Chapter 55 - Hidden Ally
While I had confidently stated my goal of dealing with our problem, I had yet to figure a way of going about it. Right now, I wasn’t even sure who I could trust beyond those already with me. My first impulse was to get hold of Twilight Sparkle but on reflection, I had no way of knowing if she had been caught up in a similar operation in Ponyville. I suspected that Trixie and others were substituted in the course of the morning change of shift among the Royal Guards and the same ploy could have been used in the Crystal Empire and Ponyville. However, I had left before then on the red-eye to Canterlot, thus avoiding being captured in the operation that I assumed happened there. The fact that we weren’t kidnapped and substituted earlier supported my conclusion of a dawn operation.
But this was still hypothetical. If Twilight was still free, we needed her plus the Harmony Bearers and anypony else we could find to back us up. She was due in by train later this morning. Despite Trixie’s urging, she almost never used a royal pegasus carriage to commute, preferring instead to chat with the citizens of Equestria on the way to Canterlot. She also loved trains for some reason. Not that I was one to point fingers… er… hooves. I never took the carriage either, but that was because I still felt embarrassed being treated like royalty even though I actually was a prince now. I still didn’t feel like it! If I’d had the carriage though, I would have been back at Canterlot last night and probably in a pod next to Trixie right now.
Anyway, the station was where I got Starlight to take me and Penny next after killing some time in the training yard. I had her put us in the waiting room which would afford us some protection from discovery by changelings. We startled a few ponies waiting there, but we were also surprised by seeing someone else already waiting for Twilight.
“Thorax! What are you doing here?” I blurted out.
He blinked with confusion. “I always wait for Twilight on Mondays when I get back from training at the Red Hive. We spend the morning together before she does the afternoon shift of Day Court.”
I face-hoofed. Of course they did. How could I forget that? Although I hadn’t realized that he met her at the station, but that was usually none of my business. But now, was this the same Thorax? “Starlight – a privacy spell, please.”
The unicorn nodded and her horn briefly glowed.
Satisfied that we weren’t going to be overheard, I casually asked Thorax, “Did you bring some quesadillas for her to snack on?”
The changeling prince gave me a hard look. “Twilight hates those and you know it. What’s going on, Mark Wells?”
“Code 17,” I replied.
His eyes opened wide. “Oh, no!”
“Yes. They already replaced Trixie but I spotted the fake. We took out a number of the infiltrators but we have no idea how deep it goes. We need Twilight but we don’t know if she’s been replaced too. So, if she turns up as expected, we’ll need to verify her identity and deal with her if she’s not the genuine article.”
Thorax’s expression hardened. “If they’ve done anything to harm her…”
“They had Trixie safely stored in a pod, so I’m guessing they’d do the same for Twilight. Keep calm and think clearly, Thorax. We don’t know how deeply it goes yet, and hopefully, the word that we have captured several of the changelings won’t get out too soon. I’ve gotten the Code 17 alert out to Canterlot and the Crystal Empire will follow soon. We need to go to Ponyville to do the same.”
He nodded. “I understand. I hope Chrysalis hasn’t gotten to her though.”
“Me too, pal. Me too.”
It was a nervous wait for us but at least the train arrived on schedule. As long as a possible fake had kept to Twilight’s routine, we would either be meeting an alicorn or a changeling any minute now. At least I didn’t have to rely on sneaky code phrases to determine which. I looked at the stern changeling next to me and smiled inwardly. While the infiltrators could emulate emotions to fool other changelings, there could be no faking the love the two had for each other.
I spotted the purple alicorn alighting from the train. Showtime! Starlight used a notice-me-not spell on herself and me but stood out of the way of traffic. The spell might save us from being spotted, but not from ponies running into us because they hadn’t seen us standing there! It did allow us to be within earshot of Thorax as he intercepted Twilight as she walked down the platform.
The alicorn looked a little surprised. “Ambassador Thorax – what an unexpected pleasure to meet you.”
Ooh. While Twilight and Thorax’s true relationship was not public knowledge and that was his title, the part about being unexpected didn’t sit well with me.
Thorax replied, “I came to meet you here, Your Highness, because I will be unable to make our appointment later. An important matter has come up and duty calls. I just wish to apologize for standing you up.”
Well, that settled it. Thorax was ditching her, so this Twilight was a fake. Our job just got harder.
The changeling duplicate gave Thorax a condescending smile. “No matter – we can reschedule. Have a good day, Ambassador.”
“May Harmony go with you, Princess Sparkle.”
Thorax retreated to the now empty waiting room and we joined him. As soon as Starlight dropped the concealing spell, I put a reassuring wing around the glum changeling. He had visibly wilted once there were no witnesses.
“Be strong, my friend. We’ll get her back.”
Thorax slowly nodded. “It’s just… seeing her there but without even a wisp of love… it tore my heart.”
“I know exactly how you feel. We’ll find the real Twilight and make Chrysalis pay. However, we have to get a bit more help first.”
“What did you have in mind, Mark?”
“Gathering the Harmony Bearers is at the top of my list.”
“But Twilight has been captured. You need all six Elements to use Harmony,” Thorax pointed out.
“Remind me to tell you later how I once stood in for Twilight. Anyway, we need to get to Ponyville and track down the others.”
Starlight said, “This train is due to leave for the return trip in about ten minutes if we want to be on it.”
“How did you know that? Did you use the train a lot?” I asked curiously.
“Train schedule,” she replied drolly while pointing to the wall right next to me.
I turned to look and saw a large poster with the destinations and departure times conspicuously printed upon it. “Oh. Right. Better book a First Class compartment so that we can travel without being seen. Thorax, could you do that for us?”
The changeling merely lit up with magic fire and assumed the form of a blue crystal pony with an urn cutie mark. He gave me a wink. “Crystal Hoof at your service!”
I raised an eyebrow. “Crystal Hoof?”
The changeling pony shrugged. “I needed an incognito identity for times when I didn’t want to cause a stir.”
“Fair enough. You secure us a compartment and Starlight and I will go fetch the rest of the team.”
“Will do.” He turned to head out of the waiting room.
Starlight then promptly teleported us back to the training yard. Much to my relief, Trixie had finally regained consciousness, although she still seemed a little unsteady on her hooves. She gave me a suspicious frown.
