Chapter 18: Starlight Glimmer's atonement, part 3
What now? Queen Chrysalis and the changelings had us right where they wanted us! They even managed to ponynap Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance!
This was awful. In all, there were over fifty changelings lined in rows between Sam, Lyra, and Thorax, and me in the cave’s chamber we were trapped in. Including the six that had just hung the Princesses (trapped in green cocoons) on stalks that dangled from the ceiling, there were another fifteen or so beside Chrysalis, near the chamber’s entrance. They felt unstoppable.
With her back and one of her wings bearing black singes, Twilight was lying on the ground near the walls opposite the room's entrance. Chrysalis, the one who injured Twilight, wouldn’t allow her to leave; if she had tried to escape, we would have never seen our friends alive again. Sam and Lyra weren't strong enough to help fight, especially with Chrysalis here too. Even if he was strong enough to, Thorax seemed to be too scared to help. I was shaking too badly to even attempt to get into a fighting mood, even when I gazed at our friends twitching periodically in more cocoons hanging from the cave’s ceiling. They needed me, but this time, I really was nothing compared to what we were up against.
In fact, seeing the Princesses being helplessly hung on the ceiling in cocoons made me feel like even less than nothing. They are three of the strongest ponies in Equestria, but the changelings still managed to ponynap them!
At this rate, I would never do anything that gave me joy again. No more flying kites. No more playing Dragon Pit. No more having fun and laughing with my friends. No more freedom. For that matter, the same went for Sam, Twilight, and Lyra. I didn’t know what might happen to Thorax, but I doubted it would be pleasant if Queen Chrysalis was as ruthless as the stories about her claimed.
“Chrysalis, as you wish, I will stay, but at least release Sam, Starlight, and Lyra!” Twilight groaned from pain, then continued, “They are no threat to you and, uh, Thorax trying to help us was all my idea, so go easy on him!”
I really shouldn’t have been so amazed, yet still was, at how Twilight tried to protect Thorax from potentially facing wrath from Chrysalis.
“But I...I can’t leave you here, Twilight! You gave me the chance for a whole new life!” I protested. I was scared, but the thought of leaving a friend behind scared me even more, so I couldn’t take off! The strength that poured through me as I told Twilight I wouldn’t leave allowed me to stop shaking, at least.
It also wasn’t very shocking when Sam shook his head at Twilight’s plea. “I’m not ditching you either! Starlight’s not the only one you’ve helped a bunch, and you always say stuff like ‘friends stick together’!”
Sam might have been behind the group of changelings that were between us, but with his height, I could see his face clearly enough to know he was going nowhere. The serious tone in his voice told me too.
"I won’t abandon Bon Bon like this either! She wouldn’t if I was in one of those things!” Lyra echoed. I’ve seen Lyra and Bon Bon together before, but who knew they were this close?
“I understand, but what good would all of you staying even do?”
I stared at Sam -- it was hard to see Lyra from behind the group of changelings between us -- and he stared back at me, then toward where Lyra appeared to be. Twilight raised a good point. If I had fled, I would never have forgiven myself, but sticking around would have wreaked havoc on Twilight’s own guilt about her being a ‘bad friend’. Would staying hurt her more than if I left? She was in enough pain already, and I’ve caused her enough trouble. There were Sam and Lyra to think about too.
I was leaning toward just doing what Twilight wanted, until Chrysalis interrupted, “Well, allow me to settle your touchy dilemma. You all will be our prisoners, especially that Princess Twilight Sparkle look-alike. We have seen her magic, so we won’t risk letting her run off and train to become even stronger.” Chrysalis glared toward Thorax’s direction. “And, Thorax, don’t think I bought that annoying princess’s lies about you. Just wait until we are back at the hive! You will regret betraying your own kind!”
Thorax gulped, or he probably did. Chrysalis shot down the idea of abandoning Twilight. I almost felt a little better, knowing it wouldn’t be my choice to leave her behind or stay. I had FAR worse things to worry about, but part of me also took offense to being called a “look-alike.”
“Wait, you have ‘seen’ my magic? How did you do all this, anyway?” I asked. It wasn’t as if I tried to hide my magical abilities, but something about the way Chrysalis talked about my magic made me feel like there was more to it.
