As Chrysalis predicted, Canterlot was in near chaos.
Reports had hit that Celestia and Luna were down and that an army of Changelings had marched across the east coast. Canterlot was in an uproar, with half the nobles fleeing to the west coast.
It was a nightmare.
Luckily, Cadance manage to keep Twilight calm as they assured the citizens that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would be okay, citing the incident with the plunder vines, where they were returned safely. This seemed to mollify everypony, at least for now.
While Cadance organized the Royal Guards, Twilight packed her bags, preparing for a longer fight. A Royal Chariot would take them to Baltimare, where they could sneak inside the city. Starlight was already gone, looking for Sombra and Hope. That just left one thing...
“Please let me come with you!”
“No, Spike, it’s dangerous!”
“Come on! I helped you fight off those Changelings that invaded Ponyville!”
“Those were just a small group. This is an entire army.”
“But Twilight...”
Twilight turned around and wrapped her charge in a hug. “Spike... Spike, I love you so much. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. That’s why I’m keeping you here. You’ll be safe here.”
“But...”
“No buts. If you want to help, go catch up to Starlight and help her find Sombra and Hope, or help Cadance by being her assistant, but I’m not taking you out into the field. Period.”
Spike sighed. “Okay.”
Twilight paused, then hugged her charge. “Please stay here and be good, okay? If you do, I promise to take you to do something fun.”
“...Can we go to the Manehattan Comic-Con?”
“Sure. After this is all over.” She kissed him on the forehead. “You go help Cadance, I need to pack.”
Spike walked out, and Twilight returned to packing her bag.
Spike walked down the hallways, wondering what to do next. Then, he started to head toward the stables. He needed to find the chariot the group was taking.
Twilight returned to packing, only to be interrupted by a small giggle. Perking up her ears, she turned to see Cadance coming in.
“You look... better.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s sweet seeing you dote on him like that. And... it’s making me miss Flurry Heart.”
“I can’t blame you. But I’m sure your servants at the Crystal Empire can take good care of her. Lucky foal, being born into royalty.”
“Not all children are lucky that way. I can’t imagine Chrysalis’s child is happy.”
Twilight looked at her, shocked. “Chrysalis has a child?”
Cadance slapped her hoof over muzzle, having just realized what she let slip. Looking at Twilight, she knew the jig was up. “Yes. It’s a recent development, but she has a daughter.”
“Why wasn’t I told? Was I not important enough?” Twilight said, spreading her wings.
“No, no, Twily, it’s nothing like that. It’s... well, Celestia wants to keep you as distanced from any Changeling business as possible. I think she blames herself for Chrysalis having such an interest in you.”
“So she keeps me in the dark on something trying to kill me.”
“Not like that. Anything that could protect you, you know. But Aunt Celestia has fought Chrysalis for centuries. She knows how petty her grudges are, and how quick that she drops them when something else comes along. She’s hoping that some soldier becomes her new target and she forgets all about you.”
“...I’m going to be having a talk with her when she’s turned back. Now, what’s this about Chrysalis’s daughter?”
“She seems to only be twelve, and from what we can tell Chrysalis doesn’t care for her much, and widely considers her an embarrassment. We have no clue who the father is, only that she seems to have no involvement in anything Chrysalis does in anything of her schemes.”
Twilight could only sigh. “That poor kid. I can only imagine how miserable she is under someone like the Changeling Queen.”
The Changelings marched upon Baltimare with more difficulty than the others. The third major city to be crushed had advance warning to prepare. Sadly, this was not enough to stop the invasion. Baltimare fell, and while the rewards weren’t as big, they now controlled half the eastern coast.
Chrysalis was led through the city, waving as if it had been her doing. Pupa followed on a palanquin of her own, fuming that her mother was taking all the credit.
Cocoon, walking at her side, gave her a sympathetic look.
The Mayor of Baltimare was fanning her, tears in his good eye while the other was swollen shut. While kicking it repeatedly had been fun, it had only been a temporary distraction until her problems resurfaced.
The pony orphan, Pupa decided to call her Spot, pressed her head up against her master. While Pupa ran her hoof through her mane, she didn’t look at her. She kept her glare on Chrysalis.
The procession eventually reached City Hall, where they went in and into the former mayor’s office. The Mayor was excused to work elsewhere, while the orphan was sent to Pupa’s quarters. Chrysalis sat in the Mayor’s seat, putting her back legs up on the table. “Not as good as a throne room, but it will do.”
“I’m glad you approve, Chrysalis,” Pupa said.
“I do indeed. I guess this is another victory for us.”
“Us? You didn’t do anything but sit on your palanquin and watch while we gave the orders.”
