Chapter 12: Ponyville Aflame, Part 1
Cadence stood between the recovering ponies and the changeling Queen, wings flared protectively. “Chrysalis! You have a lot of nerve to show your face here! How many of you have infiltrated the resistance!?”
Queen Chrysalis regarded the furious Princess casually. “Just one. But I pulled him out when ‘Jubilant Surprise’ there made her big return. I wanted to speak with you personally.”
Jen frowned, realizing the Queen was addressing her. With a grimace, she got to her hooves, moving to Cadence’s side. “It’s alright Cadence. Look at her. She looks terrible.”
The Crystal Princess didn’t relax her guard, but she did regard the changeling more closely. Chrysalis gave an indignant scoff. “You’re very rude, Commander. Especially since the last time we met, you melted half my face.” She said ‘commander’ with no small amount of sarcasm.
Frowning still, Jen shook her head. “You melted half my face first. And I don’t mean it like that. Your carapace is dull, your eyes filmy, and I can see ribs poking out. I remember feeding on the fear of the crystal ponies to fight off the undead when we first met. It took a lot of fear for me to feel full. Your people are starving, aren’t they?”
Cadence was looking from the pony at her side to the changeling Queen with increasing concern. The ghost of a smile found Chrysalis’ muzzle. “You’re very perceptive. Yes, my people won’t last another year if things continue the way they have been in Equestria. We can sustain ourselves on negative emotion for only so long before it loses nutritional value. And happy emotions are few and far between nowadays, save her precious unicorns, which Galaxia has forbidden us to touch.”
Shaking her head with a fierce scowl, Cadence took a step forward, her horn flaring to life. “We don’t want to hear anything you have to say, Chrysalis! You’re a liar and a sneak! You’ll stab us in the back the first chance you get!”
Chrysalis was backing away from Cadence as the Princess advanced angrily, horn glowing brightly. The changeling Queen had her head craned as far from the offending horn as possible. “Eheh… Yes, well I thought that’s how you’d react, Princess. It’s why I’m here to speak with your Commander, not you. She is your Commander, isn’t she? You’re a Knight of Harmony, are you not?”
Nostrils flaring, Cadence flicked her gaze back to a quietly watching Jennifer. “I am and she is! But she doesn’t know you like I do! And we don’t want you here!”
The young Commander in question cleared her throat softly. “Cadence, please gather the other knights in the meeting room. Tak and Umbra too. I’d like to discuss this with everypony.” She spoke quietly and calmly, never taking her eyes from Chrysalis.
Eyes wide, Cadence rounded on the young alicorn. “Jennifer, you can’t be serious! She’s the Queen of the changelings! She helped kill you!”
Now Jen shifted her gaze to Cadence. “Am I in charge or not? If you want to be Commander, just say so. I’m more than happy to pass the title off on anypony else. But if not, then at the very least I’d like my decisions to not be met with screaming.”
Cadence worked her mouth open and closed, her wings flaring at her sides with the movement. Finally, she inclined her head sharply. “I’ll round everypony up, Commander. Don’t take your eyes off of her.”
“Thank you, Cadence. I didn’t plan to.” Jen remained where she’d been sitting, watching Cadence leave the room. Once the door was closed, she looked back to the changeling. “Would you like something to eat?”
Chrysalis blinked. “That’s a kind offer, but I don’t exactly fill up on fruit and veggies.”
“I wasn’t talking about fruit and veggies. You look more than half-starved. I can muster up something more filling than misery and woe for you before we go speak to the others.”
Eye narrowed, Chrysalis tilted her head, regarding Jennifer curiously. “You’d really let me feed? On actually nourishing emotion?”
“As long as you don’t suck me dry, sure. I think you’re honest in your offer to help. I know you don’t care about the ponies of Equestria any further than what they can do for you, but that’s still caring enough that our goals are aligned.”
The Queen chuckled softly now, approaching at Jen’s behest. “You’re very pragmatic for a pony Princess.”
