Chapter 20: A Call to Arms
Nictis sat back against the wall of the castle’s hall, his eyes closed. Part of him objected to just sitting there, doing nothing. He had a goal, a mission. There was still much that he needed to take care of.
The rest of him argued that there was no point in rushing into the rest if he didn’t even have the answer to the most vital question, the one that determined if there was any point to it at all.
He could still hear the rattle outside, faintly echoing through the window at the end of the hall. The Royal Guard was mobilizing. He’d gotten only the most basic of details, but it seemed Celestia was pulling out all the stops. The entirety of the Guard’s chariot fleet was being deployed, loaded with ponies that would serve as the first hooves on the ground in case anything went wrong. They would not be capable of assaulting the hive, but they might prevent Princess Chara from escaping. The rest of the Guard was loading onto airships, many borrowed from private citizens. They would take even longer to arrive, but would provide enough to start a proper siege.
Not that it was likely to be of help to the prisoners that lay deep in the hive.
The door clicked open, snapping him out of his thoughts. He had just gotten to his hooves when Spark came trotting out, an excited grin on his face. Sky followed along behind him, and on seeing Nictis, gave an awkward grimace and a shrug.
“So, this is real?” Spark blurted out as he came to a stop just before Nictis. Each question came out more excited than the last. “We’re flying a rescue mission? With Songbird?”
Nictis almost winced at the enthusiasm. “If you want to,” he cautiously asked, but Spark just grinned even more.
“Oh my gosh,” he said, dancing from one hoof to the other in excitement. The emotion came from him in a flood, enough to almost entirely wash out the nervousness behind it. “That’s just… that’s like the most awesome thing ever! And we get to help!” He let out a loud laugh, which made Nictis feel more than a little uncomfortable.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, placing a hoof gently on Spark’s shoulder, and the pony immediately stopped his dancing.
“Yeah, fine!” he said, a bit too quickly, then took several deep breaths. “Okay, yeah. A bit excited. I mean, I’m going to be flying a rescue mission to save a whole bunch of ponies for the princesses! This is just…” He trailed off, continuing to breathe deeply as he practically jittered in excitement.
Nictis gave Sky a sharp glare, and the other changeling shrugged again, with an apologetic feeling to him. “He asked.”
“I need to check on Songbird!” Spark blurted, and started trotting--no, galloping-- down the hall.
“Spark, wait!” Nictis called out, starting to follow after him. In his excitement, Spark kept going, and Nictis stopped, turning to give Sky a sharp look. “Just… get everyling to meet up at the Guard chariot landing. I’m going to be there with Spark. We’ll get things worked out there. Okay?”
“Got it,” Sky meekly replied, and Nictis took to the air to fly after Spark.
When Sky finally returned to his own quarters, he walked into an excited conversation. Or at least, it was excited on one half of the conversation. Trip was buzzing around Skiris, a couple hooves touching the back of the other changeling’s chair as he hovered and bobbed back and forth. “But it’s, like, hero stuff! Riding in to the rescue!”
Cara sat quietly near the back of the room, his back toward them.
“They want Infiltrators,” Skiris pointed out, though he smiled. “Not former miners.”
“Yeah, so? Oh, hey Sky!” Trip looked between the two of them and grinned. “I mean, Sky’s going, too. Aren’t you?”
“What? Why? I’m not--” he stopped and blinked. “Well, I mean, I guess I am an Infiltrator. But I think there are better choices.”
Trip just waved a hoof dismissively. “Nah! Niccy’s in charge, you know he’ll bring you along.”
Sky couldn’t help a sharp laugh. “Hah, me? ‘The worst changeling ever?’ Really?”
“Well, sure,” Trip said, shrugging. “But he trusts you.”
Skiris nodded.
“Uh…” Sky looked at them. “Huh. I hadn’t even thought of that. But anyway, we can’t all go, or there won’t be enough room for everyone.”
Trip shrugged, flittering over to hover between Sky and Skiris. “Sure, but who else is he going to take? Maybe Chittri, since she’s an Infiltrator and seems like she’s… probably on our side. So even then, that’s just three, plenty of room for Skiris and me to tag along. We can help.”
Sky sighed. “You’ll have to talk to Nictis. He’s the one in charge.”
Trip zipped back to Skiris’s side, hooking a hoof under the other changeling’s foreleg. “Come on, let’s go find Nictis before everyling takes off without us!”
Skiris relented, sliding off the chair and onto his hooves. “Do you even know where you’re dragging me?”
Trip paused, blinked, and looked to Sky.
“The Royal Guard chariot landing,” Sky said. “I was just coming to check on Cara before heading over, myself.”
Cara’s ear twitched, the first reaction he’d given since Sky arrived, and turned to look back at them. Faint tracks of dried tears discolored the carapace of his cheeks. The sorrow still lingered, but it had diminished.
“Hey there,” Sky said, his voice gentle. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay,” Cara replied, his voice quiet and raw. A faint trickle of appreciation flowed Sky’s way. The other changeling swallowed, and spoke again. “Is what they’re saying… is it right? You’re going on a rescue mission?”
“Yes.” The real answer was a bit more complicated, since Sky didn’t know if he, specifically, was going, but that seemed inconsequential at the moment.
Cara looked away again, his gaze dropping to something held in his hooves. He took a deep breath and exhaled. A feeling of determination rose up, and his horn lit with magic, lifting a simple loop of string over his head and around his neck. Then he stood; his leg trembled slightly as he started, but he stilled it. He rose up, head held high as he turned to face Sky squarely. He planted his hooves, standing tall and firm, and met Sky’s gaze.
Dangling against his chest, on the thin loop of string, was the piece of wax he had been carrying around, carefully carved into the shape of a butterfly.
Behind him, Sky heard Trip give a happy chitter. Sky himself smiled as he looked at the pendant. “You know,” Sky said, a hoof slowly rising to his own necklace, “the symbols some of us have chosen to wear, they may not be what a cutie mark is for a pony, but they always seem to mean something.” He gestured to the butterfly, his smile growing. “What does yours mean?”
