Single Parent Seeks Special Somepony

by angelofrombelow

Chapter 9

Berry’s consciousness drifted as Surprise’s hypnosis took control of her.

She felt distant, disconnected. As if she was trapped in a warm, protective bubble.

It was a sensation that she didn’t want to lose. She felt safe, as if she was a child again. Free from worries.

Unfortunately, it could not last.

Sounds from the outside world came rushing back and her vision returned, blurry at first but quickly regaining definition.

A worried-looking Surprise was standing before her, hoof on her shoulder.

“Berry? Berry, are you back with me? Do you remember me? Please, you have to remember me.”

The earth pony couldn’t respond at first. Something felt wrong inside – she hadn’t had time to guess what being under hypnosis would be like but she wasn’t expecting this.

It was as if she had lost a part of herself.

The changeling was becoming truly concerned now. “Berry, answer me.”

“I remember you,” she said immediately. Then her eyes widened as she realised what had just happened.

A sudden fear gripped her chest as she looked around Ponyville. The town was deadly silent, its normal hubbub of life ceased.

Throughout the streets, ponies were standing stock still where they had been when the wave hit. All of them were motionless, as if waiting for a command.

“Oh no. No.” A thin coating of sweat formed as panic took hold. “What did she do to them? Why are they just standing there?”

She rushed over to the nearest pony and shook them, trying to elicit a reaction. Nothing. They were totally lost to mind control.

Berry began to shake as the true horror of it hit her. Her legs trembled to an extent that she found it difficult to stand.

“I’m alone,” she said simply. “I’m completely alone. I’m the only one left.”

She fell back onto her haunches, her eyes stinging with tears. “No. What am I going to do? What’s going to happen when Pinchy comes home? We failed. We failed!”

“Berry!” Surprise rushed over and leaned down to her, trying to comfort her as best she could. “Listen to me. It’s not over. I promised you that and I aim to stick by it. Calm down.”

The pegasus’s words sent a sense of peace rippling through her body, allaying her nerves and soothing her fears. She got to her hooves, a gentle smile on her face.

And then a sickness rose in her gullet, a reaction against something truly unnatural. She realised that she was under Surprise’s hypnosis, that she was hers to control – and she had only calmed down because the changeling had just commanded her to.

The revelation sent an ice-cold shard of pain through her brain. Even as she tried to fight against the unnatural feelings of harmony within her, she felt another source trying to take over her mind.

“Berry! What’s the matter, what’s wrong?” Surprise held the shaking pony’s face close to hers, fearful that she was about to have a complete breakdown.

“You ordered me to calm down and I had no choice to obey,” she said, her conflicting emotions threatening to tear her in two. “I have to do what you say. I can’t even control how I feel about it!”

The changeling gasped, horrified at what she had just done to her friend. “Just feel whatever you need to feel, okay?” she said hastily. “I’ll be more careful from now on.

“But you can’t resist my hypnosis. You mustn’t. Twilight’s spell still hit you – its effects are only being held back by my link with you. If you fight against my hypnosis and break free of it, you’ll be overcome immediately.”

Berry’s fear returned to her, accompanied by a strange sense of relief. Her emotions were hers again but she now knew what that strange sensation was, the wrongness she felt in her soul. She had lost her free will.

It was only then that she noticed the sound, growing louder as it drew nearer. It was the sound of hundreds of wings beating, coming towards the town.

“You have to…” Surprise stopped herself mid-sentence as she realised she was about to give Berry another order on how she should feel. “My comrades and the ponies who left the town are heading back here. It would be a good idea not to do anything that gives us away.

“Shadow Dancer – that’s the changeling who disguised himself as Rarity – knows that I made a connection with you. There’s no doubt that he informed my mother. That’s our cover story, that’s why you’re not motionless like the rest. You have to…”

She didn’t have time to explain the rest of her plan. A tall, white pegasus with a flowing blue mane landed in the town square and surveyed the area, her head held tall and proud.

It had to be Queen Chrysalis, Berry was certain of it. She fought the urge to run and watched as the changeling leader barked an order.

