Two-Sided Prequel II: Who You Work For

by FerociousCreation


Stone Necklace

A mass of black was on the move as hundreds of bodies exited from the holes in the mountainside. The many buzzing of wings made it sound like a horrible swarm of angry insects were approaching. Sea More walked beside Fang, the two in silence as they came into view of the runway. The entire hive was massing as they stood around their queen. The two friends wondered to themselves if the others knew about the mass amnesia. They were about to find out.

Leaving his friend without a word, Fang buzzed his wings and landed beside Queen Chrysalis, knowing he was the only one allowed to be near her. He tried to look for his friend but had no sight of him; maybe for the better. The guard and queen stood for a while longer, making sure every changeling is gathered on the runway.

“I will admit, Inferno Fang...” Chrysalis’ voice was swallowed by the loud buzzing from the other changelings, but Fang heard her words. His ears twitched as she used his full name. “...it pains me to lose my memories about Coco Pommel.” Chrysalis looked down at her guard and smiled at him. “Let’s pray her life is prosperous without us.”

“Yes my queen,” Fang obediently replied. He smiled, but couldn’t shake the sadness from him. Eventually, Chrysalis saw that the entire hive was before her. Holding up her hoof, the changelings grew silent at the simple gesture, awaiting their queen’s words.

“My fellow changelings, I am pleased to announce that the love gathering at the Grand Galloping Gala was a success!” A roar of cheers, buzzing, and stomping erupted as the many bodies were glad to receive great news. “We no longer have to worry about a shortage of love for a very long time! Because of my friend, Coco Pommel, rations will be increased!” It filled Queen Chrysalis with glee to see her kin leap with joy, smiling at her words. In her peripheral, she could see Fang smiling, perhaps knowing he too was grateful for the generous mare.

Once again, Queen Chrysalis held up her hoof and the noise was quickly swallowed. “However, despite of Coco Pommel’s amazing generosity, we must forget about her.” The crowd could not help but mingle among themselves, wondering why their leader proclaimed such a thing. “I will not go into detail as to what happened on my end, but I will say this: Celestia refuses to give us happiness ever still. That fact alone has forced me to have me cast a mass amnesia on us all, so we may not be distracted by our goal: to take what Celestia loves. If you cared about Coco Pommel, then use this as fuel against the wretched alicorn who raises the sun. She wishes to not allow herself make peace with us because we are strange! She does not want a pony to take a liking to us! Celestia even insulted Coco Pommel when she sided with us!” Chrysalis saw her words reach her kind as each eye she could find was angry; a sight she needed to witness.

“It does sadden me, and maybe some of you to forget the one who gave us a chance so that we can feed ourselves. But when we strike, in one week, our hearts must not be conflicted on striking down Canterlot because of one pony. I even had Fang warn her about the attack, so she will have time to flee. And when we do capture Canterlot, THAT PRINCESS WILL RUE THE DAY SHE REFUSED OUR KINDNESS! SHE WANTS TO GIVE NO LOVE, WE WILL RETURN THE FAVOR!”

A loud eruption of insults, roars, and stomping burst forth from the crowd, angered with Celestia. Queen Chrysalis let them cry out in hatred, their support like music to her ears. She was not surprised to see her personal guard rile up the crowd, chanting a crewel phrase, “Extinguish the Sun.”

With their hot tempers cooled, Queen Chrysalis once more held her hoof and silenced the changelings. “One final thought before we forget about Miss Coco Pommel: I know that most of you, perhaps all are glad for her support. Let us hope that she has a prosperous life. Perhaps she may come to us once we have conquered Canterlot, perhaps the entire land of Equestria, remembering us. And maybe that day, we may all remember her love and care for us all…” Silence then reigned. No changeling made a sound, but nodded, acknowledging the pony’s generosity. “Now everychangeling, think about Coco Pommel. Think deep into your minds and imagine-”

“Wait!” A small voice squeaked among the crowd. Chrysalis looked around, wondering where the interrupter shouted from.

“Teething! Get back here!” A mare buzzed into the air, seeking out her child in the black sea of bodies. But before she could stop her daughter, Teethling lept into the empty circle. Her small body kicked up a small cloud of dust as she tripped onto the ground with a thud. But Teethling was able to gather herself and bowed before the queen.

“What is it dear child?” Chrysalis spoke calmly, her stare almost nice. Teethling shivered as she looked around with the many eyes on her.

“I- I don’t wanna forget about Coco!” Trembling, the child plopped her flank down on the hard ground and began to sob into her hooves. “I- I don’t wanna...” Her weeping gasps echoed around her as no changeling dared to make a sound.

Other children’s voices began to speak out. “Me neither!”

“She was so nice!”

“I wanna to remember the angel!”

