Episode 219: A Glimmer of Contrition

Empty wind, dry and filled with dust, greeted Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon as the pair emerged from a teal bubble of popping teleportation magic. Around them, the dark, desolate tundra of the Badlands stretched in all directions, save for the towering shadow of the Changeling Hive, visible due to the glittering strings of glow-moss and firefly lamps hung from its now greenery covered walls. To Starlight it still held a trace remnant of that ominous, claw-like structure it had once been under Queen Chrysalis’ rule, that faint shade of menace that could never be fully covered. But she knew the changelings that lived there now almost as well as the residents of her home in Ponyville, and knew the peaceful and vibrant energy of the community now housed within.

It made her gut wrench with fear, to think that at any moment the roving bands of monstrous Hollows out there somewhere in the countryside might come howling over the darkened Badlands to attack this place and its now peace-loving inhabitants. A part of her blood curdled at the twisted irony of it all, that even after overthrowing one ruthless Queen, the changelings now had another even more psychotic Chrysalis looming over them, ready to devour and destroy what the changelings had built for themselves.

“We won’t let it happen,” she said to herself, only to get nudged by Trixie.

“Talking to yourself again.”

“Eh,” Starlight shrugged, mood still dark, “Kinda warranted in this situation. Come on, we better move. Got to find Thorax and let him know what’s happening.”

The pair of unicorns took off at a swift canter, Trixie keeping pace much better than Starlight, barely getting winded. Starlight wasn’t nearly so used to trotting all over the place like Trixie was, a bookworm at heart more like her mentor, but she wasn’t about to let a little physical strain distract her. She was mentally reviewing every combat oriented spell she knew, tricks even Twilight didn’t know she’d been studying. While she didn’t have Twilight’s raw alicorn might, Starlight’s talent for magic was second to practically no other unicorn in Equestria, including her skill at working out new ways to use old spells.

“I’m willing to bet with a little mixing in of some illusion magic from both of us, pumping it through the right ward circles, we might make the whole hive invisible,” Starlight said, “Poof, gone, no Hollow will find it unless they trip over it face first.”

“That’s a tall order, although given it’s me you’re talking to, I can certainly bring some Great and Powerful potency to anything you want to try whipping up that’s illusion based... err...” Trixie pursed her lips, looking the distant hive over with a somewhat less than fully confident eye, “Although I’ve never done anything that big, before. Really more stage focused, Starlight.”

“You did great during the whole undersea adventure, Trixie, and I can tell your magic has improved.”

Stroking Trixie’s ego was a sure way to ease her nerves, and Trixie smiled, despite the nervous tick in her eye, “I have, haven’t I? Yes! I may be a side show compared to those spotlight hogging friends of Twilight, but tonight’s the night you and I take center stage! Hah, we really do get all heroic whenever we’re coming to the changeling’s aid, don’t we? We ought to be local celebrities by this point.”

“Does feel like we’re a bit karmically tied to them, doesn’t it? I don’t mind. Thorax is a dear friend, and Pharynx is... uh... Pharynx,” Starlight said, waving a hoof about in a vague gesture that Trixie nodded at.

“Hard to say which one is the big brother in that relationship. Did you know the last time I was here Pharynx actually insisted I prove my identity by passing a whole interrogation process!?” Trixie huffed, adjusting her big, floppy magician hat, “I swear, that bug gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘antsy’.”

“Well, I can’t blame him. Chrysalis, uh, the original one, is still at large and can look like anypony she wants, so the changelings have every reason to be a bit paranoid,” Starlight replied, then shivered, her tail flicking with nerves, “I hope the Hollow one can’t do the same.”

“From the sound of things, even if she can, she’s not exactly Miss Subtle when it comes to her evildoing. I...” Trixie’s brief moment of ease vanished as her eyes gained a darkened shade, “I heard from Twilight’s brother how bad the attack on the Crystal Empire was. It was... horrible. Starlight, all joking banter aside, this is a serious situation we’re trotting into. These Hollows are just monstrous. I really wish Twilight hadn’t sent us here. I mean, I know why. Thorax and his people need to be warned. But, but I just really hope the hive isn’t attacked.”

Starlight took a long time to respond, her mind wandering through its own dark worries. She was no stranger to ‘evil’. She’d done terrible things herself. Things she was in no way truly convinced she’d atoned for, yet. She’d nearly destroyed the timeline itself in a petty quest for vengeance on Twilight, and prior to that manipulated the lives of dozens of ponies just to satisfy her own bruised ego over losing touch with Sunburst. The shame of it all still burned deep in her heart, and she wasn’t sure that feeling would ever fully go away. Yet, despite it all, Twilight had given her the chance to change. To do better; deserved or not.

Trixie had gone through similar, if nowhere near as pronounced as Starlight’s journey. More a minor squabble with Twilight involving an Ursa Minor. Then there was Discord, who was kind of a friend now? He’d held the entire world in the palm of his chaotic claws, more than once, and caused untold emotional and mental suffering to others. Somehow he’d been able to turn that around and was another ally alongside so many others. Even that Sombra fellow, from every story Starlight had heard about him, had gone from a terrible foe, to yet another soul working towards atonement after being beaten by Twilight and her friends.

So why was it, with such a huge track record of success against Equestria’s greatest villains, did Starlight have such a sinking, different feeling in her gut concerning what was coming? Like Trixie, she’d heard about the attack on the Crystal Empire. Starburst had written to her about the details. The casual violence of it. The passionate brutality. The outright destructive nature of how readily the city was ravaged.

It was different. This Chrysalis wasn’t out to dominate. She wasn’t interested in ‘ruling the world. As near as Starlight could tell, the Hollow Chrysalis just wanted to inflict suffering for the entertainment factor alone. Because for her, it was fun to destroy, kill, and devour.

Not even the worst of Equestria’s gallery of rogues were quite that maliciously focused on making others suffer.

To Starlight it was difficult to comprehend, and hence only made the prospect of facing such a creature all the more terrifying. But she had to, because if that monster came here, then Starlight had no shortage of friends and loved ones present that she refused to lose. Twilight was the Princess of Friendship, and might even have been crazy enough in her idealism to try and give this Hollow Chrysalis some kind of chance to surrender or talk things out.

Starlight Glimmer was not the Princess of Friendship, and tonight, she suspected she might need to tap into some of her old habits.

Finally at the end of the long labyrinth of Laverna, Chrysalis wheeled around to glare at Ocellus and Platinum, whispering loudly, “Listen up, because this is how this is going to go. Platinum, I’m going to transform into a tiny flea and hide in your mane. Then you teleport-”

“I don’t know how to teleport,” Platinum stated flatly, “I’ve gained some skill in Equestrian magic, but I’m hardly an expert, and from what I understand teleportation requires a great deal of training and talent.”

“...Fine, then you’ll disguise yourself as another changeling, just like how we came in, and we sneak out quietly. Meanwhile you,” Chrysalis thrust a hoof at Ocellus, “Will wait precisely five minutes before rushing to Thorax and telling that moronic oaf about the danger of that madwoman. Be prepared to scatter and flee, if needed, but she’ll likely come after me and Platinum once it’s clear we’re no longer here. I just need to make sure Thorax doesn’t do anything stupid like try to detain us.”

Ocellus’ eyes flashed with concern that only served to make parts of Chrysalis twinge with equal parts deep-rooted annoyance and other unidentifiable pangs of squishy sensations that made her want to smash her head into a wall.

“But what happens if this other you chases you and your friend-”

“Ally,” Chrysalis corrected, much to Platinum's whinnying sight.

