> Darkside
>  by Black Butterfly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prolog
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snore!!!

And Spike was awake again. “Seriously...?” He murmured, still half asleep and noticing how dry his mouth was. 

Spike thought when he got his own room in the crystal castle he’d finally be rid of Twilight’s snoring, but even now he could hear it through the wall. Since he was up already, he might as well get a glass of water, he figured before he slipped out of his bed and groggily dragged himself towards the door. 

Unfortunately for Spike, the castle was much larger on the inside than it looked from the outside. It took him two staircases and three long hallways to reach the kitchen. He took a glass from the cupboard and filled it at the sink before sitting at the table. He slumped in place and rested his head on the wood.

“Maybe I can sleep in the library, just in case Twi snores again. It’s always quiet in libraries,” Spike mumbled into the table and yawned. “Or maybe I’ll just sleep here...”

Thud!

The distant sound startled Spike awake again, this time causing him to knock over his glass of water. He growled quietly. “Oh, for…! Ugh!” He hopped off the stool and searched for a paper towel when more noises sounded like they came from the floor below.

Spike’s annoyance was replaced with anxiety. No way Twilight would randomly teleport herself down there and she wasn’t known to sleepwalk either. What could be that sound?

Ignoring the spilled water, Spike headed to the stairs and tipped-toed towards the basement door.

“Could it be one of our friends? Or a burglar! But why in the basement? We don’t even have any treasure down there,” Spike whispered to himself. Carefully he reached for the handle and found it unlocked. Vaguely, he remembered Twilight locking it in the past so it should be locked now. 

Quietly, he opened the door and snuck down the staircase. When he reached the large room at the bottom, he covered his mouth with his claws to keep himself from screaming.

The former queen of the changelings paced back and forth in front of a mirror. No, not just any mirror. It was the mirror portal to Canterlot High! Chrysalis was ripping off the pieces of magi-tech machinery holding it in place. With every piece pulled off, the mirror itself flickered and rippled in different colors.

Spike’s heart pounded in his chest. He… he had to get Twilight! He managed to back away a half step when Chrysalis turned and pinned him with a glowing stare.

“I know you’re there, little dragon slave.” 

Spike’s scales went numb, and he started sweating. No point in trying to run now. “TWIIII!!!” He screamed from the top of his lungs. Immediately, his maw shut when Chrysalis’ magic took hold of his face, and created green rubbery bands to muffle him. 

“Shhh. We don’t want her to wake up, do we?” Chrysalis smiled. Her green magic aura took a hold of Spike’s body and pressed him to the nearby wall. The magic then solidified into a wrap of sticky changeling silk. “I won’t hurt you if you’re a good boy and remain still. The mirror is all I need.”

“And what do you need it for, Chrysalis!?” 

Twilight’s sudden shout had Chrysalis hissing. She turned to the bed-haired alicorn who appeared at the bottom of the steps.

“Hah! That’s none of your business! And if you don’t want me to hurt your little dragon slave here, you will stay where you are and let me take it—”

“If you touch a single scale on his body, so help me Celestia, I will do more than banish you!” Twilight snipped and gritted her teeth, horn aglow.

Chrysalis flared up her own horn and pointed it at Spike. “Do you want to take a chance? I just want this mirror. I promise you won’t see me ever again.”

Suddenly everything went bright and Spike reached for his eyes! He heard Chrysalis’ scream and then fell over into the grass. Wait. Grass? When Spike’s vision returned and he felt his stomach turn, he knew he had been teleported. His claws dug into the soft grass. He looked around and saw Ponyville in the distance.





“I wanted to do this the peaceful way, Twilight Sparkle! I just wanted to leave, but now…” Chrysalis exclaimed as she scanned for signs of Twilight, horn already charged with magic again. 

“What do you want with it?” Twilight’s voice seemed to come from several directions at once. 

“I told you it’s none of your business!” Chrysalis hissed.

Flashpop!

Twilight appeared above Chrysalis and flung a ball of magic down at her. Chrysalis expertly redirected the spell with a bubble shield of her own magic before she launched upwards for a physical attack. The alicorn moved fast enough that Chrysalis almost hit the ceiling face first. 

“You don’t even know how to use it!” Twilight exclaimed with exasperation.

In a blind rage, Chrysalis shot yet another magic beam at Twilight that was countered by a beam from Twilight’s horn. Green and purple magic met and locked in a pushing beam battle.

“I will figure it out!” Chrysalis growled with fangs showing in a grimace.

“Stop this, Chrysalis! You’re crazy!” answered Twilight.

As both put more and more power into their spells, an orb of sparking magic built at the point where both beams crashed into each other.

“I’ve defeated Celestia and I can defeat you!” Chrysalis lowered her head and with a shriek her magic aura pulsed. Pushing the center of the gathered magic towards Twilight.

“Nng! No! You won’t!” But it wasn’t enough. Twilight had no choice but to jump aside to evade Chrysalis’ magic. The green beam hit the mirror behind Twilight and, surprisingly, it wasn’t reflected or broke the portal. Instead, the energy flowed into the mirror and disappeared. 

Chrysalis landed on the floor. Catching her breath, Twilight got back up onto her hooves at the other end of the room and looked at Chrysalis. Without the whirlwind of magic, the sudden silence begged to be filled.

“Look. We don’t have to fight. Let it go so we can help you.” Twilight offered after a moment of hesitation. At this point she wasn’t even sure if anypony could help Queen Chrysalis, but she didn’t know what else to do.

Chrysalis responded with a surprised ‘Hah!’ before she stood straight and made a fanged smirk. “You should help yourself first, Twilight Sparkle.” In the Queen’s eyes Twilight saw the reflection of a flicker. She turned around and the mirror now shone with magic. The journal that served as key wasn’t even plugged in, yet the attached machinery started chugging to life. The mirror wasn’t a portal however, and only showed static. A bolt of lightning randomly struck out, hitting nearby boxes and the closest wall. 

