1: Tear the branches down for spite
Queen Chrysalis rarely had time for delight in her life, such as it was. After all, a temporarily-inconvenienced changeling queen had no time to concern herself with such petty feelings; revenge, power, and feasting were what mattered. And yet, despite standing so close to the prize she knew now was beyond her, the ragged Queen allowed herself a scant few moments to enjoy the sight of Twilight Sparkle and her friends withering away before her, under the harsh light of the crystalline tree in the cave's heart.
Six lengths of dead wood clattered to the ground before her, and as the light of the Tree began to fade, so too did the minute satisfaction she had allowed herself. "Servants always fail you in the end," she hissed. She cast her gaze upwards at the glittering tree, her six prizes shining gently in the dying light, just out of her reach. Obsessive fury bubbled up inside of her, and her eyes shrunk to mere specks as she cried: "Just wait, Starlight. I will have my revenge!" Turning away from the Tree of Harmony, she strode towards the edge of the cavern, preparing to take to the skies before the pests arrived.
So consumed was the bitter Queen with hatred towards the pony who took her hive away that she did not notice the Tree behind her swell with light, gathering in the six gems clutched in its branches. Only as her wings unfurled and caught a strange breeze from behind her did Chrysalis realize something was wrong. She had time enough to turn and see the torrent of prismatic light, aiming for her back. She did not have time to scream.
Twilight and her friends took the last stretch of woods slowly, trading idle, pleasant chatter as they went. They were exchanging stories of what had happened in the earlier parts of their trip through the Everfree Forest, as no one seemed to quite have the full story--each pony relaying conversations the others didn't remember. It was extraordinarily strange, but for now Twilight simply chalked it up to the strangeness of the chaotic woods. Everyone was relaxing in each other's company, and the 'why' of it could come later.
As the forest thinned out ahead, Rainbow Dash jetted forward, taking to the open skies with a whoop of relief. "Oh man, I always forget how much I hate flying through those trees!" she exclaimed, doing a few lazy loops over the massive hole in the ground that descended towards their campsite and the Tree of Harmony. She was about to glide back and rejoin her friends on the descent when she bothered to look down, and nearly froze in midair. "Uh... guys? You might wanna see this."
Twilight frowned at her friend's tone and broke into a canter, Starlight following on her right and everyone else just behind. Peering over the edge into the sunken cavity, gasps of surprise and horror echoed from the group at the wreckage of the carefully-constructed campsite. "What in the hay happened here?!" exclaimed Applejack, clutching her hat to her head as she leaned over the edge.
"Our... our poor camp!" Rarity cried, distress evident in her voice.
Fluttershy took off, hovering just above her friends as she surveyed the damage, before her eyes caught a crumpled form near the mouth of the cave. "Oh my gosh, I think there's somecreature down there!"
Chrysalis hovered at the edge of consciousness. The light that tore through her body had caused her pain, of course--a searing pain that drove rational thought from her mind. But beneath that she could feel two warring impulses. A distinct part of her felt as if the light was trying to split her apart, to divide her into pieces lighter than air. And yet still another part felt it tie her together, weigh her down, tempting her to succumb to it and remain still forever.
Caught between these two extremes, her mind laid bare to the torturous light, it was all she could do to focus on those she hated in an attempt to steady herself: Starlight Glimmer, of course, and her band of pests, including the traitorous Thorax; Twilight Sparkle and the rest of her obnoxious friends, who had ruined her plans time and again; the disgustingly saccharine Princess Cadance and her husband, who had the gall to be anything other than her prey. And, as the light finally wore away her defenses and she felt herself succumbing to the peaceful black of unconsciousness, the last face she saw was her own. She had failed herself again. And now she would have to pay the price.
The seven ponies cautiously approached the strange form twitching on the ground near the caves mouth, having made the descent at speed. Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, igniting her horn to shed light on her surroundings. "Starlight, Fluttershy, you're with me. Can you get a shield spell ready in case whatever this is lashes out?" Twilight asked, turning to look at her friend. Starlight gave her a nod and lit her horn with prepared magic, the simple request causing a smile to break through her mask of nervousness. Fluttershy gulped quietly, but took to the air behind her friends, ready to swoop in if the creature needed her care. The princess took a steadying breath. "Everypony else stay back for now."
