“I knew you wouldn't be able to wait,” said Chrysalis teasingly, lounging beside me in the royal coach. I was tempted to cast a Cone of Silence around myself, but that wouldn't have suppressed the aura of smugness she was radiating. Instead, I did my best to focus on the book.
Starlight Glimmer was a special kind of crazy. A dangerously talented idealist with a particularly skewed view of the world. Finding anything of substance amongst her moral grandstanding, ranting, and long-winded justifications was tedious, but the more I read, the more details I was able to pick out from the dreck.
Finally, one name caught my eye, and the pieces began to fall into place. “Jasmine Flower,” I said aloud, letting out a sigh. “That explains a lot.”
Chrysalis gave me a puzzled look. “It does?”
“That's a far eastern pony name.” Chrysalis' unchanged expression told me that I wasn't getting through to her. “Okay, how much do you know about the country of Neighpon?”
“I may have seen it on a map at some point,” she replied wryly.
“Then you know about as much as most ponies.” I flipped a page in the book and skimmed through the text. “Until around thirty years ago, Neighpon was an isolated island nation even more xenophobic than Queen Aurum. It wasn't until Celestia went there with an entire company of soldiers that they were even willing to speak with us.”
Chrysalis gave me a small smile. “Well, doesn't that sound familiar?”
“Leading a negotiation or treaty with a show of strength is a strategy as old as diplomacy itself,” I replied with a snort. “But the point is, until recently, Neighpon was shrouded in mystery, from their culture to their magic. The only well-known wizard from that island is Jasmine Flower, and Starlight definitely drew inspiration from her.”
“And what does that mean for the mark itself?”
“It gives me an starting point and the ability to point Celestia in the right direction. With a bit of luck, she can give us the proper reference materials.”
“But not a cure.”
“The biggest problem is the cutie mark being stripped away,” I explained. “Not only does it severely hamper a pony's magical ability, it also suppresses their identity and sense of self.”
“And once a pony loses their identity, it's foal's play for someone like Queen Violet to slip in and make a new one,” concluded Chrysalis. “Thus, turning a baker into an assassin.”
I nodded and continued reading. Starlight was clearly an ambitious type. Her small, backwater town was a staging point for grander ideas, culminating in an outline of bringing her 'gift' to all of Equestria, never mind the fact that even if her curse did work on somepony like Celestia, the resulting loss of control over the sun would be cataclysmic.
Of course, now that she'd been conscripted by the Changeling Queens, who knew what sort of plan was coming to fruition?
“Everything I'm reading seems to indicate that the effects are reversible if you reunite the pony with their cutie mark,” I said finally, shutting the book and packing it away with a small yawn. “We'll know for certain once we get back to Ponyville and check up on Trixie.”
At the moment, though, all I felt like doing was nodding off. The adrenaline from my fight with Queen Violet had long since faded, leaving me magically exhausted. I'd declined an energy bar from Spitfire, preferring a more natural recovery.
Wordlessly, the Changeling Queen shifted on the couch, her smooth body gently pressing against my own. Instinctively, I found myself leaning into her warmth before I was reminded of the budding drama between her and Rainbow that had taken a backseat to the events of the day.
“Um...Chrysalis, about you and Rainbow...” I began.
“I promise I won't take a bit of cuddling as a declaration of intent. Now relax and get some rest before I make you,” ordered Chrysalis with a fanged smile.
“If you insist,” I replied with a giggle, letting out another yawn and resting my head against her shoulder. My last thought before I drifted off was amusement at the idea of Chrysalis securing this car specifically for this purpose.
---
“If you are quite finished staring at Trixie's flank, Trixie would appreciate her discharge papers!”
“And I have told you repeatedly that you're going to keep your flank in bed until Twilight or Queen Chrysalis make certain of your mental well-being!”
The voices echoed through the hallway long before the room came into view. Normally I found Trixie's tone and speech to be a bit grating, but right now I welcomed them.
“She's sounding better already,” murmured Rainbow.
“More like completely recovered,” I replied, raising my voice a bit as the shouting grew louder.
