A Covert Exile

by Lil Penpusher

Rating: everyone
Tags: Queen Chrysalis, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1172

Become invisible to the naked eye. Become just a mere spot of colour in their periphery. Just another pony in the background.

Revenge is such an easy concept on paper, yet takes a great deal of effort, intellect and dilligence to achieve in reality. Especially so when your rivals and opponents are the Heroes of Equestria themselves.

But no matter. Everypony has their weaknesses, and everypony eventually falls prey to assuring too much trust and confidence in others when they really shouldn't.

She needed to become invisible to these ponies. To just be another member of Ponyville. Crackle Cosette, the casual photographer, no different from Mayor Mare, Nurse Redheart or all the others.

Just a splotch of colour from afar. Nopony to pay attention to, or to distrust. Just one of many to cheer the heroes on from the background.

Written for Bean's Writing Group under the prompt of 'Chrysalis secretly lives as a pony in Equestria' and 'Entire fic as an inner monologue' as a bonus prompt.

Check the group out, and ask the admins for a Discord invite if you're interested in writing some awesome prompts, as well!

Published 2022-11-06 13:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2022-11-06 13:40:01 UTC

Become Invisible

Another day, another bothersome routine to grind through. Day in, day out, it’s all the same. Not least because of these pathetic, annoying ponies swarming me.

When I moved to Ponyville, I had nothing. Nothing at all. All I ever had was destroyed, taken from me by something and someone truly vile and disgusting. For the first time in life I was alone and without anypony to listen to me; nopony that would heed my calls and commands.

That was until the ‘lovely’ and ‘kind’ ponies of Ponyville decided to take me in. Pinkie Pie had found me roaming the streets on my own, and since she had never seen me before, decided to… throw me a party?

The thought alone makes me want to vomit. I kept a straight, vague smile on my face as I was involuntarily volunteered for a party I had no interest in partaking in, and that stupid party pony ensured I was in the spotlight at all times. Party cannons, confetti, balloons, cheering and songs…

Disgusting. Pathetic.

The ponies here were so stupid and gullible, in fact, they had paid so little mind to me and who I actually was that asking for my name was an afterthought.

“Crackle Cosette,” I had told them. None of them were any the wiser, believing me without hesitation.

How. Just how did my plans ever fail against such pathetic creatures? Ngh.

What’s more, the mayor of the town, apparently aptly named Mayor Mare, approached me and asked where I was staying. I hesitated for a moment, before informing her that I was a freelance photographer roaming about, living off the bits I made here and there during my travels.

And yet, she, in her unbelievable wisdom, decided to insist that I stay in Ponyville. “Give it a try!” she had suggested. My face kept up a kind smile, trained in deception since birth, but internally I felt my very mind contort as the music and chatter died down. Everypony turned to face me and the mayor, expecting me to answer.

I agreed. Curse those ponies and their ‘kindness’. Somepony even offered to let me stay with them. To ‘pay rent’ and live together. If my mind had contorted before, by now it was writhing in pain and anger. Another pony informed me they were leaving town for a few years to study in Canterlot, and that I could rent their home in the meantime and live alone there, assuming I didn’t wreck the place in their absence. I jumped on that offer, having already dug my own hole deep enough as it were. At the very least I wouldn’t want to share an apartment with a pony.

Ugh. And to think less than a year ago I was Queen. To think that I could have had it all if only those terrible ponies hadn’t tried to stop me. If I had ever known my own subjects were so gullible as well, so willing to revolt and commit treason against me and the hive; oh, I would have made fine examples of traitors to teach the others to stay in line.

The stupid party went on into the night, and with me as the ‘honoured guest’ so to speak, I had no way of removing myself any earlier than when the sun had already set. Even then, Pinkie Pie was as obnoxious as ever, and even the other element bearers had come around.

My eyes narrowed and drilled holes into the eye sockets of that unicorn which accompanied them. Starlight Glimmer. I huffed and flinched just barely, yet nopony had noticed. Starlight Glimmer, the pony my mind would not allow me to forget even in a million moons.

Starlight! Glimmer!

Argh! Even thinking about her infuriates me! That disgusting excuse of a lifeform should have been wiped out at conception, and I should do well to rectify that mistake! To rid this world of one as awful as her, as annoying as her! A stupid, little pony that simply couldn’t help but stick her nose into my affairs and plans when it suited her, and roused my own hive into revolt!

Even now I lust for the day I get my sweet revenge on her. The day I reclaim what is rightfully mine, when I am Queen once more and she little more than food, wrapped up in one of countless cocoons. A feast to die for.

But… that day is not today. I snapped back to reality when one of the ponies poked my cheek, frowning slightly as they did before apologising for my absent mind. I shook hooves with the ‘Heroes of Equestria’, though even whilst wearing my clever disguise I forbade myself to even so much as acknowledge Glimmer’s presence. I should have spat at her from up close, truth be told, to demonstrate my disgust, but my vengeance hinged on subtlety for now.

The night ran out as I was led to the house I was offered to rent. I had invited the landlord inside to discuss a settlement, and after only a short little feast on their love and a smidgeon of mind control, I had the place pretty much all for myself. A small rent was to be paid, as a cover act and alibi primarily, since even the ponies might become suspicious otherwise. Still, it allowed me to pursue a very… lax work schedule.

Rather than pursuing a proper career of my own to pay this trinket rent, I simply offered myself up as a ‘professional’ photographer, and established a small-scale studio where I lived. I actually earn quite a decent living thanks to it, though I have competition with another pony in town called Photo Finish. I have set a reminder to cross her off the list soon enough. My plan is ill-suited for dealing with competition, even if this job was little more than a cover story for what was really going on.

Still, even if most ponies preferred the bigger studio of my rival and competitor, I am surviving quite decently. Some ponies bring their entire family with them for group shots. Others come alone, and I shut the blinds while telling them it is to ‘increase the contrast’ or whatever.

One big, dazing camera flash later, and they’re ripe to be feasted upon. Ponyville is a true seat of vile, disgusting idealism, of everything I truly do hate… but it is a true cauldron filled with love wherever you look. My goals are bigger than this pathetic town, or this profession, but for now I bide my time and bite my tongue.

Day by day, night by night, my revenge inches closer. Dominoes fall, the chess pieces are moved into place.

Gather their trust, become invisible to their naked eyes. I am simply another member of Ponyville. Another pony that seemingly lived and thrived in the background, far behind the ‘action’ that ponykind’s heroes experienced on a regular basis.

Become invisible… and from that invisibility, strike.