//------------------------------//
// 22- And Back Again 
// Story: The Flames of the Phoenix 
// by FrostTheWolf 
//------------------------------//


The Flames of the Phoenix- And Back Again




It had only been a short amount of time since they arrived, but to Starlight Glimmer, her head felt like it was spinning all over the place. Not just because of what had happened, but because of who was here. Everyone else she knew quite well, but there were two creatures that were a mystery to her. First, there was Ember, the caretaker of Philomena. She was someone that her mentor Twilight only told her about briefly, but what she knew was that she was able to control something that was not like magic at all. Secondly, there was Amaryllis, the exiled sister. She didn’t explain much about why she was referred to that, but the way that Thorax acted when he saw Amaryllis was enough to send a small chill down her spine.

Right now though, what they knew was simple. Queen Chrysalis had enacted her plan to take revenge against Equestria after the Canterlot Wedding four years ago. Yet, instead of a full frontal invasion into the Kingdom of Equestria, the queen took a different approach. She had her drones kidnap and assume the identities of the most well known figures in Equestria that could possibly stop her. The Elements of Harmony, the Princesses, Sunburst… Even Spike and Shining Armor were captured and taken to the Changeling Kingdom.

If that was not troubling enough, then there was what made the idea of a rescue attempt far more difficult. According to Amaryllis, the throne that Chrysalis sat upon was made from an ancient dark stone that would drain the magic of anything that wasn’t a changeling. Meaning that if they did attempt a rescue, they would not be able to use their magic to defend themselves in case they were attacked. They were still trying to think of a plan, but the more that the unicorn thought about it, the more that Starlight became nervous.

“Hey,” the voice of the mancer caught her by surprise as Starlight turned to see Ember standing next to her, “Are you alright? You seem a bit… distracted.”

“Y-yeah… just a bit nervous is all,” the unicorn answered honestly, “I mean… we don’t know what will wait for us when we go inside.”

Ember herself chuckled in response as she looked back at her, “Fear is something we all experience when you’re faced with uncertainty. You’re probably not the only one who’s feeling this way.”

Even though those words sounded calming, it did little to help Starlight focus. “I know, but… there’s another thing I fear too,” she admitted, “Everypony is counting on me to be a leader of sorts. But… I’m not sure what I can do-”

“Just have faith in yourself,” the mancer said to her as she placed a hand on Starlight’s shoulder, “If you can be able to do that, then you can overcome anything. Besides, you probably would come up with a better plan than any of us. I’m sure you got this.”

Starlight didn’t know why, but hearing those words happened to renew her confidence and gave her hope. There must’ve been a way for them in order to save everypony, for they were counting on them. A plan began to form in her mind as she went back to her companions, all while passing Amaryllis as the changeling looked back at Ember.

“Having some trouble?” Amaryllis told her.

“More like giving her a bit of ‘encouragement’,” the mancer replied back, “This will test her resolve, so she needed to have confidence in herself in order to succeed.”

“You plan on helping them?”

Ember smirked, before looking back at her wife, “I feel that helping her would only lead to not learning an important lesson,” she replied, “Plus, I have a different task I need to accomplish.”

“Oh?” Amaryllis now asked, a bit curious as to what the mancer was referring too, “What would that be?”

“Remember Maxila? The changeling I told you about?” Ember’s question was followed by a nod of the head, a sign for the mancer to continue, “Well, in exchange for seeking safety at Sweet Apple Acres, she wanted me to make sure that her sister was safe. Maxila gave me a name and I gave her my word that I was going to make sure that she was safe.”

“How noble of you,” the changeling said, before noticing Philomena fly over to them and sit on her shoulder.

“Hey, if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have known about what Chrysalis was doing,” the pyromancer remarked as she turned to face the changeling, “I owe it to her in order to see this through, Ama. Though… that’s not the highest priority.” 

“Oh really, now?” Amaryllis asked, “And what is the highest priority?

“That goes to finding Maeve and Mac. Chrysalis made this attempt to take over Equestria personal the moment she decided to go after those I call family,” the mancer explained. “Plus, if we rescue them, that means more people that can help us rescue the others that were taken captive.”

