//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 // Story: Mirror's Image // by Evilpresident //------------------------------// Chapter 18 “It looks amazing,” Twilight said to herself as she took in the sight before her. The same ball room where she had held her last birthday party was now decorated in a most beautiful way. A bit more sophisticated than it had been the last time she was here, though, as the company was much more formal this time around. Several ponies were still working hard to make sure that everything was in order, guided by the combined efforts of Princess Luna and Pinkie Pie. The two of them seemed to have buried the hatchet overnight and were once again working together to make this celebration memorable. Even so, Twilight did notice Luna casting the occasional glance at Pinkie Pie, as if daring her to do something overly crazy. Given Pinkie’s track record, Luna probably wouldn’t have to wait long for such a thing to happen. The lock on the door behind Twilight clicked as it was pushed open by an elegant looking stallion, who was carrying a floral centerpiece. Several ponies carrying the same kind of decoration followed behind him and Twilight quickly moved out of their path. Twilight took a closer look at the flowers as they were carried past her. They were all colored very brightly but the ones that stood out most to Twilight were the ones that were a teal color, just like her mane and tail. One of the ponies carrying the centerpieces stopped to look at Twilight and then at the flowers, as if comparing their colors. As Twilight opened her mouth to say how beautiful she found the arrangement, the young mare hurried away. That took Twilight a bit by surprise, since it was the first time anypony seemed put off by her appearance. But Twilight couldn’t really blame her. Not when she herself had been afraid of her own reflection at first, thinking that it was some kind of creepy monster. Most ponies would probably see her as a strange caricature of a regular pony. Twilight couldn’t help but wonder if Discord had actually designed the changeling race or if he just allowed the chaotic magic to run rampant and do as it pleased. “Is something bothering you?” Celestia asked as she walked up to Twilight. “No,” Twilight said quickly. She hadn’t even noticed Celestia walking up to her until she addressed her. “Are you sure?” Celestia pressed on. “Because you’ve been staring intently at that floor tile for the past few minutes.” Twilight looked up at her and blinked her eyes a few times. “I was just thinking…” she admitted. “Not everypony is going to be as accepting of this as my friends and family,” she stated instead of asking, as she knew it to be true. “Afraid so, Twilight,” Celestia said. “Ponies do tend to be wary of things they don’t know or don’t understand. “However, that’s what this party is for,” Celestia continued. “So that my little ponies may get to know you and the changelings. It may take some time, but I truly believe that this is a step in the right direction... though I do not know how long the road will be.” Twilight smiled, her worries temporarily forgotten. “As long as I have my friends and family walking beside me, I won’t care.” The two of them shared a short hug. “I think I should get back to the preparations,” Celestia said. “Before Luna decides to sentence your friend to five years in the dungeons.” She paused for a few seconds. “Again,” she then added. Twilight chuckled for a second, but the look on Celestia’s face showed this not to be a joke. Deciding that now was the right time to leave, Twilight left the ball room and the two diarchs behind her. Walking through the castle at a brisk pace, she made her way to Rarity’s makeshift workshop. Like at the wedding, Rarity had claimed one of the rooms of the castle as her own personal atelier. Finding it wasn’t very hard, as Twilight could hear Rarity hum as she worked. Twilight knocked on the frame of the open door, so she wouldn’t startle Rarity while she was focused. “Good morning, Twilight,” Rarity said, not looking up from her work as she was putting the finishing touches to the last outfit she was working on. “Hold still, dear,” she said to her squirming mannequin. “Wouldn’t want to prick you…” Rarity bit her lip as she concentrated. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle softly at the sight before her, as Rarity had somehow managed to line up Twilight’s four guards and put them into matching tuxedos. All four of them were wearing red bowties and had folded handkerchiefs sticking out of their front pockets. “There we go,” Rarity said, taking a few steps back to take a look at her hard work. “I told you I could do it.” “I shouldn’t have doubted you,” Twilight said. “They look amazing, Rarity.” The four changelings looked like they came straight from a prestigious wedding or a formal ball. As with every dress or suit she made, Rarity had once again outdone herself. “Thank you , dear,” Rarity said. She then held a hoof to her mouth to hide a small yawn. “Though I must say that I may have slightly underestimated the work that went into the finishing touches.” She yawned again, a bit more noticeable than before. “Maybe you should get some rest?” Twilight suggested. “The party isn’t until this evening.” “While that is a wonderful idea,” Rarity said. “I haven’t even started on your dress yet!” “Rarity, I don’t need a dress,” Twilight said calmly. “But what you need is sleep. Now go to bed,” she ordered, channeling her inner princess as she did. “Fine,” Rarity gave in. “But there’s one last thing I need to do before I doze off.” She looked around. A moving pile of fabric caught her eye. Using her magic, she took the pile of scraps apart, revealing a mischievous little changeling. “This little scamp has been bothering me ever since you got here,” Rarity said, her voice betraying her amusement. Again, she used her magic to pull the little nymph out of the pile and propped him up on the nearby table. The little nymph stood proudly on the table as Rarity pulled another red bow out. “You may be a little bit small for a full suit,” she said as she tied the bow around his neck. “But that doesn’t mean that you should be left out.” The nymph puffed up his chest, eager to show off his little red bow to Rarity and Twilight. “Such a handsome little gentlecolt,” Rarity said as she pulled on the bow, to make sure it was perfectly straight. "But now, if you’ll excuse me…” Rarity yawned, holding a hoof to her mouth as she did. “I think I’ll go and have my beauty sleep now.” Rarity said her goodbyes to Twilight and her guards and headed off, back to the guest quarters arranged for them. The little nymph jumped off of the table and tried to chase after Rarity, only to be stopped in his tracks by Twilight, who had grabbed ahold of his four little hooves. “Rarity needs her rest,” Twilight told him. The young nymph responded by sticking his tongue out at her. Sucker Punch was quick to growl at him and bare his fangs, dripping with venom. He would not stand for such disrespect shown to the future queen of the changelings, even if it was but a young nymph. The little nymph was less than impressed by his bared fangs and responded by doing the same, showing off his smaller, less impressive chompers to the much larger adult changeling. They stood like that for a few tense seconds, before Sucker Punch broke the glare and he, along with the other guards, started to laugh. Like their voices, it was a heavy, raspy laugh. Twilight couldn’t help but laugh as well. It was a rather amusing sight, seeing her four, always serious changeling guards laughing at the antics of their younger sibling. However, said sibling was not amused by their laughter. As soon as Twilight