She strode forward and pushed more magic through her horn, casting light on the strange form on the ground in front of them. It was mostly black, but with glimmering sections of its body that seemed almost reminiscent of the crystalline Tree in the cave behind her. It was Fluttershy, hovering above her friends, that was the first to recognize her. "I... I think that's a changeling? A b-big one..." her voice began to break up as she ran through her own words in her head, realizing what they must mean. Twilight and Starlight shared a glance, then broke into a cautious trot.
"It really is her," Starlight murmured as they approached, recognizing the alicorn-proportioned shape of the changeling queen now unconscious on the ground. Twilight simply looked bewildered; as the light of her spell fell on Chrysalis' form, it revealed bands of crystal emerging from her chitin at irregular points, giving her the strange impression of a patchy crystal pony. "What in Celestia's name happened to her? What is this?" she pondered, leaning in to inspect the odd additions.
Chrysalis twitched fitfully in her sleep, perhaps responding to their voices, causing the three ponies to leap back in surprise, and Starlight to nearly unleash her spell, before the queen ceased moving again. The other four, seeing trouble almost occur, moved forward to join their friends. "What on earth is she doing here?" Rainbow Dash groaned, looking down at the unconscious villain.
Applejack squinted her eyes, thinking. "...D'you think she had anythin' to do with all the weirdness back in the forest?"
Twilight sighed and pressed a hoof to her forehead. "With our luck? Probably. What the hay are we supposed to do with her?"
Everyone present fell silent, pondering the question, but did not take their eyes off of the threat in their midst. Finally, it was Pinkie Pie that spoke up."Well... we can't just leave her alone, right? She's a big bad villain! We gotta keep an eye on her."
Rarity sighed, looking around at the ruined camp and down at Chrysalis. "She... does have a point. Besides, I for one don't think that I'll be getting much of any sleep, what with our camp ruined and her anywhere near us," she lamented, suppressing a shiver at the latter thought.
Taking her friends' words into consideration, Twilight finally nodded. "We can take her back to the castle. Between me and Starlight, it should be an easy enough job to make a room she can't get out of. Once that's sorted, we can send a letter to Celestia and figure out what to do."
Her friends relaxed slightly, tension seeping out of the group at the suggestions. After a beat, Applejack stepped forward, pulling a rope from her saddlebags. "Rainbow Dash, help me hog tie her just in case whatever happened wears off between here and there?" The pegasus nodded and quickly set to work helping her friend restrain the queen.
Rarity, meanwhile, turned to look at their camp and sighed. "I suppose we should really clean this place up. Pinkie, Fluttershy, would you be dears and help me with this?"
Pinkie bounced to her side and gave her a cheerful grin. "Sure, but only if you be an even bigger dear and help me throw a 'Congratulations Everypony, We Captured Chrysalis and No One Got Hurt Party!' I don't know where I'm gonna find all that swiss cheese without help!"
Rarity managed (quite impressively, she thought) to look only slightly bemused by her friend's sudden festive outburst. "Of... of course, darling. Tomorrow, though," she said simply, before trotting off to the ruined tents with Fluttershy and Pinkie in tow.
Twilight watched them go and sighed, her features downcast. Just when it seemed that their day had recovered, everything had to get exponentially more complicated. Now they would need to go all the way back through the Everfree before they could get any rest! The trip, unfortunately, was ruined. With nothing to do but wait, she turned her attention back to their new charge.
Looking down at the increasingly-restrained changeling queen, Twilight felt a curious, familiar emotion in her heart. With the benefit of a few moments to think (Applejack and Rainbow Dash were arguing over knots), she inspected the feeling, trying to recall its source. Suddenly, it clicked. She didn't have a name for it, but she had felt it twice before. Once, looking down into a crater, where a fellow student knelt, crying at her failures. And once again, looking across a dust-worn wasteland, as another mare began to grasp the consequences of her actions (and at that thought she can almost taste the dust, and quickly she pushes that sensation out of mind). It was a little like pity, mixed in with a bit of hope and the curiosity she felt when plucking a new book from the shelf. She had a chance, she realized, to reach out to the queen--and she had to be sure not to squander it.
Author's Note
First fic I've ever done! I'm still working out exactly where I want the story to go, but i hope everyone likes it. Big thanks to flipwix for his help with editing and beta reading!
