The Day My Life Continued

by Authora97

Chapter Twenty

There was a time when my family was happy. It wasn’t peaceful, but we liked it that way.

My mind wandered back to them as Discord’s magic dropped us off at an empty cliff sight.

“I wanted to take us right to your coltfriend. There is no coltfriend.” Discord hummed in confusion.

“I have an idea where he might be.” Spike pointed off in the distance.

There was a giant structure, which looked a lot like you imagined a changeling hive would. Some changelings were flying wildly around the top. Those were probably the guards, or at least scouts.

The Changeling Hive had my friends inside it. The ponies in charge of Equestria. My coltfriend, who was innocent in this whole thing. They wanted to take my daughters in there. There was also the Heart of Damballa, which was taken somewhere with changeling magic. It was no coincidence that Chrysalis decided to take everypony I loved the day I figured out changelings were behind the theft.

So as far as I was concerned, Darcy was a prisoner there as much as everypony else.

Discord’s magic had brought us this far. Which probably means there was some kind of magical barrier around the Hive, similar to the shield around Canterlot except this shield could repel magic? Changelings were idiots, but they could be taught apparently.

Seeing as we were still so far away, I tried to fire off a spell to see the limits. Maybe if I fired a large enough spell, whatever shield was in place would explode. That’s what happened to the shield in Canterlot. Granted, it took a hundred changelings nose diving on it-

NO! This was my only chance to get my family and friends back. I fired a laser spell in the direction of the Hive.

My spell floated off towards the Hive. I growled, trying another and another and another.

When nothing worked, I fell onto my plot. That was when I felt all the saddlebags on my back. Did I even want to know what he packed for me that wasn’t already in my Infinity Bag? Oh wait, that was on my other side.

“Oh, this is so strange.” Discord spoke. I could barely process it. “We’re here and that’s there, and I clearly meant for us to be there and not here.” He shrugged. He raised his lion paw. “Oh, well. If at first you don’t succeed-”

My magic could still hold his lion paw. “Maybe we should come up with a plan first?” I deadpanned.

Discord blew the magic away. “A what?”

Pinkie started waving her hoof in the air wildly. “Oh! Oh! I know what it is! It’s figuring out the best way to do something before you actually do it!” Pinkie chirped.

“Gold star, Pinks.”

“OH! I think Discord packed me some stickers!” He had, as was revealed when Pinkie pulled out a long roll of star stickers. She stuck one on her forehead.

Discord laughed. “Oh, that’s adorable. But you see, unlike you, I can do anything.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“She has a point-” Spike began, before Discord cut him off with his lion paw.

“That’s all very nice, but really a waste of time.” Discord spoke on. “We have me. And what else could we possibly need?”

‘A plan. A map of the Hive. The locations of where everypony inside is. Maybe an answer to how we get inside? Literally anything but what you’re doing?’

I couldn’t get myself to say any of that. “Discord, my magic isn’t working here. You saw that. We need to think this through.” My words were forced through grit teeth.

Discord scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Maybe your magic is failing, but not mine.”

“Discord I’m not risking my family and friends so you can boast about-”

“Maybe you forget, Little Miss Know-It-All, they’re after my friend too! Or did you forget about Fluttershy’s house in that protection bubble that I made!” Discord argued.

“Of course I didn’t forget-”

“Then you of all ponies should realize why I’m doing this!” Discord interrupted me. “So I’m going to stop them from hurting Fluttershy! Like this!” He snapped his claw. Suddenly, there was a pig with pegasus wings acting as Discord’s war horse. “For Fluttershy!”

He flew off towards the Hive on his pigasus. He didn’t make it beyond the edge of the cliff before the same force that took my magic took his.

Discord flashed back to our small group. His snapped his claw, creating another pigasus.

“Stop!” I shouted, seeing where he was going with it. “We don’t know what happens to our spells when they cross the cliff.”

“Obviously they vanish.” Discord stated.

