The echoes of distant screams and explosions welcomed me as I entered the memory. It scared me, thinking that I was right, that this was going into a place I never wanted to enter. Yet this need, this desperate need to fix my wrongs—I... I had to do this. I had to ignore these muddled sounds of my ears ringing, and of my heartbeat that threatened me with deafness. I had to push through the searing heat that washed over myself from the flames, now matter what kind of nightmare was ready to greet me.

I watched as Chrysalis moved through them too, her carapace reflecting the inferno around us. After that, the flames parted, revealing an all too familiar scene. Remnants of buildings decorated the broken paths of concrete. Corpses accompanied them too, as the cloudless sky bore the charred wounds of many.

It hit me like a bolt of lightning, shock paralyzing my legs. I knew exactly where and, more importantly, when I was. To think I would return to this nightmarish invasion with the one who started it right next to me. Buck my life, the universe, and its twisted sense of humor.

Less humorous was the changeling who clashed against my past self, suited in blue armor reminiscent of a beetle’s shell and brandished two curved swords. The burning cuts. Heart pounding in my ears. Adrenaline and terror drove my every move as I blocked the rapid slashes and stabs with my spear. Chrysalis was stricken with surprise.

“Makes sense for this memory to start here,” I started. “My squad scrambled to try to save as many lives as we could and kick out the invaders. This was the first fight against the changelings I had. This was the moment when reality sunk in for me.”

As the changeling pushed me back and forced me to turn, I witnessed two other ponies draped in bronze armor like I was. A pegasus and an earth pony, lying in a pool of their own blood, wide eyes frozen in horror and pain. I winced at the vision, the same feeling of icy terror I’d felt then crawled up my spine. I pointed at the dead ponies.

“I was convinced I was going to die, just like them.”

I remembered offensive to be the last thing on my mind when the changeling barreled down on me with the wrath of a wild animal. Block. Step back. Stay alive. It was all I could think of to do then, and it showed with my sloppy movements.

Chrysalis grew understandably confused at points as time slowed down for my past self, helping me stay alive and dodge the changeling’s fatal blows. “Why did everything slow down?”

“It’s my talent, the Sentry Sense. I can sense when someone nearby is about to die, including myself,” I answered.

Chrysalis threw me a surprised glance. “I see. That must make you quite the natural in combat.”

“Being good in combat and being good at staying alive are two different things. Back then, I was used to saving ponies from getting run-over by a runaway carriage or falling off a ledge, not fighting for my own life against a real killer. I could only avoid not getting killed for so long, but I was too scared to kill.”

The changeling hadn’t expected me to dodge the lethal lunge as narrowly as I did, creating an opening that allowed me to uppercut his chin. He staggered back, shook off the stun, and prepared to lash out at me. The bluish magical blast that slammed into his head denied that chance, half of his face blown off from the detonation. He was not getting back up anytime soon.

“Hey Sentry, pick up that jaw and grab your spear!” The bark from my old squad leader, Sergeant Nitro Starburst, spurred my past self into movement.

“Y-yes ma’am!” I scrambled to pick up my weapon and straightened my posture. I absorbed the scene as my past self did. Half a dozen changeling bodies were sprawled around us, eviscerated or blown apart. My remaining squad of ten motley grunts looked weary, some of us covered in cuts. The only thing that kept my past self from vomiting was the sharp glare from the squad leader.

Nitro looked to her side. “Shellshock, status report!”

The bulky earth pony stallion rolled his shoulders, hard eyes sweeping the ruined landscape. “Privates Storm and Buster are KIA. Privates Firesong and Skyline need patching up, but should be good to go. Already got Corporal Slipstream on it.”

Chrysalis and I looked to the find the teal pegasus in silver armor tending to the ponies in question, wincing as the corporal applied a healing salve and bandage to the deep gashes in their legs and barrel. Those of us who were still in fighting shape made a circle around our position, keeping eyes open for hostiles or civilians in trouble. Nitro motioned the three corporals of our squad to group up. Though my past self kept guard to look out for any more ambushes, I still remembered the conversation I overheard.

“They knew we were coming to this spot,” Nitro pointed out. “Clever bastards almost got us. We can’t fall for that again.”

“Where do we go from here, Sarge?” Corporal Moonbeam asked. “These Celestia-damned bugs got us scattered.”

“We did all we could to evac the civvies in this zone. I haven’t seen a runner since this damn mess started, so they must be hitting our comms.”

“She’s correct,” Chrysalis said. “I made sure to establish infiltrator forces inside the castle before I put my plan into motion, about a hundred if memory serves. Needed to remove as many messengers as I could to disrupt the link between your forces. By the time the shields were down, almost all runners were either dead or impersonated and every squad had at least one of my infiltrators in the ranks.”