Twilight carefully backed up from it and cried out, “I-it’s going to explode! We have to get out of here, Chrysalis!” But Chrysalis instead shot a bolt of magic at Twilight the moment she was distracted. The magic solidified and bound Twilight’s horn and hooves. 

“I will leave, but you won’t be going anywhere, Twilight Spar— ” 

FLASH! 

The magic within the mirror exploded into fiery light, so bright that it blinded them both. Everything went white and quiet.





The tickling, cool sensation of a breeze brushed through Twilight’s mane and woke her. Her body hurt all over. She tried to move but found herself stuck in a tight, sticky embrace, except for her face. She strained to see in the darkness, worried that the flash had damaged her eyes until she saw a matching pair of green in the dark. 

“Q-Queen Chrysalis?” Twilight carefully asked with a hoarse voice. 

“You’re awake.”

“What happened? Why is it so dark suddenly? What did you do!?” 

Chrysalis’ horn lit and the green glow spotlighted the rest of the queen’s features. “Right. You can’t see in the dark.”

Twilight glared at Chrysalis at first before looking around. She was still wrapped in changeling silk, stuck to the wall of a cluttered room. The empty shelves, stacked boxes, an abundance of cobwebs and the fact that there was only one small window on the top of the adjacent wall lead her to believe she was in some kind of basement—not her own, however.

“Wherever we are, we’re no longer in Equestria.” Chrysalis said, breaking the silence.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “No, we can’t be in Canterlot High, we didn’t even have the book—” Twilight caught herself before she revealed much more. Instead she went on, “would you be so kind to release me? Wherever we are, we are in it together.”
Chrysalis leaned her face close to Twilight’s and grinned. “You really think I would let you go now that I have you trapped?” 

“I could just—” Twilight focused her magic, but her horn didn’t respond. 

“Don’t even bother, my silk is wrapped around that adorable horn of yours.”

Twilight struggled and let out a huff. “Listen, you win, but something’s really off. Look outside, it’s not supposed to be dark outside!”

Chrysalis gritted her teeth and peered out the little window to a starry night sky. 

“We need to figure out where we are and until we know, I suggest we work together, even if neither of us likes the idea.” Twilight said with a frown. “Do you really want to go out there alone and—”

“Shut your mouth! I’ve already been outside. It’s some kind of Ponyville replica.” Chrysalis revealed before she readied her horn and pointed it at Twilight.

“Wait are you going to—” The green beam of magic hit Twilight and the silk melted away into steam, causing her to fall to the dusty floor with a hard thump. “Ow!”

The magic around Chrysalis’ horn faded and it got dark once more, until Twilight lit up her own horn to create a floating ball of light that did a much better job at illuminating their surroundings. 

“Thank you.” Twilight said. 

Chrysalis turned her face away and huffed. “You’re going to fix this. Wherever we are, it’s on you and your stupid mirror.”

“We’re in Ponyville,” Twilight pointed out after she had a look out the nearby window. 

“This isn’t just a replica, it’s the real Ponyville.

“If we were… if it was,” Chrysalis began, pushing Twilight away so she could slip through the window.

“What are you-”

“The staircase is blocked, so this…” Chrysalis squeezed herself through the window.

“First of all, I would be able to sense the love of Ponyville and something about it has changed. This place looks the same, but it isn’t. Perhaps we travelled back in time.”

Twilight followed through the little window and pushed herself onto her hooves to look around. A quiet Ponyville bathing in moonlight. She knew something was off, but this was definitely Ponyville. Only when she dared looking behind herself did she realize what must have happened.

“I can’t believe this is happening!”

Chrysalis turned to look at what had Twilight so upset and saw that they had been in the basement of a large tree-shaped house. She furrowed her eyebrows. “Isn’t this your old home before you became a Princess? So we did indeed time-travel.”

“Yes, well, no...” Twilight walked around the large tree and carefully brushed a hoof along its bark simply to feel her former home. “My basement has never been that… cluttered. And look, the windows...” She pointed up to a barricaded window. “It’s been abandoned. We didn’t just time-travel, this must be an alternate reality,  perhaps and alternate timeline, but then something in the past must have changed... If it’s the case, I know a spell to get us back home because I’ve been in a similar situation before… if not the exact same!”

Chrysalis stepped in front of Twilight and stopped her with a push of a hoof to the chest. “Then do it. I don’t want to find out what happened here.” 

Twilight cocked an eyebrow and a little smirk grew on her lips. “I can get us home, but if you want me to take you with me you have to admit that it was your fault we ended up here in the first place.”

“Never!” Chrysalis hissed, “It was your mirror! You could have just surrendered!”

“I could just leave you behind and return home alone.” Twilight argued. 

With a deadpan look Chrysalis stepped back. “You wouldn’t dare. ”

“Wouldn’t I?” Twilight raised a brow.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Well, this is not what I had in mind when I came to take your mirror.”

“I could. But no, I’m not a villain, I will take you home with me, but tell me, what did you want with the mirror, anyway?”

“I wouldn’t tell you in a million years. Now, please cast your spell.” 

Twilight took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then exhaled to calm her nerves. “Alright,” she breathed, “Even if it sounds like you’re lying, I guess I can’t just let you loose on this alternate timeline, who knows what sorts of trouble that’d cause for the ponies here. They seem to have it bad enough as is-”

“Enough talking, cast the spell!” Chrysalis snipped and looked left and right paranoidly. “The lack of love in this version of Ponyville makes me uncomfortable.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay, stay close.” Her wings unfurled and she closed her eyes, her horn glowed with magic. She focused on her own version of Ponyville, her castle, her friends, the ponies she knew and her clean, not-at-all-cluttered basement. Then her magic engulfed the both of them and a bright flash illuminated the night. 

Twilight opened her eyes and she saw... the abandoned Golden Oak Library.

“Try again!” Chrysalis yelled while Twilight was just staring blankly.

“It… didn’t work?”

