“The invasion was a failure. A dismal, dismal failure.”

“Queen Chrysalis is dead.”

“Maybe.”

“Possibly.”

“Likely.”

“This cannot stand. The swarm will not be humiliated like this. We must retaliate.”

“How?”

“The Elements of Harmony. They reside in the town of Ponyville. Take it, and their ultimate defense will be gone. Equestria shall be ours.”

“FOR THE SWARM!”

Carbon’s eyes shot open, and the changeling’s wings buzzed frantically as he lost his precarious balance on the branch of a tree. He caught himself as he fell and gently lowered himself to the ground, taking a few moments to get his bearings. His body ached, and his connection to the swarm was blurred and unintelligible. He looked up at the tree he had been laying in up until now, taking notice of the plump red fruits hanging from its branches.

An apple tree. The general observed. He looked around, seeing dozens of similar trees in every direction. It would seem I’m in an apple orchard.

Carbon frowned, solid blue eyes narrowing as he listened for any sound. Aside from the chirping of birds, the orchard was quiet, but after a few moments, his trained ears picked up the faint sound of voices. Getting to his feet, the changeling checked for any injuries and, detecting none, set off in the direction of the sound, tense and wary for any sign of movement. As he walked, he reflected on past events, the last things he could remember before waking up in that apple tree.

It all came back to him quickly. The invasion had been a failure. Somehow, the ponies had managed to create a barrier even stronger than the first one, one which had managed to push out every changeling in Canterlot. Staring up at the sky, he tried to gauge how much time had passed since then. He had no way of telling, but judging by the hunger gnawing at his stomach, it must have been a couple of days at the least. A twinge of worry ran through Carbon’s body; if the barrier had been able to incapacitate a changeling general as powerful as himself for so long, what could it have done to the weaker soldiers under his command?

Carbon shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn’t think about that now; he had to focus on his current situation. So, I’m in unfamiliar territory, alone, weakened, and disconnected from the swarm for an unknown, but hopefully temporary, amount of time. There are other creatures nearby, most likely ponies. If they are hostile, I could probably fight off one of them, but in my weakened state, my chances of success against a group are low. I will need to maintain a stealthy approach until I have more knowledge of the situation.

Up ahead, Carbon could see a large red object, and as he moved closer, the object revealed itself to be a barn. He stared up at it, looking between it and the orchard several times. I’m on an apple farm. Any ponies around here are likely to be earth ponies with exceptional physical strength. In my state, this could be trouble.

A young voice with a Southern accent caught the general’s attention. “Come on, Applejack! Ya promised Ah could go play with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo once we got back! Ya can’t go back on yer word!”

Panic flickered in Carbon’s mind as he backed off from the edge of the orchard and quickly flew up into the nearest tree to hide. He laid completely still to avoid shaking the leaves and giving himself away as he peered out at the barn. In front of it, a little filly and a gown mare – both earth ponies, as he had predicted – walked into view. The filly was looking up at the mare with pleading eyes, but the older pony just ignored it as she shook her head.

“Ah said no such thing. Ah said ya could go play with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo after we finished up our chores fer the day. Remember, we left Big Mac with both of our shares when we went off ta the wedding; he must have been runnin’ himself ragged tryin’ ta keep up with everythin’!” The earth pony, apparently called Applejack, explained.

“But-!” The young pony tried protesting.

“No buts, Apple Bloom. Now get inside and go get ready; come out and meet me when yer ready to go.” Applejack interrupted her.

There was no more argument, and the pouting filly, whose name Carbon had just learned was Apple Bloom, slowly walked into the barn. As the barn door shut behind her, Applejack sighed and trotted over to an apple tree a short distance away, giving it a kick that knocked every apple from its branches.

Carbon stared down at the pony as she worked, a spark of recognition drawing him to try and remember where he has seen her before. After several seconds of deep thought, the answer came to him in a bolt of realization.

An Element of Harmony! Carbon almost shouted the words out, but managed to catch his tongue before any sound escaped and gave away his location. The general’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at the mare, one of the six ponies his battalion had been tasked with capturing to prevent them from retrieving the elements and stopping the invasion. His thoughts went back to traces of thought he had caught from the swarm before regaining consciousness, remembering what was said about the Elements of Harmony. A cruel smirk crossed the general’s face as he watched the unsuspecting earth pony. If he captured and replaced her here, he would have the perfect disguise to enter the nearby town – Ponyville, the swarm had said – and get into contact with other changelings, as well as to break up the element bearers’ power in one fell swoop. Carbon’s calculating mind quickly came up with the perfect way to capture the earth pony without trouble.

Moving quickly, he leapt from the tree, his horn glowing as he used his magic to muffle the sound of the shaking leaves. Landing on the ground, he darted behind a nearby tree, out of Applejack’s sight, and quickly shifted form, the flames fading to reveal the form of Apple Bloom. Quickly checking himself over to make sure there were no obvious flaws in his disguise, Carbon ran out into the open and trotted up to Applejack, putting on a bright, childish smile as he did so.

“Hey Applejack! Ah’m all ready!” Carbon said, doing his best imitation of a Southern cowpony accent. He didn't have much trouble; he had masked himself as a member of the Apple family enough times to make it convincing.

Applejack smiled down at the disguised changeling. “Well, good ta see yer in a better mood. C’mon, the sooner we get this done, the sooner ya can go off and find yer friends. Let’s start with these trees here, okay?”

Carbon’s eyes flitted to the barn, watching to make sure that the real Apple Bloom wasn't coming out. The general frowned slightly as a trace of worry crossed his mind. No, this won’t do at all! That filly will be out any moment now, and then this will all be ruined!

