This story is available on Fimfiction at fimfiction story/152613/celestias-new-world
The next day, I woke up a bit sleepy. Celestia was still asleep. I slid my arm out from under her and stood up.
I yawned and dressed myself.
I heard noises on the other side of the door. Probably Red doing something. Maybe eating or... maybe she was back on the game. She rather enjoyed it.
I went out. Sure enough, she was sitting on the couch playing Mario Kart.
I gave her a friendly, "Hey, Red."
She glanced at me, then looked back at the screen.
"You don't look so good."
"I haven't slept." she said, not caring I was even there.
I shrugged. "Ok. Pause the game, I'm walking past."
She did as I said, then asked me, "What time is it?"
"About eight."
"Mmm... Yeah, should've figured. You're up."
"Have you been up all night?"
"I haven't slept."
"Right... How've you been doing on the game?"
"I got a lot better. I figured out that you can get three stars in a cup if you get first place in all of the races."
"Yep."
"This is fun."
"You should go to bed."
She grumbled at me.
I went into the kitchen to get something to eat.
Red hadn't moved when I came back. She was still playing.
I watched the screen as she played. She seemed pretty good. She was in first and drifting around corners regularly, at least.
She was using a character we didn't have before. She must've unlocked it.
"Well, good luck with that." I said.
She paused the game and reached for one of the controllers on the table. She lifted it and held it out to me. She was looking at me. Her eyes were tired.
"You want me to play?"
"You kept winning last night. I want to see how good I've gotten. I know you have time."
I grabbed the controller from her. She scooted over on the couch. I sat down next to her.
She exited out of the race and started a new game with two players.
When we got to the map select screen, I saw that she had a number of two and three star ratings in the 50cc series. Impressive for someone who picked up the game yesterday.
She picked a cup without speaking.
She was serious about this...
Red did well, but she didn't manage to get ahead of me. She got pretty angry about it towards the end.
After the final screen passed, Red grumbled. "I'm tired."
"You should go to bed."
"Yeah, I suppose. Hey Phil, can I tell you a secret?"
"Yeah, sure. I guess."
She sleepily looked to me. "You're really nice, you know that?"
"That's your secret?"
"No, no... I'm jealous of Celestia. No wait... I think it's... envious. Because she has you."
"What?"
"You're totally a great boyfriend, you know? You do everything for Celestia. She doesn't have to work or clean or do anything. I mean, she's been cleaning for some reason, but she doesn't have to. You feed her and provide for her and care for her... She's like your own personal Goddess."
"She is my own personal Goddess."
"I just wish I could find someone to pamper me like you do in Equestria. You two have a really good relationship."
"Everyone wants that. Usually you gotta pay to get a servant."
"Think I'm even gonna be able to go to Equestria, soon?"
"I don't know."
"I've spent enough time here. I'm developing skills I'll never use."
"If you ever get the chance to come back, you can play whenever you want."
"Sounds nice. Sure a lot better than jail..." She sighed. "I'm tired. Can you take me to bed?"
"No."
She smirked. "Gonna make me walk all the way downstairs?"
"Just go to bed here."
"But Celestia usually sits here."
"Then go downstairs."
"I don't wanna..."
I just smirked at her.
"Hey Phil, tell me the truth, are you two really gonna get married? I mean, it didn't seem like you were really joking about it... but... So?"
"Well... You've seen how close we are."
"Yeah, I've seen."
"If... Er... Even if Celestia... I-I mean... Since she... I... Hold on, let me... Alright... Celestia and I love each other because our relationship is based on how lonely the two of us are. Celestia was, and is, desperate for a companion. So am I. So... We can fight, but she knows that it will take a while before she can get another companion. And I don't want to take advantage of that, of course. You know?"
"Yeah, I get it."
"Lately it just feels like I have. Anyways... My... My main goal for our relationship is to make her happy. And... That's usually how my relationships fail. I'm too much of a pushover, I'm told. I don't stand up for myself. And that's just who I am. That's me. And Celestia isn't going to break up with me because I'm too nice because there's nothing that will change her... I guess viewpoint. She's spent thousands of years building up her point of view and it's not going to change anytime soon. As for me, I just want someone to hold that loves me. That means that there is no reason that the two of us should ever fall out of love."
"Huh..."
"And... as for getting married... Honestly, we could do it right now and nothing would probably go wrong for the rest of our lives. Well, my life. My plan to wait before even making a real decision... It's just to make sure. If I got her hopes up and somehow didn't follow through for some reason, whether her or me, then what'd be the point, you know? But the way things are going... The way things are going, Red... I will propose to Princess Celestia. There might be a few bumps along the way that might prevent me from doing it, but the way things are going... I'm gonna do it."
"You're so romantic..." she said to me, "I've never thought about the Princess settling down with someone. It's weird to think about. The Princess of Equestria moving to a cute little house with a husband and a few little fillies running around..." She shook her head. "Crazy..."
"We... We're working on the 'little fillies' part."
"You're... You're trying to get pregnant?"
"We're trying... Celestia... Red, I don't ever want this leaving my house, alright?"
"Alright, I get it, I get it."
"Red, Celestia can't have children."
"She... can't?"
"Her and her sister Luna. They can't have kids."
"Oh, how sad."
"That's what Celestia believes, at least. But, she keeps talking about her mother. And her mother obviously had her, so..."
"So she can have kids too. That's what you're thinking, right?"
"Yeah. And... And there's only one way to find out..."
She chuckled nervously. "Yeah..."
"Celestia wants kids. She really wants kids. She wants children more than anything. She always has. And when she told me she couldn't have them, she became depressed."
"So that's why she was so sad..."
