Chrysalis winced slightly as she stepped into the outside air. The sunlight trickled down from the sky, hitting her square in the face. Certainly, the rain had passed, and in its place, it left an awakening village. The village itself seemed like a quaint place. That was the nicest word Chrysalis could describe it as. She wasn’t sure about how large it was, or of the population, but had she known about it back in the day, it could have at least provided a meal for her hive. Or a snack at least. Due to the fact she hadn’t heard of this town, it was more than likely backwater.
She sniffed the air, still smelling the rain hanging off the entire town. As her hooves touched the ground, she could feel the dampness seeping in. She glared slightly at the partially dried dirt path. Annoying at most, but it wasn’t bad enough to be muddy. Moving out, she felt a brief brush against her flank, the wind sending a chill through her.
“Well, welcome to Trotter!” Spring Herb announced.
Chrysalis looked around, taking in more of the village sights. Ponies were up and about going through their business.
“So where’s your sister? Isn’t her “stunning” personality going to join us?” Chrysalis asked.
“She’s preparing something special for us, in the meantime, I was thinking I could show you around,” Spring suggested.
Seeing nothing else to do, and trying to keep up an appearance of being a normal pony, Chrysalis replied, “If you must.”
The pair entered the village proper, and right away Chrysalis noticed several looks being sent her way. This must have been a small town she reasoned, they were keen on new arrivals and could tell right away who was an outsider. It made her intention to keep her identity secret all the more.
“Hey Spring!”
Chrysalis winced as she noticed a trio of fillies heading towards them.
“Hello, there girls, having a good morning?” Spring asked.
“Oh yes! And thanks for that work you did on my leg!” The lead filly, a unicorn answered.
Chrysalis noticed said filly had a wrapping around her leg.
“No problem, just be sure to stay away from strange plants,” Spring cautioned.
“Yep!’ The filly responded.
Flanking her was an earth pony filly as well as a pegasus. Chrysalis didn’t take any care or mind to note their features. Ponies were ponies after all.
“Wow! So you did bring in some strange lady!” The earth pony noticed.
The former changeling frowned a little but kept her ill comments to herself.
“Well I wouldn’t call her strange, her name is Crystal Hoof,” Spring introduced.
Chrysalis was a tad surprised but found the small boost of defense Spring had granted her was welcome.
Suddenly the pegasus filly flapped herself into the air and put her face directly in front of Chrysalis.
“So where did you come from? Are you on the run? Are you some kind of felon!?” She asked.
“Uh…” Chrysalis started, not sure how to continue.
“Woah Honeywing, that’s no way to greet someone new!” Spring scolded.
The pegasus lowered herself and bowed in her head, “Sorry, It’s just stuff like this doesn’t happen in the village! I mean she could be some stranger from a far-off land! I smell a scandal brewing!”
“That’s what you said about who Prince Rune’s father is,” The earth pony scoffed.
“Prince Rune? Who’s that?” Chrysalis asked.
The three fillies, as well as Spring, looked at her curiously.
“You know? Prince Rune?” The unicorn answered.
Chrysalis still looked confused.
“The prince of Equestria?” The unicorn spoke in a question.
“Equestria has a prince?” This came as a shock to the former changeling. Before she was turned into stone, Twilight Sparkle was on the eve of her coronation. Not counting the Crystal Empire.
“I’m talking about Princess Twilight’s son!” The unicorn said growing all the more frustrated.
Now this news took Chrysalis by surprise most of all, “Twilight Sparkle has a son!?”
“Duh! Where have you been living lady? Under a rock?” Honeywing asked.
Chrysalis couldn’t help but find the irony in that statement, “I just don’t keep up with current events,” Chrysalis excused.
The three fillies looked at her oddly, but Spring moved in, “Why don’t we get going? It was nice to see you girls,” Spring excused hurrying past the three youngsters, “Sorry about that. Those three are good girls, just a little excitable.”
“It’s fine,” Chrysalis stated bluntly, “So Twilight Sparkle truly has a son?”
“Yep, Prince Rune. I don’t like to gossip but I have to say his birth did stir up some controversy,” Spring noted.
“Controversy?”
“Yeah, one day Princess Twilight shows up looking like Princess Celestia, then word got out she was pregnant,” Said Spring.
Chrysalis’s curiosity was peaked, “And his father?”
“That’s the big mystery, nopony knows. And you just know tabloids are going to make up whole sorts of theories about that,” Spring remarked with a somewhat exasperated tone.
Thinking inwardly to herself, Chrysalis responded, “I see.”
Twilight Sparkle having a son was something she didn’t expect. The unicorn had seemed more concerned with her studies and duties to consider starting a family. What made this even more amusing was that the father was unknown. So by all means her child was illegitimate. Twilight Sparkle gave birth to an illegitimate prince. Chrysalis managed a small chuckle but made certain to keep it to herself.
She supposed even the elite like her had their indiscretions.
“There’s the General Store, the local cafe,” Spring Herb listed the various locations, something Chrysalis only half-listened to. Of course, none of those things interested her, all she cared about was reversing her condition. Magic such as this would be listed in a book. If only she had something like that. “And then there's the library.”
“Library!?” Chrysalis shot up, the suddenness taking Spring herb by surprise.
“Um...yes?”
