• Published 11th Jul 2014
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Winds of Change - ClanCrusher



A deal between rulers, a bargain that seems too good to be true, and a unicorn caught in the middle of it all. Between Celestia, Luna, and Chrysalis, how is anypony supposed to stay sane?

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Chapter 9: For A Greater Good

My legs shook and my body protested the movement, but my mind continued to push me forward. I'd glimpsed their plans, and seen changelings everywhere. Intentionally or not, the mind link with Chrysalis had given me the last piece to a puzzle she hadn't even known about, but all of that was going to be meaningless if- gah!

My hooves flailed in the air as a green aura shimmered into existence around me, lifting me from the floor and pulling me back to the Changeling Queen's side. “Chrysalis, what are you doing?”

“Are you intending to limp back to Celestia's side?” she asked with a roll of her eyes. “You can barely walk. My changelings will arrive shortly to-”

“No! Call them off! And stop communicating with them!”

“Who?” asked Chrysalis with some annoyance.

“All of them!”

The Changeling Queen gave me a very pointed stare as she lowered me back to the ground. “It is done,” she said finally. “Now explain yourself.”

“There's no time!” I insisted, trying to keep my balance. “We-mmph!”

Strong legs suddenly wrapped around my neck, pulling me down. In the next moment Chrysalis' mouth was on my own, kissing me deeply as her poison began to tease my tongue. My panic began to drain away from me despite my desire to hold onto it.

“Chrysalis!” I gasped, pulling myself away, only to be caught again as the Changeling Queen pursued, this time using her long and flexible tongue to curl and twist around my own, delivering another dose of the potent poison.

“Now, Twilight,” said the queen, licking her lips as she pulled away. “Inform me of what happened in a calm and rational manner.”

I didn't want to admit it, but the poison was doing a good job of calming me down and helping me work through the problem. I began to trace a few shapes on the ground below, collecting my thoughts before I began.

"When we...connected, I felt your hive. They all have this...signature similar to your own. Like...they're all connected to you through this magic." Chrysalis gestured for me to continue. She clearly knew this much already, but talking it out helped me as well. "But there was more than that. I mean...there were other signatures. Different from every other changeling in the hive."

“You're claiming there are infiltrators?” It was impossible to miss the skepticism in her voice. I couldn't blame her. The hive...her family was perhaps the one solid thing she had been able to depend on since her mother died.

“Yes...maybe,” I said, the poison forcing me to be rational. “I felt more than just your signature when we connected. Like, they had your mark but were bearing a second that they were trying to conceal.”

“And how could you sense this when I could not?”

“Because I'm the Element of Magic!” I snapped, a bit of frustration managing to get through. To my surprise, the Changeling Queen placed a comforting leg around my neck. It was a silent request for patience. Taking a calming breath, I continued. “I can sense and see magic everywhere. Your...connection just helped me figure out what to look for.”

Chrysalis was silent for a long moment. When she spoke again, I could feel the hesitance in her voice. “Who are they?”

I hesitated. All I'd been able to really see during the connection were minds, not specific locations, though if I saw them again I could probably point them out. Right now, though, I only had one data point to go on. “One of them was at the border. Whenever the shield is lowered to let someone through, they send messages to their queen.”

Chrysalis' expression was blank and it took a moment before I remembered that Dusk was among the door guards, her highest ranking lieutenant and her mother's scoutmaster before that. I cringed slightly, almost expecting her to get upset, but she remained uncomfortably passive.

“If you see them, can you identify them?” she asked quietly.

“Now that I know what I'm looking for? Almost certainly. Visual confirmation should be enough.”

Chrysalis nodded. “I will call in a group of six, then, to avoid making the potential agents suspicious. Do you have a way to prevent them from taking their own lives?”

I thought for a moment before settling on a Stasis spell. If I was quick enough, I could snap it onto a changeling and then neutralize any magical means of committing suicide. The existing shield spell should prevent the enemy queen from doing anything mentally.

“I'm ready,” I said firmly, taking a spot beside her throne while Chrysalis reestablished her connection to the hive. A minute passed in silence once the queen relayed her orders, and finally the changelings appeared. All of them stared, probably unsure of what to make of us standing together, side by side.

The Changeling Queen turned to me once the six were assembled. “Well?”

My horn glowed softly as I looked for the particular resonance I had felt. Seconds later, I sighed. “Chrysalis, I know you want to be certain of my abilities, and I understand your caution, but we're wasting valuable time.”

