The changeling queen squinted towards the distant horizon, trying to see past the painful glare of the ice-covered landscape. Wind howled around her, drowning out her heavy footsteps. The further she ventured out into the vast tundra, the further the temperature plummeted. As her frail body trembled, she silently cursed the harsh conditions around her. However, her mission was too important, her prize too great. She had to endure.
On her master’s orders, a detachment of the changeling army had been stationed here for the last few days, searching the tundra. Though her advisors had protested, Queen Chrysalis had insisted on joining them. Her trust in her subjects was unwavering, but this was too important to not oversee personally. She also reveled in the opportunity to fight alongside her army.
An unnatural chill crept Chrysalis’s spine, one not caused by the cold. It was the crude detection spell she had cast upon herself, designed to alert her to any beings that got too near her. As the effects of the spell passed, she whirled around, ready to defend herself. Although her power had diminished greatly since her defeat at Canterlot, she was more than capable of fighting off whatever strange creatures might inhabit the northern ice fields.
Her horn charged with ethereal green light. She concentrated, drawing on the positive emotional power she had stored from her infiltration of Canterlot. As the power of ponies’ love was transferred to magical energy, she started to formulate a spell. Nothing fancy, just enough to quickly kill whatever dared approach her.
A sudden sound from behind Chrysalis alerted her. She hissed and whirled around, ready for battle. However, what she saw stayed her horn.
Before her was the general of her royal army. He was large for a changeling drone, though his queen still towered above him. He was clad as she was, in a white cloak to defend against the biting cold. As he approached, Chrysalis let the energy in her horn slowly dissipate, storing the valuable resource for later use.
The drone noticed this, and a look of concern crossed his narrow face.
“My queen, you need to let my men guard you. The ice fields are dangerous, even for one as powerful as you.”
Chrysalis sighed. They both knew that she was far from the god-like being she once was. Still, she had waived her personal guard. She was not helpless, and she had to keep an air of confidence and control among her subjects. Her children.
“What news do you bring, general Chorion?” Chrysalis asked.
“My Queen, we have found it.” Chorion said, bowing his head.
Chrysalis’s large eyes widened. She hadn’t expected such good news so quickly. With any luck, her mission was complete and she could leave this wretched place. Her master would be pleased. Very pleased indeed.
Death shall ride across Equestria once more.
Twilight Sparkle’s senses felt alive. She could acutely feel every blade of the grass she sat in. Inhaling deeply, she could smell the sweetness of nearby blossoms. Her left ear twitched as ripples rolled across the pond she sat by. Twilight slowly opened her eyes, and the morning sun greeted her.
As much as she wanted to, she stopped herself from enjoying the pleasant vista in front of her. She tried to empty her mind, while still concentrating on the spell she was channeling through her horn. She frowned at the seeming impossibility. It was one of the irritating contradictory quirks about using magic. Twilight pushed that thought aside as well, she could not afford to let philosophical questions cloud her mind.
She focused on her ever-faithful assistant standing before her. Spike had a nervous look across his face, but he stood perfectly still. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she admired his discipline. Even so, a line of sweat dripped down his scaly brow. Taking in as much detail as she could, Twilight again closed her eyes. She loosed the magic in her horn, shaping the magenta energy with the spell she had been crafting for weeks.
A ghostly image started to appear beside Spike. It was the same color as Twilight’s magic, but it shifted to match Spike’s hue. As it did, details started to appear: a pair of arms, legs and a barbed tail. Before long, a perfect replica of Spike stood before them. As twilight finished the spell, the apparition looked around, seemingly confused by it’s surroundings. It looked at Twilight, and spoke.
“What happened?” It said; a perfect imitation of Spike’s voice. “Did it work?”
Twilight smiled, despite the spell steadily draining energy from her.
“Look for yourself.” She answered.
The apparition looked to where the real Spike stood. The real thing was still standing, but his expression had changed. He looked almost bored, his arms hung limply at his sides. His eyes were glazed over, almost as if he was unconscious.
“Woah…” said the apparition; “That’s a little messed up.”
Twilight felt proud of the spell. It was the first she had developed from scratch, instead of learning secondhand from Celestia or a book. She designed it to perfectly recreate any living being, in both voice and appearance. However, illusions were nothing new in magic. Her innovation came with the subject of the spell being the one who controlled the apparition, not the spell caster. Spike’s point of view shifted to that of the apparition, and moved it and spoke through it as if it were his own body. In a way, the phantom that stood before her WAS Spike, or at least his consciousness.
Satisfied, Twilight let the spell end. The apparition faded away, and the real Spike blinked rapidly and clutched his head, his mind having returned to his normal body.
“oohhh…” He moaned; “Not as smooth on the way back in… Still, great job Twilight! I can’t wait to see the look on everypony’s face when you show them! And Princess Celestia will be thrilled!”
“Thanks…” Twilight said, gasping for air. The spell had taxed her more than she had anticipated.
I have to do better than this.
In the months following Trixie’s takeover of Ponyville, Twilight had become restless. Even after the Alicorn amulet was taken into hiding and Trixie had apologized, Twilight felt uneasy. She had been utterly helpless when they had dueled, and she was only saved by Trixie being gullible enough to fall for a simple trick that may not have worked on a smarter opponent. Twilight could only be saved by her cleverness so many times before she had to fall back on her magical talent for real.
I have to be ready.
Twilight resigned to give herself an extra hour of study time per day for the next week. That would give her enough time to research the effects heavy spellcasting had on a unicorn’s endurance. It would be tough, putting her up to 6 hours per night of study. However, it was worth it. It was not like she was neglecting her friends either, though they had expressed concern about the way she was pushing herself.
