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// 6 - A Change of Defenses 
// Story: Equestria Threadfall 
// by David Silver 
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The changeling hive had become overgrown with lush flora, encouraged by caring changelings. With sunnier miens than they used to have, some avidly took to gardening, and their efforts spread to the local area. Across their hive, vines and flowers sprouted in the hard stone as if a reflection of the color and softness of the people that lived within.

The area around the hive, once entirely blighted and barren, had been recovering. The changelings' presence had become a blessing to it, instead of a curse that kept it in eternal torment.

Sure, it was still the Badlands, but their little piece of it was less bad. Alright lands? It was great, in their eyes at least. The craggy desert stones were home to tough little bits of plants and rugged flowers and cacti that reached up towards the sun.

The dark clouds that soared over them cared little for their horticultural desires. Silvery thread came with it, falling down in sheets that blew and tossed in the wind, but always downwards in the end, like a gentle rain. But where it landed, what little life was reduced to a tarry sludge almost instantly.

One of the few guards still posted there at the entrance to the hive watched it with wide eyes, their wings buzzing with nervousness. Unlike in more verdant places, the thread could not spread well through the ground of tough stone, but any life unfortunate to be near the surface was destroyed, the ground seeming to become pale and pallid as if it were growing sick.

Thick goopy strings fell from above as the plants that had been so carefully grown across the hive began to fall apart and fall in liquid masses, splattering on the ground in an unhappy display of what the thread was doing to their home.

But the stone held. The thread could not eat it, just anything on it. Though the changelings trembled in their hole, they lost no new members as it fell upon them in great terrible sheets.

When the silvery clouds passed by, Thorax and Pharynx were quick to ascend towards the exit to be greeted with the sound of a pierce cry of pain. One of the guards had gone out to survey the damage and the thread found him, piercing his foot by making it not his. He wrenched the foot away, but only the leg came away, with the rot rapidly progressing up along it. "H-help!" he barely got out before he wailed in agony, collapsing in place.

Other guards moved to assist, but Pharynx was suddenly there, his magic shoving them all back as he landed. "None of you! Not a single one. Stay back..." He looked back over his shoulder at the guard that was rapidly being turned to goo, even his screams becoming weaker as it reached his lungs. "It's too late..."

Thorax shook his head slowly, crashing to his haunches. "W-what is this? What... No one touch it! No one go outside!"

Pharynx nodded softly. "He died to teach us a lesson. No one leaves. Let us remember him for his sacrifice." He put a hoof to his chest, turning to face the dying guard, becoming rapidly goo before them. "Thank you."

The other guards echoed the motion, hooves to their hearts. One leaned to the other. "This feels so weird, doing this while he's still alive..."

"I don't think he is," choked out the other, blinking away tears. "S-sir, what should we do?"

Thorax pointed outside. "For now, nothing. Keep the others safe and secure and we'll wait. Hopefully this will pass." He swallowed heavily. "I bet Twilight or Spike would know what this is..."

But none of them dared to leave the hive that day.





Cadance frowned as something landed on her head. She reached up and brushed off some black dust. What had caused the wind to carry it to the balcony, she couldn't say. She looked down to the chimneys of the city, wondering if one had produced the soot. It seemed likely. She shrugged softly and went back inside.





"I have nothing but bad news," sadly reported Twilight as she landed and quickly marched into the throneroom.

"Mine news is more positive," added Luna, already there. "But, I can imagine the nature of yours." She gestured at Spike. "He and Trixie assisted me."

Next to Spike was Trixie, who was looking a little lost.

Celestia was on her throne, looking pensive. "Tell us, Twilight, what you witnessed. The more information we have, the better. At this moment, things seem to have calmed down."

Twilight nodded as she took a seat before Luna and Celestia. "Trottingham is all but destroyed. The... ponies remaining have been housed in the castle, which took no damage. Griffons were hired to help build new housing as quickly as possible to get the ponies to more stable housing."

Luna raised a hoof. "As I feared. Manehattan was largely spared, as the threaded menace did little to brick or cement. Glass and metal were equally uninteresting to it, and the ponies were frightened, but largely unharmed. Timely warning to get inside was all that was required to avoid the worst of it."

Spike waved a hand suddenly. "Me and Trixie burned it up good."

Trixie nodded in agreement. "They do not seem to enjoy being set on fire."

"Few things do," agreed Twilight with a wry smirk. "Alright, fire works, good to know, and stone isn't hurt, which I guessed with the castle being unharmed. The stone work of buildings were also untouched, except in cases where the rotting wood caused the structure to fail." She turned to point in the direction of the damage. "The train rails between Equestria and the Griffons is completely destroyed, at least the supporting wood. The metal was unharmed at a glance."

Celestia nodded softly with a deep sigh. "I hate to... ask this, but when you say it... how... many were lost in Trottingham?"

