History Lesson

by Pun System

Assessing the Damage

From inside his cocoon on the palace windowsill, it looked to Spike as if the only colors in far-off Ponyville were various shades of green. There were tiny green houses, tiny green streets, and tiny green flames producing tiny green smoke. He sighed as he sat there, watching from Canterlot as his home of the past year slowly burned away. Whatever was going on way down there, it couldn’t be good.

Spike’s attention was brought back to the palace when the door behind him opened. He turned to see Chrysalis enter, one of her wings bandaged and a crude splint on her right foreleg. Two of the drones that entered with her took up posts at the door, while the third remained at her side as she advanced toward him. “What happened down there? Is Sunburst coming back? Is everyone ok?”

“I think I’ll let Applejack explain that.”

Spike looked around. “But I don’t see Applejack here.”

“I’m right here,” said the changeling next to Chrysalis.

“You sound like Applejack, but you don’t look like her.”

Applejack lit her horn and took on her earth pony form. “Better?”

“Ahh! How’d you do that?”

“I’m a changeling now.”

Spike gave her a look of confusion. “Wait, so you’re Applejack?”

“Eeyup.”

“And you’re not a pony anymore?”

“Nnope.”

Spike’s confusion was suddenly overwhelmed by curiosity. “Could I be a changeling, too? At least for a little bit. That looks kinda cool!”

“If you really want, I can make you a changeling dragon!” said Chrysalis, giddy at the thought.

“I ain’t gonna lie, though. It’s gonna hurt. A lot.”

The Changeling Queen opened Spike’s cocoon and magically pulled Spike out. “Uh, actually, on second thought, I think I’ve changed my mind!”

“Well, I still want a changeling dragon, and it looks like you’ll have to do.”

“Applejack, help me! You’ve gotta stop her!”

A sly smile crept onto Chrysalis’s face. “Applejack, who is your Queen?”

“You are, your highness!”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Applejack, what are you doing? You’re my friend, right? Right?”

For a moment, the two looked deep into each other’s eyes, and it looked like Applejack really wanted to say yes. She blinked her eyes, put a scowl on her face, and reverted to her changeling form. “Wrong. I ain’t your friend no more, Spike. Nor any of your friends’ friend neither.”

The Changeling Queen laughed as she pulled Spike close. “See? She’s my friend now. And soon, you will be, too.” She moved forward and bit Spike’s neck. “Ow!” She dropped Spike and rubbed her jaw. “Why didn’t that work?”

“Probably because of my super tough dragon scales,” Spike said, standing up and puffing his chest out.

“Well let’s try a more direct approach, then,” she said as she leveled her horn at Spike. She blasted him with green magic, but when the smoke cleared, the baby dragon had barely budged. Spike countered by breathing fire at the Queen. She put up a barrier, and quickly morphed the barrier into a ball which encapsulated Spike.

“Hey! Put me down!” he protested, banging his fists against the green sphere.

“Your Highness, that was actually one of the reasons we—uh, I mean they—decided to turn against you. They reckoned since Spike here is a fire-breathin’ dragon, nothin’ we do to him is gonna hurt him.”

Chrysalis thought a moment. “A fire-breathing dragon, you say?”

“Yes ma’am. A fire-breathin’ drag—Wait, what are you thinkin’ about doin’ to him?”

“Well, if he can’t breathe, then he dies, right?”

“Right. I think I understand where this is goin’.”

“Good. Now do you think it would be better to drown him in a river or a lake?”

“Oh, uh, actually I was thinkin’ more along the lines of somethin’ to do with ropes, but that works fine, too.”

“Ropes? Of course, to tie him up! An excellent suggestion!”

“Aw, well, shoot. I’m just your humble servant, your Highness.”

“Applejack!” Spike called out. “Whose side are you on, anyways?”

“I thought we already went over this,” she said.

“Well, it looks like it’s down to the river, then,” said Chrysalis.

---

Spike struggled against the ropes at his claws and feet. Chrysalis turned to Applejack. “Do you wish to do the honors?”

