The Battle heats up, and Chrysalis Does the Unthinkable!
'This is bullshit, how many of these fucken mosquitoes are there?!' Bage did his best to deflect punches and kicks from nearly every angle as changelings practically swarmed him. Shortly after flinging Chrysalis like a shot put, a massive cloud of the pests had descended on him, giving him no time to breathe. 'Alright, that's it.' Bage roared as his ki exploded, sending changelings flying in all directions. "I knew I should have stocked up on bug spray," Bage muttered, sensing something behind him. He turned and pointed a ki blast but saw something he hadn't expected. A changeling, surrendering. "Ok, that's a new one." The changeling trembled with its eyes squeezed shut. A flare of green and the changeling took the form of a young stallion.
"W-w-wait! I don't want to fight you, please! I-I-I'm not like the others!" Bage raised an eyebrow, not sure whether to believe it or not. "I'm serious, I didn't even want to be here, let alone fight!" Now Bage was truly stumped. "My name is Thorax, I'm a scout. I wasn't even supposed to be involved in this, but the queen ordered all of us to attack Canterlot. Right now I want to leave, and forget all this!" Bage stared at the changeling in front of him, weighing his options. He had never been a good judge of character, but something was telling him to let this one go. He lowered his hand, dispelling the blast he charged.
"Leave. If I see you again, I won't let you go a second time." Thorax gasped but nodded, quickly taking off into the dust and smoke. Bage watched him go before turning to sense for Chrysalis. 'Where the hell could she be? It's not like she would give up. Something's not right. What could she be HUH?!' Bage could barely react in time as a green bolt of energy nearly pierced his shoulder. As he tried to dodge, the bolt shot through his forearm. "GAAAH!" He clutched the wound, using his ki to sear the wound closed.
"That is only a taste of what is in store for you, ape! You'll be begging for death before long!" Bage grit his teeth in pain, looking up to see Chrysalis strutting toward him. "I've only just begun to fight, and my power is limitless! You are nothing!" Bage just grimaced, glaring at her. "What's wrong, ape? Run out of quips? Cat got your tongue? NO MORE WORDS TO FAIL?!" Bage said nothing, keeping his glare fixed on her. "YOU THINK THAT SINCE YOU'RE SOME POWERFUL ALIEN MONKEY, THAT YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME!? QUEEN CHRYSALIS!? WELL YOU'RE NOT! I OWN YOU! I OWN THIS CITY! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A PITIFUL, MEWLING LITTLE MONKEY! AND I REFUSE TO BE BEATEN BY AN ANIMAL!" Chrysalis charged a blast and launched it at Bage. He batted it back at her with his good arm, causing it to explode in her face. With a screech she charged at him, leveling her horn intent on goring him. Bage jumped to the left and grabbed her horn with his free hand, sending her sprawling.
"Has anyone ever told you your voice is really grating on the ears? Or is your entire hive too afraid to tell you?" Chrysalis screamed with frustration as she was marehandled for the second time. "Like seriously, how can anyone stand listening to you for more than five minutes?" She responded by jumping off the ground and kicking him in the stomach. As he doubled over, she fired a blast at him, then grabbed him in a telekinetic hold.
"SHUT UP, YOU MISERABLE HAIRLESS GORILLA! I WILL NOT BE DISRESPECTED BY A LOWLY CREATURE SUCH AS YOU!" Bage struggled against her magic trying to break free, but she slammed him into the ground, driving the wind from his body. "I AM A QUEEN! I AM THE RULER OF THE CHANGELINGS! I DESERVE RESPECT, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT!" She lifted him and slammed him through a wall, tightening her hold and localizing it around his throat. "YOU WILL NOT BEAT ME! ACCEPT YOUR DEATH, SAIYAN!" Bage could feel her magic growing tighter and tighter, his lungs burning. In a desperate attempt to free himself, he fired a beam from his finger at her. It pierced right through her left eye, shooting through the side of her eye socket. "GYAAAAAAHA!" Her magic cut out and Bage fell to the ground, gasping and wheezing. He fired a blast at her hooves, creating a cloud of dust, and he took off.
