Equestrian Princess- Three Thirds

by Kind of Brony


Future Looking Bright... I Mean, Well, There's a Little Hiccup, But, You Know... CMC

Apple Bloom wiped the sweat from her brow with a foreleg, smearing dirt on her face, but hardly caring as she looked at the work she and her ponies had accomplished so far. Stretched out before her was the skeleton of what would be Equestria’s first step into settling the badlands, completed buildings standing tall next to those still being constructed. The cutie mark on her flank was a testament to how useful she was on this front, what with being a grid-covered apple and hammer set over the tri-colored shield.

It was hard to believe how far she and her fellow crusaders had come or how much they’d grown, both in body and mind. The former was especially true for the earth pony as she now stood as tall as Princess Luna and was as well-muscled as her older sister, Applejack. Even with a cutesy bow in her mane, it was an undeniable fact who the hoof-wrestling champion of Equestria was.

“Hey, Bloom, how’s it going?” was called from above and the tall mare looked up to see one of her friends descending. “I’ve got the weather team gathering up all the moisture they can, and it’s going better than expected. At this rate, we’ll be needing that water silo sooner rather than later.”

Scootaloo landed with a grace long-practiced and unexpected for one who was once such an infamous tomcolt. Folding her wings neatly to her sides, they still appeared somewhat large on her lithe form, but were far better proportioned than they were in her foalhood when she would sometimes trip on them. A phase she was glad to be over as it had contrasted horribly with her wing and lighting bolt mark meant to represent reflexes and agility. Her height did not come close to her earth pony friend’s, but she stood at eye-level with the princesses of Magic and Love.

“It’s going good I reckon,” Bloom answered with a smile. She gestured at her current project. “Workin’ on the foundation for a proper hospital right now, but I’ll be checkin’ in on the silo soon enough. Maud said they’d be reachin’ the underground reservoir in a few days, so a place ta store water is ah priority too.”

“I sure hope she’s right about that water,” Scoots commented as she took a swig from the canteen slung across her barrel. She stared out at their ponies working happily to build a new life here in the harsh and jagged plains. Ponies full of equal parts grit and dreams. “You really think we can trust them?”

The taller mare gave her friend a sidelong look. “What’s bringin’ this on? I thought we talked it all out back at the summit. The other princesses gave us the go ahead and the changelings were eager ta agree.”

“Yeah, well talking about something this big and actually doing it are two different things. We have a lot of ponies counting on us to keep them safe in the middle of nowhere with changelings a stone’s throw away.”

Apple Bloom hummed and went silent, contemplating the initial question for nearly a minute before speaking. “I reckon we can trust them,” Apple Bloom answered. “Princess Amaryllis, anyway. That gal practically idolizes Sweetie Belle and really wants ta make this work.”

“It’s not her I’m worried about…” Scootaloo said darkly.

“Ah don’t think Chrysalis will do anything ta mess this up either. This is the first real chance her subjects have gotten in forever that’ll feed them proper. None o’ that capture ponies and gorge off what ya can while ya can hooey that never does ‘em any good.” She began to pack her tools, giving her friend an appreciative smile when she lent a hoof. “Ah think after the last scheme blew up in her face, Chrysalis finally figured out there was no winnin’ against Equestria.”

“Like that ever stopped her before,” the pegasus commented with a snort.

“Well, ya got me there,” responded Bloom as she slipped on her saddle bags and began walking. “Correction then, Amaryllis and the other changelings figured out they couldn’t beat us and Chrysalis had no choice but ta listen to them… And remember, even if the queen wants ta try somethin’, there’s ah whole lotta soldiers waitin’ at the border ta come whoop her butt if we send the signal. Chrysalis may be crazy, but even she knows she won’t stand ah chance if she betrays Equestria now.”

Scootaloo followed, smiling at their ponies as they went. “Amaryllis is too young for this kind of pressure. Younger than we were when we became official princesses. I trust her, but it’s going to be hard to convince the rest of Equestria to give her another chance if her mom does something stupid. She shouldn’t have so much responsibility pushed on her just because Chrysalis is a dingbat.”

“She’s only a couple years younger than we were, and she seems ta be handling it well enough.” The taller mare gave her friend a playful shove and smile. “And besides, she’s got us ta help her out, so stop worryin’.”

“Hey, there’s only so much raw awesomeness can do,” Scoots shot back with her own smirk. “But I guess I can try and relax a bit… Well, relax as much as you can when you’re establishing a new settlement while simultaneously building up relationships with a newly allied species who used to be enemies.”

“That’s the spirit,” Bloom said before her ear twitched. “Ya hear that?”

The pegasus swiveled her ears forward. “Yeah, it’s coming from up ahead… Is that…?”

“Yep,” the tall mare answered dryly. “It’s nice ta see she’s takin’ the job seriously.”