“Me? Why, that’s mighty kind of you, Your Highness.” She levitated Spike and held him above the river.

“Applejack, don’t do it!” She got a look of pity on her face, but only for a second. “Please, Applejack! I’m still your friend!”

“No you ain’t! Stop sayin’ that! This here is the end of our friendship!”

“Applejack, wait! Could you at least tell me what happened to Sunburst and the others?” Spike begged.

“You don’t wanna hear it, Spike.”

“Please, Applejack! I have to know!”

“Sunburst did the same thing to you as he did to me! He abandoned us! All of them did! They left you to die when they decided to go against the Queen, and they left me to die on the train station platform!”

“No! Sunburst would never do that! Tell me the truth, Applejack!”

“Honest, he did. They betrayed us, Spike. Both you, and me.” Applejack bowed her head slightly as if genuinely hurt by this thought.

“But why?” Spike said, still in disbelief.

“We weren’t worth it! They wanted to save everypony in Ponyville, which meant giving you up since there was so many more of them than there was of you. And I reckon that’s what they said about me when they told the engineer to leave without me!”

“But—but he hatched me! He raised me! He was like the big brother I never had!”

“Come, my faithful subject. Take your revenge on Sunburst by drowning his little pet!”

“Don’t listen to her, Applejack!”

“Do it.”

“Don’t!”

“Do it!”

“Don’t!”

Applejack shut her eyes and let Spike fall into the river, only opening her eyes several moments after he had gone under. “You did the right thing,” said Chrysalis.

Applejack stared at the river. “Then how come it don’t feel like the right thing? I shouldn’t have done that.” She reached up for a hat that wasn’t there.

“In time, the memories of the others will fade and you will be like your brothers and sisters of the hive.” A group of bubbles rose to the surface of the river. “Perhaps a change in name will help you move on from your past. Something like… Dragonbane, perhaps?”

“Dragonbane it is, then. I guess.”

“Good. Henceforth, you shall no longer be known as Applejack; you shall be called Dragonbane.”

“Thank you, my Queen.”

The two turned to walk away from the river. “Just give it time, Dragonbane. Applejack’s memories will fade soon enough.”

---

“Sunburst? We’re here.”

Sunburst was pulled back to reality by Rainbow Dash’s voice. “Huh? Oh. Where’s ‘here’?”

“We’re in Manehattan. Mayor Mare wants to take the six—five—of us to meet with the Mayor of Manehattan. She’s told everypony else to wait in a nearby park until we can figure out what to do next.”

Rainbow and Sunburst disembarked the now-empty train and joined Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Cheerilee, and Mayor Mare on the platform.

“Now we’re just waiting on Applejack,” said Cheerilee.

Rainbow Dash and Sunburst looked at each other nervously. “Do you want to, or should I?” asked Sunburst.

Rainbow Dash paused a moment, then without turning to the others, flatly declared, “Applejack didn’t make it.” Rather than make eye contact with her friends, she continued staring at the ground.

The Mayor and the other three friends gasped. “Rainbow Dash, you can’t be serious,” said Rarity.

“It’s true,” said Sunburst. “I was leaning out the door, ready to pull her in, but Queen Chrysalis caught her by the tail just before I could catch her.”

The other three friends and the Mayor gasped in unison. Pinkie Pie dropped to her hind knees, threw her head back and shouted, “NNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

“She—she’s gone?” asked Cheerilee. She put her hoof over her mouth as Sunburst nodded.

“What did the Queen do to her?” asked Mayor Mare.

“She was holding her magic around Applejack’s neck for as long as I could see them. There’s a good chance the Queen didn’t show any mercy.”

Sunburst had to catch a fainting Rarity in his magic, while Cheerilee and Pinkie sorrowfully embraced, each crying on the other’s shoulder. Mayor Mare approached Rainbow Dash. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Rainbow Dash still didn’t raise her head. “She’s going to be missed. Adding insult to injury, we’ve lost an Element, too.”