Quickly covering up his displeasure, Carbon smiled back up at Applejack. “Actually sis, Ah was thinkin’ we could start further in, work our way forward, ya know?”

Carbon could only hope that Applejack would agree to his proposal quickly. Applejack thought about the idea for a few seconds that lasted far too long to him before nodding in agreement. “Okay, that’ll work fer me. C’mon, then, let’s get started.”

The changeling suppressed a sigh of relief as Applejack turned and walked into the orchard. He couldn’t afford to be discovered now, not when he was still so weak from the invasion. Carbon followed closely behind her, soon running up to trot beside the earth pony. Applejack turned her head to look down at the shapeshifted filly and smiled. Waves of love flowed off her, and Carbon nearly tripped over his hooves in shock at the strength of the mare’s love for her little sister. Such love, such power. I knew the Apple family ponies were close, but this…

The two continued walking further into the orchard, Carbon staying silent and absorbing Applejack’s love in small amounts as they went so as to avoid potentially alerting the apple farmer to his true nature. Regardless though, the strong familial love was intoxicating, and Carbon failed to notice the wooden door in the ground until he tripped over the iron handle. The general crashed face-first into the wood, and Applejack rushed to help him back to his hooves.

“Apple Bloom, are ya alright?! Ya need ta be more careful, little sis, ya could have been hurt!” Applejack fussed as Carbon stood up, trying to regain his bearings.

“C’mon Applejack, Ah’m not a foal! Ah can take care of myself!” Carbon told her, hoping to calm the element bearer down before she did something that could blow his cover. He looked down at what he had tripped over, seeing a large wooden door in the ground. He leapt off and peered down at it. “What is this?”

The question slipped out before he could stop it, and Carbon froze in fear as he realized that the question could ruin everything if Apple Bloom knew what the door was. Luckily for him, however, Applejack didn't seem to notice anything strange about the question, instead grinning as she stomped a hoof on the door.

“This? This is the old apple cellar we had a while back. Didn't ya ever wonder why we got that new apple cellar a few months back?” Applejack asked.

“Um… Ah guess?” Carbon said, deciding it was better to act ignorant. It wasn't very hard, given that he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Well, anyway, this old cellar was a might inconvenient. All the way out in the orchard, far from the farm; it was a real chore ta come out here fer supplies whenever we needed them.” Applejack explained.

Hearing this, an idea popped into Carbon’s head. “Ah see. That’s really interestin’, Applejack. Can we take a look inside?”

Applejack frowned slightly, as she looked at what she thought was her sister in confusion. “Look inside? Why would ya want ta do that? There’s nothin’ in there.”

“Ah’m just curious.” Carbon lied, “Please, Applejack? Just fer a bit?”

He looked pleadingly up at her, doing his best impression of a cute, puppy dog look. He beat down his feelings of indignation at having to appeal to a pony, reasoning that it was all in the name of benefiting the swarm. Applejack stared at his for a few moments before sighing in resignation.

“Alright, fine. Ah’ll show ya inside.” Applejack said, smiling good-naturedly as she hooked a hoof around the handle, giving a strained shove as she flung the wooden door open. She did the same with the door next to it, revealing stairs leading down into the old cellar. Applejack slowly walked inside, Carbon following close behind her.

They soon reached the bottom of the stairs, and Carbon had to struggle to not cough and gag in the stale, dust-filled air. The light from outside revealed an empty room, the dust and cobwebs covering the floors and walls being the only things inside. Applejack walked further in, looking around the cellar with clear disgust.

“Sheesh, sure don’t want ta be down here fer long. Lucky we’ve got that new one now, don’t we?” Applejack said, chuckling softly. Carbon just nodded, his eyes narrowing and a malicious smirk spreading across his face as he shifted back to his true form. Applejack, who had her back to the changeling, failed to notice the change.

“Well, anyway, that’s it. Told ya there was nothin’ here ta see. Now let’s go before-!” Applejack didn't even have time to turn around before a burst of green magic slammed into her. The blast sent the earth pony crashing into the wall of the cellar, her hat falling off as she fell to the floor. Carbon slowly stepped up to her and watched as Applejack struggled to recover from the powerful attack charged with her own love for her sister. She looked up at him, her eyes widening in shock at the changeling before her.

Carbon smirked at her uncomprehending gaze. “You didn't think the swarm would go down like that, did you? We’re not out just yet.” His voice shifted to that of a young filly with a Southern accent. “Thanks fer the love, sis.”

Applejack barely realized what was happening before another blast of magic took her out for good. Carbon’s horn glowed again, tendrils of green magic shooting out to coil around the unconscious earth pony. As they covered her, the tendrils solidified into a green chrysalis, the pony inside suspended in a similarly-colored liquid. He telekinetically lifted the cocoon to the ceiling, the sticky substance attaching to the ceiling and leaving the chrysalis hanging.

Carbon smiled at his handiwork. The holding chrysalis would keep the earth pony contained long enough for him to find another changeling to reinforce it, and after that, there would be no chance of her escaping to warn the other element bearers. Carbon’s gaze shifted to a corner of the cellar, where Applejack’s hat had fallen after his initial attack. Carbon walked up to the hat, staring down at it in thought for a few moments. His horn lit up and he fired a beam of energy down at it, reducing the hat to cinders.