“I was supervising. I needed to make sure you were learning something,” Chrysalis said. “I always said that you needed to get up and learn to take care of your problems, and under my guidance, you’ve done so.”
“Under your... you weren’t even here during the first two invasions!”
“Yes, but I told you to take initiative. Therefore, the credit goes to me.”
Pupa opened her mouth, but Cocoon put a hoof on her back. “Let it go,” he said.
Pupa fumed.
“And I must say, after hearing the soldiers compliment the battle tactics, I’m impressed. You actually got the army to behave. They are always rather insubordinate for little reason.”
Cocoon nodded. “It’s almost as if they aren’t completely willing to throw their lives away following a completely unqualified leader.”
“Yeah. Maybe I should have fired you long ago.”
Cocoon put a hoof to his forehead.
Pupa glared at her mother. No... not her mother. Just the one that squeezed out her egg. “No, Chrysalis, he helped me. He taught me everything I know.”
Chrysalis blinked. “Really? But... but that can’t be. If Cocoon is competent... and you’re certainly competent... then who’s the problem?”
“...Really?” Pupa asked. “You really have to ask?”
“No.. I don’t... clearly we had pony sympathizers in our army during the last hundred invasions.”
“...Yes, yes, that’s it,” Pupa said.
“I really need to go back to trying to find them. They’ve been around since we escaped the volcano.”
The Changeling Kingdom was celebrating its 100th year of peace and continued growth. They had managed to restructure the government, eliminate poverty, advance their technology twice as fast, and rediscovered the arts. Surely, there was cause to celebrate.
The crowd gathered in front of the palace, where King Thorax stepped forward. His father became acting king upon Chrysalis’s disappearance, and he had taken the throne and continued his good rule.
“My fellow Changelings, we are here to celebrate...”
“My return,” a voice suddenly interrupted. Chrysalis suddenly landed on the front steps in front of Thorax, her army on the horizon, flying in. “And it seems you’ve done well running my kingdom while I was trapped in that volcano. Totally bogus charges, whatever thousands of eyewitnesses might say. Now, give me the crown...”
“No.”
Chrysalis blinked. “Excuse me? Either I misheard you, or you have suicidal tendencies. You will give me that crown...”
“No! Without your toxic influence we have become strong! We have finally started catching up with Equestria in technology. We’ve almost made peace with the other nations! I’ll fight you with my dying breath! I’ll...”
There was a green zap, and Thorax was a pile of ashes.
“Yeah, blah, blah, whatever. I take it there are no further objections?”
There was a silence. Then, everyling started chanting, “Hail Queen Chrysalis! Hail Queen Chrysalis!”
“Thought so,” she said, heading into the palace.
Twenty-four hours later, the entire Changeling Kingdom had been reduced to a giant slum.
“Come on, things went to Tartarus that quickly after I got back? What other explanation could there be?”
“...I can’t imagine,” Pupa said.
“Well, maybe we can narrow it down now. Did you take anyling out of the army?” Chrysalis demanded.
“No. In fact, we drafted a few in,” Pupa stated.
“Who?”
“Just the Changelings that beat me up. You know, the ones that you didn’t do anything about?”
Chrysalis brightened up. “Really? So you had them on the suicide parts of the invasion?”
“There were no suicide parts. I expressly calculated the invasion so there was a minimum chance of casualties with a maximum chance of success. The last I checked, they’re still alive and well. And scrubbing toilets in between battles. Much more satisfying than having them killed.”
Chrysalis looked at her daughter for a moment. Then, she smiled, and a tear ran down her cheek. “That... that was so evil, yet pragmatic. Maybe you really are my daughter.”
“I’m overjoyed,” she said flatly. “Now, are we done here? I have to get back to expecting my troops.”
“Of course. Go on, my little one. Make your mother proud.”
Pupa didn’t respond as she left. Cocoon waited for permission to leave before following her. He caught up with the princess without too much trouble.
“You took a big risk undermining her authority like that, calling them your troops.”
“No I didn’t. Chrysalis has her head shoved so far up her own abdomen that she won’t notice anything she finds unpleasant.”
“...True,” Cocoon said. “So, what are your orders?”
“Well, I suppose now that we have the east coast on lockdown, it makes sense to march west. Hopefully we can make enough of a march before my mother gets defeated by Twilight and her friends.”
“...You don’t have a lot of faith in her, do you?”
“Do you?”
“...No, I don’t.”
“Exactly, but I want your soldiers in at the fight, some of the best you can trust. As soon as Twilight or any of her friends gets turned to gold, have your men haul them away and hide them somewhere. It’s imperative that we stop them from using that Rainbow Power.”
