HOME | DD

Description
Catharsis

Scootaloo’s pulse was quickened in anticipation of what was coming. Bearing Flittergear as usual, she flew in formation with the Wonderbolts, which would have been a fantastic experience under normal circumstances. The grave nature of their journey had stolen joy, leaving only trepidation in its place.

Their party had already past Rambling Rock Ridge and been flying above the Hayseed Swamps for over an hour. A snow-capped mountain range was to their right as they headed southeast; it was the border to the badlands, the same desert wasteland in which the Assault Corps had once sought refuge.

Banking to the right, a gaping maw that opened up in the rock face came into view. The great cave entrance had a wide ledge upon which several squads of Wonderbolts already stood guard alongside Templars and Bushmasters. The prince’s party landed without incident. If any changelings were in the area, they didn’t interfere.

Spitfire spoke first, "Major Fleetfoot, what is our sit-rep?"

The major saluted, "All quiet. There is a small contingent of changelings inside the cave, but we have denied their exit. They only tried to push past us once before we taught them not to, ma’am."

There was a small pile of changeling corpses near the entrance.

"How many inside?"

"Not sure, at least a dozen, I think less than fifty."

Sporadic laughter came from the elite soldiers. Apparently, fifty wouldn’t be an issue for them to deal with. The prince stepped forward. He looked incredibly regal and powerful in his armor. Sunlight glinted off of the shiny surface as he strode closer to the entrance. He stopped short, speaking over his shoulder.

"How many eggs; is this the only hatchery?"

"Yes, your majesty, we believe it is," Fleetfoot answered. "When we went inside to recon, it was difficult to get an accurate count, but we guess no fewer than twenty-thousand, possibly more."

"We’ll count them when we’re finished," Shining Armor said coldly.

A lump formed in Scootaloo’s throat. She wasn’t sure what to do, but this was likely to get out of hoof rather quickly.

"Spitfire, you will lead the attack. We’re going to kill everything inside."

The Wonderbolt’s commander strode forward, approaching the prince, “Wounded Sparrow.”

A silence gripped everypony as the prince turned to face her. His guards, which had been flanking him, stepped away calmly.

"What did you say to me?" his tone was filled with indignation.

“Wounded Sparrow,” Spitfire repeated, now standing in front of him.

Shining Armor regarded her and said, "Begin the attack at once."

"Your majesty," she said, "The protocol you developed for this is clear. Wounded Sparrow has been sounded; you must remove the Alicorn Amulet immediately."

"There could be changelings nearby. It may not be safe to remove the amulet. I will do it when we return to the castle," he said, patience growing thin. "Follow my order."

"Yes, sir," Spitfire answered.

She didn’t move. The air was electrified as everypony watched on. Flittergear, Scootaloo, nor the elite soldiers nearby dared say anything as these two faced each other.

"Get going," the prince said flatly.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "I will obey as soon as you comply with the Wounded Sparrow protocol.”

"Do you think this is a game!" he shouted as he stepped forward, drawing face to face.

The prince seemed to tower above all of them in that moment. Spitfire maintained her relaxed stance, standing as still as a stone wall.

"No, sir. This is no game," the fiery mare calmly replied.

"Then do as I command!"

Spitfire stood her ground, unmoving. The prince turned to Scootaloo.

"Take Commander Spitfire into custody at once!"

Scootaloo’s heart pounded in her chest. Instinctively she took a step forward but then stopped. Her throat was dry, and her legs felt weak.

"Wounded Sparrow," she heard herself say.

"So, it will be treason," Shining Armor said, his eyes flashing red.

The mention of disloyalty surprised Scootaloo. After everything they’d been through, she simply couldn’t believe it. She heard herself speaking before she considered the wisdom of her words.

"How dare you…”

“You have a lot of gall. Refusing to do as I command? Speaking to me in that tone? Who do you think you are?" he spat as he walked toward her.

Scootaloo heard herself shout, "I have always supported you and the monarchy! I put my own life at risk to warn you about Mane Crusher’s rebellion, and then again to stop him! How dare you!"

He struck her fast and hard. The blow connected to Scootaloo’s helmet, and her head rang as she spun around and sprawled on the ground. Her weight had come down on her injured leg, and the taste of dust and blood was in her mouth. He was almost on top of her when Spitfire darted between them.

"Out of my way!" he shouted.

A red wall of magic threw Spitfire as though she were a rag doll carelessly tossed aside by an angry child. One of the Wonderbolts swooped down and caught her. The pair tumbled to the other side of the ledge together.

It was Soarin.

Shining Armor reared back, ready to bring his hooves down on Scootaloo as she prepared to defend herself.

"Daddy, stop!" a filly’s voice cried out.

Shining Armor came down, missing his target intentionally. Scootaloo winced from the close call, but then the prince turned away from her. Scootaloo got back onto her hooves as the prince approached the new arrival.