Chrysalis groaned and turned away from Twilight, she walked along the wall of the Library. “Useless! Your spell is useless!” She hissed.

Twilight remained calm, she was confused if anything. “That’s… impossible. It should have worked. I know how to travel back to our time! The spell is reliable!”

“Well this is not a different time period, it’s an alternate timeline, isn’t it?” Chrysalis asked and got all close up in Twilight’s face. “So it wouldn’t work.”

“But it would,” Twilight answered and took a step back from Chrysalis. “It is a spell to return to the original time and timeline of the pony casting it. I’ve researched and tested it after an unfortunate misadventure with Starlight and—”

“Don’t you mention her name around me, Twilight!” Within the fraction of a second Chrysalis loomed over Twilight, glaring her into a defensive position. “Whatever happened here only happened because you had to get in my way!”

Twilight carefully took another step back. “Excuse me, but you broke into my basement to steal my mirror.”

Chrysalis needed a moment to calm her nerves but then just turned away. “I did. Let us focus on the task at hoof.” She cast a sidelong glance at Twilight and surprisingly a smile appeared on her face. “In any case, it seems wherever we are, here you’re the villain.” 

Twilight blinked a few times. “Pardon?”

“This poster.” Chrysalis lifted a hoof and pointed to a piece of paper on the library wall. It was a poster of a grim looking Twilight with a scar on her left cheek. “10,000 Bits on your body, dead or alive.” The irony made Chrysalis chuckle. “Maybe I'm the Queen of Equestria in this world!”

After tearing it off the wall with her magic, Twilight looked closer at the poster. It actually said ‘dead or alive’. She frowned. “This is pretty bad.”

“Yeah, I’m aware.” 

“No, I mean, the symbol in the contact line of this note is Nightmare Moon’s insignia and the address mentions the ‘Everfree Castle’. This can only mean that this version of Equestria is ruled by Nightmare Moon… I’ve had a hunch because of the aforementioned misadventure with-, well you know,” Twilight explained with a shaky voice.

Chrysalis shrugged. “Why are you so afraid? You’re an alicorn, I’m stronger than your average alicorn. And our goal is to get out of here, not to face Luna’s alter ego, so calm down.”

“I would, but as far as I know Nightmare Moon is stronger than Celestia and your strength depends on love. Where’d you even get any love in a world like this?” Twilight paced while her eyes were locked at her wanted poster. “What if not only we have to deal with Nightmare Moon but also an evil version of me? What if all the other bad guys we’ve faced in our world are on Nightmare Moon’s side? What if there isn’t a way home because this is not just an alternate timeline but an alternate reality in which spells like mine never work!? What if—aah!!!”

Twilight’s poster suddenly burst in green fire, and Chrysalis shook Twilight with magic. 

“You’re of no use to us if you lose your mind over our situation! So here’s what we do: This world seems very similar to ours, right? We will find this  world’s magic mirror, I blast it with my magic and if we’re lucky, it brings us back home. If not, we find the mirror again in whatever alternative world we land and try again.” 




“That… that’s an idea.” Twilight admitted. “But let’s get somewhere safe before we go, my legs hurt, and I’m sore all over.” She looked up to Chrysalis. “How is it that you didn’t get hurt at all when we were blasted here?”

Chrysalis let out a sigh and her ears drooped. She took a step closer towards Twilight who immediately pulled herself away.

“Stand still. I want to help you,” Chrysalis said while her horn lit up with magic. Twilight hesitated and immediately cast a bubble shield in defense.  

“I won’t hurt you, Twilight. Lose the shield.”

Twilight bit her lip but then let her magic shield fade with a frown on her face. A green aura appeared around Twilight’s entire body a moment later and a tingling sensation brushed through her coat. Any of her bruises just disappeared in little, white flashes and her frown yielded a smile.

“This is… amazing. You know restoration magic?”

Chrysalis’ magic disappeared and she sighed. “Of course. It’s just high-level unicorn magic. As Celestia’s former pupil and now alicorn princess, I’m disappointed that you don’t know any healing spells.

And Twilight’s smile wilted. “Well, no, high-level magic wasn’t part of Celestia’s schedule, as even gifted unicorns have to-”

“I don’t care.” Chrysalis walked past Twilight, further circling the oaktree library. “Let’s find the entrance before somepony sees us.”
> Chapter 1 - Ele'e éd Makmaßé
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter One - Nightmare’s Castle

Back in the library, an impatient Chrysalis was resting on a pile of dirty cushions. She watched the last few grains of sand fall in a glowing green timepiece that was standing before her hooves. 

“That’s another hour.” She pointed out before she looked over to the nearest window. No response. “Did you hear me, Twilight? Nothing changed. It seems like there is no daytime here, only night eternal. We shouldn’t waste any more time and do something.”

Chrysalis noticed a rustling from somewhere behind herself, she got up and turned around. A glowing, purple horn poked up from behind a stack of books.

“Did you find out anything useful? I’m sick of this place!” 

The glow of Twilight’s horn faded, and she turned her face towards Chrysalis. “I did, actually.” She trotted around the wall of books and picked up a few with her magic along the way. “The history of this reality and ours have been identical up to the day of Nightmare Moon’s return.” Twilight flipped open a particular faux leather-bound book with a golden unicorn on the cover and showed it to Chrysalis.

The magic aura around the book changed from purple to green when Chrysalis moved the book closer to her face. She began skimming through the pages. “Well, that’s interesting, but how will it be of any use to us? We need to know where Nightmare Moon is hiding so we can attack her together and find this world’s mirror. Unless you’d rather convince her with the magic of friendship.”

Twilight frowned. “I actually would rather convince her of using the magic of friendship, but we’d need my friends for that.” She paused. “That and I have no clue where they are in this twisted reality, so it’s just us for now.”

“One alicorn plus the Queen of Changelings against one alicorn and a bunch of pony guards. I think we have a chance. That is, if you let me feed on your love.”