“Chrysalis must be using some really powerful spell for that.” Spike commented.

“It’s like I was saying. This isn’t magic, it’s some changeling fact we don’t know.” I stared off at the Hive, turning thoughtful. “Something in the Hive must take any source of power. What would they do? Absorb it, maybe, something? It could be a warning to them, telling them that they have intruders. Either way it’s clear that our magic is working against us.”

This was a troubling thought. Yeah, I’d been without magic before. There had been many worlds where my magic wouldn’t be as easily accepted as in others. But never in Equestria, never in a place where my magic was so useful.

Magic would have been a crucial part of getting my family back.

Pinkie trotted up by my side. “So, uh, what kind of plan were you thinking about?” Pinkie asked innocently, in the same cheery voice she’d used if talking about my birthday party.

“Something is absorbing our magic. I’m thinking it’s the important part.” I explained, carefully. “So it’d be somewhere important. At the Wedding, she kept the most powerful prisoners close to her. I have to assume she’d doing that here.”

“And if she’s not?” Spike asked, anxiously. I understood the anxiety. Twilight was in there, and Shining Armor. They were family to Spike.

“Then we deal with it.” I reasoned. “Sometimes with you ponies, plan fall apart.”

“And your’s don’t?” Discord argued.

“On a good day, no.” I replied. “On a good day, I know what the evil plan is and how to make it go away. Today I know nothing, which really sucks.”

Looking back to the Hive, I found myself remembering the last time I saw Darcy before she died. It was like her purple eyes were already staring at me, with a dirty minded smirk that was daring me to do something dangerous. Then I saw Bumblebee’s face. The way his blue eyes sparkled more than his gold ones did. The way his smile always seemed to ease me. They needed me.

Part of me loved the idea of a challenge here. Of an adventure I didn’t know the ending of. The rest of me was terrified at not knowing.

“It’s new, and I don’t know if I like it.” I admitted.

“Don’t worry!” Pinkie gave me a quick reassuring hug. “We’ll get everypony back before you know it, Raspberry! I bet you’ll make the bestest ever plan to get in there!”

Actually...I had nothing

“Yep. Definitely got a plan.” I lied. “Let’s head on up to the Hive. So we can do it. The plan.”

“Well, that’s a terrible plan.” Discord replied. “How are we even supposed to get to the hive?”

“We walk.” Spike deadpanned. He ran over to the cliff, starting to make the walk down.

Pinkie giggled when Discord made a loud, over dramatic groan. “I haven’t walked that far in a millennia!”

Unable to help it, I found myself smirking as I followed “Guess that explains the food gut-GAH!”

As my hoof crossed the invisible line, I had this burning pain shot up my arm. The pain distracted me from seeing I had a human arm in place of my alicorn hoof.

With a startled gasped surprise, I pulled my arm back. It changed back to the pony hoof (painfully I add).

“Pinkie, Spike, Discord. My Traveler magic isn’t working.” I spoke to them. They were already looking at me. My pained gasp had gotten their attention. “When I cross the cliff, I’m...”

“...human.”

---

“Sorry again, Morgan.” Spike mumbled, pointedly not looking at me.

“There wouldn’t be a reason to be sorry if you hadn’t’ve turned around!”

“You were screaming!” Argued SpIke. He was still looking forward to the Hive.

“I always scream when I change from pony to human!”

I was lagging behind. My arms (feeling so alien in this world) were crossed defensively over my clothed chest.

The change from pony to human was indeed painful. Unlike what the mirror portal tells you, you weren’t given clothes. So when I crossed the cliff I ended up being completely naked. I had the foresight to tell the other three about it to stop any real awkwardness.

It had worked for a second. Pinkie Pie Pinkie Promised (say that five times fast) not to turn around. Discord had been made to promise.

Everyone except Spike. But that was because I thought he had more sense then Discord.

Spike was trying to be nice. He heard my shouts of pain, and had a brief lapse of judgment.

