Change of Life

by Lil Penpusher

22 - Between Loyalty and Honesty

Shade froze in place as he stepped into the cell of the Princesses. A lot had changed since his last visit a couple of days ago. He saw how the Princesses laid on the ground, barely breathing it seemed. He then noticed a pair of guards opening the door of the cage and stepping inside. They walked up to the 3 royals and commanded them to stand up. Only Luna raised her head to look at them, Celestia and Cadance did not move, it was if they were dead already.

The guards then called for backup, effectively calling another pair of guards into the cage. They then, without hesitation, went on to grab the Princesses by their hooves, trying to pull them up by force. Princess Luna protested but her struggle was to no avail as the guards took a hold of her. Once again, Cadance and Celestia remained silent though their eyes opened slightly as the guards pulled on their hooves.

Barely able to stand, the Princesses were now standing in the middle of the cage. Cadance and Celestia had a tired, exhausted look on their faces, while Luna had an angry look on her face. She must have been the only one with enough strength left to even afford anger.

Shade's observations were interrupted as Chrysalis spoke to him as she herself stood at the entrance to the cage.

"Let us not waste time, Shade. It would be a shame to waste our precious time with these sorry beings." Chrysalis said in a merciless voice.

Shade gulped as he took his first steps forward towards the cage and the Queen. The Queen watched him during this very carefully. When Shade finally stood next to her he asked: "My Queen, what is it that we are supposed to do with them anyways? You still have not told me."

Chrysalis' eyes narrowed, an evil smile forming on her face. She slowly trotted forwards, her steps creating clank noises as they hit the metal floor of the cage. She stopped about 3 meters away from the Equestrian Royals, inspecting them, especially Luna who was the only one returning a stare.

Chrysalis suddenly began laughing, at first a quiet cackle then becoming louder and louder, eventually turning into an evil laugh.

Shade, although scared and unsure, followed his Queen into the cage carefully. As he entered the cage, the Queen spoke in a loud voice: "Oh Shade, my dear." Shade continued on, eventually finding himself behind the Changeling Queen who turned around towards him, lowering herself down to his head level, continuing: "We will make them pay for what they did to us. For what they did to my mother and me! I won't stand idle as long as these monsters roam around in this world!"

She paused, looking back at the Princesses, continuing in an evil voice: "And now, finally..." She walked towards Princess Celestia, "I will have my vengeance!"

"Never have we commited crimes or evil against you! You must not do this!" Princess Luna shouted, attracting the looks of all Changelings present.

Chrysalis turned around to Luna, a furious look on her face gave an indication on how she felt about her interruption. "I can do whatever I want to. You and your fellow ponies are a parasite on this world and our civilization that needs to be destroyed. Your game of hiding your past actions for your own benefit disgusts me, even now you continue on with it."

Shade couldn't trust his own eyes as Chrysalis lifted Luna into the air with her magic. She pulled her towards her in order to look her straight into the eyes, whispering: "I'll show you the pain I felt when you killed my mother."

Suddenly, Chrysalis pushed Luna away, throwing her through the cage. Luna moaned as her head hit the hard, metal bars of the cage. She held a hoof to her head, looking around the cage. Her vision was blurry, though she was still able to make out a large, black and green colored creature moving towards her, seemingly becoming bigger and bigger from her laying perspective.

Shade's heart beat faster and faster, he felt the pain of Luna as if it was him getting thrown around. He watched as Chrysalis got closer and closer to Luna once again. He saw Luna was helpless, defenseless, with no chance of surviving whatever Chrysalis had planned for her. Though, even then, he was unable to help...was he?

"Not so tough now, hm? Come on, stand up. Fight back, show me you are worth being called a Princess." Chrysalis shouted at Luna who laid in front of her.

"One does not need strength or force to be called a Leader," Luna replied, "but passion, love and honesty. You can push others around as much as you want but-"

"ENOUGH!" Chrysalis interrupted, reacting with her once again throwing Luna's body around. This time, Luna landed in front of Shade. He watched in shock as Luna moaned in pain. He saw her trying to stand up and immediatly collapsing again.

