Princess Celestia loved politicking. For all her years, it was one of the few games that always kept her on her figurative toes. One might think even politics and the various players it brought to the board would grow stale, even for an ageless alicorn, but mortals always managed to find new ways to surprise her.
At present, she was attending a minor ball, a social gathering really. Barely a dozen aristocrats mingled with a few prominent businessponies and government officials mixed in for good measure. The thing that made the ball most interesting to the solar diarch was the lone lavender changeling in a dress Celestia could only surmise as Rarity’s craftsmanship.
Celestia lounged on a cushion, content to observe, rather than participate. I wonder how well Rolled Scroll will do here. Twilight sent a rather young drone to begin more diplomatic relations with the court… but I suppose her options are rather limited in that regard.
However, before she could truly pay the drone any real attention, a scroll materialized in front of her. Odd, I wasn’t expecting any letters today. While the letter had an unadorned seal, she could tell from the penmanship that Twilight Sparkle was the sender.
Princess Celestia,
Please make no unusual reaction to this letter, as I have reason to believe you are being watched by the anti-changeling group. If you commissioned Archmage Aged Page to enchant a pair of medallions for Rainbow Dash and myself, please rub your chin, if not, flick your ear.
Celestia leveraged her millennia of composure to maintain a neutral expression while delicately rubbing her chin with a wing elbow. She caught Rolled Scroll spy her actions in the corner of her eye. Despite her compliance with Twilight’s request, the letter was troubling. Has she become paranoid, or did her last visit here put her on edge, or… Is she correct?
If yes, then this is potentially more troubling than I feared. The reason I ask is because I received those medallions, thanks for the thought by the way, but hidden under Rainbow’s medallion was a tracking spell which I believe is linked to a remote teleporter. A similar trap was buried within my medallion as well. So either Aged Page is in league with them, or his package was intercepted and a highly skilled enchanter hid this new enchantment under Page’s. Either way, I have a plan to uncover this and use the trap against them, but I would prefer to act with your approval. Please nod or shake your head accordingly.
An immaculately dressed pegasus cleared his throat while bowing to Celestia before she had a chance to read the rest of the letter. “Princess, may I trouble you for some consideration on ordinance 398?”
“Of course Chairpony,” she said, keeping her exterior calm. Twilight has never given me cause to distrust her. She starkly remembered how her former student tried to oust Chrysalis before the wedding. I won’t make that same mistake again. Acting as if she was nodding to the supplicant, she looked directly at Rolled Scroll to convey her meaning.
Rainbow Dash paced back and forth in midair while Twilight painstakingly carved a series of runes into a heated glass orb. Aegis’ squad was keeping watch over her while Ratchet tried to distract himself with a tech manual, but his heart wasn’t it in.
“When are we going to punch some sense into those traitors?” Rainbow asked anxiously.
“As soon as I finish my carvings,” Twilight replied patiently as she focused on her work. The orb was roughly the size of her hoof with her magic burning the patterns into place.
“You said it’s a teleport beacon, right?”
“That’s right,” Aegis answered for her queen. “I have three squads with armored support preparing the other half of the array, once mother empowers the orb, we’ll drop in right on top of her. The ship’s the only place where we could gather enough mana for a long distance teleport.”
Rainbow tapped her chin thoughtfully. “You guys really think these creeps aren’t in the city?”
“It’s a possibility,” Twilight said as she finished carving the last line. “But going beyond the Canterlot area would require a portal, and these amulets are far too weak for that, so they can’t take us too far.”
Ferrum couldn’t help but study the cooling orb with wonder. “I checked with grandma Cadista. I don’t think any of the other hives have teleportation magic quite this advanced.”
“What Equestria lacks in technology, they more than make up for in magical prowess,” Twilight replied academically. “Perfect, the orb will do its job.” She levitated a runed glass orb near her mouth and spat a large wad of salve on it and used her magic to keep the viscous liquid around the orb as it hardened.
Ratchet put his manual aside and walked over to nuzzle his queen. “Are you sure you have to do it this way? You’re letting yourself get pulled into a nest of vipers.”