“Makes sense. And when do you want us to intervene in the actual battle? Or do you want me to just let them take your mother if she gets captured?”
“No, you need to rescue her. As much as it pains me to say it, Chrysalis captured could lead to them figuring out how to undo the transformations. We can’t let that happen until we have more of a hoofhold.”
Cocoon grinned. “I taught you well, it seems.”
Pupa felt something irradiating out of the commander. After a moment’s hesitation, she dared take a sample of it.
She nearly moaned in pleasure. She had grown up tasting love, but it had always been the empty-calorie version that came from mass brainwashing. This was true pride, and it was meant for her.
Cocoon braced her to prevent her from falling down. “Don’t lose your head just yet. We still have a lot of work to do.”
Twilight took a deep breath as the chariot flew toward Fillydelphia. This was bad, and the stakes had never been higher. At least there hadn’t been civilians to worry about the last time they had fought, even at the Crystal Empire they managed to clear out.
The tension between the six friends was noticeable, even to the usually bubbly Pinkie Pie. There was a moment of silence before Rarity spoke.
“Darling... are you sure it’s a good idea to attack Chrysalis this soon?”
“No,” Twilight admitted. “There’s a lot of me that wants to put this off until we have the guards ready. But if we’re going to have any chance of stopping Chrysalis, we need to get her while she’s damaged, and before she gets more entrenched.”
“She took out the princesses with just one touch,” Fluttershy said. “Can we really...”
“She was expecting us that time. Maybe we can blindside her... or at least have her attack on our terms.”
“I think we better do the second. Charging in head-first is just going to get us killed.”
Everypony turned and gaped. Rainbow Dash looked offended. “What? I can’t be clever every once in awhile?”
“Uh... anyway, what is the plan, Twi?” Applejack asked.
“Simple. I have my plans.” She turned and opened the back compartment. “Spike, could you hand me my plans?” A small purple claw handed her some plans. “Thank you.” She closed the compartment and turned to her friends. “Now then...”
...
...
...
She turned and opened the compartment in one swift motion, seeing her baby dragon waving at her nervously.
“Spike,” she said, the word coming out as a growl as she levitated her charge out of his hiding place and sat him on the seat. The already cramped chariot couldn’t hold him, so Rainbow Dash got out and flew.
“Uh... hi.”
“What. Are you. Doing here?”
“I... I didn’t want you to go alone, I wanted to help you,” Spike said.
Twilight had rarely had to punish Spike, and the regret in his voice evaporated. “Spike... what if something happens to you? I... nevermind. When we land, you’re going to stay in the chariot, in the storage compartment and out of Chrysalis’s sight. Understand?”
Spike opened his mouth to argue, but a glare told him to just agree. “Yes.”
“Good.”
“Gotta say, it took some guts sneaking along,” Rainbow Dash said, laughing.
Pinkie giggled. “Yeah! You were really brave.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Twilight said. She took a deep breath. “Now, here’s my plan…”
Chrysalis couldn’t believe how smooth the entire army was running. Soldiers on duty stood tall, following protocol. Granted, it was different than the protocol she had remembered. She supposed Pupa might have improved it while she was off defeating Celestia and Luna, but she thought it more likely that she had reformed the army and hadn’t even remembered it. She was often doing amazing things, after all.
Still, looking over the records, she was amazed at how fast the last three towns had fallen. It had been done with clockwork precision, and they had entire armies of brainwashed ponies.
And it had all been done on Pupa’s watch.
She smiled. She knew who this victory belonged to. Herself, for raising such a wonderful daughter. Oh, her father would be so proud! She almost felt bad that she had bitten his head off. Pupa could use a father.
She was starting to feel better, so she decided to take a flight around the city. She looked down at the soldiers working like clockwork, hauling large cages filled with still free non-brainwashed ponies, whining and moaning about how they were being oppressed. And they wondered why brainwashing was so popular, with all the pleading, all the “Please, not my children,” or “I’ll fight you with every breath.”
She was looking for a good stallion to turn into her newest pet when she first saw it.
There, on the edge of the city, was a bright purple light. A very familiar purple light.
She stopped dead. Twilight Sparkle... she was here!
She briefly considered going to her soldiers and getting a large group to help her, but no. She wouldn’t give Twilight Sparkle the satisfaction of making her go for help.
She quickly flew toward the source. She considered getting in there and just attacking, but for once that little voice in her head telling her to be careful and used restraint.
She flew forward, carefully hiding behind cover. She saw her, standing on the roof, looking through a pair of binoculars in another direction.
She would never get a better chance.
