It was evening time in the Crystal Empire, and Thorax was in Flurry Heart's room, playing with her in an attempt to tire her out. Her parents were dealing with some visitors who were high ups in Celestia's royal court.
"Peekaboo!" He said, making Flurry laugh and clap her hooves. "Peekaboo. Peek..." Flurry raised her eyebrow, "aboo!" She laughed again at this.
As he did this, Hiveena walked into the room while a pair of guards kept the door open and stared inside. "So this is where you were," she sighed. "Oh, if only my mother could see you now."
"She'd probably have a heart attack," Thorax chuckled, "If she has a heart, that is."
"Too bad we can't be trusted to actually get left alone with her," Hiveena added as she plonked herself down in a rocking chair Cadance had. Thorax turned to her, only to see her point to the guards at the door, the two quickly looking away, one even whistling.
"That's not fair. Shining and Cadance always have a guard stationed at the door."
"They're there whenever you or I are here," Hiveena countered, "How do you know they're still here when we're not?"
"I...don't. Or...can't."
"They're always here." The two glanced back to see Ruby standing at the door, "You two aren't being singled out."
"You sure?" Hiveena asked.
"I would have thought you'd have a little more faith in us. We did agree to remove you magic-suppression ring."
"But Thorax and I still have to wear these paralyzing collars," Hiveena replied, "Not exactly something you put on ponies you trust."
"I don't have time for your wild theories," Ruby calmly responded, "I'm only here because the princess asked me to bring her daughter to her. The visitors are interested to meet Equestria's newest alicorn." Thorax nodded at this, stepping back as Ruby picked the princess up, Flurry squirming at this. But as she did this, Ruby patted her belly, making Flurry giggle, "Come along, little one."
She headed out the door with the changelings following her, the three making their way through the castle until reaching the meeting room. As they arrived, they found Cadance and Shining Armor walking out with several ponies. Fancy Pants was amongst them, but the others was a pink earth pony mare, a brown unicorn stallion and a pale blue pegasus, all dressed in finely crafted suits and dress.
Cadance smiled at the sight of her daughter, who started calling and reaching out for her. She took her in her magic, levitating her over, "Flurry, we have some very nice ponies looking to meet you." The alicorn turned to the four newcomers. "This is Fancy Pants, Clearwater, Hard Sell and Gentle Cloud."
"A pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Fancy told Flurry with a bow as the baby laughed.
"You know she can't hear you, right?" Hard Sell told him. "She's a foal."
"I wouldn't underestimate her," Hiveena spoke up. "The foal seems a lot more understanding then most her age." The high-end ponies all gave her a stare, making her raise an eyebrow, "What?"
"She's right, you know," Shining chimed in, "Watch. Flurry?" his daughter turned to him, "Black. Black." He said it a few more times until Flurry laughed and pointed at Thorax. "Good. Now...blue. Blue." This time, Flurry pointed to both him and Fancy...though she was focusing on their manes. "See?"
"Fascinating," Hard Sell chimed in, "She knows her colors. Very useful for one day ruling an empire."
"She's still young," Cadance added, "She'll learn more when she's older, especially since we have an excellent pony to teach her."
"Yes," Clearwater nodded. "This...Sunburst character. Where is he again?"
"At home," Cadance replied, "It's getting late, so it makes sense he'll be there."
"Ah, yes," Fancy nodded. "Maybe it's time we all turned in for the night. I'm sure we have lots more to do tomorrow."
They all nodded with Cadance turning to Thorax, "Can you run ahead and start running Flurry's bath? We need to show our guests to their quarters."
"Sure," Thorax responded before flying off to do said task. As he did this, Hiveena began to stretch out her body.
"Well, I might as well get to bed to. Busy day of doing nothing tomorrow...again." With that, she trotted off in the other direction.
Once she turned a corner, Gentle Cloud turned to Ruby and the royals, "Are you sure it's such a good idea to have those two wandering about the castle? They are changelings after all."
"Don't worry," Cadance replied, "Those two have been around for a long time and they haven't caused any trouble. Thorax has been a big help with Flurry whenever we need a foalsitter."
"But what about the other one?" Hard Sell asked, "If I remember correctly, she's the daughter of the changeling that kidnapped you and tried to wed Shining Armor. How can you be sure she won't cause any problems?"
"I admit I was a little skeptical at first," Shining told them. "But so far, she hasn't given us any major need to worry."
"And even if she does, I'll be there to make sure she's dealt with. Everything will be fine." Ruby finished, the higher ups showing content with this, the eight ponies heading toward the visitor's quarters. As they did this, Hiveena walked out of the corner.
"Of course," she sighed. "Still don't trust me, even though I've done everything I can to fit in here. Eh, whatever..."
Celestia's sun was soon completely set, the ponies of the empire now preparing to go to sleep. But there was one figure that was wide awake, hidden within the darkness of a nearby alleyway.
Within there, a pony stepped out of the darkness. It was a unicorn, but the specifics of its body were unknown due to what it was wearing. The entire body was covered in a black suit that could mistaken for a ninja outfit, covering all but their eyes. The pony was also wearing a pair of night-vision goggles, ducking through the darkness as they walked through the area.
The pony stared out of the alleyway, only to see some guards on night patrol, ducking back into the darkness until they passed. Once they were gone, he looked out again before staring at the castle. He then moved up to the wall and put something on it, a sticker with a circle drawn on it that had a series of symbols on the inside: Runes.
A horn began to glow at this, shooting out a blast of magic that struck the rune sticker, causing it to glow before the circle expanded off the sticker and onto the wall. Once it was done, the inside of the circle transformed into some kind of tunnel made entire of magic, which the pony leapt through.
What he found on the other side was darkness, the pony lighting his horn to illuminate the area. The pony now found itself surrounded by brooms and mops, then looking back at the portal to see it transform back into the sticker, ready to be used again. He then headed for the door and opened it up, looking out and finding itself within the Crystal Castle.
He stepped out of the broom closet, his eyes shifting around, only to hear hoofsteps. Going back into the closet, another pair of guards walked by before coming out of the closet again. And with that, the pony began to sneak around, trying to find its target.
Meanwhile...
Hiveena was now laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her head kept going over what the others said, growling at the words.
"Ahh!" She yelled, pulling a pillow over her head. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why she cared so much about what they had said. She knew they didn't trust her, so why did hearing about it bother her so much?
Before she could make another sound, her door opened, making him turn and see a staring Thorax. The changeling let out a silent growl, "What?!"
"I heard you through the walls. You were making a bunch of weird sounds. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she lied, quickly getting up, "I'm just...just having trouble sleeping. Probably not tired enough." She walked past him into the doorway. "I'm sure a walk'll tire me out. Then I can get to sleep no problem."
"Great!" Thorax walked with her, "I'll join you. I'm not really tired either." Hiveena knew that was a lie, since looking after Flurry Heart for even an hour could exhaust anypony. Thorax then let out a yawn, making her roll her eyes. But as she did this, a small smile appeared on her face, both now walking through the hallways.
