The Life of a Non-Brony

by BronyWriter

37-Brutal Victory

They'd taken Comet.

They'd taken my wife and daughter just to get back at me.

It wasn't right. I'm supposed to be the one protecting them, not putting them in harm's way because of things I've done in my past. If something happened to them and they... I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't do this without them. I'd get them back. I'd get them back and make sure that I killed Chrysalis permanently, even if that meant the extinction of the entire changeling race. Anything to keep my wife and daughter safe.

I trudge through Ponyville as if in a trance, dragging the dead changeling behind me. Oswald is flying close by, occasionally nudging me with his beak. I ignore him. He can't help me right now unless he can lead me right to Cheerilee and Comet. I do vaguely remember how he seemed to sense that the changeling wasn't actually Comet. I guess that could be a useful thing in the near future.

All around me I can hear gasps and murmurs. I can imagine why the sight of me dragging a dead changeling behind me might cause some uneasiness. Ponyville hadn't been hit with changelings like Canterlot had, but they had all heard the stories. Enough that they would recognize them. I didn't doubt that they had started to think that Ponyville might have an infestation. Maybe we did. I doubted that the only two changelings in the area were either being interrogated by Celestia or dead behind me.

I push the library door open and walk inside. Celestia, Luna and Twilight are all standing around the captured changeling, who'd been secured to the floor with magical chains. All three ponies turn around when they hear me walk in, and their eyes immediately widen at the sight of me. I toss the dead changeling at their hooves.

"Comet," I say blankly. "This one was pretending to be Comet."

"I was afraid of that," Twilight mutters. I grunt in response. Twilight grimaces and motions back to the captured changeling. "We're close to finding out where they are, TD."

"As they are part of a hive mind, it is more difficult to discern where exactly they have hidden your wife and child, but it will not be long," Luna assures me.

The changeling looks down the body if its fellow, almost as if studying it, before he looks up at me and grins. He lets out that hiss of a laugh again. "You have no idea what tortures they are enduring," it cackles. "We'll keep them alive just long enough for them to watch you die. Or we might not kill them. They'd be delicious."

Before anybody else can do anything, I charge directly at it and slam my fist right into its jaw. I keep hitting it and screaming obscenities, not even caring that my hand is starting to bruise from hitting the hard chitin. Once again Celestia pulls me away from it, but she's not going to stop me this time."

"TD, that is enough!" Celestia insists. "I understand that you're upset, but--"

Her magical grip on me fades when I smash her right under her eye. She cries out in shock more than pain, but it gives me time to charge at the bug again.

"TD, stop it!" Twilight cries, grabbing me in her magic while the changeling starts laughing at me again. "This isn't helping anypony!"

"Get the fuck outta my way, Twilight!" I roar, balling up my fist to hit her next. Before I can, I'm wrapped in a golden aura and lifted into the air.

"Get him out of here, Tia," Luna says. "We shall handle this from here."

"Don't you dare stop me, you bitch!" I screech, flailing in Celestia's grasp. "Get their location from it and then give it to me! I'm going to make it scream! Chrysalis will cry when she sees what I've done to it!"

Celestia carries me into the kitchen and rotates me until I'm face-to-face with her before letting me go. "TD, I cannot allow that kind of speech. I know this must be difficult. I cannot imagine how this must feel for you, but killing that changeling before we can find out where they are will not help them or you. I must insist that you calm down."

"Oh what the heck do you know?" I growl. "Just... just..."

My jaw starts wobbling, and tears begin welling in my eyes. My breathing becomes shaky and I slide onto the floor with my back to the fridge. Celestia cautiously walks up to me, her wing extended. I take the offer for what it is and lean into her embrace, not even caring that tears are streaming down my face and my breathing is becoming marred with audible sobs. I don't even bother trying to control it. I know I can't.

"Shh," Celestia soothes, gently rubbing my back as she pulls me in closer. "It will be alright. We will find them, I promise. They shall not be harmed."

"I don't wanna lose them," I moan, holding on to Celestia as though she is the only one who could stop this nightmare. "I can't."

"And you won't, TD," Celestia insists. "Through our interrogations we have confirmed that it is indeed Chrysalis who has taken your family. I can only surmise that she is doing so to get revenge on you. If that is the case, she will not harm them."

