//------------------------------// // Ch. 2-10: An Inconvenient Truth // Story: Seeking A Quiet Afternoon // by Tired Old Man //------------------------------// The changelings began attacking Twilight’s barrier as soon as the fake Fluttershy was revealed and taken care of. Amid the constant collision of changeling bodies against the shield, a conversation took place. “Well, how do y’all reckon we’re going to get out of this one?” Applejack asked. “Duh! We kick flank until there’s no flank left to kick!” Rainbow responded with a confidence belying her appearance. Applejack gave her a concerned look. “Rainbow, in case ya haven’t noticed, we’re outnumbered over a hundred-to-one here; and by the looks of things you, Rarity, and Pinkie are all exhausted.” “But we need to find Fluttershy! I don’t know how I lost track of her, but I feel it’s my fault she’s gone!” Rarity added, her voice sounding desperate. “Girls!” Twilight interrupted, “What we need right now is a plan that will get us out of here first before we can go after Fluttershy. Do any of you have an idea that will do that? I-” a changeling struck the barrier, forcing Twilight to recoil slightly from the pain “-can’t really think since I’m keeping this barrier up, and I don’t know how long I can last.” “Why not use my Party Cannon?” Pinkie asked. Everypony gave her an incredulous look...except for Mender. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” “WHAT?!” Everypony responded, even Pinkie, even though she was the one who suggested that idea. “Well, I don’t mean sending everypony out of here. That would be counter-productive since all we would be doing is changing the venue. No, what I’m suggesting is that we send one pony out to find Fluttershy while the rest of us find a better spot to fight this swarm off.” “One pony? Mender, are ya insane? This swarm will be all over them!” Applejack objected. “Not if it’s the fastest flier in all of Equestria...unless Dash over there is overstating her abilities a bit,” Mender smugly grinned at Rainbow Dash as he spoke. “Not on your life, Mender!” Dash huffed, annoyed that Mender would even make that suggestion. Mender continued, “See? She’s ready. Plus, it helps that she’s the only other pegasus here that could track her down thanks to her speed.” “What about Twilight?” Rarity asked. “True, she has wings and magic, so she would be better equipped for an aerial fight...but that’s also the point of why she’s staying here. We need her to help fend off the changelings that are still in this castle. Without her protection, we would endanger ourselves even further than we are now. I don’t know about you, but I do NOT plan on losing sight of the Crusaders again, and that seems all the more likely to happen if Twilight isn’t here.” Rarity and Applejack nodded in agreement the moment Mender mentioned the Crusaders. Twilight’s barrier magic would be incredibly useful in keeping their little sisters and Scootaloo safe; their safety was among their top priorities right now. “Are we all in agreement, then?” Mender asked. Dash flew into Pinkie’s cannon, and its respective owner pointed it toward the broken windows leading outside. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Pinkie pressed the red button on her cannon, launching Rainbow Dash out of the safety of Twilight’s barrier with enough speed for her to start a Sonic Rainboom just as she cleared the window. The resulting prismatic shockwave blinded the swarm of changelings long enough for the rest of the ponies to quickly make their way out of the dining room and back into the hallway. By the time the changelings recovered, the last thing they saw was Rarity smirking as she quickly slammed the door shut behind her, jamming some of her gems into the ground as a crude doorstop. Satisfied with her work, she ran off to join the rest of the ponies as they ran down the hallway toward Luna’s tower. They needed help right now, and finding Princess Celestia would offer some extra protection they could not afford to pass up. -------------------- Rainbow Dash did not expect to perform a Sonic Rainboom. Sure, she’d seen Pinkie’s Cannon in action before, but she’d never been fired out of it...and it was AWESOME! She needed to remember to tell Pinkie how cool that was, and maybe ask her to try it again when there wasn’t some impending invasion or world-threatening disaster happening. She couldn’t double-back to see if her friends had escaped, but somehow she knew they were alright. Besides, she had to find another pony that needed saving: Fluttershy. Wasting no time, she took to the skies above Canterlot, directing her eyes toward the ground and around the airspace. Her intent was to quickly locate Fluttershy, kick the flanks of the changelings holding her captive, then escort her back to the castle. It was a simple plan. Execution