Chapter 11 – How to plan for the end of the world
Cadence continues to hold her gasping mouth to the window as her slow trot brings her closer and closer to it.
However Shinning is the first to speak up as he turns to Milky, "What's happening?"
Milky shakes her head as she speaks up, "I know nothing of what is happening, I only know why."
"Magic is being altered."
Twilight's voice takes everypony's attention, even the two shaking guards that stand near the center of the dining hall's closed doors.
The mare's words quickly bring Cadence around as she speaks up, "What does that mean Twilight? C-could Celestia really be doing this?"
You blink to the comment as you let it sink in for a moment, how could Princess Do-nothing be the worst pony I have ever meet? The thought tumbles in your mind as you turn your gaze to the lavender mare next to you, who has locked her top jaw line to her bottom lip in a bite, "I-It's possible, the Element of Harmony is the only thing that could do something likes this."
Shining shakes his head as he stops his horn, "Why would Celestia do something like this it-it makes no sen-..."
The stallion's words are brought to a halt as the entire crystal made structure shakes and rumbles, around the room the light blue crystal walls begin to glow almost with a pulsing light from the floor to the ceiling.
Everypony standing starts to wobble a little as they shoot their heads around the room, just wondering how long and how dangerous this structure can be.
However, everypony's attentions is striped from the room as the colorful array of lights that shoot across the sky get a little more dull.
From the top of the crystal castle a large wall of blue magic is starting to form, almost like a dome around the entire city.
Your eyes widen to the slow moving wall as you look it over, it looks similar to the spell Cadence used when Sombra first tried to get into the city. But, a strong feeling of uneasiness follows the sight of the magic instead of the calmness you remember all those years ago.
Sparky's wings flare out as the young pegasus brings his voice up, "What is that!"
The tall pink mare in the room just stares with an open mouth out the window as she shakes her head, "T-the crystal heart is sealing the city..."
Just as her words come down the doors to the dining hall come flying open to a normal pale amber yellow pegasus with gold and cyan armor that holds his spiked up dark blue mane, "King Shining something has happened to the city!"
Shining nods his head to the stallion as he speaks up, "We know Flash." His words slowly come down he turns his head to the white mare at the table, "...What do we do?"
Milky's ear flicks to the words as she stands from the table, "For starters you must remove my horn ban."
Shining hesitates for a moment as he just stares to the mare's lowered head, but he brings his trot up as he moves a hoof to the crystal ring around her horn.
As the ban comes off the mare turns her attention to Cadence, "I do not fully understand what we must do..." Her eyes drift to Twilight as she continues, "I had hoped that just the knowledge of the crystal heart still in place would keep Celestia at bay... But obviously that was not what happend."
Twilight's face tightens as she glares to the white mare.
Aerolight notices Twilight's stare as he speaks up, "Milky..."
The name quickly flicks the mare's ear as she tries to talk over the stallion, "Shining and Cadence must stay here." Her eyes shift between the two rulers of the crystal empire as she holds a smile, "There will be a lot of ponies wanting answers if that dome seals them in."
You shift your eyes back to the window as you continue to watch the dome creeping down the outside of the city.
"...Next we must find a quick way to Canterlot." Her eyes drift back to Twilight and you as she continues, "You both along with me and Aerolight will need to teleport."
The words flick Twilight's ear as she speaks up, "That is halfway across Equestria! E-even if we could do that we would be in no shape to reason with Celestia!"
Milky just cocks a smile to the words as she nods, "Precisely why we must teleport to a power source...We will direct our spell to the Canterlot caverns, if its magic is enough to be used as electricity for the whole city we should be able to teleport to it with ease. It also allows us into the Canterlot castle without just walking through the gate."
Her eyes shift to Cadence as she continues with a smile, "You should be familiar with the Canterlot caverns, so you should be able to help with the spell."
You bring your hoof up as you look between Cadence and Twilight, you may not be the best with magic but you do know any long range teleporting hurts; and being hurt if you have to take on the sun god is NOT what you have in mind, "Two ponies can't do a spell like this??" You shift your eyes between Twilight and Cadence as you wait for one of them to second your comment.
However, their voices do not ring out as Milky speaks up, "This is why you and Aerolight will be helping. This is the only quick way to Canterlot, once we are in the caverns we can come up with a plan."
Shining takes a step forward as he speaks up, "No no, you're not going to trick us." He turns his head to the three guard ponies in the room as he speaks up, "You three are going with them to make sure this changeling does what she says she will."
Milky's voice comes up with a sharp tone as she turns her attention to the three other ponies-, "You are making a grave mistake adding more ponies-..."
Shining sparks his horn up as he shakes his head, "I'm not going to put anypony at risk with you." He shifts his eyes to Cadence as he nods, "We don't have much time, if that dome closes no pony can get out, not even with magic."
Twilight sparks her horn up as she tries to take a deep breath, your ear flicks to the sound of her magic as you speak up, "What do I do?"
Cadence brings her horn up as she speaks up, "Just start a normal teleportation spell, but keep your mind clear."
The words bring no real instructions to follow, but you bring your own purple magic up as you shift your eyes to the two ponies still at the table, "Violet, stay here okay?"
The mare just blinks to the words as she stares to ponies in front of her that she could very well be seeing for the last time. However her answer is not needed as Sparky nods, "We're not going any where."
