“Any change?” Celestia asked as she entered Sunset’s room, her wounds from the battle had already healed and between dealing with the trials of the Changelings that were a part of the attack, those that defected to Equestria’s side, and Chrysalis-she was beginning to feel like her old self again.
Flash shook his head.
Her expression faltered, it seemed to him like whenever she had free time-she came in to check in on Sunset
“Princess…can I ask you a question?”
“Hm?”
“Well, it’s something I’ve been wondering for a while…” He looked across from himself, towards the IV drip and EKG meter hooked up next to Sunset’s bed.
“Why is she in here, instead of a hospital bed?”
“The doctors informed me that there isn’t very much they can do for her in her current condition-and that the best we can do for her is make her as comfortable as possible as we wait for her to awaken-and I thought she would be more comfortable in her old bed.” She replied. “If you’re worried about further complications-I’d like to remind you that here at the castle we have some of the most qualified medical staff in all of Equestria.”
“Do you really think she’ll wake up?” He asked shakily, lowering his voice.
“I think it’s still too early to be so pessimistic.”
‘But, part of you is worried.’ He thought. ‘That’s why you keep checking up on her…it sounds like your trying just as hard to reassure yourself as you are me.’
“What about the Changelings…how are thing going with them?”
Aside from the occasional bathroom break, he hadn’t left Sunset’s side since she brought back to her room and as a result, knew very little about what was going on outside the room.
“The majority of the Changelings seemed to have been influenced by fear and deception during Chrysalis’ reign-with the Changelings who defected, we have confirmed that is the Queen’s real name.” Celestia informed him. “The majority of them seem to wish to join Equestria…they seemed to like the offer I presented to Queen Chrysalis just before the battle.”
“I have mixed feelings about that…” He admitted. “I don’t think wiping them out was a good solution, but just accepting them wholesale after what they tried to pull…it doesn’t sit right with me-it feels like we’re going to the opposite extreme.”
“I understand your concerns-which is why each Changeling is having a trial-so we can determine the damage they’ve caused and assess how much of a threat they may still be. From what I understand however, the majority of them have come to resent Chrysalis for treating them as expendable assets rather than subjects-though, with the way they speak of her-it sounds as if she hasn’t always been like this. It seems like her sanity has decreased with the more power she gained-according to them, she also became increasingly paranoid, executing all but the most loyal, hardworking females out of fear that they would become powerful enough to be successful in an attempt to dethrone her.” She explained.
“Those that regained their lost memories or realized what was happening was wrong and decided to revolt were the leaders of the uprising-the ones who turned on their fellow Changelings to help buy us time from what I understand. These three were the ones who retrieved The Element of Magic that was stolen from Twilight during the battle.”
“How noble.” Flash commented, skeptically. “Are you sure it’s the real thing?”
“Yes, all six of the Elements of Harmony have unique magical signatures that react to unstable or dark magic-we have performed the necessary tests and have confirmed that it is the genuine artifact-it has been returned to the royal vault along with the others for safekeeping until another situation arises when they are needed again.”
“Fortunately, we didn’t need them this time-but, that was still way too close.” Flash sighed.
“Indeed, and far more casualties were had as a result of not being able to utilize them sooner-but, perhaps in the long run this will be more beneficial…” She commented hopefully.
“I hope so…” Flash agreed. “I didn’t know any of the guys that got killed very well and I can’t say I’ve had many pleasant memories dealing with them-but, I really do hope this was all worth it…so they didn’t die for nothing.”
“Unfortunately, public relations for their species in light of recent events may prove integration into Equestrian society difficult. We are also uncertain as to how to keep track of these Changelings when they can simply alter their appearance at will, making it more difficult to track criminal behavior-it will take some time to think of an appropriate solution.”
“Yeah, the honor system usually doesn’t work too well on criminals.” He commented, dryly.
“Indeed, as you’ve probably already seen towards the end of the battle-there is still a legion of Changelings who remain fanatically loyal to Chrysalis, despite her lies and abuse.”
“I wish I could say I was surprised…” He sighed.
“As do I, but they will most likely be the easiest to deal with-most of them have made little attempt to hide their contempt for Equestrians and have been extremely vocal with their displeasure of the current situation.”
“Sounds like all of that fighting was just the beginning of a bigger mess…”
“Not necessarily-let’s say just say ‘this isn’t my first rodeo’ as the saying goes-I’ve been dealing with politics for over a thousand years-that experience pays off. It may take some time, but I’m fairly confident that we can work out a fair, pragmatic solution. And unlike previous political disasters, I have Luna back to assist me once again and Cadance has offered her assistance as well-they are also sympathetic to the Changeling’s plight. It should also help convince others if we point out that a few of these Changelings have volunteered to help our scientific and medical communities analyze and attempt to reverse engineer the cocoons used to force transformation of Equines into Changelings and use the new process to revert those affected back to their former selves and return them to their families.”
Celestia leaned over the bed to push a stray lock of hair out of Sunset’s face.
“I’m sorry, it appears that once again my visit has taken too long-I don’t anticipate having too much free time to visit again in the near future.”
She continued, turning back to Flash.
“Flash, if Sunset regains consciousness in my absence-I would like her to know that I, despite everything, am proud of her-I really do believe that even with all of her cynicism, she has come to regret many of her past actions and may seek to atone for them-I believe this is partially why she hesitated when you called out to her during the battle.”
Flash felt another pang of guilt-the whole time she had been unconscious, he was painfully aware of the fact that she likely would not even be in her current condition had he not panicked and distracted her at such a crucial moment.
‘I hope your right, Princess.’ He thought to himself, it was true that she seemed pretty vulnerable when she opened up to him, and she did manage to talk him down when he lost his temper for the first time in years and attacked Steel Vanguard and changed her personal vendetta towards the Chrysalis specifically when it was pointed out that some Changelings may not have had a choice under her rule-but, she was still pretty unpredictable with how quickly she could swing back to the callous, cynical Sunset Shimmer he first met-then there was the level of brutality and sadism she was still capable of.
“I will tell her.” He promised.
Celestia gave him a warm smile before leaving.
“Thank you, Flash.”
