//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: A Nightmare Come True // by ShadowSprint //------------------------------// Lights faded in and out of focus. The room spun around as the pegasus opened up her eyes. “W-Where am I?” Derpy asked, blinking out the grogginess that held her in bed. It took the pony several minutes before she could move around. Her body creaked and cracked, her stomach knotted in pain as though she were ill.Looking to her left and right, Derpy found herself surrounded by beds. The air was heavy with the scent of iodoform, the smell of disinfectant. For a moment, Derpy thought she’d awoken in a hospital, but as her senses returned, she recognized the room she found herself in. It was Town Hall. Pushing herself up from the bed, the pegasus attempted a sitting position, but only fell down into bed with an ompf. “Derpy!” A nearby, sophisticated voice hollered out. Rolling around, the pegasus looked up and suddenly both Rarity and Spike were staring at her. “You’ve finally woken up! Are you alright?” Rarity’s worried eyes locked on with Derpy’s and for a moment, the pony’s memory failed her. “W-Why am I here?” “Oh darling!” Rarity exclaimed, and Derpy found herself very worried. Just what had happened to her? “You were sent up to Cloudsdale, as part of a rescue mission with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and the other pegasi.” “Yeah,” Spike chirped in, “and you rescued Scootaloo.” Spike pointed out the little filly, who currently rested in her bed. When Derpy saw the sleeping pony, she stared long and hard. In a flash, memories from the battle flooded her mind. Tears streaked down the pony’s cheeks as she remembered the training, how she had fumbled with the sword, and how Rainbow Dash had helped her. She remembered the flight to Cloudsdale, the fog, and the lightning. Derpy’s eyes grew wide as the battle roared to life before her, and she could see Scootaloo once more. Then changelings, swarms and swarms of changelings, filled the sky. “I . . . I . . .” Derpy’s voice faltered and suddenly she was smothered in white. “It’s alright. You’re alright now.” Rarity said, embracing the pegasus. “And we are all very thankful for what you did for Scootaloo.” The grey pegasus lifted up her hooves, and attempted to hug Rarity back. But, she couldn’t hold them steady enough, and so she just let herself be hugged. Taking deeper breaths, Derpy asked, “D-Did we save a lot of ponies?” At that question, Rarity froze up. She slowly pulled away from the pegasus and looked into those crossed eyes with a grave sorrow. “Derpy, I’m sorry to say . . . not many of you made it back. Rainbow Dash carried you here along with Scootaloo.” “W-What about Fluttershy? Did she make it back okay?” “No darling. I’m . . . I’m afraid Fluttershy never came back.” Rarity said, sniffling a bit. The unicorn determined to stay strong for the waking “soldier.” A rumble from overhead caught both ponies’ attention. The building vibrated with muffled thunder and the sounds of soldiers could be heard from outside. Derpy bit her lip and closed her eyes when she heard the familiar buzzing sound. The sound that travelled with her from Cloudsdale, the sound that she had never wanted to hear again. “A-Are they here?” Derpy asked, almost afraid for the answer. Again, Rarity did not want to answer the question, but the pony deserved to know. “A few of them did make it through Shining Armor’s barrier, though we’re not quite sure how.” Then remembering her duties, Rarity hurriedly pulled up a stool to check Derpy’s vitals. Though the pony appeared to be just fatigued at this point, doctor’s orders required a checkup whenever a new pony came to. “Don’t worry though,” Rarity comforted, “Princess Cadence sent us some backup. The soldiers are battling them as we speak.” In the far distance, cannon fire could be heard. This for some reason brought a smile to the unicorn’s face. “Looks like Pinkie Pie is helping too.” “M-My wing?” The delivery pony suddenly realized, seeing the bandages wrapped tightly around one of her wings. With just enough medication coursing through her system, the stub of her wing felt numb, and then the pegasus could feel nothing else. “It’s broken.” Rarity said, running her hooves over the tendons as the doctors had shown her. “We had to wait for you to recover enough for us to fix it. The doctors didn’t want to stress you too much.” “Oh . . . okay.” Derpy said, the one thing that had made her useful to other ponies now damaged, and potentially for a long time. Derpy closed her eyes, pulling up the covers when Rarity had finished. Why had she woken up? Derpy again sniffled and rolled over, wanting to go back asleep. She didn’t want to hear the changelings anymore. She just wanted to sleep. Rarity watched the pony turn away and deciding