Chapter 18 - The well of lies
The well of lies
Cut off from all the preparations for the wedding, Celestia found herself alone in her room, determined to remain isolated until the wedding began. After all, she knew that she had been the target of the invader's attack last night, and because of her, her beloved maid had been hurt. For that reason, Celestia didn't want to be around anyone else so as not to expose anyone to danger. The only thing she could trust at that moment was that Shining Armor and the rest of the royal guard could capture the invader before the wedding started.
At that moment, Celestia found herself staring at nothing while her mind wandered to the attack of the previous night and the stormy past that haunted her. Then she suddenly snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing noises outside her bedroom door.
“Sorry, royal bedchambers are off-limits. Princess’s orders. The voice of one of the guards in front of Celestia's bedroom door said from the corridor.
“But I must see her! I… I need to see her!” A scared female voice was heard, one that Celestia instantly recognized. The alicorn quickly walked to the door and opened it.
“Sweet Creme!” Celestia said in surprise, seeing that two of her guards were preventing access to her maid. Then something else caught the alicorn's attention. The mare had a bandage wrapped around her head from the attack last night. The alicorn’s guilt then skyrocketed. "At ease, sergeant. You can let her through." Celestia added, looking kindly at her guards.
The guards nodded at the order and immediately made way. Then Sweet Creme quickly stepped forward and entered the room. Celestia closed the door with her magic after the unicorn entered.
"Princess Celestia! I'm so glad you're okay!" Sweet Creme said excitedly, taking advantage of the fact that they were both alone to approach and hug the Princess of the Sun.
Celestia opened her eyes in surprise at the gesture and looked affectionately at her beloved maid. Her eyes again focused her attention on the bandage that the unicorn had on her head.
"No Sweet Creme, I'm the one who's happy to see you're okay." Celestia said, crouching down a bit to come face to face with the unicorn with a tender look. "Please forgive me for putting you in danger."
"It wasn't your fault, Princess." Sweet Creme smiled somberly so Celestia wouldn't worry. “I… I'm sorry I didn't see who attacked me. The only thing I remember from last night was reviewing the royal documents, and then… it all went blurry.”
"Do not worry about that." Celestia said with a sad smile. "The only thing that matters is that you're okay."
At that moment Sweet Creme stared at Celestia and noticed the sad look the alicorn had.
"Princess... do you know who the invader was?" The maid asked curiously, looking closely at Celestia.
At the maid's question, Celestia simply lowered her gaze and closed her eyes in pain. Then her mind traveled hundreds of years back. To a past that she always ached to remember...
'Flashback of Celestia.'
More than nine hundred years ago, a few decades after Celestia had banished Nightmare Moon to the moon, the city of Canterlot was very different from what it would be in the time of Dusk Shine and his friends. After the alicorn sisters had changed their abode from the Everfree Forest to their new castle, little by little the city had been growing. In its beginnings, there was only the royal castle, but over the years, several families moved there as well, founding what would be known as the great city of Canterlot.
The first to settle were the old families of noble lineage, who always wanted to be as close as possible to royalty. And precisely from one of the wealthiest houses around the castle, young Crystal ran out, a mare with whitish fur and blue mane so long that it covered part of her face. She came from the noble Lis family, an ancient family whose emblem was the lily, also called Fleur de Lis. They were a family clan that was proud to be one of the oldest unicorn families in the kingdom.
Young Crystal had grown up in a large family with many siblings. With a mother who was proud of each of her children. Of all, except her... To her misfortune, and despite the fact that in the Lis family they always sought to maintain their lineage, joining in marriage only with noble unicorn families; Crystal had been born with a small recessive trait in her family which had caused her to be born an earth pony instead of a unicorn. This one small change in fate led her to be despised by her own family from the moment she was born.
Despite being despised, and that her own mother often tried to hide her mere existence so as not to be mocked by the other noble families of the kingdom, Crystal always fought to try to stand out. So much so, that despite not being a unicorn, that day she ran to take the tests to enter the Canterlot School of Magic. Her mother had forbidden her to go, so she wouldn't embarrass her family. However, the young mare was determined to show her mother and her family that she could be someone important, even without a horn.
To Crystal's dismay, as soon as the magic test judges saw that a simple earth pony wanted to study magic, they burst out laughing and jeered at the young Crystal. A mockery shared by all the other unicorns around her. Something had finally broke the heart of the resilient young mare, who had no choice but to run away from there while everyone around her made fun of the naive earth pony.
It was in that flight, with her eyes full of tears, that young Crystal saw Princess Celestia herself get down from her carriage outside her castle as she approached the gates of her huge palace, while all her guards and other ponies around her looked enthralled. Crystal had on the same look at the goddess who had everything: immortality, power, respect... everything that she couldn’t have and would never have.
At that moment, Crystal couldn't take it anymore, and not caring what the others would say, she ran over to where Celestia was. She made her way through all the ponies that had come to see the arrival of the princess, running towards her until the guards stopped her a few steps from the alicorn.
"Princess! Princess!!" Crystal yelled through tears, praying that the princess could hear her.
Fortunately, Celestia could hear the young mare. She then motioned for her guards to let her advance. Wasting no time, Crystal walked to Celestia in tears and threw herself on her hooves.
"Princess! Please… teach me magic!” Crystal cried, pleading with the princess to fulfill her greatest and only dream.
The guards looked at each other at the filly’s request and laughed at the ridiculous request that earth pony was asking for. While they and the crowd of ponies around them laughed at the ridiculous notion, Celestia looked down solemnly at the poor filly.
“My dear, there is nothing wrong with being an earth pony. You don't have a horn to use magic, but you can do things no unicorn can." Celestia said, tenderly stroking Crystal's mane.
"No! No! Everyone in my family is a unicorn! Everyone in this town is a unicorn! I must learn magic! I have no friends; my family hates me. They… They see me as a worm, a dirty caterpillar that they don't even want to look at… Please help me! Please!" Crystal cried desperately, sure that without magic, her life was useless.
Celestia's heart softened in a way it hadn't done in years. In fact, no one had ever approached her like that, or cried like that in front of her. At least not since before her sister Luna was with her. Then Celestia bent down and tenderly hugged her, seeing her own little sister reflected in that desperate little mare.
"Don't worry... Remember that a small caterpillar can become a beautiful butterfly one day." Celestia said as she hugged Crystal. “I… I will help you… I promise.” Celestia added. Words she so wished she had said to her sister, before she fell into darkness...
From that day, Crystal Lis became Princess Celestia's first student. A title that caused a stir in all the noble families that lived in old Canterlot. The most commotion coming from the Lis family itself.
Crystal's mother completely changed her treatment of her daughter. Pampering her and always giving the best food and the best clothes to her dearest daughter, who had managed to become a student of Princess Celestia herself. It was a radically different treatment from the one her mother had had with her before. Her siblings had also treated her different, switching from gazes of disgust to looks of envy. Looks that Crystal didn’t mind in the least.
“I knew it… I knew this day would come!” Crystal thought with a smile as she walked through Canterlot with her head held high. “I knew that one day everyone would stop looking down on me. I knew that one day everyone would love me, as they love the Princess!”
When Crystal attended her magic lessons with Celestia, she devoted herself completely to learning everything attentively. Knowing that the wise princess would make her able to use magic, and thus finally be able to stand out despite not being a unicorn. Celestia saw Crystal's obvious magical limitation and chose in the first instance to teach her potions and the history of magic. She emphasized to Crystal that there were many ways to do magic, and that she had to go step by step.
Crystal learned the secrets of magic thanks to the books of Starswirl the Bearded. She learned how to mix dozens of ingredients to create various magical potions, which Starswirl had learned from the mysterious Mage Meadowbrook. She then learned about Starswirl's travels and how he had traveled through ancient Equestria to become the powerful wizard that everyone knew.
While reading the Starswirl books, a great fascination came over Crystal as she learned of the great mysteries that even the great legend of magic couldn’t solve. Some of those mysteries talked about magical portals to other worlds, which Starswirl never dared to go to. While another of the big mysteries that Starswirl could never solve was the one he himself called 'the cursed well'. A mysterious pool of dark waters that Starswirl discovered on one of his travels filled with magic so dark that even Starswirl himself dared not touch it.
Time passed and Crystal's fascination with magic only increased. As did her unconditional love for Celestia, whom she saw as a goddess who had come to the world to save the ponies, and especially to save her.
With every class Crystal had with Celestia, the earth pony found excuses to brush against her body and touch her in some way. Excitement tingled in her body every time the alicorn looked into her eyes. She loved every gesture, every word, every look that the Princess of the Sun gave her. A love that became an obsession for the young Crystal, who began to spend her nights dreaming of the princess. She would wake up every morning excited to think that every day she would have a class with her goddess, the most perfect pony of all, her beloved teacher who had saved her from darkness.
"This is for you, Crystal." Celestia said one day as they were both starting a class. The alicorn gave her a small golden necklace, in the center of which was engraved the image of an acorn. "This necklace absorbs alicorn magic and it’ll make you able to use magic, as long as I recharge it." Celestia added, reaching over to hang the necklace around her student's neck. While Crystal reveled in the simple fact of having her beloved teacher's hooves around her neck.
“Wait… You said I could use magic!?” Crystal asked in astonishment after snapping out of her reverie.
Then the earth pony ran to a shelf, touched her necklace and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to levitate a book. Celestia, meanwhile, smiled at how excited Crystal was and walked over to her.
"It doesn't work..." Crystal said with huge disappointment, opening her eyes and seeing that she hadn't moved any book with telekinesis.
"Don’t rush. That is why we have been reviewing all this time history of magic and its foundations.” Celestia said, smiling at her student. "Like a unicorn filly, you must use the basics and learn little by little how to unleash the magic of your necklace."
Crystal closed her eyes again and concentrated at her teacher’s words. She remembered the three basic principles of magic: concentration, imagination, and power. Until finally, her necklace glowed and one of the books on the shelf glowed and flew away. It only lasted a few seconds, because as soon as Crystal saw that she had actually managed to use magic, she lost her concentration.