Amaryllis was going to say something else, though, the changeling remembered something. If Ember set herself up for a task, then she would always try to see it through. It was one of the traits that Amaryllis really liked about her after all. “If you say so. Though, there’s no way in Tartarus that I’m going to let you do this alone. So, let me help you.”

The mancer acknowledged what she said, before folding her arms as Ember looked back at her wife, “What do you suggest then, Ama? I’m all ears.”

“Well, I can’t exactly revert my current form to disguise myself as a drone,” Amaryllis replied, “Though, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any other forms I can change into.”



After taking some time to discuss amongst the group, Starlight was able to form a plan of action. The main obstacle that hindered their chances of a rescue attempt was Chrysalis’ throne, since that was the sole source that blocked off the magic of everyone else besides Thorax and Amaryllis. So the plan was that they needed to find their way inside the Changeling Kingdom, preferably without being detected by the queen’s drones, and destroy the throne so their magic could be restored. Once they did that, they could use their magic to get Twilight and the others out of where they were being kept and stop Chrysalis.

To make sure that their infiltration was successful though, they needed some eyes in the sky. Fortunately, that was where Philomena came in. With her being their eyes in the sky, the phoenix served as the group's lookout and was able to oversee any movements of patrols that were scattered around the area. Something that was rather important considering that they were trying to be as quiet as possible and also be aware of their surroundings.

Upon entering the tunnels that led to the changeling kingdom, they happen to realize something else that was going to make their rescue attempts harder. The layout of the kingdom itself was constantly shifting and changing with every passing moment, with Thorax going further to say that only changelings themselves can be able to navigate through the kingdom without getting lost.

Yet, even though that was something Ember knew already, she found herself getting blindsided. While she was checking an archway to determine farther ahead to see if it was where they needed to go, a wall from the hive emerged from behind her and blocked her off from the rest of the team. “Ember!” Starlight spoke up in panic from the other side of the wall, “C-can you hear me?”

“I’m fine, Starlight” the mancer assured the unicorn, “Stick together with everyone else.”

“B-but-”

“Starlight, go,” Ember told her, sounding more as if she was giving an order instead of a suggestion “I’ll try to find my way back to you. Just focus on the task at hand.”

It didn’t take long for her to hear the sounds of running hooves as Ember heard Starlight go back to the others. Of course, even though the mancer herself did not expect for this to happen, this did work out in her favor. She would be able to cover more ground on her own than if the mancer was still with the others. Though, before getting started, there was one thing that she needed to test.

Calmly, she closed her eyes and snapped her finger. When Ember began to open them, a small flame was burning from the tip of her right index finger. It was a site that made her smirk, for that meant that she can still use her powers since it did not rely on magic like Starlight and the others. “This is going to be helpful.”

“It seems like Chrysalis didn’t take it upon herself to improve the fortifications on this place since the last time we were here,” she now heard a familiar voice and looked down by her side. Next to Ember was a red colored fox with a white underbelly and a shade of pink on their eyes, a sight that was familiar to the mancer, “You would think that she would try to have something in place to not make it look so easy to get in here.”

“The impression I was given was that she’s overconfident,” she replied back, before lowering herself to the ground, “Also, may I ask, why did you turn into a fox of all things, Ama?”

“Why else?” she said, “According to what I know, they’re rather agile, good trackers and can be able to get into places no other creature can be able to reach. Wouldn’t you think that’s an important skill to have, considering our situation?”

“Well, yeah… though, how do you plan on even tracking them?”

“Check your back pocket.” Shortly after the fox said that, Ember moved her hand to feel something in her back right pocket. As she pulled it out, the mancer found herself holding onto a navy blue strip of cloth. Yet, this was not any normal piece of cloth as she began to realize what it was.

“Ama, where did you get this?”

“Remember when I told you that Maeve didn’t come back earlier when she went after those who captured Mac?” the fox asked her, leading to Ember nodding her head as she continued, “Well, the only thing that I could find was a torn piece of her coat, which I placed in your back pocket when you and I hugged each other at the castle where we met Starlight. The scent isn't too strong, but I think it’s enough for me to pick up a trail and find her.”

