51. The Aftermath
Just after Chrysalis admits defeat, the changelings assaulting our forces break off their attack, hanging there in midair listlessly. As the bewildered guards watch, the changelings fly away, out of the city. Which means total victory is ours. The guards realize this a few seconds later, and a rousing cheer sounds in the streets of Canterlot, everypony exulting in a hard earned victory.
Celestia powers down at those words, looking down at Chrysalis with righteous anger. Her horn lights up golden, and then a small sphere of light appears around the defeated queen, imprisoning her there. “I will hear your full story.” Celestia tells her. It's not a question. No, that one statement was presented in such a way that you know your only other option is death. She turns to me next, and to my horror, her expression doesn't change. “The same goes for you, Seth Rogers. I am disappointed in you.”
Unlike Chrysalis, she doesn't place a barrier around me. Even so, she doesn't need to. Just by saying that, it makes me feel like total shit. She has no idea why I did what I did. Everything is probably still has fresh to her now as it was back in the hall. All she knows is that I suddenly betrayed her...so why no barrier for me?
Oh...probably because I'm with Luna and she's not trying to kill me. Right, I forget she's extremely smart.
“Seth!” Rainbow calls to me, running over happily to me, even as Celestia approaches her sister, the two of them hugging warmly. Rainbow's happiness turns to horror when she sees just how badly hurt I am. “Oh my gosh, are you all right? You look horrible!”
I fall onto my back, unable to muster the energy to do anything else. I'm happy, knowing that the battle is over, and Rainbow is still alive. “No, I'm not all right. I felt like I just went through hell itself...” I groan. Now that the battle is over and the adrenaline is leaving my system, I can feel how raw and damaged my body truly is, and it is the worst feeling I've ever had. Everything is stinging, aching, or just down right burning with pain. I'm in agony.
Rainbow kneels down next to me, her magenta eyes filled with worry. “All right...just don't talk. You're going to be fine, okay?” she whispers to me. “You're not allowed to be anything else. Darn it, I should have gotten here sooner!”
“Ah, don't be melodramatic. I'm not going to die, especially with Celestia being that close,” I say, waving away her concern. Looking over, I can see Celestia bathing her sister in healing light. That's good. Maybe she wouldn't mind giving some of those heals to me...eh, probably not. She's pissed at me right now, and for good reason.
“I'm...I'm not being melodramatic!” Rainbow protests, crossing her two front hooves and pouting. “I just didn't think...you'd go through so much pain to make all of this right.”
“Talking like that, you make me sound like I'm some kind of hero. That's bullshit. All I did was fix my mistake,” I clarify. “I made a promise to you, didn't I? I had to keep it...somehow.”
“You've more than done that,” Rainbow assures me with a smile. “Now quit talking. Celestia's on her way. She'll help you feel better.”
Fuck. I glance over, and sure enough, Celestia and Luna are walking towards me. Celestia stares down at me. I can see her anger at my betrayal in her eyes.
“Sister, please heal him. He fought as hard as I did against Chrysalis,” Luna says to Celestia, indicating me with her hoof. She's all healed now, so she looks as good as new, though her armor is in melted tatters.
“Do not worry, I have every intention of doing so,” Celestia assures her, and then she dips her head towards me, golden light emanating from her horn. The light engulfs me, and all of my pain is swept away like sand in the breeze. I can't help but sigh in relief as my strength returns to me.
Of course, my magical reservoir is completely empty. I spent it all on that last attack against Chrysalis, which coincidentally (and thankfully) gave us just enough time for Celestia to save our asses.
There's an awkward silence as I rise to my feet, fully healed. Twilight and Spitfire are walking over to us as well, so that we form a circle. Except no matter who joins us, I can't help but be aware of Celestia's gaze burning into me.
“I do not have time to deal with you now,” Celestia finally says to me. “There is a great deal that must be considered before I decide on your punishment.”
The way she says “punishment,” makes me cringe. It's too soon after seeing her exhibit that immense power for me to say anything in protest. I mean, I'm not actually subject to her laws, but pointing that out will probably just earn me a solar flare to the face. “Okay,” is all I can think of to say, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly.
“Therefore you are to accompany me until such time that I can fully address the issue of your treachery,” Celestia decides. Huh...shit. So I'm going to be walking beside her awkwardly the whole time. Her next words are addressed to all of us. “Come with me, all of you. We have much work to do.”
The cheers of the guard intensify as Celestia appears at the top of the stairs, which is all that's left of the wedding hall. The rest of us stand on either side of Celestia as she stares down at her subjects. Behind her, the barrier containing Chrysalis follows her, as Celestia wisely decides not to let the queen out of her sight. I can see Chrysalis test the barrier with a magic covered hoof, but it easily repulses her halfhearted escape attempt.
