Chapter One: Revelation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunrise's eyes narrowed.

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

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

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

The Two Sisters had exchanged an identical look.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then, rounding a turn, Sunrise saw...

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

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

“Sorry I had you worried,” Twilight said.

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

“Yeah,” Twilight sighed. “I know.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Oh, good. So, he's gonna be okay?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Frowning, Sweetie Belle rose.

“Truth?” she replied. “What truth?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All in all, it was a very good day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The princess smiled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chrysalis laughed again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Run!” she screamed.

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

“Go! Go! Go! Go! Go…!”

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

Meanwhile, in the chamber below, Chrysalis shook herself.

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

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

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

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

Chapter Two: Tumblers in a Lock.

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The mouse sniffed around where it sat, then reared up on its hind legs and looked about. Apparently satisfied, it went back to grooming itself.

Minerva the Owl waited, content. Patience was the key to successful hunting, after all. And for all of her literary acumen, Minerva was nothing if not a master hunter.

For that matter, it had never ceased to surprise her that the ponies accepted her so readily, even though she was a predator. Ponies being by their nature herbivores, and by their society sympathetic to prey animals.

Inwardly, the owl shrugged. She’d been born with a keen intellect, even compared to other birds of prey. But ponies were still something of a mystery to her. It wasn’t a matter of their being smarter than her, of course, so much as their being such social creatures. Being a herd animal was bound to give one some strange notions.

Then again, maybe they honestly didn’t realize that birds of prey ate smaller animals. Or, it might have been as simple as ponies not being prey to anything because of their magic, and so not being overly concerned about such things. It was impossible to tell, really.

As for Minerva herself, an owl’s life was a thankfully simple one. Flying, hunting, enjoying the night… and, in her case, researching and cataloging books for an alicorn. And she did genuinely like ponies. Especially Twilight, in whose library Minerva got to spend so much time. And Spike was alright, though she still found it hard to be at ease around him.

There were predators, after all, and then there were dragons.

But tonight was a hunting night. And however much the ponies might try (if they did ever try), that was something they would probably never understand.

The mouse was almost completely relaxed again, but still the owl did not stir. There was no sense in her prey feeling either fear or pain. A good hunter had no need to be cruel. No need for haste. A hunter whose prey suffered even the slightest was a poor hunter indeed.

A moment later, the rodent was sniffing about the ground, doubtless looking for food.

Now.

On silent wings, Minerva soared from the darkness. The moment was perfect. Her meal would feel nothing.

But even as she descended for the kill, the rodent turned to look at her. Minerva had just enough time to realize that its eyes were the wrong color, a startling green against the nighttime shadows.

And then, darkness.

The hatchling would finish cleaning up the breakfast dishes, then begin his work in the library as usual. The difference was, today he would be alone.

Impatience gnawed at the owl. Waiting had never been her strong suit. Yet, she knew that eagerness and contempt, especially at the end, had cost her dearly before. And even with everything gained through her careful and methodical plan, there was so much yet to be done. But it remained: this was a perfect opportunity. It could only be spoiled by her moving too quickly, or carelessly.

But she could wait, she reminded herself. After so long, a few more minutes would mean nothing. Everything was falling into place. Even now, songbirds flitted through the trees here and there throughout Ponyville, carefully studying their young targets and those around them. As they had been for weeks, and would for weeks yet.

And yet, still only as many as needed. Meticulously selected, all of them, and carefully trained. After all, it wouldn't do for even their fellow birds to become suspicious. Not with the yellow pony still free.

Silence was their watchword. But patience was their greatest friend.

The owl had thought she’d been nearly ready once before. But then Twilight Sparkle had given her apprentice a display of power so terrible, even she had been urged to flee, flying out of the library and into the open day. And, amazingly, that manifestation of incredible sorcerous might had just been to get the brat’s attention. Some idiotic lesson about forgiveness.

The owl rolled her eyes. Typical. Absolutely typical. Save, of course, for that unexpected revelation of sheer, blinding power.

She’d recalculated then, realizing that she’d vastly underestimated her first target. And, by association, the targets that would follow. Thus, more care would be required. More time. And much, much more study of all her foes. Both from personal observation, and through the books the princess’ library had so conveniently provided.

It also meant taking a much more direct hoof in matters of Ponyville and Canterlot than she would have preferred. But she could afford to wait, she reminded herself for the thousandth time. She would be there when her most hated enemy was broken. That was all that mattered.

Patience, she'd told herself, again and again. Patience.

It had been difficult, once she'd realized the power and skill of her youngest foe, to chip off pieces of her own throne. Not just to preserve the anti-magic power of the ancient stone, but to then shape the smaller pieces into amulets.

By the nature of her throne, there couldn't be many, of course. It had to remain as intact as possible. But with what was at stake, the time and effort had been a small sacrifice. And she only needed a few for her assassins in the Crystal Empire, far away. After what she had seen, she'd understood that protecting them from pony magic would be essential their mission's success.

She, of course, required no such talisman. And now, at last, at long last, she was reaching the end of her plan's first stage. After that, everything would accelerate. Soon, very soon, they would all be in her grasp, to crush as slowly as she pleased, listening to her enemies’ squeals of helplessness and terror and pain and…

She shook herself. Focus, she chided herself. Before any of that, there was the matter of the dragon to deal with. An unknowable amount of magical power, combined with a lifelong and intimate knowledge of the Princess of Friendship, plus a child’s inquisitiveness and the ability to send messages to almost anyone in the world with a single magical breath.

The owl snorted. Only a fool would leave such a one in play. But she had been studying him for some time now, along with his mistress. He was almost as much a creature of habit as she was. That would make it easy.

The owl flapped silently into the library and, eyes narrowed, determinedly settled herself down to wait.

Patience, she thought. Patience. Patience.

Nearly an hour later, she could hear the drake’s insipid humming as he hopped up the stairs. Hear his footsteps as he approached the door.

She waited until he’d begun closing the massive doors before giving an inquisitive hoot.

“Huh? Oh, hey, Minerva. Wow, you’re up late today,” Spike yawned. “Yeah, Twilight’s gone to get some stuff. She’ll be back this afternoon. Why? What’s up?”

As he turned to face her again, he had just enough time to register that she was in flight, that her eyes had taken on a strange emerald hue. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened, probably to shout something.

And then she was upon him.

A few days later, the unicorn began teaching at the local school.

“Oh, and by the way,” Princess Twilight said as they walked down the hall together, “Spike had an idea for a kind of field trip for the schoolfoals.”

The unicorn laughed. “Dude, it’s my first day! I’m not even sure I’m hired yet. Let me at least meet everypony first…!”

Their voices faded as they continued down the corridor, happily chatting as they did. The dragon watched them go, then nodded to himself and returned to the library. There were still many preparations left to be made, and little time remaining to do them in.

Weeks passed. Sunrise left Equus for the human world, and then returned. And while her time away might have otherwise been the perfect opportunity to strike, it would have meant too much time spent in the princess' form. Too much risk of discovery before the secondary targets could be gathered and replaced without suspicion.

Then, the ponies' otherworldly twins were due to visit. And on the scheduled weekend, they came, chatted inanely about nothing important with the royal family, and finally left.

Spike seethed inwardly, made plausibly vague excuses for any lapses in behavior, and continued to wait.

Twilight sat at her favorite table in her reference library, happily making last-minute revisions to the schedule before her. School had started around a month ago, and the leaves in Ponyville had taken on their red and gold crowns, waiting for the Running of the Leaves to set them free. The breeze rustling through the trees and into the open windows was refreshingly cool and the early evening's moonlight was gentle. And, best of all, Sunrise was home again.

It was a perfect day for reading. Or, in this case, proofreading.

The combination field trip and slumber party Spike had suggested for the Ponyville schoolfoals had been a wonderful idea. With the combination of less transit time and more wandering-around time than their Canterlot field trips, there would be more time overall for the students to think of more questions she could answer. And a longer and more relaxed curriculum, in turn, should theoretically maximize the educational value.

It would be very relaxed, in fact. Twilight had scheduled in relax time to be sure of it.

Twilight had been enthusiastic about the idea, of course, and it hadn’t taken much to get Sunrise on board as well. Especially since Spike had seemed so out of sorts lately. Having him take on such an interest in almost anything had brought grateful relief to both mares.

Not that he’d seemed unwell, exactly. But daily activities that had been simple tasks for him before now took far longer, and he hadn’t seemed as enthusiastic about, well, anything as he usually would. Even his appetite had gone down. He’d said he just had a lot on his mind, but… could it be some new illness, something that only happened to dragons?

Twilight frowned. More likely, it was something personal enough that Spike hadn’t wanted to talk about it. He’d also stopped spending as much time at Rarity’s, and Twilight suspected that the two events were connected. But Spike was old enough to deserve privacy, and so she had resolutely not pried.

Of course, if Spike had something going on, normally he and Twilight would count on Minerva to pick up the slack. But for a while now, there had been no sign of Twilight’s nocturnal assistant. And while not terribly concerning at first – Minerva was her own owl, after all – the more Twilight thought about it…

“Spike, have you seen Minerva lately?”

Spike looked up from the list he was editing. “I dunno. Not for a while, I guess. Why?”

“It’s just odd, that’s all,” Twilight said, contemplating the window perch the owl preferred. “I haven’t seen her in… it’s been over three weeks, wouldn’t you say?”

Spike set aside his list. “Since around when Sunrise started teaching, I think. So, maybe a month or more.” Then, giving her a concerned look, he added, “Why, what’s wrong? She's spent time away before.”

“Oh, I know. And it’s probably nothing. It’s just that, as I think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen her since we started planning for the sleepover. Maybe a little before.”

Spike frowned. “You think she has a problem with the foals staying over? That doesn’t seem like her.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Twilight agreed. Then, her eyes widened. “Oh, oh no!”

Spike hopped down to the floor. “What?”

Twilight began pacing.

“Minerva was acting kind of aloof for a few weeks before she vanished. I was just so busy with my duties as a princess and Sunny's lessons and then I was distracted by her leaving and coming back and everything else… Spike!”

“What?” Spike said again, becoming more frustrated.

“What if I hurt Minerva's feelings?” Twilight cried. “What if she thought I was ignoring her? What if she thought she wasn’t wanted? What if…?”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Spike said. “Let’s think about this.”

“But--!”

“Twilight, breathe! Minerva’s an owl. They’re usually solitary creatures, right?”

Twilight paused, uncertain. “Well, yeah…”

“And she’s not exactly a shy creature, right?”

“I suppose…”

He shrugged, adding, “So, she probably just needed a little time to herself, and it didn’t occur to her to tell us.”

Twilight looked uncertain. “Well...”

“If you’re really worried, we can talk to Fluttershy. Heck, Minerva might even be there, hanging out with the other animals.”

Twilight sighed.

“Maybe,” she conceded, looking again at the owl’s abandoned perch. “I mean, thinking about it, you’re right, it’s probably nothing.”

Then, her eyes narrowing, she added, “Then again, this is Ponyville. Maybe we should send a letter to Princess Celestia, just in case—”

An ichor-green arc of energy struck the young princess in the side. She screamed, suspended in mid-air by the blast, its cold energies writhing around her. Then, she fell to the floor.

Silent. Still.

The young drake eyed her coldly.

“Even with you forcing my hoof days ahead of schedule, your concerns are too late, as always,” he hissed, his form melting and shifting as he spoke. “Too little, too late, and above all… once again, unheard.

“I'd planned to capture you Monday, after Sunrise's departure to the Ponyville school. A small matter: I shall feign illness in your stead over the weekend, to eliminate any chance of discovery. By Monday eve, my drones will be in place in the Crystal Empire, surrounding the Princess of Love, replacing her daughter and bodyguards with my best assassins. And with their aid, the foals in and near the Crystal Palace will soon follow.

“Meanwhile, with you and the hatchling accounted for, it will be pupa’s play to substitute my fifth column for your apprentice and her students during their little slumber party. And come the dawn, our combined might shall easily ensnare the exhausted and unready Princess Luna. Asleep in your apprentice’s chambers below, far away from her palace's protections and her sister's aid.

“Ironically, your friends will be the easiest of all; they won't even need replacements," he sneered. "They'll be summoned to an emergency meeting here that very day, and then vanish. I'll just announce that they had to depart immediately due to a friendship emergency. And then, no more questions.”

Spike’s shadow morphed and grew against the far wall, his voice rising into a hateful, feminine buzz.

“When the first strike of war hits home, the remaining princesses will have little time to think. She will spearhead the attack, I’ll see to that. Love’s star will shine brightest even among her fellow princesses, her cause both personal and just. Though it be with a heavy heart, the Crystal Princess will rise unfailingly to the occasion, an inspiration for all ponykind.

“Naturally, my changeling army won’t stand a chance in such a conflict, not with the power of such magic brought into play,” she sneered. “They’ll be forced back into a last, desperate stand, counting on the anti-magic shell of my meteorite throne to protect them. But the long-sleeping wrath of the ponies will have been stirred at last, and what magic cannot avail, superior numbers and brute force most assuredly will.

“The Hive will fall, its walls crumbled into shale, my throne destroyed, its defenders scattered and lost. My power forever broken, as with so many of the princess’ most dire enemies in the past. My most terrible loss. My greatest failure.”

Teeth bared, the creature continued, “Yet, only when they sift through the rubble looking for surviving changelings will the poor little ponies discover the truth. You, Luna, their children and loved ones… all dead! Crushed by the hive’s broken stones! Slain by the might of the ponies’ greatest heroes!

“And then, only then,” she shrieked, “when my enemy’s heart has had time to truly crack, the real battle will finally begin! For even as Cadence fights for her very life against her own husband, guards and daughter, the foals of Ponyville and the Crystal Palace shall rise up from where they have been kept safe and guarded! Keeping the shapes of the young your people treasure, my children will rise up against their guardians, slaughtering all who hold them dear!

“The streets will run red, bathed in blood and screams and fire! Even Canterlot shall become a charnel house, and both pony realms shall hang their heads and weep in horror!

“My greatest failure shall be my greatest triumph!” she ranted. “And it’s all thanks to you, Twilight! You, and the love and trust you hold so dear! The sun and moon, falling before me, never to rise again, love itself ground to dust! I shall drag my foe down and laugh at her broken cries… and at last, I shall have my revenge!”

Standing over Twilight’s still form, her drones buzzing eagerly to her from the shadows, Queen Chrysalis laughed wildly in the growing darkness.

Chapter Three: My Heart is Flame.

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Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…

Sunrise galloped through the palace, the foals running fast behind. Left. Right. Another right. Left. The doors out were no good, the palace was surrounded by changelings. All around them, she could hear the windows breaking. Desperate, she led her students deeper into Twilight’s home, looking for some safe haven. Maybe some secret dungeon she’d never known about. Maybe a secret passage would just open up as they approached.

And even as she searched and hoped and galloped on, she threw her thoughts as loudly as she could, over and over again:

Luna, honey, I need you, where are you...?

Up another set of stairs. She could hear the drones' wings buzzing louder as they homed in on her and her charges. Right turn, then a left. Then another.

The castle was magic, she told herself. According to Twilight, one day it had just grown there. Plus, she'd shared an oath of hospitality with its mistress. Maybe that would make a difference.

Sweetheart, come on, please, please don't be hurt or caught somewhere, answer me, please...!

Maybe the castle had a secret way out. Maybe it would grow a new room for them to hide in. Maybe it would show them the way.

Maybe, maybe, maybe…

She careened around the corner and saw its dead end, maybe twenty feet off. No doors. No windows. No way out.

Trapped.

Behind her, she could hear the schoolfoals approaching. Any second, they’d see the dead end she’d led them into. Then, they wouldn’t just die. They’d die afraid.

No, she realized, probably they’d be captured. Changelings fed on emotions, and the foals would be a rich supply. Images flooded her mind. The foals, encased in nightmarish cocoons of slime and carapace. Entombed in an eternal living death, the Changelings' fangs forever sunk into their hearts.

Either way, dead or caged, she’d failed them.

Again. As always.

Then, her eyes narrowed, her face constricted into a scowl.

No.

“Um, Miss Shimmer?” Pipsqueak asked. “Where do we go from here?”

The other foals rounded the corner and bunched up together as they screeched to a halt, wide-eyed and dismayed.

But Sunrise whirled on them. “Go to the end of the hall,” she snapped. “Stay together. Keep your eyes shut. Your ears covered.”

Silver Spoon stared at her. “But—”

“Move!”

They moved.

For her part, Sunrise faced away from them, backing slowly towards them from the corner of the hall. There was a strange calm overtaking her now, even as she reached deep within herself. She had one thing left. Something locked away, deliberately forgotten. Yet somehow, she knew, now was the time.

“Sunrise?”

It was Diamond Tiara’s voice. No doubt her fellow CMCs were with her.

Sunrise didn’t look. She just shook her head, tears beginning to form.

“Go with the others,” she said through gritted teeth. Her throat was getting tight, talking was difficult. “Keep your eyes shut. No matter what you hear, you keep them closed.”

Apple Bloom started, “But—”

“I mean it, baby,” Sunrise managed. “Get back there and don’t look. I don’t want you to see this.”

Sunrise barely heard the four foals scamper back to the others. She swallowed, her thoughts returning to what she had only begin to intuit moments ago. Voices came back to her, the first an old teacher with old lessons.

Nevuh trust anyone but yo’self, Roundhouse had said years ago in his soft drawl. In yo’ dahkest moments, even yo’ shadow abandons you.

Sunrise had to admit that, in a sense, maybe he'd been right. He’d certainly done his own best to prove it all those years ago, when he’d vanished from her life without a word. But there was no way in hell her students were going to learn that lesson today.

And she was god-damned if they were ever going to learn it from her.

Almost simultaneously, Twilight’s melodic voice, lecturing and sad, Despair is one of the only two emotions that have no positive application in magic; the other being, of course, hatred.

Deep within Sunrise’s mind, something stirred.

You’re wrong, she thought. I’m sorry, Twilight, but you’re wrong. Dead wrong.

Because I am venomous, despite what we’d both hoped, she realized. I am the viper, the scorpion. Look around me. Look at my life. Look at what’s happening now. No matter what I touch, it crumbles. It dies, or else it just gets too tainted to survive.

It’s my nature, she thought.

Her heart ached, tears striking the floor between her hooves as she hung her head down. She thought of Luna, of Twilight, looking at her with nothing but hurt and disappointment.

I can’t fight it anymore. I’m sorry, my dears. But I just can’t keep lying. Not to you, not to myself. My touch is toxic. No matter what I do, it’s my nature to destroy.

She swallowed.

And… I... accept that. It’s what I am, and... I accept it. I do.

Then, her eyes narrowed, and she raised her head once more.

But I will choose who I destroy with my poison!

Hidden within the shadows of her psyche, countless boxes of almost-forgotten memories and their accompanying emotions waited in silent formation, as they had for most of her life. Sunrise had learned long ago, even as a small child, to suppress her darker feelings. To hide them away, to bury them.

Now, slowly at first but with rising speed, those boxes began to open.

Some were ancient, silently leaking blood into the darkness around them as they had been for years. Others were more recent, more intact and pristine. But one by one they opened, dissolving as they did, spilling out a lifetime’s worth of secrets that Sunrise had desperately tried to keep from herself. They released their pain, their anger, their resentment. Their rage. And, above all, they released at last their long-confined hate.

Every time, as a child, she’d been shamed.

Every time, as a little girl, they’d taken her art away or destroyed it.

Every time they’d burned her books.

Every time she’d been beaten.

Every time she’d been touched.

And above all, every time, every time, that someone younger or smaller than her had been hurt, and she’d been powerless to prevent it.

Her eyes were closed now, screwed tightly shut. Tears flowing freely as her breathing became more rapid. She didn’t hear the light crystals in the sconces around her overloading and shattering in rapid succession. She didn’t see darkness engulf the hallway. She only saw within, a dreadful, rapturous fire, a flame of blood-drenched gold and black that would rise to burn all before her.

And it was… beautiful.

A terrible mantra began to form, one different from any that she’d ever read or that Twilight had ever taught her. Her heart gave birth to it, her mind nursed and nurtured it, even as blood and fire roared throughout her mind like a tsunami, consuming her even as it was consumed by her.

Unbidden, her mouth formed a coarse whisper.

“I… hate… you…”

One changeling looked at another, eyes wide. “Hey, you feel that?”

His companion nodded. “Yeah, this way!”

Outside the palace, Chrysalis watched and waited. She doubted even she would have been powerful enough to stop a sending from Princess Luna herself, but blocking the unicorn's frantic thought projection was pupa's play. And, of course, her current disguise would allow her to easily intercept any last-minute meddlers in the physical realm.

But now she frowned, ears twitching, glancing back at the castle.

Something had shifted. What was going on in there?

She caught an old scent, mostly forgotten, growing within the youngest alicorn’s home. She wracked her mind, trying to remember. Even as, careful to maintain the wards and barriers she had placed upon it, she strained her senses into the Castle of Friendship.

Apple Bloom glanced up at the sound of rapidly shattering crystal. For a moment, everything was plunged into darkness. Then, the sconces’ light was slowly replaced by another. Something was forming itself around Sunrise, something bleeding out from her, shaping itself from shadow and flame. Sensing the foal's gaze, the apparition turned its as-yet eyeless face towards her.

Apple Bloom ducked down again, covering her face. “Don’ look,” she whimpered. “Don’ nopony look…”

Meanwhile, Sunrise began to rise into the air as her energies continued to grow, the thing she was birthing continuing to form as she lost herself more and more in the moment, in the fire, in the wild, burning power she had kept locked away for so long.

The hatred was so fierce, it was actually joyous.

They were coming, these hunters of children.

And she would burn them.

She would burn them all.

All of them, everywhere.

Sunrise Shimmer would burn the world.

Her whisper filled the hallway, unheeding of the fearful sounds behind her. It echoed its way through the Palace of Friendship as her magic burned its way through her veins and flesh.

“I hate… you…”

Throughout the palace, Changelings were swarming towards a hallway on the center floor, near the east. They could feel the emotional force emanating like a beacon. It wasn’t love. It wasn’t fear. It was something they hadn’t fed on before, and their excitement at such an overwhelmingly powerful feast was almost uncontrollable.

**Targets acquired!** they sent to their queen. **Visual contact any moment!**

Chrysalis’ eyes snapped open. It had been a long time. Too long. She had almost forgotten. But she recognized that scent now, all too well. Recognized it from the core of her own misshapen heart. And, tinged with magic as that emotion was…

**Abort!** she sent frantically.

**But we almost have them!**

**No! Stop! Do not pursue that mare!**

The drones rounded the corner, and stopped in mid-flight, astonished.

It roared and bellowed and stomped before them, a massive, armless, two-legged thing of crimson fire, of shadow and blood. The creature’s face took up most of its squat body: tusked and fanged, fiery eyes all but blind with the burning need to destroy. Within it, about where its heart or brain should have been, glowed what looked like the golden outline of a mare, curled into a fetal position.

The lead changeling blinked. “What in every hell…?”

As the demonic form focused itself on them, the eyes of the mare within opened, to stare at them with identical fury. When she opened her mouth, the beast thundered with an unholy wrath, waking ponies throughout the town even as her prey turned to flee.

“I!”

**Get out of there!**

“HATE!”

**Fly! Everybug, fly!**

“YOU!!”

And then, the fire burst forth with the fury of a wrathful sun, devouring all before it.

Mayor Mare was on her hooves almost before she was awake. Whatever had happened to jar her awake so, she knew it would require every pony available to deal with it. Then, even as she reached her door, the explosion rocked her almost off her hooves. It was followed almost immediately by a sound like a meteor shower, with several projectiles smashing into her home's walls and rooftop.

By the time her eyes had started truly focusing, she was outside. Other ponies were pouring out of their own residences, all running the same direction she was, all exchanging identical looks as they ran. Earth ponies and unicorns galloped, pegasi flew. Police, fireponies, emergency volunteers. She didn’t need to look skyward to know that more reinforcements would be coming from Cloudsdale.

The crowd was gathering around Princess Twilight’s Castle. Or, at least, what was left of it. All around town, cracked and shattered fragments of blue and violet crystal littered the ground and rooftops like a broken set of blocks. More than a quarter of the palace was gone, the entire east half of the upper floors. The cavernous hole that remained of them billowed black smoke into the nighttime sky.

Mercifully, it looked as though injuries from the rain of mystical stone were minimal. The crowd parted as the Mayor ran through, allowing her to reach the princess easily.

“Princess Twilight!” she gasped. “Thank goodness you’re alright! What--?”

“There’s no time for that,” the Princess snapped. “Just listen. The Changelings have invaded again. They impersonated me and I don’t know who else. Queen Chrysalis is here somewhere, maybe in this very crowd!”

As the assembling ponies murmured uncomfortably, she went on, “Assemble your forces as you normally would, but with one exception: nopony is to ever be alone, ever! Stay in groups of at least three.”

Cheerilee stepped forward. “But, Princess, what about Sunrise? And the foals? Are they… oh,”

She stepped back as Twilight closed her eyes in pain.

“Oh,” the teacher whispered. “Oh, no.”

“The Changelings murdered them,” Twilight managed through her tears. “It’s my fault, I should have been there, but she surprised me—” she choked slightly, then shook herself.

“No, there’s no time for that now,” she managed. She took a shaking breath, and then addressed the grief-stricken ponies around her, saying, “We have to protect the living first. I’m going to the Princesses to explain what’s happened. Meantime, send the word, and prepare your people. As of right now, Equestria is at war.”

As she flew into the nighttime sky, the dismayed ponies below her began planning and breaking into teams, even as more and more arrived to be told the harrowing news.

Celestia bolted awake. The tremor had been a massive one; the chandelier above her was swaying slightly.

After an instant’s pause, she sent her thoughts out to her sister.

Luna?

Luna caught the thought, forging a connection instantly. **I am here. What has happened? Many of the dreamers have suddenly awakened in Canterlot, most all in Ponyville.**

Celestia went out to the balcony, looked out over the expanse below the palace. The thoughts she projected were as close to panic as Luna had ever witnessed.

There was an explosion in Ponyville. Twilight’s castle-- oh, Luna, I can see the smoke from here--!

**Go.**

But, Sunrise--!

Luna was by this time already in flight down the wide halls of their palatial home, her dream duties for the nonce abandoned.

**I would know if she were dead,** she sent. **See to your heart’s daughter and her son. I will control things while you are gone.**

The thought rose involuntarily, But, if Twilight and Spike were there--!

**Then have pity upon their slayers. I shall have none.**

Celestia projected no more to her. Spreading her wings, she took flight: a pale rainbow blur that vanished from all but the fastest eyes.

Luna, for her part, was already barking orders to the military around her, preparing the palace for both refugees and for siege.

After a few minutes, a young stallion in armor ran up to her. Luna scarcely spared him a glance.

“Speak.”

“Your Highness, I’ve just heard we have intruders. Other guards are investigating.”

“Intruders? Strange, I sensed no…” she frowned, then stared in shock.

The guard stepped forward, unsure. “Highness?”

Princess Luna wheeled on him. “Bring me to them immediately!”

The young guard gave a quick bow, then galloped as fast as he could, the Princess of Night flying above him.

Darkness.

Then, a small glow of blue light.

Then, another of pink. And one of green.

The foals were grouped unevenly around the mare who lay on the marble tiles, grey smoke curling gently from her coat. Some of the children were staring around themselves frantically, others were crying from sheer terror.

Some, however, had kept their wits about them, and were doing the best they could. A few of these looked down at Sunrise’s body, dimly illuminated by the pale light of the unicorns among them.

“Is she…” Diamond Tiara swallowed. “…dead?”

Silver Spoon touched Sunrise’s throat, then jerked her hoof back, looking at her fellows in dismay. “She’s… cold,” she whispered.

Meanwhile, Snips and Snails had blinked, looking at the walls around them anew as their own horns lit up.

“Waitaminute,” Snips said. “Doesn’t this place look familiar?”

“Yeah,” Snails frowned. “We were here for a field trip, weren’t we?”

Pipsqueak started, then nodded frantically. “This is the palace! We’re in the Royal Palace of Canterlot!”

At his fellows’ blank look, he explained, “Don’t you get it? There’ll be guards! We can get help!”

At this, about half the class scattered, calling for help in frantic voices. The response was almost immediate, helmet-mounted lights flashing in the darkness as palace guards galloped to the sound of their cries.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was examining Sunrise where she lay. “Uh, guys? Kin a pony get a cutie mark post-humerously?”

“Posthumously,” Sweetie Belle corrected automatically. “And no, I don’t think so.”

“Then she’s alive,” Scootaloo said. “Come look.”

The rest of the class gathered round, even as the sounds of hooves surrounded them. But even before the sentry lights of their rescuers illuminated the area, the mark on their friend’s flank was evident in the many-colored light of their horns.

