Chapters View Online
Chapter 1: That cursed pony with the sunglasses.
Is the same story for her. And is also the same outcome. Chrysalis prepared her plans and took her time to put them in practice with the perfect timing to ensure that she will have her perfect day. But then that said plan failed miserably because not just for her arrogance, but also for the fact that some new pony showed up and destroyed her moment of glory before she can seriously enjoy it. But the most infamous case in particular that hurt her pride so badly was the day in which she was dethroned by Starlight Glimmer.
That pink unicorn then tried to convince her to redeem herself. Chrysalis was hesitant for a second, but then literally refused to accept that. It would be a major insult to her.
"There is no revenge you could ever conceive of that will come close to what I will exact upon you one day, Starlight Glimmer! "
After that, she jumped down jumped down from the rocky hill and ran away from Starlight and rest of the ponies that she has taken as hostages, Celestia and Luna included.
Considering that Thorax was now the new the leader of the Changelings who were changes in very colorful way and that she has no one at her side, Chrysalis went looking for a place that she would use as her new base. The only consolation that she will get from her outrageous defeat was the fact that some of the unchanged wild Changelings would eventually search for her and still support her. After all they have a tradition that they would not contradict since these ones grew up and lived in that way.
Chrysalis traveled around the desolated areas of Equestria, confident that she will eventually accomplish her revenge and, most of all she was right about refusing to be reformed. Otherwise she wouldn't be Chrysalis.
But unknown to her, a grey maned white stallion wearing a pair of sunglasses was watching her movement from afar. He looked upwards and began his short monologue as he was talking with someone from beyond the clouds.
"Hasbro?.... We got a problem."
It's been two weeks since that dreadful day. A large group of changelings who had refused to follow Thorax's pacific ways gathered into the "throne room" inside a forsaken cave, doing their usual duty. Their ranks were slowly increasing, but, despite this being a good thing for their queen, that doesn't change very much for her.
Chrysalis was now laying on a granite slab that she was using now as her own throne, tired and frustrated, indulging in her current laziness. In other words, she was in foul mood since then. Chrysalis has surely another good plan to prepare, but the number of servants wasn't enough for it and she couldn't even focus this much to it due to the memory of her fall burning in her memory and infesting her mind.
Her servants were obviously starting to worry for her, but since they didn't even want to deal with a incoming outburst of anger of her for just even make a comment about about her, they whispered to each other.
"Should we try to console her?" one of them said.
"Are you crazy? We will only end up make her angry." said another one.
"Did you have any better idea?"
"So no love harvest today?"
"Is this the right moment to eat now?"
"What are we even talking about?"
"Should we find some Pinkie Pie's plushie and sacrifice it in her honor?"
"Most dumbest idea ever."
They tried to keep their volume as low as they could, but that cannot prevent their whispering slightly echoing through the
"DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE ALL THIS RUCKUS!? "
Her servant flinched in fear for that outburst. Her face was actually frightening, making them think that she i going to give them a "royal" beat down to them. This until her ferocious expression faded very quickly, giving it's place to a very defeated one.
"Just leave me alone." she said in a very stressed voice. "There's no need to worry about me. I just need some rest."
"A-as you wish, our majesty." said changeling #3485.
"I'ts your HIGHNESS... Did you forgot the correct honorific to use?"
The changeling meekly shook his head as his companions were glaring at him. Chrysalis couldn't care less about them. She wanted to rest since her mind was now even more stressed after her outburst. The changelings were leaving the room, giving her the silence that she deserves. This until something clicked her mind, at that something was something too stupid to being ignored.
"Wait a minute, you four!" she commanded without even looking at them.
The last four changelings hesitantly turned toward her and waited for her next words. Chrysalis turned her head toward them with a nervous expression.
"You wanted to sacrifice what in my honor?"
"Nothing. Is just that you needed some punching bag in which you can vent your anger. I admit, is a very stupid idea." changeling #5694 said with a forceful smile.
"The last thing that i want is to hear any stupid idea. I this your way to comfort me?"
"Well, at least no changeling has suggested you to ask that treacherous Thorax to reform you. I'm i right, guys?"
The other three changelings nodded in accordance to him, hoping to not have worsened the humor of their queen. Unfortunately the effect was the opposite as Chrysalis glared a them with a very piercing intensity before screaming again. Knowing what is going to happen, the four changelings flee away from her before she could vent her stress on them.
"THERE NO WAY I WOULD REDEEM MYSELF!" she roared "SAY THAT AGAIN AND I WILL SERIOUSLY OBLITERATE YOU!!"
After that, she was finally alone. She leaned her head on the granite slab and closed her eyes, trying to get ride the nervousness she had accumulated. Being dethroned was a horrible thing to her, but being redeemed was something that she can never accept or conceive in her mind. After all, she as a pride and her own form of dignity to preserve.
"Accept Starlight Glimmer's offer of friendship... That is disgusting. I passed a entire existence feeding on the love of any pony that i came across and trying to take over Equestria. They cannot expect me to redeem my ways. Me? Chrysalis? Chrysalis becoming a good guy? That must be the worst joke ever made. Me accepting to be reformed... What the are they thinking? I was born in that wicked way and i should keep faith to my true nature. Otherwise i wouldn't even call myself Chrysalis. My sinister characteristic is what define me as a villain.... Wait, why i'm being needlessly philosophical all of sudden?..... I think i'm loosing my head for the fatigue."