Down at the bottom of the stairs, I can see all of the familiar faces staring up at us, appearing relaxed for the first time since this whole affair began. Iron stands with his trident lowered, his visor raised so he can look up at us. Blades's hoof is draped over Iron's shoulder, as he grins up at Celestia, much to Iron's annoyance. Rose is standing with Applejack, the former helping the latter stand. I can also see Pinkie and the other Wonderbolts, the former bouncing around while the latter takes this time to catch their breath.
“Loyal subjects, your fight is over,” Celestia announces, her regal voice projecting to each and every soldier in the square. Morale soars at her words, to the point where I can see some of the soldiers exchanging high fives or nuzzles. Even the injured ponies, like Rarity, are smiling widely. “I would like to thank each and every one of your for your service. If it weren't for your bravery, Equestria would be in dire straits now, so take pride in yourselves.”
“In recognition for your loyalty, I intend to hold an honors ceremony in the future to properly commemorate you all. But that is a matter for another time,” Celestia says, and then she casts her gaze around Canterlot, which has been left a mess from the assault. “For now, our next priority goes towards locating survivors and treating the wounded.”
At this, Celestia starts walking down the stairs. I feel like we should follow her. First though, I look around for my coat...only to see it lying on the ground, burnt to charred tatters. Fuck, I really liked that thing. Rarity's going to have a fit.
I trail along behind Celestia. Apparently I did the right thing, because Luna, Twilight, Rainbow, and Spitfire are following as well. Behind us floats the defeated Chrysalis, who is likely being guided by Celestia's magic.
“Who among you feels that they are able to continue?” Celestia asks, casting her gaze over the soldiers at the bottom.
“Here I stand, Princess,” Iron is the first to speak up.
“Count me in,” Blades adds. Rose and the individual members of the Wonderbolts chime in not long after that. Applejack opens her mouth to join, but Rose transfixes her with a stern stare. Applejack sighs and sits down, realizing that she's too exhausted to really be of much use.
“Don't forget about me,” Spitfire says from behind me. “I'm still rarin' to go.”
“Very well. Commander Iron, take a detachment of guards that are still battle ready and search the streets for survivors,” Celestia commands. Immediately, Iron salutes and turns the other direction, starting his task without another word. “Captain Blades, take Commander Rose and search the crystal mines, with the same objective. While all survivors are precious, keep an eye out for Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. They have yet to be found.”
That's a fair point. I didn't see Shining Armor in the wedding hall, even though he'd been there when I teleported Rainbow and the others to safety. Cadance wasn't there either. Hell, I don't know where she is. She could be anywhere, if she's even alive.
“Captain Spitfire, take the Wonderbolts and any members of the Pegasus Corps that can still operate and search the city from the skies,” Celestia commands, turning her head to look at us. “Free any civilians or soldiers you find, and help coordinate the search effort.”
“Yes, your Highness!” Spitfire calls out with a salute, and then she takes to the air without further ado. She flies over the guards and snaps out orders to the pegasi scattered among them, carrying out her orders faithfully.
Celestia reaches the bottom of the stairs, so that she is amongst the soldiers. “I will first deal with the matter of the changeling queen,” she continues, and then she reveals the captive Chrysalis to the guards. The guards show their anger at the source of their trouble in the form of glares, and even some jeers. Chrysalis takes all of this in stride, simply scoffing and curling up in the orb she's being held in. “As well as her...accomplices. Then I will return and tend to the wounded myself.”
“Those who have not been given a specific assignment, you are to either to join the wounded, if you feel unwell, or fan out and and join Commander Iron in sweeping the city for survivors. Dismissed!” Celestia finishes, and the soldiers around us burst into activity, moving to carry out their orders. Next, Celestia turns around to view Twilight, Rainbow, Luna, and I. “I am proud of you, Twilight. And you two, Rainbow Dash. You have conducted yourself far better than I could have predicted in this trying situation.”
“Thank you, Princess. But you should really be thanking Luna. We wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for her plan,” Twilight admits, while Rainbow just preens at the praise, her ego no doubt swelling from getting a compliment from Celestia.
“Of course. I am very grateful for my sister for organizing my rescue, but I cannot dismiss your efforts,” Celestia assures her with a smile. That smile fades, however, when she looks at me next. “Seth, come with me. Rainbow, if you could join the Pegasus Corps, I would be most grateful.”
“Um...actually, I'm coming with you,” Rainbow says flatly, causing me to stare at her like she's gone crazy. Are you ignoring an order from Celestia? Are you nuts? Even Celestia blinks, taken by surprise by Rainbow's refusal. “You're going to talk to Seth, right? I want to be there for him. You can't keep me away.”
Celestia looks between Rainbow and I, probably wondering why the hell the Element of Loyalty is defending me, who betrayed all of them. Most of all, she's directly defying Celestia to do so. She opens her mouth to respond, but is interrupted.
“I would like to accompany thee, as well,” Luna asserts, standing next to Rainbow. “I feel I am beginning to understand what hath occurred during my absence.”
