Rain Drop was a Pegasus pony who lived in the southern part of Cloudsdale. She has blue body and her mane is purple. Her cutie mark was four rain drops.
Not far away lived her friend, Sky Flower. She was a light pink Pegasus with a summer pink mane, which was very curly. Sky Flower’s cutie mark was a sunflower hidden behind two clouds.
Rain Drop and Sky Flower met at a flight camp three years ago and have been best friends ever since.
One day when Rain Drop was at home on lazy Sunday she heard a knock on her door. When she opened her door, a mail pony stood waiting patiently. He gave her a letter and flew away with a smile on his face. Rain Drop opened the letter slowly and began to read.
Dear, Rain Drops, I need you in Canterlot at once. I have a mission for you. I will let you bring one friend, but no more. I will await your arrival.
-Princess Celestia.
Rain Drop couldn't believe her eyes. The princess had sent her a letter. Why? She walked over opened her window, a fresh cold summer breeze cooled her face. The sun was fairly bright; she didn’t realize how early it was. She flew out her window, in the blue sky.
She decided to fly over to Sky Flower’s house, she should bring her along. Rain Drop took a breath before she knocked on the door. Sky Flower opened the door slowly, her eyes were glazed and she had a dopey look on her face. She must have just gotten out of bed.
"Sky, you can't believe what just had happened to me!" Rain Drop said excited, her voice was reaching the maximum squealing point. Her friend was still looking tired but invited her in. Sky Flower was started to make breakfast for her and her friend while Rain Drops talked about what had happen to her that morning. "Okay, so I was just lounging on my couch when I heard this knock on the door." Sky Flower nodded absent mindedly. “So this mail guy gave me this letter, look!” Rain Drops gave her friend the letter so she could read it.
Sky Flower’s eyes widened. "Wow Rains, you got a letter from the princess." She said, but there wasn’t an ounce of excitement. "When are you going?" She sounded a little bit sad.
"We are going today." Rain Drop said, a big grin spread across her face. However, Sky Flower’s face looked really confused. "That's right! You and I are going to Canterlot, it's going to be so much fun. Aren’t you excited?"
"Excited? No... look, I'm sorry Rains. But I can't go to Canterlot, I was born in this city and I'm going to die in it to." Sky Flower was always afraid of leaving Cloudsdale, anything that was on the ground scared her. She always thought clouds were safer, which was stupid, ‘cause clouds can crumble and fall.
"Oh come on, Sky.” Rain Drop started to whine. “Don't you want to meet the princess? She wanted me to bring a friend." She batted her eyes and made a pouty face.
"Rains you know really I hate like the ground. It's safer up here in the clouds." Here we go, the cloud talk. All she ever wanted was to stay in her home.
"Please, you know how big this is a big opportunity for me. Won’t you understand?" She made a hurt face, she knew how to get her way with Sky Flower. She started to make puppy dog eyes. Sky Flower winced and tried to look away, but it was no use.
"Okay, okay, I give up.” Sky Flower said exasperated. “We're going to Canterlot."
“Hmmph.” Rain Drop grunted smugly. "Okey dokey, lokey, we need to go, now. Lucky you, I know a shortcut."
Thanks to the shortcut it took them only one hour to get to Canterlot. From the looks of it, Canterlot wasn’t doing so well. The streets were empty and silent. In the corner of an alley there was green stuff that looked like spider web. "Where is everypony?” Rain Drop pondered. “It's like a ghost town. You know, like in those scary movies."
"I think the princess will tell us why all the Canterlot ponies are gone." Sky Flower said, a hint a worry in her voice. When they came to the castle they got stopped by a royal guard.
"HALT! WHO'S GOING THERE!" The royal guard yelled in a deep voice. It took them a second to realize he was talking to them, he was staring straight ahead, without so much as glance toward Sky Flower and Rain Drop.
"My name is Rain Drops and this is my dear friend, Sky flower. We are here to see the princess. So if you could move your flank just a little to the right so we can get through…"
"NOPONY IS GOING TO PASS ME! Captins order."
"I would like to talk to that captain, where is he? The princess sent me a letter, it says that she wants me to be here." Rain Drops took up the peice of paper and gave it to the royal guard. He furrowed his brow when he read it.
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." He said with a bow.
"Oh you don't need to do that.” Rain Drop said sheepishly as he bowed. “By the way, why are all the Canterlot ponies gone?"
"They aren’t gone, they’re hiding.” He said mysteriously. “I think the princess can explain more to you then I can." They came into the castle and looked around with big eyes.
"Rain Drops, I'm glad your here." A voice sounded, the Pegasus ponies jumped in surprise. The voice giggled. "Sorry if I startled you." Rain Drop turned around to find a white alicorn walking towards them with her wings out-stretched.
"Princess..." The two Pegasus ponies said together. Rain Drop glanced at Sky Flower and decided to continue on. "Your highness, I'm honored to be here, but why is everything so... so... strange?" Rain Drop asked, she didn’t know what to think.
"I will tell you tomorrow.” Princess Celestia said, her big voice echoing around the halls. “We're waiting for one more pony to come; meanwhile I can show you where your room is. One thing that I'm sure of is that you will need help to succeed this mission. The third pony is on his way right now from Crystal Empire. But I must warn you, This mission won’t be easy, it has danger in every corner."
