My little pony:Adventure of Seresia

A carefully crafted cake sat on the table, decorated with white cream swirls surrounding a single cherry on top, and apple slices shaped like flower petals painted with jam encircled the dessert. This was Pinkie’s latest creation, a special treat for Twilight. However, at the moment, Twilight had no appetite for it. The fork, suspended mid-air by magic, held a piece of the cake with a bite taken out of it. As it stayed in place for too long, the cake began to slide down due to gravity, until it fell with a thud back onto the plate, splashing cream onto Twilight’s cheek, startling her.

“Hello? Twilight, what are you spacing out about? You should be enjoying Pinkie’s cake right now!” Spike snickered at Twilight’s funny expression before putting on a more serious tone of mock scolding.

“Ah... nothing, just thinking about something,” Twilight quickly explained while wiping the cream off her face.

“You’re worried about the hoofover ceremony the day after tomorrow?” Spike guessed, grabbing another piece of cake and popping it into his mouth. Twilight nodded and replied:

“I just keep thinking about that night when Ambassador Meng Yu suddenly knocked on my door. The more I think about it, the stranger it seems… Normally, she would already be asleep at that hour, and she wasn’t wearing her usual fancy diplomatic robes. That was the first time I saw her without clothes on. If she had a flowing mane, I might have mistaken her for Princess Celestia.”

“Maybe she was just anxious? She explained the whole Alicorn Amulet thing to you, didn’t she? I don’t see anything to worry about.”

“I don’t know, Spike... I just feel uneasy, like something bad is about to happen... Maybe I’m just afraid something will go wrong with the amulet, that it might fall into the wrong hooves again or something.” Twilight’s magic made the fork scratch aimlessly across the plate smeared with cream as her thoughts became more and more jumbled. She held up the necklace around her neck, staring at the pattern on the gemstone, too distracted to enjoy the delicious cake in front of her.

“But all the big villains in Equestria have been locked up. It’s not like some new villain is going to suddenly show up and turn everything upside down, right?” Spike’s words made Twilight’s ears perk up. She stared at him intensely, and Spike, realizing what he had said, quickly changed the subject:

“Pinkie’s cake is really tasty. Aren’t you going to have some?” Seeing that Twilight didn’t respond, he took the opportunity. “Then I’ll just eat the rest!” With that, Spike dragged the remaining cake in front of him. Just as he was about to take a big bite, he suddenly felt a tickle in his throat, as if something was about to come up. A burst of green flame, along with a loud belch, shot out of Spike’s mouth, flying straight toward Twilight. In an instant, Twilight expertly conjured a magic shield, as if this were routine. After the flames dissipated, a letter, wrapped in the lingering smoke, hit the shield and fell to the ground. Twilight quickly picked it up and opened it.

“A letter? What does it say?” Spike patted his chest, trying to recover, and grabbed some juice to drink.

“Chrysalis… Chrysalis has escaped from Canterlot!!?” Twilight’s voice trembled with disbelief, and her hooves shook as well, causing the scroll held by her magic to drop to the floor. Spike, upon hearing this news, spat out the juice he had just sipped.

“What?! How is that possible!!? Wasn’t Chrysalis sealed away by your Rainbow Magic?!” Spike rushed to pick up the scroll from the floor and read it. He desperately hoped Twilight was joking, but the neat writing on the scroll coldly confirmed that everything Twilight had just said was true.

“We need to get to Canterlot immediately!! Spike!!” Twilight leaped from her chair. Spike, hearing his name, snapped to attention: “On it, on it! Let me just—” Before he could finish, the sound of magic interrupted him, and the entire room fell into an eerie silence. Suddenly, a knock came at the door:

“Princess? Princess Twilight? May I come in? I’d like to discuss the Alicorn Amulet with you again. Please reconsider. The amulet is of utmost importance to us. I’m certain we can find a balanced solution.” Chancellor Meng Yu’s voice came from outside, along with a few gentle knocks on the door. After waiting a long time, she still received no response.

