A Queen's Final Revenge

by Little Wood

Chapter 13

Twilight......was dying. With the hive completely cut off from the rest of the world, she was losing both love and the war. Celestia-or Solar Flare as she now preferred-had known about a changelings need for love and used it as a weapon against them. They had been in lock down for three weeks by then, but Twilight wouldn't let that stop her as she strode through the hive to keep up the moral of her subjects. It's true she felt a twang of guilt as she simply strode by them as if they meant nothing to her. The truth was, she felt like a monster. She knew that the spell made Drones,as well as the other classes, but she thought that she could change the spell so that they would at least be hunters. She didn't have the power, and now she surrounded by changelings that were nothing but shells of their former selves.

She really hadn't cared at first think that she would promote them whenever she had the time, but she didn't realize just how much power it took to promote one of her changelings. So here she was now in the throne room of her hive surrounded by her closest friends and the corpses of her subjects. Her friends complicated her as she thought about what she had done. What she had done was basically kill six-hundred ponies. Yes, most of them were still alive but who they were, the lives they had, and the love they held was gone, and now they throwing themselves at her hooves begging to be the one who sacrifices themselves to keep her alive.

"Girls." Twilight said with a sob as she broke out of her thoughts.

"We're here fer ya Surgarcube."

"Am I a monster?" Twilight asked, sobbing once again.

"Twilight, you are no monster. Look what you've done for us. Thanks to you I now only fear that which warrants fear, Applejack's stronger than she's ever been, Rainbow finally has a real cause to fight for, Pinkie can actually let her hair down and not worry about everyponie's happiness resting solely on her shoulders, and Rarity can do what she loves without clients breathing down her neck every minute of every day. Twilight you have lifted a great weight off of all our shoulder and for that we thank you."

"Thanks for that Fluttershy, but really think about it think of what I did to the ponies of Ponyville. I've murdered their minds and if that weren't bad enough they throw their bodies at my hooves in order to keep me alive." Twilight choked out now staring to weep openly.

"Twilight, is their loyalty your fault? No, it is not. They throw themselves at your hooves because they know that you will be able to save the ones they love, and they'd rather die themselves than watch the ones they love die in front of them when they could be making a difference."

"But that's just it Rainbow I can't save them I'm going to die in this hole with them. And do you know why?!", the Predators shook their heads not knowing where their queen was going with her rant,"I'll tell you why! Because Celestia, or Solar Flare or whatever the Hades she calls herself now, is the most radical freakin' racist their is! She has been slaughtering our kind since the fall of Luna! She assumes that were all beasts meant to hunted for sport! She thinks that all Changeling attacks on her precious little kingdom have been nothing other than that, attacks, but they were so much more! They were plans of revenge, for all their fallen brothers and sisters!

Revenge certainly makes a interesting cycle, Celestia condemns a entire race on the actions of a few and the race vow to avenge those felled by Celestia's hoof, and in doing so puts fuel on the fires of Celestia's hatred. Quite a interesting cycle indeed. A cycle that must be broken, and I will be the one to do it. Rarity prepare the armory we're going to try and break through their lines one more time. Rainbow alert the hunters and get them prepared for battle, then join me in the war room. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack your with me."

The five answered her with "Yes, our Queen." and a salute. Then Rarity began on her way to the armory while Rainbow flew around the hive alerting hunters to incoming battle.

Twilight stood in the center of the war room awaiting Rainbow and Rarity to send her the go, with Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack sitting with her. The changelings sitting in front of her were undoubtedly the three most powerful and most deadly in the hive, and they would lead the final assault against the ponies.

"Okay look, I don't like this and I know you won't either but we're going to have to switch to lethal force."

"What?! Twi have ya gon nuts on us!? Ya know that none of us are going to do that!"

"Twilight, what's happened to you?! You used to be so kind and gentle, but now you ask us to kill in your name! Shameful!"

"Yippie!"

"Look girls I know you don't like it but it's what has to be done. We've completely run out of energy. The only reason we're still alive is because my Drones have been giving their live to keep us going, do you want their sacrifice to go in vein?!"

"No I don't, but what I do know is that if we don't have the resources to fight then we should just surrender."

"You know, Fluttershy, I would! I would really love to do that, but in case you forget Celestia has become a genocidal maniac that want the entire changeling race dead! If we were to surrender then we'd be fried on the spot!"

"Well Ah'm sorry, Twi, but I won't do it. I can't kill innocent ponies."

"Innocent!!!?? Applejack I think it's you who has lost her mind. Those soldiers are standing up there killing your brothers and sister like it's target practice, and your defending them!!! Applejack, I'll give you one more chance to obey your orders!"

