Fading Star

Dragging her hooves as she limped down the stone corridor, Starlight had her eyes cast down on the floor, miserable as usual. She was trying her best to avoid thinking about what happened back in the Throne Room. This situation just kept getting worse and worse. She had never been left alone unrestrained in the lair before, though her magic still wasn’t working.

Can’t have everything.

Of course, she considered making a run for it out one of the exits she knew of, but decided it wasn’t worth the risk. She stopped when her attention was caught by the sounds of murmuring voices around a hallway. It was Chrysalis, sitting in a room she had rarely used, surrounded by other ponies all sitting in a circle.

‘Those must be those ponies she was talking about,’ Starlight thought, peeking her head around the corner to get a glimpse inside. She didn’t want to interrupt, so stayed hidden, resorting to eavesdropping.

“You’ve outdone yourself, Chrysalis, truly...” Black Frost said, grinning, “First Starlight Glimmer, now the Princess of Friendship?”

“And... her brother and a friend...We can use them as well…”

“Of course. Now that Sparkle has given up, we have everything we need to begin our full conquest of Equestria…”

“I’ve been training Starlight for days now...she’ll be quite formidable.”

“I fully expect her to. She is the key, after all. First, finish your work on her...Then, do the same with Sparkle. Then, at last, we’ll be unstoppable.”

“I’ve prepared my armies to set sail...We are ready for a fight,” said Arevoure, the hotheaded dragon warlord.

“And a fight you shall have, my friend. With Chrysalis’s weapon leading the charge.”

Starlight cringed when they said her name, referring to her as if she was a toy or a piece of meat, to be spent and used.

‘What happens when they’re done with me? I’m brought back here?’

But what really concerned her were their plans for Twilight. Starlight could take her own torment, but couldn’t bear to see anypony suffer the same fate, especially as she felt responsible for Twilight being captured in the first place.

I’ve got to do something...To break the others out of here…

Of course, that was easier said than done.

“Twilight will be...more difficult to turn than Starlight...And I have nothing to base my procedure off of. I’d spent months studying that unicorn prior to bringing her here, and I won’t get the chance to do the same for the Princess.”

“Luckily, you won’t need to. Her friends are all you’ll need to convince her to help us. She will comply, or she will lose everything and everypony she has ever cared about,” Frost said, sinisterly. Chrysalis glanced up and caught the shine of Starlight’s horn from outside.

“Would you all...excuse me, for a moment?”

“By all means.”

The villainous scum resumed to menial discourse as Chrysalis stood up and walked outside around the corridor, nearly running right into Starlight.

“Listening in, I see?”

“No, my queen, I’m sorry, really! I didn’t….You left me, and…”

“Be silent. I am sick of you speaking. And to think, I had the chance to shut your incessant yapping once and for all! Mark my words, when they’re gone, I’m honoring your decision and rendering you a hapless mute.”

Starlight’s eyes widened as she gulped in fear.

“I need to finish preparing our guests for your grand appearance. Stay in the room where we practiced your magic, and if you’re not there when I show up, I’ll be cutting off more than your tongue. Got that, pig?”

“Yes, my queen,” Starlight whispered as she gave a slight bow, turning and scurrying away. Even after all this time, Chrysalis was somehow just as intimidating as when they had first met.

Blinking a few times before realizing she had fallen asleep, Rainbow shook her head back and forth, confused. She looked up and saw Fluttershy lying next to her, cleaning the wound on Rainbow’s chest.

“Where am I?” she asked.

“Stay still, please… We’re still in the tunnel. We haven’t left yet.”

“What?” Rainbow sat up fast, but immediately regretted it, her wound tearing slightly. She grunted and fell back down.

“I told you to stay still,” said Fluttershy, an eyebrow raised.

“The rest of you should’ve gone already! We’re wasting time!”

“You passed out...We weren’t going to leave you.”

“Well, you should’ve.”

Fluttershy rolled her eyes.

“How am I, Fluttershy?”

“Better than you were an hour ago...You’ll be fine, the blade missed your heart.”

“Well then I guess I can’t complain.”

