Twilight Sparkle finds herself in strange world that greatly resembles her own at first glance, but as she digs deeper, the differences become frighting.
Twilight Sparkle was merely trying to go out to lunch with her number one assistant after a long morning in the lab when a strange dome of energy passed over them. Now on the other side, with Spike missing, no one in Ponyville recognizing her and certain facts about the town and Equestria she had taken for granted changed, Twilight has some questions. What happened? Where is she? How can she get back? And perhaps most importantly: Who is this "Champion of Princess Celestia, Sunset Shimmer Defender of the Realm" everpony keeps going on about?
This story is set in season 3, before Magical Mystery Cure. All other episodes have occurred, or are not relevant. Characters who deserve to be on the main character list have been removed to prevent spoilers. Edit: Updated to teen upon reflection of the fact that it is going to get rather violent latter on. Cover art by the fantastic Lord-Giampietro of deviant art. http://lord-giampietro.deviantart.com/
It was another average day in Ponyville. The sky was sunny, with a carefully regulated eight and half percent cloud cover. The birds chirped, the bees buzzed, frogs croaked and the library had fluorescent mauve smoke coming out of the chimney. Yes, just another average day; for about the next six minutes.
Twilight Sparkle walked up the stairs from her private lab in the basement. She had a grin on her soot stained face, with only five explosions today's experiment had been a rousing success. As she opened the door with her magic she called out to her assistant, “Spike! Come on, we’re going out for lunch today.”
Spike answered back from the main room where he was sorting books, his voice joking, “You won't fool me changeling, Twilight never comes up for lunch when she’s doing science.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, “Ha ha, now come on, I finished early today since I was able to stabilize the reaction between..”
“Twilight it's too early for a detailed description of whatever it is you were doing.”
“Early? Spike its noon. How is that to early?”
“You know I follow about half what you say when you talk about your experiments, and that's if I’m lucky. Now come on, I’m hungry!”
Twilight laughed as they walked out the door. Heading to the town square in amiable silence, they enjoyed the good weather and each others presence. The silence was broken when they turned north onto the main thoroughfare that ran through the heart of town and then went on its way across the plains till it finally wound its way up the side of the Canterhorn to the regal city of Canterlot. The layout of the town was done in such a way so as to allow an unobstructed view of the capital city of Equestria when one stood on the road. Today, there was an obstruction.
About about a thousand yards from the edge of Ponyville was a wall of rippling air, stretching as far as she could see in either direction. Actually, Twilight realized as she looked up, not a wall, but a dome, centered on Canterlot. A part of Twilight’s brain started to mentally calculate where the center of the dome was assuming that it was spherical, while another checked it against known landmarks to determine how spherical it was(*). “Spike, what is that?”
“What is what Twilight?”
“The giant dome! What else could I possible be talking about?”
“What dome? I don’t see a dome.”
Twilight was flummoxed. How could Spike not see it? Sure it was translucent, but it deflected the light enough to be easily be seen, plus it was MASSIVE…. hold on, did a cloud just hit it and vanish? Twilight scanned the sky along the border of the dome. Clouds were indeed floating gently into the wall, and while the dome didn't seem to give them any resistance, as they passed through they vanished. Twilight stared in shock, she had never seen, and more inclusively never read about, anything like it in her life. And it got stranger. Clouds spontaneously crept their way out of the interior of the dome, in the reverse process as the clouds outside disappearing. So intent was she on examining the strange dome, that Twilight failed to recognize that the its border was expanding until it reached the just over the town line.
“Dear Celestia its getting bigger!”
“Seriously Twilight, what are you talking about? Did you forget to close the fume hood when you were working in the lab this morning?”
“Spike I am not seeing things! Now get behind me, it’s getting bigger, and it looks to be doing so to fast for us to outrun it for long. I’ll try and protect us with a shield.”
Spike rolled his eyes and said “Come on, if you want to start trying jokes again, I suggest that you get Pinkie to train you first” as he started back down the road. Right toward the expanding dome that was now mere moments away.
Twilight dove forward, trying to position herself between her charge and the oncoming whatever-it-was even as her horn lit up casting the most powerful series of shield spells she knew(1)(2). But it was too late, Spike walked right into the shimmering air and disappeared. Twilight, though her shields had fortunately finished going up, was being unable to stop her dive and followed shortly behind.
It felt like she was being simultaneously squeezed and stretched on all sides while watching a kaleidoscope of colors that would have done Discord proud as whatever magic was in the wall of the dome began overwhelming her shields. Twilight could tell that whatever she was going through was making no active effort to destroy them, but there was so much power present that her shields were being torn apart like someone running a hoof over wet toilet paper. After what seemed like ten minutes, Twilight didn't know if it was her sense of time was being messed with or if it actually was taking much longer to pass through a wafer thin wall of power than it should have, Twilight finally landed on the inside of the dome with only two of her shields remaining intact(3). In Ponyville. Which looked exactly like it had before she went through the dome. Confused and drained from using entirely to much magic in to short a time Twilight promptly blacked out.
*. A daunting prospect for most ponies, but Twilight doesn't have six doctorates for nothing(A)(B).
A. Thaumaturgy, History, Physics, Mathematics, Law and History.
B. Yes only six. She was currently working on writing her dissertation on poison joke for Biology, the final dissertation review for Diplomacy was next weekend and she was trying to get started on the one for Temporal Mechanics, but ironically enough Doctor Whooves never seemed able to keep his appointments for an interview. So almost eight.
1. At this point the part of her brain attempting to determine the origin of the dome finished its calculations arriving at the heavily secured Artifacts Vault, deep in the catacombs below Canterlot. It neglected to inform the rest of Twilight's brain, as she had more important things to deal with right now.
2. At this point the part of her brain attempting to determine the shape of the dome concluded that it was, in fact, spherical. It told the part responsible for the positioning of the dome, which politely thanked it, and still did not tell the main portion of her brain, as Twilight was still very busy casting shields.
3. The outer was intact in the same way that a piece of cardboard that has been used as a shotgun target for a day is intact.
Twilight awoke to the harsh whitewashed walls of Ponyville Central Hospital. It said something about how much her life had changed since moving to Ponyville from Canterlot that she recognized the walls immediately while still groggy, whereas she had only been to the Canterlot hospital once since becoming Celestia’s personal student. Although to be fair, most of her visits here had been to check on Rainbow Dash after she had hurt herself trying out some new flying stunt.
“Oh good, you're awake. How are you feeling?”
Twilight turned her head, recognizing the voice of Nurse Redheart.
“Still a bit dizzy, but that should pass. I just used waaay to much mana at the same time.”
“Ah, that confirms our diagnosis. You must have been doing something incredibly taxing to drain yourself to depletion(*) like that; from what Doctor Stable could tell about your typical mana levels you might even be able to stand up to Sunset Shimmer for a couple of minutes! Now, there’s no reason not to let you out of the hospital as long as you promise to take it easy until you're fully recovered. So if I could just get your name miss?”
Twilight froze, something was very wrong. Nurse Redheart knew who she was and wasn't the kind to play silly jokes like this, especially not while on duty. Plus she mentioned this Sunset Shimmer pony and her power like she was common knowledge, and Twilight knew, despite her fear of seeming like a braggart, that their were very very few ponies in Equestria who could match her in magical combat, and none of them were named Sunset Shimmer. She should know, most had been her professors back at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Something was obviously up, and until she knew what was going on, it was probably safest to play along.
“Miss, are you okay?”
“Oh, sorry nurse, still just a bit out of it I’m afraid. What was your question?”
“Your name please miss.”
“Twilight Sparkle.”
Nurse Redheart jotted down Twilight’s name on a form lying on the bedside table. “You're free to go Miss Sparkle, but do please try and not teleport here from Saddle Arabia or whatever it was you did to deplete yourself into unconsciousness.”
"Thanks you for making sure I was alright. Say, who brought me to the hospital? I should go and thank them.”
“That would have been been Applejack, one the owners of Sweet Apple Acres. They have a stall in the town square, but if they're not open today, their farm is right outside of town to the southeast, you can't miss it.”
"Ok, got it. Thanks again!” Twilight called over her shoulder as she walked out the door into the main hospital corridor and proceed to make her outside.
As Twilight made her way to the market square, she couldn't help but be a bit weirded out by the way everypony kept looking at her. It wasn't an uncomfortable kind of looking, like the kind ponies do to those they are suspicious of. Instead it made Twilight uncomfortable because she had gone through it before. It was the glances thrown at the new person in town and while silently betting about how long it would take Pinkie to throw that person a party. Going through it now, after living here for years and personally getting to know all of the residents, felt odd.. Furthermore, it reinforced her theory that something had happened as she passed through the barrier of the dome earlier that day, something that had made everypony forget her.
Her comfort level was also not helped by all the small changes from the Ponyville that she called home. Most ponies in her situation wouldn't have noticed them, but most ponies weren't as obsessive as Twilight. Flowers were different breeds than last time she had seen them, drainpipes were broken where the had been fixed and fixed where they had been broken, the scorched paving stones from Spike’s last bout of hiccups were unblackened,... BY THE BRIDGE OF FIRE! SPIKE! Twilight felt at once worried and deeply ashamed. How could she have forgotten about her young charge? He had gone through the dome right before she had, and now he was gone!
Twilight, noticing that she was getting more stares than she had been before, attempted to calm herself with logic. There were two situations she could come up with. One, Spike’s draconic resistance to magic had protected him from whatever had happened in the same way her shields had; or two, that Spike had been affected just like the rest of town, which meant that he had never met her, so he had never been hatched, so his egg should still be safe. The second was, in Twilight’s opinion, much more likely. Spike was still a baby dragon, so his resistance to magic wasn't very strong yet, and it definitely wasn't near the level of all of those shields she had cast. Plus, no one had been screaming in good old Ponyville fashion something along the lines of ‘Oh the horror, the HORROR! DRAGON ON THE LOOSE!” So as depressing a thought as it was the Spike hadn't been hatched, it was the one Twilight had to base her actions on.
At this point in her pondering and theorizing, Twilight had made her way to the market square, where she, not paying much attention to her surroundings as she brooded on the idea that she had entered another world where she hadn't been born, ran into a very pink mare, in the process knocking her bag if bits from the top of her saddlebag onto the ground.
“Oh I am so sorry I didn't…...see you there Pinkie?” Twilight started apologizing to her friend but before she could finish, Pinkie had gasped perhaps the loudest gasp Twilight had ever heard from her(1), cocked her head so far to the left it was facing upside down, gasped even louder, than bolted off towards Sugarcube Corner fast than Rainbow Dash after a cup of coffee.
“Ohhh, kayyyy. That was...different.”
A passing blue unicorn stallion chuckled as he lifted Twilight's bit bag up to her with a flash of green magic. “That’s just Pinkie mam, you’ll get used to her.”
Twilight nodded, and taking taking her bag of money in her own magic field replied. “If you say so, and thank you for your kindness.” Inwardly however, Twilight was concerned, she was one of Pinkies best friends and been so long enough to notice patterns in the chaotic pony’s behavior that others might have missed. Relating to this instance was the fact that Pinkie always greeted new ponies to town before she ran of to throw them a party. Still, it was Pinkie Pie, and Twilight had bigger concerns.
With another new question to answer, Twilight decided to temporarily postpone thanking Applejack and make a checklist of what she needed to find out. Setting herself down on a bench gave the market a once over before getting to work. This unfortunately, added some more items to checklist, as some things about the market square had drastically changed. The three biggest concerns: Carousel Boutique, Rarity’s home and place of work, was closed and looked like it had been for years, Derpy was spotted coming out of her old apartment above the post office, and not the combined clock shop/house of Doctor Whooves, which she had moved into after their wedding during Twilights first year in Ponyville, additionally the clock shop wasn't even a clock shop, but a rug store, and had that look to it that indicated it had been so for a long time. Finally, the apple stand was being ran by not Applejack or Big Mac, but their cousin Caramel. Caramel was never left in charge of the stand, he was one of the worst salesponies in Equestria.
Twilight shook her head, this was time for a checklist, not noticing more changes.
1: Ask Caramel where Applejack is so I can thank her. If possible determine why he is running the stall. While there, buy lunch.
2: Thank Applejack
3: Go to library and research what has changed.
3.a Do I exist here?
3.b. If I do not, or am not one of the Elements of Harmony, how where Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, and Sombra dealt with.
3.c who is Sunset Shimmer?
4: Find a place to spend the night.
5: If there is time left in the day, find out why Carousel Boutique is closed.
6: Investigate other changes, starting with the apparent lack of Doctor Whooves(2).
Nodding, Twilight memorized her mental checklist and made her way to the apple stand. On the way she thought to herself, ‘Ok, he’s not going to know who you are, so don't act like you know who he is.’
“Howdy miss! What can I do for you today?” called Caramel as she approached the stand.
“I’d like an apple and a case of fritters please.”
“That’ll be four, no wait five, or was it three? No I was right the first time, four bits. Apologies mam, I ain’t got much a head for numbers.”
“Its quite alright, heres the four bits.” said Twilight as she handed over the money. “Do you know where I can find Applejack? I need to thank her for taking me to the hospital.”
Caramel’s eyes light up in recognition. “So you're the mare she mentioned, you don’t look near as bad as she described yeh.”
“Oh, it wasn't much, just a simple case of using too much magic at once. So is Applejack around?”
“Oh right, she just popped by the bank, she should be back in just a tick.”
Twilight’s face sunk in concern. Sweet Apple Acres, despite its near monopoly on fruit sales in the Ponyville area, could barely make enough money on local profits to keep up with living expenses and property taxes on their land. Before Applejack's mother and father had died in a tragic fire, they had been able to sell their apples in other areas, but AJ’s parents had been the ones with the connections, and they hadn't gotten around to teaching their son or daughter how to manage that aspect of the farm. The Apples could have sold some land, or filed an tax appeal to the princess but the family's stubborn pride prevented that. “She doesn't need a loan does she?”
Caramel broke up laughing, which was about the last reaction Twilight was expecting(3). “A loan? Oh that a brilliant one mam. To think of Sweet Apple Acres needing a lone! Why we've got the personal recommendation of Sunset Shimmer herself! Oh hohoho, a loan!!!” Caramel fell to the ground and continued to laugh his cutie mark of.
