Chrysalis smirked in self-approval over the mastery of the new trick she had learned.
With the return of Princess Luna this Nightmare Night, and the ever-present fear and uneasiness of her reverting back to her violent alter-ego, the fools of Ponyville had failed to notice anything out of the ordinary.
Chrysalis stood there, towering over her new thralls. The mindless zombies merely stood there with blank expressions and glowing green eyes. They would obey Chrysalis’ every command without question.
The new spell Chrysalis had discovered allowed her to twist even the strongest emotions, like love, into unquestioning obedience. She had originally planned to to use this spell on the newly engaged Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor. However, Chrysalis could not wasn't an opportunity like this to test her newest hex.
The three mares currently under her control were (at least formerly) known as Lyra, Minuette, and Twinkleshine.
But, after tonight they would no longer have uses for them.
Once Chrysalis got on stage for karaoke, she needn’t even disguise herself, as the residents of Ponyville would most likely assume she was just a talented Unicorn with a very impressive costume.
At that point, while she serenaded the townsfolk with her angelic voice, she would also be casting the same spell on all of them as a collective, every stallion, mare, and foal would be under her control.
She would have a new army to use against Celestia, who would never be able to bring herself to harm her subjects. Her precious little ponies had all the love Chrysalis, and her army of changelings, would need to feed on. From the helpless ponies, Chrysalis would make herself and changelings more powerful than the Sun monarch could even begin to imagine.
It was a perfect plan.
The irony of this had been made even more delicious by the fact that Princess Celestia’s own sister was a big enough distraction from the panic she kept causing to make this plan possible.
As Luna was most likely the only one present in town who could possibly stop her with the immense amount of love she was consuming, and then converting into magical power.
These three mares would also be her backup singers. The fact that they were all already under her spell, being Unicorns, and the vast reservoirs of love they held deep inside of them helped tremendously in a way that her power could be amplified to at least triple her normal effectiveness.
To prevent the possibility of escape before the patrons’ brainwashing was complete, she had ensured that her thralls had utilized their increased Unicorn magic to erect an invisible barrier, outside of the area.
That farm pony, Applejack, was also in the crowd, dressed up like what appeared to be a scarecrow.
Which, made this night even sweeter as the other bearers would be unable to utilize the Elements of Harmony against her.
She gestured for the trio to follow here as they made their way on stage. Chrysalis’ jagged black horn lit up with an eerie green glow as she brought the microphone stand towards her. After cantering on stage with the other three mares getting in position behind three others already on stage.
As Chrysalis looked out at the crowd over the faces of her future subjects, a genuine smile spread across her face as she began singing.
Some ponies began clapping and stomping their hooves enthusiastically, blissfully ignorant of the truthful nature of her lyrics.
It had been over three hundred years since she had last been among ponykind like this, and for the entire night she had passed the other three off as being her ‘sisters’.
Her horn began to glow, slowly taking over the hearts and mind of the good residents of Ponyville.
At this point-Lyra, Minuette, and Twinkleshine-all joined in the chorus.
Now all of the town’s residents, including Applejack and her brother where dancing and laughing while enjoying the song.
Chrysalis’ heart sped up as she began feeling actual enjoyment, realizing that after three long centuries, her plans were finally coming to fruition.
Chrysalis could see the effects of her spell were beginning to take hold a few stallions and mares’ eyes began to light up green.
As the song ended she tried catching her breath while looking over the faces of her new army, even ones as magically adept as Princess Luna and that Twilight Sparkle wouldn’t be able to stop them now, due to their pathetic sense of compassion.
The majority of the town was now under her complete control and these fools were so pathetic they couldn’t even bear the thought of raising a hoof against their friends, let alone their own kin.
After tonight, they would march on Canterlot and overthrow Princess Celestia, by force if necessary.
But, first things first. The pleasure of crushing the remaining Element’s bearers beneath her hooves if she couldn’t convert them to her cause. Standing triumphantly above both Luna and Twilight’s bloody, broken bodies.
Anger was one thing, but the ability to inflict such great agony on the benevolent princess at the realization that the two she loved most in the world; her sister and her star pupil, had been brutally murdered by the one she had exiled long ago. The sweet look of sorrow on her face before losing control in a fit of murderous, vengeful rage.
At that point, she began cantering off towards the direction of the timid one’s cottage with her army in tow.
Standing together just outside of it Twilight was dressed in an absolutely ridiculous outfit, complete with a fake beard, while Luna wore her normal regalia. Before Twilight and Luna turned to Chrysalis quizzically.
“Who art thou?” Luna asked curiously.