"I did it! I did it! I was finally able to do magic!” Crystal yelled excitedly, on the verge of tears and admiring her new magical necklace. Then she stared at it. "Why does it have the emblem of an acorn?"
"Hehe, I thought it was funny." Celestia responded with a small giggle. “I think the other unicorns wouldn't like me handing out items that can use alicorn magic. So if anyone asks, we'll say it's 'acorn' magic, hehe.” Celestia said, enjoying her little pun. “Also, you’re like a small acorn. An acorn seed that may one day become an 'a-li-corn'.” Celestia added, looking tenderly at Crystal and giving her a hug. Feeling grateful to Crystal after she helped her get over her grief after losing Luna.
Whereas Crystal, for the first time, felt immune to Celestia's touch. And in her head only one thing repeated itself over and over again.
“Become…an alicorn…” Crystal whispered, opening her eyes full of emotion at that possibility.
After that day, Crystal became obsessed with the idea of one day becoming an alicorn. She practiced her studies harder than ever, especially magic spells with her new magic necklace. Celestia continued to impart her teachings. So blinded that she could turn Crystal into a great student, that one day she could share with her like her dear sister did, that the white alicorn didn't realize the darkness that was growing in Crystal's heart.
One day, Celestia called Crystal into her room. There, the princess showed Crystal an ancient potion that Starswirl had tested on her years ago when she was still a young mare student of the great wizard. The potion could only be completed when mixed with alicorn magic, a potion that allowed whoever drank it to see past events.
By drinking the potion, Celestia linked her magic with the magic of Crystal's necklace so that her student could also see into the past. That was how Celestia showed part of her past to Crystal. Some memories of when Celestia was young and received classes from Starswirl the Bearded himself; when she ruled with her sister Luna, and the times that both shared happiness before the darkness took over her sister's heart.
“You’re the first pony I have shown part of my past to.” Celestia said with a melancholic voice once the effect of the potion ended and both returned to reality. “I… I have lost so much these years… My teacher, my sister… I know that everyone thinks I am made of stone and that nothing affects me. But the truth is that every night I remember what I've lost…” At that moment, Celestia looked at the young Crystal and smiled sadly. “But now I see a future ahead. I still have a lot to give, and I realized that thanks to you, Crystal.”
Celestia hugged her student, grateful to have found such a sweet pony in whom to place her trust. While Crystal blushed at her teacher's hug and smiled ecstatically at the words of the princess.
"I'm the only one the princess has shown her past…" Crystal thought with delight as she hugged her beloved princess. "I'm special... And she knows it..." Crystal thought, while her trauma of having been despised for a lifetime, now made her ego fill her with excessive pride and arrogance...
In Celestia's eyes, Crystal was just an innocent mare who had suffered a lot in her childhood. To her, Crystal would always be a lost little filly to help. And her love for her student was blinding her to what she was really creating. A pony who began to look down on others, believing that they weren’t as special as her.
The first time Celestia saw that something bad might be going on with Crystal was when her student didn't show up for her class. Something that immediately caught Celestia's attention since Crystal was never absent. Celestia started to leave the castle to look for her student, however, on the way she stopped when she saw that Crystal was in the middle of one of the palace gardens. The young mare was pacing back and forth as she caught sight of her own reflection in a small pond. With the magic of her necklace, Crystal had made light wings appear on her back, similar to those of a pegasus, and a horn of light had also appeared on her forehead, thus giving herself the appearance of an alicorn. What surprised Celestia the most, however, was hearing Crystal speak to her own reflection. With her magic, Crystal had changed her voice to sound like Celestia's, and with it, Crystal was talking to her own reflection and telling herself how special she was and how much she loved her.
That would have scared or at least worried any other pony, but Celestia, blinded by her love for young Crystal, simply saw a filly playing make-believe. Without realizing that the admiration that Crystal had for her, had long since become an obsession.
Despite that strange behavior, Celestia didn’t notice anything concerning after that. At least, until the day Celestia decided to tell her beloved student about an idea she had been planning for a while.
“You want to make your own magic school!?” Crystal said with terror after her class was over and Celestia told her about her dream of being a teacher.
"I think it's an idea that could work." Celestia said. "The Canterlot School of Magic is quite exceptional, but I thought I might as well give some private lessons, and help out ponies in need, like you."
"No! Why would you want to do something like that!?" Crystal yelled in fright.
"Crystal... Wouldn't you like to share with more ponies your age?" Celestia replied, surprised by her student's reaction. “Many friendless ponies could come here to learn magic together. Even your brothers and sisters could learn as much as you.”
"No! NO!! You can't teach other ponies! I am special!! ME!!" Crystal yelled hysterically, looking at Celestia in panic, watching her world crumble.
Seeing her student panic over something like that caused the veil that blinded Celestia's eyes to be lifted for the first time. For the first time Celestia saw Crystal as she was, a traumatized pony who was terrified of being one of the crowd. A pony who dreamed of being special, and to achieve her goal, she didn't need things like friendship. For the first time, Celestia saw darkness in her student's heart, and it frightened her.
From that day on, Crystal and Celestia's relationship suffered a breakdown, one that Celestia couldn't fix no matter how hard she tried. The alicorn changed her approach to teaching, setting aside magic lessons to try to teach her student the value of companionship and friendship. However, Crystal refused to learn such things. Crystal became taciturn, pretending to listen to Celestia, but with her mind wandering, afraid that she would no longer be Celestia's only student, afraid that she would no longer be special...
One day, Crystal just skipped her class with Celestia. As much as the alicorn waited, Crystal didn't show up. It was then that Celestia went to the outskirts of the castle and froze at what was before her eyes.
At the castle gate was Crystal, again using her magic to appear to be an alicorn. With the addition that now she had also caused her magic to make her mane slowly wave and change color, mimicking Celestia's mane. There, Crystal glared at two guards, forcing them to bow to her with her strong alicorn magic, which was actually Celestia's own magic, stored in her necklace.
“How dare you look me in the face!? I am Princess Crystal Lis! Bow before my glory!” Crystal yelled. The mare enjoyed watching the two guards, the same ones who had mocked her when she cried for Celestia to teach her magic, were now bowed down and completely subjugated before her powerful magic.
"Crystal!" Celestia screamed in terror, shocked at what she saw. A scream that made Crystal immediately let go of the guards and look at Celestia. A surprisingly blank look, as if she didn't understand that she had just done something wrong.
After that, Celestia led Crystal to her study hall. Once there, the princess asked Crystal for an explanation of what had happened. But as much as she insisted, Crystal didn’t respond. She simply said that she had done it because those guards deserved it. All with a look that showed that there wasn’t a hint of regret in her actions.
“Crystal… Starting today, you’ll take a break from your magic classes.” Celestia finally said, looking very worried at her beloved student. "You must learn that there are things more important than magic, and that other ponies are just as important as you."
Just then, before Crystal could claim, Crystal's magical necklace began to glow dimly. A sign that her magical energy was almost depleted, and that it needed to recharge.
"I’ll no longer recharge your necklace." Celestia added, taking advantage of teaching her student a lesson. "Magic is not everything in this world, and I think it’s something you should remember in order to value others again."
For Crystal, Celestia's initial punishment was something that didn't seem to affect her much. However, as soon as her teacher told her that she couldn't use magic anymore, Crystal freaked out. She begged, got angry, screamed and cried at her teacher to forgive her and recharge her magic necklace. However, Celestia stood firm, wanting with all her being that this would serve as a lesson to her student so that she would change her attitude.
With no magic lessons left, Crystal kept going to Celestia's castle and personal library. Only this time, just like in the beginning, she had no choice but to focus on magic books, especially the ones she had already read from Starswirl the Bearded. Unbeknownst to Celestia, Crystal's obsession made it impossible for her to see her mistakes and what Celestia was trying to teach her. The only thing the young mare focused on was finding a way to show her teacher that she was still worthy, so that she would continue to love her as her beloved student.
Thinking that somehow she had to prove to Celestia that she was still worthy to be able to use her magic, one day Crystal slipped into a locked room in the castle library, where books of dark magic and other valuable relics that should be protected were kept. There, Crystal was able to use the last of the alicorn magic in her magical necklace to open the lock on an old chest sealed by Celestia herself. That chest kept the only two objects that Celestia kept that had powerful dark magic, and that no one should touch. The first was an old book, covered with black chains and an open bolt. It was the book that Luna had opened the day she transformed into Nightmare Moon. However, since Luna opened it, that book had lost all its dark magic and its pages were simply blank.
Not noticing any magic coming from the old book, Crystal's attention turned to the other item in the chest. A crown, which Crystal immediately noticed gave off a strong dark aura.
By reading the Starswirl books, Crystal was able to identify that crown as that of the old mad king Orion. A former monarch of the now-defunct cloud city of Timbuktu, where the now-extinct sparkly-eyed pegasi lived. It was one of the great ancient kingdoms of the ponies, which existed since before the founding of Equestria, and mysteriously came to an end when its king went mad.
Having found what she was looking for, Crystal took the cursed crown and fled the castle that very night. The foolish mare was determined to prove to her teacher that she was worthy of continuing to be her student.
After days of not hearing from Crystal, Celestia started to get scared. So, she followed Crystal's footsteps, searching her room until she discovered what her student had been reading. The only clue Crystal left behind was Starswirl's old journal, along with a map, where Crystal herself had marked a point south of the Everfree Forest.
Fearing for the well-being of her beloved student, Celestia wasted no time and flew to the place that was marked on the map. Once there, Celestia immediately felt a chill like she had never felt before. The place was a huge, dark cavern. One that even from the outside could be felt to emanate a very strange sensation. Everything around it was completely silent, since not even the animals came near it.
As she entered the cavern, Celestia had to shine her horn to see better. However, she was surprised to see that her magic began to wane as she entered the cavern.
“This cavern… What rock is it made of?” Celestia thought worriedly, sensing that the cavern was made of some kind of magical stone that blocked her magic.
Despite not being able to illuminate her horn well, that wasn’t necessary, since when she entered, Celestia saw that a strange greenish glow came from the depths of the cavern. Being brighter than expected, Celestia could see that the cavern covered a huge hidden lake, of what seemed to be a strange and viscous green water, which was what emitted that spectral glow. And in the middle of that pond was a huge, withered tree, its roots below all the dirty pool of stagnant water.
