Chapters Discovery
A stinging sharp rain showered Canterlot as Equestrian soliders marched out of the castle walls, and into the streets of Canterlot. As they march, the noises cease, and the only thing filling ones' ears is the constant hiss of the rain.
Ponies watched as soldiers marched relentlessly towards a lone house. A house that looked old, run down and beaten. At any given point in time, it could have collapsed and fell in the matter of seconds.
The soldiers took no hesitation in tearing the door open, and rushing inside. Civilians watched, as they dragged out a helpless stallion, squirming and flailing in the grip of the soldiers. Mothers shielded the eyes of their foals, looking away from the scene in front of them. Shock spread to all of their faces as to seeing what Celestia was doing. Sending soldiers out to capture an innocent stallion.
As they held the fighting stallion, a green flash of light blinded them all. Ponies saw a black creature filled with holes take off, and try to get away, before being piled over from soldiers. The changeling was dragged away, and taken within the castle walls...
"I'll give you one last chance...why are you here?!"Shining Armor yelled at the beaten changeling.
"I won't tell you ANYTHING! Let me go, or suff-uhg."The changing was cutoff by another strike from a soldier.
"Fine...I guess we'll just have to take it up a notch."Shining Armor said teasing the changeling. Shinging armor pulled out a small razor, sharp enough to cut through just about anything. "Where is your Queen?"
"You want to know so badly? Well too bad. Besides, from my point of view, she went on a little vacation..."Celestia walked in the room, who had heard the entire conversation.
"You don't want to cooperate...I guess it's time for you to sit in...time, out ."Celestia's horn glowed, and the changeling shrieked in pain. Her magic gripped his heart, threatening to stop it under her own discretion.
"Go ahead...kill me...besides, you won't be able to stop her. She'll kill...you all..."The struggling changeling grunted, as Celestia stopped his heart with one flick of magic. The changeling fell limp to the floor as Celestia released him, emitting a gruesome thud as he landed.
A few guards looked in shock at how easily Celestia killed the mortal insect. She used no spells, no tricks, and stopped with heart in its tracks. A guard dragged the body away, and it was never seen again.
"Captain..."Celestia said, gaining Shining Armor's attention. "Alert the royal guard. We have an immanent threat approaching."
"Right away Princess. Any further details?"Shining Armor asked as he put on his helmet.
"No. Just put the whole city on high alert."Shining Armor saluted, and quickly left to the war room.
"Gentlecolts...thank you for meeting me here on such short notice. As some of you may know, this morning at nine hundred hours, a changeling was intercepted in his house, and brought back here. After he was killed, the Princess told me to put Canterlot under high alert. It is important that we consistently check civilians, for their could be changelings right under our noses."Shining Armor finished his briefing. A few of his officers begun prodding around each other, making sure they weren't impostures. "I can see we're already off to a good start. Dismissed."
Later on, Shining Armor arrived home from a hard days work in the royal guard. "Shiny!"Cadence said coming from upstairs. "I heard what happened this morning."Those words reminded him. Before he responded, his horn glowed, and took a grip on his wife. "Ah, hey what are you doing?"Cadence struggled. After a few moments, Shining Armor released her.
"Sorry, I had to make sure you weren't...her ."Shining Armor said referring to their previous encounter with the changeling queen.
"I understand. Do you really think she's coming back?"Cadence asked in a worried tone.
"I hate to say it...but that is the current condition. She's expected to show up some time...more powerful, and less merciful than before."Shining Armor said quietly. "I just hope it doesn't come to that point soon."
"TWILIGHT!"Spike yelled as he burst through the library door. Twilight jumped, and dropped the books she was holding.
"AH!"She exclaimed as a barrage of books pelted her
"Sorry Twilight, but you have to see this! It's from the princess."Spike said, giving the scroll to Twilight. She read it, and looked at Spike.
"Have you heard anything else?"She asked.
"No."Spike responded. Twilight looked at the message again to read it more carefully
My Faithful Student,
It has come to my knowledge that the previous threat of Queen Chrysalis is still lurking in the streets of Canterlot. This morning, the royal guard intercepted a changeling hiding undercover in Canterlot. No information was gained from him, but we are sure that the Changelings will come back.
Please come to Canterlot immediately Twilight. It is important that you come alone, as some of your friends might be changelings. I can only trust my closest subjects right now, which is why you must come alone. It will put your friends out of danger, and lower the possibilities of any tragedy if it were to happen. Please Hurry Twilight.
Your Royal Mentor,
Celestia
"My Celestia how is this possible?"Twilight asked herself. "Come spike, we must go."
"Are we going to Canterlot?"Spike asked curiously.
"Yes, we must hurry Spike."Twilight said as she packed her suitcase full of items. She encased her Element of Harmony in a separate, protective case so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hoofs.
"Twilight, why are you bringing that? It's useless without the other five."Spike said.
"Correct, but you can never be to sure."Twilight said, as she threw her baggage on her back, and made her way for the door. "Let's go."
Arrival in Canterlot
The train slowly moved to a halt as it pulled up to the platform of the train station. Twilight sighed upon seeing the majestic city and castle back into the state it had been in so long ago. There seemed to be guards on every corner, standing like statues among the rest of the ponies. The pink dome was again, engulfed around the mountainside, which could only mean one thing. It was most likely Shining Amor's spell.