The "asset" was his daughter, Flurry Heart. She had a resolve in her eyes and great fear as well.

"What are you doing here?" Shining Armor asked heatedly.

"The Wonderbolts asked for my help," the filly replied, shrinking a little.

"I told you to stay in the Crystal Empire where it’s safe."

"I know, but they told me you were going to do bad things," the ten-year-old began walking toward him as she spoke. "They told me I was the only one who could help you."

Scootaloo was frozen as the two spoke, nursing her leg.

"I don’t need help. Nothing’s wrong with me!" Shining Armor insisted. "They don’t have the resolve to do what must be done here."

"Daddy," she said, her face gaining the full vulnerability of a child, “please take the amulet off."

His face contorted, any trace of love or recognition faded, replaced by blind rage as a magical red light went through the prince’s eyes.

“You’re a changeling spy! You came to murder me!” he shouted as a blast of magic leapt from his horn.

The young alicorn princess managed to create a shield. A cracking sound echoed as the magic blast was dispelled. Waves of heat spread out in all directions. Scootaloo had to shut her eyes to the furnace that hit her face. If the princess hadn’t blocked it, she would have been incinerated.

“You can’t trick me!”

The filly screamed in terror, “No, Daddy! I’m not a changeling!”

“Liar!”

Shining Armor let a barrage of pure energy fly toward his daughter. Scootaloo stood dumbfounded, feeling helpless as these titanic forces faced off. Flurry Heart created more shields that danced in front of her, some blocking and others deflecting the energy. The air sizzled and burned. A yellow energy field created by the young princess swung like a gate on its hinges, knocking her father sideways.

He growled as he rolled back up into a defensive stance and let out a concussion wave that shattered the construct and knocked everypony on the ledge to the ground.

As Scootaloo scrambled back to her hooves, she saw the prince create fiery red darts that shot toward his daughter from all directions in rapid succession. The princess side-stepped, throwing a great amount of dust in the air and obscuring herself from view.

Shining Armor let out a blast of wind that carried the dirt away. Flurry Heart vaulted herself into the air like an arrow. The prince magically levitated in pursuit and began blasting away at her with bolts of magic.

Flurry Heart zipped through the air, creating clouds of energy that drained and disbursed the attacks that came at her. Shouting in rage, the prince dispelled them one by one and continued unleashing raw energy at her.

”Daddy, stop it!" she screamed.

He pressed the attack. Flurry Heart created layers of magical shields and then returned fire with pure energy of her own. Her attacks were clearly much softer. It likely wouldn’t cause any serious damage, even if he had been hit with it, but he was far more suited to a magic duel than was the filly.

The sky ignited with yellows and reds as each tried to incapacitate the other. They never got far away from the ledge as they continued fighting.

Scootaloo wanted to do something, but there were no options. Arrows were the only weapon at her disposal, and firing on the prince was out of the question. Anything else she attempted would only put her in the crossfire. Everypony else on the ledge stood their ground, not interfering.

The prince let out a cry that made Scootaloo’s stomach sink, and with it a blinding blast of magic that split the air.

The three layers of shields that Flurry Heart had created shattered, the single energy blast so powerful that it even ripped through her small body as she took a direct hit in her chest. A cry escaped her as she fell.

Scootaloo was caught between shock and rage; she began loading her crossbow. Spitfire stopped her, shaking her head. Nopony moved. The young alicorn princess didn’t recover consciousness before slamming against stone near the entrance of the cave.

Without a thought to her own safety, Scootaloo rushed over to the little broken alicorn that lay motionless. A single breath escaped her. She did not inhale again.

Scootaloo’s blood ran cold in horror. The sound of hooves approaching caused Scootaloo to spin. She was now face to face with Shining Amor.

"The changeling has been defeated," he said coldly.

"What in Celestia’s name is wrong with you? That wasn’t a changeling!"

He didn’t react.

"You killed her!" Scootaloo screamed.

"That was a changeling."

"Look!" Scootaloo said, grabbing him.

It was a mistake. A wave of magic threw her aside and the world spun. When she regained her hooves, she approached a little more cautiously.

"Look at what you did!" Scootaloo had an anger inside, different from the rage she had borne for so long.

It was righteous indignation.

"Changelings turn back when they die! You just murdered your own filly!”

The prince stood there, his gaze as hard as iron as he looked at the body. He waited for a long moment, but nothing happened. The small lifeless body didn’t change.

The magical fire extinguished from his eyes as full understanding of the situation became clearer.

Shining Armor’s legs buckled, and he fell to his knees over his fallen daughter. He thew off his helmet and let out a cry of sorrow that was unlike anything Scootaloo had ever heard. It chilled her to the bone as the prince fully realized what he had just done.

