Night of the Blue Sunby Key StrixChaptersThe Darkest DuskHigh HopesCounting CandlesThe Darkest DuskMy Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic Night of the Blue Sun By Key Strix ~This is a non-profit fan made story. All characters of MLP: FiM belong to Hasbro.~ A constant sound of rumbling filled the air. Twilight Sparkle fumbled blindly, too dizzy and numbed minded to take a stand upon all fours. She shook her head and blinked rapidly, doing her best to clear her vision, but the darkness that engulfed her vision was slow to fade. Before she could even see straight, a sharp pain from a vicious bite struck her fore-right leg seconds before a hoof connected with her chin. The force of the strike pushed her several sloppy footed paces back before tumbling over. Within a few short moments of laying on her back, her vision had finally cleared, letting her gaze upon the patches of black that cluttered the daytime sky of Canterlot. That dull sound of rumbling quickly cleared into buzzing. Her eyes widened as she heard the sounds of terrified screams that were mixed into the buzzing. Whatever cog that was knocked loose within her noggin started to turn again. This black mass that nearly covered Canterlot was an invasion with countless pairs of eyes, wings, and sharp teeth. The swarm had returned and a fight for the kingdom had begun once more. Or so she had thought for that brief moment. Her gaze traveled downward to realize that the situation was even worse. A trickle of blood trailed right between her eyes and down her snout as she looked upon an oncoming wave of changelings that she couldn’t number. She then realized it wasn't just a fight for Canterlot as it was also a fight for her very life. How she got into such a situation was just a blurred haze, likely brought by battle fatigue. No, no, no! This is all wrong! Why are there so many of them!? How… how did this even happen!? Where is everypony!? Twilight’s mind ran a mile a second to nowhere as she stumbled to stand against the swarm that slowly closed a full circle around her. Focus, focus, focus! She squinted at the devious smiles, trying to gather all the power she could muster into her horn for a spell to fend them off. Several harmless sparks popped from the tip but nothing else followed. The unicorn was fully spent but she didn’t stop trying. The sense loomed that if she did, this was going to be a fight that she would quickly lose. All the while she couldn’t help but close her eyes for focus while chanting, “this isn’t real! This isn’t happening! This… this-!” “TWILIGHT!” Her eyes shot open just in time to watch a small mass of the changelings explode, scattering them apart after Rainbow Dash smashed right through them. Her blazing speed hardly slowed as she swooped Twilight up into her arms to carry her from danger. The tired unicorn rubbed the blood from her eyes and snout as she looked to Dash, who was injured in several areas, but ignored her pains as she fought to keep her flight straight and Twilight safe in her arms. “As soon as I stop, take the bag!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she jutted into a hard turn to avoid another mass of changelings. Surprised by such a commanding tone, Twilight’s eyes trailed down Dash’s ruffled blue body, spotting the brown bag with its single strap slung around her shoulders. “You take the bag and you run!” Dash further commanded, “use the tunnels to get out of here!” “But-“ “No! There’s just too many of these things! You need to get yourself and the elements of harmony to safety! I’ll go find the others and we’ll meet up soon!” Before Twilight could object, she was interrupted by Dash skidding to a stop on her hind legs. More of the swarm quickly closed in from behind. The pegasus threw the tower door open and dropped Twilight and the bag just beyond the other side, taking just a small moment to pause and look Twilight right in the eye. Dash was focused, alert, and clearly panicking. Eyes wild, breaths fast and sharp, Dash looked as if wanted to say something but was disrupted. A familiar scream erupted clearly above the rest from the streets below. “Rarity!” Dash’s ears perked as she snapped her sharp eyes from Twilight to outside the doorway. Without looking back, “I got this! Just lock the door and GO!” Were the last words aimed to Twi before the door was suddenly slammed shut, blocking off any view of Dash and the changelings that swooped in like birds of prey. Against every thought that told her otherwise, Twilight swallowed deep and followed Dash’s instructions with a dive to the door. She heard the muffled sound of Dash calling something out before the lock clicked and the door was struck by a violent force. As rapid breaths passed her lips, she hoped repeatedly that Dash was safe, that she had escaped the clash that kept bashing at the locked door. Could even picture the teal mare swooping in to save Rarity about now… but the door was continuously thrashed with every strike hitting harder than the last. Snatching the bag and throwing it around herself, she hoofed it as fast as she could down the nearby spiral staircase with Dash’s plan still running through her mind. Dash’s plan? Twilight was baffled at such a thought along with many others that raced within her mind, faster than she could sprint down the steps. At least Dash had one as where Twilight… could hardly think at all as her thoughts had kept branching from focusing. The very idea of being without a plan of her own pushed down a deeper sense of fear that was already buried in confusion of the chaotic moment. But that fear was soon rivaled by the sight of more changelings flooding up the steps below her. Her path was blocked and she was in no condition to fight past them. The tunnels were no longer an option. Having skid into her stop, Twilight nearly slid the rest of the way down the steps into the dark clutter but managed her footing and turned tail to charge her way back up the steps. She did her best to ignore her many bodily pains and the stabbing thoughts that she was being eased into a trap by the screeching mass that stayed hot on her trail. Something about their shrills alone felt more violent than ever before, planting terrifying images in her mind that kept her running at full speed. Eyes ahead with no intention of looking back, Twilight begrudgingly realized that she was nearly out of stairs to climb and once she reached the very top she came to a dead stop. She looked up with eyes full of fear as her blood ran cold. A dark gangling creature towered over her. Its surface black as tar and its limbs riddled with holes. Its shiny bug like wings stretched as did its fang equipped smile, proudly displaying a sickeningly dark grin. “Chr-Chrysalis!” Twilight choked out. There was a pause of silence between the two. Twilight didn’t even need to look back to know that the chasing swarm had halted at the sight of their ruler and even quieted down. “Queen… Chrysalis.” She corrected the pony with that chilling echoing voice as she stepped forward, placing herself only a foot away, with her head held high above the terrified Twilight. “But you and the rest of the world will soon learn that well enough.” Her black hoof slowly lifted from the ground and was placed to unicorn’s cheek, slowly easing over it in a severely unsettling manner that chilled Twilight to the bone. She couldn’t move. Was it from the exhausting amount of running? The injuries that littered her from head to tail? Or was she stunned by the massive weight of fear that cluttered her anxiety stricken mind? Whatever it was, it allowed Chrysalis to trace her cheek with a gentle hoof all while Twi locked her wide-eyed stare into those green eyes, trying to see what sick thoughts were behind them. “Oh my. Is this all too much for you to take?” Chrysalis briefly faked sympathy with a smile as she taunted, “the very feeling in the air of what’s to come this day?” A mocking tilt of her head was added. “It is, isn’t it? It's because deep down, I think you know that thrones, like the one here in Canterlot, are meant for queens. Not weak pretty princesses.” That grin slipped back in as she relished in her own slowly spoken words, “can even see it in those eyes that you know it’s true. I bet you can already imagine the future I have planned... once I take what’s mine. A future that, this time, you cannot stop. However…” there was yet another long pause as she kept caressing Twilight’s cheek with that tender hoof, “if you want to actually witness any future at all,” Twilight took a good shot of the swarm queen’s raw breath as she had leaned in nose to nose with the small pony and stated as clearly as she could, “give... me... the bag.” The very idea hurt Twilight. Not just of handing the elements over, but the fact that, for a brief moment, she actually thought it over. It turned her stomach and at the pit of it, the small unicorn found the will to swallow her petrified terror and quickly wrapped her limbs around the bag, pulling it as close as possible “No.” She stated with a deep tone that came to a near growl. “Heh. Very well then. We’ll do this the fun way.” Before Twilight could register the idea to actually move away and give chase yet again, she was stopped cold by the hoof that touched her cheek. It ruptured with a powerful force that was followed by the feeling of being stung by an invisible wasp. Twilight’s side connected with the cold, pearl white tiled floor. She tried to plant a front hoof to the floor and push herself back up, but soon found the ground to be out of reach. Chrysalis bared her fangs once again with a proud grin as she watched the defenseless unicorn being lifted by a dark aura generated by her own twisted black horn. She just watched the purple mane mare struggle, its own horn poorly spouting shots of magic that quickly withered away. “Too tired to even defend yourself from a simple levitation spell? In that case, you might want to put that look of fear back on your face.” She chuckled, “besides, it makes you look much tastier.” Twilight wanted to make a verbal counter, but the wind was stolen from her lungs by a loud yelp of pain as she was slammed back first into a thick white stone wall. Even from the shock of being thrashed so harshly, Twilight still held the bag with all her might. Eyes slowly opened to focus upon Chrysalis, Twilight took notice that the changelings had started to swarm the room to watch the show. “It's a good thing your friend brought you straight here. Feeling rather famished from just watching such a glorious battle." She batted an eye to an open door that led to a small balcony "Think I could really use a snack before the main course finds its way to me. Dine on her most loyal subject before the princess