//------------------------------// // IX: A Demon Awakens // Story: March to the Scaffold // by Foxy Kimchi //------------------------------// Celestia, as graceful as ever, was busy sleeping in her in private chamber. Even in her sleep she was able to compose her regal posture, her mane quietly swaying in the solar winds. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Celestia’s eyes slowly opened. She stretched her neck as she let out a yawn. Don’t tell me I overslept and need to raise the sun., she thought as she stretched out her body. Her internal clock told her that it was still too early, and a quick look at the clock near her bed confirmed that. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! “Your Highness! I have urgent news regarding that pony you wanted us to watch. There has just been an incident.” Celestia’s eyes instantly shot open. A small sense of anxiety began to nip at her. What could possibly have happened? I thought she was doing well when she made a friend with that earth pony stallion. With a glow of her horn, the doors to her room quickly opened. A young white pegasus guard quickly trotted in, and a solid thud echoed behind him as the doors slammed shut. “What happened?” Celestia asked, a bit of anxiety in her voice. The guard gave a quick bow and pulled a scroll from his armor. Opening it, he began to read, “Your Highness, at approximately 4:37 a.m. this morning, one of the patrolling guards in the northern sector heard a loud scream. Upon arriving, he found the mare Silver Skip next to the mangled form of Mortar Brick. He appeared to have fallen from tower number four. Paramedics were immediately called to the scene. They quickly arrived and carried him to Canterlot General Hospital. He is currently undergoing extensive surgery. His condition is extremely critical and, to be honest, is looking very grim. “The incident appears to have been an accident. Business records indicate that Mortar Brick was hired specially by the government to work on tower number four, which was damaged in the recent changeling attack. Upon closer inspection there seems to have been no tampering with his equipment, which was completely intact when the guard arrived. Silver Skip appeared to be delusional when we arrived. She made no attempt to escape. However, given her special circumstances, we felt that we had to inform you immediately. Unfortunately, we were not able to witness what happened. It seems she broke completely from her routine, which, up to now, has been very consistent.” Celestia twitched slightly, her mouth open a little. Her wings flicked anxiously. She quickly sat up straight in an effort to compose herself. “Tell me,” she said calmly, “where is Silver Skip right now?” “She is currently in Canterlot General Hospital. She is still being watched by a couple of guards.” “Thank you,” Celestia said to the messenger, smiling gently at him. She turned to face the door. “Guards!” she said sternly. The doors quickly opened, two white pegasus guards rushing in. “Yes, Princess?” they quickly replied with a salute. “I want you to go to my sister and tell her she has to raise the sun today. Tell her I am sorry that I have to make her work a little longer, and that I will make it up to her later. Send this to her immediately. Understood?” “Yes, Princess!” the two guards shouted in unison. Giving a quick bow, they turned around and ran off to follow their orders. “And you,” Celestia said, facing the remaining guard, “I need to take care of a few things, but after that I want you to escort me to Silver.” “Of course, Your Majesty!” he answered. After being repeatedly denied entrance to Mortar’s hospital room, Chrysalis could only sit down on a chair next to it. Her mane was disheveled, her back was slouched, and her eyes were distant. Everything seemed to be falling apart. But what haunted and tore at her the most was the nagging feeling that she actually cared about Mortar and his fate. Chrysalis tried to make excuses as to why she was sitting outside this pony’s door, but ultimately they fooled not even her. There was a slight click next to her as the door to Mortar’s room opened, and a pink mare wearing a nurse’s outfit stepped out. “Silver, you may come in now. His condition has stabilized.” Chrysalis stood, her eyes still wide and distant. The room was dark, and the mechanical hum of the machine permeated the air. The slow beep of the heart rate monitor echoed through the room. Chrysalis walked slowly towards the bed and saw the outline of a pony on top. She stood next to it and let out a small gasp. There was Mortar, lying on the bed with a blanket draped over the lower half of his body. The rest of his body was covered in bloodied bandages, and a crown of additional bandages adorned his head. Some dried blood stained his fur. His eyes were closed, and an endotracheal tube supplied him oxygen through his open muzzle. Stitches were visible on the recently shaved parts of his body. Chrysalis cringed at the sight. She numbly took a step back, unable to avert her eyes. She suddenly felt extremely guilty. It hurts, she thought, stumbling backwards and falling on her hindquarters while clutching her chest. Why does it hurt? The nurse rushed to Chrysalis’ side. “Ma’am, are you okay?” she said worriedly, extending a helping hoof. Chrysalis quick swatted it away. “Get out!” she snarled. “Leave me alone!” The nurse smiled sympathetically and backed off. With a slight nod, she quietly exited the room. “Poor thing,” she whispered to herself. “She is much too young to be dealing with such an