Mission
Luna awoke with a start and breathed in hot, humid air. It was darker than the darkest night, a night without moon or stars. There was no surface beneath her, not the comfort of her Canterlot bed nor the gritty dust of the Moon.
She thrashed, her legs pushing against the moist membrane surrounding her. There was a brief sensation of motion, but it soon left. She pulled her limbs away, and the membrane clung to them. It was quiet, with only the sound of her labored breath in the darkness.
But now there was something beneath her, the sound of hoofsteps, and a voice. Her voice.
Nine days earlier
Luna had missed something. That much was clear. The noise of the party diminished to a dull roar as she walked away into the royal gardens.
“You wanted to speak with me?” Celestia asked, turning towards her.
Luna bit her lip and nodded. “Yes. I wish to speak to you about today’s events.”
Celestia smiled, but glanced upwards for a second. “You missed a lovely wedding.”
“And the craters in the streets?” Luna asked, meeting her gaze.
Celestia sighed. “I don’t want you to worry.”
I have earned some measure of concern, Luna thought. “Then please assure me that there is nothing to worry about.”
“There is not. There was an incursion into the city, and it was successfully repelled,” Celestia said, carefully assuming her practiced half-smile. It practically radiated benevolence and the feeling that everything was going to be alright.
Luna knew better. And Celestia should know better than to try the public face on me. “That is fortunate news.”
“It is,” Celestia said, smiling after a moment’s hesitation.
“How?”
Celestia blinked. “What do you mean?”
“How was the incursion repelled?”
Celestia rubbed her temple. “Luna, please... it was dealt with. Go enjoy yourself.”
Luna nodded deliberately. “Sister, may I make a suggestion?”
“Yes.”
“This would proceed much faster if you did not attempt to convince me that everything is alright. If you do not wish for me to worry, you should tell me what happened," Luna said, eyes locked on Celestia’s.
“Of course,” Celestia said immediately.
“In full.”
The public face disappeared, and Celestia suddenly looked very tired. “Canterlot was infiltrated by changelings.”
Luna raised an eyebrow.
“One of them impersonated Cadance and prevented Captain Armor from casting his protection spell effectively. At the wedding, she revealed herself and incapacitated me. Soon afterwards, the changelings broke through the protective field.”
“And the Elements of Harmony?” Luna asked. “Surely they...”
“The Element Bearers were captured, but—”
Luna's eyes widened. “Captured?”
“Yes,” Celestia said, “but fortunately, Cadence and Shining Armor were able to cast a variant on his shielding magic that expelled the changelings from the city.”
Luna raised an eyebrow.
Celestia frowned. “Their love gave them the necessary power. The Elements of Harmony work on a similar principle, as—”
“Do not condescend to me, sister. The fate of this country hinged on what you and I know to be an entirely unlikely event! Celestia, I am right to have been worried if this occurred as you describe it! How was this allowed to happen?”
Celestia didn’t respond.
“Sister?”
“You’re right.”
“What?”
“You are right!” Celestia snapped. “Our defenses are inadequate, and I miscalculated badly. You are right to be worried.” She looked away from Luna’s gaze.
Luna remained quiet. She of all ponies had no right to rebuke Celestia. “I was out of line,” she finally said.
Celestia sighed. “You are well within your rights. And truth be told, I cannot help but think that you would have done better. You would never have allowed this sort of breach in our defenses.”
Unless I was the breach. “Yours has been a time of peace. You could not have expected this.”
"But you could have. Luna, I want you to deal with this."
“Sister...” Luna paused. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? “I am not sure that my approach—”
“I won’t allow this to happen to my people—”
“Our people,” Luna said quietly.
Celestia rubbed her temple, and nodded. “Our people,” she said. “I will not allow them to be endangered so again. Luna, there are ways of resolving this that I cannot use. You can."
Luna nodded. “I will need resources and personnel.”
“You will have them."
"Moonshine," Luna said.
The pale mare in front of her groaned and brushed blue hair away from her face. "Ma'am?"
"I need you to take diction."
"Mm." Moonshine glanced over towards the wall. "It's not even night yet. Why am I..." She blinked. "Princess Luna, what are you doing in my apartment?"
"I need you to take diction. I am writing letters."
Moonshine sighed and pushed off her sheets. "Yes ma'am. Are we going to the office?"
"I have an office?" Luna asked.
"It's the place where you played with the typewriter for half an hour trying to make a moon while I did paperwork," Moonshine said, feigning cheerfulness.