That was something that the mancer honestly did not expect to hear, but was honestly glad that she did. “Have I ever told you how much I loved you?”

“Many times, I’m sure,” Amaryllis said, “Though, why don’t we wait until we’re not in the middle of my sister’s lair of despair first?”

All Ember could do was smirk as she looked back at the fox and held the cloth down for them to sniff. “Fine by me. Lead the way.”



Throughout the entire hive, the changelings in every different section of the kingdom were in a state of alarm. After one of the patrols had spotted outsiders lurking around the inner sanctum, the entire hive was alert. Multiple drones were deployed to the queen’s chambers to protect some of the cocoons that contained prisoners that were captured by them. Though, in one other section of the Hive, there was one captive that was separate from the others. They hung from the ceiling, but were smaller in size as the changelings inside had not received word of what was happening.

One particular changeling though had their gaze locked onto them as the few changelings that were around her continued on with their tasks. She knew that she was not a fighter, but couldn’t help to wonder what was so important about the cocoon that hung above their heads. What was it that was inside? Why would they be so important?

“Hey,” the sound of another drone’s approaching her snapped her out of her trance, “Weren’t you supposed to be with Tarsus in Canterlot?”

She immediately shook her head, “N-no, m-my sister Maxila took my place, Coxa. W-why do you ask?”

“Well, somebuggy needs to help with the specimen up there,” the changeling named Coxa, replied back to her, “There’s a reason why the queen kept this one separate from the others that are in the throne room, so you’re going to help me run some… tests.”

Coxa himself was not an ordinary drone by any means. Unlike many of the others in the hive, who fought as warriors, Coxa was the closest thing that the hive had to a doctor and biologist. If a patrol happened to discover something that was unknown to the hive like a creature or a specific plant, they were told to bring it to him so he could study it. Mainly, to determine what it was and if it could be a potential source of love that could be harvested.

As the changeling looked up to the ceiling, their horn began to glow as they detached the cocoon from the ceiling and gently set it on the ground. With another spell, they began to undo the cocoon and pull out what was inside. The drone that was helping Coxa though was shocked by the creature inside. It was a bipedal being that looked rather young at first glance. As the jacket the creature had on was removed, the two changelings noticed what looked like some scars were on her arm.

“W-what is it?” she then asked, “Is… it dead?”

Coxa, after hearing this, shook their head, “No, it’s not. It’s just asleep. In this chamber, we can run these tests without having this creature wake up,” he assured the drone. Coxa was going to continue, but then stopped as he looked back at the changeling that was with him, “Is something wrong? You seem nervous.”

“S-sorry,” the changeling apologized, “It’s just… this thing, whatever it is, looks rather young. Like the age of a hatchling. It… doesn’t feel right.”

After hearing this, Coxa sighed, before looking back at the drone. Paying attention to the red transparent fin that was along its head as it spoke, “What is your name?”

“O-Ocellus,” the changeling replied.

“Well, Ocellus,” he addressed her, “It may not exactly seem like the right choice, but sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Our people don’t have the resources to keep finding love, especially to feed the young ones. Think of the amount of changelings in the hive that we could feed if we found out that we could extract love from this creature? There would be drones like Pharynx that would kill for something like that.”

“B-but… what if it… kills them?” She asked while Coxa was orchestrating some tests. He was looking at the muscles and bodily structure of the pink haired subject, conducting measurements and recording his findings. Though, as Ocellus’ question reached him, he just looked back at the changeling and let out a groan.

“Preferably, I wouldn’t want that to happen,” he said to her, “Losing a potentially valuable resource would devastate everybuggy here. Though, it wouldn’t be the first time that it’s happened.”

His response shocked Ocellus. This was the changeling in charge of taking care of every changeling in the hive, yet he sees any specimens in his care as just a resource? How heartless did you have to be in order to treat another being like that, let alone one that was still alive? Ocellus felt that she had to do something, but found it difficult to summon the courage needed to act. Especially since disobeying a changeling that works directly for the queen would be considered as an act of treason.

“Alright, there we go,” she heard Coxa say as the changeling set down what looked to be a series of sharp objects that Ocellus had not seen before. They were definitely not made by changelings, but what exactly were they used for? “Now then, let’s-”

Before Coxa could be able to do anything though, they heard a sound echo throughout the chamber they were in as they both looked towards the entranceway. “W-what was that?” Ocellus asked.