Twilight put her book down and deadpanned. “My love? What love? I don’t have a candy corn of love left for you to feed on, Chrysalis. Besides, I’m sure Nightmare Moon has an army of guards, not just a bunch, as you put it.”

“I would have an army if it wasn’t for your pesky little friends and-,” Chrysalis held her breath for a moment, this wasn’t the right time to start another argument. ”But love feeding is more complex than you think. We’re not just magically pulling the emotions out of you ponies.” She lifted her snout a little and looked down at Twilight with squinted eyes. “It’s not like I have to explain anything to you. You may be important in this situation, but you’re nothing to me. I’ve defeated all of you princesses before.”

“Right.” Twilight pushed herself past the books and made her way up to Chrysalis with a stern look. “Perhaps you should level with me anyway. If I was nothing to you, you’d be home by now, with me left behind.”

Chrysalis opened her mouth to answer, but she just let out a tired hum and smiled. “I’m just clarifying that we’re not friends. I need you to return home, but you mean nothing to me. If you weren’t of any use to me right now, I could just shove you back into a pod. So what else did you find out?”

Twilight just sighed and pulled over another book for Chrysalis and flipped it open. "The tourist guide speaks of Empress Nightmare Moon's ambitious plans to restore the crumbled ruins of the royal sisters to their former glory. This echoes my own experience with temporal magic gone awry, when a dystopian alternate future left the castle in similar disrepair."

Her eyes lit up with curiosity. "It could be that we've stumbled upon another world running parallel to our own. If memory serves, we may find Nightmare reigning once more from the rebuilt spires of the castle in the Everfree Forest."

Chrysalis pursed her lips thoughtfully. "True, you know more of such perplexing anomalies than most. There remains hope yet that we may return to from where we came." Her emerald eyes glinted with renewed resolve.

With a flick of magical energy, her form shimmered in a flash of limelight. In the Queen's place now stood an olive-coated pegasus mare with a windswept orange mane.

Twilight averted her gaze from the blinding display, slowly lowering her hoof once her eyes adjusted. "Chrysalis, wait a second before we proceed further," she implored with a weary sigh.

"Hours of digging through these books took their toll, and though your healing spell helped me recover, I still feel exhausted. A short rest would do the both of us good." Her gaze turned inward, pondering her dilemma. "I also need a disguise to hide my wings. An alicorn would draw too much attraction."

A smirk appeared on Chrysalis’ lips, almost like she’d expected Twilight to react the way she had. Chrysalis headed back to her pile of cushions, restoring her real form as she did. “You’re right, Twilight. Now that you mention it, my magic may have healed your wounds, but that’s about it. And if anypony sees you, they probably mistake you for the rogue version of yourself. Take a nap or whatever. I’ll weave you a disguise you in the meantime.” 

“You’d do that for me?” Twilight asked with a tired smile. “And yes, I feel… pretty beat.”

“So we can go home as soon as possible,” Chrysalis remarked as she turned towards a nearby box and dusted it off. “Perhaps I can find some fabric and use it with my silk to hide your wings… I could think of a spell to change up your mane a little as well, you know, since you’re a criminal in this world.”

Twilight emitted a slight huff of irritation. "Can you please refrain from mentioning that?"

Chrysalis' eyes glinted with bemused mischief. "And deny this myself the joy of seeing you in the role of the villain?" She tossed her mane playfully. "Perhaps in this topsy-turvy land, I've earned the label of heroine!"

Not wanting to further indulge the changeling's peculiar sense of humor, Twilight turned her focus to more practical matters. Gathering a few musty cushions, she arranged them into a makeshift bed, eager to rest her weary mind and body for the night ahead. While Chrysalis' healing had been most welcome, exhaustion still lingered at the edges of her consciousness. A few hours respite would do much to refresh her for the challenges that yet remained.

——

Thud! 

A bundle of clothing landed near Twilight's slumbering form.
"There, a disguise for when you awaken," said Chrysalis. Twilight slept on, undisturbed.
Chrysalis frowned pensively. "How simple it could be to end you here and now. Alas, for my grander designs I require your magic still." She lifted a hoof, gazing down at the helpless alicorn.

Her eyes fell upon the open guide beside Twilight, catching the insignia of Nightmare Moon emblazoned upon the cover. A sly smirk took shape.

"Another alicorn's power might serve just as well, and if deliver this you to her…." She mused aloud. "Nightmare would take you, Twilight, even if you’re not the one foretold. With her aid I might seize not one but two worlds! I can seduce the mentally unstable princess by serving her the pony she’s looking for on a silver platter!"

Casting a spell of enchanted slumber, Chrysalis insured Twilight would not soon awaken. “Sleep well, Twilight Sparkle!” Transforming once more, she slipped into the forest under shroud of night. Intrigue and opportunity called her to the ruined castle's shadows, where plans would unfold beneath the moon's pale glow.

——

Twilight’s assumption was correct. After an hour of flight, Chrysalis could spot an unfamiliar castle towering over the forest. Built from black stone and lit up by large, bright orbs that floated between its towers. 

As expected, the castle was heavily guarded by countless armored pegasi and unicorn guards. For Chrysalis, that was good news. She simply used her shape-shifting ability to copy the armor and fly right up to one of the many balconies. 

As Chrysalis landed upon the balcony, two guards blocked her path with leveled spears.

"Halt, who goes there?" challenged the first. But when her emerald gaze fell upon them, they seemed overcome by confusion.

"Surely you recognize an officer of Her Majesty's Royal Guard?" Chrysalis hissed, frustration lacing her tone. Her eyes lit with glimmering magic, and the sorcery took hold.

"Apologies, but we were just preparing for our evening patrol." said the second guard, blinking away the spell's effects. "Carry on, soldier, and keep watch over the castle in our stead."

With a melodic chuckle and parting kiss blown upon the wind, Chrysalis continued on her way unaffected. Within the walls, any guards she passed offered brief salutes before returning to duties, her disguise holding fast.


