//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Wedding Bells Bug Hunt // by Trinary //------------------------------// The Queen of the Changelings stood revealed, her shadow cast upon the gathered ponies below. “Now!” she ordered. Before anypony could react, dozens of ponies—including every guard in the room—were awash with a sickly green glow and revealed as changelings. Moving swiftly, they sealed every door and window and drew the drapes shut. Nopony was getting in or out, nor would anypony outside be able to see what was going on inside the main hall.   Without the Princess and without any guards, most of the attendees allowed themselves to be split and herded against the walls. Only a handful, like the bride and groom, refused to be intimidated, standing defiantly between the changelings and the foals. Derpy and Cloud Kicker tried to force their way through the swarm of changelings to get to the foals, but there were simply too many and they were pinned against the wall. It took another half dozen simply to prevent Big Macintosh from getting involved.   Rainbow Dash and her friends stood exposed and encircled by a ring of changelings. Their attention though, was still fixed on the one they had believed to be their Princess. “You…” Rainbow struggled between feeling shock, fear and anger, eventually settling on the latter. “It was you all along?!”   “Guilty,” Chrysalis chuckled flippantly. “Oh, I had great amusement in sending you and your feeble friends to leap at shadows. I haven’t had this much fun in ages.”   Twilight’s mouth opened and shut a few times as she struggled to find her voice. “T-that’s impossible!” She shook her head. “Nopony but the Princess can raise the sun!”   The Changeling Queen rolled her eyes. “Really, have you all forgotten that unicorns controlled the raising of the sun and moon in the days before the Royal Sisters? Do you not remember the Sun Stone and its powers? Or have you ponies in your endless adoration for Celestia simply chosen to forget that she is not the sole power in this world?” She chuckled contemptuously. “No wonder it was so easy to manipulate you all … if your precious princess had commanded you all to kiss her hooves, you’d fight one another to the death for the privilege.”   Applejack snorted, pawing at the ground. “You shut your yap before Ah shut it for ya.”   “You’ll never get away with this!” Rainbow shouted. “Princess Luna is already on her way back!”   Chrysalis smiled, unconcerned. “Why would she come back from the patrol her dear sister sent on her? Nopony’s called her.”   “But—you—” Rainbow facehoofed as she recalled who had told her that Luna would be returning. “Oh, horseapples.”   The Queen found her response amusing. “Quite,” she chuckled. “And by the time she does return, I’ll be running Canterlot. It’ll be an easy matter for Celestia to call in her sister for a chat…” Her eyes briefly transformed into Celestia’s soft pink ones. “...a final chat.”   The assembled ponies let out low groan of despair at the thought, and what that implied Chrysalis had already done to Celestia. “She’s bluffing!” Applejack blurted out. “Ah don’t believe for a minute this overgrown cockroach could’ve taken down Princess Celestia in a fair fight!”   Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps,” she allowed. “But then, who said it was fair?” She shifted and altered shape becoming a familiar sky blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. Rainbow Dash felt her own face pale, swaying slightly as she fought the urge to retch. The faux-Rainbow cried out in Dash’s voice, clutching herself as if in pain. “Celestia! Help me!” She suddenly started laughing. “The soft-hearted fool never even saw it coming.”   “Where is Princess Celestia?” Rainbow demanded, preparing to rush the altar when her friends tackled her, holding her back. “Where is she?!”   Chrysalis responded with Rainbow’s own confident smirk and said nothing. Dash growled with inchoate rage as the changeling resumed her true form. “Oh, and as for your friends…” the Queen looked down on Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. “Spoilers: there never was any such thing as a changeling infiltrator so perfect that they wouldn’t even know they were a replacement.” She rolled her eyes. “Really, what would be the point in having an agent who would identify with my enemies and actively plot against me? More trouble than it’d be worth.”   “So what now?” Twilight took a half-step forward, trying to radiate confidence. “You’re going to replace everypony here and take over Equestria?”   “Of course!” Chrysalis chuckled. “All of the most powerful and influential ponies gathered in one place—you might as well have hung a sign that said ‘Free Buffet!’ while you were at it.”   Applejack glowered. “We’ll fight. We’ll whup you yet! Ponies ain’t about to lay down and be invaded!”   