When Twilight approached the castle walls, she expected what had come next. Guards appeared from the walls, pointing their spears and javelins directly at her. Her brother then appeared, and allowed her to enter the castle walls. It was an entire process of Deja-vu to Twilight.
"Shiny!"Twilight exclaimed running to Shining Armor.
"Twiliey!"He responded by catching her in her forelegs to embrace in a brief hug.
"So Chrysalis is back...?"Twilight asked curiously. Her stomach twisted and churned the longer she received no answer. Shining Armor knew what she didn't want to hear. Sadly, he had no choice but to be honest for the safety of the land.
"I'm afraid so...I thought we had nothing to worry about after last time but...I guess we were all wrong."Shining Armor responded.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"Twilight asked as they started walking into the castle.
"Of course, but you'll have to speak to the Princess about that."Princess Celestia may as well have been the first thing Twilight saw when she walked in, as she was standing in the entrance hall when they opened the doors.
"Princess!"Twilight exclaimed.
"Hello Twilight. How's my faithful student doing?"Celestia asked.
"Just fine...it's a shame no one else could come though."Twilight cooed in worry for her friends.
"It's for the greater good. Though the elements of harmony would be useless with just you, it's better to still have five left if something..."Celestia hesitated and gulped at the thought of a tragedy, "...were to happen to you."
"Don't you worry about me Princess. Shining Armor told me to come to you if I wanted to help out. Any chance I could get on the roster?"Twilight asked.
"Actually, you're already on there. I waited to tell you, that you and I will be taking a trip to Princess Cadence in the Crystal Kingdom."Celestia explained. "Cadence left about a month ago, and we're just doing a round trip to check up on her and the condition the Crystal Kingdom is in."
"Is Shining Armor coming along?"Twilight asked.
"As much as I know how much you miss Cadence, you must stay here and keep order around here while I'm gone. However I'm leaving my sister in charge of the castle. You understand, don't you Shining Armor?"Celestia asked in a low tone.
"Yes your majesty."Shining Armor looked down in disappointment.
"Thank You Shining Armor. You are dismissed..."Celestia said, before turning to Twilight, "As for us, i'de better get packing."
"All ready to depart Princess, do you two have everything you need?"A pegasus stallion asked, preparing to take off and tug the carriage to the north.
"All set. We may go anytime you please."Celestia responded. Twilight looked back at Shining Armor, and waved. He waved back, as he put his helmet on, and disappeared from sight. The carriage pulled away, leaving the castle, and eventually leaving the city.
From the sky, they could see the entire city of Canterlot. All the ponies, all the soldiers, the surrounding lands. It was breathtaking. Celestia then lowered the sun calmly, and soon Luna's moon invaded the night sky, along with hundreds of stars.
"She's getting better at this...I think I might retire soon."Celestia said humorously. Celestia and Twilight both shared a moment of laughter before Twilight brought up the topic on Chrysalis.
"So...what will happen if she shows up?"Twilight asked in a worried tone.
"...To be honest Twilight, I am not sure. I don't think anypony wants to think about what will happen if she does turn up."Celestia responded modestly.
"I can't blame you. I don't get why some of these ponies are so power hungry. Why can't they accept what they've got and be thankful for it?"Twilight had a good point, but Celestia had different thoughts.
"Oh many things can cause anypony to become like that. It could be the influence from one's peers, or the rivalry between two leaders."Celestia explained.
"Two should not be divided because they have different opinions...it's not the way it should be."Twilight responded.
"That's very true. I believe the same way..."
Shining Armor walked slowly through the dark, desolate castle. The moonlight shined through the glass stained windows, making colors flare upon the walls and floor of the interior of the castle.
The immense quiet was unbearable to Shining Armor. Something wasn't right. Something was missing. That silence, that wasn't right, that had something missing, was quickly broken by a shatter of glass.
Shining Armor gasped. "Who's there?"He asked in an assertive tone. The door to a room was open, and Shining Armor could see a shadow from outside the room. "Hello?"
"What do you want?"The voice asked.
"That voice sounds...familiar."Shining Armor walked around the corner, and saw Princess Celestia in her chamber, cleaning up what appeared to be the remains of a clay pot. "Princess!?"
"What is it you wan't Shining Armor?"She asked.
"I...I thought you were with Twilight on your way to the Crystal Kingdom..."Celestia grinned slightly. "You went to go check on Cadence to make sure Chrysalis wasn't...wait..."Shining Armor realized what horror he had just come across. "You impostor..."Anger filled him, as he stepped towards Celestia."GUARDS!" He called.
Two guards appeared quickly behind him, and came to his sides. "Seize her!"He ordered. The two guards did nothing. "That's an order!"
"How about I help..."Celestia said, teasing Shining Armor. "Seize HIM!"She said. The two guards tackled Shining Armor.
"What are you...Let me GO!"He flailed and bucked trying to come free. He opened his eyes, and saw Princess Celestia becoming engulfed in green flames. The flames burst into thin air, and revealed the Changeling Queen.
"Ahahaa...that was far easier than I thought. With you out of the way, I can lock you up with the rest of your men."Chrysalis said, looking into Shining Armor's eyes.
