'A Royal Wedding on Hearth's Warming. Was this well thought out? Cadance certainly wanted it; it is certain tonight will be memorable.' Nightmare Moon looked over the crowd, considering the faces of ponies she recognized sitting in the first few rows: Twilight, her family, her friends, and varying other friends of both Cadance and Shining Armor. And then filling the remaining rows were varying ponies who had, through one way or another, received an invitation. Most of them she did not recognize, although there were a fair few ponies who held positions of power in government, including a few notable nobles such as Fancy Pants and Fleur D'lis. Ponies from Cadance’s hometown had also been invited and had, of course, showed up.
Some of the ponies wore suits and dresses, while some wore nothing more than necklaces or varying other jewelry. There was a noticeable distinction between ponies from Canterlot and ponies from Cadance’s hometown, where the ponies from Canterlot were generally dressed more extravagantly, which wasn’t a surprise to her. Many of Shining Armor’s friends were from the guard and easily stood out from the rest because of the dress uniforms they wore.
She breathed out and turned her gaze to scrutinize the twenty-four Royal Guards posted around the room which served as the Honor Guard. No batponies were present; Cadance had requested solely Royal Guards, saying that it was better for appearances and fit better. And as reluctant as she was to allow it for security reasons, it did make sense. It was good for appearances, although including batponies would have likely been beneficial in showing her subjects that her batponies were there to protect them. Between that, the concern that if anything went wrong the Honor Guard wouldn’t be enough, and feeling uncertain, she regretted agreeing to Cadance’s request.
But then, most likely, nothing would happen. Nothing had happened with Twilight's ceremony and the filly hadn't said that the resistance was planning anything. So even though she had set aside her armor for royal vestments–a tiara she had made, a replica of the one Luna had worn so long ago, and a replica of Luna's regalia–she was likely not in danger, and the same could easily be said for Cadance and Shining Armor. After all, why would anypony cause trouble on Princess Cadance's wedding, and Hearth's Warming? Surely they loved their Princess too much for that.
And yet, despite the assurance that it would be fine, she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. That feeling permeated the room, permeated her body and mind, and had refused to let up over the past week since she first felt it. Perhaps it was, as Cadance and Twilight suggested, simply wedding stress getting even to her. It made sense that the Royal Guards were all on edge, too: even if it was unlikely anything would happen, the Royal Wedding was an event that demanded security so that nothing did happen.
The ponies before her didn't look nervous or worried. A few of them fidgeted where they sat, and a few of them were tense. Anxiety, perhaps? Or most likely, anticipation.
The only Royal Wedding in Equestrian history.
Not Sister. Not her. Cadance.
She wondered if it would be the only one there would ever be. She couldn't stop herself from looking at Twilight and contemplating her appearance: the filly's coat and mane almost shined in the soft magelight, and her vibrant eyes caught the light just perfectly so that they nearly sparkled. And yet, she found that same sense of dread weighing her down while she watched Twilight. The filly looked tensed, sitting upright and watching her intently. Carefully, even. Did Twilight distrust her?
Fie the thought! Of course Twilight trusted her. She had to be mistaken. Yes, perhaps what felt off was simply how out of place she was officiating a wedding. That had to be the reason.
It didn't ease her concern.
She shifted her weight and fluffed her wings at her sides. The few pegasi in the room might notice it as a sign of discomfort and impatience, but it mattered little. 'Most likely, it will be Equestria's only Royal Wedding unless Cadance remarries.'
‘Unless–’ Her lips pulled into a thin line. It was nothing more than an insane fantasy.
She held back a sigh and turned her attention back to the first few rows of seats, where a few spots were noticeably empty: seats for Cadance's unknown, perhaps deceased, parents, the seat for Shining Armor's mother, and the seat for Cadance's friend who would be walking her down the aisle.
And then there was the seat which was either for her or for Sister. Symbolic, and a blight. And so she ignored it as best she could. Yet even when she turned away from that seat, she could almost feel like the empty chair glared at her.
The two guards at the doors visibly tensed, then the double door parted down the center and opened. Shining Armor, wearing a red dress uniform adorned with various medals and his rank insignia, stood beside his mother, who simply wore her mane in a bun. His mother smiled brightly, though it flickered slightly when she looked at her. But what more caught her attention was the Captain's expression: he seemed overwhelmed by the wedding.
And together, the two of them walked down the aisle and approached the stairs, where Twilight Velvet stepped off to the right and sat down beside her husband, smiling but also teary-eyed. The Captain climbed the stairs, regarding her warily, then took his spot off to her left. He breathed in, then audibly exhaled, though it wouldn't have carried to the guests. She turned her head to him and nodded once in acknowledgment, which drew a faint grimace from him. Night Light gave his wife a hug and smiled reassuringly.
The door closed, and they again waited.
She was patient.
The Captain was not. He fidgeted where he stood, constantly shifting his weight side to side as if uncomfortable, even going so far as to stretch his head to the side as if the collar of his dress uniform was too tight. "You are nervous," she surmised.
He looked at her with a pronounced grimace. "It's my wedding day. I'm marrying a princess. It's surreal."
"Rest assured that you are not dreaming." She breathed in and turned to face the doors again.
"That's why I'm nervous," he muttered under his breath.
Yes, nervous because he was marrying well above his level, it seemed. Though she could not deny that Cadance adored him, and he was loyal to her. And they had something that she didn't, and she felt a tinge of jealousy that was only held in check by the desire to not make a fool of herself. She could respect them for their commitment to each other. For whatever reason, she commented, "She seems happy to be with you."
He glanced at her but said nothing.
A few more minutes passed while they stood there in relative silence, then the doors parted again. Her niece stood wearing a white gown while her mane was in a bun, and beside her instead of her father, since she was an orphan, one of her friends stood: a white unicorn mare with a brown mane. Raven, one of Sister's secretaries and confidants. The unicorn was halfway competent, but she did not trust her because of how close Raven was to Sister.
Shining Armor tensed, snapping to a rigid posture, while everypony else stood up and turned to look back at Cadance. After a few seconds, Cadance and Raven walked down the aisle and approached the stairs to the platform she stood on. The doors closed as Raven pulled away and sat down off to Cadance's left. Cadance climbed the stairs and stood at her right, then turned to face her soon-to-be husband.
