//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Mirror's Image // by Evilpresident //------------------------------// Chapter 20 Prince Blueblood panted after his final teleport, deep in the Everfree Forest. He had been moving around all night, after his unsuccessful attempt at capturing the changeling princess. His hooves were stained with blood, courtesy of the numerous razor-sharp thorns he had run into. Or rather dropped into, after an unsuccessful teleportation. Naturally, the Everfree was no place for a pony of his stature but given that the odds were currently against him, it was best that he hid in a place where nopony would look for him. Now that he was relatively safe, the prince had some time to reflect on the events of last night. That reflection, coupled with the numerous teleports, caused his stomach to turn and its contents to be emptied on the muddy ground. He coughed a few times, then spat to get rid of the vile taste in his mouth. And as he breathed in deeply afterwards, his thoughts returned to last night, and the fact finally sunk into his heart. “I…I killed a pony,” Blueblood uttered. All night long he had tried to deny it as he kept moving around. That his actions had snuffed out the life of Twilight Velvet. But those thoughts were quickly banished from his mind as the Alicorn Amulet began its work. It slowly began to pulse, red light flickering and illuminating the dark forest. The sounds of insects and birds alike fell quiet as they all fled from the terrible power of the artefact. “It’s all your fault, Princess Amaryllis. You may have both my aunts in your grasp… but not for long,” Blueblood said out loud, his mind clouded. “I will find a way to stop you.” With each word, the amulet around his neck grew brighter and brighter, casting strange shadows around him. - Shining Armor walked at a slow pace, pushing Cadance’s wheelchair out in front of him. Their royal guard escort walked at the same speed in front of them, occasionally glancing back to see if they were still following. Nopony spoke during their walk as nopony knew what to say. Cadance wanted to, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, words failed to form and she would close it again. Shining Armor wasn’t much better, as he didn’t really know how to feel at the moment. He had just seen his mother, lying dead in a repurposed storeroom. And he had seen the wounds that marred her body, which told him that she hadn’t gone peacefully. It had made him angry, to see the mare that had raised him and his sister like that. Twilight Velvet should’ve died peacefully at a ripe old age, surrounded by her family. She deserved better than to be left torn in a battle she shouldn’t have been in. “Shining Armor?” Cadance asked, causing Shining Armor to snap out of his thoughts. Her voice had sounded worried, with a bit of weariness mixed in. “Yes, Cadance?” Shining asked, stopping the wheelchair so he could look at his fiancée. “Do… do you blame me? For what happened?” Shining’s mouth opened and closed a few times, with no sound coming out.“Why… why would I?” he eventually uttered, puzzled. “You were so quiet… and you look so angry,” Cadance whispered. “I feel angry. And sad and confused. All at once,” Shining Armor said, bending down a bit so he could look into her eyes. “I am… my head feels like such a mess right now , it’s hard to describe. But I’m not angry with you. Why would you even think that?” “After what my brother did-” “He made his own decision,” Shining Armor interupted her. “It… it was his choice to do… to do what he did to my mother, to my family. His and his alone.” “But if I hadn’t pushed him to follow up on his crush…” Cadance trailed off as she saw the tortured look on Shining Armor’s face. “He made his decision,” Shining Armor stated once more. “You didn’t tell him to put that amulet on, did you?” Cadance shook her head. “And you didn’t tell him to ambush my sister, am I right?” Cadance nodded. But even with her fiancé’s reassurance, Cadance couldn’t help but feel like she was responsible in some way. Like she could’ve or should’ve done something to prevent this from happening. Maybe if she had ignored Twilight’s request to keep her heritage a secret from her little brother. Maybe then none of this would’ve happened. Shining Armor frowned when he noticed that Cadance kept looking down and avoiding his eyes. She was obviously very bothered by what had happened. “I don’t know what else to say to you, Cadance,” Shining Armor started. “Because I feel like I’d just be repeating myself.” Cadance looked up and into Shining’s eyes. Try as she might, she could find no anger in them, nor any doubt. Gingerly, she leaned out of her wheelchair and hugged her betrothed. They stayed like that for a while, as uncomfortable as it was for Cadance. Until their escort cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there as well. “I hate to bother you, captain,” he said. “But Princess Celestia is probably waiting for us.” “Of course,” Shining Armor said, regretfully letting go of Cadance. Their escort led the way once more and Shining Armor followed, pushing Cadance’s wheelchair. As expected, the trip wasn’t very long and the sound of familiar voices spurred Shining Armor on. He could clearly hear his sister’s voice, along with another that he couldn’t quite place. Whoever it was, Shining Armor hurried along the hallway as fast as he could while pushing Cadance out in front of him. But when he rounded the corner, the wheelchair screeched to a halt as Cadance let out a scream. It was an almost primal one, filled with fear and shock. And Shining Armor couldn’t blame her, as he too wanted to scream. Only his years of training and discipline had kept him from shouting at the sight of Queen Chrysalis in the middle of the hallway, holding his little sister in her hooves. Whatever conversation was going on between them was put on hold and all eyes were on Cadance, who was still screaming herself sore. “You!” Shining Armor uttered as he stepped out in front of Cadance. “What do you think you’re doing here?!” “I am here to protect and comfort my daughter,” Chrysalis said coolly, looking rather annoyed at the interruption to her bonding session. Shining Armor glared at her. “That’s my job,” he said. “Now get away from her before I make you!” Chrysalis