Twilight just stared at him for a moment before turning away slowly and dashing of a way from the stallion who's laughter had now devolved into insane giggling.“Right well ummm. I guess that's all. I’ll just go to the bank and thank Applejack, seeyoulaterBY!”
Running toward the bank, Twilight crashed into a pony for the second time this day. Also for the second time this day, that pony was pink, and named appropriately.
Jarred from the impact, Twilight fell to the ground, but Pinkie, who had apparently seen Twilight coming this time, remained standing. Pinkie lifted Twilight to her hooves and looked her right in the eyes. Twilight was disturbed by what she saw. The face staring back at her wasn't the usual happy and chipper Pinkie Pie, it was deathly serious and when Pinkie spoke, her voice was hard and gave no indication of being willing to compromise. “We’re going to my room now. We have some things to talk about.” She then grabbed Twilight with one leg and drug her back to Sugarcube Corner.
On the other side of the market, the blue unicorn who has spoken to Twilight earlier walked into a dark back ally, and a moment late, from the same ally, a bronze colored pegasus leaped into the skies and flew away.
*.Depletion: a condition that occurs when a unicorn, or occasionally pegasus, exhausts or nearly exhausts his or her mana reserves. The condition is theoretically possible in earth ponies, but as they have such large reserves and none of their magical talents involve large sudden mana expenditures, it has never been recorded. Symptoms include fainting, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, being incapable of joining group musical numbers, and a craving for alfalfa and jelly.
1. It’s competitor was the time Pinkie gasped upon learning that the grocery stores supply of sugar had been ruined by a water leak, and that a shipment of more would not be arriving for another two weeks. Many citizens had come to Twilight asking for memory removing spell after the sugar had finally arrived(1.5)
1.5. While horrified, they were polite enough to not want to ask her to cast the same spell on them twice.
2.While not best friends with Derpy. Twilight knew the mailmare well enough and respected her, so she felt that it would be cruel not to investigate what had happened to such a great source of happiness in Derpy’s life. Plus he still owed her an interview for her Temporal Mechanics dissertation.
3. All of the reactions she was expecting even less involved either Discord, Caramel turning into a bizarre bipedal hairless ape, or both.
Chapter 2: Exposition and Understanding are Both Pink
The door to Sugarcube Corner burst open as Pinkie Pie came running through, dragging an unfamiliar lavender unicorn with her.
“Hi Mrs. Cake, by Mrs. Cake! Me and my new friend need to have a private conversation, so we’ll be in my room for a little while.” Without waiting for a reply Pinkie ran up the stairs to her room, continuing to drag the stunned looking unicorn behind her.
Mrs. Cake merely shook her head and got back to restocking the display cabinet. It was almost time for the after school rush, there was not time to worry about Pinkie being Pinkie.
Pinkie drug Twilight into her room and threw her onto a chair. Reaching into her mane with her mouth she pulled out a flashlight and shone it into Twilight’s face.
Twilight yelped in shock. “Gahh! Bright!”
“Alrwrt mssy. Wh rr yo nd wt rr y dunn nn Pnyvll?”
“Umm, I have no idea what you just asked me. Maybe if you took the flashlight out of your mouth and preferably out of my face?”
Pinkie spit the flashlight out of her mouth before saying in her typical upbeat tone, “Oh, sorry, didn’t realize it was gonna be that bright.” She then switched back to the deadly serious tone she had used the second time Twilight had run into her. “Alrighty missy. Who are you and what are you doing in Ponyville?”
Twilight was proud of her ability to react in-suspiciously to one of her best friends asking her name as if they had never met before. “I’m Twilight Sparkle from Canterlot.” Unfortunately she did not have the same pride in her excuse of being in Ponyville. “I here for, um, research. Yes! I’m researching the Everfree Forest.”
“A likely story. Alright then ‘Twilight Sparkle’, if that is your real name, explain to me this: how come I didn’t know that you had come into town? I didn’t even get a scratchy tongue.”
“Is that your Pinkie Sense for ‘there's somepony new in town’?” Immediately after asking her question Twilight froze and thought to herself, “Oh dear, just like the rest of town she doesn't know me, so I shouldn’t know about her Pinkie Sense. Now she’s not going to let me go unless I explain to her how I know about it, and I can't tell her the truth because she’ll think I’m insane. For Celestia’s sake, the whole situation is almost making me think I’m insane!”
Pinkie, ignorant of Twilight’s mental ramblings, responded. “No, its my Pinkie sense for ‘there's somepony new in town and I should throw them a PARTY!’(*) Pinkie paused, running over the rest of Twilight’s response in her head. “Waaaiiittt! How do you know about my Pinkie Sense? I’ve never met you before.”
“Well you see…”
“And don’t say I forgot meeting you, I remember everypony I meet.”
Twilight’s face fell, there went that ‘get out of awkward conversation free’(1) card.
“Ooooo wait! Let me guess! You're from an alternate world and you're a hairless-clothes wearing-monkeyey high school student there and you're here looking for a cheap plastic crown because without it you can’t be crowned princess of the school dance, taking away the title from the school bully, thus proving some overused moral about why cliques are bad, not that they aren't, they really are, but its just been done soooo many times now, and why do you even need the crown really? Can't they just go and buy another one? But anyway, if you don't get it back soon you can't return through the portal to your world which has some really really inconvenient time limit on it.”
“Wait what? That's completely ridiculous! And how does that explain me knowing about your Pinkie Sense?”
Pinkie’s mane deflated a little bit. “Darn, I really really wanted to have a friend from another world! Oh and obviously in the other world you and an alternate me; who also has a Pinkie Sense because she is, after all, a Pinkie Pie; were best friends, so that me would have already thrown you a party, so there would be no need for the this me me to do so!”
Struggling to follow Pinkies logic, Twilight grasped onto the thread of hope amidst the confusion. If Pinkie had been willing to believe that insanity, maybe she would believe what had actually happened! She should have never doubted her friend, even if said friend had no idea who she was at the moment. “Well actually, what you said isn’t completely wrong. You see…”
Pinkie interrupted again, “So you ARE from another world! YEY!”
“Well maybe, I’m not sure what exactly happened yet. Anyway, I was going out lunch with my number one assistant/little brother/adopted son Spike…”
“Spike? That doesn’t sound like a pony name.”
“He’s a baby dragon. Could you please not interrupt, I don't want to lose my train of thought.’”
Pinkie nodded, made a lip-zipping motion, followed by a locking one, followed by one where she threw the key across the room, then motioned Twilight to continue.
“Right, so we were going to the market square from the library, where we stayed, when I spotted this big dome of something approaching from Canterlot. For some reason Spike couldn’t see it and it was approaching too fast for us to run away, so I cast as many shield spells as I could manage to protect us. I couldn’t get to Spike in time, so he went through the wall of the dome unprotected. Most of my shields got torn to shreds, but whatever the dome was made of didn’t touch me. When I got to the inside Spike had disappeared and I collapsed from magical exhaustion. When I woke up I found that a lot of in Ponyville had changed, and nopony knew who I was. Not even you, one of my best friends.”
“So you are best friends with a me from another world! Cool! And sad, since you're here, probably have no idea how to get back and none of your friends remember who you are. Oh Celestia! I was all suspicious of you and as far as you're concerned we’re best friends! Oh that must have felt terrible! I’m so so sorry!”
“No no, its okay, I completely understand why you acted that way, it must have been disconcerting to have a see a new face in town without expecting it if you have expected all the past ones. You must have thought I was a changeling or something. Umm have you had those here?”
“Oh oh! Those are the creepy bug-pony shapeshifter things right? Yeah, they tried to invade Canterlot during Princess Cadence’s wedding a while back. I wasn’t there, but I really wanted to be, that must have been the BEST PARTY EVER. Well, after the changelings were dealt with.”
“The wedding happened?! Quick! Who was Cadence marrying?”
Pinkie tried to remember the grooms name, her facial expression growing more confused as she went. “Ummm, somepony named Glowing Shield? No wait, it was Shimmering Aegis! No, hats not right either. Uh, Scintillating Escutcheon?”
“Shining Armour?”
“YES! That was it. Much better name than Scintillating Escutcheon. Do you know him?”
Twilight sighed in relief. “He’s my brother. If he exists and married Cadence, than maybe I do exist in this world and just never moved to Ponyville. They did meet when Cadence was foalsitting me. How was the changeling invasion repelled? In my world Shining Armor and Cadence blasted them all off with a giant burst of their love for each-other.”
“Well here Princess Celestia and Sunset Shimmer blasted the changeling queen with their magic and then helped the guards take down the ones sacking the city.”
“Who is Sunset Shimmer anyway? I’ve heard her mentioned a couple of times since passing through the dome, but never before that.”
Pinkie gasped. “You didn’t have Sunset Shimmer? But she’s only the most AWESOME PONY EVER! Even Rainbow Dash thinks so, and that mare has a seriously over inflated ego. She’s the Princess’s personal student, adviser, personal champion, and she got named Defender of the Realm when she helped Celestia blast that meanie Nightmare Moon! How did Nightmare Moon get defeated in your world?”
“You, me, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy all used the Elements of Harmony to defeat her. I suppose Sunset Shimmer must be this world's Element of Magic, who are the others?”
“The Elements of what?”
“You don’t know what the Elements of Harmony are? But then how was Princess Luna freed from Nightmare Moon?”
Pinkie looked confused as her mind drew a blank on the name ‘Luna’. “Who’s Princess Luna?”
Twilight paled. Pinkie Pie didn’t know what the Elements of Harmony were or who Princess Luna was. Which meant. “Oh by Faust! Princess Luna never got freed from the corruption of the Nightmare! How is Celestia coping?”
“Wait, Luna is Nightmare Moon? And why would her not being freed be so hard on Celestia? Is she her sister or something?”
“Yes”
Pinkie’s face lit up in shock, and then it and her hair sunk down depressively. “Oh. Oh. OH. Wow that's sad. That means Celestia locked away her sister for a thousand years after she got taken over by the meanie Nightmare and she must have intended to use the Elements of Harmony to save her, but she couldn't so she had to imprison her again under Canterlot instead.”
“Imprisoned below Canterlot?”
“Uh-hu. With their combined powers and some help from the Royal Guard, Celestia and Sunset managed to seal Nightmare Moon in the catacombs below Canterlot.”
“Ok, so that's what happened to Nightmare Moon. So how about the dragon the was threatening to cover all of Equestria with smoke? Or the Ursa Minor that rampaged through Ponyville? Or King Sombra when he tried to retake the Crystal Empire?”
“Sunset blasted em all with her awesome magical powers! I told ya, she’s the most awesome pony EVER!”
“Did she blast Discord?”
Pinkie once again drew a blank on the name Twilight had just said “Who?
“Discord, the Spirit of Chaos? He turned the town into his own personal chaos park and made it rain chocolate milk from cotton-candy clouds? We imprisoned him in stone again using the Elements of Harmony. They are the only thing that can defeat him.” Twilight wasn't sure how she felt about this difference. Although Fluttershy had managed to reform him, Twilight still wasn't sure that his reformation wasn't some sort of elaborate hoax he was putting on. Though the patience to do such a thing didn't seem to match his personality, he was the spirit of chaos so trying to discern just what he would or wouldn't do could very well be futile.
Pinkie replied with a confused look on her face. “Raining chocolate milk? That sounds AWESOME! Why did alternate me and the rest of our friends have to re-imprison him?”
“Before Celestia and Luna sealed him away for the first time Discord did a lot of terrible things to a lot of ponies. He’s very dangerous and very cruel. Although Fluttershy did manage to reform him. I hope. Speaking of Fluttershy, what happened to her, Rainbow Dash and Rarity in this world? I already know that Sunset Shimmer endorsed Applejack’s farm, so they’re apparently really rich now or something.”
Pinke grinned. “Uh-hu! They've got loads and loads of bits now! Why, they could’ve replaced all-of Granny Smiths hips, not just the one that was bad. Hmm, well Fluttershy and Big Macintosh got married, seems like once he got some money to his name he felt that he would be able to properly support her, and oh but aren't they just the cutest couple ever? Why, everytime I see them I want to throw a ‘Cutest Couple Ever’ party, but they put their hooves down after the fifth one, said the attention was embarrassing or something. Sunset Shimmer hired Rarity to be her personal tailor after seeing her dresses when she came here to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration, so Rarity moved to Canterlot shortly afterwards. And Rainbow Dash finally worked up the nerve to audition for the Wonderbolts when Sunset saw her do some of her tricks and convinced her that they were so amazing that if the Wonderbolts didn’t take her that she would personally get Spitfire fired for not recognizing talent when she saw it. Dashie is just starting her final month of training, so she’s moved into Wonderbolts HQ full time. Did anything like that happen in your world?”
Twilight shook her head. “No. We all still live here in Ponyville. The Apples are still relying on the zap-apple harvest and cider sales to get them through the year, Big Mac still doesn’t feel like he’s worthy of Fluttershy, Rarity still works at the Carousel Boutique, although her sales bean improving drastically since she began doing work for Sapphire Shores, Hoity Toity and Fancy Pants. As for Rainbow, she only just joined the Wonderbolts Academy.” Twilight's face turned pensive. “It, it sounds like that my friends lives might have been better with Sunset as Celestia’s student instead of me.”
Pinkie immediately launched herself at Twilight and hugged her. “Now don't be a silly-filly! I know all of our friends really well, and they would never ever ever give up a best friend for material goods and personal accolades. Friendship is worth more than anything else in the whole wide world! And Sunset Shimmer, despite all she’s done for us and for Equestria, doesn’t seem to be very big on making friends. Now, you know what will make you feel better?”
“A cupcake?” Twilight asked, grinning weakly as Pinkie released her from the hug.
“And if there was any doubt in my mind that you were lying about the whole ‘best friend from another world thing’ it would have disappeared right there! You know me so well! But I already believed you so nothing went poof.” Pinkie rambled as she reached behind her back and pulled out a cupcake gave it to Twilight. “But you are going to need more than a cupcake for this one.” Pinkie reached behind her back again and produced a stack of bits and gave them to Twilight as well.
“Money? Why are you giving me money?”
“Why, so you can take the train to Canterlot, find your family, because if you were right about your brother and Cadence you should still exist here, so they should know who you are. And right now, you look like you need someone who remembers you. Plus, if you're in Canterlot, you can talk to Celestia and Sunset Shimmer. If you are from another world, I’m sure they can get you home.”
