Thunderstorm gulped as he entered Celestia's throneroom. Celestia smiled, but that didn't make him feel any better. That only meant she expected him to have done the job perfectly. He bowed down before her.
"Hello, Thunderstorm. What news do you bring?" Her regal voice filled the room.
"Uh... well... I..." Thunderstorm sallowed. "The Queen of the Changlings is dead..."
"Oh..." Celestia frowned. "She did not cooperate?"
"No, your majesty... so I had to kill her."
Celestia looked down. "I suppose it's for the best."
"Yes, your highness."
"What of the young princess?" Celestia's face showed concern. "Did she agree to come?"
"I... regret to inform you princess, but she got away."
Celestia's eyes widened "She what!?!? How guards were there including yourself?"
"Two others, your highnes... but they sustained injuries..."
"Was the princess armed?"
"No... not really..."
Celestia thought for a moment. "She escaped..."
"Y-Yes, your highness..."
Celestia sighed. "She will be a tough enemy and problem in the future if we don't find her now."
"Shall I send a search party for her?"
"Yes, please. And I'd appreciate it if she were kept alive."
"Oh... uh... yes, your highness."
Thunderstorm left Celestia by herself to think. She looked up to the sky. Even though it was day, she still talked to the sky, as if her sister could hear her. "I wish you were here, Luna..." she sighed.
"Perhaps a walk through Canterlot will make me feel better."
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Everypony bowed as Celestia walked past them. They all smiled at her and she smiled back. Suddenly, a strange rainbow filled the sky. Celestia's eyes widened. She then saw a large dragon coming out from one of the towers in the castle.
She ran towards it, amazed. "Wasn't a young unicorn filly taking a test today for my school for gifted unicorns? What was her name, again? Oh, yes! Twilight Sparkle! Well, she certainly has quite a gift!"
_________________________________________________________________
Chrysalis eventually made a fire, and it lit up the dark so she didn't feel as scared, but she thought about what had happened that day. Mother was explaining about me ruling the kingdom somday, when suddenly, mother told me to hide under the bed, and a guard entered the room. Then he killed her... and I esacped... and now I'm lost. A tear fell from her eye.
Lost.
A shiver went down Chrysalis' spine as she continued to cry. She turned her back on the fire, as if it had betrayed her, and continued to cry.
In the middle of her cries, Chrysalis somehow fell asleep. But, even in her sleep, the poor little changling couldn't forget what had just happened.
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"Okay, Chrysalis. Now, someday, you'll be incharge of the whole kingdom."
"Really?!?!" The little changling's eyes wided. She was excited, and it was pretty obvious.
The Queen giggled. "Yes, someday..."
In the distance, a scream was heard, soon followed by many more.
"Whats wrong!?!?" the changling asked her mother, who held a worried look.
"You have to hide!" yelled the queen.
Chrysalis ran under the queen's bed. "Mommy, what's going on?" She asked after she got under the bed.
"Just stay there until-"
"This is the Equestrian army! Surrender, changling!" a guard entered suddenly.
"Never!" screamed the queen.
"So be it!" the guard chanrged at the queen a spear pointed at her. Soon, the queen body fell the the ground, not moving.
"Mommy!" the princess screamed. She covered her mouth suddenly, as the guard walked over to her.
"Aha!" said the guard. Chrysalis screamed and kicked, but the guard levitated her and put her in a cage. She was sent to Canterlot.
Chrysalis found herself in front of Princess Celestia herself.
"We have the young princess!" said the guard as he bowed.
Celestia eyed Chrysalis for a moment, making her uncomfortable. Chrysalis opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find her words. Her heart began to speed up, and she began to shake, but she tried to gain confindence. She had questions to ask Celestia. She eventually found her voice, but she couldn't bring herself to look the princess directly in the eye. She stared at the ground as she spoke. "W-Why did you hurt my mother?'
After moments without hearing respose, Chrysalis looked up to find the princess staring at her blankly. Staring, as if the question wasn't even asked. Chrysalis seemed confused. She asked again, louder. "I said... why did you hurt my mother?!?!" her voice nearly echoed through the room, and still, Celestia stared.
"W-Why are you doing this?" Chrysalis asked. That time her voice was quieter than the first time she spoke. As if she were only talking to herself. But, to her surprise, Celestia reacted that time. She leaped off her throne, and landed in front of Chrysalis' cage with a crack from the floor under her hooves.
Once Chrysalis saw the princess up close, she realized how tall she was. She looked especially tall because Chrysalis was lowering herself as low as she could possibly get, as if it made her invisible. Celestia lowered her head to the changling's level, their muzzles inches away. "Why are you doing this..." Chrysalis whispered.
The changling stared into the princess' eyes. At first, they had the look of power, strength, and well, royalty! But in a flash they changed into a look of anger, hate, and evil. The kind of eyes that looked like they wanted to kill you, and would the moment they got the chance. But, this [was the chance. Another shiver ran down Chrysalis' spine as she realized she couldn't stare into Celestia's hateful eyes any longer. The changling's eyes dropped down to the princess' mouth. She saw that they wore a smile. Not the cheerful smile that a certain pink pony would have, but the an evil smile.
"Um... Celestia?" Chrysalis whimpered. Magic surounded the cage, and the door swung open. She backed away into her cage as far as she could, but it was no use. Celestia's magic surounded her too, and she was taken out of the cage.
Celestia grinned evily again, and in a flash of magic they were next to a post shaped like two sides of a rectangle, with a rope swinging from the higher and farther out edge. Chrysalis stared at it, at the end of the rope, it was tied into a circle shape. Chrysalis' eyes widened as Celestia began to bind her.. Celestia moved her closer, and closer, to the swinging rope. "No, NO! PLEASE, NO!"
