CHAPTER 7: STAGED

Brightmare's eyes were wide with surprise. Her brow raised in curiosity; she just stared at Chrysalis. She was quite baffled by what the changeling just said. "Wait, did you just say you're going to a private dinner with both Princesses tonight?"

Chrysalis laughed softly with her eyes closed, then placed a hoof on her chest in confidence; now back in her pony form. "That's right, tonight! See Brightmare, you worry too much. The princesses do appreciate what I do."

Brightmare sighed heavily, leaning against the door that lead out of the kitchen; once again. She began to rub her chin, pondering the thought. She was also standing on her hind legs; upright. She looked back to Chrysalis with at first a worried expression, but then smiled softly at her; happy for her. "Good, I'm glad to see that they're finally taking notice of how talented you are."

Chrysalis blushed somewhat as she heard such words from her friend. She chuckled nervously and peered towards the lower left, having to avoid eye contact. "It's nothing. Really. I mean- sheesh, do you have to make me feel all gushy all the time?" She looked back at Brightmare with her lower lip puckered in the form of a pout.

Brightmare laughed as she approached Chrysalis, wrapping her hooves around her gently; then nuzzling her cheek affectionately. "It's what friends do ya know. I can't help but feel happy my Chrysalis is moving up in life." She then looked Chrysalis in the eyes "Listen, I have to go back to the barracks for the day. But, I want to hear how this dinner went by tomorrow; you got that? Promise me."

Chryalis smiled, amused by Brightmare's tone of voice when she'd said that. "I promise." She replied.

Brightmare then gave Chrysalis a nod of approval, rubbing the top of her head then making her way out the door.

As Brightmare left, Chrysalis remained, staring at where her friend once stood for a few seconds before delving back into her own thoughts and concerns.

Brightmare was making her way down the hall, when suddenly she was approached by a fellow guard. She turned to face him; raising a brow at him in interest. The fellow guard seemed frantic; he needed a few a few seconds in order to gather his thoughts. Brightmare was patient; she simply stared at him, waiting for him to catch his breath. As he finished doing so, his brows furrowed in discomfort. "Ms.Elliot, we have a situation!"

Brightmare's cheeks turned crimson; she seemed thrown off by the fact he called her by her first name. Her own brows then furrowed in discomfort, as she snapped at the stallion. "W-Who told you to call me by that name!?"

The stallion looked puzzled at first, before responding with complete discretion. "Lieutenant Bravemane ma'am! He seemed very clear with how I should address you when I found you."

Ellie; otherwise known as Elliot Brightmare, shook her hoof in frustration. She seemed upset, but not in a serious way. She actually looked more humored by the prospect rather than annoyed; muttering to herself. "Damn you Bravemane, how'd you figure out my full name?" Ellie then focused her attention back on the reporting stallion, nodding at him. "Lead the way."

The stallion did as he was told; but where they went wasn't quite what Ellie expected. She looked around, curious to why they'd gone so far from the castle. They were on the outskirts of Canterlot, near the edge of the forest; and also nearby a small dirt road that lead to a local town known as Ponyville. Ellie didn't mind being outside; but she couldn't help but feel frustrated about the situation, why were they out here in seemingly the middle of nowhere? What could have been so important that it would require her actual person to be present at the scene. All of her questions would soon be answered; as Bravemane approached from a distance. He didn't seem too happy. "Ellie."

Ellie sighed heavily, rolling her eyes some before focusing her attention back towards Bravemane. She spoke in an impatient tone. "Bravemane."

Bravemane smirked; he'd noticed right away she was upset he knew her full name, but he'd poke fun at that later. He then focused on the matter at hoof; signaling Ellie over to him, he lead her towards a more open area. It was practically a field, surrounded by dense forest. Encircling the field at multiple different points were fellow guards; they seemed to be focused on the trees, peering off into the veiled forest, looking for something in particular. Bravemane stopped, as did Ellie at his motion, he simply stared at the ground. "Do you see it?"

Ellie was silent for a brief moment; then focusing on the spot Bravemane did, it took her a few seconds but as she noticed it, she seemed disinterested. "What about it? They're your tracks."

Bravemane shook his head with a solemn expression. "That's the thing, they're not."

