//------------------------------// // Part 8: Apples For Apples // Story: Queen of the Empire // by Cardinal Dan Productions //------------------------------// Chrysalis awoke with a splitting headache. As her eyes opened, a world of beauty came into view. Far above the changeling, the branches of tall trees swayed gentle from side to side, and chirping birds engaged each other in games of chase. Then, Ezra’s face appeared over her, and all of the memories came back. Chrysalis rolled from her back to her side as she tried desperately to sit upright. “Oooooohhh... It all hurts...” Ezra eyed her with a puzzled look. “What hurts?” “Everything... Every single thing hurts...” The rebel chuckled as he looked up at the bright, blue sky. “Well, I don’t blame you. We fell a long way without any real kind of escape plan.” Chrysalis looked over her shoulder to make sure her wings were still in one piece and functional. She gave them a few cautious flaps before letting out a satisfied snort. “What about Thrawn? What about his ship? He vowed to destroy Canterlot, and I feel responsible.” Ezra sat down beside her, grunting as he fell on his rear. “I’ve come face to face with Thrawn more than once... He won’t do anything like that before attempting win over your leaders with promises of power and security...” Chrysalis could sense the sarcastic tone in his voice, but his reassurance didn’t make her feel even the slightest bit better. “As for Thrawn’s ship, I managed to detonate one of the charges I set and crippled the main reactor. He won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.” She turned to face him and frowned. “You say that as though it is a good thing...” Ezra fired her a sly grin and nodded. “It’s a great thing. While I was sneaking around, I made sure their long range communication systems will stay offline for a while. Thrawn is trapped on this planet with us, and he can’t call for help.” Chrysalis’ gaze fell. She couldn’t imagine more like the blue alien coming to Equestria wielding weapons that could destroy them all in a matter of seconds. A realization dawned on her that Ezra’s hatred of the Empire was beginning to rub off on her. She watched with curiosity as he reached into his strange clothing and revealed a couple of red apples. Then, he tossed them both in her direction. “Here, Chrysalis... I found a bunch of these while you were out.” Chrysalis was silenced by the offering. Her eyes darted back and forth between Ezra and the apples. “Those... are for me?” Ezra was already taking a bite out of the ripe fruit. “You’re Chrysalis, aren’t you? I don’t know what this stuff is, but I like it.” He took several more bites, digging in to the apple. Chrysalis looked at the fruit before her and grabbed one with the magic from her horn. No one had ever given her a gift before. It felt strange, and she didn’t know what to do with her new feelings. She did, however, know what to do with the apples. Her stomach growled, personifying her immense hunger. Chrysalis didn’t want to starve for a second longer, so she dove into the fruit and reduced it to its core in three bites. A few seconds later, the second apple was gone, and her stomach rumbled for more. “Where did you find them?” Ezra was still working on his first apple, making his way to the core bite by bite, but he gestured over his shoulder and pointed into the woods behind him. “There’s a whole field of trees through there covered in these things. I only brought back as many as I could carry, but I can go with you to get more.” Chrysalis managed a weak smile. This was the happiest she had felt in a long time, eating with the promise of more food on the way after months of starvation. “Yes, let’s.” Leaving the apple cores on the forest floor, she dashed to her hooves and raced after Ezra, who was already tearing through the trees. *** After several minutes of running, Chrysalis and Ezra came to a stop at the edge of an orchard. The changeling gasped as she took in the sight of the hundreds of apple trees that spanned out before her. Her mouth began to salivate with anticipation, but the landscape began to look awfully familiar. Ezra looked like he was ready to pounce on the nearest apple-bearing tree, but Chrysalis pulled him back. “Wait... Don’t go...” Ezra looked startled as he eyed her hoof on his back. “What? What is it?” Chrysalis felt a sense of panic growing in her chest. “I know this place, and we shouldn’t be here...” Memories of Twilight Sparkle and her friends rapidly resurfaced. They were standing on the border of Sweet Apple Acres, the home of the Element of Harmony, Applejack. “We should go.” Ezra was showing no signs of fear like she was. “What’s the problem, your highness? Let’s just grab as many of those red fruits as we can so we can eat.” Chrysalis wouldn’t take another step forward. She couldn’t. She was about to protest when a shadow descended on the apple farm. Overhead, a low-flying craft came from the north, capturing Ezra’s attention as well. “It’s an Imperial shuttle... Get down!” He wrapped an arm around around her neck and forcibly dragged her to the ground. The two of them sat in perpetual silence as they watched the other-worldly craft land near the red barn house that stood at the other end of the orchard. Chrysalis got an idea. She didn’t like the thought much herself, but the arrival of the Empire left her with few alternatives. “Ponyville isn’t far. We need to find Twilight Sparkle and talk to her before Thrawn does.” Ezra nodded his head in agreement. “You’re right. Lead the way, Chrysalis.” The changeling shook her head. “There’s no time to run. Climb onto my back and hold on tight.” The rebel looked hesitant, but he did as she instructed. Putting one leg over, he straddled her back and wrapped his arms around her neck. Her wings extended outward, reaching their full length. Luckily, the stormtroopers exiting the shuttle weren’t looking in their direction. They were more occupied with the ponies that had emerged from the farmhouse. When she was certain the coast was clear, Chrysalis launched herself into the air. Ezra buried his face into the back of her neck and held on tightly. Treetops flew by underneath them at an alarming speed. Never before had she flown with such an urgency. “So who is this... Twilight Sparkle?!” Ezra coughed as his throat burned from screaming over the howling wind. “Is she a friend of yours?!” Chrysalis shook her head. “Quite the opposite, actually, but we have to warn her about Thrawn. Twilight is the only one who can convince the other princesses to take action against the Empire.” Ponyville was rising in the distance as the trees began to clear, and rising high above the outskirts of the town was a towering palace made of purple crystals. Her destination was clear. “If you guys are enemies, what makes you think she’ll just let you walk into her home unannounced?” To her disappointment, Ezra had a point. It didn’t matter, however. Chrysalis had to see Twilight, and there was nothing that could deter her from her mission. The crystalline palace was rapidly approaching, and she braced herself for a hard stop. Ezra bailed from her back, diving onto the dirt path that lead to the palace doors. Chrysalis also landed on the path, but not nearly as gracefully. She stumbled upon impact and fell onto her face, rolling right up to the doors. Without missing a beat, the changeling forced the doors open and dashed inside the palace with Ezra right behind her. The corridor was emptie and quiet. Only the gentle breeze and rustling trees could be heard from outside as they ventured deeper and deeper into the palace. At the end of the corridor was another door that had been left ajar. When she hear voices on the other side of the door, Chrysalis signaled for Ezra to stay quiet. She braced herself by the cracked door, and as she looked through the slit, her heart sank in her chest. In the chamber on the other side of the door, around a great table, Twilight Sparkle was sitting and talking with Grand Admiral Thrawn. She turned to Ezra. “How did he get here before us?” Ezra shrugged and mouthed the words ‘I don’t know’ before joining her to peak through the door. ***Up Next: The Ponyville Princess***