“Thank you so much! I cant believe I didn’t think about that myself, if I truly am in another world, surely the Princess can get me back home. How can I thank you?”
“Well, if this is a different world than the one you came from, and you manage to find a way home, just make sure to tell me, so that I can make friends with this world’s you. And if you cant? Well then promise that we can still be friends! One can never have enough superdy-dooper awesome friends after all. “
A small tear fell from Twilight's eye. “Thank you so so much! Just, thank you!”
Pinkie grinned, as she began pushing Twilight toward the door “Now go on, get out of here, if you hurry you should be able to catch the afternoon train to Canterlot. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your family.”
Twilight laughed, her first real, happy laugh since waking up in this oddly different world as she began to canter down the stairs, out the door and to the train station. “Thanks again Pinkie Pie!”
Mrs Cake watched the lavender unicorn run out the door, then turned her head to Pinkie Pie who was calmly walking down the stairs. “Did everything go ok with your new friend dearie?”
“Yepperonie! She got a bit sad for a while, but I gave her a cupcake and some good advice; cheered her right back up. She’s off to see her family in Canterlot now, I hope it goes well.”
“Oh? Is she on bad terms with them or something.”
“No, not bad terms, but definitely something. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go to the library and look somethings up. Twilight talked about some stuff that sounded really interesting, and I want to know more about it.” With that, Pinkie hopped out the door and down the road towards the library.
*The scratchy tongue is for ‘there's somepony new in town and I should throw them a PARTY!’ as opposed to the itchy tongue, which is ‘there's somepony new in town and I should throw them a party.(A)’ and the numb tongue, which is either “I just bit my tongue really hard’ or ‘there's somepony new in town and I should definitely not throw them a party.’
A. The exact differences between a party and a PARTY! is known only to masters of the art. The only difference known to common ponies that variety of drinks present is much greater at a PARTY!.
1. Since Equestria has a very low crime rate its version of Monopoly has ‘stuck in awkward conversation’ instead of jail and ‘meet with a parent that you haven't talked to in over a year’ instead of go to jail.
A bronze pegasus touched down on a small ledge on the side of a nondescript mountain to the west of Canterlot. His features were forgettable; a single colored and dull coat with a with an mane the same dull bronze of the coat done in the most common of styles. His cutie mark was likewise boring, a simple trio of white clouds, most likely indicating that he, like so many of his winged kind, had skill and work in the weather service. His features, while bland and forgettable, are fortunately unimportant as they promptly disappeared in rush of green flames.
In his place stood a creature with chitinous skin that was pitch black, except on the two large back plates which were a deep blue. The eyes were also blue, but light and cerulean, as were the two membranous wings. The legs and tail were pocked with holes and the head sported a short slightly curved and very pointy horn. Once, its visage was unknown in the lands of Equestria, but after the failed invasion of Canterlot, all knew its name. Changeling.
Though it was perhaps more accurate to say that all knew the name of its species. This particular changeling went by the name of Procuticle when amongst his own kind. After a quick but unnecessary glance around to determine if any one was watching, Procuticle pressed his right hoof against a nondescript rock on the mountain wall. A small portion of the mountain wall started to shift, slowly revealing a small tunnel. Procuticle walked inside, and pressing a much more noticeable rock on the inside wall, caused the mountain wall to return to its original position. When the passage fully sealed itself and the darkness became absolute, Procuticle cast a small spark of green magic from his horn, triggering bioluminescent fungi on the walls and ceiling of the passage to light up. Now able to see, he began the long walk to the hive.
It was hard to tell how long the walk took with no sun or moon to mark the passage of time, but Procuticle finally arrived at the opening to the cavernous expanse of the changeling hive. In his way stood two changelings that stood perhaps a hoof-length taller than him. They both looked at him in confusion for a brief moment before the one on the right spoke up. “Procuticle(*)? You aren't due back for another three weeks. You didn’t get found out did you? By Chrysalis, its getting harder and harder for you harvesters(1) to stay hidden now that people are on the lookout for us.”
“No Labium, no one found me out.”
“Why are you back so soon then? Fill up already? Did you replace a stallion with a particularly, amorous, fillyfriend(2)?”
“No, no, nothing of the sort, I just found something that the queen is going to want to hear right away.”
The changeling on the left perked up. “Ohhh! Do tell! I’m always in the mood for some exciting news.”
Procuticle shook his head, “I really shouldn't tell you Stylet. I cant be sure what the the Queen will do with this information, so I shouldn't get the rest of the hive’s hopes up before hand. I just hope she thinks that its worth potentially ditching my identity completely for.”
Both Stylet and Labium gasped. Lanium recovered first and asked in shock “You bailed? Didn't even let the guy you're replacing go? Wow, you must really think you have something important.”
“I sure hope I do.”
Both guards stepped aside. This time Stylet spoke. “Well then, you’d better get to the queen if what you have is important enough to bail for.”
As he trotted past them into the hive, Procuticle called back to the guards, “Wish me luck guys!”
“Hive’s luck to you Procuticle!” both called back.
Procuticle made a beeline to the center of the hive were Chrysalis’s chambers were. Large and glowing a sickly green, they were noticeable from the entirety of the hive. As he approached the doors he called out to the guards. “Harvest Procuticle, reporting with urgent news for the Queen.”
The royal guard, distinguished by her(3) dark blue metallic armor, looked at him with confusion. “A harvester with urgent news? That's the job of an infiltrator(4).”
“Yes, well, its not like I meant to stumble across who I did. These things do happen.”
“I suppose they do. But if I find out that you’re wasting the Queen’s time, I will make you wish you hadn’t. And if she does so first, I’ll make you wish you hadn’t been hatched instead. Her Majesty's condition is still delicate.”
The royal guard motioned to one of the lesser guards at the door, who proceeded to open it. As Procuticle walked past the royal guard he said to her. “That won’t be necessary.” Then muttering quietly to himself, “I hope.”
From the outer doors to the chambers it was only a short walk to the audience room. Upon entering, Procuticle immediately bowed until he was announced by a herald. “Harvest Procuticle comes with urgent news your Majesty.”
From the throne on the other end of the room came the weak voice of the changeling queen. “You may rise harvester, though know that if this is about anything short of the Equestrian’s discovering the whereabouts of the hive I will be most displeased.”
Procuticle rose shakily to his hooves and looked as his queen. She still, even over slightly a year after her battle with Celestia and Sunset Shimmer, looked terribly beaten and exhausted. He hadn’t witnessed the fight personally, but the knew from gossip amongst the hive that Chrysalis, despite having Celestia on the ropes for the beginning of the battle, had barely managed to give give the order to retreat and teleport herself away to safety before that accursed Sunset Shimmer had joined in the fight. The burns were Sunset had blasted her with a gout of fire so hot that the guards present at the fight claimed it felt like the sun had entered the room were still present and her wings had only just begun to heal from being burnt to cinders.
“My Queen, I bring you now news of despair, but of what I hope to be joy. While harvesting in the small town of Ponyville this morning I ran into a young unicorn mare. When I helped her pick up some things she had dropped, her appreciation was enough for me to catch a glimpse of the power that she held. I do not claim to be an expert on these matters, but from my past experiences with unicorns it seemed to me, um well it seemed to me…” Procuticle paused out of nervousness. Only now did the true enormity of what he had found really sink in.
“Out with it already harvester! I require much rest to recover, and your inability to finish your report only delays the date at which I am restored to my full glory.”
Procuticle gulped. “Y-y-yes my queen. M-mmy apologies my queen. The mare I found was magically drained, near full depletion even, but even so, she had more magic in her than any unicorn I have ever met before. Your Majesty, I feel that if she was fully recovered, she might even be able to stand against Sunset Shimmer.”
Procuticle now had the rare privilege of seeing the Queen of the Changelings stunned, though she did recover quickly and proceeded to ask. “And what is the name of this pony that could be the instrument of our revenge? You did make sure to get her name harvester Procuticle, did you not?”
“N-n-oo your majesty, I apologize that in my haste to report this news I did not. But I can show you exactly what she looks like.” A wave of green fire washed over Procuticle, and in the place of the dark chitinous skinned changeling stood a lavender unicorn with a purple mane and a starburst cutie mark.
Chrysalis turned her head to a changeling standing off to the side. "Adviser Tympanal, I want all infiltrators looking for this pony. All of them. Even the ones already on assignment. Have them start in Canterlot, something about her looks familiar. Find me this unicorn. Find her and bring her to me. I shall have my revenge against that accursed SUNSET SHIMMER!”
*. While nearly identical to outsiders, changelings are able to identify each-other via the placement of their holes. This process, as well as their skill at infiltration, is aided by a near species wide possession of eidetic memories. 1. Harvester: a changeling who infiltrates pony society for the purpose of gathering emotional energy. 2.While the harvesting of emotional energy is done at all times from the target, the process is greatly increased during physical intimacy. 3. Changeling females are near indistinguishable from males(other than the queen obviously). The only noticeable outward difference is a green tint to the eyes. 4. Infiltrator: a changeling who infiltrates pony society for the sole purpose of gathering intelligence.
Chapter 3: A Shining Example of Loyalty: Part 1 of 3
The train arrived in Canterlot just as the sun began dropping below the horizon. The trip had been exceptionally boring, and Twilight wasn't very used to riding trains; on the rare occasion she had to leave town when she still been living in Canterlot as Celestia’s student the princess had lent her use of one of the royal chariots. Since moving to Ponyville she had taken the train a few times, but always with her friends, whose antics had kept her entertained enough that she hadn’t realized how comparatively long and boring train rides were. Twilight quickly got off and started toward her parents house. As glad of the chance to stretch her legs and to get away from the boredom of the train as she was, she couldn’t help feel nervous, so much in Ponyville had changed and nopony there remembered her, what if her parents didn’t either? Sure Shining and Cadence still had gotten married and they had first met when Cadence had foalsat her, but that didn't mean that the two couldn’t have met some other way. Shining was captain of the guard, perhaps he had met her that way instead?
Looking around as she made her made her way through the streets she couldn't be sure if the changes she did see in Canterlot were caused by whatever dimensional weirdness the dome had done, or if it was simply a matter of her not seeing the city every day like she had in her youth. Certainly nothing major had changed, the majestic buildings still gleamed white and gold in the dying light and the guards armor polished so bright you could see your reflection in it like a mirror. As Twilight walked through the streets she noticed that there were more guards around than she remembered. Though that was probably an aftereffect of the changeling invasion. Nopony had been expecting it and she knew that guard had ramped up recruitment in response to assure the populace that something similar wouldn’t happen again. She just hadn’t stuck around Canterlot long enough to see the results.
Twilight was busy worrying about what would happen if her family didn’t know who she was so she wasn’t paying much attention as she rounded the corner onto the street her family's house was on. Thus, for the third time this day Twilight ran right in to somepony. Just like the last two times, it was sompony she knew.
“Shining!?” Twilight yelped out in surprise, then paused, realizing her brother had done the same with her name. They both stood in silence for a brief moment, waiting on the other to continue. Finally Twilight broke the silence, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the Crystal Empire with Cadence?” She paused again, as Shining Armour had asked her almost the exact same question, except inquiring as to why she wasn’t visiting the Crystal Empire with their parents and Spike.
Shining Armor took a step backward, his sister doing the same. He looked at her curiously, noting that she was doing the same. What was Twiley doing in Canterlot? She was supposed to be visiting Cadence in the Crystal Empire with their parents and Spike. An why was she surprised to see him here? He had told her and their parents that he wouldn’t be there to greet them because Celestia had called him back to Canterlot to discuss the situation with the griffins. Their trains had passed each other between the two cities. He had even waved to her. There was no way she could have gotten back to Canterlot so fast, trains going all the way to the Crystal Empire were far between. And why was she surprised to see him here?
He came to a sudden realization; the mare standing before him wasn’t his sister, but a changeling impostor. They must have planned to infiltrate the castle with somepony who frequented the castle enough that their comings and goings wouldn’t be paid much attention to. Perhaps they were even after information stored in some of the restricted sections of the Canterlot library, which Twilight had gotten access to in pursuit of her various degrees. They must not have known he was back in Canterlot and that his sister wouldn’t even be in the city, not surprisingly, as his family’s trip had been taken on short notice and Celestia had kept his return quite.
Reacting with reflexes honed by countless hours of combat practice, he enclosed the changeling in one of his signature shields and lifted it into the air. “You may look like my sister, but you made a crucial mistake in your charade changeling, my sister is far to the north in the Crystal Empire right now. You’re coming with me and you’re going to tell us everything there is to know about your hive.”
The changeling sputtered, obviously attempting to feign innocence. “Wha, huh? Wait, no, I’m not a. SHINING ARMOR, WHAT THE HAY ARE YOU DOING? I. AM. NOT. A CHANGELING! I’m your sister!”
Shining merely laughed and began heading down the street towards the nearest guardhouse, floating the shield bubble containing his prisoner alongside him. “You’re not going to convince me, changeling scum. I’m going to drag you to the nearest guardhouse, and then we are going to make you tell us everything there is to know about your hive.”
The changeling paled, no doubt realizing that not only had it failed its infiltration mission, but now was going to be providing its enemy with information. “I, I assume you’re going to try and dispel the illusion that I don’t have up before you interrogate me?” it said, nervousness evident in its voice.
“Of course, it would be very hard seeing something that looked like my little sister getting knocked around, even though I know that you're only a love stealing bug. Celestia, if I was any good at illusion magic I would be getting you out of that form this instant. And stop trying to play the ‘I’m not a changeling’ line. You’re not going to convince me.”
His words seemed to calm the changeling, but he suspected it was merely another attempt to convince him that the bug was actually his sister. “Well I guess I can just wait it out then, I’ll just end up being proved right, and then I’ll be able to tease you about this until the day you day.”
“Listen, you’re not going to convince me, so please stop trying.”
“Fine fine. Its not like I wont be proved right shortly anyway.”
Shining rolled his eyes, and walked on in silence toward the nearest guardhouse. When he arrived he knocked on the door and announced his presence “OY! Open up you grunts! Its Shining Armor(*), and I’ve caught myself a changeling.”
