//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Lies // Story: Rainbow is Magic S2: Love Hearts and Bug Eyes // by aceotaku //------------------------------// Several Years Ago A young pink unicorn filly trotted through the gardens of Canterlot, alone to her thoughts. ‘Mi Amore Cadenza’. Those words were inscribed in a large mound of crystal Celestia had discovered while exploring to the northern territories of Equestria. When she brought it back to Canterlot, it had shattered open revealing what lay inside: a tiny pink pony, a child. “My Beloved Cadance’. That was what the words onthe crystal were translated to roughly read as in modern Equestrian, and was used to give the young filly her name as she was formally adopted as a member of Celestia’s royal family. Princess Cadance. That was the filly’s name now. She had no memory of whether that was close to her real name, or even who her family was before her adoption. She knew nothing of her past, and what little she knew of her current home was told to her via Celestia and various teachers. Cadance didn’t feel like she belonged. Celestia was nice enough, but rarely had time to spend with her, and felt closer to an aunt rather than a parent anyway. And the teachers didn’t care about her, they only cared about making Celestia happy. And so Cadance trotted, alone, as she felt she truly was. Noone to really confide in, no one to have fun with, no one to really see her as she was. Not that she herself knew who she was; she hadn’t had enough time to herself to work out her own identity. As she trotted she heard a noise coming from a rosebush, a noise that sound like an ‘ow’. Tilting her head, the young filly walked to the bush, inspecting it closely. “Hey you okay in there?” “Noone is in here!” A voice called out from the bush. “I mean...uhhh...” Cadance giggled a little. “Here, let me help you out of there.” “No!” The voice responded desperately. “I-I mean....I’m sorry but I’m fine here...” “You’re in a rose bush, thorns are probably jutting into you and being painful!” “Well..yes...it is kinda hurty...” The voice admitted. “But still! I promised mother I wouldn’t let myself be seen! Not by a pony!” Cadance blinked. “Wait...you mean...YOU’RE not a pony?” “I...uhh...” The bush twitched as the person inside it moved about. “....you’re not supposed to have figured that out.” “Oh just get out of there!” Cadance said. “Nopony’s around and I promise I won’t hurt you!” “But...mother says ponies don’t like...us...She said they’ll hurt is if we let them...” “Your mom’s a dummy! Ponies are nice!” Cadance’s horn glowed as she pulled the figure out of the bush, being careful to make sure they didn’t get hurt by any more thorns. The figure eeped as she was pulled into the sunlight and before Cadance’s sight. Cadance stared, wide eyed. Before her resembled a pony her age, but clearly wasn’t a pony entirely. She had four hooves, a tail, mane, muzzle and general shape of a pony, but she had shiny black carapace instead of fur, tiny wings that reminded her of an bug’s, holes littered the filly’s mane, tail, wings and hooves and the filly had small but sharp fangs, like a snake. “You...you’re scared of me, aren’t you...?” The filly asked, looking away. “No, I think you’re cool!” Cadance responded. “I never met someone like you before! Who...what are you?” “I’m...I’m Chrysalis, I’m the Changeing Queen!” “Changeling, huh....?” Cadance frowned in thought. “Aren’t you a little young to be a Queen?” “It’s...just what mother says I am.” Chrysalis looked down. “Mother says I am supposed to help lead our people for her, but I don’t know how! A-and she said ponies are our enemies and she sent me out to spy on them and learn...something I dunno, all I know is I must keep myself hidden!” She pouted. “I sure failed that one hard...she’s gonna be so mad...” She shivered, looking nervous. “Hey, I’m not gonna tell her, am I?” Cadance said, smiling reassuringly as she laid a hoof on the changeling’s shoulder, causing Chrysalis to jump back in fright. “hey, come on now, I’m not gonna hurt you, you can trust me.” “Are....how can I be sure...?” Chrysalis whimpered. “I...I don’t know a lot about ponies other than what mother told me and.....she hasn’t exactly said nice things about ponies.” “How about you hang out