Evil's return

Far away from Equestria, in a land alien to Ponykind, the Changelings had made their home. The Changeling nest was a giant underground network of tunnels, dug out over countless generations. In the depths of the nest was the throne room. A large room full of stalactites, stalagmites and glowing pink crystals, which held the love energy that the Changelings had stored. If you had enough time to closely examine the architecture you would notice a certain artistic quality to it. Sitting on the throne, which was basically a surprisingly comfortable flat topped rock, Queen Chrysalis was concerned over the condition of the hive. “Please tell me you have good news,” she said to the Commander before her.

“Indeed I do your Majesty,” the armoured Changeling replied. “More units have arrived back at the nest. The hive is now at 67% of its original strength. The eggs are also due to hatch soon. If successful, the hive’s strength will be over 74%.” The commander waited for Chrysalis’ reaction, hoping the report would cheer up the depressed Queen.

“That’s still a lot of lost changelings,” she said, her eyes downcast.

“Don’t worry my Queen. I’m sure they are fine, and on their way back to the nest as we speak,” said the commander, determined to make Chrysalis happy.

“But it’s been so long. Why haven’t they got here yet?” asked Chrysalis. After the failed invasion of Canterlot over a year ago the hive had been scattered. Only a few had returned from the badlands, causing Queen Chrysalis to be very anxious.

“I can’t stop thinking something bad has happened to my children,” whispered Chrysalis, sinking into her throne. The commander didn't know how to deal with a Queen so close to tears and thought it best to leave her be. As the footsteps receded into the distance Chrysalis started to cry, something she felt she shouldn't be doing this often.

“They’re fine, they’re fine. Something must be delaying them. Yes, yes that’s it, they’re stuck somewhere. They can’t be dead,” she murmured, the word sending a chill down her back. Chrysalis hadn't wanted to believe it, but it seemed like the only possibility. After so long, she had given up hope. She had failed her subjects, her children, and this hit her hard. Before she could break out into the very un-queenly act of sobbing a voice echoed out of the shadows.

“Would you like to avenge them?”

Looking around in horror Chrysalis scanned the throne room trying to find the speaker. “Who’s there? What are you doing here?”

A raven descended from the shadowy ceiling and perched on a stalagmite.

“Who am I? You don’t need to know. As to why I am here? That’s a completely different matter,” replied the raven, in a surprisingly smooth voice, as it turned its glowing red eyes towards Chrysalis. “I have a business proposition for you.”

“I don’t care. How did you even get in here? In fact, I don’t care about that either. Just, just BEGONE!” Infuriated by this intrusion, Chrysalis fired a magical beam at the raven.

If it had pupils it would have been much more obvious that it was rolling its eyes. Merely lifting a wing it blocked the attack, the beam dispersing along its feathers.

“I have my ways,” said the raven, a sinister edge entering its voice. Chrysalis realised that there was more to this creature then met the eye.

“Ok I’m listening,” she said, calming down and trying to regain her royal composure.

“I have a plan that is right up your street, taking down Equestria from the inside,” Chrysalis considered this, but she wasn’t convinced that the raven could do such a thing, even if it wasn’t a normal bird.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but even I couldn’t take on Equestria. I had an army and a brilliant plan, so how do you think you even stand a chance?”

“On my own I couldn’t do much, I admit. But with you as an ally we can crush Equestria. I can also bring a powerful piece to the chessboard,” Gesturing with a wing the raven drew Chrysalis’ attention to the floor where she noticed a shadow that seemed out of place.

“Minion, show yourself,” after the raven said this the shadow started to rise out of the ground. Forming out of the shadow was a dark grey unicorn with a red tipped horn.

“What is that?” asked Chrysalis.

“It was king Sombra,” the raven replied.

“Was?” said a confused Chrysalis

“Well he was destroyed, but I managed to find his horn and made a copy with it. He doesn’t have any memories of his past life; in fact he is a completely new pony. He has useful abilities that are vital to the plan and he is very loyal” explained the raven, sounding slightly smug.