“You're asking me to take a lot on faith, Twilight,” she responded, dismissing the control group she had summoned. I said nothing. I understood, but the poison was probably the only thing keeping my anger from boiling over.

Within the next group I spotted Dusk almost immediately. He was a prominent figure in Chrysalis' memories and his unique signature stood out even if nothing else about him did. The only tell in Chrysalis' facade was an almost imperceptible twitch of her elytra, and even then I'd only known what to look for because of the mind link.

My eyes narrowed and my horn glowed. There was a flash of panic from the changelings but the spell was already completed, and the changeling next to Dusk who had been watching the door beside him was now encased in my purple aura.

“Remain calm, all of you,” said Chrysalis sharply. “Dusk, resume your post at the border and be ready to take a message to Celestia on my command. Under no circumstances are you to let anyone through the shield before then. The rest of you, return to your duties and keep what happened here to yourselves.”

Slowly, the changelings filed out of the throne room, leaving the frozen one behind. “How long will the stasis hold?” she asked once the room was clear.

“At least a day,” I answered confidently, walking to the frozen changeling and focusing on his magical signature, prodding at it with my own magic, slowly coaxing it out until his coloring began to shift, deep azure streaks appearing across his black body. “The Azure Queen?” I murmured to myself. “How many changeling elders are there?”

“No one knows,” said Chrysalis glumly. “My best guess puts the group at no more than five.”

I filed that tidbit away for later. “We need to find the other two. They can't get through the shield but they could possibly be communicating with each other.”

“There are two hundred changelings in this hive. Calling them in groups would take time and undoubtedly draw suspicion from them. Walking among them is also a slow and uncertain method.”

I tried to think up a solution, but the one that kept coming to mind was the one I actively wanted to avoid.

“Tell me, Twilight, what is the safest and most expedient solution in this case?”

Celestia damn this lip-loosening poison! “C-connecting like before. If...if I can match the spell and energy you used, then I should be able to do what we did before, except...better.”

“I will try not to be intrusive,” she promised as her horn began to glow. My own horn glowed in response as I braced myself. “Just try not to think of anything embarrassing,” she added with a grin.

Dammit!

---

Rainbow Dash was angry, though she wasn't sure with who. It had taken time and had strained the pegasus' patience to its limit, but she'd finally gotten the full story, or rather Fluttershy had given her the last few pieces of the full story.

She was definitely mad at Twilight. Mad at her deception, angry at her lack of confidence, and upset at the conclusions she had clearly jumped to. But at the same time, she was also unreasonably upset with herself.

She'd fed those lines to ‘Fluttershy’ in the hope of passing along an easy letdown to someone she'd dismissed as a fanmare. She didn't want to get anypony's hopes up when she had her eye on one mare in particular, one she'd been ready to approach before all this crap with Chrysalis.

The Element of Loyalty put on another burst of speed, hovering on the threshold of her Sonic Rainboom. She wasn't sure why she was rushing, but she pushed hard anyway. She needed to talk with Twilight and clear the air before the egghead did something stupid. Unconsciously, her flight path adjusted ever so slightly, the innate powers of her Element pushing her towards the bearer of Magic. Seeing the cave entrance ahead barely even deterred her as she tucked in her wings and dived.

Panicked and surprised shouts followed her descent, the royal guards stationed throughout the mine barely having time to react as the rainbow blur navigated the narrow tunnels with remarkable ease, dodging every magical grapple out of instinct as she wound her way down.

Finally, she burst into the main chamber, pulling up just in time to avoid crashing into the pink barrier. Barely noticing the panicked soldiers, Rainbow Dash rounded on the nearest unicorn, her angry red eyes causing the guard to back up a pace. “Let me through!” she demanded.

Part of her rational mind was pointing out that there were almost twenty guards in here, and a quarter of them were unicorns. The only thing stopping them from acting immediately was Rainbow's pseudo-nobility status as an Element Bearer.

“Miss Dash, I really don't have the authority to-”

“Yeah right, you control the shield, just make a hole in it or something!”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed and her form blurred suddenly. There was a sound of a hoof-strike and one of the guards collapsed, groaning as he rubbed the spot she’d struck, right above his horn. “Keep your magic to yourself, jerk,” she spat, glaring at the other unicorns as if daring them to try something.

Twilight may have been able to catch her in mid-supersonic-flight by her tail, but none of these guards were even close to that level (although Twilight had admitted that it had more to do with predicting her flight path and trajectory and had given her an explanation that quickly flew over her head).

