//------------------------------// // All Hail the Queen of Nothing // Story: Yaerfaerda // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// Explosions ricocheted off the green hull of the Tarkington. Gritting his teeth, Prowse spun the slender vessel around in a sharp turn, dipping up and down to avoid patches of flak. He was only marginally successful. One explosion landed too close, and it sent bursts of sparks flying through the ship. A panel beside Basso caught aflame. The stallion shrieked in alarm. Booster Spice and Zetta rushed towards him with extinguishers, attempting to put out the blaze. Panting for breath, Prowse wrenched his eyes off the struggle inside the ship. The Tarkington's windshield turned around just in time for the pilot to catch a second hulking battleship arriving from the southern horizon, approaching the edge of the city with all cannons armed. “Oh... bloody friggin' perfect,” the old stallion spat. Outside the High Council Building, Val Roan Citizens flinched from the echoing thuds of explosions coming from the south. Ponies and deer alike glanced at each other uncertainly, their eyes no longer plastered to the strange scene taking place on the front steps of the enormous building. The bulk of the city's guard had arrived. Hundreds upon hundreds of Soul Sentries gathered along the front steps of the large structure in the heart of the Sandstone District. While the motionless figures with glowing eyes congregated tightly, they were patrolled by an able-bodied group of ponies running circles around them. “For the last time! Back off!” Phoenix hollered at the mass of citizenry gathered nearby. “You don't want to be around for when things get hairy! And believe me! It's gonna get really... really hairy!” “Give it a rest, Phoenix,” Crimson said. “You kidding?!” Phoenix gestured madly. “None of us wanna deal with the collateral—” Seclorum trotted by, gowling, “If we keep our heads cool and trust the plan, then we won't have to worry about that.” “Especially with these crystals Prowse cooked up for us!” Tweak said, helping Lucky Strike set up a bunch of miniature launchers, armed with black shards. “Still, what I wouldn't give to be down south, wiping goblins out of the sky's ass.” “We're needed here, Tweak,” Crimson said, eyeing the soul sentries. “Stick to the plan. Rainbow Dash hasn't failed us before.” “Dreit...” Arcshod nevertheless shuddered, turning to glance at the High Council Building. “Unnngh...” Fishberry writhed on the floor, her eyes flickering beneath thin lids. Saikano strolled onto the balcony while Josho and Eagle Eye dragged Sharp Quill's body in through the doorway. Once they were on the platform, Jake blocked the nearest exit with his massive body. “Saikano...” Fishberry coughed, sputtered. “You traitor.” She gnashed her teeth. “Do you realize what you've done?” “Yes.” He nodded gravely, his one eye narrowing. “And, more importantly, I know what I am about to do.” Fishberry twitched. “You c-can't be serious...” “It was never going to work, Fishberry.” Saikano shook his head. “Her plan? There were far too many holes in it. The conspiracy was an act of desperation from the start. The only reason we were so keen to manifest her will was because she had purposefully blinded us.” “It's you who's blinded!” Fishberry spat, eyes flickering a bright green. “We spread you too thin! Gave you too much responsibility! Now it's driven you mad!” “Mad...?” Saikano gazed back at Midnite Bastion. The mare bit her lip as the elk said, “I was given a moment of clarity, Fishberry. Nothing more.” His nostrils flared. “And it's as venomous as it's blissful, for there's no changing what I must do.” “What... what you must do...?!” Fishberry's muzzle quivered. “General,” Josho grunted. “At the risk of sounding like a huge, soulless asshole—now's a very good time to... y'know...” “I concur.” Saikano nodded. “Step away from the Chancellor and the Secretary.” Josho hobbled backwards while Eagle Eye—wincing—made a dramatic leap so that he stood at the obese stallion's side. Saikano moved towards where Sharp Quill lay beside the Constable. At the last second, however, he paused. The Council murmured in uncertainty as he turned to gaze at Midnite. The mare shivered, her eyes glossy and wet. He reached over and tilted her chin up. She grimaced immediately, but nevertheless met his gaze for the first time in hours. “Do not despair, Midnite. You may find him yet.” Her voice cracked. “How can I? It... it's not possible...” “For as long as I can remember, all I knew was how to sow misery.” Saikano's eye went soft. “But you showed me differently. For all I feel now, and all I will ever feel, is love.” Midnite inhaled sharply, a tear running down her face. The General smiled. “I cherish you, my daughter.” Then, a stern flash of fury. “Be brave, and always fight darkness.” Then, in a single stride, he marched over and grasped Sharp Quill with his naked hooves. The Secretary awoke at last, his eyes burning with emerald agony. Bubbling blisters rippled across his skin, turning black and