The fortress of your enemy
The night was cool in Manehattan. A gentle breeze blew through the buildings, causing the few ponies that wandered the streets to wish they had brought something to wear. Haruspex, mayor of the city, was sitting on the balcony of his apartment, along with Spearhead, the captain of the city Ground Guard.
Haruspex glanced at his guest. Spearhead had demanded to see him as soon as possible, but so far she hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary. Having run out of the usual banal banter, the two ponies had fallen quiet, sipping on their respective drinks.
The mayor brought the cup to his lips and frowned when he discovered he had run out of tea. “Curses. Excuse me for a second, I’ll make more tea.” He made an attempt to get up, but was held down by the white glow of Spearhead’s telekinesis.
“Please wait,” she said, still gazing into the distance. “We have matters to discuss.”
Haruspex crooked an eyebrow and dropped himself back into the chair. A full minute passed, and no other word came from the captain. “Well?” grumbled the mayor, crossing his forelegs in annoyance. “What is it, Spearhead?”
The mare turned her head to look at him and gave him a vacant look. “Spearhead?” cautiously muttered the Haruspex. “What is wrong?”
Something flew across the Moon. Both ponies looked up, missing the figure that hovered towards them by the side. Two hooves clad in blue metal made contact with the railing. “Y-your majesty!” yelped Haruspex as the large alicorn landed on the balcony. “W-w-we weren’t expecting a visit! I would have prepared a p-proper reception!” The stallion quickly bowed, his nose nearly touching the floor.
Behind him, Spearhead had also gotten on all four…but she was heading for the door, trying to go unnoticed by the monarch. A midnight blue glow locked the door. Spearhead grimaced and gave it a little, useless push. A shiver ran down her spine. When she looked back, she discovered the alicorn looming above her, piercing her very soul with those sharp blue eyes.
“T-that is Spearhead,” stammered Haruspex. “S-she is the captain of the Guard. I could have s-sworn you met her when-” Nightmare Moon threw her head forwards and closed her jaws around the neck of the mare. “Sweet Celestia!” He shouted, only realizing a second later of what he had just said. “Oh no please no!” He looked over the railing. The street was four floors below. No wings, no magic. Earth ponies were tougher than the other races. There was a chance. Haruspex planted his left hind hoof on the railing. He gave one last look back before jumping.
Nightmare Moon was standing behind him. She still carried the body in her teeth…but it wasn’t a pony anymore. Haruspex shuddered. The alicorn opened her jaws and the dead changeling fell in a haphazard mess. Haruspex looked at the corpse, then at the alicorn, then at the corpse again. “I-I don’t understand,” he stuttered.
“There is a hive of changelings beneath your city,” stated Nightmare Moon. She ran her tongue over her fangs. “We will kill the queen. Rally the guard. You will deal with the survivors.”
Haruspex gave a weak nod, more as an acknowledgement than an agreement. Satisfied, Nightmare Moon unfurled her wings and took off into the night.
The mayor stood in place for several minutes, trembling and with his eyes fixed in the body. Finally, he recovered enough to walk on his wobbly knees, and forced himself to go back inside, to follow the alicorn’s orders. He stopped short at the door, staring at the lock on the other side.
“She left the latch on…” he sighed.
***
Miasma?
What?
Lacera is dead.
Yes, Ambrosia. I am well aware.
I can’t believe she is gone. She was the oldest of us, Miasma. And just like that, she is gone.
…
Are you okay, Miasma?
…why wouldn’t I be okay?
Miasma, your mother is dead.
…
Miasma?
…
How can you be so calm, Miasma? Your mother just died and you don’t even mention it!
Will you stop with your pointless rattle, Ambrosia?! So what if Lacera is dead?! Good riddance! We are better off without her!
I know you didn’t get along with her, but…what if one of us had died?! Would you still be so cold? Would you be glad we’re gone, Miasma?
Ambrosia, if you don’t shut up, I swear next time I see you, I will slap you so hard I will liquefy that stupid goop you call mane!
Enough!
…
…
You are so annoying. Both of you. I wish I didn’t need your help for this, just so I didn’thave to deal with your stupid bickering. Lacera’s death was unfortunate, but her loss is rather minor. We hold the largest hives. The plan can continue undisturbed. Understood?
Yes…
Yes!
Good. Again, I must emphasize that any deviation will be personally punished. I have been waiting for this for decades, and I won’t have any of you ruin it! No excuses. No second chances. I don’t think I am being unreasonable. I have assigned each of you very doable tasks. Agreed?
Uh-hu!
…
Miasma?
Yeah, yeah. All is fine and dandy.
…I will contact you tomorrow. Keep me updated on anything relevant.
Queen Chrysalis blinked. Coming back from a telepathic conference was always a strange sensation. It felt like disconnecting from a small hive mind with souls similar to her own; to connect to a much larger hive, but far weaker individually. The mighty queen played momentarily with the idea of mentally subduing the other queens, much like the drones were chained to her will, but quickly discarded it. If it were that easy, the changeling race would have united long, long ago.
While she got used to the familiar sensation of the thousand of drones relaying information back and forth, Chrysalis took the chance to stretch her limbs. She hadn’t moved as much as she would have wanted in the last few days. The sewers were a great hiding spot, but there was little to do in them apart from remotely shepherding her drones.
