Dawn of the Storm

by Real Solaris

Electric Bugaloo -Caution- Editing in Progress-

The Changeling Kingdom wasn’t always the lush landscape that it is today. It was once a barren landscape devoid of life due to the former Queen Chrysalis. She didn’t know it’s the time, but when she constructed her throne centuries ago, it had prevented anything from growing besides the toughest of weeds, since most plant life in Equis needed some form of magic to flourish and grow. After Chrysalis was defeated by Thorax and her throne was destroyed, the ecosystem could finally come back after centuries of being gone. Now, the jagged hills are covered in grass and trees, and foliage adds the extra color to the hive it so desperately needed. The newly dubbed Light Changelings were much happier with their new way of life, having given up taking love and started to give it instead, and though there were some unforeseen obstacles that came with this change, Thorax had done well to help them adapt to it. With the help of Starlight Glimmer and Trixie, they created a strong relationship with Equestria and became an official ally to the ponies. Lucky for the Changelings too, as they would need the pony’s help very soon.

Over by the outskirts of the Changeling Kingdom, Team Fashion Project had arrived right where magic would’ve been nullified when Chrysalis’ throne was still intact. As for why Celestia didn’t just teleport the team right to front door of the hive, that was because there were still small patches of magic null zones dotted about the biome where shards of the old throne sat. While not as powerful all together, the shards could still block a pony’s magic. Celestia knew they could still affect her magic, and she didn’t want to accidentally teleport the team through a null zone. Past experience had shown her that interrupting a teleport spell while it was being cast could be disastrous, often resulting in the caster getting shot out of the pocket dimension magic users went through when teleporting. But in worst case scenarios, they could be ripped apart and turned to mush by the insane forces they would experience from the exiting the pocket dimension. Luckily, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, such a thing only occurred when the caster was inexperienced and wasn’t knowledged in the art of magic. Still, as powerful as she was, Celestia could still make mistakes, and she wasn’t about to take the chance.

“Hoo-wee, this place is lookin’ better n’ better every time ah see it!” Applejack exclaims, holding her Stetson hat in place with a hoof as a gust of wind blows by. “Thorax has done a purty good job of cleanin’ up th’ place.”

“Indeed,” Rarity nods, trotting up to the edge of the cliff. “And with the entirety of his race nominating him as king, he has a whole kingdom to back him up should something go wrong.”

“Well, he was th’ first one ta change,” Applejack notes, sliding down the hill. “Anyways, we should probably git goin’. We don’t want to keep ‘em waitin’!”

“Just a second, Applejack,” Rarity says, facing the guards. “Would you handsome guards be willing to check the area for this storm we’re looking for? That would be greatly appreciated.”

“Um, Miss Rarity?” A female thestral hesitantly gestures to a few other female guards. “Not all of us are exactly ‘handsome’ material.”

“Oh, I know what I said,” Rarity giggles, flipping her hair. “That doesn’t mean it’s not true, no?”

The thestral’s cheeks and ear tips take on a pink hue as she everts her eyes from the fashionista, rubbing her arm in embarrassment as a few guards watch in amusement.

Applejack rolls her eyes. “Alright, Rares, stop flirtin’ with ‘em let ‘em git on with their job.”

“Ruin my fun, will you?” She scoffs, but the small smile on her muzzle betrays her. “Also, it would be greatly appreciated if a few of you handsome guards escorted Applejack and I to the hive.”

The guards hold their laughter in the best they can, but a few snickers get past them. To their growing amusement, the mare that spoke up was one of the five that stepped forward, though her flushed face had deepened in color as she slips into Rarity’s shadow, making it slightly darker. Another thestral slips into Applejack’s shadow, while a unicorn takes the lead and two Pegasi hover just behind them. The rest of the team splits into similar groups, and they take off in different directions.

Rarity and Applejack are led to the worn path that leads to the hive, their guards keeping an eye out for any trouble. But, they weren’t observant enough to spot the pair of floating, electric green eyes watching them from afar, keeping a good distance away from them to avoid detection but close enough to see the designs etched in the Element’s around their necks.