“Oh, you’ll find something…” Fluttershy said, smirking. “You should be able to move around without too much pain in about an hour.”

“We can’t wait that long!”

“We can’t walk in there with you injured, Rainbow...We are the last hope, you know.”

“I know, but...We’re running out of time.”

“Better late than never.”

“I’ll be sure to tell Twilight’s corpse that.”

Up ahead, Applejack walked over to Hickory, who had been staring off into the tunnel ahead, waiting for something to happen.

“Um, Hickory, can we talk?”

“Go ahead, I’m not busy,” Hickory said, expecting her to open up about her feelings for him.

“It’s Sunflower.”

“Oh…” he said, disappointed, and then worried as he noticed the sense of dread in Applejack’s voice.

“What’s wrong?” he asked hesitantly.

“She’s...she’s getting worse...I...I don’t know if she’ll…”

Hickory sputtered, not knowing what to say.

“Let me see her…”

Trotting over to the rock where Rarity was standing over, they saw Sunflower, her limbs sprawled out across the ground, little life in her once vibrant green eyes.

“Hickory…”

“Sunflower, what’s wrong? Let me help you…”

“I…”

“We’ve done everything, dear….” Rarity said, distancing herself from the scene.

“Come on, kid, hang in there...This...this is nothing...You’re stronger than this.”

Sunflower couldn’t muster up the strength to respond, only sniffling and letting a few weak tears welt up at the edge of her eyes, as the realization sank in. Hickory, however, couldn’t accept this.

“Damn it, Sunflower! Stand up! Fight it! We beat ‘em all! We’re finished! We can go home...Don’t you want to go home?” Hickory said, trying not to show his fear. But everypony could sense it. Applejack stayed silent, knowing there was little she could do to help at this point.

“Sunfl…” he trailed off as she raised her head towards him, looking in his eyes.

“Tell...the Princess...I….really wanted to meet her…”

Hickory almost laughed at how hopeless the situation was. This couldn’t be real, could it?

“I love you, big brother…”

Hickory’s forlorn smile fell. He watched as her head fell slack to one side, her heart no longer beating. He had no words, he couldn’t think of any. He just sat there, kneeling beside the cold body of his sister. Rainbow and Fluttershy had heard everything from the other side of the tunnel, also remaining silent. The air became dense in the cave, and it felt as if time was standing still. Applejack dropped her head to the ground, blaming herself, naturally. Hickory’s gaping mouth closed, as he sat back and struggled to keep his cool. He was frozen, and terrified, though he didn’t want to show it. He had thought they had already won, but instead he had suffered the biggest loss imaginable.

Starlight kicked at some dirt on the ground, immersed in the darkness of the room. She hated this place, she was nearly killed here just a day or two ago. Starlight, for the first time in a while, felt invigorated. She had a job to do now, and ponies’ lives depended on her. She tried to forget the past, and forget her feelings-focusing only on the now. And right now, she had to get Twilight, Trixie, and all those ponies out of here.

Starlight still wasn’t quite sure how Twilight got in this place. She knew which doors were exit routes, but had no idea where they went to. The pegasus that visited her, whose name she never knew, was wearing armor reminiscent of those of the army of the Crystal Empire. The pegasus said he came from the top exit, which meant that the top exit led to somewhere near the Crystal Empire. Starlight was impressed she had figured out, but wasn’t sure what to do with it.

So what?

‘If that tunnel goes towards the Crystal Empire….then it’s heading north/northeast, as long as it doesn’t deviate from a straight line. Which means, the other tunnel goes south/southwest.’ She hadn’t known that prior.

‘Twilight said she came herself, but Chrysalis said she didn’t…’ Starlight didn’t know which one was telling the truth, as both had proven to be pretty great at manipulating her. She sighed and decided to trust the lesser of two evils, Twilight, and assume Twilight came here herself.

‘Alone?’

Probably not...That pegasus said he had come with Twilight, though that would mean Twilight went all the way to the Crystal Empire to start the search? Seems a little far fetched...Yet, it certainly wasn’t impossible. Starlight had never gotten the chance to enter any of the exit tunnels, but knew that going the other way, down the south/southwest tunnel, would therefore be the safer route.

