//------------------------------// // Chapter 30: Cut to the Revenge // Story: Relationships are Evil // by TheTimeSword //------------------------------// “I’m over him. I’m over him. I’m over him,” the changeling queen repeated to herself as she paced back and forth. “I won’t be upset, I won’t be angry, I won’t-” she paused. A grin split itself on her face, rising from ear to ear. She had been waiting for something like this to happen, anything that could help her in her evil goal. This was a good start. She wouldn’t have thought two ponies kissing in the castle would be the instigating factor. An empty castle foyer, a white unicorn and a black, and a short peck on the lips when they thought no one was looking. The changeling had stood in the shadows as they embraced, unnoticed by the two. That had been the night before and now it was morn. She had barely gotten a wink of sleep throughout the night. Anger had kept her blood flowing, preventing her from falling off to dreamland. Now, the sun shined through the crack of the curtain and onto her, displaying the wide smile she held. The white teeth glowed from her malicious grin like a lighthouse at night. Today is a red letter day, she thought. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, sucking in air through her nose. The black stallion had already left for the morning. She had heard his door open and close before the sun had vanquished any purple within the sky. It was clear where he had headed, but there was someone else who needed to see it for themselves. Chrysalis stepped out into the bedroom hall and trotted across to another room. She pounded on a door, knocking furiously in the hopes of awakening the occupant inside. The lock turned and the door opened at a snail’s pace. Her eerie, menacing smile was the first thing Spike saw. “Hey, Spike. Wanna go out for some breakfast? Just you and me?” The teeth-bearing grin never left her face as she spoke, nor did it leave after they had arrived in the main part of Ponyville. At breakfast, her grin could be seen in-between the quick shoveling of food into her mouth. Her chewing was somehow even more disturbing than the smile itself. They had sat outside per her request. She wanted a way to view as much of the town as she could from one spot. The purple dragon groggily ate his food, oblivious to her overly enthusiastic attitude. After she had finished, her head had begun to swing around, looking for something specific. Spike did notice this, and asked, “Chrysalis, uh, what are you doing?” “Oh, you know, looking for the waiter. Say, I am stuffed, how about we go for a walk to lighten this new load?” She stared at him with bright eyes and a crumb filled smile. Spike looked at her, holding toast in one claw and a fork with scrambled eggs in the other. His food had been scarcely touched and his pancakes hadn’t even arrived. “Uh, sure, just let me finish eating.” She waited with an obnoxious patience, watching him eat while still scanning her surroundings with her peripheral vision. An occasional yawn or stretch would allow her to catch a glimpse of those behind her. The longer he took the more her grin faded. Eventually, the purple dragon finished his meal and let out a large belch, signifying he was done. Before he could announce his accomplishment he was levitated up onto the back of the changeling. “Come on!” she said as she took off, not giving him a moment to settle on her carapace. “Chrysalis!” he yelled, clinging to her hair. “I thought you said we should go for a walk, not a run!” The changeling queen ignored him. She was too focused on finding the unicorn pair. She wouldn’t have to look far as it wasn’t long before she came across the objects of her obsession. A black stallion and a white mare walking together at a meandering pace. The queen ducked out of their view before Spike could see them, hoping to keep from spoiling the surprise she’d soon hope to unveil. Spike squirmed on her back, trying to see past her long neck and mangled mane. She followed the two unicorns as they went from shop to shop, waiting for them to show any signs of affection for one another. “What are you even doing?” Spike yelled. He flopped off her back, landed on his rump, and glared up at the changeling. “It’s too early in the morning for you to be acting so weird,” he added as he stepped out from the shadows. He took a look at what she was staring at and saw the two unicorns. A smile started to make an appearance on his face, he was thankful to see two ponies acting normal. That smile vanished gradually as he watched them, realizing that they weren’t acting normal at all. At first it was just a boop to the noses, then a nuzzle of the cheeks, and finally a press of their lips against one another. Chrysalis and her grin paid no eye to the unicorns, she was too focused on seeing the dragon’s reaction. She watched as his shock turned to sadness and then to anger and rage. His claw clenched into a fist and his jaw stiffened shut. Before he could move or get away, she levitated him onto her back. “Oh my, Spike,” she said, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing? I was looking all over for Twilight but it seems we stumbled into something else.” She made sure to stop her grinning as she looked back to the