The silence in the library was deafening. Both Rainbow and Chrysalis looked like they'd been caught with a hoof in the cookie jar. They shared a glance before Rainbow finally spoke. “It was Chrysalis' idea.”
The Changeling Queen spared her a brief glare. “Yes, I suppose it was, though you certainly had no objections at the time.”
Rainbow's forehoof lightly traced a pattern on the hardwood floor, but she didn't speak up to deny the accusation. My questioning look turned toward Chrysalis. “Why?”
“Connections and bonds make a hive stronger,” she said simply. “You have a deep one with Rainbow, and I didn't wish to fracture it for my own desires if there was another option.”
“And what did Cadance have to say about this?” I asked Rainbow, who was still avoiding eye contact.
“She had a book published on the subject,” came the mumbled reply. “Sent a signed copy.”
Filing that little tidbit in the back of my mind, I tried to get a grip on my thoughts, but new questions were popping up faster than I could organize them. “What's it called?”
“The Thirteen Triangles.”
Chrysalis interrupted before I could ask any further questions. “Twilight, you're not obligated or expected to indulge either one of us if you don't wish to. Rainbow and I are just...open to the possibility.”
I looked to Rainbow, who quietly nodded her agreement, my bewilderment only increasing. Chrysalis I could understand somewhat. She came from an environment where everyone shared everything, from physical resources to thoughts and experiences.
But Rainbow? I would have thought she'd view this as a competition with Chrysalis, and at that point Celestia herself wouldn't have been able to make her compromise like this. Had Chrysalis' argument really been that convincing? Did Rainbow actually like Chrysalis? Or was there something I just wasn't seeing?
Even as I tried to work out an answer, I realized I was distracting myself from the most important question of all. What did I think of this? Had I even considered a relationship like this? Ever since the two had made their intentions clear, I'd tried to avoid comparing them to each other; both of them had qualities I found appealing, even though they were wildly different. Was I looking at the best of both worlds, or a volatile mixture primed to explode?
I needed time. Time to sort out my thoughts and feelings. Make checklists, read Cadance's book, write to Celestia regarding what I'd discovered about mental magic...
Wait...Rainbow had been right! It had worked! I'd managed to form a mental link with Rainbow! That was way more important than my own personal problems right now...wasn't it?
Looking back toward Rainbow and Chrysalis, I blushed, realizing that they had been staring at me the entire time while my thoughts were spinning out of control. I opened my mouth to break the silence, only to realize I still had nothing to say. However...
“You need time to think,” said Rainbow smoothly. “And you can borrow my copy if you want.”
“How did-?” I began, but paused. It must have been a residual effect of the link. I could feel some of Rainbow's nervousness as well, now that I was paying attention. Chrysalis, on the other hoof, seemed quite calm.
“I'm not saying no,” I said finally. “I just...look, there's something more important that we need to deal with right now.”
Chrysalis and Rainbow gave me near-identical stares of disbelief.
“Don't look at me like that, I'm serious! I think I know a way we can communicate with Trixie!”
Their incredulous looks turned to ones of surprise. “Wait, Really? How? I thought her mind was still messed up.”
“It is, but Trixie is still in there. And now I know how to reach her!”
---
Trixie's condition hadn't improved or even changed much. Even when I walked in with Chrysalis, Rainbow, and Doctor Hooves, she didn't even turn her head to acknowledge us. However, she was still better off than Sugar Belle, who had unfortunately slipped into a coma.
“What makes you certain this will work?” asked Chrysalis. “I've already seen the inside of her mind. It's a small miracle she hasn't snapped already.”
“Trixie wants to tell me something,” I said confidently. “She came all the way to Ponyville just to tell us about Starlight Glimmer, and she reacted to me specifically. All I need to do is open my mind, connect with the part of her she's fighting to keep sane, and let her know in no uncertain terms that it's me who is connecting with her.”
“And how is this different from what I tried?” asked Chrysalis.
“I'm going to do it the same way I connected with Rainbow. I'm going to let her pull me into the memory she wants me to see once I show her our connection.”
“You have a connection with Trixie?” asked Rainbow sarcastically. “When did that happen? During the time she was warping Ponyville with the Alicorn Amulet, or when you completely upstaged her with the Ursa Minor?”