"What did you do to them!?"
"Did you really think that all the guards you had under "Command" were your allies? I've had changelings undercover for months, and you managed to only find one !"She exclaimed in joy. The two guards holding Shining Armor burst into flames, reappearing as changelings. "Take him away."
"No! Let me GO!"More changelings appeared out of no where to help control the tempered captain. One bit him, and injected him with a tranquilizer. Shining Armor fell helplessly on to the castle floor, dazed, and disoriented. The last thing he saw before blacking out, was the horrifying body of Chrysalis laughing uncontrollably in the night.
The Crystal Kingdom
The next morning seemed like any other to Twilight and Celestia. Neither of them knew of the events that had occurred back in Canterlot the night before. A confused Shining Armor was captured, and thrown into imprisonment, and now the entire city of Canterlot was out of Celestia's control.
Twilight quietly drank tea with Cadence and Celestia, as the sun slowly rose. "Why so slow today?"Twilight asked.
"I thought it would be enjoyable to watch."Celestia responded as she sipped neatly.
"So,"Cadence spoke, "How's Shining Armor?"
"Just fine. The city may be in high alert, but he can definitely handle this."Celestia responded.
"Plus he has Princess Luna to help along side him."Twilight added on.
"That's good to hear. It feels weird not having him around."Cadence stated.
"I know how that feels."Celestia responded. "When Luna left, there was always something missing. It's good to have her back after so long."The sun was had just then risen above the horizon, as ponies begun to flood the streets of the Crystal Empire, bringing the dormant city to sudden life.
"It's good to see you're alright, as well as the Crystal Heart. You never know what that insect is up too."Celestia said.
"Who knows what she's up too."Twilight responded. As the sun rose higher, Twilight looked at it, casting a spell to protect her eyes. As she looked, she noticed a small object in the sky, and it seemed to be flying toward them. "Hey...what's that?"
"I don't know."Cadence responded. A few feet away, a telescope pointing towards the sky was resting on the balcony. "Use this."She levitated it in front of Twilight. Twilight looked through it, adjusting the knobs to sharpen the image seen through the lens.
The deep blue object begun to take clearer shape. Twilight felt her stomach tighten, praying it wasn't what she thought it was. As she turned the knobs slightly more, the object became clear, and what Twilight saw frightened her.
It was Princess Luna...
"Princess Luna?!"She exclaimed. "Why is she hear?"
"My sister? What is she doing here?"Celestia immediately took flight, letting her tea fall to the floor. Cadence wasn't far behind, as she quickly took chase. The two flew and reached Luna in the matter of seconds.
All three of them wished they had seen Luna in a happier state...she was terribly injured. Her eyes were half open, as she fought to sustain consciousness. "Sister!"Celestia exclaimed, supporting her injured body.
"What happened?"Cadence asked frantically. Luna did not, and could not speak, as she heavily in and out. Cadence helped to support her, giving her a rest from the long expedition up north.
"We must get her back quickly."Celestia said as she begun to fly, carrying Princess Luna, who seemed to be half awake. Twilight watched in horror as she saw the state Luna was in. Blood covered a portion of the back of her right ear, trickling down slowly into her fur.
As soon as Cadence and Celestia landed, Twilight opened the doors into the castle, and led them in. Luna was quickly put down on a nearby sofa, where she begun to close her eyes.
She continued to breathe heavily, and put a hoof to her head. "Princess..."Twilight said, "What in Equestria happened?"
"It....it was Chrysalis."She responded weakly. Cadence gasped in horror, and fear. "All this time...she was hiding right under our noses. Every one of the guards...a changeling."Luna paused to breathe. "I couldn't fight...Shining Armor was no where to be found...I managed to get away...but only barely."
"That diseased insect will pay..."Twilight said in an angry tone.
"Calm yourself. Get some bandages from the drawers over there."Cadence said pointing to a small drawer. Twilight, quickly retrieved them, and gave them to Celestia. Luna turned her head, revealing the wound for everypony to see. On the bottom of her right ear was a small gash, where a little blood bled out. Celestia quickly used a disinfecting spell, and put a bandage around it.
"I was sleeping in my chamber, when I heard shouting...it sounded like your husband."Luna turned to Cadence. "He sounded in need of help, and when I went outside, there was nothing but a torrent of changelings running down the hall."She said, as she felt a tear form in her eye. "A few saw me, and alerted the rest. So many of them chased me down. I led myself to a room, where Chrysalis herself was standing..."
Flashback
"Oh look..."Chrysalis said, "It's the terrible Nightmare Moon."Chrysalis walked towards Luna, as the changelings held her down.
"It's Princess Luna..."She responded. "What do you want?"
"Is that a trick question? You know what I want."It was true. Luna knew exactly knew what Chrysalis wanted. The love of Equestria.
"Let me go!"Luna squirmed, and quickly broke free from the changelings. She immediately bolted away, before a few changelings jumped on to her back like cheetahs hunting gazelles. She took off, and flew toward a stained glass window.
The changelings tried to stop her, and failed. All of them jumped off in fear of being impaled by a shard of glass. Luna burst through the glass head first. She felt a sharp pain behind her right ear, and immediately felt slightly dazed.