dragon. “Whatever shall we do?” Spike slumped backwards, crossing his arms with a pout. “Let’s just get out of here. Everyone’s gone crazy today,” he answered. Chrysalis did as she was told, taking a long walk in the opposite direction. It wasn’t long before his anger seethed through, though. “I can’t believe it! Have they been together this whole time? Is this why she was okay with letting me off when you claimed to be her?” he shouted his angered questions. “I apologized for that, right? I hope you’re not still mad at me. I am sorry,” Chrysalis replied with an exaggerated tone. I can’t have you not on my side, after all. “No, no. I’m not mad at you. At least you’re honest about things with me. Even you taking me out to breakfast was nice thing to do. We were just lucky enough to cross those backstabbers. I just can’t believe that they’d get together! That’d be like Discord and Fluttershy getting together or something. Gross.” He spit his tongue out at the idea. “Yeah, who would have seen that coming?” Her grin vanished as she turned her head back to the dragon but reappeared once he couldn’t see her face. He went on and on with his badmouthing as they walked. She made sure to listen to everything he said, not paying any attention to where they were going. They eventually wandered onto the road to Sweet Apple Acres. The autumn trees lacked the fruit of what they had been known to hold. Wind blew the fallen leaves in little spirals along the open paths. All the shadows had up and vanished beneath the risen sun. It was as if the land had dried up and died to reflect the sour dragon’s feelings. “You know what?” he yelled as he sat up on her hide and toppled off, landing on his feet. “I’ve got something I want to do, too. Thanks for listening Chrysalis!” He waved her off and began walking away. Spike ran off towards the homely residence of the dead orchard leaving Chrysalis to transform herself into a brown, fluffy squirrel and chase after him. She climbed up the closest tree and went from branch to branch, skittering closer and closer to the farm’s adobe until she got as close as she could. She watched as the dragon knocked on the door and waited, a grin still plastered on her now furry cheeks. The wooden door squeaked open, then the screen door. Applejack trotted out and greeted the dragon, “Hey there, Spike. What brings you to this here neck of the acre?” Chrysalis leaned her ear closer to hear the purple dragon speak but no noise came from his mouth. She waited and watched, his purple claws fidgeted. Finally, he reached up and grabbed the orange mare by her cheeks, pulling her face down and planting a kiss on her lips. Her squirrely grin waned as she observed the two. No, no, no! You weren’t supposed to be pushed in this direction, she raged, snapping a twig with her little paws. “Whoa, Spike!” Applejack said as she pulled away. “That was a mighty nice surprise but what brought that on?” “Oh, uh,” he stuttered, thinking back to the two kissing unicorns. He clenched his fist and gulped. “I just saw something and it made me want to-” “What’d you see that would make you want to do somethin’ like that?” she cut him off. “Shoot, maybe now I want to see it too. What was it?” “Well, I was out with Chrysalis and we kind of stumbled on Rarity and Sombra. At first I didn’t think too much about it but then I saw them kissing and I-” Applejack cut him off again, “Wait, Sombra and Rarity were kissing?” She noticed his clenched fist, and her lips puckered as her expression hardened. “Spike… You didn’t kiss me because you were jealous, did you?” She saw the frightened look in his eye after she asked that question, knowing the answer. Chrysalis couldn’t believe her luck, the purple dragon had backed himself into a corner. Her smile returned and she tossed the broken twigs as she listened to the mare yell. Applejack shouted for less than a few seconds before slamming the door, leaving the dragon to sulk alone on the front porch. He stood as still as a tree for a long while before finally leaving. Chrysalis could feel his emotion radiating off his body, tasting his feelings as he traipsed underneath the tree. She took advantage of the moment, draining part of his love that had been so bright just moments ago. The dragon had a lot of love to give for someone so small, but she found it always tasted best whenever the victim’s spirit had just been crushed. It had been a while since she had tasted something so sweet. She transformed once more, this time into a bird, and took flight out of the farm. She stood at the edge of the withered tree line, waiting for Spike to show up. “Oh, hey Spike. Funny running into you here. Get it? It’s a joke,” she said, her grin hung heavy on her face. The purple dragon’s scales looked almost colorless and his arms hung low at his sides as he walked. His sour frown didn’t even falter as he heard her voice. “Ouch. Doesn’t look like you’re feeling too good. We should head back to the castle. Here, let me help you… friend.” She levitated the dragon up onto her back without a word from him. The entire walk back Spike remained silent, simply staring at the back of Chrysalis’s head. She didn’t mind though. Once they returned to the castle, Spike hopped off and began walking up the steps. “Hey Spike,” Chrysalis