It was a shield. Black as a moonless, starless night.

Emblazoned upon that shield was a sunburst of purest gold.

Chapter Four: Patterns and Balefire.

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Sunday Tea at the palace was one of Sunrise's favorite things about her new home. Every week, getting to spend time with Twilight and Luna at the same time, plus the other royals...

(Well, okay, sometimes Celestia had work, and likewise Cadence and Shining, but the spirit was there.)

...plus, whenever they were in town, Sunset and her Twilight. In fact, the whole thing had been the human Twilight's idea.

Other ponies had been invited, of course. The rest of the Elements, naturally, as had some adopted nephew of Celestia's that Sunrise had yet to meet.

But Prince Blueblood was apparently often busy with his own duties, though he'd phrased it more as a rain check. Apparently even he and Celestia generally saw one another on a monthly basis, if that.

Meanwhile, Royal Tea Time just hadn't interested Rainbow Dash or Applejack that much. Words like 'fancy' and 'high-falootin' had been tossed around, though good-naturedly.

And apparently Fluttershy already had a regular weekly tea with Discord. In response to which, everypony had of course agreed that he would be invited as well, though she'd still demurred. It was only after the yellow mare had left that everypony there had breathed a sigh of grateful relief.

Well, everyone but Sunrise. She'd known about Discord from some of the histories she'd read, of course. But an in-person meeting would obviously have been something completely different. And seriously: an ancient god of chaos, pre-dating Equestria itself? To say she'd been curious would have been an understatement.

Besides, he was a friend of Fluttershy's. How bad could he be?

For her part, Rarity had agreed that she would be just delighted to pop by occasionally, but also pointed out that Sundays were her family time with Sweetie Belle.

She had been by once, and it had been great. But apparently Rarity sightings would be, well, rare.

And Pinkie Pie, astonishingly, had also demurred. She had simply winked, saying, "Nah, I think you guys need family time too. Thanks, though!" And then she'd bounced away merrily, off to do whatever it was that Pinkie Pie did.

And so, Sunday Tea at the palace had gradually evolved into a semi-formal-but-mostly-not tea party between royalty, their family, and Sunrise. Everypony just enjoying tea, munching away, and generally letting their manes down.

And, gradually, Sunrise had begun to accept that she, too, was family here.

Granted, it should have felt like things were moving too fast to say that she and Luna were family. But at the same time... she really couldn't argue the point. Nor did she want to. Whether it was because she was a pony, or because it was Luna, she wasn't sure. She just knew that, when she allowed herself to relax, it felt... right.

Meanwhile, having Sunset as a sister was... weird. Like, really weird.

It was great, great beyond words. But, given their history, it also redefined the idea of weirdness to a whole new level. Like Sunrise had somehow graduated from Plucky Tot levels of weirdness to God Tier Weird with no warning whatsoever.

Not to mention that it was even weirder having Twilight – the human Twilight – as a friend in any capacity.

But over the last few months, with the humans visiting for every-other to every-third weekend and Sunrise getting closer to her new family, weird was getting to be pretty good. And good, in turn, was in danger of becoming normal. And, with the ease of familiarity and the acceptance of family, there was a degree of relaxation that...

Well, part of her tensed at it, paradoxically warning her against getting too used to trusting others, or being able to relax. Another part worried that, once her newfound friends and family really got to know her, they'd cut their losses and drop her in sheer horror and disgust. But over time she'd managed to mostly quell those childhood voices, and sometimes even forget them entirely.

And, lately, Sunday Tea had become one of those times.

On this particular Sunday, she, Twilight, and Luna were sharing their usual divan. Meanwhile, Sunset and her Twilight snuggled on the love seat nearby, this being one of their weekends in Equestria, sipping and munching contentedly. Neither Cadence nor Shining Armor had been able to make it, which sucked but was also to be expected. Spike had yet again bowed out, citing “other stuff to do,” which also sucked but was coming to be accepted. He had his own life, after all, and tea wasn't for everyone.

The conversation had wound its way around a variety of topics, as usual. Sometimes encompassing all those present, sometimes fracturing into splinter discussions, ultimately gathering together again like streams of mercury in an ever-changing terrain.

Eventually, Celestia gave Sunrise a quizzical look.

“Mmm?” Sunrise asked, her mouth filled with food.

“Oh, no, nothing's wrong,” Celestia smiled. “You just seemed to have something on your mind. I didn't mean to pry.”

Sunrise chased her mouthful down with tea, then tried again.

“Mmm. No, you're not. But... well, okay, I do have a potentially odd question,” she said.

Celestia raised an amused eyebrow. “I have a potentially bizarre answer. Shall we see if they match?”

“Well, um, when I first started my studies with her, Twilight mentioned that you guys were kind of out of prophesies at the moment. So, by implication, you had prophesies before, right?”

Sunset put down her teacup, holding back a smile. Luna continued sipping contentedly, apparently enjoying the moment. Both of the Twilights’ ears perked up in unison.

Celestia, for her part, looked uncomfortable.

“In a sense,” she said. “Sometimes.”

“So... where do they come from? How do they work?”

“Well… usually from…” Celestia shifted, looking even more uncomfortable. “Well… me.”

Sunrise froze. “Oh. Geez. I'm sorry. Did I just ask a personal question over tea? Because I seriously wasn’t trying to be That Guy.”

Then, jabbing a hoof at Sunset, she accused, “And you already asked this question!”

“Mm-hmm,” Sunset said contentedly.

“Although, due to her age at the time, I confess I did give Sunset a rather simplified answer,” Celestia added. “But it is a reasonable question, and only in part a personal one.”

“So... are you okay with me asking?”

“Oh, yes.”

Encouraged, Sunrise said, “Okay, then... you mentioned before that you read patterns. Is that related to the whole prophesy thing?”

Celestia nodded. “It is, yes.”

“How does that work?”

“Vaguely.”

Sunrise nodded. “Yeah, okay, that’s fair.”

But Celestia shook her head. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

She sipped her tea and then put down her cup, saying, “Alright. It’s hard to put into words, but I’ll try.

“My clarity of perception regarding patterns sharpens in proportion to the strength or the influence of the event, and its immediacy, though the degree of that correlation seems to vary.

“For example, I could see that the pattern containing Discord in his stone form was weakening, generations ago, and that he would escape relatively soon… but it was only when I felt the overarching patterns of Equestria suddenly in his grasp and stretched out of proportion that I knew it had happened.”

Sunrise glanced at her Twilight with a smile, imagining her giving the same lecture. The way she would become so animated in her enthusiasm would be all her own, though. Not to mention the shine in her eyes, the way her ears would perk at certain times...

Twilight looked at her curiously. “What?”

Sunrise sipped her tea, happily exchanging smiles with Luna. “Nothing.”

“On the other hand,” Celestia continued, “after studying how his personal pattern and those of the Elements intersected for a time, I was able to deduce that their befriending him was a possibility. I didn’t cause them to, and it was not an inevitability. But I could see the probabilities of it happening were favorable, so I encouraged it.”

“No, really,” Twilight pressed quietly. “What?”

“Nothing,” Sunrise grinned, buttering another scone while Luna studied the ceiling. “Not a damn thing.”

“All that being said, I’m far from omniscient,” Celestia went on. “There are almost infinite patterns, stretched across Equestria and the world like an impossibly complex web of events. Constantly shifting, each change in its mosaic changing the meaning of every pattern it touches… and, often, the patterns they touch in turn.”

“Luna?” Twilight asked.

Luna smiled, continuing her study of overhead structural design. She replied just as quietly, “I categorically have no idea to what thou might possibly be referring.”

“What are these patterns doing, in general?” Celestia posited, refilling her tea. “I have some small idea, yes. What does that mean to our more day-to-day perceptions? That’s harder to guess. I certainly can’t see them all. Not even close. And that makes guessing dangerous.”

“No friends,” Princess Twilight said, shaking her head good-naturedly. “I have no friends.”

“None,” Sunrise and Luna assured her in happy unison, each kissing an opposite cheek.

There was a brief pause while Twilight blushed happily, bringing Luna and Sunrise into a three-way hug. Sunset and her fiancé exchanged knowing smiles and Celestia simply radiated delight in her family and the moment they were sharing.

Finally, she picked up her narrative again.

“Going back to our earlier topic,” she said, “for another example, I can tell you that there is a powerful, stagnant-yet-protean pattern interweaving into the pattern of Canterlot. It has existed for a long time, now. It intersects with many ponies of influence, most of whom are in this room. And it seems directly connected to Canterlot and Ponyville’s next great shift in pattern, I think affecting most to all of the lives therein. It also involves Cadence, and therefore possibly the Crystal Empire. In some ways more directly, in some ways less.

“But I don’t know exactly what form that shift will take. It might be a war. Or it might be a series of new social customs coming in with trade and immigration between our kingdoms, subtly changing how things are done within both. Or it might be a rather unpleasant illness, leaving a form of immunity behind as it goes. But regardless, all of us will be affected by it, to varying degrees.”

She sighed. “Hopefully, I’ll know more as I get closer. But I don’t always. Any number of things can keep me from seeing events properly. Magic, my own emotions, even just simple pony fallibility.

“All that being said, however, I can make deductions. For example, since you’ve asked about it, I can tell you that through us, you’re connected to whatever it is. Princess Cadence's connection to it is strong. But whether it's a direct connection or because of her rulership of the Crystal Empire I cannot say. Flurry Heart is also connected, though it's hard to tell how strongly. I'm just not as close to her as I am to her mother.

But your connection to this event is also strong. And through you, this encroaching pattern may touch a variety of simpler patterns in turn. Therefore, I now know this will most likely happen sometime within your lifetime.”

“But you didn’t, until now,” Sunrise said.

“Correct.”

“So,” Sunrise mused, “I’m going to help Twilight foalsit her niece this winter, catch a cold from the kid, and then give it to the foals at school so that it sweeps through the city, causing sniffles on an undreamed-of scale.”

“Maybe.”

“Or, you'll all die in a horrible battle against Sombra, and I’ll lead the last charge of fresh recruits against him sometime when I’m ninety-nine.”

“Unlikely, but also possible.”

“Or, Flurry and I could lead a social rebellion against Twilight's future regime through the introduction of pony hip-hop,” Sunrise nodded. “Yeah. I can see why you tend to keep quiet on this stuff.”

Celestia chuckled. “Well, truly momentous events have on occasion granted more detail. The more powerful event patterns are sometimes easier to read. And of course, while individuals might be read, groups – much less entire kingdoms – are essentially impossible. Thus, the odd written prophesy.”

She reached for another sandwich, adding, “It’s hard to describe, and I fear I’m not doing a very good job of it. It’s like trying to describe a rainbow to someone who has never seen color. The words I need don’t really exist.

“Meanwhile, in more immediate matters, I can discern a bit more. I can trace along my own pattern where it intersects others, for example, to tell you that Applejack is doing quite well at the moment. Her siblings are less connected to my pattern – being associated to me primarily through Applejack – and so they’re harder to read. And I've been saying that Raven needs a vacation for years."

“But actual prophesies? As in, something strategically useful, mandated by some terrible, overshadowing catastrophe?” She shook her head and reached for another slice of cake. “No. We are, as Twilight told you, between actual prophesies at the moment.”

She took another sip of tea as she munched contentedly, adding, “And I, for one, couldn’t be happier.”

Sunrise forced her eyes open.

“Well. That makes more sense in hindsight,” she muttered blearily. “Man, but prophesy sucks.”

The room was dark, the light crystals glowing a dim, deep blue rather than the customary silver or gold. Still, she could see well enough through the windows to make out the crescent moon, continuing its slow descent.

The covers were silk, she was pretty sure, though everything felt too intense, too harsh. The air was too cold, too crisp. The bedding too rough. Even her own coat was too abrasive, every hair aggressively rubbing into her skin.

It was hard work even focusing her eyes. But when she finally managed, it looked like she was in Luna's room.

For a moment, she smiled. Good. She was safe, then.

Then, her eyes snapped open as a chill ran through her. Oh, God, the foals...!

She tried to leap up, only managing to half-raise her head unevenly a few times. Then, she lay there, exhausted, gasping for breath. It felt like raising her head again would take a day's work.

**You should not be trying to move yet,** the darkness said, swirling around her. **You should not even be awake. Go back to sleep, and heal.**

Sunrise gave a bleary smile.

“Hey, Jack,” she said.

**Hey, yourself,** the shadows replied, with the same gravity as before.

“Lissen,” she managed, “The whole class was with me, I don't know how long I've...”

**Your students are safe and well,** he assured her. **Your spell brought them all here, away from danger, protecting them even as you wrought your enemies' destruction.**

Sunrise stared sadly at the window and the sky beyond, saying nothing. After a moment, Jack spoke again.

**They are all accounted for,** he said, puzzlement creeping into his voice. **And you have your mark, besides. The shape of which is a surprise to no one who knows you.**

Sunrise squeezed her eyes shut, as if in pain. Her voice was almost inaudible when she spoke.

“I don't want it.”

There was a long silence before Jack spoke again, his strange speech coming from all places and yet none.

**I don't understand.**

Feeling nauseous, Sunrise swallowed several times.

“I don't want my cutie mark,” she said at last. “Or my magic. Or any of it. Not at the risk of others, and especially not at the cost of... look, I know you guys don't use the word that much, but those Changelings... they were people.”

She drew in a jagged breath, then released it just as unevenly, eyes still tightly shut.

“I'm out,” she whispered. “I'm done. Soon as I can move, I'll be out of your hair. Or manes. I'll be out of your manes. The point is, you can fix things again once I'm out of the way, and the world can be the way it was before I got here. The way it should have been all along. The way it would have been if...”

Sunrise broke off. She could feel Jack filling the room around her like a slow storm as the temperature around her plummeted. She opened her eyes in shock, the steam of her breath plainly visible before her. On the windowpanes, thin patterns of ice began to crawl and crackle, the night sky beyond hidden from view by a sudden, unnatural darkness.

Then, it was over. The frost faded from the glass, the moon shining as gently as before. Sunrise shivered slightly. Whether as an after-effect of the cold, or from something else, she couldn't tell.

From all around her, Jack's voice came, as calm as ever.

**My mother treasures you, more than I think even you realize,** he said. **You make her happy, for which I owe you a debt I can never repay. Yet, more than that, I have come to care deeply for you as well.

**So. Please permit me to speak frankly to you, as a friend.**

Sunrise opened her mouth to protest, but Jack spoke again, somehow both cold and caring.

**I have lived within this world more than a thousand years,** he said. **Neither confined to palace nor caged in orbiting stone. I have guarded dreamers from terrors and worse – first in Equestria, and then in all places known – throughout that time. I have protected them as weanlings, as children, and even as adults preparing to bring their own young into the world. I have watched them grow old and stayed with them as they died, even as new generations were ever being born. I have witnessed their dreams, their heartaches, and their very lives, spread out before me as a tapestry of silver and cetacean silk.

**So, when I speak of the ways of life and death, as I do now, the wise would do well to listen.**

Sunrise closed her mouth with an almost audible click.

The darkness around her swirled, began to coalesce. The room's crystals grew bright again, their familiar silver light replacing the blue with which they'd been dimly glowing before.

Jack drew himself together, taking his physical form. Graceful as a flowing stream, he climbed onto the bed next to her, powerful feline paws sinking into the soft bedding.

He leaned in close. Sunset could feel the warmth of the soulfire behind his eyes and mouth, smell the wood-smoke balefire of his breath when he spoke. He stared into her eyes, and she could not look away.

“There is no bargain,” he said.

And just like that, the moment was broken. Sunrise blinked, frowned, struggled and failed to sit up again. “Um, what?”

“There is no bargain,” he said again, his voice almost kind. “There is no trade, no exchange of favors or worth. No master plan or grand symmetry. Nor, indeed, is there any way of things that 'should' or 'should not' be. The blind universe cares not for such things, if indeed it cares at all. What is, simply is. Whatever is done, by you or by others, is simply done. And whatever follows, if aught does follow, follows because it must.

“Nothing was given or taken in exchange for your mark, Sunrise Shimmer. There was no exchange, because there is no bargain. No trade. At a moment of true crisis, you finally found yourself. And you defended lives. And you took lives.

“And that... is all.”

Sunrise sniffed, then suddenly began sobbing helplessly where she lay. She didn't even know why she was crying. Sadness, relief, confusion, regret... or maybe just because she was so fucking tired. She didn't know why. She just knew that she was, and when Jack rolled over slightly she was glad to be held in his panther-like forelegs while she did.

They stayed that way for a long time, his deep rumbling purr and the crackling scent of Autumn fires gently lulling her back to sleep.

Chapter Five: Nature Abhors.

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"Hey."

At the sound of her lover's voice, despite everything, Sunrise smiled.

"Hey yourself," she said.

“How are you doing?” Luna asked gently.

Stretching under the covers, Sunrise managed to open her eyes again. It was easier than before, though she was still feeling pretty beat.

“Uh, okay, I guess," she said unconvincingly. "You just missed me making an ass out of myself in front of Jack, but...”

Then she winced. “Oh, wait, that's kinda racist here, isn't it? Crap.”

Luna smiled.

“Donkeys have not been called 'asses' for generations, so I believe you are safe,” she said. “But that is a trifling matter. I am more concerned with your health, and your heart. So, I ask again: how are you doing?”

Sunrise sighed.

“Better, I think,” she said. “Hollow, kind of. Empty. In a couple of ways, I guess. I... I'm sorry, I don't really know how to describe it.”

Luna nodded, still smiling, carefully and gently climbing into bed beside her.

“I observed the castle's remains, and cast a time spell to see what had happened,” she said. “Much of the spell was obscured by Chrysalis' magic, even going back months. But your own casting was too powerful to be so hidden.”

She squeezed Sunrise gently, adding in her older form of speech, “The passion thou harnessed was immense, and dangerous beyond words. And then, to channel it so, protecting the foals and moving them even as thou struck out... thou'rt lucky to be alive, my love.”

As Luna spooned her, Sunrise held her lover's hooves to her own chest. She loved it when Luna thee'd and thou'd her. It always felt like an act of intimacy, like Luna was sharing a part of herself she normally kept hidden. And despite everything, she felt a little warmer inside.

“I feel luckier now than I did,” she admitted.

“I'm glad,” Luna said, kissing Sunrise gently on the ear. The ear twitched reflexively, and they both laughed a little.

Then, Sunrise sighed, her smile fading away.

“Still, that wasn't just passion,” she said sadly. “It was anger. Hate. Bad enough that I killed those people – speaking folk, whatever – the point is, I wanted to. At that moment...”

She shook her head and fell silent, and Luna simply continued to hold her, until she was ready to speak again.

Sunrise took in a breath, blew it out. Then she made herself talk, eyes closed as she did.

“When I was a little kid, one of the homes that took me in had a baby girl,” she said. “Her name was Joy. And, I… I loved her. She loved me, and so did her folks. For a while, it looked like I’d finally found a place where I belonged. Like I was home.

“Then, one day, I was trying to teach her to play patty-cake. She couldn’t get it, of course, she was too young. But, I was still too young to understand that. It was so frustrating. So, I lost my temper and…

“I slapped her.”

Luna winced.

“Her parents freaked,” Sunrise went on, looking away in the shame of her own memories. “But not as much as I did. Even when they sent me away, even while I was putting all my stuff into yet another garbage bag... my biggest thought wasn’t that I’d lost another home, one where I thought I’d really be able to stay this time. It was that I’d hurt her.

“I’d loved her, and I’d hurt her.”

She looked at the window, where golden light peeked reluctantly around the edges of heavy brocade curtains. The designs embroidered into them were hidden by the darkness, but Sunrise had them memorized: the moon, the stars, even a small sunburst in one corner.

“So, I learned to lock them away,” she said. “Even from myself. All of them. All the rage, the hate, all those dangerous feelings I had. I learned to contain, to suppress. To take my anger, my tears, my pain, even some of my memories. To lock them up, to hide them, deep in the shadows of my mind.

“It was just too dangerous to do anything else. I was too dangerous. It was the only way to be sure I wouldn't hurt anyone I loved again. That, or... even worse.

“When I got here, I was scared as hell. I mean, I'd just...”

She stopped, and Luna squeezed her gently.

“Yeah, well. You already know that part. First, Sunset saved me – just one of the many ironies between us – and then, she brought me here.”

She smiled bitterly, adding, “Between you and Twilight, I started seeing my coming here as a chance for a new start. And then, there was my job, and the foals. And for a little while, I thought I was getting better. I mean, not all the time, but every now and then I started thinking that maybe I wasn't poison. Maybe it wasn't my nature to destroy. And that... was... a nice dream.”

Then the smile vanished and she closed her eyes again, resigned.

“But that's all it was,” she said, her voice reduced to a whisper. “A dream. Because at the end of the day, I'm not just poison. I'm a killer. Those changelings didn't die from some accident, or some magical mistake. I wanted them dead.

“And now... now they are.”

A vast silence opened between them, and Sunrise could feel herself falling into it.

It was only fair, she thought. Luna deserved to know what she'd been associating herself with. Bad enough that Sunrise had spent so much time pretending to be something she wasn't. Worse if she'd lied about it now.

I'll help out as much as I can, she thought, silent tears slowly darkening the sheets beneath her eyes. Whatever else is going on, I won't leave her or the others to deal with it alone. However I can help, I will. But then, if I'm still alive, I'll go. Make sure I don't do any more damage.

Behind her, Sunrise felt Luna shift her head, doubtless cocking it the way she often did when she was in thought.

Sunrise's heart ached as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Damn it all, she was so tired. It was hard to stay awake, to talk at all. But then, maybe this was best. Luna would be gone when she woke up again, and Sunrise would understand.

She'd just started to drift off when Luna spoke.

“Emotion is the simplest and most primal source of magical power,” she said. “In foalhood, we draw upon such power almost exclusively, for need and passion are all we know. But as we mature, we are trained. By parents, by teachers, each pony according to the magic of their tribe. And so, knowledge and discipline take the place of blind emotion. We learn to guide our hearts and focus our strengths, much as a lens focuses light. Some ponies more than others, of course.

“Yet thou, unpracticed in sorcery and almost completely untrained, found thyself in a battle against uncounted foes with the lives of innocents at stake. Thus, in thy need to safeguard the students thou lovest, thou didst brave the wounds of thy heart and set loose a lifetime of pain and rage."

"Great,” Sunrise muttered. “I mean, I'm glad to be alive, don't get me wrong. But you’re saying this is all because I’m reverting. That I’m becoming a child again.”

Gently, Luna turned Sunrise over to face her, covers rustling quietly in the dark.

“Nay, my love,” she said. “Thou'rt becoming a warrior."

Sunrise stared.

"And we are in a war, even now," Luna pointed out. "Ever since the destruction of our Twilight's castle, Equestria has been at war with the Changelings and their queen.”

Luna gave Sunrise a moment to process, then continued, “But now, thou hast emptied that reservoir of caged emotion. And without it, no matter how unhealthy such a reserve of denied rage and hate most certainly was, the mind feels a lack.”

Sunrise winced, looking up at her.

“I am the very last mare in the world to judge, my love,” Luna reminded her. “But now thou must decide, quickly and deliberately. For it is only natural for the heart to want to fill that lack again. The question is, with what?”

Sunrise sighed again.

“Yeah, that's fair, I guess,” she said. “But I don't know how to answer you, hon. Right now, I'm not even sure I understand the question.”

“Which is also fair,” Luna said, and kissed her on the base of her horn. “So I will simply come to the point. Please, my love. Fill the spaces within thy heart and mind with love rather than hate, or even self-hate.”

Then, pulling back to look into her lover's eyes, she added with a smile, “It is far healthier, and far more pleasant.”

“And then what?” Sunrise asked, genuinely confused. “Just... forget about it? Forget what I've done?”

“Nay, my love. Rather, learn from it. And, learning, gain wisdom, and continue to live and love.”

Sunrise opened her mouth to reply, then stopped. Could she do that? How would she? And after everything she'd done, did she even deserve to?

But this was Luna asking. Luna. And despite everything, despite all that Sunrise had ever done or been, Luna had always accepted her just as she was.

And Luna had literally never asked her for anything before.

Ever.

Closing her eyes, Sunrise focused on Luna's nearness. On her warmth, on the feathered wings around her, on the beautiful blue hooves that held her, on the immortal heart beating so close to her own.

“I... I'll try,” she whispered.

Luna kissed her head gently, and neither spoke, not wanting to bring the moment to an end. And, exhausted both physically and emotionally, Sunrise Shimmer fell once again into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Sunrise had awakened partway several times, each time carefully keeping still so as to not disturb Luna's own slumber. Upon her last waking, however, her eyes flew open.

“Oh, oh shit,” she said in a horrified whisper.

Luna was immediately awake, looking around them.

“What? What's wrong?”

But Sunrise was struggling against the covers, frantically trying to force her exhausted body to rise. “Chrysalis. And Twilight! Spike! Oh, fuck, oh fuck...!”

“Easy, love, it's okay...”

“Oh, my god, I'm the biggest asshole in the world...!”

“SUNRISE!”

Sunrise stopped. She'd finally made it to her hooves, if a little unsteadily, and the two mares were now looking at one another across Luna's bed.

“It's alright,” Luna assured her. “Thou wert injured, remember?”

“But--”

"And we know.” Luna continued. “I assure thee, whatever it is that concerns thee, we know.”

“But Twilight--”

“Is alive. Thou wilt see her soon enough.”

Sunrise frowned, her fear giving way to confusion. “But, then, why are you here? I mean, I love you being here, but...”

“Yes, as I said before, the war is begun,” Luna said. “Changeling forces are amassing to the South and Northwest, and our own armies are moving to meet them. Likewise, an attempt was made in the Crystal Empire, much as one was made here. But things are under control, for now. And even in wartime, a pony must rest.”

Then, looking away, she added, “For we shall all have such need of strength, so soon.”

Slowly, Sunrise nodded, noting again how the heavy curtains were drawn closed, how the glow around their edges betrayed the light of Celestia's sun.

“Sorry, hon,” she sighed. “I panicked.”

“It's alright,” Luna smiled. She crossed over to where Sunrise was, and the two of them embraced.

“So, Twilight's okay?” Sunrise asked into Luna's mane.

“Well, no one's exactly safe right now, and some of us face greater peril than others,” Luna said carefully. “Which bethinks me, I need thy advice on something.”

Sunrise pulled away slightly, giving her a cocked eyebrow.

"You need my advice? Oh, now we are in trouble.”

“Well, not as much trouble as that,” Luna grinned. “It comes to this: there are matters of state that concern thee, and yet are also matters of security, for our ponies and our realm. Should I entrust them to thee, bringing thee further into risk, or should I spare thee? Also, how good an actress art thou?”

“Oh,” Sunrise blinked. “Well, crap.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, um... second part first, I'm a pretty good actress. I'm not the Mare of a Thousand Faces, but I can hold my own. I've got a long history of keeping secrets when needs be.”

Luna nodded. “Good so far.”

“As for the first question... well, if you're having to deal with something, and I might be able to help, I want in.”

Sunrise grew both serious and certain as she continued, “If you're in danger, I want to be there with you. Period. No matter the odds, no matter the stakes. If you go down, we go down togeth—hey...”

Sunrise's voice became gentler as she stepped towards Luna again, who, still staring at her, had begun to silently weep while Sunrise spoke.

“Hey, hey,” Sunrise said again, putting her arms around Luna. “Hey, what's-- oof!”

Luna suddenly threw her arms and wings around Sunrise, squeezing hard.

“I love thee!” she sniffled.

“I love you too,” Sunrise said, still holding on. “So, we're in this together, right?”

Still sniffling, Luna nodded happily.

“Good,” Sunrise smiled. “Because there's noplace else I'd rather be than with you.”

“And I with thee,” Luna returned. “But for now, come and sit with me. For the time has come to share with thee several dark truths. And thou must keep them sealed behind thy lips and thy heart without fail, 'til the moment of revelation comes.”

The briefing, such as it was, took a little less than ten minutes. Most of the major parts Sunrise had already suspected, and the rest weren't really that surprising. But it was a hard pill to swallow, just the same.

“Can you do it?” Luna asked gently.

Sunrise took in a breath, blew it out slowly.

“Yeah, I can do it. It's just... fuck.

“Indeed.”

Sunrise gave a quick sigh, then shook her head as if to clear it.

"Do you need more rest?" Luna asked. "Or some food? I can call--”

In answer, Sunrise went over to the bed and flopped onto it, face down.

"Can I have both?" She asked into the pillow. "Both sounds really great right now."

Chuckling, Luna lay next to her, stroking her mane.

"We have time for both," she said. "Rest now, beloved, till the sun reaches its zenith. Then we shall eat just enough to replenish our strength."