Rainbow and the drones decided to give the pair some space. Twilight let the orb hang in the air to dry so she could bend down to embrace her prime consort. “I know it's going to be dangerous, but this is the only way I know how to locate the group and uproot them. Plus I have to know if the archmage is involved… He was an old friend of mine, a mentor really. Celestia will want to know the facts either way.”
He hugged her tightly. “Please come back safely, Twilight.”
She gave him a longing, passionate kiss, flooding him with her unconditional love. “I promise, Handsome.”
The couple remained in each other’s embrace for a few precious moments before letting go. She brought over a pair of saddlebags filled with various items she could stand losing, and placed the glass beacon carefully within. “Alright everypony,” she said with practiced calm. “I have no idea what will happen when we get there, but I’m going to try diplomacy first. Hopefully when they take me prisoner they’ll be more willing to talk.”
“I still think you should let my squad go with you, my queen.” Aegis struggled to keep her objections from getting any louder than that. Can’t believe she wouldn’t let me take her place.
“Don’t worry Aegis, if I need your help,” Which I probably will. “I’ll summon the rest of the Jevruun Vrunningee. I need you to report to Celestia so our actions have her public support. Rainbow, are you sure you want to go through with this? There’s no telling what these ponies might do to us.”
Rainbow landed next to the lavender queen and shot her a derisive smirk. “After all the fights I’ve missed? Not a chance!”
She sighed with a chuckle at her friend’s bravery. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Twilight took the two medallions from Intel and gave one to her friend. “Aegis, stand ready and… you know what to do if I don’t return.”
The thoughts that entered the gathered drones’ minds were far from pleasant. “Yes, my queen.”
Nodding solemnly, Twilight donned her medallion with Rainbow Dash doing the same. Everyone waited with bated breath for their queen and adopted aunt to be taken from them.
They waited for five minutes with nothing happening, save for Rainbow looking like her normal pony self thanks to the necklace. Ratchet and Aegis were close to being nervous wrecks at the potential loss of their queen. “So ahh… Twi, are you sure these are linked to teleporters?”
A collective exhale at Twilight’s overreaction washed through the room while the lavender queen rubbed the back of her neck. “I was sure that’s what it was for… What good would simply tracking our movements be when I’ll be going back to the ship after we’ve uncovered more of the subterranean ruins?”
Ferrum tapped Rainbow’s necklace, producing nothing more than a light tink. “Not for nothing, mother, but maybe Canterlot’s got you a little paranoid, per chance?”
Ratchet could only sigh in relief. For being mother’s dream child, Twi puts herself in way too much danger without having an heir yet.
Twilight scowled at her necklace. “Hmmm…” Maybe I’m giving the specists too much credit. “You could be right—”
A wave of teal magic rapidly enveloped pegasus and queen alike, and whisked them away in an instant.
Twilight’s world was replaced by a darkened room with a spotlight and a teleporter array under her hooves. “Or maybe not.” She erected a formidable barrier around her, and started probing the room with her magic.
“I would advise against that, changeling,” a weathered, yet strong voice commanded. “You should at least remember what happens to shields when coming into contact with void stones.”
Several more lights came on, revealing five sneering earth ponies with the accursed stones adorning iron armor. “Archmage Aged Page, it’s been too long,” she said with thinly veiled scorn while dropping the shield. She scanned the room for the Archmage, but he remained cloaked in darkness. She could barely make out his silhouette a few meters away from her. I better not mention RD, and let them think she was in a different room when I was taken.
“Go ahead and place the warding iron on her, gentlecolts, she will not struggle.”
Twilight glared at the lead stallion, who turned to the aged unicorn. “You can’t trust the bugs to be civil. We should just revert or kill her and get it over with.”
“No need for that at present,” Page replied with a casual wave of a hoof. “We know the queens at least are capable of civility, one of them was able to successfully impersonate a princess for a time, after all. Isn’t that right, Queen Twilight Sparkle?”
“You obviously haven’t been paying any attention to Gloss,” Twilight spat. She glared at the earth pony who grabbed her by the withers and dragged her low enough to slap a bangle around her horn.
“My associates and I have reason to believe that Gloss is an aberration among your kind, not a reflection of the whole.” Once he was sure Twilight’s magic was locked away, he waved the earth ponies away. “You may leave.”
“The boss wanted her to undergo treatment immediately.”