“Footmark Smells – is that really you this time?”
“I gather a fake me came by the suite this morning?”
“Indeed. The Great and Righteous Trixie had just started to give you a well-deserved tongue-lashing when the craven beast transformed and attacked her.”
“Consider this my apology for arriving late.” I swept her into my forehooves and gave her a huge kiss.
“Mmmm. Trixie is convinced that you’re her real husband. Under the circumstances, she will dispense with the lecture… this time.”
“Thanks, Lulu. But right now we have to all get back to the train station. We bumped into Thorax there and he positively identified Twilight as a doppelgänger, so she’s been captured. We’ll try to get the rest of the Element Bearers before they get replaced also. Thorax is booking a First Class compartment so that we can travel in privacy.”
“What if they have been captured too?” Penny asked.
“We’ll strategize on the way to Ponyville,” I replied. “Starlight – if you please?”
My advisor teleported us all back to the empty waiting room. "Crystal Hoof" was waiting there for us with tickets in his grasp.
“Better hurry up, guys – the train’s going to leave any minute.”
“Which compartment?” Starlight asked.
“Three.”
“Hang on – this’ll be tight!” the unicorn said.
A moment later, Starlight, Penumbra, Trixie, Thorax, and I were all crammed into the designated compartment. We immediately started sorting ourselves out and finding places to sit to make room. At least we didn’t have to find room for luggage!
“Who’s this?” Trixie asked, casting a suspicious glance at Crystal Hoof.
Thorax immediately resumed his normal form. “Hi, Princess Trixie. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
“Ah, Thorax. Trixie is a little upset with your former Queen right now.”
He grimaced. “Believe me, Your Highness – so am I.”
We had an uneventful trip to Ponyville. Only the appearance of the conductor coming to check our tickets caused a minor stir. The bearded pony asked why ‘Crystal Hoof’ had five tickets when there was only one pony in the cabin. Thorax smiled and said his fellow passengers were no-shows. As long the rest of us stayed silent, the notice-me-not spell kept us hidden. The train pony gave back four unpunched tickets and recommended Thorax get more reliable friends.
We left the train the same way as we had boarded, courtesy of Starlight. I had her take us in the opposite direction of the town center. If we were going to hunt for the Bearers without being observed, I figured we might as well head for Sweet Apple Acres first and try to find Applejack.
We struck out at the farm though. Granny Smith complained about not being able to see us, after which Starlight apologized and dropped the notice-me-not spell. Granny squinted and said, “I still cain’t see y’all!”
After Starlight levitated Granny her glasses, she gave us a smile and informed us that Applejack was on an urgent errand. Whether that was true or a changeling cover-up, no one could tell. Fluttershy’s cottage wasn’t too far away, so we tried our luck there next.
Instead of the butter-yellow pegasus, we found her brother, Zephyr Breeze, in residence. He was complaining about being overwhelmed by the amount of work needed to care for the animals, but I noticed that Fluttershy's couch already had a half-dozen empty bags of take-out hay fries scattered around it. He informed us that Fluttershy had suggested to Discord that they go on a vacation to some exotic locale. Zephyr had been staying with her "just to get my hooves under my barrel again" and she up and left without even leaving any instructions. He couldn't count on the animals for help because he was pretty sure that "Anger Bunny" was not supposed to get a twenty-ingredient salad for every meal.
It was pretty obvious by then that Fluttershy not only had been substituted, but they had also taken one of the power players out of contention. Discord was either now enjoying the company of a fake pegasus in some far-off location or was Chrysalis’ captive.
“What now?” Penny asked as we left the cottage to Zephyr’s ministrations.
“Now we see what we can find at Friendship Castle. We need to check on Nyx, and Twilight had lots of equipment there that might come in handy.”
We had to assume that all of Twilight’s entire sparse contingent of Royal Guard detail had been replaced. That wasn’t a problem as I had Starlight teleport us into her room at the Castle of Friendship.
I asked Penumbra, “When do the guards start patrolling the inside of the castle?”
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “You mean ‘when would the real guards do so?’ ”
I felt a bit chagrined. “Uh, yeah. Exactly.”
Penumbra didn’t take the opportunity to get in a free verbal jab. “Sundown. Everypony quiet please.” She sat with her ear pressed to the space between the door and the wall for a couple of minutes. Then she opened it slightly and waited another minute. Eventually, she turned to us. “I recommend we decide where we want to go now and not talk in the hallways.”
“Nyx’s room,” I decided. Penumbra nodded and took point.
Ever try sneaking around in a crystal hallway where everypony is wearing horseshoes? Only Penumbra and a hovering Thorax managed to be anything close to silent. That soon became just Penumbra as she turned to the changeling, pointed to his wings, then to her ear while shaking her head. He got the message and walked the rest of the way.
Entering the little alicorn’s room, I saw she had decorated the walls with posters of all six Element Bearers. Toys, books, and a few plates were scattered about, but most importantly, the room was empty. Thorax walked over to the far side of the bed and sniffed the floor where one stain looked a bit fresher than the others.
“She was taken and put in a stasis pod.”
Trixie groaned, which pretty much summed up everyone’s mood.
I turned to the changeling. “Thorax, can you tell us where the Crystal Hive is located?”
He shuffled his hooves and hung his head. “I… I don’t think so. The Canterlot Invasion was my first time out of the hive. I didn’t know about landmarks, whether I was going north or south, how fast we were flying, or anything, really. I had never even seen a tree before, though we flew over a forest soon after leaving the hive. I just know that the hive is hidden somehow from ponies being able to see it.”
Starlight said, “Do you think you could recognize where you came from if we zoomed in on the Map Table?”
“It can do that? … Maybe.”
I said, “Then that’s our next destination.”
Penny took the lead again, followed by Trixie and me walking side by side and Thorax and Starlight directly behind us. We had made it halfway down the corridor when I heard a thump from behind me. I turned around to see a door had opened into Starlight’s path. Apparently, the sound I heard was Starlight meeting it with her face. The door was surrounded by a light yellow aura which also held a large and ancient-looking book in the air. The aura matched the color of Moon Dancer’s horn as she strode out of the room, a contented smile on her face. As she wasn’t currently on duty, instead of wearing her standard court attire of a white blouse and tailored gray jacket, she was dressed in her favorite casual turtleneck jumper. Her mane was pinched up with a rubber band over the top of her head and she didn’t have her glasses on, explaining why her nose was maybe an inch away from the tome.
