Applejack and Rarity had gone to Sugar Cube Corner to meet up with Pinkie Pie. They had no idea of what she had to done to Twilight and Fluttershy, until now. As they rounded the corner, AJ spotted Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy walking towards them. Twilight told Applejack what had transpired earlier. Something made Rarity a small bit uneasy about it though. When Pinkie asked them to meet her there, she was cryptic about it.
"Seriously?", AJ said with some skepticsm.
"I know she's not lying, it's pretty convincing what she told me.", Twilight expected AJ to give Pinkie the benefit of the doubt. Not today.
"Let's go talk tah Pinkie Pie and see what all this fussin is about.", She said with that southern drawl of hers. The door to the buidling was wide open. All of the them walked inside, albeit cautiously. As soon as they were inside the door slammed shut on them.
" WHAT are they doing here, Dashie?", Pinkie had a tone of Paranoia in her place of her Energetic voice. Even Twilight could tell something was creepy about the way she asked Dash that question.
"Their not Changelings Pinkie," Dash said with absolute assurance.
Something wasnt right though Twilight thought to herself. The room was filled with a sense of cold fear. Twilight was about to speak when Pinkie started to explain why she did what she did.
"I know that now, Rainbow," She said with a more relaxed tone.
"I figured out who it might be after i put Twilight and Flutterhy in that factory," She looked at Twilight, and Twilight knew from that look that Pinkie was feeling extreme guilt over doing something like that to 2 of her close friends.
"Its ok Pinkie, we all forgive you, go ahead though and tell us who you think the changeling is," Twilight's voice reassured her friend that all was forgiven.
"I think it might be one of the CMC ( Cutie Mark Crusaders)," Pinkie said with a breathe of relief. From the look on Applejack's face, one could tell she wasnt going to have any of it.
"Are You Accusin my sister or one of her friends of being one of those things?!?," She raised her voice a bit as she spoke.
"I know for a fact its' not Applebloom AJ.", With that out of the way She noticed Applejacks demeanor relax a bit.
"I think it might be Scootaloo actually.", when she looked towards Rainbow Dash, the glare RD gave was very noticable.
"Really?", Dash told Pinkie. You could tell that there was a hint of contempt laced into her tone.
"Dashie...", Pinkie started to speak, but Rainbow Dash cut her off mid sentence.
"There is no way that Scoots is a changeling. If she had been, i wouldnt of did what i did a week ago." Rainbow Dash was trying to mask the joy she was feeling for what she did last week. It was something that she had never considered until meeting Scootaloo. Now was a good a time as any to make that Scootaloo was given the best care and better yet, a future.
" What are you saying Dashie?", Pinkie and the others were a bit confused as to what RD might of been trying to imply. Scootaloo was her adopted sister, Twilight thought. She wouldnt blame Rainbow for wanting to defend Scootaloo's honor, whatever the truth held.
"Im adopting her.", Dash told her friends.
"I put in the paper over a week ago.", She continued.
Twilight then got the sense that they werent alone in Sugar Cube Corner.
"Ya'll wanna know who the Changeling really is?", came a familair voice. Out of the Kitchen came three small fillies. The Mane six turned to see Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo standing in the doorway to the kitchen, with a rope in Applebloom's mouth and a small black mass tied up on the floor behind her. While all that was occuring, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo looked at each other, the latter with a smile beaming across her face. She heard what RD had told the others and was overcome with joy.
"How?", AJ looked at her little sister somewhat perplexed.
"Well, Sweetie and i noticed a change in Scootaloo's behaviour. Like she seemed really distant or something.", She told them.
"We decided to follow her one and saw what comfirmed our suspicions.", Sweetie chimed in.
"The Real Scootaloo had been tied to a tree at the edge of the EVer Free Forrest.", Applebloom contiued explaining.
"We' untied Scootaloo when the imposter left the forest and headed back to town.", Sweetie Belle explained.
Twilight walked over to where the changeling was tied up on the floor and kicked it to wake it up. The thing cocked its head to one side and stared at her with crystaline Greenish hued eyes.
"You....", the changeling sputtered out.
Huh?Twilight thought.
"If i hadnt been discovered you'd be dead right now, you purple bookworm.", She could tell there were hints of hatred in its voice. This thing must of been part of Chrysalis' invasion force during the siege of Canterlot. Even all this time later there were still mysteries surrounding how Chrysalis had managed to sneak in and impersonate Cadence so well and fool everypony, all except for Twilight.