Green flames wrapped around Carbon once more, leaving him in the form of Applejack. The general reached up a hoof and tugged at his own Stetson hat, smirking cruelly at the pony trapped in the chrysalis. “Don’t ya worry none, Applejack. Ah’ll cover fer ya. Nopony will even notice yer gone…”

With that dark note, Carbon trotted back up the stairs into open air, kicking the doors of the cellar shut and, after returning to his true form, magically forming heavy chains to wrap around the handles and seal it. Convinced that nopony would be getting in without him noticing, Carbon shifted back into Applejack’s form and cheerfully walked through the orchard, back toward the barn. He reached it just in time to see Apple Bloom, the real Apple Bloom, run up to him. The filly glared up at him, a frown on her face.

“Applejack, where were ya? Ah came out here and ya were just gone!” Apple Bloom whined.

Carbon resisted the urge to roll his eyes and smiled down at her instead. “Sorry, Apple Bloom. Ah just wanted ta get a head start on all our work. Anyway, why don’t you get started here? Ah’m goin’ out inta town fer a little while.”

“Oh, are you gonna take the apple cart out?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Uh, yeah, sure. That’s the plan.” Carbon said, latching onto the excuse to leave. “It’s in the barn still, ain’t it?”

“Should be, unless Big Mac moved it, but Ah don’t think he did.” Apple Bloom answered. Carbon breathed a mental sigh of relief that his assumption of the apple cart’s location turned out to be right.

“Right, so ya can get started on buckin’ these apples here, and Ah’ll get ta sellin’ them in Ponyville.” Carbon said.

“Sounds like a plan, sis.” Apple Bloom nodded, “And then after, Ah can go play with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, right?”
“Yeah, of course.” Carbon said, not really caring about what the filly did. “Just get yer work done first.”

“You got it! Ah’ll have these apples bucked in no time!” Apple Bloom said, rushing off to get started.

Paying the young pony no further attention, Carbon trotted into the barn and found the cart, piling it high with apples and then pulling it out into the open. He set off down the road toward Ponyville, thinking about his situation as he pulled the apple cart along.

Carbon focused on his link with the swarm, trying to get through the shell-shocked haze that the barrier had left in his mind. A few mumbled voices sounded in his head, but he couldn’t make them any clearer no matter how much he focused. Sighing, Carbon continued to walk down the road in silence, resigning himself to merely waiting for his connection to reestablish itself.

“Hey Carbon, you've heard about that new changeling, haven’t you?” A young changeling asked his friend.

“Of courzze I have, Match. Who hazzn’t?” Carbon asked, the hatchling’s voice buzzing as he tried to make an “s” sound. Carbon had always found the tic annoying, having dealt with quite a bit of ridicule for it, so he had begun getting speech therapy from an older drone to try and correct it. Match didn't pay any attention to the buzz, however, which was one of the reasons they were close friends.

“Yeah, but do you know the details?” They say she’s a prodigy that used to live in the hive, and that she’s been living with a pony all this time.” Match told him. “They also say she’s actually friends with that pony! Can you believe it?”

Carbon had heard all this from the rest of the swarm, but he still found the news hard to believe. Changelings didn't become friends with ponies; it just didn't happen. Nonetheless though, he was curious to see this strange changeling for himself. “Where izz szzhe?”

“I think she’s supposed to be here soon. Photo’s showing her around, I’ve heard.” Match said. A wave of affection flowed off the hatchling as he said the other changeling’s name, and Carbon smirked knowingly at his obvious crush.

“You szzhould talk to her. It can’t hurt, you know.” Carbon told him.

The affection quickly turned to embarrassment. “T-Talk to her?! Why?”

“Szzhe already knowzz you like her. Every changeling doezz.” Carbon reminded him. The swarm’s connection made it nearly impossible for any changeling to keep secrets from each other, after all.

“Well, yeah, but… Oh, she’s here!” Match said, quickly changing subjects as the other changeling hatchlings in the room broke into curious chatter and swarmed around the entrance of the nursery chamber.

A young female voice rang out above the noise. “Hey, back off! Don’t you have any manners? She’s still getting used to everything, so give her some space!”

Carbon and Match walked closer as the crowd reluctantly dispersed, revealing a female hatchling and a pink unicorn filly. Carbon stared at the filly, seeing small green flames leap across her pink fur and her white and purple mane and tail, a sign of her true changeling nature. “Izz that her? The pony?”

“Yeah, that’s Double.” Match told him, “Well, they did say she was a bit weird, so I guess this is what they meant.” Catching his words, Photo shot Match a withering glare, causing the other changeling to shrink down in shame.

Carbon looked back at the disguised changeling. She looked absolutely miserable, alternating between staring despairingly down at the ground and shooting hateful glares at any changeling that got too close. The hatchlings were now keeping a good distance away from her, while the nursing drones watching over the hatchlings stared at her with thinly-disguised pity.

Photo led the upset changeling further into the chamber, whispering encouragement to her. The two stopped in front of Carbon and Match, and Photo smiled at the two of them.

“Carbon, Match, this is Double. I’m helping her adjust to the hive.” Photo explained, clearly proud at having such an important job. “Why don’t you introduce yourselves?”

“Oh, um, sure…” Match said. He held out a hoof to Double and said, “I’m Match. I’m in training to be a sentry drone. You’re Double, then?”

The shapeshifted filly looked up and nodded silently, not returning his hoofshake. Carbon could feel the hate rolling off her.

Match gulped audibly and withdrew his hoof, chuckling nervously. Carbon turned to Double and gave an attempt at a friendly smile. “My name izz Carbon. It’zz a pleazzure to meet you.”

A spark of interest flared in the changeling’s dull eyes as she stared at him. After several seconds of uncomfortable silence, she finally spoke. “What’s wrong with your voice?”