proved to be a different matter. Rainbow realized she didn’t know how much time had passed between when Fluttershy was captured and now, which meant that she could be almost anywhere within Luna’s shield protecting Canterlot. Worse, if the changelings had some way in and out that bypassed the shield, she could be long gone, and Rainbow Dash had no way of tracking her down if that was the case. NO! She shouldn’t think like that. She couldn’t think that it was too late! With her intense speed, she traced a path along Luna’s barrier, starting from the ground and working her way around the perimeter. She saw nothing. Undeterred, she flew into the town, darting her eyes around for any sign of her shy friend as she flew through the streets, down alleyways, and around large buildings at blinding-fast speeds. Still nothing: no signs of any changelings attacking the barrier, no changelings within the town...no Fluttershy. Still, there was no way that the changelings could get through the barrier. That meant Fluttershy HAD to still be somewhere within Canterlot...right? Rainbow Dash couldn’t find her outside...so perhaps she was being held captive somewhere inside the castle? She made a beeline for Luna’s tower as soon as the thought crossed her mind. The balcony doors were open, and she hoped she would locate a Princess within to help her find Fluttershy. As she flew near the tower, she heard ponies conversing within. One voice belonged to Luna, but the other didn’t sound familiar...at first. After a few seconds of hearing his condescending speech, however, the name came to her in an instant. -------------------- Knife Point was busy making his way down Luna’s tower to the first floor of the castle. He had heard galloping come toward him, however, and flew upward and attached himself to a dark spot within the tower. His patience was rewarded as he had seen the two mares from before when he had saved those children climbing up the steps, followed shortly by two other ponies he didn’t recognize. Mender and the fillies were the last in the group. Point decided it was better if he didn’t join their group, but instead he kept watch on them from a distance. Using his hooves for balance and his wings for propulsion, Point stuck to a high viewpoint from within the tower, making sure to keep Mender within his sights at all times. Point ended up backtracking as he ascended the tower again, toward Luna’s bedroom. However, as he followed behind Mender, the group stopped to look at something. Altering his gaze upward, he saw Celestia leaving Luna’s bedroom with a forlorn look on her face. He immediately knew it was Chrysalis, but the group of ponies below him did not. This was an interesting situation for Point. If he decided to attack ‘Celestia’, it would no doubt illicit a response towards him that wouldn’t exactly be an accepting and understanding one. However, if he did nothing and merely observed in secrecy, Chrysalis might do something to them that would endanger Mender. However, he didn’t have enough time to think about a plan. Not long after the group met her, ‘Celestia’ teleported the entire group away elsewhere in a flash of bright light. This was a worst-case scenario Point did not see coming...and he needed help to find Mender. He left his hiding spot and approached Luna’s bedroom door. Opening it with ease, he eyed the two targets he needed to save in order to have a shadow of a chance of locating Mender. Approaching Luna first, he noticed that she was awake, and actively struggling against the cocoon encasing her. Brandishing his red cloth kunai, he cut the cocoon open with ease. Luna stumbled out, coughing and sputtering as she regained her senses. Next was the real Celestia. Point flew up and severed the connection binding Celestia to the roof, dropping her to the floor with a resounding THUD. One cut later, and she too was freed from her prison. Point calmly waited for the Royal sisters to adjust for a minute before speaking in a snide, mocking manner. “Good evening, Princesses that failed to best a Queen.” Luna glared at him, but Celestia looked disappointed at herself. “We were caught off-guard!” Luna shot at Point. Point brushed away her pitiful defense. “I didn’t free you to hear your excuses for failing. Instead, I require your assistance regarding the whereabouts of Mender.” “Why? So thou can kill him, assassin?” She bitterly asked. “Eventually, but not no-” “KNIFE POINT!” Rainbow Dash flew in and tackled Knife Point to the floor, knocking the wind out of him as he fell. Celestia finally responded, her eyes wide with shock. “Rainbow Dash?” “Princesses, stay away! This pony’s an assassin!” “We know, Rainbow Dash. He has also freed us from imprisonment moments ago,” Luna informed, albeit bitterly. Dash turned to face the pony held underneath her. “Is this true?” “...A