Cara’s pose weakened a touch, his head dipping as he looked down to his own necklace, and raised a hoof to touch it. His voice was still quiet and raw, but it didn’t waver “It’s… Fluttershy. I want to be brave like her.”
Sky’s smile softened, and he gave a tiny nod. Behind him, Trip quietly said, “Fluttershy? I’d have thought more like Rainbow Dash or something.”
“I know that Fluttershy… she gets scared. Of everything. Just like me.” Cara swallowed again, and lowered his hoof to the ground. He raised his head again, and stood straight and firm. “...But when it comes to helping her friends, she doesn’t let her fears stop her. I want to be like that. And I want to go with you.”
Sky hesitated, but despite the reaction, Cara’s look of determination didn’t waver. A moment later, he nodded. “It’s up to Nictis. He’s the one putting together the team. Just keep in mind, our ride doesn’t have a lot of room, so… don’t get your hopes up too high.”
Cara nodded, with only the faintest hint of hesitation to the motion. “Okay. Let’s go ask him.”
Sky considered him for a moment longer before nodding and turning to the other changelings. “Well, okay then. Let’s go see what Nictis says.”
Nictis sighed, setting the map down to look around the chariot landing and the crowd of black forms along its edge. Several dozen changelings waited there, with only the occasional murmur among them. Chrysalis and Chittri both stood tall, apart from the crowd. The former appeared to be doing everything she could to not notice that the latter existed, which Nictis was silently thankful for. The last thing he wanted to be worrying about was some spat between the queen and one of her princesses.
Or at least, not that princess. He had plenty of other things to worry about for this one.
Slightly removed from the crowd stood a lone changeling in golden armor, standing with the stoic poise of the Royal Guard, and ignoring the occasional dirty look directed his way by some of Chrysalis’s subjects.
It looked like there were only a few more changelings yet to arrive. Sky still hadn’t returned from his rounds, for one. The captured Infiltrators were also absent, though they shouldn’t be much longer. Celestia had decided that, given the change in circumstances and the event of formal cooperation between Equestria and Queen Chrysalis, it was an appropriate time to return them. Soon everyling would be there, and it would be time to get this whole mission underway.
In other words, he needed to stop delaying and take care of things.
So he stood up and turned away from the table, with its map and papers, and walked toward Songbird.
Rounding the nose of the machine, he found Spark on a stool, a wrench clasped in his teeth as he tugged on some bolts in the starboard fan. As focused on his work as he was, he didn’t notice Nictis’s approach until he was standing next to the stool. “Oh, hey,” he said, voice only barely muffled by the tool he held. The feeling of excitement had faded to a much more gentle level, which allowed the nervousness and uncertainty to shine through a bit more clearly.
“Hey,” Nictis replied, giving an uneven smile. “Are you feeling alright?”
Spark spit the wrench out into his hooves, flashing an awkward smile of his own. “Uh, yeah, I kinda got a little excited there, huh? It’s just, this is all, you know…” He gestured toward Songbird and the changelings beyond, looked around aimlessly for a moment, and finally settled on shrugging.
“You’re nervous,” Nictis noted, and Spark shrugged again.
“Well, yeah,” Spark admitted. “This is just so… out there. I don’t even know if I know what to think about it. It’s just… weird! I never thought I’d end up doing something like this.” He let out a sudden, nervous laugh. “I mean, yeah, sure, I might have had some silly daydreams of using a flying machine I’d built to come swooping in to the rescue and save the day, but I didn’t really think it would actually happen!”
Nictis nodded, slowly. “You know, you don’t have to do this.”
Spark’s smile vanished, the nervous excitement fading. “Yes I do,” he said, voice suddenly quiet. “Ponies’ lives are at risk, right?”
Hesitantly, Nictis nodded.
Spark sighed, ears drooping a little. “So yes, I have to do this. All I have to do to save some lives is fly for a few hours and drop off some changelings. How could I say no?”
“You don’t sound happy about it,” Nictis said.
“I’m just nervous,” Spark said. “Ponies could die if anything goes wrong. You’re leading a bunch of changelings on some covert mission in hostile territory. Heck, I don’t even know if one of the changelings I’m going to be flying over isn’t the same one who choked me while wearing your face!” He shook his head, the little flicker of anger fading as quick as it came. “But I have to do this. I want to do this.”
Nictis slowly smiled, placing a hoof lightly on Spark’s side. “You’re a good pony, Spark.”
“Thanks,” Spark quietly replied. After a moment of silence, he gave a weak chuckle, a smile slowly creeping across his face. “Besides, most of the bits that went into Songbird were the ones you saved up to get home. Seems only fitting that she gets to help you make that trip.”
Nictis blinked, but after a moment gave a faint chuckle. “It’s not my home any more, but… I like the thought.”
Spark smiled a bit more, and Nictis finally leaned in and hugged him.
Eventually they drew apart again. Nictis sighed, and got back to business. “So, is Songbird ready?”
“Yep,” Spark said, twirling his wrench. “Heck, she was ready before I got out here, but it’s always good to be sure. Plus… I really needed to do something with my hooves. I think I’d go crazy if I was trying to sit still.”
Nictis laughed softly, giving Spark a final pat on the shoulder. “I’ve got to get the rest of this organized. We’ll probably be taking off pretty soon. If there’s anything you need to take care of before we go, better get to it quickly.”
“I’ll be ready,” Spark said, flashing a smile. Returning it, Nictis finally walked back to the waiting pack of changelings.
The few stragglers had arrived during his distraction, including a few he hadn’t expected to see. He wasn’t too surprised to see Trip and Skiris accompanying Sky. Cara, however, was rather unexpected. He almost didn’t recognize the changeling at first glance. His bearing and demeanor was completely different, and while there was still a hint of hesitation in his steps, he carried himself tall and defiant, a far cry from the timid changeling he had last seen. Nictis expected to feel anger fuelling such a change, but instead only found a sense of determination.
Then Nictis saw the symbol hanging against Cara’s chest, and his smile returned. He caught Sky’s glance, and the other changeling gave a smile and a nod.
A quick glance around the crowd brought him back to the more important matter at hoof. He drew in a deep breath, let it out, and spoke.
“Queen Chrysalis, Princess Chittri. Could you both come here, please?”
