//------------------------------// // Phase 1 - Inception // Story: Thysania // by Kawa //------------------------------// It had been roughly forty years since the wedding of Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, when the Changeling Army attacked Canterlot. Though there were incidents big and small since then, many scholars in the employ of Princess Celestia would deeply ponder exactly why the invasion had occurred, considering how the changelings had not been in the public consciousness for so very long until then. What they found was that changelings needed a leader. They generally liked to follow orders, and would likely go mad of boredom if they were left to their own devices for long enough. They were very susceptible indeed to leaders with great charisma – leaders such as the dreaded Queen Chrysalis. Chrysalis was as ruthless in her methods and tactics as she was complicated, and this reflected onto her loyal captains. So when the changelings’ food supplies dwindled, she spun the plan to kidnap Love’s avatar, and marry Captain Armor in her place, then letting her people invade and suck everypony dry… and the captains blindly followed orders. Some of them would object, only to buckle under either Chrysalis’ charisma or their own hunger. When the scholars told Princess Celestia of their findings, her advisors were quick to weave a plan of their own. Equestria was a country of love, friendship, harmony, and tolerance. If the changelings needed love to survive, surely Celestia’s little ponies had plenty to give, in theory… Princess Celestia, naturally, found the plan appealing. She much preferred peaceful coexistence over all-out war. The same evening that day, Celestia brought it up to her sister Luna. “And that’s basically the plan. We’ll need your power over dreams to implement it though, and you get full reign in the execution,” the bigger sister finished. “Very well, dear sister,” Luna slowly nodded in acceptance. “I will proceed with the first phase tonight.” That night, when half the planet was asleep, Luna reached out to the Changeling Kingdom to find her marks. Using their dreams, she picked out six young females that showed courage and compassion. In their sleep, they wouldn’t be busy following orders, showing them for how they really were. One in particular seemed promising. In her dream, she led a fair squadron of changeling drones to infiltrate Manehattan. It was a textbook mission, half of the squadron replacing various ponies of little to no importance, and the other half being original characters that moved in. Of the replaced ponies, Luna noticed that they were kept in a deep stasis, tucked away in storage cocoons, and their significant others never caught on, living their happy lives with what they thought were their loved ones. All in all, this one knew what she was doing. The next night, Luna went directly to the same changeling’s dream, foregoing the other five. It was a simple dream this time, a memory of what Luna guessed was her first mission. She observed her target for a while, keeping herself hidden from the dreamer as she watched the false life play out. It gave Luna a bit more insight into this changeling, who seemed to genuinely care about things like completing a mission well, and properly treating her victims. On the third night, the target dreamed of the Canterlot invasion forty years ago. Luna could tell from a notable lack of detail that this was a second-hoof memory, the dream being based entirely on what another changeling had told her. She didn’t want to go. Luna could practically hear her think “this goes against all we’ve learned,” but she didn’t speak. To do so would be treason, and the price for treason was a steep one indeed. This was a good thing to Luna, as the target clearly resented Queen Chrysalis – even more so when Shining Armor and Cadance violently expunged the lot. The last thing that went through the target’s mind before she blacked out on impact was something along the lines of “now do you see what happens?!” “So that’s what happened to those adorable little fuzz balls,” Luna thought to herself as she left, cringing at the horrid display around her. “I should’ve guessed.” By the fourth night, Luna was convinced that this was the changeling for the job. She visited her dreams again, finding the mare on a hill overlooking Manehattan. Luna guessed it served to remind her target of a successful mission after the Canterlot disaster. She approached from the side, to not startle the target too much. “Beautiful view, is it not?” The changeling slowly turned her head to face her visitor. “You… You’re the moon princess, aren’t you?” Luna nodded. “I am. My name is Luna, and dreams fall within my domain.” “Ah yes. The one who was Nightmare Moon once,” the changeling said in recognition as she cast a glance at the pale, blank moon that hung in the sky behind Luna. Luna cringed slightly at the mention. “Oh, excuse me your highness. I didn’t expect that to still be a… sore topic.” “It’s okay. It’s been a good forty years since our return and I really should get over it,” Luna shrugged. “Why are you here?” the changeling asked after a moment of contemplation. “I thought it’d be… nice to have a friend who is not a pony,” Luna answered. It felt deceptive to her, but it wasn’t a lie as such. She had considered the plan given to her by Celestia and simply felt it could serve as a means to make interesting friends on the side. And if the plan came to a successful end, there’d be a nice bonus in store. “A friend...?” “Not a fellow soldier, not a captain nor an underling, but just someone to confide in and hang out with,” Luna explained. “You’ll find that dreams are a great place for a pony princess and a rebellious changeling to… hang out in.” “Very well, then. You may call me Thysania,” the changeling said as she held out the hoof on one of her hole-riddled front legs. “Pleasant dreams to you, Thysania.” For the next five years, Luna visited her new friend in her dreams once almost every week. Usually they just hung out, but sometimes Luna followed her sister’s plan and gently nudged Thysania into growing more rebellious and resentful towards her queen. The pony princess and the rebel changeling lay on their backs, watching the night sky from the roof of the Changeling Kingdom’s castle, spectral echoes of the changelings Thysania knew best skittering about in the dreamscape below. “Lulu?” “Yes, Thyssy?” “There was another incursion earlier this week, you know?” “I am aware of that, yes. I understand it was a dismal failure?” “’Dismal’ sounds about right. Somehow, even such a small target was capable of fighting off an entire squadron.” Back when they began, Luna found it oddly uncomfortable to hear Thysania speak of her people’s attack on Luna’s little ponies. She sounded weary, almost detached. Luna got over it when she understood why the changelings kept attacking pony settlements like that. It was almost exactly as the scholars of Canterlot had theorized five years ago. “I’m just glad it wasn’t my squadron,” the queen-to-be said. “I’ve been in low orbit far too often.” “You know, Thyssy… there might be a way to stop all that…”