Chapter 7
Chrysalis had set Carmine down in a prepared bed that was little more than a bundle of furs, and placed her under hypnosis. Her mother explained that a hypnotically commanded sleep was the most restful. She counted to five and commanded her to sleep. The next thing Carmine knew; it was eight hours later. She felt refreshed. It had been the best sleep of her life.
The made up bedroom was damp and cool, a little chamber off to the side of the main hall. She had been surprised at how quickly it had been made up, Chrysalis had explained that the hive mind of the changelings was able to focus on hundreds of tasks at the same time without distraction, far more than the capacity than any individual.
Carmine sat up and let out a yawn, and rose to her hooves to stretch out. Her ears twitches, she heard a commotion from the main room and quietly trotted over to investigate.
She peered out from behind a hanging cloth that had been erected as a makeshift door, and spotted Chrysalis on her obsidian throne. Standing before her was a unicorn mare who looked so tiny by comparison. She was a silvery coated mare with matching two tone dark and light grey mane. Her blue eyes looking on with anger.
‘We have warned you repeatedly, Queen Chrysalis. Yet you continue to poke the hornets’ nest with a stick, the Praesidium—’
‘I am not concerned by the Unified Praesidium of Socalist Republics,’ Chrysalis spat back. ‘The Cossack ponies can come at me all they like. They have what I need, and I will take it, regardless of what you damnable Others, or your Tribunal of Ch’a has to say.’
Ch’a, the strange foreign sound of the word rolled over Carmine’s tongue. She silently mouthed it as she eavesdropped on the conversation.
‘I am warning you, Your Majesty, your recent actions affect not only you. The Tribunal has expended much to keep the peace here. The treaty—'
‘I know what the treaty says, Shining Path, if you recall, you and I are the only two signatories still alive,’ Chrysalis chided her.
The mare called Shining Path wrinkled her nose. ‘Very well, but we will be keeping a close eye on you,’ she said.
‘A great deal many I should think. You Others do have compound eyes after all,’ Chrysalis grinned.
Shining Path was not amused. ‘Just remember, you have been warned, keep to the treaty, we’ll know if you don’t,’ she said, pointing at Chrysalis with a hoof, before turning about face and storming off.
Chrysalis sighed and rubbed her temple. ‘Damnable Others,’ she mumbled and looked up. ‘You can come out, my darling daughter, I know you are eavesdropping from behind the curtain.’
Carmine jumped in surprise, and gently pushed the curtain aside. ‘So, how did you know I was listening?’ she asked.
Chrysalis smiled, ‘Because you just told me,’ she said with a chuckle.
Carmine looked sheepishly at her. ‘I suppose I did.’
‘Allow me to share with you the first rule of not being seen: Not to stand up,’ she added and waved her over.
Carmine did so, and stood before her Queen. ‘If it makes you feel any better, I have no idea what you're talking about with—whoever that was.’
‘Shining Path of Truth and Justice,’ Chrysalis said. ‘Don't let her look fool you, she is not a unicorn. She was an Other.’
‘What’s an “Other?”’ she asked.
‘Oh, probably only the single most frustrating beings to work with in this life. They’re big green insects that walk around on six legs attached to their thorax, no abdomen, and big ant heads with compound eyes, antennae, and mantis forelimbs,’ Chrysalis smiled brightly. ‘It’s actually quite ironic. They hide their true insectoid forms by taking the forms of ponies when they can. Just as we hide our true forms by taking the forms of insectoids.’
Carmine looked surprised. ‘This isn’t the changeling true form?’ she asked, gesturing to Chrysalis.
‘No,’ Chrysalis said with an amused smile. ‘No, this form is just another parlour trick, another useful lie to make our enemies understand only what we want them to,’ she added.
Carmine raised an eyebrow. ‘But why lie in your own homeland? There are no enemies here,’ she pointed out.
Chrysalis nodded her head. ‘True enough, but lying is a skill like any other. And if you want to maintain a level of excellence, you have to practise constantly,’ she said, beaming brightly at her.