Chrysalis studied her surroundings. She had made her personal chamber at the largest available room in the convoluted maze that was the Manehattan sewers. She had made her drones cover the walls with thick goop, isolating it as much as possible from the disgusting smells that permeated every tunnel. In that last regard, they had been mildly successful, at best. At least she wasn’t anymore ankle-deep in literal liquid excrements.
The changeling queen furrowed her brow. Her mind felt less cluttered than usual. She didn’t remember spawning any lieutenant changeling recently. Suspicious, she dove into the hive mind.
She was welcome by a whirlwind of sensations and emotions. The smell of burned chitin, the heat of blue flames, the crunching of bones and the pain that came with them. Dread. The swarm was being trampled by something so mighty than their efforts to fight back were futile. Hissing between her fangs, the queen organized the defense. She hadn’t expected her to find them so quickly.
Several minutes later, the wall that covered one of the piles that led into her chamber exploded. Nightmare Moon charged inside in a cloud of dust, blue fire and charred organic remains. She slammed her hooves in the place where Chrysalis had been standing, shattering the tiling. The alicorn gave the changing a vitriolic leer. Midnight blue fire poured from her eyes, and her body was covered in scrapes and bite marks. Chrysalis smirked. There was a quiet pause.
Then the ground below Nightmare Moon exploded. Chrysalis threw her head back and cackled. But she wasn’t stupid enough to think that had been enough. She light up her horn and prepared for the confrontation.
***
“Sunset Shimmer!”
Ten seconds passed. Nothing happened. Twilight pouted, inhaled and tried to scream a bit louder. Ponyville was empty, but there was no echo. The branches of the towering black tree swayed back and forth under the gentle breeze. Nightmare Moon had abandoned her palace half an hour ago. Sunset was nowhere to be seen.
Far away, at the edge of the Everfree Forest, six ponies stood in a close group, with a seventh one sitting a bit further away. A second Twilight Sparkle glanced back at Trixie and shuffled nervously on her hooves. “Okay…I should get going. How is the spell?” she asked her.
“It’s perfect,” replied the blue unicorn in a monotonous voice. Trixie had taken off her cloak and was sitting on the center of an arcane circle, slowly rocking her head as she fed magic into her spell. “Don’t worry; your mother is completely indistinguishable from you."
“Right, right,” Twilight flexed her legs. “Let’s do this!” She broke into a fast trot, only to stop and look back to her friends. “The five of you should go back to the campsite.”
“What?!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “You’ve got to be kidding! We’ve got first row seats here! No way we’re going to miss this!”
Twilight gave her an annoyed look. “What Dash means,” interfered Applejack, draping a foreleg over Rainbow’s back. “Is that we’ll stay until we know you made it there alrigh’. Then we will leave. Right, Rainbow?” She gave the pegasus a squeeze.
Dash flickered her ears. “Hgn. Fine, fine!” she reluctantly grumbled, pouting.
“Can…can I go now?” whispered Fluttershy. “I don’t really want to watch.”
“Yeah, me neither,” muttered Pinkie Pie. “Let’s go.”
Twilight watched Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy go. “Right. You two,” she pointed to Dash and Applejack. “I want you gone as soon as possible. Same goes for you, Trixie.” There was a grunt of acknowledgement from the unicorn. Satisfied, Twilight took a deep breath and headed to Ponyville in a light trot. Just as she reached the edge of the village, she saw an equine figure on the balcony. Gritting her teeth, she hurried behind a house. She had to remain obscured from then on.
***
A faint creak and the sound of hoofsteps announced the presence of a pony on the balcony. Twilight Velvet took a deep breath and flicked her tail. Her deception had to be perfect. She squared her shoulders, raised her horn and generally tried to look as imposing and determined as possible. Perhaps too much, she though, frowning. Shining Armor would be the one doing that. Twilight would probably just be miffed. Velvet tried to look less proud and more miffed.
On the edge of the balcony, a figure peeked. It was an irritated and tired Sunset Shimmer. She saw Twilight glaring at her and did a double take. “Twilight? Is that you?”
Velvet’s stare intensified. “Yes, it’s me.”
Sunset perked up visibly. “Twilight! I am so glad to see you!” She planted her hind hooves on the railing and threw herself in the air, spreading her yellow wings just enough to transform the fall into a smooth glide. Her hooves contacted the ground just in front of Twilight. Sunset’s smile was bright for a fraction of a second, then turned awkward and faltered entirely. She looked down at Twilight, aware of the great height difference since the last time they had met. “So…uh…hey.”
“Hey?” Velvet deadpanned. “That’s all you’ve got to say?”
Sunset avoided her eyes. “Look, I…you might the wrong idea, but truth be told I am…I don’t-”
“Don’t try to justify yourself!” snapped Velvet. Sunset took a step back, shock plain on her face. “You are a traitor! You turned your back to the rightful monarch of this kingdom and joined forces with…with…with that!” She pointed her hoof to the tower. The alicorn looked back at the tower and missed Velvet’s flinch. She could have compromised the whole plan with that single mistake. When Sunset looked back at her, her temper had burn out. Sunset, however, was notably more upset.
“Is this what you came for, Twilight?” she grumbled. “This is so unlike you. So what if I turned my back to Celestia? She did the same to me. She never told you that, did she?”