“But you saved everypony else,” Mayor Mare comfortingly reminded. Rainbow looked up, smiled weakly, and then returned her gaze to the ground. “We need to get to the town hall and find the mayor of Manehattan so we can get lodging for everypony.”

*****

Sunburst carried Rarity to the town hall on his back while the others made their way on hoof. Even Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie walked, rather than flying or bouncing as they normally would. Rainbow only raised her head when absolutely necessary, and only for as long as she had to. The group reached the town hall and waited in the lobby while Mayor Mare talked with Big Apple, Manehattan’s mayor. At length, she and Mayor Big Apple returned and directed the other five to a hotel, informing them that the building would be used to house the Ponyville refugees until more permanent housing could be found. The five friends each then retired to a separate room while the mayors went to inform everypony else.

---

Rainbow Dash was lying awake on the bed in her hotel room around midday. The lights were all off, and the dark storm clouds overhead gave the room a generally melancholy atmosphere. The sound of the rain outside the sliding glass doors adjoining the balcony helped to set the mood. Rainbow couldn’t remember when she had first laid down, but it must have been at least a couple hours. The silence was interrupted when somepony knocked on the door. “Who is it?” she called weakly.

“It’s Sunburst,” a muffled voice replied. Rainbow Dash crossed the room and opened the door before returning to her bed. For a few moments, the only sound was that of the rain outside. Finally, Sunburst walked over to her bed. “Rainbow Dash," he calmly began, "you know it’s not your faul—”

“Yes it is!” she shouted. “Yes it is,” she quietly repeated, putting her head back on her hooves. “I was the one who made the judgment. I was the one who gave the call to leave. I was the one who pulled you back into the car. There’s nopony to blame besides me.”

“But it was your plan that saved everypony else, Rainbow.”

“Good for me,” she said sarcastically. “It won’t matter. We’re down an Element, a friend, we’re leaderless, and we’re running from Chrysalis and from Sombra.”

“But Sombra isn’t looking for us. At least we have that advantage.”

“But Chrysalis is! There could have been and probably were disguised changelings that managed to sneak onto the train! We’ve brought the war here!” Rainbow Dash got up and walked over towards the glass doors that led to the balcony. “Look at them. There’s I don't even know how many thousands of innocent ponies just in this one city. And as long as we’re here, they’re all in danger."

“Rainbow Dash, it’s not like we can just go back to Canterlot and turn ourselves in. Besides, the others are depending on us. If we give up now, what hope do they have?”

“How are we supposed to give hope to them when we don’t even have any hope?!”

“We still have each other,” Sunburst reminded.

“Oh. Sure. You wanna go tell Applejack that?”

“Rainbow Dash!”

A few seconds of rainy silence passed as Rainbow Dash stared blankly out over Manehattan and sighed. “I—I’m sorry, I’m just upset.”

“I know. I think it’s getting to all of us.”

“No. I’m way past upset.” She turned to face Sunburst. “I’m mad. I’m mad at myself! I’m mad at the Queen! I’m mad at my life—I’m just… mad!”

Sunburst put a hoof around Rainbow Dash’s neck. “Our life, Rainbow. We’re in this together. Friends don’t give up on each other just because times get tough. We’re not just fair-weather friends,” he said as he looked out the window. “No pun intended.”

“Like that was ever true.” She scoffed as she lay down in front of the glass doors. “I betrayed Applejack and convinced you to betray Spike. That makes us both disloyal friends.” Sunburst lay down next to her, and for a while, they silently listened to the rain.

“You know, I miss Spike and Applejack, too.”

“I know, Sunburst. And you have me to blame for it.”

“But I don’t blame you, Rainbow. I could have just as easily been in a position to make the call you had to make, it could have been me.”

“Well you weren’t! It was me! All me! It’s all my fault!” she shouted, angry tears forming in her eyes. Another moment of silence followed her outburst. “I—I just need some time, ok?” She opened the doors to the balcony and hopped up onto the railing.

“Where are you going?” Sunburst asked.

“I just need to go fly, clear my mind, you know? I’ll be back,” she said, as she took off over Manehattan.