lowered him to the ground, he rushed to hide between her front legs, to blow raspberries at the four Praetorians from a safe place. The four guards seemed far less bothered by that though. Twilight did notice that they were shuffling nervously, as if something else was bothering them. “Is something wrong?” Twilight asked. Sucker Punch nodded. “These outfits, we do not wish to wear them,” he told her. “They interfere with our camouflage.” As to prove a point, all four of them turned invisible. The fancy suits stayed visible though, hovering in mid-air without anypony wearing them. “We already took too big a great risk, by leaving you alone, my princess” Sucker Punch said as he turned visible again. “A gathering with several ponies is too dangerous if we cannot move about unseen,” he said, his raspy voice revealing just how concerned he was. “You are too valuable to lose…” Twilight hadn’t even considered that. She knew that Celestia or Luna would never allow any troublemakers to come to the party but even then, Twilight knew that some ponies were rather unaccepting of others. However, Twilight knew that Rarity had poured her heart and soul into these outfits and she didn’t want to disappoint her either. “How about a compromise?” Twilight asked. The changelings looked at each other. The confused looks on their faces told Twilight that they didn’t quite understood what she meant by that. “One of you wears the outfit, while the rest of you stay hidden?” Twilight offered. The guards seemed to approve of this and nodded. “Very well, my princess,” one of the other guards said. Twilight felt their relief through the hivemind. She was still getting used to their constant protection, though they had saved her rump at least once. And even if Twilight had ignored them, it would be safe to assume that they would try to stop her from going to the party altogether. Queen Chrysalis had probably ordered them to protect her at all costs. And her commands outweighed Twilight’s. Even so, a silent agreement was passed between the various changelings in the room. Twilight left the room, leaving the three nameless guards behind to remove their fancy getup. Sucker Punch and the little nymph followed her, back to the ball room. But before they even arrived, Twilight could hear somepony yell. “Not again,” she said to herself as she walked a bit faster. At the ball room, she found Celestia, doing her best to keep Luna from getting to Pinkie Pie. The pink pony was smiling in a nervous, almost guilty looking way. The cake that was currently stuck on the ceiling might’ve had something to do with that. “This is going to be a long day,” Twilight said to herself. “Chirp?” the little nymph said, cocking his head in confusion. - After a long day of preparations and pink ponies, Luna ended up in her sister’s chamber. In a mere hour, the two of them would be tending to the knighting ceremony. Celestia was currently standing before her mirror, trying on her regalia. “Do you still remember how the ceremony goes?” Celestia asked her little sister. “We stand there, side by side,” Luna said as she moved to stand beside her sister. “We decree that Big Macintosh is a hero and then we lift our sword and try to remember that it’s a knighting, not an execution.” “You’re never going to let me forget about that, are you?” Celestia asked, giving her sister a playful nudge. “At least you only sliced sir Galahad the Bald’s mane off,” Luna teased. “And it grew back… eventually.” “You know very well that his name was sir Galahad the Bold,” Celestia corrected her. “Not after you got done with him,” Luna pointed out. “Very funny,” Celestia said. Obviously, it wasn’t very funny at the time but now, she couldn’t prevent a small laugh from escaping her. “Have the royal blacksmiths forged a blade for our new knight?” Luna asked, deciding to steer the conversation back to the subject at hoof. Celestia nodded. She stepped away from her sister and the mirror and reached for a package, standing against her dresser. Carefully, she removed the brown packaging paper and pulled out a sheathed sword. She held out the sword to her sister. Luna carefully reached out with her magic and took the handle, pulling the sword out of its sheath. The gleam of pristine steel greeted her as she did. Luna gave the sword an experimental swing, much to Celestia’s displeasure. “Be careful with that,” she warned. “Not really my style, but a beautiful blade, nontheless,” Luna remarked as she put the sword back. This time she noticed the various golden lines, swirling around the handle in intricate patterns. “It’s a more standard blade,” Celestia reminded her. “If you wish for a sword fit for an alicorn…” she trailed off, placing the sword for Big Macintosh on the dresser. Without a further word, Celestia reached under her own bed with her magic, biting her lip as she did. When she did not find what she was looking for, she crouched down to get a better view. “What are you doing?” Luna asked, more than a little amused to see her sister sticking her head under the bed, like a little filly looking for monsters hiding there. “I knew I stashed it there,” Celestia said, rising triumphantly. She held another a long, black case in her magic. She gently lowered the thin case onto her bed and opened the locks. The case swung open and Celestia pulled out a sword, one that looked old and fragile. It dwarfed the other sword, being almost as long as Celestia was tall. “Do you know what this is?” Celestia asked, holding the battered blade out to her sister, pommel side first. “I…” Luna took hold of the massive blade, to look at it more closely. The blade was ashen gray and withered. The handle looked no better, with the sides vaguely resembling wings of some kind. The pommel was the only part that didn’t look ancient: a blood red gem the size of a small apple. “Do you recognize it?” Celestia asked. “This… it belonged to mother,” Luna said, her voice barely a whisper. “I thought it disappeared, like the rest of her.” Celestia shook her head. “She may be gone, but her legacy can still be found,” she said. “If you look hard enough.” “Did you find it?” Luna asked. Again, Celestia shook her head. “I did not. You have our darling nephew to thank for that. He found it on one of his many journeys.” “Prince Blueblood found it?” Luna asked, finding that hard to believe. “How did he even know what it was?” “When he was young, I used to tell him stories. Of how Equestria came to be, of our victories and of our losses,” Celestia said, fondly thinking back of how eager Blueblood was to hear of her adventures. “Of our mother.” Luna nodded and turned her gaze back to the blade. Perhaps with some work, the blade could be restored to its former glory. As it was right now, it was little more than a relic from a time long past. Reluctantly, she floated the sword back to Celestia, who stored it under the bed once more. “Do you often hide ancient artefacts under your bed?” Luna jokingly asked. “I prefer to keep it close to me,” Celestia said. “instead of in some dusty old vault. And besides, who would think to look under my bed?” she asked. Luna fought the urge to roll her eyes. In a way, her sister was right. Anypony actually looking for ancient artifacts would most likely search the room for a vault or a chest and miss out on the obvious. “Come along now,” Celestia said. “The ceremony will start shortly and we don’t want to be late, do we?” - “It’s almost time,” Applejack said as she fussed over Big Macintosh’s bowtie. She, her big brother, and her grandmother stood by the throne in Celestia’s throne room, patiently awaiting the arrival of the princesses. “You ready?” she asked her big brother. “Eyup,” Big Mac said. The moment Applejack turned away, he quickly