//------------------------------//
// The Corruption of Princess Twilight Sparkle 
// Story: Terror in Equestria:  Rise of the Dark Queen 
// by StormLuna 
//------------------------------//

It was afternoon in Ponyville and everything was going as it normally would.  The ponies were going about their regular business, laughter was coming from Sugarcube Corner, the Apple family was bucking their way through the orchards, the market was open for business and the construction ponies were putting up a new house.  While all this was going on, the newly crowned princess Twilight was having a meeting with Mayor Mare.

"Madame Mayor, what do you do when ponies start complaining about how well you are doing your job?" asked Twilight

The mayor gave her a smile and said, "Oh Twilight, if anything like that happens don't let it bother you.  With some ponies there is just no satisfying them.  You can't please everypony all the time." 

That reassured her but then she got a worried look on her face and said, "But mayor, with you if they don't like the job you are doing they can just vote you out of office.  With me, what would they do?  Would they chase me out of Ponyville, would I be forced to return to Canterlot or what if they did something even worse, such as *GASP* tried to kill me?"  Twilight started crying after she said this.

"Twilight your Majesty, they aren't going to try to kill you!  Nopony has tried to kill Celestia or Luna and ponies complain about them all the time.  Come here princess, let me give you a hug, it might help calm you down."

Twilight went over to the mayor and received her hug.  She said, "This does make me feel better Madame Mayor."

At the library Spike was asleep when Chrysalis, disguised as Twilight, came into the library.  She decided that she would lay low and wait until Twilight got home.  Spike woke up and was afraid to let Twilight know about the letter that got ruined.  He went into the main part of the library where 'Twilight' was.  She turned around and said, "Oh, hi Spike.  How were things for you today?"

Spike replied, "Uh, well, everything went ok.  I took a seven hour bubble bath and then I took a nap."

'Twilight' looked at him with a puzzled look on her face and said, "How in Equestria can you stand to sit in a tub of water for seven hours straight.  I would think that would really wrinkle your scales."

"But Twilight, you know I always take them and you have never asked me that before." replied Spike "Are you ok, something doesn't seem right with you."

'Twilight' looked at him and said, "Yeah, you're right.  I have just had a long day.  Spending 9 hours in a meeting with the mayor is really tiring."

Suddenly around 9 o'clock Spike heard somepony at the door and the door opened and in came Twilight.  Spike said to her, "What?  Are you future Twilight coming to warn present Twilight about some future event?"

Twilight looked at him with an odd look on her face and said, "What are you talking about Spike?  There is only one of me here, there is no second me around here!"

Twilight walked into her bedroom and ran straight into 'herself.'  She had a stunned look on her face and said, "Wait, you're me but I'm me.  What sort of event have I come to warn myself about this time?  Let me guess, I am going to get all worried over nothing again?"

Her likeliness replied, "No Twilight.  I have come to have a staring contest with you."

"What?  I came back in time just to have a staring contest with myself?  Why would I do that?"

Spike runs up to the bedroom in excitement when he heard this.  He said, "This going to be so awesome Twilight!  You are going to have a staring contest with yourself!  I am putting my bet on you present Twilight!"

Twilight said, "Oh ok me.  I will have a staring contest with you."

The staring contest began as Spike stood there excitedly watching the two in their stare off.  Three hours had passed and neither Twilight had blinked yet.  Once the fourth hour hit the real Twilight began to grow weary, she blinked and then fell to the floor.

"Twilight, are you ok?  I thought for sure you would beat your future self."

The impostor Twilight then told Twilight and Spike that she had to get going.  She also said, "You have a good night princess.  Don't have too much fun!  Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"  With that she left the library and sped off to the south as fast as she could.

Twilight finally was able to pull herself off the floor and said, "Ugh, I feel horrible Spike.  I didn't think I could come back to visit my self for that long.  I never even told myself why I came back."

Spike told Twilight that he had cleaned the library for her and fixed her some supper but it had gotten cold.  Twilight said, "It's ok Spike.  It is late, we really need to get to bed."

With that Twilight and Spike went to bed.  Twilight had horrible nightmares that night about Equestria falling into a horrible state of chaos and hate.  She dreamt about Celestia becoming a horrible tyrant and casting everypony into chains and made Sombra look like a sweet angel.  She tossed and turned all night long and when the sun finally rose the following morning, she woke up sore but she was not the same Twilight.

It was morning when Chrysalis finally got back home.  She transformed herself back into her own form.  She is greeted by her general.  He asks, "My queen, how did things go.  Did it work?"

Crhysalis replied, "Yes, I am certain it worked.  She was a lot tougher than anypony i had ever tried to brainwash.  It took four hours but she finally blinked and fell to the floor.  It was amazing, she saw through me when I was disguised as Cadence but disguised as her, she was oblivious to me."

"So what did you reprogram her to do?" asked Iron Sheath

"Well Iron Sheath, I have brainwashed her to rule her realm with an iron hoof.  I now believe that it will be in our best interest if I give her a couple thousand soldiers and have Green Haze become her military officer." said Chrysalis

Her general told her that he isn't sure about that idea.  He asked her about how the changeling army would get to Ponyville unnoticed.  

