TCE: Judgment
The eight of us stood in eerie silence, a tense sense of unease permeating the air. Even Pinkie's energetic bounding had stopped, the pink mare standing still as as a statue as she too watched the changeling closely.
"Be careful, girls," I broke the silence, knowing I had to warn them. None of them reacted to my voice, nor did our foe. "This isn't Chrysalis."
...
"Err, Sunset...?" Rainbow Dash kept her eyes on our enemy as she spoke. She was clearly confused. A reasonable reaction. "Preeeetty sure this is Chrys-"
"No, she's right, Rainbow," Trixie confirmed my claim, uncomfortably shifting her weight from one hoof to the other. "I can... I can feel it... I can feel what Princess Celestia warned us about coming from her."
"It's a..." Fluttershy was trembling, her voice nearly cracking. "It's one of their curses?"
"Has to be if Trixie says so," Applejack replied grimly.
"That... that changes things..." Rarity added with a frown.
"It doesn't!" Trixie exclaimed, jolting the others back into focusing. "Stick to the plan! This is what we prepared for!"
"GOT IT!" the five replied to their leader in perfect unison. The auras of all six Elements began to spread uncontrollably, surrounding the changeling with a rainbow of multicolored energy that filled the entire hall.
In response, he lifted his hoof above his head, an expression of complete discomfort dominating his features. His sudden movement had caused the rest of us to tense up. Still, none of us moved an inch. It was beyond confusing. He looked like a shy colt sitting in a classroom for the first time and waiting to be called on by his teacher to ask a question.
"Can I... can I have just one teensy little second?" he asked sheepishly, looking around at the Elements as he clasped his hooves together in a begging gesture. When none of them responded to him he smiled brightly, clopping those same hooves together. "GREAT! Thanks a bunch!" he closed his eyes. "Ooooh, Chryyyys?"
When the Changeling Queen reopened her eyes they'd reverted back to their jade tint.
"Un... why am I back in control?" she glared at me. "You're supposed to-"
"I'M supposed to handle any unforeseen circumstances, Chrys," the voice was echoing through the hall once again, seemingly coming from thin air. We all lifted our gazes, -- the Queen of the Changelings included -- looking up towards the ceiling. "YOU were supposed to handle the Elements."
"Oh please," she scoffed arrogantly, rolling her eyes. "Are you really so fearful of a group of little fillies?"
"Uhm, yeah? I am," the voice laughed. The girls looked at each other in bewilderment. I'm pretty sure none of us were expecting that to be the answer. "They're not something I can deal with."
"How is that possible!?" Chrysalis hissed, her irritation growing. "You're powerful enough to make THAT one," she pointed a hoof at me, "a non-issue, but you can't handle some... NOBODIES!?"
"HEY!" Rainbow Dash growled, the queen's snide comment instantly getting to her.
"So dumb," the voice's groan gradually turned into an entertained chuckle. "What do you expect me to do about them?" he asked. "They're HER Elements, Chrys. I can't just-"
"CELESTIA IS A PAMPERED FOOL!" the queen's anger boiled over, the sparking of her horn causing the rest of us to prepare for an incoming ambush. "SHE HASN'T EVEN FOUND OUT ABOUT THE CHILDREN I PLANTED IN CANTERLOT!"
"Not her you goober," he sighed. "Though it is pretty funny you think she doesn't know about them... Look, Chrys, I told you to take them out of the picture. That was the only thing you had to do."
"I..." she rubbed at her forehead with a hoof. She was more than annoyed, that much was evident with how hard she was scratching. "I'll just do it now."
"Unfortunately," (he muttered 'for you' under his breath) "it's a little too late for that. You failed to fulfill your half of the contract, Chrys."
"I SAID I'll-"
"Good job, Sunny!" the voice addressed... me?, completely ignoring the Changeling Queen. "Guess you three really are special, too."
"Uh th-thanks?" I wasn't really sure how to reply.
"UN!? YOU'RE BETRAYING ME!?" Chrysalis bellowed. "WE HAD A DEAL!"
"Contract's null and void if you don't meet your part of the agreement, Chrys," he chided, though his voice was still playful. "Looks to me like the Elements are all safe and sound. I already told you, I'm not messing with them."
"YOU CAN'T JUST ABANDON ME, UN!" the Changeling Queen didn't sound desperate, but the way she looked around herself in a panic said more than her expression ever could.
