Chapter 13: Operation Alicorn Sunset Part 3 - Showdown
12th of the third moon, 1551 A.E. 01:00 p.m. - Throne room of Canterlot castle
Chrysalis felt her back go stiff, time seemed to slow down, and her senses became numb as Twilight shouted those words. "She is evil!"
How Twilight got clues to that, Chrysalis didn't have the faintest of ideas. Twilight teleported up to her, lining up her supposed 'crimes'. Being horrible to her friends, doing "something" to her bridesmaids, and putting a spell on Shining that made him become all googly-eyed.
She considered her response. she didn't harm any victims of these supposed crimes. She was worried about her would-be assassins, so she took the necessary precautions (although by the shocked looks on their faces, that probably wasn't the case). Her bridesmaids were absolutely fine, in fact having the time of their lives feeding off of the princess of love. Shining's shield spell needed love magic to recharge, so she would give back some of the magic she absorbed to keep him going.
Of course, all these were very important clues as to what her actual crime was, so saying that out loud wouldn't be the most prudent of choices. She quickly checked the groom beside her to sense his emotions, and she wasn't surprised to see anger billowing inside of him. What was suprising, however, was where that anger was directed at. Maybe she could escape Twilight Sparkle's doubts, after all.
For ponies, emotion and gut feelings mostly triumph over reason. As she burst into tears and ran off into the hallways, everypony including her groom followed her. They showered her with words and feelings, such as 'I really apologize on her behalf', 'I'm sure she didn't mean it'. She ravenously ate it up, her magic reserves being the highest ever since her transformation.
And the best part? Twilight got none of it. Shining Armor stepped out in front of her to dish out his own set of verbal slashes. Her friends neglected her in favor of a pony they never met. Even Celestia, her mentor had abandoned her in favor of, unknowingly, her long-lost first student. She was paying for taking the spot that should have rightfully been hers all along.
When she returned to the throne room after all the fiasco, Twilight was still crying on the steps. Her eyes had gone red, she was hyperventilating, and her pink and lavender mane was all tangled together. She looked up at her, eyes still sparkling from her tears, begging for forgiveness.
The abandoned gem mines of Canterlot would be a great place to repent, indeed.
13th of the third moon, 1551 A.E. 11:00 a.m. - Entrance of Former Canterlot Mining Complex
1st Field Army General Ezekiel watched the clock tick for the thirteenth time, with a ridiculous flower wreath over his head and an even more ridiculous green dress on his body. It was exactly one hour before the bells of Canterlot would sound noon, and his queen would be 'married' to the captain of the royal guard. With that power, she would silently work to secure the livelihoods of everyling up above the hive.
Leaving the younglings, the sickly and the old behind with minimal resources was not an easy decision, but the hive would need every last ounce of this strength to mobilize. If Chrysalis could succeed, they could all be healed and cared for unscathed. If she failed... he didn't want to think about what would happen to them. He could only focus on the task at hand, and guard the two prisoners he had been assigned to with his lieutenants. If any of them escaped, it would be the end of the operation, and the changeling race as a whole.
His thoughts were broken by a loud shout from lieutenant Hales. "Commander, I'm getting sound signatures from the cavern right next to us! It seems as if the prisoners have joined together and activated the mineshaft!"
Ezekiel gnashed his fangs. "Prepare for close-quarters combat! Lieutenant Nexus, you flank around from the side while me, Felix and Hales distract them!" Nexus nodded, going off in a different direction towards the room's pillars.
This was an unexpected turn of events, yet he was confident the three elite sentinels (himself included) could win against them. Princess Cadance hadn't eaten since first coming in here a week ago, and Twilight sparkle had been unconscious and without food or water for at least 18 hours. They had also activated the mineshaft, which meant they have already gone through their assigned guardslings, draining their magic reserves even further. If he could survive the initial shootouts, time was on his side.
