//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 (Prompt: Banished) // Story: Resurrection // by Magicman7997 //------------------------------// “On the count of high treason against her royal highness Queen Chrysalis, how do you plead?” “Unrepentant.” “On the count of dereliction of duty, how do you plead?” “Unrepentant.” “On the count of destruction and murder of over 200 of your fellow hive members, how do you plead?” “Unrepentant.” “Then we, the council of 7 elders of the Black Swarm, judge you, General Kerrigan, Blade of the Swarm, to be guilty without remorse. Your punishment shall be death in the acid pits. Your sentence to be carried out immediately.” Quickly, two of the largest of the Royal Guard drones swooped down upon the former military leader. Pressing her muzzle to the hardened floor of the council's chambers, they quickly bound their former colleague in their own sticky mucus. She was drug from the chamber in order to meet her fate when a voice echoed suddenly from every corner of the room. “WAIT,” a huffing Twilight Sparkle exclaimed as she came charging into the room. “Zug'marshalproteca. We are honored to have your presence,” said the lead elder of the council. “However, we have reached a decision. Justice must be served.” “I offer an alternative,” Twilight said as she straightened out her coat. “The good general may have caused severe damage to the hive and to pony/changeling relations, but I firmly believe she was behaving this way out of fear. A fear that the advances I have brought to the collective will fail and once again that you and your kind will be forced to scavenge for food. You cannot, in good conscious, punish her for that.” “What do you offer, your highness?” “Banishment, to the frozen lands beyond the Crystal Empire. But, banishment with a purpose. True, she would be on her own, but send her there to reconnaissance for the Crystal Monarchy. If she truly can be reformed, let her earn it by helping Shiny and Princess Cadance.” The elder seemed to contemplate this offer. Without words, the other elders chimed in with their feelings on the matter by way of subtle clicks and the buzzing of their wings. “If this was to be your punishment, would you obey it to the letter under penalty of death?” Growling to herself, Kerrigan refused to make eye contact with the elder, a clear sign of disrespect. Instead, she focused her icy gaze on Twilight. Twilight bucking Sparkle. The bane of her existence. The reason her beloved queen had gone from ruthless ruler, to a marehood whipped foal. If anything, the banishment would give her time to plot her revenge. Even if she had to nearly freeze her mucus sac off to do it. Plus, the chance to screw with two ponies oh so very close to that damned alicorn was just to good to pass up. “I will. If the council deems this as my punishment, then I shall take my exile.” “Very well, Kerrigan, Blade of the Swarm. You are hereby banished to the Frozen Wasteland. You will be responsible for finding your own shelter upon your arrival. You will make contact with the Crystal monarchy within one week of your arrival. The monarchs will be made aware of your arrival and will also be made aware of your punishment. So is the will of this council. Guards, remove her.” The guards once again made to remove Kerrigan from the chambers. As they led her away, she stopped and looked at Twilight. “I'll see you again, sooner than you realize.” The statement sent a shudder down Twilight's spine. “What the hay was that all about?” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Upon returning to her and Chryssy's chambers, she was immediately besieged by two bouncing balls of pony foal. “MOMMA! MOMMA! We missed you so,” said Rainbow as she quickly jumped onto Twilight's back. Pinkie soon joined in the pony pile and was instantly met with a raspberry to the stomach. “TeeHEEHEEHEE! That tickles Momma!” “How'd it go my love,” said a clearly concerned Chrysalis. She gently cradled a nursing AppleJack in her hooves as she spoke. “Were you able to spare her?” “I was, but, I'll be honest Chryssy, I still don't understand why you had me do it. She betrayed you. Attacked an entire pony village against orders, and then killed her entire unit. Why in the name of Celestia would you want her to continue to draw breath?” “It's...complicated. I love all my children. But with Kerrigan it's...different.” “How so,” asked a clearly curious Twilight. She noticed that the hive queen seemed quite uncomfortable trying to explain it. Twilight warred in her mind as to whether her marefriend's privacy was worth more than the headache her insatiable curiosity would cause her. Eventually, curiosity won out. “Please Chryssy, I want to know. If it's a part of you, I would want to know. Remember, no secrets between us...” Sighing, Chrysalis resigned herself to tell the brief version of the story. “As you know, much like many other insectoid species, as queen, I lay eggs which turn into new workers and drones. Hence, why all of the collective are my children. But, once every 20 years or so, I am able if I choose, to take a mate into my bed. We lie together as lovers do and instead of a new egg sac, a single embryo is created. That embryo, nourished much like a foal in pregnancy, grows to term and is actually born rather than hatched. This worker, and it will always be a worker, is to be the next in line for the throne. You could say the Kerrigan, is really a princess. And she...,” the queen stopped as tears formed in the corners of her eyes and her voice caught in her throat. “Is closer than just an egg that hatched from your spawning pools,” said Twilight. “She's..” “My daughter.”