Birthday Wish 2: Friends Never Fail

Chapters

The Journey
Reunion
Venture into Darkness
All Hail the Queen
Ponyville's New Visitors

The Journey

Please read the author's notes at the end before reading this! Thank you :)

James stood as tall as he could muster in his colt form. Despite his efforts, he looked small and pathetic next to the massive giant that loomed over him.

The beast had no arms, but it stood on two legs and was covered in scales from head to foot. Its teeth were so large, they hung out of his mouth, and his roar could be heard from Ponyville to Cloudsdale.

James had to take a step back from the giant that stood taller than the buildings. He had only just gotten back here... but he came with a purpose. And he wasn't going to back out now.

Twilight stood near him, refusing to flee with the rest of the town. "Are you crazy?! You can't fight that!" She shouted to James over the howling winds. James looked at her and smiled. He would do anything for her... his teacher, his friend... even this.

"I'm not going to fight it," James called back, "I'm going to lead it away."

"But..." Twilight glanced between the beast and her tiny friend. "James, that's suicide! We'll find another way."

"Luna and Celestia's combined magic didn't work... the Elements of Harmony couldn't even pierce its scales! The only thing we can do is lead it away from Ponyville, Twilight. Perhaps the trees of the Everfree Forest will slow it down."

"James, stop right there. Luna didn't bring you back here to throw your life away!"

"...But it is why I came," James' mane blew in the wind, and Twilight could tell by his face he was serious. "We can't fight it, so this is the only other option. It's your own fault for living in such a place that's always being attacked by monsters!"

Twilight found no humor in his sarcasm. She looked up at the creature once more. It was ignoring the tiny pests for now and was content to roar at the buildings and step on a few houses. "Then I'm coming with you," she spoke so softly, she almost wasn't heard over the storm.

"Then we'll both be at risk. I can't let you--"

"James, you have tiny legs, and I can fly. Besides, the way that thing is built, I can tell it's a fast runner. You'll need me," Twilight put her hoof down. She held her gaze on James until he finally sighed. When he nodded his head, she didn't know whether to shout for joy or in fear...

"Okay, let's do this!" James shouted as Twilight hovered above him.

Suddenly,

"CHAAAAAARGE!" Rainbow Dash flew in at a brake-neck speed and crashed into the beast head-on! Time seemed to slow as her kick knocked the creature off its feet and sent it crashing toward the ground. Even as it fell, confusion shown on its face as it hit the ground from the rapid assault. Rainbow Dash slowed herself to land roughly on the ground beside it. When the dust settled, she shouted a quick, "Awww yea!" and pumped her hoof toward the sky. "Which of you want to help me take out the trash?"

"Rainbow Dash, your supposed to be escorting the ponies out of Ponyville!" Twilight called to her.

"Well, I already did that, and believe me, you want me on the front lines," she stated as she hovered over to the two ponies. Once she got there, she spun around when she heard the beast getting back up. Sooner than expected, it was standing tall again and roaring in fury at the blue pegasus. "C'mon, James! Put 'em up and let's do this!" Crouching down, Rainbow Dash pushed off and flew straight for it again.

"Rainbow Dash, lead it over this way!" James called as he climbed atop Twilight, "All right, Twilight, let's take it back to the forest where it will hopefully stay for good."

"Right," Twilight answered as she lifted him off the ground. Rainbow Dash flew in dizzying circles around the monster as it tried to catch the speedy pony. Once she had its attention, Rainbow Dash followed after her two other friends toward the forest. Twilight looked back to see it could run a LOT faster than it looked. "How does it move those huge legs so quickly?! We'll never make it!"

James kept his eyes on the forest. It wasn't too far. They'd make it.

Rainbow Dash occasionally flew back to renew the beast's fury and give Twilight a chance to get further ahead. Maybe the plan would work after all...

I wonder... I wonder if they're still posting... James thought as he checked the story he had been writing. He had started it looking for help and advice and ended it by saying he was going to sacrifice himself to save Equestria. Yep. They're still posting... Many were commending his courage... many were insisting he stop. But somepony had to lure this thing away and keep it away from ponyville.I'm sorry guys... He had to get Rainbow Dash and Twilight out of here--that's why he had done this in the first place! To keep everypony else out of danger! What happens when they reach the forest, huh? He couldn't let them sacrifice themselves just because he was stupid enough to do it.

"AAHHH!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she was knocked from her momentum. Both James and Twilight looked back to see their friend falling a nose-dive toward the ground where she landed and rolled. When she could stand again, she realized her wing was pretty beat up. Seems she had gotten a little too close to that thing...

Rainbow Dash heard a roar louder and closer than before. When she looked up, her ears drooped at the beast's open jaws above her.

"Rainbow Dash!" James leaped off Twilight and landed with a thud. Still familiar with using magic, he focused and cast a spell that drew the beast's attention. This spell was a kind of taunt that made the target angry and drew it it to attack the caster--a spell he never thought he'd ever be using. The beast looked over at the brown unicorn and growled. After a short roar, he took off after him.

"James!" Twilight saw it catching up to the slow-running pony. She only had one chance... it wasn't perfected, but she had to try! Biting her lip, the purple pony concentrated and cast the haste magic she had tried--and failed--to cast before. As before, it started to work fine... until she found she couldn't stop it.

James felt himself moving faster and faster until he was moving at the same speed as the giant. The forest was getting closer, but he couldn't slow down. "Twilight!" he called back as his tiny legs carried him closer to the dark area.

The shadows passed over him as he entered the dangerous land. The beast was right behind him and knocking down trees in his path. James swerved side-to-side as he tried to dodge the trees until he thought he was deep enough. At that moment, he used his magic to pull a bunch of tangled vines down right where the beast's face would be. He crashed right into them and stumbled from the unexpected barrier. Unable to slow down, his feet flew out from under him and he fell on his back.

James took this time to turn around and head back to the entrance from a different route. Eventually, sunshine hit his face and he found himself out in the open again! But when he tried to stop, he couldn't...

Suddenly, the beast emerged from the forest behind him and roared as he stomped the ground. The earth shook as he started moving toward James once more. "No no no, this is back towards ponyville!" James said to himself. The creature was catching up as James felt the spell wearing off.

Before he could formulate another plan, a bright flash of light covered the skies and down floated a pony he didn't recognize.

He floated down slowly and stopped before he touched the ground. His hoofs levitated above the earth and a sound wave shot out from around him. The wave launched both James and the beast a few feet off the ground before they dropped back to earth. James landed on his rump and watched the mysterious pony stare at the massive giant before him.

The pony smirked. "Hello beasty," he taunted. Then he called to James without turning around, "James, stand back... this is going to get messy..."

The beast watched his new opponent and roared once again in fury. Annoyed now by so many ponies, he charged straight for the unicorn. The pony just stood there, levitating above the ground as the giant ran towards him. Right before the beast reached him, he teleported behind it and turned to face its back. The beast skidded to a halt as the pony ran and shot up the back of it before launching itself up and off its head. The beast looked up just in time to see the mysterious unicorn twisting its body around and throwing a massive energy blast into the monster's face.

With a shout, the caster launched the magic ball and saw it hit its target and explode into nothing. He landed and quickly glanced to see the beast was shaking it off and not hurt at all. James ran up beside him "Okay, so you know who I am. Can I get the name of the pony who saved my butt?" James asked, occasionally looking back up at the monster.

"Well, first off, I'm not really a pony, but I'll tell you about that later," the stranger looked at James and smiled, "You can call me Blazer."

"Not a...?" The beast let out a roar and saliva dripped from its teeth. It was clear it was going to enjoy eating them and having free access to the town. "Okay," James decided, "Don't you go disappearing after this fight, but let's finish this first!"

"Right!" Blazer said, lifting off the ground once more, "Let's go, James!"

Is he standing on... light? Where have I seen that before? Deciding to figure all that out later, James joined Blazer in running toward the enemy. Blazer seemed more to glide than to run, but somehow the tiny pony was able to keep up to him. As they ran, flashes of light beamed to their sides. What the...?

"Chaaaarge!" the shout grew louder as more ponies joined in. From both sides of James, ponies started appearing, running with them toward the beast. There was another unicorn, a brown earth pony, and... wait, that flash of light didn't leave anypony...

Realization struck as he saw the group grow nearer to the beast. "My team!" A few of them looked over at him, and one of them nodded his head once. There wasn't any time for introductions, though, because when they reached the towering giant, they split apart and ran around it as if they had a plan. James just picked a direction and went with it, but the others moved as one unit. "For Equestria!!!"

Night Heart was awakened by yet another bad dream. He rose with a start and just sat in his bed, the events of the dream playing in his mind. He had dreamed that he was meditating as usual one day, when suddenly, he felt the temperature change drastically. Looking out the window, his dream self had seen a light slowly moving from the moon to earth.

At first, he had gotten excited, because he had read about this before! But he soon realized it wasn't a light that was falling... it was the moon itself. He had awoken just before it hit the earth.

