Over the rocky canyons, past a frozen tundra, and through Everfree Forest lie a land where ponies, unicorns, and pegasi roam. This land is known as Equestria, a beautiful, fertile land. Birds were chirping happily, and ponies everywhere were enjoying the day. Two pegasi friends were chatting at Summer Flight Camp, a homesick filly was deep in thought, a young unicorn was bustling about, a bright pink pony was pushing rocks, and the Princess was doing a quick check through with the castle staff.
This day was in stark contrast to how things were going in the shadows of the Changeling Kingdom.
The changelings had been forced out of Equestria long ago, and they’d been starving ever since. Occasionally, an especially gifted shapeshifter would sneak into one of the smaller towns in Equestria and managed to feed off their love, getting just enough to bring back to the kingdom. Additionally, they would feed on the innocence of woodland creatures, but it was just not as filling as the samples of pony love that was brought back to them.
The leader of the changelings, King Imago, was desperate to get his people back into Equestria. He had sent a letter to Princess Celestia a little more than a decade ago, pleading with her. He tried to explain that the changelings could feed on love without harming anyone, and that their two peoples could live as one. He even tried to appeal to her by reminding her that he was actually half unicorn, “proof” that the two races could live in peace. Celestia felt pity for the creatures, but remembered centuries ago when changelings and ponies lived together. Shortly after the turning of Nightmare Moon, the changelings had attempted to rise up against Celestia.
And thus, King Imago’s request was politely declined, covered up by some poor excuse that the ponies wouldn’t take kindly to immigrants. The King regretfully came to realize that if his people were to eat, they would need to take Equestria by force.
Today was when he planned to strike. Or rather, he would send in his daughter, Princess Chrysalis, in to cause a diversion while the others invaded. King Imago felt bad that he was sending his daughter to the front of the battle, but she her powers of shapeshifting were the strongest he’d seen, even stronger than he. She had even learned a special spell that would let her take control of a being for a short time, a most valuable weapon.
Imago and Chrysalis were hidden in the royal labyrinth, peering through the hedge. “Now, remember Lis, Princess Celestia is the most powerful being in the world. You need to be very careful.”
The young changeling had been taken by the strong aroma of love, but then rolled her eyes slightly. “I KNOW, Papa.” she murmured dryly. “She could kill me with a single twinge of her magic. We’ve been over this a thousand times, and I’ve been through soooo much training! I’m not that little you know!”
Imago’s brows merged. “I know that, Lis. But I’m your father; it’s my job to be worried. Especially when you’re going up against the Alicorn Princess!”
Chrysalis frowned up at her father, searching his face. It was creased with worry and age, not to mention the stress caused by caring for a starved race. Her expression softened, and she offered a weak smile to her elder. “I won’t let you down, Papa, I promise.”
King Imago bit the edge of his bottom lip. His little daughter was barely the size of a teen pony, and her wings hadn’t even fully grown in. He began to second-guess his plan, considering leaving right then and replanning for a different year when Chrysalis was older.
The Changeling Princess’ eyes narrowed. “Papa, I know that look. We’re not going home, we can’t! We’re so close to taking this place! This is the closest we’ve ever gotten to the castle! Celestia will be here soon, we know her schedule, and we know that she always takes walks alone through the royal garden at noon! It’ll go off without a hitch!”
Imago sighed at the stubbornness of his daughter. She was so eager to prove herself. “Alright, alright. Let’s get this over with.”
Chrysalis grinned brightly at her father before squeezing her eyes shut. Her horn began to emit a emerald green glow, and the little princess began to change. The hollowness of her legs and horn mended, her swamp of a mane shortened and became more hair-like, and her wings began to furl into her back. Her fur changed from a washed out black to a pearly cream, while her mane and tail shifted to pink with peach-orange highlights. Her fangs became dull and blunt, flattening out into pony teeth. Finally, her size scaled down so she looked like a young filly.
Opening her now orange eyes, the changeling-turned-pony smiled in triumph, doing a little twirl in front of her father. “Did I miss anything?” she asked, her voice now bell-like.
Imago smiled proudly at his daughter. “Nope. Now where in Equestria did you find a little filly like that?”
“The silly little thing was wandering too close to the Everfree, so I followed her to a cave, tied her up, and practiced getting her just right.” she boasted proudly.
“Well you certainly did a good job.” the King murmured.
“Thanks Papa! I tho-”
The changeling was cut off by the sound of humming. The foreigners gasped and peered once more through the hedge. Princess Celestia was slowly making her way through the garden, humming a tune to herself as she did so.
“Quickly! Do your thing!” Imago whispered to his daughter, quickly shapeshifting into a blue bird, then perching in the hedge.
Chrysalis nodded quickly and ran deeper into the labyrinth. When she was sure she was deep enough in, she sat down on her pony rump and cried. “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” she screamed, alligator tears running down her cheeks.
Just as planned, Celestia heard the crying and gazed with concern at the labyrinth. She quickly trotted through the entrance and around a few bends, only to find a young unicorn all alone. “Oh my…”
The unicorn sniveled and gazed up at the Princess with big, watery eyes. “W-Who are you? ….Princess?”
Celestia smiled. “Yes, it’s just me. Are you okay little one? What in Equestria are you doing here all by yourself?”
The unicorn sniffed, pushing a bit of her peachy mane out of her face. “Well, I left home early this morning to come see the garden. My momma promised she’d take me today, but…she had to go to the hospital last night…”
Sympathy spilled across Celestia’s face. “Oh, you poor dear. Come with me, I’ll show you the way out and give you a tour of the garden.”
The little unicorn grinned brightly, wiping away her tears. “Really?! You’d do that for me?”
“Of course! Any of my subjects are important to me, no matter how small.” Celestia said, helping the unicorn to her hooves. “Come along now.”
The unicorn happily trotted after the Princess, winking at a certain blue bird before leaving the labyrinth. I can’t believe she’s buying this!
“So, what’s your name anyways?”
“My name is Peachie Pie, your Highness.”
“Peachie Pie, it matches your mane quite well.”
“Thank you, ma’am!”
As Celestia led the imposter child through the garden, ‘Peachie Pie’ was counting backwards in her head. In a few minutes, her magic would be back to full power, and she would take on the Princess.
“…and this is the statue of Discord, spirit of Disharmony.” Celestia was saying.
Peachie Pie gazed up at the statue. It looked like someone had assembled random animal parts together and brought it to life. She made a slight face, then followed Celestia to the next statue.
A flush of magic washed through her, and she realized it was time. She smiled, “Excuse me, Princess?”
“Yes?” Celestia asked, smiling at the unicorn.
“Why are there only ponies living in Equestria?” she asked innocently.
