//------------------------------// // Chapter 7. // Story: I AM Human // by Synthetic Soul //------------------------------// “Luna…Luna!”                   The princess of the night was slowly roused from her unconscious spell as she heard her name being called, along with a gentle nudging at her side. She felt cold stone press against the side of her body as she opened her eyes. As soon as she did, she saw dirty metal bars in front of her.             ‘The…the dungeons?’ Luna lifted her head up, and turned to see her sister sitting right behind her. Luna got up from the ground slowly, as Celestia helped her. As she did this, she also saw Twilight and her friends were in the cell as well. She noticed that Celestia, Twilight and Rarity all had magical suppressor rings on their horns, which led Luna to conclude that she had one on as well.             “Luna, are you alright?” fussed Celestia as she aided her sister.             “I am…unharmed,” replied the darker mare.             “Thank goodness!” said Celestia as she embraced her sister. Luna for one was a bit taken aback when her sister hugged her.             “Celestia…I thought you no longer cared about me…” asked Luna. Celestia broke from the embrace and looked her sister in the eyes.             “What! Why would you think that?”             “Last time we spoke, you told me that I had to basically ‘suck it up’ in regards to Midnights death, and that you couldn’t waste anymore time on me.”             Luna noticed Celestia take on an angry scowl as she looked off to the side.             “That heartless wretch,” she muttered.             “Tia?”             Celestia’s face softened, and she turned back to face her sister.             “Luna, I would never say such horrible things to you. It wasn’t I who said that…it was Chrysalis…” finished Celestia with distaste at the mention of her enemy’s name.             “Chrysalis,” said Luna. Memories suddenly came back to her. She remembered herself standing on the edge of the gorge near her old castle. She recalled how the phantom of her son had come to her…she remembered that, and how Celestia had appeared, only it wasn’t really her. It was the changeling queen.             “Chrysalis and her changelings have invaded,” explained Celestia. “They drugged my tea, and when I woke up, I was in this cell. Chrysalis, of course, showed herself in order to gloat over her soon to be victory. She captured the element bearers as well,” said Celestia as she gestured to the other prisoners.             “So…it was her,” replied Luna. “She and her changelings…where they behind all this? The visions, the torment, it was them?             “I would believe so, yes,” replied Celestia with a dark look.             “Wait, sister, he’s alive!”             Before Celestia could question whom it was Luna was speaking of, the lunar mare continued.             “Tia, it’s Midnight. He’s still alive!” Celestia looked taken aback with a surprised look.             “What do you mean? He’s dead Luna, you confirmed it with your own eyes.”             “I know, but I saw him! He was there, right in front of me!”             “How is that possible?” questioned Celestia.             “I do not know. His body was obliterated, I saw it, but there he stood right in front of me! Only, he was different, it looked like he was part changeling!”             “Then how do you know it was not simply a changeling pretending to be him?” asked Celestia.             “I…I’m not sure. I could FEEL it, I just…I know in my heart that it is him!”             “How would that be possible?” questioned Celestia.             “I don’t know…but it makes sense. The changelings would have no way of knowing all that had happened, unless somepony who knew about it told them. I don’t know how they brought back my son, or what they did to him…but I intend to find out.” Luna stood up from where she was lying, and approached the bars.             “Don’t bother,” Luna heard Twilight say. “The bars are magically reinforced. The changelings also put magical suppressors on our horns. We’re stuck here until somepony lets us out.”             As if on cue, the sound of a heavy lock turning could be heard. The ponies looked to the end of the hall to see the heavy dungeon door open. And through the doorway, accompanied by two changeling guards, were none other than Chrysalis and…Midnight, Luna’s son.             The ponies saw an evil smile grace Chrysalis’s face, while her young compatriot had an empty, almost glazed over look. Every pony in the cell stood up, and faced the new arrivals. The changeling queen let out a malevolent chuckle as the two stopped, mere feet away from the bars.             “Ah, how I’ve waited for this,” said Chrysalis, licking her fangs. “It is truly a sight to behold.”             “Release us now Chrysalis,” commanded Celestia as she moved closer to the bars of the cell. “It will be your only chance.” Chrysalis returned with a cocky smile.             “You know as well as I do that that won’t happen. Besides,” she said, turning and stroking a hoof across Midnight’s cheek. “That would break the promise I made to my son.” The young colt hummed in affirmation, though the vacant stare was still present on his face.             “Midnight,” said Luna. “How is he alive, and what have you done to him!” The queen let out a dark chuckle before responding.             “You know, for a Princess with centuries of experience, it almost surprised me how idiotic you are!”             “What do you mean?” challenged Luna.             “A year ago, this poor child came to me broken and devastated from what you had done to him. You were so quick to cast him off as dead, when he merely teleported right into my hive. Of course he was frightened at first. But I showed him kindness. He told me of what you’d done to him, your manipulation, your selfishness, every single act, and I must say, I am appalled at your actions.”             “As I listened to his tale, I felt a moral compulsion to aid him. All he wanted was to see justice enacted for what you’ve done. So, I made him strong. I trained him, I taught him. I even indoctrinated him into the hive. I gave him royal changeling DNA. Now, he’s part of the family. And as a family, we concocted this plan, to see justice done.”             Luna looked at Chrysalis with hate in her eyes, but they softened when she saw the zombified look in Midnight’s.             “M-midnight, please! I know I was wrong to do what I did, I know that now! I’d do anything to fix the damage I‘ve caused! I’m sorry for what I did to you, but even if you cannot forgive me, you cannot trust Chrysalis! She has terrible plans for the ponies of Equestria, and for YOU! You have to resist her!”             Luna looked into her son’s eyes. He blinked a few times, the consciousness coming back into his face. He shook his head a little, gaining clearer thoughts. He then looked into Luna’s eyes, before he took on an aggressive look.             “You would try to turn me against Chrysalis. You ruined my real family, and now you’re trying to ruin my new one! Well I won’t let you trick me again!” the colt yelled the last part, his anger taking over. Chrysalis placed a hoof on his wither, trying to calm him down.             “Now now, Tristan,” said the Queen. “There’s no need to get so worked up. We’ve won. Why don’t you go take a walk?”             The hybrid looked up to Chrysalis.             “But I-“             “Go,” commanded the Queen. Tristan looked like he was going to argue, but after a second of contemplation, he instead turned and left the dungeons. Right before he opened the doors to the dungeons, he turned back to look at the ponies.             “You’ll all be punished for what you’ve done.” He then opened the door and left. Once the heavy iron door closed, Chrysalis turned to look at her prisoners.             “The changeling DNA in his blood gives me much influence over his thoughts. I have him wrapped around my hoof. He’s mine now.” Chrysalis turned, and made her way to the exit, her guards following her as she laughed evilly. She exited the dungeons, leaving Luna and other ponies to think about what had happened. Celestia and the others thought Luna would have broken down in despair. But instead she stood tall, with a determined look on her face. She was no longer concerned with gaining her son’s acceptance of forgiveness. She only had one goal in mind right now:             To save her son from Chrysalis.