A Pony Displaced: Homeward

by NoLongerSober

Chapter 115 - A Canterlot Wedding (Part 5)

As Barrier rushed onto the palace grounds, he could hear more explosions roaring in the distance, coming from the palace towers.

What in Tartarus is going on?! Barrier briefly pondered as he charged into the halls of the palace.

Passing by the windows, he glanced outside to see the occasional volley of fiery magic streaking through the sky, smashing into the palace walls or the grounds below. Determined to find where the princess was and to help anypony he came across, the charcoal stallion found himself pushing his body forward as hard as he could muster.

Despite the battles raging outside, the hallway he rushed through seemed oddly quiet. However, that quiet was quickly broken as he heard a furious yelling coming from around the next corner.

Rounding the bend, Barrier found himself next to a bundle of changelings that Swift had downed earlier, with some lying next to their severed horns. Down the hall, he saw even more fallen changelings and what looked to be Starshine in her guardsmare regalia, attacking another batch of the insectoid creatures with a series of teleportations and point blank magic blasts.

Barrier’s horn glowed as he funneled and focused his magical power into the precipice, preparing a volley of his own but a sudden sharp pain made the unicorn yell and fall onto the palace floor. With gritted teeth, he looked over his shoulder to see a hornless changeling with a venomous gaze which burned into his own, driving its severed horn into Barrier’s right hind leg further, giving it a sharp twist.

Before he could let out another pained yell, a volley of emerald colored magic struck the changeling in the face, sending them skidding at least three pony lengths away.

“On your hooves, Barrier!” The charcoal stallion heard Starshine bark before her hooves came into view and felt himself being pulled back onto his. “I thought you were aiding the civilians.”

“Swift managed to open a hole in the shield,” Barrier winced as he looked down at his injured leg, carefully prying the horn free. “What’s your status here?”

“I’ll let you know once I do,” Starshine replied as she examined Barrier’s bleeding wound. “Hmm… Not much blood flow, but we should get you to an infirmary.”

“Belay that, we need to—”

“I don’t take orders from you, civilian,” Starshine interrupted, then moved to his side and slung one of his forelegs over her shoulder. “Besides, you’re a valuable asset in this fight. I don’t want to lose you to blood loss or infection.”

Barrier tried to move away from the golden coated mare, but felt a great pain in his hindleg when he tried to stand on it. As much as he wished he could continue to fight, he knew he would be little more than a liability.

“Grr… Fine. But once we get my leg patched up, I’ll head up onto the roof and set myself up as artillery,” Barrier said as he and Starshine started to make their ways through the palace halls with a limp.

“Don’t make me force you into a bed, civilian,” Starshine gruffly replied.

“I’m pretty sure that’s a felony, Captain,” Barrier quipped jokingly, trying to take his mind off of his pain and worries for a brief moment. Starshine groaned in annoyance as they continued on.

After several painful and tiring minutes, the two managed to hobble their way into the palace infirmary, where several injured guards were laying in beds as medics rushed from one patient to another.

“Halt!” A gamboge pegasus in guard armor rushed up to Starshine and Barrier, flaring his wings to try to intimidate them. “Identify yourselves.”

“Private, at the most recent javelin toss training session, you managed to hit one target dead in the center while your second shot barely avoided hitting me. I then had you scrub the third floor lavatories with a toothbrush,” Starshine responded as she waved over a medic. “Is that good enough for you?”

“Yes, Captain!” He saluted with a wing as one of the doctors came over to Barrier and examined him.

“I want a status report yesterday. Start talking!” Starshine barked as she slipped Barrier’s foreleg off her shoulder and left him to talk to one of the medics.

“Ma’am, so far it seems we’re giving about as good as we’re getting with no clear victor in sight,” the private quickly answered. “So far, they haven’t tried to attack the infirmary, but we’ve got some unicorns trying to come up with ways to detect them.”

“And what about the explosions from the towers? What is the changeling queen doing?” Starshine asked, watching as the medic rushed off to grab some supplies.

“Ma’am, it’s not the changelings causing those explosions,” the armor stallion looked frightened as he spoke. “It’s the princess!”

Several Minutes Earlier

Comets of green and gold clashed against each other in the Canterlot skies as Celestia and Chrysalis battled one another, volley after volley of golden magic and emerald flames being launched between the two.