After a clatter of hooves, the door creaked open to reveal a single tired looking earth pony stallion. He was wearing the dark blue armor of the Nightguard, which was enchanted to make his coat and mane the regulation grey and white. The eye shaped light blue stone set on its front marked him as a second lieutenant(1). Upon realizing that the pony at the door was indeed Shining Armor and not some delinquent pulling a prank he stepped aside and snapped to attention, thought he couldn't keep himself from grinning madly at the news.
“Sir! Excellent news sir. I knew that the search for the changeling hive would go better with you here sir.”
As he walked in the door, Shining motioned the guard to stand down. “I’m not your boss anymore lieutenant, so you don’t need to salute me. And no need to call me sir either.”
“Sorry, old habits. I guess I should call you prince now?”
“Please don’t, I can’t help but compare myself to Blueblood when anypony does that.”
“So umm, Mr. Armor then?”
“That will work just fine. Now, if you could show me to your most secure holding cell? I’d like to be able to drop this shield sometime soon.”
“Of course, right this way.” The guard led Shining a little ways into the building where the holding cells were. Stopping in front of one he opened its door. “This one here should hold the changeling. Sunset Shimmer enchanted the bars herself.”
He unceremoniously moved the shield bubble containing the changeling disguised as his sister into the cell and stopped the spell, dropping the changeling to the ground with a slight “oomph”. He shut the cell door as the changeling muttered “Geeze, no need to be so rough about it.”
Ignoring her, he began walking to the office area next the street entrance. “It seems awful empty around here lieutenant, where is everypony?”
The Nightguard lieutenant followed close behind him. “Sargent Spyglass is leading patrol with most of the garrison, and Sargent Willow Whisp is polishing up the spare sets of armor, she’s very particular about getting the shine just so.”
“Ah. Still, there should be at least a couple more guards here than just the two of you.”
“Quite a few of the Nocturnes caught some disease, from what I heard its kinda like feather-flu, just without the, well, feathers. I decided that it was more important to have the street patrols at full strength than have ponies at the guardhouse nopony ever visits. Especially with relationships with the griffins as they are now, we need to show the populace that the guard is here to protect them.”
“Good thinking lieutenant… I don’t believe I caught your name?”
“It’s Shake Spear Mr. Armor.”
“Alright then. We should get down to business on what we are going to do with the changeling. Do you have anyone skilled with illusions or truth magic? I’d like to get the changelings disguise dispelled so we can begin interrogations.”
Shake Spear’s face drew itself into a confused expression. “Why do we need the disguise down to interrogate the prisoner? And, um, since you're not a member of the guard anymore I’m not sure you are actually allowed to be present during the interrogation.”
“Celestia reinstated my clearance so that I could better consult on the griffin situation, so while I no longer am captain of the guard, I am currently acting under the employ of the monarchy. As for the changeling, I can’t promise that I would behave rationally if the interrogations got rough.” Shining paused for a moment and took a calming breath before continuing. “The bug is imponynating my sister. That's how I knew it was a changeling, Twilight is in the Crystal Empire right now.”
“Ah, completely understood. And you would be helpful to the interrogation, seeing as you're one of the few ponies who has ever talked to a changeling. Well we shouldn’t have to wait long to begin, Spyglass’s patrol is due to report in soon, and he’s a unicorn whose special talent is discovering the truth. Perfect for dispelling changeling disguises, and for leading the interrogation. He’s even got certification as an official interrogator.”
Nodding his head, Shining replied. “Excellent. Now, while we wait, catch me up on all the latest gossip amongst the guard. How is my replacement, Captain(2) Patton, doing?”
After chatting about the state of the guard and the current political climate for about fifteen minutes, the two stallions stood up upon hearing the opening of the front door and the clatter of armored hooved that signaled the return of the rest of the garrison from patrol. Shining Armor and Lieutenant Spear walked into the main hallway to greet them.
After his subordinates had caught sight of him and saluted, Shake Spear started issuing orders.
“Alright ponies, first off, the situation. Our old commander Shining Armor has managed to capture a changeling, so we’re going to begin interrogations. Spyglass, go upstairs and fetch Willow Whisp. I don’t care how much she complains about the spare armor not being polished correctly, she’ll be useful for this. Meet us in the cell blocks. Corporal Carrot, you reorganize the remainder of tonights patrols. Make sure to leave behind two of our best fighters in case things get out of hand with the prisoner, I don’t want to take any chances. The rest of you, write your reports and then be prepared to continue patrolling as usual. Hop to it!”
After finishing, he turned around and headed towards the cells, while the other guard members hurried about their assigned tasks.
In short order, a group of six ponies assembled themselves in the guardhouse’s cellblock. Shake Spear, Shining Armor and Spyglass stood closest to the cell. Two Earth Pony guards wielding halberds stood blocking the doorway to the rest of the gaurdhouse and a short nocturne mare sat off to the side at a desk with a pen and pad of paper.
Shake Spear spoke first, addressing the seated Nocturne. “Sergeant Willow Whisp, before we begin is there any official procedure or regulations that we need to follow during this interrogation or before we begin?”
Willow Whisp pulled out a rather thick binder from the desk and leafed through it nodding to herself before responding. “From Section 8 of ‘Rules and Regulations of the Equestrian Military.’ 1.B: During peacetime, the princess or a duly authorized representative needs to be informed of the capture of a prisoner before interrogation begins. Additionally from 2.A: Any individual present during the interrogation of an individual who has been confirmed as, either as an individual or a member of a group, classified as a second level or higher threat to Equestria as a whole or her allies, must possess at least yellow level security clearance. Lastly, from 4.A.3: Except in times of immediate and overwhelming threat to the nation, the interrogation must conform to the regulations set forth by the Summit for Acceptable Practices during Warfare of 1513 R.R.(3)”
Shake Spear nodded. “ I’ve done a firesending to the palace, Shining Armor’s clearance has been reinstated to allow him to better consult on the current griffin problems, and as Members of the Royal Guard, we all have at least yellow level clearance; so we’re covered in those respects. I’ve read the guidelines, and I know Shining has, they're required reading for anypony of First Lieutenant rank and up. And Spylgass is a certified interrogator, so no problems there, Willow, with your near encyclopedic knowledge of any and all regulations I imagine you have as well?”
“I have. In-fact, I just reread it last week. Looks like were good to go then.”
The prisoner rolled her eyes and spoke up. “You know, that discussion was completely unnecessary. All you had to do was have Spyglass cast whatever anti-illusion magic he knows at me, prove I’m not a changeling, and bang, no need for an interrogation.” The guards completely ignored her, prompting her to groan. “Fiiinneee, don't let me make your job easier.”
“Right then, lets get this started shall we?” Shining asked the assembled guards. “Spyglass if you could start by dispelling the changelings disguise?”
“Um, is there a reason sir? I’m perfectly capable of interrogating the prisoner as is.”
“The changeling is disguised as my younger sister. While I should be able to keep myself emotionally detached from situation, I don't want to take any chances. And as me and Lieutenant Shake Spear discussed earlier, I am the closest thing we have to a changeling expert, so my input might prove useful.”
“That makes since.” Spyglass took a moment to get himself into a solid spellcasting stance. “Here it goes.” He took a deep breath, and then tendrils of red light shot from his horn and wrapped themselves around the prisoner's body. They stayed there for about a minute before fading away, but the prisoner hadn’t turned back into a changeling.
Willow Whisp looked at Spyglass critically. “I thought you were good at this kind of thing. Nothing happened.”
“This is going to take some time. I’ve never dealt with changeling magic before, so I have no idea what manner of spell is the most effective. It’s probably going to take me some time to find one that will recognize the illusion, then I can work on dispelling it. And I’m sure none of the general purpose ones will work because otherwise changelings would be getting revealed left and right. The more specific ones take much more time to cast, so this could take a while.” With that Spyglass cast another spell at the prisoner.
True to his word, some forty five minutes later, Spyglass hadn't made any progress on dispelling the changelings disguise. Huffing, he finished casting one final spell before falling back on his haunches. “I've tried everything I could think of, short of casting Clover’s Zone of Truth, which I don't think I could even pull off. I’d probably depleted myself into unconsciousness if I tried. Nothing I've tried has even recognized the changeling as being under an illusion. I’m starting to think whatever magic they use on themselves is an actual shapechange. That would be much harder to dispel.”
The prisoner facehooved. “Celestia I’m an idiot! Clover’s Zone of Truth! I should have cast that spell at the beginning. I’ll probably faint from doing this, drained as I am, but it will definitely prove that I’m not a changeling” Her horn lit up with an intense neon-red glow.
Before Shining Armor and the guards could react, a brilliant wave of red light swept out from the prisoner’s horn across the room. In its wake the spells on the guards armor that made their coats and manes the regulation colors faded. Shake Spear had gone from white maned and grey coated to black and brown while Spyglass had changed to a light grey and gold. The two guards at the door both now had red coats, one with a white mane, the other blue. Willow Whisp, with her natural Nocturne coloring an acceptable color scheme for the Nightguard, went unchanged, as did Shining Armor, who wasn't wearing any armor; and if he had been wearing his old armor, was of an acceptable coloration for day guard unicorns anyway. To the shock of Shining Armor and Spyglass, the unicorn mare in the cell had also gone unchanged, though she had dropped to the ground unconscious.
There was silence as everypony tried to figure out what had just happened. Willow Whisp was the first to speak up. “Ok, what the hay was that? The enchantments on the guard armor are some of the toughest there are, no spell should just get rid of them in one go. And,” she continued, motioning at Shining and Spyglass,”why are you two looking at the prisoner in shock?”
Spyglass, as this was his area of expertise, took the lead on the explanations. “She just cast Clover’s Zone of Truth. The spell is pretty much the most foolproof spells ever invented, and removes or identifies all illusions, shapechanges, and pretty much any other kind of magical trickery you could think of.”
“But how do you know that she actually cast the spell? Couldn't she have faked it?”
“No, you can’t fake the casting of that spell. At least not without any unicorns nearby who haven’t even the slightest clue about how illusions work. We can feel it in our horns. I couldn't explain to you the specifics, not unless you had a good three years of background in advanced magical theory, but no, you can't fake that spell.”(4)
This time Shake Spear was the one with a question. “Alright, if the spell is so perfect, why doesn't it get cast whenever illusions need dispelled?”
“For one, the spell is ridiculously overpowered for most situations. You saw how it just tore through the enchantments on our armor. Imagine using that on your everyday criminal’s disguise. It would be like using a Wonderbolt strike team to save a cat up a tree. For two, since its so powerful it’s also incredibly taxing. I mentioned before that I probably couldn't be able to pull it off, but if I did, I would land myself on leave for a weak due to depletion. And finally, its complicated as Tartarus. I understand the theory behind it and how to cast it, but for someone who wasn't either a genius, spent months trying to understand it, or had an appropriate talent, casting it would be impossible. There’s probably only a hoof-full of ponies in all of Equestria who could pull it off safely.”(5)
“Then that means the mare in the cell is actually…..” Shake Spear trailed off, afraid of voicing his conclusion in case he was wrong. He and the rest of the guards all turned toward Shining Armor, who was still staring at the young purple unicorn lying unconscious in the cell.
Conscious of their gaze, Shining finished Shake Spear’s question. “Actually my little sister Twilight. Yes. I don’t know how, but this is without a doubt, despite the fact that there is no way she could have gotten back from the Crystal Empire so quickly. my sister.”
*. After he and Princess Cadence became ruler of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor was forced to give up his position as captain of the royal guard, as he now ruled a technically separate, if allied, country.
1. The rank order of the Equestrian Military is the same as that of the United States army, with the exception that there is no warrant officer rank. Ranks with grades such as the various sergeants and generals are simplified down to only one rank, with the exception of first and second lieutenant. In times of war, a supreme commander will be chosen from amongst the generals(A) and, if one exists at the time, the Defender of the Realm.
A. The Captain of the Royal Guard is considered a general, not a captain, for all practical purposes, including eligibility for being chosen supreme commander. The title is a holdover from before the city was Equestria’s capital. When Celestia decided to make it the capital after the Castle of the Two Sisters was mostly destryoed during her fight with Nightmare Moon, the town guard was re-purposed into their personal guard, but as they continued to serve as the cities primary defensive force, the name stuck. When introduced at formal events, the full title ‘Captain of the Royal Guard’ is used to differentiate from those with the rank captain. Upon his promotion, Shining Armor smashed the previous record for youngest pony to hold the post by a good seven years.
3. R.R. referring to Royal Rule, started following the election of Princesses Celestia and Luna to absolute rule of Equestria following their defeat of Discord. Luna’s transformation to Nightmare Moon and the following battle that ended with her sealed in the moon took place during 594 R.R. The present year is 1597 R.R.
4. While not as prolific a spell inventor as her mentor Starswirl the Bearded, Clover the Clever spells tended to be much more thorough. The attention to detail she possessed puts even Rarity to shame, and her love of absolute certainty outweighed even Sombra’s love for crystals.
5. In the aftermath of the Changeling attack on Canterlot, a theory emerged amongst historians that Clover had originally developed the zone of truth spell for the purpose of detecting changelings, as no illusions spells known to ponies at the time would necessitate such a powerful countermeasure
Chapter 4: A Shining Example of Loyalty: Part 2 of 3
It was the morning after Shining Armor had found what he had thought was a Changeling infiltrator disguised as his younger sister wandering around Canterlot. After contacting his wife back in the Crystal Empire and learning that Twilight was still there, and no she wasn’t a changeling, and yes I am sure about that, and yes I’m sure I’m sure, and dang it Shiny why are you asking these questions, and what do you mean you don’t know if you can tell me, I’m your wife, he had brought the now very confusing matter to the attention of the Princess, who had asked Professor Spell Circle of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns to investigate the matter. The impossible pony who both looked like and acted like his sister had been placed in a guest room in the castle and placed under heavy guard, but she was still sleeping off her depletion.
Shining was currently in another room in the castle, seated around a table with Celestia and her personal student/champion Sunset Shimmer, an orange unicorn mare with a red and yellow mane and tail and a similarly colored sun for her cutie mark, waiting for Spell Circle to arrive with her report. The room felt uncomfortably quiet to Shining Armor, and he didn’t know Sunset well enough on a personal level to feel comfortable trying to make small talk with her in front of Celestia, and making small talk with the Princess without the support of Cadence, even if she was his aunt-in-law now, filled him with existential dread.