called up to him. “If you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here for you.” Spike halted at the top step and looked over his shoulder at the changeling queen below. Her grin was as thick as ever. “Thanks, Chrysalis. I appreciate it,” he said with a flat, toneless voice, then continued on to another part of the castle. That worked out surprisingly well. Now, if Twilight asks him about it, she’ll find out Rarity and Sombra are together. This will surely separate one of the Elements from the rest, she thought to herself. Coffee would be her reward for the trouble she caused. After making a piping hot mug, Chrysalis sat down at the kitchen table and leaned on a hoof, reminiscing of the trouble she just caused. Spike will even be on my side if that awful stallion refuses to play on my team. No way would he want to be friends with Sombra. While she sat with her coffee, the castle door opened and voices came following with it. Fluttershy and Starlight stepped through the doorway into the kitchen. “Thanks for walking me back, Fluttershy,” Starlight said as she plopped her bag on the kitchen table. “Oh, no. It was the least I could do. You’re the one helping me, after all,” Fluttershy replied. “I’ll see you later! Hi Chrysalis!” Chrysalis waved as the pegasus left. She listened for the castle door to close. Already got one, she thought. Let’s try for two. She watched as Starlight unpacked a few of her things from the saddlebags, placing them on the table beside it. “Hello, Starlight. What were you helping Fluttershy with?” “Good morning,” Starlight said, “I was just helping Fluttershy with her animals. She’s got to go out of town for a few days so I’ll be feeding her animals since Discord is incapable of performing menial tasks as he put it. We were just going over what to feed them and what not.” She removed a pencil and pad from one of the pockets. “Don’t suppose you want to take my place?” “I’ll pass. Though I do have to ask why you’re doing it. Can’t she get one of the others to do it instead? I mean, you’re Twilight’s apprentice, not Fluttershy’s.” “It’s part of my friendship lessons,” replied the unicorn. Chrysalis audibly scoffed at the notion. “Why are you still performing friendship lessons? What even lesson are you gaining from this? Honestly, it sounds more like you’re being used for their chores.” “Well, Twilight thinks it’ll be good to see different aspects of our friend’s lives and maybe I’ll learn something.” “No, no, no. That’s not what I meant,” Chrysalis sighed. “I mean, why are you her apprentice at all? You’re reformed, you could do anything. Look at Tirek and Discord, they’re off busy doing things. Meanwhile, you’re stuck here with me, the unreformed.” The unicorn stopped and looked up from her notepad. “What are you saying? That I shouldn’t be doing things for Twilight?” “There’s a difference between being an apprentice and being used. To be honest, I’m not sure you should even be classified as a villain. What’d you do? Create a town of happy folk and then tried to destroy Twilight and her friends after they ruined it? Seems a lot less criminal than Discord’s reign or Tirek’s appetite for magic, not to mention Sombra’s complete removal of the Crystal Empire. Why should they get to be free while you’re watching some dumb animals?” Starlight’s jaw had become more unhinged than the snakes she had met at Fluttershy’s cottage. “I-I have never thought about it like that…” she murmured. “Well, I mean, I do want to be Twilight’s apprentice. I’ve learned so much and come so far, but in the end, I suppose I didn’t have a choice in the matter.” That’s it, take the bait, Chrysalis thought, her grin returned. “I think it’s a real shame too, you seem far more powerful than Twilight, and you’re not even an alicorn,” she laughed. “I-I have to go think about this for a while,” Starlight replied as she hurriedly dumped the contents back into the bag. Before Starlight could notice, Chrysalis drained a much smaller dose of love than she had with Spike. Starlight then finished packing the saddlebag and headed for the stairs. “Oh, Starlight, before you go.” Starlight stopped at the bottom step and looked back at the kitchen. Her eyes had lost just a small bit of coloring. Chrysalis leaned against the doorway, levitating the cup of coffee next to her. “If you need to talk about anything, I’m here for you,” she said, her big, toothy grin plastered across her face. Starlight nodded and smiled back before continuing up the stairs. This is too easy. I really need to get off my rump more often, it seems I can get a lot of things done, she thought. Mm, and this coffee is so good. She guzzled the brown liquid down her throat and headed off to her bedroom, satisfied. A few hours of reading comics and napping came and went before a knock on the door forced her attention. The purple alicorn stood in the doorway. “Hey, I just got word that the construction has finished and they’re going to begin painting and decorating. Wanna head over?” Twilight asked. Chrysalis blinked. “Well, I just visited yesterday but if you’re inviting me, who am I to say no?” Following the alicorn, Chrysalis and her grin trotted to the Ponyville Hive where most of the workers were finishing up. The wood had all been used, the