//------------------------------// // Endings // Story: Fall of a Monarch // by Silent Quill //------------------------------// With heavy, slow, and will driven hooves Chrysalis strode through the halls of Ponyville’s hospital, her heart heavy and mood low. Only the steady rhythm of her hoofsteps punctuated the peaceful quiet of the white, sparse hall lined with doors. Even after all these weeks, she hated this day and loathed this task. “How is she today, Doctor?” She asked as her hooves stopped outside a bland yet sturdy-looking door. The tan unicorn, standing in wait for her arrival with a quintuplet of sturdy-looking security guards, sighed; “She’s amicable today, almost lucid.” He replied, “She seems aware of where she is and why she’s here, but she is still conversing with hallucinations.” He looked down at a clipboard he held in his magic, “She’s certainly a far cry from the violent rage she was in during last week’s session. I would advise that you be careful with what you do or say, she’s liable to tip very easily.” Chrysalis nodded, “And how are you faring, after last week’s… episode?” She asked, her eyes conveying worry, “She bit you rather hard when you tried to sedate her for bathing.” The stallion only chuckled good-naturedly and shook his head, “It’s not the first time I’ve been attacked by the patients in this wing, and it’s unlikely to be the last.” He said patiently. “I remember seeing quite a lot of blood.” Again he chuckled, “She nicked a vein, nothing a couple of stitches and a bandage couldn’t fix.” Chrysalis sighed, “If you’re certain you’re okay,” she mumbled to which he nodded, “I suppose we should get on with this. Is she restrained, I don’t want a recurrence of the first time…” “Fully restrained, inhibitor ring in place on her horn, and, as I said before, she seems to be in a good way today, much better than any I’ve seen in the last few months; it may have to do with the medication we’ve recently put her on, but we’re not going to make any judgement on that until we can see this persist.” With a nod, Chrysalis motioned to the door, “I suppose we should get this over with.” “Again I must ask you to reconsider, as I do every time.” She sighed, giving the doctor a forlorn look, “And as much as it pains me to do it, I must disagree and remind you that an inhibitor ring alone cannot contain that much raw magic if her horn is healed enough to cast anything. She would burn right through it. No, for her safety, if not less so than the safety of others, I cannot shirk this task despite the heartache that comes with it.” “But to perform such a thing without even getting her permission…” Chrysalis bristled, “Doctor, I’m her only living relative. We are the last of our kind, and she cannot even, with full cognizance, give any kind of permission or approval for anything. Her only other option is the long sleep, and I’ll be damned if you or anyone make me make that choice.” She shook her head and huffed, “No, I make this choice for her because nopony else can, because I have to hope and pray that someday she can come home with me.” The tan stallion sighed, “No need to become so riled up, miss, I am merely following procedures. If we can find a way of doing this without causing harm to her I’m morally and legally bound to take it.” “Well, keep researching ways to block immense amounts of magic.” Chrysalis replied, “This hurts my heart to do, and I don’t want to know what might happen if I ever became accustomed to it…” She shook her head and sighed, “Alright, enough stalling.” The door pushed open to a white padded room, cloud-filled cushions coated the walls to reduce the solid surfaces to a minimum, and amidst it all, tightly bound in a restraint jacket and leggings, lay Thistle. Her eyes focused in and out as her ears swivelled, a smile on her lips as she conversed with those that only she could see. Cut short to make her more manageable should she become unruly, her mane was no more than a partially-maintained pixie-cut, and the length of her tail had been halved. Still, despite the difficulties she presented whenever the task came around, she was clean and tidy. “Thistle is a difficult case to treat, as usually we would try and lessen the hallucinations with physical contact and interaction with real ponies or animals, try and reconnect her sense of what is real and what is merely a figment of her imagination;” Doctor Stable stated calmly but quietly, “due to her past, and the extreme hostility she has shown in the last few weeks, we’ve been unable to do anything but keep her confined.” “Hopefully that changes with this recent behavioural turnaround... “ Chrysalis nodded before moving closer to her bound sister. “Thistle?” At first, the only reaction that Chrysalis got was Thistle turning an ear in her direction, but it was soon follow up by the larger changeling turning her head and all but slamming it to the padded floor at her sister’s hooves, her eyes wide and staring up at her as if in wonder. “Chrysalis, how