Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

311 - All Hail the Queen

In the dark of night, they flew. Four of them were attached to their cargo with a thick band that kept it lifted off the ground as they flew. They were royal couriers, well, four of them. The one at the lead had no such fancy identifiers but a large set of glasses she adjusted as they went. "We're almost here," she called back to the others, who nodded in deference to her. Least dressed, she still commanded them.

Night Watch landed lightly in what had become a greener place than once it had been, not even that long before. "Not like the postcards." The images of the place painted a few less appealing picture by far. "Anycreature at home? 56% odds of yes."

"Yes." From the darkness came the bright form of a reformed changeling, their wings buzzing softly. "Is that... her?" They were looking past Night to the heavy object set down behind her. "Oh... It looks like her."

"It is." Night nodded softly. "Harmless, until we release her. She will be very very angry when we do. Where is Thorax?" That changeling was not them, she was at least 68% certain.

"R-right over there." The changeling pointed off into the dark. If not for Night's keen night vision, she could have easily missed the sight of a barely-lit hut. "Inside!"

"Should we bring her in there?" Night hiked a brow. "We're here to help, and I'm here to overwatch. This is a big danger being set on your doorstep. Doing that and running away would not be a very friendly thing to do."

"And we like pony friends." The changeling dipped their head. "Thank you, for both parts... It's still amazing to me that this is her... I thought, once she was a statue, that was... that?"

"They designed intentionally equestrian petrification spells to have a break condition." She hiked a brow. "It is served us well every time, so far. Discord used the same one we used on him, so..."

"That makes sense." The changeling bobbed his head. "Let me check with Thorax what he wants." They scurried off into the darkness, vanishing into the hut with an excited noise. An equally startled sound greeted them from inside, and some low conversation.

Thorax poked his head out, seeing the battalion of lunar ponies, the statue, and Night all together. "This way!" He waved eagerly. "And bring her with you."

Night waved to the others, and they fell in with her, carrying the stone-tough, and hard queen along with them. She stepped into the small hut, discovering it was might brighter and nicer inside. Soft incense burned, faint music tinkled from some magic source. Pillows were scattered about. A plate of cookies were on a small table, next to some tea. "You've prepared."

"I really tried." Thorax sat on his haunches beside the table. "She's going to be really mad. Can she hear me? I bet she can hear me." He chewed on a hoof nervously. "Um, hi, Mom..."

"It's like a dream state," advised Night gently as they brought in and set the statue down. "She can and she can't. It's disjointed, so don't try to have a conversation. Either way, if you are prepared, we can begin."

Thorax took a slow calming breath. "There's no point putting this off... but one thing."

"Hm?"

"Pharynx! We're ready!" And in came another, more muted in color, changeling.

The new one peered at Chrysalis on the way by. "How the mighty have fallen..." He sat next to Thorax. "Are we really doing this? The hive is--"

"--We need to do this," cut off Thorax with a wave. "We have to..." He looked to Night then. "Go ahead, set her free."

Night nodded to the ruler of the changelings. "As you wish." She drew out a tuning fork. "Since Twilight is not personally here, she gave me this." She set the fork, held with a wing's thumb into a cranny of Chrysalis' statue. "When I strike it, she will break free." That much was obvious, but saying it was a last chance for second thoughts. But none came. They were watching her, waiting.

That was sign enough to proceed. She strike the fork with a swift slap of a hoof and the room filled with a steady note that shook them to the core with a subtle vibration. The statue cracked and break under the magical item's influence. It fell free to the ground along with some chips of stone. "I will..." Chrysalis blinked, whatever she had been in the middle of coming to a halt as she realized she was in a new place. "What?"

Thorax gestured to the table in front of himself. "Mother, if you would join us?"

"Queen." Pharynx dipped his head. "I am sorry to report that I have quit your army."

Chrysalis growled low at the reported defector, struggling to place them. "Who are you? You look odd... but not like the others." Pharynx was too darkly shaded to easily identify as one of the reformed changelings. "All of my drones look nothing like you."

Thorax tapped at the table in continued invitation. "It's time to talk about that, mother. There is a place for you, here."

"What nonsense!" Chrysalis wheeled towards the, er, watching Night Watch. "And why are you staring at me?!"

"That is my job." She skewed a tufted ear aside. "Or to banish you anew, if it comes to it. I don't have enough numbers to give a qualified prediction of those odds, but I suggest listening to your son. He chose this."

"More the fool he is." Despite that, she came closer, sitting just in front of the table the other changelings were at. "Thorax," she spit like a curse. "You own the hive. You saw me be defeated... You helped!" A low hiss, licking over her jaws. "And now you invite me here. Why? To gloat?" A smug expression lifted on her face. "I would."

Pharynx sat up tall. "Your methods were flawed and resulted in failure. As our leader you must accept this."

Thorax was quick to raise a hoof. "But we've all been wrong before. There is a place."

"What place," she hissed out. "What place could there possibly be? You've all gone soft with friendship."

Pharynx snorted at that. "Not all of us are as soft as you imagine, mother. I'd sooner rip an enemy apart than take a seat at a 'feeling circle'."

"Feeling circles are nice," objected Thorax with a bit of a pout. "But brother is right, there is more than one place for any changeling here to be, even you. You are vital."

"I am? Of course I am." Chrysalis quickly recovered from her surprise. "As if there was ever any doubt in the matter." She leaned forward over the table. "What exactly do you need, just so I can hear it."

