//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: New Family // by awesomesauce4 //------------------------------// Chrysalis was staring at him as he awoke, and for a moment as he gazed back, her eyes reminded him of that crystal, an entire world seemingly reflected in their depths as she stared worriedly at him. “That must have been some nightmare,” she whispered, carefully making her way across the bed to cuddle into his chest. “Yeah. It… yeah,” Jeremy agreed, his voice raw and hoarse, unsure what to say. “Are you alright?” she asked, rubbing a hoof on his chest. Jeremy swallowed roughly. “I… can I have some time to collect my thoughts?” he asked, getting up off the bed as his joints crackled and ached in fatigue. “…Of course,” Chrysalis agreed, smiling at him. “Take as much time as you need…” Jeremy smiled back at her, feeling more tired than he had ever felt in his life. He quietly exited their room, stepping out into the hallway of the hotel. Thirty minutes later, he had found what he needed. The moon was still up, and the clocks indicated that it was a little past three in the morning – he’d only gotten a bare few hours of sleep. Still, what he had to do was more important. A notepad and pencil lay beside him, ‘borrowed’ from the hotel’s front desk. Sitting under the moonlight, Jeremy began to write. Flower World A mysterious world that only seems to exist in dreams. He paused, pondering the page for a moment. Then he crossed out a line, and began writing again. Flower World Eden A mysterious world that only seems to exist in dreams. Grimacing, he crossed it out again. Flower World Eden The Garden A mysterious world that only seems to exist in dreams. Sighing, he decided to come back to that later. Flower World Eden The Garden A mysterious world that only seems to exist in dreams. Flowers of all shapes and sizes are found here. They seem to represent people in some way, each individual person being represented by one flower. Maybe they’re souls? Dreaming minds? Or some more abstract representation of a person? Jeremy mused for a bit. Was speculation worth including? He supposed this was more a stream-of-consciousness writing than a proper scientific document. Flower World Eden The Garden A mysterious world that only seems to exist in dreams. Flowers of all shapes and sizes are found here. They seem to represent people in some way, each individual person being represented by one flower. Maybe they’re souls? Dreaming minds? Or some more abstract representation of a person? The Tree of Harmony can be found here. It may not like being touched. Some flowers may also react to being touched. For some, they seem to ‘enjoy’ the sensation. Others may shy away, or even attempt to attack you. Others still may present you with visions, ranging from memories to impossible third-person perspectives of historical events. This appears to be a primary method of communication. There are also flowers with unusual characteristics. A blue flower with two ‘heads’, slightly different colors, which attempt to pull themselves apart should one get near. A much larger flower with a black stem and many hundreds of green petals, which is generally friendly and enjoys being rubbed and petted. A black rose, which should be avoided unless you have the large, green flower accompanying you. It is not necessarily hostile, but merely extremely distrustful of strangers. There is only a single other living being in this place. An alicorn, of purest white coat and powder-blue hair. She is rare to find or even see, but may control the realm or have some power over it. She does not appear to be hostile in any meaningful way, but one gets the sense this is born more of divine indifference than any feeling of equality. It is unknown if one can find their own flower in this strange land. Equally, it is unknown what the result of touching it may be. Best not to try. Unsure what else to write, Jeremy quietly tore the top page off of the notepad and put the pencil and notepad back where they belonged, taking a moment to gaze at the un-staffed hotel front desk. Silently, he returned to his room. Chrysalis was asleep, and the bedside mechanical clock showed that it was now five in the morning. Sighing softly, Jeremy placed the document on their bedside table and climbed into bed with her, pulling the covers over himself and Chrysalis closer for warmth. Hopefully he’d