//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: MLA: Perihelion // by Starscribe //------------------------------// “Snacks, Spike?” Amber approached the bored-looking dragon in his mountain of books, lowering her voice. “Between you and me, I slipped sapphire bits into the cookies.” Spike beamed up at her, shoving his way free of the books. They tumbled to the rough stone floor around him, and for once Twilight didn’t even notice. Amber levitated the plate near him, turning it so the cookies were within reach. “That’s about the best news I’ve heard all day,” Spike muttered, taking a handful and cramming them into his mouth. He chewed several at once, along with the glass-crunching sound Amber knew to expect from gemstones. “You found Twilight’s secret drawer, eh?” “Yeah.” She couldn’t watch him chew. You should tell him what you did. She didn’t, though. Spike’s mouth scrunched into a frown, and he turned suddenly away. “Uhh. No more.” He looked back at his books. “Something wrong?” Amber shivered. He’s going to realize what you did. He’ll warn Twilight and she’ll kill you. “I forgot, Sweetie Belle helped with these, didn’t she?” He pushed the plate away with one claw. “Anything she touches is bound to taste a little funny. Least the sapphire was good.” Spike flopped face-first into the books, groaning. “I don’t wanna read again for a week.” Amber walked past him, wondering how long it would take for the potion to take effect. Apparently it was strong enough to knock out an Alicorn, if they got enough. They had put the CMC to sleep easily enough. Even “Sweetie Belle” had eaten them, preserving the illusion. I will be able to direct the blame to the pony you impersonate when we wake. Twilight’s apprentice will be known in all Equestria as a murderer. Amber had nearly retched again with the guilt, but she had only nodded, bidding her mother’s servant farewell. She alone didn’t eat the drugged food, and so was spared its effects. Twilight won’t keep eating past the first bite. She’ll notice right away and kill you. You deserve it. Amber ignored the voice and kept walking, through the long tables piled high with books. It seemed like half the books in the library were out of their shelves, either piled on the ground or open on the table or floating in the air around Twilight in a living cloud. Twilight Sparkle’s flowing mane had gone frazzled, strands standing on end. Her eyes were half-wild, and she didn’t seem to be reading so much as staring blankly into each page. Her frustration was so thick Amber practically had to wade through it. “Hey mom.” She held up the plate. “Snacks? You must be pretty worn out.” I deserve this, Amber thought. Time for justice. “Oh, food.” Twilight looked up, seeming to notice her for the first time. “I remember food!” Without another word, the Alicorn took the plate from Amber’s grip. She didn’t select anything from it so much as open her mouth and tilt the whole thing inside. Amber gasped, wanting to scream for the Alicorn to stop, but she was too slow. Twilight swallowed the pastries and little slices of bread and cheese before she could speak. You get to do your work after all, Judas. You think the Great Queen will pay you in silver? 30 pieces sound about right. Twilight didn’t sway on her hooves the way she expected, nor did she look angry. Whatever hope Amber had that the Alicorn would realize and kill her before she could do anything was dashed. “Thanks.” She collapsed into a weak sitting position right there, glaring down at the ground. “I don’t get it, Chance. Books always have the answer… but I’ve read almost all of these. If the oldest books in Equestria don’t know what to do…” Before Amber could object, she felt something tugging at her. The Alicorn pulled her into an embrace, holding her against her chest. Again she felt like she might choke in Twilight’s love, more potent in its raw form than even the concentrated form the queen gave. She squirmed, but Twilight didn’t seem to notice. “I don’t know what to do. Celestia… Celestia thinks I can do it. Thinks I can save Equestria, somehow. But I don’t know how anypony could.” Amber gave up struggling and just let the pony hold her. It wasn’t her Twilight was trying to make feel better, as she had done in the hospital or so many other times since she had taken in a fake apprentice. How can she be the one who needs help? Amber wondered, staring at the mighty Alicorn as she cried. She’s so powerful! Why does she need me? “How much did Truth tell you about Tirek, Chance?” She swallowed. How long would it take for the potion to kick in? Tell her now. You don’t have to be a murderer. It’s too late, she argued. She had no answer for herself. “He steals magic