Traveling the last stretch of what was to be Main Street, the two princesses saw their third member upon the partially completed stage of town hall. She was singing into a hammer alongside a smaller pony doing the same with a screw driver as a crowd cheered them on. The two mares were a swirl of white and black as they danced around each other, Sweetie tossing her two-toned mane every few steps and the younger mare attempting the same with her teal locks.

“-And we're playing to win as we gallop to glory
We can conquer any challenge we're in
We've got hea-a-a-arts, hearts strong as horses
Hearts strong as horses!”

Bloom and Scootaloo had to admit, for what they hoped was an impromptu performance, the two were quite coordinated and harmonized well. Still, it didn’t stop them from giving the performers agitated looks as they bowed.

“Thank you, thank you, you’re too kind,” Sweetie Belle returned, eyes closed with her most charming smile. This of course got another round of applause, and one stallion even shouted out that Sweetie Belle was best princess.

When said princess finally opened her emerald eyes, it was to spot the frowning faces of her fellow royals, and she couldn’t help the twitch of her lip or the bead of sweat on her forehead. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, darlings, how are you? Amy and I were just giving a little performance to help raise everyponies’ spirits.”

Stepping down from the stage, Sweetie stood in front of her friends, a smidgen shorter than the pegasus, but her horn nearly reaching the earth pony’s full height. Sweetie was far softer looking than her friends, being curvaceous instead of burly or toned. On her luscious flanks was the most recognized cutie mark amongst Equestria’s stallions; a music note and star set over a shield. Of the three young princesses, Sweetie Belle quite obviously took the most care of her appearance as she had her silky mane styled and wore a small touch of makeup even while here in the badlands.

Really, it was a miracle getting the unicorn to agree to not wear her royal regalia all the time when they had set out to oversee this important job. The former crusaders were seen as the most approachable of the princesses due to their lack of alicorn features, and this mission would help further that sentiment. With the removal of the nobles from government a few years prior, those scorned had been attempting to smear the princesses’ image, calling them tyrants. Said princesses being willing to get down and dirty with their subjects would help counter the absurd claims.

Reaching over, Sweetie tapped the younger mare’s shoulder, halting her embarrassed bowing as she turned to see the other princesses. Blush barely visible on her cheeks, she stuttered, “Y-your majesties! I didn’t realize you were watching! D-did you enjoy the show?” She finished with a nervous, but hopeful smile.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to be so formal, kid, you’re a princess too.” She shot another quick glare at Sweetie, who at least had the decency to look sheepish, before continuing, “And yeah, you two were doing great from what little I heard. Your singing’s coming along nicely, Amy.”

You wouldn’t believe it looking at her, but the bubbly teenager was, in fact, the princess of the changelings and daughter of the none too kind Queen Chrysalis. Though she shared the elder changeling’s coat and mane colors even now, Amaryllis insisted on remaining in pony form even when her identity was known by all those around her, claiming it was to ease the anxiety of ponies still uncomfortable with the shape-shifters.

“Oh, thank you, Prin- I mean, Scootaloo! Princess Belle says I could hit it big like her if I keep improving.” The young mare was dancing a little in place as she said this, and it was hard to maintain any level of ire in the presence of such honest exuberance. That didn’t stop Apple Bloom from trying, however.

“Well, that’s mighty kind of her,” she began, turning a level gaze to her old friend, “but, she’s not on tour now. We’ve got a lot of work ta do still, and we can’t afford ta have all these ponies wastin’ precious daylight on concerts.”

As Scootaloo hovered off the ground and told everypony to get back to work, Sweetie Belle puffed out her cheeks. “It’s not wasting time if it makes ponies happy.”

“Havin’ proper housing will make ‘em happier,” the taller mare shot back, matching glares with the unicorn for a moment before releasing a tired breath. “Listen, Ah know this whole thing came up just when ya were about ta start yur world tour, but ya have ta admit this is a might more important than singing in the gryphon kingdom.”

“And the minotaur kingdom, and the diamond dog kingdom…” Sweetie mumbled with her head low before straightening. “I’m sorry, guys, I know how important this is, really, I do, but it just feels unfair, you know? I’ve worked so hard to be recognized for more than just being a princess, and then when I hit it big, bam! I’m marching across the bad lands to build a town instead.”

Scootaloo landed and shared a look with Apple Bloom. “Awe shucks, Sweetie Belle, I’m sorry if it feels like we’re ganging up on you or anything.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for soundin’ so harsh, and I’m real sorry for how this all played out. I was so happy for ya when you told me about the tour; I was plannin’ on going to as many shows as I could before we got this job.” The pegasus and earth pony moved to either side of their horned friend and leaned into her.

