Steely Heart, Perpetual Spark

Chrysalis slowly woke from her slumber to the sound of a dull rumble from outside. She opened her eyes to notice the dimly lit interior of the wagon. Although the curtain was a fairly dark color, the bright sun still managed to pierce through them. Not having a proper bed for so long, she just wanted to lay there a little while longer. Her jaw rested against her right forearm, while the hoof of her left arm hung off the bed.

Her rear legs laid atop each other and were outstretched toward the bottom right corner of the bed. With a slight groan, she wrestled herself out of bed. Yawning, Chrysalis levitated a bottle of water and brought it to hover in front of her. Removing the cap, she took several gulps to quench her dry throat. Carrying the rest to the small mirror, she poured it into the basin.

Using her magic, she gathered the water into a circular shape. While maintaining that shape, she began to meticulously alter its texture to a more cloth-like composition. It wasn’t the most efficient way to wash one's face but it was better than nothing.

Chrysalis began to clean the dirt that had built up while being in the Everfree from her face. Once done, she levitated the soiled water back into the basin. With the removal of her magic, the water instantly reverted to its original fluid state. Next, she directed her magic to the roots of her mane and combed outward. As the magic traveled the length of her mane any tangles were straightened out.

While any split ends were reinvigorated by the sweeping magic. Once finished, Chrysalis’ mane looking very sleek and voluminous. She then repeated the procedure with her tail. Once that was completed she donned her crafted disguise. In a blink of an eye, Chrysalis vanished and in her place stood Sonorous Forte.

Unlocking the door, Sonorous stepped out and immediately squinted. The afternoon sun was bright, although not as bright as when she emerged from the Everfree Forest. Once her eyes had adjusted, Sonorous closed the door and trotted into town.

Despite being a stranger, the residents greeted her like a fond friend. Walking in no particular direction, Sonorous merely waved back as they greeted her. Soon finding herself staring down a long street lined with shops and food stands. With no other ideas on where to begin gathering information, she continued down what appeared to be the town's marketplace.

Meanwhile a few buildings away, a pure white unicorn was making her way out of a store called Taffeta’s Fabric. This unicorn had slightly longer than your average eyelashes and irises of moderately bright azure. Her hair was a royal purple with a tiny splash of sapphire blue mixed into it. The upper half of her mane seemed to imitate the tip of a well-formed wave, curving up in a wide arch yet plummeting just over her ear.

Like the spray that rose off the plunge pool of a waterfall, her mane drifted upward to curl in upon itself. The lower half of her mane seemed to adopt the more gentle nature of a babbling brook. It elegantly flowed into an outward descending curve until reaching the base of her neck. Reversing its flow, floated up into an introverted ringlet. Her tail, not as fancy as her mane, was styled into a triple downward corkscrew.

On her flank were three light cerulean shaped diamonds in a bipedal trackway pattern. The unicorn turned to walk but froze when she spotted Sonorous. Captivated at how her alabaster coat and magenta hair seem to exquisitely compliment each other. The unicorn was brought back to reality when the store owner kindly asked her to clear the doorway.

With a quick apology to Mrs. Taffeta, the unicorn rushed off, slightly embarrassed for zoning out. Sonorous, who had just turned the corner of the street, hoped that the purpled haired unicorn hadn‘t spotted her. The voice of a prim and proper mare soon shattered what hope Sonorous had. “I’m glad I caught up to you darling, might I say that your mane is even prettier up close.”

“My name is Rarity and who might you be?” she inquired while quickly falling into step with Sonorous.

“My name is Sonorous Forte, how might I assist you Miss Rarity,” Sonorous replied as she continued on her way. The two ponies walked side by side, Sonorous' expression remained calm and collected, even as she visualized Rarity being thrown off a cliff.

The thought of teleporting away was tempting yet the desire to remain inconspicuous compelled Sonorous to endure Rarity’s rambling. Catching bits of what the pearled unicorn was ranting about, Sonorous occupied her mind with memorizing the layout of the alleyway.

“Pardon me but you seem distracted,” Rarity tactfully commented. Realizing that she was being addressed, Sonorous swiftly answered.

“I was hoping to find a music hall or something similar. It has been quite a while since I’ve performed alongside another musician,” Sonorous fabricated. She grinned as Rarity had accepted her mendacious statement. Taking the lead, Rarity hung a left with Sonorous following her. As they strolled down the road, she confidently inquired if Sonorous played or sung. With a touch of pride in her voice, Sonorous stated that she played the violin.

