Never gone

Chapters

1-3
And they are there!
Molly in the flowers at noon
Three hooves, two faces
Dieting lightly creates less body fat
The pink love in all black.
A boat out to griffons

1-3

From out of the bowels of Equestria’s least understood chambers out walked Princess Luna. Celestia greets her in the waning sun.

“Ah, Luna, you’re looking great as usual. Are you ready?
A nod. It was too early for conversation. In comfortable silence, as with every one of Luna’s mornings, they made their way to the roof of Canterlot castle to let the sun fall and the moon to rise. In the twilight, Celestia lowers the sun to allow Luna to bring out the light of the stars and bring the moon out of hiding. Satisfied, Celestia makes to go to bed. Luna turns away from the night to speak.

“We are ready to resume our Lunar Court.”
Celestia catches a hoof on the easy chair. Her response is quick.

“What? Are you sure?” Her surprise shows greatly on her relaxed features. “It’s been so long, why now?”
A look of serenity passes over Luna’s face.

“We have spent long enough getting caught up with current affairs, and now that Princess Twilight is with us, We can begin to act as Our formal self.”
Celestia moves to join back up with her and nuzzles necks with her younger sister.

“I knew you’d come around. You are even more fluent in the affairs of this world than any scholar I know.” Celestia eases off Luna and notices her face. Burning eyes lapse over her tightening face. “Is something the matter?”

“That is what I was hoping you’d say.” Celestia starts at her dropped honorific. “I understand now that I became so bitter of our ponies because no one would come see me. In that sense, I will now move the Court to the ponies and beyond. The world will see I have come back. They will love and respect me as they did for you in the Olden days. Starting tomorrow, I leave to represent Equestria to the nations of the world.”
To show any emotion outwardly that Celestia was thinking would doubtlessly cause an argument with Luna. Carefully, she picks her words.

“I am glad you want to take such an active role in the world, but-” Luna began to glare at her. “Ah, I wonder if such a long time away hasn’t made you less eloquent than you used to be. I know you wouldn’t want to misrepresent yourself.”
Luna barks a laugh.

“Well alright. Maybe I am going a little too fast, but if We do not strike quickly, I fear the tides will be lost. I’ll not scour in obscurity like I did before.”

“Sister, you keep speaking in war terms, what exactly do you plan to do?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” She tilts her head. “I need to find all of Equestria’s enemies and convince them to ally with us, to promote harmony between all the races of Illustria, and unify ourselves against the looming threat.”
The past years had seen Luna in her room reading. That a common pony would be shocked at hearing this from the moon princess was startling enough. Celestia, on the other hoof, was shocked into silence.

“If you’ll excuse me, I must meet my consort and discuss plans for your morn’s departure.”
Celestia, now wide awake, wonders how to stop this. She looks at the moon. “Wait, Consort?” The sun princess flew down the stairs as a tennis ball would. At about halfway through the gauntlet of easily sloped stairs she had clipped the ceiling. Tumbling to the ground she saw her wide-eyed sister and another familiar pony.

Leaving the infirmary Luna meets up with her consort and begins to head through the castle to the chariots. As her consort continues to speak, Luna wonders if perchance she had made the wrong decision. Through the mail, she had seemed like such a well-organized pony. The parchment had smelled great as well, implying a chef. Her words were eloquent and forceful. When Luna had gotten the only response letter sent by any of the remaining elements of harmony, she had been delighted to know that the element of laughter would join her. A duo of Rivals, as it were. The bright and pink pony that hopped babbling in front of her was indeed laughing. Luna wasn’t, nor did she have time to talk to every castle guard who wouldn’t speak back to her anyway. None of her previous, “friend-sublimating-techniques” had worked so far and they all seemed more afraid of her than when she got here. A sigh passed over her. Her privacy was instantly violated by her consort.

“Hey! What is that frown doing upside-down? Flip it right now! Do It!”

“Quiet. Now. We need it to wake Ourself. And you used a double-negative. You just asked me to frown. Which is not what We are doing. We are concentrating.”
The consort’s voice clicked up and she began chirping.

“Come on, we have to stay positive if anyone will want to hang out with us, I mean, what country will we head to first huh? Aren’t you excited? I know I would be if I got to go, and I’m going, so now I’m doubly excited. Hah! The excitement has been doubled!”
Her eyes refocused on Luna who was shaking with anger and was weeping. Her speech stopped and enveloped Luna into a whole body hug.

“What’d I say? What’s wrong?”
Luna stopped to look at her with slanted, yellow eyes.

“Oh, nothing young foal. Forgive my host’s emotional stability. She is mad that no one thinks of her as positive or optimistic. Even her own sister worries for her mental health. To think that the Element of happiness couldn’t see it in her is troublesome indeed.”
She begins to laugh softly. After a minute or so she stops to open her clear blue eyes.

“We apologize for that outburst Ms. Pie. Forget that it happened. That is your first order as my consort. Meet me at the chariots out the Eagle gate.”
Pinkie Pie watched in terrified silence as Luna’s tear stained face disappeared out of view down the hall. She turned to speak to a hallway plant.

“She’ll be a tough nut to crack, but at least she’s a great actor!”

Past Eagle gate, Pinkie spies Luna loading up supplies into her saddlebags out of a pile of crates. Bouncing over, she sees that no one is helping her or even around, at all.

“Hey queen of the batponies, what’s shakin’?”
Luna stops packing and looks past the crates to see Pinkie springboard off of a pile of wheels onto the tallest part of the stack. She begins to yell.

“The great Lunar Consort has climbed Mt. Crate within record time! All who are near come see this feat of athleticism! Stay there, Our consort and be the wonderment of Eagle gate in the early night!”
There was no response or anyone around to hear her admittedly loud Canterlot Royal Voice. Luna looked up at Pinkie and frowned.

