When I finally managed to get the armor up the last of the stairs to Luna's room, I shoved it against the wall and sat down against it, pinning it there with my back as I caught my breath. Night Ray and Moonshot were back at their posts, and Night Ray came over to help me back to my feet.

"Looks like you had another trick up your sleeve," he commented as I stood up again, my breathing finally back under control.

"Yeah, barely. Too bad it's so damn heavy, though. Without power, it's just a big hunk of metal, and it won't be done recharging for some time. Right now all it is is dead weight." I grabbed the edge of one of the panels, and tugged on it to get the egg rolling again. "Also, that staircase is fuckin' long. My next design is going to be an elevator."

Both of them chuckled, fully aware of how serious I was being, and opened the doors so I could enter. I rolled the armor into the room, and immediately of to the side, then looked at the bed, where Luna was sitting. The two changelings were under the covers, sleeping peacefully as I approached. I had been planning to have some time alone with her since before I had gotten on the train, and I had every intention of getting the two changelings out as fast as possible.

"Are they alright?" I asked diplomatically. Luna turned, and I could see she had been crying.

Oh, goody. Now I feel like a jackass, too.

"They are terrified. Their... queen, for lack of a more fitting title, did horrible things to them. These two are so scared of what she might do to them upon waking that they don't even want to wake up anymore. I don't know what to do."

I thought about it for a few seconds, and had an idea.

"What if you brought them into my mind?"

She considered it for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, that could work. You could show them Chrysalis being defeated, which would help remove their fear. Once they're convinced they won't be punished, I should be able to wake them up again."

"Well, let's do it, then." I sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled my shoes off, and lay back against the pillows near the uncoscious changelings. Luna climbed on top of me, and I quickly relaxed. Her horn glowed, and I could feel her magic niggling at my brain, sending shivers down my spine. Before long, though, I could feel the induced sleep begin to take hold, and my eyes closed to darkness. When I opened them again, I found myself in a cave. Luna was sitting a few feet away, with her arms and wings wrapped around two small changelings. I was somewhat surprised to find them in smaller forms, but it made sense, considering how much fear they must have been feeling. I moved towards the trio, and Luna looked up at me, opening her wings slightly to allow me entrance. I moved close, and gently tried to extricate one of them.

No!

A mental slap with all the force of a runaway semi hit me in the face, and sent me flying. I used the fact I was in a dream to "loop" back around, like I had gone around the planet, and landed back next to them. I shook my head to make the birdies fly away, and got back to a sitting position.

"They don't like being separated."

"I noticed, Luna. Thanks." I came close again, and Luna opened her wings a little more. I leaned in, and Luna wrapped her wings around me, closing off the rest of the dreamscape from us. She gently pushed the two changelings over to me, and I pulled them together, working against their mild resistance to bring them closer to me.

Who are you?

"My name is Zephyr. I'm here to help you wake up."

They both curled up tighter against one another, and their wings buzzed in fear.

We don't want to wake up. Chrysalis is out there. She'll punish us for trying to go against her.

As if on cue, cackling rang out through the dreamscape. I passed the changelings back to Luna, and she opened her wings to let me out as I stood up. Some distance away, Crusty-lips was walking confidently towards us.

"I do not intend to punish you at all, actually. You will be easy to bring back under control. Even better, you have given me a way into the minds of two of the greatest threats to my power. No, I intend to reward you two." I felt a new wave of fear emanate from the changelings. "First, though, I will deal with this little urchin."

She smiled, and her smile grew past its physical limits, revealing more and more razor-sharp teeth as her lower jaw split. Her eyes became compound, accentuating her insectoid appearance, and her wings lengthened into massive scimitar shapes. Her arms cracked at the edges of the holes, and the sections elongated into prehensile blades. Her legs split as well, creating three prongs that extended from each knee. With her transformation finished, she hissed at me before chuckling.

"What now, little fool? Are you scared? You should be. I am even more powerful here than I was in the real world, and in here, you're no longer immune to my attacks. Now, you're finished." She rushed me, wings buzzing as she flew low over the ground, until she slammed against an invisible wall.

"Like a bug on a windshield," I commented. She peeled herself away from the invisible barrier, then opened her three-jawed mouth and screeched. The sound shattered the barrier, and she lunged at me again. This time, though, I simply swatted her away as I had her real-world attacks. She regained her balance, and unleashed a barrage of magical blasts, peppering the area around me. I threw myself backwards, pretending that it affected me and using the smoke clouds from the blasts to give me a moment to summon my concentration. Once I was ready, I stood back up. She actually managed to catch me off-guard as she sped through the smoke and hoisted me off the ground, but I already had my next move ready as she came to a stop.

"Ha! Not so strong now, are you? I will break you, boy, and you will be my puppet!"

She started to squeeze, and I couldn't help but grin as I felt heat begin to grow in my ribcage. Queeny noticed quickly, though, as it spread and a red glow began to emanate from my body. She dropped me, and I stood back up as fire sprang from various points, covering me without burning a single strand of hair. She started backing up, and I gave her a few steps before following.

"What's the matter? I thought you were going to 'break me', weren't you? Or was that just your stupid showing again?"

She tried to blast me with magic again, and I slapped it away again.