The alabaster alicorn beat her wings hard and launched herself at Chrysalis, the changeling queen hissed and braced herself just as Celestia crashed into her. The two tumbled between the towers like two birds of prey locked in combat, losing some altitude as they traded close blows with one another.

Celestia kicked at Chrysalis’ stomach with her hind legs while Chrysalis swung her head hard and struck the princess in the cheek. Wrenching her head back, Chrysalis dove for Celestia’s throat, only to choke as the alabaster alicorn brought her foreleg up to the changeling’s neck. Despite this, Chrysalis’ snapped her teeth at Celestia’s throat with all the intent to tear it out.

The Equestrian princess, through gritted teeth, pushed Chrysalis away with a combination of strength and a wash of golden light.

The changeling queen gazed at Celestia with menace. She let a raspy and angry hiss before using a tower and a bit of magic to catapult herself towards the waiting princess. Alarmed, Celestia tried to strafe out of Chrysalis’ way but the queen was faster, she delivered a sharp knee strike to Celestia’s stomach, forcing the air from her lungs.

Chrysalis grinned widely and followed up with a solid forelimb strike to Celestia’s jaw, she deftly moved around the struggling alicorn and delivered a hind legged kick to her spine which sent Celestia hurtling toward one of the furthest towers.

With Celestia stunned and in free fall, Chrysalis set her horn alight with a green aura and fired a large volley of emerald flame-like magic at point blank into the princess’s chest. The blast sent Celestia crashing through a tower window. As she came through the window, she smashed into something, an obelisk of stone and glass which shattered on impact before landing muzzle first against the floor. Celestia felt incredibly disoriented, groaning as she struggled to roll onto her hooves, glass fragments cutting into her with every movement she made. She had no idea as to where she had crashed, not helped by the dust and debris making her already blurred vision even worse.

As Celestia tried and failed to force herself to stand once more. She heard a crunch from the window as someone gently landed on the fragments of glass, casting a shadow which covered the room.

“I wish this could have gone another way, but your student left me no other options,” Chrysalis said as she looked down at the fallen alicorn. “I’m not sure what I’ll do to cover things up once I’m done, but we will.”

Celestia weakly forced herself to turn to Chrysalis, who stood with poise, back lit by sunlight as the dust settled and her vision returned to her. At the sight before her, the alabaster alicorn let out a horrified gasp.

However, it was not the visage of the towering changeling that shocked her, but what stood at her feet. In a collection of purple fragments in front of the changeling’s hooves was the shattered glass and stone that once formed a large, horseshoe shaped mirror.

“No, no, no, no!” Celestia whispered in horror as she looked over the shattered pieces of the mirror. She futilely tried to put some of the broken pieces together to form something that resembled the old mirror.

“Sunset…” Tears started forming in her eyes as she ignored Chrysalis barking at her. Everything around her seemed to darken as she felt turmoil twisting through her entire body.

Sunset’s lost… Gone forever… You can never see her again. She’s as good as dead to you. You’ll never get to reconcile with her… and it’s all your fault.

It was then Celestia felt as if something snapped inside her. The sadness and turmoil that had started to consume her quickly morphed into something else; rage.

No! It’s HER fault! Celestia felt her blood boiling as she glared up at Queen Chrysalis. She’s nothing but a monster who tried to kill your niece, kill your little ponies, destroy your city, and kill you! And now she’s killed the only way you could ever be with Sunset again! She’s just another monster like Grimhilde and her griffins centuries ago. Her and her forces both threatened your little ponies the same way, so treat them the same way! Burn them all! BURN THEM ALL!

“You…” A growl emanated from the alabaster alicorn as she rose. Chrysalis saw Celestia’s ethereal mane begin to rapidly whip and flicker, changing from the wavy rainbow-like flow into something akin to a roaring flame.

“You!” Celestia roared, making a chill run down Chrysalis’ spine as her normally kind, light magenta gaze warped to a fiery orange with draconic slits for pupils.

“You… You don’t scare me, alicorn!” Chrysalis defiantly roared as Celestia’s horn glowed. The changeling queen fell into a defensive stance, ready to take whatever blow the alicorn would launch at her.

Unaware that Celestia was slowly opening up a drawer behind her.

“I will not be frightened by some color change tricker—” Chrysalis screamed as she felt something extremely sharp plunging into her back. Quickly looking over her shoulder, she spotted the open draw and a dagger sticking into her side.