“-and catches both of you?” Ocellus continued as if not hearing the correction, “You’d be safer staying here and letting us protect you.”

Chrysalis couldn’t contain her bubbling bark of derisive, near manic laughter, like bile rising from her throat, “Hahahaha! P-p-protect me!? Me!? Are you serious!? Where do I even begin to list the things wrong with that statement, child? Let us set aside the notion of whether or not the bumbling so-called ‘King’ and all of you nattering grubs could protect me from the monstrous creature that is coming, why in the whole wide world would any of you want to!? This hive turned their backs on me! Tossed me, their Queen, out like yesterday’s trash the very instant something supposedly better came along! Why would any changeling here put their lives in danger for the very Queen you all hate, hmm?”

Hesitance sprang into the young Ocellus’ eyes, warring with youthful, unfathomable resolve that Chrysalis simply could not grasp the reason for. What did she have to do to break this child from her delusions? Ocellus’ wings buzzed harder as she hovered closer to Chrysalis, hovering at eye level to the much taller changeling. “I don’t know. I can’t speak for any but myself, but... but I’ll tell them that you saved me. Maybe it won’t mean much in the long run, given all the terrible things you’ve done, but I’m sure King Thorax will at least agree to keep you safe here until the danger is passed. After that, I don’t know, you might be put in a dungeon or something. But that’s better than letting this other, really bad Chrysalis get you, right?”

“She won’t get me if I run fast enough, soon enough,” Chrysalis rebutted, barring her teeth in a frustrated curl of her lips, anger barely hiding her trembling fear, “She certainly will if I stay, while walking over however many corpses she pleases to get to me. If I remain, I die, you die, everyone dies. And while I may only care about one of those results, it doesn’t change that what’s best for the whole hive is that I’m not here when that psychopath arrives.”

“Or we could all fight her, together!” Ocellus said, face wavering, trying to muster her own courage, “The hive all together was able to destroy even your throne. If you joined us-”

“Never,” Chrysalis said with cold, stone weight in her tone, putting her face close to Ocellus’, “Understand this, child. Whatever it is you think you’re trying to do? Save me? Change me? Make me concede that everything I’ve ever done was one long string of pointless mistakes? I won’t. I can’t. It...”

It would break her, and she was terrified of it, because she’d already felt the cracks form, down in the depths of Laverna’s tomb. An abyssal edge that, if she walked over it, would crumble every foundation of identity and cold, ruthless correctness she’d built around her sense of self and ego. She just couldn’t give that contrition. That admission of being wrong. Even when getting it rubbed in her face repeatedly just how likely it was that this was precisely the case.

And there hovered Ocellus, little, weak, a child, but continuously defiant as she eyed Chrysalis right back, not cringing from the Queen’s glower.

“You say that, but you saved me.”

Teeth grinding, Chrysalis spun around and began to stomp her way out of the tunnel’s exit, “Don’t mistake whim and random impulse for change. If it comes down to my life or yours, I won’t be saving you twice, child.”

Upon their exit from the labyrinth entrance back into the hive proper, Chrysalis was halted by a flood of lights. Momentarily blinded, and still rather tired from the fight against Laverna’s paintings, she didn’t have the reflexes to respond in time to several sticky nets of greenish goo plastering over her from several directions. Voices shouted in the tunnels, and she felt bodies tackling her.

“Get her!”

“I’ve got her! Keep her pinned!”

“There’s the unicorn! More nets! Fire more nets!”

Chrysalis raged, flailing her legs, “Get off me you utter oafs! I have to go! I have to get away from here! Idiots!” She began to change, her horn flaring green to transform into something smaller, but others were prepared for that and she felt enough goo plastering her to the floor that even if she managed to transform, her body would still be stuck. She wiggled her foreleg where her Bakkoto was strapped, fully prepared to try and extend the sharp whip blades, but she halted at Platinum’s voice.

“Chrysalis, calm down. We’re better off talking this through.”

Chrysalis could barely turn her head, seeing Platinum standing still, almost with regal dignity even as what she could now see as multiple changeling guards swarmed over her, bearing nets of goo resin to wrap the unicorn up in mere moments. Chrysalis, pissed off as she was, did find a tiny notch of respect for how quick and efficient her children still were at capture techniques. With a guttural sigh, she said, “Thorax, you traitorous flea, at least you didn’t let my people slack off too much. Or do I have Pharynx to thank for this quick little detainment? And will you simpletons get off me and shut off those blasted lights!?”

She heard Thorax cough politely, “Uh, Starlight, you can probably turn down the magic lightshow now.”

Chrysalis’ blood ran hot with rage at the name, and hearing the hated voice of the unicorn mare she’d dreamed of getting all manner of nasty revenge upon for many months now.

“It’s not me that’s making it so bright. Trixie, turn it down a notch, eh?”

“Why!? This is the crazy changeling that nearly killed us and took over Equestria! She’s lucky I didn’t try to fry her retinas, thank you very much. Hmph, but fine, I’ll magnanimously spare all of you my magnificent light show.”

The blinding flare of white blue light faded to a more acceptable glow, and Chrysalis could now clearly see the corridor and the juncture beyond full of changeling guards. At the head of them stood the tall, pale green regality of Thorax in his disgustingly bright and colorfully transformed state. Chrysalis still found those colors utterly awful. Deep psychological issues and dedication to her selfish ego aside, that color scheme alone would have been reason not to ‘reform’. She couldn’t even imagine how hideous such colors would look on her. What was wrong with good, simple, effective matte black?

“You look as garishly ugly as the last time I saw you,” she drawled at him, unable to do much else with multiple layers of fluorescent green resin holding her to the floor.

Thorax rolled his jewel-like eyes slightly, taking a very deep breath, “And you look even more pathetic than when you flew away from us with your tail tucked between your legs. Would’ve been nice if you’d stayed away, forever.”

Clearing her throat, the hated form of Starlight Glimmer trotted forward. Next to her was a nattering blue unicorn in a tacky cape and hat that Chrysalis vaguely remembered as being part of the group that ruined her life. Traxie or Tricky or something insipid like that. Chrysalis ignored the blue one, eyes focused with scalpel sharpness upon Starlight, who glared back with equal distaste.

“We don’t have time to trade insults,” said Starlight, “The whole hive is in danger, and Trixie and I need to get to work on a ward to make this place invisible. I’m not sure what you and the Soul Reaper that hurt Princess Luna are doing here, but we can’t afford to have to worry about you two trying to cause problems, so I’m thinking it’d be best if I throw a sleep spell on you all ot keep you nice and out cold until we can sort out the present mess.”

“You’d just be signing the death warrants of yourselves and the whole hive,” Chrysalis spat, and Platinum swiftly interjected before Chrysalis could hurl some additional choice words about Starlight’s appearance, intelligence, grooming habits, and mating prospects.

“I agree we don’t have time to insult one another, or do much else to prepare for what’s coming. I take it from your own fearful expressions, Starlight Glimmer and Trixie of Equestria, that you came here already knowing the kind of danger this hive is in?”

Starlight exchanged a look with Thorax briefly, the changeling King giving only a small nod of consent before Starlight warily said, “Yes. Chrysalis’ Hollow counterpart. She’s unleashed a whole horde of Hollows on Equestria, and we think it’s likely some of them will be coming here.”

“Not just some of them,” Platinum said, “But the Espada herself. The Second Espada will come here, looking for her counterpart. And I do apologize if this sounds like I’m underestimating you, but do you truly believe a mere ward of invisibility will keep her from finding this place? It may even already be too late. Now, I’m going to guess that Ocellus’ friends are the ones who told you we were down here?”