“I’m not a Princess. And I’m not all pony, as you well know. We need all the able bodies we can get if we’re going to get Celestia back on the throne. I think your hive can provide more than a little much needed help. Not just for fighting, but information as well. You’ve been a part of Galaxia’s infrastructure for years.”
“Very true. You save my people, I save your people. A very fair deal, I think.” Chrysalis could feel the love welling in the pony sitting before her. It was a sensation she hadn’t experienced in a very long time, and it was very nearly causing her to drool. Still, she controlled herself. Reaching out, she just barely touched her horn to Jen’s cheek, feeding from the immense wellspring of love within the mare.
Jen’s gaze didn’t falter as Chrysalis fed from her. She could see the Queen’s chitin grow glossy and strong again. Her mane filled out once more, and her eyes shone with strength again. She stood straighter when she finally broke the connection. “Feeling better?”
“Mmm, much. Better than I have in years, in fact. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to visit the hive? We could make you very comfortable.”
Jennifer chuckled now and stood. She was nearly the Queen’s height, only a bit shorter than her now. “We’ll see what the others have to say. If they agree, we’ll work something out to get your people back on their hooves. I’m all for this, but I won’t make a move if my friends are against it.”
Chrysalis followed the Commander from the room and into the hallway. “A very generous opinion to have with your subordinates.”
Not looking back, Jen frowned faintly. “They’re my friends, not my underlings. Just because I have a title doesn’t mean things are going to change.”
“No? They already have changed. Did you order Princess Cadence about before you received your title? I very much doubt it. Whether you want them to or not, no one will look at you the same. Treat you the same. When you’re in a position of power, there’s always a degree of… isolation that comes with it.”
Jen’s frown deepened. She wanted to contradict her, but she couldn’t help but think of Princess Luna. She was so lonely she ended up going crazy and turning evil, even though she was as nice and big-hearted as anypony else. Was that going to happen to her? Would everypony really start to distance themselves and treat her differently? She didn’t speak again until they’d reached the meeting room.
She could tell by the looks on many of their faces that Cadence had already announced what they were gathering for. Tak and Shining Armor both looked ready to attack the second the Queen stepped into the room. Umbra laid a wing over her stallion’s back to calm him. Cadence took no such precautions with her husband.
“I didn’t want to believe Cadence when she said you were allowing that thing to speak to the rest of us! She could already have you under her spell!” The Crystal Prince’s horn was already glowing hotly.
With a snort, Jen slammed the doors shut behind her with a resounding boom. “I don’t want to have the same conversation with you that I just had with Cadence. I’m the Commander of Harmony until somepony else volunteers to take the title. Until then, at the very least, I expect a little bit of respect. Queen Chrysalis is here offering some much needed help. Our forces consist of about sixty wounded ponies, and however many of Umbra’s people her sister is willing to commit. Is it enough to wage a war on the Crystal Empire and Canterlot, Umbra?”
The mare in question shuffled when all eyes turned to look upon her. “I do not believe so, no. Queen Neela is willing to commit three hundred warriors to our cause, but if she spared more, she would open the web to attack from the many dangers lurking in the tunnels. It is a considerably force, do not doubt, but I do not believe it to be enough.”
Tak broke away from Umbra, rushing toward Chrysalis, his face twisted in fury. “She killed my mother! She killed half a dozen other Queens and ruined my people’s chance for peace!” His charge was halted by his mares both snaring him with their magic. Umbra’s red mingled with Trixie’s pink as they drug him back to the seat between them.
“She also planned and led the attack on Canterlot that claimed six ponies’ lives and injured who knows how many others. She attacked Princess Celestia herself! Imprisoned and impersonated me, and nearly killed Shining Armor feeding off him!” Cadence wasn’t rushing at Chrysalis as Tak had, but she looked ready to.
Jen’s eyes were darting from Tak, to Shining Armor, to Cadence, to the still silent Chrysalis. She could feel herself rapidly losing control of the situation. Fancy Pants noted her increasing distress and cleared his throat. “It occurs to me that we have the other half of Canterlot’s ruling body in attendance at this very moment. I believe we should hear what our former Princess has to say.”
