Unforeseen Consequences - Is this the end?

>“The Queen said what?!” You heard a high pitched tone coming from somewhere near you.
>“You heard me! Now stop asking dumb questions and bring me the other two slaves!” Another voice, this one more familiar replied.
>You really couldn’t be certain since thanks to your current condition, you were phasing in and out of consciousness, but you were fairly sure those voices belonged to Pharynx and some random changeling.
>”Yes, sir!” The first voice answered “But where are you taking the prisoner?”
>“Listen soldier!” Pharynx said with an angry voice “If you question me one more time…”
>And you drifted into unconsciousness again, dang it!
>Well, now that you were surrounded by absolute darkness, it was finally to admit it. You screwed everything big time. The only thing that you had to do was to keep silent, let Chrysalis alone with her depression and wait for your moms to make their moves.
>But you had to open your big mouth! You had to try and comfort the same creature who had been tormenting you for a little more of a week, and where were you now? Oh yeah! You were being sent to your frickin’ death!
>Everything was lost… you had no strength to fight back… your friends were under Chrysalis’ mind control… based on what you saw earlier, your mom couldn’t free Eris completely so that plan was screwed too.
>You couldn’t even think on a plan, as futile as it may be, to get out of this. The truth is that you were scared beyond the capacity for rational thought.
>The only thing that you could do right now was to cry, and that’s what you did. You cried and cried like never before.
>“Anon… Anon”
>What else could you do? You were alone, out of ideas, physically exhausted and about to die…
>“Listen to me… Anon…”

>You failed even when you gave your very best, you still failed to everypony…
> With a loud thundering noise, the moon appeared up in the sky, then, the voice of your mom Luna could be heard with a mighty echo “ANON!”
“M-Mom? Mom… I’m sorry… I messed up… I tried but…
>“We have no time for that!” The entire world shook with the voice of your mother “My child, listen to me! There’s still some hope left! Eris is the key! You have to… appeal to… her… No! They are waking him up! I need more time!”
>Her voice started to fade away along with the moon and the darkness of this dream.
“Mom? Mom, please don’t leave me!”
>But it was all for naught, you were awakened in a part of the hive that you had not seen before. It was a rather large room, poorly illuminated by a fluorescent goo. Unlike the throne room, the holes in the walls were fairly small, with the exception of the one in the opposite side of the room.
>And of course, you weren’t alone either. In the other side of the room and standing in front of the dark entrance, were your three brainwashed friends, aligned just like a firing squad. Starlight was standing in the left, Twilight in right and Eris in the middle with Pharynx flying over them.
>Despite the lack of light, you could see that Pharynx wasn’t looking happy “Listen kid, the Queen ordered me to carry on with this… destroying you thing… as soon as you were awake, but…” And his tone only proved your claim “I’m a proud warrior, so I’ll let you say your last words”
>”I disagree” Twilight lit up her horn, making the whole room to be illuminated with a purple glow “The Queen ordered us to destroy the prisoner quickly. We will do exactly that”
>”Shut up!” Pharynx quickly yelled “I’m the captain here and we’ll do what I say!”

>”No” Starlight replied as she also lit up her horn “Her majesty’s orders have priority over anypony else. We will destroy the prisoner right now. Eris, ready your magic. The Queen ordered that the prisoner should leave no remnants”
>Just like before, Eris was looking tired, confused and replied only by mumbling “Ready… my magic?” She weakly held her head with her paw “For… for what? I… what… where…?”
>”Kid!” Pharynx quickly called to you “If you have any last words, like… dunno, saying how much you care for that freak over there, then this is your last chance…ARGH!”
>Pharynx was quickly knocked over by a magical blast that came from Starlight “Captain Pharynx. You shall not say another word.” Then, using her magic, Starlight threw him close to you “You have betrayed her majesty. The punishment is immediate destruction”
>”Kid…” Pharynx tried to stood up, but the blast hurt him pretty badly “Anything will work… the freak… she’s almost free… you just have to… finish the job”
>Eris… man, that’s what your mom was trying to tell you, dang it, the fear truly had gotten the best of you! But now you were wondering, why was Pharynx helping you? He’s Chrysalis’ captain, why would he… no, you didn’t had time for this.
>Especially when Twilight and Starlight were about to turn you into ashes.
>You gathered all the strength that was left in you, and while it wasn’t enough for you to be able to stand up, at the very least, you could speak.
“Eris… I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry for getting you involved into this mess, I’m sorry for putting your life at risk, I’m sorry for not being strong enough to protect you… you are my sister and I… I failed you… I’m so sorry, Eris … no matter what happens, please, remember that your little brother loves you with all his heart.”

