XI: Sol Invictus
Chrysalis struggled fiercely against the black shadows that enveloped her, but it was to no avail. For every black tendril that she kicked or bit off, another took its place.
“It is poetic, is it not, dear daughter? The enemy of Celestia, who was stripped of everything, vowed revenge, only to fall in love with one of Celestia’s subjects. So horrifically tragic, star-crossed lovers, a once-proud queen and a lowly peasant, that were never meant to be! Oh, if only you did not cripple him, he may have had a chance. Oh, fate, thou art so cruel and unforgiving! Alas, the tragedy must come to a finale. Chrysalis, who fought so bravely and valiantly, in the end could not save the one she loved!”
The figure slowly circled the struggling Chrysalis, watching as her every movement become more labored. She licked her lips, savoring the spectacle. “Oh, what a beautiful sight love is,” the figure laughed as she continued walking, “and very delicious, too. It has been too long since I last tasted it.”
The figure walked over to Mortar’s bed and leaned down next to him. “Getting tired, dear?” the figure whispered as she stroked Mortar’s head. The figure laughed, baring her fangs, when she saw Chrysalis struggle even harder.
Chrysalis gave out a final kick before falling to the ground, the shadows enveloping her and pinning her to the ground. Being exhausted after fighting for so long, she panted as she struggled to look up.
“Oh my, giving up already?” the figure said as she stood over the trapped Chrysalis.
Chrysalis had lost all feeling in the lower half of her body; sweat dripped down her face as the shadows wrapped even tighter. She scowled at the figure, but inside, she felt consumed with terror. Try as she might, she could not stop her body from shivering.
“What a lovely face you have there, but we both know that it’s a lie. Not only can I see it, I can feel your fear. Oh, how delicious it is. It brings me back to my younger days. That surge of power when I saw victims’ fear in their eyes. The look when they realized they had lost everything. Oh, how wonderful it was! Tell me, daughter, how does it feel to lose everything, to know that you sacrificed all you had but still lost? You have lost your crown, your army, your body, your power, and your lover. And for what, to try to hang onto the belief that you could live a normal life?”
Chrysalis’ mask broke. Her eyes widened as the horror sunk in. She is right; I have lost everything. Mortar, I am sorry. I really did want to live a life with you, even as a pony. Celestia, why— Chrysalis froze mid-thought. No, I have not sacrificed everything yet. Better Celestia than that monster. For him, I will give up my pride.
With every ounce of strength she had remaining, Chrysalis pried off the shadow around her neck with her forehooves and shouted as loudly as possible.
“CELESTIA! HELP ME!”
Chrysalis’ eyes closed, and her whole body went limp.
Celestia sat at the end of the hallway, watching over the door to Mortar's room, glad that fewer ponies were stopping and bowing to her. She knew it was late, but she had promised that she would be here for Chrysalis. She sighed as she closed her eyes.
I feel it is unlikely that she would ask for help, especially mine. She is too proud to ask an old mare like me. Oh, what could I have done to prevent this? Should I have watched her personally? Maybe then, I could have saved Mortar. But then again, that would have been a grievous violation of her privacy. I already had the guard watch her. Even then, I knew that was a tad extreme, but it had to be done. Should I have increased the amount of guard watching her? Should I have just gone all the way and had her constantly watched with that scrying spell? It could have helped—
No! I cannot think like that. That is a dangerous path to tread, one that I cannot start. That is the path that will lead to tyranny. But what could I have done? I raise the sun; surely I could have done something!
Would it have been better if I had granted Chrysalis her wish and killed her? I wanted to give her a chance at happiness, and that was the only way I could do it while protecting my ponies. But how could I kill her after I learned who she was? Her motives were not malicious.
Should I have fought her at the wedding? I could have ended this entire thing there and then. I knew my ponies could stop the invasion; I wanted to show them how strong they are. Besides, Canterlot would be in ruins if I had fought with all of my strength. I already destroyed one capital and its countryside, and all that is left now is the Everfree Forest. I could not do that again; there would be too many deaths. I do not want to smell burning ashes again. Everypony already fears me; if I did fight her, they would see my true power and become horrified. They would treat me like some vicious god and would do everything they could to appease me. I do not want that. It took me a thousand years to get this far. Was it selfish of me to let my ponies do it because I feared the consequences?