Celestia blinked. “Whatever do you mean? There are griffons and minotaurs and dragons here in Equestria, not just ponies.”
“That’s not what I was talking about.” said Peachie Pie, frowning and shaking her head. “I’m talking about the Changelings.”
Celestia blinked in surprise. “Changelings? Where did you hear about those? They’re…unnatural, little one.”
Peachie’s eyes flashed green-blue and venomous. “Unnatural?” she hissed, her voice contorting to a growl. “Is that you’re polite term for ‘rubbish’?”
Celestia took a step back, unsure of what was going on. “What ARE you?” she asked after a pause.
With a green flash, Peachie was replaced with Princess Chrysalis. “The future of Equestria!” she screamed, jumping at Celestia.
The alicorn had no time to react, and the changeling was weaving a spell to latch onto Celestia’s mind to take momentary control. Recovering, Celestia pushed Chrysalis out, then pinned her to the ground with her horn.
“You changelings never learn! Why can’t you just stay out of Equestria!” she shouted. Suddenly, the Princess was tackled to the ground after a flash of black.
In the impact, Chrysalis was released, and she jumped up to see King Imago wrestling Celestia to the ground. The changelings eyes widened.
“Papa, NO!” she screamed.
“Enough of this!” Celestia yelled, slamming Imago into the ground with her magic. “Never again will your kind invade our home! This ends NOW!”
Imago charged up his horn with his dull blue magic, but it was a lost cause. Celestia blasted the King with powerful magic, causing his form to glow brightly and change. He stared up at his daughter in horror before his face was swallowed up by the glow.
“NOOOOOOO!” Chrysalis screamed again, running to her father. She ran face first into a force shield, a bubble of yellow magic keeping the little princess away.
The glow died down and to the horror of Chrysalis, her father was no more. Where his form once lay was a single rose sprouting from the ground, its petals black and its leaves a greenish blue. The shield melted away and the princess collapsed next to her transformed father.
Celestia gazed at Chrysalis with slight pity, but knew that the daughter must also pay the price for trespassing. Perhaps the other changelings would leave if their rulers never came back. Her horn began to once again charge up with her yellow magic.
Four things happened next, and it all seemed to move in slow motion. First, Chrysalis turned around to lock hateful eyes with Celestia; then, a bright rainbow explosion filled the sky; next, the Changeling Princess felt a surge of magical power; and finally, Chrysalis propelled herself at top speed at Celestia.
After a scream cut short, Celestia was no longer herself. Her mind had been taken over by an enraged changeling, and she was determined to ruin Equestria now. Chrysalis completely forgot about the rest of the invasion plan, this was all about revenge now.
A sudden blast of crackling, raw magic, followed by an enormous dragon caught Chrysalis’ attention. It was coming from one of the many towers of Canterlot. What in the world? she thought, her eyes narrowing. Might as well check it out... She flew up to the tower with ease, quite liking the alicornian wings she now controlled.
Gliding through the window, she spotted a purple filly unicorn, eyes glowing and magic out of control. Blasts of power were ravaging all across the room, and some prestigious unicorns were floating in the air, at the mercy of the child.
Chrysalis' eyes widened, taking in the power she saw. A unicorn so powerful at such a young age? No! I won't allow it! I'm going to nip this in the bud.
And ‘Celestia’ knew just how to handle this…
“ENOUGH!” she yelled, discovering the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice.
The purple unicorn abruptly stopped her magic, all of the effects reversing. She stared up in fear at the Princess. Chrysalis almost felt a pang of pity, this unicorn reminded her a bit of herself when she was young. But nonetheless, she needed to be harsh.
“How DARE you?” she boomed. “Such magic needs to be disciplined, not just thrown around! Certainly not in MY kingdom!”
The purple unicorn sniffled, holding back tears. “I-I’m sorry, P-Princess…” she whispered.
“Sorry? You’re sorry?!” She leaned down so she was eye to eye with the unicorn, glaring. “Sorry doesn’t fix your behavior!”
A unicorn, who Chrysalis presumed was the purple ones mother, interrupted. “But, your highness! She’s just a little filly! She’ll learn!”
‘Celestia’ spun around to glare down at the unicorn. “You defy my word?” she hissed. She then turned back to the purple one. “Dishonor your princess, and you will pay the price! I hereby banish you, little unicorn, to live out the rest of your days in the EVERFREE FOREST!”
A collective gasp was shared throughout the room. The filly burst into tears.
“P-p-p-please, Princess! I’ll be good, I promise! Please please please don’t send me to Everfree!” she sobbed.
“Still you argue with your Princess? Fine, a further price you shall pay!”
‘Celestia’ then blasted a ray of emerald green magic at the filly’s parents, changing the father into a blue lily and the mother into a purple and white tulip. Chrysalis figured that she’d keep up with the flower pattern, considering that the alicorn did it often.
The little unicorn gasped. “Mom, Dad, NO!”
“Now, be gone with you!” the Princess demanded, stamping her hooves on the flowers.
The unicorn bawled, racing out of the room as fast her little hooves could carry her. Chrysalis grinned a little, but only for have wrecking the reputation of the Princess. She sighed mentally, realizing that she had just put a younger child through the same ordeal she had just dealt with.
She scoffed, then spread her wings and sailed out of the window. 'Celestia' swooped down at the nearest guards and charged up her horn. "Oh my, it seems you've been demoted, fellows." she said with a devious shift of her brow. Unleashing her magic, it settled around the two guards.
After a flash of light, the two guards were frozen in a state of surprise, locked within an orange crystal. Several unicorns were staring at Celestia and the frozen guards, shocked. Some of them even ran away screaming, while others just weren't sure how to react.
A shimmering gold sign caught Chrysalis' attention. Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, it read in large, block letters. Chrysalis darted to the school, her eyes glinting evilly. As she entered the door, she looked around quickly.
Library, library... she pondered. I need to find where they keep all their pesky information. Aha!
Down the hall, the "library" sign was sticking out from the wall, above a doorway. Chrysalis jetted down the hall in a few moments and hooked through the doorway.
"Oh, Princess!" the librarian said, looking happy but nervous. "I wasn't expecting you today, how are you?"
'Celestia' glared down her muzzle. "Get out." she said in a low tone.
"Huh? But..."
"NOW!"
The librarian quickly ran out the door, fear in her eyes. Chrysalis grinned, taking in the sight of all of the books in the library. "Some very powerful unicorn spells and knowledge are held here... Or at least, they were..."
Touching the alicorns horn to the carpet of the library, a few sparks flew off it and lit. Chrysalis chuckled as the small flame grew into an inferno and began engulfing the shelves of books. "And now the unicorns will no longer be well informed!"