My expression hardened. “With our lines of communications cut, we didn’t stand a chance.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Communication is the lifeblood of any fighting force. Our numbers were about a third of your fighting force, but still ran circles around yours. Were it not for Twilight and that blasted shield, we would not be having this conversation right now.”

I glared at her for a moment before returning my attention to the member. “Yeah. I suppose you’re right.”

A burst of red fireworks erupted several city blocks away from our position. It was still within the residential district, which meant only one thing: One of our other squads were in trouble.

Nitro caught the signal flare and cursed under her breath. “Break time’s over kiddos! Squad two is getting their flanks kicked. Fireteams two and three will guard our flanks. Fireteam one, on me! Let’s go!”

“Yes ma’am!” The squad called in unison and formed up. Fireteam two and three, all together six ponies, took up rear and side guards. I took position just behind Nitro and Shellshock, marching in step with Private Skyline who looked pale. I wanted to say something assuring to him back then, but not even I would’ve been able to believe a word that came out of my mouth. There was no room for safety or hope in our minds. We just wanted to get out of this alive.

A block or two ahead we spotted a pair of changelings hovering over two unconscious civilians at the center of a street intersection. The changelings were armed with metallic tanks latched onto their sides, drawing greenish essence from the civilians and into the tanks. In seconds they seemed to sense our approach, after a glance, they darted down the west path.

I turned to Chrysalis. “So what’s that about?”

“They’re gathering fuel for our forces. A support-caste changeling tasked with making sure our injured are saved and our ammunition is stocked.”

“I recall something about a caste system when we were questioning Thorax.”

“Yes. Our combat caste has secondary divisions, all bred to maximize their effectiveness in the field. Just like that vanguard-caste changeling you fought previously was made for frontline combat, the support-caste are quick and efficient in keeping our forces going.”

Corporal Moonbeam’s voice drew my attention. “Ma’am, permission for my team to chase. We can’t risk them alerting the others.”

Nitro nodded. “Granted. They get further than a block, regroup at the next street.”

“Alright team, on me!” Corporal Moonbeam grabbed her two remaining soldiers and went after the support caste. The rest of us continued down the blocks.

“A fatal mistake,” Chrysalis sighed. “If a changeling is out in the open, it’s never for lack of battlefield awareness.”

“Wait, so they were in the middle of the street on purpose?” I asked.

“What we lack in numbers we make up for in tactics and communication. I like to decide the outcome of a war before it starts.”

Her words put together what I already knew; the battle was lost before it even began.

A collapsed tower kept us from reaching the last known location of our team and forced the squad to turn at the intersection. Since Moonbeam’s team was scheduled to meet us at this point, we turned onto a curved road. Halfway down it, we discovered a pair of what Chrysalis called assault-caste changelings. It was a little too obvious they were waiting on something. Back then I surmised it was for the other changelings which fireteam two tried to chase down. If what Chrysalis said was true, then what happened next was all too easy to guess.

“I don’t like this,” Nitro growled. “Why are they just standing there in the middle of a warzone?”

Corporal Slipstream shook his head, looking dazed for just a moment. I was the only one to notice back then since I was happened to be checking that area for a possible flank. His mood took a sudden turn for furious. “Let’s take ‘em and get going to the squad. We can’t afford to wait. Let’s do this!” He bolted forward, dragging his fireteam in for the attack.

“Slipstream, halt! I said halt!” Nitro’s shout fell on deaf ears. “What is that idiot doing?!”

“This isn’t like him,” Shellshock said. “We need to stop him!”

“Damn it! Fireteam one, let’s g—” Nitro cut herself off as the changelings lying in wait transformed into a red and blue civilian pony seconds before fireteam two closed in.

“Help! Somepony help!” One of them screamed.

“Anypony! Save us!” The other joined.

Back then it made no sense why the changelings would try to disguise themselves when the attacking team already spotted them. It never occurred to me until now that the other team had ventured westward to chase down another group of changelings. Putting two and two together, I had to give Nitro credit for catching on to this so quickly.

“Fireteam two, get back! It’s a trap!” Nitro reacted a moment too late.

Fireteam two was knee-deep into trying to kill the disguised civilians when another shout rang out from around the corner.

“Those are changelings in disguise! Kill them!”

My eyes widened. That was Corporal Moonbeam’s voice.

Chrysalis sighed. “Hook, line and sinker.”

Everything happened so fast. Once Moonbeam’s team jumped into the fray, it devolved into a bloodbath of the worst kind. The ‘civilians’ slipped away in the middle fight, leaving both fireteams to go at each other's throats. Two green orbs were dropped from them among the fighting fireteams, who were too busy either staying alive or choking on their own blood.

Nitro rushed forward. “Team one, on me. Team two and three, friendly fire! Stand down! Friendly fire!”

Corporal Moonbeam broke away from the infighting, running towards us as fast as his legs could carry him. I wasn’t sure why until time slowed down. Then, those green orbs detonated.

