Time Troubles part 5 Chrysalisverse
Part 1
Not As They Appear
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We drop out of the time portal, Twilight and myself using our wings to steady ourselves, Twilight grabbing Spike in her magic, keeping him aloft with us.
“Now all we have to do now is find Starlight and—”
Twilight doesn’t get to finish her sentence, as we’re suddenly engulfed by a blast of blue magic, and I find myself, along with the other two, trapped in a block of crystal that hits the clouds and very slowly starts sinking.
“Well, finding her will be easy,” a voice that sounded muffled due to the crystal says, and I glance to my right, on which Twilight and Spike are on to see Starlight floating over, “but stopping her’s going to be harder than you think.”
We really should’ve seen that coming, Nightmare says, sounding annoyed. She made the alterations to the spell. Pretty sure that’s not something we should’ve overlooked before Miss Princess of Friendship cast it.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” she says, floating over, “but I created that spell to send myself back in time. So even when you cast it, I still get sent back here.”
Told you.
“It wasn’t difficult to change Starswirl’s spell,” Starlight continues, not knowing she had somepony talking smack during her little bragging speech, “he’d already done the hard part. But figuring out I could use the map to go to any time or place and pull you along with me?” She laughs. “I even impressed myself with that.”
She smirks down at Twilight.
“I knew you’d try to stop me. You’re so predictable. Why else would I leave the scroll behind? Touching it triggered the map to whisk you here and watch me erase the one thing that linked you with your friends.”
Her sneer became just plan evil, then suddenly her expression became angry as she landed on top of our crystal prison. “My village was a sanctuary of equality, where nopony’s Cutie Mark allowed them to feel superior!”
More like didn’t allow anypony to be themselves. And, didn’t feel superior? Says the pony who put herself in power in the village and forced them to be the same and punished them whenever they did something wrong. I find myself agreeing with Nightmare, 100%.
Starlight looks up with what I can only guess is a wistful look? “It was a special place,” then she glares down at us, though her face disappears as we sink further into the cloud, “and you and your friends took it away!”
I’m glancing down, thinking, maybe, if she keeps talking, we’ll drop, Twilight can break us out and we can jump her. But that plan is kinda ruined when Starlight floats down in front of us again.
“Now it’s my turn to take something special from you!” she points at Twilight. “Without the Rainboom, you and your friends with never form your special Cutie Mark bond. Cutie Marks for Cutie Marks!” she shakes what would be a fist if she didn’t have a hooves at us.
Okay, she looks like a complete nutter right now, Nightmare says, sounding a little uneasy. And this is me saying that.
So, you agree you’re a nutter?
Hey!
“Sounds like a fair trade t’ me.”
Yep. She’s a complete loon.
Starlight taps the crystal and we fall.
___________________________________________________________
As the ground starts getting alarmingly close for my liking, Twilight charging her horn and shatters the crystal encasing us.
“TWILI-HI-HI-HI-HI-LIGHT!”
We both glance down to see Spike still falling.
You would think the lizard would not be so accident prone.
I ignore Nightmare as Twilight shoots down, grabbing him in a foreleg after he falls through several small clouds. Why she didn’t just grab him with her magic... I dunno.
I turn into a cloud and hurry after them as they fly towards where Dash and those colts will be racing.
We move from cloud to cloud, searching for where Starlight could be hiding in wait to stop Rainbow Dash again, whilst Twilight tells us we have to be ready to stop her the moment Dash and the colts fly by.
However, Spike spots Starlight, not hiding to stop Dash... but talking to Fluttershy and the colts.
Twilight moves faster than me as she hurries down. I follow, deciding not to turn into a cloud. Seeing as this is the past, doing that right in front of Fluttershy wouldn’t probably go well. Plus, with me looking like Nightmare, the last thing we want is to cause a panic.
I can only imagine the fear that would race through Celestia’s heart if she heard I’d come back before the thousand years were up, filly or not, Nightmare chuckles.
I hate to admit it, but that would be a little bit funny.
As I land, keeping a bit away so Fluttershy and the colts don’t notice me... my jaw drops at what I hear.
“Come on, Fluttershy. Maybe I can help you get through the course this time.”
“Well, I-I sure could use the practice,” filly Fluttershy says, then the three of them walk off.
Um... what just happened? Nightmare asks me the very question I’m thinking. I thought those colts were meant to be bullies?
“I know you only convinced those bullies to not tease Fluttershy to stop the Rainboom!”
Twilight’s words jerk me to the present, before I realize what she’s just said and glare at Starlight.