from ponies,” she whispered, unable to meet Twilight’s eyes. There was no hiding her shame now. “He was a powerful wizard long ago, before Discord took over… but he got greedy and wanted all the magic of Equestria for himself.” “I wanted to catch him.” Twilight didn’t even seem to really be listening to her. “When Celestia first realized he was loose. She sent Discord instead. He betrayed us.” She really was crying, Amber couldn’t doubt it. This Alicorn, a being so mighty she could move stars, was crying like a foal. Amber had never seen the Great Queen cry. “I thought friendship was the strongest thing in the universe. Celestia thought so too—but I think we were wrong.” She cleared her throat, wiping her eyes with one foreleg. “Your world had lots of bad ponies in it, didn’t it?” Amber nodded. Starting with you. “Do you think some ponies are beyond redemption?” Twilight’s voice came in a pained rush. “Maybe we should’ve killed Discord instead of imprisoning him? Maybe no number of good friends could make him good.” Amber whimpered, covering herself with a hoof. She practically shook with fear, and she didn’t bother trying to hide it. “Sorry.” Twilight blushed, though she didn’t hold Amber any less tightly. “I know, I should set a better example. Shouldn’t… Shouldn’t say things like that.” What would Chance say? The words came to Amber from nowhere, just like all the memories. “I think… I think darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate can’t drive out hate either. Only love can do that.” She couldn’t help but crying too. “Maybe D-Discord… Maybe he thinks he has a really good reason. Maybe he didn’t want to do what he did, but he thought it was the only way. Maybe all he needs is somepony to forgive him.” Twilight yawned, stretching her wings involuntarily. “Y-yeah. That sounds… you might be right. Maybe he does.” She stretched, laying out on the floor suddenly. “I think I’ll sleep on it…” She didn’t let go, pulling Amber up against her chest. Changelings were very much like ponies in their preference for close contact. Even if the alien named Kimberly might’ve felt a little strange so close to Twilight. Amber would rather have been anywhere else in the world, just then. Twilight held her right up against her belly, protecting her with her wings. “T-thanks.” The Alicorn closed her eyes, and was asleep within seconds. Amber was somewhere dark. Her mother’s drones tossed another unicorn onto a cart, its limbs hogtied and a bag over its head. Amber slunk past the drones, finding her mother exchanging a little bag of gold with a policepony in an alley. She waited by the entrance of the alley for the Great Queen to finish. “Good work,” Chrysalis said, scooping her up into a brief hug. “You will grow into a mighty queen yet.” Amber preened in the praise, grinning proudly at the attention. She wasn’t satisfied though, and followed her mother all the way to the wagon. She climbed in beside her, even as the drones slammed the door shut behind them. This plunged them into darkness, along with half a dozen unconscious ponies. It didn’t bother Amber, though. There was very little light in a changeling burrow most of the time. “Mom?” “I thought I told you not to use words like that.” Her voice was stern from across the wagon, just on the edge of anger. “A young queen ought to show respect, even if she too might be a great queen one day.” “Yes, Queen Chrysalis. What…” She struggled for words a moment, then pressed on. “What gives us the right to do this to ponies? They never hurt us… they were just living their lives.” She pushed on an unconscious shoulder, and the pony beneath her whimpered. The queen laughed in the darkness, her voice echoing strangely against the walls of the wagon. “If you had a proper imprinting, you would already know. It’s no fault of yours, though…” Her horn glowed in the dark, illuminating the unconscious ponies before them. “Why shouldn’t we take what we desire, daughter? Look at them—prey are weak, created to serve us. The swarm has the right of conquest.” “Oh,” Amber answered, not wanting to argue, but not thinking that was much of a good reason. Amber drew her knife from its sheath, its green gem glittering in the sunlight. It had been a few hours and still the sun hadn’t set. That was strange, but she didn’t have anyone to ask about it. Twilight was well and truly asleep now. Amber had nudged her, tried to talk to her, all without eliciting a twitch. Drugs could do that. Amber shrugged out of her grip, levitating the dagger up to her face to inspect. Its outside might resemble the little knives the other crusaders had been given, but the resemblance went only that far. Strange runes were etched into the