“I'm coming too...if that's okay,” Twilight adds as well. Now that takes me by surprise. I understand Rainbow and Luna (even though Luna is a stretch), but Twilight? She was the one who yelled at me the most, apart from Rainbow, back in the cave. So why the hell does she want to come with us too?
Celestia does her best to hide her surprise, but I can tell she didn't expect all of them to want to come along with her as she decides what to do with me. “I...see,” Celestia emits, confused. “Then you'd best all come with me. We're headed to the dungeon. Chrysalis must first be dealt with.”
Celestia weaves her way through the square, taking care not to impede the progress of any of the guards on their way to carry out her orders. As we follow her, I catch Rainbow's eyes, and immediately mouth to her “What the fuck are you doing?” Rainbow's response is to rub up against my side, like all equines do to show support to those they're close to. I swear, this is dumb, even for her. You've seen what Celestia can do. Do you really want to piss her off? I'd rather it just be me that faces her wrath down in the dungeons.
We follow Celestia back through the streets that I'd fought through not too long ago. Calling it a mess would be putting it lightly. Some of our casualties are lying there, motionless, or are being carried away by other guards. Some of the civilians that have already been freed are here as well, being comforted by their rescuers. The streets are pockmarked with craters, cracks, and burns, as a result from all of the magic that was expended here.
There aren't that many guards that died, but every time I see one, it fucking hurts, because it is my fault, for not stopping Chrysalis, or at least telling somepony about her. Honestly I'm starting to believe that this reassuring thing that Rainbow is trying to do by keeping her side in constant contact with me is working, because if she weren't here to remind me that this fight was worth something, I would fucking lose it.
I wish I'd chosen Rainbow from the get go. Then right now, I would be celebrating, rather than following Celestia into whatever she decides is my fate. In her eyes, I'm probably as bad as Chrysalis.
We turn into the dungeon, and we soon end up in the hallway where we'd freed Commander Iron. So, basically solitary confinement, which is where I assume the most dangerous individuals are kept.
Celestia raises a hoof and runs it down the length of one of the cell doors. I hear the unlocking mechanism clanking, and the magical runes appear as well, until the door swings open to reveal an empty cell.
Chrysalis glares at us as Celestia places her in the cell, until at last the door swings shut, locking that monstrosity away for good. However, one thing bothers me.
“Celestia, I didn't see a cancellation field on that door. What's stopping her from blasting her way out of there?” I ask worriedly. If Chrysalis got free, there's no telling how much damage she could do if she kept to the shadows.
“A cancellation field would not work on her. That is why I placed her in solitary confinement. The material in these walls are made of steel alloyed with a special material that cancels out all magic,” Celestia explains.
“That doesn't explain those runes,” I point out.
“The outside of the door, as well as the locking mechanism, is constructed of a different material. Rather than steel, it is constructed of the hardest metal known to us, which has the property of enhancing magic,” Celestia continues, thankfully answering my questions despite how pissed off she is at me. “When interlaced with separate locking spells that respond only to myself or my sister, these cells become impenetrable. Chrysalis will not be going anywhere.”
I sigh in relief. I will be able to sleep easy knowing that Chrysalis is locked up forever. However, this brings up an interesting point. If Chrysalis came out of nowhere and had the power to completely trash everything except for Celestia, what else is out there with that kind of power? That's a chilling thought.
“Good! She doesn't deserve to be free, after how she came in here and messed everything up,” Rainbow states, glaring at the closed and locked cell door.
Celestia nods in agreement, and then she orders two passing guards to guard Chrysalis's cell. “Watch over her until I return to question her,” she commands them. The two guards salute, and then stand on either side of Chrysalis's prison. Then, she continues walking deeper into solitary confinement, where I've never been before. “Follow me.”
We descend a few staircases, until I stop seeing solitary cells and reach a dead end, where there are four unsecured doors. Celestia opens one of them with her magic, and ushers us all inside.
The room that I'm standing in is very plain, consisting only of a simple table and a few chairs, one of which has restraints attached to it. Fuck, this is an interrogation room, isn't it? Well, I knew this was coming. I might as well go along with it.
I sit down in one of the chairs and fold my arms up on the table. I realize this is the first time I've sat down since my discussion with Rainbow earlier today. Damn, it feels good. It would be better if I wasn't about to answer for the single greatest fuck up I've ever made in my life.
Rainbow and Twilight stand on either side of me, and Luna stands next to her sister. Celestia shuts the door, and then a sheet of metal slams down in front of it, likely made of that same material that cancels magic. Huh. She's taking no chances with me. Not that it matters. I used up all my magic in the fight with Chrysalis.
“Now, let us begin,” Celestia says. She lets her angry expression drop, to be replaced by one of disappointment and sorrow. “Now, I want you to know that I'm not mad at you.”
“What?” I repeat, dumbly. She's kidding, right?
