//------------------------------//
// It's Been Awhile Since We Talked 
// Story: Hi Mom 
// by luckyboys121 
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The party was in full motion as everycreature was celebrating the fact that they had played a part in saving the world this go around. As Ocellus glanced at the assembled crowd she saw all of her friends enjoying the festivities in their own way, Yona and Sandbar on the dance floor doing there best to cut a rug without hurting each other, resulting in her letting out a slight giggle before turning her attention to the others.

Gallus and Smolder leaned back in their chairs sipping punch in their typical, "too cool for this" attitude, but having their true feeling betrayed by the slight smiles they both had as Silverstream was hopping out of her chair and doing various claw gestures as she reenacted the adventure for what was probably the fifth time today, but it was still just as interesting. 

Ocellus smiled at all this as she thought, "Maybe I should just stay here, join in the fun and forget about all this," that thought faded as she glanced at the door though and caught a glimpse of what or more specifically WHO was now only a few hoof steps away from her. "No, I have to talk to her... even if she can't hear me I have to talk to her now when everycreature is too busy to notice."

She then carefully and quietly made her way to the door and slipped out of it, before making her way through the garden as she thought about what exactly she was going to say. 

She didn't have much time though as she soon arrived at the statue, "Statue?" she thought, "Is that the right word?" The petrified version of the Villainous Trio. There was the fearful faces of Cozy Glow and Tirek, but she hardly noticed them. No, she only stared at the snarling angry face of the former ruler of the Changelings. At the outstretched hooves that came mere inches away from Celestia's face before she was frozen in place. At the sheer hatred and desire for vengeance that her body seemed to radiate.

All this and more she took in before glancing to make sure no one else was around as she began doing something that no one else would ever do, she smiled at her and let some slight tears flow. She then turned her gaze to the former tyrant's eyes as she simply said, "Hi mom.... it's been awhile since we've been able to talk like this."

She then turned her gaze down to her hooves as she awkwardly patted at the ground saying, "School is going good, I'm doing well in almost all my classes, though I'm struggling a little bit in gym, but that's mainly because of Ms. Dash's strict training regiment."

She let out a slight chuckle at that before she continued saying, "I still haven't worked up the courage to tell my friends about yo-" she paused as even if she was talking to a stone who couldn't hear her, she couldn't bear to say she was ashamed of her, before she continued saying, "That I'm really a Changeling princess... of course, I won't need to tell them in a few years when I undergo the metamorphosis and become a Queen like you."

She then looked back and smiled at Chrysalis's long blue, now grey, hair, and the small crown like antenna atop her head as she remembered when she was a little Nymph and dreamed of looking just like her mom, though at one point that dream had briefly become a nightmare. She knew though that now she was probably gonna have the antlers and gem stones on her chest instead, just like Thorax and Pharynx. 

It was then that her mind turned back to the present as she said, "Oh, I think you'll be happy to hear that Pharynx is back leading the Changeling army again, I know you always liked him. And Thorax is doing a really good job leading the civilians, I admit even I was doubtful at his ability to rule at first, I mean it's certainly nothing like yours, but it's good in his own way. And I know you always insisted on me staying in the hive for," she briefly shuttered at the memory before she continued saying, "obvious reasons, but I'm really enjoying getting to see the world and living as a commoner for a while... Thorax says it will make me a better leader one day but, I don't know.

"I'm still surprised he wants to make me the next ruler and not a son or daughter of his own... though the only girl he seems close with is Ember and I doubt they could have kids," said Ocellus as she chuckled slightly at imagining the two of them on a date. "He says he sees something in me.... I'm not sure what but he says that I could be a better leader then he is, something I know you'd agree with."

She looked at the stone face as she briefly remembered the sound of her mothers laugh, not the "evil laugh" she would let out to intimidate others, but the real genuine laugh she rarely let out in front of others, as she knew for a fact she'd let it out when she said that.

She let out a chuckle of her own saying, "I know what you're thinking, not much of a feat to be better then him, but... I'm still scared because every other Changeling Queen before me had the old Queen before them to go to for advice when they needed but I... I mean Thorax and Pharynx both said they'd help me anyway they can, but... it just won't be the same."

She then sighed briefly as she said, "And now for the hardest part.... I've thought about all the things you did and why you did them and all I want to say is I'm sorry."