blade, runes that burned with magic. She knew very little of magic—about as much as Chance had known when she had been created. Even so, she could feel dark magic when she saw it. It unsettled her stomach, reminding her of cold winters and nightmares. Could a knife really kill an Alicorn? The knife shook in her grip as she advanced towards Twilight. It wasn’t a true memory this time. "Nightmares again?" It was too late to be called night, too early to be morning. The bottom floor of the library was quiet and empty, tables dusted and floor swept. Chance sat on her haunches by the window, looking out at the unfamiliar constellations as she rested on unfamiliar hooves. "Yeah," was all she managed to say, melancholic. She had felt melancholic more often than not in those early days. Twilight sat down beside her without shyness, holding her to her side with the gentle pressure of a wing. "Would you like to talk about it?" Chance shook her head, looking away from Twilight but not actually fighting to regain her personal space. She was only just learning that ponies had some very different ideas about what was appropriate and what wasn't, to say nothing of becoming a child again. "That's okay." Twilight produced a brush, and with it levitating in the air she began to stroke Chance's mane. It did not make the dream any less terrible. She did not forget what she had seen. Still, she found her breathing coming easier. “T-Twilight?” “Yes, Chance?” “Why did you take me in?” Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but she cut her off. “I don’t mean the part about Celestia telling you. You could’ve pawned me off on somepony else by now. You’re a busy pony… you’re a princess! Why didn’t you?” “Ah.” Twilight set the brush down. “Because… ponies ought to be kind. You’re hurt, Chance. You’ve been through things most ponies can’t even imagine. If ponies didn’t take care of each other, the world would be pretty rotten.” “Is that the only reason?” “Maybe… Maybe it’s a little too complicated.” Twilight’s parental grin faltered a little, and she drew Chance into a hug. “Maybe it’s just because I love you.” “NO!” Amber screamed, screamed so loud the crystal chandeliers shook and the windows seemed to vibrate. “I WON’T DO IT!” She slammed the dagger down hard, but not towards Twilight's throat. She slammed it straight into the stone, with all the force her levitation could grant. The steel blade was strong, but not as strong as the hatred Amber felt for herself. It shattered, breaking the evil spell with a single flicker of green magic. * * * Twilight Sparkle might’ve been drugged, but no drug could keep her asleep through the feeling of dark magic so close. She’s in danger! Twilight couldn’t have said why she felt so groggy, though she was near a window and sunlight was still streaming in. The old Twilight probably couldn’t have stayed up against the pressure, no matter how much she wanted to. Even an Alicorn had to sleep, after all. Yet Twilight had power that was not her own, power concentrated from the greatest beings in her whole world. Twilight willed herself awake, and the sleeping draught she didn’t even know about burned away in a few faint wisps of magic. She sat upright abruptly, searching around for the danger to her daughter and the sisters of her friends. Has he found me here so fast? No, it wasn’t Tirek. As she searched, Twilight could sense no dark magic, or indeed any magic. Tirek she had never seen, but she knew what to expect from Celestia’s explanations. She saw no monsters. There was only Second Chance, sobbing a few feet away from her. Twilight reached out with a wing to embrace her, but stopped before she touched the filly. Twilight saw then, saw the hilt of a dagger in her magic and the broken metal bits on the stone just a few hooves away from where Twilight had been resting. “W-what?” She stared, her mouth hanging open in shock. “What were you doing, Chance?” “I’m not!” The filly turned, throwing the hilt away from her as hard as she could. It struck an empty bookshelf with a dull thunk. “I’m not your daughter!” Twilight watched, watched as emerald magic shimmered around the filly. Her green coat turned black, her yellow mane turning to pale blue. “W-what…” “She wanted me to kill you!” The filly’s voice was no longer recognizable as her own. It was high and strange, echoing oddly in the room. Twilight had never seen a young changeling before, but there was no mistaking this one for anything else. “I won’t! I… I… c-can’t…” Twilight felt the air around her getting warmer, even as her mane began to wave in an invisible wind. Twilight felt magic crackling around the edge of her horn, and did not try to hide it. She ignored the words, ignored