Carmine frowned. ‘Mother, is there no one you trust with the truth?’ she asked.
‘The truth is usually just an excuse for lack of imagination,’ Chrysalis commented. ‘If it makes you feel any better though, everything I told you yesterday was the truth.’
This made Carmine breathe a sigh of relief, but then a thought popped into her head. ‘How do I know if you’re telling me the truth right now when you’re saying that though?’
The biggest smile formed on Chrysalis’ face. ‘You don’t!’ she giggled with absolute glee. ‘That’s my girl! You’re learning fast already!’
Carmine was not amused, she turned from her mother and started to trot off. ‘I need some fresh air,’ she said, but paused, realising she didn’t remember their way back through the tunnels to the surface. ‘How do I get out of here?’
‘You’ll need a guide, I think,’ she said and clapped her hooves together, a changeling stepped forward from the shadow, and took the shape of Martel.
Martel smiled at her and bowed low to the ground. ‘My lady Bolton, it will be an honour to escort you,’ he said with a kind smile.
Carmine sighed, and nodded, and fell into step behind him as he led her through the tunnels back to the surface.
‘She really is quite pleasant, once you get to know her,’ Martel commented.
‘You are only saying that because she is the personification of the hive mind, and that is what the hive mind is telling you to say,’ Carmine said dryly.
‘Yes!’ Martel admitted with glee in his voice.
Carmine could not help but sigh and shook her head. She really shouldn’t be so critical of her mother; it was just the way things were with changelings. Deceit was what kept the changeling race alive. She was the outsider here; it was not her place to judge.
Martel finally led her out of the tunnels, and left her be at the mouth of the cave. He waited just inside, ready to lead her back when she was ready.
Carmine’s eyes had been adjusted to dark sight for so long that she was blinded upon stepping into open air. It was the middle of the night, probably close to one or two in the morning, but the light of the moon was just as bright as the sun's in these circumstances.
It was raining again; the warm rains of the October spring were just what she needed to take her minds off things. She could see a few stars through holes in the clouds above. It was quite beautiful, and equally as calming.
She spotted the mare called Shining Path standing in the clearing just at the mouth of the cave. She was muttering to herself in a strange language that Carmine recognised no words to. Curiously she stepped forward to get a better look. Shining Path whirled around suddenly, staring at her with a scowl on her face. The scowl lightened after a few moments of study, and Shining Path relaxed herself.
‘Oh, you’re just one of the Queen’s food slaves, I see,’ she said simply, recognising that Carmine was not a threat.
‘I’m the Queen’s daughter,’ Carmine corrected, her pride wounded at the mare’s assertion.
‘Hm, yes, I suppose you are. You have the Queen’s eyes,’ Shining Path said, pointing to her emerald eyes. ‘Do you know who I am, earth pony?’ she asked, changing the subject.
‘I know you’re an Other,’ Carmine said simply. Truly, that was really all she knew about Shining Path.
This caused the unicorn to frown. ‘I really don’t like being called that. “Other”, there’s a certain meaning implied with it. If you must call us anything, I would prefer it if you used our race name’s closest approximation: ulix’ith’nail.’
Carmine frowned as she tossed the word over in her mind. The word sounded not only foreign, but downright alien.
‘Where do you come from? Shining Path?’ she asked, showing a polite curiosity.
‘Not that it’s really any of your business, mud for brains, but if you must know—’ she trotted over and put a hoof under Carmine’s chin, tilting it upwards towards the sky. ‘—see that little blue light up there? Between the clouds? That’s Altair.’
Carmine wanted to point out that she knew all well and good that it was Altair. She knew the stars of the night sky just as well. She decided not to mention this to Shining Path, because she doubted it would help any. ‘That’s where you came from huh? How did you get here then?’ she asked. She regretted her choice of words immediately, because they came off as condescending. She knew the mistake she made the moment the words left her lips.
‘I flew,’ Shining Path said sarcastically.
Carmine sighed. ‘I’m sorry that I even tried to get to know you,’ she admitted.
Shining Path sneered at her. ‘Good.’