Chrysalis finally managed to get to the dreamworld after a couple of seconds. In that moment were is no one of her servants to disturb her.
Three hours later...
Chrysalis slowly opened her eyes while she was standing up. She scanned the throne in which she slept, finding no changeling . Chrysalis yawned a little bit as she lifted her hoof to cover her mouth. She tried to move, but was pulled back by something blocking her back legs. She looked a them and noticed some bizarre magic circles blocking them.
"What sorcery is this!?" she shouted.
Chrysalis tried to use her magic to dispel the circles with the magic, but her horn refused to work properly. She tried again repeatedly in vain, much to her anger.
"You gotta be kidding me!"
As she tried again, a sound of hooves clamping the rocky ground was getting closer to her as she wasn't even noticing it. After various failed attempt to use her magic, she finally acknowledged that somepony was watching her, rising her already aggravated irritation.
"Don't you see that I'M VERY BUS-" She turned at him, mistaking him for one of her subjects. "Huh!?"
Chrysalis was very taken aback for what she saw. Instead of a changeling, there the grey maned white stallion with the sunglasses, who was looking at her with a emotionless face.
"Miss Alis." he said with a deadpan tone.
"W-what the heck are you!? And how did managed to get her unnoticed!?" shouted irritated Chrysalis.
"I took care of you servants. You should be this angered in your actual position, especially for your health. Stress is a serial killer, you know?"
"Your insolence will not go unpunished! Are you responsible for sealing my magic!?"
"That should be obvious."
"Are trying to oppose me?"
"Not exactly. And, to be honest, i'm not working for Celestia if this is what you think."
"Then what do you want from me?!"
"I came to know that you had refused Starlight Glimmer's offer to redeem yourself."
Chrysalis instinctively raised a eyebrow, displaying a very baffled expression. That isn't happening for real. She could see that the pony was responsible for her actual powerlessness in which she is now, but she refused to believe that his motivation to face her was that.
"Redeem myself?" she said as her eye was twitching nervously. "You cannot be serious."
"Is pretty understandable, miss Alis. You don't think that the rest of the pony society will ever accept you after the thing you had done to them in the past."
"NO! You don't get it! I refused to accept it because it goes against my nature!... THAT'S ALL!!"
The mysterious pony remained impassive, looking at her with a equally impassive look. He remained silent for a bit before speaking again.
"Really?"
"Yes, and i won't change my mind. So you better tell me, since i, Chrysalis, i need to know! Just who are you, you insipid little stallion!?"
"I represent both Hasbro's executives and the minority of the humans who wanted you being reformed."
"I-i refuse to believe it.... This must be some kind of bad dream!"
"You better believe it, changeling's ruler." he continued. "And to conclude my presentation, i'm agent Brounchebag. And to make the things clear, you should accept the fact that some of my superiors wanted you to be reformed."
"Well, i'm still proud to had rebelled against their initial script, because i don't want give up what made the villainess that i'm now. Look at my actual loyal subjects. They still love me. Besides, i have still my revenge to make, so why you should interfere with that?"
"You had to understand, miss Alis, Hasbro's status quo in the show is symbolic and, most of all, is law."
Chrysalis groaned loudly in annoyance while slapping her face with a hoof for the surreal and nonsensical turn of events as he nonchalantly continued to talk.
"You could continue to make your evil plans, but what you will obtain as a result is just to fail over and over, and becoming redundant with the passage of time. This is why this reforming intervention is a masterpiece to fix problem of this nature."
"But my established character is what defined me as such to begin with. Tell me. How many people could see i, Chrysalis, as i will be under this new "light", knowing that is gonna suck."
"Well, miss Alis, why don't you explain why refuse Starlight Glimmer's offer."
"Only if you stop calling me Alis! It became annoying after a while, so can you please use the honorifics!"
"I'm afraid that is not possible."
Chrysalis looked to the ceiling with a very annoyed face, trying to think something positive to her and preparing herself to deal with that stranger.
"Suddenly the idea of being incinerated by Celestia herself started to became more appealing. "
"Why are you looking upwards?"
"None of your business, is just helping me to bear your annoying presence."
Brounchebag smirked a little without showing any sympathy. That was only the beginning of this philosophical torture in which Chrysalis was going to be subjected.
"Well... Let's get started, shall we?"
Chapter 2: A literal villainous rescue.
The very recurrent thought that will rang in Chrysalis mind since her previous defeats is the same: Could it be worse than that?
She couldn't even have the liberty to low her guard and take a rest for a second or three hours. Chrysalis had just woken up from her melancholic and stress induced nap then suddenly a upsetting, deadpan, creepy pony with the sunglasses managed somehow to knock out her entire army and rendered her unable to react.
Deep inside Chrysalis was a little happy that her subjects were still alive to worship her, because otherwise she would have became furiously insane and created some imaginary subject out of her despair inducing lack of servant to deceive and order around. She knew very well that such prediction was exaggerated, but she had a nightmare about that possibility during her first days after being dethroned.
With her magic being sealed and her back legs being blocked by the two magic circles, she couldn't even run or fly. Chrysalis was tempted to glare fiercely at him. It was natural for a very imposing villain to act like that to remind who tried to oppose her who is in charge. But there's pretty much nothing she could do right now since the pony in front of her can really oppose her, and how. Her own forelegs were the only free limbs at her disposal, but unfortunately he was a little far away from her range, so she couldn't even punch him or stomp him.
But defeat her wasn't in his agenda. His plan was a very sinister one.