She looked back at the castle, seeing none of her guards, only Chrysalis and her changelings. The highest tower, was suddenly turned into a massive bonfire, as green flames engulfed it. The roof burned bright, as Luna watched the castle fall. She knew she must find Twilight and her sister quickly, and flew north under her stars and moon.
End Flashback
"Chrysalis had the entire city of Canterlot under her control, and it won't be long until she begins to move here."Celestia said.
"I'll go put the city on high alert."Cadence said.
"No..."Celestia said, stopping her, "that will make it more vulnerable. She'll know we're waiting for her if we have every guard on duty, and do the same as she did with Canterlot."Cadence took a moment to think.
"You're right...but what does that leave us with?"Cadence asked.
"I say we go back to Canterlot as soon as possible. We must retaliate!"Twilight begun sounding like her brother in the royal guard, immediately taking command.
"Patiente my dear student. We mustn't rush this."Celestia responded towards Twilight's sudden aggressive tone.
"But three of us can easily beat her."
"Twilight."Luna caught Twilight's attention. "We can't just go to Canterlot and take it back over, not with the size of Chrysalis's army of insects."Twilight looked at Luna with anticipating eyes. "Trust me Twilight...I've seen what she can do...and we are not ready. Even you aren't ready."Luna said.
"But I can beat her! My magic ability has doubled since the last time she was here."Twilight pleaded that they go into immediate action.
"The answer is NO Twilight!"Celestia snapped, startling Twilight. "You may think you're ready to fight...but I can see you are not. You may hold the magical ability of an Alicorn, but it is clear you lack simple logic of an ordinary pony."
Twilight was left astonished, and completely upset. Celestia had never been that way to her. She had never snapped at her in an aggressive tone. Nor had she ever pointed out one of Twilight's weaker sides in such a way.
Twilight had nothing else to say, and could only stand in shame. Celestia saw the error of her ways, but knew it was for the better. Cadence saw Twilight's shame, and put a hoof around her neck.
"There's no need to feel ashamed Twilight. Not everypony is perfect."She said trying to cheer her up. Twilight only stood up, and walked away with her head low. "I guess you really got to her."Cadence said to Celestia.
"I know..."Celestia responded once Twilight exited the room, "I hate to act that way to anypony, but in times like this, we must be careful with our actions..."
That Night
Twilight huffed, breathing heavily in anger. She tightened ropes on the wooden cart as her eyes grew heavier with her lack of slumber. The stars littered the sky once more, as did the moon. The entire day had been spent with Twilight wandering the kingdom in a weary, and broken state of mind.
"Can't tell me what I am. Not Ready ."She laughed quietly. "I'll show her. I'll show them all. I'll show Celestia, I'll show Luna, Cadence! I'll show Chrysalis that I am ready!"
She hopped on the cart, which she fitted with a magic powered engine, an invention of hers she introduced for Celestia. Though the idea was not successful, due to the fact that only a few Unicorns would wield enough energy to power it for no more than thirty seconds.
Her horn glowed, and the engine begun to rattle and shudder. The cart then moved forward at a moderate speed down the road. A few ponies looked out there windows to see what was making all the noise, poking their heads out their shutters.
Twilight continued disturbing the residence she passed until she reached the edge of the city, where the magical barrier protecting the city from the blizzard outside stood. As she approached it, it opened just big enough for her to fit through, revealing a road that had wheel tracks in them on the other side.
On the other side, the temperature dropped intensely. Being Twilight, she immediately fixed this with an insulator spell, which made her own body attract any heat to keep her warm.
"I'll fix this. I'll come back with..."Her hair begun to frizz as her pupils grew small, "her HEAD!"She laughed wickedly, before she powered the engine more, immediately increasing the speed of the cart.
In Canterlot, a certain changeling queen was busy having her changelings re-decorate the castle which stood above the great city. Ponies locked themselves in their homes, and could only watch as the castle was growing darker and darker.
Queen Chrysalis walked into a room which housed many stained windows, each telling a story of Equestria's past. One in particular enraged Chrysalis. One of Cadence and Shining Armor representing her previous defeat in Canterlot.
"Minions!"She barked. "Out with Celestia's throne. NOW!"She ordered. A group of changelings quickly picked up the throne where Celestia would sit, and threw it out of the window of Cadence and Shining Armor. The window shattered, and shards of pink stained glass collapsed out, falling into the streets below.
Flags were suddenly dropped from the ceiling of the room, covering the Equestrian flags that were already there. Each flag had a green heart covered in flames in the center of it.
"Tonight will be remembered as the night Canterlot fell to the hooves and horn of Queen Chrysalis, and her changeling army. Parents and Grandparents will tell the story of my reign to their foals for generations! So rise my army! Rise, and take control of the entire city! Out of the castle, into the streets! Feed! FEED!
"Nothing can stop me..."She quietly said to herself. "Nothing."
Twilight swiftly ran through the streets of Canterlot in the night. "I'm coming for you Chrysalis."She muttered to herself. She ran towards the castle, before being stopped by an envious sound. The noise of Changelings could be heard. She looked up at the castle, and saw the thousands changelings flying toward her.
To her left, a pile of hay and dried grassed lied. She quickly jumped in, hiding herself from the insects that were now flying all around her. She looked through the thick grasses, and saw that at least ten of them landed near her.
