//------------------------------// // Beauty And The Beast // Story: The Powers That Be // by Anthri //------------------------------// Canterlot restoration was going nicely and the ponies of the city were in high spirits when more ponies came from different towns to help with the rebuilding. Celestia and Luna were alive and still able to lead the country and Twilight and friends finally managed to make it to the castle in time to hear the most bizarre news. “WHAT?” both sisters screamed. Fhil looked on in amusement. The elements were looking on as the dramatic scene unfolded. Rarity was loving this, revealed by the huge open mouthed smile on her face. “Well.. A very long time ago, we fell in love and eventually had Celestia with our avatars.” “So I'm part dragon?” Celestia asked. “I mean, we?” “Yes. I know we have opposite personalities but eventually, you start talking about the things you have in common. You don't let differences get in the way of how you feel.” Lauren said smiling. Twilight was blushing thinking of a dragon and Lauren mating. “How was this physically possible?” she asked Lauren. “He's just a little bit bigger than she is.” Fhil said. “Oh...” Twilight hid her face behind a forehoof. They all laughed at her as Lauren rolled her eyes. “I know some-ponies thinking way into this!” Rarity said. Fluttershy started blushing too because she just realized what was going on thanks to Rarity. “They don't look like dragons because my body does not work the way yours would.” Lauren said. “The girls take after me all the way. Celestia was to be our only child but because of her cutie mark, Harmony told us to have another. You were both children of prophecy, to lead the world into co existence.” “That's strange but I'm starting to make sense of my past more.” Celestia said while rubbing her chin with her hoof. “I left you both with Platinum to take care of, after they migrated into Equestria." Lauren continued. “Your father convinced me to abandon pony kind when the three races couldn't get along. I was disappointed every-pony and did so.” Twilight and the others looked sad. Fhil listened, not phased by what he was learning. “Reviving him will be faster if his kin help, so I need you girls to come with me across the barrens of Chanolis to his place of power. John will stop us if you elements do not intercept him.” Lauren looked at Twilight and friends. They nodded knowing what they had to do. Luna and Celestia looked at their mom, still trying to take in the story. So much was starting to come together. “History has repeated itself sister.” Luna said. “I know Luna, and I told you that I'm trying to fix it.” Celestia answered. Luna frowned. “We must be off then.” Lauren told everypony. “Wait!” Fhillip said. “I want to go with Twilight and her friends. I may still can talk him out of this madness.” Lauren looked at the unicorn and studied him. “You're no longer invincible though. You will risk everything going.” The feeling in Fhils body had returned not to long ago and he knew that Lauren was right. “I have already risked everything, everything that doesn't belong to me. I need to do this...” He wanted redemption and the friendship with the sisters he once had. Lauren nodded. “Good luck then.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With time and preparation, the two groups separated and Twilight and her friends began to travel to the Everfree Forest, a place down from the mountain and the three alicorns took off flying towards the barrens. Shining Armor was left to run the guard until they got back, a position he was well familiar with. He had been there for a week now but did what he had to in order to feel right when he would be able to go home to his wife, Cadance. Wearing the Elements of Harmony, Twilight arrived at the edge of the forest with her friends. They looked into its darkness which caused Fluttershy to make a high pitched squeal. “There is always something wrong with her.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “It will be okay Shy, I'll protect you.” “I don't mean to be a burden but I think I'll be okay.” she replied. Rainbow smiled at her. They trotted into the awaiting mass of trees and vines. The day disappeared behind the canopy of tree's as they took a very familiar path to the old castle that lie in wait. Working together they climbed down steep hills, crossed valleys and made it through scary tree's. Traversing the rope bridge, they saw the castle in the distance. Walking inside, they were led by Fhillip who knew where to find the evil god. Chaos and Discordia were inside the element chamber talking, where Fhil had been teleported from. “It appears we have guest.” Discordia looked at the doorway as the ponies entered. John nodded. “Come to stop me? I knew you would try.” Fhil was the first to speak. “You