Chapter 11: How Much I Feel
It had been two days since Chrysalis and the others had boarded the train and she has yet to have a decent rest, but it was not caused by the splintered wood beneath her or the rattling of the old screws and groaning of the box car as it shook beneath her. No, those things were trivial compared to the cold sweat she had been in since she had left the desert. She was now headed back into the heart of enemy territory to meet with one of her people’s sworn enemies with no soldiers to protect her. Even at her full power, walking into the jaws of a knowing beast was not something she would ever have the bravado to do, but this issue regarding her past needed to be resolved.
What she read in that journal had plagued her thoughts… The journal mentioned countless others like her; Changelings. Ponies who had the ability to transform from one form to the next. While the journal mostly detailed what had been done to her, the thought of her people being dragged into that circle of Tartarus all because she failed to control her urges as a child was unbearable. Her stomach churned the longer her mind dwelled on the subject. The images her mind conjured only added to the feeling of nausea. The feeling snaked through her whole body, causing her to give a sickly shiver as the taste of bile bit at her tongue. The queen moved towards the door of the car, hoping the fresh air would calm her senses.
‘Heavy is the head that wears the crown,’ she mused to herself, taking a moment to wallow in her self pity. The smell of midnight dew wafted from the meadows below as the evening breeze swept through, making each blade dance to some unheard melody in the fading moonlight. It was like something from a foal’s storybook.
She let out a deep sigh, the knot that had formed in her stomach untied. ‘Just need to take this one step at a time,’ she thought. ‘First thing first, getting to this meeting with the Princess-’
"Chrysalis?"
The voice of Caduceus pulled the changeling form her thoughts and with a slight twitch of her ear, her attention now turned to the poor stallion standing in the doorway. Ever since they left the library, his condition had been slowly declining. Deep bags under his dulled, slightly bloodshot eyes and the dark yellow excrement oozing through the fresh bandage on his chest. The poison from the snake had definitely left its mark, and the lack of proper rest had not helped much either.
"Do you need me to do anything?" she asked tenderly, her body shifted as she started to rise.
“No, I’m alright. Please, don’t get up-” he let out a short cough before he continued, "It looks much worse than it actually is."
The mare reluctantly lowered herself back to the floor. She knew he was lying but knew that bruising his pride by insisting she help him would not help. "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"
Caduceus cleared his throat, "Yes, I need to tell you about a few things before our next stop. Has Ice gone over anything with you yet?"
Chrysalis could feel the corner of her mouth twist into a snarl at the mention of that stallion's name. Despite the fact that their first meeting was just a “misunderstanding”, the changeling was in no way ready to forgive what he had done.
In fact, she was seriously debating whether or not to kill him at the next convenient opportunity but decided to leave him unharmed. At least until she got the answers she needed.
"No," she finally responded, keeping her anger sealed behind a facade. "I've not yet been informed of what we must do next. Although, I assume we will be arriving soon?"
He nodded. “The train should arrive in Ponyville shortly. We’ll need to leave here before it pulls into the station so we don’t have to deal with any guards that may be there."
“Agreed,” Chrysalis concurred, turning her gaze back to the outside grassland. She could see lights from the small town glowing off in the distance as the moonlight had finally dipped below the mountains. It was nearing morning. “Time is not on our side, I’d recommend hopping off somewhere closer to the Everfree.”
Caduceus grinned warmly, “Let’s just hope there’s something soft to land on.”
Chrysalis could not help but chuckle at the first bit of humor they had shared since his little episode in the library. Things had been far too tense over the past few days and she was glad that he was trying to make light of their situation even if it is just for a moment.
“Perhaps we can find a nice pile of rocks to land on...” she said, turning her gaze back out to the rushing meadows.
Chrysalis heard the stallion attempt to stifle a laugh as he followed her gaze out to the beautiful land beyond. As her anxiety began to build again, it was instantly quelled as she felt him move close and kneel down beside her, enjoying in the final moments before the dawn. She lowered her head into her forehooves, exhaling through her nose as her body relaxed. While the rolling hills of the Equestrian heartland were a sight to behold, part of her wished she had never left that small cabin in the desert. Chrysalis watched from the corner of her eye as the stallion took the floor next to her. The wind blowing through his long black mane. The pale moonlight dancing across his body as he lay down. His piercing yellow eyes half-lidded and staring out across the night.
