Chapter Sixteen: The Hive Rescue

Today is the day that we try to save the hive and rescue my father from chrysalis’ brainwashing. But there are some preparations to make. I was both nervous and excited about it. Other thoughts were about how to find him in the hive, to begin with, if he wasn’t in his human form? Could I just ask Thorax to ask another changeling where he is? Would that actually work? But before all of that, I had to get Discord, Trixie, Starlight, and Thorax together and prepare them for the mission, to begin with.

Right now, though, I was awake and actually laying in bed with both AJ and Apple Bloom if you can believe it. AJ was laying on one side with Apple Bloom against my other side with my naked self laying in the middle. With one hand on AJ and the other on AB, lightly rubbing their head and backs, I felt right at home. In their home. Granny thought it good that AJ had finally brought home a stallion. She just didn’t expect Apple Bloom to be in the same herd with one but understood why. So did Big Mac after a long conversation between us.

It had been two days since my intimate dream with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and I also have had a talk. Last night was my night with them, so tonight was my night with AJ and AB. The last two days have been training them as well and today I think they are ready. And we agreed to start off early. The earlier the better because who knows what Chrysalis’ hive was up to.

But as in all things, first things first. I had to get up from the bed. However, there was just one problem. I was too comfortable and I didn’t want to. But I had to. But the feeling of their bodies against mine was so enjoyable. The feeling of their breaths against my chest felt good. The feeling of their soft coat against my skin felt so wonderful. As the sun rose above the horizon, its rays were starting to creep along the ceiling to light up the room which meant that they were probably going to wake up anyway. And I had to get up.

With great reluctance, I carefully extracted myself from my two ladies and headed for the bathroom to take a hot morning shower. Although, I did have to kneel to wash my upper half. The shower head was at chest height to me. It wasn’t a big deal, I got around it.

“Leave some for me, sugarcube,” AJ’s sudden voice, although sounding groggy and still half asleep, brought me out of my thoughts when she walked in. Walking in with a tired yawn, I stepped back to let her in the shower with me. Fortunately, there was plenty of room. When she saw that she still wasn’t alone and that I didn’t leave, she turned her head and looked up at me. “Sugarcube?”

“Yes?” I asked with a mischievous smirk and a wiggle of my eyebrows at her.

“A girl usually showers alone,” she pointed out.

“Usually,” I agreed at first, but then knelt down and picked her up just behind her front legs and placed her front hooves against the shower wall. She didn’t resist either while I changed the position of the faucet so it would flow down her body. She also didn’t resist when I grabbed her barrel and leaned down giving her neck a firm kiss. “But then again, you have me in your life,” I whispered in her ear before running my teeth lightly against her neck. “And I’m going to wash you this morning.” Her soft moans were music to my ears while my hands ran up and down her muscled lean form as the water washed over us.

“You're going to the...mmm...hive today?” she asked but paused to moan softly while my fingers worked the water into her coat.

“Yes, I am.” It was pleasing to have my fingers touch and rub all over her body from head to tail and hind hooves. I enjoyed touching and exploring her body. The years of hard work showed and even more so when my fingers followed her hardened muscles underneath the coat and skin.

It was after my hands ran up her body and started massaging her neck that she turned her head around again. She locked her eyes onto mine and with worry for me, she said firmly, “Be careful, sugarcube. You better come back to me and Apple Bloom.”

I leaned in and kissed her hard and passionately while holding her wet body against mine, my hands slowly running up and down her body. “I will.”

^_^

My first stop was Trixie’s trailer that was parked just outside of the tent area of the town on the other side of the river. As almost always in Equestria, especially Ponyville, the weather was perfect. With the sun low in the sky just above the horizon, it cast a beautiful warm glow upon the still sleeping town. While the breeze was cool and gentle as if a mother trying to wake up a child. I was already awake due to the wonderful morning shower, but it still felt good against my skin.

Even the shops were still closed with their owners not out of bed yet. Or at least, I didn’t see them around. But something caught my eye when passing the flower shop.

The door was slightly open.

Being a shop, that wasn’t unusual. However, a little voice of instinct was saying for me to be careful. Could it be Chrysalis sent out a drone or two? Or was it just one of the girls up early? I didn’t know, but I also couldn’t ignore that little voice either. Not sure whether it was a changeling drone or one of the girls, I turned and walked toward the house slash store. And while it was probably a good idea to shift into my fox form, I didn’t. For the simple reason that I simply wanted to stay this way for a while. For a few minutes, it felt like I was in a horror movie with evil just waiting to pounce on me. Because everything around me seemed perfectly fine and dandy. It was a beautiful morning outside, but I seemed to be staring into silent darkness. The little warning in my head got louder as I approached the door. And that little warning was saying that I was probably going to regret this, but I went through the door anyway.

“MINE!”