tools were being dragged away, and paint cans littered the area. They entered the through the main entrance, passing through the large foyer where stairs lead higher to the hive’s nine other floors. Most of the walls had yet to be painted and tiling remained unfinished for parts of the flooring. It was almost finished except for the decorating parts, but that would be left for Rarity and the helpers under her. With so many ponies leaving, Chrysalis and Twilight were left alone with the big empty space. They toured the second floor, making sure the kitchen had all it needed before the appliances arrived, though Chrysalis still believed none of her kind knew how to cook. The kitchen itself was conjoined with the cafeteria, which could hold close to three hundred individuals. It was the largest room within the whole hive, perhaps larger than any room within their old hive as well. Everything was bigger compared to the old. Each changeling’s room was double the size. Of course, the biggest upside was that none of it was made of dirt or mud. “What will you do after the hive is complete, Twilight? You always seem so busy that it’s rare to see you relaxed. I don’t think I’ve even gotten a chance to date you because of it,” Chrysalis said as they strolled back down to the main floor. Twilight’s ears fell flat at the notion, her head sunk down as well. “Uh, well, y’know. Still got a lot to do in my life. I am a princess after all,” she chuckled nervously. Chrysalis moved around the alicorn, pressing her towards what would soon be the queen’s room. It was the largest room on the main floor and the most finished. “Of course, of course. You have so much to do. Perhaps once I’m settled in you can come and stay with me for a change.” Chrysalis pushed open the large double doors, revealing her room had already been painted and furnished for the most part. All that remained of a construction site was the wooden floorboards that she asked to remain as they were. “Oh, but of course, I do only have one bed,” she added, her grin shining at Twilight. “I can’t believe they’ve already finished in here. Everyone’s been working so hard but I was still afraid we wouldn’t get the hive done before winter came. Looks like we’ll be able to move all the changelings in right at the start of winter! Isn’t that exciting?” “Exciting? Oh, Twilight… There are no words that could come close to describing how I feel right now,” Chrysalis replied. “The only thing that might make it better-” Chrysalis grabbed onto Twilight’s neck, pulling her close to her face “-is having a purple alicorn visit me every day. Maybe even stay the night.” With a gentle push, Twilight distanced herself from the changeling queen. “We’ll have to take a raincheck on that until you’re fully reformed. Of course, you’ll have to let me know when you’d like to make your apology in Canterlot,” Twilight explained, hoping to turn the conversation in a different direction. “Not that I’m pressuring you or anything. This hive is a step in the right direction after all.” Almost had three in one day, she sighed internally, and then said, “Even with being around Discord you still can’t recognize teasing.” Chrysalis feigned a smile as she tapped the alicorn’s horn. “Honestly Twilight, how do you even getting up in the morning when you carry such a burden on your shoulders?” She trotted circles around Twilight as she spoke, glancing at her from the corner of her eye. “Shouldn’t you be able to delegate some of these afflictions? Five other friends and some of them just don’t even want to help you.” The alicorn’s head tilted and twisted to keep her eyes locked with the changeling but she soon became dizzy from trying. “What are you talking about? Everyone has been super helpful. Building a hive, getting along, and Starlight has taken much of the weight as well.” “Starlight has reformed, right? Yet she still serves you and the other Elements. I wonder how she feels about that. Being used and neglected while you save an entire species, go out on dates with other ex-villains, and meet with other princesses of varying importance. I can only imagine that feeling,” Chrysalis replied, stepping over to the other end of the room and collapsing on the bed. “What are you talking about? Has Starlight said something about this to you?” “Me? No. No! She’s far too busy to spend more than a moment talking to me. It’s probably nothing, but that’s how I’d feel if I were in her horseshoes,” she lied. Twilight looked at the changeling and then down to the wooden floor, thinking back to the last time she spent more than a few sentences on her student. “E-Excuse me Chrysalis, I’ve got to go and do… something.” She gave a bow to the changeling queen and then exited the room, closing the wooden doors behind her. Chrysalis couldn’t contain her lips’ delight. She was grinning from ear to ear. “Oh yes, little Twilight,” she whispered to herself as one of the floorboards was pulled up by her magic. “You’ll have something to do soon enough, I’ll make sure of that.” From underneath the floor came a glass container holding a dark, empty void within it. “You and your friends will have something to do for a thousand years.” Her grin reflected itself within the glass, staring back at her along with the blackness inside.