Wandering the halls and chambers, she pondered her predicament and potential paths forward. Betrayal of Twilight in exchange for Nightmare's power was one avenue, yet attempting to use a relic such as the Magical Mirror herself appealed more to her cunning nature. She’d have to decide; risk an alliance with Nightmare Moon or try to return to her world alone and leave Twilight behind and thus removing one of the pains in her behind. Only further exploration would reveal which course led smoothest to her victory.

Chrysalis wandered the twisting halls until she came upon a finely-dressed mare pushing a gleaming trolley laden with arms and wealth. The pony paused at a massive ebony door, sealed with an ornate lock - clearly guarding something of great value within.

As Chrysalis neared, she shape-shifted into a unicorn stallion of Nightmare's armored guard, she approached the maid.

"Pardon the interruption, miss," Chrysalis spoke in a gruff tone. "An important matter regarding the Empress’s treasury."


The maid tilted her head curiously. "Of course, sir. Let me just…." She pulled a ring of keys from her dress. "How may I assist with your task?"

“Nightmare Moon sent me to check for an item…” Chrysalis, in her disguise as unicorn guard, conjured a little piece of paper. It was blank, but the maid wouldn’t know. Chrysalis pretended to read over it and then had it disintegrate in her magic aura. “A standing mirror with arcane properties.” 

The maid stared at the guard; she looked puzzled. Chrysalis didn’t want to raise any suspicions, so she went on, “I was just told to check whether the item is in the vault, that’s all.” 

There was a moment of silence before the maid cleared her throat. “I see… well, I can check the inventory list for you… just a moment.” 

“Very well.” Chrysalis remained still until the door was pushed open. Little magical orbs that floated near the tall ceiling illuminated the room behind. It looked more like a cluttered flea market than a treasury, although there were a lot of shiny objects and trinkets on display and sitting on shelves. There were more carts like the one the maid had been pushing around and once the door was open, she pushed the cart inside. Chrysalis followed close behind.

The maid walked over to a book near the door that was hanging on a chain on the wall and opened it up. She went through the pages carefully while Chrysalis’ emerald eyes searched the room for the mirror she was looking for. The amount of objects she was seeing impressed her. The magical energy of the many enchanted artifacts and treasures lingered in the air, it was both empowering and confusing.

“I’m sorry, but there is no mention of a standing mirror.” 

Chrysalis’ pony ears perked, and she peered over to the maid near the door. “There isn’t?”

“No… we have an entry of a broken hoof mirror and there’s a vanity table with a mirror, but that’s about it. I am sorry.”

The mare continued perusing the text, then closed its cover with a soft thud. "Will there be anything else, sir?"

Pushing her cart deeper within, a curious eye kept to the disguised Chrysalis as she entered - but found the fake royal guard frozen, face ashen pale.

"Sir?" The maid pressed, concern lacing her dulcet tone. When she received no reply, she wandered near, sparing a hoof upon Chrysalis' trembling form.

"Pray, are you alright, sir?"

Chrysalis swallowed, lifting a hoof to point a shaking digit toward the loathsome artifact upon the shelf. "That... skull..."

Following her gaze, the maid spoke gently of how Nightmare Moon had engaged the dreaded Changeling Queen in fierce battle to protect Canterlot, emerging victorious from the fray.

Tales of her sovereignty's fall sent icy talons through Chrysalis' heart. Yet outwardly she remained as calm as she can, steadying her baleful stare upon the hollow remains that told a twisted truth.

"A grim memento, to be sure." She said at last. "Our Empress fights with fearsome skill."

Chrysalis had a hard time taking her view away from the chitinous skull of the darkside version of herself, but she eventually did, and when she finally got her mind back together, she faced the maid and asked, “How was Queen Chrysalis defeated? I’ve not been around back then.”

The maid looked back and forth between the skull and Chrysalis in stallion disguise. “I think she defeated her with fire magic and kept the chitinous skull as a testament for her victory. I haven’t been there either but as always the victorious tell the tale. It’s what I’ve been told. That’s all I know.” 

This discovery changed everything. An alliance with her own murderer was not an option for Chrysalis. “Alright then. Well, thank you for your time. I will just report back that the requested mirror isn’t here,” Chrysalis said as her shaky hooves carried her towards the door. 

“Have a good evening, sir! If there is anything else you need…” the maid’s voice faded into the background as Chrysalis made her way towards the nearest window. She’d had seen enough, if Nightmare wasn’t the pony to bet on, perhaps she’d be able to manipulate Twilight for her purposes after all.

Chrysalis didn’t want to be anywhere near the castle right. The mirror wasn’t there anyway, hopefully Twilight had not left the library without her in the meantime. And so she flew back to Ponyville.

——

For how long had she even been out? A few hours maybe. When she reached the library, she found Twilight sleeping still. She snuck back inside and piled up some cushions and laid down and watched the pony sleep.

Chrysalis' hushed words found only slumbering ears. "Upon reflection, betraying you to Nightmare seems no longer wise." 

Her eyes fell once more upon the sleeping mare. "To think this world's Nightmare Moon has slaughtered my subjects so and kept my head as a trophy. Truly there exists no love left in that dark heart, I’m better off feeding on you."

A weary sigh escaped her. "I’m only telling you this because you’re asleep, but Luna and I used to get along. We have helped each other out in times of need long before her banishment. Is it my fault she has fallen to darkness after sharing her love with me? Our past encounters hold little meaning to this mare it seems. Perhaps she blamed my other self for her misery."

Her body cried out for respite after the night's harrowing discoveries. "Confound those ponies, I shall never understand you. But for now, sleep claims me as it has you, Twilight. Perhaps tomorrow a wiser path shall present itself."

