Five Nights in Canterlotby Purple SmartChaptersNight OneNight TwoNight ThreeNight FourNight FiveNight SixNight OneIt's dark in here. ... Like, really dark. Wow, way to go, Jeremy, you somehow always manage to get yourself into the worst situations ever. Well, the teleporter is out of power. It's going to take at least five days for it to recharge. I might as well get used to my surroundings, anyways. Speaking of which, where am I, anyways? I think I'm in a castle, probably somewhere in England. No, that can't be right. Everything is much smaller, this castle was definitely not made for humans. I should probably look around so I can find out more about... hmm, what's this? A scroll, eh? Addressed to a place called Canterlot? Never heard of that place. Could it possibly be that my teleporter took me to a whole new dimension? If it did, I'll be most famous person ever! Erm, provided I get back, of course. ...wait, this can't be right. This scroll says something about the world of... ponies? Having a battle with changelings? Ha! That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! It's not possible that small, colorful horses are the main species in this world, never mind that they're having a war with magical shape-shifting creatures! ...then again, they all laughed at my ideas for a working teleporter. Maybe this story isn't as farfetched as it seems. I know! I'll use the cameras! I almost forgot about those! I had specially made mobile security cameras. Once I activate them, they will crawl around and space themselves appropriately. Then they will attach themselves to get the best view of each room, and I can see and hear everything that moves through my monitor, and stay perfectly safe. I just need to turn on these cameras and open the doors so they can- Huh, there aren't any doors. Maybe I won't be as safe as I thought. Well, I guess the safest thing for me to do is to stay hidden behind the furniture. Maybe I won't be noticed as long as I stay in this room. ...Hmm, I wonder if there's anything else I should know about. Maybe I should- Oh, shoot, I hear someone coming!! What do I do, what do I do, what d- *SMACK* *TRIP* *SOUNDS OF JEREMY HURTING HIMSELF* ...ow... A dark blue alicorn enters the room. "Oh! Alas, thou must be the one of the new recruits, I presume?" She asked. Jeremy remained silent, in hopes that the alicorn was not talking to him. However, this made the alicorn confused, and she continued. "Thou are one of the new recruits, correct? For the war against the changelings? That is why thou is wearing a helmet, correct?" Oh! So that's what fell on my head... and also why my vision was blocked... "Erm... yes! Of course!" Said Jeremy. I better just play along... The dark blue alicorn nodded in approval. "Ah, yes, of course, I'll let my sister know." She turned her head around and shouted, "Celestia, come in here!" A while later a tall, white alicorn with a pink, flowing mane came in. "Yes, Luna? What is- Oh! Another recruit? Well, why isn't he with the other soldiers?" "Huh..." Luna pondered. "I had assumed that thou had given this colt a special task, thus why I found him in the Archives." 'The Archives', huh? Jeremy thought, This might useful to help me survive until- "I have not yet given any pardon to any soldier." Celestia began to look at Jeremy suspiciously. "In fact, if he's in the Archives, then I suspect he might be... a changeling!" Celestia began to walk closer to the helmeted figure. Jeremy became extremely nervous. As a last measure of defense, he held up his laptop. "Hmm? What's this?" Celestia used her magic to lift the laptop out of Jeremy's grip, causing him to let out a quite yelp. "Is... is this a system to observe all the rooms in the Canterlot Castle? What is the meaning of this!?" Jeremy was just about to make a run for it when he had an idea. "Erm... that's... my new developement! Additional surveillance! Yeah, it's to... erm... help spot... changelings! Yeah, changelings, so that, you know, we can protect Candy Dot Castle!" "You mean 'Canterlot Castle'." Corrected Luna hesitantly. "Huh? Oh, right! That's what I said, Canterlot... heh..." Jeremy gulped, hoping that the two alicorns would buy that story. "Hmm..." Celestia took a long look at the laptop. "... okay, fine, I'll believe you for now." She gave an icy glare at Jeremy. "But I'll will be keeping an eye on you, so you better be on high alert whenever I see you!" "Y-yes, ma'am! Of course, ma'am!" Jeremy was unsure of what to do. If he had saluted, then Celestia would surely have seen his hands and his cover will be blown. Luckily, Celestia chose that time to walk out, muttering something about being too busy. Luna watched Celestia walk away, then let out a quiet chuckle. "Oh, don't mind her. My sister and I have been very busy trying to resolve a conflict with some changelings. I have placed my full faith in thee. In fact..." Luna pulled out a strange box with a mechanical crank on the side and placed it on the table. "I place my faith in thee to hold on to this." Jeremy looked at it, unsure of what to do with it. "Um... what is this?" "Huh? Thou dost know what the war is about, correct?" Luna inquired, but then quickly dismissed the question. "Ah, never mind, I have forgotten that this part was kept a secret. Say, do you have any visuals in the Cellar?" "Um... I believe so?" Jeremy honestly did not know which rooms the cameras were in, since he hadn't had time to check his laptop. "Ah, good. Well, we have been fighting the changelings because we... have kept Chrysalis locked up..." "Oh... No!" Jeremy faked a surprise. "But yes! To keep her away, we've had to use a sleeping spell. That crank will keep a continuous melody to keep Chrysalis in slumber. I place my trust in you to always keep that device cranked, understood?" "Y-yes" Said Jeremy. Well, I've apparently drafted myself into the army, and I've already received a special mission. Surviving in this world just got a lot harder. Luna smiled. "I know thou will do fine. I wish thee the best of luck. Farewell." Luna walked out of the room. Phew! That was close. Wow, the whole "horses as dominant species" wasn't a joke, I definitely need to lay low for a while. Also, jeez, that helmet was stuffy! I could barely breath with that thing on. But, it seems to block off most of my face, since those Luna and Celestia characters didn't seem to recognize that I'm not a pony. However, I can't do anything when they're in the room, or else they'll see my hands. I wonder if I can fix that. Hey, is it just me or is it suddenly daylight? Sunrise sure comes pretty quick in this world. Is there like a mythical creature that raises the sun every day? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there was. Maybe I can use some time to get some more research done, and prepare for tonight. But first, gotta wind up that gearbox... Night TwoWhelp, night two. Every single one of those ponies is getting ready for battle. It was nice of them for those alicorns to let me simply stay in this room. However, a new alicorn, Cadance, seemed really upset for some reason. Maybe I accidentally took over her study area or something. Whatever, I really do not want to move out from this place. From what I see in the cameras, there are way too many ponies moving about for me to move around stealthily. Plus there's also that weird crank thing. I don't have any magic teleportation thingy that most of the other ponies seem to have. If I'm going to keep this Chrysalis character asleep, I won't be able to do it when a pony is in the room, or else they will see my hands, and then the game's up. The idea that I'm in a war between ponies and changelings is really what freaking me out, though. I looked through the archives, and apparently they are also equine in shape, too. They can make a perfect replica of any pony they meet, though, so I will definitely not be able to tell which one is the real one and which one is the imposter. Although, to be fair, it's already hard to tell the guard ponies apart, anyways. No wonder those alicorns don't recognize that I'm not a pony, because those helmets do a really good job covering up the entire head. Wind up the gearbox, winding, winding, winding... Okay, fully winded, I guess I should go and check the cameras. From what I can tell, I've got a camera in the conference room, which are where Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are at the moment. The cellar with a tomb-like structure that I assume Chrysalis is inside. I've got a camera on the balcony, the most likely place that changelings would infiltrate the castle. And then a couple more cameras in various hallways to check on any passersby. Nighttime gets really dark though. Luckily each camera has a limited amount of light that I can turn on and off to conserve power. Plus, if any pony gets too close to me, I've got a couple flares to disorientate them. Oh wait there was one more room, the planning room. That's where most of the guards are at the moment. I wonder what they are doing... "Attention, soldiers" Shouted what looked like the leader of the group. His helmet looked a little bit different from the rest of them, anyways, plus his coat of fur was a bit bluish, unlike the standard grayscale coats of all the other guards. From what Jeremy remembered from earlier, he was simply known as the Captain of the Guards. "We have received intel a few days back that the changelings are going to attack tonight!" the Captain shouted. "We need to be ready for anything that happens, do you understand me?" "Sir, yes, Sir!" Cried the group of guards. "We will defend the castle at all costs, do you understand me?" "Sir, yes, Sir!" "We will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, until every single one of those lousy changelings have been defeated, do you understand me!?!" "SIR, YES, SIR!!!" Cried everypony. Well, almost everypony. Cadance had walked in at that time and merely scoffed. "Is something the matter, Princess Cadance?" Cadance shrugged. "Oh, nothing much. It's just that, maybe if you're done playing, you could start coming up with war strategies?" The Captain simply smirked. "Ma'am, I know that you do not approve of this war, since you are the Princess of Love, but you do not have to worry. We have already developed many plans to confront those changelings!" "Mhmm, sure." Said Cadance, "Then why isn't everypony here to hear them?" "Whatever do you mean? I have called in every guard here." "Not every guard." Cadance waved her hand about the group of soldiers. "I remember seeing a new recruit earlier, and he certainly isn't here now. In fact I bet he's still in the Archives right now." The Captain looked angry for a moment, but then grinned a mischievous grin. "We've already got a soldier on AWOL, eh? Well, then, let's see if he's prepared to face the consequences." He turned to his comrades and shouted, "Atten-hut!" Every guard stood up straight. "It's time to show you all the stealthiest pony alive!" The Captain said as he quickly ran off towards the Archives. Cadance followed behind, followed by the rest of the guards. Soon, the ponies arrived at the door of the Archives. The Captain gave the signal to stay still and stay quite to the other ponies, then snuck inside. Quietly, he tip-toed to the figure behind the table, who was apparently focused on a screen. Then he leaped at the figure. "AAAAAAUUUUUUUURGH!!!" screamed the Captain. "WAAHHHH!!!" screamed Jeremy. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, so bright that the ponies standing outside had to shield their eyes for the moment. "AHH, MY EYES!!!" said the Captain as he stumbled outside, rubbing his eyes to clear the pain. Once his vision was cleared he sternly trotted right back in. The rest followed. He walked right up to the helmeted recruit and said crossly "What in the blazes was that for!?!" Jeremy stuttered. "Um... well, you scared me, so-" "So you just go around using a blinding spell on everything?" "Um... yes?" The Captain looked at him for a few more seconds, then broke out into a giant grin. "Well, well, looks like someone is ready for a battle. I like you, kid. You remind me of myself when I was young!" This made Cadance groan in frustration. "I can see you're obviously doing something right, saying that was the fastest I've seen any pony launch a spell, say what do you have there." "Oh, um, I was here to check up on each room..." "A surveillance system? Nice, kid! I've been trying to get one of those installed, but somepony" The Captain looked at Candance, who simply rolled her eyes. "Didn't think it was a worthy idea. Alright, kid, I can see you obviously know what you're doing. Some of these guards here could learn a thing or two from you. Soldiers, fall back!" All of the guard ponies left the archives. Cadance concentrated her eyes on Jeremy. "I don't know what game you're playing, but you can't be that bad, since you can't possibly be a changeling. However, I still don't trust you. I'll be back to check up on you." Cadance left the room. ...did that Captain think I could use magic? All I did was test out my first flare. I brought it along in case I was surrounded by monsters. I can use the flare to create a blinding light, making all creatures disorientated so I can run away. I guess it works the other way as well. I only have a limited amount of flares I can use, so I better conserve them. Jeez, that Captain moved fast. He was as sly as a fox, that guy. Ack, the gearbox! I couldn't wind it while they're in the room. Quick, wind it up, wind it up... What is it with all these ponies not putting faith in me? Everypony seems to want to check up on me every once and a while. Well, okay, I guess that's reasonable, since I refuse to leave this room the entire time I was here. Oh well, what's done is done. Wait, I hear something. It sounds like... trumpets? And ponies yelling and running around? Could it be...? Yep, there they are on the cameras, black, bug-like beasts. The changelings are showing up, and they're starting to look like whichever guard they see first. ... That's a lot of changelings. Night ThreeEvery castle has a secret passageway. I'm not kidding. During the Medieval Times, every castle was equipped with a secret passageway in order to make an easy escape when it came under siege, alternatively, it could also be used to launch surprise attacks on enemies that have infiltrated the castle. In rarer cases, the passageways would be used by servants during a time of peace, to easily move between rooms. In even rarer cases, other secret passages have sometimes been constructed after the initial building, particularly escape tunnels. These passageways are often blended into the walls, making them harder to see. Why am I saying this? Because there are secret entrances on either side of the room. I was wondering about where two of my cameras were placed, since the rooms they viewed were not exactly... spacey, even by the small pony standards. Then I started to realise that the only way any pony would fit in there is by crawling through them. Also, I came to this conclusion when I saw Luna crawling through them. Winding the gearbox... and... okay. Luna seemed to be having fun, god knows why. There's a bunch of changelings fighting all over the place, and she just pops up out of nowhere wanting to "check up on me". It's like she knows the night like the back of her han- erm, hoof. Celestia, on the other hand, seems just as stern as I had met her the first day. She came in yelling about how I'm being so "lazy and unproductive", so I told her where most of the changelings were. I also warned her about the balcony and how most changeling were entering through there, just like I predicted. But then she started complaining about how unprofessional I was being. "You are a guard, and you're just sitting there on your flank looking at a bunch of cameras. Why don't you get out there and fight?" She said. So I said, "You're just standing there eating a piece of cake," because she was. She stayed quite for a while, then said, "we are not done with this discussion," and she left. Huh. Cadance walked by a few times tonight giving me the evil eye. I think she's afraid of actually entering the room, because of my flares. Honestly, I'm glad I don't have to deal with any more ponies. Just keep my helmet on when they show up, and everything should be fine. Wind up the gear box... winding... Meanwhile on the balcony, the changelings were working on a plan to get back their leader, the Glorious Chrysalis. Their commander—or rather, commanders, since there are two—set the plans into action. Side note: Having an official birth name is such a trivial thing in hive colonies such as the ones changelings live in. Rather, similar to how ponies earn their cutie marks to reflect their special talent, changelings earn nicknames based on how their behavior is perceived in the hive. This works out much better than birth names, since their nicknames are easily associated with how they act. The two commanders' names are Lefty and Righty, since they are always together. Ironically enough, Lefty is always on the right side, and Righty is always on the left. Their nicknames were given based on which eye they had eyepatches. They had both gained eyepatches from the same accident, rubble from a section of the hive that had collapsed. They managed to save each other and stick together during the damage, and now they're inseparable. Literally, they're inseparable. The rubble crippled part of their legs and ended up twisting their wings together. They couldn't be split apart without fatal injuries. Therefore, as well as their separate nicknames, they have earned a nickname collectively: the Mangle. Most changelings just call them Mangle. Just because they're crippled, though, doesn't mean they aren't cunning. Mangle has proven that two heads are indeed better than one, constantly collaborating with each other the reach a perfect plan for everything. Now, they have been chosen as leaders for their superior planning to get back Queen Chrysalis and restore order in the hive. "Team Alpha!" shouted Lefty, "Move around the castle and find another way in!" Seven of the strongest-looking changelings saluted and flew off. "Team Beta, initiate your infiltration!" Several skinny changelings nodded and flew in through the balcony, blending in almost perfectly with the shadows. A while later, a few guards in nearby rooms cried in alarm. "Ugh." groaned Righty, "it's always team Beta that sets off the alarms. For once, can they just sneak around like they're suppose to and not show off?" He turned towards three changelings. "Alright, Team Omega, you guys know what to do." The three changelings grinned, and quickly changed forms. Where the three used to stand, there was now Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Or at least, what looked like the three alicorns. They quickly flew off. "Team Epsilon, join team Gamma and move in! Go! Go! Go!" shouted Mangle together. The remaining changelings got up and flew into the castle. A single changeling flew up onto the balcony to await orders. Lefty noticed him. "Ah, Scout, you're back! What have you found?" "Well, Mangle," Scout began, "Most of the guards are in the main entrance. We should be able to surround them and force them inwards. The three alicorns are staying relatively close together, but a few decoy attacks could easily split them apart and make them easier to deal with." Lefty nodded. "Anything else?" Scout hesitated. "Well... there is one other thing. The Archives are completely empty... except for one pony, who seems to be on guard" "Aha!" Exclaimed RIghty, "That's got to be where Chrysalis is! They must have an extremely elite guard to keep watch of her to make sure she doesn't escape! Scout, you may leave." Scout saluted and flew off. "Well then," said Lefty, "are you ready to pay our friend a visit?" Right grinned mischievously. "The old 'Hook, Line, Sinker' strategy, eh?" He asked. Lefty grinned back. "As if we could move faster any other way." And with that, the Mangle quickly leaped up onto the ceiling. Using