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Chapter 1 ~Director's Cut~4,808 words
Where it all went wrong2,749 words
Chapter Two2,535 words
Chapter Three4,032 words
Chapter Four2,019 words
Chapter Five1,690 words
Chapter Six2,667 words
Chapter Seven2,064 words
Chapter Eight1,519 words

Chapter Six

Celestia slowly sifted through her paperwork with an internal sigh. Though it had been three weeks since Cadance and Shining Armor had expelled Chrysalis and the changelings far from the city, she was still having to go through the bills, which ponies—Mostly the nobility, she thought with a snort—had submitted to the treasury department. So far, she had refused to not grant a single one no matter how suspect it seemed. She took a sip of tea and glanced outside. A few more minutes, then I’ll call it for the day and go check on Twilight. She heard rather than saw the young guard come in. She looked up as he paused in front of her. One of the newer recruits still mainly used for delivering messages.

“Yes? What is it, Falling Rain?” Celestia smiled down at the startled pegasus, who snapped to attention.

“Princess, fifteen minutes ago a changeling of some type was found within the room where you placed Lady Twilight Sparkle earlier this evening. The changeling was removed to a holding cell, but there is no sign of your student at this time. Captain Shining Armor is preparing a rescue mission for his…” The young guard trailed off as he watched Celestia jerk to her hooves.

“Where, where did the guard take her?” Celestia felt as if her heart had stopped. What did you do to her, Chrysalis… what did you do to my precious student? There was no doubt in her mind that the pony she had tucked into bed had been Twilight. Changelings might think they were good pretenders, but after how badly their queen pretended to be Cadance… “Where did they take Twilight?” Celestia asked again, her voice raising in volume as the recruit trembled a bit.

“A-as I said, Your Highness, the captain believes that his sister is still being held at the changeling—” He looked up to see Celestia’s lips drawn into a firm line. “I… th-the drone was taken down to a holding cell on the order of Captain Armor. I believe Sergeant Sunbeam Fireside is guarding her along with Sergeant Thundersky Strike and private Tranquil Breeze.”

Celestia left the throne room at a quick pace. But paused as she heard a scream seeming to come from right under her hooves.

”I don’t want to die!”

Celestia’s eyes widened. Twilight! Even with the natural reverberations that changeling voices had, it was easy for her to recognize that voice. Without another thought, Celestia’s whole body began to glow with the power of the sun and she vanished to appear between the guards and Twilight. Her horn glowed, snatching Twilight from Sunbeam’s hold then she placed her sobbing bleeding student on her back. Her eyes narrowed on the three ponies, fire in her eyes ready to…

”...Princess…”

No, deal with them later! Twilight needs you now! Celestia stepped out of the holding cell before allowing the door to slam shut upon the three guards still within. “You will remain in here until I return.” She didn’t await an answer as she vanished once more to appear in the medical wing. “Doctor! I need a Doctor!” As she heard the sound of galloping she gently lifted Twilight from her back laying her on the hospital bed. The very one she had taken Twilight from only hours ago.

Twilight’s right eye opened and rolled over to see Celestia next to her. ”Pr—” Celestia hoof gently touched her bruised and bleeding muzzle.

“No, Twilight, don’t speak… I’m here,” Celestia whispered forcing her voice to stay calm as she gazed at Twilight’s now blue orb. She kept her gaze on Twilight’s right eye as her magic reached into Twilight’s brain healing any minor damage those… that they may have done to her and clouding any memories she had of it.

Twilight’s expression appeared to relax as she entered into an almost trance. The Princess is here… Her horn began to glow a light green as Celestia’s love fed her, keeping her conscious.

Celestia felt what was almost akin to a nuzzle as she glanced down at Twilight to see her horn glowing. She must be feeding on my love… Celestia forced down any feelings of disgust before they could reach her consciousness. This wasn’t Twilight’s fault and any love she was taking was love Celestia was willing to give her.

“Princess, I came as fast as I could what is going…” Doctor Steady Hoof stopped as he took in the sight. Princess Celestia had green ichor staining her back and cheek as she slowly nuzzled what had to be his patient on the hospital bed. He took a step closer to see the changeling drone lying there. One wing was missing while the other had been cut off about twenty five percent the way down it. Its right fore leg lay twisted on the bed obviously shattered. Its face was bruised and swollen ichor steadily dripping from both the mouth and nose. He took out his stethoscope and listened to its breaths to hear a small amount of hissing coming from the right lung. “Nurse? I need the mobile X-Ray in here now. Along with five milligrams of morphine.”