‘Chrysalis is smart. She’ll assume we’ve gone the opposite way they came from.’

Starlight shook her head, as no matter which way they went, it wouldn’t take Chrysalis too long to figure out which.

Starlight concluded that the only way for the others to escape was for her to run away in the opposite direction, as Chrysalis would likely care more about keeping her captive than the others. She’d probably be punished...severely...but if it meant saving those other ponies’ lives, she had no real choice.

Other ponies. She almost forgot! What about the cocooned ponies stuck on the ceiling? How was she to break them out? That was a tricky one. It seemed like magic was the only real solution, though that raised even more problems. Starlight knew that Chrysalis would allow her to use her magic freely in this room, the problem was that the room was magic-sealed, so she couldn’t blast her way out. Unless, she tricked Chrysalis into opening the door while her magic is still free? No, that wouldn’t work...she had reasoned that Chrysalis can cast the spell whenever she wants. Starlight was beginning to run out of options, just like the first time she gave any attempt at escape. Not only was it beyond difficult, but she’d probably screw up the plan anyway... Yet, she knew she had to figure this out, and persisted, thinking of as many solutions as she could, sitting alone in the blackness.

The group in the tunnel remained stone-silent for another hour. Nopony knew what to say. Until Applejack decided it was time to say something.

“Hickory…”

Hickory, who usually masked his emotions under humor and grit, had given up pretending not to care. There was a great pain in his heart, and he couldn’t quite comprehend it.

“I’m sorry…” said Applejack, though Hickory had barely listened. He was consumed by his thoughts. He was angry at everypony and everything. Applejack could see that, but she knew time was being wasted just sitting here.

“Maybe we...maybe we should start moving out…” Applejack regretted saying that instantly, knowing she would get a negative reaction from him, but said it anyway. At first, Hickory didn’t respond, until Applejack began packing up the medical supplies that were going to be used on Sunflower.

“We’re not leaving her here,” he said coldly.

Applejack stared at him, his back turned to her.

“Do you...Do you want to...I don’t know...bury her? Here?”

“No...not here...Home...I’m taking her home.”

The other ponies all glanced up at him as he stood up, picking up his sister’s limp body from the filthy floor. She was light, even lighter than usual. Applejack was dumbstruck. She wanted to argue, but knew emotions were running high.

“Hickory, hold on...You can’t just leave...Not yet…”

“And why not? I am not leaving her to...end up some...archaeological find!”

“I understand, we’re all feeling... stressed. But please, we need you! We’ve come so far because of you!”

“And for what? Is this what I have to show for it? This doesn’t seem like any kind of deal I want a part in.”

He turned around and began walking back the way they came, Applejack nervously trying to speak up.

“If...if you leave us, now...She’d have died for nothing…” she said the words cautiously, though they still hit Hickory like a brick wall. He turned around and eyed down the mare he at one point had sincere feelings for. But now?

“All this journey has been...is a load of heartache, pain, and suffering. Nothing good has come out of it...It’ll be a miracle if I come out of it…”

He turned around again, Applejack becoming desperate. She didn’t want this relationship to end like this, and worse, without him they’d stand far less of a chance at succeeding against Chrysalis, now that all of the ponies except Fluttershy were injured.

“She wanted you to stay...To keep fighting...Are you just going to give up? Now, of all times? I thought you were better than this.”

“This changes things. I’ve lost somepony...very dear…”

“And so have I! I know what it’s like...But, we have to fight for the living, not endlessly grieve the dead…”

“You speak of her as if she was an object?”

“I miss her, Hickory! But she’s gone! And I am sorry! I didn’t want any of this to happen! We were forced down here...And...other ponies’ lives are at stake now, too! If you leave, and we fail...You’ll have sentenced them and all of us to death too!”

“And if I go, I’ll join you.”

“Better to die with courage than live a coward…”

Hickory glared at her. For somepony so eagerly trying to get him to stay, she sure did have a fiery means of persuasion. Hickory glanced at the ground, and nodded, placing Sunflower’s body gently on the ground.