Shade looked up from Luna, seeing how the still furious Changeling Queen closed in on Luna once again. His mind was split as he looked back down at the Princess of the Night. She too now looked up to him with what strength she had left. Their gazes met, leaving them in a short stance of silence. During this, Chrysalis' horn began glowing once again, preparing another strike at the Princess.

Luna's and Shade's eye contact was broken as Chrysalis kicked Luna's body around, rolling Luna onto her back. Chrysalis was ready to strike once again, yet her horn stopped glowing. Luna looked up to Chrysalis in surprise, Shade too stared at her in surprise. Chrysalis knew what she was doing though.

"Shade..." She started, looking at him, "I believe now...is your turn." She looked back down onto Princess Luna as Shade's ears lowered in fear. "Give her what she deserves." Chrysalis added.

Shade looked back down to Luna who herself looked back to him now. Once again, their eyes met. Shade realized that Luna's eyes told him all he needed to know about Luna. He saw her pain, though also saw her strength. He saw her despair, though also saw her courage. He knew, a pony that kept on to her ideals of friendship, love and peace in a situation like this would have to be a great leader, though he saw himself bound to his own leader, Chrysalis. He felt the need to cut himself loose from the chain that was Chrysalis, though he couldn't seem to find a tool to destroy that chain for he himself was too weak. No, without help and support, he was doomed to follow Chrysalis. Forever. No matter what would happen. No matter what he would be ordered to do. Things like...this.

"Do it, my minion. Show no mercy!" Chrysalis pushed, she was visibly becoming impatient with Shade.

Shade sighed deeply, mumbling to himself: "I'm sorry..." His horn started glowing in a black aura. He took a step back in precaution and prepared a spell, it was a dark spell, meaning it was meant to hurt, to destroy ... to kill.

"Stop this nonsense at once!" Called a loud voice. It was Celestia's voice, the voice of the Princess of the Sun who now stood steadily on her own hooves again. Shade aborted the spelling process and looked over to her, as did Chrysalis and even Luna, the voice of her sister gave her the strength to turn her body over a bit so she could see. "Queen Chrysalis, you are wrong to believe that I, my sister, or any of my subjects have wronged you!" Celestia's voice was energetic and determined, as was Chrysalis's voice.

Shade saw how Chrysalis turned to the white coated Princess, he knew that, unless a miracle happened, there would be a fight between the two. A fight to the death. A fight Celestia, especially in her weak condition, could not win. Not alone at least.

"You...YOU! It was your very own guard that struck down my beloved mother! It is your very fault that I lost my mother! You dare tell me I am lying!?" Chrysalis was at the brink of insanity. Surely many of the Changeling guards present expected their Queen to attack Celestia any second now.

Celestia was unmoved, sticking with her standpoint and previous demand. "Chrysalis, that is not true! You must listen to me!" Celestia called for Chrysalis' sanity and reason, but there was none left in the dark heart of Chrysalis. All that remained was the desire for vengeance and pure hatred.

"I would rather jump into a pool of lava than listen to any more of your lies, Celestia!" She stopped a few meters in front of Celestia, her horn starting to glow, "The time for words has passed. Now, it is time for actions. It is time to rid myself and my hive from the plague that is you and your disgusting subjects!" Some of the guards present cheered at the Queen's speech, much to the delight of Chrysalis.

Suddenly the voice of Thunder echoed through Shade's mind as he saw Chrysalis standing in front of an almost defenseless Celestia. "She's evil" echoed through his mind, along with many other things Thunder had said about Chrysalis. He had told him about her, about her evil plans, about her deception. Thunder knew about it all along. And Shade? He hadn't listened to him, not once. He simply shrugged it off as if it was of no importance, he held on to his past, something he had always wanted to forget and leave behind. Now he realized that nobody could ever run away from his past, it would always come back to haunt one. May it be him...or Chrysalis.

"He's right..." Shade mumbled to himself, "He was right all along. I should've listened to him."