"'Fraid I can, Chrys," he replied, still as bubbly as ever. "See you later, Sunny. Good luck with the mess, buggo!"
"UN, YOU TRAITOR!"
Now it was easy to hear the panic in her voice.
...
"Is it... Is it gone?" Rarity asked, turning to Trixie for answers, though staying on her guard.
"I... I think so..." Trixie looked absolutely dumbfounded. "I can't feel its presence at all anymore."
...
We all stood awkwardly in the exact same spots. Chrysalis too, though she was shaking in what I assumed to be rage.
"Well... ah wasn't expectin' that," Applejack stated what we were all thinking.
...
"What now?" Fluttershy asked, uncertainty painting her tone. Our collective gazes settled back on Chrysalis.
"Now?" The queen snarled, her horn becoming a spire of venomous green light. "NOW I finish what I started!" Her jade flames erupted around the pegasus.
"FLUTTERSHY!" the girls cried out while I was hard at work, already casting several spells. The flames immediately closed in around the yellow mare drawing horrified looks to the other Elements' faces. They were all stunned into inaction, but everything was fine, they just didn't know it yet.
"One down!" Chrysalis cackled, turning her attention to the others. "Five more to go!"
As the flames burned out leaving behind nothing but scorched carpet, Rainbow Dash flew up to the ashes, a look of utter despair on her face.
"F-Flutters..." The blue pegasus was on the verge of tears. "You can't-"
"As if I'd let that happen," I drew the attention of the room, stepping to the side to reveal Fluttershy's unharmed form standing behind me. The girls were elated, an acute expression of relief on Rainbow Dash's face in particular. Chrysalis was beside herself with fury once again, glaring at me like I'd just murdered her firstborn.
"You... LITTLE-"
"You didn't forget about little old me, did you, Chrysalis?" I winked at her. "Simple teleportation spell." In an explosion of solar mana I was back in my ascendant form, sunlight and flames engulfing me. The Queen of the Changelings took a shaking step backwards, my display of power jarring her yet again. A second later I calmed myself, my theatrics gone. "Just because I'm not showing off doesn't mean my power isn't there, Chrysalis."
"Y-you..." her eyes narrowed, doing so because she probably knew there wasn't much else she could do.
"You MONSTER!" Dash was a speeding bullet of rage. I don't think anypony could see her moving, the only indications she was still in the room the repeated flickering of Chrysalis' barrier as it took vicious blows and the crashing sound said strikes were producing.
"FOOL!" the queen bellowed. "As if a mere pegasus like you could ever hope to breach one of my defenses!"
I flicked my horn, the changeling's barrier shattering in a glimmering shower of green and gold sparks. In the next instant the queen was devastated by the flurry of the rainbow mare's onslaught. Several blows landed flush with the changeling's face and body, forcing the monarch down to her knees.
"Guess that barrier wasn't as great as you thought, HUH!?" Rainbow Dash gloated with glee, standing triumphantly in front of the queen. Just as she was about to continue her assault she was stopped by her leader.
"RAINBOW DASH!" the azure unicorn's call halted any further movement the pegasus might've been about to make. "Stand down, Rainbow."
"Tch!" the pegasus relented, taking up a more defensive stance. "Fine."
"You cowards..." Chrysalis coughed, the attacks she'd taken dealing a lot more damage than I'd initially thought. It almost looked as if her carapace might be cracking in several areas. "Is that how your kind fights? Like a pack of BLOODTHIRSTY WOLVES!?" she hissed, struggling to stand to her hooves. She eventually got there, with great effort.
"That's mighty rich comin' from somepony like you," Applejack huffed.
"You sure didn't care about fairness when you sent Yōchū and all those changelings to... TO STOP US!" Pinkie roared, her hair deflating just a tad as she shouted.
"Convenient how things change so quickly when the tables have turned," Rarity raised a condescending eyebrow, "Wouldn't you agree, Your Highness?"
"It's fine," I stepped forward. "If she wants a fair fight, I'd be glad to oblige. If that's alright with you girls?"
The Elements looked at each other with doubtful expressions.
"We have the advantage, darling," Rarity offered me a concerned gaze. "There's no reason to put yourself in danger."
"Can you take her?" Rainbow Dash focused her eyes on the changeling once again.
"I can," I answered confidently, drawing even more ire from the queen.
"You PETULANT-"
"Then show her, Sunset," Trixie smirked, cutting off our foe on purpose. "Show her just how strong ponies really are."
"You can do it, Sunset!" Pinkie added with gusto.