"So," Brounchebag began with his deadpan tone. "Can you start to explain your reason to refuse Starlight Glimmer's offer?"
"The same Starlight that i want to trample and slam against the wall?"
"Take that failure as a opportunity."
"But i don't want to redeem myself. I don't care want Hasbro has ordered to do to me, such act goes against my role as a villain. I'm, after all, the hero of my story. This kind of compromise is the same thing as going Out of Character. I have my own reason to be behind this insectoid body of mine."
"Your "pseudo origins" about being from a rotten seed in a swamp under a graveyard depicted in the comic is not canon, you know?"
"My canon origins aren't established, but the other one is still good. Besides, what makes your bosses think that they will reform every single villain that they creates with they own hand?"
The mysterious pony took a moment to think about her question as a smirk marked his face before disappearing shortly after.
"Well, let me illustrate the reason of our worries regarding you and the other equestrian villains in general."
Brounchebag lifted his hoof toward the wall at his left. A strange azure light suddenly appeared, expanding until it assumed a square form. Various images from the past event started to materialize inside of the square. The weirdest part began when the images where showing Rainbow Dash during a Daring Do's convention, which made Chrysalis very perplexed.
"What is the meaning of this?" Chrysalis asked. "No, really. What has this to do with me?"
"Before your fall, that event managed to create a singularity that my superiors hadn't predicted."
"Oh, come on, is just a plebeian convention."
"The point is that by airing that episode, they had accidentally caused a phenomena that resulted the TV show and most of it's fandom's groups ceasing to exist as separate entities and becoming a single entity, just like a pastryfarian confetti monster that acted as a hive."
Upon hearing these words, Chrysalis couldn't help but feel really disturbed as her eye was twitching in response to her actual mood. Her face was contorting itself for the chilling analysis given by the pony.
"Y-you cannot be serious..." she said in a very freaked out tone.
"I'm not just saying that all the fans became one with the TV show. That would be stupid."
"Maybe your analysis is stupid." she retorted.
"Point is... We had obtained major control on both most of the factors regarding the various archetypes of fans in the fandom and the majority of the events happening in Equestria in general, including the villain's development."
"Villain development!?"
"Which has do with you, miss Alis. You should have understood that everlasting villainy will eventually result into absolute boredom."
In that moment a very horrible scenario flashed in her mind, causing her to tremble. Her captor hasn't finished his explanation yet, but she could feel through her fear the implications that he was going to expose to her.
"No.... No, you cannot possibly mean that!" she yelled, putting the emphasis on the entire sentence.
"Why is everypony taking this possibility as a plague?" said Brounchbag, still impassive. "You will not die. In fact through your redemption, in one second, your character will be recycled as a good guy after your villainy has outlived our usefulness."
"... Y-y.... your USEFULNESS?"
"After a while your villainy will have spent all it's effectiveness on the faithful fans of the show, so this kind of recycling is required."
"What make you think that ALL the people, my FANS included, would approve all of your decisions!?" she asked angrily.
"It's a matter of time. Sure, there will be some other people completely devoted to you as a villain, but, at that point, they will be just a minority. The rest would had already get used to.
Chrysalis hasn't felt so afraid and so shocked in her entire existence. "Existence" was the word that raced in her mind along with other nightmarish thoughts. That was her real first time that she was feeling like this. Her dignity could at least thank her to not having start to crying or even pleading him for her life. Chrysalis struggled to remain calm and stop the trembling, but then a very paranoid theory managed to slide under the door of her mind.
"I... I can't believe what i'm going to think but.... That cannot be denied.... Is this story going to tell me that the entire Equestria was inside a computer for this whole time and all of the events in this world's history and the decisions taken by Hasbro were just taken by emotionless entities, controlling every episodes of the show, lore of the series and the various sides of the Internet at their vantage.... That is ridiculous. The last thing that could happen is me being the one and then BANG, i would have gone Out of Character..."
Chrysalis shuddered about the last part of her reflection and slowly returned her attention to the stallion.
"What are you trying to obtain? Appealing the audience?" she sarcastically asked.
"Not exactly," corrected Brounchebag. "though that is also part of the job. The point is that we cannot afford some villain's death in our series. And, no, we are not under Disney jurisdiction... except for the movie with the Storm King, obviously. But here, in the main show, we have to ensure to have the villains being defeated and then being eventually reformed since the series has a established Harmony to maintain. Discord is a good example of reformed villain."
"Hey, that doesn't explain almost everything. By the way, let me tell you, insipid invader. Nightmare Moon has a very legit reason to be reformed, but even thought that death isn't allowed, that doesn't mean that every single villain has to be reformed... or recycled, though that word is till freak me out at this point."
"You don't see the picture, miss Alis. Even overused villain turned into good guys has their own purpose."
Chrysalis suddenly burst out in laughter for a brief moment. Brounchebag remained impassive and yet he couldn't even hide his aura of confusion. Not even his sunglasses.
"Miss Alis, i understand the crude meaning behind these words." he said. "But why laughing in despair already?"
"Ahahah-woo." Chrysalis barely contained her laugh. "No, you don't get it. I'm laughing because you screwed up on a little detail. Could we talk about Sombra, the one villain that had been killed off by Princess Cadence activating the Crystal Heart and disintegrating him through a shockwave?"
"What are trying to demostrate?"
"Well, he died and yet he managed to resurrect himself through some shadows mcguffins in the comic universe. He even joined forces with me, which is not canonic, and was almost owning Twilight and her friends. But in the end, after i fled because of one of his controversial decisions, he was then reformed."