event. Not a great way to start the day, I suppose.” She grabbed a clipboard hanging from the door. Sighing heavily, she turned around to begin her rounds. “Oof!” she squeaked as she ran into a pony. “Oh, I am terribly sorry,” said the nurse quickly, shaking off the momentary confusion and adjusting her cap. “I did not see... you... there.” She turned pale. The clipboard hit the ground with a thunk. “Oh, that is quite all right,” replied Celestia, a gentle smile on her face. “It is my fault, really; I should not have snuck up on you like that.” The nurse stood frozen, mouth agape. “P—Princess Celestia," she stuttered, quickly giving a bow. “A thousand apologies, Your Highness. I did not see you there; please forgive me!” “Do not fret. I hold nothing against you. There is no need to bow or apologize,” Celestia replied in a calm voice. “Yes, of course, Princess,” the nurse said, standing back up. “But if I may ask, what brings you here?” “I want to check up on the pony Mortar Brick,” Celestia answered. “What is his condition?” “Oh,” the nurse replied as her ears flattened, “to be honest, Princess, it is dismal. Upon hospitalization, he had multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, a fractured skull, broken legs, a shattered pelvis, and numerous other internal injuries. We already gave him the best medical and magical treatment possible. There is nothing more we can do. Now everything depends on if his mind and body can recover from such a traumatic event. To be frank, we do not expect him to live past today, let alone a week. We will continue to do all we can, but it looks very bleak right now.” Celestia frowned worriedly. “Is there anything I can do for Mortar?” she asked. “I mean no disrespect, Your Highness, but no, there is not. We have done all that could have been done using magic. At this point we must rely on his body’s natural healing,” the nurse answered nervously. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Celestia said. “That is not to say that you are not powerful, Princess!” the nurse quickly blurted out. “It is just that whatever could have done with magic already has been done. That is why he is still alive right now.” “I understand. Was there a mare accompanying him?” “Oh, do you mean Silver Skip? She is in Mortar’s room right now. I did not have to heart to tell her about Mortar’s condition. She just looks so utterly lost and confused. I felt it was best to leave her be at the moment,” the nurse said, looking back at the room’s door sadly. “Thank you again. Do you mind if I go in?” Celestia said. “Not at all, Princess,” the nurse replied. Celestia slipped quietly into Mortar’s dimly lit room. Her heart sank when she saw Mortar’s condition. Her eyes scanned the room until she spotted Chrysalis slouched in the corner with her head in her forehooves. Oh, Chrysalis, Celestia thought as she walked towards the earth pony, I just wanted you to make a friend. I know it must have been very hard for you, but I had to do what was best for my kingdom. I did not want anypony to get hurt. “Chrysalis, are you okay?” Celestia said quietly. Chrysalis instantly jumped to her hooves when she heard her real name and the voice saying it. She glared at Celestia. “You,” Chrysalis hissed, “fix him! I demand that you fix him now!” “Chrysalis, I am unable to do that. Whatever I could have been done has already been done,” Celestia softly replied. Chrysalis’ ear twitched. “What do you mean, you cannot? Are you not the god of this country,” she said, anger rising in her voice, “the one who raises the sun every day? How is it possible that you cannot do anything? Your captain and his wife destroyed my army with one spell, yet you tell me you cannot fix Mortar?” “You have to understand that there are limits to everything, even magic. It is much easier to destroy than it is to heal,” Celestia answered. “Then you are utterly useless!” Chrysalis shouted, pointing her hoof at Celestia. She kicked wildly out of frustration before slumping back down to the ground. “Just how much more do I have to suffer, Celestia? I have lost everything—my kingdom, my crown, my changelings—and now this?” Her voice became quiet. “Why couldn’t you have just killed me? Not only did you desecrate my body, but now my heart? How much more of this punishment must I take?” “Oh, Chrysalis,” Celestia sighed as she extended a hoof towards the pony, “understand that this is not—” “Just shut up and leave me alone!” Chrysalis screamed, slapping the hoof away. “Get out of here this instant!” Celestia pulled her hoof away, a sympathetic look on her face. “Okay, Chrysalis, I will, but if you need me, just call me. I will be right outside.” “Just get out of here!” Chrysalis yelled. She grabbed a nearby potted plant and hurled it towards Celestia. Celestia just smiled sadly as the potted plant hit the wall next to her. She quietly closed the door behind her, leaving Chrysalis alone. Falling back into a slump, Chrysalis just sat there and stared at the ground. She had absolutely no idea what to do with her life anymore. At one point she was a powerful queen, and now she was a normal pony. Then she met Mortar—but now it seemed that Mortar would just fall apart like everything else had. For the first time, she felt vulnerable, as if every wall she had built around herself had just crumbled. Chrysalis felt her eyelids began to droop. Slouching on the wall, she decided that she would let sleep take hold. After all, she had nothing else to do. As she sat there, falling in and out of consciousness, she began to feel an intense migraine. She