Chapter 84
Quite a Conundrum
“I need my hive mind back,” Chrysalis stomped. “Then I will be able to detect Kindling’s duplicates.”
“Ya gotta be kiddin’ me,” Applejack exclaimed. “Ya led an attack on Equestria, imprisoned all of us, an’ now you’re the one makin’ demands?! Don’t seem to me like that’s how it works.”
“Applejack brings up an excellent point,” Rarity nodded. “Chrysalis is a war criminal- what’s to be done with her?”
“You must be joking,” Chrysalis incredulously glared at the ponies. “I saved you!”
“Seems to me like they were doing just fine without your help,” Caramel gestured to their other rescuers.
“She did order her drones to retreat,” Charcoal put in.
“You’re supporting her?” Torchwood gasped, surprised at his son’s decision. He shrugged.
“She helped.”
“Still, it is a bit late to try and make amends,” Twilight concurred with her friends. “Chrysalis already attacked Canterlot once, and this will be your second attempt to usurp the Princesses’ authority. You kidnapped all of us, took over Equestria, and who knows how much damage your conquest has caused!”
“Not to mention converting thousands of innocent ponies into changelings,” Spectrum wrinkled his nose in disgust.
“WHAT?!” Rainbow burst.
“I say we banish her to the moon!” Pinkie declared. Chrysalis rolled her eyes.
“Again, only those who control the solar bodies can be banished to them.”
“Whatever!”
“How about imprisonment in one of those orb doohickeys?” Winter suggested.
“No!” Charcoal shuddered. “Believe me, you don’t want to know how they’re made.”
“Then what do you suggest we do with her?”
“Let her go,” Char shrugged.
“WHAT?!”
“Charcoal,” Acrylic gently spoke. “You know I’m all about forgiveness, but this is a little different. Some things just aren’t so easily forgiven.”
“But if you don’t let her go, she’ll never find true love!” he protested.
“True love?” Cadance echoed.
“The cure to the conversion spell,” Essence realized.
“If she doesn’t find true love, we’ll never get our friends back! Pound won’t remember me. He won’t ever see his family again. I promised to get them back together,” Char hung his head.
“The Cakes?” Pinkie’s head popped up.
“They were all turned into changelings,” Charcoal remorsefully reported. “I saw it with my own eyes. Grandpa and Aunt Wild Flower, too.”
“Oh, baby,” Acrylic cradled her son, realizing how distressing the experience must have been. The news of her lost sister and father also pierced her heart. Meanwhile, Pinkie’s own eyes flooded with tears.
“The Cakes... gone?” Luckily, Cheese was there to comfort her.
“If Chrysalis finds true love, they can all go back to normal- the spell will be reversed,” Charcoal exclaimed.
“Then we certainly have quite a dilemma,” Celestia commented. “She cannot go unpunished, yet she cannot be imprisoned.”
“You pardoned my wrongdoing, sister,” Luna reminded.
“Yes, but you did not cause so much havoc as she, either,” Celestia justified.
“She’s already volunteered to help fix the mess she and Kindling made,” Charcoal spoke.
“Reversing the damage may not be enough to appease many ponies. She has torn apart many families. They will demand her head,” Essence reminded the group. Chrysalis gulped, not sure she was speaking strictly figuratively or not.
“It’s the only way to get them back!”
“While this may be true, who could ever love a monster like her?” Chrysalis winced.
“No one’ll tolerate ‘er, let alone love ‘er,” Applejack agreed.
“They might if they see that we’ve befriended her.”
“Befriend her?”
“Nope. That’ll never happen,” Rainbow turned up her nose.
“Isn’t that what you said about Discord?” Fluttershy reminded.
“He’s different,” she defended. “And I’m still not entirely on great terms with him.”
“Oh, come on, chum! You know you love me,” the draconequus wildly grinned, appearing beside her. She batted him away.
“I think we can do it,” Fluttershy voiced.
“Sure, we could, it’s just a matter of whether we should,” Flash pointed out.
“Whether we’re aware of it or not, I think it’s safe to bet we all have family who’s been converted,” Glitter piped up. “I’d be willing to give it a try, if it means there’s even a remote chance of getting them back.”
“My sister was converted,” Acrylic choked. She glared at Chrysalis. “For her sake, I’ll try, but even I can’t promise anything.”