Carbon recoiled in shock at the blunt, rude question. His eyes narrowed into a glare, an indignant hiss escaping his mouth. “What kind of quezztion izz that?!”

“Calm down, Carbon, she didn’t mean any harm.” Photo said, looking to Double. “Right, Double?”

Double didn't take her eyes off of Carbon. “No, I meant it.”

Photo facehoofed at the response. Match took a step toward the unicorn-changeling, ready to defend his friend. “Hey, what sour emotion did you choke down this morning-!”

Double’s head whipped around at his voice, her horn suddenly glowing with a bright, dangerous green light. Carbon didn't think twice as he leapt in front of his shocked friend, taking a burst of green fire that sent him flying across the chamber. Photo and Match stared at Double in horror, backing away as several rocks were ripped out of the ground, floating threateningly around the hatchling. Tears gathered in her eyes as she glared at nothing, eyes focused on something that wasn't there.

“I didn't want this. I didn't want to come here, away from my friend and my family. I didn't want to be with any of you!” Double screamed. The mad changeling’s horn glowed even brighter, and the rocks shot into the air, falling down and slamming into the ground like meteors. Changelings screamed and flew toward the cavern exit in panic as the rocks rained down around the chamber. “I don’t want to be here! I want to go HOME!”

Carbon stared through bleary eyes, watching as Double shouted out her rage, her magic reaching blinding levels of brightness. Two nursing drones flew in and landed on either side of her, their horns beginning to glow. Eventually, Double’s cries died down and the light faded as her magic exertion took its toll, and the changeling collapsed to the ground as the magic of the two older changelings lulled her to sleep. One came closer and picked up the sleeping hatchling, giving a sad look to the other before she turned and flew out of the chamber.

The other one turned to Photo and Match, who had not left the chamber with all the other hatchlings, and shooed them out as well. She turned and walked over to Carbon, picking up the injured changeling and carrying him away toward the infirmary chamber. “That was very brave of you, Carbon. Just relax now; everything’s going to be just fine.”

Carbon growled in anger as he pushed the memory away. Everything’s going to be just fine….Hah! It had never gotten better; things had only gotten worse. That wretched, empathy-sick changeling was an insane menace to the swarm, and Queen Chrysalis had saw fit to not only make her a general, but eventually the High-General, second-in-command of the entire swarm!

Breaking out of his thoughts, Carbon looked up in relief to see the shops and homes of Ponyville in front of him. The changeling general pulled his apple cart with renewed strength as he looked around, seeing a few ponies here and there with small flames clinging to their coats. A couple of those disguised changelings made eye contact with him, breaking into smiles before adorning confused looks at being unable to hear his thoughts.

“General Carbon?” A soft whisper reached Carbon’s ears, and he turned to see a changeling disguised as a blue unicorn with a blue and white mane and an hourglass cutie mark. He grinned at the mare, recognizing her changeling signature.

“Morph! It’s good to see you again.” Carbon said in a low tone so no ponies would overhear. Morph was a changeling who had replaced the unicorn Minuette after she had been captured by the swarm months before. She was also one of his most loyal and trusted followers.

“Call me Minuette while we’re here, General.” Morph whispered, smirking mischievously. “Or should I say, Applejack? Where is she, anyway?”

“Cocooned in an old apple cellar.” Carbon whispered back. “Nopony’s finding her. Speaking of which, I’ll need someone to reinforce the chrysalis so she doesn't get out.”

“I’ll find some changeling to do that, you can count on me.” Morph said. She took a few steps forward, lifting a hoof to point at a house. “Why don’t you come in? We can talk in there.”

Carbon nodded and followed after her, unhooking himself from the apple cart and leaving it near the door. He briefly worried about not having any pony to attend to the cart, but he quickly brushed the worry aside, as the cart and its contents meant nothing to him, personally. He followed Morph inside the house, seating himself down at the dining table while Morph collected some cookies onto a plate. As changelings, neither of them had any real use for pony food, but Morph seemed to enjoy making them nonetheless.

Morph gently set the plate down on the table with her telekinesis and took a seat across from Carbon. Her smile suddenly fell into a frown, and an aura of intense anger radiated from the changeling. Carbon just barely managed to avoid flinching under her glare.

“General, forgive my disrespect, but the swarm must have answers. What. Happened?” Morph growled.

Carbon maintained a neutral face, calmly reaching for a cookie and taking a bite out of it. “You tell me, soldier. What do you know already?”

Morph’s eyes narrowed further. “All we know is that three days ago, our connection with the entire invasion force was suddenly cut off. That connection has just now begun rebuilding itself.”

“Three days?!” Carbon yelled in shock, horrified that his crash had been bad enough to render him unconscious for so long.

“Yes, three days.” Morph repeated, “And not a day after the link was cut, we’d begun receiving news that the changeling invasion of Canterlot was foiled. Every town is now on high alert for disguised changelings, and paranoia is running rampant. Changelings all across Equestria are being discovered and imprisoned by Celestia’s guards. How did this happen? How did the invasion fail?”

“…You said the connection has begun to reestablish itself, correct?” Carbon asked. Morph nodded in confirmation. “Can you help reestablish my link with the swarm?”

Morph nodded again. “Yeah, I can. I've actually been helping changelings who had stumbled into Ponyville after the invasion, but none of them had a very clear recollection of the invasion’s events. Do you know what happened?”

“Yes, I remember.” Carbon said, “But it’ll be easier for me to show you than to tell you.”