Feeling her hold over Celestia fading, Chrysalis left the school as fast as the Equestrian Princess' wings could carry her.
Twilight Sparkle slowly opened her amethyst eyes, rolling onto her stomach. She lazily reached a hoof to her back, rubbing it slightly. “This bed will be the death of me…” she groaned. The purple unicorn then stretched similarly to a cat.
The walls of the room were painted dark blue, and it was quite empty of furniture. In the midsection of the wall across from the door was a large, semi-circle window with a small fireplace beneath it. Twilight’s bed was in the far corner of the room, and her writing desk was only a few feet to the left of it. On the desk were scattered papers, a stack of books, a gnarled quill, and a large brass lamp. The unicorn had spent many nights under the light of that lamp, furiously scribbling down an idea here and there, or reading a book. All too often Twilight had been shaken awake after falling asleep at the desk, and would usually end up having to brush her mane to hide the red desk mark on her cheek.
A loud snort pulled the unicorn from her thoughts. She jerked her head to look at the opposite corner of the room, where a small bundle of blankets and gems were. A drawn out snore came from the pile, and Twilight Sparkle chuckled to herself. Under the mini-hoard was her baby dragon companion, Spike. She had hatched him during her last moments in Equestria. Only he and her cutie mark were reminders of her old life and her last day living it.
Twilight frowned at her flank, the pink star shimmering back at her. She sighed and hopped off her bed. Her magic quickly smoothed over the blankets, then took hold of her hairbrush. As she cleaned her room and groomed her coat, her mind trailed back to roughly eleven years ago.
Twilight Sparkle was walking on the edge of the Everfree Forest, carrying a small purple dragon on her back. She had originally ran out without him, but after Princess Celestia left, she felt bad for the dragon, snuck back in, and took him with on her exile. It’d seemed like a good idea at the time to the filly, but she now realized that she would have to struggle to feed herself and now also this baby dragon. Why, she didn’t even have a clue what dragons ate!
The little unicorn slowly lowered herself to the ground, allowing the hatchling to slide off of her back with ease. She was tired and hungry, as she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. Funny, it was amazing how much her life had changed in a little less than a day. Twilight curled up on her side and clutched the baby dragon close, holding back her tears.
“I miss Mommy and Daddy, and Shining Armor…” she whispered shakily. “I miss everybody!”
The little dragon cooed and nuzzled against Twilights cheek, causing a small smile to break out across her face. She gently rubbed a hoof against his head, humming the lullaby her mother always sang to her. The dragon yawned, curling up to the unicorn shortly before his eyes closed. Twilight pressed her nose affectionately to the dragons head.
“I guess it’s just you and me now…” she murmured.
“Are you talking to me, or the dragon?” a voice asked.
Twilight looked up, surprised and afraid of what she saw.
A knock on her bedroom door broke the silence, causing Spike to groan in irritation as he woke up. Twilight’s ears perked up, and she promptly trotted to answer the door. She swiftly opened it with her magic, revealing a changeling.
“The Q-Queen…wantses to see you, Miss-sis Sparkle.” the changeling said, struggling to speak in Twilight’s native Equestrian tongue.
“Please, call me Twilight… That is, if it’s easier for you.”
The changeling simply tilted his head, showing a bit of confusion.
Twilight sighed a bit. “Thank you,” she said simply, bowing her head.
A crooked, fanged smile crossed the changelings face; he understood Twilight’s thanks. With that, he too bowed his head, then took flight and disappeared down the hall. Twilight shut the door and glanced over at Spike.
“C’mon sleepyhead, Lis wants to see us!” Twilight grinned, lifting one of the blankets off of Spikes face.
The baby dragon groaned in response. “Twiliiiiiiiiiiiiiight, it’s too early for this royal business!”
“Now Spike,” Twilight lectured. “Who took us in when we were all alone? Who put food in our bellies and put a roof over our heads?”
Spike sighed, then answered after a pause. “Chrysalis…”
“Right! So it’s only fair that we go talk to her as soon as possible!” Twilight said with a grin. She scooped up Spike in her hooves, who squealed in complaint. “Besides, it must be something important if she sent one of the changelings to notify us. Especially if she sent one that’s not very fluent in Equestrian.”
“I still don’t get why we can’t learn to communicate like them.” Spike grumbled.
Twilight picked up a gem from Spikes bed with her magic and forced it into his claws, then placed him on her back. She opened the door and headed down the hall. “I already explained this Spike. Changelings don’t work the same as ponies or dragons. Their way of speaking is telepathic, and bound by the ancient magic in their blood. It’s basically something you’re born into.”
“So, why can’t you just use your magic to create some kind of translator then?” Spike asked, absentmindedly nibbling at the gem.
“The only sort of thing I could think of that could do that is to create an amulet. Spike, do you realize how much work and magic it takes to create an amulet? Not only that, but I’d be trying to create a type of amulet that’s never existed before, it would be a lot of trial and error, and I would need someone to test on.” Twilight explained patiently. “If I even knew how to go about creating an amulet, I’d need several samples of changeling blood just to get started.”
“So what? You don’t feel comfortable asking anyone for a sample of their blood?” Spike asked, gazing out of the familiar windows that lined the hall.
“It’s not just that, the results might vary depending on whos blood I had. For example, Chrysalis’ blood would be different than a common changeling, since she’s got some unicorn blood. Even someone living here in the castle, a member of the High Court, would have a different concentration of magic in their blood than Chrysalis or a common changeling.” Twilight sighed. “It’s a very complicated process.”
Spike gazed doubtfully at Twilight. “If it’s so ‘difficult’, then how do you know so much of the subject already?”
The unicorn smiled. “It’s like you don’t know me, Spike! You don’t think I haven’t already thought about the idea of a Changeling/Equestrian translator? Plus, I’ve read almost every book in the Castle Library.”
Spike sighed, knowing that he wasn’t going to change her mind about the amulet. “So then, if the changelings all communicate telepathically, why did some of them already know Equestrian before Lis found us?”
Twilight stopped in the hall, looking over her shoulder at her purple passenger. “I swear Spike, it’s like you haven’t actually noticed everyday life until this moment.”
“Well, I usually intend to ask you questions like this, but…” his cheeks lit up sheepishly. “You know me, I can be pretty forgetful.”
Twilight laughed a bit before continuing on down the hall. “Well anyways, the changelings of the High Court and all those above them have been learning Equestrian since one of the Queens died at a younger age, and she didn’t bear any heirs. The King then fell in love with a unicorn that had been living in the Everfree, and she too was smitten. She managed to teach him Equestrian, and he was surprisingly a quick learner.
