//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 - The Princes 
// Story: The Code's Apprentice 
// by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch 
//------------------------------//

Queen Chrysalis stared in disbelief at a messenger drone. "A...Bunny rabbit." She repeated, still somewhat dumbfounded. "A rabbit defeated an entire squad of Stalker warriors. And there's only one survivor. You must be joking."  The messenger drone flinched away from the stunned gaze of his monarch, trying to get out of her line of sight before she inevitably went volcanic. "You're not." Chrysalis could not help herself. She facehoofed, dragging it down her face slowly and then sighing "Send him to the nurses. I will deal with him later."

The messenger drone was gone in a heartbeat and Chrysalis ground her teeth. This attack had been going so well at first, they had even captured a fair number of ponies for harvest - more than enough for her to call this a successful raid. Then the reports of resistance had started coming in - vast swaths of her new hive children were being defeated in detail by small pockets of ponies that had no reason to be so dangerous. The local guard had proven surprisingly resilient and there was still no sign of Twilight Sparkle.

Chrysalis gestured to another messenger drone, who quickly buzzed up to prostrate himself before her.  "Get word out to every warrior swarm. I want an organized retreat in all directions. Scatter, and return to the primary hive.  Use the reserves to provide air cover and forget about our secondary objectives." The messenger was gone a moment later. I will not lose a second hive to this madness. Casualties are going to be bad enough.  Not that that would matter. She'd gotten more than enough profit out of this little adventure to make up for the losses. And blooding her new warrior broods would prove useful in future conflicts.

Still, she would not retreat from the field without one more attempt at her goals. She glared across her command pavilion towards one of the nearby specialist warriors. It only took a moment of thought to call him over to her, and he presented himself with a lethal bearing. 

He was slim and sleeker than the average changeling - with more pronounced wings and a larger horn. The wicked sharp spikes on the end of his hooves signaled him as one of her Stalker warriors, her infiltration experts. I was wise to keep them out of Canterlot. The debacle had cost her countless minor drones, but she had retained most of her skilled warriors. 

She had counted on surprise in that attack - now, she would have skill as well. "Stalker, your name." Chrysalis commanded imperiously - she'd found that while the hive mind was useful for general orders over the short range and disseminating information throughout the mind link, speech was still preferable when it came to highly specific orders.

The sleek warrior spoke in the humming accents of their race. "I am called Silence, Dread Queen."  The dread queen thing was new, but Chrysalis liked it. She was certain Sombra had been responsible for it, the flatterer. She smiled toothily at him - she would not leave this town without one final bite at her desired prize.

Chrysalis spoke quickly - orders were going to be going out any moment, and the confusion would be the best time to strike. "You are to take three full squadrons of your finest and go secure Yellow Objective. Reports from the hive tell me she was seen with White Objective at the fashion shop. They may have additional magical assistance, so wear your armor. "

Chrysalis paused for a moment to let him absorb that, and then hissed in anger. "They, and any other ponies that are with them are to be taken Alive Silence. Especially that group of foals with them. Bring them all to the Hive, or you are not to return. Am I clear?" The Stalker bowed his head in obedience and quickly flitted off across the ground, his mind singing with orders to his hive brothers.

