"Sweetie Belle, calm down... I believe you... please... just wait... Sweetie Belle!" Twilight said, teleporting in front of Sweetie Belle countless times. Agile hooves propelled the little pony forward, down the barely illuminated pathway lined with dead trees and wilted flowers. Sweetie Belle dodged and weaved passed Twilight as her heart raced.
"There!" Sweetie Belle said with a shout. She came to an abrupt stop just as Twilight teleported in front of her one final time, and then levitated her into the air. "I knew she was real."
Heavy gasps for air emanated from Sweetie Belle and Twilight. Princess Celestia, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom dashed toward the two ponies in the clearing. They watched a sky-blue unicorn mare cease her song. A large liquid globule descended back into the pond it was levitated from. Philomena Cantare's amber colored eyes pierced Princess Celestia's gaze.
"You stupid foal!" Scootaloo shouted at Sweetie Belle. Green flames consumed her visage, eye color soon matching the flames. Queen Chrysalis towered above Twilight and Sweetie Belle. She backed away as Philomena Cantare neared the group. Her voice quivering, she said, "Wh-what have you done!"
"I don't understand." Sweetie Belle said.
Twilight, Sweetie Belle, and Queen Chrysalis watched with mouths agape. Violent wind blew against their manes and tails. Princess Celestia bolted forward. She turned. Her back hooves launched into Cantare's jaw, bucking her into the air. The princess rocketed into the air. She latched onto Cantare and power slammed her into the ground. Princess Celestia took several deep breaths before she made a graceful descent to the ground and resumed her composure.
Apple Bloom moved forward on shaky hooves. In the clearing, she froze in place; her body remained stiffer than a pony turned to stone by a cockatrice.
"Apple Bloom, Apple Bloom! What's wrong?" Twilight said. She relinquished Sweetie Belle from her magical grasp. Her ear perked, Twilight leaned in close to Apple Bloom. "'M?' 'M' what?"
"Empress Hyaline," Queen Chrysalis said.
Ghostly, amber colored ethereal flames birthed into existence around the ponies and Queen Chrysalis. They gravitated toward Philomena Cantare and consumed her form. A long misshapen horn protruded from the ball of fire. Wings burst forth from the flames. The fire subsided.
Princess Celestia's stern gaze turned away from Sweetie Belle, focusing on the large changeling ruler that looked down on her. "My friend passed away at such a young age after she became horribly ill. I never knew what happened."
"Take COVER!" Apple Bloom shouted, her voice overshadowing the swamp's bursting bubbles.
"La..." Empress Hyaline said. A hemi-spherical shockwave enveloped the group in front of her. She smirked. Mud, gook, slime, and dust floated to the ground. Hyaline raised an eyebrow at the spherical aura of magic that surrounded the group before her. In a calm, dignified tone, lowering her eyebrow, the empress said, "Well done, Sweetie Belle. I see you learned a few things by watching me practice... Now, now," Empress Hyaline's horn glowed in a fierce amber light, "now my granddaughter! There's no reason to rush. We can catch up at our own leisure."
Queen Chrysalis gasped. Her hooves latched onto the amber colored circle that constricted around her neck. The magical torus continued to tighten. Levitated to eye level with Hyaline, Chrysalis felt her hooves quake. Her translucent wings twitched while an aura around Princess Celestia's horn grew in intensity. The collar destroyed, Queen Chrysalis fell to the ground.
"It would have been nice to stay in 'seclusion' a bit longer before my glorious return to the hive." Empress Hyaline said. She glanced up to see Princess Cadence and Princess Luna descended near Princess Celestia. Scootaloo ran toward Apple Bloom. The changeling chuckled to herself, ending with a devilish grin. "Quite the army you've amassed, dear 'Tia.'"
Swamp bubbles burst around the group, their ferocity sounding like explosions while the equines remained silent. Hisses and howls were stifled; creatures retreated into the Ever Free Forest's depths with quiet whimpers.
"How about I make you a deal, Sweetie Belle." Hyaline said. She tapped a gentle, misshapen hoof against her chin before moving toward Sweetie Belle. "I won't bore you with praise little one, however, I must compliment your talents. You have done such a magnificent job in healing my voice," she extended her hoof in a slow fluid manner, "that I shall recant my decision. In this moment, I will make you my protégé. ... Silence!"
Except for Sweetie Belle, the ponies and Queen Chrysalis fell to the ground. Their throats constricted. Sweetie Belle rubbed her throat. She looked to her neck, seeing a soft glow of light around her moon pearl dissipate while her horn glowed.
"Pl-Please, don't...." Apple Bloom struggled, "don't do --"
On slow, graceful, misshapen hooves, Empress Hyaline meandered toward Sweetie Belle . She leaned in close. Several clicks and a final hiss came from her before her hoof was placed Sweetie Belle's back. Queen Chrysalis -- with her right ear perked -- continued to trash about.
