Harmonius: Song of the Imprisoned Maiden

by Basic13

Chapter 1:3 - Said the Spider to the Fly

From a nearby cliff face, a figure clad in red armor gazed down upon the crystal city that sparkled quite majestically in the noon's sun, casting chromatic hues over the verdant fields of grass that surrounded it.

"Truly, this world is capable of such wonders," the figure breathed in awe as he stared down at the crystalline city. "And to think that this world was denied the splendor of this jewel's radiance for such so long strikes pierces to my very heart--and it that not only it, but all the land might soon suffer the same once again," he said mournfully, though his expression was filled with a resolve as strong as the steel of his blades. He could see a group of crystal ponies setting out from the main gates of the city, and his eyes followed them as his hands wrapped tightly about the hilts of his weapons.

"Little jewels, could it be you will no longer gleam beneath the sun and moon, lost once more beneath the cold pall of a foul shadow?" he wondered.

The man in red armor vanished in a flash of green light, intent on his destination and purpose. It would not to keep everyone waiting in suspense.

---

Chrysalis regarded the gathered royalty and protectors of Equestria before her, barely suppressing her fight-or-flight instincts that were heavily biased towards the later instinct. While she knew that none of Element Bearers or the princesses present would seriously harm her, she wouldn't put it past Shining Armor to let his rage consume him--and Discord was quite literally the very embodiment of unpredictability, so he could just as easily choose to do nothing, or perhaps change her into a rubber duck.

Still, she was a queen, and she would not allow these ponies and whatever Discord technically was to see unease.

"I'm shaking in my carapace," the parasitic queen drawled, arching an eye brow. "What? Are you going to blast me with your 'twu luv' again?" she asked, twisting the words into a saccharine tone. "If so, please tell beforehoof: last time I'm quite certain I would have vomited at the site of the two of you if my biology possessed a traditional digestive system."

"I'm very tempted," Shining Armor said through gritted teeth, the energy in his horn intensify to project a very solid wall of magical force with the intent of pinning the parasite against floor like the insect she so resembled.

"Ah," Chrysalis said, walking forward calmly, gazing at the others in the room--my, little Luna looked fit to spit tacks!--"but then you'll never find out who put down that rapid dog Tirek?" she said, gazing at one of the holes in her forelegs disinterest. That seemed to have caught their attention--at the very least, they seemed slightly less inclined to doing anything that the changeling queen was sure she would find to be very unpleasant in the very least and fatal in the extreme.

"What do you know of that?" Celestia demanded with a suspicious gaze, wondering why exactly the hostile queen had chosen to appear before them, foregoing the usual deceit and subterfuge that her kind usually employed, and place herself in such a disadvantage.

"More than you all," Chrysalis said in a superior tone, her mouth curving arrogantly as she gazed at the gathered group with contempt. "Not that it wasn't amusing to see Equestria's newest princess pointing out the obvious;" she clapped her forelegs together slowly, in what could only be viewed as a mocking fashion. "Tell me, did you find that crown and those wings at the bottom of a cereal box, or did your beloved Princess Celestia award you for being such a good little sycophant all these years?" she asked, leaning forward with an earnest and curious look upon her face. "You're looking great, by the way," she commented, as she got a closer look at Twilight's appearance. "Very healthy," she smirked, twisting the knife the proverbial knife.

"Shut up!" Ah, there was the loud pegasus loyal coming to Princess Twilgiht's defense, and illustrating her mastery of words, like a knight in stupid armor! "What are we waiting for? Obviously she didn't learn her lesson the first time she made the mistake of messing with us; all she ever does is lie, anyway!" Shining Armor seemed to agree vehemently with this proposal, and his horn once more became awash with arcane energy.

"I guess you'll never find out who killed poor, poor Tirek in cold blood, then," she commented to herself, and then waited a few moments, looking up at the group with an expression of mock bewilderment played across her features. "Well?" she asked, staring at Equestria's 'Greatest Defenders.' "I am a very busy mare, you know," she informed them. "So please hit me with your little rainbow of friendship and sunshine so I can go about my day," she said impatiently.

"I'll hit you all right . . ." Shining Armor commented darkly to himself, only relaxing when his wife draped a comforting wing about his shoulder.

"You're the killer!" Pinkie cried, pointing a hoof dramatically--now somehow dressed in garishly colored plaid deerstalker cap and cape, with a novelty bubble pipe between her lips and a magnify glass in her hoof, which allowed her to glare accusingly at the queen with a magnified eye.

Chrysalis stared at the pink earth pony in quite shock; where had she gotten those props from? She masked her confusion with scathing contempt: "I might be flattered by that statement if it had come from a pony with something in her head other than empty space," she commented drolly, causing the pink mare's enlarged eye to narrow in displeasure at her and growl at her much like a dog would.

