//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Dangerous To Dream. // Story: This is Home. // by Lucy_Marigold //------------------------------// ~Chapter 10 - Dangerous To Dream.~ 9:39 PM, June 13, 2 S.E. The Canterlot Castle. In a matter of seconds, the party had been upturned. Cadance cast a spell, a light blue bubble appearing around them. Chrysalis stalked forward as countless drones swarmed in, attacking the bubble around them. Twilight had to do something. They couldn’t get to the Elements in time. They were all the way in the Canterlot Vault where Celestia had stored them after the events of yesterday.  Luna and Celestia spared each other glances. “Sister, get the Night Guard. Cadance and I shall get the Elements while you girls hold Chrysalis back.” The regent of the sun declared. Luna darted out of the bubble and into the night sky.  “Hiding behind ponies? Now that’s just cowardly!” Chrysalis snapped, blasting the bubble herself.  Twilight knew what she had to do. Looking at Applejack before Celestia, Twilight lit her horn, teleporting out of the bubble. “TWILIGHT!” Her friends shouted.  “I’m the one you want, Chrysalis.” She took a deep breath as her disguise dispelled around her, opening her eyes to stare into Chrysalis’s green ones.  There was an eerie silence as the two changelings stared at one another, the attack halting for a moment as confusion marred the green changeling queen’s face. “How are you alive?” Chrysalis’s voice was but a mere whisper before her expression shifted to anger. “I thought I crushed you along with that pathetic mother of yours.” She spat.  Shaking slightly, Twilight opened her mouth again but before she could speak Chrysalis charged towards her, tackling her to the ground. The younger changeling struggled until she bucked upwards, flinging the queen backwards.  “Well, you were wrong, Chrysalis! Dead wrong!”  And then she heard it, the sound of a magical bubble popping.  There were shouts as a brawl broke out.  Celestia flew out of the room, rushing to get the Elements as Cadance knocked others back with her wings, following after her aunt. Applejack dodged through the fray, bucking a couple changelings in the process as she shifted back into her changeling form, using her magic to blast them back. The General felt a rush of nostalgia of battles past as she charged her way through with utter fury. Transforming in a swirl of green flames, Rainbow Dash came down on a pair of changelings, red beetle wings flared out as she let loose a hiss. A couple changelings let loose shouts, scrambling away as their friends were pounded into the ground. Rarity withdrew ribbon and lace, wrapping them around changelings, tripping them up with Pinkie Pie blasting them back with her infamous party cannon. Fluttershy had crouched down, occasionally catching stumbling changelings by surprise as they tumbled around, tripping over the shy mare. In the centre of the battle were the two changelings, one a queen, the other just a princess. “Tell me, Chrysalis, did you ever regret murdering my mother?”  “Your mother was nothing but a disgrace to the changeling kind!” Chrysalis gritted as she charged again. “And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”  Twilight dodged another blast, attempting to fly up shakily, inexperience working against her, before being torn down by the queen, landing roughly on her back. Gasping out a weak gasp, she stared up at the murderer who was now pinning her to the ground, readying her horn.  Chrysalis’s breath was hot on Twilight’s neck as she leant down, whispering into her ear. “You’re the reason your mother is dead. She died to protect you, a worthless nymph that will never amount to anything.”  Closing her eyes as she awaited the inevitable. Twilight took a final gasp of air.  But death never came as she heard Applejack screeching something, Chrysalis forcefully being pushed off of her. “GET AWAY FROM HER!” Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes to see Applejack standing defensively over here, hissing as she bared her fangs.  “Ah.” Chrysalis stood a little bit away, hoof wiping away green ichor as she let loose a snarl. “General Alyssum. You survived too? Just wonderful. Nata always did pick the most worthless of her Hive to protect her. Remember where that got her?” The queen reared her head again, charging towards Applejack.  “NO!” Twilight shouted, darting up as she pushed Applejack out of the way, blocking the blow with her own elongated horn. “You shall not hurt my friends, Chrysalis!” “Friends?” The other spat. “Friends will get you nowhere.”  “Yeah, well, you should shut your muzzle!” Rainbow Dash could be heard yelling as a hoof descended onto Chrysalis, Twilight spotting the opportunity and grabbed one of green changeling’s back hoof in her magenta magic, the mare tumbling to the ground from the impact.  Twilight Sparkle pinned the queen to the floor, letting loose a hiss, translucent wings flaring behind her. “Friends, will give you more power than you could dream of, Chrysalis!” Twilight found herself aiming a hoof towards the mare below her before she struck downwards, again and again and again. She flew into a haze, nothing but rage blinding her. She felt hooves tugging at her, trying to pull her away yet she ignored them. Green ichor splattered her hooves as she kept pounding the creature who had ruined her life and her chances at ever knowing her true mother.  “Twilight! Stop!” Celestia’s voice shouted above the haze. Blinking, Twilight glanced up at her alarmed friends, glancing down at her stained hooves with a gurgled cry of surprise before she darted upwards.  She crumpled back to the ground and onto her haunches before sobs began to rack her body. The fighting around her had ceased as the changeling drones began to shrink away but not completely fleeing. Above the eerie silence, the only sound that filled the room was the mare’s sobs and cries of apology as Celestia eased herself down beside her.  