“I am very disappointed. I believed that I was coming to understand you a bit better over time, and that one day you would consider me a friend,” Celestia expresses, looking at me sadly. “But I don't believe my early judgments of you were wrong. I want you to help me to understand what Chrysalis offered you that was worth throwing away everything you've accomplished here.”
“All right,” I respond, as there's not really much more to say to that. Though...Celestia has always terrified me, what with her overwhelming power and her ability to read me like a book. I don't think I could consider her a friend.
“Now, here's what I have surmised. You saw Chrysalis's impersonation of Cadance for what it was not long after meeting her, and you decided not to reveal her existence to me,” Celestia theorizes, quite accurately. “In hindsight, I believe you discovered her existence during the wedding preparations, when I felt your magic from the dressing room. But she must have told you something in order to keep you from telling me. Assuming my inferences are correct, tell me what she told you that was worth betraying my trust in you.”
God, the way she's looking at me. Even though she's just stating the facts, her gaze seems to cut right through me. I shouldn't really care that I let her down...but why the hell did she trust me in the first place? Still, I'll go along with this without causing too much trouble. At least not until she decides what she's going to do to me.
“Yeah, that's pretty much what happened. I confronted Chrysalis in the dressing room, but I had to knock out her guards to do it,” I explain, telling her the full truth. At least I can explain to Rainbow more my thought process by doing this. “I was going to force her to show her true self, because I knew you sensed me. But Chrysalis showed a strange interest in me...or should I say, my race.”
“We noticed that, as well, during the fight,” Luna agrees, slipping back into pluralisms again. “It seemed like she wanted to possess thee.”
“She did, so she offered me a deal. In exchange for staying silent, she'd tell me everything, including what she was and what she had planned,” I continue, while Celestia watches me carefully for signs of falsehood. “I figured that if I went along with it, I could find out her whole plan, and then alert you to her presence.”
“A risky decision,” Celestia criticizes me. “You knew that she possessed a control spell, yet you walked into her trap without a second thought?”
“Yeah...I didn't really think about that much until I was already there,” I confess, scratching the back of my head.
“I see. An error in judgment on your part. However, if this was your plan, why did you not carry it out?” Celestia demands. Thankfully though, she doesn't seem to be angry, and instead looks thoughtful. “Did she offer you something?”
“Yeah, a chance to...” Rainbow speaks up, but I cut her off with a stare that I hope communicates to her that I want to handle this myself. Either way, Rainbow stops talking, and looks apologetic.
“She offered power to thee, did she not?” Luna questions. “We recall her telling thee that thou could hath become her King. Was that thy motivation?”
“Fuck no. Why would I want to be king of a bunch of shape-changing insects? Besides, Chrysalis was interested in me far more than she should have been. That includes...physically. Ugh,” I express. Just that very memory makes me want to throw up. Beside me, Rainbow and Twilight look as appalled as I do, while the princesses just take it in without any change in their expressions. “No, I went along with her plan because she offered me a chance to...go home.”
“That's impossible. Starswirl's spell isn't that advanced. The only other pony who could pull off such a feat was Sombra,” Celestia asserts. “You truly believed that even if she did have this spell, she would actually follow through with this promise?”
“Honestly, I wasn't thinking about that. She proved to me that her time control spell worked by sending me far back in time, back before you two were princesses,” I reveal to them. This takes Luna and Celestia by surprise.
“Sombra wasn't the only one with knowledge of the time travel spell?” Luna exclaims, looking at her sister in shock. “Sister, if we can attain knowledge of this spell from Chrysalis...”
Celestia nods thoughtfully, but she seems more focused on me. “I see. I believe I understand. You chose to side with Chrysalis, as she gave you hope to see your loved ones again.”
“Pretty much,” I confirm, though now that she mentions it, Chrysalis probably would have double crossed me at some point so she could keep me for herself. She seemed very intent on possessing me.
“I understand, but nevertheless, you committed treason, Seth. I can't just let you off,” Celestia admits, looking regretful.
Rainbow apparently can't keep herself quiet. “What!? But he more than made up for that! Do you understand what he gave up to save my life?” she defends, walking up to Celestia.
“I agree, sister. It would be unfair to give Seth the same punishment as any traitor,” Luna surprisingly speaks up in my defense, making good on the things she said while in the battle against Chrysalis.
“I told Seth I would forgive him if he helped make things right,” Twilight is the next to join in. “He did more than that. We won because he held Chrysalis at bay long enough for us to free you.”
Celestia looks between the three that have defended me with interest. “It appears I do not know the full story. I do not recall anything after being captured,” she admits. “If you wouldn't mind, can you fill me in on the events that occurred in the time between my capture and my release?”
Celestia remains there, completely silent, as she takes in the tale that she's just been told. I started telling what I remember, but mostly, unless I was the only one in the scene, it was Rainbow, Luna, or Twilight telling it for me.
We started from retelling how I saved as many ponies as I can, to the battle plan, to the fight with Chrysalis, making sure we give as much detail to Celestia as possible.