“Maybe it's not the strongest of connections-”
“Sounds more like a rivalry to me.”
“-but it's something,” I continued, ignoring Chrysalis' remark.
A small cough alerted me to the doctor still standing behind us. “Miss Sparkle, while the Princess has given you her full confidence, I'd appreciate any reassurance you can give me that this will not cause harm to Miss Lulamoon.”
“It's a theoretical procedure,” I replied. “I can't be a hundred-percent certain of anything, but she's not going to recover with bed rest. You're free to observe, but it's going to be rather boring.”
With a nod to Chrysalis, I positioned myself at the foot of Trixie's bed, my horn glowing softly as I began to weave the spell.
“Are you sure you won't need a mental bridge?”
“I'm certain. If there's any mind except mine involved, Trixie might just clam up completely. If I'm under for longer than ten minutes, though, pull me out.” I barely waited for her acknowledgment before activating my Aura Sight and harmonizing myself with Trixie's muddled and chaotic emotions.
Carefully, I focused on my memories, recalling the few times we had crossed paths, our animosity and eventual reconciliation. Her emotions fluctuated and I could feel several hostile influences at work, but something within that malestrom recognized me. Slowly, holding my breath, I reached out to it, stopping short of grabbing it myself. For a moment, I wasn't sure if Trixie was going to let me in, but finally the memory opened and drew me inside.
---
“You showed her that memory on purpose.”
Rainbow's ear twitched at the accusation. “She was going to have a panic attack one way or another. I just thought it was best to get it out of the way.”
“You could have picked a better time,” grumbled the Changeling Queen.
“Like when, huh?” countered Rainbow, taking a moment to glance at Twilight, eyes closed in concentration. “Waiting for the best time didn't work out so well for me, remember?”
“We could have at least waited until Queen Aurum wasn't stressing her.”
“If nothing comes along after Aurum, she'll go hunting for something else to stress over,” replied Rainbow. “At least now we're on her stress schedule.”
“Is that-”
“Yes, that's what she actually calls it,” confirmed Rainbow. “How is she doing?”
Chrysalis concentrated for a moment, focusing on the unicorns. “The connection is stable. Trixie is reacting, though it's weak.”
Minutes ticked by. Adjacent the would-be paramours, Dr. Hooves kept a close eye on the unicorn pair. Twilight remained motionless, her horn glowing softly, her magic never wavering for a moment. Chrysalis' eyes were soon fixated on the clock, waiting for the tenth minute to pass.
“It's time, I'm drawing her out,” said Chrysalis, reaching out mentally to Twilight, only to stop as her eyes snapped open.
“I have something!”
---
Celestia had evidently been preparing for something like this. After my letter had been sent, Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot were at my door in under an hour with a full squad of Wonderbolts right behind them. By the time two hours had passed, two full divisions of Wonderbolts and Battle Mages were on the Friendship Express, along with Chrysalis and a hoof-full of her most experienced changelings.
“You're telling me that the place where Violet was hiding was on the Friendship Express line the whole time?” asked Rainbow incredulously.
“I know what I saw,” I insisted, keeping my irritation in check. “It was a small town; two rows of houses just down the hill from the end of the line.”
“An old remote outpost,” provided Spitfire, rolling out a map of the area. “There were several of them back in the days when Equestria wasn't so friendly with all of its neighbors. Once the treaties were signed, most were decommissioned and deconstructed, but some were just abandoned.”
“I'm not expecting to find much there,” I explained. “Violet would probably have the sense to move once Trixie escaped.”
“Then what do you hope to find?” asked Chrysalis.
“Anything that might help me figure out what Starlight Glimmer did. She must have kept records or notes. Even if Violet stole them, Starlight might have hid something they couldn't find.”
“And if Starlight is working with Violet voluntarily?” asked Spitfire.
“Then we won't find much, but we still need to investigate.”
“Of course, Miss Sparkle, I didn't mean to imply otherwise,” amended the Wonderbolt captain. “We have a cloud cover today, so we'll have the scouts fly over first. When we've got the place surrounded, we'll let the magic division do their sweeps. Anything we find will get reported directly to you.”
Nodding my thanks, I placed my hoof on the map and traced a small circle in the nearby mountain region. “Be sure to look for any caves around here. One of Trixie's most vivid memories was of a large glass vault built into a cavern. I don't know its purpose, but it seemed important to her.”