Description
Catharsis

Scootaloo’s pulse was quickened in anticipation of what was coming. Bearing Flittergear as usual, she flew in formation with the Wonderbolts, which would have been a fantastic experience under normal circumstances. The grave nature of their journey had stolen joy, leaving only trepidation in its place.

Their party had already past Rambling Rock Ridge and been flying above the Hayseed Swamps for over an hour. A snow-capped mountain range was to their right as they headed southeast; it was the border to the badlands, the same desert wasteland in which the Assault Corps had once sought refuge.

Banking to the right, a gaping maw that opened up in the rock face came into view. The great cave entrance had a wide ledge upon which several squads of Wonderbolts already stood guard alongside Templars and Bushmasters. The prince’s party landed without incident. If any changelings were in the area, they didn’t interfere.

Spitfire spoke first, "Major Fleetfoot, what is our sit-rep?"

The major saluted, "All quiet. There is a small contingent of changelings inside the cave, but we have denied their exit. They only tried to push past us once before we taught them not to, ma’am."

There was a small pile of changeling corpses near the entrance.

"How many inside?"

"Not sure, at least a dozen, I think less than fifty."

Sporadic laughter came from the elite soldiers. Apparently, fifty wouldn’t be an issue for them to deal with. The prince stepped forward. He looked incredibly regal and powerful in his armor. Sunlight glinted off of the shiny surface as he strode closer to the entrance. He stopped short, speaking over his shoulder.

"How many eggs; is this the only hatchery?"

"Yes, your majesty, we believe it is," Fleetfoot answered. "When we went inside to recon, it was difficult to get an accurate count, but we guess no fewer than twenty-thousand, possibly more."

"We’ll count them when we’re finished," Shining Armor said coldly.

A lump formed in Scootaloo’s throat. She wasn’t sure what to do, but this was likely to get out of hoof rather quickly.

"Spitfire, you will lead the attack. We’re going to kill everything inside."

The Wonderbolt’s commander strode forward, approaching the prince, “Wounded Sparrow.”

A silence gripped everypony as the prince turned to face her. His guards, which had been flanking him, stepped away calmly.

"What did you say to me?" his tone was filled with indignation.

“Wounded Sparrow,” Spitfire repeated, now standing in front of him.

Shining Armor regarded her and said, "Begin the attack at once."

"Your majesty," she said, "The protocol you developed for this is clear. Wounded Sparrow has been sounded; you must remove the Alicorn Amulet immediately."

"There could be changelings nearby. It may not be safe to remove the amulet. I will do it when we return to the castle," he said, patience growing thin. "Follow my order."

"Yes, sir," Spitfire answered.

She didn’t move. The air was electrified as everypony watched on. Flittergear, Scootaloo, nor the elite soldiers nearby dared say anything as these two faced each other.

"Get going," the prince said flatly.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "I will obey as soon as you comply with the Wounded Sparrow protocol.”

"Do you think this is a game!" he shouted as he stepped forward, drawing face to face.

The prince seemed to tower above all of them in that moment. Spitfire maintained her relaxed stance, standing as still as a stone wall.

"No, sir. This is no game," the fiery mare calmly replied.

"Then do as I command!"

Spitfire stood her ground, unmoving. The prince turned to Scootaloo.

"Take Commander Spitfire into custody at once!"

Scootaloo’s heart pounded in her chest. Instinctively she took a step forward but then stopped. Her throat was dry, and her legs felt weak.

"Wounded Sparrow," she heard herself say.

"So, it will be treason," Shining Armor said, his eyes flashing red.

The mention of disloyalty surprised Scootaloo. After everything they’d been through, she simply couldn’t believe it. She heard herself speaking before she considered the wisdom of her words.

"How dare you…”

“You have a lot of gall. Refusing to do as I command? Speaking to me in that tone? Who do you think you are?" he spat as he walked toward her.

Scootaloo heard herself shout, "I have always supported you and the monarchy! I put my own life at risk to warn you about Mane Crusher’s rebellion, and then again to stop him! How dare you!"

He struck her fast and hard. The blow connected to Scootaloo’s helmet, and her head rang as she spun around and sprawled on the ground. Her weight had come down on her injured leg, and the taste of dust and blood was in her mouth. He was almost on top of her when Spitfire darted between them.

"Out of my way!" he shouted.

A red wall of magic threw Spitfire as though she were a rag doll carelessly tossed aside by an angry child. One of the Wonderbolts swooped down and caught her. The pair tumbled to the other side of the ledge together.

It was Soarin.

Shining Armor reared back, ready to bring his hooves down on Scootaloo as she prepared to defend herself.

"Daddy, stop!" a filly’s voice cried out.

Shining Armor came down, missing his target intentionally. Scootaloo winced from the close call, but then the prince turned away from her. Scootaloo got back onto her hooves as the prince approached the new arrival.