The ninja was continuing his trek through the castle, and after many near misses of almost being seen, he arrived at this destination. The bedroom of Princess Flurry, which was being guarded by two guards, was just around the corner. His prize was in sight, and he magically pulled out two squares of paper with runes on them.
He stepped out from around the corner, slinking up as quietly as possible. And as the guards noticed him, one said, "Who are-" They didn't finish as the ninja threw the squares, both hitting one of the guards before the runes glowed and unleashed burst of electricity.
Both guards cried out as they were zapped, two bodies hitting the floor with a thud.
Hiveena's ears pricked up, spinning around, "Did you hear that?!"
"Hear what?" Thorax asked, Hiveena turning around and running through a hallway.
"I don't know, but It came from this direction. Sounded like somepony crying out." She continued to head in that direction with Thorax following her, the smaller changeling gasping.
"Wait...this is the way to Flurry's room!" He ran ahead of her, turning a corner before gasping again as he saw the guards laid out on the floor with the door open. The changeling zipped into the room, only to see the pony in ninja gear hovering over Flurry's crib. "Get away from her!" He almost yelled as he charged, but the unicorn leapt back before firing a blast of magic. "Augh!" He cried as he was thrown back, slamming into Flurry's bookshelf. He fell to the floor as the shelf rocked and collapsed on top of him, making a terrible racket as Hiveena arrived.
She saw the guards, then the stranger, then Thorax as she walked into the room. An angry hiss escaped her lips as she morphed into a giant cobra, charging at the ninja. He began to firing several magic beams, but she easily dodged them, pushing the stranger into a corner of the room.
Seeing the window to just his side, the ninja looked back at the now giant snake. "Nowhere to run now," she hissed, "You will pay for you've done here."
But as she said this, the stranger suddenly charged at the window, leaping through it in a single go. Glass shattered everywhere as the unicorn fell out the window, Hiveena gasping as she changed back to normal. She then saw the unicorn fall, only to bring his hooves to his side before pulling them apart to reveal glider wings. "What the-"
"What the hay?!" She turned to see Shining, Cadance and a few more guards entering the room. "What's going on?!"
"Thorax needs help!" She told them before leaping out of the window, making everypony go wide-eyed as the guards ran over to the window, Cadance to her daughter and Shining began to pull Thorax free. In a lower hallway, Ruby had been patrolling the castle when she heard the disturbance, only to see Hiveena flying outside a nearby window.
Deciding to follow her gut, Ruby teleported outside, looking up to see Hiveena fly low, teleporting again to a nearby roof. "What's happening?" She asked, only for Hiveena to point ahead. Ruby then saw the figure she was chasing, who was almost invisible thanks to their dark clothing.
"He was in the brat's room. He hurt Thorax and looked like he was about to do the same to Flurry."
Ruby went wide-eyed before glaring, running at full speed as the figure glided back to the ground. He performed a rolling landing, the flaps between his legs just dropping off as he started running. "Stop!" Ruby fired a blast of magic, but he managed to hop over it, then ducking under a beam of magic from Hiveena.
But as he evaded the third attack, he ran into an alleyway, only for Hiveena to fire some green slime from her mouth that hit his hoof. "Augh!" He cried, falling over, knocking his goggles off, revealing tanned brown fur around a pair of blue eyes. And when he picked himself up and rolled over, he found a crystal sword at his throat.
"Time for some answers," she replied, only for the ninja's horn to glow.
Back in the castle...
Shining was now trying to get Thorax to wake up, but the bug was out cold.
And as they did this, their attentions suddenly shifted to a new light coming from a wall. It was here that they saw a rune sticker placed on it, the runes now glowing as a buzzing sound filled the room.
"Oh no," Shining whispered before magically pulling everypony toward him and casting a shield spell. But as soon as it was up-
"I say," they turned to see their guests at the door. "What the dickens is going-"
"NO!" Shining yelled, trying to extend the shield.
KABOOM!
The explosion made the two run out of the alleyway, both seeing the castle now go up in smoke. Ruby gasped in horror as Hiveena looked back at the criminal. She let out a hiss as she saw him blast the gunk off his leg. "Hey! Get back here!" She flew after him as he ran to the back of the alleyway, towards a wall. "There's nowhere to run!"
To answer that statement, the criminals fired a blast from his horn, hitting a certain sticker. Hiveena gasped as she then saw a portal open up. The stallion leapt through it before it began to close, Hiveena trying to do the same. But as she got closer, she found herself unable to catch to the quickly shrinking portal. Instead, she saw the other side, a glimpse of an alleyway...and a sign.
Highlight's Pet Emporium.
Fillydelphia's best pet store
That was all she could read before the portal closed, her hooves then hitting the wall. "NO!" She yelled before seeing the sticker suddenly catch fire, burning to a crisp, "NO!"
"Hiveena!" She spun around at the voice, "The castle!" Hiveena nodded before taking Ruby's hoof, flying her up to the building. As they did this, almost everypony in the Empire began to running out of their houses, including Sunburst as he spotted the two.
"Ruby!" He called out, making them look down at the unicorn, "What's going on?!"
"We don't know!" Ruby replied, "Somepony tried to kidnap Flurry and when we cornered them..." She gestured to the castle, making Sunburst gasp. It wasn't long till all three were inside, being told by the guards that the royal couple were at the infirmary, making them gasp before they ran over there.
When they arrived, they saw Shining and Cadance standing at the foot of several beds with Flurry crying in Cadance's hooves. "Is everypony okay?" Ruby asked, stepping over to the couple.
"We're fine," Shining sighed, "But..." He turned to the beds, everypony now seeing Thorax, Fancy Pants, Hard Sell and Clearwater laying there. The nurses each placed an oxygen mask over their mouths before green gas was pumped inside.
"What happened to them?" Sunburst asked.
"Thorax got hit by a powerful blast of magic and then had a bookshelf collapse on him," Cadance explained. "He has a concussion and a few cracked ribs. The others were caught up in the explosion. All but Gentle Cloud was thrown into the back wall or hit with debris."
The head doctor spoke up at this moment, "I've given them all a powerful sedative, which should keep them comatose long enough to heal without feeling any pain. They'll be out until late tomorrow or maybe the day after."
"Thank you," Cadance nodded while the only visitor not hurt moved over to them.
"How could you let this happen?" Gentle Cloud asked, "Where were your guards when this happened?"
"The ponies guarding Flurry's room are still out of it," Shining grumbled out, "Some kind of weird rune magic was used on them."
"I found the same kind of rune when the pony who did all this disappeared." They all turned to Hiveena and asked for more details, the changeling explaining who it was that had hurt Thorax and likely set the bomb. Ruby also chimed in and verified what she was saying, Cadance's face showing a rare tinge of anger.
"What were they after?! Why kidnap Flurry?!" Cadance hissed, "Who is after my daughter?!"
"I don't know." Ruby replied, looking down in shame, "We won't know for sure until we find this individual."
"But how?" Sunburst asked, "You said he escaped through a rune portal. That means he could be anywhere in Equestria."
