Starlight Rising

Several hours had passed and Starlight and her army continued their march south. Many of the soldiers were beginning to slow down as they were hungry, thirsty and tired. Starlight turned around to see that her soldiers had fallen a bit behind and was not amused. She stopped and waited for them to catch up. When they arrived she ordered, "Keep up, I want to get this rescue mission done as soon as possible."

One of the soldiers said, "Look, we're tired, we're hungry and we're thirsty. When are we going to reach this vegetated place you were talking about?"

Starlight looked off to the south and saw a faint green tinge, the edge of the wastelands. She replied, "We should reach it here shortly. I can see the edge of the southern wastes from here. Come on, I want to reach that vegetated place as bad as you do."

All the troops could do was sigh as Starlight continued marching southward. Thirty minutes later they arrived at more than just a river, but a lake surrounded by bushes. When the troops saw this, they began to cheer loudly before they began drinking and eating. Starlight herself, despite putting forth a tough attitude, let out a sigh of relief as she followed suit.

Starlight had never been more tired in her life and her soldiers could tell it. One of them asked, "Starlight, I take it you are tired too?"

Starlight replied, "Very much so." She laid down in the grass and continued, "Tell you what troops, how about we rest here until we are fully hydrated, not hungry and completely alert."

The soldiers began cheering loudly realizing that not only will they not have to go into battle hungry and tired but also that Starlight does actually care about them. One of them replied, "Thanks Starlight, this really means a lot."

Starlight replied, "Don't mention it. It just hit me that I've been pushing all of you too hard. I should have taken that into consideration instead of being in such a hurry." She yawned and continued, "Let's get some rest. We have a tough battle ahead of us tomorrow."

The soldiers looked at the sky, which still had the sun only half up and the moon only half down. One of them asked, "Starlight, when exactly is tomorrow with the way the sky is?"

Starlight sighed, "Well once we are all well rested and ready to go then. The day doesn't matter as long as we complete this mission."

Once they all finished eating and drinking they laid down to get some sleep. While it was not what they were used to, the bushes filled their stomachs quite well. While a few were a bit restless, most of them and especially Starlight got several hours' worth of good sleep.

Eight hours had passed by the time Starlight and her soldiers were waking up. With the exception of just a couple, they were fully alert and well rested. Starlight saw this and said, "Alright troops, let's get some food and water in our systems and get going." She pointed her hoof off to the south and continued, "You see that green haze on the horizon? That is the edge of the wastes so our march there should just be a few hours. Unfortunately there isn't any water or food south of here so we need to drink and eat as much as we can. We can't go into this battle hungry or thirsty."

The soldiers shouted, "Here, here!"

Starlight again pointed her hoof south and began to march. Temperatures had dropped some since they left the desert so the final march would be quite comfortable. The further south they marched the more foreboding the landscape looked and the sky began to appear green. While some of the soldiers were taking it in stride, a few were unnerved by it. One of them asked, "Starlight, is the sky supposed to be green like changeling ooze?"

Starlight replied, "Yes, it is. We are now officially in the southern wastes, home of the changelings so be on the lookout. I'm pretty sure they're all in Chrysalis's cave aiding her in guarding the two princesses but you never know."

The soldiers simply nodded and followed Starlight further and further south. Soon the very air itself had become a green mist. Starlight knew that this had to be the place so she levitated up towards a hillside and confirmed her suspicions. She returned to her soldiers, pointed her hoof towards an opening in the hillside and said, "You see that troops? We have reached our target. Have your weapons and magic ready, I'm sure the changelings won't take kindly to us invading their home."

The troops shouted, "Yes ma'am!"

Starlight shouted, "CHARGE!"

The soldiers began to cheer loudly as they charged towards the cave. When they got there they saw that it was sealed with ooze so they began to blast away at it. Starlight fired a powerful beam at it, causing it to vaporize. While they were expecting to immediately be greeted by changelings once they got in, they were surprised when they were greeted with entrances to tunnels and silence.

One of the soldiers asked, "Starlight, you don't think they're hiding out somewhere else do you?"

Starlight replied, "No. I can sense they are here. We are going to have to split up and go down every tunnel. They are likely scattered all over the place."

The soldier asked, "What about Chrysalis?"

Starlight replied, "She is likely in the very back where our princesses are being held captive." She quieted down and continued, "Alright, let's do this!"

The troops split up and not too long after entering the tunnels, they would meet their foes and just as expected, the changelings began to cover them with ooze and just as expected, others had to free them.

Starlight headed down a tunnel with some of the younger soldiers where they were quickly ambushed. The changelings began to hiss and fire ooze at them. While a few of them panicked a little, most of them began to stun them and wipe them out. Starlight would soon be greeted by the only changeling with a mind of his own, General Green Ooze, "What are you ponies doing in here?"

Starlight fired a powerful ball of energy at him causing him to scream. She stood over the stunned general and sneered, "We're here to save our princesses! What did you think we came for, a friendly chit chat?"