“It seems that if I were to banish Seth as a traitor, I would face a great deal of opposition, not only from the military, but also from within my own family,” Celestia remarks, glancing at Luna. “It's surprising. The last time I remember the two of you interacting, you did not get along.”
“Hell, I've always respected Luna,” I reveal. That gets both Celestia and Luna to look at me, neither of them expecting something like that from me. “Ever since I met her, the first thing she does is distrust me. Which is damn smart, especially when talking to a human, the most unpredictable motherfuckers this world has ever come up with.”
“Well, you don't seem that bad,” Twilight remarks. I give her a deadpan stare.
“We were so bad, Discord would just sit back and watch us,” I remind her. Twilight forms a small “o” with her mouth, looking sheepish.
“He has a point there,” Rainbow points out, chuckling somewhat. Yeah, during the last few minutes, I told all of them about my interaction with Discord in the past. Everypony in this room has dealt with Discord before, and they all agreed that the things he said seemed very much like him.
“Right, but let's get back on track. What are you going to do with me?” I say, my nerves getting the better of me. I'm just going to feel more and more nervous the more she puts it off, so I want to get it all over with.
“The punishment for a traitor is usually banishment, either out of Equestria or to Tartarus, depending on the severity of the crime,” Celestia informs me. I raise an eyebrow. What the fuck is Tartarus? Isn't that the name the Greeks used for the prison of the Titans? Celestia lifts a hoof to forestall the objections of the ponies around me, even as they open their mouths. “But this is a difficult case. I cannot let you go without some form of punishment, as the populace may demand it when I release the full report to the public.”
“Well? Out with it then,” I urge her impatiently. Celestia takes a deep breath before continuing.
“I believe I have come to a decision. You will be allowed to live as normal, provided you follow a few select conditions,” Celestia begins. “The first is that you are to be formally instated as a permanent citizen of Equestria.”
“That's...huh. I mean, I doubt I'm going anywhere now, but why should I have to do that?” I demand. I don't know how I feel about that. On one hand, it's not like I can go home. Chrysalis will likely die before giving up the knowledge of that spell, and I don't have the capability or motivation to move elsewhere. But on the other, it would mean I'm essentially giving up my human life for good.
“As you have stated multiple times, you are not a pony, and therefore not subject to our laws,” Celestia reminds me. Oh, son of a bitch, I see what she's trying to do. “This is a defense I have allowed you to keep, trusting you to do the right thing. But now...”
“You want to control me. Really? After that whole speech you gave me earlier?” I snap at her, unable to believe my ears. I mean, technically I should take my punishment, because this invasion was my fault, but it's unbelievable she's going to use this as an excuse to control me.
Celestia shakes her head. “No, Seth. That is not what I intend. Officially, you will be listed as one of my subjects, but in essence, nothing will change. You are not required to do as I say, nor will I attempt to impose anything upon you.”
“Then what the fuck is it for?” I ask suspiciously. I have to follow her laws now, so how the hell does that mean I don't have to do what she says? She is the law.
“It is mainly so that my subjects will feel safe about your presence. Those that do not know of you will hear of your existence, as well as your situation. Those that hear about your role in this assault will feel safe, knowing that you are subject to our laws,” Celestia explains.
“Hold up, so you're just going to tell everypony that I'm a human from the past?” I demand, not liking that either. “I'm not sure I like you just giving out my private details to the whole country.”
“Of course, I'm willing to work with you. The finished statement will be passed to you for approval, if that will appease you,” Celestia offers. Huh...so the country will know about me, but only the things I allow them to. I guess that's better than nothing, and technically I'm not supposed to like this. It is a punishment, after all. It's a miracle she's willing to work with me this much. If I hadn't fought so hard with Luna against Chrysalis, I think I would be banished by now.
“Okay. I suppose that's better than getting no input,” I relent with a sigh. “You said you had other conditions. What are they?”
“The next condition is that you lend your aid to the reconstruction effort. Much of the Canterlot Noble District is in ruins, and will need to be rebuilt,” Celestia continues obligingly. Oh hell, that's going to be a lot of work, especially since Chrysalis fucking blew up the wedding hall. And some of the streets caved in. And other building damage...like the roof I flew through. Goddamn, that's going to take a while. But if I use magic, it shouldn't be too bad.
“Fair enough. Next?”
A smile plays around Celestia's lips, giving me a very bad feeling about the next condition. “Finally, when you return to Ponyville, I'd like you to begin studying the magic of friendship,” she finishes, her smile turning into a smirk.
“Oh goddammit!” I curse, hitting the table with my forehead. I fucking knew she was going to pull some shit like this. I just knew it. Next to me, Twilight is giggling. “Fucking...are you serious? I even have to send you those dumb letters that you make Twilight write?”
“They're not dumb!” Twilight protests, swatting at me with a hoof.