wonderful of you to visit me in my one-mare apartment of padding and tight clothing!” She chirped, a goofy smile gracing her lips. “I’d thought you had forgotten about lil’ old me, but it must be hard to forget locking your sister away in an asylum!” She lifted and shook her head side to side, as if shaking off something, “Not that I’m going to question it, sister! I am… more than aware of why I’m here.” Her face turned downcast and she sighed, “Now more than ever, sister, I can feel my mind broken. Have you ever felt as I do, as if there are shards in your mind that rattle and move whenever they wish? Mother has told me that it’s important I stay aware of this, but…” “Yes, sister,” Chrysalis replied solemnly, “I know the sensations you feel; I myself endured them when mother elevated me to the throne, and at the aftermath of the invasion.” “It is… maddening to try and make sense of them,” Thistle whined, “and my moods, now I can see, have been uncontrollably unpredictable.” She sighed sadly, “I don’t know if I might ever be able to recover; father says that it’s nigh impossible.” “Father wouldn’t be completely accurate in that assumption; I managed to get through it twice, it merely takes time.” Thistle considered her stoically, “And of my crimes, Chrysalis? When would I bear the brunt of my sins?” “Everyday, Thistle,” Chrysalis breathed solemnly, “We carry our past and hope for a better future.” “I sent our kind into the history books single-hooved, sister. I have done the unspeakable and I get to live? Why would anypony accept that? How is that justice?” “Because you will have to live with it, Thistle. The enormity of what you’ve done, the lives you’ve stolen and wasted all in the name of a grudge over some perceived slights I have made against you, they are yours to bear, as well as mine. Our hooves are stained with the blood of those who have been killed over our family squabbling and it will never wash clean.” Thistle sighed, plonking her head back on the cushioned floor, “I know why you’re here, Chrysalis; now that I’m actually able to properly think for the first time in weeks…” Chrysalis grimaced, “I’m sorry; if there were any other way…” “Don’t be,” Thistle huffed, “through my actions I brought this upon myself. This burden, amongst many others, is mine to bear, and mine alone.” Through a choke and over the hum of dark magic clouding her horn, Chrysalis replied, “No, sister; while your heart bears this, it is not alone.” * Sweetie Belle bounced on the spot as she looked over the knitted timberwolf doll that Chrysalis offered her, her face split into an enormous grin. “I would have completed it sooner, Sweetie Belle, but there have been some… important things that I have had to deal with, as I’m sure you know.” “That’s fine, Chrysalis, he’s perfect!” She cheered with a squeak that made Chrysalis fold her ears. “The little ears and his tail, and his button eyes - I gotta show Applebloom and Scootaloo!” She shouted, rushing to the door. “Glad you like it,” Chrysalis said as she shifted her basket around and putting away her knitting needles, silently wondering if that voice could cut glass, “But I’m fairly sure it’s a school night and you have homework.” Sweetie Belle slumped, “Aw, come on, I expect that from Rarity and my parents, but from you?” Chrysalis shook her head, “I am not getting into that argument with your sister, Sweetie. Education is important;” she developed a saccharine smile, readying what she knew was a trump card for the young troublemaker, “who knows, you might find new things to try for your Cutie Mark.” “In maths?” the filly asked at nearly the top of her lungs. Chrysalis shrugged, hoping that her hearing hadn’t been damaged by that outburst, “I can still remember names of over eighty thousand changelings who have long since passed;” she said, “you never know.” ‘Some of which I will hold a toast to at my birthday.’ Sweetie Belle gave her a skeptical glance, “I doubt remembering things is my special talent…” she muttered unsure. “And I would agree, otherwise you would remember to use a cookbook and follow its instructions like your sister and I asked.” Chrysalis retorted with a shudder and a glare, to which Sweetie Belle looked sheepish, “with a little more education under your belt, you could become anything.” ‘Except a cook’ she mentally added, ‘if you ever try to become a professional chef, I think you’ll be banned by the gryphons as chemical weaponry.’ “Go on, Sweetie, the sooner it’s done, the sooner you can go play.” Chrysalis said, waving a hoof encouragingly. With a sigh, Sweetie Belle trudged off, shuffling her hooves and draping her new stuffed toy over her back. Before she could close the door behind herself, Rarity sidled in and gently shut it with a snap. “Though I question your methods slightly, I must commend you for getting her to do her homework, I still struggle with that from time to time;” she laughed good-naturedly into a hoof, “Celestia only knows how much of a fight Scootaloo’s parents must go through every night.” Chrysalis chuckled in return, “I’m not even going to try with her, she’s trouble.” “No disagreements there, darling,” Rarity agreed as she idly looked about the well stocked room, “plenty of wool I see; I suppose you won’t be doing any chores for a while…” Chrysalis huffed, “Rarity, I’m living in your home, under your roof, eating your food. If you need something done, ask me.” “Except cook a curry, I will never ask you to cook a curry again.” “It wasn’t that bad!” Chrysalis defended, ears pinned to her scalp. Rarity eyed her warily,  “Chrysalis, normally it is nigh impossible to get Sweetie to drink unflavoured milk.” She said, “Yet that one meal had her consume nearly all of it that I had in my refrigerator.” “You ponies and your low tolerances; I guess that I’m not going to share my kimchi with you when it’s ready to be dug back up.” The diminutive changeling snipped, mockingly turning her nose up. “Is that what that pot you buried was? The Mayor was asking what in the world you were doing pulling up a paving stone and digging a two-foot ditch.” Chrysalis gave a sheepish smile, “Your refrigerator is too cold for it, kimchi needs to ferment.” Rarity shook her head, “So long as you don’t go poisoning yourself, dear.” Chrysalis chortled, “I didn’t get enough cabbage with my bits for that much kimchi, maybe next time.” Rarity sighed, and a companionable silence fell between them, each eyeing a different section of the room. For a minute or so, this lingered until Rarity moved closer and sat down. “Chrysalis… you don’t need to keep this bottled up, you know you can talk to me…” “If I had the words I would say them, Rarity.” Chrysalis replied, “My heart is broken and it can never be whole. My race is dead, my sister insane, barely capable of knowing reality from fantasy, and every week I am tasked with torturing her just to keep her from becoming dangerous, to save her from her own power.” “The things we do for those we love-” “No;” Chrysalis interrupted angrily, “we don’t get to wax poetic about this! I torture my only remaining relative every week while she writhes and cries in agony, while she sc- while she screams and begs. There is no silver lining to that, no bright future. Every week I perform a deed so foul it all but confirms the myth that ponies have of changelings being monsters and I have to just accept it.” “You are not a monster, Chrysalis, regardless of how we first thought of you, regardless of what you think of yourself.” Rarity muttered sullenly. “Those who feel remorse can never be monsters, not in my eyes.” “What my mind knows and my heart feels are two different things, Rarity…” Chrysalis huffed. “I do what I must to keep Equestria safe, and I hate myself for having to choose.” A burst of glittering, multicoloured flames forced its way through the crack under the door and swirled around the pair, painting the room in a kaleidoscope of hues and patterns. “Is… is Spike learning how to send to other ponies now..?” Chrysalis asked worriedly, ducking her head as the magic swirled past her horn. “Spike’s fire is green, he couldn’t be doing this, could he?” Rarity muttered in return, poking the sparkling flare when it passed close enough. The fire, now having circled the room multiple times, spun rapidly over their heads before bursting like a firecracker, dropping a wax-sealed scroll at their hooves and spreading confetti around the room. The two mares blinked down at the scroll owlishly as the confetti settled, before looking up at one another in baffled stares. “What the buck was that?” Chrysalis blurted, “Is Pinkie developing even more bizarre powers? Do I have to invest in some kind of bunker?” Rarity shook her head, dislodging some of the confetti that had settled into her mane, before lifting the scroll. “I don’t think that would be required, dear;” she said, “but this scroll’s seal has a ‘D’ on it.” “Well, don’t keep me in suspense, what does it say?” Rarity broke the seal on the wax and unrolled the scroll, then cleared her throat before speaking, “Madames Rarity and Chrysalis, You are cordially invited to join myself and several other friends at the entrance to White Tail Woods at six o'clock this afternoon. I have something very important to share with you. Regards, Discord the Gloriously Reformed.” With a cough, Rarity put a hoof to her throat as her eyes bulged; somewhere while reading the letter, her voice had changed to Discord’s. With a grumble she shook her head. “I do detest when he does that.” “An invitation to White Tail Woods from Discord himself? I don’t much fancy that.” Chrysalis huffed, “But, I suppose we might as well make an appearance. That old snake is likely to come fetch us if we don’t show up and humour him.” Rarity hummed an affirmative, “Five is a little over two hours away,” she informed her companion, “I suppose I should go and tidy myself up; I don’t want to look ghastly if he’s invited anypony else.” As Rarity walked out, Chrysalis’ gaze drifted over to the