The Last Changeling War

by Coyote de La Mancha

Chapter One: Revelation.

Sunrise pranced a little as she exited her chambers, freshly showered and feeling more energetic than most mornings allowed. It had been weeks since her return from the human world, and she'd been slowly coming to grips with the idea that maybe, just maybe, she'd landed in the clover after all.

And that maybe, just maybe, her being in the clover was okay.

“Morning, Min-nerva,” she sang cheerfully as she trotted past the library.

The owl opened one eye sleepily from her perch on the outer sill. Then, she ruffled her feathers and closed it again.

Sunrise grinned. The owl had been gone for a while, but Spike had insisted that she was fine, just being a solitary creature. And, well, here she was.

The castle windowsills were full of other birds, as well, all happily flitting about and singing just outside the castle walls. All perfectly safe from the owl, of course. On castle grounds – or above them – there seemed to be a truce among all the animals, kind of like the peace around the watering hole in The Jungle Book. Or like at Fluttershy's house, as she thought of it. Anyway, small wonder they liked visiting.

Sunrise paused, considering. There were a lot more birds than usual this morning.

Maybe they flock to Ponyville for the winter? she thought. But no, that wouldn't make much sense, doesn't it snow here?

Then, she shrugged to herself and carried on down the hallway, singing softly to herself as she did. Ponyville was probably just a stopping point on their way further south. It was Fall, after all.

Of far greater concern in Sunrise's mind was Twilight. The alicorn had been sick over the weekend, in a kind of self-imposed exile in her room. And Spike had hardly been seen himself, being busy taking care of her. Sunrise had offered to help, but Spike had said no, he had this.

Which had stung a little, actually, but Sunrise hadn't been about to push. They could talk it out later, when Twilight was up and about again.

Of course, Spike had been a little out of sorts for a while, anyway. Quite a while, as she thought about it. Nothing major, just... off. A little less open, with a lot fewer smiles. When she'd asked him if everything was okay, he'd just given a half-hearted shrug and a Yeah, just a lot on my mind, you know?

Which was reasonable, Sunrise reminded herself. She'd had been there a few times herself, where the world just needed to back the heck off for a while and let her breathe and think.

Still: it had been weeks, even before Sunrise's trip back to Gaia. And when asked, Twilight hadn't seen him like this before, either. Of course, the alicorn had also agreed that the young drake deserved his privacy. But as Sunrise now reconsidered the matter, she determined that he'd been given enough freaking space. She was worried, Twilight was worried, and if he still seemed off after Twilight was up and around, then Sunrise would ask him – as a loving friend – just what the hell had crawled up his ass and died.

But with different wording, she reminded herself. Something supportive. Ponies were very supportive of their friends.

Sunrise's eyes narrowed.

And if Spike's in trouble, she thought, I am going to support the living crap out of him, whether he likes it or not.

Of course, with Twilight sick, the castle had received a lot of visitors that weekend. Spike had gotten to re-explain his dragons-can't-catch-pony-germs-but-you-can-so-no-you-can't-see-her stance probably a dozen times, even as he accepted get well wishes, goodie baskets, potions, cards, and even books on his guardian's behalf. Even the Two Sisters had been turned away, however reluctantly.

C'mon, please, he'd said quietly to Celestia and Luna at last. We all know I can't keep you guys out. But... you both know I'm right.

The Two Sisters had exchanged an identical look.

Finally, Celestia had asked, Will you keep us appraised?

Every day, he'd assured her. I promise.

Very well, a reluctant Luna had said. Then we will honor thy request.

That, of course, had led to Sunrise having a late night at the palace eating ice cream with a very worried pair of alicorn sisters.

And Sunrise didn't blame them. She was pretty worried, too. Alicorns weren't supposed to get sick, ever. But Twilight hadn't been an alicorn for very long, so maybe that didn't apply to her yet?

On the other hoof, if Twilight had caught something that could affect a young ailcorn... what else could it do? The doctors at the Ponyville hospital had been nonplussed, but glad to advise Spike from a distance. If something that could affect an alicorn reached the pony population, who knew where it might end?

Then, rounding a turn, Sunrise saw...

“Twilight!” Sunrise cried, grabbing her friend and hugging her fiercely.

There was the barest moment's pause, and the alicorn was hugging her back.

“Sorry I had you worried,” Twilight said.

“Not just me,” Sunrise said. Several knots behind her neck finally started to loosen as she continued, “Luna's been beside herself. She didn't pry, of course, but she mentioned that you were sleeping so deeply you weren't even dreaming. And Celestia's been frantic. Well, the taut, quiet brand of Celestia-trademarked frantic. You know.”

“Yeah,” Twilight sighed. “I know.”

“And we wanted to see you, but Spike was...”

“Spike was worried that you'd catch what I had,” Twilight nodded. “I know. Apparently there's a heck of a virus going around Sunset's world...”

Sunrise nodded. “Yeah, I saw that, when I borrowed your book to chat with Sunset.”

