//------------------------------// // II: Judgement and Defiance // Story: March to the Scaffold // by Foxy Kimchi //------------------------------// The time has come. I have entered the belly of the beast, Chrysalis thought as she was carried into the royal palace. Even now, she still admired the beauty of the palace: its towering white walls, the grand architecture, the marvelous stained glass windows. She could not lie at this point—she was impressed with what ponies could build with their hooves. Chrysalis had planned on making this her new home after the invasion, as she too wanted a grand city for her subjects. But alas, instead of a trophy of victory, it would be the stage of her curtain call. Looking around, Chrysalis could see the soldiers beginning to break rank and go off in different directions. Some went to the infirmary; they could not show off their wounds forever unless they wanted them to get infected. The rest went either to the barracks for rest or to the mess hall for a warm meal. This left only two soldiers, the ones tasked with pulling the cage she was in. They looked at one another, confused—their orders were to escort the prisoner to the palace, but now that they were here, they did not know what to do. Luckily for them, their moment of discomfiture was short lived. "Attention!” boomed a voice. No! Not that voice! Chrysalis thought as the two soldiers in front of her instantly snapped to attention, looking straight ahead with impeccable posture. Her muscles tensed as she felt a gaze upon her. Not him, she thought as her heartbeat quickened. "At ease, soldiers. We’ll take care of the prisoner from here. Go now and rest; you’ve earned it," the voice continued, this time accompanied by the sound of approaching hoofbeats. "Yes, sir." The two soldiers saluted as they unbuckled themselves, happy to have that burden lifted from their backs and the chance to get real food. Chrysalis turned her head to find the source of the new voice. Her ears flattened as her fears were confirmed. There, accompanied by a squadron of guards, was her former food source, the current captain of the Royal Guard, and the main reason for her defeat: Shining Armor. Out of all the ponies in Canterlot, it just had to be him. Of course he would be here. Who else in Equestria holds a greater hatred for me than him? she thought bitterly. Chrysalis could only hope that he would not be her executioner. She was afraid he would be the only pony who would be willing to make her death painful. She was not afraid of the captain himself, but she was rather afraid of what he could do to her, as she knew he abhorred her. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be executed; she had come to terms with this and had accepted it as her unavoidable destiny. She was going to die in all cases, so in that regard, she had nothing to lose and nothing to fear. However, as much as she had settled her mind from fear of death, the manner of her dark end worried her. If she was going to die, she hoped it would be quick and painless—a death fitting for a queen. But as the stallion’s intimidating, terrible eyes bored into her, she knew that he would not grant her even this small courtesy should he be chosen to carry out her sentence. She tried to look away from him but was unable to. His glare penetrated her hardened shell and struck the broken queen deep inside. It was the angry, hateful kind of glare that consumed the giver’s very soul. The lone changeling began to sweat, Shining Armor’s hatred radiating from him like a wave of heat from a firestorm, tearing through her like a razor wind. She saw the look in his eyes, and it almost shattered her resolve. Meanwhile, two ponies of the Royal Guard harnessed themselves to the wagon Chrysalis was riding, though it was not until her cage actually began moving that she was free from the oppressive grip of Shining Armor's glare. Her heart was pounding in her chest—the effect of his stare was immediate. Silently, Shining Armor and his guards turned around and began to escort her to a different location. Even with his back to her, she could still feel his hatred flowing from him like an arctic wind. All she could do was hope that the universe would grant her some reprieve by allowing anything else to deliver the final blow. Chrysalis had only recently regretted picking Shining Armor as her target. It was true that his love for Cadence was both strong and pure—so pure that a changeling could become intoxicated from it—but if Chrysalis had known just how powerful he really was, she would have picked a weaker, safer target. She sighed; her voracity had caused her downfall. A couple of minutes passed as she was escorted through the palace. She did not know where she was going. Regardless, she had no control over her destination, so she did not dwell on it. It was not until they had stopped in front of two huge wooden doors that she looked up. Upon seeing the engraving on the doors—one engraved with the sun and the other with the moon—she instantly knew where she was, the entrance to the throne room. The sun and moon upon the doors beheld her with cold and impassive judgement as she was brought before them. As the two huge wooden doors slowly opened, Chrysalis eyed the thrones. Sitting upon them were two very distinct figures: the Regents of the Sun and the Moon of Equestria, Princesses Celestia and Luna. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to steady herself as she was carted into the center of the room. As she opened her eyes, she saw a guard unlocking her prison. At that moment, she felt a magic aura surround her as she was lifted out of the cage and placed gently on the cold stone floor. At least they’re being gentle, Chrysalis thought. The rope around her muzzle was removed, but her legs, wings, and magic remained restrained. She opened her jaw and stretched it around, glad that she could move it now. The squadron of guards that had escorted her left, the doors closing behind them with a soft thud. She was all alone now. She directed her gaze back at the thrones, seeing Celestia and Luna. Shining Armor and another pony that she did not know sat beside them. Judging by the other pony’s armor, he must have been a higher-ranking guard. The fear that Shining Armor would be the executioner still lingered, his presence only worsening it. There she lay in the middle of the cold marble floor of the throne room. She stared right back at her captors, puffing out her chest and lifting her head. Chrysalis would not look weak—she would be proud and defiant to the very end. She was a queen, and as such she would die as one. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain. Her choices were clear: she could die a coward and be forgotten in the sands of time, or she could die in infamy, she and her changelings remembered forever. The choice was simple. She stared back, looking up at the faces of her demise, her eyes unwavering as she studied each face. Luna's face was that of disgust and bitterness. No real surprise there; she was obviously angry that her kingdom had been invaded. The unknown pony next to her wore the mask of a royal guard, cold and emotionless. Shining Armor seemed to be trying to do the same, but he his hatred for her was quite visible. His eyes burned with animosity. When her gaze turned to Celestia, she was taken aback. Celestia sat there, her eyes closed and with a reserved look upon her face. From Chrysalis' viewpoint, it seemed there was a hint of sadness there. She would have thought Celestia’s look would be similar to her sister’s—after all, she had injured her and imprisoned her in a cocoon. Instead, however, she wore a mask of impassiveness. The room was silent for a short time, but to Chrysalis, the seconds felt like hours. Finally the silence was broken as Celestia exhaled softly, her magenta eyes slowly opening. "Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the Changelings, you are brought here to stand trial for your recent invasion of Canterlot. What do you have to say in your defense?" Celestia said, her voice distant and composed. Chrysalis, on the other hoof, felt her anger bubbling within her. She spat in Celestia’s direction. "How dare you talk down to me like that!" Chrysalis roared. "What do I have to say? Ha! Here you are, sitting on your high throne with all your wealth and prosperity, and yet you have the gall to ask me why I did what I did? Insolent fools! I invaded your precious little city because I wanted to make my subjects’ lives better! You think you can sit here with your abundance of goods and be ignorant to the fact that other beings want the same thing! My people deserve the same prosperity as your ponies do! You think I want to live in some barren wasteland?! My subjects only wanted a better life, but what did you do? You cut them down! You look at me as a monster, but you, Celestia, are the real monster for hoarding all this wealth for yourself!” "SILENCE!" Luna roared out, the very walls of the castle shaking at the ferocity of her voice. The room became darker as Luna's face contorted in anger. Her wings flared out as she leapt into the air, landing with a deafening crash in front of Chrysalis. Luna's eyes were a blinding white, electricity sparking out of her body. "HOW DARE THOU SPEAKEST TO MY SISTER IN SUCH AN INSOLENT MANNER! THOU KNOWEST NOTHING OF HER ACTIONS! GUARDS, SILENCE HER!" Luna shouted angrily, pointing at the changeling with her hoof. "Luna," Celestia said, her voice calm as she appeared next to her sister while lowering Luna's hoof. "It is okay. Please calm down." The room appeared back to normal. Chrysalis’ heart was pounding in her chest—she did not expect an outburst from Luna, nor had she ever heard anything like the Royal Canterlot Voice. "B—but sister, she called you a monster! We cannot tolerate such a transgression against you," Luna replied, her wings folding back into position. "Luna, it is okay. I have been called many things over the years and I have done things that I have regretted. It is all right, sister. Now please come and sit back down with me," Celestia said serenely. "Okay, sister, but only because you said so," Luna said as she made her way back to her throne. Celestia looked at Chrysalis, her face still emotionless. Celestia quietly turned as she made her way back to her throne, but she stopped mid-stride. "It is true, Chrysalis—Equestria is wealthy. I have worked hard over these long years to make sure that my ponies have the best lives possible. After seeing what they had endured, I vowed that I would do everything within my power to make their lives more comfortable. I do not turn away from those who seek assistance. I have assisted the Griffin Kingdom, the Zebra tribes, and even the dragons—they asked for help and I gave it to them. But you, however, did not ask for my help. I would gladly have tried to figure out a way to