Thorax looked about to answer, mouth halfway open when two colorful forms streaked past him, barring into Ocellus with hugging limbs.

“Ocellus, thank goodness you’re alright!” shouted Spinnerette, all but throwing Ocellus around before hugging the other changeling child with a literal bear hug as she transformed into a big, fluffy red-furred bear. “I was worried you might’ve gotten crushed, crispified, or sawn in half by traps down there! Grrr,” she growled and turned towards Chrysalis, “You better not have laid a single holed hoof on my gal pal!”

Chrysalis chortled with a defiant raising of her chin, which was about as much movement as she could pull off at the moment, “Oh, and what if I did? What if I told you I shoved her around most violently?”

“I got jaws bigger than your head in this form, ex-Queen,” Spinnerette warned, upon which her brother patted her furry arm.

“Try to relax, Spin. She can’t hurt any of us now that the King and the guards have her and her minions all captured and stuff.”

“Not a minion, but glad you’re both well and made it out safely,” said Platinum flatly, and Ocellus also patted Spinnerette on the head with a placating hoof.

“I’m okay, really. Chrysalis didn’t hurt me. She saved me, in fact.”

This earned a few surprised looks from those gathered, guards, Thorax, and the visiting ponies alike. Thorax stepped forward a few trots, eyeing Chrysalis warily, then Ocellus, “Why don’t you tell us everything that happened. I still need to contact your parents and let them know you’re alright. Also, get these two into the dungeon with the other pair.”

“Other pair?” Chrysalis asked, and Platinum cleared her throat.

“That would be the other Ocellus, and my son. They followed us here, and I asked them to do some observation, preferably in clandestine fashion. Apparently that didn’t work out.”

“Wait, what other Ocellus?” Ocellus blurted, blinking in baffled curiosity at the still rather placidly unresisting Platinum.

“This is getting complicated,” Thorax muttered, “Look, we can sort all this out later. Right now if the hive really is in danger, then there’s no time to waste. Starlight, Trixie, please begin work on warding the hive. I’ll assign guards to triple watches tonight, and have Pharynx guard these prisoners until we can get in touch with the Equestrians. We may need reinforcements.”

“That might be hard,” said Starlight, frowning deeply as guards began to pull Chrysalis and Platinum up, wrapping them more thoroughly in cocooning green sludge, “Right now several major cities are under attack. Twilight and her friends, along with Celestia are all already fighting the Hollows in various places. Its why only me and Trixie could really be spared to come here. I could send a spell message requesting help, but I have no idea if there’s any Solar or Night Guard to spare.”

“They would be slaughtered, even if they came,” stated Platinum, and the guards around her suddenly backed off as the temperature in the air dropped to utterly freezing in mere seconds. The cocoon around Platinum grew over with thick frost sheets, then shattered with a mere burst of spiritual pressure that everyone in the tunnel felt. Platinum stood there, her Zanpaktou transformed into the large, curved blue tulwar of its Shikai state as more ice formed around the tunnel.

Guards hissed and began to transform into animal forms suited to combat, while Thorax, Starlight, and even a shaking Trixie lit up their horns to prepare spells. Platinum, however, just stood there and lowered her blade, eyeing Thorax directly, “I don’t want to fight. Please, listen to me.”

“Why should I do that?” Thorax asked.

“Because if any of us are to have a chance of surviving, the last thing we should be doing is fighting one another. I understand what I have done, what your world’s Chrysalis has done. I grasp that we have been enemies and you have no reason to bear us any trust. But this is a danger that goes beyond trust. The Chrysalis from my world is the second strongest among a race of unbelievably powerful monsters, King Thorax. She is nearly unkillable, able to regenerate from practically any wound. She commands a vast horde of her kind, any one of whom has the strength to rip portions of this hive apart like wet paper and do similar to your guards.”

“I know,” Thorax spat back, voice shockingly hard for an individual with such an otherwise kind face, “I’ve already fought them, in the Crystal Empire. I know exactly what’s coming, and how dangerous she is. Which means I also know how dangerous you are, and if I’m being honest, I rather kind of hate you for bringing that monster here in the first place!”

Platinum was silent for a moment, then closed her eyes and gave the barest of nods. She turned her Zanpaktou back to its pale pearl, sealed katana, and floated it over to Thorax, who looked at the sheathed blade in surprise.

“Then all I can do is give you my oath that I will surrender myself to you and the justice of the Equestrians for my wrongdoings, to face whatever punishment you deem fit. I give you my sword, which is forged of my very soul, to seal this oath. But please, King of the Changelings, listen to my plea as a Soul Reaper and former Captain of the Gotei 13. You and your people do not deserve the terror that is coming, and I am willing to shed my blood on the field of battle to aid in protecting this place. That, too, is my oath, if you’ll allow me to fight at your side for this one battle, after which you may do with me as you will.”

“What are you doing, Platinum!?” Chrysalis said, fear creeping into her voice, “If you fight that crazy monster, you won’t stand a chance!”

“That is likely,” Platinum admitted, “Even Captain Celestia and Luna together couldn't’ beat the Second Espada, so my odds are minimal. However, perhaps with the help of others, it wouldn’t be?”

Chrysalis let out a keening sound, shaking her head, “No, no no no, I can’t! I...I can’t, I need to run, Platinum! I can’t face her! She’ll... she’ll...”

The only reason she didn’t fully break down into pleading was the last shreds of her pride, cloaking her terrified face like scraps from a broken suit of armor. She looked to Thorax, looked to Starlight Glimmer, then looked at Ocellus, staring at her, and Chrysalis just... went silent. She curled into herself as best she could in the cocoon of goo holding her and went dead silent, eyes starring.

Thorax and Starlight looked at each other, while Trixie, breaking out into a cold sweat, muttered, “Just how... how bad is this other Chrysalis?”

Chrysalis crunched down on the leg of the screaming changeling scout that her dear children had found wandering the Badlands, and she rather savored the way soul’s mixture of fear and resolve added a really smoky flavor, like nicely made beef jerky.

“Mmm, now this is fine dining. The way you changelings feed on love really adds texture to your souls. I wonder, what does love taste like to your kind?” she asked the soul, which she held casually in one hand over the scout’s fallen body. They stood on the lip of Hitsuyo-Aku’s rooftop tower, now nestled up against a tall, jagged mesas of oblong rock spires. The hidden, Soul Reaper research base blended in perfectly with the Badland’s terrain. Only the sharpest eyes would have likely spotted it amid the rocky spires, even from the air. Chrysalis had sent a pack of her children out immediately to scout around themselves, upon which they’d found the hapless fellow now in Chrysalis’ hands.

She’d pulled his soul out rather readily, taking small, screaming enough to muster an answer, such as, “I’ll never talk, you piece of traaaAAAAAAAHHH!”

Chrysalis popped a wing off, taste tested it with a quick bite, and shrugged, “Hmm, like a potato chip. Your wing, not love, I mean. I don’t know what love tastes like, but given I can change shape into a changeling now, I ought to give it a try. How does your kind extract love, exactly? I mean, presumably before you all became such colorful and friendly little bugs, you had to actually take love by force back when that pathetic ‘Queen’ of yours ruled? How’d that work? How do you extract love from those that are probably terrified and hating you as you feed?”