"I wouldn't worry about that. I know exactly where they are right now." They all turned to Hiveena, seeing a grin on her face. "They're in Fillydelphia."
"Fillydelphia?"
"I saw a sign through the portal." Hiveena added, "Highlight's Pet Emporium. Fillydelphia's best pet store. It's a sign that was across a road."
"So the pony that tried to take my daughter is now in Fillydelphia?" Shining growled, clenching his hooves, "Just wait until I get my hooves on-."
"No, your Majesty!" Ruby interrupted, "You need to stay here. It may be possible that he has a partner still in the city, waiting to try again. You need to make sure Flurry is safe." She stood tall, "I shall find this criminal and bring him to justice."
Shining glared at her, then looking at his wife as she nodded at him. Letting out a long sigh, "Wery well. We'll stay here and keep the empire on alert until you find out whose causing this."
"We'll also contact Twilight," Cadance added, "No doubt she'll want to hear about this. She may even be able to help if you run into any roadblocks."
Ruby nodded at this, "I'll set out for Fillydelphia on the first train tomorrow."
"You mean we'll set out," Hiveena chimed in, making everypony turn to her, "I'm going too." The ponies went wide-eyed at this, mainly because they knew Hiveena never volunteered to do anything. That is, till she said, "I'm going to make them pay for doing that to Thorax. Besides, I'm the only one who knows what to look for."
Ruby opened her mouth, only for Cadance to speak up, "Very well." She turned to the princess with wide eyes, "Hiveena can be a big help with her shape-shifting abilities. I want you to work with her and find out who's doing this."
"I...very well." Ruby sighed, doing a small bow.
"Great. Then let's get going." Hiveena added as she gestured to Ruby. "Come on."
"What are you talking about? We can't just go to Fillydelphia. It's halfway across Equestria."
"That distance means nothing. Come on, we'll fly there."
"That could take days, and I can't fly." Ruby deadpanned, only to slightly gulp as she saw a grin appear on Hiveena's face.
"You poor naïve fool. Shining Armor," she turned to the prince. "We're gonna need a chariot." The prince raised an eyebrow at this, only to tell her there were some at the city's stadium.
Within an hour, the two were standing in front of one of the Crystal Empire chariots. "I still don't see how this is supposed to help us," Ruby told the changeling as she got on the chariot. "Changelings can't fly that fast."
"Have you forgotten my special talent?" Hiveena asked as a burst of fire consumed her before taking the shape of Rainbow Dash. "I don't just copy a creature's form, but their abilities too." She flew around the chariot at super speeds, creating a blue blur that blocked it from view. And when she finally stopped, she was coupled to the chariot and Ruby was strapped into the seat like a pre-flight astronaut. "With this, we'll be there in no time."
"Err..." Ruby tried to say, "I don't think this is such a good IDEAAAAAAA!" She screamed as Hiveena shot into the air with a sonic boom, pulling the chariot with her. Within seconds, they reached the edge of the city's protective barrier and disappeared into the snowy night.
Cadance, Shining and Sunburst watched them go, all hoping they could find the one responsible for this. As they did this, Gentle Cloud was staring down at the royal couple and their child from the castle tower.
Hours passed like they were nothing as Ruby sat in the chariot while the Rainbow Dash lookalike flew through the air. She was forced to slow down when they were a third of the way there, but still kept up a brisk pace, the two now flying over the more common landscapes of Equestria. And as the sun and moon began to swap places as dawn approached, the city of Fillydelphia came into view.
"We're almost there!" Ruby told Hiveena, "You holding up alright?"
"I'm fine," the changeling replied, "My species can go four days without sleep, though the journey here will have cut my limit to three."
"Well, don't overdo yourself," Ruby responded, "At least not until we find the shop you saw before." As she said this, the began to land. They first had to find someplace to park their chariot, though that wasn't difficult since theirs had a royal decree sticker, giving them permission to park anywhere that wasn't a handicap zone.
"Alright," Ruby commented as she got off the chariot, "Let's get searching. If this pet store's supposed to be the best in Fillydelphia, lots of ponies must know about it."
"Maybe...unless its a boast on their part. But before we start searching...." She walked behind a street lamp and came out as a white pegasus mare with black and red stripped hair and a music note cutie mark. "There. That should help keep me incognito." She turned to Ruby, "Though you'll stick out like a sore hoof."
Ruby smirked before lighting her horn. In a flash of light, her normally glistening red coat had turned the normal blue while her mane and tail turned violet. Her cutie mark had changed to a panto mask and the Crystal Promise had vanished from around her neck. "A little something I picked up from Trixie. Figured I may end up doing detective work, so having a way to stay under the radar was a must."
Hiveena giggled at this, "I can't help but feel touched that you've adopted my way of doing things."
"Let's just get to work," Ruby replied, "We should ask around and see if anypony can direct us to this store."
But as they did this, asking anypony they came across, they soon found that Hiveena's comment about the boast was correct, nopony knowing the store. The mares were forced to split up, asking street after street, only to get no answers. They had never heard of Highlight, their pet emporium or it being being the best pet store in Fillydelphia.
Hours passed, no help coming. And as Ruby let out a sigh, she walked back to where she and Hiveena had agreed to meet, mentally exhausted after asking the same question over a hundred times. She arrived on the street, now seeing the disguised Hiveena lounging on a bench, drinking a soda and flicking through a book as their chariot was behind her.
"What are you doing?" Hiveena looked up to see a glaring Ruby, both locking eyes before Hiveena took a sip from her drink. "How long have you been here?"
"About an hour." Ruby's eye twitched at this, "I realized we were never gonna find this place just by asking around."
"So you gave up?"
"No," Hiveena held up the book, "I realized there was another way to find it." Ruby blinked at the novel, now seeing it was the Fillydelphia mail directory, a book with the names, addresses and zip codes of everypony and business in the city.
"Of course!" Ruby face-hoofed, "Why didn't I think of this before?!"
"Don't go singing my praises yet," Hiveena added as Ruby sat down, "I haven't found the place yet, and I've been looking for an-wait!" Ruby turned to her as she poked a page, "Bingo!" Ruby stared down the page, seeing the name they had been looking for.
"Highlight's Pet Emporium," Ruby read. "One, two, three Trotting Street."
Hiveena slapped the book shut, "Let's ride." Ruby got onto the chariot while Hiveena strapped herself in, the two having grabbed a map and located Trotting Street on the edge of the city. They soon flew over, Ruby directing the changeling in which way to turn.
As they made their way through the town, they found the buildings were looking less maintained. The windows were either dirty, broken or boarded up. Trash bags littered the streets along with other sets of loose garbage, making both wretch in disgust. "No wonder nopony knew about this place," Hiveena commented, "Who'd wanna buy a tortoise from this dump?"
"Let's just find this place and get out of here before we get mugged." Ruby added as they landed, the two getting out and following the map. But as they drew closer to their target, they found the conditions around them growing worse.