couldn’t help but grin devilishly at the stallion, causing his knees to buckle a bit. “And what a fine job you did protecting her last night,” Chrysalis jabbed. “Mother, stop that,” Twilight whispered. Shining Armor’s eyes widened as he heard her say that. “Mother? Twily, please don’t tell me that…” Twilight looked away from him, her expression carrying a hint of guilt. “I don’t mean to… I’m not… I’m not replacing mom,” she said. “But why are you calling that… that thing ‘mother’ then?” Shining Armor accused. Twilight was taken aback by Shining Armor’s outburst. “I… I promised her.” Shining Armor opened his mouth to retort, only to fall silent. His mouth opened and closed a few times but no sound came out. Taking this opportunity, Twilight stepped away from Chrysalis and towards Shining Armor. What started as a slow trot quickly turned into a gallop as she rushed at her brother, who held his hooves out to her. “She’s gone, Shiny,” Twilight muttered into her brother’s shoulder. “She’s gone. Mom’s gone and… and… I’m sorry and I know you hate Chrysalis,” she motioned at the queen behind them. “But mom asked me to give her a chance. And I’m going to…” “I think it’s best if we take this elsewhere,” Celestia intervened, as she walked up to them, having watched from the sidelines thus far. “The middle of the hallway is no place to discuss such sensitive matters.” “I… I’m not going anywhere with her!” Cadance yelled, pointing a shaky hoof at Chrysalis. The queen let out a weary sigh. She stole a glance at Twilight, who was looking at her with hopeful eyes. As gentle and unthreatening as she could, she approached Cadance and Shining Armor, stopping at a safe distance. “I…” She considered her words carefully. “I am sorry.” Cadance’s face froze. “Y-you’re sorry?” she asked, unbelievingly. “Yes,” Chrysalis said. “I apologize for what I did to you and Shining Armor.” It was difficult for her to admit her guilt, being a proud and powerful queen. And while she did regret what she did to Cadance, she would do it a thousand times over if it meant that her daughter was safe. “You’re sorry…” Cadance repeated. “You kidnapped me,” she said, her voice oddly calm. “You mistreated me, starved me and threatened me. You hurt my fiancé, clouded his mind and you kidnapped his little sister. You hurt my aunt and you tried to take over Canterlot.” Chrysalis’s expression fell as Cadance listed her wrongdoings. Chrysalis preferred it when Cadance was yelling at her, as her sudden calm demeanor was a bit unsettling. If Cadance had noticed the queen’s discomfort, she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she just took a deep breath before continuing. “And you say that you’re sorry?!” she asked. All of a sudden, Cadance was shaking with anger. Everypony around them could do little more than stare at her as Cadance started breathing heavily. “You… I… “No… I can’t. I understand why you did what you did to me but I just can’t forgive you…” Cadance said hesitantly, closing her eyes. She was, feeling a bit light headed and out of breath. “Understandable,” Chrysalis said. After all, the things that she had done to Cadance were no laughing matter. Cadance just stared at her. “I know why you did what you did,” she said again. “Maybe some day, I can forgive you,” her tone was soft, almost fragile sounding. “But even then, don’t think that I’ll ever forget.” Despite everything, Queen Chrysalis couldn’t help but be impressed as well. She had greatly underestimated the young alicorn’s resilience. With everypony and every changeling seemingly calm once more, Princess Celestia tapped her hoof on the floor a few times to draw attention to herself again. “As I was saying, I believe that we should take this somewhere else.” She glanced at Cadance, who was still shaking. “I think it would be best if you follow me and my sister, Star- I mean, Queen Chrysalis.” Chrysalis grimaced, both at Celestia’s slip up and at the thought of following them. “We have some more things to discuss,” Luna added. “And we should leave Shining Armor and Twilight alone with their father for now.” “Very well,” Chrysalis said. “I can leave my beloved daughter alone for a little while. She’s protected now.” “Of course she is,” Shining Armor said. “I’m here now.” Queen Chrysalis looked at him and let out a very unroyal and mocking laugh. “I see that you would make a fine comedian, captain,” she said. The annoyance was clear on Shining Armor’s face. “I was not joking,” he said defiantly. “And here I was, trying to help you save face,” Queen Chrysalis mocked. Her eyes turned to the ceiling and a smirk formed on her face. Shining Armor stayed quiet and glanced up to where the queen was looking. He immediately wished he hadn’t, as he could see several pairs of eyes glowing up there. He didn’t know how many but there were a lot of Praetorians lurking around on the ceiling. It made him feel scared, as he hadn’t noticed them until the queen had pointed them out. Yet it also made him feel some sort of relief, knowing that his sister was protected. “I think we’re done here.” With Twilight still in her brother’s embrace, Chrysalis had to settle for leaning in to give her a quick peck on her forehead. Then she turned around and followed the two princesses with a confident stride, leaving Twilight in the care of her brothers and her former foal sitter. The two princesses waited for the changeling queen to catch up and lead the way. As they walked, Princess Luna couldn’t help but think of her favorite nephew. And despite all that had happened, she prayed that he was safe, wherever he was. - As Prince Blueblood travelled deeper through the Everfree forest, the amulet continued to corrupt his mind. Unfortunately for the fallen prince, the light the artifact emitted also served as a beacon for hungry predators. A low rumbling signaled the arrival of one of the Everfree’s top hunters: a manticore. Blueblood’s eyes widened as he noticed the beast stalking towards him. “Back! You savage beast!” He lit his horn up and fired a warning flare at the hybrid creature. But that only seemed to anger the manticore. With jaws open and claws extended, the manticore leapt at Prince Blueblood. Despite being dead tired, Blueblood fired a spell at the beast. A deep red blast of energy hit the manticore dead on, sending it crashing into