Chapters In the Eyes of the Beholder
|Chapter 1|
| ~ |
It Takes Two to Love
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Have you ever thought that maybe love didn't exist? That is was just some feeling that people hoped to feel just once in their life? A feeling that no one had truly felt before?
When you live in a place like Equestria, your answer will more than likely be 'no'. This is a miracle to many a creature, and something that must be treasured for what it is. Not every creature has the pleasure of having many beings to love, to trust, and to hold dear. Many are surrounded by cold and unfeeling beings, unable to open up to one another.
It used to be like that for ponykind as well, you know. Have you ever heard of the Hearths Warming Eve story? That tall is a tad too long to tell now, but it shows the ponies of Equestria what they used to be. Unicorns, pegasus ponies, and earth ponies living in separate kingdoms, prejudices between the races. Love only existed in few places, and even then they were rarely genuine.
But even before that, there was a kingdom. A kingdom whose name has been lost in time, but its meaning has stayed all the same. This kingdom was ruled by a kind Queen, one the few who remember her and her land call the Queen of the Roses.
I shall simply call her Rose.
Rose was a beautiful Alicorn mare, with eyes as deep of a green as the greenest pine trees, and a mane as red as her namesake. Her fur was a simple creamy white color, one that made her eyes appear as sharp as a Roses thorn, though they were soothing all the same. Calculating, yet gentle. Searching, yet loving.
A mother's gaze.
For Queen Rose loved all her people, whether they be unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony. They were all her children, and they all loved her so.
One day, there was a regal pegasus stallion who loved Rose not as a mother, but as something... more. He loved her with such a burning passion, that he concocted up a clever type of potion, the first of its kind; a love potion.
Why did he, you ask? Simple; Rose had rejected his love. She hadn't loved any stallion before in that way, and she had believed that she never would. But instead of being heart broken, the stallion quietly left and went to work, set on tricking his one and only love.
A tuft of cloud.
A bright rainbow's glow.
The two ingredients he mixed together using a feather of his own, stirring in madness at the shred of hope that he was creating. Would she love him now? He would soon see.
Bottled and wrapped, the pegasus sent the potion as a gift to the Queen, himself serving as his messenger. They each took a sip, and that sip was their last thought as their minds slipped in to submission under lust's, not love's, iron grip.
They were inseparable, not able to work. The Queen did not rule, the pegasus did not do his job, and the land set into a churning chaos.
And neither of them cared.
This caught the attention of a young creature, chaos being his forte, and he was worried. Worried that these poor ponies would be the end of themselves. Worried that innocent creatures would be harmed. Worried that he'd be out done.
So off he went, to the castle of the 'lovers', to try and give them a sliver of reason. But they would not listen. His young eyes saw with dismay that they did not care, and that they had been consumed by selfishness. They did not love. They were not kind. They were greedy, and only wanted each other and no one else.
Anger the young creature did feel, and he left in a storming flash. He didn't want anything to do with creatures like this. If this was what love was like, he did not want any for himself.
Soon after, the couple had a single foal. She was an alicorn mare, just like her mother, beauty rivaling many others'. A name she was given, quite briefly at that. She was named Emerald, named for her eyes. Her teal mane from her father, and creamy white coat from her mother were the only things she was ever given from her parents.
Seeing the negligence of the young princess, a royal maid took much care of her, loving her as if Emerald had been her own.
But the Princess hungered for her true parents' love, wanting nothing else.
She did receive other things from her parents as she grew up; responsibilities, pressure, and a cold heart. There was no being in the whole wide world she loved, yet she wanted it so very bad. She looked for ways to obtain it, ways to make others love her, ways to be loved...
But all in all she failed.
Rose did not care, as Emerald did not care. Two alicorns, two rulers, but only one was competent enough to lead them. And she did not love the kingdom as her mother once had.
In her desperation, her kingdom was further cast into chaos, and yet she did not notice. She dealt with her ponies in a cruel way, a way in which they'd never been treated before. They pleaded for Rose to return, but she gave them no hope, no liberation, no kindness, no love...
Like a child calling for its mother, the ponies of the kingdom called for help, not caring who came to answer.
Infuriated by the Kingdom's foolishness, the chaotic creature returned once more, on request of the princess. He'd assumed that she needed his help to restore her ponies to their non-chaotic state, so he'd accepted. A chaotic kingdom not ruled by him was not something he'd needed on his conscience anyways. And he'd already decided he didn't want anything to do with these creatures.
But when he arrived, the princess asked him to make her mother and father love her like they should. She told him to give her what she deserved.
Shock followed by a seething anger slapped the creature, filled him to the top, and ran through him like fire.
"You selfish wretch!" he screamed at the mare, "I shall give you what you deserve; a life of hunger for love, feeding on its very essence. You will live until the end of your days, watching other ponies love, but you shall not feel any for yourself! You will be like a leech, sucking them dry to survive."
And with that, he punished Emerald, turning her innocent white fur into a piercing evil black. Her horn and legs were stretched out until the very material ripped in various places forming holes along her body. Her feathery wings were replaced with thin, hole filled bug-like wings, and her mane grew long and stringy.
Her transformation complete, the creature left, the poor mare's screams echoing throughout the castle.
The first changeling was made.