Starlight just smiles at her, waving off her words. “Aw, that’s not true. I convinced them not to be bullies because everypony should be equal.” Then her expression sours. “Stopping the Rainboom is just a bonus.”
And causing the deaths of Creator only knows how many of my subjects is a bonus to you too, I bet, Nightmare snarls.
I blink, only just realizing something. Nightmare, I thought you said things would go back to as they were before with us?
The Rainboom hasn’t happened yet, foal. Until it does, I’m still somewhat free. Though I can’t keep my freedom if I want my rule to even have a hope of happening.
“Look!”
Spike’s voice causes me to glance at him, then in the direction he is pointing to see filly Rainbow Dash flying through the skies.
“This isn’t over yet,” Twilight declares to Starlight, before flying off, myself hurrying over her.
We catch up to Dash, who gives us an uncertain expression.
Well, this is starting off well.
“Hi!” Twilight says, a little too cheerily for whatever plan she has to get her to do the Rainboom without Fluttershy’s honour being needed to be defended.
“Um... hi?” Dash says, sounding as unsure as she looks.
Yeah. This isn’t going to end well.
“You think you can stop for a minute?” Twilight asks.
“Sure,” Dash says, literally stopping in midair.
Twilight doesn’t so easily and crashes into a cloud, causing Nightmare to make me facehoof. How did I lose to this clutzy pony?
I decide not to answer and focus on the conversation Twilight’s having with the younger Rainbow Dash. She’s clearly buttering Dash up by mentioning her speed. I don’t know why Nightmare doesn’t think it’ll work.
“Okay. So, um, hey. You wanna race?” Twilight asks, nudging Dash.
Oh. Now I have an idea why this plan isn’t going to work.
“Uh, that wouldn’t really be fair,” Dash says, which I honestly agree with. Unless Twilight’s planning on me racing her, which, if she is, she really should’ve mentioned this at the beginning... not to mention told me about it at least a few seconds beforehoof. “I mean, you’re a full-grown pony and...”
Dash’s pause makes me see she’s looking at Twilight with shock, before I notice the problem.
“Wait.” She lowers herself, looking at Twilight with wide eyes. “Are you an Alicorn?” then she glances at me, her eyes widening further. “And you’re an Alicorn too! What’s going on?”
Wow. She really didn’t think that through, did she? Nightmare sighs. Again, remind me how I lost to her?
“Come on,” Twilight says, holding her hooves up, before wrapping a foreleg around Dash’s shoulder in what I think is meant to be an encouraging way, but just looks creepy if I think of it from Dash’s point of view, “I thought you were meant to be fast.”
Spike’s anxious smile due to having to currently hold onto Twilight’s tail to stop him from falling and the thumbs up does not look that encouraging to me and I’m Twilight’s little sister and Spike kinda cousin. If I’m finding them unreassuring, I doubt Dash will.
“Haah,” Dash says, before pushing away from the older of us two Alicorns. “Actually, I just remembered somewhere I need to be.” And she takes off, Twilight quickly hurrying after her.
I move to follow, but find myself unable to move. Moving my eyes, I can see I’m surrounded by a light-blue aura.
“Sorry. But you look like you actually an idea to save the little disaster Twilight is creating.”
Oh, she is dead. I don’t care how you feel about killing, Stellar. She is dead!
I blink, stunned for a moment. What’s stunned me is not that I could salvage the situation with Dashie, but Starlight is stopping me, or that Nightmare has just told me she is going to kill Starlight no matter what I do. No, what’s stunned me is that Nightmare called me by name. She’s always just called me “foal” or “child”. She’s never called me by my name before.
I’m pulled out of my stupor as I feel myself being flung forward, before I’m pulled up through the time portal.
___________________________________________________________
We all drop out of the portal, landing on the ground with hard thuds.
At once, I’m up without my deciding to get up and whirl around, glaring at Twilight. “Way to go, Sparkle. You realize, had you let Stellar do the talking, we might have been able to convince Rainbow Dash to race? How in the wide world of Equestria did you think the way you handled that situation would work?! You didn’t even acknowledge when the filly realized you were an Alicorn.”
“I didn’t see you coming up with any ideas, Nightmare!” Twilight gets up, snarling back.
Huh. Seems she's getting used to talking to Nightmare through me and able to tell this is strictly Nightmare talking, even if i agree with her that Twilight handled the situation with Dash horribly.