About halfway down the path to the hive, the bushes in front of them rustle slightly, putting the guards on high alert. The pegasi’s wings crackle with electricity and the unicorn readies his magic to fling at the slightest hint of danger. The thestrals don’t leave the Elements’ shadows, but the gleam of their eyes indicates their readiness to pounce at a moments notice. Applejack grabs a lasso from underneath her hat, clenching one end in her mouth and the other in her right hoof, swinging it around while her eyes darting back and forth. Rarity conjures up a shield in the shape of a diamond, which is enough to encompass herself entirely.

“Who’s there?!” Exclaims the unicorn, aiming his horn at the bushes. “Show yourself!”

“Hmph, as you wish,” A voice says from the bush, and a column of green light encompasses it. once it fades away, a large Light Changeling stands in its place. His body is a dark green-blue, his shell, underbody, and eyes differing shades of dark to light purple. A tint of red rises from his underbelly and fades into his neck, his horns and tail sporting a similar shade of red, and his chest has three ornate opals embedded into it. Rarity looks the Changeling before them once, twice, and then a third time before her eyes widen.

“Wait, I know you!” Rarity says, lowering her shield. “You’re Pharynx, right? Thorax’s brother? Starlight and Trixie told us what had happened when they came back from their friendship mission.”

“Ah, so you’re some of those ponies’ friends that helped reform me recently,” Pharynx says, nodding. Seeing that the Changeling wasn’t a threat, the guards relax, dissipating the electricity and magic from their bodies. “My brother mentioned you a few times before. What brings you all the way out here to the Changeling Kingdom with a Royal escort?”

“Wish it were a friendly visit,” Applejack sighs, putting her lasso back in her hat.“But there’s somethin’ we need ta talk ta Thorax about. Do ya think he’s open right now?”

“I believe so, yes,” Pharynx nods, and gestures them to follow him. “He’s in the Throne room dealing with some small issues within the hive right now. I can take his place as co-leader, but I have a feeling he’ll want to hear what you have to say.”

Rarity giggles, holding a hoof to her muzzle. “It’s good to see that Thorax has you to help keep thing running smoothly. I don’t think there have been any problems that we’ve heard of since he took the throne.”

“Well, I am more athletic than him,” Pharynx grins, letting his ego get the better of him. “He’s so busy with all of the political nonsense, so I don’t think he could protect the Hive as well as I could.”

“Ah bet he’s real happy to have a brother like you,” says Applejack. “Ah for one sure am happy ta have my siblings around ta help with chores around th’ farm when things git real busy.”

“Yeah, he sure is,” He agrees, smiling as he remembers his days as a grub with Thorax. “Anyway, enough reminiscing about the past. Let’s get you to my brother and see what’s up.”

They make the trip to the Hive in about five minutes, and as they walk through the entrance, the ponies are shocked to see what lay inside. Instead of the elaborate maze it was before, the place had been hollowed out, giving the Changelings the chance to build homes and even stores into the walls. Stairs wrapped up the sides and spiraled to the ceiling, mainly created for creatures that couldn’t fly, but Changelings that preferred to walk than flit about the air used it too, which made the place seem busier than it really was.

A few Changelings stop to stare at the newcomers, but the look away after a moment before going back to what they were doing. Pharynx leads them up the stairs to the top, where two guards stand on the sides of a large archway, similar to the entrance of the hive. Pharynx converses with the two guards for a moment, and just as they finish speaking, a Changeling walks out of the throne room. Pharynx nods to the guards and then gestures to the ponies to follow him. The throne room isn’t quite as extravagant as Canterlot’s, but it still hold a majestic feeling. A large chandelier made of polished Changeling goop and random gems glitter in the sunlight coming through the holes in the walls, making it look like it was glowing from the inside. The throne is similarly decorated, but instead of the abstract art that is the chandelier, whoever created this took the time to create a masterpiece. The Changeling goop is polished to such a degree that you can see through it in some parts, and them gems adorning it were meticulously fitted into the throne to the point that they had become a part of it. The stone of the Hive holds the throne in place, and a trim outlines the sides. On it sits King Thorax, co-leader of the Changelings. When he spots his brother, his face lights up, and he hops down from his ornate throne.