Not able to show herself, she left her kingdom, leaving it once again to her parents. Not being able to rule themselves, the kingdom broke into four sections;
The unicorns.
The pegasi.
The earth ponies.
And the few of the mixed race group who went to follow their princess, hoping for a better life.
Author's Note
This is my first try at something like this, so beware :P
In the Eyes of the Beholder
|Chapter 2|
| ~ |
Not Me
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I see that you have returned once more. Curious to see what has happened to our poor princess, now are we?
Well, when Emerald left, there was a small group of ponies--unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony--that still believed her to be their one true ruler. They tried their very best to follow her, tracking her movements as best as they possibly could. It seemed as if she were running from them, but they had no idea why.
One day, they found her hiding in a cave. They stood outside of it, calling for her.
"Princess, why wont you come?"
"Why wont you rule us?"
"We alone have stayed loyal to you,"
Upon hearing these words, Emerald sensed something. What was it? She could taste it on her tongue, like the sweetest sugar. She could smell it, like the sweet smelling spring flowers. She could hear it in her ears, like the most beautiful tinkling of bells. She could see it through the dark of the cave, an aura of pretty colors snaking in from outside.
"You will live until the end of your days, watching other ponies love, but you shall not feel any for yourself!," the words echoed cruelly in her mind, "You will be like a leech, sucking them dry to survive."
She edged closer to the sweet smelling mist, inhaling it easily. She quickly became aware of her hunger, and breathed it in more greedily than she'd liked. Pausing a moment, she decided to call out to her subjects.
"Why do you follow me?"
"We only want you, Princess!"
"I fear that you will not like what you see," she called back, her voice cool and calm. But they begged her even so, saying that nothing could ever deter them from her.
She adhered to their request, and came out of the cave. Her new appearance shocked them all, few even ran away, some letting out gasps of surprise. One mare ventured to ask her what had happened.
She was the first to die.
No pony really knows what happened during that time, but many were killed by the mighty creature that was Emerald. Maybe the question had sparked her anger. Maybe it had been an accident. Who knows? I wasn't there.
Only five were left after that. Two mares, two stallions, and one little filly. No one remembers what race they were, but after what happened, it didn't exactly matter any more. They all became the same.
Not exactly knowing what she was doing, Emerald flew up in hysterics at the sight of the dead ponies. Trying to reward or even compensate the remaining five, she tried giving them some of her power. I suppose you can guess what happened from there. Five new Changelings were inadvertently created, though their form was not of as great of as magnificence as their princess.
They were even less pony-like than her.
Emerald and her band of new changelings went from town to town, not caring which kingdom they were from. They were all ponies to them. The bringers of sustenance. Food.
They saw the ponies as weaklings, inferiors. None could fight back. The pitiful creatures could do nothing to stop them. They soon forgot what they once were. Just creatures loyal to their Princess, taking her every order with no hesitation. Thoughtless drones with no feelings.
Only Emerald could remember.
Every time she fed, every time she killed, every time she changed one more pony into a changeling, she remembered.
It's not me! It's not me! she'd cry to herself silently. It's not me!
"Oh, but it is you," a voice would whisper back. "He made it you."
Now since the old kingdom that had been ruled by Rose had broken apart, the selfish couple had since stayed together. Years after the dissipation of the kingdom, another filly was born. She looked just like her older sister had, only her eyes shared her father's blue as well as her mother's green. She was given the name Crystal, and just like her sister before her, that was all she'd really received from her parents.
Emerald soon heard of this, and rage sprouted forth from her very soul. She could not let the two ponies she hated most wrong yet another creature as they had her.
She soon devised a plan that involved the stealthiest and most cunning of her changelings. In the silence of the night, they struck. They entered the empty unkempt castle, dust and broken items littering the halls. Up to the tallest tower, and into the royal chambers. The team of changelings had expected to arrive upon a feast of love, yet there was not a trace to be found. Not one wisp of mist, not one sound of tinkling bells, not one scent of sweet sugar... nothing.
Emerald had suspected this, and did not meet the predicament with disappointment like her changelings had.
But what she found in her parent's room was not something she'd expected.
When she walked in, she saw her tiny new born sister, her mother, and her father.
But what surprised her was that her parents were both dead.
How had they died? With no one to feed them, they'd died of starvation and thirst. They couldn't keep themselves alive anymore... They were too wrapped up in their own wants, too involved in their greed.
The last thing Rose had ever done was name her second born.
After seeing this, Emerald quickly took up her sister, and fled from the ghastly place, not wanting to stay any longer.
The drones then followed without a single word or thought.
The filly was taken away to the encampment of the changelings, somewhere within the boundaries of the present-day badlands. Non of the inhabitants being ponies, therefore not being able to feed the baby, she was quickly transformed. Her older sister made sure to give her more power than the drones; she was her sister after all. She would be their new princess. Another ruler. A new changeling to respect.
They didn't care. They just did as they were told, and it was done, no questions asked.
Not knowing of the foal's name, Emerald named her after the beautiful creations of the butterfly, the prison they broke free of to emerge as new creatures. It symbolized her new beginning, her new life, her new name.
And thus, Chrysalis came to be.
In the Eyes of the Beholder
|Chapter 3|
| ~ |
Changing
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Ever wonder how their changing ability had come to be? When Emerald first ruled over the changelings, they didn't call themselves that, and neither did the ponies.
