//------------------------------// // The Fateful Event: Black Beneath the White // Story: Two-Sided Prequel II: Who You Work For // by FerociousCreation //------------------------------// Ch. 53 “W-what is this?!” Coco muttered, playing the role Chrysalis asked her to do. The earth pony shivered as Princess Celestia squared off with Queen Chrysalis, not sure what else she can do. The changeling took a few steps toward Coco, flashing her sharp teeth with a wide grin. “Oh my questionmare friend, I do apologize for concealing my identity from you a secret. But if I were to convince you into working for me, I needed to be something less frightening.” Princess Celestia made sure she stood between Coco and Chrysalis, in case the changeling decided to act irrationally. “So, you tricked this poor mare to fuel your horrible bidding?” The alicorn looked back at the pony with a frown. Coco frowned back, knowing Princess Celestia was wrong. Coco worked for Queen Chrysalis out of her own volition. “Horrible bidding?!” Chrysalis remarked sarcastically, pointing her hoof at her breast. “How terrible of me for doing absolutely nothing wrong this evening.” The queen’s tone dramatically changed as her sentence went on. She looked hard at Celestia. “You want to know exactly why I have done what I have done?” Princess Celestia did not answer the question; she kept pointing her horn at the black creature. “All I did was use tonight to obtain love as food. That’s it. After all, we changelings have to scavenge for the emotion because nopony is willing to give us any. It is a shame that my kind, including myself, have to trick others into giving us what we need. Otherwise, I would have no issue with you princess.” Coco was trying so hard to not go against her friend’s request. She wanted to vouch for the Queen of Changelings before Celestia. But the pony believed in her friend and her methods. “Interesting…” the princess spoke low. “I was expecting you and your hive to come out and do some form of harm. Even if this was not as severe as another invasion, you did cause some hurt.” Chrysalis turned her head, wondering what Celestia ment. “And what might that be?” Pointing her hoof at Coco Pommel, the alicorn growled, “Look at your ‘friend!’ That is, if she is one to you.” The sudden drawing of attention shook Coco even more. She was still playing the dummy, but was not faking her nervous attitude. “I don’t know how long she has worked for you, but I can easily tell that she is shocked beyond belief to see her employer hold such a treacherous lie away from her.” You are wrong! Coco wanted to shout. “Did you have your changelings hide their identity from Coco as well?” Chrysalis looked at Celestia, not interested in answering her stupid question. She wanted to ask her own. “I have a question for you, princess.” Celestia straightened herself, showing she was listening. “Do you think I don’t care about Miss Coco Pommel?” Coco’s ears twitched as she heard her name be formally mentioned. “Do you view me as some heartless love eater that has no emotions?” Chrysalis began to pace around the room in a circle. Celestia, in turn, began to move as well, following after the changeling. “I don’t want you to answer my questions; I want you to hear me out…” The queen’s teeth flashed with anger, speaking through the cracks of her jagged fangs. “Let me explain why I hate you.” Coco watched the two leaders circle each other like sharks, wondering why Chrysalis was behaving so angrily. The pony knew Chrysalis hated Princess Celestia because she inadvertently caused the death of her daughter. Perhaps the changeling needed to tell the princess the meaning behind her actions. “Celestia…” Queen Chrysalis gazed upon her hated enemy, knowing she had to keep her emotions in check for Coco’s sake. “Why must I be cursed to scurry in the shadows and feed off of emotions like an ant, while you have all ponies across Equestria give you love that you don’t eat. You have all this love in the world, yet you couldn't spare me, nor my hive any of it.” The pace of the two quickened slightly. It seemed that if the leaders got any more aggressive, they may charge at each other with their horns drawn, like jousters ready to knock their opponent down. “What do you mean ‘couldn’t?’” Stopping her movement, Chrysalis stopped in front of Coco; Celestia was now on the other side of the room. Coco was feeling a little more comfortable now that