//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Changing moons // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Thunder boomed as dark clouds swirled around the Canterlot castle, lightning illuminating the imposing structure. While the castle on the hill was normally a place of safety, ponies from all nearby settlements couldn't help but gaze up at the sight with a strange sense of foreboding, unaware of what was happening within its halls. "HOW COULD YOU LOSE HER?!" Queen Chrysalis howled as her horn glowed with a blinding green light. All of the windows in the throne room had been shattered as had the once proud throne. Five changelings laid on the ground before their queen as she raged. "Do you have any idea what this could mean?" She snapped as she slammed a hoof down so hard the ground cracked under her. The leader of the five, general Fang, slowly spoke up. The changelings voice was a strange mix of clicking and chittering, though the queen could understand it perfectly. "Your highness the path has been opened and I'm certain we will find her soon. She cannot oppose you." "Oppose me? OPPOSE ME?! Do you know what could happen if she died? We would be destroyed!" She went silent for a moment before changing her response. "The magic! Her magic would be destroyed." "With all due respect your highness... The kingdom is yours. Why does that magic matter any more?" Fang asked as he stared at his queen. "Because until the device is completed Celestia may still be a threat without this power to contain her." She then sat on the broken remains of the throne. "Find her. I don't care if you have to burn that forest to the ground. Now begone and summon that sniveling prince while your at it." Her horn glowed as a small wooden chest formed in the room. It opened as five parcels flew out. "I have a job for him." "Ofcourse your majesty." The general bowed once more before turning to leave. "And the ponies that helped her escape? The... Bat ponies?" "Find out about them. And teach them there is a new queen of the night." "Ofcourse." ****** Deep in the forest the dethroned princess of the night slowly regained control of herself, her tears stopping their flow. She knew she had to find come place to go, someplace safe with food. Someplace... She heard a light crackling behind her. Slowly she turned around to let out a soft squeak. Behind her slithering from the trees was a large glass snake. It was much like any other snake except its body was almost completely see through and jagged. Fortunately while they were dangerous, there was a simple way to scare them off that all ponies knew. She glared at it angrily. "Go away!" As a hoof reached out to grab a nearby stone before throwing it. Or atleast she tried. It took a few moments to realize something had gone wrong as she stared at her empty hoof in confusion. Again she tried to pick up the stone but it didn't budge. Her hoof wouldn't grip it at all! Instead all it did was click on the rocks surface. "How... Why can't I... Eek!" The snake was now much closer as she spread out her wings and took to the air. The snake lunged but missed her hoof as she flew above. However she was already beginning to feel drained again as she tried desperately to reach a low hanging cloud. Her wings threatened to give out as she flew but she kept pushing herself. She only had to make it a few more feet and... Finally! Her hoofs reached out as she gripped the cloud... Only for her hoofs to go clear through it like as if it was a mist, as opposed to a very solid floating pillow she should be able to grip. "What?! AYEEEEE!" She screamed as her wings gave out, exaustion overcoming her as she hurtled towards the ground. Darkness overtook her vision as she plummeted down. The glass snake watched in pleasure as its prey fell from the heavens. The black pony landed in a tree not far from where the snake had been left behind and it quickly slithered to the bottom of the plant. Slowly it began to coil around the tree and slither around as it tried to get up towards its meal. It was about half way up when it suddenly realized something was wrong. It looked around and then up, letting out a strange sound as it stared into the eyes of a much large predator. The crystalline reptile went completely limp as it played dead, hoping the other creature would ignore it. It's quick actions were rewarded as soon the large creature left, abandoning the snake. With a victory hiss the snake began to slither back towards its prey, only t orealize far to late that its new meal was gone. ****** Big Mac was annoyed. He was trapped in the cave, his leg bandaged and set, and not allowed to leave until Fluttershy thought he was feeling better. Who knew what those things that kidnapped his sister were doing to her, not to mention he needed to get back home and warn everypony. The little yellow pegasus was quickly getting on his nerves, as well, constantly tending to him and refusing to leave his side as if he was some wounded filly. He had tried to get her to head off and tell everypony what happened, but apparently the forest was swarming with changelings. Taming a manticore was apparently just fine, but a couple of giant insects? Oh no, that was to much for the yellow mare. Atleast she knew how to make a good healing tonic, while it hadn't completely healed his leg it had worked enough magic into it so the pain was a dull throbbing. But it didn't help that the constant worry about every single movement he made was grating on his nerves and he couldn't even tell her without her turning into a apologetic pegasus ball. Though despite all her annoyances he couldn't help but feel happy she