“Definitely more to this raven than first appears,”

“I’m still not entirely convinced,” she said. The raven sighed.

“Ok how about this to sweeten the deal. I will make you more powerful than you’ve ever been before,” this statement surprised Chrysalis

“You can do that?”

The raven nodded. “All I need is your agreement.”

This was just too good to be true, but an opportunity to get revenge on Celestia for the loss of her Changelings, take over Equestria and become all powerful was just too tempting.

“You’ve got a deal, I will help you,”

The raven grinned. “Good, good. Now hold still.”

“What?,” said Chrysalis, just before the sharpened quill of a midnight feather pierced her heart.

The Ponyville weather team had decided to go full summer that day. Celestia had put a bit more power than usual into the sun and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Many of the residents of Ponyville had decided to take the day off and have some fun, including the Mane Six. The friends had decided to have a picnic in the park and were arriving at the chosen spot, near a tree.

“Did ya really have to bring a sofa Rarity?” asked Applejack, watching Rarity drag the thing along with her magic. “It’s called a chaise lounge, not a sofa,” replied the unicorn. Applejack just rolled her eyes.

“What? I’ve had a big order to fill, so I need my rest,” Rarity protested. Something about that logic didn’t make sense to Applejack “Ya want rest, so ya drag a fancy sofa around?”

“I need somewhere more comfortable to sit than grass,” Rarity said, as though it was obvious.

“Whatever. Hey look, there’s Twi and Fluttershy,” said Applejack pointing to the pair talking under the tree, Twilight making notes on what Fluttershy was saying. As they drew closer they could hear the conversation.

“…and if you do that every three to four days your feathers should stay clean and healthy,” said Fluttershy in her usual quiet manner. After writing down this last snippet of advice, Twilight teleported her notepad and quill away. “Thanks Fluttershy, I’ve had problems with wing care. I can’t find a single book on the subject,”

Looking around she noticed Rarity and Applejack walking towards them. “Hi girls,” she called out to them.

“Hello Applejack, hello Rarity. How are you two?” asked Fluttershy politely while Rarity positioned her sofa in the perfect amount of shade. Applejack sat leaning against the tree.

“I’m a little tired I must admit, been busy applebuckin’.” The orange pony responded, making herself comfortable.

“Do you want some help with that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Na, we can handle it. Thanks for offering, sugarcube,” said Applejack, not wanting her friend to worry.

“I too have been busy,” said Rarity as she reclined on the sofa “I just finished working on a very large order of dresses from Canterlot for the Grand Galloping Gala.” She turned to Twilight “You don’t have anything to do with that do you dear?” Rarity asked as the thought crossed her mind. Twilight looked slightly uneasy.

“I have to go. Now that I’m technically a princess, I have to make an appearance,” she sighed remembering all too well what a princess did at the Gala, and not looking forward to it.

“So how does Luna get out of it then?” asked Applejack.

“By being very persuasive,” said Twilight, sounding quite jealous.

“Maybe we could come to liven things up a bit,” said Applejack winking at the alicorn, making her eyes shrink in horror. Noticing her distress, Rarity tried to reassure Twilight.

“I don’t think that will be necessary Applejack. I’m sure Twilight will find entertainment on her own.”

During this conversation Fluttershy had been content to listen and watch a spider make its web when she noticed a spectrum blur in the distance. “Oh look, there’s Rainbow,” she said, just before the mare herself skidded to a halt in front of them.

“Hey guys, what’s up,” the speedster called out. “Hi Rainbow Dash,” said the others in greeting.

“Sorry I’m late, but something unexpected happened at the academy, ended up having to deal with a rogue storm cloud,” said Rainbow.

“Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. Besides, we’re still waiting for Pinkie,” Twilight said. At the mention of Pinkie Pie, Applejack’s hat sprang into the air and a pink blob shot out, before landing in a heap at their hooves, before standing and saying “The party don’t start till I walk in!”