Essence considered the idea, and the princesses exchanged glances. They seemed to come to a mutual agreement.
“I will permit you to... reform Chrysalis,” Essence slowly spoke. “So long as she is monitored at all times. I will post a timberwolf guard with her to watch her every move.” Essence nodded to the slender, purple-gemmed one, which indifferently moved to sit by the changeling queen’s side.
“Excellent! Reformation buddies!” Discord teleported beside Chrysalis, slinging an arm around her. She nervously eyed him, and tried to pull away, but his arm turned to rubber and stretched wherever she attempted to escape.
“Mom! You’re supposed to be the Element of Forgiveness! You should be the first one to step up!” Charcoal chided.
“It’s not that easy, Char,” Acrylic sighed. “I can’t just flip a switch and say, ‘okay, all is forgiven.’ It takes time. And honestly, I don’t know if I can ever truly forgive her.” She coldly met Chrysalis’ gaze. The queen evenly stared back. “She tore apart my family, threatened the lives of you and your sister, has probably destroyed Ponyville by now- I don’t even want to see the damage at Art Life!”
“Yeah, you really don’t,” Gilda agreed with a shudder, recalling the ruins she’d visited.
“Not helping,” Charcoal groaned.
“The point is, I don’t think this is something I can forgive.”
“But it’s the only way to save Wild Flower!”
“It’s like a paradox!” Time Turner ecstatically announced. “She can’t forgive Chrysalis because of what she did to her sister, but forgiving her is also the only way to get her back! What a conundrum!”
“Again with your pair of boxes,” Ditzy sighed.
“Even if you won’t forgive her, I will,” Charcoal declared.
“Char?”
“I appreciate the gesture, Charcoal Stormwood,” Chrysalis heaved a depressed sigh. “But your mother is right. What I have done is unforgivable. Equestrians will always despise me for what I have done. The chance of my finding a lover, or even a friend, is incredibly slim. You might as well imprison me,” she helplessly shrugged. “I don’t care, anymore.”
“I thought the same thing, but I forged friendship amongst the ponies,” Shift spoke up.
“The love from our friends saved my life,” Fink added. Chrysalis smiled.
“Shift and Fink. I have heard much about you. You are pioneers, in your own right. You dared to venture away from the hive when no other drones- er, nopony else would. So, may I entrust the charge of reintegrating changelings to the rest of Equestria with you? Should that be what the princesses choose to do with my former subjects, that is,” she hastily added.
“They’re really harmless, once you get to know them,” Charcoal interjected, wrapping a hoof around Shift in emphasis.
“They can’t help what they are,” Glitter agreed. “And a lot of them are former Equestrians. Maybe with some help, they’ll remember who they used to be.”
“They feed on love, sure, but I guess when the feeling is mutual, they don’t drain so much energy,” Hawk nodded. “They’ve been with us the whole time, and except for when we were healing Fink, I didn’t feel a whole lot of energy being drained.
“We will be happy to accept the drones,” Celestia assured, “provided they bear no ill will toward our other citizens.”
“Then... yes, if it is what you wish, we will be happy to help integrate the drones,” Shift and Fink both bowed to their former queen. Chrysalis turned back to the princesses.
“Then do with me what you wish. I am at your mercy.” Acrylic tensed. Those were nearly the exact words she’d used when she had to surrender to the princesses after exposing thestrals. In such a vulnerable, helpless situation, Chrysalis almost reminded her of herself.
No! She’d taken her sister, father and friends and mutilated them all, twisting them all into mindless beasts! Then she glanced at Shift and Fink. They didn’t seem like mindless beasts. Maybe there was hope for her family, after all. If she could just get Wild Flower or Windstorm or anyone to remember her, she didn’t think the species barrier would be such an obstacle anymore. Then again, there was no guarantee they would remember at all. Still, looking at Chrysalis, defeated and broken, was there really any need to cause more suffering? The battle of ‘to forgive or not to forgive’ raged in Acrylic’s head.
