> Kung-Fu Equestria 2
>  by Lady Umbra
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A New Foe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long ago In Equestria,

The Crystal ponies ruled over the Crystal Empire.

They brought great joy and prosperity, for they had invented fireworks.

But Prince Sombra, the next in line to rule, saw darker power in the fireworks. What had brought color and joy could also bring darkness and destruction.

Sombra's troubled parents consulted a Soothsayer.

She fortold that if Sombra continued down this dark path he would be defeated by a warrior of day and night.

The young lord set out to change his fate. Reasoning that the combination of day and night was 'Twilight,' he sought out any pony of that name. And ensured they'd never get in his way again.

He returned to his parents full of pride.

But in their faces, he saw only horror

Sombra was banished from the city, but he swore revenge. One day he will return and all of Equestria will bow at his feet.





Chrysalis watched her changelings walk away from her story, whispering their awe of Sombra's cruelty and ruthlessness.

Though it aggravated her to work under the dark unicorn, she didn't dare try to fight him. She had no intention of following in the footsteps of the Twilight warrior. And she ensured that her children did not make the same mistake.

Besides that, there was work to do. In the volcanic mountain that they called home, the changelings worked, the story Chrysalis told them encouraging them to work harder. The pounding of iron hammers rang throughout the building, as metal was mixed with magma.

Returning to her own duties, Chrysalis watched as the molten mixture was lifted over a large metal pillar. Yanking the chain connected to the pillar, she watched the golden formula ooze into the pillar, shaping the metallic structure into the weapon her master desired.

But the metal they had used would not be enough to make more. Unsheathing her wings, the queen of the changelings buzzed up to the top most part of the mountain, bowing to the throne of shadows that lay at the top.

"It nears completion, King Sombra," she said. "But we're running out of metal."

Green eyes flashed in the shadows, outlined with wisps of purple.

"Search the farthest villages," he growled. "Find more metal." He gazed past her, to the land beyond. "Equestria will be mine."





Meanwhile, at the Celestial Palace, another hero's tales were being recounted. A hero that would soon rise up to challenge Sombra.

"And then," Apple Bloom narrated to her captive audience. "The Celestial Warrior joined up with the Furious Five!"

"And they became the most awesome Kung-Fu Team in the history of awesomeness!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Whoa!" their young audience cheered in glee.

Sweetie Belle turned as the sound of counting emanated from inside the Celestial Palace's Training Room.

"Ninety-one... Ninety-two..."

"Listen!" she called to the others. "You can hear the Celestial Warrior training right now!"

The children eagerly lined up at the door to listen. Little did they know, but this training involved none of the training equipment. Not even the practice dummy was being used.

"Ninety-three... ninety-four..."

"You got this, Twilight," Rainbow Dash encouraged.

"Ninety-five... ninety-six..."

"How is she doing that with her horn?" Pinkie exclaimed in glee.

"Ninety-seven..." Applejack counted, hopping up and placing the ninety-seventh book on Twilight's horn. Other books sat, equally balenced, on Twilight's horn, both of her hands and on one of her feet. The other foot was precariously balanced on her toes, keeping all of the books from falling. She grinned in determination as Applejack took another book and launched up, placing it on the biggest of the three piles.

"Ninety-eight!" Applejack declared with pride.

"Told you I could break my record," Twilight got out, leaning as she maintained balance.

"But can you make it to one-hundred?" Pinkie asked, whipping out two more books from her hair.

"There's no way," Rarity declared.

"You sure about that, Rarity?" Twilight asked, winking to Pinkie. Getting that she couldn't nod, Pinkie took a mighty leap, and planted the two remaining books onto the already massive pile on Twilight's hands.

Briefly, Twilight started to falter. Her eyes shut as she strained to hold up the books. The mares leaned forward in anticipation.

"Gr... hang on," Twilight muttered, concentrating and shifting on her toes. Luckily, her skills were well-honed, and she managed to regain her balance. "One-hundred!" she exclaimed in glee.

Pinkie cheered, while Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash restrained themselves to clapping.

"Nice job, Twi," Applejack said, patting her friend on the back. The pat, though well-intentioned, knocked Twilight right out of balence, and she shrieked as books went everywhere.

"No, the books!" Twilight yelped, managing to catch thirty of them, while the others managed to catch the others.

"Your training's really paying off," Rainbow Dash noted, setting down the adventure books she had snatched. "Last time, you only managed to catch twenty."

Twilight smiled sheepishly. Before she could respond, the sound of a bell echoed through the palace.

"Master Luna!" Twilight yelped, briefly moving to the exit before skidding back to her friends and the spilled books. Rarity quickly waylaid her.

"Go see what Master Luna wants," she said. "We'll clean this up."

"A-And you'll sort them by genre, right?" Twilight asked. "Science Fiction and Science are not the same genres." She grinned up. "Rainbow Dash..."

For her part, Rainbow Dash managed to grin despite the jab. "Just go see what the Master needs," she said. "You can yell at us about organization after."

Getting a quick bow in, Twilight shot away to see what the master needed.





The Master was located in a cave halfway up to where Twilight had trained with her. A small lake took up most of the space in the cave, save for a smooth stone isalnd situated before a staute of a dragon.

Luna sat on the smooth stone, her breath slow and even, and her eyes closed in tranquility.

"Inner peace," she whispered, as drops of water fell around her, the ripples making the water dance.

"Inner..."

"WHOA!" The yelp was followed by a splash that made the alicorn grin.

"...Peace," she whispered, as Twilight staggered up to the cave entrance, managing a respectful bow despite being soaked.

"Master Luna," she said breathlessly. "You summoned me?"

For a moment, Luna didn't speak, rising slowly to her feet. Twilight glanced up nervously.

"Um... what are you doing?" Twilight asked curiously.

"One of Master Celestia's final teachings," Luna whispered, her gaze turning to a drop of water about to fall from the stalagmite above.

Luna began a slow series of motions, almost like she was tracing invisible circles in the air. As the water droplet fell, Luna reached out... and caught it. Twilight gazed in amazement as Luna almost seemed to make the droplet hover, transferring it from hand to hand with the same sweeping motions. Eventually, her cycling ended when she sent the droplet to a plant near her feet. The drop slid down the two leaves on the plant, and joined the water with a single ripple.

Twilight's jaw was agape in awe.

"How... did...?" she whispered.

"Inner Peace," Luna replied back, grinning at Twilight's awestruck face. "It is the next phase of your training."

Twilight looked up at the dragon. In her moment of distraction, Luna spoke again. Only this time, she was behind Twilight.

"Every master," Luna explained. "Must find their path..."

Suddenly, she appeared on the other side of the cave, twirling her sister's repaired staff.

"To inner peace." Ignoring Twilight's dumfounded look, Luna gazed back at the stone dragon.

"Some choose to meditate for fifty years in a cave just like this..."

She flung the staff like a spear. It hit the water before Luna jumped atop it, balencing just as her sister did before her.

"Without the slightest touch of a book," Luna added, smiling at Twilight's nervous gulp.

"Or?" Twilight asked hopefully.

"Others find it though pain and suffering, Luna replied. "Like I did."

"Oh," Twilight mumbled, looking down.

"Indeed," Luna noted. "The day you were choosen over my son... was the worst day of my life."

"Yeah," Twilight admitted, shifting from foot to foot and trying to keep the frown off her face.

"By far," Luna added. "Nothing else came close."

"Okay," Twilight tried not to growl.

"It was the worst, most painful, mind destroying..."

"I get it," Twilight grumbled.

"...Horrible moment... I have ever experienced." Luna finished with a shudder.

Twilight bit back the 'are you done' retort she wanted to use, and straightened as the alicorn regained her composure.

"But once I discovered the problem was not you, but within me and my son," Luna said, lifting her head with a smile. "I found Inner Peace. And was able to harness the flow of the universe."

Twilight hummed, stroking her chin. "I see," she muttered, glancing up at the stalagmite. "Will that form help me discover inner peace? I mean... I already feel pretty peaceful. But Tai Lung and Urtica are off helping those outside of Ponyville's borders. Should I... track him down or...?"

Luna chuckled. "Tai Lung cannot help you as he helped me. As much as I'm sure he'd want to, considering what you did for him."

Twilight nodded. "But then... how...?"

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash's voice cut through the stillness.

Luna and Twilight turned as Rainbow Dash skidded to a stop before them.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"Changelings," Rainbow Dash said, pointing into the mist. "They're attacking the musician's village!"

Rainbow grinned. "I already told Pinkie to tell the musicians to start playing some action music, because it is on!"

Twilight nodded with a grin. "Right," she agreed before bowing to Master Luna. "Once I return, I'll get right on mastering Inner Peace," she promised.

Yet, as she spoke, Rainbow Dash grabbed her and jumped off the edge, her wings allowing her to carry Twilight across the sky.

"And I'm not stopping for books this time," Rainbow Dash added.

Twilight looked up at her nervously. "Not even for the latest Daring Do?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash paused, before cackling. "Almost got me! I know Daring Do hasn't made any new ones yet."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked coyly.

As Rainbow Dash groaned, her retort being lost to the wind, Luna smiled softly.

"You saved my son," Luna whispered, continuing her meditation. "I believe you're capable of anything, Twilight Sparkle."





In the village of musicians, a pony furiously rang the alarm. High above them, what initially looked like a dark cloud zoomed in on their location. As it drew closer, however, they made out the buzzing forms of Changelings. And the burning green eyes of their Queen.

"Gather all the metal you can find," Chrysalis declared with a maniacal grin. "And don't forget to have fun, my children."

Cackling, the changelings surged into the village, terrifying the villagers away as they seized bells, drums, sitars and anything else with metal in it.

A few ponies came with them; a stallion clinging to his bells like they were his most precious possessions, and a filly hiding inside a metal drum. They looked on in fear as the changelings lashed them and the metal together into a massive bundle.

"Is this everything?" Chrysalis asked, looking over the bundle with a grimace.

"It is, our Queen," Answered one of the queens drones. He glanced at the ponies still strapped to the bells. "What do we do with them?"

Chrysalis hummed as she took in their terrified features.

"Bring them with," she replied. "It's a long journey back to Lord Sombra." She bared her teeth at them in a smile. "We could use the snacks."

The ponies whimpered, before another changeling buzzed over with a terrified expression.

"My Queen!" he stammered. "My Queen!" He pointed to the setting sun, where six figures were rapidly closing in on them. Leaping out from the sun's rays, the ponies cheered in glee as the Celestial Warrior and the Furious Five descended into the village, assuming their combat stances as they glared down the changelings.

"it's Twilight Sparkle!" one of the ponies cheered.

"The Celestial Warrior!" another cried in happiness.

But Chrysalis stared at the first pony before looking to the lavender mare in horror.

"Twilight!?" the Queen stammered. "But... that cannot be!"

Twilight merely smirked, raising a fist shrouded in magic.

"Our fists hunger for justice!" Twilight declared.

Unfortunately Twilight had yet to have lunch or dinner that day. And at that very moment, her stomach growled loud enough for all to hear. Immeidately, Twilight's face burned red with embarassment.

"That was our fists!" Pinkie shouted, covering for Twilight.

Rolling her eyes, Chrysalis glanced at her children.

"Get them," she demanded.

The changelings nodded before lunging to obey. But the Furious Five and the Celestial Warrior rose to meet them, Twilight downing five changelings with sleep spells before they could even touch each other. 

One of the changelings tried to go for Twilight, but she dodged his strikes before sending him back into a metal gong.

The ringing gong was accompanied by a wave of cheers from the villagers.

Chrysalis stared in rapidly growing dread as her changelings fell to the warriors. Pinkie marched by, slamming a pair of cymbals into the heads of changelings like a Jolly Chimp mixed with a Whack-A-Mole.

Fluttershy didn't send a single offensive move towards her opponents. Yet, as each of them lunged, Fluttershy's ears swiveled, picking up the sound of their attacks. And she redirected them into each other, soon leaving a pile of smashed bugs without throwing a single punch or kick.

"I'm terribly sorry," Fluttershy noted to the downed changelings. "Are you alright?"

The most consious changeling moaned in answer.

Fluttershy cooed in sympathy, before her ears picked up the sound of magic charging.

"Every pony," she yelled. "Ranged spells!"

Applejack caught sight of the ranged changelings, fluttering in the air as they sent a barrage of spells, most of them focused on Twilight. Seeing her friend in peril, Applejack kicked several cymbals into the air, knocking them to Twilight and intercepting the arrows.

"Thanks, AJ," Twilight said, before spotting a filly cowering before a changeling with a sword. Using her magic, Twilight teleported to the pile of instruments, seizing two sitars before teleporting to the filly's side.

Fighting sitar on sword, Twilight managed to block the changelings' strikes, though each strike caused the sitars to let out less than harmonious whines.

As the changeling winced from the sound, Twilight took advantage, smashing his foot with a sitar before knocking him out with a strike to the face. Knocking the others off their feet, Twilight teleported the filly to a safe distance, letting changelings pursue her with spears and axes up to the top of one of the houses.

Yet, as Twilight was pursued, Chrysalis glowered at her.

"Take out the purple one," she hissed.

"My Queen?" one of the changelings protested, trying to avoid getting grabbed by Rainbow Dash and Rarity.

"Now!" she insisted.

Hissing, the changelings converged on Twilight, who rapidly found herself getting cornered.

"Rainbow!" she called before the changelings tackled her into a dog-pile.

Knocking out the changeling trying to fight her, Rainbow shot into the pile, withdrawing with Twilight in hand. The two proceeded to fight back to back, throwing each other into any who tried to stop them.

Chrysalis seethed. "Snipers!" she screamed. "Do not miss her this time!"

But as the changelings tried to aim, Rainbow hurled Twilight at them.

"Feet of Fury," Twilight whispered. Lashing out with a kick, several magical after-images of her foot lashed out, knocking the snipers out of the air.

Chrysalis began to fall back as the ponies converged on her. Applejack smashed a changeling with a kick. Rarity froze a changeling in ice. Pinkie smashed another with her cymbals. And Rainbow Dash sent one flying off the cliffside. Slowly but surely, they were heading straight to the Queen and her bounty.

She cursed, before turning to the few changelings she had left.

"Bring it up!" she demanded. "Bring it up now!"

Obeying, the last of the changelings withdrew, seizing the bundle of metal and struggling to lift it away. The stallion and filly inside screamed as they were carted off. Chrysalis rushed at Twilight, hoping to occupy her long enough, but Twilight put an end to her defense with a magic-charged punch. The Queen of the Changelings disappeared off the edge while the warriors turned their attention to the stolen metal and the screaming ponies with it.

"Rainbow, Fluttershy!" Twilight screamed.

The two pegasi were moving before she could finish her sentence. Their wings spread, they smashed into the changelings, jarring the bundle from their grip.

The stallion and filly held each other as they plummeted into open air, Rainbow and Fluttershy trying and failing to lift the bundle on their own. But Twilight and Rarity exchanged at look at each other's horns. Flaring their magic, they caught the bundle with a levitation spell. And with twin groans of exertion, they flung the bundle back onto stable land, Applejack and Pinkie stopping the bundle from rolling away.

The villagers' cheers sounded long and loud across the cliffside. Ponies converged gratefully onto the six warriors, bowing and thanking them profusely.

But Twilight didn't have time for her praises. She pulled the stallion and filly from the bundle, and began checking over them.

"You alright?" she asked. "Nothing broken or missing?"

The ponies nodded their assent, before Fluttershy's ear twitched. She turned, gasping as Queen Chrysalis appeared back over the cliffside.

"Twilight, the Queen!" she said.

Twilight spun on instinct, as the queen sent a spell at her.

"I got it," Twilight said, starting to charge her own spell.

But as she glared at the Queen, she saw a symbol on her armor. A black unicorn with a curved horn. A symbol that looked... familiar.

She saw a light grey unicorn with a purple and white mane... and a face just like Twilight's. As Twilight watched in disbelief, the unicorn piled something over her field of vision. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her ears were flat with fear. Slowly, she turned away, as a red sun seemed to rise behind her...

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow screamed.

But before Twilight could recover, Chrsyalis spell hit. The impact blew Twilight, the Furious Five and the villagers into the dust, as Queen Chrysalis landed on the bundle of metal.

Chrysalis huffed at Twilight's beaten form. "And to think, my master was afraid of you," she mused.

Cackling, Chrysalis yanked the bundle back, several of her changelings limping to her side to aid her. And together, they lifted the bundle into the fog and out of sight.

Slowly, the ponies got to their feet. Twilight was the last to rise, staring at the cliff with a horrified expression. Rainbow Dash's frustration quickly faded into concern as she took in her friend's face.

"Twilight?" she asked.

"What happened to ya, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "Ya said ya had her, then ya just froze up."

"I..." Twilight whispered, shaking her head. She looked up at the fog. "I have to..." She lowered her head, before her horn glowed, and she vanished in a flash of light, leaving several very confused and very concerned ponies.
> Sombra Returns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jade Dragon Library had gotten much more popular lately. As Twilight neared her old home, she saw the place swarming with dragons and ponies alike, all badgering the purple and orange dragons herding them out.

"Is it true that the Celestial Warrior used to work in this place?" several kept asking. "Did she like quesadillas? What was her favorite activity? What was her favorite book?"

"For the six hundredth time," Spike grumped. "If you're not buying anything, we really can't keep you here."

"Come on, now, folks," Smolder added. "You can gawk all you want outside."

Yet, as they got the last of the ponies out, heads turned as Twilight approached.

"The Celestial Warrior!" they breathed in awe, bowing before her. Twilight chuckled nervously, waving as she slid up to the entrance. Spike, however, forewent formalities entirely, lunging up and pulling her into a hug.

"Twilight!" he greeted. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Smolder gave Spike a knowing grin, and continued to shoo the ponies away with a broom. "Alright, go on and get," she continued to yell, as Spike and Twilight raced inside and shut the door.

"Oh, Spike," Twilight breathed in relief, hugging him tight. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too," he said, looking her over and wincing at the sight of some bruises from the changelings. "You okay? They're not making you do anything too dangerous?"

"Oh, no," Twilight insisted, covering the bruises. "Nothing major, but..."

Spike tilted his head and drew up a chair. "But?" he asked.

Twilight sighed. "I need to ask you something."

Spike nodded, shifting on his seat. "I'm listening," he assured her. "You can tell me anything."

Smiling at his assurance, Twilight pulled up her own seat, clutching her hands together.

"So eariler today," she explained. "Me and the girls were fightning these changelings."

"Changelings?" Spike asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing too dangerous," Twilight assured him. "But then... the strangest thing happened."

Spike tilted his head.

"I saw..." Twilight's grip on her hands tightened. "I think I saw... my mom."

Spike blinked. "Like... the changelings shifted into...?"

"No, I mean I had... a vision of her," Twilight insisted. "And me as... a baby."

Spike went wide eyed. He leaned back in his chair, looking away.

"Spike?" Twilight asked, practically curling into a fetal position. "Where... um... are you okay?"

Spike slowly rose up, motioning for her to wait as he walked into the library.

"Spike?" she asked, following after him. "Spike?!"

The dragon didn't speak, walking upstairs to where he and Twilight slept. Twilight activated her magic and teleported in front of him, stopping his dazed walk.

"Spike," Twiilght insisted. "Where did I come from?"

Spike cleared his throat, turning away.

"Well..." he admitted. "Dragons come from eggs..." he started.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "No, I mean..."

"I know-I know," Spike said quickly, smiling half-heartedly. "I'm just not sure how to say it. I probably should've told you a long time ago, but..."

"What? That I'm adopted?"

Spike blinked. "Who told you?" he demanded.

"No one!" Twilight replied. "But, I mean it's kind of obvious!"

"Well, why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you?"

The two paused, considering their viewpoints before Twilight sighed.

"I just want to know... how did you find me, Spike? Where did I come from?"

Spike lowered his head. Twilight waited expectantly. Did he know her mother? Had she given Twilight to him as part of some deep conspiracy?

Her questions were answered when he moved to his closet and pulled out a small crate.

"As far as I knew," Spike said, indicating the crate. "You came from this."

Twilight stared at the crate, uncomprehending, as Spike smiled softly.

"Even after 19 years," he admitted. "I still remember it as if it was yesterday..."





19 years ago...

It was just another day for a ten-year-old Spike: wake up, clean up and get dressed before eating and straightening up his library which was left to him when his father and mother passed.

With his chores complete, Spike went out back to collect the recent additions to the Jade Dragons collection of books and scrolls. Yet as he walked out, he noticed one of the crates shifting and bumping. Just before the crate could spill over, Spike rushed over and caught it, finding a squirming lavender filly inside. Covered in dirt and muck and hugging a scroll like a teddy bear.

For a moment, the filly and dragon blinked up at each other.

"What're you doing in there, little one?" Spike asked.

The filly merely cooed, hugging her scroll tighter as she burrowed into the books. Gently, Spike checked the scroll she was holding - though it was just some science essay. Rummaging through the rest of the crate revealed no note or evidence of why the filly was in his crate.

Spike nearly backed up, but the filly reached out to him with a confused whimper. Briefly, Spike hesitated, but ultimately, he picked the little filly up from the crate.

"Uh... don't worry," he tried to assure her. "I'm sure your parents will come looking for you soon." He glanced at the mud across her body, and brought her back into the library. "Let's get you cleaned up. Help you look nice for when your parents show up."

The filly burbled, but the smile on her face seemed to imply she knew Spike's intentions were pure.

After scrubbing her down, washing the dirt out of her fur and mane, and getting her something to eat, Spike rummaged in his closet, looking for something she could wear. All he found was a dragon onesie he had kept from when he was a hatchling. He had outgrown it years ago, but it fit the little foal like a glove. And with the young pony by his side, Spike got the crates in and went about his business, opening the Jade Dragon Library.

"Okay," Spike said, setting Twilight right next to him at the main desk and handing her a small book for beginners. "Just stay right here, okay? Your parents should show up soon."

The little one cooed, absorbed more in the book than Spike's words. But she seemed sated enough. Spike sat himself down next to her, and fiddled with a small Rubik's cube, waiting for her parents or any customers.

Several ponies came in, and though many of them commented on the little filly and how cute she was, none of them were her parents.

And of course, an orange dragoness showed up as well, followed by her older brother.

"I still don't understand why you want some nampy pamby pony book," the young Garble grumbled.

"I have my reasons," the younger Smolder replied, sharing a small grin with Spike before turning her attention to the scrolls.

Before long, though, the two dragons noticed the cooing filly as she lifted the completed book up to Spike. Without missing a beat, he exchanged her completed book for another book, and she happily went back to reading as the two dragons approached.

"Who's the foal?" Smolder asked, holding a scroll of her own.

"Not sure," Spike replied. "Someone put her in my delivered scrolls. I'm still waiting for her parents to show up."

"Some ponies hefted a foal on you?" Garble asked, tsking. "Too bad for you, man. I've heard of dragons taking princesses before, but babies?" He shuddered. "That's one 'treasure' I don't really see the value in."

Smolder rolled her eyes. "Some dragons never change," she muttered to Spike, before checking out a scroll and walking out, Garble eagerly racing out with her.

Spike shook his head and continued fiddling with the cube. But aside from Smolder and Garble and a few other ponies, no one that appeared related to the filly showed up.

Reluctantly, Spike closed up the library that evening. "What am I supposed to do?" he muttered, before hearing the flare of magic. Turning back around, he saw the little filly pluck his Rubik's Cube off his desk, peering at it curiously.

Before Spike could hope to intervene, the filly let out a cheerful coo before her magic spun the Rubik's cube like a twister. She cheered happily as the colors on the cube blurred.

Spike chuckled, drawing her gaze. "You're a smart one, aren't ya?" he noted, heading to the kitchen and preparing some food for himself and his guest.

Making a sandwich for himself and some mashed vegetables for the filly, he found something pulling at his heart as he fed the little one. The way she stared at him, with pure trust and almost awe... he had almost forgotten what it was liked to be loved like that. He had lived alone for a few years at that point, and though it was natural for dragon parents to not stick around, Spike still felt his chest tighten at the thought of this little one leaving him too.

"Looks like Mommy and Daddy didn't come," Spike noted, trying to keep his voice light.

The filly hummed, tilting her head in confusion.

"But don't worry," he assured her. "You can stay with me. As long as you need." He smiled. "I'm Spike."

"Spii!" she cheered.

Smiling, Spike glanced out the window, watching the sun's rays cross the horizon, and make way for the night.

"Almost twilight," Spike noted.

The filly clapped excitedly. He glanced at her with a grin.

"You like that?" he asked.

Her horn let off several sparkles of joy as she giggled.

