Celestia was slumped against the pedestal barely holding her own against the gravity exuding down on her. She reached up gingerly touching her own horn feeling a sick sense of slime upon her hoof. She pulled a bit of the slime to her nose and smelled the slime "Dispel poisoning, its draining my magic and powering its own potency."
"Sister!" came a cry from the sky as the confusion ensued around them.
Luna wrapped her foreleg around her dear sister attempting to help her to hooves. Celestia was the bigger of the two and it was proven to be bigger task than Luna assumed.
"Dear sister have you been robbing the pasty pantry again." Luna teased as sweat was forming above her eyebrow.
Rainbow streaks across the sky as changelings were being slung around as if they were mere pebbles pelting other pebbles. Luna grinned for a moment before her sister slumped against barely holding herself aloft. "What was that about the pantry little moon." The white unicorn said with much effort. A changeling was slammed into a ground, but a few feet from them hard enough to leave an impression in the ground.
Celestia rolled her head to look at her sister and spoke softly "I am gonna have to purify myself, with ancient fire Luna this is chrysalis special poison I do apologize my dear.
Luna growled "Chrysalis will pay for this, I will plague her with nightmares if i could ever find her in the dream realm." Celestia hugged her sister tightly before pushing her off in the direction of the forest, confusion was upon Luna's face.
"Save our pupils Luna I can manage this and I will organize our friends here." She wiggled her eyebrows at the unconscious changlings around them. Her cutie mark was glowing as it grew in size, at the same time crimson flames began pouring out of its core. Luna back away with small sigh and jumped into the sky spreading her wings. She looked back at her dear sister form purifying itself with flames, at the same time it was scorching the ground around herself. As if she was a small sun that created life and destroyed at the same time.
"Be well sister I shall lend my aid to our newest students." she flapped her wings in the direction she sensed large amounts of magic the Everfree forest loomed nearby. "On the wings of dreams I will always be there." she chanted her wings growing in size and energy. She left the town square blasting into the middle of the woods leaving waves of soft energy behind her.
The woods were eerie and extremely quiet as if nothing ever lived there. Rainbow dash and Twilight were running through the woods being whacked by unforgiving branches. "Ouch thats the third one that smacked me." came a painful complaint from the pegasus. Twilight stifled a giggle that nearly attacked her as she observed her friends fur who was quite ruffled at the moment. Then concern hit and hard as she noticed that blood was trickling down her hind quarters.
"How did that happen Rainbow!" Twilight teleported next to her friend who was only a few feet away. The pegasus glanced down her flank and finally noticed her wound from the earlier combat. "A changling got a lucky hit in that's all Twilight, nothing to worry about." she replied as if it was nothing.
"Yes it is something to worry about Rainbow!" came an angry but worried reply. she felt a warm sensation as waves of energy were slowly cascading off of Twilight's horn slowly healing and sealing Rainbow's wound.
"Ugh that hurts a bit." the pegasus eye's grew large as the unicorn slumped a bit to her side straining herself.
"Hey hey your pushing yourself." She held her wing around the shoulders of purple unicorn giving her strength to stand. For moment in the middle of a barely visible path stood two ponies sweating as a strange concern filled their chests. Rainbow felt awkward holding her new friend up while sweating on each other.
"So what's your plan Twilight cause mine is beating the stuffing out of them buggers." The Pegasus spoke attempting to change the awkward situation.
" I am gonna recharge myself, and then we will ambush our foes before they reach the hive." She spoke tiredly while slowly standing on her own.
"How we gonna do that we don't even know they are at." Rainbow replied irritable at her own helplessness.
A wry grin was plastering itself upon Twilights face giving Rainbow dash an illusion of madness. She leaned in to whisper into her friend ear which caused it to twitch violently. The woods around them only grew more silent as the mysterious conversation took place, as if it to wanted to hear what the mare said.
"What seriously." Rainbow said in surprise.
"Now duck!" Twilight spoke as she reared up on her legs. The Pegasus fell flat as the nearby bush was envelop in green flames revealing a changling. That was equally surprised as it received a buck to it's face sending it flying into the woods.
More flora was surrounding them and they became changlings that were entrapping the mares. Rainbow took to air and began flying in circles in attempt to create a turnado. But Everfree branches lurched at the Pegasus preventing her peagasi magic.
"What the buck." She spoke confused.
"Dash, Everfree doesn't like weather magic so becareful." Her voice echoed into the air.
Rainbow was growing annoyed at the trees and she thought to herself I'll show this forest real pegasi magic. She huffed to herself a few times as the enemy encroached into their territory. Twilight looked at her friend and blinked very slowly as she disappeared from sight. After her blinked ended she tilted her head in confusion as three nearby changing went soaring through the air.
"I am just so awesome!" She squee as she threw her forelegs into a charging bugling.
Twilight began absorbing the ambient magic in the environment very slowly. She could feel a resistance to her unicorn magic and the magic she did absorb felt very chaotic. She could feel the magic of the forest burning through her arcaneum veins causing her mane to flare and waver in the air. Rainbow felt a bloodlust in the air so unusual she turned her head along with the changlings she was battling. They all saw the lavender mare grow very still like the moment before the storms hits your home.
One of the changlings spoke with a fear in his voice "She tried to absorb magic from Everfree, it will poison her you fools."
"But our queen can absorb it and she is massively powerful what if..." the eyes of the creature widen by a hairs breath.
The storm hit as her mane flew out outward gaining a green streak while turning her eye's dark as the abyss. Twilight felt pain as the magic coursed harder inside herself twisting her thoughts destroy all who enter the woods. She fought against the urge to unleash all of her magic upon her the living beings near her.