So when the silence finally broke when Spell Circle, a unicorn mare whose dark blue coat and bright cerulean mane and tail had begun to dull with age and whose flank bore a cutie mark of a series of geometric shapes inscribed in circle symbolizing her skill at ritual magic, opened the door he couldn't help but breathe out a small sigh of release. Deific in-laws and their crazy powerful students were one thing, but reports and facts and plans he could talk about.
Spell Circle nodded at the others present as she set down the saddlebags she had been carrying by the open seat at the table and set down. She then pulled a folder stuffed with paper from her saddlebags using her magic and placed it on the table in front of her. “I apologize for my lateness, the…investigatee I guess we can call her woke up recently and I wanted to question her and learn what story she has for her appearance.”
Celestia nodded her head. “It’s perfectly all right Professor Spell Circle. I must admit to my own curiosity on what her tale could be. Would you mind sharing it with us before you begin you report?”
Spell Circle fidgeted with the folder lying in front of her before speaking, which Shining Armor found curious. His impression of the professor from the few times he had met her before was of a mare who would rather say things and deal with, or more likely just ignore, the consequences of what she said. Finally she spoke. “Well, its a bit silly. Actually its pretty much crazy. You see, she claims to have come from another world where she was your student after passing through a giant, near invisible, dome of energy which she protected herself from by throwing up as many wards as she could manage. After regaining consciousness she decided to come to Canterlot in the hopes of receiving your help in returning to her own world."
Silence filled the room for a brief moment until Sunset broke out laughing. She quickly stopped when she noticed everypony staring at her. “What? That story is insane. Who's ever heard of traveling between universes? She’s probably just a golem or a caballunculus(*) or something of that ilk. Not one with a particularly smart, or perhaps sane, creator if that's the cover story it’s set to give.”
Spell Circle harrumphed. “Well I did say it was crazy.”
Sunset snarked back. “No, that story is a lot more than crazy. Its patently insane.”
Shining Armor just groaned. He had never seen this happen before, but he had heard the tales. According to rumor(1) the two had a tendency to bicker back and forth over things they actually agreed on. The disagreements always seemed to actually be on how the other said something.
Thankfully, Celestia raised a hoof, forestalling further banter between the two. “While it is indeed an unlikely story, I know for a fact that there are ways to travel between worlds. Though I have never heard of the manner just described. Still, there are things in this world that even I do not know of. And as for the idea of her being a construct, I believe the Professor's investigation should give us some insight into that possibility. Professor, if you would be so kind as to present your report at this time?”
“Of course Princess.” Spell Circle coughed, clearing her throat before continuing. “I began my investigation by looking into the reported casting of Clover’s Zone of Truth.”
Spell Circle paused to pull out some papers from the folder lying in front of her. She glanced through them briefly before passing one to each of the other three seated ponies. Spell Circle continued, “According to those present, the mare in question cast a spell which produced a red wave of light that dispelled all illusions that it touched. Both Sergeant Spyglass and Prince Armor identified the spell as Clover’s Zone of Truth. With a special talent for uncovering the truth and extensive training in anti-illusion spells, Spyglass is uniquely well suited for identifying that spell. Prince Armor has also received extensive magical training, and it is likely that he to would know the spell if he saw it cast. Furthermore, investigations carried out on the residual thaumic signature of the spell are consistent with what one would expect from a casting of the spell in question, the copies of the results of that investigation are on the papers I just passed to you. From this evidence, I would conclude that the spell cast was indeed Clover’s Zone of Truth.”
Shining didn’t bother reading the report. He had been there when the spell was cast and he knew enough about the theory behind Clover’s Zone of Truth to be sure that it was indeed the spell that had been cast.
Celestia and Sunset, on the other hoof, hadn’t been there, and so looked over their copies of the report with great interest. After a bit, the two nodded their agreement to Spell Circle’s claim.
Seeing their agreement, Spell Circle continued. “The casting of Clover’s Zone of Truth, coupled with magical scans of the subject raise some problems with the theories of her being a construct. While the effects of the spell itself do not rule out being a construct since constructs can be crafted to look like ponies without resorting to illusion magic, the energy requirement certainly due. A golem could be built with the kind of magical reserves necessary, but she definitely is not a golem since she has fully functioning biological systems and a naturally refilling mana pool. While the lack of both could be hidden with illusions, they obviously haven't since Clover’s Zone of Truth was cast. A caballunculus is theoretically possible but the creation of such creature with the magical capabilities needed to cast Clover’s Zone of Truth is beyond even the combined resources of the whole of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I would venture to say that only a full blood Alicorn could succeed, and Celestia obviously didn’t make her, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation, and Nightmare Moon had no time to engage in such an endeavor upon her return from the moon. With all the evidence against her being a construct I can’t see any alternative to her being an actual pony who somehow looks exactly like Twilight Sparkle.”
“Furthermore,” Spell Circle continued speaking as she slid another sheaf of papers from her folder, “I noticed one other thing while I was examining her. There was residue from a massive amount defensive wards and shields that matched the ones she claimed to have put up before travelling through the alleged dome. The remnants were in line with what one would expect of such wards being torn apart by overwhelming force. Given the quantity and complexity of what spells I was able to definitively confirm as being there, to say nothing of all the ones whose fragments were too decayed to be identified, I can’t think of anything that could have torn them apart so easily.” She then passed copies of her report on the spell residue around the table. “Some of the ones I was able to identify are high security clearance military grade spells.”
Shining looked over the paper with interest. He recognized most of the spells on the list, he had even invented some of them. It was certainly impressive. He didn't think that even with his talent for casting wards and shields he could have pulled of all of these. Tartarus, the only ponies he knew of who could were Celestia and Sunset Shimmer.
After giving the other three some time to review the report, Spell Circle continued. “And though I am loath to bring in such subjective things as personal opinion into the matter, she does act quite like Twilight Sparkle did when I taught her and she appeared to recognize me personally, which Prince Armor’s report also indicated. In the light of all my evidence, and the lack of any other possible theory, I am forced to side with the investigatee’s story, despite how unlikely it sounds. ”
Sunset raised an eyebrow, “You actually think that she was telling the truth about being from another world? Didn't we just discuss the fact that the very idea of that is absurd?”
Shining chuckled. “Actually only you and Spell Circle said that, and Spell Circle seems to believe it anyway. I on the other hoof didn't say anything, and Celestia mentioned that it was a possibility. I think it makes more sense than her being a caballunculus, she was too spot on to how my sister sounds and would have acted in the situation. Especially considering Spell Circle’s claim that nopony could have made one so powerful.”
“Actually no, the caballunculus still stands as a possibility.” Celestia sighed. “Sadly, there are groups in this world who could pull of such a feat. A circle of Zebra shamans with their innate talent for the required ritual magic might be able to do so, as well as some of the more powerful dragon clans, or perhaps a large enough collection of Tirek cultists. Even the changeling queen might be capable of doing so, assuming that she had enough access to enough love. Why any of those groups would want to create a caballunculus modeled after Twilight Sparkle and give it such an incredulous back-story to follow is another matter, but the point stands that it could be done. Discord of course would have both the power and the motive but he is safely sealed in his castle”
Spell Circle gasped. "Discord, as in Discord-Discord, is ACTUALLY the statue sitting in the middle of the gardens? I always thought it was a mere representation. Doesn't that seem unsafe?"
Sunset answered calmly. "Its fine. There are passive wards to prevent anyone from approaching, so he cant gain any power from a nearby localized source of chaos."
Celestia sighed again and massaged her temple with a hoof. “Anyway to get back on track, those are the only two theories that we have. The information about the ward remnants, while interesting, does not prove anything. There is, however, a way to determine the case for or against her being from another world. If she was in fact my student in her home world, than she should have access to information that I have only ever shared with ponies whom I trust beyond all others.”
Celestia rose from her seat and walked to the rooms door. After opening, she stuck her head out into the hallway and asked one of ever-present guards to fetch their guest so that they could ask her some questions. Then she closed the door at sat back down at the table. “And now we wait.”
A few minutes later, the door creaked open and Twilight nervously shuffled inside. While they had been waiting, the rooms occupants had arranged themselves around the table so that instead of sitting in a circle they were now all in a position where they could all see the pony who was the reason for this meeting without turning their heads around. She scanned the room, looking at the four ponies waiting on her. Shining noticed that her gaze lingered on Sunset longer than the rest of them. He figured that if her claim of being from another world was true, she would never have met Sunset before now, so naturally she would be the most interesting pony in the room
“Please, take a seat.” Celestia spoke to Twilight, her tone as calm as ever.
Twilight’s gaze snapped right back to Celestia before bowed briefly and made her way to the waiting empty chair. After she had sat down she nervously asked. “You, ah, wanted to ask me some questions?”
Celestia nodded lightly in affirmation. “Indeed. Professor Spell Circle investigated your claim of being from another world, but was not able to confirm nor disprove it. Since you have claimed to be the student of your world’s version of myself, I would ask you to tell us something that you could have only learned in that position. Something that nopony in this world would have anyway of knowing if they were not in my strictest confidence.”
Twilight’s whole face lit up, completely losing its previous nervousness. Shining recognized it as the look his sister got whenever she was presented with a particularly interesting problem. “Actually, I have just the thing. I thought this might get asked, I mean, I realized that showing that I know things I otherwise couldn't would be a good way to make my case, that, umm, never mind. I guess I’m still a bit nervous. Hehe.”
Twilight took a deep breath and then continued. “I know the true identity of Nightmare Moon.” She then grinned sheepishly.
Shining raised an eyebrow. Then he looked at Celestia to gauge her reaction. Due to marrying her niece, Shining new Celestia better than many ponies would ever dream of. Though at times it terrified him, now it let him notice the carefully concealed look of shock on her face. He raised his other eyebrow. Nightmare Moon’s real identity? What could that even mean, and why did Celestia seem so surprised.
“Please, go, go on. I suppose that is long past time the rest of you knew the truth anyway.”
Before Shining could process that piece of information, Twilight continued. “Nightmare Moon is actually your sister, Princess Luna. In my world, when Nightmare Moon’s prison broke on the Summer Sun celebration and she tried to bring about eternal night, five of my friends and I found the Elements of Harmony and used them to defeat her, and in doing so freed Princess Luna.”
Shining’s mouth dropped wide open in shock. Nightmare Moon was Celestia’s sister? What the Tartarus. Princess Celestia’s sister was currently imprisoned below Canterlot and before that had been stuck in the moon for a thousand years? If this was true how was the Princess even functioning with the knowledge that her sister had tried to kill everything on the planet. If his sister had ever tried to do such a thing, well, he didn’t know what he’d do.
As he recovered enough to look at the other ponies in the room, he was relieved to notice that Spell Circle and Sunset Shimmer looked at least as surprised as her felt. As for Celestia, her face was wet with softly flowing tears.
“So your story is true. Only the elders of the thestral clans know the truth about my sister. And there is nothing on this planet that could force them to reveal their secret.”
Well wow. Shining Armor was so shocked that he couldn't even think of a good enough swear(2). And from the looks of it Spell Circle and Sunset felt the same.
Sunset was the first to recover from shock. “But Princess, why was I never told of this? I could have helped you! I could have tried to find these Elements of Harmony things!” Her voice started to become soft and sad. “I could have done something! I would have done anything! Anything to try and help you!”
Celestia smiled softly at her student, her eyes filled with both regret and thankfulness. “I know my most faithful student. I am sorry. I, I just could never bring myself to speak of the matter to anypony. I feared that if I said it out loud the pain of losing my little sister to the Nightmare would become fresh again, and I was not confident of my ability to face that pain.”
Twilight spoke softly. “If its any consolation, I didn't learn the truth until after we had freed Luna. And, um, Princess, maybe I could gather the Elements of Harmony and this worlds versions of my friends and try to use them to free your sister? I mean, I made friends with them once, surely I can do it again.”
Celestia smiled, “Thank you, I don’t think you know how much that would mean to me.” She chuckled lightly. “Well, I suppose out of anypony, you actually would know, wouldn't you.”
“I’m going with her.” The entire room turned to look at Shining. “What? Even if she is from another world, she still is my little sister. No way I’m letting her go out on some dangerous quest all on her own.”
Celestia looked at him appreciatively. “Truly you are a most loyal sibling Shining Armor, Twilight is a lucky mare to have you as a brother, that you would care for her even if she is from another world entirely. Though you may want to take at least one more pony with you. Preferably one who is already at least somewhat aware of the situation.”
Spell Circle spoke for the first time since Twilight had revealed the truth about Nightmare Moon. “Don't look at me. I am far too old to go gallivanting around on some quest. Besides, I need to get get a drink to help lubricate my brain to the fact that our Princess’s sister is the one who tried to bring about eternal night and is apparently possessed or something.”
Shining chuckled. “I’ll go and ask Lieutenant Shake Spear. He was the commanding officer of the gaurdhouse that I brought Twilight to.” He turned toward his sister. “Uh, sorry about that.”
She grinned back at him. “Don’t worry. You were just doing your job after all. I know how you can get about changelings. Well, I know how my Shining Armor can get about them, and I guess you're the same way.”
“I wish you luck Twilight and Shining Armor. And I thank you.” Celestia then turned toward Sunset. “Come my student, I believe I owe you some explanations.”
Sunset respectfully nodded, and the two walked out the door and headed down the corridor to Celestia’s private quarters. After they had left Spell Circle shook her head wearily. “This was certainly not the way I was expecting my day to go.” She paused briefly, considering her next words. “Well, see you two latter. I’m off go deal with my confusion by getting roaring drunk.”
Before Shining could speak she cut him off with a raised hoof. “Don’t worry Prince Armor, even though she didn’t say so, I know that Celestia wants this kept quiet for now. I won't get that drunk.” She then gathered her papers into her saddle bags, put them on, and left the room, leaving Twilight and Shining Armor alone.
There was an awkward silence, until Shining worked up the nerve so speak. “Soooo, you’re an alternate version of my sister from another world. Can’t say I was ever expected that to happen.”
Twilight grinned back nervously. “I can’t say I ever expected to travel to another world and meet an alternate version of my brother.”