"If it werent for you and Cadence, we'd of conquered Canterlot by now, and not be starving.", The changeling directed all the rage it was feeling towards Twilight. She could tell thing wanted nothing more than to get Revenge against her for her part in defeating Queen Chrysalis.
" You tried to invade our kingdom, and you tried to hurt my friends and loved ones.", Twilight spat back at the Changeling.
"We couldnt just stand by and do nothing", it hissed,"Your Monarch She knew that this 'thing' wasnt at all responsible for its actions, but it didnt have a choice at anything else. It had been taught since birth that love and friendship were signs of weakness, that the only way to get something was by force. She actually felt pity for it... right until she heard it's cold buzzing voice tell them what it's orders had been.
"I was ordered to get as close as i could and impersonate one of your' students. and when the time came, to Kill you without hesitation. I was to make it look like the orange one had done it in a fit of Jealous rage.", That's when she could tell that it gladly excepted the mission without question. Twilight was torn as for what to do with this thing. They couldnt just let it go, not with what it knew. There was only one recourse. She'd have to kill it.
Halfway across Equestria.
Damn them, she thought to herself. No one humiliates the QUeen of the Changelings and lives. All she could think of was how close she had it. She realized she had become over confident and underestimated the power of Cadences' love for Shining armor. She did take pleasure in one thought, though. For a moment she had become more powerful then Celestia. Then Chrysalis thought to herself. Was Celestia power Weakening? She put these thoughts aside to focus on the one thing that mattered most of all. Revenge. And not just revenge against Twilight and Cadence, but revenge what Celestia had done to her beloved almost 1,000 years ago. Back then Chrysalis was entirely different creature then what she is now. She was actually a pony at one point in time. And not just any pony, but a queen. And an Alicorn. Then the unimaginable happened. Her husband was overthrown from power and through the spells of a certain unicorn Wizard she was turned into what she is now.
There had been moments since then that she could turn back into the pony she once was, but those moments were becoming harder to do. IT was almost as if the spell had been written to prevent her from doing such. To prevent what Starswirl had done to her to ever see the light of day. She was still a queen and she still had her subjects to look after. But little did the changeling queen know, or anypony else realize, was that Sombra wasnt really dead. And that he was hatching a plan to take all of Equestria out from under Celestia's nose. And that the plan involved her prize student. If he could bring Twilight under his sway with the offer of marriage and reformation, he could get close to Celestia and eliminate her without breaking a sweat.
But there was one thing that none of them was counting on. He and Twilight were in love with each other. He knew about her inquisitive nature on the subject of magic. And he used it to his advantage as much as he could since his return. He sought her out and started courting her with the belief that she was the only one that could reform him, personaly. They had reformed the Lord of Chaos, Discord into using his magic for mostly good, then why not with the King of Shadows. At least thats what he let her think.
No one had accounted for the fact that he could store his essence into his horn and still be able to use a Ressurection spell when the time came. Sombra had never really loved Chrysalis, he saw her a pawn that he could use. And her used her pretty well, well enough that she could no longer survive in the Crystal Empire without drawing suspicion. That and the Crystal Ponies would never trust her again after what had transpired between the two of them. His Ressurection spell had drained him of most of his magic, so he decided that there was only one pony in all this land that could help him recover it.
That pony would be Twilight Sparkle, and she was about to become his strongest ally, and his only true lover. But Even he couldnt of forseen the dangerous path that he was sending her down.
Back in Ponyville.
"So what do we do with this thang?", Applejack looked at Twilight and could tell she was thinking of something , but it wasnt gonna be pretty.
Twilight walked over to the changeling and with one thought, killed it right then and there. She had used a mind spell that she had read from a very old book. The same very old Book she had given to her "lover" when they met in the woods prior to coming here.
If Chrysalis had learned of what was happening between Twilight and Sombra, she of killed one or both of them, probably the first because of her 'History' with Sombra. Twilight realized that Chrysalis would become aware of her scouts disapperance and either forget about it or send more. Twilight didnt realize the Queen would do the first, and just up her timetable for the Invasion of the Crystal Empire. Sombra didnt know either. And in a way that benefited him. They'd be too distracted to see an attack from inside Canterlot, let alone be able to stop him.
The Crystal Empire.
It was a clear day in the empire, there was a cool breeze blowing through the courtyard. Cadence was asleep, with Shining Armor sitting on the throne for her. One of the Crystal Guards came rushing into the throne room. Shining could tell that the news he carried was most dire.