“Hi Pinkie pie,” the others chorused. When you hung out with Pinkie for long enough you tended to get used to these sorts of random antics.

“Pinkie didn’t you say you were going to bring all the picnic things?” said Twilight, looking around and seeing a distinct lack of a basket.

“Yep!”

“Then where are they?” asked Rainbow, irritated by the lack of food.

“It’s set out.” Confused by the pink pony the other finally noticed they were sitting on a blanket with plates of food scattered about the place.

“How did ya do that?” Applejack said in obvious confusion. “Ninja Ponies” was Pinkie’s only answer. Deciding it would be pointless to question further the friends settled down to eat. Half an hour later the food had all been eaten and the group was settling down for a relaxing afternoon when Rarity spotted someone running towards them.

“Oh look it’s Spikey Wikey,” she said. Rainbow turned to Applejack

“5 bits says he’s got a letter from the princess with bad news.”

“Ya’re on,” said the Earth pony, hoof bumping the Pegasus to seal the bet. As the dragon got closer they could see he was waving a scroll above his head.

“Twilight. Letter. From. Princess. Celestia,” gasped Spike, before collapsing face first into the ground at Twilights hooves. Prying the letter out of his claw she began reading.

“Sorry, girls we’re going to have to cut the picnic short. Princess Celestia needs our help. Meet me at the train station; I’m off to get the elements”. And with that the alicorn took off with Spike to the library.

Rainbow looked over at Applejack and with a smug look on her face she said “So are you going to pay up now or later?”

Ten minutes later, they met Twilight at the station. “Let’s get going girls, I’ve already got our seats,” said Twilight while attaching the elements to their respective owners.

“Is Spike not coming with us?” asked Rarity.

“No, he’s staying to watch the library,” responded the alicorn as she stepped onto the train.

“Oh,” said Rarity, sounding slightly disappointed.

“Somethin’ the matter?” asked Applejack as the rest of them boarded the train

“Well over the past couple of days Spike has been helping me a lot at the boutique. I wouldn’t have been able to finish the Gala order without him, so I thought if we were going to Canterlot then I could’ve taken him shopping as a thank you,” said Rarity.

“Hopefully this shouldn’t take long. Maybe you could do something else?” said Twilight taking a seat.

“You could take him out for dinner at the cafe, I’m sure he’d love that,” Fluttershy whispered into Rarity’s ear.

As the unicorn considered this the conductor called out “ALL ABOARD,” the whistle blew and the train juddered into motion.

“Let’s a go” Pinkie shouted with an Italian accent.

The train ride to Canterlot was relatively uneventful. However, getting from the train station to the castle was very interesting. The upper class unicorns wouldn’t stop pestering Twilight.

“I would be honoured if you would attend a party I’m hosting,”

“Could you open one of my new stores?”

“I would be delighted if you promoted some products for me!”

Luckily Rarity managed to locate Fancypants who gladly came to the rescue. “I say, leave the poor girl alone. I’m sure she and her friends have very important business up at the castle and shouldn’t be delayed.” After that the group could proceed unhindered. Arriving at the castle they were quickly let in by the guards and escorted to the throne room. Sitting upon her throne Princess Celestia was surrounded by large piles of folders. She looked up as the door opened and the Mane Six walked in.

“Hello my little ponies, I’m so glad you came, and I see you brought the elements,” said the regal alicorn, a relieved look on her face.

“What’s wrong? Why did you call us here?” asked Twilight.

“A few weeks ago there was an increase in reports of trouble in Canterlot. Houses broken into, property damaged, power cables cut, ponies having accidents and old rivalries flaring up again. I have no idea what’s causing this, and the problems just keep stacking up”. She paused for a moment to look through the folders. “That, however, is not what I need help with. Rumblings have been heard from under the city and with all these problems I can’t help with the investigations personally. I need you to find the cause of the rumblings and deal with it if you can.” The princess hadn’t noticed Fluttershy hovering at her shoulder examining the photos attached to the reports.