Taking a deep breath, and moving with catlike tread, she launched her most graceful sneak attack.
“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” she yelled, jumping forward, her golden claw ready.
It ended up passing through Twilight. Or rather, it ended up passing through the illusion of Twilight, which dissipated into nothing.
“What the?” she asked. And then she tensed in horror as she realized what was going on.
She turned to see six mares who were all in their most gaudy forms, and a large rainbow blast coming toward her.
The pain of such pureness hitting a creature as vile as her was almost impossible to describe. The closest that she could come up with was that it felt like every single speck of herself was being torn apart, and those pieces torn apart a second time. By the time it was finished, she was withering on the ground, a complete mess.
Through the lingering pain, she heard her enemies talking.
“What? How’s the claw still there? Shouldn’t it be gone?”
“It must be from a source equal to the Tree of Harmony. Well, don’t worry, I prepared for this. You have the saw?”
“Got it, Twi.”
“Good. We better hurry, this building is bound to collapse now that it’s made of gold.”
At that, Chrysalis finally got enough bearings to realize what was happening. She desperately tried to move, but she was far too weak.
She felt herself get rolled onto her back. She struggled, but she was too weak to fight back.She felt her regenerative powers healing her, but it would take to long.
She saw the blade head toward her.
And then a flash of green energy blasted the ponies out of her vision.
Then a string of Changeling flooded her vision. Soon, Pupa was in her vision.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes... I’ll be fine with a few healing potions.”
“Good. The soldiers will take you back. I’ll take care of the six of them.”
Chrysalis opened her mouth to reply, but Pupa was already gone, and two soldiers were putting her on a litter. They started to carry her off, but Chrysalis spoke. “No, don’t... just get me a few healing potions. I need to go after Twilight Sparkle.”
“Your Majesty... I don’t think that’s such a good idea. You’re weak...”
“I don’t care. Twilight Sparkle is mine.”
At that point the building underneath them started shifting, and Chrysalis realized it was coming down. The Changelings lifted her up on the litter, but she kept crying. “”No! More potions, potions! I need to stop Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight and her friends fell back, desperately fighting off the horde of Changelings that threatened to overwhelm them. No matter how often Twilight blasted, Rainbow Dash and Applejack kicked, Pinkie fired her party cannon, or Fluttershy politely asked them to stop trying to kill them, they kept coming.
They ran to the chariot, but apparently whoever was leading these Changelings had more sense than Chrysalis did, and it was blocked off. The Changeling were surrounding them, and there looked to be no escape.
“Well, this looks familiar,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Looks like we need to give up.”
“That comin’ from you?” Applejack said.
“Only until we come up with a plan,” Rainbow Dash said.
“You aren’t pulling any plans when I’m around,” a voice said.
There was a moment of silence. “Who said that?” Pinkie asked.
“I did,” Pupa said, pushing herself forward. “As of this moment, you are all prisoners of Pupa, Princess of the Changelings!”
There was a moment of silence before Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie burst out laughing. Fluttershy looked like she was ready to giggle as well. Only Twilight remained silent.
“Stop laughing!”
“Is this the daughter of Chrysalis? I mean, yeah, given the parentage, I wasn’t expecting much, but...” Rainbow Dash fell to the ground, losing herself in laughter.
“Stop laughing!”
“How adorable,” Rarity cooed. “She’s just like Sweetie, trying to be all adult, only here, it involves warfare! How precious!”
“Stop laughing!”
“Or what? You’ll thrown a tantrum!”
“I said...” she lit up her horn. But then, she remembered Cocoon’s words, about shaming herself, and calmed down.
“You know what? Fine. You can laugh all you want, but you’re still my prisoners. And I have big plans. As soon as I get back to Fillydelphia, I think I’ll send a few special forces to snatch up three fillies in Ponyville. I think they call themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
At that, said ponies stopped laughing and glared at her.
“Don’t you dare,” Applejack said.
“Oh, did I hit a nerve? Well, I think Apple Bloom would look just adorable with no hind legs, don’t you?”
“Don’t you dare...” Applejack yelled, and as a result the Changelings tackled her. The Earth Pony started swearing, and her attackers silenced her by slapping some Changeling slime over her muzzle.
“Yeah... no legs. Imagine her walking around in a little pony wheelchair while she dusts and cleans for me. But I think she’d looks even more adorable next to a Unicorn with her horn sawed off and a Pegasus with cute little bloody stumps for wings.”
The Changelings were ready for Rainbow Dash and Rarity, who were restrained easily.
“They’d be the cutest trio of little broken ponies, all serving me. Just like Spot here,” she said, as her pony orphan walked up to her.