It was an hour ago.

Neither of us could look at the other.

His cheeks hadn’t gone back from pink to their normal purple.

I had dressed with some clothes I had Discord summoned like he summoned our bags. It was just a short sleeve raspberry pink shirt, jeans, and brown combat boots. It’d been an uncomfortably long stretch of silence while I changed.

“Well I’m still sorry!” Spike called back. “Are...are you going to tell Twilight?”

“Why would I tell Twilight?!”

“...right.”

Discord groaned after five minutes of silence. I groaned, feeling my eyes roll back in my head. “Oh, I don’t know how any of you manage not being able to disappear and reappear whenever you want!”

“Well, I, for one, definitely miss you being able to disappear!” Spike shouted at him.

“Give Discord a break. None of us knew we weren’t going to be able to use magic. Or that I’d be human. It’s hard on all of us.” I tried to keep peace. The last thing I needed was those two starting a fight, then I’d get involved and they would both be dead.

“How does it feel to be human right now?” Pinkie was hopping beside me.

“It’s weird, because you’re looking up at me and I’m used to be on your level.” My human form was 5’10 (probably close to 5’11), while Raspberry was 4’8. Even for ponies, I was just a bit above average height. “It’s...mind boggling to be taller than you.”

“Yeah. It’s crazy for me too!” Pinkie cheered. “Cause you’re almost as tall as Discord! But you’re not taller than the Princess! Do you think you’ll be taller or shorter than the Princess?”

“Taller than her eyes, shorter than her horn.” I answered immediately.

“What about Princess Luna?”

“Maybe same height.” I’ll give Pinkie this, the questions were getting my mind off the changelings, and the horrible implications of my changing to my human form.

Pinkie closed her eyes, still hopping. It was a miracle she didn’t trip over her own hooves. “Hmm...I can see it.” She mused. She popped her eyes open at me, smiling toothily.

It was impossible not to smile with her.

“If we get separated, it might make sense to have a way to make sure we are who we say we are.” I suddenly realized. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Oh! Like a secret code!” Discord replied sarcastically. I gave him a deadpan stare, waiting for him to be done. “How about if I say ‘we are’ and you say ‘doomed’? Or you say ‘rescue’ and I say-”

He tripped. Over a rock.

In this barren wasteland.

Talk about comedic relief. “How about if we say ‘klutzy’ and you say ‘draconequus’?” I teased easily. “Cause, you know, we’d be the only ones who get the joke.”

“‘Klutzy draconequus’. Works for me.” Pinkie giggled.

Spike too. “I’ll definitely remember it.”

Discord was giving us a stink eye the rest of the walk. It made the whole thing funnier, to be honest.

---

Unsurprisingly, we made it past the guards. They hadn’t moved from their posts for anything. They were dedicated, I’ll give them that.

This place was huge. Making our way through would be difficult. I was an experienced Traveller, not a damn space archeologist! I don’t know a thing about the lands of an alien culture. Still, this was the only way to get everypony back safely then it would have to be done.

I kept myself focused on the task. My mind wanted to wander, to think about what Bumblebee thought about everything, if Chrysalis was somewhere here (twirling an invisible evil mustache) plotting my death.

Then came thinking about my now human self. This, plus the theft of the Heart of Damballa, left only one logical conclusion. A Traveller is helping Chrysalis.

But which one?

There was no short list of Traveller enemies for me. A lot of people didn’t like me for tasking the job at Princess, taking away the titles and powers of the Presidents. They disliked taking orders from a sixteen year old American. They didn’t believe my claim to the throne was decent enough. I don’t know if any of them would go this far, or who would have access.

That narrowed it down to someone at the Centre. My people.

“Uh. Raspberry?” Pinkie’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“Yeah Pinkie?”

“Where’d the way out go?”

The others turned to where Spike was pointing. Turns out that our door had vanished back into the wall. I noticed some other holes in the walls that hadn’t been there before.

