Wagontrail was convinced that tonight was the happiest night of his life. He spun across the dance floor, holding the most beautiful unicorn he had ever seen.
“You know,” he said, “I’m not normally one for parties, but I’m glad I came to this one.”
“It isn’t a party, silly,” she replied, “it’s a masquerade.”
He stepped back, and twirled her around, her white coat and red mane seeming to blur together underneath the faint light. Once he was done, he leaned in and embraced her. “Even if we’ve all got masks on, it’s still a party.”
She giggled. “You got me there. A party it is, then.”
He shuffled to the side, letting another couple move by, “In fact, I’m not letting this party end until you tell me your name,” he said as he moved back into position.
“Why, I can’t do that until midnight, when all the masks come off.”
“Are you sure about that? Not even if I compliment those pretty blue eyes of yours?”
She turned her face away, blushing. “You’ve already done that. I might tell you though, if you pour on some more of that rugged charm of yours.”
“Well,” he said, “I already said that you’re the most graceful dancer I’ve ever seen...”
“Oh,” she looked back at him, “Do go on.”
“And just by being here you’ve made me...” he was interrupted by the sound of a bell.
“Listen!” she yelled over the sound, “It’s midnight already!”
He nodded. She pulled back, just a little, and reached one hoof up to her face. He did likewise. Once the bell struck midnight, they would remove their masks, and then he would know the name of this mare, the one he was sure had stolen his heart.
He counted the peals. Each one seemed to come out slower than the last, but eventually the twelth rang out. He ripped off his mask. She looked up at him, and as the last ring faded, she removed her mask. He looked into her green eyes, and everything went dark.
Wagontrail was convinced that this was the happiest night of his life. He had woken up exhausted, and the feeling had persisted all day. But now, holding the most beautiful pegasus he had ever seen, he forgot all about that as they spun across the dance floor.
“You know,” he said, “I’m not normally one for parties, but I’m glad I came to this one.”
“I’m glad too,” she said, “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t met you tonight.”
“I’m sure a pretty filly like yourself wouldn’t have any trouble finding a dance partner,” he said.
“I think you’re good for more than dancing,” she said. Wagontrail felt a blush begin to color his cheeks. He turned his head to the side, and glanced at the clock.
“It’s almost midnight,” he said, “I want to know your name before then.”
She stopped dancing, and put her front legs over his shoulders. “Look at me,” she said. He looked into her green eyes, and everything went dark.
Wagontrail woke up. He wasn’t sure what he was doing at a masquerade ball. He was sitting in a chair. An earth pony mare, the most beautiful he had ever seen, came over, with a cup in her mouth. She placed it on the table next to him, and sat down herself.
“Are you feeling well?”
Wagontrail took a deep breath. Even though it was a cool night, he felt as if he couldn’t get any air into his lungs, just like when he had been traveling through the more desert-like parts of the badlands.
She pushed the drink toward him with her nose. “Here, this will help.”
“Thank you.” he picked up the glass and took a sip. It was wine. “I think I’ll be fine. But thank you again.”
She laughed. “You’re a polite one. I wish they were all like that.”
“Stallions, you mean?” he asked.
“More or less,” she said, leaning back into her seat.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t say I recall your name...?”
“That’s because I haven’t told you yet.” she held a hoof up to her lips, “No names until midnight, you know. It’s one of the rules”
“Well,” he said, “What if I give you my name first? Then everything’ll be square.”
“I don’t need to know who you are. Right now, you’re here, and that’s more than enough for me.”
“If you feel that way, then I guess I’ll just have to wait until midnight. Care to pass the time on the dance floor?” he extended one hoof to her.
She took it. “I would love to.”
They spun across the dance floor. It seems emptier than last time, Wagontrail thought. What a strange thing to think, this is the first time I’ve been here.
“I’m happy that we’re out here,” the mare said, “but if you don’t pay a bit more attention to me, I might get...out of sorts.”
“Sorry,” he said, and concentrated on the pony in front of him.
The bell tolled.
“Almost midnight!” he shouted over the din.
She pointed at her face. He looked into her green eyes, and everything went dark.
Wagontrail was in the badlands. It was sunset, but the heat of the day still lingered. He was in the shade from a rock formation. He tried to move, but all four limbs were pinned down. He squinted, and saw that his legs were bound by a green band, looking a bit like dried tree sap. There was a low thrumming sound, like many legs coming down on the ground all at once.
Tonight was a wonderful night, but Wagontrail had the feeling it had all happened before. He spun across the dance with the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his life. She was a princess, with a black coat, and green mane. She stood a little taller than him, even before taking her horn into account. He was a simple Earth pony, but she had picked him, and he was overjoyed.
“I’m glad you came here tonight,” she said to him as the song ended. “If you weren’t here, things could have gotten very bad.”
“Are you sure about that? My dancing really is awful...” he tried to joke, but stopped once he realized she was being serious.
“You’re not the first, but I don’t think that matters to you. It certainly doesn’t matter to me.”
“What are you talking about? I just...what’s happening? Why does everything feel so strange.”
She turned away from him. He moved closer, but she took several more steps. he didn’t follow.
“We’re almost finished with you. In a little while, you won’t need to worry about anything.” Her shoulders shook. He wondered if she was crying, then he heard the laugh. It was deeper than he had expected. “Think of that as our little way of saying thanks. It’s like a prize for bringing us our sustenance.”
He walked over to her. She turned to face him, but stepped back, keeping the distance between them.
“Do you really want to know what’s going on? Why everything seems so disjointed?”
“Yes,” he said, “Yes, I don’t know what’s going on anymore!”
She laughed again. “Do you know my name?”
“No. I never did.”
Her green eyes looked into his. “Chrysalis.”
Wagontrail woke up. It was still night, and he was still bound by the strange green bands. He wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by dark shapes everywhere. Changelings, he thought. One in particular was standing in front of him. He strained to lift his head, and he saw the changeling queen.
“We maybe could’ve kept the game going on for another night, but honestly, I was getting a little bored with you,” she said, “However, you did give me and my children a nice meal. So, you can have a choice. You go back under the illusion, or you can try to run.” She licked her lips. “Either way, I’m going to finally drain you dry, so pick whichever you prefer.”
He tried to stand up. He tried to speak, but coughed. The first cough turned into another one, and then into a fit. Eventually, he couldn’t breath enough to cough any more.
“I understand if you don’t feel up to making an escape attempt. It’ll be much easier on you to just accept your fate. That way, you can spend your last moments in blissful ignorance,” she said.
Wagontrail found his voice. “I’m not staying here.”
“Oh good. I was hoping you’d decide to run. That makes the whole situation much more interesting.” she nodded at one of the changelings. It came forward, and left bright and silvery on the ground in front of Wagontrail. He saw it was his canteen.
“Have a drink. You’ll need it, since the night is almost over, and out here in the badlands, the sunlight is very harsh.” The bands dissolved. Wagontrail reached out, and grabbed the canteen. It was full. he opened it, drank half of it in one gulp, and then closed it.
“Go ahead. I’ll give you, oh say until the break of dawn to put some distance between us. If you go east, there’s a rock formation that offers lots of places to hide. But, it’s your choice, after all.” She threw her head back and laughed. The other changelings laughed with her, creating a buzzing sound.
Wagontrail stood up. “I’m not done yet.”
Chrysalis stopped laughing, and lowered her head, bringing her face close to his. “Not yet. You have a little fight left. That’s what I’m counting on. Now go, you only have until the sun comes up.”
Wagontrail turned, and ran.