In passing, her niece squinted at her, and for a moment, Nightmare Moon’s brow pulled down in response. Was it distrust? Perhaps she was mistaken; she could ask about it later. She breathed in deep and nodded once, and at her nod, everypony gathered sat back down.
She glanced at the couple. Shining's eyes were locked on Cadance while he wore a ridiculous smile, and Cadance looked back at him with a mischievous smirk. She swept her gaze around the room, reaffirming that the Royal Guard was in place and that everypony was seated.
And so assured that it was time, she began, "Mares and stallions, we are gathered here tonight to witness the wedding of Princess Cadance to Captain Shining Armor." Cadance straightened her back and held her wings tight against her dress, and if anything, Shining Armor sagged as if tired, likely overwhelmed by the idea. Most ponies' gazes were focused on the couple, though she noticed several seemed to be staring at her, Twilight included. Or perhaps she only thought they were looking at her.
But the wedding would be over soon enough, and she could put the ridiculous display behind her. She bowed her head as she continued, "I would extend my thanks to all of you for attending, as I am sure both Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor do as well." She paused for a moment and leaned her head to the side. "Though I suppose most of you would not miss the only Royal Wedding in Equestria's history."
Most ponies smiled, and a few laughed quietly and awkwardly. Several ponies shifted in their seats uncomfortably, perhaps because they were not there for the couple, but for the prestige of having been at the Royal Wedding.
"Though I have known them for no more than six months, I have seen their dedication to each other." She lifted her head back up. "As I am sure many of you have."
Everypony remained silent.
"And though I am not the Princess of Love–" she nodded once at Cadance, "–I can attest that marriage is not something that should be taken lightly." She paused for a moment to let it sink in, and so swept her gaze over the crowd. "It is a promise that is meant to never be broken. It is a vow to be loyal and faithful. A vow to be generous and kind. A promise not to take advantage of the other for one's own benefit. It is a commitment. Marriage is–"
The doors glowed with a light blue aura, then practically exploded out of the frame, dangling from the hinges. She did a double-take: a frazzled Cadance and equally disheveled Twilight Sparkle galloped through the open door while the two guards moved to try and stop them, only to discover who it was and have absolutely no idea what to do. "Stop!" the second Cadance called.
'What?! What is this?' She opened her mouth–
"That's not the real Cadance!" the second Twilight shouted. "She's an imposter!"
And all too late, she cast her gaze on the first Cadance.
The alicorn's horn burned to life with a sickly green glow while in a single swift motion, she swiveled around and aimed at her.
Nightmare Moon was fast, but the first Cadance was faster. A bolt of green magic lurched from the first Cadance's horn–she lit her own horn to defend herself–and the bolt struck her neck.
Searing pain. The bolt of magic burned her fur, burned her skin, sent the magic racing through her body in an attempt to kill her. Her vision flickered at the edges, darkening for a fleeting moment. Her body tingled, and her heart shuddered. She stumbled back and gasped, grunting in surprise as she lowered her head to aim at her attacker, ignoring the pain in her neck.
Ponies screamed.
She smelled the scent of her burned fur and skin. Her body tensed.
The second Twilight shouted, "Nightmare Moon!" and ran towards her, horn burning to life. Cadance followed, though lagged behind.
The ponies who had been staring at her burst into green flames and their bodies were replaced with sleek black carapace, transparent insectoid wings, large blue eyes that had no pupils, and jagged horns that had a spine jutting out from the base. They had neither manes nor tails, but their bodies were still roughly equine-shaped. Their legs had holes in them that looked as if portions of them had simply been melted away.
She charged a spell.
The first Cadance matched it.
She cast the spell.
The fake Cadance side-stepped and burst into green flames: her pink coat burned away to reveal more black carapace, and in her place stood an insectoid thing as tall as her with a twisted, jagged horn longer than her own. The thing bared its fangs and hissed while it ripped the wedding gown off its body and cast it aside. Unlike the others, it had a mane and tail that was a sickle cyan blue. Unlike the others, its eyes had pupils–a dim, sickly green in color–that stared at her with hunger. A bulbous, black tiara sat atop its head.
Her spell shot towards the crowd, and for a moment, her chest tensed in fear. 'Dammit!' her mind snapped. How had she made such a rash, foalish decision!?
Ponies scrambled out of the way. The spell hit and detonated, throwing chairs and chunks of stone everywhere.
Ponies screamed and stampeded towards the open door.
'Do not risk that again!' she chastised herself.
The fake Cadance cast her spell. She growled and barred her teeth, wrapping her magic into a shield to protect herself. The spell struck her shield, and her shield rang from the impact, flickering with a wave of magic cascading out from the impact point.
The guards scrambled to act, mostly unsure of what was happening, just like her.
One of the Royal Guards moved to try to help her, only for his companion to flash green. The first guard turned just in time for the insect to cast a spell. The bolt struck his armor, and the stallion staggered from surprise. A second spell struck his exposed neck and sent him to the ground.
'Focus!' she chastised herself.
The fake Cadance stood up straighter, her wings buzzing at her sides, and a smile splitting her lips.
'Changelings,' she remembered, and with that, she winced. 'How far have they spread!?' Did that explain the problems that had occurred as of late? Did that explain why everything felt wrong? The Royal Guard was already compromised, and it was likely that the batponies were as well.
The fake Twilight burst into green flames and tackled her student to the floor, hissing. Cadance slid to a stop while Twilight yelped in surprise and her friends cried out, "Twilight!" The five mares rushed to Twilight's side while the filly fought off the changeling with her magic–a quick burst threw the changeling off of her.
More guards flashed green and jumped in the way to stop ponies from rushing out the doorway, making the crowd herd together and back peddle, only to be surrounded.
"You've lost," the fake Cadance sneered.
And more ponies in the crowd flashed with green flame, bringing more screams as ponies recoiled from them. The changelings buzzed as they flew over the crowd, forcing them to herd together like farm animals.
And oh, how it brought her to seethe. How had she failed so?
