Author's Note: This story takes place a few years after Defenders of Harmony, thus fitting into the same universe and the same events of Alexandria the Great. If you haven't read either of them, I suggest you do so, just to give you background on the OCs used in this story. Anyway, read and review, if you enjoyed or have suggestions for me to do better.

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Celestia

Celestia Simmons, Future Princess of Equestria. Has a ring to it, doesn't it? Well, that's what I'm going to be. Well, me and my older sister, Luna. As soon as we finished our studies, me and Luna would take our place on the throne, next to our mother and father. Assuming, of course, me and Luna passed Mom's rigorous training.

"Alright, do you have the image of what you want to summon in your head?" said Mom.

"Yes." I said, concentrating on my target.

"We got it." said Luna.

"Good. Now, will it to come to you." said Mom. I closed my eyes and focused on bringing my item to me. A bright yellow light enveloped my horn, a dark blue surrounding Luna's. I extended my right hand, Luna doing the same, as we summoned our item.

POP!

In my hand appeared a golden crown with six purple gems near the tips. My sister grasped it as well, confirming my suspicions that we were both going for the same thing.

"Girls, give it back." said Mom. "I thought I told you not to play with my crown."

"But you told me to grab something I wanted. I wanted your crown." I said, placing it atop my bright yellow, orange-tipped mane.

"So did I." said Luna, yanking it from me and placing it on her head. She ran her hand through her blue and black hair. "Looks good, doesn't it?"

"Looks better on me." I said, grabbing it and putting it back on me. Mom snapped her fingers, causing the crown to flash into light. Mom twirled her the crown around on her finger disapprovingly.

"And it'll look best when you guys actually become princesses." said Mom.

"I still don't see why we have to study." I said, crossing my arms. "We're already amazing. We could take a spot on the throne now, and we'd be great rulers."

"No. I don't want you guys to be rushed into this before you're ready."

"We are ready." said Luna.

"That's what I thought, until I actually became princess. I thought I could handle it, me being Princess Celestia's prize pupil, but when she gave it to me, I almost lost it."

"Always talking about The Old Celestia." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Don't talk about Princess Celestia like that. Show her some respect."

"Okay. I'm sorry, Mom." I said. "I just don't like it when you bring her up."

"I know, I know, I should probably stop. I know you know this, but I named you two after her and her sister."

"Yes, and that's cool and all, but you should treat us like us and not them." said Luna. "We're going to be better than them, anyway."

"Don't get ahead of yourselves. Celestia and Luna, the old princesses, they were more powerful than you could imagine. They controlled the sun and moon."

"We could do that stuff too. We just don't." I said.

"You could raise the sun?" asked Mom skeptically. "How about you raise your grades first?"

"Mom, we got perfect As on all of your tests." said Luna.

"Well, you should've gotten an A+." said Mom.

"Don't you have a tour to get ready for?" asked Luna. Mom looked down at her watch and yelled in panic.

"Oh my goodness! I'm going to be late! Where's your father?"

"Right here, Twilight, relax." said a pure white unicorn with ginger hair and emerald eyes, who had just melted through the crystal walls. Luna and I, never missing the opportunity, dropped to one knee and bowed.

"Prince Conjure!" we called in unison.

"What's up, baby girls? Stop calling me 'Prince'." said our father, the Prince of Equestria. "I don't like it. It makes me feel more important than I actually am."

"But you are important, Daddy." said Luna. "The four most important ponies in the universe are sitting in this room."

"You three, maybe, but I'm just another Random Joe." he said. "Honey, you're going to be late."

"I know! I lost track of time waiting for you!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry, totally my fault. I was asleep."

"Well, can I trust you to stay awake so you can finish the lesson?"

"No way. As soon as you leave, I'm going to summon a La-Z-Boy and pass out." he joked. "Don't worry about it. Just go."

"Are you sure you have everything in place? Do you know the lesson plans?"

"Twilight, I'm the one who wrote the lesson plans." said Dad, rolling his eyes. "I'll handle it."

"Okay. I trust you." said Mom, although her voice sounded very untrusting. "I'm leaving now."

"Try not to bore the kids into oblivion."

"What?! I'm not boring! All I do is speak about the importance of organization and keeping a strict, regular schedule."

"Bo-ring!" said Dad. "Maybe you should talk about the Princesses."

"That reminds me. I had a dream about them last night."

"Really? What'd they say?"

"Nothing much, just checking in on me. I think they're worried that I might be cracking under the pressure."

"You've been doing good for the past 20 years or so." said Dad, looking at his watch. "Get out of here! You're going to be late!"

"I wanted to talk about it, because they seemed uneasy about something."

"We'll talk when you get back, okay?" said Dad. He snapped his fingers. Green haze surrounded Mom.

"Okay, Conjure, but I'm holding you to that." she said.

POP!

My mother burst into light, disappearing from the room. Dad pulled up a table from thin air, with a tea kettle, some small sandwiches and three teacups.

"Fancy a spot of tea?" he asked, gesturing towards the table.

---

Luna

Luna Simmons, Future Princess of Equestria. This goes without saying, but that sounds so perfect, don't you think? It seems natural, which makes sense, since I'll be ruling Equestria soon. As soon as I turn 18, four short years until I take the throne next to Princess Twilight and Prince Conjure. Poor little Tia will have to wait a whole extra year. But until then, it was tests and tea. Sometimes they were one in the same.

"Fancy a spot of tea?" asked Daddy, gesturing for us to take a seat at the chairless table. I squatted down to sit, and a little stool appeared beneath my butt. Celestia and Daddy did the same.

"What are we doing today?" asked Celestia, accepting a cup that my father handed her. He passed one to me, then poured a third for himself.

"Well, I thought we'd have some tea, then we could get into some poison work." he said.

"Alright." I said, taking a sip.

"Or is it that we'd do some poison work involving tea?" he said, placing his still-full cup back on the table. Celestia and I swallowed our tea before we realise what he meant.

"You're joking." I said.

"First step: Identify the poison. Did you notice anything funny about the tea?"

"Um… It seemed slightly cold." said Celestia.

"Good. A poison that lowers temperature. What else?"

"It was tart! A slightly bitter taste!" I said excitedly. I loved my Dad's lessons. Mom was a great teacher and all, but she didn't very often throw us into things like this.

"Nice. That should narrow it down. Chilling and bitter. You got it yet?"

"Frost Poms!" said Celestia and I together. Just then, I could feel an eerie cold ran through my entire body, from my hooves to my freckled face. The Frost Pomegranates were taking effect.

"Excellent! Now, what do you know about Frost Poms?"

"Deadly fruit." said Celestia.

"Fast-acting poison." I remembered.

"We have about 2 minutes." reported my sister.

"Antidote is pretty common, its… Watercress!" I outburst.

"Fantastic! Where are you going to find some watercress?"

"I don't know!"

"Sandwiches!" said Celestia.

"Huh?"

"Dad always makes watercress sandwiches with tea! It's really posh and cliche, but it serves our purposes." said Celestia, grabbing a sandwich. She shoved it in her mouth and handed me the plate. I felt my fingers freeze and my hand became a lighter, icy blue. I ate the sandwich and instantly felt warmth enter my body. My hands grew hot and the original dark blue color returned.

"Excellent! You girls make me proud!" said Dad.

"Thanks, Daddy!" I said, jumping up and hugging him. "That was fun!"

"It so was!" laughed Celestia. "What do we do now?"

"Uh… I actually don't have much planned." he said sheepishly.

"Really?" I said exasperatedly. "Daddy! You promised Mom that you'd have a lesson ready!"

"I do, I just don't want to do it." he said. "Wanna go hang out? Be normal people instead of the royal family?"

"No." I said. "But, out of curiosity, where are we going?"

"Wherever you want. Next stop: Everywhere!"

"Why? Shouldn't we be studying?" asked Tia.

"You guys are really, really clever, and your studies are very important, but sometimes you need to relax. When was the last time you took a break for an hour, just to rest your brains?"

"Last night!" I said.

"Honey, last night you ate dinner then took a three minute combat-nap. I hate to break it to you, but that doesn't count."

"Fair point." said Celestia. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I have to say it was educational so your mother won't get on my case, so let's follow her tour. I'm sure she'll say something interesting about the war."

"Sounds like fun." I said, leaning against the crystal wall. I pressed my back against it and felt myself fall through. It felt as though I was moving through a wall of… mayonnaise, I guess. It was an odd sensation, spreading your atoms like that. It was the only way to get in and out of the training room. Mom had the room designed with no doors, no windows, no feasible entrances, in fear that one day, Tia or myself would be attempting a spell, and something goes horribly wrong, destroying the castle or hurting somepony. Of course, no such thing ever has, nor will it ever, happen, simply because me and my sister are too talented. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but every spell we've ever attempted, we've completed with master expertise. Even this extremely difficult spell, a spell that even took our dad a few tries, we mastered on our first attempt.