herself. I don't think it possible for there to be a better appetizer.” Another wall was harshly slammed upon as Chrysalis continued, “and this time? No more shields to cut me off.” Shining Armor!? Twilight’s eyes went wide as her ravaged thoughts tried to collect on whatever info she could remember on where he had went. Nothing. The window only a foot away rattled loudly as she was struck the wall again with rib shattering force. Her cry of pain could easily be heard from beyond the thick stone. “Ohhhh…” Chrysalis raised her chin high and shuddered, clearly savoring the sound and emotional energy that pulsed around her. “Now that was delightful!” She slowly pulled the broken Pony her way, taking notice of the tight grip that was still around the bag. Twilight was hanging onto her last hope. Her thoughts may have been hazy, but she could still remember every face of every pony and dragon that she would be letting down if she had let go. It gave her strength, but her arms started to weaken against her strong will. More changelings pushed their way into the room. Nearly all of them swirling within it like a black hurricane. “Just let it go. It’s that simple,” Chrysalis urged with a rather soft tone as Twilight helplessly drifted closer and closer. “Do so and I just might let your friends live.” Hearing those words, Twilight couldn’t help but freeze up as if her heart stopped and time came to a near standstill. She looked into Chrysalis’s sharp eyes, noticing the corners on her lips spreading once more into a sick smile. “Then again, you have such a nice blood curling scream for a pretty girl.” Twilight felt like gravity rubber banded from all around her body right before she was flung away from the tall grinning changeling. In that very brief moment, as she soared away, sight was caught of a bright flash that coated the room. Before Chrysalis could fully turn her attention to the source, Twilight witnessed a familiar beam of magic blast the Queen across the room. But it was too late to stop Twilight who was in full motion and due to the disruption of the Queen's levitation spell, the unicorn was misdirected from striking a wall. She instead, smashed through the stained glass window. Various cuts dug in but were ignored by the excitement of catching but a glimpse of a white wing, a white horn, and long mane of multicolored hair. The rest was blocked out by the frame and broken shards of the window. Celestia… Twilight wanted to smile but couldn't as the rest of the image was quickly blocked out by the swirling swarm. Gravity then took its full effect and pulled Twilight downward with raining shards of multicolored glass following in her path. Wild winds whipped around her body and blood once again trickled down her brow to the side of her muzzle as she plummeted. She didn't need to look to know that it was a long way down. Help me… She wanted to scream her plea with all her might, but all she could do was watch her flowing tears and broken shards of glass that trail behind as they shimmered in the sunlight. Once an audible blast shook the tower, the feeling further sank in that the princess was being stalled. That this was it, the last stop, and Celestia wasn't coming to her aid. Eyes closed. Memories flooded. Throat swelled. Chest tightened. She was struck down. However, her landing was softer than expected. Grass? was her first thought. But the surface was too sleek and warm. Able to feel such past her pain numbed body, the thought slowly emerged that she wasn't dead just yet, but her energy was gone. Struggling with the heavy weighted of her eyelids, she gazed around long enough to see through her tear and blood blurred vision, desperately wanting to know who had saved her. Rainbow Dash? No. The fur coat and wings were too dark. Once the name came to her, she felt as if she could let her eyes rest with only a single thought of comfort. The words even passed her lips before sleep overtook her weary mind. “Luna…” The sound of buzzing faded. The tower violently rumbled once more. Author's Note -This is actually a slightly better edited version of the first chapter. No other chapters have been touched, so be very wary when proceeding onward. -The ending here is actually a based on the youtube video 'Friendship Was Magic' which is a tribute to Cowboy Bebop, one of my other favorite animated shows. High HopesTwi… Twilight… Twi… light… The softly spoken voice repeated within the darkness. Over and over. A familiar voice gentle but unsettling in a rather haunting manner. Long pauses between each call. Every one of them unanswered. Twilight mindlessly stared at a black abyss, unable to register the calling of her name. She was at a loss to any reaction till her attention was claimed by a pulsing pain that grew enough in intensity to seize a response. Her eyes flickered open. “Luna?” Twilight muttered as the voice still echoed in her throbbing head with blurred images of crossing in. Sluggish to sit up, she looked around the small room around her with heavy bags beneath her groggy scanning eyes. No one. Her fore-right hoof lifted from beneath the blanket to rub her weary eyes as she soaked in the details. The environment was dimly illuminated by a small gathering of candles that were lined upon the walls just like most other things save for the assorted bottles that were hung from string to the ceiling. Pots and masks all in variant colors added to the décor accompanied by the large black brewing pot in the middle of what was obviously the inside of a large tree. “Zecora’s place?” Her head tilted as she spoke softly to herself “What am I doing he-…” Her voice drowned out and her draws of breath briefly drew to a near halt as her thoughts slammed hard into a series of memories they couldn’t turn from. Oh no! Oh no! Oh no, no, no! She thought as her head continued to throb but this time while being pounded upon by a horrible series of recollections. The attack on Canterlot. The streets filled with screams of ponies. The sky cluttered with masses of changelings. The devilish grin of the swarm queen Chrysalis. Then the violent rumbling of the tower as she nearly fell to her death. Twilight rolled out of bed and fought to stand upon all four weak limbs and softly trot in place with her two front legs in a panicked manner “Okay! Okay! Everything is fine now, right?! The battles over! We won! Right? Woo-hoo?” Spoken out loud only to herself while looking from side to side, hoping someone would walk in at any moment to confirm her rambling reasoning as it went on “Celestia defeated the queen and had help from Shining Armor who showed up late to push back the… thousands of changelings. Didn’t even need the elements after all so they were safely stashed away again and… and uh…” She lifted a hoof to push her unkempt hair from her eyes before she started to make circles around the large empty kettle. “Because the hospitals both in Canterlot and Ponyville where so full from such a massive attack, which probably no pony was REALLY harmed in aside from a few scrapes and what not, my friends decided to bring me straight to Zecora’s in which she…” Twilight paused and looked to a window, taking note of the night time darkness that blanketed the thick forest “…had some magical super potion!” She continued her rambling and her pacing about “It healed me right up in-oh I dunno… eight hours or so? But because it got soooo late, my friends couldn’t stay because they got super tired and wanted to make sure everything in Ponyville was okay! Or something like that! But Zecora also left because she needed to get some more food for me for when I awoke because she knew I’d be famished.” Noticed the package labeled food next to her bed. Her left eye slightly twitched “Or… she just went to get some more! For herself!” She forced a chuckle and a beaming smile. No matter how much she rambled though, she couldn’t persuade away the very soft tremble that periodically passed down her spine. “O-okay Twilight,” She told herself having come to a stop. She sat and held her front hooves before her eyes “stop shaking.” She commanded “You just had a near death experience is all but it’s okay! It’s okay. Everything is fine now. Luna saved you and you just blacked out from the stress of it all. Now you’re up and everything is fine! Even though…” Her eyes slowly surveyed the room once more “no pony seems to be coming.” She then kept quiet as she desperately listened for the sounds of hooves or any movement at all beyond the house that wasn’t just the howling wind or the chirping of crickets. Nothing stirred. “But… where did Luna come from?” Twi went back to pacing about and talking to herself, not wanting to listen to the silence any longer “I mean, she was missing for days before the attack.” Twilight’s eyes continued to shift as she backtracked on all she last remembered happening. “Celestia did her best to keep the news from spreading to prevent panic and called upon me, my friends, and many under her command to spread out and find her. Having search even beyond Ponyville itself, we had no luck and all tried to meet back up at Canterlot… but…” She shuddered to think “That’s when they came.” Her gaze suddenly snapped from right to left “But where was my brother? He should have been putting up a shield at the first sign of any trouble! Bet Celestia’s going to have some harsh words for such negligence. And why did Luna show up then? Could she have been… with Chrysalis?” The unicorn soon bit down on the inside of her cheek and stopped in her tracks as she shook her head “No! No way Twilight! She would never follow such a path again! It’s dumb of you to even think such a thing!” Having felt her emotions start to bubble even more so, she couldn’t help but huff loudly before looking straight to the front door “Think it’s about time for some fresh-“ her sentence drowned out as she noticed the note stuck to the door, just above the handle “…air.” Curiously she clicked her hooves right over to pull it from the small sticky substance that kept it in place and unfolded the paper. The very first set of words scrawled out in all caps sent made Twilight’s skin crawl. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE Couldn’t help but press down a hard swallow but didn’t flinch her eyes from the paper as she scanned for the rest of it. If you had missed it, there is a book next to your bed waiting to be read. Please use what food I have to vanquish your hunger and try not to worry as I hope to be back in a hurry. Zecora. No longer able to force a smile up any more, she found her worried stare first turning to the window once more, letting the thought sink in of how cold it suddenly felt. Colder than a summer night in a forest should have felt. But there was no fire. Normally on a night this cold, Zecora would have one going in place of her cauldron but the only source of heat was the only source of light: the candles aligning the walls. She then looked to the bed as she drew her way and noticed the vast amount of blankets that had been covering her before she awoke. Upon the table next to the bed was a collection of bottles which reeked of strange chemicals that were no doubt used for many healing sessions. Next to them and closest to the bed was a book with a brown cover, a generic journal title, and rope bindings. Twilight may have batted an eye at the food pack again and felt the growl of her stomach, but it could wait as her eager thirst for knowledge clearly outweighed her urge to fill her empty belly. Counting CandlesCHAPTER 3: Counting Candles ((Pending Editing)) Having given the book more open space by placing it upon the bed after flattening out the covers, Twilight started to flip from one page to the next. The book opened with Zecora describing her urge to record recent changes that all started during a long trip of hers, north of the Everfree Forest, in search of some rare potion material. As Twilight read on, her heart started to slowly sink while able to picture herself at the zebra’s side. It had been nearly a day’s walk and time since Zecora had laid eyes upon civilization as she patiently treaded throughout the forest. Eyes and nose scanning about for desired herbs. Ears open for the sound of predators. She found herself following the noises of distant voices and stirring about within the thickness of the trees. The closer she got, the more voices and stirring she picked up. Something felt off as it sounded like there was a massive hidden village she was about to stumble into. That something also told her it was best to keep her movements slow and quiet as she slipped further in the thicket of trees and bushes. The mass of sounds suddenly died down to an eerie silence that was soon broken by a single voice that echoed loud with a proud with a commanding tone. Zecora’s ears were very sensitive on picking up sound, but she was still too far off from making the words out clearly before that section of forest erupted with what sounded to be like hundreds of gathered and cheering voices, fueled with inspiration. That’s when the sound of buzzing filled the air. The trees started to shake all around as if a mighty wind had pressed down upon the forest. Black clouds then erupted from the tree tops. Having followed her instincts, Zecora took cover between several bushes and turned her eyes up, able to see past the looming fauna to the cloud of changelings. She had seen them around the Everfree before and even more often as of recent as they’d scour about for food in very small groups. Never even had an issue with them even if they tried to pose a threat to her. But there were easily over a thousand this time as they lifted off from their secluded gathering in a massive swarm that headed off towards the mountains. Towards Canterlot. But where did they come from? She had to know before she’d attempt to pursue. Having taken a moment to wait for the last of the swarm to leave the tree tops and fade from sight, she galloping her way straight to the source. The closer she got, the more holes she noticed within the ground that turned into a series of small caves and tunnels that were weaved between dirt mounds and tree stumps. The stripped mare had trailed in far enough that she had to keep a close eye on her footing to keep from tripping and tumbling about as the trees may have cleared up but the holes vastly grew in number. What really caught her attention though was the small cliff side with the biggest hole of them all but before her curiosity was cured, the sound of rattling chains from the large cave kept her from leaving so soon. It was there that she found the princess of the night bound in chains with a muzzle that kept her from yelling out. She was battered and bruised but all other injuries looked nothing compared to her missing horn that looked to have been cut clean off, leaving just a small stub of its base. Before she could help the princess though, Zecora had to deal with the guards. An easy task. With four powerful bucks of her hind legs, they were all out cold. Chains and muzzle clattering to the ground, Luna turned over a thanks to her rescuer but wasted no time for explanation as she commanded the zebra to follow the best she could to Canterlot as it was in great danger. She then spread her wings and took flight from the cave entrance. It was obvious to Zecora that even though Luna could carry her, it would slow the alicorn down who was clearly in a rush to catch or even pass the swarm if at all possible. Zecora would simply have to serve as back up. It was a good thing that she had a good sense of where she was going as sure enough, she was too slow to keep up with the flying goddess who ended up fading from sight. Having parted from the trees into a vast clearing, Zecora got a clear view of the Kingdom within the mountain tops as it was littered with black spots. Even though it was still far from her reach and she had no idea what she’d do even if she got there in time, she ran forth with all her might. Dusk was setting in. Her lungs burned and her muscles ached but she kept going till she finally found herself near the road that would lead her safely up the mountain to the castle gates. However, a looming shadow stopped her in her tracks. Peering up into the orange tinted sky, she spotted Luna with Twilight upon her back and several pursuers behind. “Take her!” Luna commanded before she’d skid into her landing upon the dirt road “Get her and the bag as far from here as possible!” Though the passed out pony and her equipped brown saddle bag was tossed upon her back, Zecora tried to offer her hoof against the incoming attack but the princess raised her booming royal voice and commanded Zecora’s retreat before she’d turned to face the charging changelings with the beat of her wings sending her head on into the assault. The zebra was too busy following orders to have watched the fight but did manage a peek over her shoulder to see Luna fly off towards the castle, leaving a trail of broken changelings behind her. As much as she wanted to try and help out at Canterlot, the princess of the night had given her an order and Twilight’s condition looked to be critical which was confirmed once they were well past the tree line. Zecora had laid the pony out upon a flat bed of grass for quick study but it wasn’t the cracked bones, blood loss, and bruises that worried her the most. It was the strange black spot upon Twilight’s left cheek. It was a steep indent that was as black as tar and was less than an inch in diameter. Any fur that it had grown under had fallen off. It appeared to be a strange infection. One that looked to be very dangerous as it seemed to rot the skin. As much as she wanted to be delicate and take Twilight back to her home with slow and steady steps, the black spot was too much of an unfamiliar injury to chance time with. Not only that, but night was setting upon them. A time when the more dangerous creatures of the forest start lurking. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem for Zecora to deal with alone but with a wounded pony in her care chances of running into trouble increased dramatically. Before relinquishing Twilight of its weight, Zecora peeked inside the bag to see the elements of harmony cluttered together. She could only assume that they were gathered to try and fight the swarm off but what went wrong would be an answer that she would have worry about later. Wrapping the bag around her and hoisting Twilight upon her back, she focused upon the task at hand of getting them to safety. It wasn’t much longer after she started her journey that Zecora found herself passing under a small clearing but yet again, she was forced to a stop. What sounded to be a muffled explosion came from all around. Eyes turned to the reddened dusk sky and watched as it was distorted. Rippled like calm waters disturbed by plunking pebbles from where the sun had perched behind the mountain tops. The distortion waves washed over the sky and soothed out as the lengthy muffled sounds of rumbling faded. It was as if the very planet had trembled before the mountain tops fully swallowed sight of the mighty sphere. More worried than ever, Zecora was well determined to bring her friend back to a clean slate of health. She galloped off into the night, watching from each passing clearing as the full moon raised high into the star littered sky but not a single break was taken even when Twilight was finally resting within the security of Zecora’s bed with the brown bag stuffed beneath it. There was much work to be done as her suspicions were confirmed once again. The black spot was an infection that was spreading. The first and only thing she could do at the time was give Twilight several off hand potions and healing ointments with hopes that it would slow down, or by some small chance, fully stop the infection. She would have to wait till daylight to find the more powerful herbs needed to help remedy the situation and till then, would let her own eyes rest. But morning never came. Her fire pit and candles had burned out several times, yet the moon stayed high and the sky showed no signs of lighting up from the sun trying to peek it’s way around. It was bad news that even overshadowed the good of Twilight’s Infection slowing down to a crawl but no sign of stopping. Zecora was left with no choice but to traverse the forest under the deadly cover of the long lasting night with the difficult task of herb hunting. Time was counted by the burning candles as the witchdoctor concocted one potion after another but the persistent infection had further spread as days passed. More and more Twilight’s skin withered and blackened which made it apparent that she was being turned into something Zecora once thought impossible. A changeling. It was a popular myth with horror books and campfire stories that ponies would be turned into emotionless and drone minded changelings once bitten by one, but in this case the infection didn’t start at any one of the bite marks that littered the pony’s body. So part of the myth was still up in the air. It was later theorized that Twilight wasn’t waking due to mental trauma that resonated from a mixture between the physical abuse she suffered during the fight and the infection that was likely taking its toll on her mind. Zecora still held high hopes that she’d be able to take care of both causes. Time had later come to check on Ponyville and search the shops for imported ingredients that could possibly help her sick friend