Even as she spoke, Sunrise's withers relaxed, her breathing falling into the slow, steady rhythm of sleep.

"For our war council must follow the noontime," Luna sighed. "And then shall our mettle be tested in earnest."

Then she kissed the back of Sunrise's head gently, and pulled the covers over them both.

Chapter Six: The War Council of Equestria.

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They stood in the hallway, Sunrise staring sadly at the elegantly graven doors before them. It had been surprising how much food and another nap had done for her, though she suspected that once this was all over, she might have the galloping come-aparts all over again.

It was like waiting in the wings, she thought, those few times she'd performed on stage. Shakespeare in the Park, a few small performances where they hadn't asked too many questions. She could feel that little bite of nervousness, like then, just enough to keep her sharp. The shakes and the real freakout, ironically, generally came after the performance itself.

Still. She'd liked it better back when the doors had led to royal tea, and she hadn't had to pretend.

The guards to either side silently opened the ancient portals, allowing Luna and Sunrise entrance. Before, this had been the cozy little room with portraits on the walls, comfy furniture surrounding a short brown table – and a few side tables as well – for plates and platters of food. Sometimes the tea set was silver, sometimes it was china (or whatever the equivalent was on Equus; Sunrise had somehow never gotten around to asking). Apparently, Luna had collected tea sets in the centuries before her exile, though she seemed to have fallen out of the habit now. Gold-colored crystals had glowed warmly from the candelabra above, bathing all within in a gentle, flattering light. In the corners and occasionally along the walls, small ornamental tables had held books, art, little conversational pieces.

But now, gone were the casual furniture, the gentle lighting, the short-legged table of silver, tea and munchies. Instead, the room was brightly lit by white crystals in the chandelier above, and the surrounding sconces as well. The windows, sometimes open in clear weather, sometimes closed for rain, were now covered by heavy crimson curtains, intricately embroidered with ancient glyphs and symbols providing additional protection against teleportation, scrying, and a variety of other possibilities Sunrise did not recognize.

In the center of the otherwise barren room was the Cutie Mark Map from Twilight's castle. Whether it had survived Sunrise's spells through durability or luck she didn't know, but she was glad to see it intact and unmarred. Upon the table's surface, various semi-transparent symbols and counters glowed and shifted as Celestia and Cadence continued to discuss strategy, both of them wearing a seriousness Sunrise had not seen on them before.

Once warm and inviting, now the room seemed massive and severe. Cold. Even intimidating.

Meanwhile, the guard ponies outside continued keeping a watchful eye on the corridor. They had complete faith in their princess' abilities, of course. And if the Two Sisters said that their spells would prevent the Changelings' deceptions within the Palace, well then, that was all the proof they needed.

But just the same, all of them had heard what had happened in Ponyville and in the Crystal Palace. And if by life or by death they could save or aid the princesses they loved, they would.

As the doors closed behind them, Sunrise and Luna exchanged glad embraces with Celestia and Cadence, and after a few pleasantries the four began discussing the grim matter before them. Occasionally, one of them would move some of the mystical markers on Twilight's Cutie Mark Map to correspond with some new tactic or proposition; a spontaneously-grown means of spreading the joys of mutual love, trust, and respect now converted by its matriarchs into a tool for war.

Ultimately, though, the tactical breakdown was relatively brief. Trained ponies on the ground would be better able to handle the minutia of war than rulers far away from the field. And the source of Changeling intel, whoever it was, was one that the princesses trusted implicitly. But it was a sad and terrifying matter just the same, especially concerning the Changeling Queen herself, and Sunrise was glad when they started summarizing their final plan.

“...and, of course,” Luna was saying, “our pegasi and earth ponies in that region should stymie her forces in the Galloping Gorge, before they reach Chicoltgo. Ultimately, our ponies should be able to weaken or even neutralize them.”

Cadence nodded, adding, “Then the Crystal Ponies, led by Shining Armor, should be able to come in from the north, and catch them in a pincer maneuver.”

Then, gesturing at a small, almost hidden blank space in the badlands to the south, Celestia added, “These efforts aided, of course, by Cadence and myself having infiltrated their hive and rescued their prisoners, destroying the device that's protecting it from our detection spells.”

Sunrise nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. “Mmm.”

“From there, our generals should be able to coordinate their ponies into a unifying force,” Luna continued. “They shall meet their foes in the Prairies, even as our Palace- and Ponyville-based forces meet them from the other side, thus trapping the Changelings and forcing them into surrender.”

“And the hive should be secured well before then,” Celestia reminded them all. “Using a ritual based on Twilight's anti-changeling spell, she, I, and all available unicorn mages will create as large an area as possible that will eliminate the Changelings' shape-shifting powers.”

Sunrise looked at her, eyebrows raised. “Wait, I must have missed that detail. All the unicorn mages?”

Celestia gave a good-natured shrug. “Well, excepting yourself, as you're needed elsewhere. It's a powerful spell. And, unlike the original version placed on the palaces and castles years ago, it needs to cover an area of many miles.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

Celestia looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, a ritual of such power will involve partially merging all of our magical essence for the ritual's duration, so, yes, it is. It'll require continual concentration, and careful dismissal afterwards to avoid injury to those taking part. But we know now that Chrysalis herself, at least, can ignore the original spell. And, we know that at least some of her people have talismans to help them resist it."

"It was only because we used the Crystal Heart as a focus for it back home that her agents were found in time," Cadence said softly. "It overpowered their amulets, but not by much. We need a similar degree of power here."

Luna nodded grimly. “It may be that those were the only such amulets made. But we cannot afford to underestimate the Changelings. Nor their queen. I agree: in this case, more is better.”

Nodding, Cadence continued, “In addition, unlike Twilight's original spell, the ritual will prevent the Changelings' ability to sense and feed upon emotions. So any hold-outs, saboteurs, or would-be sixth columns should be foiled before they even begin, and forced to retreat even if in hiding.”

Sunrise nodded, still frowning a little. "What's the range?"

"It is impossible to be sure until it is cast," Luna admitted. "And it may not affect Chrysalis anyway. But it should at least cover most of the fighting."

"Wait." Sunrise pointed to a southern part of the map, where tiny red images of Changelings glowed dully. “What about this bleak area, over here?"

"Oh, that'll definitely be covered," Cadence said.

"No, I mean... that's a lot of Changelings.”

Luna nodded. “It is. According to our source, that part of the swarm will cut west to avoid Appleoosa, in an effort to maintain surprise against us.”

“Right. So... why no ponies there, guys? It looks like all you've got there is...” She squinted, and finished, "One house?"

Celestia barely glanced where she pointed. “Oh, don't worry about them. That’s the Pie farm. They’ll be fine.”

Sunrise stared, aghast. “Wait. Did... did you just say... what I think you just said?”

Puzzled, now it was Celestia’s turn to frown. “Why? What did you think I said?”

“That we weren’t going to bother defending an entire front - and the ponies who live there - because it’s just a rock farm. I mean, we're not seriously just leaving them flank-out, right?"

The princesses blinked, looked at one another… then, they began to laugh.

Sunrise swallowed, a terrible chill overtaking her.

While the other three mares laughed, Sunrise quickly bathed the room in a brilliant cyan, readying herself for anything.

But when the spell subsided, nothing had changed.

The young unicorn paused, uncertain. If there were any Changelings in the room, Twilight’s Trueform spell should have revealed them.

But then, there was the matter of the amulets that Cadence had mentioned.

Assuming that even was Cadence.

Oh, God...

But the other mares exchanged a look of sudden understanding, and Luna placed a gentle hoof upon her lover's withers even as Sunrise started to step back, to open her mouth to call for help.

“Oh, dear heart, forgive us,” Luna smiled. “I sometimes forget, despite everything, that you were not born here. Yes, the Pies will be fine."

Celestia added, "We've already sent word to them that enemies will be on their doorstep soon, along with some special rations."

"Rubies," Cadence assured her, "of the highest purity and size."

Then, looking into Sunrise's eyes, Luna added softly, "Mark on my word, my love, their defense shall want for nothing.”

For a moment, Sunrise still stared at her, frowning. Then, understanding dawned.

“They’re lithophages,” she said at last. “Earth ponies who still follow the old ways, from the Age of Chaos before your reign.”

Cadence nodded.

“They still eat stone,” she said. “And, like dragons – our brave and noble Spike, for example – they draw power and strength from what they eat, and store it until needed. Any stone empowers them, of course. Gems most of all.”

Sunrise stared at her. “But... I thought rock eating had died out.”

“Not quite," Celestia said. "Remember Stygian’s notes on the subject.”

Still smiling, the ancient alicorn intoned, “The path of the lithophage is a nearly forgotten one. Like many ancient traditions and much esoteric knowledge, its loss is a tragedy. Honor those few who yet keep the old ways, for one never knows when they may be needed again.”

“And the Pies have kept the old ways.” Sunrise said.

“Yes.”

“Pinkie Pie’s family has kept the tradition alive.”

“They have.”

“Pinkie Pie’s family,” Sunrise said again. “Pinkie's personal kin.”

“Yes.”

“The Pie family.”

“Correct.”

“The family of Pie.”

“So far as we know, they are the last,” Celestia said, greatly amused. “But sometimes, the last are the strongest of all.”

“Well,” Sunrise blinked, shaking her head. “I’ll be grinched.”

Chuckling, Luna kissed her gently on the cheek.

“So, then,” Celestia said with smile. “I guess that concludes our planning session.”

Considering, Cadence asked, “Unless, you think Pinkie Pie would like to join her family there?”

Luna shrugged, glancing at her sister. “That does seem a little like overkill. But if you think she can be spared, I see no reason why not.”

Celestia nodded. “Oh, I think so.”

Then, contemplating her young friend, Celestia asked, “Sunny?”

Sunrise, meanwhile, was re-examining the map, obviously still ill at ease.

“So, is it just me,” she finally said, “or is this just a little too easy for comfort?”

The three princesses exchanged a glance, then gave near-identical shrugs.

“We’re taking the threat of the Changelings very seriously,” Celestia said. “Please don’t misunderstand that. They’re deadly foes, and their queen… well, you’ve met their queen.”

“Yeah,” Sunrise agreed, shuddering.

“But at the same time, our powers are far greater than hers,” Luna explained. “And the might of ponykind is far greater than that of the hive. The Changelings' abilities are best suited towards subterfuge, not open conflict. And their greatest advantage – the ability to change shape and gain surprise on us – will effectively have been robbed from them in most sectors of the war. Additionally, their hundreds must now face our thousands. And our army can fight not only with weapons, but with sorcery, and as a last resort even the weather itself. And they'll have no path open for retreat.”

Celestia took up the narrative again, saying, “Had Chrysalis learned and adapted since our last encounter, as we have, the matter might have gone very differently. Indeed, it could have been worse than the Crystal War.”

Her gaze wandered then, as she revisited memories filled with regret.

Cadence looked away sadly, adding, “Granted, she might have succeeded in Ponyville if not for your courage. And without the additional protections Twilight and Luna had placed within my palace, my ponies would be in terrible danger. Not to mention...”

She stopped, unable to continue, and the other three mares went to her, each putting a gentle arm around her withers. Cadence embraced them all, burying her face in Luna's flowing mane.

“Thank you,” she managed.

In response, Luna and Celestia hugged her a little tighter.

“Your daughter's gonna be okay,” Sunrise whispered to the crystal monarch. “I promise.”

Turning her head, Cadence smiled at her through her tears. “I know.”

The four of them continued the embrace for a moment longer, then finally parted. After a moment, Luna turned to Sunrise.

“Regarding your earlier concerns,” Luna said, “the challenge in war, for Equestria, has rarely been that of victory. It can be, and it might have been now had things been different. But most often, the challenge is how to gain that victory with minimal loss of life. On either side.”

“Yeah, just one thing,” Sunrise said.

“What's that?” Celestia asked.

“Chrysalis is nucking futs, sure, but she’s not stupid. And she’s not after power. She just wants you guys to suffer. And she’s willing to destroy anything, even herself, to get that. Are you sure there’s nothing you’ve overlooked?”

“Of course not,” Luna smiled. “One can never be completely sure. That is part of the reason you are here, my love.”

Gesturing to the map, she continued, “The Elements – minus Twilight and Pinkie Pie – will lead their forces in the northwest. The Pies will neutralize the other half of Chrysalis’ pincer to the south. Our Canterlot and Ponyville forces, guided by myself, will handle whatever threats remain in this area. Then they will join the Elements and their ponies at the Galloping Gorge.

“But before that, our first force must needs secure the hive. Once that is done, Tia, Cadence and Twilight, along with the assembled unicorns, shall enact Twilight’s ritual, allowing for other victories. You shall remain here, to continue your work aiding and defending the wounded and the noncombatants.”

“No place I’d rather be,” Sunrise smiled, “aside from with you.”

Then, her smile faded.

“My point is, this is going to get messy,” she sighed. “That's not the right word. Maybe horrific would be better.”

Feeling less sure of herself by the moment, she pressed on, “I know you guys know a lot more about this than I do. So, maybe I shouldn't even say this. It's just... I feel like you keep acting like you're going up against rational beings, here. And, um, I don't think you are. And I don't know enough to guess how that's going to muck things up... but...”

And then she sighed again, finishing with, “I just... I don't think you're going to have the surrender fest you expect. Especially if they've got no place to run.”

Luna smiled as well.

“Our strategy has the advantage that it can be altered at a moment's notice,” she assured her. “As, most likely, it will need to be. Though most likely we will, in fact, be able to end this war with a 'surrender fest.' After all, Equestria has long had a reputation of not only taking prisoners, but healing them and treating them well afterwards. And once established, that reputation has always aided us in such times.

“Additionally, should anything go awry or new information present itself within and around the palace, the link betwixt thee and I will allow each the other to let know and adjust accordingly. And outside the palace, Tia, Twilight, and Cadence can also easily call to me.

“I, meanwhile, am the fastest among us, save perhaps for Tia. I am of little use near the hive until the source of their magic-nullifying power is destroyed, of course. So I shall remain in the palace, at least for a while. And afterwards, I shall be wherever in our lands I may be needed.”

Then her eyes narrowed, as she said, “That is, once I have dealt with the last.”

Sunrise nodded again, and swallowed, looking down.

“Yeah,” she said. “Um, about that.”

Feeling suddenly very aware that she was addressing a room full of queens, two of them many times her elder, she swallowed again. Then, she forced herself to face Luna.

Yet, here was not the face of an immortal or a queen. Here was the face of the mare she adored, returning her gaze with love and concern.

And, in those eyes, Sunrise found the strength to speak.

“I want you to spare Chrysalis,” she said.

Luna stared, mouth open.

Celestia and Cadence exchanged a glance but said nothing, their expressions unreadable.

Finally, Luna found her voice, though it was a whisper, calm but astonished.

“What?”

“Yeah,” Sunrise nodded, still looking into those beautiful eyes. “So long as she can be captured, or she surrenders, or flees, or does anything but attack, I want you to let her live. When this is all over, if she can spared, at all, Chrysalis lives.”

Still, Luna stared, and Sunrise went to her, put her arms around her as she spoke.

“I know you can take her out,” she said softly into Luna's mane. “And God knows you want to. So do I. But I'm asking anyway. Please.”

Sunrise felt Luna returning her embrace even while asking, “But... why?”

“I know you grew up in a rougher time. You had to make a lot of hard choices just to survive. And that didn't stop when you were crowned. I know that. But nopony can just slaughter someone and walk away unscathed. And that means that, even after all these years, killing her would hurt you.”

"But, she..."

"I know," Sunrise said, giving a slight extra squeeze as she added, “And I know it's unfair for me to ask. I know that. But... I'm asking anyway.”

Luna's voice was almost a whisper.

“And if I say no?”

Sunrise pulled away slightly, smoothed Luna's mane away from her face.

“Then I will be there with you, every step of the way,” she said. “And I will love you just as much, and just as hard, no matter what you do.”

Luna shook her head, looking away. “I do not wish for you to see me like that.”

“There's no part of you that isn't beautiful, sweet heart,” Sunrise answered. “I love your shadows, and your light. The parts of you that comfort, and the parts that cut. I love all of you. Every bit. And you're not facing that kind of choice alone.”

She raised her hoof to Luna's cheek, gently guiding her immortal lover to look at her as she spoke.

“Not ever again.”

Luna looked back at her, her expression softening into a sad smile. Then she sighed, and lowered her head.

“My word, my love,” she whispered.

Sunrise kissed her gently on the base of her horn. “Don't need it.”

“Well, thou hast anyway!" Luna exclaimed, grabbing Sunrise and hugging her more fiercely than before. "Ah, my darling, my love, whatever did I do to deserve thee in my life?”

She could hear the grin in Sunrise's voice as she hugged her back, saying, “I dunno. Probably something awesome.”

Luna gave a kind of snorting noise, and then she was laughing, and Sunrise was laughing with her. Suddenly, Sunrise gave a snort herself, and covered her own mouth, eyes wide in surprise. Then the room filled with the laughter of all four mares, ebbing, flowing, and eventually coming to rest with the four of them clasping each other once again in a glad embrace.

The meeting had been arranged so early, in part, so that the four would have ample time. Both to plan, and to prepare themselves for what was to come. And, happily, they had successfully erred on the side of caution. Small talk was made and laughter was shared, even as the many-colored figures of light on the map were erased.

But as the hour approached, Cadence began pacing. She seemed more furtive, edging almost towards a panic.

Finally, the other three mares exchanged a look of concern, and Celestia asked, “Cadence?”

Cadence started, staring like something hunted. “Aunt Celestia... Luna... I... I don't think I can do this!”

Luna stepped forward. “Then spare thyself. Do not try.”

“I'm sorry, I just--”

Celestia also stepped to her, and both sisters put a comforting wing across her shoulders.

“It's alright,” Celestia said. “We'll cover for you.”

“But--”

“We have this,” Luna assured her.

“Yeah, we get it,” Sunrise added. “Seriously. We'll see you later.”

Outside, a lone set of hooves could be heard, walking daintily upon the ancient stone floor as they came ever closer.

Frantically, Cadence looked from her aunt to her crystaller, and then to Sunrise.

“You'd better go,” Sunrise said.

There was a flash of blue light, and Cadence was gone.

A moment later, the great doors opened, and Princess Twilight Sparkle entered the room.

Chapter Seven: The War Council of Equestria.

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“Hey, everypony,” Princess Twilight said as she entered. “I... Sunny?”

For her part, Sunrise could only stare, eyes wide, visibly shaking. The sisters had only just begun to take a step forward when the amber-colored unicorn embraced Twilight in a sudden rush, holding her in a desperate, fierce embrace.

“Oh, my god, oh, god, oh g-god...” Sunrise exclaimed into the princess' mane, shaking even more violently than before.

“Hey, hey--” Twilight started, splaying her wings for balance as she put her arms around her friend.

“Oh, Twilight, oh, god, I thought you were dead, I thought...”

“Hey, I'm fine, you hear me? I'm fine,” Twilight reassured her, still squeezing. “You freed me, in fact, when you blew up the castle.”

Sunrise sniffled a bit, pulling back to look at Twilight. “What about the rest?”

Twilight looked away.

“I... I can't be sure,” she said reluctantly. “But I was the only prisoner.”

Sunrise embraced her again, hugging her fiercely, shaking harder than ever as Twilight hugged her back and stroked her zebra-like mane.

“Chrysalis has not killed her enemies before,” Luna pointed out.

“No, she hadn't. But it's different this time.” Twilight looked at Luna over Sunrise's shoulder. “You didn't see her. The Queen isn't just after conquest or food this time. That's too simple, too quick. She's got something else in mind.”

Luna cocked her head. “What?”

“I don't know, exactly,” Twilight said softly. Leaving Sunrise, she walked to the windows, seeming to study the heavy tapestries and their protections. Finally, she turned back to the other princesses.

“I don't know exactly what she's planning,” she said again. “I only overheard bits and pieces. You have to understand: Queen Chrysalis is insane. I don't know exactly how far she'll go, but I'm sure that if Sunny hadn't acted when she did, all the foals would be dead or worse. And Spike...”

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears not to come. When she could speak, she continued.

“What I do know is that she wants you all to suffer as much as it's possible to suffer. I heard about the attempt on Flurry Heart's life, and I can't help but think that's just the beginning. She...”

Her voice trailed off as she looked around, and she asked, “Wait. Where's Cadence?”

“She wouldn't come,” Celestia said sadly.

Twilight stared. “What?”

“The near miss against Flurry Heart shook her worse than any of us could have expected,” Luna explained. “She has retreated into the very center of her palace, with only her daughter and the most trusted of her guard around her. Shining Armor is acting as regent for now, and he is focusing all his efforts on defending the Crystal Empire.”

Twilight looked pained. “Okay, I can get that, actually. So, then, we're on our own?”

Celestia looked uncomfortable. “Not quite how I would have put it, but yes. Still, I think we should be enough.”

Twilight sighed. “I suppose. The Crystal Heart should easily keep the Changelings at bay, now that the Crystal Ponies are ready. The Queen will still try, of course. Cadence is one target of her hatred. But she wants Celestia even more. Something about a pair of murders, I think.”

Celestia nodded. “The Crimson Queen and her son. Each of them terrifying, together they were absolutely horrific. And that was when it was those two, alone.”

“Now there is an army,” Luna observed. “An entire nation. This will go hard on us.”

Then, turning to Twilight, she asked, “When you were captive, were you able to overhear anything that might aid us?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not much. I did hear her talking with her generals, but nothing too specific. Initially, Queen Chrysalis' plan involved replacing all the princesses and the Elements, and then leaving Equestria and the Crystal Empire wide open to attack. With that plan foiled, I think she'll probably try a sneak attack.”

She went to the Cutie Mark Map and waved her hoof, miniature images of different military forces appearing as she did.

“She was going to have her forces coming up almost entirely from the South,” she said. “I guess the Hive is somewhere down there, hidden somehow from magical detection. I don't think she'll change that, they'll just be sneakier now. Then there was a small force to circle around in disguise, and try to sneak in from the North. But it was going to be small, like I said. A half-dozen at most. They were her elites, whatever that means.”

Looking back to the other mares, she said, "I don't think she'll change that, either. She'll use the main force to distract us, and then have the assassins sneak in from the North. If I'm there, my spells can make sure they don't get through."

“Anything else?” Celestia asked.

Twilight nodded. “The Queen has a spy in Equestria.”

All three of the other mares stared in horror.

“But... how is that possible?” Sunrise asked at last. “Your spells...”

“He never went near my anti-Changeling spells,” Twilight said. “He's in disguise as a pony musician. He's been touring the countryside ever since Cadence's wedding, scouting out everything he could, in preparation for this moment.”

“Do you know his name?” Luna asked.

“He goes by Black Rainbow,” Twilight said. “They never said his real name. But the Queen was still waiting for his final report. He's been assembling it for over a year, so if he could be found and stopped that might help us a lot.”

Sunrise, meanwhile, was nodding, her shaking having subsided, at least for the moment, to mere trembling.

“It makes sense,” she said. “He could go everywhere, traveling constantly, and never raise suspicion. He could even get invitations to ponys' homes and use that to get a closer look at, well, everything.”

“Exactly,” Twilight nodded. “Plus, he's been glutting himself on the love of his fans for years. Probably getting drunk on it,” she added with distaste.

“The amount of sheer power he could have stored up by now...” Celestia mused. "It could be akin to fighting Chrysalis herself, or worse."

Then she shook her head, and a glance was exchanged between her and her sister.

“What?” Sunrise asked. “What is it?”

“Long has it been since the death penalty was called upon,” Luna said.

“But these are desperate times,” Celestia agreed. “And pony lives are at stake.”

Sunrise stared at them both, still trembling. “You... you can't be serious!”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “I mean, you... you haven't done that since...”

Her voice trailed off as she looked from Luna to Celestia, and back again.

“You mean it,” she whispered. “You're actually going to kill him.”

“Twilight, Sunrise, please,” Luna said. “You must understand. Even without his knowledge of us – which makes him dangerous enough – the amount of magical power he will have stored up could kill many ponies before he could be captured. If, indeed, such is even possible.”

“This is war,” Celestia added. “If we're going to save the lives of our people, we have to take the lives of our enemies.”

Twilight went over to her student, put a comforting wing around her. For her part, Sunrise stood, head down, as her shaking continued to get worse.

“Twilight, you...” she managed quietly, her voice unsteady. “You're w-with me on this, right? I mean, we're supposed to be the good guys, here!”

Twilight looked uncertainly at her mentors, then closed her eyes and hugged Sunrise gently.

“I know we are,” she said at last. “And I hate this. I do. But... I get it, too.”

“We cannot afford to give quarter,” Luna said. “Not in our cities, nor our villages, nor in the field of battle. For surely, the Hive shall offer none.”

Sunrise gave a hiccuping sob, and found herself in the double embrace of Luna and Twilight both, burying her face in Luna's mane.

“This is the beginning of the end of the Changelings,” Celestia intoned sadly, turning back to the map. “In time, perhaps we may be forgiven. Perhaps we may even forgive ourselves. But our people will survive. And for that, we must be ready to pay any price.”

“Oh, Sunny, beloved, shhh,” Luna whispered to Sunrise, who could only stand, mute, eyes squeezed shut. “I know 'tis hard. But one day, thou shall understand.”

Twilight looked up at the Night Princess. “Luna, we can't ask her to be part of this.”

“Nay,” Luna agreed. “Our Sunrise has been through too much. And in any case, her magic has shown no sign of itself since the explosion. Art certain that no forces shall attempt the palace itself?”

“Positive,” Twilight said. “The Queen only talked about going after Celestia, and then Cadence. If Celestia isn't there...”

Luna shook her head.

“We shall both be in the field, leading our forces, as we have in the past,” she said. “And Chrysalis would know as much. Very well. Sunny? Sunny, dear heart? We'll have you stay in the palace. You'll be safe, and away from the violence.

“It's alright,” she added as Sunrise began violently shaking her head. “Thou were meant for gentler things. Thou art the staff, I the sword. Be again the peaceable scholar. Let me do this.”

Then, looking at her sister, “Tia, Sunrise has been through a harrowing ordeal, and surely we have asked too much of her already. Might she be excused?”

Celestia nodded.

“Of course, Why don't you take her back to your rooms for a while? Twilight can show me anything else she knows on the map, and we can go from there when you return.”

“Very well. Come on, love,” Luna whispered as she led Sunrise to the great doors. “Come. Let me get thee to thy bed, and rest.”

Luna helped her young lover into the hall, and the portal closed behind them. A moment later, the two of them appeared in Luna's chambers in a burst of blue light. They released each other, and Sunrise flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Jesus-fucking-C-Christ!” she exclaimed.

“Agreed.”

“I couldn't stop sh-shaking! The whole time, I c-couldn't stop! I had to just use it, you know?” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I mean, fucking hell, she-she touched my mane...!”

Luna lay down next to her, while Sunrise took a few calming breaths.

“T'was gross,” Luna affirmed somberly.

Sunrise propped herself on one elbow to face her. “No shit it was gross! And terrifying! And horrifying!”

Then she flopped back. “Jesus, I need a shower.”

After a moment, Sunrise sighed, adding, “Also, I'm cussing again. Fuck.”

“I think 'tis excusable under the circumstances, my love,” Luna smiled.

Sunrise stared at ceiling. “Yeah, I know. But still.”

She took a few more breaths, and then turned back to Luna. “You think she bought it?”

Luna nodded, still smiling. “I think so. And with thy apparent fragility so great, and thy lack of confidence so apparent, thy lack of magic became an easy sell.”

Here, despite it all, Sunrise smiled. Glancing over at a candelabra on the nightstand, her horn gave the briefest glow of concentration as the candles all lit into merry little flames. A moment later, there was another cyan glow and the flames receded, leaving only thin trails of smoke curling upwards from the wicks.

“Also, a quick question,” Luna said. “In light of all that has transpired till now, and all thou has done these last few days, would thou think it condescending if I said I was proud of thee?”

Sunrise pretended to consider, then grinned. “Nah, I don't think so.”

Rolling over slightly, Luna embraced her again, this time gently kissing her. Then she pulled away to stare into Sunrise's eyes.

“Then I am,” she said sincerely. “So very, very proud.”

Chapter Eight: My Heart Is Twisted.

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She took solace in her temporary lair, seething, as her hated disguise burned away in green fire.

She needed just a few minutes, perhaps an hour. She'd say she'd been sleeping. The fools would believe that easily enough. Just enough time to acknowledge her hatred again, bathe in it, and then accept again with new clarity the mask she had chosen.

The war was about to begin.

She imagined the Empress in her fortress, surrounded by her fawning sycophants. Pathetic, idiotic, infantile wastes of flesh. She, most of all.