Chrysalis felt a quiet confidence in her world, turning to deliver orders to her Royal Guard. It was time to go back to the Haven. You'll just have to wait, Cadence my dear. We'll have our little reunion soon enough.

~~~~~~

Twilight Sparkle walked down the street slowly. She had always been familiar with the ponyville streets, or as familiar as anypony could be without also being Pinkie Pie. Yet now, she knew she would never get lost here again. Energy flowed along every surface and down every street. It was child's play to tap into them and learn where they were going and why.

Twilight's magic tugged at the top of her hood, pulling it a little further over her face as she walked with a lack of concern about urgency. She knew where she was going, and all indications told her she would get there in time. Twilight quietly turned the corner into the market square to see the meleè still in full swing around a cluster of tightly grouped ponies.

Even from here, Twilight could sense the rank fear coming off nearly all of them - save for the four brave defenders who stood at the front. Shiny was there, and he had been hurt - a gash across his right cheek that would likely turn into a fetching scar if Cadence decided to let him keep it. Good. I'd rather face my brother first than anypony else.

Unfortunately, she then noted the other defenders - and one of them was Applejack, who looked considerably tired and roughed up but otherwise unharmed. My friend...Don't worry. Twilight felt Dissonance practically coursing through her veins as she crossed the square, strength flowing into her horn. Through Passion, I gain Power.

The changelings took no notice of her until she was almost half way across the square. Some of the warriors at the back turned and screeched at her. Twilight's eyes closed for a moment then shot open - lit with green flame and pulsating shadows as a dozen warriors flung themselves at her. They never came close.

Twilight's horn lit up with blinding magic - her normal clear lavender aura now a pulsating opaque purple. With but a thought, power swept out from her horn - projecting  a wide blade of energy that swept through the swarm. Her attackers were obliterated in mid leap, not even having time to look surprised. 

A swath of the swarm was cut down with another blade of energy, as though Twilight was harvesting wheat. Hmm, I think I can do two of these. Twilight thought, anger pulsating in her veins as she drew from the new strength that coursed through her. Sure enough her horn flashed again and two green energy blades swept out in front of her, scything down another chunk of the warrior mass.

It was at this point her foes began to realize just how much trouble they were in. The warrior drones began to break in their coherency, even as Twilight continued to cut them down by the dozens. Moments later, the swarm disintegrated and started trying to escape in all different directions. I Think not. Twilight growled in her mind - her horn flashing into life as she modified an old energy blast spell on the fly. 

A moment later, she lifted her hooded head up high and a single thick energy blast flew into the air above her head - then quickly split into dozens more which flew unerringly at the fleeing swarm. She had not even noticed the stares of the other ponies as she fired several more such blasts off until there were no more of the damn bugs to bother her.

Humph. There. Twilight nodded her head in decisive satisfaction. They'll spread the word. That ought to teach them. It was a cheering thought, though she knew there was plenty more work to do. I'll have to find some way to make it known that this town is off limits to any nasty out there who thinks he can get an easy meal-ticket..

Her thought process came to a grinding halt as she realized how silent everything was. A rough male voice growled from behind her. "I don't know what the buck you're trying to pull, Sorcerer. But you're not going to hurt any of these ponies." That was Shiny. He sounded tired, but there was no trace of weakness in his voice. No telling either how long he had been fighting for either.

A second voice joined his a moment later, a drawling accent that cut across the quiet ground. "Ya'll might think we're some kinda' easy prey fer you, Cultist - but ah think you better think twice." A grunt and the solid thud of a massive wooden log thunking into the ground was all Big Mac had to say on the matter himself.

Twilight turned around slowly in place - wondering what she must have looked like to those ponies standing there. A dark creature who had waded into a crowd of foes and bisected them en-masse without so much as blinking. She knew she had been unnaturally calm as she stalked through the changeling swarm - Dispatching them like she would have cut down grass. They will think I'm a monster. Twilight thought in sadness. But I won’t hide, not from Applejack. She more than anypony deserves my honesty.

Twilight slowly turned fully to face the determined gazes of three ponies - and one zebra - she had so long called friend.  All four of them stared at her for a moment as she slowly walked back towards them, a little touch of magic pushing her hood back a little more. Maybe it was the power nudging her along but Twilight tried putting on a brave smile. "Now what gave you all the silly idea that I was here to hurt you?" It fell just a bit flat, but it snapped them out of their shock.

Applejack was the first one over, followed by Shining Armor. Mac seemed to be busy reassuring the ponies behind him, and Zecora was just watching her in an eerie sort of silence. Twilight's eyes went to the ground as two ponies she least wished to disappoint were now staring at her, seemingly groping for words. Like a big splinter, Twilight. Pull it out fast, so it won’t hurt for as long.  

With nothing else for it, Twilight took a deep breath and was about to speak when Applejack gently placed her hoof over her mouth. Twilight stared wildly at her for a moment, a surge of anger going through her for a moment. Applejack just shook her head and wrapped one hoof around her neck, squeezing her once in a tight hug. She pushed twilight gently away to give her a searching look eyeball to eyeball. "Tell me the truth, Twilight. Ah can handle it. This recent?"