The rest of us stopped in place and turned to face her. Before I could say anything, she bumped shoulders with Thorax and they both gasped loudly and recoiled. The book fell to the floor and they stared at each other, a look of shock on Thorax’s face and pure horror on Moon Dancer’s.
The mare said, “No! Please, no!” Then with a flash of light and inrush of air, she was gone.
Starlight came around the door, rubbing her nose as Thorax gesticulated with his forehooves. “She’s… Moon Dancer’s a crystal changeling!”
“What? How do you know that?” asked Starlight.
“I can tell! Since I became a Prince, I can detect any red changeling by touch, no matter the disguise. I hadn’t touched a crystal changeling yet, but… I know she was one in the same way!”
I shook my head then looked at Trixie. “But changelings can’t teleport!”
She frowned and waved a hoof at the spot where Moon Dancer had been. “Don’t try to convince me. Tell her that!”
I blinked and tried to think of a counter-argument. “OK, so at least one changeling can teleport. So the real Moon Dancer has been replaced and is going to summon more of them. We have to—”
“I don’t think so, Prince Mark,” said Thorax. “The fear she experienced felt the same as when we first met, just stronger.”
Penumbra came up to my side, “Did you see her face? She was terrified of Thorax, of being discovered for what she really was. An infiltrator would not react that way, especially in the middle of an operation.”
Trixie said, “So Moon Dancer was replaced earlier, maybe much earlier. OK. Could she not have been aware of Chrysalis’ plans?”
Starlight tapped her chin with a hoof, then winced and set it back down again. “If so, she would have run away to somewhere she felt safe.”
Penny sighed. “Which doesn’t exactly narrow things down in this castle that is bigger on the inside than on the outside.”
It was my turn to tap my chin. “Actually, I have an idea where she might be.”
As I gently opened the door to the library, I could hear anguished sobs coming from within. I led us inside and Penumbra closed the door behind us. I motioned for everyone to stand back a bit as I quietly walked up to within a body-length of the inconsolable mare. She was in the exact same spot that she retreated to after seeing Thorax for the first time, wedged into a corner between two bookshelves.
I settled myself down on my stomach. “Moon Dancer, I’m here to listen if you want to talk.”
Her crying was broken up by gulping and swallowing. I saw Trixie’s magic float a box of tissues over to the mare.
After blowing her nose several times, she choked out. “It’s no use. It’s all over. I can never… It’s all over.” Her head hung down until her nose touched the ground and sobs began rocking her body again.
I debated going over to comfort her but was beaten by Starlight who walked by me, got down and pulled the mare’s shoulders into a hug. “Hey. How about you let us be the judge of that. I mean on the scale of messing things up, you haven’t even reached my Amateur Night level.”
That got Moon Dancer to laugh a bit which was mixed in with hiccups. She hugged Starlight’s forelegs in return.
After a couple of minutes, I thought she had calmed down enough for me to ask, “Why don’t you come out here with us?”
With the support of Starlight, Moon Dancer let herself be led onto a couch at the center of the library, every part of her drooping in despair. The two mares sat down together and the revealed changeling would not let go of Starlight’s foreleg wrapped around her shoulders. “Just start at the beginning.”
With one last shuddering breath, Moon Dancer began. “Well, OK. I suppose it couldn’t get much worse.” She wiped her eyes. “When I was a little nymph, all of us were led to a cavern far away from the hive to practice our pony magic…”
“… and by supplying your changeling magic to the standard transmutation construct at the base of the equation…” the instructor tapped the chalkboard with his pointing stick. “… you can supply sufficient unicorn magic to activate the spell. I know you all just got done with Ochre Wing’s class. Don’t use that construct because earth pony magic can’t be used for unicorn spells.”
“Stupid,” I thought to myself with a frown. “Wasteful. Low efficiency.”
“Now I’m going to show you what happens when you do it right. Pay attention because I’m not going to demonstrate again.” Shattering Blast aimed his horn at the ceiling and a small ball of fire shot from it, nearly dissipating completely before reaching the roof of the cavern. I saw his shield spell activate. “Now I’m going to point at each of you in turn. Don’t waste my time. Give me your best shot.”
“Did noling here read StarSwirl’s treatise on Power Modulation? Why not connect the ley line directly above us to the input of the spell? I’ll get rid of all those bottlenecks that limit thaumaturgical flow while I’m at it.”
By the time it was my turn, I was ready with the spell modifications. By linking to the ley line, I wasn’t limited by what my body could channel, just what my horn could withstand. For some reason, my horn grew so bright that I could no longer see Shattering Blast. Still, he had given me an order. I was knocked backward head over tail when I released the spell. I heard the fireball shoot away and felt the heat when it impacted the wall. When I looked up, my instructor was somewhat on fire. He had apparently moved before I cast the spell and was certainly moving a lot now. And screaming. Belatedly, I thought the limiting elements in the original spell may have been there for a reason.
I heard amused laughter coming from directly above me just when a large hoof pressed my back against the floor. Looking up, I saw the hive-mother, Queen Chrysalis. “Someling put out the fire on the instructor.” When this had been done, she said, “Shattering Blast – you are remanded to two months of training to improve your shield magic. Dismissed!”
The instructor gave me a worried look before bowing and scurrying away.
Now the Queen’s eyes turned downwards. My body quaked in fear while she studied me. She said, “Does any changeling know what this drone did wrong?”
Looking around, I saw one hoof slowly raise up. It was Earwig. “She didn’t go for the head?”
Chrysalis beamed. “You will make an excellent soldier. Report to the sparring caves for your training.”
The little drone gasped. “Thank you, My Queen!” He was lucky to get an assignment. Not every changeling did. Those that didn’t… well, I didn’t know exactly what happened to them, but they were of no use to the hive. I was very scared that the Queen would say the same of me after my mistake.
Chrysalis turned to regard me again, a small smile on her face. ‘I’ve been waiting for you to come along for many generations, little Timpani. You are going to be a very important changeling for the future of the hive.’ ”
Thorax interrupted, “Wait. You’re Timpani? I remember you from years ago.”
Moon Dancer smiled. “And I remember you. No other changeling tried to make me happy, which you did for everyling.”
