Neon Dreams

by Bigwig6666

Ten

A pregnant silence occupied the solitary hovercar resting high above the Scrapheap. Its tinted windows reflected the world perfectly and flawlessly, and its engines let it drift slowly from side to side.

Inside, Queen Chrysalis, formerly of the Changeling Hive, began to giggle. Her guest and fellow monarch, or rather, deposed monarch, stood in stunned silence, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Perhaps... some music?” the queen offered with a grin. Her horn ignited and some quiet music began to play from an unknown speaker, somewhere in the car. “Something of my own composition.”

As the music began to play, her head started to sway back and forth as her lips moved soundlessly, mouthing the words to the song.

A small squeak escaped her company, making her eyebrow arch and the corners of her mouth twitch into a wide grin.

Twilight Sparkle stared the changeling down, her own mouth opening and closing as she struggled to find the words she needed. Her mind raced at a thousand miles an hour as the queen’s words sunk into her. She was caught so off guard by her remark that she lost concentration of the spell she was preparing, and her horn deactivated.

Chrysalis sighed and stood from her seat. “Really, Twilight, nothing to say after all these years?” She pouted and turned her head away. “No biting remark? No witty declaration that ‘your friendship is as strong as it will ever be’?”

The princess’s eye twitched. “Friends?!” she eventually exclaimed in sheer disbelief as her words finally escaped her throat. “You tried to destroy everything I believed in!” Her wings rustled and fluttered on their own, and she stamped her trebling hoof down on the ground, only to splash some more mucus onto herself. She didn’t care, and snorted as she stared at the changeling.

“We are not... friends.”

Chrysalis’s eyes flashed and her devilish mind set itself to work. “Oh, are we not?” She leant forwards with a sneer and a mean glint in her eye, and looked Twilight directly in her eyes. “How much, I wonder, do you remember?”

Twilight’s resolve wavered. “I, uh...” she mumbled. The fear and doubt that had begun to creep into her mind reared its ugly head, forcing her to look away. Her cheeks flushed red as the changeling threw her head back and cackled cruelly.

“Oh this is too good to be true!” the queen cried gleefully. She clapped her hooves together and continued to howl with laughter. “Twilight Sparkle has lost her memory!”

As laughter continued to echo throughout the vehicle, Twilight felt her cheeks burn indignantly. She felt very, very small in that moment, both from being mocked by Chrysalis and knowing she was very much out of her element. As the saying went, she wasn’t in Mustangsus anymore. Her ear twitched, and she heard a quiet voice inside her head speak up in her own voice.

”Make her remember who you are, Twilight!”

She blinked and began to grow angry. Her horn ignited in a sudden blaze of magic and she lowered it at the changeling queen.

“Tell me what you want, Chrysalis,” Twilight barked, feeling her magic give her the strength and bravery she needed. Her pupils shrunk as her temper grew. “And why you’re not imprisoned, before I put you back there.”

Chrysalis’s smile faltered and her laughter immediately ceased. A flicker of what could only be attributed to pure, unadulterated fear danced across her face, before she quickly looked away and regained her composure.

“I’ve already told you, Twilight, I want to ask you a favour,” she said, refusing to show her fear in the face of her once-upon-a-time enemy again.

She looked out of the window and sighed wistfully.

Twilight followed her gaze and frowned, the light from her horn reflecting off of the mucus that covered the floor, and sent strange shadows up around the walls of the vehicle.

“What favour? Why should I believe anything you say?”

The changeling’s face twisted into a sneer again as she glanced at the pony.

“I realise you may be prejudiced against me, Twilight, but I assure you, after I recieve some...” She swallowed and cleared her throat. Her eyes seemed to shimmer with magic for a brief moment. “Insurance... I will tell you all you need to know. By my honour as queen.”

The princess didn’t believe a word she was hearing. “What sort of insurance?” She didn’t trust the shape-shifter, and gave the vehicle a quick scan. It wasn’t as tall as Neon or Bright Spark’s delivery vans, and would--if not for the changeling goop all over the floor, not to mention its vile occupant--be a cosy enough ride for a while. The song Chrysalis had put on continued to play, something soothing and calm sounding. She recognised the voice singing as Chrysalis’s own, and she found herself feeling suddenly fatigued.

“What did you...” she mumbled as her eyelids suddenly began to droop. The realization she had walked into a trap hit her. ”My own composition, Chrysalis said...” she remembered the queen saying. ”Oh Twilight how can you be so stupid...”

