Minty Image

by mintgreenconspiracy

Chapter 5-4: The magic of modern medicine

She felt disoriented, especially as she began to look at the landscape.

"You need to stay close!" The old pegasus warned. "It's not safe to wonder too far in the subconscious mind! Believe you me, doing so can result in dreadful consequences."

"What kind of 'dreadful consequences'?" Twilight asked, turning to him with curiosity. "I mean it's only the mind and -- "

"Believe me, you don't really want to know." The pegasus responded, morbidly.

Twilight just gulped, and nodded dutifully.

********

"But wait a minute!" Rainbow's mint friend said, shaking her head in disbelief -- a thought just having occurred to her. "I didn't! I mean I hung them inside and --" She said, pointing at one of the houses -- gasping slightly at the end.

Rainbow ran up to her klutz of a friend, smiling graciously. "You gave us your precious socks darling?" Rainbow said, supportively holding one hoof up to get slightly closer. "How darling!" She said, feeling truly gracious that her friend would give up so much to make up for her Christmas mistake.

Twilight meanwhile turned to the doctor. "This must be a memory correct?" She said watching the scene unfold. "I mean there's no way we could have gone back in time."

The doctor nodded silently -- pointing his hoof at the goings-on. "Just watch."

"By the looks of things this must be right before the accident that sent them to Ponyville." Twilight said, with confidence. "I can tell by the fact that it's winter."

The doctor shook his head. "No! This is what would have happened if there was no accident."

Twilight looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean? Would have? How can this be a memory if it's what was supposed to happen?" She said trying to divine what the stallion was talking about. "Is this like the memories of some other dimensional Rainbow Dash?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not in this particular case, but we simply must be moving on! We won't find the source of her magic bursts here!" He said, pushing Twilight along slightly. The scene fading into the darkness behind them.

********

"Darling!" Rainbow said -- taking a midnight stroll -- before watching, in horror, at the sight before her. "What are you doing digging in the dirt? Aren't you are a princess now, darling?"

"Yes!" Wysteria snapped. "And I hate every minute of it!" Wysteria said, sadly. "I can't dig in the dirt, or sniff, or water my plants -- or anything! And I just hate it." She said, crying softly.

"But darling! You are a princess now!" Rainbow said, frowning with concern. "You should be happy darling! I mean every little girl wants to be a princess, darling!"

"And yet I'm miserable." Said the purple earth pony. "I can't even eat my food normally, Spike has me using thirty different spoons." She said, starting to weep. "THIRTY!!!!" She said as her eyes shot wide like saucers. "Oh! I've never been so miserable in all my life!" She shouted angrily, going feral for a minute -- stamping violently (something that Rainbow didn't even know Wysteria was capable of.)

"Oh darling!" Rainbow said, crying softly herself -- giving her friend a platonic hug. "Go talk to that darling! Spike seems like a darling dragon! Maybe, if you talk to him, he'll understand."

"I hope so!" Wysteria said anxiously. "Could you come with me though? I really need the support." She said, shaking slightly and giggling nervously.

Rainbow was legitimately surprised, she had never seen her friend this way. But she was never afraid when it came to helping her friends -- just ask Daisyjo. "Why certainly, darling!" Rainbow replied eagerly. "I'll bring Pinkie and Minty as well!"

"Wow!" Twilight said. "Thirty spoons?" She said, turning to the doctor with an eye roll. "She's exaggerating right?" She exclaimed, deadpan.

The doctor shook his head. "Not even close! If anything she was not going far enough!"

"You're kidding right?" Twilight said, looking at the doctor. "And how do you even know any of this?"

The doctor simply pointed further into the fog.

Before her she could see Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Minty, this new pony... what was her name? Wysteria, and another pony arguing with a very small blue dragon.

"No I don't want food! And I don't want to sleep!" Wysteria finally announced, strongly. "I want to sniff the flowers, and I want to water my plants, and I want to dig in the dirt!" She said, suddenly breaking into a variation of the royal Canterlot Voice. "WE WISH TO BE US AGAIN!" Something that surprised Twilight, where'd she learn that?

The dragon sniffed violently, and opened his mouth condescendingly. "Princess! Princess! Princess! We all know that isn't possible! You are a princess now! And it's time you started acting like one!" He said turning to Rainbow, Pinkie, Minty, and the other pony. "And princesses have neither friends nor equals! It was decided the moment you touched that flower! Now if you four would be so kind as to leave! We have important princess training to continue!"

Twilight gasped. "Is their Spike really this big of a jerk?" She said, unable to separate her spike from theirs in her mind.

The doctor shook his head. "Not if things were working the way they are supposed to. But something went very wrong this cycle -- and I'm not sure that even I can fix it this time." He said, frowning softly. "Might cause problems though..."

"And what if she no longer wishes to be a princess darling!" Rainbow demanded. "What if we want someone else to be princess instead?"