"Da..da..da danger?” Sky Flower stuttered. “I know I should have stayed in the clouds."
"No, Rain Drops needs you, you have to see that. When the time is right you will not be the little scared mare you are right now. All you need is friendship to show that to you." Celestia looked at Sky Flower, hoping that she would understand what is important to her and what is not. Sky Flower nodded stiffly. “Now go, rest.”
Author's Note
Okey. This chaper is really short. I know. But the most of the time I was on my phone. Next chaper will be longer. I promes.
That night was really weird, Rain Drop heard a lot of strange noises, but the strangest sound was outside. It sounded like a scream and something that she couldn't explain. She looked out the window and she saw a mare running and then, then something attacked the mare. She could only tell because the street lights were still on outside, the…thing was dark and deformed. It chased the mare into a green cocoon. The scene was so horrible that Rain Drop had almost thrown up. Almost.
The next morning, Rain Drop and Sky Flower were walking in the hallways of the big castle.
"I promise you Sky, it wasn’t something that I imagined, I was awake and I saw it." Rain Drop sounded like she was about to cry. She had never seen something so scary in her whole life.
"Rains, I'm sure you just had a nightmare, it happens to everypony." Sky Flower said reassuringly. Images of what happened that night raced across her mind. Rain Drop knew what she saw; it was there, she was sure. No pony was going to tell her otherwise, it was real.
They got to the throne room and opened the doors, two ponies stood inside. One was Princess Celestia and the other was a royal guard. Rain Drop and Sky Flower walked in.
"Um, hi your highness, I'm sorry if I interrupted. Must have been pretty important.” Rain Drop said with a bow. "But I have something very important to say as well." Rain Drop walked up to Celestia and her head drooped. "I-I saw something strange last night, I saw a mare, she was being chased. It looked like a pony…only not a pony, I don’t know. The thing forced the mare into a green cocoon." Rain Drop looked back up a Celestia, tears starting to form in her eyes, the events from last night were still fresh.
The guard looked at Rain Drop, his face was considerably paler than its usual white color… If that was even possible.
"D-did you, you say a… green cocoon?" The guard stuttered and looked nervously at Celestia.
"Umm.” Rain Drop paused. “Yes, that’s what I saw." Rain Drop said and looked at the guard, then looked at princess Celestia.
"Princess why are we here?" He asked.
"The changelings have returned, and that's why you are here. I want you to stop them." Celestia said with a serious voice.
"But why don't you let me and Candace stop them like last time?" The guard asked.
"Queen Chrysalis has found a spell to make their army stronger. Your love will do nothing." Celestia sighed, defeated and walked to a window."...And that's why I have begged you three to come, just like Twilight and her friends you need to find a way to stop them.” She turned back to the guard. “Shining Armor I want you to train them with the royal guard training.”
"What?! But princess the training will take months or even years. They will never be ready in time." Shining Armor said looking around with nervous eyes, worry etched into his voice.
"Don't worry. They will do fine." Celestia said and looked at Rain Drop and Sky flower proudly. "I know if you train them right, then they will learn faster and you can start, remember to teach them everything they need to know." Celestia walked with the three to the door. "I know you will succeed." That was the last thing Celestia said before she closed the door behind them.
Shining Armor said they should start now, so he took the two ponies to an obstacle course.
"This is the royal guard obstacle course; all the guards go through it. And even you will run it one day." He said. He let them take a close look at the closest obstacle. The obstacle was big, it had waving hoops going in two different directions, guillotines were lined up one after another, chomping mechanically. "And now to our next destination." He said turning around and walking away. Rain Drop and Sky Flower walked after him. "You need training and we don't have much time. I'm going to tell you all you need to know about the changelings." Shining Armor pushed open the doors to Canterlot Library and the ponies trotted in. “No one can hear a word of this.” He said as the door slammed shut.
Once they got into what Shining Armor called; ‘The Lunar Wing’, they took pillows and sat down on the floor. Rain Drop and Sky Flower listened while Shining Armor talked about the changelings. "The changelings aren't like ponies, they’re evil, they transform into the pony you love and feed off your love for them.” Rain Drop glanced at Sky Flower and shuddered, what would happen if Sky was a changeling? She shook the thought away. “And Equestria has more love then they expected, that’s why they here. To feed off our love and give it to their queen, Crysalis.” Shining shook his head as though to clear a memory. “She’s cold and heartless; she’s the worst of them all. She even turned into my wife so she could feed off my love. Changelings can change their appearance as much as they want, so much that they can look exactly like the pony you love, so don't trust anyone." Rain Drop and Sky Flower exchanged a scared look.
"So, we can't even trust each other? Not even you?" Rain Drop asked. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
"You can trust me and each other, I was talking about those ponies outside." He gave them a hard, serious glare. Shining Armor finished telling them all he knew about the changeling. A few hours later, at sunset, he said they should get going; "Come on, we should get back to the castle before it's too dark." Shining Armor said and got up from the pillow. “They’re the most active at night.” He spoke darkly, Rain Drop and Sky Flower followed him as they walked out from the library and toward the castle. Rain Drop notice how scary the town started to look when the darkness slowly fell down over the town. She never wanted to be here at night ever again.