“The Hive shifts too, like the changelings.” I sighed at the unconfirmed. “And I thought it was annoying that Discord’s house could do that.”

Discord gasped in mock offense. “You said you liked my house!”

“I do. It’s just different because I can tell your hallways apart.” This apparently was even more offense to Discord. “This place is total chaos!”

“It’s decent chaos, wouldn’t call total.” The draconequus crossed his arms over his chest. He turned his goat head away from me.

There was growling noise. There was a good chance it was coming from me.

“How are we going to find everypony?” Spike asked, cutting between the argument before it could happen.

“Back at the wedding, Chrysalis kept all the important hostages close to her.” I explained, glaring at Discord. “She’s a narcissist. She needs to build her own self worth. She’d need to see her victory. The princesses, Twilight, and Bumblebee would be in there.”

“And just how do we get there, smarty pants?” Discord countered.

“The same way I did last time.” I stated. “Follow the changelings.”

---

The changelings, though not insects, had a lot of bug-like instincts. The Queen would be in the middle of the Hive. It was all a matter of walking in the opposite direction of where changelings were flying from.

The guards were posted at the door. The odds were that these six were much better than the ones outside the Hive. That is, if this was the way to the throne room.

“Now what do we do?” Pinkie whispered in a dramatic voice.

“We...go in.” I answered simply. That was all I needed. I’m sure I can find the others in there.

“Just...go in?” Discord repeated. “That’s it?”

“You got a better plan, Dipshit?” I snarled. “I don’t hear you making any plans!”

“Even if we wanted to, there’s no way past the guards. We’ll be spotted for sure.” Spike pointed out.

“Stop helping!” I snapped at him. Spike flinched at my cold tone. It made me feel awful. “Sorry. Sorry. I’m sorry. Just...stressed.”

Spike nodded. “I am too, Raspberry. We know you’re worried about Lilac and Cookie.” The dragon assured. It was a saving grace he didn’t mention Bumblebee. “And I’m worried about Twilight, and Shining Armor.”

Pinkie joined in on this pity party. “I’m worried about the girls. And the Princesses.”

“Not that I ever worry about these silly things.” Discord brushed off. That was just the kind of comment from him that made me feel better. “But...I’m worried about them getting to Fluttershy...and, Lilac and Cookie.” Pinkie, Spike, and me looked at Discord in surprise. The draconequus himself looked surprise. “Yes, I know. I can’t help it. They just don’t let up! They...grow on you.”

“I know. Why do you think I adopted them?” Leaning my back against the rock, I thought about the first day I met those two. Then, the day I met Darcy. That afternoon in the alleyway with Bumblebee. “People in my family don’t really let themselves be ignored.” I twirled back to the guards at the door. “Now it’s time to get them back.”

Hesitantly, I looked to the party pony and chaos god. “I’m asking a lot, but I’m drawing a blank...any ideas?”

They looked happy to be asked.

“I didn’t pack my party cannon.” Pinkie admitted. Not that shocking since Discord packed for us.

“Normally, I’m the most distracting thing I can think of, but without magic-” Discord began.

My human hand reached up to his shoulder. He turned his horse head down to me in confusion. “Thank you for volunteering, tribute.”

My draconequus friend gave me a long suffering eye roll.

---

‘He didn’t pack the party cannon, but he packed a microphone?’

This was the only doubt I let myself have as Discord stood in front of the changeling guards.

Pinkie, Spike, and me were waiting on the sidelines, behind some of the rocks closer to the door. Discord was supposed to distract them, then we’d run inside. With any luck, Chrysalis would be there.

He tapped the microphone with his claw. “Hello, changelings and changelettes!”

I smacked my forehead. It was a lot less painful than when I had a horn. “He’s gonna get us killed.”

“You sent him out.” Spike reminded me.

“Yeah and he’ll kill us for that.”

“Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are that I’m here!” Discord laughed. The changelings watched him in confusion. “When I heard that I’d be playing for a bunch of changelings, I was beside myself! Then I realized, it was just one of you.” He joked.

Off in the distance, you could hear a rimshot and the sound of a human head smacking a changeling rock.

The changelings snarled. They started to move in on Discord.

He laughed awkwardly. “But, seriously, this isn’t the toughest crowd I’ve ever been in front of. But it’s definitely the easiest to bug!” Even Pinkie grimaced at that one. “‘To bug’? Is this thing on?”

They lost their confusion.

The squadron snarled at Discord.

The three of us snuck in. My fingers could slip in the small cracks of the door. The sounds of changeling growling was covering the noise of the door moving.

“Well, if you think that you can do any better, be my guest!” Discord challenged the squadron.

They chased after him.

Spike watched them fly off. “It is absolutely ridiculous that that worked.”

“Don’t look a gift draconequus in the mouth.” I reminded, looking off at our new path. “Besides, I got this feeling it’ll only get more ridiculous from here.”

---

Our little ragtag team stopped halfway through the hall. We had to wait for Discord to lose the guards, and come back.

No creature left behind today.

“Sorry for saying this, guys. We just can’t wait for Discord. Between seeing him, and no doubt they noticed Fluttershy’s house by now, the castle will know we’re coming. It’ll be crawling with guards soon.” I decided.

“But we need him! We can’t do it without Discord!” Pinkie reminded. “When we get the others, and your magic, he could take on the entire changeling army by sneezing if he wanted to! It’d be gross, but he’d probably make his sneeze into confetti!”

“He’s probably already been captured!” Spike pointed out.

There was the sound of rocks moving. “Hello?” The three of us cowered deeper on our hiding spot. “Fellow rescuers?”

I looked to Pinkie and Spike. They were shaking in fear. There was no chance I was letting them be in more danger than they already were.

Over my shoulder, I called out the password. “Klutzy!”

“Hmm? Oh. Yeah.” He nervously chuckled. “I-I can be klutzy.”

Discord would have rolled his eyes at the joke, grumbling how unfair a password it was. Before saying ‘draconequus’.

The other two seemed to catch on.

I gave them small assuring nods. Staying hidden by the rocks, I continued playing along. “We’re running out of time. We need to find the throne room fast.”

“Ooh! I heard some of the changelings who were chasing me say that they know where it is!” The changeling cheered.

“Oh really?” I snarked.

“Yes! Now come out, and follow me!”

“That’s not Discord, right?” I whispered.

“Uh-huh.” Spike and Pinkie murmured.

Still, we had no real choice but to follow behind him.

Pinkie and Spike walked out of our hiding spot first. I was hesitant. An advantage we had was that the changelings didn’t know I was here as myself. What would it mean if I walked out to them, showing off how weak I was right now.

For my daughters.

For Darcy.

For Bee.

Taking an assuring breath, I slowly walked out from behind the rocks. The changeling disguised as Discord looked surprised for a split second.

“Come on.” I ordered, holding my Bag strap tightly. It was hard to make myself walk past the changeling. “Who knows how long we have until Chrysalis finds us.”

The changeling smiled. It reminded me of when Discord had tried taking over Equestria when we met. “Right. We shouldn’t leave anything to chance!”

The two of us exchanged a long challenging stare. It was my that looked away first.

‘Discord...please be okay.’

---

It hadn’t been a long walk. It was just too long a silence for letting my mind wonder what else was going wrong.

Discord was captured, and we needed him! What if the shield around Fluttershy’s house had fallen? Had changelings taken my daughters and Fluttershy? Had my friends been hurt? What about Darcy? Was the Heart of Damballa even in here? Had Chrysalis somehow smashed it? Which of my people betrayed me?

My mind was going everywhere and nowhere. It was a dangerous place for my head to be.

“This way! We’re almost there!” The changeling cheered. He stood between two tunnels, taking the one on the left.