a tree and reducing it to splinters. The hulking beast barely managed to stand up after the prince's magical attack. With a loud and angry hiss, the manticore backed away from his presumed prey. - With Queen Chrysalis out of the picture, Shining Armor felt like he could relax again. But then he remembered that the ceiling was quite literally crawling with changeling guards that could turn invisible. Not a very comforting thought but at least he knew that they were on Twilight’s side. “How are you two feeling?” Twilight asked. “I could’ve been better,” Cadance whispered, still shaken from the impromptu meeting with her former captor. “I’m sorry about that,” Twilight said. “I asked her to apologize to you two but I had hoped for that to happen in a more controlled environment.” “And not in the middle of a hallway infested with changelings?” Shining asked, trying to be funny but failing utterly. Even a few of the stoic Praetorians forwent their camouflage to hiss at him. “Tough crowd.” “You’ll get used to them,” Twilight said, looking up at the blank ceiling. She couldn’t see anything there but she could feel each and every changeling there. And there were a lot of them. “Just how many of you did the queen bring with her?” A soft thud was heard and a Praetorian flickered into existence. “The queen brought plenty,” he said. “Soldiers, Praetorians and Behemoths. All here to protect you, my princess.” Without further words, the Praetorian turned invisible again and disappeared. Twilight quickly glanced at Cadance. Thankfully, she didn’t look disturbed by the sudden appearance and disappearance of the guard. In fact, Cadance looked better than ever. “It felt good to get that out of my system,” Cadance pointed out, noticing Twilight’s odd looks. “I’m still scared of her but not as much anymore.” Twilight nodded, feeling relieved. Sure, the whole situation could’ve gone better but at least they got it out of the way. Now, they could focus on what was truly important. Shining was thinking the same thing apparently, as he walked towards the door to the room Twilight had woken up in. Pushing the door open, he immediately spotted his father, sitting on the bed. His head was buried in his hooves and a soft sobbing came from him. “Dad?” Shining Armor called out softly. Night Light looked at the doorway, seeing his son there and his daughter right behind him. With one hoof, he attempted to dry his tears and with the other he beckoned them to come in. No words were spoken between the broken family. They just embraced each other, father and children and wept together. What tears they had held back were now flowing freely, coupled with the occasional sob that could’ve come from anypony. - Queen Chrysalis noticed the sudden spike of sadness coming from her daughter and almost turned around to run back to her. The only thing keeping her from doing so was the confirmation from her guards that she was safe and in good hooves. On her request, Princess Celestia and Luna were now escorting her to where her wounded children were. She had to see them before she was willing to do anything else. She sensed their presence nearby, behind a door not far from where her daughter had slept. Without addressing the princesses, Chrysalis opened the door and walked in. She immediately spotted her four children, all in various states. Two of them were heavily injured and covered in bandages, lying in separate beds. The one Twilight had named Sucker Punch was mildly injured and the last one looked fine but exhausted. Both of them sat vigilantly next to their brothers’ beds and kept watch over them. “My faithful guards,” Queen Chrysalis said as she entered the room and rushed over to them. “No, do not bow,” she ordered as all of them, even the two bedridden ones, tried to bow before her. “You are injured and need your rest.” “My queen,” Sucker Punch croaked, his voice filled with pain. “We failed… We are not worthy…” “Nonsense,” Queen Chrysalis said as she walked up to him. “You did what you had to do.” She gently traced a cut on Sucker Punch’s forehead, careful not to touch it. “And you bear the scars to prove it.” “We were swatted aside like insects,” one of the bedridden changelings muttered. “That may be true,” Chrysalis admitted, albeit reluctantly. “But your princess is safe. In the end, that’s all that matters. For now, all you four need to do is rest. That’s an order.” “We still failed…” the other one insisted, his voice betraying how hurt he was. Chrysalis thought for a second. “You all are taking this very badly, aren’t you?” she asked. The four changelings nodded. Chrysalis could understand why. After all, these particular changelings existed to protect. Having failed to do so, they felt like they deserved to be punished. “No,” Chrysalis said. “I will not punish you. You fought valiantly and I will hear no more of this.” The four of them cringed at the queen’s tone. They knew that this discussion was over and to ever mention it again would be a bad idea. With this matter resolved, Chrysalis passed all four changelings and kissed them on the forehead. After all, they were still her children and Chrysalis loved them dearly. She had worried about them the entire trip to Equestria and she was glad to see that they would be alright. However, Chrysalis had other changelings to visit before she would even consider discussing anything with Princess Luna. Casting a last glance at her changelings, Chrysalis left them to rest and recover. She followed behind the two princesses once more in silence. Again, they didn’t have to walk for long. A nearby guest room was their apparent destination. Once again, Chrysalis opened the door without waiting for the princesses to speak. Inside the room, she found several ponies. She recognized most of them and could name a few. “Hi Miss Chrys,” Pinkie Pie said, uncharacteristically calm and quiet. But despite her calm demeanor, she still veered up from her bed and quickly walked up to the queen. A tiny stowaway was hiding in her mane and watched with interest. Chrysalis frowned, but by now she was used to this pony being overly energetic. “Hello, Pinkie Pie,” she said calmly. A smile formed on Chrysalis’ face as she noticed the familiar eyes staring at her from on top of Pinkie’s head. “I see that you have taken care of my nymph.” “Who, this