The changeling went quiet for a moment, then with a savage snarl he tried to alter his hoof into a bladed weapon and strike at Chrysalis. But the hoof didn’t change and his punch on her face didn’t so much as make her flinch a millimeter. She did raise an eyebrow at him and broke off his other wing, not even bothering to eat it and just tossing it off the tower. “Seems like you lose your ability to shapeshift when you’re just a soul. Must mean that some component of the magic is tied to your body. Which is strange, considering I can change form just fine and I’m in spirit form. Hmm, the mysteries of this world’s magical mechanics never cease. Now, I’m trying to have some polite conversation over dinner with you, a position many males might envy. I mean, sure, you’re dinner, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time together, right? Why, answer a few questions and I might do you the favor of turning you into a Hollow instead of devouring you whole.”

The changeling in her grasp struggled, his soul body wriggling about to try to escape her iron grasp. She let him squirm for a little while, examining the Equestrian’s soul with idle curiosity. Much like on Earth, the soul took on the form of its physical body, this one a tangerine orange color with yellow frills and wing membranes, and dewdrop silver gems for eyes. What Chrysalis found interesting was that the soul still had a soul chain dangling from his chest, connecting him to his body. This suggested to her that the actual makeup of a soul didn’t change much between the two realms. It lent fuel to her curiosity if an Equestrian’s soul could be turned into a Hollow.

She’d already considered the same concerning this world’s Cadence.

Once she got a tad bored of watching the changeling struggle in vain, she proceeded to flick his face with a slim, dark finger, striking with enough force to nearly break his snout, “Okay, enough of that. If you’re not going to be sporting about this, I could just toss you to my children. They haven’t had dinner, although as soon as your hive is found, we’ll be getting some take out, if you catch my drift.”

“Why... are you...” the changeling spat blood from his mouth, defiance at odds with his fear, “...doing this?”

“Doing what? Be more specific, please. Torturing and chatting with you? Invading Equestria? Threatening to devour the souls of everyone you know and love? I’ve got a lot going on right now.”

Despite his rather precarious circumstances there was a hint of cheek in his brief pause before vaguely waving his hoof at her, “Uh... all of the above?”

Chrysalis licked her lips, nibbling more on one of his broken off wings before sitting down on the edge of the tower roof, smacking the changeling down next to her in a rattle of his soul chain. One hand still firmly clamped on the back of his neck to keep him from squirming too much, she yawned and spoke with a light, musing tone one might use when chatting at a café with friends, “I get that question often. Almost as if people expect the answer to change something. So I ask my own question; why ask why? Would you be in any less torment if I gave you some mind-blowing, grand motivation for my violent hedonism? Would your heart bleed with sympathy if I revealed some dark, painful past that molded me into the monster you see before you? Would it ease your terror if I revealed some secret truth that would make my actions somehow make noble sense?”

She laughed, a loud, musical, full bellied laugh of equal parts mirth and madness as she pressed fingers harder than steel into the changeling soul’s body, bringing forth blood and cries of pain, “What answer to ‘why’ exists that matters? I do what I do because I enjoy it, and it is my free will to choose this monstrous existence of pleasure...”

Bringing his frightened visage closer to her face, she smiled wide, licking the blood of his wounds from his carapace, “And I could easily choose otherwise. I don’t claim I have no choice, that this is my unalterable nature. Oh, how easily I could choose to be whatever else I wanted. A heroine, saving the day? I’ve power to spare and could save countless lives if I choose to fight that fight. But I don’t want to. I choose not to. Willingly. Knowingly. I make no excuse of nature or nurture. Everything I do, everything I have ever done, was my choice.”

Her eyes were barely looking at him, then, even as her fingers casually began to dig at his soul chain, slowly, by centimeters, ripping it free of his soul’s body, “I won’t have anyone rob me or my children of choice. I certainly won’t have some worthless, pathetic, filthy little piece of garbage wearing my face go around disgracing all Chrysalises across reality. And once I’m done with her, I’ll be clawing down the very pillars of heaven itself. Unless, of course, my children make choices of their own... oh, am I looking forward to finding out what they choose, but until then Mother will keep herself entertained. Now, let’s see just how much suffering an Equestrian soul can endure before going Hollow. I’d ask your name, but pretty sure ‘aaaagggggrrrgh’ is about all you’re going to be able to say for the foreseeable future...”

Staying still was pure torture for Luna. Every inch of her down to the marrow of her bones was screaming to be out there in the field, doing battle with the enemy! Equestrians, brave soldiers all, were dying to protect their land and loved ones, and she was sitting here on a blasted chair watching troop movements on the magical display like glowing ants marching over a picnic. It was infuriating! It was also necessary. The metal arms of her chair groaned as they bent slightly under the unconscious fury in Luna’s forelegs, and she had to check herself before she broke something. Her scowl must have been the stuff of nightmares, for beside her Echo gulped loudly and spoke softly.

“I wish you could be out there, too, my Princess, alongside my brother.”

A part of her wanted to snap at the mare, yelling that she felt no different herself, but to do so would have been unwarranted. Biting back harsh words that she knew full well Echo didn’t deserve to have thrown at them, Luna instead turned her attention to the nearest of the artificial construct mares helping with disseminating information from the command center’s table, “Status report, Onyx.”

“Line of defenses at Manehattan are holding. Minimal casualties reported in the city proper after an enemy break through in the barrier, with enemy forces neutralized by Generosity and Laughter. Princess Celestia remains engaged with the bulk of the enemy attack force. Estimated 20% of the enemy routed or destroyed. Solar Guard and Night Guard units report roughly 27% casualties.”

Jaw clenched tight at the dark colored stone mare’s report, Luna glanced at another of the constructs, Emerald, “And Las Pegasus?”

“Reports less conclusive. Defenses are holding, but current status suggests Loyalty and Magic are both heavily engaged with the enemy. Kindness’ is on the move but has not yet engaged. Guard units report only 16% casualties thus far, but enemy forces remain intact with no reported routes or confirmed casualty numbers. We can, however, confirm that Torch and his dragonflight are en route and should arrive to support the city defense within the hour.”

The dragons were flying as quick as they could, no doubt, but they could only go so fast, and the network of gateways the Guard forces were using were not keyed in to open large enough to admit adult dragons, even if it would have been possible to send the proper amulets to Torch and his forces prior to them departing to search for Spike and Ember. Luna would just have to trust that Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy could hold the line until the dragons arrived.

The casualty numbers made her fur crawl. On the surface the Guard weren’t faring that badly, considering the raw, ferocious strength of the Arrancar. But Luna knew those percentile numbers hid behind cold statistics a painful, bloody reality of hundreds of courageous souls lost or critically injured. No matter how much she’d mentally braced herself for this, the knowledge still curdled in her gut like sour milk and only added to her stoking rage at being bound to this command center. There was a steady stream of messenger ponies filtering in and out via the magical gates in the wall, bearing scrolls for her and General Armchair, updates on other units still mustering or outposts reporting in on the status of their own wards.

While the battles were being fought, Luna’s task was to watch and analyze the Arrancar movements and be prepared to take action if Celestia’s suspicions were true.

If this Chrysalis is half as underhooved as ours, this attack may well be a veil to conceal another goal. While I protect Manehattan, I need you to be vigilant, Lulu. Look for the movement of shadows only you have the skill to see.

Celestia’s words stung her mind, for she knew her sister was likely correct. While the attack thus far had been brutal, the Arrancar’s numbers didn’t fully match up with Sombra’s report. Hundreds of the enemy remained unaccounted for. Some might be with the Espada herself, wherever she might choose to strike, and that alone was reason enough for Luna to be held in reserve.