2: Come through wind and rain
Chrysalis lay awake, in unfamiliar surroundings, as the first rays of sunlight began to creep in to rouse her. In truth, 'awake' was somewhat of an inappropriate term; while the changeling's eyes had been open for a while, and were technically beginning to take in the room around her, the mind of the once-queen was filled with a curious void. She was not at peace with herself, really, but rather she was simply relishing in a chance to not remember. For those minutes between waking and dawn, she allowed herself to exist without thinking of the ravenous hunger that gnawed at her core, or the constant seething hatred she cultivated in the back of her mind, for when hunger alone was not enough to motivate her.
And then the first ray of that cursed Princess' sun lanced into her vision, and with a groan she returned to herself. Familiar hunger raged inside her, alongside a wealth of new aches, pains, and a lightness in her head, no doubt a result of... whatever it was she had been hit by after her scheme failed. The changeling drew herself up to a sitting position, attempting to bring her mind to bear and focus on her surroundings.
A room, she realized. She was inside of a room. Lavender walls and a pale green tiled floor, with glittering crystalline pillars supporting the roof overhead. One door and one window, the latter made of latticed green glass, and both possessing a very slight glow, shifting from purple to aqua and back. The room itself was sparsely furnished: a large wooden construction across the room, bearing an oval of reflecting glass atop it (a mirror and a... dresser, perhaps? She had never bothered to learn how ponies decorated); a much smaller wooden construction near her, on which rested a glass of water, and her crown (a nightstand, she was fairly certain); and of course, the bed that she sat atop, 4 pillars rising above her, carrying fabric that could (should) have been let down to block the light, and a blanket that had been covering her until she rose. At least something in here was fit for a queen.
Chrysalis knew there was only one place she could be. She had never been inside of it before, but had seen it from the outside, as she stalked the ponies who live within. "The Castle of Friendship," she muttered aloud, her voice dripping with venom. So, they had captured her. No matter; she did her best work from inside, after all. The ebony queen rose to all four legs, stepping down from the bed so that she may better survey her temporary prison—
And promptly crashed muzzle first into the ground.
Groaning in surprise, pain, and sudden dizziness, Chrysalis again pulled herself into a sitting position to steady her whirling head. When the room had stopped spinning so much, she turned her gaze down at the floor to see what could possibly have caused such an undignified fall, and froze in horror. She slowly lifted one of her pockmarked limbs to her face, to look more closely at what she had seen. It was still her leg of course, covered in shiny, sturdy black chitin. But now several strings of tiny, sharp crystals seemed to track down her leg, meandering across its surface, even into the pockmarked gaps in some places. Turning her limb slightly, she saw the first of what would end up being many, many problems.
The hoof was also covered in this strange crystal, but not in the little lines of sharp crystals like her leg bore; rather, the strange new material had settled almost like a shoe, if a shoe could be made of polished crystal and be completely uneven in how it sat on her leg. A quick check of her other legs revealed similar conditions: each bore these strange new growths, each hoof bearing not only an uneven shoe-formation, but all of them were uneven with each other. No wonder she had fallen: her balance was utterly thrown off by these foul things, and alongside her aching body and lightheadedness, walking was going to be an exceedingly tedious task. It was only as she let her gaze leave her hooves that the changeling begin to process the other things she had seen on her body.
Choosing, very briefly, to push those thoughts from her mind, she brought herself up to all fours at a much slower pace, testing each leg as she did so. Confident each had a good grip, Chrysalis rose from the floor and staggered, slowly, towards the room's mirror. It was a horribly embarrassing look, and she was thankful that none were there to see their future queen in such a state. But, eventually, she positioned herself in front of the mirror just so, to confirm all of the things that her eyes had glimpsed and her mind refused to believe.
These strange growths covered her. They began on her back, between the wings (where she had been struck by the light from the Tree of Harmony, she began to recall). From there they arced off in admittedly graceful loops, crystalline spines running along her flank, around her belly, and of course, down her legs. But as she looked closer, Chrysalis realized something truly horrifying. Two particular arcs of crystal had coated a part of her back and sides, following the edge of where her wings rested, those few moments she ever allowed them to rest. In fact, they were growing over the wings, pinning them to her sides. Flex and strain as she might, the changeling could not lift them from her sides, and every attempt brought another burst of fresh pain.
