//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: A Nightmare Come True // by ShadowSprint //------------------------------// Lying in bed, Derpy stared out her window as the sun slowly crept up into the air. The darkness shrouding her room slowly replaced by rays of morning sun. Another day under the barrier meant another day wandering around Ponyville.  Much of her delivery route had vanished since the changelings and Daybreaker invaded Canterlot.  Only the most important messages were to be delivered by air.  The soldiers didn’t want the skies clogged with Pegasus so that they could easily monitor any changeling activity. Unfortunately, that left Derpy with little to do. She couldn’t deliver parcels, couldn’t help plan for parties, couldn’t even check on Doctor Hooves to make sure he was alright.  Staring out her window, Derpy wondered where the great doctor had hurried off to this time around. He’d vanished on another one of his scientific excursions, and no-pony knew when he’d be back or where he’d gone to.  Since he’d left before the changeling attack, would he even come back? “What am I supposed to do?” A sudden rapping at her door caused Derpy to bolt upright in bed.  When the sound of hooves against her door grew louder, the Pegasus stumbled out onto the floor, a blanket tripping her up. Grumbling in pain, Derpy hollered out, “Be right there!” Noises emanated from outside, and Derpy quickly folded her blanket up and rushed down the stairs, letting her wings carry her some of the way. When she finally arrived at the front door, the knocking had started up again. “I’m here. I’m here.” She said, as she opened the door. Standing right outside were a couple of soldiers. One of them had a clipboard, which he regularly checked. When seeing the door open, he glanced up and said, “Sorry if we disturbed you miss. You must be . . . Derpy Hooves.”  “Y-Yesss?” She said, glancing from one soldier to the next. “Am I in trouble or something?” The soldier quickly lightened up as he set the clipboard aside and explained, “No, nothing like that. We’ve just been making the rounds through Ponyville for volunteers. We need some assistance with moving supplies around, and so we’ve been hanging up fliers.” Glancing at the outside of her door, Derpy noticed a nail protruding from the wood, holding a piece of paper advertising a “Ponyville Volunteer Force” with the subheading of, “Help Princess Twilight keep Ponyville safe!”  It listed a time of meetup at the Castle of Friendship, where Twilight would be thanking the volunteers and handing out the work. “So what kind of work would I be doing anyway?” “Well, there’s still some supplies that need moving around from the different checkpoints for the soldiers. There’s a need for ponies willing to distribute and help manage food and water.  Spending time with the younger foals to keep them occupied will be an ongoing activity for volunteers. There’s several other things you could do as well. It just depends on how Princess Twilight decides to hand out the work. Would you be interested?” Derpy bit her lip. Though she had a knack for getting in the way, she also hated the idea of just sitting cooped up in her house all day. She’d go mad. Besides, Derpy was always more than happy to help, and, maybe this is what Doctor Hooves had meant when he said she’d do something great. “Sure,” Derpy finally said, “I’d be happy to help.” “Great!” The soldier said, “you’ll probably want to head on over to the castle then. Princess Twilight is probably already handing out work.” And with that the soldiers bid Derpy a good day and moved on to the next house. Glancing down at the flier, Derpy noticed the time and realized the soldier was right. The time listed had passed over an hour ago. “I better hurry!” She exclaimed, and slamming her door shut, Derpy hurried off towards the castle. “Thank you all for joining us here today.” Twilight announced to the wealth of volunteers that had showed up in the main hall of her castle. Pride swept over her, realizing just how much the citizens of Ponyville cared for each other.  With it being the first time stepping into her Princess role with such responsibility, she wasn’t sure what to expect when she walked into the main hall. “It’s great to see such a wonderful turnout for Ponyville’s volunteer force.” Twilight said.  As she spoke, she couldn’t help but glance over the crowd of volunteers. Many of them she didn’t even know. “In order to help keep the soldiers focused on defending the city, you’ll be taking charge of various tasks to help keep other ponies calm, keep supplies moving, and maintaining Ponyville. I’ll be breaking you off into groups to handle the various tasks I have listed out on my sheet.” Twilight explained, “Spike here will be handing out your work orders for the day. Once broken off, please see him for assignments.” Twilight finished, nodding towards Spike who waved sheepishly, holding a never-ending scroll of paper. Twilight spent the next hour separating ponies, shaking hooves, and smiling at the various ponies that passed her by.  