//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: WWC: Chrysalis's Revenge // by Chris-Cross13 //------------------------------// “Uhhhhhhhhh..." *Flop* “Argh… Huh? I’m… I’m alive?!” Vague looks at his reflection in the water from the shore of the lake. He blinks at his own face, not believing the image before him. How was he able to survive the plunge into the water, let alone the fall? “I’m glad you’re okay, Vague.” Another voice says to him. Vague’s eyes shoot out of his head. He growls. It was her voice: Frostbite. He turns around to see a distraught looking cobalt pegasus staring off into the distance. “YOU! What the hay do YOU want?!” The mare says nothing and continues to look onto the horizon. Vague grows puzzled; she isn’t trying to capture him again or freeze him into a hotsicle. “Well?!” He says with urgently. “I saved you.” Vague becomes instantly silent. “Wh-What?” He mutters a few seconds later. “I saw you falling from the castle. I grabbed you before you hit the water and put you down safely on the shore. Then, I created a giant ice ball and threw it into the water to simulate you hitting the lake.” “W-Why?” Vague asks, still not believing a word she said. He figures his somewhat busted wings somehow helped slow his descent and haphazardly glide over to the shore. “I want revenge…” “I KNEW IT!” Vague cuts her off. Of course, she had a plan all her own. “You wanted to take me down yourself!” “Let me finish, you hot-headed buffoon!” She hisses in rage. Vague cowers in fear at her booming voice and shrinks back down to the ground. “I want revenge… On my grandmother!” Vague looks at her like a deer in headlights. Why did she want to exact revenge on Chrysalis? “Huh? Why would you want to-” And then it hit him like a freight train: The entire story he heard back in the castle came flooding back to him. “Oh…” “She took away my family… my dear father…” Vague sees a single tear flow from her eye. She quickly wipes it away with a forehoof. “And that’s why I must stop her.” Vague nods in understanding. Frostbite must have snapped out of whatever brainwashing Chrysalis had done to her. “Look, i’m sorry for what I have put you and your friends through. Truly, I am. I don’t want her to do anything to them as well.” Vague nods again, still wavering if he should still trust her or not. This could be another trap that she has set up. He frowns at her, but then sees an honest and regretful look in her eyes; true sadness. Vague sighs, he might as well team up with her. After all, going against Chrysalis alone again would end just the same, only this time, no Frostbite would save him. “Alright Frostbite, I’ll help you.” Frostbite shows a small smile. “But you BETTER not pull anything this time!” “Don’t worry, I won’t. Chrysalis is my target now.” The icy pegasus glares up at the castle. “And we will finish her and save all of your friends.” Vague looks at her like she’s some sort of a crazy pony. “And how are we supposed to do that?” Frostbite looks at him with a concerned look on her face. “You don’t actually think two pegasi can take out an army of evil insects and their queen, do you?” Frostbite gives him a sneer. “Yup.” Vague blinks twice at what she just said. “You’re kidding, right?” The pegasus looks up to the sky. “Not at all, Vague.” She smiles again. “I have a plan.” “Oh great.” Vague facehooves himself. “And what would this plan be?” Frostbite laughs to herself a little. Vague rolls his eyes. He didn’t see how that question was funny. “You see Vague,” Frostbite looks toward a group of mountains on the horizon. A small breeze blows against her hair, making it flow a bit in the wind. “My father, before he… moved on… He told me about something the changelings were trying to find in my old home in the mountains.” She puts a forehoof on her head to help clear the image in her mind. “It was… behind a large boulder… covered in ice.” Vague’s eyes light up again. “We must head to the mountains and find this… thing.” She finishes her small story, turning back at Vague and looking at his extremely cheerful face with confusion and nervousness. “Your father could have been talking about the Element of Conflict he swiped from Chrysalis!” His smile grows wide, but Frostbite remains staring at him all concerned and perplexed. “The Element of what now?” She asks. Vague rolls his eyes. He has a lot of explaining to do. “I’ll explain on the way.” He spreads his wings, which are surprisingly not hurting him anymore. “Hey, why do my wings no longer ache? That body check I received from that changeling should have put my wings out of commission!” “Oh, they did.” Frostbite comments