The light of the dawn washed over Canterlot, slowly stowing away the night in its eagerness to usher in the brand-new day. It truly was a beautiful sight, the elegance of the early morning rays peaking through the clouds and illuminating the large mountain upon which the city stood. The rocks were almost reflective, sparkling from their contact with the light as the first birds, rabbits and other forms of wildlife started to poke their heads out and awaken for the new day.
It was far too beautiful than it had any right to be, given the reason for the changelings’ visit. Even Ponyville, far off in the distance, looked nice and peaceful in such early hours.
Twilight sighed, glancing back from the carriage window and back into the interior of the magically flying transport. Several changelings surrounded it while four others pulled from out front, the Queen’s family pensively sitting around the interior. Façade was sat closely next to his wife, while Avia sat opposite with her head resting against the drawn back curtain. Her subtle snores indicated that, somewhere during the lengthy trip, she had drifted off to sleep’s embrace.
Twilight was somewhat glad for that; she herself certainly hadn’t been able to gain even a moment’s respite.
And then, soon enough, she found herself looking out of the window again. Canterlot was close now, and memories played in her mind of a previous visit in such a carriage. It had been just after she had reunited with Chrysalis for the first time, returning to Canterlot to face Celestia with the knowledge of her heritage. Only that one hadn’t been enchanted to fly, a long trip over various terrains had ensued. Such a long time ago…
A different time. A different Twilight.
“Are you alright?” Façade asked her, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “You look distant. Even more than you were, at any rate.”
“Just thinking of things long past,” she replied. “But it always seems that, every time I come back to this city, it’s because something big has happened.”
“I can recall plenty of small visits over the years,” her husband pointed out in turn. “Just remember how peaceful recent times have been. I know the big things can seem daunting, but they don’t make up the majority.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she conceded. “I’m just trapped in the past. I remember growing up in Canterlot, my parents were always so supportive of me. Even if I was always shut in, refusing to make friends… I’m pretty sure I worried them for a time with that behaviour.”
“You proved them wrong, Miss Element of Magic.”
“Yes… I miss those years sometimes. It was all so simple then. I’d write a friendship report here and there, learn a lesson…”
“Save the world…”
“Only on Saturdays.”
“Still, not completely different than today, hm?”
“Not entirely. But… I was more innocent, more like our daughter is now. My friends could always save everyone, leave the carnage to a minimum. Those lessons, that friendship, has always guided me all through my life… But I suppose, at some point, the simplicity of it faded away.”
“Tell you what, after this trip west is all said and done with, I think you need a break.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “A break?”
“Yeah. When was the last time you took a day off? And I mean a serious holiday, not just a quick visit while you’re still micromanaging things through the hive mind.”
“Well…”
“Can’t think of one, hm?”
She blushed. “I guess I’ve always put being ‘Queen of the Hive’ first…”
“Exactly. I’m thinking getting your friends together and going to wherever is fun. Las Pegasus? Saddle Arabia? I’ll even make sure Carduus can countermand you any time you try to do work through the hive.”
Twilight gasped. “You wouldn’t be so devious!”
“Wouldn’t I?”
Twilight faked pouted, but she then relented. “I guess it might be high time to relax a little… After the expedition. That’s also fun!”
“It would be for you… Nerd.”
Twilight playfully narrowed her eyes. “Oh, you are so going to pay for that.”
“Oh? I’m intrigued to hear how.”
“I can think of a few things…”
“Oh, shut up…” Avia mumbled groggily from the corner. “If you two wanna get a room, wait until I’m not in it.”
Both of her parents blushed, somewhat having forgotten that the Princess was present. Never mind the fact that she had supposedly been soundly asleep.
Fortunately for them both, any further embarrassment from the incident was halted by a tremendous roar that caused the entire carriage to shake, the sunlight streaming through the windows being blocked by a humongous shadow that cast them all into darkness. There was a shout from the guards outside as the carriage gave a sharp bank… But Twilight sensed no true alarm from her guards.
And then the shadow passed, the giant purple dragon who had produced it gliding by with a smirk on his face. Twilight’s heart soared at the sight of the best assistant in the world, Spike adjusting his course and starting to circle the descending carriage almost protectively.
