//------------------------------// // 17 The Calm Before the Storm // Story: The Time Ponies and the Cutie Mark Thief Vs. the Queen of Hearts // by My name is R //------------------------------// Fluttershy watched as the Time Ponies walked through their portal and out of the caves. They were… Well, they were helpful, and they seemed to be genuinely good ponies, but they were still outsiders in a way. They hadn’t been there when their home was ripped apart by the changelings, and they hadn’t had to survive in the harsh winters of the day. And even now they went back home to rest while her people suffered. True, they weren’t delaying thanks to their magic time portal, but it left a void between them. On one side were those who lived in constant fear, and had done so for months. On the other were those who always had a home to return to, and though they faced some trials they did so only when they were ready. She didn’t begrudge them that comfort, but it made it hard to form the bonds of shared conflict with them. And then there was Inquisitor. A changeling, but one who seemed to genuinely want to help them overthrow Chrysalis. One who had hurt her friends… by trying to protect them. Who was willing to throw herself onto the fire to save her friends, and who had chosen them over her blood. She understood constant vigilance, and might have been on the run longer than the ponies of Ponyville. And last of all… Starlight. The inspiration for all that Fluttershy had strove toward from flight camp to the invasion… and she had been a hateful vengeance seeker, not the loving bringer of peace that Fluttershy had seen. And yet… even if Fluttershy had made her mission herself out of a simple misunderstanding, that didn’t make it any less noble a mission. True, her inspiration was distrustful, but she had long ago grown beyond simply trying to emulate Starlight. Fluttershy shook her head; now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things, they had a job to do. The Time Ponies would find a map, but she and Pinkie could still start looking for the exit. She turned to Pinke… and she was gone. “Pinkie!” “Hey, look what I found!” Fluttershy followed the voice, and found it led to a hidden passage that appeared to be a solid wall unless one approached it. Inside Pinkie was poking at one of two changeling cocoons held within. Fluttershy stifled her gasp upon seeing the ponies inside the cocoons. One was a pink alicorn that she assumed was Cadence. The other was Princess Celestia herself. Both appeared underfed. “Let’s get them out,” Fluttershy said, looking to Pinkie for confirmation. Pinkie nodded and pulled her spear out of her mane to work on Princess Cadence’s pod. Fluttershy, regretfully, had to leave her own spear behind outside of Canterlot. But she had managed to hide her scalpel throughout their journey from the cave where they had transformed. Drawing it, she started work on Princess Celestia’s pod. It was a slow process; a scalpel was made for precision work, not hacking through thick membranes, but she wouldn’t risk tearing open the cocoon. When she had managed to cut a line halfway around the top she heard Cadence gasp for air as Pinkie stepped back from her. Fluttershy motioned for them to swap places. “What’s going on? Who are you?” “It’s okay,” Fluttershy said gently. “You’ve probably been unconscious for a long time. What’s the last thing you remember?” “Chrysalis trapped me under the castle and pretended to be me to marry Shining Armor. The day of the wedding is the last time I remember. How long has it been? Is Shining okay?” Fluttershy took a deep breath. This was not going to be a pleasant waking. “I have good news, and bad news. The good news is that Shining Armor is alive. The bad news is that you've been trapped inside that cocoon for months.” “Was Chrysalis defeated?” “Yes…” Fluttershy said hesitantly. “That's good. How long have you been trying to find me? Was anypony hurt when the changelings attacked before they were defeated?” “We didn’t expect to find you here at all!” Pinkie answered. “We were running from the changelings and I felt a tingle in my frog. That means there’s a secret passage nearby.” Cadence turned to ask about Pinkie’s story, but then she caught sight of Princess Celestia’s cocoon opening up. “Aunt Celestia!?” “Cadence!” Princess Celestia stepped out of the cocoon and turned to face Cadence. She started to step forward, but then she paused and stiffened. “How do I know it’s really you?” How would Princess Cadence respond? A secret hoofshake? An obscure anecdote? It would forever remain a mystery for at this point Celestia was body slammed by Inky, shoving her into Cadence. Inky shook her head and grumbled. “Doc swore we wouldn’t fly into…” She stopped short as she saw what she had hit. “Oh, princess! I am so sorry, I didn’t see you!” She bowed, though Fluttershy noticed that her eyes never left the princess’s. Then Inky looked to Fluttershy. “Do we know that she’s genuine?” “Where did you come from, my little pony?” Celestia asked. “My friends and I are… sort of a multiplanar relief agency,” Inky explained. “Also, we should step out of this room before-” “Whoohoo!” Minuette shouted, landing in Cadence’s lap. “Oh. Um. Hi princess, fancy meeting you here.” They quickly filed back into the main cave to wait for the rest. “As I was asking, do you have any evidence to support your claims,” Celestia asked once they were settled. “Well, I can tell you things and you tell me whether or not they're still secrets here,” Inky answered. “How many changelings know about Luna?” The name meant nothing to Fluttershy, but Celestia’s eyes widened upon hearing it. “Where did you hear that name?” “In our world she lives with her sister in Canterlot. I’d rather not say more for now.” “Very well. Can you speak for these two who freed us?” “Yep!” Minuette said with a nod. “They were with us when we got arrested and then broke out of changeling jail! That’s Fluttershy and that’s Pinkie Pie. I’m Minuette and our rescuer here is Inquisitor.” “Oh? You single hoofedly braved Canterlot and broke out some prisoners? How?” “My Princess Celestia once told me that heroes are normal creatures who do what needs to be done when nopony around will. That any creature, from an arrogant dragon to a lowly diamond dog, can be a hero if they so