Twilight shrieked, tumbling through the mirror and landing on the ground in a pile. A few moments later, Sunset did as well, landing on the earth pony. “Owwwww...” the two said in unison.
Twilight looked up at the points of spears. Three lunar guards were standing over her, their weapons aimed at her face. She squeaked. “W-wait! It’s not what it, its me, Twilight Glow!” she said quickly, getting to her hooves and shoving Sunset off her. “We’re here! We need to see Nightmare Moon, immediately! She’s in grave danger!”
“Oh, we know,” one of the guards said, stepping towards her, the spear pushed a little closer to her throat. “We didn’t think we’d ever manage to find you again, bard. She’ll be ecstatic to hear how you escaped and so pleased to know you fell right into our clutches.”
The earth pony gulped. “Y-you’re… a changling… Nightmare Moon… she’s...”
“In her throne room, of course. But you won’t be going there.”
Sunset groaned and slowly got up, standing on her back hooves and taking a step forward. Or rather, trying. She flailed her hooves out, trying to maintain her balance. “W-whoa! A-ahhhh!” she squeaked, stumbling about. The changelings took a step back, their spears still raised threateningly. Finally, she got her balance. “Huh. The castle looks… dirtier,” she said, her front legs at her side. She then glanced towards the guards and Twilight, her cheeks going red. “O-oh. Right.” She lowered herself down to all fours. “That feels weird after all this time...”
“… O… kay then,” the guard said. “You two are coming with us, we--”
“Oh, please. We’re not--” Sunset said, her horn sparking. She blinked a few times and then, slowly, she glanced up. “O-oh dear...”
Twilight blinked and glanced to the other mare. “W-what? What’s wrong?”
“… I… can’t… do my magic,” she said with a little squeak.
The three guards shared a look, before grinning to each other. The spears moved in front of them. “Okay, you three. MOVE IT! We’re taking you somewhere nopony will ever see you again.”
Twilight had no choice. Slowly, she was led up the stairs, Sunset besides her. At the top of the stairs, two more guards joined them and, finally, when they left the north wing and took a side door out of the castle, a final three guards joined them. Ten, now.
She felt like an idiot. She couldn’t believe she’d thought this would work. Of course Chrysalis had guards on the mirror. She’d only just arrived and ALREADY she’d failed terribly. Both she and Sunset were going to be imprisoned and there was nothing they could do about it. At least Shining and Cadence were safe. If Sunset hadn’t convinced her to leave them behind, then--
“Oh my gosh, I’m an idiot,” Sunset said with a light giggle.
“I think I’m the idiot, here,” Twilight mumbled, her eyes lowered.
“Oh, no. Duck.”
Twilight blinked and then shrieked, ducking down moments before a red, fiery orb of magic erupted over the unicorn’s head, forming a ring of fire outwards that sent the changelings flying through the air and crashing to the ground, groaning. Her horn lit up a second later, zapping them with red beams of light and the changelings started snoring.
The earth pony stared, her mouth open. “Y-you… you can do your magic?”
“Its been a while, okay? I haven’t done a spell in years!” she said quickly, her cheeks burning. “I just forgot. But, we need to go. Now. That spell won’t keep them out for long,” Sunset said, before turning back to the castle. “Throne room, come on. You lead, I’ll follow.”
Twilight blinked and then nodded. “R-right! Of course!” she said, before turning back towards the castle and galloping off. Nightmare moon was still here, she knew it. The changelings had given just a little too much information. If she could make it through to the throne room, this nightmare would be over.
And another one would continue, but foal steps!
------
“Is EVERYPONY here a changeling?!” Sunset asked, her horn glowing before she sent another beam of red magic back at the pair of changelings chasing them. Their own magic was used against her, green light sprouting from their horns to block her spell.
“I-I don’t think so! I hope not! B-but they have to know where we’re going!” Twilight said, skidding to a stop when a guard burst out from a doorway, horn glowing with a green light. The earth pony turned and bucked as hard as she could, catching the guard in the face and sending them sprawling. “We can’t let them stop us!”
“Well, yes, but I can only stop so many of them! I’m good but I’m not THAT good!” Sunset snapped, catching a pair of thrown spears in her magic and snapping them. “Are we almost there?!”
“Yes!” Twilight yelled, her eyes on the door ahead. “Its just down this hall! If we--” She turned the corner and pain enveloped her. It felt like red hot pokers through her side. She looked down and her eyes focused on the spear lodged deep into her side, possibly piercing a rib. Sunset’s magic gripped the changeling and flung them, before she turned to the mare.
“I… I can’t take it out. You’ll bleed all over the place. It--”
“L-leave it,” Twilight hissed with pain, running as fast as she could. She knew that the moment the adrenaline stopped, she was going to be in agony. Though, how it could hurt more than it already did, she didn’t know. The door to the throne room was in sight. She could hear more changelings galloping after them and three now blocked their way, spears raised. “W-we’re almost there!”
Sunset nodded, her horn glowing a fiery red. “Go! I’ll stop them! Just get out of here!” she said, before a ball of fire formed over her horn. She flung the ball at the changelings, forcing them to scatter to avoid it. Twilight galloped through the still sizzling embers, her hooves burning. Her vision was cloudy and her entire body ached, her lungs burning from exertion. But she made it. She stood on her hooves and shoved out as hard as she could, slamming the door open. She charged in, kicking the door closed on one of the guards who had tried to stop her. She’d done it.