she’d had enough attention, the unicorn stepped away to wash up her hooves. “You think she’s okay?” Spike asked from behind. “Of course not. She’s been to hell and back. I don’t blame her for being a bit skittish.” Then peeking back at the pegasus, Rarity said, “At least she’s getting better.” Then noticing Sunset Star stirring, Rarity shook her head. “Come on Spike. Looks like Brawny’s mare-friend is waking. Let’s make sure she’s comfortable.” Spike nodded and followed the unicorn, carrying a few supplies along with him. Shining Armor sliced at two changelings with his sword. He watched her mow down changelings left and right with her party cannon. Her constant giggling and trigger-happy style of battle bothered the captain. He didn’t’ know whether he should be impressed by her light-hearted attitude with the battle, or deeply troubled by it. Still, with her blasting left and right, firing streamers, cupcakes, and anything she could fit into her cannon, his soldiers could gather up the changelings as they fell. The troops from the Crystal Empire showed up at the perfect moment. The sky filled with the flapping of feathered wings and pointed spears. The pegasi attacked with the same ferocity as a raging ursa minor. They threw everything they had into each attack. The number of changelings that had actually penetrated the barrier were few enough that they could be easily dropped by soldiers or Pinkie Pie. On another end of the battle were Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The two ponies had each other’s backs as they bucked and batted away changeling after changeling. It was those two that Shining Armor galloped over towards. Moving quick, he slashed down a few more changelings on his way. Ducking when one flew in low, claws outstretched. The captain’s sword thrust up, opening the creatures stomach, sending him hurling into the side of a building. Two more changelings rushed in from the side and Shining Armor tilted back, running his blade across their necks. The creatures stumbled back just in time to avoid having their throats slashed. Keeping his momentum, the unicorn plowed through a few more until he had reached the two element bearers. “Applejack! Rainbow Dash!” Shining Armor shouted over the explosive rounds of Pinkie’s cannon, and the scraping of armor with changeling claws. “What’s the situation? How many are getting in?” Rainbow Dash, being the loyal scout, quickly reported, “They only started getting in a few hours ago! Really weird!” Then glancing up, she stared at the hundreds more that still scratched away at the captain’s barrier. “What’s keeping the rest out?” “I don’t know! But we better figure it out before they do get in!” Applejack interjected. Bucking another changeling away, Shining Armor glanced over the small swarm that still remained. “If they’re getting in here, they could be sneaking in all over Ponyville.” “You think the barrier is failing?” Applejack asked. “I don’t know. Rainbow Dash . . .” and as the name left Shining Armor’s lips, the Wonderbolt vanished from sight. In the distance, a rainbow arched its way around Ponyville. Almost as soon as she had left, Rainbow Dash erupted out of the blue from the other side of the town. She pulled up just short of the captain’s position and instantly reported, “No signs of damage to your barrier!” “What about the changelings? Are they getting in anywhere else?” Dash simply nodded her head. “Not many though, but the soldiers around the perimeter seem to be fighting them off.” “We have to keep it that way. If any of them get out of sight . . . we could have a huge infiltration problem on our hooves.” Shining Armor said. “I’m sorry to split you two up, but Rainbow Dash . . .” “On it!” and the pegasus was again out of sight. Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Shining Armor thought to himself.He certainly was glad to have that pony on his side. Still, just to be on the safe side, I’ll have to shrink the barrier. The captain knew the dangers of this, knew what it could cause. He’d have to send a word out to the soldiers, to hopefully mitigate the possibility of ponies waking up outside the barrier. “Captain look!” Applejack shouted and Shining Armor turned to see what had caught the farmer’s attention. A unicorn stumbled around, outside the barrier. A bright blue colt with a slightly darker blue mane and tail wandered aimlessly. The pony looked dazed and confused, ready to collapse at a moment’s notice. He even appeared unaware of the changelings that followed close behind him. As Applejack stared harder at the pony, she couldn’t help but get the feeling she’d seen him before. “I-I think I recognize him captain! I think he was in Starlight’s village.” “Starlight Glimmer!” Shining Armor bit his lip. Something’s happened to her. Without a second’s