Chrysalis was again back in the endless void, surrounded by nothing but darkness in every direction. She knew this place couldn’t be real this time, but try as she may, waking up seemed impossible.
She tried to navigate the void, but everything looked the same. All she managed to do was spiral deeper and deeper into the dark. With nowhere to go, she was forced to wait for anything to happen.
“Greetings, my friend,” called a voice from the dark.
Chrysalis didn’t recognize it fully. It sounded like a softer, quieter version of the same voice she heard in her previous dream. Chrysalis was now fully convinced that something or someone from the real world was influencing her dreams. The only question was who or what was responsible.
“Listen to me, former queen. I can offer you so much more than that other voice. That loud, obnoxious one can’t be trusted. You’ll have to listen to me if you want to reach the heart resting below and claim the power you desire,” said the voice, echoing all around Chrysalis.
Despite this softer voice clearly assuming otherwise, Chrysalis wasn’t born yesterday. It was readily apparent that this new voice thought it could manipulate her, so she immediately shut that down.
“Sorry, mysterious stranger, but I’ve got plenty of voices buzzing around in my head already, and I’m not accepting applications for any more at the moment,” explained Chrysalis.
“Ah, so that’s how you’re going to play it? It seems we’re more alike than I realized. In that case, let me state my intentions clearly,” said the mysterious voice.
The voice changed its tone, becoming deeper and more serious. “Face it, right now you’re completely alone, and you’ve got nothing to fall back on. I’ve been watching you for a long time, and I think we would make an excellent team. With my help, you could escape this cave, and reclaim your rightful place as ruler of the changelings. My only wish is to see you succeed,” said the voice.
“All you have to do is find me. Seek me out and we’ll meet face-to-face further into your journey through this cave. I eagerly await your arrival, Chrysalis. I just know that we’re going to do great things together,”
The voice drifted away until Chrysalis was alone once again, leaving her with only eerie silence for company.
Should I trust a voice that’s so obviously trying to manipulate me? What is its true goal? Why does it want me to ignore the other, louder voice? So many questions, so little time. If nothing else, I can try my luck getting answers from the louder voice the next time it pays me a visit.
In the middle of her thought process, she was interrupted. Her legs sank into the void little by little, followed by the rest of her body. She soon found herself upside down on the other side of the floor.
Then Chrysalis noticed that she hadn’t come out the other side quite the same. Now she looked more like a pony, a unicorn to be precise. After a moment, she noticed she had been transformed into her Shutterbug disguise, currently the only form she was capable of using. This wasn’t much cause for concern though, she was used to taking the form of different creatures.
What was concerning was her location, which she realized upon looking around. Chrysalis was somehow back at the Hive, going through that moment again, the moment that ruined centuries of careful planning and shattered the loyalties of so many changelings. It was just before the moment when Starlight beat her. Instead of what really happened, with her taunting Starlight Glimmer just before she convinces the changelings to betray Chrysalis, something far worse was taking place.
Chrysalis, in the form of Shutterbug, was attached to the ceiling. She was hanging upside down inside a changeling cocoon. From this vantage point, she could see all her other victims wrapped up alongside her. Normally this wouldn’t bother Chrysalis or any other changeling for that matter, but now that she was the one dangling from a cocoon the situation was more frightening than she could’ve possibly imagined.
She could do nothing to escape the cocoon. She was forced to just hang there and watch as her changelings defeat Starlight and Thorax, but forget to free Chrysalis. Instead, another changeling impersonating Chrysalis convinced the other changelings to follow her instead, and managed to take over the hive. The impersonator eventually conquered all of Equestria, proving to be a more effective leader than the real Chrysalis in every way. Throughout the entire ordeal, the real Chrysalis was mistaken for a pony and left in a cocoon for all eternity while her changelings celebrated their victory without her.
But that wasn’t how it really happened. Starlight Glimmer won that encounter, and Chrysalis was forced into exile. The changelings chose peace, they conquered nothing. Chrysalis was just reliving that moment again in a dream. Once again, the same dream was replaying in a different way. Chrysalis was considering another possibility in this one, in which changelings successfully conquered Equestria and her plan succeeded, but their victory was achieved without her.