Shining laughed. Even if she was from another world, this Twilight had the same dry sense of humor as his actual sister. “So where are we off to anyway? The badlands? Zebrica? No, I bet its Saddle Arabia, all sorts of ancient artifacts buried in the sands there.”
“Hehe, nothing so exotic, though rather more dangerous. The Elements are in the Everfree Forest.”
“Seriously? No wonder Celestia suggested we bring along another pony.”
“Oh, its not that bad. I’ve gotten pretty good at navigating the place.” A sly grin crept onto Twilight’s face. “And besides, I know a Zebra.” With that Twilight began making her way toward the door.
Shining just followed and shook his head as he muttered to himself. “Geeze, how many times has she gone in there that she feels confident about navigating it?” Then, realizing what his sister’s last sentence had actually said, he asked aloud. “Wait, how do you know a Zebra? You've only been in this world for a couple of days! And how does that even help us?”
Twilight looked back over her flank at him and grinned. “~You’ll see!~” She singsonged back at him.
*. Caballunculus: from the ancient Aetherean(A) word for ‘little pony’. The term was originally used to describe any artificially created equine life form, the first of which were very small in size. The process was later refined to allow for artificially created full size ponies. The creation of such a creature is banned in Equestria and most other civilized countries due to the unethical requirements such as ritual sacrifice the involved rituals entail.
A. Aetherean: the ancient unicorn language from before the Endless Winter and the events of Hearth’s Warming. It alone of the three ancient Pony languages is used today, though only in the academia portions of the science and magic communities.
1. The Canterlot rumor mill is amazingly quick and even more amazingly thorough. Thanks to it, gaurdsponies often knew their orders before they had actually managed to trickle down the chain of command(B) and more than a few mares had learned of an upcoming proposal long before the event actually happened. Thankfully for Shining his father had been kind enough to warn him of this.
B. The military's attempts to use this to its advantage has sadly been in vain.
2. He was a member of the Royal Guard after all.
What! No I’m not going to say any, they are far too dirty for a story kids can read.
Princess Celestia and her faithful student, Sunset Shimmer, sat at a table in the former's private quarters sharing a pot of tea. Doing so had become a ritual for the two over the years, it was a way for the two catch up on things after Sunset had started taking on more responsibilities and thus spent less time with Celestia.
This time though, the two sat in an awkward silence. The recent revelation of the truth behind Nightmare Moons identity had left the two with a lot to talk about, but neither knew how to start.
“So, Nightmare Moon’s real name is Luna?.” Sunset finally broke the silence after taking a sip of tea. She then lowered her head and continued with a nervous chuckle. “Of all the things I thought Twilight might say to convince us of who she was, that didn’t even make the list. I figured it would be something about how you eat entirely too much cake.”
Celestia glared at her student mockingly. “With how much energy I use raising and lowering the sun and moon everyday, I think that I can indulge in cake without having to worry about weight.” She paused, and the glimmer of a smile that her students playful barb had caused faded. “I am sorry that I never told you about her. As I said before, I never told anypony about her. After Nightmare Moon’s rebellion just over a thousand years ago I let her fade into myth, in the hopes that when her prison eventually broke I would have found ponies able to use the Element’s to their full capacity and thus cleanse her, and that then, with the tale of Luna’s fall faded from public memory, Equestria’s citizens would welcome her with open hooves, unfrightened by what had happened over a thousand years ago.”
“I think I understand, though I don’t have anypony I am close enough to other than you to compare how you must have felt to. And even then, the pain of losing a sister must be infinitely worse than losing a mentor. I am confused about one thing though, what you said seemed to imply that Nightmare Moon was somehow possessing Luna?”
Celestia nodded. “I certainly believe that to be the case. While looking back there were signs stretching back years that Luna was harboring feeling of resentment toward my greater popularity with the common ponies, the transformation into Nightmare Moon was entirely too sudden. And when we fought she didn’t fight like Luna did. I was more powerful than my sister, but she fought with a cunning and intelligence I could never hope to match. But Nightmare Moon fought with brute force, and was immensely stronger than I was, she had me on the defensive until I manage to reach the Elements and use them on her.”
The two sat quietly for a moment, refilling their teacups and taking a few sips. Sunset then asked, “These Elements of Harmony? What exactly are they? I think I remember some references to them amongst the various book I’ve read.”
“Nopony truly knows what they are. Luna and I found them a long, long time ago, and for a time we were their bearers. When I was forced to turn them upon her, however, I lost the ability to use them. I believe that since I was no longer in harmony with myself and my sister I was no longer worthy of their powers. From what Luna and I did learn of them, it seems that they are meant to be used by six ponies, one per element.”
“And where are they know?”
“I left them at the site of our battle, in my old castle that lies in the middle of what is now the Everfree Forest. I should have brought them with me to Canterlot, or at least gone back for them latter, but I never could bring myself to do so”
Sunset groaned. “Ugghh, the Everfree? I can see why you wanted Shining Armor to bring backup. As good as he may be, that place is dangerous. I’m glad they’re planning on bringing along Shake Spear, he’s very skilled, used to working in the dark, and can be trusted to do what is necessary should the need come.”
“What do you mean, ‘he can be trusted to do what is necessary’?” Celestia asked her student, her voice quizzical and carrying a hint of disapproval at what she guessed her student to be implying.
Sunset shrugged. “Just that even though we know this new Twilight is from another world, we don’t actually know much about her. She certainly seems like a nice pony, but we all know how appearances can be deceiving. And considering that the Elements of Harmony are apparently capable of not only defeating Nightmare Moon, but turning her back into your sister, when doing only the first took the combined efforts of you, me, the staff of your school, and almost the entirety of the guard, I can’t help but be cautious.”
Celestia grinned fondly at Sunset. “Still such a worrywart, I’m sure everything is going to be fine. But I thank you for watching out for me, making sure my sentimentality doesn't get the best of me. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Celestia stood up and made her way to a bellpull. “Now I think we've talked about serious things for long enough. It’s time for some cake.”
Sunset laughed as Celestia pulled the bellpull. “Sometimes I wonder which one of us is actually an immortal princess. Its just seems so wrong that you're the one who has an insatiable longing for cake. It hardly seems fitting for somepony of your stature.”
Celestia turned toward Sunset and replied while grinning. “And you're so serious all the time. Hardly what I’d expect from one so young.”
“Young? I’ll have you know I’m almost thirty.”
“Thirty? You think thirty is old? Dear you have no idea what old is.”
The two continued their playful bantering with the ease of those who knew all the barbs the other would try. The back and forth had become almost as much a ritual as the tea over the years, a way to escape from their rolls of teacher and student, of Princess and Champion, and to simply be friends.
In the depths of the Changeling hive Chrysalis was woken from sleep by a knocking on her door. She rose wearily from her bed and called out angrily to the changeling who had interrupted her slumber. “If you're anyling other than Tympanal or a healer, leave now and come back this afternoon, otherwise you’ll be on tunnel duty for a year!”
The familiar voice of her closest adviser responded. “I apologize for interrupting your slumber my queen, I know how important rest is for your recovery, but I have just received important news from one of our infiltrators in Canterlot.”
Recognizing the voice of her chief adviser Chrysalis took the time to assume a more regal seating position upon her bed before responding. “Well come in then and make your report Tympanal.”
The stone door creaked open and Tympanal entered the room, then closed the door behind him. An outsider would be hard pressed to notice the difference, but a changeling could easily spot the signs of age. His carapace was dulled, his wings and neck-fin tattered, and one of his canines was broken.
“My queen, Infiltrator Crypsis, who is posing as a maid in Canterlot Castle, has located the mare we are searching for.”
Chrysalis’s eyes lit up in excitement. “This is fantastic news! Has Crypsis managed to learn the mare’s identity?”
“Indeed my queen, she is none other than Twilight Sparkle, the younger sister of Shining Armor.”
Chrysalis swore. So that was why the pony had looked so familiar, she was the younger sister of the guard captain whose wife she had imponynated to gain entry into Canterlot. At times like this she truly despised her lack of her race’s typical eidetic memory. “I knew she looked familiar. While I do appreciate the irony that is it Shining Armor's sister who will be our tool for revenge, it certianly complicates things. It will be much harder to turn someone with such close ties to the royal family to our side. Not to mention the difficulty of extracting her from the middle of Canterlot.”
“There is good news on that last matter as well my queen. Crypsis overheard the two making plans for taking a pegasus chariot out of the city tomorrow morning. With the amount of supplies they seem to be planning on taking with them, they appear to be planning on being gone for at least a couple of days.”
“Excellent. Though I wonder what Shining Armor is doing leaving Canterlot now that war with the Griffin Empire looms over Equestria. He must be up to something.” She paused and considered the situation. “Have them followed. Try and find out what they are doing before capturing Twilight, but if the choice comes down to capturing her or finding out what they are up to, capture her.”
“And her brother?”
“Leave him. He has built up enough resistance to my mind control spell that I would not be able to keep him subdued in my weakened state. Be careful with him though, he is one of the strongest unicorns I have ever met. Not as strong as that accursed firebrand or apparently his sister of course, but certainly not a pony to be taken lightly”
Tympanal bowed. “It shall be done my queen.” He bowed again and left the room.
He was roused from a deep slumber caused by a long night's work by the whoosh of flames coming from the table standing next to his bed.
Most ponies would have panicked due to a fire spontaneously igniting itself so close to where they sleep, but then most ponies don't regularly receive orders via firesendings.
The stallion looked over at the faintly glowing clock on the wall and groaned. Damn it all to Tartarus, it was daytime, entirely too early for this. What was so important that his boss needed to contact him now instead of waiting until it a reasonable hour?
Sighing, he groped around for the letter that the brief gout of flames had deposited, unwilling to actually get out of his bed unless it became absolutely necessary. After a bit of stretching he managed to grab the letter. Bringing it over to where he could see it, he realized that he could not actually see it because the blinds were still draw, so that despite it being day, the room was almost completely dark.
The stallion sighed again and once again stretched his hoof out onto the table, this time trying to find the small magic powered lamp that sat upon it, and quietly muttered to himself. “Times like this I wish I was a unicorn. Then I could just make some light and read the letter instead of reaching around in the dark for a cheap lamp.”
When he finally located the lamp and switched it on, after pausing for a moment to recover from being near blinded by the sudden light, the stallion read the letter. It was as always, anonymous in regards to both recipient and sender, light on the details, and bore the clean precise script of a dictation spell to prevent anypony using the senders hoofwriting style for identification.
“You will be asked for assistance. Accept, and keep me informed. Supplies will be provided at the usual location”
The stallion smiled a bit. Sure the order’s vagueness annoyed him like it always did, but at least he could go back to sleep since he didn’t need to do anything for now.
After disposing of the letter in the usual fashion, and wishing that somepony would invent a way to make paper taste good, the stallion drifted back into unconsciousness.
Chapter 5: A Shining Example of Loyalty: Part 3 of 3
Twilight, Shining Armor and Lieutenant Shake Spear stood at the verge of the Everfree Forest, southeast of Ponyville. Shining had gone to Shake Spear's apartment the day before and asked the stallion to join them on their expedition. Shake Spear, being normally assigned to the patrols of Canterlot, one of the least exiting postings possible, had leapt at the chance to get some action. Meanwhile Twilight had gathered equipment and arranged for a pegasus chariot to carry the trio to their destination. They had left the next morning to give Shake Spear an opportunity to get onto a daylight schedule and to catch him up on the quest and the fact that Twilight was from another world. Shake Spear had naturally been rather confused by that fact, and had initially suggested that the two seek psychiatric help, but after reading a letter from Celestia, he had quickly come around.
"It should be around here somewhere." Twilight muttered to herself as she poked around the edge of the forest. She was carrying saddlebag packed with some basic adventuring gear; ropes, pitons, travel rations and the like.
Shake Spear, standing a short ways back with Shining Armor clad in his Nightgaurd armor and with a halberd holstered on his back, leaned over and muttered "What is she looking for?" The enchantments of the armor had been turned of, so his coat and mane were their natural brown and dark gray colors, as opposed to Nightgaurd standard slate gray and white.
Shining Armor, decked out in a spare suit of Daygaurd armor, whispered back "Back in her world she knew a zebra shaman by the name of Zecora who lives in the forest. Zecora had warded paths throughout the forest that she uses to travel around to various rare plants that she uses in her alchemy. Twilight is trying to find one of them."
Shake Spear quirked an eyebrow. "And what makes her think this Zecora lives here in this world?"
Twilight turned around and rolled her eyes at the pair. "You two aren't doing a very good job of whispering, I can hear you just fine. But to answer your question, as far as I can tell the main difference between this world and my own is Sunset Shimmer becoming Celestia's student instead of myself. As the Zecora from my world moved into the Everfree before the date this world's Sunset became Celestia's student, I see no reason why she wouldn't still live here."
"Seems reasonable enough." Shake Spear said as he nodded his head.
Twilight returned investigating the edge of the forest. "So Shake Spear, I've been wondering. Why do you use a halberd? Based on your name I figured you'd be good with a spear."
Shake Spear chuckled. "That's a common misconception. Spears are very hard for earth ponies to use. Pretty much all stabbing weapons are, except for a lance harness(*). They only way I can use a spear well is in formation with others. Making a giant wall of pointy objects to stop a charge and the like. Not exactly the kind of situation we're likely to encounter in the Everfree."
"Oh. Makes sense. So your talent isn't spear wielding then?" Twilight responded.
Shake Spear blinked, then looked back at his armor covered flank. "Oh that's right. You haven't ever seen me without my armor have you? My talent is actually for acting."
Twilight turned around and stared. "Acting? Really? But then why are you in the guard instead of a theater troop or something?"
"Well my family has been in the guard for generations, and I had always intended to follow suit. And acting actually is pretty useful. At least now that I'm in a command position. Whenever we're in a stressful spot, it is immensely helpful to be able to project a sense of calm. As long as my subordinates think I have everything under control, they're much less likely to panic."
Shining nodded in agreement. "Lots of ponies find ways to employ talents that don't seem to match at all for guard work."
"That makes sense." Twilight turned around and began looking again. A brief moment later she let out exclamation to triumph. "A-ha! Found it!" She then pushed aside a large clump of brambles with her magic revealing a clear path through the forest.