their working legs and wings for leverage, they climbed their way around the ceiling, heading towards the archives. Well, after another rude interruption from Luna, and another quick winding of the gearbox, I guess it's time to check up on the balcony again and- ...and they're gone, all of them. Most of the changelings seem to be fighting with the guards. Three alicorns seem to be doing a fairly decent job. Although, any fool could see that the changelings are using the old "Anaconda plan", isolating the forces from the inside and crushing them from the outside. Then again, they don't have cameras. I should go out there and warn them. Or, I could stay in here and not get exposed, and not get attacked as well. Yep, staying is good. I'll just bring it up if a pony survives and walks by here. Hmm... it is a bit strange how no changelings has actually come through here. I was kind of hoping I could launch a flare into their unsuspecting faces. That would have been amusing. I wonder, since I'm spying on them, could they be spying on me as well? Keeping track of my every move? Nah, that's ridiculous, as if they're going to sneak in here. Winding up that gearbox, crank the handle... Night FourIt's actually not that hard to see a changeling in disguise. First of all, changelings are not as big as alicorns. It's not like they can suddenly just grow several inches, even shapeshifters have limitations. Second, it's easy to spot a changeling up close since they all have fangs. Last time I checked, ponies did not have fangs. Third, if someone panics (and by that someone, I meant me), then I – I mean, that someone – can simply throw a flash flare. A pony will yell "ARGH!!! WHY THE HAY DID YOU DO THAT?" A changeling will yell the exact same thing, but it's an easy way to prevent them from attacking. Winding up the gearbox... Also, more and more ponies have been trying to get in recently. It's like they are all starting to gravitate towards this room. I can't understand why, since I don't think books will resolve this war anytime soon. I been distracted several times already. And I am starting to run low on flares. (I need to stop panicking.) Only a couple more days left. Then the teleporter will be recharged and I can finally go home. Just got to hold out for two more days. That shouldn't be too hard, right? The Mangle stopped for a moment to spectate on a current battle between some royal guards and some of the Gamma changelings. After a while, Lefty pulled down one of the drapes and flung it at a certain guard. The guard shouted out in surprise, and tripped over the drapes, causing him to crash head-first into another guard. The two guards tumbled down, barely missing a changeling. This caused the remaining guards to slowly back down as the changelings began to overtake them. Righty snickered. "Don't you think you should save those trickshots for another time?" Lefty shrugged. "I've got plenty of practice, I thought it was about time I put it to good use." "Whatever," Righty rolled his eyes, but still grinning. "Anyways, should we get back to our task at hand?" "Well, duh, we need Chrysalis to organize the hive again, let's go get that Elite Guard." The Mangle began to scurry along the ceiling again. Navigating around the castle is a difficult feat to accomplish just by walking around. Even princesses have trouble locating certain rooms at a time of need. This is the main reason why a multitude of guards is always on duty, so that the amount of movement can be limited and easy to remember. Likewise, this was also why there are a multitude of changelings on this search mission. It becomes easier to search for a lost queen when there are a large number of ponies looking, so they can split up and continue the search without retracing steps. True, the more they split up, the easier they are to attack, but they have the darkness on their side. They know that they can hide in the shadows and follow the corridors until their mission is complete. The Mangle simply takes this advantage one step further. Their so called "hook, line, sinker" strategy is exactly what it sounds like: they "hook" themselves to the ceiling, almost bypassing all security, then they move in a "line" to their desired destination, and they "sink" down to attack any unsuspecting creature. Their use of the strategy has been perfected to where almost no pony has caught them until it was too late. Arriving at the Archives, Lefty took note of the surroundings. "Hmm... are you sure that this is where Chrysalis is?" he asked. "Of course it is!" replied Righty. "It's got to be. Isn't that the Elite Guard over there?" "But that's the thing, he's just sitting there. I mean, that pony doesn't even look like an elite guard... He's panicking at the slightest sound, he keeps looking at that weird monitor. What if he was just a regular pony? You know how Chrysalis feels about hurting bystanders..." "That's ridiculous, all the non-guards have been evacuated already, according to Scout. Besides, he has a guard helmet, therefore he is a guard." "You know, I can't even see his face through the helmet." "It's there, he's got the build of a guard pony." "I honestly don't see anything" "Well, look closer!" "Hmm... oh, wait, I think I can- wait, what's he pulling out?" *BRIGHT FLASH* "ARGH!!! WHY THE HAY DID YOU DO THAT?" They shouted in unison. Rubbing their eyes, the Mangle tried to refocus on the character in the room. "Is... is that... Big'ums?" Righty squinted his eyes. "It is! Nice job, Bigs, I didn't know you already took over this area." "Uh..." Said Jeremy. "Haha, still don't say much, eh? Well, that's fine. I should have recognized that flash anywhere, it was just you showing off your amazing changing stills, right?" "...sure..." Lefty began to take things seriously. "So, does that mean Chrysalis is not in this room then?" "...no..." "Do you have any idea where she is?" "...ye- ...no..." Lefty noticed that there was a hesitation, but simply disregarded it. "Alright, then, could you at least tell us what happened to the guard that was in here, a moment ago?" "Uh... " However, before Jeremy got any further, a loud voice came out from near the door. "Soldier, are you in there? I need to talk with you." Righty grinned. "Alright, Lefty, stop bugging Big'ums, he obviously knows what he's doing. We'll just go look for Chrysalis, you keep track of this room, capisce? Jeremy nodded. And the Mangle quickly crawled through one of the hidden entrances. They were making such a ruckus that Jeremy did not notice the Captain of the Guards sneaking up on him. "BOO!" yelled the Captain. "AHH!" *BRIGHT FLASH* "ARGH!!! WHY THE HAY DID YOU DO THAT?" "S-sorry, Captain, I mean Sir, I mean... uh..." stuttered Jeremy. "Ah, it's fine" said the Captain, rubbing his eyes. "I'm used to it now, since you've done it to me several times. Anyways, I need to know if the changelings are close to finding Chrysalis." "Uh... let me check... no, most of the changelings are still fighting the guards. Some more guards are needed in the east hallway. "Good work, soldier, your technology has been of much use for us. Keep it up" The Captain walked away. Well, I've only got two flares left, and there's still a day left before the teleporter is recharged. Wind the box, wind the box... I'm really running low on resources now, I can't keep this up very long. I'm going to have to find a stronger hiding place. Otherwise I will run the risk of- ...I heard a gasping noise. Strange, there's no one here. Unless some pony is- Wait, there it is again... and again... Oh, It's coming from the cameras! Okay, so going through all of the cameras, I'll see OH GOD WHAT IS THAT. ... actually it's not that scary. In fact, it's kind of adorable. It looks like... a giant pink ball of fluff. It's got so much fur on it, it looks like a pony could fit inside it. Maybe this is the changelings' plan for a trojan horse? Hide some changelings in a giant ball. It looks completely out of place, I wonder if and it's gone. Where did it go? It's not in any of the cameras now. Oh, that's because it's in my room... Winding up the box... "Um... hello?" I said. "pffftftpfpfffttff" The really fluffy pony answered. Night FiveIt's still staring at me. It's not even doing anything. It's just sitting there, mocking me with it's motionless face, taunting my every move. I can't pull down the mask, or else my secret is out. But I have to wind up the gearbox. I need to keep Chrysalis asleep. I need to... Oh, what's the point. That gearbox stopped at least a half hour ago. All that's left is complete silence as that thing slowly takes away my last few bits of sanity with its dark, staring eyes. Seriously, I'd rather deal with the fluffy pony than this, this thing is just creepy. What's wrong with it? Well, everything, actually. His head is horse-like, though much different from the other ponies' head styles. That's about the only horse part he actually has. He has a deer antler on the right, a blue goat horn on the left, one long fang, a snake tongue, a goat beard, the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat, a bat's right wing, a Pegasus' left wing, and a dragon-like snake's tail. I don't even know what to call this thing. Also, it's completely made of stone, filled with so many cracks. I can see some sort of black ooze coming out of it, it makes me queasy just trying to figure out what it is. It also bothers me how I did not see it come in. And now it's just sitting there, facing me. There is no reason that this thing should be here. Kind of like me... It's so dark. Do I hear... evil laughing? It's coming from everywhere. I'm h- having trouble breathing. I... I can't- The creature is moving. The beast of chaos opened its seemingly lifeless jaws, each teeth glistening with sharpness. Then it leaped at me. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- "-AAAAAAAAAAHHHhhhhhhhhh- WHAT, WHat, wait... huh?" Jeremy bolted awake. He panted for breath, sweating. It was- just a dream? Was I dreaming this whole thing up the entire time? Jeremy took a quick glance around the room, confirming that, although the attack was certainly a dream, the rest of it was not. He was still in the Archives, defending himself from a war with changelings and ponies. And a very fluffy pony sticking her tongue out at him. "Please go away, Fluffy Pony." said Jeremy. "Pbbt." Came the response. "Please?" "Pbbt, pff pbb pfft." "I'll... give you... a toy?" "... pfft." Jeremy shrugged, and gave her one of the two flash flares he had left. The Fluffy Pony took it, looked it over, and stuffed it into her fur. The flash flare slowly sank into the mass of fluff. After a while, Jeremy heard a quiet *pop!* and saw a slight glow quickly appear and fade away in the spot where the flare used to be. "*Gasp!*" The Fluffy Pony clapped her hooves and smiled the most adorable smile Jeremy had ever seen. Then she turned around a few times like a dog lying down, then went to a corner, and fell asleep. Jeremy sighed, it wasn't exactly what he planned, but it would have to do. Just to be safe, he left his helmet above his head so he could quickly slip it on if the Fluffy Pony woke up. He quickly decided to check the cameras. Okay, that was... interesting. Darn it, why did I give her the flare? Now I only have one left! And my teleporter is still not fully charged! How many days have I even been here? Come on, it's got to be only a few hours left. I'll just check the cameras for now. Nothing serious, most of the fighting is on the opposite side of this castle. There are a few stray fights nearby, but it's just small ones, nothing looks out of the ordinary, except for- Wait, why do I feel like I'm forgetting something? The gear box slowed to a halt, and there was complete silence in the cellar. Crap. The music box stopped. Thought Jeremy. It would seem logical that complete silence in a room would be unnoticed in a noisy fight between many. However, one tends to not notice the subtle "white noise" until that noise disappears. The sudden lack of a persistent noise is often often the most disruptive, since it takes a moment's hesitation to try to find the original source of the noise. In conclusion, every changeling, guard, and alicorn immediately ceased fighting when there was the sudden silence. However, only Luna knew what actually happened. "Oh no," she said, "That would mean that there'll be-" Before she finished speaking, the most obnoxious music-box like sound began playing. At first, every pony and changeling just stood shocked at the sudden change in atmosphere. But then a voice cried out. "WHERE IS THAT INFURIATING SONG COMING FROM! TURN IT OFF!" Boomed a deep feminine voice from the Cellar. "-a counterspell." Luna finished. "Quick! To the Cellar! That's where our glorious queen is!" shouted the Mangle in unison. They dashed off, quickly followed by the rest of the storm. "Don't let her escape! Move, move, move!" shouted the Captain. The guards quickly ran off, Celestia and Candance close behind. Luna, however, first made a quick stop at the Archives. "How could thou?!" Luna shouted at Jeremy, exasperated. "Thou had to keep her asleep. Does thy know what thou hast done!?" "I... b-but---" Jeremy stuttered. Luna just shook her head. "That's enough, thou will be dealt with later." And she quickly went to join the rest in the cellar. ...crap. I completely screwed up. And the teleporter isn't recharged yet. I guess I should look at the camera in the cellar. At least I'll know what this Chrysalis looks like. Author's Note ★ＡＣＨＩＥＶＥＭＥＮＴ ○ ＵＮＬＯＣＫＥＤ★ ☆Five Nights Completed☆ ☵ACHIEVEMENT DESCRIPTION☵ Boy, that sure was a tough five nights. However, it seems that you've got to stay for a little while more before you can get the heck out of there. Would you mind staying for another night? Night SixThe cameras are out of power. I have no idea where they are. And to make things worse, I have one flare left. Every single creature here seems to be far more powerful than I'd ever imagine. ...I should run... but what if they catch me? ...Yeah, staying put is probably better. ~In the Cellar~ "Seriously! I only wanted to borrow some sugar!" Said Chrysalis for the umpteenth time. "Uh huh, likely story!" Replied Celestia. "Why would you travel across lands just to borrow a cup of sugar?" Chrysalis groaned. "Celestia, we've been through this the last time I was here, the Pony Lands have the largest natural resource of crystallized sugar. We have no ability to grow them on our own, so I occasionally come to negotiate a trade!" "Well I-..." Celestia pondered this for a moment, causing Cadance to snicker to herself. "Huh, your right, you have done this before..." Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Honestly, how can someone as thick-skulled as you be a ruler? As soon as something strange enters Canterlot, you're all like 'EEK, it's evil! Destroy it!' Not every non-pony is trying to hurt you, you know. That's just very rude manners. You must not be very strong in foreign affairs." "Thou dost often jump to conclusions, dear sister." Remarked Luna. "Remember that strange stone claw that appeared?" "In my defense, it was a very scary looking claw!" Huffed Celestia, "But I see you point. From now on, no more unnecessary wars without justification. Probably." Chrysalis perked her head up at this statement. "A war? Why was there an entire war just to rescue me? MANGLE!!!" The duo changlings quickly saluted. "How long have I been missing?" "Er... Five days, oh glorious queen!" Said Righty. "Actually, it's been about six months..." Said Lefty a bit more quietly. Righty palmed his face. Chrysalis was furious. "I left the hive to get sugar six months ago, AND YOU GUYS ARE JUST TRYING TO RESCUE ME NOW!" Chrysalis glared at the changelings. "You better have a good reason for all this!" "Well..." Righty hesitated, "while you were gone, most of the hive got into a... heated argument, that led to a fight, per se..." "It was about the dress, wasn't it?" "...yes..." ~The Changeling Lands, five months ago~ The entire hive was in ruins, changelings could be seen fighting, covered in bruises and bite marks. In the corner, a tattered picture of a dress can be vaguely seen in all the ruckus. "I'm telling you, it's gold and white!" said a changeling, while he kicked another changeling in the knee. "No, it's blue and black, you bugger!" the second changeling replied, punching the first in the face. (Side note: Relating a changeling to an insect is considered the biggest insult in changeling norms.) "Shut up, or soon it's you who's going to be blue and black!" The first changeling leaped at the second. Fighting ensues among the changelings. ~The Cellar, present~ Chrysalis shook her head. "I swear, I need to get rid of that dress..." Celestia coughed. "Well, I'm sorry for the... miscommunication... " Chrysalis growled at her. "but I guess, you are pardoned from any damages caused, and we'll aid in any injuries inflicted during this... event. Other than I that, I guess you are free to-" "Wait, hold on a minute!" Replied Cadance. "Really? That's just it? We trapped a queen for six months and that's all that's going to happen?" "Well, there isn't that much to do really." Replied Celestia. "The rooms can easily be fixed, and we have several wards that can-" "That's not even the point! Is no pony seriously going to wonder about that strange pony in the Archives? I have never seen him in my life until about five days ago, and in all this time, he just sits there in that room. Has any pony actually seen him move out of that room? He does absolutely nothing except looking at that stupid monitor of his. Who even gave him that, anyways? It's certainly not something that any one of us has created." "Actually, he's one of us," Stated Lefty, "His name is Biggums, and he is one of the best-" "Uh, boss?" A large changling stepped up. "I ain't ever been in that room yet." "...Oh... well then, maybe it was one of the other changelings?" All the changelings shook their heads. "Hmm... well then, I guess he isn't one of ours. Whoops." "Well, I say let him be!" Said the Captain of the Guards "He's done a fine job defending the castle!" "Has those flares finally made you blind?" Retorted Candance. "He's not defending the castle, he's been defending himself this whole time! Any foal could see that if you weren't so busy fighting!" She stormed out of the cellar. "He's hiding something, and I'm going to find out!" Hesitantly, every pony and changeling followed. Oh crap. Every single one of them is in this room. It was bad enough that they were checking up on me one at a time, now there all in this room. "Alright, spill the beans, who are you?" Demanded Cadance. "I h-have no idea wh-what you're talking about..." "Seriously? You showed up only five days ago, and you expect me to believe that you just some loyal civilian willing to put his life on the line?" Whelp. She's onto me. "It's okay," Celestia tried to assure me. "I promise we won't hurt you. Just tell us how you got here." "Yes, dear friend," Luna said, "although you have failed my task for thou, my faith remains unchanged. Just state your alliance." "Uh..." I stalled for as long as possible. Do I really want to risk it? If things go wrong, will I be able to resist long enough before I can go home? "Come on!" shouted Righty, "Give up your disguise already! Show us who you really are!" Suddenly the teleporter beeped. OH THANK GOD, IT'S FINALLY FULLY CHARGED. "What the hay is that?!?" Cadance pointed at the teleporter. "Is that another gadget of yours? Where do you keep getting these? That's it, no more questions, I need to know!" She reached for my helmet. "ACK!" Well this is it, I'm going to be revealed. And I was so close to going home, dammit! Whelp, it was a nice run while it lasted. I hope my friends and family will remember me when I'm gone. ... Oh wait, I have a flare left. *THROW* *FLASH* *'AH, MY EYES' INTENSIFIES* "I can't see! Where did he go?" "Find him! Don't let him get away!" "Close off the area! We must find him" Well, looks like I get five more minutes to live. As long as I can get out of this room without bumping into any of these temporarily blind ponies.