A voice out of nowhere startled me so bad that all I could do was turn toward the sudden shout. Of course, during that short time, all I saw was a pink-coated and golden-maned earth pony named Lily launch herself at me with a mad lust-crazed look that had my body instantly going into flight mode. Being in human form, however, I wasn’t quick enough for the crazed mare. This was why she latched herself onto me by wrapping all four legs around me and started grinding her nethers against the front of my shorts.

Naturally, right after this was when her two housemates came into the room with a tired half-asleep yawn. And they walked in just as Lily was moaning and groaning out, “Hump my bones, hump my bones, hump my bones. Hump me into a quivering happy mash of pony mush,” while still grinding herself against my quickly hardening member. With mad lust-filled eyes that looked up at me begging me to take her.

“LILY!?” Rose called out in total shock, now fully awake due to the sight obviously in front of her.

“What are you doing, Lily!?” Daisy echoed her shock at seeing what Lily was doing to me.

“I must have him, I must have him again,” Lily moaned out again before her lips locked onto my neck.

All while, I was looking at them with a look that said “Help me.”

^_^

I was finally able to get away from her, but I had to morph into my fox form and use my mind ability on her in order to do it. Now that I was away from her, with a mental note to talk to Nightmare Moon about it, I was finally back on my way to Trixie’s again. This time at a quicker pace than before and ignoring everything else. By this time, more ponies were out and the ones close to their shop and heard the commotion, watched in confusion as I left in a hurry. I, however, didn’t care and simply left in a hurry leaving Lily behind in a self-induced quivering mass of pony mush after using my mind ability on her to induce an orgasm. At least this time, it was in self-defense.

While walking up to Trixie’s trailer, I was thankful that the rest of the walk was pleasantly quiet and without incident. Then waited for a reply after knocking on the door and announcing my presence. It was early in the morning, so it wasn’t a surprise that she didn’t immediately answer. So, I knocked and announced my presence again. Finally, she answered, but sounding still half-asleep.

“The great and powerful Trixie demands who knocks on her door at such an hour.” Her voice sounded like she has just woken up.

“It’s Emmit, Trixie, today’s the day and we need to get going,” I told her through the still-closed door while leaning against the trailer.

My ears picked up a soft groaning from inside before she sounded closer to the door. “Tell me why I’m doing this again?”

With a sigh, I told her again, as I’ve done at least once during the past couple of days. “Many reasons, Trixie. You are friends with both Thorax and Starlight. Starlight sees the reason why this must be done. I’m asking you to do this because of my foreknowledge and trying to stop the danger from happening in the first place. As I’ve said at least once before, which is the biggest reason, if you don’t want to do it simply because we asked, is that you will get a monetary reward for doing so. You’re needed on this Trixie whether you know it or not. I know that for this to work, I need you with them. Even Discord knows why this must be done and he’s doing it for Fluttershy. All this I’ve told you before.”

There was a pause as if her sleepy mind was thinking about it. “You had me at money,” she finally said, now sounding more awake. After a couple of minutes of what sounded like her moving around, shifting things around, and probably gathering things she needed, she finally opened the door with a hearty, “Let’s go.” She appeared ready with saddlebags on her back, but she also had her hat and cape. One patient sigh later, I reached down and took off her hat and cape then threw it inside the trailer and shut the door. “Hey! Trixie needs-”

“To leave that behind,” I told her firmly, looking her in the eyes. “We’re going into Chrysalis’ hive, not going to a show.”

“Fine!” she huffed and started walking where I then followed beside her. “At least I’m getting paid for this, so I’ll go along with it. With the money I’m getting, I can get a bigger trailer.”

When she said that, a thought hit me that she might go with. If it was possible that is. “Trixie? Do you know of a spell that would make the inside of your trailer bigger than the outside? Like when you open the door you’ll see a mansion instead of the inside of a simple trailer?” I asked her as we walked across the creek bridge heading through the center of town.

She scoffed at the idea with a quick laugh, “If Trixie knew of such a spell then she would have mastered it and used it.” Then huffed with a slight snort as if offended.

“OK, I’ll just as Twilight and if she doesn’t know then I’ll just ask Tia then,” I told her where she just harrumphed at me and kept on walking.

^_^

By the time we reached Twilight’s castle and walked in, the town was up and awake with the store owners opening up their shops. Our first stop was Starlight and hopefully, she would already be awake. She wasn’t. This time, and for whatever reason, I didn’t knock, but simply opened the door and walked in. Her room was a basic layout of any of the rooms with one main room with the bathroom door to the right. It looked like she didn’t change the look of the room and left it basic. Basic bed to my right near the bathroom door, a simple desk under the window on the far wall, and a standalone closet along with a chest of drawers with a mirror on the wall opposite the bed. She was still sleeping in the bed resting peacefully. The carpet on the floor muffled my steps up to the bed.

