Chapter 34
Celestia willed herself to fly faster. Her precious child was in danger and she didn’t know where he was. Her only thought was that she had to get to her baby. Actually, that was the only logical thought in her mind. The more primal part of her mind was screaming to destroy whoever dared to do harm to her child.
As she was going at near sonic speeds, Celestia reached Appleoosa in just under an hour. As soon as she touched down, she was approached by Sheriff Silverstar. “Princess? What are ya doin’ here?”
Celestia was frantically trying to see in all directions at once. “Where is the search party?! What locations have already been inspected?!”
“Uh, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
Celestia reeled on the stallion, fire in her eyes. “My son has been missing from your town for more than three days and you haven’t even started to look for him!?” Silverstar had a sudden flashback to what Chris had warned him about. “Gather every pony who’s not sick in bed and get them looking! NOW!”
The sheriff was still quaking in fear when Celestia had reached the nearest cliff face and was searching for any sort of opening. At this point, she settle for a deep shadow. Anything that looked like it could hold more than a large rabbit was searched.
There was a roaring explosion of air coming from the east. Celestia turned to see what it was that caused it. The unmistakable spreading ring of spectral fire told her exactly what, or rather who it was.
“Princess! I just heard what happened.” Rainbow floated a few feet in front of the princess. “Any clues?”
“None, Rainbow Dash, and I only growing more concerned. Please, help me search.”
“Right away, Princess.” Dash zoomed off and began her own near frantic search.
Once Rainbow was away, the princess began searching and repeating her mantra, “…please be okay. Please be okay. Please…”
An hour after Rainbow had showed up, a much larger search party arrived. First was the ponies from Appleoosa and the buffalo from the nearby tribe. Next came her own guards. An hour and a half after that, the griffins arrived in force. Each new arrival was given orders and filed in with other groups to maximize efficiency in the endeavor. Luna knew, if Chris was still anywhere near here, they would find him before long. Though that knowledge didn’t help calm her nerves, or her sister.
“Help! Help!”
The cries for assistance caught the attention of every guard, soldier, warrior and civilian within five hundred yards. The sight of a galloping, screaming blue, unicorn mare in the desert tends to stand out. It wasn’t long before Trixie’s pleas were answered.
A earth pony guard was the first to reach her. “Calm down, miss. You’re safe now. Tell us what happened.”
“Changelings… monkey… escaped…” she blurted between breaths.
Suddenly, the ground shook so hard that everything less than a hundred pounds jumped into the air a few inches at least. The guard and Trixie looked up into the face of the concerned Princess of the Sun.
“He’s not a monkey.”
*****
Celestia had rushed over the small plateau that Trixie had indicated she had escaped from. She had followed the tracks left by the fleeing filly and had been led to a small cave hidden behind some shrubs. Celestia was about to enter when she felt something… odd.
It was magic. Strong magic that was weak at the same time. It was as if somepony extremely powerful was trapped beneath tons of stone. This magic was familiar though. More familiar than any other magic on Equus. It was hers. In fact, it was more than just hers. Her sister’s, her niece’s and her student’s magic was all in one spot. It had to be the feathers they had given Chris.
“I’m coming, Honey. Don’t worry, Mommy’s here.” Celestia had to get down there, and fast.
Normally, when trying to get through stone, one would dig and/or drill. That wasn’t fast enough though. Instead, Celestia merely removed a plug of earth telekinetically. In an instant, she had access to the beasts’ lair and took full advantage of it.
She touched down inside the large chamber, lit only by some glowing green crystals and the light from her own entryway. As her eyes rapidly adjusted, she could hear the movement of dozens of hooves. She was not alone.
Once Celestia could see clearly, she knew there was trouble. She was confident she would more than a match for at least four dozen of these bugs, so she was unafraid. She was more concerned with where the queen was and were her baby was being kept.
“Don’t just stand there, my children. Greet our guest.” Celestia turned to the speaker.
At first, she thought she had found her beloved son, but he never had a horn before. It was a changeling, a big one. She quickly realized why this changeling resembled Chris. He must be here and this one had attempted to copy his appearance. When the changelings take ponies, that’s inexcusable. When they attacked her niece at her own wedding, that was unforgiveable. foalnapping her son and then trying to duplicate that which sets him apart from every other creature, plant or animal on Equus, That was flat out damnable.
If Celestia was angry before, she was furious now. And a pony who is one step shy of being a goddess is not one to infuriate.
Celestia started to approach who she figured must be the queen, when she was jumped by a half-dozen changelings at once. With a simple flex of her magical muscle, her attackers where flung in different directions.