Shining nodded. "Shake Spear, you take point. The Everfree interferes with earth pony magic much less than it does with unicorn(1), so in case we do run into something you should be the best equipped to handle it."
Shake Spear nodded, and trotted into the Everfree. Twilight and Shining quickly followed behind him.
About an hour later, after an uneventful, if stressful, walk through the Everfree, the trio arrived at a small house carved out of a tree, not unlike Ponyville's library. Rather unlike Ponyville's library, this building was surrounded by tribal Zebrican masks, increasing the already creepy atmosphere of the forest. Twilight had asked Zecora about the masks before, and learned that while most were purely ascetic, simply decorations in a style popular in the part of Zebrica Zecora came from, some had been enchanted with protective spells to hold back the effects and creatures of the forest.
Shining turned to his sister. "I'm assuming this is the place?"
Twilight nodded. "Yeah. I hope she's home, I doubt the path that leads to the castle exists here, since no one would have ever asked her to make it, so we'll need to ask her which one gets us the closest." She then walked across the clearing to the door. After knocking a few times, the door opened to reveal a rather puzzled looking female zebra, wearing the golden bangles and ornaments of a shaman.
After blinking a couple times, as if to clear her vision and confirm what she saw, Zecora greeted them. "I am most surprised to see pony-folk at my abode. What brings you three so far off the normal road? And who might you three be? A mare and two guards I see, but what do the forces of Canterlot want with me?"
Shake Spear blinked. "Did she just rhyme all her sentences on the spot? Is that on purpose? 'Cuase that's pretty dang impressive."
Twilight nodded. "Yeah. Zebra shamans speak only in rhyme. Though I've never heard a continued rhyme like she did at the end before."
"I'm trying out something new, it is true." Zecora replied.
Shining just rolled his eyes. "Ahem. Well anyway. I'm Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire." He then motioned to Twilight, then to Shake Spear. " And this is my younger sister Twilight Sparkle and Lieutenant Shake Spear of the Nightguard. We have come to ask for your help in reaching the castle at the heart of the forest."
"I am Zecora, and if what you say is true, than there is no ill-will born to me by the three of you." Zecora motioned them inside her home. "Please come in my guests, so we may discuss the specifics of your request."
The three ponies filed into the tree and found places to sit along the shelve covered walls so that the large bubbling cauldron on the middle of the room wasn't blocking their sight of each-other. After closing the door Zecora also took a seat.
"So to the castle you wish to progress. The three of you are on a quest I might guess. But what do you seek there? Today it is a place only of despair."
The three looked at each other briefly before Twilight spoke. "We're going to retrieve the Elements of Harmony so we can cleanse Princess Luna of Nightmare Moon."
Shining Armor and Shake Spear gasped. They hadn't been expecting Twilight to tell Zecora so much at once. Zecora, for her part, just looked at Twilight curiously. "The Nightmare is the fallen sister of the Queen of the Sun? A most interesting tale young one." She raised a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. "The age of the castle certainly fits the story of the Nightmare, and by twos is everything there. You though are a greater mystery..."
Shining cut of Zecora. "She's actually a version of my sister from another world and is friends with the version of you who lives there, and she used the Elements in her world to cleanse Nightmare Moon ." As he noticed the rest of the room glaring at him for being rude he shrugged. "Sorry. I really didn't want to waste time going over that again."
"That is not something I have heard in all my history." Zecora replied. "Very well, the path that gets you closest is just beyond my well." She then motioned at her cauldron. "I would accompany you, but I must stay here to attend my brew."
Shake Spear gazed at her as Twilight and Shining Armor started to stand up. "You seem awful quick to trust. How do you know we aren't lying to you or our even who we say we are?"
Zecora just laughed. "It is true that I am ready to believe, but in the three of you no dishonesty can I perceive. And only a changeling's disguise has ever fooled these eyes. But you right to be wary, for this is a task the could become quite hairy." She then turned her head to Twilight who was now standing at the door. "If you find what you seek perhaps you might show them to me? I have always wished to behold the fabled power of harmony."
"Of course!" Twilight replied with a grin. "And perhaps we can all relax over some tea? I'm sure we'll all be ready for a break, and I know how good a pot you can brew."
Zecora nodded happily. "I would be delighted, it has been quite some time since I have had company invited."
"We'll see you then." Shining said as he walked out the door.
As Shake Spear left he shut the door behind him and then said to Shining. "I like her. An improvisational acting company would love to get her on their payroll. That rhyming was amazing, she even managed to continue the rhyme after you oh so rudely cut her off." He jabbed Shining jokingly on the shoulder with a hoof as he teased him.
Shining simply sighed. "You would have too if you'd spent as much time I have the last few days on the 'Twilight is from another world' thing recently. And I don't really like thinking about it, she acts so much like my actual sister that I usually don't remember that she isn't."
"Fair enough." Shake Spear responded. "Well, we'd better get going. It sounds like the last leg of the trip to the castle is going to be off trail, and I don't know how long we're going to need in the castle. I'd rather not have to make that leg of the return journey after dark. Ah! Looks like Twilight found our path!" With that Shake Spear trotted over to Twilight who was waiting at the beginning of a another warded path, just beyond a small stone well.
With that the three once more took off into the forest.
After about another hour of walking, the three reached the top of a small rise in the landscape. The trees and bushes were less thick here than normal, allowing them a view of their destination for the first time. Dark gray stone spires, not dissimilar to the color of Shake Spear's mane, were visible poking out about the trees. Unfortunately, the trail they were on didn't look like it would get them any closer.
"Looks like its going to be through thick of it from here on out." Shining Armor said. "Any advice Twilight?"
Twilight pondered for a bit. "Hmm, we're approaching from a different direction than I always have, so I don't know anything about the landscape between here and there, but I think we will miss the river. And once we get to the castle there is a ravine, so we'll have to walk alongside that till we get to the bridge."
"Would it make more since to just walk in a straight line to where bridge is? That would shorten the journey through the woods." Shake Spear asked.
"No, the area immediately around the ravine is clear of trees, so its actually quicker to just get to it, then walk alongside it." Twilight responded.
"Fair enough. What sort of creatures should I be looking out for?" said Shake Spear.
"Timberwolves and manticores mainly, cragodiles if we come across any water. Cockatrices, but they never approach anything that's not alone. Fortunately we are to far from Froggy Bottom Bog to run into hydras. There's always the possibility of an Ursa or some other star beast." said Twilight
"Hopefully we won't. Even if this dang forest wasn't messing with my magic I wouldn't want run into a star beast." Shining shuddered. "And right now its hard to do anything beyond a simple light spell."
Twilight leaned over and tried to ruffle her brother's hair through his helmet. "Hey, your doing better than I was my first time here. I couldn't even get a light spell off. Guess that guard training was finally good for something."
"Please don't try and get at my mane, you just keep whacking the helmet with your hoof. And I seem to remember you liking my guard training when we were playing 'Book Fort' General Sparkle."
Twilight squeaked, and then blushing said "Yousaidyouwouldn'tmentionbookforttoanyone!" She turned on Shake Spear. "You don't mention that to anyone, got it?"
Shake Spear laughed and then saluted. "Yes mam!"
Shining joined in on the laughter for a moment before getting them focused again. "Alright, lets head out. Lets all stay close together, I don't want us getting split up and the underbrush is pretty thick here."
With that the three began making there way through the forest once more.
Not minutes later, Shake Spear paused and began slowly pulling out his halberd. "I think we're being watched" he whispered.
Shining immediately took a defensive stance. "How many?" He whispered back.
"Just one."
As Twilight positioned herself between the two she whispered. "Probably a manticore. Timberwolves travel in packs and we would have heard a..."
Before she could finish, a manticore leapt out of the brush at them. The razor sharp paws and teeth were aimed at Shake Spear, but the deadly stinger tail was set to go over his shoulder and stab Twilight.
The two members of the guard reacted immediately. In one motion Shake Spear finished drawing his halberd and used his earth pony strength along with the leverage provided by the long shaft to deliver a mighty blow to the creatures head. Though only the flat of the blade struck since he hadn't had time to rotate it enough and the thick red mane absorbed some on the impact, the blow was still enough to cause the manticore's attack to miss.
Shining, grunting a little with the effort of pouring so much magic at once in the Everfree, threw up a magical shield in front of his sister. The stinger glanced of the shield, the strike amounting to nothing. Shining immediately let the shield fall.
Twilight then fired a bolt of pure magic at the manticore's face, causing it to roar. It managed to land on its feat a few feat form the group and eyed them cautiously. Shake Spear readied his halberd for another strike while the two unicorns horns sparked as they prepared spells. After a short stare down(2), the manticore decided they were to much trouble and slinked back into the brush. The three explorers let out a breath they hadn't realized they had all been holding.
Shining Armor congratulated the Nightgaurd. "Good job Shake Spear, you really saved our plots there. We would have been in trouble if you hadn't warned us."
Shake Spear beamed as he re-holstered his halberd. "That's an honor coming from you sir. Still, that nagging feeling that we're being watched isn't gone."
"Its probably lingering adrenaline from the attack." Twilight reasoned. "The manticore won't come back, now that we've shown it we aren't easy prey."
Shining nodded in agreement. "She's probably right. Still, keep your senses sharp just in case."
Despite the fact the Shake Spear never lost the sense that some one was watching them, the rest of the journey to the castle was uneventful, save for a brief encounter with a cockatrice which quickly left once it realized that it was outnumbered.
The three now stood at the base of the decaying castle's stone walls, staring at the front door of castle. "Listen, you two go on in. I'm concerned about whatever I felt watching us, especially since the feeling stopped once we got away from the trees." Shake Spear said. "I'll keep watch out here."
"Ok. It shouldn't take us to long. The elements are just off the throne room." Twilight said as she opened the door. She and Shining Armor then went inside as Shake Spear drew his halberd and took up post near the door.
In short order Twilight and Shining had made their way to the room the Elements were housed in. Shining armor stared at the massive stone orrery that dominated the center of the room. "So I imagine those six stone orbs are the elements? I really hope you brought something to carry them with."
"Yeah, those are them." Twilight nodded in affirmation. "Once we find there Bearer's they should transform into necklaces set with a gemstone in the shape of the bearers cutie mark. Except for Magic. That one is a tiara, and we probably need all of the other bearers for Magic to appear."
"Alright, but do we have a way to carry them? Those orbs are pretty big, I'm pretty sure we cant stuff them in our saddlebags." Shining said sceptically.
Twilight chuckled. "Don't worry BBBFF, I remembered how big they were so I can prepared. I put some enchantments on my saddlebags so they're bigger on the inside. They should all fit."
"Well okay then, you open up your bags and I'll levitate them inside." Shining responded.
"Gotcha" Twilight said as she levitated her saddlebags onto the ground and then held them open with her magic. Shining began to lift the six stone orbs with his telekinesis and move them over to Twilight's saddlebags when a shout from the door startled him, causing him to drop the orbs. The orbs thudded to the ground and began rolling toward the back of the room.
"Step away from the Elements."
Twilight and Shining both recognized the voice and spun around to face the door. There stood Sunset Shimmer, with Lieutenant Shake Spear, halberd ready for action, right behind her. Shining noticed that Sunset seemed to be holding herself differently than normal. While she always carried herself proudly, there was also a sense of softness to her. Now that softness was gone, and Shining thought that it made her seem a bit older, more world-weary. "Whats going on Sunset? Why are you here?" he asked her.
Sunset shot a cold glare his way. "Stand down Prince Armor. Some new information has come to light, and it appears that while this Twilight is indeed from another world, she is not a student of that world's Celestia as she claimed. Instead she is a servant of that world's Nightmare Moon! Her plan was to secure the Elements so that they would not be a threat to her mistress when she invaded our world! Everything she told us has been a lie!"
"W-w-w-whaaatttt!" Twilight spluttered. "That's, that's ridiculous! I'm not a servant of Nightmare Moon. I'm not servant of anypony! I'm my Celestia's student!"
At the same time Shining gasped. "What? That's insane! She's just like my sister! There is no way that she could be evil!" He interposed himself between Sunset Shimmer and Twilight.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY SHINING ARMOR!" Sunset roared. "I'd rather not have to hurt you but I will if I have to! She's to dangerous to be left alive, she needs to die!" With that Sunset reached into her saddlebags with her telekinesis and pulled out a necklace placed it on her neck. The necklace bore a blood-red jewel, under a stylized red and black alicorn. Shining Armor and Twilight both gasped, recognizing the amulet.
"The Alicorn Amulet?" Shining shouted. "Are you crazy? It's supposed to locked securely in the vaults. You shouldn't be using that thing! Its to dangerous!"
"It's nothing compared to her!" Sunset shouted back. "She's a servant of NIGHTMARE MOON. Who knows what kind of dark powers she has. She must be stopped at all costs." Sunset's horn started crackling with power, her normal cyan magic mixed with the blood-red of the amulet. "This is your last warning Shining Armor. Get out of the way. I will destroy her!"
Shining threw up a powerful shield spell shaped like a quarter of a sphere that covered himself and his sister, getting past the resistance of the forest on shear grit. "I wont let you kill my sister! You have to be mistaken!"
Sunset responded by unleashing a torrent of flame form her horn. The fire burned almost pure white, and was so bright that even through the pink of Shining Armors shield Shining and Twilight had to squint against the glow. Twilight came to her senses and began to work to reinforce her brother's shield. "Whats going on Shining? Why does Sunset think I'm a servant of Nightmare Moon and why does she have the Alicorn Amulet?"
"Not the time Twilight." Shining grunted, the pressure keeping his shield up against Sunset's flames already beginning to wear on him. "Lets just stop her then talk this out." He then yelled at Shake Spear. "Lieutenant Shake Spear! Sunset has gone crazy! Knock her out!"
"Belay that order Lieutenant!" Sunset retorted. "As the Defender of the Realm, second in authority only to Princess Celestia herself I order you to kill Twilight Sparkle!"
Shake Spear nodded briefly. "Yes mam." Then he started galloping around the shield Twilight and Shining had set up to come at them from behind. He could have gone through the shield since Shining had only made it to block energy, but he didn't know that, and anyway the entire front of the shield was currently being buffeted by flames.
