//------------------------------// // 4 - Beginnings... // Story: Behind a Shifting Mask // by Oddling //------------------------------// The royal chamber within the hive was quiet. Chrysalis simply stared at Silver Skies with a mild look of expectancy as the grey stallion silently processed what he had just been told. Truth be told, it was quite the pill to swallow, even for the veteran diplomat. ~~***~~ “I suppose I should inform you of a few things, mainly about how my kind came to be,” Chrysalis said with a soft huff. It was clear that she was not entirely thrilled to be sharing such information. “You are familiar with Tartarus, yes?” Silver Skies nodded. “Good, so you know that it is a place where Celestia and Luna banished their beaten foes, with the exception of Discord,” she said the name with clear distaste, sighing gently before she continued. “Unfortunately… not every being that threatened this land is trapped there. One such creature, a demon of sorts by the name Thamos, is why my kind even exist. Thamos came to Equestria roughly two thousand years ago. He found my family’s kingdom, the lost city of Goldenglade, the gem of the southern lands. My race… we used to be normal, like you… until Thamos made us into his personal playthings.” Chrysalis sighed and her gaze dropped to the floor of her chamber, a look of deep sadness etching into her face. “Most of us were slaughtered by him. Once he grew tired of tormenting, and no longer found us useful, he would end our suffering. Out of all in my parent’s kingdom… he spared only seven, myself among them. Each of us had a powerful curse placed upon us but…” Chrysalis’ eyes started to water as tears tried to fight against her wishes. Silver Skies reached his hoof out and gently placed it atop Chrysalis’. He shook his head softly as her misty eyes turned up to eye him questioningly. “No need to force yourself to tell me if it is too painful.” Chrysalis blinked and her tears fell down her smooth black cheeks and she shook her head gently. “No, you must know of it,” she replied and steadied herself. “I was the only one gifted with longevity… but the price was that I lost hold of my own heart. My children… they are different from me, you see. They can find a way to become beautiful… free… able to love and be loved. I cannot,” she said and pulled her hoof away from Silver’s. "All I was left with was anger, sadness, and some pathetic imitation of happiness that only comes out when I use stolen emotions." “When Starlight Glimmer told Thorax to give away the love he had… I was blessed with watching my child ascend into something more, something truly wonderful. He did not look like what my kind used to resemble, but it felt like a step in a new direction... it was in that moment that I saw my children find their own hearts. And even thought they have Thorax to lead them… they will soon learn the horrid truth about what drove me to do what I did,” she then turned her gaze back down to the floor. “I can no longer give new life to my hive… and neither can they.” Silver eyed Chrysalis for a moment, thinking on her words. “So, what you mean to say is that you can no longer give birth?” Chrysalis sighed, partly in disgust from Silver’s bluntness and partly from the weight of the truth. She nodded and turned her head away from the grey stallion beside her. “Yes… and none of my children are capable of filling my role. So my Changelings will reach the end of their time within the next few generations,” she said softly and turned her sad gaze back to Silver Skies. “Unless I get help.” The Changeling Queen then stood from her spot and walked a short distance from Silver. “That is why I seek to ally myself with Equestria. I have no other options left. Without love, my hive will slowly wither away and die, but without help… my entire race will cease to exist. I know I’ve wronged your kind, attacked your princess and her kingdom, and left you with little reason to care… but my devotion to my subjects is far greater than any other. I will do anything if it means saving my Changelings.” ~~***~~ Those were her words… and they weighed heavily on Silver’s shoulders. So he thought, very carefully, on what he should do or say next. His eyes closed as he pondered. Then he took a deep breath and slowly let it out through his nose. “I’m afraid I must ask you… do you have any idea of what can be done to save your Changelings?” he asked her gently. Chrysalis sighed softly and scraped a forehoof against the ground idly. “If I had that answer, I don’t think we would have had this discussion in the first place. My theory is that if I get enough love again that I might become fertile once more. This is a new problem for me, that is to say… I’ve never been unable to bear young. For a Changeling Queen… it’s a little essential to be able to produce offspring – otherwise there’s no Hive.” Silver mulled that around for a brief moment before he readjusted himself. The cavern floor may not have been as firm as the hardened slime walls, but it was still firm enough to make one’s flank become numb after prolonged sitting. “I see. So then, what did you hope to accomplish in