get some more sleep tonight. Chrysalis mumbled something unintelligible, and he stroked her hair, smiling slightly, and drifted off. Jeremy awoke to find Chrysalis smooching him on the forehead. “It’s seven-thirty, dear. Time to awake and prepare the troops,” she whispered once she saw his eyes open. Jeremy snorted. “Prepare the troops… you make it sound like we’re martialing an army,” he answered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. He stretched, a cacophony of cracks sounding through the morning air of the hotel room as his vertebrae readjusted, and set about getting dressed. As he pulled on his sweater, he noticed the paper he had written last night was missing. He thought he’d set it right beside him on the dresser… maybe he’d left it downstairs? Well, there was no sense wasting time looking for it. He could always write it out again, or something. Feeling unusually well-rested for such an early morning awakening, he followed Chrysalis downstairs. Breakfast was an affair plentiful with fruits – oranges, apples, bananas, plums, and grapes. Jeremy tried to eat as much as he could, as they’d be doing a lot of walking today. Several changelings, Eira, Gwyneira, Star Swirl, and the other humans were already at the table, looking distinctly unhappy at being awake so early. The other humans glared at the fruit on their plates as though they had committed a personal act of war against all humanity. “Any bacon? Or coffee?” Cory grumbled, picking through a few orange slices with a fork. “Don’ think they have those here,” Sam slurred, popping another grape into his mouth and swallowing it whole. “They definitely do… the coffee, at least,” Nick grumbled. “Could be worse, they could be serving hay today,” Jeremy quipped to the groans of the whole table. “How are you so awake? Normally you’re the one out cold until 10 in the morning,” Sam griped. Jeremy shrugged. “Dunno… I just feel well-rested. Which is weird, because I got maybe six hours of sleep total.” Sam rolled his eyes. “…Anyway… you think this one will be a bit more eventful?” he asked. Jeremy shrugged again, deliberately exaggerating it this time. “Thought the last one would be pretty boring, but we ended up finding a colony of Windigos. Thought the first one would be interesting, but we found a rock. At this point, it’s pretty much a coin flip,” he snarked. Nick took out an ancient-looking coin, and flipped it for dramatic effect. “Heads,” he announced. “Looks like we’ll find something interesting.” Everyone at the table chuckled, Eira in particular. “I’d be surprised if anything’s left,” the old Windigo snorted. “If Diligita wanted to blow up a mountain, she wouldn’t have left evidence of even a geological variety.” Star Swirl snorted. “And yet, Foal Mountain still stands,” he teased, getting a roll of the eyes from Eira as a response. A few minutes later, they had put their plates away and headed outside into the blustery Manehattan morning. Pegasi were busily arranging clouds overhead, some of them looking a shade darker than normal. Jeremy watched them work with some interest – the buildings of Manehattan were familiar-looking enough to him that the sight of tiny pegasi flitting far above them made him feel uneasy. Like an ‘uncanny valley’ for a location, he mused. What was that, dear? Chrysalis asked, and Jeremy swiftly turned his gaze back down towards the ground. “Nothing,” he spoke aloud. “Everyone ready?” There was a chorus of assent from the assorted humans, changelings, ponies and windigo, and Chrysalis thrusted her horn forward, her magic crackling slightly as another portal opened. Jeremy gazed through it to find a grassy plain, a tall mountain visibly sloping upward just off to the left. “Hrm. Have you visited Foal Mountain before?” Star Swirl wondered, looking at her. “I memorized Equestria’s geography when I was planning to invade. I’m well familiar with the landmarks,” Chrysalis snorted. Star Swirl glared at her. “Did you now,” he growled. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at him coolly. “Is there a problem?” she coldly inquired. Star Swirl glared at her for a moment more, then looked away. “…No. Lead on,” he muttered. Is he alright? Jeremy wondered. “Hey, are you alright?” Chrysalis repeated, her expression shifting to a more sympathetic one as she moved closer to Star Swirl. His head jerked up, mouth opened to deliver a sharp retort before something in him seemed to deflate. “…I’ve spent a thousand years believing that those who walk a path of darkness are irredeemable. It’s… hard to let that go,” Star Swirl admitted. “Then believe the evidence of your eyes, Star Swirl,” Jeremy replied. “People change and grow all the time. Sometimes, they just need a little push. Sometimes, it takes years. But if they have others willing to make that investment for them, then the world becomes a little better.” Star Swirl looked at him in surprise for a moment, then scoffed. “When did you get so smart?” he snorted. Jeremy grinned. “I’m just repeating what I was taught.” On that note, he stepped through the portal. Immediately, he recognized the place, as though he’d lived here his whole life and was only just now returning. A gentle breeze blew through the nearby trees, and the sun shone brightly overhead. The grass beneath them was damp with dew, and rushing water could be heard off in the distance. Eira looked around in wonder. “Eleven hundred years… eleven hundred years, and it looks just the same,” she sighed contentedly. The sound of train horn cut through the air, startling her and causing Jeremy and Sam to whirl around, looking for the source of the earsplitting noise. Just above the treetops, a plume of white steam could be seen rising through the morning air, vanishing into the atmosphere as it quickly condensed in the cold. Eira growled at this intruder. “Well, mostly the same,” she amended, glaring at the offending train as it receded into the distance. “Where’s the entrance?” Sam asked. “Right here,” Jeremy answered, walking forward. He’d seen this place before, in his dreams. Diligita had wanted him here from the very beginning. The heart-shaped outcropping looked as natural as any of the stone around it, but Jeremy knew it was fake. He thrust his hand towards it, expecting it to phase through as with any other changeling illusion, but his palm slapped against the stone as though it were real. “What the-?” Jeremy muttered. “Step aside, youngling,” Eira muttered. She placed a hoof on the rock’s surface. “Do we need to unlock it with something?” Avery wondered. “Yes. It unlocks with… love, if I recall. You two, make out,” she demanded, glancing at Jeremy and Chrysalis. The assorted humans stifled shocked laughter, and Jeremy grinned at Chrysalis. “Well. If it’s for the sake of science, I suppose I could…” he trailed off. “Oh, shut up, you,” Chrysalis retorted, and reared upward to kiss him on the lips. Jeremy tried to contain his laughter and nervousness and focus on the kiss, moving closer into her embrace after a moment as he felt a warmth inside. “…Wow,” he heard Sam comment, and snorted with amusement. “Okay, it’s open,” Eira called. She waited a moment. “You two can stop now,” she tried again, with a hint of irritation. “JEREMY, YOUR ROBOT’S MELTING!” Sam called out, and Jeremy’s eyes shot open as adrenaline surged through him. “Wha – SAM!” he exclaimed, stomping a foot on the ground in mock fury. Sam burst out laughing, quickly joined by the others as Jeremy blushed in realization and embarrassment. “You two can make out later. We’re on a mission,” Avery stressed, gesturing towards the heart-shaped rock outcropping, which had already vanished to form a heart-shaped entrance. Eira was already inside, tapping a hoof impatiently at the lot of them. Blushing harder, Jeremy and Chrysalis both quickly moved to join her. “’Your robot’s melting’?” Pharynx whispered to Sam, who merely laughed. “Don’t even ask,” Jeremy exclaimed, still embarrassed. The tunnel inside, unlike the tunnel to the Windigo caves, was vibrant and warm. Green gemstones glimmered everywhere in the darkness, seemingly giving off small amounts of light to guide them. “This place was much better lit when I was last here…” Eira trailed off. “I don’t think even Diligita would keep the lights on for eleven hundred years,” Avery rebutted. “Waste of magic.” Eira nodded approvingly. “Aye, likely she diverted her attention to other things.” Star Swirl looked around a few times before returning his gaze straight ahead, evidently unimpressed by the pretty colors. As they traveled down the tunnel, they were suddenly met with a well-carved, rectangular corridor, which had several doors. “Diligita’s trick rooms,” Eira groaned. “Step through a wrong door and you’ll wind up at this entrance again. She put me