“Take me there!” Chrysalis demanded, grabbing hold of the stallion. Once she noticed the rather shocked expression upon Spring’s face, she let go immediately, “I just really...like to read,” She excused.
Considering the excuse for a moment, Spring shrugged and replied, “Okay...I’d be happy to take you there.”
The two ponies trotted inside the building and right away they were greeted by a middle-aged earth pony.
“Why hello Spring,” The stallion greeted, his tone slightly hushed. It made sense considering they were in a library.
“Hello Page, just showing my guest around,” Spring explained.
The pony, Page as he was called, observed the mare before him, “Ah I heard you took in some young filly.”
“Crystal Hoof,” Chrysalis greeted.
“It’s a pleasure ma'am, so, what brings you in today?” Page asked.
Before Spring could answer, Chrysalis was the first to speak, “Tell me, do you have any books on magic?”
“Why yes of course, straight in the very back. Not too many readers though, most in this town are into a good novel or storybook,” The stallion chuckled.
“That’s good enough for me,” Chrysalis stated.
She supposed a town such as this didn’t have a large selection, but she would have to make do with what she had.
Before she could begin her literary journey, she turned to Spring Herb, “I need some privacy if you don’t mind?”
“Privacy?” Spring repeated.
“I just enjoy reading in solitude,” Chrysalis made up a quick excuse, “I’ll meet you at home?”
Spring didn’t seem to resist her decision, which Chrysalis found a bit strange regarding how intent he was on showing her around, “Okay, that’s fine with me.”
Chrysalis said nothing as she continued forward. It didn’t take her long to find what she was looking for. The big sign that said “Magic and Spells” was a dead giveaway.
“Alright Chrysalis, best to get to work,” She told herself as she levitated the first book out of the shelf.
XXX
“Hey Sis,” Spring greeted as he stepped through the doorway.
“Back already? Where’s our “guest”?” Summer asked.
“At the library.”
“And you left her there?”
“She said she wanted privacy.”
Summer found a brief suspicion towards that remark, but paid it no mind, “Well all the better for us. After all, her being here would ruin the surprise.”
The moment Spring entered their home, the smells of various herbs and spices filled the air. Looking over towards his sister, Spring could see an assortment of cooking supplies and ingredients placed before her.
“You know how to prepare a “welcome feast” don’t you Sis?” Spring said with amusement.
“Naturally! One of us had to inherit something from Mom!” Summer boasted.
“Hey, I’m good at cooking too!” Spring retorted.
“Oh yeah? Prove it!” Summer teased, “Come on, help me with this so you can impress your little “girlfriend”.”
Spring looked quizzically at his sister, “Girlfriend?” He mouthed to himself.
He didn’t question his sister further and instead helped with the cooking.
XXX
Time passed within the library. Chrysalis went through book after book searching for any trace of whatever spell had been cast upon her. But book after book, page after page, she found nothing.
“Ugh, something has to be here!” She hissed as she slammed another book down upon the table, “Nothing but worthless spells, can’t these ponies come up with something practical!?” She asked rhetorically.
She placed her hooves upon the table, feeling the stress of her work piling up in her. But then out of the corner of her eye, she spied another book, one she had left abandoned in her study.
“Well, might as well,” She said half exasperated.
She turned the pages carefully, taking care not to miss a single detail. Yet, part of her felt this was hopeless. She had gone through numerous tomes and found nothing. It wasn’t as if this last one would give her what she seeks. But surprises had a way of catching one off guard.
One word halted her turning, “Reincarnation”. Immediately Chrysalis turned to the page and began to pour into this one section.
“Though many spells are elusive, none are more so than the reincarnation spell. Reincarnation means the process of one’s soul being reborn into a new life-form. Yet this spell does this to a living creature. The process is relatively unknown, but it is believed a creature’s body is converted into energy then reconstituted into a new life,” Chrysalis repeated the words back to herself, but found it unbelievably convenient she found this book. A reincarnation spell? Her current predicament seemed too similar to be a coincidence. She read on, “Few documents of this spell have been recorded, but it is generally believed this spell can only be reversed by the one who cast it.”
As Chrysalis digested the last bit of information, she found that something inside her snapped. With fury, she slammed the book shut, and here she fully read the title.
“Spells of Myth and Legend.”
There was no denying it. Even if this spell was merely a legend, it seemed as if she could only return to her true self if the spell was reversed by the one who cast it.
“This has to be some cosmic joke,” She sighed to herself.
It couldn’t be her fate, she knew there was a way around it.
“Excuse me?”
Chrysalis gasped and turned around only to face the pony known as Page.
“I was just checking on you to see if you’re alright. You’ve been back there a while,” The pony noted.
“Oh yes, I just got lost in reading,” Chrysalis excused.
Suddenly, a grumble sprang up and Chrysalis gave another startled gasp.
“Well, looks like you’re hungry,” Page noted.
The spell itself must have been deeper than simple cosmetics. As a changeling, she never experienced hunger as a pony or griffon would. She had no use for food, only finding nourishment on the love of others. But her body was telling her she was hungry apparently.
“Why don’t you head back to Spring and Summer? I’m sure they’ll whip you up something good. Don’t worry about the books I’ve got them,” Page assured.
Chrysalis realized there was no use in starving herself, so she muttered a “thank you”, just to be polite, and let herself out of the library. All the while she sulked about her current fate.
If she didn’t do something, the legacy of Chrysalis would die out.