We continue to push our way down the tunnels of Chrysalis' Hive towards her Throne Room while knocking out or killing her forces along the way.

Shella is alerting us that some of her changelings have arrived at the main city area with some of our forces, they incapacitated the guards and are showing the drones and workers what we can offer and even have begun to feed them with their own life wands as proof.

She can even feel new changelings connecting to her hive mind and abandoning Chrysalis' hive mind as we continue to move on.

We pass what appears to be guest quarters while we carefully check them. One of our earth pony guards opens a door next to him only to receive a gryphon's talon to her throat. One of the elven enchanters quickly casts a healing spell on the downed guard closing the wound on her throat.

The difference between human life healing and elven healing spells is that a powerful life element restores the body to it's original state leaving no scars, though weak life spells will leave scars like the one on my chest did. Elven healing is much more complicated as the elf is weaving the damaged skin, muscle, and tissue back into place which will leave a scar.

I drop my shield and sword and take on my life aspect's physical form as I don my thick bark armour and charge at the gryphon. My large left bark covered hand grips the gryphon by its throat as I tackle it into the back wall of the guest room with my right shoulder into its chest.

The gryphon attempts to claw, bite, and kick me away, but I've planted roots from my boots into the ground to anchor myself and it in place.

I lean back and pull my right hand back before thrusting it into the Gryphon's face repeatedly. I stop once it's knocked out in a bloody mess. I'm taking it alive as I want to know why it's here.

"Tie this gryphon up and take it back to the Lapis Hive now, ask Celestia to find out why it's here, this is a high priority order!" I shout out as I cancel my form and retrieve my equipment.

Four unicorns tie and lift the gryphon up and head back down the tunnel with an escort to protect them.

As we approach the Throne Room doors, a feral sounding scream of anger sounds out from behind them.

The doors, are blown out towards us where the juggernauts take the brunt of it and stumble back. After the debris is pushed aside, we look in the room to see an enraged Chrysalis glaring behind me at Shella with the bodies of changelings around her, withered and covered in holes.

They must have been her personal guard and she drained them all dry.

I then turn to Vortigan. "Vortigan... we'll both teleport to her and you throw up a barrier while I distract her," I tell him and he nodded.

"On your mark," he replies.

"The rest of you, prevent anyone else from entering or leaving the room," I tell them and they nodded as well.

I channel the elements for a teleport spell and look at Vortigan. "Now!"

We cast our spells and I appear in front of Chrysalis who looks surprised while Vortigan quickly casts a barrier spell over both me and Chrysalis while channelling his mana to maintain it.

I take advantage of her surprise and try to stab her in the chest, but she recovers and teleports away, only to end up next to the barrier with a shocked expression.

"What is this!?" she shouts and glares at me with a snarl.

"You ain't getting away this time, Chrysalis. You may have escaped from Luna's wrath at the Badlands, but now you got nowhere to run!" I tell her and take on my fire aspect's magic form.

My shield turns into a swirling wall of flame on my left arm while my sword turns into a three metre long spear with an extremely hot blue flame on the tip.

But instead of fear or surprise she just grins and her horn glows as her hands turn into ice covered claws. "You think you have me trapped? I've been gathering my power just for this moment! And you've gone and cut yourself off from your pathetic friends and allies," Chrysalis coos maliciously and then looks over towards Shella. "Once I'm done with you, I'll tear that disgrace of a Queen apart! I made a mistake of letting her get away, I won't make it again," she says and teleports next to me.

She swipes with her ice covered claws and a hiss of steam comes off my flame shield. I grunt in slight pain but I ignore it and attempt a shield bash. She again teleports and swipes my back.

"Argh!" I yelp in pain and quickly swing my shield at her.

I make contact and she's sent into the barrier before hitting the ground. I frown at her and charge with my fire spear at the ready to impale her.

She grins and teleports again behind me and swipes for my back again, but this time I quickly release a nova and blast her back onto the barrier which ripples from the blast.

