You Are What You Eat
"You have done a marvelous job serving my brood from the outside," Chrysalis' image said with each flickering shift of her grinning jaws. The massive cluster of shapeshifters leaned forward so that her leering face was practically "breathing" on the restrained pegasus. "But it is now that you join the fold, Austraeoh."
"Grnnnghh!" Rainbow Dash hissed and spat as she struggled in the changelings' grip that was hovering her in place.
Fangs glistened in the wet gray air as the Queen spoke, "I will feast on your pain and assimilate your essence into the hive. At last, my children shall wield complete control over the Sentinel and the beacons of Urohringr beyond. You'll no longer have a reason to fear dying before the end of your flight, Rainbow Dash, for you shall live on in us. Your journey is now our journey, and victory awaits us with our sister Tchern at the Sarcophagus of Ages."
"Rainbow Dash!" Pilate gasped.
"Darn it, don't do this!" Rainbow growled. "I don't care how bloody the Trinary War is! Nothing is worth trashing the entire light side of the world just to get what you want!" She seethed. "You have so much friggin' power and influence! Why can't you do use it for something good or harmonic for once?"
"Oh please, Rainbow..." Chrysalis face briefly flashed to Luna's. "We both know that pain and destruction is all we're good for." The brood queen's dark and glossy visage returned. "I am not converting you so much as I am completing you. At least now the Austraeoh's destiny will be a slow burn instead of a tragic conflagration." She tilted her massive head aside and nodded towards a source above Rainbow Dash. "Proceed, my child."
Rainbow Dash struggled to look up. One changeling flitted out from the massive swarm and flew down to her level. It converted its dangling left forelimb into a massive stinger, dripping with frightening green venom.
"Induct her into the hive," Chrysalis said with a hissing smirk.
The changeling loomed closer, aiming the stinger for Rainbow's chest.
"Snkkkt... please..." Rainbow Dash stammered through clenched teeth, twitching. "Don't do this. I've got friends..." Her eyes went glossy. "I've got ponies to save. We all have ponies to save. Don't listen to her. You don't have to..."
The changeling reached into the mass of shape-shifters holding Rainbow Dash and gripped the back of the pegasus neck. It then pressed the stinger to Rainbow's sternum.
Rainbow shivered, a tear forming along the edge of her right eye. "It d-doesn't have to be like this..."
Pilate watched from below, frozen in fear.
The changeling reared its stinger, coiled its muscles to puncture Rainbow's chest... then suddenly thrusted its head forward, kissing Rainbow squarely on the lips.
"Mmmmmmffff!" Rainbow gasped into the creature's fangs, cross-eyed. When the long kiss ended, she jerked back, breathless.
The changeling caressed the back of Rainbow's head, gazing at her closely. One by one, freckles appeared across its cheek, followed by a fuzzy orange complexion. "No more tears, sugarcube..."
Rainbow's lips quivered. "It's... it's you..."
"What is going on here?!" Chrysalis' voice boomed as the face flickered from left to right with furious green flame. "Pierce her heart! Make her one of us!"
"Shhhh..." Applejack stroked Rainbow's cheek, fluttering backwards with a rosy-cheeked smile. "It's gonna be alright." Green eyes sparkled. There was a glint of something fiery, like sunshine on apple orchards, and the shape-shifter spun around, spiraled, and plunged full-force into the gaping mouth of the massive Chrysalis facade.
"Graaaauchkkkt!" Chrysalis' skull reared back against the temple. Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the orange bands suddenly rivuleting across her face, one changeling at a time. "Hnnnghhh... what... wh-what is happening?! What d-did you do?!"
Rainbow Dash buckled. She gasped, glancing aside. The changelings gripping her were wincing, their faces wrought with confusion and dizziness.
Down below, the creatures holding Pilate fell to their sides, clutching their skulls as tufts of green fumes billowed from their eye sockets.
As thunder rolled, the windy air filled with the cries and wails of the changelings. One by one, the face of Chrysalis dissolved as the shape-shifters constituting her face loss cohesion.
"My children... nnngh—no! Listen to me! Listen to your Queen! Graaughkkt!" The face thrashed from left and right as more and more orange bodies overtook the solid black gloss. "Stop! Your mother commands you! Do not... gnnngh... do not feed on it!"
At last, the creatures could no longer hold onto Rainbow Dash. They all drifted to the granite surface of the balcony, joining the twitching figures who fell from the dissolving face of their brood queen. Rainbow flapped her wings, hovering a few feet above the scene. Everywhere she turned to look, changelings were curling up into fetal positions, lost in sobs and murmurs of confusion.
Pilate jerked about, his rattling helm struggling to take the situation in. At last, he scampered freely to the edge and scooped up the Sword of Solstice in the crook of his hoof. "Quick! Rainbow Dash!" He galloped straight for a tight cluster of dazed changelings. "While they're down for the count—"
"No!" Rainbow Dash held a hoof out, stopping him in his tracks. "Just... just wait..."