help you and your changelings, but instead you invaded my city and tried to take what you wanted by force. You have harmed my little ponies, Chrysalis. My children," Celestia said, her voice hardening. Just then, Celestia turned her head, this time her face as cold and hard as the steel of a blade. "Understand this, Chrysalis: I will crush any threat to my children. You do not know what it is like to have those you love stolen from you in such a manner, to have loved ones kidnapped and killed. I do not regret my actions; I will protect my children at all cost. You and your changelings have harmed my ponies, and I did what I had to do to protect them." Celestia’s speech was stern and harsh. Celestia walked back to her throne, sitting down and again donning the emotionless mask she had worn earlier. "I have heard your defense, Chrysalis. I will now consult with my sister so that we may judge the appropriate course of action for your transgression," she declared, emotionless. "Ha! Do not take me for a fool—I am well aware of my fate. Do not pretend and hide behind the facade of this so-called ‘trial.’ I knew my fate was sealed the moment I was captured," Chrysalis hissed. Celestia, however, took no notice of Chrysalis’ words; rather, she was whispering to her sister. Chrysalis looked at them wearily, their “discussion” going on longer then she had expected. Based on Luna's body language, the way her wings were flared and the occasional glare she gave Chrysalis while pointing an accusing hoof towards her... They must be arguing about my form of execution, Chrysalis thought. Celestia and Luna’s discussion finally ended when Luna said, "Okay, sister, I concede to your judgment." "Thank you, sister. I appreciate it," Celestia tenderly replied. At that moment, both Celestia and Luna rose and began walking towards Chrysalis, who in turn puffed her chest and held her head high. This is it, she thought to herself. She braced herself—she would face her finale with pride and grace as she lay there in the middle of the throne room. Chrysalis spoke defiantly, “I do not regret my actions, which seem so foul to you all. While you sit there looking upon me with disdain and hatred, considering my actions to be folly, I stand proud and unremorseful. You claim that I should have bowed the knee to you, shaming myself and all my subjects and begging for your help. I scoff at the thought; it is a fine thing for a good changeling to fall and die fighting at the front lines for her native land, whereas to leave her nest unarmed and go a-begging, is of all things the most miserable. For hateful shall such a one be among all those to whom she shall come in bondage to: want and loathsome destitution, and shaming her lineage and forsaking her noble beauty, followed by all evil and dishonor.” “Thus, with this in mind, I said to my subjects—being so impoverished and wanting just a tiny morsel of sustenance that has been so long denied them—that if so little thought be taken of such a beggar, and so little honor, respect, or pity, ‘Let us fight with a will for this land and die for our race, no longer sparing our lives. Abide then, O young changelings, shoulder to shoulder and fight. Do not begin foul flight nor yet be afraid, but make the heart in your breasts both great and stout and never shrink back when you fight the foe. So let each one bite their lip with their teeth and abide with their feet firmly upon the ground.’” Celestia and Luna continued walking slowly towards her, finally stopping a few meters ahead of her. Chrysalis closed her eyes and exhaled, bracing herself for her finale. At that same moment, Celestia also closed her eyes, her horn illuminating with a yellow glow. Luna followed suit, her horn glowing blue. At that moment, Chrysalis felt something coarse trickle along her head and back. She looked up, her eyes widening in horror as she saw her horn beginning to fall apart and crumble before her own eyes. Her breathing becoming rapid as she began to panic. She looked at her back and noticed her wings were also beginning to fall apart. Again she looked at her horn, and in her panic, she shook her body in an attempt to make whatever was happening stop. Her actions, however, only sped the process up. She froze when she heard a thump on the ground, looking in abomination as her horn now lay in front of her, slowly turning into dust, her wings soon following suit. "What is the meaning of this?!" Chrysalis shouted. Her train of thought was interrupted as the ground surrounding her burst into light. She looked down and noticed that she now lay in the center of some circular rune. The rune began glowing red. The light grew in intensity until it filled the room with a bright and powerful radiance. Chrysalis then noticed black specks floating before her eyes. She became hysteric at the point. Am I being burned alive? Are they this barbaric? Chrysalis asked herself incredulously, turning her head frantically as she tried to locate the fire. There was none—the black specks that she was seeing were actually parts of her. She looked in trepidation as she noticed her body slowly disintegrating and floating away, leaving nothing behind. The light around grew more and more intense. In one last act of defiance, she roared out with everything she had left. “CELESTIA!” The last sight she saw was that of Celestia slowly opening her eyes, giving one last look at the defeated queen before condemning her to her fate.