"Shoo!" Ruby yelled as some bugs swarmed around her, then feeling one bite her, "Raah!" She waved her tail around, trying to swat the bugs away, only to notice Hiveena wasn't having any problems. "Why don't they mess with you?"
"Maybe they're not into cannibalism," Hiveena laughed, making Ruby roll her eyes.
"Whatever." She glanced back at the map as the pair turned onto what should have been Trotting Street.
"There!" Hiveena called out, Ruby looking up to see a building down the street. They both ran up to it, seeing the sigh with the exact same words Hiveena had seen. "This is definitely it," the changeling commented before turning around and spotting the alleyway she had seen through the portal directly across the street. "That's where he teleported to."
Ruby turned to the alleyway, glancing around before seeing a frame store to the right and a bar to the left. "Think after his failure he went to drown his sorrows?"
"Only one way to find out," Hiveena replied as they walked up to the bar. As soon as they opened the door, they were met by the buzz of noise coming from within. It seemed everypony that lived in the area had all compiled within the bar, filled with stallions and the occasional mare. The place was very dark, lit by a single overhead light.
Several pairs of eyes fell on the two as they moved over to the bar and sat down, "What can I get you ladies?" The bartender asked. Hiveena suggested the least-alcoholic drink they could get, both taking a small shot before looking around.
"See anything?" Ruby asked, her mind telling to not expect much considering how long it had been.
Hiveena's eyes shifted around the place, trying to make it look like she wasn't staring...only for her gaze to come to a stop, "Ten o'clock."
Ruby glanced over in that direction, spotting a booth with a tan brown skinned unicorn, a pair of blue eyes barely showing themselves. "That's him," Ruby whispered as they turned back to the bar before he spotted them. "What's the plan?"
"Maybe go over and teleport him outside? I get the feeling the ponies in this place are looking for an excuse to throw down."
Ruby slightly shook her head, "We need to get him to tell us why he tried to take Flurry before we capture him. Right now, we don't even know for sure that it is him. That's a pretty common fur color."
"Alright," Hiveena gulped down another shot. "Leave it to me." She got up before Ruby could say anything, sauntering over to the booth as several eyes saw her sway her hips. Their target was one of them, Hiveena using a special changeling magic that allowed her to link her mind to a closeby target. She couldn't read their mind, but she could learn what attracted them. She carefully shifted her proportions so that she was the right body shape to be attractive to the stallion, the mare soon reaching him. "Hey there handsome. This seat taken?"
The stallion probably would have told her to go away, but already being a few drinks in, he couldn't and said, "Sure."
She sat down and ordered another round of drinks as he finished his off. "So, what's got you drowning your sorrows?"
"I had a really important job to do...and I blew it. Now my employer's gonna have my head."
"Oh, poor baby." The drinks arrived as Hiveena quickly drank hers, making the stallion slowly drink his, "So...what kind of work do you do?"
"I'm a...handy-pony. I do whatever the customer wants. I haven't failed before, but...some annoying ponies got in my way. Now I've blown my chance and the money I was gonna get from it."
Hiveena said nothing and drank some more, now knowing she had found their stallion. The two continued to talk after this, Hiveena using her old talents to make up a bunch of stories about herself. And as the stallion began to drown more into his drink, she tried to steer the conversation in the direction of his job. But every time, he would shift to another subject. She couldn't even get a name out of him.
One hour and several glasses of cider later, the two were laughing at something Hiveena had said. The changeling glanced over at the bar, seeing Ruby stare at her before the disguised unicorn got up and left.
"So..." she turned back to him, "Are you local? At least tell me that."
"I have a place I crash at whenever I need some time to myself," he replied before Hiveena leaned up to him.
"Why don't you show me it and you won't have to be by yourself?" The stallion smiled before getting up, walking to the door. He was a little tipsy, but not bad enough to make him look like an idiot. Hiveena followed behind him, the two soon turning left as Hiveena glanced around for Ruby. And as they walked into an alleyway, an idea popped into her head.
"What was that?" She asked, making the unicorn stop and turn to her.
"What was what?" She stared into the alleyway, raising her ear up.
"I heard something. Somepony...calling for help." She walked ahead of him, the unicorn slowly following her. She then began glancing around, the stallion raising an eyebrow at this.
But as they got about halfway through the alley, the exit suddenly disappeared. "What the?" He asked as he spun around and saw a large wall of crystal suddenly shoot out of the ground. "Wait...this is-"
"Surprise!" He turned back to Hiveena as a flash of light revealed Ruby beside her, both mares transforming back to their true selves.
"You two!"
"Us!" Ruby instantly responded, "We have a few questions we'd like you to answer. Now we can do this the easy way-" she didn't get to finish as the unicorn fired a blast, both ducking under the beam before the unicorn charged at them. Ruby sighed and easily deflected a punch before grabbing the unicorn, spinning him over onto his back. He let out a groan of pain as he hit the floor, then opened his eyes to see the upside down mares glaring at him.
"Why did you try and kidnap the princess?!"
Hiveena answered for him, "I think he was hired too. He said something about a job with a big payday." This made Ruby growl as the unicorn tried to get back to his hooves, only to fall back down before shuffling backwards.
"Is that true?! Did somepony put you up to this?! Admit and it'll be a lot easier on you. Just tell us who it is that hired you."
"I don't know," the unicorn came to a stop. "I just got a message telling me what to do and where to bring the foal when I was done. I never met the pony that hired me."
"You must have talked to them," Ruby barked back, "Ponies like you like to haggle, so you must have worked out a price and spoke to them face to face."
"No. They sent me a special rune that let me communicate to them. I never saw their face." He started shuffling back again, "I even asked what they wanted to kid for, but they said nothing. My guess is they wanted to trade her for somepony else. Probably a friend that was in prison or something."
"A likely story," Ruby hissed as she summoned a sword, "Now tell us who hired you!"
Hiveena smiled at the squirming pony, enjoying the look of terror on his face. That is, till she saw something on the ground. A piece of paper that Ruby hadn't noticed, which the criminal placed while he was crawling back. One with some strange symbol on it, Hiveena yelling, "Don't!" But it was too late. Ruby stepped on the rune as it lit up beneath her hooves.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!" She screamed as lightning exploded through her body, causing it to go numb and making her magic cut out. As the last of the electricity flowed through her, Ruby's sword fell to the floor, her body soon joining.
Hiveena could only gasp when she saw what had happened, the criminal quickly getting to the fallen knight before the changeling could react. Before Ruby could do anything, a hoof slung around her neck, yanking her up before a dagger presented itself to her throat, "Don't even try it," the unicorn hissed, "One wrong move and you get a second mouth."
Ruby tried to move at this, only for a numbness to flow through her body. Seeing this, the unicorn looked up at Hiveena, "You too lady. Unless you want your little friend hurt, you'd better give up." The changeling glared at him, then glanced down at Ruby before looking back at him and letting out a sigh. The unicorn smirked at this, only to see Hiveena turn back with a glowing horn. He clenched his dagger ready hoof, only to for a beam of magic to suddenly hit Ruby.