adjusted his bowtie again, so it wouldn’t cut off his breathing. “It isn’t every day that an Apple gets honored like this,” Granny Smith said. “Ah’m sure your ma and pa would’ve been so proud of ya, all three of ya,” she said with a sniff. “Ah know, granny,” Big Mac said. He laid a forehoof over her, hugging the elderly mare as well as he could in his newfangled penguin suit. Several ponies and changelings were waiting for the princesses to arrive in the throne room. Some were sitting patiently on the benches that had been provided for the occasion. Others weren’t as patient. "My princess, please explain to me again, why exactly we are celebrating the defeat of our brothers?", Sucker Punch asked. He and the Great and Powerful Changeling sat on either side of their princess in the front row, while three other guards were in camouflage and skulking around the room. Lastly, Twilight’s little brother sat in her saddlebag, between her front legs. His head stuck out, so he could still watch the world around him with big and curious eyes. Luckily, nopony could see him, as he was coated with some illusionary magic, courtesy of Great and Powerful Changeling. “We’re not,” Twilight said with a smile. “We’re celebrating Big Macintosh’s bravery. I know you still don't trust ponies, but think of it this way: in the face of danger, he risked his life to protect his fellow ponies, his family. Even if you thought of him as an enemy at the time, you can respect that, right?" The disguised Praetorian looked down and nodded softly, reflecting on it silently for a moment. "You do not think of them as enemies,” Sucker Punch stated. Both he and the Great and Powerful Changeling stared at Twilight with interest clear in their eyes. Twilight blinked in surprise, and chuckled softly at what seemed a statement of the obvious. "I- of course I don't! Why should I? I have lived among ponies my whole life. Until a few days ago, I thought I was one! I could never think of them as enemies. And I'm here precisely for this reason: to prove that we can be friends and allies." The happy tone of the changeling princess somehow did nothing to change her guardian's pensive expression. "Queen Chrysalis thought the same, once.” It took Twilight just a moment to understand what he referred to: Chrysalis' darkest memory, a nightmare she shared with Twilight and the whole hive. "Oh. That," Twilight said, thinking back to the horrible vision. She wondered if that was a one-time incident or if it happened before. How often did the changelings see Celestia, the cruel, the callous, the tyrant she was before? "Well, I understand your concern. And I understand Queen Chrysalis’ resentment.” Twilight knew of both sides of the story, after all. “But, you know... she saw Celestia at her worst. I saw Celestia at her best. I trust that ponies can change. And if we want to be trusted, we have to trust her as well." Of course, Twilight knew that she was being a bit overly positive about it but she had high hopes for their fragile alliance. Both Sucker Punch and The Great and Powerful Changeling seemed satisfied with that answer. However, that didn’t stop the Changeling from pushing down her hat a bit further and covering most of herself with her cape, so she didn’t have to watch the ceremony. Sucker Punch was visibly more relaxed when compared to his counterpart, knowing that his brothers were out there. That didn’t stop him from being on guard though. He was a Praetorian, a guard above all things else. And right now, the most dangerous things in the room appeared to be three fillies, waving around wooden training swords. “You sure this is a good idea, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked. Come to think of it, she had asked that same question many, many times and despite Scootaloo’s assurance that it was, it had never actually been a good idea. “Of course it is!” Scootaloo said as she put on the helmet she got from the Royal Guards. “When Princess Celestia sees how well we’re guarding her throne, she’ll make us real Royal Guards for sure!” “And you think that’ll get us our cutie marks?” Apple Bloom asked. Scootaloo shrugged. “Or we could try bungee jumping again,” she said, grinning as she noticed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turn a bit green at the mere mention of bungee jumping. “No thank you,” Sweetie Belle said, quickly slamming her own helmet onto her head. “But this better not get us covered in tree sap again!” The three of them would have continued to squabble, were it not for the fact that the doors to the throne room opened up. Several guards walked in, both Royal Guards and Night Guards. They flanked their respective princesses and marched towards the throne. Everypony stood up as the royal sisters passed them, even the Great and Powerful Changeling and Sucker Punch, though Twilight had to nudge them into action first. The guards formed a large circle around the three ponies near the throne, allowing enough room for Celestia and Luna to pass. As Luna and Celestia took up their intended positions, they noticed that three new guards had joined the ceremony, wearing red capes and battered helmets. They smiled at the sight, before turning their attention to Big Macintosh. “Macintosh Apple, step forward,” Celestia said. Big Mac did so, but only after stealing a glance at Twilight, who nodded at him. “Macintosh Apple,” Luna said as the stallion stepped up to her and bowed. “You showed great bravery and cunning in the face of danger. You came to my sister and niece’s aid and took a stand against overwhelming odds.” “For that, we are eternally grateful,” Celestia continued where her sister stopped. She stepped closer to the red stallion. A nearby Royal guard approached her, holding a velvet red pillow out with a sword on it. Carefully, Celestia lifted the sheathed sword and offered it to her sister. Luna drew the blade and lowered it slowly towards Big Macintosh. Using the flat side, she tapped his left shoulder, right shoulder and head. “From this day forward, you are a knight of Equestria,” Celestia said proudly. “Arise, Sir Macintosh,” Luna said proudly. In a single, swift motion, she sheathed the sword once more and together with her sister, she offered it to the newly appointed knight. “Thank you,” Big Macintosh said as he stood back up and accepted the gift. In an instant he was swarmed by his sisters and grandmother, all three of them so very proud of him. Celestia and Luna looked at each other and nodded. “Everypony, I do believe that it’s time to celebrate,” Princess Celestia said. - Twilight waited patiently at the door to the ball room. It had been an hour or so since the knighting ceremony had ended and it was time for her debut as princess of the changelings. Her three invisible guards were swarming around her, while Sucker Punch nervously tugged on his bowtie. He looked about ready to just grab Twilight and dash out of there, the moment something seemed off. The Great and Powerful Changeling wasn’t nervous at all. Perhaps a remnant from her previous life, where nerves could make or break a performance. Or maybe she was remarkably good at hiding it. “Are you ready?” Princess Celestia asked as she arrived, noticing the glare that Sucker Punch sent her way. The changeling had been watching her from the moment she came into sight. It was slightly enerving but Celestia was slowly getting used to it. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Twilight said. Actually, she felt a bit underdressed, with Sucker Punch in his fancy costume and the Great and Powerful Changeling in her outfit. On the other hoof, Celestia wasn’t wearing anything other than her regalia either. Celestia stepped in between Twilight and the Great and Powerful Changeling and laid a wing over her faithful student’s back. “It’ll be okay,” she said. What Twilight didn’t know was that Celestia had only invited the ponies that had been enthusiastic about the so-called peace talks. “Trust me.” “I do,” Twilight said. Celestia nodded and moved her wing, using it to give Twilight a little motivating push, earning herself an angry hiss from Sucker Punch. She led the way, stepping forward and through the door that swung open before her. The ball room had been filled with the sounds of music and ponies talking but all fell silent when the door opened. The small talk was replaced with hushed whispers as Princess Celestia escorted the changeling princess and her visible entourage to the small podium close to the door. Twilight couldn’t help but shuffle nervously when she saw that everypony was staring at her. There weren’t as many ponies as she had expected but there were still so many eyes focused on her. It reminded her of the first time she saw the changelings, back at the hive. However, she quickly noticed a few familiar faces in the crowd. Her friends were there, as were her parents and… Shining Armor? She hadn’t seen him at Big Macintosh’s knighting ceremony, so she had assumed that the doctors hadn’t allowed him to go. Her big brother waved at her and from where Twilight was standing, she thought that he still looked a bit worse for wear. But Twilight knew that the doctors wouldn’t let him run any real risk. Twilight turned her attention back to Celestia, who had begun to address the crowd. “My little ponies, I would like you to meet Princess Amaryllis, future queen of the changelings of the Wastelands.” Twilight stepped forward, to stand next to Celestia. “She ensured that Captain Shining Armor returned safely from the Wastelands. And despite our differences and our rocky start,” Celestia continued. “I truly believe that through hard work and a bit of friendship, us Equestrians and the changelings can become true allies.” Murmurs of agreement passed through the crowd of ponies, much to Twilight’s relief. “Now then, I invite you all to celebrate with us and get to know our changeling visitors a bit better,” Celestia said, indicating the three changelings behind her. Twilight waved nervously at the crowd, smiling as she did. The ponies visibly relaxed and most wandered off, to return to whatever it was they were doing before Princess Celestia addressed them. The musicians started playing again and the ball room filled with soft tunes once more. “That went rather well,” Twilight said to Celestia, who nodded. “Don’t worry too much, Twilight,” Celestia said. “Go out there and have some fun. Have a drink, talk to some new ponies. So much has happened over the course of a few days and I think everypony here just needs to unwind.” Twilight nodded. As usual, Celestia was one hundred percent right about the situation. Stepping down from the podium, Twilight quickly joined her friends and family. “Hi everypony,” she said. Twilight felt a little better, seeing that she wasn’t the only one that came without a fancy dress. Her parents were dressed for the occasion, with Night Light wearing a tuxedo and Twilight Velvet a simple, yet beautiful white dress. Rarity, obviously was wearing something a bit more extravagant. But Twilight hadn’t come here to talk about dresses and she quickly turned her attention to one pony in particular. “Shining Armor, how are you feeling? Are you healthy enough to even be here?” Twilight trusted the doctors but that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried. Shining Armor smiled. “The doctors allowed me and Cadance to leave the hospital for the evening. “ “Cadance is here too?” Twilight asked, looking around to see where she was. Twilight hadn’t seen her from on top of the podium. “I’m not invisible, am I?” a voice from behind her friends asked. Twilight looked closer and saw Cadance sitting in her wheelchair at a table. She had been obscured by the ponies standing in front of her. “Shining Armor parked me here and forgot all about me,” Cadance complained playfully. “Did not,” Shining Armor defended himself, to no avail. Both Twilight and Cadance burst out in laughter at the expense of the poor stallion. However, a quick kiss from his fiancée was all it took for Shining Armor to cheer up again. Leaving the two lovers be, Twilight returned to her friends. Pinkie Pie was quick to offer her a glass of punch, which she eagerly drank. Standing on the stage with Celestia had made her nervous, which in turn gave her a dry mouth. With her thirst slaked, Twilight turned to her friends once more. “So, is everypony having a good time?” she asked. “Well, yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. “Sort of.” “The night is still young, dear,” Rarity told her, taking a sip from her own glass. “And I do believe that things are about to get a lot more interesting…” Rarity was smiling at somepony behind Twilight. “Fancy meeting you here, Fancy Pants,” she said. Twilight turned around and saw a well-dressed and groomed stallion standing behind her. “Ah, Miss Rarity. Always a pleasure seeing you as well.” Fancy Pants bowed to both her and Twilight. “I came here to introduce myself,” he said to Twilight. “And to welcome you to Canterlot. I hope your visit has been enjoyable thus far, your highness?” Twilight nodded. “Very much so,” she said. “Everypony has been so friendly to me.” She contemplated telling Fancy Pants that they had met before but since that encounter mostly consisted of her dancing in a rather… eccentric way, she kept quiet. Besides, it wasn’t as though she was telling lies, was it? “Wonderful,” Fancy Pants said. “Simply wonderful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should be off. Wouldn’t want to monopolize your time.” With a curt bow and a kiss on Twilight’s extended hoof, Fancy Pants left once more. Rarity and Twilight stared at each other for a few seconds. “Do you think he recognized me?” Twilight eventually asked. “If not, I’m sure he will once you start dancing,” Rainbow Dash said, butting in. “Rainbow Dash, do try to behave yourself for once, will you?” Rarity asked, perhaps a tad more venomous than she had wanted to. “Chill out, Rarity,” Rainbow Dash said. “Try and have some fun. Look, even Big Macintosh is having fun!” She pointed at the stallion, who was standing stoically next Shining Armor. “Uh, at least I think he’s having fun.” “So…” Twilight heard Shining Armor say. “You play Ogres and Oubliettes?” he asked, rather awkwardly. “Eyup,” Big Macintosh said. Shining Armor’s eyes widened a bit. “You do?” he asked, more enthusiastically now. “What class? I play Paladin.” “Monk,” Big Mac said proudly. The two of them began to discuss the finer details of the game, much to Cadance and Applejack’s amusement. “What in the world are those two doing?” Applejack asked. “I think they’re bonding,” Cadance said, watching in amusement as Shining Armor started to discuss the finer details of pen and paper role playing games with Big Macintosh. Applejack shrugged. “Whatever gets him out of the house,” she said. “Dem kids with their games,” Granny Smith complained. “Back in my day, we went after real ogres!” “You did?” Cadance asked, slightly shocked. “Darn tootin’ Princess,” Granny Smith said with a laugh. “Never did caught one, mind you.” Granny Smith then began to tell a longwinded tale of the one that got away and unfortunately for Cadance, she was in no position to escape. In the meantime, Twilight had been approached by several more ponies wishing to speak to her, much to Sucker Punch’s annoyance. The poor changeling had to deal with possibly hostile ponies coming in close proximity of his princess. And who knew what kinds of diseases they might