Ellie raised a brow at him, puzzled. "What do you mean they're not your tracks? Of course they're your tracks! Look how many of them there are, and we have practically no patrols out here, yet they all head straight for Canterlot."

Bravemane glanced back at Ellie as if waiting; Ellie simply stared right back at him. She then came to realize, that was the entire point he was trying to make. Her eyes went wide with realization, and despair. Somepony, or something, an army judging by the sheer number of tracks, had gone straight to Canterlot. But where was this army? Why hadn't they been attacked yet if a seemingly unknown force had made its way to Canterlot? Ellie peered back towards the ground nervously; before Bravemane finally spoke up once again "Comon, that's not all."

As Bravemane led Ellie towards his second concern; he sighed heavily upon arrival. Further down the field, there were remnants of magic essence, but this wasn't just any form of magic. Ellie's eyes were wide with horror, as she noticed the luminescent blue sparks fade in and out of existence, like small crackles of lightning flittering around a set area. Bravemane took her expression as it came; this was obviously a bad thing. He then focused on the area, sparking with magical essence before glancing back at Ellie "This is pretty much my main reason for bringing you out here. You're much more educated about the magic schools than I am; if not one of the best. Can you tell me what this is exactly Ellie? I've never seen magic conducted in such a form, it's strange." Bravemane then began rubbing his chin with a hoof.

Ellie took cautious trots forward; she looked disheartened. She made her way past Bravemane, then raising a hoof; attempting to make contact with the magical sparks. She spoke quietly "That's because, this sort of magic practice was banned long ago." She proceeded to touch one of the sparks "The manipulation of time, is a very dangerous thing."

To this Bravemane's eyes shot wide, as did majority of the other guards who were within earshot of Ellie. Bravemane raised a hoof as some form of gesture; he seemed quite bewildered by her obvious proclamation. "The manipulation of time!? That's insane, the only one who mastered the magic school of time was-"

Ellie cut him off almost immediately; continuing to focus on one of the sparks. "Starswirl the Bearded; I know. And it couldn't have possibly been him, he's gone. Listen, we don't have much time. The spell cast here was obviously somepony who's quite experienced with magic, dangerously experienced. We need to hurry, and fast." Ellie didn't waste anymore time; as she stood on her hind legs and spread her fore ones, her horn started to glow profoundly. Suddenly, appearing out of thin air was a portal; a realm to what appeared to be an alternate dimension. It was practically a tear in the universe; a rip in space and time. Ellie gritted her teeth as a small sweat drop rolled down the side of her head, she glanced back at the others who all began to surround and stare at her. "This is a dimensional rift; and a very dangerous spell. Whoever hid this here was obviously placing it here as a precaution, a little longer and it would most surely have activated upon itself." Ellie dropped to all fours once again; steadily trotting back and forth as if providing intel to the rest of the guards. "It acts as a gateway, as well as a seal. It would have pulled you all inside, locking you away who knows where. In order to fix this; one of us needs to head inside, and destroy the access point before it sets off. And i'll be the one to do it."

Everypony gasped; as Bravemane took a few strides forward, getting in Ellie's face. "Now one second Brightmare! I'm your superior, and before you go off sacrificing yourself; you need my approval! And I say no!"

Ellie grunted before rolling her eyes "Save the heroic speech for somepony who cares Bravemane. I'm glad to see you still remember how to call me by my last name. Besides, I'm the only pony here who knows how to close this thing for good before it sets off. And It's not like I plan to close it in on myself, I've got a brief window of escape; and I plan to use it fully." She turned back towards the portal before exclaiming "Make sure you other unicorns keep this thing stable for a little while longer, i'll be back in no time."

Bravemane gritted his teeth, wincing at her somewhat. He wanted to stop her; but he knew she was right, she was their only shot at really closing this thing. He choked down his pride and just sighed; muttering "You be careful in there."

The rest of the guards saluted their fellow; as Ellie glanced back at them with a determined smile. "I will."

She then proceeded by stepping into the portal, disappearing almost immediately after she did so.

Bravemane shouted to rest of the guard "Get some unicorns on this thing! I don't want it closing while she's still in there!"