little guy?” Pinkie Pie asked, plucking the little changeling out of her mane. “He’s been hanging out with me.” Chrysalis picked the nymph up with her magic and held it out in front of her. As expected, the little changeling immediately began to wiggle his little hooves in an attempt to get to her. Chrysalis obliged and placed the nymph on the ground. Faster than anypony could follow, the little nymph ran up to her and climbed up her legs and settled on her back, curling up between her wings. With one of her priorities taken care of, Chrysalis looked across the room. She noticed a few more familiar faces, those of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Rarity was there as well and Chrysalis was fairly certain that the quivering pile of blankets was Fluttershy. She greeted them curtly or at least had planned to so until Applejack suddenly approached her. The young mare’s expression was one of inner turmoil. “What is the matter?” Queen Chrysalis asked. Not that she really cared about what was bothering Applejack, obviously. “Morning, Queen Chrysalis,” Applejack said, ever polite as she was. “It’s about mah brother.” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Is something the matter then?” Applejack frowned and looked around. Currently all eyes were fixed on her and she didn’t particularly liked it. “He’s… not well,” she eventually said. “You’ll have to see for yourself when he comes back from his walk with Granny Smith.” “Very well,” Chrysalis said. Now she couldn’t help but feel curious about what had happened to the would-be Praetorian. After all, she had never before dealt with an interrupted conversion, followed by an expulsion from the hivemind. And perhaps it would serve to strengthen her relationship with her daughter as well. As Applejack sat back down, Chrysalis moved her attention back to the self-proclaimed Great and Powerful Changeling, who was laying on a bed and staring at the ceiling. “Great and Powerful Changeling,” Chrysalis said as she walked up to her bed. “I do believe that I gave you an order. That you were to serve your princess’ every whim. Why are you here then?” The Changeling didn’t respond at first and kept staring at the ceiling. “Do I need to repeat myself?” Chrysalis asked, her authority clear in her voice. All the ponies in the room couldn’t help but stare at them but Chrysalis didn’t care. Trying once again, this time Chrysalis probed her through the hivemind. This time, she got a reaction. A flash of memory appeared in Chrysalis’ mind eye. It wasn’t uncommon for converts to have lingering memories, especially those with outspoken characters. “I was there,” the Great and Powerful Changeling said, her voice as raspy as ever. “I could’ve prevented all of this. I could’ve kept the princess from harm.” “Do explain,” Chrysalis said, a bit surprised that the Great and Powerful Changeling was talking in first person all of a sudden. “Before the rebirth,” the Great and Powerful Changeling started. “I had an encounter with the young prince. When he acquired the amulet.” The Changeling blinked a few times, before leaping off of the bed and falling to her knees before the queen. “I could have prevented this!” she yelled. All eyes in the room were now fixed on the Great and Powerful Changeling as everypony wondered how the queen would react. Queen Chrysalis sighed and pulled the Great and Powerful Changeling into an upright position. The Great and Powerful Changeling whimpered and braced herself for the swift strike that Chrysalis was sure to deliver. But that blow never hit, as Queen Chrysalis gently wrapped her hoof around her subject and hugged her. “Perhaps… but imagine if you had done so. That amulet would be around your neck right now. Its magic corrupting your mind. Would you have been able to resist?” The Great and Powerful changeling hesitated. “Either way, it’s all in the past,” the queen said, interrupting her thoughts. “And you are not to blame. Now go and do your job before I reconsider punishing you.” The Great and Powerful Changeling’s mouth opened and closed a few times, with no words coming out. A few strained groans did make it clear that she had not expected to be pardoned for that. “Go,” Chrysalis ordered, a little more forceful than before. Instantly the Great and Powerful Changeling grabbed her hat and cloak. “Thank you, my queen,” she uttered. “I… This Great and Powerful Changeling will go to Princess Amaryllis immediately!!!” Without a further word, the Great and Powerful Changeling raced off, her cloak billowing in the wind as she ran past everypony and even bumped into the two princesses, who had been watching the scene unfold from the doorframe. “Now then,” Chrysalis said. “I will be taking my leave.” She passed the ponies still in the room, giving a court nod to them. “Bye!” Pinkie Pie waved, a bit more enthusiastic than before. Chrysalis didn’t really care to show it but on the inside she felt a tinge of regret. Pinkie Pie reminded her way too much of her old friend Surprise and how she had been before discovering what Chrysalis truly was. Things just weren’t the same afterwards. “So, I do believe that we have some things to discuss now, Princess Luna?” Chrysalis walked back into the hallway, where the two princesses had been waiting. “Indeed we do, Queen Chrysalis,” Luna said, her eyes meeting with Celestia’s. “Let take this conversation to the throne room.” “And here I was, thinking we’d be discussing state business in the middle of the hallway,” Chrysalis said, a hint of sarcasm to her voice. Luna rolled her eyes. But before leaving for the throne room, Celestia motioned to the room Chrysalis had just left. “I’m going to check on our little ponies, I will meet you in the throne room later.” “Very well,” Luna said, taking the changeling queen with her. Celestia stayed behind, letting out a small sigh once Luna and Chrysalis were out of sight. She entered the room. “My little ponies,” she said. “How are you feeling?” “Good morning, princess,” Rarity greeted. “And about as well as one can feel, after a night like that.” “Same here, Princess Celestia,” Applejack said as she got up. Fluttershy stuck her head out from her hiding spot. “Is… is she gone?” “You spent all last night patching up changelings,” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “So why are you so afraid of her?” Fluttershy shuddered. “I… I…” “You didn’t see the state Princess Cadance was in when we found her,” Rarity said, coming to her friend’s aid. “To think that she’s here is most… unsettling.” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond but eventually closed it again. “Princess Cadance has… confronted her,” Celestia told them, choosing her words wisely. “And, in time she may even forgive Queen Chrysalis.” “Yes!” Pinkie Pie yelled. “Look forward, not backward, that’s what Granny Pie used to say. Unless you’re walking backwards, then you have to look behind you, else you’ll run into something butt first.” Celestia blinked a few times in confusion, both at Pinkie Pie’s words and at how cheerful she seemed, especially after the events of the past night. And thinking back of last night reminded her of something else. “Where are Spike and the fillies?” - Blueblood watched in a twisted sort of amusement as the proud hunter limped away. He had just sent a monster running away in fear. Cowering and in awe of his apparent might. A quick glance down told him that the amulet had stopped flashing. Unfortunately for him, the weather was less than impressed by his strength. Thunderclouds formed above his head, unleashing a torrent of rain on the forest. With renewed energy, Prince Blueblood ventured forth once more in search of a hideout to weather the storm. - “You three really shouldn’t be out here,” Spike told the Cutie Mark Crusaders as he trailed behind them. “What if Blueblood is still sneaking around here?” “Then we’ll take him down!” Scootaloo said, her voice full of conviction. “Remember, we’re Royal Guards now!” “A practice sword and a helmet don’t make you a soldier, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle muttered. She kept nervously pulling at her cape whenever they stopped to scout for Prince Blueblood. “Maybe not,” Scootaloo said, a lot less energetic all of a sudden. “But we could tell the other guards.” “At least we’d be doing something,” Apple Bloom said. “Last night was awful.” “You guys aren’t blaming yourselves, are you?” Spike asked. “Come on, nopony was able to do something! Blueblood was going crazy!” “Yeah,” Apple Bloom said. “But we got caught. If that didn’t happen, Twilight’s mom might’ve been alive…” The three fillies sat down and stared at the floor, their large helmets sinking over their eyes. Spike balled his fists. “No,” he said forcefully. “Don’t say that. Don’t even think about it! You guys didn’t do anything wrong!” After all, they were just fillies. Throughout the years he spend with Twilight, Spike had experienced a lot of magic but the things Blueblood did last night were unlike anything he had ever seen. It made him feel scared. To think that somepony like Blueblood was still out there, scheming and plotting, with the means of backing up his threats. Spike would’ve contemplated the recent events some more, were it not for the fact that Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were staring intensely at him. Or more specific, behind him. The young drake turned around and found Princess Luna standing behind him but what drew his attention was the other mare. A tall, lean changeling with sharp teeth and a horn that looked like it could gore a pony. “Why, hello there,” the Queen said, an uncharacteristically friendly tone to her voice. The three fillies and Spike stared at her, all four with open mouths. Chrysalis frowned a bit and looked at Luna. “Do you think I scared them?” she asked. “You!” Apple Bloom yelled. “You hurt my brother!” She pointed an accusing hoof at Chrysalis, trembling in anger and fear. Chrysalis blinked a few times in confusion, before she realized who she was talking to. “Ah yes, your brother. You must be… Apple Bloom,” she offered. Chrysalis wasn’t really sure but she had heard the name a few times before. Apple Bloom didn’t answer, she just continued to glare at the queen. Had she been a grown mare, Queen Chrysalis might have been intimidated by her. Might have, as the queen of the changelings had faced worse than that. “You have every right to be angry,” Chrysalis said calmly. “And I am sorry for hurting him. Your sister said that he’s still in pain?” It wasn’t often that Chrysalis was confronted with the families of ponies she converted, as most didn’t have any left. Sometimes, it was easy to forget about them. As the queen pondered her thoughts, Apple Bloom stopped glaring at her. Now she looked more surprised than anything else, as she had not expected the queen to apologize so spontaneously. “He’s got these things on his back… and his head.” Apple Bloom reluctantly said. “I see.” Chrysalis frowned. She would have to see for herself what was ailing Big Macintosh, if she was to do anything about it. Of course, that didn’t mean that she would be able to do anything, as Chrysalis had never experienced a case like him before. “I will do what I can,” she assured Apple Bloom. “But tell me, how are you doing?” Chrysalis asked, worry clear in her voice. “You four- “Chirp!” “-five, I mean, had a rough night, didn’t you?” Chrysalis asked, much like any concerned mother would. “You can say that again,” Scootaloo said. “It sure was scary last night,” Sweetie Belle admitted, still fidgeting with her cloak as she talked. Apple Bloom remained quiet and Spike didn’t know what to say either, as he was still a bit shocked from meeting the queen in real life again. Figuring that she wouldn’t get any more out of the children, Chrysalis nodded. “Take care, young ones,” she told them. “And go to your families. You shouldn’t be wandering around, not at a time like this.” With that said, Chrysalis signaled to Luna that she was done and wished to leave for the throne room once more. But before that, both Luna and Chrysalis said their goodbyes to Spike and the Crusaders. Once out of earshot, Luna addressed the queen. “You seem to be rather fond of children,” Luna pointed out, keeping a steady pace and an eye out for further interruptions. “It’s hard not to, when you’ve had as many as me,” Chrysalis said. “Now, let’s see if we can make it to this throne room of yours without being hindered again.” - Before long, the prince found a cave. Or more precisely, a hole in the ground. To most ponies, it looked like any old hole and they would most likely avoid it, as