Her horn fizzed and deactivated, and she let loose a yelp of pain as she dropped to the ground in a heap of feathers caused her muscles suddenly atrophying. She quickly tried to stand again, but her legs felt like they had been turned into jelly and weakly gave way underneath her. Barely managing to raise her head, she found her own body unresponsive, and looked up with wide, fearful eyes into Chrysalis’s own cold, green ones as her forked tongue slithered out from behind her teeth again.

“Dear poor, predictable Princess Twilight Sparkle...” she crooned. “Did you really think I wouldn’t utilize some sort of protection for myself?” She raised a hoof and gestured to the air around them. “This song was written specifically for you, should you ever return. Can you hear the beauty of it?” She mockingly brought her hoof to her ear and cocked her head sideways as if she was listening, all with a smug grin plastered over her face. All traces of fear in her previous expression had vanished, replaced by her typical malevolence and hatred.

Twilight’s head rang out as the song continued to play. It still sounded calming and soothing, but the more she listened to it the weaker she felt. Soon she felt like she was half submerged in mud, caught in a thick mire, and tried desperately to will her magic to come to her, but the only thing she managed to conjure up were the smallest of sparks that fizzled weakly into the air like firework duds.

Chrysalis stepped closer and sneered down at her. “As much as I would love to crush you like the pony you are, Twilight,” she hissed. “I will refrain from doing so. Instead let us talk. Or, rather-” She giggled and caressed the princess’s long mane with her hoof. “I talk, and you listen.”

”What did you do to me?” Twilight tried to say. All that escaped her mouth was a barely audible squeak and a few wisps of air. She followed the changeling with her eyes as she began to walk in circles around her.

“You see, Twilight, I have become something of a celebrity in Ponyopolis,” Chrysalis continued. “The form I have assumed in my current life is beloved by millions, and known famously as-” She broke into a series of giggles before quickly composing herself. “Love Pulse, the Princess of Synthpop.”

She paused grinned again in front of Twilight, locking eyes with her. “I think Queen sounds nicer, but alas, I make do with what I am given.” She resumed her walking and cleared her throat. “Regardless, I do not wish to see it all go to waste, so I ask of you this favour, as one ‘princess’ to another.”

She stopped circling Twilight and stood in front of her, looking down with an uncharacteristic display of pity across her face. “I want you to leave me alone when you inevitably take the throne of the world again.” Chrysalis looked out of the window again and sighed. “The ponies of Ponyopolis look at Love Pulse with nothing but love and adoration. The same love and adoration that my own children used to look at me with, until that maggot traitor Thorax and the wretched Starlight Glimmer intervened and destroyed my beautiful throne.”

At the mention of Starlight and Thorax, Chrysalis’s face twisted into a vision of pure hate. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and looked back at the princess.

“If you promise me I will not be harmed when you retake the world, I will disappear. You will never hear the name Chrysalis again, and Love Pulse will become one of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s greatest allies and supporters.” She smiled. Not a vicious or malevolent smile, or even a mocking smile, but a hopeful one that could have held the remotest trace of friendship.

Twilight struggled to raise her head and gritted her teeth, mustering up what strength she could to say something. “Why...” she managed weakly before giving up. Her tongue felt heavy and her throat burned when she tried to speak.

“Why?” Chrysalis asked as her horn ignited with her own magic. “Because I am no fool, Twilight. I know you will win, you always have and you always will, I simply wish to be on the ‘winning side’ for a change.” Her smile dropped and she returned to her seat. “So what say you, princess? Will you accept my bargain?”

Twilight watched her silently, deep in thought. Her wings felt heavy and distracting, and her mind raced with questions. Chrysalis, judging from her expression and soulful look in her eyes, seemed to be telling the truth.

”Or a very convincing lie.”

The possibility that Chrysalis was lying definitely crossed her mind and made her worry all the more.

”What does she have to gain by lying?” she reasoned with herself. ”The promise I won’t turn her to stone?” She needed to speak, she needed to argue back against Chrysalis’s points, but she couldn’t as long as the cursed song was still playing, keeping her frozen and subdued.

“St... op...” she murmured. Her throat burned again. She tried to speak anyway and gritted her teeth once again. “Sp... ell...”