They did, though Chrysalis scowled slightly as she did so. “What is it?” she demanded upon approaching him.
“Are you both capable of assuming the form of a regular changeling drone?”
“Yes,” Chittri answered.
Chrysalis, however, snorted at the question. “And why in the world would I do something so degrading?”
“Because I would like you both along for this mission,” Nictis said, “but that would be useless if you’re recognized the moment another changeling lays eyes on us.”
Chrysalis glared at him for a moment. “Hmmph. Yes, I am capable of doing that.”
“Good,” Nictis said. “We’re also limited on how much Songbird can carry, and you’re both too large to bring along, otherwise.”
Chittri nodded, while Chrysalis simply looked away.
“Now then,” Nictis continued, “we need a team. This isn’t going to be a standard infiltration and replacement. It’s going to be a raid. We’re going to have to move fast once we arrive. At most, we’ll have a few hours. That means using infiltration tactics as a method of delaying suspicion and isolating individuals, and more aggressive methods to expedite our progress. There will almost certainly be some measure of fighting, but we have to keep it quiet; we won’t survive a fight with the whole hive. For that reason, I want to build a team that’s a mix of Infiltrators and soldiers.”
“That sounds ideal,” Chittri said, earning her a silent glare from Chrysalis.
“Good. We should be able to fit a team of about eight on Songbird, so long as we don’t mind it being packed in pretty tight, but I don’t think that will be much of an issue for…”
He trailed off; the princesses of Equestria had arrived, along with the youngest princess’s friends. Twilight Sparkle had broken from the group and was approaching him. “Princess,” he said, bowing his head.
“Hello, Nictis,” Twilight said. “Sorry to interrupt, but we had a request of you.”
“We?” Nictis noted with a raised eyebrow. “As in royal we, or you and the other princesses?”
That earned a small laugh from Twilight. “As in, myself and the other princesses.” She paused, giving a playful smile. “Although I suppose that’s a royal we in some sense. Anyway, yes, my request. We were discussing things, and we decided that, if it’s at all possible to arrange, it would be a good idea if I came along, too.”
“You?” Nictis asked, still eying her skeptically. “I mean no offense, princess, but this is a mission that requires stealth. An alicorn pony is not very discreet, especially within the hive.”
“I wasn’t planning on sneaking in with you,” she said, with no sense of offense at his reply. “But we discussed it, and I believe I could offer quite a bit of support for your mission.”
After a moment of silent consideration, Nictis asked, “What kind of support?”
“First,” Twilight said, and Nictis could almost hear the mental checkmark, “the initial wave of Royal Guard reinforcements will be many hours behind you. They won’t be able to come to your aid if something goes wrong, but I could. I may not have the experience of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but I’ve been in my fair share of dangerous situations. I’ve even fought changelings before. If things escalate, I can provide support and assistance.
“Second, I can teleport. I know your fire-portal spell is fairly uncommon among changelings, and you’ll have to move a lot of ponies quickly. I may not be able to make a teleportation trip across half of Equestria, but I can easily teleport several ponies a couple of miles, and cut down the amount of time you’ll be exposed within the hive.
“Third, while I may not have the same skill at shields as my brother, I am still quite capable. With the hive being a network of tunnels, I can focus my shield on those smaller areas to completely cut off routes in and out, buy you extra time, and hold off any attackers.
“And fourth… some of these ponies may be traumatized by their experience. They might benefit from seeing a friendly pony’s face when they’re freed from their captivity.”
She ended her response with a proud smile, and Nictis thought for a moment before looking over to Princess Chittri.
Chittri was frowning. “For your fourth argument, I should point out that many of the captives will be shocked enough to find that there is a second alicorn, let alone a fourth.” Her frown turned to a faint smile. “The other three arguments, however, appear quite well-reasoned. It may offer greater flexibility if things do not go to plan. If Songbird has room to accommodate you without diminishing the size of our team, I believe it would be worth doing so.”
Chrysalis merely snickered. “Well, this is sure to be a fun trip.”
“Very well,” Nictis said with a nod. “Hopefully we’ll have enough room.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said, nodding back. “Also, Princess Celestia would like to have a quick word with you once you have everything ready to go.”
“Then I guess we’d better get the rest of the team organized.” Nictis looked out again before calling out. “Sky, come over here.”
When Sky stepped up, Nictis asked, “Would you be willing to come with us?”
“Uh, yeah,” Sky said, giving a lopsided smile. “If you want me to.”
“Good,” Nictis said, nodding again. “Then that’s four. We could bring Fade, he seems pretty competent.” A quick glance to Chittri earned a nod of affirmation. “Elytron and Chirrup seem ideal picks for more combat-oriented changelings.”
The changelings in question were ushered over as Nictis thought carefully on the remaining names. That thought was interrupted by the approach of hooves and a voice stating, with only the barest hint of shakiness, “I want to volunteer.”
Nictis looked up to see Cara standing before him, head held high. Trip and Skiris followed, the former quickly adding, “Us too!”
“Sorry,” Nictis said with a slow shake of his head. “We’re very limited on space. We need the most skilled changelings we can find--”
“I can help,” Cara said, and Nictis blinked in surprise; not just because Cara had interrupted him, but because the interruption had been calm, rather than an angry outburst. “I might not be an Infiltrator, but… you don’t need a whole team of Infiltrators. You’re not all going to be talking, right?”
“We may not all be talking,” Nictis admitted, “but we still have to blend in. We need to not be noticed.”
“I’ve got a lot of practice at not being noticed,” Cara said, his voice quieting a bit.
Nictis had to give a little snort of amusement, but he quickly wiped away the smile that accompanied it. “This is serious, Cara. Mistakes could cost lives.”
A wing suddenly interjected itself between them, cutting them off. Nictis looked to its owner, to see Chittri wearing the coldest expression he had seen from her. The way she glared down her nose at Cara, that slow, confident strut as she stepped in close to the smaller changeling, it was almost as if Princess Ceymi had returned to life before his eyes.
“Sapphire is dead,” Chittri said, contempt lacing her words. To Cara’s credit, only a faint twitch of his eye betrayed the verbal jab’s effect.