So how did their name come to be?
Back then, they hadn't been unheard of in most places. They'd attack like packs of wolves, some carrying empty bottles to collect some of their spoils. They were the unnamed monsters of the night, storming villages at seemingly random times.
So how did they acquire, or even require, this ability?
Emerald did not enjoy her appearance. May I remind you that she was a beautiful mare before hoof? She'd taken after her mother's looks, and after being changed by Discord, she believed them to be spoiled. She hated looking at herself, even though she was assured again and again by her Changelings and little sister that she still attained her beauty,
Then, one day, it hit her. If Discord could change her appearance, could she not change her own?
Why had she not thought of this before? She had been a substantially powerful magic user as a pony, if not more so after her transformation, so maybe she could come up with a spell to mold her looks into what they'd once been.
Chrysalis was called to her side to help her with her spell. She found that the actual thinking and creativity that went into her magic was now harder than before, even if the brute strength part came much easier now. How could she form it? How did it work? How could she accomplish her goal?
All the while, her little sister stayed by her, watching, listening. She was still quite young at the time, and levitation was easy now. This concept of 'spells' was new to her, and it intrigued her. She wanted to help, to impress, to succeed. So she tried to change her own appearance as well.
Not remembering her reflection as a pony, she thought about a random mare she'd seen before she'd been changed. Changed? She liked the word, though she felt that 'improved' fit better. What had she looked like? Yellow fur, green eyes, orange mane... oh! And she'd had wings! Yes, that was it! She wished with all her might to change. Look like that mare, be that mare...
Now, she was not as strong as her sister in the magic category yet, but she did seem to have more drive. But since that doesn't stop a pony, or changeling for that matter, from becoming exhausted, she passed out.
She was discovered by some drones who happened to be coming her way. No one had witnessed her experiment, and no one had known she was trying.
And let's just say she succeeded, and the drones were not happy to see a mare in their camp who was supposed to be a changeling by now.
She was brought to her sister, still unconscious, wondering what to do. The now-changeling who had been that mare was brought forth, confirming that she was indeed not a pony any longer. So who was this copy before them? This confused them all, including the mighty Emerald.
Chrysalis soon woke, surprised to see that she'd been moved. She greeted her sister, with a simple, "Hello, dear Sister," which caused further confusion.
Luckily, Emerald was no simpleton.
Unluckily, most of the drones were.
Shouts of accusations, threats of violence, and worried whimpers sounded about the camp. Who was this mare, and where was their Princess? Was she alright? Had the pitiful ponies found a way to best them, and trap them?
Emerald yelled out for silence, but there was none. The camp was soon over-whelmed with terror; they'd never been scared of the ponies before. How had they kidnapped Chrysalis? How? What had they done to her? Was she dead? Would they have to pay a ransom? How long until they'd all be caught?
It was Chrysalis who ended the commotion. She called to them, her voice loud and clear.
"It is I, Chrysalis!" She yelled to them, the mere queerness of her words calling attention to her. "It is I, your Princess! In attempt to help my sister, your Queen, I have found a way to change our appearance! A simply spell for those such as us,"
The crowd murmured. The voice didn't sound like the Princess's, but they way she spoke...
Seeing that the changeling were not yet convinced, she changed back right before them, the familiarity of the spell making it much easier the second time, though it still made her a bit tired.
"Do you see now, you helpless foals?" Emerald called out as she walked to her sister. "Chrysalis has found a new way for us to hunt, a new type of power. We shall use deception to our advantage."
Cheers erupted from the changelings.
"From this day forward, we shall be called by a new name. We are not ponies anymore,"
"NO!" they cried in union.
"We have power that they can only dream of,"
"YES!"
"From now on, and forever more, we shall be the feared and all powerful Changelings! Masters of deception, and bane of love," her last words felt sharp on her tongue. What was she saying? All she ever wanted was love...
"Yes, my sister is correct! We do not need to feel as the lowly ponies do, only to feed upon it, and destroy it!" encouraged Chrysalis, hyped up by all the excitement.
Emerald shook her head. She was different now. She was a Changeling, forever changing, not a pony. She didn't need love anymore. Discord may have thought he was punishing her, but he had in reality given her the best gift she'd ever recieved! Soon, she'd have a kingdom again, and that day would be very soon.
The Kingdom of the Changelings.
In the Eyes of the Beholder
|Chapter 4|
| ~ |
Into Hiding
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Now that their new found ability had been put in play, the collection of love became much easier. Now they could store love like sweet perfume in bottles, as well as feed upon it during the hunt. They received more than they needed, allowing more Changelings to be created, more ponies to be stolen and changed, for the camp to be expanded.
This was the cause of many a Changeling's celebration, including Princess Chrysalis's, but for Queen Emerald, it set her on unease.
Where would all the new Changeling live? Where could they store the surplus of bottled love? They had more than enough food, and collection was easy--was it time for them to move?
She voiced her concerns to her younger sister. Where did she think they should go? Some where close enough to pony settlements, but still far away. Some where a pony wouldn't think, or even want to go. Some where they could hide.