"Yeah... That's why." I said, "She told me that if I got her pregnant, she would marry me. That's why we've been so close recently."
"Do... Do you want kids?" she asked me.
"I don't know, but if she does, then I do."
"No, no, no, this isn't about what she wants, it's about what you want. Do you want to have kids, Phil?"
"Well... No. Not really... but if Celestia gets pregnant, I'll do what needs to be done. Besides, what am I gonna do, say no to sex with her? She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
"But you don't want kids. Have you told her?"
"I've told her that I don't think I'm responsible enough for them. She knows how I feel about them. But... I don't know if I think she can have kids with me. She's different. She's special. She's unique... And for her to have kids with me... Well... It'd be a miracle. People say that children are little miracles... Hell, for all I know, she's already got a bun in the oven."
"Maybe you should get her a pregnancy test."
"I should get her to see a doctor is what I should do."
"What?"
"Red, our doctors have machines that can see inside your body to tell you if you have eggs or not."
"Oh my gosh..." Her eyes were wide. "H-How?"
"I mean, that's kinda what it does. They can test for that kind of thing somehow. Whatever." I shook my head. "I can't take her to a doctor, though."
"Why? Oh... Right... They'll start asking questions."
"Yeah. We also have fertility drugs, but Celestia taking drugs to have kids..."
"We have those in Equestria, too."
"How the hell do you know that?"
"Well it's not like I'm trying to get pregnant, if that's what you're thinking! I'm still a virgin, why would..." She quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. She didn't want to let that piece of information slip.
I didn't care. I took in a breath. "Anyways... The point is... Actually, there was no point to that. I shouldn't even be telling you these kinds of things. Especially after hearing that little slip up."
"Y-You shut up about that!"
"Fine, fine... It's not my business."
"No, it's not!"
"I gotta go anyways."
I stood up and went to my bedroom door, then turned back to her. Red hadn't moved.
"Red, go to bed."
"I don't wanna."
"What's Celestia gonna say when she finds out you were up all night?"
"She's not my mom."
"Yeah, alright."
I returned to my room. Celestia was still sleeping, or so it appeared.
I went over to her and poked her shoulder. "Are you awake?" I whispered.
"Mmm..." She rolled over and looked up at me. "I am now..."
I smiled at her. She smiled back. "I'm gonna leave for work soon."
She just kept looking up and smiling.
I lowered my head and met her waiting lips for a kiss. I lightly pushed against her, giving her a more passionate kiss.
Her eyes were a little wide when I pulled away. "Where did that come from?"
"I'll be back soon. You can go back to bed now, if you want."
She returned to smiling at me. "Alright. I love you." she said.
"I love you too, Celestia."
She turned back over and went back to sleep.
I gazed at her sleeping form for a little while longer before turning and leaving.
"See ya, Red." I said to her as I passed through the front room.
"Yeah... See ya."
"Go to bed." I let out before closing the door before she could respond.
I sighed to myself. I need to tell Celestia about Chrysalis. Today was gonna be a long day...
I had no idea how to start this conversation with her. 'Hey you know those guys that attacked you during your niece's wedding? Well, I've been hanging out with their leader.' Celestia would kill me.
But I gotta tell her. I'm going behind her back. Whether it turns out well or not for me if I don't, what if she finds out? I can't even think about this aloud or Chrysalis might hear me.
I was thinking about how I should tell her all day. I was distracted.
What if she already knew? What if she finds out before I get home? That would be the worst.
Chrysalis was gonna hate me...
She was there when I left work.
"Hello." she said to me. She had a tired look on her face, but she seemed pleased.
"Hello." I responded.
"I'm finished. I need your help now."
"Now?"
"Yes. Now. I need you to take me somewhere."
"Take you somewhere? So you give me gold?" I asked, confused.
"It's not the whole story, of course. Your precious girlfriend has been hiding things from you."
"So?"
She chuckled. "I suppose you don't care. After all, she certainly has the right to keep things from you. Just as you have the right to keep things from her. Such as this. Your friends and I are not the only ones here right now. Just as Red Shadow came to this world, some of my own came here as well. I'm not here to just talk to you. I've been hunting these changelings down in order to capture them and teach them a lesson. I've tracked them down, but unfortunately, they're too far away for me to simply follow them on my own. I don't know this world as well as you do. That's why I need your help."
"Seriously, there are more of you?"
"That's right. If I went after them myself, it would take a long time for me to catch up with them. You're going to take me to them."
What horrible timing...
"I need my car to help you on this one." I said to her.
"Indeed. I know that they're staying in a place a number of miles south of us, but I don't know exactly where it is. It's a building of sorts. Not much to go on, I know."
"Can I just drop you off or something?"
"I want you there when I am finished with them. We'll be transporting them back, as well."
I sighed.
We were close to home. Should I just go in and tell Celestia when I get there? Maybe I shouldn't. Chrysalis waiting outside for me like that... No, I gotta tell her...
"Phil?" she said to me.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I appreciate this. That you're helping me. It makes my job much easier."
"Hmm..." Maybe I shouldn't tell her... Wait, yes I should... Was she trying to manipulate me again? Maybe I just felt guilty, I don't know.
"Is something wrong?" she asked me.
"You know... I wasn't planning on telling you this, but I figure I got nothing to lose at this point. I was planning on telling Celestia about you when I got home."
"You what?" she shot out. Her hand grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.
I turned back to her. Her hand was still on my shoulder. She was holding tightly.
"I thought you were going to help me." she let out.
"I care more about Celestia than I do about you." I said to her. Anything else would've been an excuse.
"How dare you... Were you going to lead me all the way to your house so you could capture me?"
"Hey, I told you before we got there, didn't I?"