“Of course, General. Hold still, then.” Morph leapt up onto the table, shoving her plate of cookies aside as she walked over to Carbon and placed her horn to his forehead. Her horn glowed with green light, and Carbon felt her magic run through his skull. Slowly but surely, the muffling haze in his mind cleared and the voices of his siblings rang out loud and clear in his head. A familiar giggle rose up above the voices, and a jolt of fear and anger ran through Carbon’s body.

Morph drew her horn away in shock at the sudden rush of emotion, and as soon as she did, Carbon reverted back to his changeling form, his horn glowing. A wave of green light suddenly burst forth and spread out around him, engulfing the entire town and disappearing as quickly as it had come. Morph stared blankly at the general, but her expression changed to horror as realization dawned on her.

“The swarm…” Morph gasped, “General, what did you do?”

“Relax, Morph. I didn’t do anything too drastic.” Carbon said, changing back to his Applejack form. “I merely cut off the changelings in Ponyville from the rest of the swarm. This should keep her from listening in on our plans.”

“Her?” Morph repeated, “…Oh, you mean High-General Double.”

Carbon nodded. Morph was one of the large numbers of changelings that did not approve of Double being the High-General, so he knew he could count on her to understand his reasoning for cutting them off from the swarm.

A look of confusion crossed Morph’s face. “Wait, plans? What plans? What are you-”

“Patience, Morph. Our soldiers need to hear this as well.” Carbon’s mental voice went off in her head. Carbon looked up at the ceiling, his eyes glowing softly. “Attention, all changelings in the Ponyville area. This is General Carbon. Can you hear me?”

A chorus of confused voices met his question, changelings demanding to know why their connection had been restricted so suddenly. The general frowned and sent a burst of stern, commanding emotion through the link, quieting their words beneath his will. “That’s better. Now, if I’m reading the situation correctly, we’re all in a rather tough spot, aren’t we?”

The confusion remained, though several changelings voiced confirmation of his assumption. Soon though, thoughts of fear and panic began to break out amongst the hive mind as they all tried to inform Carbon of their troubles.

“The invasion failed!”

“The ponies are getting suspicious! It’s getting harder and harder to keep our cover!”

“Queen Chrysalis is gone! No changeling’s heard from her since the invasion! What if she’s-”

“SILENCE!” Carbon shouted mentally, his thoughts so loud and forceful that Morph and the other changelings cringed and cowered before him. The hysteric voices died down, and Carbon waited to make sure there would be no further interruptions. “I’m well aware of your concerns, and believe me, I intend to address them. Now, you’re all certain that Queen Chrysalis is missing?”

“Y-Yes, General. No changelings heard from her since the invasion failed.” Morph spoke up, “You were there, so perhaps you know?”

Several changelings echoed her desire for knowledge of their queen’s whereabouts. Carbon sighed and focused on his memories of the invasion, revealing them to the fraction of the swarm within Ponyville. “Those two ponies, the one Queen Chrysalis had tried to replace and the captain of the guard, they repelled the invasion with a powerful barrier spell. Queen Chrysalis was at the center of it.”

Shocked gasps rang out in his head. Morph looked at the general, fear clear in her eyes at the possibility none of them wanted to believe. “Does… does that mean…”

Carbon thought back to the fragmented words he had heard through the link shortly before regaining full consciousness, and a somber silence fell over the changelings. “…Yes, I believe so. It is…. highly unlikely Queen Chrysalis survived that attack.”

The silence persisted, and Carbon could feel the changelings’ fear and anxiety. They had no reason to doubt the truthfulness of Carbon’s words, as he was the only general to participate in the invasion, and they feared for the swarm’s future without their Queen to lead them as she had since the first generation over a thousand years ago. One timid voice suddenly rose up to address Carbon. “But, if Queen Chrysalis is dead, then doesn’t command of the swarm fall to-!”

“NO!” Carbon shouted, both mentally and out loud, startling the changelings back into silence. “High-General Double is not fit to lead the swarm in troubled times such as now! She cannot be looked to for proper leadership!”

The majority of the changelings present found themselves agreeing with the general. High-General Double was a brilliant and powerful strategist, but she was also secretive, childish, and something about her was just off enough that most changelings found themselves doubting whether or not she could be trusted to look out for the swarm’s best interest. Nevertheless, Carbon knew that some of the changelings within Ponyville would support Double, and right now, he needed them on his side, not hers.

“…I will lead the swarm.” Carbon declared. A cacophony of shock and doubt rose from his soldiers, and Carbon quieted them again with another show of willful force. “Portrait, Switcher; none of the other generals are fit to lead the swarm in the aftermath of this disaster. I will lead us to victory. We shall have our revenge upon the ponies that defeated us.”

His confidence served to encourage the other changelings. General Carbon was by far the most capable and commanding of the changeling generals, and when Queen Chrysalis chose the new High-General in the wake of the previous one’s death a few years back, the majority of the swarm was certain that Carbon would be chosen. Chrysalis choosing General Double instead came as a shock to all of them.

“Revenge? But what can we do?” Morph asked, “Without Queen Chrysalis, how can we possibly stand up to Celestia and Luna? Or the Elements of Harmony?”

Carbon grinned smugly at her question. “Come now Morph, have you forgotten what we are? We’re changelings: masters of deception and secrecy. We’ll do what we've always done; infiltrate and destroy our enemies from the inside, leaving them none the wiser to what’s happening before it’s too late.”

Morph’s eyes lit up as it all clicked in her mind. “Of course, we can kidnap ponies, hold them hostage. And the Elements of Harmony, they live here in Ponyville; you've already taken care of Applejack!”

Carbon nodded, and the other changelings began chattering excitedly amongst themselves as they quickly grasped the basis of their plan. “Exactly. The princesses can’t directly attack us without putting their subjects in harm’s way. At the very least, we’ll be able to make a deal with them that should prove beneficial to the swarm.”