She looked into her mothers eyes as tears ran from her own and she continued saying, "I know you wanted everyone to be tough warriors and never trust ponies after what happened to dad-" she choked up at that part as while she was fairly young when it happened... a parents funeral is not something you easily forget. "And while I know ponies aren't like that anymore, that...." she briefly closed her eyes as the tears became more intense and she continued saying, "that they don't just destroy what they don't understand anymore. It took me a long time to learn that though, as despite what Thorax kept saying, when I first got to the school I was really scared and kept trying to change form and hide whenever I could. That's part of the reason why I only actually had one pony friend at first... and even then I was still nervous when I was alone with Sandbar... I hope he didn't notice.

"You though, it was so long before any pony reached out their hoof to you in friendship. I remember how hurt you looked after you came home defeated from the wedding and... I saw you crying in your chambers and I knew despite the guards claiming it was because of the love shortage we were about to face because of it.... I knew the real reason. I know how it kills you inside whenever you show your true form and see the horrified looks of fear on everypony and how they would treat you like a monster."

She then shuddered as she said, "That look was something I always hated to see... but it was nothing compared to the look I saw later. The look you gave us all when the other Changelings turned against you and reformed." Once again she had to close her eyes as the tears flowed harder and she said, "The look of pure sadness you had when you saw how... other Changelings where looking at you like you where a monster."

She then looked back up at Chrysalis as she said, "Don't worry though, I think I was the only one who noticed since you only had that look for a second before you put on the usual angry face. It's like you said, 'a hive can't see their Queen being weak'." Ocellus smiled as she remembered that bit of advice that she'll take to heart when she is Queen. "Regardless, I can see why you might have thought Starlight's offer of friendship was some kind of trick and wouldn't take it, especially considering that lies and manipulation used to kind of be Starlight's bread and butter.

"Something you probably don't know is... that night and every night for weeks me and a few other Changelings who didn't reform spent hours upon hours looking for you in the Badlands... as time went on though and the others saw Thorax's way of life less and less came out. Eventually it was just me looking for you, I remember one night I decided I wouldn't go back until I'd found you. I just thought that if I found you everything would just go back to normal... of course I didn't find you though. Instead, I just passed out from exhaustion looking for you."

She then briefly smiled at the next memory as she said, "I thought... that when I woke up I would still be in the desert and I could keep looking but instead I found myself back in my room in the hive, with Thorax there with me. As soon as he saw I had woken up, he leaped  into action trying to give me breakfast and talking about how I must be weak after walking all night, but all I could do was lay there confused. I didn't keep it a secret from anyone that I was looking to bring you back and help you rule the hive again, and yet here was the King I was trying to overthrow treating me like... well like you did whenever I was sick or sad, I was half expecting him to crawl in bed next to me and start reading from a story book just like you did." She smiled wider at both the image of Thorax doing that, and the memory of Chrysalis doing it, before she continued saying, "So I asked why he was doing this, why he was helping the only Changeling still trying to overthrow him and he just looked at me and smiled saying, 'Because I think she can be a good leader too, probably better then me, and if anyling can get through to her... it would be you.' I thought for a long time about that... it's actually those kind words that let me open my heart and reform back then.

"And then when I started going to this school and making friends I finally figured out what they really meant and I started sneaking out of my dorm at night looking for you again... not to make the hive the way it was but to tell you what I've learned. To SHOW you that ponies weren't what we thought anymore," she said as she looked back up at Chrysalis's face, before finally breaking down as she slipped in between her outstretched hooves as she hugged and began crying into her neck, her tears only growing stronger at the lack of warmth she felt from her. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't find you and tell you all this before... that I couldn't make us a family again. I know deep down everything you did, you did to help me and keep me safe... I just wish I could have done the same for you," she wrapped her hooves around her tighter and simply let the tears flow for a bit. 

After what felt like an eternity she said, "I just want you to know that... I never thought of you as a monster and that no matter what happens, or what others say... I'll never stop loving you mom."

She then lingered a little longer before pulling herself away as she said, "I hope one day... I get to tell you all this for real."

As she then turned away and wiped her eyes, getting ready to walk back to the party, she flinched as she saw a familiar purple alicorn standing in the garden looking at her. 

Not knowing how long she may have been standing there, Ocellus walked towards her saying, "Princess Twilight, what are you-"

She was soon interrupted though as she suddenly found herself being pulled into a big warm hug from the princess in question who simply leaned into her ear and said, "You know I was talking to Discord and he said he could still hear everything around him when he was stone."

Upon hearing this Ocellus let out a smile and began to cry into Twilight's soft warm fur at the realization that her mother did hear her. As the two sat in this embrace for a moment, Twilight looked up at the stone Chrysalis with new eyes and... just for a moment, she could swear there where tears coming from her as well.