Chrysalis would never be satisfied with that outcome, she had to be the one leading the changelings when they took over Equestria. If they achieved the goal she had worked towards for so long without her getting to take part in it, what was the point? She would only ever be happy if she was the one to conquer Equestria.
Chrysalis realized that it didn’t really matter now, there was no way to go back and change what happened. At least, she was mostly certain it was impossible to go back and change the past , magic capable of altering the flow of time was something any self-respecting magic user knew was impossible. Even if she could go back somehow, chances are some other unknown variable would lead to the same outcome all over again.
It shouldn’t mean so much to her, she knew that. She then banished the what-if scenarios running through her mind. All that mattered now was her current situation. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember her situation all that well. The only thing she could remember was accidentally ending up in a giant spider’s web and getting bitten by one.
Wait, she was bitten? But their venom can render a creature unconscious in a matter of hours. Chrysalis suddenly realized that if that was the case, she was unconscious at the moment, completely at the mercy of the giant spider that caught her.
She had to wake up soon, or she may not wake up at all. She quickly grew restless, fighting with her entire mind focused on the singular goal of escaping this dream, and her eyes finally opened.
Chrysalis awoke in a groggy half-cognizant state.
“What’s going on, where am I?” asked Chrysalis.
She couldn’t see anything, so she tried to feel her surroundings by wiggling a bit, but none of her limbs moved. Instead, her whole body just felt stuck somehow.
The realization hit her with the force of a speeding chariot.
This is a cocoon, that spider must’ve ambushed me and wrapped me up! exclaimed Chrysalis, or she would’ve yelled it out loud if her mouth wasn’t currently sewn partially shut with silk.
She felt her blood rushing to her head, making her woozy and light-headed. This immediately tipped her off about her direction.
I can tell that I’m hanging upside down. A classic for spiders and other creatures that like to utilize cocoons. It leaves prey dazed and confused as their blood rushes to their head even if they manage to break free. I should know considering I’ve done the same thing. Fortunately for me, changelings can hang upside down without issue.
She collected her thoughts, and got to thinking about her situation.
Me, the queen of the changelings, trapped in a cocoon?” Chrysalis sighed. “The irony is palpable. This giant spider has done the same thing to me that I’ve done to ponies countless times, making them feel helpless and alone.
Is this what it feels like to be suspended midair? I always wondered how the ponies we captured felt. Now that I'm up here, I can understand why they were so all so frightened of changelings. It must've been terrifying knowing that they could be betrayed and strung up at any moment.
She lashed out at the cocoon of silk keeping her stuck, but to no avail.
She tried to kick, but she couldn’t move.
She tried to propel her horn into the webbing to slice it open, but her head was enveloped in webbing.
She struggled one more time, giving it everything she had. Despite this, her attempt was again met with failure..
They felt helpless, they felt alone, and they felt like this was the end for them. It’s only fitting then that this abominable spider is putting me through all the same emotions.
Wait, what am I sympathizing with ponies for? Have I truly fallen that far? The ponies I captured weren’t some selfish means of feeding my own hunger. Unlike this spider that’s so insistent on greedily devouring everything it can find, I trapped every single one of those ponies for the sake of my hive. Every captured or slain pony I’m responsible for was for my changelings. I’ve dedicated my entire life to improving theirs!
She struggled once more against the webbing, now with renewed strength.
“Come now, why have I been so down in the dumps lately? I’m the queen of the changelings, aren’t I? I’m a thousand times stronger than this overgrown arachnid! I’ve felled the monsters of the badlands, I’ve conquered countless lands, and I’ve bested an alicorn in single combat!” Proclaimed Chrysalis, hyping herself up.
Dying in some random shoddily-crafted cocoon just wouldn’t suit a dignified royal. The only thing here that could ever hope to stop me ... is myself, realized Chrysalis.
Yes, now I get it, I was getting in my own way by doubting myself. That’s why I was having such difficulty facing all these creatures, and it’s why I’ve had so much trouble surviving in this dreadful cave and the Everfree Forest before it, I had unwittingly weakened myself.
The only reason I struggled with those soldiers, the manticore, the construct, and this giant spider was my own lack of confidence. My head wasn’t in it, I was so busy wallowing in self-pity I failed to do what needed to be done.
