Twilight hauled her saddlebag onto her back. The overstuffed packs hung on either side, heavy enough to crush a lesser pony. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Twilight tried to focus her magic, only for her spell to fizzle. She settled for adjusting the buckles manually.
Adjusting to her new weight quickly, she rushed out of her room, heading down past the throne room. Through the sealed door, she could hear the Court in session. An older sounding stallion pleaded their case. Another land dispute, of course. An enthusiastic Luna interrogated each involved party.
As she stepped away from the door, Twilight chuckled. At the very least she seemed to be enjoying herself. Her path took her deeper into the castle, down into the barracks. Off-duty guards scrambled to make themselves presentable as they waited for their shifts. Twilight hurried by with half-formed greetings.
From the barracks, she escaped the cramped stone halls out into the fields where the soldiers trained. The sounds of clashing metal and commanding drill sergeants assaulted her as she crossed over to the glorified warehouse that constituted the dock’s command center. A squad of soldiers was gathered outside, standing firm beneath the scrutinizing eye of Captain Shining Armor.
“Shiny!” Twilight exclaimed, galloping to her brother’s side.
“Twilight?” Shining blinked. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be at the court?”
“Luna took over.”
Twilight studied the gathered army. Half a dozen Canterlot guards stood proud in their gold suits. The other half were clad in the cool blue steel of the Crystal Empire. She recognized Captain Shield, Private Glaze, and Lieutenant Diamond among the ranks.
Beyond them, a ship floated at the end of the pier. Twilight had seen naval ships before. Heavy structures formed of metal and wood meant to travel across the waves. The airship looked similar, aside from the balloons taking the place of the sails. The ship’s overall size dwarfed the warehouse beside it.
“Right. Just going over a final inspection before takeoff.” Shining turned toward his soldiers. “And as for all of you . . . listen up. There’s been a slight change of plans. You are going to be joined by a Princess. More importantly, that princess is my sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Shining gestured toward his sister.
“The goal of your mission remains unchanged. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior. If I hear anything but the highest praise about any of you, I’ll have you digging latrines at every military installation from here to Griffinstone. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Sir.” The guards saluted in perfect unison.
“Good. I want this bucket ready to set sail A-S-A-P. Get moving.”
“Sir.”
The column of soldiers turned and marched up the gangplank onto the airship moored at the end of the docks.
“Digging latrines?” Twilight asked.
“It was the best I could think of on short notice.” Shining shrugged.
Twilight wrinkled her muzzle. “Do you even have the authority to reassign Canterlot guards?”
Shining tapped his chin. “Technically, no. However, I am a close relative of all three Equestrian princesses. Besides that, I’ve still got plenty of friends in the Guard’s command. I might not be able to reassign them, but I can pull some rather unpleasant strings.”
“Impressive,” Twilight said.
“Twilight?”
The two ponies shifted their focus to the approaching changeling.
“Thorax. Luna’s taken over at the Court, so I’ll be accompanying you to search for Chrysalis,” Twilight explained.
“Glad to have you aboard. I’m not sure your soldiers would’ve taken kindly to my company.” Thorax scratched behind his ear, chuckling quietly.
“You don’t need to worry. They know better than to let their personal feelings jeopardize the mission.” Shining summoned a proud grin.
“Anything else we should know?” Twilight asked.
Shining nodded. “I’ve put Captain Shield in charge of this operation. I believe the two of you have already met. He’ll handle any issues with the ship itself. Thorax, our navigators have rough coordinates of the hive, but they might need a hand once you get close.”
“Got it.” Thorax nodded.
Shining glanced at the reinforced hull of their ship, shining in the afternoon sun. “This model is slower, but the armor should hold through almost anything.”
“What about the balloons?” Thorax asked.
“Special blend of materials with magical reinforcement. It’s light, but far sturdier than it looks.”
“Right,” Thorax nodded slowly, unconvinced.
“I’ve ridden these into battle before. Trust me, it can take a beating.”
“We’ll trust you on that.” Twilight tapped Thorax on the shoulder. “Everyone else is already aboard. We really should join them.”
“Right. Shining Armor?”
“Yes?”
“I’ve explicitly instructed my changelings that they can rely on you if they need anything. In return, I’ve given you authority over them if something happens. I trust you’ll treat them fairly.”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s get going. There’s no time to waste.”
The two of them started toward the ship. As they stepped out onto the pier, the cliffs beneath them faded. The wooden path continued, held up by its own strength. Twilight dared to peek over the edge. Miles below, fog rose from a lake in the center of a forest. The few unicorn instincts she had left screamed at her to retreat to solid ground. Her sore wings fluttered on their own, as if to remind her of their existence.