Her eyes traced the map. While so much was happening at Manehattan and Las Pegasus that having Announcer’s construct siblings to summarize the information was efficient, the battle at Appleoosa was small enough in scale that Luna didn’t need to ask, instead eyeing the symbols on the glowing stone map herself. Applejack was all but holding off half of the enemies down there on her own, Luna could see the mare’s apple cutie-mark icon sitting in a pile or red enemy dots that were gradually vanishing one after another. The symbol of the Treasury remained steady over Appleoosa itself, where the blue blocks of the 2nd Hoofington Regulars stemmed a small tide of further enemy icons. Nocturne and his squadron of Night Guard had appeared on the enemy’s rear, no doubt the snipers catching the Arrancar in a cross-fire between the Solar Guard and Treasury’s guns. Things were holding steady, at least for now...

If she dispatched Prince Rutherford and his yaks to Appleoosa, they might tip things into a full victory on that front, freeing the Treasury, Applejack, and Flash Sentry to soar north to Manehattan and cut off the Arrancar’s route of retreat. As long as Torch and the dragons arrived on time to Las Pegasus, then despite the painful casualty numbers, the night could be won and the Hollows driven off in defeat.

“Ward breach detected,” reported Agate, the red eyed construct mare’s voice carrying clear and calmly, “Latitude 38 north, longitude 70 west. Eighteen enemy signatures.”

“Second ward breach, latitude 36 north, longitude 71 west,” said Sapphire practically at the same time. Twelve enemy signatures.”

Two, three, four more times in rapid succession the construct mares gave reports of further breaches of the Hollow detection wards, and Luna’s eyes sharply cut over the map to look at the clusters of small red dots springing up all in a long, slightly curved line along a highly similar latitude.

“What in the night's cold nethers are they up to?” wondered Echo, her glowing yellow bat eyes narrowing, “Half a dozen small bands, spread out like that? Are they trying to raid villages? But those areas are thinly populated, at best.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Luna said, her mind’s cogs turning fast as she watched the relatively minor bands of Hollows roving northward past Equestria’s southern border. Each was moving at slightly different trajectories, but all kept the same general spread out line, almost like... “A net.”

“Huh?” Echo said, one tufted ear flicking in a quizzical manner.

“It’s a search net,” Luna said, “That’s the same kind of pattern we would use if I sent the Night Guard out to scour an area for something.”

“But that doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Echo said, giving the map a puzzled look, “From what we know, this Hollow Chrysalis already scouted out Equestria, right? So they’d know where all our settlements are. That region between Appleoosa and the heartland is mostly uninhabited. There’s nothing along that search pattern that should draw attention from the enemy.”

Luna would normally be in agreement, but she had a twisting sensation in the back of her mind as she watched the clusters of tiny red dots roving across the wilderness of south central Equestria, where many thick forests, small mountain chains, and rough foothills made up much of the landscape. Yes there were a few dotted villages and farmsteads here and there, but truly there weren’t any real population centers until one got to Ponyville itself. Yet that band of wilderness stretching over that portion of the land did have something important located in its area, nestled and quite hidden within one of the small clusters of forested mountains.

Her wing, the one reattached after Firefly had injured her, twitched with a habitual ache. Luna’s eyes fixated on that one spot on the map, barely marked even here in this command center with only a simple arch-like structure carved into the mountain. The real thing was far more hidden. Impossible to detect via magical means, and just as hard to find physically. She and Celestia had made sure of that.

It’s not possible that Chrysalis discovered the location on her own, and I doubt the human Starlight Glimmer found it either. That strange clone of their world’s Starswirl did break into the restricted section of the library, but records of the location should have been near impossible to dig up, especially given Sombra and Radiant Hope drove him off before he could grab much... but even so...

“Should we send any of our reserve Night Guard to intercept them, Princess?” Echo asked, but Luna shook her head.

“No, I won’t waste our soldiers' lives when it's possible these are just stragglers from Chrysalis’ main force. We continue to monitor them, but I need to be ready in case of an emergency, much as I detest the fact...”

“You suspect something, though, don’t you, Princess?” This came from General Armchair, who had finished sending out a fresh set of orders to messengers who galloped off through the gates, and had trotted up to the glowing magical map. The Solar Guard’s eyes took in the information on the map, eyes sharp. “I think I know exactly what you’re worried about.”

“So I’m the only one out of the loop?” asked Echo, then the mare’s face scrunched up at the map at where both Luna and Armchair were looking, “Waaait... waitwaitwait, do you mean... Tartarus?”

“Ah, so those eyes are good for more than unusually sharp night vision. Never did get why the phrase ‘blind as a bat’ came about,” Armchair chuckled, to which Echo gave him a quick huff.

“You’re both right,” Luna stated, “Little of importance occupies that region, which is exactly why Tartarus and its entrance is located there. Remote enough that it won’t be stumbled over, but close enough to be easily watched and guarded. Our eternal prison for any being too dangerous to be kept in anywhere else.”

“Okay, but... but the entrance is pretty miniscule compared to that huge area, and is hidden on top of that. I mean, there’s no way they’d be able to find it, right? And how do we know for sure that’s what they’re looking for? How would the Hollows even know about it?” Echo said.

“It’s entirely possible they don’t,” mused General Armchair, leaning over the map and pointing a hoof at the terrain, “They could simply be scouting groups looking to secure staging camps for their forces. I know that if I were put in charge of invading Equestria, er, all apologies for this thought process Princess, but I’d want to use this rugged, central terrain to set up hidden bases for striking at the settlements in the heartlands. Ponyville, Baltimare, and Hoofington are all close to those mountains. Since we know the Hollows want to launch a larger invasion soon, these forces might be preparing grounds for when their comrades arrive.”

“That sounds plausible,” Luna admitted, “But I still don’t like how close they are to Tartarus. If there’s even a sliver of a chance they discover it, we need to be prepared. Echo, send two of our reserve squadrons. General Armchair, select one of your best regiments to redeploy to the interior or Tartarus. They’ll need the right... items, to calm Cerberus.”

“Of course, Princess,” said Echo, and Armchair nodded as well, saluting with one hoof.

“It will be done. Although, Princess, if I may point out, one regiment may not be enough to hold Tatarus if the Hollows attack in numbers...”

Luna shook her head slowly, face lined with shadows as she frowned, “They don’t need to hold it. Just delay the Arrancar long enough for me to get out of this blasted command center and arrive to deal with matters myself. It may not come to that, but the last thing we need are any Tartarus’ prisoners escaping. Again. One in particular.”

While Tartarus may have had many dangerous creatures locked up in its murky depths, Tirek remained the most problematic. He may have been defeated twice by this point, but his ability to gain nearly infinite power through the consumption of magic meant he could rise as a threat once more with relative ease if allowed to escape. Then there was the new inmate Charybdis. Twilight had seen to the fallen seapony witch’s internment, and according to her Charybdis’ power was broken. But Luna wasn’t so sure. If there was a possibility of a large scale jailbreak from Tartarus, Equestria couldn’t afford the level of risk that would entail.

Celestia did still prefer to deal with long term enemies with that dark hole in the ground. More worryingly to Luna, Twilight had expressed some sentiments about... revising and renovating the system entirely. Given the current emergency there was hardly time for Luna to talk with either of them about her own concerns on the matter, and now that things were getting even more serious, perhaps she ought to take action on her own, if it became necessary?