"Ahhhhh!" Ruby screamed as the blast struck her chest, knocking her out of the stallion's hooves. She slumped over, hitting the dirt.
"What the-" The unicorn turned back to Hiveena, only to see her smile.
"Finally. You have no idea how much of a favor you just did for me," she replied, "That unicorn's been on my tail for ages. Thanks for giving me the opening I needed to finish her off."
"What...trickery is this?" He asked, holding up his knife as Hiveena moved up to him.
"No tricks. You see, I'm as much a prisoner as your employer's friends. Even though I'm allowed to walk around, they still keep a watchful eye on me. Just waiting for me to make some kind of mistake that they can use to justify throwing me back into a cell." In that moment, Ruby's eyes flickered open, but neither noticed as her head lifted up. "But thanks to you, now I can disappear into thin air. Although, I may be willing to help you in your little endeavor."
The unicorn laughed at this, "What could you possibly do to help me?" Her answer was to ignite her body, transforming back to her normal state, the unicorn gasping at the sight.
"I'm a changeling," she replied, "I can take whatever form I want." She began to move to the left, the unicorn mirroring her movement to keep away, "That means I'm the perfect pony to sneak in and grab the little brat with everypony being none the wiser." In another burst of flames, she suddenly transformed into Ruby. "It's simple. I go back to the Crystal Empire, telling them I escaped and fled before she could catch me. Then, when nopony's looking, I snatch the poop-machine and hand her off to you."
"And what's in it for you?" The unicorn asked as Hiveena turned back to normal.
"If I'm to properly escape, I'm gonna need bits to hold me over until I can find a place to lay lower. I help you get the foal, you split your take with me."
This got the unicorn to frown, raising his dagger again. "I don't think so." With that, the unicorn charged at the changeling, only for Hiveena to magically grab Ruby's fallen sword, blocking the knife with a single swipe. Both were soon stuck in clashing, both weapons swinging around as they also fired beams.
But as this fight began, Hiveena took to the air, firing a barrage of magic. And as she did this, the unicorn fired a shot straight up, hitting her wing. "Augh!" She fell to the ground as her magic dropped the sword, the unicorn catching it in his magic.
Before she could recover, she suddenly felt the blade at her throat, "Should have run while you had the chance." He pulled the blade back, only to suddenly flinch. "AHHHHH!" He screamed at the feeling of something hitting him in the back, Hiveen jumping to the side to see a flying crystal ball.
Ruby was now back on her hooves, the ball now growing before expanding around the unicorn until his entire body was consumed in the red gem. Hiveena sighed before turning to Ruby, "Nice save partner. Now let's see what this moron-" She didn't get to finish as Ruby created another crystal sword and pointed right at her neck, "Whoa, whoa, whoooooa! What's your problem?!"
"Don't play dumb with me," Ruby growled, her eyes red with anger, "Despite your attempts to eliminate me, I heard everything you said to him, including your plans to kidnap the princess for a cut of his profits." This statement caused Hiveena to roll her eyes, giving a look that said 'I can't believe this.'
"And they say unicorns are supposed to be the smart ones of your species." She pushed Ruby's sword away before pointing at her. "That was a diversion. I was trying to get him away from you."
"You shot me!"
"If I didn't, he would have sliced your head off!" She pointed at Ruby's chest, "You're not badly hurt, are you?"
"No," Ruby did her own once over before glaring back, "But that doesn't make what you did right. And how do I know you were telling him the truth and are now lying to save your own skin?"
"Oh, for crying out loud! What is it gonna take for you to trust me?! If Sentry or any of your other little friends had done something like that, they wouldn't even need to say sorry for you to forgive them."
"Trust is something that needs to be earned," Ruby growled, "And so far, you haven't been doing anything to make me trust you. Especially with stupid stunts like that."
"How can I earn your trust if you won't even give me a chance?! I would have thought helping Sentry and the princesses stop that storm cloud would have shown I'm trying to help you."
"Self preservation," Ruby instantly responded, "There's no way you could have escaped the storm, so slowing it down enough to allow a proper solution was you best bet."
"Oh, I give up," Hiveena turned away from her. "There's just no pleasing you, is there? And while we're on the matter of trust, I'd like to point out that it's meant to be a two way street." She glared back, "I held up my end of the bargain, but so far you ponies have been less than giving with yours." Ruby raised an eyebrow at this. "Did you forget what you promised when I agreed to join you?"
"We promised to let you roam free in the Empire, and you have."
"As long as you've got a guard close by to keep an eye on me," Hiveena corrected. "But that's not what I was talking about! You promised to help me reclaim my rightful place as queen of the changelings. What have you actually done since then to try and help me accomplish this goal?"
"This kind of stuff takes time-"
"It would take a lot less time if you actually did anything. Do come running to me if my mother decides to attack tomorrow and ends up conquering Equestria. If you had held up your end of the bargain, she would have been taken down by now!" Ruby growled at this, only to say nothing. Instead, Hiveena let out a huff as she turned to the frozen pony, "Let's just drop it for now. We're wasting time." She tapped the crystal, "Unlike someponies, I actually keep my promises. I'm gonna find out who's after the baby, and then after that, you can decide whether or not you trust me." She glanced back at the knight, "Open him up, would ya?!"
"Fine." Ruby sighed as her glowed, creating a small crack around his face. It then broke off, freeing his mouth and nose, but left the rest of him trapped.
He let out a mighty gasp of air, panting as he glared at the pair. "Are you insane?! I could have died!"
"Oh, don't be so melodramatic," Hiveena spat, "Goody two-hooves over there obviously left you a big enough hole to breath."
"Barely."
"Well, if you want to keep breathing, you'll start talking. Who is it that's after Flurry Heart?"
"I told you," the unicorn cried back. "I never met them." The two shared a glance before Ruby lifted her blade...and began to morph it into an axe. "B-b-but I have the rune they sent me for communication! Maybe you can use it to track them down!" The knight and changeling shared another look before turning back to him, Ruby then shattering the crystal prison.
He cried out before slumping over. A few seconds later, he held out a piece of paper, which Ruby took in her magic. "How's it work?"
"Just hit it with some magic and it'll connect to the rune that the employer has. But when I tried to contact them to explain my failure, they didn't pick up."
"Is that so?" Ruby hummed. "Thank you. I'll send some police officers round to pick you up and leave a crystal pickaxe to break you out." The unicorn tried to respond, only for a flash of light to appear around him, putting him in another crystal prison. This one only had one opening, which was on the end of his snout, freeing up his nose but leaving his mouth locked shut.
With him out of the way, the two stared down at the paper, staring at the runes as Hiveena, "So what do we do with it?"
"Good question. Do you think you know him about enough to impersonate him?" Hiveena nodded, "Then we'll call the pony and see if we can identify them. It's possible they don't know he failed, and if that's true, we can set up a trap by pretending to have him deliver the princess."