I just need to be brave, to regain my lost confidence. I’m the mastermind who nearly took over Equestria. I’ve come the closest of anyone in history to finally defeating the ponies once and for all. Unlike the others I’ve managed to avoid siding with the ponies, being turned to stone, or any other fate that would keep me from returning to try again and again. That’s what makes me superior to my contemporaries, I refuse to give up, and I learn from past mistakes. If I keep trying, I'm bound to succeed eventually. Before I can even consider my conquest of Equestria though, I’ll have to get out of this cave, and this cocoon before that.
She used her changeling spit to blast off the silk that was keeping her mouth sealed shut.
“I WILL find a way out of this! That overgrown spider WILL face the full wrath of the changeling sovereign!” she yelled.
She had a clever idea just then. With her brilliance restored, she inferred that this cocoon had a fatal flaw. While a lesser creature like a pony would’ve been hopeless in this situation, a changeling had an ace up their sleeve. Chrysalis was only trapped in this cocoon because she was in her usual large and imposing form, but being a changeling meant that being the wrong size for the situation was entirely optional.
Chrysalis then thought about what form might suit the situation best. During her previous tests after the fall she was unable to use any form other than her basic Shutterbug disguise. But now, she had a feeling deep within her that she could at least manage one more form. That mental block she had unwittingly put in place for herself had been chipped away, at least partially. Changeling transformations tended to be an emotion-based form of magic, and Chrysalis could feel her emotions turning, allowing her to do what she was always capable of but didn’t yet realize.
Her heart began to pound, and her breathing got rapid. Her breaths became quieter, and her heart beat slower and slower, until eventually, she found that a wave of green light had altered her entire being. Now, instead of a royal changeling that was struggling to fit inside this cocoon, she was a different kind of insect entirely. Well, arachnid, but the difference didn’t matter much, her main concern was that now she had successfully shifted into a normal-sized spider.
Due to her new size and her current form’s adeptness with moving around on and across webs, she was now completely free. From here, things would be easy enough, she used her spider form’s ability to weave silk just as easily as she would weave a cocoon of her own. She eventually found a weak point, and used her spindly limbs to carve a path out of the cocoon. How did she ever let this pathetic excuse for a monster capture her in the first place, when it had been so easy to outwit now? She wouldn’t dwell on the matter, her past failings were a result of poor planning and self-doubt, mistakes she would work tirelessly to avoid in the future.
While lost in thought, she decided to shift forms while grappling down from a silken robe made from her cocoon. In a green flash, she was back to her normal self. There was just one thing Chrysalis forgot to account for. She was still upside down, in the air, and before she could face off against her new spidery foe, she would have to contend with one of her most ancient and powerful foes, an insidious enemy she hadn’t faced off against since her earliest days. That enemy’s name was gravity.
Immediately, she fell directly towards the hard stone floor and was able to see that it was roughly a 3-story drop, only now able to understand the gravity of her situation.
She hurtled downward rapidly, quickly closing in on the floor that would cause her to meet a cold, hard end. She wasn’t afraid, she would figure something out, she always did. That’s when she remembered something of use.
Wait, I’ve just noticed ... my wings, they’re functional? Hah, it seems the stimulant potion worked faster than I anticipated!
She managed to flap her wings in quick succession just in the nick of time, stopping her descent entirely. She then flew to the floor and touched down. She smiled smugly, proud of herself for surviving everything she’d just gone through.
“Now it’s time to find where that spider went. It can’t have gone far,” said Chrysalis, talking to herself aloud.
She then noticed that her Lieutenant had been captured. A small web was keeping the purple stick stuck to the floor.
“This just won’t do,” said Chrysalis, quickly getting to work.
She used her horn as a cutting utensil, slicing the small web apart and carefully extracting the purple stick that she continued to consider her trusted Lieutenant. Just next to it were her saddlebags, which she quickly re-attached to her sides. She carefully placed her Lieutenant into the bag on her right side.
“There there, Lieutenant, I won’t allow anything else to happen to you, you have my word,” promised Chrysalis.
In the distance, Chrysalis heard a familiar tip-tapping of thin spindly legs on stone, and from the sound of it she could tell it was coming her way.