"I still can't believe how quickly you're learning." said Dad after he'd fallen through to the other side. "I remember like yesterday when I had to keep a constant magic-suppression spell on the entirety of both castles, just to stop Celestia from starting whirlwinds in the kitchen and to stop you from setting your sister's diapers on fire!"

"Those were the good ol' days." I said, snapping my fingers. The hem of Celestia's yellow skirt caught flame. Without panic, she snapped her fingers twice, extinguishing the flames and covering my hair with sticky cotton candy. I cleaned out my mane and gave her a smile, just to let her know that I acknowledged her skill and that we'd finish this later.

"Enough of that." said Dad, leading us through the halls of the Crystal Castle. We made our way up the long staircase to the main entrance, then started to look for the group of Ponyville students. We politely walked around the memorials to the original princesses, when I had an idea.

"Don't you have a copy of Mom's schedule?" I asked. "Knowing her, she's sticking to it without a second deviation."

"Good idea." he said, summoning a sheet of parchment with his horn. He scanned it quickly then led us to the cafeteria. Apparently, it was time for lunch. Celestia and I walked in silence, quietly playing our secret little game. I'd start a small spell, then she'd counter it to work in her favor as I tried to prevent her from doing so, and so on. Whoever completed their spell, won the point. First to five points wins. I was about to break the tie and win the match when we arrived at the cafeteria area. Tia and I were too focused on our game to look up (I had just turned her bouquet of roses to a bundle of snakes, which became a fruit bat.) so all we heard was the screaming.

"Give them back!" yelled some melodramatic filly.

"Or what, Lizard Girl?" asked another, very annoying sounding girl. "What are you going to d-" She was cut off abruptly, as if somepony had hit her.

"You should deal with that, Dad." said Celestia, turning my butterfly into a toad.

"Yeah, yeah." he said. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Give it back or I'll be enjoying some barbeque pony for lunch! I'm part dragon, so it's not technically cannibalism." shouted the first voice.

"Oh no." said Dad. He snapped his fingers, surrounding us with a green haze, signifying that we had a few moments before being teleported. "Wait for me."

"What's going on?" I asked, letting the toad drop to the floor and hop away.

"That's Alex." he said. "I'll talk to you in a moment. Just wait for me and don't leave the training room."

POP!

We reappeared in our training room, just how we started. I looked at Celestia with confusion and we had the same thought.

"Round two?" I asked.

"Of course."

Celestia

Luna and I played six rounds of our game (I won 3, she won 3. We always tied.) before we got any information. Mom teleported in, along with a steel-colored Earth pony with teal eyes and a white mane. She was clutching a piece of paper and seemed terrified of something, but I wasn't sure what.

"Princess Twilight! You have to banish her! Or throw her in the dungeon! Or both!" she demanded of my mother.

"Whoa." I said. "First of all, my mother is the princess, and therefore, doesn't have to do anything."

"Second, you just entered a room containing two Equestrian princesses. You should be bowing." said Luna.

"Third, who needs banishment? Besides you're attitude, of course." I finished.

"That freakshow Alexandria!" she yelled. "She nearly killed me!"

"You're clearly not understanding how this whole list thing works, so let me explain. You're supposed to address all the issues we pointed out in the order we pointed them out in." said Luna.

"Yes. Apologize to our mother for making demands, bow to us, then tell us your stupid problems." I said.

"Excuse me, but who the hell are you?" she asked.

"We are the two most important ponies of your generation." I said. "We're the princesses. Show some respect."

"Dude, really? You're thirteen."

"Yes, which means I've been important for thirteen years longer than you. Follow the list. Now." I said angrily. She seemed taken aback, but complied nonetheless.

"I apologize for my outburst, Princess Twilight." she said. Quickly, she dropped to one knee and lowered her head in the general direction of Luna and myself. "I was just very… passionate in my hopes that Alexandria gets brought to justice."

"Alexandria?" asked Luna. "You mean Rarity's daughter?"

"Yes. That little mutant maimed me a moment ago." she said.

"Do you remember Alex?" I asked my sister. She nodded. "So do I. We met her once or twice, and she seemed nice enough. I can't really see her hurting anypony like this."

"You don't know that freak like I do!" she shouted.

"Watch your tone when addressing us!" I said loudly. "Alexandria wouldn't just attack you without reason."

"Are you saying I deserved what I got?"

"Why, yes, actually." said Luna. "I'm glad you worked that out."

"Can I say something?" asked Mom. "I did notice that Platinum Pendant here and her friend were giving Alex a rough time, but she still had no right to attack a fellow classmate."

"Yeah!" said Platinum.

"In that same breath, you need to apologize for picking on her." said Mom.

"B-but… I… she's… She's a dragon!"

"Yes, and you're a brat." I said. "Apologize to her."

"Give me one good reason."

"Besides the fact that two princesses just ordered you to do so?" asked Luna. "Alex has potential to be important. You don't want important people angry at you."

"What makes you think she'll ever be important? She doesn't even have a Cutie Mark."

"Her mother is an Element of Harmony. Equestria would've been destroyed many times over if it weren't for the Elements." I said. "As for her lack of Cutie Mark, that doesn't mean anything. Luna and I don't have ours yet, and we're going to be important. And just look at you. You have a Cutie Mark."

"What's that supposed to mean? she asked.

"It means you don't have any talents, and your destiny is being a spoiled baby who has everything handed to them. You'll never amount to anything." I explained. As I finished that sentence, the look of complete depression and hurt that flew across Platinum's face said one thing: Overkill.

"Tia." said Luna quietly. "Too much."

"That's not to say that you can't change that." I said quickly. The last thing I wanted was a crying little filly making a ruckus. "Maybe if you change the way you talk to people, you can find something you're good at. Something relevant. It's not too late for you."

"Celestia, please stop talking." said Mom. "Platinum, I apologize for my daughters. Can I see the letter?"

"Here you go." said Platinum, handing the note over. As soon as Mom looked at it, Dad teleported in.

"Twilight, we have a problem." he said.

"I noticed. Rarity's daughter nearly killed somepony." said Mom, skimming through the note.

"Not just that. A huge problem. I don't think Rarity is going to be particularly happy about it."

"Well, what is it?"

"Um… Let's send Platinum home, first." said Dad, giving his fingers a snap. The familiar green haze surrounded her, and before she could protest, she popped into light, disappearing from the room.

"Well? Out with it!" said Mom. "What did Alexandria do?"

"Alexandria didn't do anything, really. It's Alex we have to worry about."

"Huh?"

"King Sombra met with Alexandria and divided her personality into two different ponies, one dragon, one unicorn. The unicorn calls herself Alexandria, the dragon is simply Alex. Alex is trying to revive Sombra, who apparently died bringing her to life. I lost a coin toss, and now I have to tell Rarity." he said, rubbing his temples.

"I don't envy you." said Mom. "Good luck with that."

"You're not going to help me?" he asked. "She's going to kill me!"

"If it makes you feel better, Daddy, we'll go with you." said Luna.

"That would make me feel a lot better."

"Oh, I'm coming, I'm just not going to say very much. I have to pay Diamond Tiara a visit." said Mom.

"Okay. Let's go." I said, grasping my father's arm. We all linked up and teleported out in a flash of light.

---

Luna

We appeared in a circular building with mannequins, sewing machines, and sewing machines. A white unicorn was sitting at a table, working on a dress. Rarity.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every dress is chic, unique and magnifique! If you would please refrain from teleporting in or out of the shop, I would be happy to get to you in a moment." she said, not looking up.

"Rarity, it's us." said Dad. "I have to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" she said. Apparently, she just noticed our mother, because she continued her questioning with a little more concern. "What are you doing here, Twilight? Aren't you giving a tour?"

"Er… I'm going to go talk to Diamond Tiara. Conjure will tell you about it." said Mom, rushing out of the store.

"Twilight is hiding something." said Rarity.

"Not really. She just doesn't want to be around when I tell you." said Dad. "You should probably get Spike down here for this. It's about Alex."

"Oh my." said Rarity. "Spikey! Get down here, please! We need to talk!"

"Coming!" came a voice from upstairs. Down the stairs slid a wingless, purple and green dragon. He was pretty short by dragon standards, only about as tall as me (6 feet.)

"Okay. Before I tell you, you should be prepared for bad news."

"Bad news? About Alexandria?" asked Rarity.

"Yes. Today, she bit another student." said Dad.

"That's terrible! Why?" asked Rarity.

"Why she did it isn't important. It's what happened afterwards that matters."

