I was sitting in front of the glowing Tree of Harmony, staring into its multifaceted gemstone structure. I had no idea how long I'd been staring at it. Maybe it was my whole lifetime? Maybe it was only a few seconds? All I knew is that it was addicting to watch. With each passing second, I saw a new branch of patterns be created, only to morph into something else the next second.

I was so engrossed in staring at the harmonious changing tree that I didn't even register someone sitting next to me. A familiar voice spoke up. "You certainly have a tendency to get injured quite a bit, Jethro Bethridge."

I tore my eyes away and found myself staring into the eyes of the Anthro Alicorn representation that 'Zecora', the representation of the Tree of Harmony, had chosen to use whenever talking to me. Only now, she was wearing a zebra print pants suit with a red tie. She straightened it, then reached out and forced me to face her, her face concentrating on me as if she was searching for something. Confused, and wanting to go back to look back at the tree, I asked, with a hint of annoyance in my voice, "What?"

'Zecora' frowned and released me. "It is as I feared. You have been exposed to dangerous magic, magic that will work on slowly corrupting you." A small part of me didn't care about this, but the moment I felt that, I froze in fear. 'Zecora' smiled reassuringly. "There is no need to fear, Jethro. You have a guardian angel, as it were. One you never knew you had. They are approaching your body as we speak."

"What kind of magic?" I asked nervously.

"All will be explained in time," she said. "I am afraid that we will not be able to talk for much longer. I cannot do much from here, but your fall should have killed you. I made sure you were alive long enough for your guardian angel to appear before you. For now, my friend, awake."

She leaned in, kissing my cheek. The world around me began to warp…

Pain. Intense, searing, and unbearable. That was my first impression of my return to the land of the living and conscious. However, I wasn't able to scream as I felt too weak. As consciousness came back to me, I could hear the sound of rushing water first, then felt something moving all around me. I forced my eyes open and saw a scattering of stars above me, shining down with their brilliant beauty. However, most of the sky was blocked by the ravine on either side.

I tried to move, but anytime I managed it, the pain only increased. I felt it more specifically in a few spots in my legs, shoulder blade, hand and wings. I was sure my wing bones had shattered so I couldn't use them currently. Any movement made me want to scream in pain, so I just lay there, allowing whatever was flowing over me to do so. Eventually I managed to move my head to my left. I saw that I was halfway in the rapids which explained why my left side was rapidly becoming numb.

My instincts to survive began coming back, and I pushed through my pain as best as I could to move out of the winter runoff. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I managed to prop myself against the ravine wall, occasionally coughing up a dark red liquid. My chest hurt immensely and I suspected that my ribs were broken, puncturing a lung which would cause me to soon drown in my own blood. Right across the river, I saw Chrysalis' broken body crumpled in an undignified heap, green blood pouring from a few wounds and her chitin cracked almost everywhere.

I was bleeding out from a multitude of deep gashes and wounds, but I could only focus on my returning memories. I tried to hold back tears. Thorax was seriously injured, and possibly dead…there were many others injured…the Dragons would be at war with Equestria by morning, and I couldn't help…

The instinct to feel like I failed rose up in me, but I suppressed it with the more rational thought: I did all I could. Sure, I wish I could have done more, but I did everything I was able to. My only regret was leaving behind those who loved me, but I did find solace in the fact that I'd died defending them, and I prayed to God that they would find peace in a life after me. I started to close my eyes…but opened them when a strange sound filled my ears.

From above, I heard the sound of two winged beings approaching. Looking up, I saw two birds flying down towards me, each of them carrying something in their talons. With a burst of flame, the two landed beside me on either side, and I could see in the small bust of light that they were carrying a large amount of feathers. One of the birds, which looked like Eve, krawked at me in a terrified tone, but the other, which I could only assume was Philomena, replied in what sounded like reassurance. So…she was my guardian angel? I thought in confusion.

Eve nodded at Philomena, then turned towards me. Her body began to glow a dim but clear orange yellow, especially one of her tail feathers which shone with a bright white glow. She jumped over, landed on me, then pulled out said feather and gently nudge it towards my mouth. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but all that came out was a splattering of blood as I coughed.