“Do…Do you think a single dagger's enough t—” The changeling’s attempt to boast was cut off by a feeling of agony spreading from where Celestia had stabbed her. It felt as if the blade set her blood on fire and it was rapidly spreading throughout the rest of her body.

“Oh, what was that, Chrysalis? Celestia said as a cruel smirk crossed her muzzle before twisting the blade and pulling it out. “Do you not like what I’ve done to my special little friend here? I call it Nightmare’s Bane.”

“W-What..! What did… you do..!” Chrysalis barely managed to spit out before she collapsed to the floor, feeling as if her entire body was being set on fire, the pain too much for her to even scream.

“What did I do to you? Oh, nothing much.” A terrifying chuckle came from the alicorn’s throat as she looked down at her fallen foe. “I’ve developed a poison that makes it so that the more magic its victims have in their bodies, the more powerfully agonizing it is.”

“Is that a fact?” Chrysalis said through gritted teeth before forcing herself up and leaping toward the alabaster alicorn. Chrysalis collided with Celestia, dropping her magical grip on the dagger. Pushing through the burning pain in her body, Chrysalis grabbed the dagger with her hoof as it fell before swiping at Celestia, landing a fairly sized gash on the alicorn’s foreleg.

Though she wished to smile at landing an equalizing blow, Chrysalis felt the pain had grown too much for her to do anything beyond standing and breathing. At least she’ll be on an even keel with me… any second now… Why… Why isn’t she crumpled on the floor? Writhing in agony? What… What?!

A dark chuckle filled the room before Celestia erupted into a deep and terrifying cackle.

“You insignificant little bug. Who do you think I tested this poison on?!” Celestia howled before pulling back her gold-clad hoof and slamming it into Chrysalis’ jaw, shattering the golden shoe and making the changeling queen stumble towards the window’s edge. “I spent decades working on it to protect Equestria from monsters like you! I’m immune to it!”

Chrysalis’ vision started to blur from the pain of both the poison and Celestia’s hoof strike, however one thing she could still make out was the glow of the alicorn’s horn as she charged up a blast. Swallowing and forcing past her pain, Chrysalis tried to focus her magic to form a shield.

Chrysalis’ horn flickered weakly, desperation apparent in the way she growled in concentration. Green glistening blood trickled from her nostrils as her gnarled horn came alight and started to laboriously erect a shield.

“Goodbye, bug! You go squish now!” Celestia roared with dark glee as she fired a large volley of blinding flaming orange light at the changeling queen.

The meager shield Chrysalis managed to form was instantly shattered before the blast slammed into the changeling. The beam sent her spiraling out of the alicorn’s chamber and into a second tower. One of her hindlegs clipped the stone edge of the window's frame, breaking the leg off.

Once she skidded to halt, she saw where her leg once was, now just a stump that bled green. Focusing the love and magic in her body, a gout of fire shot from her wound. Within a matter of moments, the bloody stump had been replaced by a new limb.

Through gritted teeth, the changeling took heavy breaths as she tried to force herself onto her hooves. As her belly touched down on the dusty and damaged floor, she noticed something that caught her off guard. While she still felt as though her blood was on fire, the burning pain seemed to be a notch less powerful.

I used up a good amount of love to heal. Chrysalis thought as she wobbled achingly onto her forelegs.Perhaps I could turn this weakness—

In the instant that she tried to blink, a gold clad forehoof slammed into her snout. Chrysalis felt her teeth shattering and her chitin cracking as shards from the broken horseshoe buried themselves into her face.

The changeling queen reeled back from the punch and slammed into a nearby wall. She coughed and sputtered blood as she feebly tried to shake the shards from her face. Weakly turning an eye to where the punch came from, she saw the burning visage of Celestia looming over her.

“Oh, what’s wrong, Chrysalis?” The alicorn asked mockingly as she stomped closer to the fallen changeling. She could see the changeling seeth as green flames poured from her face as the chitinous cracks sealed, fangs reformed and the metal shards were pushed from her flesh.

“I thought you’d appreciate my last few blows. After all…” Celestia’s horn flared like a lit torch as her magic squeezed the fallen changeling. Chitin all along her body cracked and bled as she was brought up to the alicorn’s face. “Those were only love taps.”

***

“Can’t you wrap those bandages faster?!” Barrier barked as the medic quickly treated the obsidian unicorn’s leg. Despite how authoritative he tried to sound, he knew worry was clear in his voice.

Looking out the window, he could see what looked like a golden fireball streaking across the sky, causing the occasional explosion and slamming a black form he couldn’t clearly make out into towers and roofs.