Bitter weeping began to grow as Chrysalis heard the young changelings lament. “Teethling!” Teethling’s mother landed beside her and scolded her child. “Don’t you ever interrupt the queen!” Turning her attention back to Queen Chrysalis, the mare bowed her head, “F-forgive my child my queen! She does not no better…”

Teethling’s ears were pointed so far back, Chrysalis wondered if they were upside-down. But despite the intrusion of her speech, the queen was not angered with the child. “Do not worry, I am not upset with her. I understand her sadness and she does not deserve punishment.” Chrysalis blinked and her expression was more cold from before. “However, child, if you were older, you would have been punished for interrupting me. Remember that, okay?”

Teethling quickly nodded, intimidated by her queen’s stare. “Yes Queen Chrysalis.”

As her hard expression left her, the changeling frowned at Teethling and said, “I do not wish to forget Coco either. But we must.”

The child could not still her tongue. “No we don’t!” Teethling shook her head, her long hair swinging around, stinging her eyes as she didn’t blink. “I mean, what if Coco comes back and we attack her, thinking she is a liar? Who is going to remember her when she does?”

“Scar Splash will, my child.”

“But why can’t I as well?!” Even though her bangs were blocking her eyes, Chrysalis could see desperation in her. “I-if you let me remember Coco, I won’t talk about her until she comes back. Promise.”

“Yeah!”

“Please let us not forget!”

“Remember the angel!”

Many little voices rang out from the crowd, disturbing the changelings. Chrysalis had to think about Teethling’s words, wondering if letting the children remember Coco Pommel would cause trouble. It may do very little harm if she let the children hold onto the hope that they may see the generous mare once more. Perhaps it may influence the children to hate the princess for not allowing peace among ponies and changelings, having them stride toward a goal of dominating Canterlot.

Looking out to the crowd, the queen spoke loudly, “Children, those of you whom are younger than the teens, I wish to ask of you this: do you wish to remember Coco Pommel? If you do, come forth toward my inner circle! As for you parents of the younglings, I demand that you let them choose on their own. It is time they receive their first order.”

Within minutes, the small circle Queen Chrysalis had, was now filled with children both fillies and colts. The crowd had to compensate with the mass amount of children and had to make the circle larger.

“Scar!” the leader barked. From the mountainside, a small black body emerged from the hive and flew over to his queen.

“Yes my queen!” Scar buzzed over the sea of children, curious as to what was going on. Because he was ordered to remember Coco Pommel, Chrysalis had him stay out of range of her so that she may cast a mass amnesia without him forgetting.

“Take these children to the daycare. They will not be partaking in the mass amnesia.” Chrysalis made sure her voice was absolute, but that did not stop Scar from rebelling against the idea.

“My queen, I respect your choice, but these children should partake in the original plan anyways.”

Irritated, Queen Chrysalis looked at the children and spoke calmly, “Little ones, form a circle with a little bit of space for Scar here to land.” In unison, the younglings did as they were told. With the ground revealed, Scar began to descend; Chrysalis wanted to be sure she made him land. Taking control of his body, the queen jabbed her horn in Scar’s direction and lassoed him with telekinesis, swinging the changeling hard onto the ground. Scar bounced a little as he smacked against the hard stone floor. “If you respect my choice, then do not speak against it. After all, you are the one who suggested the mass amnesia in the first place. Even though you offered forth this plan, I get to change whatever I wish. One of the children here suggested that she should remember Coco Pommel; and I see no harm in the ones who choose to remember her. In fact, it may help motivate them into hating Celestia even more, just as you have.”

Instead of arguing with her, Scar replied with a grunt, “As you have ordered it, it shall be…” Believing he could stand, the changeling slowly began to move until he was up on all fours.

“Good.” Looking to the younglings with a serious stare, she spoke with authority, “Those of you who have chosen to remember Coco Pommel are going to be given your first order.” Every head before her nodded with understanding. “Before I tell you your first order, I want you all to know this: if I come to find out in the near future, that you have disobeyed my word, when the time of age comes, you will be punished just as you have seen Scar Splash has; maybe even worse.” Chrysalis paused and examined the children, making sure none of them were confused. Instead, each and every one of them were at full attention, which did not worry Queen Chrysalis one bit.

“Now, for your first order.” The children straightened themselves, turning their ears forward. “I order you children to not speak about Coco Pommel. Not to your parents, not to your friends, not to those who even remember her, and especially not to me. Understand?” The mass of children nodded. “The only time you can speak about her is if I ask who Coco Pommel is. She has to be present before you when I ask you the question. You can bring her forth to me so that I may ask who she is, but do not force her. It would be better if she does it on her own volition. And if she does choose to be our friend once more, you all can remind the hive of what she has done for us.” Again, the younglings nodded.

Her attention back on Scar, Queen Chrysalis leered at him. “Now I have an order for you…” He flinched at the mere sight of his leader’s sharp eyes. “If you try and force these children to not remember my dear friend and I come to find out…” Chrysalis then spoke low enough to where a few children would hear. “...your secret will be known to her…”

“Yes my queen,” Scar nodded instantly, then grunted in pain. He felt a bruise begin to form on his side, but kept his complaining inward.

