To Tame a Substitute Queen

Looking at Chrysalis, I see confusion clear as day. I’ve been around Chrysalis enough to know she doesn’t usually tilt her head.

“Seriously, what was that? It happened with you, Aita, and now it happened with Carve. Is it something I’m doing? You had to’ve smelt it; I never intended to intimidate her.”

“I mean that much is clear there, Chrysalis. Both times, you’ve kept your cool, and it sure did smell like it. I don’t even think it has to do with you at all. It might sound crazy, but do you think it has to do with stress? Guilt maybe?”

“Aita might be on to something,” Twilight adds. “Ever since we transformed, I can tell composure has taken a massive front seat, and even by that standard, that was probably your calmest tone we’ve ever witnessed from you.”

“But you saw Carve; might I have been too stern?”

“I don’t think that was it, Chrysalis. Aita, you remember what it was like when Chrysalis addressed the proximity of your DS. This is considering accidentally bringing Areola back to life beforehoof.” I nod at Twilight for confirmation. “I’d hate to take a page out of her when she wasn’t at her best, but Areola did have a point; normal changelings are relatively sensitive to tone, even if it flies in the face of the emotion they do smell, and that sensitivity is supercharged when they do something they know you wouldn’t like.”

Throughout Twilight’s speech, Chrysalis’ expression evolves from the initial confusion, to shock during Twilight’s reluctance to mention Areola’s mistake at the birthday party, then to amused impression by the end.

Chrysalis lets out a little chuckle. “I never thought I, of all changelings, would get educated on my own kind, but you made it happen, Twilight. The map made the right choice calling you, Aita and Sunset. Only you three are en-tuned enough with the changelings to teach a queen something.”

“Chrysalis, if I could ask you something…” I ask, to which I get the go-ahead. “Pharynx, he must have felt devastated about what you showed him, right?”

“Very much, Aita. He lost his will to save Thorax when Carve and I revealed the possibility of losing the loved ones he already has as result of changing the past. He couldn’t even sleep without thinking about it… it was like his inner-child came through, and it got me to sing to him…” Chrysalis clears her throat. “what with me being so much older than him…”

As Chrysalis explains what happened to Pharynx, I can see Twilight trying to hold back tears, listening to the explanation. “I can only imagine what it must’ve felt like for Carve when you were first befriending Equestria… when she saw the demolition of Rolling Acres… Pharynx’s case proves you can be truly compassionate with your changelings. Chrysalis, what did you sing to Pharynx?”

“I sung him a lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was Aita’s age. It goes beyond even Areola’s generation. A song that old would calm anyone down.”

I think I know where this is going. “Maybe you could try that with Carve. You did it with me when I ran back to Equestria from those hazy comments. She could probably use the same thing after that talk you initially had.”

After Carve and I exit the throne room, I decide I’d at least try to calm her down.

“Carve… you okay?” I ask.

“After that performance, no! I’d never been so scared in all my life, and I lived through Rolling Acres!”

Carve starts shaking me with her magic. I press on her horn to stop her.

“Alright, alright… calm down. I think it should be… over by now… Carve, I know how you feel. When the elements of harmony defeated me, I was at my lowest point, and I couldn’t be more scared of the world around me. My school saw me for who I really was, but Twilight helped build me up to who I am today. I’ve done far worse than simply dropping in at the wrong time, and I still managed to make it through.”

“But that was Twilight! We’re talking about Chrysalis! This hasn’t happened to me before!”

“It did with Aita… his birthday party didn’t start out the best.”

“B-but he’s a child!” Carve tries to rebut.

“And he’s still a normal changeling, just like you are.”

“But… but why would I be doing that in the first place?”

I think for a moment before resting my hoof on Carve’s shoulder.

I close my eyes with the injection of new memories, starting with Carve’s first apparent time dropping in on Chrysalis, teleporting to the throne room from the Crystal Empire when it was pretty much night.

Then I see a memory of Carve in a more detailed world where, presumably, her best friend seemed to’ve retched pretty badly in the bathroom downstairs, the second cry more gruesome than the first. A human of that world gives Carve some paper for her to write to Chrysalis.

A third memory pops up where Carve and Chrysalis are at an interview in Canterlot, where Carve sees Pharynx, then bites Chrysalis in the tail to get her attention.

And then the final one comes up where Carve was trying to get Chrysalis on Areola’s behalf for the new living arrangement. The same thing I remember happens with Carve stopping, seeing me, Chrysalis tensing up, and Carve getting the memo.

I finally let go, realizing what all these memories have in common; she kept coming to Chrysalis for help when she didn’t need to, at least with most of them. That second memory I could understand; it was urgent, and no one was thinking straight.

“Carve, I know what’s going on. You kept coming to Chrysalis even though she had her own stuff to do: Twilight and Chrysalis’ transformations, Hearth’s Warming, the interview, me and my friends’ discussing why the map called. When you finally saw her reaction that last time, that’s what got this all started.”

“You saw ALL of it? I-I thought only changelings could do that, and how did you use that spell with only your hoof?”

“It’s not a spell. In my world, my friends and I possess jewelry that gives us superpowers. Mine would be the ability to access others’ memories. Carve, you shouldn’t let conflicts like that bubble up inside of you. You’ve got to calm down around Chrysalis and talk to her.”

Carve immediately hugs me when I’m done speaking.

“Thanks, Sunset! I’ll make sure I do that from now on! I never realized just how much I needed to hear that!”

“Any time, Carve. Now, why don’t we start for the throne room. I think someone is waiting for you up there.”

“Okay… let’s go then.”

So Carve and I let go and finally start walking the halls back to the top floor. I think that talk really helped Carve get her mind on track. I can tell she’s been through a lot, not even counting the memories I didn’t see, and she just needed someone new to talk to and give her a little insight. I couldn’t see anybody else other than myself doing it.