“We have the former Element of Loyalty to test on first. Better to try on a half changeling, than some pony who’s been subverted completely.”
“That’s not what she ordered,” the lead earth pony warned, catching Twilight ear, and Page’s growing irritation.
“For someone of her age, you would think she would know patience. Tell her she will have to wait until I know the procedure works.”
“And what about her?” A different earth pony jabbed hoof at Twilight.
“I wish to speak privately with her… to get a measure of how the other queens think.” A few of the ponies were about to voice concerns, but he cut them off with a commanding tone. “With her magic no longer an issue, even these old bones can handle anything she may try.”
The earth ponies shared a worried look before filing out of the room. Once they were alone, Aged Page lit several candles, revealing the room to be his private study in his mountain retreat. Twilight fought to keep from picking at the bangle on her horn, and glanced around. “Celestia will find me. A teleport of two ponies over such a long distance is quite traceable.”
Page procured a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. “And I’m sure you’re telling your brood exactly where we are as well. Even so, we’ll have plenty of time to talk while Dame Rainbow Dash is treated.”
<Rainbow Dash, are you alright?> She received no answer. “I want to see her!”
Page studied Twilight carefully as he levitated a glass of wine to her. “Tell me, do you care for her because she is your friend?... or because you are trying to maintain your grip on your hive’s newest acquisition?”
Twilight only eyed the drink for a moment before focusing on the unicorn. “What are you talking about? Rainbow’s transformation was an accident, and I stopped it before it could finish. I would never force that change on anypony!”
“So you claim. Personally, I actually do believe you in that aspect.” He glanced at a mirror on the other side of the room before looking at the queen. “Accident or not, you had plenty of time to turn Loyalty into an insect during her time in the jungles. Given how much you’re pushing the princesses with this PR campaign of yours, the timing is all wrong. In the end however, Rainbow Dash is not my ultimate concern…” he took a long drag from his glass before studying Twilight’s moderately hostile expression. “You are.”
If he’s willing to talk… Twilight relaxed some of her tension and took the still hovering glass. “Because of my relation to Celestia, my lineage, or because you still care for me?”
He sighed slowly as he ran a hoof along one of the wall mounted bookcases, nostalgia coloring his tone. “Do you remember your time here? You never could get enough of that book. Now where was it…”
Twilight arched an inquisitive eyebrow and carefully started walking over. “Why are you doing this, Page? You always taught me to embrace the other races of the world. That diversity brought strength. The princesses share in that view, as do I.”
“One does not let a fox guard the chickens simply because the fox can fight.” He pulled an aged tome and levitated it over to the queen. “Star Swirl’s Thesis on Magic Theory, you nearly broke my old copy’s spine.”
Twilight frowned at the book. “Is this another one of your tests? It was Star Swirl’s Thesis on Arcane Theory.”
Page hummed approvingly. “Glad to see your memory’s intact, but I wonder if you truly are Twilight Sparkle, and not merely a puppet of Cadista.”
“Page, you know me, haven’t I proven through my acts by now that I’m still Twilight Sparkle?”
“Are you?” he challenged with magic empowered steel. “The Twilight Sparkle that I helped teach, when the Princess was busy, would disagree.”
“People change, Page, be they pony, griffin, dragon, changeling, or any of the other races of our world. Even if I was still a unicorn, there’s no telling what my life would have become.”
“A fair point,” he conceded as he walked towards his oaken desk. “I have seen promising pupils lose their way as Sunset Shimmer did. Gallant knights, who I thought were destined for greatness, fall to corruption and dishonor.” He turned to face Twilight with a sad frown, his ears drooping. “A pony, destined to be a princess, be taken from us, from the Princess, to be twisted by the very beings who would see us enslaved. Did she tell you that?”
Twilight’s face slumped and she scuffed the ground with a hoof. “Yes. When I visited Canterlot last year.” That drew a surprised look out of him. “I was to be her heir, but I ended up becoming Cadista’s instead.”
“It devastated her, you know,” Page sat down at his desk and pulled a scroll over to write. “I fear that, were it not for Princess Luna, Celestia might have never recovered from her depression from your loss.”
Twilight scowled at him. “I may not be able to be a princess anymore, but I was not lost. I’m standing right here. My loyalty to Equestria has never changed.”
