//------------------------------// // 3rd: Acclimatising // Story: Safe Haven // by Riku006 //------------------------------// The young nymph slowly crept down the stone steps of the palace, the muffled noises below forcing her curiosity to urge her on. After what seemed an eternity of descent, she reached the ground floor of the royal chambers and saw an opening to her mother’s study emerge, candlelight filtering through. The noises now resembled conversation, and as quietly as possible the nymph pushed forward, sneaking up to hear it more clearly. “Please,” she heard her mother’s voice beg with an unfamiliar desperation. “She’s confused. She’s unsure of her path forward. Please, I beg you to reconsider-” A loud smack rang out, followed by a shadow passing the candlelight briefly. Concerned, the nymph looked inside and at once her mouth opened and her eyes widened. Her mother, the beautiful queen that she was, lay on the ground nursing her cheek as before her stood an angry changeling noble the nymph could swear she’d seen before. “Your nymph is a fool!” The noble nearly roared. “To side with the enemy forfeits her crown, and all protection that goes with it. And for not stopping her in time, you shall share her punishment.” At this, a jagged sword materialised, raised high in anticipation of tasting blood. “Mother, NO!” The nymph cried out, bursting through the opening and galloping towards the queen over what suddenly became an incredible distance. “CHRYSALIS, RUN!” She screamed, a hoof reaching out to her child. Little did the nymph see the noble appear at her side, nor the sword closing in on her neck. \ \~*~/ / “Chrysalis? Are you okay?” Chrysalis’ panicked mind refocussed on the present, looking up to see Synthea standing at the door levitating a tray of food. Her aqua-marine eyes instantly bore a look of concern, and even in this state Chrysalis could discern it was genuine. As the moments passed, Chrysalis fought to bring her breathing and heartbeat under control, succeeding after a few minutes. “What happened? Are you alright?” Synthea asked again, setting the tray of food down on the table before approaching. Chrysalis didn’t respond for a moment, the shock of the dream still affecting her despite calming herself down. The image of her mother being struck down was jarring to be sure, and felt so real. But her memories assured her those events never happened. Shaking her head softly, she donned her impassive mask mastered from years of experience and looked back at the halfling. “I am fine,” she finally replied, finding a sceptical yet still concerned Synthea looking back at her. “A bad dream, nothing more.” “Oh,” Synthea sat down next to the bed. “Do… Do you want to-?” “No,” Chrysalis cut her off with a shake of her head. “It’s not worth discussing.” Silence followed for a few moments. Chrysalis could tell Synthea was still concerned, yet that was soon forced aside as the halfling plastered a smile over her features. “Okay. We can talk about it when you’re ready. But for now, I bet you’re pretty hungry, huh?” Before Chrysalis could answer, the audible grumble of her stomach beat her to it. Chrysalis blushed embarrassedly at this undignified response, yet all it resulted in was Synthea gently laughing. “I’ll take that as a yes. Here you go.” With that, Synthea levitated the tray to Chrysalis, the aroma making it difficult for the changeling queen not to lose her composure and drool. On the tray were a few slices of buttered toast and an apple, as well as a steaming bowl of what smelt like pumpkin soup garnished with chopped spring onions. This brought back memories of the other day. “This is the same soup, isn’t it?” “Oh… yeah.” Synthea answered, surprised at first but then more subdued. She soon buried such negative feelings, however, clearly not wanting Chrysalis to worry. “I just thought it was a shame you didn’t get to try it before, so I made you some more.” Chrysalis looked between the halfling and the soup, unsure how to feel. “Go on,” Synthrea urged. “It’ll go cold otherwise.” Nodding, Chrysalis’ attention turned to the spoon beside the bowl. The concentration brought a dull ache as she wrapped her magic around the utensil before slowly lifting it into the air. It wavered for a moment, as did the green glow surrounding it. With sweat starting to form upon her brow, Chrysalis released her hold in a fit of anger, the spoon clattering back onto the tray. “Tartarus,” she cursed as she looked at it, wishing she had the magic to atomise the spoon. “It’s okay,” Synthea spoke up soothingly. “I can help.” “No,” Chrysalis shot back before reigning in her frustration with a sigh. “I must do it, at least once.” To prove I still can, she thought to herself before inhaling deeply and trying again. Her hold looked just as shaky as before, but with more concentration she steadied it before guiding the spoon into the soup. Carefully carrying her cargo, Chrysalis leaned forward to gulp down the spoonful before leaning back and catching her breath, the spoon bouncing off the tray and onto the sheets. “Here,” Synthea said softly, taking the spoon in her own magic and scooping up some more soup before bringing it hovering