They both thought long and hard on this subject, and they discussed different options frequently. No matter the Princess's age, her opinion and ideas still mattered, as she was greatly respected by all. Especially since her discovery of the changing deception spell, her elder sister and her subjects held respect for her. She treasured and guarded it to her best ability, and held it up as best as she could. It wasn't hard, really, being Queen Emerald's sister and all. Just look nice, be inspirational, have good ideas, and you're all set!
This came easy to Chrysalis, and so she assumed that it was easy for everyone.
Emerald noticed this after a while, and when she was not trying to figure out a place for them to go, she was thinking of her sister's future.
"You will make a great Queen some day," she'd tell her sister at times.
"But you are the best Queen now!" she'd respond every time with something similar, her only respect being poured into her sister. This feeling was not a fuel like love, but she felt that it could help the Queen as well, if not in sustenance or power, but in confidence.
"Ah, yes, so I am. But one day, I shall be gone, and you are the only one who could take my place. You could even surpass my greatness when the time comes, I am sure," she would say to her sister. And she spoke with the deepest sincerity. She honestly thought that her sister would be better than her one day.
Why? Because she didn't know what it felt like to be a pony. She had never craved loved before, or remembered doing so. She'd never had a pony love her before, and didn't have the memory of denying that love to the point of erasing it almost completely. She was the closest thing to a pure-bred Changeling there was.
The Queen would sit and be in deep thought about these things, switching from the topics of her people to her sister's future in her mind. They were the two things that occupied her mind the most, the things she wondered about.
Trying to think about a place to move her Changelings to, she couldn't help but think of her parents old Castle. She dreaded returning to the place, but she felt as if that was the one place they could turn to.
She'd wait for Chrysalis to come up with more possible destinations, only to realize that there was a problem with it, or that it wouldn't work out for them. She didn't want to go back. She didn't even know if there were ponies living there now... and what of their parent's bodies? And the littered halls? The entire place had been a mess the last time she'd been there! Oh, but what else was she to do?
"Build another Castle," a voice said to her, words slithering through her mind like a snake. "Don't go back to the place that holds all those terrible memories--make something new! Your parents had a vast Kingdom, and all the ponies left!"
But what if there are ponies there now, living in small settlements? She'd think back, trying to find some excuse to not return to her homeland.
"Then send a scout team ahead. If there are ponies living there, then enslave them or change them into Changelings. You'll need more help to build a new Castle and Kingdom anyway," it hissed back. The Queen clutched her throbbing head, as if there really was a snake inside it. But she couldn't help but see its reason. The voice was right; small pony settlements would be no match for a party of Changeling drones, and she doubted there would be any there anyway.
It was their only option.
She quickly called to her sister after this, and told her of her plan. Chrysalis did not remember the place as the place of her birth, or her home. And as her elder sister had recalled before, she did not know how it was like to be a pony.
So, a small group of scouting drones were dispatched, sent to the old ruins of the once great kingdom.
They reported back quickly, telling of the odd sights they'd seen. The Castle had been over-run by the native vegetation, and most of it was either crumbling, missing, or had fallen down already. Some signs of huts, houses, and cottages remained, though all that was left were piles of hay or some splintering wood planks. They brought back small broken mementos with them, such as pictures or children's playthings, that attained the faint essence of love about them.
As soon as the love was extracted from them, Emerald instructed that they be kept as artifacts of the past kingdom, as reminders that the ponies were a lesser species. 'Look at the silly creatures--look how they love! See how naive they are?' they seemed to say to the Changelings.
The Queen decided that she'd put them out on display once her new Kingdom was established, as a sort of representations of what the were better than, of what they shouldn't become. But until that happened, she hid them away for safe keeping.
After the scouting team had returned, a larger group of Changelings were sent out to begin the construction of the new Castle. It was to be tall, imposing, and impressive; a reflection of their Queen. It would be crafted from the finest obsidian, though only the outer layers of the walls would be so, as a harder and sturdier rock would be needed for the actual building itself. The black glass was just for looks.
Why obsidian? Some say that it was to match their cruel hearts, while others say it is simply because the Changeling is black in color. But there is one speculation that I enjoy the most; it was obsidian because it was like a mirror, showing the reflection of every single thing about it. It would shine in the day light, but would not be too bright to look at. It would be illuminated during the night by the moon's smooth beams. It would be dark, like a nightmare... no matter what, you'd be able to see it, even though it was black--which was probably just Emerald's favorite color--which would normally be hard to see at night.
It simply added to the intimidating atmosphere about it. The design was said to be extravagant; spiraling towers, jagged peaks--like a huge mountain of magnificence!
But it took many years for this amazing feat of architecture to be completed, as only a few of the Changelings knew anything about building something on such a large scale. They had enough brute force, but where would they get the extra planning and calculation from? The had the brawn, but not the brain.
By then, the three race divided Kingdoms were up and thriving, their silly agreement between each other intact.
Earth Ponies made the food.
Pegasi provided the protection and military support.
Unicorns consisted of scholars.
In a way, they were all still one civilization. They worked together to survive, yet they hated one another. Most Changelings couldn't see why, and just passed it off as another stupid pony trait.
"Ponies are judgmental," they'd say to one another, "Ponies are full of hate. It is a blessing that they might also supply our love."
"More like a miracle,"
To them, the pony races didn't matter when it came to food. But when it came to building the Queen's new castle, who do you think they went to? The unicorns of course.