Curling her regal form upon the cold stone floor, Chrysalis allowed her burdened thoughts to drift at last into merciful slumber. What solutions the new day's dawn may bring, only its full day moon could reveal.
> Chapter 2 - W'i dé bak'en em Puʉßorp Kék-saur
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A shining, emerald flare roused Twilight from slumber's embrace. "Rise and shine, my dear!" called Chrysalis' melodic, yet poisonous voice. She towered before the alicorn with a glowing horn.

Twilight blinked away the remnants of sleep, listening as Chrysalis began detailing the changed circumstances and new course of action, leaving out the details of her scraped plans of betrayal, of course. “Acquiring the Elements of Harmony may be the better choice. They’re not at the castle so they have to be out there somewhere.”

"You went to the castle alone?" Twilight inquired with a gentle nod towards the outfit and a basket Chrysalis’ magic levitated over to her. "If we want to make it back to our world whole we have to be able to rely on each other!"

Chrysalis waved off her concern. "Impatience overtook me, 'tis true, I went there on my own. But see, I also got you something to eat to break your fast." Within the basket were small, shriveled apples - clearly the best that could be found in a world lacking sunshine. “You’re welcome.”

Twilight accepted the humble offering with grace. "Thank you, Chrysalis. Small kindnesses like this are a great start on the long road that leads to friendship." 

“Oh, you’re delusional.” Chrysalis snapped.  “I just don’t want us to waste any more time on your pity pony needs.” Twilight’s gratitude warmed Chrysalis' prowling hunger. "If you want to thank me let my gesture of kindness nourish me as well, that together our magic may flourish all the stronger."

Twilight levitated an apple over for inspection, contemplating Chrysalis' independent adventure. "Be honest for once - you were out to feed on other ponies while I was asleep, weren’t you?"

Chrysalis scoffed, waving a hoof dismissively. "The orchard held none capable of slaking my hunger. No, your love, Twilight Sparkle, would invigorate my magic all the more. As alicorn your love is much more potent."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, “But you were still trying to find somepony.” She took a delicate bite from the puny apple. 

“Yes.” 

Twilight’s assumption was just the excuse Chrysalis needed. A few seconds of silent chewing passed before Twilight responded. "Then have your fill, I’ll let you feed on my love, or whatever positive feelings I can manage in return for your gesture. You gave me food, I’ll return the favor."

Chrysalis blinked, taken aback by the alicorn's compassion. "You yield yourself so freely? Well then, let your love energize me anew!" She stepped near, feeling Twilight's aura swell with emotions like gratitude and empathy. Emotions that one could label as love, even if they pale compared to romantic love, they'd suffice.

Licking her fangs Chrysalis stepped closer towards Twilight, who looked up to her anticipation, finishing the apple. She swallowed. “We need each other, but don’t expect this to become a regular thing.” 

“I will only take as much as I need for now, Twilight Sparkle.” With that she opened her fanged maw and began to feed. Twilight felt as if something was pulling on her body, yet her body wasn’t moving. Her feelings of kindness and gratitude amplified against all expectations and her heart began to pound like she’d just finished a marathon on empty stomach. The sensation was a mixture of pleasure and energy being drained, it made her feel empty and numb, yet there was a feeling of amenity to it. Like entering a lukewarm swimming pool unprepared and before she could make sense of the sensation it was over. 

Now Twilight felt just felt empty and at the same time, it was like the feeding had not done any harm to her body at all.

“This is weird…” Twilight mumbled as trembling hooves carried her away from Chrysalis who wore a satisfied smile. “I thought it would feel worse to have a changeling drain my love.”

The energized Chrysalis sneered and circled Twilight. “Only the barest sips I have taken—just enough to invigorate my magic. But you’re correct. The feeding process doesn’t do any harm to one’s body. It will drain you emotionally and perhaps tire you. For the darkness we’re about to face together I need your powers to be intact.”

Twilight, drained from the feeding process offered a drunken smile. “Then we’ve had the wrong idea of how changelings feed! If it really doesn’t do any harm, ponies need to know! This realization added to Thorax’s approach to feeding could-”

As Twilight began to speak, Chrysalis' magic took sudden hold, pressing the alicorn against the dirty shelves. But where anger shone in her eyes, deeper wounds laid bare.

"Never mention that betrayer to me, Twilight Sparkle!" Chrysalis hissed, her voice quaking with rawest agony. "You know nothing of what I have endured to survive in this world, what harshness shaped my kind!"

Twilight quickly invoked her teleportation spell, reappearing behind Chrysalis. She stomped a hoof on the floor, glaring at her with a mixture of accusation and confusion. But her posture softened a little when she saw Chrysalis’ panting, trembling form. She made another cautious step forward. "Clearly this is a raw subject for you, one I did not intend to provoke. I just want to understand, not to anger you."

She spoke softly in an attempt to soothe. "Our predicament demands empathy, not allegation. Anger solves nothing, while openness may be a step towards betterment."

Chrysalis gritted her teeth and without turning around, she let out a sigh. “Well, bringing up the past will do nothing but anger me. Don’t mistake our situation for an invitation to infect me with your friendship. We’ve formed an alliance out of necessity.”

“That’s true. But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to build a bridge and learn to understand each other for a chance to make peace. I really wish to help you and your changelings.”

“You’re not my therapist, Twilight Sparkle. This conversation is over. Use your energy to think of a solution to the problem at hoof. We’re still stuck in this dull world.” Chrysalis replied before finally turning around to face Twilight.

“Fine.” Twilight folded her wings and picked up the clothes Chrysalis had made for her to disguise her wings. “You mentioned an orchard. I assume it was Sweet Apple Acres. Perhaps we can find my friend Applejack. Or rather this world’s mirror image of my her. Without my friends the Elements of Harmony won’t work and we could really use their help to find them.”

“No more idle chatter, then! Let’s seek out your apple friend.” Emerald flames engulfed Chrysalis’ form and once more she appeared as an olive-colored mare with orange mane. This time a unicorn. 