her friend stood before her instead of the princess. Chrysalis’ expression was as cold as the winter that claimed her daughter so long ago. “One-thousand years ago, I came to you, freezing and starving. I asked you in the name of peace to spare me and my hive some love. NOT all of it!” Chrysalis’ voice echoed in the office a bit before the books swallowed the bouncing noise. “Just! Some. And then-” The changeling took a deep breath, the memories of her daughter, both best and worst, crashed down into Chrysalis mind. “You- She-” Something inside Chrysalis’ breast refused her to speak of Beauty Fly. She did not want wish to show her pain to the alicorn. It was not to just hide the hurt that Celestia caused. The queen wanted Celestia to remember her daugher. “That winter, you denied me, my hive, and-” Again, her tongue refused to speak of the long lost child. “You denied us love!” Chrysalis shouted loudly. Her voice shook Coco to the very core. “And you took away my love!” Unable to keep her emotions in check, the changeling queen leered at Princess Celestia, demanding that she remembers. But the alicorn looked unfazed by the sudden burst of anger. “I have no idea what you are going on about…” Chrysalis sucked in air through her nostrils in frustration. She doesn’t remember?! Her eyes darted back at Coco, and saw her friend wield a look of disbelief. At least you believe me, despite you not being alive many years ago. Shaking her head, removing all angry emotions, the changeling gazed back to Celestia. “Well, I strongly remember what you did to me.” The alicorn had to take a few steps in order to see Coco behind Chrysalis. “Did she spread lies about me to you?” Obedient, Coco shook her head. “She said nothing about you. I never knew she disliked you so much.” Hiding her face of guilt, the mare moved out of Celestia’s vision, back behind her friend. It hurt her that she had to lie to the princess and she wanted to spill the truth. But her friend’s trust was strong in her heart. “A-and if she did, I don’t think neither of us would have spent time with you.” “She could have told you to keep quiet about her words.” Coco gulped, knowing she is doing exactly what Chrysalis said. Looking back at the queen, Celestia asked, “Do you feel any amount of guilt, knowing you used a pony who trusted you?” Chrysalis could tell Celestia was trying hard to make the queen sound like a villain. But there was no guilt; Coco chose to work for Chrysalis anyways. “I do actually…” Both Celestia and Coco were surprised to hear those words. “I have grown fond of Miss Pommel. Her kindness, her generosity, and her love.” Chrysalis turned around to see the earth pony, and smiled at her. “Even my changeling drones have taken a liking to you.” Thinking she had permission to remark, Coco spoke nervously, “I would believe you, b-but you still lied to me. And… I-” “Come to me, Coco” The princess invited the pony with a warm smile and an arm out wide. “Do not be afraid to leave her side.” Despite how Celestia’s words sang with promise, they stabbed at Coco’s heart. She didn’t want to leave Chrysalis. Chrysalis was her friend. Still, she had to play ignorant and walked toward the alicorn. “Wait, please!” The queen spoke with desperation in her throat. Coco stopped, not even taking two steps and looked at Chrysalis. The changeling looked down at her with a sad furrow in her brow. Was she pretending for Princess Celestia? Or was her cry sincere? “Coco… don’t go to her…You are my friend and- and I wish for you not to abandon me.” In the corner of eye, the earth pony watched Celestia spectate, her horn stabbing in Chrysalis’ direction. “But you lied to me about your identity…” Coco squeaked, hurt by her friend’s act. Or was it real? Did Chrysalis not want her to leave after tonight? The question’s were beginning to give Coco a stressful headache. “B-but think about the times we had.” In a flash of green flames, the queen changed into her white unicorn facade, but still wielding her upset expression. “The laughs. The tears. The friends you made. I swear on my crown that the changelings do care for you. Except for one or two that is…” Scar Splash. For some reason he hates me… But the pros outweighed the cons in Coco’s mind. She reminisced about the other tailors she spent time with. The children she played with; despite them making a game off of her. And Fang. Oh, Fang. His kiss. It was no act from a play. His love was