Chapter 3: Magic Brawl
As Pinkamena led her party through the corridors of the Canterlot palace her brow was getting dangerously over furrowed. They'd been trotting through the palace for almost half an hour already with no sign of any other pony being around at all. Sure it wasn't like she had been looking forward to having a frantic running battle with the palace guards all the way to the throne room, but the quiet was beginning to get to her. Admittedly the whole distraction plan of hers had been designed to remove all the royal guards from the equation, so if anything it was just her plan working too flawlessly that was to blame. Then actually having at least some of the palace staff around would be nice, as Pinkamena was beginning to think she was going to need to ask somepony for directions soon. She'd only been in the palace once before and Pinkamena didn't recognise this section at all. She was sure the palace couldn't be all that huge and there could in fact be two fairly similar kitchens for all the royal staff that she was sure should be around somewhere. Then again she didn't think that it was likely there'd be two identical chocolate cakes with Rainbow Dash's mouth shaped bites out of both of them...
It would help too if her vision would stop blurring. She was keeping it together by concentrating, but ever since they'd had to hide all of a sudden from that Night Guard she'd been feeling a constant push and pull at the back of her mind.
"You okay, Pinkamena?" Applejack asked, as she run along beside her. "You're looking pretty mad about something."
"I'm fine," she replied, shrugging her friends concerns off. Then she stumbled just for a moment as she felt a phantom blow to her side.
"I'm fine!" Pinkamena repeated, in a far more insistent tone seeing the concerned look she was getting. She shook her head as she focused on the matter at hoof. The sooner Fluttershy found them the better. At least Rainbow Dash had finally remembered what her own hooves were for and was trotting happily along with the rest of the group. Though she could do without her constantly regaling the group at length with how well the Ponyville show had gone.
“Then the Spectacular Sparks revealed herself to the crowd in a massive explosion of light and fireworks,” Dash said, flashing a massive grin at her new assistant who cringed slightly at the attention. “She trotted through the crowd to stand at my side and everypony couldn’t take their eyes off her. Course her new sparkly figure hugging leotard helped with that; courtesy of the best stage manager ever to grace the Bridleton pier!” Rainbow Dash beat her aching wings once to jump onto the two mares that supported her act and wrapped her forelegs around them both for a group hug.
“So where are you heading with the act next?” Applejack asked politely, as Trixie and Sparks attempted to wriggle out of the invasion of their respective personal spaces.
“Right here in Canterlot of course!” Rainbow Dash said pumping a hoof in triumph. “When we use these babies,” she said as she tapped the pony face mask inlaid in aquamarine on the golden necklace around her neck, “to bring back the sun they’ll be so grateful that we’ll have everypony in Canterlot desperate to see our show.”
“Well I’m glad you’re getting something out this whole shindig,” Applejack said wryly.
"Any chance we can talk about something else?" Sparks asked, as she struggled to extricate herself from out of Dash's hug.
"Anything in mind?" asked Rock. "How about which town is supposed to be getting the Equestrian Games this year? Heard that the Crystal Protectorate might be in with a shot now the trains are heading up there regular."
Trixie had resigned herself that given how long this impromptu hug was lasting that she was effectively back to giving Dash yet another pony ride. "You mind not mentioning certain games that ponies happen to play. Somepony is just a tad bitter." This was echoed by grinding teeth from somewhere behind her head.
"I'm not bitter," snarled Rainbow Dash bitterly. "Just 'cause Fillydelphia bribed the games official so that Cloudsdale never had a chance back when I was a filly."
Rock chuckled to herself. "And here I could have just sworn it was because that Cloudsdale refused to fund all the cloud walking spells that'd be required to allow two-thirds of Equestria to actually attend—" She was cut off by the sight of Fluttershy rocketing around the corner at high-speed. On finally spotting her friends she tucked in her wings and stuck her hooves down hard onto the floor ripping big chunks out of the carpet as she finally came to a semi-controlled stop tumbling right into the first thing to get in her way which happened to be Pinkamena.
Queen Chrysalis revealed in all her dark splendour sauntered casually round the corner; having landed and collected herself out of sight to make a suitable imposing entrance. "These are the ponies that were fleeing to save you, Captain?" she said with sarcasm dripping from her pointy fangs. "Because they don't look like much to me."
Pinkamena froze at the sudden sight of the changeling queen. While she was imposing enough—seeming to fill the entire corridor with her presence—it was her eyes that commanded her attention. Not only did they suggest absolute confidence that Pinkamena and the rest were utterly beneath her, but her look shouted without words 'I am the predator and you are prey. If you're fortunate perhaps you might be a pet, but the choice is certainly not yours to make.' Her brain went into overdrive as she tried to think of a way out of this. Pinkamena's first instinct as always was to negotiate, but what could a changeling possibly want other than to drain them all dry of their love and that was hardly something to base a bargaining position on. The push and pull was getting stronger as she struggled to keep her wits about her. Somewhere Pinkamena could hear something deafening that she couldn't even begin to pin down and define.
Sparks hadn't known her that long, but she had been around Dash long enough to know what certain signals like her absent-mindedly playing with her hair, widely extended wings and a certain amount of mouth being agape meant from her. Her incredulous reaction allowed her to ignore for a moment the very real terror she was feeling and she nudged the pegasus still resting on Trixie's back. "Umm, Dash?" she said barely above a whisper. "You weren't even this bad with your double."
"Hey, she's pretty cute," Rainbow Dash replied, as she unashamedly leered.
Sparks wordlessly waved her forehoof in a general sweeping motion around to point out the holes in the changeling's legs, the massive jagged horn, the insect wings and especially the pointy fangs.