Another group, smaller in size, was sent to kidnap some of the best architects of the Unicorn Kingdom, in hopes that they might achieve their great plan. Six stallions were chosen, six to plan out the massive building, six ponies within new Changeling borders.
They were taken to the site, and were immediately set to work. It is said that there may have been a seventh, but he was killed or turned into a Changeling since he refused to work. It could just be a rumor, but many like to speculate the worst about other species.
Whether or not there was a seventh, six unicorn stallions started their work. They did their very best, possibly out of fear, but also out of excitement. This was their special talent after all, and they had been chosen to create an amazingly huge and intricate design that would last essentially forever. The food they were given wasn't the best—not because the Changelings were being mean, but because the few of them that used to cook as ponies couldn't remember well or even at all how to do so, and the acquiring of the ingredients was very hard—and they slept very little, but they drove on.
Within a few months, the foundation was down and the plans completed. The unicorns were given the choice of going back home, staying, or becoming Changelings themselves. Sounds a bit too merciful for them, does it? Queen Emerald wanted them all to stay. She thought they all would, given their stay and enthusiasm. She was one stallion short correct.
One stallion, by the name of Sandstone, opted to return home. In efforts to keep the other five, as refusing his choice would seem unbecoming of their soon to be Queen, she let him go. She made him promise to not tell of their advancements, to not tell of her rising Kingdom.
He simply chuckled, tipped his hat, and said good bye.
A group of drones disguised as ponies escorted him home, though it was unknown that Chrysalis had followed. She was curious as to why he wanted to return to his pitiful life when he was given the choice of becoming something much greater. He was a pony, but couldn't even a species as dull as he be able to see that he’d been given the choice of a life time?
They arrived at a rather large house—maybe he was a noble? Chrysalis didn't quite understand how the social structure worked with ponykind, but wasn’t it the nobles who had the large houses?—with an iron gate about it. A yell was heard from somewhere on the estate, and a mare came galloping forward.
“Sandstone!” she yelled, tears streaming down her face. “Oh Sandstone, I thought you’d never return!” She embraced him, and it was then obvious that they loved one another as billows of the sweet mist seemed to be erupting from the two. It was all the drones could do to not collect it.
“But I have returned, and that is all that matters,” he said to her, “and thanks to these fine ponies, I have made my journey safely.”
At those last words, Chrysalis was confused. Hadn’t they kidnapped him, causing his absence? Shouldn’t he be angry at her?
The mare turned her head to face the Changelings, a smile visible on her face. She was not very pretty, but they could sense her kindness. Is that why the stallion loved her? Chrysalis had thought it’d been for looks, not personality.
“Thank you,” she said to them, and for a moment, she was pretty. She then let out a short gasp. “Oh my- only some of you are unicorns!”
Of course. The typical pony prejudice. Chrysalis growled quietly to herself; why hadn’t they all been unicorns? What stupidity had befallen the ones who had turned into pegasi or earth ponies when going into a unicorn exclusive nation?
“They are from a small settlement of mixed races, sweetheart,” the stallion responded, “There they do not care whether you are a unicorn,”
“Oh. That sounds… lovely,” the mare said, trying to uphold her previous composer. It was obvious that it struck her as odd. “Well, good bye, and thank you again!”
The Changelings then left, and as soon as they were out of the Unicornian borders, Chrysalis gave the drones a good scolding.
As soon as they returned, Chrysalis went straight to her sister to ask about the couple.
“Why, that was true love you witnessed,” answered her sister, “It is like a curse upon the ponies. They become as one, and if the other is gone, they become a shell of their former selves. Most cannot even survive without the other if they know that they will never return. But if it has not been confirmed that they died, they will hold onto the belief that they will someday return to them, against all voice of reason.”
“That sounds terrible!” said the younger sister, “I am glad that that cannot every happen to us.”
“Yes, it is truly a blessing,” Emerald agreed, “And we can thank Discord for that.” She sounded neither happy nor sad at these words, no sort of emotion hanging on to them as she turned to leave. She went off to monitor her Castle’s process, along with the once-unicorns who had become the official over seers of the project.
As her sister had stayed her previous questions, her words brought a new one to her mind. Who was Discord? Should she thank him? Was it proper to give him her respect as she gave it to her sister? Emerald hadn’t seem to give any to him, yet she said he was the one to thank…
She decided that she’d find him one day, and settle the matter for herself.
Author's Note
Here, have a longer chapter! x)
The other ones were more like a three part prologue, but I felt that I shouldn't put them all together... you know, sort of like the thing in video games where you play this whole intro thing, and then the intro video starts, and you're like "Crap! It hasn't even started yet!"
so yeah. Hope you like. This is the REAL beginning. Sorta.
In the Eyes of the Beholder
|Chapter 5|
| ~ |
Searching
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A few years had passed after the completion of the mighty structure that was the Changeling Castle, when Chrysalis found herself thinking of Discord once more.
The question came back to her; was she to respect him? All her sister had told her was that he had turned her into the first Changeling, freeing her from her life as a pony, and had then left after doing so. Where had he gone?
The Kingdom was doing well. The Changelings were thriving, they had enough food to go around, and most of the pony world had forgotten about the creature that was the Changeling. They had faded into fairy tales and myths, an old mare’s tale.
