Under the guise of a certain Ezra Bridger, Queen Chrysalis preceded closly behind Thrawn, also disguised. It was a worst case scenario, and their plan began to unravel at an alarming speed. They were surrounded by a detachment of stormtroopers that were escorting her to the bridge in order to meet Captain Cavi face to face. One of the troopers hit her from behind with the butt of his blaster. “Move it, rebel.”
This had to be it, real oppression. Chrysalis’ chest began to twist and churn with discomfort and regret as she recalled the way she treated her own subjects. One of them, Cicada, told her just how much she was hated before betraying her. Not feared, but hated. Cicada had been one of her top agents before she joined the crystal ponies, but Chrysalis now realized just how right she really was.
The troopers around her stopped, and Chrysalis came back from her thoughts. She was now standing in an all too familiar place. The bridge resembled a throne room without the chair, and all around them, imperial deck officers hurriedly worked at their stations. Then, there was Cavi, standing ahead at the large, transparisteel windows that opened up into a vast, blue sky.
A layer of clouds carpeted the air beneath them, giving off an eerie effect that closly reminded Chrysalis of the snowy wastlands of the Frozen North. When Cavi noticed her, he greeted the disguised changeling with a smile. “Ezra Bridger, welcome back aboard. You’ve given us quite the chase. It’s a shame it has to end so soon.”
Chrysalis said nothing. She simply glared at the captain as a form of silent resistance. This didn’t seam to phase him, however, and he continued his monologue. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here, because our hyperdrive capabilities are nearly at peak efficiency. Soon, we won’t even need our long range transmitters, and we can leave this wretched world behind for good. At least, until we can return with an invasion force large enough to capture it.”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened, and before she could stop herself, she blurted out in defiance. “You can’t!”
Captain Cavi raised an eyebrow at her. A pair of stormtroopers aimed their blasters at her from behind, but he motioned for them to stand down. Chrysalis had expected her own voice to leave Ezra’s mouth, which would certainly give herself away, but instead, she sounded just like him. Her cover was still intact, for now.
“Mr. Bridger, who is going to stop us? With all of the magic this world possesses, the Emperor and Lord Vader will be very interested to investigate further. What are a few silly ponies worth to you anyway?”
The changeling glanced towards Thrawn, making eye contact with the blue man through his visor before looking back at Cavi. “They’re stronger than you give them credit for. Trust me.”
Then, out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted something unusual. It was soaring across the sky, speeding straight for them like a cloud of flies. Some of the deck officers noticed it too. “Captain, I’m getting some weird readings on our short range scanners.”
Cavi strolled across the bridge and looked over the officer’s shoulder at his terminal screen. “It might be interference. Can you clear it up?”
The officer shook his head. “No sir, I don’t know what it is, but it’s coming straight for us.”
Chrysalis peered our the window. Sure enough, the cloud was growing larger as it neared the star destroyer. Cavi’s eyes narrowed at the cloud, but before he could give the order to shoot it down, the cloud fired first. Like a thousand lights glowing together, the mass of changelings lit their horns and fired a gigantic beam of energy at the bridge. The magic hit the star destroyer’s navigation shields and deflected away harmlessly, but inside the ship, everyone stumbled and fell as rumbles echoed throughout the superstructure.
Cavi clinged to a terminal to keep himself upright. “What in the blazes is that?!” By now, the hundreds of changelings had split up and were swarming around the destroyer, firing bolts of magic whenever and wherever they could. “Are we helpless?! Someone do something! Return fire!”
Chrysalis has to hold her hands over her ears as the massive guns of the star destroyer roared to life and began unloading large bolts of brilliant energy into the atmosphere. The entire ship moved like a monster now, using its cannons and fend of the swarms of changelings like bug swatters. Unfortunately for them, however, the changelings were small and quick.
“We can’t shoot them down sir! Their moving too fast!”
Cavi glared out at the sky as the battle unfolded before him. “Defiance... Rebellion... We have to burned these ideals away as instructed by our Emperor. Keep firing!”