Thorax got a faraway look. “Yeah. I think you were the nymph who appreciated it the most. Nearly all other ‘lings were too busy with their duties or just fighting each other.” He looked back at Moon Dancer. “So if you knew who I was, why were you so afraid of me?”
“I’ll… I’ll get to that. So I started training to be an infiltrator. I learned all that the hive could teach me about pony culture and the world of Equus. I studied pony magic the hardest because that’s where I excelled. Chrysalis herself took over when I exhausted the knowledge of the teachers and the few books in the library. As for me, I was living in pure bliss. Nothing made me happier than learning something new, especially if it had to do with magic. I devoured books faster than they could be procured by the infiltrators and scavengers.”
One night, Chrysalis told me to put on the disguise of a pegasus foal. One of the field infiltrators took the role of my mother and we flew to Baltimare. There I met my adopted family. They had been just moved to the town on Chrysalis’ orders after being greenlocked.”
Trixie said, “What does that mean?”
Moon Dancer cringed a bit. “It means they spent long enough under constant mental control that they followed every order from any changeling without hesitation. And they would never remember it.”
While Trixie growled, I asked, “Does this happen often?”
“No. Just like any other perturbation to pony society, it is only done for important missions. In this case, me. I was told to take the form of a light gray unicorn filly with a medium-brown mane and tail. My cutie mark was an open scroll and my name was assigned as ‘Deep Grasp.’ I was introduced to the unicorn couple as their daughter of eight years, which they instantly believed. Straight Shooter and his wife Bright Gaze were the best parents I could ever have had, showering me with love and insisting I spend time with friends instead of devoting all my free time at the library. I cared for them deeply in return, possibly because of the example you set, Thorax.”
The changeling prince smiled. “That’s what I do now, too. I want to show changelings everywhere that we can all care for ponies and work with them as equals.”
Moon Dancer returned the smile then continued. “Everything changed right after I turned eleven when my supervising field infiltrator was replaced…”
“… and Garnet Gleam asked me to have a sleep-over at her house on Saturday. Can I please, Daddy?”
My mom and dad shared a grin and I felt their happiness spike. Then he gave me that playful narrowing of his eyes that let me know a ‘dad joke’ was incoming. “Hmm… I don’t know. Did you get your homework done?”
I rolled my eyes. “Dad. You know I always finish it the night I get it.”
He tapped the table thoughtfully and smirked. “Well… is that really good enough? I mean, couldn’t there be a filly out there that gets it done within an hour?”
“Daaaaaaaaaad!”
Both my parents burst out laughing. I soaked up some of the positive emotions. I was almost full but their unfettered love was so wonderful that I had saved some room.
The front door burst open and three pegasus stallions trotted in. They weren’t bothering to radiate any emotions, so I knew exactly what they were.
My dad got up from the table as my mom said, “What are—”
The last closed the door and all three dropped their disguises. The first said, “Shut up! Don’t move!” My parents became still as statues. This was getting scary. I didn’t recognize any of them.
The first changeling came up to me and shoved me to the floor, holding me in place with a hoof on my neck. The other two went over to my parents and began forcibly draining them of emotions.
“Hey! I need them!”
“You only need one thing, stupid grub: to serve the hive. Creased Wing was… reassigned because our Queen was dissatisfied with your progress. She believes you are becoming too comfortable with the food. From now on, you will be under my hoof. I will decide what you do with every moment of your life. Every act, every movement, every thought you have will be to better serve Queen Chrysalis. Do you understand?”
My parents were now slumped on the floor, their eyes vacant. I fought down my emotions and looked up into the lead changeling’s eyes. “The hive is all, we serve the hive by serving Queen Chrysalis in all things.”
He nodded.
I said, “But I don’t know your name.”
He lifted his hoof and followed the other two changelings to the front door. They all put on their pegasus disguises on the way. “You don’t need to know. I’ve heard you are intelligent. Let’s see how well you can follow orders on your own initiative. In seven days, I want to be impressed with your progress toward becoming a powerful mage. Do not disappoint me.”
They left and I stared at my adopted parents. Creased Wing had never drained either of them to this extent. It would be days before they were back to normal. At that moment, I knew my foalhood was over. For that matter, so was my commitment to the hive and Queen Chrysalis.
I growled under my breath. “Yes. Let’s see what I can accomplish on my own initiative.”
Moon Dancer took another tissue from the box and blew her nose.
“After that, I stopped doing anything with my friends. I threw myself into studying harder than ever, but with an end goal in mind. I practiced teleporting objects every night for three months but didn’t tell the new field infiltrator. I did a report on the Baltimare Mortuary for extra credit in my Civics class, again not telling my overseer. For my class project, I chose to study fire containment magic. The last part was the hardest. I had to obtain three unicorn corpses that were close enough to my family’s description to fool everypony. My first successful teleport was into the Mortuary. Every evening after midnight, I would go back and check. Then one night, I found a unicorn couple and their young colt in the vaults of the processing room. I borrowed a floating gurney and took them to the service entrance. I knew it would open from the inside and restore its protective field when closed. A notice-me-not spell later, I was pushing the gurney through the streets of the city.”
She took a deep breath. “I dropped my disguise in front of my parents and ordered them to go outside and wait for further instructions. I put the adult bodies in their bed and put the colt in front of the fireplace. Then I put an inferno salamander in a wooden box inside the lit fireplace. It was a natural mistake a young magic user could make. Fires caused by elemental sources can only be controlled by a different class of spells. With how close I placed the body to the fireplace, I had to hope that there would be nothing left to identify that it was a colt and not me.”
“Two more notice-me-not spells later, my parents and I walked away from our old life. On the way to the mortuary, I ordered my parents to change their names and hairstyles. Mane dye jobs would have to wait until later. I told them to remember that somepony had threatened to kill me and they both decided we had to leave our old lives immediately, taking nothing with us. That’s also when I changed my appearance and name to what you see now. Stopping by the mortuary, I returned the gurney and recorded the three corpses as ‘retrieved by family’.”
Moon Dancer’s hooves shook and Starlight put her free hoof on the mare’s shoulder. The yellow mare smiled gratefully. “I… I looked back from a hill outside the city. I could see that the flames had completely engulfed the house. I heard the sirens, too. But the fire wouldn’t go out until they brought in a mage that could contain the salamander.”