As Ellie passed through the rift, her body felt extremely heavy. She winced in discomfort, trying to remain steady on her hooves as her eyes shot wide; what was she standing on? The world around her was similar to an astral plain; a world made up of stars and galaxies. It was as if she were standing on a walkway made up of solidified water, but it wasn't ice. The water rippled and moved beneath her; but it was flat, trapped. And it wasn't wet. Ellie bottled up her fascination and simply looked ahead, there it was; the access point. It glowed a magnificent blueish hue, and was set in a spherical shape.

Ellie smiled as she then began trotting slowly towards it. She wanted to run, to just sprint towards the sphere and get this over with; but something was holding her body back. Her body felt heavy; and with each trot, it felt like a gust of wind was attempting to send her back from whence she came. She wouldn't give up however, she'd put a stop to this; even if it killed her. She continued making her way to the access point, her smile growing wider as she did so. Suddenly, it felt like her heart had stopped as she heard a frightening voice echo in her mind, and throughout the world itself.

Your lights will go out. All that you know and love, will be but dust in the end.

Ellie froze, glancing around this strange realm. She saw it; the frightening figure hidden away in the darkness. It was faint, transparent; but it was there, attempting to become whole with this world. Grotesque tentacles began to writhe in the black void that veiled the rest of this plane. Ellie muttered cautiously "Who came here? And why?"

The voice spoke simply. It's words boomed across the realm and in Ellie's mind.

A fool. As are all who dabble with things beyond their understanding.

Ellie blocked out all her fear in that instant. Attempting to converse with this, thing, would get her nowhere. She had to hurry and destroy the access point before the rip would trap her, and her comrades in here forever. She mustered up all the strength she could as she used a teleportation spell to the blue sphere shaped object. As she did so, she knew the repercussions; magic was horribly draining here. But she knew she had to get this over with, and fast. Ellie's horn began to glow a bright yellow as she yelled; as if motivating herself to push for one last dominating spell. She fired, thankfully destroying the orb before her; as suddenly she was being pulled back towards her entry point like a vaccuum. She felt like she was going to pass out; as one of the tentacles grabbed hold of one of her hooves. She winced at it, kicking it off hurriedly as she soon began to disappear back into the portal; exiting back to her world. As she did so, the frightening voice spoke once more.

Until we meet again.

As Ellie was hurled back into the world of Equestria; she tossed and tumbled on the ground, skidding across the dirt as she did so. Almost immediately she heard the others trotting frantically towards her. Ellie peered up towards the sky as she noticed the stars laid out above her, and the gorgeous full moon with them. It's already night? Ellie leaned up; and that wasn't the only problem apparently. She felt lighter, more agile, stronger. What was that place? And how fast did time go there exactly? So many questions filled her mind as she stood to all fours; noticing Bravemane in his approach.

"You did it! We were starting to lose hope, what took you so long?" Bravemane practically demanded.

Ellie raised a brow at him. "I, I don't know. I swear it took me less than five minutes."

Bravemane seemed puzzled, but then shrugged it off as he glanced back at the portal. It was now closing in on itself; with no gravitational pull, just as Ellie said it would. He smirked at her "Well it feels like it took you about four hours, but that doesn't matter anymore. What does matter is the fact we know how to find, and stop these things. Congrats, Brightmare."

Ellie's eyes shot wide as she lowered her head, shaking it "Four hours? That makes no-"

Bravemane slapped her in the back of the head softly. "Don't worry about it you nut! You closed the portal, that's good enough news. Now let's hurry back to Canterlot, we need to report this back to the Princesses right away."

As they then started back for the city, the rest of the guard cheered at Ellie; proud of her accomplishment. Ellie wasn't as ecstatic about the situation though; she looked down at the ground, worried about what the future held.

Chrysalis's eyes were wide as she looked around the gorgeous city of Canterlot. The lamp posts glistened in the moonlight as the circular lanterns fastened across the streets only added to the cities beauty. She was like a foal, who'd just been taken to the amusement park; the way she was bouncing around and window shopping was quite adorable. Her escorts were none other than the princesses themselves, Luna and Celestia. They were some ways away from Chrysalis, but they just allowed her to do as she pleased nonetheless.

Celestia smiled, looking up at the sky. "Another beautiful night, as always sister."