Luna, what should I do? I have failed another—
A desperate, hoarse scream echoed down the hallway.
Celestia's eyes shot wide. "Chrysalis," she whispered.
She jumped out of her seat and galloped down the hallway. Without missing a beat she slammed into the door, knocking it off its hinges. Her magenta eyes scanned the room for any sign of danger. She noticed Chrysalis’ limp form on the ground. As she took a step towards it, suddenly her fur stood on end. The room suddenly felt colder, as if there was ice in the air. Her wings flicked in trepidation.
Something else is here. There is another being present. I have felt this before; it is just like Luna’s possession—
Celestia’s wings flared as she quickly got to Chrysalis’ side. She picked up Chrysalis’ limp form and cradled it.
“Chrysalis, are you all right? Chrysalis!” Celestia said as she nudged her. She lifted Chrysalis’ face with a hoof and gasped. Chrysalis’ eyes were wide open; one pupil was dilated while the other was shrunk.
No, she is being possessed! Celestia thought. She quickly brought her forehead to Chrysalis as her horn glowed. Ever since Luna’s transformation she had prepared for this in case it would happen again. She had never believed she would have to use it on any other pony. I have lost one to a demon already; I will not make that mistake twice.
Chrysalis gasped, wondering what had happened. She was in a white corridor that appeared to go on forever.
“You little bitch, calling her for help!” boomed a voice. “Can you show any pride even in your last moments, or do you go out begging like some alleyway tail-lifter? I cannot believe you are willing to submit yourself to the enemy!”
Chrysalis instantly turned around and saw the figure standing behind her. As she remembered the events that had just transpired, she glared at the figure and roared back, "Better her than you!”
The figure’s ear flicked in irritation. Again, black shadows began to spread out on the floor around her. However, this time it was different—it was a thick, tar-like substance that oozed and bubbled out. It was as if it were a living mass that crawled out rather than a shadow.
Chrysalis stared at the thick mass, wide-eyed. She spotted a rising bubble that was much larger than the rest. Instead of popping, it continued to grow. All of a sudden a changeling face exploded out of the mass with a roar.
Chrysalis jumped back in horror as other changelings began to appear around the figure, snarling and roaring like a pack of wild beasts.
“I will do what you cannot,” the figure said in a cold tone. “I will conquer this nation; every stallion, mare, and foal will be under my hoof. As soon as Equestria is mine, the entire world will be next. Every nation will bow down before me as I feed on their love. But first, I have to get rid of you.”
All of a sudden, the black mass of changelings charged at her, the wave of corruption staining the corridor. Chrysalis had no choice but to run away down the white corridor. As she ran she caught images of her past hanging on the walls. She caught glimpses of her mother’s grave, her early childhood, and her time leading the changelings. Each time she passed an image, the mass of changelings would writhe over it, hundreds of tiny, snapping maws and flailing claws tearing it to pieces.
Chrysalis ran as fast as she could, panting hard. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she pushed her legs to their limit, the mocking laughter of the figure echoing around her.
Eventually, Chrysalis reached the end of the corridor. The last image that hung on the wall was that of Mortar lying in his hospital bed. Chrysalis stared at it for a while as time appeared to slow. It seemed like it was only yesterday when they first meet. So much has changed since then. She could remember how driven she was for revenge. However every day spent with Mortar calmed her, until she really did not think about revenger anymore. Everyday she was becoming more happy with her life. All those times with Mortar, all those times where he would listen calm her. The more she thought about Mortar, the harder it was to fight back tears. In the corner of her eye she could see the black tar-like substance surrounding her.
“No!” Chrysalis cried out as she pried the image from the wall, holding it near her chest with a forehoof.
“Oh, isn’t that lovely? How cute, clutching your lover in your final moments,” the figure said sweetly.
Chrysalis glared at her, clutching the picture even more tightly. Suddenly, from her right a changeling jumped at her, baring its fangs. Chrysalis dodged and lashed out with her hind legs, hitting it in the chin. More jumped at her, each one gnashing its teeth at Chrysalis and trying to grab her. She tried to dodge the attacks, but more continued to charge at her.
A changeling seized one of Chrysalis’ hind leg, trapping her. She tried to jerk it free, but another grabbed her foreleg. More and more changelings grabbed her, pinning her to the ground. Chrysalis struggled, biting and trying to free herself, but to no avail. The tar-like substance began to creep over her, slowly covering her body. She could feel it crawl up her back, reaching her neck. The figure’s laugh echoed even more loudly.