I'd just barely gotten the nod from Spitfire when the train began to slow. Just outside the window, I could see a pair of pegasi take flight and race ahead of the train, no doubt to make sure the area ahead was clear.
The guard forces with us were clearly professionals. Instead of the flashy Royal Guard armor, the earth ponies and unicorns wore muted steel colors. None of them talked much unless they were addressed directly, and a few I recognized as having been under Shining Armor's command at one point. Despite the more thorough and organized approach to this operation, though, I couldn't help but feel a bit more nervous than I'd been when we were going against Queen Crimson.
Then again, there wasn't an all-powerful Sun Goddess backing us up this time.
“Ma'am, we've got the all-clear signal,” came Soarin's voice, pulling me from my thoughts. “We'll be at the station in two.”
Calling it a 'station' was a bit of a stretch. At the end of the track there was a simple barrier and nothing else. Down below near the base of the hill, I could make out the twin lines of houses I'd seen in Trixie's memories. “We're in the right place,” I confirmed.
That was all the assurance Spitfire needed. With a wave of her wings, the Wonderbolt unit was speeding toward the village with the unicorns and earth ponies following behind on land.
“Nothing yet,” said Rainbow, squinting slightly into the distance. “Place looks abandoned.”
“Not unexpected,” I murmured, watching as Chrysalis' changelings took off, following a fair distance behind so as not to interfere with the amulets.
“If there's anypony left in that village, they won't escape our net,” assured Spitfire. “I'm going down to direct the operation. I'll keep Dusk updated.”
And now all I could do was wait. A minute passed, and then two. It took all of my willpower not to pester Chrysalis or try to reach out to Dusk mentally. The only one more antsy than me was Rainbow, though she hid it well, focusing her eyes on the small shapes moving methodically through the village.
“First set of houses are clear,” said Chrysalis finally. “Looks like some of them were converted to shops. No ponies or changelings anywhere to be seen.”
“What kind of ponies would want to live all the way out here?” asked Rainbow.
“Ponies that don't like paying taxes or obeying the law,” explained Soarin.
“And unicorns that want to keep performing unethical experiments,” I added grimly.
“They just finished sweeping the lead house. Magical traps everywhere, but no sign of the owner,” said Chrysalis. “One cleverly designed secret passage and...looks like they found a journal of some kind. Heavily protected.”
I nodded in satisfaction. “Anypony researching experimental magic would keep a record. I doubt the changelings looked very hard for it.”
Other reports came back in short order. House after house turned up empty. Some showed signs of conflict and struggle, but most did not. It wasn't until fifteen minutes passed that Chrysalis came through with the news I'd been hoping for.
“One of my changelings found the glass vault. Nearby mountains, just like you said.”
“Tell them to hold outside the cave and wait for me,” I replied immediately. “I want to look at it first.”
Opening my connection with Chrysalis, I saw the destination through her agent's eyes. With the area firmly in mind, I prepared to teleport. “I'll send up a flare once I'm there.”
“And you're going to wait for me before you go in,” added Rainbow pointedly.
“And us as well,” added Fleetfoot. Beside her, Soarin nodded in agreement.
I sighed internally but didn't protest. “Of course. I read Celestia's orders,” I assured them. My horn glowed and in a flash of light, I was at the mouth of the cave, a glimmer of glass just barely visible from the entrance. A moment later, Chrysalis was next to me.
“Why does everypony think I'm crazy enough to go rushing in alone?” I asked her, spotting the Wonderbolts speeding toward us even before I put the flare into the sky.
“They're not. They're just worried,” said Chrysalis simply, dismissing the first patrol group as the second landed. “Celestia is their superior and you're her prized student. Need I do the math for you?”
I was unable to dispute the point. It was still annoying, though.
“Anything inside?” asked Spitfire.
“Nothing I can sense,” replied Chrysalis.
“Just be sure to stay a step behind me, I'll deal with any magic traps,” I assured them, lighting my horn and beginning a slow walk into the cave.
As it turned out, the light was mostly unnecessary. The magical glow from the vault of glass illuminated the entire cave, pouring light into almost every nook and cranny. Unfortunately, one key element from Trixie's memory was missing.