Sunburst walked over to the ledge, following Rainbow with his eyes until she was out of sight. He turned and sighed as he began trudging back out of the room into the hallway, which was still populated with ponies who were moving into vacant rooms. Most were cumbered with whatever belongings they had managed to throw into the nearest bag or box when they were instructed to evacuate. Sunburst nearly made a right turn into the hallway, but a yellow filly was at the end of the hall, asking anypony who would listen if they had seen Applejack. He dreaded having to tell Apple Bloom about her sister, so he made a left turn instead. There was a bend in the L-shaped hotel not far from where he stood, so he just had to make it a little farther without being spotted.

“Hey, Sunburst! Wait up!” Apple Bloom called out. Sunburst’s heart missed a beat and his hoof froze mid-stride. Reluctantly, he forced himself to turn around to face the filly. “I’ve been lookin’ all over for Applejack, but I cain’t find her! Have you seen my big sis?”

Sunburst's mind raced as he tried to think of something to say to her on the spot. He took a deep breath before beginning. “Well, Apple Bloom, I—I don’t really know if—I don’t know how to—see, what happened was—”

“Tell me! I gotta know my big sister’s alright! She’s here somewhere, ain’t she?” Her worried, pleading eyes looked up at him, evaporating whatever was left of Sunburst’s confidence.

Sunburst let an awkwardly long pause elapse before mustering up the courage to speak. He knelt down to her level and lowered his tone. “Apple Bloom,” he said with a pause. “I—I’m sorry. I just can’t bring myself to tell you. I can’t make myself say those awful words. But I—I think you already know.” Even worse than conveying the bad news was watching Apple Bloom receive it. It broke his heart to watch her face begin to deny what her mind was beginning to understand. Her lower lip quivered, her head tilted slightly to one side, and her eyes blinked rapidly while alternately darting to the ground and back at Sunburst. She shook her head in disbelief and slowly took a step backwards.

“You mean she didn’t—You mean she’s—”

“I’m so sorry, Apple Bloom,” Sunburst said, extending a hoof to embrace the teary-eyed filly.

“No! It—it ain’t true! It just cain’t be true! Applejaaaaack!!” she wailed as she began sobbing uncontrollably. Sunburst lifted her up, put her over his shoulder, and hugged her tight, pressing his neck against her small frame. It wasn’t long before he felt her tears on the back of his neck. He blinked a few times in an attempt to clear the tears from his own eyes.

“C’mon, Apple Bloom,” he said soothingly. “Let’s get you to your family.”

---

After the potion caused their eyes to glow once more, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike found themselves following Rainbow Dash as she made her way around the outside of the hotel. She glanced into one window, and what she saw made her stop and hover in place. After a pause, she drew closer, bringing into focus Rarity, sobbing into her bed. A small white hoof and a cool blue dragon’s claw had been placed by their respective owners on each of Rarity’s front hooves, but her sisters did little to assuage her sorrows. Shard began speaking, but her speech was silenced by the closed window in front of Rainbow Dash. Rarity raised her head and stared into the dragon’s face, her eyes bloodshot and the corners of her mouth turned downward. Her lips moved silently as she embraced Shard and Sweetie Belle, only to begin crying anew and wailing something unintelligible.

“Oh, Rarity,” Rainbow began. “I’m so sorry. I know you and Applejack didn’t always get along, but you were always there for each other. You almost lost Sweetie Belle’s friendship, but Applejack helped you gain it back. Now, I’m the one who needs to win your friendship back. I hope you can find it in your generous heart to forgive me.”

Rainbow’s body hung limp as her wings carried her off to a second window. She peered in on Cheerilee, who was lying on her bed with a box of tissues on one side of her and a photo album on the other. Likely, it was one of the few things she had been able to recover from her home.