It was at that moment that Celestia remembered Starswirl's journals, and quickly understood why she felt that strange aura. That well was one of the places her master had discovered in his youth, the so-called 'cursed well'. A well that somehow emanated dark magic from it with an aura so toxic that not even Starswirl himself dared even touch it.
“This pond… It's the total opposite of the Tree of Harmony…” Celestia thought with fear, feeling such an uncomfortable sensation for the first time in her life. “Instead of giving light… It seems as if that tree and the pond wanted to absorb everything they touch, like a huge bottomless abyss. ”
At that moment Celestia was distracted when she saw a movement near the pond, in some rocks that rose up and served as a viewpoint to that place. There, Celestia finally found Crystal, who seemed to be staring off into space, not even noticing her teacher's arrival.
"Crystal!" Celestia screamed in fright, seeing how close her student was to falling off those rocks.
It was only with the princess's cry that Crystal snapped out of her thoughts and was able to look at Celestia. Then the alicorn was even more scared when she saw that the mare was wearing King Orion's crown on her head, one of the cursed objects that Starswirl had found and locked away years ago. As for Crystal, she had a strange look, with her eyes had a slight red glow and a lost look, who seemed to struggle between looking at Celestia or not, as if she didn't know if this was really happening or if it was just a hallucination.
"Princess... You came for me." Crystal said with a big smile, but with a voice that sounded sickly. "I knew you loved me."
“Crystal, what are you doing? We have to get out of here now.” Celestia said, walking very slowly to where her student was. She knew from the look on Crystal's face that she wasn't feeling well mentally at the moment.
“I came here to prove to you that I am worthy of being your student… That I am worthy of being an alicorn princess.” Crystal said, always looking around Celestia and never meeting her eyes. As if she was talking more to herself than to her teacher. "I came here to find out the truth of this magic well... To investigate what not even Starswirl the Bearded could achieve..." Crystal added with a lost look and pointed to the pond in front of her.
“Crystal, you don't have to prove anything. Come with me." Celestia calmly said, feeling that her student's mind was being corrupted, both by the cursed crown she was wearing and by the dark magic of this place.
"I've been experimenting... It seems that this pond absorbs everything that falls into it." Crystal said, as if she hadn't heard Celestia. “I have thrown some insects at it, and I’ve seen how some mosquitoes are born from the well… It seems that it likes organic matter a lot.” In that instant, Crystal reached down and picked up what appeared to be a glowing stone, which suddenly began to tremble as if it was frightened.
"Is that a mimicker?" Celestia asked, recognizing that this rock was actually a magical creature, one that had the ability to transform into other objects, but in their normal form looked like simple rocks.
“Yes… there are plenty of those around here… The well likes them a lot.” Crystal responded, tossing the little mimicker into the pond with a big smile, as if she was feeding a pet.
As soon as the mimicker touched the pool, the creature began to dissolve, and the pool glowed an eerie greenish color. Celestia was shocked at what she had just seen. Her student had crossed a line from which she couldn’t return, she had just sacrificed an innocent creature just for fun.
“You’re crazy…” Celestia whispered in terror, trembling at the sight of someone so dear to her falling into madness. “Crystal… Please take off that crown and come with me…” Celestia begged with tears in her eyes. She wasn’t going to abandon someone precious to her again.
"Go with you?" Crystal said, staring off into space. Until for a second, she seemed to snap out of her hallucinations and managed to stare Celestia in the eye. "You love me, right?" Crystal asked in a weak voice.
"What?" Celestia asked.
"YOU LOVE ME?!" Crystal yelled furiously, her mood changing in a flash, going from shyness to fury. "I know you love me! You gave me this necklace!” Crystal cried with sorrow, and then laughing with mad joy. She revealed the golden necklace with the acorn that Celestia had given her so she could use magic. “Tell me that you love me… tell me that I am special and unique to you!!”
Following Crystal's shout, Celestia fell silent for a moment. The alicorn wanted to cry helplessly when she saw before her eyes how her student had gone mad. While in her mind, she kept remembering her confrontation with Luna and she felt that history was repeating itself. However, she suppressed her feelings and did her best to remain calm and not upset Crystal further.
"Of course I love you. You are my dear student.” Celestia said with a tender look, unable to avoid shedding a few tears. She held out a hoof for Crystal to take. “Please come with me. Let's go home together."
After Celestia's words, it was Crystal's turn to remain silent. The mare simply stared motionlessly at Celestia's hoof. Then she began to cry, while a huge smile formed on her muzzle.
"You're a liar... All that about being a Princess, it was all a hoax..." Crystal cried as her gaze began to wander again.
'Come…Come…' Crystal heard a voice call out to her. Then she turned and looked towards the well, from where she thought she heard that voice. 'Come… Come… I'll make you special…' The voice in the well echoed in Crystal's mind.
Having totally lost her mind, Crystal closed her eyes and dove into the pool of dark magic.
“NOOO!” Celestia screamed desperately. The poor princess ran to where Crystal had fallen only to watch her student sink into that dark pool of green water.
Celestia tried to use her magic, but again found that for some reason it wasn’t working properly. Then she ran from that slope she was on and went to the edge of the pond. She got ready to put her hoof to swim and try to look for her student, however, her entire body trembled at the idea. Starswirl knew it and she could feel it too. That well of dark magic only sucked things in. If she put a hoof in that pond, it would be the end of her, there would be no way out. The magic that emanated was so toxic, that she could barely breathe there, much less swim.
Feeling completely helpless, Celestia fell to the ground and slammed her hooves onto the edge of that pond. She wept for what seemed like hours at losing the pony that had managed to get her out of her depression after losing her sister. Her dear student, the pony who had loved her so much, and who she had inadvertently driven her mad.
With no one to comfort her in all the world, Celestia cried there until she ran out of tears, knowing that once again she had lost a loved one.
For three hundred years, Celestia never set foot in that well of dark magic again. Not only because the atmosphere there was almost toxic, but also because it had taken her years to forget the suffering she went through with her beloved student. Something that scarred her for life and made her promise never to have a pony as a student again.
During all that time, many things happened in Celestia's life, so the alicorn's mind struggled to forget what happened that day, forcing herself to forget that dark place. Until one terrible day, when fate decided that she should return to that dark place...
One day, Aspen, the King of the deer, came to Celestia's palace. Back then, Aspen still cared about other creatures outside his kingdom, ponies included. The Deer King informed Celestia of a worrying situation that was occurring south of the Everfree Forest in a small pony village. There, he had heard a rumor that dozens of ponies had begun to disappear without a trace. A rumor that Aspen decided to immediately report to his friend.
Wasting no time, Aspen and Celestia headed to the town mentioned by Aspen. Once there, both regents were shocked to find a ghost town. As Aspen would have known, this town was full of houses and shops, but not a single pony was in sight. However, the strangest thing was that in most of the windows of the houses in the town were white cloths and lit candles, even some banners that said: 'The dead are still alive' or 'Heaven is on earth'. Phrases that neither Celestia nor Aspen understood what it could mean at the time.
After searching and verifying that there was no one in that small town, Aspen showed Celestia some hoof prints that looked very recent. Then both began to follow them, hoping to elucidate the growing mystery.
Celestia began to get a feeling of dread when she saw where they were beginning to go... To the same dark cavern that hid that gloomy lake of stagnant water, where she had lost her beloved student.
Just as they were both about to reach that cavern, Aspen and Celestia saw in the distance two ponies were walking directly towards the cavern entrance with what appeared to be huge mosquitoes flying overhead. The pair walked as if those mosquitoes didn't bother them at all, in fact, they even smiled as they looked at them out of the corner of their eyes and continued to approach the entrance of the cave. It was then that Celestia and Aspen froze as they heard voices. Voices that didn't come from either of the two ponies.
“Are… Are those mosquitoes talking?” Aspen whispered to the alicorn.
Celestia didn't respond at all. She simply stood paralyzed watching the ponies enter the cavern, attracted by the voices of those mosquitoes. The same voices that also seemed to come from inside that dark cavern. There were dozens of happy voices calling to the ponies to enter the cave. Then, a shiver ran down the alicorn's back, realizing that something very dark and sinister must be happening in that gloomy cave.
Losing sight of the ponies ahead of them, Celestia and Aspen scrambled and ran toward the cave. There, Celestia paused for a moment, filled with fear as she remembered what had happened there years ago. But knowing that she had to investigate what was happening, Celestia took a deep breath and finally entered the cavern with the deer.
"What place is this? I… I've never felt magic as dark as this…” Aspen whispered as he made his way through the dark cave.
After entering the cave, Celestia and Aspen could finally see the lake of green water that was hidden there, dimly maintaining its ominous green glow throughout the place. Then Celestia and Aspen froze as they heard voices again, this time coming from the same pool of toxic water that was in front of them.
“Come… Come my dear… We will be together again…” An old female voice said.
"I miss you mom... Come..." Another voice coming from the lake said. Only this time it seemed to be that of a young colt.
In that instant, from the same high point in the cavern from which Crystal had fallen years ago, the two ponies they had been following when entering the cave appeared. An elderly mare and a stallion smiled with joy at hearing those voices and approached the edge of that well.
"I'm coming, my dear..." The old stallion said with a hypnotized look.
"Soon we’ll see each other again, my son..." The old mare said with the same lost look. She pushed the old stallion, causing them both to fall into the green pool of water.
"Nooo!" Celestia screamed in terror.
Again the alicorn had tried to use her magic to save those ponies. However, just like in the past, it seemed that the rocks in that cavern were blocking her magic.
Both Aspen and Celestia were horrified to finally understand what was going on here. Somehow, the mosquitoes of the dark pond had approached that village of ponies and had disguised their voices as those of the deceased. Tricking them into going to that place full of dark magic, and falling into that well, as if they were feeding it.
"We have to destroy this place." Aspen said fearfully but with a steady look. He instinctively understood that this place was extremely evil.
At that precise moment, the cave began to tremble slightly, and the water in that lake began to form waves from its center where that huge, withered tree was. Then the tree began to crack, and from its interior a thick dark and viscous mass began to come out, which sprouted from all the fractures and fell into the lake of green water.