Moon Dancer stiffened, giving Fancy a decidedly unfriendly look at being thrust into the spotlight so suddenly. “Queen Chrysalis is a war criminal who committed high treason when she attacked my sister. She was part of the coup that placed my mother in power and shares responsibility for every death that has been wrought under her rule.”
As she spoke, those speaking against the Queen’s presence began to grin. “That being said… Jennifer is not mistaken that our situation is desperate. We need all the help we can get, and if she is here—alone—then she must be just as desperate as we are. It’s safe to assume that the changelings are in danger of starving to death if Galaxia remains in control of Equestria for much longer. It is my opinion that we accept her offer of aid.”
The second she finished, Tak, Shining, and Cadence all began shouting at once. Each trying to be heard over the other. Moon Dancer met Jennifer’s gaze and cocked a brow, tilting her head only slightly toward the shouters. Jen got her meaning well enough. With a deep breath, she summoned her magic and sent a bright green flash to dazzle everypony in the room. “That’s enough!” When they’d all quieted, she settled back in her seat. “…that’s enough. I agree with Moon Dancer. We need Chrysalis and her changelings if we want a chance to win this war. That being said!” She raised a hoof as the others started to draw in breath no doubt to shout again. “I don’t suggest we just ignore her crimes. Obviously the things she’s done are pretty serious and need to be addressed. If she agrees to lay herself at Princess Celestia’s mercy when she’s back on the throne, I think we can work together.”
The others didn’t seem especially pleased by this, but it wasn’t the worst compromise. Chrysalis finally spoke up. “I suppose those aren’t the worst terms I’ve ever heard. I accept on the condition that whatever happens to me, my children’s needs are seen to. I’m asking you personally to pledge this, Commander Jubilant Surprise. I want your word that if I’m executed, you’ll ensure my children are taken care of.”
Jen blinked, and her eyes darted back and forth, mostly toward Tak. She knew he was a changeling Prince, and he might be able to help if she was indeed suddenly put in charge of an entire hive of his people. “I uh… I can promise to do my best to see that they’re taken care of. You have my word.”
“Well that’ll have to do. I suppose since we’re all good friends now, I should tell you Galaxia’s sent a wing of dragons to burn Ponyville to the ground. She heard you stood up to her soldiers here, and thought burning down your hometown a proper response. She’s a bit extreme for my tastes, to be honest.”
Jen was on her hooves in a flash, followed closely by every other pony in the room. “What!? Why didn’t you tell me sooner!?”
Chrysalis shrugged innocently. “I wanted a little leverage in case I needed to get out of here in a hurry. You can hardly blame me.”
Jennifer looked like she wanted to do just that, but she had more pressing concerns. “Trixie! Can you work Starswirl’s big teleport spell?”
The sorceress blinked at the sudden question. “I… Yes, I believe I can. I’ll need room to draw the diagrams, and a few moments to get them in place.”
“Then go. Get it done quick. Big enough for me, Uncle D, Moon Dancer, and yourself. Echo’s still recovering, or I’d bring her too.” She looked to the others. “Cadence, I want you, Shining Armor, and Dinky to stay here. Keep helping the survivors and get everypony on their hooves as quick as you can. Dinky, I want you and Fancy Pants to sit down with Queen Chrysalis and get any information down that she has to give. Tak, if you can control yourself, I’d appreciate it if you stayed with her and made sure the Queen here doesn’t try anything funny.”
Nopony argued with their orders, and each rushed off to their assigned tasks without complaint. Fancy Pants moved to Jen’s side. “I know this isn’t the best time, but we missed the call to Rarity yesterday. If you could spare just a moment?”
Taking a deep breath, Jen looked toward the departing Trixie. “She’s going to need time to get the spell ready, so we have a few moments. I’ll have to—I don’t know—sit away from the mirror so she doesn’t see me. She might notice I’m an adult all of a sudden.”
The pair cast a brief glance toward Dinky sitting with Chrysalis, a less than happy looking Tak hovering nearby before departing. Jen walked Fancy back to the room she’d been recovering with Echo in. “Go ahead and call her up. I’ll sit just over here.”