Night OneIt's dark in here. ... Like, really dark. Wow, way to go, Jeremy, you somehow always manage to get yourself into the worst situations ever. Well, the teleporter is out of power. It's going to take at least five days for it to recharge. I might as well get used to my surroundings, anyways. Speaking of which, where am I, anyways? I think I'm in a castle, probably somewhere in England. No, that can't be right. Everything is much smaller, this castle was definitely not made for humans. I should probably look around so I can find out more about... hmm, what's this? A scroll, eh? Addressed to a place called Canterlot? Never heard of that place. Could it possibly be that my teleporter took me to a whole new dimension? If it did, I'll be most famous person ever! Erm, provided I get back, of course. ...wait, this can't be right. This scroll says something about the world of... ponies? Having a battle with changelings? Ha! That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! It's not possible that small, colorful horses are the main species in this world, never mind that they're having a war with magical shape-shifting creatures! ...then again, they all laughed at my ideas for a working teleporter. Maybe this story isn't as farfetched as it seems. I know! I'll use the cameras! I almost forgot about those! I had specially made mobile security cameras. Once I activate them, they will crawl around and space themselves appropriately. Then they will attach themselves to get the best view of each room, and I can see and hear everything that moves through my monitor, and stay perfectly safe. I just need to turn on these cameras and open the doors so they can- Huh, there aren't any doors. Maybe I won't be as safe as I thought. Well, I guess the safest thing for me to do is to stay hidden behind the furniture. Maybe I won't be noticed as long as I stay in this room. ...Hmm, I wonder if there's anything else I should know about. Maybe I should- Oh, shoot, I hear someone coming!! What do I do, what do I do, what d- *SMACK* *TRIP* *SOUNDS OF JEREMY HURTING HIMSELF* ...ow... A dark blue alicorn enters the room. "Oh! Alas, thou must be the one of the new recruits, I presume?" She asked. Jeremy remained silent, in hopes that the alicorn was not talking to him. However, this made the alicorn confused, and she continued. "Thou are one of the new recruits, correct? For the war against the changelings? That is why thou is wearing a helmet, correct?" Oh! So that's what fell on my head... and also why my vision was blocked... "Erm... yes! Of course!" Said Jeremy. I better just play along... The dark blue alicorn nodded in approval. "Ah, yes, of course, I'll let my sister know." She turned her head around and shouted, "Celestia, come in here!" A while later a tall, white alicorn with a pink, flowing mane came in. "Yes, Luna? What is- Oh! Another recruit? Well, why isn't he with the other soldiers?" "Huh..." Luna pondered. "I had assumed that thou had given this colt a special task, thus why I found him in the Archives." 'The Archives', huh? Jeremy thought, This might useful to help me survive until- "I have not yet given any pardon to any soldier." Celestia began to look at Jeremy suspiciously. "In fact, if he's in the Archives, then I suspect he might be... a changeling!" Celestia began to walk closer to the helmeted figure. Jeremy became extremely nervous. As a last measure of defense, he held up his laptop. "Hmm? What's this?" Celestia used her magic to lift the laptop out of Jeremy's grip, causing him to let out a quite yelp. "Is... is this a system to observe all the rooms in the Canterlot Castle? What is the meaning of this!?" Jeremy was just about to make a run for it when he had an idea. "Erm... that's... my new developement! Additional surveillance! Yeah, it's to... erm... help spot... changelings! Yeah, changelings, so that, you know, we can protect Candy Dot Castle!" "You mean 'Canterlot Castle'." Corrected Luna hesitantly. "Huh? Oh, right! That's what I said, Canterlot... heh..." Jeremy gulped, hoping that the two alicorns would buy that story. "Hmm..." Celestia took a long look at the laptop. "... okay, fine, I'll believe you for now." She gave an icy glare at Jeremy. "But I'll will be keeping an eye on you, so you better be on high alert whenever I see you!" "Y-yes, ma'am! Of course, ma'am!" Jeremy was unsure of what to do. If he had saluted, then Celestia would surely have seen his hands and his cover will be blown. Luckily, Celestia chose that time to walk out, muttering something about being too busy. Luna watched Celestia walk away, then let out a quiet chuckle. "Oh, don't mind her. My sister and I have been very busy trying to resolve a conflict with some changelings. I have placed my full faith in thee. In fact..." Luna pulled out a strange box with a mechanical crank on the side and placed it on the table. "I place my faith in thee to hold on to this." Jeremy looked at it, unsure of what to do with it. "Um... what is this?" "Huh? Thou dost know what the war is about, correct?" Luna inquired, but then quickly dismissed the question. "Ah, never mind, I have forgotten that this part was kept a secret. Say, do you have any visuals in the Cellar?" "Um... I believe so?" Jeremy honestly did not know which rooms the cameras were in, since he hadn't had time to check his laptop. "Ah, good. Well, we have been fighting the changelings because we... have kept Chrysalis locked up..." "Oh... No!" Jeremy faked a surprise. "But yes! To keep her away, we've had to use a sleeping spell. That crank will keep a continuous melody to keep Chrysalis in slumber. I place my trust in you to always keep that device cranked, understood?" "Y-yes" Said Jeremy. Well, I've apparently drafted myself into the army, and I've already received a special mission. Surviving in this world just got a lot harder. Luna smiled. "I know thou will do fine. I wish thee the best of luck. Farewell." Luna walked out of the room. Phew! That was close. Wow, the whole "horses as dominant species" wasn't a joke, I definitely need to lay low for a while. Also, jeez, that helmet was stuffy! I could barely breath with that thing on. But, it seems to block off most of my face, since those Luna and Celestia characters didn't seem to recognize that I'm not a pony. However, I can't do anything when they're in the room, or else they'll see my hands. I wonder if I can fix that. Hey, is it just me or is it suddenly daylight? Sunrise sure comes pretty quick in this world. Is there like a mythical creature that raises the sun every day? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there was. Maybe I can use some time to get some more research done, and prepare for tonight. But first, gotta wind up that gearbox...
Night TwoWhelp, night two. Every single one of those ponies is getting ready for battle. It was nice of them for those alicorns to let me simply stay in this room. However, a new alicorn, Cadance, seemed really upset for some reason. Maybe I accidentally took over her study area or something. Whatever, I really do not want to move out from this place. From what I see in the cameras, there are way too many ponies moving about for me to move around stealthily. Plus there's also that weird crank thing. I don't have any magic teleportation thingy that most of the other ponies seem to have. If I'm going to keep this Chrysalis character asleep, I won't be able to do it when a pony is in the room, or else they will see my hands, and then the game's up. The idea that I'm in a war between ponies and changelings is really what freaking me out, though. I looked through the archives, and apparently they are also equine in shape, too. They can make a perfect replica of any pony they meet, though, so I will definitely not be able to tell which one is the real one and which one is the imposter. Although, to be fair, it's already hard to tell the guard ponies apart, anyways. No wonder those alicorns don't recognize that I'm not a pony, because those helmets do a really good job covering up the entire head. Wind up the gearbox, winding, winding, winding... Okay, fully winded, I guess I should go and check the cameras. From what I can tell, I've got a camera in the conference room, which are where Celestia, Luna, and Cadance are at the moment. The cellar with a tomb-like structure that I assume Chrysalis is inside. I've got a camera on the balcony, the most likely place that changelings would infiltrate the castle. And then a couple more cameras in various hallways to check on any passersby. Nighttime gets really dark though. Luckily each camera has a limited amount of light that I can turn on and off to conserve power. Plus, if any pony gets too close to me, I've got a couple flares to disorientate them. Oh wait there was one more room, the planning room. That's where most of the guards are at the moment. I wonder what they are doing... "Attention, soldiers" Shouted what looked like the leader of the group. His helmet looked a little bit different from the rest of them, anyways, plus his coat of fur was a bit bluish, unlike the standard grayscale coats of all the other guards. From what Jeremy remembered from earlier, he was simply known as the Captain of the Guards. "We have received intel a few days back that the changelings are going to attack tonight!" the Captain shouted. "We need to be ready for anything that happens, do you understand me?" "Sir, yes, Sir!" Cried the group of guards. "We will defend the castle at all costs, do you understand me?" "Sir, yes, Sir!" "We will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, until every single one of those lousy changelings have been defeated, do you understand me!?!" "SIR, YES, SIR!!!" Cried everypony. Well, almost everypony. Cadance had walked in at that time and merely scoffed. "Is something the matter, Princess Cadance?" Cadance shrugged. "Oh, nothing much. It's just that, maybe if you're done playing, you could start coming up with war strategies?" The Captain simply smirked. "Ma'am, I know that you do not approve of this war, since you are the Princess of Love, but you do not have to worry. We have already developed many plans to confront those changelings!" "Mhmm, sure." Said Cadance, "Then why isn't everypony here to hear them?" "Whatever do you mean? I have called in every guard here." "Not every guard." Cadance waved her hand about the group of soldiers. "I remember seeing a new recruit earlier, and he certainly isn't here now. In fact I bet he's still in the Archives right now." The Captain looked angry for a moment, but then grinned a mischievous grin. "We've already got a soldier on AWOL, eh? Well, then, let's see if he's prepared to face the consequences." He turned to his comrades and shouted, "Atten-hut!" Every guard stood up straight. "It's time to show you all the stealthiest pony alive!" The Captain said as he quickly ran off towards the Archives. Cadance followed behind, followed by the rest of the guards. Soon, the ponies arrived at the door of the Archives. The Captain gave the signal to stay still and stay quite to the other ponies, then snuck inside. Quietly, he tip-toed to the figure behind the table, who was apparently focused on a screen. Then he leaped at the figure. "AAAAAAUUUUUUUURGH!!!" screamed the Captain. "WAAHHHH!!!" screamed Jeremy. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, so bright that the ponies standing outside had to shield their eyes for the moment. "AHH, MY EYES!!!" said the Captain as he stumbled outside, rubbing his eyes to clear the pain. Once his vision was cleared he sternly trotted right back in. The rest followed. He walked right up to the helmeted recruit and said crossly "What in the blazes was that for!?!" Jeremy stuttered. "Um... well, you scared me, so-" "So you just go around using a blinding spell on everything?" "Um... yes?" The Captain looked at him for a few more seconds, then broke out into a giant grin. "Well, well, looks like someone is ready for a battle. I like you, kid. You remind me of myself when I was young!" This made Cadance groan in frustration. "I can see you're obviously doing something right, saying that was the fastest I've seen any pony launch a spell, say what do you have there." "Oh, um, I was here to check up on each room..." "A surveillance system? Nice, kid! I've been trying to get one of those installed, but somepony" The Captain looked at Candance, who simply rolled her eyes. "Didn't think it was a worthy idea. Alright, kid, I can see you obviously know what you're doing. Some of these guards here could learn a thing or two from you. Soldiers, fall back!" All of the guard ponies left the archives. Cadance concentrated her eyes on Jeremy. "I don't know what game you're playing, but you can't be that bad, since you can't possibly be a changeling. However, I still don't trust you. I'll be back to check up on you." Cadance left the room. ...did that Captain think I could use magic? All I did was test out my first flare. I brought it along in case I was surrounded by monsters. I can use the flare to create a blinding light, making all creatures disorientated so I can run away. I guess it works the other way as well. I only have a limited amount of flares I can use, so I better conserve them. Jeez, that Captain moved fast. He was as sly as a fox, that guy. Ack, the gearbox! I couldn't wind it while they're in the room. Quick, wind it up, wind it up... What is it with all these ponies not putting faith in me? Everypony seems to want to check up on me every once and a while. Well, okay, I guess that's reasonable, since I refuse to leave this room the entire time I was here. Oh well, what's done is done. Wait, I hear something. It sounds like... trumpets? And ponies yelling and running around? Could it be...? Yep, there they are on the cameras, black, bug-like beasts. The changelings are showing up, and they're starting to look like whichever guard they see first. ... That's a lot of changelings.
Night ThreeEvery castle has a secret passageway. I'm not kidding. During the Medieval Times, every castle was equipped with a secret passageway in order to make an easy escape when it came under siege, alternatively, it could also be used to launch surprise attacks on enemies that have infiltrated the castle. In rarer cases, the passageways would be used by servants during a time of peace, to easily move between rooms. In even rarer cases, other secret passages have sometimes been constructed after the initial building, particularly escape tunnels. These passageways are often blended into the walls, making them harder to see. Why am I saying this? Because there are secret entrances on either side of the room. I was wondering about where two of my cameras were placed, since the rooms they viewed were not exactly... spacey, even by the small pony standards. Then I started to realise that the only way any pony would fit in there is by crawling through them. Also, I came to this conclusion when I saw Luna crawling through them. Winding the gearbox... and... okay. Luna seemed to be having fun, god knows why. There's a bunch of changelings fighting all over the place, and she just pops up out of nowhere wanting to "check up on me". It's like she knows the night like the back of her han- erm, hoof. Celestia, on the other hand, seems just as stern as I had met her the first day. She came in yelling about how I'm being so "lazy and unproductive", so I told her where most of the changelings were. I also warned her about the balcony and how most changeling were entering through there, just like I predicted. But then she started complaining about how unprofessional I was being. "You are a guard, and you're just sitting there on your flank looking at a bunch of cameras. Why don't you get out there and fight?" She said. So I said, "You're just standing there eating a piece of cake," because she was. She stayed quite for a while, then said, "we are not done with this discussion," and she left. Huh. Cadance walked by a few times tonight giving me the evil eye. I think she's afraid of actually entering the room, because of my flares. Honestly, I'm glad I don't have to deal with any more ponies. Just keep my helmet on when they show up, and everything should be fine. Wind up the gear box... winding... Meanwhile on the balcony, the changelings were working on a plan to get back their leader, the Glorious Chrysalis. Their commander—or rather, commanders, since there are two—set the plans into action. Side note: Having an official birth name is such a trivial thing in hive colonies such as the ones changelings live in. Rather, similar to how ponies earn their cutie marks to reflect their special talent, changelings earn nicknames based on how their behavior is perceived in the hive. This works out much better than birth names, since their nicknames are easily associated with how they act. The two commanders' names are Lefty and Righty, since they are always together. Ironically enough, Lefty is always on the right side, and Righty is always on the left. Their nicknames were given based on which eye they had eyepatches. They had both gained eyepatches from the same accident, rubble from a section of the hive that had collapsed. They managed to save each other and stick together during the damage, and now they're inseparable. Literally, they're inseparable. The rubble crippled part of their legs and ended up twisting their wings together. They couldn't be split apart without fatal injuries. Therefore, as well as their separate nicknames, they have earned a nickname collectively: the Mangle. Most changelings just call them Mangle. Just because they're crippled, though, doesn't mean they aren't cunning. Mangle has proven that two heads are indeed better than one, constantly collaborating with each other the reach a perfect plan for everything. Now, they have been chosen as leaders for their superior planning to get back Queen Chrysalis and restore order in the hive. "Team Alpha!" shouted Lefty, "Move around the castle and find another way in!" Seven of the strongest-looking changelings saluted and flew off. "Team Beta, initiate your infiltration!" Several skinny changelings nodded and flew in through the balcony, blending in almost perfectly with the shadows. A while later, a few guards in nearby rooms cried in alarm. "Ugh." groaned Righty, "it's always team Beta that sets off the alarms. For once, can they just sneak around like they're suppose to and not show off?" He turned towards three changelings. "Alright, Team Omega, you guys know what to do." The three changelings grinned, and quickly changed forms. Where the three used to stand, there was now Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Or at least, what looked like the three alicorns. They quickly flew off. "Team Epsilon, join team Gamma and move in! Go! Go! Go!" shouted Mangle together. The remaining changelings got up and flew into the castle. A single changeling flew up onto the balcony to await orders. Lefty noticed him. "Ah, Scout, you're back! What have you found?" "Well, Mangle," Scout began, "Most of the guards are in the main entrance. We should be able to surround them and force them inwards. The three alicorns are staying relatively close together, but a few decoy attacks could easily split them apart and make them easier to deal with." Lefty nodded. "Anything else?" Scout hesitated. "Well... there is one other thing. The Archives are completely empty... except for one pony, who seems to be on guard" "Aha!" Exclaimed RIghty, "That's got to be where Chrysalis is! They must have an extremely elite guard to keep watch of her to make sure she doesn't escape! Scout, you may leave." Scout saluted and flew off. "Well then," said Lefty, "are you ready to pay our friend a visit?" Right grinned mischievously. "The old 'Hook, Line, Sinker' strategy, eh?" He asked. Lefty grinned back. "As if we could move faster any other way." And with that, the Mangle quickly leaped up onto the ceiling. Using their working legs and wings for leverage, they climbed their way around the ceiling, heading towards the archives. Well, after another rude interruption from Luna, and another quick winding of the gearbox, I guess it's time to check up on the balcony again and- ...and they're gone, all of them. Most of the changelings seem to be fighting with the guards. Three alicorns seem to be doing a fairly decent job. Although, any fool could see that the changelings are using the old "Anaconda plan", isolating the forces from the inside and crushing them from the outside. Then again, they don't have cameras. I should go out there and warn them. Or, I could stay in here and not get exposed, and not get attacked as well. Yep, staying is good. I'll just bring it up if a pony survives and walks by here. Hmm... it is a bit strange how no changelings has actually come through here. I was kind of hoping I could launch a flare into their unsuspecting faces. That would have been amusing. I wonder, since I'm spying on them, could they be spying on me as well? Keeping track of my every move? Nah, that's ridiculous, as if they're going to sneak in here. Winding up that gearbox, crank the handle...