chest she had filled with knitted and stuffed changeling dolls sadly, muttering quietly, “Heavy be the head that wears yon crown, for the duty that lies beside doth burden heart and soul both. To make amends for this wrongdoing beyond my wounded pride, to scar my heart forevermore...” She sighed and shook her head faintly, “Never will I forget, my kin, I swear.” * “Looks like quite the gathering he has called upon.” Rarity commented as she approached with Chrysalis in tow. “Even the Princesses are here.” Chrysalis nodded, eyeing the Draconequus warily. “That they are,” she grumbled, “just once I wish someone would slap that smug grin off his face.” She voiced, her eyebrow raising as Discord’s ears caught fire, if only for a second. Rarity dropped into a polite bow when they moved nearer, Chrysalis only barely mirroring the action with a nod. “Alright, Discord, everypony is here now;” Celestia said, her tone filled with tolerance and restraint, “what, exactly, did you want to show us all?” “And try to keep the overactive chaos to a minimum, some of us have chores to do.” Applejack grumbled. “Ah, yes, the guest of honor has arrived, splendid!” Discord crowed, hovering a little off the ground and waving his arms grandly. “It’s been quite a while since we were all together like this, how about a photo?” A flash near blinded them all and a polaroid photo slid out of Discord’s left ear, snatched up by his lion’s paw and held out for him to inspect. With a shrug, Discord tossed the photo to one side, ignoring it as it floated down into Spike’s claws, where the drake giggled amusedly. “You all look silly with the moustaches!” “Discord, get to the point or I’ll find a way to show you how much of a headache you give me.” Chrysalis growled. “Now now, my dear changeling, you of all ponies should know that all the world’s a stage; how one decides to act for the audience is up to them!” The mismatched creature chortled, donning a suit and tie. “After all, acting is most of the gig, and there are few as talented at the art as I.” “Yeah, whatever.” Rainbow Dash growled. Discord huffed, “Hmpf, such philistines, how am I ever going to get my break in showbiz if no-one supports me?” He groused, vanishing his attire with a snap of his talons. “Ah well, I’m sure I will manage it some day; for now I suppose we should get down to brass tacks.” He sidled over to Chrysalis, looming over her tremendously as she took a wary step back. “Listen, Chrysalis, we got off to the wrong hoof before.” “What, when you appeared out of nowhere, interrupted a perfectly good conversation, and then, after warping reality to your own whims, left without a trace, or perhaps you mean when you warped my race into something ponies now fear and revile?” “Yes on both counts, I suppose;” Discord replied, shrugging his shoulders and reclining back on thin air, “it was a very different time back then, back before this whole ‘friendship’ thing and reformation. I don’t regret my actions, I was young and unfettered back in those days, still learning my own powers and the fun that could come from them. Blame a wild and untamed youth, I suppose. “These days, I suppose one could say that I’m on the straight and narrow, what with the whole ‘reformed’ thing. I can get up to some mild mischief, enjoy not being a statue, and I wouldn’t miss Fluttershy’s tea parties for the world, what’s to hate, really?” He gave a pleased smile to the so-named pegasus, who only smiled back sheepishly. With a sigh, Discord landed and coiled up, facing Chrysalis with a stern expression, “But, through it all, I have been remiss in trying to make amends with the newest addition to the troupe, one whose whole life has been in response to an old wound, something that happened before her time. “Chrysalis, I would like to apologise.” She stood in shocked silence as Discord lay his head on the lawn before her, forehead to the ground and arms wide. Her eyes darted to Celestia, who also appeared to be shocked at the strange turn of events. “Discord,” Chrysalis started, “you know I cannot truly take your apology. This oldest wound is to an entire race, one that no longer resides in the land of the living. The only thing that I can even possibly think you could do to make some form of amends is to heal my sister’s fractured mind.” Discord sighed, “Alas, I cannot, my dear; playing with the noodles of sentients is something that I have had to swear never to do again.” He gave her a sad, apologetic smile, “She will need to get better on her own, Chrysalis. It is not an impossible hurdle, if moon-butt can do it, so can Thistle.” Chrysalis huffed, “How long must I wait, Discord? I… I cannot do what I must do to her forever.” He gave a shrug, “That, my dear buggy, is up to her. She will recover in time, you need only give it to her. It isn’t like you don’t have a lot of it after all.” Quietly yet swiftly a mournful quiet fell upon the small herd, held by all but the wind until Twilight cleared her throat. “While I am not arguing that