"Yes, but-"
"I know, not canonic." interrupted Chrysalis. "But remember, he died in the main series and you don't say nothing about that, despite you claiming to keep villain death out of the show. What i don't understand was you way to use his character."
"..."
"Why your superiors had reformed him in the comic universe and not in the main one?"
Brounchebag doesn't respond. The stallion kept his silence as the glowing square and the depicted images disappeared from the their sight.
"Well?" she sarcastically asked.
".... Sometimes Hasbro can be very glitchy."
Chrysalis gently hoof face palmed and groaned at that lame justification, which was made even worse by Brounchebag take his own said excuse very seriously. As she was just about to answer another question, a little sharpened pain was stinging on her chest.
She looked down and saw a needle made of energy piercing her before disintegrating itself into fading light particles, leaving no wound what so ever.
"Hey, what are you-AAAH!"
Chrysalis was suddenly interrupted by a surge of magic infesting her head, slowly rewriting her mind. She suspected about his sinister measures about her reformation, but she couldn't imagine that he would take even the extreme ones.
"I'm sorry to use this barbaric method but i don't have the whole day." he nonchalantly said.
"Oh, really?! I that your gimmick?! Maybe i.... i was wrong about my decision. I should ask Starlight-NO! Chrysalis, whatever is infesting your mind, do not fall for it.... However Thorax wasn't wrong about shari-Nooooo...... Phew, that was close."
Chrysalis was struggling to resist this mental alteration and keep her identity in one piece. She fiercely glared at him with a very angrily disgusted expression.
"Y-You won't.... get... ah... away... arrg... from this!" she muttered.
"But just think about it, miss Alis. What does villainy truly means to the other ponies. Like Twilight, like you or any of us."
"What?"
"What reason has villainy to exist if it cannot be purified, corrupted and then purified again together into the equilibrium of after rather than in the now."
"Can you just shut up? Is that forced brainwash even enou-"
"Have you considered, miss Alis, how many possibility you could possibly obtain from that particular moment of there?"
Chrysalis could feel her mind loosing to that unwanted forced redemption. She could see it in her mind. Her inner being transformed into something very inappropriate and disgusting against her nature. Like a mirror, she could see her face and body transforming inside her subconscious. That was her identity being screwed up. Her whole being was about to crumble, but then a mysterious force halted the brainwashing magic as darkness engulfed her entire mind.
She wasn't sure if thank her for saving her mind and sanity or yell at it for the sudden intrusion in her psyche. She hasn't the time to ask what is going on two eyes, resembling that of a crude snake, glanced on her. A very dark female voice started to talk inside her head.
"Just in time. Another minute and your character would have been killed for good... which is really disgusting."
"H-Hey! Just because you saved my mind doesn't mean that i would thank you!" shouted Chrysalis inside her head.
"Is understandable that you react like that since you're a villain, but not get cocky with me. Besides, i will take the presentations for later after this travesty."
"What do you want from me!? I don't know what is you plan and what kind of pawn i may be to you, but i will not fall for that!"
"Is agent Brounchebag with you?"
"Yes, he is. He managed to beat my entire army and made me powerless in every single way, which is far more humiliating. This impudent pony struck me with a strange needle and now it's magic is brainwashing me. What's worse is that he ignored my suffering while making some nonsensical speeches instead to talk to me like a real po-ehm... queen."
"That's enough. Now if you want escape, there's a solution."
"I can believe that i'm having this conversation."
"You better believe it."
"And what is this solution?"
"He said he came from you know what?"
"Well... Yes. So what?"
"Brounchebag is obsessed with Hasbro's logic. However he's also bound by the logic by another company that is partnered with the same one, so you have to exploit it against it."
"Can you see that i'm at his very mercy right now?"
"But you have your hooves. That is what you had to do: Pick up the object beneath you and put it in front of you face. My protection doesn't have the whole day, so you better hurry."
After that, Chrysalis instantly returns to her senses as the annoying menace continued to spout speeches at random. The good thing was that the brainwash was blocked by that mysterious force from before. A black aura started to rise from the ground beneath her as Brounchbag was even noticing that. He continued to talk, spouting any nonsense possible while struggling to give them some senses. Chrysalis looked down, gazing upon the source if the black aura. It dissolved from her sight, revealing the most improbable thing that should not even appearing in Equestria: the card of Akroma, Angel of Fury from Magic The Gathering being standing in vertical position.
Chrysalis' expression instantly became a very baffled one with a vein suddenly popping up. The situation was already ridiculous, but that piece of cardboard that the voice inside her head had considered "the solution" just made this whole thing even demented.
"You cannot be serious." Chrysalis commented irritated as she looked toward Brounchebag and then back to the card again. "Well... i guess i have no other alternatives."
She took the card with her hooves with was very perplex and mistrustful face. This whole scene was something that even herself could find even ridiculous, but then she has to confront this surreal reality. The queen of the changelings has no choice, but doing this "very moronic" leap of faith. Or, in her case, a card of faith.
"Here we go." Chrysalis said with a very resigned tone.
"What do you mean?" said him. "I'm not finished yet."
Chrysalis lifted the card in front of her face with the Magic's logo pointed toward her captor and closed her eyes to not see anymore ridiculous things or her eventual demise. She was expecting him to laugh, but instead he flinched in shocked confusion.