This made their hunting and collecting much easier. With their power of changing their appearances, hence their name, their powers of deception also increased. Coming up with convincing backstories on a whim, keeping up different personalities, making up lies to pad down any suspicions—it all came with being a Changeling.
Queen Emerald had even opened a few schools to help refine their talents of this, which she hoped would further their success.
So, during all this good fortune and easy going, Chrysalis became restless. She was now a young mare, in relative pony terms, and felt a need to do something for her growing nation. Maybe it was time to search for that mysterious creature of Chaos.
She told her sister of her plans, eagerness burning in her soul. The Queen was hesitant about letting her sister go, but in the end, she gave her access to the military, supplies, and permission for her quest. Why was it a quest? The draccanequos had gone into hiding, or atleast that is what everypony—and Changeling—assumed, as no one knew where he was. Most ponies hadn’t even heard of him before.
As she watched the Princess leave, she felt a nagging tug in the back of her mind. She didn’t know whether or not she like Discord for what he’d done, or hated him. No, of course she liked it! She ADORED being a Changeling! It was the best thing that had ever happened to her!
So why did she have these memories of feeling so helpless, so alone, when she’d first been changed? Hadn’t she once missed being a pony?
“No! You’re better than them!” a voice snapped. Emerald had grown to call the voice Viper for its snaky sound, and how it slithered around her mind. She didn’t really think of it as her own, even if she thought it might be.
Yes, yes you’re right, Viper, she said, instantly submissive to its words.
”Of course I am right!” it shouted back, ”And don’t pretend that you didn’t think that too.”
The Queen shook her head violently, a massive head ache arousing from the odd conversation from herself.
”Hahaha! That is what you get, you unthankful whelp!” it cackled, mocking her pain.
Emerald simply ignored it, as she’d learned to do a long time ago. She’d be fine. Chrysalis would be fine. She just needed to stop thinking about such silly things that weren’t worth thinking about anymore. She was a Changeling now, the Queen at that! She was respected by her Kingdom, and very well off.
She could want nothing more.
A few weeks passed, and Chrysalis had found no sign of Discord. She still hadn’t decided what she’d do when she found him, but she searched all the same.
No word in the Unicornian lands, and no hints of information from the pegasi. Not even the earth ponies, who were known for their legends and lore, had no idea where he was.
It was like he’d never existed.
The Princess thought back to her sister’s story; he’d appeared before her sister’s birth as well, when the old kingdom was falling into chaos by itself… wait. CHAOS! Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of this before hoof?
They needed to create some chaos to lure the beast in, but how? She thought and thought, until she came up with a plan. A plan that would involve the best masters of deception, the most cunning of the Changelings, and a pony.
They just needed to find some small town first.
It was on the edges of the Earth Pony borders, a little village by the name of Thatch. Everypony seemed to know everypony there, being such a small and close-knit place. Chrysalis decided that this would be the perfect place to have her experiment.
A pony was replaced here, a rumor was spread there... it was amazingly easy for them to start it all off. First, it was petty gossip.
'Did you know Daisy Ways keeps a stash of chicken feed on her farm, all to herself? And to keep up her prices too!' 'I saw Barry hanging out with some mare the other night... yes, I know he has a wife!'
And the best part was, the ponies did most of the gossiping for them! They even blew it out of proportion, making things like, 'She was a widow before marrying him' go to 'She has married eight stallions before him, each mysteriously dying before she met the next one!'
It was almost too easy. Soon, they were making up their own stories about themselves, trust dissipating before them as if it had never existed in the first place. The last thing the Changelings did was order a short attack on some barn, kicking out the final straw that held up the community. It wasn't extravagant, or even that clever, but it was Chaos.
Or so the princess hoped. Come now, mysterious one, she'd think to herself as she waited. Would he come? Would this invite him to her? Or would it only look like she'd tried to beat him at his own game, making her seem unlikable before she could even get a word out? Or maybe he'd ignore it altogether... Maybe she hadn't done a good enough job. Surely ponies gossiped on their own, right? And set fire to their neighbor's farms? No, this simply HAD to work!
Too much work had gone into finding him for it not to work, and Chrysalis had never been one to give up. Ever.
Weeks passed, and the state of the small village worsened terribly. No love could be collected in the area, and they were running low on their packed reserves. They'd be forced to return home soon if Discord did not show up. The princess shivered at the thought, both from the fear of a first failure and from the growing cold.
It was early spring, but it was still a bit chilly. It seemed to be getting colder every day, but she didn't complain. She would wait until they really had to leave, for the sake of her ever loyal Changelings.
One day, a familiar face showed up.
"...Sandstone?" she asked herself, seeing him walking down the road. He seemed to be observing the tattered buildings, and was he older? She could sense his confusion and sadness, probably from the sight of the town. But he was a unicorn, and this was an earth pony village. Why should he feel sorry for it? Perhaps he did not know, and thought it to be of his own race?
She flew down to him, in the form of a pegasus, and landed in front of him. He didn't seem startled by her sudden appearance, and his eyes didn't hold any recognition in them. Why would she expect him to know who she was? She didn't look herself now, and he might have even forgot about her.
"I suppose you are the cause of all this?" his voice was cool and emotionless.
"I am but one pegasus, how could I do this?" she responded, hoping that her practiced poker face was doing well.
"Ah, but you are not a pegasus, are you?" he chuckled. Were his eye always that color? She realized that she could not fool him. Perhaps he did recognize her. Had she used this form with him before?