Oh, she had upset the mentally unbalanced pink pony! Whatever was she to do? Bad, Chrysalis! Well, it seemed she wouldn't be getting a cupcake anytime soon. She honestly wasn't sure how she could go living now.

"Enough of thy mockery, foul parasite!" Luna bellowed, her ethereal mane billowing dramatically as she extended her wings to their full span. "Thou will tell us of what thou knows of this most heinous of crimes, this instant!"

"You didn't say 'Mother, may I?'," Chrysalis commented, taking delight as she saw Luna's eyes blaze pure white with arcane energies. The changeling queen could taste the lunar princesses anger in the air about her: rich and heavy, like a fine wine. Delicious. But before Luna could act, Celestia had to ruin the fun.

"Then what other reason would you have to show yourself if not to tell us?" Celestia reasoned.

"Well color me impressed, 'Tia!" Chrysalis congratulated. "It seems as if you do have a brain in that ancient skull of yours, after all. You know," she commented, "for a while I thought you kept your brains in your flanks--what, with the size of them, and all--but now I see that its most likely all the cake," she said with a vicious smirk, only to frown when Celestia did not even seem to bat an eye at the insult. Oh well--at least Twilight Sparkle looked ready to commit homicide.

Sighing to herself, Chrysalis shook her head. "No," she admitted, "I did not kill Tirek. As I am now, I couldn't even hope to breach the gates of Tartarus, let alone subdue Cerberus," she admitted reluctantly, as much as it galled her to admit such to her hated enemies. "When I had been pumped up on lover boy's mojo, over there," she admitted, making Cadence frown, Shining Armor further seethe in anger, and Twilight to frown ominously at her, "but now--not so much," she said with a careless shrug of her tattered wings.

"But you know who did," Celestia said, more a statement other a question.

"I might."

Celestia gazed at Chrysalis for several moments in silent thought. "The question is why you would even let us become aware of the fact that you knew something, in first place," she deduced. "Why not keep it to yourself?"

"Why indeed?" Chrysalis commented, but before she could continue, she felt the fleshy pad of a paw resting heavily just at the base of her neck, with the tip of very sharp claws ever so slightly unsheathed to emphasize the point both figurative and literally.

"And you're going to tell us why, aren't you?" Discord said, his voice sounding causal and free of any type of threat as he stood behind the changeling queen.

Chrysalis frowned.

"We all have our parents," she finally admitted, getting confused looks at the seeming non sequitur. "As ancient as you two are," she said, addressing the two eldest princesses in the room, "you had a mother and a father, just like everypony else," she said. "Even Discord here must have come from somewhere--I'm guessing a late night bender at zoo that got a little that went three steps too far," she said as an aside, quickly vanishing in a flare of green flames from beneath the paw of the spirit of chaos before he could get a chance to take any form of petty revenge on her for the comment. Little did Chrysalis know that the spirit was intently considering the merits of turning her tongue into a length of saltwater taffy. "Even I have a father," she revealed.

"Preposterous!" Luna denied. "It is well known that you were a vain mare who was corrupted by thy own vanity and lustful urges, and thus twisted by dark forces most foul!"

Chrysalis raised a brow at the proclamation. "Ms. Pot have you perhaps made the acquaintance of Mr. Kettle? He's quite the lovely chap," she told Luna politely, taking dark delight as she tasted the delicious rage pouring off the mare in waves. "How did that ridiculous tale get started, anyway?"

Celestia intervened once more before her younger sister could attempt to smite Chrysalis. "You said you have a father," she noted, "meaning he there is in fact a Changeling King, the Alpha--and that he is still alive," she said. Chrysalis did not answer. "So, he was the one to murder Tirek--why?" she asked. "And why are you even telling us?"

"But Princess! Know pony has even seen Alpha Changeling! He's just a myth!" she said.

"Strange as it is, she ain't lying," Applejack interjected. "Hasn't told a single one since she opened her mouth," the earth pony informed them, sensing this is as truth now more than ever through her enhanced connection with the Element of Honesty.

Chrysalis cast the earth pony a glance that, while not exactly complimentary, wasn't all-consuming in its disdain; the farmer would have made an adequate drone in hive, the changeling queen admitted before turning her spite back towards the ponies.

"Believe me," Chrysalis told Twilight, "I've learned in these last few months that no matter how much you want to believe some ponies don't exist, it doesn't make it so." She cast a roving glance around the throne room. "You're all still here, after all," she informed them.

"Why are you telling us this?" Celestia pressed, no longer willing for the conversation to be derailed by Chrysalis's acidic tongue and stinging barbs. "What are you planning? Do you want us to dispose of your father because you are not strong enough, too?" she probed searchingly--such a ploy would make sense, given that Chrysalis's father had suddenly made his presence known after centuries of absence and was likely threatening the queen's place as absolute ruler of the changeling race.