Chrysalis gets back up where her dress, hair and tail are slightly singed with small wisps of smoke coming off them.

"I'm going to enjoy draining you of your love and ripping your wives and hatchlings apart," she tells me with a sadistic grin.

I scowl at her as Infernus speaks up. 'Why are you toying with her!? End this now by filling this entire barrier with flames fuelled by your anger and rage!' he tells me.

---

---

'I should have been there for them...' I think as I look from Rainbow Dash to Twilight.

Twilight seems to have calmed down now and is sleeping peacefully with her horn still in her hand.

'I should have been there to protect her... I should have taught her how to defend herself better...' I think to myself with a sad expression.

'Worry not, Celestia. Once she becomes an elf, she'll have access to magic she never thought possible,' Lux tells me.

'Lux? What do you mean?' I ask him.

'Elves have a high pool of mana within them by at least half of what you possess and their magic, while not as combat orientated as the humans, is capable of great feats,' he replies.

'I see, but... I had high hopes for her as she showed great potential... I was actually grooming her to be the alicorn of magic, but that's no longer possible without her horn...' I reply with an internal sigh.

'She may yet still ascend,' he tells me.

'What? How?' I ask with confusion.

'Elves are a member of the fae race, or fairy-folk. Once they've reached a certain point with their magic, they have the chance to ascend into a fairy, they grow large white wings similar to yours, their magic will be on par with an alicorn, perhaps slightly lower and they become ageless. This is very hard to accomplish and only two elves have ever reached this state since the beginning of Terra’s creation,' he replies.

I just stare at Twilight with wide eyes as there is yet still hope for her.

---

---

I gather mine and Infernus' mana as the flames on my body and weapons burst outwards like an inferno as I prepare to unleash all the anger I have towards this monster.

Chrysalis' horn glows as a shard of ice the size of her arm is formed above her horn, she then extends her left arm as if commanding the shard and it soars right at me.

I hiss in pain as it evaporates against my chest leaving a two inch deep hole in the flames which slowly refills.

She then starts rapidly firing shard after shard as the holes on her arms and legs start to multiply, but I am undeterred, the pain insignificant compared to the need of getting rid of this threat and free changeling kind from her cruelty.

---

---

Incredible! The power Adrian is gathering is immense, I don't think I'll be able to hold the barrier with what I believe he is going to do.

And his eyes, the rage and anger behind them as they burn brightly on his almost featureless face as this tyrant's attacks are barely affecting him... I suddenly feel a shiver run down my spine and I get the feeling we should be running.

"ALL UNITS! FALL BACK AND GET CLEAR NOW!" I yell back to the others and channel the elements for a teleport spell.

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE ALREADY!" the tyrant screams at Adrian in anger as our forces head back down the tunnel, though two juggernauts remain behind with their shields pressed together to form a wall blocking off the tunnel.

Adrian doesn't answer as the fire around him continues to build up. Chrysalis conjures a spear made of ice and grasps it with her hands, she then thrusts it into Adrian's chest where it starts to sizzle and give off steam.

"Nnngh. That it?" Adrian grunts and taunts. He then thrusts his own spear at Chrysalis, she tries to dodge but gets hit in the shoulder and pinned to the ground.

"AAAARRGH!" she screams as the wound is cauterised instantly.

"This is the end for you, Chrysalis!" Adrian yells in her face and grips her horn with his left hand cutting off her magic and slowly melting the horn as she screams in agony, his body is also starting to get whiter and whiter.

That's my cue to leave. I cast the teleport spell and stand behind the two juggernauts and then cast a wall barrier to take the brunt of the blast.

The next thing I see is nothing but fire rushing past us as a massive explosion shakes the Hive. I cast a healing beam on both of the juggernauts to heal the burns they're no doubt receiving under their armour while protecting me from most of the heat.