"Ahhh!!!" The dragon said with enthusiasm. "A coup!!!" He shouted eagerly, beginning to walk towards the door. "Well then! Come along girls! We shall crown the new princesses:" He said, motioning for the five ponies in the room with him. "Princess Pinkie! Princess Rainbow Dash! And Princess Sunny Daze!" He started dancing off eagerly. "To the procession!" He shouted eagerly.

Twilight just shook her head silently. "And I'm guessing by the discerned lack of stallions occurring in these flashbacks that this must be Heathspike." She said, with disgust. "What does Rainbow see in him?"

The doctor turned away. "Under normal circumstances a whole lot! Even under these warped circumstances -- I feel bad for both of them." He turned to Twilight again. "But we must be on our way! He said pointing at a hole that materialized. "Down we go!" He said, pushing the princess down said hole, before jumping in himself.

********

"Excellent plan, Starcatcher." Rainbow said, smiling enthusiastically. "If your darling friends are too shy to come to our party, then we'll bring the party to them!" Rainbow said, grabbing a beautifully decorated layer cake from their new pegasus friend and handing it to a yellow pony with green eyes, and an aqua and purple mane.

As they flew on by. The doctor pointed at the three. "Star Catcher, Rainbow Dash, Meadowbrook. Only two are important, do you know which?" He said, turning to Twilight, who shrugged her withers.

********

"No Darling." Rainbow said to her pink friend, pointing at where she wanted the banner -- not where it was. "More to the left." She said, as Pinkie strained against the forces of gravity. "More! More!" She said, as Pinkie fell off the ladder, dragging the banner down with her. "Perfect!" Rainbow said, with good cheer.

"Hope you brought a book Princess!" The doctor said, lounging comfortably. "We've just started falling!" He said as the friendship ball fell slowly out of range.

********

"But six charm bracelets will be sixtacular!" Sparkleworks said, rearing playfully. Behind her and Razzaroo a pony slowly and gracefully entered the cafe.

"Hello my darlings!" Rainbow said, entering with style and grace, tilting her head up slightly -- like the diva she was -- waving her head slightly to show off her impressive rainbow mane.

"Introducing the one the only Rainbow Dash!" The doctor said as they passed by. "Oh lady! What has that monster done to you!"

"Say again?" Twilight asked, surprised by his sudden emotionality.

"You'll see! I promise!" The doctor exclaimed, blushing slightly.

********

The scenes quickly started to speed up as they flew past.

"How I adore painting my nails!" Rainbow Dash sang imagining herself holding up two different viles of nail polish, one in each hoof, while swiveling around in a bar stool (unfortunately due to being inside her mind, Twilight could see the whole scene.) Around her was a colorful sea of nail polish canisters.

"ARGGG!!! I'm blind!!!!" Twilight shrieked in horror -- at the horrible misshapen wraith before her. "What happened to Rainbow Dash?"

********

"Ok let's dig in!" Scootaloo shouted eagerly.

"It'll be simply dashing!" Rainbow said, not sounding a thing like herself.

"Was this something that really happened?" Twilight asked as they passed by. "This or those horrible scenes with the mutant foals? Or the Ferris Wheel? Or the (Twilight couldn't stop laughing at this concept) gumball house?"

The doctor shook his head. "Diseased memories created by an outside force. The last real memory we saw was before the whole 'painting our nails' moment." He said as both he and Twilight shook in horror.

Finally he shushed her. "The ones to come are real memories, well real and yet not real. I'll let you decide the why." He said, smirking slightly. "They are Rainbow's real memories and yet they aren't Rainbow's memories. You wouldn't understand if I explained it anyway." He said, as the princess frowned -- 'she wouldn't understand', what a ego nut.

********

"Minty:" Rainbow said, looking proud of her friend's moment of brilliance. "throwing Pinkie Pie a surprise birthday party is an absolutely darling idea, darling!" Rainbow said, with graceful exuberance, putting one hoof to her chest, her eyes closed.

"We need balloons and, .... " A pony said as Twilight and the doctor fell out of the scene. "Wait, where was Razzaroo, isn't she the one that throws their parties?"

********

"Hey that's Rarity! And Cheerilee!" Twilight said, as their fall slowed. "And Pinkie, and Minty are over there! And Heathspike." Twilight said, with surprise. "But isn't Heathspike a jerk?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not here! This was what was supposed to happen after the Hearth's Warming disaster that was never supposed to happen. " He said, pointing towards the four unicorns. "Watch!"

While he was doing that, Twilight took a look at her new Rainbow friend, and noticed with shock that the Rainbow earth ponies mane and eye colors were completely gone making her look old and feeble. "What happened?" Twilight asked, of the doctor -- pointing at the wreck of Dash. "Why's Dash all old and grey?"

"The charming 'Rainbow Princess' over there -- "He said pointing at the pink foal. "Failed to cast the spell in time to bring the First Rainbow of the Season, so there will be no rainbows of any kind that year."

