Thorax's eyes fluttered open as wave of pain crashed over him. A buzzing sensation filled his head as he brought a hoof to his face. He could feel a line of dried blood across his cheek that snaked its way up to side of his antennae. The ache burned to the touch, and Thorax's purple eyes squinted in reply. He couldn't see much, anyways. Just the faint outline of uneven structures in front of which, towards Thorax, dim shadows were cast. The place seemed to be faintly lit by a green, gloomy light.
Breaking out of his haze, he became more conchies of where he was. The floor on which he lay was cold and rough. He was leaning against a curved wall, which even in the current light conditions, he could tell was either black or a dark gray. His nose was filled with a rancid stench, but the air around him was thick and heavy, so he was forced to breathe in the awful smell to take a proper breath. Thorax didn't know where he was, but he could tell he didn't like it. Stumbling to his feet, he took a step forward, only to find he was kept from doing another.
A loop of cool metal grasped tight against his chest, but just enough where he could breath normally. Following the chain attached to it, he saw that it was attached to one of the bumpy objects in the distance. His movement was limited, but he could still cover a small portion of the floor. Almost instinctively, Thorax yanked on the chain, as a rattle echoed throughout his surroundings.
"Trying to escape, are we?"
That voice! Thorax knew he'd heard it before, but from where? Who ever or what ever was making the sound didn't exactly make him feel safe. A shiver traveled down Thorax's spine. Panicked, he tugged on his restraints even harder. The voice came again.
"Now Thorax, don't try to free yourself. It's useless! If anything, you'll just encourage me to apply more limitations."
The voice seemed to vibrate apart from the echo. The words were drawled out in a way that made Thorax feel sick.
"Show yourself!"
Thorax had attempted to make this statement sound more like a challenge, but it ended up sounding more like a plead, or a beg. There was no response, but Thorax heard hoof steps. He felt his stomach churn. He wanted to relive the stress of not knowing who was keeping him captive, but he was a bit more worried about the outcome. When the creature came forward, Thorax just starred blankly in shock.
"What, you don't recognize me? I, myself, couldn't stop thinking about you! It's hard to forget who caused the events that RUINED MY LIFE!" Queen Chrysalis emerged from the darkness, her slim, black body contrasting against her bright green eyes. She had a sort of horn, though it was much taller than the average unicorn's. It was as sharp as a needle. Her cyan hair draped over her face, and just like her transparent wings and the rest of her body, it was spangled with holes. Her long neck lead to a mouth full of small, sharp teeth, which flashed an evil grimace at Thorax.
"What do you want from me Chrysalis," Thorax bellowed.
Chrysalis clenched her teeth.
"Oh, so you do remember me!"
She soared over to Thorax. He backed up into the wall, and small rocks crumbled down onto him from above. Chrysalis' bitter breath coated Thorax's face.
"We need to talk."
"I refuse to talk to you until you explain what's going on!"
Thorax knew he couldn't exactly force Chrysalis to give him answers in his circumstances, but it was worth a shot. Thorax was surprised when he heard no response from Chrysalis, just the pacing of her hooves against the floor as she turned away.
He hadn't exactly expected this, and didn't think he was ready to ask questions, but he instinctively blurted out."What is this place?"
"One of the many caves found in the Badlands. This is far deeper than the rest, and no other monster lived here, so I became that, er, horrible . . . creature." Thorax thought he detected a hint of sorrow in her voice, but he couldn't be sure.
Without thinking, another question spouted out of Thorax's mouth. "How did I get here?"
"The changelings were just as I remembered them to be, not the brightest, in my opinion. I knocked out a lone guard, and when the others found out, they searched, um, your castle to find the source. Once they were split up, I could easily capture you.I simply knocked you out as well with a large branch I'd found outside."
Almost immediately, Thorax stroked the trail of blood on his face.
"But why? Why did you bring me here?"
Chrysalis stopped in her tracks. Her eyes began to glisten, as if wet. Then she lunged.
Unprepared, Chrysalis struck an easy punch at Thorax's face. He felt a rush of heat towards his forehead, and the spot where she had hit him became wet with blood. After taking in what had happened, he got ready to fight back, but he was too late. Chrysalis had his arms and legs firmly pinned to the ground. She began slicing into him with her razor sharp teeth. He could feel a pool of blood forming around him. The world began to spin. Then suddenly, all went black.
When Thorax awoke, his immediate response was to locate Chrysalis, but she was nowhere in sight. He looked down at his beaten body to find more restraints. Along with a few bruises too many gashes and cuts to count, he found on his arms and legs thick vines, which tied each pair together. They cut into his skin, and Thorax began to feel dizzy again, only to be brought back by a strange sound. It sounded almost like a marker being violently shaken on a piece of paper in hopes of ink. Or perhaps a fork and a knife being rubbed together.
"Chr-Chrysalis?"
The noise stopped abruptly, and Chrysalis appeared from behind a large rock. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Why can't I do it," she screamed. The sound echoed throughout the cave. But the next thing Chrysalis barely broke a whisper. "Why can't I become good changeling like you?"
"You've wanted to all this time?" Chrysalis paused, as if waiting for more. Then, without even a glance at Thorax a green glow surrounded his restraints. The collapsed into a useless heap on the floor.
"You should go." Chrysalis made a gesture towards what seemed to be a long dark tunnel, and although it didn't appear it, it was probably the exit. But Thorax couldn't go. Not now. Chrysalis looked up and saw him.
"I said, LEAVE!"
But he didn't. Instead, he took a step forward. Chrysalis didn't do anything. She seemed weak. Thorax sat down beside her, and put a comforting hoof around her shoulder.
"It's okay to ask for help."
"Why would you help me? I'm a . . . monster."
"No monster I've ever met has wanted to become good." She looked up at Thorax at this, but still looked uncertain.
"I almost killed you."
"But you didn't. You could've if you wanted to, but you didn't. Let me help you."
Thorax stood up, and she did the same.
"You've just got to imagine sharing your love, and how much happier you'll be."
Chrysalis took a deep breath. After a minute or so, she looked up at him again.
"I can't. I'm too . . . too . . . scared."
Thorax looked at her, surprised.
"What's it like? What happens to you when you share love?"
Thorax didn't know how to describe it, exactly. Besides, the memory was foggy.
"And will the others take me back? After all I've done?"
He couldn't answer that, either.
"I can't be good, but I don't want to be bad either! What should I do?"
Thorax was at a loss for words. She needed to trust him, but couldn't.
"Oh . . . you don't know. I brought you here for nothing. And you were my last hope . . ."
She looked away from me, but I could see a weak smile forming. She flew over to a sharp rock protruding from the cave floor and hovered over it.
"If I stay like this, I'll . . . I'll end up hurting the others. I can feel the evil course through me. I can't change."
Using her magic, she once again wrapped the restraints around me. "Chrysalis what . . . what are you doing?"
"Good bye, Thorax."
Thorax watched in horror as Chrysalis wrapped her wings around her body, and she began to fall.