“No, Seth. I know you would just find a way to make them sarcastic and bitter,” Celestia points out, earning a rueful grin from me. I totally would. Hey, Celestia, I learned absolutely fucking nothing, because this pony was a prick! “Instead, I expect you to make a decent effort.”
“Isn't that what you asked me to do already?” I remind her, remembering the friendship speeches she gave me over a month ago.
“Yes, but now you have to do it,” Celestia adds, giggling slightly. I groan and let my head fall back onto the table. “Oh come now, Seth. If you enjoyed it, it wouldn't be a punishment.”
“I suppose...ugh, fucking magic of friendship. Rainbow, can I go jump off a cliff again?” I grumble, hating life. Of course, my off color joke causes Rainbow to whack me on the head with her hoof. “Ow...was that necessary?”
“Absolutely. Come on, if that hurt, how did you handle Chrysalis?” Rainbow teases me. I glare at her.
“I didn't handle her. We got totally fucked, in case you didn't notice,” I remind her. Rainbow freezes, and then she shrugs and nods. “Anyway, so are we done here?”
“You are, I suppose. I must go and deal with Chrysalis,” Celestia tells me. Her horn glows momentarily, and the metal sheet blocking the exit lifts up and the door opens. “Let us go. We have much to do.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Reconstructing this mess will take fucking forever,” I grunt. I'm probably going to be in Canterlot for over a week at this rate.
“I'll be sticking around, as well,” Rainbow decides, just as all of us leave the interrogation room on our way out of the dungeon.
“Me too. Who knows how many ponies will be left without homes because of this conflict?” Twilight agrees. “I'll help in any way I can.”
“I appreciate your willingness to help. Just know that you can leave at any time. Seth is the only one required to help,” Celestia reminds then, earning another groan from me.
Just as we're passing through solitary, all of us stop dead in our tracks at what we see before us. The cell where Chrysalis should have been held captive is hanging wide open, and one of the guards is dead, while the other stands there listlessly, his eyes staring blankly forward.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” I yell out, looking around for any sign of the changeling queen. “She fucking escaped? Impenetrable my ass!”
“What is this treachery!?” Luna demands, looking as alarmed as me. “Sister, those enchantments should have been impossible to break!”
“This is...” Celestia seems truly shocked. She must have really believed that the cell would hold her. Goddammit, I knew it was too good to be fucking true. Now that monster is out and about again to wreak her havoc. “Come. We must question that guard.”
I follow Celestia to the open cell, noticing that the dead guard has been fucking incinerated. I can sense a light hint of magic coming from his body. Yeah, that's Chrysalis's magic. How in the hell...what the fuck was this other guard doing?
“Soldier! What is the meaning of this!?” Luna demands, approaching the guard furiously. “Thou were tasked to defend the most dangerous of war criminals!”
“One of us should have stayed here,” Celestia laments, looking down at the dead guard with sorrow. “But I wanted to give us privacy, and that cost this poor pony his life.”
“This is horrible! We need to find her, before she causes any more trouble!” Twilight exclaims. “There's nothing stopping her invading a second time, if she's given enough time!”
Finally, the guard shows some kind of life, holding up a key to the cell as a twisted grin forms on his face. All of us stare at him in shock. This fucker let Chrysalis out? Why in the hell would he...
“Despite all of your power, Celestia, you are too easy to fool,” the guard taunts us in Chrysalis's voice, his eyes lighting up green. His skin fades away, revealing a changeling drone, of the smallest variety. “You didn't really think I was going to let you hold me?”
“Chrysalis! What do you hope to accomplish by fleeing from me?” Celestia demands, stepping closer to the changeling. “You will not be able to outwit me in the same manner as before.”
“Perhaps not. But I wasn't going to rot away in your pony prison, listening to your self righteous drivel for the rest of my days,” Chrysalis asserts, somehow using the changeling drone as a conduit of sorts. “Because we both know you're too soft to execute me.”
“Fuck! That means our whole fight with her was pointless!” I growl, slamming my fist into the wall. I glare at the changeling. “What the hell do you plan on doing now? We'll annihilate you if you ever come back, you know that, right?”
“Please, Seth. Don't try to act tough, hiding behind Celestia as you are now,” Chrysalis sneers, and I look down, because she's right. Without Celestia, Luna and I would be dead right now. She's just too strong. “Though, I will tell you one thing. I have no intentions of returning to Canterlot for now. You have shown me that I must search elsewhere for a food source. You win this round, Celestia. But when the swarm and I are back to full strength, I will return to crush you and your little human slave.”
“I will stop you if you ever threaten my subjects again, fiend,” Celestia declares, staring intensely into the eyes of the changeling drone. “It would be for the best if you returned to your hive and remained there.”
“Hmph. Well, I've said my piece. I do believe I'm done here,” Chrysalis determines. “However, Seth, if you ever change your mind, come find me. I'll give you a life beyond your wildest dreams.”