A high pitch squeal which caused Sonorous to shield her ears, perverted the usually quiet atmosphere. Catching herself behaving in an uncouth manner, Rarity quickly toned it down. Embarrassment was prominently displayed on her face which grew exponentially due to the staring bystanders. However, a nervous chuckle and a stern ahrrrm were all it took for Rarity to regained her practiced poise. “Pardon me but I simply adore the violin,” Rarity declared.

“Uhh… I can tell,” Sonorous awkwardly answered yet smirked inwardly having found a potential exploit against her. They walked in silence for a while due to Rarity being self-conscious. She silently chastised herself for acting like a filly at a concert. It was true that Rarity collected records of highly sophisticated violin compositions.

Yet, the continual replaying of them started to feel more like a tedious chore then relaxation. To drive the musical stagnation ever further was the lack of classical violinist that Rarity could add to her repertoire of records. The unicorn was snapped from her thoughts when Sonorous asked if this was their destination. As Rarity looked at the building that stood before them, she realized they had indeed arrived.

“This is Ponyville’s Musical Hall,” Rarity awkwardly stated. Sonorous thanked her before climbing the stairs. Rarity, unable to contain herself, called out. “Excuse me, Miss Forte,” she started but found herself getting cold hooves as Sonorous stopped to look at her.

“Yes?” Sonorous replied as she wondered what could have caused her to look paler, if that was possible, then she already was. Rarity swallowed hard before continuing.

“This will probably sound absurd but I would greatly appreciate it if you would perform a piece for me.” Sonorous just stood there silently, eyebrow raised at the unusual request. “Of course I’m willing to pay, I just want a divergence from the drought of original violin compositions,” Rarity finished with a slight plea in her voice. The small pause felt painstakingly longer to the fashionista as Sonorous mulled the proposal over.

“Once I’ve settled in, I’ll consider it Miss Rarity,” Sonorous stated in a banal tone. Once again, she fought her natural urge to just leave, for the sake of remaining incognito.

“Ok, I hope you have a nice day Miss Forte,” Rarity spoke with forced cheerfulness. As Sonorous entered the building, a discouraged Rarity walked unenthusiastically back down the way they came. Sonorous quickly closed the door behind her before sitting in the nearest seat. I’ll never get anything accomplished at this rate, she thought.

Why must fate keep tossing the bearers into my path like an overly contrived plot. I’d appreciate a little more ingenuity in stringing events together and a little less suckling the teat of convenience. she silently monologued while enjoying the isolation in the top row of the auditorium. After about ten minutes of waiting, Sonorous got up and cracked the door open to look out.

Noticing that Rarity, along with any other ponies she’d rather avoid, was nowhere to be seen. Sonorous started to slip out but the sound of hoof steps echoing from the stage below gave her pause. Curious, she stood with the door partially opened while studying the unfolding scene below. Sonorous was able to make out two ponies casually walking to the center of the stage.

There was a gray pony carrying a big brown case on her back. While next to that pony was a light greenish colored unicorn, surmised by the similar colored magic field above her head. Sonorous was teetering on staying or leaving until she heard the sound of plucked strings. Deciding to deprive fate of the chance to toss another element bearer in her face, Sonorous closed the door and reclaimed her seat.

While it appeared that the gray pony was still setting up, the unicorn already had her instrument out and was assumingly tuning it. A few plucks could be heard than silence followed by more random plucks. Sonorous’ eyes drifted back to the gray pony who was now standing on their hind legs. A brown hour glass looking object stood next to her as if being cradled.

Similar to the unicorn, the second pony began to tune her instrument. However, it appeared that her instrument needed what appeared to be an oversized bow, to utilize its melody. To further differentiate itself, its tune was influential, unlike the plucky melody of its companion. Several minutes passed as they tuned their instrument to pitch perfection.

Her mind drifted to the sound of their offbeat attunement until a sound from somewhere to her right immediately refocused her attention. With a reaction smoother than silk, Sonorous leaped to the aisle, poised to attack. Her knees were slightly bent, granting her more stability. Her magic raring to usher the unfortunate creature to its maker’s embrace.

Sonorous curled her lips into a snarl, her acute vision allowing her to glare at the intruder without being hindered by darkness. Several seats away, an unknown pony could be seen waving their forehooves in front of their face Their mouth was agape in fear, an odd assortment of gasps and gargled sounds could be heard.