The same soft voice from earlier broke through the crowd to speak to Carbon. “But, what about High-General Double? Will she approve of this?”

Carbon snorted in exasperation, his anger obvious. “Of course she won’t. That love-spoiled changeling won’t do anything unless she has the Queen’s permission.”

“But, then how will we-”

“We’ll just carry out our plan before she can do anything about it. No doubt she’ll grow suspicious about Ponyville being cut off from the swarm, but she also has to maintain order in the hive and deal with the changelings all across Equestria.” Carbon explained, “I’d say we’ll have a month before she takes any sort of action, and that’s more than enough time for us to take over Ponyville.”

Carbon turned to look at Morph. “Morph, begin acquiring knowledge of Ponyville’s security. I want this town defenseless by the time we attack.”

“As you command, General!” Morph saluted, “What about the Elements, though? From what I learned of the invasion, they’re by far the most serious threat to our plans.”

“Just leave the Elements of Harmony to me.” Carbon said, tugging at his hat. “Good ol’ Applejack will take care of them.”

Morph laughed softly, and Carbon turned his thoughts to address his soldiers. “Changelings, begin infiltration of Ponyville! We invade in three weeks’ time!”

The changelings burst into mental cheers, cries of “For the Swarm!” resonating in Carbon’s mind. The general trotted toward the door, stopping to look back at Morph and smile.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, Minuette, I have some apples to sell.”

“Stop worrying, Carbon.” Match said, circling the changeling and inspecting his armor for any chinks or weaknesses. “You’ll do fine. You defeated all those other contenders, after all.”

“You know this isn't the same.” Carbon muttered, “This is the final round. The changeling I go up against will have defeated all of their opponents as well. And besides, you know who also joined up…”

“What? Double?” Match asked, “You can take her. You’re better trained than she is, and honestly, that changeling is a total nut.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Carbon growled.

Match rolled his eyes and put up an encouraging smile. “Ah, lighten up, Carbon. You don’t even know if she will be your opponent; for all we know, some other changeling already took her out. Just get out there and win that general position!”

Carbon sighed and steeled himself for the coming battle. In the wake of General Clone’s death, Queen Chrysalis sought out a new general for her Council through a tradition almost as old as the Queen herself: the General’s Game, a competition in which changelings fought against each other for the honor of becoming one of the Queen’s six generals. Carbon had fought his way handily through his opponents to the final round, and now only his final opponent stood between him and his goal.
The low sound of a bell rang out through the hive, signaling the beginning of the final round in the General’s Game. Carbon turned to Match, who nodded back. “Time to go.”

The two changelings took to the air and flew out of the chamber, travelling down the empty, winding tunnels to arrive in an enormous chamber arranged like a stadium, with thousands of changelings assembled in the stands to watch the match. Down on the battlefield, Carbon could see two changelings waiting; his opponent and the sponsor who supported them in the competition. As Carbon and Match drew nearer, the cheers of the spectators grew louder, though the noise was purely physical; Carbon’s mind was clear of all thoughts but his own. This was a precaution set up by Queen Chrysalis herself whenever two changelings fought, in order to ensure that they did not take advantage of the swarm’s link in their battle.

Landing down on the field, Carbon looked up to take a look at his opponent. Even though he expected it, he couldn't help feeling a jolt of surprise at seeing Double sitting down at the opposite end of the stadium, wearing a set of armor custom-made to fit her smaller frame and with Photo at her side. Carbon always wondered how Photo could possibly care for the unstable prodigy as much as she did. True, Double’s attitude toward her siblings had improved significantly over the years, but her pony-like thoughts were still all but incomprehensible to most changelings, and Carbon knew that her cheerful, friendly attitude was just a mask for something else, even if he wasn't sure what exactly.

The roaring cheer suddenly grew louder, and Match’s voice snapped Carbon out of his thoughts. “Carbon! Queen Chrysalis is here!”

Carbon tore his eyes away from Double and Photo to look up at the highest spectator stand. Queen Chrysalis hovered down to the stand, gently landing and walking to the edge to look down at her subjects. She raised a hoof for silence, and the cheering instantly died down, the changelings waiting eagerly for their Queen’s words. Chrysalis smiled benevolently down at them before speaking, her horn glowing as she cast a spell to project her voice throughout the cavernous chamber.

“My beloved subjects, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived!” Chrysalis spoke out, “Welcome to the final round of the General’s Game!”

The swarm broke out into cheers once more, and Chrysalis held up her hoof to silence them again. “Know this, that the winner of this battle will receive the honor of becoming one of my esteemed generals and a member of my Council. And the two changelings fighting for this honor? None other than sentry drone #137, Carbon, and nursing drone #563, Double!”

The cacophony of sound rose up once more, though Carbon couldn't help feeling the slightest hint of embarrassment at his Queen’s description of him and Double. No drone had any designation higher than a number and a name, but it still felt underwhelming coming from the Queen herself. Carbon brushed those thoughts aside, though; once he became general, he would have a much more imposing title by which he would be addressed by.

“Will the competitors please meet in the center of the field.” Chrysalis ordered.

Match and Photo smiled encouragingly at their friends before retreating to the stands to watch the battle. Carbon and Double trotted to meet each other at the center of the stadium, holding out their hooves to each other as a sign of good sportsmanship.

“May the best changeling win.” Carbon said as they shook hooves.

Double gave him a sugary sweet grin as she responded, “Don’t worry, I intend to.”