Her question though led to Coxa looking back at her and tilting his head in the direction of where they heard the noise. “Go take a look. It might not be nothing, but I would rather not take any chances.”

Ocellus could only nervously nod and swallow any fear that was down her throat as she slowly walked over to where they heard the noise. She tried to calm herself, but there was a feeling of anxiety that the drone couldn’t quite ignore. That something was hiding nearby… and was just waiting for her to come find it.

“Come on now. You can do this,” Ocellus thought to herself, trying to stay calm as she began to look for whatever was the source of the noise. Though, as she got closer to the archway, what the changeling found was nothing that she anticipated.

Hugging the wall of the chamber behind a boulder, there was a creature that looked to be that of a fox. One with red fur around its body and a white underbelly as well as pink eyes. It was strange, since there were no creatures like it in the forest that surrounded the changeling kingdom. Originally, Ocellus thought that the creature was somehow lost and that it possibly got separated from others like it in the forest.

That all changed though the moment that she looked away and nervously looked back towards Coxa, “What’s the matter? Is something bothering you?”

Immediately, Ocellus twitched, slowly looking back at the fox, “D-did you-?”

Before she could finish, the fox placed a paw on her mouth and shushed her, “Easy… don’t be afraid. I’m not going to harm you,” the beast spoke to her in a faint tone, “There’s someone we’re looking for in here. A small girl, on two legs, has a pink mane. Does that ring any bells?”

When she heard who the fox was talking about, Ocellus’ heart skipped a beat. They were… talking about Coxa’s patient. Did they know who she was? Were they here to rescue her? Numerous other questions began to circle around in the changeling’s brain as she tried to come up with an answer. 

However, her train of thought came crashing to a halt much sooner than anticipated, “Ocellus, what’s going on over there? It shouldn’t take this long to find out what was causing some noise.”

Nervously, she pulled away from the fox and looked back towards the drone, quickly trying to come up with an answer. “S-sorry. Some rocks just fell from the ceiling and hit a boulder. N-nothing to worry about.”

Even though what Ocellus’ said was far from the truth, her words were enough in order to convince Coxa. “Just get back over here. I’m almost done with the tests, so come back and help me finish things up here.”

As Ocellus turned back around, she found that the fox had vanished from sight. Slowly, she began to trot back towards Coxa. Though, as she trotted back, something began to feel different. For some reason,she began to feel something akin to a warm summer breeze flow through the chamber.

She had to set these thoughts aside once the changeling had returned to the center of the room. “So… uh… w-what else do we need to do?” Ocellus nervously asked.

“Well, I gathered everything that I could on this specimen,” he replied, “It seems that the only thing we can do now is extract the love from it before it wakes.”

“W-wait,” she interjected, “I-I thought that a creature had to be awake before you can do something like that.” Ever since Ocellus was a hatchling, she was taught that feeding love from creatures would only work if the creature itself was awake. That creatures don’t show emotions while they are in a state of rest and therefore, their love cannot be taken that way. 	

“Normally, yes,” he told her, “Though, through my research, I’ve been working on a way where the subject doesn’t need to be awake in order for us to feed. They just need to be in a state of slumber, like this one.”

“H-have you done this before?” She asked, as Coxa looked over the specimen one more time.

“Only on the animals in the forest until now. This will be the first time testing it on another creature,” he told her. Though, before Coxa could proceed, the drone noticed something as they looked back at the changeling that was with him, “You don’t seem rather thrilled. Is something troubling you, Ocellus?”

At first, Ocellus found it difficult to form the words that she wanted to say. Though, she knew that staying silent would not help her. “T-this all feels… wrong. I-is there n-no other way we can-?”

“That’s enough,” Coxa snapped, his tone as sharp as a blade as he glared at Ocellus. His retort was enough to startle her and have her feel as if her soul jumped out of her shell, “There is no other way, Ocellus. That’s just how the world is. It’s not kind, peaceful or welcoming, it’s a place where only the strong survive! You’re either the hunter or the hunted! The only way to ensure the hive’s survival is to not show weakness and do what must be done!! Otherwise, you’ll end up dead like the rest.”