“Ponyville!” she cried, with a volume equal to that of the Royal Canterlot Voice. “Go back to your business as normal!”

It was as if someone had clicked an ‘on’ switch. Everypony sparked into life, returning to their duties. More than a few were confused as to what had happened in the past couple of minutes, but they dismissed those thoughts quickly.

There followed an almighty commotion as hundreds of disguised changelings entered the town, along with the ponies who had been out hunting for Twilight. They quickly began to disperse, looking for places where they could settle and victims to hunt.

The tall, white pegasus held a few of them back and whispered orders to them – Berry was close enough that she could hear.

“Head out and search the surrounding area, including the Everfree Forest. Every pony has to be accounted for, otherwise their friends may start asking difficult questions. Make sure none are missing – nopony must suspect.”

The changelings set off to carry out their orders. If the height hadn’t been a giveaway, her commanding tone and authority was final proof.

Chrysalis nodded her head in approval, then caught sight of Surprise and marched over swiftly.

She assessed the pair of them quickly, staring at Berry with suspicion. “Who is this?” she asked, pointing a hoof at her.

“She’s my chosen partner,” Surprise replied immediately, putting a leg around the earth pony’s neck and pulling her close. “You’re mine, isn’t that right darling?”

“Absolutely. Body and soul,” Berry said, wincing internally at the stammer in her voice.

Chrysalis scrutinised her for a moment, but thankfully seemed satisfied by her answer. “I’m glad to hear it.” She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Surprise. “I want to speak to you. Would your friend mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?”

“Oh no, not at all,” she replied, though her nervousness was evident in her tone. She turned to Berry. “Sorry, this is important. It won’t take long. Wait for me in the bar.”

The purple-coated pony didn’t even have time to reply before her subconscious took over. She began to walk away, calling out a hurried farewell to Surprise as she went.

Every step she made was driven by an outside force. As much as this disturbed her, she knew better now than to try to fight against it.

Surprise was with her mother now, most likely answering demands for an explanation of her earlier behaviour. Her calls for peace would fall on deaf ears now Ponyville had been conquered. Why risk everything for a gambit that even Surprise hadn’t been sure would succeed?

Berry wondered what would happen to her once that meeting was over. Would Surprise reveal that she was not under the control of Twilight’s spell? Chrysalis would order her to remove her hypnosis, and then Berry would be lost. Lost like the others.

Her heart sank as she watched crowds of ponies meeting, talking and walking away with each other. There was no way of telling who was a changeling and who wasn’t, though there was a proliferation of stallions where there had been few before.

She reached Horte’s restaurant, the compulsion to walk leaving her as soon as she entered. A measure of freedom had been returned to her, though she knew she would be unable to leave until Surprise gave her permission. For the foreseeable future, she was stuck here.

Horte was behind the bar as usual, a beacon of familiarity. He smiled as he saw her approach and she did her best to return his greeting.

“Good afternoon, Miss Punch! Always a pleasure!” he said, with a good deal more enthusiasm than she was used to.

“Horte. Hello.” She was withdrawn, upset. That wasn’t good enough, not if she wanted to maintain her façade. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

She tried again. “You seem much happier than usual, Horte. What’s up?” she asked, forcing herself to appear cheerful.

“Well might you ask,” he said with a grin. He looked past her and called out: “Emerald Shine! Get over here, there’s somepony I want you to meet.”

A mare with a coat of light green and a mane that was a shade darker trotted up to the bar, ducked under the dividing barrier and gave him a welcoming nuzzle.

He grinned. “Berry, I have news that shall no doubt break the heart of every mare in Ponyville. Horte Cuisine is no longer on the market. Any chance of romance with another is strictly off the menu. I have found the mare that I want to marry.”

Berry’s mouth dropped open so far that it could accommodate the bottom of a pint mug.

“I know, I know. It’s quite a shock,” he said. “Somepony as cynical as me hardly seems the type to believe in love at first sight. But it’s true. I only met her a short while ago but it feels as if I’ve known her forever.”