Each group excitedly left with their tasks, and on occasion, Twilight even managed to spy Spike enjoying a nice conversation with a group.  Things were almost normal for Twilight here.  The castle was once again filled with chatter, and laughter.  The only reminder of reality was the glow of Shining Armor’s barrier around the town. When the final group of ponies left, Twilight stretched herself out and said, “Done! Finally, that’s every-pony!”  Stepping up to Spike, she asked, “did we have much left?” Spike glanced down at his list and said, “Not really.  A lot of ponies took more than one assignment.” “Everyone’s coming together to help Ponyville.  That makes our job even easier.” Twilight said, “I just hope I don’t let them down.” A knock at the door and Spike disappeared from the main hall to answer it. He was only gone for a short time before awkwardly returning with Derpy. “Twilight . . . looks like we’ve got another volunteer.” Glancing around, Derpy expected far more ponies to be in the castle aside from just Spike and Twilight. “Where is every-pony?” She asked, “This is where the volunteers were supposed to meet . . .right?” Smiling, Twilight walked over to Derpy and said, “You’re at the right place.  All the other volunteers have left with their work for the day.” Derpy hung her head in disappointment. “So, does that mean I’m too late? There’s nothing I can help you with?” “I wouldn’t say that.” Twilight said. Taking the list from Spike, Twilight skimmed it over. While most of the work had been assigned to the volunteers, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were still bringing a few things over from the hospital.  Deciding on that, Twilight returned the list to her dragon and said, “Actually, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are still moving supplies from the hospital to the town hall.  They finished helping move the patients a while ago, but there’s still a great deal of medicine and other equipment that the doctors will be needing. If you wouldn’t mind, I’m sure they’d appreciate the help.” Derpy’s face lit up at the request. “Of course! I can do that!” She exclaimed as she jumped up into the air, flapping her wings excitedly. Twilight giggled at the pony’s enthusiasm. “Thanks, Derpy,” she said, “I’m so happy to see that you came to help. Pinkie Pie had such great things to say about you, so I’d hoped you be here for volunteering.” Taken off guard by the comments, Derpy slowly floated down to floor. “Really? What’d she say?” “She had been so thankful for all the help you put into her surprise party for Maud.” Twilight explained.  After mentioning the party, she glanced around, seeing the remains of the party that would’ve been. A couple streamers still drooped down from the ceiling.  Even some of the banners still hung high over their heads. Twilight and the others hadn’t spent much time taking things down as there had been far more pressing matters. Besides, she liked the reminder of what they were all fighting for. “It’s a shame that Maud might not get to see all the hard work that you and Pinkie Pie put into this place.” A brief silence fell upon them before Derpy finally spoke up, “That’s why you’re the princess though. To make sure we get to have that party.”  Then quickly glancing around, as if she were lost, Derpy asked, “Where are Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie anyway?” “Oh . . . they’re probably at the hospital figuring out what to take.” Twilight said, stumbling out of her thought. “If you leave now, you can probably catch them there.” “I’m on my way Princess,” Derpy saluted and flapping up into the air, she took off towards the door.  Twilight gasped as the Pegasus never even thought to open the door before flying towards it. Quickly using her magic, Twilight pushed the door open, allowing Derpy to safely exit the castle. When the gray Pegasus had left, Twilight released a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted was some pony injuring themselves.  “You sure she’ll be alright?” Spike asked, a bit weary of the town klutz moving fragile medical equipment from one place to another. Nodding, Twilight said, “Of course she will. Derpy may be a bit . . . odd, but from how high highly Pinkie Pie talks of her, I’m sure she’ll be fine. Besides, Fluttershy will probably need help keeping Pinkie under control.” Not only that, but the concern Derpy had shown and the encouragement she had provided Twilight only convinced the princess that they had a wonderful Pegasus on their side. “I guess so.” Spike said, scratching his head. “So, what’s next on the agenda?” Twilight already had an answer to that question. Trotting out into the hallway, she motioned for Spike to follow her. Together, they walked into a nearby room where bookshelves lined the walls, from floor to ceiling. In the far corner rested a small table with several books stacked on top one another. “We’re going to do a little studying.” “Studying?” Spike said, “now? But you’re in charge of Ponyville! Don’t you need to be working with your brother, or at least talking to our friends about what to do with Daybreaker and Queen Chrysalis?” “You’re right Spike.” Twilight said, “but it’s also just as important to understand how generals and rulers of past moons dealt with similar crises.”  