“We should definitely go right.” I reasoned. “He’s not even trying to hide that he’s leading us to a swarm waiting to attack.”

Spike sighed, suddenly. The kind of sigh you make you when have an idea that you know you have to have. I don’t like when other people make that sigh. It was mine, dammit. “Okay, we can handle it. Morgan, just get ready to run into the other tunnel.”

“Spikey Wikey and I can come up with something super fly!” Pinkie cheered. Her hoof wrapped around Spike’s back, pulling him close.

“Wait, what. Spike, Pinkie, you can’t!” I hissed. “I won’t know what to do! We’ve already lost Discord; I can’t lose you guys too! At the same time! Without my knowledge, I can’t promise you’ll come back-”

“Morgan.” Spike interrupted me.

“You got us this far with just Discord’s personality, and some quick thinking. You don’t need that future know-how to figure out what to do next. You helped Twilight in that other world get her confidence, just have that same faith in yourself.” Spike held my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Listen to your friends.”

My eyes watered at that. “How can I tell Twilight that I lost all of you?”

“You aren’t losing us.” Pinkie assured. “You’ll get us back, everypony too!”

“You too stink.” My bottom lip was shaking. I can’t do this alone...not now. Not when it felt like everything around me was falling apart. Not when my family is at stake. Not when I can’t get the voice of that changeling wearing Bee’s face out of my head.

My friends only smiled. “We’re friends with you, of course we do.” Spike snarked.

“You stink twice.”

Regardless, Spike and Pinkie followed the changeling.

“Hey, Discord! Want to see the new party game I’ve been working on?” Pinkie Pie asked while pulling out a blindfold. Before the changeling could argue, Pinkie tied it around his eyes. She stayed on his shoulders, holding the fold against his face. “I call it the ‘Pin the Blindfold on the Changeling’!”

The changeling growled. He tried to take off the blindfold. Pinkie wasn’t letting it go.

“Run!” Spike shouted at me while changelings came down from above..

Despite my better judgement, I did.

---

Running for my life was nothing new.

Running away from the people I was suppose to protect, that was new.

The thought of leaving them all behind, of not even worrying about Discord being hurt when I sent him to the guards, or leaving Pinkie and Spike alone against Merciful Storyline knows how many changelings.

I should have known not to bring them. I should have sent them to stay with Fluttershy and my girls. They would be a bit safer in her house! What had I been thinking?

Easy answer, I wasn’t. I was too busy thinking about myself. Thinking about my problems. Time to make up for them. It had always been known that Chrysalis would take revenge on me, I’d just thought I’d see it on TV first, to give me some headway.

Fate’s never been on my side in shit like this.

Finding the throne one was easy in my panicked state. The throne room was the brightest thing in here. The green glow of the hall was leading me like a depressed moth to a flame.

The room was huge. The real eyesore was the throne, which I thought was too similar to the Iron Throne to be funny.

Something was dripping on my head. My hair stood up on my neck.

Don’t look up. Don’t look up. Be the self aware girl in the horror flick. You’re not gonna like what you see. Do. Not. Look. Up.

Horrible as it sounds, it was the goop getting in my hair that made me cave.

It was Discord, trapped in the same pod Princess Celestia had been placed during the Canterlot Wedding.

Everypony was in a pod. The Princesses, Shining Armor, Spike, the Mane 6. There was one shell I couldn’t see inside, but I could see the faint outline of a pony. The hair on my neck hadn’t settled at all. Some of them would open their eyes for the tiniest of seconds, closing them as if fighting to stay awake and losing. It was a small grace that I didn’t see Fluttershy, or my girls.

But it scared me too. Because just because they weren’t there, didn’t mean they weren’t on their way.

The absence of Bumblebee, though, that surprised me. Why wasn’t he up there? If I had the timing right, he had been taken with everypony else. Where was he?