“Hey, just look at it this way,” Scootaloo began. “It’s not like we’ll have to be here forever. Once everything’s built and the town's running smoothly, you can go on that tour and have adoring fans kissing your hooves or whatever all you want… Well, at least until we have to save the world or something. I expect you to get that white butt back here pronto when that happens.”

Sweetie Belle giggled and wrapped her hooves around her friends, pulling them closer in a loving embrace. “Thanks you two, I guess I’ve been more down than I realized, but I’m feeling better now. I’ll try to keep the shows down to a minimum from now on.” Looking over, the unicorn noticed Amaryllis standing off to the side, rubbing one foreleg across the other and looking at the ground. “And hey, delaying the tour means I’ll be able to train up my new protégé so she’ll be ready to go with me.”

Gaze shooting up, the disguised changeling pointed to herself. “D-do you mean me, Princess?”

“Of course, darling. Why with how talented you are after only a few lessons, there’s no doubt you’ll be more than good enough to join me on the big stage. Why, it’d be a crime not to let the world hear that beautiful voice of yours.” Sweetie hardly finished her sentence before she was glomped by a teary-eyed changeling rapidly muttering thank-you’s.

Stepping away before Sweetie’s faltering balance could bring them to the ground with her, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at the suffocating unicorn with a changeling wrapped around her neck with humor. “I-it’s only the tr-truth,” Sweetie squeaked as she patted Amy’s back. “So, c-could you let me breathe?”

Realizing her idol had begun to do a convincing impression of Twilight Sparkle, Amy let go and shot to her hooves. “Oh! I-I am so sorry, Princess Belle, I’m just really happy and thankful, is all.”

Coughing a few times and rubbing her throat, Sweetie croaked, “It’s fine, no harm done.”

“Remind me to give ya some pointers for controllin’ your own strength later, Amy.” Bloom commented half-jokingly as she supported her wobbling friend. “You royal changelings are a tough lot.”

“Don’t sweat it too much, squirt,” Scootaloo added as she patted the embarrassed adolescent on the back. “I know it looks like a strong breeze could knock her for a loop, but us three are pretty tough ourselves.”

Sending a glare at the pegasus, Sweetie cleared her throat, “Yes, well, the latter half of that is true, so don’t beat yourself up, Amy.” Seeking to change the subject, Sweetie’s look towards her orange companion became teasing. “Why, I’d wager I’d actually do better in a fight than our feathered friend here. As she mentioned, it’s only a matter time before we three end up having to perform some heroic deed or some such thing like the other princesses have. I’m sure when it happens, I’ll have to pull her flank out of the proverbial fire.”

“Oh yeah?” Scootaloo shot back. “You want to bet on that, Princess?”

Ignoring Apple Bloom’s moan of, “Not again,” Sweetie narrowed her eyes. “Sure, why pass up easy bits? What do you say, twenty?”

“You’re on!” Scootaloo spit in her hoof and held it out.

Grimacing, the unicorn nonetheless mimicked the action and bumped her own spit-marked hoof against Scoot’s. “Deal.”

“Ah don’t know what you two are expectin’,” Apple Bloom grumbled. “Ah’m sure if we did save the world, and that’s a big if, it’ll be so far off that y’all will have forgotten about the bet.”

The ground rumbled and a loud crash rung through the dry air. Apple Bloom’s expression was flat.

“W-what was that?” Amy asked.

“Dramatic convenience,” Bloom answered dryly.

The sound of screams reached the group and Scootaloo took to the air, bet forgotten. “Whatever it is, our ponies are in danger. Come on, girls!” she yelled as she rocketed towards the sound of pandemonium.

Sweetie Belle ran after her, face the picture of determination as she began teleporting in small leaps to keep pace with the quick pegasus. Apple Bloom shook her head of all but what was important. “Scoot’s is right,” she said, looking to the changeling princess. “As much as Ah don’t want you in danger, Amy, I reckon you should come too. There are changelings here that’ll need you ta guide ‘em.”

Amaryllis looked hesitant, but nodded. “If you think it’s for the best, then I’ll come, Princess Bloom.” Worry entered her eyes. “Y-you don’t think this is the work of my… my mother, do you?”

Bloom’s jaw clenched. “Ah hope not…” she said under her breath before taking off. “We won’t know until we get there! Come on, Amy!”


By the time the earth pony and young changeling had reached the cause of the commotion, they had passed a dozen ponies screaming some variant of “Monster!” So it was, they were both confused when all they could see were several large holes littering the landscape.

“What the blazes is goin’ on here?” Apple shouted as she surveyed the area; eyes quickly darting up when a shadow was cast upon her.

“Incoming!” Scootaloo shouted as she soared down and roughly deposited a grey pony a short ways away from Apple Bloom. “How do you weigh that much? It’s like I was trying to fly with an entire boulder in my hooves!” the pegasus huffed as she landed with a stumble.