“Cheerilee, you’ve lived in Ponyville nearly as long as Applejack, and just a year longer than Rarity. I’m so sorry I failed you and your best friend. It was your quick thinking that saved Sweet Apple Acres from Flim and Flam. Then there was the time Applejack noticed you weren’t acting yourself around Big Mac because of that potion. She tracked down your book about potions, and helped her sister’s friends break the spell. I hope I can help you find the way forward without your childhood friend.”

Cheerilee turned a page in her photo album, gasped, closed her eyes, and fumbled for another tissue. Rainbow continued along the side of the hotel to the next window where she saw Pinkie Pie with her hair completely straight. Though she sat at a table in front of a plate of food, she looked completely disinterested. Her parents and sisters had apparently long since left the table, save Marble, who remained silently at her side with a look of concern on her face.

“Gee, Pinkie. I’ve only seen you this sad one time in the whole time I’ve known you. I know Applejack was one of your childhood friends, too. Even though she was the serious one and you were the party animal, you went out of your way to make her feel included, welcome, and special. Now—now she’s gone. I’m sorry I took her from you like that.”

Marble finally spoke up, which made Pinkie turn her head slightly. A moment later, Pinkie’s gaze returned to her plate.

Starlight sighed. “Just look at Rainbow Dash. What she’s saying, how she’s carrying herself; it’s like she doesn’t even know that none of this is her fault.”

“But whose fault is it?” Twilight urged.

“Well, I’m the one who—” Starlight’s eyes widened as she realized what she was about to say. She looked up at Twilight in disbelief. “Twilight? Are you trying to get me to say this is all my fault?” She asked not as one who was threatened and defensive, but as one who was cornered and frightened. She was afraid of the consequences that would come with claiming responsibility for the fallen timeline.

“I only asked the question, Starlight. You were the one who let your guard down and started to give an honest answer.” Starlight hung her head as Rainbow moved on to a third window.

In the third room Rainbow and the others saw Sunburst holding Apple Bloom over his shoulder as he talked with Big Mac and Granny Smith. Poor Apple Bloom was crying uncontrollably.

“Oh, no,” Rainbow said in a defeated tone. She pressed her hooves against the window, and drew a pair of labored breaths. “Apple Family. They say that blood makes you related, but it’s loyalty that makes you family. In that sense, you were all truly family.” Rainbow could barely eke out the words as she tried to speak in spite of her cracking voice. “I—I guess that means I’ll be forfeiting my status as an Honorary Apple. I can’t really expect you to accept my apology after what I’ve done,—but I’m sorry. I’m so, so, sorry.” She paused for a moment, but just as she began to speak again, she saw Granny and Big Mac gasp. “Oh, no. Sunburst must have just told them.” She couldn’t bear to watch the Apples break down, so she forced herself to look away. “What have I done?” she lamented as she flew away, eyes turned skyward toward the ever-present storm clouds.

Twilight wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof, looking up just in time to see a rainbow-colored tail passing around the corner. When she turned her attention to Starlight, she noticed that she, too, was wiping her eyes. Starlight looked up a moment later, awkwardly making eye contact with Twilight. She cut off eye contact as quickly as she made it. “Starlight?” Twilight asked. “Are you… crying?”

“N—No. I just—got a raindrop in my eye.”

“Uh, Starlight? The rain’s passing straight through us,” said Spike.

With no response to Spike, Starlight could only hang her head and stare at the street three stories below. Before long, she felt a foreleg on her shoulder, and looked up to see Twilight’s gently smiling face. “You know, none of this has to happen, Starlight. We could just go back and make everything right after the potion wears off.”

“I don’t know, Twilight,” Starlight began uneasily. “All my life I’ve believed that our cutie marks made us all so different that we couldn’t live together in harmony. Now, you’re telling me, or rather showing me, that without your friends’ cutie mark connection, this is Equestria’s new timeline.”

“And you’re not sure if you should believe it?”

“I’m not sure that I want to!” she said as the tears trickled from the bottoms of her eyes. “I’d have to give up everything I’ve ever held as truth and start over from scratch!”

“I know what you mean, Starlight. I once thought I could get through life without friends. It sounds silly to even say that out loud now that I’m the Princess of Friendship,” she said with a smile.