***

Looking up at the sky, Chrysalis didn’t notice the thick clouds from before and saw that they were clumping together and darkening. Perhaps it was a necessary setting for what she was about to do. Glancing around, and with the children gone, the queen saw barely any younglings in the crowd of changelings. She wondered why some decided to stay behind, but did not wish to ask them.

“My queen,” Fang spoke, peering at his tall leader. “I just want to thank you for setting me out to find a dressmaker for you.”

The queen chuckled a bit before replying. “Sea More said you would be the better changeling for the job. I am honestly surprised he didn’t do it. Then again, you did find the perfect mare for the task I had for her.”

“Yeah,” Fang sighed. “May I ask one more thing before you carry out your spell.”

“What is it?” Chrysalis asked, her grin not fading.

“If- if we do end up conquering Canterlot and Coco Pommel becomes our ally, may I-”

“You have my permission to love her. But that is highly unlikely that such a reality will exist. You are going to be forgetting about her.” Chrysalis’ grin quickly left her before turning to the crowd. “Now my kin, I ask of you to think about Coco Pommel. Think deeply about what she has done for us. Remember her as much as you can before we all forget.”

Every eye before the queen closed, deep in thought; including Fang. Chrysalis saw her personal guard’s expression writhe with sadness, unable to hold back tears. She didn’t mind; she was beginning to sob as well.

A soft drop from the sky hit the queen’s shoulder as she lit her black horn with a bright-green aura. Chrysalis’ body lifted up from the ground as the magic she was casting dragged herself into the air. Now several feet into the air, Queen Chrysalis tucked her head downward and hid her face within her forearms. In a quick motion, the changeling swung her arms toward the ground and her head into the air as a pulse of magic swept over the crowd. Chrysalis shut her eyes as she held onto each and every memory of Coco Pommel.

She began to feel more drops of rain as the magic radiated from her horn. Chrysalis started to weep bitterly as Coco’s face began to fade away, like water turning a scroll’s ink into a mess of black. And just like the scroll’s now indecipherable message, the pony’s face was now blank; her body and mane only remaining. Chrysalis wanted to scream as she tried to remember, but couldn’t. The more she tried to think about her friend, more and more memories began to wash away. The rain ran down Chrysalis’ body, chilling the saddened mare. Soon, the body of Coco Pommel began to disappear. Chrysalis now wondered who helped her these last two weeks, obtaining the mass amount of love she desperately needed; but just the thought of a pony helping the hive quickly left her mind.

Thinking hard, Chrysalis pondered to herself, curious if she was friends with the one who aided her and the hive, whoever that was.

Then… the queen now asked herself… Why am I crying? Trying to remember, Queen Chrysalis thought long and hard, but could not find the answer. Perhaps it was for the better.

***

Sea More and Fang walked down the hallway, trying to piece together their blurry memories together. Two weeks have gone by, and yet so little was remembered. “I swear, all I remember about the gala was how I mingled among several ponies. I remember a few names like… Platinum and Velvet. Stitch was there too with another- no was she with somepony?”

“Hmm… Queen Chrysalis did say that the amnesia spell was going to confuse us, so don’t think too hard about it.” Sea More shrugged as he and Fang marched down to the ration storage. The two were pleased to know that their intake of love was now going to increase by a large amount and were ready to feed themselves. Or at least, Sea More is going to fill himself. For some reason, Fang was not hungry; in fact, he was quite full and did not remember why.

As they rounded a corner, the two saw Scar come their way. From what Fang could conjure up, he knows that Scar was the one responsible for the mass amnesia, but could not remember why. Sea More recalls the same thoughts as his friend, yet he too cannot find Scar’s intentions. What Sea More does know is that he was angry with the changeling for his suggestion to the queen.

Scar Splash stopped in their path and the two friends paused their movement. “Having a hard time remembering the last few days?” the lone changeling asked with a grin.

“Buzz off,” Sea More muttered. “I know you are the reason why we all got the amnesia treatment, but you got off free. Be lucky I won’t be prying any info out of you. The queen says it is best that we move on from the forgotten past.”

“Do not worry, you do not want to remember the past. Something bad happened to this hive, so I gave the queen the suggestion to forget all about her.” Scar suddenly froze at what he said.

“Her?” Fang asked with a creased brow.

In a quick motion, Scar Splash pushed past Sea More and Fang, leaving their view as he turned down a hall.

“If I am to guess,” Sea More hummed suspiciously, “I think we may have forgotten about someone. Maybe a pony, perhaps?”

***

The night was very cold and the back alleys of Saddleback held a blanket of fog. Scatterbug held tight onto his unicorn form, along with the bucket of oranges his horn levitated.