"Alright," he agreed. "Twilight Sparkle. Seems appropriate."





"And so," Spike concluded with a small smile. "I chose to raise you. Not really as my daughter but... as my little sister. And since then, my library and my life have been all that brighter."

For a moment, Twilight blinked at Spike, tilting her head. Multiple thoughts ran through her head; appreciation at Spike's generosity first and foremost.

Yet the first question that made it out of her mouth was, "That's it?"

She covered her mouth, already seeing the hurt trying to blossom on Spike's face.

"I mean... not that I don't appreciate what you did for me!" Twilight stammered. "I do, really! I just..." She sighed, looking back down at the crate. "Who was my mother?"

Spike shrugged. "I can't really tell you that," he admitted, sliding the crate back into the closet before taking her hands. "But Twilight... even though your story didn't start off that great, look out well it turned out."

Twilight gazed up at her old room as Spike spoke.

"You got an awesome older brother," he noted. "You got the Jade Dragon. And then you got Kung-Fu."

Twilight smiled and nodded, relief flooding her as Spike smiled back. And yet, the same questions couldn't stop buzzing in her mind.

Where did I come from? She thought forlornly. Who was my mother? Why did she leave me? And the worst one of all, buzzing around her head like a gnat as she left:

Who am I?





Clink... clink... clink...

The Masters were training today. As the dark unicorn approached the courtyard of the Crystal Castle, the sounds of combat drowned out his clinking steps. But noise could not drown out sight, as the head guard of the Crystal Castle glowered at the approaching unicorn.

"Halt!" the guard demanded.

Clink.... clink... clink...

"I said 'halt!'" The guard ordered, stepping forward... only to be thrown against the wall. He slumped to the ground, utterly knocked out.

Clink... clink... clink...

Inside the courtyard, he saw them: three of the finest Masters.

Big Mac, the red earth pony stallion, watching with a proud grin as the hulking pegasus Bulk Biceps sparred with the orange pegasus Flash Sentry. Further away, a familiar zebra sat watching the match with a cup of tea.

Green eyes narrowed in anger. A red horn swept up in an arc.

CRUNCH!

The fighters halted their match. Big Mac's grin faded to a confused frown. He rose as the black unicorn strode into the courtyard like a dragon returning to his horde.

"Sombra?" whispered through the courtyard, ranging from shocked, to confused, to resigned.

Sombra smiled, and gave a polite bow. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," he greeted, his feet clinking with every step. "Now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way... please leave my home." He gestured to the door he had just cut open.

Big Mac's frown turned irritated. "Yer home?" he growled, as Bulk Biceps flared his - admittedly small - wings.

Sombra glanced back at the inscription on the doors.

"Didn't the Crystal Pony on the front door give it away?" Sombra asked. He turned to the zebra, who merely watched him out of the corner of her eye. Disappointment was more prevalent on her face than anything else. Sombra huffed.

"Hello again, Zecora," he greeted, his voice gaining a particular tint of venom to it as he approached her. "It seems your fortune telling skills are 'not' as good as you thought."

"Believe me, we shall see," Zecora replied, shutting her eyes and turning from him. Sombra's frown deepened, and he resisted the urge to blast her in the back.

"We shall see, you old horse," he seethed, before Big Mac's voice pulled his attention away.

"What d'ya want, Sombra?" Big Mac growled, dwarfing the unicorn even from several feet away. Sombra huffed.

"Just what's rightfully mine," he replied with a grin, though the grin quickly faded as he made his demand: "The Crystal Empire!"

"It don't belong to ya," Big Mac replied.

"Yeah!" Bulk agreed.

"It belongs to the Master's Council," Flash Sentry added, flaring his wings as he took a combat stance. "And we'll protect it 'even' from you."

Sombra chuckled darkly. The masters readied for battle, yet their attention was drawn to a large sealed box, being dragged into the courtyard by around a dozen changelings.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Sombra replied, glancing back at the box. "Otherwise, I dragged that here for nothing."

"What's in the box?" Bulk demanded.

"Don't you see?" Sombra asked mockingly. "It's a gift." He paused. "Or more like your... parting gift. In that it will part you."

Flash flinched, and Sombra turned to him with a malicious grin, pointing to various parts of the courtyard.

"Part of you here," Sombra noted. "Part of you there. And part of you..." He pointed to the castle behind Big Mac. "Way over there." His teeth flashed. "Staining the wall!"

Bulk's face turned red with fury. Roaring, he rushed at the unicorn... only for Sombra to leap over him and smash him into the ground. Flash tried to defend his partner, but Sombra redirected the orange pegasus away, sending several spells after him.

Flash dodged and ducked away from the blasts before turning and rushing
Sombra again. At the same time, Bulk pulled himself up from the ground, and together, the pegasi enveloped Sombra in a series of rushes.

Sombra tried desperately to dodge their speed - even Bulk managed to become a white blur in his eyes. But it left him unable to focus on Big Mac, who strode down and delivered a hard kick to Sombra's gut.

The dark unicorn was flung back into the box, cracking the wood with a BANG! The changelings scattered while Sombra slid to the ground with a seething hiss, clutching at his dented armor. Yet, his green eyes still shined with malice as he struggled to pull himself up.

"Show off," he snarled.

"That was just ah warning," Big Mac replied.

"Yeah," Bulk agreed.

"You're no match for our kung-fu!" Flash said with a grin.

Sombra pulled himself up, using the box as support.

"Maybe," he admitted, before glancing at his box. "But this is!"

Lunging onto the top of the box, Sombra let the wood fall, revealing a large metal cannon with the face of a demon. Big Mac huffed and began to stride forward, ready to buck the cannon into scrap metal.

But before he could get close enough, Sombra lit the fuse.

A flash of light blinded the masters. Big Mac grunted as a ball of flaming iron smashed into his gut. And in an instant, the earth stallion was gone.

Bulk and Flash blinked, almost wondering if the light had blinded them too much. But then they heard Big Mac... whimper.

They spun, their jaws dropping in horror. Even Zecora stood with a gasp, covering her mouth.

At the end of the courtyard Big Mac lay against the wall. His arms were gone. As were his legs. Scattered ironically to the very places that Sombra had pointed out. As Big Mac choked on his own blood, the red fur and liquid staining the very wall Sombra had pointed to, Big Mac's eyes lifted to the sky, tears joining the blood on his face.

"AJ... Applebloom..." Big Mac choked out. "I'm... sorry..."

Then his head slumped against the wall, and the light left his eyes forever.





Tai Lung walked past the borders of Ponyville and breathed deeply. Once, he had made the denizens quiver in fear. But in his new garb - a green and gold trimmed robe covering his left arm and half his chest - the ponies seemed far less wary of him. It was nice to know that it was finally getting to them that he was a different leopard. That he was changing for the better.

"Enjoying the redemption?" a blue furred earth pony quipped next to him.

He chuckled. "You know you don't have to change how you look, Urtica" he replied. "I prefer the real you, after all."

She shrugged, glancing at the denizens of Ponyville. "But do they?" she replied.

Tai Lung pondered that. On the one hand, he didn't really care what some citizens thought of his friend. But on the other, did his apathy mean that he could be slipping back to darkness? He shuddered at that thought.

Before he could decide on a reply...

"HEY! HEY!"

Tai Lung chuckled, turning to the source. "Hay is for..." he started to say, only for his smile to fade.

Derpy was flapping desperately towards them. And for once, her usual smile was gone. A scroll bound with a crystal pendant was clutched to her chest.

"Tai Lung," Derpy stammered, skidding to a stop. "The Crystal Empire... I... I just don't know what went wrong..."

Gently, Urtica pat the pegasus' back, calming her down, while Tai Lung took the scroll from the pegasus. Checking that Derpy was calming, Tai Lung opened the scroll and began to read.

He realized exactly why Derpy was panicking within the first few paragraphs.

He shut the scroll, taking a deep breath.

"Tai?" Urtica asked, sensing his emotions.

With no time to explain, Tai Lung turned tail and bolted to the Palace. With his speed, he cleared Ponyville and raced into the Palace. As he broke the door down, he feared for a moment that his mother would assume he was back to his old ways.

"MOTHER!" he bellowed. "WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

Thankfully, though Rainbow Dash zoomed at him ready for another fight, she was quickly stopped by Luna. The Celestial Warrior and the rest of the Furious Five hurried after her as she turned back to her son.

"What is it, Tai?" she asked.

He handed the scroll to his mother, backing up with an apologetic look to the others.

However, his apology was soon unneeded. For as Luna read from the scroll, her eyes widened as well, before setting into grim determination.

"Master Luna?" Twilight asked.

Luna shut her eyes with a grimace. "Are any of you familiar with the Master of the Crystal Empire?" Luna asked.

"Master Big Macintosh?" Twilight asked.

"Yes."

"Son of Legendary Master Bright Macintosh?" Applejack replied proudly.

"Yes," Luna whispered, handing Twilight the scroll.

"And slayer of the ten-thousand serpents of the Valley of Woe?" Applejack added, puffing her chest out in pride.

"He's dead."

Luna lowered her head as Applejack paused, looking like Luna had just slapped her. As for the others, all their heads turned to the scroll, reading the news.

"Whoa," Pinkie whimpered, before Applejack tore the scroll from their grip, her eyes darting back and forth across the page as they read the news. Horror and despair crept up on her face.

"That..." she stammered, dropping the scroll. "That can't be the truth! Mah brother can buck through any technique!" Tears formed in her eyes. "He's too strong ta die!"

"It was no technique that killed your brother, Applejack," Luna assured her, patting Tai Lung's shoulder as she walked out to the palace stairs. "Lord Sombra has created a dark version of Pinkie Pie's party technique. One that breathes fire and spits metal instead of confetti and cake."

Pinkie Pie gasped in horror. "But those are way too dangerous to use! Even more dangerous than chocolate chips!"

She turned gravely to her students. "Unless he is stopped... this could be the end of Kung Fu."

"No!" Twilight stammered. "I just got Kung Fu!"

"And now, you must save it," Luna replied. She pointed her staff to the Crystal Empire. "We must destroy this weapon, and bring Lord Sombra to justice!"

Rainbow Dash pumped her wings, while Tai Lung cracked his knuckles. Applejack trembled as she clenched her fists, while Pinkie Pie yanked out her cannon. Fluttershy breathed to steady her nerves, while Rarity's horn lit up in preparation. Twilight, however...

"Master Luna," she said uncertainly. "How can Kung Fu stop something specifically made to stop Kung Fu? That's like a dragon trying to fight something that kills dragons!"

"And yet, it is still possible for the dragon to triumph," Luna replied. "All you need... is inner peace." She turned to Applejack. "Which is why you will be staying here."

"With all due respect," Applejack growled, moving to go past Luna. "Ain't no way ah'm sitting this one out."

She tried to step past, only for Luna to trip her off her feet. Twilight winced as she remembered the move.

"You are not in the right mind to face this weapon," Luna insisted. "You won't fight for justice. You will fight for revenge."

Applejack glared up at her, her eyes bloodshot and her face red. Luna sighed, helping her up, but keeping a firm grip on her wrist.

"Applejack, listen to me," she insisted. "Vengeance has a way of rebounding upon oneself. When you seek revenge you must dig two graves. You know this."

"But he... he..." Applejack choked out, tears flooding her eyes as she fell to her knees, clutching Luna's arm. "Big Mac..." she whimpered.

Luna lowered herself to Applejack's level, resting her head against hers in comfort. The others glanced at each other, unsure how to comfort their friend, before Rainbow Dash strode over to her friend and rested her hand on her shoulder.

"We're gonna get this guy," she promised Applejack. "He's gonna regret ever looking at Big Mac, I promise you that."
> The Crystal Empire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight could feel Applejack's eyes on them, even as they left the Celestial Palace behind and began to race through Ponyville. The villagers cheered their heroes on as they ran.

Urtica raced out from the crowd - still in her pony form - and easily took pace alongside Tai Lung. "So, what's happening?" she asked. "Who're we fighting?"

"Lord Sombra, Urtica," Tai Lung replied with a grin. "We're going to send him back to the depths of Tartarus where he belongs."

With inner peace, Twilight thought to herself, trying to clear her mind. I gotta figure out inner peace. It's the only way to defeat Lord Sombra. So come on, Twilight... get peaceful...

But before her buzzing mind could even hope to clear...

"Hey, Twilight!" Spike called.

Twilight skidded to a stop as Spike ran into their path, holding several large saddlebags.

"I got your travel packs set," he said, opening one to make sure. "There's enough food to hold you guys over for a couple weeks, and some reading material in case you get bored."

"Oh!" Dash whispered, reaching into her own pack. "Did you get the...?" She paused as the others grinned at her, quickly shouldering her pack. "I mean, uh... thanks."

Spike just grinned and gave her a thumbs up to let her know he packed what she wanted. He handed Twilight's pack to her personally.

"I also packed a few paintings of our best times together," he noted, opening her pack and displaying a painting depicting a young Twilight cheering as Spike raced around with her on her shoulders.

"Spike..." Twilight whispered, pressing a hand to her mouth.

"No, it's okay," he said, setting the painting back in. "You've got a job to do... far from home..." his face began to fall. "In a strange city, with strange ponies and strange books, facing horrible danger from which you might never..."

"Spike," Smolder said, quickly snapping Spike out of his fear. "She didn't do all that training for nothing."

"Besides," Twilight replied. "If I don't save kung-fu... what am I?"

Spike's answer was instant. "You're my little sister." He hesitated when Twilight's face fell. "Right?"

Twilight winced, wishing she could say yes. And yet... she could still remember her mothers eyes. How scared they had been...

"Twi," Dash said somberly, snapping her friend out of her trance. "It's time."

Shutting her eyes, Twilight shouldered her pack, and gave Spike a final hug. "Bye," she whispered, before walking away.

Rainbow Dash watched her go with the others before grinning softly at Spike.

"Don't worry," she assured him. "She'll be back before you even miss her."

And yet, as the group left Ponyville behind, Spike sunk to his knees, barely noticing Smolder put a hand on his shoulder.

"But... I already miss her..." he mumbled.





As Sombra continued work on his weapon, Twilight and her friends traveled across rocky terain, snowy plains and barren deserts.

Both sides knew that a fight was coming. Lord Sombra wasn't going to stand by and wait for them, and neither was Equestria. And yet... inner peace eluded the Celestial Warrior.

Unfortuantely, sleep failed to elude her.





Twilight was surrounded by books. Stacks of books, walls of books higher than ten dragons. Books as far as she could see in every direction.

Joy flooded her - so much to read. Surely, everything she could ever want had to be in here. All the answers to her problems.

"Whoops!" a voice yelped. A pile of books went tumbling, scattering over Twilight's hands. Rainbow Dash poked her head out of the wreckage and grinned at Twilight. "What's up, egghead?"

"Rainbow Dash, be careful!" Twilight scolded, desperately picking the books back up and trying to organize them. "We need all this!"

"Do we?" Rainbow Dash grimaced. "I don't remember the Celestial Warrior and the Furious Five being a bunch of books."

Twilight gave her a look and picked up the next book. "How to Defeat Lord Sombra."

"See?" she said triumphantly. "This has all the answers we need!"

She opened it eagerly, only to find a completely blank paper inside. Smooth, empty parchment stared back at her, not even giving her the luxury of a mirror like the Celestial Scroll did.

"Twilight, come on!" Applejack suddenly said. When Twilight turned, she saw Applejack in Rainbow's place. "My brother's not gonna avenge himself. We could really use your help."

"I can't!" Twilight insisted. "I have to read these!"

She knocked over another stack of books, and turned in an agitated circle. Had the walls of books gotten taller? She picked up another scroll: "How to Achieve Inner Peace."

"Here's what I need," she muttered, opening it up. But it was blank too.

"Twilight," Spike said. But instead of the dragon, her mother was standing in Applejack's place. Staring at her with those sad, fearful eyes.

"I can't help you!" Twilight insisted. "Not until I know everything!"

On cue, she found a shimmering purple book. Surely something so beautiful had to have something useful in it. It was titled: "Why Your Mother Left You."

Twilight sighed. She knew even before she opened it: blank, blank, blank! With a scream of frustration, she threw the book away.

"Momma!" a baby cried. A baby that sounded so much like her.

"I can't!" Twilight screamed. She found another one. "Who You Are." But there was nothing but parchment. "I... I can find the answers! I know there in here! Where are they?"

She turned to her mother in desperation. But instead, that black unicorn symbol flew at her, with a roar like an angry dragon.





Twilight jumped up, breathing heavily. For the first time in her life, she found herself glad that she wasn't surrounded by books. Instead, she was among her friends, on a sampan boat sailing down a wide river.

Rainbow slept towards the back with Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity, while Tai Lung was snuggled up with the undisguised Urtica. Careful not to disturb them, Twilight got up and quietly stepped out onto the deck of the boat. But she was unaware of a pair of rose-colored eyes opening.

Outside Twilight leaned against the mast. She gazed up at the stars, almost seeing her mother's face in their constellations.

"Why did you leave me?" Twilight asked softly.

Plop! A drop of water answered her, landing on her horn. Looking up, Twilight saw water dripping from the sail. Curious, Twilight exhaled slowly, and tried to mimic the movements Master Luna had used.

"Inner... peace..." she tried to chant.

Plop. A water droplet fell on her head. She tried to ignore it.

"Inner... pea..." Plop!

"Peace..." Plop!

Twilight tried to breathe. Plop!

"Inner... Peace!" she ground out. Plop!

Twilight began to seethe. Plop!

Shrieking, she punched the mast. Splash! A cascade of water soaked her to her bones. She tried to breathe, but...

Plop!

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Twilight screehed, letting loose with a blast of magic that shred the sail in half. Twilight yelped and held back curses, trying to repair the damage. She just barely managed to get the sail clumsily sewn back together when...

"You showed that mast who's boss, didn't ya?"

Twilight nearly fell into the water. Standing perched on top of the repaired sail, her eyes glinting in amusement, was Rainbow Dash.

"Agh, Master Rainbow Dash..." Twilight stammered. "I..."

Rainbow scoffed. "C'mon, Twi. How long have we been training together?" She jumped down and assumed a combat stance. "If you wanted to train, you should've just asked."

"Um... okay," Twilight admitted. Rearing her fist back, she struck, only for Rainbow to counter with her own palm.

Twilight's fist struck Rainbow's palm... and Twilight fell back with a shriek of pain.

"What in Celestia's name...?" Twilight stammered as Rainbow held back a giggle. "I think I almost preferred the mast."

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Sorry about that," she admitted, rubbing her challused palm. "I used to punch the ironwood trees by the palace to train." She flexed her fingers. "Now, I feel nothing," she added with a cocky grin.

Twilight gasped in glee. "Dulled nerve points to increase strength and and durability." She giggled herself. "That's severely cool."

Dash's eyes glinted, and her smile became warmer. She reassumed her combat stance. "Wanna go again?"

Leaping back to her feet, Twilight proceeded to spar with Dash, this time careful not to put her full force into every punch.

"So, how long did it take to dull your nerves?" Twilight asked as they sparred. "I remember nerve damage usually repairs itself within six to twelve weeks, so the damage..."

"Twenty years," Dash replied, catching Twilight's fist. Twilight tilted her head. "It took me twenty years to get hands of steel."

Twilight shuddered. "I don't suppose there's a faster way to get the perks of that kind of training, is there?"

"Nope," Rainbow Dash replied, moving in for her own attack. "Besides that..." She caught Twilight with a trip, flinging her to her back. "Hard style ain't exactly 'your' style."

Twilight shrugged. "Eh," she admitted, shifting her back to the mast, while Rainbow Dash knelt.

"Twilight," she said. "Why're you really out here?"

The concern in her friend's voice dropped Twilight's defenses, and she sighed.

"When we fought the changelings that other day," she confessed. "I had a vision of my mom leaving me as a baby. I asked Spike about it... and I found out... he wasn't my real brother."

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. "The dragon wasn't really your brother?" she clarified.

Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow Dash's sarcasm. "I mean... I knew I was adopted," she said, before her head lowered. "I just didn't think my mom would abandon me in some scroll crate." She sighed, curling into a fetal position. "I just... wish I was like you. A warrior! Nerves of steel. Souls of Platinum." She looked down at her fist. "So hardcore I didn't have to feel anything."

Rainbow's eyes softened. "Twilight..." she tried to say, before the boat's interior opened, and Tai Lung came out. For a moment, the snow leopard and the purple mare stared at each other, Twilight's eyes briefly flashing in fear. But Tai Lung's gaze was softer. And she relaxed as the snow leopard leaned against the mast.

"I was abandoned too," Tai Lung noted, looking down at his claws. "Torn from my life and left without reason." He glanced back at Twilight. "You know what I say, Celestial Warrior?"

Twilight gazed up at him as the others walked out with him.

"I say that it doesn't matter who brought you into this world." His eyes looked up at Luna's beloved moon. "It matters who was there for you. Who raised you and loved you as their own." He looked back down. "Master Luna is my mother. And the dragon is your brother. They cared about us and loved us, and they deserve to be recognized for what they did for us. Never doubt that."

Twilight nodded, the weight on her heart lifting by a fraction. But then...

"I dunno," Pinkie noted. "Shouldn't we be worried about Twilight's actual father showing up. Like..." She gasped. "What if Sombra's her dad!"

Rarity gasped. "Pinkie!" she scolded. "Don't be so scandalous!"

"But seriously," Pinkie noted as Twilight and Tai Lung shook their heads. "What if we're fighting, and Sombra is like, 'Luna never told you about your father!' And Twilight's like, 'She told me you killed him - or at least..." She paused.

"Guys," Rainbow Dash said.

"And then he's like, 'No, I am your father!'" Pinkie continued. "And..."

"Pinkie!" Twilight called, snapping the pink mare out of her rambling. "We're here."

The group turned, as their destination came into view, framed by the rising sun.

"The Crystal Empire," Tai Lung breathed.





As Sombra climbed the flights of stairs leading up to the palace, he watched as the changelings tore down any semblence to the Kung Fu Masters or his traitorous parents before hand. Behind him, two large yaks struggled to pull his cannon up the stairs. The cannon that had ended Big Macintosh's life.

Eventually, he reached his father's throne room, thankfully cleared of banners and tapestries depiciting the previous kings. Zecora sat nearby, kneeling and tending to a stone bowl. But Sombra had no time for the soothsayer. His focus was on...

"My father's throne..." Sombra whispered, stepping up to the royal seat. "He used to let me play here beside him. Promising someday this throne... would be mine."

His grip on the throne tightened. Rage flashed through his mind. His horn lit up with a strength spell, and he hurled the throne backward. Out the window and out of sight. A CRASH sounded a few moments later, followed by a BOOM as the yaks planted the cannon where the throne had been.

Sombra grimaced at the cannon's placement. "A little to the left," he ordered.

"But Master," one of the yaks moaned. "Weapon is heavy!"

"Thirty years, I've waited for this moment," Sombra growled, a dark aura around him putting fear into the yak's hearts. "Everything must be exactly as I envisioned it! Do you wish your fate to be the same as your prince and father?"

The yaks shook their heads in unison.

"Then put it a little to the left!" Sombra hissed.

Immediately the yaks moved the weapon. Sombra grinned as his aura vanished and he spun from them.

"Perfect," he declared. "With the weapon by my..." But when he looked back, he grimaced again. "Oh, a little bit more."

The yaks groaned and huffed, but nudged the weapon until Sombra was satisfied.

"Much better," Sombra praised before looking back to the front. "With the weapon by my side," he declared proudly. "All of Equestria will bow before me! We move out in three days when the moon is full, and the tide is high."

He chuckled darkly before turning to the Soothsayer. She hadn't even regarded him with any glares or even seemed to notice he was there. She just sat on her knees on a stripped rug, sipping tea and burning incense.

"Now, you old horse," Sombra mocked. "Why don't you tell me my..."

"Fortune?" Zecora asked with a grin. "Just when I thought you were done."

Sombra snorted. "Future," he snapped. "I was going to say future." He stepped down the stairs towards her. "Look into your bowl. And tell me what glory awaits."

Zecora set her tea down and gazed into her bowl, swishing it around as she discerned the events of the future.

"If you continue your lack of cares," Zecora mumbled mystically, drawing Sombra closer. "You will find yourself..." She grinned. "At the bottom of the stairs."

Sombra stopped. But, looking down, he found he had already reached the bottom of the stairs. He rolled his eyes.

"Clever," he admitted. "But be serious." He drew even closer. "What do you see?"

"Hm..." Zecora hummed, peering into her bowl. "I see, in your timely reign... I see... pain!"

Quick as a flash, she tore a clump of hair from his mane.