Chrysalis was escorted out of the room by Luna and the arriving Night Guard, the changeling queen bruised and battered but not majorly wounded. Blood followed like a gruesome wedding trail behind her as she let loose nothing but a hiss and a scowl. But Twilight wasn’t paying attention to that, nor were her friends. Celestia had rested her wing over the hysterical mare as she muttered small words of comfort.  Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood there without their disguises, looking of concern and worry on their faces. 6:00 AM, July 27, 49 C.E. The Everfree Forest. Crouched low in the underbrush, ears perked as the young changeling scanned the horizon. Lieutenant General Alyssum flicked her wings a little, slowly trotting through the foliage, followed swiftly by the still young Princess Odonata. Crack. The small noise echoed around her as she motioned her small fleet of changelings forward. A few changelings sat high in the trees. There was a moment of silence before pandemonium broke loose. The small group of changelings leapt into the clearing, ambushing a group of unaware ponies. But instead of simple travellers, a group of guards reared their heads towards the group. A battle broke out as changelings and guards alike fell to the ground.  One guard charged her, slicing her side with his spear as he attempted to defeat her. His fall was rapidly achieved as the changeling kicked him back with a firm kick as Princess Odonata flipped him with magic. Lieutenant General Alyssum, Princess Odonata and a few others were the only ones standing. She stood proudly beside her broodmate, a mark in her chitin a firm memory of the ambush despite the blood flowing from the small wound.  9:57 PM, June 13, 2 S.E. The Canterlot Castle. Applejack idly traced a hoof across an old jagged scar across her chitin, frowning. What had occurred felt eerily familiar as she stared in Twilight’s direction. She shouldered past her friends, lowering herself down beside Twilight. The younger changeling glanced at her friend with tear-stained eyes. AJ could sense the sheer terror, confusion and sadness that flowed from her friend as she extended a hoof. “Princess, may ah?”  Celestia looked confused, simply nodding. She lifted her wing to allow Applejack past. Hey, Twi’. It’s me.” “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.” The lavender changeling mumbled through tears, latching onto her friend in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Applejack. I-I don’t know what happened. I was just so angry. Please don’t let Shining know about… me.” “Ah know and ah promise you that ah won’t let him know till yer ready.” Applejack slowly stroked the changeling’s hair. It took her a while to notice that something was different about her friend. Twilight Sparkle was somehow larger. Her horn had grown in length and so had her limbs. A sense of longing and loss filled the older changeling as she sat beside her friend, gently tending to her.  10:03 PM, June 13, 2 S.E. The Canterlot Castle. After a while, Twilight had dozed off in an exhaustion induced sleep and carefully carried into her old bedroom. Luna and the Night Guard had eventually escorted all the other changelings down to the barely used dungeons.  Shining Armour had been found in a nearby broom closet, having no recollection of the party. He had been there almost the entire evening. And as Twilight had requested before her subsequent nap, Shining was being kept out of the loop, at least for now.  Rainbow Dash stood defensively by Twilight’s bedside, her crimson wings fluttering around sporadically. Slowly, Applejack rose to her hooves from the nearby seat, flicking her tattered wings for a moment before she began to pace around the moderately sized bedroom. “She tried ta get inta our hivelink, Dash.” “That’s odd. Although, I haven’t been in a hivelink for at least nineteen years. It’s been nineteen years, right?” “Yeah.” There was a moment of silence. “Do you think she’s angry?” “Who? Chrysalis?” AJ turned to look at Rainbow Dash who scoffed, transforming into her pony form as she tucked her wings to her side. “No. Twilight. She seemed pretty angry when she was attacking Chrysalis. Have you ever seen that much anger in one changeling?” “Once upon a time ah did.” 11:46 PM, October 31, 31 C.E. The Everfree Forest. “SOMEPONY HELP ME!” A mare’s voice screamed into the night. It was Nightmare Night and Major General Alyssum stood with Princess Odonata at the edge of the Ponyville, just in what the locals were beginning to call The Everfree Forest. Disguised as teenagers, the two watched drunks pass by. A bag of candy sat by the princess’s hooves, overflowing with chocolate and other treats. The Princess frowned, hearing the screams once more, a sudden look of determination appearing on her face.  Following the curves of the shadows, the princess darted off. “Princess! Come-Ugh” Alyssum halted by an alleyway, something or somepony grabbed hold of her hoof. A large looking stallion with a dirty brown coat and a baseball bat for a cutie mark sneered down at her. “Let go of me.” “It’s rather late to be going around gettin’ candy? Why don’t I show you somethin’ nicer than candy, little mare?” The stallion smiled creepily, tugging Alyssum closer to himself.  “Ah said let go of me.”  “Aw, why not, sweetie?” “‘Cause she doesn’t need some creep like you around her.” A third figure emerged, baring fangs as Odonata leapt from the shadows, shedding her disguise.  The stallion yelped with a high pitched scream swiftly following, Odonata pinning him down as the princess swung her hoof down in rapid succession until the creepy stallion was nothing but a bruised and battered mess on the compact dirt ground. Alyssum would have tried to stop her if not for the fear coursing through her at the sight. “P-Princess?”  “Don’t worry, I got the other stallion that was harassing that mare. She gave me some candy. She was quite lovely.” Odonata removed herself from the stallion, wiping her mouth of the crimson mess that had gathered there. She was levitating another bag of candy with her, opening her mouth into a wide smile before frowning at the sight of Alyssum. “Are you okay, Alyssum? He didn’t hurt you did he?” She gingerly placed a hoof on top of Alyssum, worry evident through her voice and the hivelink.  “I-I’m fine.” She found herself squeaking out.