All that viscous mass that fell into the lake seemed to sink into it, like everything it touched. However, the dark mass did just the opposite. The lake began to drain just in the direction where that dark mass had fallen, as if it were the one that was absorbing the lake in its place. And to the terror of Aspen and Celestia, that dark mass began to slowly approach where they were.
Finally, the mass touched the shore of the lake once it had absorbed almost half of the water of that pond. It began to make some unintelligible noises as it slowly began to take shape, forming four legs, a torso, a neck and a head. The shape of what appeared to be a quadrupedal being formed, just like Aspen and Celestia, only her entire body seemed to be made up of that slimy dark mass that had spilled from the tree.
Slowly, the creature formed what appeared to be facial features, as well as two glowing, eerie white eyes, which suddenly appeared on its face to stare at Celestia and Aspen. Who, for their part, had been paralyzed by the strange and terrifying situation they were experiencing. Finally, two green pupils appeared in the center of those terrifying and bright white eyes that this amorphous creature had. The creature began to make various unpleasant sounds with its new mouth, as if it was struggling to learn to use its new muscles.
Celestia and Aspen didn't need to use their magic to feel and know that they were standing before a creature that had been spawned by dark magic. All their instincts screamed at them to flee immediately. However, Celestia only managed to take a step back before she saw something that stopped her. A golden glow coming from the neck of the creature.
"That... That's Crystal's necklace..." Celestia whispered in shock, recognizing the gold necklace with the symbol of the acorn that was in the center. “Are you… Are you Crystal…? Are you Crystal Lis!?” Celestia screamed, staring at that abominable creature out of the dark well.
“Cryssss…. Alll…Lisss…” The creature repeated, finally able to utter a word.
“Celestia! Watch out!" Aspen suddenly yelled. The deer king tried and failed to use the magic of the forest.
Then Celestia saw those dozens of mosquitoes, the same ones that had attracted the ponies they had followed, began to attack her. Lunging over her body, poking her with their needle noses and taking a few drops of her blood.
Although Aspen and Celestia managed to crush several of the bugs, several of them succeeded. And once they did, they flew towards the amorphous creature that was standing in front of them as if they obeyed it.
As soon as the amorphous creature had the mosquitoes in front of it, it grabbed them tightly with one of its legs, and quickly ate them, tasting food for the first time with its new mouth. Then the creature again changed again, causing its form to appear more like a true body than a slimy shaped mass. By changing the creature's body, Celestia was able to see the skin of the creature, which looked like some kind of shell, like that of an insect. Furthermore, she could see that the creature was wearing a rusty crown on its head. But the change that most shocked Aspen and Celestia was that a horn appeared on the creature's forehead, one with a twisted shape. Then two huge wings, similar to those of an insect, appeared on the creature's back. And finally, several sharp teeth, with which the creature was finally able to smile, causing Aspen and Celestia to shiver at the sight of the grim smile.
"Crysss-allll-lisss... Firrrssst... fall..." The creature said with a more defined, terrifying female voice. It was finally able to express herself as her brain continued to evolve and learn at breakneck speed.
“W-what…? What does that mean?” Aspen asked, horrified that this creature could communicate.
"I not heeer... She just... first to fall..." The creature replied, slowly beginning to speak in a more coherent manner.
As the creature spoke, she kept her gaze fixed on Celestia. Who, for her part, looked terrified at the bright green eyes of that creature, trying to understand 'what' was what was before her eyes. While the creature, seeing Celestia's frightened look, smiled, as if enjoying seeing the terror on the alicorn's face.
"The well... a long time... I was born in darkness... Over the years, little by little... plants... mosquitoes... insects... snakes… fell..." The creature continued speaking, retelling the beginnings of her own existence. “Finally, a pony fell… Crysss-allll-lisss… That… That was…” The creature said, pausing briefly, before putting on a twisted smile. "So delicious…!"
"Crystal Lis... Was that the name of your former student?" Aspen said in shock, turning to look at Celestia. Then the deer was shocked to see the face of his friend.
Celestia had never felt so afraid in her life. It seemed that the dark creature that had just been born before her eyes spoke as if it were the same pool of dark magic speaking. A living being without consciousness that had lived there for centuries, perhaps even older than Celestia herself. A being that, as Crystal discovered before going mad, absorbed everything it touched, and in some way, assimilated it, until finally becoming aware of itself and creating the dark creature that was before them.
“Knowing how delicious ponies were, I had to eat more…” The dark creature said, already managing to speak more complex words. “Dozens of ponies had to fall, until… I was finally able to get a body. But... still missing... I'm still not... perfect." The dark creature added, drawing a snake-like tongue out of her mouth and tasting her lips as she stared at Celestia.
In that instant, the creature's horn glowed, and a fleeting green flame surrounded her body. Instantly, the creature in front of them transformed, taking on the appearance of the old mare that had fallen into that pond minutes before. The only difference from the original old mare was that this copy had the glowing, malevolent green eyes of the dark creature. In addition, part of her tail and one ear were not completely transformed.
"That transformation... It's like that of a mimicker..." Celestia whispered in shock after seeing the creature transform. It was then that Celestia remembered how her student had spent days experimenting in that well, throwing at it those mimickers.
The creature, in the form of the old mare, smiled wickedly. She was enjoying the fear of the alicorn before her.
“These… are feelings… Fear… is so…enticing…” The creature said, speaking in a voice that was a mix between her own voice and the old mare's.
Using her magic again, the dark creature transformed again. Only this time she was transformed into the stallion that had fallen next to the old mare. Just a second later, the creature transformed again, changing her appearance dozens of times at high speed. Transforming one by one into the victims who had fallen into the dark waters of that well and who were now part of her.
Both Aspen and Celestia were shocked to understand that all those ponies that the creature transformed into had been her victims. Which made them both feel scared and disgusted to see how dark and evil the creature could be.
"How is it possible…? Was that creature able to break the Great Taboo without consequences?” Aspen whispered, shocked at what he saw.
Before Celestia could say anything, the dark creature finally transformed into the last pony left in her catalogue. The first pony victim who had fallen into the dark pond. The creature that, by absorbing her, had given her the first light of self-awareness. The creature that, being the first thinking creature that fell there, was the base to form its essence. So much so, that without realizing it, the obsession to be recognized. To seek to be more important than others, and even to seek Celestia's love, had permeated the very essence of that creature, forming her soul.
"Crystal..." Celestia whispered in horror, with tears in her eyes when she saw her former student again before her eyes.
As with her other transformations, the dark creature had failed to become a perfect copy of the original pony. This copy kept the creature's green eyes, as well as her malevolent smile. Also, part of her right hoof hadn’t fully transformed. Still, there was something that made the copycat look a lot like the original in Celestia's eyes. And that was that the creature still wore on her neck the original golden necklace that she had given to her beloved student.
"You love me, right?" The creature said, mimicking Crystal Lis's voice. Only this time, she managed to perfectly imitate the voice of the pony she was impersonating.
Hearing that, Celestia's endurance finally broke. Causing her to take a few quick steps back, completely terrified, tears in her eyes.
That was too much for the alicorn princess. Not only was she looking at her dead former student, but Crystal had asked her that very question, just before she'd jumped into that dark pit. Hearing that, looking into her eyes, and hearing her voice again, made Celestia begin to cry as she felt again all the guilt she had been carrying for years, for not being able to save her student.
Seeing the alicorn fall into shock with fright, the dark creature couldn't help but smile evilly, enjoying Celestia's fear. Fear based on lost love tasted even more delicious.
"A small caterpillar can become a beautiful butterfly..." The creature said in Crystal's voice, using Crystal's past memories to remember what Celestia had said to her student when they met. The creature then used her transformation magic to make her original twisted horn and insect wings appear in the form of Crystal Lis. "Look at me! I'm finally an alicorn!"
"Enough!" Celestia cried, feeling a pain in her chest to see how that creature used Crystal's memories to torment her.
"Love... Fear... Guilt... Despair... They are so delicious..." The creature said, delighted with her new food. "I want more…"
With a fleeting flash of green, Crystal disappeared, and before Celestia and Aspen's stunned eyes, Celestia's old teacher, Starswirl the Bearded appeared. The dark creature was able to incompletely copy her target again, however, she was good enough to copy the old unicorn's face, as well as his characteristic cape and hat. Just like the original Crystal had seen when Celestia showed her past.
“Why did you abandon me? You never went for me." The creature said in a perfect imitation of Starswirl.
"No... I..." Celestia said in a pleading voice. Deep down, she knew that the one before her wasn’t truly her teacher, but still, she couldn't help but feel guilty for never knowing what had happened to him.
The fake Starswirl couldn't help but radically change his face and smile evilly at Celestia’s savory fear and despair. However, the creature couldn’t satisfy her thirst. Then the creature stared at Celestia and smiled wickedly.
Seeing the cruel eyes of the dark creature, Celestia immediately knew what she was planning.
"No. Please." Celestia pleaded, knowing that there was someone the creature could transform into that would definitely break her heart.
At that moment, the creature used her magic, and the green flash enveloped her body again. Celestia immediately shook her head and covered her eyes with her hoof, not wanting to see who she knew the creature wanted to imitate.
"Sister, why don't you want to see me?" The copy of Luna said with a kind voice.
“No… please…” Celestia cried, not daring to open her eyes to see the creature transformed into her sister. But just hearing Luna's sweet voice again made Celestia on the verge of collapse.
“Love me sister! Love me and only me!” The creature yelled with a voice that was a mix of Luna's and Crystal's voice.
"ENOUGH!" Aspen yelled furiously. He pounced on the dark creature to get it away from his suffering friend.
Knowing that his magic didn’t work well in that cave, Aspen took a risk and released the only white magic he carried with him: the water from the spring of the Tree of Harmony, which he carried in the crystal heart that he wore around his neck.