How much can you trust your sister to do what’s right, when she’s got the mind of an ancient tyrant whispering in her head? Eos can’t be trusted. She was always unwilling to listen to reason, and it always fell to you to do what was right even if it meant-

Luna blinked, and gave herself a firm shake, wings snapping out as she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Echo had been halfway to going to fulfill her orders, but turned back, a look of worry on her face, “Princess?”

“It’s... nothing. I’m fine,” Luna said, “Go, dispatch those squadrons. Quickly.”

Echo nodded, face still etched with concern, but she departed with all haste. General Armchair looked no less concerned, but said nothing. He’d been briefed on the Relics, just as Echo and all of the Solar and Night Guard command staff had been. Luna appreciated his silence. She didn’t need to be told to keep wary of her own thoughts. Iah may not have been as duplicitous as Eos had been, but Luna couldn’t allow herself to forget that abusing two Relics at once had led to her own transformation into Nightmare Moon. Iah was still a powerful personality and set of memories, and having used even one Relic to help train Cadence, Twilight, and the other Elements had meant contending with those memories.

There was a shadow in Luna’s mind, not unlike what Celestia had to contend with, if not as potent at this juncture. Luna looked at the armor she wore, the bright blue chest plate, and the helm on her head. Two Relics, and a third that could be used to unleash Iah’s full power within Luna as an Inheritor. But she couldn’t afford to use that many at once, lest she risk losing control. The burden on Luna and Celestia was strong due to the nature of those two sisters. Comparatively, Cadence and Twilight didn’t have as much conflict with the personalities of their past selves.

If it comes to a fight, we’d best use just one Relic, if even that. But... we may not have the luxury of avoiding that risk. These Arrancar are powerful, and this battle is just the beginning. If we defeat Chrysalis and her horde, we still have their world’s Tirek to contend with, along with other Espada, and a much larger army of Hollows. Tia... you and I, we have to master our past selves, and a part of me is afraid of finding out whether or not we can.

And, worst of all, for the moment the only thing Luna could do to contribute was watch the map, direct the flow of information between battlefields, and wait for an instance where her power would be called upon.

“Are you absolutely sure you don’t want us to come with you?” asked Radiant Hope, sincerity burning in her eyes, “We owe you so much, Cadence. We’d fight alongside you to whatever end.”

Cadence managed to keep her laugh light and thankful as she laid a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder with a comforting pat, “I know you would, Radiant, you and Sombra both. But Sombra is exhausted, and injured. You’re strong, but that’s exactly why I want you to stick close to him and the Klugetown folk, to protect them on the way to Mt. Aris. I also trust you to be our go-between with the hippogryphs and bring Queen Novo up to speed on what’s happening. With Relics appearing more and more and folk being called to them, its possible there are Inheritors among the hippogryphs, so you can explain the situation to them and maybe marshal reinforcements if we need them.”

“The Princess speaks wisdom,” said Sombra, trotting up to them slowly from across the long wooden bridge that led from the airship to the top of the somewhat rickety tower of planks that thrust up from one Klugetown’s taller buildings. By now most of the airships had been loaded up, and were starting to depart, with just a few left that were taking on passengers, Sombra and Radiant Hope included. Sombra leaned a little against Radiant Hope’s side, and she nuzzled him, while he continued to say, “While I would gladly continue the fight at her side, my strength is largely spent, and what remains can be put to better use ensuring these civilians arrive in Mt. Aris safely. Besides, Cadence is not without accompaniment.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I might be banged up but I’m not about to let anything happen to the Princess here,” said Firefly, her pale pink fur partially covered in bandages from her injuries. She’d dismissed her Fullbring to let her reiatsu recover for a bit, but otherwise looked sprightly enough to fly, and stayed hovering near Cadence as if to prove herself able to do so. Cadence looked over at the injured pegasus, expression carefully neutral. In her head she heard a faint nudge from her previous alicorn life, Anteros telling her that taking Firefly was the smart move. Cadence didn’t disagree. Firefly was the only one with experience in detecting spiritual energy, and claimed she could hone in on this Queen’s Key that supposedly still resided in the facility that the Hollow Chrysalis had taken.

Besides that, not only did Firefly have plenty left to atone for, but leaving her in any circumstance out of view where she might jet off on her own... well, Cadence understood it was the smarter bet to keep this one close enough to watch. On top of that, she could question Firefly on Chrysalis’ weaknesses. She knew enough about Equestria’s Chrysalis, but the one from Earth was still a terrifying memory of a battle she’d lost. If there was any additional information to glean about the Hollow before facing her again, then Cadence intended to grill Firefly intensively on the matter.

“I intend to hear everything you know about our enemy by the time we reach the hive,” Cadence said, “While we may not know for sure that’s where she went, it’s too strong a possibility to ignore. If Chrysalis went anywhere else, Luna is on standby to intercept. And if she is targeting the Changeling Hive, then we can call upon Luna for aid, presuming she doesn’t become needed elsewhere.”

“I can almost guarantee that wherever your Chrysalis is, that’s where our Chryssy is going. Never seen two people with a bigger hate boner for each other, which personally I think has to speak volumes about where those chick’s heads are at,” Firefly said, then coughed politely at the stares from the other ponies, “Right, well, we can get going in a sec. Got one more tagalong.”

“We do? I thought the Reigai had plans of their own?” Cadence asked, then instinctively tensed as she sensed the rush of air and spirit energy as the pale white form of Redheart appeared with a flick of motion. It still felt a bit odd to Cadence to be able to sense and react to such high speed moves like Flash Step. She was also still getting used to seeing human forms in Equestria. The Reigai didn’t have pony shapes, after all, and it was remarkable to Cadence that Redheart was an artificial recreation of another person. Standing in front of her, the woman with soft pink hair tied up in a bun, wearing dark black robes, looked as flesh and blood as any individual Cadence had met.

The artistic side of her that was Anteros was deeply impressed. From the few flashes of memory from his life, even the ancient alicorns would have found the Reigai to be works of art, although Anteros did give Cadence a boastful sense that some alicorn crafters made golems that rivaled or surpassed the Reigai’s abilities and life-like stature.

“I apologize for my presumptuousness, but I humbly request to accompany you, Princess Cadence,” said Redheart, bowing deeply at the waist.

“I don’t object, but I asked earlier and your Captains seemed more eager to go to Mt. Aris for... reasons,” Cadence said, flicking a somewhat irritated gaze towards one of the airships where the majority of the Reigai had loaded upon, along with the Reigai of Platinum and Starswirl. She wasn’t all that thrilled at the idea of them going, but she wasn’t in a position to force them to help, either. Technically they’d helped save Klugetown, so that earned them a little leeway, but Cadence didn’t fully trust what the Reigai might do when left to their own devices.

“I understand your trepidation,” Redheart said, looking at Cadence with eyes heavy with guilty and sympathy, “Neither Captain Platinum or Starswirl have much motivation to risk their lives further, and many of my other fellow Reigai would rather follow them into apparent freedom than potentially perish in a war that, to their eyes, no longer has anything to do with them. We were created to serve Starlight Glimmer’s ends, and she is no longer present to lead us. As for myself, I... feel a desire for freedom as well, but it was my Captain who gave her life to defeat the Second Espada. I feel I cannot abandon this fight until I know Chrysalis is dealt with. I don’t know what good my meager powers might be in such a fight, but I will lend them all the same, if you will have me.”

Sombra spoke first, his own voice carrying a dark note of amusement, “I’m in no position to judge others. Firefly and I may well have fallen to the Arrancar without your help, and intend to thank the other Reigai properly for that fact. However, there’s no guarantee that Mt. Aris will remain safe. If the Hollows invade in larger numbers, as we fear, Mt. Aris would likely be a target.”