"You're kind to me, then you're cruel to me, then you're kind once more. Why are you doing this to me?"
"I don't know how to act around you, Chrysalis."
"Oh no, don't you try to say that I'm manipulative again. You're the manipulative one around here. Princess Luna has kept quiet about me because of you, you own Princess Celestia, and poor Red Shadow has Stockholm syndrome!"
"Chrysalis, I'm their friend!" I shouted at her.
"So you say."
"So I say? What about you? Can I call you my friend? I want to, I do, but you're not someone that I can trust."
"Why can't you trust me?"
"Because..." I'm angry. Calm down... I took a deep breath. Alright. "Because I don't know the real you. I don't know the real Queen Chrysalis."
She gave me a powerful shove, letting go of my shoulder. I was forced back a step. What was she doing? Should I be worried?
Her body was surrounded in emerald flames. She was changing her form.
"Turning into Celestia isn't gonna help you n..." I stopped. She didn't turn into Celestia. This time, she had changed into a form I didn't recognize.
This form was that of a gorgeous woman, befitting her title as the Queen of the changelings. Her skin was pale, as if she hadn't spent a single minute outside. She was tall and slender, a few inches shorter than Celestia. Her body was somewhat curvy. Her long green hair was covered in unexplainable holes. Her emerald eyes bore into me. And her face...
She was wearing a black dress with more holes decorating the bottom of the thin fabric. The dress was blue-green around her stomach, then continued as black down to her knees. She wore dark sneakers. Her dress covered her chest for the most part, but left her shoulders uncovered with medium sized strips of fabric going to her back.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well? Are you going to stare or are you going to say something?" she asked me. Her voice had changed. It was the voice I recognized from the show.
"You're..."
"Beautiful, yes. I know. This is who I am. You wanted me, this is me."
She wasn't as beautiful as Celestia, but there was something about her that made it hard to look away.
"You're pretty." I said simply.
She smirked. "I have the same effect on my subjects."
"Chrysalis, why are you showing me this... You?"
"This is the real Queen Chrysalis. This is what I look like underneath my disguises, at least as a human. I've taken quite a liking to this form, though..."
So have I... "So what does this mean?" I asked her.
"In truth, it means very little. My appearance does not reflect who I am. You know who I am. Yesterday, when you insulted me... It was all true. You know enough about me that you're right to be wary. I'm not a 'nice' pony. Far from it, actually. But I'm telling you these things in confidence. I need your help. If I go after them now, I'll be too tired to confront them. They're on the move. I can't stop now. I must take action soon. Please... help me."
I stared at her. Should I really help her? She sounds sincere, but something in the back of my mind doubted her...
"If... If you tell your Princess about me... We won't be friends anymore." she said to me.
My head tilted slightly. Friends? Maybe we really were friends. But... Celestia...
But, Chrysalis...
She held out her hand to me. I looked at it. She looked up into my eyes. "Do we have a deal?" she asked. Her eyes seemed to flash a deep green.
"Alright, Chrysalis... Deal."
I shook her hand. Why are her eyes flashing? Was I already under her spell? How does this even work? Maybe it's just her natural charm... I'm sure she's seen hundreds of guys just like me. She probably knows exactly what to say to get me to do what she wants.
I approached the house. I stopped. Chrysalis was right here. It's undeniable at this point. Celestia was on the other side of this door.
"Hurry up, it's getting cold." I heard Chrysalis say. She was waiting in the driveway ok the far side of the car.
Cold, huh...
I could feel it once more. The voice of Princess Luna entered my mind. "What are you going to do?" Her voice was soft. She was curious again.
I didn't answer. I couldn't. What would I say? 'Oh, just gonna lie to Celestia. No big deal.'
"Phil?" Her voice was still soft.
"I'm gonna lie to Celestia and try and probably fail to pick up the pieces of our relationship when she finds out." I let out.
She said nothing. I felt her presence leave my mind. I bet she was gonna tell her. Just what I need...
I shook on it. Who cares? My body was shaking. I didn't feel right.
I took a deep breath. Alright...
I opened the door and walked in. Sure enough, Celestia was on the couch. She smiled at me.
"Hello Phil!" she cheerfully let out.
"Hey Celestia. My, uh... My buddy needs my help with a computer, so I'm gonna head over to his house."
"Oh, I'll get my shoes." she said, standing.
"Nah, nah, I got it. It would really not be a pleasant experience for you."
"Hmm? Why not?"
"This guy don't like new people. He's not a nice person."
"Is that so? Alright. Well, come home soon." She sounded disappointed.
"Yeah. I gotta grab my keys."
She smiled at me and nodded, then sat back down.
I walked to the kitchen. She knew I was lying. She had to... There's thousands of years of reading people in that noggin of hers. Even Red would've figured it out.
Speaking of Red, she was eating in the kitchen. She stared at me, making it obvious that she knew.
"Red, cereal is a breakfast food." I said to her, retrieving my car keys.
"This is my breakfast. I just woke up."
"Oh. Well, ok."
"Where are you going?"
I shrugged. "Friend's."
"Bring us back some more Twinkles."
"Alright."
I walked back to the front room.
"See ya, Celestia."
"Bye, Phil. I love you."
"I love you, too."
We briefly smiled at each other before I left back out the door.
Well... that's that...
I went to the car. Chrysalis got in. She buckled herself. I turned on the car and pulled out of the driveway before Celestia looked out the window and saw us.
"Where am I going?" I asked her.
"South, for the most part. I can guide you there."
"How far south?"
"A few miles."
"How many miles?"
"I don't know for sure, but it's within twenty."
"Alright."