your original invasion?” he asked. Chrysalis snorted and shook her head, but the look in her eyes showed a distinct lack of humor behind the act. “Honestly? It just seemed like a good way to acquire suitable resources at the time. I figured you ponies would topple over with your capital taken from you. Then I would bargain with your kind in exchange for the safe return of your precious princesses. I had not expected a mere unicorn to be able to stop me so easily. Then again, the skittish little ponies of Equestria are not all as spineless as others. A trait that I might have been better off knowing about sooner, but one cannot change the past.” Silver Skies smirked slightly at that and shook his head. “If only that were true, but even if you could change the past, it then becomes a matter of whether or not you should. Still, I understand what you mean. Now then,” he said and cleared his throat gently, “now that I’m aware of your reason for desiring peace, which I will state is more than worthy of such an outcome, I must ask you one more thing. Equestria can provide you with the resources and the means to achieve your goal of saving your race. But what can you provide in return?” Chrysalis tensed slightly as she saw the oddly serious look in Silver’s eyes as he asked her that. She knew he felt for her plight, but for him to so easily slip into such a… cold demeanor so quickly was most curious. Again she found herself wondering about the stallion in front of her. “Well,” she began, “Equestria would be gaining a very useful ally. Obviously my Changelings are masters of deception and ideal infiltrators. However, our ability to transform into nearly anything also makes us highly versatile. Our usefulness has limitless potential,” she replied smoothly, doing her best to make sure her sly smirk was not too large. Silver Skies simply nodded. “That would certainly be a plus. How many of your Changelings would be supportive of the idea of peace?” he asked. Chrysalis quickly lost her smirk and returned Silver’s neutral look. “I do not know the answer to that question, I’m afraid.” Silver’s left eyebrow twitched subtly. “Why, if you don’t mind my asking?” Chrysalis sighed and turned slightly away from him. “Because… I have yet to tell them about the Hive’s fate.” “So… you haven’t told any of your subjects about it?” Silver asked carefully. “No…” Chrysalis sighed, “with the exception of three. The only reason they know is because of how much I trust them.” “I see,” Silver replied. “I would like to meet them. At this point, their input on this subject will be enlightening for both of us.” Chrysalis nodded and Silver watched as her eyes slightly lost focus. After a few moments she regained that focus and looked down at her hooves. “They will arrive within the hour,” she informed. Silver Skies nodded in turn and his horn lit up faintly. A dull silver pocket watch levitated out of his saddlebag and he spared the object a simple glance. Chrysalis’ ears flicked up and she turned her attention back to the grey stallion. “That must mean quite a lot to you,” she said gently. Silver offered a small smile as he put the watch away. “It’s a gift from my younger sister. I’ve had it for some time now – pun partially intended,” he replied. Chrysalis allowed a small grin of her own as she eyed Silver. “I think that was the first time I’ve felt any real emotion from you. Usually you hold an air of complete calm, even when I was purposefully egging you on the other…” her voice trailed off as she noticed a rapid change in Silver’s emotions. In the blink of an eye the stallion’s mood had shifted from mild enjoyment to an eerie calm. Chrysalis cleared her throat gently. “I’m sorry… did I offend you?” she asked. Silver was quiet for a moment while his eyes twitched subtly before he replied. “My apologies, your highness. That… would have been due to my condition,” he said. “Condition?” Chrysalis asked with a gentle tilt of her head. “Yes,” Silver replied calmly, “It’s why my emotions are… flat-lined. I’m not calm by choice. Suffice it to say, a minor accident with magic in my colthood led me to being affected on a psychological level. My emotions constantly revert to a neutral state at random intervals (usually between three seconds to seven minutes).” Chrysalis was stunned, and it confused her even more that she even allowed anything that the stallion in front of her did to affect her. It almost upset her that she even had the idea to offer comfort to him. Why did she care about some pony who was practically a stranger? She had just met him the other day, for Hive’s sake! “Don’t worry about it,” Silver said, having taken notice of the odd look of confusion on Chrysalis’ face. “My condition is more of a useful tool for my line of work. Without it, I’m not sure I would have succeeded in getting this far with you. It allows me to see a different perspective.” Chrysalis shook her head and stared at Silver curiously. “Doesn’t it bother you? How can one live with such… lack of emotion? I would think that you would feel at least some sense of loss at the idea.” Silver smiled slightly and shook his head. “I still feel