Hiveena transformed at this, Ruby placing the paper on the floor before hitting it with her magic. The runes lit up, the pair waiting for a voice...only for nothing. "Hello?" Hiveena asked while mimicking the criminal, "Anypony home?" There was no reply, "Hey! You in there or not?!" She continued trying to get an answer from the paper for about five minutes before giving up, Ruby cutting the magic as she transformed back. "Well, now what?"
Ruby picked up the paper and hummed. "There may still be a way we can use this." Hiveena raised an eyebrow, "I know of somepony that might be able to help us. Come on!" She shattered the crystal wall and ran off, Hiveena following after her.
"Where are we going?"
"Canterlot. With the Royal Chariot and your Rainbow speed, we'll get there in-OH, CRAB-APPLES!"
Ruby's language now showed itself as they turned a corner to find the chariot had been chop-shopped. The wheels had been pilfered along with the connecting reigns and several of the gems.
"Darn this city!" Hiveena yelled, "How the heck are supposed to get to Canterlot now?!"
"I can replace the wheels," Ruby sighed, "You go find something you can use to attach yourself to it that won't break at high speeds."
"You sure you trust me with that?" The changeling asked, "Won't you be scared I'd find something that would snap once we're high up in the air so you'd fall to your untimely demise?"
Ruby rolled her eyes at this, "Just go find something. We're running out of time." Hiveena grumbled as she flew off as Ruby began creating a pair of crystal wheels, trying to make them as firm as possible, "We're getting there your majesties," Ruby whispered, "Just hold on."
The Crystal Empire...
Fancy let out a moan, the stallion slowly opening his eyes as he found himself staring at a crystal ceiling. He then heard other moans, making him turn to see some other ponies were also waking up, but the changeling was still asleep.
"Where are we?" Clearwater asked as she sat up.
"Some kind of hospital," Hard Sell replied.
"Obviously," the mare groaned, "I mean, what are we doing here?" Her question was answered when the doors opened and Gentle Cloud stepped into the room, followed by Sunburst and Cadance.
"You're awake!" Gentle exclaimed, "Are you all okay?"
"We're fine," Fancy muttered before holding his head. "Mostly. What happened?"
"You were all caught in an explosion," Cadance told them. "Somepony tried to kidnap Flurry Heart last night."
"Somepony tried to kidnap the princess?!" Hard Sell gasped, "Why would somepony do something like that?!"
"We don't know," Sunburst responded, "But Ruby and Hiveena are investigating."
"The changeling?" Fancy asked, "Are you sure that's wise?"
"She saved my daughter," Cadance replied, "Flurry would have been taken if she hadn't been there. I know she and Ruby will find out who did this."
Gentle nodded at this. "And hopefully, that'll mean all these security measures will vanish. I can't even stay in my own room without having another pony there."
"The buddy system is to ensure everypony stays safe," Cadance responded before seeing a pair of guards walk into the room, "Everything's fine in here, unless there's something to report?"
"No, your majesty," one guard responded, "We just thought we heard somepony's voice in one of the guest quarters, but we didn't find anything when we looked."
"Very good," Cadance replied, nodding, "Continue your patrol and keep your eyes and ears peeled. I'm counting on you." The guards bowed before leaving the room as a bunch of doctors walked past them. They were carrying more oxygen tanks, full of the sedative gas that the ponies would need to take.
"Whoa," Hard Sell stared at the bottles, "That's a lot of gas. How many ponies could that stuff knock out?"
"A lot," the doctor replied. "Several rooms full probably."
"Several rooms?" Gentle asked, "That's...impressive."
"Yeah," Hard Sell nodded as the gas was pumped into his face. He slowly drifted back off to sleep, Fancy and Clearwater doing the same.
"How long will they be out?" Cadance asked once they were asleep.
"Depends on them," the doctor replied, "But I'm confident they should remain under until tomorrow morning. By then, the magic should have healed them enough to leave." Cadance nodded and left the room, Sunburst following her. The doctors stayed behind to continue their examination of the four unconscious ponies, while Gentle Cloud stared at them before glancing over to the gas.
With the chariot...mostly repaired, the two mares had made a beeline for Canterlot and arrived late in the day. Once there, they went to see the only pony in Equestria that could help them when it came to rune magic. "Sloppy," Script grumbled while looking over the rune they had confiscated. They were in his house, which was more like a library than anything else. "Whoever made this has only the faintest understanding of the craft."
"We didn't come to get it's value appraised," Hiveena hissed back.
"Ignore her," Ruby went on as Hiveena stuck her tongue out at her. "We need to know if you can use this to help us find out who gave it to the criminal."
"This kind of black market runes could be acquired by anypony with connections in the trade industry. A few have them have even shown up in auctions here in Canterlot. However, I might be able to come up with a way to help you."
"How?"
"You said it's meant to have a twin that it can be used to talk through, right?" They both nodded, "That means there's a magical signal connecting them. I can use that to trace the location of the rune. Depending on the strength of the connection, I could find out which city it's in and even pinpoint the house."
"Great!" Hiveena said, "Then get to work!"
"Hold your horses."
"I'm a bug."
"Whatever." Script got up and started pulling books off his shelves. "It'll take time to properly write the rune circle. Give me an hour." The two sighed, heading for the door as Hiveena took up her disguise.
It was here she spotted a café across the street. Having not eaten much today, the two walked in and gave their orders as Ruby commented, "Hopefully, Script can locate the one behind all this, and we can put this investigation to rest. I'll be good to know the princess will be safe after that."
"I'm sure that's not the only thing you think is good about this investigation ending," Hiveena grumbled, Ruby blinking at her, "When it's over, you won't have to be around me anymore."
"Not this again. Hiveena, you need to let this go."
"How can I let it go? How would you feel if somepony like Cadance or Shining Armor admitted they didn't trust you, even though you'd done nothing to make them mistrust you?!"
"Well, you have done something to make me mistrust you. Don't forget, you enslaved a town of ponies and almost killed me!"
"You trust Luna, and she tried to turn Equestria into a realm of eternal night!" Hiveena barked back, "And name one thing I've done since being let out of prison to make you mistrust me, other than the bluff I used to save your life!" Ruby opened her mouth to respond...only for nothing to come out, Hiveena looking away while crossing her hooves, "You know...I get that you have a reason to mistrust me, but why do you not trust Thorax? What did he do?"
"What are you talking about?! I trust Thorax."
"As long as he's got a collar around his neck," Hiveena spat as she pointed to the one she was wearing. "If you trust him, why does he have to wear it?!"
"I..." Ruby tried to say, only to go silent. She had forgotten about the collars they had to wear, making her look away.
"I know why. You want some way to stop us if you think we've become too dangerous. To deal with us easily, like what you said to those high-up ponies yesterday." Ruby gasped at this, "Oh yes, I heard all about it. Even after everything that's happened, you're still okay with cutting me down at the slightest mistake. And you say I'm giving you no reason to trust me."
Their food arrived at this moment, Ruby not responding before seeing the bug chow down on her food. Sighing at this, she ate her meal, both eating in silence. And as this happened, Ruby thought back on the past few months, including the one she had been gone. Hiveena hadn't done anything until today, and it was all to help her.