“Of course Princess but wouldn’t you like some help with those reports?” asked Twilight.

“I’m sure I can manage on my own,” said Celestia, sounding unconvinced “but thank you for the offer.”

“All right then, come on girls we got work to do,” said Applejack. And with that the six sped out the room.

Nopony heard Fluttershy mutter. “Some of those looked like they were done by a bird of prey”.

After leaving the castle the group wandered through Canterlot, with the residents thankfully keeping their distance, wondering what to do.

“Rumblings under the city, HOW are we meant to deal with that?” asked Rainbow, more at ease with matters concerning the sky then underground. While looking around Rarity noticed something glimmering in the dress of a nearby unicorn and something clicked in her mind. “Twilight dear, didn’t you once say there was a mine underneath Canterlot?”

“YES, geological movement in the old mines could cause rumblings or...” she trailed off.

“Diamond dogs moving in,” finished Rainbow. Considering this, it did seem possible that the gem crazed dogs would go after the crystals in the mine.

“So we’re either gonna have a geography lesson or deal with some unwanted trespassers?” said Applejack.

“Pretty much,”

“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” said Rainbow zooming off.

“RAINBOW! Come back, you don’t even know where the entrance to the mine is,” called out Twilight chasing after the impatient Pegasus with the others following her, except Pinkie. She was lagging behind. Her knee was getting very, very pinchy all of a sudden.

“This can’t be good,” she said.

After catching up to Rainbow Dash, a slight detour for a late afternoon lunch and taking some wrong turns, they finally made it to the mine entrance outside the main city. Taking one look at the dark tunnel the general thought was summed up perfectly by Fluttershy. “Oh dear”.

“Well, best hoof forwards,” said Twilight, putting on a brave face.

“Wait, wait, wait!” With her keen eye for detail, Rarity had noticed something odd.

“Look at that, Something’s been here before us,” she said pointing out what looked like a footprint, worn with age and nearly out of sight.

“Better keep our guard up, don’t want to get ambushed,” said Twilight rather unnecessarily. And with that they took their first steps down the path to darkness.

As their eyes adjusted to the gloom the five who had never entered the mines saw the sheer magnitude of them. “Welcome everypony, to the Crystal Caves,” said Twilight. The sight of the gargantuan caverns left the first timers speechless. Applejack however was quick to get back to business.

“How in tarnation are we meant to search this place? It’s huge and if there’s others here splittin’ up ain’t an option,” she said. Twilight pondered this for a moment.

“I agree, searching this place on our own would be a bad idea but if we split into two groups, a ground team and air team, we should be fine. Sound good?”

“Sounds like a plan, let’s do this,” said Applejack.

“Alright then,”

“Okie-dokie-lokie,”

“Ok,”

As the three fliers took off the walkers fanned out and started to search the caverns.

Half an hour later and they still hadn’t found anything.

“So, what exactly are we looking for?” asked Rainbow flying around the slower flyers impatiently.

“Something that shouldn’t be here,” said Twilight.

“Like what?” the blue Pegasus pestered,

“I have no idea”. This resulted in a facehoof from Rainbow. Meanwhile Fluttershy couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

The ground team was having more luck in the form of Rarity’s horn going out of control.

“Not AGAIN,” she shouted as she was dragged across the ground. Applejack and Pinkie walked/hopped alongside her, quite curious as to what in Equestria was happening.

“Why does your horn do that?” asked the orange pony.

“Whenever I get close to valuable or rare crystals my gem finding spell activates itself,” explained the bored looking unicorn.

“That’s fantastic,” exclaimed Pinkie jumping up into the air higher than usual.

“Well as useful as it is, it gets very tiring being suddenly dragged to who knows where”.

“Listen, wouldn’t whatever we are looking for be near precious gems?” said Pinkie excitedly.