Finally, despairing, the ragged queen returned her gaze to the mirror, and followed one inclusion of this material along her left side, up her long neck, passing between her ear and eye, ending just above the tip of her brow. And with that, she rested her gaze on her horn. A single, perfectly formed crystal jutted up from its base, showing through where the pockmarks in her horn were. And at each of those marks, a little radiant cluster of mineral emerged, as if trying to fill the gaps. It was hideous. And, as she turned her attention to the nightstand, at the far end of the room, focusing her mind on the crown she had left on it, her fears were confirmed.
Little flickers and sparks of green ran up her horn, but the crystal seemed to draw the magic into itself, like water soaking into the ground. Her magic was useless.
"Wait. I am a fool," she thought to herself, a small and fierce grin returning to her face. She could not cast magic outwards, but transformative magic was an internal, and much more instinctual procedure for her. Chrysalis allowed her grin to spread wider, and drained the barest amount of love from her reserves, a necessary fuel for the spell. For simplicity's sake, she chose the last form she had used: the photographer pony, with which she had obtained the components for her previous —failed— scheme. With a quiet, triumphant shout, and a flash of green fire, the changeling queen vanished, and an auburn-maned, pale green unicorn took her place.
A pale green unicorn covered in arcs of crystals, and with curious growths upon her horn that would no doubt cause people to suspect her diseased, or something similar. Her mouth gaped, and she barely noticed as the disguise ate away the tiny shred of love she had given it, and a flash of green revealed her true shape. Chrysalis shut her mouth, stared daggers at her reflection, and decided that she had done enough work for now. She turned, unsteadily, counting the number of steps to take back to the bed. When she lost count of the steps for the third time, she decided it was simply too much of a bother, and allowed herself to sink to her knees, lay her head down on the cold tiles, and fall asleep.
Twilight Sparkle and her two housemates sat at the table set in the kitchen of the Castle of Friendship, each trying to drag themselves to wakefulness. The Princess of Friendship and her aide and friend, Starlight Glimmer, both held a cup of coffee in their magic auras, and each stared at a plate once containing a stack of haycakes on the table in front of them. Their third member, the young dragon Spike, casually munched on a bowl of mixed berries and tiny gemstones as he glanced between the two of them. "You two are awful hungry this morning. And... awful present. I thought that you weren't gonna be home until later? Wasn't there a camping thing?" he said, a slight look of concern on his face.
Twilight groaned and took another sip of her coffee. "There... was. Something came up, and we had to come back last night. And spend an hour or two researching. And spend an hour or two spellcasting."
Spike raised his eyebrow at that and switched his gaze to Starlight, hoping that she would be a little more descriptive than his sister had been.
Starlight glanced between her coffee, Twilight, and Spike before responding to him, "I... can explain, if you promise to hear me out all the way first, and not panic too much."
"Not panic too much? That's a new one."
Starlight rolled her eyes at the dragon and said, "Look, just promise, okay? Last night was busy, and honestly, I'm expecting today to be even worse. We all have to keep it together."
The young assistant raised his arms in acceptance. "Alright, alright, I get it. I promise. Now what the heck is going on?"
The unicorn took a deep breath and began to relay to him the events of the last day, starting with their journey into the Everfree, the strange events that happened within, and finally, coming upon the villain who had sworn revenge on Starlight herself, laying unconscious in the ruins of their campsite. She then described how they had brought her back, stuffed her in one of the suites (the only ones with a big enough bed for a creature her size), and then spent hours alternately keeping watch over her, brushing up on spells of warding and defense, and finally setting those spells into the room they had chosen. "It was a bit of a rush job," she concluded, "but we were both tired and it should hold her for at least today. While we... figure out what we're doing, I guess?" She looked back over at Twilight, hoping that her friend had already assembled a plan.
"Uhh...," she began, "We... should call everyone here and talk about it... the school is out today, and the others didn't have to spend hours putting up wards, so they'll probably make their way over here soon enough." The lavender mare sipped at her coffee, trying to grab at a thought that was evading her. "We should probably send word to Thorax, and... Celestia!" Twilight nearly slammed her hoof into her face, remembering that she should have sent a letter to her friend and mentor last night, informing her of the situation.