Starlight weakly returned Twilight’s smile, but only for a moment before dropping her head once more. “I—I just need more time to think about this. This is the biggest decision of my life, and I don’t want to make the wrong choice.”

Spike interjected, “Well, that’s easy. Just go back in time to Rainbow’s race and—”

“Ahem,” Twilight interrupted. “Starlight, if you need more time, I understand. I just want to see you do the right thing.”

“Me too,” Starlight mumbled just before the trio’s eyes glowed white again.

---

Zecora walked down the hall of the hotel with an earthen jar on a cord about her neck. Her face had been masked with some sort of forest-green face paint, the purpose of which eluded Starlight Glimmer. When she knocked on the door to one of the rooms, a blue magic aura surrounded and opened the door. Zecora opened the door a little further to see Bon Bon sitting in the middle of the room, holding Lyra in a chokehold. “Zecora, thank goodness you’re here! This isn’t Lyra! It’s a changeling!”

Zecora galloped over to the two. “Don’t listen to her, Zecora! She’s the changeling!” shouted Lyra.

“Fine. I’m a changeling. But at least I’m not loyal to that monster who killed our King and took his throne! The monster you dare call Queen!”

“If I find a changeling you certainly are,

Then I’ll cast you off into some land afar!” said Zecora.

Bon Bon let a look of disappointed confusion take hold of her face. “Zecora? You don’t mean you’d exile a changeling just because of their race, do you?”

“Our Princesses your Queen did kill!

All of you work naught but ill!”

Bon Bon’s chokehold loosened slightly. “Zecora, how can you say that? I was there in Ponyville when you first ventured out of the Everfree; I saw how they treated you! You are the very last being I would ever have thought to be racist! My allegiance lies with King Chitin, and with the remnant of his loyal followers, the Order of the Blue Changelings. I tried to help the Princesses escape, but our cover was compromised when Chrysalis infiltrated our ranks with double agents. Maybe I do have chitin instead of fur. Maybe my wings don’t have feathers and my horn isn’t spiraled. That’s no more reason to hate someone than whether their coat is striped or solid!”

Zecora hung her head. “Forgive me please, Bon Bon, if that is your name.

As they treated me, I fear I’ve done the same.”

“I’ll forgive you, Zecora, when you deal with our enemy here. This sorry excuse for Lyra is a Green Changeling, one who supports the Queen, and she needs to be dealt with.”

Zecora nodded. She approached and dipped a hoof into the earthen jar about her neck. “But Zecora, I am the real Lyra!” the mare protested. Zecora drew out her hoof, which now was green from the special face paint.

“In just a moment we will know;

Your loyalty this salve will show.”

As Lyra squirmed about, Zecora applied the paint on her face. Starting at the splotches of forest green, her coat reverted to black chitin. Her wings were pale blue, her eyes were green, and the chitinous plates on her back were navy, same as the changelings back in Canterlot. “See? I told you that you could trust me,” Bon Bon said. “All changelings have exoskeletons, not backbones, so our central nerve cord runs along our bellies. It runs closest to the exoskeleton just in front of the plates of chitin on the belly. A blow to this spot can knock us unconscious.” She pulled the other changeling back, exposing her rival’s belly. The changeling blocked the first blow, but Zecora connected on the second try. The changeling doubled over immediately, and went limp within seconds. Zecora then turned her attention to Bon Bon as she dropped the green changeling.

“Though you have told me that you are true blue,

I'd like more proof that we all can trust you.”

Bon Bon revealed to Zecora her true form, a changeling with black chitin, navy blue chitin on her back, sparkling blue wings, and royal blue eyes. “This is my true form. I'm Special Agent Sweetie Drops, but I also worked for Princess Celestia under the cover name Bon Bon. The other Blue Changelings call me Bon Bon Zero. ‘Bon Bon’ is also the generic name for any Blue Changeling. There’s currently only a few dozen of us left, and there were eight of us in Ponyville. One additional Bon Bon, number Twenty-Two, came from Canterlot with the Bearers of the Elements.”