Twilight bit back a tirade of words and nodded once. Applejack nodded her head slowly. "And Ah suppose this weren't for nothin silly or small." Twilight nodded again, fighting back tears for the third time that day. Applejack turned her head a little. "And That ya' didn' have much other choice." Twilight nodded one last time, and Applejack blew out a sigh, glaring off into the distance.

"Bucking Tartarus." Applejack spat. Twilight stared at her for a moment before Applejack sighed again, slowly speaking. "You do what you gotta do, Twi. I'm gonna take care 'a these here ponies." She reached over and fiercely hugged Twilight one more time, whispering into her ear. "Ain't no darkness you can’t walk back from, Sugarcube. Don't you forget it." 

Applejack patted her once and then trotted wearily off to the big group of ponies now quickly heading towards the guards barracks. Twilight stood there in the abandoned market square now, Shining Armor standing silent sentinel. He had done nothing or said nothing for the entire exchange, waiting till all of the ponies were gone.

Twilight pulled her hood back up over her head, channeling every bit of sorrow, rage and fear into the pit of her stomach - turning it into power. If nothing else, Dissonance was lovely for turning all of her emotions into pure magical force. Her voice came out a whisper. "You promised you'd never give up on me, Big Brother. Did you mean that?"

Shining Armor said nothing for a little while. A few silent seconds passed by, before a soft voice spoke - and Twilight felt a familiar strong hoof on her shoulder. "Course I did, Twily." It was a shaky voice at first and then quickly firmed up. "I still want to know one thing. Why?"

Why. Now wasn't that the question of the day. Twilight had been thinking about why for the past three hours, trying to figure out exactly when she'd decided to betray everything she'd known before. In the end of course, the answer was pretty simple. "I wanted answers, Shiny. I was tired of being a pawn in a game I didn't even know was being played." She hung her head. "I was tired of being lied to at every turn about the world I lived in." She looked up one last time, and felt her voice firm. "I finally found out what kind of cage I'd been stuck in my entire life Shiny, and I did not like it one bit."

Shining Armor just watched her for a moment, his hoof slipping around her shoulder, gently hugging her against him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shining Armor cursed Celestia. He cursed Luna. He cursed himself. 

They had been blind, all of them. Telling themselves that the excessively brilliant young unicorn would not one day become smart enough to realize she hadn't been told everything. Cadence had seen this coming, and all of them had dismissed the danger.  She was too young. She was recovering from this or that disaster. The stress would be too much for her. She wasn't mature enough. All of it excuses, Shining Armor could now see.

Now, some unknown pony with a name out of ancient mythology had told her everything they had not had the courage to. Was it any wonder Twilight had gone down the dark path? Shining Armor could hardly blame her. Find out you've been trained your whole life as a weapon to kill ponies who believe in something we think is evil. What the buck did Celestia think she would do when she finally found out? 

Twilight was not merely intelligent - she was curious, canny and clever. She'd spent the last three years learning that even the most evil of creatures could be redeemed. She had been steeped in all of the good-will of the Harmony belief system, the books that were practically sodden in tales of the goodness in all ponies. Tripe, all of it of course. That did not mean that was not what she had believed at the very core of her soul.

"We need to move, Shiny. Rarity and Fluttershy are in danger." Twilight's voice startled him out of his thoughts and he quickly trotted to catch up to her - She had not even asked if they should go. She was not moving quickly - but she was taking an absurd number of turns and twists. "I'm going to need you to get them to the safe zone, big brother. I'm going to track down whatever changeling is responsible for this and deal with this once and for all." Her voice was as hard as granite. That was a tone that had no right coming out of his little Twily. 

Shining Armor steeled his soul and started speaking. "Twily, That won’t fix anything." Twilight just glared at him as they crossed a main drag, past a pair of smoldering buildings. "Twilight, Listen to me." Shining Armor grasped his little sister's black cloak, wondering where the hay she'd gotten the damn thing. Twilight whirled on him with eyes that were filled with solid green energy, flames and trails of shadow energy were pulsating off her eyes and even her hooves for pities sake. By Harmony, that's strong Dissonance. How in the hay did she get that strong, that fast?

Now was not the time for that, Shining Armor held his ground - he'd gone head to head with shadow sorcerers before, and none of them had been his little sister. "Twilight Sparkle, you will listen to me or so help me I'm going to root us to this spot until Cadence gets here." His voice was half growl - half threat. 

Twilight stared at him for a moment before the power slowly drained out of her eyes and she looked...sad. Damnit, keep it together, Shining Flankhead! "Listen to me, Twily. Right now, the most important thing is to make sure everpony is safe. Look." 

Shining Armor pulled Twilight around to look right into her eyes. He was not going to be afraid of her. That would only lead to even worse things happening. "I promise you, no matter what happens, I'm not going to abandon you. I don't give a buck if Celestia herself told me to." He reached down to grab her hoof, pulling it up to squeeze. "Best Friends Forever, Twily. Emphasis on Forever." 

Twilight's eyes widened for a moment then closed, and she leaned her forehead against his. "Thank you, big brother." she whispered softly, and Shining Armor just squeezed her hoof back. I'll follow you into Tartarus itself if I have to, Twilight. So I can be there when you need me to pull you back out again.  

