“What happened to Nightmare Moon? Was she even real?”
“Unfortunately, she was as real as you or us.”
Despite the anger I tasted, her words carried no malice. It was self-loathing that filled Princess Luna, not the bitter hatred of being defeated by an enemy who would harm her citizens.
I propped her up against the wall of the bedsheet factory so that she wouldn’t have to crane her neck all the way up to look at me as she spoke, though she did still have to look up at me since I was standing. The Elements of Harmony had been lined up against a storefront across the street, and out of earshot.
“Then what happened to her?”
“We were cleansed of that parasite by the Elements of Harmony shortly before rushing here, to thy aid.”
“Cleansed?”
“The Elements of Harmony oft work in the most peculiar way. The first time they were used against Nightmare Moon all those centuries ago, us, we were imprisoned on the moon, Nightmare and Luna both. Perhaps our sister wished it to be so, perhaps the Elements dictated it must be. The new Element bearers used the power of Harmony on us once more, and this time the parasite was removed from our psyche and body. Whether that was on the whims of the bearers of the force of Harmony itself, We do not know..”
“So were you Nightmare Moon, or was she someone else? How did she even come to be?”
“Nightmare Moon warned thou of the perils of the Nightscape, doth thou not recall? That is her origin, and she was more than the sum of her parts. One part parasite of dark origins and designs, one part alicorn. Now We possess the Nightmare’s memories as if they were our own...
“If We were Nightmare Moon fully and truly, then we must pay penitence for our actions. If we were but the host to Nightmare Moon, then we must pay penitence all the same, for We brought that abyssal aberration into existence through our folly alone…”
I tapped a hoof on my chin, “So you’re saying if I reintroduced one of these parasites–”
“Thou wouldn’t! We know thou would not mutilate our mind, not after the horrors thou hast seen and shown us!”
“... No. I wouldn’t.” I sighed before continuing, “And how did Nightmare Moon get defeated by the Elements in the first place? Was she all bark and no bite?”
“All bark and no bite? That is… a reference to canines, We see. No, Nightmare Moon most assuredly would hath defeated any foe before her.”
“Yet she didn’t?”
“She considered the Elements beneath her, and focused on recovering her strength so that she may duel our sister. Nightmare Moon sent naught but weak apparitions of shadow and magic against the soon-to-be Element bearers, and they were found wanting. When Nightmare Moon had realized the extent of her mistake, it was too late for the parasite.”
The hatred I tasted faded, and the bitter taste of sorrow became all the more noticeable.
“Please Prince Phasma, We beg of thou to realize the mistake thou art making. There is time yet to end this calamity and side with Harmony before it is too late.”
“Why would I ever do that?”
“This will not end well for thou or thy host of kin! Nightmare Moon met her defeat not once but twice, and thou art doomed just the same.”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve already defeated the Elements of Harmony.”
Luna changed tactics, “If thou doth not believe in the power of Harmony, then believe in the power of reason. Doth thou really believe thou can rule the world with all of it plotting thy demise? Come peacefully, and we shall aid our sister in ending the tyrannical rule of thy Queen and mother. Then we shall treat thou and thy kin fairly, and we shall help thou overcome the troubles that have befallen thy kingdom.”
“Troubles? Do you think it’s just my life on the line, Princess Luna? You think we’re doing this just to get some extra food and power? This invasion is our entire species' last gambit at survival! There is no retreat. There is no peace.”
A faint buzzing caught my attention and I turned to see changelings flying over to where we were.
“I didn’t want things to turn out this way, but I was left with no other choice.”
“If what thou sayest is true, then Equestria will do all it can to help thy kin, thy changelings.”
“Do you expect me to believe that? I cannot allow this all to be for nothing. I cannot allow the fate of our species to lie in the hooves of those we have invaded and preyed upon. I’m no stranger to what we’ve done; I’ve walked these streets and watched it happen. Ponies, if freed, would call for our blood, not work together. As both Prince and High Marshal, I am responsible for everything that has happened in this invasion...
“And if they don’t demand our death, I know what happens to a people entirely dependent on a stronger force. Slavery, systematic oppression, colonialism. I will never let that come to pass, not while I still draw breath!”