While the situation in which they met had been less than ideal by her standards, she smirked at her good fortune. Not only had he saved her life twice but now he was going out of his way to help her find answers to questions that probably cannot be found. Yes, there had been stallions before him willing to bend over backwards at her command, but they were driven by their lust for her or the things she offered. It was very rare for her to come across a stallion with such a selfless heart.
“Do I have something on my face?”
Chrysalis blushed, her head shot up and ears pulled back, realizing she had turned her head and had been staring. “N-N-No! No. Sorry… I was just-”
“Lost in thought?” he offered, slowly sitting up to meet her.
She bit her lower lip before letting out a deep sigh, “Do you remember why you found me out in the desert?”
Caduceus’ mouth opened for a moment before his eyes drifted away from her as realization dawned on him.
“We are about to go to the town of the ‘Protectors of Equestria,’ my greatest enemies. If they know of a way to see through my disguises, if they find me before we can reach Princess Luna…”
It was at this moment she realized, if she captured, what would they do to him? Would they treat him as a victim or would he be considered aiding and abetting an enemy of the state? What if they brought him to Canterlot for questioning? What if Celestia decided to have him executed for his crimes?! What if-
The soft touch of his mane under her chin stopped her from spiraling out of control. All she could do was close her eyes as she nuzzled into his warm embrace. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “But if they do find us, I want you to leave me behind. There is no reason you should be punished for my transgressions.”
She let out a soft whine as his hoof rested on hers. “You remember what I showed you about my eyes, Chrysalis?”
“How could I forget?” she replied in a soft tone, remembering the ethereal feeling of that moment. “It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before.”
Caduceus smiled and pulled the mare closer, moving his head on top of hers. “I see the true nature of every living thing from the largest creature to even the sands of the desert. No matter their words or what façade they try to hide behind, I can see who they truly are if I look deep enough,” he continued, slowly stroking her mane with his muzzle. “When I first saw you I knew I had to get you out of that desert, but did not look that deeply into who you were. As I cared for you, however, I saw something that I did not recognize at first. Over time I saw that, despite the walls you put up to keep me at bay, you were a caring pony who was more concerned for her people than herself.”
Being reminded of her people made Chrysalis’ warm schoolfilly grin fade and she pulled away, her eyes scanning the floorboards for nothing. “With everything I have done, everything I told you about Canterlot, there are many who would disagree with your statement.”
“Yes, but everything else you had told be leading up to it tells me the choice was to have your people live or die.” His voice was calm and warm. Her ears splayed back against her head. “I would have made the same choice if I were you.”
“That does not matter. If they do catch me, I -” she stopped, debating what she really wanted to happen should the worse come to pass. “I want you to go as far away from me as possible so they cannot get you as well...”
“Not going to happen,” he said as Chrysalis felt a warm rush of blood flood her cheeks as a feathered wing tenderly draped itself over her back. “I promised I would help you get back to your people. Besides, this is far more exciting than being out in the desert.”
She felt a hoof guide her gaze to meet his. “I will not let them take you away when I can do something to stop them.”
As the two continued to stare at one another, time seemed to stand still. Chrysalis could no longer hear the wind or feel the rattle of the train as they sped along the mountainside or even smell the fields of meadows they passed. All she could hear was his breathing. All she could feel was his warm touch. All she could smell was his scent. She could feel a primal hunger wrack her body. Her lips quivered and she drew close to him, unable to fully control herself. As the two ponies drew closer her eyes fluttered shut, blissfully awaiting his tender caress...
A piercing screech cut through the morning air as the boxcar shook violently, causing the lips of two would-be lovers to veer off course and shattering the peace the two were enjoying.
“Sorry to interrupt your moment,” a hollow voice wheezed. “But the tracks ahead have been damaged.”
Chrysalis turned to see that both Ruby and Ice had rushed into the car, her blush deepening from the sudden intrusion.
“Have they found us?” Caduceus’ voice pulled Chrysalis from her embarrassment. He rose to his hooves unsteadily and turned to face the two of them.
“It is possible,” Ice responded. “But even if they tracked us this far, they would be far more subtle than this.”
