Gilda inhaled sharply as she awoke. Fluttershy had already removed the needle of stimulant and stood behind her.
With the limbs Twilight’s sword had cut off, it had been more difficult to restrain Gilda. Fluttershy had managed by wrapping her from head to tail in gauze around an old chair that should have been discarded ages ago. There was no use using a nice one for this.
Gilda tried to turn her head. Not that she would have seen anything but more of the bare concrete walls. Fluttershy took a step forward, letting her shadow fall over Gilda.
“Who’s there?” Gilda jerked, but couldn’t move.
Fluttershy, in her Element transformation, walked around, stopping in front of Gilda. “Do you know who I am?”
“The Element of Kindness.” There may have been relief in Gilda’s eyes.
Fluttershy leaned forward. The single lightbulb on the ceiling glinted on the row of needles strapped across her chest and left her eyes shadowed as her head came closer to Gilda’s. “The Element of Loyalty tells me that you know each other.”
“Rainbow Dash? Where is she?”
“She didn’t want to see you.” Fluttershy turned away, walking around behind Gilda again.
“I want to talk to her!”
Fluttershy’s face appeared, leaning over Gilda’s shoulder, their eyes only inches apart. “She doesn’t. Want to talk. To you.”
Fluttershy pulled back. Gilda tried to move her head again. “Where am I?”
“The place where we take people we don’t like. The ones that live, anyway.”
“What did you do to me?” There was a rise in Gilda’s voice. Last night was coming back to her.
“What do you remember?”
Gilda’s beak opened, but then she closed it again. “I’m not saying anything to you.”
“What about just the highlights?” Fluttershy touched her gently on the shoulder and slowly moved downwards. Gilda jerked as her hoof ran over the stub of Gilda’s wing and again when Fluttershy reached her amputated foreleg.
Fluttershy pulled back abruptly and turned to grab a plastic cooler. She dragged it around in front of Gilda, scraping on the floor. She opened the lid, presenting Gilda with her own severed limbs, packed in ice.
“I could probably still reattach them,” said Fluttershy. She closed the lid, and looked at Gilda.
Gilda looked away, as much as she could with the bindings. “You ponies are all so self-righteous, but you’re just like anyone else.”
“I know,” said Fluttershy. She sat down on the cooler. “With as many friends as I’ve watched die, I realized that virtue only affects how you’re remembered. It doesn’t save you in life. I’m the Element of Kindness, but have you ever heard the expression ‘killed by kindness?’ I don’t mean to make a pun. This isn’t funny. Life isn’t supposed to be this way. But you know that, don’t you?”
It was strange how interrogation was a two way street. It was the only place Fluttershy could tell someone how she really felt. Things that she couldn’t tell Rainbow. Fluttershy had to be strong for her, to be Rainbow’s rock and immortal friend.
But Gilda started talking, so Fluttershy didn’t have to spill out any more of her soul that day.
Applejack had ignored the sunlight on her eyelids for too long. When she could roll over no longer, she sat up.
Twilight’s living room was sparse, but cast in cheerful tones with sunlit windows. It figured for the favorite student of Celestia.
Applejack had insisted on the couch, even though Twilight had offered her the bed. She knew that nothing would be as comfortable as her hay-stuffed mattress in her own bedroom, so it didn’t really matter where she slept. She was already missing home.
Well, no, not if she was being honest.
Applejack sighed and stood up to stretch. Some Element of Honesty she had been. Talking to dead bodies? They were gone, but she hadn’t let them go. And somehow it had taken evil magic making their flesh literally come back out of the grave to drive that home.
She grit her teeth at flashbacks of last night. Her hide had healed, but not her mind. Why had she agreed to this again?
Was a clean break better? Applejack turned around and moved the curtain aside. Canterlot was stone and glass. They said a long journey began with a single step, but she was already feeling pretty far away.
Applejack sat back down, head in hooves. She was still there ten minutes later when Twilight came out of the bedroom. It was a Saturday, so the café wasn’t opening until later.
“Good morning.”
“Mornin.’”
“Coffee?”
“Nah.”
Twilight sat down across from her. Applejack raised her head.
“How are you this morning?” Twilight asked. Not a casual greeting, a direct question.
“Had better. Had worse,” Applejack replied after a moment.
“We should get you down to the shop and briefed up,” said Twilight. She glanced at the clock. “Maybe Fluttershy’s done with Gilda now.”
