This is Home.

by Lucy_Marigold

Chapter 17 - Reflection.

Twilight Sparkle stared up at the ceiling, shifting in her sleeping bag. Moonlight filtered through the large skylight in the room, Luna’s moon watching softly over them. Dawn would be upon them soon.

She sighed, rubbing a holed hoof through her mane. The others were fast asleep, each having found their own place to sleep, be it on the ground or in the sky. Twilight’s gaze flittered over to the tunnel leading to the Royal Wing, sitting upright on her haunches before slowly moving towards it. 

Using magic, she silently shifted the ruins away, a draft of light streaming through her small entryway. After a few minutes of movement, she had cleared enough to freely move into the tunnel. 

Sparing one last glance at the sleeping changelings, she trotted into the Royal Wing.

“You have been gathered here to help conduct a raid on a growing threat in the Everfree.” Shining Armor spoke as he stepped onto one of the platforms that dotted the royal guard barracks. He wore his armor but his mane was still unkempt, dangling over his eyes as he continued his speech. “We’re going to kill some changelings before they take over Ponyville!”

The platoon below him frown, some of them letting loose murmurs and grumbles. One of the stallions, a pegasus, stepped forward, raising a hoof. Shining Armor nodded, granting him permission to speak. “Uh, apologies Captain but... didn’t Princess Celestia say that they weren’t a threat during last night’s speech?”

“She only said that because she’s being brainwashed by those bugs!” Shining snapped, stamping a hoof against the wood underneath him. The group of royal guards began muttering again, frowning further. 

“Now who’s with me?!” The Captain questioned, a smile adoring his face.

The crowd glanced at each other before letting loose grumbles and dispersing, leaving Shining Armor standing there. When the guards had vanished, Blueblood made himself known by trotting up to the suddenly unresponsive stallion. “Well, I do believe they think you’ve gone insane.”

“I have not gone insane! They’re… they’re just wrong.” He fell to his haunches, staring at the ground.

“Does your wife know what you’re doing, Captain?” Blueblood questioned, raising an eyebrow at the alabaster stallion.

“No. Can’t. She could be brainwashed as well.” He muttered. “Maybe even Twily. Maybe that’s why she was avoiding me… “

“Then why trust me? If you believe they’ve been, couldn’t I be?” 

Shining remained silent for a moment, tapping a hoof up and down against the wooden floor. Blueblood sighed, running a hoof through his mane. “Shining Armor, I think you’re just being paranoid. I understand where you’re coming from but you certainly can’t think that this queen or whatever bug it is, has brainwashed Aunty Celestia, Aunty Luna and my cousin?” 

“It’s the only logical explanation! Changelings are dangerous! Why would the princess send Twilight into danger?!” Shining shouted, jerking himself upright. He turned in attention to Blueblood. “You know what? I don’t need your help! I can do this by myself!” Shining Armor trotted away, leaving a slightly concerned Blueblood behind.

“Your highness, Captain Shining Armor left this morning to visit Princess Twilight Sparkle.” One of Celestia’s messagers spoke as the regent of the sun lowered her morning paper. 

“Did he say why?” Celestia questioned, glancing up at the young stallion.

“No ma’am. He did not. Prince Blueblood has also requested an audience with you, he says it’s urgent.” The stallion said as the princess levitated her fork upwards with her magic, a chuck of maple syrup drenched waffle hovering with it.

“How urgent?” She said with a disgruntled sigh, dropping the fork with a clutter. “And what about?”

“He did not say, simply that it was extremely urgent.”

“I do hope it isn’t one of his tax ‘problems’ again.” She rolled her eyes, picking up her silverware again.

“Hopefully not your highness.”

“AUNTY!” A voice echoed down the hallway as a hooves could be heard approaching the door. “AUNTY! THIS IS URGENT!” The door burst open, an out of breath and panicked Blueblood skidding to a halt in front of the royal dining table. “I fear it might be too late! Shining Armor, he’s left to-”

Twilight continued to trot forward, the dusty old hallway coated in over a decade worth of dirt. There was water somewhere as she could hear the drip drip of droplets. Something in the hallway caught her attention as her gaze moved upwards and towards the paintings on the wall. They were old, centuries old. Old oil paint was cracked on some of them, a row of portraits. 

A row of queens.

Twilight’s eyes gazed across the paintings of the former Enigma queens, her ancestors, the ones before her. Each had a small little placard at the base of their frames. Each frame was a dark ebony, different flowers carved in each one. Each queen had purple hair, some of it straight, some of wavy. Not one had the same holed hair or holed horn she had seen in Chrysalis. 

And then she saw the final painting. 

It wasn’t as worn as the others, with delicate little poppies carved into the frame around the twisted branches. Her hoof rose up to meet the canvas, a tender hoof stroking the painting of her mother. Twilight bit back tears, turning away for a moment. The dusty placard below said, ‘Queen Odonata, crowned February Twentieth, Nine-seventy-eight Celestial Era.’

Staring at the painting, Twilight Sparkle frowned a little. Why poppies? She thought. Shaking her head, she trotted further down the ancient tunnel. She froze seeing movement, shafts of sunlight streaming through the other end of the corridor as it bounced off of the black and spotted mirror in the middle of the hallway. Twilight let loose a sigh, shaking her head before moving forward. 

She paused, staring into the mirror, a pair of slitted purple eyes staring back at her.

She hadn’t seen her own reflection in a while. And it was different than she remembered.

Running a hoof through her mane, it had maintained her bangs and usual style, although now a lilac colour. Her bangs parted around her elegantly curved horn, no visible holes to be seen, similar to what she had seen Sombra’s horn to be like. But unlike Sombra’s it merely had a small dent in it, curving upwards instead. The mare in the mirror frowned, sitting down on her haunches and running a swiss-cheese like hoof through her lilac mane. 

Shaking her head, she rose, trotting further down the corridor. The small tunnel opened up to a large courtyard, the tiles shattered here and there. It was like she remembered. The ornate balcony that sat on shiny black columns with plant life weaving in between them, the shattered stained-glass. 
Trotting carefully, Twilight headed up the same steps. Her hoof trailed along the railing as silence, her own steps and the occasional drip of water continued to fill her ears. Rubble lay where she had previously tossed it, the entrance to her mother’s old chambers fully visible. 

“I did not think you’d return, young immortal.” Death emerged from the shadows, stepping forward to greet the young changeling queen. Twilight recoiled slightly, her flank brushing against some rubble. “Now imagine my surprise when a group of changelings slept in the graveyard of their kin. Tell me, why are you here?”

“We’re here to restore the hive.”

“Ah.” Death hummed, smirking. “I knew you were the smart one.” It trotted over to her, draping an abyssal wing over Twilight. “I’ve come to give you another warning.”

“Another warning? I still haven’t figured out your last one!” Twilight snapped, narrowing her eyes at the being. 

“You will figure it out, in due time, Twilight Sparkle. But I must tell you of this. When all is said and done, your Hive will thrive but at an unspeakable cost. A cost so great it could unbalance all of harmony.” It gravely stated as the lavender changeling stared at it. “Be careful, young immortal.”

And then death was gone.