"OW!" Sombra bellowed, turning away as she seized his cape.

"Then rage," Zecora quipped, before biting into his cloak and tearing off a clump.

"How dare you!" Sombra snarled, ripping his cloak from her mouth. "That is the finest silk in the valley!"

"Denial takes the stage," Zecora quipped, putting both the silk and hair in her bowl.

"And this is not fortune telling," Sombra grumbled before he could stop himself. "You're just saying whats happening right..."

"Now?" The zebra grinned up at Sombra, who quivered in suppressed rage before turning away with a grumble. Smiling, Zecora pulled out a small handful of blue powder from one of her pouches.

"The most important time is now," she said, even as Sombra refused to turn to her. She rolled her eyes. "But if your really wish to see the future..."

Zecora threw in the powder into the bowl causing it to explode and causing smoke to form in heavy amounts. Sombra turned around, gazing at the smoke in awe.

"What do you see?" he whispered, curiously.

The smoke formed into the shape of a unicorn.

"A Crystal Pony of strongest might..." Zecora mumbled. "Is defeated by a warrior of Day and Night."

The crystal pony's smoke swirled into a yin-yang symbol, with the sun and moon dotting the shape.

"Your soul for power, you may have exchanged," Zecora added. "Yet nothing has changed."

The yaks backed up at the fury growing in Sombra's eyes. His horn flared with magic, and he blasted the Soothsayer's bowl, shattering it and scattering the smoke to the outside.

Sombra chuckled, though his chuckle was cracked and strained.

"That's impossible," he seethed, struggling to sound prideful. "And you know it!"

"Once again, you sink into denial's pit," Zecora replied coyly. "It is not impossible, and she knows it."

Sombra paused. "She?" he asked.

Zecora pointed to the staircase, just as Queen Chrysalis raced into the throne room.

"Lord Sombra!" Chrysalis yelled. "A warrior named Twilight..."

Before she could finish, a beam of magic smashed her agains the wall. Sombra stomped towards her as his spell lifted her off the ground, crushing into her neck as she gagged and squirmed.

"If this is your idea of a joke," Sombra growled, his anger making his dark aura glow again. "I do not find it humerous at all!"

"But my king... It's true," Chrysalis choked out. "She's a unicorn... a master of magic and Kung-Fu. She's the Celestial Warrior..." She gagged and coughed. "She fought my children like a demon!"

Sombra snarled and threw her to the ground, turning away to hide the fear in his eyes.

"It can't be..." he muttered. "I killed the Twilight warrior. I saw her die!"

Zecora gave the coughing changeling queen a measured look before kneeling and tending to her.

"She merely speaks the truth," Zecora noted, glancing at Sombra coyly again. "Your denial belongs with a filly's youth."

Sombra growled, his dark aura bubbling up again, before he turned back to them. Zecora wisely moved away from Chrysalis as she was yanked up by the frill.

"Up, Chrysalis," Sombra snarled. "I want you and your hidious spawn partolling my empire at all hours. Find this 'Celestial Warrior' and bring her to me!"

"Yes, master," Chrysalis choked out before he practically threw her down the stairs. Her crashes and yelps of pain sounded long after Sombra had turned back to Zecora, smoothing his features out to appear undisturbed.

"So, some filly's parents were stupid enough to give their child that cursed name," Sombra spat. "It doesn't make you right."

"Your right," Zecora replied, her grin not wavering. "Being right makes me right."

Sombra turned from her. "Then I will kill her," he replied, grinning at the thought. "And make you wrong."

Chomp! Rather than replying, Zecora had gone back to eating Sombra's silk robe.

"WILL YOU STOP THAT!?" he barked, yanking his cloak away from the snickering zebra.





Meanwhile, at the Crystal Empire docks, the masters of Kung Fu abandoned their boat and climbed to the roof of the dock house. The castle stood before them, with the entire Empire between them and the castle.

"The Castle," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "That's gotta be where Sombra is holed up."

"Of course he'd be holed up in there," Rarity noted. "It's only the most glamourous castle in Equestria."

"Then let's blow up the entrance with my party cannon," Pinkie offered. "And say, 'We are the Celestial Warrior, the redeemed Tai Lung and the Furious..." She glanced at Applejack's absence before seeing Urtica. "Five!" she concluded. "'And we are here to bring you to justice!'"

Tai Lung cracked his knuckles. "I approve of this plan!" he said. "Especially when we smash Sombra's face in."

He turned to lunge into the streets, only for Twilight, Rarity, and even Urtica to pull him back with their magic.

"Tai, that's not going to work," Urtica insisted. "This place is crawling with changelings!"

The others took another look before Urtica flared her horn and gave them a vision spell. With a gasp, they noticed several ponies covered in a green aura; changelings, hidden amongst the real ponies.

Except for one. A large, familiar changelings that strode bitterly through the masses. Pinkie's ears perked.

"Hey," she noted. "That's the meanie-mean-mean-pants that blasted us."

Twilight's eyes narrowed at the sight of Chrysalis. "Queen Chrysalis," she grumbled.

However, as the others nodded with glowering expressions, Urtica's expression became one of fear. She turned away, hyperventilating. Tai Lung noticed her despair, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to him.

"Urtica?" Tai asked in concern. "What is it?"

"She..." Urtica pointed to Chrysalis. "That..." She held Tai Lung close, her horn glowing as his solid emotions steadied her. "That's no ordinary changeling. That's a Royal Changeling!"

The other mares gasped in shock, but Tai shot them a dark look before pressing his head to Urtica's.

"Stay calm," he assured her. "Breathe, and think about when we first met."

As she began to slow her breathing, Twilight gave Chrysalis another look.

"I've read about Royal Changelings," Twilight whispered. "No wonder she was able to beat us like that." She turned to the others. "Royal Changelings are supposed to be twice as powerful as normal drones. It's why they're in charge."

"How powerful?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Normally," Urtica said in a calmer voice. "Changelings can only shift when they read a pony's mind and turn into the one they love most." Urtica nodded at Chrysalis. "Royal Changelings can turn into anything with only a thought. And whatever they shift into? All the abilities and skills of whatever they change into are theirs to command."

Rarity blinked before peering at Urtica. "And how do you know this?" she asked. "Are you one of the drones?"

Urtica hung her head, but a look from Tai Lung steadied her nerves.

"I'm a royal," she confessed, gazing down at Chrysalis. "I'm the daughter of Queen Chrysalis. And technically the next heir to the Hive."
> Chase
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"With all these changelings around," Fluttershy noted. "We'll need to make our way across the city without being seen."

"Fluttershy's right," Rainbow Dash agreed. "We need to stay hidden."

Pinkie giggled, but was careful to keep her voice low. "Stealth mode," she whispered giddily to Urtica. But Urtica's face was flat, and her carapace pale.

"I can't go," she whispered.

"Urtica?" Tai Lung asked.

"If my mother finds me..." Urtica couldn't even finish her sentence, flames already licking at her body. "I'm sorry, Tai."

And with a flash of green flames, she vanished from view. Tai Lung looked down, dejected, before Twilight pat his shoulder.

"She'll come back," she promised him. "After we defeat Sombra."

Tai still gazed at where she had been. "I hope you're right, Celestial Warrior," he whispered, before following her across the rooftops.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew low across the rooftops, followed by Twilight and Rarity teleporting with small flashes of magic. Pinkie hopped from roof to roof with Tai Lung, humming a secret agent song quietly. Yet, as the six made their way through the Empire, they couldn't help but notice the downtrodden state of its civilians.

Though Urtica had managed to reveal the changelings' presence to them, they were also able to discern the changelings from their attitude. Though they wore the appearance of ponies, the changelings pushed around those that weren't their disguised brethren, taking their things and laughing at their fear.

Pinkie's humming started to fade as she saw three changelings cornering a scared stallion.

"Meanies," she hissed as her hair began to deflate. "I hate meanies..."

Instantly, Rarity appeared at her side, shoving a cookie into her mouth.

"Pinkie, eat a cookie," Rarity said. "We don't need Pinkamena right now."

Tai Lung blinked in confusion. "Pinkamena?" he asked.

Twilight gasped. "The hidden dark side of Master Pinkie Pie," she whispered as they continued on. "First brought out by Sergeant Sprinkles in the Battle of Whispering Woods. It allows Pinkie to..." Before she could continue, Rarity put her hand over the mare's mouth.

"Let's spare the 'details' for another time, darling," Rarity almost begged, giving a worried glance to her pink, still angry looking friend.

"Right," Twilight admitted, glancing at Tai Lung sheepishly. "Let's just say that it's not a good day when Pinkamena comes out to play."

"Oh," Pinkie noted with a giggle. "Rap-rhyme."

The group tried to move closer to the castle, only for voices to shout below them.

"This rice is raw!"

They peered down as a changeling shoved a crystal mare against the wall.

"B-But," the mare stammered. "Y-You stole a-all my metal pots for L-King Sombra."

The changeling threw her to the ground, dragging her head over to a firepit. "Either you cook my rice," the changeling snarled, holding her head over the flames. "Or I'll cook you!"

As the mare stammered and apologized, the mare's eyes turned to Pinkie, who's hair was rapidly deflating as a look of rage fell over her face.

"Pinkie..." Fluttershy whispered, patting her friends side. "Stay calm..."

"Y-Yeah, we'll handle this," Rainbow Dash said.

"Definitely," Twilight said. "We'll help cook the rice, and then..."

Then they heard the thud. Looking back down, they saw Tai Lung march up to the changeling and tap him on the shoulder, drawing his attention.

"Hi," Tai Lung said, his voice tranquil but holding fury.

"Hey," the changeling said dismissively. Yet as he turned back to the mare, his ears perked, processing who he had just seen.

He had just turned around when Tai seized him by the head and slammed his head against the wall. Green fire and blood exploded everywhere, before the changeling slumped to the ground, a smashed and dead bug.

The others jumped down after him.

"Tai Lung, what are you thinking?!" Rainbow Dash seethed.

"I'm not standing by and letting them harm an innocent," Tai Lung growled back. He turned back to the mare and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

"Thanks to you," the pony said in relief. "I heard about Luna's formerly fallen but redeemed son, but..." She gazed at the group, slowly connecting the dots. "You're... the Celestial Warrior," she whispered to Twilight. She turned to the others. "A-And the Furious Five!"

"We're here to liberate the Empire and bring Lord Sombra to justice," Twilight replied.

The mare looked around. "You'll need help."

"Thank you, brave mare," Tai Lung replied. "But it's too dangerous for you."

The mare gasped before laughing breathlessly. "O-Oh, not from me, of course, uh..." She gave a quick look around before glancing into an alleyway behind them. "It's not safe to talk here."

"Right," Twilight whispered, ushering the others back into the alley as the mare followed after. Once they were safe in the shadows...

"I'm talking about Masters Sentry and Biceps," the pony explained. "They're in Jasper-Jam Jail, down Peridot Alley."

The mares gasped. "They're alive?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

Twilight's eyes glittered. "They must be gathering intelligence," she theorized. "Hatching a plan on how to defeat the weapon." She shook the mare's hand. "Thank you so much, brave one."

"Right," Rarity declared, teleporting up. "Let's get down there and..."

But as the others joined her... they found Queen Chrysalis staring up at them.

"Twilight," Chrysalis snarled, her eyes glowing green as they fixated on the purple mare. "Get them, my children!"

Instantly, every disguised pony shifted. The mares and stallions barely even screamed as the changelings took to the air, chasing the group across the rooftops.

"Twilight, I don't suppose you know anything about changeling weaknesses," Rainbow Dash noted, punching down a changeling that got in their way.

"Um..." Twilight stammered, blasting another that tried to cut them off. "Okay, let me think..."

Three more changelings shot up into their path, only for Pinkie to shoot them out of the air with her party cannon. Another changeling tried to catch her on the side, only for Rarity to side kick him out of the way.

Without hesitation Twilight and the others tried to flee, but each path the warriors took was blocked off by several changelings.

"How do they keep blocking us off?" Rarity said.

"I'm thinking! Uh..." Twilight clutched her head, nearly getting tackled before Tai Lung kicked the attacking changeling away from her. "Changelings... shapshifting creature that resemble traits of various insects as well as a keen sense of smell... inter workings..."

"Twilight!" Fluttershy yelped, spinning her away as she kicked another changeling.

"Sorry!" Twilight stammered, blasting another changeling away as she tried to remember. "Uh... inner workings of their hive works much likes bees... they have the ability to change into anypony you hold love for in your heart... Attack pattern include stealth kills, ponynapping and surrounding their prey with overwhelming numbers..."

Rainbow Dash kicked another changeling away, only for another to knock her out of the air. She was nearly dog piled before Tai Lung and Fluttershy kicked the reinforcements away, allowing Rainbow Dash to head-butt the changeling holding her and throw him aside.

"Any day now, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"A-An ability all Changeling hold," Twilight was shouting now, as she kicked and then blasted another changeling. "Is the ability to instill illusions, shapeshift, and communicate through..." Twilight's eyes widened. "Hive Mind! All changelings have a hive mind, letting the others know where we are heading!"

But right as she said it, her face fell in horror. The changelings had formed a complete dome around them, cutting off land and sky for them.

"Oh no," Fluttershy squeaked, lowering herself to the ground

"As much as I love to chase my food," Chrysalis growled, moving through her children. "It's time you met your fate... 'Twilight.'"

Twilight's hands glowed with magic, while the others prepared for battle. However, Chrysalis paused, turning to Tai Lung with a flare of her nostrils.

"Urtica?" she asked.

Tai Lung cracked his knuckles. "Not quite," he growled.

Chrysalis sniffed at him - careful not to get within range of his fists - before snorting.

"You're right," she admitted. "You smell of my daughter. But you are not her." The Queen grinned. "But she's claimed you as hers. Which mean I can use you to lure her out."

Chrysalis lit her horn with a dark green magic. However, before the magic could overcome the group, a bright green flash blinded the changelings.

The changelings backed up, blinking in shock. But by the time they regained their eyesight, the group of fighters was gone.

"What?!" Chrysalis barked, before glowering, looking around in rage.

"Was that...?" one of the changelings asked, falling silent as Chrysalis turned to him and the others.

"Search everywhere," she ordered. "I want that creature brought to me. Leave the purple unicorn for Sombra, and do what you will with the others."

"Okay," one of the larger changelings declared. "So, we take the purple mare to King Sombra, the snow leopard to the queen, and do whatever we want with the others."

"Excellent," Chrysalis praised.

"Got it," the changeling said with a grin. "Alright, everybody; let's go!"

"Yeah!" The changelings spread out, searching the surrounding areas. However, as they passed by several barrels, they failed to notice six barrels inching away into a nearby alleyway.

A blue eye poked out of a hole on one of the barrels, watching as the changelings ran out of sight.

"All clear," Pinkie declared, and the barrels popped open, the mares and snow leopard leaping out.

Racing to the end of the alleyway, Rainbow Dash's eye alighted on a sign engraved with bars and shackles.

"Look," Rainbow Dash whispered in glee. "Jasper-Jam Jail!"

Sneaking towards the prison, the group halted as Fluttershy stopped them, her ears wiggling.

"Two changelings," she reported. "Guarding the entrance." She perked up. "Where's Tai?"

Before the group could even look for the son of their master, a shriek emanated from the prison entrance. One changeling was hurled into the wall across from them, hitting the wall like a bug against a windshield. Racing around the corner, the group found Tai Lung choking the last changeling into submission. Grinning at them, he kicked open the door.

"Ladies," he offered with a grin.

Rarity cooed. "What a gentleman," she praised. Twilight just sighed.

Four more changelings raced out for them. Rarity caught one of the changeling's lunges, redirecting him into the ground, while Rainbow and Pinkie took out the others. The fourth tried to hide, only for Twilight to catch him with a beam spell before he could grab Rainbow.

"Nice one, Twilight" Rainbow Dash praised.

Nodding, Twilight turned to Tai, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie.

"Can you guys keep watch?" she asked. "The changeling Hive Mind will definitely pick up on what we did to these guards."

"You got it, Twilight," Pinkie replied. "At the first sign of trouble, we'll whine like Rarity." She mimicked Rarity's voice. "This is WHINING!"

"Nice," Rainbow Dash said with a grin, as she and Twilight jumped down. Missing Rarity's look of indignation.

"I do not sound like that," she scoffed.

But Rarity's pouting would have to wait. For before she and Pinkie could argue about it, Twilight spotted the forlorn form of Flash Sentry.

"The ferocious Master Flash!" Twilight said, awe in her voice as she ran to his cell, spotting a muscular white pegasus behind the orange prisoner. "And The Storming Master Bulk!" Twilight gagged with glee. "I can't believe we're rescuing actual legends of Kung-Fu!"

"Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked as Twilight giggled. "Are you having another joy overload?"

"No-no," Twilight said, quickly shaking off her glee and replacing it with determination. "Don't worry Masters," she assured the bemused looking prisoners. "We're gonna free you from these bonds of injustice, no problem."

She began charging a spell to unlock the cell... only for Rainbow Dash to kick the door down.

"Or do that." Twilight admitted.

"Alright, come on," Rainbow Dash declared. "It's time to bring Lord Sombra to Justice!"

Rainbow Dash and Twilight ran towards the entrance, already envisioning bursting out with legends of Kung-fu behind them. Really far behind them...

They slowed and turned back. The masters had not moved from their cells.

"Um... Masters?" Twilight asked, peeking into the cell. "Are we going or not?"

Rainbow Dash poked her head in. "You want to meet us there or something? Don't you want to save the Empire?"

"Yeah," Bulk said, his tone bitter and slightly petulant.

"But if we try," Flash added, picking up the door with his cell mate. "Sombra will turn the weapon on the city."

Twilight stared in shock as they set the door back into place.

"Wait, so you're... protecting the Empire by not protecting the Empire?" she asked.

"That doesn't make sense," Rainbow insisted. "If we all work together..."

Bulk silenced the pegasus by slamming the bars into the stone. "Then what happened to Master Macintosh will happen to EVERYONE!" he boomed.

The mares backed up as Bulk hung his head against the bars, the death of his fellow master weighing on him like bricks. Rainbow Dash and Twilight glanced at each other.

"Then what if we use..." Twilight offered before teleporting into the cell. "A sneak attack." She began to draw a plan in the dust on the ground. "We'll get inside..."

But before she could continue, Flash grabbed her.

"And then you will be stopped," he insisted, throwing her back out, Bulk opening the door enough to let her out before slamming it shut. "By the unstoppable weapon."

But Twilight regained her feet. "Nothing's unstoppable," she snapped before pausing. "Except for me. When I'm stopping you. From telling me something's... unstoppable." She paused, scratching her head in confusion.

Bulk and Flash blinked at her in equal bambozzlement. "What?" Flash asked.

Twilight answered with a battle cry, hitting the door, and causing it to spin from Bulk embedding the middle of it in stone. Adapting, Twilight spun underneath sending Bulk out of the cell.

Before Twilight could do more than laugh, Bulk charged right back in right as Flash shoved Twilight into the door, sending the piece of barred metal into another spin. Unfortunately, when a pony was spat back out before a very amused Rainbow Dash, it was Flash Sentry.

"Bulk, wrong one!" Flash stammered, tapping at the bar. "Bulk! Wrong pony!"

But Twilight stood between Bulk and the entrance, her face set with determination.

"Master Bulk Biceps," she declared. "You are not staying in this cell!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Bulk roared, before charging her and sending her right over the bars. As Flash snuck back in, Twilight was sent spinning out head over heels. Luckily, Rainbow Dash caught her, and spun her right back to her feet. Twilight blinked in utter confusion, having no idea what just happened.

"You see that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That's called being awesome."

Twilight blinked at her. "Oh, uh... thanks, Rainbow," she said, before turning back to the stubborn prisoners. "Come on! What happened to being heroes!"

She charged back in, grappling with Bulk as Flash tried to get her back out.

"The only hero in this city is a dead one!" Flash insisted, before they were spent spinning round and round and round the door.

Finally, Twilight was spat out of the spinning whirlwind, and landed defeated on her back. Bulk slammed the door shut.

"Ain't no way you getting us outta this cell!" he snapped... only to realize he and Flash had ended up on the outside of the cell.

"Oh..." Flash muttered, before the door shattered from the stress.

Twilight giggled as Rainbow Dash helped her to her feet.

"Alright, you done, or can we get... oh come on!" Rainbow Dash grumbled.

The masters had walked right into the cell next to their old one.

"I get the top bunk this time," Flash said, jumping onto the top bunk, as Bulk shut the door on them.

"It's time to face it," Bulk said, his voice broken. "Kung-Fu is dead."

Twilight and Rainbow Dash blinked in horror.

"D-Dead..." Twilight whispered, her heart broken at what a well-known hero and master had just uttered. However, Rainbow Dash's stare turned into a glare.

"Fine," she growled. "Stay in your prison of fear, with bars made of hopelessness."

Twilight, gaining strength from Rainbow Dash's words, stepped up again.

"Y-Yeah. With three square meals a day of shame!" she added.

"With despair for desert," Flash Sentry muttered behind Bulk.

"But we are gonna take down Sombra," Dash declared. "And destroy his weapon."

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "And show all those who hunger for justice and honor, that Kung-Fu still lives!"

"Yay." a gray mare in another cell replied. Pinkie raced up to her in glee.

"Maude?!" she shrieked.

But before Bulk could consider Twilight's words, or Maude could explain why she was in the cell, the door burst open. And Queen Chrysalis and two of her changeling guards strolled in.

"At last," Chrysalis purred.

Twilight winced before glaring at Pinkie. "Pinkie!" she hissed.

Pinkie turned from her sister, just noticing the changelings. "Oopsie-daisy," she whimpered. She briefly looked up to Tai and the others, but Tai motioned for them to not blow their cover. Getting his message, Twilight turned to the Queen of Changelings.

"You!" Twilight declared, setting up her combat stance. "You're the one that stole from the Musicians."

"And next, I'll steal you for King Sombra," Chrysalis replied with a wide grin.

A grin that quickly faded when Tai and Rarity squashed her changeling guards into paste. As the masters surrounded the changeling queen, her eyes widened, taking in the odds stacked against her.

"Actually, with the benefit of hindsight..." Chrysalis began, before her wings popped out and she flew up and out of the roof.

"After her!" Twilight ordered, as the ponies and snow leopard lunged out the roof after her.

Little did the warriors know, but as Chrysalis fled from them, she whispered into her hive mind, "Do not attack the ponies. Withdraw to the castle and await me."

Though the warriors did not hear her order, they did not question the lack of changeling as they pursued the queen through the streets of the Crystal Empire.

"Your bug butt is mine, changeling scum!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Oh, no," Tai Lung declared. "She frightened Urtica. She's mine to squash!"

"Usual wager?" Rainbow Dash asked with a grin Tai Lung returned.

"You're on!"

The two out ran and out flew Twilight and the others, closing in on Chrysalis. Panicking as her target fell behind, Chrysalis dove into the streets, seizing a random crystal pony and carrying him into the air.

"Hey-Hey!" Rainbow Dash yelled, chasing after her. With the benefit of wings, Rainbow Dash easily started to catch up. Until Chrysalis hurled her hostage into open air. Lacking wings, the pony screamed as she tumbled. Rainbow Dash yelped, and dove after the mare, as Chrysalis let Twilight continue to pursue her.

"That's it," Chrysalis purred. "That's it, Twilight... come to Mama..."

Yet, as Twilight chased after her lowering form, Fluttershy began rising up, her ears twitching as she tracked Chrysalis. Glowering, Chrysalis dove into the Crystal Market, smashing her way through stalls and sending ponies and produce flying into the air.

"Ack!" Twilight yelled, trying to levitate them, only for Rarity's magic to take over.

"We've got this, Twilight," Rarity said, as Pinkie zipped around with a massive cake, cushioning every pony's fall.

"Yeah, you get that meanie-bug-lady," Pinkie declared.

Yet, as Twilight turned around, Tai Lung stayed with her. And both of them gaped in horror as Chrysalis held up a little baby cart filled with crystal pony fillies.

"Don't. You..." Twilight started to warn, before Chrysalis tossed them into Tai Lung.

The son of Luna roared as he was blinded by tiny hands and feet.

"Tai!" Twilight yelled, racing after him, much to Chrysalis' dismay. "Tai Lung, you're going the wrong way."

Twilight lashed out with her magic, just barely managing to keep Tai Lung from falling off a roof. However, one of the fillies lost her grip, and cheered with delight as she fell.

"No!" Tai and Twilight yelled, Twilight trying to flare another spell... only to lower her arm in relief as Rainbow Dash zipped by, the filly safely in her arms.