>”Little… brother? A-Anon?” Eris slowly but surely walked towards you, stopping your doom for a brief moment, when she reached you, she fell on her knees and caressed your mane “What… is going on? Where am I? What… was I about to do?”
>”Eris, ignore the prisoner’s words.” Starlight’s horn glowed with a furious teal light “Her majesty’s orders are absolute. So ready your magic and…” But she never got to finish that sentence, as Starlight was quickly flung into the air, making her crash into a wall where she remained stuck and unconscious.
>”No… I won’t!” At the last minute, Eris had broken out of the spell and used her magic. Sadly, that seemed to be all the strength she had left, as Eris immediately collapsed into the floor surrounding you with her body “Sorry, dork… I… I guess that… I needed a little breather. Guess… this is it… huh?”
>You used your remaining strength to cuddle into her chest and say
“At least I got you back. That’s all I care right now”
>“Eris has become a traitor” Twilight said with a monotonous tone as her horn glowed even brighter “She needs to be destroyed too. The Queen’s orders must be…” but, before she could do anything, something or somepony hit her in the back of the head, knocking all lights out of her.
>Thanks to poor illumination, you couldn’t really see the face of your savior. That said, based on what your mom told you a couple days or so ago, you had a pretty good idea.
“Discord? Is that you?”
>But the voice that answered you wasn’t Discord nor Thorax. Nonetheless, it filled you with joy “Mon Petit, I know zat you must be in a state of shock, but zat is no excuse for being rude wiz a lady”.
>From the darkness, the white Pegasus appeared. She was wearing a vest that was covered by chainmail. Not only that, she was also carrying a whole lot of daggers around her chest and torso.

“A-Aegia?! What are you doing here?! No… How did you get in here?! Not that I ain’t happy to see you, because trust me, this is some of the best news I’ve had all week, it’s just that… y’know…”
>Aegia replied in a slightly sarcastic tone “What do you zink, Mon Petit? I’m ze best element in ze secret service. Tracking ponies down and infiltration is my job.”
>Eris let out a chuckle “I’d also add knocking down ponies in that resume” When you looked at her, she was almost fully recovered. Dang! Eris really heal fast! “Bet Purple is gonna have a terrible headache when she wakes up”.
“Yeah, that was a pretty hard blow. Think that will be enough to snap her out of Chrysalis’ brainwash?”
>As you soon discovered, the surprises didn’t end with Aegia. Moonlight was also here, and she was carrying two unconscious changelings on her back ”Nope, only way to get those two back is by defeating the big bug” She then dropped the changelings on the ground “That’s at least what these two gentlecolts told me before having to take a forced nap”.
>Holy blazes, Moonlight looked awesome! She was fully clad in her Night Guard armor and holding a whole lot of little gadgets that ranged from bombs, daggers, scrolls and even the coolest sword you’ve ever seen.
>You tried to run at her and hug her, and despite feeling a bit stronger now, it still wasn’t enough, so you limited yourself to get cozy in Eris’ arms and call for her.
“Moonlight! Oh, man! I’m so happy that you are here too!”
>Moonlight let out a sigh of relief as she walked to you “What did you expect, little dude? That I would sit around doing nothing while everypony else, including my daughter, were doing their best to rescue you? Nah, that ain’t my style… nor prenchie’s here.”