“No cutie marks,” I said with a sigh. That pretty much confirmed it. Whoever was in charge here had packed up and left some time ago. Even my scanning spells were coming back negative for traps.
“Twilight! Up there!”
My head turned toward the direction Rainbow Dash was indicating, my eyes widening as I saw what she was pointing at: a cluster of three cutie marks that I’d missed on my initial inspection near a darker corner hidden behind a stalactite. Better yet, I recognized one of them. “That's Trixie's!”
Doing my best to contain my excitement, I turned my magical focus toward the glass. The spellwork was straightforward, simple, and competently executed. Magical containment, reinforcement, anchored shields, and several other minor wards. Beyond that, it didn't look like much more than an overly fancy magical container. The same spells could have just as easily been applied to a glass jar.
“What do you wanna do, Twi?” asked Rainbow after a few moments of silence.
“Break Trixie's open,” I said, a theory forming in my mind.
“Can do,” said Rainbow, turning in the air and hitting the glass with a solid kick.
The cutie mark immediately began to glow brighter, the light around the vault dimming slightly as it seemed to absorb some of the ambient magic around it. Then, it shot away, leaving a trail of light in its wake.
“After it!” I shouted. “See if it's heading toward Ponyville!” Soarin and Fleetfoot jumped at my command, immediately taking off after it. “If Trixie's mark is returning to her, we can track the other two missing ponies with their marks,” I hurriedly explained to Rainbow and Chrysalis. “I need a container. Something glass. Yeah, that's easier to enchant. Maybe one of the-”
“Changeling!”
“Twilight, look out!”
I heard Chrysalis' shout first, and then everything was moving all at once. A dark purple, almost black beam of magic hit the ceiling of the cave, sending rocks tumbling down. I saw a green barrier spring up around Chrysalis and her two underlings as they were forced to retreat. Finally, another, more massive barrier slammed down, cutting me off from Chrysalis' link.
Rainbow was already moving, tackling me out of the way of the rockfall before my thoughts could even begin to form. Seconds later, a tremendous power filled the cave. “It's a Queen!” I shouted to Rainbow as I picked myself up.
“Clever as always, Twilight Sparkle.” The deep voice echoed off the cave walls as three darkened figures slowly came into the light of the vault.
Flanked by soldiers on either side, a Changeling Queen with a bright purple mane and similarly colored eyes emerged from the shadows. I could feel her power saturating the air itself as she looked from Rainbow to me, her fangs displayed prominently as she smiled. She was shorter than Chrysalis, her violet mane roughly cut. If she'd been a pony, I would have thought she'd styled her mane to be 'rebellious'.
Among Changelings, though, appearances meant little and power was everything, and regardless of how she looked, her power was definitely 'Queen' level.
“I'll admit, the timing is somewhat unfortunate, but there's an opportunity to be had here.”
Her shield had cut me off from Chrysalis. No doubt she was working to unbury us, but that was going to take time we didn't have. Beside me, Rainbow was tensed and ready to spring. Carefully, I opened up our mental connection, my eyes never leaving Violet.
“I'm quite interested in your work. Those amulets in particular are-”
“NOW!”
Rainbow shot forward faster than I could track, kicking up a trail of dust as she closed the distance to Violet. Her shield came up instantly, but Rainbow twisted sharply in mid-flight, ramming hard into one of her guards instead and slamming him against Violet's shield.
Just before the other changeling guard could ready his attack, I let loose with a blast of raw magical force, striking hard and flinging him back against the vault, shattering a large portion of the glass.
“So that's your choice, then? As you wish,” snarled Violet, the light from the vault seeming to dim as a bright purple beam of magic lanced toward me. Desperately, I threw up a shield, only to see my barrier buckle under her onslaught. Quickly, I switched tactics, teleporting out of the path of the beam, only to sense her trace my destination and pursue. When I appeared, she was in front of me, her eyes and horn glowing brightly.
An intense pressure suddenly assaulted my mind. The longer I looked at her, the more it felt like my skull was being hammered, but I couldn't look away. I scrambled, trying to bring my defenses up, but the attack was relentless.
“Over here, Queenie!” The shout came a moment before Rainbow hurled one of the unconscious changelings into Violet’s side, staggering her and breaking her gaze. Gasping, I broke the connection and hit her with all the magic I could muster in a single, potent burst, sending her flying back before she could shield herself.
