It Takes a Village to Reform a Changeling
Chapter 25: It Takes a Changeling...
The Changeling Army arrived in Ponyville at dawn, just as they'd planned.
The ranks of drones approached the city limits, but stopped when something stepped out from a nearby bush. They looked over, pausing at the sight of a reformed Changeling.
Mandy smirked tauntingly. "Come and get me."
The leading squadrons charged forward, their horns alight. The lingering squads volleyed magic blasts towards the enemy, hoping to stop his advance.
But surprisingly, instead of attacking, the lone Changeling turned tail and ran.
The approaching squadrons trailed him as he ducked and weaved around stray trees, approaching a large barren field. The stationary troops were unsure of what to do.
At least, they were unsure until eight more Changelings approached from behind and began to fire.
The ranks shot back, but the approaching drones were too strong; it seemed like they'd eaten a lot of love recently. The advancing group pushed the artillerymen back, and they began to retreat, but a brilliant white light stopped them in their tracks.
Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and their army had shown up, and they were now cutting off the Changelings' escape route.
Left with no other options, the battalions turned and ran in the direction that the first group had gone.
Queen Chrysalis watched this scene play out from afar, her guards absolutely baffled.
"Are they... No, they're cornering my troops!" Chrysalis shouted in outrage.
She pointed a hoof towards the General next to her, but before she could give him an order, a beam of magenta magic collided with his head, knocking him unconscious.
Chrysalis turned and gasped; the Elements were charging her!
Rarity used her magic to tie up a group of Changelings in a tough ribbon; Applejack used her wrangling skills to keep them all from spreading out too far; Rainbow Dash flew circles around another group, disorienting them as they tried to keep eye contact on her; Fluttershy used her quiet demeanor to sneak up on a few Changelings, then began to sweet-talk or Stare them into submission; Twilight was using her magical prowess to subdue entire groups of Changelings at a time; and Pinkie Pie...
Chrysalis blinked. Where was the Element of Laughter?
As if to answer her question, Pinkie Pie appeared from behind Chrysalis and stuck her face far too close to the Queen's for comfort.
"Hi there, Chryssie," she said in that singsong voice that Chrysalis hated so much, "How ya doin'?"
In response, Chrysalis shot out a blast of magic, but the party mare had disappeared as suddenly as she'd arrived. Chrysalis whipped her head around, but couldn't find–
Suddenly, a weight placed itself onto her head, and Pinkie's voice cheered, "Whee! This is fun!"
Chrysalis glanced up and gasped. Pinkie Pie was atop her head as though it were some sort of spinning ride!
Chrysalis whipped her head back in an attempt to get the pony off, but she was holding on too tightly.
Pinkie Pie took a postage stamp out from nowhere, licked it, and placed it on the tip of Chrysalis's horn, then jumped off. Chrysalis tried to use her magic, but the stamp was somehow blocking it! "What'd you do!?" Chrysalis shouted, taken aback.
In response, Pinkie grabbed Chrysalis, stuffed her into the barrel of a device called a 'Party Canon' ("Where did that come from?!" she thought), and exclaimed "DELIVERY FOR KING MOTHRA!" before pulling the cord. The canon shot Chrysalis at a speed too high for her to control her flight, and she sailed across the battlefield.
Then she froze in mid-air when a purple-and-green magical aura caught and bound her. She was lowered to hover just a few inches off the ground, where she came face-to-face with Mothra.
"Hello, Chryssie."
Meanwhile, Mandy was still running from the squadrons still pursuing him. They shot magical blasts around him, but he ducked and weaved as best as he could, managing to only get knicked by them.
Eventually, they reached the entrance to the Gem Mines, and Mandy leapt into the air, hovering directly above the opening. The charging Changelings began to close in, surrounding their target and readying a final–
Suddenly, a familiar pink shield formed around the swarm, and began to lower. The enemy Changelings were dragged down by it, but Mandy passed through with only a shiver.
At that moment, the squadrons that were being chased by the Princesses and the rebels arrived, and the shield spell expanded to swallow them, allowing them in but not letting them out.
Once all the enemy Changelings were secured, the bubble dragged them all together and pulled them into the Gem Cave, trapping them in there.
Shining Armor, horn ablaze, staggered out from inside a bush, clearly beginning to feel the strain of the spell. "That's it; we got 'em!"
Princess Celestia nodded, teleporting away.