Now sitting in his bed, he hoped it didn't mean anything. But a dream of that detail? That only happens before the events play themselves out in real life somehow... What could it mean? I guess it could mean Nightmare Moon is going to abuse Luna's power and come here to earth, he thought.

Or it meant the moon was actually going to fall.

Ugh, this is what he gets for finally trying to get some sleep. Rising up, he head towards the door and made his way outside. It really was too cold for a walk, but sometimes that's what it took to clear his head. Normally, he would just meditate, but after that dream, he didn't want to while the moon was up.

He actually started to feel a little better as he paced. His thoughts turned to James and how he had said they would one day go with him to Equestria. The fool... now what? He just forgets everything and says he's going to kill himself? What about us? What about his family? How does he think Sarah's supposed to take this?!

And what about James? His friend, dead. No, he can't be! This is James we're talking about--he's alive, I'm sure of it! Tomorrow, I'll try again to contact Sarah. I hope she's doing all right... sure hope he left some clue with her about what exactly he's going to do...

Wait, was that...? Night Heart looked to the side and raised his eyebrows. He thought he had seen...

Yes. That was definitively a pony. Here. But not just any pony.

"Luna!" Night Heart ran toward the princess. She was standing tall and smiling at him. "Princess Luna, you're here!"

"Yes, we have need of your help. My sister and I knew if any trouble were to arise, there would be no better choice than thee to help us."

"I have so many questions! Why didn't you contact us sooner? Where is--wait, what kind of trouble? Does it have to do with James?"

"Sadly, it does. He thinks there is no way to beat the giant that threatens our citizens' town, but he did not count on us taking you there."

The words soaked in, and Night Heart felt relief rush through him. Of course, he knew that was why she was there, but actually hearing her say it gave him hope. He stayed calmer than he thought he would in this situation, and told her, "I'm ready now. What about the others?"

"They are on their way. Brave Night Heart, close your eyes. Unless it is your wish to be blind."

Night Heart closed his eyes, knowing the next thing he would see was Equestria. He saw the flash through his eyelids and felt himself moving quickly through the air. Faster and faster, but he heard no wind as he would expect. He just knew he was moving.

Deciding he could open his eyes now, he slowly let one eyelid open. He saw nothing. There was pitch blackness. When he opened both eyes, he still couldn't see anything, but he thought he heard voices.

"Who else is here?" he heard one voice say, "I can't see a thing!"

"Neither can I. Cleverbuild?"

"Here!"

Cleverbuild? "Guys!" Night Heart called out.

"Night Heart! It's me, Cleverbuild. Glad you could join the party!"

"This," Luna spoke to them, "is not going to be a party. We have faced these giants before. Their scales are thick, but a well-placed shot of magic should be enough to slay the beast. You will need to aim for their mouths, as their insides are especially vulnerable. When we are done, thou wilst get a true welcome to our fair land. Many of the ponies are eager to meet you! Fair thee ready?"

"Yea! The Rebel Alliance is always ready! Right guys?"

There was a shout of agreement, but Night Heart was more concerned about how bumpy the ride was getting. He was still moving, but he felt himself swaying off-course.

"Here is the plan," Luna began, but Night heart didn't get to hear it as he was pulled away by an outside force. Something powerful pulled him out of the path he was taking and dragged him to places unknown.

He saw a light ahead and was thrust into it, causing him to shield his eyes.

When he awoke, Night Heart could tell he was different. Ugh... Equestria! he remembered and tried to stand up. He noted that without even thinking, he had stood upon four legs instead of two. He was a pony! He was an earth pony in Equestria!

His brony self started to get excited before he told himself to focus on the task at hand. I don't even know where I am! There will be time for celebration later. He looked around. The walls were orange and smelled like something had died inside them. Night Heart raised his hoof to his nose and accidentally hit his lip. Oops! This might take a little getting used to, he thought. Oh yea, and no fingers, so I couldn't really plug my nose if I wanted to.

He looked around, searching for any sign of the others. This definitely wasn't Ponyville! And he didn't think this was where Luna had wanted him to go. Something had pulled him away from the others, and he ended up here. ...wherever he was.

A stirring drew his attention behind him. There, lying on the ground was another pony. A unicorn it looked like. "Oh, thank goodness I'm not the only one! Come on, let's get out of this place--"

Wait, this unicorn had wings... Twilight?! No, this wasn't her. It was... Well, whoever it is, I've got to get her out of here. Taking her hoof in his mouth, Night Heart began dragging her toward what he hoped was an exit. It turned out to be another path that went in crazy zigzag directions. Eventually, it opened up into a big room. A REALLY big room.

Filled with Changelings.

Oh no... he was in a changeling hive. They flew every direction and seemed to all be heading somewhere. He supposed he could follow them since they knew their way around here... but what if they were going to the queen? The queen and ponies weren't exactly on a first-name basis right now. They had promised the Changelings access to James' world and as far as Night Heart knew, they hadn't gotten it yet.

Besides, this might be a different Hive altogether! I could anywhere. If this isn't Queen Chrysalis' hive, I might be on the other side of Equestria!... With nothing to do but hope that wasn't true, Night Heart pulled his pony ally along the path that smelled the least like old swiss cheese.

Aha! A light! Oh thank Celestia! he thought as he moved faster toward it. In a flash, he was outside, heading toward some bushes. Safely behind them, he looked up to see hundreds of Changelings flying around the hive, moving in and out, and just going about their usual business--whatever that was.

Now how am I supposed to get to Ponyville? The others need me! He heard his partner stirring. Making sure they were safe in the bushes, he crouched down and watched her open her eyes. "Eve?"

Eve slowly opened her eyes, strangely rested and expecting to see the usual roof of her house. But what she saw was blue skies and white clouds.

She was... outside?

No, wait... could it be?

Eve refused to close her eyes just in case this was a dream. Looking to her left, she saw a pony watching her with curious eyes.

A huge smile covered her face as she reached up to hug the complete stranger. "You're a pony! I'm a pony! I mean, who are you? Are we in Ponyville? Oh my gosh I'm in Equestria!!"

Night Heart pulled her just enough off of him so he could breath. "Yes, we're in Equestria, and I'm Night Heart," he said.

"Night Heart?! Yes yes yes! Look, we made it! This is--"

"Yes, it's Equestria, I know, but this isn't Ponyville," Night Heart began. I really wish I could just let her have her moment, but we need to find out where we are. She'll have time for that later when we meet up with the others.

"Where's Pinkie Pie? Where's Twilight?" she looked up at her friend, "Where's James?" she was still smiling, but Night Heart's face suggested everything was not well. "We-we're going to have fun, right? Meet the ponies, live with them, get a thanks from royalty... or is somepony in danger?"

Night Heart sighed. "Well, the good news is, we made it. We're in Equestria along with James and several others. The bad news is..." they both turned to look at the towering hive before them. "...WE'RE the ponies in danger..."

Eve almost passed out, but managed to stay awake. This wasn't a dream. She moved closer to Night Heart and held him.

Don't worry, Eve, I'll protect you no matter what. I'll protect everypony! That's why I'm here--I don't care about myself, I just want to help my friends. Nothing bad will happen to anypony now that I'm here. This I swear on my life. He looked down at the slightly frightened, slightly still excited alicorn. If she has wings AND a horn, then she must be... a princess... his eyebrows rose at the thought. ...But then... what land? A princess of what?

To be continued!

...I hope

Author's Note

For my friends who stuck with me during "Birthday Wish", I have written this. The YouTube video links are simply for background music and you don't have to play them. My Christmas break is coming up soon, which is when I'll really be able to write, but I wanted to go ahead and get this up since everyone seemed so excited for it. This is a direct sequel, so some things won't make sense to newcomers. You should still be able to follow it, though. I have plans for what I think will happen in this story, but for it to be really good, I'll need to hear from you guys what you think should happen!

Reunion

Night Heart wasn't sure when he fell asleep, just that Eve was awake before him. It really was a beautiful day--the sky was blue, the wind felt good, the ominous hive of enemies was...

Oh right. That.

"Good morning, Night Heart!" Eve welcomed him back to the land of the living, "Did you sleep well?"

"I'm fine," he replied with a yawn, "What time is it?"

"I don't know... noon-ish?"

"What?!" Night Heart jumped up. "Eve, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sleep so late! I shouldn't have fallen asleep at all--"

"It's okay, Night!" Eve said with a smile, "I've been keeping a close eye on the Changelings, and I don't think they know where we are. They've just been flying around doing... whatever it is Changelings do. Oh! And look, I think I've got this posting thing down!" She demonstrated with a glow of her horn how she could see the other's posts and contact them. "I think their close to Ponyville, so if we could somehow figure out where we are, we could tell them to--"

"Eve, stop!" Night Heart pulled her back down behind the bushes. "If you use too much magic, the Changelings might be able to sense us," the earth pony explained.

"But you were posting earlier," Eve pointed out, "I just wanted to make sure everyone else was okay."

