//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: The Next Chapter // by Some Leech //------------------------------// Much to Cozy’s pleasant surprise, the quartet were able to get a full, restful night’s sleep without incident. She’d bedded down in the same room as Flurry, granting Chrysalis some space and leaving Anon to rest by the fire in the living room. It was only as the sun crept through the window did she finally awake. Drowsily, knowing they had a full day ahead, she rubbed her eyes and got up. The Princess slumbered beside her, curled in a ball with her wings folded to her back. Stepping over, she softly nudged the mare’s shoulder. If Chrysalis was correct about their location, they had a lot of walking ahead of them. “Mmmm...Morning,” Flurry groaned, raising her head. “Did Chrysalis come back?” Cozy nodded. “She did, but let her rest for a bit. Without any love to feed off of, she’ll need all the energy she can get.” Getting to her hooves, Flurry frowned. “She’ll be alright though - won’t she?” “I think so, but don’t be surprised if she’s a little sluggish. Without a proper meal of love, she won’t be at full power,” Cozy explained, moving towards the door. “I’ll get her up before we head out.” Proceeding into the living room, she found that Anon was missing. Two of the emptied mason jars were filled with water, resting by the fire, and the rest of their provisions were stacked in a neat pile. If she had to guess, the man had probably gotten up and was out stretching his legs or simply having a look around. A soft rapping caused her to turn towards the occupied bedroom. To her horror, for some reason, Flurry was knocking at the changeling’s door. She rushed over, hoping to put a halt to the Princess’ foolish actions, but it was too late. A barely audible groan from within the chamber drifted to her ears. “Chrysalis?” Flurry softly asked, tapping on the frame. “What are you doing,” Cozy whispered, scowling up at the alicorn. The Princess looked down at her with a troubled expression, preceded by sound of hoofalls from within the closed room. “What?!” Chrysalis shouted, throwing the door open to leer down at them. Glowering at the alicorn, for the briefest of moments, she turned her baleful gaze to the pint-sized pegasus. “I told you not to have them disturb me!” Flurry’s shock was short-lived, if present at all, as a look of what Cozy could describe as determination settled upon the Princess’ face. Stepping forward, the alicorn squared herself against the incensed Matriarch, looked Chrysalis dead in the eyes, and hugged her - hugged her! She could scarcely believe what she was seeing, leaving her jaw to hang open. “I’m sorry,” Flurry whispered. Chrysalis was caught woefully unprepared for the act, judging from the dumbfounded expression she bore. The friendly ambush was aided by the changeling’s weariness from having been abruptly awoken, leaving her open for the attack. A second passed, followed by a few more, before she pushed herself away. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, knitting her brow. “Cozy told me not to bother you, but I just wanted to maybe give you a proper breakfast,” Flurry explained, smiling sheepishly. “You guys feed on affection, right?” “I…” Chrysalis faltered. There was a flash of something on her face, a juxtaposed mixture of remorse and anger, but it passed in a heartbeat. “It doesn’t work like that.” “Well, if you ever want to explain it to me, I’d be interested in hearing it,” the Princess cheerfully said, turning away and trotting back into the living room. Cozy stood mute, watching the changeling track the Flurry's departure. She’d heard tales of creatures being brave or stupid enough to extend the olive branch to Chrysalis, but this took the cake by a mile. While it was true that they had worked together in a nefarious plot to topple the Equestrian empire and steal the power of the alicorns, there had been plenty of moments when their tenuous alliance had been strained. “She’s...different, isn’t she?” Chrysalis quietly asked, her expression unreadable. “She’s Flurry and, from what I’ve gathered, she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body,” Cozy explained. “She should fear me,” the changeling groused, almost petulantly. “Why? She has no reason to,” the small pegasus countered. “Because of what I did to her parents and what we nearly did to Equestria,” Chrysalis hissed, keeping her voice low. “She wasn’t around for that. You weren’t anything more than a scary story to her, before last night. I’m not saying to go galloping through a field of flowers with her or anything, but try to be nice - that is, unless you want to make an enemy out of her,” Cozy sighed. Trotting past the diminutive mare, the Matriarch scoffed. “Duly noted…” It wasn’t a mystery that Chrysalis wasn’t the