“That is unimportant,” Chrysalis replied, curtly. “What is important is that I have the majority of Ponyville’s citizens under my control, resist me and they will be forced to stop you.”
“WHAT!?” Luna demanded in outrage, her horn began to light up with a dark blue aura before she was hit by a blast of green magical energy, sending her sprawling backwards before her head and legs were stuck to the ground as Lyra, Minuette, and Twinkleshine stood above her victoriously.
At that moment, Luna realized that if she was able to overpower this beast, then she would more than likely be able to earn the trust of the ponies who feared her. She would also be able to prove that she was just as kind and noble as her elder sister. The only problem, however was that it had been over a thousand years since she had engaged another in combat as herself.
Try as she might, desperate her privileged strength as an Alicorn, she could neither move or concentrate in utilizing her magic.
She was panicking as Twilight stood there frozen in a mixture of fear and confusion.
Chrysalis then levitated a large boulder, resting in the river bed, before moving it directly above Luna’s head.
Luna briefly lamented as her heart began to race and her eyes shot open, she knew what was coming next.
The struggling had proven pointless and Luna lamented the fact that the first real crisis she had to deal with since returning to her duties as Princess of the Night would be the last night she would ever experience.
It also seemed pitiful to Luna that it turned out she was just as weak and helpless as Celestia thought she was all of those centuries ago, and was actually counting on a last minute rescue from her big sister, accompanied with a cocky grin and an ‘I told you so’ or a similar cocky comment.
But, rescue never came as Chrysalis wound up dropping it. The result being a sickening ‘crunch’ as Twilight couldn’t help, but look on in horror.
Twilight was pretty far away and the size of the boulder obscured most of the damage, but her imagination coupled with her knowledge of equine anatomy painted a gruesome enough picture in her mind, there was no doubt that she was dead.
“Why you-” Twilight leaped towards their assailant, with rage briefly consuming her shock and fear over the brutal murder she had just witnessed.
Twilight was shocked when she was caught in mid-air by Applejack who tossed her to the ground while staring at her with those same glowing green eyes and vacant expression.
“Not you, too…” she uttered before having an epiphany, if the spell she used to help her friends remember who they were helped against Discord’s magic-then surely it would work now.
The tip of her horn began to glow a bright violet as she tried to bring it towards Applejack’s chest.
As soon as Chrysalis realized what Twilight was doing, she screamed.
“NO!”
Her magic overpowered Twilight’s as her horn was surrounded by the emerald green glow as the natural violet one faded.
The Changeling then sharply jerked it to the side, snapping the tip of Twilight’s horn off.
“Snap her neck,” She commanded.
Twilight looked up at the farm pony’s expressionless gaze and begged.
“Applejack, please…I’m your friend,” Twilight pleaded, hoping against hope that despite what she saw earlier that Luna had another card up her metaphorical sleeve. Begging to whatever deity or mystical being that would listen, what she had seen with the boulder was just some kind of illusion to throw that bug-thing off-guard or the Princess Celestia would swoop in at any moment to save the day.
Here words ultimately fell on deaf ears, however, as her former friend grabbed either side of her head and began lifting her up off the ground.
It occurred to Twilight that she should thrash around or try to put up some kind of struggle, but her spirit was broken; she just saw the Princess of the Night, one of the most powerful mares in Equestria, get crushed like a bug, even if she did escape she would never be able to perform magic again. She was too scrawny to fight off an entire horde of her friends and fellow citizens.
Tears began to well up in her eyes as she whispered to herself;
“Mom, Dad, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, everyone, I’m so sorry…”
There was a loud ‘SNAP!’ as her spinal cord was severed, the sound of which startled a few crows perched among the trees into flying off.
Applejack then tossed Twilight’s body aside apathetically like it was nothing more than a broken porcelain doll.
“Good work,” Chrysalis commended before turning around to lead her new army towards Canterlot.
The other Element bearers were inconsequential, unless they were intelligent enough to piece together what had happened (which she highly doubted) and if they tried to stop her, then they would meet the same fate.
Tonight had truly been just perfect.
Author's Note
This fic's song, title, and subject were inspired by the criminally underrated (but, cult-classic) Disney film; 'Hocus Pocus'.
I've also long awaited for an opportunity to come up with an excuse to feature a darker antithesis of the song 'Love is in Bloom' for Queen Chrysalis.
This also seemed like the perfect story choice for October.
EDIT; Unfortunately we are not allowed to use lyrics of copyrighted song materials, so the part with Chrysalis singing had to be cut and in its place I was a little ticked off so I added the dark, depressing, and violent scene at the end to fill the void left by my depression over the past week.
I would also like to thank mikemeiers for editing.
