Shimmerwing
**6 Hours After Shieldfall**
After their experience with the Cutie Map, Prism Star and Shimmer attempted to return to the upper castle only to find that the elevator shaft had frozen tight. Thankfully, though, the cold still didn't penetrate the protected cavern, and so the two of them sat by the now-inactive map and talked the hours away by hornlight. More than anything else, they talked about the Order of Harmony. Prism learned that the Order had found many magic artifacts over the course of their existence, but now focused their efforts exclusively on finding the Elements of Harmony, a set of magic gems that could only be wielded properly by true friends who together embodied the aspects of Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, and Magic. It turned out that the term 'Element' was used interchangably to refer to the gem itself and the paragon of friendship who was aligned with it, a fact that confused Prism greatly as Shimmer attempted to explain that the Elements of Honesty and Laughter were already in the possession of the Order, but that no pony suitable to use them had been revealed yet. It also seemed that the Element of Magic had a habit of disappearing - it had disappeared without a trace after the Elements abandoned Princess Celestia, and Nightmare Winter had taken the Element of Magic from the defeated Twilight Sparkle only to see it disappear from her treasure room just as mysteriously. Supposedly, at least according to Shimmer, Magic would only reappear when all the other gems had found their bearers. Shimmer told her the story of how Princess Twilight Sparkle - then just an ordinary librarian - and five of the ponies who would become what Shimmer called the Six Companions entered the then-wild Everfree Forest in search of the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon, the dark, Nightmare-infected reflection of Princess Luna. It was only when the Elements seemed lost, and Nightmare Moon was poised to defeat Twilight Sparkle, that the Element of Magic appeared to Twilight, as the 'spark' of friendship that came as her friends rushed to her side in the face of certain defeat. It was a thrilling story, and Prism Star sat rapt listening to it until the two of them heard the elevator start to move again - a grinding noise that echoed along the facets of the crystal cavern.
"Someone's coming down! Quick, we need to hide!" Shimmer looked around in panic before quickly rushing to grab Prism by the scruff of her neck and pull her down behind the Cutie Map, where they'd be hidden from the view of anyone entering the room. The two of them sat in terrified silence as the lift slowly descended.
They heard hooves clopping against the dusty floor as someone approached the middle of the room, and Prism Star nearly felt her heart stop in fear. With everything she'd head in the last couple of days, all she could think about was a series of increasingly horrible fates that Prism was certain would happen if they were caught down here.
Then she heard a voice call out, "Prism Star? Shimmer? Are you two down here?" It was her father! "I've looked everywhere else. It's safe to come out." Prism Star rushed from her hiding place to embrace the old stallion, crying with relief, and Shimmer emerged from behind the map table a few moments later.
"I'm so glad it's you, Dad, I was so scared!" Prism sobbed into her father's coat and continued to go on incoherently, while Shimmer came up to them and put a hoof on Thunderbolt's shoulder.
"Master Thunderbolt..." Shimmer gave the older pony a stern look as she quietly spoke, using his official title in both the Weather Guild and the Order of Harmony to underline how serious she was. "When Prism Star is done crying, we need to talk."
"What about?" Thunderbolt looked at her as he held the little filly in his forelegs. "If this is about me lying about the map, don't you think we have more important things to worry about? Ponies are dead, Shimmer."
"I.. n-no. I'm just an initiate, the lie isn't what's important. Thunderbolt, the map works.... worked." She put special emphasis on this last part, and Thunderbolt set Prism aside to focus on the new information, though one hoof still ran through her mane to try and keep her calm.
"Worked? Please explain."
"It... it spoke to us." Shimmer took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Some kind of spirit. It showed us a map of Equestria, and a whole bunch of symbols converging on what looked like Las Pegasus, including my cutie mark. Thunderbolt, the map called us both. Our flanks glowed just like the old stories said."
Thunderbolt looked down at Prism, who nodded slowly. "It... she was really sad, Dad... I think that she might be dead, she just disappeared and the map went completely cold."
"I'd thought it was dead already... The map hasn't called anyone in centuries, not since it called one of my predecessors to retrieve the Element of Laughter. This is..." He sighed. "I'd hoped that something like this would happen, but I can't say that I'm happy it's my daughter." He stroked her mane thoughtfully. "But on the other hoof, the map always called exactly the ponies that were needed to help." Thunderbolt knelt down to meet Prism's eyes with his own grey ones. "I'm proud of you. I know that you're going to do an amazing job at this Friendship Quest. Now how about you head home and pack your saddlebags while I talk to Shimmer? Just pack the essentials for a trip, and if anyone asks you where you're going, say that you're going with her to check on family in Canterlot." He pointed to a side tunnel. "There's another secret exit there that leads out behind the school proper. It's a better way to get out unseen."
