Chapter 3
“Did you have to attack them in the open like that?” I ask Mother as we ran from the town. Mother carried a pony that she had put into a pod, with her magic. The shouts of angry ‘towns folk’ could be heard behind us. Night had fallen and they held torches to see. However, the torches were helping us locate and avoid them. They surrounded us on all sides except the front, looking like a U from above. The towns folk had chased us into a forest on the other side of the town
“Yes, I did. They had already figured out I was a changeling, and I wasn’t about to leave without a food source!” Mother says as she doges a tree. I suppose she was right but still there was other ways of going about it. “Like what, Child what could I have done differently!?” she hisses clearly angered.
“I don’t know.” I say as I try thinking about how the night sky looks rather nice tonight, in an attempt to block her mind reading. No more is said as Chrysalis ducks under fallen trees and leaps over roots.
Occasionally the pod hits a branch, and each time I wince thinking the pod might break. I wasn’t proud of kidnaping this pony, but we had to eat. Besides, I was really hungry.
Suddenly Mother stops on a dime. I quickly hug Chrysalis neck, to avoid flying off and into the bushes. I look around her neck to see why she stopped. A spear is leveled at her heart. My heart quickens when I see the white stallion his golden armor glinting in the moonlight. Mother turns to run back the way we came only to find us surrounded on all sides.
“Well Buck.” She says dropping the pod.
It didn’t take long for them to subdue my Mother. We both were depleted on energy, we were tired and hungry. Chrysalis had been running pretty match all day, and she was practically dead on her hooves. As for me, well I was pretty much useless in any situation.
They put shackles on Chrysalis, and told a guard to watch me. Frankly they weren’t that worried about me. They loaded her into the back of a prison wagon, and drove us back towards Dodge junction.
I was terrified of what might happen. Not only for myself but for my Mother too. I knew she could feel my fear and I tried to calm myself. That didn’t go well though I was too scared.
A guard held me in the back with Mother. She looked at me with calm eyes. A calming feeling spread over me. I knew she had done something, and I mentally thanked her for it. My guard was nicer than the other guards. As he held me gently, and didn’t antagonize me or my Mother. A gesture which I was grateful for. I knew it would be a long ride so I tried to sleep.
I dreamt I was in the wastelands again. The hard-cracked earth and the scorching sun was a truly miserable experience. I wandered aimlessly until I felt a cool breeze. Odd because in the wasteland there was nothing but scorching breezes, that made you hotter than you were before. I turned around to come face to face with a deep blue pony, with a waving mane and tail that billowed in the breeze. Stars glistened in her mane and tail looking like the night sky.
“Hello, Young one. I have been informed, that you were found with, Queen Chrysalis. Why is that?”
“Who are you? And why do you care?” I ask trying to not stare at her waving mane.
“I am, Princess Luna, I control the rising and setting of the moon. I also walk in the dreams of ponies to rid them of nightmares. And I care because, Queen Chrysalis has done some very bad things. And I need to know why she would be carrying around a baby changeling.” She says calmly and regally.
“I am inclined to believe this is more of an, interrogation than a friendly Q and A. I don’t answer interrogation questions.” I say coldly.
“This isn’t an interrogation. I am merely curious. It is very out of the ordinary for the Queen to be carrying around one so young.” She says in a slightly patronizing way.
“I think that is none of your business.” I say turning around in a huff.
“You dare turn your back on a Princess! That is my land you and the Queen have been trapesing through, that makes this my business!” She snarls.
“Well you’re not the only Princess here!” I snap back, and instantly regret it.
“Well I suppose that answers my question.” She says calmly, as if she had never been upset in the first place. “Now, where have you been all this time?”
I chuckle a bit at this knowing despite the fact that she knows that Chrysalis is my Mother she would never guess that question in a million years. “Good luck guessing.” I say calmly as I begin walking away. She continues to pester me all night, through all of which I don’t say a word.
I wake to the sound of a train whistle. We are standing at the platform to get on the train. My guard is still holding me while, Mother watches him like a hawk. I yawn and grin evilly as I watch the domino effect on the guards. Every guard yawns one after the next. Each guard is clearly tired, while Mother looks a bit better. My stomach rumbles and I wish for some food I haven’t eaten in days. My guard hears my stomach and looks around to make sure no one is watching. Nobody is except Chrysalis all the guards are watching her. The guard looks down at me and smiles kindly. He quickly raps me in a hug. I feel the need to breath in through my mouth so I do. As I suck in a large breath of air, my hunger starts to fade. I don’t know what would happen If I took too much but I don’t want to hurt this guard. So, I only take three more breaths. Before I stop breathing through my mouth and switch to my nose. The guard smiles at me and breaks off the hug. I notice Mother is still watching, I look at her and she smiles and nods.
We board the train and I am happy to find that the guards planned to let Chrysalis hold me for a while. As we sat in our seats I noticed that all the ponies sat as far away from us as possible. The guards took seats all around us. My guard sat at a window seat across from us.