“Chittri,” Nictis started to say, but she ignored him.
“He died in my service,” Chittri continued, her eyes narrowing to a hard glare, her teeth flashing sharply with each word. “He gave his life in defense of the hive. Now you want to throw away what he died for, all for what? Grief over his loss? Personal validation?”
Cara swallowed, and replied, quietly, “No.”
Chittri lowered her head to glare at Cara, eye-to-eye. She snarled. “You could get every one of us killed for some pathetic quest for revenge.”
Nictis stepped up. “Chittri!”
Cara drew his head back only a hair, meeting her gaze with only the faintest sign of reluctance. Nictis could see that he was struggling to stay there, his body rigid, and there was a slight waver to his voice as he spoke. “This has nothing to do with Sapphire. I want to go because lives are at risk, and I want to help.”
“Help,” Chittri said, the word dripping with venom. “What help will you be? You couldn’t even handle living in the hive without running away.”
“Chittri!” Nictis snapped. “That’s enough!”
Cara visibly trembled at her words, head drawing back. Then he swallowed, straightening his posture once again in the face of the princess’s glare. “I’m not running away anymore. Not when I can help my friends.”
The pair stared at each other, Chittri’s cold glare meeting Cara’s shaky but determined eyes.
Then Chittri blinked, and her furious expression instantly vanished. She rose back to her full height, and turned a playful smile to Nictis. “I like him,” she said, sounding both pleased and amused. “I approve.”
As she turned to walk back, Cara shuddered for a moment, relaxing slightly despite his rapid breathing.
Nictis relaxed as well, sighing. He gave Cara a questioning look, and was answered with a single quick nod. Seeing that Cara was okay, he looked back to Chittri. “You approve?”
“I do,” Chittri said. “Fear can be overcome, but a determination to see a task through is a much more difficult and vital thing. I do not think for a moment that he will be as deceptive as an Infiltrator, nor as capable in a fight as a soldier, but I have learned to appreciate a dedication to doing what is right. Besides, we have enough Infiltrators and soldiers already.”
Nictis mulled the statement over. “I’d still prefer another changeling capable in a fight.”
“I can fight,” Cara said.
Chittri, however, shrugged. “We are hardly lacking for combat ability or experience. Elytron and Chirrup both appear to be quite capable on their own. Fade and Sky were soldiers before becoming Infiltrators.” Sky’s ears perked up at this tidbit. “Queen Chrysalis is the most powerful changeling alive.” The smug snort from the queen was likely tempered by the compliment’s source. “And I served as the head of the Elite Guard, prior to becoming the head of the Infiltrators. We have an abundance of changelings skilled in stealth, deception, and combat. We could hardly ask for a better skillset.”
Nictis looked back to Cara, who had puffed himself up once again. Behind him, Trip grinned, pointing a hoof at Cara and nodding emphatically.
Finally, Nictis relented. “Fine,” he said, trying to ignore the lingering concern that he was making a mistake. “You can come.”
“Thank you,” Cara said, smiling in relief. His rigid posture softened into something much more natural, yet no less proud and determined.
With a sigh, Nictis looked around the assembled group before settling on Elytron. “We’ll need more sets of armor,” Nictis said. “They’ll be useful in a fight, as well as the possibility of blending in as a guard patrol. Could you fetch us two… wait.” He looked over to Cara, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Are you sure you’re up for a fight?”
“Yes,” Cara said, with a nod.
“...Three sets of armor.”
Elytron eyed him for a moment before nodding, and headed off toward the larger crowd of changelings. Nictis looked back to the group. “Sky, Chirrup, and Cara, you’ll each get a set of armor when he’s back. I’m going to go talk with Celestia, then go over the flight plan with Spark, and then we’ll be underway as soon as everyling’s ready. Okay?”
Everyone quickly agreed, except for Chirrup, who looked slightly conflicted but eventually nodded. Satisfied, Nictis took up the map in his magic and walked over to where Celestia waited.
He noted right away that she was watching Chittri, and only looked away as he drew nearer. “What was that outburst about?” she asked.
Nictis sighed. “Princess Chittri decided to test Cara before giving her approval. I agree with the sentiment, though I disapprove of the method.”
“Hmm,” Celestia mused. “I wanted to ask you, as an Infiltrator… do you trust her?”
“Not even remotely,” Nictis replied, frowning. “But I think our goals are aligned. It’s the only course that really makes sense to me.”
Celestia slowly nodded. “I am inclined to believe that she does mean to aid us,” she said. “I suspect there may be more to it, but I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.”
Nictis looked back. Chittri was walking a short distance away from the rest of the group, with Sky alongside her. “...I can see three possible scenarios,” Nictis said. “The first is that she is making her own play for power. The second is that she is aligned with Princess Chara, and using the truth as bait. And the third is that she is sincere.
“If she’s trying to seize power for herself, this seems the least efficient route for it. It’s extremely overt, and the delay in taking action weakens her position. If she were trying to do so, she’d need to eliminate Chrysalis. It would make far more sense to assassinate her immediately. Waiting serves no purpose. Luring her back to the hive makes even less sense, since she’ll be at her most alert.”
“It would get her out of the castle,” Celestia pointed out.
“That hardly matters,” Nictis said with a dismissive shake of his head. “I could have assassinated her easily. A quick fire-portal into her chamber’s bathroom, step out, and put a bolt of magic through her skull as she sleeps. The job would be done before the guards at the door even got the notice of the intrusion. Getting an assassin into the castle isn’t a problem. Chittri managed to bypass even the heightened security to get in and talk to you, but she wouldn’t even need to do that. All she would have needed to do is have one of the Infiltrators following her come in with the rest, pretending to be loyal to Chrysalis, only to slip away in the middle of the night.
“There’s also the possibility that she’s wanting to use Chrysalis to get rid of Chara, but given that Chittri leads a group that’s highly skilled in deception and even assassination, it has to be the riskiest method of doing so. Especially since she’d then have to assassinate Chrysalis herself, who would be the harder target.”
Celestia frowned as she considered this, and finally nodded. “And the second?”