They waited for Prism to leave before continuing the conversation. "This is not quite how I saw my little girl leaving home, Shimmerwing... You're going to have to keep her safe."
"Me? She needs a proper Protector. I'm barely more than a grub myself." Shimmer closed her eyes in concentration and released her pony form in a violent flash of green light, revealing her true form - a tall insectoid creature with pale blue chitin and a bright green shell over her folded gossamer wings, with wide, empty green eyes and a long, crooked horn. "You've been very kind to keep my secret, but the last thing you want is a changeling protecting Prism."
"You... no." Thunderbolt set a hoof on her shoulder reassuringly. "I saw what you were from the beginning, and I took you in. I took you in against the advice of every one of my subordinates, who all thought you would just give in to the temptation to feed on the love I had for my little foal. But you... you gave her love. Where everypony else who knew saw a potential predator, I saw you share your love with her. I saw you becoming her sister in every way but blood."
She shifted nervously. "I still follow the teachings of Thorax. I'm not about to feed on anypony, especially a baby."
"As you get older, Shimmerwing, you'll realize that there are certain moments that define a life. Moments where you can see the whole future laid out in front of you. When your hoof first met yours, do you know what I saw?"
"Just tell me." She sighed.
"I saw a Protector. I saw a special bond that would last a lifetime."
Shimmerwing chuckled. "Best sister friends forever."
"Exactly." Thunderbolt smiled warmly, with some tears welling up in his eyes. "I saw that you had the potential to be better than I ever was. To avoid all of my mistakes." He started crying in earnest as he remembered Guiding Star... and his own failure to save her.
"I..." Shimmer sighed and wiped away his tears with her magic. "It's moot anyway," she continued in a quiet tone. "Protectors are always ponies that trace their descent to Twilight Sparkle's companions. You know, 'Thunderbolt, son of Hearth Fire, of the lineage of Starlight Glimmer'?" She punctuated this with a sarcastic expression and a twirl of her hoof. "I'm not a pony, let alone a descendant of the Six Companions."
"And yet you were the one the map chose." His voice had taken on a quiet calm. "The spirit of harmony does not make mistakes. It calls the creatures that it chooses to solve a problem, and each of them brings something special and unique that is needed to complete the Quest. If the map cared about our traditions, then it would have chosen a pony. It did not - it chose you to accompany my daughter, because you have something far more important than noble blood. You have her friendship."
"I... Thunderbolt..." She was about to respond to this when they were interrupted by a high, echoing scream from the side passage. The two of them turned, Shimmerwing quickly shifting back into her unicorn form, to see Prism Star standing in the mouth of the tunnel with a look of horror, her saddlebags having fallen down at her feet in her panic, before fainting and falling to the ground in a crumple of spilled clothes, hair, and legs.
Prism Star
**7 hours after Shieldfall**
When Prism Star woke, she was lying in a soft bed with purple sheets, a heavy blanket pulled over her and her father peering down at her. "Are you alright, little dawnlight?"
She sat upright quickly with a panicked look. "I- you... that thing!" The filly sputtered, not able to continue her line of thought quite yet- it was too strange.
"I did tell you that changelings are real, did I not?" Thunderbolt stroked her hair gently.
"What about- wait, Shimmer, where's, it turned into... oh no, oh no, oh no..."
"Calm down... Just calm down and I'll explain.."
"Dad, it ate Shimmer! It ate her and took her body and now it's going to eat you too!" Of course this made perfect sense to her. Changelings hadn't been seen out in the open since the Winter began, and in the meantime had become creatures of old pony tales, bogeymen who scared foals at night.
"Sweetheart... that is Shimmer." He maintained a steady, even tone despite his daughter's panic, doing his best to project calm.
"No it's not! You saw it turn into her, Shimmer's lived with us my whole life and now she's gone!"
Shimmer, in pony form, took this opportunity to enter the room - driving Prism to squeal in terror and dive back under the covers, trembling. "P-prism! It's just me! It's just your sister!"
"You're not my sister! You're just some bug! What did you do to her?!"
