Celestia was barely able to announce to the city that the changelings approaching where allies before they swarmed over the city, though their reaction was much the same as the Ruby’s, mostly grones and displeasure at missing the fight. The combined changelings quickly gathered in pursuit of Chrysalis and her hive, once they figured out where they might have landed. Celestia returned to the grand hall to find four queens, her sister, Cadence Shining and the Elements still there with only a smaller number of Emeralds.
“How about it doesn't take a mad queen invading my capital to get all of us together?”
“Princess, I live next door, it's not like it's hard to meet.” Queen Wisp, of the Emeralds replied.
“We had lunch last week Tia.” Cherry deadpanned.
Her use of ‘Tia’ got a deadly glare from Luna.
“Sorry Celestia, but you know how busy things get at home, it's not as if I can just hop on a train any old time and see you, much as I would like to.” This from the Diamond queen, Cotton Rose.
“Well, I for one am glad we're all together, despite the circumstances, although we do have some things to discuss, and not by choice.” Copper, queen of the Amber hive laminated.
“Indeed,” Celestia sighed. “However, while we discuss that, I believe somepony has a wedding to get back on track,” Celestia said winking at Twilight.
“Aunt Celestia, are you sure? After all this, I’m sure we could just start over tomorrow.”
“Nonsense darling, we can’t have your special day turned upside down like this.” Rarity interjected.
“Besides, we have plenty of help to make sure everything is fabulous!”
“I couldn’t agree… more?” Rarity said turning to address, herself.
“Uhhhh.”
“I know dear, so much better than a plain old mirror,” The second ‘Rarity’ said. “well almost.” Pointing to her markless flank.
“Ah, so that’s how we’ll tell each other apart?”
“Quite, but right now we have some dresses to get back in order.”
Rarity turned around finding a second doppelganger, or rather the second of several.
“Hold on,” Twilight marched up to the group of Rarity’s. “Why are you all looking like Rarity?”
“Unlike those wanna be changelings, real changelings can take on some of the traits of their disguise, making it easier to blend in, or in the case of making original disguises, less suspicious.”
Twilight was wide eyed as she was being lectured by herself.
“Now we have a very long check list, and we need to make sure it's done correctly.” A third ‘Twilight’ joined.
“You know what, I’m not even going to question this right now.” Twilight said taking her own check list.
There was a gust of wind as Rainbow and her doubles shot off out of the room, Pinkie and her assumed doubles were simply gone. Fluttershy had her song birds on her back, with a second, and third behind her, also carrying identical song birds. Applejack shook her head, turned around and found herself looking at a group of herself, almost. Her doubles lacked her cutie mark, hat and had blue eyes.
“Y'all best be ready to work like Apples if yer gonna’ look like one.” She didn’t even wait for a reply before leading the others off.
Celestia chuckled as a rather stunned Cadence was herded off by the group of Rarity's, Shining was kept from following only by a pair of Rarity’s who kept insisting ‘you don't need any more bad luck today darling’, before shepherding him off, presumably to fuss over him as well. Shaking her head Celestia turned to regard the changeling princess in the room.
“I didn’t realize you were Scootaloo Glimmer, although it does make sense, you were always rambunctious as a nymph.”
Glimmer looked up at Celestia. “You didn’t know who I was?”
“No, your mother told me you were doing your infiltration training in Ponyville, but she did not disclose your disguise identity.”
“You know how much of a taboo it is to reveal a fellow changeling Glim.” Wisp chided.
“Well yea, but I figured you would have told Celestia who I was because you know being your daughter and heir.”
“I did ask her to tell me your identity if you ever got into serious trouble, but only then, I respect your customs after all. Although considering the mischief you and your friends get into, I’m going to have to ask your mother what she considers serious trouble.”
“I’m right here you know.”
Celestia gave Wisp a coy smile.
“Before we begin discussing the repercussions of this fiasco, I for one would like to hear what you three did during the invasion.” Cherry said grinning.
“O-oh we didn’t do much.” Glimmer said tapping her hooves together.
“You are very bad at lying,” Copper said smirking “And as I heard it, you and your friends ‘entered the room like you owned it and stared down the Queen's guard’, sound about right?”
“It was so cool!” Sweetie Bell bounced around.
Glimmer let out a sigh. “Alright, it started once the shield fell…”
~o0o~
The moment the shield failed, ponies began running in every direction, Scootaloo took the opportunity to grab her two friends and run, however unlike everypony else she had a plan.
“What are we going to do?” Sweetie shrieked.
“We’re going to hid until help arrives.”
“Ya mean our sisters and the elements?”
Nope. “Ya, we just need to find some place to hide until they get back.”
Really Scootaloo needed to get her friends out of the line of fire for when her family arrived to beat an overly egotistical queen into the ground. The three turned down a hallway, just as two changelings crashed through a window. Scootaloo reacted instantly, she leapt at the closest changeling punching them dead in between the eyes. Using her wings to keep her momentum going, she kicked the second changeling in the side of the head, both changelings dropped as Scootaloo touched back down. The second she landed she realized she had bucked up, no way ‘Scootaloo’ would have known how to do that. Looking back the shocked look on her friends faces confirmed just that, well it wasn’t like this was going to come out after all this mess.
“What in the hay was that Scoot?” Applebloom blinked.
“Ya, that was awesome! But how did you even-”
The sound of approaching hoofbeats cut Sweetie off.
Scootaloo grabbed her friends again, leading them further down the hall.
“Questions later, running now.”
The other two completely agreed. They made it into another hall, Canterlot castle seemed to be filled with them, in it they found an empty storage closet. Jumping in they slammed the door behind them, plunging the room into darkness. A few tense moments passed, no changelings crashed through the door after them. Once they all let out the breath they didn’t realize they were holding, Applebloom and Sweetie Bell turned to face Scootaloo or at least tried to.
