Part: 1
The Eyes in the Reflection
By: Michael A.
Chrysalis let out a long, emotionless sigh, content on just laying in her bed forever. The changeling queen thought that, if she could just lay there, then she wouldn’t have to deal the mess that she’d created; she wouldn’t have to face her changelings again, only to tell them that their “Queen” was still no closer to fixing the mess that she created; she wouldn’t have to deal with the rising guilt and pain that seemed to keep piling up inside of her; and she wouldn’t have to deal with the growing failure that she’d become. Wouldn’t it be easier if I just—No, I can’t think this way...not again. Chrysalis mentally scolded herself for even thinking about that.
Not wanting to postpone the inevitable, the Changeling Queen buzzed her gossamer wings and gently floated herself from her bed to the stone floor of her bedchamber. She then uncomfortably stretched her back, hearing several “pops” as it cracked. With a loose shake of her shoulders, the Changeling Queen started to make her way to her chamber door. Her room wasn’t that large, and hardly could be deemed “fit” for a Queen. The walls were bare stone, strangely shaped by whatever force excavated the cavern. The room was lit by the soft glow of several ethereal flames, fueled by the Hive’s central power reserves (Which was a large chamber that housed several large gems, enchanted to store exes magic). Though the Hive had it’s own artisans that created all of the furniture for the swarm, Chrysalis never took advantage of them and decided to keep her room plain, containing only a few pieces of furniture: a bed, a desk, a chair, a bookshelf, and a mirror. Though it wasn’t much, Chrysalis felt that it was all she needed, and didn’t want to bother wasting resources on items that she didn’t need.
Chrysalis trotted just past the center of her room, before she heard it—the word echoing as if a distant whisper.
Monster.
Chrysalis nearly jumped out of her skin, spinning around suddenly, trying to locate who ever had said it. To Chrysalis’ surprise, she saw nothing. She shook her head, raising a hoof to her head and gently massaging her temples. “Ugh, must just be my mind playing tricks on me again,” Chrysalis angrily mumbled to herself. Her semi-paranoid nature made her extremely jumpy, and she never dismissed even the possibility of a threat. With a deep breath, Chrysalis began to, once again, make her way towards the door.
Monster!
This time the word echoed loud throughout her skull, almost screaming into her ears. Chrysalis instantly pressed her front hooves against her ears, but it didn’t muffle the scream. As soon as it stopped, Chrysalis jumped to her hooves and into a battle stance, ready to defend herself. She scanned her room, but again saw nothing. Her room was untouched, still the same way it was only seconds before. There was no signs that anypony had entered her room, and the only entrance was from the door that she was just about to exit. Though Chrysalis would never admit it: she was scared.
“Who’s there?” she called out, hoping for some sort of response. What she didn’t expect was to hear her words being echoed back.
Who’s there?
Chrysalis stood her ground, not wanting to show any form of fear. “Show yourself!”
But I’m not hiding.
The Changeling Queen slowly looked around the room, then stopped when she looked at her mirror. Though the mirror held an image of Chrysalis, it wasn’t her reflection. Where the reflection of a confused, and worried, Chrysalis should be, was the image of dirty looking image of her. The false reflection smiled at Chrysalis, and it’s lips curled into an unsettling smile.
I’m not hiding from you, Queen. The figure spoke, her voice was like Chrysalis', but seemed almost ghostly, like an echo.
Chrysalis looked at the figure in the mirror, trying to make sense of the situation. "Have I gone mad?" she asked herself, momentarily removing her focus from the mirror.
No, no you have not. The figure began. To ease your confusion, I am you. Not you who stands before me, but the true you. The image behind the false chrysalis shifted, turning to that of a bloodstains room, corpses all around her.
Chrysalis balked, taken aback by the sudden background change. The queen looked briefly behind her, making sure that the background in the mirror was only there, and not her room. "You... you are not me."
The Chrysalis in the mirror chuckled. Not a friendly one, or even a threatening one, more of an... Empty one. Deny all you want, but we both know that I am, in fact, you. Do you not remember what you have done? Oh, of course you don't, because you deny yourself the truth of who you are, which is where I come from. I am all of your rage, all of your sins, all of your mistakes, everything you hate about yourself. I am the one you blame every time you do something you regret. The Chrysalis in the mirror smiled an evil sneer, trotting around the bloodstained room in the mirror. Deny that I exist all you want. But you know the truth, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be rid of me, for I will become you.
The figure in the mirror stopped trotting at the sound of a hoof being slammed against the floor. Chrysalis, the real one, glared at her false counterpart. "I am not you, and I will never become you!!!" The false queen laughed, causing Chrysalis' eyes to burn with furry. In one swift movement, the queen slammed her hoof into the mirror, causing it to erupt in a spiderweb of crack, before shattering completely. The glass fell to the floor, and Chrysalis let out a sigh as her mind was once again silent.
But, this didn't last, as the false Chrysalis' laughter filled her ears. The evil cackling began quiet, but slowly grew into a deafening cry. The changeling queen stared at the ground, seeing the image of her false self laughing in every single fragment of the shattered glass. The queen pressed her hooves into her ears, trying to block out the laughter. It didn't work, and soon Chrysalis began to sob, shaking with fear.
You are a monster, and always will be!!!
Images if ponies running from her in fear filled the queen's head, images that she'd rather let lie. Memories of her past sins, every death she'd caused, ever life she'd ruined, briefly flashed in her mind, before soon being replaced by another. The queen curled up into a ball, praying for the images to stop.
Nobody will ever care for you. Remain the monster that you are; remain me!!!