thought, the captain galloped out past the safety of the barrier. He knew he had only seconds before the changelings would be on him. With the pony in sight, Shining Armor stampeded through the empty streets of unprotected Ponyville. Making no attempt with discretion, several changelings instantly jumped onto his tail.Shining Armor took only a couple steps and they were already breathing down his neck. Screeching to a halt, the captain bucked his hind legs back with all his might. The resulting clash with the love suckers shot them back against the barrier, bouncing them off and into the Everfree Forest. With a quick swing of his sword, the captain disposed of three more. If he didn’t hurry, that colt could be lost forever. And if he’d wandered out this far south, then something serious happened up north. Any information they could retrieve from that survivor could be vital to Ponyville. With the path momentarily cleared, Shining Armor scanned the area for the unicorn. He found the pony backed up against the wall of an abandoned building, and seeing the group of changelings close around the helpless colt, the Captain of the Royal Guard fired a hot beam of magic into the small swarm of changelings. When the spell connected, it caused a small explosion that rocketed the creatures in all directions. Taking advantage of the confusion, Shining Armor galloped in, and roughly flinging the colt onto his back, hurried towards the barrier. “No!” He cried out, watching the barrier flicker, letting a few more changelings into the town. His desperate shot of magic had drawn enough energy that it’d weakened the barrier. No time now! In order to save the town, he’d have to shrink it, or the thing could vanish altogether. Shining Armor focused his magic, feeling the pounding in his head quickening as he funneled his energy into the barrier. The dome pulsated, radiating a dark pinkish glow. The changelings inside and out of the barrier stopped to watch it. Even some of the captain’s soldiers had gawked at the strange behavior. With the brief distraction, Shining Armor concentrated, his face twitching. The magic escaping his horn smothered over the barrier and he shrunk the radius by about twelve feet. At the amount of energy that had left him, Captain Shining Armor fell to the ground. The barrier now that much farther away, his body gave out after the discharge of magic. At seeing the Shining Armor’s distress, Applejack quickly shouted to the nearest guards, “Shining Armor’s down!” Several soldiers immediately swooped on down next to the earth pony. Fortunately, they required no further instructions as Applejack led the charge out of the barrier. “Hang on Captain. We can’t lose you too!” She said under her breath. Reaching the two ponies within seconds, the soldiers fended off any attacking changelings. Applejack, picked the colt up off the captain and slung him over her back, “Come on now Captain! Not a good place for a nap!” “S-Sorry, just suddenly got so weak.” He answered, and stumbled back onto his four hooves once the pony was off him. “Well, ya can have a bit o’ rest when we’re back inside. Let’s go!” Applejack shouted and letting the soldiers do the heavy lifting, the mare, her cargo, and the captain retreated back into the safety of the barrier. “I know you’re trying your best Princess, but I’ve been approached by several ponies now in regards to the job in which you’re doing protecting this town.” Mayor Mare explained. Her words were sincere, but even Twilight could tell that the pony was agitated. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to do better.” Twilight said, hanging her head. She’d been brainstorming ideas on how to take the offensive in all of this when the mayor had stepped in to voice her concerns.Several soldiers escorted the pony here due to the changelings Twilight had been hearing outside. “Some of them have been speaking of the train that just got here full of soldiers. They’ve been wondering about a possible ride to the Crystal Empire.” “The Crystal Empire?” The mayor nodded. “Spike’s been overheard talking with Rarity at Town Hall about your communications with Princess Cadence.” The mayor paused with her train of thought. She hesitated at asking her next question, unconvinced of the town gossip that’d made it to her door. “Is it really that much safer over there?” Twilight paced back and forth. Her head swirled with everything that’d happened in the past few days. Even now, she could hear the changelings outside, though the soldiers worked their hardest to keep the creatures at bay. Brawny, upon learning of the sudden attack, stuck closer to Twilight than ever. Such is the life of a princess. “From what Princess Cadence has told me in her letters, they haven’t had any changeling activity that she is aware of. But that doesn’t