Happy Adventuring, Twilight!

by Pennington Inkwell

A Queen Rising

Luna had seen the dark shapes gathering around the outside of the shield for some time, now. They didn't seem to be able to penetrate it, but she was beginning to worry. The sun was rising, and it was the morning of the wedding, which she had been told was going to be the most dangerous day. For the moment, though, Shining Armor's shield was holding them back with ease.

"Guard... Can you make out what those are?" She asked, pointing up at the sky.

"No, ma'am. We seem to be safe for the moment, though."

Luna shook her head, still feeling uncomfortable. Something seemed... off. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but something was definitely wrong.

Trapped by Twilight's magic, Pennington had a moment of thought for himself. Standing guard with Luna had given him time to think, of course, but there was something about the darkness and the seclusion of the caves that allowed his mind to somehow wander a bit more freely. Perhaps the inhibitor ring was dulling Chrysalis's influence, but he was finally able to stop and think clearly for the first time in days, even the past week.

What am I doing here? Why am I letting her control me? I'm better than this, I know that I am!

He shook his head, shifting his weight on his hooves. The fact that Twilight had left even a few inches for him to move was enough to stop him from panicking. I never would have thought of that... You know, for a writer, I'm horribly uncreative, aren't I? I can't even make anything up, I have to go out and live it... Maybe that means that Twilight could think of a solution to all of this that I couldn't... But I guess that it won't change what needs to be done, will it? Knowing that he was going to fail in his assigned task was eating away at him from the inside, and his body began to sway back and forth inside the prison with anxiety.

There's only one way I'm getting out of this, no matter what Princess Cadenza says.

His sides were already beginning to meet the armor while he swayed back and forth.

I need to get out of here... I need to get back up to the surface to that Chrysalis doesn't get mad at me... If I can warn her...

His weight was beginning to rock the armored prison back and forth.

Oh, please tell me that Twilight made this thing "Penn-proof." If I get out, I'm not leaving. I'm going to wind up back up top, right by Chrysalis's side...

As he got more and more nervous, Pennington rocked back and forth harder and harder, trying to knock himself over.

"I don't want to- I can't..." He whispered, not sure who he was apologizing to: Chrysalis, Twilight, or himself.

As he became more and more off-balance. he finally felt himself tipping past the center of balance. There was a moment of falling as he plummeted to the ground, falling to the side. With a grunt as he slammed against the floor, Pennington felt the jarring drop knock the ring loose. The black ring slid down the length of his horn, freeing his magic as it fell off the tip and rattled inside the headpiece of the prison.

Pennington couldn't resist the grin spreading over his face as he felt the familiar boost of power that came after his release from being suppressed.

This is where I have my choice... But it's already made.

"Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered today to witness the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor..."

Celestia was having a good day.

Cadence had helped finish the last of the preparations, Luna had agreed to cover her shift watching the city for the day, and ponies from all over Equestria had accepted the invitations and come to the wedding. Celestia had gladly adopted Cadence into the royal family when she had made her ascension to becoming an alicorn, and there was a poetic beauty in being the one to send her off to start a family of her own. In spite of Twilight's unseemly outbursts he night before, nothing seemed to be going wrong, now. The ceremonies had gone off so far without any kind of problems, and they were quickly reaching the end. She hadn't forgotten anything or made any mistakes in the declarations of their vows, and everyone had rehearsed their part well enough to have avoided any kind of mistakes, as well. Not only that, but she had been eying the numerous cakes and delicious confections that were being saved for the reception, and she'd been growing extremely hungry.

"Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you-"

"STOOOP!"

Twilight's cry drew the attention of all present as she burst through the door, sending ripples of murmurs and hushed gossip through the room.

"Ugh! Why does she have to be SO possessive of her brother?" Cadence stomped her hoof in frustration. As several of the ponies close to her turned to stare at her uncharacteristic outburst, tears welled up in her eyes. "Why does she have to ruin my special day?"

"Because-" Celestia's eyes grew wide as a second, haggard-looking Cadence stepped into the room. "It's not your special day! It's mine!"

