“Flurry!” Mischief cried in horror at seeing her still body. Then, as if someone flipped a switch in his brain, his eyes became aflame with fury and he growled at the olden pony, “What did you do to her?!”
The old mare said in mock innocence, “I only gave her the apple. She did the rest.”
Blaze bellowed as his horn gave off a bright green light, “You tricked me into leaving Flurry, you old witch!” He tried to shoot a ray of magic at the olden pony, but all he could conjure up was a tiny ball of green light that fell to the ground a few inches in front of him. He breathed, “No…”
The olden pony chuckled menacingly and then said, “It’s about time you lost your magical powers. Too bad you’re not prepared for our guest of honor.” She pointed up at the sky as she said that.
The other ponies then looked up and saw the stars being absorbed into the moon. When all four stars disappeared, the pony silhouette vanished. The ponies gasped at that.
Blaze breathed, “Nightmare Sky.”
Roller Blade frowned, “And I thought this couldn’t get any worse.”
Suddenly, black smoke rose up from the ground.
Nova whispered, “Oh, no.”
The smoke then gave way to Nightmare Sky and her Moonshadow army. The ponies were unsettled by the way the new type of Umbrum looked.
Skater muttered to her friends, “Dude, they are beyond ugly.”
Nightmare Sky then purred, “Oh, my beloved cousins. It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious little faces. I’m saddened that you would join such a black-hearted monster like my sister.” She looked down at the comatose Flurry.
Mischief shot out, “She’s not the black-hearted monster! You are!”
The dark alicorn scowled before her face softened into a malicious smile. “And I assume you must be the antlered freak my sister seduced to her side. Has her wicked wiles led you to believe that she is all she seems?”
“You’re the one who’s wicked, not her!”
The olden pony said with a small smile, “’Wicked’?” She then chuckled, “Poor, deluded fool. If anyone is wicked, it’s me.”
A voice then said, “At least we won’t have to coax a confession from you now.”
The group turned to see Thorax descending from the sky and landing onto the field.
Nova Rose exclaimed, “King Thorax!”
The olden pony’s one open eye momentarily flickered green as she seethed with hatred. She shouted, “Thorax! I have been waiting for you.”
Uncertain by what she meant, Thorax said, “I’m not sure I’ve made your acquaintance.”
“I am surprised you could not recognize me so easily after you took my kingdom and then stole my army from me.”
In a sudden green flash, the olden pony disappeared and Chrysalis stood in her place.
Filled with shock, Thorax breathed, “It’s you.”
Chrysalis continued, “You may have not recognized me, but I will always recognize you. You cannot imagine the depths I would go to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred for you!”
Thorax’s antlers and horn lit up in a bluish aura as he said with determination, “Maybe, but you were defeated before, and you will be defeated again.”
Chrysalis chuckled before she sneered at him, “Don’t be so certain.”
She shot her brilliant green magic at Thorax, but he conjured up a force field to deflect the ray. As Chrysalis kept shooting her magic at the force field, Nightmare Sky joined in and her red magic made it slightly harder for Thorax to maintain his protection spell.
When he started to sweat under the pressure, Chrysalis taunted, “What’s the matter, Thorax? Too weak to stand on your own against your very creator?” She then ordered her changelings, “Ambush him!”
Thorax didn’t have enough energy to repel the changelings closing in on him, so he kept focusing his magic on the force field.
When one of the changelings lunged at the king, Mischief cried, “Your Highness!”
Suddenly, the antlered colt blasted his magic at the changelings about to ambush Thorax.
Thorax exclaimed, “Please be careful! They’re my siblings!”
Skater remarked, “They’re hardly sibling material.”
Blaze ordered, “Everyone, get inside the force field! I have an idea!”
Thorax manipulated his magic so the other good ponies could pass through the force field.
Blaze then said, “Mischief, Thorax, listen to me. On the count of three, combine your force field spells. One, two, three!”
At “three”, Mischief activated his antlers and Thorax concentrated on his spell. In mere moments, the force field became teal and grew large enough to give the group inside some breathing room. Luckily, the barrier washed over Flurry Heart and kept the villains outside.
Thorax saw the unconscious princess and gasped, “Flurry!” He and Mischief ran over to her as the king asked in worry, “What happened to her?”