“Right. Well, Spike was afraid that somehow I'd caught it, that maybe it had even mutated when it came through the gate.”

Then Twilight sighed, looked away. “I really had you worried, didn't I?”

“Well, only in the sense of yes. You and Spike both, really. Spike told me his virus theory, but I mean, it'd been a week since Sunny and Twilight had visited. And he'd been so stressed anyway, for so long...”

Twilight nodded. “I understand. And I'm sorry I worried you. But if it helps, we both got a lot of talking in last night, after my fever broke.”

“Oh, good. So, he's gonna be okay?”

Twilight smiled. “Yeah. He's heading to the Dragon Lands to take care of some personal matters, but I think it'll all work out in the end.”

“So, he won't be here for the field trip tonight?” Sunrise stared. “The sleepover? But it was his idea!”

“Yeah. But it really couldn't be put off any longer.” Twilight sighed again, adding, “And he might have been back by now, if I hadn't gotten sick.”

“Not your fault,” Sunrise frowned at her sternly.

There were a few more exchanges, and soon Sunrise had managed to cheer her friend up again. Soon enough the two of them had fallen in side by side, walking happily to the kitchen. Almost before she knew it, Sunrise was on her way to school.

---

The school day went by rapidly. Both Cheerilee and Sunrise knew better than to introduce new topics when their students were this excited, so they spent their time reading, talking about the history of the Castle of Friendship and its Princess, and rehearsing their school play.

On what would eventually be a fully-formed stage, Scootaloo approached a makeshift booth that Apple Bloom's crew had built for rehearsal purposes. Kneeling within it was Sweetie Belle, who ignored her.

“Leetah, why do you ignore the truth that we both know?” Scootaloo asked.

Frowning, Sweetie Belle rose.

“Truth?” she replied. “What truth?”

Somewhat flustered, Scootaloo recited, “In my tribe, we don't play games about recognition. We know! We--- huh?”

While Scoots had been speaking, Pipsqueak had cartoonishly sneaked behind her, a sharp-looking wooden carving in one hoof. Then, he had interrupted Scootaloo's speech by grabbing her and throwing her to the ground.

But suddenly, rather than hurling the carving into the stage as the script called for, Pip instead knelt beside his costar and began pantomiming repeated thrusts into her abdomen.

“Stabby stabby stabby stabby stabby!” Pip yelled gleefully.

“Aaaagh!” Scootaloo cried from where she lay, making fountain-like gestures with her hooves. “Blood! Blood! Intestines! Intestines! Blood! Blood! Blood!”

“Cut!” Diamond Tiara yelled through her director's megaphone, trying and failing to not join into the class' laughter. “Cut! Cut! Cecil Bee-de-freaking-Mill, CUT!”

For a few moments, Diamond just gave into the laughter, dropping her megaphone and shaking her head as she did. Then, she looked over at Sunrise, her teacher and senior director. Lying on her side, eyes closed, positively fetal with helpless mirth. Then, she rose to her rear hooves, front hooves on her self-righteous hips.

“You,” Diamond said mock-sternly, “are absolutely no help.”

For a moment, Sunrise paused, and looked up at her student. Then, the two of them dissolved into helpless giggles, with Diamond falling on her rump as she laughed and the rest of the class joining in anew.

All in all, it was a very good day.

---

The class assembled after last period and walked, en masse, to the Apple farm. There, the Apples had put on a feast for the students. While they all ate, Applejack told them all about the day she first met Twilight Sparkle, and how on that fateful Summer Sun Celebration the dreaded Nightmare Moon returned at last... and, afterwards, was defeated to release Princess Luna from her bondage.

The exact nature of Princess Luna's imprisonment was both a little abstract for some of the students and also more than a little personal, so that part was glossed over. The rest – both with Luna's blessing beforehoof and at her insistence – was gone into in some detail, and there was plenty of Q and A afterwards.

Soon enough, the sun had begun to set. The students were assembled into a pair of large hay wagons, with Applejack and Big Mac pulling them back to the castle.

“So, what happens when we get there?” Snips asked. “More history stuff?”

“Well, I'm not sure,” Sunrise answered, walking beside the wagons. “But Princess Twilight never does anything halfway. All I know is that she's scheduled recreational time between activities, and that she's planning a surprise for you guys. So, I guess we'll all find out together.”

Some of the students napped on their way to the castle, while the rest chattered happily, wondering what awaited them. Within the hour, they were all assembled at the Castle of Friendship's doors, waving an enthusiastic farewell to Applejack and Big Macintosh. Then, Sunrise opened the huge enchanted doors, and the excited gaggle of students funneled into the home of Princess Twilight, Princess of Friendship and Protector of Ponyville.

---

Sunrise and her students were assembled in the castle's main hall when Princess Twilight appeared. The students' reactions were mixed, with many bowing low, and the rest waving happily with various calls of “Hey, Twilight!”

The princess smiled.

“Oh, I don't think we need to worry about formalities tonight,” she said with a casual wave of her hoof. “Remember, I was once a student just like you. And you're going to be my guests, all of you, for a while.”