for a while, with me? I’ll keep you hidden and teach you stuff about ponies and you’ll be able to learn more to tell your mom!” Cadance smiled widely, reaching her hoof out. “Trust me, please.” Chrysalis gazed at the filly wide eyed, her smile growing a little. “I trust you.” Of course, Chrysalis didn’t know how to respond to a pony’s outstretched hoof, so she batted her snout against Cadance’s hoof, making the Princess giggle. And that was how Cadance met a changeling for the first time, and how Chrysalis met her first pony. ------------------------------------- Present Day Present Time Cadance smiled at the mares before her, walking to stand beside Chrysalis, one of the mares, Applejack, pointing an accusing hoof. “Y-you have Prince Bluelood himself locked in a cage in your room!” The Fashionista exclaimed. “And you’re conspiring against the crown alongside this...this creature!” “Yeah!” Rarity said. “You’ve been acting like a real jerk to all of us! You’re super evil and trying to take over the throne or something!” “A-at the very least,” Twilight added, “this is VERY suspect!” Cadance blinked, dumbfounded by the accusation. Blueblood chuckled from behind them, causing the mares to blink and turn to him. “While, yes, the pair have been conspiring, it isn’t against Celestia. Oh no, the plan they’ve set up is far more convoluted and ridiculous than that...” Cadance frowned at him as Chrysalis grinned and leapt forward to speak. “Hello! I’m Chrysalis! I’m just double checking so you know that! So, I’m a Changeling, and my people have long been secluded by your own due to the fact that we feed on love to survive and we look very creepy and gross to most ponies, so my people have learned to use their shapeshifting magic to hide among ponies and feed on love in secret! When I was sent here to spy on you ponies--” “SPY ON US!?” Twilight exclaimed. “Oh yes!” Chrysalis replied with a friendly smile. “So when I was sent here I met the most beautiful pony princess, Cadance, and through her I was able to learn something amazing: we don’t have to be enemies! I realised if ponies knew our plight and our need for love they would of course freely help us!” Applejack frowned warily. “You...FEED on LOVE? How does that even work...?” “No idea!” Chrysalis admitted happily. “Something to do with magic or something, mother didn’t really explain it and just told us to accept it. ANYWAY! So, since I realised that ponies and changelings didn’t need to be enemies and that hiding only hurt us and our relations with ponies, I CAM EUP WITH A BRILLIANT PLAN!” She pouted and looked down sourly. “Cadance though said it wasn’t good.” “Your plan was to run into the throne room and blurt outeverything to Celestia.” Cadance said sceptically. “But she’s such a kind and benevelont ruler!” Chrysalis countered. “Yes, to other ponies and those she has deemed allies, but she can still be close minded!” Cadance replied. “If you came up to her and said that Changelings were creatures that hid among her ponies in disguise and were eating their love, she wouldn’t accept your explanation that they weren’t in need of help, she would’ve just saw them as an enemy to be defeated. I mean, look at those girls, the moment you said that about changelings they thought the worst of you even though they didn’t even have anything to base that feeling on!” “Hey don’t speak for us.” PInkamena said. Twilight frowned. “Okay, so if you decided not to tell Celestia, why...well, what are you even DOING, why is Blueblood in a cage, WHY ARE YOU PRETENDING TO BE HIM!?” She pointed at Chrysalis at that last statement. Chrysalis sighed, looking aside sadly. “Well...it’s not just Celestia that’s APPARENTLY a problem. You see, I tried to convince my mother that we could simply ask ponies for help and she...she, well....” She bit her lip, flinching a hoof to her shoulder as a painful memory flitted through her mind. “She didn’t like it, and she was getting...testy so I...I told her a little fib...I told her about a plan I cooked up to ‘attack’ Canterlot by ‘replacing’ Cadance, marrying a Canterlot noble and using the event distract everyone in order for our army to come in and to take over Canterlot by force, and mother allowed me to leave and ‘set up’ the plan over here with everyone and she would