“Perfect, looks like the beast is making its way right to me, now I don’t even have to bother searching for it,” thought Chrysalis, excited for the rematch.
Then, it arrived, the spider emerged from the darkness and glared at her with her down with hungry eyes.
Chrysalis stared down right back at it. Her eyes revealed her hunger, too, but unlike the spider, she had no desire for sustenance, she was hungry for revenge.
Within moments after their eyes locked, violence followed.
The spider was the first to make its move, leaping down from its upper position towards Chrysalis. The creature knew it would have to get up close to deal any real damage to its intended prey.
Chrysalis saw this, moving closer in turn. She readied herself, having learned that her biggest obstacle was herself. Compared to how much she’s sabotaged herself, this spider couldn’t compare.
There, in the center of the spider's web-filled cave, both combatants were ready to fight to the bitter end.
It began with the spider pushing itself off the ground with a mighty leap, aiming to land on top of Chrysalis and throw her off balance. It fell towards her, nearly crushing her, but she managed to react with a well-timed horizontal slice with her crooked horn. Using her horn as a cutting tool was the right call, she had sliced one of its eight sharp legs clean off before it could pierce through her.
All it had taken to make progress was coming up with a solid plan and trusting herself, why had that been so hard before? She didn’t have much to question it with the spider about to resume its assault.
The spider let out a shrill cry of pain so obnoxious that it made Chrysalis wish she had shifted into a form lacking ears. With Chrysalis still reeling from the screech, it then lunged towards her, trying to skewer and bite down on Chrysalis's now-exposed side with a surprising degree of precision and skill for a run-of-the-mill monster.
She managed to react to the mass of limbs and fangs that tried to puncture her side, but the screech had thrown her off, causing her to be partially injured in her side by its leg. Chrysalis reeled back without making a sound, despite how much she wanted to grunt through the pain. She focused on the fact that she had avoided the spider's attempt to inject her with venom in an attempt to leave her unconscious again, bolstering her resolve by thinking of the fate she avoided.
Retaliating near instantly, Chrysalis flipped around and bucked backward towards the spider, sending it flying. She was never as good at that sort of thing as alicorns or even earth ponies were, but in terms of physical strength she was no slouch.
The spider crashed violently into the cave wall with a resounding thud, losing several of its remaining legs in the process. Chrysalis noted that the creature was quite literally on its last legs. In spite of its terrible state, the spider managed a desperate attack, yet another grandiose leap into the air. It nearly tripped just attempting the leap, but steadied itself in time to launch right into the air above.
Chrysalis already knew how to handle this, why was the spider trying the same tactic again? Chrysalis immediately got the answer to her question, as the spider fired a web straight at her from midair. It was trying to get her caught in a web before it landed so it could pounce on her and finish her off.
Chrysalis breathed in ... .and breathed ... and breathed. Just before the flying web reached her, she managed to jump upwards, and once aerial she angled her wings directly toward the flying web. She flapped her wings and sent out a gust of wind that launched the speeding bundle of web right back at the soaring spider. Her jump went further, and she flew upwards. The arachnid realized the folly of its decision too late, and tried to course correct away from her, but only managed to wobble helplessly in the air. The spider was directly impacted with the web bundle and sent flying backward towards the ceiling. With Chrysalis flying towards it in hot pursuit, she could sense its fear washing over the area like a wave, masking every other feeling she could previously sense. With the spider now stuck to the ceiling, it was an easy target. Chrysalis continued her ascent, ramming her jagged horn straight through the underside of the giant spider's head.
It was over with a grotesque finish. As the spider’s life finally drained completely from its eyes, a green substance spilled all over Chrysalis, leaving her horn in particular coated in the spider's mysterious ooze.
Ugh, I'm going to have to clean this all eventually. At least I don’t have fur at the moment. Really though, I’m just glad I survived that ordeal. Now I can finally get what I came here for, that's what matters.
Chrysalis was aware that it was probably hypocritical to judge another bug for their particular brand of silk, goo, or whatever other strange substance they utilized for all manner of purposes, but considering this one had tried to make a meal out of her she didn’t much care about being polite.
She cut down the webs trapping the spider’s corpse and flew back down to solid ground, letting the spider's corpse harmlessly flop down. Upon hitting the ground, she made sure to gather up several bundles of giant spider silk from all across this part of the cave system and place them in her saddlebags.