"What happened after?" asked Spike.

"How do I put this? She had an… accident. She's not exactly the same as she was before."

"What do you mean?"

"Her soul has been ripped. The positive side and negative side her personality got pushed into two separate bodies. Your daughter is gone, replaced by Alex and Alexandria. I don't think I can fix her."

"What?" asked Rarity. "What did you just say to me?"

"I'm sorry, Rarity, I'll try my best, I just don't know how well I'll do." he said fearfully.

"Conjure, you are the royal alchemist. One of the most powerful unicorns in history. You're going to fix her." she said.

"Like I said, I'll try, but it might be impossible. I have no clue what I'm working with." Rarity walked over to my dad and grabbed him by the collar.

"Fix my daughter!" she yelled.

"Rarity, I think you need to calm down." said Dad. She reared her hand back and slapped my dad hard across the face.

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'll calm down when you give me my kid back!"

"How dare you lay a hand on the prince?!" I shouted angrily. She had some nerve. I was tolerant enough as to not say anything about not bowing, but the moment you hit my daddy, you've gone too far.

"Luna, relax." he said, rubbing his face. "Rarity is my friend, and sometimes friends argue. When they argue, sometimes things get out of hand. I know you're just worried and upset, and I will try my best to revert Alexandria to her original state."

"You damn well better!" she huffed. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get on with it!"

"Alright." he said. "Girls, go tell your mother that I'll be tied up for a while." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Let's go, Tia." I said, grabbing her shoulder. I concentrated and dark blue aura surrounded us. We popped out of the shop, reappearing right outside, where Mom was standing. Behind her was a pony. Not just any pony. An alicorn. There weren't any of those left, not even Mom was an alicorn. But that wasn't just any alicorn. It was Cadence.

"Mom?" said Celestia quietly.

"Huh? What are you girls doing out here?" she said. She hadn't seen Cadence yet.

"A better question would probably be 'What is Aunt Cadence doing here?'" I said, pointing behind her.

"Don't joke about Cadence." said Mom, turning around. She caught sight of her sister-in-law and stepped backwards in fear and confusion. Nopony could believe that Cadence was here. It was impossible. Cadence committed suicide before me and Celestia were born.

"Hello, Twilight." said Cadence. This couldn't be happening, this had to be fake, but everything about here was right, her light pink coat, her purple, pink and gold mane, her purple eyes, every detail looked exactly like the pictures Mom showed us.

"C-cadence?" asked Mom. "How are you here?"

"The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles." said Cadence. Mom started to stomp her hooves lightly.

"Sunshine, sunshine…" she began.

"Junebugs awake." said Cadence, bowing her head and covering her eyes.

"Stomp your hooves…" said Mom, stomping harder and twirling around.

"And do a little shake!" said Cadence, spinning around and shaking her tail at Mom, who had done the same. Mom turned back to face Cadence, then grabbed her by the throat angrily.

"What are you doing, Twilight?" she asked in terror.

"It's 'ladybugs awake'. Not Junebugs. What do you want, Chrysalis?" said Mom angrily.

"Ladybugs? Damn, I knew I was off." said Cadence, in a very different voice. An echoey, insectoid voice. The voice of a changeling. "Cadence" burst into emerald green flames, and when she emerged, she resembled a black robe-clad beetle with a small patch of swamp on it's head.

"Chrysalis, words cannot describe how pissed I am, so you better have a good effing reason as to why you were impersonating Cadence."

"Greetings to you too, Princess Twilight." said Chrysalis. "I always have a good reason."

"Care to let me in on it?"

"How are you Chrysalis? I'm fine, and you, Twilight? I can't complain. So, what brings you here?" she mocked. "Has Equestria completely disregarded the custom of polite small talk between visiting dignitaries?"

"I am in no mood for your bullshit!" said Mom angrily. Her eyes became fiery red, her coat a pale orange, and an unnatural heat began to emit from her body. Oh no. Mom almost never got this mad.

"Chrysalis, I think you should tell Mom what you came here for, unless you enjoy third degree burns." said Celestia.

"I'll tell you, but I can't do it here. We have to go somewhere safe." said Chrysalis, looking over her shoulder in panic.

"Nowhere is safe for you, so long as I'm around." said Mom. "I promised Silver I wouldn't go after you, but if you come running to me? He can't stop me."

"Twilight, I know I did some things that were morally questionable at best, but right now, we need to put our differences aside for the benefit of all."

"You mean for the benefit of you, right?" asked Mom. Her mane and tail glowed orange, a danger sign that she was losing control. My mom is slightly pyrokinetic, which means that under certain circumstances, she could control fire. Not much, but enough to hurt somepony.

"Twilight, I'm sorry, okay? I really didn't want to kill Celestia, or Luna, but I did what I had to do. I hated every second of it, but I did it, sort of like what I'm doing now. I hate to have to come ask you for help, but I have nowhere else to turn." said Chrysalis. Mom loosened her grip on Chrysalis slightly, just enough to give Chrysalis a little more time to explain.

"Talk. Now." said Mom, mane returning to her normal purple.

"I can't, not here. It's dangerous."

"It's also dangerous to piss me off! Spill it!"

"I'm just trying to help. If they know that I know, they'll be on me even more."

"Who will be on you?"

"My children!" exclaimed the queen of changelings. "This is about the changelings, and you have to help me in order to save them! Oh, and your precious ponies."

"Why? What are they up to?"

"They… hit puberty, I guess is the best way to explain it. I can't get into it now, but if we go somewhere safe…"

"I don't know…" said Mom, calmly. She returned to normal completely and she let go of Chrysalis.

"A true, true friend helps a friend in need…" sang Chrysalis.

"Ugh. Fine. Canterlot Castle?" asked Mom, grabbing Chrysalis by the arm.

"Sounds good." she said, linking with Mom. Me and Celestia, already knowing the destination, teleported out. When we arrived, we were in the Canterlot throne room. Chrysalis took a seat on the throne, kicked her hooves up on the hoof-rest and smiled.

"Now you can help me with the revolts." she said with a smile.

Celestia

Queen Chrysalis took a seat on Mom's throne in our castle in Canterlot. She crossed her legs with a smug grin, apparently pleased with herself.

"Now you can help me with the revolts." she said smugly.

"Get off of my mother's throne." I said. "Who do you think you are?"

"Please don't tell me you took me out of the history books!" said Chrysalis. "Your children don't even know who I am? Let me shed some light; I am Queen Chrysalis, Ruler of the Changelings."

"Ruler of the Rebelling Changelings, apparently." snickered Mom.

"Shut up, Twilight, it's not funny! Just imagine if your children… Er… subjects just stopped listening to you!"

"Let's back up a tad. What's this about puberty?"

"I honestly don't know myself, but it seems that every single changeling in my kingdom suddenly hit 'The Rebellious Stage'. I try to give orders and they just ignore me! Can you believe that?"

"Oddly enough, I can. I still don't get why you need me. Or why you were disguised as Cadence."

"Isn't it obvious? Cadence is just such a comfortable mare to be. Have you ever touched her skin? It's crazy-soft! Walking around as her is like swimming in lotion!"

"You can't kill my sister-in-law then walk around in her skin!" said Mom angrily.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't kill Cadence."

"It was your fault she committed suicide!"

"How so?"

"You killed Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and you killed Shining Armor, which threw a ton of pressure on her! She couldn't cope with that, especially not without any real friends."

"Do you really still think I killed Celestia?" asked the queen dubiously.

"I sat there and watched you do it!"

"No, you sat there and thought you watched me do it. Big difference."

"So you're telling me Princess Celestia and Princess Luna dropped dead on their own accord?" asked Mom.

"Well, I won't deny that I killed Luna, but I did not kill Celestia."

"Then who did?"

"Er… me. But not really. I was the one who pulled the trigger, sure, but she was asking for it." One venomous look from my mother caused Chrysalis to shrink down in fear. "I realise how bad that sounded, so let me explain: She was literally asking for it. She told me to shoot her, to save myself and my children, but I refused anyway. Remember the spell she was going to cast when she died?"

"Of course."

"Well, she completed it. The spell pushed my finger against the trigger. She used me to shoot herself. Luna was going to kill me, so I panicked and shot her too. As for Shining Armor, I definitely didn't kill him."

"He died raiding one of your bases."

"He died evacuating a school full of small children. Cadence was the one who called in the bomb strike on the building, not me. Shining Armor is a hero."

"Not to be rude, but can we get on with why you're here?" asked Luna.

"Right! I was hiding as Cadence because I heard talk of an Anti-Chrysalis movement. Anti-me! They're trying to overthrow me! All because of that stunt I pulled with Silver!"