“There is not even a chance of that happening, Prince Phasma. Not while our sister and us are in power. We have safeguarded the races of this world against such horrid ideas, yet thou claim that they are an inevitability? Thou needn't look further then Equestria’s own history to see this as a falsehood! The ideals of Harmony have always been upheld, and they always will!”
“Back to praising a reportedly sapient force of nature, are we? As I said before, I will not risk the future of my species on the chance that you’re correct and ponies will play nice after we’ve invaded their homes, foalnapped them, and put them into eternal slumber.”
The sound of hooves hitting cobblestone sounded out behind me as the approaching changelings arrived.
“This is goodbye, Princess Luna.”
“Phasma, please listen to us! We do not wish thou to follow in our hoofsteps, thou must stop this before thou art killed! We don’t want to lose thou...”
As I crouched low and replaced the bindings on her muzzle, the sadness emanating from her intensified. Her teal eyes stared at me, pleading for me to change my mind.
“It’s all or nothing. I will not relegate my species to servitude, nor will I give into fate. I needed Nightmare Moon to help me secure the survival of my species. I don’t need a powerless alicorn who can only beg for the victor to keel over and die.”
I stood back up and spun around. Coxa, Tarsus, Lacewing, and Oestridae were standing in the street.
“Hello, guys. It’s been a while since we last talked,” I said while moving towards them.
“Not that long,” replied Coxa.
“It has been a while for me,” Tarsus reminded him.
“Hi Phasma, it’s nice to see you again.”
I returned Lace’s smile, “You too, Lacewing. Everything alright in the Conquerors and the Infiltrators?”
Coxa shrugged, Lacewing nodded, and Tarsus looked at the six ponies bound up on the side of the street, then looked at the alicorn behind me.
“You’ve been busy, Phasma.”
“Extremely. Two alicorns down, one to go.”
“Three in total? There’s only supposed to be two…”
“This here is Princess Luna, formerly Nightmare Moon, sister of Princess Celestia.”
“Nightmare Moon?” Coxa and Lace ask at the same time.
“Remember how I told you I had a plan for dealing with the Queen? Nightmare Moon was to help me defeat her in combat. We had struck an accord of sorts.”
“Now what?”
“Now the plan has changed. We’re on our own.”
Tarsus quirked an eyebrow, “What are you two talking about?”
“The plan to secure the safety of not only myself, but the hive in its entirety.”
“I… don’t follow.”
‘Did I forget to tell him? That’s quite possible, so much was happening in the last few months.’
“Remember how we broke into the vault?” He nodded. “There was a second chamber, built into the floor of the records vault. It contained… My brothers and sisters.”
“Brothers and sisters?”
“They… they were alive, in the broadest sense. Queen Chrysalis had lobotomized them, ripped out parts of their brain to inter them within the confines of their own bodies. She pumped pure love into them, and used them to project the Weave throughout the hive.”
Tarsus blinked.
“That’s. What. What?”
“She butchered her own children. Dying but unable to die, I ordered them freed from their curse as we left the hive. But Chrysalis, she’s not to be trusted. There was an empty spot, an empty tomb. Chrysalis is planning on betraying me and making me suffer the same fate as my siblings.”
“How can this be true?”
“Chrysalis isn’t loyal to the hive, she’s just pursuing her own goals and plans,” Coxa explained.
“Chrysalis is the hive!”
“We changelings are the hive,” I replied.
Lace added, “Chrysalis is just the ling in charge, and the hive says we want someling else!”
“Queen Chrysalis must have had a good reason for doing this…”
“No Tarsus, she doesn’t. There’s no reason that could possibly warrant what she did. And now it is time for a change in power. Chrysalis has outlived her own loyalty to the changeling race, she must be dealt with.”
“You’ve got to be missing something here,” Tarsus mumbled. “This can’t be her plan. She wouldn’t risk everything to just betray you...”
“So what happened to this Nightmare Moon? ”
I sighed, “Well Lace, I created an alliance with a powerful alicorn. Turns out, she was less powerful than she claimed to be. She promised an army, yet I see none. She promised her blade, yet she’s dead and gone, with Princess Luna here left behind in her departure from the world.”
Lace’s head tilted to the side as she asked, “Left behind? Whaddya mean?”
“Nightmare Moon was apparently possessing Luna, or something similar to that.”