Emerald Shine smiled at Berry. “It’s a whirlwind romance, I must admit. But there’s something about this stallion – he’s a real catch. He’s already told me about you and I hope you can be happy for us.”

She scratched her chin. “Hey, are you single? I’m friends with somepony who’d be perfect for you.”

“Uh, no thanks. I already have a partner – her name’s Surprise,” said Berry. The green-coated changeling flinched at the mention of the queen’s daughter, ending any talk of setting the earth pony up with a blind date.

“Oh? That’s wonderful news,” said Horte. “It’s about time you found somepony. You’ve been single for far too long.”

Berry couldn’t take any more. She beckoned Horte to come closer and whispered to him, hoping the changeling by his side wouldn’t hear. “Horte, are you sure about this? I really don’t think she’s right for you.”

“Not right for me?” he exclaimed, earning Berry an angry glare from Emerald Shine. “Why would you say that? Why don’t you think we’re suited for each other?”

“Because you’re gay,” she said bluntly.

He whipped his head back as if she had slapped him in the face. A look of bewilderment passed over him, confusion colouring his features. He frowned as he struggled to remember a memory recently forgotten, stuck just beyond the boundaries of his perception.

“You, you’re right,” he mumbled. “Wait. Wait, how long have I been with her? I thought I met her when we… but that can’t be right. I, I don’t understand.”

“Darling.” Emerald Shine tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to face her. Her eyes flared green and he was immediately lost in them, his mind rewritten to suit her reality.

Berry tried to stifle her horror as his grimace transformed into a carefree grin.

“Sexuality can be transient if you find the right partner,” he said. “Ponies can change, there’s no rule against it. Let’s face it, a mare as beautiful as Emerald Shine could turn anypony’s head.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” she said tremulously. “Your happiness is all that matters at the end of the day. I’m happy for you, Horte.”

“What can I get you to drink?” he asked. “It’s on the house. Two permanent singletons have found love at last, I think that deserves a toast.”

Berry struggled to keep herself together. She wanted nothing more than to run home and lock herself away, but even the thought of it was painful. She was incapable of leaving the restaurant, much as she wanted to.

“I’ll have a…” Her voice trailed off as she wondered whether alcohol would have any effect on Surprise’s hypnosis. It was strong enough that no chemical was likely to break it, but if she loosened her inhibitions she might become more likely to rebel against it. She couldn’t risk that.

“I’ll just have a water. I’m still feeling hungover from last night, if I’m honest,” she said.

“Hm. It’s never stopped you before, but if you insist,” he said. Berry felt a pang of fear as Emerald Shine shot her a suspicious look, before moving away from the bar.

“You should invite this new marefriend of yours to join us. We could make it a double date,” Horte said. He pushed the freshly poured glass of water towards her and finally noticed something was wrong.

“Are you alright? You look as though you’re about to be sick. I guess that hangover must be more serious than you let on.” His smile faded when Berry didn’t respond, and he examined her more closely.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured. “What’s the matter? Berry, answer me. You look positively terrified.”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she said, though by now it was clear she was anything but. “I feel a bit faint, that’s all. I just need a lie down.”

“Not feeling well? I have a friend who can help you with that.” It was Emerald Shine, flanked by a red-maned companion. They were both smiling but, underneath, their intentions were clear.

“Don’t worry, Horte my darling,” she said. “We’ll give her what she needs. Come sit with us, Miss Punch. Let’s talk about your problems.”

Berry looked around the bar frantically for anypony who could help her, but of course there were none.

“Come and join us,” said Emerald Shine, her voice taking on a dark edge. “I insist.”

Thoughts of fleeing pervaded her mind, bringing with them a pulsing ache that warned her of what would happen if she attempted it.

Instead, she followed the green-coated changeling and her cohorts to a quiet table at the window, away from everypony else.

“You appear to be out of sorts, my dear. A little shaken,” Emerald Shine said once they had settled. “Now, I’m just wondering why that is. Could you tell me what’s wrong?”

Berry was too afraid to lie. Too afraid to say anything. She whimpered and turned her head away from her questioner.