---
Flash awoke hours later slumped against Sunset’s bedside as he had for the past week, only this time he had awakened to the feeling of something stroking his mane, startling him.
“Sunset? You’re awake!?”
“Actually, I’ve been awake-today is just the first day I’ve managed to maintain consciousness for longer than twenty minutes before passing out again.” She replied.
“So, were you awake earlier?” He asked, cautiously.
“Yeah, I waited for Celestia to leave though because I didn’t feel like playing twenty-questions at the time and I’ve been thinking about some stuff.”
“So, how are you feeling?” He pressed.
He remembered what Sunset told him about her old career selling narcotics and mentioning that she struggled with addiction herself, lacking medical knowledge himself and since it was an emergency he told the doctors, but they still gave her morphine and assured him that they would only give her a steady dose.
“Like someone shot a damn hole through my chest.” She growled. “But, believe it or not-I’ve been worse.”
Flash had seen the tubes the doctors and nurses had inserted into Sunset’s foreleg and was about to stop her as she was about to get up, only to see that they were gone.
“What?”
“I took out everything, but the EKG monitor the second or third time I woke up-I’ve already been addicted to morphine once and I made a promise to a friend that it would never happen again-besides, I’m used to most forms of physical pain.”
“But, why didn’t the machine flatline?”
“Because I turned it off-jacket.”
He gave her a puzzled look.
“My jacket-where is it?” Her heart skipped a beat and her blood ran cold when she remembered the tears from the battle.
“You didn’t let them throw it out, did you?” She asked, barely above a whisper.
“Uh, no-of course not-it’s right over there.” He pointed to a coat rack in the corner of the room.
Relieved, Sunset cantered over to it and pulled the jacket on.
“So, you heard the entire conversation I had with Celestia about you…and the Changelings?” He asked timidly.
“Yes, just because the majority opposition is vocal doesn’t mean that all of the Changelings still opposed to us aren’t-they could still have the foresight to set up sleeper agents, even now.” She replied stoically. “Regardless, I have little interest in what happens to them now one way or the other-Chrysalis no longer has any sway over the vast majority of them, so now it will be up to them how they live their lives and they will be judged by their deeds or misdeeds just like everybody else now that they can be held accountable for their own actions.”
“So, you wouldn’t have any problems with them integrating into Equestrian society?”
“The only concerns I have are whether or not they will continue the malicious actions that we know them for-deceiving people to kidnap them, drain them of their love, or forcefully change them and erase their minds to suit their own agenda-like the national conquest Chrysalis attempted.”
“Really!?”
“Yeah, don’t get me wrong-I still don’t trust them and I’d be lying if I said I don’t still feel a lot of resentment towards them after the crimes they’ve committed and if I see one doing these actions I’ll kill them on the spot-but, I also recognize it would be hypocritical of me to deny them the opportunity to prove that they can change and play nice with others.”
Sunset paused.
“What’s wrong?”
The next thing he knew, Sunset slammed him against the wall with her foreleg pressed up against his throat.
“Don’t move.” She commanded as the tip of her horn lit up a deep blue, causing him to panic-his heart sped up and his eyes widened as he frantically tried to push her off of him.
Despite his thrashing, Sunset maintained her grip on him as the spell allowed her to see through his muscular and skeletal systems before releasing him, causing him to fall to the floor, gasping for air.
“You’re clean-sorry about that, I had to make sure you weren’t one of them-slipping in and out of consciousness it was a possibility that the Changeling had won while I was out and this was some kind of elaborate ruse by that sadistic lunatic.”
“So you nearly crushed my windpipe!?” Flash choked, massaging his throat.
“Again, sorry-but, if you were a Changeling impersonating Flash Sentry-it is unlikely you would be compliant if I were honest with you.”
“Couldn’t you have held me still with another spell, then?”
“I…didn’t really think of that, but although my initial paranoia overtook rational thought-may I remind you that you did the same thing a few…” She thought back to Flash’s assault on Steel Vanguard.
“How long was I out?”
“Not too bad, considering…” She muttered to herself before redirecting her attention back to him.
“I’m going to speak with someone-it won’t take long-I just need you to stay here and make sure nobody else comes in here or knows that I am gone in that timeframe.”
“Why?” Flash asked, suspiciously.
“I just need to speak with someone…in private.”
“If someone wants to come in, I can’t just keep them out without drawing suspicion.”
“Just keep the door locked and if they ask why, then tell them I went to the bathroom or something.”
“All right…” He relented. “But, I have some serious reservations about letting you do this-if anything happens to Chrysalis…”
“Relax, I have no intention of further complicating the already delicate political climate and even if I were so inclined-I’m well aware that I would be the prime suspect in her murder given our history.” She replied, waving a hoof dismissively before disappearing in a flash of magical light.
---
Rainbow Dash was lying in the bed of the guest room Celestia had provided for her-fortunately, they didn’t keep her in a hospital bed like the time she broke her wing-which was great-though, Twilight was somehow able to get her some Daring Do books to read, insisting that she didn’t strain herself. Secretly, she wondered how Twilight was able to get those books to her-they didn’t look new, unless she bought them used from a book store? Or maybe she did that teleporting thing back to the library in Ponyville? Maybe had some other copies at her parent’s house?
She was pulled away from these thoughts as there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.” She called out.
The door swung open as Shining Armor entered the room.
“Hey Dash, sorry I didn’t visit sooner-there’ve been some things I’ve had to take care of.”
“Don’t worry about it,” She replied. “I get it, you still have a job to do.”
“Yeah,” he replied guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck. “But, I still feel bad-especially since you’re hurt and all.”
“Well, I kinda did it to myself.” Dash pointed out. “Besides, it was worth it since we saved everyone-and I’m a daredevil, so I’m used to broken bones from stunt flights-it’s just not being able to fly that bugs me about that…I’m actually bothered by something else…”
Shining Armor’s heart skipped a beat as he felt his blood run cold, this probably meant it had something to do with their relationship.
“What is it?” he asked softly.
“When we….kissed….in front of everyone-that was pretty humiliating, huh?”
Shining began to feel crestfallen as his fears were confirmed.
“I mean-it didn’t even work-all it did was make her stronger…I mean, I like you but, what if the reason it didn’t work it because we aren’t supposed to like each other?”