Chrysalis chuckled on the other side of the barrier, “I believe I can give an explanation. You see, the forest of Hollow Shades is known for its poisonous plants. I simply plucked several apples from an apple tree and disguised myself as a harmless old peddler mare. I lured Flurry out here and told her that I had some wishing apples in my possession. Naturally, she took one and bit into it!” She cackled before she continued, “Really, it couldn’t have gone more perfectly, because in less than an hour now…” She then hissed wickedly, “…she’ll be dead.”
Nightmare Sky’s heart wrenched when Chrysalis mentioned her sister would be dead.
Cauldron Bubbles then confidently said, “Except for one small caveat. The effects of the poison will only reverse when the victim is given true love’s kiss.”
Mischief couldn’t believe it. This might be his chance to know for certain – But why was he so hesitant? He really wanted to give Flurry a kiss, but he couldn’t stand it if she didn’t wake. Maybe Thorax was her true love. After all, he was a king.
He implored Thorax, “Please, Your Majesty. You have to kiss her. You may be her only hope.”
Cauldron’s heart dropped from hearing her son say that. Why wouldn’t he kiss her? Why would he throw away his one chance to save her?
Thorax nodded, “All right.”
He stooped low to the ground and kissed Flurry on the cheek. He stood up again and waited to see if anything would happen. Seconds turned into a minute and still Flurry wouldn’t wake up. Thorax closed his eyes in sorrow and the others were becoming despaired.
Mischief’s own heart broke as he tearfully said to Cauldron, “Mom, you said that true love’s kiss could heal Flurry!”
Thorax opened his eyes again and said calmly, “True love can also mean that you care about somepony’s well-being. I don’t think that’s the case this time.”
Cauldron sadly nodded, “It’s true. The kiss has to come from the victim’s true love, the one they’re meant to be with.”
Mischief turned away and dug his face into his arm to quiet his crying. He thought, Then it’s hopeless.
Just then, Thorax felt the deep love Mischief had in his heart and wondered if…The king touched his shoulder and the antlered colt faced him with a tear or two running down his cheeks.
Thorax said softly, “I think you should kiss Flurry.”
Mischief asked with a choked-up voice, “But…why me? Why should I do it?” Steady streams of tears gushed from his eyes as he continued, “I don’t know if I’d be good enough for her.”
The Changeling King gave a comforting smile, “Look, if all you want is to see her awake and smiling again, then you should at least try. I can feel the love within you and it’s strong, probably strong enough to rid Flurry of the poison. If you don’t try, you’ll feel guilty for not helping when you could’ve. Please, Mischief. I believe in you.”
Mischief gave it some thought for a moment before deciding to push aside his fears and try to wake Flurry. If he couldn’t, well, at least he did all he could.
He slowly bent down and whispered in Flurry’s ear, “Please wake up.”
With tepid hope in his heart, he kissed Flurry on the cheek. Such a sweet sensation this kiss was, even though the one receiving it was unconscious. He stood back up and anxiously waited for a sign that it worked. Suddenly, Flurry’s eyes flew open as she gasped for breath.
What joy Mischief felt at that happy moment! He really was the one for her! They were meant to be together! He grabbed her in his arms and held her in a tight embrace.
Flurry, however, was confused and asked, “What happened?”
Mischief answered with a smile, “Just be glad you’re okay.”
Nightmare Sky was filled with rage and her horn furiously lit up with red magic. She then shouted, “NOOOOOOO!!!”
The moment she began shouting that, her horn sent her magic out in large shockwaves. The pressure was so great that the force field collapsed by the time Nightmare Sky stopped shouting. She growled as she charged at Flurry Heart, but the younger alicorn stood her ground and activated her magic in preparation for attack. When Nightmare Sky stopped in front of her, Flurry could feel her angered puffs of breath on her face.
She looked her sister in the eye and sternly told her, “I’m the one you want, not the others. You can harm me, but I will never let you hurt them.”
Mischief, Thorax, Blaze, and Nova then stood by Flurry as the antlered colt added, “And you’ll have to get through us first.”
Nightmare Sky grunted in frustration.
Chrysalis, however, remained calm and said, “It seems we are at an impasse.”
Cauldron Bubbles then stepped forward and silkily suggested, “Might I offer a solution? We play a game of chess, but with ponies. And creatures like you. But wait a minute. I see you outnumber us, so let’s even the score, shall we? My eight ponies with your eight minions. We shall have to shrink the chessboard to eight rows and four columns.”