All of them shared her look of surprise and shock except for Black Ice who simply stood and made his way over to the open door, peering down the tracks. Another lurch, this time followed by the feeling of the train slowing down.
"It is time," he said before turning back to the group. “We depart here. Ruby!”
With a curt nod Ruby walked over to the two, swooping up Ice in her large forepaws before leaping from the train.
Chrysalis stood and with a small flare of magic, she unfurled a large pair of pegasus wings. She gave them a stern flex as she had not used them for quite some time. It took her a few moments of stretching before she was ready to jump, but turned back to Caduceus who looked uneasy to say the least.
The stallion stood there, using a hoof to cover the wound on his chest, gritting as the whipping winds pulled at the dressing. He must have torn a few of the stitches when he got up as blood dripped from the bit of bandage his hoof was not holding. It was clear he would not be able to glide out safely.
“You're a terrible liar,” she said, flashing a warm grin before moving next to him and dipping her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s see if we can find a nice patch of rocks to land on.” With that, Chrysalis transformed her wings again to help accommodate the larger body mass before helping him onto her back.
Reluctantly, he accepted her help and as soon as she felt his grip tighten, she leapt from the train. The wind struck the two ponies with a hateful gust, causing them to spin uncontrollably. She felt fissures begin to spider across the tiny bones she had crafted as her wings threatened to snap as she fought the torrent of wind. A short gasp escaped her lips but she refused to give in to the pain. Chrysalis focused her magic into keeping her wings together for just a moment longer as she corrected their fall and made an attempt at landing.
Her hooves clamored against the loose stones as she landed, her legs barely able to keep up with their momentum enough to slow down without falling on her face. As the stones gave way to tall grass Chrysalis felt her hooves snag on a knot of grass and tumbled forward, letting out a shocked squeal. The stallion was flown from her back as she turned to avoid taking the blunt uppercut from the ground directly on her chin. Slamming into the earth with a thud that rattled every bone in her body, she tumbled for what felt like an eternity before stopping just short of a large tree in the deep grass. Her head slammed against a rock and then, things went black.
o.0.o
The changeling’s eyes shot open at the sound of hardened clay softly clattering in front of her. She found herself seated in an old wicker chair placed before a well crafted wooden table. The noise of ponies walking down the cobblestone road and the smell of freshly baked bread and a fresh coffee brew flooded her senses. Her eyes drank in the sight of an old café patio in some small village with quite a few patrons and a young, beautiful filly attending to all of them as best she could. It was all oddly familiar to her.
Her gaze finally shifted to the old clay mug resting on the table in front of her, watching the steam from the coffee dance to a lost melody as it rose into the air before finally dissipating. She listened in to the idle prattling of the ponies around her, trying to glean as much information about her surroundings as she could.
"Did I keep you waiting long?" a hooded mare seated across her asked. Chrysalis nearly leapt from her chair, eyeing the new intruder like a startled cat. She looked around at the other patrons to see if any of them noticed her very unroyal squeal, but none of them even seemed phased by her actions and continued about their business. It was then that the mare realized just what was going on and returned to face the intruder.
Chrysalis inhaled, the smell of her beverage calming her nerves and putting her in a near clairvoyant state of mind. "No, Princess Luna," she said softly before closing her eyes. "I was just... enjoying the moment as it were."
The princess removed the hood of her cloak, revealing her swirling mane crafted from the indigo night sky and sewn with twinkling starlight. Her deep cerulean eyes danced and roamed out across the open street corner before her head found purchase atop her crossed hooves. Chrysalis noticed a small grin warming its way across the princess’ muzzle, "We– I mean, I never would have thought you to be the type of mare to find a place such as this to be comfortable. It is very nice to see that even somepony like you still dreams of such warm places."
Chrysalis released a sigh of minor frustration. It was difficult for the changeling to be unable to hide her true thoughts in a veil of clever wordplay, and even more so since the one she was being exposed to was the sister of her greatest enemy.
"It reminds me of a simpler time of my life, before I was taken and found my way to the Hive,” she said, lifting the old mug to her lips and blowing the dancing steam from the stage before taking a sip. “I saw a place just like this in Canterlot with that fool of a stallion. The one positive outcome from being saddled with him."
