Chapter Seven: Twilight Sparkle (Take Two)
Twilight Sparkle sat out on her balcony, looking up at the starry late-night sky without actually seeing it. Her fascination with the lunar cycle and constellations could not distract her from the thoughts of the day’s events. It took hours for her to get her sobbing in control, but she somehow managed it in time to see the moon rise.
Now she felt more worried than sad. She'd angered her friends to the point of leaving without waiting for an apology. She could only hope that she could make it up to them before it was too late, but she was afraid of what may happen if she couldn't. What would become of the Elements? Would this render them completely useless? And would she ever be able to cope with it? As adapted as she once was to a solitary life with only a baby dragon to keep her company, it would logically follow that she was capable of adapting to it again. But she thought that life to be mostly behind her, and she far preferred the time with her friends over the time spent shut away in her library. Now that she had such great friends... the last thing she wanted was to lose them like this.
She heard a figure approaching from behind her. She assumed it to be Spike, but kept her gaze locked on the stars. "You know, you could have tried to comfort me a while ago."
"I assumed my efforts would have been wasted. The sight of me would have made it worse."
Twilight turned around, and rather than the young purple dragon she expected, she saw Queen Chrysalis standing over her. The source of all her hatred and misery over the course of these last two days. The creature that had managed, within that time, to shatter her life beyond recognition. She looked upon that face, stared into those disgusting green eyes...
And she sighed, defeated. "I give up. You got what you wanted. Just... just get out of here."
There was a long pause. Twilight looked away, her tears returning despite the control she showed before. When she looked back, however, Chrysalis remained in place, taunting her with its presence.
Finally, Chrysalis spoke. "I wanted none of this, Twilight Sparkle. Rather the opposite, in fact."
Twilight reeled back in shock. From what she knew of this creature, it was prone to gloating whenever it was convinced it had won. This was its ultimate goal, wasn't it? To see her broken and crying with her friends wanting nothing to do with her?
So why did it look as sorry as she felt?
Chrysalis had spent much of the day wondering how much better off she would have been if she had simply met with Celestia directly. How much better off Twilight and her friends would have been. She once cared so little for these ponies, with their static forms and fleshy, fragile exterior frames. They'd been little more than nourishment, perhaps more than enough to have fed her swarm at its peak for generations. Now, however, she was concerned for these six, her actions having possibly torn them apart.
She should have expected this, planned for it. She knew the friends were a tight-knit group; the Elements of Harmony would never function if they were not. And to an extent, she did account for that closeness, trying to gain Twilight’s favor by gaining that of one or more of the others.
But she never even considered what might happen if they all supported her while the lavender mare remained opposed. She had been so certain that the aid of the kind, timid Fluttershy would have convinced her enough to send the cry for help to her beloved mentor with only a moment’s hesitation, yet even with all five, she resisted.
She never considered what that sort of reaction would have done for her efforts to rejuvenate the changeling race. The whole point was to earn Twilight’s trust, and such a division had the potential to revoke that trust and doom her subjects to extinction.
Most of all, she never considered that she may come to bond with the group of friends. They helped her because they cared, and she allowed them partly because she cared as well. She needed only to think back to Pinkie Pie’s party mere hours before to remind herself of this fact. But it seemed that this development was the very reason Twilight felt so betrayed and behaved as she did.
The mare whose help she needed most may have forever lost the love of the ponies she cared about the most... and it was all on Chrysalis’ head. And she could do nothing about it except show her that somepony still cared.
“I...” she began. “I’m at a loss for words. The only thing I can think to tell you is how truly sorry I am that this event transpired. That any of this did, now and in Canterlot.”
Twilight seemed to snap out of her trance and regained her composure. “So what, you’re apologizing for attacking the city?”
“It was an act of necessity and desperation,” Chrysalis replied. “As poor the result may have been, I cannot apologize for acting for the benefit of my subjects. I meant to apologize for everything else. About Captain Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
“Her name is Cadance. And it’s a little late to apologize for that. You knew exactly what you were doing by screwing with both of them.”