The pony tore his helmet off his head to reveal a large scar across his left eye and there were scorch marks on his left half of his face.
"Queen Chrysalis is making a move against the empire." That certainly was bad news, but that wasnt the last piece of it. Shining could tell from the look on this stallions face that something much worse was coming.
"Sombra.... isnt dead.", The Crystal guard stuttered..
"He did this.", The pony said, referring to the scars on his face and neck.
"there's more isnt there?", Shining Armor asked.
" Before i got my bearings back, he said something about searching for 'That purple Unicorn'. I think he may go after your sister Twilight.", The guard told Shining Armor with some hesistance.
Shining Armor knew he had to find Twilight. He also felt the need to inform Celestia and Luna that Sombra wasnt dead, and that the Changelings were making a move against the Crystal Empire. He went back to the Royal cottage and told Cadence he had to go see Celestia about something, she knew he couldnt tell her what it was about, just that it was important.
He boarded the Crystal Train and caught the next ride to Canterlot. Out of all the thoughts screaming through his mind, the only that stood out the most was the news about Sombra. He had to warn Celestia about him. But nothing could of prepared him for the news he'd receive from the Royal Sisters.
Princess Celestia was in her dining room with Luna, when Shining Armor came in.
"What's wrong?", She could immidiately tell that something was troubling him. She could also feel the tension in the room grow.
"I just received news that Sombra may still be alive.", he felt as if a small weight had been lifted from his chest after saying that.
"One of the Crystal Guards also said that he might be looking for Twily.", He left out the part where the Gaurd tried to scuffle with Sombra, out of the fact he could that he didnt want anyone to know foolish something of that nature was.
Then he noticed the way Luna was observing both of them. Celestia gave her sister a nod and with that the worse news ever unfolded in front of him.
" Tirek escaped from Tartarus again." Luna had a distant look in her eyes when she spoke those words. Every thought that Shining Armor had been thinking up until now, came to a sudden crash. His sister was the one responsible for putting Tirek in his place. And she didnt even have the powers now to stop him a second time.
I.. I have to find Twilight." with those words he rushed out of Celestia dining room, and out of the Palace. He had told the conductor of the train to wait for 15 minutes and that he'd be back in that time.
All he could think of was finding his sister. Thats the only thing that mattered as of this moment. He had to find her and warn her of what was coming. It was about two o'clock in the afternoon now when he finally arrived in Ponyville. It had taken less then 2 hours to get from Canterlot to the Ponyville Train station. He caught sight of her walking back to her Castle from Sugar Cube Corner.
"Hey Big Brother, what are you doing in Ponyville?", She asked him with curiousity. She was a bit surprised to see him so soon, but not that she wasnt happy to. She could also tell something was up with the look in this eyes.
"I have bad news Twily, i think your friends will want to hear this as well.", He told her as they walked back to her castle.
"What's so bad you had to come and tell me in person?" She asked her brother. He could tell she was wondering why was it so important to come in person and not through sending a scroll. When they got to her castle her friends were also eager to find out what this news was.
"Sombra isnt dead Twily.", Her brother thought the life would drain from her face after hearing that news, What he didnt know was that she already knew. Hell she was dating him for pony's sake. But that wasnt the worst part of it.
"Chrysalis is attacking the Crystal Empire.", He wasnt sure how she would also deal with the fact that Tirek had escaped from Tartarus again. He decided to wait awhile to tell her that part.
She could tell that he was keeping something from her after telling her about Chrysalis and the Changelings. But what was it she wondered. ;
"There's more isnt there Shining Armor.", The tone in her voice was laced witih concern.
"I dont know how you'll handle this, but Tirek escaped again.", This time the life did drain from Twilight's face. She looked like she was gonna faint.
That piece of news was overwhelming at first. Some of their most dangerous enemies were returning to exact some form of revenge. Twilight knew she wouldnt be alone in this. She not only had her friends and her brother, but she knew she could count on her "lover" as well if she had to. She just didnt know how to break it to her friends and Shining Armor that she had the misguided idea to try and reform Sombra.
Especially when she could feel that both of them had fallen in love with each other. She decided that they'd tackle the matter of Chrysalis' invasion of the Empire first before dealing with Tirek. What none of them realized was that there was already an enemy in their midst. Her name was Twilight Sparkle.
End of Chapter 1