Night FourIt's actually not that hard to see a changeling in disguise. First of all, changelings are not as big as alicorns. It's not like they can suddenly just grow several inches, even shapeshifters have limitations. Second, it's easy to spot a changeling up close since they all have fangs. Last time I checked, ponies did not have fangs. Third, if someone panics (and by that someone, I meant me), then I – I mean, that someone – can simply throw a flash flare. A pony will yell "ARGH!!! WHY THE HAY DID YOU DO THAT?" A changeling will yell the exact same thing, but it's an easy way to prevent them from attacking. Winding up the gearbox... Also, more and more ponies have been trying to get in recently. It's like they are all starting to gravitate towards this room. I can't understand why, since I don't think books will resolve this war anytime soon. I been distracted several times already. And I am starting to run low on flares. (I need to stop panicking.) Only a couple more days left. Then the teleporter will be recharged and I can finally go home. Just got to hold out for two more days. That shouldn't be too hard, right? The Mangle stopped for a moment to spectate on a current battle between some royal guards and some of the Gamma changelings. After a while, Lefty pulled down one of the drapes and flung it at a certain guard. The guard shouted out in surprise, and tripped over the drapes, causing him to crash head-first into another guard. The two guards tumbled down, barely missing a changeling. This caused the remaining guards to slowly back down as the changelings began to overtake them. Righty snickered. "Don't you think you should save those trickshots for another time?" Lefty shrugged. "I've got plenty of practice, I thought it was about time I put it to good use." "Whatever," Righty rolled his eyes, but still grinning. "Anyways, should we get back to our task at hand?" "Well, duh, we need Chrysalis to organize the hive again, let's go get that Elite Guard." The Mangle began to scurry along the ceiling again. Navigating around the castle is a difficult feat to accomplish just by walking around. Even princesses have trouble locating certain rooms at a time of need. This is the main reason why a multitude of guards is always on duty, so that the amount of movement can be limited and easy to remember. Likewise, this was also why there are a multitude of changelings on this search mission. It becomes easier to search for a lost queen when there are a large number of ponies looking, so they can split up and continue the search without retracing steps. True, the more they split up, the easier they are to attack, but they have the darkness on their side. They know that they can hide in the shadows and follow the corridors until their mission is complete. The Mangle simply takes this advantage one step further. Their so called "hook, line, sinker" strategy is exactly what it sounds like: they "hook" themselves to the ceiling, almost bypassing all security, then they move in a "line" to their desired destination, and they "sink" down to attack any unsuspecting creature. Their use of the strategy has been perfected to where almost no pony has caught them until it was too late. Arriving at the Archives, Lefty took note of the surroundings. "Hmm... are you sure that this is where Chrysalis is?" he asked. "Of course it is!" replied Righty. "It's got to be. Isn't that the Elite Guard over there?" "But that's the thing, he's just sitting there. I mean, that pony doesn't even look like an elite guard... He's panicking at the slightest sound, he keeps looking at that weird monitor. What if he was just a regular pony? You know how Chrysalis feels about hurting bystanders..." "That's ridiculous, all the non-guards have been evacuated already, according to Scout. Besides, he has a guard helmet, therefore he is a guard." "You know, I can't even see his face through the helmet." "It's there, he's got the build of a guard pony." "I honestly don't see anything" "Well, look closer!" "Hmm... oh, wait, I think I can- wait, what's he pulling out?" *BRIGHT FLASH* "ARGH!!! WHY THE HAY DID YOU DO THAT?" They shouted in unison. Rubbing their eyes, the Mangle tried to refocus on the character in the room. "Is... is that... Big'ums?" Righty squinted his eyes. "It is! Nice job, Bigs, I didn't know you already took over this area." "Uh..." Said Jeremy. "Haha, still don't say much, eh? Well, that's fine. I should have recognized that flash anywhere, it was just you showing off your amazing changing stills, right?" "...sure..." Lefty began to take things seriously. "So, does that mean Chrysalis is not in this room then?" "...no..." "Do you have any idea where she is?" "...ye- ...no..." Lefty noticed that there was a hesitation, but simply disregarded it. "Alright, then, could you at least tell us what happened to the guard that was in here, a moment ago?" "Uh... " However, before Jeremy got any further, a loud voice came out from near the door. "Soldier, are you in there? I need to talk with you." Righty grinned. "Alright, Lefty, stop bugging Big'ums, he obviously knows what he's doing. We'll just go look for Chrysalis, you keep track of this room, capisce? Jeremy nodded. And the Mangle quickly crawled through one of the hidden entrances. They were making such a ruckus that Jeremy did not notice the Captain of the Guards sneaking up on him. "BOO!" yelled the Captain. "AHH!" *BRIGHT FLASH* "ARGH!!! WHY THE HAY DID YOU DO THAT?" "S-sorry, Captain, I mean Sir, I mean... uh..." stuttered Jeremy. "Ah, it's fine" said the Captain, rubbing his eyes. "I'm used to it now, since you've done it to me several times. Anyways, I need to know if the changelings are close to finding Chrysalis." "Uh... let me check... no, most of the changelings are still fighting the guards. Some more guards are needed in the east hallway. "Good work, soldier, your technology has been of much use for us. Keep it up" The Captain walked away. Well, I've only got two flares left, and there's still a day left before the teleporter is recharged. Wind the box, wind the box... I'm really running low on resources now, I can't keep this up very long. I'm going to have to find a stronger hiding place. Otherwise I will run the risk of- ...I heard a gasping noise. Strange, there's no one here. Unless some pony is- Wait, there it is again... and again... Oh, It's coming from the cameras! Okay, so going through all of the cameras, I'll see OH GOD WHAT IS THAT. ... actually it's not that scary. In fact, it's kind of adorable. It looks like... a giant pink ball of fluff. It's got so much fur on it, it looks like a pony could fit inside it. Maybe this is the changelings' plan for a trojan horse? Hide some changelings in a giant ball. It looks completely out of place, I wonder if and it's gone. Where did it go? It's not in any of the cameras now. Oh, that's because it's in my room... Winding up the box... "Um... hello?" I said. "pffftftpfpfffttff" The really fluffy pony answered.
Night FiveIt's still staring at me. It's not even doing anything. It's just sitting there, mocking me with it's motionless face, taunting my every move. I can't pull down the mask, or else my secret is out. But I have to wind up the gearbox. I need to keep Chrysalis asleep. I need to... Oh, what's the point. That gearbox stopped at least a half hour ago. All that's left is complete silence as that thing slowly takes away my last few bits of sanity with its dark, staring eyes. Seriously, I'd rather deal with the fluffy pony than this, this thing is just creepy. What's wrong with it? Well, everything, actually. His head is horse-like, though much different from the other ponies' head styles. That's about the only horse part he actually has. He has a deer antler on the right, a blue goat horn on the left, one long fang, a snake tongue, a goat beard, the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat, a bat's right wing, a Pegasus' left wing, and a dragon-like snake's tail. I don't even know what to call this thing. Also, it's completely made of stone, filled with so many cracks. I can see some sort of black ooze coming out of it, it makes me queasy just trying to figure out what it is. It also bothers me how I did not see it come in. And now it's just sitting there, facing me. There is no reason that this thing should be here. Kind of like me... It's so dark. Do I hear... evil laughing? It's coming from everywhere. I'm h- having trouble breathing. I... I can't- The creature is moving. The beast of chaos opened its seemingly lifeless jaws, each teeth glistening with sharpness. Then it leaped at me. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- "-AAAAAAAAAAHHHhhhhhhhhh- WHAT, WHat, wait... huh?" Jeremy bolted awake. He panted for breath, sweating. It was- just a dream? Was I dreaming this whole thing up the entire time? Jeremy took a quick glance around the room, confirming that, although the attack was certainly a dream, the rest of it was not. He was still in the Archives, defending himself from a war with changelings and ponies. And a very fluffy pony sticking her tongue out at him. "Please go away, Fluffy Pony." said Jeremy. "Pbbt." Came the response. "Please?" "Pbbt, pff pbb pfft." "I'll... give you... a toy?" "... pfft." Jeremy shrugged, and gave her one of the two flash flares he had left. The Fluffy Pony took it, looked it over, and stuffed it into her fur. The flash flare slowly sank into the mass of fluff. After a while, Jeremy heard a quiet *pop!* and saw a slight glow quickly appear and fade away in the spot where the flare used to be. "*Gasp!*" The Fluffy Pony clapped her hooves and smiled the most adorable smile Jeremy had ever seen. Then she turned around a few times like a dog lying down, then went to a corner, and fell asleep. Jeremy sighed, it wasn't exactly what he planned, but it would have to do. Just to be safe, he left his helmet above his head so he could quickly slip it on if the Fluffy Pony woke up. He quickly decided to check the cameras. Okay, that was... interesting. Darn it, why did I give her the flare? Now I only have one left! And my teleporter is still not fully charged! How many days have I even been here? Come on, it's got to be only a few hours left. I'll just check the cameras for now. Nothing serious, most of the fighting is on the opposite side of this castle. There are a few stray fights nearby, but it's just small ones, nothing looks out of the ordinary, except for- Wait, why do I feel like I'm forgetting something? The gear box slowed to a halt, and there was complete silence in the cellar. Crap. The music box stopped. Thought Jeremy. It would seem logical that complete silence in a room would be unnoticed in a noisy fight between many. However, one tends to not notice the subtle "white noise" until that noise disappears. The sudden lack of a persistent noise is often often the most disruptive, since it takes a moment's hesitation to try to find the original source of the noise. In conclusion, every changeling, guard, and alicorn immediately ceased fighting when there was the sudden silence. However, only Luna knew what actually happened. "Oh no," she said, "That would mean that there'll be-" Before she finished speaking, the most obnoxious music-box like sound began playing. At first, every pony and changeling just stood shocked at the sudden change in atmosphere. But then a voice cried out. "WHERE IS THAT INFURIATING SONG COMING FROM! TURN IT OFF!" Boomed a deep feminine voice from the Cellar. "-a counterspell." Luna finished. "Quick! To the Cellar! That's where our glorious queen is!" shouted the Mangle in unison. They dashed off, quickly followed by the rest of the storm. "Don't let her escape! Move, move, move!" shouted the Captain. The guards quickly ran off, Celestia and Candance close behind. Luna, however, first made a quick stop at the Archives. "How could thou?!" Luna shouted at Jeremy, exasperated. "Thou had to keep her asleep. Does thy know what thou hast done!?" "I... b-but---" Jeremy stuttered. Luna just shook her head. "That's enough, thou will be dealt with later." And she quickly went to join the rest in the cellar. ...crap. I completely screwed up. And the teleporter isn't recharged yet. I guess I should look at the camera in the cellar. At least I'll know what this Chrysalis looks like. Author's Note ★ＡＣＨＩＥＶＥＭＥＮＴ ○ ＵＮＬＯＣＫＥＤ★ ☆Five Nights Completed☆ ☵ACHIEVEMENT DESCRIPTION☵ Boy, that sure was a tough five nights. However, it seems that you've got to stay for a little while more before you can get the heck out of there. Would you mind staying for another night?
Night SixThe cameras are out of power. I have no idea where they are. And to make things worse, I have one flare left. Every single creature here seems to be far more powerful than I'd ever imagine. ...I should run... but what if they catch me? ...Yeah, staying put is probably better. ~In the Cellar~ "Seriously! I only wanted to borrow some sugar!" Said Chrysalis for the umpteenth time. "Uh huh, likely story!" Replied Celestia. "Why would you travel across lands just to borrow a cup of sugar?" Chrysalis groaned. "Celestia, we've been through this the last time I was here, the Pony Lands have the largest natural resource of crystallized sugar. We have no ability to grow them on our own, so I occasionally come to negotiate a trade!" "Well I-..." Celestia pondered this for a moment, causing Cadance to snicker to herself. "Huh, your right, you have done this before..." Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Honestly, how can someone as thick-skulled as you be a ruler? As soon as something strange enters Canterlot, you're all like 'EEK, it's evil! Destroy it!' Not every non-pony is trying to hurt you, you know. That's just very rude manners. You must not be very strong in foreign affairs." "Thou dost often jump to conclusions, dear sister." Remarked Luna. "Remember that strange stone claw that appeared?" "In my defense, it was a very scary looking claw!" Huffed Celestia, "But I see you point. From now on, no more unnecessary wars without justification. Probably." Chrysalis perked her head up at this statement. "A war? Why was there an entire war just to rescue me? MANGLE!!!" The duo changlings quickly saluted. "How long have I been missing?" "Er... Five days, oh glorious queen!" Said Righty. "Actually, it's been about six months..." Said Lefty a bit more quietly. Righty palmed his face. Chrysalis was furious. "I left the hive to get sugar six months ago, AND YOU GUYS ARE JUST TRYING TO RESCUE ME NOW!" Chrysalis glared at the changelings. "You better have a good reason for all this!" "Well..." Righty hesitated, "while you were gone, most of the hive got into a... heated argument, that led to a fight, per se..." "It was about the dress, wasn't it?" "...yes..." ~The Changeling Lands, five months ago~ The entire hive was in ruins, changelings could be seen fighting, covered in bruises and bite marks. In the corner, a tattered picture of a dress can be vaguely seen in all the ruckus. "I'm telling you, it's gold and white!" said a changeling, while he kicked another changeling in the knee. "No, it's blue and black, you bugger!" the second changeling replied, punching the first in the face. (Side note: Relating a changeling to an insect is considered the biggest insult in changeling norms.) "Shut up, or soon it's you who's going to be blue and black!" The first changeling leaped at the second. Fighting ensues among the changelings. ~The Cellar, present~ Chrysalis shook her head. "I swear, I need to get rid of that dress..." Celestia coughed. "Well, I'm sorry for the... miscommunication... " Chrysalis growled at her. "but I guess, you are pardoned from any damages caused, and we'll aid in any injuries inflicted during this... event. Other than I that, I guess you are free to-" "Wait, hold on a minute!" Replied Cadance. "Really? That's just it? We trapped a queen for six months and that's all that's going to happen?" "Well, there isn't that much to do really." Replied Celestia. "The rooms can easily be fixed, and we have several wards that can-" "That's not even the point! Is no pony seriously going to wonder about that strange pony in the Archives? I have never seen him in my life until about five days ago, and in all this time, he just sits there in that room. Has any pony actually seen him move out of that room? He does absolutely nothing except looking at that stupid monitor of his. Who even gave him that, anyways? It's certainly not something that any one of us has created." "Actually, he's one of us," Stated Lefty, "His name is Biggums, and he is one of the best-" "Uh, boss?" A large changling stepped up. "I ain't ever been in that room yet." "...Oh... well then, maybe it was one of the other changelings?" All the changelings shook their heads. "Hmm... well then, I guess he isn't one of ours. Whoops." "Well, I say let him be!" Said the Captain of the Guards "He's done a fine job defending the castle!" "Has those flares finally made you blind?" Retorted Candance. "He's not defending the castle, he's been defending himself this whole time! Any foal could see that if you weren't so busy fighting!" She stormed out of the cellar. "He's hiding something, and I'm going to find out!" Hesitantly, every pony and changeling followed. Oh crap. Every single one of them is in this room. It was bad enough that they were checking up on me one at a time, now there all in this room. "Alright, spill the beans, who are you?" Demanded Cadance. "I h-have no idea wh-what you're talking about..." "Seriously? You showed up only five days ago, and you expect me to believe that you just some loyal civilian willing to put his life on the line?" Whelp. She's onto me. "It's okay," Celestia tried to assure me. "I promise we won't hurt you. Just tell us how you got here." "Yes, dear friend," Luna said, "although you have failed my task for thou, my faith remains unchanged. Just state your alliance." "Uh..." I stalled for as long as possible. Do I really want to risk it? If things go wrong, will I be able to resist long enough before I can go home? "Come on!" shouted Righty, "Give up your disguise already! Show us who you really are!" Suddenly the teleporter beeped. OH THANK GOD, IT'S FINALLY FULLY CHARGED. "What the hay is that?!?" Cadance pointed at the teleporter. "Is that another gadget of yours? Where do you keep getting these? That's it, no more questions, I need to know!" She reached for my helmet. "ACK!" Well this is it, I'm going to be revealed. And I was so close to going home, dammit! Whelp, it was a nice run while it lasted. I hope my friends and family will remember me when I'm gone. ... Oh wait, I have a flare left. *THROW* *FLASH* *'AH, MY EYES' INTENSIFIES* "I can't see! Where did he go?" "Find him! Don't let him get away!" "Close off the area! We must find him" Well, looks like I get five more minutes to live. As long as I can get out of this room without bumping into any of these temporarily blind ponies.