“Ah-ah, Twilight,” Chrysalis said in a sing-song voice and waved her hoof in front of her nose. “Before I lift the spell I require your assurance you agree with my terms.” She leant back on her seat and nonchalantly inspected her hoof, picking off a piece of dirt with her magic. “I offer you this. In exchange for my freedom, Love Pulse will be not only your biggest supporter, but also provide you with information.” Her previous, mischievous grin returned.

“Namely about your supposed ‘death’.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. Indeed, she did long to know what happened to her, and subsequently the world, and why the sun was purple and why the moon was in pieces. ”If she’s telling the truth, then...” Her thoughts ran rampant in her mind. Her own voice argued back with her. ”What are you doing, Twilight? She’s Chrysalis! She’s obviously lying to you... we can’t trust her!”

We?

Her brow furrowed, and she suddenly felt weightless. The music had also stopped, and Chrysalis sat across from her, frozen solid. Twilight found her strength returning to her, and shakily and slowly rose up to her full height.

“Chrysalis?” she said quietly.

The changeling did not answer. The changeling could not answer. She appeared to be frozen in time, completely and entirely unmoving--not even her hair swayed. Twilight reached out as she grew closer, and yelped in surprise as her hoof passed right through the queen.

“What? What’s happening?”

The world suddenly turned dark, and the edges of her vision grew, for lack of a better word, wobbly. A sudden flash of bright light blinded her temporarily.

“Ahh!” she cried, and quickly folded her wings downwards to protect and shield her eyes. She blinked away the spots in her vision and slowly unfurled herself, and stared in horror at the sight before her.

The sun burned in a dark purple fire, like she had seen outside, only she was now amongst the stars, standing on nothing. The raw magical power it was exuding was both overwhelming and incredibly refreshing at the same time, like taking a nice long warm bubble bath after a stressful day. Twilight shivered with unease, despite the feeling welling up inside her.

“We always did want to see the stars...” came a voice from beside her, making her jump in fright. She spun around quickly and the tight grip of fear surrounded her as she stared at the pony suddenly standing next to her.

It was herself, only... not. The familiar yet unfamiliar mare’s mane and tail were made up of a series of pinks and purples and resembled fire, the same fire that encased the sun and cast the world in a dark light. Her wings were a very deep shade of dark purple, almost black, and elongated more than Twilight’s so they stretched like tendrils around the empty void they currently stood in, and around her eyes were a pair of glowing pale aqua blue rings that connected into her horn.

“Hello, Twilight,” she said as she turned to look at the princess. Her words both sounded real and at the same time like Twilight’s own voice inside her head. Her eyes glinted and gleamed, reflecting the light of the dark sun. “It’s been a while.”

Twilight gaped in both amazement and terror and took a step back. Her wings fluttered in alarm. “Who are you?” she breathed.

The Not-Twilight rolled her eyes and folded her wings by her sides.

“Come now, Twilight, you’re a smart mare. The best and brightest of Equestria some would say.” The corners of her mouth twisted into a perverse smile. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember your oldest and dearest friend?”

Twilight shook her head and began to tremble. “Wh-who are you?” she repeated. She tried to make her voice sound forceful and powerful, but her fear was getting to her.

The dark mare sighed in irritation and scraped her hoof along the nonexistent ground. “I see when they tore us away from each other it had an adverse affect on your memory. No matter. Hold still. This will only take a moment.”

In a split second her horn ignited in a blaze of magic, and a bright beam of energy fired at the princess.

Twilight cried out in alarm and made to defend herself. She didn’t move fast enough, and the beam pierced straight through her.

A series of broken and disjointed images quickly flooded her mind.

She saw Grogar’s Bewitching Bell lift up in her magic as if she was inspecting it. She heard it click, and a surge of magic began to pour into her. She remembered how intoxicating it was, and then the images shifted. Visions appeared in her mind’s eye of her own hooves and her own magic committing atrocious acts against the ponies of the world. She saw the young group of creatures, Gallus, Silverstream and the rest of their friends, who had rallied Equestria behind her. They were talking to her, but their words were inaudible. A colossal crashing sound echoed around her, and she turned to see the moon splitting in two. There was a flash of light and an intense headache, then darkness.

The images ceased, and the terrible truth that Twilight’s memory had denied her was revealed to her.

***

“Midnight Sparkle...” Twilight hissed through gritted teeth. “How?”

The dark mirror of herself said nothing in response, instead she simply held her head up high and looked at the purple sun. it’s cosmic rays danced over both of them, imbuing them both with its power.

