Chapters And to think that today was going to be perfect…
Chrysalis groaned as she opened her sore eyes. Darkness surrounded her, and all she could make out were the shadowy figures of trees. Her entire body ached and even the smallest motions sent jabs of pain through her limbs.
I can’t believe I failed… Shinning Armor, Canterlot, Equestria… They were all mine…
She tried to heave herself up, but her body screamed in protest. She fell back to the dirt, groaning a second time.
I lost… And all because of those foals…
A malicious scowl appeared across Chrysalis’s face as she was reminded of the two mares. Pure anger surged through her broken body as memories of her downfall returned.
They’ll pay, oh by Celestia they’ll pay!
The dark creature chuckled as images of the unicorn suffering played through her head. She’d get revenge not only against Princess Cadence and Twilight, but all of Equestria.
First however, I need to figure out where I am…
After a few minutes of resting, Chrysalis exerted all of her strength in an effort to stand. It felt like she was being stabbed by dozens of kitchen knives, but after a moment the pain passed. Although slightly wobbly, she was standing. She glanced around her surroundings as her eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness.
She was definitely in a forest of some sorts, as circling her were endless rows of identical trees. An eerie silence filled the air and it made the changeling Queen uneasy.
Where are my subjects? Some of them must have landed here with me…
Chrysalis slowly began pacing through the woods, taking small steps as to insure her body could keep up. All the while her large green eyes scanned the forest, hoping to catch a glance of at least one of her subjects.
“They think I’m beaten…” She mumbled quietly to herself as she went. “They think I’ll just give up…”
The forest appeared deserted which struck her as odd. She hadn’t even seen a single animal in which should have been an otherwise busy place. Still, she had to find one of her changelings. She needed her revenge, and this was just the first step.
“Well they’re wrong… I’ll come back, stronger than ever! Then I’ll crush them like the insects they are!” Queen Chrysalis stamped her hoof to the ground, an abrupt pain immediately shooting up her fore-arm. She cried out then collapsed to the ground.
“Maybe… Maybe I’ll need a little help…” She cooed to herself quietly as she laid her head against the rough earth. Within a few minutes she fell into the much needed sleep her tired body desired.
“Your majesty! Your majesty!” Something jabbed her in the side and she rolled over.
“Wh-what?” Chrysalis mumbled before opening her eyes. Standing beside her was a jet black creature with wings; a worried look was plastered on his face.
“Your majesty, are you alright?” He asked, his eyes scanning her bruised and injured body.
A snarl passed her lips. “Yes I’m fine! I was looking through this entire forest for one of you idiots! Where were you?”
“Uh…” The changeling placed a hoof behind his head, slightly taken back. “Well I only just woke up a few minutes ago your majesty… Luckily I landed in a tree, and my injuries were only minor. I’m not sure if any of the others survived however…”
Chrysalis gave the changeling a cold stare. “Well don’t just stand there, go and look! We need to regroup if we are to have any chance at getting revenge!” She barked viscously at him. The changeling gave a salute then sped up above the tree line.
I’ll make them all pay for what they did…
Chrysalis got up to her hooves, her body complying fairly well. Her short rest had relived some of the aches and pains in her body, and the rest of her injuries would heal in time. “As soon as my changelings are assembled and my body is healed I’ll get my revenge, and this time I won’t fail…” She hissed maliciously to herself.
“This time I’ll put such a strong spell on Shinning Armor he won’t even recognize his own sister, or his wife! Ha! That would make them suffer…” She mumbled softly to herself, her mind wandering from her injuries as she plotted against her enemies.
“This is it?” Chrysalis hissed under her breath as she scanned the broken, rag tag group of changelings.
“I’m afraid so my queen… Many of the soldiers didn’t survive the fall, and what few did are badly wounded.” The changeling next to her mumbled.
It pained her seeing her subjects in such a pitiful state. Some of them had clearly visibly broken bones, parts of their wings missing and their horns bent. It was no army, it was far from that.
“Gah! How am I supposed to take Equestria with this?!” She roared, her eyes turning a dark shade of green for a split second. Rage surged through her injured body, and she resorted to slow breathing to calm herself down.
I need a plan… She thought silently to herself, her eyes still lingering on the handful of wounded subjects. I could impersonate Celestia! But how would I get rid of the real her? Bah, it would never work…
“Keep watch over the troops, I’ll return shortly…” She ordered, taking a quick glance at the only able bodied changeling. He saluted in response, and she took off into the forest alone.
It was quiet and tranquil, so unlike the busy and rampant streets of Canterlot that she had gotten use to for the past few days. It gave her body a sense of calming and ease, but her mind was still so abuzz with thoughts of revenge that it was impossible to relax.
Perhaps I could change into Luna, and turn the royal sisters against each other? Celestia would think Nightmare Moon’s returned, and she’d surly banish her! Ah, but they’re far too smart for that…
What I need is help, as my changelings aren’t going to be doing much of anything anytime soon…
Part of her wanted to lie down and rest for a few hours, or even for a few days. Her body still ached so much, but her mind simply refused. She needed her revenge, rest could wait. So instead Chrsyalis took a seat in a grassy area and gazed up at the night sky, her mind still constantly plotting.
Who else would want revenge against Twilight Sparkle and the rest of Eqeustria? Who else has been beaten?
The answer hit her like a ton of bricks, and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t realized it sooner.
Discord! That idiot got himself imprisoned mere months ago, and by none other than Twilight Sparkle! If I could enlist his aid, I would surely be able to destroy that annoying unicorn and take over Equestria! Chrysalis grinned to herself, her sharp cat like teeth glimmering in the darkness.
“I’ll have my revenge… They’ll see…”
Argh, it’s so boring around here! Why can’t old Celly host more weddings? It’s not every day I get to see Canterlot in utter chaos…
A well dressed, high class unicorn passed the hideous sculpture in the garden as he did every day. It used to frighten him, what with its mismatched body parts and ugly appearance. But after seeing it so often the fear had passed, and by now he barely even paid it a glance.