“I see,” she said, and her disgruntled tone indicated that she had guessed the truth. “Well, let me tell you now, there’s no need to be scared. Look around you. Everypony here is happy. You can join them. Just look into my eyes.”

The earth pony squeezed her eyes shut tighter, pressing herself against the bench behind her.

“Horte’s watching. What are you going to do?” she said with as much defiance as she could muster. “You can’t attack me. You can’t force me. Everypony will see.”

“And what are you going to do?” asked Emerald Shine. “You’re alone. It’d be so much easier to submit.”

Her voice softened as she tried to reason with the earth pony. “Don’t make this difficult for yourself. If you try causing a ruckus, if you try to expose the secret, it’s not going to end well. Nopony will believe you, anyway. Our queen has already seen to that. How did you evade her spell, anyway?”

“Surprise saved me. She put me under hypnosis before your attack could take effect.”

The changelings sitting opposite made no response. As she couldn’t see them, Berry had no idea what they were thinking or how they had reacted.

But even as the silence continued, she had no intention of opening her eyes.

Emerald Shine finally spoke up: “What are you talking about? Why would she do that?”

Timidly, apprehensively, Berry raised her head and widened her eyes by a fraction, watching the changeling through peripheral vision. Realising she was safe for a moment, she met her aggressor’s confused stare.

“Surprise came after me last night but she couldn’t go through with it. We talked,” she said. “And she told me everything. About how hungry you were. About how you were first created. She told me about your plan. And we realised that there was no way it could possibly work.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Emerald sneered, leaning in close. “Look around you. We’ve won. Ponyville is ours.”

“But for how long?” asked Berry, bumping against the bench as she backed away. “Horte came close to realising the truth only a few moments ago, just through casual conversation. You’ve just doubled Ponyville’s population in the space of a day. Even with mind control, ponies are going to start asking questions.

“What happens when you’re unable to cover up the inconsistencies? What’ll happen if enough ponies discover that everything is wrong? You’re sitting on a powder keg.”

The changeling by Emerald’s side, a beige-coated pony with a fiery red mane, spoke up. “It doesn’t matter. We needed to feed and we got what we came for. If you think you can frighten us…”

“Quiet.” Emerald pushed the other changeling back with her hoof without a glance, silencing her instantly.

“If Surprise told you our plan, then you know we were out of time,” she said. “This started out as a short-term measure, but there’s nothing stopping us from making it permanent.”

Berry was still terrified but she could tell that Emerald’s conviction wasn’t as strong as her words. Her only chance was to continue her line of conversation.

“You’ll spend every day dreading the moment when it all falls through. And it will,” she said. “Surprise was looking for a long-term solution. A way to resolve your problems without the need for conflict. We had been making good progress.”

“Don’t.” The red-maned changeling had been about to make a rebuttal, but Emerald stopped her before she had the chance.

Berry continued: “We were trying to integrate her into pony society. I introduced her to my friends, to some of the most influential residents in Ponyville. To Horte.”

Emerald glanced over at the stallion whom she had claimed as her own, who was too busy serving customers to pay heed to their conversation on the other side of the restaurant. The changeling was clearly thinking things over.

“We were getting along great. We were hopeful. She was building up relationships and we were preparing to reveal who she really was. From there, we were aiming to build the foundations of a truce. Find peace. But then everything went wrong. She met another changeling disguised as Rarity, she panicked, and… and…”

“And we took over,” Emerald said quietly. She frowned, scrutinising the earth pony carefully. “You say you were nearly successful. How can we trust you? What’s not to say that you took Surprise prisoner and forced the information out of her?”

Berry almost lost her nerve but she managed to recover. “Because if we had done that, I wouldn’t be speaking to you now,” she said. “Think about it. Why would she protect me from Twilight’s spell? Why would she still want me around?”

Emerald didn’t give an answer, so she supplied one for her. “Because she’s my friend. She didn’t want to lose me. She knows that what you’re doing is wrong. I’m hoping she still believes that peace is possible.”

The changeling remained quiet for a while, pondering this information.

She looked at Berry impassively, then asked her: “And do you still believe peace is possible?”