"Is everypony ready?" Cadence's horn now glows bright to her magic as she holds her eyes tightly shut.
Twilight nods her head as she speaks up, "Get closer everypony...T-this spell could be bumpy."
You swallow hard to the words as you shift your eyes to the dark cream stallion that stands next to the white mare you have come closer to.
However, your sight is quickly cut off as you feel the magic to your own fur start to burn, within moments the room around you has become a flash of colors as everypony's spell burst into action. The vortex of magic that swirls to your eyes and ears is loud and feels almost like being consistently hoofed in the stomach, but you muscle through it as you close your eyes to focus on your own part in this spell.
- - -
The rush of magic that swirls around you slowly starts to subside as the spell begins to near its end. However, as the bright lights that forced you to keep your eyes fade you open your gaze to see a dark world around you.
This area of absolute darkness sends a slight chill up your back as every horrible possibility to where you have just been teleported runs through your mind. But just as quick as these thoughts pound to your head, a bright purple light glows next to you.
"Is everypony okay?"
A low green changeling like glow comes to the white mare's horn as she nods, "Yes."
The one other unicorn guard pony slowly sparks his light blue magic up as he holds his eyes to the strange area around him.
You do the same as you blink to the crystal like stones that layer the walls of the cave you stand in, "Did it work?"
Twilight only looks around for the moment as she speaks up, "Yes, we are in the Canterlot cave."
Milky trots forward as she continues to look around the area, "Are we close to the castle?"
The lavender mare nods her head as she points her hoof to the slight bend in the cave ahead of you, "The entrance is just behind the bend."
Aerolight comes a little closer to you as the two mares start to speak up mainly just to each other, "Good, we will need to split up, I and-..."
"No no no." The still shaky orange pegasus with the bright decorative armor brings his trot up as he tries to regain his composure from the spell, "...King Shining wants us to watch you, and we will NOT be allowing you out of our sight."
Milky cocks an eye to the stallion as he trots to the front of the group, however she turns her gaze to the two crystal guard ponies as she speaks up, "I'll be needing your help now."
The mare's tone squints your eyes, but before you can even think it over the cave around you has sparked up with the bright light and loud sounds of bolts of magic flying past you.
Within moments the decorative armor wearing pegasus has collapsed to the ground in a faint, just like one of the other crystal guards.
Twilight's eyes widen as she takes up a defensive stance, "What are you doing?!"
Milky slowly drifts her eyes from the crystal unicorn, whose horn still glows from his spell as she speaks up, "You did not really expect me to give myself up without the means of escape should you all not listen to reason..." Her eyes drift back to the crystal stallion who now takes on a green changeling like glow as she continues, "Still...I had thought there were two of you." She cocks a smile as she looks the falling veil of green magic that reveals the sleek black and sharp fanged changing, "...Nice blending."
Aerolight just blinks to the changeling as it nods, the young stallion has never truthfully seen a changeling, but the stories you and Twilight have told him now start to flood back to him as he stares to it.
"What are you planning?!" Twilight's words prompt you to take up your own stance a little in front of Aerolight as you impatiently wait to the changeling who continues to flip sides.
Milky however, does not bat an eye to you and Twilight as she nods, "We must break Princess Luna out of the dungeon, meaning we may have to harm guards who are simply doing their jobs. Shining's little foal sisters would be useless."
Twilight just blinks to the words as Milky continues, "..Now, I, Aerolight and my friend will free Luna and distract the guards. Celestia is expecting you, so you two will need to find a way out what you wish until Luna can arrive."
The white mare brings her trot to the downed crystal guard as she sparks her horn up to pull the armor from around his chest, "Are we clear?" The armor floats around the mare as she waits for an answer.
You and Twilight blink to the comment as you both just nod.
"Good." With a flash of magic the armored mare disappears as a Canterlot armored unicorn stallion now stands in her place. Her new deep male voice comes up as she trots over to where Flash lays on the ground, "Aerolight, you know where Luna is being kept correct?"
The dark cream stallion slowly comes forward as he continues to just stare almost dumbfounded to the new stallion, "Y-yes."
"Good."
Milky's horn sparks up again as she pulls the decorative armor from the orange pegasus body, "My spell on the armor will only last for a little, so we have no time to waste."
The armor comes around Aerolight with a slight green glow to it, but as it starts to fasten around his chest it begins to change shape and color as it becomes the normal armor the young stallion has at his own home.
Milky turns her eyes to the changeling who now copies the spells as he quickly shifts forms into a Canterlot guard pegasus, "Give us a few moments and then head into the castle, Celestia is sure to question why you will not have the crown, but at least she will not be suspicious of anything when she hears you have arrived."
As her voice comes down her trot comes up, the changeling immediately follows after the mare but Aerolight does not as he turns to you and Twilight.
Twilight's voice is the first to ring out as she takes a step forward, "Be safe...Okay?"
Aerolight nods as he tries to give a little smile, "Just committing treason right? No biggie...."
The comment brings a hard twinge of reality to your mind as you swallow, "You'll be okay Aerolight, just don't worry."
"Aerolight...We need to go." Milky's voice comes up as she holds her trot to the bend at the cave's wall.
Her words spark the younger stallion's trot up as he quickly moves to catch up with her.
As you watch the stallion trotting away you feel your throat tighten up a little, however you shift your eyes from the three ponies as a slight groan comes up from one of the two ponies that still lay to the ground.
End of chapter 11