//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 Illusions: What Happened? // Story: Supernatural: Day, Night, and Shadows // by BioQuillFiction //------------------------------// The forrest was both silent, and filled with nose. Small sounds of nature’s wild life flowing through the air like the wind. Yet, not every nose in the woods of earth are of the simple creatures, some are of the dangerous monsters that lurk in the dark and hunt for the taste of human flesh and blood. That’s how this world works, monsters hunt man, and some men, hunt back. A cycle of wits, strength, and luck. Though, there is one creature in these woods that does not belong, bug like, quadruped, physique like that of a small horse, with green, dead leaf looking skin for a main, and legs filled with holes. She appeared in the forest, yet no creature nor plant dared near her. Finally, after her several hours of sleep, appearing asleep, she began to wake with a loud, toothy yawn. “Uh… what happened, why does my head hurt. Wait where am I?” The little bug pony stood up and looked at her surroundings. And then yelled. “Hello! Is anyone there?” The little bug pony stared into the forest and picked a random direction and went forward. “There has to be someone around her, I had to have gotten there somehow. Hello!” The sun, once high in the sky, now sat near the edge of the horizon, it’s bright light turning the sky orange and red, and our little bug pony has been wandering the whole time, calling out for help to no result. “Help! Please anyone!” She called again, throat sore from calling out and legs weak from walking. She was also hungry, a hunger that surpassed her mear tummy, it was in her core being. As hope began to escape her and follow the sun as darkness was beginning to set, she looked up, spotting a light in the distance. Hope came back to her and a smile formed on her face. She then, using the little strength she had left, and ran as fast as she could. Finally, reaching a clearing, she spotted stone and wood buildings all gathered close together as tall, Bipedal creatures walked about, doing chores or were just talking. Some ways away from the town, she spotted a smaller light, and like a moth, was drawn to it. The ever growing darkness allowed her to hide rather well, and when got close to the smaller light, a fire, a lake some feet away, and a pair of young looking bipeds leaning against each other. She hid outside the fire’s light, one had long hair, and was thinner than the other, taller, short haired biped. The two were watching the sunset, and our little bug had to agree. It was beautiful. Pain. Her hunger grew, and caused her pain that was like a knife cutting out from inside her. She looked up, seeing a pink aura around the two bipeds and she drooled. Instinct took over, she opened her mouth, her antenna like horn glowing a ghastly green as the pink aura around the two flowed towards her, and into her mouth. The taste was ambrosia, sweeter than the finest honey, and richer than cream. While she was lost in her feeding, the couple grew pale, cold, and limp. Soon, she no longer saw a pink aura, for she consumed it all, and the two bipeds fell over. “Mister? Miss? Please wake up, I didn't mean too… wake up please wake up!”  Not even noticing the alpha walking up behind her as tears started to roll down her face. She sensed him come up behind her and turned around and tried to explain how sorry she was and not to hurt her. “I...I...I….I’m sorry! This isn't what it looks like! Please you got to believe me. I didn't mean to hurt them, I was just so hungry and I didn't know I could… please don't hurt me! I didn't mean to hurt anyone!” The Alpha, looking over her and at the two corpses, merely gave a smile to her. “Child. What you did was perfect.” He said, his voice carrying a tone of impressed, and curious. Such a creature as what was now before him he had never seen before. “But… It didn’t feel perfect. I feel full now, but something else hurts. I don’t know how to explain it. Did… I… did i kill them?” “Yes, young one.” He kneeled down. “Tell me, what is your name?” “Princess Chrysalis… where am I? I was sleeping then I woke up in that forest miles away. I don’t know where I am. I just want to go home.” The bug pony said on the verge of tears. “Chrysalis. Hmm.” The Alpha pondered. “Do you know what your name means?” “No, but my mom said it was something important to changelings.” Changeling? Not like sister and her broods. Must be something new Mother made. The Alpha thought. “Well, it means basically, transition. Changing from one to another. So, you tell me you are a princess?” “That what my mom always called me that since it is me ‘title’ I think she called it. She said that one day if I was good I could become queen one day.” “And Queen you shall be. But, queen of what?” “Changelings. What