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// 100 - Fitting Punishment 
// Story: Fading Suns: A New World 
// by David Silver 
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Gregor let out a faint sigh, his smile fading. There were times and places. "Then it seems clear. Are you--" He was looking to Starlight, the clearly magical of the two. "--the one that will turn her to stone?"

"Wait, what?" Thorax's head lifted in a jerk of alarm. "Why would you turn her to stone?!"

Starlight shook her head softly. "Funny thing; I learned all kinds of spells, but I never bothered with that one. I know at least a few ponies who have at least seen that magic before."

Bon Bon was looking at Thorax. "Your mom can't be punished by a few firm words, Thorax. We can't keep her in jail a while either."

"But stone?!" He shook his head quickly. "That sounds awful... Isn't there another way?"

Gregor joined Bon Bon in looking to Thorax. "Pardon, but I thought you were consenting to her death?"

Thorax's eyes grew wide as saucers as he backpedaled, almost falling off the edge of the ramp. "W-what?! No! You said she has to be punished. Sometimes changelings are naughty and need to be scolded. That isn't the same as killing them!"

The guards glanced at one another, unsure of how to even properly consider the child-of-demon that balked at the thought of death. Gregor's gentle smile returned as he spread his hands. "You are a good thing, I think. If you would have clemency for your mother, I would be remiss to deny you even the chance."

He turned to the rocking cube. "Your son demands the opportunity to talk sense. Will you allow him the opportunity?"

"Oh, yes, of course." There came a muffled clopping sound. The voice grew closer. "Come here, Son." Her voice was hard to hear, being spoken instead of shouted through the metal. "What do you have to say?"

Thorax nervously glanced about before clearing his throat and stepping forward. "Mother... allow me to be frank."

"You can be whoever you want. You're a changeling."

"That's true... but, really." He raised a hoof, rubbing at the back of his neck with a little cough. "These creatures are ready to... hurt you... Real bad... You did.... not good things."

"If they bow their little heads and acknowledge me as their queen, I wouldn't have to do 'bad' things." The cube thumped, rocking a moment. "Do you have any idea how hard I worked for the hive?"

"And we appreciate it," he hurriedly got out. "But we're also moving on... We won't go back... We like... the new way."

"The new way has you colored ridiculously," spat out the contained queen. "Name one thing that makes it better."

"Well, we have friends now, who adore us." He reached for Starlight and drew her close. She didn't resist, allowing him to hold her between his forelegs. "And we adore them back. We aren't hungry anymore. Well, I mean, sometimes, but then we eat normal food. Creatures are happy to see us!"

"That was more than one thing," petulantly griped Chrysalis with an almost-inaudible huff. "Cheater... Very well."

Thorax blinked rapidly, a smile rapidly growing. "You'll give our way a try?"

"If you let me out." A soft clopping knocking came from the metal closest to Thorax. "I'll be good."

Thorax grinned wide enough to squeak, looking between all the others gathered for silent permission.

Bon Bon was squinting suspiciously. "That was a sudden turnaround," she spoke quietly.

Gregor withdrew, but waved forward, sending his guards forward. His command was a silent as it was certain. Their swords were drawn and ready to deal with the potential treachery of the demon.

Bon Bon glanced towards where the hospital rested, out of sight. Spike or Laud would be nice, but... "Starlight, be ready. Oh, also open that thing." She pointed at the box. "Let's see how this plays out..."

With a glowing horn, the cube's wall facing them came loose. With a loud bang of a hoof against it, Chrysalis knocked it open, letting it slap to the ground. Her chest was still stained red from a wound that had barely scabbed over. "Finally..." She took a step free, looking over those gathered to see her. Her teeth were clenched, two of her sworn enemies present.

One of them happened to also be her son. "And you are their new queen?" She ran a hoof through her mane, holed as it somehow was. "Egg laying must be quite the sight."

Thorax colored at that. "We don't... have a queen. When a boy changeling and a girl changeling love each--"

"--Silence!" She hissed. "I know how that works..."

Starlight raised a hoof. "I don't." Her interest apparently piqued on the nature of how changelings made more changelings.

"Come on... Son... let's go." She tossed her head, indicating just about anywhere that wasn't there. "I'm sure you have so much to talk to me about."

Bon Bon suddenly stepped forward between the two with a strained laugh. "That's a nice thought, but no. If we let you out of our sight, everyone will know who's fault it is." She leveled a hoof at Chrysalis. "Things larger than you are at play." She turned her head sharply to Thorax. "She stays here, in Ponyville. You are free to talk to her as long and as often as you please until we determine she has reformed, or give up."

Chrysalis sneered at Bon Bon viciously. "As if you could contain me."

"If you try to get away, then we have your answer." She didn't look away from Thorax. "If she tries to escape, she will be dealt with, permanently. Do you understand and accept that?"