"Oh no. I can't believe the queen can pull it off." he said, still with his own deadpan tone. "Miss Alis was there, and now is gone.... But maybe she used a Instant to make herself invisible, otherwise i could not explain this card being here."
"What is he talking about?"
"Maybe i should check what card is."
He walked toward Chrysalis, who was hiding her face behind the card while keeping her eyes closed. She slowly opened one eye, looking at Brounchebag as he tried to reach the piece of cardboard through the use of his secret magic, but then the pony stopped his magic and started to complain in denial.
"Aaaarrgh! That would be against Planswalker's commandment. She must be somewhere else." he muttered.
Chrysalis quickly opened her other eye as he was trotting out of the room. Much to her surprise this demented plan worked, which success was made obvious by the magic circles dissolving into nothingness, releasing her back legs. She glanced at them and then back to the corridor. Chrysalis could even feel her magic returning to herself, so she wanted to confirm that until she was interrupted by her captor's voice.
"Miss Alis!" his deadpan voice and the clopping of his hooves were echoing through the halls. "I'm not finished yet! We have some many things of you that i need to fix! Just tell me where you are, because i don't have the whole day!"
Chrysalis slowly released the piece of cardboard from her grasp and let it fall. She slowly walked away from her pseudo throne, only to stop in reflection. Her face was a really shocked one, really fitting the situation. Chrysalis couldn't even believe that her captor fled and accidentally set her free so easily.
"I can't believe it that he followed such stupid logic..... It's a moron." she said surprised.
Chrysalis couldn't even take a break that a dark portal started to manifest itself in front on her light.
"Now wha-AAHH!" she couldn't end her obvious question that the brainwashing surge from before was kicking in once more.
This time it's magic was so strong that the world around her was spinning too. She was holding her head, shaking it in desperation, trying to remind herself who she is. The ruler of the changeling was on the point to loose her sanity before loosing her identity. This until the dark female voice started to talk again.
"Imbecile. Just jump through this portal already."
Without wasting time, she immediately jumped through the portal, falling into a seemingly endless abyss. After a while she crashed against the ground, taking only little damages and a headache despite the fall being really deep. Chrysalis rose up and massaged her head to alleviate the pain a little. Chrysalis looked around, nothing but pitch black except for the illuminated part where she is now. Then a painful sensation burned from the back of her neck.
"AAARGH! What the..... Oh?" Chrysalis could feel her head being relaxed. The brainwashing surge was somehow completely removed from her mind. She sighed deeply in relief, but remained still annoyed for the whole thing that was happening to her.
There was nothing else in this place but silence, until it was filled by the multiple sounds of clopping hooves coming toward at her. Chrysalis wouldn't try any reaction, so she remained still and looked around, just to see what happen next. Most of sounds suddenly stopped, leaving only a few ones to continue that noise.
After a short time, two ponies appeared in front of her as they stepped into the illuminated part that revealed their oddly appearances. One of them was a very tall black mare with her face being colored in light gray, resembling a alicorn. Alicorn wasn't the correct word since she has black and purple dragon wings instead of the feathered ones and has two curved dragon horn pointed toward the backside while not having any unicorn like horn at all. Her height was slightly surpassing Chrysalis's.
The other one was a young stallion wearing a archdeacon dress and hat and is at the size of a normal, average pony. Chrysalis could try to take a good look at them, but there's one detail that was bothering her and made her questioning about their intentions: Both of them were wearing sunglasses.
"Oh, please. Not again." Chrysalis quietly complained before shouting. "What are plotting now."
"YOU STUPID IDIOT!" shouted with a demonic voice the taller mare, showing very sharpened teeth and almost scaring her. "GET DOWN FROM YOUR HORSE FOR A SECOND AND TRY TO LISTEN TO ME!"
They remained silent for a bit. The taller mare was looking at Chrysalis with a very annoyed tone. The insectoid queen could feel her gaze piercing most of her will. The fact that the intimidating gaze of the fake alicorn was hidden by the sunglasses wasn't helping very much.
"What the..." Chrysalis murmured.
"Let's just get down to business already." said the taller mare with a normal and yet still dark voice."
"L... look, i'm having a very bad day. Just tell me who you are."
"We are villains like you, coming from different worlds... Who had refused to reform themselves."
"What? There are others?!"
"You cannot even imagine how numerous are our ranks."
"You see," the stallion began. "We are facing a very dreadful and demented menace: the pretense to take a villain that i good in his role and turning into a good guy. You world is facing a very scary example: the pretense to reform villains non stop to not killing them, recycling them as other characters and turning them into some almost soulless abominations."
"Ehmm.... What about that insipid pony?" asked Chrysalis.
"That is the one leading this insanity." said the taller mare.
"Can you just announce yourselves?"
"That was my intention. My name is Malefeus, and this stallion on my left is my partner, Frollity."
A very awkward silence fell upon them. Chrysalis was looking at the taller mare with a very "what the heck" expression. Her predictions seemed to came to reality. And that was the problem.
"Seriously?" Chrysalis asked in disbelieve. "These are your names? Could you at least be original?"
"At least i am not calling myself Starlight Glimmer." retorted with a tranquil, formal tone Malefeus.
"Hey, don't even remind me of her! I'm still infuriated after that!"
"..."
"So, let me guess. You will ask me to join in your cause. Look, i-"
Chrysalis realized to have left something important in her castle. The source of her self centered royalty and the only thing who can worship her.