As soon as that water touched the body of the dark creature, her transformation into Luna undid, returning to her original appearance, and she made a face of burning pain. Seeing a flash of opportunity, Aspen took advantage of the dark creature's attack and lunged at it with his horns. It was a ferocious onslaught that hit the creature filled and pierced right into her chest where the water had hit her. However, to Aspen's surprise, his horns didn't pierce flesh and skin as he had expected, but rather, it was like hitting a wall of mud.
Aspen jerked his head away, fearful that the dark creature would absorb him as well. The creature was left with some holes in her chest where Aspen had pierced her. However, those holes were moving through her body, moving away from her chest, as if her body had become slimy again.
“Hehe… I'm not in my full form yet… But the day will come when I'll be the one to stab them. But my stab will be in the back, haha…” The dark creature said, laughing as she slowly backed away back into what was left of the dark green lake. "I'm not a caterpillar anymore... But I'm not a butterfly yet either... For now, I'm just a chrysalis..." The dark creature laughed as she slowly sank into the dark pond.
"We have to get out of here!" Aspen said, terrified at what they had seen. He looked at his friend next to him and immediately noticed that the alicorn seemed to be in shock.
Wasting no time, Aspen helped Celestia to her feet, and the two of them began to quickly exit the evil cave.
“Crysss-allll-lisss… Crysss-allll-lisss…” The voice of the creature began to repeat from the bottom of the cave. Repeating what were her first words, trying to pronounce the name of her first victim and now the main source of her essence: 'Crystal Lis'. “Crysss-allll-lisss… Crysss-allll-lisss… Chrysalis! CHRYSALIS! Hahaha!" The voice laughed ominously from deep in the cavern, enjoying her new name just as Aspen and Celestia managed to escape.
Noticing that outside her magic had returned to normal, Aspen furiously charged his magic into his horns to form a huge green flame and fired it at the entrance of the cavern. Then the entrance to the cave was blocked, and so powerful was the magic applied by the deer that the cavern itself began to collapse and sink in on itself.
After the dust from the collapse cleared and Aspen caught his breath, he checked on Celestia. The alicorn was still in shock, her eyes swollen from crying and staring at the ground with a lost look.
Seeing his friend in such bad state of mind, Aspen decided to give her a few words of encouragement. However, he stopped when he saw that something had gotten stuck in one of his antlers. Then the deer saw that after hitting the dark creature in her chest, the golden necklace that it was wearing had been hooked on his horns.
Aspen removed the necklace and approached Celestia and silently showed it to her, knowing that this necklace must be important to her. Celestia was finally able to snap out of her shock when she saw the necklace. Then she slowly took it and hugged it, crying again as she remembered her student, Starswirl and Luna.
"It's my fault... It's all my fault..." Celestia cried bitterly.
As the alicorn cried, Aspen stood there with her. He had never seen his friend in such a bad state. Even though she had gone through other misfortunes in her life, she had never broken. However now, it seemed that finally Celestia couldn’t take it anymore, and finally her pain got the better of her.
"I hope she recovers... I don't want to think that this has affected her in an irreversible way..." Aspen thought worriedly. Without realizing that this whole situation would be the trigger for Celestia weeks later to commit something so crazy that would end their friendship forever.
'End flashback.'
Celestia was looking carefully at Crystal's old gold necklace in her hoof. Somehow, the ability to absorb magic that Celestia had imbued it with when it was created had made it absorb part of the magic that had fallen into that dark well. Not the dark magic that naturally emanated from it, but some of the mimicker magic that had fallen into the well. It was for this reason that the acorn necklace helped Celestia transform so easily. Something that she had used a few times lately, the last time being to enjoy some free time as 'Golden Feather', together with her current student.
Celestia stopped remembering the past when she noticed that her maid, Sweet Creme, was also looking carefully at the necklace.
"It's a nice necklace." Sweet Creme said, smiling at the alicorn.
"Yes... It belonged to someone very special." Celestia said with a sad smile.
Just then, a ruckus was heard behind Celestia's bedroom door again, one that immediately caught the attention of Celestia and her maid. Celestia put the necklace in a drawer and walked quickly to the door.
"What is happening here?" Celestia said, opening the door. Her guards were forcibly holding Spike and Dusk Shine's friends.
"Princess! It's Dusk! The impostor was Dusk!” Spike yelled, struggling to get close to the princess as the guards prevented him. “Shining Armor trapped the impostor in the guardhouse!” The dragon showed the princess the guard captain's emblem that Shining Armor had passed to them. One that surprised the guards by recognizing it.
Surprised to hear that the changeling impostor had dared to impersonate Dusk, Celestia put on a serious look and told the guards to allow Dusk's friends inside. Then Celestia remembered something important, and quickly took a scroll, wrote a letter, and sent it with her magic to her 'special team' who were also searching for the invader.
“Guards, return to your posts. I’ll go personally to solve this.” Celestia said quickly.
"B-But Princess, our orders are-" The guard said timidly.
"That's an order!" Celestia looked at her guards with a gaze that made it clear that they weren’t to contradict her. Then Celestia looked at Dusk's friends and tried to give them a kinder look, despite the fact that internally she was scared of what could happen. “You girls go back to your rooms. I promise you that I’ll find out what happened to Dusk Shine.” Celestia added, looking at Dusk's friends in the same serious way.
Celestia walked away and trotted over to where Shining Armor was holding the prisoner.
"Princess! Wait!" Sweet Creme yelled, running after Celestia.
“Sweet Creme?” Celestia stopped. "You must go back to-"
"No! I don’t want to be alone!" Sweet Creme said, lunging to hug Celestia's hoof. It was then that the alicorn noticed that her beloved maid was shaking with fear. “After the attack… I don't feel safe anywhere, only with you… Please… don't leave me alone.” Sweet Creme added, almost on the verge of tears.
Celestia looked again at the bandage that her maid had on her head. Then Celestia stroked her head and understood how scared she must be.
Determined not to waste any more time. Celestia focused her magic, and instead of running, she decided to teleport along with Sweet Creme in front of the guard headquarters. Once there, Celestia opened the barracks doors and walked in with the maid. There, she saw that the barracks were quite dark, lit only by a few torches.
After getting used to the change in light, Celestia immediately made out the form of Shining Armor and Applejack. Celestia's eyes fell on who their prisoner was: Dusk Shine. His eyes were teary as he was held back by Shining Armor's magic.
"Princess... Please, help me... Shining Armor has gone mad." 'Dusk' said, looking at the alicorn princess and crying for mercy.
"How dare you take the form of my beloved student to deceive me!" Celestia said with a fierce look. Furious that this creature now wanted to savor her fear. “Show me your true face, Crystal Lis… No… Chrysalis!” Celestia said, looking seriously at the fake Dusk.
Seeing that his performance hadn’t paid off, the false Dusk erased his mask and smiled wickedly.
"My true form?" The false Dusk smiled.
In that instant, the false Dusk's changeling magic shone on his horn again, causing him to transform again. However, unlike when he had transformed into Applejack, this time the transformation was slower and with more noticeable changes. The false Dusk's body grew, reaching the height of Celestia herself. His fur changed from lavender to black, all hair disappeared from his skin and replaced by what appeared to be tough insect skin. His legs were filled with holes and a greenish armor appeared on its back. Two insect wings with holes appeared on his side, and on his forehead his horn changed, becoming twisted and pointed, while his mane changed color to a greenish blue. Finally, two huge bright green eyes focused on Celestia while a cruel and dark smile formed on her mouth.
"This is my true form, Princess..." The false Dusk said, now transformed into the Changeling Queen. “It took hundreds of years, but I finally achieved perfection, hehehe…” The Changeling Queen laughed wickedly.
"It's... It's her!" Sweet Creme yelled in terror, recognizing who had attacked her the night before. She then ran after Celestia, clutching one of her hooves tightly as she trembled as she could.
“Everyone leave at once! I must speak with… 'Her' alone.” Celestia said seriously to Shining Armor and Applejack.
For a second, Shining Armor hesitated to leave the Princess alone with such a frightening and fearsome creature. However, Celestia's gaze left no room for doubt. Furthermore, with a single word, the Princess had finally made the impostor show his true appearance. So, the safest thing was that if someone could make that creature talk to reveal Dusk's location, it was precisely Celestia.
Shining Armor stopped using his restraining magic, and he along with Applejack left the barracks.
"I… I can't move, Princess…" Sweet Creme stammered, her legs so shaky she couldn't even walk. She looked in horror at the Changeling Queen. "Please… don't leave me alone…" Sweet Creme added, keeping her firm grip on Celestia's hoof.
Seeing that her beloved maid seemed to be more traumatized than she expected, Celestia stroked her again, hoping she would calm down a bit. She wished that this would was only temporary, and that her poor maid hadn't been traumatized for life.
"I guess I left a strong impression on her, hahaha!" Chrysalis scoffed, seeing the young maid tremble in fear. “You must feel lucky… I could have slit your throat instead of just hitting you, hahaha!” Chrysalis added, scaring Sweet Creme even more.
"Where is Dusk Shine!" Celestia demanded, standing between Sweet Creme and Chrysalis, so that the Changeling Queen would stop scaring the young maid.
“Wow… You really loved him a lot, didn't you? Hahaha!" Chrysalis laughed, undeterred by Celestia's fierce gaze.
Hearing Chrysalis's laugh, Celestia was reminded of how cruel the creature could be and what it was capable of. Then Celestia was filled with fear and anger, feelings that made her mane rise and her eyes flared with the most menacing look she had ever given anyone. A look that was fleetingly reminiscent of her dark alter ego, Daybreaker, because of how menacing it was.
"WHERE-IS-DUSK-SHINE!?" Celestia yelled furiously in the Royal Canterlot Voice, causing her voice to echo throughout the barracks. She got even closer to Chrysalis and looking her in the face with a murderous look. For the first time, Celestia thought of breaking the Great Taboo if Chrysalis had done something to Dusk.
Not far from the castle, some time before the impostor was captured by Shining Armor, a rather peculiar pair of ponies walked the streets of Canterlot. It wasn't that either of these two ponies was overly peculiar, but rather because neither expected to one day be walking in the other's company.
Those two ponies were Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer, Celestia's 'special team'. The former was wearing a cape that covered much of her body, as well as a hood that covered her head. While Sunset Shimmer walked by her side, with a look that showed that she didn't feel comfortable at all in that situation. A look identical to the one that the Princess of the night had at her side.