"I just hate that she's using them to get to me," I reply, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "I'm supposed to be protecting them, not allowing them to be pawns in some kind of crazy revenge scheme."

"I understand, TD. Believe me, I feel that Chrysalis has made a grave error in taking your family. I have been considering a means of dealing with her in a more permanent fashion lately. I cannot have her foalnapping any more of my subjects."

I feel a flicker of hope at that. "So when we get them back you can make sure that she won't come after us anymore?"

Celestia nods. "Yes. As long as there are changelings then she in of herself cannot die. As a result, I feel that some sort of stasis is required. Perhaps even making her into a statue like I did with Discord." Celestia sighs and shakes her head. "I would not do it if I felt I had any other choice, but she has forced my hoof."

"Yeah." I take a few deep breaths, wipe my eyes again, then get to my feet. "But before you get to that, I'm going make her suffer. The last thing she remembers is going to be pain like she never realized was possible."

Celestia's expression turned dark as she stood up herself. "No. You won't. Torturing her will get you nothing. What I wish for is justice in a form that will protect my subjects. What you desire is nothing more than revenge. If you decide to take your revenge then you will find more problems arise than even I could foresee. Let my sister and I disable her, then you no longer have to worry about her foalnapping your wife and child again. If she is killed then she can go into hiding again, and we will have missed our chance. On top of that, she may not take such a theatrical method of gaining her revenge again. Changelings are not beings that are easily stopped if they truly wish to infiltrate an area. If you have your revenge, you will not be the only one to pay for it."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" I snap. "We'll talk about that once we've gotten my family back, okay?!"

Celestia stares at me if if she's studying me for a few seconds. I shift uncomfortably, ready to say something else, but before I can, she speaks herself. "Very well. As I said: we are close to discovering their location. If all goes well, we shall have your family back by the morning."

"Good. Let’s get back to it, then."

I try to leave the kitchen, but Celestia stops me by putting a hoof on my shoulder. "Actually, I'd like you to stay in here, TD. You being in there helps nopony right now, and we need this to go as smoothly as possible."

"I'm not going to do anything else," I snap, slapping her hoof away. "I'm fine!"

"You are not fine, TD. You are understandably hurt," Celestia insists. "Right now I must insist that you stay here. I promise that my sister and I will discern the location of your family in short order, but it will take longer for us to obtain that information if you are there. It will focus on you, which will heighten its defenses. I am not asking you to stay here for the rest of the night."

"Fine, I'll stay here!" I glare at Celestia. "But wherever they are, you're taking me with you to come get them. I'm not just going to sit by and wait while you try to fix the problem."

Celestia stares at me for a few more seconds before letting out a tired sigh and nodding. "Very well. I do not suppose I could stop you at any rate. I only ask that if you do come along that you do not seek your revenge. That is critical to preventing this from happening again."

"I got it, Celestia, now would you please find out where my family is?!"

"Of course." Celestia turns around and walks out of the room. Just before she reaches the entrance, she turns back to me and gives me a comforting smile. "We will find them, TD. I promise you that."

With that little promise she exits the kitchen, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sit down at the kitchen table while Oswald perches on the back of the chair next to me. Heh, I actually cried in front of Celestia. Sheesh. I know the situation sucks and I never want my family to endure anything like this again, but I thought I could be a little stronger than that. I can't show any weakness right now. I needed to help my family, then I could think about maybe getting a little emotional.

My mind wanders to the changeling they're interrogating. Maybe they'll let me have it once they're done. Or what, are they just going to throw it in the dungeon? Just let it go? Definitely not that last one. I wouldn't let her do that. If I couldn't get revenge on Chrysalis herself, maybe I could get the changeling who pretended to be my wife as a consolation prize. Already killed the one pretending to be Comet.

I can't say how long it takes for them to finally get back to me, but when they finish up, all three of them file into the room, grim looks on their faces. My stomach tightens up and I shoot to my feet.

"Where are they?"

"She's taken them to the Everfree Forest, TD," Celestia says. "They're holed up in our old castle."

"Oh." I nod and lean against the table. "Oh. So what are we going to do about that?"

