Death of a Queen

by Arkane12

28: Out of the Frying Pan . . .

Queen Iris staggered back. The burning flames licked at her shell, sending long, forking cracks through her chitin. She raised a foreleg over her eyes, shielding them from the intense heat. Her mane ignited.

“Where’s Thorax?” Starlight asked, helping Twilight stand. Spike appeared over her shoulder to assess the situation.

“I don’t know,” Twilight yelled back, barely audible over the crackling of fire.

Iris whipped her horn through the air, pressing back the attack with a shield of hexagonal green glass.

Chrysalis stopped to catch her breath. Several small bonfires around the room had become self-sustaining as they consumed the swirling banners and wooden structure.

“You insolent bug,” Iris shouted, her shield shattering and her calm veneer twisting.

“Silence,” Chrysalis roared, slamming her claws down into the stone. The resulting quake knocked the changeling to the floor. The dragon flared her wings. The columns toppled under the sheer force of the gale. The flames quivered ferociously but did not extinguish.

“There.” Starlight tapped Twilight on the shoulder, drawing her attention to the stunned Thorax still lying in a crater.

Twilight unleashed her magic, teleporting Thorax to the two ponies.

“You alright?” Twilight asked, pulling the changeling to the most undamaged section of the room.

“I think so. What did I miss?” He asked, gesturing toward the dragon.

“I think your mom has anger issues,” Starlight joked.

“That’s Chrysalis?” He choked.

The dragon crawled forward, her wicked claws tearing through the stone into the dirt beneath it with each step. Iris cowered beneath the creature, an unfamiliar sensation of exhaustion enveloping her.

Chrysalis lowered her head, pulling back her lips to display her oversized cuspids.

“Stay back,” Iris commanded. She tried to retreat from the dragon, only for her back to hit the wall.

“Goodbye, Iris. Return to the oblivion you deserve,” Chrysalis snarled. Her fangs glittered as the flames tore through them, now pulled tight into a stream of heat, rather than the sweeping bellows from before.

Iris tried to summon her shield, but her magic refused to heed her call. The ancient changeling queen could only watch as the flames poured forth, their agonizing embrace reflected in her final hopeless stare.

She closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable.

It wasn’t the pain that caught Iris off guard. Rather, she found herself smiling as her chitin tore away. Even above the roar of dragon-fire, a mad cackle echoed through the hall. Twilight and the other observers, squinted through the flames, watching the doomed changeling rear up on her hind legs.

Iris tried to steady her form with her wings, only for them to disintegrate in a cloud of ash. Her laughter tore through both the nightmare and its denizens. Strangest of all, even to Iris herself: the laugh sounded joyful. One final moment of agony lost in a fit of maniacal bliss.

Even bound in the knowledge that she was nothing but a fake, Iris’ final breath held nothing but pride in her daughter.

Her body fell to pieces. The pieces fell to ash. The ash fell to shadow, snaking away through fissures tearing open in the dream space.

A flash of green left Chrysalis, now back in her sleek black form, standing amidst the ruins of her own Armageddon.

“Everyone alright?” Chrysalis called, stretching her more familiar equine features.

“Are we alright? Are you alright?” Twilight shook her head. She galloped toward the changeling, nearly knocking her over as she tackled her lovingly.

“It doesn’t matter how I am.” Chrysalis accepted a quick squeeze from the alicorn before pushing her back. “I nearly killed you all.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve had to dodge dragon fire,” Twilight explained.

“I don’t mean that. I’m not that oblivious, Twilight. I meant with Iris. I couldn’t control myself, but I was still aware of everything that happened. I thought I was going to lose you,” Chrysalis muttered.

“I’m fine too, by the way,” Thorax snarked, stepping up to join the group. Starlight followed, Spike still attached to her shoulder.

“Thorax. I’m sorry. I should have intervened sooner.”

“Would you relax?” Thorax smiled. Though most of his color had returned, portions of his chitin had already thinned, reduced to grey powder clinging to his body.

“What part of what just happened should I be calm about?”

“I’ll tell you what you should be focused on,” Starlight intervened. “Did you just turn into a dragon?”

“I did.”

“Since when could you do that? Thorax, why didn’t you do that earlier?” Starlight stammered.

“I can’t do that,” Thorax snorted.