Chrysalis sighed. “That’s just it. I was unaware of their relationships beyond each other. I needed Mi Am—I needed Cadance to get close enough to your brother to drain his force field and grant my people entry. When Shining Armor attempted to introduce you to me, I did not recognize you as his sister. I knew of the Elements of Harmony, and I had general knowledge of their bearers... but I may have changed my entire approach if I’d known of the couple's history with you. Overlooking that crucial detail, I believe, was what put me in the position I’m in now.”
Twilight paused for a moment, considering her words. Chrysalis was surprised by the length of time she took to do so; she wholly expected her to cling to her hostility and disregard the apology completely.
“You know I can’t just forgive you for that,” Twilight finally said. “What you did was manipulative and underhoofed, and it almost ruined what I had with Shining Armor after not seeing him for years. You made me think my old foalsitter had turned into a horrible pony! You—”
“You never realized the deceit?” Chrysalis asked, shocked. All this time, she’d thought Twilight’s actions were meant to blow her cover and reveal her identity before her forces could access the haven of love that was cut off from them. To hear that she may not have been wise to her after all... the thought never even crossed her mind.
“Not until you imprisoned me with the real Cadance,” Twilight confirmed. “I really thought you were her, and I really thought she became this awful, rude, inconsiderate pony while I was in Ponyville.”
“Thanks...” Chrysalis mumbled, unheard.
“If anything, not knowing only made it hurt more,” Twilight continued. “The days leading up to the wedding were the worst of my life, and you can’t deny that that was your fault... but I guess knowing you didn’t mean anything personal by it makes it a little easier to accept.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is... I’m sorry too. For just jumping to conclusions like that and acting based on those conclusions. I was so convinced I was right that I didn’t even consider what I’d be doing to my friends if I was wrong. And... well... here we are.”
There they were. The words Chrysalis had been waiting for since Twilight attacked her. The words she had been working hard to earn from her throughout the previous day, but never heard. The words she’d lost hope of hearing after her meltdown with Pinkie Pie that morning. And yet, she felt she’d neither earned nor deserved that apology. The cost was far too great, and it seemed more like Twilight had been guilted into relenting.
“I don’t know if I can accept your apology. Not like this.”
“You might as well,” Twilight replied. “You probably wouldn’t have gotten it any other way.”
The two sat in silence for a while, simply looking up at the sky and letting their thoughts roam free. In the glow of the moonlight, Chrysalis could feel the tension gradually dissipate. For the first time since her arrival, she did not get a feeling of discomfort from the mare beside her. In that moment, Twilight seemed not to mind her company. Perhaps it was the exchange they shared just before, or perhaps it was the tranquility of the night, but neither of them felt like they didn’t want to be there.
Twilight was the first to break the silence. “So... Chrysalis... there are still so many things about this that I don’t understand.”
Chrysalis looked to the unicorn in amazement. Twilight used her name. She didn’t refer to her by her race, didn’t call her a thing or a monster, didn’t even try to appeal to her royal status. At long last, she respected her enough to use her name. She couldn’t help but smile, touched as she was by the sentiment. “I will explain what I can. It’s the least I can do.”
“First of all... why me?”
“That much should be obvious,” Chrysalis answered. “You are the only way I can contact your princess without risking another journey to Canterlot.”
“Not necessarily,” Twilight rebutted. “You must have known I would be stubborn about writing that letter to her. What surprises me is... well, everything I write to the princess has to be sent through Spike’s fire breath. And he seemed more than happy to have you around. What was stopping you from going behind my back and getting him to send the letter without my permission?”
“A few things,” Chrysalis responded. “First and foremost, however, was that I had been trying to earn your trust and atone for my past actions. I would have made no progress if I’d attempted to involve Celestia without your consent. And I was so determined to gain that trust that it never even occurred to me to try.”
“Really? Not even a stray thought?”
“Not even,” Chrysalis confirmed. “Even if I’d wanted to after your... well, your episode, I assume Spike would have added a note about your mental state. An act of love and concern, no doubt, but it would have made me look even worse to Celestia, and she may have chosen not to act. At least, not in any way that would have helped me.”
“Alright... but what about my friends? What made you think you needed them all on your side?”