“Starlight? Time to wake up.” Putting a hand on a shoulder, I gently shook it to try and wake her up. She was facing away at the time, but with a complaining groan she turned over to face me. “You need to wake up, Starlight,” I said, shaking her shoulder again. This time was different. I felt her magic take a hold of me, lift me up off the floor, and into the bed with her. Where she then grabbed me and proceeded to hold me like a teddy bear. And with me in my human form, there was nothing I could do to stop her. I heard Trixie’s amused snicker and giggles at my current predicament. So, there was only one way to wake her up and that was to startle her awake. I hesitated to do that due to how she has a problem with her magic going a little haywire when she’s startled. But I was going to do it anyway. “Starlight!” I nearly shouted and did my best to wiggle against her to wake her up. Had to wiggle because her legs kept my arms against my body so, I couldn’t use them.

Starlight was indeed startled awake. And with a shout of alarm, her magic went haywire again where, once again, there was a flash of magic and I disappeared. A second later, I found myself standing in front of the now open flower shop. Where all three mares stared at me for a second in confusion about who showed up and why. A second later Lily started grinning. Oh, fuck me. This time, though, I had just enough time to morph into my fox form before the chase was on.

^_^

I was finally able to get away from Lily, finally able to get everypony up and ready to go, and we were finally walking up to the hive a couple of hours later. While we walked across the barren desert I thought it odd that there weren’t any guards posted around the outside of the cone-shaped building. The outside looked just like it did in the show with holes appearing and disappearing all around it. My mind was also trying to think of a way to find out where my dad was in the midst of this massive fortress. So, we had everything to accomplish our two goals with the blowguns and Zecora’s knock-out juice.

“It’s odd that there are not any guards outside,” I mentioned as the opening in front of me disappeared.

“Usually there isn’t any,” Thorax mentioned while he looked around. “If we posted guards all the time then it would be obvious that this is a changeling hive. So, guards are only posted when Chrysalis expects an attack or if somepony is coming.”

“Well, that seems to prove that they aren’t expecting us then,” I mused, but then chuckled after looking up at the massive structure. “However, don’t you think this whole thing is obvious in and of itself simply due to its size and the fact that there are holes appearing and disappearing over the whole thing?”

“It does have a certain chaos that’s appealing,” Discord said with a big smirk on his face.

“Yeah, that everypony can see from above with ease,” Starlight stated the obvious as she looked up at the hive with her face scrunched up appearing as if she had a question on her mind. “So, how come nopony has said anything about this place yet?”

“We usually capture any pegasi flying overhead,” Thorax explained. “If guards are posted that is.”

“Alright. Everypony know what to do? I’m going after my dad, wherever he is, while you four are going to Chrysalis’ throne room.” Each of them gave me a firm nod. “Good, then I only have one question. Thorax? Is there a way for you to find out where my dad is in here?”

He looked away in thought but shook his head at me. “Not without asking.”

“Can you ask then?” I asked him in hopes to make it easy on me.

“I can try,” he said which gave me hope that this might be doable.

“Good, thanks,” I thanked him before a hole opened up in front of me to the interior. Just before we were about to walk in, a single changeling immediately walked out. Then stopped in total shock at what stood before it.

“Leera, wait!” Thorax immediately stepped forward in front of us when the changeling’s horn started glowing. “Wait, just listen to me.”

“Thorax?! What are you doing here?! And with them?!” Leera asked with her horn still glowing and narrowing her eyes at him. While she talked, focused on Thorax, I loaded a dart, with the tip coated in Zecora’s mixture, into the blowgun.

“I know what I’m about to say sounds crazy, but it’s the truth,” Thorax started explaining, keeping his eyes on her and taking a couple of steps forward. “I’ve been living in Ponyville openly for a while and they accept me and know me. I was right that changelings and ponies can live peacefully with one another. I haven’t had to feed since living with them. Spike, Twilight’s dragon, is my friend and so are they.”

“That’s crazy,” she said and backed up pointing her horn to us.

“Look at my wings, closely Leera,” he turned to the side fluttering his wings at her. His wings glittered brightly after the sun’s rays hit it. “My wings have changed, Leera. They changed because Emmit was also right about us. My wings changed because I’ve been giving love through my friendship with other ponies. That’s why my wings have changed. That’s why Chrysalis didn’t want us sharing love because we can live without her.” As he spoke to her, she was looking intently at his wings. It also appeared that she was thinking about it. “We can live peacefully with ponies in Equestria. We can be free, Leera.”

“That’s what we’re here to do, Leera,” I tried speaking to her next. “I’m not here to kill anyone. I’m here to free you changelings and my dad too from Chrysalis’ control.” I still had the blowgun ready and watched her carefully for any sudden aggressive moves. “You have a choice, Leera. Be part of the solution or be part of the problem. And the fact that you haven’t done anything yet, shows that you’re actually thinking about it.”

She seemed to still be thinking about it even when she looked at my blowgun then looked up at me. “Then what’s that?”

