//------------------------------// // An unexpected alliance // Story: When the Moon saved the stars // by kittypetro //------------------------------// Chapter 15 An unexpected alliance Once outside she smiled at her friends, all who looked at her, with the exception of Big Mac who had closed his eyes in concentration. “Hey Zecora, did you do it?” Vinyl walked over to Zecora, who wordlessly showed her bracelet. “Ohhh, that looks nice, I am loving the design.” “Old griffin by the looks of it” Gilda said gliding over to look for herself. “Probably a rich family, they got a sapphire stone inlay, not many griffins got that on their jewelry.” The three turned around sharply as Big Mac lit up. As he opened his eyes Luna turned to him. “So Big Mac, tell us… are we going far?” Big Mac looked up at the mountain. “Nope.” Luna followed his gaze. “Oh you have got to be… not the dragon realm?” “Eeyup.” Luna groaned, Spitfire and Soarin looking at each other. “Well… that’s the full circle I guess” Soarin said shrugging. Spitfire was about to answer when she heard a noise. Looking up she screamed a warning that came too late. “LOOK OUT.” Everypony looked up to see Chrysalis herself, and about every single changeling. She looked at them with a raised eyebrow, landing as her changelings surrounded the group. “Well now… are we out on a small excursion ponies?” Luna rushed in front of the substitutes, who looked around at all the changelings. Chrysalis simply looked at Luna. “She figured it out… freaked out yesterday and screamed at everypony to get her every book in the kingdom that told anything about the elements of harmony.” Luna scowled. “So what now… you take us back to her?” “That was what she told me to do” Chrysalis said. Then Chrysalis scowl turned into a smile. “Wich is why I am going to help you out.” Luna blinked. “Come again?” “That unicorn have terrorized my subjects, threatened me on my life and treated us as her slaves… I am not in any hurry to obey her commands right now.” Chrysalis looked at the group. “So… how many parts are you missing?” “Just one” Luna said. “It’s somewhere in the Dragon realm.” Chrysalis nodded. “Very well.” She turned to a group of twenty changelings. “I want you to help them. Get them through the dragons pass, and make sure they get to where they need to go safely.” Chrysalis turned to Luna, levitating out a small crystal from the bindings around her waist. “I think you might want this.” Luna gasped. “A teleportation crystal… where is the twin?” Chrysalis smiled. “According to your knight guard commander… the middle of the old Pony sister’s castle in the Everfree forest.” Luna looked at her. “You’re serious?” Chrysalis nodded. “Once my subjects have seen you safe to your destination they will leave, as will I… this is simply my way of getting revenge on Starvoid, nothing else.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “OK fine, I also find the idea that Celestia will know I helped save her precious kingdom kind of amusing… now do you think you can afford to stay here?” Luna shook her head. “You are right… thank you Chrysalis, for everything.” “You don’t have to thank me… but I’d like Celestia’s gratitude if you manage to get her back.” Chrysalis rose to the air, and she and every changeling, with the exception of the twenty she had told to stay behind left, becoming a dark spot on the horizon. Luna turned to the two Zebras that up until had been their guides, turning to Zecora. “Could you be a dear telling them that we no longer need their guidance?” Zecora nodded, turning to the other two, speaking in Zebra. No more than a heartbeat after she had stopped talking the Zebra’s ran to their cart, running as fast as they could away from the group, the changelings grinning in amusement. “Come on” one of the changelings said, turning into a full sized dragon. Around him his friends did the same, turning into a myriad of various sized dragons in many colors. “Get up on our backs, we will get you into the kingdom.” Luna nodded turning to Big Mac. “Is the artifact close by?” “Eeyup.” “Good. Tell the changeling where he needs to go, the rest will follow. Don’t hesitate.” Big Mac made a small salute, smiling as he got on top of a large purple and green changeling turned dragon. Soon the group was flying through the air, over volcanoes and mountains, and snoring dragons. Big Mac closed his eyes and concentrated on his element, calling out commands of left and right whenever they needed to change their course. Soon the changelings landed outside a cave, changing back to their normal forms as soon as the group had gotten off. “We will leave you now” one of the changelings said. “The rest is up to you.” “Thank you” Luna said, bowing gently to the changelings. “You have helped a lot.” “We did as our queen asked us” the changeling said harshly. “Do not think we think of you as our friends.” The changelings turned and flew away, heading towards the barren wasteland that was the changeling homeland. Luna turned to Big Mac. “We are here for you Mac, be careful in there.” Big Mac nodded, rushing inside the cave.