Two of them, landed right in front of her with their backs to the pile of hay. Twilight looked for a way around, and saw nothing. The streets and air were littered with changelings. She'd be spotted in a heartbeat.
She observed the changelings around her, and noticed they all seemed incredibly tired, and unfocused. The two in nearest to her seemed the worst. Twilight had to make a decision quick.
And so she did. She threw the two nearest changelings into the pile of hay with her, picking them up with her magic. She quickly silenced them, and put them into a deep sleep using a sleep spell. She looked out again, no changeling noticed.
"Gotta find a way by quickly."She said. Finally, she found what she was looking for. A street lamp that lit the road around her was nearby. She quickly shot a beam of magic at it, and put it out. The changelings, now startled and weary, looked around for the culprit.
Being Twilight, she simply casted a night vision spell on herself, and simply walked past the changelings with ease. The changelings heard the trot of her steps, hissed.
"Who's there?"One of them asked. Twilight did not respond, and simply continued across the bridge which lead to the castle.
Now, she cast another spell on herself, and disguised herself as a changeling. Ahead of her, the walls of the castle stood tall, where more changelings stood guard. As she tried to walk past, two changelings stepped in front of her, blocking her entry. "State your business."One said.
"I wish to see the Queen."I responded.
"Nobody sees the Queen. She's requested to be left alone!"The other responded. Twilight huffed.
"Fine...be that way."She reversed the previous spell, and took her original form. "DIE!"The two changelings stepped back in confusion and shock. Twilight quickly struck them with her powerful magic, and threw them up over her.
"GET HER!"A changeling shouted, pointing its hoof at her. Before she could blink, a small hoard of the bugs swarmed toward her. Twilight was tackled without mercy, according to the changelings.
Inside the castle walls, a flash was seen, and the changelings turned their heads to see Twilight standing there. "Nice Try."She quickly turned and ran. The changelings flew after her.
As soon as she was in the castle, she closed the door behind her, locking herself in. "Time to finish this..."She quietly said aloud. She turned to observe what had been once Princess Celestia's castle. Instead, she saw dark flags covering the Equestrian flags, and large green cocoons covering the ceiling.
"HEY!"She heard. She turned, and saw Chrysalis standing across the room. "I thought I said clearly...wait..."She paused and realized who stood before her. "YOU!"
"You "Twilight responded.
"What do you think you're doing here? How did you get past my guards?"She asked.
"How do you think?"Twilight teleported behind Chrysalis.
"You'll regret showing your face in front of me. What do you even plan?"
"I plan to end this...to kill you."Twilight said wickedly.
"Oh, that sounds a bit harsh for a sweet little foal such as yourself."Chrysalis responded in a mocking tone. "I'm wasting my time."She turned to leave. A flash appeared in front of her as Twilight teleported, and blocked her path.
"You're not going anywhere."Twilight said. "Now PAY!"Her horn glowed, and a beam of purple magic shot from it, streaking towards Chrysalis.
"Don't be such a foal..."Chrysalis simply said, before defending with her own magic. It quickly deflected the shot from Twilight, sending it through a window. "Aw, shame. I kind of liked that window."
She retaliated, and fired a green beam of magic a Twilight. Twilight did nothing, only to teleport a few feet to her left. The beam missed her, and she struck back again. The second attack had the same outcome.
"Do we really have to fight Twilight? Why can't you see that I only want love. I don't want to hurt anypony!"Chrysalis said.
"Then let Canterlot go!"Twilight responded. She shot a third time, this time at the chandelier that hung above them. It struck it, sending it down towards the two of them.
Chrysalis quickly jumped out of the way, as did Twilight. "FOAL!"Chrysalis yelled. "You could have killed us both."
"I'll die if it means you stopped, and Equestria is safe. Give up!"Twilight ordered.
"What makes you think you can tell me what to do!?"Chrysalis stood up, and walked toward Twilight slowly. "I am the one in control here. I am the QUEEN! I AM THE SUPREME RULER!"She yelled at the top of her lungs, and shot her second beam of magic at Twilight.
It struck her before she could react. Twilight flew backwards, and slid across the floor. She felt more pain, as Chrysalis shot again, and again. "I won't let ANYPONY stand in my way! Not Celestia, not LUNA, NOT EVEN YOU!"She shot again, and Twilight teleported out of sight. "SHOW YOURSELF!"
Twilight quickly climbed the staircase that lead out the room, limping with each step. She was immediately regretting her decision to try and attack Chrysalis on her own. She climbed up the spiral staircase, and came out on to a stone bridge that lead to another tower opposite of the one she stood upon.
Far below her, lied Canterlot. Dark, and dead in its own former glory, now under the control of an insect. The cold wind now blew through her mane and fur, as she limped slowly across the bridge. "Have to get away..."She said to herself.
She suddenly heard the noise of a screeching eagle, and looked up. A flying patrol of changelings flew overhead, and spotted her. "LOOK, THERE!"She heard. Quickly, she ran on three legs to the other tower. She leaped in, as the changelings swept by, nearly sending her over the side of the bridge.
"AH!"She yelled in pain, as she begun to tumble down the steps. Down, down, and down. She hit the wall of the tower, and came to a halt. "Ahg!"She groaned in agony, as she gripped her back tightly.
