You're Going To Fit Right In

Chrysalis stared at Nightmare Rarity, as her mind tried to process the events unfolding. Noticing the elevated heart rate as it reached her overly sensitive ears, as well as the trembling of the Unicorn’s form, it dawned on Chrysalis. She’s nervous.

Chrysalis was known for her cautious perceptive nature and even now she was analyzing her surroundings in an instant. Glancing over at Starlight, Chrysalis noticed she seemed very relaxed and just quietly observing the scene. Why is she nervous? If Starlight isn’t scaring her, then what is? Chrysalis glanced back to Nightmare Rarity, scanning her for any possible indication. Suddenly, she noticed it.

That shaking hoof, her pleading eyes. She’s scared of…me? No, not me. Socializing. Chrysalis hated the thought of being friendly, she had forged her way through life on her own might, her own magic. But staring at the mare before her, clearly mighty in her own right, attempting to introduce herself even though she was having a panic attack, somewhat touched her. Damn it all. Gesturing to herself with her hoof, Chrysalis gave a curt bow.

“I am Chrysalis, she-”

Chrysalis pointed to Cozy Glow, who was hovering at her side.

“Is Cozy Glow. And the big red oaf over there-”

Chrysalis gestured to Tirek, who had been striking a pose to show off his muscles.

“Is Tirek.”

Lowering his arms in annoyance, Tirek crossed them before grumbling.

“That’s Lord Tirek.”

Chrysalis snorted.

“Lord of being an annoying brute.”

Turning towards her, Tirek balled his hands into fists and shouted.

“You want to go, you insect?”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes.

“Scathing.”

However, his shout caused Nightmare Rarity to look around nervously before whispering to Chrysalis.

“He really shouldn’t be yelling here.”

Chrysalis glanced over at Starlight, who much to her surprise had sat down on her haunches as if waiting for something. Looking back over to Nightmare Rarity she whispered back.

“What’s about to happen?”

“Security is coming. Whatever you do, don’t fight them.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.

“Security?”

“That would be us!”

Whirling around, Chrysalis found herself staring into the face of an overjoyed purple Unicorn with frizzy blue mane and tail. What an odd place to stick a tennis ball. Chrysalis stared at the tennis ball stuck on her horn before letting her eyes roamed over the black vest on the Unicorn that said in bright white letters, ‘Security’. The Unicorn mare waved excitedly at her and spoke in an almost singsong voice.

“Hi, I’m Izzy! Izzy Moonbow! You must be new here. I don’t recognize you! Let’s talk later though, okay? I’m going to have to ask you to stay quiet and let Sunny work her magic~”

Sunny? Who is Sunny? Turning around Chrysalis watched an adolescent-sized, orange-furred Earthpony mare with a magenta mane that was braided to the side, approach Tirek calmly. On her back was a black vest that read ‘Security’ in bright white letters. She was tiny in comparison to the massive centaur, yet she wore a smile on her face; warm and inviting. Her voice carried a sunny disposition of optimism.

“Sunny Starscout, Captain of Campus Security. I can see tensions are high right now, but why don’t you unball that fist and relax. Let’s discuss this like reasonable adults.”

This seemed to have an adverse effect as something in Tirek seemed to snap, while he stared at Sunny in silence for a moment. Suddenly he threw his head back and screamed in anger.

“I am sick of being subjugated by these…these ponies! And now a child wishes to preach to me about friendship and harmony and all this nonsense?”

Izzy leaned over and whispered.

“Sunny isn’t a filly, she is a fully grown Alicorn, she just suffers from dwarfism.”

Chrysalis’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“What do you mean…Alicorn?”

Izzy chewed thoughtfully on some popcorn she inexplicably materialized before swallowing and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s just her powered-down form. Sunny can’t control her immense power of an Alicorn yet. Twilight sealed her magical form and is currently training her to wield it properly.”

Chrysalis stared in awe as Sunny calmly danced around each blow; moving just enough to avoid each and every blow. Sunny called out to Izzy as she continued to dodge.

“Izzy, honey, I know you are busy making a new friend, and I am happy for you, I really am, but do you think you could focus on the task at-ugh.”

Tirek’s fist finally landed square in Sunny’s face at full force. As Tirek pulled back his fist in expressed victory, Chrysalis gasped. Not a hair was out of place in Sunny’s mane, nor a tuft of fur on her face. Her muzzle was perfectly intact, with no trace of blood or wounds to speak of. In fact, Chrysalis realized that blow hadn’t even budged the small Earthpony from her position. Only one thing had changed, Sunny’s expression.

It no longer portrayed that warm smile, instead it seemed almost sorrowful in nature as she spoke to the enraged Centaur. Her voice carried a bit of hope mixed into a gathering sadness.