Shining Armor shook his head.
“No, I spoke to Cadance about that-she says that it probably would have happened no matter whose affection it was-she admitted that since it was such a desperate situation-she didn’t think that plan all the way through and to be honest I can’t really blame her, since I was pretty useless out there, too.”
Dash gave him a weird look, as if he said one of the stupidest things she’d ever heard.
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you set up that shield, so the other Changelings wouldn’t swarm me? And even though it didn’t work and ruined my image as a cool daredevil-we at least tried to work together to stop them!”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that…”
“But, it’s not your fault-we were given bad information and we acted on it-maybe you could have done better, but for your first real battle like this you could have done a lot worse since you’ve never been in an actual war before this...”
He couldn’t help, but smile a bit at her reassurance.
“Thanks, Dash-you did pretty well out there, too.”
“I’m not too sure about that-now all everyone will see me as is a sappy idiot because of that kiss-instead of a cool, respectable daredevil-I mean, I think I could make psycho work after how I lost it-twice.”
“Well, you’re one of the last people I’d call a sap and even though you’re not as smart as Twilight or Sunset-it doesn’t make you an idiot, besides I still think you’re cool and the other guards I’ve heard talking sound like they have nothing, but respect for you.” He replied. “And as for the psycho thing-your friends were in danger and those Changeling were killing people-I think you were justified in getting angry.”
Dash smiled back at him.
“So, what about the other Changelings?” She asked. “The ones that aren’t trying to kill us?”
“Yeah, it’s…complicated-but, the Princesses are working on it, there’s a guy that apparently lead the rebellion-he says he doesn’t have a name-none of them aside from the Queen-Chrysalis do, but he’s usually around the dining hall when he’s not meeting with one of the Princesses.”
“That’s weird.” She frowned. “How do they know who’s who if they all look alike and don’t have names?”
“Pheromones, apparently-Twilight says that they are kind of like chemicals that come from their bodies that help them identify each other.”
“Like how Rarity always wears really strong perfume, so even if I don’t see or hear her-I know she’s around because of the smell.”
“That’s how these ones work, apparently-anyway, you’re probably pretty bored being stuck in here-why don’t we go back out to meet up with your friends-if you’re with me nobody is going to nag you about walking around with your injuries.”
“Sounds good-I like the Daring Do books-but, my eyes were getting sore from reading for the past few hours. By the way-have you seen a stallion around who looks kind of like me-except, with a darker coat and golden-yellow eyes?”
“I don’t think so…why? Is he a family member you’re expecting?” Shining asked, curiously. He was fairly certain that someone fitting that description would be pretty hard to miss.
“Yeah, that would be my Dad-Rainbow Blaze.” Dash lowered her voice as if she feared someone was eavesdropping on their conversation. “Secretly, I’ve actually kind of been worrying about him ever since I heard Cloudsdale had already been infiltrated by Changelings.”
“What!? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” He pressed, lowering his voice as well.
“Well, at the time I was more worried about getting to Canterlot because I figured we could stop them with the Elements of Harmony or Celestia would know of some other way to stop them-besides, they said they were taking care of things in Cloudsdale after we found out about the Changelings there, remember?” She replied. “Besides, I didn’t want to whine about something that could have been nothing.”
“Worrying about your family isn’t really something I’d consider whining.” Shining replied, exasperated.
“Well, what if we went to get him, but we got held up, so we wouldn’t be here when the attack happened? We wouldn’t have been able to help fight against Chrysalis and Equestria would have been taken over by her-all because I choose my loyalty to my family over my loyalty to Equestria?” She challenged.
Shining Armor was silent, seemingly devoid of a response.
“I’m just kind of worried about him right now because I haven’t gotten a letter for him or anything and everyone else has had some kind of contact with their families-I thought he’d at least send a letter after hearing about what’s been going on, so I…I’m just hoping he hasn’t gotten hurt.”
He lowered his gaze.
It was true that despite their victory, many-especially those within the guard-had lost their lives or with regular citizens had been forced to become Changelings themselves while neither were particularly appealing, he had heard that with those changed there was a possibility to reverse the transformation process, though that was largely a theory at this point-he wondered if he should bring it up to Dash.
“Well, if your Dad is anything like you, then I’m pretty sure he’s fine and he’s just being held up by something small and stupid.” He reassured her, while gently placing a hoof on her shoulder.
Looking up at him she made a movement towards him before stopped herself, when he pulled her close to himself and embraced her.
“It’s alright Dash, I understand-throughout most of the battle I couldn’t help, but worry about Twilight-what I would do if something happened and I couldn’t protect her-what I would have to say to our parents. So, I don’t think any less of you for worrying about father-I’d be more concerned if you were someone like Sunset Shimmer-who seems to be a complete psychopath, unable to care about anyone, but herself. And I still do like you-I just wish you liked yourself as much to have the kind of confidence you pretend to.”
“Yeah…” She replied softly, tearing up as she returned the embrace. “I like you too, but I just don’t know how to deal with this…or what I’m going to do if something happened to my Dad.”
“I know what you mean, but I’m pretty sure he’s okay-I can ask some of the guards to keep an eye out for him-have you tried writing him a letter?” He asked.
“Yeah,” She sighed. “But, there’s been a lot of mail with families worried about each other since the evacuation-I’m just hoping that’s the reason I haven’t heard back from him, yet.”
“Yeah, that would make sense.” Shining agreed. “And now that people are more aware of Changelings and their shapeshifting ability, they’re really paranoid about friends and families and whether they are actually who they claim to be-even with Celestia diplomacy-this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better-since that would have been enough reason for people to distrust them without Chrysalis’ actions.”
Shining felt a little better, seeing the cautiously optimistic smile on her face regarding her father.
“So, what about your mom-if you don’t mind me asking?” He quickly added.
“She died.” Dash replied, averting her gaze.
‘Way to go Shining-you idiot.’ He mentally berated himself. ‘Real smooth-just reassure her about her dad and then ask about her dead mom while you’re at it.’
“I-I’m sorry…” He replied, unsure of what else to say.
“Why? It’s not your fault.” Dash replied, glumly. “It just kind of…happened.”
“Did she get sick?” He pressed, despite himself.
