Two more Changelings charged at the Princess.
Two more Changelings were effortlessly killed and fell aside like rag-dolls.
With the pathetic attempt at stopping her advance rectified, Twilight would continue forward through the Hive. Her intent was clear; she was out to kill the surrogate mother of the Changelings, Queen Chrysalis.
She never payed the price that she should have that day, when she nearly destroyed Canterlot. Thinking about that, Twilight realized that many of Equestria's living enemies were never really brought to proper justice, save Discord, as his betrayal was forgiven. Queen Chrysalis was practically allowed to roam free. This was Celestia's decision, despite Twilight's recent protests against leaving her alone.
These thoughts started when Tirek was imprisoned in Tartarus. If it had been up to her, he would have been killed for his crimes. That's when she realized...
Why isn't it up to me? I'm a Princess, too. I should have some say in this. But no, they just want me to keep smiling and waving...
It was also then that she discovered her new power.
Walking up to the Changeling corpses, she charged her horn in a black aura, lowered her head, and opened her mouth.
A green ribbon of magical energy trailed out of the Changelings' mouths, and into her own.
Twilight felt the magic fill her, sharpening her senses and giving her a heightened sense of awareness. She momentarily heard the last thoughts of one of the Changelings, as the Hive Mind spoke to her. A few more Changelings killed, and she would know where the Queen was.
Twilight reached a hoof down, and closed the eyes of both Changelings.
She turned away from the cadavers and continued through the Hive. She suddenly stopped, and turned her head to face the dead Changelings again.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered, a tear running down her face, before continuing once again through the Hive.
Normally, Twilight was the most forgiving mare you could ever know. Normally, her home wasn't destroyed by a thaumophagous Chimera. Something in her snapped when the Golden Oaks Library was reduced to ash, and she had a new perspective of justice, or the lack thereof in Equestria. Sure, she had a shiny new crystal palace, but it just wasn't the same as her old home.
Another Changeling swiftly turned his head upon noticing the Princess, as her horn was softly glowing with her signature violet-lavender aura.
He charged and threw himself at Twilight, only to be run through by a purple sword of magical energy, impaled by his own weight. His eyes went wide, and his jaw opened in the shock and pain.
"I'm... so sorry..." she whispered in his ear, the sword disappearing. She used her hooves to gently guide the dead Changeling to the ground, where she repeated the magical draining on his corpse, and closed his lifeless eyes.
Once again, she heard the whispers of the Hive in her head. She was almost able to sense where the Queen was, but she was reluctant to kill more Changelings. If she could, she would leave them alive. The first time she tried to drain one alive, the rest of the Hive was alerted to her presence, which would ultimately lead to more dead Changelings.
She only had her sights on the Queen. She was the one who orchestrated the attack on Canterlot. She was the one who nearly cost Twilight her brother, her mentor, and her friends, plus Princess Cadance. Changelings needed to feed on love to survive, so Twilight didn't fault them for it. She faulted Queen Chrysalis for choosing to take it with force, and leading the innocent Changelings to do so. The Hive would be better off without her.
Surprisingly, she also found herself holding Princess Celestia accountable. She knew she shouldn't think that way, but she knew it was justified. Now, she was taking matters into her own hooves, and making sure an enemy of Equestria pays dearly for their crimes against it.
Another Changeling noticed her. It charged, but was quickly lifted by Twilight's magic. As swiftly and painlessly as she could manage for the poor Changeling, she ended him with a swift and forceful turn of his head. Another tear ran down her face as she killed another innocent. Her total was now seven. Seven Changelings removed from this world by her hooves. Seven innocent lives extinguished. One guilty life she would still remove.
She lowered her head and drained his magic through her mouth. A green flash momentarily covered her vision, as she finally found what she was looking for. It was almost like she could see the Queen through the black and green walls of the Hive. She could feel her move, speak, and even felt her breaths through her own.
"Found you."
She immediately began charging through the Hive, a mental map of the entire area provided to her by the Changeling's memories. She could see every tunnel, every side path, every exit in the massive expanse. Finding the quickest and safest route was trivial with this knowledge.
She even had time to plan an escape route, should it come to that. She did have one disadvantage, after all.