though Zecora did have the worst of expectations for the village. However upon arrival she found out that even though the small town had herds of changelings pouring through the streets, it was still well populated with pony kind as they lived amongst one another. But by no means peacefully as the ponies have been turned into second class citizens. The decrepit creatures held and abused the control they were given over the town as they scared, taunted, and even roughed up any ponies for just about any given reason. If any pony ever stirred up trouble against any changeling, they were likely to be dragged off screaming into the night as they were taken to a feeding chamber. Most ponies returned from it battered and emotionally weakened while the rest didn’t return at all. Despite the terrible looming creatures and the dropping temperature, the town stayed hard at work and had no choice to as no pony was allowed to leave. No matter who was in charge, a standard of living had to be maintained even if it meant bowing to the whim of changelings like slaves from time to time. Under the cover of the chilling night and her favorite cloak, Zecora found it easy to slip by the patrolling changelings as she pleased to search from one store to another. During her many visits she took some time every once in a while to check upon Twilight’s friends but Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, nor Pinkie Pie answered their doors. Rainbow Dash’s house couldn’t be reached but Zecora was just as sure that door would go unanswered as the sky was always crowded with clouds. Of all the doors she tried, only one was answered. Applejack’s. Sweet Apple Acers was heavily watched by the swarm, but it didn’t stop the hooded Zecora from being welcomed into the Apple family’s house hold for a while. It was there that Zecora got a decent ear full of answers to some questions that had been plaguing her mind. Queen Chrysalis had taken the Canterlot throne, but to make things worse, the changelings had learned to feed on emotions like fear and sadness rather than just love, causing them to thrive so well without having to imprison every pony in sight. From there they have been spreading all over Equestria, taking over just about every town. By force if need be. As for Twilight’s other friends, Applejack only knew so much. She clear up the fact that before the battle in Canterlot, Twilight came up with the idea to split up and get a faster search going around Equestria for clues to where Luna went off to. She returned just moments after the sky had been shaken by the strange distortion from the sunset only to witness the town having already overwhelmed with changelings and her friends nowhere in sight till she was tossed into a dungeon cell. They were all imprisoned for a while with their only real high hope being that Twilight go out safely. It wasn’t too long before they were all pulled from their cell and lined up in front of Queen Chrysalis in the throne room to be sentenced to a fitting punishment. First to be dragged away by changelings wearing the armor of Celestia’s guards was Pinkie Pie whom Chrysalis held an odd smile towards, but was still banished the pink pony from ever showing her face in any town and death to her if she ever did. Next was Applejack who was… persuaded… to beg for forgiveness in order to save not only herself, but her family from being sentenced to life in a feeding chamber. After watching AJ grit her teeth and bow her head several times, the Queen claimed to be in a good mood and accepted her apology before commanding another group of guards to escort AJ out of the throne room and back to Ponyville. What happened to the rest remained a mystery as none of them returned to Ponyville after Applejack. The Apple family even ended up taking in their pets that were left home alone and even Sweetie Belle who had nowhere to go as Rarity’s house remained while her parents were out of town. As for Spike, he had been sending letters on a constant basis, trying to find out all that happened before the changelings took him away. The family was in brighter spirits once told that Twilight was still alive and the elements of harmony were safe but when asked why the sun wasn’t coming up back up, everypony went quiet and simply exchanged worried gazes. Applejack shrugged and answered for them all, stating that everypony’s still trying to figure that out. To further ease their minds, Zecora offered them the chance to check upon Twilight, but AJ was quick to shoot the idea down. Understandably she didn’t want any chance taken in doing something that could hurt the family, but did insist that Zecora kept them informed if anything changed. Another week had passed as Zecora drifted continuously drifted between her house and Ponyville as she stocked up on plenty of supplies. More food, more ingredients, and more blankets for the ever colder growing nights. But a mistake was made as Zecora bumped paths with a group of changelings who spotted her out beneath her hood as a wanted mare who was last spotted with Twilight after crossing paths with Luna. She managed to buck them off and evaded the following backup as she retreated into the forest. Ever since then she had made her trips into town or even outside her house rare and few as patrols picked up in number. Zecora took the extra precaution of creating a concoction of what she labeled as a potion to hide emotion. It went along well with her basic chameleon lotion that only worked on still objects. The potions emptied in full circle around the outer walls of the tree house together prevent their hideout from being spotted so easily while being able to last just about a candles length. More time passed. Twilight’s infection grew. Half her head was turned to a slick black shade. Her contaminated eye pulsed with strange dark purple glow. Her mane stayed intact but oiled up and darkened in color. She kept record of every attempt along the way, mixing crazier ingredients as time went, but all they did was delay what seemed to be inevitable. Fearing the worst, Zecora became more desperate. She had no choice but to turn towards the idea of stalking changelings and observing everything about them. It was risky and was going to take time but it was the only lead she left in figuring out how to reverse Twilight’s condition. Weeks passed and the night had turned to freezing cold, reaching harsh temperatures that chilled ponies to the bone if they didn’t dress warmly. The changelings on the other hand, seemed lesser effected by the declining climate. The cold was an obstacle that the witchdoctor was prepared for as she roamed the forest. She decided to stalk around the hole filled grounds she stumbled upon before the Canterlot attack that she assumed it to be a hive with tunnels that went down and very deep. Now that they had claimed the kingdom of Canterlot, it seemed they had little used for it. However, it wasn’t completely abandoned. Several changelings still stirred around for her to study but only after an hour in did she and them turn a surprised expression to the sky. The once full moon that never budged from the sky was started spinning between its light and dark sides. It even freely shifted about and bounced around the sky without a care on several occasions. Needless to say, that period of study was well disrupted. Time passed and things got stranger. Clouds were painted with various colors. Rain tasted from grapes to dirt. Various sections of the forest were made entirely of bubble wrap. The wind carried different aromas from delightfully tasty to painfully disgusting. As silly as it all seemed, the sounds of war tended to grow uncomfortably close to the Everfree Forest. Explosions, fires, swarms of changeling armies, and maniacal laughter went far and wide. Even Zecora who had little experience with the god of chaos knew Discord had been set free by the poor state of Equestria and a war with Chrysalis had been sparked. Though from a distance, it sounded more like he was having fun than trying to beat her. It became apparent that he claimed Ponyville for a while as it was surrounded by a force field. As usual with Discord, it was a rather odd one that smelled of like garlic, salt water, lavender, and a few other things. Tasted like it all too. Not only did the swarms of changelings not attacked the shield, they kept their distance and constantly looked upon it with disgust. It made Zecora quite curious. Was the strange protection field just another collaboration of random? Or was Discord onto something that Zecora could use? She had to find out and rushed to do so. After mixing everything she tasted and smelled from Discord’s protection spell into a bottle, Zecora rubbed it all over Twilight’s infected areas and even had her drink some of the tonic just in case. Time quickly faded. The infection slowly dissipated. Zecora held a smile with a kind of hope filled warmth that she hadn’t felt in a long time as she watched Twilight’s skin and fur coat slowly being restored after coming rather close to being fully engulfed by the curse. However, despite that her wounds had already been dealt with, she knew that it was going to take a long time for the cleansing to fully wipe out the infection. Till then, she’d wait and attend to the unconscious ponies needs. Half of the infection gone, Zecora had to make another food run. To her surprise, nothing was out of the ordinary. No foul winds, dancing fish, strange colored clouds, or shield covering Ponyville. Discord seemed to have vanished as the small town was once again flooded by changelings and everything seemed just as it was with the exception of a strange blue star in the sky. It was rather large and glowed brighter than any other. The infection continued to fade. The blue star in the sky grew in size. Its spherical shape became massive and easy to see as it started to provide a very small amount of light but more importantly heat. Not a lot, but just enough to keep Equestria from being turned into a frozen wasteland. From there on nothing else of true importance was recorded. Mostly just small notes on Twilight’s recovery and the effects of the stabilizing temperature. The rest of the pages were blank. Taking a look at the last recorded date, Twilight slowly closed the book before letting her chin rest upon the cover. “Three months…” She spoke softly, her voice almost completely void of emotion “It’s been… more than three months.” As her mind churned about on all she just learned, her emotional shock started to fade. Her throat started to ache and her eyes started to swell as she gazed out the bedside window. There it was. Just peeking through the tree tops. The blue star had grown to the size of a small sun. Author's Note TO BE CONTINUED. Please rate and comment!