The rainbow-maned pegasus let out a frustrated sigh as we stopped in front of an adjacent room, a pair of guards already waiting there. “Is this really necessary?”
“Just give it forty-eight hours,” I pleaded. “It’ll set everypony's mind at ease.”
She looked like she wanted to protest, but ultimately sighed in resignation, her head drooping before walking into the magically sealed room.
“You don't really think Violet managed to do anything to her, do you?” asked Chrysalis as we approached Trixie's room.
“No, but I want to keep her in a shield on the off chance that Violet was trying to force a mental link on her to use later,” I explained, pulling open the adjacent door.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie will not be subjected to your hospital swill for a single moment longer!” Standing atop the bed, Trixie was facing down two exasperated hospital workers and a guard who looked unsure about whether or not to intervene.
“Hello, Trixie,” I greeted, my magic suffusing the room and dampening all sounds other than my voice in an effort to restore calm. “Glad to see you're back to your usual self.”
The two hospital workers were glad to step aside as I strode forward, slowly easing the spell as Trixie calmed down. “Trixie supposes she has you to thank for her recovery.”
“I might have had something to do with it,” I replied, frowning as I saw her suddenly tense up. “Is something wr-oh right. Don't worry, Chrysalis is on our side.”
Trixie's intensely suspicious look told me that my reassurance wasn't exactly...reassuring, but she seemed to let it go, changing the subject. “Trixie is finding it difficult to consider herself your rival in magic now that she has been rescued twice.”
“Just return the favor someday and we'll call it even,” I replied nonchalantly. “In the meantime, though...”
“You wish to know what Trixie remembers,” she finished.
“If it's not too arduous to think about right now. I realize you only just got your cutie mark back, so if you need time...”
“No...they are not pleasant memories, but Trixie is feeling quite well right now,” she assured me, slumping onto her bed. “After the Alicorn Amulet incident, Trixie decided to avoid major cities for a while, just in case word had gotten around.”
“Celestia did go on another artifact purge, just to make sure there weren't any more dangerous trinkets collecting dust in antique shops,” I supplied. “Apparently Equestria was overdue.”
“Trixie would appreciate finishing without further interruptions and will take questions and comments at the end.”
“Sorry,” I replied, gesturing for her to continue.
“Trixie came across...” She paused, searching for a name that wasn't there, “...the town on a whim, having never traveled to the end of the Friendship Express. Generally, more rural towns are eager for entertainment, so Trixie jumped at the chance to perform there.”
Her voice softened as she began to recount the next part, briefly pausing to take a sip of the water from the food tray. “It didn't take long for Trixie to read the crowd. Half of the ponies were afraid, and half...”
“...were changelings,” I finished. “Did you get any read on their numbers?”
“At least two for every pony in that town,” she replied. “And far too many for even Trixie to deal with.”
“Approximately two hundred, then,” provided Chrysalis. “If she had any more, relocating an entire town along with her hive any great distance would be near-impossible.”
And she'd have to stay on the move or stay underground in order to avoid being seen. Even the mountains around the town wouldn't be safe once the patrols got organized. “What happened then?”
“Trixie remembers a purple pony with a dark blue mane casting a curse at her, and then a much larger changeling did...something more. The details are a bit...hazy.”
“Nothing we don't know, but it's confirmation at least,” said Chrysalis.
“Anything you could possibly recount would be helpful. I know it isn't pleasant, but we need everything we can get right now,” I insisted.
“Unpleasant is too kind a word,” said Trixie bitterly. “They were very keen on learning about you. Trixie protected her mind as best she could, but...the queen was different. She got what she wanted and left...left me...empty.”
Her body noticeably started to shiver. “Let's stop here,” I suggested. “I'll have the staff bring you some real food.”
Trixie nodded, taking a deep breath and calming down. “Thank you, Twilight. If it helps, the one thing that I...Trixie always knew, it's that my magic was calling to me. Even while it was locked away in that vault and Trixie was slowly going mad.”
Now that was food for thought. When we'd broken the glass, Trixie's cutie mark had practically raced back to her, all the way to Ponyville in fact. Her magic had sought her out, as if pulled. What was to say the opposite couldn't also be true?