“Please forgive him, Miss Dash, but the situation is incredibly sensitive right now-”

“You're saying a lot of words, but I don't see that shield going down,” she interrupted with growing irritation.

“We can't!” shouted the unicorn desperately. “Both Chrysalis and Celestia need to approve, and the changeling delegate isn't available!” He pointed a hoof towards the door leading to the mines, where the changeling guards were absent.

If anything, though, this only seemed to increase her anger. Her voice was low and dangerous. “So you have no idea what's happened to Twilight down there?” The guards tensed.

“My dear Rainbow Dash, please calm yourself.” The warm voice of Princess Celestia washed through the cave, freezing Rainbow in place while the guards turned and bowed. The pegasus opened her mouth but Celestia spoke first. “Twilight is fine, I promise you. Before she passed into Chrysalis' home, I made sure to tag her with my magic so I could monitor her well-being. She is anxious at the moment, but not fearful or in any kind of pain.”

Rainbow Dash slumped to the ground, suddenly feeling mentally taxed. “I'm sorry, princess, I might have gotten a little carried away.”

Celestia gave her a forgiving smile. “Was there a reason for your haste?”

The pegasus who, five minutes ago, was ready to take on twenty royal guards suddenly looked like a stiff breeze would knock her over. “She, um...she didn't tell us she was doing this and I...um...we were worried!”

Celestia said nothing but she seemed to buy that answer for the moment. “Perhaps it is fortunate you are here, regardless of your reasons. How familiar are you with the Badlands?”

Rainbow Dash thought on that a bit. “Pretty familiar. I flew around the place back when we had to rescue the CMC...er, Cutie Mark Crusaders,” she added for Celestia's benefit. “Why?”

The princess had a grim look on her face. “I expect that is where Cherilee's class has been taken. I would like someone who has seen the area to help with patrols there.”

---

“What? Again? Those three really are going to get cutie marks in being foalnapped at this rate!” I staggered slightly as my thoughts became my own again and coherency returned.

“It seems as though they replaced the one called Cherilee some time ago,” mused Chrysalis. “It would have been a relatively simple matter to have her lead them into a changeling ambush under the guise of a class trip.”

Chrysalis' poison was definitely the only thing keeping me calm right now, forcing me to recall the last time I'd run off on a rescue mission and had been easily lured into a trap. No, rushing wasn't going to help. Right now it was best to think like Chrysalis.

“How long do they have?” I asked finally.

“They will send demands, likely asking for my head,” she replied almost casually. “I’d say a week at most, but from my own experience, I'd give the CMC half that time.”

I gave the queen an unamused look. “I know where the other two are. They're working under the same foremare, Hard Rock, in the far west tunnel. We could call the whole group up for a report.”

Chrysalis nodded and briefly closed her eyes. “They should be along shortly once they've secured their work.”

The minutes passed and I tried not to pace. Logically, I knew that dealing with these spies was important, but waiting around during a crisis wasn't usually how my friends and I operated. A sidelong glance from Chrysalis made it clear she could sense my anxiety.

“I've seen quite a few of your memories, now, but I have to ask for myself...do you really find my kind attractive?”

My eyes went wide and I nearly choked. “Wha...how?” The protest died away as I saw her knowing smirk that replaced my nervousness with fury.

“You'll learn how to block certain thoughts with practice,” she said calmly. “I'm flattered, though I should inform you that the holes in my legs are not erogenous zones.”

It took several open-mouthed seconds for me to work out a reply. “W-well, what about you? Do you actually-”

“Of course I find ponies appealing. I've spent quite a bit of time as one, after all. If you're curious about your brother, he was definitely a nine.”

It was only later that I realized Chrysalis' intention with this conversation. As the changeling task force entered the throne room, they saw my emotions as a conflicted swirl of embarrassment, neatly hiding my true intentions.

There were ten changelings alongside the foremare, but it took only seconds to identify the spies. While Chrysalis asked Hard Rock about the mining operations, I was preparing my spell, barely listening. Narrowing my eyes on my target, my magic lashed out and the changeling to the foremare's left froze. There was a moment of wide-eyed panic, but my follow-up struck true as well, freezing the final changeling spy.

There was a startled yelp from the foremare who was cut off mid-word, but a burst of thought from Chrysalis kept the other changelings calm.

“Thank you for your time, Hard Rock, but that will be all for now,” came Chrysalis' smooth voice. “I will assign another two of my kin to you by tomorrow.”