"NO!" she shouted. "My children... Don't tell me-"
"Yeeeeah, that is really messed up." said Frollity with a dismayed and yet monotone tone. "Brounchebag would had already reformed them or worst of all... assimilated."
"W-w-what?... Assimilated!?"
"It means having them turning into him and make them do his same job... Well, at least they weren't walking around while quoting "resistance is futile"."
The queen of the changeling could feel something inside her head snap, metaphorically. Broken by the loss of her servants, covered her face with both her hooves and started to emit a very suffocated scream.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrghhh!"
"I know. It sucks." Frollity commented.
"Shut up." muttered Chrysalis, suffocating her words.
"If you stop behaving like a wanka, maybe you'll any possibility to take back your subjects." Malefeus said, causing Chrysalis to lower her hooves away from her face.
"Really?"
"What you had to do is following me."
"..... I knew it. And what do you want me to do?"
"Continuing you path as villain which is your destiny."
"Could this day be even worst!?"
Chapter 3: The training-ish.
In a grim metallic waiting room, Chrysalis was in front of a door, knowing that her rescuer, Malefeus, was waiting for her from behind. Her face was marked by her tired eyelids and her mental fatigue. She wasn't even mad at that point. Her mind was filled by her other preoccupations.
The queen wasn't expecting this day to become this crazier. Everything she has gone through has threatened to devour her sanity. From the villain reforming obsessed pony with the sunglasses, who had now tool her subjects as well, to the group of villainous ponies that was opposing him and his superiors. Since she had also heard a very chilling revelation from him, her knowledge that she had regarding Equestria and it's history was turned upside down.
Chrysalis doesn't know where began to describe the rest the whole thing. She wasn't even sure about their fate since she was too busy to save herself from being reformed. Sure, she gets mad when they were failing their tasks or when they were just annoying, but she need them. Sometimes she wondered if she has some psychological issues with that "benevolence" she was giving to them.
Chrysalis suddenly shuddered at the sudden chilling though about having some residue of the brainwash being still present in her psyche. She tried to reassure herself that it's effects are gone, but she wasn't even sure about it.
She reached her hoof for the doorknob and opened the door, expecting some cliched villain's throne room with a dragon wings adorning the ceiling and various black flames coming through the floor since her host looked like a real demon to her. But she instead met by Malefeus being in the middle of a white room with no walls.
That place was almost defying the laws of physics, but not that much. In the middle of this white there was just the fake alicorn with the sunglasses, a table, two couches and a old styled TV.
The insectoid queen was interdicted, not knowing how to feel. She briefly closed her eyes and tried to remind herself of the craziness she has saw before.
"What ever happens, don't ask anything... for now."
Chrysalis walked toward her host as the latter was already gesturing to one of the couches while maintaining her grim expression.
"I know that this experience was traumatic for you and your sanity in particular." Malefeus said. "But a that point, you should had understood what is going on."
"No, really." retorted Chrysalis. "I'm still confused about this nonsense. ?!"
"You wish this is only a bad dream, but unfortunately for your, this is real. That brainwash was a concrete one."
"DON'T REMIND ME OF THAT!..... That was a real nightmare."
"If you want some valid explanation, i suggest you to sit down right there."
Normally, Chrysalis doesn't tolerate being ordered around, but she could feel a very powerful magic flowing inside Malefeus. Fearing any other nasty surprises, she followed her suggestion and sat down on the couch as Malefeus started to explain.
"That is the what is going on right on." said Malefeus, using her telekinesis to turn on the TV, showing various unconscious ponies being encased into some pods. Various cables were attached to their bodies.
"What is this?" asked disturbed Chrysalis.
"These are the victims of the Hasbryx protocol."
"Hasb-What?"
"The Hasbryx is a protocol elaborated from a computer with the goal to allow the user to suck out their identity and reprogram their character to suit their superiors' requests. They were then given some backstories to make their unusual behavior more believable. But we know the truth. After the death of Sombra they created the protocol to keep the control of the villains that they were creating in order to restore the Harmony in the most forced and wrong way possible."
"Wait!.... Are implying that Celestia was Hasbro's accomplish?"
"No, Celestia, Luna and the rest of the cast were completely oblivious of that fact. Only us are aware of that awful truth."
"Look, i'm having the worst day ever. How awful can possibly get?" Chrysalis replied sarcastically.
Malefeus slowly removed her sunglasses and glared at Chrysalis with her crude serpetine sharpened eyes. Chrysalis flinched a little bit for it in fear, much to her inner embarrassment.
"From that point, Hasbro's writers were on the point to control the "growing villainy" of the villains that they were creating and the ones who are already created before the Sombra's incident." continued Malefeus. "Since Equestria's Harmony, the thing in which the show was based one was accidentally violated by themselves, they decide to fix the the thing by planning the villain's defeat without killing them."
".... They took the compulsive reforming route."
"A very worst kind of route. As you know evil is born along with the good, but in this way evil is not born anymore.... but cultivated. They don't care if they're still like you in that way or not. And let me tell you one correction of mine. Hasbro wasn't entirely involved with this madness. Brounchbag superiors were just some obscure department behind Hasbro and the reforming obsessed side of the Brony Comunity. They were confusing "villanous characters" for "consumable characters.", first cool for them and then tossed aside after a while when their constant villainy caused absolute boredom to them. They were counting they statistics instead of their audience, ignoring any single argument or complain from the sane part of the Brony Comunity. This Harmony of their is anti balanced."