Before either Spike or Starlight could react, she had vanished in a flash of purple light, leaving her coffee cup to tumble towards the ground. The two braced for the sound of impact, only for another purple flash to shine from the third chair, as Twilight reappeared, clutching pen, paper, and nearly-lost coffee in her aura as she began to write furiously. Spike sighed, settling back into his chair and taking another mouthful of breakfast. He was beginning to agree with Starlight: today would be a busy day.
An hour or two, several sent letters, a number of catch-ups with friends, a brainstorming session, two pots of coffee, and a single visit from a very bemused cheesemonger later, plans were assembled. Princess Celestia had some unfortunately important obligations for the next few hours, and with the assurance of her student that the spells they had woven would hold against any assault for a good while, she decided to arrive later in the day, bringing the changeling King Thorax with her to discuss what to do. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, and Starlight would prepare for their arrival (and no doubt Pinkie for their party), while Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash would attempt to see what state Chrysalis was in. The job had come down to those three for simple reasons: they seemed the least likely to be swayed by any changeling tricks; Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the most physically capable; and Twilight had both immense magic, knowledge of the wards, and the good luck to not be the newest entry on Chrysalis' revenge list. As well, of course, as being the Princess of Friendship. None of the others had said it aloud, but Starlight had stopped her as the groups split to handle their tasks.
"Just... be careful up there, alright? I know you're gonna try and give her the whole friendship spiel, and... well, you're better at it than I am, but she was pretty determined not to listen to me when I tried to offer her the same thing."
"I know. But I have to try." She gave her friend a smile, not quite a confident one, but one full of sincerity.
And so, it came to the three mares standing outside a door on the castle's third level, watching a mixture of Twilight and Starlight's magic flow over the door.
The princess took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Alright. Here's what we'll do. You two, stay out of sight from the door frame. She'll probably be even more likely to blow up if she sees the three of us, so I'll step in alone. You two be ready if I call, or if she makes a break for the door. Rainbow, I'll yell for you if she manages to get out of the window, alright?"
The pegasus let out a tense sigh and said, "Yeah, I hear you. I don't like it, but I hear you."
The farmer, on the other side of Twilight, hefted a lasso she had tied ahead of time. "Gotta agree with Dash here, sugarcube. It's an awful risk, givin' her the chance to get the jump on you."
"I know," replied Twilight, standing more confidently than she by all rights should have felt. "But I'm willing to take the risk if it makes her even a little more cooperative."
Striding forward, she set her horn to the door, and slowly found the quirks in the defensive spell that would allow her to lift the seal on the door temporarily. With a single burst of magic, the colors receded from the door like a curtain, and she pushed her way inside, leaving her friends to guard the open doorway.
Whatever she expected to find, it was not the changeling queen sleeping in an undignified sprawl at the foot of the dresser.
Twilight realized, after a moment, that her mouth was hanging open at the unexpected sight. She managed to spare the mental power to shut it as she observed the sleeping mare, wondering how on Equestria she had managed to end up there when she distinctly remembered that they had hauled her onto the bed last night. And, for the first time, seeing the curious additions that had been wrought on the queen, both in full light, and without a million other worries flooding through her head. She quickly studied the spines of crystal, the way they seemed to almost strategically grow along her wings, and of course (wincing internally) the growth that now marred the changeling's twisting black horn. All in all, the effect of these additions was surprisingly— ”No, Twilight,” she thought to herself. ”So not what you should be thinking about.”
She waited, long seconds passing as she watched the queen lie on the ground, assuming it must be a trick of some kind. After about fifteen seconds had passed without so much as a twitch, she cleared her throat quietly, hoping the noise would cause something to happen.
Chrysalis twitched slightly in her sleep, muttering something quietly.
Seeing that her previous tactic had failed, the alicorn took a deep breath, bracing herself for an attack, reached a hoof out, and gently shoved the changeling’s shoulder.
This time, Chrysalis gave a massive, fanged yawn, before reluctantly opening a single eye to see what disturbed her. As soon as she focused on the princess standing to her side, the queen’s demeanor shifted instantly, eyes narrowing in fury. She hissed, “You. What have you done to me? What prison do you think to keep me in, you worm!?” As she spoke, she scrambled to her feet and back towards the window, putting space between her and Twilight.