“Where is he, Chrysalis?” Celestia demanded as her eyes began to light her way with their glow. “Where is my son?!”
“Oh, don’t worry. He’s here.” Chrysalis stepped to the side, revealing what Celestia was looking for. “Well, what’s left of him anyway.”
Celestia’s mind refused to believe what her eyes were telling her. Slowly, she forced her legs to move her forward one shaky step at a time. Time slowed to a crawl as her world crumbled around her.
He lay there, lifeless on the floor, with a spear still in his chest. There was no heartbeat to be heard. Not even when she lifted him to her ear. What was probably the worst of it all, he was still warm. Still warm and the blood was still flowing, staining her fur a deep, dark red.
“Oh… such a shame. If you had only gotten here a few seconds earlier, you might have been able to save him. Too bad.”
Chrysalis’s mirthful gloating was cut short, almost literally, by a bloodied spear flying past her head. It missed piercing her skull by less than an inch. Chrysalis’s muscles locked up tight. Slowly, she dared to look into the face of Celestia. It was now the face of true terror.
On a few occasions in the past, Celestia’s mane and tail have resembled flames, but always kept their pastel coloration. At this point, her mane didn’t just look like fire, it was fire. Her eyes shone like the sun itself as tears streaked down her cheeks. Strangely, her fur also seemed to be changing. It gradually turned more and more golden orange, just like the celestial plasma she moved on a daily basis.
Celestia wasn’t the only thing that was different. The hole she had come through was spreading at an alarming rate. Growing in size as larger and larger pieces flew off into the skies above, leaving nowhere for the changelings to hide from the all-revealing daylight.
All the while, Celestia held her son’s corpse tightly to her barrel as if fearful she might lose it.
“G-get her, you foals!” Chrysalis ordered.
Unwilling to disobey their queen, changelings rushed in, forgetting how easily she had dispatched the others before them. This time, however, Celestia wouldn’t be satisfied with merely shrugging them off. A dozen of them floated off of her, exoskeletons creaking under the immense pressure of her boundless rage. Others were slammed into rocks, stalagmites and stalactites, as well as the floor, each resulting in a sickening crunch as bones, horns, and chiton alike were cracked and broken.
The scene was one that was so terrifying to gaze upon, that even her own guard only dared to watch from outside the gaping hole in the planet. Not even the griffins were brave enough to come near, and they were all proud warriors whose king had made it abundantly clear what would happen to those who dared to not give the search everything they had. But there was one who dared to enter the gaping maw that was once the changeling’s hive. One who knew exactly what dangers Celestia was hurtling toward at break-neck speeds. She knew, because she owned a mirror one thousand years ago.
Celestia had just finished dispatching all of the smaller changelings and had turned her sights onto the queen when her sister landed next to her.
“Sister, you must stop th-… Christopher?” Luna reached a hoof out toward the corpse still in Celestia’s grasp. Though, when Celestia set her burning gaze upon her sister, Luna withdrew very quickly, lest she lose that hoof. At that moment, all Celestia could see were enemies.
Celestia turned back to the biggest target there was, Chrysalis. The queen was enveloped in a golden aura that lifted her off the ground and was already pulling her in all directions. “Ow! My fingers!” Chrysalis screamed as Celestia spread the fingers on both hands almost to the point of dislocation.
“THEY’RE NOT YOURS!” Celestia roared in a Royal Canterlot voice that seemed to be calling from the beginning of time. “ONLY MY SON HAS FINGERS LIKE THESE!”
To reinforce her point, Celestia broke each of Chrysalis’s fingers one bone at a time. After the phalanges, she began to move up the arm to the metacarpals, then the wrist. When she reached the radial and ulna, a sick smile spread on the princess’s face, these bones were long and offered lots more opportunities for fractures.
The pain had grown so great, that Chrysalis could only cry. She could even scream anymore. The queen could do no more than watch as her arms began to resemble cooked pasta. It wasn’t long before she was at the point where death seemed to be the only relief.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa there Princess,” a deep, masculine voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere instructed, “I think you’ve made your point. Equus would not survive the reign of Daymare Sun” With a loud snap, all time seemed to freeze. “Besides, you’ll need all your magic for what’s to come.”
Discord appeared as a painting on the cave wall. When the painting stepped off the wall, it still retained its two-dimensional look. It was one of Discord’s famous arrivals that was both amazing and slightly annoying.
“Mmhhmphm!” Luna demanded.