"Still cute," Rainbow Dash said, as she cocked her magician's hat to the perfect angle for maximum seduction. "Just leave this to the Awesome and Stupendous Rainbow Dash!"
Queen Chrysalis took an involuntary step back as the pegasus confidently strutted up to her, as she really wasn't sure what to make of such a challenge at all.
"Do you not understand exactly what I am?" she snarled, as she towered over the brash pegasus.
"Oh, totally," Rainbow Dash grinned up at her. "So what's say how about you, me and my whole lot of love could go get better acquainted somewhere private?"
"You're actually offering yourself to me?" she asked, as she took a tentative sniff. "But I'm terrifying, aren't I?"
"Absolutely not, Beautiful," Rainbow Dash replied with enough sincerity to cause Trixie who knew her best some considerable surprise. "I'd just love to see you really smile. Hay, it'd brighten up my whole day to see you happy."
"I... I don't think I can feed on this!" Chrysalis exclaimed.
"Only one way to find out," Rainbow Dash purred, as she seriously started to lay seige to Chrysalis' personal space.
Realising she was losing complete control of the situation, Chrysalis panicked and her horn glowed in response. There was an audible *fwoosh* as Rainbow Dash found herself totally cocooned within moments.
"I take it that's a no then?" she asked from inside before being silenced by a blast of energised pain.
From her final landing spot in Pinkamena's lap, Fluttershy got her bearings enough to look up if somewhat unsteadily. "You're just going to show them who you are?" she asked slowly. "I thought you'd turn into me or something to try to confuse them with who is the real pony."
"A little game of choose the changeling? Please," Chrysalis said mockingly, as she quickly regained her former poise. "Like I need such clichéd nymph-like tricks to defeat this amusing rabble that you've found," she said, giving an especially pointed look at Rainbow Dash's new cocoon. "It's not like any of you are going to provide the slightest bit of challenge to completing my conquest of Equestria and every pony in it."
Applejack heart sank to the very bottom of her chest as she finally recognised which changeling exactly was standing before them. "Qu-Queen Chrysalis..." she stammered.
"You claim to know me, pony?" asked Chrysalis raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, Queen Thorndust told me all about you," Applejack managed to say despite shaking from the top of her hat all the way down to her hooves.
"Applejack, what in the wide, wide world of Equestria is going on?" Rock said quietly, almost under her breath.
"I run some charity works; one of which was sending trips of pony volunteers out to the hives in the wastelands to feed changelings on freely given love," Applejack explained as quickly as she could manage.
"Oh, so you must be the good-natured philanthropist I've heard so much about!" Chrysalis said. "You never sent me any volunteers to my hive you know," she added reproachfully.
Applejack gulped hard. "They wouldn't have come back. Would they?"
"Of course not." Chrysalis cackled. "Would you expect a wolf to have some bunny rabbits over to tea and then send them safely back home? Besides what makes you think that the volunteers that Thorndust sent you back weren't changeling replacements?"
"That's impossible!" Applejack yelled. "We had a unicorn check them out when they got back. We're not totally naïve y'know."
Chrysalis chuckled as a vicious smiled danced across her face. "And you know for certain that this helpful unicorn wasn't a changeling already? Thorndust may seem pleasant enough with her endless talk about the good old days, but just because she's content to play a longer game does not mean you should underestimate her."
"You're lying," Applejack stated flatly. "You have to be lying. You just have to be..." she repeated more to herself.
"Girls, can we stop making pleasant conversation with the love-sucking horror, please?" Pinkamena asked as her breathing came in tense rapid staccato as she was losing control entirely. "Get Dash out of there and then we can use the Elements of..." She swallowed as for a moment she could have sworn she had seen a timber wolf rearing up instead of the changeling queen in front of her. "We have the..." She tried again and blinked. A Chupacabra was leaping right at her with its fangs bared to drink her blood. She shook her head and was back in the palace again having cantered back a few paces involuntarily. "We..." She was standing precariously on top of a hydra's head way up in the night sky. She was bucking away a vampiric jackalope. She was ducking a manticore's heavy paw. She was dropping hoof first onto an Ettercap's eight shining eyes. She was in the palace again. She was outside. She was galloping. She was fighting with the roar of battle ringing in her ears. For a briefest moment she was seeing through thousands of different points of view. Then Pinkamena was back in the corridor like she had never been away. But she was not Pinkamena. Not the real Pinkamena and that meant that she was nothing.
"Your leader appears to be broken." Chrysalis laughed at the pink pony staring into space with a look of absolute horror upon her face.
"Pinkamena?" Sparks asked softly, tapping her new friend on the shoulder.
"I'm not real..." she moaned. "I'm not real! Pinkamena's out there somewhere with her cute hooves, well-groomed tail and perky face. So many of us that I just can't be the real one. The odds... they're just far too high for me to be really me."
"Oh blood and shale," Rock swore under her breath, as she could do nothing but stare at Pinkamena with the Element of Magic resting uselessly on her head.
"Any of you want to try anything else?" Chrysalis asked, rolling her eyes as she stifled a small yawn.
"Remember tunnel 17!" Rock yelled the old earth pony miner's most terrifying battle cry, as she lost her rag entirely. She put her head down and galloped hard right at the changeling hoping her horn might just hit something vital.
Several hundred pounds of pure pony muscle thundered down the corridor in an unstoppable charge. The changeling's eyes flashed green and Rock slowed from a gallop to a canter than down to a slow walk before stopping obediently right before Queen Chrysalis.