The Darkest DuskMy Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic Night of the Blue Sun By Key Strix ~This is a non-profit fan made story. All characters of MLP: FiM belong to Hasbro.~ A constant sound of rumbling filled the air. Twilight Sparkle fumbled blindly, too dizzy and numbed minded to take a stand upon all fours. She shook her head and blinked rapidly, doing her best to clear her vision, but the darkness that engulfed her vision was slow to fade. Before she could even see straight, a sharp pain from a vicious bite struck her fore-right leg seconds before a hoof connected with her chin. The force of the strike pushed her several sloppy footed paces back before tumbling over. Within a few short moments of laying on her back, her vision had finally cleared, letting her gaze upon the patches of black that cluttered the daytime sky of Canterlot. That dull sound of rumbling quickly cleared into buzzing. Her eyes widened as she heard the sounds of terrified screams that were mixed into the buzzing. Whatever cog that was knocked loose within her noggin started to turn again. This black mass that nearly covered Canterlot was an invasion with countless pairs of eyes, wings, and sharp teeth. The swarm had returned and a fight for the kingdom had begun once more. Or so she had thought for that brief moment. Her gaze traveled downward to realize that the situation was even worse. A trickle of blood trailed right between her eyes and down her snout as she looked upon an oncoming wave of changelings that she couldn’t number. She then realized it wasn't just a fight for Canterlot as it was also a fight for her very life. How she got into such a situation was just a blurred haze, likely brought by battle fatigue. No, no, no! This is all wrong! Why are there so many of them!? How… how did this even happen!? Where is everypony!? Twilight’s mind ran a mile a second to nowhere as she stumbled to stand against the swarm that slowly closed a full circle around her. Focus, focus, focus! She squinted at the devious smiles, trying to gather all the power she could muster into her horn for a spell to fend them off. Several harmless sparks popped from the tip but nothing else followed. The unicorn was fully spent but she didn’t stop trying. The sense loomed that if she did, this was going to be a fight that she would quickly lose. All the while she couldn’t help but close her eyes for focus while chanting, “this isn’t real! This isn’t happening! This… this-!” “TWILIGHT!” Her eyes shot open just in time to watch a small mass of the changelings explode, scattering them apart after Rainbow Dash smashed right through them. Her blazing speed hardly slowed as she swooped Twilight up into her arms to carry her from danger. The tired unicorn rubbed the blood from her eyes and snout as she looked to Dash, who was injured in several areas, but ignored her pains as she fought to keep her flight straight and Twilight safe in her arms. “As soon as I stop, take the bag!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she jutted into a hard turn to avoid another mass of changelings. Surprised by such a commanding tone, Twilight’s eyes trailed down Dash’s ruffled blue body, spotting the brown bag with its single strap slung around her shoulders. “You take the bag and you run!” Dash further commanded, “use the tunnels to get out of here!” “But-“ “No! There’s just too many of these things! You need to get yourself and the elements of harmony to safety! I’ll go find the others and we’ll meet up soon!” Before Twilight could object, she was interrupted by Dash skidding to a stop on her hind legs. More of the swarm quickly closed in from behind. The pegasus threw the tower door open and dropped Twilight and the bag just beyond the other side, taking just a small moment to pause and look Twilight right in the eye. Dash was focused, alert, and clearly panicking. Eyes wild, breaths fast and sharp, Dash looked as if wanted to say something but was disrupted. A familiar scream erupted clearly above the rest from the streets below. “Rarity!” Dash’s ears perked as she snapped her sharp eyes from Twilight to outside the doorway. Without looking back, “I got this! Just lock the door and GO!” Were the last words aimed to Twi before the door was suddenly slammed shut, blocking off any view of Dash and the changelings that swooped in like birds of prey. Against every thought that told her otherwise, Twilight swallowed deep and followed Dash’s instructions with a dive to the door. She heard the muffled sound of Dash calling something out before the lock clicked and the door was struck by a violent force. As rapid breaths passed her lips, she hoped repeatedly that Dash was safe, that she had escaped the clash that kept bashing at the locked door. Could even picture the teal mare swooping in to save Rarity about now… but the door was continuously thrashed with every strike hitting harder than the last. Snatching the bag and throwing it around herself, she hoofed it as fast as she could down the nearby spiral staircase with Dash’s plan still running through her mind. Dash’s plan? Twilight was baffled at such a thought along with many others that raced within her mind, faster than she could sprint down the steps. At least Dash had one as where Twilight… could hardly think at all as her thoughts had kept branching from focusing. The very idea of being without a plan of her own pushed down a deeper sense of fear that was already buried in confusion of the chaotic moment. But that fear was soon rivaled by the sight of more changelings flooding up the steps below her. Her path was blocked and she was in no condition to fight past them. The tunnels were no longer an option. Having skid into her stop, Twilight nearly slid the rest of the way down the steps into the dark clutter but managed her footing and turned tail to charge her way back up the steps. She did her best to ignore her many bodily pains and the stabbing thoughts that she was being eased into a trap by the screeching mass that stayed hot on her trail. Something about their shrills alone felt more violent than ever before, planting terrifying images in her mind that kept her running at full speed. Eyes ahead with no intention of looking back, Twilight begrudgingly realized that she was nearly out of stairs to climb and once she reached the very top she came to a dead stop. She looked up with eyes full of fear as her blood ran cold. A dark gangling creature towered over her. Its surface black as tar and its limbs riddled with holes. Its shiny bug like wings stretched as did its fang equipped smile, proudly displaying a sickeningly dark grin. “Chr-Chrysalis!” Twilight choked out. There was a pause of silence between the two. Twilight didn’t even need to look back to know that the chasing swarm had halted at the sight of their ruler and even quieted down. “Queen… Chrysalis.” She corrected the pony with that chilling echoing voice as she stepped forward, placing herself only a foot away, with her head held high above the terrified Twilight. “But you and the rest of the world will soon learn that well enough.” Her black hoof slowly lifted from the ground and was placed to unicorn’s cheek, slowly easing over it in a severely unsettling manner that chilled Twilight to the bone. She couldn’t move. Was it from the exhausting amount of running? The injuries that littered her from head to tail? Or was she stunned by the massive weight of fear that cluttered her anxiety stricken mind? Whatever it was, it allowed Chrysalis to trace her cheek with a gentle hoof all while Twi locked her wide-eyed stare into those green eyes, trying to see what sick thoughts were behind them. “Oh my. Is this all too much for you to take?” Chrysalis briefly faked sympathy with a smile as she taunted, “the very feeling in the air of what’s to come this day?” A mocking tilt of her head was added. “It is, isn’t it? It's because deep down, I think you know that thrones, like the one here in Canterlot, are meant for queens. Not weak pretty princesses.” That grin slipped back in as she relished in her own slowly spoken words, “can even see it in those eyes that you know it’s true. I bet you can already imagine the future I have planned... once I take what’s mine. A future that, this time, you cannot stop. However…” there was yet another long pause as she kept caressing Twilight’s cheek with that tender hoof, “if you want to actually witness any future at all,” Twilight took a good shot of the swarm queen’s raw breath as she had leaned in nose to nose with the small pony and stated as clearly as she could, “give... me... the bag.” The very idea hurt Twilight. Not just of handing the elements over, but the fact that, for a brief moment, she actually thought it over. It turned her stomach and at the pit of it, the small unicorn found the will to swallow her petrified terror and quickly wrapped her limbs around the bag, pulling it as close as possible “No.” She stated with a deep tone that came to a near growl. “Heh. Very well then. We’ll do this the fun way.” Before Twilight could register the idea to actually move away and give chase yet again, she was stopped cold by the hoof that touched her cheek. It ruptured with a powerful force that was followed by the feeling of being stung by an invisible wasp. Twilight’s side connected with the cold, pearl white tiled floor. She tried to plant a front hoof to the floor and push herself back up, but soon found the ground to be out of reach. Chrysalis bared her fangs once again with a proud grin as she watched the defenseless unicorn being lifted by a dark aura generated by her own twisted black horn. She just watched the purple mane mare struggle, its own horn poorly spouting shots of magic that quickly withered away. “Too tired to even defend yourself from a simple levitation spell? In that case, you might want to put that look of fear back on your face.” She chuckled, “besides, it makes you look much tastier.” Twilight wanted to make a verbal counter, but the wind was stolen from her lungs by a loud yelp of pain as she was slammed back first into a thick white stone wall. Even from the shock of being thrashed so harshly, Twilight still held the bag with all her might. Eyes slowly opened to focus upon Chrysalis, Twilight took notice that the changelings had started to swarm the room to watch the show. “It's a good thing your friend brought you straight here. Feeling rather famished from just watching such a glorious battle." She batted an eye to an open door that led to a small balcony "Think I could really use a snack before the main course finds its way to me. Dine on her most loyal subject before the princess herself. I don't think it possible for