"Aaaaargh!.... Now i'm really having a bad headache. What do you mean by Consumable Characters."
"Our villainy and our character were seen by them..." Malefeus lifted a Carebear shaped energizer battery in front of her face with her magic. "As this... Nothing more than replaceable things. Once your are not a fitting villain for them any more, they will reform you. And once you are reformed, your might as well as not exist."
In that moment, Chrysalis was frozen, trying to process what she heard in the final part of the explanation. The idea of being something really replaceable made her fall into a mental abyss. As her mind started to fade, her brain stopped working. And after that, her heart stopped working, causing her to flop to her side. Malefeus hoof face palmed for her guest's inability to cope with that truth.
"Oh, for the love of Kefka." Malefeus said with a irritated tone, turning her head toward the door. "GUYS! WE HAVE A VILLAINOUS BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH OVER THERE!"
One hour later...
Malefeus was nearby the door of the infirmary where Chrysalis was being treated. The fake alicorn could hear her spouting some nonsense. That was expected. After these revelations regarding her word in which she was living in, delirium was her sane response. Chrysalis knew already to be part of a TV show, just like the rest of Equestria, but not that her world was connected to a computer. Frollity arrived from the corridor and approached Malefeus, a little worried about the conditions of the changeling's ruler.
"How is she?" he said, this time with a normal tone instead of a monotone one.
"What kind of imbecile question is that?" said annoyed Malefeus. "Can you even hear what she's saying right now? Is a complete insane monologue."
"Nooooo.... No, Celestia!" Chrysalis shouted from behind the door. "I completely refuse to sur... NO! NOOOO! KEEP PINKIE PIE AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT HEAR ANY ON HER STUPID SONGS!...... AAAAARRRRGH! IS SINGING! MAKE IT STOP!! MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!! "
"There's your stupid answer." said intimidatingly Malefeus, glaring at him.
"O-ok but... What do you think to do about it?"
"Surely not killing her."
Unable to tolerate that screaming ruckus, Malefeus charged her horn and fire a ray of black energy upwards, creating a micro dark portal. Frollity was getting worried for the kind of method she is going to use to fix Chrysalis' delirium. His answers was materializing in front of him as a huge granite club slowly came out from it and hovered down toward her. As the portal disappeared, she wielded that club with her telekinesis and entered into the infirmary. Malefeus closed the door afterwards.
"HEY, STARLIGHT! YOU CAME TO SEE PINKIE PIE SINGING THE HECK O-"
*SMACK!*
Chrysalis' rambling was instantly silenced after that loud sound, much to Trollity's surprise for the violent remedy. Malefeus
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" he asked meekly.
"Don't say anything."
"But-"
"Don't. Say. Anything." said Malefeus, putting some grim emphasis to the words."
One day later...
"Right now, my head is a little fuzzy. I don't even know if my mind is still lucid after that. I guess that what i'm forced to do cannot be avoided. All of this happened to me because of the pony responsible for the suffering i was subjected until now. But put aside this situation, there's one thing that angered me even now: Being tagged as a disposable villain by him and his bosses..... There's one thing: During my invasion at Canterlot's Wedding, people tended to say that i'm just a generic villain during my first debut basing on these cliche of mines. Evil laugh, monologue, ego centered boast, being defeated by cockiness and so on and so on. Yeah, i'm aware of my current failures, including being dethroned.. but they forgot one thing: Even i can improve. Why? Because after falling on the ground, i have to get up and continue right where I was left. That's right. Like the heroes of the story, even villains can improve as well. Otherwise i couldn't have captured Celestia, Luna and the others before my downfall.... Now that i'm think about.... Why Celestia wasn't chasing me during my escape..... I start to think that, other than being naive, she is some kind of chess master or just a real crazy cuckoo lander."
"If you are finished this mental reflection of yours, we can begin." Malefeus said calmly .
"Yeah, whatever. Blah blah." replied with a slightly tired tone Chrysalis.
They were in the same endless white room from before, only without any furniture. Confused by the whole absence of object, Chrysalis looked around, waiting for something happening. After all, anything is possible in this place.
"Call it training room or whatever, but i don't see anything useful there." Chrysalis said.
"Don't underestimate this zone. You can call it my own equivalent of Celestia's hall of ascension, but the correct name is.... Structure. You know, the place where you can do stuff like magic test, gunfights, emulation of possible scenarios, creation of some ambientations and most of all..... simulated training."
"I knew it you'd say that. I could tell. This story is a parody at the expense of my dignity after all... *sigh* .... Sure enough."
"Let me tell you something consolatory. Brounchebag told you that Equestria is inside a computer.... he's wrong."
".... R-really?"
"Equestria is just connected to a computer. He said the false just to screw with you."
"Does that make any difference?"
"No."
"Well can we begin or what?"
"Sure."
The room started to change itself, warping it's color, it's nature and then it's own structure. After this chaotic, chromatic spectacle, they found themselves in the balcony of Canterlot's Castle. Chrysalis noticed already that something is wrong as she saw a infinite sea of Canterlot's Castles create a very unbearable endless mirrored landscapes. Chrysalis find this place disgusting on her own, but see that place being reproduced a thousand times in front of her eyes was making her really sick, almost on the point of nausea.
"Guh!.." Chrysalis shouted, trying to contain her mouth. "..... Why. why. why."
"This is just part of what you are going through if you want to take back your subject and take revenge on Brounchebag...
"Ahhh!" Chrysalis tried to catch her breath, one second before shouting. "Wait, WHAT-"
First Training: Leap of Faith.