"Don't worry about that Iron Sheath.  I have a feeling she will be coming to pay us a visit very soon.  That is when I will give her the soldiers she will need to gather the ponies required to build her own dark tower." said Chrysalis

When Twilight got out of bed she was sore, tired and had a different perspective on the way things should be run.  "Spike!  Get out of bed, we have things to do! " shouted Twilight

"Wha-what?! Why do you yell at me like that Twilight, you know it scares me." said a startled Spike

"We have a lot of things to do.  First off, I need a different crown.  This crown is too girly, I need a crown that symbolizes my power and I need equally impressive armor to go with it.  Second, that mayor better resign or I will not so politely force her out.  I need all this done as soon as possible!  But first I have some business I need to take care of in Canterlot." said Twilight  Twilight then took flight and sped off towards the south.

Spike ran out the door and saw her flying south.  He shouted, "Twilight, Canterlot is off to the west, not the south."  

Twilight was already way too far away to hear Spike when he shouted.  It wouldn't have mattered.  She was a pony on a mission and nothing was going to stop her.  As she sped southwards, she saw a green haze on the horizon.  She thought to herself, "I am getting close, that haze is her shade of green."

Chrysalis was standing on her balcony and saw a figure of an Alicorn flying in her direction.  She said to herself, "That must be Twilight Sparkle.  The brainwashing was a success."

Once Twilight got within hearing distance of her balcony, Chrysalis shouted, "Twilight my friend, I'm over here."

Twilight flew over and landed on her balcony and said, "Chrysalis, how is everything going?"

Chrysalis looked at her with a smile and said, "We're friends now Twilight, you can just call me Chrysi.  There is no need for us to be so formal!"

Twilight smiled back and said, "Well in that instance, you can just call me Twily."

After the two new friends engaged in some minor chit chat and Chrysalis told Twilight about how her and King Sombra took the Crystal Empire she said to Twilight, "Twily, now that you are a princess you are going to need an army if you are to stand a chance against the royal pony sisters in Canterlot."

Twilight replied, "Yes Chrysi, I know that.  I am just wondering where in Equestria I am going to get one."  Twilight knew that if she just went around asking strong looking stallions to join her army they would simply think she was nuts.

Chrysalis proceeded to tell her that she is willing to give her half her army along with Captain Green Haze as a military officer.  Twilight enthusiastically accepted her offer.  Twilight discussed with Chrysalis how to do duplication spells so that she can easily rebuild her army.

Chrysalis looks shocked and said, "Wow Twily, I didn't know you can do that!  How do you know all this stuff?"

Twilight laughed and told her that she had been studying ever since she was a little filly and has studied pretty much everything that could be studied.  This caused Chrysalis to be even happier.  Having an ally with that much intelligence and a continued hunger for knowledge will be to her advantage.  

Chrysalis had a huge grin on her face and said, "You know what you need Twily?  You need a more impressive crown and some armor to protect yourself.  That decorative princess apparel, while it looks fashionable, won't help you in any battles."

Twilight replied, "I know Chrysi, I need something that will make me look tough.  What I would like is a crown made out of black iron and some steel armor.  Something that will make me look tough, mean, commanding and fearless."

Chrysalis went on to tell Twilight that she should travel to the Crystal Empire and pay King Sombra a visit, as he is the one who could provide her with the crown and armor she desires.

Twilight then asked Chrysalis, "If I am to go to the Crystal Empire, I better leave soon.  Also, when will I be able to take the portion of your military that you have offered me?"

Chrysalis laughed and said, "You can take them with you now Twily!  Captain Green Haze, gather 2,500 drones and come here.  You are being promoted to general and you will not only swear allegiance to me, but to your new leader, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

The new general replied, "Yes my queen."  Green Haze went and gathered 2,500 changeling drones and stood by Twilight's side.  "Princess Twilight, we give you our allegiance.  We will fight to the death for you."

Twilight got this evil grin on her face and said, "This is excellent!  With us going to be flying over mainland Equestria though, I am going to have to cast an invisibility spell on all of you."

"Why?" asked Green Haze

Chrysalis then shouted, "Because if she is spotted with an army of changelings flying over Equestria, not only will you guys be captured, but she would be captured as well and probably hung for treason."

"Ok, here we go." said Twilight "Whether it be one or a bunch of ones, nopony needs to see so that we don't have to flee, invisibility is the treat of not having to retreat."  Suddenly Green Haze and all of Twilight's new changeling drones became invisible.  

Chrysalis asked Twilight what the duplication spell was so she could regenerate her army.  Twilight pointed her horn towards Chrysalis's remaining army and said, "From one to two, from two to four and much more.  When one is simply mere, more and more shall appear."  She cast the spell on Chrysalis's army and suddenly her army had returned to it's original size.

"That is the duplication spell Chrysi my friend.  I hope you remember it and my invisibility spell to make attacks much easier.  I could write them down if you wish" said Twilight

Chrysi has a great memory and told Twilight, "It is alright Twily, I can remember them, my mind is like a steel trap."

Before Twilight and her army of now invisible changelings took off for the Crystal Empire, Chrysalis suggested something to Twilight, "You know, you should adopt a new name.  The title princess does not sound very intimidating.  You might want to consider yourself a queen.  Queen Twilight Sparkle fits you more and sounds intimidating."

Twilight gave her a grin and said, "I like that idea!  Queen Twilight Sparkle!  Well I am off to the Crystal Empire now!"  With that Queen Twilight and her army sped off at a great pace towards the north.