there to be a better appetizer.” Another wall was harshly slammed upon as Chrysalis continued, “and this time? No more shields to cut me off.” Shining Armor!? Twilight’s eyes went wide as her ravaged thoughts tried to collect on whatever info she could remember on where he had went. Nothing. The window only a foot away rattled loudly as she was struck the wall again with rib shattering force. Her cry of pain could easily be heard from beyond the thick stone. “Ohhhh…” Chrysalis raised her chin high and shuddered, clearly savoring the sound and emotional energy that pulsed around her. “Now that was delightful!” She slowly pulled the broken Pony her way, taking notice of the tight grip that was still around the bag. Twilight was hanging onto her last hope. Her thoughts may have been hazy, but she could still remember every face of every pony and dragon that she would be letting down if she had let go. It gave her strength, but her arms started to weaken against her strong will. More changelings pushed their way into the room. Nearly all of them swirling within it like a black hurricane. “Just let it go. It’s that simple,” Chrysalis urged with a rather soft tone as Twilight helplessly drifted closer and closer. “Do so and I just might let your friends live.” Hearing those words, Twilight couldn’t help but freeze up as if her heart stopped and time came to a near standstill. She looked into Chrysalis’s sharp eyes, noticing the corners on her lips spreading once more into a sick smile. “Then again, you have such a nice blood curling scream for a pretty girl.” Twilight felt like gravity rubber banded from all around her body right before she was flung away from the tall grinning changeling. In that very brief moment, as she soared away, sight was caught of a bright flash that coated the room. Before Chrysalis could fully turn her attention to the source, Twilight witnessed a familiar beam of magic blast the Queen across the room. But it was too late to stop Twilight who was in full motion and due to the disruption of the Queen's levitation spell, the unicorn was misdirected from striking a wall. She instead, smashed through the stained glass window. Various cuts dug in but were ignored by the excitement of catching but a glimpse of a white wing, a white horn, and long mane of multicolored hair. The rest was blocked out by the frame and broken shards of the window. Celestia… Twilight wanted to smile but couldn't as the rest of the image was quickly blocked out by the swirling swarm. Gravity then took its full effect and pulled Twilight downward with raining shards of multicolored glass following in her path. Wild winds whipped around her body and blood once again trickled down her brow to the side of her muzzle as she plummeted. She didn't need to look to know that it was a long way down. Help me… She wanted to scream her plea with all her might, but all she could do was watch her flowing tears and broken shards of glass that trail behind as they shimmered in the sunlight. Once an audible blast shook the tower, the feeling further sank in that the princess was being stalled. That this was it, the last stop, and Celestia wasn't coming to her aid. Eyes closed. Memories flooded. Throat swelled. Chest tightened. She was struck down. However, her landing was softer than expected. Grass? was her first thought. But the surface was too sleek and warm. Able to feel such past her pain numbed body, the thought slowly emerged that she wasn't dead just yet, but her energy was gone. Struggling with the heavy weighted of her eyelids, she gazed around long enough to see through her tear and blood blurred vision, desperately wanting to know who had saved her. Rainbow Dash? No. The fur coat and wings were too dark. Once the name came to her, she felt as if she could let her eyes rest with only a single thought of comfort. The words even passed her lips before sleep overtook her weary mind. “Luna…” The sound of buzzing faded. The tower violently rumbled once more. Author's Note -This is actually a slightly better edited version of the first chapter. No other chapters have been touched, so be very wary when proceeding onward. -The ending here is actually a based on the youtube video 'Friendship Was Magic' which is a tribute to Cowboy Bebop, one of my other favorite animated shows.
High HopesTwi… Twilight… Twi… light… The softly spoken voice repeated within the darkness. Over and over. A familiar voice gentle but unsettling in a rather haunting manner. Long pauses between each call. Every one of them unanswered. Twilight mindlessly stared at a black abyss, unable to register the calling of her name. She was at a loss to any reaction till her attention was claimed by a pulsing pain that grew enough in intensity to seize a response. Her eyes flickered open. “Luna?” Twilight muttered as the voice still echoed in her throbbing head with blurred images of crossing in. Sluggish to sit up, she looked around the small room around her with heavy bags beneath her groggy scanning eyes. No one. Her fore-right hoof lifted from beneath the blanket to rub her weary eyes as she soaked in the details. The environment was dimly illuminated by a small gathering of candles that were lined upon the walls just like most other things save for the assorted bottles that were hung from string to the ceiling. Pots and masks all in variant colors added to the décor accompanied by the large black brewing pot in the middle of what was obviously the inside of a large tree. “Zecora’s place?” Her head tilted as she spoke softly to herself “What am I doing he-…” Her voice drowned out and her draws of breath briefly drew to a near halt as her thoughts slammed hard into a series of memories they couldn’t turn from. Oh no! Oh no! Oh no, no, no! She thought as her head continued to throb but this time while being pounded upon by a horrible series of recollections. The attack on Canterlot. The streets filled with screams of ponies. The sky cluttered with masses of changelings. The devilish grin of the swarm queen Chrysalis. Then the violent rumbling of the tower as she nearly fell to her death. Twilight rolled out of bed and fought to stand upon all four weak limbs and softly trot in place with her two front legs in a panicked manner “Okay! Okay! Everything is fine now, right?! The battles over! We won! Right? Woo-hoo?” Spoken out loud only to herself while looking from side to side, hoping someone would walk in at any moment to confirm her rambling reasoning as it went on “Celestia defeated the queen and had help from Shining Armor who showed up late to push back the… thousands of changelings. Didn’t even need the elements after all so they were safely stashed away again and… and uh…” She lifted a hoof to push her unkempt hair from her eyes before she started to make circles around the large empty kettle. “Because the hospitals both in Canterlot and Ponyville where so full from such a massive attack, which probably no pony was REALLY harmed in aside from a few scrapes and what not, my friends decided to bring me straight to Zecora’s in which she…” Twilight paused and looked to a window, taking note of the night time darkness that blanketed the thick forest “…had some magical super potion!” She continued her rambling and her pacing about “It healed me right up in-oh I dunno… eight hours or so? But because it got soooo late, my friends couldn’t stay because they got super tired and wanted to make sure everything in Ponyville was okay! Or something like that! But Zecora also left because she needed to get some more food for me for when I awoke because she knew I’d be famished.” Noticed the package labeled food next to her bed. Her left eye slightly twitched “Or… she just went to get some more! For herself!” She forced a chuckle and a beaming smile. No matter how much she rambled though, she couldn’t persuade away the very soft tremble that periodically passed down her spine. “O-okay Twilight,” She told herself having come to a stop. She sat and held her front hooves before her eyes “stop shaking.” She commanded “You just had a near death experience is all but it’s okay! It’s okay. Everything is fine now. Luna saved you and you just blacked out from the stress of it all. Now you’re up and everything is fine! Even though…” Her eyes slowly surveyed the room once more “no pony seems to be coming.” She then kept quiet as she desperately listened for the sounds of hooves or any movement at all beyond the house that wasn’t just the howling wind or the chirping of crickets. Nothing stirred. “But… where did Luna come from?” Twi went back to pacing about and talking to herself, not wanting to listen to the silence any longer “I mean, she was missing for days before the attack.” Twilight’s eyes continued to shift as she backtracked on all she last remembered happening. “Celestia did her best to keep the news from spreading to prevent panic and called upon me, my friends, and many under her command to spread out and find her. Having search even beyond Ponyville itself, we had no luck and all tried to meet back up at Canterlot… but…” She shuddered to think “That’s when they came.” Her gaze suddenly snapped from right to left “But where was my brother? He should have been putting up a shield at the first sign of any trouble! Bet Celestia’s going to have some harsh words for such negligence. And why did Luna show up then? Could she have been… with Chrysalis?” The unicorn soon bit down on the inside of her cheek and stopped in her tracks as she shook her head “No! No way Twilight! She would never follow such a path again! It’s dumb of you to even think such a thing!” Having felt her emotions start to bubble even more so, she couldn’t help but huff loudly before looking straight to the front door “Think it’s about time for some fresh-“ her sentence drowned out as she noticed the note stuck to the door, just above the handle “…air.” Curiously she clicked her hooves right over to pull it from the small sticky substance that kept it in place and unfolded the paper. The very first set of words scrawled out in all caps sent made Twilight’s skin crawl. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE Couldn’t help but press down a hard swallow but didn’t flinch her eyes from the paper as she scanned for the rest of it. If you had missed it, there is a book next to your bed waiting to be read. Please use what food I have to vanquish your hunger and try not to worry as I hope to be back in a hurry. Zecora. No longer able to force a smile up any more, she found her worried stare first turning to the window once more, letting the thought sink in of how cold it suddenly felt. Colder than a summer night in a forest should have felt. But there was no fire. Normally on a night this cold, Zecora would have one going in place of her cauldron but the only source of heat was the only source of light: the candles aligning the walls. She then looked to the bed as she drew her way and noticed the vast amount of blankets that had been covering her before she awoke. Upon the table next to the bed was a collection of bottles which reeked of strange chemicals that were no doubt used for many healing sessions. Next to them and closest to the bed was a book with a brown cover, a generic journal title, and rope bindings. Twilight may have batted an eye at the food pack again and felt the growl of her stomach, but it could wait as her eager thirst for knowledge clearly outweighed her urge to fill her empty belly.