else?” “Heh. Can I tell you something?” The Alpha asked, lifting Chrysalis up and sitting down then placing her down on his lap. Chrysalis started to feel a little better in this position. “Uh… sure… I guess. By the way, who are you?” “I...Don’t really have a name. I just go by Alpha. All my brothers and sisters do, for we are the first of our kind, the fathers and mothers of all the monsters that now roam the earth. That’s where I would like to start off. You see, those two you killed are called humans, there are countless numbers of them...yet only a few hundred or thousand of we monsters. Do you know why?” “No, why?” “Somehow, these sacks of meat and blood we monsters were made to consume and feed off of, were given knowledge on how to fight us, a group with less numbers and you’d like to think, calling themselves Hunters, search for us, and kill us. I have no clue how they learned our weaknesses, but they have, and they keep our numbers in check, though, their goal would be our total extinction, leaving this world to them and them alone.” “Why do they do that? Were living beings too. Don’t the monsters get a say too?” “No. This world, admittedly, was made for them, but, this world and humanities maker made our mother and many more creatures. He locked them all away...I haven't seen my mother since all the continents were one.” “But that’s not fair, why are you guys treated that way for just being you?” “Because we are different. Humans barely stand each other when they are different from one another. Creatures like us, because of this difference, we are hated. It’s unfair in every way. We are stronger, and possess abilities these humans could only dream about...yet they claim to be the ones to own and rule this world.” “But aren’t there good humans? Just like how your being nice to me?” “In my experience, the only good humans, are like those over there.” Alpha said. Motioning over to the two bodies getting colder by the second. “Good for nothing more than food.” “But… why do i still feel bad for hurting them?” “The first is always the hardest. Was for me too. Bit time has taught me that they will never accept us, they see us as freaks, so, we see them as what they were meant to be to us. Food.” Chrysalis was silent. She didn’t know what to think. So she just sat there as The alpha held her. “You are one of us, Chrysalis. After all, what you did, is exactly what we do.” “Does that mean i have to like it?” “You learn to quickly. Especially, when it’s a Hunter you kill.” “...What now?” “Now, let’s go find my nest. I will have to inform my siblings we have a new commer. I have a sister I am sure would love to see you.” Alpha said as he stood up, carrying Chrysalis like one would carry a newborn. She liked it. He then ran at incredible speed, Chrysalis holding onto Alpha’s arm the entire time. After some time, they reached a cave. Alpha walked deep inside, and soon torches lit the interior as several others like him approached. “Greetings my children.” Alpha said. “Father.” One of them spoke up. “Who...and what is that?” “This is Chrysalis. She is...new. No harm is to come to her, understand?” “Yes.” They all replied without hesitation. “Good. Now...I will retire to my chambers. Call for me when some fresh meat is caught...and keep one or two alive for Chrysalis here.” With that, the Alpha went even deeper, reaching an area walled off with wood and a makeshift door. Inside this room everything was candle lite, a small fire pit sat in the center, there was a chair, desk, quill with ink and lots of paper, and a bed made of animal hide, hay, and wood. Alpha sat Chrysalis on the bed, and he sat at his desk and began writing. Chrysalis looked around the room. She found book shelf and picked one at random to see if there was anything interesting for her to read. She found one about different types of monsters. She looked in until she found changelings. “...What is this?” Alpha turned around, seeing what she referred to. “A changeling. At least, how my sister and her offspring look. When you said you were a changeling, there were so many differences I was unsure what to think.” “That is just… creepy.” “My sister and her young are weak against fire. It kills them instantly. Her children replace human children, taking their form and feeding off the blood and such of the mothers as they sleep, while she feeds off the children.” “That is messed up, and weak against fire? That is kinda weird since this is how I change.” Chrysalis demonstrates by transforming into a snake that she saw while walking out of the forest. Then back to her normal form. Green flames covering her entire body changing her however she wished. Alpha's eyes widened. “Well then, you are something new… Tell me, where...are you from?” “My mom said we lived in someplace called the badlands. Right next to a country called