The room immediately fell silent seconds after his outburst. Though, that silence was replaced by the sound of laughter that could be heard throughout the chamber. Before either of the changelings can do anything to act, they heard a voice echo shortly afterwards, “Really now? Is that really the best excuse you can come up with to justify your actions? That is just really sickening.”

When she heard the voice, Ocellus froze. It was… the same voice she had heard from the fox. But, why was it speaking now? Where was it even?

Coxa though, did not take the voice lightly. His horn lit up with magic, eyes darting around the room as the drone grit his teeth. “Who’s there?! Show yourself!”

“Aw, struck a nerve, did I?” the voice chuckled, “Tell me, you are seen as a healer to the changeling kingdom, yet you’re completely fine with disposing of creatures under your care that don’t even offer something of use to you. Aren’t doctors supposed to do no harm or was that just something you ignored entirely?”

“What would you know about what our kind is going through?! About the choices I’ve had to make?” Coxa snapped, “You’re not even showing yourself, coward!”

“Hehe… really now? I am many things,” In that moment, Ocellus watched as the same fox from earlier appeared before them out of nowhere in front of Coxa as it began to start glowing. Within a matter of seconds, the room was filled with a bright flash of light, forcing Ocellus and Coxa to shield their eyes. When the glow began to fade, Ocellus gasped at what stood before them. It was a changeling, yet their appearance was much different than any other changeling in the Hive. Their body was white and had no holes along with a red mane and pink eyes, as well as being around the same height as Chrysalis, “Yet, I am not a coward.”

Ocellus only just watched in shock as she looked at Coxa. Not only was this changeling much different from any other in the hive, but the mere sight of her was enough to make the other changeling shiver in place. “W-what… are you?” He said, the magic around his horn glowing brighter now.

The white changeling did not answer at first, only simply looking to Ocellus with a caring glance. Yet, when she turned back to Coxa, those eyes immediately showed fury, “I am a changeling who sought out another way and found it,” she told him, “Now, I am only going to ask you this once. Step away from the girl and stand down, or else there will be consequences.”

Despite her warnings, Coxa refused to listen. In a moment of desperation, he fired a blast of magic at the changeling before casting a levitation spell as he grabbed the patient and pulled the creature towards him. The drone held his left foreleg around their neck, before putting one of his fangs on the edge of their neck. “Don’t come any closer,” he threatened, “If you do anything, this ‘girl’ gets it!”

Ocellus gasped in horror as she saw what was happening. Yet, the changeling in white just looked composed as they closed their eyes and let out a small breath. “Just when I thought that things could be resolved without violence. Though, it appears that you’re too devoted to your queen to think differently,” she retorted, “I did warn you that there will be consequences.”

“Are you crazy!? I have a hostage here and warned you not to come closer,” Coxa snapped, “What are you going to try and do? You can’t-”

“I’m not the one who’s going to do anything,” the changeling in white replied, opening her eyes and looking past the drone as she smirked, “Though, my partner is a different story.”



Moments Earlier

“Amaryllis, do you have some kind of plan?” Ember asked her partner as they looked out into the chamber from a ledge overlooking the whole place. After what felt almost like an hour, the two of them had finally found Maeve. However, she was asleep and on what appeared to be the changeling equivalent of an operating table, “Because if we don’t do anything now, that changeling won’t hesitate to use her as an experiment.”

Amaryllis herself scanned the room again, shortly before looking back to Ember, “I have a plan. Though, there are a couple things that need to be done in order for this to really work.”

The mancer just simply raised an eyebrow, puzzled by what she was saying, “What do you have in mind?”

“If this is going to work, then I’m going to need you to stay up here until I tell you,” she explained, “That drone down there… the younger one. It looks like they don’t want to be involved in what that other drone’s doing. However, if she sees you, she’ll surely be scared and warn the one closer to Maeve. So… I’m going to try and see if I can convince them to help us.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“If it doesn’t, then I’ll break my disguise. Use that as a distraction,” Amaryllis told her, “They’ll be so focused on what’s in front of them that they won’t notice anything behind them. Though, we need a signal of sorts. Something that can tell you when would be the right time to act.”