“It’s…I’m sorry-I just really don’t want to talk about it right now-maybe some other time when I have less things to worry about and I know you a little better.” She replied remorsefully.
“No-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push you-especially on something that must be a really painful subject for you-why don’t we go meet up with the others like we talked about-maybe someone will have heard something about your dad.”
---
Sunset rematerialized in the lowest level of the castle dungeons-and smirked seeing Chrysalis’ form in a large, isolated cell.
‘At least Celestia and her guards had the intelligence to keep her away from others she could manipulate or feed on.’
Killing Chrysalis had certainly crossed her mind, but she intended to keep her word to Flash-logically, satisfying her need for vengeance would do more harm than good in the grand scheme of things at this time and under these circumstances. Smashing that glorified birdbath in the castle gardens was also tempting, though-the unpredictable nature of chaos also lead her to believe that instead of permanently ridding Equestria of that sociopath-it might just free him again, instead. Unfortunately, now she merely had to adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude-both would break free sooner-all of the more high profile psychopaths crawling from out of the woodwork lately showed how temporary and ineffective their prisons were.
As she approached the cell, her heart-rate accelerated, while Peachy wouldn’t be getting justice in the near future-it excited and filled her with glee to see Chrysalis caged like a rabid dog, waiting to get put down.
Though, as she drew closer-she was confused to find that Chrysalis no longer appeared to have any of the wounds she had inflicted.
“Hey, Crispy…what happened to your makeover?” Sunset asked in a sweet, condescending voice.
“I could ask a similar query-the magical bolt pierced your chest-your heart should have given out a long time ago, so how are you still alive?” Chrysalis retorted, revealing herself from a dark corner of the cell.
“I’m pretty stubborn-besides, I hear only the good die young-so, I’ve got at least half a century to go if that’s true.” Sunset cocked her head in an attempt to see what else was in the corner of the cell. “But, if it’s any consolation, my chest is pretty sore and stings from time to time-so maybe if you tried just a little harder.”
Her glance returned to Chrysalis’.
“Now your turn-what’s with the new look-I know Celestia likes to treat prisoners fairly, but I highly doubt she called in a team of plastic surgeons and beauticians to work on you-I mean otherwise you wouldn’t be looking like your old self. So what is it? More Changeling magic?”
“In a sense.” Chrysalis chuckled. “But, this is different from other the transformation magic that is native to our species-as the Queen, only my anatomy allows for me to shed my exoskeleton when my body is no longer suitable for my needs-it can take anywhere for hours, up to a few days for the process to be complete-I was fortunate that you Equestrians are so gullible and empathetic, this cell gave me the safety I needed to work on my recovery and the body is always quite tender a few hours afterwards.”
Despite her irritation, Sunset was also more than a little intrigued with this process that before she was aware of molting in other creatures and based on her observations, it seemed like Changelings carried both insect and Equine DNA-if this were true, then if the Changelings claiming to want to aid Equestria were sincere with sharing their knowledge-then this could be a potentially colossal medical breakthrough.
“I take it by your silence, that you are shocked that I possess this ability-although my recovery isn’t quite complete yet, I am glad you came down here to visit me-I did wonder what became of you when I awoke-it seems that Pegasus with the rainbow mane is the only other one among you who has the spine to do what is necessary-how does it feel to be upstaged not only by your replacement, but of a member of a race with even less magical aptitude than yours?” She smirked, showing off one of her fangs.
“I only lost to you on a technicality-if that idiot hadn’t distracted me-you’d be in the ground with the rest of the maggots.” Sunset shot back. “Besides, you are the one who nearly lost your life to her-despite all of that ‘love’ you absorbed, you still couldn’t beat her-even after you brought Celestia down and got a lucky shot in at me.”
“So you agree with me, then? That compassion is a weakness? If it weren’t for that guard’s concern for you or your fear of disappointing him-wouldn’t you have been able to finally kill me and avenge your friend?”
“As much as I hate to admit it, yes-that’s about the only thing I agree with you on, but I’ve learned that far before ever meeting you.”
“Yes, even now, I am able to feel the deep sadness, the loneliness, the intense paranoia, your resentment towards others, the anger and the hatred in your soul-these feelings are very strong-they must have been brought upon by people you deeply cared about to be so intense-I can tell there used to be love and admiration there and even now, there is anxiety and a sense of paranoia there.” Chrysalis continued.
“I would imagine that would be Celestia-you still don’t trust her, that was part of the reason you fled Canterlot after she dismissed you from her studies-it also feels like it was a sense of tension even when you were on better terms with her.”
“Changelings are partly empathic-it makes them more efficient predators-if you’re trying to intimidate me-then you should try another trick, I’ve heard this one before.” Sunset suggested, apathetically.
“What about that jacket of yours?” Chrysalis pressed. “You must be awfully fond of it-every time I’ve seen you-you’ve been wearing it-a gift from someone important to you, perhaps?”
Sunset felt her blood boil as her horn lit up, prepared to rip the door off the cell or simply incinerate Chrysalis’ newly formed body where she stood.
‘Wait, you idiot!’ she stopped herself. ‘She knows exactly what she’s doing you-she knows why you hate her so much-she’s trying to bait you into giving her some kind of pyrrhic victory. If you kill her here and now while she’s more or less defenseless, the Changelings may view her as a martyr.’
The glow from her horn faded as Sunset took a breath.
“Well, that was a nice try-you almost made me lose my temper, again.” She grinned. “But, I’m afraid I won’t fall for it.”
“I am also aware of your compassion-I know that it scares you more than anything. Do you fear it will lead to more manipulation and betrayal? Is it the possibility of more heartache, should tragedy strike your life once more?” Chrysalis narrowed her gaze. “Or is it all of the above?”
Sunset felt her blood run cold for a moment, while empathic ability wasn’t exactly the same as telepathy-Chrysalis was able to read and decipher her emotions far better than she had expected-enough so that she may have been able to fool her, had she not known about it beforehand. Despite this, she had opted not to let the fallen Queen know that she had gotten under her skin. She was the one in the cage, after all.
“So, is there a point to this? Or do you keep dragging this out because you want to keep playing your little mind games?”