And just like that it was over. Three agents captured and frozen by my Stasis spell in a plan that had gone off without a hitch. It was almost anti-climactic how easy it had been.

Chrysalis seemed quite satisfied as well when the blue markings were revealed on the two prisoners. “You're sure the spells will hold?”

I checked once more just to be certain. I'd put quite a bit of power into them just to be on the safe side. “Absolutely.”

“Good, now we must-” A wince suddenly passed across Chrysalis' face. “It seems Princess Celestia has tired of waiting. Would you be so kind as to put a shield around these three before the shield around the hive is lowered? I'd rather not have the enemy queen looking in.”

---

The first thing Celestia did when she arrived was to envelop me in the golden glow of her magic and purge the poison that remained within my body. Part of me missed the soothing feeling it brought, but even as the panic crept back in, I was grateful for the return of control.

Bending powerful magic to her will, Celestia warped the stone and crystals around the throne room to fashion cages for the three changelings, following it with a systematic and thorough removal of every magical way they could inflict harm upon themselves, and finishing with a golden binding around their horns.

“What can you tell me about them?” asked Celestia once her examination was finished.

Chrysalis thought for a moment, perhaps deciding how much she wanted to reveal. “It's...puzzling,” she said finally. “Their minds are open to me like books and they show no sign of holding anything back. Were it not for Twilight's certainty of their allegiance, I wouldn't have pushed any deeper. When I do now, though, it's as if I'm sliding against a smooth glass surface.”

“Mind partition,” I said immediately, suddenly feeling meek as both the queen and the princess turned their attention towards me. “I mean, that's what it sounds like,” I corrected quickly.

I was met with two uncomprehending stares. “It's, um...a technique that was used back when things were...really bad.” It had also been one of the only things I could find about Mind Magic in my frantic and mostly futile research. “Anypony with enough mental discipline and training can do it. Seal any thoughts you don't want known behind an invisible wall, and not even a unicorn's magic would be enough to get at them. You'd never talk under any form of interrogation because the memories and thoughts couldn't even be accessed by you.”

I would have had to re-enter the hive mind to be sure, but Celestia's presence here made that seem like an incredibly bad idea. “It's probably not exactly the same with them. They might only be able to access those memories when their queen contacts them, and until those times, they might not even realize that they're spies...or at least, they don’t remember.”

Celestia looked to Chrysalis to verify the merits of my claim. “It's...possible,” she said finally, looking a bit out of her depth. “Twilight has already proven that they're able to hide their true forms and magical signatures,” she said, gesturing to the azure markings on each of them, “So it stands to reason that they would have a way to hide their thoughts as well.”

The princess sighed. “I do not fault you for your ignorance in this matter, but we have been put into a difficult situation nonetheless.”

“Have they made any demands yet?” I asked.

The Sun Princess shook her head. “Not yet, though I imagine it's only a matter of time.”

Walking over to the first changeling in the line, Celestia's horn began to glow, forming another spell that I'd only recently studied. Noticing Chrysalis' frown, I quickly tried to reassure her. “It's okay, it's just a calming spell. It'll stop him from trying to inflict physical harm on himself.” It was another of the pitifully few mental spells that Equestria had deemed acceptable, this particular one being employed by unicorns working in mental hospitals.

“Twilight, please wake him up,” said Celestia firmly. A second later and the changeling was pacing in its cage, looking somewhat fearfully at the princess and the queen.

“What are your queen's demands?” asked Celestia directly.

“I know nothing!” hissed the changeling. “I serve Queen Chrysalis. My queen, please-”

“He's lying,” I cut off almost immediately, causing the changeling to flinch. “He got orders when the shield opened last time. That's how I sensed her influence.”

The changeling stared at me. I stared back, my face carefully blank. From the corner of my eye, I saw Celestia look at me curiously and fought the urge to curse, realizing I'd accidentally revealed a bit more than I'd intended. That was going to make for an awkward conversation later.

It was not nearly as uncomfortable as the changeling's situation, though, standing between the princess of the sun and the queen he had spied on. “They want her,” he said shakily, pointing towards Chrysalis as he addressed Celestia. “And her.”

My blood ran cold as I saw his trembling leg point at me. “Why?” The question had slipped out before I could stop it and I couldn't help the slight quiver that entered my voice.

“You know too much. Learned too much. You are a threat. Queen's words, not mine,” he added at the end, cowering under the combined glares of the two rulers.

“When and where?” asked Chrysalis.