the broken knife. “Where. Is. My. Daughter?” She lifted the little changeling into the air, holding her less than a meter away. Twilight wasn’t sure she had ever seen Celestia as angry as she now felt. The changeling whimpered and shivered, squirming in vain. Twilight did not let her retreat, and those thin wings beat without moving her. “WHERE?” “N-not… not here… harvesting center… Fillydelphia…” Twilight gestured, and with her will thick chains appeared around the changeling’s hooves, bolted straight into the floor. She was yanked down, smacking into the wood with a whimper. “If your… If your kind hurt her…” You’ll what? Some of the power faded from around Twilight’s horn as she finally noticed the broken dagger pieces. Twilight lifted the different pieces into the air, assembling them back into their original configuration and reading the runes there. Twilight didn’t know the specifics of dark magic the way some ponies did, but she didn’t have to. She knew a spell meant to kill an immortal when she saw one. Twilight considered the whimpering changeling in chains, considered the implications of her words. She’s not much older than the real Chance. The thought came unbidden, and no amount of anger could get it to go away. How could someone send their daughter away to murder? She dropped the broken knife, and tried not to sound so furious. “Tell me, imposter—are your ponies working with Tirek?” The insect wouldn’t look up at her anymore. She didn’t have drone eyes—more like predator’s eyes, like Spike. She had a real mane, though it had holes. The burns on her carapace looked real too. “Y-yeah.” Twilight grew more urgent, walking around to force the drone to look her in the face again. “Tell me everything you know about this plan. If you want mercy… you must tell me.” The changeling struggled, whimpering under the apparent stress. Twilight did not watch too closely, and found herself struggling to feel the compassion she knew she should. These monsters had already attacked Equestria before. Ponies she knew had been hurt. They had foalnapped Second Chance before too. They deserved more than a few tears. “We… helped him… helped him find unicorns to…” She curled up, thick chains rattling as she did so, shaking all over. “To get magic from. He’s been… months now… replaced them with changelings so nopony would notice.” That did explain one mystery: how Tirek had been able to find the magic to get stronger. Twilight felt the anger return as she considered that thought to its conclusion. These changelings had given her daughter to be harvested. She banished the thought for now. The Fillydelphia “harvesting center” would be getting a visit soon. Once she finished learning what this drone knew. “And once he could steal magic from other ponies?” The filly whined. “I wasn’t—super involved… I think he was gonna be fighting the big military strongholds… going through and weakening ponies. Queen’s… changelings would replace all the leaders… She would be his administrator, a vassal queen. She’s probably already taken Canterlot by now. We had so much of the leaders already… so many unicorns…” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. Still, it wasn’t as though this young changeling could have been very involved in all of this, could she? How long did they live compared to ponies? “One last question. How long?” “Just… just a few days,” the chained changeling answered. “The warehouse full of machines was her trap… ever since then.” “Right.” Twilight turned away, walking slowly down the hall. She reached Spike, nudging at him with one hoof. He muttered something, curling up around a large book. Maybe in simpler times Twilight would have let the baby dragon rest. It was still daylight outside—felt like that had gone on for way too long—but he would have to wake now. Twilight aimed her horn at him, and blasted the dragon with a wakefulness spell far more potent than coffee. He jerked into a sitting position at once, eyes wide. “Twilight!” His claws were shaking with energy, practically vibrating. “What is it? Is it reshelving day? Time to build a new library? I’m ready!” He saluted vaguely with one of his claws. “Unfortunately not.” She flicked her tail behind them, at the changeling chained there. “I have captured a prisoner. I have to go and make sure the information I’ve learned from her is spread around Equestria. I need you to guard her.” “Right away!” Spike broke into a run, darting between piles of books almost as tall as he was and stopping just beside the changeling. “Uh… Twi—who was she?” “Chance.” Twilight didn’t turn around, walking over to the window and frowning at the sun. It was long past sundown, and now Twilight realized why. Just