Unfortunately, we only had one other case study, and she was still in a coma.
“Thank you, Trixie, that may be more helpful than you realize.”
“Trixie shall expect the finest cuisine for services rendered,” came her haughty reply, to which I could only giggle.
---
“You have something,” observed Chrysalis as we left the hospital. “I can feel your mind racing.”
“It’s only a hypothesis,” I replied. “Nothing concrete and nothing I can test immediately.” And certainly not on a comatose hospital patient.
“From my understanding, that means you're on the verge of a breakthrough,” teased Chrysalis. “Care to share with your students?”
Rolling my eyes, I organized my thoughts and gave her the simplest explanation I could. “There are three things wrong with Sugar Belle that we need to restore; the lack of a cutie mark, the curse mark, and the changeling influence. Starlight's curse is actually a two-stage spell,” I explained.
Chrysalis thought for a moment. “Stage one is removing the cutie mark?”
“And thereby suppressing the pony's magic,” I finished with a nod. “The curse part comes next, and from what I've read, it's intended to suppress certain emotions and emphasize others.”
“So if you break the curse and thwart Violet's control...”
“...then we end with a pony who simply lacks her magic, but can also sense where it's being contained, or at least its general direction.”
Chrysalis briefly looked back toward the hospital. “If Queen Violet thought the same way, she could possibly use this to bait a trap.”
“If she took the entirety of the Barracks Town, then she probably has around a hundred cutie marks with her. Do you believe they'd be able to pick out Sugar Belle's individual mark? Do they realize it can be sensed through shields? It's not a hundred-percent guaranteed to work, but even if it doesn't lead us to Violet, we could still help Sugar Belle. In the meantime-”
“Are you certain you should be doing any more experiments after what happened today?” interrupted Chrysalis.
“Er...well...”
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Well, I was going to-eep!”
I let out a squeak as I suddenly felt Chrysalis' magic grab my tail and tug, pulling me off course. “The changeling menace can wait for one meal,” she said firmly, making it clear she wasn't going to listen to any arguments.
---
An hour later, I was well fed and feeling a lot better, though I couldn't help but be curious as to where Chrysalis had gotten the bits to pay for the meal. Such questions could wait, though. I'd finally gotten the opportunity to gather all of my friends together, aside from Rainbow Dash. Now I just needed to convince them to go ahead with the experiment.
“Forgive me if I'm oversimplifying, dear, but it sounds as if you wish to make a changeling hive with ponies,” said Rarity, the incredulity clear in her voice.
I avoided the temptation to rub my forehead in irritation. “That's one way of putting it, yes. But this isn't something unique to changelings, they just have a natural affinity for it.”
“Ah can't say ah'm really thrilled with somepony pokin’ ‘round my mind,” said Applejack.
“It sounds like fun to me!” cut in Pinkie.
“And ah'm definitely not sure I wanna see into Pinkie's mind.”
“Heeey!”
“I won't lie, it's not going to be easy. Everypony has thoughts they're not proud of, but being comfortable enough to share them is part of what makes this magic work.”
“Y-you mean we have to share our most embarrassing, humiliating, and painful memories with everypony else?” squeaked Fluttershy.
I'd been expecting her to crumble first. Fortunately, I was prepared. “Yes, it's going to be exactly that. I'm only asking this of you because you're all my closest friends. I won't judge anypony that wants to back out.”
My assurance was met with silence...or at least it would have been if 'Pinkie' and 'Silence' could ever exist in close proximity. “Ooh, nice guilt trip, Twilight!”
“What? I wasn't-”
“Don't worry, everypony, I know just how to break the ice. I'll go first!”
Taking a stand in front of me, Pinkie faced my friends, taking a deep breath. I could see all of them lean forward slightly, probably just as guiltily curious as I was.
“I don't think decaf is that bad.”
There was a collective exhale of air as my friends and I let out a groan.
“I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised,” grumbled Rarity. “Is that really the only thing you're embarrassed about?”
Pinkie seemed to give the question some serious thought before nodding. “Yep!”