She imagined, for the thousandth thousandth time, all she would do... to Her.

Capture would be essential, of course. And plenty of magical healing at the ready, to ensure her enemy's long life in tormented captivity. The Empress would spend years longing for death, even after the crystal of her mind had shattered at last, its fragments scattered in the void of a scorched and emptied psyche.

A creature of nothing but pain. A broken and lost soul condemned to eternal life.

It was the very least that the traitor deserved.

But, that was the future. With the first assassin squad dead through unknown means, The Empress would be more careful, more protected than ever. The bitch was apparently terrified. And in that much, at least, she took comfort.

But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

Nothing could ever, ever, ever be enough.

She shook herself. Focus, she chided herself, again and again. Patience.

The Crystal Heart was a powerful talisman. And with Her cowering behind it, things had become more complicated. The Empress' sense of security and faith in herself, the confidence of the Crystal ponies in their rulers... all of these would have to be carefully undermined and then destroyed.

And the plan would still work for that.

Ultimately, despair would be her greatest weapon. What she had anticipated as the final move in her endgame had merely been turned into a transitional phase, that was all. A point of change as she shifted her focus from destroying Equestria to destroying the Crystal Empire.

And the Crystal ponies.

And then, at long last... Her.

Carefully, silently, Queen Chrysalis took on again the shape of her enemy. Then, she began once again to don her mask of mimicked emotions and uncertainties, the better to lead her foes all to their ultimate destruction.

Chapter Nine: My Heart Is Ready. (The Rear Guard)

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The weanling gave a delighted half-scream, half-laugh as she arced and zig-zagged through the crystal-filled cavern. Other foals ducked and giggled as she careened though the place in a series of uneven curves and loops, her flight only partially under control.

“Better watch out, kid,” Sunrise called with a grin. “You’re not the only one around here with wings, y’know.”

As if in response, Scootaloo sprang out of nowhere with a "Gotcha!", tackling the giggling alicorn and bearing her back down to the ground.

“Hey, woah, careful, Scoots,” Sunrise said, rising to her hooves. “Small child, remember?”

For her part, Scootaloo rolled as the two landed in a tangle, taking the impact on her back as she did. She looked at her teacher with a wink and a grin of her own, saying, “Uh-huh. Alicorn, remember?”

Sunrise rolled her eyes as she settled back down.

“Yeah, okay, fair,” she conceded. “But be careful anyway. Too much rough stuff could still hurt her feelings.”

For her part, Flurry Heart gave a delighted raspberry and a flap of her over-sized wings, levitating herself and her captor both into the air.

“Hey! Woah, no fair!” Scootaloo laughed.

As the two foals started a new game with several pegasi in mid-air, Sunrise re-examined their surroundings for probably the thousandth time.

She was lying on a flattish stone formation at one end of the cavern, which served two functions. One, of course, was that it gave her a good view of the ponies she was watching over. But the other, just as important, was that they could always see her. They could see her calm, relaxed, confident, and in control. And, taking their cue from her, the kids had for the most part relaxed while they’d all been down there.

Which was good. Because there was no way of telling how long they’d need to stay.

The cavern was old, incredibly old, and deep below Canterlot Castle. There was only one way in or out, with most ponies not even knowing it existed. Apparently, Queen Chrysalis had imprisoned Twilight and Cadence here, years ago, as part of some crazy plan to… well, whatever it was she was trying to do then.

Sunrise wasn’t completely sure, actually. Most ponies who had been there weren’t, either.

But it remained: against assassins who might target children, the expansive cavern was a pretty good place to hole up until the war was over. All the under-agers of Canterlot, Ponyville, and who knew where else were there, though that was a heck of a lot less than Sunrise had expected. Apparently ponies had a lower birth rate or something.

For the most part, the foals had fallen into a kind of command structure pretty easily. There had been a few arguments, but by and large everypony had agreed to defer to their elders, with the older foals taking responsibility for the younger. Old grudges had been set aside – well, mostly, they were still kids – and the priority of the matter had been recognized by pretty much everyone.

Which had gone, for all its bumps and bruises at first, much smoother than Sunrise had expected. Maybe Equestrian society’s focus on teamwork had that much effect, even on the young. Or, maybe it was just part of being herd creatures.

Inwardly, Sunrise shrugged. What mattered was the foals’ safety. The rest was just academics. Twilight could help her figure out everything after—

Her heart gave a stabbing sensation at the thought, and Sunrise sighed as she forced it down.

Not too deep, though, she reminded herself. And not for long. I've learned that much, at least.

So, Sunrise was the adult on watch – or ‘emotionally immature token authority figure,’ as she’d joked to the princesses – for the duration of the war. She’d arranged snacks, confirmed a chain of command, settled arguments, designated a no-play rest area, and above all set up boundaries where the foals would and would not go.

Only one way in, after all.

There were only a few other adults in the place, and all of them were deferring to her until the war was over. Which meant she was ultimately responsible for the safety of every foal down there until peace was declared… and maybe a little bit after.

So, yeah, no pressure.

One of her fellow guardians, of course, was Jack. She’d been a little surprised at first. But after a second’s thought she’d realized that she really should have expected as much. After all, what had he been doing all those centuries if not exactly what they were doing now?

Sunrise glanced over at the foals sleeping in the rest area with a smile. Even with his having taken watch at the cavern’s entrance high above, she knew Jack would be guarding their dreams as well.

Another adult was a surgeon named Stable. He and a small medical team were stationed in a chamber to one side with a host of equipment that they and everypony else hoped they wouldn't need.

And the last adult, she noted, was on his way over to her now. The foals parted for him, giving him maybe a little too much room. Many of them had known him before this – at least, they’d thought they had – and even with the Cutie Mark Crusaders vouching for him there was still some hesitation among the children there.

He was, after all, a changeling.

Sunrise gave him a smile as he approached her perch and scooted over, wordlessly inviting him to either sit, or lie down as she was.

He sat, looking over the cave, his wings giving a momentary buzz of nervousness.

Sunrise cocked an eyebrow. “You okay?”

The changeling sighed.

“I think so,” he said. “It’s ironic. I’ve spent years as Black Rainbow, travelling shock rocker and minor celebrity. But this is the first time I’ve been the focus of attention as me.”

Sunrise nodded. “That ritual over the palace is pretty powerful.”

“It is. But then again, if the princesses had asked me to, I’d have been here in my true form anyway.”

For a time, the two of them said nothing further, just watching the foals under their care play, argue, and work out minor disagreements. Twice Sunrise started to rise, thinking she might be needed… but then the younger ponies obviously came to some agreement, and she settled back down.

Finally, the changeling next to her spoke again.

“There’s a lot of love in this place,” he said. “For each other, and especially for you. You’re very lucky.”

Sunrise chuckled. “Yeah, I am. You know, it might have been easier if you’d become a babysitter instead of a rock star.”

Despite himself, Black Rainbow chuckled as well.

“Yeah, that irony has also not been lost on me,” he said, settling down at last, folding his limbs under himself pony-style. “But I’d never experienced parental love before, or the love a child has for their guardian. It never occurred to me that it was possible. And by the time I found out…”

He gave a sad smile. “By that time, I’d discovered that I loved performing. I loved music. And my fans loved me, and they glutted me with that love. It was… intoxicating.”

Then, he looked out again over the various foals, saying, “But it was more than that, too. I spent years travelling among you. I learned to love this land, and the ponies who live here. Your customs, the little things you do and say. I didn’t understand that, at first. I didn’t understand what I was feeling, I thought I was just drunk on affection and hero worship. And okay, yes, I was that, too. But…”

He sighed and looked down. “That night, after my performance in Ponyville, the Cutie Mark Crusaders snuck in through my window. Absolutely convinced that I had a substance problem, and absolutely convinced that all I needed was a friend to help me find my way.”

Sunrise nodded. “I remember seeing you on stage that night. You did seem a little off your game, no offense.”

Black Rainbow chuckled again. “I remember hearing them whispering as they snuck in. Sweetie Belle reminding her friends what would happen if their older sisters found out, and Scootaloo whispering back, Yeah, so, we don’t get caught!”

Sunrise laughed a little. “Yeah, well, that sure worked out, didn’t it?”

Black Rainbow smiled. “It did for me. I tried to take on my pony form, but I wasn’t fast enough. They saw me. They saw me, and yet…”

He shook his head in disbelief. “And yet, they still offered me friendship. And the next day, they introduced me to Applejack and Rarity.”

Sunrise smiled at the memory. Apple Bloom, somehow managing to be both defensive and indignant, saying Well, we didn’t git in trouble, so we are followin’ your orders!

And then Applejack, looking down at her sister, one eyebrow upraised, You sure about that, sugarcube?

Sunrise shook her head. “Frankly, I think the CMC just wanted me there just to keep the explosion level down. And even then, I thought those two were gonna have square hemorrhoids… what?”

The changeling, for his part, had covered his mouth to stifle his sudden laughter. And mostly succeeded.

“Thank you for the visual,” he said at last.

She grinned. “I’m here for you.”

He looked at her again, reappraising her. “You don’t speak like other ponies.”

“Well, plenty of us have our own ways," Sunrise hedged. "Some families even have their own accents, passed down as tradition. But yeah, I was raised away from Equestria. I mean, I didn’t even know this place existed until just before I got here.”

Black Rainbow nodded. “That makes sense. I’ve been touring through this place for years, and every time I think I’ve finally figured ponies out…”

“You get a new surprise,” she finished for him.

He smiled. “I do indeed. I wasn’t expecting the CMC at all, of course. And I was certain that meeting their guardians could only end in disaster.”

“But you met them anyway,” Sunrise pointed out. “And the foals did bring them around in the end.”

“They did,” he agreed. “But on one condition. And so, that night, I met the Princess of Dreams.”

He shuddered a little, adding, “She was not in her most comforting form. But I guess she was ultimately convinced of my sincerity, and I met with the other three the following day.

“I won’t speak of how exactly they confirmed my intentions,” he went on, looking away. “The truth spell they used was… harrowing. Apparently the original version was far worse, but…”

He shook himself.

“Anyway. At length, they were satisfied, and let me get on with my life. No, more than satisfied, they welcomed me. Me, a changeling. An enemy. And… they welcomed me.

“And then, in time of war, they asked me…”

His throat closed, and he swallowed. He lowered his head, eyes closed.

“They asked me to guard their children,” he finished in a whisper.

Sunrise shifted slightly, reached out, and hugged him. Shocked, Black Rainbow tensed for a moment. Then, slowly, uncertainly, he put his arms around her as well, clinging to her in a desperate embrace.

Somewhere in the distance, Sunrise could hear Sweetie Belle’s voice: “Yay!”

“I get it,” Sunrise said, still holding him. “When I came down here, I was terrified. These kids had just seen me at my absolute worst. I’d showed things about myself… well, I mean, I’m glad for the results, but I was pretty ashamed. I still am.”

They pulled apart, and she looked into his insect-like eyes.

“But they welcomed me back,” she said. “They’re my friends, and they welcomed me back.”

He nodded, smiling again. “I saw. It was a beautiful moment.”

Sunrise blushed, looking away as she let go, though she was smiling.

“Okay, yeah, now you made it weird,” she said.

He laughed. As his laughter filled the cavern, many of the foals paused in their various activities. Then, they seemed to kind of shrug and go back to whatever they’d been doing.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “I’m not used to any of this.”

“No problem,” Sunrise said as she settled back down, still smiling. “I’m not either, really. But I’m better than I was.”

He settled down next to her. “Yeah. Me, too.”

For a while they continued to lie side by side, watching the foals under their care. Eventually, Sunrise spoke again.

“Hey, can I ask a potentially personal-slash-sensitive question?”

“You can always ask.”

“Are there others like you?”

The changeling considered the question carefully.

“So far as I know, I’m the only changeling to actively run away from the hive,” he said at last. “But something the Queen learned at Princess Amora’s wedding was the need for more study in matters of imitation. She also determined that long-term infiltration was needed.

“So, shortly after the wedding – I don’t know exactly when – she started sending out sleeper agents. Spies and assassins who would take on a role for months, even years. They would start out as animals or inanimate objects, only becoming ponies after they were certain of their ability to pass. I think they were encouraged to invent their own identities, rather than imitate others, in order to avoid suspicion. Only a few of us can take on an original form perfectly.”

“Like the way your horn is still twisted when you’re a unicorn,” Sunrise nodded.

“Exactly. I made that part of my persona, but most roles don’t offer that option. So there have been a few agents placing themselves in pony culture here and there over time, but probably not many. And all the ones I know of… have turned.”

Sunrise looked at him, surprised. “So, her spies have been going native?”

He shrugged. “That’s as good a term for it as any. In the hive, we learn that love is a sign of weakness, and that feeding upon that weakness is strength. To learn differently through personal experience, well, after a while it demands a change.”

With a bitter smile, he added, “And change, for a changeling, is ironically very difficult. Though obviously not impossible.”

“And the princesses know about this?”

He nodded. “I’m sure of it. When they were testing me, the whole thing felt like something they’d done before, multiple times. I wasn’t the first changeling, nor even the third, to undergo that ordeal.”

“Huh. Wonder why you’re the only one we know about.”

He shrugged, his lambent wings shifting over each other gracefully. “There’s a magical oath of loyalty. It means giving up your powers as a changeling, living as a pony, for as long as you keep the oath.”

“What happens if you break it?”

“No idea. But it’s a magical oath, so probably nothing good. I was going to take it – spores and spines, I was even eager to take it – but at the last minute Princess Celestia said I didn’t have to.”

He looked out at the pegasi looping and playing among the crystal-laden ceiling. “I don’t know why she did, but I’m glad. I don’t have unicorn magic, after all. And it would have meant giving up flight.”

“Well, she usually knows what she’s doing.” Sunrise nodded.

The changeling nodded as well. “Yes. If nothing else, I’m sure my siblings have been a wonderful source of intelligence over the years.”

At that moment, Scootaloo ran over.

“Hey, Thorax!” she called. “We’re gettin’ a buckball game together, and we need another flyer! You in?”

The changeling started, then smiled.

“Buckball, eh?” his wings buzzed in anticipation. “Which team am I on?”

“My team,” the filly grinned.

Thorax’s eyes narrowed as he grinned as well.

“Oh,” he said. “They are in so much trouble.”

With that, the changeling swooped down and scooped up Scootaloo in a deft maneuver, carrying her over in a series of barrel rolls to where the game had been prepared.

Scootaloo's delighted “Wha-hoooooo!” filled the cavern.

While Sunrise looked on, the foals cheered their final player’s arrival, and the game began.

She smiled.

Let Twilight and the other Elements have adventures, she thought, and charge into the fray. Let Luna and Celestia rule, write laws, and dictate matters of war. Let others be the famous warriors, the big-time wizards, and whatever else would find their way into the songs and stories of future generations.

She would protect whoever needed it, and guard and guide those future generations until they were ready to stand on their own.

There was nothing better than that.

Chapter Ten: My Heart is Diamond. (The First Front)

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The Changeling kingdom, if such it could be called, was not so much a valley as a vast stone bowl. A wasteland of sparse vegetation and sparser animal life, bordered by more forgiving land, its interior blasted and fused aeons ago by the arrival of an incredible force from beyond their world.

In the centre of the crater, just visible in the distance, was the Changeling Hive.

And, emerging from it like a slow-moving cloud, gaining speed as they grew closer, were the rear guard of Queen Chrysalis.

“They’re coming,” Celestia said. “Several hundred strong. And even my magic is useless here. Are you sure you can do this?”

Seeing the hordes of Changelings flying at them, Cadence gave a determined smile, her body beginning to glow a soft blue despite the area’s anti-magic effect.

“Oh, yes” she said, “Love still works here, in all its myriad forms and powers. If it didn't, the Changelings could never feed in their own lands.”

Celestia nodded. “I understand that. But I meant, in light of everything they've done...?”

Cadence's eyes narrowed. Then, they, too, began to glow, her entire body seeming to shimmer, to transform into an azure light as she raised her gaze to the cloud of insectoids fast approaching.

“You are the children of Chrysalis,” she said to them. “The grandchildren of my second mother, the nieces and nephews I never had. Even as I am the family that was denied you, against my every desire.”

Her wings spread and she rose slowly into the air, the blue light surrounding her, growing brighter, small plasma-like arcs playing lazily around the corona of her power.

“You may not know who I am,” she said. “You may hate me. You may even want to kill me.

“I don't care.”

Cadence had done something like this once before, of course, many years ago. But she had been little more than a filly, and untrained. Now she was a grown mare, with years of tutelage from Celestia... along with her own experiences as a mare, a wife, a mother, and a monarch.

Before, it had been an accident of desperation and circumstance. Now, fully in control, Cadence reached out to the Changeling army with her power, bathing each one of them in her light.

“Because I do know you,” her voice said, somehow audible over the buzzing of hundreds of insectiod wings. Quiet as a whisper, it could have been heard over a thunderstorm.

“I know each of you. I know your hearts, because it is my heart that is touching yours. Each and every one of you. Right now.”

Celestia closed her eyes, turning her head away from her adopted niece. She had stared into the heart of her planet's own sun, more than once, and basked in its warmth. But now, as years before, Cadence's power was more than she could bear.

And even as she moved, the buzzing of Changelings became almost deafening, their hissing became legion. An army surrounding the two mares, yet not daring – or perhaps not able – to advance any closer. And clearly heard over their din, the Crystal Princess spoke softly, intimately, truthfully to them all:

“And... I love you.”

There was a sound like a giant heartbeat. Or perhaps like several hundred hearts beating, just for an instant, as one. The valley was filled with a pulse of light the color of a flawless blue diamond, purer than that of a newborn star.

And then there was silence, broken only by the sound of several hundred bodies falling, unconscious, to the ground.

Chapter Eleven: My Heart is Stone. (The First Front)

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Much to Celestia’s surprise, there had also been a physical battle, though it was very brief. It seemed that a few dozen Changelings had stayed behind in the Hive, which had somehow protected them from Cadence’s heart. But while Cadence was far from a seasoned fighter, Celestia had more experience than she liked to admit. And however effectively the Changeling throne might have blocked pony magic, it had done little against an alicorn’s physical might.

Then they’d wandered deeper into the Hive itself, leaving marks on the walls as they went. Finally, they’d found the throne room, and Cadence had given a terrified gasp upon seeing the prisoners where they hung, motionless, their eyes wide in frozen horror.

“They’re alive,” Celestia had assured her. “Chrysalis put them in some kind of suspension, that’s all.”

Shortly thereafter, the prisoners had been cut free. Spike had been first, Celestia and Cadence both hugging him fiercely as soon as his cocoon had been broken.

Twilight hadn’t raised him alone, after all.

Then Twilight’s prison was broken, drake and alicorns all gathering her up in a relieved embrace when she emerged, still bruised from the Changeling Queen’s attacks.

Minerva had been last, furiously shaking herself free of the evaporating goo that covered her and flying into the dark, to tend to her own recovery.

"Minerva, wait!" Spike had shouted.

"Let her go, Spike," Twilight had said, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "She'll be alright. If my guess is correct, she was the first one taken. Let's just give her some time."

Spike had given a reluctant sigh. "Yeah, okay."

Then, despite her pain and injuries, Twilight had immediately turned her attention to the steaming shards of cocoon that remained and encased them in her own violet glow, storing them in temporary urns of amethyst-like force.

“For later study,” she’d explained. “Can you imagine how useful this kind of thing could be in hospitals?”

Once the Changelings had been defeated, Luna had opened portals throughout Equestria. So, across the next hour or so, as the four rested, spoke and exchanged glad laughter, countless unicorns had begun to gather. Palace guards, magicians, shopkeeps, stay-at-home parents, even those teens considered old enough to take part in the ritual had come. The trek across the desert bowl had been a long one, but they were here at last, almost every unicorn in Equestria. All of them equally determined to bring this madness to an end.

Paint, chalk, braziers, and other materials had also been brought, and the sorcerers among them would coordinate their fellows in preparation for the grand rite to come. A demanding ritual, and a potentially dangerous one, designed by Twilight shortly after her brother’s wedding.

Celestia nodded to them, saying, “Thank you, all of you. Please, take this opportunity to shelter and rest. Once our magic is usable, we’ll begin setting up the circle.”

But as the assembled unicorns began to converse and break out snacks, Twilight hung her head.

“I never wanted this,” she’d sighed. “Even while I was doing the research, even when I was planning it out, I was hoping it would never come to this.”

“But it has,” Cadence agreed. “If only…”

Her voice trailed off, and Celestia stepped between them, placing a wing over each.

“I know,” the ancient queen said. “Believe me, my dears, I understand.”

Twilight took a breath, closed her eyes. Then, she looked at Cadence. The empress met her gaze with equal determination, and both nodded.

“Then let’s do this right,” Twilight said.

Nopony knew quite what the ritual’s range would be, especially with so many participants. For obvious reasons, it had never been tested. But by Twilight’s calculations, it should make changeling disguises throughout Canterlot and Ponyville impossible, and make them more difficult even as far away as the Galloping Gorge. And that, combined with the preparations of earth ponies and pegasi, should be enough to guarantee the ponies’ victory.

But first, the centerpiece of Changeling power would be destroyed. Another measure the princesses had been hoping to avoid, stripping an entire nation of its chief means of defense. But it remained: this was the second time the Changeling Hive had invaded Equestria. There would not be a third.

And so it was that, in the dimly lit catacombs of the Changeling Hive, the princesses approached the Great Throne of the Changeling Queen, their subjects, followers, and friends behind them.

Jagged and unevenly shaped, it was a massive thing of green stone. It gave the impression of somehow being both inert and yet also alive, not so much carved as formed. Unfeeling, yet still hating. Its jade-colored foundation being both vine-like and almost thorned, joining into a narrow trunk that led upward to where the seat and back of the thing opened up like the waiting maw of a carnivorous plant.

Cadence shuddered. Celestia’s muzzle wrinkled in disgust. Twilight frowned.

Then, Celestia stepped forward.

“Well, I suppose we’d better start breaking this thing down,” she said. “We’ll probably have to scatter the pieces before our magic—"

“Wait.”

It was Twilight who had interrupted. She continued to appraise the thing before her, her frown deepening.

Celestia paused, glancing back at her. “Whatever for?”

“I’m not sure. Just… give me a second.”

Nodding wordlessly, the Lady of Day stepped back.

Twilight slowly approached the terrible thing, head cocked to one side as she considered it.

“There’s really only one likely origin for something like this,” she said at last. “It must be a leftover from the Age of Discord. And judging from the shape of the Changelings’ homeland, it probably fell from the sky. My guess is this whole place is the crater left from its impact. And from what you’ve both told me about Chrysalis, I think we can guess how it was first shaped, and by whom.”

“That makes sense,” Cadence said. “But the Crimson Queen wouldn’t have made something like this.”

“No, this is Chrysalis’ work,” Twilight agreed.

Then, her frown deepening in determination, she added, “And what was changed once can be changed again.”

She fell silent. Even from behind her, the tension in her body was evident. Several minutes passed while she stayed there. Staring at the throne before her, concentrating.

At length, one of the palace guards reluctantly began to approach. “Um, Princess Twilight?”

Celestia barely turned. “Hush,” she said.

Bowing, the armored stallion backed away.

Meanwhile, sweat began forming on Twilight's brow, her frown becoming a grimace of strain.

I know you, she thought at the stone, again and again, projecting her thoughts at it with all her strength. At its memories. At the psychic imprints of the creature that had formed it. At the imprints of the creature that still used it today.

It wasn't just that the throne was old. In a sense, anything made from stone is old, or at least its materials are. But Chrysalis’ throne also held within itself a powerful magic; an ancient, alien magic. And it had been used by powerful magicians for centuries.

And as such, Twilight knew, it just might have absorbed enough memories over the aeons… to listen.

I know you, she thought at it. I know your Name.

Born from the outer chaos, falling to Equus in a rain of fire. Rendered by a queen of mayhem and woe.

Then claimed by another, her and yet not her.

You have bent your purpose before. Once. To her will.

Now, bend again, to mine.

The stone sat, unmoving, impassive.

Twilight closed her eyes, shaking, every muscle taut and straining.

Cadence moved to stand behind her, to her left. To her right, Spike was equally ready. Neither interfering, each of them there to catch Twilight should she fall.

Obey me! Twilight thought. I know you! Obey me, and change!

Impassively, never alive yet not quite inanimate, the stone almost seemed to reply in its silence: I do not know you.

Redoubling her efforts, Twilight thought furiously at the stone, focusing her will as if to conjure the magic forbidden by the very object before her.

From your maker's soul and body came the one who re-shaped you. From her heart and spirit, the pony by my side was given new life. And from her heart and her stories, my own heart was shaped in turn, even as you were shaped!

She and Cadence were friends. Cadence and Mira had never been friends, but there was still love there, and Cadence's power had made that bond more powerful than it could ever have otherwise been.

Slowly, blood began to seep from the skin of Twilight's withers and face, gradually staining her coat a deep magenta. Ignoring the pain, she reached with her mind and her power. Through her memories of Cadence, years ago, and the bond they'd shared. Then through that connection, forming a sympathetic link to Mira Pisaurina, long dead and yet living on in Chrysalis the Changeling Queen.

Twilight reached further, striving to link magic to magic, love to love, life to life.

Blood continued to darken her coat across her face and shoulders, turning it to a deep crimson.

Dimly, almost imperceptibly, her horn began to glow a dull green.

Look! she thought furiously. See! We are kindred, your maker and I! And through magic and love, you and I are kindred as well!

Again, silence, impassive and cold. Yes. I know you, it seemed to say. But I am not yours.

Twilight's head sagged almost to her hooves. Several unicorns started towards her, but, frowning, Celestia waved them away.

Finally, Twilight raised her head again. No longer straining, but simply tired and resolved.

“Then be my friend,” she said.

And so saying, Twilight slumped, her legs failing her at last, her two friends neatly catching her as she fell.

“Twilight!” Cadence whispered. “Are you alright?”

“We gotcha,” Spike added. “It’s okay.”

Blearily, Twilight re-opened her eyes, almost managing to focus them on her sister-in-law.

“I think... I hurt myself.”

Suddenly, Twilight gave an involuntary gasp. Her eyes screwed shut as purple energy cascaded out from her against her will in huge spirals of writhing power, gushing into the massive throne. It didn't seem to hurt, not exactly, but she clung desperately to Cadence and Spike for support, her aura coiling around and permeating the ancient stone edifice.

There was a deafening, grinding roar throughout the cavern as slowly, the stone structure began to move. While the ponies stared, it twisted, warped, gradually fell into itself… even as colors shimmered and danced across its surface, shifting and blending shades of sapphire, amethyst, and jade. Then, ultimately, it stretched upwards, like a newborn reaching for the sun.

Finally, the violet light faded, and the monolith above them stilled. Twilight gave a grateful sigh of relief.

“Well, that's done,” she said with a rueful smile.

Trotting forward, Celestia considered her former student's work quizzically, her frown slowly breaking into a grin as she beheld the glowering, ornately self-engraved stone pillar that towered over them all. Composed now of a purple stone so dark as to be almost black, its five sides shimmered with runes and glyphs of a subtle violet hue. Celestia could feel that the counter spell was gone, and from the multi-colored lights flashing behind her, it was obvious that the unicorns had felt the same.

“You... reversed it!” Celestia marveled.

Twilight shrugged, still leaning unevenly on Cadence, while Spike wiped the blood from her forehead.

“Inverted it, technically,” she explained. “Well, got it to invert itself drawing upon my magic as a power source, more technically. Or kind of give consent? I mean, it's not exactly self aware, per se, but since interrogative lithomancy utilizes the existence of a type of psycho-echoic memory absorbed independently from actual sorcery, and theoretically a sufficient store of memory can seem to self-actualize through deep magic... though, actually, that's pretty much all theory – until now, I mean – excepting of course the Hanging Stones Incident, but those results were never reproduced... though you know, I bet I could run some of this past Maude Pie, we could co-author a paper on the implications of...”

Celestia, Spike, and Cadence all gave her identical looks of fond amusement, and Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Right, refocusing. Anyway, I know we had a plan, but I'm thinking we change it a little, carry this to the ritual site...”

“...And use this as the central focus for your ritual!” Celestia cheered. “Brilliant!”

Cadence knelt down, and with Spike’s help, Twilight managed to climb onto her back. Then, Cadence began carefully carrying her out of the throne room with Spike walking beside her, steadying Twilight as they went.

Unheard by anyone but Twilight and Cadence, Spike whispered, “What the heck was that green glow?”

Twilight gave an exhausted shake of her head. “Later,” she whispered back.

As Celestia's golden aura encompassed the pillar, lifting it off the ground with ease, she began giving orders to the unicorns around her, coordinating and confirming the new plan. Within moments, her subjects began to vanish in brightly-colored bursts of light, teleporting themselves and those near them to the ritual’s planned site.