“You’ve turned into me before,” Spike noted, slightly offended.

“Yeah, but you’re still a little dragon. A big one like that would take every ounce of energy I’ve got and more.”

“Normally, a trick like that is suicidal. Even for me.” Chrysalis crinkled her muzzle, trying to hide the slight blue tint of her cheeks. “But we’re stuck in my head. Once I could think straight again, I could do pretty much anything I wanted.”

“Power limited only by imagination. Are we sure we want to leave this place?” Thorax asked, hopefully sarcastically.

“Don’t you start with that,” Twilight chided. “I already had to give up my perfect world, so don’t you go getting any bright ideas.”

“Besides,” Chrysalis glanced around, agitated. “I would prefer not to spend any more time here than absolutely necessary.”

“Right. Let’s head back to the castle, then,” Twilight commanded.

The group, now whole again, filed back out the throne room. The miasmic portal still swirled in the mouth of the cave.

“Would have saved me a lot of trouble had that been here earlier,” Chrysalis whined.

“Was it really that obvious to you that this was a dream?” Twilight questioned, frowning.

“Well, last time I saw this place, it was a smoking ruin. So yes, that made the decision a little easier. Besides, you grow numb to your nightmares after you see them a few times. Of course, they were never this . . . capable before.”

They piled into the portal, crossing back through that dark swirling void before stepping out into the corrupted hallway of Canterlot Castle.

“So, where to from here?” Chrysalis glanced up and down the length of the hallway.

“My best guess? Celestia’s room. That’s where this all started, right?” Starlight offered.

“That’s as good a place as any to start,” Twilight agreed.

The party aligned themselves before Celestia’s door. Unease radiated from the other side. Starlight checked to make sure Spike was secure before nodding to Twilight. Thorax leaned close to his mother, granting her an uneasy but loving grin.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Chrysalis questioned. “I don’t think the sun is coming up any time soon.”

“Let’s do this.”

In unison, they stepped forward. As Twilight and Chrysalis reached for the handles, no portal appeared to whisk them away. Instead, the silver levers turned. The doors creaked open, revealing a perfect mirage of the bedroom.

They filed inside. Celestia lay motionless, draped in the fine linens of her bed’s curtains. Glowing embers in the fireplace offered the slightest respite from the cold night. The clock ticked away on the wall.

Luna waited inside, staring out at the starry night. Twilight wondered if she imagined the image of a mare’s proud face adorning the cratered surface of the full moon.

“Luna?” Twilight stepped forward from their formation.

The dark princess kept her back to them, speaking in soft whispers.

“Twilight? What are you doing here so late?”

“Do you know what’s happening, Luna?”

“I do.”

“This nightmare. Is this your responsibility?”

“It is.”

“Can you take us home?”

“I’m afraid not, Twilight.”

“Why not?”

Twilight took another step forward. Her companions followed, keeping Twilight well within their reach.

“None of us can leave, Twilight. She has seen to that.”

“You speak of that creature?” Chrysalis scoffed, joining Twilight.

“The Nightmare.”

She spoke its name fondly, as one might the name of a long-lost lover.

“Why would you do this, Luna?” Twilight demanded.

“She told me to.”

“And you obeyed?”

“Of course. I would never imagine otherwise.”

“Look at me, Luna,” Twilight ordered.

The mare observed the world outside the glass. At the edge of the horizon, a star faded.

“She told you to look,” Chrysalis repeated.

The coals in the hearth froze.

“I don’t think that’s Luna,” Starlight interjected, stepping back from the shadows that nibbled at her hooves.

“Quite astute of you, Starlight. As I expected from such a promising student,” the thing wearing Luna’s visage said. Luna’s maternal voice still rang out as she spoke, though it now echoed with a hellish rasp.

“Twilight,” Thorax cried. We’ve got a problem.”

Twilight and Chrysalis turned toward their allies. The shadows were consuming them, dragging them down into the abyss. Spike tried to leap from his perch, only to be snagged from the air by a dexterous tendril.

“I did not call to you,” the Nightmare roared. “Do not slander my domain with your presence any longer.”

Twilight snatched Starlight’s hoof.

Spike clutched desperately at Starlight. He held on until his claws drew blood. As the red seeped into his talons, he frowned, releasing his grip and allowing himself to be taken.

