The evil trio of Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow had been broken out of their stone prisons by the real Grogar a short time ago. They'd kidnapped Starlight Glimmer's daughter Luster Dawn and exchanged her for Grogar's Bewitching Bell with the Mane 6. They'd tried to outsmart the evil ram and put a trap in the bell's magic that he absorbed. But he'd been one step ahead of them and now he'd taken their main enemies, Twilight Sparkle and her friends, to some place where he would deal with them himself. Now things looked hopeless for the trio as they stood in the ruins of the Castle of Two Sisters surrounded by enemies. Starlight, her husband Sunburst and friend Trixie Lulamoon, the Young Six (now adults), Thorax and other changelings, Ember, Spike, and many other dragons. They were heavily outnumbered, but many ponies were down from fighting with the monsters. It would have been unclear of who would win if not for Discord being there and at full power.
“Give it up!” Starlight ordered. “You can’t win against all of us. Your army is gone! Discord has his powers back!”
Chrysalis bared her teeth. She would not give up. She couldn’t give up. Everything, she had to have everything! She was a Queen. It was her destiny to rule! But now, her very life was in the hands of the Spirit of Chaos.
Tirek and Cozy Glow looked uncertain.
“Maybe we should give up,” Cozy Glow said.
“We can’t!” Chrysalis said. “If we give up, they’ll send us all to Tartarus!”
“Well, at least we’d be alive!” Cozy Glow said. “Maybe they’ll release me at some point. I’m still a filly after all!”
“That didn’t stop them from turning you to stone for twenty years like us!” Tirek reminded her.
“Which was rather unfair!” Cozy said.
“It doesn’t have to be that way!” a voice said.
A changeling stepped forward out of the crowd. It was Thorax’s wife, Cricilinas. She looked at Chrysalis with pleading eyes.
“Chrysalis, please, listen to me. A fellow changeling.”
Chrysalis frowned, “Why should I listen to you?”
“Because I want you in the hive again!”
The words of her former subject stunned her.
“I know that you always craved power above all else,” Cricilinas said. “But I also know that you also cared about the hive! You provided for us, nurtured us when we were hatchlings, fed us love! We were always hungry, starving! But everything you did, you did to keep us alive, and for that, many of us were grateful. But now, we don’t have to take love! We can share it with others! We’d even being willing to share some with you, if you just let us in!”
Chrysalis hesitated, the words of the changeling affecting her dark heart.
Starlight Glimmer suddenly came forward. She frowned at Chrysalis,
“I once made you an offer to be a ruler your subjects deserved. You refused. Where did it get you? Defeat and being trapped in stone for twenty years! You could have had your hive, but instead, you turned your back on it. I… I might never be able to forgive you for kidnapping Luster… but I offer you one last chance for redemption! That goes for you two as well!” she said, pointing to Tirek and Cozy. “It might take some time, but after serving some time you could return to your hive if they are willing to take you, Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis made an expression like the one that she had when Starlight first offered. Then Cricilinis walked forward, offering a hoof.
Chrysalis looked at the hoof, the words of Cricilinis and Starlight seeming to cut deeper than any blade. If she had accepted Starlight’s offer back then, she could have remained the leader of the changelings as they went through a new age. She had instead turned her back on it, just as she had accused Thorax of doing so. It had felt awful, being alone and without the hive she had done everything for. She had wanted power, and she had lost everything in her pursuit of it. She’d wanted to be Queen of the Changelings, to control all other creatures. But was the last part really necessary? Without her hive, she had just felt so incomplete… Tirek and Cozy had filled in the void even if they got on her nerves every so often. If she could just have her hive back, maybe… that would be enough?
Chrysalis then felt an urge. She clutched her teeth then-
Closing her eyes, she took a breath, letting go of the evil urge, and looked at Cricilinis’s hoof. Then slowly… she reached out… Starlight Glimmer also clutched her teeth nervously. Then… Chrysalis took it with tears starting to form in her eyes.
“I… I missed the hive!” Chrysalis said.
And with those few words, Chrysalis shared love. Her body glowed as she took on a new form. The armor around her body broke, her black skin turning white. Her eye color remained the same but seemed to shine brighter with a love to share with others rather than the usually greedy or sinister look.