Applejack nodded, looking at the floor.
“I think I recognize your look,” said Twilight. “It’s a lot to reorient yourself to.”
“How did you deal with it?” Applejack asked.
“Still dealing with it. Having a sense of purpose helps. So does having somepony to talk to that has a shared experience. I’m getting better.” Twilight glanced away. “But if I can be honest with you for a moment, I still feel like I’m a wreck held together by a thin shell.”
“We’re all wrecks, sugarcube. We just get on with it.”
“Well thanks for telling me my feelings don’t matter,” Twilight huffed.
“Not what I said. Your feelings don’t matter to nopony but you, but who else should they matter to?” Applejack took a deep breath. If she said it, maybe she could believe it.
“I guess,” said Twilight. “I’d be happier if I could let it go, but then...I wouldn’t be me.”
Applejack nodded. She breathed out and stood up. “Well, let’s get going.”
Down at the shop, Cadance was going over what Fluttershy had learned. The two of them sat behind the counter, as the place was empty of customers. A copy of the newspaper lay on the counter, the front page devoid of any news of the Elements of what had transpired in Ponyville. Celestia was apparently being careful about what information she parceled out.
“The Commander,” Cadance mused.
“Gilda didn’t know who they were,” Fluttershy explained. That’s just what they called themselves in instructions, but the two of them had never met.”
“I’ll have one of our contacts clean out Gilda’s house and check for anything else useful,” said Cadance. “I hope there’s something of value there, but as careful as this Commander seems to be, I’m not sure Gilda is in possession of anything else useful.”
Fluttershy was quiet for a moment before asking, “What would you like to do with Gilda?”
“Leave her for now. I’ll have Twilight do a memory charm on her and we’ll drop her off at a max security Guard prison under an assumed name and crime.”
Speaking of, Twilight came through the front door just then, leading Applejack.
“Ma’am,” said Applejack, taking off her hat.
“Don’t call me that,” said Cadance. She put her hoof out and in a different tone of voice, she said, “It’s been awhile.”
Applejack bumped Cadance’s hoof and put her hat back on. “I reckon it has.”
“We’ll have to discuss how we’ll utilize your talents,” said Cadance.
While they talked, Twilight had disappeared into the back room to put on her uniform. Applejack stared at it as she came back out, shifting her glance to Cadance and Fluttershy, also in uniform.
Twilight said, “Girls, I wanted to talk to you about a proposal I have to capture data and increase our collective knowledge of the operations we’ve run. If everypony writes a detailed report after every engagement, we can build them into a library of information that could help us learn and be more prepared in the future.”
Twilight was taking her leadership role seriously, Cadance noted.
“Writing reports?” said Applejack. “If you were there too, why does it matter?”
“Because everypony might have experienced something different,” Twilight said. “That’s the point. We all need to learn from each other.”
Just then, the door opened and Rarity came in. “Oh there you are, Applejack. Try this on.”
Applejack stared at the identical frilly waitress uniform Rarity had brought and said dryly, “Can I wear my hat with it?”
Pinkie popped out of the kitchen. “That’s a great idea! Cadance, we should all get to wear funny hats. Also, hey Applejack. While you’re here, can I get your apple pie recipe?”
“My hat ain’t funny.”
“If you insist on it, I can get you one that matches the outfit,” said Rarity. “In fact, I think I should get started. It will help me keep my mind off how I was bitten by a zombie.”
“Technically, it was a nebulous shadow being possessing and animating the dead body of a poor zebra,” said Twilight.
“That just makes it worse!” Rarity exclaimed.
“You’re fine,” said Fluttershy.
Rarity sniffed. “If you say so, darling. But...a zombie. So undignified.”
Applejack’s jaw had tightened up through this exchange. Rarity noticed. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She put her hoof on Applejack’s foreleg. “That was insensitive of me.”
“It’s fine,” Applejack muttered.
Rarity opened her mouth again, but the rest of her apology was cut off by Rainbow kicking the door open and stomping in. She pointed her hoof at Twilight. “You lied to me!”
“...not that I recall,” said Twilight.
“You said you got rid of those friends of yours from school.”
Twilight’s confusion changed to annoyance. “I did. After I wiped their memories of the Trixie incident, I wrote them letters about how I had to leave.”
“Then why did I see you with them in the park twenty minutes ago!?”