I failed you, Mortar. I let my pride get in my way. Why did it take me until now to realize that I love you? Those words echoed through her being, weighing her down even more.
The figure licked her fangs, able to feel Chrysalis’ emotions. Knowing that her victory was sealed, she flared her wings and let out a triumphant roar. With relish, she grinned to show her ecstatic visage in the moment of her ultimate success. As the last glimmers of light faded from the eyes of her captive, the figure opened her mouth and cried out, “Be happy, daughter. This is the hour of the accomplishment of our purpose.
“Where you and countless other queens before you have failed, I will succeed. With your body and my army at my command, Equestria will fall. I will sack Canterlot, burn it to ashes, and drain its inhabitants dry. Then, when I have collected all of the vast energies that it has to offer, I, in my unmatched power, will turn my gaze upon the world. Every country, every culture, and every people will bow down to my authority, and my empire will last into the ages.”
The thick sludge of changelings continued to envelop Chrysalis, finally reaching her head. All of a sudden she felt extremely sleepy, her eyelids beginning to fall as her body became more numb. She could see the figure was saying something, but she was unable to hear it. Her vision faded, and the world around her darkened. Her eyes watered as she remembered her life. Her childhood alone, her struggles as a queen, her invasion of Equestria, and, most importantly, her short time with Mortar. She wished everything could just return to the way it had been.
“A new dawn rises, daughter,” the figure said. “Too bad; it could have been yours,”
Yet just when she thought that she was dead and it seemed to her that even her feeling had been lost, there was a sound like thunder and a light so brilliant that it shone through the darkness surrounding her. A loud and mighty voice tore through the air. “The dawn rises when I alone command it!”
Suddenly, an explosion of fire erupted in the air, sending out waves of flame that scorched the changelings instantly, leaving nothing but brittle, burnt bones. Chrysalis felt an unimaginably intense heat lapping all around her. In an instant, the mass of bodies around her was consumed, and the fire disappeared—but she herself was untouched. Instantly, she clutched the image of Mortar even more tightly against her chest. She weakly tried to look up but instantly turned her head away from the glaring light. Body and mind exhausted, she faded into unconsciousness.
The fire in the sky in slowly dispersed, revealing the form of Celestia. However, her normally rainbow-colored, iridescent mane and tail had become torrents of intense, blazing fire. Her gentle magenta eyes shone with furious white light, while all around her there was a blinding brilliance that the two could barely stand to glimpse.
Celestia descended, but instead of her normal graceful landing, her hooves shattered the ground under her with a tremendous crash upon impact. Her surroundings shook, and the ruptured earth under her hooves was set aflame.
The figure could only look towards her, awestruck by the immensity of Celestia’s terrible might and raw power. Celestia’s face was clearly full of an unimaginable rage.
Celestia glared at the figure, her nostrils flaring. I must protect Chrysalis, so I can hold nothing back. I remember now so clearly how it was with Luna. I will never allow that to happen again, Her determination, as well as her raging inferno, only made her more terrifying to behold.
Celestia raised a hoof and struck the ground with tremendous force. She began to walk towards the figure, and the ground underneath her trembled and crumbled. She trampled any bones left from the changelings in her path.
The figure still backed away despite the hopelessness of her situation, keeping pace with the princess. She quickened her pace and turned to run, but then she bumped into a corner, trapped. With horror, she faced the bright opponent and managed to let out her voice in a high pitch. “Y—you would protect her, your enemy? Do you not remember what she did to you, to Canterlot?”
“I have already judged her, and she has already suffered enough for her past actions. She has paid her dues to Equestria,” Celestia said coldly. “She is one of my children now; she falls under my protection, and I will protect her no matter what. I already said that I will crush any threats to my children.”
Without another word she lowered her head and thrust her horn through the figure’s chest. The figure let out a cry of anguish before slowly burning away, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes. “I will banish the shadows that dare threaten my kingdom.” Images of Luna’s possession flashed by her, seeing her sister slowly torn away from her as Nightmare Moon took over. Never again. I will never allow something like that to happen to my sister or anyone else.