Glancing over some of the books on Equestrian history, various monarchical rulers from previous generations, and military strategies from accomplished generals such as General Silver Spirit and General Tough Boulder, Twilight explained, “Knowing the strategies they used back then could help us survive this. And with both Queen Chrysalis and Daybreaker out there, we need all the help we can get.”  Drooping her head, Twilight finished, “Even though I’ve been princess for a while, this responsibility just got thrust onto me. Having some historical knowledge of wars and strategies could help me avoid making the same mistakes as other past leaders.” Taking it all in, and seeing the determination in Twilight’s eyes, Spike nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” For the first time since Twilight had returned to Ponyville, Spike saw fear creeping into the princess’ eyes. Stepping over to show his support, he said, “If any-pony knows how to get out of this mess, I’d sure like to hear it.” “We all would.” Twilight agreed, cracking open a book to pick up where she had left off. “That’s why every-pony has to do what they can. Rarity is working to keep the soldiers’ uniforms in battle ready condition, and she’s also helping out at the Town Hall with the patients. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are helping with the hospital and moving supplies. Rainbow Dash is serving as a scout and messenger for the soldiers.” “Applejack is growing apples and you’re leading every-pony.” Spike finished for her. Twilight smiled. She understood Spike’s frustration. “And you’re helping me here. No one else can keep up with or knows the organization of these books better than you. And, you’re our only line of communication with Princess Cadence in the Crystal Empire, and with Starlight Glimmer. We all have to work together.” “Speaking of which,” Spike said, suddenly remembering, “We got a message from Cadence.” And not giving Twilight a chance to ask for it, Spike pulled out the message and handed it to the princess. Excitedly, Twilight opened up the letter. Hearing from the outside world was a breath of fresh air for her. Despite the size of Shining Armor’s barrier, she felt at times as though she was suffocating under this bubble. Clearing her throat, Twilight read aloud for both of them to hear, “Dearest Twilight, I’m so glad to hear that Shining Armor managed to erect his barrier around Ponyville. That will give you some time to work with. As of now, no changelings have been spotted around the Empire, and I have yet to hear from Daybreaker. If something would change, you would be the first to know. Also, my soldiers have managed to steer the Friendship Express into our station. We may be able to rig it up so that we can share supplies with one another. If you would need anything, please let me know.” “Tell Shining Armor I love him and that I miss him. Princess Cadence,” Twilight finished reading. She glanced from the front of the letter to the back, just in case there was anything else, but there wasn’t. “The Friendship Express?” Spike said in surprise, “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to be sending the train back and forth right now.” “It’s not, but it’s an option we don’t want to forget about.” Twilight said, “We never know when we may need a little help, or when the Crystal Empire may need something. She’s letting us know just in case.” Twilight said. Setting the letter aside, Twilight turned to start reading her book when a knock came from the outside door. She sighed, realizing that finding time to actually sit down and read was probably going to be impossible to do. When the princess stepped out into her main hall, she found Shining Armor standing at attention. “Shining Arm . . . I mean Captain, what brings you here?” “Princess,” Shining Armor said the word so professionally. It was as if he were addressing Celestia or Luna. It honestly disheartened Twilight. “I’ve come bringing news of the squad we sent out to find Moon Dancer.” “What is it?” Twilight’s ears perked up at the sudden announcement. “I’m afraid it’s bad news.” Shining Armor stated, “With all the soldiers we sent out, only one of them returned. It was the leader, Brawny Hoof who returned earlier today.”  