"They're mad that you found them food?" I asked.

"Somepony knows her history." replied Chrysalis. "No, they're mad because I sold out. Changelings are very proud, so when their mother showed weakness, they were outraged. Now it's been like, 18 years, and I haven't done anything queen-like since, so they're out for my blood."

"The changelings regard you as their mother, right?" asked Luna. "Why would they hurt their mother?"

"Changelings are very proud and very rambunctious. Not a good combo. They'll kill me if they think I'm too weak to lead. They won't think twice, because my great-great-great grandfather got this idea in their heads that a changeling would rather die than be useless and weak, so they'll think they're doing me a favor by putting me out of my misery!"

"Still don't see what that has to do with me." said Mom.

"Ugh! Starswirl's Shadow Thingy! You have rules against condemnation to cruel fate!"

"What's so cruel about you being usurped?"

"How cute! You think they're going to usurp me! Usurp would imply that somepony would be taking my place. Only a King or Queen can rule."

"So?" I asked in confusion. "They'll find another queen."

"That's not how changelings work. Kings and Queens are actually special breeds that have just the perfect balance of hormones. A King or Queen can only be born ten thousand years after the last King or Queen. I'm only 8,329 years old. So unless you want complete anarchy for the next 1700 years, you have to help me. Plus, they won't just kill me. They'll rip me apart in public for everypony to see!"

"So this is about you trying to save your own tail?" I asked.

"No! This is about saving my people! And yours, by the way. If the changelings go too long without a leader, they'll riot and attack whoever gets in their way."

"Well, you've been around for 8,000 years, so I-" began Mom. "8,000 years? How is that possible? Princess Celestia was only around 2,000 when she died."

"I was around long before she was born." said Chrysalis.

"You're 8,000 years old?"

"And I don't look a century over 5,000." said the queen, flipping her mane.

"Right." said Mom confusedly. "Like I was saying, you've been around for 8,000 years. I find it hard to believe that you haven't dealt with a rebellion before now."

"Changelings are normally very obedient, which is why we've been highly sought-after mercenaries for the past few millennia. I've never had a problem with them before."

"I still don't see what you want me to do."

"Preach your 'Friendship is Magic' bullshit! Teach them that it's wrong to kill their queen instead of her enemies. I don't know, and I honestly don't care, just make it so that I can enter my kingdom without fear of being shot!"

"Chrysalis, you do seem to have a genuine problem, but I'm much too busy to help you. I have two kingdoms to rule over, not to mention that Earth is always in need of some sort of help. I'm stretched thin enough as it is."

"What about Silver Rift?"

"He has the Rift Metro to sustain. There's hundreds, maybe thousands of Rifts that he has to keep an eye on, so he can't really help."

"What about War? Or your husband."

"First off, I would like to ask you this: Given your past history of being around men, do you really think I'd trust you with my husband?"

"I do tend to make a habit of that." mumbled Chrysalis.

"Secondly, War and Conjure are dealing with a separate, equally problematic issue."

"Rarity?"

"She's in no fit state to help you. She's torn up about the problem Conjure is dealing with."

"Pinkie?"

"She has to devote all her attention to her daughter. I've been told she has some sort of mental condition going on that needs Pinkie Pie to watch over her at all times."

"Rainbow and Applejack?"

"Ha! As if! They're probably the only ponies who would want to help you less than me! And, unlike me, they don't have to."

"Fluttershy?"

"Really? You think Fluttershy is the best pony for this situation? Last time she saw a changeling, she slit it's throat."

"Is that everypony? No help for the queen?"

"If you would direct your attention to the two brilliant princesses in the room…" I began.

"Then you will witness our genius first-hand!" said Luna. Good. Great minds think alike.

"You know somepony?" asked Mom.

"I know somepony." I said.

"I also know somepony." said Luna.

"Who?" asked Chrysalis. "I don't care how it gets done, I just need help!"

"Well, the pony I know is quite smart, extremely gifted, but normally works with her sister." I said.

"Funny. My pony is similar. Who are you thinking of?"

"I was thinking of you, sister."

"How about that? I was thinking of you."

"So what do you say, Mom? Give the two most powerful unicorns of this age a chance to… spread their wings, as it were?"

---

Luna

"No. Not having it." said Queen Chrysalis. "No way am I letting your brats save my kingdom!"

"You know, we were very respectful of your royal status, even though you don't deserve it." I said. "The least you can do is show a little respect."

"I'm over 8,000 years old. What are you two, seven? Eight?"

"I'm fourteen." I said angrily. "The fourteen year-old daughter of Prince Conjure and Princess Twilight, Princess Luna! Don't forget it."

"Twilight Sparkle, I have very little faith in you, but I somehow have less in your kids." she said, ignoring me.

"Hello? Everypony else has a full plate, so why not us?" asked Celestia. "It's hard to tell by looking at us, but we're good. Very, very good."

"Listen, I don't care how good you think you are, but my weakest child is more than a match for you."

"How do you know that?" I asked. "You've never seen us in action."

"You're a pony. Changelings are better than ponies."

"That's sort of racist, don't you think?" asked Celestia.

"It's not racist if it's true."

"Actually, it's somehow more racist if it's true!" I exclaimed.

"We don't have time to argue over racial profiling!" said Mom. "Chrysalis, you're in a hurry, right?"

"Yeah."

"Celestia and Luna are the two most gifted unicorns I can think of. Not a single pony I've seen, not even the mare I see when I look in the mirror, can even come close to their raw skill. If they can't diffuse this rebellion, then nopony can."

"Twilight, it took me four months of preparation to swallow my pride for long enough to ask you for help. I assure you, the moment I did, I wanted to puke. But I don't think I can bring myself to accept help from eleven year-old fillies."

"I'm fourteen!" I said.

"I don't really care how old you are, you don't have what it takes."

"Is that a fact? How do I prove that we can handle this?"

"Show me some magic."

"Celestia?" I said, looking at my sister. "You know what to do."

"Alright." she said, pointing out the window. Her horn began to glow yellow and her eyes became glowing beacons of light. Her horn-aura enveloped her whole body and she began to shake and tremble slightly.

"If you would direct your eyes outside, you'll see that it's just past noon." I said. Everypony looked out the window at the sun, which was just leaving the center of the sky. Then, it happened. It moved. The sun lowered and lowered, slowly at first, then picking up speed until, after about a minute of her magic, Tia had lowered the sun.

"Told you we could do those things." she said, light fading from her.

"My turn." I said, aiming my finger at the empty sky. Light surrounded me, and I felt a huge weight on my brain as I raised the moon into the sky. I lowered it as Celestia raised the sun, returning the sky to it's normal time of day.

"Can you manipulate astronomical bodies?" I asked, feeling my strength leave me. I fell to my butt, exhausted and unable to move, while Celestia did the same to my left.

"Why, actually, yes." said Chrysalis, raising her right hand. Into the sky soared the moon. A downwards thrust of the left hand lowered the sun. She juggled them back and forth, mocking us, then returned them to their normal position. "And unlike you, I can do it without nearly passing out."

"You can't usually do that." said Mom. "You've been gorging yourself on love, haven't you?"

"So I treated myself to dinner. A large dinner that went on for several weeks. Does that make me a criminal?"

"So that's why everypony has been so grumpy lately. You know, you're only allowed to have the excess love." said Mom.

"You can't usually do that?" I asked. "So we're stronger than you?"

"You are not stronger than me! Nopony is stronger than me!"

"What about Sombra?" asked Mom.

"Sombra is nothing compared to me on a full stomach!"

"Discord?"

"Er… Discord doesn't count! He's not a pony!" said Chrysalis.

"You can't deny that they're skilled, Chrysalis. Give them a chance." said Mom.

"We may be young princesses, but we're not pushovers." I said, getting back to my hooves.

"Yeah. Thirteen years may not be much to you, but we've been learning magic since before we could walk. We are not to be taken lightly." said Celestia.

"You two are quite confident, aren't you?"

"With good reason." I said. Queen Chrysalis looked at Mom with discomfort, then let out a deep sigh.

"Fine." she groaned. "When can we leave?"

"As soon as we suit up." said Celestia, getting off the ground. "Let's go, Luna."

"We'll be back shortly." I said, pushing the double doors of the throne room open. I led Celestia down the stairs into the basement, where we kept all of our weapons and armor. We entered the armory and grabbed our rapiers. I yanked two nine millimeter pistols off of the wall, one of which I tossed to Tia. She placed her weapons on the floor and pulled off her blouse. I undressed down to my bra and panties then grabbed a black bodysuit off of the wall.

"How long do you think this will take?" she asked, pulling down her skirt.

