Outsider: A Time for Change

by Sillyponyme

Ashes to Ashes

Rarity paced around nervously and she focused on the necklace. She wanted for Headhunter to make it back but worried that it wouldn’t be that way. She was ready to take off to help her fiancé but she couldn’t leave her sister again, not after everything that happened. She just got her sister back; she couldn’t lose Sweetie Belle again. At the same time, what if she was needed? She couldn’t just sit there and wait for something bad to happen. “No, but I must and yet I can’t.” Rarity mumbled as she paced.

Sweetie looked at her sisters’ worried expression; surely she could let her go help but she expected that anytime now she would run off. She may have forgiven her sister but she didn’t trust her yet. If she did let Rarity go, would Rarity think it a test and refuse to go. She always had the option to go with Rarity to help but then Crush would go as well and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. No matter what decision she made, she felt trapped. Crush can’t go which means she can’t go. Rarity may not believe her if she said to go. Then there was the fact that she still isn’t happy with Rarity. If she told Rarity to go and she did go; would she become angry with her sister again. “Why does this have to be so darned difficult?” A gentle hoof was felt on her back.

“Sweetie, I think your sister is going to freak out. We should at least try to calm her down.” Crush smiled and then frowned at Sweetie’s expression. “What is it?”

“You take over and you become what, a king or prince and regardless of that-?” Sweetie began.

“Sweetie belle, in a few years if we were to marry; you would become queen of the changelings.” Crush gave a slight smile.

“I can’t be a queen; I’m hardly qualified to be one. I don’t have the talents that Twilight has.”

“I’ve heard what you’ve done Sweetie Belle, you would make a wonderful queen. I know that you were the one to help all the younger ponies despite your condition. You sang to them when they were frightened. You helped take care of everypony during the war. Twilight told me so much of what you did and she agrees with me that you have the ability to be a queen.” Crush wrapped his hoof around Sweetie.

“When did she tell you all that?” Sweetie turned her head away to keep Crush from seeing her blush.

Just as Crush was about to speak, Rarity screamed. Sweetie’s question would have to go unanswered for now. He was grateful for it to, he couldn’t tell her that he fibbed just a bit. Crush was honest about Sweetie Belle being a good queen but Twilight didn’t really agree with him. The day that he spoke to Twilight for the first time was the day he found out about Sweetie. He had read Twilights diary in search of information after Twilight left to talk with Chrysalis about surrender. He did indeed find what he was looking for and the war had been reason to do nothing else but draw Twilight away when the time was right. Headhunter had been right, he fell for Sweetie Belle, that’s why he had lied to Chrysalis and acted like he didn’t know who Rarity’s little sister was. Now Headhunter was back and Rarity was flipping out. “NO, no no no, he can’t die.” Rarity looked at the necklace as the light began to fade. “No please, don’t fade on me please. Stay alive please, stay alive.” Rarity began to shake the necklace as she panicked. Rarity then began to flip out even more and began breaking things wood, glass, and so on. Sweetie and Crush ran over and grabbed onto Rarity and pinned her down. “Let me go, let me go!” Rarity struggled beneath the two ponies.

“Rarity, please calm down, you’re going to hurt yourself.” Rarity flipped out even more at hearing that and kicked Sweetie into the wall. She then kicked Crush off of her and sent him into a wall. “Rarity, stop.” Sweetie stood up just as two guards burst into the building carrying Headhunter on their backs. Twilight came in shortly after with Greyfire on her back.

Rarity stood there in horror at seeing the shape that Headhunter was in. His turquoise wings were broken and his front legs were cut into and bleeding terribly. A blood trial lead from what she could only guess as the battlefield to the table he was put on. A large unnatural hole was on his side and his head looked burnt. A gash resided on and across his left eye and his corked horn had been chipped in multiple places. Rarity couldn’t move seeing him like that. Soon Nurse Redheart ran into the room with some other doctors following. “Everypony out of the room, this isn’t going to be pretty.”

Twilight could see that Rarity wasn’t going to leave and she shouldn’t but she was sure that Sweetie Belle would want to stay and Sweetie had to leave. “Come Sweetie Belle.” Sweetie nodded and followed Twilight up the stairs. “Sweetie, Chrysalis is on her way with an army behind her. My guards are keeping her back for as long as possible but I don‘t know that they will last long.” As if on cue a guard was sent flying through the window and crashed into the wall leaving a small blood splatter against the wall.

“Your highness, she” that was all the guard said before he blacked out.

Twilight went over to the guard and felt for a pulse, nothing. “I’ve had enough death, she will pay for everything she has done.” Twilight turned toward Sweetie Belle angrily. “I’m going to end this right here and now.” Rainbow Dash then crashed into her. “Rainbow, you ok?”

“I’m fine, she can’t knock me down that easily, by the way, Princess Celestia and Luna are outside in the fray.” Twilight teleported away and then returned with the chest containing the elements. “Oh yeah, that’ll do it.” Twilight opened the chest and hoofed over Rainbows necklace along with the others excluding Rarity’s. “I’ll meet you in a second.” Rainbow nodded and flew off.

Twilight marched downstairs leaving Sweetie upstairs temporarily. Sweetie looked out the window and noticed Crush outside helping. “What is he doing?” Sweetie ran down the stairs past Twilight and out the door. Once outside, Sweetie saw Celestia knocked to the ground unconscious, Luna was fighting with Chrysalis and Crush was fighting with some changelings. She ran over and kicked one that came up behind her crush. “Crush, what are you doing?”

“I’m fine; Chrysalis can’t be beat so easily, I had to come help.” Sweetie began to argue that he didn’t need to. “Watch out!” Crush pushed Sweetie out of the way and got pegged in the side by a beam of magic. He flew to the ground and bounced along until he hit the library wall.

Sweetie Belle screamed loudly as she ran over to Crush; his side was bleeding horribly. “No Crush, don’t die please.” Sweetie nuzzled his neck as a tear dropped onto his coat. She then shot open her eyes and glared at Chrysalis. “HOW DARE YOU, YOU WITCH!” Sweetie screamed as she ran at the changeling queen while charging up a blast of magic from her half a horn. Her magic twisted and fizzled as she charged the queen. She saw a green beam came at her and dodged it just barely and then fired off her shot. It hit Chrysalis in the side and sent her flying through the air. Sweetie smiled and then fainted.

Chrysalis stood up and shook herself off. “For a pony with only half a horn, she sure is powerful.” She flinched and saw the blood that ran from her side where the blast had hit. She made her way toward Sweetie Belle with an evil smile on her face and knocked every pony out of the way with her magic. Once she reached the mare, she smiled wider. “So sad that I couldn’t kill you while you were awake.” She levitated Sweetie off the ground and slammed her into it a few times before slamming her into a wall. The sounds off bones breaking could be heard by those within ten feet of Sweetie. Finally Chrysalis let her drop breaking more of Sweetie Belle’s bones. She smiled wickedly and then heard Twilight and turned around.

“Chrysalis, that is enough, this ends now.” Twilight and the others gathered together and rose into the air. Chrysalis tried to run but was cut off by Luna and some guards. They were easily thrown aside but that small blockade wasted enough of Chrysalis time. Chrysalis was hit hard in the back by a big rainbow. All the emotions of the elements were put into the attack. The last thing that was heard was Chrysalis scream before the attack disintegrated her into dust. Everypony was shocked to see that the elements were capable of doing that. The six landed onto the ground and then blacked out.