"Smooth."

Thorax nodded at his mother despite Pharynx's caustic bite. "You are our link to our past, and we can't be what we are today without a past. That doesn't change." He nudged a plate forward, filled with cookies. "The hive is fed."

Chrysalis swiped the plate away, leaving it to clatter as she glared at her wayward son. "Fed and broken! You make friendly with your food. It's shameful, all taken by 'friendship'."

Her hiss was returned with equal force by Pharynx, rising up to match her scowl eye to eye. "We have a functioning military that can act as a cohesive unit against any that opposes us, you included."

Chrysalis snorted with a wry smirk. "This I want to see. Show me this candy-colored hug brigade you call an army." She turned away from the table. "Go on."

Thorax nodded silently, giving the leave for Pharynx to advance forward with an angry grunt. "Right this way, mother." He looked over his shoulder as he marched. "To be perfectly clear, whether you approve of them or not, they stand ready to serve the Changeling nation."

"We have a nation now?" Chrysalis hiked a brow, but she was following Pharynx. "That's new."

"Many things are new, mother." Pharynx shook his head slowly. "I'm the head of the armed forces, but not the only commander. We know how to delegate and form hierarchies of command effectively, unlike the mess you ran under." He snorted derisively in the memory of it. "I'm still proud to have served, and continue doing so, but we are moving forward, not backwards."

"All the better for commands to get lost," scoffed the former queen.

Pharynx looked back at Chrysalis. "We were well formed enough to take you and yours down, mother. Here." He had lead Chrysalis and a silent Night Watch to a low field where changelings sparred and did training activities ranging from running to flying to magic drills. "It's a volunteer force, which is fine. We want the 'lings that want to be here. They're all united behind the idea of defending their kindred, even if some of them are..." He paused to chuckled softly. "--pretty soft, leader included."

Chrysalis laughed along with the chuckle. "Now you're speaking sense. If they're so tough..." She squinted at the colored combatants. "Why do they not wrest control from that weak coward and claim their rightful place at the top? Who would stop them?"

"The rest of us." Pharynx crushed a stone under hoof. "I would personally kill any changeling that went traitor before Thorax ever knew about it. He can chastise me after the fact. The health and safety of the hive comes first."

Chrysalis backed up half a step. "Why weren't you this... way when I was around?" She scoffed, buffing a hoof on her chest. "Could have used a 'ling with their head on straight when we were making our moves."

"You weren't listening." He turned on her. "You were so sure you had the answers. Any pathetic mewls we had were just noise in your ears. You tolerated and advanced only those who said what you wanted to ranks that had no meaning beneath you."

"That sounds like me," she grumbled with, perhaps, a touch of self-awareness. "You must have shut up then."

"I just did my job." Pharynx pointed out to the field of training changelings. "Now I have a purpose. I am the strength that keeps the hive safe." He put a hoof to his mouth as he let out a call, "We are here to change!"

"To protect," came the cry from every changeling there. "To be the strength!"

Pharynx nodded with satisfaction. "This is the military force that was at your hooves, but you denied."

"Hmph. Are you just grinding dirt into it then?" She frowned at her wayward son. "Just a few good laughs while I'm down?"

"No." He clicked his tongue softly. "Though I am enjoying that part... As my brother said, you are a part of us, our past, our history. You are something to protect, worth safeguarding, if you will allow it." He pointed down to two changelings battling in the forms of two magnificent beasts. "Will you show us what changeling strength truly is?"

Chrysalis sank to her hooves, considering the two changelings pointed out as they battled and fought with all their strength. "So direct... We can do that, obviously. They're doing it right now... But where's the finesse? Just because you can become large doesn't make that the best move." She reached up to tap at her horn. "Why are so few of you practicing your magic?"

Pharynx smiled, a predator's smile, but a pleased one. "That is exactly what I wanted to hear. Mother, there is a place for you, he wasn't wrong about that. It's just up to you what place that is. This is not forgiveness."

"It's not?" She raised a brow at Pharynx. "It sounds like it."

"It isn't. You are not forgiven. But you could start to make a new life despite that. That is possible."

Author's Note:

I rather enjoyed this chapter. Will Chrysalis take this offer, or will more be required? No skipping about!

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Comments

[harts fire]

i am shocked that Chrysalis is even talking and not just blowing shit up.

great chapter.

[damnaion]

yay

[redmar]

I found 2 typo's.

The discord bobbed his head.

"Are we really doing this? The hike is--"

That should be changeling instead of discord, and hive instead of hike.

[Booster Spice]

Pharynx has realised if the changelings can take away the other races magical capabilities, it should be no suprise when the reverse occurs.

Be Prepared.

Pinkie, Put the fat guy in the tuxedo and mustache down. Thats the wrong advert.

[David Silver]

11170982
Fixed!

[Morphy]

11170635

Well, she did have time to think things over during her stony sleep? I don't expect her to roll over immediately either. The real challenge is to pull her head out of her plot and stop being so selfish. She doesn't have all the answers and the world doesn't owe her anything.

[Alvsecret]

Pharynx looked back at Chrysalis. "We were well formed enough to take you and yours down, mother. Here." He head lead Chrysalis and a silent Night Watch to a low field where changelings sparred and did training activities ranging from running to flying to magic drills. "It's a volunteer force, which is fine. We want the 'lings that want to be here. They're all united behind the idea of defending their kindred, even if some of them are..." He paused to chuckled softly. "--pretty soft, leader included."

?