through these more times than I could count.” She looked around. “There’s always some kind of clue as to which is the correct door…” she muttered. “Would the one that’s already open be too obvious?” Sam asked, pointing to one which was, in fact, missing its door entirely. Eira looked at it suspiciously. “…Seems like the kind of thing she might do. Let’s try it,” she decided. “It’s clearly meant to lure us in,” Star Swirl retorted. “That’s what she wanted you to think,” Eira smugly shot back, stepping towards the doorway. “I’m gonna stop this circular argument now. Worst-case scenario, we try it and end up back here,” Jeremy decided, walking through the doorway after Eira. As soon as he was through, however, the stone passageway began to rumble and shake as the stone door appeared to close it off, hidden inside a crevasse on the side. Quick as a flash, Jeremy stuck his shoe through the door, stopping it from closing. “You okay?” Sam called, as he and Chrysalis hurried over to try and pull open the door. “We’re fine,” Jeremy answered, looking back at the corridor ahead of them to make sure no trap had been sprung. It looked perfectly ordinary, as far as he could tell, and sloped further downward. “Diligita might just want to speak to us two,” Eira mused. “Oh, Tartarus no. I am not waiting for some centuries-dead queen just to be denied audience!” Star Swirl exclaimed, lighting his horn and forcing the door back open with a crash. Everyone else stared at him as he panted and heaved, evidently winded. “…You okay?” A. K. Yearling asked. Star Swirl glared at her. “I’m fine. I’m just sick of all the secrets and mystery. I want answers. Now,” he snapped, pushing past Jeremy and Eira before vanishing into the gloom. Avery tugged at the collar of his shirt uncomfortably. “Uh… Alright. Cool. Let’s… go through?” Sam motioned to the others, cautiously moving forward. You know, I think I’m finally beginning to understand why you put so much emphasis on ‘culture’ and ‘tradition’. That was… infuriating, Pharynx spoke to Thorax through the hivemind, hissing with anger. “He’s been through a lot… but yeah, that was rude,” Jeremy agreed. “No sense standing around here when we can go say it to his face. Come on,” Eira demanded. They quickly found Star Swirl at a dead end, looking furious. “It closed on me!” he shouted, pounding at the solid back wall. “The door was right there, and it closed on me as I approached!” Eira snorted. “Probably because you forced the door open. You think a changeling hive wouldn’t feel insulted by that?” Star Swirl rounded on her. “I have had it with your clever tongue, mare! Get us to where we need to go, and no more shortcuts!” he snarled. He’s… not himself… Jeremy noted. He stepped forward, standing between Star Swirl and Eira. “Dunno what’s gotten into you, Star Swirl, but you need to calm down. We won’t find any answers if you keep raging at inconveniences.” “INCONVENIENCES?!” Star Swirl shrieked, slamming a hoof down on the stone. Jeremy noted in his peripheral vision that the tunnel had expanded significantly. Almost as if it were forming an arena. “You, boy, are about to learn the meaning of inconvenience,” Star Swirl growled, stepping menacingly forward. As he glared up at Jeremy, the Element of Love could swear he saw a flash of red in those eyes. And then he leaped forward. Star Swirl began his attack by launching magical beams at him, simple straight-lined things that were easy to dodge after Jeremy’s fights with Tirek and Daybreaker. He ducked and rolled, circling around Star Swirl so that he wouldn’t accidentally hit any of the others. “What’s Star Swirl doing?!” Kylie exclaimed in shock. “He’s gone mad,” Eira muttered. “What are we waiting for?! Let’s get in there and beat him back to his senses!” Pharynx exclaimed. “Pharynx, don’t commentate on my fight,” Jeremy retorted. Surprised, Pharynx fell silent. You got a plan? Chrysalis asked. He might be angry, but he’s still getting on in years. Should be possible to exhaust him like I did Tirek, Jeremy replied. He dodged another blast, hopping over it like he was playing leapfrog before sprinting to the left. Star Swirl panted and heaved as he fired volley after volley of beams at him. You know, one would think Star Swirl the Bearded would have a more intelligent attacking pattern than this, Jeremy noted. That he would. You think he’s possessed? Eira wondered. Something’s