• Chapter Fourteen: Divided Destinies •
…
The silhouetted light echoed across the room, causing any pony's sight to blur for a slight second before it regained itself. Spike slowly felt his way through the flashing darkness, feeling a bristled texture under his scaly claws. Curiously, he picked one of the long strands up, sniffing it and detecting it as straw. Straw? What is that doing here? Spike nervously tiptoed to the edge of the room he was in, which seemed like a vast, dusty attic. Spike found an opening to the room; a small little door on the floor. He lifted the door up slowly, unlatching the hinges beforehand. When the door was ajar, he peered down the hole anxiously. Once he had examined the final surroundings and marked it as clear, he began to climb down a small, wooden ladder which lead to a new room. Spike cautiously padded through the space, until he reached another door, which was on the wall, and he quietly creaked it open. The door lead to outside of the house, and Spike nervously peered around. The area was in the countryside, with endless hills flocking the horizon. He seemed to be living on a farm, with wooden fences lining the edges. Haystacks splatted the clearing, next to one massive cow, half-heartedly swaying in its sleep.
"Where am I?" Spike muttered to himself, beginning to step onto the grass, when he heard the sound of the door creaking open behind him. He spun around in shock, and saw a pony who looked slightly older than Twilight standing there.
"Oh, my little Jaspike. Come now, it's not morning yet, how I know how excited you are to play with the cow. Now come on, let's get some sleep." The mare stepped forward, and offered a hoof to Spike. He nervously took it, and stepped into the house once more. The pony seemed all too familiar, but Spike couldn't put his claw on who she was. She was a dark-pink earth pony, with light green eyes. Her mane was striped with a series of light and dark shades of pink, and as a Cutie Mark, she had three flowers, with yellow buds, white petals and smiley faces in the centres of them. She was a pony who lived on the streets of Ponyville... right? Spike thought for a moment. Wasn't her name something like Cherry? She trotted across the room with him at her heels, until finally they reached the room which Spike had originally been in. She nosed him up the ladder, and once he was inside, she clambered up the ladder, just to peer inside and make sure he was okay.
"Goodnight Jaspike." She gave a warm smile, before climbing down the ladder again, and closing the door.
Spike sighed. "I guess I'm stuck here for a while. May as well sleep..." He crawled across the room, gathering bits and bits of straw, until he piled them together to make a suitable nest. Spike spun in a circle three times, before he curled up into a tight ball on the straw, closing his eyes, wondering about the events of a future day.
…
"Wake up you pesky, little flee!" Spike roused to the prodding of a hoof.
"Stop it!" He mumbled, before looking up to get a clear view of the pony responsible. Regretting it instantly, he crawled across the room in shock, until his back was pressed against an opposing side.
Queen Chrysalis just rolled her eyes, and sat down.
"Let me guess, thou wondering what happened to thee.
Just go ahead and recharge thou short term memory."
Chrysalis waited irritably as Spike began to think.
"Twilight was in a magic show... Shining Armour arrived with me... Twilight won, then you came... You took Twilight and Flash Sentry away, and then took me and Shining Armour away in a different portal... Where am I you demon?" Spike hissed, charging towards Chrysalis. She only let out a snicker, as just before he reached her, she teleported him back, and he continued along an endless race to get to her. Spike was growing agitated and tired, as every time he neared Chrysalis, she just teleported him back to his original position. He eventually stopped, and let out a merciful breathe, before collapsing in the ground in exhaustion.
"Done yet?" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow in boredom.
"Yes..." Spike whispered in defeat, as she towered over him.
"They're all gone, thee know not them.
Instead thou poor, living here.
Thou name's substituted for Jaspike,
Have I made myself clear?"
Jaspike narrowed his eyes. "What about the pony I now live with?"