With a nod, Fancy arranged the scrying mirror, sending the summons. It was answered by a scowling Rarity. “You didn’t contact me yesterday! Is everything alright!?”
Holding his forehooves up defensively, Fancy offered a faint smile. “Fine, just fine, dearest. We got a little caught up in a soiree thrown by the lovely Miss Applejack. You remember her, I trust?”
Slowly Rarity’s scowl eased into a frown. “I do. Where’s Jubilant? Is she alright?”
“She’s taking a bit of a nap. She wore herself out running about with a lovely young buffalo calf she met last night.” Hastily, Jennifer squirmed under the covers in bed, tucking herself into the tightest ball she could. Fancy tilted the mirror to show a bit of her pink mane peeking out. “See? Just fine.”
Rarity finally relaxed. “Well alright. You worried me terribly! And all this nonsense in Canterlot. Martial law! Can you believe it!? Well, I was having none of that. I snuck out! First train to Ponyville!” She giggled playfully, somewhat confused when her husband didn’t seem to share her mirth.
“Ponyville? You’re on your way to Ponyville right now?”
“Well… well, yes I am. I thought I’d spend some time with Pinkie Pie. We got on rather well last time, and I hoped some time just the two of us would help us bond a bit more. I wanted to talk to her about Jubilant without the little dear there to overhear. What’s the problem?”
Fancy was breathing quicker now. “Rarity, whatever you do, do not get off that train in Ponyville! Just stay on the train, ride it wherever it goes! You can’t go into town!”
Huffing softly, the mare rolled her eyes. “Oh you’re being ridiculous, Fancy. We’re stopping even as we speak.” She frowned faintly, tilting her head. “Oh my. There seems to be some sort of commotion outside. Give me just a moment to see what’s what. I’ll call you soon, Fancy! Give Jubilant my love!”
“Rarity! No Rarity don’t…” He trailed off as she broke the connection. He looked wide-eyed at Jennifer as she rose from the bed. “I’m coming with you. No arguments.”
She nodded once. “Of course. Get whatever you need to get, and meet me down in the courtyard. I’ll see you there.” The stallion raced off without another word. Frowning slightly, she looked to the still slumbering Echo. With a sigh, she kissed her forehead softly. “I’ll see you soon. Wish you were going with us.”
Securing Mercy on her foreleg, Jen raced down to the courtyard. Trixie looked to be about done with the diagrams. Moon Dancer and Discord were already waiting. Umbra approached Jennifer as she neared the circles. “I wish to accompany you as well. You are entering a potentially dangerous situation, and need as many able warriors at your side as possible.”
Smiling softly, Jen rested a hoof against Umbra’s shoulder. “Thanks. I didn’t want to order you around. I know you’re not a knight or anything. I’d feel better having you there though, you pack a wallop.” Glancing at the mare’s flanks, specifically the pair of glossy black morning stars, she grinned wider. “Probably more of a wallop with those. They’re fancy.”
Glancing at her weapons, Umbra nodded in acknowledgement of the complement. “Fashioned of the same material my armor is made from. Spinner made them for me when he replaced the last suit of armor I ah… lost.”
Wincing a bit at the memory of destroying the last suit of armor Umbra wore with the mare inside, she offered a wan smile. “R— right. Well hopefully this one doesn’t get smashed to bits. I’m gonna see how Trixie’s doing with the spell.”
Moving to the sorceress’ side, she was rewarded with a satisfied smirk from her. “The great and powerful Trixie has finished the spell matrix! …she thinks. The great and powerful Trixie is like, ninety-nine percent sure it will take us to Ponyville and not scramble our parts along the way.”
Unable to contain a smile at the mare’s antics, Jen’s grin returned. “I have faith in you Trixie. …well I have faith in your staff giving you enough of a magical jump to get the spell right.” Ignoring Trixie’s indignant huff, Jen moved to Discord’s side. “Does this uh… look right to you?”
The purple suited stallion eyed them critically. “It does. Trixie knows her stuff. She’s been studying in Clover’s library with Twilight Sparkle for years now. Twilight has no idea Trixie’s helping the resistance of course, the esteemed Archmagister is alas firmly in Galaxia’s pocket.”