“Hmm, maybe that’s because you just flew head-first into your own clearly unthought-through plan, without even considering that a full-grown mare is more intimidating to a filly than another filly. Stellar could’ve convinced Rainbow Dash to test her skills against an Alicorn her own age! She would have taken that challenge. But did you think of that? No! Didn’t you realize just how creepy you appeared to that filly?”
“Uh... girls?”
Twilight just glares into my eyes, looking at Nightmare. “I was kind of pressed for time. You try coming up with a plan on the fly like that.”
“Girls?!”
“I didn’t have to!” Nightmare shakes my head. “Stellar did! She realized when you talked about a race that, if you had meant her, it could work. But did you? No! You didn’t even remember Stellar was with you, did you? You sure didn’t notice when Starlight trapped us in her magic because she saw we had the right idea, while what you were doing was going to blow up in your face and it did!”
Twilight scowls, before lifting the spell out from Spike’s bag. “It doesn’t matter, now. We’ll just have to try again.”
“And what about the future with Sombra? You realize we’ll have to do that all over again now, don’t you?!” Nightmare scoffs. “Unless you want Stellar to be haunted by that future’s reality again?”
“I don’t think she’ll have to.”
Spike’s words cause us to turn, Nightmare asking, “Why—?” but it cut off when five long spears are sudden shoved in our faces.
Five ponies stand around us, each wearing some green face paint of some kind. Two of them, stallions, I don’t know too well, only having seen them around Ponyville, but never spoken with them. Another is Berry Punch.
But the other two? They shock me beyond belief.
“Pinkie? Fluttershy?” Twilight asks, looking from one to the other, before Pinkie thrusts her spear a little closer.
“Silence... Changeling!” Pinkie says, and a grave and serious tone that causing a shudder through my spine.
Okay. She is scaring me, more than she usually does. I find myself once more agreeing with Nightmare.
Wait a minute. Did Pinkie just call Twilight a Changeling? Oh, this is bad.
Fluttershy moves and my eyes turn to her. “All servants of Queen Chrysalis found in these woods must be destroyed!”
Um... I’m actually scared of the timid one, Nightmare says uneasily. How is she scaring me?
I gulp. I dunno, but she’s right. Hearing Fluttershy says she’s going to destroy us, and sounding like she really means it? If I hadn’t gotten over my bladder problems as a pony ages ago, I’d probably be peeing myself with fright right now.
More ponies come out from the nearby foliage, including Carrot Top, Bon Bon, Noteworthy and several others, surrounding us, making it unlikely to escape.
We could technically fly out. You and Twilight both have wings, remember?
Yeah, but I’m not sure we’d get far before those spears go through them and ground us, most likely for good.
Point taken.
As the circle closes more around us, Twilight speaks in a panicked tone. “We’re not Changelings. She and I are ponies! And he’s a dragon!” she finishes by pointing at Spike.
Pinkie comes closer, pointing her spear at Spike. “A likely story. Do something draonish!”
Spike responds by belching a bit of flame and smoke in Pinkie’s face, causing her to cough.
“That works,” she wheezes, backing away.
Well. Maybe the dragon actually came in handy for once.
“The servants of Chrysalis would do anything to save their evil skins!” she punctuates this by her and several others pressing their spears very closer, making us each pull our neck back a little.
So much for that idea. And has none of them noticed the two Alicorns?
Considering they think we’re Changelings, I don’t think it would matter if we were mauls.
Again, point taken.
“STOP!”
My eyes widen. I know that voice.
We, along with the ponies surrounding us, look up to the trees to see a grey and black equine stepping along the branch, out of the shadows, her wearing the same face paint as the other ponies.
“If they are Changelings we’ll soon see,” she says before leaping down and standing in front of us. “Though I think they are not what they appear to be.”
Either she just told them we’re not changelings, or she just said we are. Nightmare groaned. This mare is so confusing.
“Zecora,” Twilight sighs with relief, before her face becomes concerned. “Please, you have to listen—”
A pair of spears thrust in her face by my two other sisters, both of whom expressions are really scaring me, stop her, before they back away, still giving us cold expressions, allowing Zecora to walk closer to us, holding a bowl filled with what looks like the same face paint as what everypony else is wearing.
“Beneath this sav no Changeling hides, for it reveals the truth inside,” she says as she dips her hoof in the green paste, before putting it all over us in specific designs.
At once, the three of us glow with a green light.
The other ponies all gasp, before zipping away; giving us some of the personal space I’d really started missing.
Zecora, for her part, looks a bit surprised, before putting a hoof to her chin in thought as Pinkie zipped back over asking, “What does it mean?”
I get the feeling it didn’t react as it should, Nightmare says uncertainly. We might have to worry now.