Redheart nodded, almost smiling, “Well then I give you permission to put Platinum and Starswirl to work. Feel free to twist their arms a little, if you must.”

“Hahah, I shall remember that,” Sombra said, then looked to Radiant Hope and nodded, “We should go.”

“Yes, yes of course...” Radiant Hope inclined her head to the others, “Princess, Firefly, Miss Redheart, good luck and be careful.”

“Indeed. One day Radiant Hope and I still hope to return to the Crystal Empire with a restored Amore. It would not do for the Princess to come to harm... especially considering her condition,” Sombra said, giving Cadence a meaningful look. She blinked, wondering just how Sombra knew. She and Shining Armor hadn’t told anypony besides the other Princesses, yet. But she had to remind herself that Sombra’s magical skills extended to a lot of disciplines besides control over darkness. She simply nodded in return, not wishing to draw attention to the matter.

Thankfully either the others didn’t pick up much on Sombra’s comment or didn’t feel the need to inquire. She was thankful for that. She got enough of an earful over going into battle while still in the early stages of pregnancy. Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and especially Shining Armor all had cautioned her against fighting further. But she wouldn’t, couldn’t sit on the sidelines while that monstrous Hollow was free to terrorize her world. It was for the sake of her next child that she had to fight, to rid the world of this terrible threat. She’d allowed Shining Armor to cast any and all protective charms he wished upon her, but she hadn’t relented on her resolve to fight. He certainly had taken her up on that condition, layering a multitude of protection spells on her that would, in theory, keep their little one safe. Assuming Cadence didn’t get killed outright, at least.

She shivered as she watched Sombra and Radiant Hope trot up the gangplank to board the last airship out of Klugetown.

Noticing her expression, Firefly coughed loudly, “Last chance to turn back, Princess.”

“That’s not an option.”

“Figured. Then no point dwelling on whether we can win or lose. I’ll tell you everything I know about the crazy bitch on the way to the changelings, and maybe knock our heads together on a way to put her on her ass, eh?” Firefly said, clearly trying to put some enthusiasm into her voice while covering up the fear underneath. Cadence actually did smile a little then, encouraged, if only a little, but the battered mare’s attempt. She still hadn’t forgiven Firefly for her role in starting this whole mess, but Cadence appreciated that Firefly was at least willing to put her life on the line to confront the crisis.

“Yes, we shall. And with luck willing, we’ll arrive in time to make a difference.”

Secrets didn’t keep long in the Changeling Hive, and Thorax was a ruler less inclined to keep them in the first place, so it hadn’t taken long for work to get out that a serious threat was looming over the hive. On top of that, the capture of Queen Chrysalis became known just as fast, and the procession had barely gotten to the dungeons before every corridor and walkway in the hive was packed with changelings looking to get a gander at the feared tyrant. Chrysalis was disturbingly silent during this, carried between multiple guards while still wrapped up on emerald resin.

Thorax had allowed Platinum to remain unbound, partially because he really didn’t want to risk a fight with the Soul Reaper if it could be avoided, and partially because he sensed the sincerity in her earlier words. As far as he could tell, she was serious about helping to protect the hive, and at this moment he wasn’t about to cast aside any help that was on offer. Starlight and Trixie were examining the hive’s exterior with Pharynx, to get started on those invisibility wards. Pharynx had given Chrysalis a brief, sour glance, but had kept his thoughts to himself before going to watch the unicorns work, while making mention that he needed to check in with the scouts he’d sent to keep watch on the Badlands.

So Thorax was left with Platinum and a contingent of guards to haul Chrysalis into the dungeon, where he paused to look at Platinum, making a small nod towards one of the cells, “Your son is in there with the... Arrancar. You said she’s one of the other Chrysalis’ children?”

The cold eyes of Platinum narrowed a bit at the cell ‘door’, more a sealed up opening of hardened green resin, and nodded, “She’s grown overly attached to Pipsqueak, but yes, coincidentally she’s also named Ocellus. Not at all like that child who accompanied Chrysalis down into the maze.”

Ocellus, along with her friends Spinneret and Fuller, had been sent on to their parents, although Thorax couldn’t have helped but notice the way the Ocellus of his hive had shown such a concerned look for the detained Chrysalis. Her story about having faced off against some kind of trial of living paintings, and having her life saved by Chrysalis made Thorax feel a rattle of unease. Celestia had briefed him on the nature of Relics and Inheritors, of course. He’d seen Cadence use her own Relic to fight against the Hollow Chrysalis. So he was aware of how potent a Relic could be, and his world’s Chrysalis having one did not make him particularly happy. He’d had the guards confiscate the item in question, a torc of gold set with a jade stone. He wasn’t sure what to do with the Relic, so he wore it himself for the moment, just to keep it in sight. The fact that Chrysalis hadn’t resisted it being taken didn’t sit right with him. The way she just sat like a lump while being carried by the guards just wasn’t like the imperious, haughty ruler he’d known.

“Look, I’m taking a big chance, trusting you,” he told Platinum, “I’m willing to, because a friend once took a chance on me when I wanted to prove I wasn’t a threat. Please don’t make me regret this trust, Platinum. I’ll let your son out. The Arrancar stays put.”

Platinum gave the cell a contemplative look, “I’m grateful for the trust. I would say that you’re right to hold that little hellion in there, but the truth is she could break out at any moment she wanted. If she remains loyal to her mother, any guards you set here would be killed. If she isn’t, then you may as well let her out along with my son.”

“Do you have any reason to think she isn’t loyal to her mother?” Thorax asked with a note of surprise, “I got the impression all of her children were loyal to a fault. She certainly seemed to boast a lot about adoring them when me and Pharynx fought her before.”

He could tell Platinum was sour about what she was about to say, her icy unicorn features twisted in a grimace of reluctance, “I, personally, neither trust nor like the Arrancar, given how clingy she is with my boy... but, and trust me I am literally wanting to spit as I say this, she does seem to have genuine affection for Pipsqueak. It may be that she won’t engage in a fight where he is in danger. It is my intention to tell them to be gone from this place before the battle begins. I only suggest this because, as I said, this Ocellus is more than capable of demolishing this dungeon herself if she wanted, so there’s little point in trying to hold her.”

Thorax couldn’t really argue that logic. The only reason he felt they could hold Chrysalis here at all was because the dungeons were sealed enough that even if she transformed, there’d be no easy way out. Aside from the Relic, they’d also taken a strange gauntlet off of her that Platinum had explained was a weapon made by Soul Reapers, something called a ‘Bakkoto’ that was somehow different from a Zanpaktou. As long as Chrysalis didn’t have either item, her ability to break out would be minimal. Thorax had considered just letting her go, if only out of the possibility it might actually make the other Chrysalis chase her and leave the hive alone... but he didn’t trust that. He’d seen the violent insanity of the Second Espada himself. In truth, he didn’t think she’d just ignore the hive, even if the prey she sought wasn’t here.

So, in a strange way, locking up his mother was as much a way to protect her as it was a matter of punishment. Yes, he wanted her to remain in custody so that once all of this was done, the Equestrians could lock her up properly where she could no longer be a threat to any living creature. But at the same time, keeping her here was probably the safest thing for her right now.