"Wait?!" Pilate panted and panted. "Wait for what?"
"Something's happening..." Rainbow Dash slowly, slowly smiled, tilting her head up towards the mass of changelings. "Something awesome..."
Pilate stood by her side and gazed up as well.
"Stop! It will make you weak! We need to keep strong!" Chrysalis sputtered and hissed, but there were less and less changelings making up her face and mouth to maintain the speech. "Don't feed on it! Mother needs you! I need you to be strong! My s-sister... grnnnghh—obey me, children! Obey... m-m-meeee... aaannnghh!"
Chrysalis' skull yanked upwards, and when it came back down it was in over forty separate pieces. The changelings collapsed across the balcony, and they did so in a splash of rainbow color. Coats of orange, lavender, pink, yellow, white, and sky-blue.
Rainbow couldn't help it. She flinched, leaping into Pilate's side and bracing herself against his shoulders. She hyperventilated slightly, her ruby eyes reflecting a sea of Twilights, Rarities, Pinkies, Fluttershies, and Applejacks. Pilate, confused at the doppelgangers pooling around him, nevertheless gave Rainbow's hoof a firm reassuring squeeze, and the mare's breaths calmed slightly.
Whurrrrr—Clank! The side door to the massive green hull of the Tarkington finally slid open.
"We're in!" Prowse sputtered through the rainwater coating his face. "Props! C'mere with the mana crystals, lass! We gotta jump-start this beast like there's no tomorrow!"
"Make it quick!" Seclorum growled. "Aatxe gave us one hell of a window and it'd be a shame to put it to waste!"
"Just point and click and I'm there!" Props said, sliding into the ship's interior. "Oooh! It's even got that metal musk smell!"
"Savor it later, Propsicle." Prowse threw a look over his shoulder. "Josho! How're the eyes on the sky?!"
"We're in the clear!" Josho exclaimed, cocking his shotgun with a beam of telekinesis. He gazed thinly into the rainy wind. "Nothing's coming this way anytime soon! Say, did Aatxe say whether or not he had gun turrets on his baby? Cuz that would be a friggin' goddess-send—"
Just then, several groaning voices sounded off. Everypony stopped what they were doing to turn and look. Out of the group, two Ledomaritans and three Xonans suddenly buckled, collapsing to their hooves as they clutched their skulls in pain.
"H'raanan siul mess'okuun?" Arcshod stammered as he stood protectively beside Lasairfion.
"What's their problem?" Seclorum exclaimed. "Have they been infected?!"
"No..." Josho icily trotted towards two of the collapsed ponies, raising his shotgun. "It's something else..." His brow furrowed. "I've seen this before, Secchy..."
Bellesmith watched breathlessly. She felt Elma quivering on her back. "Elma...?" She turned to look at the shape-shifter. She had lost Eagle Eye's image entirely. "Elma! For Spark's sake! You have to—" Belle paused in mid-speech.
Elma was sobbing. What's more, she had a smile on her face. She gazed up with green, evaporating tears. "She's... she's gone..."
Belle blinked. "Who is...?"
"Mother..." Elma smiled painfully. "She lost us... she lost her children..." A sniffle, and a happy sob. "We found something better than what she feeds us..."
Belle's jaw hung open. She flashed a look at the collapsed ponies. In the place of Ledomaritans and Xonans, she saw hauntingly familiar coats and manes. "Rarity... Fluttershy... Applejack..."
As soon as she said this, the coats disappeared, and the changelings gained their black carapaces back. By now, their spasms had stopped, and they huddled in a tight circle on the floor, gazing about in lucid confusion.
Arcshod scowled. With a suppressed growl, he whipped out his crossbow and aimed it at the huddled creatures.
Josho stepped forward, shotgun aimed.
Belle gasped. In a blink, she dropped Elma, galloped forward, and slid to a stop directly between Josho and the changelings. "No! Stop! Don't!" she shouted with hooves outstretched.
"Belle, step away," Josho grumbled.
"No..." Belle gulped, and smiled hopefully. "They're no longer of any threat to us!"
Josho and Arcshod silently exchanged glances, then glared down at Belle.
The mare smiled warmly in the rain. "Trust me..."
One by one, the changelings on the balcony of the large structure stood up, exchanging weak glances and blinking off their separate spells.
Pilate trotted around in a circle, gawking at each and every one of them. At last, he swiveled about and looked towards Rainbow Dash.
The mare trotted forward, approaching one of several changelings still collapsed on its knees.
The shape-shifter shook and quivered, hanging its head as it was overcome with sobs. A blue hoof tilted its chin up. It stared painfully into Rainbow Dash's face. Slowly, its black shell turned into an orange coat, topped off with a violet mane. "I'm... I'm so sorry," Scootaloo's voice stammered. "I didn't know... we didn't know..." Tears trickled down the foal's face. "How c-can there possibly be something better? It's... it's all sh-she ever gave us... and we b-believed her..."