A collective gasp ran through the room as everyone present suddenly began to doubt who was who.

"What? But how did you escape my bridesmaids?" The less-and-less-kind Cadence growled.

"It was easy! No bridesmaid can resist the bride's bouquet! We tossed a few flowers to the side and let them squabble while we sneaked past!" Twilight smiled.

"And Pennington let you pass, I suppose?"

"Oh, he was a bit tougher..." The Cadence next to Twilight shook her head. "But Twilight was able to render him helpless in the caves! Right now, you won't be getting any kind of help from your slave! And once we're done with you, we'll undo whatever it was you did to him!"

"Hmph. Clever with the flowers, though you still don't seem to understand Pennington and I's relationship quite perfectly..." The false Cadence smirked.

"Ah don't understand! How can there be two of them?" Applejack shook her head in confusion, pointing between the two Princesses. In Celestia's opinion, the question was far from uncalled for.

"She's a changeling! She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them!" Even as she spoke, the Cadence at the altar arched her back while emerald flames scorched at the ground around her. In a volcanic eruption of green fire, the princess transformed before their eyes, her outer body burning away, and the remains within growing and morphing into an unfamiliar shape. After several seconds, the queen of the changelings stood before them, cackling wildly.

"Right you are, Princess! And as the Queen of the Changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects! Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered! My changelings will be able to devour so much of it, we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!"

"They'll never get the chance! Shining Armor's protection spell will stop them from ever even reaching us!"

"Hmm, I doubt that." Chrysalis chuckled to herself. "Isn't that right, dear?"

"Mm-hmm..." Shining Armor nodded slowly, his stare vacant and without thought. Seeing her fiancee in such a state, Cadence rushed forward, but a hoof from the queen blocked her way.

"Nuh-uh-uh! Don't want to go back to the caves, now do you?" Her horn glowed threateningly and Cadence slowly stepped back. "Ever since I took your place, I've been feeding off of Shining Armor's love for you!" She smiled, playing at his chin with her hoof as if she were inspecting a toy. "Every moment, he grows weaker! And so does his spell. Even now, my minions are chipping away at it!" She took another moment to laugh, reveling in the joy of revealing how stupid they all had been. "He may not be my husband, but he is under my total control, now! And, I'm sorry to say, unable to perform his duties as Captain of the Royal Guard!"

Another audible gasp ran through the assembled ponies.

"Not my Shining Armor!" Cadence cried.

"Soon, my changeling army will break through! First, we take Canterlot! Then: all of Equestria!"

Celestia had heard enough.

"No, you won't." She growled, stepping forward. "You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed yourself..." She leaped into the air, throwing every ounce of her power and pouring her love for her subjects into a single, blinding destruction spell. The Queen tried to parry with a matching spell, but Celestia could quickly feel her strength giving way. Narrowing her gaze, Celestia continued the onslaught, certain of her victory. After several seconds, however, she could feel it becoming harder and harder to force her spell forward, and her golden beam of magical light began to slowly retreat again as the green blast began to overpower it. Feeling a moment of fear, Celestia focused harder and harder on funneling her raw power into the spell, but it was too late. The green light reached the tip of her horn, and she felt all of her strength wash away at once, and a small explosion sent her careening backwards, falling to the ground as her crown flew off from her head. There was a moment of silence where the only noise to be heard was her golden tiara chiming as it struck the ground. After a second, several ponies screamed, the rest gasped in fear, and Twilight ran forward to help her.

"Princess Celestia!"

Chrysalis, on the other hoof, was too busy admiring her own hooves, staring at them and the power she knew they held.

"Shining Armor's love for you is stronger than I thought! Consuming it has made me even more powerful than CELESTIA!"

Celestia looked up at her faithful student. Twilight had never disappointed her before, and she knew she wouldn't now.

"The Elements of Harmony... You must get to them... And use their power to defeat the queen!"

As Twilight and her friends vanished from sight, Celestia's world faded to darkness.