“Fine…But only because I have a thing or two to say to that changeling.”

The other ponies smiled and got up, collecting their belongings.

“It’s not too far...We’ll be there soon…” said Rarity.

“Rainbow, are you alright?” asked Applejack.

“I can walk...Fight? Maybe not…” she replied.

“Good enough...Hickory?” Applejack eyed him.

“We’re coming back for her…” he said, glancing down at his sister’s pale body.

“Of course we are,” she said. Hickory smiled at her, as the group continued on through the tunnel.

“Let go of me!” Twilight yelled. Chrysalis had her in her grasp again, holding her in the air with a green aura of magic. Chrysalis smirked.

“I do apologize for your accommodations, Highness, but I simply couldn’t let you miss this…”

Twilight had no idea what was going on, which Chrysalis found even more entertaining. She knew ponies like Twilight become scared when they’re ignorant. Chrysalis dragged Twilight around a corridor into a small room, packed with some rough-looking ponies she had never seen before, as well as one dragon. The room had a large glass window at the other end, that led to a large narrow chamber caked in darkness. The crowd all glared at Twilight as she entered.

“Twilight Sparkle...We meet at last,” said one short pony, with grey fur and purple eyes. His hair had silver streaks, but what was most noticeable, was his eerie, unnerving smile. She had never met this pony before, but already knew they wouldn’t get along.

“Oh, where are my manners? My name is Black Frost...You have never met me, but I...I know quite a lot about you. More than you may know, even…” he chuckled to himself. Twilight continued struggling in her magical bindings, though given she was surrounded, there wasn’t much point.

“Your...dear friend Chrysalis has agreed to give us a...demonstration...of your former pupil’s...capabilities.”

“She’s not just my pupil...She’s my friend.”

“Of course, my apologies. Though for how much longer, is what I’ve been wondering…”

Frost glanced towards Chrysalis, who approached the glass window. She reached a nearby table and picked up an amulet-like device, holding it for three minutes in her hoof, her horn glowing brighter and brighter the longer she held it. When she was finished, she gave a sigh of satisfaction, putting the device down and enjoying the new increased power she had just received. Twilight stared in amazement. That was it! That was the artifact she was using! Twilight smiled to herself, reveling in the fact that Chrysalis had only beat her because she was cheating.

“Shall we begin then, Chrysalis?”

“As you wish.”

Chrysalis cast a spell with her horn, though its effect was not obvious until Chrysalis lit several torches lining the walls of the room below. There, Starlight Glimmer was sitting on the floor.

She felt her headache dissipate, her magic slowly returning. She groaned in relief, as she slowly stood up. This was it, after all, the big show. She better not disappoint.

The familiar sound of a large beast snorting at the end of the room made it known her test was about to commence.

‘How many dogs does she have down here?’

The Beta Diamond Dog approached, the largest one she had ever faced, red eyes and teeth the length of her legs. She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. The dog roared, filled with rage, and lunged at her, until it found itself hovering in midair. Starlight scowled in disgust at the beast as she held its entire weight in the air, the dog continuously trying to snap at her. In a flash of blind anger, she snapped its neck with one tilt of her head, dropping the slobbery beasts to the ground in an instant. She glanced up at the window where Chrysalis and an array of colorful faces were looking down on her, seemingly impressed. She considered trying to kill them all right then and there, but knew it wouldn’t work.

“Impressive...You’ve trained her well, Chrysalis,” said Aluminon, the crime lord pony. Twilight rolled her eyes, annoyed that Chrysalis was getting any credit. Despite what she said, Starlight was her pupil. Yet, she was mildly disturbed by Starlight’s lack of restraint in killing an innocent animal, though she excused it, as the animal seemed vicious enough to do the same to her.

While the other villains muttered to each other in approval, Black Frost wasn’t as enthusiastic.

“She has great strength, surely...The tales are true. But, what we intend to use her for is not...playing with wild animals...She must be capable, and willing...to take the life of another pony.”

Chrysalis eyed him, as she hadn’t considered that.