"Twi Ah'm sorry,but no means no!" Applejack ended her sentence with a hoof stomp and began to stride out of the room.

"Not so fast there Applejack." Applejack stopped in her tracks unable to move or do anything of her own free will. She then turned around and began to trot towards her queen, with out her minds consent. "I said I'd give you one more chance to obey willingly, but willing or not you will obey your orders."Twilight said in a eerily calm voice that cent shivers up the farmers back."Fluttershy will you obey your orders or do I have to make you like Applejack here."

"I will obey, but know this, Twilight. Every one of those soldiers that dies by the hooves of a changeling today is a corpse on you conscience, are you ready to hold their weight?"

Twilight was about to retort but at that moment Rainbow and Rarity trotted into the war room.

"Twilight, the Hunters are ready for battl-holy crap what did Applejack do, her eyes look as glazed as a Drones?"

"She refused to obey a direct order so she'll be taking a back seat on this one. You said the Hunters are ready."

"Yea, they are, but more to the point your controlling Applejack right now? What order could possibly give that would warrant this." Rainbow said gesturing over to Applejack eyes, which had become solid purple instead of there usual slitted shape.

"I told her that we were going to have to move to lethal tactics and she refused to cooperate." Twilight said calmly even though she was dying inside, both emotionally and physically.

"What! We're going lethal?! What happened to conversion spells!?"

"We're running on fumes. We don't have the energy to spare."

"Well to Hades with that. I'm not going up there to kill."

"Well then I'm sorry Rainbow, but you'll just have to join Applejack." Twilight was about to take Rainbow's free will when an idea came to her."You know what she's feeling right now Rainbow: torture of the worst kind. Not any physical torture mind you, but emotional. Right now Applejack can see, hear, and feel all that transpires around her, with no cotnrol over her own actions. She feel complete powerlessness and she hates it.

You could share her fate for the extent of the battle, but I'd much rather you be willing. So Rainbow wha'da ya say? You could feel the glory of fighting for the hive and go down in our history books as the great Rainbow Dash Protector of the hive, or you could have the fate of Applejack befall you and go down in the books as the cowardice traitor who refused to fight for the life of her brothers and sisters. It's your choice."

Twilight felt horrible for pulling the traitor card but she had to, it was the only way to ensure the survival of her children.

"Fine, Twilight, you win. I'll go willingly." Rainbow, although she kept her free will, felt just powerless as Applejack in that moment.

"Okay then, let's get to work.

Twilight slowly poked her head out of the entrance to the hive, looking from left to right to make sure the cost was clear. She turned around to see a dozen and a half Hunter regiments armored and ready for battle. She slowly shifted her eyes to meet with others in the crowd of soldiers, seeming to star into each ones very soul.

"Changelings",the young queens voice rang out through the cave,"We have gathered here, on the precipice of something truly great: the fall of the tyrant Celestia!" Twilight said, her voice once again resonating throughout the cave giving it the sound of thunder,"Now I know that not all of you will make it back from this crusade but know this: your sacrifice will not go in vein. Future generations will sing of this day and the lives given to make there's possible. Now go and win one for the Gipper!" Twilight cheered as her children buzzed out of the cave in droves, flying as fast as they could to get to battlefield and go down in the history books.

As the last Hunter made her way out of the cave mouth Twilight looked at the four remaining Changelings."You ready to make history, girls." Rainbow and Fluttershy gave her flat looks while Pinkie bounced over to the side and Applejack starred into space.

"Come on Fluttershy lets just get this over with." Rainbow said as she trotted towards the cave mouth and gave Twilight a glare that sent shivers down the Queens spine.

"Well I don't know what their problem is, but I'm ready for some killing!" Pinkie said as she pulled a hack saw from hammer space and ran out in the direction of the battlefield.

"Well at least Pinkie doesn't hate me. Come on Applejack." Twilight motioned for the zombified changeling to follow as she herself trotted in the direction of the battle field. As she neared her destination she thought as she usually did. She thought about what she'd done and what she would do. Her friends hatred could be easily fixed with a memory erase spell, but did she really want to meddle in the minds of her friends anymore than she already had. Twilight continued to think in this way until train of thought was broken by the shaking of the earth beneath her hooves. She looked up from her musing to see Celestia, or rather Solar Flare, standing directly in her path. Twilight saw that Solar Flares horn was glowing and decided that it would be a good time to duck. Solar Flare let loose her spell and Twilight rolled to the side to dodge it. She did so successfully and looked up to see her enemy was once again charging a spell and all she could before having to dodge yet another spell was one simple phrase that said it all. "I am so bucked."