By the time Pennington emerged from the caves, he knew that he'd missed much of the battle. Taking a deep breath as he stepped out into the castle's hallway from the passageway into the caves, he took a brief moment to appreciate the fresh air. As he walked to a nearby window to observe the city, he could see that the changelings had finally managed to break through Shining Armor's shield, and were now running rampant in the streets.Glancing up at the guard tower, he was surprised to see the entire top coated in a bloated mass of green slime, and he could only suspect that Luna was at the center of it, having been ambushed by her own guard. There was no point to donning the disguise of a normal pony at this point, so he didn't bother to put on his disguise as a "normal" pony, letting the holes in his legs and his polished fangs remain.

He could feel the presence of the queen tugging at him, pulling him towards the grand hall where the wedding was taking place. Nodding quietly to himself, he took of at a speedy trot. After several minutes, he finally arrived, dragging his tail and with his head hung low as he slowly made his way through the doorway.

"Ah, if it isn't Pennington, himself!" Chrysalis chuckled. She had removed her disguise, as well, and was standing at the front of the room, next to Shining Armor. "Come and join us, my dear! Your little dragon friend was just talking about you!" She pointed a hoof towards Moonstone, who was bound to the ground by a glob of green goo.

Looking around, Pennington cast an apologetic glance at the assembled ponies present, including Princess Cadence, and made his way to the front of the room.

"Aren't you angry that I failed to stop Twilight and the princess?"

"Normally, I would be, but considering you've done so much to make this all possible..." She swept her hoof around the room, "I think that I can afford to be empathetic. I'm certain that Celestia knows what it's like to be helplessly overpowered, doesn't she?" She cackled as she pointed up at a large, green chrysalis on the ceiling, translucent enough to make out the princess inside. As her eyes slid open inside, Pennington felt a wave of shock and surprise wash outwards, along with an overwhelming confusion.

"Normally, I'd enjoy describing the process in detail for her... But why don't you give her a description of the conversion? Considering you've already experienced most of it..."

Pennington nodded slowly. "Only most, of course. I never finished... But as you wish, my queen." Stepping forward, Pennington looked up at the suspended alicorn.

"I do apologize, Princess, but I hope that you realize that I've had no choice in these events. Had I been here, I may have petitioned for mere stasis, but I'm afraid your student overpowered me and trapped me in the caves. The decision for your conversion was made without my knowledge. Chrysalis has promised me that Luna, however, will remain as she is, if that's any comfort." He shook his head. "The first change will be a crippling apathy as you slowly lose your awareness of your surroundings while your glittering coat turns dark and black. After that, the secretions around you will begin on your body's structural integrity, both inside and out, adapting it to convert emotions into physically powerful forces on you. The flesh and bones on your hooves will seize and pull apart, eventually creating the characteristic perforations in our hooves." He paused for a moment. Unlike Chrysalis, he was taking no pleasure from Celestia's growing fear and desperation. "Most ponies think that changelings only feed off of love and other positive emotions, but that's actually a misconception. We can sense and feel other emotions as well, such as your fright at the current situation. Depending on our relation to the individual feeling it, we can feel either pleasure or pain. In my case, your fear is causing me great pain... If you would be so kind, your highness, just go to sleep. The hive mind will destroy whatever identity you have in your dreams so that the final changes can be made, a process I cannot describe from experience... Since Twilight and your sister helped me to survive until Queen Chrysalis removed me from my chamber, stopping it just short of completion."

Turning back to Chrysalis, he was met with a smirk and a nod of approval.

"Why are you helping her?" Spike asked, shaking his head. "You don't look like Shining Armor does, you're not under some kind of spell!"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, stepping up next to Pennington and running a gentle hoof down his spine. "Pennington and I are old friends, allies on the field of war. Some time ago, we fought together for the freedom of the hive from a merciless tyrant."

"Chrysalis fought bravely, as did I. After I sent Twilight away from the battlefield, I suppose that she assumed I was immediately captured... That, fortunately, wasn't the case."