"Canterlot. Will soon be under my control," the changeling queen declared. "And my subjects will feed!" And with that said, the changeling queen tossed her head back and laughed.
Nightmare lunged forward, dropped the shield, and fired a bolt of magic. The Queen didn't react quickly enough. The bolt of magic hit her neck, cracking her carapace with a loud snap! that sent a splatter of blood to the floor. The Queen's head snapped back down as she stepped back and dropped into a fighting stance, letting out a vicious hiss of pain. And the Queen's eyes burned with a twisted anger and hatred.
Many changelings broke away from the crowd and gathered into a swarm, their horns glowing with that same sickly green glow. They amassed in the air and focused on her.
And then they cast their spells.
She grunted and stepped to the side, reforming her magic into a barrier to protect herself. Dozens of spells rained down: some hitting the platform and detonating in sharp cracks! that made pieces of stone fly through the air while others scorched the platform or smashed into her shield. Her shield rang with each impact, glowing as her magic took each impact in stride.
"Your Majesty!" a guard called out.
There was no time to look at him. "Rouse the guard!" she ordered. "Canterlot is under attack!" She dropped her shield–shards of rock pelted her legs and body from the spells striking the platform–and lunged at the Queen horn-first. The changeling jumped back and took flight. She followed up with a spell, and the changeling dove out of the way, firing back at her.
She dodged it, only for another bolt of magic to strike her side, just below her ribs, burning her fur and skin, sending a rush of pain and magic through her body while the heat lingered and burned. She turned towards the source. The changeling swarm that had taken to the air.
She was outnumbered and caught off-guard.
That simply wouldn't do.
She turned back to face the Queen and fired off another bolt of magic, then cast a teleportation spell; Twilight yelped when she appeared beside her. "What's going on!?" the filly frantically demanded.
She enveloped them with a shield spell before the swarm could refocus on them. The changeling queen landed and caressed the Captain's cheek with her forehoof, then turned to face her, wings twitching with agitation.
"Changelings," she spat. "There is little time to explain." She turned to look at Twilight, then glanced over each of her five friends. A sinking feeling settled into her core. 'That I am seriously considering this,' she wanted to groan. But there was no time.
She swallowed her pride. "I require assistance."
Twilight cringed. Rainbow jumped into the air. "You can count on us!" And so Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash with disbelief and horror, then finally discontented acceptance.
The swarm's barrage of magic started. Her shield lit up from the dozens of impacts. Twilight and most of her friends flinched, pressing closer to her for safety. She locked her eyes on the Queen, burning her visage into her memory.
She would need it later.
"Cadance, keep Spike safe. I do not know what has happened to your mate, but try to revive him. Likewise, organize the guard to repel the changelings. As soon as you do that, get ponies inside to safety and keep them off the streets."
Her niece nodded hastily, swallowed, and bit her lip.
"Rainbow Dash, Applejack, you proved that you are somewhat competent at fighting when we battled. Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie..." she trailed off; there was simply nothing the three of them could do that wouldn't get in the way. And as it was, having any of them help could have been a mistake: if the changelings killed one of them, Equestria would have no defense against Discord.
She was certain, 'This is a terrible idea.' But there was no time for a better plan. The Royal Guard had evidently been infiltrated; forming an organized defense would be challenging.
"...stay out of danger," she finished.
Something slammed into her barrier. She grunted and growled. Looking up, one of the changeling drones hissed at her from the top. It reared up and slammed its forehooves into her barrier. The impact sent a wave of magic radiating out over the surface of her shield. And then a massive green blob of magic slammed into her barrier, making her magic shudder from the force. The magic burned away to reveal a second changeling. "I am teleporting us away from here."
"What about everypony else!?" Twilight hissed.
"I cannot–"
"You can't just leave them!" Twilight argued.
"We do not have time to discuss this! They will be fine! The changelings will cocoon them and–"
"They're our friends and family!" Twilight pressed. "Please."
She made the mistake of looking Twilight in the eyes. Fear. Pleading. And every second she lingered was a second wasted and that much closer to defeat. She jerked her head aside and let out a growl. A third, then a fourth changeling slammed into her barrier. And more changelings glowed with that same sickly green magic, swooping down towards her.
She dropped her shield, reached out with her magic and grabbed everypony she could sense as quickly as she could, but it still cost precious seconds. It was more than enough time for a changeling to strike her back. She grunted as the magic burned her back and the force of the impact threw her to the ground. She grabbed the drone in her magic before it could recover and snapped its neck. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight all screamed. She launched the body at another changeling diving at her, intercepting it.
The world warped around them, and when the flash of light faded, she hastily stood up and quickly surveyed her surroundings: the castle's ballroom. Perhaps not the safest room, perhaps not the most defensible room, but one that would work for the time being. Her quick survey found the room empty, save for two Royal Guards at the doors. There was no way for her to yet tell if they were ponies or changelings, but if they were changelings, it was only two of them.
Both guards reacted to their arrival with bewilderment–perhaps giving away that they were not changelings. "Your Majesty!?" one called.
She faced them as quickly as possible. They definitely saw the burn on her neck, but before they could act on it, she ordered, "Remain at your posts. Canterlot is under attack." And so they tensed where they stood. She looked at the crowd she had teleported with her and found that there were no changelings visible among them and so nodded to herself. The captain likewise was present. Cadance rushed over to him and hugged him, though he did not react.
She turned to face the crowd and said, "Remain here while this threat is dealt with," thus drawing their attention to her. They huddled together and cowered. She scowled and turned back to Twilight and her friends.
The six of them stared at her, wide-eyed, excepting Applejack and Rainbow Dash. She licked her lips and looked back over her right shoulder at her back. She scowled at the sight and used her magic to numb the pain. She needed her magic, so she didn’t heal the injury. She looked at her wing and tentatively unfurled both to their full extent, making sure nothing else was wrong. Her wings trembled and her sides had dull crimson streaks marring her coat; she held in a growl and folded them back to her sides.
She turned back to face Twilight. “I will be fine.”
Twilight frowned and took half a step back before grimacing and clenching her eyes shut. The filly breathed in deep, then swallowed. "Do you have a plan?" Twilight demanded.