mean Chrysalis and Daybreaker won’t try.” The mayor nodded her head. She’d known just as well that could happen. Mayor Mare had even told many of the ponies that had approached her the same thing. Still, the worried citizens were adamant, now more than ever. With the changelings starting to pour in, Ponyville was no longer safe. Just to protect every-pony, they had to force everyone indoors. “Then let me ask you this,” Mayor Mare continued, “do you believe the Crystal Empire is safer for every-pony.” “Mayor . . . what are you suggesting?” “I’m not suggesting anything, only reminding you to look after every-pony here. If changelings are getting in, or worse yet, if we lose the barrier, then maybe we need to ship some of these ponies north.” Twilight stopped and stared at the mayor in shock. The thought of sending defenseless ponies on a train-ride with little to know protection terrified her. When Cadence had informed her the soldiers were first coming, Twilight worried constantly over their safety. At least those soldiers had armor, weapons, and training to protect them if the Friendship Express did come under attack. “Mayor Mare, we’d be putting those ponies in a far riskier situation by sending them out.” “But if they made it . . .” “And if they didn’t!” Twilight interrupted. “It’s a long way from here to the Crystal Empire. If something happens to them en route, they have no protection.” As Twilight spoke, she noticed a soldier slip in from the back and whisper something to Brawny. Her guard nodded at the soldier who quickly scampered off. With the discussion derailed for both Twilight and the mayor, Brawny whispered, “They found a pony outside the barrier from Starlight’s village. They’re bringing him here.” “Starlight?” Before Twilight could dismiss the mayor, several guards filed into the castle with Applejack following behind. On her back rested a familiar-looking unicorn. Twilight recognized the bright blue pony immediately. “Party Favor? What happened?” The soldiers helped the unicorn off Applejack’s back, sitting him up in the nearest chair. He struggled to hold his head up, his body swaying dizzily from side to side. When offered a small glass of water, the pony eagerly drank it down, and that water seemed to steady him somewhat. “P-Princess Twilight . . . is that you?” He asked, unsure of his surroundings. “Yes, it’s me.” Twilight said cautiously. She couldn’t help but notice the cuts and bruises covering the pony’s body. Dirt clung to his mane and tail. As he became more awake, his bloodshot eyes darted around the room, as if expecting some-pony to suddenly transform into a changeling. “Party Favor. What happened?” Twilight asked again, and this time, the pony heard her. “The village . . . it’s gone.” He said. The air sucked out of the room with those four simple words. Twilight felt the mayor’s eyes drift back over to her, waiting for a response. Party Favor however, only continued. “D-Daybreaker . . . it was her. She showed up a-and attacked us with these . . . with these things. They were like ghosts, but black like ash.” The description reminded Twilight of what Scootaloo had described up in Cloudsdale. “Were they alicorns,” she asked. Party Favor nodded at first, and then taking it back, he said, “They looked like alicorns, but they didn’t act like them. Starlight tried using her magic, but . . . it just passed on through them. I was helping others escape . . . and I saw Double Diamond try and tackle one. He went right through it. But their magic . . . they burned our village to the ground with their magic!” “Where’s Starlight?” Twilight asked, holding her breath for an answer she assumed would break her heart. “I think Daybreaker took her. But I didn’t see. She did however . . .” and the unicorn reached over and pulled out a letter he’d been carrying with him from Starlight. It was the one she’d worked on writing before being captured. Dusting the battered paper off, Party Favor handed the letter over and waited for Twilight to read it. The princess skimmed over the letter, reading with dread everything that Starlight had said. Much of what she’d written Party Favor had already explained. Then turning to the mayor, Twilight used her magic to show the earth pony the letter. “Daybreaker, she’s been watching the Crystal Empire. It’s probably their next target after here.” The mayor’s mouth dropped open and she took the letter, reading it for herself. Turning back to Party Favor, Twilight asked, “Is there anything else you can tell us?” The unicorn nodded slowly. He gulped, having glimpsed at the horror on his way to Ponyville. “Queen Chrysalis. She’s coming. And she’s bringing changelings . . . lots of them.” “W-What?” Twilight asked. Her voice left her as Party Favor collapsed, and the unicorn had to be escorted out. “Sh-She’s