"I saw the old king advancing on Pennington after the flash of light from Twilight's teleport drew my eye." Chrysalis continued. "Pennington was weak, but a warrior to the bitter end. He wasn't going to go down without a fight, so I ran to join him."

"Would you like to tell the story, Chrysalis?"

"Oh, I'm certain you'd tell it better, Pennington... Besides, I never heard your side of the tale."

"As you wish."

I was still reeling with the shock of trying to send Twilight as far away as possible, my ears ringing and my vision hazy. I knew that I wasn't in any kind of shape to be fighting using magic, in fact, I doubted that I had much magical energy left other than the minimal effort needed to keep my quills suspended in the air, though I hoped that I wouldn't have to use them as weapons. When Twilight had disappeared, the barriers keeping the changelings at bay on both sides had vanished, but the flash of light had stunned most of the them momentarily. Physically, that was all of the time that I needed to recover. I was moving solely on adrenaline, now, but I knew that, once my vision had come back into focus, I would be ready to fight.

As the blur in my eyes was finally washing away. A dark shape came from my right, slamming against my head and throwing me to the ground. As I tried to recover and look up, I remembered the reason I had sent Twilight away, to begin with: King Entropy wanted us both dead, and he had been waiting just outside of the shield. The king was a hulking brute, standing head-and-shoulders above the rest of the changelings. His horn was bleeding green where I had cut it off, and his eyes were glowing with hatred and fury. With a violent kick, his hoof slammed into my stomach, sending me skidding across the floor. I felt like I had almost exploded inside, doubling over with pain, as he walked towards me again. The other changelings had parted and stepped back to watch, I can only guess that they were entropy's supporters.

"You cost me my horn... My magic... My kingdom!" He growled, placing a single hoof on my neck, ready to snap it. "You filthy pony liar... Your kind doesn't deserve the love you receive. You take it for granted while changelings scrounge for the scraps. Then, you have the audacity to enter my domain! Let this be a message to any pony who dares come here again... Changelings are not to be taken lightly!"

I didn't know what to do. If I tried to move, he would snap my neck even faster. If I tried to attack him with my quills that I was keeping in the air, I would most likely die, as well. He was too strong and too heavily armored to try fighting hoof-to-hoof... But I'd already abandoned most of my hope of getting out of the hive alive when I sent Twilight away. The only thing that had stopped me from simply ending my own life was blind hope for survival on my own two hooves. Now, however, that hope was gone, as well. The only thing stopping me from prompting the end to come faster was blind fear.

"Look out!"

The cry came from somewhere nearby, and before I could react, Entropy was thrown to the side as a black shape collided with him in an explosion of green light. The next thing that I saw was a black, hole-filled hoof taking a hold of mine and helping me to stand again. It was the same changeling who had stood up for Twilight and I in the arena. Chrysalis had come to help me.

"Are you alright?" She asked, raising her hoof to her own head after I was back up on all fours again. She had apparently used some kind of mix of magic and sheer force when she rammed into Entropy.

"Well..." I wheezed. "About as alright as you could expect to be in a war zone..."

"No day goes perfectly, right?" She joked, nodding towards Entropy, who was quickly rising, as well. "We're going to have to end this..".

"True. It won't be easy."

"It never is..." She muttered. After a second, she turned to look at me again. "I never thought I'd fight for revolution alongside a pony..."

"Well, I never thought a changeling would save my life..."

"It's far from safe."

"Two on one? It's safer with these odds than it was before."

Entropy had begun to charge, bearing down on us with uncanny speed. Chrysalis and I each dove to the side as the changelings around us cheered for their king..

"Let's focus, Pennington!"

Nodding, I felt familiar instincts returning. Where it had once seemed hopeless, there was one thing that both ponies and changelings needed to survive... Focusing, I spun the quills in the air faster and faster, feeling my horn cry out in objection as I tried to place more energy than I had into my magic. The quills were invisible to the naked eye, now, hissing through the air. I could tell that they were nearing the brink of the speed needed, but I couldn't be sure the spell would work.