She looked up at us. “The rest you know. I was a studious mare who got into Celestia’s school, though a year earlier than when Chrysalis had scheduled me to do so. I didn’t really make good friends after that, just study buddies and acquaintances. My parents reestablished themselves as Forthright and his wife Steady Look. Everything went fine until Chrysalis invaded Canterlot. I galloped back to my parents’ house, took them into the basement and hid us by actively maintaining every changeling and unicorn illusion and concealment spell I could think of. That worked until Shining Armor and Cadance’s love blast threw me into a wall and I lost consciousness.”
“I woke up in my changeling form. Later I realized it was because I had been actively casting changeling magic when I was knocked out. I was still in the basement and my curious and concerned parents were treating my injuries. I quickly shifted to my unicorn form but knew it was far too late. I thought about just ordering them to forget, but I couldn’t make myself do it again. Instead, I told them everything, crying most of the time. When I was done, they looked at each other and I could tell they wordlessly came to a decision. My mother said, ‘Moon Dancer, dear. Everything you have done has been to protect us. You will always be our daughter, no matter the form.’ ”
“I was so shocked I couldn’t speak! But the love flowing off of them let me know they meant every word.”
“Then my dad got that smirk. ‘Although I am rather jealous about you having wings.’ ”
“’Daaaad.’ ”
“’Who knew our little filly would grow up to have both a horn and wings?’ He bowed deeply to me. ‘Grace us with your wisdom, oh wondrous alicorn Princess Moon Dancer.’ ”
“’Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!’ ”
Everyone in the room laughed at her reenactment. It seemed that all of us knew the type of jokes her dad favored.
Moon Dancer said, “My mom told me, ‘Moonie, would you please command us both to never accept an order from a changeling ever again?’ I literally slapped my forehead with a hoof. I had never thought of that!”
“And that’s about it. I just laid low, researching and learning until Trixie forced me into a more public role. I did everything I could to avoid all other changelings. If Chrysalis found out I survived, she would capture my family to extort me into doing her will. Or do much worse.”
Starlight asked, “But how did you avoid the detection spells meant for finding crystal changelings?”
Moon Dancer gave her a disappointed look. “Twilight gave them to me, asking if I could think of any improvements. The one I couldn’t immediately counter got an update that made sure I could.”
“And Twilight trusted you because you passed all her background checks, but that was because you’ve always been Moon Dancer for as long as she’s known you,” I said. “But one thing still puzzles me – Queen Carpacia told me changelings can’t teleport.”
The yellow mare’s eyes went wide. “Really? I didn’t know that. I was really motivated, though.”
Trixie nudged me in the side. “Give it up, Ballpark Spells. You were wrong.”
“I was misinformed,” I said, trying to save some face. I got no sympathetic looks in return. “Well, in any case, we need to get to the crystal changeling hive to get our friends back.”
“Wait! What?” Moon Dancer’s mouth hung open. “What do you mean?”
Trixie said, “Chrysalis has again moved to take over Equestria and probably the Crystal Empire. This morning, she replaced Twilight, Fluttershy, and most likely the other Elements of Harmony.”
Moon Dancer gaped. “But… Twilight was supposed to wake me so we could get to the Afternoon Court in time.”
Penumbra said, “She must have been replaced before then. It’s possible that ponies such as the advisors were purposely left alone to help keep everything as normal as possible until Chrysalis decided to make her move. Starlight was probably excepted because her power level made her a threat.”
Trixie added, “Except they didn’t know about Twilight’s habit of waking you if you stayed up late studying.”
The mare’s ears flattened onto her head. I had a pretty good idea of how often that happened. Regardless… “Moon Dancer, we need your help.”
She shrunk down again. “I… I want to help, but just the few of us can’t free our friends from the hive. They are likely suspended in pods above Chrysalis’ throne in the main chamber. There will be dozens of changeling soldiers there at all times. And pony magic doesn’t work close to the hive.”
I said, “I don’t expect that we will. Our job is to provide a distraction and get Thorax close enough that he can challenge Chrysalis for leadership of the hive. That, we can do.”
Moon Dancer looked into my eyes for a long moment, then scanned the rest of us. Eventually, she turned back to me. “OK. What can I do?”
After Thorax retrieved his saddlebags from his cave-like chambers, we tried Spike’s room. He was busy sleeping off his breakfast, a Power Ponies comic covering his face. I nudged him a few times, each push a little harder than the last.
He finally woke with an exclamation of, “No, Rarity, I didn’t eat the emeralds off the dress!” He blinked a few times to clear his head. “Mark? What are you doing in Ponyville?”
I smiled. I sincerely doubted any changeling would dream about getting in trouble with Spike’s crush, but I had to be sure. “Spike, what was the first item I enchanted during the adventure I DM’ed?”
He cocked his head. “A hatchet. You never told me why it split the wood apart the second time I used it.”
“Remember the thick paint? The first time, you tried to chop across the grain. The second time I gave you a new face so you could cut along it.”
“Ah, OK. That makes sense.” He looked around the room then back up at me. “Better question. Why are all of you in my room?”
I frowned. “Chrysalis is moving to take over Equestria. Probably the Crystal Empire too. She’s already replaced Twilight and Fluttershy that we know of.”
Spike’s eyes went wide and he bolted for the door. I shifted to my Marklestia form and grabbed him with my magic, holding the dragon a few inches off of the floor.
“Lemme go! I have to go save my sister!”
Trixie got directly in front of him. “We need to plan. If you run off, that will warn the changelings that their operation is no longer a secret. That includes the guards at the entrances to this castle.”
Spike stopped struggling and took a few deep breaths. “OK, you can let me down.”
After releasing him, I said, “We’ll get them back, Spike. We need your help though.”
He nodded. “You got it.”
I took my stallion form again only to notice Moon Dancer’s nose about an inch away from my flank. “Wow,” said the mare. “Twilight had told me about this, but to actually see it. So much more efficient than either any changeling or unicorn magic I know. Just … wow.”
Penumbra smirked. “Marklestia is pretty hot, isn't she?”
“Yes,” the unicorn answered quickly, then her eyes opened wide. “I mean...” Moon Dancer glared at my chuckling bodyguard.