A sudden ping of magic alerted me to the other changeling behind me; a teleport! I tried to summon the energy to teleport myself away, but the previous blast had winded me. He landed on my back, sharp fangs piercing my neck as he bit down and delivered his payload of venom.
Gritting my teeth to stifle a cry of pain, I grabbed the changeling in a telekinetic hold, prying his jaws apart before ripping him off my body and sending him flying into the wall. The damage had been done, though, and I could already feel the venom starting to numb my body and dull my mind. My vision briefly dimmed as my connection to my magic faltered.
“Get a hold of yourself, Twi!”
Rainbow's voice rang out in my mind, chasing away the haze that had been enveloping me. I could see her attacking Violet, the Queen's shield straining under Dash’s rapid kicks and hoof strikes, dodging each of the savage magic blasts that left gouges in the rock walls of the cave.
With a growl, I forced my magic to work, energy coursing through my veins and burning the foreign substance within, clearing my mind instantly. The brute-force application left a numbness behind that was difficult to ignore, though.
My shield came up just in time to deflect a vicious bolt of energy aimed at Rainbow, who quickly took the opening provided to slam both forehooves into Violet's chest, quickly following it up with a ferocious rising blow to her muzzle. It was the classic Wonderbolt tactic of dealing with unicorns; strike fast, strike hard, and keep them from concentrating. And Rainbow was very fast.
Even with the speed disadvantage, though, Queen Violet was durable, weathering the hits and flinging magic back. However, now I had the chance to set shields properly, deflecting attacks and keeping Rainbow's avenue of assault open. Finally, Rainbow managed a solid strike at the base of Violet’s horn, prompting a sharp cry and making her stagger back.
“Give it up, Violet! Even if you get through us, there's an entire squad of Wonderbolts waiting outside!” shouted Rainbow.
“I would sooner give up my life to Timberwolves!” snapped the Queen. Faster than I was expecting, her horn glowed a blinding white, filling the dimly lit cave with a painful brightness.
Disoriented, I could feel my hooves scraping the ground as a new shield expanded outward from Violet's position.
“Shoot there, Twi! I have an opening!”
An image accompanied Rainbow's words, showing me a skewed perspective, but she was far less blind to her surroundings. Twisting my head a little to the left, I charged and fired. Even though I couldn't see, I could feel the shield fracture in the place I'd hit moments before a rainbow streak punched through, heading straight for Queen Violet.
My vision recovered just in time to watch Rainbow twist around a desperate shot, both forehooves aimed at the changeling...and then I saw her eyes flash and a fanged smile spread across her muzzle. Rainbow's flight faltered as she looked to be struggling against a muddy brown telekinetic field, and across our link I could feel the beginnings of a potent mental attack.
Desperately, I tried to strengthen our connection, only to be repelled mentally and physically by Violet and her shield...but there was still one vulnerability I could exploit. Finding the hole in the shield, I forced my magic into it, pushing through with a teleport and landing right between Queen Violet and Rainbow Dash, my eyes staring straight into the changeling’s slit pupils. I surged my magic forward, slamming into her mind like a sledgehammer. All thoughts of restraint were gone. I wanted her out and I didn't care what it took.
Flashes of memory assaulted me as I tore at her forced connection with Rainbow. Images of Celestia, dark meetings with the other Elders, images of the barracks town filled with ponies...there were far too many images to process. Violet was pushing back, but I pushed even harder, feeling her connection weaken and finally break.
Behind me, I could hear Rainbow slump to the ground. I was breathing heavily, but Violet didn't seem to be faring much better. “Crimson was right about you. It's a shame you were born as a pony.”
“What are you-”
I winced as a sound like glass shattering filled the cave. The shield lining the cave had just been breached, and various colors of magical auras were lifting the boulders and pulling them away.
“And that's my cue to leave. I'm sure we'll see each other again, Twilight.” In a flash of light that left dark spots in my eyes, she was gone. I could have tracked the teleport, maybe even followed her, but that was the last thing on my mind.
“Rainbow!”
Stumbling slightly, I rushed over to the downed pegasus. She was stirring, groaning lightly while holding a hoof to her head. “Ugh...feels like someone took a hammer to my skull...” she groaned.