Only one thought emerged in Ember’s mind as she looked back at her wife, “So, a code word then?”

Amaryllis nodded, before looking out back into the chamber again. “Yes, we’ll need one. However, it has to be something specific. If it’s too obvious, then they’ll know that something is wrong and your cover might be broken.”

She was right about that. Though, there was one thought in Ember’s mind that sounded like an ideal option for a code name. “How about ‘My Partner’?”

“Isn’t that… well, I don’t mean to be rude, but doesn’t that seem a bit obvious Emmy?”

“If they’re focused on you, they wouldn’t even consider the fact that you’re not alone,” the mancer explained further, “When they do realize it, it’ll be too late for them. I know that it sounds risky… but if this will help us rescue my mom, then I’m willing to take the risk.”

At first, Amaryllis was surprised to hear that. Though, after a moment, the changeling couldn’t help but agree with her. “Alright then. I guess that will work. Now, let’s not delay any longer.”

With that, Amaryllis used her magic to change back into a fox and leaped her way down to the ground. From above, the mancer watched carefully as she was able to easily get the attention of the young drone that was there and just as quickly escape from sight. Though, as this played out, there were moments where Ember felt that she had to step in. Yet, she forced herself to ignore the need to break her cover, for it was too early to do so. 

Though, there was one point in all of this that she thought everyone was rapidly going downhill. “Don’t come any closer! If you do, this ‘girl’ gets it!”

“Oh no,” Ember immediately thought, “Ama, come on!! If you don’t say it now, she’s a goner!”

Despite the urge to act, Amaryllis stayed calm and composed as she let out a small breath and closed her eyes, “Just when I thought that things could be resolved without violence. Though, it appears that you’re too devoted to your queen to think differently. I told you that there will be consequences.”

In Ember’s mind, that was a sign to get ready as she looked at the ground behind the changeling that was holding onto Maeve. The mancer was already thinking about what she was going to do the moment she heard the signal from Amaryllis. The only thing she had to do now was wait and not act on impulse.

“Are you crazy!? I have a hostage here and warned you not to come closer! What are you going to try and do? You can’t-”

“I’m not the one who’s going to do anything,” the changeling in white replied, opening her eyes and looking past the drone and towards Ember as she smirked, “Though, my partner is a different story.”

The moment she heard that, Ember bolted from the ledge and landed on the ground behind the changeling. Before the changeling was able to properly react, Ember grabbed the drone’s shoulder and forcefully turned him around. Shortly afterwards, the mancer struck the changeling in the face with a strong haymaker that broke his fangs and sent them crashing into the wall. Amaryllis herself used her magic to catch Maeve and prevent her head from hitting the ground as she lifted the rogue over to her.

“Is she going to be okay?” the mancer asked, worried that she and Amaryllis might have acted too late.

“She’ll be alright,” the changeling assured her, before casting a spell over Maeve’s body, “This should help wear off the sedatives inside the cocoon. Give it some time and-”

Yet, before Amaryllis could continue speaking, something happened to catch her attention. It was the young drone that did not want to take part in what the older one was doing. She looked scared, but still found it within herself to speak as they looked towards the mancer, “A-are you… a monster?”

Ember shook her head, before getting down on one knee to be at the same level as the drone. “No. I’m not a monster,” she assured her, “Don’t worry. No one will force you to do anything that you don’t want to do,” It was moments after the mancer said those words that she decided to ask her a question. “What’s your name?”

“O-ocellus.”

Ember blinked, looking back to Amaryllis for a brief second before turning back to the changeling, “You’re… Maxila’s sister?”

“Y-you know my sister?” Ocellus quickly retorted, “I-is she safe?!”

Ember gave her a reassuring smile as she looked back at the drone, “Yes she is. If anything, she was worried more about you.”

As soon as she heard that, the changeling’s attitude changed. Ocellus wasn’t scared, but relieved to hear the good news. Though, as Ember got off of the floor and looked towards the entry tunnel, she had a new question. This time though, it was for Amaryllis. “I-is what you said true? Is there… another way?”