need to chill out. This war that you have caused is chaos enough without you being selfish.” “I'll do as I please.” John said simply. Twilight found her turn to talk. “We will stop you here!” “No, I'll end you all and go after the sisters of prophecy!” John yelled at the purple alicorn. With that said, the bearers of Harmony activated the elements and a huge rainbow shot out at John. In return John shot a green spiraling beam back at the rainbow which caused their power to deadlock. Laughing, John signaled to Discordia and she teleported away in a flash of light followed by another flash. Left alone in the castle, the deadlocked entities were at a stalemate. “I think we should stop this nonsense and talk.” John said. “We tried talking, there is nothing more to say to you!” Twilight yelled back. “But there is so much to tell you! So much that you don't know and you will love to learn this important bit of history!” his eyes brightened. “Don't listen to him Twi!” Applejack yelled. Fhil looked on as usual, feeling powerless to do anything, hoping that his cutie mark would see him through this exchange. Twilight nodded at the earth pony and turned her attention back at the strange creature. “I'm not talking to you, monster!” “How rude!” John then made his beam push and deflect the rainbow causing it to turn in another direction. He quickly teleported to Twilight and grabbed her throat with his eagle claw gauntlet. “You will listen.” he demanded. The power of the elements started burning his hand. He dropped Twilight and yelled out in a quick note of pain. “Still rude!” he mocked. The deadlock ended and both parties stared each other down. “Say Twilight, is there anyone in the world you love?” he asked. “I love my friends.” she focused on him. “I mean, are you in love with somepony?” he quipped. Her thoughts went to Celestia. “Even if I did, I would never tell you.” she told him angrily. John put his hands behind his back. He turned away from them and walked to a nearby window that overlooked the forest. His voice echoed in the chamber so that everypony could hear it. “Well you know, I was once in love too.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lauren, Celestia and Luna flew towards the mountains that lined the distant borders of Chanolis. Lauren slowed her flight as she descended downwards to land. Celestia and Luna, puzzled by the sudden change, followed her lead to the ground. “Why stop mother?” Luna asked. “This is changeling territory.” “I know. I wanted to visit her before we go further.” she replied. Celestia looked around at the barren land. She saw in the distance that Chrysalis was approaching them. Lauren started walking toward the queen to meet her halfway. “Why do you need to talk to her?” Celestia asked. Lauren ignored her until they got close enough to talk to the changeling. Celestia wore a frown as she was close enough to see the details on Chrysalis' unwelcoming face. “Hello? What does she have to do with anything?” Celestia repeated to her mother, not caring that Chrysalis was standing mere feet from her. “I haven't seen her in more than a thousand years.” Lauren told them. “Yes, since I was left alone all that time ago.” Chrysalis said bitterly. “What is she talking about, mother?” Celestia semi-demanded at Lauren. A look of worry filled her face, she didn't want more bad news. “Chrysalis is the product of a very unlikely union.” Lauren shook her head. “I'll explain everything.” ------------------------------------------- When the world was still young, Creation was filling the world with things made from her will. Harmony and Chaos contributed idea's and Creation listened and put them into existence. Destruction had no part of it but Creation made a kin for his own to have. However, at this time, Creation was very fascinated with the oddities that Chaos had come up with it. A type of creativity that was new and it interested her. She asked him if he could come up with more and he happily obliged. As time went by, the world had many creatures that had a chaotic element or design to them. Harmony rejected most idea's but allowed for several to pass into the world, as long as it could create a counter balance. But no god could prepare for what came next... John and Lauren came to spend more and more time together and as a result, they soon developed something of a relationship. It was all based on the common creative mind they shared. The artistic form of monsters that defied logic to beautiful disasters that littered the world, they eventually made their creativity physically. Out of it, a creature was born who had a insatiable hunger for love. Holes in her body, insect and pony looking alike, a creature that John didn't want anything to do with. John hated the fact that he had to babysit and didn't want that commitment, he