coming here?” The princess asked, her eyes following the unicorn until he was no longer in sight. “Princess . . . we can’t keep the ponies here.” The mayor repeated. “I understand your concern, but if Chrysalis is coming here . . . we have to give them a chance else-where.” Princess Twilight turned, dazed at the wealth of information that had suddenly been thrust upon her. She turned to Brawny, eager for his opinion. The colt shook his head disapprovingly at the plan. “I-I don’t know if we should.” “Twilight,” Applejack said, her brow furrowed as she approached her friend. “Now I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but this here has ta stop! You’re gonna get every-pony killed like this!” “Applejack . . .” “No. I want ya ta listen ta me.” Applejack said, doing her best to control herself. Anger still boiled inside of her from Twilight’s refusal to go after her family. “I know you’re inexperienced with this and that, but listen ter yerself! Queen Chrysalis . . . the Queen Chrysalis is coming here; with more changelings! We’ve already got an army pounding at the barrier! And now we’re gonna have another one!” Twilight’s eyes widened as she listened. She was speechless. “I understand you have ta think of every-pony’s safety! And I’m sure the mayor understands perfectly well the dangers of the train ride! But you have got ta open your eyes and step outside! Do ya even know what’s going on out there? Have ya even seen it?” “Applejack,” Brawny said, wanting to put an end to this. “Princess Twilight doesn’t need to be . . .” “No offense to ya Brawny, but I think Twilight needs to be listening to her friends right now. Not you!” The bold statement left an uneasy silence hanging in the room. Applejack wondered for a moment if maybe she’d said too much, but dang-it, Twilight was her friend. And even a princess needed some straightening out from time to time. Twilight sighed, looking up to the earth pony, her eyes misting over. “Applejack. I’m doing the best that I can.” “Then please Twilight,” Applejack said, her voice softening. “don’t do it alone.” Suddenly Twilight couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her face. “Applejack . . . I’m so sorry, I . . .” Not letting the princess finish, Applejack embraced her friend, hugging her tight. “Now’s not the time for that. We need you strong. The mayor’s right. We gotta get these here ponies outta here. It’s the only way we can get you a fighting chance with these changelings.” “Princess Twilight,” Brawny spoke up from behind. “It’s like you said. Those ponies will be defenseless on that train.” “I reckon the only way we gonna have a chance is if you fight out there with us Twilight.” Applejack said, ignoring the soldier. “You’re a princess. But you’re also my friend . . . and just so happen to be one of tha best dang fighters out there.” Brawny continued adamantly. “Think of Chrysalis, Princess. One changeling sees you and they’ll all be on you. You are the pony that she wants most right now.” Sniffling a little, Twilight finally spoke to her guard, “But they’re right. They’re absolutely right.” She hated to do this to Brawny, but Applejack and the mayor were right. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” She said, and turning back to the others, Twilight considered her options before saying, “Mayor Mare, any-pony that wants to leave, we’ll let them. If Chrysalis is coming though, we should empty out Town Hall first. Send all the injured and get them out of the changelings’ way.” The mayor nodded in agreement and hurried off with her escort to make the arrangements. “Applejack,” Twilight said, bowing her head. “I’m sorry for being such an airhead about all of this. We will get your family back, and your farm.” “I know ya will.” Then looking again to her soldier, Twilight said, “Brawny does have a point. Chrysalis will be after me. We can use that to our advantage. I’ll wait here until they’re ready to start loading up wounded from Town Hall. Then, I’ll head out. The attention on me should distract changelings from messing with the evacuation.” Twilight knew her guard hated the idea, and even Applejack appeared to cringe at it. But it was her best bet. “The longer Shining Armor’s barrier can hold out, the better off we’ll be. Where is he anyway?” “They rushed him over to Town Hall for look-over,” Applejack said, “He took a bit of a beating getting Party Favor to ya.” Stepping forward, Brawny chimed in, “If need be, I can relay a message to the captain for you. You really should stay inside Princess.” He emphasized his last statement as he spoke, hoping to avoid causing his Queen any unneeded troubles. “Would you?” Twilight asked. “If you could warn Shining Armor about Chrysalis, that’d be great! And warn the doctors and Rarity about our plan to evacuate. The patients