"Fucking hell, she's a psychopath! I need to think of a plan. I can tell she's just slightly more powerful than me, I need a slight boost to tip the scales." Bage looked around, trying to think of a way to overcome the queen. That's when he saw a group of guards fighting off a couple of changelings. 'Hmmm, maybe.' He ran over and blasted the two changelings away. "Hey, are you guys alright?" The guards nodded, panting.
"Yeah, thanks Bage. We owe you one." Bage smiled.
"Perfect, I could use some help, if you're up for it?" The guard looked up, confused.
"You? Need help? With what?"
"First, are either of you too proficient in healing spells?" The two unicorns of the group looked at each other, one nodding.
"Yeah, why? Did you find an injured pony?" Bage shook his head.
"No, but this is going to sound crazy, but I need one of you to blast me through the chest enough almost to kill me. Then you heal me." The guards went silent, completely caught off guard.
"Uh, what?"
"Look, I don't have time to explain, I just need you to do it, ok?" The guards were a little uneasy, but Bage just held his hands up. "I know how it sounds, but trust me, it's a saiyan thing, I'll be fine." The guards looked at each other but reluctantly nodded. One walked up, charging a blast, and held it up to Bage's chest, below his heart. Bage gave a thumbs up, and the guard gulped, before firing the blast. It went right through Bage's chest, spraying blood and viscera across the ground. "MMMPUAGH!" Bage collapsed to his knees, as the other unicorn raced up and started the healing spell, the hole slowly closing. Bage felt his lungs and flesh reknit, and a surge of energy flowed through him. "UGH, that sucked, but I think it did the trick. When we make it through this, I'll explain everything. Just don't become changeling food!" Bage shot off into the air, leaving three confused and very traumatized guards.
Bage (Zenkai) Power Level: 30000
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Chrysalis had screamed until her throat was raw, clutching her destroyed, bleeding eye. "DAMN THAT WRETCH! THERE IS NO PUNISHMENT CONCEIVABLE THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE PAINFUL ENOUGH TO PROPERLY CONVEY MY RAGE TOWARD THAT SON OF A TATZLWORM!" Blood poured down her face, her ruined eye practically on fire. She looked around with her one good eye, realizing he must have fled while she was distracted. "Tch, the coward. Half blinding me and then running. So much for 'saiyan pride', he couldn't even stand and fight me properly."
"Do you make it a habit to talk about people behind their backs? Or is that just part of being a changeling?"
Chrysalis spun around and looked up, seeing Bage hovering over her, a small grin on his face and not a mark on him. "GRRR, do you think you're being cute?!" Chrysalis growled. Bage's grin grew wider.
"Bitch, I'm adorable. Unlike you. No wonder you have to drain the love from others by force, I doubt any stallion would go for something like you." Chrysalis fired a blast at him, but he just swatted it aside.
"Pathetic little worm, fight me properly!" Bage just chuckled.
"Ok, as long as you don't go throwing another fit over some bullshit." He sped down and kicked her in the jaw before grabbing her and flinging her down a side street. "Just so you know, I'm taking this seriously now. Don't get pissed off 'cause you aren't hitting as hard anymore." Chrysalis picked herself up off the ground, her good eye practically boring a hole through him. She fired a blast at him, but he tilted his head to the side to avoid it. "By the way, I can tell you've never been in a real fight before, or at least it's been a while. You have no technique, and you rely too much on your magic, throw a punch or something." Bage walked toward her, batting aside blasts and beams both magic and ki. Chrysalis was seething, as she tried to think of a plan or a strategy. "You don't know what to do, do you?" Bage asked her. Chrysalis looked at him hovering in front of her with his arms crossed, an aggravating look of pity on his face. "Your swarm is severely undertrained, you have no real fighting technique, and I'm guessing whatever plan you had is quickly falling apart. My advice? Call this invasion off, and leave. I'll even let you go. All you need to do is train yourself up, and come back when you're stronger. Cause at this point, you're boring me." That did it. Chrysalis nearly cracked a tooth with how hard she clenched her jaw in anger. She screamed at him and shot up into the air.