Nightmare Sky interrupted, “Hold it! If Flurry Heart and Thorax are playing, then Chrysalis and I will be on the board with our minions.”
Cauldron shrugged with a smile, “Very well.”
Mischief used his remaining magic to create a large chessboard and a two-sided screen hovering above to keep track of the game itself. Nightmare Sky and Thorax were playing as kings, Chrysalis and Flurry were the queens, Mischief and Apple Butter were the knights, and the pawns were the Marendelle twins, Blaze, and Nova Rose. Flurry looked at Thorax and realized the bubbly sensation she had for him was almost nonexistent. Did she not feel the same way towards him anymore because of her close friendship with Mischief?
Flurry then asked Thorax, “So how did you find us?”
The king answered, “Well, at first, I just stayed in my kingdom and protected it and my subjects from harm. But as soon as the force field began to show signs of dying, I went to look for help. I saw how much of Equestria was in devastation, but I never imagined that much.”
The alicorn hung her head and hoped he didn’t know that she was the cause of it.
Thorax continued, “I was flying around when I felt a coldness. I knew it was Chrysalis, so I came here to defend anypony she might’ve been threatening. You would’ve probably known the rest, but you bit a poison apple that made you unconscious until Mischief gave you true love’s kiss.”
Flurry blushed, “He…did?”
Thorax then gave her an affirmative nod. The knowing glance in his eyes would’ve made Flurry’s heart melt, but she now saw that her heart truly belonged to Mischief. She looked to Mischief and saw him uneasily looking to the side. She knew that he was worried about any chemistry between his true love and Thorax. Even after she woke from true love’s kiss, she understood that he had some insecurities, as she did. She made a mental note to herself to keep from mentioning her former crush on Thorax because that would’ve just made things awkward. When Flurry touched Mischief’s hoof, he turned to face her.
Flurry said with a comforting smile, “Just so you know, you’ll always be my knight in shining armor.”
Mischief smiled and blushed at that.
In the pawn line, Nova whispered, “What do you think is going to happen when someone bests an opponent?”
Blaze asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”
“You know, capturing a chess piece or something like that.”
Roller Blade said, “Let’s find out.” He then announced, “Pawn to C4!” He walked two squares towards the villainous players.
Chrysalis then ordered one of her changeling pawns, “You pawn! B6!”
When the changeling stepped on that square, Roller braced himself as he got onto the square diagonal of the creature. The changeling smiled maliciously and began to turn away from Roller. At mid-turn, the insect pony disappeared in a green flash and became a hulking stallion. With his rear to the prince, he bucked Roller off the chessboard.
After Roller landed with his back to the ground, he groaned, “Ooh…I think you’ll definitely tell when you’re out of the game.”
Thus, the game truly began. Chrysalis and Nightmare Sky would make their minions’ moves for them while the heroes made their own moves. Players on both sides made quick work of their opponents. At one point, Skater punched a changeling while saying, “This one’s for my brother!” Soon, it was just a few players left. Some of them included Nova Rose on A2, Flurry on A4, Mischief on B5, Blaze on D2, and Nightmare Sky on D7.
Blaze moved to C2 to protect Thorax, who was stationed on C1. However, Chrysalis simply threw him aside with her magic so she was face-to-face with the king.
She smiled maliciously, “You’re next.”
Thorax gulped and stood there in fright.
Flurry asked Mischief, “It’s our move. Why isn’t he taking her out?”
Mischief explained, “She said she created him. Would you want to harm the one who gave you life?”
“No. Not really.”
“Listen, I have an idea. I’ll make my move so I’ll be close to checkmating Skyla and use my magic to challenge Chrysalis the changeling way. She’ll come and attack me, leaving you to checkmate your sister.”
Flurry said with worried eyes, “Mischief, do you realize how dangerous that is? From what I’ve heard about Chrysalis, she’s not to be messed with.” She held his hoof as she asked, “Please, isn’t there another way?”
Sharpness underlined his tone, “Look, do you want to save Skyla or not?” He explained more calmly, “Flurry, it has to be you who goes on. Not me, not Nova Rose. You.”
Flurry then sighed in reluctance as she let go of his hoof.