been making him angrier since we got here. It might have started off slow at first, but as we got closer to the goal… Jeremy trailed off. Why, though? Why target him, when there are stronger magic users nearby? Chrysalis wondered. Not stronger… smarter. Whatever it is, it’s targeting what it thinks is the most experienced magic user in the room, Jeremy posited. It’s a distraction, Pharynx spoke, sounding unusually urgent. It means to slow us down. We must find another way to our destination! Jeremy acknowledged this, just barely missing a particularly wide beam of magic. Move out, find another way, he commanded. I’ll stay here and keep this going. You’re looking for a door with fire in the shape of a green heart, and then a ruined throne. What we’re looking for is atop that throne. Pharynx grunted to show he’d received the message, and the changelings quickly departed, herding the confused humans and A. K. Yearling back the way they had come. Star Swirl watched them go, stopping his onslaught for just a moment. “Not gonna work, kiddo,” Jeremy growled. “We’re going to reach the end, no matter what you possess to try and stop us.” Star Swirl’s eyes widened in shock, before he slumped to the ground, out cold. His hat spilled to the floor, revealing his horn, which glowed a dull red before quickly fading to its usual gray. Without time to comment on such an unusual occurrence, Jeremy slung the defeated unicorn over his shoulder and sprinted to catch up with the others. He found another door had been opened, and vaulted the steps beyond it, rushing down the passageway and ignoring the pain in his legs every time he jumped a flight of stairs. Something had been trying to distract them, which meant they were on a time limit. He had to go faster. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he jumped gaps in the floor, dived through narrow-walled openings, and climbed ledges. Part of him questioned why he wasn’t catching up to the others yet, but too much of him was focused on reaching the end. Finally, the door was in front of him, just past a few more gaps. The swirling green flames adorned the door with a heart-shaped pattern, and he flung himself against the door with all his might, bursting through into the throne room. The others were clustered around the throne, and Chrysalis was glowing with a bright pink energy as she held something, eyes clenched and snarling in effort. Jeremy set Star Swirl down gently before striding forward to examine what she was looking at. It was the gem he’d seen in his dream… but now, it was different. The impossible depths of the gem were darkening, turning gray before his very eyes. Eira glared at him with wide eyes. Do something! She demanded. My Queen is in there! Jeremy’s eyes widened, and he took Chrysalis’ hooves in his hands, adding his own power to hers. His Element of Love glowed fiercely, but nothing seemed to happen. And something was pushing against his head, as insistently as though… as though it wanted to get in. “Why isn’t it working?!” Chrysalis hissed desperately, as the last vestiges of green threatened to vanish from the crystal. Jeremy closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. The last time he’d done this, he’d nearly died. He opened his mind completely, reaching through the hivemind towards what he thought might be there. Almost immediately, a torrent of emotions flowed through him, just the same as when he first joined the hivemind. “It’s working! Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it!” Eira ordered. Jeremy grunted in pain as the all-too-familiar tornado of emotion and mental energy swirled through him, the magical lights around him shifting from pink to green. As he grimaced and struggled, he became aware that he wasn’t the only one in pain. There were others, too, others who had lost the strength to withstand such mental anguish. Determination welled up inside him, pushing back the pain, and he enveloped their minds with his own, shielding them from the outside forces even as the strain on his own mind increased. Chrysalis, seeing what he was doing, added her mental force to his, reducing the pain significantly as she did her best to block out the sensations. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the roaring stopped, leaving the two of them to slump to the ground, exhausted. But they were no longer alone. Queen Diligita stepped out of nothing, surveying Jeremy with a look of displeasure. She looked… shimmery, as though she wasn’t quite physically real. “Get up, I know you’re able,” she commanded of him. Jeremy got into a sitting position, nearly blacking out then and there as stars swam in his head. “…Perhaps not,” Diligita allowed. She lit her horn, and the blackness in his vision receded. Chrysalis sat up as well, and together they got their first look at the Queen who had caused this whole mess. Her hair was similar in style to Chrysalis’ own, though much darker teal in color, and her inner irises were a deep, ocean blue instead of Chrysalis’ forest green. She stood tall, taller even than Chrysalis’ imposing stature but roughly as slim, giving her a slightly stretched look in Jeremy’s opinion. From my perspective, Chrysalis looks slightly squashed. Life is strange, Diligita spoke up. “M-my Queen!” Eira proclaimed excitedly, all irritation gone as she prostrated before Diligita’s illusory form. “Eira,” Diligita spoke with a tired smile. “I… am so sorry for what I have put you through. You’ve grown, my little snowstorm…” Eira blushed, looking away. “It was nothing. All of it was worth it, just to see you one more time…” she breathed, gazing at Diligita rapturously. Diligita moved forward, taking Eira into what looked like a surprisingly physical hug. “I wish I could stay, but…” Diligita trailed off. “Please! There must be some way! You’d never have allowed me to die and leave you behind!” Eira begged, tears streaming down her face. “Sadly, I must. I… I am so tired, Eira. I spent eleven hundred years guarding each and every one of the changelings I had killed, preventing them from dying until they could be reborn again by a living Queen. For so long, I thought… but it doesn’t matter now. I am nearly gone, Eira. Even the love of a thousand years of peacetime wasn’t enough to keep the whole hive going for a thousand more. Even now, I am… fading. Joining my fellow Queens, and… oh, Hespera, child…” Diligita paused, tearing up. Jeremy and Chrysalis heard some raspy words through the hivemind, and though they couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, Hespera sounded encouraging. “I… of course I’ll tell them. Queen Chrysalis… King Jeremy…” Diligita trailed off. “I am so proud of you for coming this far. Through all the hardship I gave you, through battles and heartbreak and death, you have made it here, exceeding my expectations at every turn. And… Thorax,” she noted. “You will make a very fine… well, whatever your position is. I suspect even you don’t know.” I – I’ll do my best, my… my Queen, Thorax mentally stammered, seemingly embarrassed at being addressed despite not being present. Finally, Diligita returned her gaze to Eira. “I know you must think this new world a strange one. I have seen Chrysalis’ thoughts, her feelings, and they are so unlike my own. But… give them a chance, little snowstorm. They are the future, and we… are the past. It is time to move on.” Eira shook her head viciously. “No… Diligita, I can’t! I can’t lose you again, not after I’ve finally got you back!” Diligita smiled. “You? Lose me? I think you forget who is the Queen, and who is the consort.” Eira smiled sadly. “Can’t you speak with her, once you enter the hivemind? Keep her company?” Jeremy asked softly. Diligita looked at him forlornly. “Such would take vast amounts of love. Not as much as you showed earlier, but…” she trailed off as Jeremy smiled at her. “For you, I would,” he affirmed, and his Element glowed pink as love energy trailed between Diligita’s form, Eira and himself. “A-are you sure? I… haven’t exactly been the most polite, I know, but…” Eira trailed off, looking desperate. Jeremy put a hand on her withers. “You… are family. Not by blood, but by our shared heart and shared mind. And family never turns their back on one another,” he vowed. Eira lowered her gaze to the floor, looking much smaller and younger than Jeremy had ever seen her. Before he could react, she embraced him in a hug. “I take back what I said earlier,” she whispered. “You have been a worthy King from the very beginning, and I… have been very foalish.” Diligita embraced the pair of them as well, but she appeared to be fading out, becoming more transparent before their very eyes. “I am glad to spend the rest of eternity with you… my love,” she whispered, and finally disappeared.