Twilight gasped. "So that's what Cheerilee was 'mentoring' her in." She frowned. "That must be why she took it so personally that she couldn't help the filly."

The doctor simply smiled. "Won't matter in a second! Watch!"

"Now who's not listening!" The foal said, earnestly -- causing her mentor to turn around, reluctantly smiling -- she give it one more ready to try once more, if only for her sake.

The unicorns gathered in a circle once again, this time causing the foal's pink magic to activate, which caused her tiny shriveled husk of a horn to grow to full size. The other unicorn's horns quickly joined in -- as if following the pink pony's lead.

"So that's what Cheerilee's color is!" Twilight said, watching a blue light shoot out of the old purple unicorn's horn. "But why did Rainbow want us to see this?"

"who knows." The doctor asked. "Maybe she just wanted us to see that Rainbow?" He said. "Or maybe she felt for the filly."

The cerulean earth pony mouthed some words about the beauty of the rainbow, as Twilight and the doctor sped by, falling towards a black pit.

"In a minute that won't matter!" The doctor said, his voice getting dark. "Kiss happy Rainbow Dash goodbye! It's almost time to meet the lady!" He said, with sorrow apparent.

********

Suddenly it was as if they fell out of the light into the darkness, as -- practically in a line -- the colors shifted from bright and cheerful to dark, muted, and moody. Before everything suddenly came to a stop.

Twilight began to glance around "What happened here? Why's everything so dark and gloomy?" She asked, turning once more to the doctor. "You seem to know what's going on!"

The doctor held up his hoof to stop her. "You'll see." He said, pointing ahead. "Just watch!"

Before she could see a distorted scene before her of a changeling with a rainbow mane talking to what appeared to be Discord. Twilight puzzled, why is this scene in Rainbow's memories? And does Discord have to do with anything?

The doctor shrugged, nonchalantly. "You wished to see! And now you are! This is what happens when two ponies share one mind!" He said matter-of-factly. "Or maybe it's one pony with the memories of two. In any case we'll see."

Twilight looked at him in confusion. What did he mean? And why does he insist in talking in riddles? Was she wrong when she supposed he knew more then he pretended?

Around them, time moved in reverse in spurts.

Ahead they could see a scene of a rainbow maned changeling trying to race away from four other changelings -- her flight was quickly becoming more erratic, had she been hurt? Above the changeling's head a needle flew missing her by mere inches. Giving chase were four other changelings, one having the same style of wheelchair cart as one of the ponies she met during the exchange -- what was his name? Stellar Eclipse?

She could barely make out the voices of the attackers. "Phytolacca you seem to be losing your touch! You should've been able to split a needle length-wise from twice this length!" An older vaguely feline changeling said, talking to a middle-aged changeling stallion with a long thick grey mane. "Maybe I should take over this job? I should have just enough witching potion to finish her off!"

He retorted. "Who said I didn't hit exactly where meant to? The goal, Belladonna, is to force her down right here!" He said, pointing ahead with his hoof. "At that location we should be able to surround The Lady on all sides, and finish her quickly! My poison has ensured it! I just want a little extra insurance." He said, showing his fangs.

The changeling in the wheelchair cart smiled sadistically. "Excellent work Phytolacca! We might finish The Lady yet! But we must be weary! The Lady seems to be extremely hard to squash!"

Twilight gulped, and looked on with awe. Was it just her, or were these four changelings trying to do away with the fifth. Did that make any sense? Didn't the changelings all think with one mind, save their royalty? And what could the rainbow maned changeling do to deserve this treatment?

Time began to fly backwards again, skipping again to a dark room.

The rainbow maned changeling barged in to see, what looked like that other pinkie -- except she had a tiny shriveled horn, tiny shriveled wings, and as she wept she showed tiny fangs -- being attacked by one of the assassins from earlier in the dream. One that looked very familiar to her. Yes! It was the assassin that attacked Minty, Pinkie, Rainbow, and her earlier! What was her name? Oh that was right Mandragora!

Twilight stopped and checked her eyes. This didn't make any sense. Was that other Pinkie a changeling? But why was the only part of her that looked like one was her wings and horn, and why were they so small and shrimpy. Was she a failed conversion? Or was she just bad at taking a form? And why would Mandragora be turning her old like that? Why would the assassin want her gone?

The doctor smiled, and turned to her. "Curious aren't you?" He asked, as Twilight nodded, watching with intent as the rainbow maned changeling came in and began to do battle with the assassin. "Before you ask: no she's not a convert, nor a failed conversion. Heck, she's not even a full changeling!"

Twilight quirked her eyes. 'Not even a full changeling!' Was that even possible? Wasn't it biologically impossible -- ? She started asking, before the doctor gave her a nudge.

The doctor smiled mischievously. "You'll see!" He said, pointing as time began to quickly reverse again.

Suddenly time slowed again as Twilight could see the rainbow maned changeling rush into a room containing another one of the assassins, a distinctly female looking one -- what was her name again Belladonna? And she appeared to be doing something -- with a nefarious looking liquid -- to a small, lightly green hued changeling foal.