Mischief knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it could be worth the effort if all went according to plan. He announced, “Knight to C7.” He moved two squares forward and then one square to his right until he was standing next to Nightmare Sky. He said, “Check.” He then turned to face Chrysalis and concentrated the last of his magic on his back. To everyone’s surprise, a white flash appeared and changeling wings sprouted on his back. He took a deep breath and thought, Monster-pedia, don’t fail me now.
His false wings then began to beat in rhythm. Bzz…bzz-bzz-bzzz…bzz-bzz…bz-bzz…bzz…bzzz…
Thorax asked in confusion, “Why does he want a challenge in a middle of a game?”
Chrysalis slit her eyes, “He doesn’t…” She then smiled evilly, “…but I’ll amuse him.” She left her spot at C2 and walked all the way up to C6 so she and Mischief could be face-to-face. “You just gave yourself away…half-blood.”
Mischief was so shocked that his changeling wings disappeared in another white flash and he felt his magic completely shut down within him.
Chrysalis grinned maliciously, “I thought so. You are the son of those two powerful races, who were then wiped out in the blizzard that you had caused!”
She had spoken loudly enough for everypony to hear what she said. Cauldron Bubbles – who was watching from the sidelines – and Flurry were stunned that Chrysalis figured it out. The rest of the ponies were shocked to learn that Mischief was the same pony Snow Pea had mentioned in her account of her first visit to the cosmos. Mischief, however, became afraid that Flurry’s family and friends would now hate him for what happened in his past.
Chrysalis sensed his fear and smiled wickedly, “Oh, don’t worry. Whatever punishment the royal family would have in mind for you, I’ve got a better one.” Her horn then lit up in a brilliant green aura.
Flurry and the others watched in shock as the former changeling queen blasted Mischief off the board. He gave a yell before he tumbled onto the grass with smoking burn marks covering most of his body.
The young alicorn shrieked, “Mischief!”
She was about to set one hoof off her square until Thorax shouted, “Wait, Flurry! We’re still playing!” He then reminded her more calmly, “And it’s our turn.”
She realized that without Mischief on B5, she could see that there were exactly two diagonal squares between her and her sister. Chrysalis had just taken Mischief’s spot on the board, giving Flurry the opportunity to walk across the diagonal squares and checkmate Nightmare Sky. After she mustered the courage for whatever may happen, Flurry began to cross the diagonal squares until she was on C6, the very square that was diagonal from her corrupted sister.
When it seemed like Flurry was doing nothing, Chrysalis asked, “Is that the end of your play?”
“I’m not finished,” the young princess replied with determination on her face and in her voice. She used her magic to pull out a flask from within one of her folded wings and uncork it. “Checkmate.”
She then splashed the cured spring water onto Nightmare Sky. In a myriad of sparkles and smoke, the dark alicorn fell onto the board. As the smoke and sparkles died down, a smile of relief curved on Flurry’s face. When her sister opened her slit red eyes, they widened back to blue irises and round pupils. Skyla was finally herself again, save for the armor she wore as Nightmare Sky.
She groaned as she touched her aching head, “What in the world hit me…?” She then let out a big gasp as memories of being evil came flooding back. She let out a giant sob, “WHAT HAVE I DONE?! My sister! My family! How could I have been so cruel?! Forgive me!” Tears streamed down her distressed eyes as she hung her head in shame.
The cousins were taken aback by this sudden mood whiplash. Thorax was stunned that the dark alicorn had been Skyla all along. Mischief, who was recovering from Chrysalis’ blow, was surprised by the attitude Skyla was now displaying.
Flurry only shushed as she took off her sister’s armor, “Shh…It’s okay now, Skyla. You’re back and that’s all that matters.” When she took off Skyla’s helmet, ragged curls of her sister’s mane spilled out. Flurry then smiled sweetly at Skyla, “That’s all I ever wanted.”
“My little sister…I have been so blind…I thought you were the evil one…but seeing you…on the ground like that…and almost being dead…” Tears spilled again as she blubbered out, “I was so heartless…”
Chrysalis then chuckled menacingly, “Dear, if anyone is heartless, it’s me.”
Flurry scowled, “Don’t think you’ll get away with this, Chrysalis!”
“But my dear…” She then cast a chilling evil glance, “…I already have.”