Put off by the arrogant response, Carbon broke off the hoofshake and glared at the smaller changeling, who just giggled softly at his anger. The two separated and returned to their positions on opposite ends of the field.

“Now, remember the rules.” Queen Chrysalis continued after the cheers grew quiet, “No outside help from your sponsors, and no killing. Everything else is fair game. Begin!”

Double wasted no time in attacking. As soon as the order left Queen Chrysalis’s mouth, the smaller changeling’s horn glowed brightly before unleashing a powerful burst of magic in Carbon’s direction. Carbon’s wings began buzzing furiously, and he leapt out of the way as the blast sailed past and crashed into the wall behind him. Undeterred, Double continued to fire burst after burst of energy at her opponent, and Carbon continued to dodge each one of them. Finally, Carbon stopped and turned, firing a blast from his own horn at an oncoming beam. The two attacks collided and held for a split second before exploding in a flash of blinding light, covering both changelings in thick smoke.

Carbon burst out of the cloud of smoke, emerging back into open space as the smoke covering Double was blown away by a bubble of energy. Carbon shot down toward the now-exposed changeling, who stared up at him in shock for the precious few seconds he needed to reach her…

…and to shoot straight through her. The shocked changeling crashed into the ground, his opponent vanishing like mist. As Carbon tried to recover, Double faded into view above him, her horn glowing as she grinned maliciously down at him. Carbon saw her at the last second and tried to leap out of the way, and Double’s attack struck the ground right underneath Carbon, blowing the changeling across the field. The changelings in the crowd that supported Double cheered loudly for her successful gambit.

“Tch, an illusion. Should have known.” Carbon muttered, quickly getting back to his hooves. Double wasn't one to engage in direct, clean combat; she always had something up her proverbial sleeve. Another beam of magic prompted Carbon to summon up a shield to reflect the attack back at Double, who simply rolled out of the way and shot toward him.

Carbon reared up to meet the charging changeling, only for Double to teleport at the last moment. A flash of light behind him signaled Double’s appearance, and Carbon resurrected his shield just as Double brought her glowing horn down to meet it. The magic from her horn collided with the shield, shattering it and blasting Double across the stadium. The changelings supporting Carbon applauded, and Carbon wasted no time in taking off toward the downed changeling.

Double recovered just before Carbon could bring his hooves crashing down on her, twisting her body so that his hooves struck rock instead. Double teleported a short distance away to give herself time to get back to her feet, and Carbon teleported to meet her. The two engaged themselves in a sort of close combat fight, Carbon throwing powerful strikes of his hooves while Double nimbly avoided each attack. She made no effort to fight back; being both smaller and younger than Carbon, she was no match for the stronger changeling in a straight hooffight, and they both knew it.

Slowly but surely, Carbon forced Double back toward the walls of the stadium, his hooves flying too quickly for her to concentrate on her magic and dodge at the same time. Eventually, Double’s back pressed up against the wall, and the changeling froze in fear. Carbon smirked triumphantly as he raised his hooves for a final strike, but just before he could land the blow, Double lashed out with a quick, weak jab to his right backleg. The hit didn't even manage to knock Carbon down, but it threw him off balance just long enough for Double to bring up a shield to block his own attack. When his hooves made contact with the glowing barrier, Double grinned and pumped a burst of magic into the shield, blowing it outward and tossing Carbon all the way to the other end of the field. He hit the ground hard, but quickly recovered and picked himself back up.

Carbon held his ground and watched for Double’s next move. Across the field, his opponent was staring at him and muttering words that were drowned out by the roar of the crowd. Her eyes were wide and seemed to hold the slightest bit of…was that fear? Carbon didn’t have time to dwell on it, however, because Double was now glaring at him with new determination. She crouched down, still muttering under her breath, and her horn glowed brightly with magic. Carbon tensed up, preparing himself for another teleportation spell or another blast of magic from the changeling before him.

So when a small green spark flew from Double’s horn into the air instead, Carbon was understandably caught off guard. Watching it, he began to wonder if Double was mocking him, but that opinion soon changed when the spark exploded, releasing a ring of green energy and five enormous fireballs. The fiery stars rained down around Carbon, the first striking the ground beside him and exploding in a deafening burst of magic. Carbon snapped out of his shock, and kicked his wings into motion, wildly and narrowly dodging each blast that came toward him.

The last of the five fireballs, however, hung in the air and fell more slowly than the others, as though tracking him. A quick glance at Double, whose horn has glowing and whose eyes were focused intently on the spell, confirmed his suspicions. Carbon quickly realized that he wasn't going to be able to dodge the falling star of magic, and while the rules prevented Double from killing him, Carbon knew that the fireball would crush any barrier and take him out for good no matter what. Hissing in frustration, he looked back toward Double and suddenly came up with an idea. Carbon came to an abrupt halt, landing on the ground. His own horn glowed, and Double was surrounded in a green glow. Caught off guard, the smaller changeling’s concentration broke as she was dragged over to Carbon. He reared up and pinned Double to the ground, looking up at the fireball shooting toward them.

“What are you doing?!” Double shrieked, “My Starlight Rain will take us both out!”

Carbon briefly considered commenting on the name of the attack, but quickly decided against it. He smirked triumphantly at the scared changeling. “That’s the plan.”

Then the star crashed down on them both, exploding and filling the arena with light and smoke as the crowd fell silent.

---

Carbon slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing and his vision blurry. He was suspended in a glowing green liquid within a large chrysalis, though its magical properties ensured that he had no trouble breathing. Outside the cocoon, he was dimly aware of a few voices around him, which soon became clear as his mind returned to full consciousness.

