The Applejack of My Eye

The blazing, harsh rays shone on her as she flew through the deserted and lifeless valley, her wings feeling like they would burst into flames in the blink of an eye. She flew through this route to her home every day no matter what her subjects told her, at least the ones that were still left. After her defeat in Canterlot, most of her minions had abandoned her to live on their own, hoping to find joy and happiness around others. They were all traitors in her eyes. She only had a few hundred soldiers left and they weren’t the most adequate ones at that. Most of them were either strong but stupid or smart but weak, and they hardly ever worked together when they needed to. She wouldn’t be surprised if they turned on her too. She had gone from a powerful queen that ruled over tens of thousands, to a miserable creature ruling over few. One day, she would have her revenge on the ones who had stopped her and take the throne that belonged to the weak goddess of the sun.

As she ventured through the harsh valley, she finally spotted the new location of her hive. It wasn’t much, just a hole in the side of a large cliff that they had dug through for a home. It wasn’t the best place to live, but with the harsh conditions of the outside heat no one would find or bother them. As safely as possible, she buzzed into the entrance and looked around. The hive was divided into many different pathways that mostly just led to sleeping areas for her minions. As usual, at least half of her changelings were sleeping instead of collecting food as she had ordered in her short absence. Even the three guards weren’t at their positions keeping their only prisoner in check. She also noticed that two specific changelings were nowhere to be seen. “Shrapnel and Scattershot aren’t back?” Chrysalis wondered to herself. She had sent Shrapnel out on an important mission nearly a week ago and had sent Scattershot yesterday to check on her to see what was taking so long.

Bored, Chrysalis flew down to the cell where the prisoner was held. It, like the hive, wasn’t much; simply a hole that her stronger servants had dug and had later created bars thick enough to prevent escape but thin enough to give her needed essentials for living after they had captured the pegasus. The pathetic pony had been found searching through the valley and had stumbled on the hive. She was no match for the combined strength of her strongest soldiers. After six days, this pony still talked back, insulted them, cracked jokes at their expense, and even tried to attack them. Looking in, the pony was simply lying down and staring at the former queen with a blank stare. Cyan fur and multicolored hairs from the pegasus’ mane lie scattered across the floor. “How are you doing Dash?” She asked the still blank faced pegasus.

When she didn’t get a response, her horn started to glow its sickening green, creating static to envelop her causing pain to sear through the pegasus’ body. “When someone asks a question, it’s common courtesy to give them an answer.”

“…Fine. I’ll answer your question, if you’ll answer one of mine,” Rainbow remarked as the pain subsided and she breathed slowly.

“I’m listening,” Chrysalis said hesitantly, sure that the pegasus wouldn’t make a serious question; she never did.

“I’ve got a problem with the customer service around here. Can I speak to the manager?” She asked with a smirk that the queen didn’t appreciate as her horn regained its green glow, causing another wave of electrical pain to envelop the daredevil.

“Apparently no one has told you that I’m not a fan of pony humor,” She replied with a smirk of her own seeing the pony fall to the floor gasping for breath. “Why do you refuse to cooperate? You know that all that will befall you is more pain unless you serve me, and what I ask of you isn’t that much. Your friends will never find you here; they won’t even look for you.”

“Because they think I’m still in Ponyville right?”

“Nothing passes you does it?” Chrysalis noted with an amused chuckle.

“You’re pretty crazy if you think that my friends, especially Twilight and Applejack, won’t be able to sniff out an imposter,” Rainbow countered only making the queen laugh more.

“Oh I don’t think it matters. Shrapnel is very good at keeping up appearances. All she has to do is find some way to get rid of the other elements and my army will be able to take over that little town of yours, then Equestria, and the world.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, “An army of like, what, a few hundred? You know what your problem is? You monologue too much. If you didn’t do it so much, then no one would know what your plans are and have enough time to figure out how to stop it. My friends will figure out that the me at Ponyville is a fake, and then they’ll come to the place that I was investigating a possible changeling spotting. Then what will you do, Chrys?”

Just for saying that cursed nickname once again, Chrysalis zapped Rainbow with more effort than before. At this point, Dash’s coat was a mix of darkness and sky, like a dark and stormy day. Her wings had been bashed multiple times, rendering them almost useless if they didn’t get enough rest. Her eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep that she had gotten since being taken prisoner in the hive. The only thing keeping her alive was the occasional bit of cactus or tumbleweeds, eugh.

“You truly don’t understand your predicament do you? The only reason that you’re still even breathing is because I’m a bit considerate. Shrapnel is especially good at bringing the emotions of others, either negative or positive, and using it against them. I have full confidence that she was able to succeed in her task.”

She heard the sound of wings flapping approaching the entrance to the hive. Chrysalis looked expectantly to see Rainbow look-a-like fly in looking extremely nervous, frightened, and exhausted. “Shrapnel, I hope that you had a good flight back.”

In a flash of green, Shrapnel shifted into her normal form. She looked just about like every other changeling except for her violet back and light pink irises instead of light blue. She bowed awkwardly to her queen, “The heat was a bit unsettling but the trip was decent enough.”

“Where is Scattershot? Did he not send for you?”