“And as for the rest of you... well, I’m sure you have family I can add to my collection of pets. Maybe a little baby dragon would be a nice addition. Or maybe I’ll carve off his skin and mount it was a trophy on my wall. How do you like that, Princess?”
Pupa looked at Twilight, who was staring at the ground.
“Aw, what’s wrong? Is Princess Celestia’s personal student too afraid to look a hatchling in the...”
And then Twilight unleashed the spell that she had been building up.
Every Changeling got blown back, Pupa included. Twilight had been planning to excuse her from the spell, but hearing Spike threatened had caused her to forgo mercy.
What happened next was a rare show of power from Twilight. Even after getting her wings and becoming a princess, she rarely used her full power. Even though she was the fourth most powerful pony in Equestria, she was content to lead a quiet life with no grandstanding. This is why, despite being the savior of Equestria multiple times over, few ponies knew her true power.
So when it was unleashed, it was a sight to behold. The entire army had been blown back and were scattered far and around.
Twilight didn’t wait for confirmation, she just levitated her friends and ran for the chariot, tossing them in. The two Pegasi who pulled it had been freed from the gunk the Changelings used on them and were ready to fly. They only had to gather their bearings and wait a split second longer for Rainbow Dash to get into the third harness.
As the Chariot took off, Pupa recovered and shouted “Get them!”
The Changelings all took off in a swarm, except for Cocoon. He was at her side, giving her a disapproving look.
“Restrain any prisoners before gloating. That includes horn locks for Unicorns.”
“I see that now,” Pupa snapped. “It’s not like it matters. Even if they get away, so what? We’ve won already.”
“And that’s what your mother thought just before she got tossed out of Canterlot. You never let any variables run around. Put everything you have into catching them, and the last thing standing in your way will be gone.”
The chariot managed to get into the air, but the Changelings were right on their tail. Rarity and Twilight both fired energy blasts, but it was doing little to put a dent in the ever expanding army.
Eventually Twilight opened the trunk of the chariot and levitated out the a pair of crossbows, one she handed to Applejack, the other to Fluttershy. The former was a natural, but the latter, averse to holding any kind of weapon, merely clutched hers in fear.
The Changelings followed behind, swarming on top of them all. Twilight continued firing, but she was starting to show strain.
Green blasts hit the chariot, and Twilight realized that they were breaking apart the chariot. She knew it was only a matter of time before they broke it apart. She knew that it was inevitable at this point that the Changelings would catch them.
Her fears were confirmed when one of the Pegasus guards was struck. The entire chariot went lopsided, and Applejack nearly fell out before being caught by Rainbow Dash.
Twilight, knowing a fight was inevitable, opened the compartment where Spike was cowering.
“Twilight, what...”
“Curl into a ball,” Twilight ordered.
“Wha...”
“Curl into a ball, now.”
Spike blinked, but obeyed. He wrapped his arms around his knees and tucked his head in. He felt himself encased in Twilight’s magic. It wasn’t levitation, it was more solid.
“When you land, run. Don’t even try to help us. Run. Go home. Be safe.”
“I love you, Twilight,” Spike said.
“I love you too.” And then she tossed him.
Spike flew through the air. He hit the ground, and bounced in the air thanks to Twilight’s protection. He bounced again and again, until he finally landed, hitting the ground slightly scuffed but safe.
Despite Twilight’s instructions, he didn’t leave. He stayed close to the ground, watching the battle as the chariot hit the ground.
The Changelings swarmed over the ponies as they fought. Even Fluttershy, backed into a corner, was letting loose. Arrows, magic blasts, a party cannon, a lasso, all lashing out.
Pupa arrived, watching from afar with a grin on her face. “This is it. Once we get them, Princess Cadance will be the last one left. The weakest of the Alicorns. Equestria will be mine.”
And it was true. The ponies were getting overwhelmed. It was only a matter of time before...
“Make way for your queen!”
Pupa froze. “No... no...”
And then Chrysalis moved in, zooming toward the fight. She plowed through, inadvertently turning two dozen of her own soldiers to gold.
“Now, Twilight Sparkle, I’m going to kill you,” Chrysalis said, missing her daughter calling her a dumb bitch.
Chrysalis dove at the group of ponies, who scattered. The other Changeling were backing off, too scared of being a victim of Chrysalis’s carelessness to risk anything.
Twilight shot her in the side, causing the Queen to scream in pain. Applejack lassoed her around the neck and pulled. Chrysalis stumbled before catching her balance, but it served it’s purpose as a distraction, as Rarity and Twilight were able to get in more blasts while Fluttershy shot her with a crossbow. Rainbow Dash bemoaned not being able to get in close, but knew staying out of the Queen’s way was the best bet.
