As Sunset leaned against a wall, her arms crossed as she listened to the conversation between Starlight and Chrysalis, she felt more and more determined to try to help the Dazzlings change but she also felt as though Starswirl and the others had that part covered. Therefore, she was here instead, prepared to act in case things went south. She wasn’t alone of course. Trixie and Tempest were with her out of concern for their friend. She noticed that this Trixie was.. different from the one she had met in the human world. She seemed more.. heroic and less obnoxious. That was good at least.. buuut she and the other Trixie still had the same ego and referred to themselves as “The Great and Powerful Trixie” or just “Trixie” instead of saying “I” or “me” like a normal person.. or pony.
“Ugh.. how long is this gonna take? I thought Starlight would realize by now that Chrysalis doesn’t want to change. None of them do.” Trixie says, prompting Sunset to shake her head at the thought of having to explain the same thing to her friend for the fifth time today.
“For the last time: I don’t know how long this is gonna take and it’s like Twilight said. Maybe some of them do want to change but just don’t know how to say it or are afraid that it’ll make them weak. So we have to try and convince them to be better.” Sunset explains and Trixie continued pacing which was honestly starting to annoy Sunset even more.
“Trying isn’t worth anything if we end up hurt or worse.” Trixie says and Sunset facepalms, letting out a flabbergasted sigh. Tempest steps in before things get out of hand.
“Look Trixie, you may have a point but I think we should focus more on actually helping to make this work instead of thinking about what could happen to us if it doesn’t. We should also work on being patient.” Tempest says and Sunset mouths a “Thank you” in her direction. Tempest nods and holds her head up, smiling proudly.. that is until Trixie decides that now is a good time to be a pain.
“And by “we” you mean Sunset, right?” Trixie asks and Sunset's eye twitches as she slowly glares at Trixie and Tempest starts getting nervous. If these two got into a fight, she would hate to have to zap both of them to get them to calm down. That and there wouldn’t be much more she could do than that, despite being the tallest and physically strongest of them which wouldn’t help much if they started using their powers. Before Sunset could get her hands on Trixie, Twilight and the others appear down the hall, all looking exhausted and concerned. “Is everything ok?” Sunset asks, getting their attention.
“It could definitely be better.. we just evacuated SIX destroyed villages, all destroyed by a new alicorn. So many injured and dead..” Twilight says with a frown, prompting them to frown as well. “How are things here?” She asks and Sunset, Trixie, and Tempest all look at each other then back at her.
“We.. don’t exactly know yet. Starlight’s been in there for quite a bit. We were just about to check on her.” Tempest says and the others agree.
“Alrighty, well you let us know if ya need us for anything, ya hear?” Applejack asks and they all nod before the Mane 6 all walk off to recover from everything they had witnessed.
Meanwhile
“Oh, I get it now! All you wanted was to protect your hive but now your heart is so full of hatred that they don’t even matter to you anymore! It’s all about your revenge! Actually, what am I even saying?! It’s always been about you.. and now.. you’re alone.” Starlight says and Chrysalis yells out in anger and hatred, throwing herself at Starlight only to find that she still can’t get past the force field that separated them. “Chrysalis.. all this hatred.. it has to stop.. You have to let it go. You can choose to be better..” She says and Chrysalis just continues to glare at her before backing down from trying to push through the force field.
“No, I can’t.. I’ve lost everything.. because of you. I.. will never stop. One way or another, I will find a way out of here.. and I promise you, Starlight Glimmer.. that you will die.” Chrysalis says and Starlight frowns and looks down at the answer. She slowly backs up, shaking her head before looking at Chrysalis once again.
“Everyone deserves love Chrysalis.. even you.. but I hate that you feel like you have to take it from others, I mean look at you. You’re starving because you haven’t taken any in so long.. but if you changed, transformed like Thorax and the other changelings, you’d never have to go hungry again.. You’d finally be satisfied. You don’t need revenge to be whole.. you need love.. you need peace.. you need your hive.. your family.” Starlight says and Chrysalis tenses up and looks down a bit before growling and punching the force field, using her own magic but it just sends her sliding back into the wall.
After recovering, she looks at Starlight then looks away, holding her arm. “Get. Out..” She says quietly and Starlight tries to protest but before she can get a full word out, Chrysalis snaps at her. “LEAVE!” She yells and Starlight flinches a bit before sighing and walking out, leaving Chrysalis to destroy what was left of her side of the room. That was a disaster.. but her words did seem to get to Chrysalis quite a bit so.. maybe there was some hope after all. She feels someone hug her and sees that it’s Trixie. She smiles and hugs back.