“Make sure you come back in one piece, Twilight. I still have a lot to learn.” Starlight chuckled as her hoof finally slipped from the princess’ grasp. Their two forms melted away into the dark.

Chrysalis still held Thorax. The changeling king had been seized by his hind legs. He kept his forelegs wrapped around his mother. The force pulling at him was great enough to drag Chrysalis along with it, leaving marks in the ground where her hooves dug desperately for purchase.

“Looks like you two are on your own,” Thorax said.

“Don’t let go,” Chrysalis begged.

“It’s alright. Go do what you have to. We’ll be waiting for you, alright?”

As his hold loosened, Thorax’s body started to pulse with green energy. It pulled away from him like mist, coalescing into an orb that floated nearby.

“What are you doing?” Chrysalis asked.

“Giving you everything I’ve got,” Thorax explained.

As the ball of energy swelled, the changeling king paled.

“Give her hell, Mom.”

With his strength sapped, Thorax slipped free, allowing the dark to swallow him.

“I will come back to you, I swear,” Chrysalis promised.

As she returned her focus to the Nightmare, Chrysalis claimed the energy that Thorax had left behind, drawing it in with a deep breath.

Though the shadows had already claimed their friends, it did not slow its assault. Before long, everything faded into the dark. Celestia. The furniture. The stars themselves. All was claimed by the encroaching abyss.

In its pursuit, the writhing dark claimed its master, too. Tendrils bound Luna, hardening into chains as they pulled her to the floor. The resulting cry of pain bore no demonic backing.

“Luna?” Twilight tried again.

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I was too weak to stop it,” Luna cried. She struggled against her bindings, but they held firm.

Beneath the light of the moon, Luna’s shadow stretched across the stone floor. With a deliberate slowness, it peeled from its dimensions, standing in a mocking recreation of Luna, wings flared and head held high.

“Welcome to my domain,” the Nightmare welcomed.

“Let Luna go,” Twilight commanded.

The Nightmare strolled pridefully around the room, circling her captives.

“Twilight Sparkle. Princess of Magic and Friendship. Chrysalis. A Royal changeling stripped of her crown. I must admit, your audacity is awe-inspiring.”

“What do you want from us?” Chrysalis snarled.

“I want nothing from you. I am simply fulfilling my duty.”

“What duty? You’re a monster,” Twilight barked.

“Perhaps I am. Such titles mean nothing here.”

“We’re taking Luna back with us,”

“You will try.”

“If it’s a fight you’re looking for . . .” Chrysalis growled.

“We’re happy to oblige,” Twilight finished.

The two readied their magic, stepping back to back.

“Very well. I will take great pains to ensure your dreams are more . . . captivating . . . this time around.”

The Nightmare spread her wings. The tower exploded, showering stone for miles across the abandoned countryside. The rest of the castle crumbled, leaving only the raised stone platform jutting from the ground like an unkept tombstone. The creature rose into the air, framing herself against the silver moon.

Twilight gasped.

Chrysalis growled.

Even the Nightmare, lost in the euphoria of its awakening power, turned over its shoulder.

Together, they watched the shadows creep across the moon, removing it from the sky. One by one, the stars vanished.

“Welcome to oblivion,” the Nightmare whispered.

“Twilight.”

The princess turned at the sound of her name.

Chrysalis stood by her side, a pained smile on her lips.

“Yeah?”

The changeling returned her attention to the Nightmare.

“I’m afraid I won’t be much use in this fight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Thorax gave me what little magic he had left. Hopefully, it’ll last me for a while, but once it’s gone . . .”

“I understand.”

Chrysalis sighed.

“I don’t like our odds.”

Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder.

“I’ve seen worse.”

“Whatever happens here, just know that I’ve enjoyed our time together, Twilight.”

“I did too, Chrysalis.”

The Nightmare unleashed a devilish whinny. Lightning forked across the sky. Twilight felt the rain start to fall. She took a deep breath.

“Let’s finish this.”

Comments

[Razzy]

Give her the People's Elbow, Chryssie!

[Doctor_Den]

Really? I think that making Nightmare moon a banal obsession with Princess Luna by an evil spirit would be the most boring scenario move. It kills the whole drama of the situation.
P.S. sorry for my English