Luna took pride in the compliment, chuckling some "Of course, you should expect no less from me."

Celestia raised a brow, humored by her sister's confidence. "Hmhm, of course, I have no doubts. Now, where shall we take her? We failed to discuss with her the main reason why she'd be attending the Grand Galloping Gala."

Luna's expression sunk, as she seemed quite saddened by those words. She then looked ahead at Chrysalis, who was enjoying herself; and even stopping by random ponies on a midnight stroll and admiring them. Luna peered up towards her sister. "Must we truly discuss it now, perhaps it's a good thing we got caught up in casual conversation. Just look at her dear sister, she is happy, perhaps; we should just let this go for now."

Celestia's eyes widened, surprised by Luna's response "Oh? Is this the same sister I've always had? The same sister who's been telling me this was a mistake from the very beginning? I'm glad to see you're starting to have a change of heart regarding little Chrysalis Luna. But lest not forget she is not one of us. She must know what she must do in order for everything to go smoothly, that's including our main topic for tomorrow night."

Luna's expression remained the same, she nodded; understanding where her sister was coming from. When Suddenly, Celestia stopped, dead in her tracks, eyes wide with realization.

Celestia smiled at Luna "Wait sister! Perhaps you're right, perhaps it is best for us not to mention the true reason for having Chrysalis attend the Gala."

Luna raised a brow at Celestia; puzzled by her sudden change. "I beg your pardon sister?"

Celestia smirked as she then continued to trot. Both of them focusing a bit on Chrysalis who was still admiring everything around the city. "It never dawned on me before. But perhaps, shock value is more effective in this case. It is brilliant little sister, thank you. Tomorrow night will certainly be a night to remember." Celestia paused, smiling graciously up towards the sky. She looked tired, as if admiring the world, the society, she'd created. "It's finally coming to end sister; together, we'll have accomplished something far more beautiful than we'd ever dreamed. And this, is only the beginning." Celestia's expression lit up as she looked to Luna.

Luna simply nodded with a soft smile "Of course." Luna was confused, why was she getting these feelings. She knew her sister meant well; so why were these feelings of dread overwhelming her. Luna peered at Chrysalis who was conversing with two ponies in the distance, then back towards Celestia who was fully confident in herself; in everything she was doing.

Luna winced her eyes somewhat. I can only hope, we are right dear sister.

As Chrysalis was conversing with two anonymous ponies ahead; she chuckled softly looking up at them. "So are you two nobles or something?"

The two ponies seemed highly nervous looking down at the pony Chrysalis; they laughed somewhat, as one spoke up. "Yea; nobles, b-but not from here. We're from a land quite far from here. A beautiful land." His comrade nodded in approval before nodding to Chrysalis "Yes; a very beautiful land."

Chrysalis raised a brow in interest at them. Curiously. "Is that so?"

The two ponies began to laugh nervously. Suddenly Chrysalis was called over by Princess Celestia.

"Come now Chrysalis! It is time to return to the castle!"

Chrysalis smiled brightly back at Princess Celestia as she turned, then waving goodbye at the two visiting ponies. She made her way over to both princesses who simply regarded her with warm smiles. As she left; the visiting ponies seemed shocked. They simply stared at her trot off with wide eyes; with what appeared to be disbelief. One of them spoke in a hushed tone "Did she just say-" his fellow cut him off. "Hush brother! You and I both know it must be a coincidence. We wait for the signal, we won't be the ones to screw this up." One of the ponies winced angrily at Princess Celestia and Luna, muttering to themselves. "We, have not forgotten; nor will we ever."

His fellow simply nodded, baring the same angered expression as they both watched the Princesses smile happily alongside Chrysalis. "We will repay their 'kindness' in full." Flickering in the darkness around Canterlot, beady green eyes glistened; patiently. All from ponies who seemingly blended in with the crowd. Nopony questioned who they were, or likely didn't even notice they had numerous new faces surrounding them. So many visitors came and go; it was common to see new ponies. This was also the home to both Princesses. Who would dare muster up the courage to launch an assault against them? But they were here; watching, waiting, for the precise moment to strike.

All they had to do now, was wait for the signal. The stage was set. And Canterlot, would burn. Next Chapter: Chapter 8: Broken Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 29 Minutes