Seeing Fancy Pants approach, Jen moved toward the teleportation circle. The others were gathering into it as well. “I dunno how many dragons are in a ‘wing’, but more than one full grown dragon is more than I want to be up against, and we’re gonna need all the magic we can muster. In fact, if you want the other half of your amulet…”
Discord recoiled, eyeing the half of the jewel hanging from her sword hilt like it was a snake lashing out at him. “No! No thank you. We’ll make do with what we have. This isn’t exactly an insignificant force you have going with you.”
Nodding a little, Jen frowned nonetheless. “We’re two ponies shy. Echo and Lyra should both be here with us.”
Moving closer to his adopted niece, Discord leaned against her comfortingly. “You did the best you could. We can worry about them after we save Ponyville, alright?”
Taking a deep breath, Jen looked to Trixie. The unicorn took a deep breath of her own before nodding firmly. “Right then! Everypony cross your hooves! Here we go!” It didn’t help anypony’s nerves when Trixie scrunched her eyes shut while charging her magic into her staff. Spell Nexus glowed brightly with Trixie’s pink aura. The spell circle everypony was standing in glowed to match, and with a bright flash, the six ponies vanished.
The group reappeared in the middle of a burning town. The crackle of roaring flames mingled with terrified screams and monstrous roars, turning the once idyllic town into something from a horror show. The four Knights of Harmony, one Princess of the spiderkin, and one former Chaos God took only a second to orient themselves before springing into action. No orders needed to be given by Jennifer. Everypony looked for the closest place they could help, and moved to do so.
Fancy Pants made a direct line for the train station. He’d spoken with Rarity only moments ago, and there was a good chance she was still near the station, if not on the train itself. A shrill cry for help sounded to his right, drawing his attention. With a grimace, he tore his gaze from the not-too-distant train station, and veered toward the calls.
He found a house well on its way to burning to nothing, but he could hear screams coming from within the roaring inferno. Gritting his teeth, he called on his magic, surrounding himself in a bubble of solidified mana. The spell came easily, easier than any magic he’d ever cast before. Not pausing to contemplate the shift in his spell power, he dashed into the burning home.
Ears twitched as he tried to separate the desperate shouting from the sound of the flames consuming the building around him. The crack of splintering wood and shattering glass didn’t make it any easier. He managed to see a flash of pink and red to his right, and pushed through the flames. He found a trio of mares cowering together under the kitchen table. All three were earth ponies, the cream coated mare with the red and pink tail was the one he’d spotted. “Ladies! If you would join me in the bubble, I’ll get you to safety!”
Needing very little prompting beyond that, all three dashed from under the table and passed into Fancy Pants’ spell shield. Giving them a reassuring smile, he set a slow pace for the door out. All three shrieked and clung to him tightly as a beam fell from overhead, splintering in half over his shield and falling to the ground harmlessly. “There now, see? We’re just fine! Miss, if you could let go of my neck…”
The pink mare with the green mane slowly pried her forelegs away as he stepped from the home, out into the open air. Once free, he dropped his shield. He managed to maintain his composure as the blonde with the wilted lily in her mane showered him in kisses. “N— now now Madame, I’m a married stallion. Hurry to the center of town. My friend there is getting everypony to safety. Quickly now! Don’t stop for anything!”
He waited long enough to see the trio reach Trixie’s spell circle before he turned and raced toward the train station, feeling a little more confident after his first successful rescue as a knight.
Moon Dancer and Umbra worked side by side, clearing away wreckage and freeing anypony they ran across in the smoke clogged streets. Pony after pony was sent on their way to the waiting Trixie by the unicorn and her estranged daughter. “This is not exactly the sort of quality time I had hoped to spend with you, Umbra.”
The mare offered her mother a faint smile. “Nor I you. But it is very pleasant to be spending time with you, regardless of the circumstances.”