>Aegia chuckled as she shrugged “What can I say? Ze Prince is one of ze few ponies I see as a friend… and he’s also ze best paycheck I’ve ever had”.
“Yeah… about that… I’m sorry, Moonlight. It wasn’t my intention to get Cherrywood involved into all of this”
>Moonlight shook her head as she leaned over you, took off her helmet and gently caressed your mane “Don’t get all sappy about that, little dude. My daughter’s a tough girl. Besides, I’d rather having her piloting that flying machine from Tartarus than being with ex”
>Eris chuckled as she tried to get up “Well, I ain’t complaining about the help, that’s for sure...” But when she saw you, Eris shrugged and coiled around you a bit more “Dang, this whole thing is gonna left me with some serious wrinkles… anyway, it’s not like I’m complaining, buuut… did you girls brought more ponies with you? ‘cuz while this medallion lets me cast my magic in this crazy house of horrors, it won’t be enough to make that Chrysalis girl to heck off”
>You then did your best to also get back on your hooves, but only managed to lean against Eris’ body.
“Eris is right, we’re not enough to face Chrysalis. I can barely move and Eris is no match for that jerk…hmmm… did you find Discord and Thorax on your way here?”
>Before Aegia could say anything, she got interrupted by another voice “Once again, my little prince, you are half right and half wrong. Yes, these two little ponies got here thanks to me, but it was yours truly who found them, not the other way around. The mere implication, that the great spirit of chaos can be outplayed offends me, my little prince.”
“Discord!”
>From the darkness, your dear, dear, “uncle” emerged. His face displaying the same smugness you always knew him for “The one and only! Hope you didn’t grow bored without… oh, no…” But that smugness got transformed into worry when he saw the state that you and Eris were in.

>Discord quickly ran at where the two of you were and hugged you tightly “My little girl! My boyo! Looking at you in this miserable state is almost enough to make me shed drops of liquid chaos… almost… You still look absolutely terrible though”
>You chuckled as you tried to return the hug. Since you couldn’t really move your body, Moonlight had to wrap your hooves around Discord’s face.
“Glad to see that you didn’t forget to bring some humor with you, Discord. Seriously, this was getting a bit too grim”.
>Eris let out a faint giggle as she hugged Discord back and destroying your little comfy place in the process “You certainly took your sweet time, old man. What happened? Did you go full senile and forgot about us?”
>You felt tears dropping on your head… were they Discord’s? “Joking about my age… Oh! How I missed your impertinence! How worried I was about the fate of my completely amateur daughter and my annoyingly harmonious nephew! I’m so sorry my dears, I would have rescued you sooner if it wasn’t for a certain little scaredy bug holding me back”.
“Thorax? Oh, no… Discord, we can’t let Chrysalis to find out that he…”
>Before you could finish your question, Thorax came flying into the room and basically snatched you out of Discord’s arms to give you a hug of his own ”ANON!”
“Thorax… Considering what Chrysalis’ wants to do to you, I should say how stupid it was from you to come here, but man… I’m so glad to see you”
>He then broke the hug and looked down at the floor… and yes, it made you fall to the floor too “I-I’m so sorry! I-I just wanted to help my best friend… b-but… I-I also wanted to be a little more like you and come up with a plan… b-but it took me so long to think on something, and you got drained and almost… oooooh, I just made everything worse, right?”