I let out a giggle, finding enjoyment in just how open and honest Pinkie was. Just as I was about to make a suggestion, though, Fluttershy beat me to it.
“W-well if Pinkie Pie shared, it's only right for me to do it too,” came the pegasus' nervous voice. Slowly her gaze turned to me and suddenly I felt a lot less sure of myself. “I...I'm still a bit mad at what you did to Angel Bunny!” she said in a single breath. “A-and Rainbow Dash, too! Sorry...” Her brief surge of confidence seemed to wither almost as fast as it had bloomed.
“I really am sorry, Fluttershy,” I murmured softly.
“It's Angel Bunny you should be apologizing to,” the pegasus insisted.
“That's it?” asked Applejack in disbelief.
“Um...well, I have a secret knitting hobby...I'm sorry, I'll try to think of something more embarrassing,” assured Fluttershy earnestly.
“Girls,” I interrupted, holding up a hoof. “This isn't a contest. It's just that the more we try to hide from one another, the harder it will be to make a connection. What matters is how you perceive your thoughts and feelings.”
Silence followed, and this time even Pinkie Pie didn't break it. Rarity was the one who finally spoke up next. “I've...always resented my parents...at least a little bit.”
That revelation threw me for a loop. Rarity didn't really talk about her parents. “They travel a lot. Far more than most. When I struck out on my own and opened my shop here in Ponyville, it was the most liberating feeling I'd ever had.”
“And then they sent Sweetie Belle to live with you,” I concluded.
Rarity sighed, nodding her head. “I understand why they did it. Having friends, a consistent education, stability...I love Sweetie Belle dearly, but...” Rarity trailed off, swallowing hard.
“Ya can't help but feel like they twisted your leg into doing it,” finished Applejack, shifting slightly and placing a comforting hoof against her back. “And no matter how much you love her, ya can't help but resent her sometimes for the position she's put you in.”
Rarity sniffed lightly, leaning into Applejack's side. “And after I've had some ice cream and some time to calm down, I hate myself for even thinking like that.”
“Sugarcube, if there's anypony that understands how much of a pain family can be, it's me,” insisted Applejack. “We all do and say things we're not proud of, but at the end of the day, you love yer sister and you've done a fine job raisin’ her.”
Rarity didn't respond. Instead she slipped a hoof around Applejack's side and hugged her. I said nothing, simply letting the moment play out.
“Ah suppose I should go, then,” said Applejack finally. “I think this whole changeling thing is more trouble than it's worth. Seems like ever since Chryssie came here, ain't been nothing but trouble.”
I wasn't as surprised as I thought I'd be, though the admission was a bit worrisome. Applejack and the Apple family were well-respected ponies in Ponyville. One ill word from them and a lot of the goodwill the changelings had built up could easily be undone.
Applejack seemed to sense my worry. “Ah ain't saying we should run 'em out of town, but it feels like we bucked a hornet's nest dealing with Chryssie and now we can't put things back.”
It was hard to blame her. Applebloom had been foalnapped twice now, and it was likely that her straightforward nature was in direct conflict with the changeling predilection for obfuscation and deception. “Well...thank you for being honest about your feelings,” I replied. “All I ask is that you give them a chance to prove themselves.”
“Ah suppose I can give ‘em that much,” she replied.
“So what about you, darling? What juicy little secret have you been hiding from your close, personal friends?”
Everypony was looking at me expectantly. I'd given this particular matter some prior thought, and concluded there was only one thing I was really hiding. Taking a deep breath, I let it all out at once. “I'm in the middle of a love triangle with Rainbow Dash and Chrysalis.”
If it hadn't been for my own embarrassment, I might have enjoyed the shocked looks on my friends’ faces, but I wasn't finished. “Also, they've been plotting behind my back about organizing an open relationship, and I've been giving serious consideration to that as well.”
Seeing Pinkie's eyes light up in excitement, I quickly intercepted her train of thought. “No, I'd really prefer if we didn't have a party.”
“Awww...but now I wanna know how it happened!” exclaimed Pinkie.
“I'll admit, I'm rather curious too,” said Rarity. “Rainbow seems almost a polar opposite to you.”
