Another chapter! This one contains a choice in the end, but I won't spoil it! Read it to find out :D
The moon was still shining in the dark sky. It was supposed to be daytime, but since Nightmare Moon bought her curse down to Equestria, night is still lasting. Meanwhile, at the ancient castle of the pony sisters, the Mare of the Night and her faithful Commander were meeting each other to discuss the previous events that occurred a few hours earlier....
“So, you are telling me that you have hesitated in killing Fluttershy?” asked Luna, trying to control the anger in her voice. Twilight avoided her gaze and looked shamefully at the ground. She was badly injured, with her lips bleeding and cheeks cut. One of her eyes were slightly swollen, and her mane and tail were mangled, as if a savage beast tried to devour it. Luna sighed.
“Very well. I see that you still have feelings for your friends. I am afraid that I will have to take...extreme measures...to toughen you up.” she said, rubbing her chin in thought. Twilight looked up.
“What do you mean?” she asked, frightened. Luna chuckled darkly.
“Oh, do not worry. I am not going to hurt you in any way or form. I will need you to come with me and meet some of my old friends. But first, I shall heal you. You look awful” she assured, a small smirk playing on her face. Luna charged her horn and aimed at Twilight. She fired a small beam at her, and she yelped. A red burst later, Twilight was restored back to a healthy condition. She looked down at herself and smiled. Back in service. She then looked at Luna confusedly.
“Old friends?” she asked again. Luna nodded.
“Yes. Come with me. We shall teleport.” she ordered. Twilight trotted up and stood next to her. The ground crackled around them and the wind picked up. A flash later, both of them disappeared, leaving the old castle abandoned and lonely.
Meanwhile, back at Fluttershy’s cottage...
The night was still there, covering for the sun’s absence. At the cottage, the ruined windows and broken walls made it look like as if a hurricane hit the place. On the remains of the second floor was a small cloud with Rainbow Dash snoring on it. Close to the cloud was Fluttershy’s bed, and she was sleeping soundly. She stirred a little, and woke up. She sat up and yawned, stretching her hooves and rubbed her eyes.
“What a beautiful morning!” she said happily before turning to the window outside. It was pitch black, and her smile dropped to a look of sadness.
“Oh...what a beautiful evening..” she muttered, getting up and trotting towards Rainbow Dash. She gently poked her at first, but Dash was too stubborn, even in her sleep. Fluttershy eventually had to resort to yelling.
“WAKE UP!” she shouted. Rainbow Dash yelped and jolted into the air, her hooves in a fighting position.
“Fight me- Oh. Sorry about that, Shy.” she said sheepishly. Fluttershy giggled.
“Did you forget about the meeting we were supposed to have with Princess Celestia? We should gather the girls and travel to Canterlot this instant.” reminded Fluttershy, walking towards the dresser and taking out a scroll. Rainbow Dash nodded vigorously.
“Yeah...Canterlot. But why didn’t you wake me up later? I had an awesome dream.” she said, lying down on the cloud again. Fluttershy shook her head.
“We have to go by today. I’ll write the scroll to Princess Celestia. I want you to gather the others and tell them to meet me here. Then, we’ll be off..if that’s alright with you.” said Fluttershy quietly. Rainbow Dash nodded as she flared her wings open and took off into the sky towards her friends. Fluttershy turned back to the scroll and took a quill in her mouth. She then began to start writing....
Back to Luna and Twilight...
An uncomfortable teleportation ride later, both of them ended up in a field. But the field looked like it was...dying. Brittle yellow grass filled it, and the trees were dead. The sky casted an eerie orange hue with the night sky. Twilight looked around the place in awe.
“Where are we, Luna?” asked Twilight. Nightmare chuckled at her amazement.
“Well, my dear Twilight, we are at the domain of the Changelings. Do you know who..or more precisely..what they are?” she said, looking at Twilight. She furrowed her brows in concentration, trying to remember.
“Changelings....I read about them somewhere...I think I got it...aren’t they pony-like beings that can morph into anything they desire?” guessed Twilight. Nightmare grinned.
“Yes. And what’s corny is that their only weakness is love. Bah! As if love can stop a being like me. We must not waste time, Twilight Sparkle. We have a meeting to discuss with my old friend Chrysalis.” she said hurriedly, turning around and galloping towards a small speck in the field. Twilight shrugged and followed her, wondering who Chrysalis is and why Nightmare Moon wanted to meet her so badly...
Back to the Mane Five...
“So, all of us are ready, right?” asked Rainbow Dash. She managed to gather all the girls from their homes and now they were all packed and ready.
“Yes, but I wish Twilight was here. She knew how to get organized and ready.” said Rarity sadly. Rainbow Dash stiffened when Rarity mentioned Twilight’s name. Applejack nodded.
“Ya gotta admit, Rainbow. Twi was a good leader. Too bad she ain’t with us anymore.” she muttered, turning away.
“Yeah. But you said you saw her? Right? So she’s going to come back! Right?” shouted Pinkie, jumping up and down in excitement. Applejack rolled her eyes.
“Let’s just get going.” interrupted Fluttershy quietly, turning and going towards the door. Everypony else looked at each other and nodded, following her out of the door and towards the castle looming in the horizon...
The outskirts of the Changeling Kingdom...
“Here we are. The front gates. I am sure the guards remember me the last time I visited them.” said Nightmare fondly, looking at the large webbed front gates. Two changelings, clad in silky armor, looked at Nightmare and Twilight suspiciously. Nightmare walked up to them.
“I need to see your Queen.” she stated. One of the guards raised his spear towards her.
“Nopony sees the Queen without her written consent. I suggest you get lost, or we’ll consume you.” he growled. Twilight smirked. The guard won’t know what’s coming to him.