“Truly?” Page’s tone was even, but he weaved the power of truth in his speech. “All I know of changelings is from Chrysalis’ overt invasion, and now, your covert one.”
Without her own magic to defend against his, Twilight couldn’t filter what she said. “Mother’s not trying to invade Equestria. I just want my hive and Equestria to be one nation.”
“As equals, or as slaves?” Aged Page expected Twilight to resist answering; to fight his magic fang and hoof. She should know that without access to her magic, no pony can resist the Invocation of Truth.
Yet Twilight surprised him by replying instantly. “It saddens me you even have to ask. Of course I want us to be equals. Come on, Page, do you really see me as your enemy? You can’t judge us all because of one queen’s actions.”
“And what about the foalnappings? The infiltrations, both amongst commoners and government officials alike? You can’t tell me to simply forgive just how close your kind came to conquering us, can you?!”
Twilight adopted a regal posture but kept her voice as friendly as possible. “Yes, I can. For was Equestria not founded by those who had all the reason in the world to hate one another? It took them all nearly coming to extinction to finally look past their distrust. I would like to think modern Equestrians could remember those lessons, without the threat of annihilation hanging over our heads to do it.”
“…You almost sound like that little filly I used to know.”
Twilight took a risk and gingerly laid a hoof on the greying stallion’s withers. “I will not deny that I’m not really a pony anymore, but I still wholeheartedly consider myself an Equestrian and loyal citizen to Equestria. Give me a chance to prove it.”
The Archmage brooded over her words, his loyalty to the crowns, and most importantly, to his people. He glanced at the bangle around Twilight’s horn to reassure himself she couldn’t wield any magical suggestion. He brushed Twilight’s hoof off of him and walked nervously over to his desk to withdraw a wand. “History will call me a fool…”
A stinging headache welcomed Rainbow Dash to the world of the living. The noise of clinical ramblings of a physician off to her left side quickly made their way to her ears. That made her keep a groan from escaping her lips as she came to her senses. Each limb was locked in place with her wings pinned to the table as well. She took a moment to scan the room. It was little more than a converted storeroom with various simplistic, but thankfully clean, medical equipment.
“I don’t understand it,” came the teal colored unicorn doctor, “her brain and skull have completely reoriented themselves to support a horn, but the transformation was stopped before it could actually form. Why would the changeling queen stop the transformation so early?”
Rainbow craned her neck to see a peach colored pegasus mare standing next to the stallion. Both of them were looking over x-rays. “Maybe she timed it wrong, and didn’t want to arouse too much suspicion with Princess Luna.”
Rainbow inwardly groaned. Oh please, these guys are so pathetically paranoid.
“I hope you’re right. It could mean Twilight hasn’t had enough time to charm both diarchs after all. In any case, we just need an uncorrupted tissue sample to proceed.”
That got Rainbow to speak out. “Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. You jerks better keep your samples to yourself.”
The nurse hummed in contemplation, but betrayed nothing. “It looks like the shock of the long range forced teleport has worn off. I trust our accommodations are not too uncomfortable. We do not wish any permanent damage on you.”
“Well isn’t that sweet,” Rainbow growled as she remembered this was supposed to be a surprise. “So who the hay are you guys?”
“We’re members of the Ponies for the Conservation of Equestria, your saviors,” the doctor said in a lofty tone. “At least we will be once we cure you of your condition.”
Rainbow glared at the two ponies as they came over to talk. “You’re nothing but a bunch of traitors!”
The nurse barely flinched at Rainbow unconsciously baring her short fangs. “The princesses will pardon us all once Twilight Sparkle is free of changeling influence.”
“Suuuure, and how do you plan to do that? Last I checked, Twi’s gone 'Ling to the core.”
The stallion produced a cloth and wiped his glasses. “Perhaps,” the doctor agreed reluctantly, “or perhaps her mind is enslaved by that hive mind of theirs.”
“Just like yours is,” the nurse commented sternly.
Rainbow arched an eyebrow as her ears drooped a bit. “What?” she deadpanned.
“Oh we don’t expect you to admit it,” the doctor replied, “assuming you’re even aware of it.”