Suddenly realizing that the pony wasn't trying to sneak around, Sonorous adopted a more docile stance while extinguishing her magic. Yet the damage had been done as the frightened unicorn rushed toward the stage below. With a loud thud, the theater lights blared to life accompanied by several galloping hooves. When Sonorous' vision had adjusted to the sudden light, she found herself nose to nose with the gray pony she had previously been watching.

“What’s your bloody problem, you sneak in here and threaten my friend!” the gray mare screeched at Sonorous. The brazen earth pony caught Sonorous completely off guard. All she could muster was a blank stare at her assailant. The mare cocked an eyebrow at the lack of any reaction until she realized they were still touching noses. A slight blush began to color the mare’s cheeks before Sonorous’ vision irrefutable shot to the left.

A searing pain grew in her right jaw moments before her involuntary head jerk. Yet like a yo-yo, she whipped her head back to its previous position. The other ponies stood silently around the gray mare, observing the confrontation. The pony that Sonorous had threatened to vaporize was among them but still looked quite unnerved. The newly formed group stared at Sonorous as if ready to rumble.

The sheer absurdity of the situation caused Sonorous to smirk. Here stood in front of them one of the most feared adversaries of Equestria. Both beast and equine fled at the mention of her name while the foolish found themselves traversing the ethereal pathway. She was second only to serendipity and a twisted sense of luck. Yet here stood a group of three mares ready to defend their friend, forcefully if need be.

The group stood there watching the spectacle with mixed attitudes from annoyed to clueless. The gray pony asked in a deadpanned voice what was so funny. “I’m not laughing, it is just touching that you’d stand up for your friend,” Sonorous answered. Dumbfounded, the mare asked what she'd meant by her previous statement.

“Its just refreshing to see ponies willing to resort to violence for the sake of a friend instead of their own selfish needs. My name is Sonorous Forte and I'd appreciate it if you'd pardon my brusque behavior, it was merely a reaction,” Sonorous replied.

“What in the molten bowels of Tartarus would warrant such a reaction?” asked a pony with a slight nasally voice. This pony had a light beige coat, sea foam green eyes, and pink/midnight blue striped hair.

Sonorous replied in a calm voice, “unfortunately, not every place is as hospitable as others. I learned quickly that I had to be ruthless to protect those I held dear.” Silence rapidly spread throughout the theater as the dark undertones of Sonorous’ explanation oozed into comprehension. A look of disbelief painted their faces as they glanced at each other as if seeking reassurance in case a brawl came about.

Throughout her unnaturally long life, her innate hyper-alertness, as well as her fight response, had always caused complications. Overall they proved invaluable in her survival amongst both her enemies and inhospitable environments. However, they were a burden that caused her to constantly break an imitated character during infiltrations. That and her unwavering bluntness were usually enough to throw up flags of incongruity.

Sonorous was beginning to wonder if she’d have to resort to mind controlling these four. Although it wasn’t a technique she held in high regard since it reduced the affected to a single-minded minion. The sound of approaching hooves shattered Sonorous’ thoughts as the light green colored unicorn took a couple of steps forward. “It’s unfortunate that you’ve encountered such awful inhabitants but it doesn‘t excuse what you‘ve done here,” she said in a stern tone.

Sonorous immediately recognized this pony as one of her former flower mares from the Canterlot Wedding. Her sunglow colored eyes, light cyan hair with a single white streak, and now distinguishable light aquamarine coat confirmed it. Internally, Sonorous wanted to bash the pony’s face in for its condescending tone. She could excuse the gray mare’s actions since it was a justifiable course of defending her friend.

Sonorous turned to stare at the unicorn with dead eyes. Slightly unnerved, she took a couple of steps back. “You speak of things that you don‘t understand, I‘ve apologized for scaring your friend. However, I’m not sorry for the way I reacted. Perhaps you wouldn’t be so quick to condemn me after having lost everypony dear to you.”

Sonorous coldly finished before turning on her hoof to leave. The door behind her closed with a heavy thud. Annoyed, she stood at the top of the stairs, wanting nothing more than to get out of town. In the midst of teleporting, she paused as the door behind her opened. Turning her head, she saw that it was the mute unicorn from earlier. This unicorn had an eggshell white coat and wore magenta tinted glasses.

Her hair was deep cobalt with mildly dark cyan strips through it. Within her magic were a small rectangular notepad and pen. In a disinterested voice, Sonorous stated that she was the last pony she expected to chase after her. The unicorn began to scribble her name and a short message. When she was finished, she turned the pad around for Sonorous to read, her elegant writing style instantly stood out.