Discord snapped his fingers, releasing Luna’s head from its stasis. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I said, what is to come? And I warn you to choose your words wisely.”
“Easy, Luna, easy. Believe it or not, I like the kid too. I never really know what to expect from him. I merely meant that there might still be a chance to save him.”
“What?! How!? Tell me!”
“Well, it just so happens that II know how to open a portal to the next realm. There is someone there who may be able to help.”
“Then why are you still here?! Go!”
“Alas, I cannot,” Discord deflated. “If I were to go there, I would not be allowed to return, I’m kind of wanted there. And if I can’t come back, I can’t bring anypony back either. You and your sister can go though. All it’ll take is the majority of your magic to open the portal.”
“Whatever it takes, I will do it.”
Celestia’s fur returned to its normal white and her mane regained its pastel colors. She had begun to come to her senses.
“Oh, it seems somepony else wants to join in on the conversation.” He snapped his fingers and both princesses were freed.
“Is what you say true? Can you really save my baby?”
“No, I can help you save your, *ahem* baby. All I need is your magic.”
Celestia looked down at Chris’s limp body. She brushed a strand of hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. “Whatever it takes.”
“Excellent. Shall we begin?”
*****
The two sisters walked through a strange scene. It was completely devoid of color, with the exception of themselves. Everything else was varying shades of gray, even the trees and flowers. So where the residents.
Ponies, griffins, and minotaurs trudged along a narrow path beside each other but not really seeming to notice anything. They all simply placed one hoof/foot in front of the other and made their way toward a single seated figure. From where they were, they couldn’t make out much in the way of detail, and the robe wasn’t helping.
But the robed figure wasn’t what Celestia was concerned with. Rather, it was the one seated on the ground next to it. “Chris!”
Celestia and Luna galloped to the front of the line. Once there, they could more clearly see the pony in the robes. Though, in truth, he was only a pony because they were. His bleached white skull would take the form of whatever creature gazed upon it. The voice, however, would always sound the same, even though no one ever truly hears it with their ears. Rather, they feel it, with their soul.
AH, PRINCESSES CELESTIA AND LUNA. I HONESTLY NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE EITHER OF YOU HERE. WHAT IS IT THAT I CAN DO FOR YOU?
“Forgive us, uh, Sir, but we have come for him,” Luna informed Death while pointing at Chris’s unresponsive form. Celestia wanted so badly to go to her son and hold him again, but no one stepped on Death’s robes.
OH? Death looked down at the human seated next to him. Then he looked at Celestia’s desperate face. I SEE. YES, RATHER A STRANGE CASE THIS ONE. Death raised an hour glass that was only about a quarter empty in the top. AS YOU CAN SEE, HIS TIME IS FAR FROM UP. AND YET, HERE HE IS. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO LIVE WELL INTO HIS EIGHTIES IN HIS OWN WORLD, A RESPECTABLE AGE FOR HIS KIND. INSTEAD, HIS SOUL IS TRAPPED HERE. I CANNOT EVEN PLACE HIM INTO AN ETERNITY YET. TRAGIC REALLY.
“Then give him back to me,” Celestia begged, “please. Give me back my baby.”
HMM… IF ONLY I COULD. SADLY, HE HAS NO FUNCTIONING BODY TO RETURN TO.
“Please, there must be something that can be done. I’ll do anything.”
“As will I,” Luna agreed.
WELL, THERE MAY BE ONE WAY, BUT IT WOULD LEAVE YOU BOTH EXTREMLY WEAKENED.
“I’ll do it!” Celestia yelled and then realized to whom she was talking. “I don’t care what it takes, I need my son back.”
SO I SEE. VERY WELL THEN. WHAT I’LL NEED TO REPAIR HIS BODY AND RESTORE HIS LIFE IS SOME LIFEFORCE FROM BOTH OF YOU. THOUGH IT’S A MERE TRIFLE FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOURSELVES. ONCE I HAVE WHAT I NEED, HIS LIFE WILL BE RESTORED. THOUGH, BEFORE WE BEGIN, I MUST WARN YOU; HE WILL BE CHANGED.
“Changed? How?” Luna asked.
EVEN I DON’T KNOW. THE CHANGE MAY BE PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL. HE MAY EVEN WIND UP LIKE OUR FRIEND DISCORD. IS IT A RISK YOU ARE STILL WILLING TO TAKE?
“Yes!” both princesses cried out in unison.
AS LONG AS YOU UNDERSTAND THE RISKS. YOU MAY NOW RETURN TO YOUR OWN REALM. CHRISTOPHER WILL BE ALIVE WHEN YOU GET THERE, THOUGH IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME BEFORE HIS BODY IS HEALED ENOUGH TO BE UP AND ABOUT.