"You best decided quickly, my soon-to-be protégé." Hyaline said with a cheeky grin.
"Apple Bloom. Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle said. She rubbed a gentle hoof against her moon pearl gift. Her eyes glanced toward Princess Celestia and the others. Sweetie Belle looked at her fellow crusaders and said, "You have your mentors, and I have mine. Empress Hyaline helped me. She's the only one who treated me like a real student." Sweetie Belle turned a scalding gaze toward the mare near her hooves, "You. You never took me seriously, Twilight. I heard about the broom. How it was 'magical training wheels.' I'm not a little foal. Phil -- I mean, Empress Hyaline, I accept your offer."
"Excellent." Empress Hyaline said. Her horn glowed in the same fierce amber color as the flames that surrounded both her and Sweetie Belle. The two vanished in a ball of fire, an ember floating in the air before it dissipated.
The group took several deep gasps for air. Princess Cadence and Princess Luna rose to their hooves, ran toward Queen Chrysalis, and bound her in several heavy magical chains. Princess Celestia towered above the changeling queen, silencing the ruler with her own magic. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood near Twilight who casted the final spell, the group teleporting into Canterlot Castle's war room.
*** *** ***
Rarity's firm hoof slapped Twilight across the face. Her hoof batted away Twilight's kind, outstretched hooves. Tears poured from her eyes. The drops landed onto her hooves. To no avail, Twilight's teary words of "I'm sorry" fell upon Rarity's deaf ears.
The octagonal table, in the war room lit by the candles in the chandelier above, displayed the map of Equestria. In the semi-dark room, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo sat beside each other in the corner.
Applejack trotted toward her little sister. She placed her Stetson on top of Apple Bloom's head, raising its brim. "Ah promise sugar cube, it'll be alright. We're gonna get Sweetie Belle back. Same goes for you too, Rarity."
Apple Bloom removed the hat. A Soft hoof gliding across its brim, she shook her head before giving the Stetson back to her big sister. "Ah don't know, sis. Princess Luna couldn't even see this comin, and she's way more powerful than ah could ever be."
Princess Luna nuzzled Apple Bloom then faced her with determined eyes. "Remember what I have taught you, my student. While we can foretell the future, it isn't an absolute ability."
"But you're an alicorn princess. I'm just a regular earth pony." Apple Bloom said.
Princess Luna's mane flowed while her saddened expression greeted Apple Bloom's. "If it were... if I could have foreseen this, I would have prevented it before things began. There's a lot I still need to teach, for you to learn. There is more that I need to learn. That is why we train."
A loud thud broke the ponies out of their melancholic slumber. Queen Chrysalis slammed her misshapen hooves against the stone floor beneath her once more before she pointed a swift hoof at Princess Celestia. "You will fix this mess. It must be done. It shall be done for the sake of my subjects. My family."
"Family?" Fluttershy said.
"Listen. Listen well, 'ponies.' If you think I am horrible, my grandmother is ten times worse." Queen Chrysalis said. The group of mares, and two fillies, watched her shiver. "I dare not speak of her atrocities. Our hive, our home was horrible under her so-called guidance. My mother, Queen Iridescent, told of Empress Hyaline's cruelty to frighten those who misbehaved."
Princess Celestia stared at Queen Chrysalis. Her gaze remained firm. As the tense moment passed, in a soft regal tone, she said, "Why was my friend targeted."
"You know the answer, 'princess.' I'll explain this once for the rest of you." Queen Chrysalis said, turning away from Princess Celestia. "Empress Hyaline holds a dangerous ability that far surpasses mine or my mother's. If given both opportunity and time, she can consume another's power and make it her own. The power consumed by that wretched creature allowed her to maintain a choking hold over the hive. That stupid --"
"Don't you dare speak of my little sister, you vile bug." Rarity said, her hoof targeting Queen Chrysalis. She wiped away a tear then lowered her trembling right hoof. "Sweetie Belle is the kindest, sweetest, gentlest sister out there. If she had known the truth about your family squabble, my little sister would have stayed away. Far away from all of it."
"Then tell me, Rarity was it, why did your sister venture into the Ever Free Forest? Why didn't your so-called 'fortune tellers' dissuade her?" Queen Chrysalis said, ending with a bitter-sweet smirk. "This is as much our fault as it is yours."
Arguments continued. Accusations were lobbed like snow covered rocks in a snowball fight. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turned toward the corner while the mares and Queen Chrysalis continued their bickering.
"Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom said.
"Yea?" she said.
"We have to rescue Sweetie Belle. This sounds crazy, but can you fly us somewhere then take us back?"
"I'm strong enough to carry you and Sweetie Belle, but I can't fly for extended periods of time. It takes too much of a toll on my wings. Sorry."