“Largely the same objections as the first,” Nictis replied. “It’s possible she and Chara might consider a trap, but it seems an awkward and inefficient way of doing so. It’s also getting Equestria involved in her coup, and there’s an entire army heading toward the hive. Chara might be foolish enough to consider it, if what Chittri says is accurate, but I can’t imagine any Infiltrator being so. Especially not with one of the princesses going along. If she tries anything like that, it would mean war, and she must know how poorly that would go.
“Which leaves us with the third possibility: she’s been telling us the truth, or at least part of it, and she intends to help us retrieve the prisoners and capture Chara. Beyond that, I couldn’t say.”
Celestia nodded. “That was my impression, as well. Still, it is good to hear you are in agreement.” She gave a faint chuckle. “Though I am amused that neither of us seem to give any consideration toward her and Chrysalis working together.”
Nictis gave a short chuckle. “I’m fairly certain Chrysalis is incapable of acting well enough to pull that off.”
“As am I,” Celestia said. “And I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, for the moment, as I have for other changelings in the past.” Her eyes glanced toward him, the smile holding for a moment before fading as she continued. “Still, I can’t help but be concerned, especially with Twilight Sparkle accompanying you.” She looked over at the younger alicorn, the smile swiftly fading. “And I do still have one question that remains unanswered: why did she incinerate Gloom?”
Nictis looked back to Chittri, who was smiling as she watched Sky walking off. “I should ask her.”
“Probably a good idea,” Celestia mused before looking back to him. “Be careful with her.”
“I will,” Nictis said, bowing his head, and with a quick farewell, turned toward Princess Chittri.
Sky had managed to hold out a whole thirty seconds before giving in to curiosity. “Princess Chittri?” he quietly asked as he stepped up beside her. “Could I ask you some questions?”
She regarded him with a carefully neutral expression, though a hint of amusement played at his senses. “You wish to know about yourself,” she said, more of a statement than a question.
Sky swallowed, and nodded.
“I doubt there is much of importance that I could tell you which you did not already know,” Chittri said, though she turned away from the group. He stayed beside her as she walked a few paces away, giving them some semblance of privacy.
“But you led the Infiltrators,” Sky pointed out. “You must have known me, right?”
“Oh, I knew you,” she replied. “I knew you quite well, in fact.” She tilted her head, watching him for a moment. “What do you remember of the hive?”
Sky’s ears drooped a touch. “Not much. Bits and pieces, like walking down a tunnel, and… fighting, I think. But nothing distinct.” He looked up with a sense of hope. “You seem familiar, though.”
“I should,” she said. She remained silent for several seconds, eyes looking off in the distance as she thought. Finally, she spoke. “You went by the name Azure, back then. You had been considered for Infiltrator training when you were young, but you were rejected. You had a good mind for it, and were quite dedicated, but you were also too inquisitive and empathizing. It was believed that you did not have the mental fortitude to endure a long-term infiltration.
“Instead, you were placed into the ranks of the scouts. Your athleticism, talent for flight, and the mentality that had originally brought you consideration for the position of Infiltrator soon saw you brought into the ranks of the Elite Guard. They’re something like the military equivalent of the Infiltrators, soldiers talented in stealth, trickery, sabotage, and ambush. I trained you for the role myself.”
There was a momentary pause, a faint flicker of a frown, before Chittri continued. “When I was assigned to lead the Infiltrators and recover from the loss of Princess Ceymi, you were among the first batch of changelings I brought into the Infiltrators. I trained you as best I could. In fact, you were one of the most capable of my agents. Despite the concerns over your mental fortitude, you remained steadfast and loyal, and I began to consider you as an ideal Infiltrator.”
Again, that frown appeared. “It was concerning when you disappeared in the wake of the Canterlot disaster. It was not uncommon for Infiltrators to disappear without any sign of their fate, but to lose one of my most prized agents stung. Then, months later, I discovered that you had not been slain or captured. You were living with ponies, openly. You had cast aside your duties to the hive to live a luxurious life. Worse yet, you spoke of treason, of wishing for changelings to leave the hive to live in Equestria.”
Sky’s ears drooped further. “But--”
“I contemplated assassination,” Chittri said, and Sky’s expression tightened. “Queen Chrysalis approved of the idea, of course. But I held off. There was the possibility that more of my missing Infiltrators had remained in Equestria, in secret, for reasons much like yours. So I waited. I gathered information, monitored your activities, and tried to make sense of it all. When other changelings joined you, I investigated them, as well.
“And then changelings started leaving the hive. Our secrecy, the shield that had protected us for centuries, has been cast aside, and now our population is bleeding out, and you are at the heart of it all. You have started a cascade that threatens to topple our most long-standing traditions, and have brought us to the situation we now find ourselves in.”
She bowed her head, a sly smile playing across her muzzle. “And for that, I thank you.”
Sky blinked. “...You do?”
“Absolutely,” she said, raising her head again to smile down at him. “We will not become a hollow extension of Equestria as Queen Chrysalis may fear, but we will change. That is inevitable, but we are changelings. Change is what we are. We adapt. The hive will change. We will grow. We will become greater than we have ever been before, and you will have played a key part in bringing us to that better future. I could not be more proud of you.”
Sky stared up at her, taking in that gentle smile. His throat was surprisingly tight. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Chittri said. “If not for the influence of you and others like you, I fear what could have been.”
“I wasn’t the only one,” Sky said, smiling slightly. “There are plenty of others who have helped.”
Chittri nodded, that hint of slyness returning to her smile. “I am aware. In fact, I find it to be amusing. Azure, Turquoise, Sapphire, Lazuli; just a few months ago, I would have been concerned that so many of my progeny had turned away from tradition and the queen, and yet, now I find myself following in your hoofsteps.”
“You’re--” Sky cut himself off, staring for a moment before finding his voice again. “I never really thought about anything like that, before.”
“I’m not surprised,” Chittri said with a hint of amusement. “It is more of a pony sort of thing.” Her eyes flicked to the side. “Elytron has returned with your armor. Wear it well.”
Back at the table Nictis had gathered them at, Elytron was laying out three sets of midnight-blue armor.
“I’ll do my best,” Sky said, giving Chittri a final nod before walking back to the group.
