Chrysalis could sense her prey, but it was difficult to track. It seems her magic was a little off after all. Seemed like it was a little weaker than normal, as well. She snorted, wings buzzing in annoyance as she stalked along the strange pavement, her hooves clicking ominously.
A mare with a brown coat and blue mane stopped as she saw the Changeling queen.
“Can I…can I help you?” she asked softly.
Green magic shot through the warped horn and pulled the mare nose to nose with the tall being.
“Starlight Glimmer,” she hissed, teeth flashing briefly in the sun. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know anypony by that name,” the terrified mare squeaked. “Please don’t hurt me!”
Chrysalis stared hard into the fearful eyes, then dropped the pony unceremoniously to the ground.
“Run, little rabbit, run,” she said as she walked away. “Before I discover a taste for coney.”
Silver Vein stared as the dark being faded from view, too terrified to even move from where she had been dropped like a sack of potatoes. Faintly, she could hear the Changeling singing to herself wordlessly.
She shivered. Whoever this Starlight pony was, she was glad it wasn’t her.
I smiled as Sunset and Twilight nuzzled briefly, all too aware of how uncomfortable it may make the Princess side of her mind. I cleared my throat.
“Ok, if I may have everypony’s attention?” I said. “We have a severe case of mantic tampering going on and now that we are figuring out who is who, I think the best chance we have of solving this is back in Equestria.”
“You mean through that freaky mirror?” Sunny Flare said, her tail flicking nervously.
“Sounds rad to me,” Lemon Zest said.
“Count me in!” shouted Indigo Zap, her wings fluttering quickly but she failed to achieve lift.
“No,” came the voice of Sunset. The voice she had only used once before. This wasn’t Sunset my friend or Sunset of the Rainbooms talking.
This was Princess Sunset Shimmer, and as we were in her realm of authority, I was obligated to listen.
“We will not go across the mirror and subject those unprepared to the possibility of harm,” she said, wings spreading slightly. “Celestia appointed me to watchdog the safety of this side of the portal from magical anomalies, and the Shadowbolts turning into ponies counts as anomalous.”
Sour Sweet stomped a hoof and I felt it from where I was across the room. Earth Pony strength could be used to terrifying effect.
“We’re not going to just sit around waiting for you to solve this,” she snapped. “We helped at the Games and we can help here, too!”
Sunset looked hard at her then levitated an empty mug in front of Sunny Flare, settling it on the ground.
“Pick that up,” she said softly. “With only your magic.”
Sunny closed her eyes in concentration, but only a few sparks and a twitch or two of the mug happened.
“Lemon, Indigo,” Sunset continued. “Hover, right now.”
I haven’t seen such crashes since my time loop fight with Twilight.
“My point proves itself,” she finished. “If we’re going to go through the portal and fight Chrysalis, we have to get it so you can at least do the basics of your new forms.”
I frowned. “I don’t know if we have the time for that, Sunset,” I said. “If the conjunction is occurring quickly, the longer we wait the more severe the damage to the two worlds will be.”
“She’s aware, Starlight,” Princess Twilight said through the shared mouth. “I concur with her choice.”
She eyed her counterpart’s former classmates.
“They have the right to choose,” she said. “But we won’t make them lambs.”
I collapsed as the spell ended, gasping for breath. I began to push mana back into the sight spell when I heard a loud pop sound from nearby, a sound I associated with long distance teleportations. As my sight returned, I saw a Unicorn Mare and a hulking Earth Pony stallion walking up to me.
“Sorla,” said the mare in a lilting voice. “We’re t’be your escorts.”
I growled. “Babysitters, more like,” I grumbled.
“Bodyguards, I think, would be the more accurate term,” the stallion rumbled. As they came alongside me I was humbled by his size. “Azure and I are here to give you an extra set of hooves in case you needed it.”
“Gleam’s got th’right of it,” came the lyrical voice of the mare before it grew cold. “This Chrysalis threatened our filly, and I’ll not stand for that without havin’ a say in it.”
I saw the rapier strapped to her side as my sight grew steadier and clearer. I could see the wear marks on the scabbard from long use.
“A mother and father protecting their own are fierce enemies,” I whispered.
“Aye, you’ve a sharp mind,” she said. “But we’re also to guide you where you need t’be going.”
“Where’s that?”
Gleam pointed slightly off to the side of the direction I felt the pull from.
“Ponyville, and the Castle found there.”
I glanced him, puzzled.
“We’ll explain on the way, best we can,” he said as he and Azure took off at a canter, with me following in tow.
Seems things may be a bit more desperate than I thought.
The mare glanced up from her instruments.
“It’s confirmed,” Fault Line said to her brother. “The seismic activity is getting worse. The tectonic stresses are elevating rapidly.”
Lava Flow flipped through pages of notes, comparing them to the new readings. “Things shouldn’t be this severe,” he murmured. “Are you reading any plate shifts?”
“I should be getting readings off the charts, but I’m not seeing a single peak on the scale,” Fault said. “It’s as though something is pressing on the plates in this region but from someplace else.
She tapped a hoof on the map of Canterlot City.
“If this keeps up, I doubt that town will survive the creation of a new canyon from the stress.”