“Wait a minute, you were that photographer! Shutterbug was it?” Twilight pointed a hoof at the disguised Chrysalis who responded with a snort. “Indeed. And it’s an original disguise, actually. In darker days after my failed invasion I went by many names, Shutterbug was my artist name, Crackle Cosette I called myself around Canterlot.” With a playful twirl she displayed her ladybeetle cutie mark. 

“I don’t know if I should be impressed or feel bad for you, considering how much effort you put into not being yourself.” Twilight commented dryly. 

“Eh, whatever.” 

And with that the unlikely couple left the quiet Ponyville behind and ventured into the dark fields of what resembled a seemingly abandoned Sweet Apple Acres.

— —

Twilight broke the uncomfortable silence as they walked. "Fascinating that crops still thrive without sunlight. How do the ponies in this world tell time?" 

Chrysalis—or lets call her Crackle Cosette in this form, walked close behind Twilight and pondered thoughtfully. "I've observed magical orbs providing warm illumination across Ponyville, like miniature moons. To me it seems their placement marks the 'day's' progression."

Twilight gazed across the dark apple fields in awe. Though night eternal reigned, the beauty of billions of stars and the few glowing orbs brought their own sublime comfort.

"There is solace to be found even in darkness, if one opens their heart to life's glimmering blessings rather than cursing absence of light," she mused.

Chrysalis Crackle smiled softly. “You ponies see the world through a distorted, glittery lens, that’s why you think friendship is the solution for everything.” 

“You’re so much fun to talk to.” Twilight deadpanned, already regretting her attempt at small talk.

The two travelers reached the barn where Twilight spotted two familiar faces sitting outside at a cart that had been turned around to serve as a table. The ponies she recognized as Big Macintosh and Applebloom seemed busy with paperwork.  When they noticed the approaching couple the red stallion stood up. 

"Well, who we got here? What them two fancy unicorns fixin' to do on a farm like this?" The grubby stallion asked with a stern look on his face.

Twilight approached with a smile on her face, adjusting her coat with a hoof. “We’re looking for a mare named Applejack, we heard that she lives here?”

Big Macintosh scoffed and stomped a hoof. “Hah! Y'all talkin' 'bout Orange Pare? She done left the farm a long while back, lettin' it fall apart! Done moved to Manehattan, chasin' that big money. She said she'd send some to support the farm, but that was all lies. Ain't a single Bit made its way over here." 

“Orange? No, no, that can’t be right! She—” Twilight was silenced by one of Crackle’s hooves. 

“Your supposed friend isn’t here, Twilight. Let’s look for the others.” Crackle lowered her hoof and sighed. 

“Twalight?” Big Mac echoed with squinting eyes. Applebloom poked his flank to get his attention, she held one of the wanted posters of this world’s Twilight Sparkle between her teeth.

Twilight saw the paper and began to back away. “Well, never mind, we’ll leave you two be.”

“Oh no, y'all ain’t goin’ nowhere!” Big Mac’s brow furrowed in suspicion and he reached behind the makeshift table and withdrew a lasso. “You’re bein’ sought after by the Empress. Turning y'all in might be a shot at savin’ the farm!”

Crackle lit her horn just as the rope's loops began to fly. With gentle grace, her magic halted its course, weaving instead knots around the siblings to bundle them up.

“Let’s move.” Crackle said with a stern look. Twilight bowed apologetically as she called upon her magic to teleport them out of sight.

They both reappeared in a purple flash at the outskirts of Ponyville, Crackle stumbled and gagged. “Ugh! We could have just run! I had them tied up!”

“I’m sorry! I panicked!" Twilight apologized. “Wait, you're a magic user, why does a simple teleportation spell take such a toll on you?” 

With another green flare Crackle turned back into Chrysalis, now that they were alone. “I was just taken off guard.”

Twilight eyed Chrysalis thoughtfully. “You can’t teleport. That’s why you’re not used to it.”

Chrysalis snarled, her pride stung. "Preposterous. I am more powerful than you can imagine!”

“Yeah right, I can tell when somepony isn’t used to teleportation. If you were able to do it, you wouldn't complain. I've never seen you do it now that I think about it.”

“So what? I can’t cast a teleportation spell. It’s a weakness you better forget about if your life means anything to you!” She hissed. 

Twilight smirked. “You don’t have to be ashamed, no pony’s perfect.” 

“I- Well- shut your mouth! Or I’ll make sure your mug matches this world’s version of you.”

Relieved, Twilight chuckled, she resumed strategizing. “Anyway, Applejack doesn’t live at Sweet Apple Acres in this world and if she is anything like her brother described her, she may not even be the pony meant to bear the Element of Honesty here… That means we are out of a plan yet again.”

“What about Princess Cadenza?” Chrysalis suggested. "She is all about love, perhaps she could help us."

As the two brainstormed, a familiar voice carried on the winds.  “Cadance won’t help you. She and my brother are loyal to Nightmare Moon.” They turned around to behold a shocking sight - A few hooves away another Twilight stood, though worn and battered.

“You’re me! I mean the me that broke bad from the wanted posters!” Twilight remarked in surprise. 

Chrysalis buzzed her wings, poised to confront this dark doppelgänger. But the unicorn greeted them calmly, weary eyes holding no malice. Her tail and mane looked like they hadn’t been cared for in a while, she was wearing heavy, dirty saddlebags. “Your magic has not gone unnoticed, Queen. Long have I studied the arcane, able to discern its variances. The Empress may not know that you’re alive but she’ll send her best magicians to investigate the use of changeling magic.”

Chrysalis raised a brow. “Enlighten me, how exactly are you able to perceive my magic and even tell it apart from the ponies'?”

"To put it simply, you two have drawn too much attention," spoke this Twilight, ragged mane wind-blown. Her world-weariness hinted at untold hardship, yet sparks of wisdom glinted still in amethyst eyes. The familiar unicorn turned her scarred face to Twilight. "Through whatever spell the changeling Queen has cast, our realms grow ever entwined; I suggest we glimpse hope by pooling our knowledge, and conspire against the Nightmare?”