Philomena began glowing as well, with the same type of white feather glowing on her tail. She pointed at Eve's feather, then at my mouth, then moved her feather down my throat.

I began to understand what they wanted, so I opened my mouth again. Eve grabbed the feather and put it in my hand. Confused, I looked at her, wondering why she couldn't do it herself, but she looked at me insistently. Using all my remaining strength, I brought my hand up and put the feather in my mouth.

To my surprise, the feather melted as soon as it touched my tongue into a very warm liquid, which I quickly swallowed. It had a fiery taste to it, almost like a very hot (temperature wise) hot sauce, but of a type I had never tasted before. The bitter cold that had encased me began to banish as a warm sensation moved from my throat down to the rest of my body. I coughed, but Eve moved to close my mouth, her other wing making a motion down my throat. I swallowed as best as I could, the fiery burning moving down faster.

Eve turned to Philomena and said something in a worried squawk, but Philomena just held up a talon. To my astonishment, her beak opened and understandable words came from them. "It must happen, my daughter."

"But it's hurting him!" Eve replied. She wasn't speaking in a squawking voice, but instead she sounded more like a young teenage girl.

"It will pass in time. It's the beginning of the process," Philomena said in a deeper but clearly female voice. It almost reminded me of Nicole Oliver's voice.

"But it will kill him!" Eve sounded worried as she looked at Philomena.

"Yes, yes it will, but do not fret. Have faith, my daughter." Philomena turned to me, and she smiled slightly. "You can now understand us, just as the yellow one can?"

I opened my mouth to speak, only for nothing to come out, so I simply nodded. Even turned to me and hugged me with her wings. "Forgive me, father!"

I slowly moved my hand up and stroked her head reassuringly. Finally, some words came out. "Eve…I love you…"

Philomena smiled and shook her head. "Do not be so dramatic, friend of my friend. You shall not permanently perish. Now, my daughter, come and help. These feathers must not go to waste."

"What's happening…?" I asked as Eve broke the hug and moved to gather up her pile of feathers.

"You are dying," Philomena said, "and that is something I cannot allow. My dearest friend is far too attached to you to see you perish. It would break her spirit and many more besides. If I had time, I would explain what my daughter and I are doing, but there will be time later, I promise. Please just trust me."

I was so lost at the moment. Things were happening so fast. I was dying, and fear welled up inside me as I finally realized it. "Do…do what…you must…" I said before I coughed up more blood.

Philomena gave me a reassuring smile as she grabbed my shirt sleeve and pulled me onto my back with surprising strength. Eve shouted at Philomena, "Be gentle, mother!"

"There is no time. Now, follow my lead."

I couldn't see just what they were doing, but the renewed feeling in my wings told me they were putting something on top of the broken ones. The warmth from the feather I swallowed began to increase, and I felt it burn through every part of my being. I opened my mouth, and a burst of flame came directly from it into the air. Philomena was soon in my vision and said quickly, "I am sorry for the pain, but it will pass. Please bear with it."

It was all I could do not to scream, but something in her tone told me that she wasn't lying. My entire body felt like it was on fire, and a red glow began filling my vision. I was boiling now, and instinctively I tried to move towards the cold relief of the rapids, but something held me back. Eve's voice said something but I could no longer hear it as the roar of a fire erupted around me. I could only scream as flames finally exploded from my body.

I was standing in darkness, only I wasn't standing. I was floating, only I wasn't floating either. My senses were everywhere at once and nowhere at the same time. I couldn't see, but yet I could see. I couldn't feel my body, but I was there, wherever I was. And I was thoroughly confused.

When I tried to move, I couldn't tell if I was moving, but at the same time I thought that I was at least changing some kind of position. It was very unusual. And terrifying. I began feeling my heartrate, or whatever passed for it in the form I was in, racing.

