//------------------------------// // The Feroviocioulent Battle Of Chrysalis // Story: Wrath Of The Jabberwock // by Mr. Grimm //------------------------------// Once more Twilight’s balloon had taken to the skies, carrying one more passenger. Twilight looked over at Trixie, who sat on the floor, and clutched a small bag in her forelegs. Within the bag was a few things she had decided to take along with her, as she had to leave most of her possesions within her wagon. Twilight noticed that the blue unicorn was doing her best to avoid looking over the edge of the basket. “So then, Trixie,” said Twilight as she kept a lookout at the air-sails, “When do you want to tell us about the Jabberwock?” Trixie looked up and cringed as though she’d been drenched with a bucket of water. Her grimace quickly turned into a rather forced smile. “Hm? Oh, yes!” she said with a slight nervousness to her voice, “The Jabberwock. Well then, The Great and Powerful Trixie was walking down the road in the dead of night, when suddenly a deafening roar came from the darkness ahead!” “You were?” Pinkie asked innocently, “Well then who was cooking vegetable stew near your cart last night?” The pink mare held out a photograph of an extinguished fire with a pot of cold soup suspended above it, with Trixie’s shattered wagon clearly only a few yards away. An uneasy smile appeared on the unicorn’s face. “Well,” she said, “Trixie was getting to that. There was a family with a small foal near the side of the road, right in the path of the fearsome Jabberwock!” “How big was it?” asked Twilight. “Enormous!” Trixie exclaimed dramatically, “Huge! Giagantic!” Twilight looked at her blankly. “Do you think you can give me a specific number?” “It was dark out,” the unicorn answered quickly, “The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t remember. Anyway, the terrible beast emerged from the woods, more horrifying than anything Trixie has ever seen! The poor family was terrified!” “I imagine they would be,” said Twilight as she raised a suspicious eyebrow, “So what did you do?” “The Great and Powerful Trixie rushed forward to block the beast’s path,” Trixie cried melodramatically, “And it paused, as if sensing my great power!” The unicorn sat up as tall as she could, absolutely engrossed in her tale. “The Great and Powerful Trixie told the family to save themselves! They wept tears of gratitude as they ran off into the night, leaving Trixie to deal with the Jabberwock!” “Really?” Twilight said flatly, her face expressing her blatant disbelief in Trixie’s story. The magician didn’t seem to notice. “Of course!” cried the zealous unicorn, “The Great and Powerful Trixie looked the monster right into its fiery eyes, burning as brightly as Tartarus itself! And then, just as the beast was about to attack, Trixie summoned a lightning bolt from the heavens to strike the horrid enemy!” Pinkie Pie was listening intently to the obviously fabricated yarn, her eyes wide in child-like wonder as the unicorn continued. “But alas, the Jabberwock was only half-defeated, and Trixie had to sacrifice her wagon! Using only a fraction of my mighty powers, I threw the cart at the beast, wounding it. It fled down the road, cowering in fear of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Pinkie clapped as the magician finished her tale. Twilight, on the other hoof, rolled her eyes. “Trixie,” she sighed, “While that story was slightly entertaining, I’m here to gather facts, not fantasies.” Trixie shot the purple unicorn a glare. “How dare you question my truthful and might I add valuable information,” she sneered, then haughtily added, “Especially when you have no evidence to prove otherwise.” Twilight furrowed her brow in frustration, but a sudden smile crossed her face as she remembered something. “Oh Pinkie,” she said innocently, “Do you still have those pictures you took earlier?” Pinkie grinned wildly and shook her head with such force that it looked as though it would fall off. “Of course I do, Twilight!” she shouted giddily as she shoved the photographs into the purple mare’s hooves, “I took pictures of everything, just like you told me!” Twilight flipped through the stack until she found what she was looking for. “Firstly,” said the unicorn, “The location and condition in which your cart was found do not indicate that it was thrown.” She held out a picture to Trixie, showing the wrecked remains of her cart. “Secondly,” continued Twilight, “Judging by the tracks we found, it seems that your cart was directly in the path of the Jabberwock.” By this point Trixie was sinking down to the floor of the basket, the prideful fires in her eyes slowly being extinguished. “And thirdly,” Twilight said with a wry smile, “I have this.” The unicorn waved a picture of Trixie cowering in her wagon, her forelimbs clutched around her teddy bear. The magician let out a miserable sigh. “Fine,” she