I headed... south. How general. There was a town about fifteen miles south, so I made that my current destination. I took the freeway down to it.
Chrysalis seemed fine with the direction we were going.
I continued down the freeway as we entered the town. It was on the edge of town, meaning I could just pass it if I needed to.
"My grandma lives over there." I let out.
"Hmm?"
I gestured to a group of houses about half a mile from the freeway. "Over there."
"Is that so? Your family seems to stay in the same area. Your other grandmother lives not too far to the north, as I recall."
"Yeah, that's us. None of us want to stray too far away, I guess."
She chuckled. "I suppose I understand. I don't have a family, myself, but you could say that my subjects are like a family. It's my duty to keep them close. Except when they betray me like this. Even then, I still want to keep them safe."
"Yeah..."
"Hmm... You'll be turning soon."
"I will?" I looked to the sides of the road. "Where?"
"To the right." she said.
"Alright... To the right." I changed lanes and waited for the next turn. We were actually in the town, so there were no exits.
We were starting to go down the back roads. I followed her directions for quite a long time. She kept having me turn, but we seemed to be going the same direction.
I didn't know where we were going. I didn't know what building she was talking about. It seemed like the buildings were getting sparse.
We were on the outskirts of town, on the far side from my home, a solid half hour drive away.
"There." said Chrysalis.
"That building?" I asked, pointing to a building down a dirt road. It was dark, so I only saw the outline.
"Yes. Turn here."
"Alright..." Check trespassing off the list...
I did as she said.
"Slow down." she said, "Turn the lights off."
Looks like she wanted a stealthy approach. It was already somewhat dark out, so it was hard to see. It was late autumn, so that's to be expected.
As we approached the building, it got much larger.
"Seems like... a storage warehouse." I said, "Oh, fence."
A tall fence gate blocked our path. Seemed like it was ten feet tall or so. I stopped the car. Chrysalis unbuckled and opened the door. The two of us got out of the car.
"They're inside. It's just them. The building's empty."
"Do you see a way in?" I asked her.
"Hmm..." she scanned the fence.
It was an old, yet sturdy chain link fence. On the side of the building, I could see train tracks leading out from the back. Was this a train yard?
"The gate's locked. We'll have to climb it."
"Barbed wire." I said, pointing up, "You're gonna get tetanus, you climb that thing."
She raised a hand and aimed it at the wire. I heard the sound of metal being snipped. She swiped her hand to the side. The wire was pushed away.
"Help me over." she said to me.
"Hold on... Hold on... What are we doing here?"
"We're going to take back my changelings, by force if necessary."
"By force? You want my stun gun?"
"Stun gun?"
"You zap someone with it and they just go down. Stuns them. Doesn't cause any damage. It's in the glove compartment." I pointed inside the car.
"Why do you have that?"
I shrugged. "Protection.
"Why do you need protection?
"Don't matter. So you want it or what?"
"No, you should keep it. You may need to protect yourself."
"Wait, I'm coming in with you?"
"Of course you are."
"Why?"
"In case something goes wrong."
"You really think something might happen?"
"No. But... Just in case."
"Alright, fine. Guess I'll freaking..." I went into my car and retrieved my stun gun. I turned it on to make sure it still worked, then turned it off and pocketed it.
"Help me up." she said.
"Yeah, alright."
I stood with my back facing the fence and bent down, netting my fingers together.
She approached me, then placed a hand onto my shoulder and a foot in my hands. I lifted her up. She was lighter than Celestia, but not as light as Luna.
"Don't look at my underwear, pervert." she said to me grabbing the top of the fence.
"I'm not. You should've chosen more sensible clothing."
"I don't have any other clothes." she said.
"Careful you don't catch the dress on the fence."
She pulled herself over and jumped down. She landed quietly.
"Alright... How do I get over?" I asked.
"Climb."
"You just didn't want to climb it yourself." I complained.
"Of course. Hurry up."
I sighed. After making sure my car was locked, I started climbing the fence. It was a chain link fence, so there would be no problems climbing it, but I wasn't the lightest person in the world. I haven't climbed a chain link fence since I was a kid.
The fence groaned under my weight, but I was able to get over it with relative ease.
As I joined her on the ground, I said, "Well, we are now officially trespassing. I hate doing illegal things."
"Shut up. Nobody else is here. Stay quiet."
"What, after all that noise I made on the fence?"
"I suppose trying to be stealthy wouldn't work anyways. They're my soldiers. They know what they're doing."
"Soldiers?"
"Shh... Let's go."
She started walking through the long grass. I followed behind her.
It was getting darker, but there was a light on inside the building. Most of the windows were broken and there was graffiti all over the walls of the building. This place is old...
Chrysalis stopped suddenly, causing me to bump into her. She didn't seem to care, even if I did almost knock her over.
"This way." she said, making a turn.
She was leading me along the side of the building. We reached a metal door, then she stopped again.
"In here?" I asked her.
She nodded. "Stay out here. If things go wrong, they'll use magic. Stay out of it and let me handle things."
She grabbed the handle and twisted it. The door wasn't locked. It squeaked open.
I heard movement inside. Over the top of Chrysalis's head, I saw three figures stand. The light inside the building turned out to be a lantern. From what I could see, it was an empty building with a few boxes stacked along the walls, there were rafters above and a few staircases leading up. It was pretty dirty. More graffiti covered the inside walls.
"She's here!" one of the figures called.
Chrysalis walked in. Everything about her personality changed immediately. I could feel it. The air seemed to cool as she walked.
"I've finally found you." she let out. Her voice was loud, yet controlled.
I didn't know how this would go down. It wasn't my business.
"I've given you chances." Chrysalis said to them as she approached them. She held a powerful air of authority.