With a quick tug, Barrier felt the nurse as he finished tying off the bandage around his leg.

“This should hopefully do for now, but it’s deep and needs more thorough treatment. You need to be careful not to put too much pressure on it,” the nurse said as he stepped away from the taller unicorn.

“We’ll worry about that later,” Barrier responded as he tried to pull away. He resisted the urge to wince as he felt he could only hobble with his new limp. “What are we doing now, Captain?”

“I’m going to get myself and an able bodied pony to try to find out what the Tartarus is going on with the princess,” Starshine replied as she looked over whatever forces in the infirmary were in decent enough shape.

“Either way, I’m coming with you,” Barrier responded as he dragged himself over to the golden coated mare.

Starshine gave an exasperated sigh before she faced the charcoal stallion. “Fine. Sentry, by me. Esi, carry Barrier. Treat him like a cannon with a busted wheel.”

Barrier fought back the urge to protest as a cyan bat winged pony came up to his side and put Barrier’s foreleg over his neck.

“Everypony else, the password is Thundering Paradise. If anypony tries to get in without it, blast them!” Starshine commanded before nudging the infirmary door open a crack and quickly sweeping the hall. “We’re clear. Move!”

The quartet of ponies made their way into the hallway. The slower pace that Barrier and his carrier were going allowed him to take in the sight of the cracked walls and shattered stain glass that littered the hallways.

As they moved through the damaged halls, Barrier saw the forms of the element bearers wearing their elements charging through the halls. As they came closer, they skidded to a stop with Twilight at the head.

“Barrier, we… Wait,” Twilight said as her horn glowed with magenta light and glared. “What did I eat at your place that made me sick?”.

“Verdant’s risotto with too much wine,” Barrier answered as the bat pony pulled him along. “What did I do to your couch?”

“You burned it,” Twilight replied as the light from her horn faded and she sighed in relief. “What happened to you?”

“A changeling stabbed me in the leg, but that’s not important right now,” Barrier said as he tried to straighten his posture.

“He’s right. What matters is getting to Prin—” Starshine was drowned out by something slamming into the courtyard outside. The force of the impact shattered the windows and kicked up a cloud of dirt, blocking everypony’s vision.

While the ponies coughed and tried to cover their eyes, a voice cut through the dust and reached Barrier’s ears. “Captain? What’s going on?”

“Verdant? Why aren’t you back with Swift?” Barrier asked with a hint of uncertainty as he saw what vaguely looked like the shape of a pony stumbling through the dust.

“She said I wasn’t much help without a bow and arrow there, so she told me to do what I c—”

“Agh, you stepped on my tail!” Rarity suddenly yelled.

“Priorities, Rarity!” Verdant shouted back as the dust started to settle, allowing a modicum a sight.

“Everypony, to the window!” Twilight commanded before she dashed over to the destroyed window, carefully avoiding stepping on the glass shards.

The gathered group reached the window as the dust and dirt fully cleared, revealing Queen Chrysalis weakly lying on the ground surrounded by what appeared to be fragments of roofing tile as Princess Celestia stood over her. The changeling’s breathing was heavy, cracks and holes covered her chitinous form while emerald green blood slowly oozed from them.

Barrier gasped at the sight of Celestia as she glared down at Chrysalis. Her mane, normally a gentle rainbow wave, was now a raging blaze. Her eyes reminded Barrier of a particularly fearsome dragon that had nearly killed him in his youth, but they were absolutely filled with two things he never thought he’d see in the princess; bloodlust and pure, murderous rage.

With a vicious sneer, Celestia shot her head downwards and bit hard onto Chrysalis’ horn. The changeling let out a throat ripping shriek as Celestia started to pull on the horn in her teeth. Chrysalis’ screams grew louder and more bloodcurdling until finally, the horn had parted from her head, leaving only a jagged stump which oozed plasma. Celestia spat it to the side.

“Oh Faust, oh Faust, I’m gonna be sick!” Barrier heard Verdant mutter as he covered his mouth.

“I… That’s it…” Chrysalis weakly said as tears and blood poured down her face. “I’ve nothing left in me… my magic… my love… it’s all gone… I’ve nothing left. I’ve… We’ve lost… I surrender. Please… I only ask you spare—”

“No.” A sickening chill ran down the spine of not only Chrysalis, but everyone who heard the princess’s cold, whispered response.