Twilight squinted her eyes. Why did she feel like she should know that changeling?

"Looking at the foal are we?" The doctor said, winking slightly. "You probably shouldn't recognize her, her name was 'Princess Larva', and she went to the fields long before you were born -- or at least that's what her mother thinks!" He said, smiling enigmatically at Twilight.

Twilight looked startled for a second, turning to the doctor. "Who's her mother? And why would another changeling want to hurt one of their own foals, was she a burden on the hive?"

The doctor shrugged. "I can only speculate. But you should know her mother -- she keeps claiming to be yours."

"You mean, Chrysalis?!" Twilight said, in horror. "But why would she want to do away with -- "

"Who can say? I don't think she did though. Especially since she legitimately wept for the foal, thinking it was malnutrition."

Twilight turned to the rainbow maned changeling. Pointing to her with her hoof. "Who's she then?"

"That would be Chrysalis aunt, Princess Auroras. And that makes her the foal's great aunt." The doctor replied.

"But why is she defending the foal, or maybe why is she the only one defending the foal?"

The doctor smirked. "Just wait a minute and we'll see."

Time began to flow by more and more rapidly, slowing down less and less until suddenly it stopped at a pony that looked a lot like that other Pinkie Pie, except for her blue eyes, and bright pink mane (which was closer to her Pinkie Pie.)

Twilight shielded her eyes for a minute from the miracle of birth -- to riotous laughter from the doctor. "Having trouble are we?" The old doctor said, laughing again.

Twilight turned, to see the foal, which looked remarkably like the pink filly from the hive earlier. She turned to the doctor. "She's the same foal from the hive isn't she?" She asked the doctor who nodded. "Let me guess? The mom Pinkie Pie over there is really the rainbow maned changeling?"

The doctor nodded again. "You are astute!" Twilight nodded, with pride. "And that makes her and princess larva?"

"First cousins once removed." Twilight said, confidently. "But you still haven't answered whether or not she's a changeling too, and if not what is her nature!" The doctor shook his head -- he wasn't going to say just yet. In the background 'Mom Pie' was talking to a pegasus stallion. Twilight gasped. "That stallion is you! You're a changeling aren't you!"

The doctor shook his head, with pity. "Wrong Princess! But good try. I'll explain when the time is right." He said, as time started to reverse again.

This time rapidly, with scenes and figments streaming by at rapid speed to the point where the images slowly started to form together into a blur until finally it was just a bright white light, which seemed to explode from a point.

Standing before Twilight was the rainbow maned changeling. Her coat held a slight blue, and the band around her barrel was a bright blue. Her rainbow mane and tail had rainbow colors closer to her rainbow dash then the comical pastel hues that that other Rainbow Dash had.

The changeling sighed. "Hello Twilight!" She said, looking down sadly. "I guess you are looking for answers?" She asked, hesitantly, shaking heavily.

********

The changeling waved her hoof, her joints and hoof bending in an unnatural manner.

Before Twilight stood a small changeling filly that looked suspiciously like the grown changeling pony mare.

The filly slowly opened her mouth and, as if orating before a crowd, began to speak. "I've always liked Rainbows!" She said, smiling softly. "They represent freedom." She said, sighing slightly at the scene that began to emerge behind her.

A young changeling foal with rainbow hair sat listlessly before her mentor, an older changeling drone (with about the same amount of character.) The old drone stallion tapped his ruler mercilessly against the desk near the small foal. "Wake up!" He demanded. "The queen has commanded that you be trained properly!" He shouted, almost mindlessly. "Do you know why?"

The foal shook her head politely (swallowing a mischievous grin.) She obviously had better things to do and places to go then the tutorship of professor Chitin.

"Princess!" He said, waking her up from what he considered to be another day dream. "When the queen died then it'll be your job, as her one and only daughter, to lead the hive forward! And to do that you must learn!" He said, waiting impatiently a few minutes. Finally shaking his head he trotted over, grabbed a very large stack of books; and unceremoniously slammed the stack on the desk. "You will be expected to read each and every one, princess."

Time appeared to fast forward, but only a period of months. The foal sat on the throne, while her mother sat nearby, her eyes glued to the foal like a hawk, carefully and fully critiquing her every action.

"Auroras! Honey! You should have decided in favor of the higher noble in this situation, he will be much more important to securing your rule then the lower noble will be." The queen responded coldly. "Beside the higher noble is a pure changeling up to at least fifteen generations, while the other noble is one quarter convert, and to top that off his grandfather was originally of the drone class."

"But mommy!" The foal protested. "The lower noble was right!" She said, with zeal.

The queen shook her hoof violently, resisting the urge to use violence. "And they won't help you move this hive forward after my passing!" She stated angrily. "And nonsense like rainbows and freedom won't help!" She said, rebuking her daughter. "Maybe you have too much of your father in you! She said, ushering a few members of her praetorian guard in. "Gents!" She commanded. "Please remove all pony items from my daughter's room! And her collection of colored rocks! Apparently rainbow's are too big of a distraction for her!"