Chrysalis fired a blast to break the rope, but ended up getting a full blast from the party cannon. Immediately afterward Twilight hit her several times with blasts from her horn.
“Keep her busy,” Twilight said. “I’m going to try and gather up the energy for a mass teleportation spell.”
Pinkie nodded and fired another blast. Twilight began gathering her magic, wishing they still had some rainbow energy left.
There was a mess, the seven ponies all swarming the Changeling Queen as she tried every attack, while the other Changelings were too afraid to move in.
Eventually, Chrysalis caught one of the guards with her claw, turning him to gold. With a bit more of a struggle, she struck Applejack, turning her into gold, hat and all.
Pupa watched from her position, starting to feel better. Maybe this would still be a victory. Maybe her mother and these ponies would kill each other and she could be without any pests in her life. Cadance would be the last one left with Twilight...
Wait, where was Twilight Sparkle?
She scanned the battlefield until she saw the lavender alicorn. Her horn was glowing. She must be charging up a big attack... no, Twilight Sparkle was no fool. She wouldn’t waste all her energy on Chrysalis when it would just leave her vulnerable to be torn apart by the Changelings. Then...
Her eyes went wide. Teleportation.
Growling, she pulled out the dagger Cocoon had given her. If she snuck up on her, she could put this steel right in that Alicorn’s neck.
For Chrysalis, the battle raged on. The ponies came ate her with everything. So far, only one of the important ones had been hit, and it was one of the dirt ones.
So she was quite grateful when she struck the prissy white one, turning her to gold. She grinned in triumph, and started to laugh.
“How dare you!”
Fluttershy was right up in her face, striking her with some magical force. Chrysalis was aghast. She had lived a long time and seen all kinds of magic, but what was coming out of Fluttershy’s eyes was chilling her to the bone.
Chrysalis started to fight back against it, but Rainbow Dash hit her in the side with a spear she had picked up from the fallen guard. Luckily for the Changeling Queen, it had been one of the spears turned to gold, and as such it bent rather than pierce, but it still hurt. Chrysalis yelled in pain and swung her claw, hitting the Pegasus and turning her to gold.
Chrysalis, in one of her few moves that actually used strategy, kept her eyes closed and latched out her claw. Her gamble worked: her claw hit Fluttershy and turned her.
She grinned. Four down, and only two to...
And then she saw Twilight, her horn lit up, ready to strike.
“No!”
She lept forward, claw in front of her.
Twilight, seeing this, quickly side-stepped.
As a result, the dagger that Pupa had been bringing down on her back had just missed her, and caused the Princess of the Changelings to stumble.
She ended up right in her mother’s path.
Time seemed to move in slow motion for Chrysalis as she saw her claw strike her child in the barrel. The Princess looked at her body, turning to gold. Then, she looked at her mother in rage.
“You bi...” she was gold before the sentence was finished.
Everything on the battlefield stopped. Ponies and Changelings alike gaped at the sight.
Chrysalis stood rigid. Then, tears started to leak from her eyes. “No... no.” She took the statue in her forelegs. “No... Pupa... my hatchling... my...”
There was silence.
Then, Chrysalis turned her head to look at Twilight.
The purple Alicorn took a step back. The look coming from the Changeling Queen was pure hatred. Not even Tirek gave such a look.
“You... you! This is your fault!”
Twilight, in utter fear for her life, decided to unleash all her magic right then and there. Chrysalis was struck with the biggest outpouring of magic that she had ever summoned under her own power. The Changeling Queen was caught up in a flash of purple magic.
When it cleared, she was charred, but still standing. She had stood her ground, and looked just as angry.
She leapt forward.
Pinkie tried getting in the way with the party cannon. That proved senseless, as she was gold before she could fire a shot.
Twilight, spent from the last attack, couldn’t defend herself from the claw. It closed around her throat. The tight pressure denied her even a scream as her body turned to gold.
Chrysalis was glad that the Alicorn’s resistance to magic meant the transformation was drawn out and painful. “Laugh now, Sparkle. Come on, laugh.”
All that came out were chokes and wheezes. Then, Twilight was a gold statue.
Chrysalis dropped her, letting her hit the dirt. For a few moments, the area was still.
Then, Chrysalis collected her now golden daughter and flew off, tears in her eyes.
The Changelings watched her go, unsure of how to feel. Finally, a few high ranking officers ordered everyling to be rounded up. All the gold statutes were collected, the Changelings separated from the ponies, and they flew off.