Shade suddenly shook his head, a second thought plagued him, telling him: "No, he's wrong. Chrysalis is right, she's the Queen after all. I can't just betray her after she saved my life. I owe her my loyalty."

A conflict erupted in Shade's head as his mind was split in half, battling out which side was stronger. It was a battle between Loyalty to the Queen, the one that had saved his very life, or honesty, facing the truth that what Chrysalis was doing is wrong and that the ponies were right to say so. Shade was unable to make out what Chrysalis and Celestia were saying, or shouting rather, as the conflict in his head got him a huge headache.

Then, suddenly, it disappeared. The headache had gone as quick as it had come, his mind was now sharpened, Shade knew what he had to do and what was the right choice.

Shade looked over to Chrysalis and Celestia who were still arguing. However, it seemed Chrysalis had run out of patience. She breathed heavily, shouting as loud as she could: "Enough! It's time you face your end! Just like the rest of your sorry kind!" Chrysalis's horn now glowed up as strong as it could as Chrysalis entered a combat stance, ready to face Celestia.

Celestia on the other hand did, as it seemed, nothing. She stood still, not entering any kind of defensive stance, running away from her impending doom or otherwise looking for help. She faced what was about to come, just as her sister had done before. "Passion, love and honesty..." Echoed through Celestia's mind, her sister's words were as true as could be.

Chrysalis was at the end of her patience and sanity as she finally yelled "Die, you parasite! Die!" Her horn then shot out a big, mighty beam of green energy, aimed right at the Princess of the Sun who still refused to move. All she did was close her eyes, she wouldn't want to see her death coming with her very own eyes.

The green ray exploded, a bright flash of light blinded many of the Changelings and ponies presents. Chrysalis herself looked away and chuckled as she looked back, expecting the corpse of her most hated enemy.

There was no corpse, but instead a Changeling stood in front of the still unharmed Princess. That Changeling was Shade. He knew he couldn't stand idle and watch as Chrysalis murders Celestia, he had jumped in front of her and cast a shield in front of them. It was not his usual type of spell, he was specialized on dark magic these times, but he still knew some old pony magic spells, like teleportation and shields.

Chrysalis fletched her teeth in anger, barking at Shade: "What do you think you are doing, Shade!? Don't you realize that I am your Queen? Move away from that disgrace of a pony immediatly!"

Shade turned his head to Celestia who remained behind him, returning his gaze. After their short eye contact Shade returned to face his Queen, proudly saying: "No. I will not."

Chrysalis' right eye twitched as one of her closest Changelings teamed up with her enemies. "You dare stand against your very own Queen? I saved your life, Shade, remember that! You would be long dead if it wasn't for me!"

Shade knew what he did was the right choice, though what Chrysalis said was right too it seemed. His eyes shut as he thought over the topic once again. This time though, he was helped in his choice by somepony else. His head towards Celestia once again as the Princess turned it towards her, speaking to him in a soft voice: "Don't let her discourage you. You did the right thing, my friend. Have trust in your choices."

Shade smiled at her, turning his head back towards Chrysalis, speaking with determination: "I'm sorry Chrysalis, but I don't believe I have a Queen anymore."

Everyone present, excluding Celestia, was shocked. The Changelings gasped in surprise, whereas Chrysalis grumbled loudly, replying in a hateful voice: "Very well. In that case..." She took a second to breathe in and think about what she was about to say. "You must die like your pony friends." Her hatred almost turned into regret as she said so, though she very quickly recovered, fully committing to her desire for revenge once again.

"Chrysalis, this is not the way!" Said a voice to the right of Chrysalis. Cadance too had now gathered the strength to stand up and speak up for herself. She slowly took her steps towards Celestia and Shade who were both happy to see Cadance was well. Although Shade and the Princesses knew their appeals to Chrysalis' sanity and reason were going to be overheard, they did not give up on trying.