"Have you? Or have you just forced us to concede?" one replied. The same one as before. He seemed to be the leader of their group. His face was shadowed due to the light's position behind him.
"You had no right to escape to this world. And now you've made me follow you. Your place is in Equestria. Whether that's in my dungeons or at my side is up to you."
"Enough talking. Men!"
The three of them advanced on her. They surrounded her.
I felt Princess Luna inside my head once more. "What are you doing?"
"Watching." I replied.
"It's your duty to return them to Equestria as well."
"It is? Alright. She told me to stay out here, though. She said they'd be using magic."
Chrysalis stood still in the center of the three of them.
"I'll give you one more chance before I take you by force." she said.
"By force? I'd like to see you try!" taunted the leader.
I got out my phone and placed it into the windowsill to the left of me. I set it up to start recording and made sure it captured most of the area inside. This was gonna be good.
"They're going to fight." said Luna, "Chrysalis should be able to repel them with ease."
"Great. I hope she gets this over with soon. I'm starving."
"Pay attention." Luna told me.
"I am, I am... Hey, Luna?"
"Yes?"
"Have you told Celestia about this?"
"No, I haven't."
"Thank you. I wanted to tell her before, but Chrysalis showed up at the worst possible time."
She said nothing.
I watched through the doorway as the three in the circle started to move. They slowly started to circle her.
They knew that she was a major threat to them. In the show, she was powerful enough to bring down Celestia. I'm pretty sure she's been feeding off my love this whole time. Whatever that means.
One of them rushed directly at her. The two on the sides launched a spell of green energy at her.
The spells faded away as they approached her. She stepped towards the one that was rushing her and put her hand up. He stopped immediately, then was thrown back a few feet.
"You think you can hope to match me?" she asked them. She laughed at them.
He got back up. All three launched a spell at her. She held her hands out, seemingly catching them in the air. They turned around and shot back at the casters. The three of them dodged out of the way.
This is cool.
Their battle seemed to be a little tame, to be honest. It almost felt like they were just testing each other. Maybe this was just how magic battles went in Equestria.
The three of them started rushing at her. She raised her curled hands. Whoa, was she gonna actually fight them?
A punch from one of the three. She blocked it with an arm, then grabbed his arm with her other hand while simultaneously dodging the other two's attacks.
She pulled his arm, throwing him at one of the others. They both flew back. She was stronger than she looked.
The third went in for another punch. She pulled back, swiping at his legs with a foot. His leg was swept aside with ease. He dropped to the ground.
Chrysalis pushed her foot against his face. She laughed at him.
She was rushed again from the side. She jumped back.
A spell was shot at her by the third as the one on the ground was pulled to his feet. She deflected it behind her. It hit the wall, scorching it.
The three of them ran towards her. As they did, they fired off spell after spell. She either dodged or deflected each one. Once more, she threw them back.
This time, she made a move. She started towards one of them as he laid on the ground. She moved quickly, barely giving him time to get up before giving him a solid punch to the face. He went back down to the ground.
Two spells shot towards her. One she dodged, the other grazed her shoulder. She glanced at it before running towards them.
She held her arms to the side, then threw them forward, attacking them with a spell of her own. They both hit the ground a number of feet behind them.
A spell struck her directly on her back. She staggered, but stayed on her feet. She looked back. With a single movement of her arm, he flew across the room towards his comrades.
She took in a deep breath, slowly approaching them. More spells flew towards her. She deflected each one.
She held her arm out with her palm facing the ground. She pushed her arm down and the three men dropped to the floor beneath them. She walked towards them, laughing again. She seemed to be enjoying this.
One of the men fired off a spell seemingly at random. It flew out one of the broken windows. A glass window behind the three of them shattered. The broken glass flew towards the inside of the building, directly at Chrysalis.
She turned, shielding herself with an arm.
With this distraction, the men were set free of her spell. With how close she was, she couldn't avoid one of the men as he tackled her to the ground.
She let out a whine as he landed on her. She quickly brought her head up, slamming her forehead into his. He was knocked off of her. She pushed herself up just to be knocked back with a spell from one of the others.
She got up again, this time ready for their attack. She jumped out of the way of the next two spells and blocked the third.
They continued their assault. She was... getting pushed back? No, maybe not. The three men were hit with another spell. They all seemed dazed. Chrysalis steadied herself on her feet. Her clothes were a mess...
Chrysalis aimed another spell at them. This was a big one. A large beam of magic shot from her palm. The men couldn't react in time. They were all hit by it and slammed back against the wall that was probably thirty feet behind them. They dropped to the ground.
"Had enough?" asked Chrysalis, advancing towards them.
"I can ask the same of you, 'Your Highness.'" the leader sarcastically let out, "You're tired, aren't you..."
Their bodies had black marks all over them. They took some major damage from that. Chrysalis wasn't looking too well, either. All four of the changelings were panting.
The trio slowly stood back up. Chrysalis was ready for them.
The leader said something I was too far away to hear. His men readied to attack again.
"You're really foolish enough to think you can win?" asked Chrysalis.
"You're foolish enough to think that we won't?" he replied.
She laughed her evil laugh once more. "You know, if you give up now, I'll spare you the indignity of a lengthy trial and put you right in prison."
"Not happening. Men!" he barked.
The three of them started to move. They still seemed to be able to move just fine. That kind of attack is the one that took out Celestia, wasn't it? Was she... holding back?
Chrysalis pushed the two to her sides away with a spell and focused on the leader with hand-to-hand combat. She had the upper hand in this fight. He received a few blows to the chest and was knocked to the ground.