“I’m ok Trix.. don’t worry.” She says and Sunset and Tempest smile. Sunset is the first to speak after Trixie lets go.
“So.. did you make any progress? Did she think about changing at all?” She asks and Starlight seems to think about it before nodding. They all look at each other then back at her, smiling at the news.
“Then maybe there’s hope after all.” Tempest says and they all agree before walking off to tell Twilight and the others the good news.
“I don’t.. I don’t know if you can hear me or if you’re even still.. in there.. but I am so.. SO sorry Snowdrop. You were right all those years ago. I’m just sorry it took me so long to realize it.” Luna says to Frostbite who was just standing there, staring at her from behind the force field that separated them just like the one in Chysalis and every other villain's room. “After I had seen no sign of you, no sign of what happened to you, that you were still.. I had no idea you were trapped under a frozen lake.. for so long.. I would’ve focused on nothing more than finding and freeing you.” Luna says, the regret evident in her voice, as well as the heartache.
Frostbite just continues to stand there and stare at her but the coldness in her eyes had seemed to.. lessen a bit along with tension she so clearly held in her body. “I never forgot our last conversation.. or any of them for that matter.. and I’m hoping you didn’t either with whatever Midnight had put into your head. I’m trying to hold out hope that she didn’t taint your memories with her own twisted influence..” Luna says, her anger showing itself whenever she mentions Midnight or thinks of her messing with her friend's mind. “I want you to come back.. I’ve missed you for so long, me and my sister both have.. You were the first pony after our parents who truly understood us.. understood me..”
“You tried to save so many ponies, including me.. from me.. I’m sorry that I was so selfish.. you tried to save me from myself and I didn’t listen.. but I’m hoping that you can forgive me.. and that you’ll allow me to save you.. I need you Snowdrop.. I need my friend back.” Luna says, the tears she had been holding back finally starting to fall until she couldn’t hold them at all anymore. She continues to cry her heart out, having gone a long time without doing so since the last time she had mourned, thinking Celestia was gone forever.
“Luna..” She hears Frostbite say.. but her voice is no longer splintered.. no longer echoing or ominous or spooky. She looks up at her friend and her eyes are no longer glowing, instead she’s crying as well and Luna quickly gets closer, wondering if it’s really her.
“Snowdrop.. is that you?” She asks and Snowdrop smiles and nods, clearly trying to stop her own tears and Luna hesitantly undoes the shield and when Snowdrop doesn’t attack, she pulls her into a hug, prompting her to hug back. “I’ve missed you so much!” She says and Snowdrop nuzzles into her neck before responding.
“I missed you too.. but I’m here now.. I’m here.” She says and Luna smiles more and Celestia walks in after a bit and when she sees that their long lost friend has returned and reunited with her little sister, she can’t help but smile.
“Snowdrop.. it’s so good to see you again.. you’ve been missed.” She says and Snowdrop smiles and hugs her as well, prompting her to hug back.
“It’s good to be back princess.. I’ve missed you both too.. just how much have I missed out on?” She asks and Celestia and Luna look at each other before agreeing to explain on the way to Twilight and the others. After Snowdrop agrees to that, they all begin to walk out and Celestia stops for a second to think.
“Hm.. maybe there is some hope after all..” She says before turning towards one specific room down the hall and smiling a bit before continuing to follow Luna and Snowdrop. The room she was looking towards just happened to be Astelle's who was currently chained up with a magic-blocking ring on her horn on account of being too dangerous to let roam around her cage unchecked. She growls in anger as she continues to sit on her knees in the same uncomfortable position she had been in for months now. It was starting to drive her crazy.. well crazier than she already was but you get the point.
She hears the door open and looks to see someone.. unexpected. She was confused at first, then intrigued. For what purpose could this person have to visit her.. and were they friend or foe. “What the hell are you doing here?” She asks and the pony just chuckles in a sadistic manor, a laugh with evident malice and just a hint of insanity erupting from the pony’s throat.
“All you need to know.. is that I’m a friend.. and that the reign of Midnight is far from over.. we have a plan.. are you in.. or out?” The pony asks and Astelle slowly starts to smirk as her eyes glow red slightly.
“When do we start..?”