Lilly of the Night Pt.1
The dark queen blink repeatedly as she tried to clear her vision, the world registering to her as hazy multicolor spots, like a photograph that was badly out of focus. Her head throbbed with each movement of her eyelids over her brilliant green eyes. She wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious, but it couldn't have been long judging by the amount of light pouring through the sky all around her. It warmed her dark fur in the most irritating way, like a baking stone placed over a fire. She made a mental note to do something about that in the near future. Her body ached as if it had just been trampled by an angry mob, probably due to the speed she impacted the hillside in which she now rested. The fact that she was still alive puzzled her though. This was something she would have never allowed of one of her enemies, a wave of disappointment washing over her at this realization. How could she be beaten by Celestia's rabble when they didn't even have it in them to take a life? It was a disgrace, an even bigger one that their pitiful ties to their emotions.
Is that what made them strong enough to defeat me, even in the stallion's weakened state? She couldn't help but wonder. This notion they had, of "love," it was a ridiculous sentiment. Despite that though, it had been enough to repel her and her changeling army from Canterlot.It must be something unique to creatures with souls. She reasoned. There is nothing in my realm so unpredictably powerful, I had no problem tearing the connections between my people apart. Frustrated, the queen reached out with her mind, the twisted black horn on her forehead giving off a subtle green light, like a candle's flame licking it's wick in a gentle breeze. Her energy, like invisible tendrils, spread out around her, searching. Suddenly she felt something familiar pulling gently on one of the strands, and even with her eyes temporarily disobeying her she now knew where she was. She was at the door. She chuckled to herself and flinched at the pain that resonated through her ribcage. Everything had been going so perfectly until that sow, Cadence, broke free. The mare's name soured her thoughts like the juice from freshly squeezed lemons, unconsciously bringing a pucker to her lips.
How could I have been aware of the power these emotions could wield? She fumed to herself.She could still feel the lingering remnants of the intense and irrational love Shining Armor had for his bride. While he was under her control, it had tasted so intensely sweet, the most delectable life force she'd ever consumed. Now that he was free though, the feeling was like an itch on a phantom limb, one she just couldn't scratch and be rid of. Now having watched how easily most of the population of Canterlot fell to her army, it was obvious that few
ponies shared the same amount of tenacity as the Stallion and his bride. Now that she was familiar with what the more singular souls were capable of, she would not be making the same mistake again. If she hadn't needed the princess alive to take on her appearance she would have just drained her of her life force and been done with it. Sure it would have meant she would have also had to have made short order of the stallion as well, but it would have been a small sacrifice to pay to avoid...
"Defeat..." She tested the word on her tongue, instantly disgusted with the taste of it. The word pushed a swell of anger through her veins that gave her the strength to force herself up onto her hooves, the dead withered grass crunching beneath them. Finally her eyes brought the world around her into sharp focus. All around here were rolling brown hills under a flawless afternoon sky. They had all been green with lush grasses when she was just a filly and her parents first put the door here. She turned to look at the small point of yellow light, like a firefly that never blinks out, that signaled where the door was located. Unlike the dying scenery around it, the door looked exactly the same as it had back then.To those who know what to look for it was a brilliant ball of continuously churning invisible energy that tore through the very fabric of the universe to bridge their two realms together. There were many more around the world but this was the easiest for her to travel through since it was specifically tuned by her parents to accommodate the unique vibration of her magical energies.
What was left of her changeling army must have been pulled back inside, having not been as strong willed as she was. That was fine by her, she didn't need an army to catch herself a stray. She'd not spent as much time and effort in this realm as she had to leave with just a sampling.