The three deposited the fillies at the ground, only to look on hoplessly as Chrysalis was even further away then before. Chrysalis laughed heartily, opening one eye to see what Twilight did.

"Come, warrior," she silently thought. "Come get me."

Growling, Twilight glared down at where Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity were catching up.

"Pinkie," she declared. "Party Cannon."

Pinkie gasped in delight before yanking her cannon out of her cake.

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, turning to the cyan mare. "Sonic Rainboom by Proxy."

Rainbow Dash gasped in glee, before nodding. "I'll need a boost," she said. "Tai Lung, think you can handle it?"

Tai Lung chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Let's do it," he declared.

Together, the three jumped, landing perfectly in Pinkie's party cannon, who aimed it right at the confused looking Queen.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!!" Pinkie yelled blasting them out.

First, Tai Lung hurled Rainbow, who was holding on to Twilight. And as the air bent around Rainbow and Twilight, Rainbow spun around and bucked Twilight through the sound barrier, producing a sonic explosion of both purple and rainbow colors.

Chrysalis' grin faded from her face as Twilight rocketed towards her, shrieking in horror.

"THISISMUCHFASTERTHANITHOUGHTITWASGOINGTOBEIMSOGONNADIE!" Twilight was shrieking.

"WHENISAIDCOMEAFTERMETHISISNOTWHATIMEANIMSOGONNADIE!" Chrysalis screamed right back.

Then the two collided, Twilight carrying Chrysalis down the streets as the other warriors tried to keep up.

Despite the high-intensity ride, Chrysalis locked her arms around Twilight, cackling in victory.

"Fool!" she declared. "I wanted you to catch me. Now away from your friends, I shall..."

WHACK! Chrysalis' head crashed through one of the signs above the many stores of the Crystal streets.

"What the?!" Chrysalis demanded. "Who dares...?"

WHACK! Another sign smashed into her face.

Realizing her advantage, Twilight folded herself back, and blasted explosion spells, keeping up their momentum as sign after sign crashed into Chrysalis' head.

"You will...." WHACK! "I'm not..." WHACK! "Will you..." WHACK! "This is..." WHACK!"

Shrieking in rage, Chrysalis seized Twilight by the ankles and spun her right into the sign's path.

"Now see how you like it!" Chrysalis declared, as the first of many signs crashed into Twilight's head.

"Ow!" WHACK! "Why..." WHACK! "Are there..." WHACK! "So..." WHACK! "Many..." WHACK! "Signs!?"

Luckily, Chrysalis was so busy laughing at Twilight's pain that she didn't keep their momentum up. And as gravity regained it's hold on them, they tumbled to the ground, falling down a set of stairs.

Remembering another set of stairs from another fight, Twilight seized Chrysalis' head, whacking it against the ground with every bounce they made off the stairs.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!" Chrysalis whined as her face was bruised and battered by the relentless crystal.

Chrysalis tried to flare a spell. But as her face hit the ground for the twentieth time, her horn was hit the wrong way, and the spell exploded, throwing both pony and changeling into the air. Briefly, they held each other, screaming as they careened towards the gate of the Crystal Castle. But just before Chrysalis could remember she had wings, Twilight seized her wings and angled her into the ground.

"And... SQUASH!" Twilight roared, smashing Chrysalis chest first into the ground. Laughing in victory and adrenaline, Twilight stumbled off the beaten changeling queen, even as Chrysalis looked up with a tired grin.

"Taste the defeat!" Twilight declared, falling off her as the rest of her friends joined her.

"Let me tell you something, bug," Rainbow declared. "Next time you face a Kung-Fu Warrior, be sure to bring..."

"An army?" Chrysalis asked from the ground.

As she began to laugh at them, the warriors looked up in horror as changelings swarmed out of the Crystal Gates, surrounding them in seconds while several helped their queen to her feet.

"You foolish martial artists," Chrysalis mocked, as a bigger changeling stepped towards Twilight. "Did you not know? When you mess with a Queen, you get the Hive."

The big changeling slugged Twilight in the gut, sending her to the ground sucking air. Even as Tai Lung and Rainbow got in the changeling's face, four more melted out from the swarm to surround them.

"Go on," Chrysalis dared as the changelings bore their fangs. "Your move. What are you going to do?"

Tai Lung and Rainbow Dash narrowed their eyes before looking to Twilight. She was getting back up, glowering at Chrysalis as she rubbed her stomach. She thought it over for a minute, glancing at her friends, before she spoke.

"We surrender."

"WHAT?!" Tai Lung, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie all yelled. But the changelings swarmed them. In seconds, the group was shackled. Rarity had her horn covered by anti-magic rings, Rainbow and Fluttershy's wings were tied down along with their arms. Tai Lung was muzzled and shackled until it looked like he was wearing a suit of armor.

"Twilight..." he hissed.

"Trust me," she whispered, as her own arms were yanked forward. "I've got a p..."

She stopped as shackles were fitted onto her wrists, and she spun to them in shock.

"No way!" she stammered. "Eight point acupuncture cuffs?!" She turned to Tai Lung in excitement. "These are just like the ones that held... you." She paused, seeing the forlorn expression on his face.

"Yes," he admitted in a deadpan voice. "I more than remember their sting."

"Isn't it true that the more you move, the tighter they get...?" Twilight started to ask, before a yak yanked her forward, and she yelped. "Yep! Yes, they do." She giggled. "Oh, these are the best cuffs!" Her giggles went up in another yelp as she and the others were yanked into the castle.

To await King Sombra.
> Meeting with the Dark King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sombra gazed down at the warriors as they were shackled. Turning from the window, he ascended to his weapon, and postured next to it.

"Greetings, 'Twilight,'" he declared in practice. "At last, we meet..." He grimaced. "No..."

Summoning a sword staff, he lunged to the stairs, pretending to hold his sword to his imaginary foe's throat.

"We meet at last," he said, grinning. "Yes. I like that." He placed himself besides the stairs, and held his head high. "Greetings, Twilight," he declared again. "We meet at..."

He swung his sword... and yelped as he nearly took Zecora's mohawk off as she ascended the stairs. To the zebra's credit, she barely grimaced, walking by him.

"Though your reign is in season, you are afraid for a reason," she said with a smile, walking by him.

"I'm not afraid," Sombra growled at her. "She's coming to me in chains." He smirked. "If anyone should be afraid it's..."

"You," Zecora replied, turning to him with a grin. She gazed lower with a darker smile, though Sombra was quickly to pull his robes away from the zebra.

"No, don't you even think about it," he warned.





Twilight and the others waited for Chrysalis to open the doors to the Crystal Castle's courtyard. Though tied down with shackles, Twilight tried to hold herself with an air of authority that the others had.

Rainbow Dash grimaced. "This better work out better than Pinkie's plan to cook rice in her stomach by eating it raw then drinking boiling water."

Pinkie grimaced at the memory. "Please tell me this plan is nothing like that plan."

"Okay," Twilight replied. "It's nothing like that plan."

Rainbow rolled her eyes while Pinkie giggled. "How so?"

But before Twilight could explain, the doors opened, and all six warriors froze in horror.

Immediately Rainbow Dash was glad Applejack had been left at the Celestial Palace. A wooden cross was planted into the ground, Tied to the cross was the still bloody skeleton of Master Big Macintosh. His head, unfortunately not cleaned of its fur and skin, rested on top of the cross.

"Big Mac....." Rarity whispered in horror. Tai Lung turned his head away with a grimace.

Chrysalis smiled as she tapped the blood soaked cross.

"This is what awaits those who defy King Sombra," Chrysalis said, glancing up at the corpse with mock sympathy. "It's unfortunate," she added, licking her lips. "Such a strong stallion would have been incredibly useful to my hive."

Rainbow Dash strained against her restraints. "When I get out of here," she promised coldly. "I'm gonna drop-kick you so hard, you'll smash through every floor in this castle." She glanced up at the incredibly tall castle.

Chrysalis chuckled at the pony's barbed tongue, before nodding to her children.

"Keep moving," she declared.

The ponies pushed the masters past Big Mac's corpse and into the castle. Twilight paled as she saw what lay ahead of them: a massive flight of stairs.

"So..." Twilight asked with a nervous laugh. "He's on the first or second floor, right?"

Chrysalis' smile just widened, causing Twilight to groan in despair. Yet, as the masters began the trek up the stairs, Chrysalis frowned as she took in their scents.

'One of them has a faint scent of spicy mustard and sweet custard. However with the leopard boy smelling like Urtica, I can't tell which one is my daughter.' She chewed on her thumbnail. 'Where are you, daughter? Would you really leave behind this leopard you've claimed as your own?' She sighed, before ascending after the masters. 'I suppose I'll have to wait and see.'





Sombra was ready. He stood by the stairs, his sword in hand, ready to rest against Twilight's throat as she came up to his throne room. Yet... something was... off.

Boom... "Ugh." Boom... "Urg." Boom...

Those weren't the footsteps of just any pony. They were the footsteps of a monster. A beast. Sombra hesitantly drew his sword from its scabbard.

BOOM! "Ugh." BOOM! "Oh." BOOM!

Sombra tensed. She was right beneath his feet.

BOOM! "Rah!" BOOM! "Ugh!" BOOM!

Sombra got ready to swing... and one of his yaks stomped up the stairs, Twilight on his back. She was breathing heavily and covered in sweat

"Sweet Celestia," she gasped, slipping off the yak's back. "Why does this place have so many stairs?!"

Sombra stared at the mare in disbelief. Though he could see a similar face to the one he had killed 19 years ago... that was pretty much it in terms of intimidation. Sweating, panting, being helped up by her cyan friend...

"Pony threw up on thirty-third floor" the yak added as he stepped to Sombra's side.

'This is nothing like how I envisioned the pony destined to stop me?' Sombra thought. The thought gave him courage, and he held himself up higher, striding to his weapon.

"Greetings, 'Twilight,'" he declared. "We meet at last." He smirked. "How are you liking my empire?"

She glanced up at him, catching her breath. "It's not bad," she admitted. "But it's luster has dulled with you as King."

Sombra's grin faded as Zecora walked over to the lavender mare.

"Hm," Zecora hummed, hooking her cane under Twilight's arm. "Though you have grown, you are smaller than I would have known."

"Um... excuse me?" Twilight asked, before Zecora grabbed her by the horn and peered into her mouth.

"At least you are healthy," she noted, before gripping Twilight's arm. "If not neccesarily wealthy."

Twilight yanked her arms free. "Look, I'm not sure what you're talking about... um..." she peered at Zecora. "Ma'am?"

"She's a girl," Fluttershy whispered with a blush. "I can, uh... I can tell."

"I didn't want to assume," Twilight admitted.

"Enough!" Sombra boomed. "Bring the prisoners to me."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Twilight said, striding forward. "Alright guys, keep your eyes peeled for... the... weapon."

Twilight's grin faded and her words stammered into a horrified gasp as they were brought right before the barrel of Sombra's cannon.

"The rumors were true," Pinkie whispered, gazing on the cannon in horror. "You took the party cannon technique and made it... evil!"

Sombra merely chuckled at her horror, sparing Twilight a contemptuous glare before turning to a still unpreturbed Zecora. "You honestly think this is the mare destined to defeat me?" he demanded of the zebra.

"I do not think," Zecora replied. "I 'know.'" She grinned at Twilight. "Wink," she added for the sake of her rhyme.

Sombra shook his head, cackling in genuine amusement.

"Oh, but look at her," he insisted. "A lifetime to plan her revenge, and she comes to me on her knees..."

"A lifetime?" Twilight asked. "Excuse me, 'your grace,' but we've had more important things in our life than you."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed. "We only knew about Master Big Mac a few days ago." She stretched her shackles. "And we're gonna avenge him!"

The zebra paused, blinking at Twilight in shock.

"But..." she mumbled. "You've come to avenge nothing else?"

Twilight tilted her head at her. "Well... I guess we'll want the metal pots and pans you stole." She glanced at the weapon nervously. "Though I've got a good idea where those went."

"Nothing else?" Zecora asked, her voice cracking in disbelief.

With everyone focused on Twilight, no one noticed Pinkie's tongue curl into her mane and pull out a bobby pin. A pin she started using to pick the lock on Tai Lung's cuffs.

"I mean... maybe he did some other evil things," Twilight replied. "I don't know." She looked up at Sombra, who was trying not to fall to the floor with laughter. "What else did you do?"

"You... don't know," Zecora whispered, nearly falling to her knees in shock.

"What?" Twilight asked, starting to become frustrated when Sombra continued to laugh. "What's so funny? What did you do?!"

"The very thing that you clearly know nothing about!" Sombra replied. Enraged, Twilight stood up.

"OKAY, ENOUGH WITH THE RIDDLES!" she demanded. "Will you both just..." However, she went silent when Sombra's blade materialized inches from her eyes.

"No one tells me what to do," Sombra growled at her, flicking his sword up. "Not you. Not my parents. And especially, not fate!" He turned to the cannon. "Take aim."

Twilight backed up as Chrysalis and her children aimed the cannon. Behind them, the yaks opened the doors to the castle balcony, leading to a straight drop at least several miles to the ground.

Pinkie leaned closer to Tai Lung, desperately picking at the lock.

Sombra briefly glanced back, allowing the frightened masters to see his ominious smile.

"Fire," he declared.

Chrysalis lit the fuse, and Sombra let out one final laugh. That... wasn't followed by the explosion of the cannon.

He turned back to the cannon. It had not fired.

"Chrysalis!" he demanded. "I told you to fire!"

"I did!" Chrysalis protested, lighting it again. But the fuse remained unlit.

"What the...?" Sombra demanded, shoving Chrysalis out of the way and seizing the fuse himself. "I always have to..." he grumbled as he lit the fuse...

And was promptly kicked across the room by Pinkie Pie.

"Surprise," she declared happily to the stunned King.

He spun back to the others just as Tai Lung's cuffs burst off. With a roar, he smashed the shackles on the others, quickly freeing his friends.

"But how...?!" Chrysalis demanded, before the shackled 'Pinkie' rose up, engulfing herself in green flames to reveal...

"Urtica?!" Chrysalis demanded, right before Rainbow Dash bucked her through the floor.

"Told ya," Rainbow Dash noted with a grin.

"Get the Weapon" Twilight yelled, charging at Sombra and blasting him against the wall.

"Tai!" Urtica barked, allowing the snow leopard to use her as a springboard.

Jumping up, Tai Lung axe kicked the head of the cannon, launching it into the air. Rarity immediately teleported above the weapon. Kissing her knuckles, she punched the cannon with such force, it crashed through the floors. A resounding BOOM of destruction followed shortly afterward.

"For Big Mac," She whispered as she landed on the ground... and was promptly jumped over by a returning Chrysalis.

"Traitor!" Chrysalis screamed, dodging past Fluttershy and Tai as she went for her daughter. However, Urtica matched her mother's charge, re-directing her onto the palace balcony.

"Nice to see you too, 'mother,'" Urtica spat, Tai and Fluttershy forming up behind her as they cornered Chrysalis against the balcony. Glaring at her reinforcements, Chrysalis tried for a motherly gaze.

"Why did you leave us, daughter?" she asked, her voice cracking in remorse. "Why abandon your family?"

"You wanted me to just be another you," Urtica growled, motioning for her friends to stay back. "Just another bloodthirsty changeling. The others may be willing to swallow your lies. But I'M NOT!"

She lunged, catching her mother with two painful strikes to the face. Chrysalis rolled with the punches, launching off the balcony and flaring her wings. As Urtica tried to dive after her, Chrysalis caught her with a beam spell, smashing her against the balcony archway.

"You were always too soft," Chrysalis muttered, as Urtica hit the ground like a rag doll. Immediately, however, Tai Lung jumped over her, standing protectively between Urtica and the changeling queen. Chrysalis sneered at Tai's snarl.

"Come now," the queen tempted. "Let me take my daughter back to the hive. I'll even let her have you when she becomes Queen." She smirked. "After all, creating Royal Changelings is a two creature job."

Tai narrowed his eyes, a dangerous growl bubbling from his throat.

"She will never return with you," he snarled, before a scream distracted him.

He chanced a glance back. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Fluttershy were engaged with fighting the yaks and changelings. But none of them had screamed. They were looking to Twilight, who was backing up from Sombra, her lavender fur almost white with fear.

In their fight, Sombra's robes had been shredded, revealing his silver and black armor. And on his shoulder was the same insignia that Chrysalis had. The same one that had triggered Twilight's flashbacks.

Only this time, Twilight did not just see her mother. She saw a figure pursuing her. A familiar figure.

"You..." Twilight whispered, staring at Sombra. "You were there!"

Sombra smirked. "Finally remembering, are we?" he mused, before his horn glowed, and he disappeared with a flash of shadows.

Tai Lung remembered himself and spun back to Chrysalis. But she had not charged. Instead, Sombra had appeared before her, tackling into her and forcing her to bear him away from the palace.

The others converged with Tai on the balcony, failing to see one of the yaks snatch a stunned Zecora away and retreat down the stairs.

"What the hay was that?!" Rainbow demanded, turning to a still pale Twilight. "You let him get away!"

"At least we destroyed that horrid weapon," Rarity said, glaring at Sombra and Chrysalis as they neared a lit building.

"I wouldn't be so sure Rarity" Twilight whispered, her voice shaking. "Remember when I said I had a good idea where the metal went?"

Right on cue, Sombra and Chrysalis landed at the lit building... and at least ten more cannons poked out of the building.

"Fire!" Sombra bellowed.

Ten cannonballs soared in an arc towards the palace.

"Oh, no," Pinkie commented in a shaky voice. "He's got way more."

"Oh..my," Fluttershy whimpered as her ears flopped against her head.

"Run for it!" Pinkie screamed, just as the cannonballs crashed into the palace.

The explosion knocked everyone across the room. Tai rolled, Urtica's unconsious body in his arms. Fluttershy squeaked as she hit the ground, her wing an ashy mess.

"My wing!" Fluttershy cried, holding herself in agony.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow said rushing to her friend

As the mares converged on their downed friend, Twilight tried to join them. But another explosion hit the palace, sending Twilight into the pit the first weapon had left with a scream of fear.

"Twilight!" Pinkie cried out, lunging to catch her. As both mares plummeted into the pit, Rarity managed to catch Pinkie's legs. The pink mare stretched like putty, but maintained her hold on Twilight.

"R-Rainbow Dash!" Rarity yelled, as another explosion nearly knocked her into the pit as well. "Tai! Help!"

But Rainbow Dash glanced back at the window. At Sombra, who was laughing maniacally as the palace slowly caved in.

"Bring it down!" he was demanding. "Smash them! KILL THEM!"

"Wait," Rainbow barked as Tai got to Rarity's side. "We need to get down to the lower levels." She indicated the ropes tangling around the pit as she hefted Fluttershy onto her back. "Use the ropes."

Pinkie and Twilight exchanged a glance, before Twilight managed to swing to the ropes and catch them.

"Try not to land in Twilight's vomit," Pinkie commented as she swung down with Twilight, and the group began to descend.

With Twilight and Rarity spamming their teleport spells, the group quickly made their way back to the ground floor. Yet, just as they reached the exit, another volley of cannonballs hit the palace. The exit caved in before them.

"We're trapped!" Twilight whimpered.

"Not yet!" Tai Lung snarled. Holding Urtica under one arm, he punched down one of the walls, leading to the outside...

And promptly found himself facing a firing squad of changelings.

"Fire!" Chrysalis boomed over her hive mind, as a volley of spells shot their way. Tai covered Urtica with his body, roaring as spells scorched his back.

Before they could down the snow leopard, however, Rainbow Dash lunged over him, smashing the spells aside with her hooves of steel.

"Get back!" Rainbow barked, as Twilight and Rarity formed barriers to aid her. With the changeling spells blocked for now, Rainbow was able to notice the palace beginning to tilt.

Rainbow briefly grinned, turning back to her friends as she tucked Fluttershy under her arm.

"The only way out is up," Rainbow declared, flaring her wings and indicating the side of the building.

"Up?" Twilight and Rarity demanded, before noticing the tilt of the building. Understanding Rainbow's plan, they turned to Tai, who was flexing his scorched back.

"Are you okay to do this, Tai?" Rarity asked.

Despite the pain in his voice, he managed a laugh. "Don't forget who I am," he declared confidently. "I'm the son of Luna Solaris!" And with Urtica under his arm, he followed Rainbow Dash out, flipping and jumping alongside Pinkie Pie as they followed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy up.

The unicorns exchanged a mutual glance of nervousness, before flaring their horns as one and following them up with another plethora of teleportation spells.

Sombra's cackling faded as he watched them climb back up the falling palace.

"Where in the name of the Umbra are they going?" he growled, before following the path of the building. His eyes brightening in realization, he turned to Chrysalis. "Chrysalis! Get your changelings to cut them off at the east side!"

But as Chrysalis exchanged his orders through the hive mind, the masters leaped from the falling building and into the streets of the empire. The changelings that tried to cut them off were caught by the building, their screams going silent as they vanished under the rubble.

Chrysalis gasped, stepping back as she felt their minds torn from the hive mind.

"My... children," she whispered, tears forming on her face.

"You'll make more," Sombra replied coldly, glaring at where the masters had gone before turning to the cannons. "Ready the changelings we have left. Get them ready to move. The Reign of Equestria ends tomorrow."

But Chrysalis glared at him in rage.

"Have you no sympathy?" she demanded. "I just lost thirty of my children!"

She stepped towards him threateningly, only to go silent as his drew his sword, aiming it at her eye. The changeling queen wisely backed down from the glare in her king's eyes.

"You'll make more," Sombra repeated with a growl. "Now get the ones you have ready to move. Now!"

Seething but reluctant to argue, Chrysalis turned from her king and to the changelings that had gathered before her. She didn't meet their gaze; she knew they felt the deaths of their brethren. But there was nothing she could do to console their grief.

"We move out tomorrow," she said, her voice struggling not to crack. "And we'll make them pay for the ones we've lost."





Meanwhile, the masters returned to Jasper-Jam Jail. Briefly, Rainbow Dash glared at two changelings that were guarding the door. But their eyes lit up as orders were relayed through their hive mind, and they quickly leaped into the air, vanishing into the shadows.

With the coast clear, the group raced inside. Rainbow Dash and Tai Lung settled the battered Fluttershy and Urtica into the beds in the broken cell. Tai had enough time to put Urtica on the bunk before he collapsed, his breathing ragged and the wounds on his back smoking.

"Oh my," Rarity bemoaned, firing up a medicine spell that covered his back like lotion. "Looks like the adrenaline was all that was keeping him going."

"It's... nothing," Tai insisted, even as he moaned in relief from the spell. "Just... some rest... and I'll be back up in no time..." As the relief from the medicine overtook him, he curled up next to Urtica, and his chest rose and fell in a peaceful slumber. Chuckling, Rarity set to work on Urtica and Fluttershy.

"You gonna be okay, Flutters?" Rainbow asked as Rarity fixed her wing with a flash of magic.

Fluttershy sighed in relief as Rarity's spells took effect. "I'll be right as rain in no time," she replied.

Nodding, Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight and Pinkie, who's attention had been grabbed by the voluntarily imprisoned masters.

"What did you do?!" Bulk demanded. "It's pandamonium out there! What happened to stopping Sombra!"

"Oh-ho, now he cares about that," Pinkie noted to Twilight cheekily. "Am I right? Eh?" Her grin faded. "Twilight?"

Twilight didn't reply. At first, she stared at the ground, trying to process what had happened. However, her attention was soon taken by Rainbow Dash, who marched on Twilight with slowly mounting rage. Pinkie saw Rainbow's look, and tried to get in her way.

"Rainbow, wait," Pinkie begged, but the master shoved her pink friend aside.

"No, Bulk's right," Rainbow growled.

Twilight turned and was met with twin palms striking her chest, knocking her to the ground. She backed as Rainbow Dash bore over her.

"Start talking, Twilight," Rainbow snapped. "You had Sombra! You had him dead to rights! What happened?!"

"I... I... I don't know," Twilight stammered, looking away only for Rainbow to grab her face.

"Tell the truth!" the cyan master boomed.

"Rainbow!" Pinkie snapped, pushing the two apart.

"He... he caught me off guard," Twilight mumbled, looking away again.

Rainbow nearly charged her, before Pinkie's glare forced her to relent. She knelt down to Twilight's level.

"Twilight," she said softly, grabbing the unicorn's attention without force. "The truth."

Twilight opened her mouth to speak. But after a moment, her jaw closed with a click. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, but sighed in resignation.

"Fine. Don't tell me." She turned to Bulk and Flash before glancing at Fluttershy, Urtica and Tai. "Who's fit for travel?" she asked.