Princess Cadence rushed forward to comfort her husband. She kissed him, and their love gave Shining Armor a bit more strength (just like it had back at the wedding), allowing him to more easily hold the shield in place – not by much, but it was still noticable.
Celestia then teleported back, but this time, it was with some company:
The Elements of Harmony were standing over the subdued Changelings, and King Mothra was holding a struggling Chrysalis with his magic.
Mandy finally landed and cheered, "We did it!"
The heroes gave out a loud cheer. Twilight picked up their subdued Changelings, lowering them into the Gem Caves to join their trapped brethren, while Mothra held onto Chrysalis (who was still desparately struggling to get free).
"Piece of cake!" Rainbow Dash cheered, patting herself on the back.
Pinkie Pie jumped up. "Ooh, where!?"
Dash rolled her eyes. "Not literally, Pinkie..."
Rarity chimed in, "I agree with Dash; that was easy!"
"Almost too easy..." AJ muttered, eyeing Chrysalis suspiciously.
Suddenly, the postage stamp fell away, and the 'Queen' burst into green flames, the stand-in drone's disguise falling away.
At the same time, the bush that Shining Armor had hidden in also burst into flames, and the real Chrysalis lunged toward Mothra.
Mandy rushed forward and shouted "Dad!", but he wasn't fast enough to stop–
Click.
Two things happened at once: Celestia grabbed Chrysalis in her magic, stopping her mid-lunge; and, without even turning around, Mothra took out the magic-inhibiting ring and placed it on Chrysalis's horn.
Everyone stared upon the King and Princess with shock. This hadn't been part of the plan they'd gone over...
"What the–" Chrysalis strained against the magical grip, but she couldn't even move so much as her tail. "But how!?"
Mothra finally turned to look at his ex-mate, grinning a devious smile. "I know you, Chrysalis; you have such a flair for theatrics. But this time, I was packing a trick of my own."
Chrysalis gaped as best as she could, what with her body being restrained by Celestia's magic. "You pulled a plot twist?! But... Y-you... Outsmarted me...?"
Mandy, Thorax, and Pharynx gaped. Was she actually admitting an inferiority?
Celestia used her magic to bind Chrysalis's wings, then set her on the ground.
But instead of trying to flee, she stared at her hooves in utter disbelief as the weight of her defeat sank in. "I lost... I just lost everything... I have nothing..." her voice cracked.
Now, even Mothra was surprised. "Huh?"
Chrysalis glared at Mothra, her composure rapidly shattering. "You did it; you've taken everything from me. My power, my Hive, even my own children! I've lost everything to the power of friendship," she spat that word as if it were a deadly disease, "and I've fallen further than ever.
"Now what'll you do with me? Are you going to corrupt me with friendship, too? Finish what you started all those years ago, and stuff me with those feelings until I'm nothing but a bad memory?"
Now, tears were starting to form in her eyes. "Or will you do the decent thing and just kill me already?! NOW WHAT WILL YOU DO, OH HIGH AND MIGHTY MOTHRA, NOW WHAT!?!"
And with that, she slammed herself forward, burying her face in her hooves, and began to cry her eyes out.
Everyone who was witnessing this scene stared at the broken and defeated bug queen, completely and utterly stupefied. It didn't seem possible, and yet there it was, happening right in front of them.
Mothra hesitantly stepped forward. "What are you talking about...?"
She glared at him. "You used to be a great leader, Mothra. We were perfect together, you and I – we would've ruled the world!
"But then you visited Equestria, and when you came back, you were completely different! You started talking about backing our armies down, and I knew something was wrong. You'd contracted friendship, and it changed you – corrupted you!
"And then," her tirade started to lose some steam, "when you left, I started to feel something. There was a feeling in my chest, like it'd been hollowed out."
She glared up at him, her bloodshot eyes icy cold and fiery hot at the same time. "You infected me, Mothra. You infected me, you infected my children, and now you've infected my subjects. I lost everything to friendship. I... I...."
She collapsed, exhausted. "I don't understand, Mothra. This feeling inside me, the empty feeling; I just don't understand it. You did something to me, you must've... I just don't understand... Why, Mothra?"
For the longest moment, the field was silent. Nobody said a word as everything sank in.
Then, Mandy stepped forward.
"Chrysalis," he began, "Friendship isn't a disease; it's just what happens when you grow close to someone else. And we weren't infected; we just discovered how good it felt.
"Noling abandoned you; you pushed them away with your anger and spite. They wanted your love, and you refused to share it."