as she had needed to raise the sun, she would have to put it back down again. Twilight reached with her will into the vastness of space and found the construct guiding her planet. It was magic beyond imagination, the magic of a thousand Alicorns and more, with a complexity she could scarcely imagine even with her new strength. Even so, she didn’t have to understand it. Celestia and Luna had given their power to her, and with it their sympathetic connections to the bodies they represented. Twilight pushed her mind against them until they started to budge. Twilight felt Equis beneath her hooves, wheeling wildly in its orbit. For reasons she couldn’t understand, hostile forces pushed constantly on the planet, willing it to go careening towards the star or away from it into the void. Only magic beyond comprehension kept it in its course, magic she now controlled. Twilight lifted from the ground, her mane flowing out behind her into sudden ethereal life. Was their connection to this magic what gave Celestia and Luna their unusual manes? Twilight hoped she would get to ask one day. As it was she landed a few seconds later, the sky dark outside and filled with stars. It was no night Luna would’ve been impressed with, but… it would have to do. Better a mediocre night than one side of the planet baking while the other freezes. Twilight panted from the effort, but that was all. It wasn’t nearly the strength she would’ve expected moving stars and planets to take. “O-okay, Spike.” She walked back towards him, letting herself recover before her next wave of magic. “The Crusaders can help you when they come in here, but don’t let her out of your sight. If anything happened to Chance, she’s going to answer for it.” “You got it!” Spike was pacing back and forth in front of her, apparently having not noticed or not cared about Twilight's effort raising the moon. More likely than anything he just didn’t realize. That was fine by her. “Wait!” The changeling had lain down on the ground in her chains, looking glum. She looked up now though, urgent. “There’s another one! Sweetie Belle—I wasn’t part of it, but she’s a changeling too. Chance’s friends aren’t safe around her.” “Is that so?” Twilight gestured, and the little white unicorn teleported into the air in front of her. She searched a moment with her magic… and it didn’t take long. Changelings were very good at pretending, but Twilight had all the power of Equestria’s immortal princesses. She felt the trace of magic and unraveled it. Sweetie Belle changed—she grew larger, expanding to almost the same size as a full-grown mare. Her body lacked the definition that Chance’s replacement did, she had a frill instead of a mane and the other telltale signs of a drone. She was still asleep. That was just fine so far as Twilight was concerned. A second drone near to her first was too dangerous—they could think to each other, work together, plan. Yet she couldn’t kill the drone, or do anything else that might prevent her from extracting information later. If Sweetie Belle wasn’t stuffed in the “harvesting center” too, she would need to come back and learn where Rarity’s sister had been taken. Twilight explored the castle with her mind, finding a crumbling dungeon cell somewhere far, far below the ground. It had no light, nothing more than a little drip of water and a pool of stagnant moisture on one side. She banished the drone there with a flick from her horn, and sealed the whole thing up with freshly conjured stone. Well, except for a teeny little air hole and the crack the water was coming through. “Alright.” Despite all her magical work, Twilight didn’t feel even a little tired, and there was no headache. “Any other imposters I should know about?” The drone shook her head. “None I know about specifically. But…” She lowered her head. “Did you raise the moon just now?” Twilight’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she couldn’t help feel a little satisfied at least somepony had noticed. Even if it was an evil changeling imposter that had helped kidnap her daughter. “Yes.” “Well…” She looked up, meeting Twilight’s eyes for the first time. Did that mean she was being honest, or… was this more pretending? “The sooner somepony fights Tirek, the better. My mother didn’t… think he would ever get weaker. If nopony kills him, eventually nothing will be able to stop him. There wasn’t anything useful in any of the books… Twilight didn’t answer the imposter. She just pictured Fillydelphia, imagining the warehouse where Chance had been kidnapped. “Where is this ‘harvesting center’?” The captive gave her an address, and Twilight nodded. “If you lied, I’ll be back.” She vanished, not stirring the air as she did.