Chrysalis recalled hearing this question before, but not having the opportunity to adequately answer. She thought back to Fluttershy, who showed the depths of her compassion when she came pleading to her for help. She thought back to Rarity and Applejack, whose allegiances with her were shakier but who supported her nonetheless. She remembered Spike, whose company was a pleasant constant during her stay at the library. She remembered Pinkie Pie and her small party, which had lifted her spirits in these dark times. Even Rainbow Dash, whom she had only encountered the one time before now, chose to join her friends at her side when faced with Twilight’s apparent madness.
And to think that she, the queen of the changelings, could have forged friendships with these individuals. It wasn’t enough to serve its initial purpose, but she’d stopped caring about the initial purpose around three ponies ago. It was enough that she had their support and their friendship.
“It was not going to be all of them,” she began. “At first, I felt I only needed Fluttershy’s assistance, and in fact, she was the only one I sought out. The others were purely accidental encounters, though I am grateful for them. I wanted only one, but I found five instead. I must admit, though... considering my conviction that Fluttershy would convince you enough to help me, your resistance to all five of them is impressive in its own way.”
Unexpectedly, Twilight actually chuckled at that remark. “Stubbornness is supposed to be Applejack’s job. I must have put her to shame.”
“That seems a poor choice of words,” Chrysalis replied, to which Twilight shrank back slightly.
“I still can’t believe I did that to them,” she lamented. “I used to live a mostly lonely life, but now that I’ve met them, I can’t imagine anything else. But I said some horrible things to them, and they didn’t even let me say I was sorry.” She looked to the ground, her eyes starting to water again. “I’m so scared of losing them... but I don’t know if they’d forgive me.”
“Do not dwell on it further, Twilight. You’ve shed enough tears this night.” Chrysalis draped her foreleg over Twilight’s shoulders. “It was my presence here that triggered this series of events. They cannot stay angry forever, and I will see to it that they do not.”
“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, sniffling.
“Absolutely,” Chrysalis assured her. “They are my friends as well. And even then, I expect some of them to have already forgiven you. Your apology would mean more coming from your own mouth, so you will need to do this yourself. I can only assist. I’ve known none of them personally any longer than two days, so I doubt the effectiveness of my own input.”
“I knew our friendship would be a lasting one after only a few hours,” Twilight countered. “I guess I’m just worrying over nothing again. Discord himself couldn’t keep us apart. I’ll have to talk to them tomorrow... but I think you being there when I do would help more than you realize.”
“I suppose we may have to wait and see,” Chrysalis stated. “And... the matter of your mentor?”
“I promise, I’ll write to her when I’ve made up with my—with our friends,” Twilight declared. “In the meantime, I’ve already lost sleep over this whole thing, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get much now, so... you never did find that communication spellbook I wanted. I don’t suppose you’d want to help me check the shelves on the upper level?”
Chrysalis smiled again, relieved by the relaxed and even friendly attitude Twilight showed towards her. “It would be my pleasure.”
The changeling queen really did admire Spike sometimes. She now remembered how rigorous the task of scouring countless shelves for a single book could be, and she could not imagine dealing with it for one’s entire life. In addition, with only part of a ceiling above herself and Twilight, the sleeping dragon was within hearing range of their entire search; to remain asleep through the ruckus they were creating was an impressive feat indeed.
“What is the purpose of this spellbook you’re fixated on?” Chrysalis inquired, having all but torn apart a shelf full of history texts.
“I want to see if I can find one on vocal long-distance communication,” Twilight responded. “It should be quicker and more personal than writing letter after letter and waiting for the other party’s reply. Since Spike can only send and receive letters to and from Princess Celestia, I don’t have any quick way to talk to my family back in Canterlot, which I’ve been meaning to do for a little while now.”
“Namely, your brother and his new bride?”
“Exactly!” Twilight exclaimed. “Actually, now that I’m thinking about them... you don’t hate them, do you? It was their force field that kicked you and your changelings out of Canterlot.”
“I have not given the couple much thought throughout my stay,” Chrysalis stated. “I do not see myself as harboring any resentment towards them.” And for the most part, she spoke the truth. But Twilight had seemed close to coming around and sending the letter to Celestia before her exchange with Pinkie Pie. It was as if the conflicting emotions had stopped their battle and allowed the more hateful ones to regain control. She’d chosen to give Shining and Cadance minimal thought, but they were the most directly responsible for the changelings’ current state. She could imagine the same emotional outburst occurring to her if she were to meet them.