Mandy took a step forward. "And yes, we may have changed our morales, but that doesn't change who we are. Mothra is still the King that you mated with; Pharynx is still a tough but caring soldier; and I'm still rudely blunt. Friendship didn't change who we are; it just changed how we viewed others."
He stepped closer to the defeated Queen, who was beginning to consider his words. "When I crashed in Ponyville, I initially didn't care about anypony's feelings; I just accepted the fate I expected to receive. But when Princess Celestia showed me a true act of kindness, I began to appreciate how good it felt. I started acting nicer to others, and they reciprocated – some more than others," he added, glancing to Applejack. "I shared the love I received, and it tasted so much sweeter than ever before. I've finally found true happiness here."
Finally, he reached his mother, and sat down next to her. He pointed a hoof to her chest and explained, "That empty feeling in your heart? That's loneliness. He began to give you love, but you never reciprocated, and he left because of it. You miss him."
She stared down at her own chest, eyes widened.
"You still have a chance to make things right," Mandy continued, placing a hoof on his mother's, "and I'd be willing to give it to you."
After a moment, Twilight Sparkle stepped forward. "I would, too."
Pinkie Pie pronked forward. "I could throw a welcoming party!"
Applejack nodded, moseying forward. "If Mandy's willin' to help ya, then Ah will, too."
Rarity joined them, "I'll do my part, as well."
Fluttershy meekly stepped forward. "I suppose, uh, if you all are doing it..."
They turned to look at Rainbow Dash, who looked torn.
She took a deep breath. "Look, I dunno if I can forgive you for all you've done," she admitted, "but if my friends think you can change, then I'll stick by 'em."
Celestia, Luna, and (more hesitantly) Cadence and Shining Armor stepped forward. "As long as you're willing to make up for your past transgressions, we would be honored to extend our hoof in friendship with you and the Changeling Kingdom," Celestia put on her regal smile.
The six misfit Changelings stepped forward. "We never really felt like we belonged in the Hive, but we'd gladly come back if you'd be willing to treat us more kindly."
Pharynx followed suit. "I have a duty to my family... And you're a part of it, too, my Queen."
Thorax looked to his brother, then at Chrysalis. Finally, he slid forward hesitantly. "I suppose I can give you a chance, too."
Chrysalis watched as everyone stepped forward, willing to give her a second chance. She couldn't help but smile at their compassion.
Then she turned to face Mothra. "What about you?"
Mothra looked at her with an unreadable expression.
Then he smiled. "If you'd be willing to share your love, I would be honored to sit by your side once again."
And he stepped forward, love radiating off of him and filling the hole in her chest.
That was it; the last domino fell, and Chrysalis nodded, more tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Okay, I'll try."
Suddenly, a blinding light encompassed the entire field. Everypony shielded their eyes as Chrysalis was engulfed by a massive glowing cocoon that radiated love energy. The light dimmed enough for everyone to see, and it slowly lowered itself to the ground.
Mandy looked to Celestia and Luna, amd they nodded. He reached out a hoof and gently touched the chrysalis, causing it to break open with a flash of light.
The light died down, and there stood a physically reformed Chrysalis. Her long hair was now a lighter shade of teal, no longer tattered and raggedy; her previously segmented irises were now one shade of dark aquamarine; her chitin was still mostly black, but now it was slightly red, too; her wings looked less like a dragonfly's and more like a butterfly's, adorned with teal heart shapes; the holes in her hooves, while not completely gone, were much smaller now; and her wiry crown was now a silver tiara, though it still featured those teal baubles.
Everypony marvelled at the her as she got up and looked over herself.
But instead of freaking out about her transformation, she pushed that aside, rushing forward to give Mothra a hug.
Mandy watched from the side as they embraced each other, until his thoughts were interrupted by Applejack's hoof on his shoulder.
"Ya did good, sugarcube," she congratulated, "ya did good."
Chrysalis, meanwhile, had broken off from Mothra's hug. "What do we do now?"
Celestia stepped forward. "If it's not too much trouble, then please come with us so we can discuss future plans... and deliberate on punishments," she added seriously.
Chrysalis flinched, dreading that part. She looked to Mothra for support, and he smiled. "It's only fair. I'll be there with you the whole time, no matter what."
She warily smiled, still anxious about what sort of punishment she'd be receiving, and they walked forward together. With a flash of light from Celestia's horn, the Princesses, Shining Armor, Mothra, Chrysalis, and the former army of Changelings were teleported away.