"You don't have to live your life in the desire for revenge, Chrysalis!" Called Luna who now tried standing up herself once again, having recovered from her previous injuries. "You can live freely again, you can free yourself from the plaguing need for death. You just need to face the truth and stop hiding in lies."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes in annoyance, replying: "The only things I need to rid myself of are you and your kind!"

Managing to stand upright, Luna limped forward, towards the others, as fast as she could. "I'm afraid you cannot be reasoned with then." Said Celestia, looking at her beloved sister managing to limp towards them, it hurt her heart seeing her in a state like that. "I believe there is no way to end this without violence then."

Although Celestia was being incredibly direct in saying so, the others, even Chrysalis, agreed with her silently. Everyone in the room knew that, whatever would happen, there was going to be violence involved in some way. Chrysalis would make sure of that.

"I will ensure you all die rather quickly, you can thank me later." Chrysalis gave out in her usual hatefilled voice.

Celestia sighed at the unreason of Chrysalis, looking at her sister Luna who had by now managed to meet up with the other 3. Celestia decided to stop calling for Chrysalis' reason and sanity, but instead call upon her minions, her guards. The guards had watched them during all of this after all, they must have been in doubt by then.

"Changelings!" Celestia called, the guards looked towards her in surprise, some in anger and hostility. "You see what your Queen is doing, you see what your Queen thinks of others, others that are just like you! You mustn't follow her commands blindly, Changelings! You have a choice, now more than ever!"

Changeling voices filled the room as the guards discussed and talked to eachother, much to the delight of the Princesses. Chrysalis on the other hand looked around the room hectically, she started feeling as if her entire kind had betrayed her. "Don't you dare listen to these parasites! I am your Queen, your mother, listen to what I say for I know best. These ponies know nothing but lies, they are simply trying to use those on you right now, don't you see why we have to destroy them now?"

Chrysalis' speech was surprisingly effective as many of the guards put on an angry look, though a few of the guards were still torn between. Celestia realized it was those who she had to reach with her message. "You don't have to live in hostility and hatred, you can live in peace, friendship and harmony! You mustn't trust Chrysalis, her way is the wrong one, her way would cause more destruction and death than you could ever imagine! We must not let that happen, but we can only do so with your help!"

It was only about 5 of the 20 Changeling guards present who ended up believing Celestia. They walked up to them and pointed their spears towards their Queen, the guards loyal to their Queen positioned themselves next to Chrysalis, pointing their own weapons towards the group of ponies and Changelings.

"Traitors! How dare you betray me in times like these!" Chrysalis barked as she saw her very own royal guard join her enemy, "I should have killed you when you first hatched, squash you like the little worms that you are!"

The group lead by Celestia did not reply, but instead held their ground, standing at the ready for a possible attack. Chrysalis was not surprised or angered at seeing this, but was instead pleased to see an end to the pointless talking.

"Let us end this once and for all. Let us end the reign of the Princesses and crush this pointless resistance against us!" Chrysalis said, her loyal guards cheered, ready to attack.

Celestia, knowing the enemy attack was imminent, leaned forward, whispering something almost inaudible into Shade's left ear. Shade, surprised at the Princess' idea, nodded, turning back towards the enemy, his horn glowing up as he did so.

Chrysalis took a quick look from left to right, checking if her guard was ready to strike, indeed they were. Her horn glowed in the same green light as before as Chrysalis took a step forward, shouting: "For the Hive!" She fired a large ray of energy from her horn, even larger and stronger than the one she had fired before, and yelled:

"Charge!"

Comments

[INFUSCATE]

"Alot had changed since his last visit a couple of days ago" should be a lot

"grab the Princesses by their hoofes" should be hooves

"Would be a shame to waste our precious time with these sorry beings" should be it would be a shame...

"It is time to ridden myself and my hive from the plague that is you and your disgusting subjects!" " should be rid

immediatly should be immediately
"I ensure you all die rather quickly" should be I will ensure...

all in all, this was good. there was less mistakes than last time, so you must be getting better.

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[Lil Penpusher]

7769500 hah, thanks again pal!

[INFUSCATE]

7769515 always here to help. Also I'm loving Chryssie at the moment.