"Rock!" Trixie shouted, as she fired off a small lightning bolt—barely more than a spark—onto Rock's cutie mark hoping to shake her out of whatever had stopped her charge. Rock stood there completely oblivious to the tiny burst of magic as Queen Chrysalis was all she saw.
The changeling queen's body was consumed in green fire and standing there instead of the chitinous flying monstrosity was a small unicorn filly in a dirty lumberjack top. "She can't hear you," the fake Sweetie Belle said in far too smug a tone for any of their liking. "Just guess what I'm telling her now?"
"What's your game now, Chrysalis?" Applejack said, stamping a forehoof on the stone floor.
"Not met the little sis' yet then?" The little filly licked her lips in a way that looked so very, very wrong on Sweetie Belle's young features. "Her devotion to this one is such a sweet uncomplicated love. It's so pure in its sisterly devotion that I could suck her dry for years and it would still be just as delightfully delectable." The changeling shook her head. "I've got my own target to leach off, but I'm sure one of my brood would just love her to bits," she said with a nasty smile. "Oh if you were wondering I've been saying just how mean you've all been to me..." Sweetie Belle said, as she scanned the other ponies for a potential victim, "specifically you." She pointed an accusing tiny hoof right at Applejack.
Rock spun round with a look of rage contorting her face into something monstrous. She put her head down once more and charged. Spittle flew from her frothing mouth as the accusatory words of her little sister echoed in her mind robbing her of all reason. Applejack stood stock still, seemingly frozen in fear. Fluttershy leapt into the air to intercept, but crashed back down again with a splat as changeling glop had stuck her back hooves firmly to the floor without her noticing. Trixie and Sparks found themselves struggling futilely against the cloying muck as well leaving Applejack to face down their friend all alone.
Within moments there was barely a pony's length between them when Applejack suddenly moved. Rock didn't have a chance to blink before she was knocked senseless by a brutal, but flawlessly executed, spinning hoofkick.
Realising that those of her friends that weren't currently seeing stars and even Queen Chrysalis herself were all giving her a stunned look, Applejack shrugged. "C'mon, I'm in so many secret societies I've almost lost count of them all. I know half a dozen secret martial arts handed down from lost civilisations, ancient mystics and other races like the griffons at various levels of skill not that I like to brag," she said, tipping her hat to the changeling. "That though was just something I learnt on a particularly fun Friday night out in Manehattan—"
She was cut off as she was slammed into the nearest wall and stuck there fast with a heavy dose of changeling magic with a side order of a brand new cocoon to call her own. "Enough games," Chrysalis snapped. Glop, muck and slime slowly crept ever higher pinning the remaining ponies that had been still standing down into their various places. Soon all of them were covered in the cloying gunk holding them in their respective cocoons, even Pinkamena who didn't seem to even know what was happening at all and Rock who had been completely knocked out cold.
"This was most amusing," Queen Chrysalis said, as she trotted past the defeated party, "but there's a princess of the night all by herself in this cold, lonely castle and I'd just hate to leave her waiting." She paused as she passed Pinkamena who was still lost in her own private hell. "I am doing this for every creature, including ponies, not that I expect any of you to understand that," she said gently, as if wanting them to gain some measure of understanding. "Black hearted I may be, but even I know that Equestria needs it's sun and while you may consider the return of its light and warmth a small comfort when my progeny slowly drains you dry at least it will be something for you to cling to."
There was an intensely bright burst of golden light that bathed the corridor in warmth and the foulness holding them that stuck against fur and tangled into manes and tails crumbled into dust before blowing away entirely. When the light faded a mint-green unicorn was standing before Queen Chrysalis and staring her down. She looked familiar to Sparks, but she couldn't place her right at this moment at all.
"And who might you—" Her half completed question was answered by the unicorn jumping upright onto her back two hooves in a most unusual fighting stance for a pony before pulling back one of her forehooves and slugging the changeling so hard in the face she was sent skidding and bouncing down the corridor.
Pinkamena shook her head as the horror in her mind receded thankful that the golden light had somehow brought back some of her sense of self. She wasn't entirely certain that she was still the original. There had been just so, so many of her trooping out of the mirror pool cave back in the Everfree forest that she could easily be one of the many who thought she was Pinkamena and really just another construct that had crawled out of the water. Then again the paralysing existential angst could be sorted out later... hopefully. Anyway even if she wasn't the Pinkamena, she was still a Pinkamena and that meant she had a job to complete. "Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't showed up... Err, who are you anyway?"
"There's no time for that, my little pony," the mare said oddly, while eyeing the fallen changeling who hadn't yet gotten up again. "You've brought the Elements of Harmony here into the palace for a reason."
Pinkamena was torn between wanting to know what she knew about the Elements and why that hadn't been framed as a question. "Yes, but—"
"Then go, Pinkamena Diane Pie. You and your friends must complete what has been set in motion. Do not be concerned," she added in a reassuring tone. "I can take care of her."
"Sorry, but we're kind of lost I—"
"Go back down the corridor till you come to the hallway with the chandelier, take the second left, continue through the Star Swirl the Bearded wing, take a right through the bureaucracy section, up the spiral staircase with the dragon head banisters, and then all you need to do is follow the stained glass windows." The mare said with increasing urgency, as a worryingly intense green glow was building from the direction the changeling queen had been sent tumbling.
"C'mon you heard her," Pinkamena said loudly, as Rock and Fluttershy was helped back onto their hooves. "There's no time to lose!"
As they galloped off back the way they came Sparks turned her head to Rock and asked, "I could have sworn I've seen that pony before. She's from Ponyville, right?"