Rainbow Dash ruffled the filly's mane. Slowly, she smiled. "Guess all you guys needed was a change in diet."
The doppelganger sniffled, smiled, then flew forward, hugging Rainbow Dash as it buried its sobbing face in her fuzzy blue chest. Rainbow reached down and stroked its back, even as the black shell returned, accompanied by fumes of green tears.
Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash looked up from the crowd of blank-faced changelings. Her eyes fell on the Urohringr door, still coated in purple slime. At last, she glanced back at her friend. "Pilate..."
"Yes... Rainbow?"
"Give me the sword."
The zebra nervously complied.
Rainbow parted the hug with the changeling and gripped the glowing blade in the crook of her hoof. She took a deep breath, facing the barrier and the deathly slime beyond.
"Let's finish this."
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hah. no matter what universe, Chrysalis is beaten by love.
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And now Rainbow gets an army.
I would have loved to have seen it, but it wasn't in the cards.
Yes!!!!! In your face, Chrysalis! Taste the power of love, you vapid whore!!!!!
No push-ups this round, ):(. Feel the love, baby!!
Was not expecting that. Continue please
Ha! I knew RD saving that changeling would help. "You are the kind one." indeed. Hate is no substitute for love.
Why do I feel like a Jedi now?
Taste the rainbow of kindness motherbucker.
[crying]
Well...how about that.
We need a tears of joy emote.
Hey, this is the first time any story in this series has been featured in a while. Hurray!
Now I just need to read the two stories I am down before I make it to this one . . .
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gah he bwa glug
Whhaaaaaa
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Supposedly, there was a glitch that caused any story published after 2012 to not be able to get into the "updated" section of the Feature Box. Was fixed about a month ago.
Let Chrysalis sit on that and spin.
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Interesting. Sounds like something knighty wouldn't fix right off the bat. XP
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That's what your picture is based off of!
YES FEED THEM WITH LOVE
Holy feather
For some reason I'm now getting the weird idea that love tastes like skitles.
Sweet cupcakes, now that's what I call amazing.
Also, the realization that some of the rescues were changelings... but didn't know, and they passed the 'blood' test... hrm.
Dio - Overlove
Peace and love, man... it's like Woodstock all over again.
Bomb diggity! It's butt kickin time!!!!!!!!!!!
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New headcanon acquired!
4466434 Props has sexy.
And sexy would become very
relievedangry.Rainbow Dash for Princess 2016
Let the revolution begin
...Did Ebon undergo the same thing? Uh oh
I don't care how cliche that changeling was it was awesome. Now time for more Solstice Sword. I just hope Rainbow gets to keep it.
Hindsight is blatently obvious, which is the sign of a seriously good author
Weven been expecting you Mr Anderson.
Thank god Dash decided to free that changeling. Well it looks like there are going to be a lot of Mane 6s and Scootaloos in this world. I really wouldn't have it any other way.
we have a changeling army
This chapter was touching.
YES! Finally we get a Spark-be-damned turn for the better! This story really REALLY pushed it with the dark tone.
gnr8.cachefly.net/gnr8biz/images/GunVasemain2.jpg
It's the Love Shack, just a little old place where we... can get together!
(Hop in my Chrysalis, it's as big as a whale and it's about to set sail) ;)
Sharing kindness is an easy feat.
If only someone had merely bothered trying before.
Yay, Elma's free from Mother's influence, looks like we'll have a cool shapeshifter with us in the long run.
See ya, Chryssie! Let the door hit you on the way out!
And so the changeling civil war begins.
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Wouldn't have felt that with EE a while back? I guess he really isn't a changeling then.
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Do we really? Or are they just gonna fly off to find better homes in Equestria? Return to them the heroines they lost to Discord.
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This is IC...and we know the Jury just keeps falling into worse and worse situations.
Just makes you wonder,what's gonna top this?
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Ebon is a zombie,calling it now,he died and was revived by Nightshade as a test for her brothers revival,the process stripped him of most of his memory however.
Sounds an awful lot like a Fomicry replica,wouldn't you say?
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I can dream!
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Ebon being a Zombie would be really strange. I'm still going with and empath, that has powers that work similar to the changelings, which is why he picked up on Chrysalis.
Badass. This is why making a speech check is always a good idea before you start shooting people. You never know.
Loyalty could not save the hive nor could she save herself. But Kindness could.
Completely ignoring the fact of course that we really can't be going after the show at this point - changelings after all steal, devour, destroy the feeling they feed on. Which is why we had changelings feeding on love that were all out evil. Going by that logic, feeding on hatred should've made them a punch of altruists. But yeah, that's nothing new. Just sayin' is all.
One evil army down, one to go. You can do this, Dashie.