She’d made it.
------
Sunset sighed, watching the mare disappear. She then glanced to their pursuing ponies. “Finally, ditched her. Now, if all of you don’t mind...” A small, black orb formed over her head. Rapid bursts of magic shot out, zapping the changelings and making them drop like flies. She then hmphed, walking over the way they’d come. “I swear, should have ditched lil miss goody earth pony at the beginning. I really am too nice for my own good sometimes,” she said with a snicker, before turning down one of the halls.
“Still, I should thank her. As friends go… well. she’s been just the ideal distraction. I really hope the other you is just as gullible.” She reached out and tried to turn a door knob, frowning before rolling her eyes. Her horn glowed yet again. “I miss having hands...”
------
Twilight shook her head, trying to make her vision stop spinning. Slowly, she walked down the carpet, leaving a trail of blood with each step. Every movement made the spear hurt all the more. But she could see Nightmare Moon on the throne. Alone. There was nopony else left to get in her way. “Y-your highness.”
“Oh, my bard,” the ruler said. “Whatever happened to you?”
“T-there’s no time. C-changelings. T-they’ve come. They’re here. We… we have to...” She whimpered, stopping and falling to her knees. She felt so tired. How much blood had she lost? But still. She was finally before the throne. She’d made it. She didn’t even have to yell to make her ruler hear her. “T-they… one of them took my form. T-they’re trying to use you, to--”
“Oh, I already know all of that,” the ruler said, before she was enveloped in green flames. Chrysalis chuckled, watching the hope drain from Twilight’s face. “I must say. You came ever so close.”
“But… but… they said… that Nightmare Moon was in the throne room… that she… that…”
“And you believed them. After all… ‘They have me captive, why would they lie?’” the changeling asked in a mocking tone, before getting to her hooves. “You ponies really are just so gullible. Do you think us foals? We are changelings, deceptions upon deceptions. Did you really think we would give you any information of use, when there was even the SLIGHTEST chance you could escape?” Slowly, she began to walk towards her. “But… now there is none. You have lost. And your ruler? Your precious Nightmare Moon? She is up in her room, resting. Completely unaware that the ‘bard’ she so highly treasures is about to die.”
Twilight whimpered, staring at the other mare. Everything was wrong. She’d failed. She’d already lost so much blood, even if she could escape, she doubted she could make the trip up to the ruler’s chamber. Sunset was buying her time and might be able to, but she doubted she could walk back to the end of the throne room, let alone do it while fleeing Chrysalis. She looked around for something, anything. “I-I won’t… g-give up. I’m not a… I...” With no other weapon at hoof, she reached back with her mouth and gripped the end of the spear, tearing it out of herself. Pain coursed through her body, erupting and making her see stars. However, she leveled it at the changeling.
Chrysalis snickered, eying the bloody tip. “Oh dear. You can barely keep the tip level. Are you truly going to fight me with it? How desperate you’ve become. You--” She was cut off when the earth pony flung it with all her might. The changeling cocked an eye when it sailed far over her head, missing entirely. She rolled her eyes and watched it hit the magically trapped elements, bouncing off the shield and clattered to the floor. “You ponies are dedicated, I’ll give you that. Pathetic, though. Did you really think you could stop me?” she asked, trotting forward and towering over the wounded mare. “Especially with a small, tiny spear?”
Twilight struggled to breath, trying to focus on the creature, the fresh pain making it hard to think, let alone talk back.
“It’s a shame that you and your ruler aren’t in a true relationship. If you were, I would have been able to drain her far faster. Still. In a month’s time… I will drain her entirely. And you, my little earth pony? Well… you’ve proven to be far, far more dangerous than I expected. I’m afraid I can’t let you live. It’s oddly fitting, however. Bleeding out from one of the spears of Nightmare Moon’s personal guard. You are a story weaver, no? Truly you can see the irony in that.”
Her hole covered hoof reached out, gripping Twilight by the chin and forcing her to look up. “Tell me, bard. How does it feel to know you will be the tool by which I take over this kingdom. To know that your last, feeble attempt to save your kingdom was a pathetic, useless miss? A great story teller must have some fitting last words, no?” she asked with an amused chuckle. “Tell me, what are they?”
Twilight chuckled softly, though it hurt to talk. “Just… three… I… didn’t… miss.”
“Huh?” Chrysalis asked. And became all too aware of the shadow that was now looming over them. The shadow of a great winged and horned pony. Her ears went flat against her skull and she turned, slowly, to see Nightmare Moon standing on her throne. Fear gripped the queen. “O-oh. Your… your highness. I… it’s… it’s not what it looks li--” Her words were cut off by a magical grip around her throat, dark magic squeezing it tightly. She was driven to her knees, her head pinned to the ground with enough force to almost crack the stone. The ruler never took her eyes off her bard, however, motioning forward with a wing.
Moondancer rushed forward from behind the ruler, moving to Twilight’s side. Her horn glowed, pressure being applied to the wound. “Twilight? TWILIGHT! Speak to me. Are you okay?”
The earth pony chuckled, staring up at her friend. She could barely make the pony out, darkness slowly overtaking her. “I… think I’m...”
She never finished the sentence, collapsing when the last of her consciousness slipped away. The last thing she heard were the words of her ruler. “Pray she lives, creature… as your fate is now tied with hers.”