She heard the hoofsteps of somepony coming from above her, and quickly got back on her hooves. Before she could start walking, the changelings caught up with her, and tackled her. Again, they begun tumbling down. This time, the changelings were absorbing every impact.
Twilight used this to her advantage, and held the changelings on, aiming for the walls as they spiraled down the steps. Two of them fell off after a few hits, but the last one held on until the bottom.
Twilight came out of the staircase into another room, and fell helplessly on the ground. Her body wouldn't allow her to move. She could only sit there and breathe. Slowly, she moved her head to see the changeling was unconscious.
As her mind caught up, as did her breathe, she held herself up, and looked around. Twilight was dazed with double vision making her head sway as if were on a pendulum. She knew she couldn't fight in her current condition. She had to get out of there, and quick.
She made her way towards a window, only to learn she wasn't even half way down to the lowest level of the castle. Below, the ground seemed to grow farther away the longer she looked.
Her heart raced, looking for a way out. Ahead of her, was a door that lead to another bridge. Behind her was the staircase from which she came.
Twilight walked to the door slowly, and tried to push it open. It wouldn't budge at first, but after a second try, it burst open, and Twilight found herself facing a numerous amount of awaiting changelings. Chrysalis stood tall, in front of them all.
"You've been a fool Twilight, and now you will pay the price."She said in an evil tone. Twilight backed away, and turned for the staircase, but the changelings were already blocking her path. Chrysalis moved closer, as did the changelings. Twilight backed away, and cornered herself upon a stained window.
"DIE!"Chrysalis shouted. Her horn glowed green. Twilight quickly reacted, and engulfed herself around a magic field to protect her. Chrysalis shot a cold and dark flare of pure energy at the shield. The shield simply absorbed the impact.
She continued to fire, as Twilight could only sit inside. She grew weaker with every passing second, with every shot that struck her. Twilight gritted her teeth in pain, as each shot grew more brutal than the last.
Twilight felt herself begin to lose herself, and begin to crumble. As the beads of sweat slowly ran down her face, she felt herself being torn apart, unable to escape the grip. She had made a mistake...one that would cost her, her own life.
One final shot from Chrysalis, and the shield broke. Twilight flew back, her bodyweight pushing through the glass window. The momentum was unimaginable. She flew from the window, into the air, and towards the river that flowed in front of the castle.
Chrysalis watched, as she flew. Twilight somehow managed to keep her consciousness, but only just. She wept tears as she felt her self plummet, and fall to the ground. As the ground came closer...she could only think of her friends...her family, and her mentor, who'd she would all leave behind.
"I'm sorry..."She quietly muttered to herself, before closing her eyes. She cast a shield around her, using her last fragments of strength. It glowed dim, and was fragile. But if there was some chance it would save her life, she kept it around her.
*SPLASH *
Twilight struck the river with mighty force, sending water over the bridge nearby. The shield shattered, and Twilight sunk for only a moment, before her density forced her up to float. Her body flipped over on its back, and she was facing the sky.
Ponies looked out their windows at the lifeless body that flowed slowly down the river. Many of them wept, as they recognized her as one of the princesses most dearest friends, and an element wielder. They could only watch...Twilight was gone.
"NO!"Princess Celestia sprang up, startling the entire castle. She fell off her hooves, gripping her chest tightly. She heard the door burst open.
"SISTER!"Luna yelled, running to her aide. Cadence was short to follow.
"What happened?"She asked. Celestia didn't respond, only shed tears as she felt the unimaginable had become true.
"Speak Celestia."Luna pleaded. Celestia opened her mouth, and breathed heavily. "Breath...slowly. Tell us what happened."
"It...it can't be true."Celestia, got up, and opened the bedroom window. "Twilight...where's Twilight?"
"I'll go get her."Cadence said. She quickly ran out the room.
"What's happened sister?"Luna asked once more.
"It's...It's Twilight. I saw her die in my dreams...but it felt so real. I must know if Twilight is alright."Celestia explained.
"Hush, no such thing has occurred. It was just a nightmare..."Luna said to herself. "Wait...no that can't be right. I control who goes into a dream state...and I never sent you in."Luna reassured herself.
"Celestia..."Cadence said from behind them. "Twilight's GONE!"
The Emptiness
The following morning seemed much darker than any other morning. Celestia rose her sun to peak just above the horizon, and left the castle, along with Luna and Cadence.
They slowly rode through the streets on a carriage neatly covered in black silk. Crystal Ponies opened their doors silently, observing the Princesses as they went by with tears in their eyes. Some of them placed flowers they had neatly on the carriage.
Celestia only looked down in shame. She had let Twilight go, not thinking of what could have happened. Twilight was gone. Every tear she wept felt like a memory of Twilight, slowly fading away in the crisp morning air. Luna gently placed a hoof on her sisters shoulder
"I'm sorry Celestia..."She spoke. "I know she was a dear friend to you...to all of us."Celestia held her response briefly.
"She was more than a friend to me...I looked at her as if she were my own...she was family."Celestia looked into Luna's eyes. Luna pulled her sister in, and held her in a comforting hug.
"I know she was..."The carriage came a stop upon a river that flowed through the city. Celestia picked up the small picture of Twilight she had retrieved, and climbed to the ground.
