How Queen Chrysalis Got Her Evil Groove Back
Chrysalis was tired; just competed in the Manehattan marathon tired. Tired and frustrated and annoyed.
Really, she was kinda’ depressed.
And who wouldn’t be she asked herself. After all, her last two incursions against Equestria and its citizens had ended in spectacular failure.
The wedding of Princess Cadence to Shining Armor had taken months to just prepare for. That was months of minions covertly gaining entry into Canterlot and replacing targets, months of recording the Princesses’ habits, recording her acquaintances and social interactions. Her top agents had spent months of tedium and meticulous maneuvering to complete a grand painting of this one target, but the prize was worth it.
And what did they have to show for it?
Nothing. Nada. Zero.
Defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory, and in the most contrived manner possible.
Defeated by the power of love? She ATE love!
I might as well have been defeated by a pie in my face!
The image of the bouncy pink one with her vapid antics came to mind. She seemed the sort to do just that, and now that the image was stuck in Chrysalis’ mind, she couldn’t shake it. Of that pink buffoon hitting her in the face with a pie like she was a joke!
“I am no jester!”
The anger coursed through her veins, pumping from her heart to the rest of her body, each beat adding to her chagrin. Her breath came out in hot, strained wheezes through clenched teeth. She didn’t even realize she had grabbed a broken crystal ball from a small, decaying table until it had already left her black hoof and shattered against the slick grey granite of the brick wall, some of the particles sticking to the grime and Changeling residue that coating most of it.
The mansion she currently resided in hadn’t always been so dank and gloomy. At one point, before she and her minions had crashed landed in this little settlement after their defeat in Canterlot, it has been sickeningly dainty and cute, filled with an adorable creature that almost radiated love.
What proved to be their downfall is they were both trusting and passive, almost to the point of lacking a sense of self-preservation.
They hadn’t lasted long, and their love had proven to be quite delicious.
As Chrysalis sank back down into her lavender couch, the only spot of color in the dull environment despite its own faded appearance, she briefly considered how such a creature came into existence, what with the dangers of the world. She pondered this conundrum for exactly 3 seconds before recalling that she honestly didn’t care in the slightest. They had provided a source of nourishment in a time of need, and that was that.
It wasn’t like there were any more of them left. Even before Chrysalis’ second defeat, they were a love resource in very short supply to feed her hungry army.
Ah yes, her second defeat against that insufferable Twilight Sparkle. Chrystalis shifted her weight on the couch and stared at the door. She had been so sure she has all the angles figured out. The cards stacked in her favor: they were fighting on her turf at a time and place of her choosing when she was at her strongest, and without any back-up to come to the rescue in the final hour like last time.
It had really been a genius plan in its simplicity. Try and take over Ponyville, one townsfolk at a time. If she did, she’d have won over that little squirt who had first exposed her by default. If not, as the case came to be, her main plan of having Twilight and her bumbling friends come to her by kidnapping those three fillies would come into play. And it worked brilliantly.
Well, brilliantly until Twilight pulled through, found some deeper wells of strength in the final hour, and blasted the Changeling Queen in the face.
What was it with these ponies and finding these hidden pillars of strength in the final moments?
That encounter had left her and her soldiers stranded in her own labyrinth for several weeks trying to get past that… that thing… even now Chrysalis didn’t like to think about what Twilight had set up to guard the Changelings. It had been an experience that will likely never leave her. It had taken weeks to finally gain freedom from their annoying guardian.
I’ll get that Twilight, mark my…
Chrysalis stopped her train of thought and, after holding in her breath for a moment, let out a sigh. She closed her eyes and let her mind drift away from thought of revenge against Twilight, who had ruined her plans now not once but twice.
Once is a fluke, twice is a pattern.
The Queen wasn’t benevolent, not in the slightest. She had ruined individuals for much less, and man could she hold a grudge. The whole second plan was entirely about revenge and draining Twilight of her magic.
But against the ponies, even when the odds were stacked in her favor on two occasions, she had failed twice.
One is a fluke, twice is a pattern.
Maybe…
Maybe it was time to just give up?
It wasn’t like any of her plans had born fruit as of late.
And even before the ponies, she had been pulling up bumpkis. Chrysalis could still recall the fiasco with the Minotaurs which almost saw her lost forever in their underground mazes (although not a total loss, as she learned how to created their distinctive architecture, which she used while remodeling her current mansion), or the Diamond Dogs, where only the quick thinking of her top lieutenant allowed her to keep her head.
It’s not easy trying to feed an evil empire who feasts on love, but I can’t even do that anymore. Where did I go wrong? I’m no Queen…
It had been a very bad few years, and the wear was started to take its toll. Chrysalis’ once-shiny carapace was dull, her eyes a deadened luster. Even as her minions moved around her room, performing their assigned tasks, she wouldn’t turn to regard them, instead opting to stare at the wall, or a stairway, or even the door. This behavior could last for hours on end and showed no signs of stopping.
“My Queen.”
The voice didn’t register. Instinctively Chrysalis knew the voice was talking to her, but on a deeper level it didn’t make sense to her subconscious for anyone to be talking to her. Why would they? Who wanted to talk to the ‘Loser Queen’?