~~~~~

Twilight wanted to cry. It would probably have been good for her to cry. Right now though, she could not cry. Big brother, best friend forever. The new part of her, the one that saw the world in a whole new light knew what a powerful force was currently nuzzling his horn against hers. 

One did not become Captain of the Royal Guard for collecting bottle caps. More than that, Shining Armor was dedicated to her without the need for power plays or foalish displays of strength. Let's not forget he's one fine looking stallion. Twilight mercilessly squished that thought. No, Just...no...for now.

She took a deep breath and exhaled it softly. "Come on, Shiny." She managed a bright smile, projecting as much confidence as she could. "Let's go play hero." She turned and quickly galloped down another side alley, her brother in close pursuit. They ducked out into the main road - where Twilight found a familiar looking face.

"Mr. Somber!" She exclaimed, the scholarly pony looked no worse for wear, but he was a bit frazzled. He blinked and smiled brightly at her. "What in Equestria are you doing hanging around here? You should be heading for the safe zone!" Twilight admonished, long having forgotten his position as a supposed senior researcher. Shining Armor was glaring at him a little bit - but Twilight figured he was just annoyed. Carousel Boutique was just down the street too.

The older stallion shook his head and smiled bemusedly. "I've been dodging changeling swarms all over town, Miss Twilight. It was not till I got over here that I found this area seemingly clear of threats." He nodded towards the boutique. "There appears to have been quite the to-do in front of that shop over there. It seemed like a safe enough place to go." 

Twilight sighed dramatically. This, she did not need. "Very well, Come on sir - We'll evacuate you once we've gotten our friends to safety." She quickly galloped down the road, while Shining armor fell into step with the scholarly pony - not looking directly at him for the moment.

True to his word, the streets in front of the Carousel Boutique were a battleground, and heaps of changeling corpses were scattered all over the place - the front windows of the boutique had been boarded up from the outside. Sitting on the front porch railing was a tiny white animal, who appeared to be glaring out up and down the street. 

Twilight blinked at the sight of Angel Bunny keeping watch, suddenly thrilled with a thought Fluttershy must be here too! That was good news. Twilight had not been looking forward to marching into the Everfree Forest against a changeling army, new powers or no. Angel bunny turned to regard her and Shining Armor with narrow eyes, but he nodded and jerked his head over his shoulder.

The three ponies quickly entered the boutique, confronted by a very strange scene. Woodland animals - most of whom Twilight recognized as Fluttershy's many friends - were sitting around the cleared out floor space of the shop, interspersed with playful young fillies and colts.

Miss Cheerilee stood watch over her students and the other children of the town, and Bon Bon appeared to have taken over as her assistant. Near one end of the shop, Rarity was quietly talking to a powder blue unicorn, and keeping watch over an apparently sleeping Fluttershy. 

Twilight felt her jaw slowly dropped as she caught sight of the unmistakable star-spangled cape and wizard’s hat hanging nearby. So stunned was she, that she stood in the doorway for a full few minutes, even as her brother trotted through the crowd in the shop to Rarity. Somber Gaze just stood next to her, looking amused. 

Rarity looked up at Shining Armor and gasped, then threw her hooves around his neck in a welcoming hug. He was giving her one back when the other Unicorn raised a hoof. Twilight could hear the conversation clearly now, even over the din. 

Shining Armor spoke first, his tone calm. "I take it you must be the one named Trixie the guards were telling me about. I have to say, I'm impressed. Not many unicorns can go toe to toe with changeling warrior swarms and come out on top. You ever thought about taking a contract with the Guard? We could use a pony like you."  Rarity was choking on something. probably her own laughter - And Twilight forced herself to cross the room. She just had to see how Trixie was going to take that bit of news from her brother. 

For her part, Trixie looked absolutely exhausted - yet her eyes seemed to light up from within with some kind of fire. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is quite intrigued by your offer, Sir Knight. Perhaps we'll have time to discuss it in more detail later. For now, Trixie is a bit too tired to be doing any more fighting. Trixie does not suppose you are here to get us out of here?" 