“Now, hear Us my little pony. No royal guard to spoil our moonlit eve.”
Her eyes began to lust after the obviously wearying Pinkie still handstanding on the crate. She gulped. Luna opened a soldier’s cot and laid it out on the grass. “

Now consort, jump unto our arms.”
Pinkie’s vision was blurring from being upside-down, but there was no way she was seeing what she was seeing.
In her bemusement she began to tip over. As she began a fall down Mt. Crate she was picked up in Luna’s celestial magic and brought to her.

“Ah you would sacrifice your life for Us Our consort? Truly, a more brave and loving pony never hath before this day exist!. Haha!”
PInkie, somehow even more pink than usual, began to hear some clapping behind her and Luna.

“Well well, quite a surprise interrupting your moonlit rendezvous with a lady no less.”
Pinkie attempts to break free of Luna’s grasp around her midsection but is stopped by her being hoisted up in the air by Luna’s hooves as she stands up to face the intruder. She sees Celestia there, flanked by two night guards. Luna begins to shout.

“Ho, my sister. We will fight to the death to protect our consort from your masterful wiles!”
Celestia is overly coy in her response.

“Oh, and how is that? I haven’t any idea what you mean.” Her right fore hoof drapes across the quickly stiffening back of a night guard.
Luna begins to cry.
“Alack! You have even seduced Our own two trusted guards from Us! To think, all the memories we shared! Corporal Angel Dust and Corporal Molly Fear! How could you!” At this, she began to laugh. Celestia tried to get a word in but could not speak above Luna’s laugh.
Pinkie finally got the joke and began to snort violently. Soon the two of them were curled up in a ball laughing hard enough that Celestia’s hair began to get sucked towards them for lack of air. Even the guards looked slightly less menacing.
Once the peak of the moment had passed Celestia began to talk to Luna.

“ I know you will succeed little sister. I love you.”
Luna was now mostly out of the throes of laughter and kissed Celestia on the lips. Parting, she whispers.

“I love you too.”
Jumping onto the chariot she begins to wave at the guards to pick up and leave. Celestia comes to once they are already leaving.

“Wait! Where are you going? You said you weren’t leaving until tomorrow!”
Luna yells back over the chariot and wind.

“We are going to the Changeling Isles to make peace with Queen Chrysalis!”
Celestia’s chest tightens as her fear takes over her and the chariot bounces with a very loud and crisp “What!” comes from Pinkie. She just keeps on waving stiffly as her sister wobbles off into the moonlit night.

Author's Note

Well tell me what you think. All feedback is welcome. All of it. Was it funny? Just sucked? Incomprehensibly linguistic? Not IC enough? Let me know right the buck now.

And they are there!

For the first few hours, Pinkie had talked at length about cherry pie, and by extension Applejack’s rivalry with her neighbors. Her grade scale of fruit pies had interested Luna to no end, and during the entirety of their trip across Equestria had taken notes. For the first time in Pinkie’s life she found someone who hung on her every word. Luna’s hoof had begun to cramp after a time and had asked for quiet. Now knowing Luna’s excitable emotions during “quiet time” she had tried to sit still. Underneath the carriage, an atoll flew behind them. She decided that Luna’s “quiet time” didn’t mean that the guards had one as well and began to regale the port side pony about how atolls didn’t mean one had to pay to cross them. Her initial whispering had turned quickly into excitable chirping in very little time. From her left, Luna spoke up over her.

“We require you to end yourself. Be quiet or I will do so for you.”
Pinkie’s surprise lasted less time than the last Luna-issued death threat. She leaned aside and draped her arm over her shoulder.

“Oh, you know you love it! What’cha thinkin’ about huh? Are you nervous?” Her question stretched on; elongating the u for longer than neccessary.

“We are thinking about pies. Perhaps We should have thought to bring a peace offering. You wouldn’t by any chance have a way to make some would you? Perhaps when we land you can make one for her.”
Pinkie smiled and said “Well I can’t make one there, because I already have one here!”

“Hmm, and what kind would it be?”

“Well we don’t even know what changelings like so I brought one that tastes like a little of everything!”

“Everything? Such as what, exactly?”

“Some apples, some wheat, some earthworms, some banana peels and a heapful of some green stuff I found under the sink.”

“What! That sounds like poison, not pie. Why would you make such a thing?”

“Oh don’t worry, I serve it in ponyville all the time!”

“We will have to revoke your restaurant’s business liscence then. We will not let you poison Our ponies.”

“Ponies? Oh, no. I give them to the chickens at Fluttershy’s! They love it!”

“Why would you bring something as a peace offering that you wouldn’t eat?”

“Hmm? Oh I eat these all the time! I would never serve something that wasn’t safe to eat.”
Luna stared at Pinkie for a while, then shook her head. ‘What a strange one’ she thought. She was already making plans for disposing of it secretly when Corporal Angel Dust spoke up.

“We are nearing the Changeling Isles. Should we go in slow or make an entrance?”

“We have nothing to hide. We are here on a peace mission, not the invasions of old. Come in casually and land near...” She looked around until she saw a cliffside full of holes. “There. We will find the most of them We are sure in there.”

Landing, they exited slowly. Even Pinkie’s usual bouncing was more subdued in her own effort to be less threatening.

“Hear Us! We are Princess Luna! Come out! You have nothing to fear from Us!”
Nothing. The wind whistled through the mountain caves. The scent of the bare earth below the only thing noteworthy. No one came to greet them after almost a half-hour. Pinkie spoke to the guards.

“Where is everychangeling? So weird, right? I thought they’d be all around us. I’m gonna go find them, tell Luna I’ll be back later.” With that she winked and ran behind them.
Angel and Molly didn’t know what to say as she bounced off. Their orders were to keep watch on Luna at all times. That her consort had disappeared finally relieved their nerves. Angel bowed his head and spoke to try and grab Luna’s attention.

“Luna, Ms. Pie has fled.”

“We are aware. Corporal Molly, you follow from behind. Don’t let her leave your sight. That is an order.”
She left wordlessly after leaving a salute. Angel began to shift around on his hooves. “Princess Luna, what are you going to do?”