Maud Pie stared a moment before reaching into the small pocket of her frock. “Boulder was in my pocket.”

Scootaloo wasn’t sure if this was a joke or a serious answer as she tilted her head. Luckily, she didn’t have to think on it long as Sweetie Belle appeared in a burst of magic, along with several other ponies. “I-I got most of them out of the hole, but there are still more down there,” she wheezed, swaying on her hooves before Amy and Apple Bloom rushed to her sides for support.

After the unicorn had taken a few deep breaths, Apple Bloom went to ask her what was happening, but another rumble stopped her as, suddenly, multiple black shapes came rushing out of another one of the holes.

Squinting, Apple Bloom realized they were changelings and that each one was carrying a pony, making a pang of dread run through the mare’s heart before another quake was followed by an unbelievable sight.

Launching itself after the insectoid ponies was what could only be described as a giant worm painted by hippies, with most of its impressive length being purple save for the pink face and red lion-mane. At first, Apple Bloom could only wonder how such a massive creature was flying without wings until it snapped its grotesque, flower-like mandibles unsuccessfully at its prey and then arched back towards the ground.

“Move!” Bloom shouted as she galloped and dived away just in time to avoid being crushed by the massive worm's collision with the ground. Dizzily, the yellow more looked over her shoulder to see half of the thing’s body exposed to the air, its tail thrashing about as it quickly burrowed below the hard terrain.

Once it was fully submerged once again, Apple Bloom spotted her companions across the hole. “What was that!?” she shouted, feeling distinctly untrusting of the earth beneath her hooves that had once only brought her comfort. “And why’s it attackin’ us?”

“It’s a tatzlwurm,” the bland voice of Maud Pie answered from behind her. “Often called a living fossil from the Devonian geological period, they are one of the oldest species alive to this day. We seem to have intruded on its nest while digging.”

“…Well, okay then,” Apple Bloom responded, unsure of what else to say before simply deciding to not question the grey mare. She was a Pie, and if Pinkie had taught her anything, it was that to question them was to dance with madness.

“Down here!” Amaryllis called to her changelings from the opposite side of the hole. As the Equestrian princesses gathered to her side, so too did the airborne changelings, each one depositing their equine cargo with care before landing with sharp salutes and a call of, “Your Highness!”

Showing none of the timidness of before, the young princess commanded, “Report! Is there anyone else left underground that needs rescuing?”

The lead changeling, larger than the others and wearing blue armor, stepped forward. “No, Princess, as soon as we had understanding of the situation, I ordered full retreat via the collective and, as per your orders to ensure the ponies' safety, led drones one-thirty-two, eight, and two-forty-one into the tunnels to retrieve any who were unable to escape on their own. The fear and panic they were radiating made them easy to pinpoint.”

As he explained this, the Equestrian princesses told their own subjects to escape the area and inform the others of what was happening. “Good job, soldier,” Scootaloo commanded, eyes wearily scanning the ground for any sign of the monster's return.

“Quite quick thinking indeed,” Sweetie added with small bow of her head. “… And thank you… When I was unable to reach them all before teleporting to the surface I was so sure that they would-”

“Ya don’t have ta say it, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom cut in. “It ain’t worth even mentioning. Everypony is safe and the tatzlwurm seems ta have run off.”

“No,” The armored changeling said, giving silent command to the others to take to the air and spread out. “It was merely disoriented from being woken up. Now it’s awake, ornery, and hungry.”

“And right there,” Maud added, pointing a hoof to a bare piece of ground, getting confused stares before another quake shook them. A moment later, the tatzlwurm burst forth, only to immediately be beset by beams of changeling fire. With a screech, the monster’s maw burst open and shot forth three green tentacles, catching one of its attackers off guard and quickly pulling them in.

With a gasp, Amy turned away, unable to witness one of her subjects be made lunch by the tatzlwurm. The young princess may have been able to put on a brave face for her people as her mother always told her to do, but she was still a child and unprepared to witness death.

Luckily, she didn’t have to as Scootaloo tackled the changeling when he was halfway to being worm food. The tatzlwurm’s tongues were strong, but they didn’t compare to the full strength an alicorn’s wings could produce, and so couldn’t hold their grip. One made a valiant attempt, though.

A pained screech filled the air as one of the beast’s taste tentacles stretched nearly half its length before tearing with a sickening squelch. Finally retreating from the the agitating fire, the ponies were once again granted momentary respite.

“You okay, guy?” Scootaloo asked the changeling as they set down. Coughing, the changeling’s cheeks still managed to tint green when their princess ran up and began to fret, working to unravel the remains of the tongue from his neck.