>This time, it was Aegia who helped you to stand up, or rather, she was basically moving your hooves as you spoke
“Not gonna lie… being stuck with Chrysalis did suck… hard, in fact, I would say that is the second or third worst experience I’ve had in my life, but… forget about it, alright? I’m just happy that you are safe”
>”B-But… it was my fault that you got captured! I-I should’ve detected that something was fishy with Starlight, I-I should’ve…”
>Aegia moved your hoof to interrupt Thorax.
“Don’t talk like that, man! This whole mess is because of me and my stupid plan, so don’t worry… we really have no time to play the blaming part and even if we had just… if you want to be of some help, why don’t you start with that changeling guy over there? He kinda saved my flank back there”
>Thorax looked at you and confusion “A changeling helped you? But who would’ve” His confusion transformed into shock when he looked at the unconscious Pharynx “B-BROTHER?!”
>Aegia placed both of your hooves on your temples.
“WHAT?!”
>”Hmmm…” Discord caressed his beard as he raised an eyebrow “It seems like the plot has thickened”.
>Eris nodded as she rubbed her chin “Yup, gotta admit, didn’t see this one coming, I mean, that dude has a brother who’s actually not completely lame? Who would’ve thought?”
>Thorax didn’t say anything to them, he was too worried about Pharynx’s current condition to care “Pharynx? I-I’s me, your brother Thorax. A-Are you okay? P-Please…” Thorax sniffed a little “Say something”
>Pharynx slowly opened his eyes and said with a faint voice as he tried to reach for his brother “T-Thorax? Is it… really you?”
>Thorax slowly nodded as he firmly held Pharynx’s hoof “Yes…” A couple tears ran down Thorax’s face “I have come back, brother”
>Pharynx gave him a weak smile “Thorax… could you… come a bit closer? I… want… to ask you something… it’s… important”
>“O-Of course! A-Anything for you!” Thorax quickly leaned closer “What do you want to know, Pharynx?”

>“I want… to know…” Pharynx quickly stood up and basically clenched Thorax’s hoof. Then, he grinned as he started to hit Thorax’s face with his own hoof “Why are you hitting yourself?! Stop hitting yourself! Why are you hitting yourself?!”
>“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” Thorax tried to free himself from his brother’s grasp, but man, he just made things worse as he fell on his back “Cut it out, Pharynx!”
>“Come ooon!” Pharynx happily said as he continued to beat down Thorax with his own hoof “Don’t tell me you didn’t miss this!”
>“Not… Ouch! Not, really” Thorax said as he continued to struggle “It’s… Ouch! Good to see you… Ouch! Though. So are you really… Ouch! On our side? PHARYNX CUT IT OUT, PLEASE!”
>Pharynx stopped beating the poor Thorax and then hugged him “Thorax, don’t be dumb, the hive may be important, but you… you are my brother and I’d never let anypony to harm you”
>Discord meanwhile, continued to stroke his beard as he watched the scene unfold “Hmmm… Good set up, the acting was decent and the payoff was funny enough. The ending brings everything down though.”
>Eris shrugged “Meh, the acting was a bit too melodramatic for my tastes. I’d give him an A for effort, but effort starts with an E and sounds like an F, soooo… F for effort, I guess”
>You let out a sigh as Aegia shook your head.
“Well, I don’t really know what I was expecting, but… if that guy is really on our side, then I’m sure that I can work out a plan to take down Chrysalis once and for all”
>“What do you exactly mean by “we”, my little prince?” Discord replied as he quickly moved towards you “You are out of this. It’s over, we are going home.”
“Discord, come on man! We can’t leave things like they are right now!. What will we do if she comes back with a more dangerous plan?”

>Discord shook his head and gave you a stern look “I can bend the rules of reality at will. If Chrissy comes back, then I’ll be there, ready to chaos up her world. You on the other hoof, can’t even move a single hoof. Trust me, my little prince. I hate being the rational one, it’s the literal death of me, but I won’t put my dear daughter and nephew in danger.”
>Eris quickly stood up and flew to Discord’s side “Hate to admit, but the old man is right. We have to cut our losses and get the heck away from this place as soon as we can”
>“I’m not a pony who likes to chicken away, but I’ll agree with those two” Moonlight nodded as she started to unstuck Starlight from the wall “The mission was to rescue you along with the three that were brainwashed by Queen Bug. It is time for us to retreat”
“No… not when Chrysalis is still fooling every changeling under the sun. Thorax, come on man, you have to back me up on this!”
>“A-Anon…” Thorax lowered his head “Discord is right, we don’t have a chance against Chrysalis right now” He then raised his head and gave you a smile “But if you are sure about this, t-then I’ll follow you to the end of the world!”
“Alright! That’s what I like to hear!”
>“Seems like you got a thicker skin. Not much, mind you, but its way better than before, anyway” Pharynx shrugged and looked at you “I’m with you too, kid. Can’t let my little brother to go and hurt himself, besides, even if I wanted to go, the hive went into high alert a couple minutes ago, so that’s a no go”
>Aegia whispered into your ear “Mon Petit. While zere is nozing more I want to do other than to go back home and drink a bottle of expensive wine… I would like to hear zis plan of yours.”