“We will go into the caves themselves. Wherever they have gone I trust your mate to handle the situation. Stay on guard and follow me. That is an order.” The cliffside hung above. They hiked up around the mountain to reach the mouths by hoof. They walked inside and began to travel inside one. It was nothing like what she expected. Coming in from the hot air outside she was greeted by the homely furniture and carpets. They all appeared to be hoof made. The design of the place, while utterly alien in color and appearance, was very welcoming in its own way. In the corner of the rounded room lay a liquid blue pool with a bed stand by it. The room itself was empty except for the adjoining door, presumably the bedroom. Using her magic to enter, Luna found the inside to be completely dark.

“Angel, wait outside.”

“Princess there may be danger. I can’t leave with you in here alone.”

“You may be right.”

“May I ask why, your highness?”
Luna saw what was in the room already on account of her having flawless night vision as well as her batpony guard. She waited for Luna to step aside and stopped in the door as she walked in. Seconds later Luna heard her faithful guard dry-heaving outside. She surveyed the scene below her. On a perfectly kempt bed lay what appeared to be a family unit. She did not know how to tell their genders, but two adults lay curled around a youngling protectively. Their faces already did not lend well to expression but she could see their love in death. Luna levitated a nearby blanket to cover the family, it becoming quickly stained with the not yet dry green blood of the family leaking out over the bedframe.
Her hoof falls stayed regular as she stepped outside. Angel was coming out of her shock and saluted her princess.

“Your Highness, I am sorry I reacted like that. I thought they were all evil. They still are, right?”

“Am I still evil? A thousand years since my banishment? Do you think of your princess that way?”

“No, but I-”
Her words caught in her throat.
Luna stretched her wings and began to fly around the cliffside checking every hole she came across. After a fashion Angel looked at the Princesses face. So solid and unmoving. She could tell just by looking that every house was the same

Molly in the flowers at noon

Molly’s stomach crept along the ground on her hunt. Her orders from the princess received, she would not, under any circumstance, be seen or heard by anyone. Back at Canterlot she had been briefed of the pink pony’s uncanny perceptiveness. Years of tracking and hunting had served her well. Her preys hopping would mislead many would-be trackers. The hoof prints talked to her as well as the smell of that disgusting pie. The fallen limestone buildings surrounded her as she stalked. A fetlock hair was left behind; it faced north. She had kept out of sight and had taken great care to move with speed. An unfortunate beam of light strayed into the building where she had paused. She looked around at the architecture for the first time. Great rolls of cloth and stacks of reeds lay in black urns. Upon the wall was pinned designs of changelings wearing gowns. Under her breath she muttered to herself.

“Why would they make clothes for themselves? Why not the ponies whose lives they tried to destroy?” Her voice, quiet as it was, stirred the air. The small breath had begun to reverberate throughout the room and caused the dust on the ceilings to break free and fly around. Molly heard the structure crack. The bricks on the east wall began to fly loose and the ceiling started sliding down. She ran towards the window and dived through it with her wings tucked. Rolling out on the ground had caused her vision to dance and spin. She lay there as the building behind her collapsed.

“Well so much for not being heard.”
As she stood up and focused the fountain in front of her came into view. The aestetics of canterlot seemed so fake and unreal in comparison. From the hoof carved limestone basin arose an obsidian tree. In three different paths it opened up into an ebony mold. The changeling that raised its arms to the sky from the flower seemed to be yearning to fly. The midday sun seemed almost reachable by its outstretched hoof. As the dust settled around her she began to notice the ebony lining the stone roads. Everywhere she looked the sun would glint or shimmer off of everything she saw. She waited for her pink charge to show up, yet no one came. She had come from the west over the mountains and had gone northeastern through the town. Now in the obvious center of commerce she continued to walk north. All the buildings to the south had caved in and had no signs of life, while the northern ones seemed more alive. Again silence reigned and she walked alone.

She had picked up on that somehow still pungent pie, but had kept walking. The complete silence would alert her if someone broke it. It appeared she was now walking through an artificial parkland. The carefully tended grass wound around the curving pathway towards a large black castle. Molly chose each step carefully as she avoided disturbing the grass. The trees were healthy and the sun shone through them on all sides of the park like a natural fence. So lost in reverence she almost bumped into the great castle. Looking up, however, proved her wrong. The glass windows were all shattered. The once decorated stone walls were eroded. Even the size of the place got her confused. No bigger than a Canterlot mansion stood a once proud castle. The same limestone as all the others had built it. The black outline from before now stood corrected. Changelings of all sizes lay about on the near lawn. The roof was littered with their corpses. Some who had seemingly tried to make their way by force had died in every place concievable. Every window, every egress was clustered by their bodies. Molly came to the front door where one wearing armor had died standing guard. She came close to inspect it.

“Iron armor means a poor military. Rigidness of posture tells of loyalty.” She walked around and inspected it from the side. “Carapace cracked in many places. exposed skin white. Could mean starvation.”
She took one glance behind at the pile on the lawn. She could tell that a similar fate had befallen all of them. Her hoof hesitated at the doorknob. A warrior like her has seen death before. This was almost unreal. It reminded her of what she had thought should happen to her former enemy before. She wasn’t imaginative enough to think of something like this. Steeling her eyes through the door she walked inside. The light from inside was a light green. What appeared to be the pods from the invasion hung from the ceiling. Tables had been set up around them along with wooden bowls and spoons. Bending down to pick one up she saw a set of green eyes blink at her from under the nearest table. In surprise she lowered into her battle stance. The bowl rolled through the groove in the stone floor and tapped the door. A scream could be heard through the shutting doorway.