The batpony's grin grew wider. “What I'd give right now to know the mix of emotions you're feeling.”
All eyes turned to Thorax, who was finding the ceiling exceptionally fascinating. “I see nothing. I feel nothing. I know nothing.” He may not have been born a stallion, but he was already wise enough to know when not to say anything that might enrage a mare.
My wife shrugged. “Trixie doesn't mind that you find my husband attractive. Trixie takes this as more evidence that she chose well when she allowed Embark Foretells to marry her.”
'Allowed?!' I thought to myself. My shoulders slumped. “Let's get back on task, shall we?”
Spike asked if Moon Dancer needed her glasses since she was chronically near-sighted. One quick blast of green fire later she said, “Not anymore.”
“Clever,” said my bodyguard. “Willingly giving yourself a handicap like that? No wonder Chrysalis never suspected who you were.”
After a brief discussion, we decided the next course of action was to survey the area around the Crystal Hive by using the Map Table.
As we headed towards the front of the castle, we heard pony voices and buzzing from up ahead. I heard laughter and a raised voice saying “always late”.
Penumbra waved us all back and we retreated to a guest room along the corridor. After the door was closed, Trixie asked, “Could they be looking for us? Did they detect our emotions?”
Moon Dancer said, “That sounded like regular, conversational voices so I don’t think so. You bring up a good point, though. Changelings can find their prey… I mean… can find ponies by detecting their emotions from a short distance away. The stronger the emotion, the easier it is to detect. If there are changelings in the main foyer, it wouldn’t be safe for a pony to look down on them.”
Penumbra growled. “Plus I heard the hum of them flying around. Those weren’t pegasus wings making that noise.”
Thorax said, “Well if they aren’t searching for us, why are they here? Did they come for Moon Dancer or Spike?”
I furrowed my brow. “I don’t think so. One was complaining about some pony or changeling being late. I think they are here for a meeting.”
Spike said, “In the Map Room?”
“That makes the most sense. Is there a room on this floor that has a wall in common with it?”
“Sure! The last room on the left. If we could make it there without being seen.”
Trixie asked, “But won’t they feel our emotions from that close?”
Moon Dancer shook her head. “The crystal walls block emotional energy completely. Still haven’t figured out how. It’s one reason I didn’t realize you were all walking past me in the corridor.”
Spike grinned. “The other reason begins with the letter ‘B’ and rhymes with ‘Look’, as in ‘Look where you’re going, you crazy mare!’ ”
Moon Dancer frowned but Thorax chuckled. “Spike wasn’t talking about you, Timpani.”
The mare blinked and smiled. “Yes, I suppose you’ve heard that a few million times, haven’t you?”
I asked, “Is there some way to eavesdrop through the wall?”
Moon Dancer smirked. “Are you asking if changelings are good at intelligence gathering?”
“Ahhh.. no. I guess I’ll take that as a given. How do we get there undetected?”
“I can levitate all of us so we are silent,” said Starlight.
Moon Dancer said, “And I can mask all of us from their sight. Starlight, keep everyone close to me, please.”
“Anything else?” I asked. When no one spoke up, I said, “Everyone keep their emotions under control, please. Let’s go.”
The trip through the corridor was uneventful, even if the sight of changelings flying past in the foyer made my anxiety jump. I resolved not to look that direction at all and tried to meditate my emotions away. Soon, all of us were in the room at the end of the hallway and Moon Dancer’s magic closed the door. She trotted to the far wall and her horn glowed green then yellow. A small yellow cone grew out of the wall like a flower then stopped when it was the size of a pony’s head.
We could hear voices as everyone clustered around. “… and I could feel his desire for my form as sure as eggs. Maybe afterward, I’ll take him up on his offer… you know, maybe give him a little surprise when he least expects it.” The voice was Rarity’s but didn’t have a trace of kindness.
Some harsh laughter came through the cone. ‘Rainbow Dash’ said, “Whatever. Just make sure you’ve had your fill before you start playing with the food.”
Applejack’s voice was next. “As long as I get your rations after you’re dead.” The laughter around the room stopped. “Do you want to risk upsetting her plan? I, for one, don’t want to get reprocessed because I couldn’t read her mind.” This version of Applejack was making no attempt to put on a country accent when it was only talking to changelings.
A fourth voice said, “She hasn’t told us what to do after the transition happens. Especially after the last time when she… after events occurred.”
‘Rainbow Dash’ said, “Whadya mean?” OK, at least one was trying to stay in character.
“Did you hear what happened in the Canterlot Throne Room?” Pause. “Dimplehorn told me the Queen wanted to draw out the suffering of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. She turned her back on them because she thought they were no longer a threat.” A longer pause. “Buuuuuut you didn’t hear it from me.”
“Shards,” said ‘Rarity.’ “No wonder she’s being so thorough this time.”
‘Rainbow Dash’ said, “Well, what about Moon Dancer and Spike? They’re still in the castle, right? Why haven’t they been rounded up?”
‘Rarity’ replied, “Remember the guidelines for the operation: Only beings that are a threat are replaced. Minimal disruption. Anyway, they sleep in. If they don’t, we’ll pod ‘em.” I heard various grunts and sounds of agreement. “Anyway, it’s our appointed time to call in. I don’t want to be late.”
For a moment, the only sounds coming from the Map Room was a periodic buzzing. Then we all heard Chrysalis’ voice but with a tinny quality. “Hello?”
‘Rarity’ said, “My Queen, we—”
Except Chrysalis had spoken right over her. “Who is this?”
After a pause, the faux unicorn said, “My Queen—”
Once again, his timing was bad. “This better not be Hindwing again.”
There was a small choking sound, followed by ‘Rarity’ talking more loudly this time. “Your Majesty, this is—”
“Because if it is, you are going to have your stomachs turned into playthings for my nymphs, do you understand?” Her tone betrayed her growing irritation.
Rainbow Dash spoke into the silence immediately after Chrysalis was done. “Hey! This is Ponyville calling, My Queen.”
Even angrier now. “What! Why didn’t you say so? And where is Pollen Press?”
‘Rarity’ said, “Here, Your Majesty! And there was… interference with the… crystal walls.”
We heard an intake of breath from many drones.
Chrysalis said, “Hmf. Very well. Status report.”