Shining Armor immediately saw the disappointment on his sister’s face. “But, while he was unable to locate Moon Dancer, Brawny and his squad did manage to rescue a pony . . . a Pegasus actually.” “What?” Twilight said in surprise. “Maybe it’d be better if you talked to them both yourself.” Shining Armor said. Led by Shining Armor and two other soldiers, Twilight felt a bit embarrassed at having such a parade just to walk through Ponyville. She understood the necessity for it, but still felt awkward for the attention that it was drawing. Others stopped to glance at her, mares explaining to their foals that she’d be the one to save them from the changelings.  If anything, Twilight was able to see the effects of the changelings and Daybreaker were having on the citizens of Ponyville. Foals weren’t walking around on their own anymore, and a certain air had crept into Ponyville that put everyone on edge. “Princess Twilight, we’re here.” One of the guards said when he had noticed Twilight wasn’t actually paying attention to where they were. “Oh, sorry,” she said and while the two guards stood outside Town Hall, Shining Armor ushered her to follow him inside. Once in, Twilight realized just how cramped the hall had become. The once open space now housed rows and rows of beds. Nurses and doctors squeezed between patients, with some disappearing up into the upper levels with trays of food. The area closest to the entrance had transformed into a sort of waiting area.  The Town Hall was a far cry from the festival holding community center it had always been known for. Where once banners would frequently hang, now medical charts and dosage requirement sheets hung. Above each bed, a clipboard wavered for doctors to update the status of their patients. Speaking of patients, while the hospital had taken over Town Hall, not many patients were actually being treated. It appeared rather empty aside from a few ponies who’d been moved from the hospital.  If anything, the medicine cabinets and shelving held far less medicine than what they should have. But Derpy and the others will be correcting that. Twilight thought to herself. “This way,” Shining Armor announced, leading Twilight about a third of the way back, to a bed where a cute orange mare of a Pegasus sat up in bed. Her short red hair brushed against her neck, freckles glittered over her cheeks as she stared up into the eyes of a lime green colt. She brushed the blue mane away from his face, a bit calmer now that she had been awake for a few hours. When the two saw them coming, the colt stood at the mare’s bed, bowing his head and immediately welcoming both the captain and the princess. “Princess Twilight,” Shining Armor introduced, “This here is Brawny Hoof. He was in charge of Moon Dancer’s rescue squad.” Twilight smiled at the colt who only bowed his head in shame. “Princess,” he said softly, “I’m sorry we were unable to locate your friend. I understand she had knowledge that could have greatly helped our cause.” Brawny bit his lip as he explained, “We started our search at ground zero . . . the castle. But when we didn’t find anything, we fanned out into the forest. That’s when the changelings came. Some managed to escape with me . . . but we lost the rest when rescuing her.” Brawny said, nodding to the orange Pegasus next to him. Twilight nodded in understanding. “It’s okay soldier. I know you did everything you could to find Moon Dancer.” Letting out a sigh, Twilight admitted, “It’s most likely Queen Chrysalis captured her.” “I am sorry for that,” Brawny said again. “Don’t be.” Twilight said, “You still managed to rescue some-pony,” then turning to the mare, she said, “And I’m sure she is quite grateful for what you did for her.” The Pegasus only nodded and Shining Armor introduced her, “The Pegasus is Sunset Star.” He glanced over to Brawny, making sure he got the name right. When his soldier nodded in the affirmative, Shining Armor continued, “it appears that the changelings were chasing her when the soldier found her.” Though the question sounded a little stupid, Twilight asked it anyways, “Why were they chasing you Sunset?” The mare gulped, glancing up to the princess, she answered, “Well, I was on my way to Cloudsdale when I ran into them. It was a whole swarm of changelings. They appeared to be heading for Cloudsdale. At first, I thought they hadn’t seen me. So, I simply hid in the clouds, watching them.” She explained, the mare getting a bit teary eyed as she appeared to be reliving the sequence of events. When Brawny placed a hoof next to hers, she calmed down some. “I think they noticed me when . . . when I tried to fly away. Suddenly, I had several of the things following me . . . chasing me! I-I panicked and flew as fast as I could.” Sunset Star’s speech became more frantic. Her eyes grew wide as she continued, snuggling up against Brawny. “They grabbed me as I flew. I had to buck and kick . . . do everything I could just to get away. When I thought . . . When I thought they would catch me . . . and suck me dry . . . I ran into him,” and Sunset looked up to Brawny Hoof, making the colt blush a bit. “Brawny and his soldiers . . . they saved me.  