Chittri was still watching with a faint smile as Nictis reached her. “You have concerns?” she said, without looking to him.
“Of course.”
She nodded, and turned to face him, but said nothing.
Nictis considered her carefully. There were no hostile emotions to be sensed, but that meant nothing. Everything she did or said could be an act. Even asking her a question seemed largely pointless, but he was just as much interested in how she answered as what the answer was.
So he asked, “Why did you burn Gloom?”
There was a momentary flash of a smile, small and wry, but it vanished almost immediately. “I suppose I could claim it was habit,” she said, “but that’s not true. The truth is, I did not want you to see the body.”
Her eyes glanced over to the group of changelings Nictis had assembled, landing on Cara. “Sapphire’s death was clean. Neat. Gloom’s… was not. The spell that slew him tore through the couch he was on and left a deep crater in the floor below. I am sure you can imagine how much effect it could have on the changeling body.”
Nictis grimaced. He could imagine quite well, in fact.
“You see,” she said. “It would be prejudicial enough for Princess Celestia to know that I was involved with the death of two changelings. A pile of ashes wouldn’t hide what I did, but it would at least soften the blow.”
“And Sapphire? Why leave him?”
She gave a faint chuckle, short and dry. “Because his remains provide at least some evidence that what I say is true, a commodity that is far too rare at present.”
Nictis slowly nodded. “But not nearly enough to be convincing.”
“Of course,” Chittri said. “I’d try to argue my case, but I think we both know that it would be pointless. Anything I say could be a lie.”
“Yes.”
Chittri nodded, giving a small, sad smile. “Then I shall have to hope my actions may speak for me.”
Nictis considered her for several seconds before finally nodding in return and departing, no more certain of her than he had been before their conversation.
The armors set before Sky, Chirrup, and Cara were simple, consisting of just a helmet and peytral. Nonetheless, they seemed to be of great concern for two of their number.
Sky noted that Chirrup was simply staring down at the set before him, wearing a small frown. Princess Twilight seemed to be the only other to make note of his reaction. “Is there something wrong?”
Chirrup looked up. “No, Your Highness. I’m just… conflicted.”
“How so?” she asked, stepping up to the changeling guard.
“I’ve worked hard to earn this armor,” he said, raising a hoof to his golden peytral. “It seems wrong to discard it to wear what’s now a foreign armor.”
Twilight smiled. “What you’ve earned is far more than a set of armor, Chirrup. Your armor is only a symbol of that; one which will be waiting for you to reclaim, once we return.”
He looked down to the armor, and then back to her, giving a quick nod. “Thank you, Your Highness.” As she chuckled softly at the reply, Chirrup began to solemnly remove his armor.
Sky chuckled quietly. “That was very Celestia of you.”
She blushed ever so faintly, shuffling her wings. “Well, I did study under her for a few years.”
Beside him, Cara was having a very opposite reaction to the armor presented to him. His eyes were wide, and he lifted the peytral with a sense of awe and respect. Sky donned his own set with rather less consideration, holding his necklace out of the way as he strapped on the peytral and slipped the helmet over his head.
When Cara lifted the helmet, he hesitated, taking a slow, deep breath before reverently sliding it over his horn and down onto his head. After a moment of stillness, he gave a faint smile, looking to Sky, and they exchanged a silent nod.
Turning his attention back to his own armor, Sky gave a quick shake of his head and rolled his shoulders. The armor held securely in place, and didn’t restrict his movements in the slightest. It was also quite lightweight. It was almost as if he was wearing nothing at all.
“Not bad,” came a voice from behind him, and he turned to see Rainbow grinning at him. “Even if you look a bit too much like one of Chrysalis’s goons.”
“Well, that is the point,” Sky said with a chuckle. They both ignored Elytron’s dirty look.
A hum drew their attention to Songbird, the sound growing louder as the fans started to spin. Sky’s smile faded. “Looks like it’s about time for us to get going.”
“Yeah,” Dash said, stepping up to slip a foreleg around his shoulder. “Just don’t go kicking too much flank without me, okay? Flying in to the rescue is supposed to be my job!”
He laughed. “You can get the next one.”
“Good,” Dash said. “Or at least save a few for us. There are still a couple chariots waiting, so we’ll all be riding in with Celestia.”
“Hopefully we’ll all be done by then,” Sky said. “Still, it’ll be good to see you there.”
“Hey, at least this way I’ll get to see a bit of the hive, too.”
Eventually, she let her leg slip from around his shoulders. “So, um… well, I know you’ve done it plenty before, just because… well, you kinda need to, being a changeling and all, we just never really talked about it, and…” She reached up, scratching uneasily at the back of her head. “Um, do you need, like, a meal before you go or something?”
Sky smiled, nudging her gently with his shoulder. “I’m good, but thanks.” He leaned in close, speaking softly. “Maybe when we get back.”
Then he planted a kiss right on the tip of her nose.
Her wings snapped forward to cover her nose with a pair of primary feathers, which mostly hid her brilliant blushing. He, meanwhile, took a couple steps back, snickering. It took her a few moments before she tucked her wings back, pretending as if the lingering blush weren’t there. She glared at him, though the effect was thoroughly undermined by the grin she was struggling against. “Oh, I’m going to prank the heck out of you when we get back.”
Sky laughed.
With a buzz of wings, Nictis landed lightly atop the table. “Okay, everyone, we’re all set to go. Time to get loaded up.”
Cara quickly said goodbye to Fluttershy, who he had been talking to, and hurried back to rejoin the group. He jerked to a halt as Princess Chittri lit up in green flames. When the flames receded, she looked like a common drone. A very common drone, for that matter, with the kind of insignificant and forgettable appearance that would be hard to pick out from a crowd of other changelings.
Queen Chrysalis, however, muttered irritably to herself before transforming. Her disguise was much less subtle. In fact, it stood out as immediately wrong. Drones did not have manes, or green eyes with slit pupils, or jagged horns. They also weren’t female.
Nictis looked at her disguise with clear distaste. “Chrysalis, the point of a disguise is to blend in.”
“No,” Chrysalis replied with a sharp glare, “right now the point is size. When we get to the hive, then we can focus on blending in.”