He was there in Saddleback to continue his mission to obtain love, despite there being a huge supply of food back at the hive. Scatterbug did not mind his task, but he did mind the fact that his employer was wondering why he was not eating any food that was offered to him.

On top of that, the fog was also something Scatterbug minded. There was always something unnerving about the dense cloud that made the changeling dread being in the white blanket of mist.

Just give these oranges to Autumn Harvest and you can head back to the hive. Easy.

The sound of a can rang out and Scatterbug looked around to see if anypony was there. Yes it was a can, but who could be wanting to be lurking in the alley at this time of hour?

Seeing a can of tomatoes roll solely on it’s own, Scatterbug let out a sigh and laughed to himself.

Turning around, a figure was suddenly present and startled the disguised changeling. A black cloak covered the one before him, a heavy breath escaping the hood.

“Very sorry, hehe…” Scatterbug chuckled, watching the figure’s breath wisp up in a visible vapor before it vanished. “You umm… came out of nowhere.”

Scatterbug tried to appear friendly, but felt something was off about the figure; there was no love coming from him. The town Saddleback was known to have very friendly ponies about. However, this… individual was behaving very shady.

In a cold whisper, the figure speaks, “‘Is he friend or is he foe’? the pony wonders.” A shiver crawls down the changeling’s spine, worried if he was found out. Scatterbug began to curse at himself, knowing earlier that day he took off his disguise when he was high up in the orange fields. He only did it to scare off the boss’ stubborn dog. Thankfully, animals cannot talk, but a pony can, and Scatterbug felt he had to defend himself if it came down to it.

Wondering what the hooded stranger would do, he only stood still and stared into the black hood. “I can assure you, I am no friend. I am one, Tirik! And I am going to take what’s mine.”

Tirik widened his mouth, and Scatterbug suddenly felt his head being pulled toward the hooded freak. To his horror, the changeling saw a wisp of blue energy be sucked out of him and into the creatures horrible mouth.

With no strength left in him, Scatterbug crumpled to the ground. The bucket of oranges be levitated fell with a loud thud that was sure to be heard by somepony. He tried to transform so that he could fly away, but could not. All the changeling could do was shiver in fear as he witnessed Tirik’s body grow. A sickening sound of bone and flesh expanding turned Scatterbug’s stomach.

Tirik let out an evil cackle before trudging away into the innocent town.

***

Chrysalis stood with a grin on her face as she looked at the rations supplies. The room was a massive hollow place, tall as it was wide. Before her, row upon row were large black glass spheres resting in their own small squared space. Each row rose tall, twenty cubical containers high, four containers wide, and forty containers long.

Walking down a row, a changeling with a checklist followed at the leader’s heels. Chrysalis stopped in front of a storage unit and lifted the sphere from its holder. A heart that resembled the image of love resonated within the container as beautiful color glowed from the inside. It radiated brightly, only leaving very little black visible in the sphere.

“How wonderful,” Chrysalis grinned seeing her reflection off of the shiny surface. “I don’t remember how, what, or who helped us gain this much love in just one evening, but I am happy with our rations.” Turning to the changeling behind her, she asked, “Do you agree?”

“Of course my queen!” Buzz buzzed his wings with glee, glad to see his queen in such good spirits. “And if my calculations are correct…” He pushed his large spectacles back onto his snout before resuming. A large, sinister grin reached for his eyes. “...we will have plenty of love to raid Canterlot and have rations to spare, that is if we somehow fail. And knowing your almighty power and leadership, we shall crush Canterlot with an iron hoof and have no fear of failure!”

An evil cackle erupted from Queen Chrysalis, her voice echoing off the walls and ceiling. “Right you are!” With her horrible laugh out of her system, a serious expression fell on her face. “By the way, has your brother Scatterbug returned yet? There have been reports of him missing and a search party has been undergoing since this morning.”

Four days have passed since the changeling was supposed to report back to the hive, but there has been no sign of him. Normally Chrysalis begins to worry when a changeling is missing after a week passes by; and by the the time a week rolls around, said missing changeling turns up for the most part; mostly due to trying to find a way back to the hive without being suspicious. However, with the invasion day on the approach, the queen does not want the rest of Equestria to be aware of their presence, nor plan.

“No my queen... “ Buzz muttered with a shake of his head. “But I praise your efforts to seek him out.” He bowed his head, took his queen’s hoof, and kissed it respectfully.

Turning her attention to the sphere she levitated, Queen Chrysalis touched her horn on the surface. A green aura lit from her jagged horn and began to suck the love from the glass dry. The heart from within began to twist and tremble before cracking, then breaking in half before fading away. The light from within soon faded, and the blackness conquered the container. Licking her lips, the tall changeling hummed with delight as the flavor was sweet and filling. It has been so long since she was able to take a filled love container and and stuff herself without having to worry about taking too much.

To amuse herself, Chrysalis made the sphere float around her, thinking about Buzz’s brother’s M.I.A. “Do not worry, we will find-”

“My queen! We found Scatterbug!”