"What? Cheerilee? Oh, she's just a nopony," Chrysalis hollered. Jaspike glanced in shock, as she began to fade away. "Now my work is done..." The last words lingered in the air, as the queen disappeared. Jaspike shivered, before he began to crawl across the room to the door. Sunlight shined through the windows, so he was now able to get a clear view of the old room, and navigate his way to the opening. Once he opened the door on the ground, and had crawled through, the smell of fresh toast entered his nostrils. The baby dragon excitedly scrambled across the floor until, he reached the kitchen. The pony- Cheerilee was in the kitchen, cooking some breakfast.
"Hi," Jaspike called, causing the pony to turn around and smile at him.
"Hi Jaspike! I'm just cooking breakfast, but I'm not quite done yet... you go outside and play with the cow!" Cheerilee returned her attention to what she was cooking, as Jaspike began to scale to the door and open it up. Fresh, cold air filtered through his nose now, as he stepped onto the icy cold grass. The countryside was vast hills- not a tree to be seen, except one which the cow was basking under in content. Both the branches and leaves of the tree had been tortured, until the whole bottom of the tree had become naked. As for the top half, there was a few pitiful leaves dangling dangerously close to the ground, and seemed to have been nipped at their tips. Jaspike laughed slightly to himself, knowing that the lazy cow was responsible. Jogging up, Jaspike began to pat the cow's short, white fur and the cow let out a sober 'moo.'
"Jaspike- I need some milk, could you please milk the cow for me?" Cheerilee appeared at the door of the house, and Jaspike nodded. He nervously turned to the cow.
"Um... I just need to milk you... could you please stand up?" Jaspike cringed slightly, expecting the cow to protest, but instead, the cow obediently trembled to it's hooves.
Relieved, Jaspike quickly skipped to the side of the farm, to find a bucket. Taking the tin-bucket, Jaspike returned to the cow, and put it under it's udders.
"Erm..." Jaspike stood there awkwardly for a second, glancing at the cow in hope, and the cow mooed again. "Uh... Ok..." Jaspike slowly ducked down and glanced from the udders to the bucket. "Yeah... I'll just get Cheerilee." Jaspike quickly scampered off, and arrived back at the home. "Cheerilee! I need your help!" Jaspike called into the home, and the earth pony was almost instantly there.
"Yes?" She questioned.
"I need your help to milk the cow... I uh... don't know how to," Jaspike looked to the side nervously, as Cheerilee glanced at him confusedly.
"You're always milking the cow Jaspike!"
"Yeah... but I forgot. Silly me!" Jaspike bit his lip, before Cheerilee gave a sigh and trotted outside, to sit next to the cow with Jaspike following.
"Well... I can't milk the cow. The cow doesn't respond to me, and besides... I have hooves, not claws like you Jaspike," Cheerilee began. "But all you need to do is this." Cheerilee gave a quick demonstration of how to milk the cow, which Jaspike obediently took in. It was his turn to try, as he nervously attempted to milk the cow. To his relief, pure white milk began to fall into the bucket, and Jaspike gave a victorious cheer. Handing the bucket to Cheerilee, he followed her inside. My new life can't be too bad... can it?
…
Chrysalis peered through her mirror. Her youth was disappearing ever so slowly, as her mane was beginning to get less glossy, and her emerald-green eyes were fading into a mint green colour. Her beautiful fur was looking more dull, and she looked battered.
Chrysalis let out a furious roar, kicking over a chair. Marching up to he mirror again, she saw the six images of five ponies and one dragon. Some of them seemed happy, such as Red Applehood, who was trotting through the town with her mum. And Jaspike, who was eating breakfast with his adopted mother. The rest of them however, seemed desperate and miserable.
"You're my final one," Chrysalis twirled around, her eyes landing on the cage on the other side of the room. The unicorn stallion stared up at her his eyes clouded.
"You divided us! The only way I'll ever give in is sacrifice for the return of my family!" Shining Armour leapt forward, his hooves clanging onto the metal bars before him.