Chrysalis and Twilight exchanged thoughtful looks before Twilight offered a hoof to her doppelgänger. “We may be able to help each other out, yes.” She cast a sidelong glance on Chrysalis. “Do I really talk like this? I mean, honestly, she looks like me but she feels so different!” 

Both Chrysalis and the twin Twilight chuckled at that. “No you do not, but honestly, I find her much more likable than you.” Chrysalis teased. “We should give you two different names however, just to avoid confusion.” 

“Well, we come from a world in which Princess Luna and Celestia rule together. To us this is like… a darker version of our world.” Twilight said, “We could call you Twi-Night instead of Twilight, or Nightlight after our father.” A moment of silence passed and they both shook their heads. “That’d be too weird.” - “Right?” 

Chrysalis let out a groan. “You two should just... kiss or something.” 

…

“You're making this situation even weirder, Queen.” The unicorn pointed out. Twilight chuckled. “Anyway, I feel your version of Equestria is how it should be, not like this… so you are Twilight Sparkle." The unicorn pointed at her other self. "Just call me Midnight, it does fit the reputation I have. Nightmare Moon made sure all of Equestria sees me as a terrorist…” Midnight mustered Twilight, amethyst eyes scanning the makeshift outfit she was wearing. “You’re an alicorn. How did that happen?”

Twilight unfurled her wings beneath her cloak and let out a deep sigh. “Well, that’s a story I better tell when we’re not standing around in the open like this.” 

“Right,” Midnight turned around and waved a hoof. “Follow me then. I’ll show you to my base and introduce you to my team.”

“Your… team? You made friends?” Twilight blinked. 

“Did you truly believe I'd operate solo? Friends may be a stretch, but there are ponies who share my interests and assist me in gathering the Elements of Harmony.”

Chrysalis’ ears perked up, wings buzzing with curiosity. “You've obtained the Elements?”

“Three of them, yes. The other three still elude us. Nightmare dispersed them across the breadth of Equestria. She understands their power can only be harnessed by those with genuine Harmony in their hearts, hence she's incapable of their manipulation.”

“Ha!” Chrysalis shot past Midnight, her wings humming with delight as she performed a playful aerial twirl. “What a doomed trio we are! The Changeling Queen, a friendless princess, and her notorious doppelgänger! Talk about harmonic! So, are we just going to trust her?”

“I suspect your version of Chrysalis isn’t much of an improvement from the rumors I've heard about my world’s changeling Queen before her demise.” Midnight quipped.

Twilight nodded in agreement, a wry smile on her face. “Oh, she’s awful. But wait, are you saying in this world, Chrysalis is-” - “Dead, yes. Put to rest by Nightmare Moon’s magic.” Midnight confirmed. A pang of sympathy welled up within Twilight. She peered at Chrysalis and wanted to offer kind words, but what came out sounded more like a jest, “Rest in peace.”

Chrysalis halted in her tracks, a surge of anger pulsing through her veins. Yet she maintained her composure, even managing a smile. “You say that to mock me, Twilight. But I sense pity, empathy even. You're betraying your own feelings.”

Her words hung in the air over the trio as they started traveling north-east, Canterlot on the horizon. 

Midnight’s base was located between the mountain that leads to Canterlot, and Foal Mountain - The forest grew more dense as Midnight led them on. Twisted branches woven thick as a castle's walls.

Twilight felt the veil weakening between realms, magic thinner in this realm of eternal night. Her teleportation spells brought them leagues closer, but Chrysalis' distaste for it delayed their journey as she refused to be teleported yet again. At last over a moss-shrouded rise emerged plumes of woodsmoke, curling mystery into the moon-hued boughs. Midnight quickened her pace, joy sparking in weary eyes at homecoming's sight. The hidden base was nested between mountains and large woods. Three tents were set up, there was a chariot and a few barrels and crates with supplies. 

"Welcome to my humble abode." Midnight said with a soft smile. "I’ll introduce you to the others. They should be back from scavenging.” 

“What did you bring us here, Twi, are they changelings?” A pink pony with a straight, long mane, wearing a tight, black jacket that had pockets and tools attached to it came out of one of the tents. 

“Pinkie Pie!?” Twilight gasped at the sight of a stern looking version of the party pony she knew from her own world. 

“It’s Pinkamena.” The pink earth pony corrected with a glare before she looked at Midnight. “Where'd you find these changelings, Twi? I thought they were extinct.” 

Midnight greeted Pinkamena with a hoofshake, then turned to face Twilight and Chrysalis.

“It’s a long story. These two hail from an alternate Equestria, one untouched by eternal darkness. Queen Chrysalis," she gestured graciously, "and the mare by her side, a mirror image of myself from the other world, Twilight Sparkle."

Two mares were drawn out of the tent by the chatter. Gray coats and manes, they halted next to Pinkamena and Midnight continued, "These valiant survivors are Maude, Limestone and Pinkamena. Their family gave all in service to Nightmare's twisted cause."

Maude remained silent, Limestone spoke then, her hoarse words carrying sorrow. "You’re a welcome addition to our cause. The Empress had us move Holder’s Boulder to build a train track, that’s when the accident happened… our parents didn’t survive it."

Midnight stepped between the Pie sisters and the visitors. “To avoid confusion, you may call me Midnight, while she remains Twilight - hailing as she does from a land where hope still journeys in the light. They are stuck in our world, but they are willing to help us defeat the Nightmare and bring back the sun.”

Pinkamena listened keenly, skepticism dancing in eyes that had seen too much to believe mere words. “Tales of other worlds sound like fancy, yet here stands a second Twi and the infamous changeling Queen we all thought was history.”

Midnight gave a nod and gestured a hoof towards one of the tents. “Let’s settle down and I’ll try to enlighten you all.” 

And so the troupe made their way into the large tent that served as the communication hub. As comfortable seats were found, and watchful shadows waited, Midnight began to fill every creature in by flickering firelight.


Picture generated by Bing