She nodded once, then turned and walked towards the door. "I do." She heard a few ponies turn and follow her. For a passing moment, she bowed her head and glanced back to see who it was: Twilight, walking up to her right side, eyes fixed on the burn on her neck, though occasionally glancing at her back or her side, trailed by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie huddled together. 'Pinkie Pie bears laughter, and Fluttershy bears kindness.' She lifted her head and turned back to face them. "Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy?" Both mares looked at her. She nodded once. "Keep them calm and help Cadance."
Fluttershy shifted her weight and nodded. "Um, o-okay..."
"Absolutely!" Pinkie eagerly agreed.
She turned back to face the door as she strode towards it.
"Are you going to fill us in on that plan of yours?" Applejack asked.
"Win," she answered.
"Uh, as much as I like the sound of that plan, it's not very detailed," Rainbow Dash pointed out.
She nodded once and admitted, "I am still thinking." She approached the doors and inhaled deeply, then wrapped the doors in her magic.
"Maybe we should come up with a plan before we leave?" Twilight suggested. "What are we even dealing with?"
She hesitated, then looked back at Twilight, who alternated between meeting her gaze and looking at the burn on her neck. "Changelings. Insectoid parasites with several equine traits. If memory serves correctly, Starswirl beares some responsibility for their origin." Twilight gawked at her, surely because she had just knocked Starswirl from the pedestal the filly had put him on. "They feed on love and lifeforce. Before my banishment, I battled them several times. They were always a thorn in our side. As you have seen, they are capable of shapeshifting, which makes them quite dangerous and adept at infiltration."
"So, how do we stop them?" Applejack asked.
She opened her mouth to speak, only for Twilight to suggest, "The Elements."
She cringed at the thought and shook her head. "Not yet. I do not know what the result would be. The Elements are, from my understanding, not intended for use against an army. Though granted, you did so erase Discord's chaos magic over a vast area, but I do not believe the Elements are the best course of action for dealing with this invasion. Perhaps against the Queen, but we would still have to deal with the drones. I am unwilling to take such a chance yet, as you will all be incapacitated for some time after using the Elements, which leaves you all vulnerable."
She turned back to the door and opened it with her magic, then strode out into the night. She cast her gaze left and right. No battles had yet started, though she regarded the guards and batponies warily. Any number of them, or perhaps all of them, could have been changelings. "Killing the Queen should leave the drones in disarray, and then dealing with the remainder of their force should be... less difficult."
She cast her gaze towards the sky in passing, checking to see if any changelings buzzed about, but saw none. Yet. "Cadance and the rest of your friends will tend to keeping ponies off the streets and ready the guard." She looked back at her three companions. "Preferably, the Royal Guard will focus on keeping ponies off the streets and keeping the changelings at bay."
"We," she declared with an incline of her head, "are going on the offensive."
Twilight wasn't happy about that. Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehooves together. Applejack steeled her resolve.
She turned back around and, using her magic, teleported her tiara and regalia back to her bedchambers and in their place, retrieved her helmet and armor. The cool weight of the metal felt welcome. And so prepared herself, she teleported three sets of Royal Guard armor and held them in their magic: one set for a pegasus, one for an earth pony, and one for a unicorn. "I know you are not trained for this, but this should help."
With some reluctance, Applejack donned her armor, but neither Rainbow Dash nor Twilight took theirs. "That'll just slow me down," Rainbow declined.
"I don't think I'd be able to move if I wore that. Even if we have been sparring, I'm not that fit. And it's too big for me," was Twilight's protest.
She met Twilight's gaze. 'You will be at risk.' Perhaps, then, it would be better to have Twilight stay with Cadance and the rest of her friends. But no, surely Twilight would be of help, even if she was at risk. The filly was competent with her magic. If she kept the three of them close enough, then there was likely less danger, although there was still the risk that the changelings would focus on them to distract her. 'Yes, if they focus on you I will be at a disadvantage.' And it was likely that the Queen knew that. She grimaced and held in a sigh. "Very well." She teleported the two unused sets of armor away.
'If the changelings are not already seeking me out, they will be doing so soon, and as such, Canterlot will soon be in battle.' Killing the queen was her priority, followed by dealing with the drones. And yet, one question prickled her mind. She turned back to face Twilight. "You and Cadance were replaced."
Twilight shifted her weight while both Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at her. "I'll explain as we go?"
She nodded and turned ahead. "Then follow," she said, and so strode forward, walking out into the courtyard and closing the doors to the ballroom behind her with her magic. Her three companions followed, though she ignored them in favor of scrutinizing each guard and batpony she saw.
"I uh, realized something was off about Cadance. More than just wedding stress. So I confronted her about it..." Twilight trailed off.
"Okay, so how did it go from confronting Cadance, or well, that changeling queen, to crashing a wedding?" Rainbow Dash asked.
She heard Twilight suck in a deep breath. "Long story short, we ended up in a fight."
Nightmare almost stopped walking at that.
"I lost," Twilight said matter-of-factly.
Nightmare squinted and scowled. "...I see. You are unharmed though, yes?"
Twilight was quiet for a few steps. "Mostly," was said too quietly for her to believe it was true. She looked back at Twilight for a moment. The filly didn't look at her. She did not see any injuries, but there were other ways to injure ponies. She turned back ahead. "Anyway... Cadance was down there–we were in the crystal caves, did you even know they were there?"
"I was aware they existed. I am under the impression they have not been mined in some time," Nightmare answered.
A group of guards turned to watch her stride by, confused as to why she was there in her armor, rather than at the wedding. She met their gazes, but couldn't tell if they were ponies or changelings. She sent out her magic to check but was still unsure. They took in the burn on her neck; one of them opened his mouth to speak. She preempted it with, "Canterlot is under attack. Spread the word; Cadance is in command. I am taking to the field." And with that, the guards scrambled away.
A few seconds passed with only the sound of hooves clicking on the ground, then Twilight continued, "So we broke out–obviously–and decided to crash the wedding to warn everypony."
Horns blared. The guards all stopped for a moment.
"What's that?" Applejack asked.
"That," Nightmare said with a nod, "would be the alarm."