“Not to worry, I know for a fact you have a boundless supply of ponies hanging up on your ceiling, Chrysalis. Why don’t you go fetch one of them for us?” he said dismissively. Chrysalis hated to receive commands. A pony? She had to think about that. Most of her imprisoned ponies were there to use as leverage against Starlight. She couldn’t just pick any pony too close to Starlight, otherwise she would definitely refuse to kill them and make Chrysalis seem like a fool. No, it had to be a pony she had little connection to. A lightbulb flashed as she noticed Twilight’s look of concern.

“Not to worry, that can be arranged. I already have one in mind.”

Chrysalis waltzed out of the room, still dragging Twilight alongside her.

“Chrysalis! Whatever you’re about to do, don’t!”

“I’m afraid it’s far too late for going back. You saw what Starlight is capable of. She’ll have no issue in this next test.”

“She’d never murder an innocent pony! And you’re...truly evil if you force her!”

“I’m not forcing anypony, Twilight. You know why I’m so relaxed? Because I already know how this is going to turn out...She’ll do as she’s told, because she belongs to me, not you. I think it’s time you begin to understand that.”

Chrysalis entered the Main Hall, buzzing up to the ceiling to inspect her collection. She found the one she was looking for: Fritz, the pegasus scout that she had caught first. Twilight turned pale in disappointment and fear. If that pony died, she’d feel responsible. Again.

“You came with this one, no? My, what a mistake it was to send him out of all of you first…”

Chrysalis grabbed the cocoon housing an unconscious Fritz and flew back down to the ground, smashing it open with a simple spell. Fritz gasped for air as he coughed up the green phlegm-like substance he was suspended in, his head heavy and muscles weak from inactivity. Chrysalis was staring down at him, smirking. Fritz wasn’t at all thrilled.

“Oh great...Of all the faces to wake up to, it’s yours…” he said through rasped breath and a few coughs.

Chrysalis scoffed and leaned down towards him.

“Don’t be so jovial...I wouldn’t if I knew I was about to die.”

Fritz’s eyes widened. Still a little disoriented from being hung upside down while unconscious for almost a week, receiving a death threat did him no favors. He saw Twilight hovering in the air, wrapped in Chrysalis’ green magic. He said nothing to her, taking it in that everypony he came with must be dead or captured, and that it was probably, partly his fault.

“I do apologize it has to be you, but...I warned you if you lied to me...you’d pay for it with your life, remember? You told me there were eight ponies in your little band...I count seven.”

Fritz cursed himself for lying, while Twilight’s face cringed in horror, realizing that if she had managed to save that doctor from the avalanche in the beginning, then Fritz might’ve lived.

He’s not dead yet.

“Chrysalis! Listen to me...This isn’t a game! He’s done nothing wrong!”

Fritz looked up at the two ponies, while kneeling on the ground, practically immobile from exhaustion.

“I’ve already killed two of them. What’s one more?” She laughed as she picked up Fritz with her magic and began trotting back towards the room. Fritz’s head hurt, but what really hurt was what she had just said.

‘Killed two of them’? Which two?’

Whoever it was, he knew it looked as though he was about to join them.

Starlight tried not to make eye contact with the strange ponies staring down at her from above. They looked as if they were fascinated by her, how disfigured and broken she was. She hated the attention.

The silence was broken as Chrysalis reentered the room, waving a dizzy Fritz in the air.

“Here you go, Frost. I hope this will suffice.”

Frost smiled, as Chrysalis teleported Fritz into the room with Starlight, dropping him on the floor. He could barely lift himself up, until he found himself jumping backwards in fright upon seeing just how disfigured Starlight had become. One of her eyes was grotesquely deformed, and there were sores coating her entire body. She seemed even more terrified than him, though.