If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know where I’d be.” Twilight sniffled as she rubbed her lips together. “And we are all very grateful for what Brawny did. You’re certainly lucky him and his soldiers were there.” Twilight said. Being more concerned with the changelings she saw, Twilight pressed on for details, “How many changelings did you see? And are you sure they were heading for Cloudsdale?” Sunset Star nodded her head vigorously. “I’m sure. I’m very sure. I even over-heard a couple of them talking. They were headed towards the city . . . to invade. They wanted to take over Cloudsdale . . . they were going to destroy it.” “Attack Cloudsdale?” Twilight asked shocked. She couldn’t believe it.  Did Chrysalis really have enough to be attacking the city in the sky. “Sunset . . . how many did you say there were?” Sunset Star grew quiet. She didn’t know how to respond. She briefly glanced up to Brawny and then back to Twilight. “I’m . . . I’m not sure. There were so many . . . it was difficult to count.” “She probably didn’t have time, especially if they started chasing after her.” Brawny added. “Of course,” Twilight said.  This was bad. If the changelings were to attack Cloudsdale, then they could theoretically use it to influence the weather. “I’m sorry Sunset Star. This must be so difficult for you.” “Please Twilight,” she begged. Sunset even grabbed hold of Twilight’s hoof, surprising the princess as tears flooded the small Pegasus’ eyes. “You have to do something! My family is still in Cloudsdale. They don’t know what’s happening. If we don’t get to them . . . if we don’t stop those changelings . . . Please Princess . . . my brother, my sisters, my mom and dad . . . I can’t lose them.” At this point, Sunset Star covered her eyes and began to cry. Twilight stood, unsure of how to respond. The pony was in shock, that much she could tell. As princess, Twilight simply had to do something. It was her duty. Placing a hoof gently on Sunset’s head, Twilight said, “Don’t worry. We’re going to find a way to save your family. We can’t let the changelings win.” “R-Really? Do you mean it?” Sunset Star sniffled. Twilight nodded, seeing the whisper of hope crawling through the pony’s eyes. “I promise. You will see your family again.” “T-Thank You Princess Twilight.” Sunset said, “thank you so much!” As Shining Armor listened to his sister reassure Sunset, he knew there would be further discussion on this topic later.  It’d be difficult to pull off such a rescue, and the numbers were far from in their favor. Still, the young Pegasus needed some hope right now, and so the Captain was more than willing to let Princess Twilight say as she pleased. Glancing over to Brawny though, Shining Armor noticed the soldier appeared to be in much better shape than he had earlier.  It appears that his wounds may not have been as serious as originally thought. Thank Celestia for that. We need good soldiers like Brawny during a time like this. When Twilight had finished consoling the orange Pegasus, Shining Armor glanced over to his soldier and said, “Brawny Hoof, if you’re feeling better, I’d like to get you back out on the line with the other colts.  We’re going to need all the help we can get.” Brawny stuttered as Sunset grabbed hold of him, hugging him to her chest as he glanced down at her. “Captain, with all due respect, I promised Sunset Star I’d look after her.” Nodding Shining Armor countered, “That may be, but there are nurses here who can do that. I need you all the soldiers I can get my hooves on to protect Ponyville.” Seeing the discussion between the two, Twilight hated to see the two broken apart like that.  When an idea suddenly popped into her head, she turned to the Captain and said, “Captain Shining Armor, I think I have an idea that will solve both your problems.” “What is it?” Shining Armor asked curiously. “If it’s alright with you, why don’t we have Brawny stand guard at the Castle of Friendship? It’d provide a little extra protection for me, and keep him close to Sunset Star.  Then he’d be more than able to check on her from time to time.” Shining Armor thought over the idea. It certainly wasn’t a bad one. He couldn’t stay close to Princess Twilight as much as he wanted, and having a soldier guarding her full time was certainly something he’d been wanting to setup. “That’s not a bad idea at all Princess.” Shining Armor finally said. Then turning to Brawny who appeared a bit surprised at the suggestion, Shining Armor said, “Then it’s settled. From here on out, you’ll be under direct orders from Princess Twilight. If I would suddenly need you though, I’d send word to the Princess and you’d join my forces immediately.” Brawny couldn’t help but smile, and he could tell his friend was smiling just as well. “Of course, Captain! Thank you so much, both of you!” He said, and he felt Sunset Star hugging him tightly. This was far easier than even Queen Chrysalis could have anticipated. The changeling thought to himself as he glanced down to the Pegasus, sharing a smile that only the two of them truly understood the meaning for. “Then it’s settle,” Twilight announced, “Brawny Hoof, I’ll keep you on guard at the castle from here on out. When you’re done visiting with Sunset, meet me at the castle for debriefing.” Twilight smiled proudly, quite satisfied with herself in how she’d handled this problem. “Yes, Princess Twilight,” Brawny said, bowing his head lightly, “Sunset and I are both very grateful for everything you have done for us.” “You should be all set,” Nurse Redheart said to Derpy and Fluttershy.  