“That does make sense,” said Applejack. It did indeed seem surprisingly logical for Pinkie Pie.

“Well then, call down the others if you think we have a lead.” said Rarity.

“Alrighty then.” Turning to the cavernous ceiling Applejack shouted “GET DOWN HERE NOW!” The flyers landed before the cry had finished echoing.

“What is it? Have you found something?” asked Twilight.

“No, but we might be about to,” said Applejack pointing to Rarity, who waved back. As they followed her through the gloomy tunnels, the only light now coming from Twilight and somewhat Rarity, the group tried to stay vigilant. They were certain something was watching them and they really didn’t want to be caught unawares by it.

After a while Rainbow started to get fidgety.

“How much further, we’ve been walking for hours,” she moaned.

“We’ve only been walking for about half an hour Dashie,” said Fluttershy encouragingly.

“Besides, I have a feeling we’re nearly there,” said Rarity, just before she went round a sharp corner and smashed into something. The others hurried round and saw something that definitively shouldn’t have been there: A door. A huge set of wrought iron doors, four times the height of a normal pony. Thankfully for Rarity the gem spell had deactivated when she hit the door, meaning she wasn’t stuck to it.

Suddenly the whole place started to shake, throwing all of the ponies but Rainbow Dash to the ground. Thankfully the earthquake was brief. Soon the ground stopped moving and the growling of the rocks faded away. “Well whatever we’re looking for its behind that door,” said Twilight as she stood back up.

THUD.

“Pinkie what are you doing?” asked the alicorn, having just watched the party pony stand up and then fall right over again.

“Oopsy, sorry Twilight, my knee is acting all squiggly today,” she said, regaining control over her limps.

“That wouldn’t have something to do with your Pinkie sense, would it?” Applejack asked nervously.

“Yep,”

“Pinchy knee?”

“Yep,”

“That means something scary is about to happen, right?” said Twilight, remembering the alligator bath incident.

“Yep,”

“Oh great,” sighed Twilight.

“Never mind that, Diamond dogs could be lying in wait behind that door and I want to kick some mutts butts. CHAR-”

Splat.

Rainbow Dash was cut off when she flew into the door, because it didn’t move an inch. She thought she could fly straight through it. When she was peeled off, with some help, Applejack stepped forwards

“This looks like a job for me,” she said. With that she turned round and gave the door an almighty kick. The thing swung open slightly with a crack, as whatever was holding it shut snapped.

“Second time’s the charm,” Rainbow thought, before calling out “CHARGE!” With the battle cry echoing around them the six burst through the door.

They were immediately blinded as wherever they had just entered was brightly lit. As their eyes adjusted to the light they saw something really unexpected. The room was large, but not huge. It was only just taller than the door and about three times as wide. Flaming torches were bolted to the sides of stalactites and stalagmites, which in two irregular lines led to a raised platform at the far end of the room. Upon this stage stood three things: a giant pitch black crystal, the former King Sombra and a hideous monster. Laying eyes on this thing the six tried to run as fast as they could back out, but they weren’t fast enough. With a flare of green magic the door slammed shut and with a click a secondary lock slid into place. These doors only opened one way, so no matter how much Applejack kicked them it was futile. They were trapped and Rainbow Dash found herself flying face first into solid metal for the second time in not so many minutes.

Fearfully they turned to face the thing on the altar. It resembled Queen Chrysalis, in the same way a salamander resembles a dragon. Her body now had organic armour plating along her back, neck and legs of which she now had six of. The weed like mane and tail now formed dreadlocks which waved around like snakes.   Two large dagger like fangs sprouted from her upper jaw, with a smaller pair behind them. Pure emerald eyes, with no pupils, burned with fury. The once delicate wings now looked like they could slice through flesh. She stepped forward, the claws extruding from the ends of her hooves clicked against the stone floor, and with a voice like a swarm of hornets said

“Welcome my little ponies, to your demise”.