"But you're an alicorn, which means your magic is stronger and more easily detected. For now, let's just use magic when we need to, okay?"

Eve frowned. "Okay..." Night Heart knew what he was talking about, and she knew he was just trying to protect her. She could do this for him if it made him feel safer.

"Good. So... how is everyone?"

"I'm not sure everyone made it. Most of them are battling some creature in front of Ponyville..."

~~~

"Hey! Blazer, stop posting in the middle of the battle!"

Blazer opened his eyes and saw the beast running for him. He lifted himself off the ground and slid under the beast's legs to end up behind it. "Sorry, Swiftbullet, how else will they know what's happening?" He went back to his post."-sorry just dodged something, what was I saying-oh yeah um so he probably is asleep but I think he'll wake up soon..."

Swiftbullet sighed at his soldier. With Night Heart off somewhere else, he had taken responsibility to lead in the fight. "TC, I need you up close and ready! I'm going to go grab those vines over there, and we're going to trip him!" He pointed at some vines near the forest. After he saw the pegasus nod, Swiftbullet put his plan into action.

TC Dubstep had found himself to be a pegasus in this land. In fact, when he was leaving the earth, three things had been going through his head:
1) It's Luna! She's real!
2) My knife! I can't leave without it.
3) Whatever pony I look like, I hope I'm a pegasus. This could be my chance to fly for real!
His heart had leaped when he found himself with his friends and he could stretch his wings. Of course, there was a giant monster threatening each of them, but--hey!--he could fly!

TC jumped to the skies in hopes of grabbing the creature's attention. He flapped his wings as hard as he could and tried pushing himself forward with his legs, but his pony self wobbled and wouldn't go straight. After a few feet, he crashed into the ground and slid along the earth.

"Oof!" Okay... maybe he couldn't fly very well.

"Wait! I can just warp you there!" Blazer called to Swiftbullet. He concentrated and tried to focus his magic on the two of them. This was perfect! He'd just warp them to the vines, then Swiftbullet could grab them before the giant even knew what happened!

Swiftbullet felt himself surrounded by magic and was teleported along with the caster. Instead of going to the vines, however, they appeared much higher up.

"Blazer, you warped us on top of the--!" The beast threw its head back, and the two ponies held on for dear life. They were thrown left and right but managed to grip a grip on it despite having no fingers.

"Swiftbullet, two things: 1) I have an idea on how to beat this thing!"

"Great, what's th-the second?"

"Stagequill says she's on her way. Anything you want me to tell her?"

Swiftbullet let go and allowed himself to be thrown off.

"Don't worry, Swiftbullet, I've got things under control! I won't let anypony get hur--AH!" he was thrown off and landed near TC Dubstep. When he opened his eyes and saw the pegasus standing there, he got an idea.

~~~

There was nothing. He could neither see anything, nor hear anything. It was complete darkness.

Clever Build had found himself in Equestria as an earth pony. He was strong with a brown mane and hazel eyes. Basically, he was one good looking pony! But what excited--and scared--him the most was his ability to use magic despite having no horn.

It had to be magic! Pretty soon after arriving... wherever he was, he found he could reach out with his mind and "see" things. Although his vision was limited to nothing at the moment and he couldn't really move around, he could travel great distances with his mind, sensing objects as he went. And there was one object that caught his interest the most...

I hope I'm not too late! Clever Build thought as he experimentally tried posting a comment into the "story". I've got to warn them! That beast's power was off the charts! It had the energy to last for another week at least! How he knew this, he wasn't sure. It just came naturally, like back on earth when he could read people's emotions. The worst part was that the "giant" was only a baby. And the parents were coming. The parents were three times that size and had arms, so they needed to do something FAST!

After the post, he tried searching for Night Heart and Eve. He could pick up Eve pretty well--her being an alicorn and all that--but Night Heart somehow evaded his sight. It was strange... but he knew they were together by their comments, so he didn't worry about it. If only he knew his way around Equestria, he might have been able to tell where they were...

Maybe I should be more worried about where I am, he wondered. He had been so worried about his friends, he hadn't thought about himself and his own circumstances. Let's see... are these rocks? It felt like he was both standing on stones and yet floating all at once. "They'll find me," he told himself, "And we'll all group and save Ponyville!"

It was strange... he finally got to Equestria, and he could even see it. Yet he was totally at peace with that. Because even though I can't see it, I can FEEL it, and that's maybe even better! After all, the thing that makes Equestria so great is the love, friendship, and innocent joy of the ponies. And those are all feelings, so I can feel them even more than the others.

Though, if I find a way to get rid of this blindness... I'm doing it.

Suddenly, he felt a darker presence on the move. I think it's... Queen Chrysalis!

~~~

"Get down!" Night Heart pulled Eve down from her low hover. She had been eager to try flying but knew she couldn't go too high and attract attention. "Somepony's coming."

Eve landed and hid behind the bushes. She watched as nearly all the Changelings flew above the hive and greeted their queen. Chrysalis walked right passed the bush that concealed the ponies--thankfully too occupied to notice them--smiling and raising her head proudly. "Is that--?"

"Yes... that's the Changeling Queen," Night Heart answered her. Eve made a tiny squeek, and Night Heart pulled her to him. "Don't worry, she didn't see us."

"I know, she's just so... evil looking."

"Well, we don't know that she's evil. Remember, she may be different than the one in the show. I'll bet if I could talk to her, I could convince her to help."

"What? You're not going in there!" Eve exclaimed. "It's crawling with Changelings!"

Night Heart just looked at the hive as all the Changelings went back into it with their queen.

~~~

Hey, that's my knife! TC left Blazer lying on his back in the grass and ran to the shiny object. He thought for sure it hadn't gone through with him! Reaching down with his hoof, he tried picking it up just to realize he couldn't. Oh yea... Gently, he grabbed the handle with his mouth, picking it up and watching it gleam in the sunshine.

"Did you just grab that knife with your MOUTH?! Are you crazy?" Blazer asked as he ran up to him.

"Professionally Trained," was his reply. "Listen, he has scales everywhere--"

"--Except his eyes," Swiftbullet finished.

"Right! So if you guys can get me up there, I'll use this knife to blind him, allowing us to get in that well-placed shot." TC explained.

"But you're a pegasus; can't you just fly up there?" Swift brought up.

"Well, I'm not quite used to flying yet..."

"All right, and Blazer seems to have a little trouble aiming that warping spell," The commander looked at his comrad.

"Hey! That's a high-class spell. The fact that I can do it at all is a good sign," he replied.

"That is a good sign," Swiftbullet agreed, "Which is why you're going to be dealing our well-placed shot. Listen, everypony, here's the plan--"

"Wait! Where's James?"

"I'm over here!" James called from their left. In flew the Princess Celestia with James on her back. The sun princess warned them to close their eyes before letting out a bright ray of light right at the monster. It shuddered and raored as it tried to look away. Unable to escape the light, the giant jumped and bit at Tia.

Celestia, however, executed a dodge with grace and speed, setting herself up for another blast at blinding it.

"Yea! Go Princess!" TC shouted as he flapped his wings just for fun.

"Okay, team, as SOON as there's an opening, we're moving in!" Swiftbullet took charge once more. "TC! I'm not sure if it was a good idea to bring a knife into Equestria, but it's about to come in handy!"

TC Dubstep gripped the weapon harder and got into a battle stance. His wings flew out on their own, and he prepared himself for battle. No more dodging! No more buying time! He was taking this sucker down!

~~~

What was that? "Night Heart, did you see that?" Eve stood and faced away from the hive.

"Hmm? Do you need something? You're probably thirsty by now; I'll find us some water, okay?"

"No! That flash of light," Eve pointed at the horizon.

"Where?" Night Heart lifted a hood to his brow and looked harder. There it was again! It WAS a flash of light--a bright one, too! In the middle of the day... Princess Celestia...

Night Heart smiled at Eve. "Eve, I think you just saved our lives!" If that really was the princess, then that was Ponyville. It was far, but at least they knew how to get there.

"What would you do without me?" Eve laughed. It was amazing how she could stay happy during such a time. Even though it was obvious she was scared, she didn't let it get the best of her.

Now he just had to decide whether to go to Ponyville... or try talking to Chrysalis... he had to get Eve to safety, but Ponyville wasn't exactly safe right now. Chrysalis might be able to help in the battle... however, last time she had agreed to help, they hadn't held their end of the bargain, so she might be hesitant to help again.

[PM me, Night Heart, with your response.]

~~~

How could blinding light have possibly made it faster?!

The beast seemed to get faster the madder it got, and boy was that light making it boil! It had turned away from the princess and was stepping wildly trying to hit the others. Every time Celestia moved in front of it, it went after someone else. Everypony was panting and resting every small moment he got, and they didn't seem to have much left in them. Their reaction time was slow, and there had been several close calls.

Celestia realized it couldn't be blinded and simply tried to distract it for a few moments to give the team a chance to rest.