The nurse nodded and quickly went to fetch what she was requested as Doctor Steady Hoof continued his exam. Surgery was going to be necessary, but he wasn’t certain how to get through that chitin that surrounded its back. He frowned and after feeling its neck for breaks gently rolled the changeling over to lie on its back ignoring the cry of pain and the bristling of his ruler. “I know it hurts, but I need to make certain I’m not missing anything, okay?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he took a good look at the underside of the changeling and quickly discovered two things: this changeling was a female, and the chitin seemed to have a almost invisible line where it connected the sides together. He closed his eyes for a moment before turning to his princess, intent on ordering her to the waiting room, but paused as he took a better look.

Celestia stood there her mane and tail limp obeying gravity for the first time he even knew of. She was watching the moaning drone with a single tear running down her cheek. “Twilight…” She squeezed her eyes shut as a small moan escaped her lips.

Doctor Steady Hoof frowned. “Princess are you saying this is your student?” He saw her mutely nod and sighed. “Night Breeze!” he called out of the room. Within a few moments, the dark unicorn appeared.

“Yes, Doctor?” She walked in and took a look at the changeling laying on her back.

“Would you gather the test results that were run on Twilight Sparkle earlier today, please? I need the tests run on her blood especially.” He glanced up as the nurse returned with the mobile X-Ray. “Princess, I need you to step out of the room while we take the X-Rays.”

Celestia opened her mouth as if about to dismiss his order, but gave a short nod and stepped just outside the room along with Doctor Steady Hoof. “She is going to be alright, isn’t she?”

Steady Hoof frowned. “Princess Celestia, I’ve never performed surgery on a changeling; I can’t promise anything. Yes, I know you say she is Twilight Sparkle, but she is still a changeling. I will do my best, though. I do need permission to do surgery, though.”

“You have it now.” Celestia followed Steady Hoof back into the room and smiled gently down at Twilight, who had reopened her right eye. “Twilight, Doctor Steady Hoof says you need to have surgery. I’ll be right here when you wake up. I promise.”

”Princess, I… what happened?” Twilight winced trying to lift her left foreleg to her muzzle.

Celestia gently restrained her foreleg. “Shh… It’s alright. We’ll talk about it later.” She smiled and gave her a small nuzzle as Steady Hoof placed a mask over Twilight’s muzzle.

“Alright, Twilight, count backwards from one-hundred.” He smiled as her right eye kept sight of Celestia.

“One hundred… ninety nine… ninety eight… ninety seven… ninety si…”

Steady Hoof nodded to Celestia as Twilight drifted off. “I’ll have a guard find you once she is out of surgery, Princess.”

Celestia nodded and her horn glowed before she vanished to appear in Shining Armor’s office to see he and Luna strapping on armor. “Pause. There is no need to go on a rescue mission right now. Twilight Sparkle is being taken into surgery.”

Shining Armor sits down hard on his haunches “Oh, thank Harmony. How did she get free of the hive?”

Celestia smiled placing a hoof on her new nephew’s shoulder. “I brought her back to the palace along with Spike hours ago, Shining Armor.” She saw him open his mouth and she shook her head. “If ever you are to believe me, Shining Armor, let it be this time. Luna?” She glanced over to where her sister was sitting by the window. “She is asleep. Will you keep her comfort?”

“I will, Celestia. Why is she in surgery, though? I thought you had her resting?” Luna frowned, gazing into Celestia’s eyes.

“Please, Luna, I’ll explain everything, but Twilight needs you… I-I was never able to master dream walking.” Celestia glanced at the floor.

Luna nodded. “Of course, sister, I’ll get to it. I’ll keep her calm and her dreams sweet.” She spread her wings and flew over to her observatory.

Celestia turned to Shining Armor, her expression blank. “Captain, what were your orders regarding the changeling drone found in Twilight Sparkle’s room?”

Shining Armor hesitated a moment before shaking his head. “I ordered the drone to be taken to a holding cell. I planned to question it later once Twilight was found.”

“So you did not order it… Good.” Celestia nodded. “Captain, follow me please.”

“Princess, what exactly is it I did not order?” Shining Armor hurried after Celestia, who was headed down toward the dungeons.

“The torture of your sister.” Celestia nodded to the guard, who opened the door to the dungeons as Shining Armor stopped in place.