snapped, “I went looking for it myself! I attacked it with lighting and it destroyed my cart, okay? You just can’t let me be happy, can you, Twilight?” Twilight frowned as the blue unicorn turned away. Queen Chrysalis smiled evilly as she looked out at the massive beast from her hiding place in the bushes. There, only fifty yards away, was none other than the Jabberwock. The enormous creature had stopped to rest from its long and tiring journey, and sat awkwardly beneath a sparse grouping of trees. The tips of its wavering antennae poked through the branches, twitching as they occasionally brushed against the leaves. Chrysalis gleefully rubbed her porous hooves together. The monster was just as terrifying as she remembered it, and even made her nervous. But it was the good kind of nervous. The Jabberwock was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous, most unpredictable, most savage monsters to ever walk the earth. It was perfect for her needs. And best of all, it appeared to have some insect qualities that would allow her to make a better connection with it. Her horn began to glow an insidious green as she gazed at the monster. Her heart raced with apprehension as she began to concentrate. “Your majesty,” came a monotonous whisper, “Are you certain you want to do this?” Chrysalis’s horn lost its glow as she turned to glare at her adviser. Earwig looked back at her with the usual dull indifference in his watery blue eyes. “Of course I’m certain,” she hissed, “If I wasn’t certain I wouldn’t be here!” She narrowed her eyes threateningly at the ancient changeling. “Are you doubting my abilities?” Earwig slowly shook his head, his long antennae waving back and forth. “I do not doubt your abilities,” he replied mechanically, “But I worry for your safety. Do you recall what happened the last time you tried this?” Chrysalis sneered as she remembered an event that took place roughly a millennia earlier, before the supposed death of the Jabberwock. “That wasn’t a fair fight,” she grumbled, “I was young and inexperienced.” “You were one thousand years old,” said the seemingly emotionless adviser. Chrysalis glared at him again and turned back to face the beast. Once more her horn glowed as she reached out for the creature’s psyche. Noiselessly the Jabberwock’s antennae began to glow the same ugly green, which began to spread to its blazing red eyes. “Good beast,” said Chrysalis in a soothing voice, “Nice monster. Just relax now. Let your queen help you get up.” The changeling grinned wildly as the Jabberwock slowly rose up from the trees and unsteadily lumbered over to where she hid. Chrysalis turned to her advisor with a smug grin on her face. “What did I tell you?” she said haughtily, “I’ve grown far more powerful than this giant lizard could ever hope to be.” Earwig wasn’t paying attention to her, however. He was instead looking at the sneering Jabberwock before them, his eyes wide as they showed actual emotion for the first time in days. “Your majesty,” he breathed, “I suggest that we run.” Chrysalis cocked an eyebrow at her adviser. “What are you talking abo--” before she could finish, the queen was interrupted by a hideous wail. Her hair fluttered as she whirled to look up at the Jabberwock. The green glow of his eyes flickered fiercely as they tried to return to their natural redness. Instinctively Chrysalis began to pump more energy into the spell. Its only served to make the scaly beast roar again, this time snapping its gargantuan jaws at her. The queen bit her lip as she felt the connection faltering. The Jabberwock was resisting her sinister presence with a strength she had never felt before. It clearly wasn’t the will of a simple animal. “Well,” she growled as she stood up from the bushes, glaring directly into the eyes of the beast, “It seems you need some discipline.” Earwig watched in disbelief as his queen enveloped her body in a pillar of green flame. Her shadow within began to change shape, growing larger and longer with each passing moment. Earwig grimaced as he realized what she was doing. The fire grew smaller as the form inside grew larger yet, until at last it vanished completely, revealing shining jet scales that shone as though they were the carapaces of thousands of insects. Powerful talons clutched at the earth as a pair of membranous wings snapped open. Standing where Chrysalis had been moments ago was a lithe, black dragon, its eyes and horns glowing a menacing green. Earwig flitted out of the way as the transformed queen whipped her long tail, sending out a deafening crack. Chrysalis smiled up at the Jabberwock, revealing the numerous curved fangs within her elongated jaws. “Now then,” she boomed haughtily, “You see what your new queen is capable of?” The Jabberwock let out an unearthly roar, and charged at the enemy. Chrysalis darted away at the last moment, leaving the Jabberwock’s terrible