"BORING YOU, AM I?! WELL THEN, LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT WHEN I TURN THE TABLES!" She roared out over the ruins of Canterlot. A green aura exploded outward, and almost a thousand green beams shot toward her from all across Canterlot. Bage looked out at the swarm of changelings, noticing they had all stopped in midair. Some of them had even plummeted out of the sky, a couple landing nearby. They were convulsing, as their bodies began to desiccate. His eyes widened when he realized what she was doing. She was draining her army to get stronger.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'RE KILLING THEM!" Bage yelled at her, but she just cackled.
"OF COURSE, YOU FOOL! MY CHILDREN ARE ALL WILLING TO SACRIFICE THEMSELVES TO ENSURE VICTORY! THEY SHALL BE REMEMBERED FOR AGES TO COME, UNLIKE YOU! I WHALL USE THIS POWER TO KILL YOU, AND TAKE CANTERLOT!" Chrysalis screamed down at him, as he stared in horror.
"ARE YOU SO DESPERATE TO WIN THAT YOU WOULD COMMIT GENOCIDE OF YOU'RE OWN HIVE, YOU MONSTER?! THIS IS INSANE, IT'S PSYHOTIC!" Bage screamed, but she ignored him. He could feel her power skyrocketing, growing by the second. He felt rooted in place, watching as she killed off her entire army just to overcome him. With a scream, she flared her power out, sending shockwaves across Canterlot. He covered his face with his arms, grunting as he fought to stay on his feet. He had no time to react when she raced down and punched him in the gut, causing him to gag, before she bucked him through the wall of the castle. Crashing through several walls, he landed in a hallway after smashing through a suit of armor, sending the pieces scattered everywhere. As he tried to stand, another kick to the side of his head sent him flying down the hall, ricocheting off a pillar and smashing into a wall. A pair of hooves hoisted him off the ground and threw him across the hall into another pillar, before kicking him through it into a statue.
"THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! STANDING ON TOP, AS I RIGHTFULLY SHOULD! ACCEPT YOUR PLACE, AS A LESSER BEING! I, QUEEN CHRYSALIS, AM BETTER THAN YOU!" Bage cracked his eyes open, looking up at her. Her one eye was glowing a bright green, glaring down at him. She wore a crazed, twisted smile, her power crackling and sparking. "AM I STILL BORING YOU, BAGE?! AM I STILL UNDERTRAINED?!" - She picked him up in her magic and punched him in the face - "AM I STILL RELYING TOO MUCH ON MAGIC?! AM I?!" She grabbed his arm and twisted it sharply. A sickening CRACK rang through the hall and Bage screamed. Her magic squeezed around his chest, and he felt his ribs crack. "KNOW WHERE YOU STAND AGAINST ME, SAIYAN! YOU'RE BEATEN, AND BROKEN, AND THIS CITY LIES IN RUIN! I WIN, AND THERE'S NOPONY WHO CAN SAVE-" A blast suddenly shot down the hall and exploded against her side. "WHO DARES INTERRUPT ME?!" Bage fell to the ground, crying out as he landed on his broken arm.
"The only one who can knock that idiot around is me, cockroach. Take a number." Another ki blast flew at Chrysalis, but this time she knocked it aside. Bage risked a look and gave a silent thanks to whatever deity was in charge of the universe. "Bage, how the hell did you let this overgrown tick get one over on you?" She asked. Bage lifted himself on one elbow.
"She cheated. Drained her army 'cause she was losing." Sunset snorted, powering up.
"And you let her? I'm starting to think you are stupider than I thought. Let me roast this bug, then we can talk." Sunset started walking toward Chrysalis, a cocky smile on her face.
"Sunset, don't!" But he was a second too slow, as Chrysalis sped down the hall quicker than he could blink, knocking Sunset down the hall. She caught herself before she could crash into to wall, and just barely caught the queen's hoof. "She's way too strong for you-" He almost collapsed from the pain of injuries "-right now, let me handle this!" Sunset blasted the queen in the face, kicking her away.
"Sure, let the guy with a broken arm handle this. Did you hit your head in all this too?" Sunset called out, blocking a series of blows from Chrysalis.