The Princess of the Night’s grin faded and a flash of lighting struck in her eyes. “Do not speak of my nephew-in-law with such a reprehensible tone. Do not think that We have forgotten what you have done to our subjects.” Her voice boomed like rolling thunder. Chrysalis felt like gagging in disgust of her Equestian-righteous attitude, but bit her tongue and took a more refined disposition.
“Yes yes, we can go back to not getting along after we solve this mutual problem,” the Queen said, taking another sip of her oddly familiar coffee. She cocked her head a moment to ponder it but shook from her recollections to continue her train of thought. “May we get back to the task at hand?”
The storm brewing in Princess Luna’s eyes subsided as she too took in the aroma of her beverage. “Thou art right,” she said, a hoof raised to her lips as she cleared her throat, having slipped back into old Equestrian by mistake. “First, how goes your journey from the desert?”
Chrysalis placed her hooves on the table softly, “Not that well. Soon after our last chat, my companions and I were pursued by a group of cloaked creatures.”
“Truly?” Princess Luna asked, the tone of her voice betraying her sincere concern. “Do they still track you now? What were they wearing exactly?”
“Our Diamond Dog reported that we had successfully threw them off our trail during our last train hop towards Ponyville,” she started, closing her eyes and laying her hooves on top of one another. “As for what they were wearing, all any of us could see were black, feathered cloaks with… A small silver sigil medal binding the front and-”
“A silver medal?” Chrysalis opened her eyes to see a look of deep concern on the princess’ face. “Pray tell, what was the shape of the medal itself?”
Closing her eyes once more, Chrysalis thought long and hard about the distinct shape of the object. Her memory was hazy but the more she focused on the edges of it, the clearer picture it painted. “I believe the shape was a talon of a bird.”
“That is not good. Not good at all,” Luna tapped her chin with one hoof as her gaze shifted down to the ground. It took the princess some time to collect her thoughts before she finally spoke. “How much do you know of this group who captured you?”
“Only that many of them were Griffons,” Chrysalis answered honestly. She pulled her hooves back to her lap and moved her mug back in front of her. “Were you able to find anything in your research since we last spoke?”
The princess grabbed her mug and, after a quick drag of the swirling aroma, drank deeply of the beverage. As she did, the table before them was suddenly covered in an avalanche of scrolls and old tomes covered in a dust save for a single hoof print on each. “My dear sister had the royal scribes keep very detailed reports of the on goings in the Kingdom during my absence,” she said curtly. Her horn lit up and one of the larger books fluttered over to her. Once it landed on the table, the hard cover flew open and the pages chased after one another until they stopped on a page with the image of a strange white-haired creature standing atop a broken castle.
A pair of half-lensed spectacles formed out of a wisp of purple smoke atop the Princess’ muzzle. Chrysalis let out a light chortle at the odd sight which the princess did her best to ignore.
“‘- The disappearance of the Hippogriff kingdom and the sudden appearance of the Storm King took many nations by surprise, but none more so than their brethren, the Griffins. Barely holding onto what little power their government could muster the ruling Grand Chancellor, Eos Redquill, pushed for the funding of a Research and Development group known as the Silver Talons. Many of their agents have been seen entering Equestria attempting to gather as much information as they can regarding ‘Magic and Folklore’-’” the princess said, floating over a small scroll and unfurling it with a practiced precision.
“‘Dear Princess Celestia,
Today, the Fifth Regiment of the Royal Guard apprehended a group of griffins attempting to smuggle several magical artifacts of unknown nature out of Equestria as well as twelve of your loyal subjects. All twelve of these ponies were of the fifteen reported missing unicorns from Manehattan. Eleven of the unicorns were inconsolable upon release from their pony-nappers and were spouting off information regarding ‘experiments’ and ‘transferring magic’. The twelfth, however, was covered in wounds and succumbed to his injuries despite the valiant efforts by Lieutenant Red Heart to save his life.
Each of the griffins were found to have a silver medal binding their cloaks in the shape of an outstretched eagle’s talon. Based on their actions and resistance to interrogation, we believe theirs is a militarized group, although nothing has been confirmed thus far…-’”
Upon hearing of the group’s sigil in the report, Chrysalis shrunk in her seat slightly. Princess Luna took another sip from her mug before she scanned further down the letter to the next relevant piece of information.
