//------------------------------// // Ignition // Story: Mirage // by Trump-12 //------------------------------// The Crusaders left the hive without incident, most likely due to Mirage's intervention in reminding them that it was approaching the deadline their sisters had set. The journey through the forest was similarly uneventful, although Mirage did catch an occasional glimpse of black and white stripes. Clearly, Zecora still didn't trust her. It was hardly a surprise. As they passed the treeline, they were faced with all of the Elements in a loose huddle, not looking particularly worried, but there all the same. “Hey,” said Mirage calmly. “We’re back on time, as promised.” Twilight stepped forward and quickly scanned the other two, before nodding. “It's them, and they're fine,” she called back to her friends. “Of course they are,” Mirage said, looking somewhat offended. “Noling would dare to hurt my best friends. Although there was a minor problem we found out about before we left.” “What problem?” asked Applejack suspiciously. “There’s a chance that hanging out with me for months might have altered their magic slightly.” “What?” shouted Rarity. “How is this minor?” “It's not dangerous, it just seems to be a natural thing that happens to any pony without a Cutie Mark. Probably. Maybe. It just means that their special talents might be changeling related.” “Such as?” Applejack asked. “Applebloom got a strong earth magic reaction from love crystals. We don't know about Sweetie yet, but we think maybe illusions or transformation spells.” “Hmm,” said Rarity. “I suppose that's not so bad, but don't think I'm happy about this.” “Look, by the time any of us realised what was happening, it had already happened. This isn’t anypony or -ling’s fault, just a load of new situations. Weird stuff’s going to happen sometimes. Who knows how many ponies this has happened to over the years and no one noticed.” Rarity frowned. “That is a rather… disquieting thought. But it is probably not one to be addressed now. Let's go, Sweetie Belle, you need to get to bed.” “Rarity’s right,” said Applejack. You need to get to bed, Applebloom.” She hesitated for a moment, before looking at Mirage. “Ah can't imagine the Everfree’s very safe at this time of night, even for you. You should probably hurry back.” Mirage smiled. “I’ll be fine,” she replied, before shouting to the departing Crusaders. “See you tomorrow!” Upon hearing their responses, she turned around and walked back into the forest. Life was good in the hive for the next few days. The collectors sent to the Crystal Empire under the agreement with Lepidoptera were coming back with massive loads of love, though there were a few concerns raised over the fact that such a large love source tended to blind emotional senses. Even the negotiations with Princess Celestia were going well, the early stages of a possible alliance being agreed upon. The relative peace was shattered by the arrival of a message. Chrysalis attacking CE and Northern Hive. CH blinding detection abilities. Request immediate assistance. QL. Queen Imago groaned at Chrysalis’s stupidity. Surely she couldn't be that idiotic naturally. She was starting to think that Chrysalis might be being controlled. Either way, this couldn't be allowed to stand. She reached out with her magic and called in the entire guard. Lyra opened the front door to find Bon Bon packing a bag. “Bon Bon? Where are you going?” “Sorry, Lyra. I’ve been called in at short notice for a few days. I'm not sure what the queen wants me to do, but it shouldn't take more than a week.” “Can you last that long without love?” “Unless I get in a fight, easily. Besides, the hive has plenty of love stored up, I won't go hungry, even if I have to use the store of Pinkie love.” “Pinkie love?” “Think Applejack’s special cider but for changelings. Pinkie Pie is weird.” “Huh,” said Lyra, deep in thought. “Is that why you were acting like that after the party last month?” “Yep. You know Pinkie hired me to provide some sweets. We spent the entire afternoon baking in the same kitchen, and I got a huge dose of her love for absolutely everything. We tend to try to avoid spending too much time with her. Her special brand of love may taste delicious, but the side effects aren't worth it. “Anyway,” she continued, “I’m sorry I have to leave at such short notice, but I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Lyra frowned. “I’m worried. You’ve never had to leave like this before. What if it's dangerous?” Bon Bon leaned in to kiss her, eyes closing as the delicious taste of love flooded into her, mixed with an undercurrent of worry. “I’m sure everything will be fine, Lyra. I’ll be back in a few days, and we can pick up right where we left off.” She flashed into her true form for a moment, levitating her bag onto her back, before resuming her disguise. “I’ll see you soon, Lyra. I love you.” Lyra sighed. “I love you too.” Queen Imago looked out over the large crowd of drones in front of her and smiled. It always felt good to see her hive so successful. Still, this was a serious occasion, so she quickly schooled her face into a neutral expression, before casting a spell to amplify her voice. “Earlier today, I received a message. Our allies in the north have come under attack from Chrysalis, and we have been requested to assist. The council response will take time to organise, meaning that we are the only backup for at least three days. “The guards will come with me, and we will assist Queen Lepidoptera in repelling the invasion. Those of you who are not guards, but have combat experience or training, have been called in to protect the hive while the main guard are away. You will follow the commands of Trance,” (a growl came from the drone in question), “formerly of my personal guard.” The queen turned around, preparing to leave the raised platform. “We leave immediately. Those of you who are coming with me will be briefed on the way.” She left the room followed by a flood of armoured drones. Mirage, as princess, felt the call as well. If the hive was going to war, with the queen at its head, she would be required to run the ordinary hive business, while maintaining the appearance of normality. She would also, if things went wrong, have to be ready to take the throne at any time. That wasn't to say that she couldn't go about her business as usual. It would never do to alert any potential enemies to the hive's vulnerability. It was her duty to ensure that no outsider would be able to tell that anything was different, and that meant doing everything she normally would. This, of course, meant that school was still on the agenda. Unfortunately, after two days of pretending nothing was wrong, it had become obvious to those who knew her best that she was hiding something. At lunchtime on the second day, the other Crusaders confronted her. “Scoots, what's wrong?” asked Applebloom. “You’ve been actin’ stressed all day.” “It's nothing, just a bit of hive business. I can't tell you about it anyway.” Sweetie Belle’s eyebrow raised. “Does this have something to do with why the sweet shop suddenly closed for a few days?” Scootaloo looked very uncomfortable. “Yes it does, but I really can't tell you more than that. Look, when all this is over, however it goes, I promise I'll tell you what’s going on, but until then, I have to keep it a secret.” Applebloom didn't look convinced, but she let the subject drop. “Fine, but not a second longer.” Sweetie suddenly perked up. “Why don't we try another crusade after school, for old times sake. Just because we have some idea of what we might be good at now, doesn't mean we can't have fun.” “Yeah,” said Applebloom. “You can even choose what we do, take your mind off things for a bit.” A small smile crossed Scootaloo's face. “I suppose we haven't done anything really crazy since this all started. Wanna try hang-gliding?” “So, class,” Cheerilee said loudly, regaining control of the class after lunch, “under the rules we discussed yesterday, who can tell me what five times seven plus nine divided by three is?” Several hooves shot up instantly, the usual suspects who tried to answer everything. A few more followed more hesitantly, the group who weren't so confident, but had the brains to puzzle out the answer. The latter group were the ones she usually asked, actually being more likely to give a correct answer than many of the former. “Dinky?” The little unicorn looked terrified at being singled out, but quickly worked up the courage to answer. “Umm… thirty-eight?” Diamond Tiara snorted with laughter, but Cheerilee smiled. “Very good, Dinky. Doing the multiplication and division first gives thirty-five plus three. Now, who can —” Cheerilee’s question was cut off as a pulse of acid green magic spread across the room. Everypony looked towards its source. Scootaloo's eyes blazed with her magic, green fire overtaking their usual purple, and the image of a jet black crown was fading from her flank.