"Ah! That was most enjoyable!" Luna said. "But regrettably, an impossibility tonight."
"Alright. What's this about, ma'am?"
"Changelings," Luna replied.
Moonshine nodded. "Okay."
There was a knock from the door. "Come in!" Celestia said.
Celestia's well-appointed office wasn't untidy, per se. It was, on her very good authority, meticulously organized. That nopony had ever been able to determine exactly what that organization was didn't make it any less so, at least according to Celestia. The towers of papers, some dating back decades, the filing cabinets that groaned as their contents settled—it was all part of the system, and generations of hapless assistants had been warned in no uncertain terms that any attempts to interfere were forbidden.
Luna walked in past the stacks of disheveled bureaucracy, and took a seat.
"If you are busy..." Luna began.
"I'm always busy. But of course I can make an exception for you." Celestia smiled, and cleared the contents of her desk onto the floor.
Luna peered next to Celestia's desk. "I assume this is part of your... system?"
"An absolutely integral part. What did you want to talk to me about?"
"You recall that you asked me to resolve the changeling situation."
Celestia frowned. "Yes. How is that proceeding?"
"I am... unsure. I hoped I could discuss this with you."
"Of course."
"I intend to bring Chrysalis to justice," Luna said.
Celestia tapped the desk idly, staring at Luna. "Explain."
"I will take whatever force necessary into the Badlands, capture Chrysalis, and return her here to stand trial."
Celestia nodded. "I assume that when you say 'whatever force necessary,' you mean..."
"I intend to bring enough soldiers to subdue the changelings. If they are wise, they will give her up rather than face my resolve."
Celestia sighed. "You cannot be serious."
Luna stared. "I am very serious."
Celestia sighed. "Of course you are. Luna, I will not risk this scale of war. Leading a force into the Badlands would have consequence far past just us and the changelings. You cannot do this."
"What would you have me do?" Luna asked. "Allow this to go unpunished? Sit here and wait for another attack?"
She stamped her hoof. "That is not good enough. If we do not bring justice to her, our enemies will gain confidence, believing that Equestria has grown weak. They will be back again and again."
Luna leaned in towards Celestia. "The line must be drawn here."
"And you are the one to draw it?" Celestia asked.
"I hoped for your support in this, sister."
Celestia glanced towards the door. It was closed. She leaned in towards Luna. "Officially, I cannot give it. Officially, the Equestrian government will have no part in this. I can give you no orders, no Royal Guard. Unofficially..."
"Yes?" Luna breathed.
"It's possible that some fraction of the royal budget might be... misplaced."
Luna nodded.
"And should you request any specific individuals for your... excursion..."
"An alibi," Luna said.
"To my knowledge," Celestia said, maintaining—just—her usual poker face, "you and whatever personnel you deem fit will be on a diplomatic mission to Zebrica."
Luna nodded. "Then there are constraints on this mission."
"What mission?"
Luna blinked. "The diplomatic mission to Zebrica, of course."
"I tend to travel there with my secretary of state and his assistant, but you might elect a larger entourage. Perhaps four, plus the train's crew."
"I see," Luna said. "It is not much."
"I am sorry. But I cannot, and will not, commit this nation as a whole to this foolishness. As such, you should know this. If you are captured by the changelings, there will be no rescue. I will deny knowledge of your mission."
"Very well," Luna said, avoiding Celestia's gaze.
"Luna, listen to me! This is too dangerous."
Luna chuckled, but still didn't meet her eyes. "Do we now shy away from danger?"
"You don't understand, do you? These creatures—"
Luna stood up. "I am uniquely qualified to understand the nature of this threat! I know what it is to be your enemy, and I understand exactly what must be done."
"Luna," Celestia said quietly. The younger princess reluctantly looked to her. "These creatures subdued me. If you go into the hive, you could..." Celestia rubbed her muzzle. "I can't lose you again. Do you understand that, at least?" She blinked back tears.
"Oh," Luna said. She sighed. "Of course I do."
"Then please. Don't do this."
"I have to." This was not the loud voice of pride wounded, of a swollen ego poked too hard. It was not the voice of Nightmare Moon. It was the quiet voice of duty, and it sounded well from Luna.
"Sister..." Celestia started, and then hesitated. "Who would go with you? This is madness."
"If it is madness..." She breathed deeply, and paused for a moment. "Lunatics."