"Show her who's boss, sugar cube!" Applejack chuckled.
"Kick her flank... for all of us, Sunset!" Rainbow lifted her head in acknowledgement.
"We know you can do it, darling!" Rarity grinned.
"We believe in you, Sunset!" Fluttershy's words sent a spark into me.
Star... Twilight...
I smiled, their trust filling me with determination.
As the Elements moved to stand behind me I came face to face with the Queen of the Changelings once again.
"You know how this ends, Chrysalis," I watched her closely, making sure she made no sudden moves for the girls behind me. "If you surrender amicably you still might be able to save face."
"I'm not finished yet, you WRETCH!" she spat. "I still have the upper hand, you just haven't realized it yet!"
"Oh, really?" I lifted a curious brow. I was actually a little intrigued by her claim. "Care to elaborate or are you just lying through your teeth?"
"Cantata is still trapped in stone!" she cackled. "If you do anything to me you can kiss h-"
"Thank you, Fluttershy," Queen Cantata's relieved voice rang out from behind me, drawing the changelings' enraged attention.
"Stay behind us, Your Highness. It's not over yet," Trixie ordered. A sound of compliance came from the monarch.
"You... ACCURSED PONIES!" Chrysalis fumed, although her anger was failing, being overtaken by another emotion. Small flecks of despair were beginning to show through the forming cracks and the Changeling Queen wasn't able to hide that fact any longer.
"Looks to me like that card has been taken off the table, Chrys," I mocked. She shook with anger, lifting her hoof toward the corner where Star and Twilight had been previously.
"I still have THEM, SUNSET SHIMMER!" she roared as she gestured.
Her hoof is trembling...
"Have who, Chrysalis?" I asked with a confused tilt of my head. She looked at me as if I'd gone insane, an expression of absolute bewilderment on her face. She turned her head, finding nothing in the corner that'd been formerly occupied by her captives.
"They were the first ones I took back," I grinned, expecting more fury to come from the changeling. Instead, I received only trepidation.
"I-I still have," she looked around in a rushed panic, her eyes trembling with... fear? "I STILL HAVE THE PONIES OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! I STILL HAVE SHINING ARMOR! I STILL HAVE CADENZA!"
"Maybe," I conceded with a bored shrug. "Not sure how any of that is supposed to help you in your current predicament, though."
"You would sacrifice all those lives!?" Funnily enough, she looked utterly appalled at the very idea I might do such a thing.
"Are we bargaining now?" I inched closer to her.
"THERE IS NO BARGAINING!" she howled, stepping back. "I HOLD ALL THE CHIPS! YOU WILL DO AS I SAY! MY WILL IS INEVITABLE! FOR THIS PATHETIC NATION AND FOR ALL OF YOUR KIND!"
"Such a pity," I shook my head as I began casting my spells. The changeling's pallor drained of blood as she was encased in a pillar of my sunlight.
"I can just-"
"You really can't, Chrysalis," I tapped my horn with a hoof, knowing what she'd already been planning because it was exactly what I would try to do. "There's no running away from this. You either give up, or..." I increased the heat, hoping that the intense temperature would get her to finally capitulate.
"If you do this you'll NEVER see any of them again." She was trying to sound authoritative but it wasn't working, not with her hooves pressing against my mana as she tried to work towards a way out. Unfortunately for her, there was none. "You think I wouldn't plan for a possibility like this?"
"See, that's the thing, Chrysalis. I don't think you would," I walked up to my entrapment, staring directly into her hate-filled eyes. "An arrogant creature like you? You wouldn't even think there was a possibility you could be defeated," I smirked as she glared. "You said 'if'. If they're not already dead -- which I highly doubt -- then my mentor will find them no matter where you've tried to hide them."
"You're willing to take such a risk?" Drops of sweat fell from her forehead, the heat climbing with every second that passed.
"Risk?" I tilted my head, completely baffled. "If they're already gone then you're just playing what few cards you have left as best you can. I can't change that," I scoffed. "If they're still alive somewhere then we'll find them. In either case, there is no risk."
"I didn't know I was dealing with a fellow psychopath," she smirked, apparently a little appreciative of my current demeanor. Still, there was distinct desperation in her eyes.
I bristled. The very idea that I could ever be anything like her made me nauseous. As she stared into my eyes I felt a twinge in my head. It wasn't one of pain, it simply felt... strange. It was more than obvious she was trying to attack me mentally once again, but my defenses were much stronger than before so she'd have little effect.