Swiftbullet analyzed its every move--it had a pattern it seemed, but not many openings. At least not one that wasn't risky in their condition. Swiftbullet! The pony jumped at the voice. Oh, it was just Clever Build! "Yea, what... what's up?" he panted out.

I found out something else about that creature. Something very strange--it can only feel one emotion at a time. I don't know why, but it's been like that since I studied it. It goes from all scared to all angry and no in between. I don't think it's evil--it just only has one feeling at a time.

"Really? Then what's its emotion right now?"

...It wants to kill you.

"Ah... gotcha," Swiftbullet said before watching it lift a foot to crush him. He jumped out of the way and kicked the giant's leg just for good measure. "That doesn't help much."

I'm just saying, don't kill it. It's just confused, that's all.

"...Right... don;t kill it..." Swiftbullet summoned his last reserve of strength to keep standing. He wasn't going down without a fight. None of them were. All he had to do was defeat the giant beast that wanted to kill them and wouldn't tire out for another week, without ACTUALLY killing it. Piece of cake! ...heh...

Another flash of light appeared, but this one didn't come from Celestia. This on hit the ground and left a unicorn in its place. The pony was blue with amazing hair that defied gravity. "Hey, guys, am I late?" Stagequill saw the monster they were fighting. "Holy Tia..."

The flash had drawn the beast's attention, and it went to attack the new enemy. Just as it reached her, though, TC flew in and knocked her aside.

"Gotcha!" he called as he pulled her to safety. "See? I'm getting used to these wings already!"

"Stagequill!" Blazer called over, "Glad you made it. Think you could help us take out this beasty?"

Stagequill stood up and thanked her rescuer. Then she turned and saw the giant roar.

"Out of the frying pan..."

Author's Note

Okay, I don't have time to check with everyone that's in this story before I post it, but if anyone wants me to change ANYTHING, I will! PM or comment, I'll be checking both.

Venture into Darkness

[For details on the fight against the beast, see the comments]

Night Heart occasionally checked the comments from the story as the day passed, but he didn't dare send one himself. If what he thought was correct, using too much magic draw the Changeling's attention. His best bet was to stay hidden. However... he couldn't stay in this bush forever.

Eve had wanted to go out looking for water, and Night Heart had finally agreed to let her go if he went with her. They found a small pool with no cover not far from their hiding place.

"Go ahead, Eve, drink up," Night Heart offered the first drink to his companion. She bowed in thanks and lowered her mouth to finally quench her thirst. "On second thought," Night Heart stopped her, "It may be poisoned. This is very close to the Changeling hive, after all. I'd better check it first." The earth pony grabbed a nearby plant and dipped it into the water. When he pulled it out... nothing had happened. It was still as healthy as before.

Night Heart dropped the plant and cleared his throat. "Ahem, so, okay, it's good to drink." Eve giggled. "What? I just wanted to be sure! No harm in checking."

"Of course not! Thank you," Eve assured him. With that, she leaned over once more and began drinking the water.

Once they had both had some to drink, the two returned to their bush. Eve stretched her legs and wings before asking, "So are we going to Ponyville to help the others now?"

Night Heart looked up at the hive in thought. He really wanted to speak with Chrysalis... but she probably wouldn't be in a good mood about humans right now. Besides, Eve was his top priority, and he wouldn't even think about taking her in there or leaving her alone. So he would just have to come back later. "Leave so soon? What, don't you like the smell of rotting cheese?"

Eve laughed at Night Heart's joke. "Well, we've been here all this time and they didn't once offer us any Christmas cookies! Some hospitality, right?"

"Yea, right! I say we get out of here before they find the coal in their stockings!"

"Well, they certainly didn't get any--" The Changelings suddenly started flying around the hive at high speeds. As they circled their home, Queen Chrysalis emerged from the top and hovered above them. "Night Heart?"

"I see it. Stay down," Night Heart crouched behind cover without looking away. What could be happening?

Chrysalis was making a speech to her subjects, but they were too far away to make any of it out. Night Heart started to stand up, but Eve grabbed his hoof. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get closer. What if they're talking about Ponyville?"

"But they'll see you! Here, let me see if I can..." Eve closed her eyes and focused her magic. Being careful not to make her spell too "loud", she felt her horn heat up as she listened in to the far away conversation.

"Can you hear them? What're they saying?" Night Heart urged her.

"It's a little fuzzy... she's saying something about food..." Oh, that wasn't good! Changelings fed on love, which meant Ponyville might be in danger! "Something about... oh, she means us! We promised her access to earth, remember?"

"Yea, I remember. I was afraid something like this might happen..." Night Heart sighed. There was no reasoning with her... all he could do was get to Ponyville before they did and warn them.

Eve continued, "She thinks the portal to our world is somewhere in Equestria. Night Heart, she's going to attack!" At that moment, however, Queen Chrysalis started looking around. She sniffed the air and looked carefully from side to side. Eve spoke in her best villain voice, "There is... love here... and magic in the air," Eve gasped and dropped the spell.

Night Heart pulled her back down into the bush and watched the large queen look in their direction. Her highness slowly flew toward them, sniffing as she went. Before she got too close, though, she turned around and took one big sniff. "It's coming from the castle! A pony dares sneak into our land!" Chrysalis flew quickly back toward the hive and all the Changelings joined her in re-entering the hive.

Eve let out the breath of air she was holding. "She didn't find us..."

"We may be safe, but there's a pony in there!" Night Heart reminded her. Now he was really in a pickle... he couldn't leave that pony to die. What if it was one of them?! They might not have been the only people to spawn inside the hive when entering Equestria. But... he couldn't take Eve into there!

It dawned on Eve just what Chrysalis had meant. "What are we going to do?"

The decision fell upon Night Heart. And time was running out...

~~~

He had never felt this tired before.

Clever Build had discovered a river and took frequent swigs of the cool liquid, but even just standing seemed like a trial. Last time he had sat down, though, he had almost fallen asleep--a thing he couldn't do until he knew his friends were safe! So he remained standing to stay awake.

Which is weird, because don't horses sleep standing up? He didn't remember that ever happening in the show--all the ponies slept in beds. Huh... anyway...

He was quickly giving into exhaustion, but Clever Build was not one to give up! He could do this... he just needed... to... a few more hours... that's all...

...just a few more hours...

He was awakened by a mental message passing to him. Clever, I'm on my way! Send me some telepathic images of your surrounding or something so I can find you, it said.

TC Dubstep! Clever was instantly awake at the voice of his friend. He replied with his mind, Wait, go after Night Heart and Eve! I can't sense them anymore.

Ah, good, you can hear me. Eve probably is just shielding her magic output or something. That's what you said.

It's possible, but I don't want to assume that. I'm not the one in danger right now.

But you'll starve!

Then you'd better hurry! Clever Build argued, Go get them then you can come get me. I can even tell you a general area where they are.

But how long do you think you--

I think I might be in the sky somewhere anyway. Go save Night Heart and Eve, he insisted.

He could last a bit longer, but he had no idea what was going on with the other two, which scared him. Clever Build felt his eyelids drooping again. He heard TC agree to look for Night Heart, so he gave him a direction to head for where he last sensed them. He couldn't remember what happened after that...

~~~

Luna’s eyes slowly opened to let the sunshine in. It was already the afternoon? How long had she…

Oh, wait, I remember! There was some sort of outside force interfering with my magic, it all came rushing back to her. She had felt her grip on the bronies slipping when she tried to place them. Is that what they call themselves? Bronies? I hope their landing was not too bumpy…

Now, where was she?

“Princess!” Apple Jack called out from amidst the other ponies. Pointing to show everypony Luna was awake, she led the movement to her.

“Princess Luna, you’re awake!” Twilight exclaimed as the mane six surrounded the princess of the night. Luna looked tired, but she was wakening quickly.

“We were so worried, I thought Twilight was going to explode!” Pinkie Pie said with a huge gesture to show the magnitude of such an explosion.

“Nopony… exploded, thankfully,” Rarity stepped in. “And we evacuated everypony out of the town. They’re on their way to Canterlot as we speak, your highness.”

“But, Princess, why aren’t we fighting? Why are we tucking our tails and running?” Rainbow Dash flew up with a clap of her hooves, “Let us at ‘em! We don’t need the Elements of Harmony to—“

“Silence, dear one,” Luna held up a hoof. Slowly, she stood up and her mane began the flow that magnified her dark beauty. “Neither the Elements nor our own magic could defeat this foe. But we are not running—there are those whos magic exceeds even my sister’s and mine.”

“Princess, do you mean—“ Twilight gasped.

“My sister is with them even now, fighting this beast.”

“Now, hold up, you’ve got me confused,” Applejack stated, “Who are we talking about here?” Twilight turned to face her barn-raising friend. She said nothing, but Applejack recognized the look on her face she only showed when she talked about her mysterious friends from the other world. “THEY are HERE?” Applejack said in wonder. She hadn’t gotten the chance to meet them during the war that Equestria was thrown into before, but Twilight talked about them everyday.