Liquified mist filled the air. Shrieks erupted from both fireteams who were engulfed in the mist. The shireks turned to strangled gasp, then silence. I only had a hint of the awful stench, a stinging mix of bile, chemicals, and something else I couldn’t define. The mist cleared seconds later. What was saw would never leave our minds.

The pavement where the mist touched turned to silver sludge. I was forced to watch comrades who I’d fought with and befriend turned into horrific mess of melted flesh and bone. One or two were somehow still alive and melting, eyes wishing for death. We fell into speechlessness.

A single thought crossed all of our minds back then: Had we been a few seconds faster, that would’ve been us.

Even Chrysalis looked disgusted at the scene. I was thankful she said nothing.

Corporal Moonbeam was the first to break out of the stupor, shaking Nitro’s shoulders to snap her out of it. “Nitro, we can’t stay here! The squad needs us!”

Nitro’s hazel eyes gradually returned to focus. “W-wha...what—”

“The fuck!” Private Skyline screamed, streaks of tears on his face. This brought the rest us the distraction we needed to tear our eyes away from the mess. “What the fuck are we dealing with?!”

My past self tried to say something. But I couldn’t, as I was too busy turning away to lose my lunch. Shellshock turned green, barely holding it down himself. Nitro managed to shake off the shock after a moment.

“I… what’s done is done,” even now it felt so off to hear the ever-strong Nitro sound so small. “We need to get to the other squad and—”

“Sarge, did you not just see that shit happen?! No way that’s happening to me!” Skyline took a step away from us, ready to bolt in a second.

“Private Skyline, calm down and get back in line!” Nitro barked. “Yes, we all saw what happened, and you can bet I’ll do worse to you if you bail on us!”

It was clear Skyline was not listening. “No! No way! And how they just disguised themselves and….n-no. Wait a minute.” His gaze swept over us, anger and panic embedded in his features. He raised his spear at us. This prompted all of us to ready our own weapons. “One of you led us into this trap, didn’t you? One of you is a bug!”

Shellshock roared. “Put down your weapon! You don’t want this to get ugly!”

“No way! I’m not gonna die here! I’m not doing anything until I know you guys aren’t bugs!”

“Put it down now! This is your final warning, Private!” Shellshock raised his voice.

“Fuck you, sir!” Skyline bit back.

“Both of you, knock it off!” Nitro stepped in.

“This is what those bugs want!” My past self joined in as well. “We need to get a grip and figure this out!”

At the corner of my eye, I caught the faintest hint of a grin on Moonbeam’s face. “Or are you trying to tell us you’re a bug, Skyline?”

“Corporal Moonbeam! Shut up!” Nitro screamed. The damage was already done, Shellshock’s eyes narrowed at Skyline. Nitro’s horn sparked to pull them apart. When time slowed down, I realized it was too late.

“No…! No! NO!”

I stepped forward to stop the attack, but Shellshock was faster. The tip of his spear found its way into Skyline’s throat before he could make another step. My past self gasped, stunned.

Time still slowed, my past self turned his head to yell at Shellshock, only to find a curved dagger plunged into his temple. Moonbeam, a second dagger in his hoof, moved to attack the unsuspecting Nitro.

My spear buried itself into Moonbeam’s barrel, but momentum carried him forward. Were my reflexes half a second faster, I could’ve prevented the dagger from ripping through Nitro’s chest. Moonbeam let out a strangled gasp as his form was engulfed in a green blaze. The changeling fell dead to the side, spear left in him. I hurried to the fallen sergeant’s side. Nitro was desperately gasping for air.

“I got you Sarge,” my past self cried. In his haste, he pulled out the dagger and went to work on unbuckling the gold armor. Her wound was deep, blood rushing out in rivers. My past self grabbed what he could from Shellshock’s satchel to try and patch up the wound. The panic and desperation was fresh on my mind, overwhelmed with what transpired in the span of seconds. I would’ve given anything to save my sargeant.

Nitro tried to speak, only to cough up blood. Deep down, part of me knew she wasn’t going to make it. That cut had struck a major artery. I didn’t know any better back then, nor did I want to take no for an answer.

My past self was halfway through patching up the wound when Nitro’s eyes glazed over.

“S-sarge? No, come on sarge! Don’t do this to me!” My past self shook her body, trembling like a newborn foal. “Don’t leave me alone like this, sarge! I can’t do this without you…!”

First Slipstream’s team, then Moonbeam’s, and now my sargeant. My entire unit was wiped out.

My friends. My family.

They were all dead.

A tear escaped my own eyes. I wanted to end this vision. To bury this nightmare and move on. But the nightmare wasn’t done with me yet. I owed it to them to see the rest of it through.

Nearby screams shocked my past self to alertness. Though I was overcome with grief then, I knew I couldn’t ignore my mission. Something had to be done. Ponies needed to be saved. changelings needed to be killed.