“Chancellor, is it possible the princess is avoiding you? Since she refused you the other day, we’ve visited her several times, but every time she’s either busy or nowhere to be found. It’s likely she’s upset with you for not giving her friend that silk fabric,” the stallion following Meng Yu quietly voiced his suspicions.

“Chancellor, there’s no need to waste words with her. If the princess refuses to hoof over the amulet, allow me to use force! I’ll turn Canterlot upside down!” Compared to the calm stallion, the mare’s tone was much more impulsive.

“Jin Yun, the Chancellor has told you many times not to act rashly. Even if the princess is being unreasonable, I’m sure the Chancellor has her own way of handling it,” the stallion spoke again, scolding Jin Yun, who, though annoyed, held her tongue, waiting in silence for Meng Yu’s next instruction.

“Enough, Jin Yun, Jin Yang. I’ve taught you not to speak ill behind others’ backs. Careful, or you’ll get a bad reputation and cause unnecessary gossip,” Meng Yu lightly chastised them, and the two ponies lowered their ears slightly, like scolded foals. “Yes, Chancellor…”

“Since the princess isn’t here, she must have left for something urgent. We’ll visit another time,” Meng Yu waved her sleeve, signaling her intent to leave. Her two guards quickly followed her lead, but just as they took a few steps, the door creaked open by itself. Both guards immediately turned around and stood on alert.

“Princess Twilight?” Meng Yu called out cautiously but still received no answer. Impatient, Jin Yun slowly approached the door, her magic lighting up as she prepared to draw her sword. Jin Yang tried to stop her but was easily shaken off. Reluctantly, he stayed back, guarding the Chancellor. As the door opened further, Jin Yun was the first to step inside, scanning the room for any danger. After confirming it was safe, she gestured for the other two to enter.

“Chancellor, the princess isn’t here. She must have teleported out again. I can sense lingering magic in the air. And I also found this on the floor. Please take a look.” Jin Yun levitated the scroll from the floor to Meng Yu.

“Esteemed Princess Twilight, we regret to inform you that the statues under secret protection in the Royal Garden have been damaged. The statue of ‘Chrysalis’ is missing, though the other two remain intact. We conducted a thorough search of the area immediately after discovering the situation but found no useful clues. The garden is now sealed off, and we have informed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. We await your further instructions. Please return to Canterlot as soon as possible.”

Meng Yu read the message aloud in a low voice, staring at the scroll in silence, while Jin Yun and Jin Yang whispered to each other.

“Let’s go. We’ll visit another time.”

“Yes.” With that, the three ponies left Twilight’s room. Meanwhile, deep in the Everfree Forest, Wind Dust burst through the door of the hideout in a hurry: “Queen Chrysalis, we need to change our plans. We have to move faster.”

“Hm? What happened?” Chrysalis was leisurely enjoying her stored food, but Wind Dust rushed up to her, disrupting her good mood, and she was not pleased.

“Queen Chrysalis, the cover I set up for you in Canterlot has been exposed. The entire city and Twilight now know you’ve escaped. Especially Twilight—she’s bound to be extremely cautious now. If we want to get close to her again… the risks will be much higher.”

“Heh~ Didn’t you promise me that your protection spells wouldn’t fail?” Hearing Wind Dust’s explanation, Chrysalis’s mood shifted, showing a mischievous grin. Though she respected Wind Dust’s abilities, her constant boasting, whether intentional or not, always annoyed Chrysalis. Hearing about her failure now, she couldn’t resist throwing in a sarcastic jab.

“Your Majesty, it was only a matter of time before they discovered my spells. It just happened a little sooner than I expected. But there’s no need to worry—I already have a backup plan in place.” Wind Dust seemed unfazed by Chrysalis’s sarcasm, as if everything was still under control.

“Speak.” Chrysalis frowned, realizing her mocking didn’t have the desired effect. She spat out the word impatiently. Wind Dust nodded and stepped closer, gesturing for Chrysalis to lean in. As Chrysalis obliged, Wind Dust whispered something in her ear. At first, Chrysalis looked confused, but soon her eyes lit up, and finally, she broke into an evil grin.

“Good!! We’ll do it your way!”