And then, there was light. Blinding white light which slowly diminished to reveal a vast green landscape full of old growth trees, trees that spread out for what seemed like forever, until they reached impossibly high snowcapped mountains in every direction. A deep blue river flowed directly through this forest, reflecting the band's light. The sky was cloudless and a deep blue, but I saw no sun, only a band of bright white in the sky which shone just as brightly as the sun. In the center of my vision, standing out from the nature around me, was a massive golden pyramid with a statue of a large bird standing majestically at the apex, wings spread and head turned to the sky, looking directly at the sun-band.

A loud burst of flame suddenly brushed passed me, and I saw a large human sized Phoenix flying past, a few smaller ones in tow with another larger one in the rear. They were talking and laughing about an upcoming picnic, which I assumed was in the large basket in the lead Phoenix's talons.

I was thoroughly confused, and I began to descend to the pyramid, looking over its construction curiously. It was indeed made of pure gold, but when I tried to touch it, I remembered that I had no body. Panic ensued and despite having no lungs, I began to imagine that I was hyperventilating.

"Do not despair, young one," a voice boomed around me. Only, I didn't quite hear it so much as sense it or detect its words. "This happens for every Phoenix's first time. Just calm your mind. Picture what makes you happiest and calms you down."

"I'm not a Phoenix," I tried to say, but without a mouth, nothing came out.

Or so I thought.

A bright yellow glow appeared in front of the pyramid, then subsided and formed into a magnificent Phoenix form standing in front of me, his or her glow glistening off of the gold pyramid. The Phoenix looked at me, or past me, or through me. I couldn't be sure. All I could tell was that I was being examined. Then the Phoenix threw back his head and laughed. "Well, this is a fine surprise! I had not thought to see this magic used once more!" The Phoenix looked at me again. "Greetings, stranger. My name is Bennu, King of the Phoenix Realm." He looked at me expectantly. When I didn't reply, Bennu chuckled. "Do not worry, go ahead and imagine yourself speaking as normal. I will be able to understand what you say."

"I'm Jethro Bethridge," I replied, "and I'm a human."

Bennu nodded. "I have not heard of a human, but I can sense the magic behind your rebirth. The rebirthing magic we use has not been used in millennia, but the ancient one who is casting it must see great potential in you."

"Your Majesty, what is going on?" I asked. "I'm very lost."

"Quite simple, Jethro Bethridge. You have died, but you died according to how a Phoenix dies," Bennu said, "and feel free to just call me Bennu."

"Okay then…Bennu," I said uncertainly.

"Here, let me give you a temporary body," Bennu said, raising a talon up and snapping. The moment he did so, I fell onto my stomach, all my normal senses returning to me. There was no pain now, just the normal feeling of life. I quickly stood, brushing the loose grass off of my clothes, then facing the Phoenix King. He looked similar to how Philomena and Eve looked, only he was taller and more muscular than the two. Bennu looked me over, stroking his chin with his wing. "I must say, yours is a form I have never seen before."

"Yeah, that happens when you're from another world," I replied.

"Quite interesting," Bennu said with a smile. "I hope you realize just what a blessing it is for any race not a Phoenix to be gifted the Rebirth."

"She didn't have time to explain what was happening," I admitted.

"So I can see," Bennu said. "May I touch you?" he asked, holding out his wing.

"What for?" I asked.

"So I can determine why you needed the Rebirth," Bennu said.

"Um…sure?" I said hesitantly, not entirely sure what he meant.

Bennu approached, held out his wing and placed it on my head. He closed his eyes and a warmth washed through my entire body, but a comforting warmth that didn't burn or sing. When the warmth subsided, he released me and opened his eyes. "I see now. In the real world, your body was injured beyond the repair of even the most advanced Pony magical healing. You died quite bravely, however."

"So…is this my afterlife?" I asked, looking around. "Don't get me wrong, it's a nice place to be, but I was expecting more…people, I guess?"

Bennu laughed. "Oh, Elysium no! You are dead, yes, but you aren't permanently dead."

"So…what happens now?" I asked.