leave me alone to it, giving me some space to myself...” “ATTACK CANTERLOT!?” Twilight and Applejack gasped in horror. “But that’s not very appropriate for a wedding!” Fluttershy added. “Exactly!” Chrysalis agreed. “It’s not like I REALLY wanted to attack Canterlot, I just said something that would keep mother off my back while I figured things out.” Chrysalis smiled. “But that gave me ANOTHER BRILLIANT IDEA! I would ACTUALLY disguise myself and marry Cadance FOR REAL, and then we’d reveal the truth just as everyone’s in the same room and then EVERYONE CAN TALK AND EVERYTHING WOULD WONDERFUL FOREVER!” Cadance sighed. “Again, I told her this was a terrible plan, but she’s REALLY hard to convince when she’s got a ‘plan’, so I decided rather than just let her do things on her own, I would help her out, and at least improve her plan somewhat.” She gestured to Blueblood. “First, we decided we could get the Captain of the Royal Guard to help.” Blueblood nodded. “Imagine my surprise when Cadance trotted into my office with another pony, only for that pony to turn into some sort insectoid monster and tell me Canterlot is full of ponies who weren’t ponies and that these creatures needed help! As a gentleman I heard them out and deemed Chrysalis to not be a threat, partly because she seemed to be genuinely goodhearted, but mostly because she was, well at the risk of being rude let me put it bluntly, a bit stupid.” “Why thank you!” Chrysalis smiled, wings buzzing happily. “Chryssi, he insulted you.” Cadance pointed out. “Oh!” The changeling’s eyes widened in surprise, only to go back to a smile as she shrugged. “Well that’s quite fine!” Blueblood chuckled as Cadance glared at him in offence. “But, after they told me what they had planned, I decided it was simply TOO ridiculous a plan to allow to transpire, so I told them I would instead tell Celestia and Luna and get them to peacefully negotiate with the changeling people. And thus they locked me in a cage and had Chrysalis impersonate me so they could bring everypony together with a ‘royal wedding’.” “You don’t know Auntie like I do!” Cadance interjected. “She’s not always willing to see the good in others, and she is LESS likely to do so when she feels like they have hurt her ponies. She’s forgiving to her ponies, yes, but that’s it! Iron Will isn’t one of her enemies and he’s STILL banned from coming here because she hasn’t forgiven him for blowing up the dining hall during the Gala, which was largely your fault might I add!” “Yes, I accept full responsibility for the debacle.” Blueblood replied, giving Cadance a warning look. “However, your ‘plan’ involves lying to the populace and your own adopted family, hiding the presence of an enemy force that is NOT aware of the charade EITHER and then just thinking everyone will forgive and forget once you reveal the truth at the last minute!” “It’s very risky and has a lot of holes, yes,” Cadance admitted, “but I worked on plugging some of those up. We can’t do anything about the changelings right now, because while Chrysalis has them pacified they still don’t fully trust ponies and might cause a riot if what they assume about the plan goes awry, not mention some might go against Chryssi’s wishes. At least by having them believe that Chrysalishas replaced me, they’ll bide their time and wait while we let ponies know something’s amiss.” “Wait, you are?” Twilight asked, tilting her head. “But I thought you didn’t want to tell anypony because reasons?” Cadance sighed, shaking her head. “We aren’t telling Celestia because she’s prone to being a bit racist, lets admit, and we’re not telling anyone else because...what do you THINK would happen if we told anyone else about Changelings hiding in their midst?” “At best, nopony would trust anyone and any friendly relations would be strained.” PInkamena said. “At worst, riots and witch hunts, because despite what Celestia thinks not everypony is willing to be friends with each other and are capable of being pretty terrible.” “Exactly, but if we don’t do SOMETHING than the changelings will attack despite our best wishes, because Chrysalis’s white lie has snowballed into something dangerously real.” She glanced at the changeling who was frowning and looking down guiltily. “So, that’s where MY idea came in: with