Rock tilted her head to the side while looking back as if she wasn't sure what she'd just heard. "I've just been bucked in the head and even I still know that's Lyra Heartstrings, Sparks." She paused and then added, "okay, I've got no idea how she's fighting hoof-to-hoof with a changeling like that, but she's been living in Ponyville for over a year now." There was another explosion of light from back down the corridor that sent shadows dancing madly before them as they ran.
"Err..."
"You must know her, Sparks," Rock insisted. "You've lived in Ponyville longer than I have after all. Lyra rents a room above Quills & Sofas and she's been seeing Bon Bon all around town for awhile now. She's a bit touched in the head, but she's a good mare to know."
"Bon Bon's the one with the two dolphins cutie mark, right?" Sparks ventured hesitantly.
Rock could only shake her head as they pounded down the corridor. "You really didn't use to get out much, did you?'
~~~
Queen Chrysalis rubbed her cheek gingerly where she'd been struck. Pain was a sensation that she was not used to. It had been so very much a long time since she had last experienced it and she wasn't too keen on getting a refresher. The lack of love did cause her the pain of hunger yes, but that was but a discomfort and easily sated. Physical pain though she'd forgotten and that was making her edgy.
"Just what are you?" she asked, as she took the measure of the unnaturally strong unicorn. "Last time I checked the elder dragons are the only creatures strong enough to throw a blow that hard, and while they do have some powers, I've never heard of one that can shape-shift into a pony. That actually hurt," she added somewhat petulantly, as she rubbed her jaw.
Lyra grinned and replied in a voice with just the slightest hint of an echo, "oh, I wouldn't concern yourself with that. I'm only doing what needs to be done to protect those who need it."
"You may be powerful indeed, whatever you are," Chrysalis admitted. "But I have fed on love for months to bring about the end of this blasted eternal night and I will not be stopped by some random do-gooder who doesn't know when it's wise to mind her own business."
"So where's your current consort then? If you do not mind me enquiring, but you do seem to have misplaced her." Chrysalis momentarily flinched, as she remembered with a most unfamiliar pang of worry, that Lightning Dust was still knocked senseless half the palace away. "As if I remember my esoteric lore changelings only come into their fullest power when they're constantly feeding off the purest of stolen loves," Lyra said conversationally, as if they were just discussing some random bit of academic trivia over a nice cup of tea.
"I'm still more than powerful enough to crush a freak like you!" Chrysalis snarled, as her jagged horn sparked dangerously with barely suppressed energy.
Still balancing on her rear two legs Lyra stretched out and made a slow beckoning gesture with one of her forehooves suggesting that the changeling might want to come get some.
The constant companion in Lyra's mind for the last year whispered, 'I do prefer to avoid conflict if at possible, but finally getting a chance to cut loose after all this time and without any chance of somepony being hurt by unleashing my power... Now that I must admit is going to be immensely gratifying. You may want to try to brace yourself as much as possible as I'm not sure your body can take this much channelled magic of this level.'
'I'll be fine,' Lyra thought back. 'Let's kick her chitinous butt all the way back to the wasteland.'
As the slathering changeling flew at her in a killing rage Lyra's eyes began to glow with a golden aura that burned with the intensity of twin suns. Chrysalis barely had time to register the impression of the purest white wings seeming to shimmer imperceptibly hovering behind the unicorn in the air before she was struck by such extreme power that she'd never imagined anything could ever possibly possess.
For a moment she was able to hold out against it using every drop of love that she had stolen from Lightning Dust, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't even close to being enough.
When she woke her hooves had been firmly bound. Even if they hadn't been she knew she wasn't going anywhere after the magical blow she had just taken. Her horn was so sore it felt like the slightest touch would snap it off entirely. Chrysalis looked up at the unicorn whose eyes were now back to their normal hue. The white wings that had been burned into her mind irrevocably were gone like they'd never even been there at all.
"Gotcha," Lyra said, seeing her captive was awake.
"I really could have done it you know. Hope you like being in the dark," Chrysalis said, hanging her head low in defeat.
Lyra smiled back kindly her eyes sparkling with a wisdom many millennia in the making. "The night will not last forever I promise you that."
"How can you be so sure?" Chrysalis protested. "That lot don't seem like much to me if that's who you're counting on."
"Simple," Lyra said, giving the queen a wink. "Lots and lots of experience."
~~~
With Lyra's directions, along with Fluttershy now leading the way, they were finally making some progress. Pinkamena was still shook up internally by how close they'd come to defeat, especially with how she herself had fallen apart at the worst possible time, but she'd always known that messing about with chaotic magic would have consequences. It was just a case now of whether she could meet the final bill.
Pinkamena was thanking the stars though for which ever one had been watching over them when they'd allowed that unicorn to turn up so conveniently. In fact she must have been observing us for awhile now to turn up when she did, Pinkamena mused to herself as they galloped through the Star Swirl the Bearded wing. Invisibility or teleport spell; somehow she knew where we were and that we couldn't win this one without assistance. She was getting the sneaking suspicion that she was even now unwittingly playing a part in another pony's game. Pinkamena really wasn't sure how she felt about that. She'd always liked being the mare in the know thanks to her unique gifts along with the control her chosen career had brought her, so this was a new and unsettling experience for her. How much of this has been set up like pawns being moved across a chessboard? she wondered.
Actually she wouldn’t have minded stopping here to have a look around if they weren’t in such a hurry. Pinkamena had always had an interest in learning from the best and Star Swirl while a notorious loner aside from a few students had played the three tribes as a master manipulator to achieve his goals. Oh he was an expert with unicorn magic too, but Pinkamena wasn’t as bothered about that.