“We understand,” Luna was pushing her sister who refused to take her eyes off her son, “thank you.”
OH, BEFORE YOU GO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW HIS REAL FAMILY NAME?
*****
One second. Literally one second after the two sisters came back through Discord’s portal, Celestia had Chris in her hooves again. She was crying again, but this time, they were tears of joy. She could hear Chris’s heart beating, and it was the greatest sound in the world.
Luna looked around the chamber to find that things had been well taken care of while they were gone. Chrysalis and all her changelings had been captured, tied up, and fitted with magic suppression rings on their horns. The chamber was also filled with guards of several different species. It was refreshing to see.
“Princess Luna!”
“Princess Twilight. It is good to see you. Your friends as well.”
“We came as fast as we could. Is… is it true? Is Chris really…?” Twilight asked.
“He was.” Twilight and her friends gasped in shock. Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Applejack and cried into her shoulder. “Worry not, my friends, for he shall be alright once again. He only needs time to heal.”
“Phew, what a relief.”
“Indeed, Discord. And though I find it a difficult pill to swallow, I must thank you for your help.”
“Hey, what other option was there for a reformed draconequus to do? Besides, if he were to die, then my dear friend Fluttershy would be sad, and I can’t have that.”
“Whatever the reason, the result is the same. My nephew is alive and the changelings have been captured. In all, I would say the ending has a happy one.”
No nuke? Aaaw.
Is this going where I think it's going?
Also Chrysalis was unrealistically thick in this chapter. Don't get me wrong it was a fun chappy, but given that she'd just killed Chris, the last thing she should have done was mock that fact.
5049272 She came close. I thought about having Celestia cook them all with her sun, but that would have meant too much damage for the surrounding area.
5049278 Now I know how Jayne felt when he wasn't allowed to bring grenades.
5049275 Chrissy also gloated during the wedding before she even fought Celestia. She's not that bright.
Awesome chapter I love this story
So now what? Are the Changelings going to trial, or get killed off the moment Chris is feeling better?
Hmm... I'm very curious about this... "changes".
Maybe he will turn into a Pony, Alicorn? A Dragon? I would say a griffin would be nice. I'm sure his uncle Gurfon would like that^^
I don't get why authors want Chrysalis to be this stupid. She did so well in her spotlight, the writers had to do an ex dues machina to save the day.
She's been the most strategically brilliant of all the MLP villains.
1.- She got all of Twilight's friends to turn on her.
2.- She hid in plain sight.
3.- She had access to Canterlot's main defense (Shining Armor).
4.- She somehow kept Luna from the fight.
5.- She beat Celestia.
Stop making her a second rate dime store villainess. Please?
i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5643668224/h1309EE3A/
I...part of me wants to see him as an alicorn for some reason. There is another part of me who dgaf what he becomes because holy hell that was a fun chapter, but part of me hope for an alicorn. Whatever may happen, I look forward to the next chapter.
Commence the anthro! ( or possibly powers or heck, maybe gothic/emo/dark???)
I'm sorry, but
really? That is the only thing i don't like in this story. Everything else is fine but that made me grone a little.
It is not your fault though. Discord makes Jokes like that. I'm blaming him.
:3 I was expecting something like the Hammer of Dawn(I think that's what it's called) and just eradicate the entire changeling hive. I'm not saying the entire species, there could be more hives throughout Equus? Equis? Equs? Hell, I don't know how to spell it...
5049297 Sorry, I was chaneling Terry Pratchett with that one.
I can't wait for these changes to happen. But the more than likely thing is, he is either going to be able to do magic or turn into a pony or a hybrid of pony and human. Because he didn't any life force left, he got some from Celestia and Luna, so there life force energy is more than likely going to make him like them. Maybe he will become a unicorn then over time an alicorn. That or it will make him an immortal. Or at the very least his personality will change, to be a mixture of the 3.
To be honest, i'm a little disappointed, that the changelings didn't get blasted off the planet. But oh well. And I'm surprised discord didn't have anything up his sleeve, or at least it's not shown its self yet. Hey tom! Anyway, looking forward to more chapters, hopefully soon :D
I'm very interested in seeing what Chris will become. Perhaps he'll remain human in body but have magic and the ability to have children
5049346 I thought about the Hammer of Dawn (you got it right) thing, but that was too easy/obvious. Also, they never named the planet on the show, so it has no right or wrong spelling.
he better not be a pony or half pony. that would ruin it.
or lose his memory's
Hardly a pratchett styled death is he? Not bad though, at least he TALKS LIKE THIS.