“Y-yeah, I’m okay,” he managed. Another rumble, and the tatzlwurm returned again, this time with a new strategy. Amy screamed in horror as the beast’s long body emerged like a whip, cutting through the air and smashing into several changelings, rocketing them towards the ground. Both Scootaloo and the commander shot up to intercept them on their deadly trajectory while Sweetie Belle braced herself and lit her horn, catching who she could in her light-green aura.

Apple Bloom noticed one had slipped past the others’ attention and dived, sacrificing the air in her lungs to cushion the bug pony’s fall. “That thing… is gonna get it,” she wheezed as she shifted the unconscious changeling off of her. A quick glance told her he was still breathing and that he didn’t have any broken limbs, but they’d have to get him and the others to a doctor as soon as possible.

Apple Bloom felt a hungry gaze upon her and looked up to meet six beady eyes. Launching forward with an open mouth, the tatzlwurm was once again denied its meal as a large boulder flew into its head, sending it reeling and allowing Bloom to get to her hooves. Eyes quickly tracking where the stone had come from, Bloom spotted Maud Pie standing motionless. “I threw a rock,” the grey mare said plainly.

A grin came to Apple Bloom's face. “Good idea!” she shouted as she found a boulder of her own and put it between herself and the overgrown worm. “You messed with the wrong town, ya ugly varmint!” Bucking as her siblings taught her and pushing as much magic into it as she could manage, the earth pony sent two tons of fun straight at the beast, a shimmering trail being left in its wake.

Besides her fellow crusaders who only smirked, everyone present save for Maud and the armored changeling gaped as the boulder exploded on impact, bouncing the tatzlwurm off the ground and upright again, leaving it dazed and swaying.

Not one to waste an the opening, Scootaloo spread her wings wide and focused, charging them with pegasus magic before blasting off with one powerful beat. That tatzlwurm was rocked as the orange and purple blur shot into its face, spinning it in its hole counter clockwise before being violently twisted back the other way by Scootaloo’s return flight.

Two more fly-by punchings and the winged princess hovered directly above the beast. “And now it’s time for the finale,” she declared as her wings began to shine. “I hope you’re ready for this, because I’m not holding anything back.”

With all of her magical might, Scootaloo thrust her wings, rocketing down like a lance from the heavens, a circular burst of fuchsia radiating across the skies behind her. While she had spoken and prepared herself however, the tatzlwurm had shaken off her first barrage and looked up. Just as she descended, the beast opened its mouth wide, and the royal pegasus bolted straight down its gullet.

Where once there were smiles from those thinking the whole frightening fiasco was about to be resolved, there were now looks of horror as the tatzlwurm looked discomforted for only a moment before releasing a belch.

“Scootaloo!” both the white and yellow mares shouted as the commander changeling and his remaining force flew up and resumed their green barrage.

“How tough is this thing?” Apple Bloom shouted as the beast performed another leap at the insects above before burrowing once more. “It swallows down a sonic rainboom and barely even flinches!”

Sweetie’s eyes were downcast as she mumbled something, but Bloom didn’t catch it as Maud strolled up and spoke. “We should get the princess out of there as soon as possible. A tatzlwurm’s stomach acid can melt dragon scales.”

“What!? Those things eat dragons! No wonder the varmint's so tough!” A rock was tossed when the tatzlwurm leapt after its attackers again and hurdled towards the Equestrian princesses. Apple Bloom stepped forward intending to deflect the stone with a buck, but was instead showered with rubble when it was struck by a green bolt.

The earth pony spun around to stare at her friend, who mumbled once again. “What was that, Sweetie Belle?” asked Bloom, a feeling of unease settling over her as the long-horned unicorn stood, eyes downcast and body trembling.”

“I said…” She lifted her glowing glare up at the tatzlwurm, “give me back my friend!” Apple Bloom was sent tumbling backwards as her friend unleashed a wave of magic. Engulfed in a green aura, the unicorn floated into the air and drifted towards the monster. Another bolt fired from her horn, leaving a scorch mark upon monster’s hide and gaining a pain shriek from it.

“Come on, spit her up, now!” Sweetie commanded, grasping the tatzlwurm to keep it from retreating. Seemingly returning the glare, the beast answered with its two remaining tongues wrapping themselves around the unicorn and trying to reunite her with her comrade.

She wouldn’t have that however, and rapidly expanded her aura, actually tearing the tentacles as she broke free. Ignoring the creature's bellow, Sweetie yelled once more. “I. Said. Spit. Her. Up!” Each word was punctuated with a violent shake, yielding six spinning eyes, but no Scootaloo.

Suddenly, Maud yelled up, “Tatzlwurms can’t vomit. We’ll have to get her out a different way.”

Sweetie looked from the grey mare below to the defiant worm in her grasp. The magical surge, even controlled, was draining her reserves quickly, and she doubted she could stomach tearing the thing open to retrieve her friend, so her decision had to come quick. With a deep breath, she growled, “That bird brain better appreciate this,” before disappearing in a flash.