The sound of many beings letting out their breath. Pollen Press continued, “All five element bearers replaced and on their way to the hive. Discord lulled into his ‘vacation’ with Fluttershy. All castle guards replaced. No complications. Awaiting further orders.” By the end, she was sounding rather smug.
There was a long, drawn-out pause. I looked to Moon Dancer but she shook her head. Finally, we heard Chrysalis speak again, the coldness virtually dripping from her voice. “And what ‘extra’ actions have been taken without my authorization?”
“Anyling?” asked Pollen Press. Another pause. “Every changeling reports none have been taken, My Queen. No additional ponies detained. Friendship Castle is closed as per Princess Sparkle’s orders.”
“Then get back to work. Report back the same time tomorrow.”
A chorus of, “Yes, My Queen!” came from the cone followed by buzzing and galloping noises. After a few seconds, all was quiet again.
The cone faded away and no one dared to speak. Penumbra crept to the door and listened for a few minutes, then she nodded. “OK, I’m fairly sure they all went back to their assigned tasks.”
Trixie said, “Which means none of them are in the castle right now.”
Spike said, “Sooooooo… Map Room?”
We cautiously made our way downstairs and walked up to the Map Table which was showing its ghostly representation of Equestria. Moon Dancer’s jaw clenched and the projection changed to show an area of the Badlands even more barren than what passed as normal there.
Penumbra said, “No landmarks nearby. Not even any easily visible mountains to triangulate with.”
“Well, that was a bust,” I said. “How else can we communicate where the hive is located to the rest of the Equestrian forces?”
Moon Dancer said, “Follow me.”
Moon Dancer led us down two flights of stairs then to a large steel door. “This is a Daggertooth Scale Portal Room. There is a second in the Crystal Empire and the third is still under construction in Canterlot Castle. It’s a storage spot for the teleportation pole network that has been set up in secret for any emergency that requires rapid travel around Equestria or to the Crystal Empire.”
The mare stood in front of the door and her horn glowed for several seconds. After a series of audible clicks, she walked forward and her magic pushed the door open with the rest of the party following.
The large room was unfamiliar to me. A low platform was at the far end of the room with stacks of wood poles next to it. A dozen large cabinets ran along one wall, each containing five drawers. Closest to us was one shorter cabinet with two tall drawers. Each was labeled with one letter identifying the cabinet and a second letter for the drawer.
The opposite wall held a blown-up map of Equestria with hundreds of flagged pins. Moon Dancer walked up to the lower right corner where Equestria ended and the Badlands began. She levitated a pin from a cork strip along the side of the map and placed it near the center of the area. “Pin X-1 is exactly where the Crystal Hive is located. Because of changeling camouflage spells, it hasn’t been discovered. Or more correctly, if anypony got close enough to get inside the illusions, they were captured by the patrols and either released after having their recent memories wiped, or possibly shoved in a pod to feed the hive.”
Trixie asked, “Why would Chrysalis willingly let ponies go?”
Penumbra replied, “Doubtless because any location where ponies disappear is a good candidate for a patrol in force to find out why, and neutralize it.”
“Exactly,” said Moon Dancer.
I was busy writing out a note on a blank scroll. “What’s the grid location?”
Penumbra took a closer look. “Grid W-22, Subgrid J-4. Scale Portal GB-71 is the closest to that location—maybe ten miles away.”
I rolled up the sheet of paper and handed it to Spike. “This goes to Crimson Boulder.”
“Wait,” said Trixie. “What did you write?”
“Who is in our party, coordinates of the hive, and a rough outline of our plan. I’m leaving all the rest of the details to him. Did I forget anything?”
Penumbra said, “What about confirming that all the Element Bearers have been replaced, along with the castle guards?”
I grumbled and unrolled the scroll.
Thorax added, “Umm… Mark, did you include which portal we are taking?”
My grumbling intensified.
Trixie trotted up behind me. I swear I could hear her smile as she said, “That would be GB-71, darling.”
“Yes, yes. Thank you, dear.”
After asking again if everything important was on the scroll, I had Spike send it on its way to Crimson Boulder. After that was done, the next debate started.
“The sooner we leave, the sooner we get there,” said Trixie.
Penumbra said, “We still need supplies – food; water; shelter. And we need to time our arrival at the hive with the start of the operation at noon tomorrow.”
Thorax said, “Can we spend the night here in the castle?”
I shook my head. “With the changeling patrols, there’s too much of a chance we’ll be discovered. I agree with Penumbra. There’s less risk to go through now and camp on the other side.”
Spike raised a hand. “Problem!” Once he had our attention he said, “Moon Dancer and I can’t just disappear. The guards will know something is up.”
Trixie said, “Then why don’t you two go out and get the supplies we need, but let the door guards overhear you both talking about going to Canterlot?”
I said, “I like it. Any better ideas?” Everyone looked around but no one spoke. “That should be perfectly safe because Chrysalis has her drones terrified of taking any initiative. They won’t be putting either of you in a pod since you aren’t regarded as a threat.”
Penumbra compiled a list of the needed items and the unicorn and dragon left the room. The rest of us quizzed Thorax on the layout of the hive until they returned an hour later.
When they stepped inside the chamber, Moon Dancer shut the door and her horn glowed for a few moments. Spike looked me in the eyes and asked, “What kind of cleric was Discord during your DM session?”
I smiled. “A Crakerovian. What kind of cleric was he at the end of the adventure?”
“A Wafflizer… Waffle-ite? …Waffle-something.”
“That’ll do. Any problems?”
“Nope. Tents and Bicycles had everything we need.”
Ponyville’s tendency to marry two apparently unrelated sets of good into one retail shop was not something I would ever get used to. “Spike – your job is to warn the dragons and ask for help against Chrysalis.”
“But I…” he started to protest then looked down at his feet. “No, you’re right.”
“Is there anything you need?” asked Starlight.
The dragon shook his head. “No, I’m ready now, I suppose.”
Moon Dancer went to the second to last cabinet and pulled out four disks the size of a large coin. “I have DL-1 and DL-2 along with spares Z-7 and Z-8.”
“Noted,” said Penumbra, placing more pins on the map.
Moon Dancer looked over stacks of wooden poles of different lengths piled next to the platform. She levitated four approximately twice the height of a pony off of the stacks. After attaching each to one of the disks, the mare slid one pole into a hole in the floor of the platform. With a touch of her magic, a portal opened up in space, showing a forest clearing with pine trees on the far side. Snow-topped mountains rose in the distance.