“Or acknowledge it if you are,” the nurse added as she twisted Rainbow’s head around to inspect the fangs more clinically. “It also possible your partial transformation’s slaved you completely to her will.”
Rainbow shook her off to glower at her. “You guys are insane if you think Twilight or Cadista are anything like Chrysalis.”
“Are we?” the doctor countered as he took a pair of shears in his magic. “Chrysalis masqueraded as Cadance for who knows how long before Twilight finally ousted her. Equestria was caught off guard the first time, and she was the only one who saw through it. How convenient that she was nearly killed and the only way to save her was to corrupt her into an abomination.”
“You’re sick in the head lady. You need to get laid, badly.” The nurse snubbed her nose at the verbal barb.
With one swift motion, the doctor sheared a small tuft from Rainbow’s tail. The liberated hair flew over to hover in front of the unicorn. Rainbow tried to twist around at the noise, and her jaw dropped at seeing the loose hair. “You cut my tail! Let me off of here so I can plant my hoof in your face!”
The stallion ignored her ramblings. “Nurse, be a dear and have the sample tested for purity.”
Rainbow Dash’s first instinct was to keep shouting obscenities at her captors, but a newer part of her mind wanted to know more. “Why are you even bothering with that? If you were so hard up to ‘cure’ me, then why not just cast a normal transformation spell?”
“While I would expect a pegasus to be ignorant of that,” the doctor commented with a derisive chuckle, “I’m not surprised a Wonderbolt would be aware of it though. What with your organization being well versed in magic and all. In any case, transformation magic is normally temporary; a day at the very most without constant maintenance. Even then, it wouldn’t revert the damage done to your mind. No, we need a more permanent solution.”
The doctor walked off to assist the nurse, giving Rainbow a few precious moments to think. Not that she used that time to do so, and instead struggled against her bindings. She tested her left foreleg’s restraints especially hard. I just need one freaking hoof!
The leather straps had reinforcing steel chains around them and refused to yield to the grunting pegasus. “Arrraagg, let me go!”
The nurse turned away from her work. “I wouldn’t bother, Rainbow Dash, those bindings could hold a champion earth stallion.”
“Blow it out your a—” Rainbow’s voice caught in her throat as her captors rolled a large device over towards her. It was the size of a carriage, featuring a runed mythril swing arm having a large grey crystal mounted on its end. “Da ‘ell is that?”
“The solution to your problem,” the doctor said with pride. “This experimental masterpiece of mine is designed to permanently reconfigure anypony to whatever sample I give it. In your case, your pure pony hairs will remove the changeling taint from your body.”
“Uhh, I heard experimental in that. Shouldn’t you test that on something first?”
The nurse chuckled darkly, the unsettling sound fluttering around the room. “You misunderstand your position, Miss Rainbow Dash, you are the test. We have to make sure it works before using it on Twilight Sparkle.”
“You might feel some discomfort,” the doctor commented with an attempt to repair the bedside manner. “It’s completely safe, I assure you.”
“Yeah, sure it is,” Rainbow chided as her eyes darted over the machine. I gotta think of a plan to get out of this mess. After hearing how much Twi said about alchemy, these guys are way out of their league if they think magic alone can reverse it.
“Final adjustments are set, doctor.” With a flick of a switch, the machine thrummed with power. A series of crystals started giving off an earthy brown glow while a dozen inlaid arrays lit up in a similar color.
“Good, now, Rainbow Dash, are you ready?”
“Like I got a choice? I’m telling you clowns that Twilight’s on the level about wanting to help Equestria. Why can’t you guys see that?”
The nurse snorted in disgust. “Nothing but pro-changeling propaganda Cadista no doubt flooded your mind with. We’ll fix that soon enough.”
Oh geez, think of something Rainbow! You’re a Wonderbolt, think! She tugged at her wing bindings, but they were even more tightly secured than her legs. If only I had my wings free, I could fry them! She stopped her struggling for a moment when a thought struck her. Say…
Any further contemplation was interrupted by the humming power reaching a crescendo as the unicorn fed his mana into the machine. The large arrowhead shaped crystal on the swing arm was moved to point at a very nervous pegasus.