"I don't know. Probably a week or two." I said, slipping into my Chameleon Armor. While it was a little baggy at first, it quickly shrunk down to fit me, skin-tight. I strapped my sheathed sword onto my hip, then grabbed a holster and put it on my other side.

"You think it'll take us that long?" she asked, putting on her suit. "It's only a rebellion, not a plague."

"I'm just allowing room for error." I said. I looked at my sister and we both burst into laughter.

"Ha! Error!" she said, grabbing two ammo bags from the wall. She tossed me one and reached into it, pulling out a magazine for her pistol. I did the same, loaded it, and put it in my holster.

"As if." I said. I checked my sword and gun one last time, as Celestia checked her supplies. When we were set to go, we returned to the throne room, where Mom and Chrysalis were waiting.

"Is that all? You're going to try to save my kingdom with a gun, a sword, and a handful of bullets?" asked Chrysalis.

"I know." I said with a smirk. "We probably overpacked, but we like to be prepared."

"No armor?"

"We're wearing it. Slightly altered Chameleon Armor." said Celestia.

"What's altered about it?"

"Normal Chameleon Armor becomes steel when you get scared. We have ours designed so that we can change it at will." I said.

"Why?"

"Because we don't get scared very often. It's good to be able to switch on our own." said Celestia.

"You don't get scared?" asked Chrysalis, reaching into her robes. She pulled out a green pistol and fired it twice, one shot aimed at my sister and myself. Without flinching, Tia and I snatched forward. We opened our fists and dropped the bullets to the ground.

"No. Not very easily. We do have fears, but they're so impossible that we disregard them." I said.

"Really? What might they be?"

"If they ever become relevant, we'll be sure to let you know about them." said Celestia.

"Hm. Fair enough. Let's get you ready."

"We are ready." I said. To demonstrate, I pulled out my sword and gave the air a few practice swipes.

"I hope you don't expect to go into my kingdom looking like that." she said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" my sister and I asked in unison.

"It means that my children would shred you on sight. We have to disguise you." she said. She snapped her fingers, and surrounded us in green fire. When the fire died down, I looked to Celestia in confusion. Instead of seeing my younger sister, I was looking at a black insect-like pony with sharp fins and shredded ears, bright turquoise eyes and razor-sharp fangs.

"Changelings." she said, in a high pitched and echoey voice. "I wasn't expecting for this to happen."

"Interesting." I said, voice also echoing and insectoid. "I understand why you like to change forms like that. It's exciting to become somepony new."

"Luna!" said Celestia excitedly. "Did you notice?"

"What?"

"We're changelings! What do changelings have?"

"No way!" I said, flaring out my new wings. "We have horns and wings! Alicorns!"

"No you're not. You're unicorns in disguise." said Chrysalis. "Don't get used to the wings. I'll be turning you back as soon as we're done."

"I'm sure you will. Are you going in disguise as well?" I asked.

"Of course." she said, snapping her fingers. She transformed into Aunt Cadence once again.

"Chrysalis, you have ten seconds to turn back before I kill you!" said Mom angrily.

"I've never seen you this mad before,Twily." said Chrysalis, transforming again. Now she was in the form of Shining Armor. "You need to relax."

"Nine! Eight! Seven! Six!" counted Mom enraged.

"Alright, alright." said Chrysalis, transforming into another clone of Celestia and myself. Now there were three generic changelings and a unicorn princess in the throne room.

"Ready, little princesses?" asked Chrysalis, her voice now matching mine. "Let's go."

Celestia

Luna, Chrysalis and I left the throne room, Chrysalis shedding her robes on the way. Luna and I shared a look of discomfort as the queen of changelings walked next to us, nude.

"Um… Queen Chrysalis?" I asked.

"Hm?"

"Why are you naked?"

"Why do you ask? Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"A little bit." said Luna. "It feels weird to be walking through the halls while the queen of a rival kingdom has her breasts out."

"I don't have breasts right now." she said. "Nor do you two. We're disguised as drones."

"We're males?" I asked.

"No. Drones are genderless. So are guards and workers. The only changelings with gender are the ones who lay eggs; The Kings and Queens."

"Kings lay eggs as well?" I asked, pushing the main door open.

"Sure do. For us, gender doesn't really matter, except that we need certain organs, you know, reproductive organs and mammary glands."

"That's gross and oddly intriguing." I said.

"Well, what do you ponies do?"

"When a mommy pony and a daddy pony love each other very much…" began Luna.

"I know how that works! What I don't understand is the importance of gender."

"Pony birth requires a mare and a stallion." I said.

"Plus, mares are the only ones who have breasts for feeding infants." chimed Luna.

"Huh. Learn something new everyday." said Chrysalis as we headed towards town. We moved in silence for about ten minutes until we were outside of the borders of Canterlot. That's when I had a thought.

"Why are we walking? Can't we teleport? Or fly?" I asked.

"My children are loyal, but not very bright. All they know is what I teach them, and I never explained teleportation to them. Unless they see me teleporting in, they'll freak out. We can't fly because that would make them think that we're under attack. They only get in the air for emergencies."

"So we have to walk all the way to your kingdom?" asked Luna.

"It's not actually that far. A mile or so north." said Chrysalis.

"How is that possible? I've never even seen your kingdom before." I said.

"You'll see. I have a question. Why is Twilight still a unicorn?"

"She refused to transform. When the process started, she stopped it. Don't know why she would ever want to do that, but Mom always has her reasons." said Luna.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Chrysalis. "Why do you care?"

"We just want to help out however we can." I said. "Why did you ask Mom for help?"

"I couldn't do this alone and all of my allies are either dead, untrustworthy or both." she said, stopping in a grassy meadow just to the left of a river.

"Why did we stop?" asked Luna.

"We're here." said Chrysalis.

"Are you crazy? This is an empty field." I said. Without answering, Chrysalis stomped her left hoof hard on the ground. The grass swirled beneath her, revealing a long staircase that led into the depths of the planet. The queen directed us down the cool stone stairs, which went down for quite a while, at least a mile down. When we reached the bottom, my jaw dropped. A huge cavern, many times larger than Canterlot, with homes and buildings carved from stone and some web-like substance. Luna and I looked around in wonder, blown away by the strange beauty of the changeling kingdom. Around the city, hundreds of changelings were bustling around, fixing houses and running errands.

"Queen Chrysalis?" I said. "This is breath-taking."

"Truly awe-inspiring." said Luna.

"I know. It's wonderful. Now you see why I wish to be able to rule it properly." said Chrysalis. "Let's hurry this up so that I can go back to my throne."

"What do we do, Chrysalis?" I asked.

"I have a spy in the city somewhere. We should probably meet up with him." whispered the queen, looking around uneasily. "Oh, and ix-nay the hrysalis-Cay. Call me Transfus while we're in the city."

"What about us? Don't we need aliases as well?" I asked.

"Contorta and Innovo." she said, pointing to me, then Luna. Princess Contorta. I liked it. Cool name. For a changeling.

"Okay, Transfus. Where do we find this… friend of yours?" I asked.

"Contra is somewhere by town hall."

"Wait a moment." said Luna. "If all drones look the same, how will we know if it's Contra?"

"I'll ask him a question. If he answers it properly, that's how I'll know its him." she said.

"What's the question?" asked Luna.

"'Have you seen the queen lately?'" said Chrysalis. "The answer should be 'Yes, and she looked lovely.'"

"Interesting." I said. "Where do we go?"

"Just ahead." said Chrysalis. "Walk quietly and don't brandish your weapons around. Don't look at anypony, don't talk to anypony and don't touch anypony. If a changeling touches a brother, they get a sort of mental spark. They'll know you're imposters."

"Okay. You don't have to tell us twice." said Luna, following behind Chrysalis as she led us through the city. We moved quietly, Luna and I being careful not to reveal our weapons. I inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of musty earth. It was not as I expected, this deep into the planet. It was surprisingly cool and moist.

"Innovo?" I asked. Luna took a minute to realise that I was talking to her, then turned and gave me a quizzical look. "How is it so cool?"

"You mean the temperature? I'm not sure." she answered.

"Changelings are cold-blooded. We cast a spell on this cavern to keep it at an ideal temperature." whispered Chrysalis. "Stop asking dumb questions. We're nearing town hall." She pointed to a tall, round building made of gray stone and that web stuff. Blocking the main entrance was two changelings that looked very different than us. They were larger than us, about 7 feet, and they seemed to be organically armored. Instead of the thin plating that the drones had, these changelings had thick, gray, bony armor.

"Guards." whispered Chrysalis. "I'll deal with this." She walked forward towards the guards with purpose and poise.

"State your name and business." said one of the guards.

"Colonel Transfus of the C.A.C third division. These are my subordinates, Privates Contorta and Innovo. We're here to prepare the First Company for Operation Checkmate." said Chrysalis, saluting.