The earth pony’s lip quivered and she stared down at the floor. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice a barely contained wail. “But it’s still worth fighting for. Anything’s better than the alternative.”

“Anything?” she repeated, the question loaded with danger.

Berry nodded simply, then closed her eyes and would not look at her.

“Leave us,” Emerald said to her cohort. “Tell no-one of what you heard here.”

Once she had gone, Emerald turned her attention back to Berry, speaking in a low whisper. “I don’t think your plan will work. Ponies and changelings are enemies, Celestia made her choice.”

Her next words were less aggressive. “But Princess Surprise is my commander and I bow to her will. If she believes she can make a difference, I shall not stop her – unless she does something that puts the rest of us under threat.

“Let me make it clear – I don’t like your kind. You act superior when you have no right to do so. You behave as if you rule the planet, rather than just the little corner you make your home. You’re dangerous too – back in Canterlot, the rainbow one almost fractured my jaw.

“But, loath as I am to admit it, you’re right when you say this situation can’t last. Something’s going to break eventually and there’ll be hell to pay when it does.”

She sighed. “I suppose if a pony can get over its prejudices and befriend the princess, then anything’s possible. Hell, if it means we don’t have to fight for the right to exist any more, I’ll live with anyone.”

Berry looked at her cautiously – she found the changeling frightening and obnoxious, but she was convinced that she at least didn’t intend to harm her.

“You’ll stay with me until Surprise gets here,” Emerald said. “I don’t trust my colleague to leave you alone.”

The pair of them sat in a prolonged silence. Berry kept the changeling on the periphery of her vision, afraid of looking her directly in the eye. Emerald kept a casual, patient watch over her.

Horte went over to them once while they were waiting but was quickly sent away without any complaint on his part.

It was a relief when Surprise finally arrived. She approached the table apprehensively, worried about what might have happened in her absence.

Emerald bowed her head deferentially. “Good evening, princess. I’ll leave her in your care.” She shot a condescending look at Berry. “She’s got spirit, I’ll give her that, but she’s not much of a conversationalist.”

Surprise grimaced, her face wrinkled by worry. The other changeling moved close to her and whispered: “I’ve heard your plan. If you truly believe it could work, then I’m with you. But if you do anything that puts our survival at risk, then I don’t care who you are – I’ll crush you.”

With that, she moved away. The pegasus, shaken by the encounter, turned to Berry for an explanation.

“Can we just get out of here? Please?” The earth pony spoke in a tiny voice. It was a conscious effort – if she didn’t talk quietly, she was afraid she might scream.

“Okay. Okay, let’s go.” Surprise led the way, finally giving an order that Berry didn’t mind following.

The pair of them walked through the town in silence. The streets were still full of life, with changelings befriending or seducing new victims everywhere Berry looked. It was the equivalent of a feeding frenzy.

She felt a sudden stab to the heart as a revelation hit her. She had begun the weekend with hopes of finding a special somepony, a partner to share her live with. Now, despite the underlying deception of it all, everypony in town was achieving her dream. Except for her.

It was too cruel. She couldn’t hold the tears back any longer but she continued walking, determined to get home as soon as possible. She needed to find some respite from this nightmare.

Surprise saw her face, her blinking eyes and the wetness on her cheeks, and moved in close. “Berry.”

“Get home, we’ve just got to get home,” was all the earth pony could manage.

The changeling nodded in sympathy and increased her pace, wary of watchful eyes that could spot that something was wrong.

They arrived back at Berry’s home without any further incident. Surprise locked the front door behind them to prevent any unwanted intrusion.

Now she was in relative safety, the earth pony finally broke down. She allowed herself to vent everything that had built up, all the fear, pain and sorrow. The town she had lived in all her life had been conquered, her friends enslaved.

The emotion she was letting loose was so strong that Surprise couldn’t help but absorb some of it, and the negativity within made her feel nauseous.

She fought past the unpleasantness and went to Berry’s side to comfort her as best she could, wrapping a leg around her and holding her close.