She sighed, maybe there’d be time for that later if this whole thing worked out.
“How long do you reckon?” Pinkamena asked, as she turned to Fluttershy who looked lost in her own thoughts as she flew beside her.
"We should be in the throne room in maybe five minutes; if that," she answered loudly enough for the whole group to here.
That's it, Fluttershy. Five minutes until you stab the only pony that's ever meant anything to you in the back, she thought bitterly to herself. What did Nightmare Moon mean to her anyway? She'd never been one for self introspection and while this wasn't the time or place for it she was thinking she was running out of time to start. It wasn't as if she was in love with her or anything like that. She might not have much time for it, but she knew what that felt like. Fluttershy had seriously considered pursuing Soarin' as he was one of the few genuinely decent ponies she'd ever met before deciding their respective positions would have made that a dreadful idea. Then while she'd never really thought about other mares that way her heart had skipped a beat when she'd seen Rock transformed from the gruff working pony into the nervous, but devastatingly pretty stylish debutante back in that other Ponyville.
Was it the love of a daughter to an adopted mother? She'd been raised like all cloud pegasi without ever knowing her family so she didn't have any points of reference, but she didn't think that was it. She remembered the Princess Luna of the other Equestria that she'd observed for a short time in Canterlot. Sure there had been physical differences, but what worried her most was her awkwardness and the odd way she'd fallen back into the archaic language of Old Equestrian. Would the Elements of Harmony bring back a Luna that had never even been Nightmare Moon? Will she even know who I am...? she thought with mounting fear.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the faint sounds of a commotion coming from the room next to them. She barely had time to alert the others, before a whole bunch of ponies burst through the door.
"This is utterly unacceptable!" a sharply dressed mare was loudly complaining to a very beleaguered looking officer. "I demand that you let me speak to the Princess at once." Five more royal guard filed out behind the pair. All well armed with broad spears, all clad in full golden armour and all looking like any other duty would be preferable to this one.
With the early warning Pinkamena and the rest had managed to look less like a revolutionary force and more ponies that just happened to be in the general vicinity and certainly not worth paying any attention to. Pinkamena was loudly discussing the implications of the new tax code with Applejack while Rainbow Dash almost looked like she was actually following along. Rock was carefully expecting a nearby pillar for signs of cracking. Trixie and Sparks were taking the opportunity to catch up on valuable making out time while Fluttershy stood in the middle of the hall daring anypony to object to her happening to be there.
"Look, Ms. Harshwhinney, with all due respect," the pegasus sergeant growled, "you may not have noticed but the castle is kinda under seige right now."
Ms. Harshwhinney sniffed as if that was just a minor inconvenience. "Well this will have to go down as a mark against as the Princess really should have bothered to receive me herself if she wants Canterlot to be taken seriously for consideration. Oh no," she said, as she looked about. "This isn't some half-baked attempt at entertainment is it?"
Fluttershy looked around too before realising she was probably talking about them. "Who, us?"
"Yes, dressed up in all that gaudy jewellery. I suppose you've got some overly rehearsed song and dance routine that's supposed to just wow me into handing over the games to your home town."
"Well choreography in dance isn't really my thing. but I'd probably be able to put something together if you give us a couple of hours?" Trixie offered helpfully. "Just let us be on our way to find some balloons, horns and streamers and we'll be right back."
One of the royal guards stepped forward. She was a tall for a unicorn mare with a lithe build that Sparks found oddly familiar, but wasn't immediately sure why. The mare pointed her spear at Pinkamena. "Sir, you may want to have a look at this pony here, sir," she said, in a voice what she was trying clearly to make sound gruff and official, but couldn't totally cover her natural throaty purr.
Before the sergeant could turn his full attention he got a faceful of angry Fluttershy. "She's with me, Sergeant Clash. Get the civilian out of here and take your squad right along with her. This is Nightmare business."
Storm Clash glowered swinging his own spear round with one of his wings. "I don't take orders from you," he said, bringing the business end up ready for action. He took a look around the Shadowbolt to confirm what he was sure he'd just seen. "Especially not when that's Pinkamena Diane Pie. She's wanted for questioning and that's straight from Captain Shining Armour. Who happens to be my superior officer, not you, in case you'd forgotten."
A unicorn stallion with a white coat who looked liked he'd stepped right off the royal guard recruiting posters moved up first to support his sergeant. Two more unicorns, both mares with darker coats, moved up next with their spears ready. The last member of the squad, an earth pony stallion, respectively but firmly shoved Ms. Harshwhinney out the way to complete the close-knit formation.
Pinkamena moved forward to stand by Fluttershy. "Look this all been a terrible misunderstanding," she said smoothly. "I frankly have no idea what is going on outside, but I can assure you that any ponies that may or may not happen to bear my likeness are in no way affiliated—"
"Shut up," Storm Clash growled, "just shut up! You can go talk Shining Armour's ears off not mine. Now are you going to come peaceably or do I have to take steps?"
Rainbow Dash stepped forward to join Fluttershy and Pinkamena from where she'd been quickly discussing something in sotto voices with her partners in the showpony business.
"Fools! Do you not know who you are dealing with?!" she exclaimed dramatically, rolls of thunder coming out of nowhere to punctuate her words. Her voice dropped down low as her face split into a wicked grin. "Perhaps I should introduce myself properly."