"I'll need to see some ID." said the other guard.

"Oh, but of course." She opened her mouth wide and shoved her hand down her throat. She reached around for a while, me and Luna trying not to puke, then pulled out a plastic card. She waved it in front of the guards who looked at it very briefly. They seemed pleased enough, because they stepped out of the way.

"You seem to check out. Go on ahead." said the first guard.

"Thank you. Contorta! Innovo! Fall in!" shouted Chrysalis. Luna and I rushed in next to her as she walked in.

"Down with Chrysalis." muttered the guards. I didn't think about it, I was much too focused on following my sister. Chrysalis stopped next to a changeling standing near the far wall.

"Have you seen the queen lately?" she asked.

"Yes, and she looked lovely." replied Contra. That's our man.

"Excellent. I need you on the First Company. Where is the rendezvous?" asked Chrysalis.

"In the basement. I will lead you there." said Contra. He brung us to a flight of steps that descended into darkness. Uneasily, I followed spy down the stairs. When we reached the landing, he snapped his fingers, sending a small ball of green light out of his horn. It hovered around near him until her flicked it with his index finger. The ball flew up, then expanded to illuminate the entire room.

"We don't have a lot of time, my queen." he said, dropping to a quick bow. "Even less time than before."

"Why is that?" asked Chrysalis. Contra got to his hooves quickly, then transformed his right hand into a blunt club.

"Because there are two Equestrian spies behind you!" he shouted, smacking me on to of my head. That's the last thing I remembered before blacking out

---

Luna

"What the heck!" I shouted angrily, watching my sister crumple to the floor, unconscious. "Is that how you treat your royalty?!"

"Contra, that was the cavalry. I'm very aware of who I'm working with." asked the queen. "That was Princess Celestia of Equestria and the Crystal Empire. Please tend to her and make sure she wakes up."

"Apologies, your highness. I'm just a little jumpy. C.A.C is becoming a household name, Operation Checkmate is happening soon, and I don't know how we're going to stop them." he replied, throwing my sister over his shoulder. He made his way over to a large war table and threw my Celestia onto it.

"Yes, they do seem to be amassing followers. Are there any who oppose them?" asked Chrysalis.

"Besides me? No. I'm the only loyalist. All of the others are with the C.A.C."

"Someone better explain to me what the C.A.C is!" I said angrily.

"Changelings Against Chrysalis." said Chrysalis. "The rebellion."

"And what is 'Operation Checkmate'?"

"My capture, public torture, and execution. Something that we don't want to happen."

"How do we stop them?" I asked.

"First, you have to understand what we're up against." said Contra. "There are 4 companies. Company One is the planning squad. Company Two consists of capture squads and hit teams."

"Company Three is reserve army. They deal with the torture and execution, intelligence scouting and etcetera. Company Four is public relations." said Chrysalis.

"Why do they need a PR department?" I asked. "Aren't they all in on it?"

"Not for the changelings. For the Equestrians." said Contra bitterly. "You didn't seem to notice for the past six months."

"This has been going on for six months?" I asked.

"Of course, the pretty little princess of Equestria didn't notice. This is unfair. My queen shouldn't need to ask you for help."

"Sometimes life gives you lemons and you have to make lemonade." said Chrysalis.

"But still! I thought you were supposed to get Twilight Sparkle."

"Twilight Sparkle is too busy to help us out. We had to settle for her daughters. They'll have to do for now."

"Yes, mother." he said.

"So we have four companies to deal with." I said. "What's the plan?"

"Well, there's Companies One through Four, which are the enemy. We are Company Zero. The point of Company Zero is to cripple the C.A.C and prevent Operation Checkmate from falling through."

"How many enemies are we dealing with?" I asked, taking in every little piece of information I could.

"2 million in each Company." said Chrysalis.

"So it's 8 million versus four?" I asked.

"That about sums it up."

"Hahaha!" I chuckled. I laughed and laughed, leaning against the wall for support. "8 million changelings!"
"What's so funny?" asked Contra angrily. "We're royally screwed and you're having a giggle?"

"8 million changelings!" I repeated, snapping my fingers. Celestia sat up instantly, a faint blue smoke leaving her ears. "Tia! Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" she asked, rubbing the top of her head. "Ow! That hurt!"

"We have to take on 8 million changelings!" I laughed. She took in what I said and burst into laughter as well.

"Ha! 8 million! That's hilarious!" she said.

"What is so funny?!" asked Contra angrily.

"It's just that you said 8 million. I thought this would take us a couple of weeks." I said.

"Now you know the severity of our situation?" said Contra.

"I'll be surprised if this takes us more than a day!" said Celestia.

"If you're so confident, what do we do?" asked Chrysalis.

"Luna, can you give me a sitrep?" asked Celestia.

"Four companies, two million each. Companies consist of planning, capture, intel, and PR squads." I listed. "What do you got?"

"I'll take out intel." said Celestia.

"I'll deal with planning."

"Then we can band together eliminate the capture squad and take over PR. After we have that…"

"We convince the rest of the changelings to accept Chrysalis as her queen!" I finished. "Such a brilliant plan! If I didn't know any better, I'd say we came up with it ourselves. Oh wait, we did!"

"That is not a plan." said Contra. "That is a very vague goal."

"Hold on, Contra, they still think they got it." said Chrysalis. "Let me drop something else on you: You can't kill anypony. I want no casualties at all."

"You just love making things interesting don't you Chrysalis?" I said with a smile. "It'll take a few small adjustments to the plan, but we can make it work."

"Are you sure? Because this is important. If any of my children are harmed, I will kill the both of you!"

"You don't have to threaten us, Chrysalis. We know, and we'll be sure that they all make it out alive." said Celestia. "Now, if you would give us a little more information, we'll be able to get started, get finished, and get out of your mane."

"I'm not joking. I will kill you, your friends, your family, everyone you've crossed in the streets and use your bones to make a new throne! Don't kill any of them!" said Chrysalis hysterically.

"Contra, what else do you know about the rebellion?" I asked, ignoring Chrysalis.

"Well, Company One normally bases around town hall. Companies Three and Four are in the castle. We have no clue where Company Two is." reported Contra.

"I'm sure Company Three knows." said Celestia. "Who goes after them?"

"I'll do it. You'll get Company One?" I asked.

"Okay. Contra will accompany me." said Celestia.

"Yes. Chrysalis, with me." I said, dragging the queen upstairs. When we reached the ground floor, we were grasped by two guards.

"Colonel Transfus?" asked one.

"Yessir!" said Chrysalis, saluting.

"We need you to lead the scouting platoon. Are you ready?"

"Um… Of course. Where's the rest of the squad?"

"Right outside. Do you need a sitrep?"

"Yes, please."

"Queen Chrysalis is thought to be on the surface. You have to find her and figure out what she knows. You are not to let her know that you're tailing her. Do you understand?"

"Yessir!" said Chrysalis, saluting once more.

"Godspeed, Colonel." said the guards, releasing us. "Down with Chrysalis!"

"Down with Chrysalis." answered Chrysalis half-heartedly.

"Down with Chrysalis." I muttered, leaving town hall behind the Queen. Outside was a gathering of a couple thousand changelings, all of which saluted on the sight of Chrysalis.

"At ease." she said. "Okay. I'm new to this platoon, so who used to be in charge?"

"That'd be me." said a changeling, stepping forward. "Lieutenant Mite. How may I serve?"

"Stick with Private Innovo here." said Chrysalis. "Don't let her out of your sight."

"Yessir!" said the Lieutenant. "What do we do?"

"To the surface. I have questions and I want answers."