As the ashes finally settled, she turned around and walked towards Chrysalis. Her eyes softened, and her mane and tail returned to normal. She flared her wings and glided towards Chrysalis. Upon reaching her, she kneeled down in front of her and gently placed a hoof on her back. She noticed that Chrysalis was clutching something. Gently, Celestia nudged her a little to try to get a glimpse of it.
She let out a small gasp as she saw Chrysalis clutching a picture of Mortar. Celestia smiled as her eyes began to water ever so slightly. She held Chrysalis in a gentle embrace, holding her to her chest. Celestia extended her wings and wrapped them around Chrysalis.
“Do not worry, my little pony,” Celestia said gently. “It is over now. You are safe. I will protect you.”
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Oh Chrysalis, you have suffered so much through out your life! Release your burdens and rest.
For this chapter I picked Mozart, Requiem in D minor
Man this chapter took a long time. Writing is hard.
WHOO GO CELESTIA!
Perhaps you should add the Romance tag?
1621725
Maybe, but that add spoilers
Yay.
The queen has completed her transformation into another's drone.
Another great villain has been lost, turned into a mewling pony.
Whoa. That was seriously awesome. Celestia is officially growing on me.
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Was she ever a villain from the start?
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Read the Song of Shylex by The Descendent
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To the ponies at large.
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Ok she was trying to fix a problem, and got a tad carried away. We all make mistakes right?
1622056
Yes, but that doesn't mean she deserves to get assimilated.
Me gusta
Hmm, is that an anyone I see? Sorry, not normally a nitpicker, but for some reason this stuck out at me.
On a more positive note, I have rather enjoyed this story, and rather look forward to enjoying the rest of it. My only real gripe is what happened to the rest of the changelings? If they depend on a queen, and the queen is removed, did they all die, or find a new queen somehow? I can't remember if you addressed this, other than in the origin of the changelings.
OMG thank god i you finally updated this story i have been waiting so long
1622225
There all dead. I made note of it in one of the chapters.
1622130
She did not have to in a sense, but she slowly fell into it. I mean Celestia did make her a pony, she never said she had to make friends. She ended up doing so. She could been all angry and revengeful if she wanted to, just as long as she is not hurting anyone. I mean yeah it is very rough on her, but she did threaten Equestria and was dam close and winning.
1622225
She is referring to that it does not matter what species it is, she never wants to see something like that again.
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I know, writing is hard. :( I never thought I would make it this far.
1622225
Anyone is perfectly legit. 'One' isn't species specific. At least, I hope so anyway.
In the meatime, redemption ahoy for all involved! (except evil Chrysalis)
Celestia busting out that old-timey smite-y godness, and evil Chrysalis getting it where it hurts. Looking better by the moment.
Shame about Mortar, but eggs and omlettes, I suppose.
I gave it a thumbs down for all the telling. :S
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Telling?
Yes! Celestia! You finally did something!
1622439 1622389 Ah. I am used to all instances of it being *one replaced with pony, both in the show and fanfiction. Except when it is being parodied because of Spike/ other non-pony character.
1622367 Thanks for clearing that up. It's been a while since I read the rest of this story, so some details faded away.
Was it really necessary to completely break her? Not that "You have to lose everything before you can make a real new start." isn't a well tried recipe for a good story. But I wonder why it is.
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"Become host to an ancient monster and destroy yourself and everything you have found to be not so bad after all" or "accept help from a former enemy and live".
Yeah, that's tough one... No, it isn't.
By the way, have you heard of "The conversion bureau"?
I'm sure your "I'd rather die proud" attitude would have a field day.
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Telling is the idea in writing that you "tell" the events of the story, as opposed to "showing" them.
It's difficult to explain (which is actually rather appropriate). Here's a Wikipedia link.
HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGH!!
1622389
I know, I know.
The story's been a blast to read and I enjoyed it all, just sad to see a such a fun "villain" go.
Loved the inner struggle and everything that came with it.
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She is a rather hands off kind of ruler, she rather have others learn from the experience rather than rely on her. But yes she did something, finally.
1622658
It just happened to be that way. In my opinion, she did not lost everything because she kept her inner will. In a sense she was willing to do everything to get what she wanted, even at the cost of her "pride". To ask for help showed how strong she is, in that moment she did not let her pride get in the way. That is strength, to give up everything for a greater cause.