The foal cried, as the guard left dutifully, gathering a few more of the Hyperion guard to assist.

Once again, the foal stood before Twilight, and orated again. "One of those rainbow's was a gift for my mommy! And you know what she said when she heard that it had been discarded: 'Good! If you are going to be queen someday then you need to get rid of these notions! I'm glad they got rid of all that nonsense!'"

The foal fell to her knees, sobbing violently. "Mommy! Don't you love me?"

In this distance, her mother looked away, almost looking sad. "Princess: you have your duties, and you must learn what it means to be a true princess!"

Time began to pass again, as Twilight could see the foal before her quickly grow into an pre adolescent filly -- around the age of the crusaders.

"Greetings gents!" She said, as she approached her mother's room, holding a flower in her hair, and another in her saddlebag -- both obtained from the lands of the ponies to the north. "I wish to see my mother."

The guards glared at her, and crossed spears. "The egg containing your sister is about to hatch, and nopony is permitted entry until after incubation has completed."

"What do you mean?" The filly asked, looking at the guards. "My mother is in there! As is my sister! Shouldn't I be there for the joyful occasion."

"No!" The guards groused, as the sound of the egg finally cracking could be heard from the other room.

From the crack in the doorway, she could see her mother, and step father, as well as the queen's adviser inside the room.

The adviser's face lit up as soon as he saw the result of the birth. "Excellent, my liege!" The advisor said, taking a careful look at the newborn foal. "Good news, my queen: It's a girl -- your line is secure!"

The queen's husband's face lit up as well. "Excellent! What should we call her? Our daughter! Our one true daughter?!"

The queen's countenance dropped. She frowned looking down. "She is to be called Amethyst! She is now first in line of inheritance and..." She said, swallowing tears. "Auroras is to be disowned, stripped of title and inheritance, and is now to be a bastard!"

The advisor smiled widely. "This means that since you have given birth to a purebred changeling with your true husband that you no longer need that worthless daughter of a convert." He said, feeling high and mighty at the queen's 'right thinking' "What are we to do with her?" He asked, smiling sadistically at the older princess, who he could see through the crack in the door.

Hearing these words caused the rainbow maned changeling -- who Twilight just learned was called Auroras -- to gulp violently -- shaking violently -- as the color quickly drained from her face. She had heard about what happened to the children whom the hive dubbed as bastards. She heard that they could use the same process that transformed ponies into changeling converts to transform intelligent changelings into mindless drones.

She started backing away scooting along the floor backwards as her legs lacked the strength to stand. She had also heard that sometimes, in the hive, unwanted relatives simply disappeared never to be seen again.

One of the praetorian guards grabbed her, dragging her towards the door.

Inside the door she could hear the her parents and their advisor discussing her fate.

"What do you want done with her then, majesty?" The old advisor asked eagerly -- probably already savoring the fate he had planned for the young ex-princess.

The queen, who had been moping -- despite the joyous event, began to speak. "She is to be sent to boarding school with the unicorns!" She proclaimed.

Both the advisor and her father turned their heads in disbelief. "Boarding school? Are you ok, your majesty? Don't you mean -- ?"

The queen turned to them, her face getting stern. "You heard me: she is to be sent to boarding school! And if you wish to remain in my employ then you are not to ask again!" She barked, furiously.

Her husband turned to his wife, the queen. "But my queen! She is the daughter of a half convert, and the child of an illegitimate coupling and --"

"No buts!" The queen commanded, on the verge of using what would later be called The Royal Canterlot Voice. "I am well aware that I shouldn't, but I will anyway!" She said, ushering the guards, and her daughter in. "Just get her out of my way! And nothing more! OR YOU WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO US!!!" She shouted, causing her husband and adviser to cower in fear.

The guards opened their mouth. "Am I to find a unicorn for her to replace, majesty?"

The queen shook her head vigorously. "She is to find her own form! It's time she stopped living with her head in the clouds, thinking about rainbows, and learned the truth of our kind." She said, ushering the young princess Auroras into exile among the unicorns.

********

Twilight turned and gulped, the night before the wedding, when 'her mother' was still contemplating kidnapping her and taking her to the hive, 'her mother' had said, that this practice was usually reserved for weak babies, in times of famine. Basically the changelings would dispatch a pony, and replace it with their own foal, who would grow up not knowing who or what they really are until they were collected, and returned to the hive. 'Her mother' even claimed that that's what happened to Twilight, calling her something asinine like 'Amaryllis'.

The filly turned to twilight, looking at her sadly. "Mother said I was supposed to dispatch and replace a pony, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to do it." She said, sobbing softly. "I just couldn't do it!"

Twilight looked on in awe. A changeling with a soul? Are there actually kind changelings out there? Are there some that aren't just petty predators?