That just set Chrysalis off even more. “‘Invade?’” She chortled, clearly amused. “Who said anything about invading? Once I dispose with this lot, I’ll replace them with my own subjects.” She gestured rudely towards the cowed elites. “Outside of the improvement, nopony will even notice the difference.” She looked scornfully at the room of ponies. “You ponies are weak, living in herds in the vain attempt of becoming strong. But the problem with being in a herd is that you just follow along wherever someone stronger than you goes. But without a figure like Princess Celestia, you’re just chattel. But me, and my subjects?” She waved her hoof at the changelings. “We are a hive--a multitude joined in glorious common purpose and guided by a sublime will: mine.   “You’ll go on living your happy little lives while me and my changelings help ourselves to a small portion of your love.” She grinned, exposing her fangs. “Really, it’s such a small thing.” “Monster!” Applejack shouted. “Y’all can’t feed on ponies like they were a midnight snack!”   Queen Chrysalis shook her head. “Oh, we can and will. Because that’s all you really are to us: bags of meat. If it weren’t for your delicious emotions, you’d be utterly worthless.”   Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Not. Happening. We’re gonna beat your face so bad that all your disguises will end up looking bruised.” “We all wear masks, Rainbow Dash. But which is the true mask? The one that hides your face or that one that is your face?” Chrysalis smiled cruelly. “I’ve seen your real face. I saw it when I sifted through Celestia’s memories: the small, weak pony who puts on a façade of confidence and bravery to hide how afraid she is. Afraid of failing all the expectations put on you; afraid of never fulfilling your dreams; afraid of failing Celestia. Afraid of failing your own hype.” She bared her fangs. “It was delicious.”   Rainbow Dash remained impassive while her friends looked at her with concern. After a moment, she took a breath and released it. “Nightmare Moon did it better.”   “What?”   “I said Nightmare Moon did it better.” Rainbow looked up unflinchingly at Chrysalis. “The whole ‘Oooh I’ve seen your mind, I know you’re weak and scared, and blah blah blah.’ She tried to break me then and it didn’t work. And frankly, you’re no Nightmare Moon.” She shook her head. “I’m getting pretty darn sick of every whackjob, wannabe tyrant and their mom trying to tell me who and what I am.”   She paced back and forth. “It’s always, ‘Oh Rainbow Dash is such an arrogant jerk who doesn’t care about anypony but herself,’ or, ‘Oh poor Rainbow Dash, she’s such a weak, scared, insecure pony who just pretends to be confident.’ And I’m done with that horseapples. They’re all wrong.” She stopped pacing, facing Chrysalis with a frown. “I know who and what I am: I’m Rainbow Dash. I’m the pony that goes and does things that others say are impossible. I’m always pushing the boundaries, trying to do better; to be better. Even if I don’t always succeed, I’m still out there working my tail off. If I’m not the coolest pony in the room, it’s only because I have my friends with me. So yeah, your little mind games? Skip it.” In a display of blatant disregard for her, Rainbow faced away from Chrysalis and shook her head. “Really, the thing I’m most upset about is how I didn’t figure out you weren’t Celestia sooner. I should’ve known it was you. I mean, the first time I saw you as Celestia, I thought she’d been letting herself go.”   “What?!” Chrysalis hissed again.   Rainbow nodded. “Totally. I thought she’d been hosting and judging cake contests all by herself. I mean, her flank was so big I thought it was twenty percent frosting.” She shrugged. “But hey, I guess love just isn’t low in calories. You better watch yourself Queeny, unless you want to end up looking like one of those bloated larvae things and having a heart attack.” She paused. “Wait, never mind. Need a heart before you can have the attack.”   Chrysalis smashed her hoof into the floor with enough force to crack it. “ENOUGH! I will encase you in a pod and make you watch as I feed on your precious Princess Celestia until she’s nothing but a withered husk!”   “So the Princess is alive!” Rainbow called out, feeling rewarded by the look of hope that she saw in the eyes of everypony who heard them.   Chrysalis’ wings twitched angrily as murmurs and excited whispers broke out among the prisoners. “Be silent!” She turned back to Rainbow Dash. “You little…”   “You see?” Rainbow flashed her trademark grin. “You’re not the only one who knows how to play mind games, psyche out the competition. Thanks for playing.” “Get them!” Chrysalis bellowed. Her changeling horde turned away from keeping the captive wedding guests in check and advanced on the six ponies, who stood back to back.   Twilight looked over and nodded at Rainbow Dash. “That was really clever, getting her to tell you that Princess Celestia’s still all right.” She paused, looking around at the circle of enemies closing in on them. “Even though you did manage to really tick her off.”   “I haven’t even started to ruin her day,” Rainbow winked at her. “But for now, we’ve got some changelings to squash.”   “Twily!” Shining Armor, still protecting the foals with Cadance, was half surrounded himself. He reared up, clearly torn over whether to stay and protect the kids with his bride or to rush to the aid of his little sister.   