Well, she attempted to do that. In actuality, she managed to fall flat on her face for the second time that morning, turning the predatory scramble into more of an undignified tumble. The princess leapt back in surprise at the sudden flurry of motion and sound, but paused when she saw the ungainly maneuver that Chrysalis ended up performing.
“Are... are you okay?” Twilight said, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
“No!” shrieked Chrysalis, anger and indignation in her voice. “I know not what manner of curse you have laid upon me, Twilight Sparkle, but I assure you that when I free myself of it, you will pay for this humiliation!”
Unbeknownst to either of the rooms occupants, the two ponies guarding the door shared a look, and then peeked inside to follow the conversation.
“I... didn’t do this to you? Whatever this is?” Twilight offered in confusion.
“Lies! I know that you have the Elements under your hooves. You have cursed me and imprisoned me in your castle, no doubt so that you can throw one of Celestia’s trials for me, hmm? What’s in store? A thousand years in stone? On the moon? Or just an execution?” Chrysalis sneered with a bravado that by all rights should have been false.
The princess took another deep breath to calm herself. This was actually not going quite as badly as she assumed it would. “There are not going to be any executions, Chrysalis. But yes, you are a prisoner, for the moment, and yes, I will be discussing what to do with Princess Celestia. And I have absolutely no idea what’s happened to you. You said that the Elements did that? Were you doing something to them last night?” Her face hardened slightly as she considered what Chrysalis could have done.
Chrysalis scoffed, “Tried to do something. Worry not, Princess, your precious rocks did their jobs quite well. And, really, no executions?” She gave a menacing grin and said, “So, are you planning to give me tribute, then? After all, you know just as well as I do that keeping me here will prove a death sentence. I will starve.”
At this, Twilight broke into a wide grin, the expression of a mare who is faced with a problem that she already had the foresight to prepare the solution for. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. If we decide that you need to stay here, we already have something worked out.” As she watched the impenetrable expression on the changelings face, her grin faded into a concerned frown. “Chrysalis, we don’t have to do this. I... I promise you that there’s more to life than scheming and revenge. Please, just let me show you.”
Chrysalis snorted, a sound midway between amusement and disgust. “The friendship argument again? Please. Your little Starlight already tried that on me. I can assure you that your luck will not be any better than hers.”
Twilight’s face fell slightly, though it was just as much with acknowledgment as it was with disappointment. “We’ll see. I assume you already know that if you leave this room we’ll chase you down. The town has already been alerted, so you won’t be able to hide yourself there. I’ll come back up later and inform you of how the meeting went. And...” The princess broke off for a moment, considering, and then resumed, “I’ll look into whatever happened to you. See if I can figure out how to break it. Okay?”
The changeling snorted again, rising to her feet and unsteadily making her way to the table, where she grabbed her crown (fumbling it once in her newly-clumsy hooves), and placed it firmly atop her head. The dismissal was evident in her posture.
Twilight gave an eyeroll at the theatrics, paused for a moment, and then acted on a hunch, turning her back to Chrysalis as she walked out of the room. Applejack and Rainbow Dash shut the door behind her, keeping their eyes first on the villainess, and then their friend as she reached out with her magic, shutting it behind her and letting the shifting light play on its surface again. Twilight's face was twisted in an expression of suspicion, confusion, and not a little fear. "She didn't even try to attack me once. I gave her a perfect opening for it too, when I left. She didn't even try."
"Something was wrong with her. I haven't exactly seen her that often, but I'm pretty sure that she wasn't that clumsy last time we saw her," Rainbow Dash mentioned, starting to lead the group towards the stairs.
Applejack looked uncomfortably between her and the door, then said, "You think she's already plannin' something? Tryin' to make us think she's weak?"
Twilight frowned and shook her head ever so slightly. "Maybe, but she seemed almost more upset that I saw her like that than she was at being captured. She probably is planning something, but... I don't think that it involves humiliating herself so badly." The alicorn stopped for a second to look back at the door, and then dismissed her thought, trotting ahead of her friends and leading them down towards the coming meeting.
The next few hours passed in a blur of activity. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack reunited with the other five, returning from their errands in Ponyville, in time for the chariot containing King Thorax and Princess Celestia to arrive, flanked by both the alicorn's usual honor guard, as well as a collection of armored changelings that arrayed themselves behind their king as he emerged. The group quickly moved into the castle's library (the map room being rather cramped with so many extra people), where Twilight began recounting the events of the last day and a half, bringing the two rulers up to speed.