The filly raised her hoof, her face turning red. "No wonder I can't be queen! I'm weak! Just like my father! I'll never be a true changeling and nopony would ever love a fraud like me!" She said, her eyes closed, and her changeling horn glowing as she slowly began took on a form. "Instead I took my memories of the ponies, and the phony unobtainable images of beauty that the ponies' stallions used to hide when I passed by -- as well as my own hopes and dreams to take on the form of a fake pony -- to go with me: a fake changeling!" She sighed, looking at her horn -- now a twisted unicorn horn.

"Unicorns represent the mystical powers of the arcane, and the hidden powers of the mind." She said, orating as from a stage -- before turning her face again to Twilight and frowning -- unable to say whatever it was she wanted to say to Twilight.

The scene slowly transitioned to the outsides of an old school. Twilight had seen paintings of the school from the end of the interregnum. This was what Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns had looked like before the beginnings of her reign -- and before Discord's brief reign of the land.

Before Twilight stood the changeling Auroras in her unicorn form: a white unicorn with a rainbow mane, blue eyes, and a rainbow colored star cutie mark. Surrounding her, on all sides, were all manner of young unicorn fillies and colts. Each one mocking her in turn. Others chose the opportunity to push her around, or knock her legs out from under her.

The changeling stood defiantly, but her will seemed to slowly crack, as tears began to form in her eyes. She was muttering something softly, but the words didn't seem to come out.

One of the oldest stallions of the group: a young member of the Moonstone clan chimed in. "If you want this to stop Auroras, then stop being such a lousy unicorn, and cast real magic!" He demanded, ordering some of the stallions to begin tossing objects at her with their magic with a twist of his hoof.

"Please stop!" She said, sobbing slightly -- her horn completely unable to do anything but spark slightly.

"What a complete waste!" Said a young unicorn stallion from house Diamond Glow. "She can't even cast basic magic!" He said, turning his head down, and shaking it melodramatically. "How can she possible represent this school for anything?"

The unicorn from the Moonstone clan turned to his friend. "I know!" He said, laughing haughtily. "I even heard she was a princess somewhere!"

The other unicorn joined into the laughter. "How did a worthless unicorn like this even get into Platina's school for talented mages anyway?" He asked, beginning to walk over to the young princess Auroras. "Nepotism?"

Auroras turned to the two, defiantly. "I can cast magic you can't even believe!" She said, boastfully. "I just can't it under pressure!" She said, unable to catch a piece of rotten fruit that was lobbed at her by one of the students.

Shining Glow, the unicorn from house Diamond Glow, turned to his friend Sunstone, the unicorn from house Moonstone, and ribbed him slightly with his shoulder. "Just can't do it under pressure! Oh! Of course! I'm sure everypony will believe that!"

Both unicorns started laughing, this time riotously. "Maybe we should teach you something about magic!" They said, charging their horns. "Watch and learn!"

" But despite my pessimism there were a few kind unicorns around!" The voice of Auroras beamed through the scene -- which had suddenly stopped. "I'm reminded of regal majesty, a kindred spirit of mine, and the only unicorn who seemed to know, or care what was happening to me!" The voice said, with sadness.

"I think that's just about enough!" Since a unicorn in the distance, who's voice immediately caused the crowd to part. "Can't you see the poor dear is doing the best she can." The pitch black unicorn said, her purple eyes practically peering into the souls of the two stallions.

"But Regal Majesty! She's an insult to our school!" They said. "She'll make a joke of this school!"

"Tut Tut Tut!" She exclaimed, her purple mane blowing in the wind. "And maybe the problem is that you've scared the dear impudent?" She said, her muzzle scrunching slightly. "Now why don't you all head to class!" She said, motioning with her hoof, causing the crowd to quickly scatter. She turned to the young changeling turned unicorn. "So how do you feel my dear?" She said, with pity. "Hopefully those ruffians didn't hurt you too badly!"

"Ok." Auroras said, hiding her tears. "I'm ok -- I think!"

"I'm sorry about them." She said, with a gentle smile. "I may be a bastard child, but ponies fear what my mother would do to them none the same."

The changeling filly turned in awe. "Who's your mother -- " The filly asked, stopping when it became obvious by the older unicorns face that she had touched a nerve.

Regal majesty looked to the side, sighing on the inside. "Queen Platina. The queen of the unicorn tribes, and 'ruler of all she surveys'!" She said, sarcastically. Did Regal Majesty have some kind of issue with her mother?

"And your dad?" Auroras asked, in awe. "Are they afraid of him too?"

"We don't speak of him." Regal Majesty retorted. "Not that mother knows anyway, I've heard speculation of every eligible unicorn in the country, and even some outlandish claims such as commander Hurricane. In the end, I suspect, I got my mother's eyes and mane, and my father's coat -- what little good that is!" She said, wanting a piece of the deadbeat.