“- We are now en route to return the lost ponies to their homes and bring the prisoners to justice before the Royal Court.
Ad Victorium,
Steel Aegis, Captain of the Royal Guard-’”
“This was the last report from Captain Aegis,” she said solemnly, placing the parchment to the side and removing her glasses. “The Storm King emerged nearly one-thousand years ago. Despite how much time had passed, each of these records indicate that the group had been operating in Equestria for the last four-hundred years.”
“I guess not even the all-mighty Princess Celestia could stop them,” she said, rolling what little coffee she still had in her mug in disdain.
Luna shot a scalding glare at the changeling. “My sister was able to stop them.”
Another parchment shot by Chrysalis’ head, forcing her to evade before it came to rest in the center of the table.
“Her scouts were able to track the head of their operations to a small mining town nestled in the mountains. There, she led her guards in raiding the mines and flushing out the perpetrators and ended their activities in Equestria for good,” the princess said with a thunderous authority.
“This was the last reported incident that I was able to find, and this town is where we will start looking. While my sister and her guards may have flushed all of their active agents out of hiding, there may have still been a group of sleeper agents planted among the populace. For now, that village is where we will start looking.”
Chrysalis was intrigued by this, “Sleeper agents, you say?”
“A strategy my sister more than likely did not consider. Subterfuge was always my specialty and after your infiltration to the capital, it allowed me to review these reports with a different point of view,” Luna said as all of the parchment flew from the table and off into the distance. “All of the information I have gathered thus far suggests they were learning how to transfer Equestrian magic into their people in preparation for the return of this ‘Storm King.’ Who knows what they were able to accomplish. We have a lot of work ahead of us...”
Suddenly, a voice across the patio caught Chrysalis’ attention.
“Mijita!” the warm voice of an old mare rang out.
Chrysalis turned to see the old mare wheeling over a cart full of freshly baked goods. She detached herself from the wagon and began loading the food onto her back. The young waitress stopped what she was doing and ran over to help.
“Nana,” Chrysalis whispered with the young filly. The waitress hastily grabbed a few of the boxes from the old mare’s back. “You should let me handle this. I do not want you getting hurt.”
The old mare scoffed as the two made their way inside. “With the festival tonight, ponies from all around Equestria will be coming hungry and tired from their journey. El Dulce Pan de la Nana will fill them with strength!”
The young waitress rolled her eyes, knowing that the old mare would work herself to death before robbing the world of her sweet bread.
“Now, once you finish helping out at the Cafe,” she said, the two coming back outside. “Hurry straight home. I need your help finishing up at the shop before tonight.”
The waitress walked the old mare back out to her cart. “Of course, Nana. Te amo.”
With that, the old mare left a small kiss on the forehead of the waitress, just below her horn. Chrysalis subconsciously reached her own hoof to her head, rubbing the spot Nana Maiz had kissed. “Te amo, Mijita. I’ll see you soon."
“W-w-where are we, exactly?” Chrysalis asked softly, a warm tear streaking down her cheek as she turned back to face the indigo alicorn.
Princess Luna placed her mug back on the table and looked away. Her voice turned to mist as she spoke, “I told you that I would help you remember what you had forgotten. This was the day that it all started.”
“Sorry for the wait.”
Chrysalis went rigid when the all-too-familiar voice pricked her ears. Her whole body felt stiff as she slowly turned to see a young black mare looking down at her with her oddly bright green eyes and an oddly crooked horn.
“My name is Dahlia, how may I help you?”
o.0.o
With clouded eyes and a choked sob, the monarch rolled onto her side. The pain she felt in her body was nothing compared to the agonizing cacophony of torment her heart bellowed. Hearing the old mare's voice as if she were standing right next to her. Smelling the fresh bread that she used to bake every morning. Feeling her tender lips against the same spot on her forehead as she had always kissed when they said goodbye. And the knowledge that she would more than likely never share those moments with her again. She curled into a ball, unable to contain her sobs any longer.
She felt a caring wing drape over her body, a tender hoof gently caress her hair. Instinctively, she turned and embraced Caduceus. The one pony she could count on.