"Look, I have a plan, alright? If we can keep her busy long enough, I can think of a way to beat her!" Sunset missed a punch and Chrysalis took the opportunity to kick her down the hall, sending her crashing into Bage with a yelp.
"OK, I don't think I can keep her busy. Any other ideas?" Sunset asked. Bage gasped as she got off his arm.
"She can't sense energy. Can you do a healing spell?" Bage reset his broken arm and fired a blast down the hall, where it exploded in a bright flash of light.
"GYAH! YOU BASTARD!"
"I mean, kind of? I'm not an expert in it, but I can probably heal a bone." Bage grabbed her, and nearly dragged her down the hall, as Chrysalis rubbed her eye trying to get her sight back. "Where the hell is Princess Celestia, by the way? It'd be nice if she were here to help!" Bage ducked into a supply closet, slamming the door behind them.
"Given that I didn't see any ponies out there aside from guards, I'm guessing she was heading evacuation efforts. Besides, even she wouldn't stand a chance against Chrysalis right now."
Sunset was a little surprised at that. 'Celestia wouldn't stand a chance? How strong did that bug get?' She lit her horn and cast a healing spell on Bage. He felt his arm pop back into place and groaned. "She really did a number on you. You won't be at 100%, but at least you'll be able to fight." Bage nodded, stretching his arm. His ribs still felt sore, but his arm seemed fine.
"Listen, she isn't as strong as she was a little bit ago. It's like her body is burning through all of that energy. She didn't get a strength boost, she got a temporary power-up. If we can whittle her down, she'll be right back at square one." Sunset nodded, sensing Chrysalis blast the castle apart looking for them.
"Jeez, she's loud. How can anyone stand listening to her for more than five minutes?" Bage laughed.
"That's what I said! Alright, are you ready to get our asses handed to us?" Bage looked at Sunset, lifting a fist. She nodded reluctantly, bumping her hoof against it. "Great. Let's do this, and hope we don't die."
Chrysalis (Army Absorbed) Power Level: 60000
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Chrysalis finally managed to clear her vision, rubbing her good eye, and cursed when she saw that Bage and Sunset had managed to escape. She had them right where she wanted them, and they had slipped away. "Where could they have gone off to? COME OUT AND FACE ME, YOU WEAKLINGS! I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO RIP THIS CASTLE APART, I WILL FIND YOU!" She blasted the wall next to her, seeing an empty storage closet. "EVEN IF I HAVE TO BLAST OPEN EVERY ROOM, YOU'LL BE IN ONE OF THEM! Although you could make it easy on me. I mean, come on, this place has a lot of rooms, and I don't have all day!" She gripped a door in her magic and ripped it off its hinges, flinging the door away. A cleaning station, but no Bage.
"HEADS UP!
"What? AAH!" A boot connected with the side of her head, sending her skidding across the floor.
"I said head up. Not my fault you're stupid." Bage touched down, watching Chrysalis pick herself up. She growled at his voice, that irritatingly arrogant tone like knives in her ears.
"Tell me, do you have any idea what SHUTTING UP MEANS?!" She yelled, firing a beam at him. He jumped to the side to avoid it, chuckling.
"Funny, I could ask you the same thing. I know, let's ask your hive! Oh... wait, you drained them of everything they had, killing them all. You psychotic bitch." He sneered at her, sending her a glare to rival her own. "You know, if your only goal was to feed your subjects, I might've still had a semblance of respect for you." He dodged another blast as he said this, much to her aggravation. "But then you went and killed your whole invasion force, so now, I don't respect you. I hate you. You pretty much showed me you don't care about your people. You only care about power, and you'd sacrifice whatever is necessary to get it." Chrysalis stomped a hoof and screeched at him.
"SILENCE! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY KIND, AND KNOW NOTHING OF ME! I HAVE NUMEROUS CLUTCHES OF EGGS AND NYMPHS WAITING BACK AT MY HIVE, WAITING FOR THE BOUNTIFUL HAUL OF LOVE FROM THIS INVASION! I CARE FOR MY HIVE FAR MORE THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY KNOW!" She yelled, but he simply shook his head.
