At last! At last!!! I have all the princesses and the element bearers captured!!! And there will be nopony who can stop me!!! Equestria is finally mine!!!

No!!!

Stop her!!!

You'll never win!!!

Let us go, you monster!!!

Let you go? Whenever I feel the time is necessary, I'm going to enjoy watching all of you die!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Twilight lay awake on her bed. Her thoughts were ringing loudly in her mind, loud enough that she could practically hear them. Just like metal striking metal. Just three months before, she had been invited by Princess Celestia to host the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot. Initially, everything was going smooth. Everypony was enjoying themselves, laughing, watching the music performances, etc. But as the day went on, she noticed that some ponies were acting strange. Twilight decided to confront the issue, asking one of them what the problem was. Then, out of nowhere, Queen Chrysalis and several hundred Changelings shed their disguises and went on the attack. She and her friends had tried subduing her, but they were overpowered and captured. Twilight had managed to escape unnoticed as her friends were taken, regretting being unable to rescue them. However, Princess Celestia had been able to hide the Elements of Harmony before she was captured.

Before long, the queen found out about her escape. And each day since then, the Changelings had been patrolling Equestria, constantly searching and feeding on any ponies they'd come across. Aided by Zecora and other ponies, they set up camp in the clearing of a forest outside of Manehattan. They made sure they exercised every precaution possible, ensuring they wouldn't be discovered.

For Twilight, her daily routine was to keep the ponies of the camp in check. Make sure nopony was acting abnormal, regulate the ponies on guard duty, and so on. However, she could never shake the feeling that she could've done more to help her friends. The purple alicorn let out a deep sigh.

I need to take a walk, she thought as she sat up and slipped off the bed.

She levitated an umbrella off the nearby nightstand and proceeded to the door. Opening the umbrella, she stepped out into the gloomy evening, paying no attention to the sounds her hooves made on the wet grass. As she walked, she caught glances of the other ponies performing their evening routines. Some waved to her, but she did not wave back. She was too lost in her thoughts to acknowledge anyone. Looking up, she spotted Zecora standing near the ponies currently guarding the camp's entrance. She began walking towards the main gate.

"Good evening, Princess Twilight," Zecora said. "Tell me, is everything alright?"

"Not really," Twilight answered, meeting Zecora's gaze. "I'm just gonna go for a walk so I can collect my thoughts. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Do be careful, my little pony. And be sure to watch for anything phony," Zecora cautioned.

"I will, Zecora. Thank you," Twilight said, managing a tiny smile.

The forest near the camp was very densely wooded, and Twilight knew she would not need to worry too much. The Changelings had never ventured out to where it was. However, she remained cautious as the massive plants scattered about would make excellent cover for a Changeling ambush. A million things were buzzing around in her head. Some she couldn't describe herself. This happened 24/7 since Chrysalis had captured her friends and fellow princesses. She tried as much as she could to shake the thoughts of regret for not saving her friends and fear of being caught since then, but she couldn't. Now, they were even more omnipresent than before. She sighed loudly, her ears drooping.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly to herself, not caring who or what was nearby to hear her. "I'm so sorry."

"I should have tried saving you all. But I was a coward. I ran without even thinking about going back. Now, she has all of you. I know I could've done more to stop her, but she overpowered me, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance! Then, she came after you guys. It's a miracle she didn't see me escaping. But I should have gone back! It's all my fault! I'm sorry!"

Walking underneath a large tree she sat down, dropped her head and umbrella, and began to cry. She barely noticed she was getting soaked by the rain, nor did she care. She had never experienced feelings this strong before. Not since the incident before her brother's wedding, at least.

"I'm sorry," she stuttered through her tears. "Please forgive me."

About 30 minutes later, Twilight had calmed down enough to compose herself. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up. She saw the sun peak out behind the rain clouds and the branches of the trees. It was almost completely behind the horizon.

"I need to go back now," she said, standing up. "I've been out here long enough."

She looked down and noticed she had small leaves, twigs, and dirt stuck to her coat. Brushing herself off, she picked up her umbrella.

Maybe if I read a book tonight, it'll help calm me down, she thought. Channeling her magic to glow like a flashlight, she started her trek back to the camp.

*SNAP!*

Somewhere nearby, a twig snapped. Twilight jumped. She frantically looked around to find the source of the noise. The sun had almost completely gone down, which only made the situation worse since the trees blocked almost all of the sun's light each hour of the day.

"Maybe it was just my imagination," she said quietly to herself.

*SNAP!*

Twilight spun around. She knew she didn't imagine that. Trembling, she started to open her umbrella but quickly stopped herself. Then, she began walking leisurely. Since the ground was soaking wet from the rain, she knew dropping her hooves too firmly would make her presence known. Cautiously, she quickened her pace a little.

*SNAP!* *CRACK!*

Twilight froze dead in her tracks. Slowly, she turned to look behind her. Nothing was there. She dared not move or make a sound. Whatever was making the noise sounded closer. It was almost too close for comfort. The little alicorn wanted to scream as loud as she could, but she held it back. She turned around and began walking again slowly. She wanted to teleport back to camp, but she knew it would attract attention. Slowly and steadily, she kept going.

*SNAP!*

Once again, Twilight stopped dead. This time, she almost let out a scream but managed to silence it. It sounded extremely close now! Her heart racing, she whipped around again and saw the same thing as before: nothing. She rapidly turned to face the direction she was going. Still nothing. She started walking slowly again.

Stay quiet! Stay quiet! Stay quiet! she repeated in her mind over and over. I need to get back to the camp now!

The purple mare had no words to accurately describe the terror she was experiencing. She was getting soaked by the rain again, but she fought back the urge to shake herself dry. Typically, she would be close to laughing since she knew Rainbow Dash loved to pull off pranks. But, since her friends were taken hostage, this was not the case. Twilight took a deep breath very quietly in a desperate attempt to calm down. She began walking a little faster, trying to make as little noise possible.

*SNAP!*

It was right behind her! Twilight spun around as quick as she could. Once again, she saw nothing. Now, she was getting a little annoyed.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" she shouted, her voice shaking a bit. No answer. She turned back around and started to walk again, but after taking one step, she heard something. Something that sent a massive chill down her spine, stopping her cold.

Hello... Princess.

Author's Note

Oh no! Looks like Twilight's in trouble! 😨 Who has found her? What do they want? And why? Find out in Chapter 2!