“That’s good, I suppose,” Twilight commented. “I just felt so distant from him when I had to hear about his wedding from Princess Celestia...”
“Your connection with your brother is as strong as those with your friends,” Chrysalis observed.
“It is, and I don’t ever want to risk losing it again. Do you even know what that’s like, having a connection like that and having it almost come undone? Especially with family or friends?”
“Not in an emotional sense, no,” Chrysalis replied, “but in a literal sense, I understand better than you ever could.”
“What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked, her book search forgotten in favor of a potential pursuit of new knowledge.
“Well, you were not far off when you suggested that the changelings were extensions of my will,” Chrysalis informed her. “They are sentient, of course, and they have their own thoughts and feelings, but they are all connected to each other, and to me, by a single hive mind. Very efficient for spreading orders to the entire hive, if I do say so myself. As their queen, I can detach myself from that connection if I so choose, but the others are linked permanently. Imagine having all of your friends’ thoughts joining your own in your head, and you can grasp the idea.”
“But obviously on a larger scale,” Twilight added. “Is that... how you know about their suffering?”
“That of the ones I could not see, yes,” Chrysalis solemnly answered. “It was a mess of cries of pain and pleas for help. I have not attempted the connection since that time. The sudden silence when any of those voices vanished was too much for me.”
“So you haven’t checked on them in at least two days?” Twilight stated. “You ought to fix that right now. I think they need reassurance from their ruler right now. Heck, since you’ve been detached for so long, they might not even know you’re still alive!”
Had it really been so long? All this time, she’d been fighting to save their lives, and she never even thought to check in with them despite the relative ease with which she could. Even now, at Twilight’s suggestion, she could hardly bear to try, not if it meant hearing the final thoughts of so many more of those poor, broken souls.
However... Twilight had a point. This queen was long overdue for an address to her subjects. With that in mind, Chrysalis reached out and linked herself to the changeling hive mind.
Twilight was actually quite pleased with herself now. In her panic about losing her closest friends, she felt she may have gained a new one. One that, only hours ago, she’d unrepentantly labeled as an enemy, a villain. Their heart-to-heart on the balcony meant more to her than she expected it to. And now, moments later, there she was, making small talk with Chrysalis as they scoured the shelves for the book she wanted.
She was fascinated to hear about the mental link Chrysalis shared with the changelings. It made them sound as if they truly did function as a hive, somewhat akin to ants or bees, with the queen making decisions and giving orders. It was such a bountiful learning opportunity, and there was nopony better to learn from!
And now she was about to see how this hive mind worked. She wondered if it would be entirely mental, which would make it a somewhat disappointing spectacle, or if there would be some sort of visual indicator of the connection.
What she saw was a bit of both. She knew Chrysalis had linked, but she didn’t know from anything related to the process itself. The indicator was the way the monarch suddenly froze up, eyes wide and mouth gaping, then fell onto her haunches with tears leaking unhindered from her eyes.
“Chrysalis...?”
But Chrysalis didn’t respond. Twilight couldn’t pretend to know firsthoof how this sort of thing was supposed to work, but she wasn’t convinced that what she was seeing now was supposed to happen. In all honestly, it looked like something was seriously wrong, and she was beginning to feel unnerved. The lack of response only served to make it even worse.
“Come on, talk to me,” she insisted. “What’s wrong? How many are there?”
She did get a response this time. A short response, but a response nonetheless. But considering what that response was, she would probably have been just as happy with more silence.
“Write the letter. Now!”
The silence in her head was deafening.
Chrysalis’ entire motivation for showing her face in Equestria again was to ensure the survival of her race. Every action made in this kingdom was made to further that goal. And the plan she had to meet this goal seemed so simple, so solid. She was so elated to gain the amount of support she did. She even dared to hope, to wholeheartedly believe that she could do it.
Not one. Not even one. No stray thoughts, no cries of pain, no pleas for help, no begging for an end. The hive mind was empty save for herself. It was as if she never made the link at all, the only thoughts in her head being her own, but it was compounded by the complete nothing she was met with. It made her feel tiny, lost and helpless.