“Him…” At the entrance of the ration’s storage room, three figures stood before the queen; one of which looked to be a pony. Buzz couldn’t control himself and dropped his clipboard, running to his relative. Buzz remembers how his brother showed him what he would look like when Scatterbug was about to head off to Saddleback.

As he approached, Buzz noticed how weak his brother looked. His eyes were like glass, as if blind and the cutie mark he bore was gone. The two changelings wore nervous faces, not sure what to make of what happened to him. “Scatterbug, brother, what happened?”

Scatterbug was about to reply when he saw his queen approach him. When the changeling went to bow, he fell over from weakness. Chrysalis glared at the two guards who helped Scatterbug onto his hooves. “Report! What has happened to him?” The queen peered into the black sphere she still held, her reflection showing a slightly nervous leader.

“It- it’s not just what has happened to me my queen…” Scatterbug muttered, using every ounce of strength to not appear weak to Chrysalis. “...it is what has happened to the entire town of Saddleback…” Buzz tried to approach, but his brother held up a hoof and shook his head.

“Then what has happened..?” Somehow, fear gripped at Chrysalis’ heart. She cannot remember the feeling, nor does she want to now.

“Four nights ago, a… creature who called himself Tirik-” The sphere Chrysalis held onto fell to the floor with a horrible crash; the name alone shook the queen to the core. Everychangeling before her took a few steps back and gazed upon their leader. Buzz, Saddleback, the two guards, and anychangeling that could see her were in awe, never knowing what their queen would look like if she was ever afraid.

Chrysalis’ eyes were wide as she shook like an unstoppable earthquake. Doing her best to regain her composure, she asked Saddleback, “Did he- steal your ability to use magic?” He nodded, still in as much shock as the others as Scatterbug saw the fear on his leader’s face. “Did he rob the other ponies at Saddleback of their powers?”

“Yes. Not only were unicorns affected, but pegasi and earth ponies were as well. The pegasi lost their ability to fly and earth ponies had no strength.” Chrysalis could see and understand the weakness in Scatterbug’s eyes. “As for me, I have lost the ability to change form and eat.” At once, Buzz broke into a sprint for the nearest sphere he could find and brought it over to his brother. Buzz did not have to ask his queen if he could feed Scatterbug; Chrysalis knew the pain of starvation and was not going to allow her kin to suffer the pain any longer. But she was worried if Scatterbug lost the ability to be fed as well, and if that was the case… then the presence of Tirik would be even more problematic.

Filling himself with love, Buzz pointed his horn at his brother and released a pink misty trail from his horn. Slowly, the love drifted into Scatterbug’s open mouth. The hungry changeling took a deep breath, sucking in as much food as he can. With all the love dispensed, Buzz went to his relative's side and asked, “Are you filled?”

Scatterbug let out a heavy sigh and smiled. “Yes brother.” Even Chrysalis smiled at the fact that her kin was able to eat; however the expression was short lived.

“You two!” she ordered at the the guards. “Send out a distress signal at once! Call every changeling back to the hive! And summon my best to my chambers. We need to call off the invasion and plan to hibernate until Tirik has been dealt with…”

The two did not question their queen’s words and went to fulfil the task.

***

Alongside fear, Chrysalis could not remember the last time she had to call a state of emergency. As she sat on her throne alongside with Fang at her right and Snackrifice to her left, Sea More, Scar Splash, Bitter Tongue, and several others stood before their queen.

“As you know, we are now in a state of emergency. However, you may be asking yourself, ‘what is the threat that has fallen upon the hive?’” Chrysalis had to pause, making sure she was reaching her kin. They all wore grave expressions, almost not wanting to hear the news that awaited them. All except for Bitter Tongue’s child who slept peacefully in her arms.

“Unfortunately, this threat is not exclusively for us, but for the entire land of Equestria.” Chrysalis had to swallow a lump in her throat before resuming. “The threat is Tirik, a horrible creature who can literally suck the magic out of ponies. And as he consumes their power, he grows stronger.” Just the simple example she gave the changelings made them glance at each other with worry. Even Sea More and Scar Splash stared at each other with uncertainty; for once, the two didn’t have looks of hatred as their eyes locked.

“Tirik has claimed one of our own, preventing him to even eat without being fed by another changeling.” Chrysalis shook her head. “We cannot allow him to claim another one of our own. And as much as it pains me, we must call off the raid of Canterlot and hide until the threat is gone…”

Sea More had to sigh lightly, pleased to hear the city was not going to be under siege once more. Otherwise, he would have to warn the white-stone town of another changeling attack. But that fact was not enough to make him feel at ease. A creature who can suck the magic out of ponies?! Sea More was glad his queen did not describe his looks, or Tirik’s vivid description would haunt the changeling.