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "It's the same reaction for all of them. The 'you will never get away with this's' or the 'I will get my loved one back, just you wait'ers'!" She glared at Shining Armour. "The similarities between them are endless, and one of those similarities is that they're all lies!" Chrysalis stamped her hoof on the ground, and felt energy draining from her, as her youth faded even more. Chrysalis let out a cry of disbelief.
"I cannot get rid of this infant without most of my magic! Guards!" Chrysalis's voice ricocheted across the room, and almost instantly, two Changeling Guards stood at the doorways. "Bring Mi Amore Cadenza in- now!" Chrysalis bellowed, and the guards loyally nodded, before trotting out of the room.
Shining Armour's eyes widened. "Mi Amore Cadenza? You mean the old princess? You mean Cadance? What have you done to her?" Shining Armour writhed around in the cage, trying to get out in despair.
"You'll soon find out!" Chrysalis hissed. A few minutes passed, until finally, the royal guards returned, with a pony. She had chains and chains locked around her body and connected to the guards. The alicorn was exhausted, her back slumped over, as she trembled before Chrysalis. The changeling queen bent down to Cadance, and gave a laugh. "Enjoying your stay, princess?"
"Cadance! It's me!" Shining Armour's voice sounded, causing Cadance to spin around in shock. Despite her matted fur, and her dull eyes, Shining Armour recognised her like a pony would recognise the night from day.
"Shining Armour?" Her eyes brightened with hope, as she met his, until she realized that he was in a cage. "Did you try to rescue me..? I told you not to! I told you that Chrysalis would capture you!" Cadance let out a pitiful effort to break free from the chains to get to him.
"No- Chrysalis was after poor Twilight, and I tried to escape with Spike, but we failed," Shining Armour cried back, his hooves straining as far as they could go from the cage to get to Cadance.
Chrysalis gaped in surprise. These ponies know each other? What surprised her more, was the amount of love pooling out of the two of them. "Enough!" She roared, forcing Cadance to turn to her. "Now let me use you for the real reason I brought you here!" Chrysalis began to suck in Cadance's youth... her hope... her love. It went pounding into Chrysalis, making her beauty return. A small purple bead fell out of the crown on Cadance's head which Chrysalis had let her keep.
"No!" Shining Armour cried, as he watched Cadance tumble to the ground, barely conscious. She looked more frail than ever. When it was done, the guards began to drag Cadance away, out of the room.
"No! Cadance! Please! Please be alright! No!" Shining Armour bashed himself against the side of the cage, but his strength was no match for the metal bars. The doors slammed shut.
"Now it's time to rid myself of you!" Chrysalis teleported Shining Armour out of the cage to the spot right where Cadance had been. Shining Armour bent down, and picked up the small bead which had fell from Cadance's crown, before he held it close to his heart. Ignoring this act, Chrysalis began to swirl a green aura around Shining Armour, lifting him into a ring of green fire.
"Ah, poor, poor Shining,
Protecting a sister whom was lonely
I'll turn you into a dwarf.
Your new way of life is Dopey.
So silent, yet feeling awf.
You'll never guide Jaspike to that golden lining."
Her magic shrunk the colt, before it began to mess with his face, which was more painful than ever for Shining Armour. His eyes clouded with misery, as she finally lifted him up into the air, and thundered him into a portal.
…
The pale blue pegasi stallion felt a prod on his side to rouse him from his slumber.
"Ya have been here the longest- ya should be the one who wakes first!" The deep voice sounded from the pony responsible of the prod.
Soarin's eyes shot open, before he flapped his wings as hard as he could, and he clung onto the branches of a tree above.
"Who are you? Why am I here?" Soarin glared down at the earth pony below. The pony was a bright red, bulky stallion, with green eyes, an orange mane and massive green apple as his Cutie Mark.
"Big Macintosh... or Bashful... Ah don't know anymore," the pony muttered, kicking at a stone below on the ground. Soarin slowly unlatched his hooves from the tree and hovered down to the ground.