“Well, it was you who visited me-was it not?” Chrysalis retorted. “Why was that? To gloat about my defeat and subsequent capture? The schism that now threatens to tear my species asunder?”
“Well, yes…” Sunset admitted, turning around to leave. “But, I also came down here out of a morbid curiosity to see what you looked like after your thrashing, only to disappoint me by making an almost complete recovery.”
Chrysalis chuckled to herself, causing Sunset to glance back at her.
“Hm?”
“Indeed, I thought as much…Celestia didn’t trust you because she knew of your anti-social nature and the power you wielded-your capacity for hatred and violence aligns with my suspicion that she held you back out of fear. Fear of what you might become-another loved one trying to usurp her in a mad quest for power, perhaps? Or maybe she feared you would tear the world down around you in a paranoid rage?”
Sunset looked at her quizzically for a moment as that toothy grin slowly re-emerged across Chrysalis’ face.
“Whatever her reasons were…they no longer matter.” She replied apathetically, returning her attention back towards the door, causing Chrysalis’ grin to fade. “That was in the past…what’s done is done.”
‘Of course I already knew that, you idiot.’ She thought to herself before warping out of the dungeon, still she maintained her resolve in not indulging the dethroned Queen with even the smallest of victories and kept silence with her face stoic, despite no longer facing her.
---
“Dad!” Dash cried out, flying towards the stallion the second she caught sight of him upon entering the castle’s front hall.
“Dashie!” Blaze reciprocated, pushing the guard he was speaking with aside as he caught his daughter in a warm embrace.
“I told you he’d be alright.” Shining Armor laughed.
Just as Rainbow Dash had described, Rainbow Blaze looked strikingly similar to his daughter, albeit slightly larger and bulkier than her due to his build as a stallion, however he had the same mane, a slightly darker coat, and golden-yellow eyes.
‘Wow, she really must have been worried about me…’ Rainbow Blaze thought to himself, looking down at Dash. ‘She didn’t even get mad at me for using that nickname…unless she got used to it…but, that couldn’t be my Dashie, could it?’
“Dad, what took you so long to get here?” Dash looked up at him trying come off as angry and intimidating, but only sounding worried with her shaky voice as she noticed the bandages around his torso. “Did you get hurt!? What happened?”
“Well, you see…when we found out Cloudsdale had already been infiltrated by Changelings-I guess when they realized they had been discovered, some of them panicked and attacked us in a last ditch effort to take control of the situation-or maybe they just wanted to go down fighting.” He replied, thoughtfully.
“You were…attacked?” Dash asked, trying to process what she was hearing as guilt and anger swelled in her chest.
“Well, yeah…I mean the one that I fought broke into my home-he was a real fighter, alright-managed to do a number on me before I took him down.”
Dash released him before slowly backing away from him.
“You…beat him?” She asked, slowly.
“That’s right-you and your mother aren’t the only athletics in our family, remember?” He asked, rhetorically. “Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Dash, are you alright?” Shining asked, concerned.
“Tell me something about me only my Dad would know.” She stated coldly and quietly as her breathing increased.
“Dash what are you-” Shining began.
“SHUT UP!” She shouted back to him, her gaze never leaving the stallion in front of her. “And you-answer the question!”
“Dash, what did I do wrong?” He asked, appearing confused.
“Say something, anything my Dad would know-my real Dad.” She added for emphasis, hoping that she was wrong-but, the story sounded too convenient.
“Alright, let’s see…” He put a hoof to his up to his chin, thoughtfully. “Up until recently, I knew you hated being called ‘Dashie’ in public because it embarrassed you, since the other kids would usually make fun of you for it…you hate it when others touch your hind hooves, you were kicked out of flight school for slacking off because you believed your little Sonic Rainboom meant that you didn’t need to learn anything else about flying…you and your friend Gilda would also constantly get in trouble for cutting class and playing pranks on teachers and other students…should I go on?”
While he expected indignation and another barrage of questions once he finished, when he looked back at his daughter-she seemed as if she were about to burst into tears, instead.
“I’m sorry, Dad…” She sniffed, shuddering. “I thought…I was afraid that…”
“Hey,” He replied softly, pulling her closer to him before wrapping a wing around her. “Are you sure you’re really my Dashie-because the last time I checked, my daughter didn’t get afraid.”
Dash wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Yeah, I guess that wasn’t very cool.” She smiled. “After all of the Changelings we’ve been dealing with I didn’t want to lose you to them when I heard about Cloudsdale-and I wasn’t sure if I should go home to help you guys or come here-and...”
“It’s alright.” He replied quietly. “I know it must have been hard for you, but I think you made the right choice.”
That was when they remembered Shining Armor observing them.
“Sorry to create such a scene, Captain.” Blaze apologized.
“Yeah, sorry about yelling at you earlier.” Dash added.
“Hey, I get it.” Shining replied. “After all of the casualties of the Changelings assaults and the families being informed, the moods been pretty grim, despite our victory along with the remaining tensions between us and the Changelings-which means diplomacy will probably take a few years at best to get much of anything resolved-so, it’s refreshing to see some good news for a change.”
“Dad, this is Shining Armor…he’s my friend Twilight’s older brother and Captain of the Royal Guard.” Dash introduced.
“Ah…is he your boyfriend?” Blaze asked, taking Shining off guard and causing Dash’s ear to blush with embarrassment as her ears flattened.
“What? You two kissed...didn’t you?” He asked, innocently as Dash contemplated hiding her face behind her wings.
“Yeah, I figured word must have spread about that by now-and I just wanted to say that we were in a dire situation and Cadance thought it would be a good idea, but then it backfired…” He replied, defensively. “In all honesty, we probably should have thought that one through a little more.”
“Are you suggesting that you find my daughter so physically unattractive, that the only way you would even consider kissing her is if the fate of Equestria were on the line?” Blaze growled as his demeanor changed drastically.
“What!? NO! I…” Shining stammered desperately under his glare. “That’s not I what I meant-I just…”
“I’m just messing with you, son.” Blaze laughed.
Confused, he looked over to Dash, seeing her with her hooves covering her mouth her trying to stifle her laughter.
“Sorry about that,” Blaze apologized. “It’s just that you guards always seem so stiff and serious all of the time-it’s refreshing to so one of you acting flustered and show emotion for once-so, I really couldn’t pass up such a golden opportunity.”