real and Coco couldn’t hide that. Chrysalis reached out a hoof as beads of tears formed at her eyelids. Just the sight was almost enough for Coco to tell Celestia the truth of her friend. “I learned so much from you,” the queen spoke, her voice shaking. “And I wish to not have you walk out of my life.” It was too much for the mare to see Chrysalis speak so loving and caused Coco to sob. “Please, my dearest friend, be the generous mare that you are and never end our friendship.” “I won’t!” Coco shook her head, tears flinging from her face. “I won’t end my friendship with you, even if you are a changeling!” Looking up to Chrysalis, who now no longer held her unicorn disguise, the earth pony smiled. “You pulled me out of a terrible hole I fell in, and shed light onto my world.” That was true and Coco would not play stupid on that fact. “Even if you lied about what you are…” That was a fib, of course. “...who you are, who I worked for. That is the mare I care about.” Without hesitation, Chrysalis pulled Coco close to her with a warm embrace. “Thank you, Coco Pommel,” she whispered low into her ear. “Your welcome.” The earth pony did not know how long she cried for, nor did she care. Celestia was not going anywhere anyways. No longer holding onto Coco, Chrysalis turned her attention back to the princess. Celestia held her posture more straight, no longer holding her horn low. “It is strange, a simple earth pony befriending me, the Queen of Changelings.” “Indeed,” was all Celestia could muster up, trying to take in what she witnessed as quickly as possible. “And I don't understand why she would.” Coco felt insulted, as if slapped by the words she just heard. The mare was beginning to understand why Chrysalis disliked Celestia. Ever since the queen has shown herself to the princess, Celestia has spoken no kind words to the changeling. Perhaps the ruler of Equestria didn’t understand the shapeshifters, maybe even feared them. Chrysalis blinked at Coco. “If I am not mistaken, hasn’t your most prized pupil befriended the Lord of Chaos?” “Don’t bring Twilight Sparkle into this!” Celestia demanded, her demeanor on the defensive. “Oh but I will.” As the two stared each other down, Coco felt alienated, not sure what Chrysalis was going on about. “That creature that you allow to roam free can literally turn my world, and yours, up-side-down. And yet you have given him the chance to be free. All in the name of friendship.” “What are you getting at?” The princess’ gaze turned toward the window before turning back to the two before her. “Must you be so snippy?” Chrysalis furrowed her brow with irritation. “I just told you why I don’t like you because you have refused to give me, or my subjects any love. Also! Despite my friend here not knowing I was a changeling all this time, she still remains by my side. In other words, dear Princess Celestia…” Stepping forward, the queen wore a sincere smile as she came towards the alicorn. “...I wish to extend my friendship to you.” Coco gasped at the realization at what was going on; Chrysalis was about to set things right between herself and Celestia. “I apologize for lying to you this entire day. Perhaps we are even.” Chrysalis’ smile faded. “You killed something of mine when you denied my changelings love in the past. And I will be honest, I still hate you for it. Today, I made you trust me before seeing the black beneath my white. I understand if you are angry with me about that. However...” She looked back at Coco before resuming, “...I have been thinking about my friend here. I wish to be able to see her every day and not have her shunned for befriending a changeling.” A small grin grew on Chrysalis’ lips. “And I think my friend is perfectly fine with me being who I am. Don’t you agree, princess? After all, she did display a healthy amount of emotions when she couldn’t deny me.” The earth pony shyly looked away as the attention of two leaders glanced at her vicinity. “So back on track. I have had a change of heart, despite my current feelings toward you. Maybe there is a future where I can move on from the past. And you… Well, perhaps you can grow to trust myself and the other changelings.” Taking a deep breath, Celestia stood in thought, her eyes closed. Coco smiled at her friend, knowing the princess was going to do the right thing. “You know Chrysalis,” the alicorn responded. “I never trusted you or the other changelings.” As she opened her eyes, her