Hatred guided my past self’s movements, ripping the spear out of the dead infiltrator and hurrying around the corner. With a hop I took into the air, careful to keep a low altitude. I made my way towards the rendezvous point, consequences be damned. I’d figured that the worst thing that could happen to me was to join my comrades on the other side.

How wrong I was.

My past self arrived at the tail-end of the street squad two was supposed to clear. The sight caused him to him to stop.

The street was littered with bodies, each one bloodied and eviscerated. Some ponies were embedded into the wall by their own spears while others lie bleeding on the streets. My past self dropped to the ground, searching for survivors.

“Rose, wake up! Sonar? Glideance? Sergeant Coast? A-anypony?”

Each body checked turned up no survivors. Just when I’d figured another changeling squad wiped them out, the lack of changeling bodies left an awful feeling in my stomach. Who, or what, killed them?

A shrill cry echoed from down the street. I knew that voice.

“Wind Stride!” I rushed towards the source, propelled by the knowledge that he of all ponies had survived.

Sweat and tears poured down my face. Back then all I wanted was to save one teammate. At least one. Stars above, give me something.

My past self rushed around the corner. There I found none other than Wind Stride, covered in wounds and spear trembling in hoof, facing down a changeling whose features were oddly obscured in shadow. My past self charged forward, spear raised. The blow nearly landed when the changeling sidestepped the thrust and jumped back. My past self was interposed between Wind Stride and the mysterious changeling.

“Interesting,” Chrysalis murmured. “You remembered my other changelings fairly well. This is the only one I’ve witnessed in your mind so far whose details are foggy.”

“That is weird,” I mused. “You would think if this one is so different I would’ve recognized them.”

“Well, this is a memory you’ve tried to bury. It’s possible that this particular changeling is linked especially close to something you want to forget, just like how Gilda was linked to you wanting to forget about the date. More of a self-defense mechanism than anything else.”

“Mind helping me clear this up? If I’m going to do this, I don’t want to leave any details out.”

“Alright, I—” Chrysalis’ words died in her throat the moment the changeling spoke.

“Spicy,” she purred. Clak. Clak. Clak. Her hoof tapped mockingly on the surface. The voice was heavily distorted, my only clue being it was a female.

Chrysalis paled. “It’s… too dangerous.”

My head snapped towards her. “Excuse me?”

“If I help recall this memory, you won’t forget it. It may help you now, but the damage it could do in the future risks something worse happening to you.”

“You are picking an awfully inconvenient time to be conscious of my life choices.”

“It’ll be better this way.” Her eyes were glued to the mysterious figure.

I threw her a suspicious look. “Why?”

“It… it doesn’t matter who that changeling is. What matters is the rest of the memory—”

“That you clearly want to hide from me,” I accused. “What are you hiding from me? Who is that changeling?”

Another thought hit me. I don’t know enough changelings to make merely their identity important. The bigger question was why is this changeling so important? I already know of Elytra, Thorax, and—

A weight dropped in my stomach. My blood ran cold, the shock of the clues falling into place hit me like a knife being twisted in my chest. Slowly, my head turned to Chrysalis.

“That’s Noble Heart, isn’t it?”

Chrysalis took one look at my face and looked away. She may have been a master of deception, yet even she couldn’t deny this. On a whim I flashed my forehoof on the figures, willing the memory to stop. The world around us froze, a perfect still image.

“Chrysalis…!” I growled. “You know who it is. We both know, and yet you wanted to hide that from me.”

“Flash… I…” Chrysalis swallowed hard. “I couldn’t.”

“The hay you can’t! We’ve already gone this deep, and you’re choosing now of all times to chicken out on me?”

Whatever facade Chrysalis tried to keep slowly cracked. Behind that mask was an expression I never thought I would see on Chrysalis; She was terrified. “I can’t risk incentivizing you to kill her. I’ve already lost so much—”

“Well tough titty, because so have I!” I bit back, pointing at my past self. “You see this here? This is what you’ve done to me. What you took away from me. You are watching the moment my life fell to fucking shambles! Now I have to watch it happen again, all because of the moment where we both got screwed by life! The difference here is one of us actually has a chance to set things right before things get even worse. If you deny me this memory, if you back out now, I will personally tear your ass asunder so hard even Malice will feel sorry for you!”

Chrysalis reeled back.

“You need to decide right now if you want to make a difference! If you deserve even a hint of trust! Chrysalis, you have no choice but to make that blind leap of faith for me!” I jabbed my hoof at her. “You owe me, and now it’s time to pay your mother-fucking dues, one way or the Celestia-damned other!”

A pause followed. Chrysalis bit her lip, staring at the “mysterious” changeling so hard I thought she would accidentally set it on fire.

A single tear escaped her as she sparked her horn.

The shadows lifted on the changeling. It confirmed my suspicions, yet the disbelief still rocked me to my core: The changeling was none other than Noble Heart.