Celestia took a sip of tea from her cup (refreshments helpfully provided by Spike) as her student finished, and after a long moment to ensure there were no more additions, spoke. "You have done well. All of you have, in bringing her here. I know not what her intentions were for the Tree of Harmony, but I must say that I am glad that I do not have to find out." She spared a glance for Thorax, having watched his apprehension recede over the course of the conversation to a mere concern. Returning her gaze to the other Princess, she prompted, "And now... you want us to advise you on what to do with her?"
Twilight opened her mouth and hesitated for a moment, glancing over at her own once-student, who gave her an encouraging nod. The alicorn sat up a little taller, facing the two monarchs, and announced, "I would like advice, yes. But I have already decided what to do with her, in general. Starlight tells me that when they spoke last, she almost managed to convince Chrysalis to abandon her ways. I believe that if she stays here, we can convince her to do that." Her companions, having been informed of her decision already, adopted a range of expressions that could be generally summarized as 'reluctant acceptance'. Celestia's expression, as ever, was calm and attentive. Thorax looked as if he had expected and received a punch to the gut.
"I'm not surprised, but I also can't say I'm eager for you," the changeling said hesitantly. "Chrysalis... she was always intimidating. I haven't seen her since we chased her off, but I really can't imagine her personality has improved all that much. If you really want to try this, you'll have your work cut out for you." His expression had recovered somewhat as he spoke, at least.
Twilight turned herself to address him more directly as she said, "I'm sure we will. But really, I think this is the best option. She wouldn't stop trying to make our lives miserable if we did anything else. Our only real hope is to make her not want us to be miserable."
Thorax shifted his expression to a more inquisitive one. "Couldn't you do the rock thing? Whatever it was that happened to Discord?"
The Princess of Friendship shook her head. "Not really. I mean, we could, but that didn't solve the Discord problem," she said. "Those sort of seals don't last forever. It just delayed it for a thousand years until we got together and made him stop wanting to torment people. The same thing would happen to Chrysalis--it's just a bandage."
Celestia bobbed her head at her former student, giving her wings a ruffle that might have indicated offense were it not for the warmth in her eyes and the humility those close to her knew she possessed. "Well stated, Twilight," she said approvingly. "It's refreshing to hear you so willing to criticize that decision, long ago though it may have been. If my sister and I had the chance to make that choice anew, we would surely not make the same mistakes--especially knowing now how much of a true friend Discord can be when it comes down to it."
Thorax, who had been frowning silently for a while, sighed then, seeming to relent. "Okay, fair enough. I still can't say that I like it, but I suppose that you're right."
Spike cleared his throat slightly, and then addressed the changeling. "Helping you out seemed risky to a lot of people, but because of it some really incredible things happened. Besides, if anyone can do it, it's probably us. After all, I've pulled it off before." He gave his friend a winning smile at the latter point.
Starlight chimed in with a teasing grin, "They do call him Spike the Brave and Glorious, after all."
Thorax gave them a small smile and nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry. I don't mean to say that she doesn't deserve it as much as any of us did, just... I suppose I'm still scared of her. I don't want her to hurt anyone else like she hurt us for so long."
Celestia gave him a sympathetic smile from where she sat beside him, extending one huge wing to touch his side encouragingly. "And none of us blame you for that," she told him.
Looking grateful for the reassurance, Thorax turned back to address Twilight. "She must be starving. Do you have a plan to keep her fed? If she's not worried about wasting away in this castle, she'll probably be more willing to listen to you."
At this, Twilight beamed, turning back to her friends and nodding at Fluttershy. Realizing she was suddenly on the spot, the pegasus gulped quietly and sat up straighter. "O-oh, yes. Twilight and I came up with something earlier that we think will work. I, um, have been running an animal sanctuary for a while now, and they all get very affectionate when I feed or groom them. I know it's not romantic love, but Twilight is pretty sure if she helped me with it, she could get fed. And if she only came every so often, and never fed the same animals twice in a row, they should all be safe." She smiled then, seeming proud to have managed to get all of that out in front of their guests.