Since it was discovered that there was a shape-shifting creature prowling the castle, Celestia ordered that no one enter the castle for the royal wedding without being inspected. However, there was still the possibility that the shape-shifter was prowling outside the castle. So, after Celestia told Luna how dangerous the dark creature called Chrysalis could be, Luna offered to look for the changeling in the streets near the castle.
Knowing how dangerous Chrysalis could be, Celestia was very apprehensive about letting her sister patrol the streets of the capital alone. But after much hesitation, Celestia finally gave in, only on one condition, that Sunset Shimmer accompany her.
“If I send all my guards to look for the changeling in the streets of the city, it’ll only strike fear and alarm in the ponies. That's why it's better for a small group to go." Celestia said that morning after Luna offered to look for the changeling outside the palace walls.
"I get that, but what I don't get is, why do you want me to go with Sunset Shimmer!?" Luna replied, clearly uncomfortable with her sister's request.
“It's not that I distrust your power, Luna. It's just that you don't know what that creature is capable of.” Celestia answered, looking worriedly at her sister. “Sunset is Cadance's student and one of the most skilled unicorns in the kingdom. If Chrysalis runs into just one of you, she might try to trick you and stab you in the back. But if she faces two of the strongest ponies in the kingdom, I'm sure she won't be able to attack you two by surprise."
Two ponies who had fought for weeks not to see each other face to face were now together side by side, in a long, awkward silence that had lasted since they'd gone out to patrol the streets that morning to search for the impostor who had attacked the castle.
"Excuse me, are you Princess Luna?" A young mare suddenly asked as Sunset and Luna patrolled.
"I... No. I'm not her..." Luna answered quickly, hiding her face even more under her hood. Then she quickened her pace to quickly get away from the mare while she looked on with confusion.
Sunset simply sighed tiredly and hurried to follow Luna. This had been happening all morning.
Since Luna hadn’t yet publicly shown herself to all of her subjects, it was imperative for her to continue to keep her appearance hidden. Although it was known by all the ponies of the kingdom that Celestia's sister, the Princess of the Night, had returned to the kingdom; not many ponies had really seen her as she was. Except for a few blurry photos and some ponies that had seen her at the Grand Galloping Gala, most of the Canterlot ponies were still confused as to what the Princess of the Night really looked like.
“It’s useless for you to keep hiding your face. Your height and your figure give away that you’re an alicorn.” Sunset said with a tired voice once she reached Luna. “You should just show everyone how you are. After all, you’re still a Princess. Everyone will love you however you look.”
"I still haven't regained all my power... I don't want them to think that I'm weaker than my sister and that I'm not worthy as a Princess to protect them." Luna replied with a sad look. Then she stared at Sunset and narrowed her eyes slightly. “You said it yourself, remember? 'I'm just an incomplete alicorn.'” Luna reminded Sunset of what she had told her when they almost dueled in Ponyville.
Sunset widened her eyes and looked away. She would have liked to say that she had said that only to try to provoke her, but Sunset knew that a simple excuse wouldn’t forgive the damage that comment left in Luna. Then the unicorn closed her eyes in annoyance, realizing that it seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she would never escape her past. And so it was that the uncomfortable silence that had surrounded both mares during the morning settled again between them.
Just then, a flash momentarily blinded both mares. They both shook their heads and saw that a mare had approached them and had taken a picture of them without warning.
“You're Princess Luna, right? Thank Celestia! My luck is getting better!” The mare who had taken the photograph said, getting closer to Luna to try to photograph her face under her hood. “It's ridiculous that the best journalist in Equestria isn’t allowed to enter the wedding of the century. But at least with you, I'll get my scoop." The mare added, taking one photo after another of Luna.
That nosy mare was none other than Nosy News. The annoying reporter from the Canterlot newspaper who, frustrated by not being able to enter the palace, took advantage of having met Luna by chance to take pictures of her face and thus be the first to publish a clear photo of her face. If she was lucky, maybe she would be able to get an exclusive interview with the mysterious and elusive Princess of the Night.
“Are the rumors that you were banished by your sister true? How did it feel to return to Equestria after so many years? How true is it that a mare named Twilight Sparkle saved you and Celestia the night of your return?” Nosey News asked quickly as she took non-stop pictures of Luna. The shy alicorn tried her best to hide her face.
"Hey you!" Sunset Shimmer suddenly said with annoyance. She used her magic to levitate and remove the camera from Nosy News's hooves. “Leave my friend alone. She’s not the Princess of the Night, and she doesn’t like to have her pictures taken.”
Nosy News glared at Sunset and then looked back at Luna. She was positive that tall, hooded pony was indeed the princess. This was a scoop that couldn’t be missed.
“Give me back my camera! I am a journalist! It’s my right and duty to inform! Freedom of the press!" Nosy News yelled, jumping angrily to try and catch the camera that Sunset was levitating above her head.
"Oh, yeah? Well, it’s also my right and freedom to get rid of those ponies that I consider annoying.” Sunset said with an evil and menacing smile. She then crushed the camera with her magic.
Nosy News's courage was gone in a second at the unicorn’s menacing look. Then she backed away and ran away from the intimidating mare. Sunset removed the intimidating look and sighed in relief.
“Huff… I know I shouldn't threaten the other ponies. But sometimes it's impossible to forget the old ways with ponies this annoying." Sunset Shimmer said with a sad smile. She looked sideways at Luna. “Although I must admit, it still amuses me a bit when I scare off a bully that easily just with a stare, hehe.”
Sunset started walking to continue her patrol. Meanwhile, Luna stood still for a few seconds, just looking at Sunset in surprise as she walked. She snapped out of her thoughts and quickly started walking to catch up with Sunset.
For several minutes, both mares silently continued their walk until finally, Luna broke the ice.
“Thank you… for helping me with that reporter.” Luna said slowly, a little embarrassed to think that she was thanking Sunset Shimmer for something. "Also... I'm sorry you had to lie and say you were my friend."
"Don’t worry." Sunset answered without looking at Luna. “I guess I owe you an apology too. After all, I said you were my friend, and… well, no one would want to be my friend.” Sunset added with a wistful look.
“I know… I also always think the same about myself. When you've made so many mistakes in the past, how could anyone want to be your friend...?" Luna said with the same wistful look as Sunset. "I guess at least, in that we are similar."
"I guess..." Sunset said with a sad look. Then she stopped, lowered her gaze, and for some reason changed her attitude radically. She put on big eyes of an enraptured puppy, approaching Luna and affectionately taking a hoof from the alicorn between her own. "I've a great idea! Since we’re so alike, we can be friends!” Sunset Shimmer said, looking at Luna with a tender gaze.
For her part, Luna was shocked to see that loving gaze on Sunset. However, Luna simply slowly removed her hoof and gave Sunset a small mischievous smile.
"Not in a million years." Luna replied sincerely.
Sunset erased that silly look she had and began to laugh sincerely.
“Hahaha yeah, I knew you would say that. It’s natural to think so, honestly I also think the same about you.” Sunset answered with a small smile after Luna discovered her prank. “I figured if Cadance was here, she would have told me to ask you something like that. But I doubt she understands how we feel. We’re very different and at the same time very similar, like the Sun and the Moon. I think we're destined to never get along with each other."
"You're right about that." Luna added, sighing with a smile.
After finally speaking truthfully, the atmosphere between the two mares relaxed. They both knew they would never become best friends, and they would never attempt such an aberration. However, at least now they understood that one felt exactly the same as the other. Which made them both relax more, smile, and talk without being so tense with each other.
“There’s also another powerful reason why we couldn't be friends. And that reason is called: Dusk Shine.” Sunset said, mischievously looking at Luna. “We both compete for the love of the same stallion. And unlike Dusk's friends from Ponyville, I couldn't be friends with a rival."
Realizing that Sunset knew her 'secret love' for Dusk, Luna blushed deeply. She thought about how the cunning Sunset had managed to find out her biggest secret. Not realizing that for Sunset, like everyone who lived in the castle, it was very obvious to realize that. It was enough to see how Luna reacted every time she heard about Dusk, or how she went crazy when Dusk went to the castle.
Sunset smiled triumphantly, amused at embarrassing one of her love rivals a little. However, at the thought of Dusk, and it was the yellow unicorn's turn to blush and get nervous.
“Now that we’re finally alone… There's something I've always wanted to ask you…” Sunset asked trying to hide her nervousness as she looked at Luna. "In the trips you've had to the world of dreams, you... in Dusk's dreams... He... Has he ever dreamed of me?"
Luna stopped in surprise. Not only because of the question Sunset was asking her, but because of how nervous she was when asking. Sunset knew perfectly well that Dusk couldn't remember her due to the spell that she herself used on Dusk to contain Discord's curse. However, asking that was a clear sign that Sunset still had a secret light of hope in her heart that Dusk hadn't completely forgotten her, at least in his subconscious.
Luna looked away and remembered some dreams that she had seen Dusk have on some of her visits. In a couple of dreams in particular, Luna remembered seeing Dusk running, chasing a faceless mare. A mare that Dusk yelled at to tell him her name but who never said it. A mare with the same coat and mane colors as Sunset Shimmer. A very small and blurred sign, which showed that Dusk's mind still refused to completely forget the one who was his first friend and his first love.
"No... Dusk can't dream of you. He has completely forgotten you.” Luna said, closing her eyes. She was unsure why she had lied to Sunset. Maybe it was because they were still rivals in love? Maybe it was so Sunset wouldn't do something crazy? Or maybe it was to protect Sunset from giving her false hope? Maybe… It was all those together.
For her part, hearing Luna's answer, Sunset lowered her head and put on a sad smile.
“I see… Hehe, my spell is as strong as I expected.” Sunset said solemnly. Despite the fact that her eyes shone on the verge of tears, thinking that the possibility of being with Dusk again was becoming almost negligible.
Right at that moment, a small flash appeared before Luna and Sunset. One that surprised the mares and briefly annoyed Sunset, thinking that it was the journalist again taking photos of them.