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo let out a collective sigh. The two crusaders stepped outside the war room to a darkened hallway, moonlight coming through the windows. Princess Luna emerged from the shadow behind them, swift hooves placed over the fillies' mouths. She relinquished her grasp before leading the two down the hallway to a secluded area.
"Before you say anything my student, I know your plan, and I do not approve of such actions." Princess Luna held up her hoof before Apple Bloom could speak, "But inaction will be more dangerous than our current path." Princess Luna said. She lowered herself to the ground, and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo climbed onto her back. "I will transport you two as far as I can go without raising suspicion. You two best hang on. We are heading out immediately."
Shadows culminated around the three equines before they disappeared into darkness, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's eyes witnessing a beautiful starlit sky above them as their vision cleared. The Brisk night air brushed against the three ponies' faces, their manes wafting in the wind. Princess Luna's eyes locked on the horizon, and she, along with her passengers, watched a small thin rod in the distant horizon grow.
"The changeling hive," Apple Bloom said as her eyes flashed for a second, "from my nightmare?"
"Now you see why I told you dreams are powerful manifestations. Potential windows into the future." Princess Luna said in a calm tone. "I must confide in you Apple Bloom. I did not believe your dream. That was a mistake 'I' will never make again."
Princess Luna, spying an outcrop, landed on soft dirt. She and the two fillies watched several dots buzz around the darkened spire, clouds shading it from the moon's light. The regal mare placed her hooves onto the two fillies. Her eyes glowed in a fierce white color. Apple Bloom shoved her hoof into Scootaloo's mouth, and then her own.
"The amniomorphic spell I placed on you two will last for thirty minutes, no more." Princess Luna said. She materialized a small scroll and gave it to Apple Bloom, "When you are ready, unfurl this and place a firm hoof in the center where the hoof print is located. This scroll will teleport three of you, no more."
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turned to each other with nervous grins. They slammed their hooves together, "Cutie Mark Crusaders Infiltrators..."
Both turned to the empty spot beside them.
"It ain't the same with Sweetie Belle gone." Apple Bloom said.
"We will get her back. You and me are Cutie Mark Crusaders, so is Sweetie Belle. All of us are in this together." Scootaloo said.
"The clock is ticking, my little ponies." Princess Luna said. She levitated them toward a small ledge on the dark spire, watching the two enter. "Perhaps a destined path can be changed, if it's assisted by a hoof of friendship."
*** *** ***
Apple Bloom stopped. She held a hoof across Scootaloo's chest then lowered it. "Phew, they're gone. Empress bug breath is in here. Ah can feel it."
"How?" Scootaloo said.
"To be honest, ah don't know. It's also weird cause -- whatever, we'll talk later. Ok, need to head down this hallway. Afterwards, we head up a flight of stairs. Sweetie Belle is in some kind of weird throne room. " Apple Bloom said. She stopped. The filly turned behind her and sat down.
Noises emanated from above. Apple Bloom cowered backward. Two changelings clad in carapace armor descended toward them. The guards make several clicking noises before they hissed at the two fillies. The turned to each other then back to the two before them as Scootaloo held a hoof to her right ear.
"You deaf?! Stupid hatchlings. They don't know their own abdomen from a hole in the ground." One guard said.
Scootaloo, ready to strike the guard, felt Apple Bloom brush against her. Apple Bloom tilted her head from side to side.
The guard's partner sighed. "Send these two up to Empress Hyaline . She can make a meal out of them." He leaned in close, "I can't believe those legends were true. Queen Chrysalis help us all."
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, brushed along the damp resin created corridors, found themselves near the entrance to a room with a spiraling staircase. Both guards, their armor glinting in the light from the bio-luminescent spheres on the walls, pointed firm hooves at the stairs. The fillies nodded. The guards departed.
"Morons --" Scootaloo said, a hoof plunged into her mouth. She spit on the ground after forcibly removing Apple Bloom's hoof. "Wash your hooves before ya do that. I'll need five doctor visits after where done here."
Several armored guards floated up and down the open portion of the stair case. Apple Bloom leaned in close to her friend, "You're gonna blow our cover. We gotta be incog-who-zizts or however ya say it."
The fillies' tired hooves shook beneath them as they reached the highest point of the stairwell. Several traps lay open with spears and thick puddles of slime after Apple Bloom and Scootaloo opened the large door in front of me.
"O come --" Apple Bloom said, being stopped by a hoof shoved into her mouth. She removed Scootaloo's hoof from her mouth and glared at her friend.
"Not fun, huh. Anyways, it's my turn." Scootaloo said. She paused, looking at her translucent wings. "Wait, will using my wings cause this amnio-thingy to stop? Whatever, we don't have time."