Twilight was connected to Queen Chrysalis, along with every single Changeling, through the Hive Mind at the moment. The Queen would know every move Twilight would make before she made it, and likely sense her every thought. However, the Queen also shared the disadvantage. Twilight would be able to do the same.
It took little time to get to the center of the Hive, where Queen Chrysalis already lay in wait. She opened her mouth to speak.
No words ever came out. The Queen was silenced by a massive barrier of magic pinning her to the throne in the back of the room. Changelings seemingly poured out of nowhere, all of them approaching Twilight from the rear. The buzzing of their wings was the only sound that permeated the room.
Twilight had sensed the Queen's ambush. A matching barrier of purple magic rose up behind her, managing to block off all the Changelings. She had no intention on taking any more innocent lives, after all.
"Just you and me. Leave them out of this," Twilight hissed. Queen Chrysalis struggled to open her mouth and respond, but no sound escaped. She was being crushed by the barrier.
Letting out a yell, the barrier shattered as the Queen pierced through it with a green spike of magic. It kept whooshing through the air towards Twilight, and the aim was true.
Twilight barely teleported into the air and out of the way in time. The spike kept going until it hit the barrier behind her, shattering on impact. The barrier held strong, still preventing the Changelings from entering, despite their efforts to break through and protect their Queen.
The fight had just started, and Twilight had nearly been killed already. The mere thought of this drove her to rage. If she died, those Changelings would have been sacrificed in vain.
Twilight was not nearly as powerful as she was when battling Tirek, as she no longer had the power of three other Alicorns. Still, the power of one angry Alicorn was enough to be rightly feared.
She controlled her frustration, making sure not to make the mistake of being careless again. Instead, she focused on protecting herself, as she should have done from the beginning. She knew Chrysalis would try to fight with pure brutality.
Her eyes began to glow bright white as she channeled a spherical shield around herself. The power behind it was so great, that purple bolts that resembled lightning sparked off of it and into the ground and walls. Her wings folded to her back as the magic supported her in the air.
Her eyes faded from white to a dull green, her pupils turning scarlet. Fiery purple magic leaked from them. Her horn's aura went black, and the sphere around her darkened. She would end this quickly, as the Changelings behind her were taking a toll on her barrier.
Suddenly, she was gone, seemingly vanishing into nothingness. Queen Chrysalis looked around nervously, not knowing whether to feel joy, despair, or terror.
"Surprise."
She felt an intense burning sensation on her back, and she experienced pain like she had never known. She shrieked as she fell to the ground, her legs no longer obeying her.
She looked up to see Twilight, her hooves surrounded by a shadowy flame. Looking down to her legs, she noticed that one was broken. It must have happened so fast that she somehow didn't feel the pain, or the pain was overridden by the burning.
Twilight pressed a flaming hoof on the Queen's chest, coaxing more screams of pain. Another hoof struck her across the face, causing further burns.
Twilight jumped back into the air, lifting Queen Chrysalis off the floor and into the air with her.
She only had time to look down and see a large spike of magic materializing directly below her. She felt her weight shift down, and she saw no more.
Time slowed down. She felt the spike sunder her back. Then, there was nothing.
Twilight landed back on solid ground, in front of the impaled Changeling Queen. Her hooves were limply hanging back, her chest facing the ceiling, and her head was ominously staring at the other Changelings.
Twilight slowly returned to normal, the magic around her returning to her body. Her barrier finally collapsed, but the Changelings were no longer hostile. Instead, they looked around confused, some looking like they just awakened from a bad dream.
It was done, the feeling of accomplishment was grand, yet somehow limited. She knew why. Queen Chrysalis was only one of many who had yet to receive punishment. Her victory over the Queen could only be the beginning. Why should she stop here? Why would she stop here?
Her victory was decisive, but Chrysalis was far from the strongest of enemies since her power faded after her defeat at Canterlot. Twilight would need more power. Fortunately for her, the means to do so were at her hooftips, and a potential source lay impaled right next to her.
She stared back at the Queen, and could immediately tell that she wasn't quite dead. She was grasping to her last tiny piece of life. Twilight could tell just by looking into her eyes, but could also sense that she was in immense pain.