And she swore she could just about see a few figures on his back of various pastel colours…
They were now on their final descent to the city, avoiding the usual entrance most civilians would use and were instead coming into a pre-prepared space in the grounds of Canterlot Castle just off from the landing pads set aside from EUP transports. One could see chariots of gold and blue set aside there as well, the personal ones belonging to the Princesses of Equestria. They stood in quite the contrast to the more technologically advanced helicopters also landed nearby, but nevertheless shimmered in their ceremonial glory.
There was a bump as the carriage hit the ground, several members of the Royal Guard and stationed army personnel clearing the area and preparing to welcome the semi-foreign royals. Ponies in gold and silver armours all lined up and stood to attention in greeting, though the Captains of the Royal Guard were noticeably absent.
The shadow returned as Spike perched himself on a nearby wall, his ginormous form looming quite dauntingly over the comparingly tiny equines.
“Well, quite the welcome,” Façade mused. “You girls ready?”
Avia stretched and legs and wings, ridding herself of any stiffness gained during her nap. “Yeah, I’m good. Could really go for a bite, actually.”
“Food or love?” he asked back.
“Yes.”
“I’m sure we can figure something our after we meet with the Princesses,” Twilight said with a chuckle.
There was a click as one of the changeling guards opened up the door, the green drone bowing as his blue armour glinted in the sun. They accepted the changeling’s invitation to disembark, giving the royal guard a nod as they stepped out into the ground of Canterlot Castle.
Twilight instantly met Spike’s gaze, smiling up at him.
“Spike, it’s good to see you,” Twilight greeted happily, her wings buzzing as she flew up to nuzzle the top of the giant drake’s head. “I swear you get bigger every time I see you.”
“I came the moment I heard,” he replied sympathetically, returning the affection gladly. “Are you okay? I was worried that-”
“I’m alright, Spike,” she assured him. “Drained, but we’re fine.”
He sighed. “Alright. But we’re here, we weren’t going to be caught dead anywhere else.”
“We?”
He smirked again, lowering his tail and using it as something of an impromptu ramp to allow his passengers to reach the safety of the dirt. Eight ponies, five of advanced age and three relatively young, all carefully hopped down to the ground and stood before the family.
“Girls!” Avia shouted, shooting forward with glee.
Awesome Blitz, Sapphire and Apple Surprise were all ready to receive the tackle hug from their fellow Cutie Mark Crusader, all simply glad to see one another again.
“Oh my gosh, what are you doing here!?” she asked amidst the glomp. “I had no idea!”
“Neither did we until this morning,” Awesome Blitz remarked. “But when a really big dragon comes along and tells you to hop aboard, you can’t really say no.”
“What she means to say is that we wanted to come see ya’ll,” Apple Surprise said with a clip around the pegasus’ ear, much to her protest. “Especially given what’s happened.”
“Yeah…” Avia muttered sadly.
“But hey, we’re here now!” Awesome Blitz then stated.
“Uh-huh,” Sapphire agreed. “We had to be here. Cutie Mark Crusaders stick together, right?”
Twilight looked on with a smile at the group of friends, still sticking to their childhood-born creed even well into their twenties and long having earned their individual marks. And speaking of such good friends…
“Hey Sugarcube,” Applejack was the first to greet, the aged mare still looking as strong as ever even through her increasing wrinkles. Though the growing resemblance to the late Granny Smith could certainly not be denied…
“Girls,” Twilight greeted back with no small amount of relief. “You really know the best times to drop in.”
“You kidding?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “Come on, Egghead. We’re always here when you need, right?”
Loyal to the end.
“When Spike arrived early last night with the news from Princess Celestia, we just had to come straight here,” Fluttershy agreed. “And when we told Avia’s friends, they were really wanting to come too.”
“My gal’ hopped straight into action,” Applejack said proudly with a glance at Apple Surprise. “Good head on her shoulders, that one.”
“They all do!” Pinkie Pie stated. “They’d all be here, but it was a little bit sudden. Plus, the original CMC are out of town.”
“Yes, Sweetie is in Manehatten on a ‘gig’ as she so roughly puts it,” Rarity noted. “But as it is, I suppose it was best we didn’t swamp you.”