Rainbow Dash flinched as a dense beam of brown magic shot out and smothered her, making her skin tingle. Hey, this might actually work. She started running her tongue over her teeth to see if they were flattening as the tingling sensation spread throughout her entire body. The two medical ponies kept glancing between Rainbow and the machine to check for progress.
After two minutes of rubbing her tongue raw, Rainbow stopped waiting and the tingling was becoming a bothersome irritant. Well this is bunked, and now officially a waste of time. I need to get out here, 'Ling style!
“Why isn’t it working, doctor?” The nurse’s mouth was a pressed line as she checked the machine’s readings.
“The changeling curse must be stronger than we expected. I’ll up the power.”
Now’s my chance. Rainbow tried to focus on her disguise and slowly started to revert her color back to normal.
The nurse noticed the change immediately. “It’s working, doctor, keep it up!”
I better sell it. “No! I’d rather die than betray the true queen! Kill me!” Rainbow begged in faux pain.
“I knew it!” the doctor shouted triumphantly. “Hang in there, Miss Dash, you’ll be free soon.”
Rainbow Dash masked her difficulty in slowly forming her disguise as pain and frantic struggle. Inch by inch, her fur returned to pristine cyan, and her fangs retreated into nothingness. “Nooo – uahg.” She grunted while slumping into silence. It took everything she had to hide her struggle to keep her disguise active, and appear limp.
“I think we have her, doctor, shut it down.” The nurse gingery inspected Rainbow’s face, finding no sign of changeling features anywhere. With the room completely saturated with loose mana, the doctor didn’t bother trying to probe her to see if it worked. “Dame Rainbow Dash, are you okay?”
The sudden warm bedside manner almost made the pegasus chuckle. “Wha… where am I?” She cracked her eyes open to look at the earth mare. “Who are – wait, you guys were trying to save me.”
The doctor let off a heavy breath. “It was difficult, but successful, right?”
His question prompted the nurse to finish her inspection over Rainbow. “She’s still very tense, but otherwise in perfect shape. Miss Dash, are you up to talk about Twilight or Cadista?”
Rainbow acted befuddled for a few seconds, while repeating both names. Suddenly she started repeating them frantically. “No, Twilight, I have to save you!” She was starting to slip in her disguise’s control so she started frantically struggling against her bonds to mask her efforts. “I’m going to kill that conniving queen! Let me go!”
“Miss Dash, please relax. We have Twilight here with us. We just need to use the transmogrifier on her, and then she’ll be her old self again,” the doctor said soothingly.
“No, you don’t understand,” think of something, Rainbow! “Ahh, Cadista won’t let it happen. You’ve got to cut Twilight from the hive mind or else Cadista will melt her brain when you try to cure her!”
The nurse tried rubbing Rainbow’s mane to calm her down. “Don’t worry, Miss Dash, we have void stones covering the building. There’s no way Twilight could talk or hear over that thing.”
“Don’t you get it!” Rainbow raged, “That witch put a command word in my friend. If she even thinks she’s about to get cured, she’s to kill herself.” The two other ponies cast worried looks at each other, giving Rainbow a few precious seconds to shore up her disguise a little.
“The wretch,” the doctor spat at no one in particular. “Implanting command words like that is strictly forbidden, punishable by exile or execution. If we don’t cure Twilight Sparkle, we’ll be branded as traitors for life.”
“How do you know this was done?” the nurse asked with suspicion.
Rainbow tried to kick herself out of self-anger. “Because I was unlucky enough to see Cadista use it once. She caught me and put me under one of the brainwashing spells like what they did to the Captain of the Guard. I bet it was her who gave Twilight the circlet to make sure I would never talk if I broke free.”
“Then it’s a good thing Luna was there to keep you from being converted completely,” the nurse commented with a grin. “That’s proof enough that at least one of our princesses hasn’t been subverted yet.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s great and all, but I have to use the command word on my friend to keep her brain safe and return to her senses! I still remember what the word was!” Good one, RD!
The nurse’s expression darkened a bit. “Tell it to us, and I’ll go do that. You need your rest after all.”
Rainbow’s disguise was fading out way too fast for comfort. The nurse’s eyes started to drift away from Rainbow’s face. No, no, eyes to me! “That won’t work! It’s in that freakish bug language of theirs and you have to say it exactly right or it’ll lock her brain up for good! Please, she’s my friend. I failed in my duty as a Wonderbolt and Element of Loyalty to keep her safe. It’s my obligation to do this personally.”