“They really aren't all that different,” Fluttershy added quietly.
“Really? How so?” asked Rarity, curiosity evident on her face.
“If this experiment works, I'll be able to show you,” I interrupted. I hadn't intended on using my memories as an incentive for this, but if it helped...
“Just tell us what you need done, sugarcube.”
“Well, the first thing to do is focus on the connection we already have through the Elements of Harmony. After that, I'll weave the spell and try to draw you into a link...”
---
The scent of fresh coffee slowly drew me out of dreamland and into the waking world. “Mmhh...not fair, Spike, gimme a few more minutes,” I pleaded.
“Coffee might be cold by then,” warned the young dragon.
“That's playing dirty,” I grumbled, slowly forcing myself awake, grabbing the mug from his claws, and taking a sip. “What time is it?”
“Little before noon,” said Spike. “You were up all night.”
“Experiments went better than planned,” I explained. “Hard to stop when we were making so much progress.” I took another sip of coffee. Spike had even warmed the cup.
“Any more battles with Changeling Queens in the immediate future?”
“Hopefully not. Right now, I'm going to be working to break the curse mark on Sugar Belle.”
“Should I close the library?”
I thought about it for a moment. “No, go ahead and leave it open until four. I need food and a shower, and there's something I've really been wanting to try with Changeling Magic.”
“I'll send a warning to Mayor Mare,” said Spike cheekily, dodging out of the way as I threw a pillow at him.
---
Out on a large grassy field just outside the hospital, I reviewed my plan. Theoretically, I had all the pieces to this puzzle, I just needed to fit them together.
Safety came first. A wide-area cushioning spell covering fifty square feet seemed adequate enough in case I fell. Second was the Cloudwalking spell. Third was the changeling transformation.
With a clear picture and a magical pattern in my mind, I began the change, green fire flowing over my body as my mass decreased slightly and new appendages formed on either side of my barrel. I took my time, an image of Rainbow Dash firmly in my mind as I worked on their shape and size, stopping short of imitating the color.
Five minutes later, I spread my new pair of violet wings wide. They were functionally useless despite being modeled after the fastest pegasus I knew, but this was where the last piece of magic came into play.
I'd only done this once before on Rarity, giving her a pair of wings as beautiful and delicate as a butterfly. This new version of the spell aimed to do everything that spell had done, but instead of delicate magical constructs, my wings were the product of changeling magic and my own mass.
It was a very precarious union. Unicorn magic allowed me to emulate the natural magic that allowed a pegasus to fly, though the energy cost was significant. Changeling magic let me perfectly emulate the body type of a pegasus. The overall effect drained me quite rapidly, and yet as I gave my new wings a flap, I could feel my hooves briefly lift off the ground.
Holding my breath, I spread my wings and gave them a strong push. Suddenly, the ground was ten feet below me.
“Ahhh!”
The surprised cry left my mouth while my legs flailed in the air. My wings locked up and my body pitched backward. A swift application of gravity later, and I was very glad that my cushioning spell was working as intended.
“Okay, maybe imitating Rainbow Dash's wings worked a little too well,” I said, picking myself up off the ground. “Softer this time.”
My next attempt didn't even get me airborne. There must have been a sweet spot that a pegasus could hit naturally, but I could only guess at it. Oh well, at least I could be confident in a soft landing.
Poising my body, I flapped hard, tucking my forehooves in this time as I shot into the air. At the peak of my ascent, I flapped again, staying aloft and rising higher.
Hovering was a lot harder than it looked. My wings were constantly pushing me upward, but I didn't want to go too high in case I missed the cushioned area on landing. My panic quickly resulted in another pitch forward.
At least the grass smelled nice.
Taking a quick breather, I stretched and flexed my synthetic wings, wondering how Rarity had managed to adapt to hers so quickly. Was there something in the spell that I'd forgotten, or was I simply thinking too hard and letting my fears get the best of me?
My horn glowed again, expanding the cushioning spell much further. “Run before you walk, fly before you crawl,” I murmured to myself before taking off running. My wings extended and caught the air, and with a leap and a beat, I was off the ground.