Moonshine means well, surely, Luna thought. Ever since her appointment as Luna’s personal assistant, she had served with efficiency, competence, and no small amount of loyalty to the Princess of the Night.
Luna did wish she wouldn’t look quite so frightened when she didn’t manage to do what Luna asked of her, but there were worse things by far.
“I did send inquiries to all of the ministries asking if they had any personnel who fit your request, but as far as I can tell, they haven’t been able to respond yet,” Moonshine said, flipping through her clipboard. “And I do mean all the ministries, just like you asked.”
“Did you use my words exactly?” Luna asked.
“Let me check...” Moonshine said, flipping back towards the front. “The letter to the Equestrian Revenue Service requests, and I quote, ‘a cohort of stalwart warriors well-versed in the arts of stealth and cunning’.” She returned the clipboard to her saddlebag. “They haven’t gotten back to me yet. Oh, but I did get a message from Princess Celestia. She wants you to have a, uh, protective detail.”
Luna raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, um, basically bodyguards. They’ll go where you do, for the most part, and keep an eye out for anypony who’d want to hurt you.” She paused briefly. The fact that Luna still looked dubious wasn’t helping. “Like the guards that escorted you to Ponyville.”
Luna nodded. “Very well. Did she state her wishes for the nature of my, ah, protective detail?”
Moonshine looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and then started flipping through the clipboard again. “I don’t believe she said anything specific... She wrote that, um, ‘I have faith in your ability to discern talent and you have always...’ One second. The postscript reads—” Her pale face furrowed. “It reads, and I quote: ‘Lulu, please don’t be silly and declare that you need no mortals to guard your ageless body.’ Princess, am I handling your personal correspondence? I mean, it’s not a problem, but I didn’t think I was...”
Luna snatched the letter away from Moonshine’s grasp. Her eyes flickered briefly over it, and she made a token attempt to commit the contents to memory. Then, just as quickly, her magic flared over it, banishing it into the shadowlands, Possibly the moon. Luna was not picky at this particular juncture.
She turned back towards Moonshine and smiled just a bit too widely. “Shall we move onto other business, like bringing the leader of an unprecedented attack on this city to justice?”
Moonshine blinked. “Oh. Right. But, um, if you’ll let me consult the duplicate I had made of that letter, I think Princess Celestia recommended somepony for your detail. Do you mind if I read it first?”
Luna gestured impatiently.
“Okay, so... quote: ‘If you insist on doing it your way, please take Soarin, whose contact details I have included for your extraordinarily competent and thoughtful personal assistant’...”
Luna wasn’t quite going for “if looks could kill.” Not quite.
“Ahem. Anyways, quote, 'I have expressed my trust in Mr Soarin to at least be able to keep up with you should all else fail and you decide to do something rash'."
Luna put her hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "What could she possibly refer to?"
"I don't know, ma'am," Moonshine said.
Moonshine glanced at the clock and fidgeted. "I'm still not entirely sure what this is about."
"You will find out," Luna said, flipping through a folder.
There was a knock on the door. "Come inside!" Luna called.
Royal Guards filed in—two flanking a mare: dirty blue hair, with a horn poking through her disheveled bangs, tired eyes that didn't look up from the floor for more than a second. Her feet shuffled forward, loose chains clanking. She gave the room a blank stare.
"Leave us," Luna said. After a moment's hesitation, the guards saluted and left.
The mare's eyes locked on Luna, losing their glassiness. "You do not look very dangerous, Agent Colgate," Luna said.
Colgate shrugged. "It's just Minuette," she said. "And if I'd let you take the chains off, you could see how wrong you are. Trust me, I belong where I was."
Luna nodded. "Convince me," she said, and gestured towards Moonshine, who crouched down and unlocked the chains. Colgate kicked a hoof and nodded shallowly, then disappeared. Luna looked for the telltale distortion of invisibility magic, but saw nothing.
"Very impressive, Ms Colgate!" she said. There was no response. Moonshine's eyes widened.
"Princess?" Moonshine asked. "Are you absolutely sure letting her in here was a good idea? I mean, she was in custody..."
"Of her own volition," Luna said. "There is nothing to be feared." Admittedly, it was slightly worrisome with Colgate having disappeared for so long. Luna took an uneasy glance around the room. Nothing. She sighed, and turned back to Moonshine.
There was an insistent push on Luna's side, just behind the shoulder, inches from the heart. She recoiled, and turned to face her assailant. Colgate stood there, breathing hard. "Now do you get why I want the chains on?"