there will be the first ones we board. Could you also tell Spike to send a message to Princess Cadence? We should inform her that we’re sending the train back with civilians.” “Of course, Princess. I’ll be sure to pass along the message.” Twilight again thanked Brawny for everything he’s done. The changeling merely smiled back through his disguise. With a quick bow to both the princess and her friend, Brawny exited. He had hoped to keep Twilight isolated up until the arrival of his Queen. Unfortunately, that no longer appeared possible. Shouldn’t matter. He thought to himself. With the hundreds of changelings at my Queen’s disposal, this town is as good as ours. Stepping into the Town Hall, Brawny glanced around to see many of the beds empty compared to when he’d stepped inside with Twilight after the Cloudsdale fiasco.The mood had quieted considerably, and only a hoof-full of beds were actively being monitored. Sunset Star, or Razor as was the changeling’s actual name, looked quite comfortable in the little bed of his. Razor always being a bit on the lazy side, Brawny had to stifle a laugh at realizing just how fitting that pegasus skin was for his comrade. “Sunset, wake up.” Brawny whispered to the ‘pegasus’ when he’d stepped over to the changeling’s bed. Razor stirred, smacking his lips and grunted. Brawny shook the creature until he’d awakened. “What is it?” came the feminine voice of Sunset Star. “What are you doing here so suddenly?” “Razor,” Brawny whispered, “Chrysalis is coming.” The pegasus’ eyes opened up wide. “When?” “Not sure, but she’ll be here soon. Be ready.” Sunset star nodded and it was at that moment that Rarity interrupted from behind. “Why Brawny! So good to see you! Why, I haven’t seen you hanging around here in ages! Everything okay?” Lovingly patting Sunset’s head, Brawny turned away from the pegasus and looked into Rarity’s eyes. He considered sucking out her love right here. It’d be one less element wielder for them to deal with. But, it was too early, and the changeling couldn’t guarantee that no-pony would find out. “Princess Twilight sent me here.” “Oh?” Spotting Shining Armor resting towards the back of the hall, Brawny started walking towards the unicorn. As he walked, he explained, “Princess Twilight has a plan, but it’ll require you and Spike to be ready. They’re going to ship a bunch of ponies to the Crystal Empire with the train.” “They’re what?!” Rarity could hardly believe what the soldier had just said. She knew she’d been out of touch with Twilight for some time, but this just seemed ludicrous. “A-Are you sure that’s what she’s doing?” Brawny nodded. “Queen Chrysalis is coming, and with changelings already inside the town, Princess Twilight’s worried for every-pony’s safety.” Rarity’s mouth about dropped open. “Chrysalis is coming? Here?” Reaching Shining Armor’s bed, the changeling found the captain to be sleeping. “Yes, and we need Spike to send Cadence a message, warning her of our plans.” Brawny only partially listened as Rarity went on a tangent regarding a number of things, including the state of her mane and the panic of moving so many ponies at once. “How is he?” Brawny finally asked. Mid-rant, Rarity stopped to look at the soldier. Calming herself down from her brief hysterics, she said, “He needed rest after the pressure from his magic caused him a massive headache. He’ll be fine though. Probably will only sleep for another hour or so.” Brawny nodded. “Will you warn him for me as well? I’ll have to be getting back to Princess Twilight.” “Of course Darling. I’ll speak with the doctors here shortly so we can start preparing.” “Thanks,” Brawny said. He waited for Rarity to turn and hurry off. Glancing about the hall, the changeling found the unicorn named Party Favor to be resting after his rescue. The changeling didn’t like that the ponies here had gotten the heads up on Chrysalis, but at least it allowed him some prep time for his Queen. The other two notable ponies resting in hall that Brawny could see were two pegasi. One was a brightly colored foal, and the other a grey haired, golden mane pegasus with a broken wing. Both of which were fast asleep. Privacy. Perfect. Looking down at the captain, Brawny leaned in and watched the unicorn breathe deep, heavy breaths. Tilting the captain’s head so that his mouth fell open, Brawny leaned in and sucked out some of Shining Armor’s love. He would have liked to drain the captain of all of it, but he couldn’t yet arouse any suspicion. The changeling drained just enough to make Shining Armor shudder in his sleep. “Keep up the good work Captain.” Brawny whispered, smiling. “Keep that barrier nice and strong.” Taking one last glance about Town Hall, Brawny exited the building and returned to Twilight.All that was left, was to wait for the arrival of his Queen.