Chapter 66
“Would you like to sit by the window?” Chrysalis, once again in the disguise of a pale green unicorn with a short pastel amaranth mane, asked her daughter.
“Not really,” shrugged Pupa who was currently in the form of a freckle faced light blue unicorn filly sporting a curly carnation pink mane.
The nymph’s languished state caused a slight frown of concern to crease Chrysalis’s muzzle as she took the window seat instead. Pupa half-heartedly attempted to climb up to sit beside her but slipped and fell onto her rear. After being assisted up thanks to a little levitation from her mother, the young changeling settled onto her haunches, curled her tail around herself and quietly rested her head against her parent’s side.
Odonate and Bristletail, disguised as their most recent unicorn incarnations, took the seats opposite the royals. The infiltrator choose the one by the window while the guard picked the one next to the isle.
“It’s going to be a few hours until we reach Canterlot,” Chrysalis said to Pupa. “This would be a good time for you to have a nap.”
“I’m not tired,” mumbled the nymph while idly hoofing at a small tear in the seat’s fabric.
“You seem pretty tired,” the queen appraised as she lightly brushed a hoof over her daughter’s mane, “and you might feel better after a little rest.”
No response came from the nymph as she continued to toy with the hole next to her and Chrysalis began to sense an underlying fear growing inside the youth.
“Are you worried about having a bad dream?” the queen asked.
When Chrysalis felt a miniature spike in anxiety come from Pupa, she knew her assumption to be correct.
“I know bad dreams are unpleasant,” the queen said softly, “but they can’t hurt you and fighting off sleep will only make you sick.”
“I don’t want to see anything like it again…” the nymph said in a near whisper.
“Pupa, I can’t promise you won’t,” Chrysalis admitted, and it pained her to do so, “but you’ll need your sleep. I’ll be right next to you if you do have a bad dream.”
Once more the nymph went silent; but she did cease her assault on the cushion and slid closer to her mother. Chrysalis placed one of her forelegs around the youth and gently squeezed her in a quiet show of support.
“I can’t stress enough about how dreadfully sorry I am about what happened today,” Rarity said as she moved toward the train, walking beside a slightly limping Sassy Saddles.
“Rarity, stop beating yourself up. This wasn’t your fault in the slightest,” the tall cerulean mare reassured her employer for the tenth time since they left the hospital.
“But I’m the one who asked you to come all the way out here,” the marshmallow colored unicorn responded.
“And I’m the one who decided to walk to the meeting instead of taking a taxi,” Sassy countered as she stepped up to enter the passenger car and looked back at Rarity over her withers. “It was just the simple act of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; and if it didn’t happen to me, it would have happened to somepony else.”
“Still, I insist you take the next few days off at the very least to get over your injury,” Rarity persisted as she followed behind Sassy.
“It’s honestly not that bad,” Sassy chuckled as they waited for the earth pony couple in front of her to take their seats. “It feels no worse than a sore muscle at this point; and this might make me sound shallow, but I’m more upset about my favorite dress being damaged. Well, that and not being able to assist you at the meeting.”
“What about being drained of love or getting sick from the venom?” Rarity pressed in a hushed tone to avoid disturbing the other passengers. “Twilight was out of commission for an entire day when she was bit.”
“The doctor said I only received a minor dose,” explained Sassy in a lowered voice as she took her seat across the way from a family of four unicorns. “And as to being drained of love, It does leave me feeling a little melancholy; but it’s really no worse than what I would feel after a bad date or finishing a novel that ends sadly.”
“You’re still getting the next few days off whether you like it or not,” huffed Rarity as she sat next to the taller unicorn, “with pay. Between having to go to the hospital and answering hours of questions from the police, it’s the least I can do; and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Well, if you’re going to be resolute about it, I guess a day or two off wouldn’t hurt,” Sassy sighed, a helpless smile on her lips as she leaned back into her seat.
“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses,” Rarity smiled back and began to shuffle through her saddle bags.
“So how many times have you and your friends been attacked by changelings?” Sassy asked good-humoredly.
“Four for Twilight,” the marshmallow unicorn said as she took out the new fashion magazine she purchased from the terminal’s news stand, “if I count the bite she received from Chrysalis’s foal,”
“I think that would count,” concurred Sassy.