Thorax nodded slowly as she spoke, digesting her words. "I would love to be a fly on the wall when you tell her about that one. If it weren't for having a hive to get back to, I might stay and watch it." After a moment of thought, he turned back to Twilight. "Please, keep me updated on this. I don't need to know everything, but some progress reports would really help me feel better about this. If you can actually pull this off, the hives will be in your debt. Having her change would really show everycreature that we've all moved on."
The Princess of Friendship nodded and rose to her hooves, followed shortly by everyone else. "Of course. I'll keep both of you updated. And yes, we'll make sure to let you know if we need any help. Did we forget to talk about anything, Spike?" She glanced over in the dragon's direction, watching him trace down the checklist they had made for this meeting.
Behind him, Pinkie Pie was grinning widely, bouncing excitedly in place. As soon as he shook his head, she exclaimed, "If all the boring stuff is done, then it sounds like it's party time!!" Reaching behind her chair, she wheeled out her Party Cannon and fired it in a single motion, spewing confetti across the library. On one wall, a banner reading ''Congratulations Everypony, We Captured Chrysalis and ~~No One~~ No Pony Got Hurt!' inexplicably unfurled itself. Celestia managed to retain most of her passive expression, her eyes crinkling slightly in amusement, while Thorax blinked several times in bewilderment, then looked at Spike with a pleading expression.
The dragon placed a claw against his friend's leg and looked up at him. "You've never been to a Pinkie Pie party before have you? Why don't you stick around for a little bit?"
Thorax gave him a small smile and replied, "I... suppose there's no harm in staying for a little while. The hive will survive me being gone for a bit."
Chrysalis stood, inches away from the door that by all rights should have led to her escape. Across and beneath her, voices continued to murmur and break into muffled laughter, as they had for some time now. Her enemies, celebrating. How humiliating.
Since Twilight Sparkle had left, she had tried everything she could to escape, which had primarily consisted of sloppily throwing furniture at the window, throwing herself at the door, and finally attempting to shift into a massive dragon to take advantage of it's natural strength. The last one left her with an array of new aches, both from the feedback the room's magic had given her when she attempted that, and the sudden discomfort of her crystal spines pressing into the walls, floor, and ceiling. With all obvious options exhausted, she finally admitted that brute strength would not win the day. She had to resort to her cunning.
The facts: This strange curse left her physically hampered in a variety of ways. She suspected that, with practice, she could learn the balance of her hooves, and perhaps even find ways around the magic-sapping material that clung to her horn. But she doubted there was anything she could do to easily recover the use of her wings. And, more and more pressingly, she was ravenous. The shaking and dizziness was likely just as much from hunger as it was the falls she had routinely suffered through the day. The cloning spell she had performed yesterday had been a mighty feat, and she had spent weeks preparing to fuel it. Whatever her long-term plan was, she had to eat before she could carry it out.
Which brought her, reluctantly, to her short-term plan. Twilight had implied that she had a way to provide her with the love she needed, but she would be a fool to give that out to someone she knew would attack her as soon as she had the strength. She had also mentioned removing the crystal infection, something that the changeling was considering to be an increasingly high priority.
She had been found out by them before, of course. Twilight easily saw through the mask she wore at Princess Cadance's wedding, even if the others hadn't. But ponies seemed to see friendship wherever they looked, even in the likes of Discord, who had outright betrayed them for his own amusement. Her captor even had a pet tyrant on a leash, and from what her spies had reported before she'd lost it all, Starlight Glimmer was well known for crossing boundaries and even consorting with other troublemakers. It was quite possible that she could make preparations for her revenge out in the open, and have Twilight simply ignore them in her blindness to see a friendship that did not exist.
Pride and self-preservation warred inside the changeling queen. It would be such a humiliation, to give into the princess and accept her attempts at 'redemption'. But it would be more humiliating by far to waste away when she could have done something. She had no real choice, in the end; when the alicorn next returned, she would accept whatever offer was presented. She would gather her strength and find the weaknesses in the ponies that held her captive. And she would relish the looks of betrayal on their foolish pony faces when she finally struck.
When the time came, she would make them regret ever thinking that they could look down on Queen Chrysalis.
Author's Note
Thank you all so much for your early love on this! I really hope that the second chapter is a good follow up. The next few probably won't come as fast as this one did, but I wanted to give you all a little bit more than chapter one. As always, thanks to flipwix for editing, proofreading, and this time for helping out with Celestia's dialogue.