There goes that rich unicorn again, how I wish I could wipe that snooty look off his face…
After the unicorn left the gardens were left deserted, just as they always were in the morning. During the rest of the day ponies would come and go, paying not even a second of attention to the stone statue of Discord. They were all busy and had things to do and places to see. They couldn’t waste their time on a mere statue.
Discord had all the time in the world, and every second of it was mind numbing boredom. Seconds ticked off slowly, like the hour hand of a clock. He wished he could end it, just for moment he wished he could be free. He could hardly believe he had spent a thousand years like this; he was going insane now after only a few months!
Still, that Queen (Chrsysalis was it?) did make things rather fun around here. But of course the magic of friendship had to prevail again and Celly is still in power… One of these days I’ll get out of here, and then I’ll put her in stone for a thousand years! It will be glorious!
But first, I need to get out of here…
“Wha-what?! But you can’t be serious your majesty! You’re still far too weak to travel!” The changeling urged, his concern annoying her.
“I’ll be fine… The journey isn’t that long, and my wings will be able to take me most of the way. Besides, we need help, and this is the only way we can get it…” Chrysalis hissed, the changeling quickly backing off. “I’m putting you in charge until I return. Search the nearby area with whatever able troops we have, there has to be more of them around here.”
The changeling swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes my Queen. Please, be careful. We're nothing without you…” He bowed his head low to the ground, a smirk crossing Chrysalis face as she watched him.
“Fear not, I can handle myself.” She stated simply as she turned to the outskirts of the forest. A vast, flat land stretched out for seemingly miles. She was lying when she said it wasn’t a long journey, it would take well over a day to reach Canterlot, especially if she wanted to keep herself hidden. But it didn’t matter; she would have travelled across Equestria a dozen times to get her revenge. It was as if she could feel it pulsing through her veins, clouding every thought and blemishing every idea. She needed to see her enemies suffer, to see them pay for what they had done to her.
I hope this works… She thought silently to herself as she closed her eyes, focusing all of her energy on her magic. Her horn began to glow green as her transformation spell began to build up. A bright light flashed around her, and the next second the changeling Queen was gone. Instead a much smaller pegasus was left in her wake. Being a boring brown color with an unoriginal black mane she was hardly noticeable, and would very easily blend in with a crowd. Perfect, now let’s just hope I can fly…
Chrysalis extended her wings, then after a minute of waiting she kicked off from the ground. A quick flap of her appendages sent pain shooting through her, and she had to use every muscle in her body to keep from plummeting to the ground. Although she dropped a few feet, the changeling Queen was able to quickly stabilize herself and was soon flying through the air. She turned around and before long her changeling subject faded from view as the forest began to shrink behind her. Pushing aside those thoughts she turned forward and focused herself on the long journey ahead.
“Are you sure this chamber is strong enough? The elements are the most valuable thing in Equestria, and our strongest weapon. The Princess would be furious if they were stolen.” A blue mare questioned as she straightened the thin pair of glasses perched on her nose. She looked up from her clipboard to a gruff looking earth pony smirking at her.
“Ha! I assure you ma’am, nothing in Equestria could break through this stone! Mined from the deepest caverns with the hardest tools, then enhanced with only the finest unicorn magic! Not even an Ursa Major could break through this!” He snorted before giving the nearby white wall a tap of his hoof.
“Mhm…” She stated before jotting down a few things. “And your men are ready to transport the elements? They’ll be in their most vulnerable state at this point, so we’ll need you to be on complete guard.”
“Ah quit your worrying ma’am, I got it all handled!”
“Right, well I’ll inform the Princess of this right away. Remember your team is leaving the Element tower at approximately six ‘clock tomorrow, not a minute early or late! A group of the strongest royal guards will be with you, and you’ll arrive here at six thirty. Is that understood?” She shot him a glare, being the Princess’s royal advisor meant she had a lot of responsibility. If something happened to the Elements it was her flank on the line.
“Yes ma'am!” He saluted giving her his best stone face. She stared at him for a moment, then after being satisfied she left the room.
Chrysalis had been flying for an entire day so it was no surprise she was completely exhausted. Luckily she spotted an inn and quickly pushed through the door. Inside she was greeted with a warm sight. A roaring fire sat in the corner with two cloaked ponies being huddled around its comforting heat. Behind a wooden desk stood a mare who was happily chatting to a male pegasus, and a set of stairs presumably led up to the bedrooms. She slowly entered the room and paced up to the mare.
Seeing a guest she halted her conversation and turned to her with a smile. “Hello dear! Judging by how exhausted you look I imagine you want a room? You poor thing, have you been traveling far?”
This mare was awful nice, and the care and love she was offering her began to fill her. She hadn’t fed in a long while, and that for sure hadn’t helped her recovery. “Yes I’ve been traveling all I day and I would very much like a place to stay…” She mumbled quietly, giving her voice a soft, weak under tone that she hopped the mare would pick up.
“Oh well we have tons of rooms! It’s only five bits for one night.”
She of course had no bits; hopefully this mare could show a bit of generosity. “I-I’m sorry… I don-” She stopped a moment to let out a harsh cough. “I don’t have any money…”
“Oh don’t worry dear; I’m always willing to offer a hoof to the weary traveler!” The mare said with an apathetic smile. Behind her frown Chrysalis grinned to herself, the cough had been a nice touch.
The mare led her up the stairs and to a quaint looking room. She gave her a final smile and wished her a goodnight before leaving. Immediately Chrysalis collapsed onto the bed and let out an exhausted groan. She had to get as much rest as possible, as tomorrow would be another long day of flying. The changeling Queen quickly fell into a deep sleep, the whole time she dreamt of watching Princess Candece, Shinning Armor and Twilight Sparkle suffer.