“Wow, you look beautiful, Chrysalis,” Cricilinas said. “Or should I say… mother?”
Chrysalis looked at her. Technically she’d been the mother of all the changelings, like a colony of ants. Many of the changelings had feared her, and as such, not viewed her as a mother figure.
“I don’t deserve to be called that,” she said. “Not by any changeling. I… I don’t want to even be Queen anymore.”
She looked up at the tiara on her head, then slowly levitated it off and smashed it into pieces. Every creature looked at her in astonishment. Then Chrysalis turned to her former comrades.
“Well, Lord Tirek? Cozy Glow?” Chrysalis asked. “What will you do?”
“I’m done!” Cozy Glow said. “I’m helpless against the Magic of Friendship! I wanted to use it so I wouldn’t feel helpless like I was against my parents!”
Starlight remembered Cozy Glow’s story with a sad expression. She had been abused by her parents and sent to the School of Friendship in the hopes it would help her recover through making friends. But in the end, her dark past had affected her too deeply. The world could be a cruel place.
Cozy sobbed slightly. “There’s no point in fighting a lost battle!”
“Agreed,” Tirek said. “We’ve tried time and time again to win against the Magic of Friendship, but it's proven futile! I wanted all the power for myself so that I could prove to my father I was not some useless runt!”
“Aha! I was right!” Discord said.
Tirek shot him a look of disdain but sighed. He then let out a long breath releasing the magic he had taken from the ponies and other creatures the day they’d taken Luster. He even released the magic Grogar had given him, shrinking back to his weakest form so that he could be escorted back to Tartarus to serve his sentence.
In the Treehouse of Harmony, Luster Dawn and her friends and the others smiled as they felt their strength return.
Cozy Glow looked at her horn. She wasn’t sure how to get rid of it. But Discord simply snapped his fingers and it was gone. She was a filly again, a filly that was going to spend the rest of her childhood and likely teen years in Tartarus or some dungeon.
“Well… I’m glad you three decided this,” Starlight said. “I will have to wait until Twilight gets back to hear her decision, but for now… take them to Tartarus.”
Escort parties took the villains to prison… but one day… they would be free and hopefully start a new life. Or so they hoped.
The villains, or former villains now, were put in prison with Cerebrus watching over them. The three headed black dog let out excited pants. He hadn't had any company here since Tirek and Cozy Glow had been summoned by Discord when he posed as Grogar.
"Uh hey there Cerberus!" Cozy Glow said with a semi sweet smile.
The party that taken them here (consisting of various members of races in Equestria, pony, dragon, and changeling) lead the trio to cages that waited in the prison. All three of them were put inside and locked in. They did not resist, for it would be futile as they would eventually be caught and defeated again. They wanted to reform this time.
"We will wait to hear from Princess Twilight until she makes a decision regarding what will happen to you," one of the pegasus ponies said.
"Fine, fine," Tirek said with folded arms.
Chrysalis sighed and simply lay down. She wasn't sure about anything anymore, she'd just have to wait and accept her fate when it happened. She would at least have her hive back, even if she wasn't queen anymore.
"We'll be making sure some creatures are stationed here to guard you," a changeling said. "We can't have you disappearing to come back and cause trouble."
"Don't worry, we're done with that," Chrysalis promised.
The party left them with only Cerberus for company. Perhaps an hour or two later a Unicorn entered Tartarus and informed them of good news.
"Princess Twilight has survived."
The former villains sighed in relief.
"Never thought I'd be happy to hear that news," Tirek said.
"So, what happens now?" Cozy Glow asked.
"She will need time to recover from her battle with Grogar. Her student Luster Dawn apparently was the one to defeat him though," the Royal Guard Unicorn said. "Once she is recovered, she will come and see you. I'd advise you to think on what you say when she does. Starlight Glimmer has informed her of your redemption, though I don't think I'd hold your breath if you hope to be released."
He walked away and left the Legion of Doom alone again. Only time could tell what fate had in store for them.