Blue magic raised her magician's hat from where it normally rested upon her rainbow coloured mane revealing an intense red glow upon her forehead that from the right angle gave the impression of an impossibly sharp horn splitting the air. A dark purple miasma signifying command of the darkest of magics began to boil away out of her now blank emerald-green eyes.
One of the royal guards, the earth pony stallion who had recently been relocated from the far north, swore loudly. "That's impossible! I saw the Princess eviscerate you myself."
"Slaaaaves," Rainbow Dash drawled gutturally. She was beginning to enjoy herself as she got into the role. "You may have defeated King Sombra with your Princess to protect you, but how will you fare alone against his chosen Queen of the Frozen North!?" She reared up as lightning struck the flagstones around her with her blue wings stretched wide.
Rock who was wondering just what in Tartaurus was going on finally noticed the almost imperceptible magical aura coming from Trixie and Sparks. They were somehow dampening right down the usual glow on their horns that was the usual sign of a unicorn using magic. Rock let out a low impressed whistle that they were pretending to look scared while still managing to keep casting. She started cowering herself too in an attempt to help sell the illusion.
"Flee slaaaaves, and find your Queen some crystals!" Rainbow Dash commanded regally with her magically enhanced voice.
The normal resolve of the royal guard after already taking one devestating blow with the appearance of the pink horde was now basically nonexistent. The mare who had pointed out Pinkamena was shaking badly and her two fellow mares were cowering out from behind her hooves. The only sign of the earth pony stallion was his spear dropped uselessly on the floor. Ms. Harshwhinney had long since fled remembering a pressing engagement that she really should attend to in Trottingham.
The only royal guard not looking like he wanted his mummy was Storm Clash though who was clapping his forehooves slowly against the stone floor. "Not a bad display, the Awesome and Stupendous Rainbow Dash. Almost enjoyed that as much as your performance I happened to catch in the Hoofington Palladium."
"Aw horseapples," swore Rainbow Dash, as she nodded to Trixie and Sparks to drop the effects and spat the fake pointy fangs she'd been wearing out of her mouth.
"You got any way to convince me left under that hat, Ms. Dash?" He leered. "I heard all sorts of interesting stories about you."
"Just this one," said Rainbow Dash, getting in close before tossing something small in the sergeant's face. There was an explosion of multi coloured light and stars sure to delight foals of all ages.
"What?" she said, looking around at her friends. "C'mon, I do have some standards."
Storm Clash looked up angrily from where he'd landed on the floor with his muzzle blackened. "Get them!" he yelled. "And don't be gentle about it either!"
A spear shaft cracked across the back of his head permanently putting him down for the count. The white unicorn stallion removed his full helmet and shook out his flowing golden locks. "Gosh, I suppose I really should have yelled out 'for the New Solar Republic!' first. How unashamedly forward of me." The former prince grinned widely. "Applejack, just what kind of delightfully entertaining mess have you gotten into now?"
He was tackled to the floor by an incredibly enthusiastic glomp from Applejack. Standing over her special somepony she leaned down and kissed him hard before giving him a glare. "Blueblood, just what were you thinking?!"
"I missed you too," Blueblood said, still grinning his head off.
"Seditionists!" yelled the unicorn mare with the absolutely fascinating build. "C'mon, Violet, c'mon, Rhythm! We can still take them."
Rhythm dropped her spear and Violet Velvet followed her example letting it clatter to the floor. "Sorry, Fleur, but we're with him."
Sparks almost jumped out of her fur at hearing that. "Fleur de LYS?!" she exclaimed, finally recognizing the former model under all the heavy armour. "I love you!" she coughed, realising she'd actually said that out loud. "I mean I love your photos, right, yes totally just your photos!" She flashed a guilty glance at Trixie who rolled her eyes and gave her a little nod. They hadn’t been together long, but Trixie was well aware of her private obsession back when she’d been alone all that time back in her treehouse.
Trixie gave Rainbow Dash a concerned look while Sparks was busy fanfillying at the increasingly flustered Fleur and Applejack was catching up for lost time with Blueblood. "You alright, Dash? Normally I'd have rainbow tail clamped hard between my teeth by this point."
"Huh?" said Dash, who turned back from where she'd been glancing back the way they came in an absent-minded fashion. "Yeah I'm fine. Why?"
"Well that's Fleur de Lys over there, who last time I checked, was one of the number one models in Canterlot and certainly drop-dead gorgeous. Anyway didn't you have a thing with her once?"
"I might have said that," said Rainbow Dash, as she shrugged her wings. "You know I say a lot of things right? Just ‘cause I'm forward doesn't mean everypony says yes. Most don't, anyway we were both much younger and I was just another wet-behind-the-ears dancer back then so I really doubt she remembers me."
Trixie ignored the unusual amount of honesty and continued. "And while he's obviously not my type that Blueblood is the most beautiful stallion I've ever seen and is involved with a friend of yours to boot, so why exactly am I not having to bodily restrain you? You're not really that other Rainbow Dash that Sparks was telling me about, the best junior young flyer who can do sonic rainbooms at the drop of a hat are you?"
"Of course not," Rainbow Dash said, before glancing back down the corridor again. "Do you think Chrysi is alright? That unicorn was acting pretty scary."
Trixie could only mouth the word 'Chrysi?!' silently in stunned response.
"What are you doing here anyway, Bluey?" Applejack demanded, though still not quite ready to get off from on top of her special somepony yet.
"Oh, I was getting terribly bored with you being away for weeks so I volunteered to infiltrate the palace. Y'know see if we could find anything to help end the tyranny of eternal night."