“Now y'all start talking Scoot, and ah mean now.” Applebloom poked her hoof into Scootaloo's chest, or so she thought.
“YIPE! That's not Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“Uh, what did I?”
“Flank.” Scootaloo replied.
“How in the hay would you know?” Sweetie asked.
Scootaloo let out a heavy sigh. “Because I can see very well in the dark, all changelings can.”
“Y'all a Changeling?!”
“You’re a Changeling?!”
“Yes, I always have been, before you ask no there isn’t a ‘Scootaloo’ somewhere else,” Scootaloo paused. “Well, as far as I know, it's not a common name, but anything is possible.”
“So yer say’n the Scoot we’ve known is you, and yer not just replacing them, how do we know yer not leyin'?”
“Have I ever lied to either of you?”
“No, well besides not telling us-” Sweetie was cut off as the door was slammed open.
“Well it looks like we have some noisy little ponies, what do you say we shut them up before making a nice little meal of them?” The first Changeling said.
“Oh definitely, and I have just the thing.” Said the second one as they approached the crusaders.
Scootaloo wasn’t having any of it, she charged the two changelings who threatened her and her friends. In a pillar of green magic, Scootaloo reverted to her true form. The changelings had enough time to realize they had bucked up in a whole new way, before the changeling royal they had threatened crashed into them, knocking them out of the room and out into the hallway. One was downed with a magic blast to the face, while the other got a hoof to his snout.
“Scootaloo behind you!”
‘Scootaloo’ spun around just in time to see a third changeling leap at her, and for Applebloom to smack into the chitin projectile. The changeling was thrown off target missing ‘Scootaloo’, he twisted in midair knocking Applebloom to the ground, making a gash on her side as he did. ‘Scootaloo’ saw red as she attacked the changeling, downing him with a vicious hoof to the side of the head.
“Applebloom!” Sweetie called out as she rushed to her friend.
‘Scootaloo’ was to her side almost as quick, the wound was shallow but hit just right to bleed plenty.
“Hold still Applebloom, this might feel a bit weird.”
Before either of her friends could question her, ‘Scootaloo’ gathered a large amount of dross in her mouth, covering her tongue she quickly coated the wound sealing it.
“Sorry, I don’t know much healing magic yet, and I don’t trust what I do know right now.”
Applebloom nodded looking at the now covered gash, it did feel weird but it seemed to work.
“So what do we do now Scoo-”
Sweetie was cut off by an upraised hoof. “Scootaloo is the pegasus I wear in Ponyville, my name is Glimmer, changelings keep our names and identities separate.”
“So when ya’ll are a pegasus you’re Scootaloo, but when you’re a changeling you’re Glimmer?”
“Basically, yes.”
“So what do we do now Glimmer?”
“Yes, what do we do now?”
All three spun to see three more changelings standing in the hallway, it seemed to be a popular area now.
“Gah! Running time!” Sweetie shrieked as she started running, only to be levitated in a field of green magic.
“Actually girls, these guys are with me, meet the Emerald Hive.”
“Ma’am.” All three bowed to Glimmer.
“The hay?” Applebloom asked.
Glimmer rubbed the back of her head. “Ya, I’m kinda a royal, my mom’s the queen.”
Sweetie Belle gasped. “That makes you a princess!? Oh wait until Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon get a load of this!”
Glimmer couldn't help but smile, those two would be in for a huge shock to find out the filly they bullied was really a princess. But that was for later, right now she had a mission.
“Alright, Switchblade right?” Glimmer asked the lead changeling.
“Yes, ma'am.”
“What's the situation, and what are mom’s orders, I've been running dark since cheese legs showed up.”
“City is being over run, the element bearers are being engaged in combat in the streets while they are attempting to retrieve the elements themselves, orders are to assist in repelling the attack until reinforcements arrive, or the local garrison can be rallied and fight off the invasion.”
Glimmer nodded, taking a moment to decide on the next course of action.
“Alright, Celestia is down but I’m sure Luna is fighting somewhere, we find her and help her repel the attack, I need one of you to escort my friends either out of the city or-”
“Hey wait now! We wanna help too.”
“Y'all didn’t think we’d leave ya to fight all those guys by yer self, now did ya?”
“Girls I appreciate you wanting to help but-”
“Ain't no buts about it, we’re helping.”
Both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had a fierce look of determination that would not be denied, Glimmer was proud of her friends wanting to help, but even so.
“Applebloom, you hit one changeling, and look at what happened, I don’t want you two to get hurt.”
One of the changelings cleared his throat as he stepped up to the trio.
“We might be able to help with that.”
Glimmer facehoofed. “Let me guess, class two’s?”
Two of the changelings nodded.
“Fine, but if things get dicey you get them out of here, that is an order, got it.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom we rather confused at this point, even more so when two of the changelings walked up to them.
“So whats-!”
Sweetie Belle’s question died as her and Applebloom we surrounded in green changeling fire, when they opened their eyes everything had a slightly green tint to it. Sweetie looked over to Applebloom, only for her jaw to drop to the floor. Applebloom was now covered in black and green chitin, forming around her like full plate armor complete with helmet and visor. Sweetie Belle looked at herself finding herself in a similar state, she looked back to Glimmer, her question written all over her face.
“Short story, we have a special cast of changeling that can transform into armor, all changelings can do objects, but they are the only ones who can turn into armor. Now let's go find princess Luna before she ethers hogs all the fun or gets over run.”
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both nodded, they had a lot of questions, but right now it would have to wait, they had a princess to save, Sweetie Belle grinned widely as she put her hoof in the air, the other crusaders caught on quickly.
“CUTIEMARK CRUSADER: PRINCESS RESCUERS! YAY!”