Princess just told you this, and you’re asking me for confirmation?” Point mocked. “Well, uh...spur of the moment?” Dash joked. “Har har, now get off of me. I have a question to ask.” “Nuh uh, not until you tell me where Fluttershy is!” “Who?” Point asked. “FLUTTERSHY! Pale yellow pegasus with pink straight hair!” “I don’t know them! What makes you think I had anything to do with them going missing, anyway? I only came here for Mender, and nopony else! And right now, he’s gone missing too, along with the rest of your friends!” Point quickly explained. He wanted to deflect her accusations as quickly as possible, and this seemed like the fastest option. It worked. He felt Rainbow Dash get off of him, and her voice began to crack slightly. “Wh-what do you mean they’re all missing?” “I mean exactly that. I saw them vanish along with Celestia just a minute ago as they were all teleported somewhere.” “What? But I never left this room!” Celestia objected. “And what do you suppose that means?” He could see everypony’s eyes widen as the realization dawned on them. “Chrysalis,” Celestia spoke through gritted teeth. “Well, that’s just perfect, the changeling queen captured them. So, is there any chance that either of you know where Chrysalis may have teleported them?” Point actually had a very good idea of where Chrysalis had taken the ponies, but he did not want to reveal that information to the Princesses. That would have caused many undue questions to surface at this time, none of which Point would be willing to answer. Luna shook her head, but Celestia closed her eyes and thought back to the wedding when the changelings struck last time, and after a minute, she found an answer. “The caves-” ------------------- “-beneath Canterlot!” Twilight exclaimed. “But...why here, Celestia?” “My dear Twilight, these caves are the perfect location for us to have this conversation. Nopony but the most daring or foolhardy would enter these caves, due to the many dead thieves in here that had searched in vain for untold riches.” “I’m not convinced. Why in Equestria are we down here when we should be looking for Fluttershy and Luna?” Mender asked. Celestia stiffened up slightly before speaking. “I’ve actually brought you all down here to discuss something concerning my sister. I believe Luna is staging a coup by allying herself with the changelings.” “WHAT?!” came from everypony, echoing loudly within the cave structure. Twilight recovered first. “I thought you two had made amends already, Celestia!” Celestia turned her head to the side. “I had thought so as well...but tonight has proven otherwise. They struck during the night, under the cover of darkness. Her shield remains undisturbed, yet hundreds...nay, thousands of changelings attacked the castle. There is also the fact that I did not find Luna in her tower tonight. All of this suggests that my sister has committed an act of rebellion against the throne.” Rarity spoke next. “But I thought you and your sister made up already!” “I thought we had as well,” - Celestia turned her head back to face the group of stunned ponies - “but a thousand years of exile is something not easily forgotten, Rarity.” Silence hung in the air for a few minutes as each pony processed Celestia’s words. Was it truly possible that Luna would turn on her older sister like this? Twilight was very conflicted on the matter. She had spent the most time with Princess Luna after the Nightmare Moon incident, specifically on Nightmare Night when she had helped integrate her into Ponyville. She seemed truly genuine in accepting her sister’s friendship after she was purified by the Elements of Harmony, so she should have tossed any notion of betrayal out of the confines of her mind… ...but when she drank the Alicorn potion offered by Zecora, she had seen how Luna had betrayed her sister. That lingering memory told her that it was entirely possible she could do this again. The arguments for both sides waged war in her mind, one believing in her maintaining her friendship, and the other calling her a deceptive backstabber looking for the right opportunity to strike again. Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash leaned more in favor of Luna’s betrayal, however. None of them had been around Luna as much as Twilight had, but Nightmare Night left a very different impression on them when Luna had used her Royal Canterlot Voice to instill fear into the town. They also thought Pinkie’s screaming was more serious than joking that night. To them, Princess Luna was still very much a threat to be wary of, and a betrayal under these circumstances Celestia presented seemed very likely. Mender, Pinkie, and the Crusaders thought otherwise. Pinkie was the only one to know that Luna was trying hard to be nice and relatable that night. She just cried wolf every time Luna showed up because Nightmare Night’s supposed to be a scary night! The Crusaders also enjoyed the nighttime festivities, and to them Luna only added to the entertainment. Getting wrapped up in Pinkie’s screaming and fleeing only added to their exciting evening, so they had little reason to fear Luna after that night. Mender’s stance on Luna was probably the most positive, however. He had heard the tale of Nightmare Moon’s return during his stay in Fillydelphia, but thought there were more pressing concerns for him to deal with in that town...like the crazy tenant neighbors in his apartment complex. He didn’t really have much of an opinion on either Princess at the time, outside of respecting Celestia as the ruler and all. However, after meeting the Princesses face-to-face, he believed that both Luna and Celestia were enjoyable to be around. They seemed calm, refined, and rather humble considering their royal heritage…well, when they weren’t grilling him about his secrets, at least. Then they had become rather frightening. Yet, what stuck out the most was that they loved each other. Those two had reconciled whatever differences they may have had, and it was ever present on their faces when they cast little glances toward each other in the conversations he has had with them. There was no way that in such a short time Luna would turn on her sister so suddenly… ...and that meant that either something happened in Canterlot before he arrived to destroy the love and trust they had built up, or something was very “off” about Celestia’s accusation, despite all the sense it had made. Mender needed a second opinion. “Young, are you there?” “When am I not, Mender?” “Ha ha. Listen, you’ve heard everything concerning Princess Celestia’s accusation against Luna, correct?” “I have. I think it’s...an interesting one.” “Interesting? Please clarify.” “Right. I’m only going off of suppositions here, so feel free to fill me in on any details that I didn’t catch. First off, when we heard Celestia’s scream, do you remember how she appeared?” “Hmm...panicked. She also looked like she had been in a scuffle, no doubt with the changelings that she had fought with when I arrived.” “Tell me, does she still look injured?” “...no, she doesn’t. Clean as a whistle, actually.” “No blood on her, correct?” “Nope, not a dro-” It was at that moment that Mender realized she should have something on her. Changeling blood. He had seen her get very physical with the changelings, and much of the blood from her beatdowns had gathered on her hooves and torso. “She should have changeling blood on her, but she doesn’t. Maybe she cleaned herself up sometime in between when she left Rarity, Fluttershy and I to go find her sister?” “It’s a possibility, but you know how unlikely that sounds. Strike one.” “Strike one? Wait, you’re doing a three-count for Celestia being a changeling? That’s not really necessary, since I’m already starting to believe you.” “It’s not for you, Mender. It’s for the other ponies. You may have convinced them with your spontaneous hit on Fluttershy earlier, but I doubt that same strategy’s going to work on a goddess.” “...right, I see what you mean now. In that case, I’ve got a few ideas that’ll flush her out.” “Then by all means, go ahead. I got you started…” “...and I’m going to finish.” “I don’t buy this for one damn second.” Everypony who was staring at Celestia snapped their heads around to gaze at Mender. “Celestia, I’ve barely known you and Luna for roughly two days, and I can already tell that’s a bald-faced lie.” “Mender, how can ya be so certain of that? Her accusation makes sense! It’s the only way the changelings coulda entered Canterlot!” Applejack countered. Mender turned his head and locked eyes with her. “Is it? I can think of two events that disagree with that. Remember the burning chariot and the assassin? Both have breached her barrier. One did it with force, and the other with stealth. “Assuming brute force is the method they used, they would have struck at the same time the flying chariot entered Canterlot. They would have had plenty of opportunity to enter through that hole, yet they did not. It was daytime, and some of us had kept watch on the hole for any potential attackers, which meant that we’d be more prepared for a fight than how we are now. That would put them at a severe disadvantage right from the start, and even if they picked another opportunity to brute-force her barrier, surely somepony would have noticed and alerted the castle immediately. “They instead focused on stealth to enter Canterlot. Now, a barrier like this is one that’s very interesting to note: It only covers all the obvious entrances, like the train station or any path through the sky.” Mender turned to Twilight to ask her a question. “Twilight, does the barrier spell conjure a perfect sphere around the user or