Celestia "What do you know about Company One?" I asked Contra. "They're the brains of the operation. Everything that goes down is completely their idea." he answered angrily. "What's your problem?" I asked. "You seem very upset." "Yes, I'm upset. I have to work with you." "What's wrong with me?" "You're Equestrian filth! Do you have any clue how degrading it is for Mother to have to ask you for help?" "You hold her in very high regards." I said. "You should look at her differently. Sure she's powerful, but she's not above everything else." "Maybe not everything, but changelings are definitely above you ponies." "Quite proud, aren't you?" "Of course." "Pride goeth before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." I quoted. "You should talk, Miss 'I'll be surprised if this takes us more than a day'" "That's not just me being proud or arrogant, it's the truth. I don't think this'll take us too long." "Okay, Celestia. What do we do now?" he asked. "It's Princess Celestia." I said angrily. "Remember: Pride goeth before destruction." he said. "I'm not being proud nor am I being arrogant. I didn't make you bow, did I?" "Yes, thank you for that. What a humble princess you are." he said, rolling his eyes. "Is this really the time or the place to discuss how conceited we may or may not be?" "Probably not." I said, scratching my head. "Let's get down to business. First Company. They're upstairs, right?" "Should be. What do you intend to do?" "Confuse and disorient the planning process." I said, making my way upstairs. "I need your help. I won't fit in." "No, you won't. Just keep your mouth shut and let me deal with it." said Contra, hopping on the stairs in front of me. We walked upstairs, where a group of thirty changelings were huddled around, discussing the rebellion. "Is everything ready?" asked one. "Not quite yet. Company Four doesn't think we're ready to take her down without getting noticed, and Company Three is still preparing. I think we'll need two more days." answered another. "Atten-tion!" called Contra. All of the changelings snapped to attention and saluted. "I am Captain Contra! I've been reassigned to First Company! Who was formerly in charge?" "That was me, sir!" said one. "Lieutenant Thorax!" "What have you done thus far?" he asked. "We've put Operation Checkmate in place, sir! We're just waiting for the other companies to give us the ready, sir!" "Well, run me through the plan." "Second Company will wait until the Queen is in the throne room, then move in. After they apprehend her, she'll be heavily sedated and delivered as PC to Third Company. Company Three will then carry out Operation Checkmate, where she will be secured to a post at the castle. From there, she will be stabbed, sliced, burned and otherwise tortured until her execution. After she is killed, Fourth Company will broadcast a message to the Equestrians, letting them know that the Queen met with a terrible accident. When they come to our aid, we will move on to Equestria and the Crystal Empire." reported Thorax. "Hm. She won't be in the throne room." said Contra. "Why not, sir?" "Pvt. Contorta will explain." replied Contra, gesturing to me. "Um… She's thought to be visiting with Twilight Sparkle to review the terms of the truce." I reported. "It will be quite a few days before she returns." "That'll be fine, sir, we're not ready just yet anyway." "Er… When she returns, Twilight Sparkle will most likely be with her. I don't think our forces can withstand an attack from her." I said, desperately trying to convince them. "All of our combined might will surely be enough to overtake the little unicorn princess." "What if she brings her daughters? They're a force to be reckoned with." "Are you joking?" asked Thorax. "You can't be serious. They're just unicorns. Nothing we can't deal with." "I've seen them in action. They're more powerful than us, I know it. We should devise an alternate plan." I tried. "You're starting to sound like an Equestrian." said Thorax, grabbing me by the horn. Oh no. "Who are you?" "Pvt. Contorta. Sir!" I tried, saluting. "Imposter!" shouted Thorax. "Reveal your true self!" "I… but… Ah, what's the point?" I said, snapping my fingers. I burst into green flames and transformed back into myself. "Unicorn! Imposter!" cried Thorax. "Now, hold on, there's something you might want to know." I said. "I'm here to help!" "Help? An Equestrian here to help? Color me a skeptic." "I swear!" I said, holding my hands in surrender. "I want to help you!" "Why?" he asked. "What do you have to gain by helping us?" "I want Chrysalis dead. If she's dead, my mother has less competition for resources." I improvised. "I don't trust you." said Thorax. "I should kill you now!" "Please, don't! Okay, I lied! I don't want her dead because of resources!" "Then what's your gripe with the queen?" "She… She… She killed my sister!" I lied. I was running out of deceptions. "Did she now?" asked Thorax. "Yes. She killed Luna. And I want my revenge." "Why did you lie?" "It's unbecoming of a princess to seek vengeance!" I cried in mock-outrage. Diffusing this rebellion took more acting than I had originally thought. "Besides, my mom would never have let me go if she knew what I was actually here for. She thinks I'm here to diffuse the rebellion." "Do you really want to kill the queen?" he asked. "Yes." I said, nodding my head. "Prove it. Help us capture her, and you get to deliver the killing blow." said Thorax. "Yes, sir!" I said saluting. "Well? Amaze me, Equestrian. You had better not disappoint. Your life… I mean, your vengence is on the line." Luna Chrysalis led the Third Company up above the surface. It felt good to breathe in the fresh meadow air, but I couldn't stop to enjoy it. There was work to be done. "Company Three! Fall back! Innovo, with me!" cried Chrysalis. The rest of the group slowed their pace and I ran up to be at her side. "What are we going to do?" I whispered. "I don't know! This is what you're here for! If I knew what to do, I would've done it already!" she whispered back. "This is intelligence division, right?" I asked. "Correct." "Do changelings drink water?" "Yes. Why?" she asked fearfully. "I have an idea. You have to trust me." I whispered. "I don't trust you, but I don't have much of a choice, do I?" "Not if you want your kingdom." "Fine. What are you going to do?" "I'm going to poison all of the troops." I said. "What?!" she exclaimed. "Is something the matter, Colonel?" asked one of the troops. "Erm… nothing. Everythings fine." said Chrysalis. "Relax.. It's not going to be lethal. It's just going to cause temporary dementia. They'll be confused and disoriented, then we can consider this Company defeated, and move on to the next one." "I really, really don't like the sound of this, but my hands are tied, aren't they?" "Pretty much. I need you to send me ahead of the group, so that I may prepare. Is there a river or lake nearby?" "Yeah, there's a lake about a klick forward." she said. "Okay. Send me to scout out the area, and I'll get everything ready." I said. She nodded, turned over her shoulder and shouted. "Pvt. Innovo will scout the area ahead! We are not to proceed until we get the okay from her!" "Yessir!" they cried in unison. "Go ahead. Do not disappoint me." she growled. I ran up ahead until I reached a large body of water, surrounded by reeds and other lake-life. I needed to get to the center of the lake for this to work. I concentrated hard and felt my horn illuminate and a faint tingling in my hooves. I stepped onto the water and stood above the surface. Daddy called this the "Jesus Christ Shoes" spell. I walked to the middle of the lake and sat down. "Okay. Temporary Dementia." I said, closing my eyes. I flipped through my mind, reviewing all of the magical poisons I knew. "Paralysis, no, comatose, no. There you go! Dementia!" I focused on the spell and felt a faint dust fly from my horn. Light blue powder flew from my horn and landed in the water. The water fizzed for a moment, then returned to normal. "Let's hope that worked." I said, going back to meet up with Chrysalis. I ran up to her and told her my status. "It's time to proceed. Don't drink the water." I said quietly. "Alright! Advance!" commanded Chrysalis. We moved forward quietly until we got to the lake. Chrysalis ordered a water break, so the entire group sat down and dipped their hands in the water. One of them raised the water to their faces, then dropped it back into the lake. "Poison!" he cried. "The water is poison! Don't drink it!" "I smell it as well!" said another. "Huh?" I said. Oh no. They were clever. "Colonel Transfus, I recommend we retreat. Chrysalis is on to us." said Mite. "Hm… Fine. Retreat." said Chrysalis, glaring at me angrily. We turned around and headed back to the base. Chrysalis kept looking at me angrily, so I felt I had to explain. "Sorry." I whispered to her. "I don't know what went wrong." "How strong was that poison!" she asked angrily. "I could smell it from half a klick away!" "I didn't know changelings could sniff out my special poison! I invented that spell so that it would be undetectable!" "Maybe by your pony methods, but changelings have a few extra tricks." "Like the swallowing and regurgitation of plastic?" I asked sarcastically. "Shut up! Most of us don't do that. The only reason I did it is because I needed to create the ID without getting caught. I summoned it to my stomach and spat it out. We don't have gag reflexes, so I could just reach in and grab it." "You guys are getting more and more disgusting and interesting at the same time." I said. We walked on in silence until we reached the meadow, where she stomped her hoof, opening the entrance to the cave. "Sir?" asked Mite. "What is it?" said Chrysalis annoyedly. "Is this a mission failure?" "We'd have had to actually start the mission to fail it. We'll begin anew when we have more information from First Company." she said, leading us down the steps. "We'll alert them of this development and get a new plan." "Can I just ask how Innovo didn't notice the poison?" "It wasn't there when I scouted. Sir." I said, as we neared the town hall. "The queen must've poisoned it when I returned to the squad." "I suppose that's fair enough reason." said Chrysalis as we finally made it back to base. We pushed open the doors and were shocked to see my sister, arms and legs bound in chains, sitting at a war table. "Equestrian!" shouted Mite. "Oh no." said Celestia sarcastically. "Put her in cuffs. Lock her up. Throw her in the brig." "Relax, Mite." said a changeling. "She's here to help." "Bullshit! Kill her now!" "Stand down, Thorax." said Chrysalis. "I'm sure she'll be able to help." "Listen, I have to go to the bathroom, and I'm afraid that the restrooms in this place might kill me, so can I please go to the surface?" asked Celestia. "Not without an escort." said Chrysalis. "Innovo! Go with her and make sure she doesn't run off. And don't screw this up, or I will make sure this is your last lunder" "Yessir!" I said, saluting. Celestia and I walked out of the town hall and up the stairs to the surface. I waited until we were completely alone before I began to berate her. "Tia! What are you doing?!" I asked. "I understand that I messed up, but I think it's for the best." said Celestia, struggling in her chains. "These are uncomfortable." "What makes you think this is good?" "Well, I wouldn't have been able to derail the planning process. I hate to say it, but the changelings are pretty clever. Probably as clever as the two of us." "They are pretty smart." I said. "I didn't have much luck either. We need a new plan." "Yes, I think so. And I think I have one." she said, giving me a sly smile. "I'm almost afraid to ask what the plan is." I said. "How much do you trust me?" "More than you'd think, less than you'd hope." I said uneasily.