“Blowguns with darts that will only knock out a changeling, not kill them,” I told her while holding the blowgun at the ready position. “But I might not even have to use them if you tell me where my dad is and escort the others to the throne room.”

“And what will you do after getting to the throne room?” she asked Thorax.

“Destroy the throne by giving her all my love and getting the rest of the changelings to do the same,” he told her. Which was basically what I told him. “That will destroy her throne and when the rest of the changelings follow it will also destroy her power of us.”

After looking between us once more, she stared at Thorax’s changed wings. After a period of thinking about it, she looked up at us with determined eyes. “Alright, I’m in. If you really think that you can do it, then I’m in.”

I smiled when Thorax quickly stepped up to Leera giving her a big thankful hug. She didn’t return it at first because I don’t think that she was used to it. However, after a couple of seconds, she returned it. “Leera? Why don’t you go with Emmit and take him to his dad? I can lead them to the throne room. But he will be lost without a guide.”

She thought for a second before giving a nod, “Alright.”

“Thank you, Leera,” I said to her with genuine thanks as we all turned and walked inside.

“You’re welcome,” she said in return with me following her down a hallway to my left as the rest of them turned to the right. “I just hope they can do what you say they can.”

“They can.”

“Good. I heard that your dad is down below in the maturation room.”

^_^

I followed her closely from hallway to hallway to stairwell to stairwell. What was still odd was that we didn’t run into many changelings on the way down. The ones that couldn’t be talked down I knocked out with my darts, which I’ve only used three so far. “Alright, I got to ask,” I whispered to her after the second flight of stairs. “Just where is the rest of the changelings? This is a fort, right?”

“Yeah, but almost all of us are in the throne room,” she started to explain as we turned a corner. There were two guards standing at the end of a seemingly dead-end hallway. “When Thorax left the hive and started living in Ponyville, she ordered a few changelings to follow and investigate. His actions of living freely in Ponyville have got the whole hive wondering if they could do the same. So, Chrysalis has called a meeting to address it.”

“Perfect timing then,” I mused with a slight happy chuckle.

“That’s the entrance to the chamber,” she said quietly, “just let me do the talking.”

“Alrighty then,” I gave her a nod while having my blowgun at the ready.

“What are you doing here, Leera?” one of the guards asked as we stepped up. Both were obviously cautious, but more so regarding Leera because she was escorting me.

“To escort him to see Mark, his dad.” She said it so simply and without hesitation. I thought surely she’d be more cryptic about it. They didn’t say anything at first because they were looking between us.

The other spoke up looking unconvinced, “What is the purpose of the visit? We have not received any orders that he can receive any visitors.” This wasn’t looking good, so while their eyes were on her, waiting for her to answer, I carefully picked out another dart to hold in my hand for a quick reload. Just in case.

“He’s here to visit his dad,” she said simply without any hint of deception. It was true, just not the whole truth. If we could get in without incident the better but it wouldn’t be difficult to knock them out either.

“Again, we weren’t informed of any visitors,” the other commented, now squinting his eyes at us.

With a patient sigh, I said, “Look, you two. Chrysalis’ power is about to be destroyed. Thorax has returned to show you all a better way. A way that he’s lived since becoming my friend in the Crystal Empire. Since then, he’s been living peacefully in Ponyville. He also hasn’t been hungry ever since either. Leera here is a testament to that.”

Leera’s frustrated sigh, because of my actions, was almost too soft to be heard by my ears. “He’s right. Thorax’s wings had changed because he shared love. He is living as his own changeling, not on under Chrysalis’ iron hoof.”

“The changeling kingdom is about to change for the better,” I told them while holding my blowgun at ready. “You can either be part of the solution or part of the problem. So, what’s your choice?” There it is, I laid down the gauntlet. The guards looked at each other in silent conversation. Then about a minute later, one of them gave us a nod.

“Very well,” the other guard said to me as the first used his magic to open a hole in the wall. “You can enter.”

“Thank you,” was my genuine heartfelt thanks before Leera and I walked into the chamber. The chamber itself was rather large. The width and length alone would fit two houses easily and appeared to be around two stories in height. The reason for the height was that it had multiple levels and was all filled with eggs. Young unborn changelings. And in the middle of the room was my dad. He was sitting in front of some eggs just looking at them.

While keeping my eyes on him very closely, I whispered to Leera. “You don’t have to stay. I think I’ll be fine from here. Besides, the two outside is on our side now.”

“Alright,” I heard her whisper then hearing her hooves retreating and the sound of a hole opening on the wall behind me. Then all was quiet. Because the dart was already loaded, I simply raised it to a firing position. I didn’t have to get closer because at around ten or so feet he’s in easy reach of my darts.

But he wasn’t moving. He also knew that I was here. After spending a lifetime with my dad I could tell. So, I waited.

He was still sitting down and staring at the eggs when he spoke up. “Chrysalis said that all these eggs are from when she tricked you into having sex with her.”