She didn’t sleep long, as something suddenly jabbed her in the side. She let out an extremely annoyed growl and rolled over, only to find two changelings starting at her. “Gah! Wh-what are you two doing here?!”
“My Queen!” One of them smiled, happy to see she had awoken. “We could hardly believe it when you walked in here; we had no idea where you were!”
She stared at them dumbfounded for a moment. Before long she realized they had been the two ponies by the fire, no doubt disguised. She almost thought to herself how they had been able to see through her clever charade, but then remembered that all her subjects were ‘connected’ to her. They could sense when she was around, which helped greatly whenever she was disguised.
“I and a handful of other changelings landed in a forest many miles from here. They were greatly injured, so only I could travel to Canterlot. It’s good to see that more of you survived.”
“It’s good to see that your alive my Queen, we were so worried!” The second commented as they continued to stare at her.
“Is there anymore of you?”
“Yes actually, there’s three more staying at another inn north of here. We’ve stayed separated just in case we would find you, which thank Celestia we did!”
Chrysalis sighed and laid back down in her bed. “Good, rally the rest of them and bring them here. We’ll leave for Canterlot in the morning. For now let me sleep…” The two changelings saluted her and then quickly scurried out of the small room. Before long she fell back into her sleep, once again dreaming of her revenge which now seemed that much closer.
Much to her displeasure, Chrysalis awoke in the whim hours of the morning to a blinding ray of light shining through the single window and assaulting her sensitive eyes. She let out an irritated growl before rolling off of the comfy bed and onto the cold wooden floor. The faint sounds of birds chirping came from outside, and she quickly realized just how early it was.
Standing up caused her body to groan in pain, and all she could think about while staring at the bed was to return to her rest. Canterlot awaited however, and she couldn’t waste her time sleeping. There would be plenty of time to rest after she exacted her revenge on Princess Caedence and Twilight Sparkle. So despite her body’s protests, she turned away from the bed and descended into the inn’s main room.
It was empty, as Chrysalis had predicted. Normal ponies didn’t wake up this early, and she suspected it would be some time before even the mare at the desk would get up. Finally pushing away the thoughts of how early it was, she exited the inn and stepped out into the morning air.
Five ponies standing at attention were there to greet her with a salute, no doubt her changelings. She nodded to them and turned east towards the still rising sun. It shot brilliant rays of orange and red across the vast plains, making the whole landscape look like some priceless piece of art. Even Chrysalis, whose mind was constantly set on the thought of revenge, stopped for a moment to admire it.
“Let’s go… We still have a lot of ground to cover, but if we hurry we should be able to reach Canterlot by tonight.” She growled to the five ponies, quickly turning away from the sun. The changeling Queen kicked off from the ground, quickly followed by her subjects. Within a few moments the six of them were soaring through the open air and towards the rising sun.
“… And so the captain said we’re moving the Elements tonight!” A large muscular earth pony said to his equally buff companion as they paced through the Canterlot gardens.
“What?! Tonight?!” The other pony’s face scrunched into a confused expression. “But we just got here two bleeding days ago, why are we moving them this soon?”
The other pony shrugged. “Beat’s me. That’s all ah heard from the captain though. Six tonight ah believe it was. We’re supposed to be meeting some guards at the Element tower.” The two pressed on through the garden, moving past a hideous looking statue without even giving it a glance.
“Whatever, long as we get paid. Now where’s this damn bar you’re talking about?! I think we’re lost.”
“Uh ah thought ah saw it around here somewhere…” The two earth ponies disappeared into the garden, leaving it in its usual morning quietness.
Discord chuckled to himself as he watched them disappear from view. The information he just gathered was invaluable, but without another pony to help him it was useless. Ugh, then again who knows? Maybes today’s the day I’ll finally get somepony to get me out of here! I suppose I can only wait and see…
Chrysalis finally touched down in what was called the outskirts of Canterlot. The grand city itself was in view, but before charging blindly into the most hostile place she could possibly be in she wanted to form a plan. Her changelings landed soon after her, just as exhausted as their queen.
Oh my aching wings… She laid down in the cool grass to relax for a moment. Her wings lied limply at her sides, every inch of them sore and coursing with pain. At least we’re here though… Now let’s formulate a plan, as breaking Discord out isn’t going to be easy.
She got to her hooves despite the pain in her wings. Her changelings, seeing their Queen rest had followed in her example and were sprawled out across the grass panting. A glare quickly fixed that, and the next second they were all standing at attention.
“Now my pets… This won’t be easy.” She circled around them, her eyes scanning their bodies for any signs of injures. These changelings, unlike her other subjects, looked completely unscathed aside from their obvious exhaustion. They would serve her much better.
“You see, we’re going to be breaking out an old enemy of Equestria… A creature of chaos and tricks that has been in imprisonment for over a thousand years. Now I’ll go into the city alone to see if there’s anyway we can possibly break him out. During this time you will wait out here for me to return. Is that understood?” She stared at the group of them, her voice strong and stern.
They all nodded in response, she loved how loyal her subjects were. Soon enough the rest of Equestria would be just as loyal and every pony would bow to her, even the Princess herself.
Turning away from them she took off into the air and towards the massive, towering city. It only continued to grow as she got closer, the towers of the Grand Palace rising far into the darkening sky. She suspected it was around five o’clock, and the sky was only so dark because of the many clouds. It seemed the pegasi has a storm scheduled for today, as they clouds only continued to grow darker as she neared the city.
Before long she was soaring over Canterlot, being much more careful due to the amount of air traffic. Pegasus ponies of all size and colors were flying through the sky, some caring supplies while others pulled chariots. Chrysalis maneuvered herself through the traffic and towards the place Discord rested, the Royal Gardens. She touched down by the edge and cautiously began to make her way through the nature filled paradise.