“It’s wonderful, isn’t it Twilight?” Midnight breathed. “My beautiful sun.”

Twilight followed her gaze and stared at the sun. Her eyes didn’t sting as she looked into the celestial fire. In fact, she would almost go so far as to say it felt... pleasant. Warm, something like approval. Like when Celestia smiled at her all those years ago at the entrance exam to her school.

“I don’t understand,” she murmured, giving her head a shake and wiping her thoughts clean. “How are we here? I was just talking with-”

“That loathsome cockroach?” Midnight turned to the princess and sneered in disgust. “Time is a set of rules, Twilight. With the right application of magic I bent those rules and paused time for a while, freed you from that wretch’s spell, and brought us here, so that we may discuss things in private.” Her sneer turned into a falsely sweet smile and looked back at the sun.

Twilight, although impressed such a magic existed, grew deeply afraid. She had only experienced time travel twice before, and once on a large scale, and even then it was mostly the Cutie Map and Starlight Glimmer that did most of the work. Freezing time was a foreign concept to her, and this impostor of herself had mastered it? How?

“What did you do?” she whispered.

Midnight laughed heartily. “What did I do? Oh no, Twilight, this was all you!”

“Me?” Twilight’s blood ran cold. “B-but, I-”

“Yes. You.” The annoyance and irritation in Midnight’s voice was a clear as day. With a wave of her hoof the scenery suddenly changed. The stars disappeared, replaced by grey clouds and stormy weather. Great shadows suddenly loomed overhead, and Twilight stumbled as she fought for her footing, prompting a sneer to cross the dark alicorn’s face. She raised a hoof and gestured to their surroundings. “Take a look, Twilight. What do you see?”

Twilight reluctantly obeyed and moved her eyes around. To her surprise they were suddenly standing in the streets of Ponyopolis, and from the judge of things, specifically the Scrapheap. “We’re in Ponyopolis,” she said quietly.

“Indeed. But what do you see?”

The princess shook her head. “I don’t...” She stopped when she saw a figure lying to one side of the street, causing a quiet dread to quickly form in her stomach. Quickly moving over to it she gasped as she recognised the body of the old blind pony who brought a smile to her face just a short time ago, his face frozen in time, but very clearly quite dead. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, and she hung her head and said a few quiet words of prayer to him.

Midnight tutted and looked down at the body in disgust. “This world is broken, Twilight. Diseased. Vermin rule the world while our ponies suffer and die.”

“Shut up,” Twilight snapped. “This is your fault-”

“My fault?” The dark mare threw her head back and laughed. “Aha! No, Twilight. This is the work of your so-called friends. That spider you were speaking with before you so blindly fell into her web. She and her cohorts. All of this-” She gestured around to the dregs of the Scrapheap. “Is their fault.”

“Chrysalis isn’t my friend,” the princess fired back and quickly stood up. She jammed her face close to Midnight’s and flared her nostrils. She was beginning to grow angry at the arrogance Midnight Sparkle was beginning to show. “And who do you think you are anyway! We’re not the same pony!”

Midnight simply smiled and flared her own nostrils.

The scenery changed again. Twilight remained steady, her own nose inches away from Midnight’s nose. Her eyes flickered sideways as the dark alicorn gestured with her head. Twilight reluctantly turned to see a sight that both warmed and chilled her heart. Her beloved friends stood flank to flank, striking a pose as if they were about to take on the whole world amidst a ruined and smouldering Canterlot Palace.

Rubble and debris lined the once familiar hall. Her friends looked battered and bruised, and she wondered what on Equestria had done that to them.

“Appleack!” she called out. “Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash!”

“What good will that achieve?” Midnight Sparkle said disapprovingly as she stood next to the princess. “They can't hear you.”

“I have to try!” Twilight felt tears well up in her eyes as she continued to shout their names. “Pinkie Pie! Rarity! Girls I’m here, I’m-”

She froze and stopped herself as the world rotated around them, showing what they were standing against. Twilight stared into her own eyes and realised what they were doing. “They’re... fighting me?”

The Twilight shown to her was also frozen in time, horn lowered and glowing with magic, while her wings were fully outstretched and keeping her aloft. Her hooves were cracked and dry, and she had some blood trickling out from her nose. Patches of her coat appeared worn and bruised, similar to how her friends looked.