“Wait, James is here?” Fluttershy spoke for the first time this conversation. When everypony turned to look at her, she landed and scuffed the ground with her hoof. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt… but he’s here? In Ponyville?”

“Then what are we waiting for?!” Rainbow Dash got ready to blast off, “Let’s go help them!”

“Peace, Rainbow Dash, we will. But there are more of those creatures coming, and our friends will be tired from their fighting,” Luna reminded them.

“What would you have us do?” Rarity asked.

“Princess, if I may,” Twilight offered, “If you think they will be able to beat these things, perhaps we could at least present them the chance to fight them one at a time.”

“I think that is a noble plan,” Luna agreed, “I am sorry to place you all in danger once again—“

“Don’t think nothin’ of it, Princess!” Applejack put her mind at rest.

“Really, when was the last time we WEREN’T in danger?” Rarity spun her hoof in the air, “When Equestria needs saving, we’ve always stepped up to the fight. I shouldn’t think this would be much different.”

Luna smiled. How had she been so lucky to have such faithful and brave citizens?

“Well, um, h-how big are we talking about?” Fluttershy had to ask.

“Hugely, enourmously, titanic of a monster that could eat a pony in one bite and still have room for desert big!” Pinkie Pie answered her question.

“Aw yea, the bigger they are!” Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof.

“The harder they fall.” Twilight finished.

~~~

“Fear not Equestria! For as long as we stand, you shall never fall!”

“Blazer, what are you doing?” Swiftbullet asked as he approached the KO’d monster.

Blazer stood atop the beast, shouting his victory into the world. When Swiftbullet called his name, he gently slid down the creature’s side and landed softly on the ground. “Just letting everypony know we’re on their side. We did randomly show up alongside a powerful creature bent on their destruction, after all.”

“Yea, I’ve been thinking about that,” Swiftbullet agreed, “We probably shouldn’t just walk into the town. The ponies might be a little… overwhelmed at first. We should send the princess in first to let them all know we’re friendly.”

“Hey, that’s a good idea! I can tell you right now: people—or in this case ponies—aren’t always quick to accept others they don’t know. Especially if they know you’re from a different world/time.” Blazer nodded his head and stared into the distance.

“Right… so… you say you’re not originally from this timeline. …So what timeline are you from, then?”

“…I’ve said too much!”

“But you want to say more,” Swiftbullet countered. This wasn’t his first interrogation.

Blazer looked at his comrade when he said that. And slowly a smirk crossed his face.

~~~

What now?

There was a pony in danger inside that hive, but they were in danger, too! And taking Eve in there was a disaster just waiting to happen. Never mind she was an alicorn, because that just made them more easily detected.

“Night Heart, let’s go!” Eve insisted.

“What, a second ago, you didn’t want us anywhere near that hive,” Night Heart argued.

“That was before I knew somepony was in trouble! We can’t just leave him in there,” Eve started toward the hive, but Night Heart stopped her.

“I know. That’s why I’m going in… alone,” Night Heart tried to convince her.

“What?! No way are you going in there by yourself!”

“And no way am I letting you enter a huge, maze-like fortress filled with human-hating creatures that obviously aren’t happy right now!” Night Heart and Eve stood face-to-face, both determined in their stance.

That’s it, guys! Just keep arguing, I’m following your voices, a voice entered their minds. Hey, I see you! Over here!

They both turned to see TC heading their way. He was waving and his wings were flapping to increase his running speed.

Night Heart turned to face Eve once more. “Go with TC, all right? I’ll be fine. You know me,” he insisted.

“Night Heart, you going in alone is out of the question. You don’t even know your knew body very well yet!”

“I know that I’m an earth pony who doesn’t want his friend—who just happens to be a very important pony, possibly royalty—in more danger than she already is. Please, Eve,” Night Heart begged her. Eve just looked back at him.

TC walked up to the duo, panting and grinning. “Hey, I made it! I was afraid I wouldn’t find you in time.” Then he looked up at the hive and panted out, “Whoa… that’s a pretty big house. Must have, what? Five master bedrooms?”

“Really, TC? Right now?”

“What? I’m just saying they should have dedicated more rooms to gaming and music. Seriously, I could turn that thing into a SERIOUS man cave!”

“Eve… please,” Night Heart spoke softly and pleaded with her to just go to safety. He would be fine… probably. At least if he wasn’t he’d know she was safe.

Eve nodded reluctantly, and Night Heart turned to TC. “Get her back to Ponyville in one piece, okay?”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going into the hive. I think there’s an injured pony in there,” Night Heart explained.

“You are? In there?” He looked up at the towering hive and looked back at his friend. It was obvious nothing was going to change his mind. Plus, this was Night Heart! Everything would turn out all right. It always does in Equestria. “Okay. Stay safe, man.”

Night Heart nodded and faced the hive. After gathering his courage and focusing his mind on what he had to do, he took a step forward. Before he took another, he looked back at Eve to let her know he was serious about her going to safety, then he ran off toward the Changeling’s home.

Eve watched him go and frowned.

TC also watched him enter the hive before looking at Eve’s face. Even if he had never met her before, he knew what that face meant. “We’re not going back to Ponyville, are we?”

“Nope,” she said simply.

“Well can we at least catch our breaths?”

“You can stay here if you want to, but I’m not leaving Night Heart alone in there,” she decided before moving toward the hive. After a few steps, though, she stopped and said, “But you’ll come with me, right?”

TC laughed. “Well what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?” He joined her and they walked into the shadow of the monstrous home.

[Just want you guys to know I could have left it a cliffhanger here, but I’m too nice. You’re welcome! On with the story!]

~~~

Hmm… sure is dark, Night Heart examined as he made the first turn into the hive. But it seemed the walls actually glowed somehow and lit his path slightly. Magic? That seemed like the only possible explanation. The Changelings were very good at magic, after all. That’s right, they use magic to change their appearances. I should have made some code words for Eve just in case I’m caught and they decide to send “me” back to Ponyville. Oh well. He wouldn’t get caught.

The earth pony stayed low, looking around turns before he made them. He had only been walking for a few minutes, but it seemed like had been making a lot of turns.

Oh no! What if I’m going in circles? He stopped and looked for landmarks. There was nothing there! The walls were all the same and there was nothing but turns and curves up ahead!

Why would the changelings make a hive like this? It doesn’t make sense! Wait, that was it! This hive was made for Changelings… so he needed to think like a Changeling if he was going to navigate it. All right, if I was a Changeling…

Night Heart slowly looked up and saw several paths going through the walls up above. I would go up! But… I can’t fly… The wingless pony stood there, looking at all the paths above him. Even if I get in, there are so many paths! How will I find whoever’s in here? And… how will I find my way out?

Suddenly, Night Heart spied a Changeling flying up above him changing paths. “Hey! Down here!” He called.

The Changeling stopped and looked at him. Night Heart tried not to seem scared at the black creature staring him down.

“Like my new look?” He managed out.

The Changeling hovered down to him and looked at the intruder unblinkingly. “I, uh, don’t really want to change right now. I look good right? So could you give me a lift?” The bug-like creature flew a little closer. “…And I hurt my wing, too, so…”

The Changeling let out a shriek and rushed at Night Heart. The pony managed to duck just in time to avoid being hit, but the enemy just flew up and circled back around. Spying his attacker, Night Heart got into a fighting stance and prepared himself. It wasn’t long before the Changeling was flying straight for him again.

This time, however, he was ready. As the Changeling reached him, Night Heart jumped back and hit the wall behind him, pushing off and falling right on top of the bug. The Changeling shrieked his high pitched scream and flew wildly in all directions. Night Heart gritted his teeth and held on for dear life before he drove the enemy into a wall. The Changeling hit it and fell to the ground, knocked out.

Night Heart tumbled off and caught himself before standing up and wincing. Had something… heard that? No? Huh… I’d be pretty surprised if nopony heard all that, he thought. But it seemed all quiet.

And even better, he was up on a ledge with a higher path. Not sure where this path leads, but I can’t jump back down. Goodness… what was he getting himself into?

Just another day in the life of Night Heart! Charging into danger, risking himself to save his friends, he found himself having to do that a lot recently. He looked down at his new body. All right pony legs, don’t fail me now!

~~~

“Urgh! Are you sure this thing’s just a baby?” Blazer struggled to hold the giant off the ground as the team carried it deeper into the forest.

“Yes, the fully grown ones have arms and are taller,” Princess Celestia explained as she too groaned under its weight. She had insisted on taking the main part of the monster while the others carried the legs and such. “But you will not have to worry about them. They are just looking for their child, which means they’ll come into the forest and find it here.”

“So was that whole battle recorded?” Stagequill asked as she held up her end, “Are people around the world going to see what we did?”

“I think so, but why does that matter?” Swiftbullet asked, “As long as Equestria is safe, it doesn’t matter if anybody—er, anypony on earth knows about it.”

“I know, but it would be good for my career! I’m an actress, you know,” Stagequill said with pride.

“You are? Really?”