it may have housed a cockatrice or other nasty beast. But Blueblood felt the pull of something... powerful. Inside this cave, there was more to be found than just shelter from the rain. With his horn alight, Prince Blueblood left the rain and mud behind and stepped into the cave. He followed the tunnel underground, twisting and turning as he went on. Strange light-emitting plants grew on the side of a slope, as if illuminating the path he should follow. And at the end of the slope, he found a beautiful lake. From where he stood, it looked almost like a mirror. Gazing at his reflection, Prince Blueblood felt unwell. His mane was disheveled and his coat was rough. And his eyes... His eyes were blood red now, the same color as the amulet around his neck. The prince collapsed, falling head first into the lake. Air bubbles escaped to the surface as he slowly sank to the bottom. - “Did you guys see her teeth?” Scootaloo asked. “They were huge! Like…” Scootaloo held her hooves out as far as she could, obviously exaggerating the size of Chrysalis’ fangs. “And those eyes…” Apple Bloom shuddered. “Ah can’t believe she’s related to Twilight!” “I know, right?,” Spike said, barely managing to suppress a shudder. “They do look like each other,” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “And Twilight has that weird crown thingy too.” “That was what you were looking at?” Scootaloo asked unbelievingly. “I was more worried about the size of those chompers!” “It’s not like she would’ve tried to eat you or anything,” Spike said. “Yeah, too many eyewitnesses.” Scootaloo laughed. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “It’s not funny, Scootaloo,” she said. “She hurt my brother.” “I know,” Scootaloo said. “She… she just doesn’t seem as scary as I had imagined.” Apple Bloom stared at her for a few seconds. “Let’s just get to the others,” she eventually said, leading the way back through the hallway. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other and shrugged, before following after their fellow Crusader, leaving Spike to bring up the rear. As they walked, Spike couldn’t help but notice Sweetie Belle was acting odd. She kept pulling on her cape and looking around frantically. “Are you okay?” he asked. Startled out of her thoughts, Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks. Scootaloo didn’t expect that and bumped into her, somehow managing to step on Sweetie’s cape, which send both ponies stumbling forward and crashing into Apple Bloom. Spike watched in horror as the three crusaders fell to the ground in a pile of tangled limbs and capes. But fortunately for them, they only suffered some minor aches and teared capes. “Ouch…” Scootaloo complained as she unscrambled herself from the pony pile. “That hurt, Sweetie Belle. What’s the matter with - WHOA!!!” “Huh? What’s going on?” Apple Bloom asked as she crawled out from underneath Scootaloo. “What’s the - WHOA!!!” “Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cried out at the same time. “You got your cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle stared at the floor, where her ripped cape laid. Her flank, which was now exposed showed a red cross on it with two little wings on the side. Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stared at it with open mouths, all other issues between them had forgotten. “You got your cutie mark! You got your cutie mark!” The two remaining blank flanks yelled, prancing and jumping all the while. But it was obvious to anypony that they were more excited about Sweetie Belle’s cutie mark than Sweetie herself was. In fact, the little unicorn looked like she could burst out into tears at any moment. “What’s the matter, Sweetie Belle?” Spike asked. “Aren’t you glad you finally got your cutie mark?” After all, Spike knew all too well just how badly the trio had wanted their marks. “No!” Sweetie Belle cried out as she pulled the remains of her cape out from around her neck and tossed them to the ground. “Not like this!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stopped leaping for joy and stared at their friend’s distressed face and then at her cutie mark. It didn’t take them long to figure out the connection between last night’s events and the symbol. “Oh,” Apple Bloom uttered. “Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo started. But Sweetie Belle turned around and ran off, as fast as her four hooves could carry her. - Sweetie Belle ran. She didn’t really care where to, as she just wanted to get away from everypony for a bit. Her hooves clattered over the tile floors as she zigzagged between guards and staff on her way. More than a few guards had tried to stop her, in an attempt to aid the obviously distressed filly. But Sweetie Belle managed to lose them in the maze-like hallways of the castle. Even the maids, who knew the castle like their front hoof, lost sight of the filly before long. Only when her hooves touched grass and soil did she stop running to see where she was. Somehow, Sweetie Belle eventually found her way outside. The sun was shining and there stood a gentle breeze, ideal for a walk outside. More than ideal even, as what she needed right now was a moment of peace, to gather her thoughts and deal with what happened last night. A clear spot under a nearby tree seemed to be the ideal place to do that. As she sat down, Sweetie Belle noticed that the garden didn’t quite look the same as it did the last time she had been here. Somepony had put up six green statues along the path, three on each side. They reminded Sweetie Belle of tin knight ponies, only much bigger. But Sweetie Belle had other things to worry about. In the shadow of the three, Sweetie Belle thought back to last night. As she sat there mulling things over, Sweetie Belle heard a metallic sound nearby. She looked around, to see where it came from but found nothing, save for the green statues nearby. And she could’ve sworn she just saw one of them blink. All her worries were momentarily forgotten as curiosity took over, driving Sweetie Belle to walk up to one of the statues and knock on one of its hooves. A dull metallic sound was all that was heard. But then the statue responded by looking down at her, metal squeaking as the armor attempted to lower itself to her height. Two bright green eyes inside the helmet caused Sweetie