“Nice one, Dad.” Dash laughed.
Usually, Shining was more used to this sort of teasing however, as during his time dating Cadance, he became all too aware of how devilishly impish Celestia could be with her own brand when they were in private, which put even his own parents and the other guards to shame-all the years she had lived must have afforded her much practice to perfect her craft, but potentially dealing with a father’s rage was something else, entirely.
“Well, at least things worked out in the end.” Blaze continued, grinning proudly at his daughter. “I came as soon as I could, but that damn hospital was running at a snail’s pace with everyone else coming in-and I’m not really in any condition to fly very far with my ribs cracked-so, I had to rely on that train to get me here once I reached the ground.”
“Well, we’re just glad to see that you’re alright, Dash was getting pretty worried about you after not hearing anything for so long.” Shining replied. “If you traveled all of the way here from Cloudsdale, then you must be pretty tired.”
“More hungry, actually…the food at that hospital was terrible.”
“Well, we’ve got plenty of food here-though, I do have to warn you that there are a few Changelings wandering around-these are the ones who defected during the battle, so they’re not hostile as far as we can tell.”
“Thanks for the heads up.” Blaze replied. “Good thing you told me-if I didn’t know that Celestia has allowed it, then I probably wouldn’t restrain myself after seeing them.”
---
“Of course I kept my word-I know that tensions are high and like I said before I would obviously be the prime suspect in her assassination-besides, even if a truce is reached, public opinion is largely stacked against Changelings, that and there are still those fiercely loyal to Chrysalis and not all of them are stupid enough to admit it. Sooner or later, she will escape on her own or with their assistance-and then I will take my vengeance-I’ve waited for this long, after all.” Sunset replied, irritably as she and Flash walked towards the dining hall. “Now can I trust you not to get in the way and try to get me killed, again?”
“Well, by your own admission-you have a history of being a pathological liar, plus the bad blood between the two of you, and how much you’ve admitted to getting off on doing this like that-I might be naïve, but I’m not stupid.” Flash snapped back. “Look, I’m sorry-I was worried about you-and clearly that was a stupid move, but I shouldn’t have let you go off to see her on your own like that.”
“Well, it’s not like you could have stopped me if I changed my mind-besides, I hate to admit it, but that hag was really starting to get under my skin-which was part of the reason why I left when I did.” Sunset replied. “Still, it’s always refreshing to have a reminder that you’re not as spineless as I originally thought-I guess I also owe you an apology-I know you were just trying to help, but this pain is really aggravating and I finally had Chrysalis right where I wanted her-so right now my tolerance for crap far lower than usual.”
Flash’s expression softened.
“Yeah, I get it.”
“If I actually had a heart-I’d be dead, right now.” She continued, jokingly. “So, this Changeling-the one who’s the ambassador for the species is now in the dining hall?”
“I’ve heard that’s where he usually is when he isn’t taking court with the Princesses, he’s the ringleader of some underground resistance group that began to take issue with Chrysalis’ leadership, but I guess now he’s kind of an ambassador, though there is another Changeling that is still fanatically loyal to her and believes betraying her is the greatest crime a Changeling can commit.”
“I assume he represents that faction?”
“That’s what it sounds like.”
As they entered the hall, it appeared to be quite crowded with all of Twilight’s friends along with her parents as well as a stallion that Sunset assumed to be a relative of Rainbow Dash.
Sunset scoffed, irritated-wondering if her parents’ cowardice and stubbornness allowed them to survive or if they were discovered or killed as part of the battle’s collateral damage.
Just as flash said, the Changeling was standing there as well-isolated.
Passing him, Sunset made her way to Rarity-despite her contempt for the seemingly haughty Unicorn, her alleged skills as a fashionista meant that she may have been the only one competent enough for the task she had in mind.
Flash was still following her uneasily.
“I’ve heard you’re supposed to be pretty good at sewing and repairing clothing.”
“Hm? Yes…that is correct.” Rarity replied, uneasily.
“I need you to repair this jacket for me.” Sunset elaborated, removing it and levitating it to show her the rips and burns present.
“That ratty thing?” Rarity asked, scrunching up her face in a mixture of incredulousness and disgust. “I could make a better one for you from scratch-or sell you another one I’ve already made from my boutique-and in a less…depressing color.”
“Actually, this was a gift from a dearly departed friend of mine-but, thank you for spitting on her memory.” Sunset retorted irritably.
“I…” Rarity bean, stumbling back slightly in shock and feeling guilty. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t…”
“Just fix it.” Sunset finished curtly, turning her back to Rarity as she tossed the jacket behind herself for Rarity to rush forward to catch it before it could hit the floor.
“As for payment-money is no object-you will receive it when and only when the jacket is returned to me. I expect it back as good as new.”
Turning around, she approached the Changeling. As she got closer, she noticed that he was wearing a collar-but, it wasn’t just any collar-it appeared to be made out of some kind of stone. The kind of collar Sunset recognized.
“What is your name?” She asked.
“I…don’t have one.” He replied, uneasily.
“Were you one of the leaders of the rebellion against Chrysalis?”
“Y-yes.”
“And currently campaigning for Changelings to unite with Equestria?”
“Th-that’s right.”
“Then assuming that you are sincere in your claims-I have some advice for you.” She continued. “As you are probably aware-Equestrians don’t trust your species-and for good reason, considering your actions.”
“Y-yeah…” He sighed, averting his gaze in what Flash assumed was shame.
“I have some advice for how you can help prove your sincerity to the public.”
“Really? I-I mean, I’m grateful…but, why? I mean, no offense but, I thought you hated us?”
“Just shut up and listen.” Sunset growled, annoyed.
“First, you can make reparations for some of the damage you’ve caused by helping our doctors and scientists figure out how to reverse the process you Changelings use to mutate and brainwash other species in order to return your victims to normal.”
“That sounds fair.” He agreed, shakily.
“Second, your species has the most malleable genetic structure of any other we’ve encountered, this could be of great medical benefit to us. If we are allowed to experiment with your cells, we may be able to repair or even completely replace damaged or missing organs.”