Sonorous returned her gaze to the unicorn and replied. “So Vinyl, you think I shouldn’t be too hard on them. Your right of course but you just can’t flip off an instinct that’s practically embedded into you.” Vinyl began to jot down another message on her notepad. Sonorous stood patiently until Vinyl was done despite wanting to leave. She felt obligated to allow her to state her piece, considering the unwarranted confrontation a few moments ago.

Once again Sonorous read what Vinyl jotted down. “If you must know, the rulers of our homeland decided we were traitorous and demanded our extermination. Several family members were slain as we made our escape, soon afterward we became nomads. On that day, I swore to protect my family from any harm that might befall them,” Sonorous finished in a sorrowful tone. Her gaze drifting skyward as if conveying her affection to the changeling spirits that perished in her service.

A plop and a light tick sound caused her to return her gaze to Vinyl. Her things laid on the ground, glasses floating in the air, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “There’s no need to cry, it won’t change the past,” Sonorous retorted. Without warning a high pitched voice caused both unicorns to focus at the bottom of the stairs.

There stood a bubblegum pink pony, with hair of bright pink. Contrary to the popular sleek and smooth hairstyle, this pony’s hair was a chaotic mess of curls. Although her cutie mark couldn’t be seen from her current position. Sonorous knew that this pony bore three identical balloons, the first and third shared the same color scheme of blue and yellow. While the center was slightly elevated and had a yellow balloon and a blue string.

The pink pony zipped up the stairs after spotting a distressed Vinyl before asking what was wrong. Vinyl quickly wiped her persistent tears before placing her glasses back upon her nose. Her notepad and pen leaped back into the air as she wrote a reply. Shifting her attention to Sonorous, the pink pony enthusiastically held out a hoof while welcoming her to Ponyville.

“I haven’t seen you before, my name is Pinkie Pie. It’s nice to meet you unless you’re the reason why Vinyl is crying in which case it’s not nice to meet you. So tell me why is Vinyl crying,” Pinkie’s finished her rant with concern brimming in her dark blue eyes. Sonorous’ cold persona promptly returned due to Pinkie’s intrusion into their private conversation.

“I did make her cry but it was unintentional,” Sonorous dryly replied. Upon hearing this, Pinkie immediately bombarded Sonorous with questions. Quick to make a hasty retreat, Sonorous informed Pinkie that she was feeling tired. Sonorous turned to Vinyl and bade her farewell before vanishing with a brief flash of light. Pinkie turned to Vinyl with an expression of confusion.

Vinyl quickly flipped the page and wrote an additional note. Once she was done, Vinyl levitated the pad to Pinkie so she could read what was written. The first page explained that Sonorous was telling her a very sad story from her homeland. Flipped the page when Pinkie had finished reading. The second page explained that Sonorous preferred a one on one interaction rather than a gathering.

“So she’s a little shy around ponies then?” Vinyl shook her head but Pinkie had already launched into a guessing game. “Is it because she only associates with musicians? Or.. Or maybe she’s a spy sent here to observe us,” Pinkie blurted as her mind drifted through theories.

Only when Vinyl lightly tapped her shoulder did Pinkie snap back to reality. Staring at Vinyl’s deadpanned expression, Pinkie felt her cheeks heat up slightly. The pink pony had just realized that while she was speculating a reason, Vinyl had written another note and was hovering in front of her. The message informed Pinkie that Sonorous was a nomadic pony that only interacted when she wanted/needed to.

“Doesn’t she realize that its lonely being alone? Perhaps I can show her how fun friendship can be,” Pinkie exclaimed as her eyes lit up like fireworks. A slow head shake from Vinyl doused the idea quickly, “or perhaps I should wait until she talks to me,” Pinkie solemnly added. Vinyl effortlessly switched to a head nod as she flashed a smile at Pinkie.

Pinkie returned Vinyl‘s smile before speaking again, “At least you aren’t hurt, that’s the important thing.” Pinkie’s smile grew wider as Vinyl wrote a single sentence, conveying her gratitude for her concern and reassurance that she‘d be fine. “Okie dokie lokie,” Pinkie Pie replied before turning to leave, bouncing merrily away. Unbeknown to Pinkie Pie, Vinyl’s demeanor faded as Sonorous’ story reemerged in her mind.

Meanwhile, inside her wagon, a fleeting burst of light preceded Sonorous’ arrival. Although there was a couple of hours of daylight remaining. Sonorous decided that she’d mingled enough for one day. Having bumped into the snobby and eccentric bearers, she decided that a romp through the night might prove more fruitful. The thought of an entire afternoon wasted because of frivolous encounters made her angry.