brows furrowed angrily, pointing hard at Chrysalis. “And I don’t think I will anytime soon…” The queen’s mouth slightly parted, shocked, yet not surprised. She shook her head with disappointment. “I expected this from you.” “Are you now going to proceed to threaten me?” Celestia asked, her horn pointing sharp at Chrysalis. “You are the one being hostile,” Chrysalis replied bluntly. “If you think I am the one with no emotions, then what would you say to the actions I just did before my friend here?” “Just like a changeling should be: an act with no truth…” The words pounded in Coco’s mind as they bounced around in her brain. Coco couldn’t hold her questionmare tongue still. “Why?” Her voice sounded so soft. So sad. “Why won’t you give Chrysalis a chance?” “Because they are deceivers.” Celestria’s words bit even harder. Even Chrysalis was showing signs of sadness mixed with anger. “They are manipulators. Have you forgotten what was conceived one year ago? Your ‘friend’ wore the face of Princess Cadence. And for what?! To feed her hive and steal other ponies’ happiness.” “There is more to my actions, Celestia,” Chrysalis interjected, not wanting her friend to say too much. “I did it because I hate you. Because I have no choice but to regurgitate my words, I will say it again: you took something from me. You killed something of mine. So I took action and wanted to take something from you.” Why are you being so vague Chrysalis? Tell her the truth. That it was your daughter that perished so many winters ago. Coco was nearing her breaking point. She wanted to speak, but needed to be silent and obey her order. Now filled with the insightful information fed to her, Princess Celestia straightened herself, digesting everything she heard. “I killed something? As in… somepony?” A wicked grin widened at Chrysalis’ lips. “Correct. Well, somechangeling is more appropriate for my liking, but close enough.” Coco was a little late on reacting to the queen’s words, almost forgetting she needed to play dumb. But she quickly corrected herself and took a few steps back, gasping at the the queen’s accusation. “Now, can you guess who?” “Did… did you have several changelings perish when I denied you love?” Guilt clung to the princess’ face, unable to be rid of it. “Only one. One who I adored.” Chrysalis let out a sigh, her daughter’s memory starting to plague her. “Who was it?” Coco asked, this time knowing the answer to her question. But the changeling shook her head. “I wish for Princess Celestia to remember.” The look of guilt was short-lived, however, and Celestia let out a chuckle. “Coco, I don’t believe a single word Chrysalis is speaking of.” Coco couldn’t believe what she heard. “E-excuse me…?” She looked to her friend and saw the queen stare at Celestia with an angry glare. “You say she is your friend. Yet she is saying all of these things, these stories to me, and is expecting you to believe them!” The princess shook her head. “Forgive me, but you are stubborn to believe a single word from her.” “No!” Coco stamped her hoof down, not taking the insult, nor caring about Celestia being a princess. “You know, I have been pretending to not know a single thing about Chrysalis. But now, I want to shed some truth now.” “Coco, stop!” Fear ran down the queen’s spine. She wanted to shut her friend’s mouth, but was not fast enough. And was far too late. “I have been at the hive. I have seen the changelings. The children. Yes, they are different, but I was never hurt by any of them, nor was I controlled by them like a lifeless puppet.” The mare had to pause and look at her friend. Chrysalis looked more afraid than disappointed, which confused Coco. But she still pressed on with adrenalyn running fast in her blood. “Changelings are just like us, Princess Celestia. The only difference is that ponies fear changelings, and changelings hate ponies because they are never given the chance. But I have given them that chance. And I wish for you to give them that chance as well.” Coco swallowed hard, now finished with her statement. Her friend looked down at her, wearing a face that didn’t agree with her actions. But Coco needed to speak her mind. No more lies. Only truth. Celestia stood still, her expression blank. “I understand now, Coco,” she muttered. “Y-you do?!” the earth pony beamed. Chrysalis, however, did not look in anyway happy. “Yes. You praised the changelings with pride. I don’t know anypony