All around her were plants and creatures from every corner of Equestria, but Chrysalis paid them no heed as she went. She was only here for Discord; such petty things were only a waste of time for her to think about. Turning a corner along the path she came to the statue garden, were dozens of stone statues stood frozen in time. Her eyes scanned through the small forest of them, quickly noticing the Draconequus due to his strange form. She paced in front of him, looking his stony body up and down.
Chrysalis stood in front of him for a few minutes just staring at him, half expecting something to happen. His terrified expression remained plastered on his face for all to see, and she began to wonder while she stared at it. She had heard stories of the Draconequus, how he had easily tricked the Element bearers and turned them against another. She also knew he had ruled Equestria a thousand years ago, only to be brought down by the Princesses. There must have been something clever about him, as not just anypony had a resume like that.
Twenty minutes passed before she realized just how stupid her idea was, he’s a statue! It’s not like he’s just going to come to life! Letting out a sigh she turned away from the statue and began to pace away. How she would get her revenge now she had no idea, but sitting around staring at a lifeless slab of rock wasn’t going to accomplish anything.
However, just as she went to turn the corner she heard a faint whisper.
Leaving so soon? I don’t get visitors often you know…
Chrysalis spun around on one hoof and looked around at the vacant gardens. “Who said that?!” She demanded, her voice not reaching any living ponies ears. Finally after getting no response her eyes wandered onto the still unmoving statue.
“Discord?” She called out. Still no response came. Pushing the voice aside she went to leave again, only to be stopped by another whisper that seemed to echo through her head.
You’re the changeling Queen aren't you? A rather pathetic disguise if you ask me, I could do so much better…
This time she was sure she heard it, and quickly stormed up to the statue. “Discord! That’s you, isn’t it?!” She roared at the inanimate statue, her patience now being tested.
Of course it’s me, who else would be here? No one ever wastes their time in the gardens… They just leave statues like me to sit and erode…
Part of her was glad that Discord could communicate with her, yet another part was thoroughly annoyed. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? I was staring at you for twenty minutes!”
Because, you looked so stupid sitting there! How could I pass up a chance to mess with somepony, I’ve been liked this for so long!
Gritting her teeth she held back her insults, yelling at him wouldn’t get him to help any sooner. “Well I suppose if you know who I am then you know why I’m here too?”
Actually yes, I’ve pieced that together myself. I remember how just days ago you were kicked out of Canterlot with your army, and now I’m sure your literally burning for revenge. And who better to help you achieve that then an immortal god of chaos?
“Good, then I don’t have to waste my time explain things to you. But before we can get revenge there’s the little problem that you’re stuck in stone.” Chrysalis remarked, which gained a hearty laugh from the Draconequus.
Oh don’t worry about that, I have it covered! All I need you to do is go out and do a little dirty work.
“I’m not some lowly worm, you insolent retch! I’m not doing your bidding.” She snapped while looking into the statue’s vacant eyes. Had anypony seen her they would have thought she was crazy.
Then I suppose you don’t want your revenge! All I ask is that you go and get the Elements so then I can be released. After that it’s only a matter of time before we bring Celestia’s kingdom crashing to the ground!
Chrysalis continued to stare at the statue with an unsure frown. The Draconqeuus couldn’t be trusted, that much was for sure. But right now he was the only shot she had, so after a few moments she nodded. “Fine, now where are the Elements? I imagine stealing them won’t be easy.”
Normally yes, stealing them would be practically impossible. But tonight they’re going to be moved to a new location, so stealing them should be like taking candy from a foal.
Chrysalis cocked an eyebrow at him, “And just how do you know this? I imagine being in a statue all day keeps you from interacting with other ponies.”
Oh you wouldn’t believe the things ponies say when they think no one’s around. If decorations could talk, imagine the stories they would tell! Haha!
The Draconequus constant laughter and joking tone irritated her. Working with him wasn’t going to be easy. “So where and when are the Elements being moved? Be quick, I don’t have all day you know…” She snapped at him, which only caused him to laugh yet again.
Oh but you do… The only thought on your mind right now is revenge, and you’d do anything for it, wouldn’t you? It’s slowly taking you over, invading every waking moment. Eventually it will totally consume you and you’ll be nothing but an insane, broken Queen.
“SILENCE!” Chrysalis roared at the inanimate statue, her annoyance finally reaching a breaking point. “Enough… Just tell me where the Elements are being moved…” She mumbled after a moment of silence.
At six o’clock tonight. Some mercenaries are meeting a group of royal guards at the Element tower, and then they’re moving it from there. I imagine you can come up with a plan from there, or do I have to do all the thinking?
Chrysalis stormed away from the statue and out of the gardens, not even dignifying the Draconequus with a response. As he watched her leave he let out a deep, hearty laugh. Soon enough I’ll be free, then Celestia will finally feel what it’s like to lose…
A dozen royal guards stood outside the Element tower in the now pouring rain. Despite the weather they continued to stand diligently, just as they had been trained. Their golden armor shinned brightly in the rain and made them stand out against the sea of grey. The captain snorted when he finally saw some figures through the rain. “Bout time those damn idiots got here! Lousy, drunks… I don’t know why we hired them… ”
A shadowy figure suddenly charged through the rain and tackled one of the guards to the ground. Before they could even react four more figures attacked through the storm, each of them pushing a large, armored guard to the ground. “Gah we’re under attack! Take them out men!” The captain yelled while swinging a heavy hoof at one of the figures. With a speed unlike anypony it quickly ducked the right hook, and then punched the captain square in the face. He stumbled backwards, blood gushing from his now crooked nose.
Chrysalis watched her changelings make quick work of the guards, smiling devilishly as they went down one by one. Changelings were superior to ponies in every right, they were faster, stronger and all of them could fly. Not to mention their shape shifting ability, which was causing a lot of confusion among the guards. Within a few minutes five changelings had effectively taken out a dozen royal guards, all of which were now knocked out on the ground. The Queen walked through the rain and towards her soaked subjects.