before Chrysalis’ face. A brief moment of stubbornness ensued before Chrysalis opened her mouth and allowed Synthea to feed her. “I know this might seem pretty embarrassing,” Synthea spoke as she continued feeding her charge the soup. “But it’s not a bad thing to ask for help when you need it. Besides, if you’re following Bypass’ instructions, you’ll have your magic back in no time.” Chrysalis said nothing between each spoonful, concentrating on the meal. The feeding carried on in silence for a few minutes, the meal warming up Chrysalis’ body with each spoonful. Once it was finished, Synthea offered the fruit and bread but Chrysalis declined. “Do you want to feed off of my emotions?” Synthea asked cautiously, knowing full well how this question was answered the other day. But thankfully Chrysalis nodded, almost too eagerly. It was the hunger for emotions that all changelings felt that drove her sudden excitement. Not having a decent emotional meal for months didn’t help the look of desperation she no doubt displayed either. Smiling at the eagerness, Synthea levitated a small pad from the tray. She peeled the packaging away to reveal a translucent square with light green lines printed along the edges that Chrysalis recognised as spell markings. Dropping the packaging in the nearby bin, Synthea then placed the square onto her neck, the markings glowing for a moment as the spell activated. “What is that?” Chrysalis asked as Synthea shuffled closer. “It’s an inhibiter patch. It protects the donor from being drained of too much emotion.” Chrysalis frowned. “You think I can’t restrain myself whilst feeding?” “Well…” Synthea trailed off uneasily. “You were a bit forceful the day you woke up.” The comment made Chrysalis wince at the memory. “Very well. How does this work?” “Oh, it’s simple.” Synthea replied with a little more cheer. “You just bite into the patch like you normally would while feeding. But if you feed too long or too forcefully, the patch will shock you a little, just enough to make you let go.” “And what? You plan to feed me love? After the last few days I imagine that would be difficult.” “Well, I’ll be thinking of something else that I love. The emotion doesn’t have to be directed to the feeder.” With that, Synthea leant forward, turning her head so that her neck and the patch were clear. Chrysalis fought the animalistic urge to rush in and gorge herself, knowing the patch would shock her and partly fearing some form of retribution from High Charity. Therefore, she bent over slowly before sinking her fangs into Synthea’s neck as gently as possible. The young mare flinched at the contact, but focussed and soon Chrysalis could feel the love flow into her body. It was such a sweet taste, with a hint of honey. Chrysalis had found over the years that the sweeter the taste, the more powerful and meaningful the emotion, so whoever Synthea was thinking of was very close to her heart. It had only been a minute before the markings of the patch glowed, zapping Chrysalis into releasing her meal and falling back onto her pillow. “Don’t worry,” Synthea said upon seeing Chrysalis’ sulky face. “It takes some getting used to.” The two then lapsed into an awkward silence; Chrysalis clearly with nothing worth talking about, and Synthea unsure how to proceed. Eventually though, she broke the silence. “So, I was wondering… Since you should be fine to walk, would you want to take a tour of the village?” Chrysalis let her questioning gaze speak for her, remaining laid back in the bed. “After all,” Synthea went on. “It’s not like you can stay cooped up in here forever.” “And what if I want that?” Chrysalis asked bluntly. Synthea looked at her, concern and confusion quick to wash off of her. “Why would you want that?” “You father has made it clear I’m despised by most of the village. I doubt leaving here would help my status any more than dying on the spot.” “That’s not true.” Synthea protested as she hovered onto the bed with a buzz of her wings. “I mean; yes, what you apparently did in Canterlot was pretty awful. But staying in here won’t help your chances of changing into someone better. We’ve had difficult ponies and changelings come through before and gave them a chance. I’m sure you’ll get that chance too.” Chrysalis hid it well, still unsure whether halflings could sense emotions like full changelings could, but she had to admit she was impressed at the positivity with which Synthea saw her situation. If only it were that simple, Chrysalis thought to herself before shaking her head. “I don’t feel up to touring the village today. I won’t display myself as an easy target for those that despise me out there.” Synthea dropped her head and sighed, realising Chrysalis wasn’t budging. But as she continuously did, she shook away the negative emotions and shot a small, understanding smile to the changeling queen. “Well, maybe another time then. Anyway, I have to go. Bypass is probably wondering where I am.” This peaked the queen’s interest. “You’re unwell?” “Oh, no,” Synthea shook her head with a smile as she gathered the tray in her magic. “I’m his assistant. I’ll sure he’ll understand though. No doubt you’ve noticed he’s a bit of a