“We don’t have to do this. I still want to be friends. I understand you are frustrated but please unball your fists, talk to me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Tirek wasn’t listening and another blow of his mighty fist slammed into Sunny, who didn’t bother to dodge. Instead she tried again, her voice, Chrysalis noticed, carried just a little more sadness than before, though a minute bit of hope was woven in and becoming less and less so with each passing blow.

“You are angry at being forced to be here, and that is fine-”

*BAM*

Go ahead, let all your frustrations out-”

*BAM*

“I’ll give you ten hits, hit me with everything you are feeling-”

*BAM*

“But after that I will be forced to retaliate-”

*BAM*

“Please-”

*BAM*

“Don’t-”

*BAM*

“Make-”

*BAM*

“Me-”

*BAM*

“Do-”

*BAM*

“That.”

*BAM*

Chrysalis held her breath as the tenth blow struck Sunny. She didn’t know why but she felt a sort of admiration as to how far Sunny was going to attempt a peaceful resolution, but Chrysalis knew there was no way Tirek was going to ‘just talk’ things out. Then as Tirek threw an eleventh punch, Sunny’s hoof shot up and grabbed his fist.

Chrysalis marveled at how she didn’t seem to be struggling at all. In fact, the only one struggling was Tirek as he tried to wrench his hand free of her grasp. Sunny then spoke, her words echoing across the entire first floor in a booming voice of pure melancholy. A tone Chrysalis had heard many times before: the Canterlot Voice.

“I thought we could be friends, you know. I wanted to be friends, I thought if I reached out an olive branch you would have realized-”

Chrysalis watched as magic swirled around the Earthpony, forming the distinct outline of large wings, while her forehead boasted the golden outline of a Unicorn’s horn. The outline, though solid, was very faint as though suppressed; still onlookers gathered around the spectacle gasped in excitement and surprise .

“-Just what you were doing. That we could talk things out but I guess Twilight was right, sometimes you can’t be gentle. Sometimes creatures require a display of force to help them understand. And that seems to be how you feel. So I’ll give it to you, just the smallest fraction of my might, if that is what it takes to open your eyes. Just remember, you brought this-”

Sunny twisted her hoof sharply, causing Tirek to scream in agonizing pain as he fell to the ground writhing in agony. All around the crowd various screams were issued forth. A few faint-hearted individuals fainted dead away at the sight, while Cozy Glow screamed bloody murder at the sight.

“-On yourself.”

Chrysalis felt sick to her stomach, wanting to vomit as she stared at Sunny. The Alicorn still held Tirek’s hand, and the arm it was attached to. The arm that had been ripped out of its socket, torn from the shoulder. Tirek’s bone protruded from his shoulder, broken and fragmented. Quickly, she covered Cozy Glow’s eyes, using her magic to erase the memory of what just happened from the filly’s mind, before anyone noticed. Tirek continued to howl in pain as he thrashed on the ground and Sunny sighed regretfully before looking over at Izzy.

“I still…can’t control it, Iz. Can you-?”

Right before Chrysalis’s emerald green eyes, Izzy’s playful demeanor suddenly vanished. Izzy reached up and removed the tennis ball on her horn while her voice took on that of an older, mature mare with a hint of seduction.

“Well, lucky for you, your partner-”

She gave Sunny a wink of knowing, before continuing.

“-Is always looking out for you. Let’s see what we have here. Hold him still for me, Hon.”

Sunny held Tirek with one hoof while he struggled and screamed in pain, meanwhile Izzy peered at the wound. After a moment though, Chrysalis saw her shake her head.

“Sunny? I can’t fix this. Your Alicorn magic is woven into the wound, it’s interfering with my own.”

Sunny balked at this.

“What? Twilight is going to kill me! Starlight what should I do?”

Starlight was still sitting there, watching the entire scene while eating the popcorn Izzy had. She chuckled.

“Don’t know. Have you tried killing him for hitting you?”

“That’s not funny, Princess!”

“I told you never to call me that again!”

Chrysalis listened to the back and forth growing increasingly agitated. She was angry at Tirek, she was angry at Sunny for maiming him, and worst of all, she was angry at herself. It was her fault this even happened. Her words had been the catalyst. As the back and forth continued, her guilt grew until Chrysalis just couldn’t take it anymore and suddenly she snapped.

Her body began to change; her exoskeleton became enhanced, the holes in her hooves filling in, while her mane and tail vanished. Her horn grew thicker more like a rhino beetle’s, while her eyes grew narrower and changed to lime green, with several more bright lime green ones appearing on either side of her head. Her wings split into four beneath a shiny shell, while her jaw split into fours, with sideways fangs; mandibles within her mouth.

She spoke, in a voice that boomed like thunder.

“Enough of this nonsense!”

Across the floor, all the students that had gone back to shopping and dining froze as the forceful shout was heard. Chrysalis stepped towards Tirek with her horn glowing with a sickening, acidic green magic.