Belle to cry out in shock and surprise, trying to scramble as far away from the perceived statue as possible. The armored behemoth allowed himself a small, booming laugh as he watched the little filly fall over her own hooves and dropped to the ground in a scrambled heap. However, his laughter soon ground to a halt as he noticed the fear rolling off of the filly. It hadn’t been his intention to cause her distress after all. The behemoth did his best to seem non-threatening to Sweetie Belle, which was quite a feat to accomplish, given the fact that his hoof was about as big as her whole body. A calm step backwards was a good place to start though. Sweetie Belle stared intensely at the massive creature as it moved away from her. It then proceeded to reach up and pull its helmet off, revealing the face of a changeling. And it was smiling at her. At least Sweetie Belle thought it was smiling at her. Needless to say, it was a bit difficult when you had fangs the size of swords sticking out of your gums. Still, it was a valiant effort and Sweetie Belle felt a bit more relaxed, now knowing the identity of the mysterious statue. “You’re a changeling, right?” she asked once she had gotten back onto all four hooves. Feeling a lot more confident, Sweetie Belle cautiously approached the behemoth, who held his massive helm out in front of him, so she could get a closer look at it. She could probably curl up and fit in there quite easily if she tried to. “Yes…” the behemoth said with a deep voice, bring Sweetie Belle’s attention back to him. “We are changelings too.” “Uh-huh,” Sweetie Belle said, looking up at the behemoth. “What’s going on here?” a familiar voice asked. The Behemoth scrambled to get his helmet back onto his head as his princess approached them. Fortunately for him, he managed to get it on correctly just in time to bow before his beloved princess. “At ease,” Twilight said quickly, causing the behemoth to relax a bit. “Sweetie Belle, what are you doing out here?” “What am I doing here?” Sweetie echoed. “What about you? Shouldn’t you be with your daddy?” “Shining Armor and Dad wanted a moment to talk,” Twilight explained with a frown on her face. “I think… I think that Shiny feels guilty about what happened last night. So I came out here to… well, inspect the troops, I guess.” With a wave of her hoof, she indicated the rest of the soldiers and behemoths that Sweetie Belle had somehow missed. Their featureless green armor was obviously made for efficiency rather than style, making them look like ancient bronze statues. No wonder Sweetie Belle has mistaken that first changeling for one. “And speaking of family, why are you out here?” Twilight asked. “After… after what happened last night…” She fell silent for a few seconds. “You shouldn’t be out here, alone,” Twilight eventually found her words. “Spike and the other Crusaders were with me,” Sweetie Belle said, stealing another glance at her cutie mark. Twilight’s eyes widened as she noticed the cross on Sweetie Belle’s flank. “Sweetie Belle! You got your cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle muttered something under her breath. “Didn’t quite catch that,” Twilight said. “I don’t want it…” Sweetie Belle whispered softly. That caught Twilight by surprise. “What are you talking about? You girls have been working so ha-” “I don’t want it!” Sweetie Belle screamed, her voice high pitched. “I just don’t! It… It’s a terrible cutie mark and I hate it!" “And… and…” the filly fought back a sob, before bursting out in tears. Twilight wasted no time and grabbed hold of Sweetie Belle. “And here I am, complaining about such a dumb thing,” Sweetie muttered in between sobs. “You… you lost your mommy and I…” Twilight didn’t say anything. She just allowed Sweetie Belle to sob and cry as much as she needed to. After some time passed, Sweetie Belle’s tears dried up and her sobs stopped. “Sorry,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “It’s okay, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight said. “It’s okay for you to be upset.” “I just feel bad,” the young filly said, her eyes looking down at the grass underneath them. “I… your mom is dead and we couldn’t do anything about it and then I got a cutie mark out of it too.” Twilight stared at her, unable to believe what she had just heard. “Sweetie Belle, you’re not blaming yourself… are you?” “But if we didn’t get caught, then maybe…” Sweetie Belle trailed off as Twilight placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Twilight said softly. “You… you just got caught up in something that was out of your control.” “But-” “And besides, that cutie mark looks like a medic cross,” Twilight interrupted her. “Did you do something else last night?” “Well, I helped Fluttershy take care of the other changelings,” Sweetie Belle pointed out. Most of it was a blur now but she clearly remembered leaping into action, following Fluttershy’s example. Twilight smiled at her, though Sweetie Belle could tell that it was a tad forced. “And I’m grateful for that,” Twilight said. “I didn’t do anything special,” Sweetie Belle muttered. She just did what she had thought was necessary. She and Fluttershy had managed to stay calm during the chaos that Prince Blueblood had left behind, providing aid until help arrived. “I know a few changelings that will say otherwise,” Twilight assured her. “But enough about last night, please. I think it’s best if we get you back to Rarity and your friends.” Sweetie Belle nodded. She actually wanted to press Twilight for more answers but decided against it. She didn’t need to be a changeling to sense the immense sadness that had its grip on Twilight’s heart right now. Sweetie could hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes. And all Sweetie could do was admire her, for keeping things together and being so strong at a moment like this. As Twilight and Sweetie Belle moved to leave, the massive behemoth waved at Sweetie Belle. The little filly stared for a few seconds, before waving back at him. Twilight couldn’t help but crack a small, but genuine, smile at the sight of the awe-inspiring and massive behemoth acting like that. Despite what her mother claimed, most changelings she had met in person so far did have a personality. And they weren’t really as scary as they’d like to think they