“Good luck, Spike!” Trixie said next to me.
Spike gave her a grim smile and stepped through with Moon Dancer. On the other side, we saw Moon Dancer jam two of the poles into the ground then activate the first. A second portal opened, this time showing a flat plain with brown hexagonal pillars jutting up from the ground. The pair stepped through again. Moon Dancer planted the last pole in the ground then got down on one knee to give Spike a proper hug.
The dragon jogged out of view with Moon Dancer following him with her eyes for a few moments. She walked back through the second portal then deactivated it with a glow of her horn. She came back into the room and shut off the first portal the same way.
Penumbra walked up to the unicorn mare, holding more poles with discs already attached. “I have three more spares already marked on the map. I’ll set them up after we go through.”
I said, “Last chance to get anything before we go.” I didn’t need to be a changeling to detect the nervousness in the air. “Alright then, let’s do this.”
Penumbra removed the now spent portal disk on the top of the pole on the platform. After throwing it to the side, she attached a replacement and stood back. Reading the writing on the face of the disk, I saw “GB-71”.
“Mind if I try?” asked Starlight. Moon Dancer turned and nodded with a smile. The pink mare activated the portal and immediately stepped through.
After giving my wife a brief wing-hug, I followed.
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Should Thorax, Trixie and Mark alert the other worlds? Maybe ask the Celestia and Luna from other dimensions to help them take the changelings.
You're preaching to the choir, Trixie.
Good choice you smart lad.
When the cat's away...
That or Moon Dancer was a changeling all along, but that would just be silly!
Right?
Oh, so changelings use non-pun version of location names?
Wow. Called it.
9696754
Oops. Fixed.
See that? THOSE are parents!
That makes me think of
I see what you did there.
Oh I hope discord gets upset at the fake fluttershy
Niiiice
I didn't! But boy am loving this "Moonie is a changing" thing!
"Code 17" reminds me of "Number 6" in the comic book "love and capes" by Thom Zahler.
and i just discovered that he did some of the My Little Pony comics!
https://thomzahler.squarespace.com/#/loveandcapes/
How op is discord in this story? In some cases he is an all powerful God but in others he's more like a really strong spirit. If he's a god all Mark needs to do is call discord name a few times and see how that works.
Interesting chapter, I would have guessed that Discord would somehow be in on the assault too sense he is so close to Fluttershy, more so then the show, even if he is elsewhere at the moment. I though the Revelation of Moon Dancer was interesting, and that her 'parents' being thralls was interesting but what about her sister that had appeared at the party party with Pinky Pie and the rest of the Canterlot five?
O i love bringing Moon Dancer in on this part of the story.
9696908
Yup plot hole
On a separate note it's amazing that Chrysalis still doesn't do enough research on targets before acting.
9696908
Maybe some helpful ling will come back and take the place of her "sister"?
Okay, I'll admit I completely forgot about Moondancer. It explains why she was terrified of Thorax when they first met. She's lucky he hadn't had any training then.
Its a good thing that Chryssi doesn't know how to do proper recon. I guess she never understood the concept that its the little things that matter most.
9696908
In this universe, by the time the ponies then known as Straight Shooter and his wife Bright Gaze were relocated to Baltimare by their changeling overseers, they did not have any foals.
9696907
Discord! Discord! Discord!
It is very exciting that they're using the new tech.
Adventure, let's go!
Keep going! ;)
9696697
Nah, that would be cheating and way too likely to make the villians act in turn. Can you imagine the trouble just two unreformed Discords would cause in that regard?
One interesting point - Chrysalis hasn't been directly interfered with by the Sisters after the wedding incident (assuming that happened before they vanished), possibly because there might be political or other issues involved, or simply so as not to be seen to be violent.
Trixie and Mark, on the other hand, seem like they'd be more than willing to consider far more permanent solutions - such as pasting Chrissy across the nearest convenient wall.
9698487
Play table tennis with Chrysalis? (Of course Chrysalis could be the ball)
Sooo excited for more
Pretty mindblowing chapter
Your storys are as always amazing 
I hope this ends in a small and quickly ended war 
I doubt this story can avoid blood and death forever without losing realism 
9696697
Would also put them in danger. Plus its a time critical situation that should stay a internal affair...
Lore derp in his introduction thorax knew where the hive had been but it had been moved following the invasion so he should have no clue as to its current location
awesome chapter yeet to the next ^^
But
hope this was caught before the actual book was printed otherwise a revision might be needed
it was part of a joke involving marks first transformation into markelstia and a resulting cake binge but there was an implication early on in this story that 'this' version of twilight was every bit as happy to destructive to the casadia reserve as she is to hayburgers, tot he point where sugarcube corner had to ban them to prevent a similar...incident...to the chery chimichanga binge that mark had...i mean i 'may' have misinterpreted it but...yeah.
wow second time thru im noticing alot of inconsistancies between book one and two, in book one thorax's explination for not knowing where the hive was was that it was moved imediatly after the invasion and as he had not been with the group that had been building the new hive, and did not rejoin the rest before the move he didnt know where the new hive was.
10678047
Just checked and it was missed. The annoying thing is the second that I opened this chapter just now, I saw the typo. I've fixed the master document but uploading it involves too much hassle for just one minor error.
10678065
I admit it – we goofed. Should have stuck to "I don't know".
Shouldn’t that be six? Or do they not count Twilight Sparkle as one of them?
10872351
Yes, although the changeling was reporting on the five that remained in Ponyville. Replacing Princess Twilight was a separate operation. I did not make that clear enough though.
Lord of the Rings without Rings and a shorter story. Also Ponys
10872655
I always wondered how Mad Queen Chrysalis got her hooves on M6, Alicorns, and who knows how many others. In her debut she came across as a schemer, and as such, a fairly smart individual, but from Starlight's perspective (i.e our perspective) it happened all in one fell swoop which would indicate either an absolutely insane level of luck or pones being absurdly dense, beyond what we already know is practically canon (Plainity and Mustache).
As a Whovian, this has terrifying implications for Changelings in relation to this epic Dr. Who moment:
Terrifying.
Good thing Changelings aren't as deep into it as The Silence.