Everyone, even the tatzlwurm, was left confused on where the unicorn had vanished, though it wasn’t long before the latter figured it out if its sudden lurch was any indication. The tatzlwurm began to wiggle and jig as small bulges appeared at its middle, causing the changelings to back away in worry. It wasn’t about to burst open to reveal a bunch of smaller, shrieking monsters, was it?

“What in the-?” Apple Bloom began before the worm’s belly nearly exploded before collapsing inwards. At the same time, a slime covered Sweetie Belle burst forth form a magic bubble, an orange pegasus slumped on her back. “Sweetie Belle!? Wha-? How-? Did ya just teleport into that thing’s stomach!?”

“…Yes… Yes I did,” she answered numbly, staring hauntingly straight ahead. “My coat… is ruined forever…”

“Oh, well, at least ya saved Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom offered, calming herself and hesitantly tapping her friend’s mucus-covered back. “She okay?”

“Yeah… Yeah I think so,” answered Sweetie as she blinked a few times and slid the pegasus to the ground. A quick diagnostic spell told her that her friend was fine other than being out like a light. “She’ll be fine once we clean her up and she rests, I think.”

“We don’t got time for that, we have ta finish this now,” Apple Bloom stated determinately, grabbing Scootaloo by the shoulders and shaking her. “Come on, wake up! This ain’t no time for beauty sleep!” When the slap came across her orange cheek, Scoots flailed awake.

“Who’za what now!?” She blurted before rubbing a new bruise. “… Ow, did you just hit me in the face? Those hooves aren’t soft you know!”

“I’ll make ya some fritters later, but now it’s time ta teach this worm what happens when ya mess with an alicorn.”

Jumping to her hooves, Scootaloo stared with wide eyes. “You mean we get to do the thing?” When the earth pony nodded, Scootaloo jumped up and pumped a hoof. “Awesome!”

Sweetie Belle didn’t share the enthusiasm however as she nervously said. “Are you sure, Bloom? I mean, we haven’t done the thing outside of practice, and even then only a few times. What if we mess up? We’ll be useless until the magic wears off.”

“Ah come on Sweetie Belle, that was only the one time, and it wasn’t even that bad,” Scootaloo dismissed with a roll of her eyes.

The unicorn glared. “Twilight said it was an abomination against ponydom and that she didn’t want us trying it again without her supervision.”

“Girls, enough,” Apple Bloom commanded, stepping towards the tatzlwurm as it regained its senses. “Twilight will understand that we needed to protect our ponies. And Sweetie… we won’t mess up.” The confident smile that she gave her friend had the unicorn’s hesitation practically vanish, and she gave her own smile in return.

“All right, we’ll do it,” Ignoring Scootaloo’s triumphant cheer, Sweetie moved to stand by her friend. With Scoots taking position to her other side, the unicorn was left in the middle as she slowly began to ignite her aura and intertwining it with her partners'. Soon they all started to glow; Scootaloo’s wings lighting up the most along with Bloom’s hooves.

The yellow mare glared up as the tatzlwurm fully erected itself. “Okay varmint, this here is the end of the line for ya, so I suggest ya say your prayers. Girls, are ya ready?”

“I almost have our magic synced up. Now we’ve got to sync our bodies.” Sweetie answered, eyes closed.

“Remind me to thank my mom for making me take ballet,” Scootaloo said with a smirk, rolling a shoulder. “Who would have guessed how useful it would be?”

As the three princesses shined brighter, all eyes turned to them. For Amaryllis, it was wonder she gazed with, having been told by her mentor of this powerful ritual. For her changelings, it was confusion with a touch of curiosity. What could these pony princesses who weren’t even the fabled alicorns do that they could not against the creature? Some of these changelings had been a part of the Canterlot invasion and remembered the cowardice the blonde prince had shown then. The fact that he wet himself when they had come to cocoon him still made the hive ring with laughter.

And the last look, which came from the four eyes not swollen shut, was simply Nope as the tatzlwurm felt the three bleeding stubs in its mouth throb and its insides ache from the unnatural intrusion and removal caused by the unicorn.

Not having the strength to dig new tunnels, the great beast settled on flopping out of its hole and wiggling away at a frantic pace. There was no way it was going to stick around for whatever these insane ponies had in store for it. It regretted not listening to its parent when they had told it the cautionary tale of the purple and pink ones that had invaded their nest and blasted them with magic.

Ponies were cruel creatures to be sure, always destroying poor tatzlwurmes’ nests and then attacking them when they demanded reasonable reimbursement in the form of a meal. Truly awful creatures.

“H-hey! Where are you going!? Oomph!” As the three mares had taken the first synchronized steps of the ritual, their enemy had decided to flee, causing Scootaloo to break formation and trip up the other two. Now in a heap on the ground, the pony princesses could only watch dumbfounded as the mighty tatzlwurm undulated away whimpering.