"Now, like the Phoenix, you return to life," Bennu said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I raised an eyebrow. "What? But you said I died."

"If your Phoenix friends had not given you their tail feather, your death would have been more permanent," Bennu said. "You would have drowned in your own blood."

I frowned. "How did-?"

"I am the king of this realm," Bennu said by means of explanation. "The moment I touched you, manner of your injuries became known to me."

I opened my mouth to protest, then closed it slowly. "…Okay…so…continue?" I asked.

"A Phoenix rebirth is special when applied to any other being which isn't a Phoenix," Bennu explained. "It only works once on a non-Phoenix, and is next to impossible to do since it requires the feathers from a dying Phoenix and those of the same freshly newborn one to be used in conjunction with each other."

My eyes widened. "So…are you saying that Philomena gave me those wings to save my life?" I asked.

"Highly possible, and highly probable," Bennu said.

"So why did she give the same gift to Zecora and a similar gift to the rest of my friends?" I asked.

"It could be a precaution," Bennu said. "She could be very protective of you and your friends."

I rubbed my forehead. "Ugh…this is just too much at one time."

Bennu walked over and put a wing on mine. He stretched it out, and I saw that part of them had begun to change color. There were three sections of feathers that spread from my back that were changing from the white they used to be to a red, then orange, then yellow at the tips of my wings. "She must have seen something in you and your friends to gift you Phoenix feathers in that way," he said. "And it would appear the effect of the Rebirth will not stop at just a simple returning to life."

"What the hell happened to my wings?" I asked.

He chuckled. "This is an effect beyond anything I know, but I do sense power welling up within you." He stepped back. "It has been some time since any being who was not a Phoenix graced my realm," he said. "and as much as I want to continue talking to you, for now, you must go back. Tell the two who saved your life that I am quite proud of them. And take care of the younger one."

"I…I will," I said, more questions burning in my mind.

Bennu smiled. "Good, I will hold you to that. Now…go forth with the blessing of King Bennu!"

A large circle of fire formed beneath my feet, and it rose around me-

-and I gasped, sitting up quickly and drinking in gulps of cold night air. I looked around, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw an unconscious Phoenix lying on the ground near the raging waters. Tending to that Phoenix was another, her tail feather still glowing a bright white. She turned, and I saw a smile appear on her beak. "Welcome back to the land of the living, friend of my friend," Philomena said.

"Good to be back…" I said. I looked down at myself and saw that my clothes were completely restored somehow, at least, the ones I'd been wearing when I fell. I spread my wings, looking carefully at them and saw that the same red to yellow patterns I'd seen in my dream or vision were still there. Any pain I'd felt was gone, and I felt renewed, almost younger.

I made my way over to Eve. "Eve! Eve?!"

"Relax, she is unharmed," Philomena said, looking down at her. "The Rebirth spell took a toll on her, to be sure, but she will recover with a day or two of rest." She looked back at me. "I will look after her until then, but I must return to my friend." She displayed her own glowing feather. "She is too weak to move, and requires my aid." She took Eve in her talons. "Now, you have a battle to finish," she concluded.

I heard something from across the ravine, and I saw the broken form of Chrysalis start to move. I stood in front of the two Phoenix's, then looked back at Philomena. "Please take care of her."

"Even if she is not blood of my blood or feather of my feather, she is our daughter, friend of my friend," Philomena said. "I will ensure her speedy recovery." And with a burst of flames, she flew back up the ravine, carrying Eve in her talons carefully.

I stood and, looking behind me, spread my wings. To my surprise, a large burst of flame erupted from them, and I felt some new type of magic flowing out of me. "Is that…Phoenix magic?" I wondered aloud. "I wonder if it's permanent…?"

Shaking the thought out of my head, I turned slowly back to the deeply injured Chrysalis, spreading my wings wide and leaping over the raging rapids. Landing hard in front of her, I knelt beside her, looking her over. Her chitin was cracked almost everywhere, and she was bleeding from multiple wounds spreading all across her body. She was trying her best to move, but just like I had been before my Rebirth, she was probably in too much pain to do anything.