Trixie's eyes scanned over to the black cloaked Twilight, and her eyes widened just a fraction - and then she sighed, throwing her hoof over her eyes and falling back onto a throw cushion. "Alas! And here Trixie had almost hoped she would not have to owe yet another debt to Twilight Sparkle! Truly, Trixie is the most cursed of all poor showmares."

Twilight rolled her eyes - still, if Trixie had been fighting to protect the citizens of Ponyville...If even someone like her can redeem her past, Twilight - maybe there'll be hope for you too. It was an encouraging thought. Rarity smiled at Twilight with no small amount of relief, and then glanced over at Fluttershy in apparent concern.

Twilight trotted up close to look at Fluttershy, only now noticing the tight white bandages over her head. Rarity spoke quietly, even as Trixie went into full on drama queen mode. Twilight tuned her out to listen to Rarity. "It's a minor concussion I think, Twilight dear. Trying to wake her up would not be wise, but she ought to be fine until we can get her some attention." Rarity looked up into Twilight's black cloak - Her gentle eyes were searching and soulful.

Twilight started to open her mouth again, and found she could not say a word. Rarity squeezed Twilight's hoof gently and smiled softly. "It's alright, Darling." She reached up with a gentle wave of magic to tug the hood a little farther over Twilight's face. "I expect we'll all have a lot to discuss once this dreadful mess is over." 

Twilight nodded, and turned back to the doorway  - Somber Gaze was quietly allowing some of the fillies and colts to tug on his suit and ask him all sorts of questions with a little smile. Twilight walked out onto the porch with Angel Bunny, watching the street with stoic resolve. 

Twilight and the Bunny both looked at each other for a moment. Something passed between them, some understanding. Angel Bunny had always been a bit on the angry side - but there was a deep love for Fluttershy in him that even Twilight could sense. He nodded to her in respect for the very first time she could imagine, and turned his eyes back to the road. His ears perked up a moment later and he bared his teeth.

Twilight could sense it too, her eyes narrowing down the road. Two. No. Three squadrons. Fifteen changelings each. Larger than normal, some kind of special warrior brood. "Shiny! Get a shield up on the Boutique!" She yelled into the door, slowly stepping off the porch and walking down the street calmly towards them. 

Power slowly seeped into her body this time, taking it in slowly. There was so much of it just loose on the ground around her, and her newly expanded mind just gathered it up.Changelings run on Dissonance power. That certainly explains why they are so tied to Love to survive. Twilight felt the strange, alien nature of the power she gathered, then transmuted into magical energy she could use. Her eyes alit with bright green power and she growled in anger. 