The thought of her friends sent a pang of guilt to her gut. She looked to the sunrise, and was startled to see that it was around 9 o’clock.
Shoot! I have to be at AppleJack’s to help sort the apples for this year’s cider!
“Spike!” Twilight cried; “You were supposed to remind me!”
“Uh, remind you of what, exactly?” He asked, still shaking off the effects if the spell.
“I’m supposed to be at AppleJack’s!”
“Yeah, for tomorrow. You alright Twi? You seem really distracted lately.”
Twilight sighed. “I’m fine, Spike. That spell just took a lot out of me.”
“Alright.” He said, though he looked unconvinced. “Just take it easy, you’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately. It’s not healthy.”
Twilight knew he was right. She had become worn out. However, she couldn’t slow down now. She would no longer need to rely on others to save her, or the power of the elements of harmony. Of course, she was incredibly grateful to have her friends stand beside her. She didn’t know where she would be without them. But that was the point. She didn’t want to have to be helpless by herself.
“I know Spike. Thank you. Now let’s go get something to eat. I feel like I might fall over.”
“Yes Ma’am!”
Twilight started the walk back to town, tailed by a very enthusiastic Spike. She tried to remain optimistic. She really had come a long way. Her regular lessons with Zecora had taught her more about the power of self-control than she could have ever learned on her own. Twilight was learning at a faster rate than ever before. It wasn’t enough for her, though. She knew she had to do better. Twilight might not be lucky enough to have her friends by her side the next time she needed them.
--==--==--
Chrysalis stepped into a large stone chamber. She had lived in caves for most of her life. They gave her a feeling of security, of home. This place, however… It gave her a rush of claustrophobia. It was something in the air, as if the room itself was trying to suffocate her. The sound of her steps seemed to be swallowed up by the vaulted ceiling that loomed overhead.
Behind her, general Chorion stepped into the room. His beady eyes darted from corner to corner, his practiced gaze searching for threats. He clutched a small bag in his mouth.
“Welcome.”
The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Chrysalis could not hear it so much as she could feel it, a deep rumble that reverberated through her bones. It was a terrible thing, sending shivers down her spine.
Chorion snarled and dropped the bag. He leaped forward to defend his queen, bearing his fangs.
“Where are you?” He demanded. “Show yourself!”
Chrysalis gently placed a hoof on his shoulder. “General, that is not necessary. We are in no danger here.”
Her instincts told her otherwise.
“Listen to your queen, young one.” Said the ghastly voice; “For it is I who summoned her here. You do not think I would allow harm to come to my most valued of servants, do you?”
Chorion turned to Chrysalis and raised an eyebrow. Of course, she had never told him that she answered to a higher power. In truth, that information had only been privy to four others before. She had never intended to reveal everything to him, but she wanted someone she could trust to be by her side for this. However, Chrysalis knew the presence of Chorion would irritate her master greatly.
“Now my dear… Chrysalis? That is what you call yourself now, yes? Did you bring what I require?”
“I did, my master.”
With that she motioned to Chorion, who fetched the sack from where he dropped it. Still glancing across every direction, he gingerly placed the bag in the center of the chamber. As he did, the burlap fell away to reveal a large ebony-colored cone. The last remaining piece of Sombra, the fallen unicorn king.
“Hmmm…” The voice seemed disappointed. “Is this really all that was left?”
Chrysalis stood rooted in place. She swallowed, trying to form the words.
“Y-yes master. We scoured the entire tundra. All that remained was his horn.”
The walls in the chamber shook as the voice sighed. “Disappointing, but nothing he hasn’t been through before. The fool seems to love biting off more than he can chew. Running an empire… Such a thing is beyond his simple mind.”
A dark mist started to appear around the horn.
“Still he is necessary, as much as it pains me to admit. Speaking of, how goes the search for Discord?”
“We have located him, master.” Chrysalis replied. “Though it may be difficult to acquire him.”
“I see. Well, that will be a fine job for our dear Sombra here. A dullard as he may be, he can make an exceptional mess of things.”
The mist intensified into an opaque smoke. It grew larger, and flecks of deep purple began to appear.
“And what of The Night?” The voice asked.
Chrysalis dipped her head and gritted her teeth. This was the moment she was dreading.
“Gone. It seems she was cast out of her host. Where she is I cannot say, but she may be gone to us forever.”
The smoke stopped swirling. It seemed to be suspended in front of her, seeming more like something from a painting. A deep rumble filled the room, and intensified into a deafening roar.
“Do NOT give me that, Chrysalis!” screamed the voice. Chunks of loose stone fell from the walls as his rage filled the air. “She is still out there, and you. Will. Find. Her!"
Chrysalis gasped in shock. She felt an icy pain grip at her chest. She swayed and fell to her knees. For a few agonizing seconds, all she could do was wait while her master punished her. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She could only feel as his fury washed over her in the form of frigid agony. After what felt like an eternity, the pain subsided, and she was able to move again.
She looked up, and saw Chorion on the floor, struggling to regain his composure. Apparently her master's wrath had extended to him as well. She felt a pang of guilt for allowing him to accompany her to this wretched place. She stood, and noticed that the smoke was gone. In it's place stood King Sombra, wheezing and gasping for air. His eyes lacked the usual ethereal glow, and his mane was that of a normal unicorn, albeit black as night.
"What happened..." He gasped. "I'm back... but the only one who could do that is..." Seeming to wake up, he glanced around, a look of pure terror crossing his face.
"Oh yes." Said the master's voice. "And I'm afraid that your failures are going to cost you dearly, oh would-be king."