“Well, I will be one day. And a singer! Ooh, and a writer! And I think I’m pretty good at—“

“Hey, wait a minute,” Blazer interrupted, “What exactly is going on at earth, anyway? Won’t anypony notice we’re gone?”

Celestia was silent.

“If they read the story, they’d know where we are, and that could frighten a lot of people,” Swiftbullet pointed out.

“I’m sorry, children,” Celestia said with a sigh, “If I could stop time there while you were here, I would, but that’s impossible. I didn’t mean to interfere with your lives or your families, I just—“

“Hey, don’t blame this on yourself, Princess Celestia,” Stagequill replied, “Afterall, we all asked to come here and told you we wanted to help. And you got us here in one piece right? Without you, we wouldn’t have gotten to see Equestria like this!”

Everypony agreed, and the princess smiled. “Thank you. All of Equestria will know what you have done for us! When ponies tell legends around the campfire, they’ll speak of your bravery! Now, let us get this gentle creature into its bed so we can let the Ponies of Ponyville know they are safe.”

“Gentle?!”

“Yes, this creature is not a monster. It can only feel one emotion at a time, so its feelings are always exaggerated. It’s only an innocent being who was separated from its family. We have taken it back into the forest before, but never has it been this strong. We are fortunate you were able to subdue it without injuring it.”

Stagequill was moved by the Princess’s love toward even a rampaging beast. She could feel the heart of such a beast and see through the outside demeanor. “Princess Celestia? May I call you… Tia?”

“That is something only my sister calls me,” Celestia answered. Stagequill looked at the ground. “So yes you may,” Celestia answered.

Stagequill smiled at her.

Suddenly, the actress slipped and fell. As she did, the others lost their hold on the beast and dropped it.

[This creature really needs a name!]

It fell, but Swiftbullet was able to catch it as much as he could. He slowed its fall to gently place it on the ground without waking it up. "Ugh! Whew! Are you all right, Stagequill?"

"Y-yea," the artistic pony stood up and shook her head. "I slipped on something..." Looking down, she saw a small body of water below her. She must have slipped and fallen on the wet rocks around it. Hey... what...?

Stagequill's eyes widened when she saw her reflection.

"What? Not what you expected your pony self to look like?" Blazer walked over to see. "Ah! Hey!"

Stagequill was looking back at a reflection of herself... her REAL self. She saw her human form as she was on earth.

"C-can you guys see that?" Blazer asked a little freaked out.

"Yea..." Stagequill replied.

"I can see my human form," Blazer said with wonder.

"Huh?" Stagequill looked at her comrad's reflection. It looked just like him--pony and all. But he can see himself as a human. And he can't see mine! Stagequill slowly reached her hoof toward the water.

"Hey! Everything alright?" Swiftbullet called from the monster's other side. "Do we need to take a break?"

"Uh, yea, let's do that," Blazer agreed and walked away from the pool.

~~~

Blazer shifted right and left, wanting to check out the pool again but not wanting to draw attention to it. "Hm. You guys rest, I'm going to practice my magic until I can lift this thing all by myself!" He lifted off the ground and made some sparks come out of his horn. "Hey! Maybe I can create some sort of new spell! ...maybe I should try making a spell that is like a magic rocket launcher or tank or things like that... YOU DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING! I mean, I was just thinking I might strengthen my magic a little."

"Magic Duel?" Stagequill offered and shot a harmless beam of light at him.

The beam passed over him, but Blazer still ducked instinctively. "Ok ok, think about what you're doing here! Don't start anything." He started backing away slowly. "Just, hehe, just think about something else."

"It was harmless, see?" The artistic pony shot at her own hoof and made no mark on it. "But if you're afraid of a duel, how about some singing?"

"No! No no no no, no singing, please! And I'm not afraid, I just don't want to wake up the... um, baby," he replied as he put a magic shield around him.

"Hey, Swiftbullet, you'll sing with me, right?" Stagequill called as she looked for him. "Swiftbullet?" There he was! Over at the... pool...

Swiftbullet could only stare at his human reflection. What did this mean? Had anypony else... seen this? He reached out a hoof and touched the top of the water. Ripples spanned out across him, but he was still there. He pushed his hoof further in.

His hoof turned into a hand as it entered the water. He immediately pulled it out and walked away. It went back to normal and he joined the others.

"Haha!" Blazer cheered as he picked up a sharp branch in his mouth. "Ftill want ta faght me?"

"You can't even see with that thing in your mouth!" Stagequill laughed.

Celestia laughed at Blazer's antics as well. "Here, let me show you," she gestured for him to put down the stick. When he did so, she reached down and picked it up with her hoof. "See?" She dropped it for him to try.

"Huh..." he reached down and placed his hoof on top of it. When he lifted it up, it remained on the ground. "Rats..."

"Try again," the princess suggested. He tried once more, but the stick refused to budge. "Here," the princess held out her hoof to him.

Blazer looked at it for a bit before reaching out and touching it with his own. When he had taken it away, he reached down and touched the stick. Focusing, he lifted his hoof and brought the stick with it. "Ha!" He wasn't sure if it was from the princess's touch or not, but he had done it! Just like the ponies on the show.

"Good job! Now, come on, let's get this guy a little deeper before the parents arive."

~~~

"What's that?" Night Heart walked a little faster toward the sight. He had just witnessed a Changeling toss an egg over its shoulder toward a hole that fell beneath the earth. It had missed luckily and landed near it safely. Must have been the runt, he thought. He approached the egg and examined it. I think it's still alive...

He blinked a few times. It wasn't fair for this little guy. He hadn't even had a chance...

Making a decision he knew may slow him down or cost him his life, he lifted the egg onto his back. All right, buddy, let's hope that pony is awake, because I can't carry both of you! So many ways this could end, but there were only a few that were good. You deserve a shot at life. So I'll get us both out of here alive, I promise. He looked down the long passage ahead, alone. Looking down at the floor, he trudged forward, unsure where he was going.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Author's Note

Wow! Okay, that was a long one! I know I changed a few things from what was in the comments, but I'm the writer, so I can do that. A few things;

1) This giant creature needs a name!
2) Would you like longer chapters like this less often, or shorter ones more often?

I'm sorry if a few of you got more face time than others, but that's going to happen. I'm sorry you're not in the chapter, MMMBrony, but it was getting too long. I promise you'll be in it eventually! And Golden Morningstar, you're coming, too!

All Hail the Queen

Author's Note

Hey, guys! I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this chapter, because it's a little... weird. If you guys think it's weird for any reason, I'll write it some other way and make it better! Once again, I didn't run any of these lines by anyone before I posted it, so I'm sorry if you guys say something you wouldn't in real life. I can always change it if you want to say something else! And a few of you don't appear in this chapter because I really wanted to get Night Heart and friends out of the hive in this one. Enjoy!

There's something about this chapter that I don't like, but I can't figure out what it is. If you guys see what part or whatever that's weird, let me know so i can make this chapter as good as the old ones.

All Hail the Queen

The horrid stench that filled the paths was suddenly overshadowed by the incredible area that opened up before Night Heart. Despite how tight the tunnels were that led here, the main room of the hive was massive. There were markings on the walls above different paths that led to and from the room. Night Heart had to admit it was impressive that the Changelings could find their way around the hive with only that as their guide.

Bridges crossed around at random places, but most of the Changelings flew wherever they went. Because of this, most of the room was open with no other way of getting around. The sneaky pony repositioned the egg on his back. This might be a problem…

“Of course you smell pony! What do you think we have tied up, a Minotaur?!” There was no mistaking the voice of Chrysalis, the queen of the Changelings. “…wait,” the voice said in a hushed tone. Night Heart glanced around and spotted the royal slowly moving into sight from behind a wall.

With a jump, he threw himself into a dark corner right outside the main room. To his surprise, though, he ran into somepony accidentally.

“Ouch!” Eve whispered when she was tackled. “Oh… hi, Night Heart,” She said to the pony.

“Eve?! What the hey are you doing here?!” He whispered as loud as he dared. He looked to his side and saw TC as well. “How long have you been following me?”

“Since the beginning,” TC answered, “And look! Eve left a magic trail for us to follow to get out!”

Eve blushed at the praise. “Magic just comes naturally to me, I guess,” she said modestly.

Night Heart’s eyebrows rose. That was good thinking… in fact, if she hadn’t done that, he might have been trapped in here forever. “Well… thank you, Eve, you’ve done a good job.”

Eve smiled.

“But I have to insist you head back.”

“What?”

“Eve, we already talked about this—“

“Yes, we did, and I told you I wasn’t leaving you!” Eve stepped out of the hiding place, but Night Heart pulled her back in. “What are you doing?”

“The area up ahead is filled with more Changelings than any other place in the entire hive! And there are no places to hide, either,” Night Heart explained the danger they were in.

“Actually,” TC jumped in, “If you look up at the roof, there’s a very thin layer before the actual ceiling. You could sneak through there and fall right into the center. How much you wanna bet that’s where they’re keeping our friend?”