Not willing to whittle the remaining hours of the day twiddling her hooves, Sonorous locked the door before getting into bed. Dropping her disguise, Chrysalis laid on her stomach, legs stretched out, while she fluffed the pillow with her forehooves before resting her head upon it. Usually, when she slept, she could hear the chattering of her drones via the hive mind. Unfortunately, her mind had been depressingly void of anything but her own thoughts.

The loss of her hive was more than a mere coup, the pain went much deeper than that. Much like a parent who had to bury their child, Chrysalis’ soul had suffered a mortal wound. The fact that she was a changeling only elevated the pain to a demonic level. The hive mind was a wondrous connection that allowed any changeling to mentally communicate to any other changeling within their collective.

To accomplish this feat, the mind of every changeling that was born or turned was incorporated into the neural network. Essentially making every changeling into a single being yet able to think, act, and resolve any complex situation independently. Yet the severing of such a connection wasn’t just the loss of a conscious mind, it equated to the severing of a limp.

Having lost every connection, Chrysalis felt like a singular speck of awareness. Condemned to aimlessly wander through a dark infested field of razor wire. However, a muffled sound sliced through the empty abyss, slowly bringing her roaming spirit back to her body. Awake, she got out of bed and looked through her window. The moon’s light was a welcomed change to her sleepless slumber, even if the moon was waning.

The strange sound was heard again but it now sounded like singing. It was more audible once she teleporting outside, it glided gracefully through the still air. Following the sound, Sonorous soon found an unusual sight. Bathing in the moonlight sat a group of assorted nocturnal creatures. She spotted a badger, a pair of bears, foxes, bats, and several fireflies all converging into a semi-circle.

At the center, sat a pegasus with pink hair and a yellow coat. Chrysalis wasn’t sure of the pony’s identity nor did she really care. All that mattered at the moment was listening to the song. It was a softly toned almost like a lullaby yet it didn’t invoke a sense of drowsiness. On the contrary, She felt herself being revitalized with each angelic note.

As she stood there and listened to the pony’s song, an aroma wafted into Chrysalis’ nostrils. Her eyes grew exponentially while her mouth watered at the succulent scent. If not for her strong will, she would have bolted out of the shadows and devoured every last morsel of love that permeated the air. She was struck with an epiphany as she fought against her overanxious legs, heavy breathing, and famished stomach.

Not wanting to tease herself anymore, she teleported into the Everfree Forest. Neither the yellow pony nor the animals seem to have heard the soft poof sound. Inside the Everfree Forest, Chrysalis conjured a small magical blade and began to cut away the bark of several trees. After several minutes of searching, she finally found a cherry wood tree. Without wasting any time, Chrysalis used her magic to slice three fairly long and bulky limbs.

After removing all the smaller branches from it, Chrysalis teleported herself and the small logs back to her wagon. Once inside, she began to saturate them with her magic. The first step was easy, now came the hard part as she poured more magic into the spell. The dim green light that coated the interior now escalated in intensity. At first, it looked as if nothing was happening but slowly the logs began to withdraw into themselves.

After a few minutes of strained concentration, a large ball of wood was floating inches off the floor. Using her magic in the same way a sculptor used his tools, Chrysalis began to mold it into what she desired. The main body began to reshape itself into a two-dimensional hourglass. While a long slender neck-like appendage jetted out from the top of its body. Once that was finished, the main body readjusted its width until it was two and a half inches.

At the point where the neck and body intersected, wood crept outward to form a brace. After stopping three inches up, it stretched out to matched the neck’s two-inch width. The lower part of the brace inched to the back of the body, resulting in a gentle curve. Beads of sweat were forming on Chrysalis’ brow from pouring so much magic into her creation.

As tiring as it was, she couldn’t stop, not when she was so close to completion. Within her magical grasp, she could feel the body hollowing itself out. That wood was redistributed to reinforce the outer walls. After a few minor additions, she proceeded to create a bow. Sonorous halted the flow of magic as soon as she was finished. With a strained smile, she stared at the violin that now floated where nothing but a lump of wood was previously.

After an hour of rest, Chrysalis began to craft some violin strings. This was significantly easier compared to her previous task, within a matter of minutes she was finished. After stringing the instrument up, she cut some of her tail hair and strung up her bow. With everything completed, she laid the violin and bow on the shelf. Reaching her bed, she collapsed on her side as sleep eagerly consumed her weary consciousness.