"It is a complicated issue," Luna admits. "The Everfree Forest, as you know, is a very dangerous area. We do not know the exact number of changelings she has brought, but we do know she is not alone in there with your family. Given the dangerous nature of the forest, it would be unwise to charge in with an army, but a small strike force bears the risk of being overwhelmed."

"I'm not totally sure about that," I point out. "She wants me more than anything. She's not going to risk me being killed before she can get ahold of me. Since she didn't take me right away, I can only gather that she's set a trap for me."

"Possibly, yes," Celestia admits. "On top of that it would be difficult for a large army to pass into the forest completely undetected."

"So a small strike force it is." I crack my knuckles. "So when are we going in?"

"Given that time is of the essence, I feel it is best to go in this evening. We need time to prepare for our attack."

"Fine." I nod in the direction of the changeling. "And that? What are you going to do with that?"

Celestia and Luna exchange an uneasy glance before responding. "What we have decided is that we shall deal with it upon Chrysalis's capture," Luna replies. "It is obvious we cannot simply let it leave."

"If you don't want to deal with it, I will." I smirk at them. "I already got the last one. Why not give me this one?"

"We will not do that," Celestia says with a frown. "I have no intention of letting you torture it. We shall deal with the changeling once we have captured Chrysalis, not before." Celestia's frown turns into a glare. "You are going down a dark road, TD. Do not let your desire for revenge overtake you."

"Fine. Keep the damn thing. Whatever." I return her glare. "But don't you dare stop me from going to get them. I'm not sitting at home."

"I have already given you permission to come along," Celestia points out.

"I don't need your permission!" I snarl. "You're not my ruler, Celestia."

"Perhaps not. However, you are an Equestrian citizen. I will not have you endangering your fellow Equestrians by running off in some mad revenge scheme." My hand tightens into a fist, which she notices right away. her eyes narrow and she lights her horn. "Do not force my hoof. You are emotional right now. Go home and prepare. We shall meet at the edge of the forest at dusk."

And if that's true, I have a bridge to sell you.

"Fine." I brush myself off and push past her. "I'll see you then."

* * * *

I make it to the edge of the forest an hour before dusk, where the strike team is already gathering. They look like they're just about to leave. I reach the group and walk up to Celestia, a smirk on my face.

"You look like you're ready to go."

I see a faint frown crease Celestia's face. "Yes, we finished preparations just before you arrived."

"Excellent." I look out into the small crowd of ponies. It appears to be a group of six guards all dressed in light armor, alongside Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, each of whom is wearing a light chainmail shirt. The other three are standing beside a tent that I can only assume is for the medics. Makes sense to me that they wouldn't want to do any direct fighting. I myself am only wearing my chainmail shirt underneath my usual clothes. My armor isn't very heavy, but it'll still slow me down more than I'd like. I'm armed with Reginald and my belt of knives.

"Hey buddy..." I tap Oswald’s claw. "Can you go help out the medics? I think you'd be a big help."

Oswald mutters something, then flies off to the tent, landing on Fluttershy's back. She smiles at him and reaches back to pet him. Normally I'd be happy to let Oswald fight alongside me. Heaven knows he's done it enough, but we don't know what's going to happen, and his tears will certainly be invaluable for any wounded. With that settled, I walk over to the fighting half of the Mane Six.

"So, interesting to see you coming along," I say.

Rainbow Dash confidently smirks. "Oh yeah, we're totally going to kick their plots! We're going to send them back with their tails between their legs!"

"Well Princess Celestia actually wants to capture Queen Chrysalis so she doesn't do something like this again," Twilight points out. "Otherwise we could have to do this again."

"Yeah, yeah, I got that," Rainbow Dash says with a wave of her hoof. "But she's gonna regret messing with us!"

"Hold on there, Dash. Let's get orders from Princess Celestia before we all go runnin' off," Applejack says patiently. "We don't wanna go do somethin' foolish."

"Right. Still..." I begin tapping Reginald on the ground. "If at all possible, leave Chrysalis to me."

Twilight flattens her ears. "TD, let's--"

"End of discussion." I walk back over to Celestia and Luna who seem to be discussing something. "So, let's head out."