“My queen,” Snack spoke, his eyes looking to his brother. “Why not have Fang and I eliminate him? Give us the power to do so and it shall be done.” Part of him wanted to remove the threat and ease the stress from his queen, but most of it was because Snack was angered with the fact that rations are going to be shortened after four days of them being increased.

“I appreciate the brave offer,” Chrysalis said to the brave changeling, but shook her head in disagreement. “But Tirik is a foe beyond your power. If you and your brother encounter him and he stops the two of you, not only will he steal your magic but the love you wield as well.” Chrysalis’ spine stiffened. “We cannot let him know of our location, nor presence. If he does find us, imagine what would happen if he found our ration supplies..?”

No changeling dared answer the rhetorical question; the thought alone was too haunting. “Then how do we tell the others?” Bitter Tongue asked. “How to we tell the children?” She clutched her little baby close to her as if he were nearby.

“We tell them as it is. And as much as it disgusts me to say this, I do hope Celestia has a plan to stop him…”

Sea More glanced at Scar Splash to see if he had any input for his queen, but didn’t see the changeling make any attempt.

“Must we sit idly by while a threat gets more and more powerful?” a channeling in decorated armor asked. “Surly someone should at least warn-”

“I am most certain that the ponies at Sattleback will alert the high authorities,” Chrysalis interjected. “Besides, it will take literally months, perhaps up to a year before he becomes a major threat to Equestria.” A huff of hot air escaped the queen’s nostrils. “And I am most certain the newest princess, Twilight Sparkle, will have the Elements of Harmony at her disposal, along with whatever magical powers she has gained becoming an alicorn.”

“And how are you so certain-” Scar now attempted to input but was cut short as well.

“That princess has done this land much good in the recent years. Defeating Nightmare Moon, returning Discord to stone and then somehow reforming him into a good creature, and how she literally destroyed the evil King Simbra.” Chrysalis chuckled a little. “Some friendship master, killing a king.” Shaking her head and her grin off her face, the queen resumed, “If there is one pony that I actually trust to stop him would be Twilight Sparkle.”

Sea More rose his hoof in order to gain attention from the queen. Her gaze fell on him, and soon, all eyes were focused on the changeling. “If you trust Twilight to stop Tirik, if we attack Canterlot before or after, wouldn't she be able to stop us as well, with or without the Elements of Harmony?”

He could see the anger in his queen’s eyes, but the question was necessary for all the changelings to know. After all, they were about to invade Canterlot before the Tirik threat surfaced.

Keeping her composure, and her act to cause harm upon the changeling to herself, Chrysalis replied, “You forget we were not defeated by the Elements of Harmony; it was Cadence and Shining Armor. Besides, I must remind the entire cast of changelings here that you were the one who tipped off Canterlot of our first invasion.”

Angry stares came from every changeling in the throne room except from Inferno Fang. But the intimidating eyes did not bother Sea More; he knew the consequences and remembered the pain he went through for it. Sea More could still feel the freezing water he was forced to sit in. At the time of his torture, Sea More wondered if hypothermia would claim his life. He knew, despite his one week of pain and cold, it was for the better of changeling kind and did what he felt was right.

“Be grateful I kept you alive…” were Chrysalis’ final words to him. Sea More knew exactly why: the promise Chrysalis made to his mother. When he was introduced to the hive, Sea More was of course a creature who cared about changelings and ponies. Chrysalis promised his mother that the two could visit, but on rare occasions. Another promise was to not kill him, no matter his stubbornness. With half the heart of a pony, Sea More was known to speak against his mother and queen at times he disagreed with them. His mother did give permission to punish Sea More, but not to the point of death.

Sea More knows Queen Chrysalis respects his mother for caretaking after her changeling husband has passed away in an accident. And for that, he was accepted into the hive, and his mother was now a neutral ally of the hive.

Sea More never talked much about his life in the hive to his mother. She didn't need to worry about how much he was disliked, nor know the torture he went through.

“To conclude this gathering…” Chrysalis observed her kin all listening intently. “...we will remain hidden until Tirik is dealt with. Rations will be slightly lower than before we had our love supply massively increase. Very rarely will we have a changeling leave to observe the whereabouts of Tirik. That is all. You all may leave now.”

In a collective silence, the changelings, aside from Fang and Snack who guarded her sides, left the throne room. Snack wore an angered expression, his teeth bared. “I hope Tirik does not come near. Otherwise, he will know what happens when he takes food away from me!”

“You will know helplessness if he gets a grip of your throat,” Chrysalis muttered to the changeling.

***

Coco stretched a bit before letting out a yawn as she sat at a soft seat in the back of the old coffee shop the mare once worked at. The front door opened and Steam Joe exclaimed, “Welcome! How may I help you?” The mare giggled at the manager’s over the top attitude she remembered.

A light-blue unicorn mare walked to the front counter and asked Steam Joe something. He then pointed over to Coco. “She is right over there, mam!”

Coco blushed as several customers looked at where he was pointing and did not want their attention aside from the one who had just entered. The unicorn briskly walked over to the earth pony and sat across from Coco.