“I knew it,” my words came out slow and cold. “Noble is the one who killed squad two. Safe to assume it was her team that was responsible for what we saw earlier?”

Chrysalis stayed quiet, eyes averted from the scene. She gave a slow nod.

I wasn’t sure what to feel over this. Enraged? Betrayed? I decided to puzzle out how I felt later and focus on the now. With a hoof wave, I made the scene play out. Regardless of how I felt, I needed to see this through to the end.

Noble licked her lips. “Looks like I missed a spot. Are you lost, little boy?”

Sensations flooded back to memory in waves. I recalled how unsettled I was by her presence. I wasn't a threat to her. Not even food. I was a cornered mouse for this vicious wildcat. A plaything.

“Flash, get away! She killed everypony! The whole damn squad!”

“Aww, you're so modest. I didn't kill your whole squad.” She pulled out a dagger from seemingly nowhere and pointed at Wind. “You’re still alive, my little Cupcake.”

It was all too clear that I was outmatched. If she could devastate an entire squad by herself, Wind and I stood no chance at killing her. Noble took a few steps forward. My past self flinched, not knowing what to expect.

A dangerous glint suddenly gleamed in Noble’s eyes. She stopped, brandishing a grin. Her horn glowed ominously.

“And that’s why you’re going to do the honor of killing him for me, drone,” Noble’s tone shifted, More commanding. “Since you’re so eager for your first big mission, I’ll let you finish that weakling off. Put on a good show for me.”

“What? Hey, wait!” Past me charged after her, only to miss as she disappeared in a flash of green light. I should’ve guessed what her plan was from the get-go. Instead it bewildered me why she would call me a drone out of nowhere.

With the threat gone for the moment, past Flash turned to check on Wind Stride. Wind’s eyes were strained with terror, trembling spear pointed towards me.

“Wind Stride,” Past Flash started, “try to calm down—”

“S-stay back!” Wind scrambled back.

“Wind, stop it! Can’t you see she’s trying to play us?” Past Flash hurried after Wind Stride. Disappointed, I shook my head. Big mistake.

Past Flash barely dodged the spear thrust as Wind screamed and attacked.

“Get away from me, monster!” His attacks were wild, unfocused. Tears flowed like rivers down his marred face.

Past Flash blocked and parried the attacks. All I could think about back then was one of my squadmates, a great friend of mine, was trying to kill me. I didn’t want to get killed like Shellshock did, but I didn’t want to kill Wind either. What was a bull-headed grunt like myself supposed to do other than try to scream his senses back? “She’s trying to turn us against each other! This is a trap! Listen to me!”

“Liar! Give back my friends! Give Flash back!” Wind roared. His attacks grew more desperate, pushing my old self further and further back.

I winced as Past Flash tripped over a corpse and barely caught himself from falling. Wind took the chance and tried to stab him. It took all of my willpower to not look away as time slowed down.

“Stop!”

Past Flash lifted up his spear in panicked defense. The blade pierced Wind’s chest.

Time crawled by, almost still. My vision blurred as I reached out for my friend, a decade late to save him from myself. Poor Wind’s face was racked with excruciating pain and shock from the betrayal. His spear fell from his hooves, its clatter deafening in the silence.

“Wind…!” I choked, helpless to save even one friend. Wind tried to reach out to my past self, kept at bay by the spear plunged deep into his barrel.

What could I have done differently? How could I have let this happen? He didn’t deserve this. No pony did.

Wind mouthed something, words drowned out by the blood filling his lungs. I was able to make out the words.

“Give him back.”

Wind’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he collapsed on his side.

“Wind!” Past me and myself cried out. He dropped the spear and rushed to Wind’s side. I had to force myself not to do the same.

“Wind, speak to me! Don’t die on me, Bro! Wind? Wind!” He shook and shook, eyes blurry and voice hoarse from screaming. When Wind went limp, cold, dead eyes still filled with suffering, all I could do back then was stare back. It finally set in that he was dead. That I killed him. At that moment I learned the downside of remembering some events with perfect clarity.

My own mind went blank. Metallic stench of blood engulfed my nostrils. I began panting, desperate for air. Everything went numb and cold. My heart wanted to tear itself in two. Looking back at my old self, he looked frozen in time. Broken. Wind was dead. Half of my platoon was gone. Twenty-three souls lost, and I was powerless to do anything about it.

An anguished scream ripped me out of my stupor. I thought it was my own at first, accurate to how I felt at the moment. Then I noticed my old self punch at the ground, screaming and crying his heart out. His shouts were filled with pain. They echoed back from the buildings, for a moment even drowning out the fighting sounds in the distance.

Suddenly his head collapsed onto Wind's motionless body. His shoulders began to rock as his shouts turned to sobs. His hooves clung to Wind’s armor, not yet ready to let go of him.

I stole a side glance at Chrysalis. Her eyes turned watery, lips making a fine line. It was surprising to see she still had a heart left that could take a stabbing like mine did.