“I’m glad it’s you who are here,” Twilight told them. “I… suppose I should have figured.”
“Duh,” Spike remarked with a rumbling chuckle. “You’d think you’d have learnt that by now.”
“As Façade was just telling me, I really need a holiday when all this is done.”
“Oh! I volunteer a party!” Pinkie instantly stated.
“Maybe we can work on that later,” Façade interjected. “We still have a lot to do.”
“I guess. Can you help the girls get some quarters set up?” she asked her husband.
He nodded. “Can do.”
“Don’t take too long now, you hear?” Applejack demanded. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“I won’t,” Twilight promised, lighting her horn and gently dragging her friends into a group hug. “Thank you… For being here.”
“Anytime, Twilight,” Spike answered for them all, happily watching the exchange from above.
And as the two groups of friends all gratefully encountered one another, unknown to them, another set of orb-like eyes watched from nearby. At the very end of the field, in a doorway leading into the castle, a blue drone watched on with curiosity. She watched the groups part, continuing to say a few more words to one another before splitting off. Some went with the Queen’s mate, moving in one direction while the Queen and Princess themselves moved off elsewhere with a small escort of drones.
Curious.
“Hey!”
The mare squeaked, almost falling over at the harsh shout. She turned in alarm to see a pony in Solar Guard armour approaching while looking more than a little cross. It was… more than a little intimidating if the drone had to be honest.
“What are you doing here?” the guard demanded to know. “This area is off limit to civilians, and that includes changeling dignitaries.”
“Oh, I-I’m not a dignitary,” she quickly explained, rushing to retrieve a pass that identified herself as a changeling love collector. “I’m new to the city, and I was told to look for Captain Valiant Snow to get myself recorded.”
The guard peered at the pass, finding the drone to be a member of Queen Vulgaris’ hive. He hummed, shaking his head.
“And what made you think it would be a good idea to wander out here?”
“Well… there are guards, and I’m looking for a guard,” she replied honestly.
He rolled his eyes. “I’ll take you to the Captain’s office, let you run through the paperwork. If it were up to me, I’d have some rookie deal with it. But the Princess insists that all new love collectors need to meet with either Captain Valiant or Captain Vladimir first.”
“I’m aware, that’s why I’m here…” she muttered. “Something about security, right?”
He shrugged. “Eh, not that you lot could do much harm with all the enchantments we have running every hour of every day. You turn into a pony right now and you’d light up like a Hearth’s Warming tree.”
“Right…” Maybe she should have just asked a servant for directions. “So, the office…?”
“Right. This way, Miss. And please keep to areas authorised to civilians next time.”
She would have to remember that. She couldn’t wait to get back into the normal city, where she could change and be free to take any form at will. So long as it didn’t cause a public disturbance at least, or it otherwise wasn’t used for malicious purposes. She’s heard of a few changelings breaking those laws for their own selfish reasons, usually ending with their arrest by pony authorities and harsh punishments from their individual Changeling Queens. It was rare, but it happened.
Still… the drone couldn’t help but bite her lip when she thought on what she had inadvertently seen. And a secret order her Queen had given all would-be love collectors while in Equestria.
It made her uneasy, but it was still a royal command.
“My Queen?”
Far from Equestria, in a jungle boarding the lands of the griffons and zebras, the Council Hive was almost entirely empty. There was a mostly crew of drones from various hives keeping it in order, as per usual, but that was almost the extent of it.
Almost.
On this occasion, the hive was host to two of its many Changeling Queens. Both were red in colouration, one deeper and significantly older than the other, standing close by to one another in the council chamber itself. It was here, surrounded by the various thrones, that their conversation had been interrupted by the ping of a drone over the hive mind.
“My Queen.”
“What?” Queen Vulgaris curtly responded.
“Um…” came the nervous answer. “Queen Twilight Sparkle just arrived in Canterlot. You said you wanted to know if we saw anything about her…”
“And? Why is she there?”
“I… don’t know.”
Vulgaris rolled her eyes with contempt. “Don’t bother me unless you have something more substantial to report, understood?”
“Yes… my Queen.”