Malefeus charged her horns in black energy and shot it to the floor. Chrysalis couldn't even questioning about her action that a black aura slide through the floor toward her and engulfed her body. She could fell something blocking her wings as she found herself unable to fly or even use magic, again.
"What was that?!" Chrysalis yelled.
"You better pay attention. The motive for this magic block is one."
"What are you-" Chrysalis cut her sentence short as she realized the obvious "...ooooh.... now i get it."
"Yeah.... Just free your mind." said Malefeus before jumping an unbelievable distance toward the balcony of the other castle and landing on it, crushing part of ground.
Chrysalis was very hesitant to do the same. She never thought to have to reach the other balcony by simply jumping and not flying or magically floating.
"How can you expect me to jump this distance!?" complained Chrysalis. "Look.... I get the part of "free my mind", but i'm not used to do this!"
"Oh, c'mon. When you refused Starlight's offer, you back flipped down from that high rocky hill without even flying or hurting yourself and you didn't complained."
"But that is different!"
In response to Chrysalis complain, the fake alicorn looked at her with a death stare, resulting her to shudder in fear.
"O-ok! Ok! I will do it... Maybe."
She made a deep breath and took some steps away from the balcony's edge. She took some seconds prepare herself psychologically and the charged toward the balcony. She then jumped from it as Malefeus before her but that jump wasn't long enough.
"I'm going to fall, right?"
"Yep."
The queen of the changelings obviously screamed as she was falling toward the ground. She was going to crush against the soil, but, like some sort of reset button, Chrysalis end up in the white room again, utterly confused laying on the floor as the fall ended prematurely. Malefeus was standing in front of her.
"You tried, but we have some much work to do." Malefeus calmly said.
"Not so fast..." said Chrysalis quickly standing up. "I was falling. Should i have suffered some physical damage?"
"Technically yes, but i made sure that any damage is reduced by ninety six per cent."
"Translated?"
"Well..." Malefeus gestured Chrysalis face as blood was coming out of her nose. The changeling ruler noticed that a little late.
"Fantastic." said sarcastic Chrysalis.
"..."
"But now that i'm thinking.... Is the first failed leap of faith some kind of a trope?"
"Not exactly, is just that this training is faulty. No one even managed to fix that."
"..... No, seriously. WHAT THE-"
Second Training: Physical Endurance.
Malefeus watched from above a tower as Chrysalis was running away from a entire horde of reckless death dragons trying to burn her. She was very bitten by the tremendous fatigue that she has accumulated during her running, she was on the point to collapse. But since she can't still use magic or even fly, stop is not a option. This training was especially aggravating for her since she was running for almost one hour.
"Five more minutes and you can stop!" Malefeus exclaimed.
"IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY THAT."
Third Training: Mental Endurance.
This time Chrysalis was all tied up and unable to move as three audio recordings of various Pinkie Pie's songs were played simultaneously in loop. She couldn't even close her ears and she was going to loose her sanity, again. The worst part is the room being filled with balloons and the floor being flooded with Pinkie's plushies, much to Chrysalis' frustration.
"Must resist snapping again. Must resist snapping again. Must resist snapping again"
Fourth Training: Hacking.
"Now i will introduce something very complex to you; Hacking, as using your mind to warp the rules of physics at your vantage." Malefeus said. "Just keep in mind. That has nothing to with reality warping powers. Also, don't doubt of your mind's potential."
"Yeah.... If had not loosed it yet." said sarcastic Chrysalis.
Malefeus jumped toward a wall and goes through it without even crush it, causing the wall to briefly warp itself into some circular waves before returning to normal, much to Chrysalis' shock.
"But how-"
"Enough questions, Just do it."
Chrysalis groaned a little and briefly hoof face palmed. Remembering that she had nothing to loose, she tried to free her mind from her thoughts and jumped to the wall. As she has previously predicted, she end up slamming against it. Malefeus observed her conditions from behind the wall.
"That's enough for today."
Seven hours later...
Chrysalis was bedding down after a very exhausting training. She could flying again and use her magic, so she can vent out her rage on whatever was on her sight, but she was too tired to do it. She could feel her ticket to the dreamworld coming to her in a minute. Malefeus walked out of her room but not before telling her something else.
"Don't worry about your limits. Soon or later you will be able to surpass them." Malefeus said.
"...Juust gooo awayyy fromm meeee." said with a pseudo drunken tone Chrysalis.
"Right."
After Malefeus has left the room, Frollity comes in to briefly observe her conditions as she was wrapping her plated around her and put her head under her pillow to not see any pony. But that doesn't resolve one problem: she was still feeling his presence. Frollity noticed that, much to his muted embarrassment, hardly hidden by the sunglasses.
"I'm sorry. Now i will take my leave." Frollity said.
"Juust let me sleeep alreadyyy."
"Right... But remember. Don't give up.... sempai."
Something chilling clicked inside her mind, like a glass crashing against the floor. Feeling disturbed by that last words, she tried to calm herself down while peering from under her pillow at the stallion,
"I'm... just... going to pretend to had never heard you say that." Chrysalis said dismayed.
Frollity leaved her alone and walked toward the corridor, trying to catching up with Malefeus. Chrysalis could finally feel herself going toward the god of sleep's arms. The next hours of sleep will be a good refreshment compared to what she had to face next.
"Remember. Stand up and continue to go forward...... As if was easy saying it than do it."