However, the world wasn’t done kicking my heart in the dick yet. A haughty laughter erupted from behind past me. Just like back then, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

“And then there was one,” Noble whispered into past me’s ear. He rolled away, grabbing Wind’s spear and bracing himself. “It’s a shame, really. I’d expected more of a—”

My past self cut her off with a roar and lunge. The tip of the spear hissed through the air. Past me had aimed for her throat, but she easily sidestepped the attack. He slashed at her, the blade whistling above her head as she ducked. Noble darted to the side just before past me slammed it over her head like a hammer.

He attacked again and again. Stabbing. Slashing. Whatever it took to kill her. There was no thought or skill put into past me’s attacks, fueled by a bottomless pit of hate. His unorganized flurry of strikes and stabs was not enough to touch someone as nimble as Noble, though. Every blow was dodged or deflected, the brutal force of the strikes always missing her.. All the while she kept her smug grin.

“This moment,” I said to Chrysalis. “This was the moment I wanted nothing more than to kill her. Kill all changelings. She’d taken my squadmates, made me kill my friend, and just smiled. It just made everything hurt worse. How she just trivialized everything about my own world falling apart.”

“This is…” Chrysalis was at a loss, watching my past self devolve further and further into a mindless frenzy.

“Don’t. Nothing you say or do will change how I feel. All that matters is seeing this mess to the end.”

After dozens of failed attempts to kill Noble, my past self finally stopped to catch his breath. There was just no touching the nimble changeling. All I could do back then was throw her the deadliest glare I could muster.

“So, did you get that out of your system? Ya good?” Noble asked.

“Go to Tartarus, bitch!” My past spat.

“Hmmm, looks like you need to vent a bit more.” She produced a dagger in each forehoof and hovered an inch off the ground. “A dozen holes in the chest should do the trick!”

Time slowed as Noble darted forward.

Even with the Sentry Sense, my past self was barely able parry her speedy blade strike. He tried to step back to place her within effective spear range, only for her to stick to him like glue. A whirl of blades seemed to come at him from every direction as she darted to the side to attack a blindspot. An offense was impossible, and she was too fast for him to get away. All he could do was parry and dodge until she either slipped up or he died.

The smug grin eventually evaporated from Noble, replaced with a deep scowl. “Between you and me, this is all Celestia’s fault!”

My ears perked at this. I hadn’t remembered her saying anything to me, though that was for obvious life-at-risk reasons. Chrysalis also looked invested.

“She could’ve just defeated my mother. Banished her. Imprisoned her. But no, she had to damn her and our future!”

Noble’s attacks increased in ferocity, daggers biting into the guard handle of the spear. “Think we wanted these holes? Think we want to hide like rats? You think I want to be the last of my kind?!”

The last statement made Chrysalis gasp, decidedly upset. I had no idea what Noble was talking about, but decided to wait until later to ask Chrysalis about it.

Noble unleashed a magical blast that sent me flipping into the air like a pancake. I’d crashed back on the ground, covered in small cuts. She flashed me a pitiful look. “I really did try to find a better way for us. Something that didn’t resort to this. But no!” Another blast of magic flung me against a wall before I could get my defenses up again.

“All our benevolent queen could think about was one-upping the sun bitch and her precious peasants! She’d rather stroke her own ego than think about what the hive actually needs or what her own daughters want, which leads to a particularly pissed off changeling murdering the particularly foolish stallion in front of me!”

Another blast of magic had crushed me to the wall once more. My past self tried to stand straight, legs little more than wet noodles at this point. Watching myself turn into Noble’s stress relief toy, likely breaking a few bones with each magical burst, was hard to watch. Chrysalis’s shoulders sagged, looking as if she’d been slapped.

Noble marched up to past me, knife raised to stab him. She lingered over him for a few seconds, only to step back and sigh. “Phew, okay, turns out I really needed get that out of my system. All it took was you lasting more than a few seconds, so thanks for lasting so long.” Noble snickered. “Fifty bits says a mare never told you that before, eh? Sucks for you that will be the last time, too.”

An insidious grin spread across her muzzle as her horn let up.

“I had my fun, but let’s go to more familiar territory for you. You know, quick and—” She never got to finish her sentence.

The world around my past self was suddenly covered in a brilliant pink light. A frightening amount of magical energy rushed through my past self’s limbs. I could still remember the prickling sensation that crawled all over my body, how the air tasted of static. The energy had felt benevolent and refreshing as it washed over me.

Unfortunately for changeling in front of him, it was anything but refreshing for her. The forcefield’s immense power propelled her out of my view at mach speed. It’s wave stretched farther and farther until it was little more than a glimmer in the distance. In hindsight, I was surprised Noble was able to survive getting blasted out of Canterlot at such neck breaking speeds.