softy.” I wouldn’t be too sure, Chrysalis thought to herself, remembering his firm tone when diagnosing her injuries. “Okay, I’ll see you later Chrysalis. Think about that tour offer.” With that, she was gone, leaving Chrysalis alone with her thoughts once more. Foremost amongst them was whether to accept Synthea’s offer, or wait on deciding for now. \ \~*~/ / So, she waited… and waited. Despite the smile and understanding of Synthea, Chrysalis knew that each time she delayed her response only let her carer’s annoyance grow, no matter how much she covered it up. It was a full six days before she couldn’t stand it any longer. “If I agree to go on this tour with you, will you stop pestering me?” Despite the harshness of those words, Synthea had jumped for joy at the news, and so the next day Chrysalis stood in the centre of her hut, waiting for her tour guide. Despite the scratch marks on her check having faded almost completely and the scars on her neck unbandaged and well on their way to recovery, the sling around her left foreleg remained as a reminder to Chrysalis of her weakened state. It did feel good, however, to no longer be bedridden. Out of nervous curiosity Chrysalis tried moving her wings, and relief rolled off of her as they moved and buzzed at her command. “Hi,” Synthea’s voice rang out, bringing Chrysalis out of her inspection as the young halfling entered wearing an buttoned-up orange shirt, a frilly off-white skirt and a bright smile radiating enough positive emotion to stir Chrysalis’ hunger. “You ready to see the sights?” “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Chrysalis replied neutrally. Synthea’s enthusiasm dimmed for but a moment before shaking it off as she always did. With that, Synthea opened the door and stepped aside to let the former queen through. Having spent at least two weeks inside the hut with the blinds shut, Chrysalis had to turn her head away from the glare of the sun until her eyes adjusted while the wind reminded her what it felt like as it gently sifted through her mane and tail. When she looked up, her jaw slowly dropping in awe only served to fuel Synthea’s good mood. The hut Chrysalis had been living in was near the top of a hill, and down at the foot were more wooden dwellings. Some were built by seemingly hollowing out one of the many surrounding trees, or built traditionally like her hut, only with a large canopy of leaves covering the entire space of the roof. Looking around, Chrysalis was able to discern where the housing ended and the rest of the Whitetail Woods began; a thin gap between the treetops that surrounded the general area. The size of it was simply staggering, as the town’s borders circled around the hill in an uneven oval. A small stream ran through the town as well, even passing through a river mill’s water wheel. Looking back up the hill, Chrysalis saw not only the large leafy covering that blanketed her own hut, but a larger house at the peak of the hill, looking down over the rest of the town. The house was a hollowed tree with traditional extensions built out to either side. “That’s my place,” Synthea spoke up, confirming Chrysalis’ own thoughts. “My family has lived in that tree since Safe Haven’s founding. Come on. Let me show you the rest of the town.” With that the two followed a dirt path down the grassy hill, Synthea occasionally waiting for Chrysalis to catch up. As they began walking down the villages shaded main street and Synthea waved at someone, one more factor made itself apparent to Chrysalis; the inhabitants. All around were ponies of all three subspecies as well as dozens of changelings, each with their own distinct features. And then there were all the halflings spread around. As they passed, Chrysalis observed a pegasus filly casually chatting with her two earth pony friends before realising the pegasus was actually a halfling. The only real indicators were the circular indents in her fetlocks like Synthea’s, as well as pronounced fangs. Another one helping move crates into a shop lacked wings of any kind, yet had a horn with two circular cuts in it and hols in his legs. “Noticing all the different halflings?” Synthea asked, once again bringing Chrysalis back to earth. “Indeed.” Chrysalis nodded before tasting something on the wind, something sour. “However, I believe the same can be said of them.” Synthea stopped, looking around to see Chrysalis was right. As they had passed through, the ponies, changelings and halflings in town had noticed their arrival and all eyes were on the queen. Chrysalis could taste all the conflicting emotions emanating from all around her. Fear, anger, disgust, uncertainty and even a small bout of naïve curiosity all mixed together into an uninviting mess. She had expected this, of course. Even with how large Safe Haven may have appeared from the hill, it couldn’t be too large for the gossip machine to work its magic, and Chrysalis had imagined her outburst at Synthea the other week had done the rounds with varying degrees of truth. “This was a bad idea,” Chrysalis muttered. “I’m going back to the hut.” “Oh, come on.” Synthea protested before blocking Chrysalis’ path. “It’ll be okay. Once they get to