That's exactly what Twilight wanted.
She wanted her to suffer. The Queen would have the pleasure of still being alive while Twilight ripped her magic out of her body. She would not take it gently.
Her horn darkened again, as she opened her mouth, and the energy was forced from Chrysalis' form.
It was a sensation rivaled only by receiving the Princesses' combined powers.
Twilight was lifted off her hooves and grinned wickedly, as the raw magical power filled her to the brim.
This...
This was only the beginning.
Author's Note
How far will Twilight go?
How exactly did she get this power, and how did she learn she had it?
What lies in store for the Changelings?!
What will everypony else say about this?!?!
Things are gonna get crazy. It will be fun! I hope you all join me for the ride!
Canterlot
Princess Celestia woke with a start. She shot up out of her bed, panting and sweating, and slowly opened her eyes to allow them to adjust. The room began spinning around her as she became aware of a sharp pain in her horn. She unsteadily looked up and out the window, only to see Luna's moon in the night sky.
"What...?"
It hurt to even think. She could feel something... off. As if a massive reservoir of magical power just disappeared from existence, only to reappear in a new light.
Yet, the feeling could not be any more dark. It was the feeling of magic moving unwillingly. It was trying to escape, crying out as it was being drawn into a new master through unnatural means. It was a feeling that had Tirek written all over it.
She reached up and touched her horn, attempting to focus. She wrapped her head in a sheath of her own magical energy, clearing the drowsy fog from her mind.
The room finally stopped spinning around her, but the feeling did not pass. She dismissed the possibility of this feeling being from a nightmare or the like. If it were that bad, Luna would have felt it in her and intervened. Besides, it was all too real, and it was getting worse...
No, it was getting closer, and fast. She could feel what it was now; it was a magical death scream. Some extremely powerful creature had met its end, and the magic was ripped from its body before it could naturally move on.
"I need to get Luna and Twilight... Tirek could be returning. That shouldn't be possible already..."
The force arrived right there and then, before Celestia could even stand.
She felt it just before it reached Canterlot. It was like her own magic was attempting to flee. Every Unicorn in Canterlot felt it. None were quick enough to react, not that they would know how to. Nopony knew what exactly this was, never mind what it would do or how to stop it.
Every window in the palace shattered at once, as the green shockwave passed through it. The sound came three seconds later. All she could do was shield her face from the glass shards with her hooves and forelegs.
The Hive
The feeling... the power... it was beautiful. Twilight's hooves were not touching the ground. She was being suspended by the pure magic she was absorbing from the dead Queen. It wasn't the same sheer power of the three other princesses, but it was more... satisfying. Her eyes remained dull green and crimson.
The magic of Queen Chrysalis weaved through Twilight, entering through her mouth and building to a crescendo in her horn. At first, it simply built upon her own magic. Now, it was slightly pulling away from her.
She was expecting this, as magic never willingly goes unless the former user gave it freely. When it is forced, it tries to return to its old master. The powers Tirek absorbed were individually too weak to resist, but this was the power of a Changeling Queen, and within it, the power of the Hive.
And it was becoming too much. It was escaping, and the magic she was able to capture began to crawl into her mind. She found herself unable to focus on keeping the magic inward. It seemed like the more she struggled, the harder the magic fought back.
I control you now. Obey me! She was slowly rising upwards, further into the air. She redoubled her effort, adding more Dark magic into the spell. This only caused her more strain, as she tapped into the last of her magic reserves. The nature of the Dark magic forced her to call upon memories of sadness, evil, and strife.
She continued struggling against the magic pushing out. She felt like her head would burst open from the magical pressure expanding in every direction. She fought even harder to keep it in.
Considering the amount of magic moving in Twilight's head, she was lucky her horn didn't literally explode when it finally released. Her eyes rolled back into her head, turning back to their natural color in the process.
The green glow around her ceased, and she fell to the ground, unconscious. The remaining magic began building into a massive sphere, forming around Twilight and the body of Chrysalis.
The Changelings all immediately ducked for cover. The magic kept increasing in strength, until it could no longer hold itself together. A massive shockwave of green exploded from the epicenter, shattering stone and piercing the ground.