“Good… That’s the first part of the plan done. Now quick, get rid of these bodies. Those mercenaries could show up any minute…”
Ten minutes later a group of about ten earth ponies arrived at the Element tower, all of them stumbling and reeking of alcohol. The leader walked over to the six royal guards standing at attention. “Oi! Is this all of ya? I woulda thought the almighty Princess Celestia could come up with more than just half a dozen crummy guards…” He slurred to the captain, who looked at him with a disgusted frown.
“Just get the Elements and let’s go…” The disguised Chrysalis ordered in a stern voice. The mercenary leader, slightly afraid of the large, burly guard, nodded and walked into the Element Tower. He fumbled through the pockets of his saddlebag and pulled out a specifically made key. It slid into the door perfectly, then after a burst of light the heavy doors swung open. A few seconds later he was stumbling back into the rain, the Element chest safely strapped to his back.
“Alright let’s get going lads…” He told his company and the guards. As they stared down the wall Chrysalis nodded to the guards, who all instantly attacked the group of ponies. Bone broke against metal as the changelings plowed their heavy hooves into them. Being drunk they could barely stand straight let alone fight, so the changelings made even quicker work of the mercenaries. Chrysalis grinned to herself as she picked up two of the drunken earth ponies with her magic, and then threw them off the side of the wall.
The leader of the mercenaries stood in confusion as the guards defeated his men. With his eyes set on the captain, he pulled a serrated blade from his side and held it firmly between his teeth. He charged at her and swung the blade around in a desperate attempt to injure her. Chrysalis merely picked him up with her magic and levitated him higher into the air. He began panicking as he realized his predicament, and he flailed his body aimlessly around, doing absolutely nothing to break the Queen telekinetic grip.
Finally reaching a sufficient height, Chrysalis swung her head violently, causing the drunk mercenary to smash into the side of the Element tower. His body hit the ground hard, and he laid there unmoving. Turning away from the now dead leader she checked on her changelings. All the drunks were either knocked out or dead and her subjects stood practically unscathed.
Grinning once more Chrysalis paced over to the dead leaders body. “Like taking candy from a foal…” She whispered to herself as she unstrapped the Element chest from his back. Sitting right in her hooves were the strongest weapons in Equestria, the Elements of Harmony. With them she could release Discord, but not only that she could keep Celestia from using them as a weapon. She did try and defeat her with them during the wedding, and perhaps they would have had that dammed Princess Cadence and Shinning Armor not stopped her first.
“Let’s go, there’s nothing more for us here…” She stated to them before taking off into the still rainy night. It was much harder to fly in such weather, but she and her subjects were able to manage. Before long they touched down in the Canterlot Gardens, which were just as deserted as usual. Chrysalis made her way to Discord, who was still in the same frozen position.
Ah you’re finally here… Took you long enough…
“Shut it.” She stated before placing the Element Chest on the ground. “So how does this work?”
Easy, simply place all of the Elements in front of me and they should break the prison.
Surprised that it was such an easy ritual, Chrysalis took out each individual gem and placed it in front of the statue. Before long all six, beautiful golden Element sat in front of Discord. A long period of silence followed where she simply stared at him. Anticipation was in the air as they waited for the inevitable moment.
Ten minutes passed, and finally Chrysalis looked at him in annoyance. “This better not be another joke Discord…”
It’s not! Just uh, give it another few minutes? I’m sure it’ll happen any second now… Any second...
Gah! Why aren’t these things working? I was sure this would work…
Chrysalis shot the stoic statue an irritated glare. “What?! You didn’t even know this would work?! You were just going off some stupid hunch?!”
I wasn’t just a hunch, I was almost certain this would work! The Elements put me in here, so I assumed they could free me too…
The Changeling Queen rolled her eyes and let out a ferocious growl. “Great, so we stole the Elements for nothing! Not only that I’m stuck with a brainless partner who can’t even move… Ugh, like we even stand a chance against Celestia…”
Ah but there’s still hope! Now that I think about it, this isn’t working because the Elements aren’t activated!
“So? How the Tartarus does that help?”
It’s simple; all you need to get is one of the Element bearers! Twilight Sparkle to be exact, as only the Element of Magic can activate them.
The very name made Chrysalis grit her teeth. “Simple? You think foalnapping the Princess’s prized student and bringing her straight into the middle of Canterlot is easy?”
It would be easy for me…
Chrysalis placed a hoof on her face and released a heavy sigh. She had barely known the Draconequus for a day, and already he was getting on her last nerve. She was beginning to question if she even wanted him free.
Listen Chrysalis my dear, simply fly to Ponyville and kidnap her. Use that shape shifting power of yours, and with the help of your changelings it should be easy! She’s just one unicorn, how much trouble could she be?
“Weren’t you defeated by her?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow at the seemingly inanimate statue.
Hey, she beat you too! She just surprised me, that’s all…
“Well…” Chrysalis spun around to her changelings who stared at her with confused looks. Obviously they couldn’t hear the Draconequus’s babble, which left her looking like a crazy pony staring at a statue. “It seems we need to head to Ponyville, actually I’m kind of glad about this! Looks like I’ll get me revenge sooner than expected!”
“Really Rainbow Dash? You’re done that book already ?”
“Yeah! How was I supposed to put it down, it was the best one yet!”
A lavender unicorn sighed and shook her head as she grabbed the book from her friend’s hooves. “There’s only two books left in the series you know…” Twilight stated as she grabbed the next Daring Do novel from her bookshelf. Her luscious, purple streaked mane wiped around her face as she turned around, quickly ushering the book into the pegasus’s hooves.