as she preps her wings for their trek. “However, a quick ‘cold treatment’ from my breath healed them in no time! Even for a hot-head such as yourself.” Vague flapped his wings and they had never felt any better. He leaps into the air, and floats around a bit to test if they truly are all patched up. He smiles as he performs a few loops and corkscrews, they definitely are as perfect as ever. He descends next Frostbite, who has just started lifting off the ground. “Thank you, Frostbite.” He says, glancing back at his wings. “No problem, Vague. Now, let’s get going.” The two of them soar up into the sky and rocket off to the snow-capped mountains in the distance. They both know they are in for a long trip… Meanwhile, back inside the castle. Chrysalis and her changelings were just finishing up their early afternoon love snack; courtesy of Rainbow Dash. Dash, whose eyes are red and puffy from her extensive crying, is still grunting a bit at her loved one’s demise. Her friends around all felt a similar pain and are determined to get revenge for Chrysalis’s actions. “Ahhh…” Chrysalis moans. “Thank you Rainbow Dash for that… Mmmm… Delightful treat.” Dash grimaces at her comment. “Now where were we before I was so rudely interrupted?” Sh puts a hoof on her chin as she tries to recall her actions from memory. “Ah! Now I remember!” She trots back to Celestia’s cocoon and places a green hoof under her chin; lifting her head up a bit to meet with the Queen’s. “Now then Celestia, where is Discord's The Element of Conflict?” Celestia growls and tries to pull her head back from Chrysalis. “I already told you Chrysalis,” She says while struggling. “I will NEVER tell you where it is!” Chrysalis smiles smugly at the princess. “Aww Celestia, it’s so cute how you think you can keep information from me.” Chrysalis points down a flight of stairs. “You four changelings go and retrieve Luna and her friend; and this time, no interruptions!” The changelings nod as wicked smiles grow on their faces. Celestia struggles violently against her gooey prison to stop Chrysalis from touching her sister. “No! Don’t you lay a hoof on her or…” “Or what?! What are YOU going to do, all helpless and trapped in your little cocoon. I have you ensnared Celestia. You can do nothing but watch!” Chrysalis fills the castle with her howls of laughter as she sees the poor princess’s futile attempts to free herself. Meanwhile, Dee-Dee delivers a paralyzing glare to the Queen. This whole situation is disgusting to her. “Wow Chrysalis, this is low even for you!” She barks. Chrysalis catches her words and snarls as she turns around and stares the human down. “Who dares to-” Chrysalis hesitates as she realizes who just said the comment: The female human… the one called ‘Dee-Dee’. Chrysalis simply put two and two together to realize the only reason why she was here. She gains another evil smile. Looks like Dash’s consolation was just the appetizer for herself and her hive. Chrysalis’s smile revealed her sharp teeth; an idea formulates within her mind. She hovers toward Dee-Dee, who is still frowning at the insect queen. “Well, well; I have forgotten about you... Dee-Dee, was it?” Chrysalis asks with a tone of eagerness in her voice. Dee-Dee rolls her eyes. "What's it to you, you oversized fly?" She responds with anger straining her voice. Chrysalis growls at the insult. "Why you little-" The queen goes to raise her voice, but quickly composes herself to avoid going off topic. "Anyway,” She continues. “It's quite obvious that you are human; like Christian." "Your point?" Dee-Dee asks, raising a brow. "Well, it seems odd that another human is allowed to come here. Last I checked, your government is very secretive when it comes to Christian and Equestria.” The queen states with a curious demeanor.. "My mother is Secretary of State; that's how I found out about Equestria." Dee-Dee answers without so much as blinking. She has prepared herself for these types of questions. She knows what Chrysalis is up to. "I'm sure.” Chrysalis pauses for a moment and starts to head back to the throne. After a few steps, she halts to a stop and cocks her head a bit in Dee-Dee’s direction. “Tell me, are you and Christian... together?" Dee-Dee shows no obvious expression of surprise. Christian, however, suddenly realizes the scheme Chrysalis is creating. "Dee-Dee..." He says in a mundane tone; secretly trying to tell her to be careful on how she answers her. "Maybe we are, and maybe we aren't. It's none of your business." Dee-Dee’s answer comes off as stern and in an irked tone. Chrysalis takes no notice as she paces back toward the gray clad