Chrysalis stared at me, then at Twilight, Sam, and Lyra. What was she thinking? Maybe considering if it were safe to tell us? After a second look at Twilight, she grinned and said, “Well, it’s not like any of you will escape and the only ponies that could pose a threat are now ours, so I suppose I can explain. You see…”
Chrysalis went on to explain what she meant about me -- she had kept taps on Twilight, our friends, and even Sam and me over the past month -- and about her plan to capture us all. They even learned about Fluttershy’s friendship with Discord, so a smaller group of them took her to the changeling hive instead of the gem cave in Ponyville, which Thorax wasn’t a part of; he only knew she was caught and taken away. Discord later tried to save her himself, but thanks to whatever it is about their hive that can negate non-changeling magic, even his, he was powerless. With how he picked on me, it was kind of hard to believe Discord could be so caring.
However, a last-second change of plans, which Thorax didn’t hear about, was that Chrysalis decided to not risk the changelings fighting Twilight directly without her with them, even with a sneak attack. Chrysalis knew that Twilight would try to do...what she just tried to do, so she adjusted her plan and set a trap, which we just walked into! As for the cocoons being anti-magical in nature, Thorax knew they were different, but didn’t know what was different about them. I confess to feeling a little better about how it was the cocoons that blocked the teleportation spell, not me just screwing up again. Not that it mattered much now.
But despite how hopeless our situation seemed, it couldn’t be over. I never got to repay my friends for being wonderful friends to me. I never got to atone for my mistakes. Worse, if nothing was done, who knew what kind of peril Equestria might face? There had to be some way out of this!
Fighting was out of the question, but perhaps I could reason with Chrysalis? Constantly being hungry couldn’t be fun, so what if there was a way for them to finally satisfy their hunger? After all, I changed my ways, so maybe the changelings could too?
“Wait, Queen Chrysalis, maybe there’s another way! Thorax told me how changelings are always hungry, so what if we find you something else that could...totally fill you up?”
Chrysalis stared at me, but the rest of the changelings looked around at each other. Would they take the offer?
“Yeah, don’t that sound better than the starving we’ve had to endure?“ Thorax asked.
We got a good sign in Chrysalis raising her head and rolling her pupils up. I was already feeling relieved.
Or it wasn't a good sign at all because Chrysalis laughed, then lowered her head to stare at me again. “That’s absurd! Even before I was hatched, feasting on love is the way changelings have always fed and lived!”
Sam pointed out, “But it doesn’t fill you up anyhow, right? Twilight had told Thorax that she’d think of a way for him not to be hungry all the time, so maybe she can do the same for all of you!”
Not that I doubted how far Twilight’s kindness goes, but hoping she might help Queen Chrysalis might have been a bit too much.
That grin Chrysalis had left and a scowl took its place. “Ridiculous! No food source is richer! In fact“ -- Chrysalis pointed a foreleg at Twilight -- “Princess Twilight would know that better than anypony!”
Okay, those words were unexpected. Why would Twilight know this better than anypony? She said that it’s her job to spread friendship, but she never tries to steal friendships at a later time or something! Chrysalis couldn’t have meant love, because Twilight never said she had a “very special somepony.” I didn't know if she even had crushes!
“Uh...what does that mean?” Sam asked, rubbing his neck.
Chrysalis took some steps forward in Twilight’s direction. When she stopped, I was about a length of two ponies from her, but I wasn’t directly between her and Twilight. Seeing Chrysalis so close made me shiver. Even with my magic, I felt like a helpless little filly facing something from one of her nightmares, which wouldn’t be completely inaccurate. “As sickening as her talks about ‘friendship’ are, the energy that ponies’ bodies produce from it is anything but sickening! Or, was the Princess of Friendship preaching lies?”
“N-No! I meant everything I’ve ever said about friendship being a wonderful thing!” Maybe because she was in the middle of a friendship speech, Twilight’s voice grew stronger and more confident as she continued, “Sure, my friends and I don’t always agree and we do have our share of fights. Even so, we stick by each other, pick each other up when we’re down, and--”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. Sam loves to tease Twilight when she gives speeches and sometimes calls them “corny”, but I don’t think he truly minds them. Chrysalis...minded them, and would probably call them something else besides corny. “Ugh, okay, you’ve made your point. But you at least understand what I meant and is why changelings have feasted on love for centuries!” Chrysalis delivered a cold grin, her eyes locked on Twilight. “Anyway, I’m bored with talking and you look...tired. So, how about I feed on your love now, and then you can take a good, long nap in your very own cocoon?”
That was what I feared Chrysalis might say when she smiled. Twilight frowned, her ears drooped, and this was the first time I had ever seen her look frightened. The closest to it was when I yelled at her to be quiet in my former village, but even then, she was more shocked than scared.
“Don’t worry, Princess. This won’t hurt. When I’m done, I will even do you a favor by sealing you in a cocoon right beside your friends, so you will all be together, forever! Ha ha ha!”
