Metamorphosis

by Fabella

Butterfly

Author's Note:

This was suppose to be the final chapter but welp. Didn't turn out that way. Another one coming soon after.

"How long has this been going on?"

Clover shook her head. "We don't know! All we know is that it wasn't too long ago that the guards were troubled by a sudden shake and a loud scream coming from castle wings.

The two unicorns continued their panicked run down the halls as Clover led her teacher to the wing that bore Luna's bedroom. Coming to a slow and gradual halt, the two panting unicorns laid eyes upon a mixed group of servants and guards that stood in front of the large ebony doors of the Lunar princess.

"AaaghnnUgh!"

Another scream was heard and with it the space where the ponies stood rattled. Some of the ponies covered their heads to shield their temples from the falling debris above.

Clover looked over to her side and saw her teacher bending over with his head held low to the ground.

"Are you alright Starswirl?"

"Ha...yes...very fine. No more fine than two centuries ago. I'm reaching my limit. Running around like this is going to give me arthritis."

Clover mumbled. "Don't you already have arthritis...possibly althmzers too..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing!"

"Clover the Clever? Sir Starswirl?"

The two unicorns looked up to see a grey pegasus clothed in golden armor.

"I'm glad you two made it most of all. As you can see the situation is dire."

"Yeah...we can tell." Satrswirl spoke.

"Have you all gotten the doors opened?"

The guard shook his head. "I am afraid not. As you can see, the unicorn guards are doing all they can to undo whatever is sealing shut the doors as there seems to be some type of spell cast upon it. Their trying now."

The three turned their heads to see two unicorn guards beaming their magical powers straight at the large opulent doors that stood before them. Their eyes shut tightly closed, as they hurled their magic energy. As they continued, the white glowing chains of magic appeared and gradually begun to break one by one. Swelling into an immense bright glow only to shatter into white glimmers.

"They seem to be breaking it now!" Clover exclaimed. Seeing as how one by one the chains of magic that bounded tightly the doors begun to break. Shattering each one by one like the other.

The ponies stood back as they watched and as the final chain shattered the crowd of ponies let out a cheer.

"It's broken!"

"Finally we did it!"

"Hurry, undo the seal and-"

Before the guard could finish the doors shined a bright white before fading. Not long after did everyone of the chains that came undone begun to intertwine their way back.

"No, no no! What is happeneing!"

"The chains are enveloping the doors again!"

One of the unicorn guards, seeing as how the other that served to break the chains in the first place was spent out of energy, took upon the duty himself to charge his magic at each and every one of the links as he tried to break them. They broke as he did but instead of them staying shattered they came back, this time with more in its place each time that the unciorns managed to splinter them. Like the mythical hydra that grew two heads and more back in it's place each time and time again, a head of its own was chopped off.

The unicorns, tired and spent of their trial, stopped and in doing so watched as the last chains came together to completely lock the door even more than before. The once meager five chains that had surrounded the doors had now quadrupled into a severe number of twenty.

Starswirl narrowed his eyes at the chamber doors.

The ponies looked up in defeat at the doors.

"W-what do we do? We can't open the doors!"

"Your not going to be able to open them up like that."

The crowd of faces turned to Starswirl who made his way in front of them.

"I now see what she's done. Not only did she cast a simple bounding spell, she also infused it with a hydra spell to ensure that if any pony tried to break them they will multiply in number to make it much harder. The problem is that it has to be all broken at one time."

"She did...all of that?"

"Whatever she's doing in there she doesn't want anyone to disturb. I was the one who taught her those spells so I take responsibilty of their misuse."

"How do we break them all at once?"

"How many unicorns are here? Raise your hoof if you are a unicorn!"

The crowd begun to murmur and slowly but surely, some colorful hooves poked through.

Starswirl counted each one that came up.

One, two, three...five...six...eight...twelve.

"This won't do...I need twenty."

"Twenty?!" Clever repeated in shock.

"Yes. If we were to break them all at once. Including you and and me we only have twelve."

"Shall I go out and gather more then?"

"No! Absolutely not! We do not have time!"

Starswirl turned and faced the massive doors. "We will have to do what we can with only us in this situation."

A terrible quake suddenly resounded, rocking the walls and the lunar doors with it. The frequency of the trembles and convulses of the castle was becoming increasingly more violent and more severe.

He was running out of time.

"Quick! All of you unicorns come to the front where I stand!"

Following his command, all came including the two unicorns that though had mostly recovered, were still fatigued from their previous attempts at breaking the locks on the door. The others pushed through the crowd, saying excuse me as they did as the old and wise stallion told them to.

"Get into positions and line out. A straight line, everybody."

Again the ponies did as told and with eyes of small hope looked to the unicorn.

"Now when I say begin, all of you will aim your magic at the door! Each and every one of you I need you to lock onto a chain and hold onto it. I will then split my hold on my magic and hold onto the rest. Clover however, will aid in backup."

"T-the backup? I won't hold onto a chain?"

"No. I have a feeling that Celestia did more than wrap a bunch of locks around the doors. There could be something else afterwards and I want to make sure that everything is broken at once to ensure that nothing comes back and we start all over. Understood?"

Clover saluted. "Y-yes!"

Starswirl took a deep breath. "Alright you lousy unicorns! On the count of three start!"

"One!"

The unicorns shuffled on their feet, their eyes darting for a chain to call their own.

"Two!"

They pointed their horns at the door and took their stances, beaded sweat running down their foreheads in anxiety.

"Three!"

And just like that the room erupted into a bright frenzy of magical energy. Each unicorn strained under the weight of energy they emitted out to break the chains. Starswirl however, with pure confidence and show of strength, locked onto the center chain and split his magic into nine more rays. Connecting the rest of the links to his horn.

With perfect timing, the chains glowed a hot white but they did not shatter. Instead, a faint glow of a circle came up, disappeared and appeared again in brilliant glory showing the image of a circular line.

Starswirl knew eaxctly what it was.

I knew it...she cast a seal for backup.

"Clover!"

"Yes!"

"The seal! Break the seal!"

"But how?!"

Dammit!

"Think you old stallion! Think!"

Starswirl shut his eyes closed as he went into the depths of his mind on exactly what type of style Celestia would use to engrave the doors. He thought to Sombra's seal on the crystal heart which was en eye with a slit but then thought of his which was that of a star and before long the image of Celestia's cutie mark flashed before him.

"Connect the stars on the door in the shape of Celestia's sun!"

"Okay!"

Clover rushed over and aimed her magic at the center star. In doing so the other of the most largest stars lit up one after another like that of a connect the dots game. She moved her magical ray across the front of the doors connecting each and every star. Using them as a guide to draw Celestia's mark.

Finishing up the last one the yellow seal was traced by a fiery red flame before the chains completely shattered. The seal became enveloped in dancing flames before exploding into a million sparks before the doors of the moon princess's room swung violently opened.

Engulfing the crowd of unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi in violent tempest.