She glanced over at Flash, who appeared to be shocked by this request.
“This would all be voluntary of course, for those of your species willing to participate would be compensate for this service, since they would be helping us save lives.”
“That’s an interesting proposal…I’m not sure how willing some of us would be to get experimented on, but I can’t deny the possible medical benefits for not just Equestria, but the rest of the world if we were successful and it very well may help redeem us in the eyes of the public…” The Changeling mused.
“I…thank you!” The Changeling exclaimed, gleefully. “But…I still don’t understand why you are helping us? I thought you hated us?”
“I’m willing to play nice for the time being-we’ll see if your species is willing to do the same.” She replied.
“So you really don’t have names?” Flash asked, curiously.
“No, only the Queen was allowed to have that honor-though, now we are no longer subjected to her tyranny, we may be able to finally choose our own identities-that’s why we have serial numbers until we can think of names for ourselves.” He replied, gesturing to the number etched into his color.
“I’ve been thinking of the name….Arturo-I kind of like it.”
“So, the collars are for identifying you until then?” Flash pressed.
“Partially,” Sunset cut in. “I recognize these collars-they are known as transfigurative bindings-historically, they were invented and used to contain Unicorn prisoners with the magical aptitude for transformation magic-those with the ability would be sentenced to wear them for life after abusing their power-they can’t be removed without a specific enchantment and it can’t be cast by the wearer.”
“Right now we’re wearing them to help keep peace of mind for Equestria, since I understand we’d be pretty hard to keep track of if we transformed into someone else-not all of us are happy about this, of course-but, for the time being I can see why it is necessary.”
“Well, it does seem kind of degrading…” Flash sighed. “But, right now I can’t think of any better solutions-especially since there are still those of you who are loyal to Chrysalis.”
“Yeah, Darius is the leader of the faction that still wishes to remain loyal to our former Queen, despite her blatant disregard for us she showed in the battle-some due to their principles, some are fanatics, and others are really scared and confused.”
“So, then Arturo-you have friends who are allied with you, as well?” Sunset asked.
“Yes, there are two other Changelings who agreed with me when I realized what we were doing was monstrous-especially when Chrysalis ordered us to convert children, the sick, and the elderly, despite the fact their bodies are usually too fragile to survive the chemical processes-even after numerous deaths, she insisted we continue-that’s when it became clear to me that she was beyond reason.” Arturo explained.
“There was Stieber-who has always been paranoid-he agreed what was going on was wrong, but was afraid to take action or speak out for fear of being executed-fortunately, whenever we met up, we could be certain that he wasn’t followed and he thoroughly questioned those who wished to join our cause and could point out inconsistencies in their responses.”
“Sometimes a bit of paranoia can be healthy-especially under the regime of a murderous lunatic.” Sunset commented.
“And then there’s Krynn, she was just as disgusted as I was when we realized what was really going on-I always told Steiber that she was under greater risk than either of us if she got caught-bees and ants, we Changelings have been living under a matriarchal society-Chrysalis would seemingly arbitrarily kill of females of our species out of fear of them trying to usurp her, since she always made a spectacle out of it as some kind of warning.”
“That’s partially why there is such a large disparity between the male to female ratio of Changelings.” Sunset realized.
“Yes, and recently the natural birthrates have decreased even further-which is unsurprising when you keep killing off half of your own species-of course, being as paranoid as she is-Chrysalis would take valid concerns or criticisms as military insurrection and usually execute the one offering critique.”
“And that leads to more mares being abducted and converted to balance out all of the executions-unless your anatomy is also malleable enough to form the organs required for asexual reproduction.” Sunset mused.
“Yes, but Chrysalis demanded both-she wanted an overwhelming army of Changelings to siege Canterlot, but at the same time she kept killing those of us she merely suspected of dissent.”
“So, you must have positioned yourselves in the mines beneath Canterlot in order to set up so many infiltrators in the castle so easily and to ensure that any eggs or offspring wouldn’t be unattended for too long if the attack was successful-then you could just bring them up for love to feed on from those who were trapped.”
“Y-yeah, Princess Luna and Princess Cadance both lost some sympathy for us after they realized the extent we had gone and were willing to continue to go in order to achieve Chrysalis’ ends.” Arturo admitted, shamefully.
“Unlike my own progenitors, most parents are usually extremely protective of their spawn-which is why they become hostile when their safety is threatened-don’t expect anyone with kids to be friendly or let them anywhere near you any time soon.” Sunset explained.
“Even if they don’t hate you or even if they believe you are sincere-they still won’t want to risk putting their offspring in harm’s way just to spare your feelings.”
“I wouldn’t expect them to.”
“Wait, wait-there are mines underneath the city?” Flash asked, incredulously.
“Of course,” Sunset replied, nonchalantly. “Both the mines and this city were founded and built by pathetic Unicorns and their insatiable greed-such was the extent of it, that could give most dragons a run for their money, so to speak-and it would often get them killed.”
Smirking, she glanced over across the room at a shocked Twilight, who had undoubtedly been eavesdropping on their conversation.
‘Despite being Celestia’s pet,Twilight is unaware of her home city’s basic history. That would be fine for any normal citizen-but, for one of the supposedly sophisticated upper class-let alone one who values knowledge to such an extent as well as being the personal student of Celestia herself-it’s shamefully embarrassing.’
Flash also seemed to be visibly taken aback, though Sunset knew that in addition to this revelation-he probably never would have thought she would speak so contemptuously of her own race-given her personality and history.
“They say Unicorns are greedy, vain, and power-hungry, but those stereotypes exist for a reason-one need only look at myself and my mother and father to see our race at its filthiest-not that that other two races are any better-for reasons I won’t bother listing at the moment to spare you a rant.” She added, contemptuously.
“Now, you can keep speaking to Flash if you want, Arturo-but, I’m afraid that I still have some work to do-so, I can’t chat any longer. I like the name you’ve picked out, by the way-it can’t be fun, not having your own identity.”
Once again, she turned around to approach Rainbow Dash, who was with Shining Armor and that relative, still.
“I’d better keep an eye on her.” Flash sighed, “She can be…unpredictable, but it was pretty cool meeting you and I think you’ve picked out a pretty good name for yourself, too.”