Nightmare looked down at the spear, and then at the guard. With a quick movement, she snatched the spear from the guard and snapped it cleanly in half. She then grasped the guard and slammed him headfirst into the ground, breaking his head. She threw his limp body aside and stared coldly at the other guard, whose jaws was dropped by her actions.
“Let me in now, or I will let my assistant execute you. Painfully.” she said. The guard gasped and quickly ordered the gatekeepers to raise the gate. With a creak and groan, the gates slowly lifted up. Nightmare smiled evilly.
“Very good. Come, Twilight. Let me introduce you to Chrysalis.” she said, going into the city gates. Twilight smiled and trotted after her....
The Canterlot Train Station....
“Remember what to say to the princess.” reminded Rainbow Dash, who was hovering above her friends. All of them nodded.
“I shall try my best to not get distracted by those lovely...Canterlotian...dresses...” she said, trailing off when she started eyeing one of the dresses a mare was wearing. Applejack groaned and bit Rarity’s tail, causing her to jump a few feet in the air and let out a small yelp. She frowned at Applejack, who laughed.
“Ah’m preventin’ you from being distracted.” she explained. Rarity glared at her and went her own way towards the castle.
“C’mon, no time for fighting. Let’s get going already!” shouted Rainbow Dash, flying after Rarity. Fluttershy and Applejack galloped at her too, followed by a bouncing Pinkie, who annoyed a nearby unicorn with her antics.
In the Queen’s Chamber of the Changeling Empire...
Nightmare Moon and Twilight were in a large, cavernous room. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a dark green glow in the room. The carpet was pure silk, and on a raised platform was a small throne with a changeling sitting on it. Two changeling guards were standing side by side, holding spears.
“I suggest you bow to her, Twilight Sparkle. It will make a good first impression.” whispered Nightmare to Twilight.
“Yes, Luna.” she said blandly, keeping her eyes on the changeling that was sitting on the throne. She was extremely intrigued by her figure. The changeling had a flowing, dark green mane. Her eyes were teal, and her mouth had small fangs. The place where her hooves are supposed to be are peppered with holes, and her wings looked like a fly’s wings. She also had a dark, crooked horn on her head, along with a small crown signifying her position. She glanced up when she heard Twilight and Nightmare whispering furiously to each other. She grinned.
“Well! Look who came. If it isn’t Luna. Or should I say, Nightmare Moon?” asked the Queen. She jumped off her throne and descended upon them. Nightmare nodded and shook her hoof.
“Nice to see you again, Chrysalis. I do not think you have met my student, Twilight Sparkle, before have you?” she said, glancing towards Twilight. Chrysalis turned her gaze to Twilight and scrutinized her carefully. Twilight broke into a nervous smile. It was an uncomfortable moment.
“Hmm...a pony? Well, as long as you vouch for her-”
“With my life.”
“Then she is welcome. Good evening, Twilight Sparkle. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Queen Chrysalis, hierarch of the everlasting Changeling Empire.” she said, shaking Twilight’s hooves. Twilight smiled back.
“Hello. I’m Twilight Sparkle, former student of Princess Celestia and versed in the art of magic.” she said, trying not sound like she is bragging. Chrysalis froze when she heard Princess Celestia’s name.
“Celestia..is she still ruling? I haven’t sent a scout for quite a while.” she asked Luna.
“I am afraid so. That is why we came here. We need your help in awakening another friend of mine.” said Luna grimly. Chrysalis thought for a while, then nodded.
“Very well. I also wish to overthrow your sister as much as you do. But first, I need your cooperation in something.” she said, looking at Twilight strangely.
“Um..why are you staring at me like that?” asked Twilight, shifting herself uncomfortably. Nightmare was also interested too.
“Yes, what do you require of my student?” she asked. Chrysalis smiled deviantly.
“My group of scientists have recently built a machine that converts any other being into a changeling. We have had trouble getting a decent test subject to try it. Since you came here with Twilight, who is a pony, we can use her in the machine and see the results. However, she will never become a pony again. What do you think?” she explained. Twilight gasped and took a step back, and Nightmare looked interested.
“Sounds interesting...what are the risks?” she asked. Chrysalis cleared her throat.
“Er...there might be several mutilations..I do not know, for one of my changelings tried it while they were morphed as a pony. But rest assured, it did not cause any issues with rats or birds, so I believe it will work for a real pony.” she said, clasping her hooves together. Luna turned to Twilight.
“As much as I want to agree on this decision, I believe Twilight has to choose. Do you want to try this?” she asked. Twilight blushed at the amount of pressure being put under her. Being a changeling seemed so..strange. Yet she sensed a feeling of power.
“Do I get anything special if I become one of you?” she asked. Chrysalis laughed in mirth.
“Special? My fellow mare, you will receive wings, morphing skills and agility like no pony! Also, the magical boost will be a nice addition to your already exceptional magical skills.” she said boastfully. Twilight looked at Luna.
“If it boosts my magic, then I’m up for it. I’ll go.” she said bravely, taking a step forward. She felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned to see Nightmare look at her seriously.
“Are you sure? You do realize that you will never become a pony again. You will never be the same with pony society, unless you morph to be like them. You will be powerful, but at the cost of being weak to love. This is a very important decision, Twilight. Make your choice.” she said cautiously. Twilight’s ears flopped as Luna’s words sunk into her brain. Leave the world of being a pony, and be converted to a powerful changeling with a weakness to trivial love? Or remain a pony and be weak, but resistant to it. This decision will affect her life. She has to choose wisely.
Now, I want the reviewers to decide. Should Twilight become a changeling, or should she remain a pony? Remember that she can morph into her original form if she become a changeling, so post your opinions! Oh, and next chapter will come soon :3