As I searched the pods for him, I found something much more troubling, and familiar.

The Heart of Damballa was inside one of the pods.

My heart wasn’t sure if it should burst out of my chest in joy, or fall into my stomach in despair. ‘She does have it...guess that means I really was betrayed.’

“One little non-pony all by herself.” Chrysalis laughed, from somewhere. “Oh, how will I ever prevent this daring rescue?”

I glared up at the direction of her throne. “It would be easier to believe you if I could see your face. What, too scared to face me?” I challenged.

She came out from behind two of the pods. There was the awful cracking noise that I had to guess was coming from her. “Oh my Storyline. Please stop that cracking noise. It was disgusting!”

The Queen grinned, one that I had seen on villains everywhere. It showed off her monstrous fangs, which glinted in the light. Her harlequin eyes stared at me with such malice that I could almost see it in the air.

The changeling queen came over towards me. The buzzing of her hooves echoing in the large throne room.

“It seems, Betrayer, that I finally have you where I want you.”

I didn’t give her a witty retort. My life was over anyway. Chrysalis took my only hope of getting Darcy back away. What was there to fight, at this point?

“Oh?” She spoke in a condescending voice. “What’s wrong? Please tell me. I wouldn’t want for you to be uncomfortable. One Queen to another.” She taunted.

Her changeling drones laughed around me. I didn’t look away from the Queen.

She was still looking my human body over. “Hmm. Still as disgusting as the last time I saw it.” For her sake, I lifted my eyebrow. “Surprised? Yes. One of your ‘subjects’ came to me. He was all to eager to tell me about who you were. He warned me you were the most ruthless creature he’d ever seen.”

“And you still let me kick your ass at Canterlot.” I recalled, almost smugly.

“Yes. My mistake.” She narrowed her eyes, coming closer to myself. “I won’t be making it again.”

“If you say.” I replied, not letting my lips curl up.

She sneered at me. “Still so arrogant. And clearly, that other traitor revealed to you the secret of my throne.”

‘Other traitor?’ It...was actually a surprise. I didn’t blink, though. She was always one to brag. She’d tell me who this other traitor was. Who could it have been? Maybe the other pony in that pod, the one I couldn’t see?

The Queen laughed darkly, albeit with a nervous twitch in her eye. “That my throne collects the magics of those who invade my kingdom?”

“...yes he did.” I lied. “So, please, uh. Feel free to say more, since I already know.”

Chrysalis raised her nose, arrogant. “I can’t have powerful ponies- or whatever your disgusting species is- using their abilities against me. Even with your rather embarrassing little rescue attempt, everything has gone according to my plan.”

‘I want to say that explains how easy it was to get inside, but even I know you’re not that smart.’ “What plan? Why did you do all this?!”

“So I could feed, of course!” She boasted. “By replacing the most beloved figures in Equestria, my drones will be able to store all the love meant for them and return it here to me. Everypony will do as I command, and my subjects and I will feed on their love for generations!” She finished with a flourish.

Her changelings cheered loudly. It was more alike to hissing then shouting. I’d honestly prefer pony shouting to this collective hissing.

Chrysalis continued to laugh. “To think, our people called you the Great Betrayer. Yet here you are, traitors all around you!”

“Then from one Queen to another, tell me who he is.”

“What would be the point? You’ll be dead before you can do anything about it.”

“Then bring him out so you can kill us both. Two birds, one stone, all that jazz.”

“So eager for an execution.”

“Your’s more than mine. I’ll make do.”

The banter was helping Chrysalis’ ego. “No wonder he is so obsessed with you.”

I narrowed my eyes on her.

“But you’re right, I should execute you and him.” Chrysalis grinned darkly. “You deserve to be together when I kill you.”

“The one in that other pod?” I motioned up to the pod that I couldn’t see through.

Chrysalis sneered. She moved up closer to my face. Her pointed nose was close to poking at my eye. “No. That is none of your concern.” She hissed in a warning. With her peace made, she pulled away. “As luck would have it, your traitor has just delivered my traitor. Here he is now.”