who would willingly stand up for them.” Slowly, Princess Celestia lowered her head. And pointed her horn at Coco Pommel. It lit with a bright light as beams of white shined from the tip. The wielder of such power started to shake. “Are you a changeling just pretending to be a pony?” A cold shiver of fear darted down Coco’s spine as the princess stared her down with a bitter stare. Coco scrambled for the door, but ended up tripping over the skirt of her dress. Throwing her arms over her head, the mare begged “P-please, d-don’t hurt me!” The steps of Chrysalis boomed as she stepped in front of the earth pony. “You DARE THREATEN MY FRIEND?!” Celestia’s horn flashed a bright light, causing Coco and Chrysalis to wince. The brightness was not strong enough to blind and their vision was collected quickly. Every window shattered as pegusi broke their way in. Coco screamed, cradling her head from the glass that scattered about. The guards stood in front of their princess, spears at the ready. Taking a peek at the situation, Coco opened her eyes to see a large black body guarding her as several stallions glared with intimidating stares. And she saw Platinum among them. What is he doing here?! Coco noticed how he was not focusing his attention onto Chrysalis; Platinum was looking at her with a nervous expression. “Those two are changelings!” Celestia proclaimed to her guards. Platinum flinched at the words, not wanting to believe the accusation that Coco was like Chrysalis. “How dare you accuse my friend as such!” Chrysalis lit up her horn in a green aura to defend Coco and herself if needed. “Where is your proof?” “By the sheer fact that ‘Coco’ is supporting you. She just confessed that she voluntarily chose to work for you, knowing her employer was a changeling.” Platinum’s eyes grew wide, his pupils thinning in shock. Unable to control his tongue, he spoke to Coco, “You knew you have been working with changelings this whole time?!” The mare slowly nodded, almost ashamed of her deed. Chrysalis stared him down, her pupils as thin as his. This is exactly why I didn’t want you to speak, Coco. Now you have fallen into a hole. And others will hate you for siding with us. “So, if you are here with her,” Platinum continued, “then… no…” He stared at the ground, not wanting his mind to believe what he was thinking. “Is- is Stitch-!?” The look on Coco’s face told the truth for him. Speaking to her guards, Celestia asked, “Let me ask you, my fine soldiers, this question: Would you ever consider a changeling, a creature that feeds off of love, a companion?” “Never!” “They are vermin!” “Black creatures with black hearts!” All the stallions but Platinum stood without making a remark. All he did was glance between Coco and Chrysalis with no malice in his eyes. “You are all ignorant, too stubborn to look behind the black skin we wear!” The queen’s horn burned hot with green flames. “And you believe my beloved friend is a CHANGELING?!” Instead of using her flaming rage against Celestia, Chrysalis snuffed her fire out, no longer surging power through the horn. “You want to find out of somepony is actually a changeling? Feed them solid foods, or anything that may have flavor, like juices, sugar, and all of the sorts. It will cause them great internal pain.” “How do we know if you are telling-” “Must you shut down everything I say? I just exploited a huge weakness about us changelings...” The changeling shook her head, irritated with Celestia’s resistance. “Believe me for once. Why else must I and my kin feed off of love? Because it is the only way for us to live. Otherwise, I would not be having an issue with you.” One guard looked back at his princess. “What should we do? Do you believe her words?” To Celestia, it made sense that solid foods are not applicable for a changeling diet. However, she was worried her accusation against Coco was false and be made a fool. “You, Luna’s guardspony.” The princess spoke to Platinum with authority. He took a few steps forward before turning around to face the alicorn. “Y-yes Princess Celestia?” “Who is Stitch?” Her eyes stared through him, like light through glass. “A friend associated with Coco. And she may be a changeling because Stitch has worked with Coco before.” Platinum looked to the queen who looked at him with no anger in her eyes. “She is… also my friend…” Chrysalis’ brows rose, surprised with his words. “Then I have a task for you. We need to do a test.”