Fluttershy raised her hand. Tai's eyes snapped open, and he sprung to position. However, Urtica continued to sleep, Rarity shaking her head at Rainbow as the white mare checked the changeling's heart rate. The cyan master nodded before turning to the two masters.

"Keep them far from danger," Rainbow asked.

Flash nodded. "That we can do," he promised. "Real far from danger."

Twilight blinked, looking between them with confusion.

"W-What?" Twilight asked.

"You're staying here with Urtica," Rainbow replied, barely even glancing at the Celestial Warrior as she moved to the others. "Get yourselves together. We move out..."

"Hey!" Twilight snapped, pushing herself up to her feet. "You can't leave me here; I have to..."

In an instant, Rainbow Dash was up in Twilight's face. Twilight's words died in her throat. Tai's eyes were wide as dinner plates, while Pinkie tried to cover an equally shocked Fluttershy and Rarity with her body.

"Uh, oh," Pinkie whispered.

For a moment, Rainbow glared her lavender counterpart down. When she spoke, her voice was soft, but radiated authority.

"You're staying here," Rainbow Dash growled.

Despite her heart hammering loud enough for everyone to hear, Twilight shook her head.

"I can't stay out of this," she said, turning to the exit. "You can't keep me out of..."

In an instant, Rainbow Dash had flash-stepped between Twilight and the exit, and had spun Twilight around so that she was heading away from the exit. Slowly, Twilight turned back to Rainbow Dash, her eyes narrowing and her magic beginning to glow.

Unimpressed, Rainbow Dash's wings flared, and she formed her own combat stance.

"Guys, please don't..." Pinkie pleaded.

But her pleas fell on deaf ears. The cyan and lavender masters charged each other, magic blasting off the walls as Twilight tried to take down the winged master. Yet Rainbow Dash enveloped Twilight in a series of strikes, and no matter what Twilight did, she was forced to the ground again and again by the superior martial artist.

Yet, Rainbow Dash's efforts were in vain as well. For no matter how many times she threw Twilight to the ground, the mare flung herself back to her feet, her groans of exertion turning to screams of primal fury.

"Twilight, just stay down!" Pinkie cried, throwing herself on Twilight as the mare hit the ground for the tenth time.

"I can't!" Twilight shrieked back.

"Tell us why!" Rainbow Dash shouted in reply.

Twilight seethed, throwing Pinkie off her before trying to hit Rainbow Dash with another spell. Rainbow Dash dodged the magic and kicked Twilight into the wall. As Twilight hit the ground, her fists slammed against the wall before...

"He was there!" she snapped.

Rainbow Dash paused. The masters leaned in as Twilight covered her face.

"He was there the last time I saw my mother," Twilight admitted, tears soaking her hands and cheeks as she looked up at Rainbow. "He's the only one who knows what I am. Where I really come from."

Rainbow stepped back. Tai came forward, cautiously reaching a hand out for her. Though both paused as Twilight pulled herself back up to her feet.

"I have to go," Twilight insisted, looking away from Rainbow. "You'd never understand; you're too hardcore."

Rainbow's body tensed again.

"Dash?" Tai asked, before she shot away from his grip.

"No!" Pinkie screamed as Rainbow Dash charged Twilight...

Only for everyone to freeze as Rainbow Dash enveloped Twilight in a hug.

Fluttershy's jaw dropped. Never before had any of the masters seen Rainbow Dash openly show her emotions that way.

"I may be hardcore," Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight. "But I do understand." She let go of the unicorn, shaking her head. "But I can't watch my friend get killed. Luna knew it with Applejack, and I know it with you."

Twilight tried to speak, but her voice had abandoned her. Resting her back against the wall, Twilight slid down in utter defeat. Giving her friend one final, sad look, Rainbow turned to the others.

"Anyone else?" she asked, her voice gruff and devoid of emotion.

Pinkie and Fluttershy exchanged a glance. "So..." Pinkie noted teasingly. "You're okay with seeing... 'us' get killed?"

"Don't be a wimp," Rainbow Dash shot back, walking right by her. Pinkie grinned triumphantly at Fluttershy.

"She's back," she declared happily, even as Rarity rolled her eyes and Fluttershy chuckled softly.

Together, the Furious Five - or Four, in this case - followed their leader out. Tai Lung, however, paused, glancing back at Twilight as she rested her head against her knees. He walked back to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You saved me from being controlled by others," Tai said gently to her. "Don't let Sombra control you with this." He pat his chest. "No matter how your story began, don't forget where it's gotten you now."

Twilight smiled softly at the master's advice, before he glanced over at Urtica's sleeping form. Twilight followed his gaze, and brushed his chin with her hand.

"I'll keep her safe," she promised. Flash rested his head on the bars.

"We all will," he added.

Nodding in gratitude, Tai turned from Twilight's side, and raced after the Furious Four. With him gone, however, Twilight felt the weight of her despair return, pulling down on her heart until it felt like it was in her stomach. Bulk sighed, while Flash tried to rest a hand on her shoulder from inside the cell.

"Don't worry kid," Bulk said. "You're better off here."

Twilight looked down. It was true. She knew it. They knew. Everyone knew it.

And yet... questions plagued her mind. What if Sombra had captured her mother? What if he was hiding her in some secret place? What if there was a chance for her to actually meet her mother? What if... Twilight shuddered at the thought, but what if Sombra's defeat only ensured the death of her mother?

Luna had told her that inner peace would make this mission possible. But now? Twilight had never felt less at peace than now.

She had to know the truth. And the only way to find out for sure... was by confronting King Sombra.
> Infiltration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Urtica slowly opened her eyes with a groan. The last thing she remembered was her mother's voice.

'You were always a disappointment.'

Then... Urtica looked around and gasped. She was in a cell! She had been re-caught!

"No..." Urtica whimpered, trying to rise despite her body throbbing in protest. "No-no-no, not here... not again..."

"Hey-hey, relax," a voice said.

Urtica whirled on the voice... and blinked in confusion as she beheld Twilight Sparkle. The Celestial Warrior. Had she been caught too. Or...

"You're still hurt," Twilight said, a healing spell glowing in her hands. "Don't agitate the wounds."

Urtica still looked around like a cornered animal. "Where am I?" she hissed in fear.

"Jasper Jam Jail," the unicorn explained gently. "Rainbow and the others went to stop Sombra and your mother."

"Tai?"

"He went with them," Twilight answered, resting her glowing hand on Urtica's body.

However, even as a soothing pulse tried to relax her body, Urtica's heart still hammered at the thought of Tai being anywhere near her mother or siblings.

"H-He can't go against her," she insisted, trying to rise, only for her body to mutiny on her. She nearly collapsed, but Twilight managed to catch her.

"There's nothing we can do," Twilight insisted.

Despite her insistence, Urtica could read the Celestial Warrior's emotions. And she could tell she didn't believe a word.

Twilight wanted to be out there. She had to be out there.

'Oh, if you only knew how our interests align, Celestial Warrior,' Urtica thought with pity. "Listen," she rasped out loud. "I can sense your emotions. I know that's not true. There's plenty we can do... and plenty they can do to us."

Twilight tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"The longer I stay," Urtica claimed. "The sooner I'll reconnect to mother's hive mind. Then I'll never be able to get away."

"But... I was told..." Twilight tried to protest, but Urtica grabbed her wrists.

"And if my mother gets ahold of Tai and her friends, she'll use them to create more changelings." She shuddered. "And then feed what's left to the hatchlings and drones."

Twilight shuddered in horror, but determination still flashed through her emotions.

"I-It won't happen," she insisted, even as Sombra flashed through her thoughts.

'Sombra!' Urtica thought with glee. 'That's her weak spot!'

"Except they're allied with Sombra," Urtica said out loud. "But Sombra won't be expecting us. If we can take him out while they distract him..."

Twilight's eyes shifted. Her emotions throbbed like a beating heart. Though Urtica felt bad about manipulating the unicorn, she couldn't help but shiver in glee as Twilight nodded.

"Alright," Twilight declared, convinced. "Let's go."





Sombra watched with pride as his cannons were hefted onto ship after ship.

"You were wrong, Soothsayer," Sombra declared. "We sail to victory tonight." He glanced sideways at the zebra behind him, who had glared at him with disappointment for the past half hour. "Your little pony is clearly a fool."

"You know how to make tools," Zecora chastised. "Yet that doesn't mean you aren't a fool." She stepped back as he put the tip of his sword into an open flame, heating the blade to a red hot point. "Despite where you may roam, you still destroyed your ancestrial home"

"A trivial sacrifice," Sombra dismissed, jabbing the red hot blade into the map of Equestria, and setting the paper alight. "When all of Equestria is my reward!"

"Then will you be satisfied?" Zecora growled, forgoing her rhymes. "Will the subjugation of the whole world finally make you feel better?"

Briefly, Sombra hesitated, doubt pumping in his heart. But he forced it back down, twisting his face into a grin.

"It's a start," he replied, keeping his back to the zebra. "I might also convert the basement into a dungeon."

Zecora was silent at first, before she joined him at the balcony.

"The cup you choose to fill holds no bottom," she said sadly. "It is time to stop this madness, Sombra."

"And why in Equestria would I do that?" the dark unicorn chuckled.

"So that your parents can finally rest in peace." Her answer was simple, and yet it made him clench the balcony hard enough to nearly break it. When he spoke, his voice was wracked with anger and bitterness.

"My parents...hated me," Sombra growled, glaring at the zebra. "Do you understand?" He turned back to his cannons, almost speaking more to himself than her. "They wronged me! And... I... will make it right."

"They loved you," Zecora said, clutching his arm. "They loved you so much that having to send you away killed them."

Briefly, horror and mourning flashed across Sombra's face. He shut his eyes, and though his voice remained resolved, it cracked with bitterness.

"The dead exist in the past" Sombra replied, opening his eyes and regarding his ships. "And I must attend to the future."

Zecora had nothing to say in protest. Sombra sighed, before turning to the nearby yak.

"Set the Soothsayer free," Sombra ordered his minion. "She is of no use to me."

Zecora hummed in disappointment, before turning her back on him.

"Farewell, Sombra," she said. "I wish you happiness."

Sombra huffed. "Happiness must be taken," he replied. "And I will take mine."

Zecora shook her head, before the yak tried to grab her by the shoulder. Narrowing her eyes, she smacked the yak's arm with her staff, before peacefully leaving the king to his delusions of conquest.





As Zecora left the factory behind, five figures snuck towards the building. Two changelings watching Zecora leave glanced up as they felt something brush by them, but found nothing.

Grouping in the shadows near the doorway, Tai Lung, Rainbow Dash and the other masters surveyed the factory, watching as a squad of changelings raced inside, lugging a massive cannon.

"If all those weapons leave this building, then all of Equestria will fall," Rainbow muttered.

"Then we bring the whole thing down," Tai Lung growled.

"How?" Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie merely rose up with a wide grin, two fireworks clutched in her hands and pointing towards a clutch of barrels. Tai Lung and Rainbow Dash shared a grin.

"That'll work," Rainbow Dash whispered.

Pinkie shivered with glee, an excited squeak escaping her before Rarity covered her mouth.

"Try to curb your enthusiasm, darling," she asked, as the group snuck towards the barrels.

As the masters started putting their plan into action, they were unaware of two more figures; one holding the other as she flew over the building.

"So how do we get in without getting caught?" Twilight whispered, curled into a ball as she hung from Urtica's wrists.

"Like this," Urtica said, closing her eyes and concentrating. An emerald flame covered her, but then spread to Twilight as well.

Twilight bit back a yelp as the flames traveled down her body. Urtica landed on a wooden bridge leading into the factory, and by the time she touched down, the flames had receded. And Twilight found herself and Urtica changed into exact copies of Chrysalis' drones.

"How'd you...?" Twilight whispered, pausing when she noticed her voice had a cicada  chirping effect.

"Changeling magic deals with a lot of illusion and disguising," Urtica explained. "So changing your looks and voice is simple. All drones have the same vocal pattern."

"You don't," Twilight pointed out.

"Well, I'm Royal," the princess replied with a shrug, before sniffing the air. Her eyes narrowed. "Hide."

Twilight dove behind a bundle of crates, Urtica following after her. Seconds later, two changelings landed on the bridge.

"I'm telling you," one of the two hissed. "I saw something land here."

The second changeling sniffed the air, clicking.

"Huh, yeah," he admitted. "We don't have any books here. Why does it stink of ink and parchment?"

They crept over to the crates, only for Twilight and Urtica to spring out and catch them by the mouths. Twilight's horn flared, the magic aura covered their eyes, and in seconds, the two changelings collapsed, softly snoring before another green glow encompassed their heads.

"Wait," Twilight whispered. "Won't their hive mind alert the others?"

"Nope," Urtica said happily, her horn fading as she pulled them behind the crates. "I used my magic to cut them off. As far as Mother knows, they just went to sleep." She started pulling at their armor. "Now help me with these."

Nodding, Twilight helped her remove their armor, taking it for themselves.

Twilight hesitated at the changeling's pants. "Um... why are we taking their clothes and armor?" Twilight asked nervously.

"We need to mask our scent," Urtica said, already having donned the armor of one of the changelings. "Didn't you hear them? You reek of ink and parchment." She quickly raised her hands. "And I mean that in a constructive way."

Twilight stared down at her body. "They can smell that?" she asked in disbelief, before quickly donning her own armor. "I haven't even been around a book all day..." she muttered in disbelief.

"A Changelings sense of smell is second to none" Urtica replied, binding and gagging the sleeping changelings.

Twilight chuckled. "I think Pinkie would have something to say about that," she noted. "I opened a piece of candy in Ponyville once, and the next thing I know, Pinkie's behind me with a dust trail leading all the way back to the Palace."

Urtica chuckled at the memory. "Well, to be fair, Pinkie Pie is in a league all her own," Urtica replied.

Unable to argue with that, Twilight shrugged and the two made their way inside. Numerous changelings scurried about, the flames crafting the cannons casting an ominous red light over everything.

"Move you bugs!" Sombra's voice boomed. "Faster! Faster!"

Twilight spotted his shadow a moment later. She moved towards it... only to notice Urtica moving another direction.

"Urtica!" Twilight whispered, before noticing Chrysalis' shadow in Urtica's direction. "What are you doing?"

Urtica glanced back at Twilight and drew a curved dagger.

"When fighting a serpent," she said grimly. "Cut off the head and the body falls with it." She glared at Chrysalis' shadow. "I take down Chrysalis, you take down Sombra. And without either of them, the changelings will have no idea what to do."

Before Twilight could find a counter-argument, the changeling princess was gone. Vanished after Chrysalis. Sighing, but with her own job to do, Twilight turned back to Sombra's shadow.

"You're going down, Sombra," Twilight promised quietly. "And then I'm going to find out what you know."

Sneaking through the ramparts, hopping from shadow to shadow, Twilight drew closer to the stallion from her past. Slowly, but surely, his shadow revealed his actual body, watching the changelings with impatience in his eyes.

Briefly, she saw his symbol etched into the shoulder pad of his armor. Her vision momentarily blinked, reminding her of the past, but she shook it off and forced herself forward.

Moving to the upper levels, Twilight snuck onto a bridge that would lead her straight to him, her hand charging up with a magic spell. However, as she neared him, he suddenly chuckled.

"Greetings, Twilight," Sombra said, before turning to her. Rising from the bannister, Twilight saw his sword already unsheathed.

Pointed at her.

Growling, Twilight let her disguise fall. No use when he already knew who she was.

"What happened on the night my parents left me?" Twilight demanded.

Sombra pouted. "What?" he asked. "No 'what happened that night?' No chance to be cryptic?"

Twilight's eyes narrowed, and her spell glowed brighter. "What did you do to them?"

Sombra put a hand to his heart with a cruel laugh. "What did I do?" he asked mockingly. "I watched as your parents abandoned you."

Twilight's eyes narrowed, yet doubt nicked at her heart. He tsked in mock sympathy.

"Yes," he noted with amusement. "Such a terrible fate. I believe it went something like THIS!"

Suddenly, he swung his sword into a chain, and a vat of molten metal swung at Twilight with a groan of metal and chains.





Elsewhere, Urtica stood right above her mother. A CRASH drew their gazes, and Urtica paled as she saw Twilight clinging to a vat of molten metal as it swung dangerously over the open. Yet, as Twilight yelped and struggled, Sombra's laugh echoed, causing Chrysalis to roll her eyes.

"Let the King handle that," she told her children. "Focus on getting these cannons loaded as soon as possible." She pat one drone with a small smile. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we can feed."

Urtica's grip tightened on her dagger. All she had to do was drop down. Let gravity carry her knife into the Queen's neck.

Into... her mother's neck.

Urtica clenched her eyes shut, but she couldn't chase away the image of Chrysalis smiling. Not a cruel or cunning smile, but a genuine smile of motherly love. A smile she used to show her once. Before...

"Yes," range a voice in Urtica's head, causing her to freeze in horror. "We had some good times, didn't we, Daughter?"

Fear drove Urtica forward. She dove out of her hiding spot, making a wild stab for the Queen. But Chrysalis was faster, and as one clawed hand caught Urtica by the wrist, the other locked around her throat. Flames burst around them both, as Urtica's disguise was torn away from her.

"Until you betrayed us," Chrysalis growled.

Urtica hissed. "You betrayed me," Urtica snarled, trying to kick out of her mother's grip. "You were trying to make me into a monster!"

"And yet, you've returned," Chrysalis mused. Her horn glowed, and her next words weren't spoken, yet rang in Urtica's head. "Welcome back to the Hive, Daughter."

Urtica's struggling went slack. Her eyes widened in horror.

"No..." she whimpered. "Let me go!"

"I can't do that, my daughter," Chrysalis replied, pinning her to the wall, and coating her arm with resin. "The Hive always needs a Queen." She stepped back, Urtica pinned by green resin, allowing her to see brief desperation in Chrysalis' eyes. "Sombra's madness could lead to my death. I need to know that my successor will keep the Hive going."

"Then leave him!" Urtica begged.

"And ensure my death?" Chrysalis demanded. "And the death of the Hive?"

She nearly slapped Urtica across the face for speaking such heresy, but forced herself to remain calm. Then, an idea made her eyes glitter cruelly. She leaned closer to Urtica as she struggled against the resin.

"I know your feelings for the leopard," she noted, grinning as Urtica froze. "No doubt he's coming to try and stop us."

"He'll beat you," Urtica growled. "Nothing can stop him!"

"The Celestial Warrior did," Chrysalis noted. "And even then, she was blinded by compassion and sympathy." She grinned. "What chance does he have against those who are not burdened by such weaknesses?"

"Compassion and sympathy are not weaknesses," Urtica argued.

"Why take that chance?" Chrysalis asked. "Do as I say - rejoin your family - and he will be spared. And he will be yours."

Urtica looked down. "He's already mine," she whimpered before she could stop herself, wincing as she realized what she said.

Chrysalis' eyes softened. She lifted her daughter's chin.

"And he'll always be yours," she promised. "All you have to do... is what I say." She shrugged. "Or... he can die with the rest of them. It's your choice."

Urtica shut her eyes. If changelings could cry, tears would have soaked her cheeks.





As Urtica struggled with her mother, the changeling drones continued their work, some of them glancing up at the mother-daughter spat with shaking heads of disappointment.

"Mother's too soft on her," one changeling noted.

"Well, Mother's still the Queen," another changeling replied. "What she says goes. And she said that we need to get these cannons loaded."

The first changeling sighed and moved to obey... when the front door suddenly burst open.

A cart filled with barrels of fireworks and black powder barreled into the warehouse. With a collective chill, the changelings saw Master Pinkie Pie smash a lantern onto the cart, setting it aflame.

"Happy birthday!" Pinkie cheered as she leaped from the cart, sending the smoldering black powder onto the larger barrels.

"AUGH!" the changelings yelped, trying to put out the flames. "This is not a happy birthday!"

"Too bad!" Rarity declared, as Pinkie landed beside the rest of the Furious Five. "The gift is given; it cannot be returned!"

Chuckling, the masters left the changelings to struggle - and fail - to put out the rapidly growing flames. But just before the first fireworks could go off... they heard a familiar scream.

Rainbow spun around. "Twilight?" she stammered.

Sure enough, Twilight was being hacked at by Sombra, with only the metal vat for cover, while Tai Lung spotted Urtica pinned to the wall by her mother.

"Urtica!" Tai screamed.

All eyes turned to the smolder, flaming powder.

"YAAAAH!" Pinkie shrieked, racing onto the flames. "Return-it-return-it-return-it!"

"Yes, thank you, yes!" the changelings stammered, gladly accepting the help as the masters doused the flames.

"Almost makes me want to spare you," one of the changelings noted.

"Seriously?!" another changeling snapped.

"What? I said almost!" the first changeling protested, only to be silenced when Rainbow Dash got the first kick in

Chrysalis' gaze was drawn to the group, and she smiled ominously at her pinned daughter.

"Well," she noted. "Time to see who's right about weakness." She walked away from Urtica, as she struggled hopelessly against the green resin.

"No..." Urtica begged. "Mother please... stop!"

However, even if the queen heard her, she wasn't given the chance to reply. Seeing the queen approach, Tai Lung launched off the heads of one of the changelings, and charged the queen like a rampaging bull.

"GIVE HER BACK!" he bellowed, his claws and fangs glittering in the red light. Queen Chrysalis merely formed a combat stance.

"Come and get her," she dared, before the leopard and the changeling engaged in combat.





Above on the upper floors, Twilight dodged another strike from Sombra and managed to teleport from the vat to the scaffolding in front of Sombra.

"Tell me, Twilight," Sombra mused, "Are you willing to die to find out the truth?"

"I'll take the truth and my life, thank you very much," Twilight replied, her hands glowing with magic as she engaged the King in battle. Though his sword flashed with a dangerous light, it clanged harmlessly off Twilight's magic enhanced hands.

Twilight tried to follow up with a kick, but Sombra cast a spell of his own. His free hand - magically enhanced as well - caught her foot, and he threw her from the scaffolding.

Below them, a conveyer belt carried multiple metal objects towards an even bigger vat of molten metal. Twilight tried to pull herself up from the tangle of metal pots she had landed on, only for a spell of dark magic to knock her to her back. Sombra followed along on the scaffolding above her, keeping her pinned with spell after spell that she was barely able to deflect with the metal objects around her. As Twilight drew closer and closer to a molten death, Sombra's grin grew wider and more vile.

"No..." Twilight whispered, flaring her horn for a teleportation spell. Sombra sent her to her back once more with another spell. "No!"

"It's pointless to resist, Twilight," King Sombra declared. "You will die, and my reign will be ensured!"

Seething in fear-induced frustration, Twilight gave up on her spells and just tried to run for it. Sombra maliciously tripped her up with another spell. And as her face planted into a metal pot, and her hand fell onto a tuning fork, the conveyor belt finally carried her over the edge with a scream of fear.

A scream of fear that was cut short - not by her falling into the vat - but by her stabbing the tuning fork into the belt, enhancing it with a magnet spell. Casting an extra barrier spell around herself, Twilight rode the underside of the belt, watching nervously as Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy fought along the scaffolding.

"Hang on, Twilight!" Rainbow yelled, flaring her wings and flying towards her.

"'Hang on?'" Sombra mocked with a laugh. "You failed, Master Rainbow Dash!"

"That's what you think," Rainbow snarled, flaring her wings and preparing to sonic rainboom the smirk off his face. However, she was blocked by a swarm of changelings.

One of whom was promptly hit with a cake.

Rainbow turned as Pinkie reloaded her party cannon, and Rarity and Fluttershy formed combat stances next to her.

"We got these insects, Rainbow," Rarity assured her.

"Keep him occupied," Fluttershy agreed.

Rainbow nodded, and shot at Sombra, leaving him blissfully unaware as Twilight rode to the other side of the belt, and began to approach Sombra from the back.

Thankfully, Sombra's attention was on Rainbow Dash, who tried to plant her fist in his face... only for a yak to barrel into her and knock her onto the scaffolding below.

Rainbow rolled with the fall, blinking in shock. Then she saw the green glow surrounding the yak. A small female changeling carefully lowered the yak to the ground, tittering with a mad glint in her eyes.

"Let's play," she rasped, as the yak let out a feral bellow and engaged the cyan mare in combat.

"It's pointless, Kung-Fu Master," Sombra declared as Rainbow Dash struggled against the changeling-yak duo. "The Warrior of Night and Day is dead!" He looked up in awe at that thought.

"The Warrior of Night and Day is dead..." he whispered again with a mad laugh. "You were truly wrong, Zecora! I killed her! I made you wrong!"