Velvet hesitated for a brief instant. Perhaps, her daughter would have investigated; but she didn’t know Sunset well enough. Instead, she drew upon to her original plan. “Sunset Shimmer, I can’t let this affront against Celestia go unpunished,” she said with the most presumptuous voice she could muster. She knew Twilight wasn’t like that, but she was aiming to get Sunset furious. “I challenge you to a magic duel.”
Sunset’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“You heard me, Sunset,” snapped Velvet. “I will make you regret your treason!”
There was a tense silence that stretched for several seconds. And then, Sunset began to laugh.
“Really, Twilight?” she managed to say. “I don’t think you realize,” she spread both wings and alternately pointed to each with a hoof. “See these? You’re not dealing with the average unicorn anymore. I am an alicorn! I’ve risen beyond the limits of a normal unicorn, and into the realm of legends!”
Twilight Velvet began to back away.
“You have no idea what it feels like!” continued Sunset. She wasn’t looking at Velvet anymore. “It’s electrifying! There is just so much power I can put behind everything I do! I feel like I could reach the celestial sphere with a single leap! It’s like Nightmare Moon took away the chains that had been burdening me my whole life!”
Twilight Velvet tilted her head forwards.
“And it’s not just my body!” Sunset began pacing back and forth. “I have looked at some of the books she keeps in her palace! They speak of things I wouldn’t have dreamed! I can’t understand half of what they say, and I was Celestia’s pupil! How much has Celestia kept hidden from me? Nightmare Moon doesn’t limit my curiosity, she feeds it, allows me to learn. How…” Sunset blinked, as if remembering something. She turned her head and saw the petite figure of Twilight almost hidden behind the rolling ball of white-hot flame that hovered right above her horn. “…oh.”
Velvet let go of her magic. The blaze hit Sunset square-on and exploded into a whirl of smoke that sprouted into a mushroom shape high above the roofs of the houses. The unicorn grinned while she squinted at the dust lifted. Not bad.
Something shot up from the cloud. Of course, Velvet wasn’t expecting Sunset to be defeated so easily. But at least, she had expected her attack to injure her. Or anger her, at the bare minimum. But, when Sunset spread her wings and started circling above her, she was smiling joyfully.
***
“Whoah! Did you see that!”
Rainbow Dash turned and saw neither Applejack nor Rarity shared her excitement. Both had their eyes wide open and the jaws hanging. “Twi’s mom is there…” whimpered the earth pony.
“I-I think that was her spell, darling,” muttered Rarity. “Yes, look! The duel has just begun!” Next to her, Applejack let out a sigh of relief. Sunset batted her wings, dodging a white beam that pierced the night and answering with a wave of flames that set alight some the roof of a house. Rarity bit her lip. “I am starting to have second thoughts about Velvet’s plan. She might have underestimated Sunset’s-” The violent hum of another white-hot spell drowned her words. Rarity grimaced. “All this magic being tossed about is going to give me a headache. If you’d excuse me, I will return to the camp.”
“Yeah, Ah’m with you, Rares,” drawled Applejack, getting on her hooves.
“You guys aren’t fun! When are we ever gonna get the chance to-” There was a white flash. Rainbow turned her head in time to see Sunset being engulfed by hallowed flames. “Ack! You can do whatever you want! I am gonna get a better view!” The pegasus dashed off, ignoring the voices of the other two ponies. She ascended to the top of the castle, using the discolored leaves as cover.
Rainbow Dash was having a blast. The duel was on its apogee. The alicorn and the unicorn danced in circles, casting shimmering teal magic the first, and divine fire the other. The cobblestone of the street was scorched, molten and outright exploded in several places. There was so much magic in the air that Rainbow felt a tingle on her wings.
It was out of sheer luck that Rainbow Dash decided to tear her eyes away from the fight and look downwards. If she hadn’t, she would have missed Twilight Sparkle pacing back and forth next to the base of the tree. ‘Wasn’t she supposed to be inside already?’ she though. Fighting her urge to continue spectating, she spread her wings and descended.
“Hey Twilight, what’s up?”
Twilight stopped on her tracks and whipped around. “What’s up?!” she hissed. Dash instinctively recoiled. Her mane was notably more frazzled than just a few minutes ago and her expression was a mixture of desperation and madness. “There’s a field!”
“…uh…wha-”
“A teleportation barrier!” Twilight paused, expectantly. Rainbow held her gaze for a few seconds, trying to understand what the unicorn was trying to say. “It’s teleportation-proooooof!” Her voice degenerated into a whimper as she pulled her mane.
The confused pegasus watched Twilight curl into a ball, rocking back and forth and running her hoof over her tail. Her lips moved but no sound came out. Rainbow’s confusion was caused less by the unicorn’s reaction than by how simple the solution was.
“What if I…fly you there?” she dared to suggest.
The rocking stopped immediately. Very slowly, Twilight turned her head and locked her tear-stained eyes into Rainbow’s. “W-what?”
“Yeah. I can just slid my hooves under your forelegs, take off, and drop you there,” She shrugged her wings. “No biggie.”
The unicorn uncurled herself and let out a little hiccup. “I…uh…well…” Twilight got on her hooves. “I might have overreacted.”
“A little, yeah.”
