Rich to save his daughter Diamond Tiara, and the brutal end of the beloved Cakes, leaving their twins orphaned and in the care of Lyra and Bon Bon Heartstrings. As for Applejack, her victory over the Changeling horde was a hollow one as her own beloved sister, Applebloom, died while defending Macintosh and Fluttershy's young daughter, Scarlet. Blinded by sorrow and rage, she accepted the offer of Princess Luna to take part in the painful end of Prince Blueblood. When the ponies of Ponyville begged to know how she'd saved them all, Applejack finally revealed her family's greatest secret; that the blood of Princess Celestia herself runs through the veins of the Apple Family. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The past is only prologue. The story continues...