//------------------------------// // (4) The Plan // Story: Cold // by Script Singer //------------------------------// Shining Armor and Flurry Heart were sitting in a small cell. The only things they had to look at were the plain stone walls and the barred door, though Shining didn't care for the scenery. Flurry Heart let out a whimper, upset about the distance she had from her father. He tried to reassure her, hoping to at least calm her down. "It's okay Flurry," he said. "We'll be fine..." He hated lying to his daughter, but he was willing to do anything to keep her calm. They heard the door open; Shining looked up to find Queen Chrysalis walking in. "Chrysalis," he growled. "Give me the spell," she growled back. "Never!" Shining yelled. "You'll never find the spell or the elements! You'll never get me to talk! Do what you wish with me, Nothing will break me." Chrysalis's grin grew even wider. "If you say so." She levitated him out of his cell and into the air, and with another sadistic smile, she threw him at the steel wall. As he fell, she ignited her horn and shot seemingly endless blasts. Flurry watched in horror with the torture she was witnessing. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to understand why her father was being harmed like that. "Dada!" she cried. The screams from her father echoed in her ears. "Give up?" Chrysalis uttered. Shining Armor stared at Chrysalis. "Never," he grunted. Chrysalis continued her torture as Flurry continued her crying, unable to help her father. Twilight slowly got up; she had been unconscious for some time. Pain was the first thing she felt. She tried to move her wing, but it only lead to more pain coursing through her body. She looked around her, finding herself in what appeared to be a type of small cell with a barred door. She could hear Shining Armor talking to Flurry Heart. She tried to say something, but her voice was unusable. The door opened, and Chrysalis walked in. She walked over to Twilight's cell and opened the door before promptly dragging her out, bringing her in front of Shining Armor. Twilight burst into tears when she saw her brother, he was covered in scratches and bruises. She turned to Chrysalis. "What have you done to him?" she growled, just about able to speak again. More tears were falling from her face. Chrysalis ignored Twilight and only dragged her out of the room, closing the door behind her. Twilight could hear her brother scream. She turned and tried to fight away Chrysalis's grasp. After a short struggle, she managed to break free and ran back into the room. She stood in shock as she viewed the scene before her. Green flames had enveloped Shining's cell, and as Twilight watched, they shrank back down to the floor. When they disappeared, Shining Armor wasn't there. Twilight stared at where her brother used to be, the only thing to prove his existence being a large black smudge. Satisfied, Chrysalis left her in there, locking the door behind her. Twilight just stared at the empty cell, and after a long while, she hung her head and cried once more. "Twilight." a voice whispered. Twilight looked up; She found Flash's face a few feet from the cell. He motioned her to come forward. "Follow me," Flash whispered. Twilight followed flash to a trap door on the floor. When she passed through it and fell into a hidden chamber, her face grew a huge smile. She ran up to her brother, hugging him. Shining let out a grunt, all the injuries he had gained did not fare well against his sister's crushing grasp. Tears of joy fell from Twilight's eyes as she looked up at him. "I'm so glad you're okay." she cried, hugging her brother tighter. "We don't have much time." Shining wheezed out, "We have to hurry if we want to save Cadence and the others." Twilight nodded and let go of him before walking towards the door, a staggering Shining in tow. Celestia had always found the day court to be boring. It was nothing but stuck-up nobles expecting extra privileges from the crown, simply because they had money. As she sat waiting for the next noble to enter, a note appeared in front of her. She quickly opened it and read what was on it, eager for something to take her focus from the dullness of the court. She stared at it for a moment after she finished the last sentence, her face bearing a grim expression. She rolled it back up and called out for her sister. After a short moment, Luna walked into the room. She looked like she had just woken up, which was likely at that time of the day. "Yes, sister?" Luna asked. Celestia handed Luna the note. She gave it a quick read over, and when she had finished, all traces of exhaustion had faded. She turned to look at her sister. "We haven't much time, if we want to help Twilight and her friends," Celestia said. Luna only nodded her head in response. Twilight slowly peeked up from the trap door that lead outside, trying to find any changelings in the immediate area. When none could be found, she looked down towards the two stallions. "All clear," she whispered. She stepped out of the door, along with Flash and Shining Armor. To her utmost surprise, no sooner than two steps later, Princess Celestia and Luna landed in front of them. A few of the royal guards were with them to take Shining Armor to safety. Overjoyed, Twilight filled the princesses in on their plan. Twilight walked into the room where her friends had been restrained. Wasting no time, she used her magic to get rid of the goo that bound their hooves, starting with her sister. She helped her up, hugging her. "I knew you wouldn't give up on us," Cadence whispered. "I would never," Twilight responded. Twilight then rushed over to help the others get the goo off of their hooves. "I know where Shining Armor and Flurry Heart are," Twilight said. "We have to go and get them." With no reason to stay longer, Twilight led them out of the room and made their way into the cell room. Everypony stood in the cell room and stared at Flurry Heart, sitting alone in her cell. None of them seemed sure on how to start. As they stood there, the door suddenly slammed shut, and a swarm of changelings flew down from the ceiling to attack the others below. Twilight was the only one who wasn't being attacked. "Twilight, help!" Cadence yelled, but instead of moving, Twilight gave her an evil smile. "Twilight!" Twilight was shrouded in green flames, and when they dissipated, a changeling took her place. "No..." Cadence whispered as the changeling struck her. Twilight ran as fast as her hooves could go. She should have known better, of course, the princesses were changelings. Flash ran at her side, desperately trying to keep up. "Over there!" Flash yelled pointing to a bush. They made the turn, just before the two changelings trailing them could see. Twilight panted, catching her breath. She looked at Flash and smiled. "Thanks," she said, still catching her breath. Flash stared at Twilight with a smile. He brought her close with his wing. "How's your wing?" he asked. Twilight pulled it out slightly, revealing it bent from Chrysalis's magic. "Painful," Twilight said giving out a soft chuckle. Her head grew dizzy again, causing her to lose her balance. She fell into Flash's side and rubbed her head. "Maybe you should rest," Flash said. Twilight shook her head, opening her eyes again. "We don't have time for that..." Twilight shut her eyes as the pain in her body grew stronger. Flash helped her up, Twilight putting her foreleg around Flash for balance. As soon as they stepped out of the bush, a swarm of changelings dropped in front of them. Twilight heard a sudden loud ring. She let go of Flash and fell to the ground, trying to block out the noise. Anything she heard sounded faint in comparison. Twilight? What's wrong? Twilight? Twilight! She watched the changelings surround Flash, her eyes slowly closing. Twilight! The changelings pounced onto Flash as she blacked out.