With that, the glow disappears from the drone's eyes, and it hits the ground, dead. Chrysalis must have been maintaining its life with her magic, or whatever. I don't know. All I know is that she had a link to it somehow.
Now that Chrysalis is gone, the five of us exchange concerned glances. We may have won this time around, but who knows what the future holds?
Chrysalis is still out there.
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I don't get it! You write Celestia (and Rainbow Dash) perfectly! How do you do it?! Seriously, how?! I think this may very well be my favorite fanfic version of Chrysalis. She's even better than her canon counterpart!
How is Seth guilty of treachery towards Equestria? When did he start owing fealty to Sunbutt?
If anything, he was an enemy soldier who betrayed his side in order to support the ponies.
Also, technically Equestria and most of the continent, or even the world, belongs to him by right of "I was here first"(carefully hides the Native Americans and Neanderthals). They're really all just squatting on American soil, the goddamn commies. The ponies owe him at least fifteen hundred years worth of rent!
Fantastic. I shall wait for her return. And the eventual scene where Chryssy rapes Seth.
4949602
Er...she really HAD no canon counterpart. She just showed up, trashed a city and disappeared.
Chrysalis just ninja'd her way outta some Solar Retribution...
And looks like we'll finally get some plot fillings! Hooray!
I'm not very surprised about Seth's punishment. Kinda saw that coming- t'was a very Celestia thing to do.
4950101
You know, I would totally do that...if I was Whatmustido.
4949921
Well, Celestia understands his reasoning for why he did what he did, but as she operates on a completely honest basis with the populace, she will have to give some sort of punishment to Seth in order to appease her subjects. (Of course, said subjects wouldn't be out for blood like some humans would be, but still, the point is there)
Treachery is essentially the only way to describe what he did. Rest assured, Seth does NOT serve Celestia, which is a point I tried to make as well.
4951159
Clop is something that can happen offscreen. You don't have to write the entire fucking. I believe you can write in a scene where Chryssy rapes Seth.
4951226
Clop is also something that disturbs me. Jokes are fine, but if it goes too far it gets weird. But that's just my honest opinion.
Excellent chapter
This was a great chapter for us to cool down and catch our breaths after the epic fight from the previous one. It also gave us a resolution with Celestia and left us with a bombshell.
Starting off, Celestia has the situation completely under control now that she is free. With her immense power, and with Chrysalis beat to shit after the smackdown with Seth and Luna, the changling has no fucking chance and she knows it. Seth loses his adrenaline rush and gets the full feeling of having his whole body charred and broken. Ouch. Rainbow at first is glad to see him, but she gets worried when she sees just how beat up he is. she probably didn't realise just how tough Chrysalis was and just how far Seth would push himself to keep his promise to her. While she doesn't have a huge role this chapter, you can feel how glad she is that Seth is ok and that he has fully redeemed himself in her eyes. Betrayal is probably the harshest thing that can be inflicted upon Rainbow, and she can hold some serious grudges, but after seeing just how much Seth cared about her, and how far he was willing to go to both protect her and fulfil his promise, there was just no way she could hate him.
The scene of them walking to the barracks once again showed us the strong bond the two have formed. Seeing all the dead and injured due to his mistake is just too much for Seth. As much of jerk as he is, even he can't not feel horrible about what has happened, especially since a large part of the blame falls on him. Yet as he frets, Rainbow keeps him calm and keeps herself pressed against him to let him know that his efforts to make up for his mistake was worth it and that he has fulfilled his promise. I can't wait to see what happens next for these two.
I was actually surprised that Celestia wasn't overly angry with Seth, though her disappointment out waying her anger does definitely sound like her. After hearing his explanation, Celestia understood his reasons but due to her duty to her ponies, she had to issue some form of punishment. Rainbow coming to his rescue I knew was inevitable, and Luna keeping her word about standing up for him was perfect. Twilight defending him though really caught me off guard. Admittedly I doubted she would hold a large grudge against him for this, as she is too kind of a pony to hate him for just wanting to see his family again. To see her defending him though, really interesting. While she will likely continue to annoy the crap out of him (especially now that he is stuck studying the magic of friendship. Dear god he is going to kill himself
) I think she has well earned some points towards becoming Seth's friend. While he always respected Luna, I think this whole battle has given both of them a better understanding of each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up having the occasional practice match or join Rainbow in going out pranking. At this point I suspect he is probably closer with Luna then he is with Celestia (mind you with Celestia's OP powers and her constant ability to read his thoughts, Seth holds great respect for her, but is just unable to see her as anything other then the ruler of the country and to high up and powerful to consider befriending). Him having to study the magic of friendship is just hilarious. The other ponies are going to abuse the hell out of this (though they are gonna have to be careful. Aside from getting Rainbow annoyed at them for screwing with her friend, Seth hates people trying to control him, and if he thinks this friendship study has put a leash on him, he will likely snap at a few of them).