Counting CandlesCHAPTER 3: Counting Candles ((Pending Editing)) Having given the book more open space by placing it upon the bed after flattening out the covers, Twilight started to flip from one page to the next. The book opened with Zecora describing her urge to record recent changes that all started during a long trip of hers, north of the Everfree Forest, in search of some rare potion material. As Twilight read on, her heart started to slowly sink while able to picture herself at the zebra’s side. It had been nearly a day’s walk and time since Zecora had laid eyes upon civilization as she patiently treaded throughout the forest. Eyes and nose scanning about for desired herbs. Ears open for the sound of predators. She found herself following the noises of distant voices and stirring about within the thickness of the trees. The closer she got, the more voices and stirring she picked up. Something felt off as it sounded like there was a massive hidden village she was about to stumble into. That something also told her it was best to keep her movements slow and quiet as she slipped further in the thicket of trees and bushes. The mass of sounds suddenly died down to an eerie silence that was soon broken by a single voice that echoed loud with a proud with a commanding tone. Zecora’s ears were very sensitive on picking up sound, but she was still too far off from making the words out clearly before that section of forest erupted with what sounded to be like hundreds of gathered and cheering voices, fueled with inspiration. That’s when the sound of buzzing filled the air. The trees started to shake all around as if a mighty wind had pressed down upon the forest. Black clouds then erupted from the tree tops. Having followed her instincts, Zecora took cover between several bushes and turned her eyes up, able to see past the looming fauna to the cloud of changelings. She had seen them around the Everfree before and even more often as of recent as they’d scour about for food in very small groups. Never even had an issue with them even if they tried to pose a threat to her. But there were easily over a thousand this time as they lifted off from their secluded gathering in a massive swarm that headed off towards the mountains. Towards Canterlot. But where did they come from? She had to know before she’d attempt to pursue. Having taken a moment to wait for the last of the swarm to leave the tree tops and fade from sight, she galloping her way straight to the source. The closer she got, the more holes she noticed within the ground that turned into a series of small caves and tunnels that were weaved between dirt mounds and tree stumps. The stripped mare had trailed in far enough that she had to keep a close eye on her footing to keep from tripping and tumbling about as the trees may have cleared up but the holes vastly grew in number. What really caught her attention though was the small cliff side with the biggest hole of them all but before her curiosity was cured, the sound of rattling chains from the large cave kept her from leaving so soon. It was there that she found the princess of the night bound in chains with a muzzle that kept her from yelling out. She was battered and bruised but all other injuries looked nothing compared to her missing horn that looked to have been cut clean off, leaving just a small stub of its base. Before she could help the princess though, Zecora had to deal with the guards. An easy task. With four powerful bucks of her hind legs, they were all out cold. Chains and muzzle clattering to the ground, Luna turned over a thanks to her rescuer but wasted no time for explanation as she commanded the zebra to follow the best she could to Canterlot as it was in great danger. She then spread her wings and took flight from the cave entrance. It was obvious to Zecora that even though Luna could carry her, it would slow the alicorn down who was clearly in a rush to catch or even pass the swarm if at all possible. Zecora would simply have to serve as back up. It was a good thing that she had a good sense of where she was going as sure enough, she was too slow to keep up with the flying goddess who ended up fading from sight. Having parted from the trees into a vast clearing, Zecora got a clear view of the Kingdom within the mountain tops as it was littered with black spots. Even though it was still far from her reach and she had no idea what she’d do even if she got there in time, she ran forth with all her might. Dusk was setting in. Her lungs burned and her muscles ached but she kept going till she finally found herself near the road that would lead her safely up the mountain to the castle gates. However, a looming shadow stopped her in her tracks. Peering up into the orange tinted sky, she spotted Luna with Twilight upon her back and several pursuers behind. “Take her!” Luna commanded before she’d skid into her landing upon the dirt road “Get her and the bag as far from here as possible!” Though the passed out pony and her equipped brown saddle bag was tossed upon her back, Zecora tried to offer her hoof against the incoming attack but the princess raised her booming royal voice and commanded Zecora’s retreat before she’d turned to face the charging changelings with the beat of her wings sending her head on into the assault. The zebra was too busy following orders to have watched the fight but did manage a peek over her shoulder to see Luna fly off towards the castle, leaving a trail of broken changelings behind her. As much as she wanted to try and help out at Canterlot, the princess of the night had given her an order and Twilight’s condition looked to be critical which was confirmed once they were well past the tree line. Zecora had laid the pony out upon a flat bed of grass for quick study but it wasn’t the cracked bones, blood loss, and bruises that worried her the most. It was the strange black spot upon Twilight’s left cheek. It was a steep indent that was as black as tar and was less than an inch in diameter. Any fur that it had grown under had fallen off. It appeared to be a strange infection. One that looked to be very dangerous as it seemed to rot the skin. As much as she wanted to be delicate and take Twilight back to her home with slow and steady steps, the black spot was too much of an unfamiliar injury to chance time with. Not only that, but night was setting upon them. A time when the more dangerous creatures of the forest start lurking. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem for Zecora to deal with alone but with a wounded pony in her care chances of running into trouble increased dramatically. Before relinquishing Twilight of its weight, Zecora peeked inside the bag to see the elements of harmony cluttered together. She could only assume that they were gathered to try and fight the swarm off but what went wrong would be an answer that she would have worry about later. Wrapping the bag around her and hoisting Twilight upon her back, she focused upon the task at hand of getting them to safety. It wasn’t much longer after she started her journey that Zecora found herself passing under a small clearing but yet again, she was forced to a stop. What sounded to be a muffled explosion came from all around. Eyes turned to the reddened dusk sky and watched as it was distorted. Rippled like calm waters disturbed by plunking pebbles from where the sun had perched behind the mountain tops. The distortion waves washed over the sky and soothed out as the lengthy muffled sounds of rumbling faded. It was as if the very planet had trembled before the mountain tops fully swallowed sight of the mighty sphere. More worried than ever, Zecora was well determined to bring her friend back to a clean slate of health. She galloped off into the night, watching from each passing clearing as the full moon raised high into the star littered sky but not a single break was taken even when Twilight was finally resting within the security of Zecora’s bed with the brown bag stuffed beneath it. There was much work to be done as her suspicions were confirmed once again. The black spot was an infection that was spreading. The first and only thing she could do at the time was give Twilight several off hand potions and healing ointments with hopes that it would slow down, or by some small chance, fully stop the infection. She would have to wait till daylight to find the more powerful herbs needed to help remedy the situation and till then, would let her own eyes rest. But morning never came. Her fire pit and candles had burned out several times, yet the moon stayed high and the sky showed no signs of lighting up from the sun trying to peek it’s way around. It was bad news that even overshadowed the good of Twilight’s Infection slowing down to a crawl but no sign of stopping. Zecora was left with no choice but to traverse the forest under the deadly cover of the long lasting night with the difficult task of herb hunting. Time was counted by the burning candles as the witchdoctor concocted one potion after another but the persistent infection had further spread as days passed. More and more Twilight’s skin withered and blackened which made it apparent that she was being turned into something Zecora once thought impossible. A changeling. It was a popular myth with horror books and campfire stories that ponies would be turned into emotionless and drone minded changelings once bitten by one, but in this case the infection didn’t start at any one of the bite marks that littered the pony’s body. So part of the myth was still up in the air. It was later theorized that Twilight wasn’t waking due to mental trauma that resonated from a mixture between the physical abuse she suffered during the fight and the infection that was likely taking its toll on her mind. Zecora still held high hopes that she’d be able to take care of both causes. Time had later come to check on Ponyville and search the shops for imported ingredients that could possibly help her sick friend though Zecora did have the worst of expectations