The white changeling didn’t say anything at first, but took a moment in order to gather her thoughts. When she did, Amaryllis looked back towards Ocellus as she began to speak, “There is… though, it depends on whether or not you are open and willing to let go of everything you once knew. Though, it is something that will take some time.”

Ironically though, just as Amaryllis said that, Ember felt the ground shake as she saw what looked to be a bright light flash at the far end of the corridor. The walls of the hive were beginning to wither and crumble as the mancer watched. She had seen this kind of light before, but only once many years ago as the light drew closer to them, “Actually, I think that’s happening right now!”

Both changelings immediately looked back towards Ember as they began to see what she was referring too. Immediately, they all began to race through the tunnels and try to get out before the entire castle collapsed on their heads. Ember took it upon herself to carry Maeve and hold onto her coat while Amaryllis shapeshifted back into a fox and ran beside them. Ocellus herself did her best to try and keep up as pieces of the ceiling continued to collapse all around them.

Luckily, they were fortunate enough to break through and emerge from the castle before it was able to fully collapse. All around them were pieces of what used to be Chrysalis’ domain as the hive that was once there was no more. “Oh damn… I hope the others were able to make it out of there.”

“They probably were the first ones out,” Amaryllis added, “Whatever just happened, it came from where the throne room would be.”

“W-wait… others?” they heard Ocellus ask, confused by what the two of them were talking about.

“The two of us came here with some companions and we were here to rescue some friends,” Ember answered, looking up to the sky as she saw a welcoming sight. Philomena was flying over them, and not a moment too soon did the phoenix notice them.

“There you are! I was beginning to get worried up here,” Philomena said, “Are you alright?”

“For the most part. Maeve’s still knocked out, but she should be coming around any moment,” the mancer replied, “Do you happen to know where everypony else is? Amaryllis and I kind of got separated from the others while we were inside.”

“They’re right over here on the other side of the ravine,” the phoenix told her, “Though… can someone explain why almost every changeling over there is bright and colorful?”

That statement alone made the mancer paused for a brief moment, before looking over towards her wife as they followed Philomena. “Ama, you’re not going to believe this… but the changelings have changed.”

At first, Amaryllis was silent, before both of them looked back towards Ocellus. Unlike the drone they originally met, she was different too. Unlike their first encounter, she now had cyan eyes, a neck fin that was a shade of light amaranth like her wings and her chitin was a pale arctic blue. It didn’t even look like she had noticed the changes that have taken place at all. 

“How many?”

That single question was answered the moment that they walked over the edge of the ravine in front of them and saw what was waiting for them. Numerous changelings of different colors stood in front of them, some even helping free the captive ponies that were in the cocoons. One massive one stood out from the rest with a pair of horns that almost looked like antlers, who was with Spike and Starlight. Ember also saw Applejack and Big Mac reunite, which made her overjoyed.

“I think it’s… all of them.”

Unfortunately, just as she said that, the sound of a high pitch screech ran out as the former queen emerged from the rubble.

“Except for her.”

Amaryllis let out a deep sigh, before they all returned to where everyone was waiting for them. As they were walking, Starlight looked to try and convince Chrysalis that she did not have to seek revenge. Though, it was as they met back up with Big Mac and Applejack that the queen smacked the hoof that the unicorn extended out in friendship. One last chance for her to cease her villany and it was met with defiance.

“There is no revenge that you can ever conceive of that will come close to what I-” the queen boasted, before her gaze met Ember as the queen’s eyes narrowed. “You…”

“Long time, ‘Chrysy’,” the mancer remarked. Something that caught everyone’s attention right away. Though, the former queen did not take those words rather kindly.

“You were the one that did this,” the changeling snapped, “Every since the day I first saw you all those years ago, I knew you were no good. Was taking her away not good enough for you!? Did you have to take away everything else too!?!”

“She did not take me away,” Amaryllis spoke, dismissing her transformation as she stood beside the mancer. For everypony who did not know her or only saw her in one of her forms, this was a shock to all of them. Especially when they started to hear the murmurs and chatter from the other changelings, “I chose to go with her. We tried to tell you before that this could our kind survive. That we didn’t have to steal love from other creatures anymore. Yet, your pride and your refusal to accept the truth has come back to bite you… sister.”