And as they finished their meal, they returned to Script's house, walking inside to find him drawing a rune circle around a map of all Equestria. "Ah, you're here. I'm almost done."
"So how does it work?" Ruby asked before Script held up the rune paper.
"I hold this over the map and activate the circle. Then this one's location will appear on the map before drawing a line directly to where its twin is. Ready?" They nodded and Script levitated the rune over the map before hitting the runes with magic, causing them to light up and create a barrier around the map and communication runes.
The piece of paper glowed blue for several seconds before unleashing a beam of light that struck the map, hitting Canterlot dead on. Everypony watched as a line then started spreading across the map, heading north. This got the mares to frown, thinking the criminal was somewhere just south of the empire. But to their surprise, the line passed the last town before the empire and headed into the snowy land. And it didn't stop, instead going north.
"You don't think?" Hiveena asked as the line came to a stop, right on top of the Crystal Empire. "Oh no."
Script quickly looked through his bookshelves and pulled out another map, floating it over the rune circle. It unfolded to show a layout of the Crystal Empire, the map floating right above the first one. The light from the first map then flew off the paper, striking the edge of the second map, appearing on the southern most side of the city and moving upward.
"Please don't stop where I think it'll stop," Ruby begged as the line continued...all the way to the castle. "No."
"We have to get back there," Hiveena added.
"No, we have to get Celestia to send a warning to Cadance. They'll scour the entire castle for the culprit." Ruby responded, trying to head for the door, only for Hiveena to grab her hoof.
"Wait!" She turned back to the changeling, "If we do that, then we'll just be telling the criminal we're onto them. If that happens, they could ditch the rune and cover their tracks. Then they'll just bid their time until we let out guard down so they can try again."
"So, what do you suggest?" Ruby asked.
Hiveena took a deep breath at this, "I have an idea, but you're gonna have to trust me." Ruby raised an eyebrow while Hiveena waited for a response, wondering what the knight's answer would be.
The Crystal Empire...
Night had fallen again, the ponies of the empire now fast asleep. The guards around the castle were on high alert, constantly searching the area. Of course, they also knew that only an idiot would try again so soon after the last failed attempt...but this world was full of idiots.
Though the castle had many spare rooms, the royal couple hadn't wanted to be apart from their daughter until the culprits were caught. So Flurry was sleeping in the same room as them until they were sure she would be safe, the family of three all fast asleep. And outside, the guards were constantly patrolling the hallways, everything seeming fine.
The guards all let out yawns, many thinking it was due to their workload and lack of sleep. But as they did this, none noticed the air was slowly being filled with a familiar green gas that was falling to the ground, difficult to see thanks to the darkness. But despite it being on the ground, the soldiers breathed it in and all let out yawns. Then, one by one, they began to fall asleep. Some leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, others just straight up collapsing.
When the last guard was counting sheep, the cause of the gas walked out of the shadows. It was a figure in a black cloak, wearing a gas-mask. The pony stepped through the hallway, which was now filled with the snores of the sleeping guards, until they reached the door leading to the royal family's chambers.
The pony cracked the door open enough to slide a pipe connected to an oxygen tank through it and then shut it, keeping the room air tight as they opened the valve. The green mist flew through the pipe and exited into the room, which quickly filled up the place. Now those sleeping would remain asleep until the deed was done.
Opening the door again, the figure walked in while the gas began to thin out. He spotted the royal couple, both covered by their blankets. The pony then focused on the crib, walking up as a light appeared from under the cloak hood, revealing a horn. A similar light appeared from out of the cloak, being wrapped around a dagger. And as the figure reached the crib, he stared down at the sleeping foal as she was curled up in her blanket. She looked so peaceful in this state, but the pony knew it was only a façade.
"I'm sorry," a muffled voice told the baby. "But this is for the greater good." The dagger was raised upward, tip pointed straight at her heart while the figure looked away. "For the sake of Equestria...DIE!" The dagger was plunged straight down...and stopped.
The figure sighed, believing the deed was done...only to hear no scream. No sound of blood splattering. They looked back at the dagger, only to see it was stopped inches from the foal's chest, the cause being a green light that wrapped around the blade. The same was coming off the baby's horn, the filly's eyes shooting open before she gave him a coy smile.
"No thanks. I prefer life." She chuckled, the figure gasping before the foal fired a blast of magic at him, sending him flying across the room.
"AUGH!" They cried, their mask getting blasted off.
And as the figure hit the floor, Flurry flew out of the crib before transforming in a burst of fire into Hiveena. "Surprise!" The blankets were then thrown off the bed, revealing Ruby and another guard, both having weapons ready while the figure got up.
"Hooves where we can see them!" Ruby yelled as she grabbed the cloak in her magic, pulling it to reveal the pony beneath. "Hard Sell...you're under arrest." The pony that had been previously asleep in the medical bay, even still being bandaged up, glared up at them.
"How?! Where are the royal family?!"
"Several levels lower," Ruby replied, "They teleported down as soon as they closed the door. And we teleported in."
"But how are you awake?!" He asked, only to realize his mask was gone and he was still awake. He then saw the ponies point to the walls, the unicorn now seeing rune stickers all over to the place.
"Since you decided to use black market runes, we decided to counter you with our own masterly crafted runes. Anti-sleeping runes. Place them in a circle and it creates an area that's impossible to fall asleep in." While Hiveena said this, Ruby used her magic to place him in a similar crystal prison she had the original criminal.
All but his head was sealed away, the guard putting a magic suppression ring on his horn. Once that was done, Ruby teleported Hard Sell, Hiveena and herself into the throne room. There, Cadance, Shining and their daughter were waiting with Sunburst and several more guards at the sides.
"So...this is the pony that orchestrated everything. The one who tried to steal my daughter away from me?" Cadance hissed.
"No," Hiveena shook her head, making Hard Sell and the royals to glance at her, "He's the one who planned this, but he didn't try and steal Flurry away."
"He tried to kill her," Ruby continued before throwing the dagger he had used to the ground. "Planned to stab her in her sleep." The royals gasped, Cadance holding Flurry tighter at this.
"Why?!" Cadance asked, "Why do all this?! What could you possibly gain from killing my daughter?!"
"I was only trying to protect Equestria!" Hard Sell yelled.
"Protect Equestria?" Shining yelped, "How could hurting a child protect Equestria?!"
Hard Sell glared at him, then at Flurry. "That child is too powerful. Even as an infant, her power matches that of a fully grown alicorn. And the power will only grow stronger with age. Such power, in the hooves of a pony we know nothing about?! A pony whose allegiance has yet to be confirmed?!"
His words made everypony blink, eyebrows raising as he continued, "Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance became alicorns after proving they were worthy of the power and wouldn't use it for evil. But that foal has done nothing to prove she can be trusted to not use her power for her own gains. Already she almost destroyed the Crystal Empire! Whose to say she won't do so again, only next time on purpose!"