warmest creature around, yet Cozy was privy to information that few, if any, had. She’d suffered through trials and tribulations with the Queen - even then, it had taken time and effort to gain the changeling’s favor. With a clean slate between the Matriarch, Flurry, and Anon, she felt reasonably certain that a fellowship could be forged between them all. The four of them would need to work together, given the circumstances, or they’d all likely be captured before long. Each of them were vulnerable and not without weaknesses, especially herself, but as a cohesive team they could share their strengths and cover for each other’s shortcomings. Shaking her head, hoping that their motley crew could hold it together, she reentered the living room. “Knock knock,” Anon announced, drawing everyone’s attention as he walked through the front door. A long, sturdy stick rested on his shoulder, as he saw himself in. “Can one of you grab the blankets? I’m gonna make a bindle to carry everything.” “I presume you have a plan?” Chrysalis asked, unmoving, while the Princess went to gather up the linens. “We’ll follow the tracks north to Dodge Junction. From there, we’ll collect some intel and figure out our next move,” Cozy muttered. “Ok, I’ve been meaning to ask, what sort of moves could we make? If we’re all wanted by the guard, there’s only so much we can do - isn’t there?” Anon exasperatedly inquired. Cozy had secretly hoped nobody would ask about the potential outcomes of their exodus, but it had only been a matter of time until the topic came up. “Best case scenario, if word hasn’t spread too far, we plead our case; since we have a Princess with us, that might just work. Worst case scenario, we flee and go into hiding.” “Yeah, I’m all for having some space, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” the man grumbled. “Where would we even go? All of Equestria follows Twilight - she’s been leading everypony for generations!” Flurry moaned, reappearing and handing the blankets off to Anon. “Even taking that into account, we have options. The south-lands beyond Klugetown would probably be our best bet, if they’re still not part of the empire. There’s also the possibility that we leave the continent, although we’d require a boat or an airship,” Cozy responded. “We can’t just leave the continent!” the Princess protested. “I was doing just fine on my own, back before Discord tricked us into attempting to overthrow the Princesses,” Chrysalis huffed, seeming none too pleased with the prospect. “I’ll stick out like a sore thumb wherever I am, but I’d rather not spend the rest of my life hiding somewhere,” Anon lamented. Having secured their goods within one of the two sheets, he fashioned a crude toga from the second covering. Screwing her eyes shut, Cozy took a breath to calm herself. She couldn’t afford to lash out and yell at them, though it was sorely tempting. “Let’s all just calm down and get a move on. There’s no sense in worrying about things that may not even happen, so why don’t we try to be optimistic until we’re forced to do otherwise.” Anon and Flurry nodded reluctantly, though Chrysalis flipped her mane to the side. She figured the changeling would be recalcitrant, but she wasn’t bothered since she already had a plan. Trotting over, she grinned up at the slender shapeshifter. “What?” Chrysalis barked. “I was thinking, maybe it would be a good idea if you traveled as a pony. If anyone sees or stops us, you could tell them that you’re bringing us in for questioning,” Cozy proposed. “Ugh - fine…” the changeling grunted. In a flash of emerald flame, she assumed the form of a pale sage mare. It was the same disguise she’d used time and again, although it had probably been long enough so that nobody would remember it. “Alright,” Anon began, hefting the bindle onto his shoulder, “anyone need to use the little mare’s room before we leave?”  The pegasus, disguised shapeshifter, and Princess shook their heads, yet it was up to Cozy to make the first move. Trotting out with her compatriots in tow, she strode out of the home and into the overgrown front yard. Glancing back at Chrysalis to see which direction they should be headed, she led the way. It took the quartet less than an hour to find the train tracks and, as Chrysalis had mentioned, they appeared to be in a severe state of disuse. The rails were rusty, the ties splintered, and grasses sprouted from the ballast. It was clear that, for whatever reason, a train hadn’t been through in quite some time. Following the railway north, the group trudged along on foot and hoof. Flanked to either side by towering, verdant woodland, the seemingly endless path of iron and wood led into the distance before them. With the sound of songbirds greeting them, it was a peaceful start to their journey, although there was a