“Yeah, she bragged about it to me as well,” I told him while watching his every move very carefully. I was still dealing with a changeling after all even if my dad’s mind and soul occupied it. He still knew how to use that changeling magic.

“She tell you that she plans to use these young kids, for a lack of a better word, as soldiers? That they will have the same ability to eat meat and real food as you? She said that it would greatly help them disguise themselves better. She wants to use them as soldiers.”

“Not surprising,” I told him while looking at him over the barrel of the blowgun. “She wants to conquer Equestria by any means necessary and destroy my family. Sound familiar?”

He didn’t speak for a minute or two, but then he said something that sounded promising. “I haven’t spoken to her in a while. So long that I’m not sure how many days have passed. Because I consider them your children, I’ve been thinking about how she wants to use them.”

That riled me to no end. “Yet, you had no problem in wanting to kill my daughter and my wives,” I growled at him.

He shook his head slightly with an amused chuckle, “Never thought that you would go with polygamy much less with horses.”

“Ponies,” I shot back at him.

He rolled his eyes, “Whatever.” His sigh sounded defeated, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. Talking to these changelings, as they call themselves. And about what you said.”

“You still want to murder my family?” I asked carefully. My feelings told me to go ahead and shoot him and knock him out to ask questions later.

He opened his mouth to say something but stayed silent. I could figuratively see the gears turning in his head. “I don’t know, son.”

“Then that’s something you need to work on.” Acting quickly, I raised the blowgun and fired a dart at him, aiming for his ass. Less than a second later he let out a quick “Ouch” as the dart sunk into him. “And a chance I can’t afford to take,” I told him as his eyes rolled back with his body slumping back down on the chamber floor.

A few minutes later, a rumble trembled through the place. Ending Chrysalis’ rule.

^_^

(Starlight Glimmer’s POV, Earlier)

“Alright, Thorax, which way?” I asked him after Leera and Emmit disappeared down a hallway. Being in a changeling fortress without magic at my disposal was nerve-racking, to say the least. Thanks to Emmit, however, I wasn’t completely defenseless. And Thorax has tools that he can use as well.

“Her throne room is at the highest level,” he said then looked straight up. We did the same when he said, “So, basically straight up. The problem is navigating the changes to the walls. Openings open and close at will as you can see. This is why only a changeling is usually the only ones that can navigate a changeling hive.” He turned to the right, the opposite direction where Emmit went, and started walking. “This way.”

“Isn’t there supposed to be more changelings around?” Trixie asked as we walked through an opening in the wall into a large multistory room. The shape of the room was more like a sphere with holes opening and closing along the walls. Stairs connected each level to each other that remained solid. They didn’t shift as the walls did. “There’s like, nobody here.”

“Yes, it is strange,” Thorax looked, and sounded, just as confused as I was. “This room connects to everything else.”

“So, it’s like a central hub then?”

“Yes, Starlight,” Thorax replied and started walking to a set of stairs off to the left. “And the only time it’s been this empty is when Chrysalis has called a meeting. If she has then the rest of the changelings will be in the throne room.”

“Is that a good thing?” Trixie asked, sounding more than a little nervous as we followed Thorax up another level.

“At least everypony will be together when Thorax will spread the most enlightening chaos,” I heard Discord chuckle behind me. I just rolled my eyes and kept following Thorax. I’ve noticed that Thorax has been more sure of himself the past few days. He’s come a long way from when we first saw him in the Crystal Empire. And I’ll have to admit to being more curious about him now that it seems Emmit was right. Thorax’s wings have indeed changed, thus proving that the form of the changelings is now aren’t their true form. After talking with Emmit, I can see the benefits of a new changeling kingdom that lives peacefully with ponies and not under Chrysalis’ iron hoof.

A lot of things ran through my mind while following Thorax through walls, halls, and rooms. One of those thoughts was still about the lack of changelings around. If they were really inside the throne room and if that would help, or hurt, us. We did get confirmation regarding that when we ran into a changeling not far from the throne room.

“Thorax?!” a changeling, a little larger than Thorax, whispered harshly as he quickly ran up to us. “What are you doing here, brother? Every changeling is in the throne room right now with Chrysalis hoof pounding madly at you for leaving the hive!”

“Pharynx!” Thorax happily greeted his apparent brother, which made me wonder how they could be brothers in the first place. Not like they had a proper family structure. “Believe it or not, but we are here to end Chrysalis’ iron rule.” And he looked confident when he said it. A far cry from how he acted when we first met.

Pharynx was shocked into silence for a couple of seconds. “W-what?” he finally asked with a confused look and a shake of his head. “How are...who’s going to...what?”

“Pharynx, look at my wings,” Thorax told him, stepping up to him while fluttering his wings making them shine. “I’ve been living in Ponyville peacefully with ponies like Trixie, Starlight, and even Discord.”