Nictis frowned, but evidently didn’t feel like fighting her on that. Instead, he fluttered over to Twilight. “Princess, you can take the seat behind Spark Wheel.”
“That’s okay,” Twilight replied with a smile. “That’s your seat, isn’t it?”
“Usually,” Nictis said. “But I’m happy to give it up. It’ll probably be much more comfortable than squeezing in the back with everyling else.”
“Thank you for the concern,” Twilight said, “but I’m sure I’ll be fine. Besides, I was looking forward to the opportunity to talk with Princess Chittri.”
Nictis hesitated a moment, but finally gave a shrug. “As you wish.”
One by one, the assembled changelings approached the rear of Songbird. The space in the body directly behind the seats and motors was open on the top, giving a small space for cargo, or in this case, passengers. The toolbox that had resided inside was instead sitting along the nearby castle wall, but there was still little room. By the time even half of them were inside, it was clear that it would be a cramped flight. Chests and hips were pressed together, faces uncomfortably close, with no room for legs to move, much less stretch out.
Twilight was the last in, sliding down along the divider that separated them from the motors and transmission. “Well, this is going to be cozy,” she mused, and after a few moments, gave up trying to slip her wings in at her sides. There simply wasn’t any room.
Nictis hovered above them, frowning. “Everyone set, then?”
A few changelings grunted in the affirmative, and Nictis slipped off to the side, diving under the fans, and popping up again near the front of the craft to take his seat.
Celestia approached to stand a short distance away, smiling. “One last thing,” she said, loud and clear enough to be heard by everyone around despite the hum of the flying machine. “I won’t keep you long. I know some of us were enemies just a short time ago, but I want to thank you all for what you’re doing today. You have set aside the differences that would divide us, so that we can work together for the benefit of both our people.” She bowed her head, a gesture that was echoed by the Equestrian changelings as best as they could in those cramped conditions. Even Princess Chittri mimicked the gesture.
Stepping back, Celestia added, “Fly fast and true.”
The hum of the fans changed, growing deeper as they bit into the air. The volume grew quickly, and Sky could feel the whole vehicle shift slightly beneath him. There was a faint scrape of metal, and he felt the weight of his body diminish as the vehicle moved. Flight instinct screamed that the movement was all wrong as he went down; instead of lifting, the vehicle pitched backward, the tail end banging down against the landing with a jarring impact.
The roar of the engines immediately diminished, and freed of its lift, the vehicle pitched forward again to slam down onto its skids, and the small cargo bay became a miniature tidal wave of changelings. The impact lifted Sky from where he sat, throwing him forward to faceplant into the side of Twilight’s chest. Then gravity reasserted itself over momentum, and he dropped down to land awkwardly atop Elytron.
Drone-Chrysalis snarled as she shoved Cara off of her. “Well that was an auspicious start,” she growled. “Thank you so much for all the help, Equestria.”
Hooves thumped down on the tail-end of the body, and Sky looked back to see Rainbow Dash standing there, looking on with concern. “Everyone okay in there?”
“Yeah, great,” Sky said, finally managing to push himself enough to the side to get off of a thoroughly irritated Elytron.
Another clatter of hooves announced Spark’s arrival, clamboring over the center of the transmission to look in on them. After making sure everyone was okay, he apologized. “Sorry, guys. It’s just way too much weight too far back. It’s just too imbalanced, I can’t get her into trim.”
He heard Nictis’s voice come from Spark’s other side. “How much weight do we need to lose?”
“I’m not sure,” Spark said. “Probably about... half of it.”
There were a few groans. Instead of complaining, however, Sky tried to focus on solving the problem. “Is there any way we can fix this?”
Spark looked over the length of Songbird, then down at the transmission beneath his hooves. “Uh, if I had a full machine shop and half a day I could move the whole flight assembly back three or four feet, but I don’t think that’s really an option right now.”
Chrysalis snorted. “We can always ditch some of the extra weight,” she said, looking pointedly at Twilight.
Fade spoke up. “Maybe we could hang off the sides? It’ll be tiring, but it’d be balanced.”
“What about up front?” Sky asked. “If we opened one of the body panels, could a couple of us squeeze in, in front of your seat?”
Sky jerked as green fire flashed beside him. He turned, and then looked down. Beside him, Cara pushed back the suddenly too-large helmet to look back up with the wide, bright eyes of a small changeling nymph.
There was a moment of silence before Princess Chittri chuckled, and a moment later she transformed as well. “It seems the issue of mass is easily solved,” she said, though in a very young male voice.
With that, the rest quickly transformed. Even Chrysalis eventually relented, with plenty of dark muttering; Sky found it incredibly difficult to not laugh, though, when that muttering was coming from a tiny female nymph.
Not only had the weight problem been solved, but there was now plenty of room for everyone. It was almost comfortable.
Then he heard a snicker. Looking up, he saw Dash still looking in from the tail of the craft, grinning down at them. “You guys have to be, like... the cutest, least threatening commando team ever!” she said, and burst out laughing.
“That’s it,” Chrysalis snarled in a way-too-adorable voice before transforming back to her previous guise. “I’m drawing the line at drones.”
Dash took to the air again, swooping in to hover beside where Sky sat. “Now, don’t keep little Sky up too late,” she teased, reaching in to noogie him, despite the helmet. “He gets all cwanky if he doesn’t get enough sweep!”
Sky groaned, pulling his loose helmet down to cover his face. “I’m not sure if I deserve this,” he said, which just made Rainbow laugh more.
He could hear the faint clunking of Spark’s hooves as the pony made his way back to the pilot seat. “Okay, everyone!” Spark called back. “Let’s try this again!”
Once again, the volume grew to a steady roar. As the weight started to lift, Songbird started to pitch back once again, but this time it recovered, and with a faint scrape, the skids lifted from the ground. Songbird slowly turned, then continued to pitch forward, smoothly accelerating away.
Sky slid off the much-too-large helmet, rising up on his hind legs to peer over the side, the wind rapidly growing to a roar as they built up speed. Rainbow Dash was flying alongside them, keeping pace. She grinned as she caught his eye, and finally gave a salute before peeling away, circling back toward the city.