“I’m… ugh… here… gasp…” Scattershot said crawling through the entrance, dragging each foreleg in front of the other in a desperate attempt to reach his queen. Like his partner, he looked the same as every other changeling, except his back was a dark green. “She was… too fast… left me…”

Chrysalis looked back at Shrapnel who shrugged sheepishly. “What can I say; he’s the most annoying creature to ever exist.”

“I resent that,” Scattershot glared at Shrapnel who blew him a raspberry.

“Maybe you should actually try and get smart or else we wouldn’t call you Scattershot,” She taunted.

“I’m smarter than you.”

“You can’t even figure out what two plus two is.”

“Well you’re the one who got her flank kicked earlier.”

“What does that have to be with being smart?”

“You were stupid for thinking you could take on an athlete, that’s what.”

“Yeah well at least I’m not-“

“Would you two just shut up, make up, and kiss already?” Rainbow yelled out annoyed the two’s arguing.

This made Scattershot mad as he buzzed in front of the cell. “You listen here you worthless pony; I will never like that insufferable changeling and… why are you grinning?”

Rainbow raised her left back leg and kicked him in the face causing him to slam on the wall across the small room. Both Shrapnel and Chrysalis brought a hoof to their faces. “I’m not even mad at her for that,” The queen said before turning her attention to the two bumbling minions. “So; how did your mission go Shrapnel?”

This brought back the fearful expression to her face as she looked back at her queen trying to keep her cool. “Oh that, um, yeah it, uh, it went good.”

“Didn’t you get your flank whooped by that one farmer?” Scattershot asked confused and dazed getting a smack in the head from Shrapnel, who got a look of frustration and patience, or attempt of from Chrysalis.

“You mean the element of Honesty? Did you at least get rid of one of the elements?” She asked to the frightened changeling how was cowering against the wall from the queen’s gaze.

“I-I tried your majesty, I swear I tried my best. But that one unicorn, the sister to the ones who defeated you at Canterlot, her magic was too strong for me to do anything.”

“Wow, a simple changeling couldn’t defeat a unicorn whose specialty is magic. What a surprise,” Rainbow remarked sarcastically resulting in another shock.

Chrysalis kept her horn lit up as she aimed it toward Shrapnel with fury. “So in other words, you didn’t get rid of any of them? You had one job, just one job to get rid of them and you couldn’t do it.” Shrapnel brought both of her front legs in front of her eyes to shield herself. “Even if they are missing one of their elements, they still have strength and magic much more powerful than any we possess. How can you expect us to defeat them when their numbers, resources, and power towers over ours? They have two immortal alicorns capable of raising the sun and moon, the element of Magic, and two ponies that combined could send us across all of Equestria. Please enlighten me on how we can stop them, Shrapnel.”

Still cowering, she wasn’t sure what kind of response to give her enraged queen as every part of her body shook. “I… I don’t know. There has to be something though, I’m sure.”

“Like what? Do you know of anything powerful enough to stop all of those ponies? You better think of something fast though, or else the walls won’t be as bland and colorless anymore.” The green on Chrysalis’ horn became even brighter as Shrapnel thought of anything she could. There had to be something, anything that could do the job her queen wanted done.

“I think I know about something that could help us, or rather someone,” She pleaded as one idea came to mind. “While I was at Ponyville, I heard about a creature that the elements had fought with power beyond any other creature in all of Equestria, maybe even the world. If we could find it and release it then it might help us to defeat them.”

Chrysalis dimmed her horn in intrigue. “Really?”

Rainbow listening in, laughed. “If you’re talking about who I think you’re talking about, then good luck. There’s no way that he would take orders from you. You’re weaker, dumber, and overall more annoying than him. Didn’t know him for long, but I know that order is not something he likes. Even if you somehow released him from stone, he’d probably turn you into a frog and squish you while playing on a flute.”

With a glare, Chrysalis yelled out, “Hardshell.”

With a loud stomp, a changeling flew in next to them causing Scattershot and Shrapnel to back out of the tiny chamber as fast as they could. This changeling was much different from any other; its eyes were a dark red, it was bulkier, bigger than Chrysalis herself by a few feet, and on its front hooves were claws made out of a dragon’s bones. His horn permanently lit, giving the claws full motion and use to attack anything that went in its way. “Yes my queen?” It said bowing.

“Our prisoner needs to be taught a lesson in respect again. Would you mind?” She asked kindly while Rainbow backed up as far as she could to keep away from this creature.

“I don’t think we need to do that, it was just a joke. Ha ha, see?” She nervously said as Chrysalis used her magic to move the stone bars enough for Hardshell to get through, to which he smiled maliciously.

“Have fun Hardshell; when you think she’s learned her lesson, then replace the bars and follow us. I have somewhere to go.”

“Where your highness?” He asked.

“If the one we’re looking for is in stone, then I think we’ll find him in the Canterlot Gardens. Don’t make a mess Hardshell.” With that, she flew out of the hive along with a dozen other soldiers while the two lackeys simply hid from the brute changeling.

I have to warn the others about this, but how?

“Ready to relearn your lesson, vermin?” Hardshell asked rhetorically as he made his way into the cell, blocking all possible routes of escape. All she could do was sit where she was and take the beating. Hardshell raised a claw and, with a terrifying shriek, brought its sharp edges to her face.