“You allied with a pony to defeat Queen Chrysalis?” Tarsus spoke up.
“Chrysalis is planning on giving me a fate worse than death. We must act before she does. I have laid the foundations for this seizure of power, now all that remains is to enact it. Right now, she is dueling with Princess Celestia. We shall strike at once when the duel finishes. Either Chrysalis will win, and we will sweep in and kill her, or Princess Celestia will win, in which case we will sweep in and capture the pony princess.
“Tarsus, I need you to send the word to the Infiltrators in the castle loyal to me to capture Intelligencer Ocelli. Tell the Infiltrators you find that the red dawn has arrived, they’ll know what it means, or they won’t and are disloyal. Just play it off as the dawn of the Promised Day if pressed.
“Coxa, tell Captain Cicada of the Will of the Nine to muster in full strength at Canterlot Castle foyer, he is leader of a Lodge and will help us out. Lace, I need you to check the castle for Captain Obturator, I'll need to work with him ASAP to figure out how to control the podded population after the war is won. He should be poking around the medical wing. If you can’t find him, just head to the rendezvous point instead. Oestridae and I will take down Chamberlain Eucharis and Commander Scorpion of the Praetorians, leaving Chrysalis with no close supporters.
“We’ll all meet up in the castle’s foyer before we take on Queen Chrysalis. After she is dead, we will send word to the other Legions of the East and West push, and tell them to enact their arrests of hardcore loyalists. Everyone clear on what they have to do?”
"We go in, we stab her until she's dead, we leave. Seems simple," Coxa chuckled.
Taurus nodded, but was still clearly mulling over the Ascension Chamber’s contents.
"You and Oest are going to fight the Commander?" Lace kicked a pebble across the street as she spoke.
"Yes."
"Then... Be careful, and stay safe Phasma. You too, Oest."
“Not going to be much safety where we’re headed,” Oest said.
“Still, all of you be careful.”
“This is it then. We meet up at the foyer, then we’re really doing it?” Coxa said as he lifted off the ground.
“Yeah. This is it. The end of Chrysalis’s reign, what we’ve been planning for all this time.”
“I’ll go get the Nine then. Do not start the fight without me, I want to watch!” Coxa turned and flew away.
Lace gave me another hug.
“You keep giving me those and I’m going to think you and Thorax are related. Brother and sister, perhaps?”
“You’re just so huggable, Phasma!”
“So it would seem. Don’t worry Lace, everything will be fine. Stick to the plan, and remember what I told you and Coxa what you should do if…”
“You just said everything will be fine.”
“It will. Just… It will.”
She broke the hug, “Yeah. Maybe after this, we can... Uh… I’ll see you soon, Phasma.”
“See you,” Tarsus said briskly.
Lace and Tarsus started to fly up and over to Castle Canterlot as well, Lacewing giving me a little wave before turning away.
As I watched them start to go, a stray green focused-will laser beam bisected one of the towers near the throne room. A fireball was launched from the tower itself, flying overhead. That’s when I saw the fireball flap, as if it was a bird. The yellow and orange mass of fire then circled above us, seemingly looking at me, before flying off Westward and disappearing into one of the large plumes of smoke stretching high over the city.
‘Was that a bird made of fire?’
A voice startled me, “It’s finally happening, My Prince?”
One of the Will of Nine watching the Bearers asked that. In truth, I had forgotten they were still here, safe in the knowledge that I was surrounded by loyal changelings.
“Yes. I’ve changed my mind; Move these prisoners to somewhere secure, not the Castle itself. Spread the word to fellow Lodge members as you go, then meet back up at the castle’s foyer, too. I’m going to need all of your help to take down the tyrant.”
“It will be done, My Prince!”
I gave them a nod, and they started to grab the ponies with their magic. I looked back at Princess Luna. She was shaking her head slowly.
‘Sadness I could drown in. And… something else. Something clinging to each wave of sorrow...’
“I taste love,” Oestridae whispered.
I sighed, “Nightmare Moon and I… We…”
“I think I understand,” the ling of few words patted me on the back. "Though she is the wrong species..."
I turned away from Princess Luna and took to the air.
“C’mon Oest, let’s go find Chamberlain Eucharis. He should be lurking around the castle somewhere.”