Night Heart looked between the room and his pony friend. “That might work…” Then he realized what TC was getting at. Night Heart couldn’t fly.

“So you’re going to send a filly back through the caves alone and without protection? Shame on you, Night Heart,” TC smiled as he spoke. “After all, you need us and our wings, right?”

Night Heart closed his eyes. He didn’t like this situation one bit… perhaps Eve was strong enough to take care of herself, but he didn’t want her to have to. “I… you planned this, didn’t you?”

“Call it fate,” TC replied. He winked at Eve who mouthed out a “Thank you.”

“Fine. It seems you two are the only ones who can get over there, but please be careful,” Night Heart led them out of the corner.

“Hey! When am I ever not careful? Nothing’s going to go wrong, Night!” He assured him. “Nice mane by the way.”

“Oh, thanks. Yours is very… neon…”

“I know right?! Amazing I could follow you without you seeing me. Stuff like that just sort of works out for me,” he commented.

“Guys, I think I’m getting a message from somepony,” Eve interrupted. “It’s from Celestia!”

“Celestia? What does she say?” Night Heart was eager to know if she was with his friends and how they were doing.

“She says they took care of the monster! They’re safe!” Eve sighed out. “Where are you now?” She paused a second while she listened. “She’s on her way here with the others,” Eve relayed.

“Wait, right now?” TC asked and looked at Night Heart. Night Heart shook his head and looked at the open area in front of him. The princess was taking them to their doom.

~~~

Celestia received the message from Twilight that the Sentidor giants were walking away. Deep in the forest they wouldn’t bother Ponyville again for a while.

After that, the team had the chance to go to Ponyville . They could have met the mane six, seen Ponyville, helped in rebuilding, led the ponies back into their home.

But with one sentence spoken by Swiftbullet, “Nopony gets left behind,” the entire team agreed it wasn’t time. They were almost done, but the whole team wasn’t yet together, and Night Heart needed their help.

When they reached the mouth of the hive, Swiftbullet smiled. “Looks like Eve left us a little trail,” he said as he pointed at it.

“Won’t the Changelings see it and find them?” Blazer asked.

“Only ponies can see this spell,” Princess Celestia explained. “And it isn’t an easy one to master.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less from an alicorn!” Said Stagequill. “And we’ve got the most powerful one ever on our side!” Stagequill looked up at the princess. “Right, Celestia?”

Celestia unfolded her wings. “Children, stay here. I will go and speak with Chrysalis,” she said.

“What? But… but you can’t just leave us here!” Blazer objected. “Nopony gets left behind, remember? We wanna help!”

“With all due respect, Princess,” Swiftbullet stood between her and the hive, “We are a team, and we’ve never stood by when our friends needed help. There is no way we’re staying out here!”

“Swiftbullet, you and the others will stay here and wait for my signal. Chrysalis won’t listen to anypony but me, and only if she thinks she will get something out of it. When you see my signal, you will know it is safe to enter,” Celestia commanded. She looked at him and the others, “Until then, stay here and remain hidden. Do you all understand?”

The team nodded reluctantly, unable to insist further they go with her. Celestia lifted off the ground and headed for the roof entrance, leaving them to stand there, looking at the sky.

~~~

“Come on,” Night Heart said to the others, “If we can get out of here in time, the others won’t have to—”

“GOTCHA!” The trio jumped back as Chrysalis fell upon them. “Get them!”

Four other Changelings joined in the fray, grabbing them with teeth and hooves. Night Heart fought back, but was quickly overwhelmed.

“Argh! Get off me!” Night Heart knocked one Changeling off only to have it replaced with another. “Nngh!” He looked up to see Eve surrounded by the creatures. “EVE!!”

“Aaah!” Eve screamed and fell on the floor, looking up with fear in her eyes. Two Changelings flew toward her, fangs shining in the glow. Just as they came within hoof’s reach, though…

Eve’s horn glowed of its own accord. Without summoning it, sharp rocks rose from the floor, blocking off the enemies’ charge. Eve watched as several vines also grew, wrapping around the foes and lifting them off the ground.

The alicorn looked in utter surprise as the earth defended her. But a shout drew her attention. TC had his knife out, and he had just cut a Changeling, causing it to real back and shriek. He stood up and got ready for the next wave, barely cutting another before it reached him.

Suddenly, Chrysalis swooped in and kicked TC against the head, knocking him out. He dropped to floor and his knife made a clanging sound when it fell from his mouth.

“No!” Night Heart struggled against the two assailants that held him down. He glanced at Eve, who was watching through the cracks between the rocks. Gritting his teeth, he pushed hard and threw off the Changelings, standing up and running toward his downed companion. “I’m coming!”

He skid under a diving Changeling and scooped up TC’s knife. “Eve, you doing all right over there?”

“I think the earth is protecting me!” Eve called from behind her rock shield.

“I’ll have to thank Tom later,” Night Heart said as he pointed the knife at the advancing foes.

“What?”

“Remember? Tom’s a big—nevermind!” Night Heart swung the knife and cut the leg of one of the flying creatures. It stumbled back, unprepared for the foreign weapon. “Stay back!”

As he threatened the attackers, the much larger threat was slowly lowering herself behind him. Night Heart felt her presence before he saw her and attempted to duck and flee.

“Night Heart, look out!” Eve shouted at the top of her lungs. She watched in horror as Night Heart was tackled and pinned to the ground. “Night Heart!!”

TC yelled and jumped on top of Chrysalis, grabbing her neck and holding on tight. The Changeling Queen beat her wings and lifted them both up off the ground, the knife—their last means of attack—falling to the floor once more.

“Hold on!” Eve found the right spell and lowered her protection, allowing her to run after the boys. She ran as fast as she could, but the whole world seemed to be moving in slow motion. Whenever she would pass a Changeling, a vine would wrap around it and pull it to the wall, or a bunch of pebbles would hit it and throw it off. Eve continued to run, desperate for her companions. They were all she had in this strange world.

As she reached them, Eve saw Chrysalis throw TC off, launching him through the air. He landed on his feet, but several Changelings surrounded him.

“TC, duck!” Eve prepared to fire a magic bolt at the attackers, but TC flew up and dropped his hoof right on a Changeling’s nose. He spun and knocked another back before one Changeling got him. As soon as it was wrapped around him, however, the pegasis thrust out his wings and threw it back once more.

Eve charged a shot and hit three Changelings with one shot. TC couldn’t help but look impressed at the shot, but there was no time to congratulate her. Eve pulled up to him and surrounded the two with a force field, effectively blocking off any more attackers.

“I didn’t know you could do that!” TC complimented her.

“Me either,” Eve replied, focusing on keeping the shield up.

“Any chance you can walk and keep it up at the same time?” TC asked when he saw where Night Heart was.

“Ah! I don’t think so,” Eve glanced over and saw Night Heart pinned by the black creature.

Chrysalis held Night Heart down with relative ease. “I’ve never seen you around here before,” she stated, looking at Night Heart’s face. “I’m surprised a pony just passing through would risk so much for Ponyville.”

“I’m not just a passing pony!” Night Heart replied, “I am Night Heart. And I came from earth.”

Chrysalis’ smile grew larger. “Oh-ho! You come from James’ world? Perfect!” She leaned in to his face. “How did you get here? Where is the portal?”

Night Heart struggled, but it was clear he wouldn’t be able to break free. He had come here to maybe help Chrysalis get a chance at a new life on earth, but now was not a good time! If she went there like this, everyone would be in danger!

“Chrysalis? I… I understand,” Night Heart said as he stopped struggling.

“What?”

“You just want to feed your citizens, right? Well, there is love on earth. You could start a new life… IF you played your cards right.”

“Oh? Do tell,” Chrysalis smirked.

“Listen to me, if you go to earth hating humans, you won’t find much love. Love is a delicate thing—it’s easy to break if it hasn’t grown strong enough. That’s the thing about it… it’s a two-way deal. If you don’t love the people you live among…” Chrysalis’ eyebrows raised. “…You can’t expect to get any love in return.”

Chrysalis seemed to think about it for a second. Then she slowly pointed to the two ponies under the magic shield. “You see them over there? You think they love you? I couldn’t last for five minutes off their love!” She stomped the ground next to Night Heart’s face. “None of what you think you fell is real! You haven’t even seen their true faces!”

Night Heart frowned. “I don’t have to. I believe it’s the person’s actions that decide the person, and their actions have spoken plenty! They haven’t left me since the first moment we got here, and I won’t leave them now!” He used the last bit of his strength to push her front legs away.

But Chrysalis pushed him back down before he could escape and laughed. “Are you listening to yourself? I tried love once—all it turned out to be was a lie! Just like your friends… all of them… a lie.”

Chrysalis entered her transformation phase, surrounding herself with fire. The flames came up and surrounded her, burning Night Heart with a green flame. He held his breath and endured the burn, opening his eyes to see not Chrysalis’ face before him, but the face of Rarity.