Blueblood unwilling to help we had to use his identity to create buzz for the wedding, and we would both raise suspiscion by acting strangely, being as obvious as possible that we were both ‘imposters’, so when the time came everypony would be ready fight back whatever ‘nefarious’ plan was being cooked up rather be blindsided, by which point we’d reveal the truth and get everyone talking.” “Problem,” Pinkamena said, holding up a hoof, “disregarding how generally terrible that is, NOPONY suspects anything!” “I KNOW RIGHT!?” Cadance cried out in exasperation. “No matter how goofy and forgetful and weird ‘Blueblood’ acts, nor how snide and nasty and irritating I act, they just blow it off as ‘wedding jitters’, including Celestia who doesn’t even NOTICE! IS EVERYONE IN CANTERLOT STUPID!? I’ve been going around insulting ponies left and right AND THEY JUST THINK THAT’S OKAY!?” She collapsed to the floor, burying her head in her hooves. “How. How is this real.” “Ah think they’re just blinded by how exciting the day is, plus many ponies look up to you.” Applejack pointed out. “And Celestia...I mean, she tried to pass off GRAND HEIST as no big deal and we all know how that went.” “But surely Luna’d notice something...” Cadance pointed out. “Notice what, exactly?” Blueblood remarked. “You don’t really talk to her and she hasn’t been around long enough to talk to most ponies, and your job doesn’t help with that either.” Cadance frowned but didn’t contest the point as she got up. “Fair point...still disheartening though that the only ponies to notice were my backup plan...” “Backup plan...?” Twilight asked, puzzled. Cadance smiled softly. “I DID invite you girls here, after all and made you waste so much time, but that’s because I figured you wouldn’t all be willing to come without reason, sadly I didn’t know you too well, so I had to do my best and give you all an excuse to be here, and those I couldn’t I had to trust that either they’d come of their own volition, their friendship with the rest of you would be enough or, worst comes to worst, only the few of you who did come would be enough.” “Why us specifically?” Fluttershy asked, confused. PInkamena rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Surely you girls aren’t this dense? We’re the Elements of Harmony, remember? We took down a guy who could alter reality with a literal snap his fingers, for crying out loud.” Applejack blinked. “Oh yeah, that is true.” Cadance nodded, smiling excitedly. “Exactly, by having the Elements here, worst comes to worst you would be able to stop the changelings should the plan fail.” “Ooooooone problem,” Fluttershy said, “we, uh, didn’t actually bring the elements with us.....sorry.” She grinned sheepishly. Cadance blinked, her lips pursed. “Oh. Well...that’s not ideal.” “It’s really not.” Pinkamena said, turning to Chrysalis. “You SURE you can’t convince the other changelings to, well, NOT attack anyone?” Chrysalis’ hoof flew to her shoulder as she winced, looking away. “I...I tried...but my people are...they are very misguided, and they just simply do not know that there is another way beyond hiding and attacking from the shadows. And mother...mother is especially distrustful of ponies.” “And how exactly was this plan going to get everyone to come to peace if one side is going to attack the other?” Twilight pointed out. “That would just make everyone MORE distrustful...” “I KNOW, OKAY!” Chrysalis cried out suddenly, tears in her eyes. “But...but what else can we DO!? Flitter and Chaser are keeping watch and if I do anything they find suspiscious they might tell mother and...” She gulped. “M-Mother would get angry...” Cadance frowned in concern, draping a wing over the changeling, gazing over her in concern before turning to everyone else. “The problem is the changelings, ironically, aren’t going to easily be convinced to change their ways, and we’re basically stuck in a very specific set of steps, the deviation from which could cause things to escalate. At least right now we got things under a modicum of control. THAT’S why we had to act in secret, not jsut for the ponies, but the changelings too. And that’s why I’m glad we have you girls to help. Even without the elements, I’m sure you girls can work together with is and help everything come