“No time...no place...would have learned soon. Only task to deliver message, no more.”

Chrysalis gave a look to Celestia, who nodded. There was a golden flash and the changeling froze once again. “Unacceptable,” declared the Sun Princess immediately.

“Agreed,” said Chrysalis. Maybe they were in agreement for different reasons, but the brief (and admittedly silly) fear I'd felt was very much gone.

“Without much more to go on, we might be forced to wait for their demands anyway,” stated Celestia calmly. “Is there anything to be gained by using one of these changelings as an intermediary?”

Chrysalis shook her head. “If the queens learned of Twilight's new abilities, then it would only make negotiations more difficult and the queens even more determined to acquire Twilight.”

“And you have no idea where the foals could have been taken?”

The Changeling Queen's tone was bitter. “I could point you toward hiding spots within the Badlands, but any information I know could have already been reported by the spies.”

Celestia nodded. “I will take the information anyway and pass it along to Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts.”

I blinked, my thoughts briefly taking a detour. “Rainbow Dash? What is she doing here?”

“She was quite eager to talk with you, and seemed ready to fight her way through the guards above to do so. I asked her to lead the patrols in the Badlands to divert her attention.”

My heart sank. She'd found me out. I knew it was only going to be a matter of time, but I'd been holding on to some vain hope that my deception would remain unnoticed.

“Did something happen between the two of you?” asked Celestia, her voice heavy with concern.

“Yes...kind of...it's complicated,” I mumbled, catching a small smirk from Chrysalis with the corner of my eye.

My mentor's probing stare continued for another moment, but eventually she turned away without further comment. Part of me wanted to worry about the coming fallout, but I quashed that worry under the much bigger problem that was in front of me, however daunting it seemed.

“I do appreciate your cooperation in this, Chrysalis,” said Celestia finally. “Twilight, could you please keep an eye on the prisoners? I must discuss our next course of action.”

It was a clear sign that Celestia wanted to speak privately with the Changeling Queen, but I nodded anyways, turning my eyes back to the captives as they left the throne room.

Things were out of my hooves now. Even with the information I'd discovered, there was nothing to be done other than hope that Rainbow could find that needle in the haystack that was the Badlands. Right now, the lives of almost twenty fillies and colts were being decided and weighed against my own life, and all I could do was sit there and wait while watching the three motionless changelings. I'd thought once that I was glad I didn't have to make these decisions...now I wasn't so sure.

I knew Celestia wouldn't sacrifice me or Chrysalis. She wouldn't give me the choice, even though I'd been ready to do so when Chrysalis had done something similar. Unlike with Chrysalis, though, there was no personal grudge to settle, and there was nothing to say it would stop at this one incident, even if an agreement could be reached.

No...I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. I had options. I had three prisoners in front of me who had information, even if they couldn't consciously access it. I swallowed hard, but I'd already made my decision. If I didn't try every possible option available to me, I'd never be able to face Applejack, Rarity, or Rainbow Dash again. Especially Dash...

Slowly, I approached the pair who were still trapped in my stasis spell, knowing Celestia would instantly be able to tell if I disrupted her own. A shield came next to make sure that neither Chrysalis or the hive could interfere mentally. Green fire danced around my hooves and slowly enveloped me, morphing my body into the form of a changeling once more, while I carefully imitated their unique magical imprint as well.

I could only guess, but perhaps if I connected to one of them and fooled the partition into thinking that it was the changeling himself trying to get at those thoughts, then perhaps I could get something.

Even though the first time had been an accident, and the second time had been with Chrysalis' help, I knew what I needed to do. Closing my eyes, I concentrated and touched my horn to the changeling and pushed my way into his mind.

It was different without the queen’s guidance. Her hive mind had felt like a sea of calm filled with soothing voices. This was just me and the small voice of the changeling whose thoughts flowed around me. I ignored those, plunging deeper into the link, searching for that barrier Chrysalis had found. It was hard, if not impossible to tell time, but it didn't feel like long before I found it.

It was exactly like Chrysalis had described, like a glass surface resisting every effort to push against it, even though my disguise was as flawless as I could manage. Clearly, he couldn't consciously access the thoughts...but maybe his queen could.

Mentally, I drew up an image of Chrysalis' magic compared to that of her underlings and began to experiment. It was almost like trying to magically pick a lock, except I had no idea if I was even using the right tools.

Patiently, I began to work, adjusting the matrix little by little, trying to fool the partition. Something was starting to fight back though. It began as a tugging sensation, as though my tail had been grabbed and was being pulled.