winced from the pain and clutched her head with her forehooves. “What an absolute failure you are,” echoed a sinister voice. Chrysalis instantly snapped to attention, trying to find the intruder. She looked around the room but saw nopony. “I cannot believe that my lineage has fallen so low,” the voice continued. Chrysalis looked around frantically to find the source of the voice. Her eyes widened in horror as a black speck appeared in front of her. She rubbed her eyes to try to dispel it, to no avail. The speck grew until it was at least three times her height. Soon a jagged black hoof thrust its way out, slamming into the ground. Another one soon followed. Chrysalis backed away, bumping into the wall behind her. She continued to stare in disbelief. A figure emerged from the darkness. Chrysalis gasped, looking upon what appeared to be her former changeling self. The figure loomed over her, enveloping Chrysalis in its shadow. Upon closer inspection, however, she could tell it was not her previous form. The figure was bigger than her old form, and there were no holes anywhere on its body. Its hooves were still jagged and sharp, but they were complete. The figure opened its eyelids and stared down at the earth pony, revealing crimson eyes. “You are an utter disappointment. Do you know that?” the figure said. Chrysalis could only look up in bewilderment, holding her head in her hooves. “I guess that should be expected since this is the first time you have seen me,” the figure said. It brought its head right in front of Chrysalis, crimson eyes cutting into green. “In a sense, I am your mother.” “What?” Chrysalis responded, standing up on her hooves. Her head began to clear. “Well, I am not your direct mother per se,” the figure continued as she circled around Chrysalis, “but you are, sadly, my latest descendent.” She stepped right in front of Chrysalis, putting her head right in front of the pony, revealing long fangs. “You see, I am the very first changeling. I am the one who began your once proud lineage.” Chrysalis remained stoic, staring straight into the figure’s eyes. She was not in the mood to be criticized by anything. “I do not care who you are. I did what I had to do with what I had. If you are who you say you are, then it is not my fault that I inherited a starved army,” Chrysalis retorted. The figure just lifted her head and looked down at Chrysalis. “All bark and no bite.” She instantly appeared behind Chrysalis, her muzzle next to Chrysalis’ ear. “Tell me, who was the one who defeated Celestia in battle and conquered Equestria but lost it all due to her arrogance? Who was the one who completely lost my changeling army? That was you.” Chrysalis cringed at the words, her ears flattening. Her legs weakened, and she fell on her hindquarters. She—she’s right. I did fail, Chrysalis thought, staring at her hooves. “And worst of all, my dear daughter, is that you grew attached to that!” the figure spat, pointing a jagged hoof at Mortar’s body. She continued walking around Chrysalis, a look of disgust on her face. “You could have escaped and actually done what you were supposed to do. Yet here you are, grieving over the fact that this imbecile fell off some tower. Who cares about some worthless peasant? Apparently you do. Do I need to remind you again that he is nothing but food?” “But I—” Chrysalis stammered, unable to think of anything to say. A moment passed; neither figure moving. “How are you even here, and why show up now?” Chrysalis finally said. “I have always been with my descendents in a way. When it was time, I decided to transfer myself to my next descendant, so that I could be reborn and continue my work.” She turned her head away. “I hate to admit it, but it did not go as planned. My consciousness became locked into my daughter’s mind. As time went on from one generation to the next, it got pushed deeper and deeper. Then came you. It is true that Celestia’s little punishment awakened me, but even then I was still Iocked deep within your mind. And now your mind has become so utterly devastated and weak that I could simply escape. I do not know if I should be elated that I am finally free or severely appalled at the fact that my descendant has become so pitiful.” Chrysalis looked up at her, frustrated. “Do you think I wanted any of this? Do you think I like being stuck in this form with every weakness that comes with it? If I could have changed back to my original form, I would, but I can’t even use any damn magic in this from!” she shouted. The figure smiled wickedly, revealing many sharp fangs, “So you want to be a changeling again?” “Of course I do. I always did!” Chrysalis quickly responded, standing back up. The figure instantly rushed towards Chrysalis, shoving her face right into Chrysalis’. “Because I can make you a changeling again—but you will be even more powerful. You will command an army that knows no equal.” Chrysalis’ eyes widened, and her ears perked at the thought of being a queen again. With power, she thought, I can control everything. I can make sure something like this will never happen again. I can do things no one could ever do. “Wait, how can you make me a changeling when I am stuck like this?” Chrysalis asked suspiciously. “Oh it is quite easy, really,” the figure said, appearing behind Chrysalis. She gently stroked Chrysalis’ chin with her hoof and placed her muzzle next to Chrysalis’ ear as she whispered sweetly. “I still remember the ritual that made me a changeling in the first place. It is very easy once you know it. All you need is the heart of a lover.”