There was a mass fluttering of diminutive wings as the windows high above filled with birds. Birds of all colors, red, brown, blue, yellow, green... all of them assembled in a sudden silence, looking down at the ponies with a strange intensity. Even Minerva was there, though there was nothing reassuring about the glare she gave to the ponies below. Yet, none of them quite crossed the threshold into the castle itself.

Meanwhile, the alicorn's horn gave a sharp burst of greenish light, and the doors behind the foals took on a glow of identical hue, obviously sealed with her magic.

“Um, Twilight?” Sunrise said uncertainly. “What are you...?”

Then, she saw the green light flicker in her friend's eyes, saw her features begin to burn and change with green fire.

“No,” Sunrise whispered, taking a step back. “No, it can't be.”

“Ah, but it is,” the faux Twilight gloated.

The birds descended from above in uneven bursts of green flame, landing in a ring around the ponies, their disguises stripped away by the castle's defenses. The Changelings stared hungrily at the ponies they surrounded, salivating as their gleaming eyes darted from one foal to another.

And there were so many of them. Too many to fight, even if Sunrise had been with adult ponies instead of children.

“Look, let the foals go,” Sunrise said, her eyes flicking desperately from Chrysalis to the door and back. “Please. Whatever you want, whatever score you're looking to settle, they're innocent.”

Then she swallowed, adding, “Let them go, and... and we can work something out.”

The creature before her laughed, a sadistic, hissing noise, immediately taken up by the other Changelings.

“Oh?” Chrysalis chuckled. “You'll become an ally, a servant of the Changelings? A willing slave to the hive, if only we spare your little ones from the table?”

Several of the foals manged a quiet “No,” staring around themselves, completely terrified.

“Yes,” Sunrise whimpered, forcing herself to take a small step forward. Her voice sounded small and weak, even to her. “Yes. I will. I swear. Just, let them go. Please.”

Chrysalis laughed again.

“Fool!” she jeered. “There is no innocence, only varying degrees of guilt! And as for your service, you've already provided for me everything I need!”

Still hissing softly, the circle of Changelings began to close in.

“You brought us them,” Chrysalis gloated softly. “Such beautiful little hearts, brimming, positively dripping with love. Love for their families, for their rulers... and, why, even love for you.

“But, though love is our greatest meat, it is not our only food,” the Changeling Queen leered. “Despair mellows a hearty dish, while terror spices the flavor.”

And then, seeming suddenly contemplative, she added, “And when I have freely glutted myself on the love you and your Night Queen hold for your mistress these last few days, shall I now deny my children their feast? Their sport?”

Buzzing laughter echoed from all around the ponies as the Changelings continued to slowly close in, leering at the ponies they surrounded.

“I need most of you alive,” the queen smiled at the terrified foals before her. “But only most of you. And I need none of you unharmed.”

In sheer desperation, Sunrise turned on her, her horn flashing a brilliant cyan. For an instant, Chrysalis frowned, stumbling slightly under the force of unicorn’s inept levitation spell. Then the chamber filled with a sudden roaring sound as Chrysalis burst into flame, screeching more from indignity than actual pain.

Sunrise, however, was not about to wait. Even as the changelings jumped back instinctively, even as their ruler shook herself, snarling, Sunrise was in motion.

“Run!” she screamed.

She lunged forward, through the astonished Changelings, past their ruler and up the winding stairs, pausing halfway up to urge and push and shove her students ahead of her.

“Go! Go! Go! Go! Go…!”

Then she was in motion again, running through their number, guiding them through the twists and turns of the upper castle.

Meanwhile, in the chamber below, Chrysalis shook herself.

“Find them!” she commanded. “Find them and bring them to me!”

“Mother, your wings,” one of her generals whispered.

Chrysalis barely gave the shriveled stumps a glance. “Twilight Sparkle’s wings shall serve me well enough, until my own reform. Now search the castle! Tear it apart! Feast on the foals to your hearts’ content!”

Then, as her children rose and swarmed throughout the castle, she shrieked, “But see that you bring me the mare! I want her alive!”

Comments

[Spamotron]

Chrysalis actually being an effective impersonator! This really is fanfiction

[FanOfMostEverything]

Apparently there's a heck of a virus going around Sunset's world...

Interesting way to tie in current events.

Fantastic opening. Looking forward to seeing where it goes from here, especially with none of the expected misfits in the rescue operation to be found in the character tags.

[Coyote de La Mancha]

11240137
Well, with Starlight not being Twilight's apprentice in this timeline (and someday I'm going to write the story explaining that, I promise), neither she nor Trixie are exactly friends with the Princess of Friendship.

The Thorax of this timeline... kind of has his own thing going. I'm not certain whether it will be explained in this story or a different, shorter one yet. But it will be explained. In fact, he's been referred to once already in a different story.

And Discord... well, his power has been steadily waning with the ascension of Order in his world, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. And he does have friends among the ponies, especially Fluttershy. So, we'll see.