emotions. They just don’t last as long. In any case, I believe we’ve wandered off topic again. Your loyal Changelings will be arriving within the hour and it is just past one twenty in the afternoon. There should be plenty of time for us to make adequate headway in this discussion, but I am afraid I forgot to bring a snack. Please do not take too much offense, but I had not expected you to be this open with me, not so soon,” he said, with a slightly sheepish grin. Chrysalis gave Silver a flat look. “Well I suppose I should have seen that one coming. I did waste your time the other day. Unfortunately, I don’t think a pony would enjoy the kind of sustenance that we Changelings procure. Unless you don’t mind moss, mushroom caps and berries.” Silver’s stomach gave a quiet gurgle and whine. “Well… as long as it doesn’t taste too terrible, I don’t think I mind those options. If anything, I look forward to the experience. I do enjoy learning new things, on occasion,” he said with a very light blush on his cheeks. It did not reflect positively for him to have been so careless and being interrupted mid-discussion by his ailing gut gave off quite the air of unprofessionalism – at least in Silver’s opinion. Fortunately, Silver’s embarrassment was short lived as his emotions leveled out once more. Chrysalis paid closer attention to the shift in that moment, taking note of just how instantaneous the effect was. She lifted a brow and tilted her head ever so slightly. “It really is most intriguing… what is it like? Is it uncomfortable to have yourself lose your current emotions so quickly? And do you have any control over it?” she asked. Silver hummed and put a hoof to his chin as he thought on it. “Honestly… it is difficult to say. I’ve lived with this for the past twenty years, it happened when I was six. So, I don’t know if I can offer you the kind of answer you’re expecting. It’s just a part of who I am now… but if I had to say anything about it, I’d say that it only bothers me when others pity me for it,” he answered calmly. "As for having control over my condition... there are times that I can coax it to occur." Chrysalis lifted her brow a pinch more. “Really? Why does pity bother you? I would think a pony would enjoy feeling sentiment from others. Isn’t pony culture based on caring for one another?” Silver sighed softly and looked away from the queen. “Because others see my condition as something that it is not. I am not hindered by it. It does not take anything away from me… I still enjoy things just like anypony else, and yet, they think that something is wrong with me. So they feel sympathy for me. Their feelings are misplaced and it bothers me when they treat me differently,” he said and turned a small smile toward Chrysalis. “I can honestly be thankful that you’ve treated me about as normally as I’d like. Even Princess Celestia can’t keep a completely strait face around me.” Chrysalis simply stared at Silver for a moment. He just thanked me for seeing him as a slightly less annoying pony, she thought questioningly. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand them… but I don’t think learning more about this one is such a bad idea. This, Silver Skies is interesting, far more so than any other stallion. “Hmm… well, as I said before, I’m not fazed by your looks. The only thing that really stands out is your abnormal calmness. So thanking me for treating you no differently than I would anypony else is a bit much. Don’t you think?” she said jestingly. Silver Skies smirked at her slightly, a flicker of something naughty playing in the back of his red eye. “I think if it had been anypony else, you’d have driven them off long ago. After all, you did say you wanted Equestria to surrender right from the start. I guarantee that my subordinates would have gone running back to the castle screaming about your impending invasion after hearing that,” he said, chuckling lightly. Chrysalis hummed mirthfully and shook her head. “Somehow I believe you’re right about that. Still, it does not change the fact that I am simply treating you as I normally would anypony else…” she paused a moment as something small dawned on her. “No… I take that back. I must admit that I started to enjoy our conversation the moment I caught wind of your calm demeanor. It was… refreshing, in a way. Nopony lasts long against my interesting personality.” Silver Skied nodded sagely and gave her a small smile. “I will agree that you are quite a unique individual. I will also admit that you are the first to have successfully earned my respect with the most unusual methods,” he said and his stomach chose that moment to whine once more. Silver cleared his throat and grinned sheepishly. “Not that this isn’t pleasant, but I would appreciate that snack right about now. Would it be too much of a bother to postpone our little chat – or maybe to resume it over lunch?” he asked. Chrysalis held back a chuckle at the poor stallion’s expense. It was the least she could do for the admirable attempt he made to compliment her personality. Instead she simply grinned at him and motioned toward the doors. “Come along, then. I’ll take you to