Chrysalis’s long, crooked horn glowed and pulled Twilight toward her with magic. Twilight groaned from effort, but if Chrysalis’s magic was as strong as I’ve heard, on top of being hurt, there was no way she could break free.
“No! You let me go right now!” She gritted her teeth and her horn glowed once she was face-level with Chrysalis, but Chrysalis opened her mouth. A stream of an odd pink smoke or something oozed from Twilight’s body and floated into the Queen's mouth. Twilight moaned weakly as her horn stopped glowing.
My jaw dropped. This must be how it looks when changelings steal your love. I couldn’t believe how fast it made Twilight unable to focus enough to fight back with her magic.
“TWILIGHT!!” Sam, Lyra, Thorax, and I shouted.
I lit my horn. Wasn’t sure if my magic could have helped, but I had to do something!
“That’s enough! Leave Twilight alone!” Sam shouted, charging into the group of changelings, heading toward Chrysalis. The surrounding ones pounced on him and took him to the ground, so their bodies hid him from me. He yelled to be let go as a few changelings over him were thrown in the air. I didn’t know he was this strong!
But more and more changelings gathered to where he was to pin him down with their hooves. They also repositioned themselves so Sam became visible to me, Twilight, and Chrysalis again. He grunted and yelled at them to get off of him, but could barely move thanks to the combined strength of the changelings restraining him.
“SAM, NO!” Twilight and I shouted, but Twilight moaned as that odd stream continued to come from her body. Her head sagged to the side.
Chrysalis turned her head to Sam. “Ha ha ha! Such spirit! I’m sure your love will be a feast as well. My subjects, go ahead and feed on the love of whatever he is!”
“Don’t you try it!” Sam ordered while grunting. The changelings pinning him down all stared at him.
I so wanted to tell them to let Sam go before they started stealing his love, but the numbness from the sight acted like a seal on my mouth. It stunned me enough to make me power down my horn. This was nothing short of horrible.
Twilight Sparkle is one of the nicest, most kindhearted ponies I’ve ever met. I treated her and her friends in my former village horribly by stealing their Cutie Marks and special talents against their will, but she never hated me for my actions. I thought it was for their own good, but I now know taking away Cutie Marks like that isn’t just wrong, it’s cruel! Yet, Twilight still offered me a second chance, which turned my life around for the better.
And Sam...he did his best to put up with my initial bad attitude. He even had to put me on a collar and leash to keep me in check. I hated wearing a collar at the time, but it was worse for him: it made the, uh, unflattering looks that ponies gave him become worse, though it’s better now. He eventually became my best friend and has been there for me whenever I needed him.
And now Sam and Twilight were being treated as if they were nothing to these changelings. Like nothing. Even when I hated her, I never wanted Twilight to feel like nothing. I never wanted anypony to feel like that. Nopony should. No one should. Yet Queen Chrysalis and these changelings were treating Twilight and Sam like nothing. Just like my parents did with me, no, this was far worse than anything my parents ever did to me. At least they never injured me like Chrysalis did to Twilight.
That was IT. I couldn’t watch any more. My teeth gritted, my blood boiled, and a surge of magic surged through my whole body. Never before in my life had I felt so much fury, like a sea during an unimaginable fierce storm. I didn’t know I was capable of it.
Although at that moment, I did know that I didn’t care about myself. I didn't even care about being a good pony. I just wanted to save Princess Twilight Sparkle and Sam, two of the best friends I could ever have, no matter the odds or what it took. Actually, not just those two: I wanted to save everyone in this cave. Trying might become the dumbest decision of my life or even cost me my life, but I didn’t give a flying buck.
“Queen Chrysalis, leave Sam and Twilight Sparkle alone NOW, or else!!”
With a crooked grin that filled me with even more rage, Queen Chrysalis turned her head to me. She lowered Twilight halfway to the ground, but that weird smoke stopped oozing from Twilight. “Ha! Your collar must be around your neck too tight if you think your magic is strong enough to stop me. That silly collar even makes you look like somepony’s pet, so is “or else” you performing tricks or chasing your tail? Ha ha!”
Fine. She wanted an answer, so I gave it. Not with words, but with something from my horn. The strongest magical blast I had ever produced in my life, which whizzed over Twilight and slammed into and knocked Queen Chrysalis into some of the changelings while screaming. I never yelled so hard when firing my attack. The impact broke Chrysalis’s hold on Twilight, the latter panted to catch her breath.