carry? No, Sucker Punch wasn’t a happy changeling tonight. Nevertheless, he would stand ever vigilantly by his princess’s side… A princess who was currently not standing where she had been mere minutes ago! Sucker Punch looked around frantically, looking for his princess. His connection to the hivemind told him that she was nearby but he couldn’t see her with all these blasted ponies moving about like ants on an ant hill. A mental nudge from his brothers, who had been paying more attention than he had, sent him in the right direction. It seemed that in his moment of distraction, Princess Amaryllis had wandered over to her Equestrian counterpart. Fortunately, it was the blue one, Princess Luna. Queen Chrysalis seemed to trust her, thus so would he… for now. Making his way through the crowd was fairly easy, as most ponies stepped aside for him. Not out of fear, he noticed but out of caution, mixed with a fair amount of common sense. Without a word, he rejoined his sister and his princess. This time, she would not escape his sight. Or so he hoped. “Are you enjoying the festivities thus far, Twilight?” Luna asked. “Very much so,” Twilight said. “Much more than the Grand Galloping Gala.” That disaster was still fresh in Twilight’s memory, even though almost a year had passed since then. “How big are the odds that this will end the same way the Gala did?” Luna asked jokingly. “Nonexistent, I hope,” Twilight shot back. As the two princesses chatted and laughed, neither of them noticed how the Great and Powerful Changeling quietly slipped away from them, as if called away. Sucker Punch did notice her leaving but he had other things on his mind than to worry about her. The Great and Powerful Changeling wandered between ponies. Most of them smiled at her, others seemed a bit more apprehensive but she didn’t care. Right now, she was on a set path to her target: Princess Celestia. Celestia was just done talking to a welldressed unicorn when she noticed the Great and Powerful Changeling staring at her. “Good evening,” she said politely and smiled at the smaller changeling. “I hope you’re enjoying yourself.” “No pleasantries,” the Great and Powerful Changeling said. Celestia’s eyes widened as she stared into the Changeling’s. They were now green instead of blue. Celestia had seen this before and she knew that somepony else was in control now. “Starlight,” Celestia said, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. “That’s not my name and you know it,” Queen Chrysalis hissed. Unbeknownst to Celestia, she had quickly and quietly cast an illusion spell on them both, making it seem to the outside world that they were talking about pleasantries. “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me,” Celestia said. Not that she was complaining, as she desperately wanted to talk to her beloved student. “I don’t,” Chrysalis said. “I’m just here to warn you. Did you think that I wouldn’t find out about what you tried to do to my daughter?” Celestia wilted under the glare of Chrysalis’ borrowed eyes. “I… I lost control. Something inside me took over.” “I could care less about why that happened. The only reason I didn’t drag my daughter home, kicking and screaming is because she loves you…” Chrysalis gritted her teeth. “More than she loves me. I played dumb with Amaryllis, she doesn’t know that I know about your… incident. “ Celestia was surprised by that. “Why?” she asked. Starlight had made it no secret that she hated Celestia’s guts. It would make more sense for her to keep Twilight away from her, especially after Celestia had attacked Twilight the way she had. “Are you even listening to me?” Chrysalis snapped. “She loves you! Like it or not, you’re a part of her life.” She grimaced. “So if you can keep your tyrannical urges under control, this ‘alliance’ might work out.” “Is it possible for me to become a part of your life again?” Celestia asked hopefully. However, Chrysalis was quick to crush that hope with a sneer. “Ha, you always were an optimist.” “Starlight, Queen Chrysalis… a thousand years ago, I did something that I can’t even remember. Bits and pieces… but I know that I hurt you and…” Celestia trailed off. The glow of the Great and Powerful Changeling’s eyes had returned to normal, signaling that the queen had left once more. She hadn’t heard a thing Celestia tried to say to her. “You were saying?” the Great and Powerful Changeling asked, sounding very uninterested. “Never mind,” Celestia said with a sigh. “Enjoy the rest of the party…” The princess stared as the Great and Powerful Changeling turned her back on her and walked away. Even then, with things the way they were, Celestia had hope to salvage her relationship with Starlight. Maybe Twilight could ask her to hear Celestia out for once, instead of running off like she did the last time. “Maybe…” Celestia whispered to herself. There was no more time for further grieving, as more ponies had walked up to her, in an attempt to converse with her. Stealing one last glance at the Changeling, Celestia turned her attention back to her little ponies. The Great and Powerful Changeling rejoined her princess, catching the last bits of the conversation she and Princess Luna were having. “I’ll be off,” Luna said. “I wish to check whether or not my nephew is lurking around here.” With that said, Luna took her leave. However, Twilight didn’t stay lonely for long, as Night Light and Twilight Velvet walked up to her. “Hey mom, dad,” Twilight greeted them. “Enjoying the party?” Night Light nodded. “We sure are,” he said. “Too many stuck-up ponies around, if you ask me,” Velvet said. “Not that many,” Twilight said. “Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis are nice ponies, as is Hoity Toity… if a bit eccentric.” As if on cue, Hoity Toity passed by them with Rarity by his side. The two of them had engaged in a most fascinating discussion of current fashion styles. Despite having read nearly every book in Canterlot twice, Twilight still had no idea what the two of them were talking about. She did, however, catch part of their conversation: something about changeling couture. “How are you feeling now, mom?” Twilight asked once the pair of fashionistas had disappeared into the crowd again. “Things aren’t too busy here for you?” “I feel fine, don’t worry,” Velvet said. “And I’m having a great time here.” Twilight smiled. “I’m just glad you’re feeling okay.” “I don’t know about you two,” Night Light interrupted. “But I’m hungry and that dessert buffet is calling my name.” With a synchronized roll of their eyes, mother and daughter followed as Night Light’s stomach lead the way to the buffet. Unfortunately for him, most of the desserts had already been pilfered by a trio of fillies that were up to no good, along with the help of a certain dragon and a little changeling. All chocolate-based treats had disappeared without a trace, save for the trail of crumbs leading from the table to the decorative drapes hanging next to the window. With a defeated sigh, both Twilight and her father settled for the equally tasty looking deserts without chocolate. The rest of the evening passed by rather uneventful, with Twilight and her friends talking, eating, drinking and all-round partying through the night. Twilight even threw in a few dance moves once the music really got going. Safe to say, anypony who had been afraid of her before, wasn’t anymore after seeing her less than stellar dance moves. Even Sucker Punch, who had been scowling the entire time, managed to have some fun, after being dragged out onto the dance floor by none other than Fleur de Lis. Before long, the party was grinding to a halt. Slowly but surely, the guests had begun to leave and the orchestra was starting their last song for the night. A slow but sweet melody filled the air as the ball room slowly emptied of all but a few ponies and changelings. “What a wonderful evening.” Rarity sighed. “Much more entertaining than the Grand Galloping Gala ever was, if you ask me.” “I agree,” Princess Celestia said. “Now, I do believe it’s time for Shining Armor and Cadance to return to the hospital.” “Already?” Cadance asked. Celestia nodded. “I promised to deliver you back before dawn, remember?” “Or else the good doctor might blow a gasket. Again,” Luna pitched in. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor said their goodbyes, with Shining Armor promising to celebrate over drinks once he was well enough. Princess Celestia left for the hospital with them, to make sure they arrived safely. Princess Luna tagged along, in case her sister suffered from another relapse along the way. By now, even the orchestra was finishing up and packing their instruments. Soon enough, they were gone, leaving the ball room to Twilight and her friends and family. Even the few guards present had left, as their shifts were done. “So…” Night Light started. “Anypony up for a last drink?” He walked over to the refreshments and grabbed an open bottle of wine with his magic. Giving the bottle a quick sniff, Night Light decided that it was a good wine and proceeded to pour himself a glass. “Anypony else?” he asked, holding the glass out to the others. “No, thank you,” Velvet said. “More for me, then,” Night Light concluded, as nopony seemed interested in sharing a glass. A violent red flash of magic wrapped itself around the glass, shattering it in a thousand pieces and rained red droplets onto the floor. Night Light jumped back in shock as wine splattered all over his clothes. “My apologies,” a smooth voice, coming from the open door, said. The wine bottle was picked up by the same red magic and floated along with a new glass towards the door, where an obscured pony poured out the rest of the wine. With the glass floating beside him, the stallion stepped into the dull candle light. “Prince Blueblood?” Rarity spat. Prince Blueblood took a sip from his glass, before addressing Rarity. “Indeed, my fair lady. It seems I have arrived a tad late.” He took a look at his invitation, before pocketing it. “I was hoping to be fashionably late but it seems I may have overshot that.” Twilight Velvet had rushed over to her husband, to make sure that he was okay. Likewise, Twilight Sparkle’s guards had lined up in front of her, yet remained invisible to keep the element of surprise. “What do you want?” Twilight Sparkle asked. Everything about the prince told her that he was up to no good, from the way he carried himself to the way he spoke. “What I want?” Blueblood asked, stepping closer as he did. “I want what everypony wants. Fame, riches, love…” Sucker Punch hissed at him as he came to a stop, just a few feet away from his princess. “Obviously, fame and riches are things I possess in spades.” Blueblood then took another drink from his glass and threw it at Twilight. It didn’t hit her but instead smashed against one of the invisible changelings. The struck changeling remained unfazed, even as sweet wine dripped down his face, creating an eerie sight to see as the red liquid made him ever so slightly visible. “So that’s how it works,” Blueblood said, surprised by the revelation. “I would be fascinated, if I wasn’t so disgusted.” Blueblood then proceeded to pull a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his lips clean off the wine he had drank. He then proceeded to throw the piece of cloth at the wine soaked changeling. “Clean yourself off, lest you drip all over the floor.” The changeling didn’t react. He simply stood his ground and waited as his two brothers circled around Blueblood and stood ready to strike. “Now, where was I?” Blueblood asked. “Ah, yes… riches and fame. I have plenty of those. But I don’t have love, you see.” “Can’t imagine why,” Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. “Love,” Blueblood continued, ignoring Rarity’s jab. “You see, your kind took somepony precious to me. You then proceeded to hurt my sister and even brainwashed my aunties…” A red glow formed around Blueblood as he spoke, causing everypony present to take a step back in reaction to it. It felt wrong, dangerous even. “So, with the two strongest ponies around dancing to your tune, I felt it was up to me to set things right,” Blueblood continued. He took off his blue bowtie and revealed a strange amulet around his neck, set with a blood red gem. “Desperate times, you see…” “Nopony’s being brainwashed,” Twilight said calmly. “Celestia and Luna are not dancing to my tune.” “That’s Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to you!” Blueblood bit back. “And I will not stand idly while you fill their minds with nonsense! You are coming with me and I will trade you to Chrysalis in exchange for their safety. And of course, Twilight Sparkle.” The two hidden changelings decided that they had heard enough and charged at the prince, fangs at the ready. Like they had done with the princess before, they bit down on Blueblood’s legs, pumping his veins full of paralyzing venom. “Keep your pets at bay, will you?” Blueblood asked. He made an effort to appear unfazed by the attack. But the pain of having two grown changelings biting down on their legs wasn’t something anypony could deny. Using his magic, he carefully wrenched the ravenous changelings off his legs. Blueblood almost dropped them again, feeling a bit woozy from the venom but he sent the two changelings flying before that could happen. One crashed into the wall, while the other was thrown into the window, cracking but not shattering it. As he looked at the scene he had caused, Blueblood could feel his magic burn through the venom in his blood stream. It hurt like crazy but the prince managed to keep a straight face as his clouded mind cleared up again. Twilight stared in shock at the rough handling of her brothers. A quick check-up through the hivemind told her that both of them were alive but injured. Thanking her lucky stars, Twilight wanted to rush to both of their aid but found her path blocked by Prince Blueblood’s magic, which moved tables into her path. “Going somewhere?” he asked nonchalantly, as though he hadn’t just flung her guards around like ragdolls. “Step away from my daughter.” Blueblood turned to face Twilight Velvet and Night Light. They were moving to stand in between the changeling princess and him. “I see that she has tainted your minds as well,” Blueblood said. He frowned. “Fear not, gentle ponies. Your prince will save you from her mind games.” “Try it,” Twilight Velvet said with fire in her eyes. “You dare to lay a single hoof on her and I will end you!” Twilight was a bit taken aback by her mother’s outburst. “Keep my little filly safe, you two,” Night Light said to the Praetorians that were still standing. Night Light’s eyes locked with Sucker Punch’s and in that brief moment, the two of them understood each other more clearly than ever before. Both of them were deadset on protecting Twilight Sparkle. “You girls should run along,” Twilight Velvet said. “And get help. I think that Prince Blueblood is the one who needs his brains unscrambled.” She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the amulet around Blueblood’s neck. “You don’t need to say that twice!” Rarity said as she moved towards the other door. In an instant, the door glowed red and was slammed shut. Chains and padlocks materialized and wrapped themselves around the door, effectively sealing it shut. “Though this does complicate things.” “Let us go,” Twilight demanded. “Of course,” Blueblood said. “Just as soon as you surrender yourself, I will let them