//------------------------------// // Meeting // Story: The Problems with Changeling Royalty // by Snorlaxkid //------------------------------// Thorax and Pharynx trudged through the Everfree Forest, ignoring any and all paths besides the way the scroll was leading them. Pharynx insisted on taking the lead in case of danger. The Everfree was infamous for a reason. Between the dangerous plants, Timberwolves, and the occasional manticore, there was no telling what they could have run into. But instead, the forest was eerily quiet. Nothing seemed to be moving. Even the wind was still. "Do you think the forest was like this when Chrysalis arrived?" Thorax asked, breaking the oppressive silence. "Doubt it," Pharynx said, pausing to stomp down a small bush-like plant in the way. "It's more likely Chrysalis either scared everything off between her hideout and Ponyville or..." "Or?" "Or there's nothing left between her hideout and Ponyville." Thorax shuddered. "Let's... just keep moving and hope that we don't find out." "Good plan." ------------------------------------------------ After a few hours of hiking through the underbrush Pharynx made a motion for Thorax to stop. "What? Is there something up ahead." "We're here." "How do you-" Thorax started, but caught his question in his throat as he approached Pharynx's side. They'd stumbled across an old cavern of some sort, a pair of stalactites hung from the entrance like fangs, and the faint flickering of a fire could be seen in the back of it. Pharynx gave Thorax a look. "I'll go in first, you follow behind, we'll grab her and go." "What? No!" Thorax put a hoof on Pharynx's shoulder. "We're not abducting her!" "She's not exactly likely to come willingly." "We won't know that unless we try." Thorax gave his brother a stern look. "Look. I'll go in first. If I don't have her on her way out in five minutes, or if it sounds like we've started fighting, you rush in and we'll go with your plan." Pharynx snorted derisively, but nodded. "Fine. Five minutes. I'll be counting." ------------------------------------------------ The cave had turned out to be much deeper than Thorax expected from outside. Just following the flickering light to the main chamber took him over a minute. The campfire was recently built, and a clean camera was laying beside it. There was no doubt, Chrysalis was here. Now. As if hearing his thoughts, an echoing laugh filled the chamber. "My oh my, I never expected the Good King Thorax to come and do his own dirty work. Don't you have an entire race of peons at your disposal now?" Chrysalis taunted, her voice continuing to echo, Thorax couldn't tell where she was. "I'm not here for any dirty work, Pharynx and I have come to take you home." Thorax looked around, scanning the walls for any sign of Chrysalis. "Show yourself, mother!" "Ah, so you found the scroll then. And then what would you have me do? Face the judgement of the swarm? The swarm you've tainted with your foul, unnatural ways?" "There's nothing foul about what I'm doing!" There was an enraged hiss from above. Thorax had just enough time to glace up to see Chrysalis drop down from the ceiling, effortlessly knocking him onto his side before pinning him, her horn ablaze. "You lie! You abandoned everyone! You deserted us the moment we tasted failure, and greedily took power for yourself so you could use it to usurp a throne that was never yours! You were the back-up. Pharynx was my heir! You were meant to serve and protect him when I was gone, not the other way around while I still live!" "I didn't greedily take anything! I was given that willingly when I made friends with the ponies you call your enemies!" "More lies! They stole you away from me! They stole Pharynx away from me! I watched you help them do it! I'll never forgive them! I'll never forgive you! I should destroy you for all you've done!" Only now did Thorax noticed the glistening in Chrysalis' eyes, the reflection of the fire on them. She wasn't just angry. She was sad. Sorrowful. "Then do it." Thorax replied calmly. "Kill me." Silence. "You can't. You know you can't." Chrysalis gritted her teeth and hissed, but said nothing; for once she was unable to think of the words she needed to weave. She'd been dreaming of having this traitor at her mercy since he deserted her. She had planned to drain him of his love by force before, why couldn't she bring herself to do it now? Before she could find an answer for that however she was suddenly barreled into from the side. Thorax's five minutes were up.