Meanwhile, Cadance uneasily shifted, very uncomfortable with the idea of passing any sort of verdict on the changeling queen. After her wedding day, Cadance had absolutely despised the queen, and promised herself that if ever she got the chance, she would make sure that she never again saw the light of day. So many times she had imagined Chrysalis imprisoned in stone, banished to Tartarus, or worse. But now that the queen was here at her hooves, not even pleading for mercy, but rather an appropriate sentence for her crimes, Cadance wasn’t sure how to feel. And seeing how concerned Chrysalis really was for her subjects tore her even more. Perhaps the invasion of Canterlot really was Chrysalis just trying to sustain her drones... that and her desire to rule Equestria. But even that hadn’t been selfish desire. For a thousand years or more, she had tried to rescue the pony she thought to be her true love, only to have him turn around and stab her in the back. If Shining Armor had done that to her... she shuddered. She would be just as broken. Though she didn’t agree with everything the queen had done, she decided Chrysalis wasn’t so bad.
“Cadance,” Charcoal tugged at her wing.
“Yes, Charcoal?”
“You’re the Princess of Love, right? Well, not officially, but that’s what everypony says.”
“Er... yes, I have been called that before,” she confessed, a bit confused as to where this was going.
“Chrysalis only did what she did to pursue love. Surely you can relate to her? See past it all? Something?”
“I’m sorry, Charcoal Stormwood,” Luna dipped her head. “I’m afraid things cannot work out as you wish them to be.”
“But maybe he’s right,” Cadance opened her mouth before she realized what she was doing.
“Honey?!” Shining Armor’s jaw dropped. Everyone in the room stared at Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, including Chrysalis. Cadance gulped. She’d already started, so she might as well finish.
“Well... she was only trying to look out for her subjects,” she pointed out.
“She was trying to unleash a psychopathic destral on Equestria!” Rainbow screeched.
“She was trying to find true love,” Cadance corrected. “Which would have lifted the spell holding not only herself, but her subjects as well. And the attack on Canterlot? She was just trying to keep her drones fed.”
“But Cadance,” Shining Amor sputtered, meeting his wife’s gaze. “After everything she’s done to us... you can’t possibly be serious!”
“I nearly crashed the most important day of your life!” Chrysalis agreed.
“But we were still married in the end, Canterlot was safe, and we even gained some new friends,” Cadance smiled to the thestrals present. “Now it appears as though we’ll be making some more friends,” she gestured to the changelings. “What’s one more?”
“One more EVIL friend!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“I must concur with Pinkie,” Rarity nodded.
“Accepting the drones into Equestria is a security risk enough,” Flash voiced. “We don’t need her running around loose, too.”
“I like the way you think,” Shining Armor nodded. Flash proudly puffed out his chest upon earning the seal of approval from his marefriend’s brother.
“She won’t be running around loose,” Cadance argued. “Princess Essence has assigned her a timberwolf guard.” The changeling’s sentry straightened up upon being addressed. “And she’ll have her friends to watch out for her.”
“What friends?” Shining Armor almost disdainfully snorted.
“Perhaps we should ask the Princess of Friendship,” Cadance looked to Twilight.
“I don’t know, Cadance,” the shorter princess sighed. “Convincing anypony to befriend Chrysalis is a tall order.
“I’ll do it,” Charcoal readily volunteered.
“Oh... what the hay? We’ve followed you this far. We might as well finish it together,” Winter shrugged.
“You too?” Hawk raised an eyebrow.
“What’ve we got to lose?”
“He’s got a point,” Kelpie said.
“Kelpie, I get that you’re interested in land ponies, but maybe not that land pony,” High Tide argued.
“I also thought I found true love, once,” Current interrupted. “He wasn’t the pony for me, either. I can relate to you, Chrysalis.”
“Current, what are you doing? Don’t encourage her!” High Tide pleaded.
“And she kidnapped Jet!” Whirl Pool added.
“Her drones kidnapped Jet, and they have surrendered at her order, now. There is nothing left to fear.”
“I have served the hive my entire life. I respected you as a leader, but, if you would let me, now I would like to know you as a friend,” Shift humbly requested.
“As would I,” Fink concurred.
“No! Stop! I don’t want your love!” Chrysalis clutched at her chest as she felt the trickle of love entering her heart grow to a roar.
“We’re trying to help you,” Glitter gently put in, feeling the changeling begin to absorb her energy.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me? I ruined everything!” Big, tough Chrysalis was actually crying by now.