Oh, even her self-insults were coming out stupid. Couldn’t she do anything right lately? She couldn’t even properly insult herself.
“My Queen?”
Again the voice spoke, and again Chrysalis did not register it. Only when a set of hooves shook her slightly did she exit her extensional funk and turn her head to regard this intruder to her self-pity party.
“Yes Captain? If you have anything to report, I’m sure YOU can handle it. Just think ‘What would Chrysalis do’ and then do the opposite. Couldn’t do much worst.”
The Captain cleared his throat.
“We could use your assistance in the main hall Queen Chrysalis. A matter has some up that requires your immediate attention.”
Chrysalis simply rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.
“Oh, I’m sure that you don’t need me. Besides, that wall hasn’t been properly stared into fearful submission, and if I’m not going to do it, then who can?”
“But…”
“But what, peon?”
The Captain paused for a moment. The other changelings stopped moving in the background. A collective silence hung over the ensemble.
A few moments passed before the Captain found his voice again and spoke.
“But we can’t complete what we’re doing in the Main Hall without your input. So… um, well… so unless you come with me, our latest project will go undone."
Latest project? I don’t recall… then again, I haven’t been paying attention.
With an exaggerated sigh for the benefit of everyone within earshot, Chrysalis rose from her couch. An indentation that was already starting to work itself into the cushion gave voice to the notion of the amount of time the Queen had been spending lounging on the couch.
Slowly Chrysalis fell behind her Captain, walking in step mutely behind him. To his credit he made no attempt at conversation. The two walked down two stairwells, five rooms, and more doorways than either cared to count before reaching their destination
“What’s the meaning of this?” questioned Chrysalis The room was pitch black and the only sound that could be heard within was the rustling of bodies within, but it was obvious to her that then were attempting to make themselves as quiet at could be.
“Captain, you had better have a good explanation for this waste of m…” Walking into the room as she spoke, the Changeling Queen quieted as the light came up and the room flooded with the artificial light. The room was filled with her minions; some remained within their uniform black carapace with no accompaniments, others wore bits of colorful cloth or paper adornment that clashed horribly with the drab nature of their adobe, while others still had gone ahead and painted on their very carapace. There were refreshments of food and drink off against the wall, although where there had come from was anyone’s guess.
But what drew Chrysalis eye was the banner spread up over the entire room. It wasn’t a very handsome banner, and the hooves that had made it were obvious not very skilled. However, it was the message that touched Chrysalis in a way she didn’t think she could still be touched after all these years.
The sign simply read ‘Best Evil Queen.’
“You mean you’re throwing a party… and…”
“And the party is for you my Queen. To thank you for being the best evil queen a minion could ask for.”
On some level she knew the Captain and the rest of her minions were being less than candid. She herself realized that as of late she was failing in being the best in anything, much less being an evil queen. It had been a while since one of her famous evil schemes had come to fruition. If she was being honest with herself – a challenging feat for a changeling – she knew her minions would have every right to run her out of her current base of operation. After all, she wasn’t delivering and instead of doing something about it, she was moping.
But instead, here they were trying to cheer her up. And even more amazingly, they were genuine. She could taste it in the air. They honestly wanted to make her feel better.
While she had mopped around like a child, her subordinates had gone to great effort to find a way to raise her spirits.
She couldn’t help it. Deep down, deep within her black heart, a chord of overwhelming gratitude was struck, and with each beat it pumped that feeling through her veins, spreading it across the rest of her body. When the gratitude reached her eyes, it welled with tears. When it reached her mouth, it curled into a smile. When it reached her feet, she couldn’t help but feel a bit more spring in her step.
And so, once the gratitude filled her body, she could only say one more thing.
“Well then, lets get this party started!”
* * *
Chrysalis stumbled back to her room. She could hear the laughter of her minions echo down the hall. While there was only a handful left in the Main Hall, most already having opted to turn in for the night, this dedicated lot seemed determined to keep the party going on all night. While the Changeling Queen could commend their dedication, she decided that enough was enough and that it was time for her to turn in as well.
Walking down the hallway, she couldn’t help but still feel that happiness that permeated. It wasn’t love. Changelings didn’t dare share love with each other. But sharing moments such as that, and experiencing happiness together and joy, that was another experience all together.
Reaching her room and throwing herself upon her faded lavender couch, Chrysalis tried to get to sleep. After being punch drunk on happiness and, well, punch, she thought it would be a cinch and she’d pass out right away.
But her mind had other tricks up its sleeve.
For now her mind was refreshed, and a new scheme played in her mind. Not against the ponies, oh no. They might not expect her, maybe thinking her still trapped, but she didn’t want to deal with them again so soon.
But the Griffon Empire…
The Griffon Emperor’s oldest son was rumored to have started courting when Chrysalis was in the guise of Princess Cadence, but had thus far found no one. Enough time had passed that things might be different, but that’s why you have minions who can spy and who specialized in gathering intel.
Chrysalis mind raced a thousand miles a minute. The pieces to play against the Griffon Empire and in snaring the eldest son were starting to click into place. She could see it play out in her head ever so clearly.
And it was glorious.
Truly, it was a happy day.
“Queen Chrysalis is back world! You'd better watch out!”