Scootaloo winced. With a heavy sigh of relief, she opened her eyes to see her translucent wings extend. Apple Bloom climbed onto her fellow crusader's back. In a gentle manner, Scootaloo flapped her strong wings and powered down the hallway with the only sound being a drop of water hitting the floor. The large, ornate, organic door in front of them opened.
"She's over there, towards the left." Apple Bloom said. She and Scootaloo stuck close to the wall, sneaking under nearby furniture. Through a key hole, both watched Sweetie Belle standing on a tall stool with a miniature crown on top of her head. Apple Bloom's ears perked up, listening to Sweetie Belle sing a tune while pressing a hoof against Hyaline 's throat. "Why do ah have such a headache standin near that bug. Anyways, she's gonna come out soon. I'm kinda sure she won't lock the door, so we have to be quick when she leaves."
Apple Bloom finished her statement, and Sweetie Belle's song ended. Empress Hyaline smirked at her student then departed.
The door opened; its loud creaking sound resonated throughout the large chamber. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo bolted inside the bedroom. With a swift hoof, Scootaloo locked the door behind her and peered out the key lock.
"We're clear." Scootaloo said.
"How did you two get in here?" Sweetie Belle said, receiving a generous hug from her friends after she hopped off the tall stool. "You have to get out of here. I'm sorry about what I said. I had no choice."
"It's alright. With that bug gone, ah can sorta see what happened. Those hisses and clicks she made back at the swamp," Apple Bloom said.
Sweetie Belle nodded to her friend, "If I refused her offer, she would hurt Ponyville then Equestria. She acted like it was my choice."
Apple Bloom, after she planted a firm hoof on Sweetie Belle, said along with Scootaloo, "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"Yuck. What happened to you? O, never mind." Sweetie Belle said, watching the illusion fade. "Please, leave. I don't want you two getting hurt."
A swift knock came to the door. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo slid under the bed. Sweetie Belle trotted toward the door.
"Ms. Belle, it's time for your bath," a voice said.
"That's alright, umm..." Sweetie Belle said with a nervous tone.
"It's ok. I don't have a name. The empress was quite insistent on your bath. She wants you 'cleaned,' so you don't bring any germs into the colony." the changeling said with a whimper.
Sweetie Belle, after a few tense moments, allowed the changeling inside. She bowed then proceeded into the bathroom. While reaching for the faucet's lever, Sweetie Belle watched the filly sized changeling slip into the tub. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo peered out to see the changeling take a flask of black liquid and pour it into the tub.
"Psst," Scootaloo said in a quiet tone.
Sweetie Belle moved toward the bed. She smiled at the changeling who turned away from her. She watched a vial of purple liquid being put into the tub, suds forming before the water was shut off.
"Don't get into the tub," Apple Bloom said with a whisper, "she's --"
"HA!" Empress Hyaline said. Flames consumed her filly form, towering above the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Now, now. You aren't ready to receive guests, my protégé. Not until you've had your 'bath.'" Empress Hyaline said. Her nostrils flared. She leaned in close to Apple Bloom, "That is interesting. I haven't seen any holders of the 'future sight' ability in quite some time. That bothersome ability gave me such a migraine since I couldn't tell the present from the past or the past from the future. Still, it does help me to evade your kind's little quirks."
"Make it stop!" Apple Bloom shouted, rubbing her head. "It hurts!"
Sweetie Belle cast off her miniature crown while Scootaloo charged in front with spread out wings.
"To think I helped you. I thought you were to be my protégé?" Empress Hyaline said. With a whimper, she wiped away a crocodile tear. "I'm over it. Brats are always a nuisance, though, I must say, you would have turned into a fine changeling queen when your 'bath' was over."
"No!" Sweetie Belle said, her voice seizing. "What. What have you. Done."
"One thing I forgot to mention, my 'former' pupil. When you healed my voice, I sang a quiet tune of my own. Thanks for the healing treatments. Now, sleep," Empress Hyaline said, ending with a melodic tune.
Sweetie Belle struggled then took a deep breath. She calmed herself and sang a slight tune. The spherical shield enveloped her, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo.
"Too late..." Empress Hyaline smirked, "You might be immune to my voice, but they aren't. Your friends will awake from their dreams as blissful as can be, their memories wiped clean. They'll be lucky enough to remember their own names."
The scroll in Apple Bloom's hoof fell to the black floor and unfurled. Sweetie Belle's front hoof plunged down on the hoof print. She, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were enveloped by a dark blue light, disappearing into nothingness.
"Gah! Those interfering princesses shall pay for taking my meal tickets." Empress Hyaline bellowed. With herself composed, she placed a hoof to her mouth then lowered it. "My, my, my. I had forgotten how much of an annoyance little ones can be. I need a bath. Over a thousand years in the forest does such horrible things to one's mane and tail. Ahh, there's my carapace lotion...."