“Where am I? What am I doing to save you?” She spoke in the party pony’s voice, taunting him. Suddenly, more fire raced through Night Heart, burning hotter this time. “And me? How long did it take for me to abandon you?” Rainbow Dash asked the earth pony. The flames flew up and hit Night Heart again, this time nearly making the pony scream.

When the flames went out, Twilight was standing over him. She smirked, obviously not caring about the pain he was in. “As soon as I was done with you, I forgot. I forgot all about you.” Night Heart felt his heart sink at her words. It wasn’t her, but it still hurt to hear. “And I don’t think I’ll be needing you again.”

“You’re wrong!” Night Heart told her, “You really don’t understand at all, do you?! But how could you ever understand? All love is to you is food! But there’s so much more—and friendship is a kind of love. I think—” Night Heart cringed at his burns. “I think that’s what you really need. Friendship. Because friends don’t forget! If you wanted love… you’re going about it the wrong way!”

“Oh, and you’re the expert?” Chrysalis said still in Twilight’s form.

“Well, when I came in, you sensed a little in me, didn’t you? I had a hope—I believed you could be good. I thought we could make a deal where neither you nor your Changelings went hungry ever again. Now do you sense it? Where did the love go, Chrysalis?”

Chrysalis noticed the little bit of food she could get from Night Heart was gone.

“It… it’s gone because you didn’t take care of it. If you want others to love you, you shouldn’t hate them. You shouldn’t attack them. Do good… and it’ll grow. That’s how you can harvest the love your Changelings need.”

“…” Chrysalis had never thought about it that way.

“Better yet, if you can teach your Changelings to love, you’ll never run out. Teach them to love the ponies and everypony they meet, and they’ll never be hungry. Because love doesn’t run out.” Night Heart was panting, but he tried his best to look serious.

Chrysalis thought hard about what Night Heart had said. “I… I don’t need anypony to love me. There’s plenty of love to go around without me getting betrayed in the end.”

“…But will you be happy that way?” Night Heart dropped the question

Chrysalis just looked at him. Fire surrounded them, and she took the form of Princess Celestia. “You will always be betrayed! Look at me! Where am I now?”

“I’m right here!” Celestia walked up with a frown on her face. “Chrysalis, let him go. We still have a treaty, and he is one of us now.”

No, it was working! A little longer and I could have turned her! Night Heart snuffed at the princess’ ever perfect timing.

“Oh, all hail the queen!” Chrysalis stood up and took her natural form again. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come because I promised, remember? We had a deal, after all,” Celestia walked toward her.

“So you’ve finally come to let me into James’ world, have you?” Chrysalis started walking toward the princess. “I thought you had forgotten.”

“I was previously occupied. There’s a problem with the portal.”

“What?” Night Heart shakily stood up, but he lay back down after a while. “What’s wrong? There’s a portal?”

“There is now,” Celestia explained, “With every transfer, the rip got bigger, and now it is unstable. Soon we will either have to open it permanently or close it forever. I am gathering the leaders of the surrounding lands for a meeting to decide the best course of action.”

“And why are you telling me this?” Chrysalis asked suspiciously.

“We have a treaty, remember? And this is your world too, after all,” Celestia stood tall before her, daring her to defy the princess of the sun. “If you want any say in what happens, you will let Night Heart and the rest of my children go.”

Chrysalis looked over at the ponies in the room. Eve and TC couldn’t hear anything from inside the shield and were watching intently for what was going to happen next. Night Heart just observed to see if Chrysalis would agree to the treaty.

“Hmm… I will agree not to feed off anypony on one condition. I want full reigns in James’ world—you won’t watch or keep track of me. I will be allowed to go where I wish and do what I wish. Otherwise, I have enough Changelings here to take care of everypony in this room. Right here. Right now.”

Celestia only looked Chrysalis in the eyes. “Agreed,” she answered.

Chrysalis smiled. “Good. Then let’s be off to the castle, shall we?”

Night Heart dropped his head to the floor. Fool! How could the princess agree to that?!

Chrysalis nodded to her Changelings, silently commanding them to disperse. Once they had flown away, Eve dropped the shield, assuming Celestia had done something to fix things. “What did you tell her?”

Celestia looked at them with a saddened face. “We need to go, child,” was all she said.

Ponyville's New Visitors

Author's Note

This chapter is not finished! Obviously. For the rest of the chapter, I'll let you decide what you would do. PM me and I'll play anypony you might want to meet. So it's up to you! What would you do first when you got into Ponyville?

If you don't want to RP, you can just write it if you like, but I'm not going to write what everypony does, that's just not fair. Also, if we do RP, I'll be copy/pasting exactly what we write directly into the story, so don't write anything you wouldn't want posted publicly.

Ponyville's New Visitors

"Be careful up there, TC!" Eve called from the ground below. TC glanced down and saluted her before calling, "Don't worry! I got this!" Facing forward again, the Pegasus focused his attention on the platform high above him. That's where they've got that pony held hostage! he told himself. His inexperience prevented him from flying any higher, but that wasn't going to stop him!

TC grabbed onto a pillar and started climbing up slowly. Okay, why couldn't Chrysalis just do this, again? he wondered. Oh, that's right! She had the nerve to pretend she didn't know what we were talking about... and we couldn't let Celestia do this because it might be a trap. Guess it's up to me then! TC reached up to grip the next ledge, but--

"Ahh!" The pillar started to crumble and fall, bringing the young Pegasus down with it. He flapped his wings desperately, reaching for some sort of hold but only succeeded in slowing his fall. Huge rocks fell toward the party below, but Princess Celestia managed to use her magic to catch them and toss them aside. She was about to grab ahold of TC when she realized he wasn't falling.

TC sat in surprise on the same pillar he was climbing earlier. It had fallen passed him and landed snugly on the platform in the middle of the room, successfully creating a bridge right to his destination.

"Huh," he smiled and stood up. With a little swag, he trotted over to the platform and waved to his friends below.

"What just happened?" Eve asked in disbelief.

"Things like this just seem to work for him," Night Heart shook his head.

TC approached the raised platform in front of him. When he saw what was there, a smile grew on his face.

~~~

"Celestia still hasn't given us a signal..." Stagequill paced back and forth in front of her friends. Given this was Equestria, Blazer was pretty sure if she kept this up, she'd wear a trench in the ground.

"I'm sure she's fine, Stagequill," Blazer attempted to calm her down, "But I think if we don't hear from her soon, we rush in there and blow the place sky high!"

"No way!" Swiftbullet stepped up, "We might hurt the others!"

"Not literally!" Blazer responded.

"Celestia told us to stay here, but if she doesn't-- huh?"

"What?" Stagequill stopped pacing to see what Swiftbullet was looking at. When she saw what it was, her eyes widened. "Who is that?"

"I think it's Cleverbuild," Swiftbullet started walking toward the approaching pony.

"All right!" Blazer cheered and ran up to him. "Clever build, is that you?"

"Ha! Blazer, right?" Clever Build reached out a hoof and put it on Blazer's shoulder. "I knew it!"

"How did you find us?" Stagequill asked.

"And more importantly, how did you get here?" Swiftbullet watched him.

"I don't know," was Clever Build's reply, "I was asleep, but I could see you guys kind of. Then I felt somepony picking me up, and I was carried over here. When I woke up, I was still blind, but I could sense where you guys were!"

"Wow!" Stagequill jumped up and down. "That's so cool! So you can see like a bat!"

"Heh, yea," Clever Build smirked, "Kind of."

"Welcome to the team!" Swiftbullet saluted him. "Need an update on what's going on?"

Suddenly, hoofsteps were heard behind him. Everypony turned at once and saw the others emerging from the hive. Out walked Celestia, followed by Eve, TC, Night Heart, and... who was that last pony?

~~~

MMMBrony limped out with the rest of the team. The first thing he had seen when he had opened his eyes was a Pegasus smiling at him. So he HAD made it! He was in Equestria! Of course, it hadn't exactly looked like Equestria right then because he was in some smelly Changeling place. TC Dubstep had introduced himself and gotten him to the rest of the team.

Now he was walking, only slightly injured, towards more of his pony friends. He still couldn't believe this was happening! All he needed now was some epic music to play as he and the princess walked victoriously toward the others.

He was a colt, actually. A young Pegasus to be exact. He hadn't tried flying yet, but he planned on riding the wind into Ponyville when he got there!

When everypony had reunited, Celestia filled them all in and they headed back for Ponyville.

"All right, everypony," Princess Celestia addressed them outside the town, "I know you're all eager to meet everypony. The meeting will be tonight at the schoolhouse at eight. Until then, feel free to see the world you saved! I'm proud to say you've earned it!"

Everypony cheered and ran into the town, but Night Heart stayed behind. Adjusting the egg on his back, he looked out at the small village.

Celestia looked at him. "I know that face," she said. Night Heart looked at her. "Walk with me."

Night Heart took a deep breath and began to walk with the princess.

This chapter is not finished! Obviously. If you check the forums in our group, you'll find all the instructions on what happens next. You'll be writing what happens to you!