“Thanks, good luck to you, Flash.”
“You too.”
Once again, Flash found himself having to keep up with Sunset-it was weird-he could understand her being hostile to Rarity-even if he didn’t approve-due to her injuries and Rarity unintentionally striking a nerve, but with the Changeling-a species she’s hated with a passion-she seemed to be mostly civil and pragmatic, if a little rude at first.
“So, you’re the one who saved my life.” Sunset commented, breaking up the conversation between the trio of Equines.
“Yeah,” Dash replied, albeit a bit more bashfully than she had expected.
Flash had told her that she was more than a little ashamed and terrified after losing her temper, apparently she was worried about how close she actually came to killing Chrysalis once she was already down-despite probably killing numerous Changelings earlier in the battle-this one was probably different because she was no longer a threat when this had happened.
“I mean, Twilight was the one that got us all out of there-but, I was the one who tackled the Queen and sort of…lost it.” Dash continued, massaging the back of her neck, to Sunset this uncharacteristic bashfulness seemed to her like it was brought on like guilt-this must have rattled her pretty badly.
“Well, I just wanted to thank you-the last way I ever wanted to go out was by the hand of that filthy insect.”
“You’re welcome…I guess…”
“If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask.” Sunset continued before leaning in close to Dash as she lowered her voice. “This isn’t common knowledge, but after leaving Canterlot some time ago, I’ve managed to accumulate a great deal of wealth on my own.”
“Thanks, but…I’m not sure what I’d need or could do-even with that kind of money.” She sighed. “Even before I realized that the Wonderbolts would never accept me, I would’ve wanted to earn my way into their ranks instead of buying my way in.”
“The Wonderbolts?” Sunset repeated. “You mean that group of selfish, attention-whoring, faux military hacks?”
“I take it you’re not a fan.” Shining Armor commented, dryly.
“I think you’re more than talented enough for that group of jackasses, you could probably even be a leader with enough humility and tempered judgment-why don’t you start your own flying group?” She suggested. “I have all the funds you’d need to get started-if you work together I’m sure you’ll be fine a leader-and you seem ethical enough to avoid the backstabbing and lawsuits that have been plaguing the group for years.”
‘Said the genocidal sociopath.’ Shining thought to himself, but didn’t say.
“Are you serious!?” Dash asked, incredulously. “I mean, I’m good-but, going up against the Wonderbolts?”
“It’s true that they have built up quite a reputation over the years, however, that has decayed as they have flown too close to the sun, feeling invincible-and now their dirty laundry has been coming out, which is losing them favor with the public-but, wouldn’t it be a shame if colts and fillies of Cloudsdale had to grow up with no heroes to look up too?” Sunset continued.
“You’ve already proven that you’re a good-if occasionally mischevious or misguided-person, along with bearing the Element of Loyalty and saving Equestria twice-now a third time, without it to show your persistence in the face of adversity, it’s pretty good bedrock to help build up a decent reputation, not to mention your actual flying skill far surpass anyone currently known living.”
“Hold on,” Rainbow Blaze stopped her. “This all sounds well and good, but are we seriously believe that even if you are telling the truth and do have those kinds of funds, how do we know this isn’t some kind of set up? What kind of contract is involved?”
“You know, Rainbow Dash-you really are lucky to have a father who is concerned for you-I truly wish mine were the same.” She replied before addressing him.
“It’s only natural for you to be suspicious of anyone who would come to her with such an offer-especially me, however-I am being sincere and there is no contract for her to sign-for the recruits, that will likely be a different story, but you and she can help dictate its contents if you like-this is for her, after all.”
Looking him in the eyes, her gaze seemed to be extremely icy and the intensity was something he was not expecting.
“Your daughter saved my life from Chrysalis, a complete monster in every sense of the word-she ordered the abduction of a dear personal friend of mine who was killed as a result-naturally, I wanted revenge. If she had killed me, not only would I have failed-but, I would die with a great amount of shame and regret for what I would be remembered for. I hate her more than my own mother and father and believe me-that is an extraordinary amount of hatred-had I died because of her, that hatred would also be for myself.”
“So, she saved your life and your pride.” Shining Armor concluded.
“That’s the long and short of it.” She confirmed before shifting her attention back to Rainbow Dash.
“I know that I’m not the friendliest or most sociable person, but I believe I can help you become a great leader-strategy, is something I’ve learned to become quite adept with and I can teach you how to survive in life or death situations as well as keeping others safe and in line under your wing.”
“I…yeah, why not?” Dash asked, rhetorically. “I guess I won’t need my day job back in Cloudsdale, after all.”
“Hey, Captain…” Flash spoke up, startling the group after forgetting he was standing there.
“What is it, Flash?” Shining asked, concerned that there might be another issue with the Changelings.
“Forgive me if this is private, but…are you and Rainbow Dash officially an item, now?”
Sunset found it difficult not chuckle as both of their cheeks turned rose red at the question.
“That’s…I, well…”
“Well, you two already made out on the battlefield, didn’t you?” Sunset teased, causing their cheeks to turn even redder.
“We-we didn’t ‘make out’…” Dash muttered, defensively. “It was…just a kiss-besides, Cadance told us to try it to save Equestria…”
“Hey, she’s just messing with you guys.” Flash added, softly. “For what it’s worth, I think you two would be great together-you’ve already shown you can work great together as a team-even if your first attempt backfired. And Captain-you do seem less stressed when you’re around her-especially after Cadance…you know.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have any objections to trying it out, but ultimately it’s up to Dash-I can’t make her do anything-nor, would I want to force her into something.” He replied, looking down at her.
“I guess we could try doing something like that…” Dash agreed, uncertainly. “Before I was worried about my reputation as a daredevil, but with the way gossip spreads-I guess they’ll either see me as soft or a complete psycho when word spreads further throughout Canterlot and Equestria with everything that happened during the battle-and it’s not like I haven’t thought about it.”
“Are you sure?” Shining prompted. “It’s okay if you don’t want try it and just stay friends because you’re uncomfortable-I’m pretty tough, I can take it.”
“No." She replied, confidently. I’m always going on about how tough and brave I am-so, I think it would be stupid if I didn’t give this a shot just because I’m afraid of screwing things up.”