Three hooves, two faces

Pinkie had been bouncing through the underground caverns for hours now. Each clack, clack of her hooves resonated emptily off the dark walls. The wet ceiling dripped continually, and misted off the floating purple phosphorescence. Her ears had clogged three separate times on her descent into the mountains. This newest cavern she found herself in had an expansive wooden bridge extending off ttowards the end of her vision. The bridge had a rope bannister leading the length. The twisted fibers were coming frayed. In droves, they embedded themselves into her coat and wrapped up in her fetlocks.

“Time for some eats.” She sat down and got an apple out of her saddlebags. “Its so pretty down here.”

The munched apple set down beside her, Pinkie reclined on her bags to get off her hooves. Boredom was mostly foreign to her, and as such, began to talk to herself.

“I love games as much as the next pony, but this is ridiculous!” She sat up. “Is that what we’re playing? Hide and seek? I’m great at hide and seek, so you can come out now!”
Her ruse unanswered she stood up.

“Hellowwwe! Is anypony out there? Anychangeling? You can come out nowwwe!”
The still silent walls answered only with a drip from the ceiling onto her nose. Startled, she looked at the offending droplet. It wasn’t water, but a spider. With shaking hooves she reached into the bag at her side. Cracking a torch and illuminating the walls she held her breath. All along the walls were bas reliefs of some kind of historical drama. It showed the progression from beginning to end of the changeling race. From the earlier section it portrayed many ponies all living in harmony. Underneath it read a script.

“A great love bestowed on our Queen Chrysalis. Year 180.”
Next it showed many ponies approaching Celestia.

“We went to adjoin our hearts with the sun. We are hopeful.” 200
A great section of the wall had been chiseled out. The next relief was of the isles shrouded in darkness.

“We have begun to understand that we were born cursed. Hail the will of our Queen.”201
The ponies had become black and withered.

“Our new life now is loneliness. Our Queen has an idea to bring us together to live in harmony again.” 407
A picture showing Chrysalis curled around many changelings.

“We are no longer starving on our island. Now we can begin again with a new family. All of us, together.” 900
Great towers and artistry adorned the walls.

“We are happy now. Our culture is great. Forever live our Queen.” 1200
Pinkie now neared the end of the chamber. The abbyss that had yawned below the bridge was coming up into view. Above a great stone door lay one more relief. This one was bigger than all the others. It showed Celestia bringing the sun down on the changelings and burning the land.

“The ponies found us after all these years. Celestia still tries to exterminate us like bugs. Our Queen has not abandoned us. We will persevere like we always have.” 1459

She had stopped hopping to read the walls better. Now at the door she stayed her hoof on the handle. A rotting stench billowed out from underneath. A faint laughing could be heard underneath. The handle would not budge. Turning around Pinkie began to walk down the slope towards the clouded abyss below. The mist carried the sound of her steps. With this she began to laugh.

“Greetings friends! We’re all here! Sir Applecore and Madame Bags here to see you! Come out and stop hiding!”
The singular acoustics of the place led her voice to echo back tenfold. The thick haze would lend itself to hallucinations disregarding its already psychotropic properties. Her puffy, cotton candy hair began to fall straight. The light from the phosphorous balls were blinding now. She began to hop again.

“I’m gonna find you! I’m gonna find you! I’m gonna make you so happy to see me! Hahahaha! My friends come out now!”
Her overeager canter landed her hoof in a miniature crevasse. The tip had gotten stuck during her overeager landing, and the rest of her lifted far forward and to the side. The walls reverberated with a sucking sound as her flesh twisted and separated completely off of the bone. She dangled helplessly over the side of the rock. About to scream from pain she saw what lay below the cloud layer. As far as her bugged out eyes could see lay a sea of rotting ponies. All colors of ponies from pegasus to unicorn alike. The clear separation between the kinds was marvelous. Each was laid out with their arms folded. Clearly some design had gone into their grotesque deaths for every one was a foal. Her pinched leg bone swung her underneath the buried mist. She could see stairs in the middle leading downwards still. Helplessly she began to laugh and laugh. Hours went by. A day perhaps had passed before her voice gave out and she fell asleep.
Waking up so exhausted gave her no time to think. Her dreamless sleep now gave way to a chronic screaming. Only for so long could her voice last now. Her saddleback had fallen below and she had no way to extricate herself. In the calm hatred of pain she pulled herself up from being upside-down. With her teeth she began to chew. Not long after the first sinews separated did the rest of her fall from the rock above. A two foot drop onto her back awaited her. She had no expertise in medicine and she began to bleed greatly. Thinking back to her life at home she remembered when Rainbow had broken a wing. Her bandages reminded Pinkie of a splinting technique Fluttershy had taught them both. Her saddlebag emptied she set a tourniquet and stoppered the blood flow. Lucky for her sanity she had not landed on any bodies but in a small clearing where none had been buried. Pinkie’s hair was completely straight and her mouth was set in a thin smile. The hill she had come from was too steep to climb back up. Tottering on three legs she made her way through the rows of children towards the stairs. The steps took more getting used to than she expected. Clop clop clop stop. Clop clop clop stop. Its maddening descent went down many levels. Finally the bottom. Its sudden friendliness was startling. A warm glow surrounded her. The hanging firefly lamps above highlighted the crypt just behind her. The entombed passage went two ways. One stretching off towards the entrance of the cavern above and one going forwards. Never once breaking form Pinkie clop clop clop waited all the way through the hall. The drugs from before had complete control of her system after so long inside them that she felt no pain. Not a far walk from the stairs she turned a bend and reached a cylindrical room with a glyphic dais in the middle. No pain filled her body for she was far too tired now. Her bones ached and the drugs were starting to wear off. She lay down on the raised platform and began to close her eyes. Green flame enveloped her and blinded the room. No one remained there but her sprinkled blood. Its testament the final sight the room would ever know as it began to shake and crumble. The many floors above caved in and would forever shroud those lost forever. Under the farthest engraving in the cavern above through the noise and debris the sound of green flame and a flash of light would be seen through the door.