"That's ridiculous," Sunburst spoke up. "You're justifying trying to kill a foal just because she might use her powers for evil one day."
"I'm sure there were ponies a thousand years ago who chose to see what Sombra would become. If they had acted, the pain the Crystal Empire went through would have never happened. If Princess Luna could become Nightmare Moon, who's to say your child won't end up the same way?!"
"I say," Shining announced. "I know my daughter won't turn out like Sombra or Nightmare Moon."
"But you don't know the future. Maybe you and Princess Cadance can stop her from turning evil, but you don't know what'll happen. You might be killed by something and that horror may cause her to turn to the dark side."
"That still doesn't give you the right to kill her," Shining growled. "For all you know, this very act could have been the trigger that turned her evil."
"Only if I failed," he hissed, only to let out a sigh, "Which I have. Equestria is still in danger."
"Maybe it is," Hiveena spoke up as everypony turned to her, "You're right. There is a chance the brat could turn evil and choose to do something terrible." She trotted over to him while all eyes remained upon her. "But isn't that true about everypony in Equestria?"
"Not everypony has powers like hers!"
"Princess Twilight didn't get that much more powerful when she became an alicorn," Hiveena pointed out. She then turned to Shining Armor, "Didn't she turn your parents into plants?" Shining nodded as Hiveena glanced back to him. "She already had the power needed to destroy Equestria before she was an alicorn. If somepony like you had seen her power and come to the same conclusion, imagine how horrible Equestria would be right now. Because somepony thought she was too dangerous, they killed her and left Equestria with nopony to find the Elements of Harmony. So Nightmare Moon wouldn't have been stopped, Discord wouldn't have been reformed, and my mother would have taken over Canterlot because nopony else would have found princess Cadance."
"She's right," Ruby added, "Hiveena's telling you that despite Flurry having the potential for great evil, she also has the potential for great good. A potential you almost destroyed."
"There may come a day when an evil rises and only Flurry will have the power to stop it," Sunburst went on, "But you want us to sacrifice that chance just because you think the child is dangerous."
"I'm afraid he isn't the only one with this fear." The ponies all turned to see Gentle Cloud trotting into the throne room, Fancy Pants and Clearwater limping behind her. "Flurry's future is a subject of much debate in the high ups of Equestria."
"What are you saying?" Cadance asked, "Were you all in on his too?!"
"No," Fancy spoke up. "Though we share his fears of your foal going down a dark path, we do not share his delusions to the situation."
They all shot him a glare, Hard Sell countering, "You see it too! The danger she could become! Discord, Sombra, Tirek...compared to what she could become, they're nothing."
Fancy nodded at this, "Yes, but if we fear what everypony might become, nopony will be able to unlock their true potential, and Equestria will become stagnant."
"But safe!" Hard Sell screamed, the three ponies turning away from him. "Don't look away from me! You know I'm right!"
"Guards!" Cadance yelled, "Get him out of my sight." The guards quickly ran over and took the crystal trapping him in their magic, pulling him away as he continued to rant.
"You know I'm right! You'll be sorry one day! You'll regret stopping me!" With that, he was pulled out of the room as his ramblings continued.
Once he was gone, Cadance turned to the high up ponies. "You fear my daughter?"
Fancy sighed at this, "We fear what she might become...but we hope those fears are proven wrong. And I'm sorry to say your majesties, that that fear may be something your daughter will find in a lot of ponies that see how strong she is. It will be a long time until she proves she can be trusted with the power she was born with."
Cadance frowned as she stared down at her sleeping child, letting out a long sigh, "She didn't ask for this power. She may not have earned it like the other alicorns, but I know in my heart she will one day make Equestria proud."
The ponies all nodded back, believing the same thing. Cadance and Shining then turned to Ruby and Hiveena, "Thank you. I'm sure this investigation wasn't easy."
"It had it's...challenges," Ruby replied, "But in the end, we managed to find the culprits and save the princess." She let out a sigh. "To think, that pony was scared because of something a pony might do despite there being no reason to fear that would happen. It's hard to believe a pony would let one's past define their view on another without even getting to know the individual they're accusing."
"It's not that hard," Hiveena chimed in, Ruby turning to her. She saw the long frown on her face before spinning around and leaving the room. And as the bug left, Ruby sighed at the sight before turning back to the royal couple.
"Princess, I know it's late, but I want to ask you about something." Cadance raised an eyebrow at this, "What are your plans for fulfilling our side of the bargain we made with Hiveena? To defeat her mother and place her on the throne." The royal couple, and Sunburst, all went wide-eyed at this.
The next morning...
As the sun rose, the ponies of the empire were happy to awaken to a less tense city. News about the failed assassination spread quickly, many ponies running out onto the streets to get a look at the stallion that tried to kill their beloved princess as he was dragged towards the prison, shooting glares and calling him names to indicate the kind of monster they saw him as.
In the castle hospital, Hiveena was watching from the window as he was sent to take her place in the Crystal Pen until a proper trial could be held. She then turned to Thorax, the changeling still asleep in his bed, still knocked out from his head injury and the sedative gas.
Her attention was then pulled away at the sound of the doors opening, the changeling princess turning to see Ruby, "So what'll happen to that nutjob now?"
"He'll have a trial of course, facing charges of treason, attempted kidnapping and attempted murder. His accomplice has been apprehended and will be facing charges of treason, attempted kidnapping, assault and property damage. I doubt either of them will be getting the innocent verdict." She then turned to the unconscious changeling, "How is he?"
"He's almost healed," Hiveena replied, "And he should be coming around soon."
Ruby nodded back, sitting beside the changeling as she stared at Thorax. As she did this, she sparked her horn, making Hiveena raise an eyebrow...only to hear a clicking sound come from Thorax's neck. She then saw the collar float off the bug and land in Ruby's hoof. The knight turned to her, both locking eyes for a moment before Ruby's horn glowed again. Another clicking noise filled the air before Hiveena felt the pressure around her neck vanish, the paralysis collar now levitating over to the other one.
"You...you just...why?"
"Because you're right. We haven't given you a reason to trust us. But that changes now." Ruby responded before taking a deep breath, "I'm...I'm sorry for not trusting you. And I'm sorry we haven't done anything to help you claim your place as queen. But Princess Cadance has assured me that they'll start working on a plan to finally defeat Chrysalis and earn you the throne." She held out a hoof, "It's time to make peace between are kingdoms."
Hiveena stared down at her hoof, then up at her. They locked eyes again, staring until Hiveena shined a small smile and took the hoof. And as they shook hooves, Thorax let out a moan, making them turn to him as he opened his eyes, "Ow...what's going on? Why am I here and-ow! Why does my head hurt so badly?!"
Ruby and Hiveena both chuckled at this, knowing this was going to be a long story. A threat to Flurry Heart would turn out to be an event remembered for years. Not only for the event itself, but the many events it set into motion. And biggest of those events, was the moment trust was finally achieved between ponies and changelings. A trust that would develop into a strong friendship. But only time would tell how far that friendship would take the two species