The nurse wasn’t entirely convinced, but the doctor nodded. “I lost my wife to one of those body snatchers. I only wish I could do the same for everypony else who's suffered because of them. Come on, let’s get you off of here.”
Rainbow pressed her head against the table to hide the growing line of lavender fur creeping towards the front of her face. Fortunately, it went unnoticed as the two ponies undid the straps around Rainbow’s forelegs and wings. Once their attention was fixed on her hind legs, she dropped her disguise completely and sat up with a superior grin.
She flared her wings the moment the last restraint was undone and empowered them with lightning. She briefly noticed the cracking energy was predominantly lavender with traces of orange flittering through it. She ignored the color for the sake of the moment. “Thanks for freeing me, now try a taste of the Wonderbolt Special!” With speed worthy of her name, Rainbow slapped the unicorn with her left wing, shocking him into unconsciousness.
The nurse ducked under the first blow, but had no chance against Rainbow’s speed. She found a wing whacking her in the face and 50,000 volts to go with it. With her captors out of the way, she cut the electric magic off. “Damn thing always rankles my feathers; I don’t know how Spitfire does it without needing to preen.”
<Hey, 'Ling Queen, I’m free and ready to kick some serious flank. What’s our status?>
Aged Page was rambling about old times, giving Twilight a few moments to talk. <Good and bad. Aegis informed me she and a contingent of Royal Guards just raided the Archmage’s estate and found it was empty. It seems the room I’m in is a facsimile of the real one.>
<Tsk, smart.> Damn it’s weird talking like this. It’s going to take some getting used to thinking in bug speak. She finished restraining her former captors on the main and secondary operating tables before creeping over to the lone door to peer outside.
<I have to try and convince Page to side with us. But in case that doesn’t happen, can you find your way to me?>
<I can try. I’ll contact you if I run into trouble.>
“You’re good, I’ll give you that,” Aged Page said a little louder than normal, bringing Twilight back to the present. “My heart wants to believe you, but my mind is not so old to fail me yet.”
Twilight huffed while claiming a cushion near a telescope. “I remember you being a very open-minded mentor, Page. Do you remember Steel Beak?”
The Archmage briefly turned away from the tome at his desk. He searched his vast memory for a few seconds before it came to him. “That boorish ‘diplomat’ from a few years ago? What of him?”
“You remember what I first thought of griffins thanks to him?” she replied with a gruff tone.
He sighed in fond remembrance. His mind’s eye wandered to better times when a certain lavender filly filled the air with questions and the energy of youth. Now when he looked at Twilight, all he could see was the enemy wearing his former pupil’s skin. He had to give her credit for not trying to hide what she had become, but the sight of her sickened him. Is she just the first? “I know where you’re going with this, and it won’t work.”
What happened to the kind old stallion I used to know? “It should,” she challenged heatedly, seeking to get a rise out of him. “How many centuries were we at open war with the griffins? How long did they used to hunt us for food before civility finally won out?”
“Too long,” he answered begrudgingly, “I’ll concede that point.” Page took a long drag from his wine glass. “But you forget that fighting griffins was by far more straight forward than countering you changelings.”
“Funny,” Twilight replied with more than a little sarcasm. “History says that same argument was made about the zebras when peace with the griffin empire was first proposed.” She skillfully hid her smug grin as Aged Page shot her a sour look.
His face smoothly returned to its mostly aloof expression. “At least Crimson Feather spoke for the entirety of the Griffin people when the accord was signed. Can you or Cadista say the same for your kind?”
That caught her short. It was an argument she had expected, but never could think of a winnable counterargument. “No, we can’t. Technically, each queen is beholden only to herself.” I won’t speak of the Summit with him.
“Then even if I could trust you, there would still be hostile changelings out to destroy Equestria.”
“I don’t believe this!” Twilight grumbled under her breath. “We have to start somewhere, Page. My kind began with freeing the prisoners. We offered the hoof of friendship, and the princesses reciprocated. Why can’t you honor that agreement, and the will of the Princesses?”