were. Some of the other changelings troops waved as well, while most of them bowed as their queen-to-be walked past them. - Prince Blueblood coughed obnoxiously, forcing the water from his lungs as somepony dragged him ashore. The beautiful lake had almost claimed his life and he briefly wondered if that was the mysterious power he had felt before. His mysterious rescuer dropped him rather unceremoniously on a dry patch of land. The prince stood up, still coughing as he turned to address his rescuer. "I thank you," he said. "Were it not for you, I..." The prince fell silent as he took in the dashing looks of his rescuer. A perfect copy of himself, sans the red eyes and amulet stood there. "Well..." Prince Blueblood uttered. "This could prove interesting." - As before, the behemoths and soldiers stayed outside the castle while the small mob of Praetorians followed Twilight back through the door into the castle. There, Sweetie Belle and Twilight found Princess Cadance waiting for them. Cadance prefered to stay inside, far away from the gardens. Sure she had managed to confront her fear and the changeling queen but that didn’t mean she was willing to face such a large group of changelings, even with Twilight by her side. “How did the inspection go?” Cadance asked as Twilight, sneaking a peak out the door before it closed and shivering a bit as she saw the huge changelings out there. “Pretty good,” Twilight said. “They’re obviously very loyal and protective.” “And they’re huge,” Sweetie Belle pitched in. “That helps, right?” “I hope so,” Cadance mumbled. She too hoped that this sudden influx of guards would keep Twilight safe. Unfortunately, the one who had it out for Twilight was her own little brother. She hoped that the changeling queen would be merciful if she ever caught Blueblood. But given her own experiences with Chrysalis’ hospitality, she had little doubt about what his fate would be. “Cadance?” Twilight asked. Cadance blinked a few times. “Sorry, I think I got lost in thought there.” The nervousness in her voice was very apparent, as both Twilight and Sweetie Belle could hear it clearly. “Is something bothering you?” Twilight spoke up first. The young princess opened her mouth for a second, before closing it again. “I…”she eventually uttered. “My little brother did this. And all those changelings out there are out for his blood and I know he did something horrible but he’s still my little brother!” Her tone went from relatively calm to desperate as she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes. Cadance’s sudden outburst surprised Twilight, leaving her speechless. Sometimes, it was easy to forget the fact that Blueblood was Cadance’s younger brother. Twilight tried to imagine how it’d would feel for her, if Shining Armor had… had done something like that. “Cadance,” Twilight whispered as she stepped closer to the crying mare. “No,” Cadance interrupted her before she could say any more. “I shouldn’t have said anything, you already have so much to deal with right now.” Twilight shook her head. “That may be so but that doesn’t mean you should keep this to yourself. We’re friends, right?” A near black hoof gently wiped away the tears streaking Cadance’s face. “And we’re in this together.” “I… I guess you’re right,” Cadance admitted. She leaned out of her wheelchair and hugged Twilight, holding on to her tightly. Twilight returned the gesture, though her grip was less strong, so she wouldn’t strain Cadance too much. After all, she was still recovering. To them it felt like hours before Cadance released her tight grip on Twilight and allowed herself to gently fall back into her wheelchair. Without a word, Twilight moved behind her and started to push the chair again. And just like that, the two ponies and one (visible) changeling were on their way again. Twilight was going to go see her friends first and then she would return to her father and brother. By then, the two of them would probably be done talking, about whatever it was they wanted to talk about. “Sweetie Belle was it, right?” Cadance asked as they moved through the castle and towards the guest rooms. “Yes ma’am,” Sweetie Belle answered politely. “Well, I’m not that old yet, so I’d prefer it if you called me ‘Cadance’ instead,” Cadance offered. “And I don’t think you had a cutie mark the last time I saw you, did you?” “No ma’am, uh I mean, Cadance,” Sweetie Belle said. “But I kinda don’t want to talk about it.” “How come?” was what Cadance was going to ask, were it not for the bloodcurdling scream that came from the nearby throne room. “That was Aunt Celestia!” Cadance exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. Acting on instinct, Twilight rushed in the direction of the throne room. Cadance held on tight as the wheelchair’s wheels squeaked in protest at the sudden increase in speed. “Wait for me!” Sweetie Belle yelled as she followed after them. Cadance held on for dear life as they rushed through the halls of the castle. Once the doors to the throne room came in sight, Cadance felt relieved. At least, until Twilight released her wheelchair. “Twilight!” Cadance cried out as she rolled past the door at high speed. “Sorry!” Twilight yelled, using her magic to slow Cadance down to a crawl. “Sweetie Belle, look after Cadance for me, okay?” she requested as the young filly came running, obviously out of breath. Not waiting for an answer, Twilight threw the throne room’s door open and rushed in. A strange scene was unfolding in front of her. Princess Luna was using her magic on what appeared to be a life-sized statue of Princess Celestia, her face twisted into a scream. Standing nearby was her mother, Queen Chrysalis, who was levitating a mirror in front of her and staring at her reflection. Twilight could sense the confusion and anger rolling off of her, mixed with some sadness. However, her expression in the mirror was what stood out the most to Twilight. Chrysalis seemed… lost, for lack of a better word. That look disappeared again when she noticed Twilight in the mirror, replaced with one of relief. The queen turned around to address her daughter, only then noticing the shocked expression on Twilight’s face. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Chrysalis looked from the statue of Celestia, to Luna and back at Twilight. “We can explain.”