"Idiot," she said, though with absolutely zero heat in her voice. "Anyway we've got that taken care of ourselves." Applejack tapped the emerald cocktail glass inlaid on the golden amulet on her neck. "We've got the Elements of Harmony."
"I did notice that you'd been accessorizing," Blueblood said, as he stroked his marefriend's cheek lightly. "I do like the hat too. Very authentically rustic."
Applejack blushed fiercely. "You really think so?"
"Totally, my dear. You like quite the proper country bumpkin," Blueblood said, keeping his tone playful. "Why if I didn't know better I'd have thought you'd never left the farm in search of proper culture and intellectual stimulation."
"You!" Applejack's cheeks get even redder for a moment before she breathed out and then smiled indulgently. "Now I remember where I prefer you with your mouth full," she said, leaning in for another kiss.
"Mind if I ask why you're here tonight though?" Pinkamena said, as she butted in with an impressive display of both zero tact and sense of timing. "I only ask as this palace is getting crowded with would be saviours who all just happened to be here today as it is."
"Our grand oracle has a vision!" explained Rhythm excitedly.
"Yeah!" said Violet Velvet backing her up. "She said that tonight would be the night that the sun would rise once more if we were there to make it happen."
Pinkamena gave them a steady look. "But, I think I've heard of you lot. Aren't you supposed to be all about establishing a new political system and the unicorns taking back control of the sun. Wouldn't have thought you'd be into mysticism like oracles?"
"It's hardly a proper secret society without spooky prophecies handed out from on high is it?" Blueblood said, giving Pinkamena a knowing wink from his position on the floor. "Right so what are these Harmony things then?"
While Applejack was giving Blueblood the run down of what exactly the Elements were Fleur was rapidly running out of patience. "Look!" she said, while making stabbing motions in the air with her spear for emphasis causing Sparks to rapidly back off. "I'm glad you enjoy my former work, honestly I’m flattered, but this is what I've always wanted to be. I was always told that Canterlot upper class unicorn mares shouldn't be soldiers and they should go to parties, launch zeppelins, hang off some stallion and look pretty. I love this life now that Nightmare Moon has given us a proper chance not to be some useless ornament and you are going to take me seriously!"
“Hang on,” said Rock who wasn’t going to let that slide without comment. “Just off the top my head the border patrol certainly takes unicorn mares. Leaving that aside as it’s not exactly what you’d call glamourous there’s always mercenary work in the Griffonwylds or even a pony land like Tailea. Hay, they're notorious for always wanting more than a few dogs-of-war about.”
Fleur’s eyes widened. “Leave Canterlot? But I just couldn’t! It’s the most stylish town in all of Equestria, so why would I ever want to do such a thing?” She looked around for support while backing up keeping her spear point high with her unicorn magic. "Captain Fluttershy, don't just stand there, help me!"
Fluttershy look down at her hooves. "Sorry, guards mare, but I can't." Every word was another internal knife stuck between her own wings. "Please just put your weapon down. This really is for the best I swear it," she said, trying to sound like she believed it herself.
"You're all traitors the lot of you," Fleur said, her heavenly nostrils flaring. "And you can stop right where you are too!" The rest that weren't otherwise occupied turned to look at what ever Fleur had just yelled at. A hooded and cloaked figure hidden in shadows was galloping down the corridor with no sign of stopping for anypony.
"As a royal guard charged with protecting Equestria you will halt!" commanded Fleur.
Only Fluttershy managed to follow what happened next. Fleur's had firmly stood her ground and had set her spear perfectly to impale the cloaked pony. Her stance was solid and by all rights the spear should have stuck true. Then at the very moment of impact the spear had shattered entirely, even the metal point, and not even seconds later Fleur was being trampled under hoof as the cloaked pony hadn't even bothered to slow down at all as they'd continued on her way.
Rhythm immediately rushed to her aid and started to carefully check over her fallen squad mate.
"Is she alright?" asked Violet Velvet.
"I think that she's just badly winded," she answered. Rhythm lightly touched Fleur's blackened horn. "There's also some pretty bad magical feedback."
"I thought you were my friends," Fleur managed to gasp out weakly. "How could you do this to me?"
"We're still your friends," said Rhythm seriously. "Even if we didn't quite take out oaths as seriously as you did."
Fluttershy landed next to her and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "Look I don't know if I'll still have any authority whatsoever after today, but if I do I'll see you get a commendation for valour for that attempt," she promised. Fleur managed a contented smile before slumping back against Rhythm.
Pinkamena was becoming convinced that the other Pinkie couldn't have had half this trouble defeating their Nightmare Moon as she watched who ever had attacked Fleur disappear round a corner. "We better get after her."
Blueblood stepped forward. "We can keep an eye out here and make sure no other pony gets past. You go do what you need to do."
~~~
Leaving the New Solar Republic vanguard behind the seven ponies pelted down the corridor after the mysterious pony. Rounding the corner they skidded to a stop at what they saw. It was finally the doors to the royal throne room, but the two guards on duty had no other eyes for any pony but each other.
"You're my shoopy-woopy-puddin' pie," said the mare royal guard staring deeply into the eyes of her stallion partner.
"No you're my ultra-bestest cuddle muffin," the stallion said back in equally sickening tone that even a newborn foal would think was being overly infantile.
"Excuse me?" asked Pinkamena.
"Oh my, super-studliness I think somepony wants to talk to us," said the mare with an utterly vapid giggle as the stallion nuzzled her neck.
Pinkamena glanced over to Fluttershy to see if she had any ideas, but she just shrugged her wings looking just as confused at the sight of two hardened royal guards behaving like love struck teenagers.