Twilight was clearly anxious for her brother, so much that she almost missed a changeling sneaking up behind her. That changeling had an abrupt encounter with Applejack’s hooves. “Head in the game, sugarcube!” Applejack’s own eyes kept darting over towards the foals, where Apple Bloom and her friends stood huddled between Cadance and Shining Armor. The others were also similarly distracted out of fear for their siblings and friends in the other group.   Queen Chrysalis soon noticed. “Oh? Are the great heroes of Equestria worried about their little friends?” She sneered, baring her fangs at the frightened kids. Sweetie Belle and Dinky Doo held each other, looking terrified. Apple Bloom and Pip backed away behind Shining Armor and Scootaloo and Alula—despite trying to appear brave—were still betrayed by the quivering of their wings. Derpy and Cloud Kicker redoubled their efforts to push through to them. But there were still a lot of changelings between them and their goal. The sight of Chrysalis even looking in their siblings’ direction set Rarity and Applejack to new heights of fury as they punched, kicked and even bit at any changeling near them. Rarity’s ton was earnest and menacing. “If you touch one hair on my little Sweetie’s head and I swear by my pretty, gorgeously sculpted mane, I will end you!” Applejack grunted in agreement, the lasso in her mouth preventing her from turning the air around her blue.   “Yeah! Ooh you’d be really sorry if we had super-awesome ancient magical artifact capable of defeating evil!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “Oh, wait, we do. Why don’t we use that?”   “Pinkie’s right!” Twilight’s horn flashed and the Element necklaces appeared around their necks. “Let’s end this right now!”   “Sounds good to me!” Rainbow rubbed a hoof on the lightning bolt shaped gem and concentrated. She felt a magical glow surround her and her friends: six bright lights, each a different color, becoming one as a rainbow band connected each element to all the others. All their memories seemed to wash over her with incredible speed.   Dash was awash with the feeling of connection and closeness to her friends. Images of her first meeting each of her friends played out in her mind’s eye, and their adventures together. She saw herself falling out of an apple tree and onto Applejack--from both her and Applejack’s viewpoints, making her realize she wasn’t just seeing her own memories, but her friends’ as well. Next was encountering Rarity and her forced visit to the spa, Pinkie Pie’s surprise entrance and party, seeing Fluttershy again in Ponyville after all those years and finally meeting Twilight Sparkle. Nearly every experience, every encounter was revisited within the blink of an eye. The trek through the Everfree Forest to stop Nightmare Moon, dealing with Trixie’s visit to Ponyville, the Best Young Fliers’ competition in Cloudsdale, traveling north to save the foals from King Sombra, and so many more. She saw events not just from her own memories, but her friends’ as well, often at the same time. It was hard to tell where she ended and her friends began. The link between them intensified every experience. It was the most powerful reminder that friendship was truly magic. Then the memories became more recent. She began to see her friends--and herself--in Canterlot, preparing for the wedding. Rainbow not only to revisit every suspicious thought and glance she’d given her friends--but also the ones they had given her. And each other. Only magnified. She saw herself being dragged away to the dungeon from the her friends’ point of view and felt the anger and suspicion and confusion that reigned. The light began to flicker. And then it was gone. Like a snap, the connection was broken and Rainbow’s light went out. The other lights soon flickered and faded as well. “What happened?!”   Pinkie peered down at her necklace. “Did somepony forget to recharge these things?”   Applejack insistently started tapping on her own Element. “Come on, come on already!”   “It’s a magical ­gem, Applejack!” Rarity snapped. “It’s not going to just start working like an old boiler if you hit it right!”   Twilight shook her head. “I—I don’t understand. Why didn’t it work?”   Chrysalis broke in with a loud guffaw. “Ah, you ponies … you and your precious harmony.” She shook her head. “It’s such a fragile, tender thing to place all your trust in; to develop your whole society around. Because if even one pony is out of balance…” She turned to Rainbow Dash, eyes glinting maliciously. “It all falls apart.”   “That’s a lie!” Rainbow slapped a hoof over her Element. “These ponies are my best friends! I’ll be loyal to them forever!”   “Bold words, but they weren’t loyal to you, now were they?” Chrysalis towered over them, shaking her head pityingly. “And after everything you’ve done for them…”   Twilight’s eyes widened. “That’s why you told Rainbow Dash one of us was the changeling … and then told us that she was! You wanted to disrupt our connection to each other so the Elements wouldn’t work.”   “Twi, Ah think we all fig’red that out.” Applejack retorted testily. Rainbow Dash looked around. No Princesses, no Elements of Harmony … and changelings all around. This was definitely not good.