"How can you be sure?" she couldn't help but let her tone become icy; she just had to know! Something about him was making her become frustrated, a feeling she didn't usually get when talking to a dimwitted pony.
"Come now, Emerald. I know it's you," he said, words playful yet stern. She had suspected he knew who she was, but mistaking her for her sister? She was a step ahead of him then.
"I am afraid you are wrong about my identity, though you may have the correct species," it was her turn to be confident. And his to be surprised. He quickly recovered though, and suggested that they get of the road--several buildings were on fire--and to a safer, more private, place.
Not exactly understanding the meaning of the word, she took him to her small camp. There were a few drones present, but most were off who knows where, probably either making fun of the ponies or trying in vain to find some food.
She then revealed herself to the unicorn, her true form shocking him, though it only showed for a moment. He took a few seconds of thinking, then cleared his throat.
"So it appears that you were not tricking me then," he mumbled, as if thinking to himself. "Pray tell, who might you be?"
Now the princess was confused again. Did he really not remember her? Granted, they'd only had a few conversations whilst he worked on the designs for her sister's castle, but she'd think that the one and only Princess of the Changelings would be hard to forget.
"You do not remember me, Princess of the Changelings, Sandstone?" as soon as she spoke the words, she realized that the stallion had no blasted cutie mark--the useless things--and he didn't look much like Sandstone at all. There were just a few similarities, like the color of his coat. Wait, no. This unicorn's coat was blue, while Sandstone's had been a sandy beige... had she just imagined the sameness of the two? It seemed so, as they didn't look anything alike really.
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong stallion," he said to her, a knowing look in his eyes. He saw her confusion, and had found it amusing. Chrysalis started to feel a bit odd... wait, embarrassed? No! She hadn't made a mistake! He must have done something! Right?
He began a deep chuckle again, amusement dancing across his face.
"Ok, ok- I've kept this up long enough," he said through laughs. "You really are confused, but so am I. It must have been a coincidence that you knew a stallion that looked like that, but my appearance had been changing all the while. Slowly, yes, but changing all the same."
She looked at him with curiosity now; he could change his looks as well?
"Who are you?" she asked, interest in his identity almost over whelming. A rogue changeling? Emerald playing a trick on her? Maybe it was some sort of test?
He was silent again. He studied her for a moment, before looking around.
"Hmm, you know what? Follow me," and without a moment's hesitation, he walked off towards the camp again. Not bothering to change, all Chrysalis could do was follow.
She trotted next to him, different questions running through her head. She opted to wait until he stopped to ask anything, but she thought she might as well introduce herself.
"My name is Chrysalis, Princess of the Changelings if you were wondering," she told him.
"I did not know that they had a princess, or a Kingdom for that matter," he replied, still walking. His voice seemed thoughtful and curious, much like her own at the moment. Could she trust him? Should she even be following this strange stallion? He was a pony after all--why should she be giving the likes of him her time?--wasn't he?
"Well I am, and there is," the simple statement seemed childish the the princess, and she instantly regretted her choice of words. But she gave no sign of it as to uphold her air of confidence. She was not weak, and she would not make it appear so.
He let out his warm chuckle again.
"I believe you," He said to her before stopping near the remnants of a burnt down building. "Why did you do this?"
"I did not, and neither did my Changelings. This was the ponies doings; we only sparked the tension, which was very easy to do."
"That is what I meant. Why did you do that? Do you not thrive on love, not hate? You are depleting your own food by doing this,"
"Only in this small area!" she snapped. She took a moment to take a deep breath. "I also thought that maybe a certain someone would show up,"
"And who would that be?" he asked, though from the tone of his voice she guessed he already knew.
"A creature by the name of Discord," she followed the words with a short, nervous laugh. That sounded sillier than I thought it would...
"Hmhmhm, and why would that be?"
"I'm not sure," she responded, "I suppose to give him my sister's thanks, and just to meet him." why was she being so honest to him, a stranger?
"Thanks?" this question seemed more genuine than the others, like he didn't know the answer, like what she'd said was unexpected.
"Yes. Let's just say that it is because of him that we are what we are,"
"So you like being Changelings," more of a thought than a question, he looked back to the wreckage. "Chaos cannot be controlled, you know. You can start it, like a fire, but then it goes off on its own, growing and doing as it pleases. You can manipulate it to a certain extent, but there are few who can."
"Like Discord,"
"Yes, Discord," he nodded, "I suggest you don't try it again." he turned to leave.
"But I can't give up now!" she yelled after him, "I can't give up! I've never failed before, and I don't plan to now."
"That important to you, eh?" he asked as he turned around to face her. She answered with a fierce nod. He let out a long sigh before his tail lifted up like an arm, and the different strands of the hair snapped like fingers. A poof of thick smoke billowed out from an unknown source about him, then disappeared almost as quick as it had appeared.
Chrysalis let out a gasp. In the unicorn's place was now a tall monster of sorts. For a while, they just stared at one another, neither moving or talking. Then it clicked. His knowledge of Chaos, his changing looks...
"...Discord..?" she asked, unsure of herself. Who else could it possibly be?
He nodded, a mischievous expression resting on his face. He was clearly enjoying her awe. How could she have missed this?