She turned to one of the approaching men and threw him at the other. They dropped as the leader got back on his feet. He attacked her with his fists again, only to get another series of blows. They didn't really seem to be doing anything other than knocking him back, to be honest...
The other two were up. The leader slid back a few feet, but was still standing.
Chrysalis used more magic against them. The three of them were lifted a few feet into the air and slammed down behind her. She rounded the three of them as they got up. Her back was to me, now.
They faced her once more. Magic flew between the two groups, some shots missing, some connecting with their targets.
Chrysalis really was being pushed back. Did she need help? I grabbed the stun gun in my pocket. She should've taken this thing when she had the chance.
Chrysalis's legs wobbled. She dropped to her knees, panting. She started coughing. Get up, Chrysalis! This isn't the time for a break! Yes! She's standing. No! The three of them were charging a spell to use against her.
Oh no... Oh no, oh no, oh no... If she got hit, she wouldn't get back up. They'd run. Luna was gonna yell at me for letting them get away. Oh shit, this was bad. This was really bad. Can she get out of the way? Can she move? Can she do anything?
She weakly looked at the three of them. She wasn't doing anything.
She said stay out here. She's gonna get hit. She's gonna get hit!
I ran in. I ran fast and hard. The spell had been fired. It was massive. What should I do? What can I do? No time for thinking. Gotta... rely on instinct...
I grabbed Chrysalis and turned my back towards them, standing directly between the spell and its target. Instincts bad.
This was gonna hurt.
I saw Chrysalis's shocked face, then immediately felt a massive pain hit my back. I gave off a loud groan. It hurt a lot.
This spell was clearly intended to defeat Chrysalis. With the amount of damage they just did to my back, they could've easily taken her down.
I dropped to my knees, sliding down her burned dress.
"Phil?" she let out. She was still shocked.
"Who's that?" / "Who's he?" / "Who'd we hit?"
I groaned again, dropping to my hands and knees. This hurt bad... but it was bearable. I've had worse.
Chrysalis dropped down to her knees. "Phil, are you insane?!" she shouted at me.
I slowed my breathing. Alright... You're alright... You're alright...
I slowly let out a breath, then looked at her.
"Are you alright?" she asked me, a worried look on her face.
"Yep... Just fine..." I let out. I guess it was true. It hurt, though...
I brought a foot in, then started standing up. I faced them. Chrysalis stood up as well.
"Your back..." said Chrysalis. Her voice was timid.
"I'm fine." I said.
It felt like a burn. I've been burned before. Cooking accidents, laptop chargers... pizza rolls... It was bearable.
"Who are you?" asked their leader.
I pulled my stun gun from my pocket. "Apparently, I'm transport, since that's all she seems to care about."
"A bodyguard, 'Your Highness?' How pathetic."
"Phil, you should leave." she said to me, "You're hurt."
"Too late." I said, "Could've just left you here, but no... I had to come in and save the day. Let's just get this over with."
"I like the way you think." said the leader, "Men!"
They rushed the two of us. I may have been hurt, but I was also the only one here who had energy. However, I was not a soldier.
I jabbed forward at one of them with the business end of my stun gun.
I smiled as I noticed his hand moving towards it. Looks like today's my lucky day.
He grabbed my stun gun as if he were catching a fist. As soon as he touched it, he tensed up. I pushed it against his hand, making sure it was effective. He fell to the floor. His arm was shaking.
The other two jumped away from me.
"What did you do to him?" Chrysalis asked in horror.
"I stunned his dumb ass." I giddily let out, "He took himself out."
"Is... Is he going to be alright?"
"He'll be fine in a couple of minutes."
I felt a pain in my hand. I yelped, shaking it off. The stun gun fell from my hand in pieces.
"Well, that isn't gonna work again." I said.
"Looks like we have a fairer fight." said Chrysalis, readying herself.
I turned to them. I was actually a bit bigger than they were. That didn't really mean anything, though.
Looks like I was in this, for better or for worse.
Chrysalis started moving. She approached the leader of the group. I moved forward as she did, approaching the other. In this situation, we could face off in a one-on-one scenario.
I was at a disadvantage. He could use magic.
However, he didn't seem interested in casting spells. He held his arms up, ready for me.
I've never actually been in a real fight, before. This won't end well for me.
I got close to him. I'm sure he noticed that I didn't know what I was doing. All I had to do was distract him while Chrysalis took out the other one.
I glanced at Chrysalis. They were already fighting. I looked back to see him come towards me. I managed to pull away from his attack a bit before he hit me. Another blow landed on my stomach. I doubled over. I felt an elbow hit my back. It seems like he purposefully avoided my injury.
I groaned. It hurt. I wasn't down yet, though. In my hunched over position, I lunged forward at him, wrapping my arms around his stomach. I started running with him in my arms towards the nearest wall. He was light enough that he couldn't do anything to prevent this.
I slammed his back against the wall. He let out a groan of his own. I pulled away. He held his stomach. He was dazed, but was recovering quickly.
All I needed to do was keep him away from Chrysalis. I could do that.
I lunged at him again, wrapping my arms around his and squeezing him in a tight bear hug. He was struggling to break free. I lifted him into the air.
This was working kinda well, actually. Up until the point that it stopped working.
He had enough of this, it seemed. I received a blow to the stomach, as if someone had punched me. Another blow hit me. I recoiled, dropping him.
He shot a spell at me, I felt a burning feeling cover my face. My head felt like it had taken the same blow as my stomach.
The other guy's gonna recover soon. He might go after Chrysalis. He was already getting up, but he wasn't all the way there, yet. I can't take too long with this guy. I had to be more aggressive.
Too bad for me, though... He was thinking the same thing.