Starlight recognized the pegasus as the one who visited her before. There was no point in celebrating their reunion, because unlike Fritz, Starlight understood what was going on. Starlight knew that the only creatures she encountered in this room were creatures she was meant to kill. It seems Chrysalis has decided to up the ante. Starlight struggled with herself. She couldn’t do this, could she? This was unforgivable. She thought about the plan she had made, and every contingency she had created for every possibility. Yet, she had no plan for this. Her goal was to save ponies, not kill them...but if she didn’t kill him, Chrysalis would probably do it anyway. At least, Starlight figured she would. Perhaps gaining Chrysalis’ trust a bit more by killing him-to make her think she’s completely loyal-will gain her more freedom, enough to enact her real plan and save everypony else. Still, she had a problem with the ‘kill one pony to save a hundred.’ Was it ethical? To live by the ideals Twilight taught her, no. But Chrysalis had reminded her that ethics are...more or less a subjective construct. She didn’t particularly care for the pegasus, though she did pity him. This wasn’t fair, in any sense of the word. Starlight glanced to the window as Chrysalis’ voice boomed into the room.

“Starlight. This is your final test. That pegasus, there, is your new target. Eradicate him, and you’ve passed...Refuse...And I’ll show you consequences far worse than death.”

Starlight grabbed at her mane in frustration. It really was all up to her, wasn’t it..She knew she was in no state of mind to be judging who should live and who should die. Starlight wasn’t afraid to be tortured, but she didn’t want to appear afraid or weak. If she was to kill this pony, it would be purely out of practicality...What was she saying? Murder as a practicality? This was getting to be too surreal to handle. She thought about what Chrysalis had just said -“Far worse than death”. This place certainly was, and it almost reaffirmed what she believed Chrysalis would do if Starlight refused-kill the pegasus anyway. And, if she didn’t kill the pegasus, undoubtedly she would be tortured and then forced to kill another pony, and then another, and another, and so on. This was her chance to prove her trust, and save as many lives as possible.

Fritz could see the conflict in her, but was thinking the same thing. Though he wished there was another way, he figured if she doesn’t do it then the bug queen will.

‘Just my luck…’

Glancing around to get a good look at the last sights he’ll ever see, he held back tears as he said some prayers in his head, worried. It felt strange to die so young.

Above, Chrysalis and Frost were eagerly waiting for Starlight to do it. Everything depended on this. Twilight couldn’t watch. She knew that this was, once again, an impossible decision. She simply turned her head away and waited for this all to stop. Chrysalis saw this and grabbed her by the face, aiming her eyes at her beloved pupil.

“Remember what I said...I couldn’t let you miss this…”

Twilight’s eyes flashed with anger as Chrysalis turned back to the window.

Starlight, after a few more moments of doubt, came to terms with the reality.

Her eyes glanced up from the ground, and met those of the pegasus. He was sweating, nervous and scared for whatever comes after. Starlight looked at him weakly, struggling to convince herself what she was doing was right. Fritz understood what her eyes were communicating, and, somberly, gave a slight nod before turning his head away, his back straight while on his knees.

“Make it painless,” he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

Starlight’s mouth opened in response to the rising tension, until she closed it again, trying to find the strength to go through with it.

“I….I’m sorry….I”

“It’s not your fault...Just….”

Starlight cut him off with a blast from her horn, burning a hole through the young pegasus’ head. She hoped he hadn’t felt any pain, as she tried her best to do it as fast as possible. The pegasus’s body slumped down to the ground in a heap. Starlight gasped in shock and fell to her knees, crying.

“She seemed to find that...difficult,” Frost said, suspiciously.

“Yet, she did it,” Chrysalis retorted, relieved Starlight hadn’t failed her.

Black Frost nodded, and then resumed his typical smiling.

“It seems as though we’ve made a worthy investment after all. I look forward to storming Canterlot by your side, Chrysalis,” said Cellestrous, the assassin. The other villains all agreed, beaming at Chrysalis, who smirked with glee. Everything she had ever dreamed of was so close, she could taste it.

Twilight was the only one paying attention to Starlight while the others celebrated. Starlight was practically sobbing now, crumbling to the floor and begging for death. Murdering a pony was the last thing her mental state needed right now.

Yet, Twilight almost felt relieved. Starlight did it, which she wasn’t proud of, but if faced with the same decision, Twilight wasn’t sure if she’d have done any differently. The only real result that Twilight saw, at least, was that Starlight was not too far gone.

At least she hoped.