know you, things will turn around.” Chrysalis’ sceptical eyebrow raise answered that statement far better than words ever could. “I know. How about I introduce you to Timberjack? I’m sure he’d be happy to know what you think of the guest hut he built.” Shrugging with a tired sigh, Chrysalis let Synthea pass before following her lead while trying to ignore the glare and fearful glances being thrown her way. After a few minutes of walking the two came close to the clearing border between the town, arriving at a large traditional building with an open section full of various wooden wares ready for sale. “Timberjack? Are you home?” “Now jus’ hold on there,” an accented voice replied. The two waited until a muscular stallion with a brown coat appeared, strands of his dark green mane sticking out from underneath a Stetson, unpleasantly reminding Chrysalis of someone else. Freckles rested just beneath his dark blue eyes and his cutie mark showed a saw partially embedded in a large log. “Ah, howdy Synthea,” he said upon seeing the halfling, embracing her in a big hug. “What’re ya doin’ wandering ‘round town? Ain’t the doc gonna be mad you’re skipping shifts?” “Oh, don’t worry about that,” Synthea waved off his concern. “He let me off considering I’ve got another important job to do. Speaking of which,” She then stepped to the side, allowing him to see Chrysalis for the first time. “Timberjack, meet Chrysalis. Chrysalis, this is Timberjack. Safe Haven’s number one carpenter.” Chrysalis noticed the minute widening of his eyes and tasted the brief moment of surprise. But rather than turn hostile like she was expecting, Timberjack instead flashed her a big smile. “Well, nice ta meet you Chrysalis. Say, how’re you liking the house Ah built? One of the best Ah’ve made, Ah reckon.” Chrysalis took a moment to process Timberjack’s laid-back attitude before replying. “It is… better than what I’ve had recently. Thank you for letting me stay in it.” “Ah shucks, you don’t have to thank me for that. Besides, it’s Charity’s guest house, so whoever stays in it’s his call, not mine. Whelp, Ah’d best get back ta work. Ah’ll see ya’ll ‘round some other time then.” With a wave and a smile, the stallion went back to his work, leaving the two mares to continue their trip. “So,” Synthea asked as they headed back towards the main street. “Pretty friendly, right?” But rather than the reply she was hoping for, Chrysalis’ response was nothing more than a murmur and nodding her head, a lack of interest clearly displayed across the queen’s face. “Um,” Synthea dithered, eyes darting around for something else to keep her charge’s interest before locking onto the merchant stalls lining the road. “Oh! How about we get you something? A souvenir of your first trip into town?” Chrysalis didn’t let the neutral face fall away, but she almost felt like she was drowning in Synthea’s concern for her the feeling was so strong. With a nod, she was led towards one by her caretaker; her feelings only slightly abating. The first stall they came to displayed a large assortment of garments and jewels, but Chrysalis cared not; her private horde back in the changeling palace dwarfed these mere trinkets a thousand times over, though for Synthea’s sake she held her tongue. The next stall showcased the works of a unicorn artist, yet their meaning either held none for the queen or they escaped her understanding, and so they moved on again. It wasn’t until the sixth stall that Chrysalis finally took on something other than feigned interest, locking her gaze upon a charcoal-coloured pair of saddlebags with a green trim to them. When she finally said she wanted it, Synthea’s relief was instant. “Great,” the halfling said quickly, but just as swiftly retracing her steps. “I mean, we could’ve kept going if you wanted, but this is what you want, right?” “Yes,” Chrysalis stated factually. “I’m sorry to have wasted your time earlier.” “Oh, don’t worry about that. Let’s get this for you then.” Synthea waved it off with a hoof before turning to the earth pony turned to the back of the stall. “Um, Barter Bargain? We’d like to buy something.” “Oh, I’ll be there in a moment,” the voice said cheerfully, and the stallion turned to face the two. As he drew closer, Chrysalis observed his beige coat and off-gold coloured mane and tail, held away from his face by a rubber band at the base of his neck, as well as the scales cutie mark imprinted upon his flank. But when his grey-blue eyes locked onto the changeling his jovial attitude evaporated, replaced with annoyed concern and a hint of aggression. Noticing Synthea next to her however, this Barter Bargain tried to hide it with a smile. “So,” he spoke up again after clearing his throat, his tone now more cautious than before. “What were you after Synthea?” “Well,” Synthea began, either oblivious or ignoring Barter’s change in attitude. “I was wondering if we could buy this bag for Chrysalis here.” Motioning to the changeling, Barter finally made eye contact with her, and it was clear; he wouldn’t be Chrysalis’ stay here pleasant. “Ah,” he replied, trying to hold back on the lack of enthusiasm on this task and instead focussing on the bag. “Well, this