Twilight shook her head once more before turning back to the bookshelf. Her horn glowed a light magenta, and several books pulled themselves off the shelf and began re-arraigning themselves in a sort of hypnotic way. She sighed as she watched them; letting waves of rare relaxation wash over her. Sorting books was perhaps one of her favorite things to do, as it always made her calm and relaxed no matter what had transpired that day. As an added bonus she also felt like she was beating back the chaos that was constantly trying so desperately to disorganize her perfect library.
As she fell into her usual trance of watching the books, she didn’t even notice the hooded pony that entered the library. He was an earth pony, as no pair of wings or horn poked out from his body. What one could see of his coat was a mangy, dirty brown, revealing that he was most likely a pony of working class. His bangs were too long to be covered by his hood, so they merely hung in front of his face. Their jet black color and split ends serving as a mask, so only his piercing green eyes were visible.
Upon noticing he was still unnoticed, he stalked across the room silently, the only sound that of ruffling paper and the dull thunk as the books were shoved into their places. The mysterious earth pony made it right behind the unicorn, when suddenly she stopped her sorting and turned around. She let out a frightened yelp as she jumped back; almost hitting the bookshelf she had just carefully sorted.
“Um… d-do you need anything?” Twilight squeaked as she eyed the stranger with caution, his dirty appearance causing her a great degree of fright.
“Uh yes actually…” He spoke slowly, his voice like that of hooves on a chalkboard. Each syllable was like a shriek of a banshee, causing Twilight to cringe and take a step back. “Could you please get me…” He stopped for a moment as his emerald green eyes scanned the bookshelf behind her. “That book, right there…” He pointed a dingy hoof at a book, Twilight eventually following it to see the title.
“Um right…” She stated, slowly grabbing the book. There was something about the stranger, not only his appearance, but it was as if something much more sinister was in the air. Pushing it aside as just general creepiness, she handed the book to him and gave him her best possible smile. Although due to her fear it only turned into an eerie, mangled mess.
The stranger looked at the book for a moment before glancing back up at Twilight. “I uh, need that one too…” He pointed to a book on the top shelf.
“Alright…” Twilight stated, wanting only to retrieve the book and get this creep out of her house. She turned around and was about to focus her magic on the book, but the stranger brought a hoof down on her head. Hard.
The heavy blow to the head left Twilight dizzy and confused, and as she stepped back she tried to make sense of what just happened. However before she could recover, another blow came, only this one felt a dozen times harder. She collapsed to the ground, instantly blacking out.
“See? I told you fools this would be easy. Now we just need to get her back to Canterlot.” Queen Chrysalis said as she eyed the unconscious unicorn with bitter anger. Part of her wanted to strike her a dozen more times, until her precious face was nothing but a bleeding mess. Soon enough, we still need her in one piece after all…
“And um, how would we do that your highness?” A dumbfounded changeling asked, scratching his practically empty skull with one hoof.
“By carrying her of course! You two-” She pointed to the idiot changeling and another one of his cohorts “Grab her, and make sure you don’t drop her on the way…”
Another ten minutes later and they were soaring through the air, the grand city of Canterlot just coming into view. Chrysalis and the others had gone ahead, believing that two changelings could handle carrying a knocked out unicorn with ease.
“Uh maybe we she grab her?” One of them suggested as they watched the body plummet.
“You think?! Let’s go!” Roared the smarter of the two. The next instant they were flying downwards, trying in vain to catch up with the falling body. It slowed however, as it broke straight through the roof of some magnificent cloud house. The next second it broke through the floor, and the changelings ignored the palace of clouds as they caught up with the body.
“Ha, you mean if she finds out!” The changeling grinned to his companion.
“If, if is good…” He responded with a laugh as they did their best to catch up with their comrades and Queen.
Chrysalis, along with her changelings, had set down in a valley close to Canterlot. She smiled upon seeing her two subject’s touchdown with Twilight. “Good, now we just need to get into Canterlot…” She hissed as she turned to the bustling city. Rain still poured down from the sky, but it had lightened up considerably since before.
None of them noticed the rainbow blur that had tailed them, and that was now sitting upon a cloud watching them with curiosity. That’s Chrysalis! And those are her Changelings! I guess we didn’t beat their flank hard enough last time!
She was just about to rocket down and save Twilight, but a thought of worry came to mind. She couldn’t take the Changeling Queen on by herself; even Princess Celestia had failed there! What she needed was her friend’s help, and that meant… I can’t leave Twilight though; who knows what that nasty Queen will do to her! Maybe If I can tail them a little longer I can find out where their hiding, then I’ll come back with help!
Rainbow Dash watched with amazement as they all changed their shape, most of them shifting into pegasus of various colors. Chrysalis however, turned into a pony that made her eyes widened. Where before a creature of evil had stood, now was replaced with none other than Princess Celestia herself. It looked exactly like her, even her mane sparkled and flowed the same way the real Princess’s did.
“Go ahead to the garden; I’ll be with you soon.” She ordered to her changelings, even her voice was the same soft sound of butter. After her subjects left she turned to the still unconscious form of Twilight. Her horn lit up, and the next second her eyes slowly fluttered open.
“P-princess?” She mumbled as she started up at her teacher’s comforting face.
“It’s alright Twilight…” The Princess comforted as she ran a hoof down her cheek, all of her self control fighting to keep from attacking the helpless mare. She was so close; she was literally in her hoof… But no, she would get her revenge soon enough.
“Wh-what happened?”
“Nothing my dear, just follow me…” Celestia grabbed her hoof and urged her to get up. The unicorn complied, and in a complete daze she followed her teacher through the busy streets of Canterlot. She only began to understand just what was going on when they arrived in the Palace Gardens.
“Princess? What’s going on? Why are we here?” Twilight questioned, her voice now filled with worry and fright.