go. I even promise not to harm a single hair on your pretty head.” “Not on our watch,” Applejack said, pulling her friend closer. She, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie formed a protective barrier around Twilight and Fluttershy. They were backed up by Big Macintosh, who stood in front of them all, flanked by the two remaining Praetorians. In the meanwhile, the Great and Powerful Changeling decided to make herself useful and began to drag the first downed guard to safety, all the while wondering why she recognized Prince Blueblood. “Charming,” Blueblood said. “Almost like we’re in a novel, where the evil overlord is nearly defeated and grasps at the last straws to keep himself alive, while the hero prepares to strike him down.” “You’re no hero,” Twilight Velvet said. “Oh, but I am,” Prince Blueblood countered. “Or at least, I will be soon enough. Once I’ve freed my aunts from the changeling’s clutches and saved Twilight Sparkle, I will be hailed a hero! And then she and I will live happily ever after.” “Prince or not, he sounds like he’s a few apples short of a bushel,” Applejack whispered. “There is something wrong with him,” Twilight agreed, keeping her voice low. “I’ve never seen him perform magic like that before. Conjuring up solid constructs like that?” Even Twilight had difficulty doing that, as it involved creating things out of thin air. “I don’t know what you think but that gem looks like it came straight out of a Daring Do book,” Rainbow Dash pitched in. Twilight agreed. There was something very wrong with the amulet around Prince Blueblood’s neck. She could practically feel it radiating with energy. Prince Blueblood cleared his throat, in an attempt to draw attention back to him. “Do you mind speaking up?” he asked. “It’s impolite to whisper.” “It’s also impolite to threaten ponies,” Twilight Velvet snapped. Her horn was glowing and she looked just about ready to start flinging spells at Blueblood. Blueblood, however, seemed less than impressed. “Good thing that she isn’t a pony, right?” He laughed at his own joke. “But I digress. The hour grows late and I wish to travel to the Wastelands soon. So, I shall ask one more time: will you come willingly?” “She’s not going anywhere!” Night Light yelled. “You’re not laying your filthy hooves on my daughter!” “I was afraid you might say that.” Blueblood sighed. “That thing isn’t your daughter, she just brainwashed you into thinking that. But fear not, gentle pony folk. I will try to hold back and- aaaaahh!” Blueblood cried out in pain as Night Light ignited his horn and blinded the prince with a directed flash of light. “You imbecile!” Blueblood cried out, holding his hoof in front of his eyes. “I am trying to help you!” “You’re the one who’ll be needing help, once I get through with you!” Twilight Velvet said forcefully. Her own horn began to glow and a bubble formed around her and Night Light. “My son might be a teensy bit better at this spell but I’m no slouch either!” Blueblood snorted in a way unbecoming of a prince. His horn glowed bright red and a wave of magical energy erupted all around him. Tables and chairs were thrown in all directions. Whatever decorations and food were still on them were scattered all over the floor. The wave slammed into Velvet’s shields, knocking her back a few feet but she kept her spell up. She gritted her teeth and kept her shield from flickering out of existence while Night Light charged up another light spell and took point. “Why can’t we ever have a night out without it devolving into a brawl?” Night Light asked as he blasted Prince Blueblood again. However, the prince had been prepared this time, throwing up a shield just in time, so the spell only proved to infuriate him. “For the last time, what happened at the theatre wasn’t my fault!” Twilight Velvet was momentarily distracted by her husband’s comment. She cried out in pain as Prince Blueblood took advantage of her lapse in attention and blasted her shield at full force. The shield shattered into bits and Twilight Velvet collapsed into a heap. “There we go,” Blueblood said, watching as Night Light rushed over to his lover to help her. “There’s no way you can take me on. See this?” he asked, holding a hoof to his amulet. “This little thing here increases my magical power. Supposedly it also drives the bearer mad but I’ve not noticed anything thus far.” “So you’re naturally this dense?” Velvet snapped. Blueblood glared at her. “I will ignore that comment, seeing as you’re under her spell.” His eyes wandered over to Twilight, who was still surrounded by everypony. “You just don’t get it, do you?” Night Light asked. “She’s our daughter. Twilight Sparkle and Princess Amaryllis are one and the same.” Prince Blueblood looked at him, observing the stallion closely. “By Celestia’s grace, you sound like you actually believe your own lies.” “But it’s the truth!” Twilight yelled. She wormed her way out from between her friends and stepped closer, though she kept a respectable distance from the deranged prince. “My name is Twilight Sparkle and I grew up as a pony. You and I used to play together, remember?” “I do not recall playing with insects during my foalhood,” Blueblood sneered. “Pulling the legs out of a fly, perhaps?” he asked with a morbid grin on his face. Twilight muttered something under her breath. “Come again?” Blueblood asked. “You’ll have to speak up, I don’t speak gibberish.” “I said that you were my first kiss!” Twilight snapped. “You bumped into me and accidentally kissed me, before running off!” She sighed. “You were screaming about cooties or something.” Blueblood stared at her in amazement. Nopony knew about that. Not even his big sister. However, his look of amazement quickly turned to one of horror. “You… you… you monster!!” he screamed. “Your kind dabbles in mind magic, doesn’t it? What did you do to her?!” “Twilight, forget it,” Applejack said, putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder to pull her back to safety. “There’s no reasoning with him.” Blueblood glared at them. His horn began to flicker with magic once again. Several broken tables and chairs were bathed in a red glow and began to float in midair. Twilight wasn’t sure whether Blueblood was doing this on purpose or if his magic had begun to run rampant but she was quick to act and brought up her own shield, large enough to keep everypony safe. Just in time too, as the broken furniture was launched in their direction. Most of the debris clattered to the ground harmlessly but a few were thrown into the curtains. Cries of fear and shock came from underneath it. Twilight felt her blood freeze in her veins. They had been uncharacteristically quiet all through the evening, so she had forgotten all about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike and the nymph! “What’s this?” Blueblood asked. Twilight tried to expand her shield to include them but Blueblood was too fast for her, grabbing all five of them in one go. “Let me go, let me go, let me go!” Scootaloo yelled as she floated around helplessly. She kicked and bucked but her struggles had no effect on Blueblood’s magic. “Sweetie Belle!” Rarity yelled. “Put her down, you ruffian!” “Well then, it seems that I have all the cards in hoof now,” Blueblood said, though a frown did form on his face. When had the thought of using innocent fillies as leverage appeared in his mind? The amulet around his neck glowed brighter for a moment. Blueblood shook his head, to clear the unwanted thoughts from his head. The end would justify the means, he figured. “I don’t think I need to spell it out, do I?” Blueblood asked, almost nonchalantly as his captives floated through the air as if on some sort of demented ferris wheel. With a defeated