“M-my? That drone is Twily? W-why is she in surgery what’s going o—” Shining Armor stopped as they came to the holding cell, green ichor was all over the floor along with slices of a thin, fragile appearing wing on the floor. He swallowed back the bile that was building in his throat and walked to the door where three of his guard were sitting. “Atten hut!”

The three seemingly jumped to their hooves, standinging straight. Shining Armor took a long look at each of them. "When I sent a changeling drone into holding less than an hour ago, what exactly were my orders?"

“Sir, you told us to bring the drone to the holding cell… but!”

“Exactly. A holding cell. The drone was not guilty of anything but trespassing… Now you will stay within this cell until the drone is released from surgery at which point I promise you three will be charged, and at very least, dismissed from the guard.” With that firm statement, Shining’s horn glowed, lifting the key into the lock and turning it with a click.

Celestia waited by the exit to the dungeon her eyes closed until she felt Shining’s fur press against her own. “Come on. You and I can wait for her to leave surgery.”

“Isn’t there anything I can do for her… Anything?” Shining Armor looked up into Celestia’s eyes to see the tears trailing down her cheeks, matching his own.

“Just love her. She is going to need our love, Shining Armor… All of our love.” With that said, Celestia’s horn glowed, teleporting them both to the waiting room to see Cadance already sitting there, a cup of coffee in her trembling magical grasp.

Shining Armor ran over to her. “Cadance! Wh-what are you doing here?” He lifted her chin with his hoof to see his wife’s haunted expression.

“Aunt Luna sent a guard to bring me here… The nurse explained as much as she could… Night Light and Twilight Velvet should be here soon… I know Aunt Luna had a messenger colt sent to their home…” Cadance trembled in both horror and fear. “Is it true, Shiny? Is it true that your guard…”

Shining Armor nodded firmly. “Yes, I swear to you I never ordered it.” He stopped speaking as Cadance’s hoof pressed against his lips.

“I never even thought that… Never.” Cadance shook her head softly her coffee set on the small table as she wrapped her wings around his barrel. “She will need you…”

“She’ll need you too. Can you do this, Cadance? I… she looks...”

Shining Armor squeezed his eyes firmly shut.

“She look like Twilight Sparkle if she had been born a changeling. She speaks like Twilight, she smells like Twilight, she acts like Twilight…” Celestia glanced toward where the operating theatre was. Before she turned back to the newly wed couple with a small smile. “She is Twilight Sparkle.”

Shining Armor smiled at his wife who nodded. “We can do this.”

Celestia sighed in relief as the door to the waiting room opened to reveal Doctor Steady Hoof. “The surgery is complete. I’m happy to report it was a success. Miss Sparkle will survive.” He coughed delicately. “She is likely to be ravenousness when she awakens. We have started the regeneration of her teeth, but that will take time so until they reform, I’m afraid she’ll need a steady changeling diet.”

“Of love,” a new voice that of a familiar female’s said. Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadance turned to see Twilight Velvet coming in, followed by Night Light and Princess Luna.

“That is what changelings need to survive, right? They need love. Funny we think that makes them so different from us, but does it really? Without the love of my family, I know I would wither until I was no more.” Twilight Velvet continued looking toward Doctor Steady Hoof. “So when am I allowed to see my daughter?”

“Ah… Miss?” Doctor Steady Hoof swallowed hard. It was true that the tests performed upon the drone’s ichor proved that she was in fact Twilight Sparkle. He still hadn’t come to terms with the fact…

“Twilight Velvet. I am the mother of Twilight Sparkle. I ask again: when may I see my daughter?” Twilight Velvet's eyes narrowed, as if daring the doctor to prevent her from seeing Twilight.

“A-anytime you are ready. I see you already are aware th—” Steady Hoof didn’t finish his thought as Twilight Velvet swept past him, a chair from the waiting room held in her magic heading straight to the recovery room as if drawn.

Velvet nosed to door open slowly and walked in, setting the chair down before turning her eyes to the bed. A gasp got stuck in her throat as she took in the sight. Her daughter’s beautiful mane was gone, replaced with a strange sail like ridge on the top of her head, a tube was down her throat assisting in her breathing, though Velvet was happy to see her chest rise and fall evenly under the white blanket. One of her forelegs was casted, being held up by a mechanism of some type. Twilight’s eyes were bandaged and Velvet was thankful the majority of her body was covered. Slowly, she moved closer and kissed Twilight’s swollen cheek her nostrils filled with the smell of lavender and parchment.

“I’m here, baby. Momma is here now, and I love you so much, Twilight. I promise you… Nopony will ever hurt you again.”

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