Man... dark and intense chapter... I like it! Chrysalis didn't suffer quite enough though
He was supposed to live till 80 on his world, but apparently Equestria is so chaotic that Death doesn't know when Chris is supposed to die.
So, either this is a thing they can exploit the hell out of, or he is likely going to die soon.
I am curious about what change you plan on implementing... Hopefully not Amnesia, or gender change (no matter how funny it would be)
Hmm. Something is off here. I can't help but feel like something so somber and important should have been drawn out more. I feel like bringing someone back from Death should require a lot more than a snap of the fingers and the relative equivalent of a reverse 5-Hour-Energy.
Even if your Death is as chill as Discworld's, it just feels like they got off too easy...
“Whatever the reason, the result is the same. My nephew is alive and the changelings have been captured. In all, I would say the ending has a happy one.”
Now you just gone and jinx it by saying that
And that children, is why you don't mess with Celestia. If she doesn't take you down, her student and her friends will.
Shut your fucking mouth please, Celestia ; shut your fucking mouth...
He never had so much trouble since you've taken him into Equestria. He will never taste a happy ending by your fault, bitch !
So let's him dead, it's the best thing you can do for him...
So let's see what happens with the Changeling's either regime change and possibly becoming a puppet state of Equestria, or utterly wiped out, the only thing certain is that Chrysalis will not live.
5049467 at least Death isn't a boss in Castlevania
yay Chris will live but what about Willow?
Wait. Why doesn't anyone question the fact that Chris didn't talk in this chapter once they revived him?
Please tell me I'm not the only one who notices this.
5049467 logic here "fuck off I'm death"
Hmmmmm.....I'm gonna write this chapter off as 'meh.' I really do not like resurrection deus ex machinas that come out of nowhere.
Wow..... Kind of a tear-jerker chapter. But, I'm glad that he's alright.
5049480
You do know that Luna said that right.
techdisruptive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/apdrevillaser0cm.gif "Captured."
5049690
Because he is unconscious? Death say it 'even after he revived, it will take time before he came back up' ergo he need to rest
5049846
After Celestia "happy ending" line, it's needed to recall
The life force of 2 immortals that to give up will practically mean nothing to them because they are ageless, yeah a force that strong that not even Death know the end result , minimum will had him had the same DNA of a pony, to some degree and ergo give him the chance to reproduce.
But on the other hand, this are goddess we are talking about, they move celestial bodies, I think it will not too far of a stretch if they froze his time lap, and make him immortal…witch I will be more than ok, it will had a lot of conflicts to tag along the way, but it will also mean Chris will be at his mother side for eternity.
I don't know I really hope the changes are not physical…or at the very least not to big…oh! like maybe he grows wings, or can cast spells, or both, at the cost of his magic immunity
Keep up the good work and please update soon
GOOD REST AFTER GOOD DAY.
mrbillsadventureland.com/reviews/c-d/discworldR/death2.jpg
P. S. DEATH ALWAYS TALK IN CAPS - ALWAYS!!!!
... Death himself was here? Really?
static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dmos_mlp_5536.png
Yeah, bit too much for me. I'm out, bye bye
5050048 small caps is still caps
Seriously, does no one know Murphy's law? Anything that can go wrong will go wrong if you invoke it Celestia, so don't invoke it!
5050023 i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/527/725/639.png Huh would you look at that.
What about Willow
For all that is just in the world, please keep him human. I don't care if you give him powers, let him reproduce with ponies or whatever, just pretty please keep this HiE.
ITT:everyone and their mom hate human-to-pony transformation.
And rightfully so.
I hope the change isn't him becoming a pony, don't get me wrong it would be great if he was like everypony else and finally get a break in life, but I really prefer him as a human.
5049363 Please, for the love of god, don't turn him into a pony. It has an Human tag for a reason.
For the first time i wish too, that he isn´t going to be a Pony, i accepted him as a Human and don´t want him to change to much, and well i hope there wasn´t to much what happend to Celestia and Luna.
I just hope that he isn´t going to be a Pony right now. I like that but i would want him to be a Pony from the first chapter and not now.
Maybe he is able to learn magic now and live much longer than befor, i think Celestia and Luna should stay immortal, maybe they just need a long time to regain their old strength, because they have so much Magic. Maybe they should be just sick because so much Power left their Body. And yes i know that you said Lifeforce and not Magic, but magic is so present in their world.