Sister? She sent.

Instantly, Luna caught the directed thought and forged a link between them.

**Am I needed?**

No, not at all. In fact, I think Twilight just made everything much easier.

**Ah. She... 'did a Twilight,' did she?**

She did.

Luna's thoughts became warmer as she sent, **Of course she did. Did she overtax herself?**

Celestia glanced over to where Spike was helping Twilight onto Cadence’s back, blood staining both of the ponies’ coats.

“That was an incredible feat,” Cadence was saying.

“Uh-huh,” Twilight mumbled.

“You sure you're okay?” Spike asked.

“Sure.”

Cadence considered Twilight for a moment, shrugging her on a little better to keep her from sliding off. The younger alicorn's eyes were already closed, and Cadence and Spike exchanged a glance.

“So, I was thinking Spike could come and live at the Crystal Empire full time,” Cadence deadpanned as she set off in a careful trot. “Pinkie Pie could be your assistant from now on.”

“Okay,” came the bleary reply.

“That would free up Rainbow Dash to rule over the mole people,” Spike added.

“Uh-huh.”

“And then I could abdicate,” Cadence mused, “and you could rule the Crystal Ponies yourself from now on.”

“Sounds great.”

Cadence and Spike shared a fond chuckle as Cadence continued towards the exit, and Celestia smiled as well.

Maybe a little, she sent.

There was a mental sigh.

**She'd only just awakened, and was probably injured, so of course she did,** came the reply. **Still, you are smiling, Are there any visuals?**

Celestia sent a replay of what had just transpired, from Twilight's approaching the throne to her friends’ teasing afterwards.

**Ah,** came the relieved reply. **All right, that was funny. Still, t'was a foolish risk. Praise to our ancestors that she did not injure herself.**

Celestia grinned. I think she'll be fine. Remember, there are more than two of us now. I expect she'll insist on being part of the ritual, once it's ready.

A wordless chuckle. **I am certain she will. Will using such a powerful focus interfere with our communication, do you think?**

Normally, I would say no, Celestia thought in reply. But with the stone so attuned to powers not only polymorphic but also telempathic...

**That was my thought,** came the response. **Should I move to your location?**

Gliding out of the Hive, Celestia continued to levitate the massive stone towards its new position. Most of the unicorns were already gathered perhaps a hundred yards north from the crater’s edge, already marking out the preliminary circle. She thought for a moment, then shook her head.

I don't think so. You should still be able to send to us regardless, just not hear us. Other locations shouldn’t have that interference. And others elsewhere are far more likely to need you, including Sunny. I think your more central location is still best.

Carefully, Celestia set the newborn obelisk down, a few unicorns there quickly removing soil beneath it as it descended to give it a better foundation. Finally, it was in place, an upright pillar of meteoric power in the center of a magical circle not yet half-drawn, towering over the magicians at work.

Meanwhile, there was an instant where it felt as though Luna had been about to send something but had changed her mind. Instead, Celestia received, **Fair enough. I will signal you when their forces are in position.**

Celestia smiled. We’ll be ready.

She sent a small pulse of love down the telepathic link, which Luna returned before allowing the bond between their minds to dissolve. Then, Celestia turned her mind fully to coordinating the task ahead.

Chapter Twelve: My Heart is Drowning. (The Second Front)

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It was supposed to have been a nice day.

The weather forecast for the Galloping Gorge area had called for sunny skies and a crisp, cold breeze. Further down south, in Ponyville, there would’a been a light dusting of snow, first one of the year.

Instead, what little sunlight there was had to struggle its way through the dark clouds that churned across the sky from horizon to horizon. The breeze was sharp, which had prompted the ponies there to dig out coats, scarves, and whatever else before heading out. No snow, but the brown autumn leaves were soaked down. Likely to minimize the odds of any fires starting up from the fight that lay ahead.

No, Applejack corrected herself. Not a fight. This here’s a war.

She looked back at the earth ponies again. Heck of a thing, being in charge of something like this. After all, the princesses already had generals they could have called up, and maybe a few knights here and there.

(Did the princesses still knight folks? Or maybe it was a family thing, and got passed along? Applejack wasn't sure.)

But anyway, while the earth ponies were down on the ground with her, Rainbow and the other pegasi were somewhere up above. Crouching on their clouds, keeping the snow and the lightning in check until they were needed. Which, hopefully, they wouldn't be.

Still, it remained.

Her and Rainbow Dash. Leaders.

Huh. Now, how the hay had that happened?

Sure, it was an honor and all to be tapped for the job. But as she stood there in the stopping wet leaves, watching her breath frost in the wind, she kept asking herself, Ain’t there nopony else more qualified?

Then again, both generals had looked at her and Dashie and just nodded, said they’d be happy to advise. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“You’re brooding again, darling.”

Applejack’s mind snapped back to the present. Her eyes refocused on Rarity, and as they did the world got just a little brighter, despite everything. Gal was a beauty, no question. Plus class, charm, a strong will and generous as all get-out. Not to mention a lion’s share of brains…

Aside from settling for me, anyway, Applejack thought happily.

“Ah! And now you’re smiling again,” Rarity said happily, her eyes shining.

“Hard not to, with you around,” Applejack admitted, still smiling despite herself. “Even with, well...”

“Yes,” Rarity nodded, her own smile faltering along with Applejack’s. “I agree, on all counts. Still, we’re here, we’re together, and we’ll find our way through.”

Then she looked at her scarf and boots and sighed, adding, "Still, one could wish for a bit more warning. This is hardly a fighting ensemble."

Applejack chuckled. “Wisht’ta heck I had your confidence.”

“Well, here, then,” Rarity smiled again, kissing her lover gently on the cheek, “Have some. I can spare it.”

For a time, the two of them simply stood, leaning on one another in companionable silence, each thinking her own thoughts. Finally, Applejack frowned as she scanned the various ponies behind them again.

“Say, ain’t that, um, what’s-her-name? You know, that one high-falootin’ gal?”

Rarity’s smile was fond. “Darling, have you any idea how little that narrows down my circle of business acquaintances?”

“Well, alright then, how about, ‘Hey, ain’t that the only unicorn here asides from yourself?’”

“What?” Rarity blinked, then examined the mass of earth ponies milling about in the field behind them before exclaiming, “Good gracious, that’s Fleur de Lis! What on Equus is she doing here?”

“Beats me.” Applejack considered the mare, then added, “Well, okay, maybe I got a guess. She don’t look too happy, though.”

“Indeed she doesn't,” Rarity added, frowning. “I wonder whatever is the matter.”

“An’ why she’s here in the first place,” Applejack added.

“Yes.”

Rarity contemplated the forlorn mare a few seconds longer, then said, “Darling, I hate to suggest this, and of course I’ll be right alongside you, but…”

Applejack nodded. “But she needs you more right now. I was gonna suggest it if you didn’t.”

“Thank you, dear.” Rarity kissed her lightly again, then trotted away towards the mare who was somehow alone even while surrounded by her fellow ponies.

For her part, Applejack nodded to herself. Fleur de Lis was gonna have a hard time ahead, and maybe knowing she had a solid friend here would help. And thinking on that, Applejack had an idea of maybe why her and Rainbow Dash were in charge of this mess.

More’n one kind of experience, after all.

Applejack sighed. It was all a mess, and that was a fact. Which made what lay ahead hard to think about, but miles harder not to.

Naturally, some of the young bucks and fillies were excited, prancing about here and there, thinking this was some kind of glorious thing. Something that was gonna work its way into stories and songs. But the rest of the ponies knew better. All around the field, earth ponies were talking, stretching, even getting into some lighthearted sparring here and there. Some of the ponies were quiet, some weren’t. Mostly they were just filling time.

That was alright. They’d have plenty of warning. And staying in a quiet formation wouldn’t make what was on everypony’s mind any easier:

Was this gonna mean killin’ folks?

The only good news was that Celestia and Luna had agreed that Rarity could be with her on this little jaunt. If by 'good' a pony meant 'what the hay are you even thinkin’.' Applejack hadn't asked for that, would never have asked, hadn't wanted Rarity anywhere near the battlefield, just in case.

But of course, Rarity had gone and asked the sisters if she could, and of course they'd said yes.

Not that Applejack doubted Rarity’s abilities. Far from it. But damn it all to Tartarus, girl, did you have to put yourself right in the line of fire?

Applejack sighed. There were times, she did declare, when love was nothing more nor less than wanting to hug and strangle the mare of your dreams at the same time.

“Fleur!” Rarity gasped delightedly, trotting towards her friend. “How positively lovely to see you!”

The slender unicorn gave a sad smile and also trotted forward, and the two exchanged a quick embrace.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Fleur de Lis smiled. “I thought I’d be the only unicorn.”

“And I thought I would be. The princesses made an exception for Elements. All the rest…”

Fleur sighed. “Yes, even Blueblood is there, for all that he can barely heat a teacup. And others, even less magically endowed than he.”

Rarity frowned. “But darling, then why…?”

The noblepony looked away, screwing her eyes shut. “Celestia’s compassion, frankly. You see, my husband and I… we…”

“Oh, oh dear heart, no, don’t say another word,” Rarity quickly interrupted, giving her friend another hug. “Forgive me.”

The two shared another embrace, this one longer than the last. Then they parted, Fleur de Lis forcing a smile through her tears.

“But enough of that,” she said. “What about you and Miss Applejack? You know, one hears rumors…”

Rarity looked away, blushing happily, and Fleur squeed.

“Details!” She cried happily, positively bouncing. “I want details!”

Applejack smiled at the two unicorn gals talking so excitedly, then went back to her own thoughts, rolling the situation over in her mind for the thousandth time.

Fluttershy was away to the west of the gorge, keeping the local animals out of harm's way. Discord was with her, according to Rainbow Dash, likely coiled protectively around the yella mare like a big ol' snake. There were cliff sides and other natural barriers between them and where the battle was planned for, but no one was taking chances with the animals' safety that day. They were bystanders, after all, and they deserved better than to be dragged into some other folk's nonsense.

Fortunately, the evacuation had gone without a hitch, thanks to Fluttershy and her inner circle of animal helpers. Which meant, in turn, keeping them critturs out of harm's way should be all she had to do. And while that had most surely been for both her sake and theirs... it remained that if the battle somehow did reach them, even in his diminished state the protective wrath of Discord would like to be pretty fierce. Maybe even indiscriminate. And nopony needed to see that.

No, thank you.

The ponies knew what direction the Changelings were comin’ from, and no matter what shapes they took, a moving army was gonna be noticed from up high. Her ponies’d have five minutes, easy, plenty of time to get in position and ready.

Of course, fighting Changelings on an individual level, or even seeing the first few of ‘em when they reached the meadow, well, that was a whole other thing.

Almost on cue, Rainbow Dash glided down with her usual grace, and ended by just hovering, upside down, in front of Applejack.

“Is it time?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash shook her head.

“Nah, not yet. I’ve got scouts in place, we’ll get plenty of warning. And then, we just wait for the signal.”

“Which is what again?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded, looking suitably authoritative.

“When we see the Changelings,” she said.

“Uh-huh. ‘Course, these are Changelings, these Changelings we’re talkin’ about,” Applejack drawled, amused. “Well known fer doin’ Changeling things. That bein’ why we call ‘em Changelings, an’ all. So that being the case, how’re we gonna know ‘em when we see ‘em?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Well, why the hay not?”

Rainbow drew herself up where she hovered, eyes closed, the very picture of self-satisfaction.

“It’s a secret,” she said.

Applejack gave a noise of frustration as she rolled her eyes.

“No it ain’t, you just don’t know!”

The two of them exchanged a look, then both burst into laughter.

“Seriously though, how’re things going down here?” Rainbow Dash asked when they were done. “You guys ready?”

Applejack nodded. “’Bout as ready as we’re gonna get, I guess. I mean, how do you even prepare for something like this?”

Rainbow sighed, flipping and landing in front of her friend, her levity gone.

“I asked General Stormwell about that,” she said.

“And?”

“He said, ‘You learn to fight, you prepare to grieve, and you try to be ready to heal after.’”

“Well,” Applejack said. “That ain’t encouragin’.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Yeah, not much about this is. We’ve got the numbers, the magic, the weather, and the terrain on our side. And everypony’s hoping for a quick surrender…”

“…but how often have we had folks surrender without a fight,” Applejack finished for her with a sigh. “Granted, those were actual villain types, an' these'll just be folks…”

“We might still be able to just beat most of them up,” Rainbow Dash suggested hopefully.

Applejack gave her a sardonic look. “You believe that?”

Rainbow started to answer, then lowered her head with a sigh.

“None of the generals think so,” she admitted. “They’ve spent years studying the strategies of Sombra, Tirek, undead armies, you name it. They say taking prisoners is way harder than… you know,” she finished uncomfortably. “So I guess most armies just don’t bother.”

Applejack looked out towards the northwest, where the enemy army was expected to come. Rainbow Dash joined her.

“Then we find a way to do it,” Applejack said. “We ain’t most armies. An’ besides, I ain’t killed folks yet. I ain’t gonna start now.”

Applejack didn’t have to look at her friend to see that Rainbow Dash was thinking the same thing she was. That all the lives in their care, in a sense including the Changelings, relied upon them doing what was right. No mistakes. No miscalculations. No excuses.

Rainbow Dash gave a sudden flap! and was gone, soaring back to her fellow pegasi and leaving Applejack again alone with her thoughts. Applejack considered for a moment longer the hundreds of ponies she was somehow supposed to lead, each and every one of them placing their trust in her.

And then, here came Rarity, all aglow despite everything, with that fancy mare in tow. More beautiful than the dawn, finding friends and pulling ‘em up even in the midst of all this, because of course she was.

“Applejack, dearest,” Rarity beamed, “Surely you remember Fleur de Lis?”

Applejack smiled. “’Course I do. Good to see you again, Miz de Lis. Wish it was under better circumstances.”

The other unicorn’s smile was genuine. “Charmed,” she said. “And so do I, believe me. Your lady and I have been catching up on a few things, which has been lovely, but it suddenly occurred to me how utterly selfish I’ve been, keeping her all to myself.”

While Rarity and Applejack embraced, Rarity whispered, “I’ll be fighting right beside you, love, but Fleur’s going through a terrible time even without this, and she’s still rather unsteady…”

Applejack gave her an extra squeeze. “Go,” she whispered back.

Then, speaking out loud, she said, “Naw, you gals are fine. I was just getting’ ready ta meet with General Frostfire again, go over a few last minute things.”

This was not a lie. Upon talking with Rainbow Dash, Applejack had determined to pick the older stallion’s brains one last time, just to see if there was anything they’d overlooked before that might help keep folks alive. On both sides.

She and Rarity exchanged a kiss and a smile, and then the two unicorns were trotting away again, Rarity assuring her friend that no, it was quite alright, there was plenty of time and Applejack was terribly busy anyway, Rarity was just trying to stay out of the way…

Applejack watched them as they walked away. She watched them all, so many other ponies, talking, playing, trying to keep warm and distract themselves while still keeping calm and ready. And all of them, all of them, counting on her to make every right move and every right decision, and see them all safely home.

Applejack felt suddenly exhausted, as though she couldn’t take a single step without stumbling.

All these folks, lookin' to me, she thought. Everything I do, everything I say.

With effort, she kept her head up. Every now and then, different ponies glanced at her, then went back to whatever they were doing. Playing, practicing, talking... all of them taking for granted that their leaders knew what the rut they were doing. And that, as much as possible, everything would be alright in the end.

Applejack sighed. She shook her head, then looked upwards to the clouds that swirled blackly overhead. Somewhere above, the eternal sky still remained. And beyond, maybe the spirits of those ponies already gone.

Sweet ancestors before us, she thought, if somepony here has to pass on today… please, let it be me.

Chapter Thirteen: Red Lightning. (The Second Front)

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Fleur de Lis looked about herself and sighed.

“Well,” she said. “In any event, I guess this will be an excuse to put my old training to use again.”

“Of course,” Rarity smiled. “Remember how we used to cross-train, while I was studying under Kimono?”

“Good times,” Fleur smiled back. “The armor was heavy, and the long walks were duller than a Clydesdale Dickens novel…”

“But we had the weekends,” Rarity finished for her, also smiling.

“Strictly against the rules, of course,” Fleur noted. “The palace guard should never leave palace grounds unless on leave or for special circumstances. Security, and all that.”

“But you did,” Rarity said, sighing at the memories. “I remember every time you left, saying…”

“’This never happened, and I was never here,’” they said together.

They shared a laugh, then stood together for a moment in companionable silence.

“Some of the best days of my life were those short weekends and long nights,” Fleur said at last.

“And then, when you stopped coming,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “I just knew you’d been caught. I couldn’t forgive myself!”

“And I had been, in a sense,” Fleur acknowledged. “I ended up talking with Princess Celestia herself. I didn’t even dare write to you, for fear of putting you under the same magnifying glass as I was. I was under so much scrutiny from then on, for so long…”

“I can only imagine.”

“No, you probably can’t,” Fleur said. “Why do you think I pretended not to know you when we met again, years later?”

“Oh. Well. Frankly, I just thought, you know, with your newly-found status…”

“What? No!” Fleur exclaimed in horror, grasping her friend’s withers. “No! It was nothing like that! You were my first friend. For the longest time, my only friend! I just didn’t want to risk you being investigated like I had been, that’s all!”

Rarity stared.

“You’re right,” she said. “I probably can’t imagine what it was like for you. I’ve never been suspected like that, of anything. And you had to face it alone.”

“No, not alone. You see, by that time, I’d met… oh, damn,” Fleur exclaimed as the tears once again began to fall, her voice reduced to a whisper. “Damn.”

Rarity reached out again, but Fleur waved her off, stepping away.

“No, no, I’ve got to deal with this,” she sighed. “It’s just… everything reminds me of him.”

“Well, of course it does,” Rarity replied. “That’s only reasonable. But I’m completely confident that whatever has come between you will be worked out in the end. That being said, if it doesn’t – even though it will – you know you’re always welcome. For tea, for talk… anything.”

Fleur’s smile was grateful. “Thank you, Rarity.”

“Of course, darling. We’re friends, after all. Which bethinks me,” she added with a mischievous gleam, “care to get some sparring in before the main event?”

Fleur’s eyes gleamed as she smiled. “Oh, I thought you’d never ask. Stretch out first?”

“I already have, dear.”

“Oh, good,” the slender unicorn grinned, falling into a combative stance. “So have I.”

The pair had only gotten a few minutes of sparring in before an armored stallion approached them. He wore a sergeant’s marks upon his armor, a finely-made pack upon his back, and a look of pleased recognition on his face.

Fleur rolled up from where she had been thrown with a grin.

“Harvest!” she exclaimed happily, wiping some sweat from her brow. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good,” he nodded happily. “It’s been a while.”

“It has.”

Harvest looked around the clearing, then back to the unicorns. Several other guardsponies, similarly clad and with packs of their own, were also making their rounds.

“The time for battle is approaching,” he explained. “So, we’re getting most of you armored up. Fleur has her own, of course, but…”

He cleared his throat with sudden nervousness, and said, “Miss Rarity, I know you’re an Element, but under the circumstances we do have a set of light armor for you. I hope you’ll be willing to consider it.”

“It’s very well coordinated,” Fleur winked. “It’ll bring out your blue eyes.”

Rarity rolled her blue eyes good-naturedly. Then, turning her attention back to the third pony, she said, “I’m sure it’ll be fine, Sergeant… Harvest, is it?”

The stallion nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Sergeant Harvest Moon, Palace Reserves.”

“Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Sergeant Harvest Moon. And yes, I would be delighted to accept whatever you feel is appropriate for the fight ahead.”

While Fleur trotted to a nearby chest and began unpacking its enchanted, golden interlocking plates of armor, the sergeant placed his pack on the ground and opened it. Carefully, he began fitting the engraved silver armor to Rarity. She had to admit she has pleasantly surprised; she’d expected him to have a rather rough and hurried hoof, but he was as caring and careful in fitting her as any seamstress she’d ever worked with.

In a surprisingly short time, she stood, fully arrayed in gleaming silver.

The stallion nodded to himself, apparently satisfied.

“Now, if you’ll be so good as to declare your name and acceptance to the armor,” he said, “the spell will be complete.”

Rarity closed her eyes and thought of the suit of magical plate she wore.

“My name is Rarity,” she said. “And I accept you.”

There was a brief, gentle blue glow. The armor, already immaculately fitted, now felt more like a second skin. Rarity took a few steps and gave a few slow striking motions. The armor moved with her perfectly. She could still feel its weight, and certainly she wouldn’t want to wear it for any longer than necessary. But it wouldn’t slow her down, especially after a few minutes to get used to it.

Harvest Moon watched her test the armor’s fit, then nodded, pleased.

“That’s it,” he smiled. “The armor’s yours, now.”

Rarity blinked. “Wait, what? I thought we were just…”

“No, ma’am,” he said, donning his pack again. “Those who take on the armor of Equestria need never return it. You can be buried in it if you want, as many have before us.”

Then, with a smile, he added, “After all, it’s not like it’ll fit anyone else now.”

“Oh. Well. Thank you?” she managed.

He smiled and gave a salute. “Ma’am.” And then he turned and started towards another group of ponies, his pack seeming neither smaller nor lighter than before.

“Well, this certainly hasn’t gotten any lighter,” Fleur grumbled as she returned, her own golden armor in place.

“Oh, it doesn’t seem so bad,” Rarity sighed, craning her neck to admire herself.

Fleur chuckled.

“You say that now,” she said. “Give it a few hours. Here,” she added, handing Rarity a large compact. “You can see yourself better with this.”

Rarity opened the compact, then gave a small gasp of delight.

“Well, what do you know?” Rarity said to her reflection. “It does bring out my eyes!”

She turned this way and that, enjoying herself immensely for a few seconds. Then, the smile faded as fast as she had found it.

Buried in it. Like so many before us.

Silently, she closed the mirror case, and returned it to her friend.

It was almost an hour later when Rainbow Dash flapped down to Applejack’s position again. Apparently General Frostfire – Anjou Frostfire, as it turned out – was also from a farm. He and Applejack had been exchanging funny stories about their respective childhoods.

“Miss Rainbow Dash!” the old stallion grinned. “I told Miss Applejack not long ago about how waitin’ was the biggest part of war, and here you come puttin’ the lie to my words. Not that I’m complaining, mind you,” he added with a wink.

Rainbow Dash stared. “Putting the lie… General, we’ve been here for hours!”

“Which ain’t long, all things considered,” the stallion nodded. “Though I’ll admit I was expectin’ you within the next hour or so. But in drills, we military ponies spend days or longer, readyin' an' waitin' for a skirmish.”

The pegasus tilted her head, studying him for a moment. “But you guys don’t actually fight wars anymore. At least, that’s what General Stormwell said.”

Another nod.

“The Princesses’re good at their jobs,” he affirmed. “Their wisdom and power, and the skills a’ their diplomats, can keep us out of war for generations at a time. Most nations consider war to be just another part of diplomacy. But the princesses don’t. Followin’ up on that may be one of the hardest things on Equus, and it speaks well of them that they can keep peace for so long at a time.”

Looking westward, he continued, “But history shows us that you don’t hafta be warlike for war to find you. There’s an old saying, ‘In times of peace, the gentlepony keeps their sword by their side.’ So, we train. We study. We keep ourselves as ready as we can for moments like this, to fight and lead other ponies in fightin'. And we hope to the Two Sisters that we make the right decisions when the time comes.”

“Well, the Changelings have been sighted, about ten minutes away. So, it’s time to get in formation.”

The general saluted. “Ma’am.”

As the Pegasus flew away, Applejack said, “Hey, we got time for a question?”

“With ten minutes? Sure.”

“Then before we get started on all this, I gotta ask.”

The stallion gave her a quizzical look, and she continued, “How come y’all’re answerin’ to us? We ain’t got your training an’ whatnot.”

“No, ma’am,” he agreed. “But you got experiences in the field we don’t, and so the princesses gave you authority. And besides, you outrank us anyway.”

Applejack’s eyebrows clutched at her maneline. “I’m sorry, we what?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned again, obviously enjoying her confusion. “After all, you’re an Element.”

Applejack blinked. “Oh. And that means that?”

“Yes, ma’am. Formally recognized by the princesses in full ritual of state, followin’ your defeat of Discord.”

“Oh. Is that what that was?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Uh-huh,” Applejack took another second to process, then said, “Well, in that case, would you get everypony ready, please? ‘Cuz that’s somethin’ I ain’t even trained in.”

Still grinning, the general gave her another salute, then turned towards the various ponies and stepped forward before bellowing, “All right, ponies, the enemy has been sighted! Get into formation as practiced! I and my soldiers will help see to your placement, but don’t you dare waste our time! Soldiers, I expect every pony here to be dress-right-dress in four minutes, and not one second more!

“Now MOVE!”

The ponies scrambled with various degrees of accuracy and confidence, falling into position in a remarkably short amount of time. The shape was an open circle, what the general had called a ‘yak’s horns,’ with the horns facing where the Changelings would be coming from.

The two unicorns returned in the same haste as the rest of the ponies, each with a bit of her own confusion.

“Miss Applejack?” Fleur asked, “Forgive me for asking, but…?”

Applejack nodded and gave her most reassuring smile.

“That’s right, sugar cube. You’re up here with me an’ Rarity. Princesses figured you’d do better with a friend next to ya, an’ with Rarity here I guess that makes it two.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Dearest, forgive me, but I thought you didn’t…?”

But Applejack waved her into silence. “Later, hon. I promise.”

Rarity blinked, but nodded. “Oh. Very well, then.”

But Fleur de Lis was looking more uncomfortable than before. “Miss Applejack, I certainly don’t want—”

“And you ain’t,” Applejack assured her. “You gals ever fought together before?”

The two unicorns shared a conspiratorial grin.

Applejack nodded. “Well, alright then. Miz De Lis, why don’t you set yourself between Rarity an’ me? An’ you don’t need to call me ‘miss.’”

Despite her apprehension, Fleur smiled. “Why, thank you. And while we’re on it, neither do you.”

Applejack might have said something further, but by that time the Equestrian forces were in position, and the time for idle talk was over. The Equestrians stood still, silent, almost as if still waiting for a command to assemble… or to surround. All the better to show their foes the futility of combat.

After all, the sooner the Hive gave it up, the better off everyone would be.

Above, thunder rumbled threateningly, and a freezing rain began to fall. Changelings lived in a dry, arid place, after all. There was no sense in having them be comfortable.

Then, lightning crawled across the angry sky, serpentine and crimson. All the ponies knew it was the pegasi bleeding off excess galvanic energy, making sure they’d have easy control for the battle ahead.

But Applejack couldn’t help but think how terrifying it must have been to folks from the badlands, who like as not had never been in such a storm, and maybe didn’t even know how the weather really worked.

Taking that as her cue, she turned to face the Equestrians on the ground. She knew that, high above, her friend would be doing the same. No surprise, then, when she heard Rainbow Dash’s voice calling out over the building storm.

“Think of your friends, think of your families!” Rainbow Dash shouted to her pegasi, and to the earth ponies below.

“Remember what you’re fighting for!” Applejack joined in, to the earth ponies and the pegasi above. “But remember this, too: each of you has only one life!”

“Don’t trade it cheaply!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Don’t trade it at all!”

“For Equestria!” Rarity called.

“FOR EQUESTRIA!” The army roared, above the clouds and below.

“For Equestria!” the Elements and generals called as one.

“FOR EQUESTRIA!”

“For Equestria!”

“FOR EQUESTRIA!”

Then, unseen by one another, Applejack and Rainbow Dash each held up a hoof almost in unison for silence. Years of fighting together, combined with their constantly competing friendship, had created a rapport that rendered communication unnecessary.

Again, lightning flashed. Thunder rolled.

In the tall grass at the edge of the clearing, something rustled. Stopped. Watched.

Rarity gave their unseen foes a few seconds to gather and plan, and then thought at Princess Luna as clearly as she could, Princess, they seem to have arrived.

Nothing happened.

Rarity frowned. “Oh, dear,” she said.

In the Royal Palace, Luna caught the unpracticed thought-cast and smiled. She knew to be listening very carefully for whoever might need. Sunrise was very dear to her, and learning very quickly, but even she could hardly be expected to match the easy clarity of Celestia’s sending. Less practiced ponies tended to be even less focused, and far less clear.

Looking up from her book, Twilight caught the smile, an intrigued smile forming on her own features. “What?”