“…C..bon…Carbon…hear me?” The familiar-sounding voice said, “Carbon, can you hear me?”

Carbon gave a small nod of acknowledgement, turning his gaze to see Match peering at him from outside. The other changeling broke into a smile upon seeing that his friend was okay.

“It’s okay, Carbon, no need to panic or anything. You’re in the infirmary chamber, inside a healing chrysalis.” Match explained, “That was a pretty nasty battle, but you’re all healed up now, so they should let you out now that you’re awake. Double’s already out; you took that hit worse than she did.”

Carbon looked away from Match to the side of his chrysalis, seeing Double, now out of her armor, with Photo beside her. Photo was smiling and speaking to Double, and Double was cheerfully responding, though she frequently looked aside to glare at Carbon. Carbon hissed in annoyance, but the cocoon prevented any sound from escaping.

Match was right, though, and within minutes, two nursing drones had entered the chamber and used their magic to split open the chrysalis. Carbon fell out, heavily breathing in real air and drenched in the healing liquid. As soon as the two drones finished drying him off, Match trotted up to him and smiled.

“Good to see you’ve recovered well enough.” Match said, “That attack looked downright vicious.”

“Yeah…” Carbon muttered, trying not to remember the feeling of scorching magic running over his body. “How long were we out?”

“Several hours, but it’s no big deal. It’s about nighttime, but it’s still the same day, if that’s what you mean.” Match explained, “Now c’mon, Carbon! Now that you’re both awake, Queen Chrysalis is going to announce the winner of the General’s Game!”

“Winner?” Carbon repeated, “But, we tied, didn't we? We were both knocked out at the same time.”

“Maybe, but there hasn't been a tie in the General’s Game in centuries.” Match said, “So it’s up to Queen Chrysalis to decide. Now let's go; we don't want to keep her waiting!”

Carbon nodded and followed Match to the entrance, Double and Photo trailing closely behind. The four changelings took to the air and traveled the short distance back to the stadium, where Queen Chrysalis and most of the hive were waiting. The changelings landed at the center of the field and stood at attention before their queen. Chrysalis smiled down at them and began speaking.

“My beloved subjects, we've had quite the turn of events today.” Chrysalis said, her voice magically amplified. “For the first time in centuries, the final match of the General’s Game has ended in a tie!”

The swarm gasped dramatically, eagerly awaiting the Queen’s decision. Carbon and Double looked at each other and glared, simultaneously turning away and looking back at Chrysalis.

“Now, as established law states, in the event of a tie, the Changeling Queen will determine the changeling to become her new general.” Chrysalis went on, “And I am pleased to say that I have made my decision.”

Every changeling was silent, waiting with bated breath. Carbon suppressed his nervousness as the moment of truth drew nearer. Would Queen Chrysalis choose him? True, it was Double’s attack that took them out, but surely the Queen would recognize that he was better suited for the role? He drew in a deep breath as he looked up at Chrysalis for her decision.

“The changeling who will become my new general…” Chrysalis said, pausing for dramatic effect, “Is…”

The changelings waited with both excitement and anxiety, Carbon and Double most of all. However, a twinge of suspicion and confusion rose up in Carbon as he saw a mischievous smile suddenly spread across the changeling queen’s face.

“…Both of you.” Queen Chrysalis finished.

Just three simple words, and the chamber exploded. Changelings cried out in shock and anger, and Carbon and Double were both frozen in shocked incomprehension of their queen’s declaration. “What…” They both breathed simultaneously.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes and held up her hoof once more, but when the swarm failed to fall silent, her patience faded quickly. Her horn glowed, and she sent out a burst of magic that shook the chamber, scaring her subjects into submissiveness. The queen put on a strained smile as she looked down at her two generals.

“Yes, after careful consideration, I have decided to make you both my generals.” Chrysalis said, “Double possesses immense power and creativity. Carbon possesses great determination and adaptability. All are traits I look for in my generals, and I have decided that the swarm will benefit from having you both in my Council.”

Carbon stared up at his Queen, struck speechless by her decree. Double was the first to snap out of her trance and speak, “T-Thank you, Queen Chrysalis! I promise I won’t disappoint you!”

Carbon snapped back to reality and bowed, trying to maintain his composure. “As will I, my Queen. You will not regret this decision.”

“I’ll hold you to those words…” Chrysalis said. She turned and looked back towards the crowd of changelings. “You are all dismissed! Return to your duties immediately!”

“Yes, Queen Chrysalis!” The swarm said in unison, the changelings dispersing and flying out of the chamber. As they left, Carbon walked over to Double, who watched him with a cautious stare.

“Well, it seems we’ll be working together now.” Carbon said, feeling uncomfortable with talking to the changeling who made no effort in hiding that she hated his guts. “That was a good game, Double.”

“Was?” Double repeated, blinking in surprise. “Why, the game’s barely started, General.”

Carbon blinked in confusion. “What?”

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” Double said, eyes glinting with madness. “You’re trying to take my position, you’re trying to keep me from gaining the Queen’s favor, you’re trying to keep me away from her. Well, I won’t let that happen. The Generals’ Game has just begun, and believe me, this is one game you won’t win.”

With that, Double turned and flew off, and Photo gave Carbon an apologetic look before flying after her. Match put a hoof on the new general’s back, startling him out of his dumbstruck state. “Come on, let’s go find Queen Chrysalis. I think she forgot to take off the spell blocking your mind from the swarm.”

Carbon nodded and followed after his friend, doing his best to focus as Match congratulated him on becoming a general. He smiled and spoke enough to satisfy Match, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get Double’s hateful promise out of his mind.

“The Generals’ Game has just begun…”