Then, a pair of stormtroopers came running onto the bridge. “Captain!”
Cavi spun around the face them. “What is it?! Can’t you see I’m busy?!”
The troopers glanced at each other, then back at the imperial officer. “Sir, Ezra Bridger’s been spotted near the main reactor!”
That’s when Chrysalis’ communicator began to beep, and Thrawn’s too.
<Queenie, come in.>
Cavi stared at her with disbelief in his eyes. “Wh-Wha... I don’t understand...”
Chrysalis’ lips curled into a smirk, and she shrugged her shoulders. Green fire sparked beneath her feet, and before anyone had a chance to react, she was standing on her true form once again. Several troopers were on her in an instant. “It’s the commander! Get her!”
Chrysalis leaped forward to avoid the blaster fire, but her communicator continued to beep.
<Hey, Chrysalis, whats the situation on your end? I’m about the abandon ship, and I suggest you and Thrawn do the same, ‘cause this ship is about to be toast.>
Thrawn sprang into action, taking down several stormtroopers around him. The bridge quickly turned into a firefight zone as the changeling challenged Cavi on the elevated platform in the center of the room.
Cavi revealed a small blaster and pointed it at her. “It’s over, Queen Chrysalis! You can’t stop us!”
The both of them paused as they felt a deep rumbling combing from within the ship.
<Oh, that’s my que! I’ll see ya’ on the ground, Queenie!>
The shaking grew, and Cavi lost his balance. Chrysalis butted him with her head, sending the man flying back towards the window behind him. Sirens now echoed throughout the ship, and they lurched forward as it began a rapid descent towards the clouds below them. Outside, billowing collums of black smoke and fire poured from the bowels of the star destroyer as it broke apart.
The Chimera was falling.
Panicking stormtroopers and deck officers scrambled out of the bridge, towards the escape pods, but not Chrysalis. Thrawn had removed his helmet and was holding onto the wall while waving to get her attention. “Chrysalis, let’s go!”
She needed to see this to the end, to see Cavi burn.
Chrysalis turned to face him with a sad look in her eyes, but a smile on her face. “No, Thrawn. You should go.”
The blue alien stared blankly at her for a moment but nodded his head. “What should I tell Ezra?”
Chrysalis thought for a moment and came to a conclusion. “Tell him that they were right. All of them were right.”
Thrawn seemed to understand, and he dissapeared through the corridor leading to the escape pods. That left only her and Cavi, who held tightly onto a terminal to avoid sliding across the floor which was now at a forty five degree angle. “What... What now, changeling?”
Chrysalis didn’t say anything. She simply stood there and glared at him as flashing red lights glowed in her face. “You know... whatever happenes now, happens to us both.”
Then, she nodded her head slowly. “I’m counting on it... This is to repay Equestria for everything I’ve done, and this is for Ezra...”
Cavi still held his blaster, though shakily, in his bloodied hand. “Do you really think that will make things right?”
Chrysalis spotted the firearm. The imperial lunged at her, his blaster pointed forward, but the changeling was ready. She stepped to the side, pushing Cavi behind her and kicking him hard. The force of her legs propelled her into the window, shattering it. Chrysalis let out a sharp, pained gasp as she began to freefall.
High in the open air, she tumbled towards the clouds as the burning remains of the star destroyer fell below her. As they broke through the clouds together, the vastness of the Frozen North opened up before them.
The cold air sucked her breath away, but Chrysalis couldn’t look away as the Chimera creamed into the side of a mountain, erupting into a fireball that burned the blizzard itself. It was over, and now, she would fall to meet her own demise.
With her wings torn and tattered from crashing through the window, there was no way for her to fly, but that was alright. Chrysalis has made peace with her end, and she welcomed it. “I’m sorry, Ezra...”
The Frozen North was rushing up to meet her, and as she pictured the young man in her mind one last time, everything went white.
***Up Next: Redemption***