Luna smiled. "Yes, and I am also pleased to see that your file has not misled me. In case you did not hear me, I am quite impressed."
Colgate glared. "Impressed? Princess, I'm not impressive. I'm dangerous."
Luna met her gaze. "And I am very dangerous, Minuette Colgate. Your abilities are not in question here."
She shrugged. "If you read my file, you know what happened. I'm not dangerous just because I can do that stuff. You know why I'm dangerous."
"Remind me."
"She..." Colgate said it like a curse. "She was inside my head. She told me what to do, and I listened. They say I'm fine now. That it doesn't work at this distance. That she's gone." Colgate glanced at the ceiling. "Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that I can still hear that voice, those voices. And I'm scared that if I listen too long..."
Luna walked back to her chair, and leaned back casually. "You believe yourself to be a traitor."
"I am one."
"One who turned her back on her country and all those whom she loves."
Colgate stamped her hoof. "Yes! I betrayed my country. I'm a traitor. Put the damn chains back on," she hissed.
Luna nodded, and leaned in towards Colgate. "I know something of that," she said. "Now, while you cannot be blamed for what you have done, knowing that has clearly not given you peace or restored your pride. I know what can."
"What?"
"You are a member of the Equestrian Secret Service, and—"
"I resigned," Colgate said.
"A former member, then, and a talented one. Your marks in preliminary testing were superb, and you were recommended for foreign operations at an unparalleled age."
Colgate nodded reluctantly. "It didn't take."
Luna waited for her to elaborate. She didn't.
"Even so, former agent Colgate of the Equestrian Secret Service, I offer you a proposition."
"Shoot," she murmured.
"Will you follow me now, and bring the one who made a traitor of you to justice? Would you follow me into the depths of the hive itself, with no survival outside of success, and no success save the satisfaction of knowing that you have done justice to yourself and to our enemy?" Luna asked, voice building to a crescendo. "Follow me in this," she whispered, "and there shall be redemption enough for the both of us."
Colgate smiled. "Sounds like it could be fun."
Luna glanced at Moonshine, who hesitated for a second. "Good enough for me, ma'am," she said.
"In that case, you shall come with me."
"Hold on," Colgate said. "I have one condition."
"Yes?"
"We're going to be capturing Chrysalis," Colgate said. It wasn't a question.
"Correct."
"If she starts to turn me again..." Colgate swallowed nervously. "I want you to kill me."
Moonshine gasped. "You can't ask the Princess to—"
Luna raised a hoof. "I understand, Colgate. Will you then make me a similar promise?"
Colgate thought that over. "It depends."
"Of course. If I should fall to the same sins that once made me a monster..." Luna gestured towards her chest.
"Cross my heart, hope to die," Colgate said.
"Then we have an agreement."
"We are here to recruit an archeologist?" Luna asked, looking at the modest house in front of her.
"You were the one who complained that no one seemed to know anything about changelings," Moonshine said. "I just managed to find him for you."
"Who is this archeologist, and why am I recruiting him for this mission?"
"He is one of the only..." Moonshine glanced at her clipboard. "Sorry, the only pony to have gone into the changeling hive and returned alive, at least in the last century. I assumed you'd want to at least talk to him."
"I see. You are most probably correct." Luna rapped the door. After a moment, there was the thunk of a lock unlocking, then another, and another. Finally, a suspicious face glared out at Luna—an earth pony, with a five o'clock shadow and thick eyebrows poised to arch mockingly.
"Can I help you?" he asked. The Equish was smooth, but tinged with some accent Luna couldn't identify. If he made much of a princess showing up at his front door, he didn't want to show it.
"Are you Doctor Caballeron?" Luna asked.
"I am."
"Then I certainly hope so. I have a proposition for you. Might we discuss it?"
He raised an eyebrow. "That depends entirely on the nature of the proposition at hoof."
"It involves changelings, and—"
The door slammed in Luna's face.
"A thousand years ago," she mused, "I could have had him dragged out by his hind legs, and nopony would think anything of it."
"Things have changed, ma'am," Moonshine said.
"Indeed they have."
"I imagine there could be a few inquiries into it these days."
"How disappointing, if I may say—wait... so I still can?" Luna asked.
Moonshine shrugged. "You are a princess, and this could be loosely construed to be a matter of national importance."