With the threat gone so suddenly, all that was left for past me was to look around, at a loss for words for the devastation that remained. Buildings still burning, and surrounded by the corpses of fallen squadmates, exhaustion began to take over him. He looked to his side to find Wind Stride facing him, cold vacant eyes staring back.

I still remembered my last thought before I blacked out.

I failed them.

The vision ended.

We were spat back into reality, neither of us better than when we started. Reliving that memory left me in a raw, quiet state. Even Chrysalis looked shaken, though I had a feeling I knew why.

“You’re still thinking about what Noble said, aren’t you?” I asked.

“I don’t understand where that came from,” Chrysalis admitted. “I never knew she harbored such thoughts about my actions. Our minds have always been linked. We shared and discussed everything.”

“You clearly haven’t.” I shook my head. “My stepdad told me once about an old griffon expression for raising kids. ‘You’ll never know your kid until you look under their bed. Then you’ll wish you haven’t.’ I don’t know what being connected to a hive mind is like, but if I learned one thing from Noble, she will always have that ‘one thing’ she failed to mention or tell you. And if she can hide her thoughts from you, then there’s probably a mountain of that ‘one thing’ she decided to keep to herself.”

Uncertainty crossed her expression. “Surface thoughts and emotions are easy enough to hear in a link. I knew she wasn’t pleased with some of my decisions, but to see such resentment coming from her… it’s unsettling to say the least.”

“If memory serves from our previous conversation, you had no idea your other daughters didn’t take kindly to your life choices either. Malice proved that. What makes Noble so different?”

Chrysalis looked like she was going to object, then faltered. Looks like I got her there.

“While we’re at it, what did she mean by last of her kind?” I asked.

A sudden sense of discomfort struck Chrysalis. “When Celestia and I first dueled, she struck me with a spell that pierced my body in several places, like spears forged from the sun itself. It not only affected me, but all future changelings I created.”

“I recall hearing something about that. You were doing your feeding thing and paid for it. I may not know Celestia personally, but I doubt she wanted to brand future generations of changelings.”

“Celestia did more than that. Whatever she did, it… robbed me of certain privileges. It’d gotten progressively worse with time.” Anger flashed in her eyes. “Noble Heart is not only the youngest matriarch; she’s my last. I...can’t make eggs anymore. Haven’t been able to for awhile now. ”

I winced. Celestia not only defeated Chrysalis; she eventually sterilized her entire race.

“So what Noble said holds some weight. Your hatred for Celestia rendering you barren consumed you. You didn’t invade us to sustain your race; you just wanted to get back at Celestia.”

“Don’t speak of it as if you understand, insect!” Chrysalis snapped, fangs bared. “It’s not your place to trivialize the doom of my species!”

“You’re right. It’s not my place. You took that spot the moment you went to war with us rather than seek help.” I threw back.

Chrysalis stormed up to me until her face was a breath away from mine. “Watch your mouth, you little runt!”

I’d expected my mind to trap her in a prison of spears again. Then again, I wasn’t afraid or paranoid of her anymore. “And you should watch your temper, unless you already forgot what got you in this mess!”

Her gaze narrowed. “Don’t throw stones in glass houses, Flash Sentry. We wouldn’t want to lose another princess, now do we?”

“You got no right to throw that at me!” I thrust my hoof at her face, an inch away from striking her chin. It took everything in me to not punch her in the throat. “This mess is all your fault! Canterlot! Malice! At every turn you’ve managed to find some way to ruin my life!”

“And I’ve paid for it with all but my own life,” Chrysalis’s cold eyes stared down at me. “The failing stability of my hive is at the mercy of a merciless god. What little sanity I have left is saved only by the lord of chaos himself, and I’m separated from my own body, helpless to save my dying race. If it will make you feel better to hit me, do so as many times as you like.” Her gaze narrowed. “Nothing you do will hurt me more than Malice has.”

I hissed through my teeth. Everything in me wanted to strike her down here and now. To see her suffer for her crimes and everything she put us all through.

Twilight’s face suddenly flashed in my mind.

No.

Slowly, I withdrew my hoof, glaring down at the hooves that stole Twilight’s life. I couldn’t stop shaking.

We’ve all suffered enough.

“...It’s so stupid,” my voice was tired. Defeated. “I swore I would avenge my comrades. I’ve trained, and struggled, and fought tooth and hoof to get where I am now. Haunted by nightmares and doubt that we would ever be ready to face you again. Now here you are, standing in front of me. The enemy I’ve dreaded and anticipated killing for the best part of ten years… and actually I want to save you.”

I rubbed at my wet eyes. “ First I kill my own princess, now I’m protecting the one who caused my friends to be murdered. They must be turning in their graves right now.” A bitter laugh escaped me. “I’ll never stop being such a screw-up, won’t I?”

Warm chitin slipped around my frame and pulled me forward. I gasped, struggling to catch up to the fact Chrysalis was embracing me. Strange as it was, it made the brewing storm of emotions running through me even more sporadic.