"It's a letter from my sister." Luna said in surprise, looking a scroll had appeared floating before her. Luna then quickly took the scroll and read it. "It says they caught the changeling impostor, but Dusk Shine is missing."
“Dusk? The impostor captured Dusk!?” Sunset exclaimed, fearing for the only pony in the whole world who truly cared.
“The letter says nothing more. Surely my sister wrote it in a hurry.” Luna said, just as nervous as Sunset. "The best thing is that we return to the castle, and-" At that moment, Luna fell silent when she saw the street that was in front of her.
Not far from where Luna and Sunset were, Sweet Caramel, Luna's personal maid, was walking. For some reason, the red-mane maid had a lost look, as if she wasn't sure where to go.
"What's wrong?" Sunset asked, not understanding why Luna had stared at her maid so intently.
“Sweet Caramel should be taking care of her sister. She didn't leave her side all night." Luna said with a suspicious look. “What is she doing here alone? She would never be separated from her sister knowing that she was hurt."
Understanding Luna's suspicion, Sunset put on a serious look. Then both of them started to sneak up on Sweet Caramel, thinking that if she was acting strange, perhaps it was because she was somehow related to Dusk's disappearance.
They slowly followed Sweet Caramel through the streets near the castle. Until they reached a small alley where no pony was circulating.
"Enough! We don't have all day." Sunset said suddenly, who was impatient to know Dusk's whereabouts. Then Sunset quickly ran towards Sweet Caramel, and just when she turned around scared hearing footsteps behind her, it was that Sunset pushed her with her magic against the wall and held her tightly.
"What are you doing!?" Sweet Caramel fearfully exclaimed, seeing that Sunset was looking at her with a murderous look while holding her back with her magic. The maid looked up and opened her eyes in surprise when she saw that Luna was also approaching her. "Princess!" The maid added with a mixture of relief and surprise.
"What are you doing here alone, Sweet Caramel?" Luna asked once she got to where Sunset was holding her. She looked sideways with annoyance at Sunset for having acted so abruptly with her maid.
“I… I had to get out of the castle. Everyone is acting weird, especially the guards. It was as if everyone was suspicious of something.” Sweet Caramel said with a confused look.
Luna and Sunset looked at each other subtly and understood that the maid didn't know that all the guards in the castle were so alert to look for the 'imposter' that had attacked the castle. That was because Celestia didn't want everyone in her castle to panic. So the information that an invader who could change its shape had attacked the castle was only privy to the guards and the princesses. As well as Sunset Shimmer, who was informed by Celestia herself.
“You shouldn't be out here. You should be taking care of your sister.” Luna said, looking at her maid with a suspicious look.
“That… That’s not necessary. Sweet Creme woke up this morning and said she felt better. She said that she was afraid of being alone and that she needed to warn the Princess about an attack.” Sweet Caramel answered. For some reason, she looked away with discomfort.
"What's wrong?" Luna asked, noticing immediately that her maid was worried about something.
"I... I don't know how to explain it..." Sweet Caramel answered, trying in vain to hide her concern.
"Trust me." Luna said, reaching out and touching her maid's cheek.
Feeling the touch of her beloved princess, and seeing her look of concern, Sweet Caramel finally stopped trying to appear strong and put on a look of fear, almost on the verge of tears.
“I spent the whole night yesterday guarding the castle infirmary, as I didn't want anyone to disturb my sister. I didn't even let the guards pass, who insisted on waking her up to ask her questions about the invader who attacked her. I didn't get to talk to her until this morning when she woke up." Sweet Caramel said with a confused look. Then she was silent for a few seconds and looked at Luna with teary eyes. “My sister and I have been together forever. And today … She talked like always, looked the same as always, acted the same as always, but the bond of twins that we have always felt with each other…” Again Sweet Caramel fell silent, lowered her head and looked fearfully at Luna. "I know it's crazy, but that mare... She's not my sister!"
At that moment, Luna and Sunset widened their eyes in surprise, understanding perfectly that what Sweet Caramel was saying might not be crazy. And if that was true, it meant that everyone was in more danger than they thought.
"It's not just one..." Luna whispered with terror.
Back in the castle, in the guard barracks, Celestia had stared menacingly at the prisoner, asking it to tell her where Dusk Shine was. Celestia didn't need to use magic. All it took was the knowledge that her beloved pupil was in mortal danger for the Princess of the Sun to erupt in anger and give the Changeling Queen a withering death glare. She looked at the imposter with a murderous look that she had never shown to anyone else, and that made it very clear what Celestia was willing to do in order to save her beloved student.
However, Celestia widened her eyes when she saw something she shouldn't have seen. Chrysalis’s eyes only showed fear for only a second before they went back to display overconfidence.
Celestia knew very well the eyes of that dark creature, born in that well of dark magic. And she knew very well that this being had never experienced fear.
“You… You're not Chrysalis…” Celestia whispered in confusion.
At that precise moment, Celestia felt a sharp pain in her side, like something had stabbed and sank deep into her skin. With a great cry of pain, Celestia fell to the ground
“I told you that one day I would stab you in the back…” Sweet Creme's voice said. The maid was no longer trembling in fear. Now, she was looking at Celestia lying on the ground and smiled evilly while holding a golden dagger.
Looking closely at the dagger, Celestia saw that it was Crystal Lis's necklace. The same thing that she had been looking at minutes ago and that the false Sweet Creme had taken advantage of taking from Celestia's room when she was distracted. She must have used magic to sharpen one of its points. In this way, the former necklace was left in the shape of a dagger, completely bloody.
After seeing what she had been attacked with, Celestia turned around with difficulty, due to the wound on her side, and saw the cruel smile her maid had. However, what scared her the most was seeing that Sweet Creme's eyes had also changed, turning green and bright. That murderous and evil look verified what Celestia failed to discover in time. The one who had attacked her was the mastermind of it all, the true Changeling Queen: Chrysalis.
The fake Sweet Creme used her changeling magic to take off her disguise. Fleeting green flames transformed her almost the same as how the fake Chrysalis had transformed. Only the real Chrysalis was even more imposing and terrifying, with larger wings than her imitation and without any holes in her legs. She was wearing parts of green armor on her hooves and neck and her eyes even brighter yellowish-green and a crown on her head.
Following the transformation of the real Chrysalis, the fake Chrysalis approached her and bowed to her queen. Then the fake Chrysalis stood up, and both changelings looked at Celestia and smirked, glad their plan had worked. The one who smiled more happily was the true Changeling Queen, who enjoyed in ecstasy seeing Celestia hurt in front of her.
"You... You are two?" Celestia whimpered with a face of pain still feeling Chrysalis's stab.
“We’re not two… We are legion!” The real Chrysalis scoffed as the fake one stepped back to give their Queen room. “An entire army ready to take down you and your kingdom with just one order from me.” The Changeling Queen laughed, enjoying savoring Celestia's terror at discovering the truth.
Celestia widened her eyes in terror as she realized that last night's attack wasn’t just a revenge attack against her, but a full-scale invasion to destroy her kingdom. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her side, and quickly used her magic to try to defend herself and attack Chrysalis. However, as soon as she tried, a strange sensation she hadn't felt in centuries made it impossible for her to use her magic.
“Do you recognize this?” Chrysalis said, smiling wickedly seeing that Celestia had tried to use her magic. Then the Changeling Queen showed Celestia some kind of necklace, which looked more like a giant shackle, made entirely of small stones. “It’s made from the rocks of the cave where I was born. I thought to make a throne with the few rocks that were left, but I decided to use them as a weapon against my enemies.” Chrysalis laughed, levitating the necklace and sealing it around Celestia's neck. “I couldn't leave anything to chance. As I told you, I have planned this for centuries, since my birth. Now… I’ll end your kingdom and form my own on the ashes of yours, hahaha!”
“You… why are you doing this!?” Celestia desperately asked, feeling helpless when she saw that the situation was only getting worse and that if she didn't do something, all her beloved ponies would be in danger.
“Why? Simple, it's for love." Chrysalis said, approaching Celestia and caressing her face while smiling cruelly. “I’ll have your love, and your sister's, and your student's, and all those who love you. And I’ll take it by force!”
“Take love by force? What are you talking about!?" Celestia asked in shock. "That obsession with being loved... Does it come from Crystal Lis!?"
“Who knows, the only thing I know is that I was born that way. With an immense thirst for love.” Chrysalis said with a small smirk. “I’ve taught my subjects to feed on different kinds of love. But I’ve always told them that the most delicious love is when that love turns into fear. When ponies discover that they have been deceived by their loved one... That taste... Mmmm! It has no comparison.” The Changeling Queen added, running her tongue over her lips as if she were enjoying a delicious treat.
"Your subjects?" Celestia said, looking over at the fake Chrysalis, who was watching her Queen intently from a few steps behind. "Do you feed on love?"
"Yes, but I'll let you in on a little secret…” Chrysalis replied, leaning closer to Celestia's ear. "I could feed my subjects in other ways, but I prefer love, because it's fun to cheat and steal from ponies, hehe..." At that moment, Chrysalis's mouth opened close to Celestia and absorbed part of the feelings that emanated from her. “Mmmm… Yes… This is worry, right? I guess it’ll be a little snack before absorbing all your love.”
"Where are Sweet Creme and Dusk Shine?" Celestia asked, feeling a slight queasiness as Chrysalis 'ate' some of her emotions spanning from her worry for her student and maid.
“Don't worry, you'll see with your own eyes…” Chrysalis said, staring at Celestia. She used her magic to slowly induce sleep in the alicorn. “In the caves, no one will ever find you… And you… I'll keep you in a cocoon as my personal dessert, hehe…” Chrysalis added, making Celestia fall sound asleep.
Chrysalis used her magic again, only this time, she surrounded Celestia in a circle of green fire, and with a strong flare, the capture mare disappeared from there. Then only Chrysalis and the false Chrysalis remain.
“You have done well, my subject.” Chrysalis said, looking at her impersonator with a serious look. "What's your name?"
“I… I have no name, my Queen. I only exist to serve you.” The false Chrysalis responded with fear. Knowing that this question was a trap since the Queen didn’t care about the names of her soldiers.