Shimmer sighed and sat next to the bed, on the other side from Thunderbolt, and released her pony form in a flash of light. "I haven't done anything to her because I am her! That's what we're trying to tell you! Prism..." She thought for a minute. "Prism, you think you're really bad at magic, but I've seen a book on hard light constructs under your bed in the dorm. Your biggest crush is a singer called Southern Storm, and six weeks ago I caught you kissing your pillow while fantasizing about his wings." This secret drew a deep blush from the newly emerged Prism Star, and a look of concern from Thunderbolt, who appeared about to say something before Shimmer silenced him with a glare from her empty eyes. "I... when Thunderbolt brought me home, I'd just lost my family. But when I saw you in your crib, and I felt the love your father had for you and for... for me, I..." Shimmer made a choked noise in her throat, and if she was a pony she would be crying now. "...I knew that I was home."
Prism leaped up into an embrace with the changeling, crying. "You... you still are. I don't care what you look like, Shimmer." She looked up at her adoptive sister's face, big round eyes swimming with tears. "We're best sister friends forever."
Shimmer pressed her hoof and her horn to Prism's. "Best sister friends forever." She looked over at Thunderbolt. "I... I'm ready. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to protect my little sister... Father." She closed her eyes as the stallion smiled and took a small book from the table.
"Very well, Shimmerwing."
Prism Star blinked in surprise at hearing her true name and looked up, only to be shushed by Shimmer. "Shh... whatever happens, just be cool and don't move your hoof. This is just some Order stuff," the changeling whispered. She moved her head back but kept her hoof pressed to Prism's.
"Shimmerwing, do you accept the bond with Prism Star?" Thunderbolt had the book open, but he knew the words by heart from his own Oath.
Shimmer took a breath. "I, Shimmerwing, daughter of..." She shook her head and started over. "I, Shimmerwing, of the tenth brood of Queen Heartsong, of the lineage of Prince Thorax, accept the love and friendship of Prism Star into my heart, and give her my own heart in kind."
A force felt like it was pushing their hooves together, and Thunderbolt wove a strand of light around the joined appendages with his horn. "Shimmerwing, do you acknowledge the lineage of Prism Star?"
"I, Shimmerwing, recognize Prism Star as the true blood of Princess Celestia and the daughter of the sun."
Prism's eyes went wide with confusion, and though she kept her promise to remain silent, her mind -and heart- were both racing. 'True blood of Princess Celestia, what does that even mean? Wait, Princess Celestia was the Princess of the Sun and my mom raised the sun. Well, she didn't raise it alone, but she still raised it and Dad said that only Celestia could raise the sun for long without-'
"Shimmerwing, do you swear your loyalty to the true rulers of Equestria?"
"I swear my fealty to the throne of Princess Celestia, who bathed us in the life-giving warmth of the sun. I swear my fealty to the throne of Princess Luna, who sheltered us with her wisdom in the night. I swear to oppose Nightmare Winter at every turn, and to serve the true diarchy with my dying breath."
Prism's own breath was still fast and shallow with her shock. 'He even said that mom looked like Princess Celestia when the sun hit her, so if she looked like Celestia and she was a master of celestial magic than she must have been descended from Celestia at some point but I never heard of Celestia having foals-'
"What do you swear this on, Shimmerwing?"
There was a pause before Shimmer responded. "I swear my oath... I swear my oath before the Black Throne." At this point, Prism's chain of thought was interrupted by a rattling noise from a nearby cupboard, which both of the adults in the room seemed to ignore. "I swear by Prince Thorax, may he rest in peace. I swear my oath to the vengeful ghost of Queen Chrysalis - may she consume me utterly if I fail to protect Prism Star."
"Then just as the power of the sun passed from Guiding Star to Prism Star, I pass the power of the Protectors on to you, Shimmerwing." Thunderbolt opened his mouth and a shimmering white haze came out of him, floating through the air before seeming to absorb into Shimmer's chest.
The changeling shuddered as she broke the link with Prism Star. "It's so warm... it's like... it feels like love.."
Thunderbolt hugged them both tightly in turn. "I'm so proud of you. Both of you. I'm... I have a couple of things I wanted to give the two of you when this day came." He stepped towards the door. "I'll leave you alone for now."
After he left, Prism looked up at her sister. "So... Queen Heartsong."
Shimmer laughed softly, glad that Prism was avoiding the obvious bombshell for now. "It's not as impressive as it sounds. Queens are the only female changelings who mate, so technically every changeling is the son or daughter of a queen. And every changeling alive is descended from Prince Thorax."
Prism nodded at this. "OK. So what's a protector?"