Time flowed forward again, a few months -- even possibly a year or two. The changeling turned unicorn sat side by side with the bastard daughter of the princess. Both sighing due to bad news from their respective homes. So the two of them sat a comfortable distance from the other, watching the sun slowly sink, along with their spirits.

Regal majesty turned to her friend, frowning deeply. "So you thought about what you're going to do after boarding school?" She said, after spending much deliberation on her own future. "You know that's where they send nobles children to disappear, right!?" She said, getting up to walk away. "It's not like after we finish here that we'll be expecting much fanfare. Most likely all I can expect is to be married to some deadbeat noble, and shipped off to 'rule' some far away hamlet."

Auroras shook her head. "I think mother still loves me! And I'm certain she'd never do anything cruel like that!" She said, lying to herself. "I'm certain that she'll find a place for me when I return home! I just don't know what it is yet!"

Regal majesty turned, and sighed. "And so why did you stay here during the fourty-seven day Hearth's Warming season celebrations? Instead of returning to your family?"

Auroras sighed, the unicorn was right on that count. She still had the letter from the queen: 'you are not permitted to return at this time. Any attempts to do so will be treated as a mark of treason against the hive itself.'

"In the end, I got out of my unfair share of trouble thanks to that unicorn." The voice said, fondly. "She was honestly the closest thing I had to a friend, and certainly the only unicorn I can recall meeting that showed any kind of true friendship to me." She said, recollecting some of the magic training they had done together. "And honestly her support pushed me on to become a fairly proficient spell caster." The voice said, slowly panning out to the filly. "But in the end she couldn't protect me from everything, and those who'd wish me harm like Shining Glow and Sunstone simply learned to bide their time until the bastard princess wasn't around."

********

The filly -- this time appeared again, as a young adolescent. "The pegasus represent the freedom of the wind, and the ferocity of the storm." She orated, looking off into a growing peep hole into her life. "Of the three tribes, they are the warriors." She said, staring off at herself, sandwiched between the walls of the school, and six angry unicorn stallions -- led by her arch rivals, Shining Glow and Sunstone.

"Please!" The filly begged. "I have to get to class." She pleaded, further squishing against the wall.

"And I think you should be banished to Butterfly Island with all the pegasus tribe's rejects!" Shining Glow said, laughing arrogantly. "But we can't both get what we want!"

His friend joined in, giving him their signature hoof shake. "Scorn! Scorn! Sugar warn horn!" They said, bumping horns.

Sunstone finally opened his mouth (Auroras fully expected it to happen eventually.) "You know, girl, you are a disgrace to this school!" He said, threateningly. "So I think I'm going to ask, as nicely as possible for you to leave!" He said, sharpening his hoof against the cobble stones. "So are you going to leave like a good little filly." He said, his voice filled with superiority. "Or am I going to have to eject you forcibly?" He said, starting to laugh again.

"And how about you leave her alone instead?" Asked a fiery red pegasus who's blue eyes seemed to peer into the stallion's souls. "Unless you want to fight with me?" She said, shaking her fiesta colored rainbow mane defiantly.

Some of the smallest unicorns of the group gulped slightly, but their nerves quickly returned when their two ring leaders spoke.

"What are you even doing here?" Shining Glow asked, haughtily.

"Yeah! Shouldn't a brutish pegasus like you be off with Hurricane's little outfit?" Sunstone asked, joining his friend.

"I think she got confused, and lost her way!" Shining glow said, causing both unicorns to laugh raucously. "You know how stupid these pegasus ponies can be especially with their weak little eyes." He said, intentionally causing his eyes to separate, each looking at opposite directions.

"Certainly!" The other said, poking at her wings. "Oh she looks unhealthy too! Her and her broken worthless wings -- maybe she was sent here because she didn't fit in with her people, you know I've heard stories about what happens to pegasus ponies who can't fly!" He said, snickering sadistically to his friend. "So why don't you get a clue and run along!" Sunstone said dropping a none too subtle hint.

"Before you get yourself hurt!" His friend said, motioning her along -- with a strong sense of superiority.

The pegasus pony only smirked, confidently. "And I think I'm here to fight all six of you!" She said, trotting forward slowly, causing some of the stallions to back off. That only caused her smile to grow, as her confidence appeared to only increase. "Any of you macho stallions want to test their metal against a battle hardened pegasus?" She asked, doing a fake lunge at Sunstone who flinched slightly.

"But... But... But... You... You're just a mare!" One of the stallions stammered, anxiously. "We... We... We... We can take you easy!" He said, charging.

The pegasus didn't even flinch causing the stallion to stop cold, and start to back up. "Heh!" She said to herself, outright. "And I don't even mind that you're all stallions!" She said, smirking sadistically. "In fact, I more than just think that a mare like me can take you all: I KNOW THAT I CAN!" She yelled, causing the smallest stallion to high tail it and run away, was it just Auroras, or was there a slight dull sheen to the cobble stones?

The pegaus turned to the five remaining stallions. "You want to know why?" She asked, the next smallest pegasus, that was starting to shake like a leaf.