this has been a long time coming, Discord, I don’t think you really needed an audience for this.” She stated flatly, “What did you bring us here for?” Now Discord smiled, floating back up into the air and pinching Twilight’s cheek, “And that, my little egghead, is the right question!” He crowed. “As Fluttershy would likely attest, I have been somewhat absent from Ponyville as of late, even having to send a few apology letters for being unable to show up to her weekly tea parties with Barry and Angel, however I have been somewhat… busy. “Last time we met all together like this, I told you that I was off to do things.” Discord reminded them with a smug grin, “and as much as Twilight smugged that she would get me to say the line she knows I don’t like,” “‘Smugged’ isn’t a word, Discord.” the so-named unicorn huffed. “I calmly replied that even I can do things without malice.” He finished, ignoring her interruption, “Now, Chrysalis, other than mend your sister’s shattered psyche, is there anything that you would wish for?” Chrysalis sighed, “The return of my species is too great a wish; there aren’t enough shooting stars in the skies to return a race from extinction.” Discord chortled, “Close your eyes,” he said calmly, “think only of them. Your changelings, their safety, what you would do if they were here.” He waved a paw at her encouragingly, “Go on, humour me.” Chrysalis glanced sidelong at Rarity, who only shrugged in return. She sighed and, after sitting in the lawn, did as Discord asked. Her mind wandered, thinking as Discord has instructed her, and a goofy smile grew on her lips as she remembered better times. “That’s it, you’ve found them. They’re here,” she felt his talon poke her chest, “where they’re safest, where you remember them fondest. Can anyone truly die, so long as we can remember them?” He chortled, “I can remember ponies from ages past, ponies that only Sunny and Moon-Butt can possibly remember; while in those days they were my foes, so long as they live in our memories, they’re as immortal as we are.” “It’s like I can hear them.” Chrysalis breathed. “My queen,” “I have missed them so much.” “My queen,” “It’s hard to believe that I’ll never see them again.” “My queen,” She felt Discord’s talon tap her scalp, “Open your eyes.” Squinting a little as the sunlight returned to her sight, she did as instructed. For the briefest of moments her mind had to catch up with what she was seeing, and her jaw dropped when it did. Meekly she reached forth, gingerly pushing against the figure that stood before her. “How can this be…?” The changeling before her bowed, allowing her to see dozens behind him. “My queen, you are safe, thank the shadows.” He said before she nearly bowled him over in an embrace, smearing his carapace with her tears. “That night we talked, I went to your hive with… a friend,” Discord stated calmly as he watched impassively, “A changeling I found to the north, near the Crystal Empire. He and I struck it off, you could say, a few days before you arrived in Ponyville. With his aid, I approached a hundred or so families and warned them of the impending danger that Thistle posed, of what she had done to gain her status as Queen. I told them to gather their families and flee their homes, to escape in the dead of night to the north, to Equestria. “It has taken them months of walking, and I have kept them safe and fed along the way; months of travel to arrive here at this exact time, half past six in the evening, on this day. Thanks to yours truly, Thistle did not send your kind into extinction, Chrysalis.” “Who?” Chrysalis asked, “Who helped you?” Discord shook his head, “He did not want me to tell you, not until he had made a home for himself up north. I returned him there myself, and he is likely trying to introduce himself to princess Heartbutt.” “You’ve done a good thing, Discord,” Celestia affirmed as she strode forth, “and we will continue to do good things for these refugees. I shall inform the mayor of the situation and send some craftsponies in the morning to begin construction on housing. They will have to find jobs of their own to support themselves, but I’m sure that with the right leadership they’ll do fine.” Chrysalis released the changeling she had been hugging and prostrated herself to the lord of chaos, “Thank you, Discord, you have no idea how much-” “Bah,” he waved her off, “they beat the odds, chaos is whimsical, all that nonsense. You owe me nothing, Chrysalis, I am merely repaying a debt owed.” He slid over to Fluttershy, who looked up at him with a pleasant smile. “Will that be enough apology for the teapot?” She only nodded at him. “My queen,” the changeling she had hugged began, “what of your sister, Thistle? Is she…” “She is alive, Buzzyear.” She informed him, to which he cringed, “But her mind is all but broken, and she is likely to be detained for centuries to come. She cannot harm us anymore. It’s over.” A happy smile spread her lips and a tear snaked over her cheek, “It’s finally over.”