“Forgive me for being late…” The made had to adjust her specs before mustering up a smile. “Work has gotten me more tangled than the knots I had in my mane this morning.”

“It's not a problem Star Fisher.” Coco waved a dismissive hoof at the teacher, knowing well how much a hoofful of children can be. After all, Coco did have an avalanche of changeling kids jump on her several months ago.

Star Fisher was a lovely looking mare, despite her being older than Coco. Her light-blue coat complimented well with the a pattern of dark and light-turquoise stripes in her mane. Star Fisher’s hair was in a cute bun and a star hairpin rested at the side of the bundle of hair.

“I am glad you are available to meet up with me. The last few days have been crazy, alongside that Tirik scare.” Coco let out a sigh, glad the tyrant was quickly dealt with. “I just got word back from Rarity saying she, Twilight, and her other friends were able to stop him.”

“Is that so?” Star Fisher smiled, giving the pony a wink. “You certainly know a lot of important ponies; first, another dressmaker who knows a princess, to you making a dress for a queen.”

Coco stared at her neglected expreso she had forgotten, it now cold. “Yeah, I do get around I suppose…” Her sad expression rested on the black surface of liquid as she began to remember the friends only she remembers.

Star Fisher saw her error and attempted to correct it. “Oh deary dear, I didn't mean to upset you…” She reached out a hoof to pat Coco on the shoulder. Coco allowed the motherly unicorn to show her kind affection and smiled, glad for her support.

“It’s fine.” Coco put on a fake smile which was enough to make Star Fisher believe it. “Speaking of…” The mare had to look around to make sure no wandering ears, nor eyes were in her direction. “...changelings…” Coco whispered lowly. Returning to her normal voice, she asked, “Have you gotten any word from Sea More?”

The mother’s ears folded back, answering Coco’s question before the words left Star Fisher’s mouth. “No… I am worried that it is him all over again…”

“Who’s- Oh! Right.” Coco nodded knowing exactly who “him” is. “Your ex-husband.”

Star Fisher had a hard time forcing the words out. “Yeah…”

Coco sighed, knowing there was not much she could do for the mother. She wanted to tell her that her past lover was still alive just to calm her nerves, but remembered Chrysalis’ words: If you tell her that he is alive, she will hunt him down… Perhaps it is better for Star Fisher to worry as a mother should for the time being.

***

Coco Pommel sat in her now better condo as she ran fabric through her sewing machine. The window was wide open and a nice breeze freshened out her stuffy estate. Now that she was back in Manehattan, Coco was able to find some work thanks to Suri’s hoof back in the door of the fashion industry. Her victory at the Grand Galloping Gala, along with her change of attitude, made Suri more reputable than before.

Despite the huge pay Coco received from Queen Chrysalis, she was not going to allow riches distract her from work. And even with her wealth, Coco only treated herself with the money she earned from recent commissions. Something in her gut told her to hold onto the riches until later. Maybe place some of them into an investment and have it build interest.

As Coco was halfway through with another line of thread when something by the window caught her eye. A ribbon of rainbows twisted and bent as it fluttered outside the window for a moment before drifting off into the sky. The sight caught her by surprise and found herself smiling by the spectacle of magic she had just witnessed. It reminded her of the rainbow spool she gave to Rarity as a nice gesture of her generosity. Coco’s mouth hung wide open, wondering if the colorful display of rainbows had something to do with her own generosity.

Suddenly, Coco felt something tug on her red bow from her sailor collar. To her surprise, the mare managed to sew her bow to the dress she was making.

Elsewhere in her condo, inside her bedroom was a note that was nicely framed and placed on the wall. The frame was in a simple, gilded holder that stood out from the various pictures Coco had. In very small writing, the note said:

Dear Coco Pommel,

I apologize for not being brave enough to face my friend and say my farewells. To be honest, I was afraid that my emotions would get the best of me and I would not be able to let you go. There are no hard feelings between us and I wish we could have left on better terms.

This I will say, I will go through with my attack on Canterlot. However, if something does get in the way and prevents just that, there are no guarantees we will see each other anytime soon. I’m sorry I cannot get over my hatred for Princess Celestia. And I am sorry for having to go through with my plan of forgetting all of your good deeds.

If I ever do return, please seek me out. Tell me everything I have forgotten. And hopefully, if I straighten out Celestia, there may be peace among changelings.

Don’t forget me…

Your best friend,
The Queen of Changelings, Queen Chrysalis.

***

First her hooves, then her legs, then her torso. Chrysalis hummed with delight as she sank into the hot water of the pool. All around her were changelings, young and old, cleaning themselves and enjoying the warm water that Fang had prepared. She sat at the center of the pool alone, pondering the last year’s events.