for the village. However upon arrival she found out that even though the small town had herds of changelings pouring through the streets, it was still well populated with pony kind as they lived amongst one another. But by no means peacefully as the ponies have been turned into second class citizens. The decrepit creatures held and abused the control they were given over the town as they scared, taunted, and even roughed up any ponies for just about any given reason. If any pony ever stirred up trouble against any changeling, they were likely to be dragged off screaming into the night as they were taken to a feeding chamber. Most ponies returned from it battered and emotionally weakened while the rest didn’t return at all. Despite the terrible looming creatures and the dropping temperature, the town stayed hard at work and had no choice to as no pony was allowed to leave. No matter who was in charge, a standard of living had to be maintained even if it meant bowing to the whim of changelings like slaves from time to time. Under the cover of the chilling night and her favorite cloak, Zecora found it easy to slip by the patrolling changelings as she pleased to search from one store to another. During her many visits she took some time every once in a while to check upon Twilight’s friends but Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, nor Pinkie Pie answered their doors. Rainbow Dash’s house couldn’t be reached but Zecora was just as sure that door would go unanswered as the sky was always crowded with clouds. Of all the doors she tried, only one was answered. Applejack’s. Sweet Apple Acers was heavily watched by the swarm, but it didn’t stop the hooded Zecora from being welcomed into the Apple family’s house hold for a while. It was there that Zecora got a decent ear full of answers to some questions that had been plaguing her mind. Queen Chrysalis had taken the Canterlot throne, but to make things worse, the changelings had learned to feed on emotions like fear and sadness rather than just love, causing them to thrive so well without having to imprison every pony in sight. From there they have been spreading all over Equestria, taking over just about every town. By force if need be. As for Twilight’s other friends, Applejack only knew so much. She clear up the fact that before the battle in Canterlot, Twilight came up with the idea to split up and get a faster search going around Equestria for clues to where Luna went off to. She returned just moments after the sky had been shaken by the strange distortion from the sunset only to witness the town having already overwhelmed with changelings and her friends nowhere in sight till she was tossed into a dungeon cell. They were all imprisoned for a while with their only real high hope being that Twilight go out safely. It wasn’t too long before they were all pulled from their cell and lined up in front of Queen Chrysalis in the throne room to be sentenced to a fitting punishment. First to be dragged away by changelings wearing the armor of Celestia’s guards was Pinkie Pie whom Chrysalis held an odd smile towards, but was still banished the pink pony from ever showing her face in any town and death to her if she ever did. Next was Applejack who was… persuaded… to beg for forgiveness in order to save not only herself, but her family from being sentenced to life in a feeding chamber. After watching AJ grit her teeth and bow her head several times, the Queen claimed to be in a good mood and accepted her apology before commanding another group of guards to escort AJ out of the throne room and back to Ponyville. What happened to the rest remained a mystery as none of them returned to Ponyville after Applejack. The Apple family even ended up taking in their pets that were left home alone and even Sweetie Belle who had nowhere to go as Rarity’s house remained while her parents were out of town. As for Spike, he had been sending letters on a constant basis, trying to find out all that happened before the changelings took him away. The family was in brighter spirits once told that Twilight was still alive and the elements of harmony were safe but when asked why the sun wasn’t coming up back up, everypony went quiet and simply exchanged worried gazes. Applejack shrugged and answered for them all, stating that everypony’s still trying to figure that out. To further ease their minds, Zecora offered them the chance to check upon Twilight, but AJ was quick to shoot the idea down. Understandably she didn’t want any chance taken in doing something that could hurt the family, but did insist that Zecora kept them informed if anything changed. Another week had passed as Zecora drifted continuously drifted between her house and Ponyville as she stocked up on plenty of supplies. More food, more ingredients, and more blankets for the ever colder growing nights. But a mistake was made as Zecora bumped paths with a group of changelings who spotted her out beneath her hood as a wanted mare who was last spotted with Twilight after crossing paths with Luna. She managed to buck them off and evaded the following backup as she retreated into the forest. Ever since then she had made her trips into town or even outside her house rare and few as patrols picked up in number. Zecora took the extra precaution of creating a concoction of what she labeled as a potion to hide emotion. It went along well with her basic chameleon lotion that only worked on still objects. The potions emptied in full circle around the outer walls of the tree house together prevent their hideout from being spotted so easily while being able to last just about a candles length. More time passed. Twilight’s infection grew. Half her head was turned to a slick black shade. Her contaminated eye pulsed with strange dark purple glow. Her mane stayed intact but oiled up and darkened in color. She kept record of every attempt along the way, mixing crazier ingredients as time went, but all they did was delay what seemed to be inevitable. Fearing the worst, Zecora became more desperate. She had no choice but to turn towards the idea of stalking changelings and observing everything about them. It was risky and was going to take time but it was the only lead she left in figuring out how to reverse Twilight’s condition. Weeks passed and the night had turned to freezing cold, reaching harsh temperatures that chilled ponies to the bone if they didn’t dress warmly. The changelings on the other hand, seemed lesser effected by the declining climate. The cold was an obstacle that the witchdoctor was prepared for as she roamed the forest. She decided to stalk around the hole filled grounds she stumbled upon before the Canterlot attack that she assumed it to be a hive with tunnels that went down and very deep. Now that they had claimed the kingdom of Canterlot, it seemed they had little used for it. However, it wasn’t completely abandoned. Several changelings still stirred around for her to study but only after an hour in did she and them turn a surprised expression to the sky. The once full moon that never budged from the sky was started spinning between its light and dark sides. It even freely shifted about and bounced around the sky without a care on several occasions. Needless to say, that period of study was well disrupted. Time passed and things got stranger. Clouds were painted with various colors. Rain tasted from grapes to dirt. Various sections of the forest were made entirely of bubble wrap. The wind carried different aromas from delightfully tasty to painfully disgusting. As silly as it all seemed, the sounds of war tended to grow uncomfortably close to the Everfree Forest. Explosions, fires, swarms of changeling armies, and maniacal laughter went far and wide. Even Zecora who had little experience with the god of chaos knew Discord had been set free by the poor state of Equestria and a war with Chrysalis had been sparked. Though from a distance, it sounded more like he was having fun than trying to beat her. It became apparent that he claimed Ponyville for a while as it was surrounded by a force field. As usual with Discord, it was a rather odd one that smelled of like garlic, salt water, lavender, and a few other things. Tasted like it all too. Not only did the swarms of changelings not attacked the shield, they kept their distance and constantly looked upon it with disgust. It made Zecora quite curious. Was the strange protection field just another collaboration of random? Or was Discord onto something that Zecora could use? She had to find out and rushed to do so. After mixing everything she tasted and smelled from Discord’s protection spell into a bottle, Zecora rubbed it all over Twilight’s infected areas and even had her drink some of the tonic just in case. Time quickly faded. The infection slowly dissipated. Zecora held a smile with a kind of hope filled warmth that she hadn’t felt in a long time as she watched Twilight’s skin and fur coat slowly being restored after coming rather close to being fully engulfed by the curse. However, despite that her wounds had already been dealt with, she knew that it was going to take a long time for the cleansing to fully wipe out the infection. Till then, she’d wait and attend to the unconscious ponies needs. Half of the infection gone, Zecora had to make another food run. To her surprise, nothing was out of the ordinary. No foul winds, dancing fish, strange colored clouds, or shield covering Ponyville. Discord seemed to have vanished as the small town was once again flooded by changelings and everything seemed just as it was with the exception of a strange blue star in the sky. It was rather large and glowed brighter than any other. The infection continued to fade. The blue star in the sky grew in size. Its spherical shape became massive and easy to see as it started to provide a very small amount of light but more importantly heat. Not a lot, but just enough to keep Equestria from being turned into a frozen wasteland. From there on nothing else of true importance was recorded. Mostly just small notes on Twilight’s recovery and the effects of the stabilizing temperature. The rest of the pages were blank. Taking a look at the last recorded date, Twilight slowly closed the book before letting her chin rest upon the cover. “Three months…” She spoke softly, her voice almost completely void of emotion “It’s been… more than three months.” As her mind churned about on all she just learned, her emotional shock started to fade. Her throat started to ache and her eyes started to swell as she gazed out the bedside window. There it was. Just peeking through the tree tops. The blue star had grown to the size of a small sun. Author's Note TO BE CONTINUED. Please rate and comment!