The flight to the balcony was short but frantic. Twilight had flown before, riding a sky chariot; but the void under her hooves while being hoisted upwards by Rainbow Dash was completely different. She kept a cushioning spell prepared until her hooves brushed the tiles of the balcony. “A-alright,” she stammered, glad to feel something solid under all four hooves. “You go back to the camp; I’ll find the Elements,” Rainbow Dash bit her lip and looked back at the raging duel. “No!” hissed the unicorn, guessing the train of thought of the pegasus. “If Sunset sees you, the whole plan will fall apart.” Rainbow opened her mouth to argue, but raised her hooves in defeat when she met Twilight’s icy glare. The unicorn only delayed enough to see Rainbow Dash bolting off towards the forest.
It was warmer inside the tree. The living quarters were illuminated by a bluish light that seemed to emanate from everywhere. Unsurprisingly, the air was shimmering with magic. More surprisingly was the ludicrous degree of furnishing. Most of the space was occupied by tables, night stands, chairs and shelves; with only a few slender paths allowing movement. Hundreds of books littered the place. Twilight crooked an eyebrow. Did Nightmare Moon like hoarding furniture? Or perhaps they were some sort of trophies?
The unicorn walked up to the closest cabinet and opened it. Unsurprisingly, it was empty. Twilight weighted her options. Manually checking every single spot would take hours. And the place was so coated in residual magic that detecting the aura of the Elements by normal means would take far too long. The best solution was…tracking their arcane scent. Twilight took a look around, just in case; before lowering her nuzzle to the floor and taking a deep sniff.
***
Twilight Velvet was running out of energy. Mana was not an issue; yet. And while she was fairly fit for a mare of her age, she was still a pony well into her forties. Dodging a continuous stream of spells for a few minutes had left her gasping for breath and sweating profusely.
“You know, I am a bit divided,” said Sunset. Velvet glared at the alicorn. She had landed and was looking at her with her head tilted. She didn’t seem tired. In fact, she looked fresh. Velvet blew a bang off her face. “On one hoof, you’re casting starfire! That’s amazing!”
Velvet allowed herself a grin. Starfire, the same magic that made up the very Moon and Stars up in the firmament. Hers was a talent that gave her control over what would usually be only within an alicorn’s reach. Granted, being able to summon literal stars didn’t have many uses in her daily life; but the simple fact of knowing she could was thrilling.
“On the other hoof, you’re fighting like an old lady.”
Velvet deflated like a balloon and slumped. “I am glad you are getting that impression,” she deadpanned.
Sunset smiled sheepishly. “Too direct? Sorry, it just feels like there is less ‘oomph’ behind your spells today.” The mare glanced back at her wings as flapped them once. “Or maybe it is just that I am now and al…i…oh.” Sunset fell dead quiet. Her eyes darted left and right across the cobblestone.
“…uh…Sunset?”
Sunset let out something between a nervous laugh and a choked gasp. “Oh Celestia, she is not going to be happy!” She locked her wide-open eyes on Velvet’s. “Twilight, you’ve got to help me!”
“I-”
“Please!” Sunset run up to Velvet and took her hoof on hers. “You’re got to get me out of here! You have to hide me!”
“But-”
“Not in Canterlot! Too obvious!”
Velvet opened and closed her mouth several times, at lost for words. She turned her head and Sunset followed her eyes. Far in the distance, the Mount Canterlot sat in the horizon like a tear on the tapestry of the night. “What?” asked Sunset, squinting at the mountain.
“You mean you don’t know?” said Velvet. “Canterlot is gone.”
A beat. Sunset let go of her hoof. “What do you mean, gone?”
“Gone,” repeated the unicorn.
“Yes, I heard you the first time. What do you mean with ‘gone’ ?”
“Literally that!” shouted Velvet “Your beloved new alicorn tore it off the mountain!”
Sunset looked at the peak again. The marble buildings of Canterlot were nowhere to be seen. She had noticed it before, of course. Some part of her mind screamed there was something wrong about that; but the other part, more sensible, argued that Ponyville was facing the opposite side of the mountain. A pit opened on the bottom of her stomach. Twilight was telling the truth. She recalled her flight to Ponyville in the sky chariot, she had been able to see the village since they took off from the royal palace. There was a direct line of sight from Ponyville to Canterlot. She should be able to see the capital.
Velvet looked at the young alicorn with a mixture of pity and disapproval. She was having a hard time understanding what was going through Sunset’s head. Just a few minutes ago, she was having a… friendly spar against her. Now, something seemed to have broken inside her. The older mare let out a heavy sigh and rested her hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. Her head turned to her violently. She had tears on her eyes. Velvet’s anger dissipated like a flame underwater. “Let’s go,” she whispered.
And then, a loud wave of arcane energy washed past them.
***
Twilight glanced over the railing. A good fifty meters of fall looked back at her. Her first instinct was, of course, to teleport directly to the ground; but the solid, dull magic of the teleportation shield prevented it. Perhaps she could force her way through it, but that would give up her position to Sunset instantly.
Speaking of which, where was she?
Twilight cautiously walked across the perimeter of the balcony. Both Sunset and her mother were nowhere to be seen. The night was quiet and still, and even the residual magic was beginning to fade. From her position, the unicorn could see the collateral devastation brought by the two combatants. The chimney of a house collapsed when the fire weakened the wooden frame that held it. Twilight rolled her eyes. ‘Show-offs.’
The unicorn placed her hind hooves on the railing. A flare? The forest was nearby. Rainbow Dash could see it and fly her down. But it would be slower than forcing a teleportation, and just as noticeable.