Midnight nodded. “They are, indeed. They clung to you like parasites, Twilight, and while they were useful at times, they became mere burdens in your greatest hour.”

Twilight shook her head. “No! I don’t believe it!” she defiantly cried, and continued to shout their names. “Applejack!”

“To deny the truth is folly, Twilight.”

“Rarity!”

“Now that you have found your true calling...”

“Fluttersh...”

“...You need only put your faith in me.”

Twilight felt faint. She gasped for air and sunk to the ground. Her heart felt like it was on fire. A deep burning sensation occupied her throat, making it hard to swallow. Her legs felt wobbly and heavy, like they had when Chrysalis’s spell took hold of her. “What’s happening?” she mumbled.

Midnight’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Ah. I see the spider has detected a fly different to that than she originally anticipated. Go on now, Twilight. Strike your deals. Make friends. Remember what I have shown you, and know that I am always...”

A significantly bright light surrounded the princess, and the visions given to her by Midnight Sparkle disappeared. She felt like she was flying, being brought up on a gust of wind, until she quite inexplicably felt solid ground beneath her hooves.

”Watching...”

And then she was back in the present, in the same dimly lit car she had been having a one sided discussion with Chrysalis in. After blinking a few times she stared up at the former queen’s wide and fearful eyes with her own equally wide and frightened eyes.

“She is here isn’t she?” Chrysalis whispered.

Twilight gave her head a stiff nod. She winced at the clear dread in her old enemy’s voice, and realised they might share a common enemy. Midnight Sparkle certainly had no love for the changeling, and judging by the visible worry across Chrysalis’s face, the feeling was mutual.

The queen turned and quickly moved towards the front of the vehicle. She whispered some quiet words to the unknown driver, and Twilight felt the vehicle increase in speed. Chrysalis turned back to Twilight and ignited her horn once again. The quiet music, the spell she had placed on Twilight lifted immediately.

The princess felt her strength start to return to her, although she was still shaken by her experience. She shakily rose to her full height and looked around. The mucus that covered the floor seemed to have vanished

The changeling quickly crossed to her and grasped her face with one of her hooves, inspecting her in a manner, Twilight was reminded, of how a mother would inspect her child’s dirty face.

“But... how? She was not supposed to be able to awaken without...” Chrysalis bit her tongue and released Twilight as the latter’s expression turned into a hate filled scowl. “How?”

“I, uh... saw the world,” Twilight offered quietly. “Outside...”

Chrysalis’s pupils shrank to pinpricks. “Outside? You saw...” Her voice faded as Twilight simply nodded. They shared a knowing, pained look. “I see. The sun... the sun must have given her enough strength to return.” Her scowl furthered and she gave the pony a dirty look. “Because of your blind arrogance you may have doomed us all, Twilight Sparkle. Curiosity didn't kill just the cat. It may have killed the world."

For not the first time today, Twilight felt incredible unease as the changeling began to pace and mutter under her breath. “Where are we going?” she asked, unable to think anything else but that the changeling queen was speaking the truth. She needed answers first and foremost. The Children of the Sun seemed the safest bet, and she desperately wanted to talk to Neon again. It felt like a lifetime had passed since she spoke to her young friend.

Chrysalis tutted and turned away. “In regards to our deal, Twilight.” She spoke quietly, ignoring Twilight’s question.

Twilight straightened up, realising she wasn’t going to get anything more from Chrysalis at this time, and relented. “I can’t trust you, Chrysalis. But am I right in thinking we share an enemy?”

The changeling nodded. “You are. What is the old pony saying, the enemy of my enemy is my f...” She caught herself from retching and scrunched her face up. “Friend?”

The princess nodded in return. “It is.” She extended a hoof and smiled. Chrysalis begrudgingly reached out and shook it. “When we beat Midnight Sparkle, I’ll trust you to do as you say, Chrysalis.”

“On my honour as queen and like I previously said, Love Pulse will be your biggest supporter.” The changeling cocked her head and listened. “Until then-”

The vehicle lurched to a halt. Chrysalis leant into it and remained steady, while Twilight stumbled. The former cracked a smile and opened the door. “Be on your way, Twilight Sparkle.” She ushered the pony out into the--thankfully--quiet street. “If I come across information I deem worthy of sharing with you, I will contact your little friend Bright Spark.”

She flashed a toothy smile at the princess as she hopped down and turned to look. “I hear he is quite the fan of Love Pulse. Until then, ta ta.”