"But you called on your entire hive to take part in the invasion, leaving no one to watch over those eggs or nymphs. They're defenseless, and if you die here, who's going to help them? You don't care, and you probably never did. A good ruler wouldn't've done what you did. A good ruler would've called this invasion off when they saw they were outmatched. YOU threw a tantrum and committed genocide of your own kind. Even if you left a small group to watch over them, if something comes along that they can't defend against, they're doomed. And it's your fault." Chrysalis screamed at him, firing a massive beam of energy from her horn, engulfing him and blasting through the walls of the castle. He went flying out the wall on the opposite end of the hall, his armor a shattered mess, and he landed near the remains of the train station. "GAH, Fuck! She's still too strong to fight head-on. What the hell else can I do?" He picked himself up, wincing, and got knocked back down as Chrysalis landed a punch to his jaw.
"You can die, ape! You've been a thorn in my side all day, and it's nearly time that I remove you!" She stepped on his arm, the same one she had broken before. "But I'm going to do it slowly and painfully. So you can suffer through every-" She pressed down and broke his forearm "-last-" She did the same to his other arm, causing him to scream "-moment-" She snapped his upper arm "-as I break every bone-" She did the same to his other arm, relishing his screams "-in your body-" she began to break his ribs, one by one "-until you're a crippled, bleeding, pitiful little monkey-" she finished with his ribs, and began breaking the fingers on his right hand "-begging for mercy-" she stomped down on his left hand, grinding it into the pavement "-and only when you have no bones left to break, will you have my permission to die." She lifted her hoof, preparing to stomp down again when a yellow blur slammed into her side, sending her flying.
"Will you stop getting your bones broken? I can't spend all my time patching you up, monkey boy." She hoisted him up in her magic and teleported away, making Chrysalis scream with rage.
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Sunset reappeared in the royal library, setting Bage down on the floor. "Thanks, Sunset." He whimpered, his eyes squeezed shut.
"Yeah, whatever. I'm only doing this cause you saved my flank from that changeling. I'd still be a hostage if you hadn't come along." Bage glanced at her before remembering that Celestia had altered her memories, making her believe she had been kidnapped by a changeling.
"Yeah, I know. But, good news, she's getting weaker by the minute. IF we can play keep away from her, and by that I mean, one of us keeps her occupied while the other jumps in at the last second to intervene, we should wear her down and I can send her packing." Bage explained as Sunset set to work healing his numerous broken bones.
"You mean kill her, right?" Sunset asked while concentrating on healing his ribs. Bage didn't answer, his jaw clenched to avoid crying out in pain. "RIGHT?"
"I'm not going to kill her Sunset, as much as I want to. I've done enough killing, both today and throughout my whole life." Sunset just scoffed, muttering to herself. "On the bright side, every time she kicks my ass, I get a bit stronger." Sunset snorted, glancing at him.
"Oh cool, then that means you can keep playing punching bag, while I stay back and save your ass." Bage's eyes widened as he realized this.
"Damn it, why me?"
"Because, idiot, you don't have magic to heal me if I get beaten to a pulp. Now get back out there and make sure she doesn't blow up what's left of Canterlot." She slapped him in the head with a book and pointed out the door.
"Alright, alright, jeez."
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"WHY DO THEY KEEP RUNNING AWAY?! COWARDS, COME OUT AND FACE ME! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING IGNORED!" She ripped a lamppost out of the ground and hurled it like a javelin.
"I wish we could ignore you." Chrysalis spun around, sending a barrage of ki blasts at him. He deflected them, before sending a blast of his own back at her. She flew at it, raising a shield to stop it and charging straight into him. He brought his hands up and placed them against the shield, being pushed along by the force.
"HOW DO YOU KEEP GETTING BACK UP?! THAT LITTLE UNICORN IS HELPING YOU ISN'T SHE?! I'LL JUST HAVE TO BREAK HER AS WELL!" Bage sneered at that, punching the shield and shattering it, then driving his fist right into her face.