“He’s wonderful, chaotic,” Discord put it with a smirk. We ignored him with a roll of our eyes. But I watched Pharynx take a good look at his brother’s wings.

“See how they’ve changed?”

“What made them do that, brother?” Pharynx asked, looking his brother in the eye with scrutiny.

“Sharing love through friendship with ponies,” he answered, sounding more sure of himself each time he tells it. “My friendship with them, the act of sharing love, did this to my wings. I haven’t been hungry since.” There was a pause as Pharynx seemed to digest this information. “This is why Chrysalis doesn’t want us to share with anypony but her. Because she knows that if we ever figured that out, she wouldn’t be able to control us anymore. In order for her to keep control over us, she has to keep us hungry.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Pharynx shot back with a shake of his head. “How does sharing love destroy her rule over us specifically?”

“By sharing love,” Thorax explained, “we will never be hungry again and be able to live freely within pony society. By sharing love we will show our true, and natural, forms. And by everypony sharing love, it will destroy her throne which is the true source of her power.”

Another pause where his brother appeared to be thinking it over. Thorax waited with a look on his face that simply asked, “Are you with me?”

“Alright,” Pharynx gave his brother a firm nod of his head, “if you are absolutely sure about this, then I’m with you. Are you sure you can do this?”

Thorax’s smile was wide and confident. “For the first time in my life, brother, yes I’m sure.”

“Then what do we do then?”

“Well brother, we go into the throne room, so I can give Chrysalis all my love.”

Pharynx just blinked at him a few times before he shook his head in apparent frustration. “Alright, whatever, if you are sure that you know what you’re doing.”

“I am,” Thorax said holding his head high with a look on his face that simply spoke confidence. Wish I could say the same. As Pharynx turned around and walked with us toward the throne room door, I wasn’t so sure. How can Thorax be so sure of himself and what he’s doing when he’s riding everything on what Emmit had said. Sure, he’s been right in the past and so far seems to be right about this one too. But as the door opened to the throne room and my eyes spotted Chrysalis and her whole host of drones, I was beginning to have my doubts. Especially when angry hisses and chittering were sent our way as we walked in. I admit to hiding behind Thorax a little as my eyes scanned the large throne room.

“Thorax!” Chrysalis hissed and growled from her place on the throne. The same throne that appeared to be made from the material that Emmit told us it would be. I recognized the material from research that I have done before. A type of stone that absorbs magic. All but changeling magic apparently. “You dare show your face here after betraying the hive? Or do you want to surrender yourself to me and face your punishment for your betrayal?”

“Wipe that smug grin off your face, Chrysalis,” he shot back at her with a hiss of his own. “Because you is the one that’s betrayed the hive by keeping us bound by hunger and fear.”

“What?” Chrysalis growled out angrily, looking down at us with narrowed hate-filled eyes.

“You don’t have to be hungry and alone any longer,” Thorax raised his voice, fluttered his wings, and looked around. “I’ve been living peacefully among the ponies of Ponyville. And I haven’t been hungry. Take a look at my wings and see the truth.”

Chrysalis wasn’t too happy with this. With a low growl from her throat and hate-filled eyes locked onto Thorax, she stepped down from her throne. Slowly making her way over to him.

“My wings have changed because I’ve given love freely through my friendship with the ones standing before you and the good ponies of Ponyville.”

“I think the good part is about to start,” Discord whispered over to me.

“Then be a good little drone and give me all your love then,” Chrysalis grinned when she said it with a happy mad look on her face as if she’s already won.

“I will,” with Thorax’s reply all eyes went to him as he turned around to face Chrysalis. Every single drone there was watching what was about to happen with great interest. So much interest that they stopped hissing angrily at us. Now looking at us with cautious interest. Then after closing his eyes, we all watched as a stream of magic came out of his chest. It was powerful and intense, right past Chrysalis and right into her throne.

“What?!” Chrysalis was surprised when Thorax’s body levitated off the floor and immediately wrapped up in one of those green cocoons. We backed up to watch as the cocoon started glowing with everypony watching what will happen. Even Chrysalis was curious. Within the span of two seconds, his cocoon disappeared. The bright light that surrounded him dissipated when he touched the floor again. Everypony was shocked by his change after it did. He had completely changed. He was taller and multicolored with two horns on his head that curved inward. His wings were also larger and his mane and tail were long, brightly colored, and flowed with magic. The change along with the confident look in his eyes, as he stared at Chrysalis, told everypony showed everypony two things. That he was right and that he was now the new leader.

When I looked over at Chrysalis, I was surprised at what I saw. She was scared. Her eyes showed fear. Deciding to take a chance, I steeled my nerves. And stepped forward next to him. “This is your chance at a life free from Chrysalis. A chance to live freely in Equestria peacefully and never go hungry again.” Then all was silent for about two seconds.