“Woah, slow down! Sister?!” Ember overheard Rainbow Dash blurt out. “Did I hear that right or do I have something in my ears?”

“She’s telling the truth, Dash,” Applejack was next to speak, “She told Mac and I everything, though the whole part about ‘sister’ is new to me.”

Chrysalis though was not backing down as she glared at the white changeling with fury in her eyes, “Amaryllis…”

“Accept the truth already,” her sister told her, “Our kind had suffered under your rule. Your failed invasion, shortages of love, children losing their parents. You may claim that sacrifices must be made for the greater good of our people, but all of those were preventable. If you would’ve just listened to me, things would have been different.”

“What do you know about the choices I’ve made?! I was only doing what I thought was best for us!! Following the example of the queen before me-”

“You mean the one you left to die?” Amaryllis’ words were sharp as a knife as a collective gasp could be heard from the rest of the changelings behind her. Even Chrysalis flinched when she heard that, “That’s right. I know what you did with Queen Elytra.You put your own loyal subjects in her guard and the night before she planned to go to Equestria to ask for aid to help our kind, you had your subjects kill her while she was sleeping. Then, when you were crowned, you told everybuggy in the kingdom that Elytra was murdered by assassins that served Princess Celestia. What do you have to say to that, sister?”

The former queen said nothing, gritting her teeth as she glared at her sister. Not only was every changeling shocked by these new revelations, but even the princesses of Equestria were stunned. They knew that Chrysalis was evil… but they did not think that she wanted to be in power so much that she would assassinate her predecessor.

Amaryllis though remained composed, briefly looking at Starlight Glimmer before stepping for it. “The way I see it, as noble as Starlight’s intentions are, your actions can’t be easily forgiven. No one will learn anything from the likes of you if you stayed here,” she told her, “Though, running away from the truth will not help you, sister. Only in admitting what you did wrong can you be redeemed for the actions you’ve committed-”

“There is no redemption for her.”

Immediately, Ember felt a chill run down her spine as she saw grass beginning to take form under Chrysalis’ hooves. She knew that voice anywhere, but of all possible times, why did it have to be now. With each passing second, the grass began to spread rapidly underneath as the ground began to shake. The mancer only had mere seconds to act as she looked towards her Amaryllis, “AMA, GET OUT OF THERE!!!”

The changeling in white only had seconds to act as the ground tore open underneath her sister. From the soil, a crimson maw that was in the shape of a flower swallowed her whole. The former queen tried to resist and crawl out with whatever strength she had left, but the sheer strength of the maw’s teeth was enough to cut through her and sever her hoof from her left foreleg.

“What the BUCK is that!?!”

“Ah don’t know, but this doesn’t look good,” Ember heard Applejack say to her friends, “Aunt Ember, come on! We’re going somewhere safe-”

However, the mancer did not listen to Applejack’s words. For she knew that no one would be safe if it were here. Instead, she chose to act on impulse. As the flower was descending back into the ground, she conjured a lash of flame as it grabbed hold of the bloom at the base. The pull she felt dragged her down towards the ground, forcing her to just hold on.

“Aunt Ember, what are ya doing-!?” Applejack’s words were the last thing she would hear as the mancer was dragged underground.



In the darkest corners of the Everfree, it waited. For too long, the queen of the changelings and the devoted subjects that followed her had broken the natural balance between life and death. Yet, for the longest of times, it could not act. For the queen cowered behind the dark throne inside her kingdom that robbed every creature of their magic. Something that would only protect her for so long.

Now… that safeguard was gone. It felt its destruction from here. It was the time for action now. To maintain the balance, the queen had to be removed permanently.

Though, it was as he felt the bloom burrow back that another presence could be felt. An all too familiar one. As the bloom broke through the ground, it saw them land and force the bloom to cough up the scarred and weakened queen. It was unmistakable. The appearance, the scarf, the fire in their eyes. No doubt, it was her.

It was the one whose rage led to his creation. His birth into the world. The one who embodies the phoenix. It had been centuries since they had last seen each other, but this… was an unexpected reunion.

“Hello, Mother.”




End Chapter 22