They climbed up onto the ship. Two of the guards waiting at the edge withdrew the plank. Several pegasus dock workers removed the moorings holding them in place. Beneath the deck, the engines roared to life. A wave of heat poured from the ship as it lurched forward.
Twilight bit the hardened edge of her hoof as the floor tilted beneath her.
The ship pulled away from the docks and into the open air, ringing with a groan of wood. Shining stood at the edge of the cliffs, waving to his sister until he slipped out of sight and they rose into the clouds.
Soon enough, the entirety of Canterlot vanished into the mist. From the deck, only the snowy peak of the mountains remained visible. Several guards remained on high alert, stationed around the edges of the ship to keep watch. Thorax retreated to a room below deck, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts as she watched Equestria roll by far below.
Lost in her trance, Twilight didn’t notice Dusti Diamond and Quartz Glaze flank her. “Heck of a view, huh?” Quartz asked, leaning against the ship’s rail.
“A little worrying,” Twilight said without taking her eyes off the drop.
Dusti sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall nearby.
“Why are you worried? You can fly.”
“I know, but a new pair of wings doesn’t stop a lifetime of being terrified of heights.” Twilight’s wings fluttered.
“That’s right. I forgot about that. You used to be a unicorn, right?” Quartz tapped at his forehead, right where a unicorn’s horn would be.
“Yes.”
“That’s got to be weird. Learning to fly as an adult, I mean. Most pegasi can fly by the time they get their mark. Must be strange to just have these new wings.”
“Compared to magic?” Dusti interrupted. “Learning spells is a lot harder than just flapping wings.”
“Come on, Lieutenant, you know there’s more to flying than just ‘flapping wings’,” Quartz whined, swinging a foreleg wildly through the air.
“Look, I know you guys want to help, but I’d kind of like to be alone right now.” Twilight stepped away from the duo.
“S-Sorry. We didn’t mean to intrude, Princess.” Dusti’s eyes widened.
“We can leave,” Quartz offered, scratching at his mane.
“No. I’m just not feeling all that well at the moment. I think I’m just going to head down to one of the cabins. See if I can get some rest before we arrive.”
“If you need anything, you . . . know where to find us,” Quartz said, turning away embarrassed.
Twilight headed for the wheelhouse of the ship, leaving the two soldiers behind. She bit her lip, trying not to smile at the sound of Dusti berating her underling for bothering the princess. Glaze didn’t seem to mind, letting her rant and rave to her heart’s content without a word of reproach.
She pulled the door open, revealing a small room lined with glass windows. Captain Shield stood at the wheel, adjusting their course slightly according to the instruments spread across the dashboard.
“Evening, Captain.”
“Princess.” He nodded in her direction.
“Thorax come this way?”
“Yeah. He went down a little while ago. I assigned him the cabin at the end of the hall on the right.”
“What about me? Which one’s mine?”
“Captain’s Quarters are reserved for your use. Biggest room on the ship. It’s the only one down there with double doors.”
“Thanks, Captain.”
“Of course, Princess.”
She made for the back of the wheelhouse. A thin wooden staircase led down onto the lower deck. With her airship experience limited to luxury cruises, Twilight felt claustrophobic within the dark wooden belly of the transport. Dozens of cheap oak doors lined either side of the hall. At the end of the hallway, a set of double doors was marked with the seal of the Equestrian military. Several brass lanterns hung on metal hooks, their flames flickering curiously.
As she continued on toward her cabin, Twilight stopped at the last door before her own, listening. No sound emanated from the room, but a light shone through the crack at the bottom of the frame. She considered knocking but decided against it. Instead, she heaved open her cabin doors and stepped inside.
Despite Captain Shield’s description, Twilight felt underwhelmed at the sparse furnishings of her room. A single bed sat against the right wall, complete with a blue rug and uneven side table. Another door at the back of the room led out onto a small balcony, just large enough for a pony to stand on. A desk sat below the windows, adorned with a single bronze candlestick.
Swallowing her disappointment, Twilight dragged herself over to the edge of the bed and crashed. In her attempt to sprawl out, she nearly rolled off the other side. The mattress felt lumpy, and the sheets scratchy. Her pillow might as well have been a concrete slab.
Nevertheless, Twilight sank into the bed and closed her eyes. In the darkness, she could feel the floor shifting beneath her, rocking back and forth gently in the breeze. After nearly an hour of disorientation, she finally understood her older sibling’s distaste of flying.
More than discomfort kept Twilight firmly in the realm of consciousness, though. With her mind left to wander, it found its way to Chrysalis. She thought of last night. Of their conversation. Of the way Chrysalis held her. Of the soft, lush sheets on her bed.