"Well..." Shimmer sighed. So much for avoiding the Celestia stuff. "Let's back up a little first. You remember that bit about Princess Celestia."
"I'm still trying to get my head around it."
"Yeah," Shimmer said. "I understand the feeling. Everything you thought about your position in the world was wrong and suddenly you've got this crazy new responsibility on your shoulders. Been there."
"It's just that it was a thousand years ago. I can't believe that it still matters." Prism thought back to what she'd learned of genetics. "That long ago, shouldn't any relevant genes be so dilute that every pony has some of them?"
Shimmer shrugged at this. "It used to be you'd get unicorns all the time who were sun-touched or moon-touched. Descended from the princesses and inheriting at least some of their power. But the queen's scared of them. They're always being hunted down, and now you get maybe one filly or colt in a generation who has enough of the power left to be a potential heir. As far as genes go, I don't know. Magical affinity is kind of a wild card."
"That's why Dad was always so paranoid, isn't it? He thought something would happen to me like... like what happened to Mom." It was all starting to come together in her mind, the whole horrible picture. "He always said that she died not long after I was born, and that he moved to Ponyville right after. She... she must have been killed for her powers, and then Dad... he must have moved to protect me. And now that I'm leaving home, I need a Protector because they're going to come for me just like they came for Mom."
"A Protector is a pony who bonds with you, both emotionally and magically. The bond gives us certain abilities that help me keep you alive. I get super fast reflexes, and a sort of sixth sense for when you might be in danger. And in time it gets deeper than that. Our minds start to bond - we feel each other's emotions, and if you were to get hurt I'd feel it too. Thunderbolt was your mom's Protector. He never said what happened to her, but..." Shimmer sighed. "The others say he was never the same since he came to lead the Ponyville cell. Nobody blames him, because whatever happened put him in an impossible position... but he blames himself."
"Wow," Prism said after a few minutes of awkward silence. "I never knew any of that. I always thought he was just kind of eccentric, but now I think I get it."
When Thunderbolt returned, he was carrying Prism's saddlebags on his back, and had a few more objects carried around him in telekinetic auras. "Alright, this is everything-" He was startled by a sudden hug from Prism Star, leading him to drop most of what he was carrying. "Hey, easy! I'm going to miss you too, dawnlight..."
"Dad, I..." She stopped. What was she supposed to say? That she didn't blame him for her mother's death? That she promised not to die? None of it felt right to say, but thankfully she was spared having to say any of it by Thunderbolt pushing a battered old book into her hooves. "Optics: The Science and Magic of Light and Color," Prism read off of the cover. "By Sunburst, with foreword by Princess Celestia."
"A rare first edition." Thunderbolt ruffled her mane. "They were pulled off of the shelves after the war, replaced by an edition with Celestia written out of them. This... this one was your mother's copy. She was always reading it, and making notes in the margins. She would have wanted you to have it when you were old enough to understand the spells." Prism responded by clutching the heavy book tightly and sobbing into her father's coat. "As for you, Shimmerwing... open that cupboard behind you and take out that metal box."
She followed his direction, pulling from the cupboard a small, rugged-looking locked box that she opened with magic. The moment it was open, the remaining objects Thunderbolt was holding aloft fell to the ground as his horn fizzled out, and Prism felt a wave of nausea and dizziness go through her, nearly falling over before Shimmer saw her distress and quickly slammed the box shut. "Where did you get this?!" she demanded of Thunderbolt.
"The Order found it decades ago, on a diplomatic mission to Queen Heartsong. A-"
"-lost shard of the Black Throne," Shimmer finished with a tone of distaste. "The original one that Chrysalis sat on. When she was defeated, it exploded and the fragments ended up all over the desert. And you brought one here?"
"It's in a shielded container! It's perfectly safe!"
"Look at what it did to Prism!"
Prism growled defiantly at this and turned around to face Shimmer. "I'm fine! Don't bring me into it like I'm a helpless foal!"
"I... Ugh!" Shimmer groaned. "I didn't say you were helpless! But you are a foal, and your body isn't strong enough to handle the disruption to your magic!"
"Girls!" Thunderbolt's sharp tone stopped the argument in its tracks. "So long as it is in that sealed box, it will be safe. But you'll need every advantage that you can get, and changeling magic will be the last thing anypony expects."
"It's cursed, Thunderbolt!" Shimmer glared.