Dieting lightly creates less body fat

Luna paced through the cavernous apartments. Angel trailed behind. Soon the day would end and her night would come. Since her return every night had brought with it some excitable majesty. Tonight Luna didn’t know how to paint the stars.

“Your majesty, its time to raise the moon. We should get out of here.”
Angel’s somber frown served to darken her mood. In her celestial clock the time was about 9:00. Her unhurried trot was noticed by her guard.

“Your majesty, shouldn’t we hurry? Your sister might get worried if you don’t raise the moon soon.”

“We do not ‘raise the moon.’ We allow Our sisters sunlight to diffuse out into the cosmos. Our moon is on a set path. You are, however, correct. We should not dally any longer.”

“What did you say? Did you just say you don’t control the moon?”

“Not since the beginning days have I tampered with the stars and worlds out there.”

“Worlds! What are you saying?”

“Ah, we near the exit. Would you like me to show you?”
Her naturally reserved demeanor was broken now that they reached the last bend of the cave. While tonights night may not be inspiring it still had to be done. Each night that had come since her return was special to her in some way. Tonight was no exception.

“Your majesty, does it seem bright outside to you?”
Angel’s exit was shadowed by Luna bursting through the entrance. Spreading his wings Angel prepared to take off after her. Luna hovered above the valley. When she turned to face Angel he cramped his wings and froze. Her yellow eyes!

“Where is the moon! What affront is this? WHERE IS OUR NIGHT? THE SUN SHOULD NOT BE OUT THIS LATE!”
Her horn began to crackle with midnight energy and enervated the heat and light around her. From what Angel could see, her whole body began to tremble with effort.

“CELESTIA! WHAT IS THIS? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”
His years as guard had trained him well enough to realize she was about to fly away.

“Wait! Luna wait!” She paused only briefly to look at him before powering away. “Your consort! You can’t leave without her!”
Luna paused and glided violently towards the ground. Her hooves nigh obliterated the ground she landed on. Closing her eyes her horn was surrounded by strange, eldritch symbols. She exhaled slowly as Angel began to approach.

“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you alright?”
She opened her pointed blue eyes and stared at the guard.

“Where is the sun?”
He looked up at the bright sky. The heat seemed to come from everywhere. He scanned the mountainside, but could find not find it.

“That is what is wrong. I can feel her magic keeping the sunlight here.”

“How is that possible? Why would she do that?”

“We do not know my little pony. Whatever reasons she had we don’t know.”
Her eyes were now back to normal and she looked back at the mountains.

“Eternal day...” Her voice trailed off until Angel looked at her with concern. “We are accomplishing nothing here. Can you find your mate? She must have met up with Our consort by now. That they are not back yet is indeed worrying.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”
The bat pony’s link to his mate served as a beacon of sorts. With him sending out sonic messages so frequently Molly would surely hear them and answer back. Angel’s ears soon swiveled northward and they rode down the rising mountain air. Approaching the city ruins from above they could see the planning that had gone into the place. Clearly rivaling Canterlot, its triple parallel lines winding over the slight hills, its tail and head stretched from the caverns behind them to the horizon. In regularly intermittent sections a large cubic building would sparse the smaller “scales” of each diagonally fitting structure. All of the larger cubic structures were covered in the dried remains of some kind of ivy. Angel was still perked up and headed dead on towards the parkland in the distance. The miasmic haze billowing off the parkland smelled of burnt electricity.

The swaying trees welcomed their landing. Walking towards the large mansion at the end they noticed the raised mounds surrounding the property. Luna could hear somepony talking around the back.

“All have been accounted for, yes? There are no more?”

“Yes ma’am. Thank you ma’am.”

“I told you not to call me that didn’t I? I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Sorry sir. I can’t help it sir.”
Luna smiled in spite of herself. Who would be here, now, calling Molly a ‘sir’? Turning the corner she spies Molly talking cordially with a changeling. Before she can even blink Angel is in the air hooves forward. His teeth bared he barrels into his mate’s “attacker.”

“Get down! Its got you in its spell!”
Molly immediately gets onto Angel and the changeling, and begins to roll around the grass with them in an effort to separate them. The tangle of hooves brings Luna to smile again. She flies up in the air then collapses her wings over them.

“Ponypile!”
With her longer limbs she grabs them all up in a group hug and starts rolling back and forth through the grass. The grass was imbedding into not only their fur but had boken off in clumps in the changeling’s holes. With Luna’s friendly endeavors they had gotten too tired to continue fighting. Angel looked indignantly at Luna.

“Princess, what are you doing? This is an enemy!”
The changeling’s smile quickly faded. Their romp had left it and Molly in a good mood. Angel looked up at her in a crowned frown.
Luna extricated herself from the tangled mess of ponies and stood up.

“Perhaps you should explain yourself. Who are you? Why are you the only changeling We’ve seen since we got here?”
It shifted uncomfortably and spoke with its head raised.

“My name is Tandaxchara. I am charged with sending my brothers and sisters to the afterlife. From here my sisters feed us and distribute food through the chaksara.”
Molly stepped forward to speak.

“Her job is to send the rites of the dead. We’ve just finished burying the rest of them. Those green pods we saw during the invasion were in a sense feeding tubes. Once inside they would enter a small sleep to absorb the positive energies from the priests on the outside. Your highness you may not have noticed, but they speak mostly with their wings so her name might seem strange. If it translates at all through our own bat pony language it would be Crystal Light.”
She stepped back having said all she thought necessary to say.
His hackles still up Angel started to question Crystal.
“Why are you still alive? Where is your queen? Stick your hooves up!” She complied and raised them. “Just like that! No, don’t wave them!”
Crystal began to cough shallowly and her knees buckled. Now on one bent hind leg she still had one hoof up. Luna followed suit and crouched down. She started spitting and chuffing into her hoof. Her head bobbing side to side she smiled and spoke to the changeling.

