Chapters The room was filled with noise. Chatterings, the flapping of transparent wings, the scuffling of holed feet. Out of the shiny black figures, one was most noticeable.
It was horribly tall, with huge, pointed fangs emerging from it's mouth. It was covered in holes, leading up to the twisted black horn on it's forehead.
The most horrible feature out of all of these, however, were the creature's eyes. They seemed to stare into your soul, burning into your own eyes.
The figure screamed. The noise bounced off the cave walls, causing the other figures to stop. They all turned to look at the tallest member.
"Changelings! This is the time we have been waiting for! Equestria has no idea what we are planning, now that we have let them gain a false sense of security.
"They believe they are safe. So now is the time to strike! We will feast on their love, as the kingdom slowly crumbles. WE WILL SUCK EQUESTRIA DRY!" it screamed.
All the other figures in the room raised their hooves and chanted.
"QUEEN CHRYSALIS, QUEEN CHRYSALIS , QUEEN CHRYSALIS!" The queen laughed maniacally as they chanted her name.
"Yes... Soon, we shall be the rulers of Equestria... FOR EVERMORE!"
A small black unicorn was walking down the path toward Canterlot Castle. Her green mane spilled over her shoulders as she trotted.
As she entered the castle to speak to Princess Celestia, the guards murmured quietly to one another.
"Doesn't she look familiar?" one said to another. The unicorn took no notice. She was used to that. She bowed to the princess, her nose touching the floor.
"Hello, my princess. I have come to ask your advice." she said. Her voice was calm and clear as she spoke. Celestia took in her visitor with her eyes.
She looks very familiar, where have I seen her before? she thought.
"What is your name, and for what do you seek advice?" Celestia asked the unicorn. The unicorn rose to her feet.
"My name is Evermore." she replied. A huge stab of pain went through Celestia's head at the name. She raised a hoof to her head.
"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" Evermore asked. Celestia looked up.
"Oh no, just a headache." the princess replied, rubbing her forehead. Evermore looked a little anxious, but continued anyway.
"People keep reporting me to the police, saying I'm not a pony... A spy for the enemy..." she said sadly. Celestia raised an eyebrow. That was not hard to believe.
"But I'm not! I'm perfectly loyal! Do you have any ideas?" Evermore asked.
"Well, you could always stay at the palace for a few days." Celestia replied. "You have my utmost permission."
Evermore nodded greatfully. "I'd love to, Your Majesty."
As these words passed Evermore's mouth, another stab of pain hit Celestia, and an image of a certain pony went through her head.
It can't be... Can it?
A pegasus guard was running down the hallway, towards Celestia's chambers. Her orange mane spilled out behind her as she ran. She panted a little as she reached her desired location.
Princess Celestia, who was currently talking to the new unicorn, Evermore, turned her head to stare at her guard.
"General?" she murmured. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Celestia was obviousy quite startled at this interruption. The pegasus guard was panting, her primary feathers spread out in awkward angles.
"We have sighted a changeling in the palace! She was last seen- Your Majesty!" she gasped, pointing a wing at Evermore.
"The changeling! Get back!" the general exclaimed, stepping in front of Celestia and drawing her spear at Evermore.
"What are you doing, General? This is our honored guest!" Celestia gasped. Evermore cowered at the end of the spear, trying to get as far away as possible.
"How can a changeling be our honored guest?" the general asked. Her spear wavered, making Evermore squeak. Celestia frowned.
"Put that weapon down now!" she ordered. Straight away, the general put it down. Celestia rose from her throne, walking inbetween Evermore and the General.
"General Flare Sparks, this is our guest, Evermore. She shall be staying for a couple of days. You, and some guards of your choice, shall be looking after her." Celestia explained.
Flare frowned a little, but nodded anyway, her golden armor clanking slightly.
"Whatever you wish, your majesty..." she said slowly. Celestia smiled.
"I would also like for you to show her to her room."
Flare groaned, but turned to Evermore none the less. She was still slightly shivering in the corner. Flare was tempted to prod her with the spear.
"Get up. Your room is this way." she said. Evermore looked up at her. She got up slowly, a little afraid.
"O-okay." she murmured. "Lead the way." Flare grunted and walked out of the room, followed by an anxious Evermore. Celestia snorted with amusement.
"It's just over here." Flare said, turning down the corridor. Evermore looked around.
"So, what's it like? Living in the castle, I mean." she asked, her eyes wandering along the walls of the corridor. There were splendid tapestries of Celestia and Luna covering them. Flare cast a sideways glance at her.
"It's okay. As guards, we don't get the luxuries the guests and royalty do." she explained. "Our priority is to defend, not to enjoy."
Evermore frowned, but kept walking. Flare stopped in front of a door, but Evermore kept walking past. Flare chuckled.