It was the changeling. He was panicking, forcing me away. Did he realize what I was doing? Was he aware of his own sealed thoughts or just instinctively fighting the intrusion? Either way, I couldn't afford the distraction. Collecting my own thoughts and wrapping them in my magic, I pushed back and the tugging sensation stopped.

I was getting somewhere now. The wall was reacting, shifting and changing with each small tweak I made. The tugging sensation came back, a bit weaker now but still distracting. This time I kicked back hard, mentally growling in frustration, barely noticing the stillness that followed as I threw myself at the barrier once again. Outside I could feel my form changing, but inside I could only feel the partition as it slowly began to open at the command of his 'queen'.

A crack appeared and I forced my magic inside.

The glass shattered.

---

“So what conversation am I in for?” asked Chrysalis, her tone slightly mocking as she kept pace with the princess. “Is it the 'stay out of my student's mind', an accusation that I'm hiding something, or some reiteration of how I'm only a guest so long as I can be useful?”

“You may dispense with your snide remarks, Chrysalis, I am not here to threaten you, nor dictate how you and Twilight should treat one another. It was her idea to come here, after all.”

Chrysalis paused as Celestia suddenly encased them in a golden bubble. A sound barrier. “So what did you not want Twilight overhearing, then?”

“I did not want her to be witness to my plans for the aftermath of this situation, lest she thinks I intend to intentionally give up on the foals. Rainbow Dash is very skilled, but the Badlands are large, treacherous, and filled with a thousand different hiding spots. I'd like to believe that a deal could be worked out, but I'd sooner torch the Badlands with the sun than give Twilight up, and even if I were inclined to turn you over, which I am not, it would do nothing to prevent future incidents. Additionally, it would reflect poorly on me as a ruler, giving me the appearance of one who is willing to throw away her allies.”

Chrysalis hid her surprise and gave the diarch a carefully guarded expression. “What are you proposing?”

“An alliance, not just asylum,” came the quick and firm reply. This time Chrysalis couldn’t quite manage to hide her surprise. “We have a common enemy now. I'd like some of your kin to join my forces and take up residence in villages and towns. They have the ability to sense other changelings and Twilight can find any spies within your midst. I could help integrate your kind into society and you in turn could help protect that society.”

The offer seemed almost too good to be true. This was the best she could have hoped for when approaching Celestia all those weeks ago. Earlier today she might have thought Celestia would have given her up in a heartbeat, but now with Twilight's memories of the Sun Princess in her mind, she knew without a doubt how sincere her offer was. Still, even now she had to ask...

“And you would trust me with this?”

To her surprise, Celestia chuckled. “Eventually, perhaps. I'd hoped we'd have more time to build trust with one another, but the elders have forced my hoof. This was my intended goal when you approached me, after all.”

Chrysalis gave the princess a very small smile. “I...regret the circumstances just as much as you, but I'm grateful something good can come from it nonetheless.”

The smile was returned before her expression suddenly became serious. “Speaking outside of my position as a ruler, though...if you invade my student's mind without her permission again, I will banish you to the sun.”

There was a small ‘pop’ as the sound bubble burst, the queen silent as she followed Celestia back to the throne room. Walking behind the alicorn, Chrysalis nearly stumbled as Celestia stopped, a flash of panic slipping past her closely guarded emotions before she ran forward.

Laying behind a translucent violet shield was Twilight, her horn glowing softly as the changeling in the field twisted and thrashed about, unable to pull free from the connection as Twilight's magic overwhelmed him, her own body somewhat mismatched with various features of both a changeling and a pony. Tears were streaking down her face and her mouth was open in a silent cry as she struggled to maintain the connection.

There was another surge of magic and the changeling's body fell still, even as Celestia stepped forward and dispelled the shield, a choked sob coming from the unicorn as she was gently pulled away from the prisoner.

Wide, pained eyes opened, still blinking back tears as Twilight looked into the worried face of her mentor. “I...I know where they are,” she gasped out. “I...I found them...” Her body trembled and Celestia quickly pulled her into a warm embrace while the changeling queen eyed the motionless prisoner.

He was breathing, but unmoving, his eyes wide and unfocused, staring straight ahead and unblinking, his body unresponsive to Chrysalis' touches. A gentle probe of his mind confirmed what she already knew.

“His mind has been shattered,” came her voice, quiet and devoid of emotion.

Twilight's sobs only grew louder as she pushed herself harder against Celestia's coat.