They courted, and the King taught the High Court her language, so they could all communicate with her. At first, the changelings weren’t too fond of their new queen, since she was part of an enemy race and all. But she showed them undying kindness and care that none of the previous queens had ever given, so they soon accepted her with open hooves. Those were Lis’ grandparents.”
Spike had listened to the whole story with big eyes and a smile. At the end though, he shook his head suddenly and snorted out a puff of smoke. “Hmph, sappy love stories.” he said simply, badly covering his liking of the story.
Twilight rolled her eyes as she trotted on. The two were nearing the throne room, where Chrysalis was no doubt eagerly awaiting them.
Chrysalis was leaning against a table on the lower level of the throne room. Her ebony crown rested on the table, and beside it was the object of the young Queens interest: a map of Equestria and its surrounding areas. Currently, she was working through the middle of a long term plan. Since the day that she’d lost her father, the Changeling General had been pretty rough on her. The original plan that day was for her to get a hold of Celestia’s mind and cast a quick spell to decrease the magic levels of the unicorns in Canterlot, that way the others could get in to the city and feed.
“Princess, have you any idea what you’ve done?!” the General yelled, glaring down at Chrysalis. The two of them were in a small room in a tower of the castle, and were joined by the Royal Advisor, Vathek, and a distant cousin of Imago’s, Vizsora.
The royal child glared defiantly back. “Of course I know! It was an accident!”
“We don’t have room for accidents!” the General lectured. “This was supposed to be a pivotal day for our kingdom, for our people! All we needed were a few moments to slip in and consume some love from those stupid ponies, and then bring back some excess for the lower classes! But you lost control, and now look what’s happened! Your father is prisoner, and you only left a ripple in Equestria! Celestia will probably have all of the trouble you caused sorted out by tomorrow morning!”
Chrysalis jumped up from the chair she’d been sitting in. “Don’t you even start with me! Don’t even! You would have lost control too if you’d been there! I had to watch my father lay at the mercy of that stupid alicorn! You can’t even begin to imagine how much that hurt!”
“Calm down now, both of you!” the advisor said softly, placing a hoof gently on each of the tense changelings shoulders. “Our King is trapped behind enemy lines, and everyone in our kingdom will mourn for him.”
The tension between Princess and General finally broke, and they looked to the advisor.
“Now, General, you need to understand that Chrysalis has lost not only her king but her father as well.” Vathek said. “And Chrysalis, the General is simply upset because this was a very…valuable opportunity that we had. It will be a very long time before we’ll have another shot at this, and security is going to be even higher next time. Do you understand, Lis?”
Chrysalis looked down and slowly nodded. “I’m sorry…” she whispered.
“It’s alright. You can make it up to the General by training hard and looking for a new edge that will help us get into the kingdom. I suggest doing a little research on unicorn magic, your father wrote a lot of notes on his discoveries on unicorns.” the advisor said kindly.
Chrysalis took a deep breath. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Thank you, Vathek.”
The advisor smiled, then sat down in one of the chairs in the small, empty room. Chrysalis glanced over at Vizsora, who was sitting silently in the corner. The General himself sat in his chair, slumping a bit as he frowned at Vathek.
“What’s the matter, Uncle Vizzy?” Chrysalis asked, tilting her head. Though Vizsora was her distant cousin, Chrysalis had always called him ‘uncle’ since she could first speak Equestrian.
Vizsora glanced at the other two before turning to Chrysalis. “Well, I’m uncertain why these unicorns are so good at keeping us out.” he replied softly, his voice like velvet.
Vathek was glad to respond. “It’s not really all of the unicorns. Imago discovered that there was a particular energy from only certain unicorns, an energy that targets changelings directly. After three years of studying the unicorns, he noticed that the energy was unique to the ones who had been a part of Celestias magic school.”
“So why didn’t he simply burn down the school?” Vizsora asked, his brows furrowing.
“Imago found that there were no major behavioral differences between regular unicorns and those with this special power.” the advisor explained. “They seemed completely oblivious to the power, thus making them innocent to causing us actual harm. You know how Imago was about innocence.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. Her father had always had a thing about not bringing harm to anyone that didn’t cause him harm first. This was the biggest reason that his only target had been Princess Celestia, who had bluntly denied his request to let his people feed.
“Unfortunately, now that his research was cut short, there’s not much more we can learn about unicorns and their power. The only one who can get across the border without tripping alarm would be Chrysalis.”
“And that won’t be happening any time soon.” the General said in a cold voice.
Before Chrysalis could snap at him, Vathek interrupted. “What he means is, we can’t afford to lose another member of royalty.” he said quickly. “You’re the only heir, and you don’t have the years of experience that your father has.”
Chrysalis sighed, burying herself in thought. She had to come up with a way to study unicorns without putting herself in danger. She rubbed her hollow hooves against her head as the adults were conspiring.
“…Imago should have been studying younger unicorns too!” the General was grumbling.
Now, that caught the princess’ attention. Her eyes widened and she gasped sharply. “That’s it!” she cried, wings buzzing with excitement.
The three adults glanced at her with puzzlement.
“What if I told you that I could get a hold of a very young unicorn with great potential, without having to go any further than the border between Equestria and the Everfree?” Chrysalis said slyly.
“I’d say: this is the best idea you’ve had!” the General said with a grin. “Ready a room in the dungeon!”
“No!” Chrysalis said quickly.
The Generals face collapsed back into a scowl. “I retract my previous statement…”
Chrysalis ignored the General, continuing on. “Listen, it would be easy to throw a little unicorn in the dungeon and force her to do what we want. But I happen to know a unicorn that’s wandering the Everfree right now, alone in the world and really hating her precious Alicorn Princess. Don’t you get it? We could potentially get a unicorn on our side! That’s the edge we need, a secret weapon!”
The three stared at the little princess in awe. Slow smiles took them, and they became very comfortable with her plan. But, that all faded when the General shook his head a bit.
“Now just hang on a second… That means we’d have to take proper care of a unicorn!” he said gruffly. “Why should we let one of our enemies take up one of our beds?”
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes, standing tall. “Because if we raise her correctly and sway her in the right direction, our enemies child will become our strongest asset. And don’t forget, my grandmother was a unicorn. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be anywhere near as close as we are now to getting into Equestria.”
The General grumbled under his breath a bit. “Fine…” he muttered.
“Do I dare ask how you acquired such information about this unicorn?” Vizsora asked.
Chrysalis looked down. “It might have something to do with my rage fit in Canterlot…”
The General rolled his eyes. “Whatever, just go and get that unicorn before they send out a search party for her.”