Where some guards turned to head to different posts or retrieve weapons, others instead turned towards their compansions and flashed with green flame. And no sooner had their forms changed did their horns glowed with that sickly green aura of their magic did they unleash their magic, taking both Royal Guards and batponies by surprise. 'Dammit!'
A bolt of magic struck the side of her chestplate from the right. It felt hot against her fur. She snarled and threw herself around to bring her horn to bear. She ignored her three companions' yelps and fired off a bolt of magic. The changeling jumped into the air and dove to the right, avoiding her spell. She lunged forward and fired off three spells in quick succession, aiming one dead center, and one on either side of the changeling.
The second spell struck and burrowed through the changeling's neck, punching through its carapace and sending a spray of blood from the wound while its whole body lurched back from the impact. The changeling hit the ground clutching its neck. The wound was fatal; the changeling was disabled. She jerked her head to the left. A few earth ponies had engaged some changelings in hoof-to-hoof combat, where their superior strength was brought to bear with effective results. They kept the changelings from directly engaging unicorns on the ground, who used their ranged magic to their advantage, firing off spells that, for the most part, missed their marks. The changelings quickly retaliated in kind.
Pegasi and batponies alike shot towards flying changelings, weaving between spells while closing the distance to deliver swift kicks or full-body impacts. Several changelings fell from the sky while pegasi or batponies had wrapped themselves around them to keep them from escaping.
And yet, chaos reigned. Royal Guards and batponies alike were caught off-guard and stumbled to act, and so several fell from the changelings' spells.
"Maaaaaybe sounding the alarm was a mistake," Rainbow Dash voiced.
"We have more idea now of what we are dealing with than we had," Nightmare countered. 'It has been a very long time since I have fought a battle such as this.' Was she out of practice? Since her return, she had sparred with Twilight, battled Sister, fought Lord Tirek, distracted Discord, but for the most part, actual war was something that only Luna had experienced. And for the most part, her experience was not battling armies that had magic at their disposal in such large quantities as this; every changeling had magic, though not as many spells as unicorns could cast. Neither was she experienced in fighting in an environment such as Canterlot.
But there was no time to reminisce, no time to dwell. Barely time to consider the best course of action.
Hesitation would get her or her companions killed.
A group of four batponies, all mares, dived towards her. She tensed, but held her magic in check: she would not risk killing her own. Not again. They landed and one stepped towards her while the other three swiveled around so their backs were to her and her companions. "My Queen!"
She hastily nodded and surveyed them and checked them with her magic. If they were changelings, she would deal with them swiftly. It had been a while since she had used a spell to detect changelings, but assuming she remembered it and cast it properly, they were batponies. "Rally the guard. Princess Cadance is in command, she knows what to do."
For a moment, the batpony hesitated, then gave a serious nod. "Yes, my Queen!" And with that, the four batponies beat their wings and took to the air.
She wasted no time watching them and instead swept her gaze across the courtyard, briefly surveying the combat. She clenched her jaw. 'Assisting the guard in securing the castle would make organizing a defense much easier.' If there was an entire changeling army in Canterlot, then having an army of her own was necessary. But with the changelings' ability to shapeshift, it was risky.
There was little choice: secure the castle and rally the guard or seek out the changeling queen. The Queen would likely come for her anyway. "We will assist the guard in securing the castle first," she decided.
"Right," Rainbow said.
She turned back to look the pegasus in the eye–determination burned in them, making her respect Rainbow Dash a little more–and said, "Do be careful."
Rainbow dismissed it with a huff. "What are we waiting for!?" And then the pegasus was gone, shooting off towards the nearest group of pegasi and batponies engaging changelings that had taken flight, a faint rainbow trail in her wake.
"Well, I guess that's that, then," Applejack said. With a sigh, the earth pony charged off towards a group of changelings bearing down on a few unicorn guards.
"I will retrieve you once we have won here." She turned back to look at Twilight. And what was there for her to say? Nothing more than would distract both of them and get them killed. And it pained her heart to consider it, and every second she wasted was that much closer to defeat, that much riskier that one of them would be hurt. She bowed her head once. "Stay safe."
Twilight nodded, though her lips pulled into a grimace, and her horn burned brighter. Then there was a flash of light and a crack, and Twilight was gone.
She breathed in, then exhaled. She spread her wings wide and jumped into the air: with her body against the sky, she would be harder to spot. She would also have the advantage of a better view of everything that was happening below.
Of course, she was also the changelings' primary target, it seemed, as five of the drones broke away from engaging the Royal Guard to follow her. She bared her teeth and growled as their sickly green bolts of magic flew towards her. They neared, and she threw herself to the left and rolled, then looped around and dove at them horn-first.
The changelings slowed and stopped, unwilling to fly into her because of her larger size. And so distracted by momentary fear, she capitalized on it, unleashing several spells on the swarm.
The spells weren't fast enough, and the changelings weren't paralyzed the same way other ponies would be. They were trained for war. They easily avoided her barrage. The spells burned themselves out before reaching the ground; collateral damage would not benefit her any.
The swarm scattered; she flared her wings and stopped in the middle of where they had been, set her eyes on the nearest one above her, and lashed out with her magic: her beam of magic lurched from her horn. The changeling flew higher, but she was faster, and her beam shredded its carapace and tore open its side. It let out a hiss of pain and fell.
Three bolts of magic struck her: one under her wing, burning her fur and skin, making her growl, one on the left side of her chestplate, making her armor hot against her fur, and one grazing her leg, singing her fur. A fourth bolt of magic barely missed her wing.
She spun around and fired off her beam of magic, sweeping her head left to right. She hit one changeling's chest and cut it open, and cut off another changeling's wing. Both fell.
The two remaining changelings burned with green flame and dove at her. She grit her teeth and formed her magic into a shield around her. Both changelings hit, and while her shield took the impact, it knocked her down. She dropped the shield and lurched towards the closest changeling. She blasted its horn with her magic, and it couldn't move out of the way in time.
The last surviving changeling summarily decided it valued its life, hastily diving towards the ground.
'No.' Letting it escape alive would only cause more problems. She dove after it, casting a barrage of spells. Although it weaved between most of the spells, all it took was one hitting between its wings to stagger and stun it, thus sealing its fate.