“I was thinking of Sunrise,” Luna said, even as she sent to her sister, **Now.**

Chapter Fourteen: Crimson Rain. (The Second Front)

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As soon as her scouts had seen the encroaching army, Rainbow Dash had thrown thoughts at the Queen of Night that it was time, with more and more desperation, until finally she’d received an amused, **Yes, I hear you, Rainbow Dash. Thank you for making certain.**

“Okay, that was weird,” she’d muttered. “Dunno how Sunny deals with it.” Then she had soared down to the ground below, to share the information with Applejack.

Meanwhile, Luna had sent word to Celestia to ready the unicorns for the ritual, that it was nearly time.

Celestia, of course, had not been idle. She and her fellows had arranged themselves around the great monolith that Twilight had given them and begun the preliminaries of the rite. Within a few minutes, all was ready.

The unicorns on the outermost circle, trained magicians all, maintained the focus for the enchantment. Those in the center, closest to the great stone, were the alicorns themselves. And surrounding them, the most powerful and skilled magicians of Equestria. Between the two concentric rings of unicorn magicians were all the rest, bolstered by the strength and concentration of their fellows even as they prepared to give all their energy to the task at hand.

Then came Luna’s unmistakable sending.

**Now.**

Celestia closed her eyes. Her horn, like those of her students, was already aglow. Likewise, those of the magicians, blended rainbow hues of light forming twin rings around the central stone.

Now there was a collective gasp as massive energies coursed through the ponies in the wide ring between, pulling them into the rite. The riptide of the ritual’s power, having before merely tugging at their consciousnesses, suddenly rose and engulfed them. It surged through them, a psychic wind in a silent storm, forcibly drawing their magical power from them in a never-ending cascade. Their living energy flowed out through their horns to blend with the rest of the rite, guided inward in an iridescent spiral towards its ultimate goal.

The great stone pillar also glowed, amethyst-like, shifting from violet to emerald and back again as it drank in the combined magic of Equestria. Pulsing evenly, blending and focusing that power, even as it harmonized with the living magic of Chrysalis and her children.

There was a momentary feeling of building, of drawing in, and then a sudden pulse as from the heart of a goddess, sending the spell’s power outward in a perfect circle, even as the ponies within maintained it, their very heartbeats in unison with one another, with the stone, with the rhythm of what remained of the creature’s heart that had first created it aeons ago.

The spell burst outward, a colorless, almost invisible force.

Twilight’s original spell, combined with the power of so many unicorns, would have covered most of Equestria, even from the edge of the Badlands where they were.

But now, with the obelisk as its focus, the ritual she had devised was many times more powerful than before. And within the space of a heartbeat, its power had blanketed the world.

In Yakyakistan, one of the smaller Yaks suddenly lost her coat and horns in a burst of purple-green fire, her true nature revealed. Surrounding her, the Yaks’ features were already hardening, filling with anger.

In Saddle-Arabia, a street vendor collapsed in a burst of mystic flame, only to pull himself unsteadily to his hooves and fly desperately away on his insect-like wings before the ponies realized what had happened.

In the Crystal Empire, several visiting ponies collapsed in multicolored fire. Each was leapt upon and arrested by nearby guards before they could recover.

Back at the Galloping Gorge, a great wave of translucent force washed over everything.

Several of the Equestrians staggered from the effect, though they regained their stance quickly.

But on the ground before the Equestrian army, suddenly there were numerous Changelings, eyes wide, quickly pulling themselves back to their feet, staring around themselves in shock.

It was one thing to imagine a force of such creatures. Quite another to see them materialize right before you. Many ponies looked at one another uncertainly.

Rarity brightened immediately. “Ah! That’s much better!”

Applejack blinked.

“Well. Roll me in peanut butter an' feed me to the squirrels,” she said.

She glanced back, and saw that the unity she and her fellows had forged among their troops was fading fast. It wasn’t as though Changelings were soothing to look at in their native form, much less when they were hissing and already starting to rally themselves. And without firm direction, it was only going to get worse.

So, Applejack did the only thing she could think of in the few seconds she had.

Raising her arm, she shouted, “Alright, ponies, there they are! Let's take 'em down!”

Suddenly galvanized, the ponies roared forth against their revealed foes, pegasi soaring down from the blackened sky even as the ground shook with the thunder of earth pony hooves. Lightning flashed on both sides and behind the ponies, blinding the Changelings and hemming them in further. Barely audible over it all were the voices of their officers and the Elements who led them.

Surrender, they shouted. Surrender, now, and you won’t be harmed.

The Changelings, unexpectedly bereft of their shape-changing powers, suddenly found themselves outnumbered by something over ten to one. Facing such odds, most of the ponies had frankly expected a mass surrender, despite everything that had been said. Perhaps with a few holdouts here and there, but the surrender of Equestria’s foes had seemed inevitable. It was the only rational move.

But while the Changelings might have been rational creatures themselves, their queen and mother was not. No one in the Hive knew the Equestrian tradition of treating prisoners kindly, nor understood their eagerness to accept surrenders. That simply wasn't something they'd been exposed to.

What they had been taught, from the moment of hatching, was that compassion was for fools. That trust, outside the Hive, was suicide. And that ponies were the most implacable enemy that they could ever have.

So it was that, in the face of both overwhelming numbers and a unanimous call for surrender that the Changeling army, almost in unison, narrowed their eyes, hissed... and attacked.

The earth ponies were stronger than the insectoids they faced, but they were no fliers. And the pegasi, while often better and faster fliers than their foes, were usually nowhere near as strong.

Further, while the Equestrians had enchanted armor covering much of their bodies; the Changelings had chitin, covering everything but their eyes. And the Changelings not only had claws and fangs, but they fought with a ferocity and cruelty that the pony army was simply unprepared for.

Rage, the ponies had expected. Some of them had even anticipated hate.

But none of them had been ready for their foes to immediately attack with a blind fury born from sheer panic. The unspoken assumption that the Equestrians, if they had such power that they could block transformation, simply had no need to show mercy. That if they could use the very storm itself as a weapon, retreat was impossible.

And from that, the absolute terror-driven certainty that the only possible path to survival was for the Changelings to claw their way through the Equestrian forces or die trying.

Some of the ponies, shocked and then horrified by what they were facing, did their best to respond in kind. Others froze and were struck down. But the majority, despite everything, simply fought, determined that the invaders must not carry the day.

Blood spattered on the ground and fell from the sky. Unevenly, uncertainly at first, the line of conflict on the ground and in the sky wavered, flexed, and then fell back as the Equestrians began to give way. The horns of their formation folded in, surrounding the insectoids almost by accident.

And then, as Equestrians and Changelings found themselves moving past one another as they fought, suddenly there was no line. Only a mass of desperate confusion, pain, blood, and fear.

The wave of Changelings hit the lead ponies like a tsunami. Fleur tried to keep her position, but it was like trying to fight the ocean. There was no direction, no sense of where anypony else was. There was only a desperate fight against everything and everyone as she struggled to keep upright and keep her defenses up.

Rarity and Applejack were gone, doubtless in the same terrifying position that she was. Fleur struck out in all directions as she spun and slid again and again in the mud, frantically doing everything she could to keep from being born down and killed by the crowded swarm of assailants.

She didn’t know how long she had been fighting thus, how far she might have travelled or where she was on the battlefield. Who else, if anyone, was even still alive. All she knew, with sudden terror, was that she finally did fall, rolling, sliding, desperately trying to regain her footing even as others piled around her did the same.

Then, the battle – or at least her part of it – seemed to spread out, allowing her and her foes to see one another, as well as their allies. There were many ponies around her in the chaos, and many Changelings as well, all apparently still alive. And for that much she was grateful. But the fighting was directionless now, clumps of fighters forming, breaking up, crashing together at random, all order and restraint forgotten.

Then, to her horror, she saw Harvest on the ground, unmoving. His eyes empty, his breath still.

Suddenly she was surrounded by a ring of her enemies, some hovering, some on the ground, all of them focused on her and her alone.

“Traitor!” one buzzed at her, eyes glowing with hate.

“Turncoat bitch!” another spat.

Fleur forced herself upright again despite her injuries. Her eyes were hard and her breathing was labored, green blood seeping from a dozen small wounds on her throat, face, and legs.

Her horn and armor glowed an angry rose. It seemed she would probably die this day. And if she did, it seemed she would die alone, surrounded only by her killers.

But she would not go gently.

Instantly, there was another pony there, standing to her side, armor and horn shining sapphire blue in the storm.

“If you want her,” Rarity snarled, “come and claim her!”

Lightning flashed. The Changelings hesitated only a moment, then leapt to the attack, claws flashing, even as the unicorns launched themselves in unison at their foes.

Twilight Sparkle continued to lay in a corner of the meeting hall, reading, her brows furrowed with impatience.

For her part, Luna sat in the center of the room, eyes closed, mind serene, listening.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open.

Princess, we got us – ow! – got us an emergency here...!

Images assailed her mind, unfocused but intense, of Applejack's ground forces and the chaos that surrounded her. Above, pegasi fought desperately against their frantic foes, their blood raining down upon a battlefield that had lost all sense of reason, restraint, or even direction.

Almost at the same time, Rarity was also hurling her thoughts to the princess. Images of herself and her noble friend fighting for their very lives, surrounded by chitinous warriors, glowing eyes, flashing claws and bloody fangs.

Immediately, Luna sent her thoughts to every Element and officer there:

**Pull back! Pull back and let them flee!**

For a moment, there was a confused chorus of thoughts.

**TO THE SOUTH!** her thoughts thundered. **GIVE THEM AN OPENING TO THE NORTH, CONSOLIDATE YOUR FORCES TO THE SOUTH, AND LET THEM GO!**

It took several moments for those of rank to be heard and understood over the din. But as soon as they were able the Equestrians went on the defensive, those who could still tell directions guiding those who had become lost in the confusion. They moved quickly to the south, even as the Changelings moved flawlessly backwards on their insect wings, watching the ponies with identical expressions of distrust. Some carried their injured, others carried their dead. Those unburdened moved to cover the rear of their formation, ready to rend and tear again should the occasion demand it.

Finally, the swarm turned in a single motion shared between every Changeling there. None of them spoke, nor even glanced at one another. They just left, their only sound the fading buzzing of their wings as they faded into the woods and were gone.

“Dang, that’s creepy,” Applejack muttered.

At that, Fleur’s strength seemed to fail at last. Rarity caught her as her legs buckled, helping her settle to the ground.

Rarity was mildly injured, as were many others, but Fleur de Lis was far worse off; even when Rarity had rejoined her, the Changelings had done all they could to target her. Green blood seeped from multiple cuts and tears along her forelimbs and along her sides, making it difficult to walk or even stand unaided. Plus, there was a trio of claw marks along the right side of her neck that, had it been just a little deeper, likely would have been fatal.

Rarity levitated a nearby canteen over and began gently cleaning her friend’s wounds as best she could.

“Forgive me, dear,” she said, “but… is this what…?”

Fleur gave a mournful sigh.

“Yes,” she said miserably. “Celestia found me out, back when you and I were having our illegal meetings. I was given a choice: I could take a magical oath of loyalty, or I could be exiled from Equestria forever. I took the oath. There was always that chance, however small, that I might see you again.”

“If you’d told Celestia that you’d made a friend…” Rarity started.

“She’d certainly have let us see one another,” Fleur de Lis agreed. “I know that now. But you don’t know what it was like in the Hive. I just couldn’t see that really being her response, not until I’d lived as a pony for years. And so, I didn’t dare take the chance with your safety.

“Plus, by then, I’d also met Fancy Pants. And though we weren’t yet close, I already knew that I loved him. So yes, I swore in hopes of seeing you again, but I was also thinking of him.

“Yet at the same time, I was so afraid he would leave me that I never told him what I was. Even when I quit the guard, even when we were married. I… I never told him.

“It was pure cowardice on my part,” Fleur said, looking anywhere but at her friend. “I admit that. I tried so many times. But I just… I couldn’t do it. And the more pony-like I became, the less I wanted to even think about it. Especially after I somehow started developing something akin to pony magic. Telekinesis, some energy projection.”

“But your magic wouldn’t really work in the ritual,” Rarity nodded, understanding. “Because it wasn’t real unicorn magic. You’d have been stationed here anyway, marriage problems or no.”

“Maybe,” Fleur sighed. “I like to think that if I’d just told him, if I’d just been honest with him, the princesses would have put me someplace nearby. Maybe protecting the circle from without, while he contributed from within.

“But I never did. And then, war came. And with so much at stake, he needed to know. I needed him to know. And now…”

She hung her head, eyes squeezed shut, unable to speak further.

Rarity grabbed the other mare, forced her head up.

“No! No, you look at me! Look at me!” she insisted.

“If Fancy Pants is truly a stallion who cannot understand how you were afraid to lose him over this, if he’s really determined to abandon what you have together, then he is a damned fool!

“Of course he’s angry!” she went on. “Of course he’s hurt! Of course he’s questioning everything, feeling betrayed! My dear, much as I love you, you lied to him!”

Fleur winced, looking away, and Rarity took her by the chin and brought her gaze, gently this time, to meet her own once more.

“But he also knows why.” She pointed out softly. “And he knows – he must know – how much you love him.”

And, her own expression softening as she smoothed her friend’s mane away from her eyes, she finished, “And I know that you love him. Seeing the two of you together, I’d have to be blind not to. Which means that furthermore, I have an idea just how much he loves you.

“Just… just give him some time. If he does walk away, and I don’t think he will, then he’s less than half the stallion I take him for.”

Then, becoming angry again, she added, “But he’d be a damned fool to do so, and don’t you think for an instant that I shan’t tell him so myself!”

Fleur de Lis stared at her for a moment, then grabbed her in a grateful embrace.

“You’re a good friend, Rarity,” she whispered.

Carefully, mindful of her friend’s injuries, Rarity hugged her back.

“Thank you, my dear.” Then, pulling away, she smiled. “Now then, let’s get you cleaned up, shall we?”

But Fleur shook her head, no. Silently, ignoring her own wounds as the ponies around her stared, she limped over to where the body of Harvest Moon lay. While Rarity gave a whispered, Oh, oh no, Fleur de Lis reached out a hoof, and, sadly, closed her former comrade’s eyes.

Even as Fleur’s own nature was being exposed, similar revelations were being made throughout the army. It seemed that there were some other oath-bound changelings here and there. A few were exposed through injury. A few others, seeing this, revealed themselves deliberately, standing by their fellows as they did. And several of the dead among the ponies, upon inspection, had the telltale green blood of the Hive. In response to all this, a confused, dangerous murmur had begun among the earth ponies and pegasi both.

While above, Rainbow Dash showed her own bewilderment as she strove to keep the winged ponies in order, she could plainly hear Applejack’s voice filled with nothing but certainty:

“Alright, y’all, that’s enough! These here folks have been our friends fer a while now, an’ today they were fightin’ along with us through spit’n’hellfire! We’ve been together through thick an’ thin, they sure don’t need us givin’ ‘em a rough time now!”

At that, everypony paused. The murmurs of confusion had not had time to build into anger yet, and now doubt began to truly settle in. Who were these creatures, really? How did they keep their pony shapes before, and why would they keep them now? Just what was going on, here?

Are you even who you look like?

Was everything between us a lie?

And then, a familiar voice echoed throughout the army, silent yet inescapably real.

**Yes, my friends, there are some among you who are not as they once seemed,** Princess Luna’s mind speech said. **And yes, my sister and I knew. We have always known. Their silence was kept by our decree, not theirs. And if any error was made in that matter, it is our responsibility alone. If any of you already knew, then take that as a sign of the depth of your friendship that they would risk so much to reveal themselves to you.**

Looking back to Fleur, Rarity saw that her friend was just staring miserably at the ground.

Meanwhile, Applejack continued to watch over her earth ponies, her stern expression unchanged. Rainbow Dash still listened to the princess’ sending with a puzzled expression almost identical to her fellow pegasi, even as she also had started to move to protect the disguised changelings among her own troops.

As the clouds cleared, Rainbow shot Applejack an accusing look, and the earth pony responded with a helpless shrug. Apparently, there had been a variety of secrets this day. Which, Rainbow had to admit to herself, only made sense. After all, they’d been dealing with an enemy that specialized in espionage.

But Luna’s communications had only paused for a moment, and now they continued.

**These Equestrians have earned my trust,** she sent, **and the trust of the other princesses. And if you think on it, I believe you will find they have earned yours, as well. For while they may not have been born among you, the shapes they wear are uniquely their own. And they have risked everything this day, just as you have. They have fought beside you, and their blood has intermingled with your own. Some have even died, fighting for the land that you and they hold dear.**

The murmuring slowly died away as the ponies looked around themselves anew. At the bodies around them, and at the living who stood or lay, injured by their efforts to protect their country. Almost all of them were obviously ponies by birth. But not quite all; with the rest looking at the ponies surrounding them with an uncertainty devoid of anger or hate.

Red or green, it seemed, blood was still blood.

**I therefore say to you all this day that they are Changelings no longer. They have not been, not for a long time. They are the Oathbound. Equestrians not by birth, but by deed. By honour and spirit, and by love.

**I make no demands of any of you this day. You have, all of you, given far too much already. Yet… I will dare ask you all to accept each other now as you have before. For it seems there is less difference between changeling and pony than any of us ever realized. And if there is ultimately to be peace, it must begin among you now.**

Then her mind speech faded, leaving the ponies to gather themselves together and assess their own losses. To tend to the living, and to bury the dead.

Fluttershy found her way to them then, reporting that apparently the Changelings had given the makeshift animal shelter a wide berth; at least, she certainly hadn’t seen any. Discord had excused himself shortly after their retreat, explaining that the near future only promised more organization.

But Fluttershy herself immediately started pitching in – along with several of her animal friends – to help with triage, first aid, and preparations to move everyone back to Ponyville for proper medical treatment.

There was a great deal of awkwardness when Rarity helped Fleur into the triage tent, her wounds still uncovered. After all, everypony knew her, at least by reputation. But as she said to Rarity on her way in, I’m done playing the coward.

And as the next few hours went by, word spread quickly: Fleur de Lis, one of the most admired mares in Canterlot, the lady who had fought alongside Applejack and Rarity themselves… was herself an Oathbound.

And as the exhausted army prepared for their trek back home, and the red and green blood of battle dried where it stained the ground, some of them had to wonder whether this had really been a victory at all.

But most of them, looking around at the lives saved and the bonds formed between pony and Oathbound alike, could only think to themselves,

Yes. It cost us dear, far more than it should have. But for now, at least, life and love have won.

Chapter Fifteen: Simple Farmers, Nothing More. (The Third Front)

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“Husband?”

Igneous Stone Pie looked up from the rock formations he’d been contemplating. “Aye?”

“A package has arrived. From the sisters.”

The patriarch frowned. “How, now? What do the sisters want of us?”

“There is a note,” Cloudy Quartz said. And, unfolding the missive, she read:

“Good ponies,

“We hope that this message finds you in good health, and that your farm is doing well. Alas, we have dire news. We have reason to believe that a swarm of Changelings are preparing to invade your land from the south.

“We, of course, have no intention to interfere with your affairs upon your own land…”

Igneous nodded. “That is mannerly of them, and just. Good that they yet honour the division of our ways from theirs, from so long ago.”

Cloudy Quartz nodded as well, continuing, “…though, as friends and neighbors – good neighbors, we hope and strive to be – we do offer our aid should you wish it. In any event, as a token of our own goodwill and our desire for your family’s continued well-being, we hope this gift will be received in the spirit it is intended. We have also taken the liberty of alerting your daughter Pinkie Pie, so that she would have time to journey there and fight alongside you.

“Enclosed is a greenfire candle. If you need anything—”

Her husband waved away the rest. “I doubt we shall, though t’was a kind gesture. Good of the sisters to recall our ways. They were often polite ladies, for all that they yet rule over others. What is the gift they sent?”

His wife opened the box, then set it on the ancient table before him.

“Hm,” he frowned. Peering closer, the entire box seemed filled with rubies. Large, flawless, and well-fashioned. Then, he nodded.

“The sisters must think our foes to be strong, indeed. Very well,” he said, turning towards the door. “I shall tell our children that we have a war before us. On the other hoof, we shall see Pinkamena again, which is no bad thing.”

Opening the door, he gazed out towards the horizon.

“Set the table and divide the meal, will you my love?” he said. “Our enemies will send many to run through our lands, it seems, and it is a grim task that lies before us.”

The devastation was total.

General Mandible shouted through the dust that flooded the battlefield, trying to rally his troops, desperately searching for any means of restoring order. The pink one was an Element bearer, and he’d been briefed in case he encountered her or any of her fellows.

But nothing had prepared him for this.

A howling wind swept away the last of the dust, revealing a wasteland of deep gorges and wide, shallow craters. Changeling warriors lay everywhere, whether alive or dead he couldn't tell.

Six ponies. Earth ponies. Unarmed, against three units, each one a hundred strong.

How? his mind screamed. How is this even possible?

Staring about himself wildly, he also realized, I’m the only one left.

Perhaps a hundred feet away, the enemy had re-grouped. Five drab little ponies and one bright pink joke. They stood, staring down the incline at their invaders. Breathing heavily, covered in sweat, their looks unreadable. Then, the bearded one - the leader, apparently - stepped forward.

“Friend,” he said, “I would not wish thee harm for all the world. But thou art standing precisely where I am about to tread.”

Mandible barely took to the air in time, as the old pony launched himself into the sky, coming down in a grey blur where the changeling had stood less than a second before. The ground split with a thunderous roar, collapsing and falling into itself, forming a massive canyon that continued to widen and deepen with every deafening moment. The air filled with dust and grit, obscuring all vision as the stony ground split on and on, impossibly spreading itself for yards, then tens of yards, then hundreds, then a mile or more, stretching back southwards from where the changeling army had come.

As the terrible, echoing sound gradually faded into silence, Mandible realized that he had stopped moving. He’d been blasted out of the air, rolled, finally come to rest where he was, curled into a fetal position in a desperate, instinctive hope to survive the elemental onslaught that surrounded him.

Cautiously, he opened his eyes.

The six ponies were closer to him than before, despite the distance that he’d flown. The massive canyon was behind them, surrounded by other battle damage and desolation.

Impossibly, they were just finishing piling his troops in two mounds of chitinous bodies, to either side of the canyon’s nearest tip.

All of them.

And, so far as he could tell, each and every one of his soldiers was somehow still alive. Most were wounded, some grievously so. But so far as he could tell, all of them were, to varying degrees, beginning the struggle towards consciousness.

“Please come not to our lands again with violence in your hearts,” the bearded one said. “Keeping you all alive is hard work, and we yet have farming to do.”

Then, the pony just turned his back on Mandible, and began walking away. The other ponies, without a word, followed suit. Only the pink one looked back, just enough to give a good-natured shrug, as if to say, Yeah, sorry about that guys!

The changeling general just stood there, staring, until the earth ponies had vanished over the rise.

To his left and right, some of his soldiers began to try to stand. A few succeeded.

One of the younger ones managed to pull himself out from under his fellows and staggered over to where Mandible was.

“Sir? What happened?”

Mandible swallowed, still staring.

“We lost,” he heard himself say.

Confused, the young drone glanced from his commanding officer to the vast fissure in the ground, and back.

“Sir?”

“We lost,” Mandible said again. “It’s over. The war is over.”

“But, but sir!” the other changeling insisted. “We could regroup! We can still get back to the hive! Report to the queen! We…”

But the older changeling slowly shook his head.

“After today, I don’t think there’ll be a hive,” he said quietly. “Or a queen.”

“Then…” the drone faltered, looking at his superior in growing dismay. “Then, what do we do now?”

But the general didn’t move. He continued to stand, silent, as more of his drones began to regain consciousness and buzz about in confusion. The world seemed bigger, now, than it had ever been before. A dangerous place, filled with wilderness and enemies. Chaos, uncertainty and disorder. A world with no place left in it for his people.

Finally, in a voice strained and uncertain, he spoke.

“I… I don’t know.”

Chapter Sixteen: The Guardians. (The Rear Guard)

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The caverns twisted and turned as they spiraled downward into the heart of Equestria’s tallest mountain, where her greatest treasures lay.

Captain Pedipalp’s eyes narrowed. He and his team had been specially chosen only a few hours ago, their new orders given through the mind speech of the Queen Mother.

Go to the secret place far beneath their great palace, Chrysalis had sent to them. I shall show you the way. There you shall find the makeshift sanctuary they have created for their hatchlings and their infirm. They are guarded by an inept unicorn, and perhaps by a traitor as well.

See that they all die afraid and in pain. And tell them, before they die, that the princesses send their regards.

The psychic map that the Queen Mother had sent to Pedipalp and his fellows had been flawless, but past a certain point it hadn’t been necessary. The old tracks and abandoned mining carts had been guide enough.

Soon, the plentiful crystals and jewels of the abandoned lower mines surrounded the invading Changelings. They crept forward carefully, silently, finding their way along the mirroring facets flightlessly and with minimal light, so as to maintain the element of surprise.

They all knew, far too well, the price of failure.

For it was the stronger will that could harden its heart when called to duty, no matter what the task. And the weaker will was the will that failed, that betrayed. That deserved the punishments that Mother would devise.

For hers was the strongest of all wills. And, thus, hers was oft the hardest of hearts, even as she crushed her children beneath it.

Captain Pedipalp’s mandibles worked anxiously, and he took a moment and willed them to be still. Now was not the time for weakness. He had a mission to complete, he and the drones who followed him, and he would not let them down. Not his fellow soldiers, nor the Hive, nor their queen.

Suddenly, the cavern was awash in a strange blue-green light, momentarily blinding the Changelings even as they expertly rolled for cover. It took only a second or two for Pedipalp’s eyes to adjust to the glare and witness the impossible before them.

The archway that lead to the next-to-last corridor was blocked by a cyan barrier of magic, its shimmering glow the source of the cavern’s light. Yet, it was not the only source of illumination before his team, for there was a unicorn barring their way. Her horn was aglow with the same magical radiance as the barrier behind her, its light gleaming off the golden armor she wore.

To one side of the sorceress was the traitor Pedipalp had been warned of. His eyes were sad but determined, betraying the same weakness that had led him to his ultimate failure years ago.

To the other side, a nightmare out of legend, its tail lashing in anticipation. A feline body shaped from velvet darkness with a pumpkin head, soulfire crackling hungrily from its carven mouth and eyes. For an instant Pedipalp could only gape, almost-forgotten memories of childhood nightmares swirling at the edges of his mind.

Then, the pony mare spoke, pulling the captain’s attention back to her.

“Remember, Jack,” she said, her eyes still on the Changelings before her. “No killing.”

Throughout the large chamber a small chorus of uncertain hisses arose. After all: unexpected or no, these would-be defenders were outnumbered by over ten to one.

“If I were you,” the young unicorn said, “I’d run.”

Pedipalp grinned, the buzz of his wings joined by others as he rose into the air.

“Death first,” he said.

In response, the unicorn let loose a blast of blinding blue-green light. Pedipalp barrel-rolled around it into the fray, and the Changelings surged to the attack.

Sunrise barely dodged the Changeling leader’s counter-attack, rolling to the side as her opponent raked the air with his claws. She’d made the barrier with a long duration, so it would last independently of her concentration.

Good thing, too, she thought as she rolled to her hooves. No way I could maintain it otherwise.

While the cavern exploded into violence, Sunrise and her foe had sized one another up instantly. Sunrise had some background in street fighting and dirty moves, but the Changeling leader was a highly trained combatant with years of experience.

Sunrise knew she was outmatched. And so did her foe.

Crap!

The Changeling lunged, and Sunrise moved to block. But it was a feint, and the insectoid’s true attack scored Sunrise badly along her left shoulder, ruining the spell she’d started to cast.

Sunrise gasped, almost screamed. She’d been cut before, but there was a world of difference between a sharp butterfly knife and a set of jagged, razor-like claws that could tear through the mystic armor she wore. She dropped to her knees, only barely rolling out of the way as the Changeling landed with both foreclaws where she’d just been, scoring the stone.

“No killing,” the creature hissed mockingly. “The last bargain offered by the doomed.”

Sunrise’s horn glowed as she desperately tried to focus despite the pain. But she was too inexperienced, too untrained, and the glow vanished instantly as she desperately dodged the next swipe of her enemy’s claws.

“So young,” he hissed. “So weak. Small wonder you were left behind, to guard the other hatchlings. A desperate final sacrifice, a vain hope of their survival.”

For a moment, Sunrise’s eyes narrowed, her eyes and horn glowing with identical rage. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the magical light vanished, Sunrise giving the smallest shake of her head, whispering an almost inaudible, “No.”

“Yes,” came the insectoid’s triumphant reply. He circled Sunrise slowly, milking the moment. Sunrise circled as well, trying to keep some control of the fight, trying to focus, to think, even as she desperately dodged yet another expert attack.

She had options. There were always options. She knew moves, though they were for a different body in a different world. But more than that, she knew spells! Why couldn’t she think of any?