“We’ll try to prepare those in the castle for unicorn presence as much as we can.” Vathek said, opening the door to the room. “The people themselves don’t need to know just yet. We need to break the news to them just the right way.”
Chrysalis smiled a bit. Back then, Twilight had simply been a pawn that they needed to capture to ensure their win in this game of chess. But now, Chrysalis had taken quite a liking to her, considered Twilight to be family.
The changelings absolutely adored her. Twilight was always so polite and kind to the them all, and often went out into the city to see if she could help out with any of the lower classed families. Before the little unicorn had become part of the kingdom, no one knew that changelings themselves were so capable of love.
They loved her so much, but it wasn’t quite enough to get them by. Their love wasn’t as pure as the ponies in Equestria, and was still clouded by their sad existence in the Everfree. It kept them better fed than before, but some of Chrysalis’ subjects were still starving. Another plus of Twilights kindness, was that when she visited families in the kingdom, her love fed them pretty well. Twilight would have gladly tried feeding the whole kingdom herself, but when she allowed them to consume her love, it left her a bit physically drained. That was really the only harm that the feeding changelings could cause.
Chrysalis turned to gaze at some notes she’d scribbled down last week, a new idea to implement into the plan to take Equestria. She stared blankly at the paper, realizing that in her rush, she’d made the notes unintelligible. The Changeling Queen sighed, pushing the notes away from herself, cradling her head in her hooves. The pressure of feeding her subjects was starting to get to her.
Your Highness?
Chrysalis looked up, seeing the young changeling she’d sent to fetch Twilight. She felt bad that she had chosen him, since he was fairly new to the High Court and wasn’t too good at his second language. However, it was short notice, and she didn’t have much of a choice.
Yes, Morbus? the Queen answered patiently.
The changeling shifted uncomfortably, gazing down at his hooves. She’s on her way.
Excellent. You didn’t have much difficulty talking to her, did you? Chrysalis asked, glancing back at the map.
She said something I didn’t quite understand, but then she thanked me. Morbus answered. I think I need some more Equestrian lessons.
Go talk to Kolvin then, he’d be glad to give you lessons. Chrysalis mused, tapping her chin.
The apprentice of the Court Alchemist? Morbus confirmed, doubt in his voice.
Chrysalis nodded. He and Twilight spend most of their free time together, so he’s gotten quite good at speaking Equestrian.
Morbus huffed, then fluttered off. Chrysalis knew that Morbus and the other newer Court members were a bit insecure that a whelp of a changeling was more fluent in Equestrian than they were. She was quite fond of Kolvin, despite the fact that sometimes he made some accidents in palace when he got overexcited. But she knew that he would be a great Alchemist someday.
She also knew that Kolvin and Twilight spending time together was more than simply two friends hanging out. It didn’t take a Queen to notice how Kolvins ashen cheeks would flush a bright red whenever Twilight complimented his work. Chrysalis chucked a bit, shaking her head. It also didn’t take a Queen to notice that Twilight was completely oblivious to Kolvins feelings. Maybe not even Kolvin himself knew.
Chrysalis was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the doors open. An older Royal Attendant appeared and bowed his head. “Your Majesty, I announce Miss Twilight Sparkle, honored guest of the High Court.” he said, his voice powerful and strong.
Chrysalis rolled up the map and pushed it off to the side. “Thank you, please send her in.” she said as she flew to her throne. She perched on the edge of the throne and watched as the purple unicorn poked her head cautiously through the doorway. “Do come in Twilight, you’re no stranger to my throne.”
Twilight smiled sheepishly and trotted in, Spike bouncing on her back with each step. “Sorry, I still feel humbled whenever I walk in here. Royalty etiquette and all that. So, what is it that you needed, Your Majesty?”
Chrysalis cracked a warm smile. “Now Twilight, you know that you’re exempt from calling me by my titles. Is the throne room still getting to you?”
Twilight sighed, a weak smile on her face. “I guess so…”
“Would you feel better if you took a seat in the throne?”
Twilight stared wide-eyed at Chrysalis. “You can’t be serious, Lis. Wouldn’t that be desecrating the rights of the.. something or other?” she blurted, waving her hoof wildly.
The Changeling Queen laughed. “Twilight, I sat in the throne all the time when my father was King.”
“That’s different, you were the Princess.” the unicorn pointed out.
Spike raised his little claw. “Oh, oh! Can I sit on the throne?!” he yelled out with a grin.
Chrysalis laughed and rose from the throne, then gestured toward it with a flick of her tail. Spike grinned and jumped off of Twilights back, running to the throne. Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but fell quiet as she saw how willingly Chrysalis was letting Spike occupy the royal relic. Spike struggled to climb into the high seat, but once he did he began to belt out pretend orders in a deep, cracking voice.
Twilight held back a snicker as Chrysalis approached her. “So, getting back on topic, what is it that you needed, Lis?”
“Now that’s the Twilight I know!” Chrysalis smiled, smoothing down a few hairs in Twilights mane. “Keep in mind that this is a very important matter I’m about to discuss with you.”
Twilight went from smiling to solemn and curious. “O-okay…” she said, feeling a flit of nervousness in her stomach.
“Lately I’ve been talking to our Mage, as I was hoping he’d train you further in your magic skills.” Chrysalis began. “However, he says that in order to teach you more, you would need to learn proper unicorn spells first. Sadly, we don’t have any books on unicorn magic here, just notes that my father took about unicorn behavior.”
Twilight nodded sadly. “I figured something like this would come up eventually.”
“Twilight, you need to be able to expand your magical boundaries. You need to learn more.” Chrysalis said.
The young unicorn looked up at Chrysalis in surprise. She blinked, not entirely understanding what her caretaker was saying. “What…exactly are you saying?” she asked slowly.
“In order to learn more about unicorn magic and how to perform it, you’re going to have to go back to Equestria.”
“What?!” Twilight cried, slackjawed. “Go back to the place where that horrible, tyrant of an alicorn rules?! You can’t be serious, Chrysalis! You know what she did to me, what she did to my parents…what she did to your father!”
Chrysalis looked down, hiding the flash of guilt that crossed her face. “I realize this is upsetting news, Twilight. But if you to be to the best of your ability, you’re going to need information from them.”
Twilight frowned. “I’m not going back to Canterlot.”
Chrysalis looked up and blinked. “Oh, Twilight! Is that what you thought I meant? No no no, my dear. I would never dream of sending you back to that horrid city by yourself! Besides, I burned the library down when I was there, as revenge to Celestia for capturing my father.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, but still felt a bit uneasy. “Lis, I… I don’t know if I can do it.” The unicorn turned and faced partially away from the one who’d saved her from the Everfree. “I still have nightmares about that place sometimes.”