“You’ll see, just a little further Twilight…” The Princess stated as they moved deeper into the gardens. For just a brief moment Twilight was certain she had seen a glimmer of green in the alicorn’s eyes, but eventually pushed it aside. Having complete faith in her teacher, she followed until they reached a very familiar statue.
“D-Discord? What are we doing here?”
Now seeing she had fallen into her trap, Chrysalis turned to the unicorn and changed her form. At the same time half a dozen changelings emerged from the nearby bushes. The unicorn quickly realized what was going on, but it was now far too late.
“Chrysalis?! Y-you tricked me! You were the one who knocked me out!” Twilight squeaked as she tried in desperation to escape. She was quickly stopped by a changeling who blocked her path.
“My my… So naïve, so stupid… I guess you were right Discord, it was easy to kidnap her.” Chrysalis said, turning to stare at the seemingly lifeless statue.
Of course, now hurry up and get the Elements! I want out of here!
Twilight gasped as the voice echoed through her mind. Even though she had fought him what felt like forever ago, his chilling voice still sent shivers down her spine. He had easily broken her precious friendship, and she couldn’t remember being more vulnerable or scared.
Chryslais grin as she watched the fear and terror bubble inside Twilight, her mouth turning into a frightened scowl. She was alone now, with none of her friends or precious Princess’s to help her. She could hardly wait to release Discord, as right after she would finally be able to exact her revenge.
A changling paced in front of the statue and began laying out the Elements in the same pattern as before. Twilight was in the middle of it, surrounded on all sides by enemies. She thought desperately for some means of escape, but it seemed impossible and she could only stand frozen in fear.
Now, let’s get this started!
Twilight looked all around for some way out of her predicament, only finding a dozen piercing, green eyes staring at her. She suddenly remembered that she was a unicorn, and feeling incredibly stupid she went to cast a teleport spell.
Chrysalis laughed sharply as she shot a spell at the defenseless unicorn, the lavender mare immediately falling to the dirt with a scream. She was far to disorientated and focused on the pain coursing through her body to try and cast another spell.
That’s it; I have to go get the Princess! Just hang in there Twilight… As much as it pained the cyan pegasus to leave her friend, she knew it was the only option. Rainbow Dash shot off from her hiding spot in a tree and hurried towards the massive building that dwarfed the gardens and every other structure in Canterlot.
The six elements pulsed, casting a wave of magical light onto the garden’s surroundings. A deep, foreboding laugh echoed through both Chrysalis and Twilight’s heads. This was soon followed by a very faint cracking sound, and watching the statue Chrysalis could make out the deep lines that were breaking the stone prison.
Before long these lines became large gouges in what previously was a flawless piece of masonry. Finally, a loud snap filled the air followed immediately by an exceedingly bright light. They all covered their eyes as pieces of stone shot out across the garden, a cloud of smoke rising from where the statue once stood.
“YES!” Discord yelled triumphantly as he stretched out his limbs, trying to limber up his extremely stiff body. The smoke around him cleared, and he merely grinned at the Changeling Queen that was staring at him.
“Well, now that you’re finally free…” Chrysalis turned her attention to the horrified unicorn on the ground who was merely looking at the Draconequus in terror. “I say we finally get revenge against this little brat, how does a few days of agonizing torture sound?”
“That’s fine with me, but let’s-” Discord was cut off however, as a large figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the gardens. The tall white alicorn glared at the Draconquus, before giving her student a look of deep concern.
“It’s alright Twilight, I’m here… Discord, Chrysalis… I almost couldn’t believe Rainbow Dash when she told me you were back.” Celestia looked between the two villains, her horn poised and at the ready.
“Ah I know you missed me Celly, but I’m awfully sorry to say that I really must be going... I’ll see you soon enough though, so don’t worry…” Discord grinned at her raised his talons. Chrysalis was just about to attack the royal alicorn, but was suddenly stopped as a snap filled the air.
“What?! Where are we?!” Chrysalis roared as she spun around in a circle, finding none of the vegetation or decor of their previous location. Anger and annoyance surged through her upon realizing they were gone, her revenge having been snatched away at the last moment. I was so close…
“Outside of Canterlot, and don’t be so upset. I just saved us both from banishment.” Discord stated simply as he lay back in the air, letting out a relaxed sigh as he stared at the dark sky.
“B-but… Where’s Twilight Sparkle?!” She glanced around, only finding her equally confused subjects staring back at her.
“I left her back in the gardens with Celly.”
“WHAT?! Why in Equestria would you do that?! She was right there!” Chrysalis screamed at him, her loud, shrill voice already serving to irritate him. “You could have easily brought her too, then I could finally have my revenge!”
“In good time Chrysalis…” Discord mumbled to her with smile. He levitated through the air and stopped beside her, running a talon down her slightly scarred face.
She slapped the talon away, and glared at him with fiery eyes.
“Don’t be so angry, my Queen… You’ll get your revenge, in time.”
“But I could have had my revenge right now!”
Discord sighed and rolled his mismatched eyes. “Physical pain is one thing my dear, but mental and emotional scars are far more painful… Sure, you could just torture her within an inch of her life then finally end her miserable little existence. Or…”
He smiled mischievously before turning his attention to the large, bright city in the distance, standing atop its massive mountain like a lighthouse across the waves. “We could destroy Celestia’s kingdom and everything she holds dear. Just imagine how she’ll feel seeing her teacher, broken and defeated by us. Or her brother, killed perhaps during the attack on Canterlot…”
Chrysalis eyes slowly lit up as the sly Draconequus spoke. She could just imagine it, the lavender mare bawling her eyes out as the corpse of her brother lay beside her. Princess Cadence doing the exact same. Just the thought of it made her smile and feel all warm inside.
“Then, finally when she’s suffered enough, you can kill her… So how does that sound, Chrysalis my dear?” Discord laid an arm around the Changeling Queen’s back as she stared off into space with wonder.
“I like the way you think.” She smiled back at him, not even minding now that he was touching her.