In my mind, I pictured Rainbow Dash in flight and tried to emulate her, biting back a yelp as I realized I was making headway. A surge of excitement filled me. I was actually doing it! I was flying! I was...quickly coming to the end of my cushioned area! I needed to turn!
Unbidden, the image of Rainbow in flight came to me again, the cyan pegasus perfectly executing the maneuver for me to copy. Raising my left wing and lowering my right, I flew in an unsteady curve, bringing me back to safety.
A cloud was right ahead of me now. I had another brief moment of panic as I thought I might disperse it instead of landing, but again an image came to my mind, this one of stopping, first perfectly executed by Dash, and then clumsily executed by me a moment later as I hit the fluffy white object face first. Thankfully, the landing here was even softer than my cushioning spell.
It was only after I'd had a moment to catch my breath that I wondered...where had these thoughts of turning and stopping come from?
“Egghead!” The joyous cry came moments before a rainbow blur impacted the cloud beside me. I barely had time to greet her before I felt a hoof pressing against my folded wing, drawing a squeak from my mouth. “Ohmygosh these are real! You were really flying! How?!”
I squirmed a bit underneath her constant poking and prodding. I wasn't certain if it was a flaw in the way I'd designed them, or if I was simply feeling sensations I wasn't used to, but they were far more sensitive than I'd been prepared for.
“You...those were your thoughts directing me,” I realized.
“Well duh, you looked like you were about to crash. I couldn't just watch and do nothing.”
Confused, I looked down at the hospital, spying an open window and sensing a broken shield. So much for the quarantine measures. “Rainbow, you really need-”
“I'll go back right away, I promise, but you can't ask me to stay inside and miss your first flight!” she insisted. “How did you even do it? You're not a princess now, are you?”
“Sweet Celestia no, I'd never have a moment to myself. I just combined some unicorn and changeling magic,” I explained, keeping it simple. “Not sure I'm going to try it again, this combination of spells is really draining.”
“No way, you're definitely doing this again,” insisted Rainbow.
“What? But-”
“You're officially my flying buddy.” Flopping down on the cloud, Rainbow carefully unfurled my wing with her hooves, going over it with a critical eye. Feeling a tingle race down my spine, I briefly thought of protesting, but quickly realized that she could probably give me some great feedback.
“Not bad. They look almost exactly like mine,” observed Rainbow. “Little bit too small, though.”
“I'm not sure how great of a flying buddy I'll be. I don't have the true magic of a pegas-eep!”
Rainbow's mouth had just closed down on the joint of my wing, keeping it in place while her hooves stroked over the feathers. She was searching for flaws...is what I kept telling myself, as I experienced my first ever wing massage. I found myself biting my lip to curtail any other squeaks from coming out.
“Just use your unicorn magic to fly faster,” said Rainbow casually. “I don't care how slow you are, just as long as you're in the air. Other wing.”
Unconsciously, my other wing extended, the cyan pegasus moving her attention over to it. I really hoped no other pony was watching from the hospital windows right now.
“Rainbow, you need...nhh...to get back to your room,” I finally managed to get out after a full minute of pleasant wing care.
She let out a frustrated sigh. “Really, Twi? I've been there a whole day.”
“Please?”
“Fine.” Rainbow's hoof pressed down against a particularly sensitive spot, the stimulation making me groan openly. “But only if you promise to go flying with me when I'm out.”
“I p-promise,” I said shakily, my body feeling like it wanted to melt into the cloud.
The massage stopped and I slowly felt Rainbow's warmth leave my side. Before she lifted off from the cloud, though, she leaned downwards and planted a kiss on the side of my muzzle. “See ya tomorrow then, egghead.”
With a powerful wingbeat that shifted the cloud slightly, Rainbow was gone, gliding down to the hospital. Mentally making a note to put up a stronger shield this time, I surveyed the ground below me. Teleportation was tempting, but if I was ever going to get used to these things, I definitely needed to learn how to land. Taking a breath, I jumped from the cloud, welcoming the thought sent by Rainbow, showing me how to do it properly.