Before Twilight could respond, the door to the car swung shut, and the engines keeping it aloft roared to life. Twilight shielded her eyes as a great gust of wind billowed some garbage around her hooves and down the street.

“It’s funny how you think you can beat me,” came the sing-song voice of Midnight Sparkle from the deep recesses of her mind. “You know that cockroach cannot be trusted.”

Twilight shook her head and ignored her, and set off without a word. She rounded a corner onto the main street, still a sea of creatures trudging through the Scrapheap, still moving to their homes. Remembering the vision given to her by Midnight, she couldn’t help but glance around for that old blind pony. She didn’t see him, and hoped it was nothing more than something meant to frighten her. Soon she saw Spike anxiously looking around and felt a wave of relief wash over her. She marched through the crowd and pushed towards him, longing for a hug.

He spotted her quickly, the unmistakable sight of an alicorn towering above a swath of smaller creatures as she moved through them was a hard sight to miss after all, and dashed towards her.

They embraced one another, and Spike scolded her for wandering. “I thought we’d lost you again, Twi!” he cried, clutching at her mane and burying his snout into her shoulder.

“I know, I’m sorry, I couldn’t--but Spike, listen-” she started as she pressed her chin against his scales.

He waved a claw and retracted from their hug. “No, you listen, Twilight,” he said with a firm voice and a frown. “Everypony’s waiting for you. We need to get you to the-” He lowered his voice to a whisper and looked around. “The Children. Come on.”

He took her hoof and led her away. Twilight glanced upwards, towards where she had flown off. At least, she thought it was, it all looked the same shade of grey after all. When she looked back down, she saw the crowd giving a portion of the street a wide berth, and felt sorrow wrench at her heart as she saw the old familiar, blind pony, lying motionless in the same position he had been in her vision. A hoof stepped close to his head.

She traced up the leg the hoof belonged to, and locked eyes with Midnight Sparkle, who gleefully waved at her and winked.

***

Bright Spark peered outwards of the van’s windshield at the dark skies above. Thankfully the storm had stopped almost as quickly as it started, and while the thunder and lightning and sheets of rain had passed, several large puddles still dotted the platform he had parked on. He jumped in fright as the door was suddenly thrust open to reveal Neon Dream.

“Ahh! Oh it’s you Neon, I didn’t-”

“Drive.”

Neon’s eyes were tired and heavy. Her mane clung to her head and neck, and judging by the grim look on her face she had been through an ordeal. Sparky thought twice about commenting on her appearance, and quickly started up the engine. The van rose into the air and sped off, towards their destination.

The pegasus glanced across at his friend as they moved. She stayed still, staring ahead with a blank expression. Bright Spark felt nervous and cleared his throat. “So, um...” he began.

Neon didn’t turn to look at him, or give any indication she had heard him.

“Deliver that case alright then?”

The unicorn gave no answer.

Sparky bit his lip. “Did you see what was in it?” he asked, trying to start a conversation.

Still no answer. The visible worry on his face gnawed away at him, creating a deep pit in his stomach that made him nauseous.

“Neon?” he asked quietly. She shifted to look at him and fixed him with a blank stare. He swallowed nervously. “You alright?”

Neon continued to say nothing. After a few agonizingly slow moments of silence she finally shook her head and exhaled. “No, Sparky. I’m not.” She took a few deep breaths and rubbed her head. “I need... a drink.” She looked out the window at the wing mirror, and saw the Monarch Solutions Spire fade into the distance. Her blood ran cold and she shivered as she remembered the words Luna had said.

The alicorns were a cruel species, she determined. Crueller than dragons, or griffons, or Novos, or whatever else the universe was going to throw at her. Eternally far from the benevolent goddesses the history holopads had led her to believe. She scowled as she remembered the smug look on the bitch’s face. Her temper began to grow again.

She snorted and without a word climbed into the back of the van and began to tinker with the box that held Blue. Her lip twisted as she imagined building him back to working condition would take some time. She was grateful for it, though. A distraction was just what she needed.

Something to keep her thoughts from eating her alive.

In the driver’s seat, Bright Spark glanced back at her sadly, wondering what his friend was going through, and continued to drive in silence.

Comments

[Razzy]

Wow, it took this long for ponies to realise that about alicorns.

Hopefully Chryssie makes it through all this.

'heal of feathers caused her' - heap

'didn't kill the just cat' - didn't kill just the cat