equestria.” Never heard of that land before. Badlands can refer to anyplace. Equestria? … “What...do you normally feed on?” “Love. The emotion I mean, it has the most nutrients and tastes the best. But, when I was down there and I was draining that couple, there was something else I ate. It was by accident, some kind of round orb, I don’t know how i did it, but when I ate it I felt… powerful… like i was eating energy itself. Do you know what that was?” “If it was pure energy, it was their souls. The only other thing those humans have going for them is that they have these masses of pure energy called souls. The creatures known as demons value them highly. Takes some special magic for anything else to use that power though. Back to this...Equestria. Where did this Love come from? What creature did your kind take it from?” Where did this love come from? That makes no sense “Ponies, mostly. Specifically unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies. There is this fourth race called alicorns, but It's not exactly a good idea to take the emotions away from a god or goddess.” God? Goddess? Ponies? No, Mother couldn’t have made her...I know she told me that there are other worlds out there, locked away behind barriers only an archangel could go through...but can it be? “I see…” Alpha pondered, writing down on the paper yet again. “So, what do you know of these...Alicorns?” “Not much other then if you value your life just leave them alone. In all seriousness though, I know that if they wanted they can move the sun and moon and can never age after a certain point. That's about all I know.” Sounds like a God, at least like the egyption ones and such. “I see. How many are there?” “Two, possibly a third, but that’s only if you want to get religious. I can’t remember who they are exactly, all I know what controls the day and the other controls the night… Can we stop talking about this. I’m not the biggest fan of ponies.” Her expression showed she had much deeper hatred then she let on. She went back to her book to find anything else to get her out of this conversation. Then something caught her eye, there was a special page in the book about a family name. It has already gone through several generations. This confused why this was in a monster book. “Who are the winchesters? why are they in this book? It says they are just a ordinary human family.” “They are anything but ordinary in my experience.” Alpha said, dipping his quill in more ink before he continued writing. “Winchesters. No one knows where the name came from, but they have been fighting and killing monsters for as long as we have been hunting humans for food. To kill a Winchester would make you famous. They have a knack for avoiding the Grim Reapers.” “Wow, what got them so famous?” “Hunters live short lives if they are not careful. Those Winchesters are something more than your average hunter. They know every weakness of every fanged and clawed beast on this world, and throughout my count, five generations of them growing old and dying, their spawns take over the work of the dead. They know about as much and then some on us as we do. Information is the deadliest weapon Chrysalis. In the wrong hands a simple phrase or even word could spell death for one, or all.” “Oh…, I think I’m done asking questions for now. Where do I sleep?” She said worryingly. “I will send someone for some beddings and a basket for you when I leave to deliver this letter. Til then, here.” He said, handing her several blank sheets of paper and a carved piece of charcoal. “Occupy yourself. I believe young enjoy drawing scribbles and such.” Chrysalis cheered up a little and garbed the paper and charcoal in her magic and started making doodles. Mostly of things like battles and weapons. Alpha left while she was drawing, telling one of his collectors to collect a large basket and furs for Chrysalis and place them in his room for her. With his speed it was an hour till he reached his sisters hive. She was out, but one of her children took the letter and was to deliver it to her. When he retired Chrysalis was asleep wrapped up in the furs inside the rather well made hand woven basket. It was large, large enough to hold her for a year or two. His eyes spotted her drawings. He noticed something odd right off. One was of a large pony with wings and a horn, with the sun imprinted on her flank. She also had a spear through her neck. Then another, similar to the first pony, but darker colored with the moon on her flank, her were wings being cut off. Lastly was a smaller pony, with a star of sorts on her flank, her limbs all cut off. “Well now, repressed memories? This just gets more and more interesting.” Alpha said, leaving them where they were before laying down on his own bed. He didn’t need rest, but he enjoyed it. Dreams were something he found joy in.