Finally, the reason I was here in the first place, thought Chrysalis as she gazed upon the spider’s lifeless body.
Though, was there ever any doubt? I am a queen, an immortal, the utmost example of raw strength, clever wits, and regal elegance in a single package. Honestly, I can't believe I ever had the audacity to doubt myself, how dare I? If any of my changelings had ever talked to me the way I spoke to myself, I would’ve had their head on a platter by the end of the day.
She stared again at the body of the spider, the beast she had personally conquered all on her own, no changeling soldiers required.
"I truly did lose myself, didn't I? For so long while I was in the Everfree Forest, I was just Chrysalis, downtrodden changeling, despised by all, incapable of doing anything right. Now ... now I'm something greater! I've been missing that part of myself for too long, that invincible queen that tossed Celestia aside like she was a mere pest, that brilliant queen who fooled nearly every pony in Canterlot, that resourceful queen who built the greatest hive in history out of nothing in a hostile environment where everyone and everything wants you gone or dead! To think, I let the loss of my mere title prevent me from being a queen? I never needed subjects to be that changeling, the one that conquered countless lands. But I won't spend another second wasting time as just Chrysalis the exiled changeling. Hear me now, world! I have returned to my true self, a queen to be feared," proclaimed Chrysalis.
"Look out, Equestria, your rightful queen has returned!" Proclaimed Chrysalis, yelling to all who could hear. She knew the odds of anyone else hearing her were slim, but in truth, she did this for herself, to proclaim to every doubtful aspect of her mind that she is a queen, and she is not to be trifled with.
After a brief shouting match with Equestria and the world at large, which Chrysalis seemed to be winning, she gathered up the remaining silk she needed for her potion
“Well that’s the silk collected, time to head back to Cobweb Cove. Oh, and Lieutenant? Try to avoid getting caught like that in the future, I can’t always be there to rescue you and I can’t risk a soldier with as much valuable intel as you falling into enemy hooves,” she said to an unresponsive lavender log.
“Onwards! We make for Cobweb Cove with haste, soon my horn troubles will all be over!” proclaimed Chrysalis.
Chrysalis considered today to be a good day when she thought about it as a whole, and those were so few and far between for her. She began to make the trek back to home base.
Six grueling hours, that’s how long she’d been walking in a straight line. She’d been counting, there wasn’t much else to do. The only other sources of entertainment she passed by during the trek were the occasional crystal formations, but even those lost their luster after passing by so many of them. When Chrysalis saw her first crystal formations, they seemed to tell a kind of story, she could even pretend they reminded her of varying creatures. By her thirtieth crystal formation - or was it the thirty-second? She liked to keep track of details. No, she couldn’t keep lying to herself any longer. There was no true pattern to them, they were just shiny rocks in whatever pattern they happened to have formed in. She could explain the one she thought looked like a pony formed from crystals, she had deluded herself into thinking that her enemies were everywhere, even in the very foundation of the environment itself.
I suppose it’s a testament to my skills, thought Chrysalis. My mastery of deception is so great that I managed to convince myself of my own lies.
Chrysalis, to this end, began to lecture her favorite lavender log. “Take notes, Lieutenant. Perhaps one day you’ll be able to deceive gullible fools just as well as I can. Actually, I misspoke somewhat, you can be a close second, just behind me. Sorry Lieutenant, but there’s not a soul alive that can get anywhere near the level of perfection I’ve achieved in my talents. Don’t feel too bad about it though Lieutenant, I’ve had millennia to practice, and I’m perfectly willing to teach you what I can,” explained Chrysalis.
Chrysalis wandered further into the dark. Before she knew it, another hour had passed. Just one last hour of walking left, then her horn issue would be nothing but a distant memory.
She thought she noticed passing by the same rock three times during this journey, a rock there was only one of on the way up here. She hadn’t been paying much attention to anything but her personal problems until her recent confidence boost, so she couldn’t be certain, but it reminded her of a changeling tactic.