She tucked her wings in. It hit the ground hard. She flared her wings out to slow down and then landed. It tried to move out from under her, but she grasped its head with her telekinetic grip, overwhelming its own innate resistance.
Pop! It's head twisted at an unnatural angle. She cast it aside and inhaled as she turned. A few of the Royal Guards had finally acquired spears: pegasi flew up and then lobbed them at drones below, catching some unaware.
A batpony was locked in battle with a changeling: he kept trying to cut into its neck with a hoof-blade, but the changeling knocked his leg to the side each time. Another changeling dived at the pair from above; the batpony didn't notice.
She swiveled to face the battle and took aim, only for a flash of light to distract her. A bolt of magic flew from her student's horn, hitting the diving changeling right in the face. Its body shuddered and went limp before hitting the ground and rolling, twitching. Twilight teleported again.
She felt jealous.
The batpony finally overpowered the changeling, then jumped back into the air.
A pair of earth pony guards were struck by several bolts of green magic, and a new swarm of changelings flew in over the wall near the gate. They spotted her.
"Twilight, on your left!" she heard Rainbow call out.
She whipped her head to the left. A changeling dove at her, horn aglow with a menacing green aura. The eyes seemed empty, despite the faint teal-white glow that seemed to come from inside. A part of her was fascinated. A part of her was terrified.
She cast the first spell that came to mind. The bolt of magic lurched from her horn. The changeling was too close. The spell struck it, and its forked tongue lolled out as its body spasmed once, convulsing under the effects of her stun spell.
Of course, the changeling was too close. She braced herself and jumped out of the way. The changeling's limp body crashed into her flank, knocking her to the ground. She groaned and scrambled back to her hooves.
Rainbow landed in front of her. "You okay?"
"I'm okay," she answered.
Rainbow jumped back into the air and zoomed off. She watched her friend rocket towards a changeling and slam into its abdomen, then grab ahold of it and dive to the ground. The changeling wheezed from breaking Rainbow's fall and twitched on the ground.
And she could hear Nightmare chastising her, 'Focus.'
She winced and shook herself back into shape. But still, focus on what? The courtyard was in chaos!
She bit her lip and glanced around. A swarm of changelings rose up from behind the wall. She groaned internally. 'Of course there's more of them!' Too many, really.
Half of them changed their course. She turned to the right to find out where they were going.
Nightmare Moon.
She saw the alicorn bow her head, swipe her tongue over her lips, then charge forward. Spell after spell fired off from Nightmare's horn, lurching towards the swarm.
The swarm retaliated in kind. Nightmare's magic wrapped into a shield that shrugged off each spell, and Nightmare continued charging forward. The changelings wrapped themselves in their magic and dove right at Nightmare's barrier.
She heard the impacts.
Nightmare's shield held until it disappeared. And then a beam of magic cut through the changelings too close to avoid it, sending five of them to the ground.
The changelings swarmed behind her. Nightmare dropped to the ground and spun around.
She shook herself away from the battle: Nightmare Moon could handle it. Other ponies needed help.
Something landed a few steps away from her. She looked and the changeling hissed as it lurched for her. She yelped and jumped back, casting a teleportation spell. She teleported a few paces off to the side and watched the changeling land where she had been, but it already turned to face her.
She cast another stun spell; it caught the changeling in the side, sending it to the ground convulsing.
Nightmare Moon might not have problems killing, but she wasn't going to if there was an alternative.
A pair of royal guards–both unicorns–rushed over to her. "Are you alright!?"
She nodded. "Yes, I'm–" They flashed green.
She dove to the ground, barely avoiding two bolts of green magic. 'Shapeshifters–' From the ground she aimed at the first one and cast a stun spell. It jumped out of the way. '–right.' The second one landed on her back, and her skin crawled as she felt the cold, hard carapace press up against her back. Her body went tense and rigid with fear–the changeling's head slid up beside hers, and its insectoid eye peered into her own. It hissed.
She teleported, her heart racing, and the second changeling fell to the ground. Both turned to face her and she met them with two stun spells. Both changelings spasmed and collapsed.
She startled when she heard Nightmare Moon scream; her head whipped to the right and she found the alicorn reared up, horn burning almost violently. Nightmare Moon slammed her forehooves down into the ground and a burst of magic exploded out of her horn, knocking back the changelings surrounding her.
And for a moment, Nightmare Moon stood, mostly still as if listening, then she turned her head about, looking at each changeling. The alicorn straightened and then looked to the left. Nightmare saw her, and for a moment, her teacher's gaze lingered, then it left as she continued surveying the battle.
It looked like there were a few new burns on Nightmare's body. It had to hurt, but Nightmare Moon seemed to ignore it. Her eyes once again held a cold, predatory intellect and cunning. The Queen was calculated. 'Maybe she has a high pain tolerance. Maybe she's focused on everything else.'
She finally turned away from Nightmare Moon. The Royal Guards and batponies who had been brought down by the changelings weren't dead: she could see them breathing and there were no burns on their bodies.
'The changelings will cocoon them,' Nightmare had said. Which meant, 'They want ponies alive.'
But that also meant they were trying to kill Nightmare Moon.
She bit her lip again and teleported behind a changeling that had cornered an earth pony. The changeling froze up at the sound of her teleport and its head jerked back to look at her. She cast a stun spell before it could move out of the way.
She teleported again. It strained her more than the first few teleports, and she was sure that she would regret teleporting so much later, but it was an advantage she had put to good use sparring with Nightmare Moon. And so far, she hadn't seen any changelings use shields or teleport. 'Maybe they can't.'
She saw Applejack surrounded: five changelings. Applejack regarded them warily, and before she could teleport, the first one jumped at her friend. Applejack swiveled around and kicked out with her hind legs, delivering a solid buck to the changeling's chest. She winced at the sound of Applejack’s kick cracking the changeling’s carapace. The rest of the changelings capitalized, jumping on Applejack and piling on top of her.
She teleported a few steps away from Applejack and cast an anti-gravity spell. Maybe not the best idea in the middle of a battle, but it worked: gravity was reversed and the now-confused changelings found themselves falling into the sky, along with Applejack.