>Moonlight angrily shook her head “Prenchie, you can’t be serious!”
>Aegia gently placed you on her back and then shrugged at Moonlight “I never said zat I would follow ze Prince’s plan. I just want to hear it… who knows? Maybe we can get back at Chrysalis for zat little incident at Princess Cadence’s wedding”
>Moonlight rubbed the back of her head and sighed “Gotta hit the weak spot, huh prenchie? Alright, let’s hear this plan, but if I don’t like it then we’re packing our things and going home, alright?”
“Don’t worry about it, Moonlight. I have something in mind that everypony will like… except for Chrysalis… maybe…”
>Discord slapped his face and groaned “What has become of the world when the only voice of reason comes from the spirit of chaos? Eris, why don’t you give your dear papa a talon and a paw here?”
>Eris shrugged at Discord “Don’t look at me. I was with the dork the moment the word “revenge” was thrown around”
>Discord rolled his eyes as he slapped his face even harder “Of for the love of chaos!”
“Discord, I know you are worried and I’m both surprised and thankful, but you know darn well that if we have to do this, not only to stop Chrysalis, not only to free the changelings, but also because running away would make us give up on our friends too… and Starlight Glimmer. C’mon man, I know that Twilight is not your favorite pony in the world, I can say the same about Glimmer, but they don’t deserve to spend her life as mindless puppets. They have lives, dreams, friends. I mean, just imagine how devastated Fluttershy would be if she saw one of her best friends like this?”
>Discord pinched his nose and groaned “You had to bring the Fluttershy card, that’s a low blow, very, very low… Alright, whatever, I’ll help you… but only because I don’t want Fluttershy to get sad”

“Hey, you’re in no position to complain, after all, I learned how to deal these cheap blows from you. Anyway, the plan is simple but optimal. Chrysalis fell for my initial plan and she now thinks that a massive army is going to invade the hive, so Discord and Eris will take advantage of that by using the medallion Chrysalis gave to my big sis in order to create a distraction big enough to get most changelings out of the hive, meanwhile Aegia, Moonlight, Thorax and I will make the run to Chrysalis’ throne room … uh, Pharynx, does anypony knows that you went to our side? Maybe you have like a rebel group?”
>Pharynx chuckled “Kid, I AM the rebel group, and nope, nopony knows”
“Dangit, okay, not all is bad, Pharynx, you will be in charge of gathering as many changelings as you can and bring them to the throne room AFTER my group has already arrived there. They will see that Thorax has indeed found a way to get over his hunger and presto! Chrysalis will no longer hold any authority!”
>“Very interesting idea, my little Prince. I just have one little question” Discord said as he stroked his beard “What will you do to stop our bug friend from destroying you? And what if we fail and Chrissy convinces them to stay with her? Bet you didn’t think about that, hmm?”
“Well, in the first case, you’ll have to restrain her after the changelings have realized the truth, about the second one…hmmm”
>You shrugged
“Guess we’ll blow Chrysalis up along with her throne, take over the hive and rename it as Awesometopia. Sounds good?”
>Discord nodded and chuckled “Sounds good”
>Pharynx on the other hand, was giving you a baffled look “I think this colt may be secretly evil… I now see why Thorax follows him so much”