It was all for nothing. She’d have accomplished just as much by laying in that crater and weeping until the bodies she could see stopped squirming and screaming. There was literally no point to her even being here in the first place.
“Chrysalis, what happened?” Twilight asked, the hairs in her recently-restyled mane starting to fall back out of place. “What can you hear? How many are left?”
“None!” Chrysalis sobbed. “They’re all gone!”
“What’s all gone?” Spike groaned, climbing out of bed and looking over the edge of the bedroom to the scene below.
“Spike,” Twilight commanded, very visibly distressed. “Take a letter.”
Dear Princess Celestia,
I may have just learned the most valuable friendship lesson of my life tonight. But I’m afraid I’ll have to give it to you at another time. Right now, there’s something much more important and much more urgent that I need to talk to you about.
You see, two days ago, Equestria got a return visit from Chrysalis, the changeling queen. She’s been staying here in Ponyville for a while, first at Fluttershy’s cottage, then here at the library. She asked me to write a letter to you, hoping you could look past the events of the wedding and provide any sort of relief for her subjects, who were scattered and dying as a result of the force field that drove them out.
Unfortunately, I’ve just been informed that she was too late, and they all perished despite her best efforts to win me over get the help she needed. I’m looking at her right now, and she’s completely inconsolable.
I don’t know what’s left to do, but I need to know that there’s still something. I need to see you as soon as possible to discuss this, as there’s still more to this that I’m not completely comfortable saying through writing. I need a reply as soon as you receive this. It’s just as important to me as it is to her.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
The scroll was incinerated by Spike’s flames, leaving a trail of magical smoke en route to Canterlot Castle. The sending went off without a hitch.
“Perfect!” Twilight shrieked. “Now go get the others and bring them over here! Tell Fluttershy first, tell her to grab Rainbow Dash, and work from there. I don’t care what you have to do or what you have to tell them, just get them here. Got it?”
“Yeah, but I really think you should lie down for a—”
“Now, Spike!” Twilight interrupted, losing her patience with each passing second.
“Alright, fine!” Spike relented, and he moved for the door. Before he got a chance to open it, however, he belched, spewing fire and ejecting a rather small scroll. He grabbed the letter from the air, opened it, and read its contents aloud:
I’ll be there after sunrise. Don’t let her out of your sight.
Twilight was pleased to hear Princess Celestia’s prompt response, but her nerves were still going haywire. “Great, perfect, we can have everyone over to watch for her, just go get them!”
“I’m going!” Spike shouted, exiting the room and slamming the door behind him.
Twilight continued to perform her newly-adopted ritual of pacing in circles, telling herself to calm down, and utterly failing to obey herself. Once again, the world around her was dead to her. She didn’t even register the bawling Chrysalis despite the fact that she was the cause of her stress.
A realization struck her the moment the news had left Chrysalis’ mouth. Possibly the worst realization that anypony could ever hit upon. She’d tried to convince herself that it wasn’t true, but there was no way around it.
This was all on her.
She had to be stubborn. She had to resist Chrysalis’ attempts to show her the light. She had to hang onto some pathetic facsimile of hatred even when the real hatred had all but died. She had to allow herself to snap and lash out at all of her friends.
She had to do all this instead of just thinking for two seconds and seeing just how much harm she was doing. And now, not only did she practically disown almost everypony she loved, but she knowingly stalled the changeling relief effort to the point where it became worthless.
The worst part about it was that the friend problem was the only one that could be fixed.
She envisioned a colorful and elaborate worst-case scenario for herself. The renewed scorn of her friends. Being disowned by her teacher, by the co-ruler of all Equestria. Banishment. Imprisonment. Dying alone, rotting away in a prison in a place she didn’t know. Not even being missed enough for a funeral.
No. She was not letting herself lose her cool like that again. The last time she let her worst-case scenarios run her actions, she... well, the second-to-last time, she sent all of Ponyville into a riot over a doll. She needed to stay positive. She would absolutely make sure her friends knew how terrible she felt about saying all those horrible things to them, and she would keep their friendship alive at any cost, because now, more than ever, she needed them. She needed somepony to help her through this, to ease her nagging conscience, to tell her that this wasn’t her fault.
She felt she needed to hear that, even though she knew it was a lie.