It feels a little wrong to admit, but letting Chrysalis have it felt...good. I didn’t have the confidence to stand up for myself when Discord was picking on me by calling me a pet. So, refusing to take it for once...felt good. Not to mention, Chrysalis hurt Twilight, so she had it coming!
All the changelings (save for Thorax) hissed with their tongues out. A few near Chrysalis stayed where they were while the rest charged toward me, even the ones that had been pinning down Sam. One spell I knew, known as “Finala Explosioa” and is one of my strongest ones, came to mind. I didn’t yet master it, so this would have required a massive amount of energy and could seriously injure me if it misfired. Even so, I would at least have a chance.
First, I created barriers around my friends and ponies still trapped in cocoons. Then I closed my eyes, focused all the magic I could around me, then fired it in every direction in a mighty blast. I thought I would never need this spell and only tried to learn it for fun. Was I wrong!
I opened my eyes, panting from casting Finala Explosioa, and looked toward Twilight, who had a weary smile on her face. She was still under my shield, but did I see some pride in her eyes?
“Whoa, Starlight! You floored them!” Sam cheered inside his shield. I really shouldn’t say anything, but humans have a lot of weird expressions. Or, maybe ponies say “floored” too, but I just never heard it used.
Loud hissing from the changelings ended that feel-good feeling. They were standing, so it appeared they merely had the wind knocked out of them. I didn’t think the spell I performed would have harmed them much, but their exoskeletons were even tougher than I thought! At least Chrysalis was slow to get up, but I hit her with a much more focused attack.
But whether or not I did any damage, the Finala Explosioa spell drained maybe...half of my power, so I dispelled the barriers surrounding my friends and the other trapped ponies. I didn't want to, but I couldn't lose any more valuable energy. Still, they would not be harmed or harmed again, so I teleported Twilight, Sam, Lyra, and Thorax behind me, but made sure I was directly between Twilight and Chrysalis. It was a struggle to keep thoughts of this potentially being a losing battle at bay. It wasn’t easy to hide the panting over my breath either.
When she finally got to her hooves, Chrysalis growled. A big green singe was on her side, where my attack struck. “Starlight Glimmer, you are stronger than I thought, but you will pay for that!”
If I weren’t still angry, I might have said something like “put it on my tab”, but wasn’t in the mood.
Thorax begged, “Wait, Queen Chrysalis! Can’t we just try to see if there’s something else we can feed on? It’s not just me: we all are tired of always being hungry and fighting!”
One of the other changelings countered, “Don’t talk like the rest of us are like you, Thorax! We are all fighters from birth, except you. Remember how you always wanted to play with dolls?”
“Okay, yeah, I...didn’t enjoy our combat drills. But seriously, do you like being hungry all the time!”
The changeling that spoke looked away for a moment before he answered, “Uh...well...no, I don’t like being hungry, but I’d take that over being weak and spineless, like you!”
“Uh...we don’t have spines,” Thorax pointed out.
“Y-You know what I mean!”
“And I’m tired of this drivel!” Chrysalis pointed at me. “As for you, I could feed on your love, but for your foolishness to attack me, Queen Chrysalis, the punishment will be a heavy dose of pain!”
Sam ran up to stand beside me. “Keep dreaming, bug breath! If you harm a hair on Starlight, I will--”
“No, Sam, you can’t handle something like her! Let me take care of this!” I begged, trying not to pant at all to make myself seem stronger than I was.
Sam looked down at me. He wore the concerned frown I’ve seen more than once, but I didn’t want him to worry about me. “But, Starlight--”
I considered giving him “the face” -- he can never resist it -- but a better idea came to mind. I simply looked up at his face and asked, “Sam, do you trust me?”
“Trust you? Of course I do, but--”
Chrysalis yelled, “Enough talk! If I were you guys, I’d step away from that little pet,” Chrysalis said, her horn liting up. She turned back to the changelings. “Now, watch as your queen takes care of business.”
Besides with what she had done, I was getting fed up with Chrysalis calling me a pet! I’m not a pet, I’m a grown pony!
I was still a little winded and not at my full strength, but I charged all the magic I could in my horn. If I couldn’t stop what would happen next, I might lose more than my freedom. However, my real concern was who was beside and behind me, and who still hung from the ceiling. Memories of my friends, the time we’ve spent together, the fun we had, all gushed through my head. Helping Rarity with dresses. Baking cupcakes with Pinkie. “Chillaxing” with Rainbow Dash and Spike. The tea parties with Fluttershy. Practicing bucking apple trees and trying cider with Applejack. Reading about spells I never heard of and/or learned with Twilight. Just about everything I did with Sam. How they were by my side when I went back to my former village to make amends.