“What was that?” Imperious, Vulgaris’ daughter and now a Queen in her own right, asked at her mother’s dismissive snort. “Anything good?”
“Just another useless incompetent drone doing nothing helpful,” Vulgaris remarked. “I swear that the quality of infiltrators has gone down ever since ‘Queen Twilight’ set the example of our species.”
“Love collectors, not infiltrators,” Imperious pointed out. “We don’t do that anymore.”
Vulgaris gave her daughter a withering glare. “I recall, when you were a mere princess with no hive of your own, you were rather indifferent about that pony lover. Now you grovel at her hooves like all the rest.”
“It’s not grovelling, it’s agreement,” Imperious retorted. “It’s hard to argue with the results of her bringing us into the larger world. Love comes in a constant stream, we have allies, and we might actually be growing in hives for a change rather than diminishing. I still don’t understand why you cling on to the old ways.”
“We were better as we were,” Vulgaris stated, looking in disdain at her own hole-less red hoof. “Before we changed. Crudelis had the right of it, we could have ruled over them all. Now we rely on Equestria, we might as well as be their vassal.”
“It’s a symbiotic relationship. You’re exaggerating,” her daughter replied. “We trade with them; they don’t have any say in how we run our hives.”
“They might as well, with how the others all try so hard to emulate Sparkle,” the elder Queen dismissed.
“Again, you’re exaggerating.”
“Am I? They’re all so happy with this little ‘relationship’ we have with ponies when, but a few years ago, they would have stood with us in taking what was ours.”
“Twilight Sparkle saved us from Immortalis,” Imperious stressed. “We were at her mercy, and now we have allies we can be damn well sure it never happens-”
“I remember well what happened!” Vulgaris snapped. “I do not forget the humiliation I suffered in that abomination’s thrall! And what that lunar alicorn did to me…”
“They saved you, you stubborn old mule!” the young Queen shouted indignantly. “I can see it! The other hives can see it! Why can’t you?”
“Because we don’t need ‘friends’, daughter!” Vulgaris snarled. “We are predators, they are prey. I no longer see the need to play nice with them.”
“Aside from the fact that we haven’t been this prosperous in thousands of years?” Imperious rhetorically asked with an annoyed sigh and growing headache. “One day you’re doing to have to see how much better off we are joining the rest of the world rather than either hiding in caves or trying to eat so much love we leave withered corpses in our wake.”
“And one day, when the novelty wears off, you will remember how much more we could have been.”
“But what would it have cost? I’d say Crudelis and Immortalis both found out the hard way,” Imperious retorted, before finally having had enough. “I’m returning to my hive. We’re currently trying to negotiate an expanded trade with the Princesses of Equestria. If you ever get tired with the barest minimum our council dictated, let me know.”
Vulgaris deflated as Imperious turned her back on her mother, starting to walk towards the exit. She was briefly halted, however, when Vulgaris spoke again.
“You will visit soon, won’t you?”
Imperious sighed. “You’re an idiot, but you’re my mother. I’ll see you in a month or so.”
And with that, the younger Queen departed.
Queen Vulgaris was silent for a few moments, but she then gave a snarl as she turned to glare at the throne at the head of the rest. The throne Twilight Sparkle had an infuriating habit of inhabiting during the latest meetings of the council.
She hated her. Hated the ponies of Equestria who had humiliated her and the hives. Why couldn’t the other changelings see it? Soon enough they would surely have Equestria’s whole culture forced onto them. How long until the hives no longer existed? Until they all identified as ‘Equestrians’? The other Queens thought she was crazy, but she just knew. It was only a matter of time before the ponies stabbed them in the back, ripped apart what was left of who they were. Either by time or by military force, she was certain they would do it.
No more Changeling Queens. They’d destroy them all.
And Vulgaris was alone in this conclusion. No allies, not even her own drones. They all thought her crazy. But she was the only one sane, she could see that this ‘friendship’ and ‘harmony’ was all a trick. One day, much as the changeling once would have done, the ponies would destroy them from within.
But maybe, one day, she would find an ally. Maybe she would find one who saw the ponies for what they really were, ready to take the appropriate action.
One day, she would see Equestria burning beneath changeling hooves.