is one of the newer varieties I managed to get from Manehatten, and since it’s such a new item, I’d say it’s worth… Twenty-five bits.” “What?” Synthea asked, confused as Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed at the negative bias simply flowing off of Barter. “But I remember you sold an older one similar to this a few days ago for half that price.” “Yes,” Barter began, oozing professionalism. “But like I said, it’s a newer version. I also have to take into account the travel expenses and the expert stitching in this particular bag.” “Enough!” Chrysalis interrupted, her frustration barely contained. “You dare insult me with such biased salesmanship? Do not take me for a fool.” “No,” Barter responded, keeping his tone calm and collected in the face of Chrysalis’ growing animosity. “I’m merely explaining to Synthea here why this particular bag is worth as much as it is. This one, on the other hoof,” he picked up a dusty brown, plain-looking pair of saddlebags. “This one seems a better fit for somepony like you, wouldn’t you agree?” If her magic were healthy and her rage not kept in check by fear of High Charity’s likely retribution, Chrysalis would have incinerated the earth pony where he stood. Instead, with Synthea looking nervously between the two, the changeling simply released an angry huff before storming off in the direction of her hut. “Chrysalis, wait.” Synthea called out, muttering something before catching up to and blocking Chrysalis’ path. This immediately brought to the changeling’s attention the plain saddlebags hovering just to Synthea’s side. “I’m sorry about him. Maybe we can get you something else-” “No.” Chrysalis cut her off, her tone final as she returned the glares she was receiving from the majority of onlookers nearby. “This was a fool’s errand. They will never accept me.” \\~*~// “You okay honey?” High Charity asked, not even requiring his ability of tasting emotions to feel the disappointment radiating off his daughter. “Yeah,” she sighed whilst simply shifting the mashed potato left on her plate around. Releasing a sigh, he laid his knife and fork down, shifted his plate over and took a good look at his little girl. Her eyes were downcast, and the air around her was intoxicated with the tastes of regret and disappointment. “She didn’t care much for the tour, did she?” He asked, remembering the event Synthea had been so excited about was today. “No,” Synthea moaned in reply, leaning back in her chair. “It’s just… She was trying Dad, honest to the White Mare she was trying to take it in, to be normal. But no one else was trying. It doesn’t matter that I can’t sense emotions like you and her because they made it all too clear. No one wants her here Dad.” With her voice, having grown throughout the venting of emotion, irritation chief amongst those, Synthea sighed and looked back to her father. “Was it wrong for me to take her out?” High Charity simply smiled sympathetically and rested a hoof on Synthea’s shoulder. “Of course it wasn’t a mistake. She just… needs some time to get used to it here.” Synthea looked down at her plate, mulling this over for a few minutes before releasing a long breath. “Thanks Dad.” “Don’t worry about it.” He replied as he moved over and gave her a hug. “You want me to put your food away?” “No. I was going to take it over to Chrysalis for dinner,” she said with a smile. “Don’t want to waste your cooking.” Flashing a grin of his own, High Charity’s horn glowed and the leftovers responded by glowing as well, warming back up to the proper warm temperature. The food sufficiently heated, he turned and walked back to the kitchen, his own plate in to via levitation. “Thanks Dad.” Synthea, feeling more energetic than before, gathered her plate in her own magic and hurried out the door and down the hill to the guest hut. Slowing down, she hesitated at the door. Memories of her first meeting with Chrysalis as well as the events of earlier in the day danced across her mind’s eye. No, she thought to herself. If you get afraid now, you’re no better than the rest of the town. With a reassuring breath, she gently knocked on the door. “Chrysalis? It’s me, Synthea.” No answer. “Chrysalis?” Synthea called out again before noticing the lights weren’t on. She knocked harder on the door, only for it to creak open at her touch. Confused, Synthea pressed on inside. The darkness inside abated slightly with the glow of her horn, but it only disappeared when the young halfling set the plate down on the floor by the door and focussed her magic primarily on illumination. In the aqua-marine light, one thing was clear. Chrysalis, as well as the brown saddlebags from earlier today, was gone. “No,” she whispered in horror. She rushed back outside on instinct, her horn ceasing its glow as she frantically looked around hoping to see her. But Chrysalis was long gone. Emotions wildly shifting within her, Synthea felt lost, almost willing to let her feelings wash over her and just sit there and cry. But thinking of Chrysalis’ condition, she felt something alight within her; determination. “Oh, no you don’t.” With that, she rushed back inside, hoping she could remember the spell she had in mind.