Like we weren’t already?
Zecora comes closer, like right in Twilight’s face close and studies her. “The meaning is far worse, I see,” she turns to look back at the other ponies, “for it is we who should not be.”
Wait. What? What does that mean?
Maybe it means she knows we’re...
“I think I can explain,” Twilight says as the glow fades from us.
“I’m sure you can,” Zecora says, glancing back at us. “But let’s not talk here. Chrysalis and her army will soon draw near.”
So, we head off, myself staying closer to Spike, who heads for the front of the group, whilst Twilight remains in the back.
After what Zecora said, Nightmare feels uneasy and her unease makes me uneasy.
Our travel group remain silent for a while, until one pony who is in the treetops nods, before I hear Zecora speaking with Twilight and guess it’s safe to talk.
“Um, Fluttershy?”
The mare I’ve always known to be the kindest around looks at me with an uninterested look, which really hurts. “Yes?”
“U-um,” I stutter, the lack of warmth in her voice causing my unease to double. “I...” that look just hurts so much I clam up and just look down, my ears folded back. “Never mind.”
She cocks an eyebrow and the depression in my tone; I guess that’s something. What has this world done to the kindest mare I know?
If you’re not going to ask her... though, with your connection to her and how she is currently treating you, I can understand, I will.
I feel my mouth moving without my control and my voice coming out. “What happened to the princesses? Luna and Celestia and Cadance?”
At once, Fluttershy’s eyes narrow. “How can you not know that?”
Nightmare makes my face deadpan. “Zecora just pointed out we’re not Changelings, nor are we normal ponies or a normal dragon. Is my asking such a question really that odd?”
Her eyes narrow further. “You don’t talk like a foal.”
“Like I said, not normal ponies,” Nightmare makes me face firm. “Now, what happened to the princesses? I just overheard that the Changleigns invaded, I’m guess Canterlot. What happened after that?”
Fluttershy growls, causing me to shiver, though Nightmare hides it. “The stories say that Queen Chrysalis used the love of the Captain of the Royal guard for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza by impersonating her and taking his love for the princess to fuel her power. It was too much for either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. As far as we last heard, which was over six months ago, they’re in cocoons, just like a lot of ponies these days.”
As long as they’re still alive, right? Nightmare asks me in a somewhat gentle tone. And it seems some things are still the same.
“Wh... what about Cadance?” I ask. “Mi Amore Cadenza,” I add at the confused look, which only gains me other confused look. “She’s my big sister-in-law. She doesn’t like me calling her Mi Amore Cadenza when we’re family.”
This seems to both satisfy and confuse her, before she glances at me wings and then more horn. “So, you’re a princess too?”
I nod, not meeting her eyes.
“Well, as for your question, nopony knows. There’s been no news of her since the invasion.”
Then, by logic, that means she’s still probably in the Crystal Catacombs under Canterlot, Nightmare whispers... even though Fluttershy wouldn’t have been able to hear her, so whispering wasn’t really needed.
Will... do you think she’s still alive? I whimper.
Most likely. Alicorn are resilient, remember? Her magic has no doubt been keeping her alive. But that will only help her for so long. I’m sorry.
“How are you part of the Royal Family?” Fluttershy asks, pulling me from that depressing news. “I’ve never heard of you before.”
“I’m... Princess Luna’s foal,” I whisper.
That actually stuns Fluttersy, causing her stop and for Pinkie to walk into her, causing a tumble.
___________________________________________________________
After some time, we arrive at what looks like a pile of bushes, Zecora stepping forward and putting a hoof on the flora. “This part of the forest is dark and dump, but it has done well to hide our camp.”
She pulls them back to reveal a small village with simple wooden houses with leaves and such for rooves.
I blink, seeing one of the ponies walking amongst those in what could probably be called the village square. Her coat is mulberry coloured and she has three flowers with smiling faces for a Cutie Mark.
“Miss Cheerilee!”
Before anypony can stop me, I hurry forward and latch onto her barrel, causing her to jerk with a start.
I sniffle, rubbing my head into her fur. With Fluttershy and Pinkie being so hostile, it was nice to see a familiar face that always made me feel welcome.
At first, Cheerilee remains frozen in place, her body stiff. But, after a few moments, she seems to relax and wraps a hesitant foreleg around me.
The tender moment is broken by a cry that sounds too fancy for it to belong to anypony I know but one and I push out of Cheerilee’s hold to see Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack run out from the bushes, looking ragged.
“Please, you have to help us,” the white unicorn says, holding a forehoof off the ground.