“You know that most of Celestia’s subjects aren’t really like her, right?” Chrysalis said softly. She stepped closer and gently rubbed Twilight’s back with a hoof. “You might even make a couple of…friends….” she said, saying the last word through gritted teeth.
Twilight gazed over her shoulder at Chrysalis, doubt very noticeably plastered across her face. “Lis, I-“
“Listen, Twilight.” Chrysalis said softly. “You don’t need to decide right now. I’ll give you the week to think about it, and I understand if you won’t want to. But just weigh things from both sides, including that if you pull this off…you could get revenge on Celestia.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, the idea of vengeance for her parents and her unfair banishment almost enough to accept the trip right there and then. But the logical side of Twilights brain stuck firm, twisting her tongue before she could say anything. Instead, she slowly nodded in understanding. “Okay, Lis…”
Chrysalis smiled softly, trying to dispel the seriousness in the room. She turned to look at Spike, who’d been oblivious to the conversation, and was still screaming out orders and giggling a bit. “Alright, little prince, that’s enough throne time for you today.” she laughed.
“Awww, okay.” Spike said, hopping off of the throne and running over to Twilight. “Hey Twi, what should we do now?”
Twilight Sparkle offered a small smile to her purple scaled companion. “I don’t know, Spike. Maybe we should go see what Kolvin’s up to today.”
“Okay!” Spike grinned, hopping onto Twilights back. He waved to Chrysalis. “See ya later, Lis!”
Twilight silently looked at the Queen for a moment, then slowly trotted out of the throne room. She closed the door behind her with her magic. Chrysalis listened to her hoofsteps fade down the hall, then let out a loud, frustrated sigh as she ran a hoof through her mane.
“Oh, Twilight…” she whispered softly to herself. “You’re our only chance… I wish you understood…”
“Focuth, young Kolvin.” slurred the old Court Alchemist.
Kolvins horn was sparking green energy, extreme concentration on his face. “I-I’m trying! This is really difficult…”
“You mutht try. Alchemy ith linked to magic, tho you mutht learn it.” the Alchemist insisted.
“Ugh…” Kolvin groaned. He was currently trying to heat up a beaker with his magic. Changeling magic is nowhere near as strong as unicorn magic, but it was there. And with the proper practice, it could be turned into something powerful. “Isn’t there an easier way, Alchemist?”
“Young man, I am quite dithappointed in you!” the Alchemist scolded, trotting around the table, his royal blue robes swishing around his hooves with each step. The Alchemy Lab was a large room, but was filled with a lot of tables and clutter stacked on top. Only the table in the middle of the room was used and cleaned off daily, while the other tables had been pushed against the walls. “A good alchemitht does not find wayth around thingth! He followth a thingle protheedure!”
Kolvin frowned. “Isn’t that the opposite of what you told me earlier this morning?”
The Alchemist stared at him blankly.
Kolvin sighed and continued to focus his powers on the beaker, which was starting to get moist on the outside. “A good alchemitht findth better tholutionth and thimplifieth hith rethearch!” the changeling boy said, mocking his superiors speech slur.
“Never mind what I thaid!” the Alchemist grumbled. “Jutht heat up the beaker!”
Kolvin squared his scrawny shoulders and stared intensely at the beaker, sweat dripping down the glass and his forehead too. Finally, to his relief, the liquid inside began to boil. “Yes!” he cried, throwing is hoof in the air in accomplishment. To his surprise, the movement caused the beaker to go rocketing up into the ceiling, crashing and shattering into pieces. The Alchemist and his apprentice both ducked to keep from the falling glass from getting in their eyes.
The Alchemist slowly lifted his head and glared down at Kolvin, who flattened his rounder than average ears against his skull. “Class. Dismissed.” the Alchemist hissed, flinging open the door with his own magic.
Kolvin looked down at his smooth hooves and quickly scurried out of the lab, the door slamming behind him. His wings buzzed in surprise at the slam, and his trot hurried to a gallop. Why was I even chosen as his apprentice? I can’t do anything right! I’m no Alchemist… he thought to himself sadly.
He then heard a cry of surprise, and a split second later he had crashed into someone. He rolled into the wall, then searched with his mind for a changeling link, wanting to apologize telepathically. To his surprise, he found no such link, and looked up. Laying against the opposite wall with her eyes gone silly was Twilight Sparkle the unicorn.
Kolvins eyes widened and he jumped up. “Twilight! Oh my Imago, I’m so sorry!” he cried, crossing the hall to help his friend up. I’ve really screwed up this time!
Twilight smiled and rubbed her head. “It’s quite alright, Kolvin.” she said. As she rose, it was revealed that Spike had been wedged between her and the wall. “Oops! You okay, Spike?”
Spike groaned and inspected his tail, which had taken on a crooked curve from crashing into the wall. “Ugh, yeah, I’m okay.” he said, climbing to his feet.
“Ah, geez.” Kolvin said, brushing at his mane sheepishly. “Sorry you guys, I wasn’t exactly watching where I was going.”
“It’s okay, Kolvin!” Twilight assured yet again. “We were actually on our way to come find you, so you actually made it easier for us!”
“You were looking for me?” Kolvin asked, his ears flicking.
“Yeah!” Spike said with a hop. “We were hoping we’d get to see you mix up some rad potions!”
Kolvins ears and wings drooped simultaneously. “Oh…right. Um, well sorry to disappoint you lil guy, but I think I’m kind of done for the day.”
“Done?” Twilight echoed, her ears pricked in curiosity. “How come? It’s still pretty early in the morning.”
Kolvins unnaturally green eyes were suddenly very interested in the floor. “Uh, I’d rather not talk about it…”
Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth to further press the matter, but then she slowly closed it again. Her expression softened as she realized that Kolvin had probably had another accident and the Alchemist wasn’t too happy.
“Hey, Kolvin?” Twilight asked in a gentle voice. “Would you like to come for a walk with me and Spike around the palace?”
Kolvin looked up, his wings straightening out and folding to his back. “I’d like that a lot, Twilight.” he said with a grateful smile.
Spike hopped up on Twilights back, and the changeling and unicorn fell into step, trotting down the hall. The dragon began to ask the changeling all sorts of questions, anything from how many potions he’s made to what his favorite gemstone is. Kolvin was happy to answer all of his questions, and with each answer he slowly felt better and better. Twilight smiled; glad that her dragon’s curiosity could be a good thing sometimes.
Soon enough, the three were outside and walking about in the courtyard. A silence befell them as they wandered about. Many years ago, the crumbling stone walls were strong and firm around the courtyard. However, after homelessness statistics in the city rose, Chrysalis had the walls tore down and moved back the property line of the courtyard so that new homes could be built. Now a small wrought iron fence surrounded the new courtyard borders, and the guard had been increased since then.