was alive and well, atleast he hadn't failed another pony. Like his sister... Oh Celestia he hoped she was safe. The sound of heavy foot steps knocking branchs aside and stomping on poor defenseless plants outside signaled the return of 'Manny'. Slowly the large creature entered their cavernous home to drop something large and black at Fluttershy's hoofs. He ignored it at first until the pegasus let out a shriek of fright and he quickly looked down to see what it was. Oh dear Celestia it was a pegasus. The manticore had killed a pegasus and brought it home! No. Wait. It was breathing and aside from a few cuts from the creature's teeth it was fine. Actually she looked kind of familiar. She was almost a splitting image of the princess, except being smaller and lacking a horn. Her cutey mark was even the same... Maybe she was an assistant or copy cat? "Oh... Oh dear..." Fluttershy said gently as she moved to the small wounded pegasus. She flew around her a few times before grabbing some green paste that she had made to help treat Big Mac's leg and applied it to the pegasus's back. The green paste evaporated as the cuts sealed, leaving only a small green tint to the coat to reveal they had ever been there. She then reached down to help lay the pegasus out in a more comfortable position, motioning Manny over. "Here, lay down next to her and keep her warm. Poor dear seems exausted. I wonder what happened to her?" "You should try to wake her up." The red stallion offered as he slowly tried to sit up, which sent the yellow pegasus into a protective hissy fit as she tried to make him lay back down. "I'm fine I can stand up without... Fine I'm laying down, yah happy?" He growled as he laid back down. He hadn't been this coddled since he broke his leg when he was six and it was all he could do to avoid telling Fluttershy something he knew would make her cry. But he held his tongue, he wasn't going to hurt somepony like that just because they were getting on his nerves. His last nerves. During Big Mac's little internal discussion the manticore was curling around the pegasus. Who began to make loud screaming noises when she realized where she was. "AYEEEEEEEE!" The manticore reacted in the way it knew best, opening its mouth and letting out a fearsome roar into the pegasus's face. Luna stared up at the manticore, her mane standing on end from the fearsome roar, and just gulped. She stopped screaming though! "Ummm... Hello... Manny ummm... You can let her go now. If that's ok... With you..." Fluttershy squeaked out. The manticore quickly obeyed the timid mare as it released the startled princess who quickly darted away, backing against one of the walls. "It... I... Manticore, yours?" Luna managed to eloquently ask as she rapidly looked between the two ponies and the manticore. "Eeyup." Big Macintosh informed her. "But... It... Teeth and..." She trailed off. "Eeyup." "But... I... It..." Her mind tried to process the information. Finally it came up with the only possible answer. 'A Pinkie did it.' She didn't understand the answer but she slowly accepted it. "Very well then. You." She finally realized who the ponies across from her were. Or atleast who one of them was. "You are Fluttershy? The one with the delicate voice?" "I... ummm... Y-yes..." Fluttershy squeaked shyly as she waved at the princess. "And you." She leveled a hoof at Big Mac. "I... Do not believe we have met. I am Princess Luna of the night. Ruler of... Why are you staring at me like that?" Big Mac stared at her with the same look he gave the cutey mark crusaders the time they tried to make him believe that three barrels of apple cider mysteriously dumped themselves in the lake when they were trying for their circus performer cutey marks. He was about to comment on it before Fluttershy interrupted. "Ummm... Your highness. Uhhhh... Your ummm... I mean, not to be a bother. But I'm just curious, if it's no problem... I mean, if you'd ummm, not mind, ummm..." The little mare tried to ask as she began to grate on another ponies nerves. "Spit it out!" Luna snapped as she stood up straight, her wings flaring out. A low growl from Manny made her slowly pull back. "Your horn, it's ummm... Not there... I'm sorry!" Fluttershy quickly apoligized as the princess's gaze fell. "It's... Not your fault. My horn was... No you wouldn't know." She then laid on the ground as she went into detail of what happened. By the end her wings were pulled tightly to her body and a few small tears had formed in her eyes. "All of Equestria is doomed because of my failures." Big Mac's mouth had fallen open in shock as he stared at the princess. If all that was true then that meant... "Eenope!" He said as he jumped to his hoofs, ignoring the pain in his leg as it went from a dull throbbing to a sharp stabbing. "I ain't lettin' some overgrown bug take over mah home." He ignored Fluttershy's attempts to calm him. "If you're the princess yah got an obligation. Yah can't jus' sit back and let the kingdom fall!" "But there's nothing that can be done! She holds my power. A pegasus can't stand against that. Not even an army of unicorns would have a chance!" Luna objected as she looked up at the stallion. "That don't give yah no right to jus' give up! We may not be an army but you got a stallion and one ah the elements of harmony. That's gotta count for somethin'." The red stallion stomped his good hoof down as he glared at the princess. "I... I suppose... If we could help my sister, she could possibly do something. But unicorn magic's won't be able to affect her much." She said with a soft sigh. "And why not? If we got a bunch together maybe-" "It would be like gathering matchs