"I'm getting real sick of your shit, lady. You didn't want to have your ass kicked? You should've thought a little harder about the consequences of your actions. Now, though? Now, you're going to get a lesson in why you shouldn't fuck around with me." I launched myself at her, and my fist connected with her jaw, sending her sprawling. She got up quickly, and began attempting to slice me with her claws. I dodged several swipes, then surged my inner fire to drive her back.

"You see, back on my world, we have what I call the four Elements of Power: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water." She spat some sort of mucus at me, which stuck to my torso for about three seconds before burning off.

"Most cultures have some variation of the belief that any given species can be symbolized by one of these four Elements." She rushed me again, obviously beginning to panic as she took a wild swing at my head. I ducked under it, and gave her a hard uppercut in the stomach for her trouble. She collapsed, gasping as the mental feedback overrode her conscious knowledge that it wasn't real.

"So far, every creature I've come across has fit quite nicely into one of those four. Ponies, for instance, are like water. Sure, they don't seem too intimidating at first. Herbivorous, typically docile, not very aggressive.... But, when they're in a group, they become truly dangerous, like a flood. Get a whole town moving in one direction, and there's not much that can stop them. A hundred ponies, all working together, are capable of taking down almost any possible threat that exists in this world." She stopped gasping for air, and distanced herself from me, wings buzzing as she floated over the ground.

"Oh? If you're so smart, then perhaps you can tell me what we are? I'm just so intrigued by all this." She was obviously being sarcastic, and trying to stall me, but I decided to keep going anyway.

"Changelings? That's easy. You're like the earth. Stable, but stubborn, and slow to change. I've already begun thinking of ways to smooth over the transition for the rest of the changelings you subjugated, but the simple fact that these two don't want to wake up simply because of their fear proves how unyielding your species can be. But that's fine. Because humans? Like me? We are like fire. And as long as you can get it hot enough, anything will burn. Even diamonds." I felt a twinge of worry come from her; she was finally starting to understand.

"You see, Chryssy, you came here with a very important, dangerous misconception: You believed I was weak-minded. You believed I could simply be intimidated into submission. But I have spent most of my life being trained against far worse forms of torture and intimidation. There were people on my world who would have been willing to do things that anyone on this world would find unspeakable, just so they could learn everything I know. And just in case you still can't figure it out, let me make it perfectly clear: You are not a threat to me. You are a stupid, pathetic, obnoxious distraction, as far as I'm concerned. You are a spoiled little brat, trying to force others to do your bidding by making them smaller. You are nothing more than a glorified playground bully. Now... GET. OUT." I sent a wave of fire towards her, which engulfed her before she vanished.

I turned back to Luna and the two changelings, who were staring at me wide-eyed.

"You all okay?"

They nodded, and the changelings removed themselves from Luna's personal space as my fire subsided.

We are alright, but how did you win? No one has ever been able to beat Chrysalis before.

"Yeah, well, she's never had to face someone like me before. She's so used to everyone being scared of her right away that she couldn't handle it when I wasn't even mildly concerned."

They stared at me with slack jaws for a moment, then looked at each other. A series of sounds passed between them that I wasn't able to understand, even in the dream, and they began to return to their normal size where they sat. Behind them, Luna beamed as she finally relaxed. Then, they said something I wasn't expecting.

You saved us. We wish to serve you for your kindness.

I blinked.

"That's... really not necessary."

But, you have freed us, and we do not know what to do now. We have only ever been servants. It is all we know how to do. At least if we serve you, you will be kind, yes?

"That is not even remotely the point, but yes, you're correct. However, I neither want nor need servants, and I doubt that Twilight and Pinkie would be on board with this idea. Can't you just go find some other changelings and try living with them?"

We could, but very few changelings will even be willing to live with anyone else, let alone other changelings. And after this, most ponies will not let us stay with them, either. We have nowhere else to go.

I sighed and looked at Luna. She seemed unsure, and tilted her head toward me, indicating that she would leave the decision to me. I sighed again.

"Alright, look. I don't have enough energy left to really think about this, so for now, wake up and go see Celestia. No doubt she's already begun making plans to help you all, so I'm sure she'll be relieved to see a couple more volunteers. She'll know what to do with you, at least temporarily."

They seemed to debate with themselves for a moment, then nodded and disappeared.

"What about Chrysalis?"

I turned back to Luna and walked toward her.

"What about her? I very highly doubt that either the changelings or the guards will be so easily overpowered, certainly not again."

She raised an eyebrow at me.

"She was able to rebuild the hive mind she was using before, and managed to force a way into one of spells, being used on your brain."

I shrugged.

"And I sent her packing. So we make a better inhibitor for her, then she gets whatever punishment Celestia decides on. Nothing to it." I sat down next to her and hugged her close before leaning backward and laying down with her. She put her head on my chest, and spread one wing over me before speaking again.

"But what if she manages to escape?"

"Then we'll find her and make a punishment for that, too. Now relax." I gave her a squeeze and nuzzled her head.

"But what if-" I cut her off by pulling her mouth up and kissing her.

"Luna, if you're that worried, send Moonshot to help them. He can handle it."

She went limp for a moment, then nodded.

"He's on his way."

I rolled over, putting myself on top of her, and kissed her again.

"Good. Now, I can get you to actually relax."

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long. I was having trouble deciding how it would go. Next chapter shouldn't be quite so long a wait, though.