The process took an hour, and Spike watched it all from his hiding place. Once they had left, he crawled out.
He found Pupa’s dagger on the ground. Collecting it, he began marching toward the city.
Chrysalis lay on the mayor’s bed, cuddling the gold statue like a teddy bear and crying. Nolong had disturbed her in hours. Good.
She wept for her daughter, wishing that she would turn back.
Spike watched this through the window. After a moment, he climbed in. The security around here was laughable.
He readied the dagger, sneaking closer toward the Changeling Queen. He was the last hope, but maybe...
He was suddenly surrounded in a green haze, casually picked up and tossed to the ground.
“Please,” Chrysalis said, her voice weak and lacking any enthusiasm. “I’ve lived centuries, whelp. You can’t sneak up on me.”
Spike was scared, but he put on a brave face. “Y-you can turn me, but Cadance is still out there! She can...”
“Shut up,” Chrysalis said.
It was weak, and Chrysalis didn’t even open her eyes, but it got Spike to stop. The young dragon looked at the Queen. Soon, fear started to evaporate.
“Wow... you’re pathetic.”
Chrysalis didn’t answer. So Spike kept going.
“Let me guess, you treated her about as well as you treated everyone else?”
Chrysalis still didn’t answer.
“And now it’s too late.”
Chrysalis actually lifted her head and looked at him. “You wouldn’t understand...”
“I understand,” Spike said, feeling an inner courage rise in him. “You killed the two ponies that meant everything to me. Rarity... and the pony that raised me. The one who taught me everything...”
“This was her fault.”
“Please. You’re the one who turned your daughter to gold. You’re the one who invaded Canterlot and tricked us into hurting her. And I’m willing to bet it was your fault she was fighting in the first place.
Chrysalis gritted her teeth, glaring at the dragon. Spike felt her courage fall, actually taking a step back. However, she just lowered her head.
Spike, taking it as a sign of victory, spoke. “So... you can’t reverse this?”
“...I don’t know how. Only the Goddess Terra knows.”
“Then why haven’t you gone to her?”
“Why indeed?”
Chrysalis sprang from the bed, and Spike jumped as well. That’s because a new figure had appeared in the room. There was no bright flash, or otherwise a sign of a grand entrance. One moment, She wasn’t there. The next moment, Terra floated in the room.
“Wha... Mom?”
“Don’t call me that. Especially not after everything you’ve done today.”
For the first time, Chrysalis lowered her head and accepted the insult.
“Wh... who are you?”
Terra looked at Spike, a smile growing on Her face. “Why, I am Terra, Goddess of the soil.”
Spike lit up. “Really? Celestia and Twilight have told me about you. It’s an honor.”
“And it’s a pleasure to meet you little one. You must be Spike. Celestia has told me all about you and Twilight.” She ruffled the dragon’s scales. “I only wish we could have met under better circumstances.” She turned back to Chrysalis. “What have you learned from this?”
“I... I was foolish. All this gold meant nothing to the treasure I neglected all this time. My Pupa... my daughter... Oh Goddess, please take this curse away from me!”
For the first time, Terra smiled warmly at her daughter. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”
Once again, there was no big flash, no dramatic gesture. One moment, Pupa was a gold statue. The next, she was flesh and blood again, looking around in confusion.
Chrysalis smiled, tears in her eyes. “Oh Pupa, my hatchling.”
“...You bitch! You stupid bitch! You turned me to gold!”
“I know, but Mommy’s here now.” She kissed her squirming, cussing daughter on the head.
“@#$% you! You hear me!? @#$% you!”
“Aww, my baby’s cranky. She must be tired from her big day.”
Terra took a deep breath, an accomplishment since She didn’t need to breathe. “Well, you still need some work, but you’ll have your chance.” This got Chrysalis to look at her. Pupa, realizing her grandmother was present, stopped in fear.
“I’ve undone all your transformations. Now, I believe you need to address a certain matter.” With that, She gestured to Spike. The young drake twitched nervously.
Chrysalis rose to her hooves and calmly walked over to the dragon, looking down on him.
Spike gulped.
Chrysalis gave a warm smile.
Spike smiled.
And then Chrysalis front hoof hit him in the stomach, sending the baby dragon soaring out the window.
Terra gaped at the act, while instinctively using Her powers to save Spike, erase his pain, and place him next to the revived Twilight. Pupa fell on the bed, laughing her lungs out.
“How... why did you do that?”
Chrysalis tilted her head. “Because it was funny, of course. Wasn’t that the point?”
“Wha? But... that’s not what you were supposed to do!”
“Oh, was I supposed to keep him as a slave? You’re right, you’re right, I need to think things through.”
