That Which was Lost

by LadyRFC

Solace

“Where are they?”

Solace ducked to the side as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough. The shattered vase struck her left back leg with vengeful force.

She flinched, but tried to regain her bowing form immediately, least she be accused of insubordination and killed. Legs shaking, she answered loudly, “My apologies, your highness. Your daughter has not yet been apprehended and the visiting princess -”

“Spy!” The emperor spat out at her, eyes flashing.

Solace didn't answer that. She knew better. She focused her eyes on the portrait behind the emperor instead. On Emperor Ero before the madness. And on Serenity before her death. The unicorns were so happy in that portrait. The empress has just come in from the festival, the golden lilies from a street vendor still in her dark mane. Solace could still remember where she was. With Princess Lily, both foals playing in the pond. The emperor insisted his bride sit for the portrait with him. She argued half-heartedly and then sat, in the coming twilight, a soft smile on her face beside her husband. Such happy years. Too happy. That's why the gods had taken Serenity in child birth. That's why the emperor went mad. That's why Lily moved away from her father out of cowardice when he needed her the most.

That must have been why. Why Solace wasn't his daughter instead.

“I want them dead,” the emperor raved, pacing before his bed, eyes nearly rolling back in his head.

On impulse, Solace rose slightly, meaning to calm him down. A tossed plate hitting her side made her resume her bowed position, forcing down tears. Crying before royalty was never allowed. Not even during joy and especially not during any kind of sorrow.

“You will find them, Solace,” he commanded, walking near her slowly. “You will destroy them and their dangerous rebellion.” He lowered his tone, swinging once again from raving to soft. “If you don't, so many will die. You know that, don't you? We can't let any more die.”

He looked back at the portrait himself now, eyes sad. “We can't,” he whispered, making Solace break all over again.

“I shall do as you will,” she answered, her voice wet with unshed tears.

She began to back out of the chamber, still in a bowing position, when she was suddenly thrown out of the room and against the far wall, the air knocking out of her lungs and her vision blurring between black, red and a mixture of shades she couldn't even identify.

As she lay gasping for air on the ground, she dimly saw the emperor move towards her, his face still kind.

“No, no. You should rest, now, little Solace. Rest. I shall do this. I and the dragons. We shall kill them all.”

Solace thought of Lily for a moment. Or was it only the wet feeling by her head that drew her mind to that pond in the garden again? She wasn't sure.

It was chill, but not cold. Lily wasn't laughing. She was nearly crying. She'd been denied going to the festival with her mother because she was a young princess.

“I hate being a princess,” Lily complained. She'd looked through her damp bangs at her servant friend. Her only friend. “I wish I was an orphan, like you.”

Solace's eyes rolled up, her consciousness fading. The gods really must hate her.

“Yes, you shall rest.”

–----------------

Chrysalis kicked back into another guard, the armor plating he wore biting into her sore hooves. Sprint was hovering in the air with a guard tucked in his hooves, tilting upside down and spinning rapidly. He released his dizzy companion onto the ground before returning to his queen's side.

Their disguises had only bought them a few minutes and now they were tired and against more than they could handle without possible casualties. Chrysalis looked around at the coming guards. Far too many to encase in the Cradle at once.

“We're moving back,” she warned her Swarm commander.

He nodded and quickly followed her flying retreat back towards the dragons.

“What if they need more time?” he asked worriedly.

“Too bad,” Chrysalis answered shortly.

The hill before them slanted down and both Changlings stopped cold at the sight of the wall of dragons standing behind Twilight Sparkle and her group.

“Chrysalis!” The alicorn called out. “Behind us now!”

Putting on a burst of speed, the changling queen and her underling rushed past them and collapsed onto the grass before the feet of the dragons.

“You might want to close your, um, ears,” Fluttershy warned softly, flying over towards them.

The queen almost didn't hear what the pony said, but once she heard the large intake of breath from the dragons standing over them she understood. She placed her hooves over her ears as best she could, knowing a bit of sound would still filter in.

Just as the soldiers rounded the top of the hills the dragons let loose with deafening roars. The noise shook the ground, rattling the queen's bones together, forcing her to clinch her jaw together tightly.

All the soldiers immediately dropped to the ground, be it from terror or necessity, Chrysalis couldn't say. After what seemed like an eternity, but what was really only a few seconds, the dragons stopped. The silence after the sound was almost as painful.

Twilight and her friends lowered their hooves and turned to face the dragons.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, her voice a mere croak from her weakened hearing.

The largest dragon nodded slowly and then looked up towards the darkening sky. “Thank you,” his deep voice echoed over their minds, “for reminding us that the past is not eternal.”

Twilight smiled, Chrysalis and Sprint slowly rising up on their shaky legs. That's when the first pops sounded off, too distant for their weak ears to hear, but bright enough to draw everypony's eyes.

“Discord made fireworks!” Fluttershy exclaimed happily, her eyes bright. “They're so pretty!”

“That's not a fireworks show,” Twilight murmured with wide eyes as an especially bright red firework spread into a large blossom, “that's the distress signal!”

Author's Note:

Dark turn much? Guess I'm still depressed form being sick.
Anywho, sorry in advance, but there might not be a chapter tomorrow. I'm supposed to be outside for hours for a family thing and I'm still sick. I have no idea what that's going to do to me, so no guarantees. I really hope this fades off soon. ><

Comments

[Starcat5]

Given how faded the Dragons are in color, I fear that this little rebellion in the ranks will be short lived, as the Emperor may in fact be using mind control magic on them. And the thought of Discord being overwhelmed as well... *Shudder*