“For centuries, I’ve had to put up with monsters who threaten my kingdom, target my loved ones and put my little ponies in danger. It seems I’ve been far too lenient with my enemies,” Celestia quietly said in a tone of pure malice, cutting through the pin-drop silence. Her horn glowed with a fiery aura as she picked up Chrysalis’ severed horn with her magic.

“Clearly an example needs to be made.” Celestia’s voice became a growl as she floated the horn over Chrysalis’ chest, holding it like a dagger.

“From Tartarus’ heart, I stab at thee!” Celestia roared as she plunged the horn downward. Barrier could only watch on in horror as the princess attempted to murder Chrysalis in cold blood, knowing that most he could do was make his horn glimmer by the time the blow landed.

The horn stopped when it hit a sheet of glowing magenta light. Celestia was stunned by something not only stopping her strike, but slowly starting to push the horn back towards her.

“Stop!” Twilight screamed from beside Barrier before leaping through the shattered window.

“Princess, please don’t do this!” Twilight pleaded as she slowly trotted towards the stunned changeling and the shocked alicorn. “She’s lost and she wants to surrender! She’s broken, beaten and bleeding! There’s no reason to kill her!

“Please…” Tears started forming in her violet eyes. “You told me once that you hated the idea of killing in rage, letting your hatred consume you. Do you really want to do this all over again?”

“Twilight, I…” Celestia’s gaze rapidly shifted from her teary-eyed former student, the battered queen, the horn in her magical grasp and the frightened faces of the ponies and changelings watching her, with her fiery form reflected in their eyes.

“I.. You’re right…” the princess somberly said as she released her magic on the horn, letting it harmlessly fall to the ground beside Chrysalis. Tears started to roll down her face as the flame-like flickering of her mane started to slow. “I don’t want any more bloodshed. I just want everyone to be safe and happy.”

“Give…” Chrysalis coughed, spattering some blood onto Twilight’s hoof as she looked to a batch of changelings who were anxiously observing from above. “Give the order… Stand down… We surrender.”

“Captain Dazzle.” Starshine stood at attention as the princess’s mane fell over her eyes as it slowly morphed from flame-like colors back to its rainbow. “Call the medical staff to tend to Queen Chrysalis immediately. We’re going to need a long talk.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Starshine saluted as the magenta shield around the city started to fall away. “Alright, let’s go, everypony! Move it! I want this place secured, ASAP! That means move your flank, civilian!”

Barrier briefly resisted the batpony at his side trying to pull him away as his eyes were firmly locked on to the shaken up princess. He noticed Twilight coming up to her side.

“Captain, C’mon,” Verdant said as he placed a hoof on the charcoal stallion’s shoulder. “We should give this place a wide berth. Our royals have a lot to talk about.”

With a tired sigh, Barrier stopped resisting the batpony’s pull. “You’re right, Verdant. I just get the feeling the princess is going to need a flask way more than I do.”

Author's Note:

Alticron: Hey, everyone. Hope you enjoyed last part of the Canterlot Wedding arc. It's something that was a lot of fun writing.

I'd like to give a big hand to Chaos Phantasm for punching up the battle scenes in this chapter. I wasn't too sure about how I'd be able to handle a big climactic battle, so they gladly helped.

Getting this chapter on Fimfiction however was harder than normal.

Not only can I still not set up new chapters on my computer for some unknown reason, but I had to do this with my phone which had its screen all smashed up on Saturday. I'm doing what I can to replace it ASAP.

Next time, we'll be having a double feature. A main chapter and a bonus chapter.

See ya then.

Comments

[CorporateColonel]

She almost went full Daybreaker it seems... Mmm good... Daybreaker doesn't get enough love imo

[redmar]

It's good that Celestia did not kill Chrysalis when the latter was helpless. I hope Celestia will be able to repair the mirror portal somehow.

[Alex the Gryphon]

Ehh.. bug queen deserved to die.

[harts fire]

“Goodbye, bug! You go squish now!”

amazing chapter.

[Xanderfox]

11824804
Well Twilight can likely fix it, given enough time. But that's the burn isn't it, It will take time and Celestia has to tell her everything. Chrysalis really stumbled into the berserk button and it almost cost her everything. Seeing the queen so brutally defeated the Hive will question everything.

[Chaos Phantasm]

This chapter was a lot of fun to edit. Not all of my suggestions made it of course but that's the nature of the beast. The end result is gorgeous.