Nice, finally we get to know what happed. i'm excited for the Dark version
11450421
Thanks for being the first to comment.
somehow I'm not very happy with this "light transition". Chrysalis as a character who has already lost almost everything she had just gives up and finally gives up the rest without gaining anything in return? It seems to me that if I were in her place, I would go all the way against the one who ruined my life (Starlight) or died doing it. (Therefore, most likely I would have expected a dark ending.)
11450501
Well she will at least have a chance to get her hive back. But hey I made two endings for them or will be. You just choose whichever you like.
11450501
Also she didn't lose everything cause of Starlight. She choose to turn her back on the hive as Starlight pointed out. Couldn't get over her thirst for power and choose a better way. It was her own fault as they said. At least in my eyes.
11450522
technically that sentence from Starlight could be read as "I took everything from you, but maybe you'll get it back if you give up now" because everyone actually appointed Thorax and was discussing "the overthrow of Chrysalis" even before she got out of the rubble. And when Chrysalis got out of the wreckage, absolutely everyone was looking at her in "combat mode, ready to attack" (changelings included).
perhaps if it was the changeling who made the offer, the result would have been different.
Also, Chrysalis promised to take revenge specifically on Starlight and no bad words towards the changelings were noticed.
11450511
By the way, the real Dark ending is usually considered to be the one where even the killed villain leaves the hero with irreparable emotional and reputational damage.
11450546
I can't really agree. But think what you will.
11450549
I don't think I'm gonna go quite that dark. I mean who is gonna blame Starlight for killing Chrysalis? Except for Cozy Glow and Tirek now? Of course Starlight will probably have some remorse. Also on closer inspection you might have a point on the thing you were talking about with it being able to Starlight took everything from her. I hadn't had time to really think about since I was busy at work. But Chyrsalis did have the chance to keep it. Starlight offered her a chance at a new life to be friends and change into a better creature that didn't neeed to take love. And Starlight raised good points that Chrysalis refused to listen to even after she saw Thorax transform she refused to change. But if you prefer the dark ending that's up to you.
You disappointed me with. Not because it’s bad but rather because of a more personal reason.
11451024
How so? That was for her to turn over a new leaf and give up her worst traits of hunger for power.
“That didn’t stop them from turning you to stone for twenty years like us!” Tirek reminded her.
“Which was rather unfair!” Cozy said.
That's debatable you almost put an end of the world especially with those windigos
11451378
Good point. You think the characterizations and action like Chrydalis smashing her tiara for the redemption are okay? Just want to hear everyone's thoughts in case I decide to do some edits or changes.
Well I got to say this was a pretty interesting one and I actually chose over the Dark One I'd rather have the light ending of your other story having chrysalis actually given into friendship even coming back to thorax and the changeling Kingdom even Tirek and Cozy glow as well giving them the backstory how they been going through maybe there's a chance we can help them for the best I'm afraid to see what's going to happen in the dark one probably I won't like it too much guess we'll find out next time
11451392
Well you just do as you prefer. I made two endings so people could choose.I too prefer redemption.
11451226
Yes but the thing that you see this sort of situation in just about every fanfic where Chrysalis reforms but fanfics where she returns to being queen after reforming are virtually nonexistent. I know of only three and in two of them that’s where the story ends. So that’s where my disappointment comes from because while what you say is true it can also be viewed as a missed opportunity for Chrysalis to be the queen her people deserve and potentially better herself further in the process. So again, I’m not saying it’s a bad decision or it would be better if you went a different direction it’s just that I think more authors should explore what would happen if she reformed AND became queen again since hardly been explored at all.
11451459
Hmm... I see. Well maybe I will consider having her go on a journey to regain the changelings love and earn the right to be a good queen.
11451460
You don’t have to do anything for my sake.
11451465
Well in any case thank you for your time.
11451460
I think that would be a good idea. I always thought that one of, if not the best ways, to have a reformed chrysalis arc feel complete is if she went on to become the Changeling Queen again, but one that acts like a true, good queen. She doesn't have to become like a changeling version of the most ideal take on Princess Celestia, but you know what I mean.
I also like how this story has two versions, so it has its own "what if?" built in it.
The light version is pretty good. Can't wait to read the dark version. I'm giving you six stars for doing a good job. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