The minutes passed and the pony slowly regained control of herself, reaching a state where she was at least able to hold a conversation.

“Chrysalis,” she said, her voice still choked by tears. “Chrysalis, what did she say to you? What did you say to her? How much does she know?”

Surprise didn’t move for a moment, then slowly pulled her leg away and shifted so she was face-to-face with Berry.

“Shadow Dancer told her that my secret identity had been compromised, that it was clear that you knew I was a changeling.”

The earth pony squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her forelegs. Surprise reached out to her, desperate to provide reassurance. “Don’t worry, you’re safe,” she said. “I convinced her that you were taken over by the wave, like the others. She doesn’t know you’re still aware of us.”

Berry stayed motionless, so Surprise continued talking, her tone nervous and hurried. “I told her what I had been trying to do. To find peace between changelings and ponies. She, she didn’t take it well.

“She said it was a crazy plan, that there was no way it could have worked. She was so angry with me. But she calmed down eventually. Then she was able to look at it more rationally.

“She appreciated what I had attempted, she appreciated my efforts. But she was still adamantly opposed. Changelings and ponies are enemies, she said. There’s no way they can ever get along together. I tried to tell her about the progress I had made but her mind was made up. I’m sorry, Berry. I’m so sorry. I tried.”

The earth pony raised her head from her hooves slightly so only her eyes were visible, still wet but staring.

“You tried,” she repeated, her voice frighteningly calm.

Surprise raised a hoof self defensively, unable to answer.

“I see,” said Berry, breathing heavily. “So tell me, Surprise. Tell me, what am I supposed to do now?”

“You, you could run,” she offered. “You can still get out of here. You could find your daughter, stop her from coming here.”

Berry stood up slowly, her lip curled in a trembling snarl. “I could, I could run,” she said. “I could leave all of my friends, everypony I care about, I could leave all of them behind. Live in exile for the rest of my days, subject my daughter to a lifetime of fear. I could…”

She finally lost control, bursting into a sudden, violent rage. “Do you have any idea what you’ve DONE? Have you seen what’s going on out there? You’ve taken everything from me. EVERYTHING!”

She was so consumed by anger that she had to express it physically, gesturing wildly with her hooves. “Did you see what did to Horte? To my best friend? They’ve torn out an essential part of his soul. My best friend, he’s gone. He never used to care about love, never cared what other ponies thought. Now he’s a mindless slave, at that changeling’s beck and call! He didn’t even remember you!”

She advanced on Surprise, who quickly stepped backwards in a bid to escape her wrath. “YOU! You come in here, destroy my life and then try to shrug it off with a simple ‘I tried’. You tried? You didn’t try, you just gave up. All this talk of peace, all your talk of trying to make it work, and when it comes to the crunch, you buckle. You surrender. You tell me I should run away. Run away? Run away to WHAT?”

“Berry, please.” Surprise was backed against a wall, her front hooves raised in an effort to shield herself. “Please, I tried. What could I do? She’s the leader of the changelings. Her word is law. I can’t stand against her.”

“Right. Right, okay.” Berry gritted her teeth and a shudder of apprehension passed through her, then she grimaced in disgust and marched towards the door. “If you’re too much of a coward to do anything, I will. I don’t care what she does, I’m not going to live like this.”

“Stop!” Surprise’s order immediately halted the earth pony in her tracks. Any effort she made at walking to the exit caused a burst of pain in her mind.

“I can’t let you go,” said the changeling. “You’re not thinking straight. You’re going to get yourself hurt. Maybe worse.”

“What gives you the right?” cried Berry, her body tensed in frustration. “What gives you the right to order me around?”

The pony’s lip quivered and she looked away. When she turned back, she was still angry but her expression had changed, as if the light had gone out in her eyes.

“Finish it,” she said. “If you’re going to hypnotise me, then do the job properly. This is torture. Finish it. I don’t want to be alone any longer.”

“I can’t do that,” Surprise replied, her voice wavering. “It’s not right. You wouldn’t be you any more.”

Berry let out a pained scream and dived at Surprise, who quickly flew up and out of her reach.