The greying stallion was silent for several seconds as he read his tome. At first Twilight thought he was stooping to simply ignore her. But he finally spoke with an emotional quiver he could not conceal. “Are you familiar with my son, Inked Quill?”
“Vaguely. Didn’t he go off to serve as a government administrator in Trottingham?”
“You memory serves you well. Due to the treaty between us and the queendoms, it was revealed that my son had been replaced a decade ago by one of your infiltrators. I stood there with my daughter-in-law and three grandchildren at the train station for his return for a week before hearing news of his death in one of those prisoner pods. The imposter had the gall to charm my daughter-in-law into bedding with a look-a-like so he could fake the foals being truly my grandchildren!”
The old stallion’s eyes projected his deep pain and anger, making Twilight wilt under the gaze and news. “I had no idea. I’m sorry for your loss.”
He huffed indignantly at her. “Your platitudes will not undo what your kind has done. I tire of this exchange, the guards will see you to your cell.”
A small bell on his desk was ensnared by his magic and was about to ring when Twilight called out. “Wouldn’t your son want his death to have some meaning?” The bell stopped, hovering in midair. Page’s left ear angled backwards, but he made no other indication he was listening. “Bringing the Queendoms and Equestria into open war will only make more families suffer the same pain you feel right now. If you forcibly change me back into a unicorn, Cadista will sever all ties with Equestria and the other queens will resume their old practices.” She cautiously approached him, trying to reach the bell, while not disguising her movement. “Give us a chance, Aged Page, I beg of you.”
He said nothing as Twilight gingerly walked over and attempted to grab the bell. He moved it out of her reach at the last moment, but remained silent. Twilight’s wings buzzed in trepidation. “Celestia and you always taught me to give ponies a second chance. If not me, then trust in the princesses.”
“…You’re right, I can’t trust you. But.” He put the bell down and took a deep breath. “Perhaps I’ve been too clouded.” I should have retired years ago. He faced her at last with a stern look that demanded obedience. “You’ve proven to me that you at least can mimic my old pupil. If you have any real shred of honor, changeling, than swear this to me: serve Equestria and her ponies to the best of your ability, even if that means warring with the other queens. Pledge your undying loyalty to Equestria right here and now.”
Twilight shored herself up to give his request the utmost seriousness, but she never got a chance to utter a word as the western door crashed open to reveal Twilight Velvet. “What is the meaning of this, Archmage!”
“Mother,” the queen spat, “can’t say I’m surprised.”
Velvet ignored her to focus on the unrepentant Archmage. “You said you were going to cure her!”
He huffed impatiently, drawing a curious look from the changeling. “I said nothing of the sort. My words were: that I would take my measure of my former apprentice, and act accordingly. I have seen enough to believe her heart still belongs to Equestria and those who call it home.” He faced the expectant queen. “Provided you have no trouble reaffirming your allegiance.”
“None whatsoever,” Twilight replied with forced friendliness. Velvet’s presence completely ruined her mood. What is she doing here?!
A vein throbbed on Velvet’s neck as she tried to process the archmage’s actions. “I won’t stand for this! I’ve come too far to let my daughter continue suffering as one of those demons! Guards!”
Aged Page struggled to stand as five ponies filed out from behind Velvet. Each of them were armed with nets or other restraining implements. “Leave the Archmage alone unless he intervenes, and drag my daughter to the good doctor.”
Just as the guards started to advance, the northern door exploded off its hinges, sending dust and splinters in all directions, causing everyone to duck for cover. Twilight used the opportunity to snag the pliers she spotted on a nearby table to get the bangle off her horn.
Everyone else however, stared at the smoldering remains of the door to find a purple/cyan pegasus standing just inside the doorway with her wings crackling with lightning and a daredevil grin smeared on her face. “Looks like I’m just in time for the party!” For once.
Everyone stood motionless for a few brief seconds, waiting for a signal to move. Twilight eyed her mother with an emotion she never thought possible, hatred. After being spurned and denounced every single time she had tried to mend their relationship, this final act was too much. <Rainbow, don’t hold anything back.>
The guards were recovering quickly from the shock of Rainbow’s grand entrance, and were looking to Velvet for orders. The aging mare tsked at Rainbow’s interference. This ends today, either my daughter is returned to me or she dies.