With an order to the guards, once dungeon’s resin entryway was opened, and Chrysalis unceremoniously tossed inside. Without the cocoon binding her being removed. Thorax handed off the Bakkoto to be stored in a nearby chest. It wasn’t the most secure thing in the world to do with it, but he had nowhere else to put it. And... some small part of his mind figured that if worse came to worst, if the Arrancar broke into the hive and started rampaging, he may as well leave the weapon close in case Chrysalis escaped and needed it. Insanity or sentiment on his part, he could imagine Pharynx giving him a reproachful query.

The cell to Pipsqueak and Ocellus was opened, and the young stallion of patchwork brown and white came all but bounding out at the sight of his mother, while Ocellus was all grins as she flickered with green flame and assumed her humanoid, Arrancar shape, strutting out right behind him.

“Figured you’d let us out now that my mom’s coming to pay a visit, Not Thorax?” asked Ocellus, while Pipsqueak stopped just short of hugging his mother and instead adopting a somewhat forced look of noble control.

“Mother, you’re not captured? What is happening?”

Platinum cleared her throat, looking almost awkward at her son’s concern, “The Second Espada is likely coming. I’ve offered my blade in defense of this hive, and the King has accepted. I am hoping the two of you can leave swiftly before an attack begins.”

Ocellus let out an airy chuckle, stretching her now dark skinned human limbs over her head with audible pops, “Not a chance, Plat. I know my mom is coming. I can smell her. She’s close, but hasn’t quite spotted us yet. But she will, soon. Lots of my little, lesser bros and sis’ are out there looking around, creeping closer. When they come here to party, you’ll want me on your side.”

Both Thorax and Platinum looked at her with near equal incredulity, Thorax speaking first, “You expect us to believe you’ll turn on them, just like that?”

“Hahaha! Oh, Not Thorax, if you were actually Thorax, you’d know that this isn’t surprising at all from me.” Ocellus pulled out her kukri shaped Zanpaktou, testing the edge with her thumb, “I cut through anything that stands between me and what I want. My siblings, and even mom, are no exception. What I want right now is to keep being around Pipsqueak. Simple as that. I’ll drench this hive in the blood of my little bros and sis’ and even cut mom’s throat if they try to harm a hair on his cute head.”

With a fair bit of horror on his face, Thorax blanched and stammered, “W-well, um, g-glad to...um... have you on board? Platinum?”

Platinum, who’d unconsciously moved protectively in front of Pipsqueak, gave Ocellus a frosty stare, “To be clear, I do not feel comfortable with your obsession with my son. We will have further words on this matter once the issue of your mother is dealt with. My son is not a plaything or a bauble to be toyed with at whim and then cast aside once bored. If you seek to remain a companion of his, I will be testing the sincerity of your loyalty, girl.”

“Ooooh, scary mamma polar bear, grrr,” Ocellus teased, grinning wide, but she sheathed her Zanpaktou with a nod, “Works for me! Once we kick my mom’s ass, you can test me all you like, Almost Step Mom.”

Platinum flinched, “Please, never call me that again.”

Thorax, for his part, glanced towards the cell where Chrysalis still lay, staring at them. He frowned, then said, “Alright then, guess we’re all fighting together. Platinum, if you could go check on Pharynx, Starlight, and Trixie, I’ll join you all outside in a few minutes. We’ll need to talk defense plans and contingencies.”

“Very well...” Platinum said, noticing his look, and she came up to him, leaning in to whisper, “If you talk to her, all I shall say is that I believe she is able to face her counterpart, and we may need her before this is over. Whatever transgressions must be acknowledged, remember what is at stake.”

“I don’t need to be reminded of that,” Thorax whispered back, then waited for the group to leave, Ocellus skipping ahead while Pipsqueak and Platinum talked quietly to each other. The guards Thorax also dismissed, leaving himself alone at the threshold of Chrysalis’ cell.

A slow minute crawled by as the two changelings, the current and former rulers of their species, glared at one another.

Eventually Thorax’s jaw trembled, his voice blurting out, “Well!? Don’t you have any more vitriol to spew out at me? Call me a traitor, maybe? A weak fool? Say something! This silence isn’t like the Chrysalis I know.”

Her lips curled back, her eyes briefly focusing elsewhere, then back on him with a heady mixture of hot hatred and extreme bitterness, “What did you ever know of me, boy!? The choices I’ve faced! The things I’ve sacrificed! All to keep the hive and you lot alive and fed!”

“Oh please, Starlight, Trixie, Discord, and I all worked together to shine a light on how big a lie all of that tripe was,” Thorax said, running a hoof up and down over his visage of bright green and jewel sparkles, “You see this? This is the proof everything you ever told us was a lie to feed your own ego and desire to rule over us! We never needed to feed on love, or be be predators from the shadows. We could love, and be loved, and the moment everybug saw that truth when I transformed, they all changed too! So why!?”

“Why what?” Chrysalis spat, “Why did I rule as I did? Because I believed, and still believe, it was how to ensure our survival. What has this new form blessed you with, precisely? Vulnerability? Dependence?”

“Security and friendship with the rest of the world, Chrysalis. Can’t you see it? Even now, with a monster even you’re terrified of bearing down on us, the ponies came to help, ensuring we won’t stand alone.”

At Thorax’s words, Chrysalis rolled her eyes, hard, “Oh, yes, one fluffed up magician who is more boast than spellpower, and one admittedly skilled unicorn, but still just the one. Where’s the army to defend you, or one of the Princesses with their great might? Why did Celestia spare just two ponies to aid you in your hour of need?”

“The whole nation is under attack. They need to defend their own cities, too,” Thorax replied, “Considering how much Starlight Glimmer is capable of on her own, I consider her being here as good as a whole regiment of regular troops. And we’re not exactly weak, Chrysalis. The hive is more united now than it’s ever been when under your hoof. We’re stronger.”

“Are you? I haven’t seen it...” Chrysalis said, but trailed off, her lips twitching, her mind going back to thinking of the way Ocellus had managed to get through that whole labyrinth and subsequent battle, and no matter how much Chrysalis berated her the little bug had remained steadfast in challenging her beliefs at every turn. “...mostly.”

Thorax, sensing that tiny crack of doubt, pressed harder, “Then answer me again, why? Not why you ruled us like a tyrant. I know your excuses there. But I want to know why, when everything came tumbling down, when the throne was broken and you saw with your own eyes the truth of our ability to share love rather than take it... why did you run from that? Why did you slap away Starlight’s hoof? We would have accepted you. The Equestrians would have! After everything you’d done, they still would have forgiven you, if you’d just taken the damn hoof that was offered you! Was admitting you were wrong so difficult?”

Chrysalis clamped her mouth shut, the dark features of her face going still as obsidian glass. Thorax stared down at her, waiting, minutes slowly ticking by. When it became clear she wasn’t going to answer, he growled under his breath and with a command of magic, had the resin of the cell door slide shut on her. He turned and began to trot off, only briefly pausing to say, “If you survive this, I’m giving you to the Equestrians. They’ll lock you in Tartarus, and we, the children you could have still had the love of, will forget you ever existed.”

He stomped off, leaving Chrysalis alone with her thoughts.

Nobody was present to hear the quiet sobs that drifted from the cell after another few minutes of silence.

Author's Note

A slower chapter to built towards the impending attack on the hive while the rest of Equestria is locked in battle. Still a lot of ground to cover, here, and more to come well before the dust settles. May or may not also take a moment to peek at what's happening elsewhere, just so we keep moving along with events in the Beast Realm and maintain pace with Equestria.

Many thanks for reading, folks, and as always I very much appreciate any and all comments, questions, or critiques! 'Till next time!