Chrysalis kept her head low and her eyes even lower. She didn’t dare make eye contact with any of the stormtroopers or other imperial officers she passed as she made her way through the destroyer. Only one trooper followed her, and he held his blaster to his chest as he marched along side the changeling queen. She turned her head ever so slightly so that she could see him out of her peripheral vision. “This is a horrible plan...”
Under his helmet, Ezra disagreed. “Oh, this is a great plan. Believe me, this isn’t the first time I’ve broken one of the Empire’s toys.”
Chrysalis wasn’t the slightest bit convinced, but she was more worried than ever about her new ally. “You frighten me, Ezra Bridger... Are you some kind of insurgent?”
The trooper shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been called a lot of things but ‘rebel’ is my favorite.”
An officer walking in the opposite direction eyed them resentfully but didn’t appear to have heard anything. He made no attempt to stop them or impede their progress, so they kept moving. Ezra must have sensed her growing anxiety, because he placed a firm hand on her back as a sign of comfort. “Come on, Chrysalis. This is gonna work.” He gestured to a corridor perpindicular to the one they were standing in. “This is my stop. I’m going to hit the reactor and bring this ship down. You go on ahead to the bridge and keep Thrawn occupied so he doesn’t suspect anything.”
The changeling looked bewildered. “Keep him occupied... How am I supposed to do that?”
Ezra shrugged as he started to back down the open corridor. “I don’t know... Just make something up. You’re reporting in for duty after your mission. Just be ready to abandon ship when you hear the alarms go off.”
Then, he turned completely and took off down the corridor. Chrysalis flared her nostrils and let out a long sigh. “This is a horrible plan...”
A short walk and a ride up a lift later, Chrysalis stepped onto the commande bridge of the star destroyer. Inside, officers, stormtroopers, and technitions of all kinds were bustleing around. It was as though a hornets’ nest had been kicked. Chrysalis was drawn to the newly repaired windows.
Outside the destroyer, she could see the whole world spanning before her. The Frozen North was far below them and blanketed by a cover of swirling clouds.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?”
The changeling jumped at the sudden arrival of Thrawn as he appeared at her side, staring out the window.
“I am fascinated by your world, Chrysalis. Once communication has been reasablished, I will call apon more Imperial vessels like this one to further... investigate this place.”
Chrysalis’ chest felt heavy. “Why is that, Thrawn? There’s nothing special about this world...”
The grand admiral stroked his square chin and fired her a glance. “I sense that is not the case and that there is far more to this planet than you are revealing to me. Your ‘magic’ for instance...” He eyed her horn. “Nothing like it exists throughout the Empire or any other part of the known galaxy. I, for one, am very interested in learning more about this... power.”
Chrysalis pursed her lips and turned her back to the window, exhausting a sigh. “What is there to tell? Magic comes naturally to us.”
Thrawn raised an eyebrow at her. “‘Us’, you say? There are others like you?”
She bit her lower lip angrily, having not intended to let something like that slip. “Yes, but... They are certain to resist your rule. I have tried time and time again to subdue the ponies of this world only to fail at every turn.”
The grand admiral folded his arms as he looked back towards the window. “My intentions are not to subdue this planet’s natives, but if you are telling the truth about their tendencies to rebel, then perhaps we should make an example of our power.”
He motioned towards an officer behind him. “Captain, have you located the settlement?”
The officer nodded his head. “Yes, grand admiral. We aren’t in visual range yet, but our scanners are picking up what appears to be a large city perched on a mountainside south of our position.”
Chrysalis’ ears twitched. A city on a mountainside... It could only be Canterlot, the capital of her greatest enemies.
Thrawn stroked his chin again. “Very good, captain. Order our guns to bombard the city as soon as we are in range.”
The changeling’s eyes widened. “What?!”
Thrawn looked surprised by her sudden outburst. “Chrysalis, perhaps I misjudged you... I had thought you would be eager to see the demise of your enemies.”
Chrysalis couldn’t beileve what was happening. Suddenly, she felt more out of place than ever as she all eyes landed on her. She shook her head violently as she backed away from the blue alien. “Not like this... I wanted their subjugation, their loyalty... their love... Not their destruction!”
Two stormtroopers approached her from behind with their blasters raised, pointed directly at the changeling. Chrysalis hopped silently that Ezra was close to completing his part of the plan. They needed to stop the star destroyer now more than ever. This was no longer about defeating Thrawn as the entire city of Canterlot, the center of government in Equestria, was in danger.
“Chrysalis, I have found you to be a useful asset, and you could prove valuable to the Empire as a commander. I am giving you this one chance to stand down and aid us in rooting out any natives you know to be rebellious.”
The changeling held her ground. She needed to stall Thrawn for as long as she could. Ezra was counting on her! She stood tall and defiantly, thrusting her chest out as she glared down her snout at the grand admiral. “You seem to forget, Thrawn... I awoke you from your frozen fate, and I am a puppet to no one. I am a queen, and you will bow before me! If you disobey your queen, your ship will burn!”
Everyone but Thrawn took a nervous step back, even the armed stormtroopers behind her. The grand admiral, however, didn’t look phased by her threat. He simply looked towards the door as it opened, and two guards dragged in a stormtrooper. “Are you perhaps referring to the exsplosive charges set by Ezra Bridger?” The trooper’s helmet fell off, revealing the boy’s battered and bruised face as he glared at Thrawn. “I promise you, my dear Chrysalis, that my ship will not be burning this day.”
***Up Next: Falling Towards The Sky***