He attacked, getting a hit in before I managed to repel him. I went in for a punch, but missed. He hit me while I was open. I pulled back. He kept up his assault.
I was hurting. This wasn't a pleasant experience.
I allowed myself to take a hit in order to deliver a hit of my own. My fist connected with his face. He was staggered. I hit him twice more. He pulled back.
I was panting. This was crazy...
He came at me once more. I ducked under him and grabbed his stomach once more. I lifted him into the air, then brought him down, slamming his back against the ground.
I knocked the wind out of him, that time.
I got off of him, then looked to the one who was on the floor. He was on his feet, now. He stared at his arm. It must still be tingling.
I ran at him, delivering a powerful punch to his face before he knew what was happening. He dropped back down and didn't get back up.
I felt a massive pain directly in the center of my wound. I cried out, then turned to my attacker in anger. He had used a spell again.
I charged at him, only to be knocked to the ground by a blow from behind. Something heavy was on my back.
"Are you alright?" I heard Chrysalis ask me. It was her. She was on top of me. She landed on me.
She got onto her knees, protecting the two of us from spells fired from the two of them.
"Get up!" she let out, standing.
I stood back up. She was holding her hand in the air to dissipate spells that were aimed at us. Her skin was blackened in numerous places. Her clothing had been damaged even further.
The two of us backed away as they grouped up in front of us.
Chrysalis stepped in front of me. She glanced back at me. She was smiling. I saw her eyes flash green again. She took in a breath as she looked back to them.
"Why can't we feed off his love like you?" asked the leader. His voice was angry.
"Because he doesn't love you." she replied simply.
She took a step, then threw her fist forward. The two of them were thrown back to the ground. The leader was the only one who got back up.
Chrysalis started walking to him. He was having trouble standing. He fell back to the floor. As he tried getting back up, Chrysalis was standing directly over him. She laughed once more as she brought her fist down against his face.
He dropped back down to the ground. He didn't get up.
Chrysalis laughed again. She started kicking his body in anger. "How dare you insolent insects betray me?!" she shouted at him. She stopped, then sighed. "That felt good..." she let out, "Phil, round them up!"
Alright, fine...
I started dragging the three of them together by their shoulders. Chrysalis used a spell to conjure a few piles of rope and began wrapping it around their arms.
"Thank you, Phil." she said to me, "For... saving me."
"Yeah... How long have we been out here?"
"I don't know."
I went into my pocket to get my phone, then went into the other pocket. Oh, wait a minute...
I went to the window where I put my phone. It was still recording. I wonder how much I got...
It was running low in battery. 8:30-ish.
I returned to Chrysalis. She was laying down on the ground next to her guards, panting.
"You gonna be alright?" I asked her.
"I should be asking you the same thing."
"I'll fine, I'm fine." I said, "It's just a burn."
I patted my back. Wait a minute... The fabric of my hoodie...
"They put a hole in my hoodie!" I cried out, pulling it around my side so I could see it. "Damn it, this was my favorite coat..."
"Well, at least your clothes aren't falling apart." said Chrysalis.
I groaned as I looked to her. "I loved this coat... This is a five year old coat. Now it's ruined. What's Celestia gonna say?"
"We should go." said Chrysalis, still lying where she was.
"Yeah. C'mon, get up. Gotta drag these guys out to the car."
"I... I can't." she said.
"You what?"
"I can't get up."
"Why not?"
"I used too much energy. You'll have to take me, too."
I sighed. "Fine. How... How the hell am I gonna get them over the fence?"
"I don't know. Figure it out."
I sighed, then turned around to walk away.
"Hey, wait." she said.
I turned back.
"Take me with."
"Take you with? I was gonna go find a way to get out of here."
"I know. Take me with. I want to help you."
"Alright, fine." I went over to her. "Do I just pick you up, or..."
She nodded. "Go ahead."
This didn't exactly seem right... It's not that I didn't want to pick up a beautiful lady whose clothes were falling apart, but... I kinda already had a beautiful lady of my own.
I crouched down and hooked my arms underneath her legs and on her back. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders. I stood up, picking her up from the ground.
I carried her the same way I had carried Luna when she got hurt. This time, the woman was a little heavier, but I think I did alright.
"Let's go." she said.
I brought her outside using the door we came in with.
"It's dark." I said.
"I can see. Move that way." She pointed in front of us.
I walked towards the fence with her in my arms. She started directing me around the area along the fence as we looked for a way to get out without actually having to throw everyone over. I mean, I might be able to throw them across, but the landing would cause some damage.
I think she's actually enjoying this. Whatever, she got the crap beat out of her, she can enjoy this if she wants. Hell, she's giving me $2000 worth of gold. I don't really care what she does.
That's right... I just earned two grand. I smiled widely. I started chanting 'I got two thousand dollars' in my head, à la Wayne's World.
Chrysalis felt just a little bit lighter after I realized that.
"Stop, stop!" she let out suddenly.
I froze. More people? Animals? What was happening?
"Phil, you almost tripped. Pay more attention." she said to me.
I looked down over her body. I could see the outline of cinderblocks scattered on the ground in my path.
"Thanks." I said to her, continuing carefully.
"I don't want you dropping me." she said.
"Oh, so it wasn't because you cared for my safety?"
She smirked.
Up ahead laid the train tracks. They were my first thought to find a way out. Sure enough, there was a chain link gate on wheels blocking them. They seemed like they would be attached to a motor of some sort, but the machinery was long gone.
"I might be able to pull that open." I said. I looked for a place to set her down, but nowhere looked good.
"Stand me against the fence." she said.
I did as she said. She leaned back against it.