Chrysalis snorted. "I'm not about to nominate him for 'Father of the Year,' after his centuries of absence, " she admitted, "but no that's not the reason.," she denied. Because he told me to tell you," she informed them, causing the gathering of ponies to erupt in a cacophony of questions, disbelief, and denials. "He thought--and I wonder where he might have gotten this idea from?--that if he just casually popped in and said, 'Hi, I'm the person you're looking for. You know, the person who carved up Tirek?' that you all would start blasting him with rainbows, love, and chaos."

Fluttershy, the entire while, had been staring at the changeling queen with a thoughtful expression, ever since she had mentioned her father. "You don't like us," she stated, forcing herself not flinch when the mean spirited queen turned her attention to her.

"Well you've cracked the code," Chrysalis drawled sardonically, but felt it wise not to insult the meek pegasus any further than that; the last thing she wanted was for Discord to turn take offense should she hurt the pathetic tings feelings.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash called out, glaring at the shape shifter. "Leave her alone you jerk!"

Fluttershy offered a smile to her oldest friend to let her know that she was okay, and then turned and took a step towards Chrysalis; Discord frowned at this and followed her a few paces behind.

"But you're here telling us these things--even after everything you did," she said to Chrysalis, who looked extremely bored. "For all you knew, we would attack you on site, but here you are." She stared at the queen's face searching for something, and then smiled when she sound what she was looking.

"You don't want to be here, helping us (you don't even like us) but you are because your father asked you to--and you love him."

Chrysalis leveled a glare of pure vitriol upon the pegasus, but did not speak. Celestia simply stared at the hostile ruler thoughtfully, Luna was surprised, Shining Amor gaped in open disbelief at the proclamation, but his wife, Cadence, simply smiled kindly.

"You can't be serious!" Shining cried, pointing at the bug-like pony. "She doesn't care about anyone but herself! Have you all forgotten what she did! She's heartless!"

Cadence shook her head and gently nuzzled against her husband to offer him comfort. "But it's true," she said softly. "Changelings are beings of intense emotion--and I can feel her love for her father, even now

Applejack lifted her hat and gazed at the queen, who looked to be mighty uncomfortable being the center of such attention. "Makes sense," she said. "You can't choose yer family--ya simply love 'em."

Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement, thinking of the many times she had witnessed the bond between parent and child among her animal friends.

"Are you all going to hug me next!" Chrysalis hissed venomously at everyone, her heart swollen with anger at having what she viewed to be a weakness exposed to her enemies. "Hey, you're the Element of Magic, right?" she directed towards Twilight, causing the said mare to startle at being addressed by her so suddenly. "Do me a favor and conjure me a stomach so I can probably vomit, would you?" she requested. She then shook her head, and her wings buzzed in agitation. "Whatever, I did what I came to do, and I'm going!" she said, turning about on her hoofs and preparing to leave.

Suddenly a wall of purple energy appeared in front of her, halting the changeling's path. "You aren't going anywhere until we say you can," Shining Armor said softly.

"Indeed!" Luna agreed with a nod.

"If you have questions, you can ask my father yourself," she dismissed the notion. "He's waiting for you all anyway," she casually informed them. "He's quite impressed your shiny new castle, Princess," she said, smiling cruel at Twilight Sparkle, who stiffened along with the rest of her friends.

"He's in Ponyville!" she cried, visions of all of her friends lying frozen and shattered along the streets filling her mind--the possibility far too similar to the nightmares that had been robbing her sleep these few weeks. Before any of them could demand answers, Chrysalis gave a confident smirk and did something that caused Twilight to nearly faint.

Her voice filled the throne room, singing a song in a language that none of them could understand, but Twilight was all too familiar with--and, unknown to her, Discord as well, who had frozen in shock, as surely as if he had been imprisoned by the Elements once more.

"Wee wol ga rana syast sphilar guartz
Zahha sos khal hartes near lir
gott gyas getrra spiritum beja sol ciel
Zahha sos khal clyncye innna mea
gott gyas getrra spiritum beja yehah"

There were several cries as everyone in the throne room found themselves held in unknown bondage by the strange power of the song, including the princesses and even Discord himself. Twilight, however, didn't require being under the thrall of the strange magic to remain mobile, being in a state of shock at hearing the same language that haunted her dreams now something more than just a nightmare.

"What in tarnation!" Applejack cried out, extorting all of her considerable strength in an attempt to break free of the whatever held her fast, but to no avail. Rainbow Dash tried to lift off the ground, but found that gravity had seemed to have taken steadfast to her body and was holding her down.

All the while, Celestia was in a state of shock similar to her student and Discord--Chrysalis had just sang Song Magic, she was sure of it!

But how?

Author's Note:

I had far too much fun writing Chrysalis, and I think I channeled more than a bit of GLaDOS's passive aggressiveness into her, but I'm pleased with how I portrayed her.

The song sun is known as EXEC HYMME CLOSSPHERE and has the power to render then target temporarily paralyzed.