"Over my dead body, bug!" He grabbed her front legs and flung her at the ground, firing a barrage of ki blasts at her. She tried to retaliate with her own blasts, but Bage appeared right next to her and hit her with a double axe handle, sending her crashing into the street below. Right as she tried to get up, he smashed his foot into her back, forcing her back down. "What's the matter? Not hitting as hard as before?" She growled, her hoof morphing into a blade as she tried to slice at him. He grabbed her leg just beneath the blade, breaking it and kicking her backward. She didn't even have time to scream as he kicked her in the jaw, following up with a spin kick to the neck that sent her into a pile of rubble. As she dug herself out of the debris, she regarded him with fear in her eyes, finally seeing that she was truly outmatched. "That look in your eye says it all. You've finally realized the mistake you've made. When was the last time you truly feared for your life, Chrysalis? 600 years? 700? I know you're a lot older than you look, so tell me. How long has it been since you've truly feared something?" With every word Bage took a step closer, the look in his eyes being one of resignation. She tried desperately to scramble backward, sending rocks and wood fragments scattering. Bage flew forward and grabbed her, lifting her into the air. "I know what you're thinking; 'He's gonna kill me', well stop thinking it. I'm not going to kill you because then your hive would be truly defenseless. So I'm giving you one single chance: Leave, or I WILL kill you." He tossed her down, watching the tears well up in her fear-filled eyes.
"Th-this isn't over, Bage. I-I'll get stronger, and I'll make you pay. Y-you'll regret leaving me alive!" She took to the air, wings buzzing as she flew off, disappearing into a plume of smoke. Bage watched her go, feeling a trickle of blood run down his chin from a split lip.
"We'll see," Bage muttered, turning toward the remains of the castle.
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"OW, OW, OW, SUNSET KNOCK IT OFF!" Bage tried to cover his head as Sunset beat over the head with a thick encyclopedia.
"NO! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST LET HER LEAVE LIKE THAT! SHE DESTROYED WHAT LITTLE OF CANTERLOT WAS STILL INTACT, AND TRIED TO KILL YOU THREE TIMES, YOU STUPID MORON!" Sunset chastised him, hitting him with the encyclopedia with each word. Celestia watched on with an amused look, chuckling. She grabbed the book from Sunset before she could cause Bage any more brain damage, and placed it back onto its shelf.
"Now, now, Sunset. It shows a great level of control on Bage's part, not ending Chrysalis's life. Perhaps it's for the best, either way. I truly hope that she takes this chance to change her ways," Celestia proclaimed, pretending not to notice the eye roll that Sunset gave her. The library had been repurposed into a rudimentary hospital due to the extensive damage done to the actual hospital, and the castle's medical wing. Bage was laid up on a hospital cot, covered in bandages. It turns out that multiple healing spells don't exactly match up to proper medical treatment.
"So the invading enemy that nearly destroyed Canterlot gets off scot-free, and we get to pick up the pieces? I don't believe it." Sunset limped back over to her cot, a cast covering her right front leg. "Wake me up when things make sense again." She rolled over and faced the wall, ignoring both of them.
"Speaking of which, what's the extent of the damage?" Bage asked, wincing at the look on Celestia's face. "Oooh, that bad huh? I tried my best to not blow up anything that hadn't already been blown to bits. Chrysalis, on the other hand..." He trailed off, letting her fill in the blank.
"I understand, Bage. Despite the damages done to Canterlot's already decimated infrastructure, you and Sunset both were instrumental in defending Canterlot. You have my sincerest gratitude." Bage chuckled, brushing off the praise. Sunset grunted from her cot but said nothing. "On the other hoof, I do have one other thing to discuss with you. Captain, bring him in." A pair of guards walked into the library, dragging a cloaked pony between them.
"Hey Swift Blade, haven't seen you in a while." The captain took his helmet off, showing it wasn't Swift Blade, but Shining Armor.
"Not quite. Sorry Bage, but Captain Swift Blade sadly lost his life during the invasion. And with every other guard of high rank being crippled by their injuries, or dead, I was made Captain by order of succession." Bage took the revelation like a kick to the chest, not sure how to respond. "But that's not the point of discussion here, this is." Shining ripped the cloak off, revealing a changeling that Bage recognized. Celestia noticed his change in expression.
"Bage, this changeling informed us that you spared its life during the invasion. Is this true?"