The Changeling gave a sideways slash, ripping through Sunrise’s chest plate, scoring into the flesh below. Her left shoulder still hurt where she’d been slashed as well, blood running down beneath her armor, making her hoof just a little slick against the stone. She felt cold, and wondered for an instant whether it was from physical shock or just fear.

Then, crazily, a memory of Luna. Of she and Luna lying together beneath the covers between the nighttime and the dawn, laughing as they exchanged tales of their childhoods.

Foalhoods, she thought crazily, as she botched an attempt to parry and came away with a bleeding right arm.

For just an instant, her enemy looked grim. As if the whole matter was some unpleasant chore. Then, his eyes narrowed again, his mouth contorting into an unwholesome grin.

“There is no fool like a sacrificial fool,” the Changeling gloated. “And none like you, above all. You can hear how the battle behind us is all but spent, my forces slaying your friend and your turncoat ally. And now, you will die. Alone. And a failure.”

Carefully, controlling her panic, Sunrise composed the spell in her mind. It was simple enough. But despite her efforts to conceal her energies, her horn began to glow, betraying her intent. Seeing this, the Changeling’s expression became completely focused.

“The princesses send their regards,” he said. And then he lunged for the kill, even as Sunrise’s spell burst outwards from her horn.

“Sunrise!” Thorax shouted as he ran to her. “Sunrise, what happened, are you--?”

“Yeah,” Sunrise managed from where she lay. “I’m fine. Great. Peachy. Help me up, will ya?”

While Thorax helped her back to her hooves, Jack inspected the iridescent sphere that floated near the ceiling. It slowly drifted in its upwards ascent, the rage-filled screams and ineffectual strikes of its prisoner barely audible through its sound-muffling power.

“’Tis an impressive construct,” Jack nodded to himself.

Sunrise managed a smile despite her pain. “Glad you like my bubble,” she said.

“It might be that mother herself could make one of greater strength,” Jack agreed, “though if so, not by much. But why didst wait so long?”

“I… I don’t know,” Sunrise admitted, tears starting to fall. “Everything happened so fast, I couldn’t think, I…”

“Shhh,” Thorax said gently, supporting most of her weight so she could walk. “It’s alright.”

“No, no it’s not,” Sunrise insisted, shaking her head. “I nearly let everypony down, they could’ve gotten past me, they could’ve—”

“You could have died,” Jack pointed out. “Such guilt is sorely misplaced.”

“Wait,” Thorax said. “Sunrise… was this… I mean, you have been in a fight before, right?”

“Of course I have!” she said almost angrily. “I mean, nothing like this, of course. Nothing involving spells, or magical creatures, or having fucking hooves, or… or…”

Her voice trailed off as she realized her friends were staring at her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” the changeling said, helping her back to the first barrier she’d created. “Sunrise, no training truly prepares you for fighting for your life. Even in the Hive that’s understood. And against Pedipalp! I can only imagine…”

“Indeed,” Jack agreed. “The fault lies not with you. Long has it been since I was young, so long I had almost forgotten. Yet, that is no excuse.”

“Yeah,” Thorax agreed. “We’d never have let you fight alone if we’d realized.”

“Aye,” Jack agreed, taking his mist form and nuzzling her gently. “Please, forgive us.”

“No, guys, we’re cool,” Sunrise insisted. Then, smiling through her tears, she added, “Let’s not make it weird, okay?”

That elicited a chuckle from both her friends as she lowered the shield wall, allowing them access back towards where the younger ponies waited. And, perhaps more importantly, to where Doctor Stable and his assistants waited.

Wait! Hospital ponies!

Within Sunrise’s mind, it was as if several puzzle pieces suddenly snapped together with an audible click.

“The other Changelings!” she said. “They’re okay, right?”

“They will live,” Jack said, looking at the corridor ahead.

Sunrise eyed him suspiciously. “Uh-huh.”

By then, they were past the threshold, and with a moment’s concentration Sunrise erected two new barriers. One, of course, covered the portal where they’d just passed; the other prevented passage back to the upper mines.

Sunrise gave an inward sigh. Funny how that had been so hard just a minute ago. Then, she locked off the pain from her wounds as best she could, and sent her thoughts outwards.

Hey, honey? Can you hear me?

**I can, my lo—Sunny, thou’rt hurt!**

No, I’m fine—

**Thou art NOT fine! Seek not to deceive me, Sunrise Shimmer!**

Okay, okay, I’m sorry, alright?? I’m a little fucked up, but I’ll be fine. Honest. Okay? And then, with what little anger she had dissolving instantly, she added, Honey, please don’t yell, I’m really not sure I can take that right now.

**Of course, forgive me! I should be there with thee, not snarling at thee over an errant thought...**

NO, Sunrise thought firmly. No, you’ve got other duties. I knew that was part of the package when I got with you, and I’m good with that. I’m with Jack and Thorax, I’m fine—well, I’m covered, she corrected as quickly as she could. You just stay there. And anyway, that’s not why I called.

Despite everything, Luna’s mind speech became more amused at her lover’s turn of phrase. **Very well. Do tell me why you… ‘called.’”

Right. So, the Changelings all survived, but I get the impression some of them are seriously fucked up. I’ve got them contained, but they’re gonna need medical attention as soon as we can get it to them. At the same time, they’re not exactly friends.

**Of course,** Luna assured her. **Most of them will need to wait, for I must bring the injured from Galloping Gorge to Doctor Stable’s makeshift hospital. But as soon as possible, thy charges and our injured will be teleported out from the caverns, and the Changelings attended to to in their stead.**

But under guard, of course.

**Of course. Palace guardsponies are on their way even now.**

Yeah, that was obvious. Sorry, hon. Thoughtspeak is hard.

There was a kind of telepathic wink, followed by, **Please tell me when thou art in Doctor Stable’s capable hooves, Sunny.**

Will do. I love you.

**And I, thee.**

Then the connection was broken, and Sunrise was in the lower cavern, beset by a veritable tidal wave of younger ponies. It was a gaggle, a tumult, a commotion of excited foals without rhyme or reason, positively tumbling over each other in their excitement. And above all, all of them were alive, unharmed, and clamoring to know if she was alright, how she got hurt, what happened, and how could they help.

It was without a doubt the most beautiful sound that Sunrise had ever heard.

Chapter Seventeen: My Heart is Shadow. (The Last)

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From far to the south, there was a deep rumbling sound, more felt than heard.

Twilight frowned. “Was that the southern border? Shouldn’t we go help?”

Luna shook her head from where she stood on her balcony, gazing westward. “Nay. That crumbling sound you just heard was the Hive’s status as a power in this world. Most of your fifth column were found before they were even in position, as you know. Including the assassins in the Crystal Empire, which perhaps you did not. The assassins you sent to the caverns below were also just dealt with. And your long-term sleepers all joined our kingdom of their own will, one by one, some time ago.

“The Changeling units to the Northwest, though they fought well, have been routed and have given up the war. But well before that, the Hive was taken and held by Celestia and Cadence.”

While Twilight’s confused look deepened, Luna continued, “Celestia, along with Twilight, is leading the ritual her student-daughter devised after your first attempted invasion. A ritual that, maintained by a circle of almost every unicorn in Equestria, forces any Changeling into their true form, most anywhere in the world. And now, your children storming across the southern rock lands have been lost.

“There is no fifth column remaining. Nor a first, a second, nor any other. You have no hostages, no home. And now, no army.”

Still facing outward, Luna continued, “So much destruction. So much needless pain. And yet, even now, it is not too late. Even now, I am obligated to point out that you can step away… and bring this tragedy to an end.”

Twilight frowned, her confusion now mixing with concern. “What? Luna, what are you…?”

The Princess of Night turned to face her, blue eyes calm and serene.

“We never met before this travesty, you and I,” she said, “so your not knowing me is understandable. Your ability to resist Twilight’s Trueform spell is both impressive and unexpected. Your resistance to her greater ritual, unheard of.

“But no amount of study could have prepared you for the ruse you chose to attempt. You would never have had enough time in Twilight’s castle to research all of us properly. Besides, there are few who dare to speak openly of what I truly am, even in this more enlightened time.”

Twilight’s frown of concern deepened as she took a step forward. “What? What are you talking about? Luna, you’re my friend.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed, a cold smile beginning to form.

“I am Twilight Sparkle’s friend, not yours. And though you know me not, I know you well, indeed. Your powers of impersonation are impressive, far greater than any of your brood. But I am dream, even as I am nightmare. And when I look upon others, barring courtesy, it is their dreams that I see.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, darting around the room with professional, clinical haste.

“There is no victory to be had this day,” Luna said in that same calm voice, stepping forward. “Not by you. I know your heart, Chrysalis, as I knew that of the creature you rose from, so long ago. I have always known. Thus, we have all always known.

“We allowed your charade to continue for the sake of your prisoners, to determine whether they yet lived, and how best to see to their rescue. To minimize your changing your plans away from what we knew. And to keep you here, making it easier to deal with your children.”

“You are all fools, then!” Chrysalis hissed, abandoning her pony form in a burst of green fire. “Twilight Sparkle hangs a prisoner in my Hive, along with the others, and I can have them executed with a thought! Surrender now, and I still might spare their lives!”

But the Night Queen shook her head.

“I am not my sister. That was not an offer of terms. Twilight has already been recovered along with all your other captives, as I said. Else never would I have spoken so freely.”

“Impossible!” Chrysalis cried, circling the alicorn as she spoke. “My throne is a thing from the Age of Chaos, carved by the Crimson Queen from a fallen star when the world was still young and lasting order was but a dream! No magic but mine and that of my children can function in its aura. You fools have fallen into my greatest trap!”

“Mmm. Yes, your great meteoric stone. The source of the blank spot on Twilight’s cutie mark map,” Luna nodded. “The very magic that hid you from us at first, then led us to you when we knew what we were looking for. A surprising revelation, when first we learned of it, but one that made sense.

“Still, 'impossible' only means 'not yet done.' And if you underestimated Twilight Sparkle, you have no one to blame but yourself.”

“Your friends are mine,” Chrysalis snarled, still circling. “I wanted you fools to find the Hive, when the time was right! And the most powerful of my children still remain there by the hundreds.”

“And they fought bravely, for what that is worth,” Luna acknowledged. “First, Cadence overpowered the changeling units you’d left at your Hive. Then, she and Tia went in and physically rescued the few captives you had.”

“Lies!”

“No. It should have been obvious to you if you hadn’t overthought the matter. Or even if you had rethought your plan, when your first attempts at substitution failed. But regardless, it remains: Cadence is the Princess of Love. When not taken by surprise, force-feeding your children into overload and unconsciousness was a simple matter for her, if tiring. You should have expected that.

“And we alicorns are physically quite strong, as you know, and quite resistant to harm. Tia most of all. Robbing her of her sorcery mattered little in what ultimately became a physical skirmish. The few Changelings who remained after Cadence’s assault resisted, but they fell just the same.

“Your forces to the North have since been routed by a nobility of spirit beyond your understanding,” she continued. “Those to the South, by a power beneath your notice. And those below, by a friendship you’d deemed impossible.

“And now,” she said, her voice becoming one of frost, “you… are the last.”

Chrysalis hissed again, more savagely. She re-took Twilight’s shape, borrowed wings lifting her into the air where her still-ruined ones could not.

“My Crystalfoal, Cadence, is a noble mare with a pure and loving heart,” Luna went on, almost sadly. “Twilight is forgiving beyond measure. And Celestia is kind, just, and good.

“Yet, I am only Luna.”

Chrysalis glanced frantically around herself as the shadows deepened, plunging the room into darkness. Before her, drinking it all in, was the so-called Princess of Night. The alicorn’s eyes narrowed dangerously as her voice echoed quietly throughout the dark, from all places and none, her body drifting slowly into mist to become one with the strengthening gloom.

In the past, sifting through tattered memories not quite her own, Chrysalis had wondered how Equestria's second-best monarch had ever managed to defeat a foe such as the Knight of Mirrors. Now, terrified, she began to suspect she knew.

**Against my own desires have I given my word that I would spare you if you surrendered,** the intangible presence said.

It echoed from all around her as Chrysalis frantically looked this way, then that, its words more felt than heard.

**You, who have threatened my family. You, who have invaded my home. You, who have attacked those mares who hold my heart. I swore your safety to one whom I treasure, so long as you would yield. And that is a vow I will never break.

**So, please. I beg of thee…**

Cold, blue eyes, all that remained of the dark alicorn, faded into the all-encompassing black, their pupils narrowing into slits as they did, her mind speech lowering into a reptilian hiss:

**…RESISSST MEEE!**

The outer wall gave way like a child’s tower of blocks as Chrysalis burst them asunder in her panic, fleeing through the air, into the sky, away from the monster of dream and darkness that hungered for her soul.

Within the palace, Luna watched her go, gathering her form and her calm once more.

**Cadence, she is headed your way,** she sent. **She yet wears Twilight’s form. I must now attend to the injured, as you know. So please, be ready.**

Chapter Eighteen: Nothing Ever Ends.

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“Aunt Tia, she’s coming. It’s time to cut me out of the circle.”

Celestia frowned slightly, but only for a moment. They had, after all, known that this time would likely come.

Still, removing Cadence would make maintaining the balance of such immense power even more difficult. The plan called for Celestia and Twilight to power down down the rite completely, as soon as she was clear. It would just be safer for all concerned. But that also meant a time period of greater risk to Celestia's subjects. And for all that this was the best of their available options, Celestia had never been fully comfortable with the idea.

Still: comfort or no, it needed to be done.

Dividing her attention momentarily, the Princess of Day began easing Cadence out of the connection that all the ponies there shared. Slowly, carefully, Cadence began walking clockwise and outward through each ring, weaving her way delicately around and between the unicorns in each one. The swirling energies of each matrix gave way and closed around her in layers like some fantastic liquid, reluctant to let her go.

Spike looked up at her as she emerged from the outer circle, concerned.

“Are you sure I can’t help?” he asked.

Cadence looked towards the northern sky. “Positive,” she said.

“I don’t like it.”

She gave him a fond look.

“Oh, Spike,” she said. “My brave, dear friend. I know you don’t. And I do appreciate the offer. But the others still need you more. Even Aunt Celestia is vulnerable, so long as the ritual is running.”

Spike frowned but did not argue the point. Instead, he simply sighed, “She’s dangerous. There has to be another way.”

“I know she is,” Cadence said, looking back to the sky. “Remember, I was there, when all this started. But that’s also why I have to face her myself. I need to see this through, whatever happens next.”

Then, sadly, she looked down, adding, “Otherwise, it will never end.”

Chrysalis soared on stolen wings through the hateful autumn winds. Above the clouds, above her foes.

She had lost again. Her home, her throne, even her children.

But she had known that she would, she reminded herself. She was always going to lose them. Whatever she could gain, be it power, home, or family, would always be taken from her. Anything. Always.

But this time, it had been different. This time, she had been in control. She had made the choices, in the only way they could be made. The only way they could matter.

Rather than having what she'd loved taken from her, she had fed them to her enemies. Crammed them down their throats, choked them. Sacrifices to her bloody revenge.

Years. Years in the making.

Gone. Gone. All of it, gone.

Sacrifices. Sacrifices. SACRIFICES.

But not needlessly. No. Not for nothing.

Because she was there. The beginning and end of Chrysalis’ suffering. The one who had lured the Crimson Queen with her siren song of innocence and lies, and had led her to her shipwreck.

And the plan was still in operation. The plan had still worked, in its essence, despite everything. For Chrysalis could see that her other great enemies were there as well. A ready, captive audience to watch and wail as Chrysalis broke, tortured and killed her most detested adversary, she who had both slain and midwifed her into a hateful and hated world.

Violet eyes blazing, hissing through Twilight’s teeth, Chrysalis dove at full speed at the so-called Princess of Love.

Even watching the darkening sky, Cadence scarcely had time to see Chrysalis burst through the clouds before she was upon her, her speed rivaling that of Cloudsdale's fastest fliers.

She struck her alicorn foe like a meteor, blazing in emerald fire as her proximity to the ongoing ritual tore away her disguise at last. Cadence’s hastily conjured shield shattered before her like a stained glass window before a hurricane, the princess’ scream of pain barely audible over the thunderclap of their collision as one of her wings was caught beneath both of them, bones snapping in quick succession.

They tumbled together, Chrysalis punching, clawing, even biting as she snarled in fury. Cadence tried to defend herself, but her foe was too fast, too relentless, too filled with hate. And then, a second scream, as Chrysalis seized the alicorn’s horn in her fangs and savagely bit down, shattering it.

The area erupted in sapphire light as Cadence’s power surged out from the truncated stump of her horn, foaming, writhing, unfocused and wild. A tendril of the outpouring magic lashed out towards the unicorns of the outer ring, and suddenly Spike was there, blocking its power in mid-leap. A cry of pain erupted from him as Cadence’s power momentarily coiled around and through him, suspending him in its aura. Then it was over, and he fell to the ground, unmoving.

Terrified, half-crazed with pain, Cadence kicked both of her hind legs into Chrysalis’ abdomen with all her strength. She heard the insectoid’s carapace give way with a crack! beneath her hooves and Chrysalis arced through the air, bounced, and then skidded, her hooves digging desperate furrows into the dirt and gravel as she slid, finally vanishing over the cliff’s edge.

Cadence forced herself to her hooves. A glance told her that the unicorns were still safe, the pattern of their combined light shifting as the ritual's dismantlement entered its final phase. And Spike looked alright, already trying to pull himself up from where he had fallen.

She gave a gasp of pain. Her wing hung painfully to her side, useless, and her horn continued to erupt small, helpless blue surges of energy as she staggered, fell, and rose again. Finally, her eyes narrowing in determination against the pain, Cadence forced herself forward as quickly as she could to where her self-avowed enemy had fallen, her uncertain stagger turning into an uneven run.

Chrysalis clung desperately to the jagged cliffside. Her breath came in uneven, rattling gasps, one eye closed, her face scored from Cadence’s uncontrolled power. She glanced fearfully downward to the rocks far below. Her rear hooves clawed frantically at the cliffside, trying to gain some purchase as the shriveled nubs of her wings buzzed uselessly on her back, the stone crumbling into shale beneath her.

A familiar, hated voice called from above her, “Quickly, cancel the spell! Her wings are burned!”

And then the same voice, in a more pleading tone, “Chrysalis!”

Her expression hardening, the dethroned queen looked up at the alicorn above her.

Cadence was kneeling at the cliff’s edge, wincing from pain, extending a hoof towards her.

“Take my hoof!”

“Why?” Chrysalis spat. “So you can throw me down yourself?”

“Cancel the spell!” Cadence cried. “She’ll fall!”

And then, back to the Changeling Queen, “No! I want to help you!”

“Liar!”

“I’m not!” Cadence cried desperately. “You were born from Mira’s body, and I was raised by her! Don’t you see? We could have been sisters! We still can! I want to be there for you, but I can’t if you don’t survive!”

The insectoid hesitated, staring at her in sheer disbelief.

“Cancel the spell!” Cadence cried again.

“The unicorns are shutting it down now,” Spike called, suddenly running to them. “They can’t just turn it off, the backlash could kill them!”

“I know, but they’ve got to hurry!”

“They’re going as fast as they can! Just try to hang on!”

“Please,” Cadence said, turning back to the Changeling below her. “Chrysalis, please, take my hoof. Let me help you!”

More of the cliffside crumbled as Chrysalis scrambled with her rear hooves. She glanced down with wide eyes, then up again at the alicorn above her.

“Please!” Cadence cried again.

Chrysalis swallowed, then reached up. Smiling in relief, Cadence extended her arm further, only to jerk it back instinctively when Chrysalis slashed at it with her jagged hoof, shrieking,

“DIE!”

But with that sudden, violent motion, the stones supporting the changeling’s weight finally gave way. Chrysalis fell in a rain of grey fragments, screaming. Whether from fear or hatred, no one could be sure.

Then, silence.

Cadence turned away from the cliffside, shuddering, her eyes squeezed shut. For a long time, nopony spoke, even as the light from the ritual finally ceased. Eventually, Cadence realized that Spike's arms were around her, and she managed to hug him back, even as other ponies – Celestia, Twilight, and others – joined in.

When? Her heart whispered, then as it had years before. When will the killing stop? When will the madness end?

But despite her heartache, she knew the answer to that. As much as it ever would, it had ended today.

Epilogue One: Twilight Before the Sun and Moon.

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The war was over.

The ponies had fought, and they had fought well. And the Oathbound, though slowly at first, were on their way to being accepted into the nation that they treasured so much.

But for that victory, blood had been shed. Lives had been lost. Equestrians who had lost loved ones wept and mourned across Equestria, even as those who had killed stared at their hooves again and again, knowing that they had taken something that they could never give back.

No one had remained untouched by what had happened. And with innocence lost, it seemed as though the world would never be anything again but a dark and savage place.

Twilight sighed, looking out at the stars from one of the intact balconies of her castle. The tree was healing itself, of course… if ‘tree’ was even the right word. The Castle of Friendship was a living, magical testament to one of the most vital bonds between speaking folk. And helping it heal would be easy. It was a crystalline construct, after all, formed from living magic. All she needed to do was share some of her own magic with it, encourage it to do what it was doing anyway…

But she hadn’t.

It wasn’t that it was pointless, exactly. She just… her heart… just... wasn’t in it.

Or in anything, really.

After all, much of the war had been her fault.

Intellectually, she knew that wasn’t logical. She'd had nothing to do with Chrysalis’ plans, outside of being a target. And she’d helped fight the mad monarch as soon as she’d been able.

But in her heart, the accusations remained.

Why didn’t I realize something was wrong sooner? How could I – especially I – not realize that a stranger was impersonating Spike? How could I fail everyone so badly?

The foals could have died. At the thought, her heart ached.

Sunrise nearly did. Now her heart stabbed, tore, as if trying to somehow tear itself loose from its moorings and flee from her entirely.

All my fault, she thought involuntarily, again and again. All my fault. All my fault.

She still wore the formal attire she’d put on for the sleepover, she realized. Her initial intent had been to emphasize to the schoolfoals that a pony was still a pony, regardless of their raiment. She hadn’t thought about it when she was being rescued, or during the magical preparations that had followed. And after that, well…

After that, her heart had started its whispers. And that had drowned out everything else.

All the lights were on. But somehow, it still seemed dark. The stars seemed diminished, the moon less bright. Only when she thought of Luna somewhere, guiding it into position, singing the stars into wakefulness, did she feel a little better.

Then she thought of Luna with Sunrise. And just for a moment, the whispers seemed to quiet a little.

She thought of Celestia, her former teacher and second mom-turned-friend. She thought of Applejack’s smile, Pinkie’s laugh. She thought of Rainbow’s grin, Rarity’s fond wink, and Fluttershy’s gentle nature. And she thought again of Luna and Sunrise, imagined them snuggled together somewhere, and despite everything Twilight Sparkle smiled.

She looked out across Ponyville, then towards Canterlot.

I can’t be the only one struggling, she thought.

There was an expression she’d learned on Gaea: These are my people. Modern Ponish technically still had the word ‘people,’ but it held slightly different connotations than in English, and was rarely used in modern day. And having experienced both worlds, Twilight felt that was a loss. Because the speaking folk of Equestria, regardless of their origins, were not all her subjects. Or even necessarily her friends.

But they were most certainly her people. And right then, they needed her.

Somehow, that thought gave her motivation when nothing else had.

But first, she knew she would have to help herself.

Twilight closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, held it, let it go. She spread her wings, considered the moon for a moment more, and then flew into the air, kicking off the golden shoes of her station as she did.

Of every adult pegasus Twilight had spoken to, only Rainbow Dash had never taken for granted the power of flight. She would likely always feel exhilaration and wonder whenever she headed into the sky, or walked on the insubstantial fluff that was somehow solid beneath her hooves, and yet not. It was the privilege of the pegasus tribe, shared with Twilight just a short time ago.

Higher, higher she soared. And then, when the air started to become truly crisp and thin, Twilight closed her eyes, folded her wings in with a smile, and let herself fall.

Paradoxically, as she plummeted towards the ground, she felt more in control than she had in a long time. It was a strangely comforting feeling. Whatever happened next, when and how it happened, it would be her choice and hers alone. She could even choose to do nothing, allowing the end to come, the final mystery revealed before her at last.

Still smiling, eyes still closed, she brushed away that last thought as dismissively as a master musician waving away a heckling child.

The wind was rushing through her mane and tail faster and faster as she continued to gain speed, the nearness of the clouds brushing against her as she fell with a sensation that no solid or gas should have been able to produce. She thought again of her fellow princesses, Sunrise, and her fellow elements. Of Spike, Cadence, and Shining Armor.

It was as if she could feel the ground approaching as she continued her reckless plunge, eyes still closed. For a dizzying moment, she was no longer able to tell whether she was facing up or down. Then, she whispered into the nighttime sky the thought that had made even the wonder of flight pale in comparison…

“I have friends.”

…and Twilight Sparkle spread her wings. Her wing muscles, though amplified in strength by her time as an alicorn, strained against the momentum she had built in her plunge. She knew she should have felt fear, or anxiety. But nothing could overmatch the exhilaration of her own strength pulling her out of her dive. She grinned as the grass tickled her stomach, and Twilight ascended once more into the star-filled sky, eyes wide open and filled with joy.

She spiraled upwards in a lazy, gradual arc, finally coming to rest on one of the larger, fluffier clouds. For a few seconds, she just trotted there happily, enjoying not only the sensation, but even the idea that she was literally walking on clouds. Then, as she came over a rise, she saw the storm front that still hovered over Equestrian borders.

It was scheduled, of course. She had seen and studied the calculations and maps that the elders in Cloudsdale used, and almost nothing happened meteorologically without pegasus approval. It was a meticulous business, even the smallest variable having potentially huge consequences. So much so, in fact, that the pegasi had coined the term ‘Butterfly Effect’ generations ago to describe it.

But Twilight also happened to know that the original plans for that night had called for relatively clear skies.

And anyway, she wasn’t in the mood for dark clouds.

A single kick was enough to put the first anvil cloud back into a calmer form. Grinning, she pranced this way and that, first reducing the angry black clouds to a calmer grey, and then smiting them into a nice, fluffy white.

Looking back at her work, she had to admit that the Cloudsdale ponies would probably be annoyed. Then again, she reminded herself, no harm had been done. Weather ponies would have calculated for both cloud formations. If anypony asked, she thought with a chuckle, she’d just say she’d used her Princess Prerogative.

You shall tremble before me, she thought happily as she cantered among the cottony stuff. Princess Twilight Sparkle, cloud conqueror!

Then she saw them. Princess Celestia. And Princess Luna.

Staring. At her.

At first, she thought crazily, Oh, no, are they mad about the clouds?

But then her heart skipped a beat, and began to whisper again: How dare you be happy, after what you’ve done, after everything you’ve caused, they know you’re to blame…

Twilight winced as though scalded. She shouldn’t be here, she realized—

And then, with almost identical looks of fond irritation, both sisters poked her gently and said in unison

“Tag, you’re it!”

and dashed away into the clouds.

It was a giggle. A laugh. A kerfluffle of loop-de-loops and barrel rolls and pounces around, on, and through the banks and fogs that surrounded them. They played tag, they raced, they played hide-and-seek. And as they did, Twilight felt her apprehensions slowly melt away.

At length, Celestia gave her a wink and the two of them pounced on Luna, tackling her to the surface of a large fluffy cloud, tickling her with their wings.

“Get her!” Celestia cried happily. “Get her get her get her get her get her!”

“Ack!” Luna cried. “No fair!”

“Muahahahahahaha!” Twilight cackled happily.

“Revenge!” Celestia called triumphantly to the stars, still tickling. “Sweet revenge is mine!”

“No!” Luna laughed helplessly. “Mercy! For your ancestors’ sake, mercy!”

Eventually, mercy was granted (or at least an armistice was achieved), and the three reclined on a cloud bank to catch their breaths.

“Okay, so, I must confess I’m curious,” Twilight ventured at last. “What was that vengeance for, exactly?”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever played hide-and-seek against a teleporter?”

Twilight considered this.

“Do not let her fool you,” Luna said with dignity. “Tia is merely jealous of my superior skill in the ancient and honourable art of hiding and seeking.”

“Honorable?” Celestia chuckled. “Not when you play.”

“Ppppplplplplp!” came the raspberried reply, and the conversation dissolved into laughter again. And the laughter, in turn, back into companionable silence.

“Feeling better?” Celestia asked.

Both Luna and Twilight started to answer, and then looked at one another.

“To which of us do you speak?” Luna asked.

Celestia shrugged. “Both, really.”

“Then I am,” Luna replied.

“So am I,” Twilight said, cocking her head in puzzlement. “But how…?”