_______________________________________________________
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Chrysalis' scream filled the forest. She opened her eyes, and rubbed them. She let out a relieved sigh as she realized it was all just a dream. But, it was a dream that could very well come true if the guards should find her. She looked around to make sure no one else was in her clearing. As she looked though, she noticed that nothing was there. Nothing at all in the clearing. Nothing to hide her if the guards came. She was in an open space. Open, and vulnerable. She dashed between the two closest trees and looked again for other ponies. None in sight, but it was hard to tell because it was so dark.
Chrysalis' eyes widened. Dark. She looked in the middle of the clearing and noticed several half burnt logs in a pile. The fire! No wonder I felt so cold! Cold. Dark, and cold, and lost. Another tears fell down Chrysalis' cheek as she remembered everything. She thought about her dream. Would Celestia really do that? Well, she did somthing similar to mother...
Snap!
The sound interupted her thoughts.
Snap!
They were twigs. Two twings that got snapped in half! But... if those twgs just broke... who broke them?
Snap!
It happened one last time. Chrysalis looked around closely. There were several dark shadow throught the forest. The kind of dark shadows that would make little foals burst out crying for their mother. But at the moment, Chrysalis had no mother to call for, and if she started to cry, the guards would find her. Chrysalis looked closely through all the trees and bushes, through all the- THERE!
There was moment! Chrysalis' heart was pounding so hard it seemed like it was about to burst! She turned the oppsite direction and ran though the forest. Several thorns scratching her skin, several twigs snapping, several plants destroyed. Chrysalis looked back, and saw the figure of a pony running. She quickly turned away and focused on the path ahead. Several times she nearly hit a tree because she looked back, but she continued to run. Her heart pounding faster and faster, pounding louder and louder.
She began to pant, her eyes searching for a place to hide. Soon, the hooves of the other pony began to pound the ground louder than Chrysalis' heart. She resfused to look back, she knew he was gaining, she didn't need to know by how much.
Her hooves finally lost their pattern as she tripped on a tree stump. [My leg... The hooves of the other became louder and louder, and Chrysalis closed her eyes, preparing for death. But instead of a spear, or a cage, or Princess Celestia, Chrysalis heard a voice.
"Young Princess, are you alright?"
Chrysalis opened her eyes to find not an Equestrian guard, but a fellow changling! Chrysalis' heart slowed down, and she realized how tired she actually was. She nodded slowly. "I am... okay..."
"Sorry to scare you, your highness." The changling helped her back onto her feet.
"It's okay..." Chrysalis said, trying to stop panting.
"I'm #152, your mother trusted me to care for you if anything were to happen to her."
"Oh, thank you for coming! I really need help! Celestia guards came, and-"
"I know what happened, and I'm here to help."
Tears filled Chrysalis' eyes "#152, what am I gonna do?"
"Come with me."
Chrysalis nodded and followed the changling. After much walking the made it to a small cave. "Where are we?"
"This is the shelter were a live. Your mother thought it would be best if I lived apart from the others, in case we were ever attacked."
"Oh..." Chrysalis frowned. "So, how are you gonna help me?"
"Have you ever heard of time travel?"
"Yeah."
"Well, a brown pony-"
"A pony!?!?"
"Yes, a pony. He was a time travler. I met him, and he showed me everything!"
"Are you sure that pony wasn't crazy?"
"I'm sure."
"Cause, mommy told me that some ponies are..."
"I'm sure, Chrysalis."
"And why would he trust a changling with that kind of information?"
"Chrysalis, just listen! I don't know why he told me, but he did. Eventually, I was able to almost copy his work! And now, Chrysalis, my plan is to send you to the future."
"What?" Chrysalis' eyes had never been so wide.
"I want to send you to the future! If you supposadly disappear, no one would be looking for you in the future! And, after you grow up there, you could be sent back to your original time!"
"How would I even get back?"
"Find the brown pony."
"How will I know that I've got the right pony?"
"There was also this very clumsy, purple pony with him. You couldn't miss her even if you wanted to. But, you would have to live with ponies."
"Live with ponies?!?!"
"It's the only way, Chrysalis. You have to."
"But, I'm a changling! They'll hate me!"
"Exactly! You're a changling! You can ust change into a pony for a disguise!"
"Okay..."
"Great! I'll start the machine."
"Machine?"
"Yes. The brown pony's machine was like a blue box, but he helped me make a portal for this very reason!"
Chrysalis followed the changling to a large, silver machine with several buttons and switches.
"Okay," said #152 "I'll set you to about 10 years in the future. So remember, Chrysalis, after at least 1 year, find the brown pony and tell him to send you back 10 years."
"O-Okay..." Chrysalis gulped.
The changling flipped a switch and and bright light came from something in front of her. She eventually was able to see, and in front of her, she saw a portal. She stared at it, her eyes and mouth wide open. "I can't believe it!" she screamed.
"Okay, Chrysalis, now you go through."
Chrysalis nodded slowly, and walked closer and closer to the white circle. She turned back to the changling. "What's your name?"
"I told you, #152"
"No, your name. That's like... your number."
"Then, I guess I don't have a name."
"Really? Everyone should have a name!" Chrysalis thought for a moment. "I'll call you shadow, because I thought you were one at first!" Chrysalis giggled.
#152, or Shadow, smiled. "Thank you, Chrysalis."
Chrysalis smiled, and took a step into the light. It felt... warm. She walked in slowly, and kept walking. For a moment, all she saw was light. Even where she came from, nothing but light. Eventually, the light faded away, slowly, and she found herself at the edge of the Everfree.
Something was different. It looked like the very same forest she had been in moments ago, but somehow in was... different. About 10 years different.