Seeing Yellow, The Return

We all reappeared in the Changeling Kingdom. Chrysalis made a break for it, flapping her insectoid wings hurriedly. A bolt of red light hit her and she fell back to earth. I lowered my hand. The 11 of us moved towards the beaten form of Queen Chrysalis. She started to move away from us, a scared look in her eye.

"It's over Chrysalis. Your army is beaten. Surrender." I said. She didn't respond. We got closer. Wait a second, this isn't right. She would be firing off spells at us, trying to ward us off. I watched Chrysalis more intently. She was tensing, like she was about to spring... or trying to gather energy. I then realised what she was going to do.

"Fools." Chrysalis whispered, and her horn suddenly glowed green and a massive explosion occurred. Before it reached me, I grabbed Fluttershy and placed my hand on the ground, summoning a shield around us. The rest of the ponies weren't so lucky. They were all blasted off their hooves, slamming against the walls. I heard some nasty cracks. All of them seemed to be knocked out. Twilight's Element of Harmony dropped from her head with a clatter as it hit the floor. I dissipated the shield around Fluttershy and me. I couldn't see Chrysalis anywhere, but I didn't drop my guard.

Then, Fluttershy was lifted off the ground with green light around her and slammed against the wall. Unlike the others, she was held there, and she remained conscious. Before I could even draw breath, the same thing happened to me. I crashed into the wall next to Fluttershy. Queen Chrysalis dropped out of the sky in front of us. She was laughing. I have had enough of her laugh. I tried to attack her, but I was held in place securely. Next to me, Fluttershy was also trying to get to Chrysalis, but to no avail.

"My army might be gone. But the Queen still remains! Just like in the human game Chess, the game isn't over until the Queen falls!"

"Wait, you have played Chess?" I asked.

"A few times. I must say, it is a game requiring some skill to master."

I laughed. She glared at me. "What's so funny?"

"The Queen isn't the most important piece on the board. It's the King, idiot! When the King is in checkmate, the game is over."

I didn't know why I was saying all this. However, I did have an annoying trait where I corrected the mistake of those around me. Not the best trait to have... But anyway, I had succeeded in pissing her off. Possibly not the best idea I've had today.

"You know, I'm sick of your attitude, human. I won't spare you after all."

Her eyes glowed green and I felt my left wing starting to get vigorously pulled. I yelled. It was agony. My wing was getting twisted and pulled out of my body.

"No!" yelled Fluttershy. "Leave him alone!"

The pain ceased. Queen Chrysalis looked from Fluttershy to me, and back again. Then, her eyes widened maliciously.

"You two? Together? I don't why I didn't sense it before. Such strong love. More powerful than Shining Armor's love for Princess Cadence. Far more powerful." She laughed again. I really wanted to punch her in the face. "Oh, this is perfect!"

Her eyes glowed green once more and my wing started to get pulled again. This time, it was pulled out its socket, and then out of my back with a sickening sound. I yelled in pain. My back was on fire, the blood was pouring out of the hole in my back. Queen Chrysalis rubbed her face up against my severed wing.

"So soft! It seems a shame to part with them, doesn't it, human? I might just keep it." she said as she threw it aside, my beautiful white wing landing with a light fluff sound.

Fluttershy was crying. Chrysalis turned Fluttershy's head to face mine.

"See this, human? When I dispose of you, I will suck the love and life out of her. And there is nothing you can do." She laughed gleefully.

With that, I felt my other wing get pulled, just enough so it was fully outstretched. I saw a glowing green hacksaw floating in mid-air. Fluttershy gasped. I knew what the sadistic creature was about to do. She started to saw at my wing, cutting through the bone. I held in a scream. She was halfway done sawing through the last bone, when she stopped. Queen Chrysalis gave me evil smile. The magic pulled at my wing, breaking off the bone with an audible snap. A long strip of skin on my back came off with the wing. As my newly torn-off wing flew towards Chrysalis, I started to lose consciousness. I had lost too much blood. I was going to die. But I forced my eyes open, and I saw Chrysalis eating the skin that had come off my body when the wing had ripped off. What the hell kind of creature was this? She wasn't a simple creature any more. She was a monster.

Then, she was kicked in the face. Fluttershy had managed to move her leg through the bonds restraining her and connected one of her legs with the side of the queen's face. Chrysalis glared at her. Her eyes started to glow a brighter green than before.