That was ridiculous though, only a select number of changelings are capable of transforming into objects and even the ones that can need a modicum of talent to get any real use out of it. She only knew of a few personally, most of whom used it for frivolous things like playing inane practical jokes on their fellow changelings. In fact, she could think of one with that unique ability that was at the forefront of her mind lately, once he figured it out he would always find a dark corner to hide in where the other changelings couldn’t find and bully him, usually in the form of a rock. She was still confused why he had been blessed with such an ability out of all changelings, but it could at least be viewed as a saving grace for an otherwise useless changeling. His name still left a bitter taste in her, the traitor Thorax. She quickly shifted away from thinking about him any longer than she had to and decided to ignore the rock since it had only been repeated thrice, but she would keep an eye out for that rock formation in the future.
“It’s good to have you by my side, Lieutenant. Brings me back to the old days, when my advisors were ruthless, but loyal to a fault. Back then they hadn’t yet learned to question my rule. It made life so much simpler, I could give an order, and it would be done. There would be no hesitation, no whining, and no back-talk. They just … did. Those old changelings really were something, and now, well, let’s not dwell on the past too long, shall we?” said Chrysalis, changing the subject.
Though the trot back was going surprisingly smoothly, Chrysalis couldn’t help but stay on guard. You never knew what rangers might lurk in the dark, a monster would've followed you, ready to attack the moment you get distracted. Chrysalis couldn’t afford to be distracted, and forced herself to stop thinking about the old days. She was a queen, she had to remember that, and she didn’t need her old changelings, she didn’t need anyone. She knew what was right, the only way to survive was alone.
Thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Only thirty more and she would be home at last. At least, that’s what she thought. What if this ultra-stick potion was a flop? It wasn't exactly the same solution to the problem, she could easily see it failing miserably. Chrysalis didn’t care, though, she had gotten back a part of herself she thought was gone forever, and there was no spell her horn would let her cast that could make her feel quite as good as that did.
There, in the depths, was something odd. A particularly long stretch of the cavern in a somewhat tightly knit space. The outer sides were reinforced with wooden support beams all over, and were those ... lanterns? lanterns lining the walls, artificial light. That meant other living things were in the area, not just monsters. In fact, Chrysalis was able to just barely make out something, rails. This was a mineshaft! It seemed civilization was closer than she thought. Sure, if the lanterns weren’t lit it could’ve just been abandoned, but they were still bright. Some creature must’ve been through here recently, they had to have been. Chrysalis almost caught herself smiling, civilization was where she thrived, after all. Then there was a debate raging in her mind.
Should I check it out? I’m so close to getting my horn fixed, it can wait! No, wait, if I can disguise myself and convince whoever’s in that mineshaft to help me out of here, I’ll be free from this wretched cave, then I can get my horn fixed some other way that doesn’t involve using a potion that functions as glorified superglue. Still, the promise of a fixed horn right away is tempting, decisions, decisions.
“I know, I’ll ask the Lieutenant,” she said, quickly levitating her Lieutenant out of her saddlebag. “So Lieutenant, what are your two bits here?” asked Chrysalis.
The log was unresponsive, but then Chrysalis heard something. She did a double-take. Had she actually heard a voice, as in, a real voice, from the Lieutenant? No, she knew her trusted soldier’s voice well, it was mostly identical to that goody-two-shoes Twilight Sparkle, minus all the irritating rants about the value of friendship, love, peace, and so on. This was different, it sounded more like two voices, one of which was decidedly too masculine to belong to the Lieutenant, and it was coming from the mineshaft.
“Seems you answered me after all, mineshaft it is. I know this detour might be dangerous, but when have I ever been afraid of a bit of danger?” she said rhetorically. Fortunately, the Lieutenant was very good at handling rhetorical questions.
Chrysalis placed the Lieutenant precisely as she was, right back into her saddlebag, and trekked towards the source of the voices.
The mineshaft was eerie, to say the least. The sound of crackling flames was the only thing keeping away the silence, but silence would’ve been preferable to the occasional creaking sound of mine carts and singular hammering noises caused by metal slamming against steel. It wouldn’t be so bad, but Chrysalis had wandered for what felt like a mile by now without stopping once, and she felt no closer to her destination, whatever that may be.
The whole place reeked of sulfur, probably leftovers from controlled detonations used to expand the mineshaft. Chrysalis tried to detect any trace emotions in the air, but nothing came up. The mineshaft looked like there was a story behind it, but it seemed that Chrysalis wouldn’t get any answers from emotions, she’d have to go straight to the source.