"I will not harm my friend." she chanted to herself attempting to calm the wild energy. The cyan pegasus flew next to Twilight and reached out by extending her wing she felt a jolt of magical energy as she made contact bringing her pain that nearly buckled her.
"You can do it Twilight I ugh have faith in you." came a strained voice that the lavender mare could hear. She felt her inner pools of magic begin filling more rapid as she thought about her new friend who is standing by her in the his dangerous situation. She could feel magic emanating from the pegasus, the chaotic magic within felt confused as it was literally absorb directly into her pools of mana.
"When friendship is abound, I am no longer confound." came echo inside her mind.
The changling watching this scenario renewed their assault, as they neared them the lavender mare pour magic out creating a burst of magic that sent the charging buglings flying in every direction. Rainbow dash spotted something out of the corner of her eye and dash out of sight.
"Rainbow?" Twilight said feeling renewed as she eyed the sky for her friend and any enemies.
A voice boomed above her "Dear protege is that you." The unicorn looked above to see Luna with large luminescent wings being empowered by her magic. She landed next to Twilight causing her wings to disappear from sight.
"You look renewed dear one, brimming one would say." Luna grinned wickedly.
"Hey found them, come and give me hoof." Came a tomboyish voice from the woods.
"Is that Rainbow dash little one." Luna spoke as she cantered into the forest.
The leaves shuddered in the breeze that blew by giving Twilight a chill that passed through her fur. She followed after Luna with a whisper "Becareful I sent several changlingd flying, this could be a trap."
Groaning was heard in forest and the sounds of bodies being dragged gave Luna a few thoughts.
"That power you displayed, put our enemies in far more dire circumstances." The dark mare whickered. The lavender unicorn blushed at her statement embarrassment filling her cheeks.
"You guys are taking forever, Applejack is heavy as she looks." Rainbow dash said while dragging a translucent cocoon near them. She could feel a glare at the back of her skull, as if she were a fire.
Twilight and Luna saw Applejack in her trap glaring while sticking out her bottom lip at the mare. Rainbow dash quickly stopped her dragging and rubbed the back of her head nervously.
"We must be careful when opening the cocoon if done inappropriately could cause dire side effects." Twilight spoke aloud as if there a book in front of her.
The sky colored Pegasus spoke harshly "I could get her out of there in ten seconds no problem." She coiled her legs and gave a test flap of her wings.
"No my little blue Jay, such action will bring such harm." Luna spoke with her hoof outstretched. Rainbow dash huffed with chest slightly puff out in annoyance.
Twilight studied the cocoon while Applejack rolled in her trap to look at the unicorn. She waved at the orange mare, when she came up with idea.
"Luna with your magic and my spell I believe we can free her safely." She spoke eagerly as her eyes light up.
"If my protege believe it be, then I shall place my faith in her." Luna horn began glowing as she followed her student steps. Rainbow Dash kept a keen eye on the forest slightly hovering above the group for a better advantage. The forest living up to myth and legends became more spooky the longer she stared. Eye's of countless shapes and colors appeared to be staring at her, giving the pegasus a nasty shiver.
"Luna I shall unravel the shell, I need you to give strength to Applejack and aid me on any traps placed here." calmly spoken by the younger unicorn. Luna nodded in agreement with her protege as she proudly observed Twilight Sparkle focusing her empowered glow upon the shell. Applejack watched as her strength waned a tad for the amount of time she's been in here.
Her thoughts drifted off I wonder how Fluttershy is doing the poor little thing gotta be hungry by now.
The sky blue pegasus own thoughts wondered on about her friend Fluttershy as well, They better not hurt her, I just met the mare and I know she is really scared right now.
"Here's comes the first trap Luna!" grunted the lavender unicorn.
"That's a fat eye you have, excellent for spotting traps little acorn." Luna chuckled as her horn came to life mixing her glow along with her protege's.
"Luna we shall go over some of your terminology when we save our fellow learners." her fateye rolled along with the comment.
Twilight sparkle concentration shot through the sky as sweat beaded down her neck. the combine magic between the two unicorns loosened the ancient trap created by the changelings. barely seen runes floated to the surfaces surprising Applejack and began burning in a teal color before disappearing.
Luna chuckled as she was assisting her protege "You have quite the libido for magic don't you Twilight."
Both the pegasus and the unicorn facehooved in unison as they stared at Luna with exaggerated groan. Twilight then said " Some of the ancient Equestrian saying's don't translate that well Rainbow."
Luna arched her eyebrow a notch, then her ears drooped low as she realized what she said. A low blush was barely visible, she slowly turned her head away from the two. This action caused Rainbow Dash to chuckle as her ears flicked a few times in the breeze.
"Tarnations that took felt like forever." Exclaimed the freshly freed Applejack. Green goo stuck to fur giving her a smudge appearance, which didn't bother her in the least. "Good thing that prissy unicorn isn't here I have feeling she might faint bit at this." She grinned from ear to ear.
"Well I think she is with Pinkie pie off to save Fluttershy." Rainbow said as she looked around the forest causing her to shudder.
Luna looked towards the sky as her magic summoned her luminescence wings enchanted to her body. She then spoke with a hard edge in voice "I believe they are in more danger than we are for they are deep in the woods of Everfree." She took to the sky with a grace of a dark swan taking its veteran flight to the world above.
Twilight alongside of her two companions look at each and then with a silent nod of approval followed the streak of glimmering energy in the sky.