These things, these bugs. They had come for her friends. Specifically for her friends. They had come to harm the people she loved, likely because she loved them. Anger raged through her heart and into her hooves, shadows slowly starting to sink into the ground around her. Now, there was no one around who could get hurt. Twilight's soul sang with power and she grinned like a wolf. Time to really cut loose.

~~~~~~~~~~

Inside of the Boutique, Shining Armor quickly projected a pink bubble shield all around the shop - encasing it in steel-hard energy. The boutique windows were boarded up, and the adult ponies inside had herded the children to the center of the room, just in case. Shining Armor stood at one of the windows to gaze out through the slits. A moment later, the pony Twilight had called 'Somber Gaze' stepped up next to him, apparently also quite intrigued.

Shining Armor coughed once and spoke first, feeling that it was perhaps appropriate. "So. Somber. That's a little paper thin, isn't it?" He kept his tone light and conversational - and quiet. There was no reason to cause a fuss in the middle of a room with three dozen foals. 

Next to him, he could hear the stallion gently laugh and bow his head. "I suppose so." the other pony mused. "It was my real name once upon a time. Perhaps I too have fallen victim to the daggers of nostalgia." He sounded highly amused for a moment, his tone changing rapidly to thoughtful conversation. "I am glad I have the chance to speak with you directly, Prince Armor. I fear I owe you an apology." 

Shining felt his eyebrows shoot up into his mane, turning his head to look incredulously at the other pony. Somber nodded slightly. "Yes, yes. I know that's not precisely my style.  This is a special case, however. I was quite out of my mind at the time. I fear I did not treat you with respect upon the field of battle, and I caused your dear wife undue distress." He bowed his head once. "For that, you have my sincerest apologies, Sir Knight."

Shining Armor was flabbergasted. He pressed on anyway. "You were out of your mind? That would imply you are no longer insane." Once again, light and conversational. Somber - Shining Armor quit fooling himself. Sombra was smiling just a little too confidently. He certainly was far more conversational than simply screaming out the word 'Crystals!' all the time.

Sombra nodded once. "Yes. I really ought to thank you. That blast of pure emotional energy you and your wife hit me with was enough to shatter the spell of madness I had been placed under all those centuries ago." He smiled faintly. "An Alicorn placed that spell to seal up my powers and keep me out of the way - and an Alicorn was the one to break the spell. It has a nice symmetry to it, I think." 

Shining Armor absorbed that bit of information for a moment before speaking again, keeping his tones carefully neutral. "So, I'm going to guess Twilight's situation is your fault then?" He turned to address the unicorn frankly, eyes narrowed. "Something you told her, perhaps." 

Sombra bowed his head with a smile again. "I did not have to say a word to her. I merely gave her a book. She did all the rest on her own." He gestured with a hoof, gently. "Still has it in fact. I'm surprised, I didn't think she'd actually be carrying it with her. Perhaps she has learned more from it than I had realized she would." 

Shining Armor mastered his emotions. Steady, Shiny. Starting a fight here, with no cadence to back you up, with one of the most powerful unicorns in all of history would be a very dumb idea. Shining decided to keep the conversation on things he actually could do something about. "What happens to her now?" That was a neutral enough question, and one he wanted the answer to.

Sombra grinned, and for just a moment Shining could see the sharp incisors of his teeth. "She is walking the True Path, much as I once did long ago. When she reaches the end, she will face the same choice I did - To accept her fate, or to deny it. She has more than sufficient power to complete the path if she so chooses." Sombra chuckled richly. "I did it myself, as did my beloved wife. Another thing I should thank you for, I think. Without your actions, I would never have been reunited with her after so long." His eyes regarded the unicorn outside with a wide smile. "She'll make an excellent apprentice, of course."

Shining Armor actually smiled at that one. "And what makes you think she'd willingly learn from you, old man?" It was a petty little barb, but that was the sort of thing these conversations were made of. Sombra didn't seem to mind it either, given the toothy smile on his face.

Sombra's tone was gentle, like he was trying to explain something to a foal. "Who else would she go to? There are no others powerful enough. She will be a sorceress unlike any other before her. When she has fully matured in her power, she will make me look like the merest child. Only I have the pure skill and knowledge to keep her from destroying me before she grows mature enough. You really ought to be thanking me, Prince Armor, as I am not a religious fanatic. My goals are much more...pragmatic." He paused a moment, and Sombra nodded approvingly as Twilight met the stalker bugs in battle, eyes fixed on her technique. "Allow me to ask you a question. From one Prince to another. Do you truly believe my philosophy is evil?"

Shining Armor blinked a bit as Twilight back flipped over one striking enemy only to obliterate two more with a blast from her horn.  The question was a difficult one - Shining Armor was a soldier of Harmony. He had been so since he was a young colt. He had fought dissonance cults before, usually as a part of some larger action on behalf of the guard. 

Yet often those cults had been involved in crime, murder or other acts which were a danger to the public good.  That they had claimed to follow some ancient philosophy was just an excuse to bring the hammer down a little harder. Shining contemplated his sister in her black cloak and hood, as she wielded power he had never seen before. 

He'd fought sorcerers too. None of them had done as much as a quarter what Twilight was doing right now. Shining puffed out his cheeks. "I'm afraid I don't know much about your philosophy, sir." He tilted his head up a little. "Frankly, I don't give a buck what you believe in. I only care when what you do hurts somepony else." He frowned a little. "Though I admit, there are likely plenty of other ponies that don't see it the same way."

Sombra laughed again, bowing over one hoof. "Honest at least. A fine trait in a prince. Enough talk for now. It appears your sister has dealt with the threat." He eyeballed outside with some bemusement. "We'll continue our talk again soon."

Shining Armor did notice the lack of Changelings outside and nodded faintly. "You sure about that?" He turned, walking towards the door slowly. Behind him - he heard that rich chuckle again. For a brief moment, he found himself next to the pitch black Shadow King, his eyes blazing with green fire and shadows that engulfed his body. Twilight's eyes had looked similar to his for a short time. Now, Shining Armor knew why.

Suddenly, he was the bookish looking unicorn from earlier, who smiled at Shining guilelessly."I think we're going to have plenty of time to talk in the very near future, Prince Armor." His eyes traveled to the disheveled, but triumphant Twilight Sparkle standing in the middle of the street. 

"After all, my soon to be Apprentice will likely insist upon you staying by her side."