Many of the crystal ponies followed, each with a candle which would float on the water. Celestia wrapped the frame in black fabric, covering the picture. She slowly brought it to the river side, where she carefully placed it in the water.
As she released her magic, the current took the picture, and it slowly floated away. Candles weren't short to follow, as they were placed carefully, and released to follow the picture.
"Rest In Peace..."Celestia quietly spoke. "My daughter."
The weakened Unicorn groaned as a quiet, distant voice filled her mind. She felt herself become aware of a wetness spreading over her forehead. Slowly, her eyes rose, and came to see a familiar face treating her need of aide.
"Yes, open your eyes. Can you hear my voice?"Zecora spoke softly. "I'm glad I found you. You were in a terrible condition, very close to death."
Twilight lied still in the bed incredibly weak, and very sore. She looked down, and saw a cast around her right foreleg. "Easy Twilight. You must rest if you are to regain your strength and might."
Twilight simply nodded and closed her eyes again to return to a sleep which her body so deeply needed.
Spread
"Boy Canterlot looks like its gettin' a beatin' from those storms."Applejack said looking at the city in the distance. Canterlot had a powerful storm cloud directly over it, darkening the entire city. "C'mon Applebloom, we need get selling."
The farm mare flipped a sign to 'Open', and presented her apple products she had to sell on their cart. She had simple apples, fritters, pies, and carmel apples, all neatly arranged in an appealing way. It wasn't long before the first costumer came along.
"What can I do ya for?"Applejack asked.
"I'll take five granny smiths please."The mare responded. Applebloom retrieved five green apples, and presented them.
"That'll be five bits ma'am."Applejack said. The mare paid, and left with the apples. The next mare in line stepped forward.
"Are...are you Applejack?"She asked nervously.
"That's me."AJ responded. "What can I getcha?"
"Oh nothing..."A wicked smile spread across her face. "I just, have to go tell my queen that...we've found another element wielder...the Element of Honest is it?"
"That's...wait, how would you know about the elements?"Applejack quickly flipped the sign to closed. Everypony else abandoned the line, except for the mysterious mare.
"Because I was sent here."The mare said slowly.
"Applebloom...go home, now."Applejack ordered. Applebloom tore off her white apron and walked away. "Alright, now start talkin'. What do you want from me?"
"It's not what I want...It's what WE want."
"Who's we? Start talking sense!"Applejack's face burned red in her growing fury. She felt a hoof poke her hind leg. She looked down to see Applebloom still there. "I thought I told to..."
"Cease her!"Applebloom cutoff Applejack before engulfing herself in green flame. As the flames cleared, a changeling stood, preparing to charge. Applejack gasped, looking over at the mare, who had also turned into a changeling.
"Whoa nelly!"She realized that many of the stallions and mares around the street were changelings. All of them walked towards her, cornering Applejack into a wall.
As she prepared to take on a hoard of changelings, she felt her hoofs rise up above the ground. She looked up, and saw Rainbow Dash carrying her away swiftly. "Let's go!"She dashed away towards the library leaving the changelings stunned in her dust.
Above them, Applejack could see the hundreds, maybe even thousands of changelings bearing down on the small town. One by one, they came crashing down into the earth beneath. "What's happenin'?"Applejack shouted as they landed in front of the library.
"I don't know! The others are inside, come on."Rainbow Dash pushed the door open, leading Applejack inside. She closed the door silently.
"What in Celestia's mane is going on out there?"Rarity asked.
"We're under attack! Changelings everywhere!"Applejack said.
"How?"Spike said running down the stairs. "I thought we got rid of Chrysalis."
"Apparently not. Where's Twilight?"Rainbow Dash asked.
"She went to Canterlot about a month ago. You girls haven't noticed?"Spike responded.
"WHAT?!"Everypony shouted at once.
"What do we do? Without Twilight we can't use the elements of harmony, and without the elements of harmony we can't defeat the changelings!"Pinkie exclaimed in a quick sentence.
*CRASH*
A changelings burst through the ceiling, landing in the middle of the five ponies (and Spike). It gave a brief hiss, before having Applejack's hooves hit its head. It fell limp with a thud to the floor.
"Gosh Darn varmints."AJ said.
"We're not safe here. We gotta get away from here!"Rainbow Dash exclaimed, making a run for the door.
"We can go to my cottage."Fluttershy spoke. "I rarely have anypony other than you guys come nearby."
"Well what are we waiting for!?"Pinkie said, bursting through the door without opening it. Outside, the sky had been covered over with dark clouds similar to the clouds over Canterlot.
Big Mac was running by with Applebloom when Applejack stepped out the library. "Big Mac!"AJ stopped them. "Take care of AB and Granny. We gotta go find a way to deal with this."Big Mac nodded, and threw Applebloom on his back, and bolted away.
"Let's go!"Rainbow Dash waved her hoof towards Fluttershy's house. A second wave of changelings now rocketed through the cloud layer at intense speeds. Ponies ran helplessly through the streets, dodging the incoming changelings as they struck the ground.
In the matter of seconds, the second wave had rained down completely, and the streets were littered with the parasites. "We've got to find Twilight as soon as we can. Else we're done for!"Applejack shouted as they ran.