one of the Nests.” “Nest?” Silver asked curiously. “Is that what those large open spaces are where I’ve seen numerous Changelings gather?” Chrysalis smirked at the grey stallion and narrowed her eyes. “Quite the observant little pony, aren’t you. Yes, those places are the Nests. My Changelings use them for social gatherings… I believe the closest thing you could compare them to would be a market.” Silver nodded, a slight twinkle dancing around in his eye. “I see. I had hoped to get the chance to examine those places more closely. Not only was I impressed by the architecture, but those small gems I caught a glimpse of a few times were also interesting,” he said with mildly restrained enthusiasm. “Ah, you mean the love crystals,” Chrysalis noted. “They are a type of common quartz that is more accepting to storing emotional energies. We use them as both a form of currency as well as a snack,” she explained. Looks like he enjoys learning, she thought subtly. He really is quite a curious little stallion… “Do those crystals hold only love, or can they store any emotion?” Silver asked, truly excited about learning about the process of storing something other than magic into an object. The conversation started to bring out fond memories of his past. Then his emotions reset. “Ah… forgive me, your highness. I tend to get a little enthusiastic when it comes to learning new things. You don’t need to humor me if it’s too bothersome.” Chrysalis stared at Silver with a small frown. I think I see why others might pity him. He treats that loss of emotion so casually. Even a blind fool could tell that isn’t an acceptable reaction to reverting to such flat levels of emotion, she thought. “No need to be so apologetic. It would benefit you to know more about our ways, correct?” she asked calmly. Silver gave a slight nod. “Yes, it would indeed, but I still think I should have tried to keep myself more professional. I let myself get carried- ” “Nonsense,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hole-ridden hoof, “If you think being expressive in the presence of a Changeling is impolite, then you are mistaken. In fact, it is more offensive for you to even try to bottle up your emotions. I haven’t done so yet, but with your previous feelings of happiness I would have enjoyed sipping from your emotions just now,” she said and gave the grey unicorn a pointed stare. Silver nodded and thought about that for a moment. Then his eyes flickered again with the gleam of curiosity. “Actually… that brings up a question I’ve had. How does a Changeling actually feed off of emotions?” he asked. Chrysalis smirked. “How do you think we feed?” she asked coyly. Silver stood up and began to pace slowly as he put together his theory. “Well… based on what little I know, I would assume that you absorb it like a unicorn would absorb ambient magic; sensing it, reaching out to it, then converting it into a useable form,” he replied and turned to Chrysalis to wait for her to tell him if he was accurate. Chrysalis’ brows had lifted as she gave Silver a look of being slightly impressed. “You’re close, but not quite there,” she said and began her own slow pacing as she further explained. “Imagine a pot of flowers. The flowers are all enchanted to react to certain events that will change their color. Each color represents an aroma. Each aroma represents an emotion, slowly filling the air with its unique scent. Are you following so far?” she said and paused in her pacing to look at Silver. Silver nodded and held a look of calm contemplation on his face. Chrysalis nodded and resumed her pacing. “Good, because that is essentially what you all are. A pony city to a Changeling is the equivalent to a flower shop and every vase is free to sample from. Changelings are like a magnet for the aroma. We passively draw in your emotions… of course were one of us inclined to do so, we could do exactly as you described a moment ago instead. That act, however, is noticeable to the pony being fed upon. Active feeding leads to a pony experiencing fatigue, headaches, slight nausea, and in rare cases it can make them go into a coma.” A loud grumble from Silver’s stomach brought Chrysalis to a halt and she grinned at the slightly blushing stallion. “And I do believe that we’ve wasted enough time with this educational discussion. Come, let us get you properly fed before somebuggy thinks we’ve summoned an Ursa Major,” she teased. Silver Skies went to follow, but came to a stop quickly as he quirked a brow at the Changeling Queen. “Um, pardon my asking, but are you going to escort me personally? Would it not be more convenient to have a few of your guards do so instead?” he asked as politely as he could, bowing his head slightly. Chrysalis stopped for a moment and looked over her shoulder. “Normally, yes, but in this case I’d rather be by your side. Didn’t you say that being seen together would improve one’s image?” Silver Skies sighed and gained a small smile. “Point proven. I shall follow your lead, your highness.” With that said, the massive crystal doors swung open slowly and the two proceeded to sate the hunger of one peculiar unicorn diplomat.