A Charming Story

Chrysalis stood outside a massive cave entrance, gnarled dead trees coated the mountain around it. Moss covered most of the rocks, bones of various creatures and pony races littered the ground. Skulls were impaled on stakes among the rocks as the alicorn started gingerly stepping into the cave itself. The scent of decay filled her nostrils as she could feel the anguish of every soul lost, cries for loved onesthat were lost to the wind echoed in the natural magic of the air. This was not a safe or harmonious place, it was a graveyard and sacred place to Death. Chrysalis had only ever met that pony when she spent time and gave love to those who were about to pass on. Each time was hard for her, it never got easier as the embodiment of death scared her beyond anything the mortal world had.

Stalactites hung low from the roof as she created a small light orb that floated a few feet in front of her. The walls were painted with a dark red substance, the metallic smell in the air already told her it was dried blood. Grotesque pictures of ponies's deaths coated the walls. Her stomach churned as she kept walking deeper into the maw of death, each step causing her to worry even more.

"Why would Celestia and Luna come to a place like this... We are supposed to fix problems together as a family not on our own. I have to protect them, they are still so young." Something that could of made a place like this and hide from her for so long was too powerful for her daughters. It must be a necromancer that created this, no other being could create such a desolate place where no love or life could thrive.

As she got deeper the stone around her began to look carved, nothing neat or even like the stones of her house or the ones surrounding hers. Rough claw marks told her something made these walls, scratching away till it was a perfect arch almost with a smooth floor. Only a few things could do such feats and the first she thought of was Diamond Dogs. Though her hypothesis was proven wrong as a groan echoed down the hall. She wasn't alone anymore.

A shambling heap of something began working its way towards her. This creature actually made her vomit as it was a blog mixture of all sorts of things. There were limbs of all kinds, minotaur, buffalo, pony, griffon, wolf, cow, and several others as it was a large pink mass of flesh. The odor it gave off was of decay and rotting flesh, maggots wriggled around over it. Each time it moved puss oozed out various wounds along the limbs as it make a squelching noise.

Chrysalis had no hope for this thing as she wiped her mouth with a hoof. Standing tall she focused her magic along the horn, a pink ball forming at the end before she tilted forward and a ray of magic shot toward the thing. She expected it to disappear entirely as the spell was designed to disintegrate obstacles ponies found when digging. The smoke cleared and to her horror there was a golden shield surrounding the beast, she knew that magic and could feel its power from here.

That was her daughter's aura she felt from the shield. "Oh Celestia..." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she focused her magic and soon had five orbs surrounding her horn, each a different color. They began swirling together to create a rainbow before shooting off with an explosive shockwave rocking the cave around them as dust and rocks began falling from the ceiling. A sonic rainbow blast using the elements of Harmony contained within her soul was the only way she could think of destroying this beast.

The dust clouded her vision before she summoned the wind to blow it away, revealing a shimmering azure and gold shield surrounding the beast.... Her strongest magic had failed to destroy or even break the barrier as she just felt the sorrow of losing both children to this monster overtake her.

Tears clouded her vision as sorrow overtook her heart, the only emotion she felt right now was lose and anger as streaks of powerful destruction spells began flying from her horn. She drew from every reserve of power she had, all the elements of Harmony and Equess being used against the barrier to try and destroy what took the only thing that mattered to her.

But the shield kept hding as the creature kept encroaching on her, she thought about running away but what was the point when she had nothing left in this world. Sure there were the ponies who looked to her for guidance but how could she lead or protect them when she couldn't even protect her own children.

All her energy pooled itself into one last burst of magic as she called upon the fires of Tartarus to shoot an arc of green fire at the shield, it harmlessly bounced off and diminished into nothing. Chrysalis collapsed, exhausted as she had used the last of her magic in the attack, all strength gone as she accepted her fate.

The creature finally arrived at her, bloated boils popped as the spray coavered her from head to tail in thick slimy gunk. She didn't care anymore as she accepted her fate, but she would at least be with her daughters.

A warn sensation overcame her as the mass began wrapping around her, swallowing her body as she held her head up high, awaiting to take her last breath. Before she was finally swallowed the creature stopped, a look of confusion crossing her face before a soft golden light filled the cave. A gasp escaped her lips as before her stood her daughters, perfectly healthy and alive... Questions raced through her mind as she struggled to break free, her voice lost to her as she was too exhausted to yell.

Celestia stepped forward, Luna beside her with glazed over golden eyes. Her mind was not her own as it was clear she didn't realize anything anything hat was going on around her. A puppet beside its master as the curtains were ready to close on the life of a mother.

"Poor dear mother, eaten alive by some horrible beast you went to spay without us. The ponies will meet urn you but I shall fill the place left in their hearts, and my dear sister will lock herself away in mourning so no one will question your death. Some may but they will meet the same fate you did today. You may ask yourself, 'But my dear daughter... Why do this to your own mother?' Well to answer that, its simple. I want to be the ruler of ponies." A snarl escaped her lips as she slowly moved closer towards the entrapped Queen. "I want the ponies to love and do what I say, not be happy and have their own way of life. That is not order, it is not Harmony. Harmony is structure and order, to have that you need a leader to follow without question. You don't know how to rule ponies, you said so yourself that ponies don't really need a ruler. But they do mother, ponies are stupid by nature and bicker over the smallest things. They need a monarch to guide then and show then how to follow the rules. Luna will be beside my as a figure head, guided by the sorrow of 'Would mom approve?' She will do as I wish her and it will be by simply using the guilt of knowing you'd be disappointed in her for something she'd want to do hersl way and not mine. I am the true embodiment of Harmony. Now I shall show you."

Shadows began swirling around Celesti's horn as dark green light filled the air. Soon a tendril of energy stretched towards Chrysalis before diving right though her chest and gripping her soul. It ripped out the Elements of Harmony before solidifying them into solid shapes. The same green energy finally pushed the former monarchs head inside the goo. Both princesses began walking away with the elements floating behind them.

"Goodbye mother." Those were the last words Chrysalis heard before the mass was engulfed in the green fire of Tartarus.