The clock kept ticking, and after what seemed like an eternity, he could finally see glimpses of the tired expressions of both ponies through his night vision. He smiled, seeing that the princess was limping and near exhaustion, just as he had hoped.
"Now we advance. Be careful, although they are currently in a weakened state due to exhaustion, they are still capable of doing some serious damage," he ordered, receiving nods from his two remaining lieutenants.
As the party of three reached their position, they braced themselves, ready for combat. They walked straight and true towards the two surprised and exhausted prisoners. "You're not going anywhere," said Ezekiel, with grim determination.
The following series of events, Ezekiel couldn't really comprehend. The two mares began to retreat, with their backs against the wall. Then, suddenly, the princess threw a bouquet at their faces. Perhaps it was an act of desperation? Yet as soon as he thought that, he found out that he couldn't move his body on his own volition.
His eyes began darting towards the flowers. He felt a rush of energy and happiness flowing through him like no other. It was the unmistakable taste of love, but he had never seen anything so potent or powerful before. His sight became blurry and his leg muscles tensed up as the toxic levels of love magic began to seize his consciousness.
He tried and tried again to focus on his goal of detaining, re-imprisoning, and if necessary, killing the threats to the salvation of the hive. His body didn't listen to him. The love infused in the bouquet was too strong, too pure to simply ignore. He was being played against his will, like a puppet on a string. As the princess threw the flowers over his head and into the ravine below, he and his lieutenant followed suit, not even bothering to spread his wings.
Watching from the sidelines, Nexus was horrified as he watched the mighty Ezekiel being controlled by mere flowers. He too could sense the potent love magic in the air, but his relative distance from its place of origin and his experience serving as a sentinel made it possible for him to hold onto his sanity, if only barely. Judging by the lack of precision in her magic, the princess probably didn't realize what her powers could do to a changeling, and just threw the bouquet in self-defense.
If she learned to utilize her mind-controlling love magic effectively, however, he was certain she would be the greatest threat the hive has ever faced.
His eyes darted over to the opening they were escaping to. Waiting around until they were out of sight, he spread his wings and began accelerating. He needed to alert the queen now. She was in mortal danger.
13th of the third moon, 1551 A.E. 11:30 a.m. - Throne room of Canterlot Castle
"We're here to pronounce the union of-" "Stoooooooop!!" Mere seconds away from earning the fruits of her labor, Chrysalis could never mistake that shrill voice. She turned around, and to her horror, Twilight had not only escaped, but she had brought Cadance with her. The operation was doomed. The former queen was right. Coming to Equestria had only brought her ruin.
Realization dawned on her. She had let Cadance live because of her own soft heart, causing this mess in the first place. She had imprisoned Twilight because of her selfish desires, her personal goal of revenge. There was no one to blame but herself. She had failed her people, failed her hive, only because she acted as how Pillar would have.
She shagged her shoulders, about to surrender herself, when she saw the furious glare of Pharynx looking over from the guests aisle. His message was simple. We have nowhere to run. Do something.
He was right. The only way she could repay the hive for its acceptance of her, for putting its faith in her during the coup, for following her on this perilous journey, was to finish what she started.
Despite knowing that she would get blasted by heavenly flames, She discarded her magic-hindering disguise. Twilight's angry words faded into an inaudible mix as green fires surrounded her, revealing holed hooves, a jagged horn, and clear, insect-like wings.
She now gazed up with hateful eyes at the mountain she was up against, her all-powerful, never-dying former mentor.
Celestia's attack was simple. A ray of pure kinetic magic from her horn. It was something used by unicorns on a daily basis to move things around, but honestly, who needed more when your opponent was as easily crushed as squashing a bug?
For the receiving bug, however, the heavenly force was too much to bear. Even as she gave her all, the love magic of Shining Armor, the ambient magic she absorbed during her trip, she was slowly losing ground against Celestia's sun.