“Psh! Wcha Wcha Wch! Unce Unce!”
Her terrible rapping skills combined wither her incredibly serious frown caught Crystal’s attention and she started chuckling as bits of green blood trickled out down her mouth. Cradling the changeling she winked at her.

“Now. You rest while We decide what to do.”
Crystal’s now heavy eyelids began to close. She struggled to talk, but managed.

“No, we can’t go sleep yet. My queen is still very sick down in the caves below. I cannot pass until she has first.”
She turned to Molly and spoke directly to her.

“Just down the stairs in the corner lies an antechamber. Through there you’ll find the Queen’s chamber. In times of emergency she takes us all down there. Please, take me to her.”
Angel about to protest Luna straightened up to stay him with a hoof.

“Then come here and We will take you to her.”
In short order Crystal fell asleep and in Luna’s cradled arms began to descend the oak stairs that wound down through the formless black. Each wall that surrounded them was as obliquely lightless as each corner they turned. Free from the darkness they saw Pinkie talking swiftly towards Queen Chrysalis.

Author's Note

Sorry for the day delay but I've been cold out here. I'll be storing up a 3k entry in 3 days with another 1k topper that night on account of work. Stir gently my friends. Stir gently.

The pink love in all black.

Once Pinke had finished materializing into the larger pillared room, she immediately saw Chryaslis hugging tightly six changelings. She spoke to Pinkie.

“I’ve heard your struggles. Would you like to be free from the pains of loneliness? I can make you feel so much better my lost changeling. Come here so mama can make you better.”
In her stupor Chrysalis’s words sounded so reassuring. Making her way towards her downward from the raised stone stage she hobbled to Chrysalis. Upon reaching the motherly figure she squeaked out a question.

“What do you mean, better. I’m fine. Both of us are fine.”

“Oh, my poor lost daughter. I’m here for you now. There is a reason why you can’t stand to be alone. You’ve lost the link between us. Your insanity is only a byproduct of losing your link between your fellow sisters and brothers. Come here my child.”
Pinkie continued to hobble towards the queen. Her aching bones set her right underneath the queen.

“I can save you. Your pain along with mine will be relieved. I love you. Your queen wants you to be happy again and join your family.”

“Yes my queen. I want to be happy again. I want to laugh again.”

“My poor child. You are in so much pain. Come here.”
Chrysalis touched her horn with Pinkie’s forehead and a green light cascaded throughout the chamber.

“You will regain your hive consciousness now. It may be scary at first but you will remember the love you shared with your siblings.”
Pinkie crouched there in amazement. After so long with nothing but the illusion of friendship with no way of harnessing it she cried. The tears of indescribable joy she felt as she began to slowly rejoin the collective consciousness was far beyond anything she’d ever felt before. Only her, Chrysalis and one other seemed to remain. She cried now with untold sorrow along with her reacquainted queen. The loss of thousands came back to her. Her face fell as she remembered. As she thought of the death of everything she knew as real she began to cry. Her and her queen. They huddled close around the sea of dead brothers and sisters. Finally the death approached them. No god could ever take away the pain of remembering how Celestia had killed them all. Her will had destroyed her culture and this new revelation destroyed all she knew.
Entering the infinitte beyond that was the changeling history was almost too much. Reliving the final moments of all her forgotten famliy was insane. Creating that formless insanity of death in her head as her body remembered her true form was that outside reality. Her body turned black and chitinous. Her mind remembered her older, sadder form. The sad and lonely Pinkie of old reunited with the friendly harmony-oriented Pinkie of new. She felt no pain as she transformed. The reuniting with her queen was almost too much to bear. She loved it. After transforming she talked with Chrysalis at length about the disillusionment and abandonment of her people by Celestia. During her conversations Luna and her guard approached finally. The changeling Crystal joined them and she connected immediately.

A boat out to griffons

Chrysalis turned to meet their new company. The darkness and dust obscured their arrival. Angel spoke out in their direction.

“Announcing Princess Luna, Co-ruler of Equestria and current ambassador. Who goes there? Rise and present yourself!”
Before the dust finished settling Chrysalis whispered to Pinkie.

“Change back to your pony form. It will be hard enough to explain without a misunderstanding.”

“Yes my queen.”
The cloud settled and the queen of the changelings wobbled up.

“You there. Guard. Who did you say was here? Did you say Luna?” Her normally bright-green eyes were a pale grey. “She was banished over a thousand years ago! Why is she here?”
Angel continued to speak.

“You will address her as Princess Luna. Her highness has returned to us not three years ago.”
Finally the dust had settled and Luna could see her and Pinkie. Her eyes went wide and she started blubbering. Running forward past her guards she met the queen and started sniffing all along her form.

“Princess, wait! That is the enemy!”

“No, this is my sister.”
Pinkie’s exuberant background bouncing had stopped and she started to vibrate with excitement. Angel’s jaw went slack and nigh hit the floor. Molly’s wings flared out accidentally. All at once they started to jabber in varying degrees of excitement. Molly started talking to herself making battle plans and schedule readjustments on account of the new princess. Angel yelled at the ground about how this was wrong, and that Luna was obviously not in the right state of mind. Pinkie was actually jumping on and off Chrysalis’s back while talking about a “one-thousand year long reuniting party,” and gibbering about all the party planning she’d get to do. Through the ruckus, Crystal cleared her throat in a pitiful attempt to get their attention. Looking to the royalty gave no answers either. They were both silent and had their necks locked. Sighing, she belted out as a pastor would.

“Attention! Gather thee round and I’ll explain everything! About how Nightmare Moon came to be! How the princess of harmony fell from grace, and the broken heart of Celestia!”
The three of them warped to her feet quicker than she’d thought. She smirked.

“Still got it.”
Clapping her fore hooves together she started pacing. After a time she jumped back on her hind legs and regaled them with lost history.