“Pharynx!” Thorax exclaims, embarking his older brother. The two hug for a moment before Thorax spots the Elements behind them. “Hey, Applejack! Rarity! It’s good to see you two! How’s Spike doing these days?”

“Very well, I would say,” Rarity smiles. “He’s been training with Tionic recently. I think you’ll find that he’s grown a lot since you last saw him, literally and figuratively.”

“That’s great to hear,” Thorax grins, happy to know that his first friend was doing. “If I get the chance, I’ll come visit sometime. By the way, what brings you here?”

“Somethin’ came up ‘round home,” Applejack says. “Now we got a new threat loomin’ an’ we think it’s gonna hit here pretty darn soon.”

“What?!” The two leaders exclaim. Pharynx bares his teeth, hissing. “Where is it?! I’ll rip it limb for limb if it gets anywhere near here!”

“We actually don’t know quite just yet,” Rarity grimaces. “It started this morning…”

“…and we believe that the storm is somewhere around here now.”

Thorax and Pharynx stand there dumbfounded, amazed, and slightly shaken by what they just heard.

“A-all of that happened this morning?” Thorax stammers, still trying to process the info dump. “Jeez, you guys really do attract trouble, don’t you?”

“Unfortunately, yeah,” Applejack shrugs. “But we manage, even though things get real tough sometimes.”

“What about this ‘human’ as you call it?” Pharynx asks, narrowing his eyes. “How does he fit into all of this?”

“He hasn’t fully explained that yet,” Rarity frowns. “He’s only told us what he knows about this other Storm King, as well as why he does. Maybe once this is all over, he’ll tell us more about what he knows.”

“Well, now that we know what’s going on,” Thorax trots towards the throne. “We can do what we can to help out.”

Sitting down, Thorax then concentrates, using the Hive mind as a means of communication to gather the Changelings to help protect their home. Soon, the dull buzz of wings echoes through the hive as hundreds of Changelings pour into the throne room, each one eager to help.

“Changelings, I called you here because of utmost importance!” calls out their leader. “The Hive is threatened by an unknown enemy, as well as Equestria itself. Our friends here need your help in stopping this threat, and I hope that you will do your part. I will not force you to go, but any Changeling that is willing may come with us. Are you with me?”

The low din turns into a roar as they all buzz their wings in agreement. Nodding, Thorax turns to Applejack and Rarity. “You have the full strength of the Hive with you, my friends.”

“Thank you, Thora- !!!” Rarity is cut off by a clap of thunder that illuminates the room as a bolt flies through the roof and strikes the ground. Suddenly, a figure drops down from the ceiling, surrounded by smoke. The figure then begins to cackle menacingly, which everyone present instantly recognizes.

“I-it can’t be!” Thorax stammers, his ears flat against his head. Pharynx crouches, gritting his teeth as he hisses in anger at the figure. Applejack, Rarity, their guards, and the Changelings go on the defensive, knowing full well what was about to happen, Rarity whispers something to the unicorn, and he nods before quietly slipping away. “Why are you here Chrysalis?!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” She cackles, grinning maniacally. “It’s good to see you too, usurper! I see you have taken well to your new title, haven’t you? I hope you enjoyed it, because I’ll be taking back what’s rightfully mine!”

She turns to Thorax, her tongue slithering in and out as she eyes the leader. “Be a gentlebuggy and step down from there, would you?” asks Chrysalis, narrowing her eyes. “I would hate to have to hurt one of my subjects over such a petty matter.”

“What?! No!” Thorax exclaims with rage in his voice. “I’m not going to let you retake the throne! You were a horrible leader, and you didn’t care what your actions did to others!”