“You... ugh, what do you think I’ve been trying to teach you this whole time?”
“That I needed to enjoy my real treasure: my daughter, who's a tactical mastermind! I kept thinking gold was my key to crushing Twilight, when it was really this little bundle of joy that you bestowed on me! With her help, I’ll conquer the planet.”
At that point, Chrysalis did something no other mortal had ever done: rendered Terra utterly speechless.
“B-B-B-B-B... oh, forget it.”
She lit up Her horn, and Chrysalis and Pupa disappeared, transported back across the ocean to the Changeling homelands.
Once that was finished, Terra did what anyone would do in Her position: bang her head against the closest wall.
After a moment, a new god appeared in the room.
“Excuse me, Terra, you’re not supposed to meddle in the affairs of mortals like...”
“Mercury, I swear to Jupiter if you’re still there when I turn around, I’ll be taking my anger out on you.”
“...Going now.”
It took three days to get everything straightened out. In that time, the cities hit by the changelings had been cleared out and rebuilt, in part thanks to Terra quietly helping the process along. There was another round of people proclaiming that the Royal Guards were useless, with the Princesses unveiling a new training system which would accomplish nothing.
And so, as things settled down, everyone returned to Twilight’s castle. Starlight muttered about not getting to do anything, but something told Twilight she was glad she didn’t have to experience getting turned into gold.
And so, Twilight able to get her first good night’s sleep since the whole mess started, even if her bed was a little cramped.
“Spike?”
“Yes?”
“I love you, but when do you think you’ll start sleeping in your own bed again?”
“Tomorrow. I promise.” She snuggled closer to her.
Despite herself, Twilight smiled, draping a wing across her charge. “I know it must have been horrible seeing me like that, but I’m okay now, and I’m not going anywhere. Princess Celestia said that it was unlikely that Terra will ever bless Chrysalis like that again.”
“But... what if something else does?”
Twilight just tightened her grip. “We’ll handle it. Celestia ruled for a thousand years without anything bad happening. We’ll make it.”
Meanwhile, across the ocean, in a hastily built bunker the royal Changelings were staying now that the palace had collapsed under its own weight after being turned to gold, another mother was tucking her child in.
“Good night, my little hatching,” Chrysalis cooed, kissing her daughter on the head.
“...I’m too old for a stupid safety bar on my bed!” Pupa whined as her mother pulled them up.
“I’m not taking any more chances with your safety,” she smiled, shoving a bottle in her mouth. “Have a nice night!”
Pupa crossed her forelegs and grumbled. This would be humiliating enough without the hoofie pajamas she had been forced into.
She sighed, laying on her pillow. Well, it was pretty comfy. Looking at the bottle, she sighed and levitated the nipple off before drinking the milk.
Suddenly, the door to her room opened, and a new figure entered the room. Pupa tensed up, the light from the hallway making the newcomer appear in silhouette. However, as he got closer, she recognized him.
“Cocoon?”
“Yes,” the old soldier said. “I’m sorry for not visiting you sooner, but I needed to maintain my distance for a while, make sure your mother wouldn’t get suspicious.”
“Of what?”
“The army remains loyal to you,” Cocoon said. “Or at least, to you under my care. They think you’ll make a better queen once you're of age. Because of that, we’re moving into position to overthrow your mother.”
“What?”
“We have the resources to trap her for a long time.”
“Have you already done something?” Pupa asked, sounding worried.
Cocoon actually stopped at this, looking confused. “No. I came here to ask you about your mother’s movements before we acted. Why?”
Pupa motioned for Cocoon to come closer. Once he was close, she whispered. “My mother is so concerned with my safety, she’s vowed to make me immortal, like her.”
Cocoon stared at her. “What?”
“She said it’s possible, but it takes years of setup and hard work to pull off. And it needs another immortal to pull off. I doubt Celestia and Luna would be willing to step in and help me.”
“So... this would be like what happened with Twilight Sparkle and Cadance?”
“Kind of. But that power came from Celestia and Luna’s father. This will be different, and we need to play the long game. If you lock up Mother, she’ll escape one day, and the Changeling Empire will crumble. That’s why we need to play this carefully. Back off, tell any of your conspirators you think can be trusted. We’ll bide our time and wait, until I’m immortal and we find a way to permanently deal with Mother.”
Cocoon nodded. “I will... Your Majesty.”
Pupa smiled, then threw her forelegs around his neck. Cocoon hugged back.
After it was finished, Pupa leaned back, and Cocoon pulled the cover over her. “You just rest up. As her eyes closed, he spoke again. “I’ll be here for you... my little one.”