Ending the chapter you just blow our minds by having Chrysalis escape. I really did not see this coming. I figured with her capture, we may see her again in the story, but just as an annoying character they use for some advice or something. With her on the loose and holding a serious grudge against Equestria and now Seth in particular, God I can't wait to see what she has planned. If she ties in with Sombra, then hot damn will the final showdown be epic. Great work again. I can't wait to see the next few chapters before the arc ends, as there are still a few things to wrap up. For instance, everypony else's opinions of Seth's actions. Now that everything has cooled down and everypony can think, it will be interesting to see what they have to say, and not just the mane 6. Vinyl and Octavia are in the city and the commanders he fought with, as well as Rose, will likely have an opinion to share. Then we have the unresolved disappearance of Cadance and Shining Armour. What the hell are they going to think about all this. Shining genuinely considered him a friend and was even willing to let him be the stand in as his best man. He is gonna be pissed. Cadence too, since she tried really hard to be friends with him, only for him to side with the monstor that ruined her special day and enslaved the city. Then we also have Seth and Rainbow still dying to have their music night to chill and relax. After their efforts, I think they deserve it
Great work dude and I can't wait to see your next update
I fucking called it, then again I usually come up with multiple probable possibilities so I'm never too surprised (usually). I was fairly sure Seth wouldn't go back to his time (yet) so either Chrissi had to die (which was unlikely), get free, or Celestia had to prevent him going back (assuming he still wanted to).
One thing I would like to add for Seth's defence is what would have happened if he wasn't there. If he wasn't there Chrissi would probably have won, the mane six would have died quickly etc. I'm a bit surprised nopony mentioned it to defend him. Personally, if I was his position I'd probably have blurted it out when Celestia started mentioning punishment the first time, or maybe a bit before.
Edit: Dammit, I forgot to say, "Good work dude." Or something like that.
4957394
Chrysalis: What are you doing, jumping around like that?
Seth: *drops reishi on a sword-arrow thing* SPRENGER!
Chrysalis: FUUUUUUUU
I was really hoping that Seth would decline Celestia's punishment and leave for the nearest border.
I also think it would've been better if Seth had denied Celestia's healing magic and chosen to survive or die from his injuries.
4965269 COOL DRINK OF WATER, SUCH A SWEET SURPRISE, TASTES SO GOOD MAKES A GROWN MAN CRY!
4968058
SWEET CHERRY PIE!!!
4968704 WEEEEELLLLLLL, Swingin' on the front porch, swingin' on the lawn, swingin' where we want 'cos ain't nobody home, swingin' to the left and swingin' to the right, think about baseball I'll swing all night YEAH!
4969390
*plays an epic guitar solo*
Heh, such a good song. Such 80s. Much awesome.
4970470 Very Glam.
NOBODY ties up loose ends. Ever.
ok, this story is now starting to dip into the heavy decline of hate on my part. "Fucking give an effort to make friends... nope fuk u celery I'll b in tartarsaus if u nd meh u bich!"
Funny how none reacted to the fact that he literally just said to Celestia, Luna and Twilight that he tried to kill himself in joke form...
She gave them the slip
6384731 shit I noticed that too
You officially got trolled, Seth!
6511294
Well, they do know that he knows how to fly.
He needs a lawyer
To be honest, as soon as I was alone I would shoot myself, in this situation
4951159
Actually, he DOES have to serve Celestia, and Luna. If he is a Citizen of Equestria now, he HAS to follow their orders, for they are now his rulers. Before he could be seen as a Human diplomate and Diplomatic Immunity. And now he HAS to obey pony laws, the guards, and Celestia and Luna. Under punishment of the law and being banished.
And what he did, indeed was NOT Treason, and not being part of the nation they do NOT have the right to punish him. For he did not take action against the ponies.
He was NEUTRAL. He didn't help either side, nor hinder either side. Till he joined the Ponies against Chrysalis. <-- This is something that was overlooked it just ignored it seems, which is stupid. Celestia and even Seth would have noticed this.
I don't recall the others knowing about him jumping off a cliff. None of the others say anything to that either like they know it happen.
Not gonna lie. Didn't enjoy the fight at all. Don't really even have anything to say about it that hasn't been said in other comments by other people, so I won't waste your time.
I appreciate that Seth does face some repercussions and I'm honestly slightly saddened at the comments I see here that are weirdly overly pedantic about him technically not being a citizen and therefore not responsible. While it annoys me that he continues to act put upon by the legal equivalent of a slap on the wrist, it's better than nothing. I will take "ponies are nicer than humans" as an excuse for him not getting a much harsher sentence even if it does feel a bit wobbly.
I am losing my drive to read this a bit. Having Chrysalis captured and then immediately escape kinda left me sighing. It's hardly the end of the world, but I feel like saying "what was the point of that, then?" You set up a super lock and then immediately invalidate it.
You'll probably see more of my terrible comments if I keep reading. Hope it goes well.