"You sure about that?" Twilight whispered, before firing a spell at Sombra's back.

Unfortunately, one of the changelings spoke up.

"King Sombra!" he yelled before Rarity could silence him.

Turning, Sombra barely managed to deflect Twilight's spell with his sword. His eyes widened for the briefest second. Fury burned in his eyes. But as Twilight fired another spell, Sombra kept himself composed.

He fired three more crystal spells, but Twilight deflected them with a barrier shrouding her body. Twilight fired back, but he used a large crystal to propel himself to the upper level. Twilight shot after him with a teleportation spell, even as Rainbow Dash tried to follow after her.

"Twilight, no! Get away from him!" she screamed, only for the smaller changeling to catch her wings, and pull her into a devastating blow from the yak.

"Crush, Roar, crush!" the changeling encouraged as the yak raised his fist over Rainbow Dash's downed body. Seconds before he could smash her into paste, however, a burst of confetti threw him from the scaffolding.

"Roar!" the changeling wailed, diving after him with a snarl.

With the duo gone for now, Pinkie raced to Rainbow Dash's side. But as she helped the cyan master up, both of them saw they were too late.

Twilight had Sombra at spell point. The King's back was to an series of wooden beams around an ominous tarp, and the hand holding his sword had been pinned by the tuning fork.

"No more running, Sombra," Twilight growled.

"So it would seem," Sombra said freeing his sword hand.

"Twilight!" Rainbow screamed, but more changelings blocked her path. And if Twilight heard her friend, she didn't let on.

"Now," Twilight growled, approaching the dark king. "Answers."

"You want to know that badly?" Sombra mocked, rubbing his wrist. "You think knowing will heal you, hm? Fill some crater in your soul."

Twilight merely narrowed her eyes, her spell charging dangerously in her hand. Sombra rolled his eyes.

"Well, here's your answer," Sombra replied, putting spite and venom into every word. "Your parents didn't love you!"

Twilight grit her teeth, but her ears flattened, and doubt entered her eyes.

"They never did," Sombra said smugly. "I watched them abandon you to save themselves."

Twilight blinked, tears starting to form in her eyes. Was this... truly the truth? After all the time she had spent searching... was the truth that she was an unwanted child? That her parents... hated her?

Sombra laughed at the despair filling her heart.

"Oh, but here," he offered, leaping onto the tarp, throwing it away with a flash of his horn. "Let me heal you!"

Twilight blinked the tears from her eyes. Under the tarp was a larger and no doubt more powerful cannon. And Sombra smiled cruelly as he lit the fuse.

"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow screamed, bashing her way through the wall of changelings.

Twilight herself seemed struck dumb as the cannonball barreled towards her in a flash of light. Her horn lit up, calling forward every protection and barrier spell she could think of. But just as her body began to glow with a lavender light... the cannonball hit.

Light blinded Rainbow Dash, flinging her into the dark abyss Roar and his changeling had disappeared down. The walls of the factory behind Twilight exploded. And a ashen bundle of fur and burned flesh careened through the air, before striking the river with a brutal WHOOM!





Thunder boomed.

Master Luna's eyes shot open. She rose, staring out from her meditation cavern.

"Twilight?" she whispered. Her sister's staff nearly fell from her hands, but she doubled her grip on it. "Applejack..." she stammered, racing towards the Celestial Palace. "Applejack!"

But part of her feared she was too late.

'No,' she thought defiantly. 'I refuse to believe it.'

'Twilight... Tai...' She blinked hard, refusing to let tears of grief spill. 'You will not die tonight! I refuse to let it happen!'

And yet... part of her couldn't help but think, 'But what if I'm too late?'





Elsewhere, on a bridge that led across a river, a familiar zebra sat cross-legged, calmly sipping tea as if waiting for something.

Eventually, that something made it's appearance; an ash covered, but thankfully still intact unicorn, floating face up down the stream. As the unicorn's body tried to pass under the bridge, Zecora stopped her with her cane.

"Fear not Warrior of Twilight," Zecora declared, pulling Twilight from the river. "You shall fufill your destiny of day and night."
> Captured and Tortured
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The shock of seeing Twilight blown out of the building left the five masters stunned. And in their moment of grief, the changelings took advantage.

In seconds, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Tai were pinned and bound in resin, unable to resist as King Sombra's mad laughter rang through the factory.

"I did it!" he bellowed, cackling from the top of his cannon. "I am the master of my fate! No one will stop me!"

Tai snarled, struggling against the resin that bound him, but all his struggles did was draw attention to himself and the defeated masters. Sombra leaped down from his cannon, pointing his sword at Tai Lung's nose.

"And you all thought you fools could stop me?" Sombra demanded. "I don't know who's stupider: you or the so-called Celestial Warrior."

Tai Lung's eyes dilated in fury, and he tore free of the resin with a bellow. But seconds before he could cave Sombra's stunned face in... the meaty hand of a familiar yak stopped his punch.

"Yay, such a good boy Roar!" the small changeling cried happily, her legs on the yaks shoulders tapping his head. Under his other arm, Rainbow Dash hung limply, barely lifting her head as Roar caught Tai by the head and smashed him back into the ground.

"Tak!" Chrysalis barked. The changeling saluted.

"Yes, Mama!" she declared.

"Take your yak and carry those two to the basement!" she ordered, turning to her daughter. "The same with this traitor..." she waved her hands at the rest of the Furious Five. "And the rest of these lot."

The changelings moved to help Tak and Roar. Yet, as the changelings moved Pinkie, they noticed something that put an aura of dread over them. Pinkie's mane was deflating to a straight curtain. Her eyes had changed from a colorful sky blue to a glacier cold blue. And her ever present grin was rapidly changing to a scowl of anger and rage.

The changelings ordered to move her glanced at each other, before quickly moving her to the basement, eager to get as far away from her as soon as possible.

"Your orders, my King?" Chrysalis asked.

"Do what you want with them" Sombra said, his eyes on Fluttershy as she was more escorted than dragged - on account of her eyes. "But leave the yellow one to me."

"Of course your majesty," the changeling queen replied, before turning to her daughter, who didn't match her gaze.





Urtica stared at the floor of her cell with despair in her eyes. Not only had she fallen right back into her mother's clutches, but she got the one she loved taken by her as well.

"Such sorrow," a familiar voice bemoaned, as her cell door opened, and her mother entered. "My daughter... what troubles you?"

"You know exactly what troubles me," Urtica replied coldly, turning her back on the Queen. "Get out."

"Have you forgotten? she asked. "I still have the leopard."

Urtica glared up at her, but the Queen's gaze was sympathetic.

"It's still your choice," Chrysalis noted. "Do as I say... and he is yours."

Urtica's eyes gazed to the bars of her cell, and the last of her resolve crumbled. She bowed her head in defeat.

"What do you want?" she asked.

The Queen smiled, and with a flare of her magic, lifted her daughter onto her feet.

"Come with me," she said.

Like a beaten dog, Urtica followed her mother down the hall of cells. She saw Rarity, who's head was drooped in unconsiousness. She saw Pinkie, glowering darkly from the shadows of her cell.

Then they reached the third cell... and Urtica whimpered as she saw Tai, still unconsious and restrained with resin.

"Tai!" Urtica cried, lunging at the bars. The leopard lifted his head, his ears flicking back and forth. But his eyes remained shut, a strange green glow around his eyelids.

"He lives," the Queen promised. "He's just under one of my dream spells." She opened the cell and walked in, her finger stroking his chin as she smiled. "You know," she noted. "I didn't even need to alter his dreams with magic." She turned with a grin to her daughter. "He already dreams about you."

Urtica blinked, staring at Tai sadly. However, her sadness turned to shock as green energy started to leak from his body, flowing towards Chrysalis. The Queen shuddered as she breathed in the green energy.

"And his love... is absolutely delicious!" Chrysalis declared with a moan. A moan that was cut short when Urtica charged her, knocking her away from the leopard.

"You promised!!" the princess screamed, putting herself between Chrysalis and the leopard.

"But can't you feel it, daughter?" Chrysalis tempted, wafting the green energy towards Urtica. "It's so intoxicating."

Urtica turned her head away, batting aside the energy, even as it sent her body into a shudder.

"Mother," Urtica begged as her entire body shivered with the urge to feed. "Stop it!"

"You want it to stop?" Chrysalis asked, motioning to the leopard. "Then give in. Feed on him yourself."

Urtica stared at Tai. An animalistic part rose up in her, begging her to obey. But the mere feeling of that primal urge caused Urtica to grab her heart, backing away from Tai in horror.

"I can't," she insisted, turning pleadingly to Chrysalis. "It doesn't have to be like this! We don't need to take Love!"

Chrysalis glowered at her daughter's words. "You're just as pathetic as your brothers," she growled, turning to the outside of the cell. "I had hoped that Pharynx would have more sense. But, of course, he was too loyal to Thorax."

Urtica paused, resting her hand on the wall. "What happened to them?" she asked.

"Nothing," Chrysalis said darkly. "Thorax refused to feed, and Pharynx defended him." Her head bowed. "Pharynx severed them both from the Hive Mind. I know not where they have gone."

Urtica looked down with a sigh. "At least they're free," she whispered. "Free from becoming monsters."

When she looked up, her face met the back of Chrysalis' hand. She hit the ground as Chrysalis stood over her.

"Do not call your family monsters!" Chrysalis snarled, grabbing her by the head and forcing her onto the leopard. "Now feed on the boy. Now!"

But Urtica pushed herself away, even as that primal urge came up. Stronger. More enticing. She shuddered again.

"I won't," she choked out.

But Chrysalis could hear the struggle in her voice. She shoved her head against Tai's chest before returning to the cell door.

"You hold onto the same delusion your father had," she growled, before her voice cracked with sadness. "And look where that got him..." She looked up, holding back tears of grief and anger. "Beaten to death by ponies for falling in love with a changeling."

"But... Father was right," she insisted, turning back to her mother. "We don't need to steal Love." She gazed at her mother's wings, blinking in shock. "Your wings have lost their luster since his death."

Chrysalis hissed angrily, before spinning and back handing her into the wall. Urtica curled up where she fell, wincing as Chrysalis hissed at her.

"We have no choice," Chrysalis insisted, almost as much to herself as to Urtica. "The ponies of this world will always see us as freaks and monsters! And any who are like your father? They'll die if they're not already dead." Chrysalis rose up, glancing at the leopard with a huff. "Now... do as your told and feed on the leopard. Or I'll come back with twenty changelings, and we'll drain him until he dies."

Urtica eyes shot open in horror. And with her primal urge already rising in her chest like a caged lion, she found herself out of options. Pulling herself up to Tai, she gazed into his unconsious face, stroking his fur sadly.

"I'm sorry, Tai," she whispered. Then, tears in her eye, and with the eye of her mother and her own primal urges driving her forward, her fangs bared, and she began to feed.





Meanwhile, outside the cells, Sombra watched Chrysalis as she began to smirk.

Turning away from the Queen, Sombra turned his attention to the final cell, guarded by Tak and Roar.

Inside, Rainbow Dash lay unconsious, Fluttershy tending to her. Fluttershy's ears perked up as the King strode inside. He smiled as her head turned, her blindfold keeping her from seeing him right in front of her.

"Stand up, pegasus," he ordered.

She ignored him, turning her head back to Rainbow Dash. Sombra's smile faded. With a growl, he seized Fluttershy by the arm. She nearly went for his wrist, but he drew his sword and held it to her throat just before she could break his arm.

"When your king gives you a order," he snarled. "You follow it without question."

Even with a sword to her throat, Fluttershy's face remained devoid of fear. "You are no king of mine," she replied, twisting his wrist painfully.

He chuckled, releasing her and sheathing his sword. "I always heard that the Master of Kindness was a coward," he noted. "I'm pleased to see those rumors were false."

Fluttershy turned back to her friend, but his next words made her yellow coat grow pale.

"Yes... you will make a fine queen for me."

Fluttershy turned to him, disgust written on her face.

"I'd rather be eaten by a hydra than be the Queen to a vile stallion like yourself," she replied.

Sombra narrowed his eyes. His horn lit up, and blasted her across the cell. Rainbow Dash stirred, but he threw another spell her way as he bore down on Fluttershy, ensuring the cyan mare remained asleep.

"Let that be a warning to you, mare," Sombra growled, grabbing her throat and lifting her to his eye level. "You will be mine, or you will die, along with the rest of Equestria."

Fluttershy merely glared up at him... and spat in his face. Sombra backed up, and in his moment of distraction, she struck again, catching him between the legs.

Gagging in agony, he backed up as she kicked him into the cell door. Ripping off her blindfold, she shot him with the most contemptuous, angry glare she could muster.

Sombra screamed as the mere sight of her Gorgon's Glare nearly burned his eyes. But right before she could force him to his knees, his horn glowed, and unleashed a blast of light like a flash bang.

Fluttershy shrieked in pain, clutching at her eyes. And in her moment of distraction, Sombra struck back. Summoning a crystal dagger, he rammed his shoulder into her gut, bashing her into the wall. She slumped to the ground, struggling to breath, as he wrenched her head up by the mane.

He struck twice like a viper, and Fluttershy's screams echoed down the hall.

Urtica froze in her feeding, her blood chilling at the sound of Fluttershy's screaming.

"Don't stop," Chrysalis snapped at her. "Keep going."

As Urtica struggled to continue, Sombra stood up, glaring down at Fluttershy as she thrashed, clutching at her eyes as blood began to leak out from under her hands.

"I gave you opportunity," he snarled at her whimpering, crying form. "The chance to rule this world at my side. And you spit in my face?!" He kicked her in the chest, and she tried to roll so her back was to him. Undeterred, he rolled her back towards him, re-positioning his dagger above her already ruined face.

"You don't want to be my queen?" he growled, pressing his dagger into her cheek. "That's fine. I'll just make sure no one else will want you ever again!"

And so, he continued his work. Fluttershy's screams rang long and loud. Echoing not just down the hallway, but even making the changelings above ground freeze and look around in shock. They made the Crystal Ponies shiver in their beds.

They even tore through the spell Sombra was using to keep Rainbow Dash asleep.

As the cyan mare struggled back into consciousness, her waking eyes revealed Sombra, standing over her friend as she thrashed and struggled.

"Huh... Fl... FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow Dash yelled, jumping at the king. However, the King heard her coming, and vanished with a teleportation spell.

Rainbow Dash landed hard on her friend. And screamed as she backed up off her.

Fluttershy's face was utterly mangled. Cuts zigzagged to and fro across her once beautiful face. Her nose had nearly been completely sliced off, and her teeth showed through holes in her cheeks and lips. And her eyes... Rainbow Dash gagged at what had become of her eyes.

"You..." Rainbow Dash snarled, whirling on the cell door. Sombra smirked at her as she smashed at the barrier he had put over the cell door, fury mixing with grief into a roar for Sombra's blood.

Rainbow's roar for blood, however, was interuppted by another scream, drawing the attention of both Chrysalis and Sombra.

Rainbow grinned darkly. "Oh-ho, you're gonna get it now," Rainbow promised as Sombra raced to investigate.

With her mother distracted, Urtica quickly returned as much love as she could to Tai, before joining her as they raced to Pinkie's cell, where they found two changelings shivering in horror outside.

Inside the cell, a third changeling was thrashing and crying. His horn trapped and rapidly being crushed by Pinkie's teeth.

"Get this freak off of me!" the changeling begged, trying in vain to free himself. Pinkie just growled like a feral animal, trying to draw him closer so her chained hands could grab at his pantsless groin.

"What happened?" Sombra demanded.

"We couldn't find any love in her," the second changeling reported. "So Echo figured he'd breed her! And now..."

Echo wailed, as Pinkie managed to get him closer, her teeth biting further down his horn, while her fingers itched for his exposed groin. The changeling shuddered at the thought of what she'd do if she got her hands on him.

"Well? what are you two waiting for?!" Chrysalis demanded. "Help your brother!"

She shoved the two into the cell. But as they stumbled into Pinkie's chains, she acted. Catching one by the horn, she jumped up and caught the second between her feet. With a spin, she snapped one changeling's neck, and tore the horns from the other two changelings. They both got a brief chance to stumble back, screaming in utter agony and clutching at their hornless heads, before Pinkie hurled the horns she had stolen back at them.

The horns smashed right through their skulls and thudded into the wall inches from Chrysalis own face. She blinked in utter shock and horror as her children slumped to the ground, their cries cut hauntingly short. Pinkie lowered herself back to the ground, somehow not tangled in the chains, and fixed them both with a terrifying glare.

Hissing, Chrysalis moved to enter the cell herself, but Sombra stopped her.

"You go in there," he warned. "You will share your childrens fate." He shoved her back, before turning to Pinkie himself. "You're Master Pinkamena, aren't you?" he noted. "The Dark Side of Master Pinkie."

"Go to hell," Pinkamena growled.

"I'll take that as a yes" Sombra said. Careful not to enter the cell, he pressed himself against the bars. "How'd you like to join my ranks? I could really use one as merciless as you."

Pinkamena smirked.

"You killed Twilight," she noted. "You let me out of here... and I'll skin you for her burial shroud."

Sombra didn't rise to her threat. Instead, he turned to Chrysalis.

"Stay out here," he warned. "Use your resin to make sure she is completely restrained."

Chrysalis nodded, and began spray the green resin into the cell, binding Pinkamena even more than before.

"And Chrysalis," he noted, drawing her gaze. "Tell your children to keep it in their pants."

Chrysalis gazed sorrowfully at the corpses of her children inside the cell, and bowed her head, before continuing to turn the cell into a cocoon.





In a forest, far from the Crystal Empire, rain sprinkled down from the trees. They hit the makeshift shelter with a rhythmic beating not unlike a tribal drum, trying and failing to quench the fire that burned in front of the zebra shaman, and the unconsious unicorn behind her.

Twilight's injuries were carefully treated and bandaged. Acupuncture needles poked out from her head, arms and shoulders. Slowly, her eyes opened, lulled awake by the almost musical beating of rain on the roof.

Her eyes slowly shifted, spotting the King's soothsayer, watching a kettle of tea slowly heat up.

Twilight glanced around. She had no idea where she was or what the zebra wanted with her, but the first thing that stood out in her mind was Rainbow Dash. Reaching out for her and screaming.

Panic pushed at Twilight's heart. She needed to go back. She had to help them. But as she tried to lift her body, she saw the zebra shift.

Twilight froze. Though the zebra had seemed against Sombra - in some subtle, deadpan advisor way - she had still been a part of his court. And Twilight didn't know if she could trust her to help her get back to the Empire.

Keeping her body still, Twilight pretended to still be out, watching through eyes narrowed to slits as the zebra poured out a cup of tea. Unfortunately for her, the zebra turned to her, and sat down before her. Twilight shut her eyes completely, wishing she could slow her rapidly beating heart.

The zebra chuckled. "Your beating heart could use a break," she said. "I know that you are awake."

Groaning, Twilight opened her eyes. "Sorry," she muttered, wincing as she shifted into a sitting position. "I... I didn't know..."

"If I wanted you dead," Zecora pointed out, handing her a cup of tea. "I could have let you sink to the river bed."

Nodding at the logic, Twilight took the cup with a nod.

"Thank you," she whispered, lifting the cup to her lips... only to choke and spit it out. "By Celestia," Twilight moaned. "That's so bitter! What did you use?!" She tried to give it back, but Zecora pushed it back to her lips.

"It's not going down a sink," she said sternly. "You need to drink!"

"No way," Twilight said. "That'll just make me sicker..."

Her protests went up into a groan as Zecora jabbed an acupunture needle into Twilight's forehead. Her jaw went slack, and Zecora easily tipped the rest of the tea down her throat, before removing the needle and moving back to the fire.

Twilight moaned as she felt the brew travel into her stomach. "You got a funny idea of saving me," she moaned, clutching her stomach, while pulling the acupunture needles from her body. Curiosity slowed her movements, and she gave the zebra a more inquisitive look. "Why are you helping me, anyway?"

"Your friends and my home are about to suffer a great penalty," Zecora replied. "To save them, you must fulfill your destiny."

"Destiny?" Twilight asked. "But... I already did that when I became the Celestial Warrior."

"Stopping Tai Lung was but one goal," Zecora replied. "You must do more if you hope to be whole."

Twilight groaned, before looking out past the shelter. To... her brow knit. Were those other shelters? Were there others here?

"Where are we?" she asked.

"No memories you have? None?" Zecora asked, looking out at the other shelters with a sigh. "Then again, it happened when you were still very young."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "What is this place?"

Yet, before Zecora could answer, Twilight... heard it. Her ear flicked, and she turned back to the shelters. Were those... screams? Echoes of frightened ponies? And yet... no one was around.

Or were there? Twilight thought she saw someone move into one of the shelters. She pulled herself to her feet, and stepped out into the rain. Without the fire to blind her, she got a better look at the shelters.

She gasped. They were no shelters; they were ruins. Destroyed remnants of once great homes.

Zecora hummed as Twilight's breathing began to increase. Her forehead beaded with sweat. She shook her head and turned away.

"Deep in your mind's chamber, perhaps you do remember," she mused. "The place where the sun's final light made way for night. We stand in the ruined village of Twilight."

"T-Twilight?" Twilight whispered, turning around. She saw another movement. Heard the echo of another ghost. She winced, and turned away again.

"N-No," she whispered. "No, it's a nightmare..."

"Nightmare? Careful what you see," Zecora said. "What you glimpse is a memory."



Twilight shook her head. And yet... as she gazed down into a puddle of rainwater, she didn't see herself.

Or rather, not as she was now.

She saw herself as a filly. Purple eyes, unconcerned with the gathering of knowledge or magic. A wide, giggling smile.

She turned. The Town of Twilight was... thriving. Ponies farmed the fields, or flew kites like dragons through the sky.

Three ponies approached her, one of them picking her up with a warm smile.

It was her mother. Those eyes - so scared in her previous visions - now held nothing but warmth and happiness. By her left, a strong, strapping stallion with dark blue fur embraced her mother's side. And on her right, a smaller colt with white fur and a blue mane blowing in the breeze gazed up at them with the loyalty and love only a son could give to his parents.

"This was once a thriving village," Zecora whispered, bringing Twilight out of the vision. "Back before the pillage."

"Pillage?" Twilight whispered, her voice cracking as logic tried to connect the dots emotion would rather remain severed.

"Young Sombra was next in line to rule the Crystal Empire but..." Zecora shook her head, before guilt brought her head down, and she forewent her rhymes. "But he wanted more. I... foretold that someone would stand in his way." She looked up at Twilight. "A warrior... named Twilight."

Twilight's eyes widened as the zebra turned from her, her voice cracking and tears poking at her eyes.

"But I never could have fortold what he would do next," she bemoaned.

Logic connected, and the next memory brought Twilight to her knees.

Fire. Fire burning everywhere. Ponies being lined up by changelings. Forced to their knees as Sombra glowered down at them all, Chrysalis at his side.

"Name!" he demanded of one.

"M-Midnight Sonata," she stammered.

Sombra huffed, before waving her aside. Chrysalis' horn flashed, and two changelings dragged the pony away, as he moved to the next pony.

"Name!" he snapped.

"T-Twilight's Glow!" the mare whimpered.

His sword flashed in the fire. And screams erupted as Twilight's Glow fell to the ground, her head bouncing away into the dust.

Twilight's mother clutched her to her chest, while Twilight hugged a smartypants stuffed animal to her chest. Both of them whimpered as Sombra drew closer.

"Name!" he spat at the pony beside them.

"Star Fire," he claimed. "Star Fire. I swear that's my name!"

But Chrysalis shook her head. "He lies," she hissed.

Sombra's sword once again flashed in the night. The stallion's head joined Twilight's Glow's. Then, almost like a nightmare... Sombra sidled up before Twilight and her mother.

"Name," he growled like a demon.

Twilight's mother glowered up at him, before looking behind him with a grin.

Sombra's brow furrowed, before he turned... and recieved a brutal kick that threw him over Twilight and her mother.

Chrysalis tried to turn to his attacker, only for another stallion to send her tumbling as well.

Twilight's father and brother hoisted her mother up.

"Take her and run," her father said firmly.

"But I can help!" her mother insisted, trying to give her to her father. "It's me he'll want."

"Father!" her brother yelled, as Chrysalis and Sombra rose up, teeth gritted in fury. Sombra blasted a spell at the group, but her brother's horn flashed, and a shield barely managed to deflect the brutal spell.

"No time to argue," her father insisted. "Go! Please!"

Her mother glanced back at Sombra, and grit her teeth in frustration. Planting one final kiss on her husband's lips, she turned and fled, just as another spell broke her brother's shield. The shards blasted Twilight's stuffed animal from her hands, as her mother fled with her into the shadows of the night.