lingering unease about what awaited them. “Anon the hyu-man,” Chrysalis began, drawing the man’s attention. “Hmm? You can just call me Anon, by the way,” he replied, stepping along the wooden planks. “From where do you hail?” the camouflaged shapeshifter inquired. Trotting up beside him, she looked him over from head to shoed toe. “Earth, a different planet - at least, I’m pretty sure it is. Maybe Equestria is an alternate dimension or timeline; honestly, I can’t say for sure,” Anon admitted, giving her an innocent shrug. “And how did you get here? I presume you used the Crystal Mirror?” Chrysalis pressed. “No, I don’t think I did. I was just walking to the shop and blacked out; next thing I know, I was waking up in a field outside of Sire’s Hollow,” he recounted. “Hmmmmm,” Chrysalis thoughtfully hummed, rubbing her chin. “By chance, were there any ruins near where you awoke?” Anon shook his head. “Not that I remember. It was just a regular old field, as far as I could tell, why?” “There are legends that spoke of some mystical power called the Rainbow Bridge, a force which could forge a trail between any conceivable realm. I can’t be certain if that’s what brought you here, but it may offer one possible explanation,” the changeling remarked. The comment stopped everyone dead in their tracks, leaving her three traveling companions to stare blankly at her. “I’ve never heard of anything like that,” Flurry commented. “Me neither...” Cozy murmured. Throughout all her travels and research, she’d never once encountered anything remotely similar to the Crystal Mirror - then again, the world was full of lost legends and myths. “Do you know anything more about it?” “Supposedly, fathomless eons ago, it was used back in the time of Grogar. I honestly can’t say much about it, other than that I heard Star Swirl mention it in passing,” Chrysalis noted, continuing to trot down the tracks. “If it is real, perhaps Twilight may know of it.” “Well that’s one more reason to go and sort this out with her,” Flurry chirped, briskly cantering up the railway. “Or something to ask her if her goons catch us,” Cozy grunted, flittering to keep up. With little else to do, and no change of scenery in sight, her mind returned to the various conundrums which haunted her. The notion of some strange force pulling Anon to Equestria was odd, but something about the timing of his arrival just felt off. Gliding over to the man, she looked to his face. “You said you’ve met Twilight several times, right?” she asked. “At least a half a dozen, why?” he countered. “This might sound silly, but humor me. Could you describe her for me? What she looks like, how she acts, her personality - you know, the usual sort of stuff,” she continued, drifting along next to him. “She’s always been pretty friendly, even if she is sort of stoic. She’s a regular looking alicorn, as far as I can tell, but she’s just a smidge shorter than Flurry,” Anon described, extending a hand to show Princess’ height. “Stoic?” Cozy repeated. “Almost like a flat affect sort of thing, yeah,” he affirmed, looking over at her. Looking to Flurry, seeing that their conversation held the alicorn’s attention, Cozy leveled a hoof at the mare. “Is that true?” “I wouldn’t say she’s stoic,” Flurry laughed, “she’s just tranquil.” A knot began to grow in Cozy’s stomach, as her suspicions deepened. The last time she remembered seeing Twilight, from within her stony prison, the Princess grown to be nearly the same size as Flurry. “And you said you didn’t have many friends?” “To be honest, not many, no. A few of the palace guards, Twilight herself, and you all too, but that’s about it,” the Princess sighed. Cozy was entering uncertain waters and she had to be careful. She couldn’t afford to upset Flurry, at such a crucial juncture in their odyssey, yet she required answers. Staying quiet, stewing on how to continue the conversation in a civil, amiable manner, she neglected to account for someone’s lack of tact. “Does she look like this?” Chrysalis groaned, effortlessly assuming the appearance of Twilight Sparkle at the time of their defeat. “Yeah, just like that!” Flurry exclaimed. “Frankly, I’m surprised Twilight hasn’t had you running around making friends with half of Equestria,” the shapeshifter flippantly stated, reverting to her natural form. “Oh! She said I don’t need to do that. ‘Friendship can be wonderful, but it comes with a price,’ that’s what she’s always taught me,” the Princess recited, without skipping a beat. Cozy froze, as did Chrysalis, while they both stared at the alicorn in disbelief. Flurry’s statement meant one of two things - either Twilight had suffered some cataclysmic shift in character, or she was an imposter. There was simply no other explanation for it. “That’s not…” Chrysalis drew silent, as she noticed Cozy subtly