“Perfect! Then we just have to gather the rest of your forces. I already have the perfect plan…” Discord chuckled wickedly, Chrysalis soon joining in with him.
“Are you alright Twilight?” Celestia asked, watching her student on the ground with worry. It seemed most of the pain from the spell had passed, but she had still yet to get to her hooves.
“Y-yes Princess… Thank you for saving me. I can’t believe I let this happen, I’m so stupid…” Twilight mumbled after giving her teacher a grateful smile.
“It’s not your fault, I’m just glad you’re alright.” Celestia said before glancing over at the motionless pegasus. “Thank you Rainbow Dash, without you they’d still have her.”
“Ah it was no problem really…” Dash smiled bashfully as she put a hoof behind her head.
“But what do we do about Discord and Chrysalis?” Twilight asked, looking up at her teacher expectantly.
Celestia started off into the distance for a few moments before speaking. “We have to be ready. You and your friends need to get the elements; wait the elements!” The alicorn suddenly shouted, having realized the six crystals that were lying on the ground previously were now gone.
“Their gone… Oh I’m so sorry Princess, I failed you!” Twilight muttered weakly, not even being able to look her teacher in the eye.
“It’s alright, really. Go get your friends, we’ll find a way to get the elements back.”
Twilight nodded before getting to her hooves, now feeling much stronger and braver now that the two villains had left. She felt particularly glad that the Draconquus had left, as out of all the enemies they had fought, Discord had scared and terrified her the most. The way he had turned her friends against each other, and how in the end she was left alone for him to torment. Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis had been bad, but nowhere near as much as the chaotic god.
“We won’t fail you Princess!” Twilight assured as she hurried over to Rainbow Dash. She cast a teleport spell and she and the cyan pegasus disappeared.
“Ah, I always loved the forest. Such a calming, and tranquil place…” Discord snickered with a grin as he snapped his talons, the many trees around him turning into huge candy canes and lollipops. Another snap followed, and the numerous animals turned into gingerbread versions of themselves.
“Do you really have to cause so much destruction everywhere we go?!” Chrysalis snapped at him, finally having enough of what he called ‘fun’. “Do you know how easy it would be for Celestia to follow us?! There’s a path of chaos leading right to us!”
“Calm down, Celestia isn’t anywhere near that gutsy. She’ll just send Twilight Sparkle and all her little friends to do her dirty work.” Discord replied, smiling with glee as he continued to morph the forest. “Now where’s this army of yours? Or did you lose them all in that pitiful attack on Canterlot…”
Chrysalis bared her animal like teeth at the Draconequus, “Pitiful?! I had the whole city! Had it not been for that stupid Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadence I would have won…”
“Well ‘would have’ isn’t good enough, now is it?” Discord mocked as he grabbed a few of the Element’s of Harmony that were floating around him, and then promptly proceeded to start juggling them. Chrysalis merely grew angrier as she watched him.
Had I known that he was this annoying I never would have released him… “If you remember, you didn’t win either! You just got yourself trapped in stone. At least I still had my freedom…”
“Freedom’s overrated, and at least I beat Twilight Sparkle. You and your changelings couldn’t handle one little unicorn…” Whereas Chrysalis was practically fuming with anger and annoyance, Discord was staring at her with a sly grin.
Chrysalis finally dropped the conversation with him, having realized that it was getting them nowhere. She continued walking through the forest, the Draconquus slightly lagging behind as he returned to twisting the forest. Before long the two of them reached where the Changeling Queen had last seen her broken army.
“Your highness!” A changeling immediately yelled upon the sight of her, he and a dozen other able bodied subjects hurrying over to her. “We’ve found more changelings, though many of them are injured.”
“This is it? And even more are injured? Wow, this is some army you have…” Discord mumbled as he rolled his eyes at her.
“Uh your higness, who, er, what is that?” The changeling asked, pointing a hoof at the patchwork like abomination.
“This is Discord, the help I went to get. Though I’m already starting to seriously doubt him…” Chrysalis hissed as she shot him a glare.
“Ah, no need for doubt my Queen! With my brains and your, uh… Well…” Discord’s voice trailed off as he looked from her to her ‘army’.
“Will you stop that?!” Chrysalis suddenly snapped, surprising all of them except Discord.
“Stop what?” He asked innocently.
“You know, stop annoying me! You’re doing it on purpose!”
“Am not.”
“Yes you are!”
“I would never intentionally upset you…”
The changeling shook his head as he listened to the two of them bicker like a married couple. “Um, I hate to interrupt you your highness, but shouldn’t we get around to forming a plan?”
“Huh?” Chrysalis asked as she broke away from her arguing with the Draconquus. “Oh, yes of course…” She sighed before turning to her so called ‘ally’. “So Discord, what’s this plan of yours?”
“Well, there is just one little problem… I was actually expecting you to have an army, not a handful of changelings. If were to have any chance of beating Celestia we need a real army…”
“I still have more subjects! They’re just scattered. You still looking, aren’t you?” She questioned, turning to the changeling beside her.
“Of course your highness! It’s only a matter of time before we find all of them.”
“Well, it seems you’ll need to find a lot. Because you have…” Discord’s eyes scanned over the group of soldiers, silently counting in his head. “Seventeen soldiers…”
“I have many more. Just wait and see.” Chrysalis replied sternly. If I’m to have any chance of beating Celestia I need to learn to deal with this fool… I don’t think I’ve ever met anypony this ANNOYING! “And what about you? You don’t have any army! You can’t contribute even a single soldier.”
“Because, Chrysalis my dear…” Discord leaned in close to her face, the Changeling Queen taking a step back to avoid him. “I don’t need an army. Just listen to my plan and you’ll understand completely…”
Author's Note
I am so sorry for the extremely long delay and the temporary hiatus. I only hope this chapter makes up for it.