‘The shield doesn’t extend all the way down the tree,’ thought Twilight. It was a stupid idea. But it was probably her only way down. ‘I estimate I have about 50 meters to the ground.’ She trotted to the center of the balcony, faced the railing and kicked the tiles. ‘Let’s see…given a uniform acceleration, the elapsed time from S0 to SN is…uh…oh, screw it! Chaaaaaaarge!’
Very few ponies learn how to teleport, so it is not surprising that the subtler mechanics are unknown to the grand majority of equinity. For instance, many ponies don’t know that modern teleportation spells keep the momentum of the user. Even less ponies know that it is entirely possible to change your angling, simply because most ponies like to have their hooves on the ground when they re-appear.
Twilight teleported as soon as the pressure of the field disappeared. Her entrails swayed violently at the sudden 90-degree change of gravity. For a brief, blissful instant, the unicorn experimented an innocent displacement in the direction she was moving. Then, her back legs touched ground. Twilight rolled over the cobblestone for several meters, crashed into a building and collapsed in a heap.
The unicorn waited for the world around her to stop spinning and her stomach to settle. Her posture was far from comfortable, but it was hard to tell apart which discomfort was caused by it, and which by the tumbling on the stones. When the urge to throw up faded, Twilight dared to cautiously untangle her limbs. She sat up, grimacing at the dozen of minor scrapes all over her body. “Right. That wasn’t so bad,” she muttered.
Twilight repressed a scream of pain when she tried to get on her hooves. She tried again, keeping the weight off her left hind leg. A small contraction of the calf confirmed she had hurt her ankle. And now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade, gritting her teeth and endure it was all she could do. She hobbled into a small alley to catch her breath and consider her next movement. A yellow and red blur flew into the castle, leaving behind a golden trail. An instant later, a horrid shriek escaped the open doors of the balcony that caused Twilight’s hair to stand on end.
“Twilight?”
The unicorn yelped and turned around. A perfect clone of herself stood on the shadows of the alley. It took her a moment to recall the situation and find a good explanation for this. “…oh right. Hi mom.” More noises came from the tree. It was as if somepony was tearing apart some wooden furniture and then banging the remains against more furniture. “Uuuuh…what happened?”
“I think she just discovered the Elements are gone,” replied Velvet, wincing at a particularly loud crash. She spoke in whispers, though the racket made it unnecessary. “You have them, yes?” Twilight wiggled her barrel and the shards rattled lightly inside her saddlebags. “Good. Now, get out of here, I’ll see you back in the Woods.”
“I love you Mom,” uttered Twilight as she embraced her mother. “Stay safe.”
The hug lingered for just a moment, as both ponies were aware of the urgent for the situation. Velvet watched her daughter hobble up the street with her leg hanging. When she turned a corner and disappeared from her field of view, Velvet turned her attention back to the tower. The racket had stopped, but Velvet decided to be cautious and retracted into the shadows.
A minute passed. It was impossible to be certain, but Velvet could have sworn to hear a mantra of uttered words coming from the still-open doors of the balcony; but they were ushered by the sound of the breeze. She could have very well imagined it.
And then, suddenly, another scream. An explosion, a surge of flames sprouted through the doors. Sunset came out of the fire, leaving behind a burning trail. She ascended in a corkscrew, unfurled her wings and hovered above Ponyville.
“TWILIGHT!”
Velvet cautiously retracted back into the alley. Sunset circled the castle, watching the streets below while a halo of flames burned around her. Even from that distance, Velvet noticed her flaps were violent and uncoordinated, closer to swatting flies than actual flight; and her face was twisted into an expression of pure fury. Suddenly, she light up her horn and poured her magic into a nearby building, which collapsed almost instantly. She hovered above the carousel-shaped spire, inspecting the wreckage, before flying up once again.
“TWILIGHT!”
“She has devolved into saying a single word,” muttered Velvet, watching Sunset set fire to another house. It didn’t take a genius to guess who Sunset was after, or what she would do when she found her. Her options were limited, and so was her time. With her limp, Twilight couldn’t have gotten very far. There was only one way she could escape before Sunset found her…a decoy.
Velvet took a deep breath, held it…and released it. She was fully aware she was about to do something very stupid. The mare smirked. She couldn’t help to feel strangely excited. She hadn’t had a chance to use her talent at its fullest in years. And who knew, perhaps she could beat Sunset if she really strived for it.
***
“Do you have to do that right now?”
The mare blinked and looked at the stallion sitting at her left. “What?”
He nodded to the cigarette floating on her telekinetic grasp. “You shouldn’t be smoking when you’re on duty.”
The mare smirked. “You call this being on duty?” she said, though she did douse the cigarette on a nearby pool of water. “The Major rang the alarm and summoned everypony here…and…” she made a broad gesture, encompassing the hundreds of bored guards gathered at the main square of Manehattan. They were all donning their armor, while their spears rested on their shoulders. The captain was nowhere to be seen. Very few ponies were even pretending to be on guard anymore, most were chatting idly, resting, or even playing cards. “well, this doesn’t look like an emergency to me, does it?”
The stallion grunted an agreement. He wasn’t in the situation to question the summon; but he could definitely question why they weren’t getting any orders.