Thorax swallowed heavily even as Starlight rubbed one of his legs reassuringly. "O-oh, yes... Mother, please... Just hear me out. You would be welcome back. Some of us miss you quite a lot, but only if..." He glanced at the guards, swords bristling and back at Chrysalis. "We'll talk more... later." His wings unfurled suddenly as he stood up properly. "I should visit the injured changeling." And he fled without giving much chance to argue with him.

Starlight huffed as she stood up. "I know you don't want to be my prisoner, so let's keep this simple and sweet. I don't hate you, Chrysalis. This is all about you being, well, you."

Chrysalis stepped free of the cube. "And what is wrong with me? Nothing, that's--"

She hadn't really considered the humans a threat. Fragile things, like spun glass, they could be dashed to pieces with barely a thought. That didn't help when the first guard lost composure and lunged, carving out a great line across her back. She roared in pain, he screamed in battle fury. It caused the others to join. They were upon her, carving her brutally before the shocked eyes of the two ponies present.

With a wet thump, the corpse of the former changeling queen hit the ramp. Starlight backed away from it and the spreading blood. "What did you just do?!"

Gregor pinched the bridge of his nose as he stepped forward, muttering soft prayer beneath his breath. "She.... was an unrepentant demon. I know you planned to offer her salvation, but her duplicitous nature was like salt against an open wound. I apologize for my men's hasty action, but cannot damn them for it."

"You killed her!" squeaked Starlight, shaking like a leaf.

Bon Bon held up a hoof, breathing slowly. "I assumed she would try to get away and we'd have to do it then, though I expected petrification, not... this." She glanced down at the body and quickly turned to Starlight. "She was trying to get away when we were forced to act. That is what happened. Do you understand?"

"W-what?" Starlight stepped right off the ramp, but her magic held her up after falling only an inch. "What are you saying?"

Bon Bon waved one hoof back at the guards and Gregor. "I am saying this is the end of this situation. She is dead. The merchants are avenged, and one less monster roams Equestria. We will not go into details in how she went."

"This isn't right!" Starlight vanished with a pop, her tears sparkling as they fell.

Gregor let out a slow sigh. "An innocent child... She isn't wrong." His attention went to Bon Bon. "You have the edge of one who has seen past their innocent days."

Bon Bon clenched her teeth before pointing at the body. "Can you get rid of that? Parading a butchered body through town will not end well for anycreature involved. Let me be perfectly clear; that was barbaric. That was awful, but it also can't be undone. So let's move forward."

The guards had cleaned and sheathed their blades, standing stoically, far more relaxed for the removal of the demon. Gregor was less stoic. "There was a chance, however slim, that her son, full of hope and light, could have led her from the dark place she had dug herself into. I will pray." He made a slow and solemn religious gesture that the ponies did not comprehend. "We will see the body is purified and burned. Take it." His guards moved to gather up Chrysalis. "Blessings be upon you. Oh... I understand if you are not in... the mood, but now?"

Bon Bon took a slow breath, calming herself. "No, actually... let's go." And they left the ramp. To the merchants, a gift of an opened cube and a blood stain to clean up.





Thorax set a hoof on the shoulder of the sleeping changeling. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

The changeling opened his pupiless eyes and squeaked, moving to scramble away, but Thorax gently pressed down. "I'm not here to hurt you, promise..."

"But you eat changelings and barf them up!"

Thorax blinked softly. "I... don't do that. Who said I do that?"

"Queen Chrysalis," squeaked the frightened little changeling. "You spit up deformed deranged colorful changelings. She said she'd stop that from happening to me, and here you are!" He was quaking in the bed, jaw clattering.

Thorax inclined his head with a faint smile. "I promise, no gobbling. They became like me because they learned how to not be hungry."

"Not be... hungry?" His shaking ebbed faintly. "So you're not hungry?"

"Well, a little." Thorax pulled out a muffin and casually took a bite. "Mmm, there's a bakery in town that makes these so well. Want a bite?"

The changeling peered suspiciously at the baked good. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Because you're a changeling. Because you're a creature. Because I like being nice?" He shrugged gently. "You should try it. It's fun." He held out the muffin at the end of his hoof. "It's really good."

He dared to take a little nibble. It was tasty... but he was still hungry. "Where's the queen? I was... hoping she could feed me."

"I could feed you. I already am." Thorax chomped down half of the rest of the muffin and set it on the desk next to the changeling.

"You can do that?! I thought only queens could do that..." He shook his head with clear confusion.

"Learning how to give love is the next step in growing." He put a hoof on his chest and the hoof began to glow. "As a friend, I have love to share. Please, have this." He offered that hoof, the same that held the muffin, towards the injured changeling.

It smelled so much more appealing than the muffin! His fear was forgotten for a moment, slurping up the offered love and slumping back with a happy sigh. "That hit the spot..."

"Glad I could help." Thorax gently patted the covered changeling. "Rest and feel better. Nocreature will be yelling at you anymore."

"Never? Even when I mess up?"

"When you mess up, we'll learn what went wrong, so we can do better." Thorax nodded confidently. "No more yelling."

"No more yelling..." Perhaps he could learn to like this strange changeling.