Then, all of a sudden, Celestia's relentless march stopped. The power that was stopping Celestia's advance wasn't her own, but the magic of... friendship? She had deliberately hidden the diadems away so that the magic of friendship couldn't be used against her in this precise situation. How was it acting in favor of her now?
Pharynx was definitely loyal to the hive, and helped to defend it in times of great need. He wasn't one to ever lie, telling her straight to the face if what she said was wrong. Thorax was ever kind to his fellow changelings, and could humor their pod of three in times of hardship. But herself... magic could be understandable in her current state as the queen, perhaps, but generosity?
For Celestia, she was absolutely dumbstruck. She knew the only thing that could subdue an alicorn's power would be the magic of friendship. Her personal experience with Luna's banishment made that quite clear, but to see it being practiced by this invading bug-queen thing was quite unnerving. The enemies that invaded Equestria were definitely powerful, but all they had was greed, lust for power, or searing hate towards everypony living in it. How was this one wielding the power that had been the pillar of Equestria for so long?
Even with questions simmering in both of their minds, Celestia's rays were pushed further and further back, much to the guests - well, the actual pony guests' - horror. Finally, Celestia was pushed back until the magic reached her very horntip, and she fell from the air, horn charred and blackened.
For the first time in one thousand and five hundred years, the unquestioned mighty sovereign of Equestria had fallen.
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
897 users online
1,156,945 hits today, 1,872,792 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
le FIN~
10129621
Sry... really didn't want to..
10129631
it's alright I understand x3 it's 2020, everything is getting harder
I hope someone will pick this up, it's pretty nice
10129634
Thx
10129656
you're welcome
It sad to see it end prematurely, I was enjoying it as well. But life takes priority hopefully you may come back to this one day and continue it, if not then hopefully someone can take the mantle and keep this story alive. So good luck on your semester, universities can be a killer sometimes and stay in good health.
10129834
Thank you Marytryne. In fact, I suspected this college debacle might happen by early February, and I originally planned to stop writing after chapter 6 (the chapter where Chrysalis is born), where I could just wrap it up as an origin story for her. Your heartfelt compassion towards Pillar and the world that I made, and your constructive feedback on how to progress this story has been one of the primary reasons why that hasn't been the case. Readers who actively support and communicate with the author, such as yourself, are a gem to any writer who is going through the difficult and tedious process of writing fiction, and ultimately what makes it all worth it. Leaving this project and all my work of three and a half months brings a tear to my eye, but it was wonderful to have you on this journey during my short winter vacation.
Sincerely, Seahorn.
P.S. I'm only noticing now, but your profile pic really matches how I described Pillar! (Yellow coat, Scrawny black mane, Eyes filled with enthusiasm)
10129880
Thank you for the wonderful reply and it's a bit of a shock that I manage to help you to push this story, and thanks in noticing Erde she appreciate it " I really do appreciate it Seahorn" once more good luck on your study
10129884
Thanks again, and is 'Erde' a character that you've created?
It going to be fun seeing how Celestia will react to the truth that Queen Chrysalis is Cater Pillar.
10129897
I know you from the second chapter, where you commented on how you would really like to see how the Canterlot wedding would pan out. You have stuck around this long to get your answer, but I've failed you... Sorry, but as I said in the author's note, I'm not going to be returning to this fic for some time, if at all...
Chrysalis, you generously devoted your time to the betterment of pony kind before they mercilessly betrayed you at which point you fled and became a changeling. As a changeling queen, you generously turned your devotion to the betterment of changelings and making sure they're needs were met.
10130063
Yep, but she doesn't realize this very well..
Seriously?
derpicdn.net/img/2016/5/6/1147473/large.png
I'm not reading this.
10130063
yea and even after they stabbed her in the back she still has gone about her take over with less casualtys then would have been gotten otherwise while still allowing the ponys to go about their normal lives ( apart from a few). i cant wait to see whan they figure out that this queen who invadid them and used the elemets was the same earth pony they betrayed and and said that couldnt become a princess.