“And where’s Spearhead, anyways?” continued the mare, extracting a beaten package of cigarettes from underneath her armor. The stallion gave her a glare, which she ignored entirely. “It’s not like she’s our Captain or anything. I mean, she kinda falls under the Mayor’s command, but he is a civilian and we are the military. He has no right to summon us, unless…unless…” She looked up. The stallion was staring down to the floor, with a grim expression on his face. He had reached the same conclusion.
“Oh, ponyfeathers!” She grabbed him by the shoulders. “Do you think they got her!?”
The stallion furrowed his brow. “How should I know?” he muttered. “I am as lost as you are; but freaking out is not going to help. Just stay put and await orders.”
The mare let go of him and sat down. The arrival of Nightmare Moon, disappearance of Celestia, destruction of Canterlot, and inability for the government to take care of the chaos had meant that the Ministry of the Army had activated the martial law. The army had been mobilized and the reservists called to arms. The existence of the changelings was now a widespread fact across all soldiers, not just officials; and magically-skilled unicorns had been taught detection spells by high-ranged militant magi. Equestria was prepared for a military conflict.
Unfortunately, the very nature of the changelings meant that all this effort had largely gone to waste. There was no army to fight. Only a large number of infiltrators to seek and destroy. They only thing the soldiers could do was to stay alert for anything that might seem unusual or suspicious.
‘…such as a congregation of literally every Guard in a major city, in an exposed area.’ though the guardspony. She raised her head as the realization sank in. Every single Ground Guard had been called to the place. The narrow streets and tall buildings made escaping difficult, even through the air. It was a perfect place for a mass ambush. She turned to speak with her companion, but stopped short when she saw him staring intensely to the floor. “What’s wrong?”
He furrowed his brow. “The ground is shaking,” he muttered. “Do you think it’s just an earthquake, or-”
The ground convulsed violently. The fountain in the middle of the place exploded. Midnight blue fire rose from the crater. Cobblestone, broken marble and magic flames rained down at the terrified guards. Two equine figures shot up into the sky, hovering high above the buildings. They circled each other, exchanging blows, bites and magic. Finally, one managed to hit the other, splitting her in two with a blinding flash. The top half stayed aloft just for a second longer than the bottom.
The ponies on the ground scrambled out of the way. The mare stepped on her tail, tripped and had the body fall just a meter away from her. A gasp got caught on her throat when she saw the changeling queen was still alive. The monster bared her fangs and hissed. She crawled towards her with her two remaining legs, paying no mind to the mortal wound, just a murderous intent on her sickly green eyes. The mare shrieked and kicked her legs, but the queen ignored her thrashing and climbed on her chest, pinning her down with her weight. The pony covered her face with her hooves as the queen loomed over her. The nauseating smell of her breath filled her nostrils. She winced when droplets of drool fell on her face.
When the strike didn’t come, she dared to open her eyes. The gaping maw of the changeling hovered right above her eyes. There was a dark blue stake protruding from the roof of her mouth, with the tip stuck on the cobblestone next to her ear. It hummed gently. She felt somepony grabbing her hoof and pulling her from under the body of the changeling.
Trembling like a leaf, the mare took a look at the changeling queen. The lance of magic had gone cleanly through her head, killing her instantly. Her face was still contorted in the same expression of anger.
The sound of hoofsteps made her turn around. A light blue chestpiece decorated with a silver crescent was at her eyes’ height. Gulping noisily, she craned her neck and saw the piercing turquoise eyes of Nightmare Moon, focused on hers. She smiled sheepishly and stood very still, hoping the alicorn would ignore her.
“Mount her head on a pike,” ordered Nightmare, carefully pronouncing each word. “Let it be a warning for any changeling that may still be alive. So we have said, so it shall be done.” She stepped forwards, forcing the pony to jump out of the way. For a few seconds, she studied the dead body of the queen, before lighting up her horn. The lance faded out of existence and the corpse fell with a splattering sound that made a few ponies gag. Without speaking a single more word, she spread her wings and took flight.
A few minutes later, the emergency services arrived.
***
Breathing heavily, Twilight finally reached the edge of the village. She had never been a fit pony, and trying to run on only three legs was far more tiresome than she would have expected. She headed for a large shed on the outskirts of Ponyville, a warehouse owned by the town hall. Inside, just as planned, was Big Macintosh rigged to a cart. The huge stallion looked up from the oatmeal he was eating and shoot Twilight and inquisitive look.
The unicorn wiggled her hips. “I have them,” she confirmed. She folded her ears back when a particularly large explosion shook the ground. Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow. “Sunset is looking for me. Let’s get out of here before she does.” She hopped on the back of the cart. It contained a complete camping kit, plus some rations and water; intended to be used in case they had to rest before reaching their objective. Applejack had insisted her big brother could make it there in a single go, and then some; but Twilight preferred to be safe. It also provided cover for a more important item.
It was a small tin that seemed perfectly mundane. Twilight and Trixie had spent a whole evening weaving layer after layer of concealing charms, until it was completely opaque to magic. The unicorn carefully levitated the shards of the Elements into the can, shut the lid, and hid it from view under a sleeping bag. She then jumped into the seat and nodded to Big Macintosh.
As they ascended a hill, Twilight looked back at the town. Sunset was still flying in circles above it, bombarding the houses with fire while she screamed her name. She bit her lip, aware of the destruction she was indirectly causing to the homes of so many ponies. Then they began descending the hill, and Ponyville disappeared from her sight. Soon, the dense silence, the sway of the cart, and her own exhaustion caused her to fall asleep.