The last two words troubled her for a moment, but Luna smiled. "Doctor Caballeron!" she called. "I can assure you that I am capable of having you hear my proposition regardless of your degree of interest."
There was a muffled curse from inside. The door opened again. Caballeron glared at Luna, then said, “Come inside.”
Luna followed him inside, walking through a poorly lit hallway lined with dusty artifacts. They came to what apparently passed for a sitting room, with a couple of old armchairs and a disused couch. "Take a seat!" he said. "Or, I suppose in your case, two." He watched Luna and Moonshine sit down, and walked to a bookshelf. Caballeron retrieved a beat-up book. "This was the only thing I brought back out of the hive—my journal."
His gaze locked on the princess, and he paced across the floor. "And what's piqued your interest in the bugs lately?"
"Doctor Caballeron," Luna said carefully, "I am here today because of the recent incursion into Canterlot. Knowledgeable as you are about changelings, I was hoping you would be able to assist me in returning the changeling known as Queen Chrysalis here for trial."
"Consultancy work?" Caballeron nodded. "I imagine I could put together a dossier on what to expect. We'll have to talk payment, of course, but that's entirely acceptable."
"I meant that you would assist me in person, Doctor," Luna said.
Caballeron stroked his face, and didn't respond for a few seconds. "You want me to return to the hive?"
"I do."
"There's not a chance of that happening. Not for any consultancy check in the world."
"And yet," Luna said, "you have gone there before. Why not again?"
"Because, princess—" He actually smirked. Luna suppressed the urge to do something unpleasant to him. "I nearly died. And I was lucky. Do you know what happened to my team?"
Luna shook her head. "Only that they did not return."
"They didn't. And you won't either, not if you assume that you know enough about the changelings already."
Luna sighed. "We would know much more with your assistance, and you would get much further with mine."
That same smirk. "You're going?"
"I am."
Caballeron considered that for a second. "What sort of resources are you looking at for this?"
Luna hesitated a moment, then said, "This mission will be under the auspices of the Equestrian Foreign Service." It was technically true, if spectacularly useless in practice. "You would make three members, with a former Secret Service operative and myself comprising the others. We expect to add a Wonderbolt to our number as well."
Caballeron nodded. "I'm sold. Fair enough, but I want the treasure."
Luna hesitated. "What is it that you want?"
"The hive treasure. It's referenced in the texts I read when I studied the history of the changelings. A subject which has never gained me tenure, nor convinced her to..." He paused for a moment. "I won't get into that. There's an object they mention repeatedly—this is from when changelings actually wrote, of course—described as having great value. The dialect is arcane, but I suspect it's an artifact of substantial worth."
Luna nodded. "I see. It could give you insight into the changelings, then? Is that why you want this treasure?"
"Close, but... no. I'm going to sell it, make a bundle, and retire from archeology in splendor. That's assuming you're serious."
"Oh," Luna said.
"If I go with you, I want more than a consultancy check and a royal headpat," Caballeron said. "I expect you to help me get my treasure."
"We will not satisfy your petty avarice and risk jeopardizing the mission."
"Then you'll satisfy the changelings, and my petty avarice is much less dangerous than a changeling out for love." Caballeron yawned, and put his journal back on the shelf. "Good day, Princess Luna."
"Very well," Luna said with some difficulty. "You will have your treasure."
"Splendid. So, let's start planning." Those eyebrows arched mockingly after all, although Luna didn't see the joke. "Your place or mine, Princess?"
Luna looked around the table. There was Colgate, looking bored and fiddling with a pen. Soarin was staring out the window, tracing shapes with his hoof. Caballeron was... looking at Moonshine? That couldn't be right.
"I would call this meeting to order, but let us not stand on formality overmuch," Luna said. Colgate snickered quietly, but stifled herself as Luna glared. "In any case, there are a few details of this mission that have not yet been made known to you. If these affect your willingness to participate, you may decline to. That does include you, Mr Soarin."
He nodded.
"First of all, this mission will have no official endorsement or support from the Equestrian government."
Nods all around, although Moonshine didn't seem happy about the prospect.
"Secondly, this mission will not be acknowledged by the Equestrian government." She paused for effect, but there was no reaction from anypony at the table.
"Thirdly, should this mission's failure result in our capture, the Equestrian government shall disavow all knowledge of our activities and decline to negotiate for our release." Colgate frowned at that. "Nor will there be any rescue operation undertaken in the event that we fail." She looked around the room.