“I was doing it for the good of the Hive!” Chrysalis shouts back, clearly agitated by Thorax’s accusation. “Everything I did was to help my subjects survive the struggles we were facing!”

“But ya didn’ care what ya did to do that though!” Applejack shouts, her lasso at the ready. “By doin’ that, ya couldn’ see what you were doin’ was hurtin’ other ponies and Mobians!”

“They don’t matter!” Chrysalis exclaims as the keratin that makes up her mane begins to spark. “All that matters is the survival of the Changelings and that was it! And now I have the means to do just that!”

A bolt of lightning strikes Chrysalis, consuming her whole as pink light bathes the room. Once it dies down, they see Chrysalis slowly getting up, chuckling slowly before growing to crazed laughter. Standing to her full height, everyone sees that the former queen has changed dramatically. The holes in her hooves and horn were now filled with Storm Plasma, making them look like it was being contained within her body. Several strange glyphs glow and fade on said appendages, as Storm Lightning courses through Chrysalis’ veins. The keratin making up her hair had changed into a deep color of purple, sparking every so often. The shell on her back was now a deep blue, same for her underside. Her eyes were now bright pink, the iris jagged like a bolt of lightning.

“What in Celestia’s mane is that?!” Rarity screeches, reeling back in shock. Chrysalis grins, laughing manically as everyone present wonders what was going to happen next. Without warning, she appears behind Thorax with a crazed look on her muzzle, causing him to reel back in fear and shock.

“How did you do that?!” He exclaims, stepping off the throne momentarily. Having not felt any magical backwash, he was taken off guard by the sudden appearance of the former queen. Collecting his nerves, he casts a spell, firing the orb of magic that formed between his two horns at Chrysalis. But just before it hits, the former queen disappears again, letting the orb destroy the tip of the throne. She reappears back in the center of the room, an evil gem plastered on her face.

“Just testing some of my new abilities,” Chrysalis answers, turning to a nearby group of Changelings. “And I think I know just what to test them on.”

Raising a hoof, a high-pitched whine is heard charging up before a bolt of Storm Lightning jumps from it and strikes the Changelings. They scream out in pain, their bodies spasming from the electricity. But instead of charring them, something else happened, to everyone’s horror. The Light Changelings revert back to Dark Changelings, sporting the same colors, runes, and sparking keratin as their queen. Their eyes look dead, no emotion showing as they hover behind Chrysalis. The rest of the Changelings shrink back into the tunnels whence they came from, trying to get some distance between them and the former queen.

“What did ya do ta them, ya varmint?!” Applejack growls, her muscles tensed, ready to pounce as her magic flows through her. “How’d ya turn ‘em back like that?!”

“All I did was show them the truth,” cackles the queen. “I showed them that I am their queen, and they followed obediently!”

“Don’t you mean painfully and not of their own free will?!” Pharynx hisses, his horn glowing brightly. “This is why you could never lead us! You forced us to follow you no matter what!”

“Silence, you insolent little pest!” says Chrysalis, the deep blue shell on her back beginning to color shift to hot pink as she sparks. “You have no right to speak like that to your queen!”

“You are not my queen!” He roars, camouflaging himself. This sends Chrysalis in a loop as he disappears from sight.

“Where did you -?!” Dull thuds draw her attention behind her as three of the controlled Changelings fall to the ground unconscious, the lightning leaving their bodies as they revert back to their colorful forms. She’s barely able to register this when forty spears held by thestrals and pegasi are aimed at her, each poised to run her through at any moment. When Chrysalis had barged into the throne room, Rarity told the guard unicorn to sneak away and send up a flare to alert the others. The guards easily saw the red smoke of the flare spell, and even if they hadn’t seen it, the gathering storm above the Hive and the clap of thunder that echoed through the biome certainly did.