"We'll discuss this when we're safe. Just keep going!"Rainbow Dash shouted back from in the air.
Rainbow quickly shut the door once everypony was inside. "Everypony okay?"She asked.
"We're all fine. Though I think Spike may need a nap."Rarity said looking upon the exhausted purple dragon on the couch.
"Good. Now, about Twilight. Spike said she left for Canterlot about a month ago..."Rainbow said. "And for some reason, without telling us. Something tells me Princess Celestia had her come to Canterlot for a particular reason."
"Are you suspecting that Celestia knew this would happen?"Fluttershy asked.
"Maybe...or maybe it wasn't Celestia. Chrysalis was right under our noses the entire time last time...so she could easily do it again disguised as one of the most respected ponies among us."
"Knowing what happened last time, we would have never seen it coming."Applejack said.
"So as far we know, Twilight could be being held captive by Chrysalis?"Rarity asked in a worrying tone.
"I'm afraid so."AJ responded.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
Everypony jumped in sudden fear to the knocking at the door. No answer was given, and the outsider knocked again. "Stay quiet."Applejack whispered. She slowly crept to a window to look outside, and gasped a little. "Phew,"She said wiping sweat off of her forehead. "Don't worry everypony, it's only Zecora."She opened the door.
"Is everyone okay? I heard Ponyville experienced quite a terrible day."She walked in, closing the door behind her.
"We're all fine. What brings you here?"Applejack asked.
"I need some herbs from Fluttershy, so that I may brew a soup in the blink of an eye."Zecora responded.
"Well, um. I can see if I have any...what do you need?"Fluttershy asked.
"Just a little bit of Chives and some Basil, it will make this brew bedazzle."
Fluttershy disappeared into her kitchen to get Zecora's request. "So, what are you ponies up too?"The zebra asked.
"Discussing a way to get to Canterlot. We assume Chrysalis has Twilight hostage."Rarity answered.
"Oh I wouldn't worry my little ponies. I'm sure Twilight is safe and sound with the princesses in the Crystal Kingdom."Zecora said in a calm tone.
"But, but, What if she isn't!"Pinkie exclaimed. "She could be in the dungeons, or even worse, at the gallows!"
"Don't you dare think like that Pinkie Pie. I'd reckon Twilight can handle herself as long as she stays out of trouble."Applejack said silencing the party pony. Fluttershy came back with the spices.
"Here you are."Zecora gave her five bits in return for the spices. "Well I best be going. I wish you good luck on your journey, which there is no telling."Zecora opened the door as a gust of wind blew into the house. As soon as it was open, it closed again, and Zecora was gone.
Twilight's Rehab
Her eyes snapped open from her deep sleep. Twilight quickly sat up from the bed, and looked around the room. As she tried to move down from the bed, she noticed something had a grip on her right foreleg. She uncovered it with her free hoof to see a bandage was wrapped around it.
"Hello?"She called. The sudden crash of pots and pans slightly startled Twilight. She looked over at the door that led to the kitchen, and saw a zebra walking into the room.
"Welcome back Twilight. How are you feeling?"
"A little numb in the leg. Other than that, fine. How long have I been here?"Twilight asked.
"About a week. It's best you get some fluids inside you. Have some soup."Zecora picked up a cooling bowl of brew and placed it in front of Twilight. She heard her stomach grumble at the sight the soup, and she quickly begun eating uncontrollably. Zecora looked with a delighted face to see Twilight's body was responding positively after a week in a coma.
Twilight picked up her head from the now empty bowl. "Would you like anymore? There's plenty."Zecora asked.
"No thanks that's plenty. I don't want to over work my body too quickly do I?"Twilight responded.
"A wise decision."
"So what's happened in the last week?"Twilight asked in a worried and curious tone. Zecora down at the ground and shook her head from side to side slowly.
"Chrysalis has spread out from Canterlot taking over as much land as she could. Ponyville has...fallen victim and is under the control of the insects."Zecora explained. Twilight gasped in shock.
"I have to get my friends."She made her way to the door, but felt a hoof stop her.
"No Twilight."Zecora said pulling Twilight away from the door. "First of all, the place is overrun with changelings. Second of all, every pony either thinks your dead, or a prisoner."
"WHAT!"Twilight exclaimed. "Everypony thinks I'm DEAD!"
"I'm afraid so. But do not fret Twilight. Have a moment and think about this. You can use these facts to your advantage. If everypony thinks you're dead, then nopony will expect any sort of appearance from you. It's the perfect surprise."Zecora explained in a confident tone.
"Why would I do that? What would my friends think of me?"
"Keep calm. Your friends don't think you're dead. In fact, they think you're being held prisoner by Chrysalis. So it wouldn't be as bad as you think."
"I wish there was some other way, but it's the best we've got."Twilight said. Zecora yawned.
"Sorry for my drowsiness. I'm afraid you've awoken at dusk, and it's been a long day for me."Zecora said.
"No problem. I think it's your turn to get a week of sleep."Twilight said humorously.
"Odd. How we're spreading humor and laughter in the time of war and despair."Zecora said burning out a few candles.
"Well, there's always room for a little."
"Quite. I shall see you at dawn."Zecora walked into her chamber and slowly closed the door. Twilight quickly burnt out the last candle, and got to work.