She’d just finished loading the last box onto the cart for the day, making this the final load that the three ponies would be hauling back over to Town Hall. That didn’t mean they had transported everything from the hospital, but that enough medicine and equipment had been moved to look after and care for the patients. “Are you ready Derpy?” Fluttershy asked politely, securing the harness around her back. “Yeah, I think so,” Derpy said, as she shuffled about in her harness. It clamped tightly around her body and squished her wings. Not being used to getting attached to anything like this, Derpy had found it difficult throughout the day to stay hooked up to this large cart. “Let’s head off slowly,” Fluttershy said, and counting her steps, began a slow trot, leaving the hospital. At first, Derpy counted her steps with Fluttershy. It helped keep them in sync and evened out their pacing. As their trot quickened, Derpy became more comfortable with her pace and no longer needed to count. At that point, she heard Pinkie Pie again humming some made-up tune from the back of the cart. With the number of breakables being carried with each load, the three had decided to keep one in the back, to watch over the cargo. In a way, it felt surreal.  The outside world, for all they knew, had come to an end. The three of them were moving medical supplies to help keep patients safe. Derpy couldn’t even deliver parcels like she used to, and here Pinkie Pie hummed and bounced around as it was just another day.  Maybe these ponies were always like this. They’d saved Equestria quite a few times, maybe it was just second nature. As they trotted further along, Derpy failed to notice some loose rock along the side of the road. Stepping on some loose rock, her hoof rolled out in front of her and Derpy lurched forward, almost falling over. When Fluttershy saw what happened, she instantly stopped, letting the cart lean onto her shoulders, giving Derpy enough of a chance to catch herself. Every-pony jerked as Derpy tried to regain her balance without toppling over the cart. It was difficult to do as the harness prevented her from catching herself naturally. She had to bend around in the directions that the harness yanked her in. Having her whole body stiffening up, trying to break the fall, and her wings cramping from not being able to open up, all caused her to yelp before finally landing all four hooves safely onto ground. “Are you okay Derpy,” Fluttershy asked, “that was a close one.” Derpy tried to return a smile, “I’m okay,” she answered. “Are you sure? This is the third time today.” Fluttershy said. Nodding, Derpy assured her, “I’m okay. The harness is just making it hard to move around.” “Well . . . umm, if you like, you could switch places with Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy suggested. “No, I’ll be fine,” Derpy quickly answered, and started pulling on the cart once more. Her sudden movement caught Fluttershy off-guard and the yellow Pegasus had to hurriedly catch up to Derpy’s movements so she wouldn’t fall. The thought of being shoved back onto the cart yet again caused Derpy to let out a sigh. I’m turning out to be more trouble than I’m worth. She thought to herself as she hung her head.  This really wasn’t what she had pictured at all.  It’s probably not what Doctor Hooves had pictured either. “Is everything alright,” Fluttershy asked. “You seem to really be stressing over something.” Derpy glanced to the Pegasus and then thought of how to answer. She thought of everything that had happened since the barrier went up. “I don’t know how to deal with all this. You and Pinkie Pie have done this kind of thing before . . .” “Well, I mean . . . even though we’ve saved Equestria before, it never gets easier.” Fluttershy explained, starting to understand the gray Pegasus a bit more. “And with losing two of the princesses and Twilight’s element, things are much different than they have been in the past. Even I’m not sure what we’ll do.” “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll involve all of us!” Pinkie Pie shouted from the cart. “It’s always more fun saving Equestria with your friends!” “It is easier having help,” Fluttershy said, “. . .  