Celestia

Luna led me back down the stairs after I told her my plan. She didns success: 13%. Not very good for normal situations, but given the circumstances and accounting for all of the variables, that was pretty decent. Our plan was very dangerous and so many things could go wrong, not just for us, but for my parents and Chrysalis and maybe all of Equestria.

t screw this ,

I said, raising my hands to my neck.

t trust you.Swing and a . If she knows that shes also highly likely that she has set up measures to avoid stealth attacks, so that

re doing a real good job at telling us what we can said Thorax. t you give us some advice?I thought it was we can do can even come close to her. So, the only thing to do is to lure her exactly do we do that?You got a broadcasting department? Start a riot and broadcast it all across Equestria. Shes when we grab said Thorax. ll have to put everything in place, so it might take a day or two.No! You donll be you want us to just go out and destroy our city in hopes of Chrysalis walking into our hands?Pretty if it doesn

t the best, but it said a changeling, who I assumed was Chrysalis.

re going after her, so she I said with a smile.

said Chrysalis.

I asked, raising my cuffs as the changelings left. re not going to let me go?We said Thorax.

I said sarcastically. I booked it downstairs and grabbed my sword off of the floor. I scrambled over to a table to get my pistol when I realised I was still in chains. I concentrated hard and felt my wrists and ankles pass through the cold steel with ease.

I said to myself. I ran back upstairs and outside and was almost knocked over by three changelings running past. They ran to a nearby house and kicked in the door, firing explosive spells all along the way. Okay. Time to go to work. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard. Sitting down on the floor, I began the spell. A heavy yellow haze erupted from my horn, filling the air with my golden aura. LetWhere he asked himself, lowering his leg and retracting the weapon. He ran off and began to punch randomly, sometimes hitting a changeling, sometimes touching nothing but air.

I said, grabbing my weapons and getting to my hooves. If my spell worked correctly, which it obviously did, all of the changelings affected would have a false perception of reality. They would see some things that werent be able to see was me.

I said, rushing through the city. It was easy avoiding the changelings, although every now and again somepony would swing at me. I dodged them and kept running until I got to the end of the staircase from the surface. To the left of it was a changeling who wasnTia!Is everything in order?Yes. Are you ready?Of is dangerous. This could go so bad so if we were somepony else, but wet mess that as it may, this plan relies heavily on others doing what we expect them to. This could go wrong because one person is out of

m not worried. Just cautious. Chrysalis should be coming soon.I have to go. You know what to .s return. 5 minutes passed before a changeling ran up and swung at me with a bladed hand. I ducked and stabbed her through the chest with my sword. When she fell to the ground, I kicked her over onto her back, loaded my pistol, and fired four rounds into her head.

shouted Chrysalis, grabbing me by the neck. She was back in her normal form and was staring at me with such an intense fury, almost like how Mom looked at her when she was masquerading as Cadence.

I asked, feigning fear and concern.

she shouted, turning her other hand into a sharp, twisted blade. She buried her blade into my throat, me instantly. I felt my body go numb and fall limp as the stasis spell went into effect. She removed her hand and picked Luna up from the floor, nuzzling her crying face into my sisterWhat if I get attacked?Your weapons are in the basement. Go get them and protect do you and your sister think you she asked as the entirety of Companies One and Three ran through the streets, destroying everything.

re going to have to trust us.s hallucinogen. Chrysalis got the full blast of it, meaning the plan was working. I calculated that if we got this far, our success chance would rise to 17%. Not much better, but better.

she asked in confusion.

I asked, grabbing her by the hand. I dragged her to the staircase and pulled her up them slowly.

she said. re killing each other.I know. Our plan may have gone ruined my worse than it was before.I know, and we

she asked, snapping her fingers and returning to her tall, teal-haired, emerald-eyed, gnarled and hole-riddled self.

. seven minutes, then come down the stairs. Tia and I will be in town hall preparing for the rest of the plan.What is the rest of the plan?!No time to explain!Tia!Is everything in order?Yes. Are you ready?Of is dangerous. This could go so bad so if we were somepony else, but wet mess that as it may, this plan relies heavily on others doing what we expect them to. This could go wrong because one person is out of

m not worried. Just cautious.d been here for a little too long.

she said. I ran a lap around the city, burning a few minutes. I moved through the crowds, the burning buildings, the changelings punching nothing. Celestiat hurting each other too bad.

I said, dropping to the floor. I closed my eyes and concentrated on casting the stasis spell. A small ball of blue light flew from my horn. It split into two orbs, one of which flew towards Tia. The other buried itself in my chest, waiting in dormancy for the trigger spell. Tia wouldnstabbedCelestia!What are you doing here?I warned you! I told you what would happen if one of my children died!Save my children!Stop this nonsense!Look! See what has happened because of your foolishness!A brother lays dead and I have Equestrian blood on my hands!The queen! Get her!Kneel!Listen to your mother when she is speaking to you! Are you satisfied? You called me weak, so you riot and kill each other?We wanted you to be , I

no, my queen. We just-Is this not what you wanted?! Isn

we said another.

m sure you are! Why don

said a different changeling.

ll show you vicious! Ire at war! You hear me?! We are going to war because of your foolishness!We said all of the changelings.

m going to go deliver the Equestrian to her mother, and when I return, my city better be spotless or I she shouted. She heaved me over her shoulder and threw Tia on her other. With one last glare at her children, she teleported out of the city. Apparently she didns feet. She rose from her throne in shock when Chrysalis dropped Celestia to the floor.

asked Mom in outrage.

said Chrysalis. s only fair. She killed one of mine.That was close!You asked Chrysalis angrily.

she said, snapping her fingers. I regained feeling in my body and jumped from ChrysalisLet I said, returning to normal.

asked the queen angrily.

re still strong and queen-like. You did as we expected, and now the changelings are under your control now.So you let me think that I had killed Celestia and started war with Twilight? you know how scared I was?Scared? Of what?Oh my goodness!I thought I was going to have to fight Twilight!You were scared to have to fight me?I

t find you threatening! I just don

t have to worry. I

said Celestia.

t even take us too long!Hm. I hate to admit it, but they did a pretty good we all agree to never talk about this again? This entire ordeal was very embarrassing for course. Girls, apologize to Chrysalis for giving her such a , , we , ers for the help. You two are going to make pretty good really think so?For a unicorn, that is. Maybe if you were a changeling, you she said, teleporting from the throne room.

m quite proud of you girls.I think you deserve some sort of two have done well, so I think it

said Tia in excitement.

I said. t you have to talk to Daddy about something?Just the old princesses. Nothing too bad. They left me a message and I

I asked.

Alex

Lord Sombra led me upstairs where we teleported to Equestria. We appeared in silence deep underground. My master moved forward to a large stone castle as I followed close behind him.

I asked quietly.

t question me.He won

I asked.

he said. He turned us both into smoke and flew us through the window. We reformed in a throne room, where the changeling queen was sitting on the throne. Next to her was a smaller changeling, no doubt her servant. She jumped to her hooves in alarm and ran to the door.

m not here to fight.How are you here?Who is this Equestrian, my queen?Contra, this is King Sombra. We had a sort of alliance during the , and she betrayed me. Now is the time for you to make do you want, Sombra?Half of the ?! No!Let me rephrase that: Give me half the changelings, or I take all of .Alex. , !Contra!Give me half of your forces, or Alex kills off all of the , you are an evil, heartless bastard!Yes, yes, but what do you say?Okay! Just promise me they won said Chrysalis.

t die. Is that good enough for you?Alright. Please don begged Chrysalis.

t touch the other half. Ill take this dead one.Alex, let

I said, moving close to my master. He snapped his fingers and teleported us back to base. He heaved Contra to the floor and pulled up a chair. He placed Contra on the chair and bound itAlex, I said Lord Sombra.

Authorve enjoyed, please review and tell me how to do better. Thanks again. Farewell!