"Look at their eyes."
"What, Rock?"
"That's not natural. Somepony did this to them," Rock explained hurriedly, before turning to the two guards. "Hi!" she said brightly. "I don't suppose any other ponies have been past recently?"
"Oh yeah she was super nice to us so we let her by so we can get to the important stuff like kissing and more kissing!"
"Given we're taking up your valuable making out time standing here how about letting us in too?"
The two guards looked like they were briefly considering this before they collapsed into a giggling pile with just one flailing leg making a quick 'sure head right in' gesture.
"After you," said Rock with a grin.
"Very nicely done, Rock" Pinkamena said, as she pushed open the two double doors leading to the throne room.
Nightmare Moon was still sitting on her throne and flanked by her captain, Shining Armour. His horn was glowing intensely as he was clearly beginning to buckle under the strain of keeping up a second barrier up across the throne room. The pony in the black cloak was hammering on the barrier with her forehooves so hard it was leaving concave indentations in the magical field that were still slowly reforming. She was so focused on her assault that she didn't even notice the ponies filing into the room behind her.
She spun her cloak billowing out behind in preparation for an almighty double buck. Trixie gasped in recognition at what she spotted hanging around the mare's neck.
"Trixie?" Sparks said.
"That's the Alicorn Amulet..."
Before anypony could ask exactly what that was exactly the mare bucked the barrier far harder than any impact that she'd managed so far. There was a massive, almighty crash of magical feedback as the barrier gave out entirely and fizzled out of existence. The mysterious mare threw her hood back revealing an elaborately styled multi-hued mane and a long unicorn horn.
"I am Mi Amore Cadenza," she announced, rounding on the princess on her throne as fierce red light burned in her eyes. "We have some unfinished business, Nightmare Moon!"
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A surprise entrant at the last minute!
This should shake things up!
Not much more I can say except this was fast-paced and I loved it. Chrysalis was suitably cackling evil there. Still laughed at the fake fangs bit.
Was that chapter trying to be fashionably late?
we were awaiting for a long time, but visibly that was for a good cause.
Oh, snap, plot twists everywhere.
And another challenger appears!
Yes, Pinkamena... by comparison, Pinkie Pie had it a lot easier than you guys are. Of course, the Mane 6 only had to deal with Stephen Magnet, a Manticore, and some mind games from their Nightmare Moon.
The Season 3 references are amusing because they're all happening at once. Poor Ms. Harshwhinney.
Cadance looks like she's going to go all Majin Vegeta on Nightmare Moon.
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Heh, at least I do update faster than some writers I could mention.
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And you've spotted my cunning plan
Yes a lot of my amusement in writing this sequel is seeing how much season 3 stuff I can fit into the fic without the whole thing falling apart. Though I will admit there's a few episodes that resisted my efforts to mine something out of them so I assure you you're not going to be seeing say Babs Seed or Fiddlesticks for example popping up in chapter 4.
Well, that's lot of craziness at once. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
(sarcasm)
Babs and Fiddlesticks can wait until the Randomverse Apple Family Reunion chapter, when in a shocking reveal, we finally discover what color Fiddlesticks' eyes really are (Seriously, the color guides all say "none known"), as well as her real relationship to Octavia, if any.
(/sarcasm)
....
OH COME ON!
NMM seems to have more usurpers than Julius Caesar had assassins. Fluttershy could even present herself as the kinder, gentler revolution, lol, depending on how exactly the Alicorn Amulet is affecting Cadance.
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"Support us! We only want you kind of dead!"
Oh Dash.
Wat u doin, Dash?
Dash, stahp!
(But I give her credit for having good taste in evil abominations all the same.)
Loved this chapter. Poor Fleur!
Huh. Okay, Rainbow Dash X Chrysalis is now a thing. Not a bad thing, but a surprising one.
Also, I really do love the way one Nightmare Moon's reign is being challenged by every heavy hitter in the series, it's logical even if the timing isn't. Rather like a story I once read where she won and then ended up being de-throned by Discord. It makes perfect sense that all the other powers of the world would want to challenge her and it's something many people miss (not just in this fandom) when writing a 'villain X wins' story, that the heroes aren't the only ones who'd be upset at that.
Celestia cutting loose was AWESOME! I love how you're twining elements of the show into the story, but causing them to have different effects or using them in different ways. A lot of the time AU fics are just "it's like FIM, except opposite!", which is not as interesting.
I also just noticed you're basing the chapter names off of episode names . . . Niiiiice.
Digger references? ....why haven't I faved this yet?
Holy crap a twenty-one Xanatos pile-up.
Cap.
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Shining Armor
I was going to comment of Fleur De Lis, with Lys being Lis. Since that's how it's spelled throughout fandom. But it turns out Fleur De Lis isn't her canon name. (Totally misread her Ccg card name, and looking it up Fleur on the mlp wikia. Shows her canon name as Fleur Dis Lee.) And looking up Fleur De Lis in google showed that Lys is also an appropriate spelling. Albeit hasn't been seen in fics other than here. Still no harm no foul.
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OMC! Sweet Luna's Succulent Teats, a pissed off, magically amplified, super insane Mi Amore Cadenza. I think I repressed any Dark Versions of Cadance after reading Who Rules?: Series. I don't think there is anypony as horrifying as an evil Cadance.
Oh ho ho!! Is that the case!
Chrysy, you wanted love. Be careful what you wish for, it might just follow you around, annoying you until you give in.
This is why love magic should not be abused. It's also why we don't get jealous and burn the wings of alicorns with no combat training. THey come back pissed. Kill them.