The influx of love from the gala, Tirik’s appearance and defeat, and the unearthing of Twilight Sparkle’s castle. It was quite a shock to the queen when all three happened so close to each other. However, since then, nothing much has happened. Even though the hive had a good amount of rations to spare for an invasion, Chrysalis could not find the hatred she wielded when the Grand Galloping Gala was concluded. She could remember how she spent time with the princess and actually enjoyed her presence. However, the queen could not recall why she was so angered with the princess. No matter how hard she tried, Chrysalis couldn’t get furious enough to want to go through with another siege.

Besides, the sudden appearance of both Tirik and then Twilight Sparkle’s castle made Chrysalis want to wait and see what may unfold from the crystal tree. Perhaps there was something more important that would come up, even if it has been a year now.

A buzzing in the air was heard and Chrysalis twitched her ear, but did nothing to open her eyes. Probably another changeling coming to enjoy the hot water. But the sound grew closer and closer to her, and soon, it was right by her head. Slowly, Queen Chrysalis opened her eyes to see a very nervous looking changeling, perhaps knowing she has bothered her leader.

“You better have a good explanation for being a mosquito in my ear…” Chrysalis muttered as her brows creased at the female changeling.

“F-f-forgive me, but I have d-dire n-n-news to tell you.” The quiver in the changeling’s throat interested the queen and she waited patiently for her to regain composure. “Cadence has- has ha-had a child.”

“I already know that… That is old news to me. Honestly, that child is not important to me.” Crysalis brought her hoof to her forehead and let out a sigh.

“B-but my report has something to d-do with with a child…”

“STOP WASTING MY TIME! TELL ME THE NEWS YOU WISH TO SHARE!” The loud boom from Chrysalis swallowed the noise from the pool and all attention was now on her.

The changeling had to land in the warm water to try and calm her shivering. “Th-there is a r-rumor that T-Twilight Sp-Sparkle has befriended a t-t-t-TIME traveler.”

Chrysalis’ anger slowly left her and was now interested in the report. “A time traveler you say?” It was a rumor, but just the mere thought of a pony wielding the power to travel time was nothing to turn away from. “But what does that have to do with a child as you have said earlier?”

Somehow, the changeling smiled despite the massive pressure she felt, knowing every changeling was looking at her. “W-w-well, we all know how much you l-lo-LOVE the memory of your daughter.”

“I do yes,” Chrysalis nodded.

“W-w-well, with the p-p-p-possibility of a ti-time traveler, w-w-would you want to go-go to the p-past and save B-Beauty Fly?” Because of the loud stammer the mare had, almost everychangeling heard what was said and they began to discuss among themselves.

As for the Queen of Changelings, she wore a face of shock and wore a half smile. Her mouth was slightly parted and almost wanted to leap from the waters in excitement. However, she held herself and looked at the mare before her.

“Thank you for the suggestion.” Chrysalis’ words were soft and the changeling bowed, glad she has pleased her queen. Slowly, Chrysalis rose from the pool and looked to the stars. “I am coming Beauty Fly. Mama is coming to save you.”

Among the crowd of changelings, Sea More sat quietly, pondering what was just fed to him and the others. I think Chrysalis is planning an attack. Perhaps I should warn Canterlot…

***

The cold bit at Beauty Fly’s small body as she sat further away from the fire her father created. She was grateful to have a simple brown blanket to keep the freezing air from hurting her anymore, but she wanted more.

“F-F-Father…” she chattered. Left Wing turned his attention toward his daughter and smiled.

“What is it dear?”

“C-can I come close to the f-fire?” It was a small flame inside the winter night, but it was enough to call her name. Left Wing transformed into a unicorn and pulled her cage up close to the fire; too close in fact. Sparks popped from the fire and started to sting at Beauty Fly’s body. “Maybe n-not too close…?” In a quick motion, her cage was pulled back to where it was before.

“You ask me a favor and I give, and then you say it was too close?” the father asked, shaking his head. “Don’t be like your mother. She is the reason you are in that cage to begin with…” Transforming back into an earth pony, Left Wing began to talk with the two who sat with him, preparing their next stop.

Tucking herself close to her body, Beauty Fly did her best to keep warm. Why father…? Why must you do this to me? She knew if she cried, the tears would freeze and hurt her eyes. So all she did was cover her entire body up with the blanket and started to breathe hot air in her little condensed area.

A faint light from the fire managed to peek through the blanket’s fold, illuminating the necklace the child wore. Beauty Fly looked at the front of it as she lay down. It looked to be a simple flat stone with a hole at the top. A chain ran through the small hole, holding onto the rock. However, the back of the stone was what she cared about. Flipping it over, Beauty Fly read the scratched words embedded into the rock. Don’t forget Rum it said. The word Rum was run off at the bottom of the rock, still confusing Beauty Fly on who “Rum” is.

But the child held it close as love began to leak out of it, feeding the hungry girl. I don’t know who Rum is… but I will try to remember…



...To be continued in Prequal I and Two Sided: When Reflection’s Speak...