“Any insight here, Lt. Sparkle?” asked Chrysalis. The log said nothing back. Nonetheless, Chrysalis was satisfied with its nonexistent answer, and imagined its reply.
“Interesting, so you think the source of the voices will be hostile? Your assumption is incorrect, though it has some merit, it’s understandable given your lack of information. You’re partially right, ponies would attack me in my true form without hesitation, but that’s just the thing. Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? I’ll just have a chat with them in the guise of “Shutterbug,” the innocent lost little unicorn. My disguises are expertly crafted, and I’ve always got a believable story for each and every one of them, trust me Lieutenant, they won’t suspect a thing,” explained Chrysalis.
Chrysalis was proud, confident, and unshakeable. What could a couple of ponies do to her? And if they were some other species, all the better! Then she might even be able to get away with using her true form, as they might not even be aware of who she is. Shapeshifting is second nature for changelings, to them it's just as natural as breathing, and for Chrysalis it takes even less effort than that. At least, normally it does, but she was dealing with some issues after that combined love blast from her traitorous subjects and her recovery would take longer still. All that being said, it still uses up the same magical energy changelings obtain from harvesting love. Considering their primary biological advantage is their ability to shapeshift, and it expends the same resource that they use as food, it's a wonder changelings have survived this long. Chrysalis, thinking on this, was certain that her leadership was the only reason changelings have survived, and even thrived after all this time.
"It was always supposed to be me and my fellow changelings against a cruel and indifferent world, one that would've shunned us if we ever revealed our true selves. After centuries of leading them to victory after victory, on the cusp of dominating the entirety of Equestria, with only a single obstacle left in the way, they ... they ... " Chrysalis lost herself in thought for a moment.
"How DARE they! Ungrateful traitors, the whole lot of them! I fed them, gave them identities, trained them, gave them the best home and community they could ever ask for in the hive to be raised in, and what did they do? When it came time for them to truly show their dedication, to do what they'd always done, side with me against the world, they turned on me. When the world was against all of us, they sided with the world ... and left me behind. Every single one of them deserves the worst fate imaginable!" yelled Chrysalis.
She turned to look at her Lieutenant.
"You'd never betray me, right Lieutenant? What am I saying, you're the last loyal soldier I've got left. I should never accuse you of such a heinous act," she said, allowing herself to relax. She tried to focus on what she lost, rather than her fury. Eventually, her nerves settled, and she was able to let herself move on.
Wandering through these empty mineshaft halls was beginning to take a toll on Chrysalis. "Does this mineshaft ever end? I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps this is some magical trick, and this mineshaft is enchanted to go on forever," she said, with a hint of aggravation.
Chrysalis snarled, "How much further must I go to reach those voices? With how far back those echoes went, I should've arrived there by now," she reasoned.
Suddenly, the path opened up, and a rubble-filled hole to the right appeared at the farthest reaches of Chrysalis's vision. Chrysalis immediately recognized the signs of an explosion, the side path had been blasted open. Judging by the remaining sulfur from the blast, it was only opened recently. Even more noticeably, the voices were finally within proper hearing distance, coming from whatever was on the other side of that opening.
Chrysalis let out a huff of resentment, "Speaking of ... "
With nowhere else to go, Chrysalis trotted through the hole in the right wall. The structure finally came into view, beyond that opening was a large, old, and abandoned-looking storehouse of some kind. It had been made from stone, though it's not like there were many other materials available in a cave.
"It looks ancient. There are cracks all over, and it looks as though an entire corner of the building is just ... missing. That can't be right though, I've lived long enough to see what happens to a truly 'ancient' structure and this fails to resemble an old ruin like that in the slightest. Perhaps it was attacked, then promptly abandoned, that might explain why it looks as though it's been hit with a battering ram," she reasoned.
“This could work out in my favor. If this storehouse is as abandoned as it looks, I can just waltz in and take whatever I desire. I won't count on it, though, those voices I heard haven't gone away. In fact, they seem to be coming from inside, and it sounds like some sort of argument?"