Briefly snapping out of the vision, Twilight found herself before a cluster of black boards... with something underneath them.

Parting the boards, Twilight found her old stuffed doll. Yet even touching it brought back the vision.

Sombra's mark. Her mother leaving her.

Screaming, Twilight turned away, tears slipping down her face with the rain.

"Do what's right, and don't fight," Zecora's soothing voice whispered. "Like a magic's glow... just let it flow."

Her words were like an anchor in a stormy sea. Twilight felt her breathing slow. Her heart steady.

She lifted her head up, letting the drops of rain fall. It almost felt like they were clearing away her doubts.

As her breathing steadied, and she felt her doubts and fears slip away, Twilight began to slide her foot. Copying the motions that she had seen Master Luna use so long ago.

A single raindrop came into reach and Twilight extended her hand, catching it as her vision continued.

She saw her mother, running through the woods. Clutching her daughter tightly to her chest.

A spell shot past her, but her mother spun with the curse, firing a spell right back.

A changeling fell, but another one rose to take its place. Twilight's mother snarled like an angry wolf, and caught the lunging changeling with a strength enhanced arm. Smashing it to the ground, she crushed its carapace, before glaring at the red glow that was slowly approaching her.

She turned and tried to escape the hunters.

But another spell shot through the trees. And this one caught her across the leg.

Her mother stumbled and fell down a small hill. As she clutched at her leg, she shivered as felt obsidian replacing the flesh and bone.

Twilight didn't understand back then, but she knew now that her mother wouldn't be able to run on that leg.

The sound of the hunters grew closer. The hiss of the changelings. The hum of Sombra's aura.

Twilight's mother desperately looked for some form of escape.

Her eyes landed on a cart. Filled with crates of various books and scrolls.

The sound of shattering glass rang through the forest. Forcing herself forward, Twilight's mother limped behind the cart and watched as the changelings ran past and out of view. Looking back at her injuried leg, her mother gave one more look to the cart. Conflicting emotions crossed across her face, before she reluctantly lifted Twilight up towards...

Twilight's eyes shot open. Time itself seemed to freeze, the raindrop hovering in her hands. recgonizing the familiar crate

It was the crate Spike had found her in. Placing her daughter into the crate, Twilight's mother hushed baby Twilight when she fussed, kissing her on the forehead, even as tears began to flood her eyes.

"Hush, my little filly," her mother whispered. "You're going to get out of this alive." She hugged her. "And you're going to have a good life... even without..."

Her voice cracked too much to proceed. She touched Twilight's head to her own, and slipped out of her grip.

"I love you, my baby girl," her mother sobbed. "I love you!"

And as Twilight was only able to gaze on, sobbing as she reached weakly out for her mother. The elder mare limped back up to the hillside, and flared two balls of magic in her hands.

"Sombra!" she bellowed, her voice instantly hushing Twilight's cries, and bringing silence to the forest. "You wanted to know my name!?"

Twilight didn't see her mother's face, but she could assume it was set in a terrifying glare.

"My name is Twilight Velvet!" she declared. "And you can burn in Tartarus!"

She blasted herself forward with one final battle cry. A battle cry that, even when it was cut short, still echoed over the forest... even 19 years later, as the daughter Twilight Velvet had died for deposited the drop of water onto the leaf of a growing plant.

Twilight's breathing remained steady, but her cheeks soaked with tears. Falling to her knees, she wept for her mother; a mother that had not abandoned her, but given her life for her.

'I'm so sorry, Mother,' Twilight couldn't help but think. 'I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I wish you didn't have to do that for me. I wish...'

She could've wished a lot of things. But then Zecora's soothing voice reached her ears. Foregoing her rhymes for straight fact.

"Your story may not have had such a happy beginnning, but that doesn't make you who you are."

When she turned to Zecora, she saw the zebra give her a comforting smile.

"It is the rest of your story that matters," she insisted. "Who you choose to be."

Twilight gazed back up at the sky. "Who I choose to be..." she whispered, smiling as she remembered...

Spike finding her.

Casting her first spell.

Reading her first book about Kung Fu.

The fight with Garble.

Celestia choosing her.

Training with Luna.

Training with the Five.

Saving Tai Lung.

Rainbow Dash bowing to her.

Telling her she couldn't watch her die.

And finally... her and Spike in the Jade Dragon Library. With Spike caring for her like the big brother he was.

Twilight smiled, and breathed. And when Zecora asked, "So... who are you?" Twilight had an answer. Her gaze focused to the North, as the clouds parted to reveal the Crystal Empire.

"I am Twilight Sparkle," Twilight declared. "The Celestial Warrior... and I'm going to save the Crystal Empire."
> Twilights Return and Chrysalis' Sacrifice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fire flickered before Rainbow Dash's eyelids, irritating her eyes awake.

She found herself and her friends bound together - chains wrapping them back to back while they sat on the deck of a boat. Tai Lung and Urtica sat nearby, bound together as well. Chrysalis and Sombra stood before them, the former holding the torch before Rainbow Dash's eyes.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at the dark king, even as she felt Pinkamena's death glare like an icy glacier at her side. Yet, somehow, Sombra found it in himself to smile smugly at them.

"Such sad, angry faces," Sombra mused mockingly. "But now is a time only for joy. You all..."

Sombra briefly paused, glancing to Rainbow Dash's left. Dash felt Fluttershy shiver, and turned, wincing as she saw the bloodied bandages she had managed to wrap around her friend's eyes.

"Sorry, most of you all," Sombra corrected with a grin. "Will get to see something 'beautiful.'" He indicated himself. "My takeover."

Rainbow Dash wanted to bury her fist in his face. But her limbs were too tightly bound. She settled for spitting at him.

Chrysalis nearly shoved the torch into Dash's face, but Sombra stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, the other wiping the spit from his face.

"It doesn't matter," he assured the changeling queen, turning to Dash with a sneer. "Once we reach the harbor - in front of all the world - you and your precious Kung-Fu will die!"

Rainbow Dash's glower deepened as he turned away with a laugh. Not even the somber tone he took to himself could ease her rage.

"And then Equestria will know to bow to me," he said wistfully, before turning to Chrysalis. "Set sail!"

Chrysalis' horn glowed, and as the ships lurged forward, the chains tightened, hoisting the masters off the ground and into the air.

Save for Tai and Urtica. They sat below the King, two cannons aimed at them as Urtica gripped Tai's hand.

The son of Luna's eyes flickered open. "Urtica...?" he asked.

"Mother told me to take your love," she whispered, not looking at him. "I tried to give it back when she was distracted, but... she found me out." She looked up at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Tai."

Tai said nothing, merely pulling her into a hug, before looking up at the other masters, chained before them.

Being held up as trophies as Sombra's fleet passed through the canals of the Empire.

Rainbow Dash felt her rage fade into despair as she saw the crystal ponies watching them. Shaking their heads in denial. Several weeping outright at the sight of their heroes defeated.

The sight churned some life into Rarity. Fitfully, she struggled against her bindings.

"Urgh," she moaned. "This can't be the end!" She turned to the others. "Come on now, someone think of something!"

"She's right," Pinkamena noted. "Twilight may be dead but she would want us to remain strong. Hardcore. You understood... didn't you, Dash?"

Rainbow didn't answer. The mere mention of Twilight sent a stab of agony through her heart. Worse than Sombra's sword or Chrysalis' fangs. She failed to save Twilight. She failed to save Fluttershy...

'Luna was right to prefer Tai over me,' Rainbow Dash thought bitterly. 'I'm not the hero everyone thinks I am.'

As the fleet came across a bridge, Chrysalis turned to King Sombra.

"Um... my King?" Chrysalis asked. "There's a bridge..."

He silenced her with a wave of his hand. "Nothing stands in my way," he growled.

Chrysalis nodded, and flared her hive mind. The ship in front aimed it's cannon. The ponies on the bridge scattered, but not nearly fast enough.

With a burst of light and a boom like thunder, the bridge was smashed to bits, the slower ponies tumbling with screams into the water below.

Rainbow Dash's eyes grew wide with horror, while Pinkamena snarled in rage.

"You disgusting, cowardly..." Pinkamena snarled, thrashing in her bindings. But as she thrashed, Rainbow Dash's eyes crept up... and widened in awe.

"Pinkamena," Rainbow Dash whispered.

"What?!" Pinkamena snarled.

"Look!"

They weren't the only ones. Sombra saw, and his eyes widened in horror. The changelings saw it, and in their stunned silence, the boats slowed to a crawl. The crystal ponies saw it, and their eyes brightened with hope.

Through the dust and smoke of the bridge, everyone saw a figure. Garbed in an Asian rice hat and a brown torn cloak that blew in the breeze, the others at first didn't understand. But then purple eyes flashed from the shadows under the hat. An equally purple aura lit up around her. And a collective gasp rose up from the entire Empire.

"T-Twilight?!" Rainbow whispered.

"What?!" Rarity whispered, craning her head. "I can't see!"

"Well, neither can I..." Fluttershy replied.

"She's alive!" Pinkie whispered, her mane billowing back up. "SHE'S ALIVE!" She cackled in glee. "OH-HO, YOU'RE GONNA GET IT NOW, SOMBRA! HA-HA!"

Sombra was too beside himself with rage to even notice Pinkie's return to form.

"How many times do I have to kill the same stinking pony!" Sombra screamed.

Twilight's entire body lit up in purple, like she was charging up into some kind of super form. She spoke, and her voice magically echoed across the water, causing the entire fleet to shake.

"Sombra!" she boomed. "Years ago, it was foretold that a warrior of day and night would defeat you! That day is today!" She paused. "Or... tonight, I guess..."

The ponies deflated, while a few of the changelings chuckled half-heartedly. But Twilight quickly shook it off.

"E-Either way," she continued. "Prepare yourself for a hot serving of justice! Your reign of tyrrany ends here!"

She threw aside her cloak with one hand, the other yanking her hat off. Purple magic churned around it, turning it into a razor blade. And with narrowed eyes, Twilight threw it at the chains holding the Five.

Chrysalis fired a spell of her own that knocked the hat away.

Twilight deflated. "Seriously?" she asked.

Chrysalis shrugged. "You're my enemy. What'd you expect?"

Sombra stared at the two of them, his dark face turning red.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he demanded, causing Chrysalis to whirl on him. "Waiting for a written invitation?!"

"I got plenty of those," Pinkie noted, causing Sombra to boil with rage.

"Gag that pink menace," he growled. "And kill that purple nuisance!"

Jumping to his command, the changelings started to aim the cannons at the purple mare.

"Okay," Twilight sighed, flaring her horn. "Plan B." She teleported.

The changelings looked around, wondering where she had gone, before Twilight gave a whistle. The changelings spun to find her on one side of the river. They started pushing the cannons towards her, but she vanished with another flash of light. They paused again.

"Ugh, come on," Twilight moaned, allowing them to spot her on the other side of the river. She flared her horn again, but her magic sparked and she winced, clutching the injuries she thought Zecora had healed.

"Okay-okay," Twilight growled as the cannons almost locked on her. "Plan C!"

She jumped right onto the nearest boat. As the cannons tried to follow her, the changelings freaked out.

"WAIT-DON'T-SHOOT!" They wailed.

"DON'T SHOOT!" Chrysalis agreed. "Crossfire!"

Sombra stared in disbelief at Chrysalis' care, but the changelings listened, and Twilight rapidly closed in on her friends as the changelings panicked.

"For the love of..." Sombra drew his sword, trying to quell the shaking in his arm. "FORGET THE CANNONS! ATTACK HER, YOU WORTHLESS BUGS!"

Flinching at Sombra's voice, the changelings abandoned their cannons and charged. With the swarm about to dive upon her, Twilight fired one final spell that knocked an axe from a changeling's hand.

Too late, they didn't see Rarity's magic influence the axe. Not too much, due to her bindings. But just enough for it to smash into the chains binding the white master and her friends.

With a burst of sparks, the Furious Five were freed. Launching next to Twilight, Pinkie slammed the nearest changeling and ripped him in half, Pinkamena rearing her head.

"BACK OFF!" she boomed, causing the changelings to stagger backward in fear.

With the changelings placated by Pinkamena, Rainbow was able to hug Twilight, relief bringing tears to her eyes.

"Twilight," Rainbow whispered. "You're okay."

Before Twilight could reply, Pinkie tackled into her, her own eyes flooded with tears.

"Please don't ever do that again," Pinkie cried tightening her grip which threatened to snap her spine

"Sorry," Twilight squeaked, prying the pink mare from her body. Unfortuately, Pinkamena's rage couldn't placate the changelings for long. And they slowly started to bear down on the group as they assumed combat stances.

"So what's the plan, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"Step one: Free the Five," Twilight shot off. "Step Two: Free Tai Lung and Urtica. Step Three: Stop Sombra from reaching the harbor. Step Four..."

"Yeah, problem?" Rainbow Dash noted, pointing out Tai and Urtica struggling before Sombra. Twilight deflated.

"Oh," she muttered. "Well, looks like Step Two and Three will have to be interchangeable."

Pinkie giggled. "I can work with that," she replied, whipping her party cannon out of her mane.

And together, the four launched to combat the swarm... only to once again face the brutal reality of numbers. Though the five were faster, stronger, and rejuvenated by the hope of Twilight's return, the changelings still out-numbered them ten to one.

However, as they kept looking to Sombra, they saw Tai and Urtica struggling. Sombra followed their gaze, and an evil, desperate smile crept onto his face.

"The hostages," he barked. "Kill the hostages."

Chrysalis winced as she knew what she had to do to her daughter, but flared her horn obediently.

However, Tai had been struggling with the chains ever since he was woken up. And with the changelings distracted by Twilight, he was able to break free.

As the son of Luna and the daughter of Chrysalis lunged into the air, several of the changelings immediately pushed them back from Sombra and Chrysalis. However, Chrysalis' hive mind flared with concern for Urtica, and the changelings paused in their attack, allowing Tai and Urtica to blast their way from the swarm and begin a fight of their own.

The advantage Urtica took gave Twilight an idea, and she caught a changeling of her own, throwing him into the others. Sure enough, the changelings once again resisted attacking their brother. Twilight turned to Rarity.

"Puppet of Grace!" Twilight ordered.

Getting the idea, Rarity flared her own horn, and the two started snatching hostages from the changeling ranks, forcing the changelings to fight their own kind just as much as them.

They started to make some progress with the technique, but not enough. And though Tai and Urtica had the advantage in both skill and the changelings being hesitant to attack their own, they were still boxed in. They needed the others soon.

"Come on!" Twilight yelled. "They need our help!"

Before the others could respond...

"YEEEAAAHH!!!"

All heads turned as a wave of changelings were trampled or knocked off the boat by a familiar hulking white pegasus.

"Master Bulk Biceps!" Twilight cheered, just as Flash Sentry shot out of the air, smashing one changeling and kicking two more away. "A-And Master Flash Sentry!"

"Vengence is served," Flash Sentry said with a grin.

"What are you...?" Twilight strarted to ask.

"Your friends are very persuasive," Flash said, indicating behind them... just as an entire boat flew through the air. Sombra screamed as it barely missed his own ship.

Rainbow Dash began to laugh. "Applejack, you magnificent mare!" she declared.

The entire Furious Five let out a cheer as Applejack and Luna lunged into the fray. With two devastating kicks, Applejack sent two groups of changelings sprawling, while Luna zipped from flying changeling to flying changeling, knocking them into the water before landing on the deck with the masters.

"Master Luna! Applejack!" Twilight whispered.

"Good to have you guys back," Rainbow Dash said, gripping Applejack's arm.

"Good to be back, sugarcube," the southern mare said. "Now, where's Sombra?"

"And Tai," Luna said, just before spotting him holding his own with Urtica.

"Mother!" Tai called, kicking a changeling away. "Don't worry about me! Focus on stopping Sombra from reaching the harbor!"

Luna grimaced, the mother in her wanting to blast her way right to her son. But his words rang true in her mind, and she turned to the others.

"He's right," she declared. "Use their boats to block the way. Quickly now."

The others nodded.

"Hey, big guy," Rainbow noted to Bulk. "Think you can get two of these boats to cross sails?

"OH, YEAH!" Bulk agreed, lunging and smashing two of the boats together, as Rainbow and Fluttershy rose into the air, Flash Sentry right behind them.

"Rare!" Applejack said, offering her hand to the white unicorn.

"Of course, darling," Rarity said, taking her hand. Together, they ran to the front of the boat. With a combined kick, they nearly flipped the boat, causing it to wedge into the gap between them and the harbor. As the front fell against the final bridge, Rarity and Applejack stepped off gracefully.

"The most grace I've ever seen from you, Applejack" Rarity commented.

"Don't expect it alot," Applejack replied with a grin.

"I never do," Rarity admitted with a laugh.

With the way blocked and Bulk holding the boats together, Rainbow Dash, Flash Sentry and Fluttershy extended their wings.

"Wings..." Fluttershy growled.

"Of..." Rainbow Dash added.

"JUSTICE!" all three boomed as their wings clapped, creating a massive gust of wind that launched both boats into the arcway, jamming it up further.

Sombra gaped in utter horror as boat after boat rammed into each other, and the entire canal was clogged. The Children of Chrysalis jumped from their boats and tried to purse the masters.

But then the masters lunged to meet them. As the boats lit on fire, the masters were outlined in golden and red light. And as they fell as one upon the changelings, Sombra began to pale as Twilight glared him down, a confident smile on her face, and magic flaring in her hands.

The perfect warrior of day and night.

They began to cut through the disorganized and scared changelings. At the same time, Tai and Urtica started to make headway, with the changelings unsure whether to focus on them or the rapidly approaching masters.

"Why aren't we firing?" Sombra demanded.

"Their taking out our cannons," Chrysalis insisted. "And they keep getting in too close for us to risk spells."

"To Tartarus with the risk," Sombra snapped, indicating the cannon. "Fire at them! Now!"

Chrysalis' eyes widened. She turned to her children, who were right in the line of fire even as the masters tore them down.

"But... my children..." Chrysalis whimpered. "It'll kill them!"

"I said fire!" Sombra bellowed, panic making his voice crack. "Fire before I kill you like I killed your husband!"

Sombra froze, realizing what he just said. Chrysalis turned back to him, her face slack-jawed in shock, slowly turning to rage.

"What did you say?" she hissed.

"I-I..." Sombra stammered, looking up as Twilight and even Tai began to get closer. Chrysalis, in the meantime, was getting right in his face, her fangs ready to bury into his neck.

"You?! You're the one who killed Wild Spark?!" Chrysalis boomed, her face contorting into rage as all connected. "That's how you were able to show up so fast to help me avenge him. That's how..." Her horn burst with light. "YOU BASTARD!"

Her rage transferred through the hive mind. The changelings ceased their attack on the masters, turning with them to Sombra. Sombra paled as an entire army began to bear down on him.

Thinking fast, he pulled his sword and stabbed it into Chrysalis' gut.

"MOTHER!!!" not just Urtica, but every changeling screamed as their mother collapsed.

Sombra threw her form in front of the cannon, just as a swarm of changelings lunged onto her, trying to protect their queen and mother with their lives. Before the masters could take advantage and lunge over the pile onto Sombra, the dark king lit the fuse with a spark from his cannon, and the entire army vanished in a burst of light.





Twilight's eyes fluttered open. The air stunk of gunpowder, and everything was cold and hurt. Something was pressing on her back, and something else was digging into her chest.

Blinking the darkness from her vision, Twilight found herself floating on a piece of driftwood in the waters outside the harbor.

As her body slowly circled, she saw Sombra's head ship, and the remnants of his fleet floating out into the harbor. Changelings - dead or dying - littered the waters between Twilight and Sombra, but dispsersed around the changelings were also her friends. She saw Luna, holding onto Tai Lung as he paddled his way from changeling to changeling. She saw Flash and Bulk, hanging onto each other as their eyes glazed over with flashbacks to Big Mac's death. She saw Fluttershy, shivering as Pinkie pulled her to Applejack and Rarity.

Briefly, Twilight's eyes searched for Rainbow Dash, before a moan echoed from above her. Looking up, Twilight gasped as she found Rainbow Dash on top of her, her blackened arms still gripping Twilight like she'd never let go.

"R-Rainbow...?" Twilight croaked.

"I... didn't save you last time," Rainbow Dash whispered. "C-Couldn't fail again..." Her head bowed. "I'm sorry..."

Twilight touched her arm softly, gazing out over the carnage. As Twilight watched Tai, she saw him eventually reach a pair of changelings.

Urtica and Chrysalis.

"Urtica..." Tai whispered, floating to her side.

Urtica shook her head, her grip on her mother like rock.

"We need to heal her," Urtica insisted, her magic sparking in a feeble attempt to try a healing spell. But when Chrysalis gazed up at her, the light in her eyes was flickering. And Tai could tell it was too late.

"Sombra pierced my hearts," Chrysalis noted with a hollow laugh. "Ironic. He's the reason they're broken."

"Mother..." Urtica whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "You... tried to save everyone. I can't just let you die like this!"

"It's the price I pay," Chrysalis admitted. "For the choices I've made." She touched her head softly to Urtica's. "You're a better changeling than I, my daughter. You deserve to live."

When Urtica still refused to let her go, Chrysalis turned desperately to Tai.

"Please," she begged. "Get her out of here."

Urtica, Tai and even Luna froze. Never in the time since Wild Spark's death had Chrysalis ever said 'please.' Least of all to a non-changeling.

Exchanging a look, Tai pulled Urtica to his side, and Urtica reluctantly left her mother, as they swam away. Chrysalis just smiled as she closed her eyes.

'In everyway,' Chrysalis whispered to Urtica through the hive mind. 'You are just like your father. I'm so proud of you Urtica.' And with that final message, Chrysalis lay her head down and went still, drifting away into a memory:





Many years ago, under the guise of a group of unicorns, Chrysalis and a handful of her changeling siblings entered a village.

"Hello?" Chrysalis called. "We need help. We're just travelers in need of lodging!"

Despite her pleading, the ponies slammed their doors and drew their welcome mats. The whole thing reminded Chrysalis of her mother Arachna.

Her biting words still rang in Chrysalis' ear: "You all were disappointments. Get out of my sight and never return." Looks like even non-changelings agreed with her.

Until, just as the sun lowered beyond the horizon, they found... him.

A gray unicorn stallion, with beautiful eyes that sparkled like fireworks, peeking out from the top of an inn.

"You need a place to rest?" the stallion asked. "I got plenty of space if you need it tonight."

"Thank you, kind sir," Chrysalis said bowing to the stallion before ushering her siblings inside. The unicorn quickly met them on the ground floor, indicating the various rooms they could bunk in.

"There's plenty of guest bedrooms," he said. "Makes sense - it's an inn, after all - and if it's still too crowded, I got some couches and sleeping bags in the lobby."

"Not to worry, kind sir," Chrysalis replied. "My siblings are used to bunking together."

Almost on cue, two changelings tumbled out of one room, which promptly slammed shut with a pouty, "MY ROOM!" coming from outside.

The stallion grinned at Chrysalis, who rubbed the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

"Children," she mused. "Am I right?"

"I wouldn't know, but no harm," the stallion replied, before tilting his head at her guise's thin appearance. "Any chance you had dinner yet?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude..." Chrysalis tried to say, but he waved her concerns off.

"Consider it payment for allowing you to rest for the night," he replied.

Chrysalis blinked in shock, but smiled at his kindness. "You make it very hard to say no," she noted, following the stallion into the dinning area.

There, she watched in curiosity as he worked, his horn flashing and sending knives, pots and pans practically dancing in the air. Sparks flew wildly as the cooking utensils did what she could only describe as a tango, with him conducting with flashes from his horn, waves of his hand, and a constant sparkle in those incredible eyes.

Eventually, the stallion did a spin, and a bowl flew away from the cook-and-dance number, settling before Chrysalis with a pair of chopsticks following shortly after.

"Oh!" Chrysalis gasped, gazing at what almost looked like some kind of wormy grain combined with...

Meat? Was this meat? She was confused. Didn't ponies eat hay and vegetables?

"What... is this?" she asked.

"Ramen," he replied with a grin. "My dad used to travel, discovering different flavors for our restaurant." He indicated a small booth off to the right and away from the guest rooms.

Chrysalis peered into his bowl, seeing the vegetables she was sure he would eat. "But... mine's different?" she noted.

"Well, I figured you'd prefer something with meat rather than what we ponies eat." The stallion summoned a cup of sake and took a sip, his eyes sparkling before becoming more serious. "Am I wrong... Changeling?"

Chrysalis' heart hammered with fear. "H-How...?"