“W-wha…?”

“You’re not the only one who needs it,” Chrysalis whispered. Something wet dropped on my back. “I’m sorry.”

Bewildered, I didn’t know whether to push her away or meet her halfway. All I could do was stand wrapped up in Chrysalis’ warm embrace. The passage of time was lost of me while we stayed in the awkward one-sided embrace.

I hate that she’s right.

My hooves seemed to act on its own and moved up and around the back of Chrysalis’ neck. It was easier than I thought.

...Really hate that she’s right.

“And so the circle closes.”

Ice dropped in my veins.

Chrysalis and I shot away from each other and turned to face Malice, flanked by what appeared to be a dozen Malice-variant vassals.

“I swear, everytime I turn around you seem to surprise me, Flash Sentry. Here you are, rapt in a touching embrace with the traitorous deceiver who brought you so much despair. If you’re trying to surprise me to death, I applaud your creative attempt.”

Malice sidestepped a bolt of magic from Chrysalis’ surprise attack.

The next second, Malice dashed toward Chrysalis and smashed her face into the wall with a left cross. She was too stunned to react before Malice conjured claw-shaped ice that trapped Chrysalis against the wall.

“Know your place, traitor,” Malice growled.

I moved to attack with my conjured spear, only to get blocked by his sword. Malice’s gaze fell on me. “I have to thank you for helping me find the missing piece to a rather troubling puzzle; Noble Heart.”

My gaze narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“I’d been unable to figure out who was disrupting my operations in Ponyville. I had a feeling you and this ‘Sassy Love’ might’ve been involved, but it was too risky to play my hand without knowing what Discord was up to or draw too much attention before I’ve completely recovered my strength. Who would’ve thought the elusive Noble Heart could evade me to such a degree by hiding in plain sight?”

My mind scrambled to find a way out of this. With those vassals at his side, Chrysalis and I were at a disadvantage. Our only chance was Discord, who was still dealing with the catalyst.

Only one thing left to do; keep him talking until I figured out another plan.

“What’s the deal with you and this pathos mess in Ponyville, anyway? Why go through all of this trouble?”

Malice gave me an odd look, then smiled. “If you’re trying to buy time for Discord, my vassals are already hunting him down. A wasted effort, far more than that pathetic traitor deserves.”

Damn it!

With a shove, Malice knocked me to the side and placed himself between Chrysalis and I. When he glanced back at Chrysalis, something passed behind his eyes that I couldn’t identify. Some strange mix of disappointment and hesitation.

“I truly hate how it has come to this, Chrysalis. You’re quite brilliant. Powerful. Charming. Killing you would be a tragic waste of potential. Only for you am I willing to forgive your traitorous transgressions and let you come back to me if you do so willingly and faithfully. You can either do it now, or wait until I kill Noble Heart.”

Chrysalis gritted her teeth. “You… no, you can’t reach her. She’s out of the hive’s network. You can never touch her.”

Malice shrugged. “She may be out of the network for now, but her little tricks will soon fail her, and then she'll fall victim to my might as all enemies and traitors eventually do. After all, if you can entertain Flash and myself for a moment, tell me,” he smirked, “when is the last time I’ve failed to honor a promise?”

After a moment, Chrysalis paled, horror stricken.

“What in Tartarus are you getting at, Malice?” I demanded.

Malice turned his attention back to me. “I’m a strong believer in the phrase ‘seeing is believing’. As Chrysalis has witnessed, I always deliver on my promises.”

With the wave of his claw, one of the windigos moved forward. It’s body stretched and contorted until it resembled a rectangular shape with a sort of transparent film in the middle.

Is that a screen?

“Noble Heart will arrive shortly. My vassals are already in position, with Elytra none the wiser,” Malice chuckled darkly. “Hope you two are ready for a show.”

Author's Notes:

Merry Christmas, my fellow paladins!

Told ya I would deliver on a present. Worked extra hard to bring you lovely paladins something truly special to tide you over for the holidays. Hope you enjoy!

Now, onto these two parts, this has been a long awaited segment I wanted to tackle. A glimpse of events that shaped Flash to who he is now. When I first conjured this story, I had to really think about the Flash I wanted to bring to the story. Elements that are familiar with the human one we recognize (the guitar, association with Sunset), combined with the military background, and give him a foundation that speaks to what his strengths and weaknesses are. Also helps that I love deep backstories.

The Canterlot invasion is an integral piece to a lot of why Flash is the way he is. The gritty reality of a war he simply wasn't ready for. Loses that wrecked him on a psychological level. The final nail in the coffin. I hope this sheds light on all of his actions until this point.

Unfortunately for our hero and Chrysalis, Malice has plans to chip away at their spirits even further. What could it be? Find out next chapter!

Until next time, stay classy, my paladins! Enjoy the holidays!