"Uh, Evermore?" she said, laughing. The unicorn froze mid-walk, and slowly trotted back.
"Sorry..." she said sheepishly. "Anyway, so this is my room?" Flare nodded.
"I'll leave you to sleep." she replied, bowing slowly. Evermore nodded, not used to being treated so highly. She slowly opened her room's door.
She trotted over to the bed, and pulled the sheets. The unicorn got in, making herself comfortable. When she was done, she sighed contentedly.
"Goodnight, Canterlot." she murmured to the ceiling. And with that, she fell asleep.
Author's Note
Kind of like a prologue, but it's an important part of the plot.
Someone Watches You Sleep
She has no wings! Where are her wings?! a voice screamed in Evermore's head. A flash of green light and a dark, goulish face accompanied these words. She heard the cries of a baby, and a strange, rustling sound, much like one a large group of insects would make.
There was a pair of piercing green eyes, and about a dozen blue ones. There were fangs, long, twisted horns, and wings. Insect wings. Holes adorned their legs.
They were insects. Huge, pony-like insects. And she was staring into the face of one. And it was covered with blood.
Evermore screamed and woke up... right into the face of a stallion. She gasped and looked up. The stallion's face was redder than his coat, probably because his face was in such close proximity with Evermore's.
"Thank Celestia you didn't hit me..." he said, rubbing the saliva off his face. Evermore blushed and sank into the covers.
"Why were you watching me sleep?" she asked in a small voice. The stallion looked sheepish.
"I was assigned by General Flare to watch you... even when you sleep." he replied, obviously embarrassed. He moved his face away from Evermore's.
"I'm Arrow Shot, by the way." he said. Evermore looked at him, wondering if she had seen him before.
"You look familiar..." she stated, squinting at him. He squinted back, slightly poking his tongue out. Evermore giggled a little.
"Probably because I'm Flare's brother." Arrow replied, his face returning to it's serious expression. Evermore smirked.
"Hmm, that must be wonderful, being her brother." she joked, still smirking. Arrow looked annoyed.
"I'll leave you to get ready, but later, you're going on a tour with Princess Celestia." he continued, completely avoiding her question. He left the room, leaving Evermore alone.
A bit bewildered, she slid out of the bed, her hooves making a soft 'clop' noise as they touched the floor. She looked around her room, remembering she hadn't taken a good look at it.
The room was a shade of lavender, with a blue rug on the floor. On top of the rug was the bed, which was a four-poster. It was a luxury bed, covered in pillows. The covers were a very rich purple.
Having had enough staring at the room, Evermore opened the door of her room. Not all that surprised to see Arrow and another guard outside her room, she walked past without even glancing at them.
Immediately, Arrow blocked her path. Evermore looked up at him.
"You know what I'm going to say." he said. And indeed she did.
"You're not allowed to go off by yourself, here take a guard." she replied, putting on a stupid face and imitating Arrow. He laughed.
"Actually, that does sound like me." he chuckled, looking down at her. General Flare walked down the hallway and stopped suddenly, in front of Evermore's room.
As soon as she saw Evermore, she looked furious. (And I mean furious) She stormed up to Arrow, shoving Evermore out of the way.
"She was supposed to stay in her ROOM! Does this look like her ROOM to YOU?" she yelled. Arrow looked at Evermore, who had been shoved into the wall.
"I don't think it causes that much trouble, sis." he replied. Flare just scowled.
"Let's just go..." she groaned, turning to Evermore. "Come on then."
Evermore slowly peeled herself off the wall, frowning. Flare just kept her serious expression.
"You didn't have to shove me into the wall..." Evermore complained. Flare just rolled her eyes.
"Get over it, drama queen." she replied. Evermore mumbled and grumbled, but followed Flare as she walked down the corridor, closely followed by Arrow.
"Why are you being so negative?" Evermore asked Flare. She grunted.
"It's my job to be negative." Flare said simply. Evermore wrinkled her brow. Arrow was looking at Evermore's strange expression.
"You okay?" he asked her. She flinched, as if she was just brought back to reality. She looked up at him.
"Oh, yeah." Evermore said. "Just thinking..." Arrow grinned in response. They both turned around and kept walking to Celestia's throne room.
It didn't take them long to reach their desired location. Celestia was sitting in her throne, in her usual position. She smiled as they walked in.
"Ah, Evermore. Have you enjoyed your visit so far?" she asked. Evermore smiled at the alicorn.
"Very much, thank you, Your Majesty." she replied, bowing politely to the princess. Celestia's expression turned serious.
"We have something very important to talk about..." she said. Evermore looked up at her.
"What do you know... about the Changelings?"
Author's Note
Someone was actually watching her sleep... Creepy...
"Changelings? What's a Changeling?" Evermore questioned. Celestia's grave expression didn't change.