Then there was Lyra. I might not have spent much time with her, but I knew enough to know that she’s a nice pony. Like me, she was bothered by something that happened to her as a filly too. Thorax, who took a huge risk by turning against Queen Chrysalis to help my friends. He even starved himself so he wouldn’t have to attack ponies for our love. I never dreamed a changeling would even want to help ponies, let alone go that far. If Chrysalis won, Thorax would suffer too. I even thought about Discord. He was a huge pain, but I wouldn't call him evil, and Fluttershy had said that he can be pretty sweet when he wants to.
The more I thought about them, as well as the Princesses and the other innocent ponies also in cocoons, the greater the magic bubbling in my horn grew. My magic is partly linked to my emotions, so if my magic was as strong as what I was feeling, not even the Queen of the changelings would overcome it! At least, that’s what I told myself.
Once I couldn’t gather more magic, I leaped forward to gain some distance from Sam, while shooting all the magic collected in my horn with a yell. This would be my last stand. Chrysalis sent a beam of magic at me, so our attacks slammed into each other. The wind from the impact slammed into my face, but I planted my hooves to stay in place.
Unfortunately, it looked like I overestimated myself. Both of my remaining power and remaining stamina. The point where Chrysalis’s and my attack met gradually pushed toward me.
“No, I’m not done! I must protect my friends!”
“Hang in there, BF! I trust you, so dig deep! You can take her!” Sam cheered.
“Ha! I beg to differ if this is all she’s got to fight me!”
Twilight groaned more intensely than she did previously for a couple of seconds. I couldn’t think about why: I could only do what Sam said and made my attack a little larger, but it only slowed down where the meeting point between Chrysalis’s and my attack moved toward me. This just couldn’t be! I couldn't fall! Not here!
The wind from the beams’ collision that blew against me grew stronger, forcing me to slide backward. I fought to plant my hooves even more and searched for more magic in me, but to no avail. This wasn't going to work. Just like as a filly, I was nothing.
Tears flowed down my cheeks right before I closed my eyes, preparing for Chrysalis’s magic to reach me. At the very least, I could buy a bit of time for my friends to get further away from me, so they won’t be caught in the blast.
I waited for the pain, but Chrysalis’s magic didn’t make contact with my body. Something very different happened: the force from her attack dropped. Not only did it not feel like my blast was pushing against an unstoppable force coming toward me, but that force was being pushed back. The wind hitting my face lowered in intensity too, so I was no longer sliding back. What happened?
I flew open my eyes and gasped at the newest turn of events. A second magical beam, a magenta one, was fusing into my magic to form a single, seething beam of both magenta and turquoise. I rolled my pupils to the right, so I wouldn’t have to turn my head, and saw something I didn’t expect, though I should have.
The Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, was standing beside me, firing that second attack. It alone gave me the answer to what she was doing when she groaned with extra effort before.
“Twilight?! How are you doing this?!” I asked, despite knowing how she found the strength to do it.
“It’s because I won’t let another friend have to fight alone! Not if they need me by their side!” she answered in a strained voice, but it had more strength than it sounded.
“I would have told you she forced herself up and was limping to you, but didn’t want to jinx her!” Sam said.
“Same here!” Lyra echoed.
“I should have expected nothing less from you, Princess Twilight, but even you won’t last long in the shape you’re in! Now, let's see if you two can handle this!”
Chrysalis’s beam grew bigger, pushing ours back. If only Twilight and I were at our full strength! At least the other changelings chose to just keep watching.
“No! Twilight, even with you with me, she’s too strong for us!"
“Don’t give up! Sam said it’s ‘corny’, but friendship really is magic, so just think about our friends!”
Twilight was right. No matter how tired or hurt we were, we couldn’t quit. As hard as it was to fight the fatigue, I did what my friend and princess said and thought more about how our friends were in trouble. They needed us. Needed me. For their sakes, I couldn’t be nothing this time. A new burst of magic came forth and made my attack even bigger and stronger; Twilight’s attack grew slightly bigger too.
It was good that we were matching Chrysalis’s raise in power, but it was zapping the energy my body had left. I grew lightheaded from the strain. My head bobbled. Twilight was moaning, and only she knew how much pain she was fighting. Even with the power of friendship, she, like anypony, had to have limits to what she could withstand.
Even so, I fought to hold my ground, trying to raise my magic even more, but couldn’t. The overwhelming fatigue was an impenetrable wall that I couldn’t break. I could feel the room spinning, but I wouldn’t give in. Chrysalis would have to earn her victory.