though I’m not sure I would call it fun.” Derpy sighed a bit. “That works for you, but I don’t know where Doctor Hooves is. He left Ponyville before the changelings attacked. He’s my only friend and I don’t even know if he’s alright.” “Oh, well I’m sure he’s just fine.” Fluttershy said. She’d been familiar with the doctor in question, and if memory served her correctly, he was something of a mad scientist. “Maybe he headed to one of the surrounding cities. I’d think he’d be safe in one of those.” Turning to Fluttershy, Derpy asked, “you really think so?” “I suppose so. I mean, that’s where I’d go if there were changelings.” Pinkie’s voice rang up from the back once more with, “Unless the changelings had already taken over the city! Then he would’ve stepped into a trap, and fought against all odds to determine friend from foe, and been swayed into thinking he’d found a friend, when in actuality he . . .” “Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy exclaimed, glancing back to the party animal of a pony with her eyes opened wide. “What? Too much?” “That and . . .” Fluttershy started, nodding to a box that Pinkie Pie had allowed to tip over during her rant. “Oh . . . oops,” Pinkie quietly said, as she lifted the box carefully back into its place. The sound of broken glass jumbling around inside. Derpy released another sigh. All the commotion hadn’t exactly cheered her up, but the thought was appreciated.  Deciding to end the day in peace, she jogged alongside Fluttershy, pulling the cart in silence for the rest of the trip. By the time they’d reached the hospital, dusk had settled over Ponyville. Queen Chrysalis watched as the homeland of the reformed changelings lay ravaged from her army. She couldn’t help but smile, stepping over the bodies of the reformed monstrosities that had turned against her so long ago. She relished each and every scream for help. No-one turns against the hive. Chrysalis thought to herself. “Kill every last one of them!” Chrysalis commanded, “Suck their love if you want, but make sure none of these traitors leave this place alive!” Walls from the reformed changelings’ hive crumbled around the grounds. The tree-stump of a throne burned violently, sending puffs of black smoke into the sky. What a perfect day this had turned out to be! Even with Chrysalis’ weakened army, they had no trouble in exterminating this pathetic group of pests. Their army untrained (what existed of it anyway), and their subjects scattered to the wind, without any kind of organization what-so-ever.  Chrysalis only hoped that Ponyville would be more fun to invade than this. One of the soldiers rushed up to his queen and said, “Queen Chrysalis, we found more shards of your old throne. What would you like us to do with them?” “Hmmmm,” Chrysalis thought to herself, “Collect the shards.  They may prove valuable if Tremor and Razor are successful with their infiltration of Ponyville.” “Right away my Queen,” the soldier said and quickly disappeared out of sight. Above Chrysalis, her swarms chased down escaping traitors, pummeling them into the ground. She watched a few gang up on a lone escapee, and giggled as her subjects took turns sucking the love from the poor soul, until he lost consciousness and fell to the ground with a thud. The changeling queen almost considered joining her subjects for a little fun.  She glanced around the madness that unfolded before her, some minions hunting down reformed changelings while others simply played with their prey. Chrysalis’ smile only grew wider when a very special leader of the reformed changelings had been captured, and brought up before her. “Well, well, well. So, you’re the leader of all these miscreants.” Chrysalis said, peering down into Thorax’s eyes. She barred her teeth in a sadistic grin, having dreaming of this day for a long time. “You’ve made yourself quite comfortable here, haven’t you?” Thorax struggled to free himself, but with four changelings already holding him down, he had no chance at escaping. “They trust me as their leader more than you. I don’t try to bully or threaten them!” Thorax exclaimed. Chrysalis only laughed at him and said, “And where have these wonderful leadership skills gotten you?” Letting her face grow close to his, she watched Thorax beginning to sweat. She watched the fear in his eyes growing, his pupils shrinking as she said with a hiss, “Your army was useless. Your subjects scattered like a confused herd of cattle when they saw us. And, you don’t even understand the meaning of the word retreat.” Narrowing her eyes, Chrysalis sneered, “All you did Thorax, was set up a buffet line for my changelings.” Thorax gulped. He knew he wasn’t getting out of this alive.  He didn’t even know how much of his kind were still alive. “I-It doesn’t matter what you do to me. J-Just let the others go.” He stammered, doing his best to look tough. The sight of Thorax putting on such a show only made Chrysalis laugh out in hysterics.  