girl. "Mmmhmm…” Chrysalis laughs to herself. “Do you know his... secret?" Now that question rose alarm to every captive hanging from the wall. Even Celestia gains a worried expression on how Dee-Dee will answer. “Is she talking about Chris-Cross?” Pinkie thinks aloud. Christian suddenly snaps at her suggestion. “I thought I told all of you to knock it off with that name! It drives me bloody crazy!” Chrysalis and Dee-Dee take no notice to Christian’s small outburst. Instead, their eyes remained locked in focus with each others. “Well… Do you?” She asks again. Dee-Dee struggles to contain her desire to spit at Chrysalis’s face for bringing up the fact. She wants to say ‘No’, but how could she? Because of her, Christian will never be a normal human ever again. Dee-Dee realizes she can’t help but speak the truth. She growls at her through a few angry and panted breaths before she tells the queen her answer. "About what you did to him?” She takes a second to think out her next sentence. Suddenly, she jolts forward as far as the slime will let her; and gets five inches from Chrysalis’s muzzle. “Why else would I be thinking of tearing your wings off, you revolting bug?!” Chrysalis topples back a bit at the shriek of an answer, shocked at the human’s set of lungs. She stays motionless for a few seconds before a smile quickly replaces her stunned expression. It was just the answer she wanted. "Dee-Dee!" Christian shouts in worry. "What?!" Dee-Dee turns back to Chrysalis, who had a huge, cocky grin on her face. "Oh... Shoot." "All I needed to hear.” She makes a motion toward Dee-Dee with her head. “Changelings, grab her and bring her in front of Celestia.” The bugs comply and instantly swarm Dee-Dee’s cocoon. “Hey! Get off me!” She yells as they pluck her cocoon from the wall and place it down in front of Celestia and Chrysalis. The insect Queen gets up and starts to encircle the prisoner before her. “Chrysalis, you better not touch her!” Christian shouts from a far. Chrysalis licks her lips again, already tasting the love emitting from Christian. “Well Christian, that’s up to Celestia here.” Celestia looks at her, flabbergasted. “Excuse me?!” “That’s right, Celestia. If you don’t tell me where the Element of Conflict is...” She points her horn at Dee-Dee. “Dee-Dee will have to get used to walking on four hooves!” Everyone in the castle gasps in horror at the demand. Celestia especially, becomes petrified with the decision she has to make. She doesn’t want Dee-Dee to get hurt; but at the same time, she must protect The Elements of Conflict! “You crazed insect!” Celestia hollers at Chrysalis. Chrysalis smiles at her reaction. “Even if I do give you the element's location, you can’t possibly think that you will be able to wield it!” Chrysalis laughs at this pathetic excuse for stalling her true answer. “Oh, my dear Celestia; that is where you are wrong.” She starts trotting toward her. “You precious books have told me not only the lore of these artifacts. Anypony can wield an Element of Conflict. However, they will only be able to access a fraction of its power. I believe that blue unicorn, Trixie, was able to do this a while ago.” Celestia grimaces at her reply. “But enough talk,” She points her horn back at Dee-Dee. “Time to make a decision!” “CHRYSALIS!” Christian shouts; warning Chrysalis if she did anything to his girlfriend. Celestia stutters as she tries to think of an answer to this stalemate she is in. Her thoughts are waged in battle over what to do. She sighs. The answer is obvious to. “Dee-Dee… I… I…” Celestia doesn’t even get to finish. “Celestia, I understand. Protect The Elements of Conflict! Don’t worry about me!” Celestia is quite surprised at Dee-Dee’s take on the situation; she can’t even speak at her reaction! Chrysalis, meanwhile, smiles at the human’s answer for the sun princess. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then, Celestia?” Celestia remains speechless. “Very well then.” The Queen’s horn starts to glow a brilliant bright green. “Looks like it’s time for a ‘change’ in your life, Dee-Dee!” The green glow starts to get brighter. The ponies on the way shriek at the scene unfolding before them. Christian curls his fists and starts trying to tear himself from the wall; anger fueling his every action. “CHRYSALIS! STOP NOW!” The Queen laughs at the human’s threat. She looks back at Dee-Dee, unwavering with only her stern frown still on her face as her magic is fully charged. “Let’s see how this new form SUITS YOU!” The green laser blasts out of her horn and hits Dee-Dee square in the chest. The force of the impact frees her from her sticky prison and