The unicorn jolted awake when the cart stopped. She stretched her limbs one by one, and was quickly reminded of her injury when she tried to stretch her hindlegs. They were in an entirely different town. While the buildings didn’t have the strange shapes that some of those in Ponyville had, it was more than compensated by the seven-hued flags that hung on the front or the roof of almost every house. A colorful streak flowed under a bridge. They had reached the Rainbow Falls.
After retrieving the shards of the Elements, Twilight dismounted and let Big Macintosh retire to a nearby inn; Then headed down the street, making sure to walk only on three legs. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep. She hadn’t taken note of how high was the Moon on the sky when they had departed, and the watch wasn’t useful either, for the exact same reason. She could only hope her mother had made it out of Ponyville safely.
Down the path, past the last houses of the village, was a large lake of liquified rainbow. Next to it, pacing back and forth, was a familiar three-legged figure. Twilight increased her pace to a trot. Celestia looked up at the sound of her hooves, her concerned expression instantly changed to one of joy. She broke into a gallop and tackle-hugged Twilight, who barely stayed upright. “Oh, Twilight! I am so glad you are okay!”
The unicorn went stiff, unused to such outbursts of emotion from the Princess. “Y-yes, everything went just as planned,” She remembered why she had injured her leg in the first place and chuckled. “Well, almost.”
“I was so worried!” Celestia looked her in the eyes. “Velvet was supposed to send me a letter confirming the success; but I haven’t heard from her since!”
Twilight went stiff. A frigid chill descended down her spine. Very slowly, she lowered her limbs and stared blankly at the Princess. She averted her gaze. “W-we shouldn’t jump into conclusions, Twilight. She might have simply forgotten.” She whispered, though the unicorn could tell she herself didn’t believe her words.
“Let’s just get this over with,” muttered Twilight. She levitated the saddlebags off her back and hoofed them to Celestia, a bit rougher than she had intended. The Princess watched the blank expression of her student for a few more seconds, before turning her attention to the saddlebags. Inside, glittering like stars in the night sky were the shards of the Elements. She let out a heavy sigh and motioned Twilight to follow her, which she did without comment.
“I purposefully chose this place,” muttered Celestia as the two ponies walked around the edge of the lake. “The ritual I intended to perform is very magically loud. I counted on the rainbow falls to muffle the noise, but unfortunately, due to the current crisis, it seems Cloudsdale-”
“Princess?”
“Yes?” Celestia stopped on her tracks and turned to her student.
“I don’t care.” said Twilight with a dulled voice. Celestia remained quiet. “J-just cut the c-chaste and do whatever w-we have come here to do.”
Celestia let out a ragged breath. “Right.”
When they reached the opposite edge of the rainbow lake, Twilight saw what preparations Celestia had a made. A hexagram with one circle on each point, plus a smaller one within the central hexagon. Connected to it by a serpentine line was an additional circle. It was drawn on the ground using white sand, possibly ground quartz. Next to it was a decorated wooden chest. The Princess stepped on the external circle and tilted her head to the other one. Obedient, Twilight sat inside the hexagram while her mentor did the preparations.
Out of habit, Twilight narrowed her eyes and shifted into arcane vision. The magic fabric that was the spellwork appeared around her like a dim ghost. It wasn’t Celestia’s doing. This magic was an unpleasant purple color with hints of pink. In another situation, Twilight would have asked Celestia about this.
The spellwork itself was incredibly simple. It siphoned magic from the six smaller circles around the hexagram, but didn’t alter the energy in any way, it merely caused it to flow to the center, where she was. Celestia was telekinetically placing the shards of the Elements on each circle, separating them by color. Purple and orange behind her. Red and blue to her left and right, respectively. Two distinctive hues of pink ahead. Twilight was beginning to wonder if Celestia was going to weave more to the spell live, when she noticed the small object floating in front of her nose.
“Take it,” spoke Celestia. “You’ll need it.”
Twilight took the object in her telekinesis. It was a small cylinder of tightly-woven linen. A bit. She put it on her mouth without considering the implications. She didn’t care.
The Princess watched Twilight for a few moments, hoping to see some emotion, some reaction other than the dull detachment she had sunk into. “Right,” she whispered, turning her attention to the crystal shards while she stepped into the last empty circle. “Let us begin.” She lighted up her horn, bathing the surroundings in the familiar yellow glow. She first lifted a small dome above them, a privacy spell that she reinforced a few times to make it as impermeable as possible.
Next she began siphoning power from the Elements. There was no fancy spellwork. She simply pulled, and the shards produced a steady and luminescent flow of magic. They coiled and twirled around Twilight, coalescing into a mass of raw magic in front of her. A miniature galaxy, speckled with colorful stars, which slowly spun and pulsated. The young mare stared it, mesmerized by the shifting lights. Because of this, she missed Celestia’s grimace.
A single string of magic reached from the miniature galaxy and flowed into Twilight’s sternum. It blended with her aura, causing it to ripple like a stone thrown in a lake. A warm sensation began to spread across her chest, steadily increasing in intensity. She let it happen, accepting the strange but familiar energy. It felt nice, as if the magic was warming her from inside, fighting the slight chill of the night and healing her aches and exhaustion. When the wave reached her hindlegs, she attempted to move her ankle, with no resulting pain. She smiled in awe at the amazing power of the Elements.