“Um, does this mean we win?” Sweetie asked.

“I… guess so,” Bloom answered.

“No! It’s-it’s probably planning something evil! Come on, we should do the thing and catch it before it’s too late!” Scootaloo tried, pulling herself to her hooves.

“That’s enough, Scoots, it’s over,” chided the earth pony, standing herself and helping Sweetie Belle do the same. “If Fluttershy ever found out we chased down a critter when it was tryin’ to run away, why, she’d stare us all into a coma.”

“But- It- We- What if…” Scootaloo visibly struggled to argue before heaving a sigh and drooping in defeat. “Darn it, we never get to do the thing outside of Twilight Time. It’s so unfair.”

Sweetie Belle gave her moping companion a shove. “Oh stop your complaining. You should just be happy you’re not worm food right now.”

Blinking a few times, Scootaloo gave her friend an inquisitive look. “Are you talking about that weird dream I had where I got eaten? Are you trying to say that actually happened?”

“Yep, ya flew right into its mouth like a spawning salmon to a bear’s. How’d ya think that was a dream?”

Looking to the yellow mare, Scootaloo defended, “Hey, I just figured I hit my head or something and got knocked out. It’s a lot more likely than being eaten and waking up not. How’d I get out then?”

“You’re welcome,” Sweetie began before being wrapped in a black-legged hug.

“That was so amazing, Princess! When you started floating all glowy–like, I literally got chills! And teleporting right into its stomach like that? Bravest thing I’ve ever seen! I can barely teleport when I can see where I’m going, but you went even further! How’d you keep the tatzlwurm’s natural magic from messing with the destination? Can you start teaching me magic too? I know I’m already taking up a lot of your free time with singing and dancing, but you have to be, like, the best mage ever!”

Stunned for a moment, Sweetie eventually offered a soft smile and returned the hug. “Well, I think Princess Twilight would have something to say about that, but thanks for the compliment.”

“Princess Twilight can suck an egg,” Amaryllis responded, letting perhaps a bit too much of her mother’s hammered in animosity towards the Elements seep into her words. Though she wanted to integrate changelings into Equestrian society, it was hard to shake a grudge more than half their race shared against the grand kindgom’s valiant protectors.

It was a definite downside to the hive mind that original opinions were hard to come by. This was even true for royal changelings, though to a far lesser extent.

Speaking of the hive mind, the young princess felt one of her injured subjects awaken, and with it, his aches and pains. With a small gasp she released her mentor and rushed over to the downed changeling, her translucent wings buzzing as she had lost hold of her transformation.

Right now, her people needed a changeling princess, not a would-be pony popstar.

“That girl’s almost as bad as Scoots here was with Rainbow Dash,” Apple Bloom commented. “She offer to give you a hoof massage yet?”

“Hey, that was only once!”

“Yeah, ‘cause she said you were creepin’ her out,” Bloom rebutted.

“She’s just excited, is all,” Sweetie cut in before the pegasus could rave. “I mean, that was a pretty impressive feat of magic I did to save your flank.” Her eyes lit up suddenly. “You… owe me twenty bits.”

Scootaloo looked behind her to see who the unicorn was talking to, but saw no one. Pointing at her herself, she said, “Me? Why would I owe you…” Her eyes grew wide. “Wait… No! That does not count!”

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t, I literally pulled your flank out of a stomach. Acid is close enough to fire, wouldn’t you agree?”

“W-well, it was supposed to be in a fight saving the world.”

Sweetie rubbed her chin in mock thought. “Hmm, actually, if I recall correctly, there was an ‘or something’ when you said that, and I simply said heroic deeds. I think a battle against a giant worm monster threatening to destroy our settlement counts as a heroic enough battle. We could ask the ponies I saved what they thought if you want some extra opinions.”

Sputtering, Scootaloo, struggled for several seconds before heaving a defeated sigh. “No, I’ll get you the bits… But next time, I’m definitely going to be the one that saves you, and you’ll owe me forty bits!”

Sweetie looked from the orange hoof pointed at her chest to the challenging eyes above before rolling her eyes. “Fine, if you insist, though you really should see somepony about this gambling habit of yours. You’ll be out on the streets if you keep throwing away your money like this.”

“Oh, we’ll see who's eating instant noodles for breakfast after I win the bet!”

“Okay, break it up you two,” Apple Bloom cut in, stepping between her glaring friends. “Y'all are acting like fillies when we got important business at hoof. It’s best we go check on the settlers, see if’n anypony got hurt and explain the that the danger’s passed.”

“Scootaloo tried to maintain eye contact with the unicorn, poking her head around her burly friend, before eventually grumping, “Yeah, fine, you're right.”