She teleported Applejack beside her, waited for the changelings to 'reorientate' themselves to the localized gravity field, and then cut the spell.
And the changelings fell back to the ground in a pile, though they weren't disabled. They worked themselves away from each other and lunged at Applejack and her, but only from the front. Applejack bucked one, she cast a stun spell, and then
she teleported them away before the changelings could reach them.
She groaned faintly and shook her head.
She felt a cold boot touch her left shoulder and jerked. "You doing okay, Twilight?"
She looked at Applejack and gave a wary smile. "Yes. More or less." She paused; her smile faded. "No, not really. We shouldn't be here. I'm not a soldier! I'm not even an adult. I'm a student!"
Of course, it was a good thing Nightmare Moon wasn't there to hear her say that. 'Your enemies will not care,' Nightmare had said, and of course, Nightmare Moon was correct: the changelings did not care.
"Well, you saved my hide back there. Thanks."
She turned back to face the courtyard. Nightmare Moon flew overhead, and a swarm of changelings rose up to intercept her. A shield wrapped around Nightmare's body and shrugged off the changelings' spells.
"Nightmare Moon seems to be handling herself pretty well too," Applejack commented.
She nodded. "You'd think that the changelings would realize they're not going to break her shield..." 'Of course if they do, then what are they supposed to do? Ignore her and attack everypony else?' She hoped they didn't realize their mistake.
"Well, they have landed spells on her from what I've seen," Applejack countered.
She grimaced. 'And those spells left burns.' "She made me promise never to use fire as a weapon."
Applejack looked at her. A moment passed, and Applejack faced the rest of the courtyard again. "Can't say I'd approve of that either..."
Rainbow Dash swooped down in front of them, though staying out of reach. "Uh, guys!? Less talking and more kicking the bad guys' flanks! Dunno if you can tell or not, but we're kind of outnumbered here!"
"Right," was all she had to say about that. 'Outnumbered, but we have Nightmare Moon on our side.' She looked at Applejack, and Applejack looked at her. They shared a nod. Applejack took off and Rainbow soared back into the air.
'How would Princess Celestia handle this?' she wondered. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. Would Princess Celestia have let it happen?
She shook the thoughts from her mind. 'Focus.'
Surveying the courtyard, she spotted a new swarm of five changelings diving towards a group of unicorns that had their backs turned to them. All five changelings' horns glowed brightly in the dark of night. 'Oh, I'm going to regret this.' She teleported herself behind the two unicorns, both of whom audibly startled from her arrival, and cast a gravity reversing spell.
The swarm of changelings found themselves ascending when they should have been diving, and the confusion made their horns wink out. She fired off as many stun spells towards them as she could, aiming ahead of the changelings so that they fell towards the spells. Most of her spells missed. One hit, and the changeling convulsed.
The rest started to reorientate themselves against her spell. She cut the spell. The changelings fell towards the ground faster than before. She fired off another barrage of stun spells. Another changeling convulsed. The three remaining changelings' bodies were wrapped in their green aura and shot towards her.
She stifled a yelp and reforged her magic into a shield. Thud! Thud! Crack! All three changelings slammed into her barrier; she felt the impact and her legs wobbled. The changelings hissed as their magic burned out. They reared up and smashed their forehooves down. It wasn't as stressful as their initial impacts. The two stunned changelings hit the ground. She heard carapace split and winced.
She dropped the shield. The three changelings fell and instinctively flared their wings to take flight. Before they could attack her, she teleported behind them. All three turned to face her. She caught the one in the middle with a stun spell. The other two dived at her.
Twin bolts from the two unicorns she had protected made the remaining changelings convulse and flop to the ground. She looked at the two unicorns, and they acknowledged her with a quick nod before rushing off.
She saw a rainbow blur hit the ground and heard a groan. 'No!' She looked and saw the pegasus crumpled, clutching her wing. She teleported to Rainbow's side and reached out. "Rainbow! Are you–"
The pegasus flashed green, and then the changeling jumped at her. She yelped as the changeling hit her and threw her to the ground. It hissed. She couldn't stop herself from looking at its four fangs: much, much longer and sharper than Nightmare Moon's fangs. Its tongue was forked.
She looked into its eyes and lit her horn, but the changeling's forehoof slapped her horn. She stifled a cry of pain and her aura winked out. She tried to move her forelegs but found the changeling pinning her in place. 'No!' She needed to escape! Her friends and Nightmare Moon needed her!
She grunted and tugged on her forelegs, only for the changeling to hiss and throw more weight down on her. She grunted and tried to kick its abdomen with her hind legs, but a second changeling piled on them. 'No!' She bit her lip.
Apparently, she had made herself a target.
She made the mistake of looking at its mouth again: there was some thick green goo bubbling up from under its tongue. It closed its mouth, drew its head up–and a bolt of magic cut through its side. The force of the spell threw it off of her. She jerked in response. The second changeling hissed and jerked to look; another bolt of magic flew through its body, throwing it off of her. Before she could move, another black figure, one far larger than the rest of the changelings, stood over her. If she couldn’t fight off two drones, there was no way she could fight it off.
"Are you alright?"
She recognized the voice: Nightmare Moon. It took her a moment to realize that she saw fur and cyan armor, rather than the hard black carapace of a changeling. The alicorn's eyes appeared to twitch side to side, studying her.
'No.' She just swallowed and nodded; now wasn't the time to break down and have a panic attack.
She did not look at the two changelings again.
Nightmare turned away from her and dropped down low. A blue shield enveloped both of them while she climbed back to her hooves, despite her legs' new protest. She thought she would fall, but somehow didn't. She swallowed and looked at Nightmare Moon, watched her head gradually sweep left and then right. "I have not yet seen the Queen, and in truth, this surprises me," Nightmare said.
Twilight stepped over to Nightmare's side and eyed her body: the burn marks bled, though none as much as the burn on her neck and back. She noticed that Nightmare's body trembled. Nightmare's burns had to hurt more than the bruising she probably had. "Are you okay?"
Nightmare jerked her head to face her, then nodded once. "I am." The alicorn turned back away from her. "I believe the Royal Guard and batponies can finish up here. We must locate the Queen."