"In a moment, TD," Celestia says. "We need to decide--"

"Well, if you're not ready, I am." I sling Reginald over my shoulder. "Come in after me when you want to get serious about this."

"TD, wait!" Luna grabs me with her magic and holds me back. I'm really done with that today. "We do not wish for you to go in alone. Merely wait a few moments until we have finalized our battle strategy."

"You mean finalized your plans to keep me away from the battle? You had all day to figure out what you wanted to do." I tighten my grip on Reginald and glare at her. "I'm coming along, Luna. You wanna stop me? You're going to have to hurt me quite a bit. I'm here now. Every second you waste is one I could spend getting my family back."

Celestia closes her eyes and sighs before shaking her head. "I suppose you are correct. Very well." She opens her eyes and glares back at me. "But I must remind you again: if you find Chrysalis, do not kill her. Merely incapacitate her. Otherwise she will come back for her revenge again, and it will not be so elaborate."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," I reply, waving my hand. "Can we just go now?"

"I suppose so." Celestia turns back to the strike team and spreads her wings, letting them know that she's ready to speak. They all stop their conversations and turn to her, the guards instantly snapping into formation. "Mares and gentlecolts, time is of the essence. The Everfree Forest is dangerous, so you will have to work together to make sure you all survive. This mission is not without its risks, but I believe we shall be victorious. Our objective is my sister and I's old castle. Let us be quick. I do not know how many enemies we shall face, but I do know that they will not defeat us."

Yeah, they won't do it again. I've heard the stories from the wedding.

"You have your orders," Celestia continues. "Let us begin."

Good enough for me. I grip Reginald in a fighting stance and instantly charge into the forest. I don't go so quickly that I can't see the rest of the strike team behind me. They're the ones who know exactly where we're going, after all, but it can't be too far away.

As I move through the forest, I see a flash of red and yellow out of the corner of my eye. I turn to face the thing in a fighting stance and see that it's a manticore. Yeah, not really in the mood to fight one of those things. I will if I have to, but it'll just be a waste of time at the end of the day.

Wait. Something's off. It takes me half a second to realize it, but the manticore isn't charging. In fact, it isn't moving at all. It's just leaning against a tree. That's when I see it. Blood. A lot of it. Blood is streaming from the manticore's neck as if its throat has been ripped out. I gingerly walk up to it and nudge it with Reginald. Yeah, definitely dead. My eyes narrow. What the heck is a dead manticore doing here? Before I can think on it further, I look around to see if what killed the manticore is around. Instead I see something else beyond it. Several piles of sticks that look like they could have been timberwolves. Beyond them is a dead crocodile looking creature.

"What the heck?" I whisper. Something is slaughtering the wildlife. I suppose Chrysalis doesn't want anything to get in my way. I push those thoughts away. It'll just make it easier for me to wipe her out.

"What happened here, TD?" Twilight whispers as she walks up to me.

"Chrysalis is killing anything that could stop me from getting to her. She's laying her trap, and if I want to face her, I need to spring the trap." I nod in the direction we've been walking. "How close are we?"

"Not too far," Rainbow Dash says, landing next to me. She grimaces and backs up a bit, trying to avoid the blood. "There's should be a path leading us there, right?"

Twilight nods. "If they haven't hidden it."

"Doubt they would have," I point out. "She's trying to make sure I get to her."

Before Twilight can respond, an inhuman screech comes from behind us. I whip around just in time to see half a dozen changelings charging at us.

"SKREEEE!"

I swing Reginald at the closest one, and a crack echoes through the forest as it collides with its head. Twilight lights her horn and blasts two out of the air, just as several green flames erupt around us. Celestia, Luna and her guards charge into the swarm of at least three dozen changelings, blasting them out of the sky with magic and weapons. Twilight notices one of the changelings is standing up, so she blasts it with her magic while Rainbow Dash and Applejack join the fray. I slide one of my knives out of my belt and throw it directly into the neck of one of the nearby changelings. It gurgles and grasps at its neck as it falls to the ground.

"You're going for kills?!" Twilight cries as she blasts another changeling away.

I don't respond, choosing instead to rush over to the dying changeling and pulling my knife out of its neck. With one hand I knock another changeling aside following that up with a swipe at another one with my knife. Even as I'm fighting them I can tell that they aren't fully trying to harm me. Of course not. Chrysalis wants me for herself.