left Lauren to take care of her. While raising her new child, Lauren took note of Chrysalis's spontaneous outburst of anger. She was raising her kid on the outskirts of future Equestria in a barren, lifeless place where no danger could come to her child. When Chrysalis was old enough to take care of herself, Fifteen she decided, Lauren told her to follow her instincts and she would 'be able to raise a family of her own someday'. Leaving an upset Chrysalis, those were her last words. Lauren had left her only child. Chrysalis then wandered the waste until she eventually came upon a pony settlement to the north. She was an attractive filly but odd looking and did get stares. Chrysalis managed to meet a young stallion who was a farm hand at the biggest farm in town. He saw her trying to eat some fruit from a stand that sold his farms product and while she was being yelled at by the merchant, came to her rescue and paid for it. He asked her if she was hungry, he would feed her. She told him that she never saw food before and he looked surprised and asked her how she lived without eating food for ponies. She told him that she was a creature that craved love instead and saying this caused him to feel frisky, so he invited her to his home. She seemed skeptical at first but went along with him with promises of getting to know each other and seeing what could be done to 'feed' her. She was too sheltered to know better and kept secret from the everything, Chrysalis never knew what was to come. Once they got to his home, inside, his unwanted physical contact with her amplified her power so that she could fight him off. In her anger she had killed him. She had been violated and felt no remorse for what she did. Chrysalis ran while the other ponies came to investigate. She ran all the way back home to the barrens. Chrysalis didn't know but she was pregnant. She gave birth much later to several eggs that would grow up to be her first changeling minions. She would have her family even though her first time was a painful one both physically and emotionally. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lauren turned from her daughters to the weeping Chrysalis. “I'm sorry I did you that way. I just believed in time, there would be some way you could co exist. There is a slim chance today but your race is so needy, it would still endanger the lives of my ponies.” Chrysalis didn't say anything, she just kept crying. Luna looked in shock at her own mother. “So Chrysalis is...” Lauren confirmed her fears. “Take a look at the alicorn queen, your eldest sister.” Celestia shook her head. “I can't believe this! So much war and turmoil from a sibling and for what?” Chrysalis stopped crying and started yelling at Celestia. “YOU WERE GIVEN EVERYTHING! I WAS LEFT WITH NOTHING! IT ALL BELONGS TO ME AND I HATE YOU FOR IT!” Luna stepped up at this. “You had so much more time than us to make something of yourself! It's true we had been handed to royalty but we struggled after that to build a nation! I had been banished for a thousand years! That was a long time! Now here I am doing something about it, making amends! Getting everypony to love me although I am... undesirable!” Luna had tears welling up in her eyes. “Oh Luna...” Celestia whispered. “We are different!” Chrysalis yelled at Luna. “Enough!” Lauren cut in. “I'm here for a reason. We tie the knot and decide the future between your two countries here and now. We are at war with the dragons and it's up to you Chrysalis to help us fight and rebuild. That is a great place to start.” “That's a lot to ask for.” Chrysalis mumbled. “Is it?” Lauren asked. “I need to think about it.” Chrysalis answered sourly. “Were going to continue our journey. Come find us at those mountains if you change your mind.” Lauren pointed to the distant mountain range. Seeing Chrysalis nod, she lifted off into the air and started off in that direction. Luna and Celestia followed suit. “Are you sure about her?” Celestia ask Lauren. “It will be okay. There has to be a way to solve this problem. Their hunger for love has to have a weakness.” Luna shook her head. “Well we need to figure it out or this supposed peace won't last long.” “I know.” Lauren replied. They continued flying when they reached the mountain range. Soaring downward toward the base, Lauren guided the siblings to the entrance of a temple. It was at the top of a trail that led up the mountain, similar to Chaos's temple. The mountains were padded with frost and it was unnaturally cold around the temples door. “This is it.” Lauren nodded. As they stood there looking at it, ready to proceed, six huge dragons appeared in the sky. “This is it for you.” a deep voice said as every dragon leader flew down at them, putting themselves between the alicorns and the temple door. It was Av, the white dragon.