“A long time ago there were three ponies of untold power. The eldest brought the sun and order to the land. The youngest brought the night and respite to those who dwelled within. The middle princess, though, was the most important. She oversaw the harmony between them. The eldest favored the unicorns as they were the most powerful. The youngest loved the pegasi for their love of the sky and stars above. The middle sister found the earth ponies to be so loving of creating and the natural way. With this came some strife. No pony wanted to be separated into class and began to fight for the top spot. The eldest, Celestia, wanted to force them to get along, but Luna, the youngest, desired something quite different. As time had passed Luna got tired of the pain of all the ponies and began to think. During the warring era she saw all the ponies sleeping through her night. The disorder was so great that no homes could be built and they all slept cold, miserable lives. She wondered if it wasn’t too late for them. If she could create everlasting night, then either the races would unite and come together or die and she could try again. In the annals of history we see that Celestia banished her to the moon to save the ponies her own way. With the youngest sister gone no pony would stop her from uniting the three pony races into one.

What the books have lost is what happened to the younger sister. Furious with her sister’s banishment and disillusioned by the hate and sadness of her ponies she left Equestria to the beyond. So angry with the world around her she tried to create an army to take control of equestria to run it her way. With neither the sun or the moon only the creatures she created could survive. From her we have manticores, griffons, chimaeras, even hydras to thank for. Celestia was no fool, however. Having united the pony races she told them to fight the soon forgotten middle sister. Even with the new army she was no match for the sun and her incensed ponies. Defeated and leaving behind a ravaged world she was very close to dying. Perhaps an act of hubris or pure love no one knows, but she saved her younger sister from death. This was not without a catch though. For her anger against ponykind she would be made a mockery of them. She was made to have to eat the love of her former enemies to learn dependency and humility from doing so. Locked away in the furthest reach of the world all alone she created her empire anew. This one was filled with culture, love and understanding. Still, though, her creations could not feed from one another and became black and withered. Shunned by the world that made them they could only stare across the sea at the ponies whose lives were so easy. Eventually they learned to sail and fly and become their own might. The middle sister sat upon her throne and saw her subjects grow hungry and sad. This time she would not let them die. Gathering them up she shone her horn and in one small moment created true harmony. The purity of her ponies’ collective thoughts and emotions shone in a new era of understanding and peace. Those who could traverse beyond the seas would bring back love from the world around them to bring it back for the ones at home to feed. No one was alone again.

The world around them was then in peace. Such an affront as the changelings stealing their happiness was too much. We sent out in peace our best speakers and historians to Equestria. We had hoped an understanding could be reached. They never returned. Soon we were hungry again. No foals would live without sustenance, and so we buried them. Even then we were laughed at cruelly by the fates who designed us to die as ponies but live as monsters. Our people were dying now. Our queen knew what she could do. By adding yet another sin to her long life she took control of our strongest and led an attack on Equestria’s capitol. Only our queen came back alive as our people were thrown across the world back home. We were lost then until our queen spoke to those of us who were left. She told us that she would shepherd us into the afterlife. Those of us who wanted to be real ponies again could. The rest of us would be joined with the stars to share in the beauty of the sky sea. Not a single one of us picked the former. We settled down to die. The few of us left either gathered with the queen to share their love until the end or settled down with their loved ones. Thats the tale of how the changeling race came to end. How three sisters became one. How some who are cursed make the best of what they have.”

No sooner had her front right hoof clopped down back on the solid ground did Pinkie, mouth full of popcorn, raise her hoof and bombarded Crystal with questions.

“But you’re still alive aren’t you? You said you all died but here you are! Ah! Are you a zombie pony? Who was the middle sister? How come Luna and Chryssy are hugging? Oh! Was she her? In the middle I mean? Omigosh, I can’t wait to throw the biggest party ever!”
Surely expecting something else when she opened her eyes, Crystal looked around and took in the scene. Angel was fuming and looked ready to kill her any second. Pinkie was hopping between the royalty and back firing off party ideas seemingly at random. She smiled at Molly’s reaction though. Sitting on her hindquarters she seemed to be lost in thought. Soon enough, though, Angel started screaming at her.

“How dare you say those things about my, er, our princess? I’ll teach you to lie like that!”
Looking to his left at Molly, ostensibly for support, he found only a softly disapproving frown. Towards Luna he saw the pair begin to separate and look at him incredulously. Luna glared at him and shook her head. Her voice was as deep as the cave.

“You’ll not harm a fellow citizen of Equestria on Our watch. Stand down guard.”
Everyone looked at her wide-eyed.

“From this moment henceforth all those in the changeling empire, alive or dead, are welcomed freely as citizens.”
Angel’s rebuttal died as he looked at the princess of the night completely aglow. As she ascended towards the unseeable roof her eyes shone with moonlit night.

“For a thousand years we’ve watched the growth of our ponies. Here was always a part I couldn’t see, and now we know. With all my power I decree the second great pony sister be given full title and respect!”
Pinkie flipped a hoof over and spoke up like she was blowing the words out of her hoof.

“But what should we call her? Princess Chryssy? Princess Bugbutt? Queen Holey-Moley?”
She was laughing now and thinking up even more names yet more ridiculous than the last. Still up in the air Luna sent out another decree to shake the very sea.

“We shall call her Sister! You shall ask her or face my wrath!”
Crystal looked around helplessly. She was hoping the saviors of her race would be more tactful. Seeing her queen standing up without help brought a smile to her face, and she trotted over. Chrysalis embraced her without a second thought and started swinging her around.

“Look! We’re saved! Oh joy of joys.” She brought her face closer to her subject’s, and whispered. “ Now we have to play along or they’ll kill us while we’re weak. This is the only opportunity we’ll have so keep your wits about you.”
Set down and dizzy she span around helplessly. From the other side of the room Pinkie stopped bouncing shortly to hear her stomach rumble. Chrysalis stepped aside and smiled. Her intent of grabbing the spastic pony’s attention failed with soft words she tried again.

“Hey! Get over here now! Your queen demands it!” She looked chuffed and tried again, this time with a wax smile. “Please youngling, come over here so I can feed you. You must be hungry.”
The light from Luna’s still lit eyes followed her to the queen.