"There is no such thing as a curse! Curses are just smoke and mirrors meant-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, real magic comes from within and curses are just superstition, I think I understand changeling artifacts better-"
"ENOUGH!" Prism stopped both of them with a blast of red light that knocked both adults to the floor. "What does it even do?"
"It absorbs magic," Shimmer said as she picked herself gingerly off the floor, folding her iridescent wings back up under her shell as she stood. "Anything that isn't changeling magic. Unicorn magic, pegasus flight, dragonfire... once upon a time, the queen of the changelings sat on a great big throne carved from a single chunk of this dark stone, imbued with enchantments supposed to be as old as changelings ourselves." She held up the box with her magic, looking at it with an expression of distaste. "When Thorax and Starlight Glimmer overthrew Queen Chrysalis, the throne shattered and released all of its stored magic at once... An explosion that nearly destroyed the hive. In the years after, a new throne was carved, but it was never as strong."
She sighed and paused for a moment to collect herself. "I know you're going to say this is ridiculous, and there's no such thing as ghosts, but we have a very old story. When Thorax and Starlight overthrew Chrysalis and reformed the changelings, they offered to help her. They offered the defeated queen love and friendship, but she refused and swore vengeance. But she never got that vengeance- every time she tried, Princess Twilight and her Companions defeated her. Changelings say that Chrysalis knew ancient dark magics, that she kept her spirit alive long after her body withered and died. We say that the original Black Throne absorbed more than outsider magic- it also absorbed her malice and her hate, which is why we think the Reformation shattered it." She put the box down with another sigh. "One day she'll be back. She'll try to get her revenge on ponies, and on the changelings who followed Thorax. And when she calls, the shards of her throne will answer."
"Shimmer..." Thunderbolt approached her, putting a hoof around her and then pulling her into a hug. "It's just a story. Queen Chrysalis died a thousand years ago. The queen who banished you may be calling herself Chrysalis II, but she's just a pale imitation of the real thing, and those shards won't be answering her call or anypony else's."
"I know." She took a deep breath, and smiled as Prism Star came in to hug her too. "At least, I should know. But I can't help still believing. I... I know it's stupid, but I'm still scared, and the thought of it keeps me up at night sometimes." She laughed softly at herself and hugged her family back. "Look at me, Prism. I'm supposed to protect you from a real threat and I'm over here scared of an old pony tale."
Thunderbolt stepped back from the hug and handed over a pair of saddlebags with the beetle cutie mark of Shimmer's pony form, which she put on after changing back. "I kind of miss having wings again already," Shimmer said with a laugh.
"I imagine. Flying is... well, let's just say that when I first learned to manipulate clouds, it took quite a bit to get me back down.." Thunderbolt laughed back and slid a cloth-wrapped parcel into Shimmer's bag. There was something about it that felt... odd to her. Just the proximity made her heart feel lighter and chased away the specter of frightening old tales. The idea of Chrysalis returning suddenly felt like a bad joke, one that she wanted to laugh at for being ridiculous rather than for being funny. "I want you to take this with you as well. You've always laughed at everything. You use laughter like armor- you laugh at yourself for being afraid, you laugh at others so they won't get too close, you use it to distract Prism so she won't notice the world arrayed against her. But there's more to laughter." He pressed a hoof to her chest. "The feeling in your heart right now isn't just humor. It's hope. I want you to keep laughing. I want you to bring light, and humor, and most of all hope, into darkness."
Everything suddenly clicked for Shimmer, and she pushed Thunderbolt away before starting to root in her bag. "I can't- no. I can't take this, you need to-"
Thunderbolt interrupted her by canceling out her magic with his own. "I need to give it to you. I have a feeling that you're going to need hope. The spirit of harmony summoned you two, of all ponies, after five hundred years of silence. It spoke to you in person- that spirit didn't even appear to Twilight Sparkle herself. I have a feeling that this is the most important friendship quest that the map has ever given, and you're going to need the Element of Laughter before it's over. Even without the others, it's still a powerful artifact." He pressed it back down into her bag. "I've also packed you lunches, and arranged for you to have tickets on an airship to Las Pegasus. When you get there, I want you to check in with the Order house there- tell Master Peregrine that Thunderbolt wants him to hear a good joke." Shimmer nodded at the precise instructions and gave the old man one last hug before prying a still-crying Prism Star away and making sure the filly had her own bags ready to go. "And Prism... don't be afraid. You're already so much like your mother, and you're growing up so fast. But don't grow up too fast." Thunderbolt hugged his daughter tightly, one last time. "One last thing... Make some friends. They might save your life."