They soared out over the valley, the city steadily falling away behind them.
Sky turned and sat again, his back resting against the wall of the vehicle, and sighed.
Across from him, the nymph form of Princess Chittri sighed as well, before looking over to Twilight with a scarily adorable smile. “I must say, Your Highness, I am glad that you have accompanied us. I had figured Princess Celestia would prefer to have at least one pony of authority on this endeavor. I am glad she sent one who might provide an enlightening conversation, without being…” Chittri made a show of carefully considering her words. “...As terrifying as your fellow princesses.”
“Terrifying?” Twilight echoed, looking surprised, and Chittri shook her head.
“I mean no disrespect, Your Highness. It is not a critique of your capability, nor do I intend it as a criticism of your peers. You have personally confronted entities that some would describe as gods, and have overcome many great terrors. One could hardly consider any of the alicorns to be insignificant, but you are possibly the most relatable of the four.”
“Oh,” Twilight said. Her wings shuffled at her side.
“I apologize,” Chittri said, bowing her head. “I did not intend to make you uncomfortable. It is simply that ponies see them--and you--much differently than an outsider does. While ponies look up to their princesses with adoration, feeling secure in their presence, to others you are forces of nature. Only a foolish individual would not regard such beings with some degree of fear.”
Chrysalis snorted quietly. “Or you’re simply a coward, trying to excuse your pathetic behavior.”
Twilight cast Chrysalis a glance before looking back to Chittri. “I know many changelings look to Celestia with fear when they first come to Equestria, but they’ve all seen that she isn’t somepony to fear. She’s a wise and gentle ruler who cares for all of her subjects, pony or not.”
“Oh, I know she is,” Chittri replied, “and that is why she terrifies me.”
Frowning, Twilight asked, “Why would that make you fear her?”
“The other princesses are obvious,” Chittri said. “Princess Cadance can sway the mind on a whim, an insidious power in the wrong hooves. Princess Luna has twice cast the world into darkness, and can haunt our dreams in the most literal sense. But Princess Celestia…”
Chittri was silent for several seconds before a hint of a smile crept onto her face. “I hope that, once this has been finished, Your Highness might grace me with the opportunity to peruse your library. I would very much like the opportunity to relax and simply read, without such pressing matters demanding my attention. You see, I have become rather fond of Equestrian literature. As an Infiltrator, I prize myself on my ability to wield words as weapons, yet ponies have taken those words and turned them into an artform. They give them a poetic flourish, delivering more impact with just a few words than others might say with a hundred.
“There are many elegant phrases ponies have concocted, as beautiful in their simplicity as they are powerful in their depth. I enjoy many of them, and always enjoy when the opportunity presents itself for them to be of use. There is one in particular that comes to mind, at the moment.” Chittri laid her head back against the side of the vessel. “Beware the wrath of a kind mare.”
Twilight frowned, but remained silent.
“The Princesses of Equestria are great in power, but that is not what gives me pause. It is the strength of your convictions, your certainty that what you do is right, and your devotion towards caring for your subjects. Princess Celestia is a kind ruler, yes. She also has an unshakable dedication to doing what she sees as right.” Chittri slowly shook her head. “Once she knew of the risk to the prisoners held within the hive, there was not a force on this world that could prevent Celestia from seeing them free. We will bend to her will, or we will break. She would do this not out of hatred, but because she cares, and that is why she terrifies me.”
Twilight remained still, thinking on that for several seconds. “...But she’s right,” she said, a sense of caution to her words. “They need to be freed.”
It was Chittri’s turn to think a moment, though she did so with a thoughtful smile. “You are very much like her. Perhaps I underestimate you.”
Chrysalis groaned, her head thumping against the side of Songbird as she leaned back. “This is going to be a long trip.”
Sky hung over the edge of the craft, forelegs and head resting against the metal side as he watched the ground far below. Twilight and Chittri had gone quiet some time ago, leaving only the sound of the wind whipping by to fill the gap, and he kept himself occupied watching Songbird’s shadow sweeping swiftly across the terrain below.
The forest was gone. It had seemed like an unending ocean of green, rippling with hills and mottled by clearings and stretches of wetlands. Even from high in the sky, the dark wilderness of the Everfree Forest had stood out clearly. He could imagine any number of mysteries lurking in the darkness beneath that canopy.
Eventually, even that mighty sea had ended. The canopy grew sparse, then disappeared entirely. Now Songbird’s shadow swept across the barren terrain below, cracked through with canyons and studded with rocky hills. It was impressive in its own way, though the difference was striking. Whereas the Everfree Forest had been teeming with life, hardly anything lived within the Badlands.
The final fringes of the Everfree had faded over the horizon when Songbird pitched down. Nictis climbed up to shout past the transmission, “We’re not far out, now. Be ready to move as soon as we touch down. Those of you with symbols should give them to Princess Twilight.”
A compass on a golden chain floated back in a field of green magic, lowering to Twilight’s waiting hooves. Sky passed his sapphire cloud pendant over as well. Cara, however, seemed particularly reluctant. He stared down at the simple butterfly hanging on its string, holding it for several long seconds before gingerly handing it over. Twilight took it gently, offering a warm smile. “I’ll keep it safe for you.”
Cara smiled weakly in return.
Sky leaned out over the edge again, looking forward. He could see Nictis giving his map a quick scan before leaning up behind Spark, pointing a hoof as he gave directions. Songbird rolled slightly to the side as they continued to descend, lining up between a pair of rocky hills. Before long the peaks of those hills were looming above them. Songbird slowed as they descended, but only slightly. Soon the nimble little flying machine was weaving through canyons, around rocky outcroppings, and even flying under a great stone arch.
Then they turned the corner of a canyon to find a dead end, shadowed with overcropping rocks high above. Spark yawed the vehicle around, sweeping into a gentle turn as he shed the rest of their speed. With a final balancing wobble, the skids touched down.
Sky scooped up his discarded armor and clambered up onto the side of the craft. His magic flashed, stripping away his disguise, and his wings buzzed to life.
And for some reason, he couldn’t help but give an eager little smile.