Well then, let's get to that.

I leave the rest of the strike team to fight the changelings. I'm not going to waste any time, and they have Celestia and Luna to help them. I rush over to the slightly overgrown path, stopping only to bat any changelings that get in my way aside. I only pause to finish off any changelings on the ground. Once I reach the path, I bolt in the direction of the castle.

As I rush away from the battle, the forest gets surprisingly quiet. I still notice a few dead animals near the path. It isn't too long before I break through a nearby treeline and see a rickety rope bridge across a giant chasm. If the bridge doesn't hold then my Equestrian life is going to be over very quickly. I gingerly put one of my feet on the nearly rotted wood and put a little pressure on it. It creaks but doesn't crack or break. I take a deep breath and put my knife back in my belt, then move onto the bridge. It creaks and swings, but it holds my weight. I crack my neck and begin running over the bridge. With each step the wood groans, but it doesn't break. I make it to the other side without any real issue. If this was a movie then one or two of the planks would have broken under me, leaving me hanging on for dear life.

I slowly move into the castle, scanning my surroundings for any changelings. It wouldn't make sense for me to be attacked now, given Chrysalis's behavior so far, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. I step into the castle itself, almost expecting to be attacked by a dozen changelings the second I walk in. Nothing happens. I can't hear anything, not even crickets in the distance.

It'll just be her and me, then.

Now there's just the issue of where her and my family are. I assume they'll be in one of the areas of the castle with the roof still intact. I take a guess and go down the nearest corridor. I look through each of the rooms that I pass, each one empty. Just as I think that I've taken the wrong way, I hear voices at the end of the hallway. My eyes narrow and I rush in the direction of the voices, stopping just outside of the large room at the end of the hall. The door is cracked open slightly, allowing me to peer inside. Chrysalis is strutting around the room, a smug look on her face. She seems to be monologuing. Right in front of her are two cocoons, one holding Comet, and the other holding Cheerilee.

"--and once he arrives, I'll destroy him quickly, leaving him begging for mercy at my hooves. I will see the fear in his eyes before you watch me destroy him!"

"Ha! That's what you think," Comet says smugly. "My daddy's not scared of anything!"

"I think you kind of underestimate him," Cheerilee points out. "He's beaten you already."

"And he will not do so again!" Chrysalis snarls. "I will make him endure tortures the likes of which he cannot even imagine!"

I've heard enough. I push the door open with Reginald and stand in the doorway. The three of them notice me, and all of them smile for different reasons.

"Daddy!" Comet says happily. "Go kick her ass!"

"Cheerilee, when we were on our honeymoon, what happened when we went into that alley?" I ask, my voice blank.

"Oh, uh, you beat those muggers up."

"Comet? When you met Princess Luna, what did you call her?"

"A cock!" Comet says gleefully. "Not as much of a cock as this bug here, though."

Cheerilee is smirking, but her face falls when she sees my expression. It's a mix of blank and complete rage. She gulps and looks over to Comet. "Comet, close your eyes. Don't look, okay, baby?"

Comet rolls her eyes. "Come on, Mom, I wanna watch Dad wipe the floor with her!"

"Comet don't look!"

Chrysalis cackles and buzzes her wings. "Yes, child. We wouldn't want you to see my destroy your father. I assure you that even though you will not see it, you will hear his pained scre--"

While she's not looking I charge. I hit her so hard several of her teeth scatter on the floor. Her ear-splitting screech of pain almost makes me want to cover my ears, but I'm not done. I don't even let her stand up before I begin smashing Reginald into her head. She manages to raise her head, and I hit her head in the opposite direction, causing it to snap to the side. She gurgles and lights up her horn, managing to tear Reginald out of my hands. I shift my hand into a bear paw and slap the side of her head. She manages a whimper and tries crawling away, but I grab her by the hind hoof and drag her back over. She tries lighting her horn for another spell, but I swipe at it with the bear paw, completely breaking it off.

"Please," Chrysalis croaks, but it's way too late for that crap now. I pull one of my knives out of my belt and swing it down. It's time she paid for what she did.