But before he could get very far, a flaming green comet rocketed down through one of the many holes in the roof and nailed Sunset in the side. Impressively, she managed to maintain her spell despite the distraction. There was now a lone changeling hovering in the air next to her getting ready for a second strike. "Never mind Twilight Shake Spear! Keep this changeling off of me."
Shake Spear immediately changed course and moved to intercept the changeling, blocking it before it could try and ram Sunset again. Meanwhile, despite now having Twilight's help maintaining the shield, Shining was starting to wear out. Casting powerfull spells like his shield in the Everfree was much harder than normal, and Sunset's already formidable strength was being backed up by the Alicorn Amulet. He motioned to his sister to start advancing backwards, hoping to lessen the intensity of the flames with distance. Sunset responded by advancing with them, not letting up on the assault. Soon the duo found themselves up again the back wall near where the Elements had rolled, the open back of Shining Armor's shield up against the wall.
"I can't keep this up much longer Twilight. Even with your help Sunset is to strong with the Amulet on her side. Can you teleport us out of here?" Shining was now sweating heavily, both from strain and from the some of heat of Sunset's flame that had begun to leak through his shield.
"I think so, but it will take some time with the Everfree interfering. And I won't be able to help you with the shield while I do so. Will you be able to hold out?" Twilight responded worriedly.
Shining grinned wryly. "Course I can. Protecting you is why I got my talent. I'll be damned if I let a temporarily insane Sunset burn you when you've done nothing wrong." He only wished that he felt as confident as he'd tried to sound. "You should gather the Elements, as a back up plan if we cant convince pony's that your not evil. We can find you friends an have you all use the Elements, that should prove that you're not evil."
Twilight nodded as she began to roll the scattered Elements toward them with her magic. Shining winced again as his sisters support left the shield forcing him to once again take the full force of Sunsets flames.
"Dammit Lieutenant! Don't you have that changeling dealt with yet? They're getting ready to teleport out." Sunset said while glaring at the Nightgaurd out of the corner of her eyes.
Shake Spear was currently slashing away at the changeling with his halberd, but he couldn't get a strike to connect as the changeling was to agile and had the advantage of being airborne. "Sorry mam, the bug's just to quick. I can't get a hit in."
"Damn it to Tartarus! Fine! I wanted to get through this with out any casualties on our side but I may not have a choice." Sunset returned her glare toward Shining Armor, not that she could see him. "Last chance Shining Armor! Hoof over Twilight! I really don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to! She has to DIE!"
"I can't let you kill my sister! She hasn't done anything wrong!" Shining retorted.
Sunset sighed. "You leave me no choice then!" With a mighty roar, the flames sprouting from Sunsets horn intensified tenfold.
Shining's shield started to buckle, just as Twilight rolled the last of the elements in its radius. "Got it! Just give me half a minute and we're out of here."
If all of his concentration hadn't been on preventing the flames from roasting them alive Shining Armor would have replied that he didn't think he could hold even half that long. Just as he thought that he couldn't hold the shield any longer, the last stone orb that Twilight had rolled over reached his foot with a soft clunk. Not a second later, a flash of soothing red lite filled the shield bubble, the stone orb disappeared, and the light blue star shaped gem at the front of Shining's armor was replaced by a slightly larger red gem shaped like a shield.
Shining Armor gasped. The pressure from Sunset's flames felt lighter now, so much so that he felt he could keep this up for hours. Before he had much time think about what had happened a purple flash filled the shield, and the pair of unicorns as well as the five remaining stone orbs disappointed.
"DAMMIT!" Sunset roared as she turned her gout of flame to the changeling that was still harrying Shake Spear. "THEY GOT AWAY! AT LEAST I CAN STILL BURN YOU YOU TROUBLESOME BUG!" But she was to late, the changeling had already begun to withdraw, and was now rocketing up into the sky faster than her flames could follow.
Sunset let her flames die and then glared at Shake Spear. "You know what to do. It looks like I need to go set things in motion earlier than I had hoped to, and I need to return this" she motioned turned the Alicorn Amulet "to the vault before anypony notices its not there." With that, she teleported away.
Shake Spear merely nodded and pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill, some ink, and a bottle filled with roiling green flames from his saddlebags. After putting them on the ground one by one, he began to write: "Princess Celestia and Sunset Shimmer, I regret to inform you that Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle have betrayed us to the changelings......"
*. A saddle with one or two lances securely mounted on it, used by earth ponies and pegasi soldiers to charge enemies. There is usually a quick release to allow the wearer to loose the lance in case it become stuck in an enemy.
1. The more complicated and powerful a spell is, the harder the Everfree resists its casting. This applies to both unicorn magic and pegasi weather manipulation. More innate skills, such as earth pony strength and pegasi flight are not as troubled, though pegasi will tire slightly quicker from flying. Zebra alchemy is likewise near unaffected. It is possible to become used to the resistance and learn how to work around it, thus unicorns who have spent more time in the forest have an easier time.
Celestia, seated on her throne going over some paper worked looked down on her student and friend in concern. "Sunset? Whats the matter?"
Sunset sighed. "It appears we've been duped."
"Duped? What do you mean?"
"I just got a message from Lieutenant Shake Spear. He, Shining Armor and the other Twilight Sparkle had gotten to the room where the elements were kept, when a squad of changelings dropped out of the sky and attacked. Rather than held Shake Spear fight them off, Twilight and Shining Armor joined the changelings, then after Shake Spear was subdued, they took the Elements and teleported away."
Celestia gasped. "What? I don't believe this. Shining Armor would never collaborate with changelings."
"I don't think he did willingly." Sunset replied. "I think he was brainwashed again. From what Shake Spear said he kept ranting about protecting his sister. And as for the other Twilight, we may have to reconsider her being a caballunculus. The way I see it, the changelings managed to get the information about Luna out of one of the thestral elders somehow. And they then came across the Elements in one of the few books you said that actually mention."
"I don't know. To many parts of that don't make sense. Why not just go after the elements directly? Why leave Shake Spear alive? Why capture Shining Armor in such a roundabout manner?"
"I don't know either Princess. What I do know is that we now have Shining Armor running around with a another pony who may be in league with the changelings, and in possession of the most powerful artifacts ever. At the very least, we need to capture them."
Celestia sighed tiredly. "This is the last thing we needed. My ambassadors to the griffins are being turned away and it looks more and more like war is on the horizon."
Sunset looked up at the Princess with a small grin. "Hey. We'll get through this just like we always do. We got through the return of Nightmare Moon and the Changeling Queen's invasion together, we'll get through this to. I'll go get the guards looking for them and get Spell Circle to whip a tracking circle to find them. I doubt the brought them back to the hive, they have to know that we have Shining Armor's magical signature on file and can find him pretty much anywhere. But if there stupid and did, well then we'll have finally found them. You go work on the griffins, and get some rest. And maybe some cake, you really need it."
Celestia smiled back. "Thank you. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you"
Both grinned wider. Times were growing dark, but so long as they had each-other, they new things would turn out ok.
Meanwhile: The Iron Aerie, capital of the Griffin Empire
Emperor Steel Claw the Third sat on his throne, two massive armored guards standing beside him, and regarded the robed pony who stood before him with a cautious gaze. He couldn't see any part of her, and the way the hood of the cloak robe was draped prevent even the color of her eyes from showing through. "You are sure that the plan must be enacted now? You assured me we had weeks left to prepare."
The cloaked pony sighed. "Unfortunately even I can't plan for everything. I have received word that Equestria has begun gathering the Elements of Harmony, and that one, perhaps two of the six Bearers have already been located. It is only a matter of time before the rest are. We must act now if we are to succeed."
Steel Claw tapped his talons on the arm rest of his throne. "You speak of these Elements of Harmony. But I have never heard of them. What can some trinkets, which haven't even been recorded in the history books, be a threat to my army, especially when backed by the enchantments and weapons you have provided."
The pony standing before him chuckled darkly. "They have been recorded actually, though I will give you that they are not in the common books. But there effects have been, surely you know of Nightmare Moon and Discord?"
Steel Claw glared. "Of course, even chicks know there names, but, what do they....No, you cant mean that these 'Elements of Harmony' where what defeated them?"
"They were. Against such power that even Discord was cowed in a single stroke, what hope do your armies, however grand they may be, have? And that was when the Elements where wielded by only one or two ponies. When wielded by the full six Bearers, they are much more powerful. We need to move now."
Steel Claw tapped his talons again. "I have no real reason to disbelieve you. Your help is the only reason we now stand at the verge of conquering Equestria. But I remain cautious; I know next to nothing about you, only that you are a highly skilled sorceress, and that you have sources high in the Equestrian military. And to only bring up these Elements now, it raises suspicions that you are deliberately keeping me in the dark."
The robed pony stood in silence for a while, as if pondering Steel Claw's words. "A fair point Emperor Steel Claw. I regret now not mentioning the Elements, but I thought I taken sufficient steps to prevent there involvement long ago. As for who I am, well, I'm not ready to reveal that yet, but I swear to you on my magic that I would like nothing else but to see Celestia removed from the throne. I suppose you will just have to accept that."
"Very well." Steel Claw sighed. "I haven't known this long, I suppose in light of our past relationship I can remain in the dark for a while longer. But how do you propose that my troops in place at the speed you demand? Thousands of soldiers would have to be teleported, and not even you have that kind of power."
For the first time since he had began working with the mysterious pony, she raised her head. A cyan colored flash of magic went of, and in short order, two cracks of displaced air and bursts of the same cyan magic went of on either side of her as two identical robed ponies teleported into the throne room, completely bypassing the wards on the location that had been payed for by generations of Griffin Emperors. The three spoke in unison. "That's where your wrong. I do have that kind of power."
Discord was bored. This wasn't anything new. Which, as he though about it, only made being board worse. Being board every now and then was ok, cause it was a change of pace. And he rather enjoyed change. But he had been board for over a thousand years now, and boredom had gotten, well boring, really quickly. The last time he hadn't been board was when Moonbut had thrown a temper tantrum and Sunbut had used the Elements on her. The expenditure of power then had given him a split second of blessed awareness and control. But then the elements had gone idle again and it was back to rocky sameness.
He couldn't feel, he couldn't taste or smell, and he could barely see and hear. Not like there was much to see. Stupid Sunbut kept her gardens the same way, and only the season changed them. And the season were sooo slow. Who thought changing them only four times a year was a good plan? How about......forty two? Yeah, that seemed like a good number of times to have them change. At least for a little while. And of course the order would have to change. The same thing over and over again was just so boring.
While he was pondering better ways to have the season rotate, something happened. The seal weakened just a tad, an infinitesimal sliver, and just for a moment. Not as much as when Sunbut had sent Moonbut rocketing into space, though perhaps for a tad longer, but it was something. Had one of the Elements been activated? Huh. Maybe if they all got activated sometime in the near future he'd have the opportunity to test what he thought had been a weakness in the seal he'd since last time all the Elements had gotten used. It hadn't been much of a weakness, but if he could wedge something in there when it opened again perhaps he'd be able to start draining some power from the outside. He'd just have to wait and see.
Discord mentally groaned. He hated waiting. Oh hey, was that Sunbut Jr? What was she doing her? Oh yeah, reinforcing the 'Don't go near the King of Chaos' wards. Those were going to cause some trouble if he manage to crack open the seal weren't they. Hard absorb chaos from ponies if they didn't get near you. Dangit.
Crypsis took a long breath to collect herself. She was an infiltrator, not a guard or a soldier, fighting wasn't her thing. Still, she hadn't had a choice in the matter. She had tailed Twilight Sparkle as ordered, since the Queen wanted her captured. It had gotten a bit dicey when the earth pony Nightguard seemed to notice they were being stalked. She had gotten lucky, a manticore was nearby, and she had been able to influence it enough to get it to attack the trio to deflect suspicion from her. She didn't want to think about how close that had come to going wrong, if Shining Armor hadn't deflected the stinger tail, Twilight would have died, and Crypsis then may as well just killed herself to spare the Queen the trouble. The Queen wanted Twilight, and anyling who messed that up was as good as dead.
Her panic over that was nothing to what came next. The trio had reached the castle in the middle of the forest, and Twilight and Shining Amor had gone inside. With no way to get closer without getting spotted, Crypsis had merely watched from the tree-line, relying on the fact that the Nightgaurd had stayed outside to mean that Twilight would be coming back. She hadn't been expecting him to pull out a firesending jar, a letter, and what looked to be a crystal teleport beacon designed as am aid for long range teleportation. He had stuck the letter in the jar an not a moment latter the most hated enemy of the Hive had appeared. Sunset Shimmer, she who had dared to inflict such grievous wounds on the queen.
She had followed the two in the air, glad that the castles dilapidated state allowed her to keep an eye on them through holes in the roof. In short order they had stopped at the door to a room with some large thing in the middle. When Sunset had unleashed a gout of the same hated fire that had burnt the Queen near to death at the pony the Queen wanted, Crypsis had panicked. She got into position for a dive bomb as quickly as she could, and then did her best.
It had been a blur from then on, dodging the Nightguard's swings, a sense of relief as she heard the crack of the target teleporting to safety, fear and adrenaline as the gout of flame was turned on her and she barely managed to fly away in time. Now she was safe though, or as safe as the Everfree ever got. She would tell the Queen what she had seen, and her saving the target from getting burnt to death would outweigh the fact that she had lost her.
Crypsis took another deep breath, and then teleported back to the hive in a wash of green flame.
A little bit later: The Changeling Hive, Queen Chrysalis's quarters.
Chrysalis mulled over the information Crypsis had given her. Despite having lost Twilight, the infiltrator had performed admirable, even going up against Sunset and getting away with it despite having no prior combat experience. Better yet, Sunset had actually tried to kill Twilight. The though made her giddy, it was like they were trying drive Twilight into her hooves.
She turned to her everpresent advisor. "Tympanal, order all changeling's in the field to be on a lookout for Twilight and Shining Armor, focusing on the outskirts of the country and the less populated towns, and have a team best of our on standby to teleport to them when they are found."
Tympanal nodded. "And they are to captured once found, yes?"
"No." Chrysalis shook her head, "Or at least not as first resort. They are bound to be scared and confused, now that there so called 'Defender' had turned on them. Offer them our sanctuary and aid. We do share a common enemy know don't we? And that does make as allies. Perhaps it is best if we play this honestly."
Tympanal bowed. "As you say my queen." He then left to the room.