A lasso snags Chrysalis’ legs out from underneath her, and she hits the floor hard. Applejack pulls tight on the rope, clenching her teeth so as to not let go while Rarity and Thorax fire two magic beams that hit the queen square in the face. This only serves to further enrage the queen, and her body sparks even more.

“ENOUGH!” She shouts, her voice echoing twice as she emits a shockwave that knocks her attackers back and turns the rope around her ankles to ash. “I came here to reclaim my throne and subjects, and that’s what I intend to do! Now get out of the way before I do something that you will regret!”

“You know that I won’t just give up the throne that easily, right?” Thorax grunts, standing defiantly before the queen. “I have a sworn duty to protect the Hive and my kind from threats like you!”

“It’s your funeral then,” cackles the queen. She then flies up and hovers, charging what looks like a ball of energy in between her hole-filled hooves. “Now my subjects, let me return you to your former glory before these pests came along and ruined everything! Embrace the storm and gain a new power, unlike anything you’ve ever felt!!”

She throws the orb in the center of the room at an incredible speed, which barely gives Rarity and Applejack enough time to tackle Thorax and Pharynx behind the throne, and the guards to duck out of the way. The orb explodes into a violent shower of pink sparks and electricity that home onto the unfortunate Changelings that hadn’t fled the room. Each is painfully turned into a Stormling, their minds now under the control of their new queen. As they flutter down behind her, Chrysalis cackles once again before speaking.

“I am no longer Queen Chrysalis,” she says, a crazed look on her face as her voice echoes loudly in the enclosed space. “I am Lampyris, Monarch of the Storm! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”

“Hmph! Why does every villain we fight have to be so self-centered?!” grimaces Rarity, smoothing the flyaways back into her mane before turning to the Changeling leaders. “Are you two alright? I know that it was so sudden, but we had to get you to safety.”

“I’ll be fine,” Pharynx says, gritting his teeth as he shakes his head free of dust and dirt. “Once I get my hooves on that traitor and rip her throat out that is!”

“I’m just worried for the others,” sighs Thorax, peeking out from behind the throne to look at the converted Changelings. All of them stand stock still behind Lampyris, who is still laughing. “They were forced into that form by Lampyris, and she’s controlling them just like she did so many years ago!”

“Hey, now don’ ya worry about a thing, sugarcube!” says Applejack, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “We’ll git ‘em back to normal faster than a chicken bein’ chased by a fox!”

“Luckily it’s pretty easy to turn them back,” states Pharynx, eyeing the cackling queen. “They just need to be knocked out and that Storm stuff leaves their bodies.”

But that still leaves Lampyris,“ says Rarity, her face turning grim. “How are we going to take down somepony like her when she’s imbued with the power of the Storm?”

“I don’t know,” groans Thorax, putting his hooves to his temple. “But we need to figure something quick, or this isn’t going to end well for us or Equestria.”

“Agreed,” nods Pharynx, turning to his brother. “I say we knock out the drones first before dealing with Lampyris. It might give us some time to figure something out.”

“That we can do right now,” Thorax says, turning to face Applejack. “Can you help me distract Lampyris while Rarity and my brother relay a message to your guards?”

“Sure thing!” says Applejack, grinning. As Pharynx and Rarity move out, she leans in to hear what the Changeling leader has to say. “Whatcha have in mind?”

“We’ll need something big to get her attention,” He muses, weighing his options. “Something that she can’t resist. You wouldn’t happen to have a stallionfriend, would you?”

“Ah actually have a marefriend,” Applejack says, a slight blush on her cheeks as she rubs the back of her head. “But what does that have to do with - wait a gosh darn minute! Are you sayin’ what ah think you’re sayin’?!”

“Applejack, it’s the only way this’ll work!” says Thorax pleadingly. “You have to trust me on this!”

“Nuh-uh!” Applejack shakes her head fervently, now blushing furiously. “We ain’t bringin’ her into this!”

“Do you have any other ideas then?!”

Still blushing, the mare looks down at her fetlocks before responding. “…no, ah don’t.”