Twilight cringed away. "More than I would wish to put a number to. A full census would be required to get a tally of who remains."

Celestia sat up at that. "Do you not mean a tally of those who perished?"

"It... would be faster to count those who remain." Her ears fell. "This was, without a doubt, the greatest disaster to befall a pony city within my life. I really don't have the words for it. I... keep feeling like I should have done something, even as I struggle to imagine what I could have done."

Celestia suddenly took flight, half-jumping/half-flying to Twilight, grabbing her up in her hooves in a sudden and fierce embrace. "These same feelings burn within me, my once faithful student. All we can do is prevent a repeat of this." She gently released Twilight, but Twilight was still there, holding her in kind, clinging to her mentor and losing what control she had. Celestia changed her mind, gently holding the quietly sobbing princess in her hooves.

Spike nervously adjusted the collar he didn't have on. "So, uh, was anywhere else hit with this? Ponyville's alright, yeah?"

Luna waved the thought away. "Your friends are fine. We have received no word of trouble there, or in most of Equestria. A frightened changeling has arrived however with word that their hive was directly struck."

Twilight suddenly sat bolt upright. "Thorax!" She half-fell back to her own hooves, her attention brought back to the present. "Tell me they're alright."

Luna held a hoof towards Twilight. "They are well and suffered few but lamentable losses. Thorax is unharmed. We have dispatched word to them to use flames to rid the taint of this from their lands. Their hive, comprised of stone, was largely unharmed, though the recovering vegetation suffered greatly. It is, perhaps, a blessing that they were in the dry season. Were it otherwise, all the green they had managed to regain would have been destroyed."

Celestia stood up, no longer holding Twilight. "Cloudsdale suffered a mild hit, but was already relocating when the hostile weather pattern approached it. By the time the two intersected, the thread, as ponies have begun calling it, had little time to do more than fall through Cloudsdale's clouds to strike the land below. They were the first Equestrian proper city to report in besides Trottingham."

Luna frowned. "Their losses were entirely brave weather ponies who thought they could turn the thread clouds away. Manehattan lost two in a similar fashion. Brave, foolish souls. I hope they will be remembered fondly, but that is beside the point."

Trixie buffed her front lightly. "This is all very good and all, but why am I still here? Were you going to give me rewards for my Brave and Glorious service to the country?"

Celestia gave Trixie a gentle smile. "You did serve it well, and I hear your wagon was lost as a terrible price."

"It was my favorite wagon," she wailed, suddenly having emotions she didn't have at all for the news of the lost ponies. "My... parents gave it to me... This is the second time, and I don't even have pieces to cobble back together."

Celestia's smile changed subtly, turning from patronizing queen to true sympathy. "That is terrible indeed... We will gladly help you get a new wagon. Do you desire a larger one?"

"No!" She hopped in place, frowning at Celestia. "It should be precisely as the old one." A scroll emerged from her cloak. "I have the plans right here."

Celestia took the scroll in her magic. "I will see to it another is constructed just as the last. Thank you for your noble sacrifice. For now, go. You're welcome to stay in the castle until it is ready, and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you." Trixie dipped her head and trotted out of the throne room, looking satisfied with what she got. "Be sure to return that blueprint!" she shouted before she was gone.

Spike shrugged softly. "I don't need any big reward things, but fire really does work."

Celestia gently pat Spike on the head, rubbing a fin. "You are a good and true friend. Perhaps we should consult the dragons. With their natural propensity for flames, they would be invaluable defenses against any repeats of this."

"I would rather know the source," barked Luna with a scowl. "We should gather proper defenses, surely, but until we understand why it happens and how to predict it, we are as good as helpless to this. This will not stand." She drove a metal hoof to the floor with a loud clop. "Twilight, have you any theories?"

"Not many," she admitted with a little frown. "It came as suddenly as it left. I would hope that means it's gone, but... let's be real with ourselves, it can't be gone that easily."

"Yeah, doubt that." Spike shrugged softly. "How about that thing up in the sky, what we came here for? Think that could be involved?"

Twilight frowned at that. "Why would something in the night sky affect the weather in the morning, that's--"

"--more likely than you would think." Luna snorted as she stood up. "I will investigate this possibility. Until then, we must spread word far and wide. Our people, all people, need to be informed of this grave danger. All nations, even those we owe no favor, deserve not to perish in this fashion."

Celestia willed a gilded scroll into being, a quill dancing on it. "In this, I agree entirely. Whatever little squabbles may exist, this is no time for it. Use fire, hide beneath stone, metal, or glass. Any other information comes to mind?"

Twilight started, remembering something. "Water! It had no effect on the ocean or sea of any kind. Creatures that live in it are probably safe, but--"

"--Yes, good." Celestia added that note down quickly. "Let's get the word out to all that will hear it, and hope some who we inform will relay it onwards to those who do not."