“Then towards a common goal we strive:

To rid that fell Queen of her hive.”

“Indeed. My comrades can provide tactical information on the happenings in Chrysalis’s domain. You need it, we can get it. Layouts of buildings in Canterlot, weak points in the palace guard, times when the guard changes, and so on.”

Zecora nodded her approval. “A potent ally you shall be

If we can prove your loyalty.”

The blue changeling took on her earth pony form once again. “I assume you’re going room-by-room searching for changelings,” she said. Zecora nodded again. “Then let me come with you, and I’ll help you ferret them out.

---

Rainbow Dash stood in front of a blueprint which had been laid out on a table in the midst of six chairs. Pinkie, Sunburst, Rarity, Cheerilee, and Bon Bon filed in and took their seats. “You called us, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes, Sunburst. I know the past month has been hard. We’re all adjusting to life without Applejack, and some of us are still grieving, but we need to make sure her memory lives on. We need to decide on a course of action moving forward.”

“Is this about the refugee camp they’re constructing across town? We certainly could have used Applejack’s help to build the cottages.” asked Cheerilee.

“No. That’s a topic for later. The construction is coming along just fine anyways. The first refugees should be moving out of the hotels as early as next week. Today, we’re discussing making our first strike against Queen Chrysalis.”

“You mean we’re seriously considering a head-on conflict?” asked Sunburst.

“Not exactly. This will be a raid to get ready for the coming war. I’ve nailed down a few key targets, and thanks to Bon Bon here, this mission should be a total success.”

“Because of her?” asked Rarity.

Rainbow Dash nodded at Bon Bon. “Things are not always as they seem,” Bon Bon began. “I can be your eyes and ears on the inside. I’m sure ‘Chrysalis’ and ‘changeling’ are nearly synonymous to all of you, but before Chrysalis took power, her hive was ruled by King Chitin. Chrysalis is the daughter usurper of this king. She subtly orchestrated the deaths of her older siblings and waged open war against her father on her path to the throne. There are a number of changelings who want to see Chrysalis forced to abdicate just as much as you do. I am one of those changelings,” she said, revealing her true form as a blue changeling.

Four of the five gasped. “Dashie! She’s a changeling!” shouted Pinkie Pie.

“I—I don’t blame you for having this response,” Sweetie Drops said, nervously drawing a circle on the floor with one of her hooves. “It’s the same response Rainbow had when Zecora told her, and the same reaction Zecora had when I told her, but I swear, my loyalty lies with you.”

“What proof do you have?” asked Sunburst.

“This blueprint,” Rainbow declared. For the first time, Sunburst gave the item on the table a detailed look.

“This is the blueprint for the Canterlot Palace,” he said. “But it doesn’t look official.”

“It’s not. The Order of the Blue Changelings mapped out the entire palace for us. Even the rooms we’re not supposed to know about. Betcha didn’t even know Celestia had a wartime armory!”

“And there’s more where that came from,” added Sweetie Drops. “Rainbow Dash doesn’t even know this one. I just got this piece of information today. Applejack is alive!”

The five gasped. “No way!” shouted Rainbow.

“Then we’re going after her!” added Sunburst.

“Can anypony find the dungeon?” asked Cheerilee as she scanned the map.

“I just saw it a second ago,” Rainbow said. “Where was it?”

“Let’s see,” Sunburst began. “That’s the front entrance, and over there is the throne room. Oh, and there’s the royal library! I spent hours at a time in there back in the day!”

Bon Bon transformed back to her earth pony form. She smiled as she watched the other five pore over all the wrong parts of the palace. She politely cleared her throat and raised a hoof to point it out. “It’s right here.”

“Oh, of course! It’s labeled ‘Royal Dungeons’!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Great,” Rainbow stated. “So I’ll add rescuing Applejack to the list of things we already need to do. We’ll also need to free the guards. The Blue Changelings were able to verify that the Queen has kept Shining Armor alive to constantly feed off his love. If we can rescue the Captain, we’ll have an established leader on our side, and freeing the other guards will give us the beginnings of a military force. Of course there won’t be enough for a full army just yet, but they have the training and weapons to get a force of our own underway.