“This is as hard on me as it is on you Applejack,” Thorax says, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “When this is all said and done, I promise I won’t say a thing to anypony.”

“Ya promise?” asks Applejack, holding a hoof out.

“Promise,” Thorax shakes it, sealing the deal. “Now I’m going to need you to describe her to me in great detail if this is to work the first time.”

“Alright, alright,” sighs Applejack, still blushing, albeit less than before. “Ah’ll tell ya. Just don’ get any ideas, okay?!”

Back with Rarity and Pharynx, the two split off to find the Royal guards that were knocked away in hopes that they could still help them. All the while, Lampyris is still laughing, cackling harder than she ever had before.

‘Sheesh! She’s been going for a solid five minutes!’ Pharynx thinks, eyeing the queen. ‘How long is she gonna go on for? I know she was crazy, but this is -!’

A sudden and familiar sensation flows over the leader’s senses, surprising him. ‘Wait, is that what I think it is?’ He thinks. Looking over to behind the throne, he spots where it feels strongest.

‘So that’s your plan, eh Thorax?’ Pharynx chuckles, getting in position. ‘We’ll be ready in just a moment, just hold out a little longer.’

Lampyris immediately stops cackling, her head snapping towards the throne as she feels the sensation wash over her. Like a moth to a flame, she slowly buzzes over. She is nearly upon the source when she hears a series of thuds sound out behind her. Whipping around, Lampyris barely manages to catch the sight of the Royal Guards standing above her now ‘reformed’ Changelings before an invisible hoof slams into her muzzle. The force of the punch slams the monarch into the ground with enough force to bounce her back up into the air, allowing Pharynx to decloak and round-house-kick her across the throne room, and out the Hive.

Landing gracefully, Pharynx turns towards the throne. “Alright you two, come on out. We still have a monarch to dethrone again.” Applejack and Thorax hastily trot out, both of their faces flushed deep red.

“What happened back there,” Applejack mutters, pulling her hat over her blushing face. “Ain’t never gon’ leave this here room, ya hear me?”

“A-agreed,” stammers Thorax, equally embarrassed as the mare. Rarity, being the love enthusiast (and extremist) she is, perks up after seeing the blushing faces of her friends.

“Oh? What might that be?” She grins slyly. “You can tell me, I won’t spill!”

Applejack’s face flushes an even deeper red, pulling her hat down even further before stammering out an answer, her accent getting thicker and thicker. “A-Ah’m not gunna say a thang to ya, ya hear me? Ah don’ wan’ Silver tuh git mad at me agein.”

“Oh, come on darling, please?” whines Rarity, almost begging her friend to tell her. “I must know the details!”

“Ah said no, Rares!” exclaims the country mare, stomping her hoof. Still blushing, she turns around as what looks like a tear falls to the ground. “A-ah can’t let her know ‘bout this. Ah just can’t.”

Rarity notices the tear that falls from her friend’s muzzle and realizes that she may have gone too far. “Oh, I’m so sorry Applejack,” she says, giving the mare a tight hug. “I went too far and didn’t realize that I was hurting you. Can you ever forgive me?”

“It’s alright, Rares,” says Applejack, returning the hug. “Ah got a little worked up there and took it out on ya.”

“All is forgiven,” says the fashionista. The two mares end the embrace before turning to the Changelings leaders and the guards, some on the verge of tears after seeing such a display of friendship. “Sorry about that, everypony. We just needed to get a little something out of systems.”

“Finally!” Pharynx exclaims, heading towards the exit. “I’m itching to get back to pummeling Lampyris again!”

“Pharynx!” Thorax snaps, glaring at his brother. “Don’t act like that, it’s rude!”

“It’s alright,” says Applejack, readjusting her Stetson on her mane. “We’re used to that since Dash did it all the time a few years back.”

“Well excuse me for wanting to get stop the crazed queen that’s still on the loose,” Pharynx deadpans. “Can you really blame me for trying to protect the Hive?”