“We have been here for not fifteen minutes and Sombra got himself blown up for attacking our host, and you, you big red idiot decided to measure up against the security.”

The green glow grew bigger as Chrysalis continued her shout.

“This is a new start! Or it was supposed to be, for us, the wickedest creatures in all of Equestria. I told you to stand down and do nothing.”

A glowing green magic washed over the severed arm as Chrysalis roared her fury at the hapless Centaur.

“Look how great and powerful the great Lord Tirek is, you are a literal legend of fear amongst Ponies; brutal and terrifying and look at you now! Did it ever occur to you after the first blow when you did nothing to Sunny, that you stood no chance? Why do you always have to be so macho, so thick-headed? Did you even consider how Cozy Glow, how I, would feel if you got yourself killed?”

The severed arm rose up and from it, the skeletal bones of the arm ripped themselves free of the muscle mass, before aligning themselves to Tirek’s shoulder. Chrysalis blasted them with a burst of magic and from the bones ligaments formed, binding them together. Arteries, veins appeared as well as a network of ventricles, nerves and capillaries. These were soon encased by tendons and muscles and in no time bright red flesh was creeping over the surface to seal the arm. Tirek stared in awe as the fingers moved.

“Of course, I’m no better with my insults, I’m sure. And I’m sorry for riling you up like that. Still, you’ll be apologizing to them for losing control.”

Tirek opened his mouth to protest, before Chrysalis grabbed his throat and opened her jaws to their terrifying full width.

“I don’t care. You will apologize to Sunny, Starlight and Cozy Glow, for frightening our filly, this instant-”

Chrysalis’s mandibles dripped venomous saliva onto the floor, melting a hole in the enchanted stone flooring.

“-Or I will find out what Centaur tastes like. Do it now!”

Staring into his terrified expression, Chrysalis threw him to the side, causing him to slam into the stone in front of a very startled Sunny. Izzy gave a low whistle of approval while placing the tennis ball back on her horn.

“Rough, but effective.”

Chrysalis stomped past them, growling and muttering angrily in a language none had ever heard with incoherent hissing mixed in. As she moved, other students quickly scurried out of her way. Starlight sat there, looking rather intrigued at Chrysalis’s behavior before turning to see Tirek furiously groveling before Sunny.

“-My anger got the best of me, forgive me. For the love of the crown forgive me!”

Starlight chuckled as she tilted her head to listen to something, something only she heard.

“True. She is interesting for sure, my Queen.”

Sunny directed Tirek over to Starlight who watched in amusement as he expressly apologized to her. She smiled warmly.

“Friendship is about forgiveness. If Sunny has no intention of ending your existence for your direct assault on her, then I suppose I can forgive your interruption of my tour-”

Her eyes narrowed and Tirek found himself staring into the soulless, callous eyes of the Principal.

“Do not mistake Sunny’s kindness for weakness. If this happens again, she may not be as gentle. I’ll make sure of it.”

Sunny looked at Starlight.

“What about Chrysalis? Should I stop her?”

Starlight shook her head.

“She isn’t a threat to anyone right now. She is simply following her nose. Do you see where she is going?”

Sunny glanced up at the sign: The Dragon’s Fire. Looking at Starlight she inquired.

“She eats meat?”

Starlight nodded looking thoughtful, as she watched Chrysalis revert to her more recognizable form while heading towards the smell of fresh meat.

“She’s from a race of predatory beasts that desicate their prey. Somewhat Spider-like in nature. They even spin webs made out of a mucus formed within their own bodies. My guess is what we just saw was her natural body and returning to that form caused her to become unbearably hungry.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing, what kind of creature does that?”

Starlight smiled at Sunny.

“Right, I forgot. They were extinct by the time Twilight decided to mentor you. Sunny, that is a Changeling. A shapeshifter by nature. More specifically the First Changeling, the Queen. Let’s leave her be for now, she needs to cool down and feed. It’s best not to disrupt the process.”

Starlight watched as Nightmare Rarity followed Chrysalis into the restaurant.

“Besides something tells me, she will learn more on her own than she will learn from a tour with me.”

Starlight looked at Cozy Glow who was confusedly staring at Tirek as he asked her forgiveness for upsetting her; Cozy Glow remembering none of that but accepting the apology anyway using it as an excuse to ask for an ice cream cone later on at one of the many sweet shops dotting the area. Starlight nodded, raising her hoof and saying simply into the device on it.

“Student Roster, Student File, Chrysalis, Notes. Record the following-”

On her throne in Canterlot Palace, Twilight sat, staring at the flashing red letters of Chrysalis’s file. Just one word, blinking brightly in a dark crimson:

Selected.

Twilight’s eyes reflected the red glow of her screen, before a bone-chilling smile crossed her lips. Show me what you can do. Chrysalis the Changeling Queen.