Soarin raised a hoof. "What's failure?"
Luna suppressed a smirk. "While I applaud the sentiment, I want your decision informed by more than bravado. That being said, I do not anticipate any such failures if we all perform our roles effectively. Doctor Caballeron, you are of course our changeling expert, and will be responsible for guiding us within the hive itself."
Caballeron nodded.
"Ms Colgate, your stealth may be required in order to infiltrate the hive without any... mishaps. In addition..." Luna paused a moment. "I believe you may be able to see things none of us can."
Colgate raised an eyebrow. "Yes, ma'am."
"Mr Soarin, your role has not changed. You are to protect me and the other members of this party. Also, I suspect you will be preventing me from doing anything particularly foolish, per my sister's orders."
Soarin shrugged. "I'll do my job. Ma'am."
Luna nodded. "Are there any questions?"
Caballeron asked, "If we cannot rely on official support for this mission... from where are our supplies coming?"
"I will be financing this mission myself."
There were stares from around the table. Luna sighed. "Moonshine, what was that word you kept using when we discussed the state of my finances?"
"Oh, um, compound interest?"
Colgate was scribbling furiously on a scrap of paper. Her eyes widened. "That should... be enough."
Luna smiled. "Excellent. Yes, Doctor?"
Caballeron coughed theatrically. "Call me mercenary, but will the Equestrian government be sanctioning the sale of any artifacts one might acquire from our little adventure?"
"Yes, I imagine that certain regulations could be overlooked."
He chuckled. "Very good."
Luna raised a hoof in warning. "That does not mean it will be condoned."
Caballeron shrugged. "I can live with that."
Now Colgate spoke. "What are we doing with Chrysalis in the event that we're about to be captured with her?"
Luna stared at the ceiling in thought. "We will address that matter if, and when, we come to it. Any further concerns, Colgate?"
"Nothing comes to mind."
"Very well. In that case, we will move on to the general overview of our mission. Moonshine, if you would be kind enough to retrieve the relevant documents..."
Soarin was looking decidedly confused.
"Is there a problem, Mr Soarin?" Luna asked.
He shrugged and looked up in thought. "I dunno, it's just like... none of you get what an awesome adventure this is! You know?"
Nopony responded.
"Well, I think it's going to be fun," he said.
This wasn't Luna's first train. That hadn't been the best of times. She was led in by Celestia, a strong white wing supporting Luna's weakened body. There had been a subdued and cursory examination by a pair of solemn doctors, who murmured things like "it could be shock" and "the effect might be permanent..."
Celestia had stayed with them, talking quietly, while Luna followed a pale unicorn into a sealed carriage. There had been a comfortable looking bed. Luna opted for curling up in a corner and sobbing quietly. The unicorn had looked to the door behind her nervously, then set her clipboard down, walked to Luna, and offered a brief hug. Luna accepted mutely.
Celestia had been there a minute later, of course.
There was a knock on the door, and Luna, shaken from her memories, turned away from the landscape rushing by. "Yes?"
Moonshine came in with a wave of her clipboard. "Doctor Caballeron is going to talk about changelings in a minute. I thought you'd want to be there."
"You thought rightly."
"I usually do," Moonshine said matter-of-factly. They stepped out into the hall and turned towards the back of the train.
Luna chuckled. "I believe I will miss you, Moonshine."
"I'm sure we'll have time to catch up as you swagger back into Dodge Junction with Chrysalis in tow."
"A thousand enraged changelings in pursuit," Luna finished.
Moonshine shrugged. "I grew up in Dodge, sort of. I think we can take them."
"Naturally."
Moonshine opened the carriage door. It took a moment for Caballeron to look past her. "Ah. I see we're joined by our dear leader. Did you have a nice nap?" he asked.
"I was not sleeping," Luna snapped, "although it would hardly be surprising if I was."
Caballeron looked bored. "In any case," he said, "we should talk about changelings. Or, more accurately, you should listen while I talk about changelings. Ms Colgate, Mr Soarin, are you paying attention?"
"I am," Colgate said. "Soarin's coloring again."
"Am not!" Soarin retorted.
"Whatever. Go ahead, Doctor," Colgate said.
Caballeron began to pace around the carriage. "Most ponies are aware that psychic magic is possible, as with our own Princess Cadence. But she is by far the exception. It is a rare talent indeed. Psychic magic is not particularly well-suited to unicorns for various reasons, and pegasi and earth ponies don't have the feel for it. Changelings specialize in it."