"W... Why?" He asked, cowering back as she stuck out her neck to remain eye to eye with him.

"Because, in pegasus ponies, the ferocity of the mares is MUCH higher than that in the stallions!" She said, beginning to chase the smallest stallion against the wall -- causing him to flee at a ninety degree angle and away from the pack.

"Don't think so?" She asked the four remaining unicorns. "Why don't you four come and test that theory?" She said, with a cocky grin -- causing the third stallion to walk away, his head stuck down sullenly.

"Come on!" She grinned again. "I'll even let you get the first hit!" She said, flaring her wings and sticking her neck back as to make her chest stick out prominently (and motioning at it with one of her wings.

"Or are you chicken?" She asked, Sunstone and Shining glow. "Come at me!" She said, in a sultry tone.

"We... We're certainly not chicken! Isn't that true Mystic Star!" Shining Glow said, turning to find his friend had disinvaporated -- metaphorically speaking.

Sunstone gulped. "Maybe we should leave Shining Glow? I... think... we've demonstrated Auroras' need to leave! ... Aptly enough!" He said, running off.

Shining Glow stood there, cussing violently. "This isn't over! It's not over or either of you!" He said, beginning to back off -- well aware he couldn't take the pegasus in a fight, especially if the pampered 'princess' joined in the fray. "I'll be back! And you'll all be sorry!" He shouted, to his friend who had left -- doing his hoof shake all alone. " Scorn! Scorn! Sugar warn horn!" Before quickly fleeing off into the school, whimpering like a wounded dog.

Only once she was certain that the six unicorns were out of range of both sight and sound, did she crumple into the ground, nervously. "Whew!" She exclaimed to herself. "I've never been so frightened in all my days!" The fiery pegasus with the fiesta rainbow mane exclaimed with relief.

"You can come out now." She said, with a motherly voice to the cowering changeling turned unicorn -- still plastered nervously to the wall. "I won't hurt you." She said, beckoning the filly out like a nervous fowl -- walking backwards slightly.

The changeling filly looked at nervously for a minute, before opening her mouth. "Thank you so much!" She said, to a simple nod from the pegasus, and a smile that said 'you're welcome' in a very concise manner. "My name is Auroras, and what's yours?"

The pegasus stood up, chest puffed, wings fully extended, head up high -- exuding boundless confidence (which she wasn't really feeling right now, but she definitely put up a good show.) "Names Sky Runner!" She said, making sure to give her name full effect before continuing. "I'm a transfer student from Commander Hurricane's camp for the young officers (also known as the Hurricane school for gifted fliers.)"

The young unicorn changeling looked her in disbelief. Why was she here then? Pegasus ponies can't cast unicorn magic.

The pegasus met her at the pass. "It's kind of a unification experiment -- not that I agree with it, but you know a young pegasus like me has got to do her duty to the greater good of the unit!" She said, dutifully, breaking into laughter by the end. "But seriously!" She said, taking her own advice. "If those stallions so much as even look at you the wrong way again let me know! And I'll happily turn their faces into the same mush that they have for brains!" She said, smiling earnestly, and causing the young changeling to smile gratefully.

"But why?" Auroras asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to stay out of dirty affairs like this? Aren't you worried it'll make ponies think you're a meddler, or a tattle, or something? Won't they hate you?"

Sky Runner simply blew a raspberry. "And who says I care?" She said, watching the filly changeling's eyes grow to the size of dinner plates. "Besides! I kind of consider this my mission in life! Thing about it is, I lost my father to some monsters when I was still too small to remember him and because of it I have made it my purpose in life to protect the innocent!" She said, regaining her heroic pose. "Kind of like a super hero!"

The scene froze for a second, and the filly spoke to Twilight. "Truth be told, Twilight: I quickly figured out that Sky Runner's father was taken away from her by my mother, and transformed into a drone! She was the youngest of five -- and my older half sister, if you include myself." She said, sighing sadly. "I don't think she ever figured it out... well not before it was much too late to matter! I have always wondered if she would have been such a close friend if she had found out!"

She said, disappearing into the darkness, as the scene resumed.

"Weren't you scared?" Auroras asked, her blue eyes trying to peer into the pegasus soul. "I mean they were six of the biggest and most magical unicorns this school has!

"Of course!" She said, honestly. "But truth be told I wasn't going to let them hurt you! 'Sides I was more angry then scared!" She said, scowling slightly. "Insults about a pegasus' wings and eyes are like the worst possible insults for them! It's because a pegasus eyes and wings are the very things that make us so special, it would be like you losing your horn, or an earth pony losing their legs!" She said, shaking angrily, her hoof tightly pressed against the building. "Good thing I kept it together!" She said, smiling again. "If it had come to a fight I might have had trouble protecting myself -- let alone the both of us against those stallions! (No matter how much I believed I could!)"

"The truth be told -- " The young changeling mare orated. "Her words were prophetic."