//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 - Pride and Prejudice // Story: For Whom the Twilight Falls // by iAmSiNnEr //------------------------------// For Whom the Twilight Falls Cowritten by iAmSiNnEr and Meowofy Chapter 9 - Pride and Prejudice “I’m sorry.” The room froze as every creature turned to look at Princess Sunset, the alicorn standing at the bottom of the stairs with a despondent and guilty expression. Her mane hung limp, the magic that used to flow through them gone.  “You should be,” Flurry was the first to break the silence. “Your plan failed, Sunset. Midnight rules supreme.” “It wasn’t meant to be,” Sunset said, her voice hollow. “I had thought that—” “That Luna and Celestia would find all six Bearers and Elements within a few days?” Radiant said indignantly. “Sunset, I didn’t say anything because I was willing to give you a chance. But look what happened. You left everything on their shoulders.” “Mother!” Philomena squawked.  “It’s fine, Mena,” Sunset sat down on the stairs. “It is my fault. Just like so many things were. I left so many things to chance. But it was because I believed that Harmony would pull through. That Harmony would save us like it had many times before.” She laughed bitterly. “Looks like banishing Twilight made Harmony abandon me.” “What should we do now?” Luna asked urgently. “Princess, you’re awake now. You should know what to do.” “I don’t,” Sunset said quietly, her eyes full of pain. “That monster took every shred of plan I had. I can only remember my intentions now.” “Plans count as knowledge?” Celestia blurted out.  “There isn’t actually a spell to remove all knowledge from a pony,” Flurry explained. “What Midnight most likely used was a spell to invade a pony’s mind, allowing her to rip the memories she wanted out of there. It’s what you saw her do to Prince Scorpan.” “Speaking of which, what happened to him and his brother?” Celestia tilted her head. “I didn’t see them anywhere.” “Prince Tirek took his brother away,” Chrysalis said, her voice hollow. “I saw him this morning with two other centaurs, giving instructions for them to bring him home to rest and recuperate. I don’t know what he’s been doing in Ponyville since.” “There must be something we can do!” Luna cried out. “Visit the jeweler,” Radiant answered. “Get six, pure, gems. We’ll need them to house the Elements if we are to even have the slightest chance of beating Midnight.” “On it!” Celestia gave a salute. “C’mon, Luna, Chryssy, we’re visiting a jeweler!” “Wait—” Both Luna and Chrysalis protested at the same time, but Celestia grabbed both of them before dragging them out of the library. As the door closed, the remaining ponies and creatures shared a look. Sunset gave a hint of a smile. “I think we chose right.” “Hello?” Celestia poked her head in. “Is anyone here?” “Hello, my name’s Opal, how may I help you?” the pony that greeted her as she entered the jewelry store was not Sombra, but a bespectacled yellow unicorn mare. “Hi, um,” Celestia looked around. “I was looking for Sombra?” “Oh! Our resident jeweler!” Opal smiled. “I’m afraid he’s not in, but I am the owner of the store, and I can answer most of your inquiries.” “Well, uh, is it okay if my friends come in?” Celestia tapped a hoof on the ground nervously.  “Of course, Miss Solaris!” Opal beamed. “The more the merrier!” “You can come in, girls!” Celestia called out, prompting Luna to trot in, along with Chrysalis nervously peeking around. At the sight of Chrysalis, Opal stiffened.  “Not the changeling,” she said abruptly. “Miss Solaris, what are you doing, fraternizing with the enemy?” “Chrysalis isn’t the enemy!” Luna protested. “She’s our friend!” “I’m afraid my business will not allow a changeling inside the premises,” Opal said with a slight sneer. “No matter if she is a friend of Princess Sunset’s personal students.” “What’s wrong with Chryssy?” Celestia’s eyes narrowed, even as Chrysalis waved her hooves in a panic to try and get her to stop. “She’s our friend, and you will treat her with respect! I will not have—” “It’s okay, Celestia!” Chrysalis blurted out. “I’ll just leave. It’s no problem.” “That’s right, you traitorous wench,” Opal spat. “Princess Sunset welcomed the changelings with open hooves and treated the lot of you kindly. And you betrayed her!” “Shut up,” Luna advanced, her voice threatening. “Chryssy isn’t with them! She’s with us!” Opal snorted. “A changeling can’t get rid of the holes in their hooves.” The unicorn mare got up from behind the counter, and her horn lit up. “If you won’t leave, I’ll make you leave.” “She’s staying,” Celestia said stubbornly. “This is against her rights!” “She lost all her rights when she sided with that monster!” Opal shouted. “She lost all rights when her kind took MY HUSBAND FROM ME! OUT!” Her magic shoved the three of them out of the door before any of them could react, causing the trio to stumble into the streets. The ponies trotting along noticed this, and a crowd began to gather. “Don’t come back,” Opal said from the door. “Not with the likes of her!” She jerked her head, indicating Chrysalis.  “No!” Celestia’s hoof stopped the door from closing. “You’re going to apologize to Chryssy, now.” “Celestia, it’s okay, really!” Chrysalis protested. “It is not,” Celestia leveled a glare at Opal. “Chrysalis isn’t on their side!” “She’s a monster.” Opal said firmly. "Chryssy, don't listen to her," Celestia gave the unicorn mare a glare. "She doesn't know what she's talking about." "She's the changeling princess, Solaris," Opal hissed. "She's in all of this! My husband taught the kindergarten foals, and now he's gone! And the changelings are all to blame!" A crowd began to form around them, watching the scene. At this, some murmured agreement. "Yeah. Them changelings that allowed that alicorn to take power." "And to think, we were so nice to them!" With tears brimming in her eyes, Chrysalis's horn flared, and a wave of green fire burst outward from her in a circle. "Leave. Me. Alone!" For some reason, the flames passed over Luna and Celestia harmlessly, but the nearest ponies all yelped at the sudden fire that burned them a little. "You see?" Opal shouted to the crowd. "She's a monster!" Chrysalis’s chest was heaving up and down, and she was breathing heavily from where she had curled herself into a ball on the ground. “Chyrssy,” Celestia whispered as she knelt down next to her changeling friend. “Don’t listen to them.” “They’re right,” Chrysalis’s tears were still flowing from her emerald green irises. “I’m a monster. My mother betrayed the ponies, and now we’re hated.” “But you didn’t side with her, did you?” The crowd was still murmuring, whispering, but Celestia didn’t care. “You sided with us. Your friends. And you’re my friend. I don’t care what they say about you. You’re with us. You’re Chryssy.” “They hate me,” Chrysalis whispered. “They hate what I am.” “Listen to me,” Celestia cupped Chrysalis’s chin in her hoof. “You’re. Not. Them. I’m willing to bet not every changeling followed your mother. So you’re not alone, either. You’re our friend. You’re. Not. Them. We’re friends, aren’t we?” “W-why?” Chrysalis finally looked at her in the eyes. “W-why are you still with me?” “Because I’m your friend, Chryssy,” Celestia said gently. “And friends stick with one another.” "You're getting out of our town," Opal stated. "And you're not staying. And if you like your changeling friend so much, you can go with her, Solaris,” she sneered. “Princess Sunset chose the wrong ponies to be her personal students.” “No,” Celestia said in a low voice. “My friend isn’t leaving. She’s staying. And so am I.” “Your friend is a traitor!” Opal screamed. “Her kind took my husband away! And I don’t even know if I’ll see him ever again!” Chrysalis had gotten up, unsteadily leaning against Luna, and her face was awash with guilt and shame at hearing the shout. "Listen," Luna said placatingly. "Chryssy isn't part of this. She's our friend. Her own mother abandoned her for this. Do you think she wanted all of this? For your loved ones to be taken away from you?" The murmurs in the crowd died down. "Chryssy?" Luna prompted. “You should say something.” Chrysalis wiped the tears away from her emerald green eyes, steeling herself. "I was Princess Chrysalis, yes. But no longer," she whispered. "My mother told me I wasn't fit for the role. And so, I would give a promise to all of you. If we manage to beat Midnight, I will take leadership of the changelings. And I will make sure we repay you back for all the damage we have caused. On my word, on my honor, as the next in the line for the throne." “Today, I declare a new hive,” Chrysalis’s voice grew steadier. “One that I will build with the changelings listening, if there are any. I know many of you may not agree with Mother. And we can correct her wrongs. The wrongs of our species. We can be better. We can show Equestria that we are not what they say. I promise, that we will fix the wrongs of the rest of us.” Opal drew back derisively, but gasped as ponies in the crowd shed their disguises, revealing the changelings that had been listening. Each of them took to the air, before buzzing to the clearing in the middle of the crowd and landing. The crowd backed up, surprised and astonished faces among them. Then Chrysalis closed her eyes and breathed out. When she opened them, they were firm, calm, determined.   “My name is Chrysalis!” she declared to the crowd. “And I will not be defined by the mistakes of my kind! We will not be defined by those who choose to follow Midnight!” She looked at Opal. “Opal, I am very sorry for what we have done to you and your family,” she said sincerely. “I would like to apologize on behalf of the changelings. And I will right the wrongs that have been done to you. I may be just barely of age, but I will do my best.” And then she knelt, the rest of the changelings following her lead. “Will you accept my apology, Opal?” She asked, her emerald green eyes shining. Opal’s eyes widened. She looked at the crowd, whose murmurs had died down at the sight. “I—” “I’m so sorry,” Opal’s eyes were tearing up now, her rude and sneering exterior flaking away. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know that there were some of you who didn’t follow Midnight. Y-yes! I’ll accept your apology. But you need to accept mine too. I-I…I have wronged you.” A small colt poked his head from behind Opal’s hooves. “Papa?” Chrysalis’s eyes grew wet at the sight of the colt, shame burning on her expression. “I’m so sorry, little one,” she whispered. “Your papa won’t be home today.” “Where’s papa?” he demanded, looking up at Opal. “Mama, where’s papa?” “Papa’s not here,” Opal shed more tears. “He’s gone away. But he’ll be back, I promise!” “I’ll make sure I get your papa back to you,” Chrysalis rose to her hooves slowly, looking down at the colt. “What’s your name?” “Tip,” he said proudly. “Tip is name!” “Well, Tip,” Celestia trotted over to him, lowering herself to his height. “Be a brave colt for your mama, okay? I’ll get your papa back for you. But now, you have to be brave for your mama, okay?” “Okay!” Tip nodded. “Opal,” Chrysalis looked at Opal. “When this is all over, I will personally bring your husband back to you. I promise you that.” “O-okay,” the mare nodded shakily. “Thank you.” “Now what’s going on here?” A familiar voice carried through the crowd, and a familiar black unicorn stallion emerged from it. Sombra blinked at the scene. “What in the Crystal Heart blazes happened while I was away for lunch?” Deep in a cavern, two orbs lit up with a green and pink aura. Three of Six. Nightmares. So many. Sparkle was getting frustrated. She couldn’t fix them all. She couldn’t protect every single dreamer. Not when Midnight was causing them nightmares on purpose and unconsciously at the same time. But she held hope. Hope that her love would find the Elements. And then finish her off for good, so that Midnight could hurt her ponies no more.