choose, even if few have the strength. A hero is determined by their character, not their race or heritage.” Inky transformed, revealing her black carapace. “She taught you well,” Celestia replied with a warm nod. Starlight trotted into the room with them. “Oh, Princesses! Hold on, just a moment.” She lit her horn and her eyes glowed momentarily. “It’s great to see that you're alright!” After a few minutes of discussion Celestia and Cadence had been brought up to speed on the current situation in Canterlot. It was decided that the princesses should make their way to the exit and rest for a while to regain their strength, meeting up with Daring Do and her team when they were feeling well. Meanwhile their team would make their way as close as they could to the surface of the gardens and Starlight would teleport them up. Generally it was best to teleport to someplace you knew well, which would have been a problem except that Starlight had taken a day trip to Canterlot with Inky to familiarize herself with the destination. As they made their way to the thin spot Inky trotted up alongside Starlight. “Do you have a minute to talk?” “Sure. What is it about?” “So, our plan is to free Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, right?” Starlight nodded, a sinking feeling as she saw where this must be headed. “And we’re freeing those specific prisoners because they are three of the Elements of Harmony. Who we hope will be able to awaken their elements in a somewhat timely manner. And then we use these Elements, which we are still missing one of, to do… something, which will vaguely make everything better?” “I know there’s some holes, but it’s the best plan we’ve thought of so far.” “I still vote plan B,” Inky muttered. “I’m not willing to help commit genocide while there’s still a chance,” Starlight shot back in a whisper. “It’s not genocide if we let them surrender. Think about it. They lost their queen and the ponies got the Princesses back. Well, the ones they had at the beginning. Give it a few months and we can turn things around, send the changelings back into the holes they came from.” “And what’s to stop the ponies from burning those holes out? And how many ponies might die if the changelings get desperate? From what you and Fluttershy say they haven’t been going for the kill, since corpses can’t love. But if they’re backed into a corner…” Inky tilted her head towards the ceiling for a moment, before turning back to Starlight. “That’s a good counterpoint. I guess we can stick to the vaguely defined Elements plan first and leave finishing the war the old-fashioned way for plan B.” They continued on in relative silence until they reached the thin spot. Emerald and Perfect began to draw the runes Starlight would be using. Twilight could have teleported their whole group halfway across Canterlot, but Starlight was fairly certain that teleportation was a specialty of hers. Starlight was skilled in… other areas, so she would be relying on help from the runes to do a mass transport based on memory. While she sat down in the middle of the runic construction, Inky took the form of a mole and started digging up through a softer area to make sure no-ling was watching. Closing her eyes, Starlight focused on her upcoming task. She had never quite managed teleportation back when she was on her own. Twilight had been a huge help in finally wrapping her mind around it. But even now teleportation -while possible- was very difficult. She used her magic to intimately probe the contours and patterns of the runes, a physical manifestation of the usually internal patterns of spells. When she heard somepony say that topside was clear she started putting power into the spell, slowly encompassing everypony within fifteen feet of her to include them in the jump. Physical contact was usually preferred, but with a group this large it was infeasible. With a final push Starlight sent them all into the spell, and in a flash they reappeared in a shady patch of trees. After a moment to catch her breath Starlight began the second spell. This one was a far simpler one, just an illusion to make them all look like changelings. It was easier to cast and less flashy than the race-change spell, but they’d be found out the moment any changeling touched one of them. Except for Inky, who had reverted to her natural form now that they were undercover once more. As they exited the royal gardens they saw the changelings were in more frantic action than before. About halfway from the gardens to the barracks they were stopped by a lone changeling at a hastily slapped together barricade. “Halt! Under orders from High Captain Pharynx, all patrols require documents showing their orders until we have found the prisoners!” As the guard was talking Perfect caught Inky’s eye, and Inky nodded her head toward a nearby doorway whose door was missing. As soon as the guard looked at the other side of their group, Perfect slipped through the doorway. “If you have yet to receive your papers then I am authorized to call for an escort to accompany you back to the castle.” As silently as she could, Perfect made her way to a second story window looking over the barricade. She nudged it open and looked at the scene outside. Taking only half a second to steady her aim, she shot her knockout spell right at the guard’s chest as Inky was opening her mouth to respond. “Good work deputy,” Inky said with a nod, while several of her friends glanced back and forth between Perfect and the guard. “Wow, that’s a pretty cool ninja trick,” Minnuette said once Perfect stepped back out of the house. “One minute you were with us, and the next you’re zapping the bad guy from somepony’s balcony. Where’d you learn that?” Perfect shrugged. “I knew when to make a break for cover, and Inky told me where to go. After that it wasn’t too hard.” Inky stepped out of another house, where she had hidden the unconscious guard, and together they all made their way toward the barracks, and hopefully, toward freedom for this land. As they did so, Perfect thought about that. Ultimately, only Starlight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy had any personal connection to this world. Everypony else was here because they wanted to do the right thing. It brought a smile to Perfect’s muzzle, even in the fallen city around them.