intended target when cast?” She had to shake her head for a moment before responding, for she was slightly lost in following his explanation. “Only if the target is in the air, Mender. This is a spell based on efficiency, so it stops whenever it hits a solid object.” “Meaning a mere tunnel can circumvent this spell, correct?” Twilight shook her head. “Possibly, but it’s impractical for changelings. They don’t have the digging capabilities of Diamond Dogs, nor do they bear the strength of an Earth pony. Such a task would no doubt require a group effort, and surely that would be noticed by the guards patrolling the borders of the barrier.” Mender nodded in agreement. “Exactly. That means there are two ways they could have entered without detection. The first is if Luna indeed sided with the changelings and simply let them through her barrier. The second...is that they already had an entrance into Canterlot that ignored Luna’s barrier entirely.” Celestia decided to intervene. “That is impossible, Mender. I know of no other way to enter Canterlot other than the ways you have outlined earlier.” “You don’t? That’s strange...Twilight, you’ve been in these caves before, correct?” She nodded. “I have. Chrysalis sent me down here when I had come close to discovering the truth behind her facade, but I had escaped with Cadance and confronted her before her wedding ceremony had completed.” “In that case, is it true then that Chrysalis would have intimate knowledge of these caves?” “Yes, but I don’t know how she would-!” Twilight lost her voice as she came to a sudden realization. “Mender, you don’t mean that-” “I do, and I strongly believe there is a way to enter Canterlot through these very caves. If they had this knowledge beforehoof, there would be no need to use Luna to enter.” Celestia scoffed. “I...suppose it’s an interesting possibility, but that’s all it is. Even if there is some passageway through these caves, accessing Canterlot through Luna is simpler and more effective to achieve.” “I agree. This is nothing more than a possibility...but that wasn’t my plan, Tia. “In fact, this brings me to my next point: Why exactly are we down here in these caves listening to your accusation? Far as I know, you had little reason to not tell us immediately after leaving her room, when you told us it was empty.” This question stunned Celestia, leaving her speechless for a moment before responding. “I simply wished for a more secure location where I could reveal such information without fear of any changelings assaulting us...or if Luna found us and attacked us instead!” “Oh, so you’re protecting us now? Where was your help during the WAR then, hm?! I don’t seem to recall you offering up your assistance to the towns that had suffered and pleaded for help!” The mares at this point had grown very concerned for the intensity of the argument between Mender and Celestia. Their voices had escalated to the point where the fillies had grown quite scared, forcing Pinkie to try and calm them down as best she could. “I do what I can...what I must for my subjects, Mender! I cannot be there for all ponies when they are in danger or in times of need!” “Then why are you hiding such tragedy from the ponies that don’t know what war is?! How dare you claim to sit idly by and wait for ponies to die while simultaneously telling those that thrive that everything is fine!” “Everything is NOT fine! My subjects are starving and-” “Gotcha.” “Starving? I never said ‘starving’, Princess.” Mender’s tone cooled down, and Celestia could feel the questioning looks of all the ponies around her. Mender took a determined step forward. “You’re also looking very clean, Princess. This bothers me considering I remembered how tired and drained you were. Perhaps you cast healing magic on yourself in that time to rejuvenate yourself...but that shouldn’t have cleaned up the changeling blood I should be seeing on your hooves.” Rarity’s eyes opened wider as he spoke. She DID remember thinking that Celestia looked rather filthy at the time, but it didn’t register in her mind how different the Princess looked until now. Celestia took a few steps backward. She could feel the pressure piling on her, and her voice failed to respond in a meaningful way. “Time for the finishing blow.” “One last thing I wish to ask of you, Princess. Tell me my nickname; the one you learned and used on me when you, your sister and I had lunch together.” Silence passed for but a few seconds before she squeaked out an answer. “Mender-p?” Pinkie couldn’t hold back a small fit of giggles, but Mender’s gaze did not break from Celestia’s eyes as he brandished Celle once more, its familiar Gladius form taking shape as he leveled it at the exposed Princess. “It’s Mendy, but nice try.” Without further hesitation, Mender charged forward, bringing Celle down upon ‘Celestia’.