launches her a few yards back. She falls, back first, onto the marble floor. The entire ordeal knocks Dee-Dee unconscious, yet small and quiet grunts of pain can be heard from her. Chrysalis lifts her head to see the results. She smiles. “Changelings, bring her down to the dungeon while the curse takes effect.” The bugs comply and hoist her limp body away and down the stairs to the dungeon below. The ponies above are not believing what they just saw. Meanwhile, Christian only has the look of sheer hate, disgust, and anger in his eyes as he just stares at Chrysalis. Chrysalis, on the other hand, turns back to Celestia; happy about the results. She can still taste the love that she is leeching from Christian. “Chrysalis, how could you?!” Celestia ruins the Queen’s happy thoughts, much to her annoyance. “How could I? You’re the one who did not tell me The Element of Conflict’s location. Naughty Celestia.” Celestia loudly snarls at her excuse. Chrysalis ignores her and looks back at Christian; who still has the look of the devil in his eyes. “Oh, and Christian…” Christian does nothing to respond. “Thanks for the LOVE-ly meal.” She licks her lips, and seconds after, Christian's psyche snaps like a twig. “THAT’S IT!” With a sudden and unknown new strength, Christian yanks at his cocoon binds and breaks out of the sticky substance with ease. He falls to the floor and lands with a roll. He looks up at Chrysalis; the definition of fury staring down at the insect queen. “YOU’RE HISTORY!” Christian makes a mad dash towards the queen. Chrysalis, Celestia, the changelings, and the ponies are all shocked at how he managed to escape so easily. “C-Changelings, s-stop him. NOW!” Chrysalis stutters out of fear of what the human would do to her. The changelings hesitate, but soon comply with their leader’s orders. A swarm of them dive toward the sprinting human. Christian glances up at the impending armada and starts firing off orange orbs like a Gatling gun. Each sphere hits a bug dead on. “Wow! I’ve never seen Christian THIS mad before!” Twilight says aloud. “Yea! Chrysalis really did it this time!” Dash comments. “Yes, but this kind of rage is… unbelievable!” Rarity adds. “Yea, it’s just like…” Pinkie and the others slowly turn their heads to one yellow pegasus hanging above them. “...What?” Fluttershy asks nervously. The other ponies look at each other; all of them thinking the same thing. “Y’all don’t think that Christian got another ability from Fluttershy, do ya?” Applejack asks. Twilight thinks for a second. “No, I think just part of Fluttershy’s rage just added onto Christian’s already crazy anger.” Twilight hypothesizes. Pinkie starts nodding rapidly. “Yea! Christian needed some fighting tactic from Fluttershy! The author didn’t think talking to animals would be that effective.” The other ponies blink at their pink friend. “Pinkie, the hay are ya talkin’ about?” Applejack asks while looking at her like like she is some sort of deranged madpony. “I have no idea!” She answers with a smile. Meanwhile, Christian is still blasting changelings out of the sky on his way toward Chrysalis. The closer he gets, the more sweat drips from the insect’s temple. She can’t believe her changelings can’t even touch him! More importantly, she can’t believe how angry Christian is! Suddenly, Christian gains a clear straightaway at Chrysalis and speeds up toward her, readying a spell. Chrysalis jumps at his encroachment. She must think quickly; and her answer comes quick and easy. She charges up another spell and aims her horn at Christian’s stomach. A stream of green slime propels out of her horn and collides with the hate-filled human. He gets thrown to the ground and slams his head into the marble tile; knocking him unconscious. Chrysalis sighs heavily in relief as she sees Christian on the floor in the goop. “Phew.” Chrysalis sighs tiredly. “Changelings, immerse him in a cocoon. Make sure that HE DOES NOT ESCAPE AGAIN!” “Yessssss Chryssssssalissssss!” The changelings cast their own slime spells and put a thick wrap of the stuff over Christian’s entire body. After successfully making it so Christian was no longer visible inside his new prison, he is lifted up by ten changelings and hung from the ceiling of the castle above the other captives. The ponies below look in horror. Their friend became a juggernaut from his anger; knocking out every changeling in front of him; and Chrysalis casts a single spell and he falls like a brick! “How strong did all that love make her?” Twilight whispers to herself. Chrysalis, still shaking a little from the frightening ordeal, turns back to Celestia, her eye twitching