The "asset" was his daughter, Flurry Heart. She had a resolve in her eyes and great fear as well.

"What are you doing here?" Shining Armor asked heatedly.

"The Wonderbolts asked for my help," the filly replied, shrinking a little.

"I told you to stay in the Crystal Empire where it’s safe."

"I know, but they told me you were going to do bad things," the ten-year-old began walking toward him as she spoke. "They told me I was the only one who could help you."

Scootaloo was frozen as the two spoke, nursing her leg.

"I don’t need help. Nothing’s wrong with me!" Shining Armor insisted. "They don’t have the resolve to do what must be done here."

"Daddy," she said, her face gaining the full vulnerability of a child, “please take the amulet off."

His face contorted, any trace of love or recognition faded, replaced by blind rage as a magical red light went through the prince’s eyes.

“You’re a changeling spy! You came to murder me!” he shouted as a blast of magic leapt from his horn.

The young alicorn princess managed to create a shield. A cracking sound echoed as the magic blast was dispelled. Waves of heat spread out in all directions. Scootaloo had to shut her eyes to the furnace that hit her face. If the princess hadn’t blocked it, she would have been incinerated.

“You can’t trick me!”

The filly screamed in terror, “No, Daddy! I’m not a changeling!”

“Liar!”

Shining Armor let a barrage of pure energy fly toward his daughter. Scootaloo stood dumbfounded, feeling helpless as these titanic forces faced off. Flurry Heart created more shields that danced in front of her, some blocking and others deflecting the energy. The air sizzled and burned. A yellow energy field created by the young princess swung like a gate on its hinges, knocking her father sideways.

He growled as he rolled back up into a defensive stance and let out a concussion wave that shattered the construct and knocked everypony on the ledge to the ground.

As Scootaloo scrambled back to her hooves, she saw the prince create fiery red darts that shot toward his daughter from all directions in rapid succession. The princess side-stepped, throwing a great amount of dust in the air and obscuring herself from view.

Shining Armor let out a blast of wind that carried the dirt away. Flurry Heart vaulted herself into the air like an arrow. The prince magically levitated in pursuit and began blasting away at her with bolts of magic.

Flurry Heart zipped through the air, creating clouds of energy that drained and disbursed the attacks that came at her. Shouting in rage, the prince dispelled them one by one and continued unleashing raw energy at her.

”Daddy, stop it!" she screamed.

He pressed the attack. Flurry Heart created layers of magical shields and then returned fire with pure energy of her own. Her attacks were clearly much softer. It likely wouldn’t cause any serious damage, even if he had been hit with it, but he was far more suited to a magic duel than was the filly.

The sky ignited with yellows and reds as each tried to incapacitate the other. They never got far away from the ledge as they continued fighting.

Scootaloo wanted to do something, but there were no options. Arrows were the only weapon at her disposal, and firing on the prince was out of the question. Anything else she attempted would only put her in the crossfire. Everypony else on the ledge stood their ground, not interfering.

The prince let out a cry that made Scootaloo’s stomach sink, and with it a blinding blast of magic that split the air.

The three layers of shields that Flurry Heart had created shattered, the single energy blast so powerful that it even ripped through her small body as she took a direct hit in her chest. A cry escaped her as she fell.

Scootaloo was caught between shock and rage; she began loading her crossbow. Spitfire stopped her, shaking her head. Nopony moved. The young alicorn princess didn’t recover consciousness before slamming against stone near the entrance of the cave.

Without a thought to her own safety, Scootaloo rushed over to the little broken alicorn that lay motionless. A single breath escaped her. She did not inhale again.

Scootaloo’s blood ran cold in horror. The sound of hooves approaching caused Scootaloo to spin. She was now face to face with Shining Amor.

"The changeling has been defeated," he said coldly.

"What in Celestia’s name is wrong with you? That wasn’t a changeling!"

He didn’t react.

"You killed her!" Scootaloo screamed.

"That was a changeling."

"Look!" Scootaloo said, grabbing him.

It was a mistake. A wave of magic threw her aside and the world spun. When she regained her hooves, she approached a little more cautiously.

"Look at what you did!" Scootaloo had an anger inside, different from the rage she had borne for so long.

It was righteous indignation.

"Changelings turn back when they die! You just murdered your own filly!”

The prince stood there, his gaze as hard as iron as he looked at the body. He waited for a long moment, but nothing happened. The small lifeless body didn’t change.

The magical fire extinguished from his eyes as full understanding of the situation became clearer.

Shining Armor’s legs buckled, and he fell to his knees over his fallen daughter. He thew off his helmet and let out a cry of sorrow that was unlike anything Scootaloo had ever heard. It chilled her to the bone as the prince fully realized what he had just done.