blacker. “Aaaaaugh!” “Saikano!” Fishberry hollered, struggling to scoot off the balcony's edge, but failing. “You fool! We must never... ever make contact with—” Saikano was too busy growling in fury. “Rrrrrrrrghhhh—” His antlers melted while his bad eye ripped open, burning like a thin crevice above bright green magma. While his forelimbs congealed into Sharp Quill's twitching flesh, he nevertheless spun the two bodies around and bounded straight towards Fishberry like an unstoppable boulder. “—RAAAAAAUGH!” Fishberry shrieked, and then she was gone. All three bodies converged, oozing into a turbulent pile of obsidian sludge. Josho and Eagle Eye winced. Midnite Bastion trotted back, shading her eyes as the organic anomaly pulsed with blinding green flame. Down below, Kera shook her head. “Can't friggin' believe it,” she murmured, smirking slightly. “All this time. Chrysalis wasn't waiting in the shadows after all.” She glanced up at Floydien. “Who figured it out? Ebon?” Floydien nodded, his red eyes narrowing. “Why shimmer from one place when you can glimmer in three?” “Behold!” Arcanista shouted before the Council. “The monster's true form!” She pointed while the huddled Royal Family looked on. “Drained of all her strength and all her minions, our secret enemy thought she could control Val Roa from the highest places the Kingdom could afford! She imagined she could use Prince Eine as a puppet by extension, but the Prince was too wise for her. The monster's mission was an act of desperation and panic, after all, and it was always doomed from the start! With help from brave outsiders named the Noble Jury, her plan has been torn apart at the seams, exploited for all its foolish weak points! And now, she stands before us, as weak and bereft of strength as she was when she first nested in this kingdom and sought to undermine the monarchy!” At last, the bubbling puddle of black flesh congealed into a single shape. A tall, lanky equine emerged from the ashen remains of Fishberry, Sharp Quill, and Saikano. A jagged horn crowned an angular skull attached to a thin neck that was attached to an even more gangly body. Porous holes dotted pronounced fetlocks sculpted out of a glossy carapace. A raggedy mane of translucent green threads dangled from the creature's emaciated skull. With a frail gasp, the creature lurched forward, leaning weakly against the edge of the balcony while Josho, Eagle, and Midnite readied themselves into fighting poses. “Chrysalis!” Arcanista boomed, pointing. “Queen of the Changelings...” Her eyes narrowed. “Queen of nothing.” A pair of slitted eyes opened, twitching fearfully. Chrysalis' fangs bit into her black muzzle as she shivered, gazing at the sea of disgusted eyes down below. “Pill bugs!” Jake cackled. “Now that is one ugly bitch.” Chrysalis spun about like a jerking tarantula, causing the nearby Juries to flinch. The hollow alicorn's head twitched and jerked with rapid movements, her slitted eyes reflecting the faces gawking up at her. “No sudden movements, sunshine,” Josho said, aiming his shotgun. “By the power invested in me by the Val Roan Defense Ministry...” Midnite Bastion sniffled, then scowled with an iron-wrought glare. “...I am putting you under arrest, Monster.” “... ... ...” Chrysalis frowned. “Hrshhhhhh!” Her horn pulsed at every jagged angle. “Uhhhh...” Eagle Eye gulped. “The Queen of all the world's shape-shifters is glowinnnnng!” “At ease, Princess—” “HAAAAUGH!” Chyrsalis aimed her horn... at the ceiling. POW! She blasted a wide hole, spread her wings, and flew away. “Dammit dammit dammit!” Josho fired several times with his shotgun. BLAM! BL-BLAM! It was too late. The Queen was gone. The crowd erupted in a wave of shouts and nervous shrieks. The Royal family held each other tightly while Floydien and Arcanista exchanged glances. “Uhhhhh...” Jake fidgeted, wiping the drool off his muzzle. “That was supposed to happen, right?” “EE?” Josho looked over his shoulder. “On it!” Eagle Eye lifted a sound stone to his muzzle. “Crimson! Crimson!” Outside, the large stallion leaned against his hammer, holding up the crackling sound stone. “Scrkkkk! This is EE! Chrysalis has formed just like Ebon said she would! She blasted a hole in the ceiling and made a run for it! Do you have a visual?!” POWWW! The sky thundered with a loud burst of mana. The gathered crowd gasped. “Shit, almighty!” Tweak hollered as he and Lucky Strike spun to see a black figure bursting out of the roof of the High Council Building and coasting towards the northern horizon. “Someone get the license plate off the back of that grasshopper?!” “Is that it?!” Phoenix sputtered. “Shhhh!” Seclorum raised a hoof as he and Arcshod glared after the figure. “Seems to be heading northeast.” “Copy that, Eagle Eye!” Crimson nodded, speaking into the sound stone. “We see Chrysalis. And guess what? She's heading due northeast!” “Just like Rainbow Dash predicted.” “Exactly.” Crimson smirked, giving the sound stone a tiny shake. “Hey, you hear that, Rainbow Dash?! She's headed right for you!” “Scrkkkk!” Silence—at least at first—and then: “...awesome.”