I held out my hand, encased the queen in my telekinetic glow, then took flight once more, heading back up towards the castle, pulling the queen behind.

As I flew over the ravine, I could see and hear the battle raging on even louder now. Beside me, I could hear Chrysalis groaning. I looked at her, bringing her close and glaring at her. She had one eye open and was staring at me blankly, only for the good eye to open wide in shock as I grabbed her neck. "You're too injured to fight back, your Majesty," I growled, squeezing with a strength I didn't even know I had. She gasped and choked, but I ignored it as I continued. "You're not going to win this war, Chryssi. Tell your soldiers to stand down, or I'll burn them!" I spread my wings for effect.

I saw a bit of defiance creep into her eyes, but the defiance left as I began crushing her in my grip. She could only whimper in pain, her apparent love stores depleting just to keep her alive. I eased up to hear her response. Finally, she gasped out, "You…you wouldn't…you're too weak…"

"I've zapped plenty of mosquitos in my time," I snarled, "this wouldn't be any different!"

Truth be told, I still didn't have the intent to kill yet. I tried to bring it out, but just the thought of killing another sapient creature made me uneasy. Part of me felt that the moment I took a life, no matter what the reason, it would negatively affect me, but the more rational aspect of me insisted that a permanent solution was preferable. The only exception to me seemed to be with Eris, but when I thought about her now, the anger and hatred I felt for her seemed to be lessened a great deal. It was still there, but not as potent. A part of me wondered if the Rebirth burned something out of me, but I put that in the Debate Later category. I just glared at Chrysalis.

She looked deep into my eyes, searching for any lies. I maintained contact, making sure that the fake threat could be taken as a serious one. Finally, she looked away, then down at herself. "You just committed genocide…they will not be able to live without me…"

"They will," I said. "Just surrender. You've done enough damage to your kind."

Chrysalis didn't reply, instead she lowered her head. Taking that as acquiescence, I flew back towards the window that I broke, landing in the middle of the hallway.

I saw utter chaos. More Royal Guards had thankfully joined the battle, but it was clear that our side was still outnumbered. In a corner, Luna and Cadance were surrounded by a bright purple shield which Twilight was casting, while Applejack was protecting the three by bucking any Fae drones that came near. Rarity was in the fray, her mane completely spoiled, but she was casting offensive magic like I'd never seen before, and was slamming her hoof into Fae drones left and right. Pinkie was fighting as well, but she had out her party canon, firing sparklers and fireworks at the enemy. Fluttershy was busily tending to the unconscious princesses as best she could. To my surprise, Rainbow Dash and Zecora, were fighting in tandem, one swinging the other in order to bowl down Fae after Fae. Shining Armor was still holding his own, but it was clear he was still a bit weak from the shield casting. The guards were engaged in battles with other drones, but they weren't fighting as well as the Bearers of Harmony and Zecora.

As for the delegates, I only caught a few glimpses of them. Rutherford was definitely holding his own against five burly looking drones, and Ember was with Spike as the two breathed large amounts of fire at the enemy. Jasper was fighting with a ferocity I'd come to expect from Lycans, as were Gemini and Mica, although it looked like Gemini had a few wounds on her chest. The Griffon ambassadors were a blur of talons and feathers, and I saw the Saddle Arabians bucking Fae like there was no tomorrow, as were the Zebra delegates. I couldn't see any other delegates, but I did hear fighting from down the hall.

I spread my wings, letting forth another burst of Phoenix fire magic from them. Holding up Chrysalis' broken form for all to see, I bellowed, "FAE, YOUR QUEEN IS TOO INJURED TO FIGHT AND HAS SURRENDERED TO ME! SURRENDER NOW!"

The fighting stopped slowly, with everyone glancing over at me. Almost all of the Fae stared in shock and confusion at their queen, but one of them, a Fae drone with purple eyes, growled. "Don't listen to him!" he said in a deep voice that had a familiar vibe to it.

"Listen to Pharynx and I will burn her," I threatened, tightening the grip on the queen. She only croaked out something in pain, and her chitin began cracking. "SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!"