The changelings behind me were hissing again. It took me a moment to realize they were laughing. They were laughing at whoever

It was a mistake, I thought later, to look back.

There was a yellow pegasus being guided in. He was being stalked by two changeling guards, with the blue shell helmets. I let out a soft gasp.

“No. No. Let Bumblebee go!” I demanded, turning to glare at Chrysalis.

“Starry?” Bee asked in surprise. He flinched, which made the changeling guards around him hiss in warning. “Starry, is that you?”

Chrysalis was laughing cruelly behind me.

‘We’re surrounded by changelings. What would be the point of disguising a changeling as him now?’

“And I’ve just received word that the princesses from Canterlot have successfully been replaced as well.” Chrysalis went on. “And Princess Cyanide has captured the traitor. Everything’s going to plan perfectly!”

“And clearly, that other traitor revealed to you the secret of my throne.”

“He was going to tell you something-something really important.” Spike explained. “He told me everything, so I told him he should tell you!”

‘She said she was bringing the other traitor.’

It became heartbreakingly clear.

“You’re a changeling?” I asked, hurt.

The changeling that was my coltfriend’s eyes watered. It hurt to see he was proving me right.

“You’re a changeling and you called yourself Bumblebee?”

It was the first thing that stood out. It was either I focus on that, or I focus on the rest.

Chrysalis laughed behind us.

The guards shoved Bumblebee closer to me. Slowly, I felt myself fading from heartbreak to a different sort of emotion.

“Ah. So touching when two lovebirds can reconnect.” Chrysalis mocked us. Her horn lit up bright green.

Bumblebee and I gasped. We didn’t even have time to flinch away when Chrysalis fired the spell at my coltfriend.

He changed. The yellow coat vanished. The black hair shrunk. The feathers burned away. It was replaced with hole filled chitin, a short fin on his head, and sparkling blue wings.

I stared at him in shock.

“Great Betrayer, you know Thorax.” She taunted. “Thorax. Meet the Great Betrayer, or to her people, Queen.”

I had to look away from him, glaring down at my sneakers.

The changelings all made their hissing laughter again.

“You were so close to escaping us, Thorax.” Chrysalis went on. “My scouts nearly captured you at the Betrayer’s home. We couldn’t find you or her brats.”

Okay now they were all dead.

“You’re still a huge idiot.” I snarled at Chrysalis.

She growled at me. It was long enough for me to swing my Bag over my shoulder, using it as a weapon to bash Chrysalis on the head.

The Bag was a lot heavier than people thought. The Queen was thrown back to the ground. Her drones hissed in anger. Many went over to her side, to see if she was alright. A good twenty stayed behind to fight us.

By instinct, I dropped down to swing my leg out. The movement brought the changeling running at me to his knees. Getting back up, I knocked more changelings to the wall with my Bag.

Before anyone else could get close, I took hold of...his changeling ear.

“Come on!” I shouted to the changeling that had been my coltfriend. I made a mad dash back the way I came.

He followed behind me in a panicked rush.

‘I’m coming back for you.’ I promised them. ‘I’m coming back for all of you and I will make her pay.’

Author's Note:

I...I did it. You on Fimfiction don't know this, but this is my fifth completed chapter in a month. I have updated four other stories in the past two weeks on other sites. My vacation in June really paid off!
This chapter was difficult. I hate hurting Morgan in this way, but I've been looking forward to this for YEARS! Ask my high school English teacher, she'll tell you all the rough drafts of this chapter I handed in as assignments. This chapter has gone through a LOT of changes since then.

Comments

[Valiant Knight]

Wow, it’s interesting to see her in action without any foreknowledge. Despite not knowing exactly what’s going on, she still comes out pretty much on top. I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out in the next chapter.

Keep up all the great work!

Best Wishes,
Knight.