"This has gone on long enough. Now, taste the full power of the Changeling Queen!"
Chrysalis's beam grew even bigger and stronger. It was definitely over. I was accepting defeat a second time when a rock flew toward Chrysalis, hitting her in the green singe that my earlier attack left. Right after it, a small blast of gold magic struck her in the same spot, making her grunt from both. At the same time, a massive spark of energy surged through me. My weariness somehow left my body and the room stopped “spinning.”
I rolled my eyes to the left. Standing there were Sam, holding more rocks, and Lyra, with her horn glowing gold.
“That’s for hurting my friend, you overgrown fly!” Sam yelled.
”And for Bon Bon!”
“Grr! You two will pay for that once those two ponies are--”
As her attention went to Sam and Lyra, Chrysalis’s attack weakened. With no signs of weariness in her voice, Twilight yelled, ”Starlight, now’s our chance! Give it everything you got!!”
I let out a mighty yell, forcing that burst of energy within me into my horn, making my beam almost twice as strong and large. Twilight yelled as her attack raised in power like mine did.
That point where Twilight’s and my beam met Chrysalis’s shot away from us and toward Chrysalis. She screamed, “No!” right before our attack smashed into her directly to knock her off her hooves, sent her flying by the changelings, and bounced off the cave wall, leaving a dent where she hit. The changelings ran to Chrysalis as one of them asked, “Queen Chrysalis, are you okay?”
Chrysalis said nothing and lay still. Did we use too much power? No, she had to be tougher than that! But now we had another problem: the rest of the changelings, who turned to us and hissed. Even if Twilight and I cast the Finala Explosioa spell, assuming she knew it too, it wouldn’t be enough to defeat them, just slow them down. It’s also not a type of spell you can perform over and over like most spells can, even if you master it. There were simply too many changelings to fight!
A white light from behind stole my attention from the new dilemma we faced, forcing me to spin around. It was a sight that took my breath away.
Thorax was glowing in a bright, white cocoon. Okay, this was new.
“Thorax? What’s going on?” Twilight asked, covering her eyes with a foreleg.
Whether Thorax meant to do it as his answer, or if it just happened, the cocoon let out an even more blinding white light in all directions, making me turn away with my eyes closed. The glare still found a way to seep in them. When the light faded, I opened my eyes and looked, or rather gawked at Thorax. This was even newer than the cocoon he was just in.
For starters, he wasn’t around my height anymore, but a head taller than me. Much of this exoskeleton was now lime-green, not black, but his underside was a darker shade of green. His chest was orange, with three gems -- or what looked like gems -- the same color as my magic, in his neck. He also now had orange mandibles on the top of his head. Lastly, Thorax’s wings were a mix of dark-blue and purple. This might be the closest I’ll ever come to seeing how it looked when Twilight turned into an alicorn.
“W-What happened?!” I asked.
Thorax stared at his legs and wings. “I...don’t know. I was sharing the love I had to you and Starlight to help out, then this happened!”
“Oh. That’s why it felt like my weariness just left me. I didn’t know you could do that!” Twilight said, and whoa. Changelings can share love, not just take it? It’s not capable of healing I suppose, since Twilight was still hurt, but she didn’t look or sound to be weakened much from it now.
“I didn’t know I could do it either until I tried. And not only that, I’m not hungry!”
“You’re not?” Lyra asked.
“No. For the first time, I feel...full!” Thorax looked toward the changelings with a big smile. I would be too if I were him. “Guys, I’m not hungry! It feels great!”
“Wait, really?” A changeling that hadn’t spoken yet said, breaking off from the rest of the group to walk toward Thorax. I kept my eye on him, just in case.
The changeling that was talking to Thorax not long ago pointed at him. “You’re lying!”
“I’m not! Look, just try sharing your love to one of us! We care about each other, so it would work!”
“Not a chance!” A different changeling said with a huff.
Thorax smiled, no, smirked. “Are you scared? Are all of you scared?”
The changelings shouted, “WHAT?”
“Are you scared?” Thorax asked again, in a more teasing tone.
“O-Of course not! I’ll try it,” The changeling that walked closer to Thorax said. He let out a pink beam and it entered one of the changelings still near the knocked-out (I hoped) Chrysalis. Afterward, he glowed as a white cocoon appeared around him. Five seconds later, the same kind of bright white light fired out from him. When it cleared, he was yellow (the color) but didn’t grow mandibles or taller like Thorax did.