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Time Attack Mode Activated!
Great story.
It was so good that it made me cry.
Oh no, those poor changelings!
Good job Twilight, you helped destroy the entire changeling race all because you wouldn't listen
A heavy truth that Twilight just realized, this is dark but good twist to this fanfic. Keep up the good work!
Oh... right in the feels.
I might be wrong, but that response sounds to me like Celestia isn't coming no help the changelings and more like a I'm coming for Chrysalis don't let her hide and/or scape...
While it looks like Twilight screwed up, I don't think anypony has any right to place blame on her for not writing sooner. She certainly could have handled it better, and blowing up on her friends is mostly, if not completely, on her, but the recent tragedy and fact that Chrysalis won over the mane six as friends can easily make one forget that the fact is that the Changelings are a foreign aggressive force. It's true they acted in desperation, but they attacked unprovoked, caused untold property damage, harmed, and maybe even killed, both civilians and guards. Even if you were to ignore the aggravating details involved, it would have been stupidly reckless to listen to the enemy, accept their word and ask Celestia for help. Twilight might have erred, but considering the situation it was better for the Equestrians to err in the side of caution, had the Changelings been acting it could have open the doors for a second invasion...
Also you have to wonder, no matter how much it makes her suffer, silencing her link to her subjects and not contacting them in 2 days is a incredibly stupid move. While it's true it hurt her to have constantly listen their cries, and that she needed concentration to plan and to try to win Twilight over, not bothering to check for two whole days was asking for trouble, especially considering a leader is supposed to reassure her subjects during hard times. Not only are they likely dead, they probably died confused, scared and alone. The worst part is I doubt any current world leader would have acted differently, and that makes it all the more believable...
While I believe you took Twilight a little to far, all the characters are completely in character, the way you wrote it it's completely believable, thought this scenario is a little to dark for the show target audience, so I don't think we will actually see something similar on the hub. A great fic so far.
1497233
>that response sounds to me like Celestia isn't coming no help
Yes, I noticed that line didn't inspire a whole lot of confidence...
>and maybe even killed
Now, that's not really a fair assessment. Killing would both serve as a detriment to their overall goal, and fly in the face of Chrysalis's actions up to that point. She'd had ample opportunity to kill Twilight and the real Cadence, but just locked them up, instead. Cadence's health would suggest she even gave her food and water.
>had the Changelings been acting it could have open the doors for a second invasion
It's entirely possible to give aid while not rolling out the red carpet for an invasion. They already know of the changelings' abilities, so as long as they had security measures in place, there's no more danger of them invading that way than any other.
>not bothering to check for two whole days was asking for trouble
Given her proclivity towards not planning ahead, thinking things through or using common sense, you have to wonder how she became queen in the first place. I mean, her first attempt at invading would have gone off without a hitch if she'd tried, I don't know, maybe not being a bitch. All in all, I think it's safe to put a modest share of the blame for this mess on her atrocious acting.
I don't mean to be a dick, but Estimate time to next Chapter? I love this story, I must have more!
1498784 I don't have a schedule for this. It's mostly just a free-time thing. I mean, I already started the next one (if you count two sentences as "starting"), but I've got my riffs to work on as well.
Basically, no promises, but I don't think it should be more than a few weeks. Probably.
1496430 when will the next chapter of OtWoA come out?
And now I feel bad.
Still, was an AWESOME Chapter. Together with the RD one, it's the best way to start the day.
Please write more!
1497233
Yeah, people seem to forget that the changelings kinda wanted to use the ponies as living batteries and control/enslave them in cocoons -- possibly trying to convert them, but most likely it was a prison. Twilight's reaction to the person that tried to use/kill her, her friends, the populace, and the princess seems really reasonable, not to mention that Chrysalis is winning over her friends pretty easily, and Chrysalis is a creature that can control minds. That alone would be suspicious.
Really, if Chrysalis wanted to feed her "starving" changelings, she should've asked in the first place, but she wanted to control and rule over pony kind since she was small, as the song dictates. Feeling sorry for Chrysalis is like feeling sorry for a tapeworm that mind controls you, or a demon succubus, or Maleficent that also wants you to be encased in a prison and to be used as fuel. Not gonna happen on my end at all.