Blank stares from around the room.
"The term 'shapeshifter' for changelings is misleading. That sort of physiological change is, of course, impossible in the period of time it takes for a changeling to assume a new appearance. I am an archaeologist, not a biologist or magical theoretician, so if you want to know exactly how they do it, ask somepony else. But it is a psychic effect that alters your perception of the changeling's appearance to fit that of the pony whose identity has been assumed. Don't be an idiot and think you can tell the difference through any subtle details. A changeling is physically indistinguishable from the host identity. Behavior is the only way to tell the difference."
Soarin raised a hoof cautiously. "What kind of stuff are you talking about?"
Caballeron rolled his eyes. "Attitude, speech patterns, actions, things like that.”
Soarin nodded.
"As such, I suggest you all become familiar with the mannerisms of the ponies on this train. The ability to spot the differences will be essential. Now, moving on, I'm going to be..."
There was the roar of rushing air. The train shuddered as another train rushed by on the adjacent track. Luna reckoned it was moving at roughly fifty miles per hour. The interior was a blur, but it was absolutely packed with ponies—a blur of blue and orange and pink.
It passed quickly, receding to a smudge behind them.
"What the hell was that?" Colgate asked.
Moonshine bit her lip. "It's Monday. The train from Dodge Junction doesn't leave until Friday... and it's never that full."
"This bears investigation," Luna said. "Moonshine, would you go to the locomotive and inquire after it?"
Moonshine murmured assent and left.
"Doctor, please continue," Luna said.
The door closed, and Caballeron looked away. "Oh, right. I was talking about psychic magic, yes?"
"Indeed."
"We'll discuss the details of how to deal with changelings, but for the moment, perhaps it's best that we focus on what makes a changeling tick." Caballeron looked around the room, wary of an objection. "The psychic magic's most obvious manifestation is the changeling's ability to assume the appearance of another creature, but that's not the only effect."
Colgate fidgeted.
"As Ms Colgate here can tell you, changelings are capable of projecting their consciousness onto another mind."
Luna glanced at Colgate, who didn't seem to have any reaction.
"Ms Colgate?"
Colgate nodded, but didn’t look up.
"You will virtually never see changelings on their own unless they're impersonating somepony else. This is why changelings will fight with a fanatical devotion to the hive, incidentally."
Luna frowned. "A constant magical field of that sort must require a great deal of energy to sustain."
Caballeron nodded. "Which is why changelings have to feed on love."
"Why is this, uh, shared consciousness thing so important anyways?" Soarin asked.
Caballeron hesitated for a moment. "That's a good question, and actually, one I do have a number of thoughts on..."
"Because it's not lonely," Colgate mumbled.
"Huh?" Soarin said.
"I can't really explain it. It's like..." She paused. "It's like a thousand voices in your head telling you that everything will be alright, that you're okay, that somepony's taking care of you."
Colgate looked briefly panicked. "Something like that," she said.
Caballeron stroked his face for a moment, then nodded. "Essentially, yes. Changelings don't require love for pure survival. It's in order to keep the magical link active."
Luna looked out the window for a few moments. "Surely the changelings cannot always have been like this," she said.
Caballeron grimaced. "That's a matter of some debate in my field. But for my money, I'd say you're right. Early changeling writings don't suggest anything like the blurring of identity or parasitism we see in changelings today."
The door opened. "The engineers have no idea what happened," Moonshine said. "Steam guesses that it's just the Friday train leaving early, but in general..." She shook her head.
"Duly noted," Luna said. "Moonshine, do sit down. Now, Doctor... what could have caused that sort of change?"
Caballeron shrugged. "The records are incomplete, fragmented. A lot of the later texts are, uh, apocalyptic visions. Very strange stuff, practically unreadable. But one word keeps turning up, over and over again.” He paused a moment, eyes flickering towards his journal. “Her."
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Dat title, I see what you did there.
This is all I can think of when I look at the wonderful cover.
Only, you know. Better.
Oh god, this is gonna be gooooooooood!
4016540
Subtlety is not my forte.
I saw this cover on 2315D's deviantart page and have been waiting for it. I'll read it later, though. The new chapter of Forgiveness Pending is out.
Huzzah! This is a fun read.
Adding to the Adventure folder in Luna Is The Best Pony.
4016592
Just read the chapter and I think I'm in love with this story.
Not sure, but it feels like something is missing here.