“Thanks to my sister,” She looked up into Luna’s headlights and tried not to squint. “We have enough energy to feed you both. Lower your heads.”
Crystal’s quick acquiescence was matched only by Pinkie’s frantic headbobbing as she still marched out ideas for some sort of world-wide party event. Chrysalis’s horn glowed and she sent out the love energy she got from Luna. Filling up an almost starved changeling along with a pony twenty-one years deprived with love was a lot more than she expected. Not one to skimp on her subjects she filled them up before nodding off. For Crystal this was akin to jumping in an oasis after a week in the desert, and smiled vacantly at the ceiling. For Pinkie, though, Her normally poofy hair went positively dynamic. Her loss of “focus” meant her already poorly maintained disguise went out the window as she started jumping around haphazardly. Her exuberance was noted further by Angel’s angry outburst.

“Look! We haven’t been here for more than ten minutes and she’s already brainwashed and fed off of the Princess! She even turned a helpless pony into one of her minions! We can’t let this stand! Molly help me out here!”
Her face blank she kept staring off into the distance.

“We don’t really know what’s happening. We should use caution and advance further one step at a time.”
Angel’s blustering was halted prematurely by Chrysalis.

“I agree with the sensible guard. Sister, while I appreciate what you’ve done for me, I don’t really know if what you say is possible. I, Chrysalis, propose my joining you. Perhaps then when we go to meet Celestia we can smooth things over together. Also can you please turn your hi-beams off? They’re starting to hurt my eyes.”

“Of course we can! Watch!” Nothing happens. “Well, what do you want? I’m just too happy to turn them off!”
At that Chrysalis started laughing joyfully. Pinkie was soon to join in followed closely by more than a few chuckles from Crystal. Molly’s stoic frown soon curled up a bit, but no sound was heard from her. Angel couldn’t believe his eyes.

“There’s gotta be something wrong with this! I’m gonna tell Celestia the first chance I get.”
Angel’s internal thoughts were broken when Chrysalis again spoke up.

“I’ve spent too long down here. I will be back for a proper burial later. Once I have had time to think about how, or if, I should I’ll return. We should go outside. There’s the whole of Equestria to plan for.”
Luna flew down and touched Chrysalis’s flank.

“Nope! You’re coming with me on a trip across the world first! You’re it!”
Luna zoomed off before she could respond. Her membranous wings flared out and he huffed.

“I made these caves! You’ll never beat me little sis!” She too zoomed off towards the natural skylight above. The now uncomfortable silence following their departure got oppressive. Both Molly and Angel were staring in varying degrees of intensity at Crystal and Pinkie. Crystal started hovering.

“Come on Pinkie, lets get out of here.”
She cocked her head.

“How? I don’t have wings.”
Now crystal was exasperated.

“Yeah you do. At least now you do.”
With that she buzzed off. Pinkie flexed her newfound and still wet wings. With much less grace she wobbled up after Crystal.
Alone now Molly strode up to Angel. A quick and unreturned kiss later she beat her svelte, leathery wings to circle up unhindered. Angel sighed and flew up unceremoniously after his mate.

“I just don’t know what to do.”

The heat scorched their hides on their ascent. The midnight sun bore down from the aether. Changelings do not sweat, but only a short time after their arrival did all three of them begin to blanche. Luna motioned for Molly and Angel to retrieve the carriage. Now that they had left Chrysalis brought her hoof up to her chest.

“Our wings are too fragile to fly over the sea. We three will take the pride of our navy.”
Both Pinkie and Crystal were too subdued by the heat to put in much response. Luna seemed as cool as ever. The air around her perpetually steamed. Sweeping her hoof across the sea behind them Luna spoke.

“We ride together now. We sail for the Griffin High-rock.”
Molly and Angel now returned and appraised they all walked towards the beach. A fleet of schooners sat docked beneath the inlet. Pinkie cocked her head and quoth Chrysalis.

“But I wanted to ride together! These boats are all too small! Do you have a bigger one?”
Chrysalis was quick to respond.

“Of course I have another one. Did you think the great empire of the changelings would not be able to build a bigger and better boat?”
Her buzzing laughter funneled far out to sea as they walked. Now with Luna, Pinkie and Crystal piled in the carriage behind the bat guards the procession was rather one-sided. Coming down into the inlet proper they saw a boat massive enough to carry thousands of ponies. Everyone but Chrysalis looked shocked. Turning around she broke into a sing-song flittering noise.

“Here it is! The marvel of Changeling craftsmanship! I call her the Broken Elegance!”
Through some unseen command the ship bobbled forward out into the cove proper. The quad diamond blades in the back coupled with the inter-switching wooden buoys propelled the ship around to dock at the far northern outcropping they stood on. Chrysalis flitted aboard with a flourish. She yelled down at her still agape companions.

“The greatest minds of my people built this in secret. The living rock will carry us far indeed!”
The carriage brought aboard and Chrysalis squirreled away in the helm they all got situated wherever they felt the most comfortable in the nigh-cavernous underbelly of the ship. Luna had retired to the royal captain’s cabin. Crystal fashioned a cot in the brig and lay down to sleep inside the iron cell. Molly had found Chrysalis and they chatted a long while about the military applications of the boat. Their talk found its way to plotting the exact course needed to reach their destination and they barely slept at all the first night. Angel wandered through the hot steel and grinding stone that comprised the ships engine. Pacing up and down he wondered how to contact Celestia about this strange uprising. Pinkie set up a chair on the aft balcony. The waves rolling below threatened to put her to sleep before the pie behind her in the kitchen was finished.

In the distance they could see the light of the stars filter down past the weakening sunlight. Gliding into the starry sky the new troupe of friends eventually settled down to bask in the cool night. Tomorrow they would wake, and start the next leg of their adventure.

Author's Note

I'm back with new sturff. Kinda the end of Act 1.