"I am Soarin or Sleepy..." They shook hooves, before peering around. "What happened to us?"
Big Macintosh hesitated. "Ah can't remember..." He rubbed his head. "All mah memory has just disappeared."
"Same," Soarin muttered. They were in the woods. Trees and trees surrounded them- the trees actually seemed larger than usual... or was it just that they were smaller?
"Well... May as well get some sleep..." Soarin yawned, about to collapse to the ground, when Big Macintosh kicked him.
"Wait- watch!"
Soarin peered up to see a huge swirling portal open, before a creature toppled out.
"We got another one!" Big Macintosh stepped forward, as the pony collapsed to the ground... but they were in a huge metal cage.
"Get me out of here!" The unicorn hit his head against the bars, seeking a way to free himself.
"Who are you?" Soarin stepped forward, examining the white unicorn with the blue mane.
"Just get me out of here!" The pony snapped, his eyes glaring at them wildly. Soarin cautiously slunk away as Big Macintosh stepped forward, and spun around so his rump was facing the cage.
"What are you doing?" The unicorn hollered.
"Ah would cover mah ears if ah were ya," Big Macintosh replied, before he reared up onto his front legs and powered the back ones towards the cage. Soarin cringed as Big Macintosh's hooves clanged against the metal, and the horrible sound echoed through the forest. A second later, the cage gave in, as the metal bars parted, leaving a big enough room for the pony to exit. Once the unicorn had brushed off the dust from his hooves, Soarin bothered to speak.
"So care to introduce yourself?"
"Fancypants, or Grumpy," the pony muttered back. "And what about you two?" Once they had demonstrated themselves, the sound of a portal opening up whistled again.
An orange earth pony colt went flying down from the portal, and he landed on the ground on his stomach with a thump. "Hi everyone!" The pony smiled, jumping up onto his hooves instantly. "I have no idea what is going on right now!"
"That's useful," Fancypants muttered.
"Can I sleep yet?" Soarin looked pleadingly at the other ponies, but they all shouted 'no!'
"Well I am Cheese Sandwich AKA Happy!" The colt hopped up and down, the grin still plastered across his face.
"Ah am-" Big Macintosh began, but Cheese Sandwich interrupted him.
"No- I already know all your names!" The colt turned to each of them. "Soarin, Big Macintosh, Fancypants!"
"How do ya know? We haven't even introduced ourselves yet?" Big Macintosh narrowed his eyes, and Cheese Sandwich shrugged.
"I have my ways."
The portal opened up again, and an orange pegasi colt lunged out. As soon as he hit the ground, he let out a small sneeze. The colt stared at each of them in turn, before he sneezed again, and wiped his nose with his hoof. "Where in Equestria am I?"
"We have no idea!" Cheese Sandwich beamed, before introducing everyone.
"Oh... I am *sneeze* Flash Sentry *sneeze* or Sneezy I think..." The pony looked up at the sky. "I feel so *sneeze* empty... like something is missing which I just *sneeze* can't remember."
"We all do..." Fancypants sighed.
"Our memories will come back- I promise!" Cheese Sandwich smiled, before he peered up at the sky. "See?"
The portal whipped open for the final time, and a white unicorn colt with different shades of blue as his mane shot out. The pony stepped back from them cautiously, peering at each in turn, before his eyes rested on Sneezy. "Flash Sentry? What are you doing here? Where is Twilaura? Is she safe?" The pony gave Flash Sentry hopeful eyes, but the orange pegasi only backed away.
"I don't *sneeze* know who she is... but she sounds *sneeze* familiar!"
"What are you talking about?" Soarin questioned.
"And how do you know his name?" Fancypants snarled.
"I knew all of your names," Cheese Sandwich pointed out, but Fancypants kicked him.
"Don't ya guys see? He remembers! He still has his memory!" Big Macintosh stepped forward. "How do ya remember?"
