The Lost Changeling: Taken it Back

Having sent out the three visitors to Las Pegasus, Carve presumably there, I decide to inspect the sun’s angle.

“Oh dear, it appears to be nearing sunset. Hmm... perhaps I can have Cilia go to Las Pegasus as dawn approaches. I should have enough time in the day to fully execute the next plan.”

Walking for next to five minutes, I arrive at Cilia’s nestroom, prompting it to open.

“Hey Chrysalis!”

“Good evening, Cilia. I wanted to announce to you that Trace Light had not returned since this morning. Her father had likely denied her permission to return. We haven’t executed every single one of our plans just yet.”

“So, does that mean I’ll have to go over tomorrow?”

I nod.

“Get a healthy amount of rest now. You will need it for your journey to Las Pegasus and back.”

“Okay. Thanks, Chrysalis.”

“It was no trouble.”

;=;

Now that daylight is coming near a close, I feel like getting some rest on what has gone four nights without me, my nest.

Letting my mind wander, I find myself in a warm hall. Nursery hive nearby? I don’t know.

“Are you coming?” a somewhat familiar voice asks.

I look to my left and see that that voice doesn’t belong to just anyone. It’s Queen Areola. She’s in my dream. I somehow nod, as if I knew exactly what she was talking about. I then follow her into... I actually called it. I knew there was a nursery hive nearby... the funny thing about it... there’s a lone whole egg inside.

Before my very eyes, the egg hatches to Areola’s presence. The grub I see gets me kind of excited. I guess I never saw an egg hatch in my life.

“What do you think? What should we name her?”

I don’t even know how I can tell the grub’s a girl.

“Y’know Chrysalis, I was thinking of... Carve. I just know this grub will be able to pave our way to feed the hive. Carve... welcome to the hive.”

HIST. My name is apparently Chrysalis where I ended up... and... and... this is... starting to feel familiar. ...right. It’s when I was born. Hmm... now I do kind of relate to Chrysalis from the flashback.

“How do you do it, Areola? How do you name your subjects?”

And just like that... Queen Areola’s gone. All that’s left is me and the grub.

“Don’t worry, younger me. Hopefully, only I will see you until I join Correal.”

“...C-C-C-... Ca-arve?”

“I... I don’t want to have to do what I did when I went to live with Rusty and Pane... please...”

I white out for only a second, only to end up at a different, cooler part of the hive. I end up face to face with a changeling, but not just any...

“...Carve! Are you still here?”

I get up and hug her.

“...Chrysalis! What’s going on?”

“...You seemed to be dreaming about your birth, one of the memories you had shown me. You’re very lucky I managed to sense it all the way from the hive.”

“S-so uh, what’s going on? Will I have to repeat my actions from five years ago?”

Chrysalis chuckles.

“Nonsense, Carve. Honesty is the best policy, is it not?”

“Well, I guess honesty couldn’t hurt, really.”

“Besides, who have you made personal friends with?”

“Um, Rusty and Pane?”

“Heh... as usual. Carve... there seems to be more than an urban adventuring couple on your side. A drake had visited the hive, looking for you.”

I gasp.

“...As in, Spike?”

“Yes. And do you remember who I spent the other day with?”

“Starlight?”

“Good. I do believe she has a couple of friends that had helped the turn of events unfold into the present.”

“Well, I think I saw one of them. Trixie? I know she and I are just starting to be friends now.”

“Clever as always, Carve. So now, instead of two, you have five friends that can help convince Ponyville at the very least, Starlight being the most likely to succeed. Carve, you don’t need to worry about repeating actions unless simple honesty won’t convince Equestria. Ask Starlight and Spike, yourself. One of them should know that if they believed a certain changeling, as much as it would pain me to say it.”

I think for a moment. One changeling did live in this world, in the Crystal Empire... Thorax.

“Thanks. I-I’ll ask them about that.”

“So, will there be anything else you need to know before I return to my throne?”

“No. I think I have everything. Thanks again for helping me out, Chrysalis.”

“Not a problem. Just remember. You won’t have to step in again unless absolutely necessary.”

I nod.

“Okay.”

Then, I have another whiteout, this time gasping along the way. I find myself back in my nest, at Rusty’s house.

“Phew. Home sweet home.”

Suddenly, my door opens.

“Carve?”

I jump into a sitting position on my nest, now heavily breathing.

“Oh, whoops. Didn’t mean to scare you there.”

“Oh, Spike, it’s you.”

“Yeah. Rusty woke up hearing you talking about Chrysalis. I-is everything alright?”

“...Yeah. I do have something to ask though.”

“So, uh, what is it?”

“Do you remember Thorax?”

“Yes. What about him?”

“Chrysalis had talked to me through my dream and kind of stopped a nightmare from starting. I was having a flashback of my birth through Chrysalis’ eyes. She told me to ask you and Starlight about how Thorax got on your side.”

“Oh. Well, Thorax had saved me from falling in an icy abyss and that’s how I believed him. For everypony else, I had to tell them straight that Thorax was good.”

“But would that just mean a game of Telegram if the Crystal Empire told all of Equestria?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ponies could’ve misheard it and possibly believe that all of the changelings were good.”

“Only if Equestria heard from the Crystal Guards on that subject. I highly doubted that would’ve been the case, since Equestria didn’t even hear it from me, Twilight, or Starlight.”

“So about the whole ‘telling them straight’ thing... what did you do that failed with convincing the empire?”

“Well, uh, first I simply hinted at it with the guards. That failed because they took it as a joke. Then Thorax had disguised himself as a crystal pony. That failed because nopony really saw any good deeds come from him before he lost his disguise...”

“And that was all you did that failed?”

“Well, yeah.”

I briefly avert my gaze at Spike, sniffling at the resurfacing memory.

“...after I told Twilight straight that Chrysalis is good, her reaction was to kick me out of Ponyville.”

“She WHAT?!? But what’ve you done so far that lost your good terms with her?”

“Side with the queen... and absolutely nothing else. I would’ve preferred getting a pumpkin stuck on my head really. I feel like Chrysalis telling the same thing won’t really do anything.”

“Well, in that case, Starlight and I have that covered. Okay?”

“Thanks, Spike. I really wouldn’t want all of Equestria to be all in one mind.”

“Uh, where’d that come from?”

“Oh, i-it’s nothing.”

“So, do you need anything else before I head back to bed?”

I shake my head.

“No. Not really.”

“Alright. See you soon, Carve.”

“Bye.”