The Fae drones looked between Chrysalis and Pharynx. The purple eyed Fae drone snarled angrily. "She would want us to fight to the death!" Pharynx said.

"A good ruler would also not involve her subjects in a petty revenge scheme that would ruin your food supply," I replied quickly. "Which is more important? Revenge or feeding a nation? Besides, I know a way where you can survive without feeding on love!"

"More lies!" Pharynx snarled in fury. "How long will it take for you to understand that we will never surrender!?"

"Chrysalis stabbed your brother with the intent to kill!" I pointed outside. "Go and see for yourself!"

Pharynx's eyes went wide, and I saw fear in his eyes, before his anger returned. "Lies!"

"Go see for yourself!" I repeated.

Pharynx flew out, looked around, then spotted something. His eyes widened more, and he flew down, reappearing a few moments later carrying a still bleeding Thorax. "Oh no, you don't!" Pharynx shouted as he put his brood mate down on the ground, "You're not dying on me today, you moron!"

To my surprise, Thorax moved slightly, gazing up at his brother. "Pharynx…" he gasped out, but any other words he tried to say were lost as he coughed up a bunch of blood, splattering the ground.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Pharynx shouted, looking around, then glancing at Chrysalis. "Only she can heal him! My queen, I beg you! Please heal my foolish brother!"

Chrysalis coughed up blood. "Even if…I wanted to…I would…die…not enough love…"

Thorax looked up at Pharynx and smiled a bit. "Big brother…please…"

"NO! I will not lose you!" Pharynx said, and I sensed a desperation in his tone now. He turned and looked to his fellow drones. "Does anyfae have enough love to spare?! If you do, give it to him! He's down to his last few minutes!" The drones looked around, confusion in their eyes. Pharynx saw them hesitate, then bellowed out, "That's an order!"

From one of the smaller Fae drone crowds, I saw a smaller drone walk over, their cyan eyes looking at Thorax. "I…have some love," the drone said in a timid female voice.

I pointed at the drone. "You there, what's your name?"

The drone looked at me briefly, then whispered something, a name I didn't think I'd hear this soon either. "Ocellus, sir…"

I gave her a small smile, then pointed at Thorax. "You're a brave girl, Ocellus. Go ahead."

Ocellus turned and spread her wings, flying up. Spreading all four of her legs, the young drone's chest began glowing a bright pink. Bringing Chrysalis closer, I used my magic to force her eyes open and make her watch as I said, "Don't you fucking dare look away. Watch and see just how giving love freely heals your kind."

Chrysalis had no choice but to watch as a bright beam of pink beam of energy burst forth from her abdomen, heading straight towards Thorax, who was enveloped in a large sphere of pink energy. I watched in awe as the young drone began to be enveloped in a white cocoon, much like a larva turning into a pupa. The light shining from her cocoon must have been blinding enough for everyone else to have to turn away, but I couldn't stop staring. My eyes must have been protected somehow. I did have enough sense to let Chrysalis close her own eyes just in case, but when I took a glance, she too had her eyes laser focused on the bright glowing cocoon in front of us.

The light dimmed, and above the ground where the former drone had stood hovered a large cylindrical form, glowing a deep silvery glow like the moon itself. I made my way over to the floating cocoon, basking in its glory before I reached out and touched it. It felt smooth, almost like the perfect silk surface. I moved my hand around it gently, taking in the feeling before the light inside it began to brighten. Everyone else once again turned away, but I still found that I could look. The cocoon suddenly burned away, and a small form slowly floated down to the ground. The moment her hooves touched the ground, she began to collapse, but I caught her in my magic and held her close to me.

Only this wasn't quite the Ocellus I remembered from the show.

As before, her eyes looking more like Chrysalis'. And while she might have still stood on four legs, her forelegs had claws similar to Chrysalis. Her new color scheme was darker than in the show, not pastel like Ponies. Her dark blue carapace glistened as if it had been freshly polished, and her dark red elytra hid her crimson wings. Her neck fin didn't sparkle as it did in the show. In fact, there wasn't a neck fin at all. Instead, she had something resembling hair. It was a dark amaranth and fell down her neck in gentle waves. It reminded me of what Chrysalis' hair might look like if she took care of it.