"Chrysalis! Stand back!"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

The spell was simple: a fire-starter. It was something that any filly or colt could learn on their first camping trip. Casting it on three projectiles moving at bullet-like speeds, however, caused a singularly unique effect. With a single spark from my horn, the three quills burst into flames, leaving trails of fire in the air behind them. After several seconds,the fire had formed a frightening ring around me. Without givnig the king a chance to react, I flung the quills into orbit around him, bringing the fire with them. They slowly moved closer and close to his body, and without his magic, he wasn't able to stop them. The ring of flames narrowed until he could no longer move. I knew that the air around him was losing oxygen, burned up in the enchanted fire, and several of the changelings watching were beginning to notice that he was swaying from side to side. Soon, he would be unconscious, and Chrysalis and I would have only his lackeys to deal with.

Well, I hope that Chrysalis is a good fighter... I thought as I began to grow dizzy and my vision darkened. I think... I've gone too far, trying to cast this spell...

At least, that was what I thought. I was so intent and focused on the fire spell, I didn't see Chrysalis running up until it was too late. Trying to avoid being burned, the king had lifted his face away from the fire, looking as if he were trying to keep his muzzle above the reach of the orange inferno. Chrysalis had seen this and took her chance, ramming her horn into his unprotected throat.

There as a moment of silence as everyone, including myself, tried to process what had happened. Entropy choked several times, trying to breathe past both the blood and the twisted horn embedded in his neck, and slumped to the ground when she finally tore it out again. Chrysalis, breathing heavily and covered in green blood, looked down at the body and placed her hoof on his head.

"Entropy is dead! Any of you who wish to remain of his side may come and join him!"

The changelings around us were a silent as the grave. There was a brief moment when, in my light-headed stupor, I vainly thought that peace may have been established. Unfortunately, those hopes were shattered as Entropy's followers rushed in from every sight, frenzied and berserk at the sight of their dead king. Chrysalis and I both fought as long as we could, and dozens of the changelings supporting our cause had appeared, as well, but I was eventually knocked unconscious after receiving several cuts and additional wounds and beatings. The last thing I saw before I slipped into what I assumed was death's dark embrace was Chrysalis still standing by me, fighting savagely to the bitter end.

Pennington actually smiled for the first time since he had entered the room, looking up at Chrysalis with a mix of admiration and gratitude. "I wasn't dead, of course... Chrysalis had my unconscious body carried from the battlefield and put into a cocoon much like the one Celestia is in now, so that my wounds could be tended to later. Unfortunately, there are always mistakes in war, and I was nearly adopted as a permanent addition to the hive..."

"It was thanks to Pennington that I was able to rise to power as the new queen!" Chrysalis smirked, putting a hoof around his shoulders and pulling him near.

"When I woke up again, Chrysalis was about three feet taller, had become ruler of the entire hive, and saved me once again, this time from full conversion to being a changeling. I kept my identity, though there were side effects." He leaned against Chrysalis, seemingly content. "She saved my life every bit as much as Twilight and Luna, if not more. When she appeared on my doorstep asking for help, there was no way that I could deny someone I owe so much to."

"And a changeling will always remain loyal to their hive as long as the hive mind remains intact..." Chrysalis smirked. "Slicing off Entropy's horn freed us to stand up for ourselves. While he may be loyal to every word I say and every command I give... Pennington Inkwell and I both owe each other debts. That is why I was willing to listen to him when the told me to spare Cadence and Twilight's lives." She glanced up at Celestia, who had been listening to every word she said. "He insisted on a bloodless conquest of the castle, and Canterlot, if possible. We need as many prisoners as we can take, so I agreed."

"So, what? Are you two some sort of weird, inter-species couple, or something?" Moonstone hardly seemed impressed by their tale, and she still made no attempt to contain her skepticism, despite the fact that she was still a prisoner.

"No, Moonstone. Don't be ridiculous!" Pennington shook his head as he walked to his assistant. "But we were once allies in battle. There are few bonds stronger than that... And because I have a connection to the hive mind, Chrysalis's will tends to dominate over mine, that way we don't have any dissent or complications."