“That is one interesting guard.” Mother whispers to me.
“Yeah, you know he gave me some love!” I whisper back.
“You were smart to not drain him. He might feed you again if you continue to be nice.” She says grinning at me.
“What about you? Don’t you need food too.” I ask worried, after all she had been spending the most energy. I had only been stumbling around.
“I will soon, but not yet.” She whispers in my ear.
Despite the fact that we were prisoners, I found the train to be quite exciting as I had never been on a train before. We had to be moving at least 40mph, pretty good for a train. We were sitting in a window seat and I got to see the landscape it was starting to get greener. After a while I got bored of looking at the landscape. I hope this ride is almost over. I think looking around to see that the ponies were watching us I locked eyes with one pony. We were having a good staring contest when she shrieked and leaped out of view I suspected she was hiding under her seat.
Not long after that the train started to slow, before screeching to a stop. The ponies as they hurried off as fast as they possibly could. Leavening only the guards and us on the train. They made no move to get off so I suspected this wasn’t our stop.
Suddenly a white pony with a flowing multi colored mane and tail wearing a crown and some sort of neck thingy walked into the car. All the guards bowed low to the pony.
“Rise my little ponies, I am merely here for the princess.
“No, you won’t take my daughter!” Mother screamed standing up the guards prodded her with their spears. One was placed under her chin.
“Don’t worry chrysie she will be fine. However, I need to get her to, Twilight so she can learn about the magic of friendship before it is too late. Maybe she will join Thorax’s hive when this is all done.” The white pony said.
“She will never betray me, Celestia. I don’t know how you figured out who she was, but you will never convert her.” Queen Chrysalis spits angerly.
“Oh, nopony can resist my Sister’s interrogation tactics.” Chuckles Celestia.
“Curse you, Luna!” I shriek as Celestia pulls me away from my Mother.
“Bite your tongue, child you do not speak of your ruler like that.” Celestia says as she holds me beside her.
“Good job, Titania! Don’t let them convert you!” Mother says before a guard whacks her with the butt of his spear.
“Buck, you, Celestia! A thousand curses upon your name!” I say as Mother gets back up. Several guards looked shocked at my outburst. And Celestia looks pissed.
“Don’t ever change daughter.” Says the queen grinning a grim smile at me.
“I won’t!” I say as Sunbutt floats me outside of the train car.
“Don’t worry child once we lock away Chrysalis for good you wont ever have to see her again.” Sunbutt says. If I could I would spit in her face. I think knowing that Mother can still hear my thoughts.
“I hate you Sunbutt!” I snarl looking away from her.
“I got that impression. However someday I hope we can be friends.” She sighs leading me into the town of Ponyville.
I want to ask where we are going. But I don’t wish to grace her with a question. Instead I just float along. My question is answered anyways as we head towards a giant tree castle that seems to be made of crystal. As we get to the door Celestia knocks thee times on the giant door.
“One moment.” Says a male voice from inside. The door is flung open by a small green and purple dragon.
“Hello, Spike.” Says Sunbutt in a calm Motherly voice.
“Princess Celestia! What are you doing here?” Asks Spike.
“Is, Twilight around? I would prefer to only say this once.” She says walking inside.
“Yes actually, she Is in the library.”
“Thank you spike.” Sunbutt and Spike walk down the hall towards the library, with me in tow.
We reach an open door and I am floated inside.
“Twilight, Princess Celestia is here!” Spike yells at the book shelves. There is a familiar pop and suddenly a purple unicorn with wings is standing in the middle of the room.
“Princess Celestia, it is so good to see you. And it appears you brought a friend.” She says looking at me. “Did you shrink Chrysalis?” She asks.
“I wish.” Sighs Sunbutt. “Princess Twilight please say hello to, Princess Titania daughter of, Chrysalis.” She says gesturing to me with a hoof. “She is here to learn about friendship before it is too late.”
“It is very nice to meet you, Titania. And Celestia it is never too late to learn about the magic of friendship.” Says Twilight smiling at me.
“Oh, Princess Twilight please show me how to make friends! How to make friends is something that every changeling must learn, because we are all stupid!” I say plastering my face with a clearly fake grin and lacing my voice with peppy sarcasm. Twilight looked slightly hurt at my words.
“Hey don’t mock, Twilight!” Spike says, trying to defend her.
“It’s ok, Spike the baby changeling is probably just tired and hungry, from her long trip.” She counters. Ooh she is good. I think to myself.
“Where did you find her?” Asks Spike.
“Oh, when we captured, Chrysalis, Titania was with her.” Sunbutt explains.
“You captured Queen Chrysalis!” Exclaims twilight.
“We can talk about this later Princess Twilight but for now I must leave.” Sunbutt says setting me down on the ground and teleporting away. Leaving me in the hooves of Princess Twilight.