Fluttershy screamed. It was a terrifying sound. One that I hoped I would never hear. Bit by bit, Fluttershy's skin started to peel away, disintegrating into nothingness. It was horrifying to watch. The beautiful yellow coat of the beautiful yellow mare was disappearing. Blood started to flow from the gaps where her skin had been torn away. She writhed against the energy containing her, still screaming. The monster in front of her grinned and bit into Fluttershy's leg, tearing a chunk out of it, then swallowing it whole. The large gap oozed blood and Chrysalis licked it slowly. Fluttershy's skin was still peeling away and now muscle was disappearing as well and I saw bone starting to appear. As the terrible scene unfolded before me, Fluttershy's yellow wings were ripped out of her back and thrown next to mine, without a second glance from her torturer. My eyes followed the arc of the wings as they were thrown to the ground.

Fluttershy slowly moved her head to face mine. Her eyes gazed at me, the tears mixing in with the blood on her face. In those eyes was pain and fear. Worry and sadness. Loss and love.

Help me...

That was the look Fluttershy gave me...

One that would haunt my thoughts forever...

New life rushed into me. I wasn't about to die with Fluttershy right next to me being tortured. I loved her too much. I closed my eyes, focusing. I pushed against the bonds stopping my movement. They held for a few seconds, and then I broke through them. I fell to the floor, landing on my feet. I started moving toward Chrysalis, channelling the last of my already draining energy into my right hand. Chrysalis didn't notice me coming. I grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her up. Her magic ceased. Fluttershy fell from the wall, no longer supported by the green energy. I stared with utter hatred at the monster I was holding.

"Human!" she managed to choke out.

"My name is Michael!" Cliché, I know. But utterly appropriate. With the energy in my right hand, I threw her across the room with tremendous strength. She impacted against the wall with a sickening crunch, and she moved no more. I stood there for 3 seconds. Then I collapsed. I felt blood leaving me. My back was sodden with the stuff. I was starting to lose my vision. I saw a fuzzy yellow something above me.

"Michael!" yelled the yellow blob.

"...Fluttershy..." I managed to speak.

My vision sharpened. The mare above me was cut, bruised, gashed, slightly torn open, wingless and bleeding. But I have never seen a more beautiful sight. But, already, I could see the life draining from her eyes, as she could see the same happening to me. No... I could die; Fluttershy is strong and can live without me. But me... no... she was everything to me.

I saw the remaining mane 6 members, 2 god ponies and the captain of the Royal Guard with his wife coming over. Most of them were limping. Some of them were being held up by others. Pinkie Pie seemed to be the only one not hurt. I don't know how she does it. I smiled. Tears were falling down Fluttershy's face. Some ponies were glancing from the white and yellow severed wings to me, looks of utter horror on their face. My vision blacked for a few seconds, then came back. Everypony was crying, even Celestia. Pinkie Pie was crying similar to how she cried in Episode 2 of Season 1. She was drenching the floor with the excess amount of tears. Then it hit me. Was I... really this loved? These ponies had only known me for less than a day, but were crying over my bloody form like they had known me for years and years. Fluttershy was hugging me. I grabbed the mare lightly, and she moved her head up to face me.

"You're... you're so beautiful Fluttershy..." I spoke, my voice just above a whisper.

Her face was shining with tears. I reached into my pocket and withdrew the picture, taken so long ago. I still can't believe that it was still as good as the day I got it developed. The messages were still readable on the back, the two messages that had started our love. I held out the picture to Fluttershy. She took it with shaking hooves.

"Fluttershy... promise me... that you will live on... when I..."

"Of course." she said. "But please, don't be cliché about this."

We laughed together. Probably for the final time. Her laugh... I've said this before, but it was amazing. I gently grabbed Fluttershy's face and moved to close to mine as I lent in. We kissed.

Coloured light surrounded us. The broken flakes of her dissipated skin, muscle and bone reappeared and started circling her, fitting themselves back into place like puzzle pieces. The discarded wings of the mare glowed with the ever-changing colours. The flew back into their rightful place and they gave a small, joyful flap. The colourful light disappeared, and I saw that I was kissing a completely whole and undamaged mare. I felt her powerful life force thrumming inside of her.

This would be my final gift to her.

My hearing was gone. My vision was nearly gone. My strength had evaporated. I couldn't hold myself up to kiss Fluttershy any more. I fell back onto the floor. I could just make out a yellow blob above me, before I let go of life. My vision went black.