“Yes, sorry for that,” Sweetie added as well. “Very un-princess-y of us.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Apple Bloom called, “Hey Maud, you coming?”

Said earth pony was at the edge of one of the many new holes left after the battle. “No, I’m going to examine the tunnels for structural integrity and moisture. The ground water still has to be reached.”

“Well, okay then, just be careful. I don’t want ya diggin’ up another of them tatzlwurm critters.”

“That’s highly unlikely. Tatzlwurm are solitary creatures when not mating. An event that only occurs every thirty-seven years.”

“Riiight, well, come on girls,” Apple Bloom said, turning her head to the changelings who had all gotten to their shaky hooves at this point. “Y'all come along too! They may not know a whole lot about changelings, but I still want ta have the doctors check you over.”

Though hesitant at first, the approval given by their princess had the changelings following the ponies back to the would-be town without question. After a long visit to the medical tent, many of the insectoid ponies left looking like zebras, but no major injuries were found. If anything, the comedic appearance combined with their earlier heroics did wonders for melting away the last bit of fear the settling ponies had of their buggy partners.

Seeing their subject openly celebrate and thank the changelings’ fast thinking and bravery brought smiles to all royals present, and the pony princesses couldn’t wait to send word back to the others of the progress that had been made that day.


To our friends and family,

This is Sweetie Belle doing the actual writing right now since I have the best penmanship of the three of us, but Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are right here beside me, so it’s really from all of us.

To say that today was an exciting one would probably be a strong contester for understatement of the year. Before we get too far into that however, we want to make it clear that no pony or changeling has been seriously injured and that plans are still progressing well, so there’s no need for you worry yourselves.

Anyway, the settlement had its first major encounter with the wildlife of the Badlands this afternoon, a tatzlwurm according to Maud. Guess that mare knows more than just geology, though maybe she knew what it was because it was a subterranean creature? All the time spent with Pinkie makes me hesitant to ask.

I’m rambling. The important thing is that we managed to chase the creature off and that there have been some surprising benefits from the whole ordeal. Just like old times, ha? Seems like whenever things get crazy, something good happens for somepony and a valuable lesson is learned.

In regards to the most recent event, which occurred while digging for ground water, changelings acted quickly to rescue their pony comrades from the tatzlwurm and even stayed afterwards to help us fight. Because of these brave deeds, the last distrust our ponies held against them has been resolved and the changelings have become more than welcome in town.

Really, we all wish you could see all the new friendships that have been made today. Even Scootaloo is feeling much more optimistic about changeling/pony relations.

Other than this, the fight has also yielded some other rewards as well. Princess Amaryllis came up with the brilliant idea of using the tunnels created by the tatzlwurm as the beginnings of a new nest for her changelings, allowing for them to live much closer to the settlement. Now she and her changelings don’t have to fly between here and the hive in the mountains every morning. Isn’t that great? Though she never admitted it, I could see how much the trip took out of Amaryllis and how it took so much of my love to get her back on her hooves each day. I’m glad that won’t be an issue anymore.

Well, anyway, that just about covers everything. Water was eventually found by Maud and a well is already being made. Apple Bloom says that, despite all that happened, construction is actually ahead of schedule. She can’t wait for you all to come and see the town when it’s finished and she wants to remind her brother and sister to bring some apple trees when they come to visit. Scootaloo also says that taming the weather is coming along slowly, but surely, which I can’t wait for. These dust storms are simply awful for my mane.

Well, that about sums everything up. We hope to get a response from you soon.
Love Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle

Oh, Scootaloo wants to add something, so I’m giving over the quill.

Hey, this is Scootaloo. This is mostly for Twilight and it has to do with something that almost happened during the fight with the worm-thing. See, the big guy was actually giving us some trouble you see, and it was almost looking like it was going to win, so the three of us decided to do the thing to finish the fight quick. You know, that thing.

Yeah, well, the worm ended up running away at that point, so we didn’t end up needing it after all, but I was thinking, what if we did? We didn’t get a whole lot of practice before coming out here, and now that we actually are here and you’re not, we don’t get to practive at all. What if next time something bad happens and we really have to do the thing, we mess it up since we have so little experience doing it?

What I’m trying to say is that I think we should start practicing again even though you aren’t here to supervise. I mean, you never know when you’re going to need a super strong alicorn, around, am I right? Hope to get an answer when you write back.

Apple Bloom here, the other two don’t know I’m adding this; they just left the room, arguing about bets and what not. I swear those two are still little fillies at heart. Anyways, while I can’t disagree with what Scootaloo is getting at, she really just wants to fuse. If you say we can start practicing without you around to watch, do you mind adding something like only once a day or something? If you don’t, Scootaloo is liable to hound Sweetie and I to practice all day long. We’d never get anything done.

Well, that’s all I got to say. I hope everything is working out back home.