The timid little changeling now wanted to be brave. “There’s no one left!” Then slamming her hoof against Thorax’s throat, she shoved him to ground, crushing his wind-pipe. Chrysalis watched the changeling struggle, kicking up and trying to free himself for air. Crushing his neck only further, Chrysalis spat, “Just like how you left me that day. You took all of my subjects from me, you and that unicorn Starlight Glimmer.” The other changelings hissed at the name. Thorax froze in terror, guessing at Chrysalis’ intentions. The queen of course, noticed immediately. “What’s wrong?” She mockingly asked, “Afraid I might hurt her?” Then swinging her hoof at Thorax’s face, she kicked him across his own kingdom. The other changelings made a quick grab at him, to prevent him from running off. Bleeding from both his nose and mouth, Thorax coughed and gagged for breath. His body trembled from the beating. He could feel every crack in his ribs, his heart pounding in his chest. “You’ll . . . You’ll never get to her. She’s too powerful . . .and Twilight . . .” Chrysalis kicked Thorax in the gut, almost sending him flying back, if it wasn’t for her changelings hanging onto him. “Twilight and her princess pals are too busy quivering in fear from my army. They will fall just as hard as you have fallen here. Mark my words.” Chrysalis grit her teeth as she spoke. “Y-You’ll never win.” Thorax continued, “Y-You don’t have the army to do it. If this is all you’ve got . . .” Again, Chrysalis couldn’t help but laugh at the fool’s ignorance. “You’re right about that.” She said, then pulling out a jar of bubbling liquid, and a hoof-full of black, rotten acorns, Chrysalis explained, “That’s why I’ve got these. The seeds and growth formula to grow back my beautiful army.” Thorax’s eyes grew wide as Chrysalis delighted in his horror. “You see, I have a powerful friend in Canterlot. She’s been gracious enough to provide me with a few seeds to expand my army. All I need is this magic sauce, a few bugs . . .” Chrysalis trailed off, shoving Thorax’s head back with her hoof. “and each and every bone in your miserable little body.” “N-No!” Thorax cried. Pure terror filled his eyes. “You can’t . . .” “I will,” Chrysalis corrected. “Actually, they will,” She added, pointing to the changelings holding him down. “And this time Thorax, I will not fail. And don’t worry, your band of traitors will be joining you soon.” Having stared long enough at the pathetic Thorax, Queen Chrysalis commanded, “Kill him, and bring me his bones with the others.” “Yes, Queen Chrysalis,” her minions happily announced. Buzzing into the air, Queen Chrysalis hovered down to where the wooden throne smoldered. Kicking out the flame, she laid her little seeds of destruction into the ground. The excitement rippled through the queen’s body as she buried the seeds. This would do it. This would give her back the army that had been so ruthlessly ripped from her. This was justice. When one of the changelings brought a complete set of freshly stripped bones, Chrysalis laid them next to her planted seeds. Motioning for her onlooking minions to step back, Chrysalis opened up the jar of magically infused liquid. The odor from the jar was that of rotten eggs and molded cheese. It fizzled and sparked, assaulted the nose with its pungency. Queen Chrysalis drizzled the sauce over both the bones and the planted acorns. For a moment, there was nothing. Chrysalis stepped back, thinking she’d been tricked. But then, the ground started to boil. Dirt gave way and out sprouted a black, leaf barren tree.  Rotted to the core, several black stems leeched off the tree’s branches, holding the fangs of a Venus Fly Trap on their tips. “Beautiful,” Chrysalis whispered. Then turning to one of her soldiers, Chrysalis said, “The bugs.” The soldier rushed over to his queen with a bottle of buzzing flies he’d captured earlier. He handed it over to his queen and stepped out of her way. Using her magic, Chrysalis held the bottle out to the mouth of one of the plants on her tree. She cracked open the bottle just enough to let a few of the flies zoom out into the open air. The nearest couple of plants shot out vine like tongues, catching the flies, and reeled them in. Immediately, the tree growled and writhed, it’s base blowing up like a balloon. The bones at the foot of the tree disappeared into the ground. With a rusted belch, the tip of the tree burst as freshly born changelings flew out from their mother by the hundreds. Chrysalis laughed and pranced around the plant with glee. “This day has been just perfect,” She sang, “like the days I used to dream of when I was small.” Then slipping the jar of bugs under a few more of the plants, and letting the soldiers litter the tree’s base with more freshly picked bones, Chrysalis continued her song, “Soon every single pony, mare, Pegasus and filly, will be mine and Twilight’s kingdom, I can’t wait for it to fall!” Chrysalis cocked her head back, and joined her subjects in laughter as the tree grumbled again, throwing up more and more of her beautiful changelings. “Soon Ponyville will lay crushed under my hooves.  Daybreaker will fall from grace, and the changelings will rule over all of Equestria!”