The pony opened his mouth to talk, and nothing came out for a few seconds until finally he found words. "I... I don't know... but I think what happened to me would have happened to all you five too. Maybe if I try to remind you of what happened will help..?" The pony fidgeted for a second, giving them hopeful, yet, miserable glances.
"Go ahead," Soarin stepped forward. "I know I want to remember!"
"Same," Flash Sentry agreed.
"Me too," Cheese Sandwich grinned, hopping forwards. Big Macintosh nodded, and they all turned to Fancypants.
"Fine." The he muttered stubbornly.
The unicorn nodded. "Well... I jumped into a portal to try and save someone..."
"Same!" The other five cried in unison.
"Then I was brought to a room, and was forced to come here... the one responsible for this was Queen Chrysalis."
Memory went surging back through Soarin's mind. Cinderainbow... The others seemed to be remembering too.
Each and every one of them seemed to have a different story. What Chrysalis had done to them was all the same, but the ponies they tried to save varied. Soarin was trying to save Cinderainbow, Big Macintosh was trying to save Red Applehood, for Fancypants, it was a pony named Raripunzel, for Cheese Sandwich; Pinkarial, for Flash Sentry it was Twilaura and for the final pony, who's name was Shining Armour or Dopey, was Jaspike.
"Well congratulations on remembering things," a voice sounded behind them, and the six spun around in shock to see the most unusual looking creature they had ever seen.
It rolled it's eyes. "First impressions are always the funniest."
"What are *sneeze* you?" Flash Sentry narrowed his eyes.
"I am a draconequus. Anyway, I have a prophecy for you all," the creature grinned mischievously.
"We're listening," Fancypants snarled in hatred.
"Ok, ok! Hold your horses! Heh- see what I did there?" The draconequus paused for emphasis, and they all stared at him blankly, except Cheese Sandwich who burst into laughter.
"Yes! Haha- hold your- horses! Classic! Haha!" Cheese Sandwich rolled onto his back, clutching his stomach in hysterics.
"Shush, Cheese Sandwich," Shining Armour snapped, causing Happy to stand upright again.
The draconequus hesitated for a second, before he began to speak. "For she true of fair, she alone, needs the love of a seventh to turn thee back to original selves. Thou personalities return and thou no longer elves. Thou destinies tormented, but thou foal tales shall proceed. Once completed thee break the rule, and thou no longer fantasied."
The prophecy ricocheted between Soarin's mind, until he realised something about it. "What do you mean we're no longer- elves?"
The draconequus peered down at him in shock, peering at each pony's confused expression in turn. "Since when was last time you looked in the mirror?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, there is no mirror here!" Fancypants bickered.
The draconequus smirked, letting out a chuckle. "Oh, you're going to love your new appearances! Yep- they're very pretty." The draconequus summoned six mirrors, and the ponies held them up to examine themselves. The reactions were priceless, and the draconequus summoned a bag of popcorn to crunch into as he watched the display.
"I swear I looked different last time I looked into the mirror..." Soarin raised an eyebrow.
"I look hideous- I thought it was just you five that looked like that, but now I know that I look horrible too!" Fancypants gaped.
"I thought you always looked like that," Cheese Sandwich tormented, making Grumpy pounce on him in anger, and begin to beat him up.
Big Macintosh simply dropped the mirror and crushed it under his massive hoof.
Flash Sentry sneezed, making the mirror blur, and he flew up into the air, before dropping the mirror.
Shining Armour looked up from the mirror, and glanced at the sky in confusion.
Cheese Sandwich and Fancypants were still pulverising each other, and the other four helped separate them. Soarin and Big Macintosh held Fancypants down, whilst Flash Sentry and Shining Armour were pushing Cheese Sandwich back.
"Done yet?" The draconequus narrowed his mismatched eyes, as the six nodded.
"So- we just need to find the pony who is the true fairest of them all, find her a seventh one of us to love, so we can turn back to normal, see the ponies we love and need to help and take Chrysalis down?" Shining Armour raised an eyebrow.