to a peaceful solution.” Twilight frowned, looking at the others. Applejack nodded while Fluttershy grinned widely, Rarity winked and gave a ‘hoof up’ gesture and Pinkamena merely frowned in disapproval. Twilight smiled softly and turned to Cadance. “Well...we can certainly try. We’ll help however we can.” Cadance and Chrysalis both smiled widely. “Thank you!” “I still think this is a terrible plan, for the record.” Blueblood added, smirking sardonically. “But, it’s far too late now so its bust to deal with what we’ve been dealt. In my case, I suppose I’ll be stuck in here for a while. Can’t have two Bluebloods running around where anyone could see.” Pinkamena frowned. “So...wait, back up, you said the plan for the changelings was for Chrysalis to pretend to be CADANCE, not Blueblood?” “Well yes!” Chrysalis said. “Cadance, as a Princess by title if not by species, has a lot of clout and connections and her marrying ANYPONY would draw a lot of attention, especially by Celestia and Luna!” Cadance chuckled. “Besides, I’m betting they think I’ll be relatively easy to take down compared to my Aunts. Changelings however, can ‘see’ through another changeling’s disguise, so we’ve set it up so Flitter and Chaser will have to leave a letter to get Chrysalis to discuss things with them, allowing Chrysalis to shapeshift into me while I hide down here with Blueblood to avoid them catching me.” “And, coincidentally, creating another situation that could seem suspsicious.” Twilight added. “For instance, if Rarity overheard you?” Cadance chuckled. “Why, the possibility IS strong, yes.” Rarity folded her hooves, a thougth striking her. “Hey, Chrssi, mind if I call you that? Anyway, Chryssi, you keep mentioning your mother? I thought YOU were the Changeling Queen? Or at least, that’s what you said, if I remember right, so what gives?” Chrsalis looked at the ground. “I...I am a special changeling called a Queen. I’m...not too sure what makes me that different aside from appearance, but apparently mother thinks Queens are very needed for the Hive. Mother is...she is above me, above ALL changelings. She birthed each and every one of us and we are beholden to her will and needs. She is our guiding light. She is the Tyrant Monarch.” Rarity pursed her lips. “Sounds ominous.” Chrysalis chuckled, brightening. “Oh don’t worry, mother trusts me to do this by myself, she’s staying far away from here as much as she can!” ----------------------------- Sapphirre Shores and Sassy Saddles stood to attention as several ponies left the train, a plain looking mare approaching at the front. “I am here with my family to attend the wedding.” The mare said. “I hope I’m not too late.” “MA’AM ARE YOU CONSPIRING AGAINST THE CROWN!?” Sapphire Shores cried out, getting hit on the head by Sassy Saddles. “You’re cutting it close, the wedding’s set to start shortly, but you aren’t late yet.” The guardsmare said, actively ignoring her co-worker. “Head on through, enjoy the wedding.” “Thank you, I will.” The mare smiled, walking past the two Royal Guards as her family followed from behind. After they were a decent distance from the guards and into the middle of the city, the amre looked at the ponies following after her, her friendly demeanour replaced with an empirical coldness. “Go find the others in their positions. Tell them I am here.” They nodded obediently and split off from her to trot around town, the mare giving them little thought as she trotted directly towards the castle, Flitter and Chasing suddenly hoping down from above to walk with her. “How are things progressing?” “Everything is progressing as planned!” Flitter replied. “Unaware everypony is, Chrysalis acting well she seems to be!” Chaser added. The mare smirked to herself. “Really? And here I thought she would prove to be a disappointment, and now thanks to her revenge can finally be mine.” “Celestia won’t know what’s coming!” The two jesters said cheerfully. The Tyrant Monarch sneered at the castle as she approached it, her mind awhirl with her hatred towards Princess Celestia, how none of this belonged to that monster. The Tyrant Monach deserved this all. The Tyrant Monarch was the only one who understood its true worth, or what it truly represented. And The Tyrant Monarch will have it all, no matter the cost.