a little. “Now, back to the matter at hand.” She she grins. Celestia gulps, wondering what the queen has in store for her next… Meanwhile, near The Far North in a few snow-capped mountains, Frostbite and Vague start to close in on their destination: The highest mountain in the range. “So, do you think this ‘Element of Conflict’ will actually stop my grandmother?” Frostbite asks as they start their descend toward the summit. “If Chrysalis is hunting for it; then it’s powerful.” Vague explains as a small snowstorm whirls up as they land. “So yea, i’d be willing to bet that it could stop her easily.” The duo land in front of a dark cave carved into the mountain. Vague peers inside to see a blue wooden door halfway through. Frostbite marches forward inside. “C’mon! We have to hurry!” She says, beckoning Vague. He quickly gallops after her inside the cave. Frostbite hesitates for a second before opening the door, remembering the ordeal that happened here when she was little. “You okay?” Vague asks, tapping her on the back. Frostbite shakes her head to ignore her thoughts. “Yea, fine. Let’s get this element, save your friends, and stop my lunatic of a grandmother!” She turns the doorknob and pushes the door open. The two peer inside to see an interior made of pure white: Ice and heavily packed snow make up the ceiling, walls, floor, and all the furniture; which consists of a few chairs, a table,and a couch. Walking inside the freezer of a home. Vague immediately grows nervous from stepping inside in fear of melting everything. Frostbite notices the fearful look on his face and laughs. “Relax Vague, i’m sure you won’t melt anything.” “If you say so.” Vague takes one step onto the ice tiling, and sure enough, his hoof stays firmly on top. He sighs with relief. “Well, that’s good. Now, where’s that boulder you mentioned?” The two look around the living room of the cave igloo for a few minutes. Approaching the hallway toward the far end of the cave. Frostbite notices the rough outline of a grayish circle inside of the right wall. She looks closer into the shape and upon her further inspection, reveals the boulder… under a foot layer of ice and snow; impossible to breach. “Wow, talk about freezing over.” She says, pointing to the encapsulated rock. Vague peers inside and chuckles at the amount of frozen water over it. Looks like he has to turn up the heat anyway. “Heh, easy. Stand back.” He starts to take a deep breath. Frostbite senses the danger of the situation instantly and ducks behind the frozen table on the other side of the room. “VAGUE! ARE YOU INSANE?!” She yells at him as she sees his mane and tail start to glow brighter. “YOU’RE GOING TO MELT THIS ENTI-” *FWOOSHHHHHH!* Vague’s entire body ignites like a roman candle and starts to burn a bright orange hue. Frostbite ducks below the table to shield herself from the intense heat and light. The table she’s hiding behind starts to sweat a bit from the sheer magnitude of heat on the other side. She braces herself for everything to turn into a puddle around her. Then, the heat suddenly stops. Frostbite slowly peers over the table and sees Vague shining a forehoof on his coat in a dip in the icy flooring. The wall next to him, however, has a hole bored into it; revealing a giant boulder. “Impressed? And I did minimal melting to the rest of the cave!” He shouts to her. Frostbite emerges from her cover. She lightly nudges him in the side. “Not bad ya piece of tinder.” Her complement make him smile a bit; she really did warm up a bit… for a ponysicle. “Now, help me move this stupid thing.” She flutters up and gets on one side of the rock; Vague follow suit on the other side. Putting their backhooves on the rest of the wall and pushing forward, the rock slowly budges from it’s old home and rolls into the family room of the cave. The two of them show no weakness at the task as they check out what the rock is hiding: A small alcove dug inside of the icy walls. Frostbite and Vague look at the hidden hole, with curiosity and anxiousness. another flashback hits Frostbite as she remembers her father’s last few words. She shakes her head again and kneels down to look inside the niche. She crawls in to get a better look. “Well?” Vague asks, as it take her a few seconds to search. The blue pony pops out shortly after, pulling out a present-sized box with her mouth. Frostbite sits down and stares at the item. This is it, the ticket to avenging her father, family, and Vague’s friends. “Open it.” The pegasus nudges her. Frostbite slowly lifts the lid off of the box and the two peer inside. “Oh dear Celestia…” Vague starts. “The Element