No. If I kill her then I'm just going to have to go through all of this all over again. Instead of plunging the knife into her gut, I aim for one of the legs, but my brief moment of hesitation is all she needs to knock me aside. I hold onto her to prevent myself from flying away, but in her struggles, my hand gets too close to her mouth. Before I can do anything, she gets my left pointer finger in her mouth and snaps her jaw shut.

I cry out in pain as I fall back, staring in horror at the stump here my finger used to be. The top half has been bitten off. My rage begins building again, and I slowly begin pushing myself back to my feet. Chrysalis is still down from my attacks, but she glares at me when she hears me get to my feet. I rush over to where Reginald has fallen and scoop it up. With my weapon back, I charge. Chrysalis barely manages to get halfway up before I slam Reginald into her head. She collapses without a sound. But she could still get up. Maybe she's just playing dead. I have to make sure. So I hit her again. And again.

And again.

But I stop before the fourth time. I don't want her to die.

When she doesn't get back up, my adrenaline slowly starts to fade away, and I collapse down next to her. Now that I'm closer, I can see that she's still breathing. She won't be getting back up anytime soon.

"Dad?"

My eyes snap open and I shoot to my feet. Comet and Cheerilee are staring at me. Cheerilee is blank, but Comet is looking at me with a little uncertainty, almost like she doesn't understand. I quietly gasp and rush over, almost stumbling in my haste. I pull another knife out of my belt and begin cutting the cocoons away. I pull the goo away as I'm cutting, nicking my fingers a little bit. Comet and Cheerilee try to help me push the cocoon out of the way. It's a solid five minutes of cutting, but they slide out of the cocoons. I throw the knife down and pull them into a crushing hug. I never want to let go. I'm never letting this happen again.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I'm sorry this happened."

"Don't worry about it, Dad," Comet says, nuzzling my neck. "You came and got us! I always knew you would. She kept saying that she'd kill you and stuff, but I knew you'd never let that thing beat you!"

I turn my attention to Cheerilee and run my fingers through her mane. She's staring up at me, her eyes watering. "Your finger," she whispers.

Comet sticks her tongue out. "Blegh. Dang, Dad, you sure you have enough scars?"

At least she can be chipper. I force a smile on my face. "Yeah, I had too many fingers anyway. Might need to have a medic take a look."

"Yeah," Cheerilee whispers. She leans into my chest and nuzzles me. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

"Mom told me that when one of those retarded bugs tried to take her away she broke its nose!" Comet says happily. "Guess she learned that kind of stuff from you?"

A ghost of a smile appears on Cheerilee's face as she pulls away. "I could have gotten away if they hadn't brought in another five to dogpile me."

I weakly laugh at that. "You'll have to tell me all about it." I stand up and turn to leave, moving Comet's head until she looks forward. I can't let her see what I did. I turn to the door and flinch back when I see Celestia standing there. I grunt and motion to Chrysalis. "There. She's not getting back up for a while. You can do whatever you want to. I have my family back now."

"Indeed you do," Celestia mutters, but I don't miss the glare on her face. I narrow my eyes, but don't say anything. "The battle out in the forest has ended. There are medics waiting for the three of you outside of the castle."

I slide my knife back into its sheath and pick Comet up, holding her against me with the hand that still has all of its fingers on it. She wraps her forelegs around my neck and nuzzles up into my shoulder. I grab Reginald with my other hand and begin walking out of the room with Cheerilee following quietly behind me. Celestia isn't saying anything, but I've known her long enough to get a general inkling of what she's thinking. She's pissed. Bet she thinks I went too far, or something like that. I stop beside her and lean in to her ear.

"I didn't kill her. You get to do whatever you want to her now. I don't care." My eyes narrow, and I hold Comet a little closer. "But don't you dare think that you get to be judgey."

Her eyes narrow a fraction of an inch, and her jaw tightens, but she doesn't respond. Whatever. Chrysalis is her problem now. Without another word, the three of us walk out of the ruined throne room.

Comments

[badninja]

Ouch and now he holds himself back.

[Orion Light]

Is this a rewrite or something? I thought we got past the Chrysalis kidnapping arc? 🤔

[BronyWriter]

10026102
Yeah, re-write. I didn't like how it went.