Besides, it's kinda majorly hinted at- while not outright said on the show, the staff that work on the show and the wiki claims that's what they were going for - that the changelings "feed" of love the same way windigoes "feed" of hate - they get more powerful. It's not actual food for them. Not even actual changelings from folklore do that, so... yeah. This is kinda like how some fics try to redeem Night Mare Moon - they all seem to forget that 1000 years of night would kill everything and everyone on the planet.
But, none of that matters, since this is Fallen's vision, story and headcanon, and the characters are pretty spot on - which is what matters to me - and it's competently written.
very nice story, keep it going pls^^
It's a very nice story... but I think you may have taken it TOO far by having ALL the changelings die.. I mean your take on Twilight's mentality is understandable... but with this disaster happening... the consequences seem too high for anything other than a deus ex machina to fix... still, if you can pull it off... the fic would have turned from good. to freaking awesome.
1566037 Who said anything about it getting fixed? I mean, I toyed with the idea, but there's no solid, believable way to come back from this unless there JUST SO HAPPENED to be a few unconscious or comatose ones somewhere. Which, as you said, felt too much like a deus ex machina and detracted from the weight of the issue. At this point, it's not about getting Celestia's help anymore, though Chrysalis will still beg hoping there's SOMETHING do be done; it's more now about awaiting her judgment.
1567181 ah!! So that's what you went for! I now eagerly await the end!
1505442
Basicaly there are alot of plot holes considering changelings invasion, I mean how would they gather love if they invade ( but we can asume it is forceful feading from tham of some sort ).
But the point is that Chrysalis did not hurt anypony, none any of her subjects, and she had any right to get rid of mane 6 and Shinning Armor when she captured tham, but she did not, I mean, it would be far more simply to kill SHining and barrier would go down, ( even if she did not wanted to kill a food supply, it is stilla peaceful solution ).
Anyway I m 100% sure that after watching episode with Zecora, there is no way any changeling would be welcomed or given a chance, and we can asume that in the pass changelings were threated as bugs what should be experminated, so changelings decided to go underground and steal love, I mean, they were feading peacefuly for alot alot time, and yet this tactic would not provide enoght love and invasion on canterlot was a desperate action, ( but when you practicaly take over enemy country, your ego totaly make you look like some sort of villan who is happy to watch suffering of his enemys ).
ANyway the point is that in the show, not much is explained, and in this fanfic it is scenario that changelings invaded out of desperation and hunger, and it is a very belivable scenario, I mean, they feed on love, so why counquer, how it would make they lives more easy.
Just accept that in this story chrysalis is not any clishey villan or ruthless demon, but a Queen who wanted to save her subjects, and if someone suffered from the invasion, it was a 1000 death on starving hangelings side and 0 death on pony side, so I personaly fell sory for Chrysalis.
What? In two days all the changelings died out? That is the biggest ass pull I've ever read and a poor twist.
1736882
she took ALL of her subjects into that attack. It seems reasonable enough to me that the ones that weren't ground into the walls and were thrown miles into trees and rocks and flat dusty land that they all died. If you equated humans to ponies and then changelings we would've all died on impact. (the equation to ponies is because horses in real life break a bone and have to be killed :/ )
Cap.
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2123634
But we see in Equestria that isn't the case. As the pony in a body cast was there rather than euthanized. Or all the broken bones Rainbow Dash has gotten. Or the medical facilities they posssess. Broken Bone doesn't equal a death sentence.
But since medical technology / abilities are better than here on earth (They can grow teeth, and some bones instantly via potions). If they had gotten medical attention. They could have been saved (at least those not in critical condition). But two days, injured and those not injured, starving (after all I'm sure she has ... well had Nymphs and workers looking after the starving young. Or those who stayed in the hive due to infrastructural needs). Then well I can see very many dying in two days. Especially if they were starving days before the failed attempt to take over Equestria.
Way to go, Twilight. Way to go.
1499411
Looks like never.
1736882
They were already injured after being yeeted it out of the Crystal Empire they were already starving and running out of love energy and actual food so they either starved to death or they could have died of dehydration also there is the possibility that they could have had their injuries infected if they had internal injuries or compound fractures both of which are susceptible to infections