looks…” “...Like me.” Frostbite finishes his statement as she lifts the necklace out of the box and sets it down on the floor to get a better look at it. The necklace looks similar to the Alicorn Amulet; but has many different features. For one, it’s lacking a horn, and the head and wings of the pony are a shiny cobalt blue. The eyes are a piercing blue instead of a sharp red, and the red diamond is replaced with a brilliant, onyx-colored heart at its center. The necklace is marvelous. Vague nods at Frostbite’s comment; it does look a lot like her. “Put it on!” Vague says quickly. “What?” “It can be a coincidence; It looks so similar to your likeness! Put it on and let’s see what happens!” He asks again. Frostbite hesitates again. They are dealing with an artifact of legend with the possible potential to destroy Equestria; she isn’t about to anything reckless. Then again, this is the only thing that can stop Chrysalis currently. Nodding, she picks up the necklace with her forehoof; takes a deep breath, and slides it around her neck. Then, something incredible happens. Moments after putting on the necklace, the whole room becomes washed in a vibrant and harsh bright white light. Vague shields his eyes from it’s source: Frostbite. The icy pegasus the starts to rise slowly into the air with the use of her wings, as if an invisible set of strings is holding her in the air. In the middle of it all is Frostbite, staring upward and into the light itself. An inescapable thought starts to race inside of her head, making this entire ordeal clear to her. Vague starts to freak out from what’s unfolding and ducks behind the same table that Frostbite used for cover. A few seconds pass again and the light starts to die out; slowly lowering the pegasus as it fades. Vague looks over the table to see Frostbite; eyes closed and lost in deep thought; but looking rather courageous and content with what just happened. Like the fact that she was just surrounded in a brilliant aura of light was nothing to her. “F-Frost?” He mutters. “You okay?” Frostbite’s eyes suddenly open and she smiles. “I am Frostbite: The Element of Situation!” She booms. Vague couldn’t believe his ears at what was just announced to him. He races over to her as she admires her new pendant. He inspects her body; same Frostbite, but different demeanor. “This is awesome!” Vague shouts. “Did you get any cool powers too? Do you know?” Frostbite doesn’t answer, she simply touches Vague’s inferno of a mane. The split second her hoof makes contact, the fire shoots up her hoof and envelopes her body. “GAH! FROSTBITE!” He shouts in worry. a sudden laughter is heard from the new flame. “Relax Vague, i’m fine.” Frostbite emerges from the fire, but looks much different. Instead of a blue fur coat, it’s now glowing red with heat. Her white and cyan tail also change to the yellow and orange of a burning flame. The only things that stay the same are her black mane and hooves, the Element itself, and her light blue eyes. Vague can't believe what he is seeing in front of him; a cold pony turned into an inferno in the blink of an eye. “What. The. Hay. Frostbite.” Vague stutters as he sees how at peace she is with being lit up like kindling. Frostbite giggles, she has a bit of explaining to do. “You see Vague,” She starts. “As The Element of Situation, I have the ability to use the natural elements found in nature for use in any situation that comes about.” The flames suddenly die around her and her pegasi body reverts back to what it looked like before. “And I can always turn back to my old, cold self again at anytime!” She says with glee. Vague nods at her answer and grins at these new results. “Oh, Chrysalis is in for it now.” He states with utter joy. “Yea.” Frostbite adds. she looks over Vague’s shoulder and toward the small speck of Canterlot Castle far off into the distance. It’s time for her to avenge her family, and get revenge on Chrysalis for messing with her in the first place. “C’mon Vague,” She lifts off the ground again, while tucking the element back into its back and hoisting it up with her. “It’s time for you and I to get some revenge.” Vague agrees with a nod and the two of them jet away from the cave and the mountain it resides in. She glances back at her old home, remembering the events that occurred there one final time. Vague looks at her and sees the determination in her eyes burning like the flame she was just a few minutes ago. “You ready, Frostbite?” He asks as they keep speeding back the Canterlot. Frostbite grins. “Better believe it, Vague! Let’s go and pay my grandmother a surprise visit… One that she will NEVER FORGET!”