Chrysalis whimpered, trying to force the voice to stop, but it didn't work. Her eyes closed, trying to stop the tears that continued to flow freely from her eyes. Pain, regret, sorrow, hatred, fear, all ran threw Chrysalis' mind, plaguing her thoughts. I...I..I give up.. thought the Queen, curling up into an even tighter ball.
Suddenly, Chrysalis stopped shaking, going completely still. The sound of the Queen's sobs ceased, causing the room to be enveloped in an eery silence... Then the laughter started. It started out quiet, almost like a chuckle, then began to grow into a cackle, and finally into a dark, sinister laugh. Chrysalis' form shuttered as the laughter escaped her lips, continuing as the changeling shifted onto her hooves, her sad expression replaced with smirk. The Queen ceased her laughing, trotting over to the pile of broken glass. Igniting her horn, Chrysalis picked up one of the shards, staring at the image it held. She smiled as she saw a broken, whimpering form of herself inside of the shard.
"We are a monster, and you shall never get in our way again," Chrysalis hissed at the shard, before throwing it against the wall, where it smashed into millions of tiny pieces...
Part: 2
The Eyes in the Reflection
By: Michael A.
Snow filled wind roared through the air as the seasonal snowstorm raged within the equestrian badlands. Large banks of snow lay scattered throughout the large plain, and each one seemed to alternate between shrinking and growing. From a distance, the scene would seem calm and peaceful. But from within the storm, the scene was much different.
From within the whirling winds and falling snow, a lone, pony-like creature trudged through the thick snow. She battled the storm for each step, and the storm fought back with each frozen gust that blew at her muzzle. The figure wore a dark cloak that covered her body and was the only thing providing her with any warmth or protection from the elements. The fabric flailed with the wind, and the figure struggled to even keep the cloak on her.
The figure took a few more steps, before the cloak caught on one of her hooves, causing her to fall face first into the snow. The figure picked up her head and shook off the snow that clung to her face. She pulled down the cloak's hood and reviled her jagged horn and wispy, cyan mane. She was the once grand Queen of the changelings but had fallen from her once grand position.
The former queen glanced up at the sky, her face almost emotionless. As the storm continued to rage around her, Chrysalis fell back onto her flank, only to continue to stare up at the stars, which barely breach their light through the storm.
How could this have happened? Chrysalis thought to herself, eyes still glued to the sky. How have I fallen so far?
A particularly strong gust blew into Chrysalis' face, catching her hood, and causing it to blow away. She tried desperately to run after it, but the wind was too strong, and she was too weak. With her only form of protection gone, the former Queen began to shiver. Fearing that she would perish if left in the elements, Chrysalis continued her journey forwards, her only goal to find shelter.
The land in front of her was vast and seemed to constantly shift as the storm continued to rage. Nothing lived in this part of Equestria, and there was a reason for that. Finding shelter seemed impossible, but the former queen couldn't give up, she had to keep going... Her eyes stung from the cold, and her muscles burned with each step, threatening to give out. The first stages of hypothermia had begun to kick in, giving Chrysalis a jolt of false heat. She knew it was only a sign that her body couldn't endure much more, but that didn't stop her.
Opening her eyes to the elements, the queen suddenly felt a burst of hope fill her core. About a hundred yards or so in front of her was what seemed like the entrance to a cave. With a renewed sense of purpose, Chrysalis began her trot towards the entrance as fasts as her weakened legs could take her. Each step felt like a marathon; the hundred yard trek felt like a mile. When she finally made it to the entrance to the cave, Chrysalis' chapped lips curled into a light smile. The cave wasn't that large, maybe being about half the size of her old bedroom. But, even though it was small, the inside was still shielded from the wind and snow.
Chrysalis shuffled into the cave, collapsing as soon as she couldn't feel the icy wind on her back anymore. She smiled, finally being able to relax. Her body was still weak; the threat of death only being postponed for the time being. Chrysalis knew this but decided not to dwell on her impending death, knowing how it would only bring her more pain then she was already in. She lay there in silence, the only noise coming from the storm that continued to rage outside. But, the silence didn't last. A voice, barely a whisper, suddenly spoke above the storm.
Ironic, isn't it?
Chrysalis' eyes shot open, and she immediately tried to get up. Her attempt ended in a scream of pain as her sore and weak limbs quit on her, making her fall back onto the cold cave floor.
After all that talk of me being weak... it is you who has collapsed onto the floor, the voice began again.
Chrysalis grunted, curling her lips into a scowl. "I thought I got rid of you," she hissed as she managed to rise to a seated position.
The new voice lightly chuckled. I thought so too, but apparently not.
The former Queens eyes darted around the cave until finally resting on a puddle of ice not far in front of her. The puddle held the image of Chrysalis, but in much better condition. The image smiled at the real Chrysalis, who let out a loud growl in response. "Why have you returned?" she asked, holding back another wave of pain. "Is it to mock me? Or is it some form of satisfaction of seeing me fail?"
The image shook her head sadly. I have not returned to you... but for me, the image began, lowering her gaze. I came to see how foolish I was for letting you take over.
Chrysalis, the real one, shook her head, looking dejected. "Well, I guess it was both of us who were fools, then..."
There was a pause.
Is it all over? the reflection spoke up. Is this the end of me. She paused. Is this the end of us?
Chrysalis chuckled. "It appears to be that way...
Another pause.
Was it worth it?
Chrysalis didn't answer at first, instead staring emotionless at the storm that continued to rage outside of the cave, seeming deep in contemplation. After a few more minutes of silence, the former Queen replied, "No," before continuing in a much quieter voice, "Not at all..."
The image nodded sadly, seeming to both understand and feel the other's pain. After another minute or two, the image began to slowly fade back into Chrysalis' true reflection. Chrysalis, in turn, laid back down and closed her eyes, a single tear running down her cheek...