And to be fair to Sandman, he is right though. There are some cases where it is better to hold on to ones honor and die than to give it up. For example, if Chrysalis was beaten by iunno Sombra or something, and his options were to die or literally be a slave, it may be the right thing to do to hold onto ones honor.
A real example would be that a solider would not follow an order if it goes everything against his honor. He said solider was ordered to do some horrific massacre or be executed, it would be the right thing to do die with ones honor intact.
There is two sides to this coin, and either side can be right or wrong depending on the circumstance. I mean in this case, it may have been the right thing to do to give up your pride and admit that maybe she was wrong on how she looked at the world. Maybe it would actually be better to live as a pony and be happy rather than to have power and be miserable. It is complicated issue.
1622707
Oh that. Well I am sad to get a dislike and I may disagree with your statement, but at least you were honest and willing to tell me. So I can respect your choice.
1622719
Hng what?
1622767
Why thank you. I still have some things planned for this so it is not over yet. I may be working with another author for a chapter in the future.
Nice story! I liked how you incorporated the music into it. You do have some grammatical issues though... I belieive one of your chapters you used Iock ( capital i ock) as opposed to lock. Still a good story
Wait, so is Mortar dead? Or was she clutching his picture because it was all she had of him when the shadow was taking her over?
Yay!
Looking forward to every update to come! 
I was hoping to see an update for this story sometime soon! I really enjoy this story and so I'm glad to be able to continue with it!
1622918
No he was not dead. Yet it was the one thing she actually cared about in her past. It was all she had of him.
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Thanks
1623162 Ah. Just making sure. Seemed like it for a second there. Great chapter! Pissed-off Celestia is so awesome!
ok dont take eney of this serosly for i shall rage like no one has raged before YOU FUCKING BITCH WHY WHAT KIND OF VILLAIN MAKING WRITER HAS THE BAD-GUY TALK SHIT INSTEAD OF KILLING THERE TARGET thus concludes my rage now good day sir and or madam
1622658 i would rather become a monster
1623340
What?
just me raging nothing personal just dont like the sun and its god unless its Ra because he is cool
1623403
Thanks. Yeah it is short because I cant write that well or much. I need my editors to clean it hehe. Like after 1k words it gets hard, so I thought it would be better to have shorter chapters, just more of them. It is not easy for me to write, but thank you for your praise, it really does lift me up.
Well, I joined this story a tad late, but I must say, excellent work! And your choice of inspiration! Exquisite!
A like and fave for you, good sir!
FUCKING AWESOME. Ignore the haters. This one was amazing!
1623826
Thanks!
1623907
Yeah I know, cant please everyone :(
Interesting, nice that Celestia gets to keep a promise. Although, it's a tad anticlimactic for her to solve the problem so easily. I suppose Chrysalis/"Silver Skip" still has to deal with Mortar not being in very good shape at this point.
Finally a new chapter!
Wow Celestia is a badass in this chapter...And is Chrysalis gonna be a permanent pony or will she becomes a changeling again in the end but a good one? Hmm....Nah I dont think so.
I do require more of this story.
There really needs to be more theatrically inclined stories, this is just too great.
*epic explosion of badassery* Celestia: Funny that you would mention...
Chrysalis: Probably shouldn't have said anything.
I just readed up to here and i am loveing it and cant wait for more.
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She is not a failure
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If you like Celestia, then PLEASE PLEASE read The Song of Shylex by The Descendent
OMG Foxy, thanks for introducing me to the Kyrie part of the Requiem mass; I had stopped at the Dies Irae part before now. But wow, the coloratura lines for the choir and the COUNTERPOINT HNNNNNG.
Ok sorry, had to get that out of the way.
I'm totally digging this story and I read it because you mentioned you wrote it to music. I'm sorry I'm leaving a silly comment, but I'm rather short of words at the moment.
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Its fine, I love getting comments. Thanks!
Go Celestia. Burn that Evil Shadow Bitch.
That's the Celestia we should see, Woot Woot.
_____________________
Personally, i'm tired of reading Celestia appear as weak, incompetent and or both.
1626355 Meh I like Luna(gamer Luna mostlydl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Luna_lolface.png ) and Chrysalis more than Celly but I'll try to read that one.
Another dose of story and music.
Celestia certainly is a big mama bear you shouldn't cross.
1629135
It is amazing story period.
1629659
Yep, or some lioness