“I think you’re the one that’s afraid,” Charcoal cocked his head and squinted in thought. “Afraid to let friendship into your heart.”
“Aww, don’t be scared,” Pinkie casually chirped. “Friendship is fun!”
“Friendship is beautiful,” Rarity had to agree as Trender rested his head against hers.
“Friendship is family,” Applejack wrapped a hoof around her husband.
“Friendship is the ultimate prize,” Rainbow held Soarin’s hoof, and squeezed her son.
“Friendship is caring,” Fluttershy nuzzled Discord, who affectionately returned the gesture.
“Friendship is compassion,” Acrylic agreed, lovingly kissing Torchwood.
“Friendship is magic,” Twilight smiled when Flash wrapped a feathered wing around her.
“Friendship is love,” Cadance touched noses with her husband.
The love Chrysalis was draining from each of the ponies suddenly became visible in the form of swirling beams of light. They began encompassing the weeping changeling queen, growing and speeding up until she was completely veiled by a curtain of light. Small portions of the light began breaking off from the main vortex like debris being flung from a tornado, and began clinging to Shift, Fink, and the other present changelings. More and more pieces of light left the room, possibly targeting other changeling drones.
“Mom?” Charcoal nervously backed up into his parents’ embrace. Each parent extended a wing to shield their son, hunkering down themselves. Rainbow and Soarin’ formed a similar canopy for Spectrum, and the other elements huddled together for extra protection. Nopony had any idea what was going on- not even the princesses.
The swirling light lifted all the changelings off the ground, and became more focused and intense by the second. It began to compress at last, encasing the changelings’ bodies in a golden-white glow. Something was happening, but nopony could see well enough to tell exactly what. When the light dissipated, though, it was plain to see what had transpired. Chrysalis had completely transformed.
She was now a crystal destral with a sparkling brown-gray coat and an aqua mane, done up in buns and fixed in place with golden headbands. Her tail was also bound with the shiny braces. She was much shorter than before- about Luna’s or Torchwood’s height, and had retained the green-blue eye shadow and lighter green eyes. Her cutie mark displayed a spiky cluster of blue crystals. She was still crying.
Before the light had completely faded from one of the changelings, he came bounding up to Charcoal. Acrylic still shielded her son from the ecstatic stallion.
“Char! Charcoal, it’s me! Shift!” The light had faded out to reveal another crystal destral, this one a medium-blue coated stallion. His mane was a little lighter than his coat, fashioned a bit spiky but short and neatly kept with the front half brushed to the side. He appeared a little older than Charcoal, maybe closer to Glitter’s age, but was still a blank-flank.
“Shift?” Charcoal poked through his parents’ wings to investigate. The destral eagerly nodded. “Shift!” Charcoal burst through and hugged him.
“Another destral?!” Flash’s jaw dropped. No one had considered the possibility of the destral race being preserved in the form of changelings all these years.
“And more on the way!” Cheese pointed to Blaze and Spike’s friends. Two had transformed into destrals, two into thestrals, and one into an earth pony, though none of these were made of crystal.
“Whoa! Who’s who?” Spike scratched his head.
“I’m Morph,” a magenta destral piped.
“Mutant here,” a lime-green thestral contributed.
“Tweak,” a red-orange thestral called.
“Transmute,” the last destral said, a much richer rainforest green than Mutant.
“And I’m Dragon Fly,” the earth pony raised his hoof.
“What?! We named the only one of you without dragon wings ‘Dragon Fly’?” Blaze face-clawed. Garble roared with laughter.
“Fink?” Charcoal glanced over to the last thestral in the room, trying to find his balance on brand-new legs. He had a yellow-orange coat with fluffy green hair, the bangs of which were long and nearly dragged into his equally green eyes. His tail, on the other hoof, was just a little pom-pom of a stub. He didn’t have a cutie mark either.
“I’m here,” Fink confirmed, wobbling as his heavy new wings unbalanced him. Shift laughed and had to physically fold his wings back in for him before he could stand up straight again.
“What just happened?” Gilda shook her head in confusion.
“Chrysalis let friendship into her heart,” Trixie tearfully smiled, hugging Glitter closer as she remembered the first time she’d had to do the same.
“She found true love,” Cadance agreed. The former queen was still sobbing far too violently to acknowledge the remarks, if she’d even heard them.