It was then when the heat in her chest started to be uncomfortable. Her smile dipped a bit, but Twilight trusted her mentor. She looked at her for support and saw Celestia’s pained expression. “P-princess?” she muttered through the bit. “What is ha-urk!” It changed in an instant. The heat turned painful, going up and down her spine. It seared the base of her horn. Her vision went blurry. She fell on her knees, and then flat on her belly as her very joins screamed in pain. The essence of the Elements streamed through her body like a furious torrent. Every inch of her body burned and convulsed from inside as the energy forced her to change. Bone, muscle and ligaments stretched. Her horn elongated and spiraled tighter. Raw magic poured from her eyes while lighting arcs sparkled around the tip of her horn. She arched her back upwards and tried to scream through the bit when the muscles on her shoulders were split open and something sprout from them violently, reaching out and falling limp.
And then it was over. The galaxy was exhausted and the spell dissipated. The pain receded just as quick as it had begun, leaving behind only an unwelcome warmth. Panting for air, and with her mind still buzzing from the previous moment, Twilight lost her balance and fell into Celestia’s open arms. She needed the comforting touch of her mentor, of her family. Her mother. All the suffering she had endured recently came out. She broke down crying, unaware of the comforting words of Celestia. She wrapped her legs around the Princess and let her cradle like a helpless child, until she fell unconscious a few minutes later.
***
Twilight Velvet quickly concluded no amount of wit was going to let her take down Sunset. The flames of the young alicorn simply consumed her own attacks and burnt through her carefully woven shields like gold held in front of a blowtorch. In this situation, she did what she perhaps should have done before: She turned tail and fled, purposefully choosing the opposite direction in which Twilight was meant to go.
Velvet zig-zagged through the buildings of Ponyville, taking cover from the blazes Sunset constantly casted on her and occasionally countering with attacks of her own starfire. A good portion of the town was set ablaze, but the mare was more concerned with her own safety.
When she reached the outskirts of the village, trouble started. She was already panting for breath, and she no longer had the cover provided by the houses. A large extension of open terrain was all there was between her and the safety of the Everfree Forest, where it would be plenty of hiding spots. She didn’t have time to weigh her options. Sunset screamed her daughter’s name yet again and cast a massive ball of flame. Velvet light up her horn and shot a fireball of her own, just large enough to deflect the attack. She then took a deep breath and broke into a full gallop.
“TWILIGHT! THE ELEMENTS!”
Velvet ignored the alicorn. She focused on her legs, to cover the maximum possible distance. Her joints protested, she hadn’t run this much since…ever, possibly. But fear drove her forwards. She jumped over the uneven ground, dodging the stones and holes that threatened to trip her. Her hooves hammered the dirt and mud while her chest plowed through the tall grass. The edge of the Everfree inched closer.
Her horn tingled. She turned her head and saw Sunset priming an attack. She raised a shield, but felt the blood run off her face when the alicorn just kept gathering more and more magic. She was a sitting duck. When Sunset fired, she brought out her last ace.
It had been years since the last time she had attempted to teleport. It was nowhere as polished and precise as Twilight Sparkle’s, but it was functional. It displaced her a good hundred meters forwards, far more than enough to get away from Sunset’s attack. Velvet fell flat on her face when she re-appeared, but she forced herself on her hooves. Her teleportation was incredibly magically noisy, so Sunset knew straight away where she had teleported. Indeed, just a second later she had to jump off the way of another blaze and rolled on her back. She noticed with horror her singed tail. Too close. She teleported. Sunset had taken noticed of where she was heading. Her attacks turned less powerful but more constant, gunning down the unicorn and forcing her to teleport every few strides. Velvet no longer could make precise choices on where to appear. Every time, a chunk of her dwindling stamina was lost. Her knees buckled under her. Pulling strength from weakness, she cast her spell once more. Her horn went numb, her vision blurred. Once more. Her body refused to sit up straight. She collapsed like a ragdoll, panting weakly. From the corner of her eye, she saw the sky change from a deep blue to a fiery orange. Once more. Further. The sky was now pitch black, with splotches of midnight blue. She lied there, enjoying the precious seconds of rest before the next attack came. Every breath was to sweet, so full of life. It took her exhausted mind a few seconds to comprehend that she had made it to the Everfree.
Velvet rolled on her back. Her vision was clearing. She saw the thick canopy of the forest looming above her protectively. She smiled, blissful despite the strain on her whole body. She needed to hide, but her body refused to move. She accepted her need to rest. Not too much, just enough to drag herself into cover. She was still too exposed.
A flare crossed one of the few patches of sky she could see. It re-appeared a split second later and stayed there, turning smaller and smaller as it climbed in height. Then it did a u-turn and dove, increasing in size and brightness. Velvet clenched her teeth and sparkled her horn, but nothing happened. She ordered her legs to move, but all she could muster was a pathetic twitch. Her lips curved in a small, sarcastic smirk. In novels, she had often read of ponies at the brink of death to be very accepting of their demise, and a tendency to notice small details, as if to distract themselves of what was about to happen. In her case, the former was true, and perhaps the latter would be if she wasn’t completely drained. Instead, she opted to extend her shaky forelegs and fold them into a rude gesture, a second before the flames crashed into the trees.