Looking around, I saw a bench that hadn't been broken in the fight and floated her over to it. Setting her down, I smiled down at her. "You're a brave young lady, Ocellus," I repeated as I pet her head a few times. I turned back to the others, and in a blatant ripoff of Starlight Glimmer, announced, "This is what happens when you give love instead of stealing it! Nothing negative, no death, just a brand-new form that will only be beneficial to you in the long run!"

When the orb around Thorax slowly seeped into his broken form, I saw, to my relief, that his blood flow had slowed, but hadn't stopped. Pharynx had a desperate look in his eyes now as he looked back at the other Fae. "He needs more!"

As a few other Fae started to spread their wings and flutter up, Chrysalis kept an eye on Ocellus' new and unusual form. I watched as more and more love magic flowed right towards Thorax. To my surprise, even Pharynx joined in despite the amount of love he shared being much less than others around him. As the cocoons that formed around the hallway began to break apart, I noticed that each new Fae had a similar physical appearance to Ocellus' weird form. Not that they looked bad, just not quite what I was expecting.

I breathed a big sigh of relief when Thorax stood up, still in his old form, but completely restored. The new Pharynx helped him to his feet, but Thorax brushed his older brother aside and approached Chrysalis. "Mother…please just end this," he said in a begging tone. "We can become so much more than what you made us. Just look!" He gestured to the other new Fae.

Chrysalis, still encased in my magic, and barely healing thanks to a lack of love stores, only coughed up blood. "The Dragons…killed everyfae…I have to make…them pay…" she said, but to me, it sounded more like she was just being stubborn.

"Hmm…sounds like you hate change," I said as I lowered her down. Turning to Thorax, I said, "What shall I do with her?"

The Fae stepped forward, looking at the broken queen sadly. Finally, after a good ten seconds, he turned to me. "Let me heal her. She's still the High Fae who birthed us."

I looked back at her, then at Thorax. Giving him a hard glance, I said, "I hope you realize that the moment she's healed, I will be placing her into Equestrian custody. She will be facing justice."

Thorax nodded. "I understand…but could I ask a favor?"

"You can ask," I conceded.

He looked at the broken High Fae. "Just…show mercy to her?"

"That's not in my hands," I said, "but I will relay your wishes."

He nodded, then turned to Chrysalis. I released her from my grip. Thorax's body began glowing instead of his chest. The weakened queen could only look up at Thorax in astonishment as a large glow of energy engulfed her before another larger cocoon formed around him. For a half minute, a bright pink orb surrounded Chrysalis and the bright cocoon surrounded Thorax. Finally, Thorax's pupa began to crack, shattering as his new form landed. His eyes were a dark purple, and his chitin was a dark hunter green.

In fact, the color scheme he bore was as if someone had taken the form he had after transforming in the cartoon and dimmed it. They were still multicolored, but were much darker than before. Thorax's new hair, however, seemed to match the two mooselike horns on his head in terms of color. In terms of length, it fell down his back and shoulders, but had more volume than that of Chrysalis. His claws better resembled Chrysalis' than any other Fae I saw, even Pharynx's. There were three small but glowing crystal-like bulbs embedded into his chest as they had appeared in the show, and he was indeed taller than every other Fae drone there.

Thorax landed, looking at himself with confusion for a bit, then looking back down at the glowing queen. The orb of love began to seep into Chrysalis, and I heard the healing of chitin as the glow subsided, finally revealing a now healed Fae queen. Even the pockmarked holes in her body were gone.

I immediately encased her in my telekinesis so she couldn't do anything, but it looked like she was completely unconscious. Strangely, she looked completely peaceful as she breathed in and out regularly.

