Chapter 4: Throne and Crown
The morning sunlight filtered through my bedroom window, stirring me from my shallow slumber. After a moment of groggy pondering, I jumped from my bed and rushed to the front room. I crashed the door open, causing Entropy to jump up and look about wildly.
"C'mon. we're not safe here. We need to get to Twilight as soon as possible." I slip into my kitchen, and open one drawer. Inside is a single knife, in an ebon scabbard, with silver symbols engraved in it. I envelop it in my magic, and unsheathe it halfway. The flat of the blade was black, with similar symbols in silver forming a complex pattern. The sharpened part was similarly silver, and razor sharp. I took its sling from beneath it, and let it rest at my side. I never thought I'd have to use this so soon... but it's us or them.
I cast a quick spell, and in a crackle of green flames, the knife vanishes. Only its weight at my side proved it was still present. Satisfied, I trotted back out front. Entropy looked me up and down.
"What did you do?" He queried. I release the spell on the handle for a moment, before concealing it again.
"Insurance policy. If we get jumped on the way there, I want to be ready." His eyes go wide and his mouth falls agape.
"You're going armed to a meeting with a PRINCESS? The same one who single-hoofedly took out nearly half a swarm of us in Canterlot before she ascended?" I held back a laugh, and tried to keep it from showing.
"You haven't been around ponies much, have you? They're an understanding people, and seeing as we were just attacked, I think Twilight will understand my actions." I motion over to the green stain in the carpet from last night. He got the message, and with a wary nod, we moved outside. I changed the time on the closed sign to 'Unknown' and we were off for Carousel Boutique.
We showed up at the boutique only to find a note on the door, reading: Away at the library, will be back soon. As that seemed to line up with our meeting with Twilight, Entropy and I headed off towards the tree. After another short, uneventful walk, we ended up in front of the Golden Oaks Library. It seemed nearly monolithic, and I hesitated at the door for a time. After a second, I strengthened my resolve. I couldn't stop here. I raised a hoof and knocked on the door. It was only a moment before it is answered by a small purple-and-green dragon, Twilight's assistant Spike. He looks between us, then turns inside.
"Twilight! Rarity! They're here!" he calls, then turns back to us. "We've been expecting you two. Come on in." He opens the door wide, and motions for us to enter. We quickly do so, and are assaulted with the scent of paper. This was certainly a library, though it seemed more chaotic than organized. Stacks of books were scattered every which way, and nestled amongst them was the princess herself, entranced by the open book in front of her. Rarity stood off to the side, and I nodded to her. A nod she returned. Spike poked Twilight's shoulder and motioned to us. A sheepish smile makes its way onto her muzzle as she set the book aside.
"Oh, sorry." She said. "Found an interesting paragraph on the ancient Crystal Empire, and it just sucked me in!" She turned to Spike. "Spike, could we have some privacy, please? These ponies have made a request that what they want to tell me be kept to as few individuals as possible." Spike rolls his eyes, but produces some earplugs and heads for the basement.
"Suits me just fine." he said. "I've got a new Power Ponies comic to read anyway." After he left, Twilight turned to me.
"Now, who's after you?" she asked. "And why come to me instead of Princess Celestia?" I gulped. The moment of truth... a bit too literally for my tastes.
"Well..." I began. "The government of our native nation is pursuing us. As to why we came to you..."
"You're not surrounded by battalions of armored guards that may or may not be spies." Entropy finished. "And, as something we'd like to keep on a need-to-know basis, a huge room filled with nobles is counterproductive." Twilight frowned.
"But why confide in the lesser princess, when Celestia would be able to help so much more? If you're running for your lives, aren't Celestia's resources worth the risk?" Entropy looked to me to answer.
"Shift," I start. "Should we tell her everything? I don't think she'll understand otherwise." He shot me a look, asking if I was serious. When my look held firm, he gave a reluctant nod. "Okay. Twilight, Rarity, I'm going to ask that no matter what happens in a moment, that you remain calm." I look over to them, giving each eye contact for a second. After receiving wary nods from each, I closed my eyes.
"Whatever do you-" Rarity started before being cut off by flashes of green fire from myself and Entropy. The shock in the room would have been tangible, even for a pony. As we stood before them in our natural forms, Twilight's pupils shrunk to pinpricks, and she charged her horn. Rarity, for her part, fainted instantly.
"Twilight..." I say slowly. "I said to keep calm. This kind of reaction is exactly the reason we came to you. We can trust you, right?" She slowly backed down, and her horn shut down. She then cocked her head ever so slightly.
"Why not just stay hidden? If you can change your appearances, why not just hide from them in Equestria?" she asked. I sigh. If only it were that simple.
"I did, for 3 years." I begin. "But they found me yesterday. First Entropy here figured me out, and told me they were close. Then, last night, an old friend attacked us. He's been arrested, but there will be more; I'm sure of it."
"But how? I can't tell you're a changeling when you're disguised, let alone which one!" she said. I guess Ponies don't know anything at all.
"We Changelings have something of a sixth sense." Entropy cut in. "When our cover slips even slightly, we get a sort of... feeling that something isn't right. It's hard to explain properly, but it is a unique feeling." I chuckle slightly.
"Some better trained agents have methods of overloading this sense in their targets. It's how Entropy found me out." I nudge Entropy with a forehoof. I look over to the princess. She had produced a yellow legal pad and quill and was frantically scribbling notes. She raised her head up, and there was a certain gleam in her eyes.
"What made you run away?" she asked.
"Those were painful days, Twilight. I'd rather not talk about it right now." The days my life restarted... the ones I'd rather forget. She opened her mouth to talk again, but I cut her off with a hole-filled hoof. "Imagine if Princess Celestia betrayed you. Left you for dead. Made you run for your life, leave your family and friends, and live every single day of your life hiding, praying to the stars above that they don't find you. Because once they do; It's all over." I pause, struggling to maintain what was left of my composure. Sobs were threatening to overwhelm me, but I held them back. "You ponies have it easy. Failure to live up to Queen Chrysalis' standards means death. I'm a wanted mare, Twilight, and now Entropy's wanted too! Can you help us?" I plead. Please, Twilight... We need you. The princess lowered her eyes to the floor.
"Your people have cast you out and want you dead." she said. "And all you want to do is live a peaceful life?" I nod. She's been listening, at least. She locked her eyes with mine. Burning within them was a fire unlike any I'd ever seen. "Any creature deserves a normal life, Dawn. I don't think you deserve not to. I don't think you're a bad person, in the brief time I've known you. If there's anything I can do, I will." There was movement on the floor. Rarity's eyes blinked open, scanning the room. She shakily got to her hooves. Then, she looked straight at Entropy and I, blankly. She then turned to Twilight. With a sudden predatory grin, her horn lit, and a green ray shot from the tip, drilling into the alicorn's head. Shortly after, she collapsed into a lavender heap.
"Twilight!" Entropy yelled. We both made to knock Rarity down, now obviously a changeling impostor. She shot us an icy glare, and spoke a single command.
"Halt." With that word, my legs locked. I couldn't move them, even a hair from where they were planted. From the looks of things, neither could Entropy, by the confused look on his face. Our enemy smirked, and began to pace around us. As she did so, green fire began licking at her hooves. "I've been looking for you worms." she hissed. Oh no. "No-one escapes the Hive. No-one defies me, and if you wanted to live your precious 'normal life'," as the fire reached her body, she'd grown much taller. "then you should have never opposed me."
The last thing I saw before the green flash was the notched horn and tattered mane of Queen Chrysalis.