"Well?" his arms were crossed, his griffon-like fingers tapping on his opposite arm. Was he being impatient?
"Thank you," she managed to say.
"You are ever so welcome," he bowed before the princess, then stood back up. He lifted his arm to snap once more, ready to leave.
"Wait! I wanted to ask you a few questions!"
"Maybe another day. We shall meet again, Princess," and with that, he was gone.
Even if she wasn't fully satisfied, a smirk rested on her face.
She would never fail.
In the Eyes of the Beholder
|Chapter 6|
| ~ |
Stories
____________________________________________
The stories we tell can be quite convincing, such were the ones that Queen Emerald told her younger sister, the Princess of the Changelings. Whether or not the stories were true, Chrysalis believed her sister with all her might, her trust never failing, and her respect for the Queen even more firm.
She was told of how ponies were their own enemy, they destroyed themselves by falling into love's trap and were foolish for doing so. The only good that came of doing so was sustaining the Changeling population, but of course, nopony really knew that. They just lived in their little world, as Emerald said, concerning themselves with their own wants and desires.
Chrysalis asked what she'd looked like as a pony, just her curiousness peeking through in her young eyes. The Queen merely stated that it was not important to think of, and that a Princess of a superior species should concern herself with something other than the past. It was said with a noticeable coldness, and the Princess had thought that she might have seen a wisp of sadness from the words, and she said no more.
If her sister said that it was not of any importance, then it wasn't. But a new question came to mind; where had the sadness come from? She could easily place the coldness, as most changelings have that tone when talking of ponies. But sadness ? She wanted to find out what was troubling her sister.
Maybe it was because the food supply was becoming harder and harder to restock?
It hadn't been noticeable at first, but the rate of collecting love from the ponies had been declining, slowly at first, but now considerably rapid.
And for another thing, it was getting colder.
A changeling can withstand extreme temperatures better than a pony, but even they were starting to notice that it was colder than it should be given that it was late Spring. There were light snow falls, icy roads, frosted plants, and chilling hearts.
Chrysalis saw that this was beginning to become a serious threat.
This had to be what her sister was worried about.
They had to do something! But... what?
For the first time that she could remember, the Princess of the Changeling Kingdom was afraid. Afraid for her kingdom, those living in it, her sister, and herself. But she would not ever show it, not on her own life.
She was soon called to the Queen, to speak to her sister. She was not surprised when the topic was the one of the growing cold and the disappearing love. What else could it have been?
"Sister, I fear that the cold will continue to become colder, creating an early winter," said the elder to her sister, "and I believe that this is what is causing the coming famine."
"I've been thinking that as well," Chrysalis spoke, careful to keep her words respectful; she knew this already! "What shall we do about this?" She looked to her sister, waiting for an answer, silently hoping that she had one. The Queen's face held no emotion, no sign of her expression giving way to hope or despair.
"The ponies will need to move soon," she began, the words sounding like a carefully practiced speech, each clear and confident, "The cold will only grow, for it is caused by an unnatural cause that we should not interfere with. If we wish to keep our food supply and our lives, we shall have to move the pony population away from this place,"
Now this was new to the princess. The winter was not natural? So it was not the pegasi's doing then.
"Excuse me for asking this, sister, but whatever do you mean by 'moving' the ponies?" she asked, clearly clueless as to what the older Changeling had meant.
"It will involve a complicated plan, one that will have to involve both you and I. We shall discuss it later on in a meeting that I shall call with a few other choice changelings," the answer still held an air of mystery, piking the princess's curiosity even more. She became eager to know of the plans, and felt a renewed sense of confidence. Her sister knew what to do!
"Can you tell me of Discord again, Emerald?" the question surprised even herself as the words left her mouth. Why would she ask that, given the circumstances?
The Queen only looked at Chrysalis, expression stony and cold. Her eyes closed, and with a great sigh she looked down ward at what had once been her hooves.
"Discord, my dear sister? Did you not meet him on your successful quest?"
"Yes, I did," she answered with a nod, "but the manner in which he appeared and spoke to me made me more curious." She paused a few moments, her real question coming to surface. "Why did he change you into a Changeling?"
She was met with silence as old memories were brought into the older sister's mind. Why had he done so?
"Our parents were loveless," she began, shakily at first as she searched for the right words, "and one of the things a pony craves is love. As I've told you before, it is like a curse. I strived for nothing else but our parents' love and affection, yet got none for they had none to give. That is all I concerned myself with, and the old Kingdom fell into chaos,"
Emerald looked to Chrysalis, seeing a face of wonder and surprise looking back at her. This caused a small smile to form on the Queen's face, and a short giggle to sound from her mouth.
"Yes, does it not sound silly?" she asked, smile still showing as she spoke, "But that is what it was, and chaos ensued. This soon caught the attention of Discord, the creature of which you met, and he came to me when I called for him. I explained to him my situation, and he freed me. He took away my constant desire for love, and made me a better creature,"
"Just like that?" she could not help but ask the Queen.
"Just like that."
But he'd seemed surprised that we enjoyed being changelings, and that we had grown powerful enough to create a kingdom! she thought to herself. Her sister wasn't telling her everything.
"Now go, Chrysalis. I shall call the meeting soon,"
But it would have to wait. It wasn't her top priority at the moment, however curious it may be.