shaking her head. “Not what?” Flurry inquired, peering over her shoulder. “Not what I was expecting to hear - that’s all,” the changeling concluded, acknowledging the pegasus before looking away. Cozy realized what the look meant, knowing she’d have to have a conversation with Chrysalis, but it would have to wait until they had some privacy. There was no doubt in her mind that something was wrong with Twilight, or whatever was masquerading as the Princess, which only served to deepen her concerns with their predicament. A threat she knew and understood wasn’t nearly as problematic as a mysterious one. Pushing what questions she had to the back of her mind, she decided to let the subject lie and bide her time. They continued their travel on foot and hoof for some time, only occasionally halting when party members needed to relieve themselves or if someone wanted a drink of water. The going was slow but steady and, before they knew it, the sun was almost directly overhead. With the forest beginning to thin ever so slightly, and the appearance of a small clearing in the treeline, the group decided to give themselves a small break. “Hey, Chrysalis, do you mind if I ask you something?” Anon began, easing himself down on the soft grass. “It’s Queen Chrysalis, hyu-man. Speak,” the changeling huffed. “I’ve read a lot about you, as well as Cozy and Tirek, but there was one thing I’ve always been curious about. There’s a lot of speculation out there about where your kind came from, although I’ve never seen anything concrete about it. Why is that?” he asked. “That’s because nopony knows where we came from - myself included. My earliest memories were of a cavern, warring with my kin for what little food we had. I was bigger, stronger, and more cunning than they, so I asserted my dominance and took command of the hive,” she explained. “In regards to exactly how we came about, I can’t truly say.” The man shot her a questioning look. “So, what, you just crowned yourself as their Queen and that was that?” “I was the most capable, so it fell into my hooves to lead them and assure our survival,” Chrysalis remarked. “Did you ever consider asking anypony for help?” Flurry quipped. “Child, we’re predators, that would be like a tiger asking a field mouse for help,” the changeling chuckled, flashing a wolfish grin at the alicorn. “Yeah, but the hippogriffs and griffons aren’t vegetarians,” the Princess countered. “I mean, creatures do what they have to to survive; nopony can blame you for that.” Chrysalis studied Flurry for a moment, squinted, then looked away. “We were desperate and did what we needed to do.” “Well if I was there, I would have extended the olive branch. If some sort of a peace treaty could have been reached, the ponies and changelings could have both benefited!” Flurry exclaimed, beaming over at the Matriarch. “Well you weren’t there and it’s too late to discuss such trivial matters. I’ve lost my hive and, like Cozy, I’m sure to be reviled by everycreature,” Chrysalis spat, turning and thrusting a hoof at the Princess. “We could change that though!” Flurry insisted. “Grumpy or not, you’ve shown yourself to be a capable leader and I think you would have a lot to offer the world.” “She’s right, you know,” Anon chimed in, “you’re one of the oldest living creatures in all of Equestria. Your knowledge of history alone would be invaluable.” “Has everyone gotten a bit more dense since my imprisonment?!” the changeling coughed, incredulously looking between the man and alicorn. “Are you to have me believe that my transgressions would be forgiven so easily?” “Not right away, no - then again, you didn’t gain your notoriety overnight either,” the Princess sighed, her smile faltering. “All I’m saying is that I feel bad you weren’t given a chance.” Cozy sat mute, watching the scene play out. After Chrysalis’ defeat, at the hooves of Starlight, her motivations had shifted almost entirely. Once her brood had evolved, adapting to sustain themselves from the mutual friendship with others, she’d been driven solely by her vengeance towards the ponies who had robbed her of everything. With no living soul to level her hatred against, she could seize the opportunity and begin anew - if she chose to take the opportunity. “You are either incredibly naive or astoundingly brazen, little Princess,” Chrysalis whispered. “Maybe, but what happened to you was wrong and I want to make it right,” Flurry softly replied, shuffling closer to the shapeshifter and extending a hoof. Chrysalis froze, staring incredulously at the alicorn, before leaping to her hooves and trotting away. “Bah.” “Wait, where are you going?” the Princess as asked, a touch of concern in her voice. “To brood!” the changeling sourly yelled, stomping towards the nearby treeline. Moving some odd dozen paces away, into the