“It would be three for me, I believe,” resumed Rarity, glancing up as she tapped her hoof against her chin in thought. “The first time was at the wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Then there was the time they captured all the princesses and took over the entirety of Ponyville; and the third time was when they attacked the School. But thinking about it now, maybe I shouldn’t count that last one since it mainly happened in Fluttershy’s classroom and I didn’t get there until after they flew off.”
“Then we’re tied for two on bad changeling encounters, since I was in Canterlot as well during the invasion,” Sassy playfully tapped Rarity on her shoulder and giggled.
Pupa’s entire body tensed up the moment she recognized the pair of voices approaching from the opposite end of the train car; and apparently her mother had also taken notice of the familiar voices; and her reaction to them. Just as she was turning her head to look over at the unicorns, Chrysalis restrained her by placing a stationary hoof against her cheek. The nymph glanced up curiously at her mother with her lips pursed out slightly due to her muzzle being sandwiched.
Chrysalis stared out the window keeping her other foreleg against the wall and bent up so she could rest the side of her chin atop her hoof, appearing to be bored. Peering down at her daughter out of the corner of her eye, the changeling queen shook her head almost imperceptibly, giving the nymph a silent direction not to draw any attention to herself.
Additionally, both Odonate and Bristletail acted as if the arrival of the two unicorns was nothing out of the ordinary; with the former scanning through a newspaper some previous passenger left behind, while the latter rested with her head back and eyes closed as if trying to get some sleep.
Despite the warning, it was difficult for Pupa to follow the example of the others and completely ignore the unicorns. Nervously, her ears kept swiveling to face the pair as they bantered, eavesdropping on the tail end of their discussion about changelings and the beginning of their debate about who wore what better at some gala.
“Last call for Canterlot!” a stallion called aloud from somewhere on the platform just out of view. “All aboard!”
A very long drawn-out whistle came from the front of the train and a moment later the carriage jerked in place as it started to move. Outside the window the platform gradually passed and the sound of a gentle rhythmic ‘click-a-clack’ began to increase at a steady rate. Soon the station was left retreating in the distance while other tall buildings zipped by as the train speed on its way.
“Tickets please,” said a stallion entering through a door at the other end of the car.
Dressed in a red tie, blue vest and matching hat, the powder blue earth pony traveled down the aisle, stopping at each row of seats. The other passengers took turns presenting little slips of stamped paper for him to check and after inspecting each one he would give a nod before continuing.
“My I see your tickets?” he asked as he reached the changeling’s party.
“Here’s our tickets,” Chrysalis said, a coy smile playing across her muzzle as she showed the bottom of her empty hoof to the stallion.
Clearly confused or unsure if he was being pranked, the pony looked up from her hoof and made direct eye contact with the changeling queen. A pulse of faint green light flashed across Chrysalis’s irises and the stallion’s back tensed up slightly.
“A-ah, I see, thank you,” he muttered before turning around and exiting into the next carriage without saying another word.
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You are on a rampage of awesome chapters! And now I feel bad for little Pupa, depressed ans scared of sleeping.
Clever Queen... The Tickets are overpriced anyway!
Everyone forsee Luna meet Pupa in need of Nightmare management say: "What?"
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Clever indeed, if a bit reckless
Well I am certainly hooked. I somehow doubt that Canterlot will have much, if anything, to explain what is happening to poor Pupa though.
Well I am certainly hooked. I somehow doubt that Canterlot will have much, if anything, to explain what is happening to poor Pupa though.
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Chapter 66
The time has come... Execute Order 66!
'The Force can have a strong influence on the weak minded' - Ben Kenobi
pupa needs grief counseling she lost siblings and saw more death no wonder she having trouble sleeping!
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There's a good chance it will have a physical description of a creature matching what Pupa saw. One which specifically states that said creature does exists only in other universes. It may not be the full story, but it's a start.
I wonder if this story will veer into EqG territory considering the humans that exist there. Maybe some books in the restricted section of the royal library have mentions of creatures beyond the mirror portal.
"These are the tickets you're looking for."
The Doctor: "Psychic hooves. I love it! What will they think of, next?
"
Discord or Luna, who get blamed?
Who get to interact with Pupa first?