Turning to Thorax, I inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "As the highest in rank here, I am hereby placing the High Fae known as Chrysalis under arrest as a prisoner of war. Thorax, as the new leader of the Fae hive, I hereby invite you and Pharynx to join the Council of Equestria in the hopes that we can resolve any differences that we may have and establish peace between our respective cultures."

Thorax looked nervously at me, then at the recently evolved Fae drones. Pharynx walked up and stood next to his brother. Unlike most of them, he was the most identical to his in-show form, minus the jet black crew cut hair he had on his head. "Now hold on, why is my brother the leader? Who are you to get to decide that?"

I nodded in agreement. "You're right, it isn't my place to decide who rules you. I was going off of what I saw on the My Little Pony show. Let me rephrase, then. I invite the individuals known as Thorax and Pharynx to the table as the representatives of their race. Are there any objections to this?" I asked the other drones. When I received no resistance, I turned back to Pharynx. "You represent the military aspect of the Fae, and your brother represents the potential peaceful coexistence we can share. Does that satisfy you?"

Pharynx looked warily at me, then back at his brother. Or rather, up at his brother since Thorax was still the tallest Fae drone. He looked pensive, then finally turned to me. "Fine, I can accept that."

Just then, Ember and Spike both yelped in surprise. I turned around, half expecting a non-reformed Fae to have suddenly attacked. Only to see them both glowing. I tensed up and frowned. "Out of the frying pan, and into the fire…" I turned to Shining Armor, who I was surprised to see was being supported by two of the reformed Fae. "Captain Armor," I said, "how many fighting guards do we have?"

"Not enough for an invading Dragon army," he said weakly.

I bit my lip worriedly, then looked around, trying to assess the situation as a good leader would. This was the first time I had been put in charge of anything other than a bank, and I had to hide my terror. However, old habits died hard. So I began to delegate. "Alright, then how many medical Ponies are here?"

"My guard have basic first aid training," he said.

"Okay, thanks." I turned to the rest of the gathered guard. "Listen up, everyone! I want those of you uninjured to gather up the wounded! Pony or otherwise! No arguments! The Fae may have been our enemies moments ago, but we aren't savages! We will treat them as though they were our own!"

Pharynx put a claw on my shoulder. I turned and before I could get anything out, he said, "We can treat ourselves. I don't want any Ponies treating anything."

"Pharynx, please be sensible," Thorax said.

However, I held up a hand. "No, he's right. Ponies wouldn't know how to treat a Fae." I turned back to the crowd. "Belay that. Gather up the injured Ponies and any of the delegates and treat them. The Fae will treat their own. This castle has two infirmaries, so take the most injured there. Any of the less injured can be placed in any of the guest bedrooms, but use caution! I want them regularly checked on! Nobody is being lost on my watch!"

As the remaining guards moved to follow muy instructions, I turned to Twilight next. "Twilight, is there any way to block Chrysalis' magic so she can't use it to escape?"

"I…there is a magical dampening ring, but I don't know where we can find one," she said.

"Twily, here," Shining said as he was being escorted away. He reached into his armor and pulled out a black ring. "Standard issue for the Guard."

She caught it in her magic, then floated it over to me. I took it, then put it on Chrysalis' horn. To my surprise, it began to expand so it would fit over said horn and finally tightened when it reached the base. I looked around, then pointed to two random guards. "You and you! What are your names?"

The guards I'd pointed to looked like they were members of Luna's guard, and they snapped to attention and saluted. "Private Raven Night, sir!" a dark brown Pegasus mare with a silver mane and tail said.

"Private Might Striker, sir!" a dark blue Unicorn stallion with dark green mane and tail added.

"Privates Night and Striker, I have special task for you." I floated Chrysalis over to them and set her down on the ground gently. "Take her to the Castle dungeons and keep a watch on her. But do not mistreat her. She may be a prisoner of war, but she is also a living creature. When she wakes, all you're authorized to tell her is that I will be visiting her soon. Think you're both up to the task?"

They straightened and saluted. "Yes, Sir Bethridge," they said simultaneously before they lifted her up and walked away.

That's when Fluttershy screamed.