“NO! Don’t you DARE take my power away from me,” Chrysalis shouted as the first few changelings started giving all their magic as Thorax did. She was snarling, almost like a dog gone mad, and with her eyes wide with fear and anger she looked very much...upset. The magic level in the throne room rose considerably as one by one changelings started giving magic. As the magic in the room grew, stray magic, like electricity, started popping from the throne as the stone started overloading. “I am your QUEEN!” after watching Chrysalis horn glow brightly, I raised my loaded blowgun just in case she tried something. Surely, even when she was powered with magic this still would be able to hit her. However, I still got nervous when she lowered her lighted horn directly at Thorax.

“Not anymore!” my ears picked up Pharynx’s voice as he had to shout over the rumbling sound of the throne overloading. I dared to take a glance over at Thorax. He stood tall and ready with both of his horns glowing brightly with his magic ready. Stray magic currents sparked wildly off the throne as every changeling in the throne room had released all their love at once. A shield was put around us a split-second before the throne exploded, giving no chance for Chrysalis to do anything.

The explosion blew the top off the roof and shook the whole stronghold. And when the dust had settled, Chrysalis stood in shock at the scene before her. With her throne gone, I felt the rush of my magic flowing into me once more. So, I used my magic to hold two darts in it ready to use. Chrysalis herself was too busy looking around at the newly transformed changelings. Every single one of them, including Pharynx, had completely changed. And like Thorax, was varied in color, horn, and wing styles.

And every one of them was looking at Chrysalis with righteous indignation.

“You!” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at Thorax and lit up her horn in defeated fury. “You will rue the daAY,” Chrysalis’ eyes went wide in sudden shock, shouting the last syllable, and looked around for something. Then spotted a dart stuck in her rump.

“Oh just shut up and go to sleep already,” Discord said with a mischievous smirk on his face as almost a dozen darts hung in the air in front of them. And every one of them was either giggling, chuckling, or laughing like little insane maniacs.

“I WILL NOT!” she shouted in defiance but was then struck by all of Discord’s darts before she could do anything. There was a second of pause while she stood still and silent as if shocked at the number of stings. Then just started giggling. At first, it was similar to a school filly giggling, but it didn’t stay that way. It grew to laughing, then a mad cackle, and then she stopped again with her face frozen in mid-insane laughter before falling to the floor out cold. She didn’t slow down, either. Just stopped mid-laugh with her face contorted in shock, fear, and rage before passing out cold.

For a few seconds, nopony said anything. Just looked between a still smirking Discord and a very passed-out Chrysalis. Until we heard a male’s voice call out, “Damn it, I missed all the fun.”

I turned my head around recognizing the voice and found Emmit standing there in his fox form with a passed-out changeling in his magical grasp. Telekinesis I think he calls it. He gave me a smile and a nod before trotting up to us. But his smile faded when he spotted Chrysalis laying on the floor. “Chrysalis is here?” he sounded, and looked, surprised to see her.

“Should she not be?” Trixie asked because I don’t think that she was told about Emmit’s history regarding past knowledge of Equestria.

“Some things change?” I asked Emmit.

He gave me a nod and a small smile. “Some things change. Although, I have no clue what difference this would make.” For the first time in the short time I’ve known him, he looked unsure of how to feel about it, or what to do. “Looking good Thorax,” he smiled wide at him. “Glad to see everything worked out. I’ve got my dad, and apparently Chrysalis too, and you’ve got a new kingdom to run.”

“Yes, thank you, Emmit,” Thorax said with heartfelt thanks and even looked totally relaxed.

“And thank you, Thorax,” Emmit replied, equally heartfelt. “Reason, I requested this was to protect my family, first and foremost. By helping you take charge of the new changeling kingdom,” he paused while looking around at the now changed changelings, “will protect them, and Equestria by giving you all a better life.” He turned his head around to address the rest of them. “A life without hunger. A life you can live free with the rest of Equestria, just like Thorax was doing.” Then he sighed after looking at Chrysalis with mixed emotions in his eyes. Using his own telekinesis, he lifted Chrysalis up and floated her unconscious body over to him. “I hate to greet and run, but my dad and Chrysalis need to be secured. She’s the one that brought my dad to this world and into his changeling body. I realize the crimes that she’s done to you and to all changelings and you’re welcome to question her at any time, but...”

“It’s alright,” Thorax said quietly with an understanding slight nod of his head, “go and secure them. I’ve got a hive to integrate.”

“Thanks,” he said to him then turned to Discord. “Thanks for your help, Discord, Trixie, Starlight,” he looked at each one, including me with a thankful smile before looking at Discord again. “If you wouldn’t mind snapping Chrysalis, my dad, and I over to Tia please?”

“Certainly,” he said with a mischievous smirk then snapped his fingers making the three of them disappear.

^_^

(Emmit’s POV, later in the crystal dungeons beneath Canterlot)

“Did he really need to teleport the three of you into my morning bath?” Tia asked me as we stood side by side in front of the two cells that housed Chrysalis and my dad. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he teleported you. I’m just upset that the appearance of Chrysalis and your dad cut short my morning with you.”