It was all darkness. Cold and empty, and strangely comforting.
Twilight slowly opened her eyes, only to shut them at the light that blinded her.
"My... head... Goddess, what happened?"
She once again slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the brilliant light. She expected to see the browns and greens of the ceiling of the Hive, but instead saw yellow sky. The ceiling was completely blown off of the Hive throne room. She noticed that the ground was now soft sand, instead of the hard stone it had been before. The entire room had been dark save the fiery braziers leading to the throne, which were now also completely gone. Now, the room was naturally lit with sunlight through and through.
She pushed herself off her back with her hooves, only to see countless Changelings surrounding her. Their stares were mixed, from content, to curious, to uncertain. But, no anger. Anger is all Twilight could have expected from them, but there was none of it. None of the abhorrent hate that was in their eyes during the siege of Canterlot, or the determined looks of anger as they helplessly watched their Queen die.
That's when Twilight finally acknowledged what she had done.
W...w... what have I done? How could I...I... I'm a murderer!
Her mind swirled. She wondered how she could have been so remorseful when killing the first drones, and then so hateful while in combat with the Queen. She wondered how she could bring herself to murder the leader with such impunity, with no second thought. Yes, Chrysalis was responsible for every action of the Hive, but to actually end her life... somehow, it was unthinkable now. That brought about her greatest worry...
How could I kill her with such hatred, but regret it now?! Am I totally losing it?!
She buried her face in her hooves, not caring about all the Changelings watching.
What will my friends think of me when they find out I'm a cold-blooded murderer? What will Celestia... Oh Goddess, I used Dark Magic! I drained the magic out of another living thing! I'm no better than... than Tirek... I don't know what came over me! How could I let this happen?!
Tears began flowing down Twilight's face, leaving streaks in the dusty dirt that was covering it.
I can already picture what they will all do... Applejack will be disappointed in me, I was dishonest... I swore I would never use Dark Magic again. Fluttershy and Pinkie... they won't say anything, and Pinkie's mane will go flat like it always does when she's upset. Rarity won't even look at me... and Rainbow...
Twilight felt a lump form at the back of her throat as she thought of what Rainbow Dash would say, or what she would do.
Celestia...
The lump got even more unbearable as she thought of her former teacher.
I won't be her student at all anymore... she'll take away my wings, and I won't be a Princess anymore, and... no, she'll do so much worse! I'm a murderer, I'll be exiled from Equestria... or... or executed! Everyone will remember me as a filthy criminal and excuse for a Princess of Friendship... I just did something that goes against my own Element! I've permanently tarnished Equestria and Celestia's name! Ponies will blame her for making me a Princess... and... my friends...
Her thoughts were finally cut short with the sound of chitins shifting and hoofsteps approaching. She opened her eyes and wiped away the tears so she could see again.
Aaaaaand I just embarrassed myself in front of an entire Changeling Hive... icing on the cake. I bet Celestia would enjoy that cake....... I am so losing my mind.
She felt a hoof touch her back. She swiftly turned to face the Changeling that touched her, and he pulled it away sharply, taking a step back.
Twilight could deal with the lack of anger, and even the overall look of acceptance from the Changelings, but what happened next was just too much.
The Changeling looked uncertainly at Twilight, before taking one more step back. He closed his eyes, tilted his head down, and bowed.
The other Changelings of the massive group began to look around at their brothers and sisters, until a few more began to follow suite. Then, a few more. Then, a dozen more, and then more, until all of the Changelings of Queen Chrysalis' former Hive were bowing to Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight didn't even know how to think or feel about this.
"My Queen."
Tartarus
Tirek smirked as he gazed through the looking glass portal, seeing the Changelings bow.
"So... she has not learned to use her power to it's full extent yet. That will come with time... but time is what I sorely lack. No matter, she will come for me eventually. All she needs is a little... persuasion."
He closed his hand into a fist and swiped it across the portal, causing it to fizzle out and vanish.
"I will have my pound of flesh yet, little pony Princess..."
Author's Note
Finally, I'm back into writing! I apologize for any... erm, dustiness. It's been months. 