She took a moment to look around the courtyard again: there were more changelings on the ground than standing or flying, and they were outnumbered and being pushed back by the Royal Guard and batponies. Some Royal Guards and batponies were already tending to their fallen comrades.
Her gaze must have lingered too long, as Nightmare said, "They are merely stunned. They will be fine."
She turned back to watch the courtyard. The rest of the changelings seemed to realize they were losing, and they were generally retreating: some would carry their stunned comrades while others screened against pegasi, batponies, and unicorns for them to retreat. Many changelings were left behind in the retreat.
A lot more changelings than she wanted to count had fallen at Nightmare's hooves.
She heard Nightmare growl. "I should hunt them down. Leaving them alive means there is that much more work for us after the queen is dealt with. Leaving them alive risks ponies being hurt."
'You would hunt them down and kill them all without giving them a chance, wouldn't you?' She kept it to herself. Was killing them necessary? She didn't think so, but maybe she was wrong. She had only seen from one perspective: that the changelings had ponynapped Cadance and herself–which was mostly the Queen's doing–and attacked Canterlot.
Nightmare Moon was protecting ponies. The changelings had attacked them.
And killing them was a quick and efficient means of dealing with them.
Nightmare Moon made no attempt to pursue the retreating changelings, rather, she seemed intent on trying to kill them with her glare. Her body was tensed, ready to act if it was necessary, but not before. Nightmare seemed intent on staying at her side for the time being.
The buzzing of insectoid wings gradually faded, replaced with Royal Guards' and batponies' voices. Nightmare didn't relax, though the shield surrounding them faded away.
And she almost thought the alicorn would have used her horn to impale any changelings that tried to attack them.
"Your Majesty–" her brother's voice. She smiled and turned to face him. He still wore his dress uniform, but his horn was aglow with magic: he was prepared to defend himself. Cadance walked along beside him, warily eyeing the courtyard like her brother. He looked at her, then looked back at her teacher.
"Captain," Nightmare Moon acknowledged. "Cadance."
Cadance looked at her teacher and nodded. "Everypony is still in the Ballroom. They're fine, for now, but I think they'd feel safer with a few more guards."
"What are your orders?" her brother asked.
"You do not need me to tell you what to do in this circumstance," Nightmare chastised. "I will deal with the Queen. Ensure that ponies are safe and deal with the drones."
Cadance looked at Nightmare warily, and her brother grimaced. "Right. Cadance?" Cadance looked at her brother. "Stay with them in the Ballroom. If her Majesty is going after the changeling queen, the Royal Guard should be able to deal with the rest of them."
Cadance reluctantly nodded. "Stay safe," she murmured, then nuzzled her brother.
Cadance turned and headed back to the Ballroom; her brother watched Cadance for a few seconds, then turned to her. "Are you okay?"
'No.' "I'm fine." He didn't seem to buy it. She turned to face him. "Really." He tilted his head down. "I'm... we'll talk about it later." He eyed her, then looked at Nightmare Moon.
"She will be fine," Nightmare said. "I give you my word. If I did not think her able to, then rest assured she would be with Cadance or barricaded in my chambers."
Her brother shook his head. "She shouldn't be out here. It's not safe. She's not a Royal Guard. She's not trained for this–"
She heard Nightmare turn to face him. She expected Nightmare to impatiently lash out at him and braced herself. "Though I am inclined to agree and admit I would rather her stay somewhere safe, we have sparred. She is not defenseless: I have taught her. I trust in her abilities." Nightmare opened her mouth to say something more, only to stop, then turn to face her. She turned to look up at her and watched Nightmare study her. A few seconds passed before her teacher finally said, "I will not force you to assist me. It is dangerous, and though I am certain you are capable of it, I will not force you into harm's way."
Because she remembered Nightmare's promise, 'I will protect you,' and saw that in the alicorn's eyes. She inhaled deeply and nodded. "I can help." She learned her head to the side and specified, "I may not want to fight them, but–" she dropped her gaze to Nightmare's neck, eyeing the burn and the thick crimson streak that disappeared under her chestplate, "–they are trying to kill you."
She watched Nightmare shift her weight as her wings twitched at her sides. "'Tis hardly the first time."
And, it occurred to her, "This isn't exactly the first time my friends and I have been in this position, either."
Her brother fidgeted uncomfortably.
Nightmare's brow twitched. "This is... true," was her reluctant acknowledgment. "Though this is... different from Discord."
'Why exactly is all of this happening?' she wanted to know. Of course, there was nopony she could ask that and get a proper answer from. 'This is going to end badly, isn't it?' Granted, she had sparred with Nightmare Moon, but Nightmare Moon hadn't been trying to kill her. The changelings weren't either, but they were certainly trying to win. Yes, it was a mistake to try to help. She was out of her element, out of her league, and in unfamiliar territory, despite what Nightmare Moon claimed to believe.
But she could help. And as much as her body and magic disagreed, she needed to. 'I can't let everypony down.' Her friends were counting on her.
Her brother shook her head and groaned. "You had better keep her safe."
Nightmare looked at him and frowned as if insulted. "Do not doubt her competence nor my commitment to her."
Neither one of them backed down, despite the fact that both of them agreed that they wanted to keep her safe.
'Well! This is awkward.' She tried to ignore it, but for some reason, she couldn't stop herself from focusing on Nightmare's retort. Months ago it would have been crazy. She found herself shaking her head. 'No, don't think about it. Just focus on–' She licked her lips and said, "We should get going. The changelings could be back anytime."
Nightmare stood down. Looked at her and nodded once, then turned away from her. "Yes. Let us retrieve Applejack and Rainbow Dash and then we shall be off."
"Twilight?" Shining Armor called. She turned to face him. "Stay safe, alright?"
She nodded. "I will." She turned and stepped over to Nightmare's side again. Applejack trudged towards them while Rainbow flew along beside her. Applejack favored her left hind leg and the ribbon that held her mane together was missing, but she looked mostly okay. Rainbow Dash didn't look any worse for wear, though maybe tired and a little less bold than before.
They came to a stop in front of them and Rainbow landed and puffed out her chest. "So, whose flank do we kick next!?" Rainbow asked.