“That’s ridiculous,” said Twilight. “Twenty minutes ago, I was at my place.”
“With me,” Applejack put in. She tilted her head at Rainbow. “Though I don’t reckon you’d be so stirred up if you didn’t see somethin.’”
“But...it looked like Twilight!” Rainbow said.
Twilight traded a look with Cadance. She turned to Rainbow. “Which park?”
“Okay, I have to admit, sometimes this egghead stuff is really cool,” said Lyra.
Moon Dancer smiled as she set up the model rocket. “I’ll keep that in mind, for the next time I need your help.”
They’d set up in Canterlot Central Park. The area was a no pegasus flying zone, which was intended to make it a place where foals could fly their kites, though there was nopony around this early in the morning. Moon Dancer had been sure to check with park management about the rocket.
Twilight seemed to catch some of Lyra’s enthusiasm. She’d undergone a change recently, becoming more distant. Moon Dancer wasn’t sure why, but Twilight becoming more distant only meant she was back to her usual transfer-student level. And anyway, it wasn’t like Moon Dancer was uncomfortable with introversion.
“Beg your pardon, girls.”
The three of them turned. Moon Dancer’s jaw dropped. Lyra sucked in a huge gasp. The Elements of Magic and Honesty stood before them.
“I was hoping I could talk to Twilight,” said Magic. Twilight’s eyes, already huge in surprise, somehow got bigger.
“Whoa! What about?” said Lyra.
“I’m afraid that’s a rather private matter, but this won’t take long.” Magic put her foreleg around Twilight’s withers and guided her away, towards a clump of tall bushes.
Moon Dancer and Lyra turned back to look at Honesty.
“The Element of Honesty,” Lyra gushed. “I didn’t know you were back. First Magic comes back - this is the second time I’ve seen her in person! - and now you. This is so cool!”
“What does the Element of Magic want with Twilight?” Moon Dancer asked.
“Like she said,” Honestly replied. “It’s a subject just for them, so they’d probably rather you didn’t ask. Or mention it to anypony else.”
“I just love your accent,” said Lyra.
“I ain’t got no accent.”
Lyra continued to grin.
“I’m just having a hard time processing this,” said Moon Dancer. “I know you just said we shouldn’t ask, but I feel like my brain’s seized up.”
“What if it’s related to that hydra attack in Baltimare?” Lyra said. “Twilight wasn’t with us, so maybe she saw something different.”
“Maybe,” said Honesty.
As soon as Twilight and the imposter Twilight were out of sight of the others, she cast a bubble of silence and then turned nose to nose to her doppleganger. “You aren’t Twilight Sparkle. Who are you?”
“W-what are you talking about? Who else would I be?” the fake Twilight said, with a little too much desperation and not enough conviction.
“Look, I try to be a reasonable pony,” said Twilight. “But I’m not even the Element of Honesty and I know you’re lying to me. My patience is getting a little thin, so if you don’t tell me your secrets, I’m going to light you up like a Hearth’s Warming tree.”
Not-Twilight winced. She took a step back and closed her eyes. A flash of green flame around her body revealed a different one underneath.
When it came to imposters, a changeling didn’t surprise Twilight too much. But this didn’t seem to be any ordinary changeling. She was the tallest Twilight had ever seen.
“I am Chrysalis, Queen of the changelings.”
“Why is somepony like you impersonating a high school student?”
“I have my reasons.”
Twilight stared at her flatly. Her horn crackled with magic.
“Okay! I agreed to do it in exchange for love for my hive.”
“Who did you make the agreement with?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never met them. They call themselves the Commander.”
Interesting. Twilight asked, “Where do they get the love?”
“There’s a village up north, but to stay there, we have to do anything the Commander wants. Or...else.” Chrysalis looked away.
Twilight stared at her for several seconds, thinking. “Go back to those two fillies. We wouldn’t want to make them suspicious. But, I want you to meet me back here tonight at ten p.m. We’re going to have a long talk. Maybe I can help you.”
Chrysalis nodded and turned back into a purple schoolfilly with a flash of green magic. So weird to see such an exact replica of herself, thought Twilight. How had Chrysalis even known how to get the details so perfect?
She started to go, but Twilight held up a hoof. “And Chrysalis? Don’t tell anypony. It could mean your life.”
Chrysalis nodded soberly and walked with Twilight back to Moon Dancer and Lyra.