She leaned into me as I put a couple of tails around her and pulled her into me. “Yeah, you know how mischievous Discord can be. And I think that was the point to be just a little annoying.”

“All that aside, it looked like your mission was successful,” she added with a thankful tone in her voice.

“Yes, it was,” turning my head to her, I kissed softly, “thankfully. It was even easier than I thought it would be. Chrysalis had called a meeting about Thorax leaving the hive and living in Ponyville at the time we entered the hive. So, it was pretty much a walk into the throne room for them while I dealt with my dad. Now there’s a chance to deprogram him from Chrysalis’ brainwashing.”

“I’m glad for that,” she said while looking at the changeling that housed my dad’s soul. “I would love the chance to tell him how much his son and his granddaughter mean to me.”

“And what you all mean to me,” she laid her head against my neck with a soft sigh that sounded thankful and content. “To tell him that I finally understand what it means to be a father. To understand some of the things that he did in my life that I couldn’t understand at the time.”

A sudden gasp from Chrysalis interrupted my thoughts. She jerked awake inside her crystal cell and quickly looked around. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted us through the crystal bars of her cell. I couldn’t help but smirk at her considering where she was. The irony wasn’t lost on Tia either. “Hope you like the accommodations, Chrysalis. You should appreciate being in the crystal caves beneath Canterlot considering that’s where you sent Cadence and Twilight.” The tone of her voice told me that she was grinning from ear to ear right now. Matter of fact so was I. “Actually, it’s the exact same cell that Cadence was in when you put her down here. I thought it fitting.”

Chrysalis didn’t say anything, just laid there glaring at us unmoving.

“You don’t?” Tia’s question was a rhetorical one as she continued gently teasing Chrysalis. Blinking innocently, she unleaned from me, stepped up to the cell, and tapped one of the crystal bars. “I mean it’s the...worst...we could do for you,” Tia looked and sounded so innocently, but was obviously anything but.

With a shout of defeated rage, Chrysalis launched herself at the bars with the hope of breaking through. But got the shock of her life, quite literally, when the crystal bars of her cell gave her a magical, and electrical, shock that wracked her body for a few seconds making her appear to dance in place. Then she dropped to the floor of her cell writhing in pain and groaning softly while her body recovers.

“Oh dear,” Tia feigned shock with a fake sympathetic look on her face, “did I forget to mention the bars are magically protected and will shock you if you try and touch them? Or that we have two suppressor rings on your horn, so there’s no chance for you to use magic. Or even absorb magic?”

Tia didn’t say anything while Chrysalis recovers from the shock on the floor of the caves. So, I did. “Unless you change your ways,” I said to Chrysalis, “you’ll never see the light of day.”

“What about me...son?” my dad’s voice came from the adjoining crystal cell. He was just sitting up when I looked over at him. His face showed a defeated man...er changeling. Defeat and even some regret were in his eyes as they locked onto mine. So, I sidestepped my way over to his cell leaving Tia to quietly tease Chrysalis.

“That depends on whether you’ll truly end this crusade to kill my family,” I told him with a firm look. “If not then no, you don’t see the light of day either. I realize that Chrysalis brainwashed you against my family. And even though I still love you dad, my family’s safety comes first. I’m afraid that you’ve forgotten that.”

“You useless excuse for a human!” Chrysalis nearly screamed at my dad from within her cell as she raged against her defeat. “You’re a failure, Mark! After all of the time and effort spent dragging your soul into my drone, you go and FAIL ME! YOU PITIFU-”

“And that’s enough of her,” Tia said then stepped over to me and leaned up against me again.

“I’m sorry...son,” he hung his head and closed his eyes when he said it.

“I’m glad to hear it and I think you’re on the road to recovery, but until we can confirm that you’re truly repentant, you’re staying here. And yes, we can determine whether or not you’re telling the truth. Unlike the human world, this world has means to examine your very thoughts.”

He didn’t say anything, just looked up at me with a little bit of confusion as if he wasn’t sure to believe it or not.

“He’s right,” Tia said to him with some pity in her voice for him. “My sister, Luna, is able to look into a pony’s mind and enter into their dreams. So, it’s easy for her to determine if you’re telling the truth or not. Your son means the world to me, my sister, and his other herd mare members. Your son has made me and others happy and changed Equestria for the better. I truly hope that one day you can see your grandfoal. But as Emmit said, that’s up to you.”

“I understand,” he said quietly, still with his head lowered toward the floor.

“See you later dad, we’ll have more talks,” was the last thing I said to him before Tia teleported us back up to the throne room. Where we were going to discuss a ceremony for Discord, Trixie, Starlight, and Thorax. It would also be a good way to tell the Equestrian public about the new changeling kingdom under Thorax’s peaceful rule.