Behind me, I could hear the grinding of rocks as the debris was pulled away. As soon as a passage was opened, I heard several pops. Chrysalis, along with several ponies in the magic division, were teleporting in.
“Queen Violet, she retreated into the caves,” I said quickly. “There’s more with her, not sure how many.” I received a quick nod and five of them took off toward the back of the cave. The rest worked to reinforce the walls and shift rocks to prevent further collapses. Chrysalis quickly joined me by Rainbow's side.
“What did she do?”
“Don't know, it was too quick.”
Chrysalis focused and I turned my attention elsewhere. The vault was shattered thanks to the changeling I'd thrown against the glass, the remaining cutie marks having likely raced back to their owners. Maybe those ponies would find their way out of changeling captivity like Trixie had, but I wasn't very hopeful.
“I can't find anything,” said Chrysalis after a moment of silence. “Either Violet's mental tampering is subtle enough to avoid notice, or it simply didn't work.”
“I'm feeling fine, now,” grumbled Rainbow, slowly standing up and stretching her wings.
“We have to assume the former for the time being,” I said, giving Rainbow an apologetic look.
“Leave that to us, Miss Sparkle.” Spitfire's crisp voice filled the cave along with the sound of several pegasi entering as more of the rocks were cleared away. Soarin was among them.
“Where did it go?”
“I followed the mark past the mountain range before it outpaced me,” he said, sounding slightly winded. “It was definitely heading toward Ponyville, though.”
I gave him a nod of thanks before sighing and turning back to the shattered vault, wishing there had been some way to preserve it. Queen Violet clearly had come back here to finish covering her tracks.
Hoofbeats began to echo from the back of the cave. As expected, the team that had gone after Violet was back, and Violet wasn't with them. “There's an entire maze of tunnels down there. We'll need a full company to thoroughly search it,” informed the scout.
I shook my head. “Not worth the time,” I informed the Wonderbolt captain. “She's not going to stay here, and even if she did, it'd be far too easy to set up ambushes for any pony-sized unit.”
Spitfire looked conflicted, but I could tell she agreed with my assessment. Orders began to fly past my ears, the Wonderbolt commanding various wrap-up operations while I made my way out of the cave with Chrysalis. I hadn't been expecting much from this operation, but to have Queen Violet here and have her slip through our hooves was grating to say the least.
“She'll show herself again,” said Chrysalis, taking a spot beside me as I sat and rested a fair distance away from the mouth of the cave. Minutes later, the rest of the ponies were out and the unicorns holding up the walls let them collapse with a resounding crash.
“But next time it will be on her terms,” I murmured, watching as a company of four Wonderbolts escorted a peeved looking Rainbow Dash. They hid it well, but I could tell just how nervous they were.
“Hardly. We didn't come away from this empty-hooved,” said Spitfire, landing on my other side with a magically sealed bag held in her mouth.
The journal! Of course! I'd completely forgotten about it in the recent chaos.
“Was it trapped?” I asked eagerly, taking the bag and withdrawing the worn book from inside.
“Nothing our magic unit couldn't handle,” replied Spitfire. “It's amazing that the changelings passed over it in the first place.”
“No one around to teach them basic detection spells,” I said, my attention already turning toward the book. No table of contents. Ugh. At least the hoofwriting was legible.
“This probably isn't the best place to sit down and read,” said Chrysalis with a small smirk.
I blushed lightly, hurriedly putting the book back in the bag. “I wasn't-”
“We've got a long train ride back, Miss Sparkle. I'll be sure to get you a nice coach seat,” said Spitfire, her face carefully neutral.
Before I could respond, Chrysalis let out a 'hmph' of displeasure. “We will take nothing less than the car reserved for royalty. I am a Queen, after all, and Twilight requires nothing less than the finest reading conditions.”
“Or I could just teleport back,” I grumbled under my breath as I followed the escort back to where the train was stationed.
“But then you'll be too tired to read,” countered Chrysalis playfully.
Even Spitfire was fighting to hide her amusement now, and several of the escorts were carefully avoiding looking at me. In the back of my mind I knew they were trying to distract me, maybe even cheer me up, but the sight of Rainbow surrounded by guards and being escorted away was difficult to put from my mind.