Celestia sighed, looking to the mithril-colored moon above them.

“We were victorious against Chrysalis,” she said, “as we have been against so many enemies over the centuries. But it is possible to win the battle, even the war, and yet be so hurt by the fight itself that everything that was fought for seems…”

Her voice trailed off, and Luna silently rose, nuzzling her gently. Then Twilight was there as well, and there was a rustling of wings as the three of them embraced.

After a few moments, Twilight spoke.

“We can’t be the only ones,” she said.

The alicorns parted, exchanging looks.

“No, certainly not,” Celestia agreed.

“And Chrysalis was an amoravore, to make matters worse,” Luna pointed out. “Who knows how much love she subtly drained away from everypony during the war? Even self-love?”

“And hope,” Twilight pointed out.

“And hope,” Celestia agreed. “Her ancestry was rife with despair.”

“And the feeding on it,” Luna added.

There was a moment of quiet as the three of them considered the matter.

“Twilight, how close would you say we are to central Equestria?” Celestia asked.

“Pretty close,” came the immediate reply. “I’d say we’re about ten to twelve miles east of it, depending on wind variables. Why?”

“Because I have an idea,” Celestia said.

Celestia’s idea was a simple one. It wouldn’t be easy, of course. But it was simple enough.

The three of them flew to as close to the heart of their beloved country as they could estimate, far, far higher than Twilight had dared to fly alone. Then, gold, violet, and midnight blue energies pulsed and glowed as the three princesses prepared themselves, hooves clasped in a circle as they slowly rotated, their horns shining brighter and brighter with mystical power.

They struggled, grimacing under the strain. Focusing, building their power. Finally, moving together as one, their horns touched, each amplifying the other two as they focused upon their task.

For it had not been merely the act of play that had helped lighten their hearts, though certainly that had been part of it. It had been their love for one another, as friends and family. The intimacy, trust, and comfort that they shared.

And now, reaching through those bonds, they reached outward to all of Equestria. Even as they reached inward to create something new.

Anyone watching the nighttime sky would have seen a new star being born that night. Of course, there was no one to see. At least, not at first. Warriors, healers, survivors… most all of them were abed regardless of their normal pursuits, exhausted in body and mind.

Sunrise frowned in her sleep, her dreams filled with her failures during the war and throughout her life, real and imagined.

Fluttershy slept fitfully in a pile of furred and feathered companions, comforting and being comforted by them. Rainbow Dash slept in a nearby room, not having had the will, somehow, to make the flight to Cloudsdale.

Rarity tossed and turned fitfully while Sweetie Belle looked on, uncertain if she should reach out. Uncertain if she deserved to.

But then, the star shone brighter. Errant whisps of power glowed and arced lazily around the three as they frowned in concentration, their wills bent not towards a work of strategy or design, but of heart.

The light they created grew, encompassing them completely.

Suddenly, both sisters remembered the strain Twilight had put herself through so recently. But Twilight sent a pulse of reassurance through the connection the spell had created between them. And so the spell continued, each of their frowns deepening with the strain of creation. Of reaching out to every heart within the bounds of their beloved country, projecting the love that they felt for each and every inhabitant there, even as their merging power began a new light between them all.

Around them, the light expanded. Solidified. And, guided by their hearts, it began to sing. Its melodies went unheard by every ear, yet felt with every living heart, amplified immeasurably by the efforts of the alicorns at its core:

We love you.

You are loved.

You deserve to be loved.

And you deserve to be happy.

And suddenly, the sleepers awakened as throughout Ponyville, Canterlot, and all of Equestria a brilliant, warm light flooded over all that lived.

They had all assembled at the Castle of Friendship as quickly as they could.

Rainbow Dash had arrived first, of course. Sunrise and Spike already had the doors open when the pegasus suddenly stopped and half turned, then zipped back the way she’d come. The other two had scarcely had time to share a puzzled look when she’d returned in a rainbow streak, Fluttershy in tow.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle were racing there and Pinkie Pie was right behind when Sunrise vanished in a burst of blue-green light, arriving moments later with Applejack, Big Mac and Apple Bloom.

Meanwhile, the light in the sky had continued to grow, even after its burst of multicolored light. After a few seconds more, it was plain to all that the blinding light above was growing, not larger, but closer.

The denizens of Ponyville had begun to gather at a respectful distance from the castle, staring in awe and wonder. Now, all assembled had to shield their eyes from the illumination that was coming to rest before them, even as the light dissolved away, the three princesses stepping out from its brilliance.

There was the barest of pauses, then the princesses and their friends rushed to embrace one another as the townsponies exploded into enthusiastic applause. Elements and royalty, family and friends, hugging fiercely beneath the brightening sky.

The Equestrians’ losses weighed no less, and their hurts remained unhealed. But they remembered now their own value and joy, and the support they had from each other. And they cheered the reunion of their princesses and their heroes, to whom they had given their loyalty not from mere duty or fear, but from sheer adoration.

And far above the autumn clouds, shining down upon them all, the newborn star continued its unheard song. Joining its voice to the celestial chorus of the night, as it would for millennia to come.

Epilogue Two: My Heart Is Complicated.

View Online

Several hours had passed.

After the impromptu addition to Equestria’s constellations, there had been a surprising lack of conversation among the princesses, elements, and family who had gathered at the Castle of Friendship. The applause had died down, there had been a few more hugs, and then everypony had simply gone their own way. It had been as if, somehow, nothing else had needed to be said.

Well, mostly.

Upon returning to Sunrise’s room, Luna and Sunrise had not even made it to the bed before falling into one another’s arms, celebrating their lives together in one of the most joyous ways possible.

Which should have been awkward due to Sunrise’s injuries, and, at first, kind of was. And a little painful, though she was determined that it was worth the pain. But as they finished together, Sunrise realized that the room was filled with a deep blue glow. And had been, point of fact, for some time.

And that the pain she had anticipated, for the most part... just... wasn’t there.

Sunrise hesitated, trying to measure within her own mind whether what she was feeling – or, more precisely, what she wasn’t feeling – was truly accurate. And then, finally, as she held her lover in her arms, Sunrise spoke into the fading blue light.

“Um, hon?” she asked softly, “did you just... heal me?”

To her surprise, Luna looked away.

“Forgive the intrusion, beloved,” the diarch said softly. “’Twas not planned. I just... the moment, you see...”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Sunrise assured her, holding her closer than before. “Heck, it’s better than fine! I’m just surprised, is all. I’d read that healing folks was, like, super difficult. And dangerous.”

“It is, normally,” Luna admitted. “But in the case of two ponies whose energies are so very familiar, and especially when they have... well... ah... exchanged, as ours have...”

“Oh, exchanged,” Sunrise grinned. “Yeah, our energies sure have been doin’ a whole lot of exchanging lately...”

Luna took a steadying breath, fortifying her dignity. Or at least, what dignity was allowed to her as the two of them continued to lie tangled together on the floor, the bedroom door still a good ten feet away.

“Yes,” the Lady of Night affirmed. “We have been—”

“Screwing like bunnies?” Sunrise supplied happily, propping herself up on one elbow.

“—celebrating the joining of our lives in an act that is both physical and magical,” Luna plowed on, determined. “And when the two are unicorns, and especially when they are both—”

“—Going at it like famished sailors—” the iconoclast interjected gleefully, bouncing a little.

“—when the two of them are both magicians, oh, honestly, Sunny!” Luna flopped onto her back, struggling not to laugh.

“Uh-huh.”

There was a moment’s observation. Then, Sunny asked in a voice of pure mischief, “Are you... blushing?”

Luna stared straight at the ceiling. “No.”

“Oho, you so are.”

“Certainly I am not!” said the Princess of Dream, in a tone that emphatically marked her as being above any such accusation.

“Oh, you totally are,” Sunrise said wickedly, moving over her. “It’s spreading, too.”

“Lies,” said the princess, her voice less steady.

“Right down the sides of your neck,” Sunrise said, kissing and nibbling the locations softly as she named them, “and right along your withers...”

“Horrible lies,” Luna sighed happily.

“Straight across your throat, and then down... my, it just goes everywhere, doesn’t it?”

“Mmm, scandalous lies,” Luna moaned.

All in all, it seemed amazing all the places that a princess could blush.

They didn’t make it to the bed this time, either.

Afterwards, the two of them shared a brief but luxurious shower, and crawled under a set of freshly cleaned sheets together.

Luna, of course, couldn’t sleep. Not only was the night her time, but the rite she and her fellow princesses had shared had been, while exhausting, also strangely invigorating. And Sunny had discovered that her brief sleep before the new star’s birth had acted as a reenergizing nap, even before being healed.

And so it was that, after a few affectionate kisses, the two of them spent some time just holding each other in pleasant silence.

Finally, Sunrise spoke again.

“So, that light in the sky a little while ago... did you actually make a new star?”

“With Twilight and Tia,” Luna affirmed, snuggling in closer.

“Huh.”

Sunrise took a few minutes to contemplate some of the implications of that. The possible size difference of Equus’ stars versus those of Gaia, their distance, their potential origins across the aeons. For a moment, she wondered whether Luna had created them all, or if some of them dated back to Discord’s reign.

But then she smiled, and happily sighed her questions away. This was now. The rest could wait. Especially since now, everypony she loved was well and truly safe again, and on the mend.

“So, that means that Twilight's okay too, right?” she asked into her lover’s mane. “I mean, if she was part of a spell like that...”

“She is,” Luna said contentedly.

“I’m glad,” Sunrise said.

“As am I.”

Several moments passed.

“You know, I don't think I could have held it together if she'd died instead of just being captured,” Sunrise said. “And even with that, keeping it together where Chrysalis was concerned was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I've never been so relieved as when you let me know Twi was finally safe.”

“Indeed,” Luna agreed. “The world would be a colder place without her smile.”

“Her smile, her laugh, the way her eyes light up when she discovers something new to learn,” Sunrise sighed.

“The way she loses herself into her books,” Luna sighed back. “Curled up contentedly as she reads.”

“And that look she gets, when she's just learned something exciting...”

“...and you know that she's going to tell you everything about it...”

“...and maybe you'll keep up, maybe you won't...”

“...yet never would you trade hearing her tell it all to you, not for all the world...”

“...yeah.”

“Yes.”

The two of them sighed happily in unison, then looked at each other and laughed.

Several seconds later, Luna said, in the most contemplative tone, “Do not misunderstand, I pray thee, but... does this moment now seem... a little... incomplete, perhaps?”

“You know, it kinda does,” Sunrise said, equally contemplative.

“Is Twilight's bed big enough for three, do you suppose?”

Sunrise considered this.

“Well, she's Twilight, so it would just be cuddling,” Sunrise pointed out.

“Of course,” Luna nodded.

“So, with that in mind... yeah, I think so,” Sunrise said, nodding as well. “A little cramped, maybe, but doable.”

Luna kissed her gently. Then, with a teasing smile, she said, “There are two mares in this world who hold my heart, my love. Does that trouble thee?”

“Nope,” Sunrise grinned, kissing her back. “I love her too. So, we're cool with this?”

“We are,” Luna smiled. “Unless, of course, Twilight has objections.”

“Only one way to find out.”

“Sooth.”

Neither one moved. After a time, Sunrise spoke.

“Boy, these blankets sure are comfy,” she said.

“They are.”

“Warm and snug.”

“Like nothing else,” Luna agreed.

“Nervous?” Sunrise asked.

“Petrified.”

“That probably means it's a good idea.”

“Most likely.”

Still, neither mare moved.

“Welp, no time like the present,” Sunrise announced suddenly.

“Wait! Sunny, what are you--?” Luna started. And then, in a burst of cyan light, they were gone.

Spike jacknifed awake, the feel of teleportation magic unmistakable. There was the sound of a blanket-wrapped body thumping against the floor, the sound of something else impacting against the bed near Twilight’s hooves, and what was clearly Princess Luna's voice, completely aghast:

“--doing?!?”

Twilight had, of course, fallen asleep reading. She was still growing into her potential power, and the kind of magic she'd been casting lately had taken its toll.

But now she was awake, whipping her head around in startled bewilderment, book falling to one side, even as the newly materialized mares struggled frantically against two warring sets of covers.

“Who? What? Where? When?” Twilight demanded, eyes still straining to focus. “Where are they? Spike, send a letter! Is Celestia—”

Luna, meanwhile, was on the bed's foot. Face buried in her hooves, mortified, the lower half of her body still mummified by Sunrise's bedding.

“Twilight, I swear, this was not my intent!”

“Wait, what?” Twilight managed, more confused than ever.

“I panicked!” Sunrise called out from the floor, one hoof upraised, voice muffled by the blankets covering her. “Sorry!”

“Never thou did not!” Luna accused.

“Burma!”

“Okay, stop,” Twilight commanded, holding her hooves before her. “One thing at a time! Is anypony in danger?”

“Nay,” Luna said quietly, looking down. “And please, forgive us this intrusion, especially in light of all that has recently transpired.”

“Yeah,” Sunrise winced as she worked herself free. “That's my fault. Sorry, Twilight. I wasn't thinking. Like, at all. And I'm really, really, really sorry.”

Then, to Luna, she added, “And that goes to you, too, hon. I'm really sorry. It was a stupid, brainless thing to do.”

Then, with a sigh, “We should probably just go.”

“Aye,” Luna nodded, working herself free. “T‘would likely be best.”

“Rrrrrrrrrrugh!”

All three mares started. Throughout their exchange, Spike had been giving them all a look of profound irritation from beneath his dragon brows. Now, with a growl of pure exasperation, he had grabbed up his bed and blanket. And, carrying them under one arm, he was headed towards the door.

“Oh, wait, Spike, oh crap...” Sunrise started.

“Nope,” Spike cut her off, spinning to face her as he did. “Nope, nope, nope! Also no, null, nada, zip, zilch, and any other no-words that I'm too tired to remember right now! There's not enough no-ness in the word 'no' to express how no I am about whatever you were just gonna say. You girls need privacy, and I'm giving you privacy. Period!

“Besides, I've been meaning to move to a different room for a while now,” he added, turning back to the door. “I just hadn't gotten around to it. So, you three just talk about whatever. I'll see you in the morning. Good night.”

“But--”

“Good night.”

And then, he was gone, the door closing behind him with a definitive click.

The three mares glanced at one another.

“Did... I just get called a girl?” Luna mused. “Because, as I think it, it has been a while.”

“Um, yeah,” Sunrise sighed. “But we were just on our way out, remember?”

“No, hold on,” Twilight said. “Spike is right. Something obviously brought you two here. And it was obviously important, however ill-advised teleporting into somepony's bed in the middle of the night might be. So... what is it?”

Silence.

Twilight looked from one mare to the other, her frown of confusion deepening by the second. Both of them seemed really nervous about something. So there was obviously something going on here. Something important.

But... what?

Then, Sunrise clambered onto the bed, sitting by Twilight's side.

“Twilight, did you ever read Sense and Sensibility, by Neigh Austin?”

Twilight stared at her, feeling even more lost.

“Of course,” she said. “It's a classic.”

“So, you remember that scene, where the good guy – not the colonel, the other guy – professes his love for Elenore?”

“Of course,” Twilight said again.

“Right,” Sunrise nodded, “He says, I come here with no expectations, only to profess, now that I am at liberty to do so, that my heart is and always will be... yours.”

“Yes?” Twilight asked, completely perplexed. “And? So? Are you guys finally engaged? Why telemmmmmm...”

Twilight stared as Sunrise kissed her. It was not a passionate kiss, not deep. But it was obviously heartfelt.

Twilight blinked, even as Luna glided onto the bed to her other side.

“But...” Twilight managed after a moment, “...but wait, you and Lunammmmm...”

Now Luna was kissing her, obviously with the same amount of genuineness.

Then, that kiss also ended.

Both mares sat back, watching Twilight, waiting.

Twilight blinked again.

“Oh,” she said finally.

Then, contemplatively, “Oh.”

Then, her eyes widened. “Oh.”

Then, with her mouth dropping open, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...”

After a moment, Luna spoke.

“So, thus our nervousness,” she said. “And thus our hesitation, and Sunny's confusion.”

“I prefer ‘brain-dead moment,’” Sunrise said, rising. “But yeah. So, um, yeah. We'll go ahead and go.”

“We should see ourselves out,” Luna agreed, also rising. “We were just cuddling, and talking, and, well...”

“...we missed you,” Sunrise finished with a sigh. “Which sounds really lame now that I'm saying it out loud. Not that we missed you, I mean, you're amazing.”

“Beyond words,” Luna added. “And we do love thee.”

“We do,” Sunrise agreed. “But, um, yeah. This was rude, and invasive, and I'm really sorry.”

“As am I,” Luna added. “Please, forgive the intrusion. It's just... some things mustn't go unsaid.”

“And we do love you.”

“And we did miss thee.”

“We did,” Sunrise agreed. “And, of course, no expectations.”

“Right,” Luna affirmed.

There was an awkward silence.

“Yeah. Well. See you in the morning,” Sunrise said.

As the two turned and stepped towards the door, there was a violet flash from behind them, and a single word.

“Wait?”

With almost identical apprehension, the mares turned back to Twilight. She was staring at her covers, biting her lower lip as she did. Her bed – and the bedding on it – was now noticeably larger than before.

“There was...” Twilight began, blushing furiously. She swallowed and tried again. “There was...”

Finally, bashfully raising her eyes to the other mares, she managed, “...talk of cuddles?”

There was the merest hesitation, and both of the other mares immediately climbed back into bed, adding their own covers to Twilight's.

“Oh,” Sunrise grinned, “There was so talk of cuddles.”

There were occasional half-wakings through the night, here and there. Not to mention a few good-natured noises of frustration as one mare or another tried to find a comfortable place to put an arm, leg, or wing, or shifted her head to keep someone’s breath out of her ear.

But it remained, then and the following day and night, and for many more thereafter:

Yes. This was right.

Coda: My Heart Is Healing.

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It was a week after the Inter-Kingdom-Let’s-Have-Peace-Everypony-Galloping-Gala-Celebration-Extravaganza-Yay (named and arranged by Pinkie Pie, of course) before Cadence was finally strong enough to travel.

Early winter had not yet come to Voe Valley, and the leaves were still changing from their customary shades of emerald into fiery red, yellow, and orange. The breeze wafting through the meadow was warm and the sunlight was cheery, broken up by the trees’ canopy along the clearing’s edge. It was the perfect weather for a picnic, or for visiting the graves of family.

Or, in this case, for both.

In the distance, Flurry Heart was happily giggling and chasing butterflies through the air, an occupation rarely possible in the frozen land of the Crystal Empire. Meanwhile, Cadence and Shining Armor walked together through the trees’ shade and the lush grass, enjoying the sanctity of the place, her new horn shining with a mithril hue in the sunlight.

The matter of Cadence’s horn had been a painful one for the entire Crystal Empire. Once the news was made public, the outpouring of support and love had been, even for her, overwhelming. And the Crystal Ponies’ determination that whatever could be done, should be done, was unanimous.

So it was that, despite her protests, Shining Armor had carefully removed a small sliver of the Crystal Heart itself. The empire’s finest surgeons had then implanted the fragment directly into the bone within the stump. Then, a prosthetic horn of purest mystical silver had been grafted on, encasing the fragment and sealing it into what remained of her horn. The prosthetic, in turn, had been carefully engraved and enchanted by the most knowledgeable healers available, in accordance to the research of both Sunburst and Twilight Sparkle.

In theory, over time, her own powers should combine with those of the Crystal Heart and allow her horn to re-grow, either absorbing or supplanting the prosthetic as it did. And the Heart itself had already regenerated what small material had been taken from it, proving at least part of the theory behind the transplant.

But there were no guarantees.

Originally, Canterlot had been going to host the celebration. But, Cadence had still been too weak to travel. So, at the insistence of her husband and her fellow princesses, the gala had been moved to the Crystal Empire.

She hadn’t been able to attend long. But it had been a wonderful occasion, just the same. She’d been able to tough it out long enough to see Sunrise Shimmer knighted, both by Celestia and by Shining Armor. And seeing the barely contained joy of ponykind’s newest defender, as well as the pride of her friends and family, had been a wonderful sight.

Of course, that much Cadence had been expecting. But she’d been surprised to learn that Equestria had been accepting changelings as citizens, apparently for some time. All of them, with only one exception, having taken mystical oaths as part of that acceptance. The fact that there even was an exception had left her even more surprised.

Well, perhaps ‘surprised’ hadn’t been quite the right word.

‘Shocked’ might be better.

But the pieces had fallen into place right after the knighting when that one exception, Thorax, was formally announced as the Equestrian ambassador to the Changeling nation.

Cadence had sent Aunt Celestia a suspicious look at the announcement. And Celestia, in turn, had given her an expression of absurd innocence. Because of course she had.

But despite her exhaustion and Shining Armor’s inevitable worry, Cadence had also been able to make a few rounds as a monarch afterwards, however briefly. And in the process, she’d checked in on a few hearts that she’d been concerned about.

The conversation between Fleur de Lis and Thorax had been stilted at first. But as the two old friends had carefully caught up, Cadence had found herself glad for both of them. While she had to acknowledge her own discomfort at the idea of changelings living among ponies, with their queen gone Cadence had determined that such left-over feelings were far more her problem than theirs.

Of far more concern had been Fleur and Fancy Pants... but while there was still a great deal of awkwardness and uncertainty between the married couple, there was still love there. The occasional glance or touch, the smile shared now and then.

Thinking back, Cadence smiled as well. They’d be alright.

And best of all, Cadence had gotten to see her suspicions confirmed about Sunrise, Twilight, and Aunt Luna. She’d had to retire right afterwards, and admittedly had been glad for Shining helping her up the stairs. But seeing the three of them together had been well worth the strain. And even now, the image of them warmed her heart. They made a splendid troika.

Warm sunshine dappled the green, flower-swept field as she and her husband continued their walk, tracking their daughter’s location through her laughter while they talked. And, as they did, Cadence eventually explained to her husband the true intentions behind Chrysalis’ ill-fated war.

“That was her plan?” Shining gaped when she was done. “But that’s…”

“Insane,” Cadence nodded sadly. “Yes. But only because Chrysalis was insane. Mad, broken from birth… an incomplete travesty of life never meant to survive.”

At length, they reached their destination. The gravestone was plain and small, easily lost amidst the lush plant life in the small copse by the meadow’s edge. Yet, to Cadence, that only seemed fitting. Especially after such a barren lifetime of pain.

Mira Pisaurina

Love Is Never A Mistake

But now, Mira no longer slept alone. The Princess of Love looked at the second of the two markers which she had placed there only that morning. Its fresh grave sheltered by the trees around them both, the stone identical to the first but for its engraving:

Chrysalis

Not All Wounds Can Be Healed

“To think that this, of all things, should be Mira’s legacy,” she sighed. “What a waste. What a sad, terrible waste.”

Shining Armor reached over and hugged his wife, prompting her to look into his eyes and the love they held.

“Chrysalis isn’t her legacy, sweetheart,” he said. “You are.”

She smiled, despite her heavy heart.

“I love you,” she said.

They both embraced.

“Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy,” Cadence said sadly into his mane. “In their own strange, twisted ways, both the creatures who lie here… they were both family to me. Mira, an adoptive mother, however abusive; Chrysalis, a younger sister, however injured. And I tried my best to reach out to each of them, even at the end, but…”

“…but they both rejected the hoof you extended,” her husband finished for her. “Mira out of despair, and Chrysalis out of hate. But that was their failing, not yours. You can’t save everyone.”

“Maybe,” Cadence sighed. “But it’s wrong not to try.”

She pulled away slightly, still embracing him, and looked again at their daughter, laughing and chasing butterflies.

“The only other option is to decide ahead of time that some souls are too traumatized, or just too evil, to ever be reached,” she said. “And you can't do that without also abandoning someone in need.”

They sat together in the grass she’d played in as a child, watching the butterflies flit among the flowers growing there, surrounded by birdsongs and rustling leaves. Listening to their filly’s mirth as she flew and tumbled throughout the meadow that had been Cadence’s only solace a lifetime before.

“When Flurry’s old enough, I want her to know about them both,” Cadence decided at last. “And I mean everything. Bluebottle, my Becoming, Chrysalis’ role in our wedding and this terrible war, how they lived and why they died… everything.”

Shining Armor frowned in confusion. “What? Why?”

“There are plenty of ponies back home who will tell Flurry about my mom,” Cadence explained. “They’ll remember her courage, her strength, her love… her compassion, as a pony and as a ruler.”

“But my real mother never taught me about anger, or terror, or the chain of abuse. Those things I learned from Mira. And afterwards, Chrysalis taught me about pain, and how it can lead to hate.

“Someday, I’ll step down from the Crystal Throne, and Flurry will ascend as the new Crystal Princess. But even if that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t want her to grow up hobbled by a sheltered morality.”

Shining nodded in understanding. “Things can seem simpler from the palace parapets,” he said.

“Exactly. It’s so tempting to just condemn our enemies as being evil, and then dismiss them. It’s easier. Granted, it’s also safer, both physically and emotionally. But it’s still a limited perspective, a blindness that can lead to injustice.”

She looked out past him then, past the meadow and towards the cliff face beyond. She couldn’t see the old cave from where they were, or the treacherous mountain path that led to it. But she remembered every stone.

“I’ve only had a few enemies in my life,” she sighed. “But every one of them, once their armor was peeled away, was another soul in torment. And all of them, if things had gone differently, could have been friends.”

“Even Sombra?” he asked gently.

She closed her eyes in pain as the memories assailed her, and Shining Armor put an arm around her while she struggled.

For as long as Shining Armor had known her, Cadence had insisted that any set of values, in order to be true values at all, needed to be tested in fire. Especially those of ponies who ruled, and most especially her own. It was one of the things that Shining loved about her. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be there for her while she examined her resolve in the flames.

“I… I don’t know,” she said at last. “If there was one creature I couldn’t forgive or love, it would be him. He murdered my mother; caused my exile; and plunged my people into years of slavery, terror, and pain.”

Then, she opened her eyes again, looking back at the twin gravestones.

“But, even then, nopony just decides to be evil,” she said. “I’ll never know what shaped him into the stallion he became, but whatever it was…”

She fell back into silence, lost in her own thoughts.

The two of them walked on, ultimately finding their errant daughter asleep in the tall grass. A tiny, curled-up figure of white and pink, covered in butterflies, waving their multi-colored wings gently in triumph.

The two exchanged another smile. Cadence good-naturedly shooed the polychromed conquerors away, laughing a little as they swarmed about her before scattering to the trees and blossoms. Then, Shining Armor reached out gently with his magic, enveloping the filly in a rose-colored glow, depositing her gently onto Cadence’s back.

Cadence turned to begin the long trek back to the balloon that had brought them, then sighed, looking down at her hooves.

“I don’t know,” she said again. “I don’t know if I could ever forgive Sombra. Not after everything he’s done.”

Turning to face her husband again, she added, “But if he ever were to return somehow, and there was even a chance he wanted forgiveness, and love… I think I’d owe it to the pony he might become to at least try.”

Shining Armor smiled. Walking up to her, he kissed her gently on the base of her injured horn, then looked into her eyes with pure adoration.

“That,” he said softly, “is your mother’s legacy. And Mira’s. And Chrysalis’.”

He lovingly smoothed her mane away from her eyes before adding,

“And yours.”

Around them, the breeze gently wafted, mingling the scents of flowers, soil, green grass and turning leaves. The promise not only of life, but of a new season, and the futures that might follow.

Somewhere, a songbird trilled.

They kissed, and Cadence returned his smile.

“Let’s go home.”

The Last Changeling War

by Coyote de La Mancha

Chapter One: Revelation.

Chapter Two: Tumblers in a Lock.

Chapter Three: My Heart is Flame.

Chapter Four: Patterns and Balefire.

Chapter Five: Nature Abhors.

Chapter Six: The War Council of Equestria.

Chapter Seven: The War Council of Equestria.

Chapter Eight: My Heart Is Twisted.

Chapter Nine: My Heart Is Ready. (The Rear Guard)

Chapter Ten: My Heart is Diamond. (The First Front)

Chapter Eleven: My Heart is Stone. (The First Front)

Chapter Twelve: My Heart is Drowning. (The Second Front)

Chapter Thirteen: Red Lightning. (The Second Front)

Chapter Fourteen: Crimson Rain. (The Second Front)

Chapter Fifteen: Simple Farmers, Nothing More. (The Third Front)

Chapter Sixteen: The Guardians. (The Rear Guard)

Chapter Seventeen: My Heart is Shadow. (The Last)

Chapter Eighteen: Nothing Ever Ends.

Epilogue One: Twilight Before the Sun and Moon.

Epilogue Two: My Heart Is Complicated.

Coda: My Heart Is Healing.