After talking with Applejack, they think you wanted to ask “Twilight” about what happened in Baltimare, Spike helpfully provided.
“Okay girls, thanks for lending me your friend,” said Twilight. “I just wanted to ask about Baltimare.”
Moon Dancer seemed satisfied with that explanation. Lyra’s head was nodding as if on a spring. Such a fangirl. Twilight realized she missed them both. She wished she could drop the disguise for a moment and just say hello or something. So close to them, yet so far.
Twilight looked at the model rocket on its launchpad. “Oh hey, is that a Nestes Skygyro with twin-stage C engines?”
“Ye-yes,” said Moon Dancer.
“That’s a nice rocket. You should be able to get almost to the height of the first tower of the castle.” Twilight pointed up the alabaster castle on the mountainside. “The prevailing winds get a little unpredictable up there, though.”
Regrettably, there was no time to continue the conversation. “Well, we need to go,” said Twilight. “Be good,” She tossed a quick glance at Chrysalis. Lighting up her horn, she teleported away with Applejack.
“She’s so cool,” whispered Moon Dancer.
Back at the shop, the group of them met to go over what they had learned so far. From the outside, it may have looked like a staff meeting at a café - which it technically was - but Equestria’s fate might hinge on this a little bit more than that time another dessert shop had run out of Celestia’s favorite cake.
“It definitely looks as if this new wave of evil keeps getting deeper and deeper,” said Twilight. “We’ve now had three separate sources claim knowledge of some ‘Commander.’ While we didn’t get a chance to ask Trixie, it seems more and more likely that somepony pointed her at me.”
“The changeling angle is interesting. We’ve occasionally encountered them around before, as infiltrators, but never seen their organization. If Chrysalis is telling the truth, they’re employed by the Commander.”
“I can’t believe you let her go,” said Rainbow.
Twilight shouldn’t have, she reluctantly admitted. “If we can get information out of her before her boss finds out, we’ll be ahead. The best way to do that was let Chrysalis keep her cover. Er, as me.”
“I also can’t believe you’re making us write reports!” said Rainbow.
“Intel drives ops,” Twilight reminded her. “After the ops, you write the report, thereby consolidating what we learned.” She looked around at the rest. “I’m serious, by the way. I expect written reports from you all, regularly.”
Over their grumbling, Twilight said, “But in the meantime, back to the matter at hoof, Chrysalis.”
“She could have set a trap,” said Rarity. “Either Chrysalis pretended to be you to see if your school friends knew anything, or she pretended to be you reasoning that you’d eventually show up to confront her.”
“I have Spike keeping an eye on her until tonight,” said Twilight. “But it would be a good idea for a group of us to go together to meet her.”
Rarity looked off into space for a moment. Twilight realized she must be connecting to Spike. “Oh, I see her.”
“Do you still use Spike to see how your own flank looks in a dress?” Applejack asked.
“He’s happy to do it. Plus, in armor, my helmet obstructs my peripheral vision. ” Rarity turned to Twilight, away from Spike’s view of Chrysalis. “That’s a rather unflattering depiction of you, darling.”
Twilight, who thought it had been scarily accurate, said, “I’ve never really thought much about disguises.”
“We all have built-in disguises with the Elements,” Pinkie pointed out.
“Yes, but if it weren’t for the glamour, it wouldn’t work very well. Or at least mine wouldn’t. I mean-” Twilight transformed “-what kind of illogical magic is this? Why would it give me this fetishistic schoolfilly outfit as a combat uniform!? I know the magic chooses for you, but sometimes I really wish I could have picked the clothes too. At least Rarity’s is practical armor.”
“Practical. I didn’t get a choice either,” Rarity reminded her.
“Didn’t you say Princess Celestia was the original Element?” said Rainbow. “What’s hers like?”
“Still kind of a sunny theme, just...moreso,” said Twilight. “Fire. Again, practical armor.” She rolled her eyes and changed back.
“I wonder what Daring Do would be like as an Element,” said Rainbow, crossing her hooves behind her head and leaning back in her chair. “You think I could make her into an Element? I wonder what she would be, the Element of Adventure?”
“That seems like a really bad idea,” said Twilight. She looked around. “Can we make this a rule: no more new Elements? At least not unless we all agree on them. We don’t have a training program and I don’t want some rookie getting killed on my conscience.”
“I think that would be wise,” said Cadance.
The oven timer dinged.
“Pie’s done!” said Pinkie.