Twilight had never really felt safe around the guards; it seemed to her like they were always watching her for some reason or another. She assured herself that they were probably just being cautious since she was a unicorn and all. That, and she had a young dragon constantly by her side. Coincidentally, a guard just happened to be staring intensely at Twilight as they rounded a corner of the palace.
Twilight lowered her head, ears flattening as she looked down. Kolvin took note of this, and lowered his own head to look Twilight in the eyes. “What’s wrong, Twilight?”
The purple unicorn shook her head slightly. “You wouldn’t understand…” she said quietly, not to get Spikes attention.
Kolvin tilted his head. “Try me.”
“It’s just, I feel like I don’t belong here.” Twilight said sadly. “What am I saying? I don’t belong here.”
Kolvin cut in. “Twilight, don’t say that…”
Twilights eyes solemnly met Kolvins. “I’m a unicorn, the very creature that’s been oppressing your people for centuries. Sure, they’ve been doing it unknowingly, but still. Chrysalis could have destroyed me and taken Spike.” Her voice dropped. “I’m starting to think she’d be better off if she’d done that.”
“Twilight Sparkle, don’t you dare say that about yourself.” Kolvin said, stopping his trot to stare seriously at the unicorn. “The Queen loves you as if you were family; the entire city does, even if there are some who don’t want to admit it. Do you keep forgetting that one of our past Queens was a unicorn?”
Twilight sighed. “It’s different, Kolvin. You don’t get it because you’re a changeling.”
Kolvin shook his head. “No, Twi. I’m an outsider too. I’m the tail end of everyone’s joke, everyone thinks I’m a loser because of how bad I am as an apprentice alchemist.” he said. “King Imago hoof picked me to be the next alchemist, and all I’ve done so far is fail one of his last wishes before being captured.”
Twilight took this opportunity to get the attention off of her, and began to take up step again. “Kolvin, you just need to practice more with your magic skills, all the rest of alchemy you’ve done fine at. How about I give you some lessons on what I know?”
The young changelings eyes glimmered. “I…I would really appreciate that.” he replied softly.
“Hey, guys!” Spike yelled. Twilight and Kolvin jumped slightly, realizing that Spike had been babbling away to himself the whole time they were walking. “Lookit the cool hedges!”
The three looked up as they walked through the garden. Large hedges towered above them that had been cut into various shapes. One particularly large one depicted Chrysalis towering over the fallen shape of an alicorn. Twilight couldn’t help but shudder at such a dark depiction of one who she thought of as family. While she herself hated Celestia, she couldn’t imagine striking her down.
“Huh, that one looks new.” Kolvin murmured, gazing up at the hedge sculpture. “It’s pretty well done though, you can really tell what it is. I wonder why the Queen had this commissioned?”
Twilight spun to face Kolvin. “Why do you think Lis would have this made?”
He offered a crooked smile in response. “The Queen is the only one who orders hedges for the garden. Perhaps maybe it’s a symbol of her getting close to finding a way to get back at the alicorn.”
Twilights mind reeled back to earlier when Chrysalis had asked her to consider going back to Equestria. Perhaps she’s got a few other things for me to do there other than just learning some new magic…
Just then, distant shouting could be heard from the other side of the city. The shouting got louder and closer, and this time was followed by a fierce roar. Spike clung to Twilights neck in fear, and buried his face in her mane. Guards went flying from the border of the palace into the city at full throttle.
“T-Twilight, what’s going on over there?” Spike asked, his voice muffled.
“I’m not sure, Spike, but we should let Lis know!” Twilight cried.
Kolvin took flight. “No, you go into town and see if you can help. I’ll go tell the Queen!”
“Me? Why?” Twilight asked in confusion.
“Because, Twi.” Kolvin said firmly. “Other than the Queen herself, you’re one of the most powerful beings in the city. They might need your help!”
Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said, pawing at the ground with a hoof and standing up straight. “But you need to take Spike, it’s too dangerous for him.”
“WHAT?!” Spike cried, pulling his head out of Twilights mane.
Kolvin quickly scooped Spike up off of Twilights back and buzzed toward the castle. Spike protested the best he could, but it was to no avail. Twilight galloped at full tilt out of the garden and into the city streets, heading straight for the commotion, more afraid than she’d ever been before.
Chrysalis was trotting briskly down one of the many halls of the royal palace. Ever since the moment Twilight Sparkle had taken off with Spike from the throne room without so much as a goodbye, the Changeling Queen had been deep in thought about their conversation.
Where did I go wrong? she wondered to herself. Did I sound too forceful? Maybe I should talk to her some more, try to help her get past her fear of Equestria. Afterall…it’s mostly my fault…
At that moment, a young changeling came barrelling in at the other end of the hall. “My Queen!” he was shouting. “My Queen! Something terrible is happening in the city! I think we’re under attack!”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened while her pupils shrank to mere slivers. Thoughts exploded through her mind in mere seconds as she froze stalk still in her place. Has Celestia finally launched the attack she’s been threatening for years? Did she figure out that Twilight is here? Or is there something worse, something more menacing out there?!
As the changeling continued to race toward the only heir, she began to recognize him. The first hint was that there was a purple baby dragon on his back, and the second was the bizarre emerald colored eyes that were staring intensely at his queen. It was Kolvin, the apprentice alchemist and good friend of Twilight Sparkle.
“Kolvin! What’s going on?” Chrysalis cried as the boy skidded to a halt in front of her. “Why do you have Spike, where is Twilight?” The queens voice went shrill at the last question.
“We were all out in the garden when we heard some shouting and then a monstrous roar!” Kolvin explained quickly. “I think one of the monsters of the Everfree are here! I told Twilight I would look after Spike and that the city needed her help!”
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes, her leadership sense taking over. “Kolvin, I need you to notify the Mage at once and any guards you see along the way. Then you must take Spike to his and Twilights room. Under the bed is a secret door, I need you to move the bed out of the way and take Spike down through the door, it leads to a bunker in case of attack on the palace. Go!”
Kolvin jumped and quickly buzzed down the hall, obeying the queen’s orders. Chrysalis herself smashed open one of the windows in the hall, then proceeded to jump out and take flight. The changeling ruler took flight as fast as her insect-like wings could carry her. As she curved around the side of the palace and began her descent on the city, all she could do was worry about Twilight Sparkle and her changeling subjects.