Unlike the other changelings, Green Ooze could recover from being stunned much more quickly. He hopped up and lunged at Starlight. Starlight however was expecting this. She jumped out of the way and as he hit the wall, she struck him with her sword, leaving a gash in his lower abdomen. She yelled, "Where are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? Tell me and I might make your passing a little less painful."

Green Ooze laughed, "Ha! Me tell you where your precious princesses are? I think not!"

He fired some ooze at Starlight, covering her in it. She yelled, "Troops, I need some help over here." One of the youngest soldiers went over and fired energy at her, releasing her. Starlight said, "Thanks!"

The young soldier replied, "Don't mention it."

While he returned to taking down changelings Starlight returned to handling Green Ooze. She grabbed him in her aura and began slamming him violently into the cave wall over and over again until he was in just a semi-conscious state. She stood over him and demanded, "I'll give you one more chance, tell me where the princesses are and your passing will be more immediate."

He shouted, "Never!"

Starlight laughed, "Alright, you asked for it!"

Starlight began cutting his limbs off with her sword, causing him to squeak in pain. Starlight laughed, "A squeak? Is that all the more you little scum give out? Pathetic, absolutely pathetic!"

She levitated the general and with one swing of her sword, she beheaded him. While she wanted to stand there and celebrate, she knew that she needed to hunt down Chrysalis and save the princesses. She headed down multiple corridors until she finally reached a large opening in the back of the cave. In it she saw what would horrify her. Not only were the princesses in green cocoons, but so were her friends.

She was getting ready to fire on the cocoons when she heard a voice sneer, "So Celestia's new protege finally decides to show up."

Starlight turned around to see Chrysalis herself. Given that she was alone, she knew she had to use other measures to battle her so she put a protection shield around herself. The only bad thing about doing this was that with her energy being invested in the shield, that she would not be able to use her magic. She mocked, "So, I see little miss swiss cheese legs has arrived."

Chrysalis fired ooze at her but it simply bounced off of her. She shouted, "What? What did you do? How is my ooze not covering you?"

Besides not being able to fire energy at Chrysalis, she also dropped her sword so this would wind up being a hoof to hoof battle. She lunged at Chrysalis, tackling her. She shouted, "What I did is only my business." She looked at the ponies she had imprisoned and continued, "Now free them and perhaps I won't have to put you out of your misery."

Chrysalis kicked her off of her and laughed, "Don't make me laugh. A simple unicorn beat me in a hoof to hoof battle? I think not!"

Starlight sneered, "Alright little queen, you asked for it."

The two lunged at one another and began to throw punch after punch at one another. Both were in a state of rage, violently throwing one another up against the walls, stomping one another and kicking one another. Eventually Chrysalis grew tired of this so she bit Starlight. Starlight screamed, "Oww! So that's how you want to do it? Get ready to die you pathetic wretch."

Starlight clamped down on Chrysalis's neck and bit hard, so hard that she ripped some of her flesh off. With her mouth covered in black blood, Starlight looked much more intimidating to those trapped in cocoons who were watching this but it didn't bother Chrysalis any. Starlight yelled, "You know something, changeling ain't all that bad! Come here queenie, I want more!"

Chrysalis licked her chops, "Not until I get some unicorn meat!"

Chrysalis lunged at her but missed when Starlight leaped to the side. Starlight again grabbed Chrysalis and began to hit and bite her until she finally slammed Chrysalis into the wall face first with as much force as she could, breaking her horn off in the process. Starlight grabbed her horn and looked down at the injured changeling queen. She knelt over here and laughed, "And now queenie, I shall feast upon your pathetic corpse."

Starlight grabbed her horn and slashed open her upper abdomen, exposing her rib cage and what lie underneath it. Chrysalis was screaming in agony as Starlight knelt down and ripped her rib cage apart leaving her inner organs vulnerable. Starlight pulled her heart out and laughed, "Any last words little queen?"

All Chrysalis could do was cry in agony the pain was so bad. Starlight laughed, "Well I guess not. It's not like anything you'd have to say would be important anyway."

She put the heart in her mouth and bit down, ripping it out. As she began to eat the heart, a blinding flash of light spread out from Chrysalis's body, freeing Chrysalis's captives but in the process, Celestia and Starlight disappeared. Luna, despite being woozy rushed to the fallen queen's remains, "Big Sister, Starlight, what hast happened to thee?"

The blinding white light freed all of them and the others joined Luna. They all began to weep, especially Fluttershy. "Princess Luna, what do you think happened to them."

Luna had a feeling that something special had happened but was not going to speculate, "We are not sure Dear Fluttershy but we do think that they have not perished. We simply think they have teleported elsewhere and shall return soon."

The five knew that Luna would know what she was talking about so they breathed a sigh of relief but couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Then it hit them. The light they saw was the same type of light they saw when Twilight disappeared before her transformation, yet Celestia was not there when she disappeared so what really happened they were not completely sure of.