shade, she muttered darkly to herself. “You really mean that, don’t you?” Cozy quietly inquired, causing the alicorn to look in her direction. “D...did I do something wrong? I just wanted to help,” Flurry lamented, her eyes falling to the ground. Cozy shook her head and the smallest grin met her lips. “Don’t let her bother you too much, she’s always been moody. She’ll be alright.” Shifting in place, Anon turned towards them. “How did you win her over?” “Time, respect, and a shared goal. I know, I know, trying to conquer the world isn’t exactly a wholesome pastime, but it helped bring us together. Regardless of what your objective is, working as a team can forge strong bonds,” Cozy said, making light of her past actions. “I don’t want her to be lonely, that’s all,” Flurry admitted. Seating herself beside Anon, she dejectedly kicked at a loose pebble. “She’s got us, for now. What she does after everything is settled is up to her,” the man murmured, patting her shoulder. Keeping her eyes on Chrysalis’ silhouette, watching the changeling levitate and fling a broken branch, Cozy kept her voice low. “Who knows - if everything does work out, maybe she’ll turn over a new leaf. I’ve seen crazier things happen.” “Oh?” Anon hummed. “Without even counting the last few days, yeah,” Cozy chuckled. “Fair enough. I knew people who changed their lives around, back where I’m from, so I guess it’s a universal possibility,” he exhaled. Cozy nodded, leaning back and stretching her wings. “Yeah, they can. Sometimes change is for the better, sometimes it’s for the worst - either way, it usually requires a catalyst to bring it about.” “I just hope our next change won’t involve a prison,” Anon grunted. “Don’t worry, they’ve got all different sizes of cells in Tartarus. If we end up down there, I’ll show you the ropes,” Cozy joked, snickering to herself. “I’m...gonna go see if we’re anywhere near the edge of the forest,” Flurry grumbled, seemingly discontent with the direction the conversation had taken. Extending her wings, she shot into the sky and sailed upwards. Anon watched the Princess soar upwards, shielding his eyes from the sun, before peeking over at the diminutive pegasus nearby. “I’m glad she’s with us, but I hate that she got dragged into all this.” “Yeah, she seems legitimately nice, I just wish…” Cozy went silent, noticing the alicorn abruptly turn and come rocketing back towards them. The swift action didn’t sit well with her, causing her to get to her hooves. “I’ve got some good news and not so good news,” Flurry blurted, flying just above the ground. “What’s the bad news?” Anon asked, pushing himself up. “The bad news is that there’s a group of three ponies moving in our direction, along the tracks. They don’t look like guards or anything, since they’re not wearing armor, but they’re not too far away,” the Princess anxiously stated, pointing in their direction. “And the good news?” Cozy inquired. “We’re not far from open ground - maybe an hour’s trot, give or take,” the Princess continued. “Should we hide or something?” Cozy paid little attention to the fretful alicorn, as her eyes were glued on a colorful dot just above the treeline. Squinting, she could barely make out the outlines of what could only be a pegasus. Whoever they were, they waved at something or someone out of sight, before dashing back out of view. “No sense hiding, since they’ve probably already seen us,” she groaned. Looking over her shoulder, noticing Chrysalis moving in their direction, she waited for the changeling to join them. “Alright, let’s play this by ear. They may just be passing by - if not, or if they’re looking for us, we’re her prisoners,” she intoned, pointing to the shapeshifter. “Got it?” Everyone nodded around her, signalling they knew what to do. Though she was thankful that they weren’t going to be encountering a larger group of ponies, she’d hoped to make it to a settlement without having been discovered. Waving for them to disperse, lest they be happened upon while conspiring, she sat and kept her eyes on the tracks. Sure enough, after a hoofful of minutes, a trio of ponies emerged. She wasn’t terribly surprised when they slowed, having spotted her group, and began moving directly in their direction. They appeared ordinary enough, only trotting at a relaxed pace, but that did little to salve her nerves. As they drew nearer, she got a better look at their features. There was the crimson pegasus stallion who first noticed them, a slate grey earth pony stallion, and a teal unicorn mare. Each of them looked relatively plain, and none of them bore any sort of equipment or armor, leaving her cautiously optimistic that they were random passersby. Smiling broadly, she hopped up and waved hello. Until she was forced to do otherwise, it was time to put on the tried and true Cozy charm.