Soon enough, she saw what the commotion was all about. A bright blue Ursa Minor was attacking the city gates, which were groaning under the force of the celestial bears antics. Guards were up on the city wall and hovering in the air, blasting shots of green magic at the creature. Sadly, it seemed that these little flares weren’t doing much to the beast other than agitate it. Some of the guards had even begun to dive bomb at the young ursa, hoping to scare it off. Chrysalis watched in terror as the ursa suddenly spun around and batted one of the diving guards away like a pesky wasp. The guard went crashing into a house in the city, screaming in terror as he was going too fast to fly.
Grinding her teeth, Chrysalis managed to pick up her speed. She shot forward like an arrow, willing to push on through anything to strike its target. In a split second, the changeling queen whizzed over the city gate and crashed into the ursas forehead, blasting a spell as she did so. The ursa reeled back, surprised and hurt from Chrysalis’ attack. The bear snarled, then rose up on its hind legs as the queen swooped back up in the air. She summoned a simple electrocution spell, and blasted it straight between the Minors eyes.
The ursa took the hit, stumbling backwards and letting out a shriek-like sound. Furious now, the Ursa Minor rose to its hind legs once more and forced it’s body down upon the city gate. The old, frail wood was too weak to hold up any longer and it split into large pieces, raining down onto the few guards who had been trying to hold the door shut with their magic. They were crushed instantly, and the proud ursa stomped over the rubble and straight into the city.
“No!” Chrysalis cried, her eyes bulging. She snarled and swooped down at the creature once more, desperate to keep it from getting any further into the city. The guards took note of this, and quickly took flight, taking a formation of which they would be swooping in to attack shortly after their queen’s initial blow.
The leader struck the bear in the back of the head, thrusting both front hooves into his skull at full force, then veered up. The ursa growled and looked up at her in anger, only to be surprised with the same attack repeatedly pounding into his ribs. It howled in pain and fury, then it’s legs began to falter.
“Aim for the beasts knees!” cried one of the commanders. While the guards complied and began beating away at the bears legs, Chrysalis continued to swoop at the creatures head, kicking it at every opportunity she got. The Ursa Minor grew more and more angry at the constant attacks and his lack of being able to do anything about it. He tried stomping his paws down on the guards, but missed most of them. The only one he’d managed to nail was only caught between his toes and the ground, so he managed to wiggle free. Infuriated, the monster rose up on its hind legs once more, ready to crush a house into dust.
Suddenly, a bright blast of crackling purple energy shot past the guards and struck the ursa directly in the center of its chest. The celestial bear toppled over onto its back and cried out in pain as it landed on the sturdy stone walls around the city. A loud and audible crack could be heard, and it was obvious that the creature had injured its back on the wall. Chrysalis spun around to see none other than Twilight Sparkle standing in the middle of the empty street, horn bright and blazing!
While Chrysalis was glad that Twilight had subdued the beast where her guards had been failing, she also feared for the unicorns life. “Twilight! Get back to the palace, now!” she cried. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the ursa stirring, and she knew he would not be happy at all.
Twilight’s slightly ragged mane swished as she shook her head firmly. “Absolutely not, Lis! I’m going to help get this Ursa Minor out of our home!”
A few of the guards murmured amongst each other at Twilights statement. While they were impressed with the purple unicorn, they still had some doubts about her.
Chrysalis swooped down and quickly landed next to Twilight. “Go back to the palace, that’s an order.” she said firmly.
The unicorn frowned up at her mentor. “Lis,” she argued in a low tone. “The guards think I’m an untrustworthy pest. I need to prove to them and myself that I’m worth your time.”
The queen stared at young mare in surprise. “What are you talking about, Twilight?” she asked her voice and expression softening. “How long have you been feeling like this? This isn’t because of what I said about you going back to Equestria, is it?”
Twilight shook her head firmly once more. “No, Lis. I just need to do this okay? Let me help you, please.”
Chrysalis opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted by the ear shattering sound of the ursas roar. The two focused upon the bear once more, seeing that it had now risen yet again, to its hind legs. It was clearly in pain, but was just as rage fueled as ever. It raised its paws up, glowering at the unicorn and changeling queen. In a split second, Chrysalis had levitated Twilight onto her back and just managed to fly out of the way of the creature that wished to pound them into dust.
Twilight gasped. Chrysalis had taken her on rides on her back before, but never outside of the safety of the palace, and never this fast. Not to mention that she’d been only a filly at the time. Add to the fact that they were trying to protect the city from an ursa; Twilight was feeling a bit uneasy.
Another wave of attacks came from the guards, half aiming for the monsters front knees and the other half striking his ribs and back. The blue coated ursa cried out in pain as the guards were hitting its injuries, and its knees were beginning to buckle.
Twilight gasped, realizing what to do. “Lis! Tell the guards to stop attacking his weak spots and focus on his one shoulder, they’ve got to try and get him to turn around!” she called as they soared through the air.
Chrysalis didn’t even bother shouting out to the guards in Equestrian, she simply repeated Twilights orders to them the changeling way, to which they quickly complied and reassembled. As Twilight predicted, the guards pounding themselves against the ursas shoulder caused him to turn to the side, and finally into a 180 facing away from the city.
Twilight charged up her horn, the glow slowly growing brighter and more intense. In a few seconds, she started shooting off sparks, and was generating a breeze that caused her mane to swish slightly from the power. Her face was screwed up in concentration. “L-Lis!” she muttered through clenched teeth. “After I cast…ugh, my spell, throw yourself into the b-back of that ursa! Give him a shove!”
Chrysalis gave a short nod in response, gaining altitude and getting ready to swoop down. With a cry, Twilight released her spell, then fell limp against the queens back, draping her hooves weakly around Chrysalis’ neck. The swirling ball of purple magic went rushing down and hit…the dirt road in front of the ursa.
“Twilight, you missed!” the changeling queen cried with frustration.
“Watch…” Twilight said weakly.
Suddenly, the entire road lit up with purple light. With a flash, the road had suddenly become a long stretch of a soapy mess. Chrysalis tilted her head, confused, but with a nudge from Twilight, she remembered what she was supposed to do next. Without another second of hesitation, she swooped down and shoved the ursa forward the best she could.
Apparently, her best was just enough. The Ursa Minor stumbled forward and couldn’t find any proper footing on the soapy road. It cried out in confusion shortly before the guards swooped in and gave him another shove. Then the poor bear was sliding down the slippery road back into the Everfree.
A few moments after the ursa disappeared, cheering and clacking hooves could be heard behind them. Chrysalis turned around midair to see the citizens of her city had come out of hiding and begun cheering for the departure of the overgrown pest. The queen smiled down on her people, then over her shoulder at the exhausted Equestrian. Twilight smiled weakly back, and waved to the crowd.
Chrysalis began a gentle flight to the palace. “C’mon, you deserve some rest.”