After a good ten seconds or so, the fire dies down and the juggernauts step aside to reveal Adrian no longer in his fire form and a pile of ash beneath him.

He turns to look at me but I can't see his face behind his helmet as he then collapses onto his side.

I rush over to him and quickly cast a healing beam at him to heal any damage he may have received.

---

---

We retreated back to the residential area of the Hive to escape that massive explosion that shook the Hive.

I can no longer feel Chrysalis' hive mind pressing against my own and tears start to flow down my face as she's finally dead and my mother and friends have been avenged.

Luna notices this and hugs me, I return the hug and smile.

"It would seem our husband was victorious!" she exclaims happily.

"Yes, I can no longer feel Chrysalis or her hive mind, the changelings are now free," I reply.

The changelings under Chrysalis rule all look scared and confused as their hive mind has been cut off.

"What will happen to us now?"

"How will we survive?"

"Are the Equestrians going to kill us?"

And many more questions are asked as the changelings begin to panic.

Luna then nudges me towards them. "Go ahead, show them what thou canst offer them," she tells me and I look at all the changelings looking towards me with awe and or fear.

"Ahem... Hello, my name is Shella and I am the Queen of the Lapis Hive and mate to King Adrian, Queen Celestia, and Queen Luna of Equestria," I greet them all as whispers are shared throughout the crowd. "I've come to offer you all a better life, a life where we no longer starve and no longer need to hide or foalnap to survive," I tell them.

"But how is that possible? Queen Chrysalis never told us of another Hive or Queen..." one of the changelings asks.

"She wouldn't as you all would have left her to join us, we live with the Equestrians and we help each other. We have our own Hive at the base of Mount Canter which is prospering with other races even coming to trade and visit," I reply.

More murmuring spreads in the crowd and a little filly hatchling walks up to me with wonder. "So my mommy, daddy, and I don't have to hurt anymore?" she asks me.

I smile and pick her up. "That's right, we're all going to live a better life now." I reply to her and give her some of my energy to feed her.

She gasps as her holes begin to close and she lets off a small burp. "Thank you!" she says and hugs me tightly.

"You are welcome," I say and then put her back down.

"Thanks to my husband King Adrian Stormsword, the Equestrians have found a way to feed us without the need to drain anyling else," I tell the crowd and one of my guards passes his life wand to me. "With these life crystals we will never go hungry again," I tell them and point the wand to a very malnourished changeling mare who looks like she can barely stand.

I activate the wand and a burst of life energy soars towards her as she gasps and weakly raises her arms to block it. The energy is absorbed into her hands and she gasps as a few holes close.

She looks to her hands and then hops on the spot feeling more energetic than she did before.

"I would like to join your Hive!" a changeling calls out followed by more and more until the whole Hive is practically begging.

"We will have to expand our Hive but you are all welcome to join. Unlike Chrysalis, I will not abuse my position or any of you," I reply to them and they all cheer out as I can feel more and more connect to my hive mind.

I smile as we've finally freed my kind from centuries of suffering and subjugation by the hands of Chrysalis. A changeling who wiped out all the other hives just so she could be the sole ruler of the changeling race.

Luna turns towards the entrance to the tunnels and gasps, I turn and see Adrian limply being dragged by Vortigan.

We rush over but I'm not worried as I can feel his emotions and steady heartbeat. Luna sits down and rests his head on her lap.

"The battle is over and the tyrant Queen is nothing more than ash now, though he did receive some wounds but I have healed them already," Vortigan tells us.

"We thank thee for aiding our husband, Vortigan," Luna tells him and removes Adrian's helmet.

"You're welcome, I owe him for both defending my city and stabilizing relations with the orcs," he replies and takes his own helmet off.

I lean down and kiss my husband on his forehead with a smile. "Thank you," I gently whisper to him.

I just see a faint smile spread on his lips as I rest my head on his chest.

Next Chapter: Chapter 79: Picking Up The Pieces Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 31 Minutes