"Precisely!" The draconequus nodded vigorously.
"Oh, that won't be *sneeze* hard," Flash Sentry muttered sarcastically.
"Wait- why can't we just go and see our loved ones now, even while we look like this?" Shining Armour questioned.
"Yeah! Pinkariel will love me no matter what I look like!" Cheese Sandwich pointed out, and the other five agreed.
The draconequus hesitated. "Recognition is a strong part of this- do you really think these ponies- and err dragon will recognise you if you don't look the same? Besides, dwarves are outcasts towards pony kind. You will be chased out of Equestria before you even set a hoof near the ones you seek!"
All of them went quiet at this.
"I guess you're right," Soarin mumbled, before yawning.
"Good luck ponies!" The draconequus grinned devilishly before teleporting away.
The six dwarfs turned to each other, and Fancypants was first to speak.
"This can't be hard! The true fairest of them all is Raripunzel, just you wait and see! She's elegant- and generous- she is everything a pony wishes to be!" Fancypants smirked, but the others shook their heads.
"Oh no, Raripunzel's no contest, towards my Twilaura of course!
Twilaura is smart, and still pretty- just pick her, there'll be no remorse!" Flash Sentry stepped forward, for the first time, saying a sentence without sneezing, but Shining Armour butted him to the side.
"Now you stay away from my sister, she is not going to be yours!
Just give up, it's Cadance, who's smart, pretty and has no flaws!"
Soarin stepped in. "Just hold a minute, Cinderainbow has something that all your suggestions do not!
Cinderainbow is awesome, sporty, we'd want her on our side a lot!"
"It'd have to be mah sis Red Applehood, she's determined and cunning!
A hardworking pony sure would have to be a lot worth something!" Big Macintosh narrowed his eyes.
"Those ponies? Pff- boring, Pinkariel is a lot of fun!
Pick a pony who'd make life better, pick her and we'll be done!" Cheese Sandwich hopped forward.
All six of them narrowed their eyes before they sung in unison. "It's mine or none, just give in now, we do not have all day! Fine it's not going to be any of them and that decision is here to stay!"
The six turned around stubbornly and waited for a minute, until finally, Cheese Sandwich broke the silence.
"Wow- all these ponies sound amazing... we've just made this a whole lot more difficult to find a pony who shines above all those."
…
Chrysalis smirked as she worked her way through the room, and began to sing.
(Author's note: Yes, it's a remake of This Day Aria).
"This day has been just perfect!
I have finally regained all of my peace.
Now I don't need to fear-
The upcoming threat to take my heir.
What I do know is that I can rest at last!"
She twirled around in circles, before she worked her way through an over corridor of rooms.
"This day has been just perfect!
I'll announce it now to all of my changeling army!
Goodbye thou small destinies-
Responsible by thou Queen Chrysy!
Ha! I've stolen what makes a pony a pony!"
She smirked, as she stopped abruptly.
"I couldn't care less about thou hopes.
I don't care about thou desperate dreams!
Bow, to your rightful ruler!
And through any desperate measures,
The changelings unite and be together-
The changelings are the ones who're here to stay!
No I do not like ponies!
I'll rid them when I have the chance!
But they can not know what is in stall!"
She narrowed her eyes as she crashed through another set of doors.
"I have escaped upcoming problems,
I rightfully saved the day!
I, shall rule and have my beauty!
But if anypony else dares come,
I won't be nice as I was!
I do not love and cherish this rebels!
For I oh so need my loves,
My sisters and my brothers!
Oh, my changelings!
We have succeeded for real!"
She plummeted through another set of doors, until she reached her room, where the mirror sat on the other side.
"Finally, the moment has arrived!
For me- to live one peaceful live!
No the ponies can't escape it-
Mirror mirror, on the wall!
Who is the fairest of all?"
The mirror responded. "You Chrysalis. Only you."
The queen giggled pridefully.
Thank you to LovingTogetic for helping me with Shining Armour's poem.