Reddling wasted no time in returning to Canterlot Castle's throne room. The place was dark and shaded now, with most of the lights laying broken. Chandeliers had crashed everywhere and any wealth to speak of in the room had been burned and left as ash. Chrysalis's two advisers lay across the room, their bodies torn and broken. Not far from them was a burned body-- a pony sized corpse. Reddling felt his heart stop as he ran over to it, leaning over and checking for any sign of life. It could not be.

Nightshade's breathing was ragged, and most of her fur seemed to be melted away. Reddling could barely decide if he dared move her or not-- she did not look long for the world. Any sounds she made were whimpers and cries of pain. Realizing seconds counted, Reddling laid down next to her and pulled her onto his back, hoisting her up and beginning to make for the Canterlot infirmary. Nightshade let out a cough, and some of her blood washing up on Reddling's shoulder. he closed his eyes and began moving away from the Throne room, stopping only to toss Chrysalis' crown in front of Celestia, who looked down at it with a tired, spent face.

"It's done. This nightmare it's-- it's over." Reddling sighed, continuing to trot towards the exit with Nightshade. Celestia nodded to Nightshade, telling Reddling to get going.

"You-- fucking idiot..." Nightshade coughed, opening an eye and groaning.

"Yell at me later, save your strength for now." Reddling told her.

"Why the hell-- did you leave--" Nightshade struggled.

"I thought you were right behind me!" Reddling squeaked at her. He was halfway across the throne room now, and walking through the embers of what had once been the table.

"This hurts-- where's-- Tops?" Nightshade was too weak to be working herself up, and Reddling opted for a lie.

"I passed him in the hallway with Bruiser. They're both fine."

Reddling was almost at the door when the entire room went black. An unnatural darkness fell upon the room and there was a loud crack as some glass shattered inside the room. Reddling turned and looked over his shoulder, his bones dragging him down as he tried to imagine the threat facing them now. Reddling felt somepony bump into his obscured vision, knocking him to the ground and causing Nightshade to hit the floor with a cry of pain. Reddling smacked at the darkness as he worked his way to his hooves, glaring around for whatever had hit him. Slowly, the room came into better focus-- the room was still dark, and now, totally quiet. Celestia had fallen to the floor, and her wasps appeared to be passed out, all fallen in various twisted positions.

And there was a pony standing over what appeared to be another pony now, with their back turned. Reddling took a few steps forward, his mind twisting as he realized who had arrived. Web's ears perked up as she turned, giving a sideways glance at him. Even in this darkness, her smirk was visible under her gleaming armor. She had a medium length, sickle shaped knife in her mouth.

Reddling looked down at the victim under Web, and in the blink of an eye she had ended the helpless changeling. The knife cut with a sudden grating sound that was followed by a faint gurgle. Satisfied, Web turned to face her comrade.

"Web, get rid of this darkness." Reddling told her.

"Light a candle." Web snarked, trotting forward. Reddling glanced around, and he could see two other ponies in the room. One was wearing a suit and helping Celestia to her hooves, while another was clearing potential entry points and sealing doors with shadow magic as they went.

"I need to get Nightshade out of here, and I can't see where I'm going. She needs doctors, now." Reddling could feel panic in his voice. Web wasn't just playing around now, she was playing with others' lives-- other, bat ponys' lives.

"Doctors?" Web smirked, "And why does she need treatment, hm? Taking good care of your friends as always I see." Web trotted over to a limp figure, inspecting a shallowly breathing Nightshade. "Running off to get some suntanners because you let your little mare-friend play with fire while you-- what were you doing again?"

"She's barely a friend, nothing more. -- Can you do something for her? Anything?" Reddling nearly facehoofed himself. Of course, Web is a medic.

"Hmm, I hope she wasn't attached to all her fur, because she certainly isn't now... hehe..."

"If you can fix a broken leg in a week then you can regrow some hair. Can you treat her or not?" Reddling was beginning to lose his patience with Web.

"I'm not here too fuck around with your friend. We've put Luna's sister to bed, so now I can take care of the others--"

"You're here to take care of her now." Reddling pointed at Nightshade with hostility. "It's over Web, you're to damn slow. Now do something you're actually good at and help Nightshade. Chrysalis is dead already, so are all her officers."

"--What...?" Web stared, not even blinking as her smirk died.

Reddling growled his words out again at her. "I walked right in through the front door and killed Chrysalis, meanwhile you did-- whatever you were doing."

Web rose to her full height, putting her at eye level with Reddling now. There was a cold and terrible look on her face as she ripped her helmet off. Reddling could practically see the ugly snarl under her face growing.

Reddling puffed himself up, flapping his wings powerful and staring right back at Web, saying, "You didn't manage to kill any of them, did you? You scratched Balefly, had to cheat to even hurt Mantidae, and didn't even put a hoof on Chrysalis. Do something you actually can do, and save her life!"

Web looked down at Nightshade and let out a sigh, shaking her head. "I'm so very sorry-- her wounds are just, too severe."

Reddling took a few steps forward at Web, one hoof ready to draw a knife out and slash her throat open, and the other reaching to pick up Nightshade.

"You stay right where you are." Web said, producing something from her armor. In her hoof was an odd tube-looking thing. Reddling couldn't find another way to describe it-- it was like a half formed J-shaped stick with a hole running from one tip and into the base of the object.

Reddling stopped, just out of swinging range of the tube thing. "Web, I need to move Nightshade. Get out of my way. We are on the same side."

Web was shaking badly, her hoof still clenched onto the weapon in her hoof as she took a step back. "Yes-- right. The same side." She put on a smile, clenching her teeth. "Do what you want, Reddling. I'm just going to-- clean up this mess."

With a heave, Nightshade was loaded once more onto Reddling's back as he began to make his way out of the throne room. Web kept her tube weapon close by, but used her knife to execute the Changelings. Each slice was sickening and deliberate.

What could drive a pony to such depravity? What horrible things isolated you so the only way you can-- feel pleasure is by hurting others and destroying life? How can nothing be sacred to you? Web, gah... Reddling could not tear his gaze away as he turned towards the infirmary, watching as Web's clean cuts stopped and changed, now becoming stabs. She didn't just make it one stab into the Changelings, but it was angry, repeating stabs. Over and over she tore open the chitin, beating the chest of the drones into mush.

"You'll be fine, Nightshade." Reddling told her. Nightshade didn't respond, but he could still feel her breathing. "Tops is going to be with you at the hospital, and-- I'll be there-- you're going to be fine, I promise."

Again, Nightshade did not respond.

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