She would give her kingdom just to experience a single one of those.
Twilight sat up, burying her face in her hooves. With a tired exhale, she rose from her bed. Outside, the sun crawled behind the horizon. She slipped through her door back into the hallway. This time, she didn’t stop herself from knocking on Thorax’s door.
“Come on in,” his voice called out.
Twilight stepped inside, letting her mouth fall open at the sight.
“This is your room?” she asked.
The dimensions of the room barely mustered a quarter of Twilight’s. Aside from the cot in the middle of the floor and a window on the wall, the room was empty. Thorax lay on his bed, stretched out as far as he could.
“It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“You want mine? It’s bigger. And I can’t sleep anyway.”
“Believe it or not, I kind of like the smaller room. Product of growing up underground.”
“That’s fair.”
Thorax rolled over to face Twilight. At the sight of her sour expression, his own followed suit. “Can I help you with something?”
“Yes. I want to talk.”
“What about?”
“You know . . .” Twilight shrugged. “Just a chat.”
“Right. I don’t think any conversation with you is ‘just a chat’, Twilight.”
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t sleep.”
“Is it the ship rocking?”
“That’s . . . part of it.”
“You’re thinking about Chrysalis, aren’t you?”
Twilight answered with silence.
“Me too.”
The changeling climbed out of bed. Together, he and Twilight returned to the upper deck. The stars appeared overhead as the last vestiges of the sun’s fading glow lit the sky ablaze. They moved toward the bow of the ship, away from any sentries.
“Do you think she’ll come back?” Twilight asked.
Thorax sighed. “I don’t know.”
“I should have seen it, Thorax.”
“Seen what?”
“Last night. I should have seen how upset she was. Instead, I blew her off to go hang out with my friends. Then again to deal with stupid Royal Court duties. I don’t even know what she wanted to ask me. I never let her ask.”
“If it’s any consolation, you shouldn’t blame yourself for it. When she came to talk to me, she ran into Pharynx and a few other changelings. It wasn’t pretty.”
Twilight scoffed, ignoring the mist clouding her eyes. “No wonder she ran.”
“We’ll get her back, Twilight.”
The ship bucked as a puff of hot air ripped through from the engines.
“What did you talk about? When she came to your room.”
“She said she’d been thinking. About what to do when all of this was over.”
“You too, huh?”
“She asked me . . . she asked me why I left.”
Thorax released his grip on the banister, pressing his back to the rail and sliding down until he collided with the deck.
“What did you tell her?”
“The truth.”
“Is the story you told us the truth? About your revelations during the Canterlot invasion?”
“That . . . wasn’t a lie. It was just the final nail in the coffin.”
Somewhere in the clouds below, a bird screeched.
“Was she always like this?”
“Depends what you mean by ‘this’?”
“You know. She’s a little . . .” Twilight juggled her response in her head, searching desperately for the right words.
“Monstrous?” he suggested.
She opened her mouth to refute him, but no other word seemed to fit the question better.
“Yes,” Twilight whispered.
“No.” He studied the stained wood beneath his hooves.
“What was she like?”
“Don’t get me wrong. She’s always had a mean streak. You can’t really blame her for that, though.”
“Why not?”
Thorax swayed his head back and forth. “To survive as a changeling – and even more importantly as a queen – you have to have a sort of inherent cruelty.”
Twilight scrunched her muzzle. “You don’t.”
Thorax chuckled. “I’m an outlier, Twilight. When I was born, I refused to feed off another creature. Because of that, the Broodmothers recommended letting me starve.”
“That’s horrible.”
“Against their advice, Chrysalis took care of me personally. She let me feed off of her own life energy. As I grew older, she couldn’t keep protecting me. I learned to live with what I had to do. Don’t treat me like I’m some sort of saint, Twilight. I’ve committed my fair share of sins.”
“You proved there was another way.”
He shook his head slowly. “You don’t get it, Twilight. Imagine every time you’ve ever felt hungry in your life. What if every meal, you sat down and listened while your meal pleaded with you not to hurt it? To let it go home to be with its loved ones. You either give in to hunger, or you starve.”
“I . . . never thought of it that way.”
“So yeah. Chrysalis has always had a mean streak. Every changeling needs one to survive. But even that isn’t enough sometimes. The more the hive grew, the more love we needed. One day, that desperation finally hit its limit. The hive changed. Chrysalis changed.”
“What happened?”
Thorax scratched at the floor beside him, avoiding Twilight’s anxious stare.
“Twilight, let me tell you a story . . .”