"Well said. Now tell me…” Chrysalis said with a kind smile. She approached her subject and then suddenly started strangling them with her hoof. "Why did you transform into an incomplete form of me!?" Chrysalis yelled furiously, seeing that that changeling had chosen to transform into an incomplete form of her, when she still had those holes in her body. “I am the pinnacle of evolution! Are you making fun of me!?” The wounds that Aspen gave her centuries ago, going through her chest had gone down to her legs after continuing to evolve. But those holes in her skin remained for centuries in her body, being able to heal only in recent years when she completed her perfect form.
"I-It's not that, my Queen!" The false Chrysalis responded with difficulty, while being mercilessly choked by the true Changeling Queen. "I didn’t dare to transform into your full form because I could never imitate your perfection, my Queen..."
Hearing that soldier's excuse, Chrysalis kept strangling her for another while. After all, it was just one of her subjects, she didn't care if it died or not. However, the queen's vanity was flattered by the changeling soldier's excuse, causing the queen to finally release it.
As soon as the Changeling Queen released the fake Chrysalis, the impersonator grabbed their neck and gasped for air. Then the fake Chrysalis transformed into their true appearance. Being a smaller changeling, a simple soldier who followed the orders of his Queen. This changeling was the size of a normal pony with hard black skin like a large insect in the shape of a pony. But what most differentiated their Queen's subjects, besides their size, was that they had completely blue eyes without any pupils.
"Enough fooling around." Chrysalis said, using her magic to transform. Only this time, she transformed into an exact copy of Celestia. “There is a wedding we must attend.” The false Celestia added with a sinister smile. As if deep within her fractured soul, a part of her felt ecstatic at finally becoming the magnanimous Princess of the Sun.
Knowing he couldn't risk angering his Queen again, the changeling followed the plan his Queen had already told him, and then it was his turn to transform. This time it was the changeling soldier's turn to transform into a copy of Sweet Creme.
Smiling that her plan was still going perfectly, Chrysalis started walking out of the barracks. Followed a few steps behind by the changeling soldier.
"My... My name is Thorax..." The changeling soldier whispered weakly to himself so the Queen wouldn't hear him. Despite the fact that the Changeling Queen didn’t like her subjects to have names, he, like the vast majority of changelings, did have names in secret. A symbol of individuality that the Changeling Queen would never approve of.
'I could feed my subjects in other ways, but I prefer love, because it's fun to cheat and steal from ponies...' Were the words that Queen Chrysalis had said, and now, for some reason, Thorax couldn't get it out of his head.
“We don’t need to steal love to live? But then… We could…”Thorax thought, before realizing that it was a thought of betrayal. Which made him shake his head to push those thoughts away. “No! What am I thinking at! The Queen is perfect! My only mission in life is to follow her, I’ll never doubt my Queen!” The soldier thought, determined never to doubt the decisions of his perfect Queen. Although that little spark of doubt that had been born that day would only grow with time.
End of chapter 18
>>Chapter 18 References<<
-Canon references:
'Starswirl the bearded and Mage Meadowbrook' Two of the pillars of Equestria. Appearing in the TV show from 'Season 7'
'The alicorn potion to see the past' used by Twilight in the TV show 'Episodes 1 and 2, Season 4'
'The golden necklace with the acorn' It's used by Celestia to transform, in the official comic 'MLP, Friendship is Magic #65'
'The symbol of the acorn, associated with changelings. In addition to the dark well, from where Chrysalis was born, it's part of the official comic 'MLP, FIENDship is Magic #5'
'Crown of King Orion, worn by Chrysalis. And the sparkly-eyed pegasi', are also part of the official comic 'MLP, FIENDship is Magic #5'
'Mimicker, shape-shifting creature' appears in the official comic 'MLP, Microseries #7'
'The Deer King Aspen' appears in the official comic 'MLP, Friendship is Magic #27-28'
'Thorax, the changeling' TV show character from 'Season 6'
-Story references:
'The mention of Crystal, Celestia's student' is fleetingly mentioned to Crystal in Celestia's past, in 'Chapter 14, Season 2'
'The mention that the Lis family is an ancient noble family' is mentioned in the books that Sunset reads, in 'Chapter 6, Season 2'
'The golden necklace with the acorn' used by Celestia to transform, in 'Chapter 7, Season 2'.
'The alicorn potion to see the past' used by Dusk, in 'Chapter 14, Season 2'.
'The Deer King Aspen and his past with Celestia' are also part of 'Chapter 14, Season 2'.
'The Great Taboo' not yet explained in detail, first mentioned in 'Chapter 19, Season 1'.
‘And another very important reference, which I'll not mention. Since it seems like it's been overlooked by most, and I'll mention it much later bwahaha! xD'
----------------------
& as always, many thanks to 'Scribe of the Nightwings' for his great help 
Stats
Page generated in 0.058 seconds
Total duration
1,017 users online
1,706,816 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Another great chapter!
zabavniks.com/wp-content/uploads/Vot_eto_povorot_2_18082248.jpg I think that this face alone is enough to describe all my emotions.
Oh, right. Celestia, you fucked up. (excuse my French)
I don't know some stallions and mare might the look of Queen Chrysalis and call her exotic
Hope they can find him soon
So is Fluer De Lis modern day related to crystal lis? 🤔
11296370
Possibly as a niece in the n-th generation
Daaaaaang almost forgot there's more than 1 changeling...Also quite a unique backstory for the changelings, honestly I like it.
I have to admit I don't like this chapter. If only because Chrysalis' plan to quietly take down Celestia is dependent on Celestia, Shining Armor and Applejack being idiots. I mean, Celestia literally gained nothing by sending Shining away and yet the 'maid' who was 'terrified of being alone with anyone by Celestia' due to being attacked by the very creature they were now to be left alone with...
At least with the latter it shows that Chrysalis remembers that Celestia has something of a blind spot when it comes to those she loves and cares about that despite all these years she never bothered to try and deal with.
Ah crap and a half there’s TWO OF THEM?! Gonna need two giant blasts of magic now
My thoughts on this chapter:
- Wow, just…wow.
- So Chrysalis is technically a relative to Fleur De Lis?
- How do you come up with these awesome versions of the origins and lore to this series?
- I do hope that Dusk and Sweet Crème will be alright.
- It’s nice to see Luna and Sunset connecting.
Keep up the great work!
11296260
thanks, I'm glad you liked it
11296271
haha well, Celestia isn't perfect, she just does her best
and unfortunately she had to suffer a lot on some occasions
11296321
haha i guess so
11296331
soon we'll find out what happened to our beloved protagonist
11296370
haha I guess so, but a very distant relative. With a thousand years difference, the kinship is negligible I suppose
11296518
I'm glad you like this origin story, mixing a bit the canon with my own imagination 
thank you very much
I will never understand how you come up with these amazing plot point amazing. Brazo
11296546
yeah, sometimes one can think that the characters act in a foolish way because we think that we would do something different in their situation. But each character has a different personality and their own motivations and past history that lead them to act in certain ways on certain occasions.
Celestia asked Shining to leave her because she knew that Chrysalis was a dangerous creature and she wanted to face her alone. However, with 'Sweet Creme', Celestia saw that she was in a panic, and had cried to her to stay with her, plus Celestia feeling guilty for her injury, made her agree to have her with her.
and Chrysalis is definitely smarter and more calculating here haha
but anyway, I hope you liked the chapter a little bit
11296582
we'll see what happens
I hope you liked the chapter
11296794
I'm glad I surprised you and liked the chapter
about Chrysalis and Fleur de Lis, no, they are not relatives. Maybe Crystal was at some point, a very distant relative. But Chrysalis is a completely new being, born from many ponies that fell into the dark well.
And well, very soon we'll see what happened to our beloved protagonist
thanks for comment
11296907
Clarity is clear, thanx
11296913
it takes a lot of time to put together the whole plot, but I'm satisfied with the result 
and there are still surprises to come 
thank you so much
thanks for comment
11296905
Thanks for letting me know
My mother! This chapter has been quite dark and sad, I have been intrigued with what will happen next
And again with the plot twists that catch me by surprise! Chrysalis is several steps ahead.
Well done !
An interesting plot idea that I just personally think is cool is that anyone (Chrysalis or otherwise) mind controls Dusk and attempts to use him as a weapon, but some dark part of Dusk takes control of body instead and tries to enact its own plans for Equestria, with it taking a very brief and grudging alliance of Celestia and [Baddie] to take down enough so that the evil part is banished. Now that I’ve written this out, it sounds so edgy and dumb to me
11297542
but never too much 
yeah, there are times when we see that in this universe not everything is as happy as it seems in the tv show. Although in the official comics there are also some dark stories
And about Chrysalis, yes, she is much smarter and more calculating in this universe
finally, thanks for commenting
11297771
But first, we'll have to see if Dusk manages to overcome the challenge of this changeling invasion 
haha no idea or theory is bad
and who knows what might happen in the future. There is still a long way to go and many things can happen
thank you so much for commenting
You do such an amazing job blending and even remixing lore!
11299351
I'm glad you like how I combine the canon of the tv show and the comics, with my own imagination to create something new 
thank you so much
Thank you
11300901
I also like you started listing all your sources in the authors note.
It was hard after the first chapter with Sunset came in with her I couldn't read more... I don't remember if there was one or two more chapters. But I started to try and push passed Sunsets arc and over like 6 or more days I'm here. I caught up with poor Dusk
11310963
in fact, she has an important role in this wedding saga, we'll see her soon 
soon more chapters 
Sunset's redemption will come, but it's not something that can happen overnight
I hope you liked the chapter
thanks for comment
11311026
I know. It was just so hard to see her in the downward spiral she was going. I'm just trying in my heart to let go of what she did and look to the future that the great mare she will be. The journey of life is not an easy road. It took me 6 or more days to read up to now, I was still at the beginning of chapter 2. Some nights I couldn't put my phone down because I wanted to read more of your great story. And very interesting ways you are going.
Bloody hell you have made her into one hell of a Monster gone make it all the sweeter when she gets her ass handed back to her on a silver plate
Else i hope Lune will be the one to find Dusk
11404549
haha yeah this Canterlot invasion is a little more intense than the show