I approached the gate. It was old and looked heavy, but it was on wheels. I grabbed the bar at the edge of the gate and pulled. With a loud, high-pitched screech, it started moving. I pulled it as far as it would go, which was actually quite a distance.
"I could fit my car through here." I said aloud.
"Come get me." she said.
I went back to her. She smiled at me. I held out my arms and she laid back into them, allowing me to pick her up again. She quite liked this method, it seemed.
I brought her all the way back to the car. She opened her door for me so I could put her inside. She didn't seem to want to move anymore. I buckled her as well.
"Hey, watch where you're grabbing." she said.
"Shut up." I casually replied.
She chuckled.
I got into my side. I let out a cry of pain as I leaned back against my seat. My injury... Alright, I'll just not lean back. I turned the car on, then slowly drove inside the lot over the train tracks. I did my best to avoid hitting anything on the way there, but there was a large amount of room on either side of me.
I turned around near the door and got out. Our three friends were still unconscious. I brought them one by one to the car and made sure their buckles were secure. Thankfully, nobody would see the rope in my car this late at night.
"That's everything." she said to me.
"No, not everything."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"I wanna look through the place a bit and make sure there's no evidence."
"Phil, there's nothing in there."
"The lantern."
She lifted her arm and waved a hand. The light went out inside the building. The only light came from the sky and my car.
"Let's go." she said, "I'm tired."
I nodded. "Alright."
With that, I got back into the car, making sure not to touch my back to the seat. We finally left. When we were on the road once more, I let out a sigh of relief. This has been a long day.
"I'm gonna fall asleep." she let out.
"Wait, where do I take you? Chrysalis?"
"Hmm? Oh, right. I've been staying in abandoned house on the edge of town." She gave me the address. "You know where that is, right?"
"Yeah, I know."
"The door's unlocked. Just bring us inside. And lock it as you leave."
"What if they escape again?"
"They won't."
"You sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
"Well... how do I explain to my girlfriend that I'm all beat up?"
"Tell her I forced you to do it. She knows what I'm capable of. Goodnight, Phil."
"Wait, Chrysalis..."
"Goodnight." she said again.
"Yeah, night..."
She leaned the seat back and closed her eyes. I heard light snoring from her a few minutes later. She's cute when she's sleeping. She's just cute in general, really.
This is gonna look like I'm bringing dead bodies into a house.
My phone started ringing. I already knew who it was without looking. I answered it.
"Hello!" I let out into the phone.
"Phil, where are you? You've been gone for a while."
There's no hiding this burn on my back. "I... I kinda... got into a fight."
"A fight? What? With who? Are you alright?"
"Um... Queen Chrysalis."
"Wh... What? I didn't catch that."
"No, you caught it, Celestia. You heard me."
"What... What is she doing in this world?"
"Well, that's no surprise, either... She came to retrieve her subjects. And... I didn't fight against her... I fought with her."
"With her? What do you mean? Phil, what happened? Where are you right now?"
"Well... She made me take her out here to... some building out in Illinois. We met three men and got in a fight. It looked like she was gonna lose so I stepped in and got a real nasty burn on my back. Then the two of us just... beat the crap out of them."
"You... You got burned?" I knew that tone. She was furious, but her voice was calm.
"Yeah. Everyone was flinging magic all over the place. Hurts a lot, but I'll be fine. So, we won. We won. And Chrysalis took her men and disappeared."
"You lost her?"
"Well, she was gone when I turned around." I said, "I just figured she wanted me to take her out there to make sure she caught up to them. She seemed tired, like she hadn't gotten enough sleep."
"S-So what are you doing now?"
"I'm coming home." I said, "Red said we needed Twinkies, but my shirt's kinda... destroyed, so I'm just coming home. Can't go inside places without a shirt."
"Phil, you seem really calm right now. Are you sure you're alright?" she sounded worried.
"Hey, we won. I mean, I don't need to worry about anything right now. If anything, I'm giddy. It was a huge adrenaline rush to fight like that."
"You're... safe, right?"
"Safe? Of course I'm safe."
"Are you sure?"
"Yep, I'm good."
"Alright... Well... C-Come back soon, Phil."
"We can talk about it when I get home, alright?"
"Alright."
"I'll see you then. Love you."
"I love you, too."
I hung up the phone.
"Hell yeah... Lying to the person that gives my life meaning..." I sarcastically let out.
Oh, I hope this works out...
"Luna, you there?" I said aloud.
"I am." she replied inside my head.
"Did you tell her?"
"I did not."
I let out sigh of relief. "You know, you a great friend, Luna. If you ever come back here, I'm gonna give you a big hug."
She chuckled. "That won't be necessary. It would be a problem for both of us if she knew about this. I'm just happy that you were able to stop them."
"Yeah."
"Your wound will heal soon. Good luck with my sister."
"Yeah..."
I just kept driving. I had four other people in my car. One was sleeping, the others were just knocked out. Peaceful.
I wonder what Celestia is gonna say to me... She's probably gonna hug me. And it's gonna hurt my back.
Chrysalis's house was very out of the way. It was run down, but at least it was a bit hidden. At least it was on my side of town, I guess.
I made sure nobody was watching me as I pulled into the driveway. The house itself wasn't very close to any other houses, but I had to make sure. This was gonna look shady.
I took in the three in the back first. I just dumped them in the front room. The insides of the house were dirty, but livable.
I took more care with dropping off Chrysalis then the others. There was a room with a bed in it, so I gently set her on it and covered her up with the blanket.
"Thank you, Phil." she said to me, "Try not to say anything too incriminating to her."
I nodded at her. "See ya."
I left the house, locking the door behind me. As I got in the car, I kept think about Celestia and how she was probably going to murder me if she ever found out about this.
At least I still have my Wii.