Now that I could see this without being so surprised by it, how he glowed reminded me of how some ponies glow when they receive their Cutie Marks.
The newly changed changeling looked down at himself, much like Thorax did. “Whoa...Thorax, you’re right! I’m not hungry anymore!”
“You see? I told you it felt great! Guys, try it too!”
One by one, the unchanged changelings all shared their love with a different one, all entering cocoons and coming out in bright white lights. Each of their transformed exoskeletons was in different colors like yellow, light-blue, and in different shades of green, but also didn't grow much taller nor any mandibles. Not too shabby.
Like Thorax and the second changeling to change did, they stared at themselves before one of them said, “Wow, this is amazing! Feeling full feels way better than fighting!”
“No! This...isn’t natural! This isn’t the changeling way!” a familiar voice shouted.
We all turned to the source of that voice: Chrysalis. She was standing again but was panting hard. Green bruises covered much whole body, but the biggest one was on her chest.
Twilight gritted her teeth and spread out her uninjured wing. She didn’t look like she was in a forgiving mood, which I didn’t expect. Not that I blamed her for still being mad.
As for me, I was also still angry at Chrysalis. Although, looking at how the transformed changelings were no longer acting threateningly, it was hard to stay mad at them for ponynapping our friends. I could understand them doing what they needed to do to eat, and if they wouldn't need to steal love anymore, could changelings and ponies be able to be…friends? It was a weird thought; ponies and changelings have been enemies for many years, but do we have to be enemies if we don’t truly need to?
I thought about that, and it grew harder to stay mad at even Chrysalis. If she could follow suit and try to share her love, she might transform and not be hungry anymore either.
It was worth a shot. I’ve done crazier things, so I walked across the room toward Chrysalis, passing by some of the changed changelings as i went.
“Starlight? What are you doing?” Sam asked.
“It’s okay,” I answered. After I did, I was right in front of Chrysalis.
“What do you want?” she asked in a cold voice, scowling. She was definitely reminding me of myself when my plans for “equality” fell apart.
“Chrysalis, Thorax told me how changelings are always hungry. But look!” I pointed at the new changelings, who were all staring at Chrysalis and me. “They’re not hungry anymore! You heard them!”
She snarled, hate oozing from her eyes, giving me a chill. “You. This is your fault! If it weren’t for you, Twilight Sparkle, and those other pests, this wouldn’t be happening! All I’ve built, all I’ve given, and now it's not just Thorax: all my subjects here are corrupted!”
Thorax countered, “No, Queen Chrysalis, we’re not ‘corrupted’! I’ve never felt better in my whole life!”
The changeling that had called Thorax spineless, now a light-blue one, said, “I hate to say it, but I think Thorax has a point. I loved our combat drills and thrill of battle, but it’s not worth being hungry all the time!”
Chrysalis faced the changelings and said, “You don’t get it, do you? That form you are all in can’t steal love and would need ‘friendship’ to stay alive, but while it’s strong, it’s also fickle! Even with their so-called friendships, ponies fall apart all the time when they fight. Not having your hunger fully satisfied is better than being slaves to something so unreliable!”
I could understand her words, and it wasn’t long ago that Sam and I had a fight. Chrysalis’s issues with friendship were different, but being scared of losing friends and being left alone was a reason why I took Cutie Marks.
But all of my friends have also promised to never leave me alone. Sam and I even became closer once we made up. Maybe if I offered friendship and promise to let it be something she can always count on, Chrysalis would listen and give it a chance?
“Queen Chrysalis, trust me, I KNOW how it’s like to worry about losing friendships. I was once so scared of it, I stole ponies’ Cutie Marks as a way to keep it from happening. But, if you give us a chance, give me a chance, I promise that we won’t be fickle about it. You, me, my friends, and your subjects can stand together and be stronger than we ever could be on our own! So, what do you say? Friends?”
I don’t know where that speech came from. Perhaps this is how it feels to talk from the heart? Wherever it came from, once I finished, I reached out my hoof to Chrysalis, bearing as friendly a smile as possible. I was facing away from the others, but I could feel the eyes of all in the room watching us. Hopefully Sam didn’t roll his eyes too much if I sounded too corny.
As for Chrysalis, she stared at my hoof. She glanced toward the changelings a couple of times before staring at my hoof again. It felt like time stood still. When I was in Chrysalis’s position, I was foolish and tried to run. Maybe she would be smarter than I was back then.
Eventually, time started again and Chrysalis reached for my hoof. The look on her face didn’t have much anger. Was she listening to reason, unlike how I did when my plans were stopped?