“The Changelings attacked Ponyville,” Dash says, still panting. “We’re barely escaped with our lives.”
Wait. I could feel Nightmare frowning within me. Something is not right.
“Is it what Dash said?” I whisper, so nopony wondering why I seem to be talking to myself.
Yes. Doesn’t it sound a little... odd? They look like they’ve been ruffed up at best. Wouldn’t a Changeling attack do far worse than simply making them look like they’d had a tussle? And, how could these three specific ponies be the only ones to get away? Why nopony else? And why does the Element of Honesty not say anything? You’d think she of all ponies would speak up. Something is wrong here.
I see Twilight smile and move to greet our friends/sisters, but Zecora holds out a hoof, stopping her.
“The only attack I see, is the one that come lookin’ for me.”
Applejack starts walking out from behind Rarity and Rainbow. “It’s taken quite a while t’ find you, Zecora.” She grins, before laughing, her body being surrounded by green flames.
The other ponies respond to this by runing forward to be in a defensive wall with Zecora.
Hole ridden wings sprout from the orange mare’s sides. Her legs grow longer, the fur vanishing to be replaced with black chitin filled with holes. And a knarled looking horn grows out from her forehead, lifting up AJ’s Steston, before frying it into nothing. Standing where AJ once was is now the Changeling Queen. I’d only ever seen her in other ponies’ nightmares. Now I wished I could go back to those.
She laughs, though I notice that the distorted sound in her voice that she had in every dream I saw her in isn’t there. I can’t help wondering why.
I knew something was up!
How did you figure it out? I’m honestly stunned.
It was most likely because the Changelings use a type of Transformation Magic. Remember, we and Luna have a similar power. I used it when I was trying to trick Rainbow Dash to leave Twilight and the others behind to join the Shadow Bolts.
“What a lovely village you’ve chosen to stage your little resistance in,” the Changeling Queen says, stepping forward and tipping one of what I can guess are Zecora’s potions onto the ground. She then moves her head right up to Zecora’s face. “It looks absolutely delicious!” she finishes by licking her lips loudly.
Bon Bon and another pony, a brown Earth stallion with a blonde mane and tail stepped forward, pushing the Queen back with their spears.
“Oh, come now, Zecora,” she smirks as she rejoins Rainbow and Rarity, or I guess Changelings pretending to be them, “You’re vastly outnumbered.”
At this the two pseudo-ponies are shrouded in green flame, before revealing two simple Changelings wearing blue armour. At once, buzzing fills the skies and dozens of Changelings fly from over the treeline, hovering in place while others landed, surrounding the whole village.
One of the fillies in the village even turns into a Changeling, startling the stallion who’d been standing next to her, who then ran off to find safety.
Looks like Zecora’s security wasn’t as foolproof as she thought, Nightmare mutters.
“I know you don’t want your charges hurt,” Chrysalis says to Zecora, smirking. “Come quietly to the dungeons of Canterlot and I promise to leave the others alone.”
Oh, yeah. Because she’s so trustworthy, Nightmare snorts. And this coming from a being that tricked a pony to go against her own sister.
Yeah. If Nightmare doesn’t believe her, there’s no way I’d believe her either. Not that I would’ve in the first place.
“Why would she ever trust you?” Fluttershy asks firmly, stepping forward and jabbing her spear.
Well, whatever this world’s faults, at least it gave that mare some serious backbone.
“Even if there’s a chance Chrysalis will honour her word, shouldn’t you try?” Twilight asks the zebra.
Again. How did I lose to her?
“Race to the map while we hold off the attack,” Zecora mutters, before glancing over her shoulder at the Alicorn. “Stop Starlight and put the whole world back on track.”
Twilight nods, before running back to Spike, who hopped onto her back and hurried off.
Does she not even realize you’re not following her?! Nightmare asks in anger.
I frown, before turning my gaze to the Changeling Queen. Well, if Twilight might not care, but I’m not leaving this world as it is, not with Mama stuck in a pod somewhere and Zecora about to be taken away to the dungeons.
“Time to make your decision, Zecora,” Chrysalis sneers, saying the zebra’s name like an insult.
“Even if what you are saying were true, we’d never surrender to a creature like you!” Zecora then shouts a battle cry and she and the other ponies charge, the Changelings following suit.
Zecora charges at Chrysalis, who knock her onto her back, charging her horn with her green magic for what I can tell is a finishing blow.
Together?
“Together!” I nod, my horn charging quickly.
Then, to ease the confusion and perhapse strike more fear into our opponent, might I suggest a change in appearance?