He tapped his sparkling eyes. "Gift of sight," he replied. "It's why I'm the best cook in this village. Or, at least in this inn." He chuckled as he began to eat. "But don't worry. As long as you don't stop me from cooking, I don't care what race you are."

Chrysalis looked up at the lodging where her family was.

"So..." she whispered. "You're... not going to hurt me or my siblings?"

"Oh, Celestia, no," he said. "They haven't hurt me. Why should I hurt them?" He sighed. "You ever heard of the golden rule? 'Treat others how you want to be treated?'"

Chrysalis nodded.

"Well, some ponies seem to focus on the silver rule; 'treat others the way they treat you.'" He sighed. "Problem is, they assume another species will treat them one way when they haven't even gotten a chance to do anything yet. I say relax. See what happens before you jump to conclusions."

Chrysalis still remained tense. Something the stallion picked up on, as he leaned back and tried to look relaxed.

"So... what's your name?" he asked. "I felt really weird just calling you 'changeling' back there."

Chrysalis looked down with a blush. "It's Chrysalis."

"No last name?"

She shook her head. "Changelings don't really get last names. Most of the time, it's just what helps the Queen remember her more prominent drones and servants."

She shook her head and took the chopsticks, before she noticed the pony extending his hand.

"Well, I'm Wild Spark," he introduced. "And it's nice to meet you, Chrysalis."

Hesitantly, Chrysalis took his hand, and watched at he shook it. A new spark came into his eyes.

"So... sorry if this is impolite," he mentioned. "But... if you want, you can shed your disguise. Same for your family." He shrugged. "I bet you look nicer."

Chrysalis laughed. "I'm not sure about that," she noted. Yet, she couldn't trace any lies in his voice. And, honestly, he was nice to be around. She didn't see any reason why not.

Emerald flames enveloped her and her true changeling form was revealed. Wild gazed at her with his jaw slack. His eyes wide and sparkling.

"I know-I know," Chrysalis said, turning to her bowl. "I'm hidious."

"What? No!" he stammered. "It's just... you look different than I expected. More... pony-ish."

Chrysalis huffed. "I take after my father," she replied, poking at her food. "That's what mother said, anyway. He was a pony, so..."

She didn't get much more into it. Her mother's lectures about embracing her changeling side over her pony side began to ring in her ears again. How she was weak to think of feelings, and how she would never measure up to a changeling born from a dragon or a griffon. But before they could overwhelm her...

"Doesn't matter," Wild Spark said, almost in defiance of Arachna's words. "You are you."

Chrysalis looked up at Wild Spark in shock. Tiliting her head as he ate, as if he had just made a comment about the weather instead of defying every cruel word her mother had said. She took a bite of the ramen. It was tastier than any love she had ever harvested.

"You're quite a peculiar stallion, aren't you?" Chrysalis noted with a smile.

He shrugged. "I did just let changelings into my home," he replied with a laugh.

As Chrysalis smiled at the memory of his laugh, the other memories they spent together opened up before her. How she felt the need to feed less and less the more she was around him.

The way he turned cooking into dancing. The time she had danced with him... only to get them both drenched in soup. His incredible eyes, always bedazzling her with the lights and sparkles that would reflect in his irises.

And his kindness and open-mindedness.

The memories of their marriage flashed before her: he didn't even blink at her proposal. Their first of many nights together, when she held him in her arms, and knew she never wanted to hold anyone but him.

And the first of many children. One of them Urtica. Smiling and laughing in a way that Chrysalis had long forgotten she was capable of.

Unfortunately, her positivity had been gone for a reason. And all too soon, Chrysalis' memories brought her to that reason.

An angry mob. Chanting and calling for blood outside. Wild Spark's eyes smoldering with protective rage as he held the door shut.

"Take our children out of here," he told her. "I got these close-minded foals."

"But they know about us," she insisted. "They'll see you as a traitor."

"Come on," he insisted, his eyes flashing with confidence. "It won't be that bad."

Despite Chrysalis wanting to believe him... It was. It was so painful and horrible that Chrysalis shuddered to think of it.

After getting Urtica and the others away, she had returned to find their home burned. He was laying in the ashes at the center, his body blue and purple from bruises. One of his wonderful sparkling eyes had been ruptured from the beating, and the other was only barely able to gaze out at her from under his swollen eyelids.

"Wild," she whimpered, cradling him. "My love... no..."

"Chrysalis..." he whispered. But even as he clutched at her collar, her grip tightened, and fury began to boil up from her grief.

"They will pay for this," she hissed. "I promise... me and the children... we'll..."

"No!" he rasped, clutching her head and pulling her close. Chrysalis felt someone approaching, but just before she could pull away, she heard him whisper one last thing.

"Don't... let our children... be the monsters... they think... you are."

Chrysalis stared down at him in confusion, before a gasp drew her gaze.

Another unicorn stood before her. Dark fur, and a red horn.

"What happened?" a young Sombra gasped. His staged shock surprisingly convincing, considering what Chrysalis knew now. But back then, she was too confused and dazed by grief to really tell.

Chrysalis looked down at Wild Spark... but the sparks had left his eye. He lay dead in her arms.

"They took him..." she whimpered, clutching his body as magic glowed angrily around her. "They took my husband..."

"My poor changeling," Sombra croned, resting his hand on her head. "Who could be so horrible to do something so cruel?"

"You," Chrysalis seethed. "Your pathetic, evil race!"

She nearly lunged up and attacked, but Sombra caught her with a restraining spell.

"Do not think you can take advantage of my pity," he warned. "I do not deserve your ire." He gazed out at where the mob had once stood. "The ponies are the ones that did this to you." He turned back to them. "If it wasn't for them, he would still be alive."

Chrysalis hissed and backed away, gazing sadly down at her husband.

"How do I...?" she whispered, unsure of what to do.

"Join me," Sombra proposed, holding out his hand. "Join me, and see him avenged."

Grief and rage propelled Chrysalis to take his hand. And in doing so... she ignored the last words Wild Spark ever said to her.





"I'm sorry, my dear Wild Spark," Chrysalis whispered as she returned to the brutal reality her memories had led her to. "I failed you, and our family..." Her head lifted up, and she saw Twilight staring at her in pity. She lifted a hand up and pointed.

"Stop him... Celestial Warrior," she whispered.

Twilight looked to who she was pointing to.

Sombra. Grinning down at her, his eyes intently urging for her to succumb to her wounds.

Twilight's eyes narrowed, and she nudged herself out from under Rainbow Dash, pushing the cyan mare after Tai.

"Twi..light" Rainbow whispered reaching towards the unicorn as Twilight swam to the front of Sombra's fleet.

Sombra smirked as Twilight managed to find a larger pile of driftwood, and stand atop it, glaring at him with defiance in her eyes. She may have been burned. She may have been bruised. And she may have been beaten. But she was far from broken.
> Inner Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the memories reached their end, the changeling queen rested her head and prepared for death.

However, her eyes shoot open as she felt an arm entwine around her.

Looking up, Chrysalis was met with the sight of Tai Lung pulling her towards the harbor, alongside Urtica and Luna.

"W-Why...?" Chrysalis whispered out

"You sacrificed yourself for your children," Tai replied, lifting her onto the dry harbor. "You are not without redemption."

"And besides," another voice added, drawing Chrysalis' gaze. "If you're going die, wouldn't you rather die in the arms of your daughter?"

Chrysalis turned to Urtica, who knelt down and put pressure on her mother's injuries. Her horn lit up, trying to cast a healing spell.

Chrysalis stared at Urtica with shock. "Even... after everything I did...?" she whispered. "What a foal I have been...?"

Urtica simply looked up, an unspoken conversation passing between mother and daughter. Resting a hand on her daughter's cheek, Chrysalis noticed a spark in Urtica's eyes. A light show she thought she'd never get the privilege of seeing again.

"You... have your father's eyes," Chrysalis noted, giving a genuine smile of love for the first time in many years. "As well as his heart."

As mother and daughter reconciled, Tai backed up, unsure if he was to be involved. Turning to his mother, he tended to her, as her eyes fluttered open, and she pulled herself up.

"Oh, Tai," she whispered, cradling his head. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Tai replied, before turning to Chrysalis with worry. "But she isn't."

But Chrysalis forced herself to a sitting position.

"It doesn't matter what happens to me," the changeling queen declared. "What matters is what 'she' can do now."

Chrysalis pointed, and the group turned.

Twilight had reached a large piece of driftwood, and stood defiantly before the remnants of King Sombra's fleet. Though she was battered, bruised and beat, she was far from broken.

"You wish for death, Twilight Warrior?" Sombra demanded.

Twilight said nothing, performing a motion that made Luna's eyes grow wide. Sombra, however, merely scoffed and turned to the yaks still under his control.

"Finish this," he ordered.

The ten remaining ships around Sombra aimed. Twilight shut her eyes. Unknown to them, the world faded away around Twilight, as she envisioned a pond in a field. Droplets of rain surrounded her.

"Fire!" Sombra's voice boomed, followed by the literal boom of one of the cannons.

But Twilight forced herself to remain calm. To think of the cannon ball as nothing more than raindrop.

'Inner Peace...'

Twilight drove her arm forward... and caught the cannonball.

Every jaw in the harbor dropped as she redirected it, sending it flying away harmlessly into the water.

But no one was more horrified than Sombra. As Twilight finally opened her eyes, a grim grin graced her features as she glared his gaping form down. She raised a flaming fist and clenched it.

Unfortunately for her, clenching her fist didn't extinguish the flames. And as the burning sensation registered to her, Twilgiht screamed and thrust her arm into the water, accidentally sending herself into the drink as well. A bright purple flash shined under the water before Twilight reappeared back on the driftwood, shaking herself off.

Sombra grit his teeth. "Again!"

Another cannonball fired. But Twilight was ready. Or, almost ready. As she redirected the ball, she lost her grip and sent it into the air. Briefly, she winced, as the others dove for cover. But the cannonball instead snapped off a chunk of one of Sombra's ships. No one was harmed.

"Oh thank Celestia," Twilight sighed... only to yelp as more cannonballs fired at her, forcing her to dodge before she could redirect another one.

"KILL HER!" Sombra wailed. "HOW HARD IS IT TO KILL ONE PONY WITH ELEVEN CANNONS!"

Apparently, much harder than he thought. As cannon after cannon fired, Twilight dodged or redirected. As she got a handle on the ability, she began to send the cannonballs back. Yaks jumped away yelping as Sombra's ships were destroyed.

Ten... nine... eight...

Sombra's head whirled back and forth as his fleet was smashed, and his yaks fled.

Seven... six... five... four...

"What?!" Sombra stammered. "N-NO!"

Three... Two...

He turned back to Twilight as she destroyed another ship. She formed a finger gun and aimed it at him. 'You're next' couldn't have been more clearly said.

"KEEP FIRING!" Sombra wailed, drawing his sword and swiping the fuse on his own cannon. "KEEP FIRING!"

Unfortunately, his cannon was the last cannon standing. And as Twilight caught his shot, the momentum sent her into a spin.

Sombra gasped. The spinning light of the cannon combined with Twilight's dark fur formed the image of a yin-yang.

The zebra's vision flashed across Sombra's mind. Worry as you might, If the prince continues down this dark path he will be defeated by a warrior of day and night.

"The Warrior of Day and Night!" Sombra whispered in absolute fear, as Twilight hurled the cannonball right back at Sombra, and his last ship went up in a flurry of sparks.





Sombra's eyes fluttered open. The ringing in his ear lessened. His fleet was destroyed. His yaks had fled.

He lay in the ruins of his ship, his armor torn and destroyed, his sword chipped, and his beloved cannon burned red, and resembling a flower in bloom.

Sombra lifted himself to his knees, as he heard footsteps behind him. He shook his head, unable to comprehend.

"H-How?" Sombra whispered. "How did you do it?"

"Master Luna showed me how," Twilight replied. "All about keeping my shoulders up. Elbows loose..."

"Not that, you foal!" Sombra snapped, turning back to the Twilight Warrior. "How did you find peace? I took away your mother! Your father! Your village?! I-I scarred you for life!"

Twilight merely held herself higher.

"Yes," she admitted. "You scarred me. You hurt me. But my beginning doesn't define me. And it doesn't define you either."

Sombra growled. "And now instead of killing me, you're lecturing me?" he grumbled, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword.

"I lecture because I care," Twilight insisted. "Someone once told me... The past is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift." Twilight smiled as the words of Master Celestia came so easily to her. "So... all that really matters now is what you choose to do now."

Sombra nodded softly. "I see," he said, quietly drawing his sword. "Then I choose THIS!"

He lunged. His sword pierced a body. But... Twilight was jumping back onto a post. Who had he...?

Sombra looked down... and found a changeling glaring defiantly at him. Pushing himself further up the blade to get at Sombra's neck.

"You killed my brothers and sisters," the changeling growled, catching Sombra by the wrists. "You will pay... Sombra." Getting close enough, the changeling shot his head forward, and buried his fangs into Sombra's neck.

"AGH!" Somba wailed. "Filthy little...!" He head butt the changeling away, and yanked his sword out. But the changeling was only one of many.

Swarming up over the ship, crawling from the water with deep gashes or missing limbs like undead ghouls, the changelings overwhelmed the dark king. He desperately swiped at them, but they just kept coming, overwhelming him and burying him in a heap of carapaces.

"Get off of me!" Sombra screamed, before he heard a loud metal gong. Looking up, he saw a familiar changeling and yak jumping on his cannon, forcing it down towards him.

The impaled changeling rose, turning to Twilight. "Unicorn, get out of here," he ordered.

"But you'll die," Twilight protested, taking a step towards him before she noticed his smile.

"And we'll take this monster with us," he promised, as Tak and Roar leaped on the cannon again, eliciting another metal GONG! Twilight began to step back.

"Go, unicorn," the changeling said, enveloping her in a green aura. "And tell Princess Urtica... we are proud to call her our sister."

With those final words, he hurled Twilight off the boat... just as several of his siblings went flying from a beam of magic.

Sombra wrenched himself up, his horn flaring with magic as he started to struggle free... only for another beam of magic to slice right through his horn. Sombra whirled on the source, his eyes widening with rage as he saw Queen Chrysalis, supported by Urtica, her horn smoking from the spell she had used to break his horn.

"For my Wild Spark," Chrysalis said, looking up as Tak and Roar gave one final leap. "See you in Tartarus, Sombra."

As the cannon fell - Tak using her magic to carry Roar to safety - Sombra finally let the wounded changelings drag him down. And as the cannon crushed him down into his boat, and the last vestiges of cannon powder sparked, Sombra had one final thought:

'If I had any single regret for the countless horrific events that have transpired in my wake... it's that I'm dying.'

Fireworks exploded from the ship, eliciting a cheer from the ponies of the Empire.

As the ponies celebrated the end of King Sombra, Chrysalis slumped back against the wall, shutting her eyes in satisfaction. She had set her husband's killer straight to the depths of Tartarus.

However, one thing still awaited her before she joined him. She turned her weakening gaze to her daughter, and the leopard that stood beside her.

"Tai... Lung," Chrysalis got out, gaining the master's attention. "Do you... love... my daughter?"

Tai Lung didn't answer at first. But after gazing at Urtica, he turned back to the queen and nodded.

Smiling, Chrysalis reached into her armor, and withdrew a chain with a ring on it. Urtica gasped.

"I...Isn't that fathers ring?" she asked. "I-I thought you threw it away!"

"I don't have long," Chrysalis admitted, using her magic to change the ring's size. "But I wanted to be there with you on your wedding." She offered the ring to Tai. With it's size changed, it easily slipped onto the leopard's finger. "So let your Queen's final act... be to perform... a changeling wedding."

Urtica held her hand to her mouth, tears spilling over her cheeks. "O-Of course... Mother."

Using her hive mind Chrysalis began to speak to her remaining children.

"Come Children. It is time to crown your new queen"

Pulling themselves up from the water like they had done with Sombra, the remaining changelings - and one yak - gathered to their Queen and Princess.

"Tai Lung Solaris..." Chrysalis got out. "Do you take... Princess Urtica Spark... to be your queen?"

Tai twisted the ring, securing it to his finger. "I do," he said.

Chrysalis nodded and turned to her daughter, trying to remove a ring on her own finger. "My Precious Daughter..." she winced as her hearts protested, but carried on, even as her voice weakened. "Do you take... Tai Lung Solaris... to be your king?"

"I do mother," Urtica promised, helping her mother remove the ring and placing it on her own finger.

"The....crown..." Chrysalis tried to pull her crown off, but her hands shivered. It was all she could do to stay awake.

But just before the crown could fall from her hands, Tak caught it, before presenting it to her sister with a bow.

"Lead them... into... a better life," Chrysalis got out, before her head slumped down, and everything went dark.





A bright light glistened before her. Chrysalis steadied herself as best she could without a body.

'It's time to accept my punishment' she thought somberly. 'And I'm ready.'

But, to the queens surprise, it was not the fires of Tartarus that awaited her. Instead, a shadow stepped from the light. A shadow that couldn't block out a set of very familar eyes.

Chrysalis gasped, tears of sadness and joy spilling from her eyes.

"You miss me, Chrissy?" Wild Spark asked with a coy grin.

Chrysalis immdiately wrapped her arms around the pony and cried

"With all my hearts and more," Chrysalis cried as she looked into his sparkiling green eyes. "Oh, Wild Spark..."

Wild Spark smiled, and rested his head against hers.

"Time to go, my Queen," he said. And he directed the Changeling Queen into the spirit realm.





Meanwhile, Urtica and the changelings bowed their heads. As while Chrysalis' smile did not fade, her eyes did not open, and her body did not move again.

"Mother?" Urtica asked, feeling her mothers presence leave the hive mind. "Mom?"

The changelings began to cry as they gathered around their mother's body. Tai tried his best to comfort his new queen, but when Luna tried to approach him, he waved her off with a sign that he was okay.

Accepting her son's word, Luna turned back to her other students, as Rainbow Dash pulled a soaking Twilight from the wreck.

"Now that?" Rainbow Dash asked with pride. "That was pretty hardcore!"

Twilight smiled. And whether it was due to the changelings' own sorrow or her own relief, she grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled her into a hug.

Just down the harbor, the other masters went wide eyed with shock. Even the blinded Fluttershy's jaw dropped, sensing what was happening.

Sensing the awkwardness, Twilight quickly set Rainbow Dash down, accepting a more expected hug from Pinkie and even Rarity.

"Please never do that again, Twi," Pinkie whimpered, before Luna stepping forward drew their attention.

"Congradulations Twilight," Luna said. "It seems you have mastered Inner Peace." Her smile turned into a grimace. "And at such a young age," she muttered grumpily.

"Well... I had a great teacher," Twilight replied, bringing Luna into a hug.

Together, the masters gazed at the ruins of Sombra's ship. The fireworks continued to flash, as fire spread across the ruins, dispelling any possibility that Sombra might have survived. Luna sighed.

"I'd say it's time we return home," Luna said before turning to Urtica and her son. "But first, somepony deserves a proper burial."

Days later, at the Jade Dragon Library...

'Fantasy Fiction... Historical Fiction... Science Fiction...' droned in Spike's head as he sorted through a pile of books.

The creak of a door jarred him from his work, and he raced to the front.

"Twi...?" he started to say hopefully... only to deflate. Standing in the doorway, glaring at the outside before shutting the door hard, was a familiar red dragon.

Spike sighed, causing the red dragon to jump. "Hey, Garble," he said, his voice far from enthusiastic. He jutted a claw at the back. "There's a cubby in the back with rhyming books..."

"I'm not here for that," the red drake lied through his teeth. "I'm just here to pick up some stupid book for Smolder."

Spike raised his hands. "Look, Garble, just relax. Okay? I'm not one of your other dragon friends, but that doesn't mean I'm going to mock you for something you enjoy." Spike turned back to his desk, while Garble sighed, and followed after him.

"Thanks, pipsqueak," Garble muttered, before flinching. "D-Sorry... 'Spike.' Old habits."

Spike huffed out a laugh as he worked on his books. "At this point, I'd consider it weird if you didn't call me that."

Garble tilted his head at Spike's beaten down posture and the defeated tone in his voice. He whistled.

"No wonder Smolder's been down," he muttered, before moving to Spike's desk and leaning before him. "You're worried about your sister, aren't you?"

Spike looked up at him, surprised, but the sincerity in the red dragon's eyes caused Spike to sigh. "Yeah," he admitted.

Garble nodded, frowning in thought.

"Alright, look," the red dragon began. "I'm going to say this to you once." He pointed threatingly. "And if you tell anypony I said this, I'm going to dip you head first in our lava pool." Spike raised an eyebrow, before Garble lowered his claw with a sigh. "But it is okay to worry about your sister. There are plenty of times where I've worried about my sister."

"Really?!" Spike stammered, looking up in surprise. "But every time I've seen her, she bounces back. She's always been so tough..."

"That's not what I mean," Garble elaborated. He shook his head with a grin. "Before you finally got the hint that she liked you, Smolder tried to fill her heart with others that weren't you. And while all of them could be bigger or stronger than you, none of them had your... compassion. And kindness." Garble spoke of the words like they were foreign; something he didn't fully comprehend. And yet, he grinned like they had potential. "You're easily the only dragon beside my sister who cares about somebody other than themselves. You go against the very nature of most dragons." He crossed his arms. "And I think that's why you make me so mad. Because I know I'll never find myself a dragoness that's like either of you."

"Garble..." Spike whispered in shock, only for the red dragon to breeze by him.

"I meant it by the way," Garble growled, his original tone back. "Tell anyone I said any of that, and I'll throw you head first into our lava pool." Then he strode to the back of the library, and started reading with a quiet grin.

Spike watched the red dragon with a soft smile, before turning back to his work. After what felt like a few hours, Spike heard the door open again. Stamping down his hope for Twilight, he tried for his more usual greeting:

"Welcome to the Jade Dragon," Spike said, focusing on his books. "Home to every book within the dragon's... hoard?"

Spike noticed a burned pony doll with a quill and notepad enter his peripheral vision. He looked up, and was met with the sight of...

"Twilight!!" Spike yelped, practically jumping over his desk to hug his sister.

As the two embraced, Spike noticed a group of changelings outside. All of them looked beaten down and depressed, pulling a cart with a coffin. The coffin had a glass lid, and inside, a larger changeling lay, smiling peacefully.

"Uh..." Spike pointed to the coffin, drawing Twilight's gaze.

"Queen Chrysalis," she explained. "Urtica's mother."

"Urtica?" Spike muttered. "Tai Lung's girlfriend?"

"Now his wife," Twilight admitted with a shrug, before looking to Chrysalis. "Chrysalis died protecting her children. Urtica asked if we could bury her in Ponyville."

Spike nodded. "Well..." he admitted. "It's not a bad resting place."

Twilight nodded, her eyes following the coffin before she turned back to Spike. "Spike," she said, her tone having a sterness to it that made Spike's heart jump. "While I was in the Crystal Empire... I found the village where I was born. I also found out how I got into your delivery." Spike started to pale as Twilight straightened. "I know who I am."

Spike swallowed. "And... who are you?" he asked, trying to sound supportive. Twilight merely gazed at him with a loving smile.

"I'm your little sister," she said, her voice cracking with love.

Spike held back a gasp, and threw himself into her arms again. For a moment, they simply embraced, glad to have each other back. However, all too soon, Twilight started to notice the state of his library.

"Oh, my goodness," Twilight mumbled.

"What?" Spike asked, breaking their hug.

Twilight resisted zipping over to the books flooding the many tables. "Who's organizing these? Just dumped here and left all alone? Books have feelings too!"

Spike chuckled. "Well, I don't have quite your dexterity or timeliness," he admitted, walking up next to her. "Care to help a brother out?"

Twilight chuckled at his teasing tone. "Always," she agreed.

And together, brother and sister started to re-organize the library. Just like the good old days.





Meanwhile, unknown to Twilight or Spike. Far far away, past mountains and forests, through snowy plains and up a waterfall, a village sat, withdrawn from the world. In a small shrine, a white unicorn bowed in front of an old family portrait. Twilight Velvet smiled out from the portrait, her family and little Baby Twilight all around her.

The white unicorn raised his head, staring at the depiction of baby Twilight next to the younger depiction of himself wistfully... before his horn glowed softly, and he lifted himself up with a gasp of alarm. He raced out, following the thrum of his horn as a pink alicorn noticed him run to the edge of the village.

"Shining?" she asked, walking after him with a lighter pink alicorn filly in her arms. "What's wrong?"

"It's my sister, Cadence," Shining whispered, turning to her with a smile. "My little sister is alive."