Still, for a split-second I saw... something. It was completely alien. A place I'd never seen with creatures I'd never even read of in books. It was weird... but it was one hundred percent clear, like a photo that had just been taken or a painting that had been created by the best artist Equestria had to offer.
It was the front of a building, possibly a school of some sort late at night. Foreign creatures standing on their hind legs were huddling together in fear. Groups of them peppered the ground as they all stared up at... an abomination. No other words came to mind as I stared at the hideous being.
Its body was blood-red, no coat covering it, only skin. Its mane, tail, and midsection were all blazing infernos of bright red fire. It had abnormally large, bat-like wings that gave it the ability to fly. Its eyes were lifeless black pits of darkness. Sharp fangs lined its mouth, much like Chrysalis'. Atop its head rested a gold crown with... Twilight's cutie mark at its center?
The demon was terrorizing those cowering beneath it, their fear much like what the changeling had wrought amongst me and my friends. It was enjoying what it was doing, reveling in its cruelty. It was disgusting.
I wasn't sure if that thing was supposed to be Twilight. I wasn't really sure what the vision was supposed to mean. I wasn't really sure why I'd seen it at all.
I was only sure of one thing. It was because of monsters like that, monsters like Chrysalis, that I could show no mercy to those who relished in tormenting the weak.
"You're the only psychopath here, Chrysalis," I declared, my complete resistance of her mental attacks terrifying the trapped changeling. I calmly turned away, my horn singing as my spell began to close in on her. "Last chance," I refused to look her way. "Yield."
"I'd rather die," she stated simply, rebellious to the end.
"So be it." I refused to relent. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable as the sounds of panicked grunting began behind me.
...
"SUNSET! PLEASE! STOP!"
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Not even in an alternate universe can Sunset truly escape from that one terrible moment...
Harmony is something different [
I really liked this guy, I hope the "master" (whoever he is) is as... "reasonable" as him
I really hope the next time Sunset hears from this UN guy it's on better terms.
If they are wolves what are you? A shapeshifting hyena?
Please let this just be a joke about the multiversal irony of the situation,and not a foreshadowing, please I beg you
Although Chrysalis really deserves it, I don't think it should be Sunset who takes up the mantle of executioner (at least not so soon)
Chrysalis is screwed, but im curious as to who was stopping her. Im really hyped for more and anxious like Pinkie. Wonderful work and it keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Looks like Buggo messed up big time.
11910147
Our pasts tend to haunt us. One way or another.
11910179
EQG happened before this story.
11910442
Yeah, Chrys is done. She's been defeated, at least physically and magically. Thank you for the enthusiasm! I love it!
11910577
She should've listened.
I still cant get over UN he is just so straight foward. I dont know how nightmare and him are related, they both giving off two different vibes.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WONT HELP!"
"Erm you forgot to buy me french fries. It clearly states in section 4.5 of the contract that I was spouse to obtain some deep fried potatoes. So no I wont be helping you over throw Celestia." *moonwalks away*
Also that part with sunset seeing her eqg counter part was Fascinateing. I dont know why you put it in but if i had to guess it would becuase sunset while talking to chrysalis I guess in That momment she was acting just lil bit like her eqg counter part
I mean i dont think this sunny would so causally just wave off the death of her two friends and i think that power she has now went to her head a bit. But who knows that just my theory.
11910932
It's almost as if he doesn't really want to help.
11910935
Interpretation can be that. Can also be that something is trying to make her see that she's also done ruthless/heartless things in her existence.
Two friends? Only friend she "might" have lost here is Cadenza.
11910943
Mhmhm i thought bug queen was talking about twilight and starlight
11910948
OH WAIT I JUST REMBMERED NVM! I forgor ☠️
11910949
LMAO! If there was even a chance Sunset thought Chrysalis had killed Twilight or Starlight the bug would already be ash.
11912957
What it is is accurate
Sunset could have been bonding with Twilight that entire time, if she hadn't been late! Then she wouldn't have gotten upset!
11913082
Lol. Well I mean... there is a reason.
WELL
THAT'S QUITE THE CLIFFHANGER I'VE READ MYSELF INTO
Sunset is SCARY SCARY
11913739
She's just a little ruthless.
11913820
I mostly meant how powerful she is 0.0
11914035
Fair point. And she can only get stronger from here.
I loce how the mighty fall, she's just grasping for straws but this was the last draw...