Her hoof came nearer to my still out-stretched one. They finally made contact, but instead of giving me a hoofshake, she just slapped my hoof away.
“I will never be your friend, Starlight Glimmer. One day, I will have my revenge for what you and your friends have done!”
Chrysalis’s horn glowed and a blinding flash of green light filled the room. So this was how Twilight felt when I did this same trick on her to try to escape. First Sam gave a friendship speech after messing with Twilight about hers, now this. I should be more watchful for irony from now on.
When my sight returned, Chrysalis was gone. We all turned our heads to look around the cave’s chamber we were all in. Nothing.
“Where did she go?” Thorax asked.
Sam pointed at the chamber's entrance. “She must be running through the tunnels! Let’s go after her!”
Twilight pointed at the cocoons still on the ceiling. “Let’s free our friends and the other ponies first.”
I looked up as well to see some of the changelings were already pulling the cocoons free from the stalks they hung from. My heart skipped a beat. Were they about to take them away?
Luckily, they just gently laid the cocoons on the ground; they set our friends’ cocoons beside each other. Whew! These changelings have changed on the inside too, not just the outside.
One by one, they opened the tops of the cocoons, freeing the ponies, though they had some weird green slime-y material on them that surrounded them inside the cocoons. Once the last of our friends, Spike, was freed, Sam, Twilight, and I ran to them, while Lyra ran to Bon Bon. They all shook their heads and looked around. I have rarely felt so relieved. It looked bleak for a while, but we saved them, and not only did I not make everything worse with my magic, I helped with it!
“Are you all okay? Sam, Twilight, and I asked together.
“Yeah, I think so,” Spike asked, wiping slime off his head. He turned his head to Twilight and deeply gasped. “Forget if I’m okay: Twilight, are you okay?! Your back and wing are hurt!”
The rest of our newly-freed friends stared at Twilight and gasped, just like Spike did.
Twilight quickly gave a comforting smile and nodded her head. “I am, Spike. It looks worse than it really is.”
They all smiled and sighed with relief.
Rarity looked down at herself and grimaced. “I am relieved that you said you’re okay, Twilight, but what is this disgusting green goo on me? It will take forever to wash it out of my coat! Ew!”
Classic Rarity. She was definitely okay.
Pinkie shook the slime-like stuff off her, making it fly everywhere. Some flew onto Sam, Twilight, and me. “What happened? This isn’t the day of the month I take naps in cocoons!”
Twilight had warned me to don’t question Pinkie Pie when she’s being...Pinkie Pie, so I didn’t. It was hard to resist, though.
Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance, all still covered in a bit of slime, walked toward us.
“I hate to interrupt you all, but can any of you explain what is going on? Princess Celestia looked towards the changelings standing throughout the chamber. “Are these really changelings?”
Twilight explained to everyone about Chrysalis’s plan, how we rescued them, and how the changelings changed and don’t need to feed on love anymore. She also explained where Fluttershy was and why she wasn’t with us.
When Twilight finished, Applejack said, “Oh, so that’s why the last thing ah remember is bein’ surrounded and pinned to the ground by changelings!”
Princess Luna said, “I must admit, part of me is impressed with how Queen Chrysalis pulled off her wicked scheme. I didn’t know she could be that cunning and ruthless.”
Rainbow pumped her hooves and growled. “I can’t believe it! Not only did they get cheap shots on me, I couldn’t even take at least one rotten changeling down with me!”
“Uh, about those ‘rotten’ changelings…” Sam pointed at the changelings staring at us.
We all turned our heads to them. This was awkward.
“Oh, right, they’re good now...I guess,” Rainbow said while rubbing the ground with a hoof.
“I guess we deserved that one,” one of the changelings said with an embarrassed smile. At least it wasn’t just us that felt some awkwardness.
Princess Cadance gasped and reminded, “Hold on, everypony. Queen Chrysalis is still on the loose! We can chat more later.”
That’s right! During our reunion, I forgot Queen Chrysalis was still running through the caves. If she really wouldn’t change, we had to catch her before she got away! We also still had to free Fluttershy and Discord.
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Like the way you took the story, especially with Starlight’s displayed fears and emotions
10268243
Thanks, and glad to hear I did that well. This is the first story I tried a first-person narration with a canon character. Starlight's one of the few that I feel I have the best chance of nailing, so I gave it a try..
oh shit, Discord and Fluttershy is still gone!
Totally forgot! Go get em'!
When they were going to drain sam... I expected the evil side of humanity to show up after the drain and he turn into a rage fueled killing machine. Generally can't happen to a pony but sure can happen to a man.