"Still sounds like slavery, to me."

"It's a working system. After all, you're still alive. As are Twilight, her friends, most of Canterlot, and all three of the princesses. Forgive me if I try to think of that as a victory with my own portion of my will..."

"You'll never get away with this!" Cadence shouted, brave in spite of the fact that all four of her hooves had been glued to the floor. "Twilight and her friends will-"

The doors at the front of the room flew open as Twilight and her friends were escorted in by a small group of changelings.

Looking back at Cadence, Chrysalis had a smug smirk. "You were saying?" Still wearing the grin, she turned back to Twilight and her friends. "You do realize the reception's been cancelled, don't you?" When none of them had anything to say in return, she turned to the changelings that had escorted them in. "Go, feed!"

She chuckled to herself as the changelings flew out the doors, shutting them behind. "It's funny, really. Twilight, here, was suspicious of my behavior all along! And, given the chance, I'm certain that Pennington would have revealed what was going on, as well!" She pointed back at Pennington, whose appearance elicited a chorus of gasps from those of Twilight's friends who hadn't seen him in such a state before. "But it's too bad that all of you were caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicions were correct! And poor little Penny just couldn't raise a hoof against his queen!"

"I'm sorry, Twilight..." Pennington looked down at the ground in shame.

"And so are we..." Applejack shook her head.

"It's not your faults, she fooled everypony!" Twilight shook her head.

"Hmm, I did, didn't I?" She smirked as she walked to the nearby window. "Pennington..."

"Yes, Chrysalis?"

"Twilight Sparkle is one of the most key users of the Elements of Harmony, correct?"

"Yes, your highness."

"And one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria, correct?"

"As far as I know, my queen."

"Will she ever stop fighting us?"

Pennington looked to Twilight, who gave Chrysalis the most fierce glare that she could, then shook her head at him.

"No, your highness."

"Then she is nothing but a threat to ourselves and the hive. Without her, one of Equestria's greatest weapons is useless. If you wish to make up for your previous mistakes, then you can do so now." She turned to look at Pennington, her eyes glowing as she used her influence to its fullest.

"Pennington Inkwell, I command you to kill Twilight Sparkle."

Comments

[conigwolf]

dum dum dum dummmm! Woah totally didn't see this coming, looking forward to next chapter!

[SoundBreaker]

D: That buggy bitch needs to go down!

[Darkflare]

KILL?!?!
No.
Just. No. TAKE MY SISTER INSTEAD!!! PLEASEE!!!!!!

[Spirit Shift]

lol one of the best cliffhangers possible
"I command you to KILL (insert name here)"

[whoofian]

Well. Shit just hit the fan.

[Pennington Inkwell]

3274362

Well, if it hadn't before, it has NOW! *Ba dum tiss!*

[catoparadox]

Honestly it sort of is rather common hero under control of enemy then commanded to kill there friends or loved ones its rather typical of dramatic stories.
At least in my experience in Justice League when hawk-girl betrays the justice league. Lelouch from code geass though he does the oppisite with euphemia...and succeeds. Cartman and the walmart episode. Or riku from kingdom hearts its a trope now heres the link http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MoreThanMindControl. Now im not saying this is a bad thing it actually fits very well and does have build up so it make sense its not artificial drama . So Its good I dont really get the point of my own comment... and for those you who want to eliminate Chrysalis you would get this guy to do it... spoliers GTA 5

Don't fuck with Trevor...
That's all folk's!

[StarShine739]

Dun Dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun

[djthomp]

That last line was a serious mistake on Chrysalis' part. Count me shocked if either it or the subsequent fight doesn't end up breaking Penny out from under her control.

[Marked of Luna]

Well, the rules state that mental domination can't make somepony do something they are completely opposed to doing... Penny will be just fine

[Fancies himself a lurker]

Wow yeah.. Chrysalis in this story at least your races existance in my eyes is forfeit. Go die in a ditch poisoned by the very love you need to survive.