“No, not really,” Thorax groans, an annoyed look on his face. “But we really don’t have time for this right now.”

“Indeed,” agrees Rarity, flipping her mane out of her face. “Let’s try to stop the menace that currently threatening our lives before we get to that.”

As if on cue, the wall of the throne room explodes, sending bits and pieces of debris everywhere. An enraged Lampyris flies through, her horn sparking with electricity as she channels her magic, eyes locked on Pharynx.

“I will make you feel pain unlike anything you’ve ever felt before, insect!” she shouts, her body crackling with electricity. “Now feel the wrath of the Storm!”

She fires the spell, sending a Storm-fused magic bolt straight for the leader. Thinking quickly, Rarity jumps in front of Pharynx and casts a shield spell, which manages to bounce the spell right back at Lampyris, knocking her out of the sky.

“Quick thinking Rarity!” exclaims the Changeling, grinning. “That probably would’ve fried me if it had hit!”

“Anything for a friend,” says the fashionista, before redirecting her attention back to Lampyris. “Now let’s teach this ruffian a little lesson, shall we?”

“Gladly!” Pharynx exclaims, nodding to his brother before they both take off in opposite directions. Lampyris is just recovering from getting hit by her own spell when both leaders when Applejack suddenly runs up to her.

“Let’s take this outside, shall we?” the mare asks, before winding up a punch, that, along with Thorax and Pharynx’s own hooves, sends the monarch flying back through the hole she made once again and crashing into the ground.

“Why you little…!” she growls, eyeing the hole as her attackers climb through it. “You’ll pay for this!”

“Try an’ get us then!” taunts Applejack as she, Rarity, and the leaders split up into four different directions, forcing the monarch to choose one over the other.

"Hold still you little bug!" Lampyris exclaims, choosing Thorax as her primary target as she fires spell after spell after the Changeling leader. "Tell me, why do you think -AGH!!"

While the monarch was concentrating on Thorax, Applejack and Pharynx had snuck up behind her, both pummeling Lampyris' back before slamming their hooves down at the same time, causing her wings to lock up from the shock. This, along with a boulder that Rarity had levitated above the monarch, slammed the monarch into the ground, buried by the bits and pieces of the shattered boulder when it hit the earth. But before they can celebrate, a shockwave of Storm Lightning pulverizes the rubble, revealing one very angry Changeling. She suddenly starts to charge up a massive spell, her back shell slowly getting brighter the more power she put into the now-growing ball of energy above her horn. Seeing what she was trying to do, Thorax, Pharynx, and Rarity pour all of their mana into a shield spell, hoping that it would hold against the attack. She fires, the spell slamming into the shield at breakneck speed. With help from Applejack bracing it, the shield slides back just a few feet before stopping the attack - but only for so long. Cracks begin to appear in the shield as the beam of Storm Lightning and magic slowly eats away at it.

"Answer me this, you usurpers!" shouts Lampyris, her eyes glowing brighter as her anger grew, the power behind the beam growing. "Was I not a good enough leader, even after caring for you and looking after you for so many centuries?! What did I do wrong to earn such disloyalty?!"

"You thought of us as nothing but pawns!" Thorax retorts, struggling to keep the shield up as it cracks even further under the immense pressure of the beam. "You didn't care if something happened to us! If you sent a Changeling on a mission and they didn't come back, you didn't care! And during invasions, you didn't even stop to think about the casualties! We were tired of having to deal with those losses over and over, Chrysalis! That's why we chose to become what we are today, it was so we could live our lives it he way we wanted to in peace without worrying if it was our last day to live!"

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. With a scream of what can only be described as animalistic, Lampyris goes into a rampage, redirecting all of the mana she had into firing bolt after beam in every which direction, hoping that one of them would hit her attackers. Unfortunately for her, they all manage to dodge the attacks in time, hiding behind rubble.