Finding the door to the bakery wedged shut, both mares lit their horns simultaneously, simply pulling off the entirety of the front wall and flinging it into the air to collide with a passing dragon. The astonished earth pony couple within only gaped at the pair of mares.
Moon Dancer gave an annoyed snort. “Well? Do not just stand there! Run to the center of town! Trixie will evacuate you!”
The mare and stallion needed no further prodding as the galloped away from their home and business. Looking to her daughter, Moon Dancer gave her a smile. “I am happy to spend time with you as well. Perhaps when my sister has retaken her throne, we can do some sort of familial activity not involving death and fire. A picnic perhaps?”
With an enraged roar, the dragon the pair assaulted landed before them. It was a big red brute, not full grown but easily the size of a small house. Grimly, both mares readied their weapons. Umbra looked to her now armor-clad mother. “A picnic sounds delightful.”
Jennifer considered taking to the air, but every time she spread her wings, she’d catch sight of another dragon winging by overhead. She was in too much of a hurry to be interrupted by one of the stupid lizards getting in her face every five seconds. Despite her frantic pace, she still paused to help anypony in trouble. Seeing a trio of dragons racing after a small family of four, she wasted no time enveloping the legs of the reptilian monsters in her magic, sending them all sprawling to the dirt with surprised roars. The ponies were already racing toward the town center, so she didn’t bother shouting at them.
She was nearing the hill her house was settled on, and she’d noticed the largest dragon she’d seen yet flying toward it. Surrounding herself in a sheath of magic, she spurred herself forward, energizing herself with her own mana. The homes and streets raced by in a blur as she sped toward home. She broke free of the town center, her mother’s manor finally in view. Lowering her head, she charged forward full tilt as the full grown red dragon crashed into her family home, belching flames and roaring loud enough to shake the ground.
“Get away from my mother!” Pulling up all the mana she could, Jennifer focused her magic around the dragon’s tail, heaving back with all her might. The alarmed beast’s eyes widened as he was forcibly flung away from the home and sent careening helplessly through the air toward the nearby Everfree.
Frantically, Jennifer smashed her way through the ruined front door into her house. “Mom! Mom!? Where are you!?”
“Down here!” Jen’s ear twitched toward the basement door, and she flung it open with her magic, charging downstairs.
“Mom!?” There was Pinkie Pie, clutching a terrified looking Isabelle and an indifferent looking Gummy to her chest. “…Jenny? Is that really you!?”
With a flash, Jen grew to her human shape. A suddenly happily crying Pinkie flung herself across the room, into the girls waiting arms, tumbling to the floor together. Laughing and hugging each other fiercely, Pinkie buried her face in Jen’s chest. “Oh Jenny-bean! You’re really back!”
“I’m really back mom. And we really need to go! Trixie and Uncle D are waiting at the center of town, getting everypony to safety. They’re sending them to Umbra’s tunnels. You’ll all be safe there. As safe as anywhere is anyway. Is Aunt Fluttershy here?”
Pinkie shook her head, dragging the family pets in close again. “No, she’s still in the Everfree I think. Do you think she’s in danger too?”
“Maybe. The Queen knows I’m back. She sent these dragons to destroy Ponyville as punishment for standing up to her soldiers. You and your friends could all be in danger. Miss Applejack’s in Appleloosa, and Rarity’s somewhere here in Ponyville. Fancy’s gone to find her. But we need to get you all to safety. Once we get you back to Trixie, I’ll go to Aunt Fluttershy’s cottage myself.”
Pinkie Pie didn’t look like she was terribly pleased with this idea, but Jen’s tone and demeanor were so very different than they used to be. Gone was the shy introvert, replaced by this surprisingly authoritative young woman. “Alright Jenny. Let’s get to safety. We can catch up when everypony’s safe and sound, right?”
With a grin, Jen lead the way upstairs. “Right. Just be careful okay? There are dragons everywhere.”
As if on cue, the adult red she’d flung away returned, slamming into the ground and knocking her off her feet. “Just run! I’ll see you soon!” Lowering her visor, Jen drew Mercy. She raised the blade in a proper salute, and with a flap of her wings vaulted straight at the roaring monster...