“Smoky Topaz,” Essence couldn’t help but smile as she got to see her old friend as she used to be. The mare finally looked up with a startled gasp upon being addressed by her original name. Charcoal crookedly grinned back at her.
“It’s okay, Chrys- er, Smoky! The transformation worked! You’re back!”
“But I don’t deserve to be,” she bawled. “I’ve hurt so many ponies... I’m so sorry! I’m sorry!” her miserable cries filled the whole castle, wrenching the hearts of those present. The pitiful scene unfolding before her finally caused Acrylic to break down, against her better judgment.
“Hey, shh, shh,” she crooned, stroking the distressed mare’s mane. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
“But it isn’t! It isn’t! What am I supposed to do now?” she sobbed uncontrollably, violently trembling.
“I would be honored to have you back in the castle, old friend,” Essence spoke, kneeling down to the floor with her.
“But how could you?” Topaz’s watery eyes met the Princesses’. “After everything I have done? How could any of you forgive me?”
“Well... I suppose ya seem genuine enough,” Applejack shrugged.
“You’ve turned yourself around now, and that’s what counts,” Trixie nodded.
“And the physical transformation will be sure to remind the rest of Equestria that she’s changed,” Twilight diplomatically reasoned.
“And for me? Well, it’s just part of the job description,” Acrylic joked. She was worried Smoky might take it the wrong way, but luckily, the mare began laughing.
“Smoky Topaz,” Essence smiled in the most motherly way she could. “Will you come back to the castle with me?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she dodged the question and resumed crying, though this time it was more likely out of relief. Though it was probably completely out of line, Topaz buried her head in Essence’s mane, weeping. Essence reassuringly wrapped the mare in her wings.
“I know. And you are forgiven,” she assured.
“Aww,” Pinkie leaned against Cheese to watch the happy reunion.
“NO!” The ponies were interrupted when a thunderous crash rocked the throneroom. A device was hurled in the middle of the disoriented ponies, spraying a fine mist. The ponies, dragons and gryphon alike all coughed on the fumes.
“Uh, guys? We have a problem. I can’t move!” Gilda called, stuck in place. She did not appear to be restrained in any way, but she still couldn’t budge where she stood.
“I can’t either!” Jet gasped.
“Eep!” Fluttershy would have curled into a ball if she wasn’t frozen.
“What is going on?” Luna demanded. Discord audibly sniffed the air.
“Manticore venom!” he exclaimed, eyes widening.
“We’re paralyzed!” Charcoal realized, beginning to panic.
“Everypony calm down,” Smoky’s voice penetrated the air. “The effects are temporary.”
“But the damage I will inflict is not,” a voice snarled. The glow of a magical shield penetrated the foggy mist. Protected from the fumes outside the barrier was the real Kindling Pyre, eyes crazed and angry. The timberwolves were the only ones unaffected by the mist, and sprinted for him. With one powerful blast of his horn, however, the timberwolves were smashed against the walls.
“Kindling!” Essence gasped. “Stop this right now, Kindling. This doesn’t have to go any further.”
“DOESN’T IT?!” he spat. “FOR A THOUSAND YEARS I HAVE SOUGHT YOUR THRONE, AND I HAD IT! UNTIL THAT MEDDLING BRAT RUINED MY PLANS!” he jabbed a hoof at Charcoal.
“You leave my son OUT OF IT!” Acrylic screamed, straining against the effects of the paralysis but to no avail.
“You’re the one I need to dispose of,” Kindling glared at Charcoal, who was hyperventilating at this point, only breathing in more of the tainted air. Speaking of which, Kindling looked around at the foggy room outside his protective bubble, and realized that he wouldn’t be able to deal with the colt there. His horn began charging for a teleport.
“NO!” Torchwood cried, fighting the paralysis for all he was worth. A tiny form darted through the dim room, running for all it was worth. The loyal timberwolf pup had escaped Kindling’s wrath, and darted to protect its master. It barely reached him before Kindling’s teleport whisked them all away.
“CHARCOAL!” Acrylic desperately cried.
“What do we do?” Rainbow frantically asked.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Smoky Topaz miserably sniffed. Now an innocent colt, her friend, no less, had been condemned to death at Kindling’s hoof, and it was all her fault.
‘Just add it to the list.’