“Please, will you calm…” The changeling stopped herself as she realised she was about to give Berry another order. “It’s not over. You still have free will.”

“And what use is it?” she shouted. “You’ve given up. You hypocrite! I was willing to risk everything for you but when the tables were turned, you didn’t even try! You didn’t even try!” She shook her head. “But it’s not fair to blame you. It’s my fault. Because I trusted you.”

Surprise held a hoof to her mouth and she grew tearful. She realised that this was going to hurt.

“I trusted you. I was stupid enough to count you as a friend,” Berry said, her rage lessening as she grew increasingly upset. “Hell, I was even starting to care for you. Crazy. Absolutely crazy. Because you never cared about me, you probably never even liked me. It was all a delaying tactic, keeping me quiet so your friends could finish the job.”

“It wasn’t like that Berry, I swear…”

“But that’s how it turned out, isn’t it? And I’m sure, on some level, you’re relieved. Because you don’t have to fight, because there’s not going to be a confrontation with your mother. You’re not going to argue your case, you’re going to roll over and submit. Even though it goes against your principles, even though you admit it’s wrong, you’re going to let it happen. Because you’re weak. Weak!”

Surprise flinched at the accusation. It stung because, deep down, she believed it to be true.

Berry walked over to her as she dropped to the floor. “That’s the core of it, isn’t it? That’s what it all comes down to.” Her voice was trembling now. “The only reason you let me go in the first place was because you weren’t strong enough to carry out your job. I gave you an excuse to delay the inevitable and you took it, so you could let someone else make the tough decisions for you. Because you were too weak.”

Surprise shook her head, wiping her eyes. “That wasn’t weakness, it was compassion,” she said. “Berry, it wasn’t a lie. I do care about you. I do.”

“But not enough to fight for me,” she said, her voice becoming choked. “Even when you knew it was right, you couldn’t argue your case. Hell, Emerald Shine hates my guts and even she hasn’t given up like you.”

She stared Surprise in the eyes, standing tall with as much confidence as she could muster. “You can’t have it both ways. You either help set Ponyville free or you keep it enslaved, but either way I have to be a part of it.”

The pegasus clenched her teeth and shied away. “But what happens to my kind now? Ponies were unlikely to accept us from the start but after what we’ve done, there’s no way they’ll want peace. They won’t even consider it. And if Chrysalis finds out that you’re still free then there’ll be no hesitation. I don’t want to lose you.”

There was something behind that last comment that made Berry’s heart skip a beat, but she chose to ignore it.

“You won’t have a choice,” she said. “I’m going to speak to Chrysalis, either with or without you.”

She beckoned towards the door. “Your last order prevents me from going outside. If I disobey that, if I fight past your mind control and step through that door, your hold over me will be broken and the same spell affecting everypony in Ponyville will take its place. The only thing that can prevent that is if I leave with you by my side.”

“You can’t,” said Surprise. “You don’t know how painful it is to break free from hypnosis. I won’t let you do it, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“It can’t be any worse than what I’m feeling now.” Surprise went to speak but Berry stopped her. “And don’t tell me to disregard your last order. Show me some respect. If I don’t break your mind control that way, I’ll find some other way to do it.

“Now decide. Make your choice. Are you going to stand up to Chrysalis, or are you going to let me go?”

Surprise could only stare at her, torn between loyalties. Her lip trembled and she appeared to desperately want to say something, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Berry felt an emptiness build inside as she realised she was going to have to make the decision for her.

Comments

[Mother3Forever]

oh dear....hopefully Berry is the world's strongest mom.... Because if she fights for Pinchy.....Crap's gonna go down.

[Harwick]

Kudos on a brutal confrontation to close out the chapter. I have to admit, I want payback on the changelings... I can't imagine peace would be easy to achieve.

[Kail]

I hope Surprise wises up and stands for something. Cuz if she doesn't she'll be left with nothing.

[Phantom5niper]

Surprise is in love with berry calling it now.

[Satto Kez]

oh how i love this story! i hope surprise does the right thing.... she may not know love yet but she sure is in love...