sigh, Twilight lowered her shield, much to everypony’s protest. “That’s right,” Blueblood said. “We wouldn’t want anypony or any changeling to get hurt, would we- Hey!” Even in midair and spinning in circles, Spike had somehow managed to get his claws on a piece of paper and a quill. The frantic scribbling had given him away but he was done anyway. He inhaled deeply and blew his emerald green flames over the paper. In response, Prince Blueblood tried to put out the magical flames, only succeeded in doing so partially. The scrap of paper, with only the letter ‘p’ on it, was burnt to ashes in his magical grasp. “And here I was, thinking that dragons couldn’t be affected by magic,” Blueblood said. “You do realize how stupid that statement is, right?” Spike asked even as he floated in midair. Blueblood glared at him. In doing so, he barely even registered it as a certain changeling guard snuck up on him. That is, until said changeling tapped him on the shoulder. Blueblood spun around, just in time to receive an earth-shattering punch to the face. His magic faltered, dropping his captives in a jumbled mess of limbs, which was quickly scooped up by Twilight and dragged to safety. The prince staggered a bit but remained standing, much to Sucker Punch’s amazement and frustration. “You again?” Prince Blueblood asked as he wiped a drop of blood off his cheek. “I should’ve known that you’d resort to the same tactics and-” Another punch interrupted the prince’s derogatory remarks and knocked him down. “You talk too much,” Sucker Punch said, his raspy voice holding a hint of smugness. However, his victory wasn’t long-lived as Blueblood picked himself, quite literally, up and stood eye to eye with the Praetorian. “My turn,” he whispered. Before Sucker Punch could react, Blueblood lashed out with his magic. Like before, he focused his magic into a wave of energy and knocked the changeling away. Sucker Punch was sent flying, straight for the opposite wall. This time Blueblood used far more force than he had before and the imminent impact could prove to be fatal, even for a strong and big changeling like him. Luckily, Twilight was prepared this time around. Using her magic she reached out and grabbed the airborne changeling and slowed him down. He still smashed into the wall but at least not at high speeds. Still, Sucker Punch looked worse for wear but even then, he quickly got onto his hooves and was ready to advance on Prince Blueblood again. His princess was now once again the target of Blueblood’s anger. “I have had enough of this! I tried to be reasonable here! But you just have to continue to defy me, don’t you?” Blueblood snarled. His horn glowed red and a raw and jagged crystal ball formed around Twilight, sealing her in. “I should have done this earlier,” he said to himself, picking the orb up from across the ball room and levitating it towards himself. Twilight wasn’t going easily though and tried to blast her way out. Flashes of green magic lit up the ball room as her prison was dragged closer to Prince Blueblood. “Oh no, you don’t!” Night Light sprang into action. His horn lit up and he too grabbed ahold of the sphere, dragging it back to their side of the room. Weakened as she was by the shattering of her shield, Twilight Velvet helped out, as did Rarity while everypony else could only watch. “Unhand the monster!” Blueblood yelled, putting more effort into pulling. Even though his own magic was bolstered by his amulet, he found that the sphere had all but slowed to crawl. He couldn’t believe that he was actually losing against the common unicorns. And with that imposter blasting the crystal sphere from the inside, it wouldn’t be long before he lost all control over it! A dark thought came to him. He knew he had to do something drastic to win this. “Desperate times,” he whispered to himself. “Forgive me, Twilight…” His grasp on the crystal ball slacked a bit, causing Night Light to pull even harder. The ball was slowly moving his way now. Spurred on by the progress he made, he concentrated even harder on bringing his daughter safely back to him. Night Light was concentrating so hard that he didn’t even notice when Prince Blueblood threw a spell at him. A crackling, almost venomous looking cloud of red magic. The air around it shimmered and warped as it shot towards Twilight’s father with frightening speed. However Twilight Velvet did notice. Time slowed down to a crawl as she observed the scene unfolding before her. There was precious little that she could do. With all of her magic being used to pull at her daughter’s crystal prison, she was too weak to throw up a shield and she had no time to warn her husband. In that split second she had to think, Velvet saw only one solution. She threw herself at Night Light, knocking him out of the way but taking the full brunt of the destructive spell. The blast crackled and burned furiously but dissipated quickly, leaving a scorched black spot from her neck to her stomach. Night Light’s expression turned to one of horror as he saw his wife collapse onto the floor. The crystal ball holding his daughter fell to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces as Prince Blueblood lost control over it. Even he seemed horrified by what he had done. In the confusion he had caused, Blueblood escaped the ball room, teleporting away when he realized just what damage he had done. “Sweetheart?” Night Light rushed to his wife’s aid. “Velvet?” he whispered. She barely managed to make a sound, even as Night Light desperatly tried to use his magic to help her. Unfortunately, his knowledge on healing magic was extremely limited, though that didn’t stop him from trying desperatly. Twilight Sparkle had seen it happen from her vantage point. As disoriented as she was from the sudden drop and harsh landing, she too rushed to her fallen mother, hoping against hope. She joined in with her father, combining their magic to try and heal her. But no matter how they tried, they couldn’t do anything to save her. Neither of them knew how to treat her injuries, as Blueblood’s dark spell seemed to have caused severe internal damage. Right now, they could only be there for Velvet as her life slipped away from her. Twilight held her hoof and Velvet squeezed it one last time, before going limp. Night Light leaned in and gave her a last kiss goodbye, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked into her lifeless eyes. Twilight barely even acknowledged when a changeling with green eyes gently tried to pull her away. She fought to stay with her mother as the changeling pulled harder, tears streaming down her cheeks as she was pulled away. The Great and Powerful Changeling lead her away, talking to Twilight in a borrowed voice. Not that it mattered, as Twilight barely heard a word she said. Too many things were coursing through her mind, too much emotion was flooding her. She couldn’t believe what was happening. The night had gone so well and everypony had a great time. There was no way that it could’ve ended like this, could it? It was like a bad dream and Twilight desperatly hoped that Luna would appear, to set things right. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked back at her father, sitting by Velvet’s still body. His expression was one of utter dispair and sadness. Twilight broke free from the changeling queen’s guiding hoof and ran back to her father, hugging him tightly. Night Light kept one hoof on Velvet’s while wrapping the other around his daughter. They sat there for who knows how long. Only when Queen Chrysalis approached them did they look up, just in time to see her perform a sleeping spell. Neither Twilight or Night Light fought the spell, feeling the bliss of unconsciousness wash over them...