claws wrapping around air. The monster turned its flexible neck to see the dragon diving toward it with her talons extended, ready to tear. Earwig winced as he saw the Jabberwock backhand the charging dragon, sending her tumbling to the ground. Earwig once more had to fly out of the way as his queen crashed into the trees. But she was up in a moment, her eyes and horns glowing as fiercely as ever. Her chest expanded as she drew a deep breath, then contorted as she sent a blast of green flame at the Jabberwock. The monster screeched as it blocked the brunt of the attack with its forearm. Before it could begin a counter attack, Chrysalis made another leap. She raked her talons across the creature’s heavy chest scales. When they did virtually no damage she tried clawing at the smaller scales that covered his limbs. She let out a dissatisfied growl as she failed to slice the creature’s hide. Earwig continued to watch the two giants battle from a patch of brambles, his analytic mind processing the outcome. The Jabberwock was still larger than Chrysalis, but she appeared to be quicker and more graceful than her gangly foe. However, the Jabberwock’s attacks had a lot more strength behind them, and with each strike it sent the transformed queen back a few steps. Earwig was extremely worried about her. She was still trying to hold the connection with the beast, which was taking up a lot of attention she needed for the fight. He cringed as the Jabberwock managed to grab a hold of the queen’s barbed tail. Chrysalis cried indignantly as she felt the Jabberwock clamp its spidery fingers around her tail. In one swift motion it swung her into an oak tree, where she became caught in the twisting branches. The battered dragon looked up as she heard a loud, menacing hiss. She saw the creature’s thorax stretch outward as air rushed in between its obtrusive front teeth. Once she realized what was happening, the queen madly struggled to get out of the oak’s boughs. Earwig cried out in terror as a stream of burning liquid came shooting out of the Jabberwock’s throat, completely covering the oak tree. The changeling watched as the leaves withered under the searing heat, its branches burning away as the strange substance ran down its trunk. For a moment Earwig thought his queen had been killed. But then, not too far away from the crumbling tree trunk, he spotted the beaten form of Chrysalis, restored to her equine form. Chrysalis stared madly at the Jabberwock, concentrating with what little strength she had left. She absolutely refused to be beaten, though her very reasoning screamed at her that she had already lost. She stared up into the eyes of the Jabberwock as the last of her glowing green influence left his fiery orbs. With one last push, she tried to regain what little control she had to begin with. Her pupils turned into pinpricks as she accidentally went too far into the creature's mind. She had broken through the barrier of simple motor control, and had plummeted into the beast’s very thoughts. Her mouth opened wide as her body froze. The connection was severed seconds later, but the queen continued to stand still. Earwig could hardly believe what he was seeing. The queen was still trying to gain control of the Jabberwock, even as the monster stomped over to her. Realizing what was going to happen if she remained where she was, Earwig rocketed over to his queen. “Look out!” he shouted as he shoved her away. Chrysalis snapped out of her trance just in time to see Earwig’s body immediately vanish under the saurian toe of the Jabberwock. The monster brought its foot back up as it took another step. Chrysalis rushed over to her adviser as the Jabberwock stomped away, grumbling as it went. Embedded deep in the print was the damaged body of Earwig, his right hind-leg twisted oddly and his wing torn off. “G...Get up you idiot!” snarled the queen. There was something very different about her voice, as it was not quite as condescending as it should have been. Earwig slowly began to crawl from the print, his gnarled exoskeleton fracturing like glass. He was quick to pick up on the difference in Chrysalis, but didn’t mention it as he knew she would deny anything was wrong. “What shall we do now, your majesty?” he asked as he pulled himself onto the grass. “We’re going home,” the queen replied, “I’ve had a better idea. We’ll let the beast rampage across Equestria, and attack Canterlot once the country’s in ruins.” “I see,” replied Earwig as he carefully realigned his leg, “What shall we do in the meantime?” “Have the horde gather together,” she said quickly, “Set up a meeting in the main hall.” Earwig raised an eyebrow. “Why are we having this meeting?” he asked quietly. Chrysalis turned away and looked at the distant Jabberwock as it trudged through the trees, a spark of sorrow in her normally malevolent eyes. “Because I don’t want to be alone.”