“Now, the three Princesses might not be with us, but their crowns and necklaces still carry symbolic value. If we were to capture them, we could declare that we had a legitimate claim to the throne, which would likely rally others to our cause. If nothing else, it would be a huge boost to morale to have them safe with us.

“We also need our sixth Element, Honesty. With Honesty on our side, we can assign a new bearer and start dishing out some serious justice to the Queen and King.”

“We’re not leaving without Spike,” Sunburst stated.

“Agreed. Bon Bon, have your changelings been able to locate Spike?”

“Spike’s current location is unknown, though he is believed to still be within the palace.”

“So, we’re getting the guards, their weapons, Shining Armor, Spike, Applejack, Honesty, and the Princesses’ crowns. Anything else important we might want to take?”

“That’s a good start,” Sweetie Drops began, “but Spike, Applejack, and Shining Armor are all high-priority targets. Expect them to be under heavy guard. I can guarantee, however, that Honesty is being held in the Chamber of the Elements.”

“What about the Princesses’ regalia?” Rarity asked.

“That one’s a bit tougher. I assume that Chrysalis would want those items close to her, but I have no information to go off. That’s just an educated guess.”

“It’s a good enough start for us,” Rainbow said. “Where would Chrysalis be during the night?”

“She’s taken up Celestia’s living quarters as her own,” Sweetie Drops affirmed.

“So then, it’s a night raid?” asked Cheerilee.

“That’s right. Under cover of darkness, we’ll have a better chance of success than in broad daylight. We’ll at least know that Queen Chrysalis will be asleep, hopefully along with a couple other leaders among the changeling ranks.”

“Can anyone think of anything else we need to get out of that palace? We’re only doing this once,” Bon Bon asked. The other five shook their heads. “Now onto the next order of business: the Blue Changelings' code. It's simple, but it changes with each major operation. The code for our operation will be, ‘Green, mean; blue, true.’ State either ‘Green,’ or ‘Blue,’ to any changeling, and if they say ‘Mean,’ or ‘True,’ respectively, then the changeling in front of you is a Blue Changeling. So, for instance…” Bon Bon morphed into a Green Changeling.

“Aaaaaahh!! A Green Changeling!!” Pinkie shouted. The changeling glared at her, as did her four friends. “What? I was just practicing.”

“Anyways, pretend you’re in the castle and you see me disguised as one of Chrysalis’s changelings. I’m not posing a direct threat to you, not attacking or anything like that. I’ve seen you coming and haven’t moved. What do you do?”

Sunburst approached the changeling. “Um… Green.”

“Mean.”

“Blue.”

“True. And now you know I’m a blue changeling.”

“Oooooooo. Nifty!” Pinkie said.

“Now, of course, if a changeling engages you, then they’re hostile. You don’t need to ask questions at that point.”

“So now all we need to do is set a date for the raid,” Rainbow declared.

“Ooooo! A date? Who’s going on a date!? Wait! Let me guess! Is it… the Doctor and Derpy!? Cranky and Matilda!? Sunburst and Rarity!?”

“Pinkie!” Sunburst shouted, his cheeks growing vibrant red.

Author's Note:

Edit log, January 14, 2017: Updated Bon Bon's wings from standard to sparkly in an effort to conform with Season 6 canon.

Comments

[tsaukpaetra]

Hmmm the blues' intelligence is somewhat wrong....

[Emperor]

Bon Bon knows AJ is still alive, but doesn't reveal she's a changeling. So either Bon Bon doesn't know, or is herself a traitor. Given that she's able to easily turn into a green changeling, she could also be a green easily able to turn into a blue, after all...and oh dear, poor Sunburst when he finds out about Spike. At least Starlight is slowly opening up her eyes, no reference to the movie song intended

[Replica Knight]

Ya know now that I think about it... where is past Twilight when all this mess is happening cause that is way too suspicious