and tossing them into a bonfire. There are only a hoof full of unicorns who could hope to help or hurt me or my sister. And they were all at the castle already." She said with annoyance. "Ummm..." Fluttershy raised a hoof gingerly. "I... I mean, this might be ummm, silly, and... And not a very good idea, but ummm... I mean, how about, ummm... Zebra's? I-I'm sorry, I just know that ummm, Zecora knew how to make really strong uhhh, potions and ummm..." She poked at the ground nervously. "She even taught me a few... A few small ones and ummm... L-Like the one I used on ummm, Big Mac's leg... Sorry..." She squeaked as she poked her hooves together, waiting for them to tell her how horrible her idea was. If only she wasn't such a loud mouth. "That is... Actually... That could work." Luna lifted a hoof to her face in thought. "Mine and my sister's powers come from earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. But there are plenty of other kind's of magic. Zebra, gryphon, dragon, bat pony. And we have alliances with most of the species outside equestria so getting them to help should be simple." She even began to smile. "Then what are we waitin' for? Let's git while the gitin's good." Big Mac grumbled as he turned to walk out the cave. Luna pounced on Fluttershy, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you dear Fluttershy! Once again I owe you a great debt for which I assure you I will repay once my kingdom is once again saved!" The little yellow pegasus wasn't moving, having completely locked up at the word 'dragon'. "Now, let us go forth! Surely with your abilities to tame such mighty creatures you will be very helpful to your princess!" As she dragged the trembling mare outside, failing to notice the pegasus's objections. As she exited the cave she felt happiness flow from her heart. She was going to get her chance and save her kingdom. After all they did have alliances with most of the dominant species, so what could possibly go wrong? ****** Far from the forest, in the canterlot castle, prince Blueblood walked through the halls of the once royal structure as sweat beaded down his face. He had a 'royal guard' on either side of him, changelings in disguise. He didn't understand why they'd transform now, they'd already won. As they stopped at the door to the throne room he gulped nervously as he was led inside, and let out a gasp when he saw the mess. The place had been torn apart! A large hole was in the roof, windows shattered, throne in pieces... It took every ounce of self control the stallion had to avoid insulting the new queen's lack of proper maintenance. On either side of him the fake guards bowed their heads to their queen, though Blueblood didn't join them. Instead he stared at her with a look of minor annoyance. He was a prince so he surely wasn't going to bow. His own aunt didn't even make him bow to her and she was twice the royal figure this charleton would ever be. He failed to notice the glow of the new queen's horn until he found himself hurled across the room and slammed into one of the walls. "It seems your fear of my power has started to leave you. Perhaps you would like another demonstration, prince?" The queen called him prince in a way similiar to how one would speak of a maggot. "N-no... O-ofcourse not, your highness..." He groaned as he swore she broke something, beginning to remember why he made the deal with her in the first place. "You called for me?" He shrieked as the magic pinning him to the wall faded, dropping him in a undistinguished heap on the floor. "Good. Now." Five small parcels dropped in front of him, two blue and three purple. They were tightly bound in rope. "Inside those parcels are directions. You will find two groups of pegasi who can be trusted and give them each one of the blue ones. You will then find three groups of unicorns who can be trusted and give each one of the purple ones. You will show noone else what is in them and will not look inside them. Those ponies must be excellent crafts ponies as well." The prince eeked as he was picked up by his tail and soon found himself face to face with an annoyed queen. "I can tell you already plan to disobey me. If you or anypony else see what is within them I will concider you to be... Expendable." She smiled down at him, revealing rows of sharp jagged teeth. He gulped before nodding slowly. "O-ofcourse." "Ofcourse what?" "Ofcourse your highness." "Good. Now." She flung him lightly, making him bounce on the ground a few times before coming to a stop in front of the parcels. "I have decided to allow you the honor of seeing this. Count yourself fortunate." Her horn glowed as a hole formed in the floor as the six elements of harmony flew up out of the hole, before it sealed behind them. "Just in case you or any other pony ever think you will have a chance, allow me to show you what happens to your greatest weapons." The elements flew up out of the hole in the roof, circling around in a green glow. And then they scattered through the night sky, flying off and disappearing in the distance. "What did you do?" The prince asked, his mouth agape. "I have scattered the elements to the corners of the world. None will be able to use them against me ever again!" Thunder boomed as she reared up, lightning illuminating her form. "Now go! You have... Two weeks. If those are not finished in that time, I will have you replaced." She didn't even wait, her magic grabbing him and the parcels before hurtling them out the door. She then glanced out the window, gazing at her kingdom. It was going to be fine. The moment the little princess fell asleep... Luna would be found and she would be hers.