Well, I'm back. Sorry for taking so long. For those of you who have been to my YouTube Channel, you know that I have promised to go on a Month hiatus to focus on my Fanfictions. I hope you enjoy, and that you will stay tuned for the next chapter.
The two parents followed Applejack to the front of the school, passing several students on their way home from school. Applejack stopped in front of the statue. "Here we are."
"You're kidding right?" Night Light said, staring at the pedestal of the statue. "This thing? It's been here for ages. It was the first thing Sweetie Drops investigated when she patrolled the grounds."
"I'm telling you, this is the portal. I'd go through it if it would prove anything, but…"
"No buts. If you can, then prove me wrong. Step through the portal."
"I'm telling you, I can't."
"And I'm telling you, you must. Or is Juvie more preferable?"
"Fine! I'll do it. Just don't blame me if something goes wrong."
"Just go already."
"Night. Are you sure we should do this?" Twilight Velvet said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What if something happens?"
"It's the only way to know, Honey. I'm sorry, but it's the only way."
"Alright. I'm going." Applejack stepped towards the pedestal, and bumped into the wall. "Oops. Heh heh. Wrong side." She stepped around the corner. "Alright. Here we go." She reached for the pedestal and, with a shudder, she stepped through.
Midnight trotted through the Everfree, looking around at the forest in wonder. "Wow! I've never seen a forest this big!" She dropped down into a bush when Screwball appeared suddenly, holding a little foal in her hooves. "Where'd she come from?" She whispered, looking through the leaves as the mare collapsed.
"Wow, I'm more tired than I thought." She said, looking around with puffy eyes. Midnight felt like she should come out of hiding, when Screwball spoke again. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me bro." Midnight watched as Screwball looked up at the sky. "Where can we go? Mom will be looking for us, and so will the princesses. I don't believe what Daddy said, but if it is true… Mom certainly won't be happy, that's for sure. What if the princesses punish us?"
Midnight shuddered and began to back out of the bush.
"I won't let that happen to you, I promise." She said, hugging her little brother close. "We can't go home. That'll be the first place they'll look for us. We can't stay with Dinky and I can only imagine what my other friends must be thinking of me right now. Every pony must think I'm a monster!" She held her brother up. "I really screwed up this time, didn't I?"
She watched in horror as Zany's eyes began to glow green and Screwball slowly began to slump to the ground.
Then she heard a voice scream, "Snap out of it!" Screwball shook her head and looked around. "What the…" She looked at her brother and dropped him. "You're not Zany!"
She almost screamed as the little foal scowled and transformed into the wicked queen of the Changelings. "I underestimated you're perceptiveness, I'll give you that." She said. "Though the fact that I have kept the charade this long just shows how good I am!"
Midnight had seen the queen through the green portal at the Gathering, but had never imagined how truly horrifying she really was. As Screwball began to reply, Midnight quickly turned tail and ran for the hills, just trying to get away from the spectacle in front of her. Running through the forest, she dodged Changelings who starred in shock, some shouting at her and calling with a buzzing noise which she assumed was their language. Coming near the edge of the forest, she was knocked unconscious as she charged into a glowing, hovering object.
Sunset tripped as her magic suddenly cut out, the gun dropped to the ground noiselessly. She looked up to see a purple Changeling unconsciously face planting on the ground.
"Midnight!" She called, rushing over to help. "Oh my gosh! Please tell me you're okay!"
She shook her, getting no response. "Come on, wake up!" Instead of reviving, her horn sparked with power, transforming her back into a magenta Unicorn.
"Well, at least that's one problem solved." She hefted Midnight up and placed her in Fluttershy's abandoned wagon.
"No pony uses this old thing anyway." Hooking herself up to it, she levitated the gun once more and in a flash of light, it was moving again. "Let's go."
Applejack stepped through the mirror, colliding with a guard almost immediately. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." The guard looked at her in wonder, then brought his weapon up and, in a voice that sounded extremely familiar, asked: "Where'd you come from?"
"If ya know Princess Twilight, you should know exactly where I came from."
"Wait, Twilight? What do you want with my wife?" He looked closer. "Applejack? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out stopping Discord?"
"First, what is a Discord? Second, I just got here. And Third, Twilight has a Husband?! She's never mentioned you before."
"My name is Flash Sentry, and…"
"Wait. Flash Sentry?"
"Yeah. What's so weird about that?"
"Now I know you're pulling my leg!"
"You can explain all this later! Right now Discord is out wrecking the country and you're in here!" He paused for a moment. "What do you mean, you just got here?"
Applejack groaned and turned towards the portal. "Twilight came through this portal awhile back. She saved us from a wicked She-Demon and later three Sirens. Now her counterpart fell through the portal. We sent the Princess's friend to retrieve her, but she hasn't come back."
Flash paused. "Wait. So, Sunset Shimmer came through the portal, took both Celestia and Luna, and went to get Midnight?"
"That sounds about right. Except for the part about a girl named Midnight. Who is she?"
"Midnight is the name she was going by when I found her."
"So ya know where she is?"
"The Princesses said she was in Ponyville."
"Well, let's go find her then!"
"Right!" They both galloped down the hall. Applejack had completely forgotten about her captors. Night Light, Twilight Velvet and Sweetie Drops stood outside the Portal, patiently waiting for Applejack to return.