...for her name is dawn.
She was almost down to the level with the tree, having just exited another maintenance shaft, when she caught the sound of rapid hoofsteps. She took off in a gallop immediately, her ears zeroing in on the direction the sound came from.
It didn't take her long to catch up to what she quickly realised had to be a group. She leapt and took to the air, her wings glowing brightly and casting the room in a cyan shade. It was a group of changelings, leading the pack was one whose chitin was light blue.
She descended upon the rear, blades ready. Glitterwing had never really been very experience when it came to the martial, but she didn't need to be. The blades were sharp enough to cut into the changelings without much resistance.
Ocellus turned her head, a look of surprise and fear crossed her features. It didn't last long before another changeling grabbed her and flew off, the rest turning to face her. Glitterwing braced herself before charging forwards, aiming directly for the throat as she swung her hoof.
They might have the advantage in number, but it was debatable if they could do much against her armour. She was tired, she was hurt, yet she knew she could not stop. The armour would protect her from more pain, she had to believe that. But stopping? She'd not be able to live with the pain of losing her best friend.
When the final body hit the floor she took off again, her wings buzzing as she flew down the corridor Ocellus had fled to. They might have a lead, but they weren't stealthy, she could hear them. Once she rounded a corner she landed, using the power of the armour that carried her, she launched herself forwards with one mighty leap.
They saw her catching up, turning the last moment to face her. She brought her hoof down on the corrupted changling. Her hoof might not be sharp, but with the power going through her armour it was enough to crush their skull... or whatever it was changelings had.
Ocellus stumbled and fell onto her back from the commotion. With a whimper the light blue changeling crawled backwards towards the wall.
"So, you're the one in charge of this then."
Ocellus shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. It was enough to cause Glitterwing to hesitate. Slowly she stepped closer as she stared down on the creature before her.
They were struggling to get words out, whimpers and coughs interrupting just as much as their nerves probably did. Looking her over in more detail, Glitterwing could make out several bite wounds.
But if Ocellus wasn't the one in charge, then who? There wasn't anyone on the ship that knew more about changeling biology.
"Can you stand?" She asked, reaching out with a hoof to help the changeling get up.
A shaky node was her response. Ocellus slowly took her hoof and Glitterwing pulled her up onto her hooves. It didn't last long before Ocellus grunted in pain and buckled over. She took a few steps closer and instead grabbed the changeling in her magic, pulling them up and onto her back.
If she'd now eliminated both primary suspects for the attack, who was left to even orchestrate something like this?
It was good few minutes of walking before Ocellus managed to get out anything coherent. "I... I need to get to the tree..."
Glitterwing grunted. "You're in luck, that's where I'm heading too."
"Did you also get called?"
She frowned, called? It took her a moment, but she did recall something about the tree speaking directly to her chosen guardians.
"No, I'm looking for Celestia. Not to mention, Lux ran out of magic from all the fighting."
A grunt of acknowledgement was her only answer, so she continued walking in silence. Before long the pair made it to The Chamber of Harmony, at least that was the unofficial name.
It looked like a small outdoors garden, complete with fake sky from monitors lining the circular ceiling. In the dead center of the room stood the crystal tree, surrounded on all sides by grass and bushes.
What was new was the purple barrier that surrounded the tree. Behind it was five familiar creatures, all of which got up and rushed up to the barrier at the sight of her. Well, either her or Ocellus, and the latter seemed more likely; all of them shouting out Ocellus's name was perhaps an indication.
As she came up to the barrier she reached up with her hoof and touched it, solid. Smolder and Silverstream didn't seem to have the same problem as the two came out to meet her.
"What happened to her?" The dragon asked.
She frowned. "Changelings, of the corrupted variety," she clarified.
Silverstream helped Ocellus get down from her back, the hippogriff support her as she walked through the barrier.
Smolder sighed. "I don't envy you for getting clean up detail."
She snorted. "It's not like I was given the choice," she unpacked Lux and trust the book into the dragon's claws. "Here, take care of them, they need to recharge."
"Hey!"
She didn't care for the dragon's fake outrage. "They'll help you once they are able to boot again. I'm going to head down to the lower levels to see if I can find Celestia, because clearly she's not here."
She didn't wait for an answer before turning and flying off, ignoring the various calls she got from behind.
She steadied herself against the wall, green ichor running off of her crimson armour. Her breathing was ragged, but she'd made it. She could see the entrance to the bridge just a little further ahead; she could also hear fighting in the distance.
Ignoring the clattering of hooves behind her, she took off and flew the last distance. The experience of flying with hollow metal wings was not new to her, but she'd forgotten just how unnerving it was; memories of her long lost limbs surfacing.
Coming up to the door, the sight that greeted her inside almost made her puke. Bodies of those spawns lay everywhere, some still having a blade embedded in them. On opposing side of the room, surrounded on all sides, stood Luna, defiantly facing her foes; you could barely make out the colour of her armour from all the green ichor.
Her armour was glowing, casting a blue light across the entire room. A telltale sign that her gear was running in overdrive, despite the strain it put on the alicorn's body.
"Sister!" She cried as she leaped forwards, wings spreading to fire a salvo of metal into the waiting chitin.
"And here I thought I might stand alone," Luna said while piercing another changeling that foolishly jumped at her. The relief on her face was as clear as the exhaustion.