4016672
GDocs doesn't always play nice with FIMFiction for some reason. Thanks for pointing this out.
The team is set, the adventure is underway!
This gonna be a good one.
~Skeeter The Lurker
I keep thinking "The Dirty Dozen"...
Argo
Yeah, Lunatics, go kick some changeling plots
"Her". Here we go. The changelings had an apocalyptic prophecy of an alicorn attacking the hive. Cryssy attacks Canterlot to wipe out the alicorn and prevent the prophecy from coming true. The alicorn's recently returned sister strikes back in retaliation, attacking the hive... self-fulfilling prophecies are so much fun!
I'm sorry but there is something about this story that I just can not stand, it might be all the time skips or maybe your writing style (I'm pretty sure it isn't, I liked some of your other work), it could be something about your dialogue but something in this story just doesn't sit right with me and in fact makes it very difficult to sum up the motivation to read it.
So it is with regret that I inform you that I have down voted your story for what may appear to be for no reason but is a culmination of many small things.
I am informing you of this so you have someone to blame for that down vote.
Love,
Willsons, a hater of anonymity.
I'm calling it now!! Moonshines been replaced already
Let the record be clear, this story was in non mature FB this morning, 3/1/14
4017632
Thanks for letting me know, I suppose.
hmm that express train......does someone in equestria wants to prevent luna from finding out?
that sounds more comforting than the usual hivemind, why do they need a species-wide link that sounds like someone trys to comfort a traumatised person......
hmmm
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why do things halfway? she always was a changeling
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Hmm?
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I'm thinking perhaps it is Chrysilis that is refered to in those scripts. The hive mind was not always there, and its existence is the driving force behind the aggression of the changelings. Apocalypses do not always happen suddenly after all.
I like what you're doing here, and look forward to where you're going with this story.
That being said, this chapter is far from perfect. Overall, it seems that everything is done too fast; what should have been several chapters of setup has been crammed into one here. Everything that needed to happen is still seen, but the pacing suffers for it. In specifics, the scene at the beginning with Celestia as very wooden. The turnaround in Celestia's opinion is too quick; she seems more a cardboard cutout in front of plot than a character in her own right. There aren't any emotions there, just things that happened. The character introductory scenes were better, but still seem too short to really establish a connection with the characters.
Overall, it seems like you've rushed through the introductory chapter to get to parts you wanted to write more. That's all well and good, but if the whole story is written like this, the story is going to suffer for it.
I hope this has been helpful.
4019529
Thanks for your input.
Hmmm....You have my interest. :)
Lunatics?
Why does my brain keep thinking about this:
totalmediabridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/loonytoons-loonatics.jpg
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You had questionable choice in entertainment as a child?
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For some reason it caught my attention.
However, I stopped watching it when I became addicted to My Little Pony.
4020942
Heh, sorry. I only remember that show as trying way too hard to be edgy.
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Heh. No need to apologize.
It's funny cuz pun
Great story its awesome that I'm in it Lol
- Soarin out
4018516 le GASP
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This paranoia: I like it.
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4023713
All ponies are changelings!
After the NMM incident the nation collapsed into a civil war which let to the extinction of the pony race and the changelings constructed an illusion to prevent Celestia from incinerating the world in grief-induced insanity.
I like the premise of this story, so I'm giving it an upvote. I like your writing style, so I'm going to watch you. I'm looking forward to the next chapter.
Sticking to my word I have read your story and I have to say it's good so far. There has been noting that has really grabbed my attention but I still want to continue reading it. There were a few errors in the story but every story has errors. Not to sure where your going to go with this story, though I was surprised that it took place just after the Canterlot wedding. Not sure I want to give you a thumbs up just yet. only time will tell.
Get featured dammit!
4027328
It's fine.
I need more now!!
I'm jonesing hard for the next chapter!
clung
Tracking.
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How did I not fix that?
Thanks for pointing that out.
disavowing luna infiltrating the changeling homeland................ fucking luna, one of the diarch, a demigoddess alicorn?
Me likey!!!
Now, time to crawl into a whole with an outlet and stare at my phone until I get the email saying, "The fanfic you are tracking called 'The LunaTics' has just updated!"...Time to begin my unhealthy obsession.
~ Michael A.
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Oh dear...
So ... Operation Save the Changelings.
The worldbuilding in this is fuckin' fantastic, Space. Good lord.
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Thank you. There will be more. Much more.