"A monster." she said simply. This simple statement did not help Evermore. She just tilted her head more.
"Do you have a family?" Celestia asked. Evermore raised an eyebrow.
"Yes... Orchid Bloom and Snapshot." she answered. "My parents." She brushed her green mane behind her ear.
Celestia frowned, as if she doubted that. Flare and Arrow were standing on either side of her, spears pointing to the ceiling.
Evermore got distracted and stuck her tongue out at Arrow. Even though he was a guard, and it was against the rules to show any facial expression, he grinned. A huge, meaningful sort of grin, with a slight flirty look to it.
Celestia's teeth gritted together. She would not allow this, not with the new information she had gathered. If it was true, she wanted relationships with Evermore, friend or otherwise, kept to a minimum.
"Would it be alright if I sent them a letter, Evermore?" she asked, trying to return Evermore's attention to her. Evermore's eyes snapped back to her.
"That would be fine, Your Majesty." she said, a little awkwardly. Celestia nodded.
"Great. What did you say their names were?" she asked, levitating a piece of parchment and a quill to her.
"Orchid Bloom and Snapshot." she replied. The quill, in grip of Celestia's magic, scribbled on the parchment.
Dear Mrs Orchid Bloom and Mr Snapshot,
I am currently in the company of a Miss Evermore, who tells me you are her parents. She came to me for guidance, though a new problem has arisen.
I have in my possession an important piece of information, involving your daughter. I wish to discuss it with you.
If Evermore is not your daughter, and you are not associated with her in any way, I apologize. If she is your daughter, and you have time, please visit Canterlot Castle. I eagerly await your reply.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia.
The quill was dropped from Celestia's magical grasp. She smiled and re-read the letter. Everything seemed to be in order, so she put it down.
Evermore was still waiting patiently, a few metres away from Celestia's dais. Celestia smiled at her.
"Now, let's go for that tour then, shall we?"
Evermore's smile was all the answer she needed.
An orange mare with a green mane was trimming the bushes outside her house. On her flank was a flower, namely an orchid, the petals spreading out.
A 'clang' sound met her ears, and she turned around. The letterbox had a roll of parchment inside, marked with the royal seal.
The mare gasped, pulling the letter out. She held the letter, her mouth slightly open as if the letter was a solid block of gold.
"Snap!" she called, galloping inside the house. "A letter!"
A grey colored stallion was leaning over a camera, fiddling with the screen. When the mare burst into the room, he dropped the camera.
"THERE'S A LETTER FROM THE PRINCESS!" the mare screamed. The stallion rushed over, trying to calm her down.
"Give us a look then, dear."
He gently pried the letter out of his wive's hooves, tearing the envelope open. The mare was breathing heavily, still panicking.
"A-letter-from-Celestia-my-goodness-this-is-amazing-I-can't-believe-this!" she squeaked. The stallion rolled his eyes, unfolding the letter. He scanned it slowly, taking in every word. His eyes widened.
"What's wrong, Snaps?" his wife asked. Snapshot fainted, the letter falling out of his hooves, and his head hitting the floor. The mare gasped, grabbing the letter and reading it.
Surprisingly, the mare did not faint. She simply raised a hoof to her mouth.
"They have Evermore."
After Snapshot had recovered, they set off on the quickest train to Canterlot.
"I don't know, Orchid. I'm sure she'll be fine." Snapshot murmured. Orchid shot him a glare.
"I promised to take care of her, and I will. No matter what." she replied, taking a seat on the train. Snapshot sat next to her.
"But she's with Princess Celestia. How is that bad?" he continued. Orchid groaned.
"The fact that she's with Celestia is what I'm worried about. What if... You-Know-Who attacks?"
Snapshot went silent, opting to stare out the window instead. Orchid silently thanked him, laying back on the chair.
"Maybe it would be better if she did take her." He murmured. Orchid glared daggers at him.
"Never say that about my Evermore." she hissed. Snapshot glared back.
"She's not yours!" he snapped. Orchid was shocked.
"Are you okay, dear? You're not like yourself at all." Snapshot calmed down, staring down at the floor.
"Oh, yes dear. Just fine..." he said quietly, a strange, mysterious look to his eyes. Orchid did not seem to notice, though.
"Alright, if you say so darling." she replied. The train stopped, and a voice came over the loudspeaker.
"We have reached Canterlot Train Station. Please disembark from the train." Orchid and Snapshot trotted down the aisle, Orchid briskly, Snapshot not so briskly.
"Good job, drone." A sleek, sharp voice said. Orchid turned around, but was met with a pain in the head.
"And good night to you... Orchid, is it?" Orchid could not reply, as black spots danced in her vision. Her head slammed onto the platform, and everything went black.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Author's Note
Sorry about the wait, but here it is. Hope you like it! (And sorry about the mistakes... I posted this at 2 am...)