“Enough with your lies and slander, you rotten little bug!” screams Lampyris, her anger consuming her as Storm Lightning flies off her body. “I am the one true ruler of the Storm and the Changelings, and you cannot take that away from me!!” Everypony backpedals away as fast as possible, avoiding bolts of lightning as they try to get some distance between them and the now raging monarch. Struggling against the odds of not having enough power to stop Lampyris, Applejack racks her brain for anything she could use.

‘C’mon, girl, ya gotta think of something!’ Applejack thinks, pushing herself to do something. Then an idea hits her. “Pharynx, ah need ya to throw me!”

“What?!” he exclaims, whipping around to face the farmpony. “Why would you want me to -! Oh, I see where you’re going with this.”

“If ya do,” says Applejack, jumping back to avoid another stray bolt of Storm Lightning. “Then let’s do it already!”

Nodding, the Changeling picks the mare up, hovering up into the sky, and begins to spin as fast as he dared. When he felt that he reached a sufficient speed, Pharynx lets go, flinging Applejack through a dust cloud to mask her presence from the monarch.

“I will eradicate you all!” screams Lampyris, her eyes wild with rage. “Then, I'll go on to take vaporize the rest of your silly little friends and-!”

She never finishes her rant. Applejack comes flying out of the dust cloud, a hoof reeled back as she gets ready to give it everything she had. Channeling all her strength into that one punch, combined with her increased speed from the launch, she lands a devastating haymaker into Lampyris’ jawline. The force of the attack knocks out every last bit of Storm Lightning from the monarch’s body, turning her back in an instant.

“N-no… I was… I was supposed to win…” Chrysalis mutters, her eyes rolling back as she falls to the ground while Applejack lands gracefully before readjusting her hat. All of the Storm clouds that hung over the battlefield immediately disappear, letting the sun reign over the sky once again.

“Hoo-wee, now that’s more like it!” she exclaims, gazing up into the blue sky while giving her hoof a shake, trying to rid the throbbing coming from it.

“Applejack, darling that was amazing!” exclaims Rarity, giving her friend a strong hug. “How’d you come up with that idea to throw yourself?”

“Ah remembered somethin’ that Sonic n’ Tails did a while back,” answers the farmpony, returning the hug. “Couldn’t have done it without Pharynx’s help, though!”

“It was impressive,” agrees the Changeling, nodding in agreement. “I never would have thought of it myself!”

“And it’s a good thing too,” says Thorax, slowly making his way over to them. “If that had dragged on any longer than it did, we would’ve lost against her!”

“Speaking of which, where did that crazy bug go?” wonders Rarity, looking around the battlefield for Chrysalis. “She was here just a moment ago.”

“Wait, she’s gone?!” Pharynx shouts, gritting his teeth. In a flash of green, he turns into a large gray wolf and starts sniffing around the spot Chrysalis was last in to find her trail. “She can’t have gone far! Especially not in that state!”

“Pharynx, don’t,” Thorax says, placing a hoof on the wolf’s side. “She’ll be back, and you get the chance to take her down again. Right now we need to rest after such a fight.”

The wolf pauses for a moment, looking off into the distance for a moment. He sighs in defeat before turning back and facing Thorax. “Then what do you suggest we do? Sit around and do nothing?”

“I was thinking more along the line of getting ourselves cleaned up a bit,” Thorax suggests, gesturing to the dirt and blood still oozing from his brother’s body before facing the Elements. “Do you two want to try out our spa? All expenses will be paid, of course.”

“Oh my stars!” Rarity exclaims, excitingly trotting towards the Hive. “I thought you would never ask! I’ve always wanted to try a Changeling Spa, since I’ve heard they work wonders for your muscles, but I haven’t gotten the chance until now!”

“Classic Rarity,” Applejack chuckles, following in her friend’s footsteps. “Always tryin’ to look good.”

Author's Note:

Yes, yes, it’s been a while since I posted a chapter. But it’s not like I haven’t done anything with this though. The final two chapters are completed, but I just need to finish the three that come after this chapter before I post the finals. I promise that this will be done by year’s end.