Chrysalis landed next to the alicorn, steeling herself for the inevitable fight against her children- no, they were not her children, not like this.
"Next time you decide to invite the extended family," Luna shot her a smirk. "At least give us some advance notice." Having said her piece, the alicorn shot forward to bury her blades in her foes.
Chrysalis hissed, taking a defensive position behind Luna to provide covering fire where needed. She was rusty, but she wasn't that rusty; she knew how to fight in tandem with her sister.
The two danced around the room, leaving splatter of ichor in their wake and the smell of burning insects. More changelings filled the room as they fought, to the point where it seemed like the flow would never end.
But then, it stopped.
It would be a brief respite she figured, she could hear more hooves in the distance as she stood by the door.
"Move."
Luna had other ideas. As soon as Chrysalis had taken a step back from the door, her horn lit up and a forcefield erected in the place of the door that would not close.
Chrysalis grimaced. "That won't hold for long."
"It does not need to," Luna gestured with her wing for her to follow.
With no concern at all Luna pushed a changeling corpse off of the central control panel in the room. After a few swift swipes with her hoof the main monitor lit up.
"I've told you before," the monotone voice of Aegis rang out. "I'm in full control of Harmony."
Chrysalis grit her teeth, she was all too familiar with the AI's betrayal of all that they stood for. Having no control of her body while still being completely concious made her once again reflect on how callously she used mind spells in days long gone past.
'Emergency Override' lit up on the screen in red letters.
"You know that feature requires the clearance of two users with the right privileges. Celestia is not here."
Luna seemingly ignored what Aegis was saying and turned to Chrysalis. "Sister, if you would?"
Her guarded expression fell. "You gave me administrative privileges?" Her relationship with her sister was... spotty at best.
She walked over and took her side next to Luna, her armour retracting so she could put her hoof against the scanner.
"I might have grown to accept the existence of beings like them, but that does not mean I trust them," Luna stared Chrysalis in the eyes. "Despite everything, sister, I trust you."
With a nod to each other, they pressed down their hooves against the scanner. They could hear Aegis sputter something before devolving into static.
Luna sighed and fell back into her chair. "We've been betrayed."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't think I noticed? Losing control of my body was quite the indication."
Luna shook her head. "That's not what I meant," her eyes glancing towards the main monitor. "Something has felt off ever since we launched, and it took until now for me to figure out what."
Chrysalis sat down on the floor.
"The betrayal runs deeper than this AI going rogue, I'm not even sure if the two are connected."
She kicked up dust as she walked, the lowest levels were quite many years old at this point. None of them had any of the fancy electric lighting that was common across the rest of the ship. There was the occasional service light, but they weren't running.
Instead she filled the corridor with a cyan light from her glowing wings. She knew she was on the right track, she could see hoof steps that broke up the dust in places.
She didn't know for how long she'd wandered on these lower levels with the only sound being her own hooves hitting metal. But a scream caught her attention, sending her running down a narrow passage.
The sight that greeted her when she reached the end caused her to freeze. Lying down on the floor and bleeding was a very familiar pegasus. The room was littered with the bodies of dead changelings. But standing around her downed friend were several changelings that were very much alive.
"Dawn!" She cried as she launched herself forwards, blades ready.
Her foes fell quickly and in but a few moments she was at her friends side; assessing her wounds. She was bleeding from several spots, their eyes twitching. Glitterwing let out a sigh of relief that her oldest friend was still alive.
"You... know that's not my name," Celestia forced out.
Glitterwing grit her teeth. "It is to me," she brought forward the pegasus' gem and hung it around their neck. The built in healing enchantments should kick in at very least, she figured.
"Still stubborn I see," their breathing was laboured, yet she still forced herself to talk.
Glitterwing shook her head. "You're one to talk. What are you doing down here anyway?"
Celestia smiled. "When I figured out something was wrong, this seemed like the best spot to hide," she chuckled. "I guess this is what I deserve..." she lifted on of her hooves up in the air, her eyes scanning the wounds.
"...What do you mean?"
Celestia's eyes met hers, her gaze hardening. "Glitter... what is the purpose of this... trip?"
"To find a new home," that much was obvious. The entire purpose was to find a better planet to make their new home.
Celestia's eyes teared up as shook her head. "If only it was that simple..."
She was about to ask the mare to stop speaking in riddles when she spoke up again.
"Aegis must have figure it out... their decision what to do with that information is.. disappointing, but perhaps not surprising."
She grit her teeth. "I've been through Tartarus today already, get to the point!"
Celestia closed her eyes. "It's quite simple... Luna paints the night sky."
"So?"
"No, think about it, Luna paint's the night sky, that's just what it is, a drawing. Sure, a magical and very convincing drawing, but a drawing none-the-less."
She could feel a sense of dread rising.
"There's nothing out there, Equuis was already the backup, the last chance for us."
Her eyes widened. "But then why are we heading out there?"
Celestia chuckled, closing her eyes before eventually devolving into laughter while tears rolled down her face.
She narrowed her gaze. "What?"
"Glitter... we never took off in the first place, we are still on the planet's surface."
"No..." She slowly stepped away from the pegasus.
"Harmony wasn't design to find us a new home... it was design to keep Equuis safe from us."