Chrysalis felt a twinge of movement from her saddlebag, and assumed her Lieutenant was uneasy. She couldn’t sense that emotion here, but
"There's nothing to worry about Lieutenant, contrary to popular belief I make for an excellent negotiator. I can play the role of a peace-brokering mediator when the need arises, and it seems like soon I'll need to put those skills to work if the sounds of heated arguing in there are any indication," assured Chrysalis.
With a familiar flicker of green flame engulfing her, her entire form shifted into the only other option she had at her disposal besides her recent addition of a regular spider form, that being Shutterbug. She would look a bit out of a place, a lime green city pony with autumn hair standing out against the ever-present gray backdrop, not to mention her usual cover story being that of a Canterlot photographer. Sure, she's managed to deceive ponies with flimsier claims before, but it was still a disadvantage. Still, she could come up with some new lie to spin, she was practically a bottomless well of those. Without any other forms at her disposal, she didn't have much of a choice in the matter anyways, so Shutterbug would have to do.
She was Shutterbug now, the key to selling a good lie is believing it yourself. You’re Shutterbug, just remember that, nopony else. Shutterbug, Shutterbug, Shutterbug she reminded herself.
Shutterbug took a moment to practice her overly excited voice, as grating as it was, and get it just right. With that settled, the pieces were in place, all that was left was to make her way inside.
The storehouse had a front entrance, but taking the main entrance was never her style. Why would she when she was one of the most all-terrain all-environment creatures in existence? On top of that, it was generally a better idea to head around the side and up the stairs, that way she could get a better look from an indoor balcony or listen in through the upper floor without revealing herself just yet. And so she did, making naught but the slightest of sounds as she went up the stairway.
Just as she suspected, the building had an upper balcony, made of some old, cracked stone, and with the lack of lighting inside, avoiding notice would be simple.
Every aspect of the storehouse showed its age the moment Shutterbug stepped a hoof in it. The wooden boards were creaky, and visibly worn. She managed to lightly step over them, but she almost wished she hadn't when she was subjected to the smell. By all things sacred, what was that smell? Upon further inspection, it was the distinctly sour scent of sweat. Shutterbug thought that they could’ve been exhausted, but their voices sounded normal. She couldn't be entirely sure, but it would line up with what she'd learned so far. Why else would two reasonable creatures willingly choose to spend their time in a creepy abandoned storehouse?
Shutterbug would soon get her answers. She heard the voices again, and swiftly put her ear to the floor. She heard the voice of a stallion.
"Still can't believe this was here, a storehouse being used by one of ... them. Who knows how many more of these might be out there!" said the stallion.
Another voice, this one sounding more like a typical mare, replied. "Tinson, buddy, it's just a single storage building, I highly doubt they've somehow been hiding that many of these, otherwise we would've found plenty more like this one by now," said the mare.
"You never listen to me, do you Eyesoar? This is a major security threat we're talking about here, our ponies need to know about this so they can prepare for what's coming, surely you understand that?" replied the newly identified Tinson.
Eyesoar quickly retorted, "And what danger would that be exactly, pal? Do you truly think we should run back to our superiors and warn them that our sworn enemies have, to our horror, discovered the concept of storing their valuables in boxes?" she said sarcastically.
"How can you still not take this seriously?" Tinson frantically asked.
She quickly explained, "because it just isn't that serious, you really need to lay off the kooky conspiracy theories, Tin. It's starting to get tiresome. Now focus up, we've got a job to do here, and we've wasted our time bickering for what, half an hour, maybe an hour now?"
With that, Shutterbug had heard enough to intrigue her, and if she wanted to hear more, she'd have to get her answers from the unaware ponies on the first floor. She assumed they were ponies, at least. For all she knew they could be diamond dogs or, even a new species the surface world has never seen. With that said, she would be willing to bet all her bits that they were ponies. If she could ever be sure of something, it would be that wherever you go, you’ll always encounter ponies. The little pests tended to nose their way into every corner of the world, regardless of whether or not they were welcome there.
Shutterbug needed answers, especially about these so-called “sworn enemies.”
Shutterbug dwelled on this thought, If they’re sworn enemies of ponies, they could make valuable allies. I’ll make it a top priority to learn more about them, assuming they aren’t just some unintelligent monsters.
Shutterbug focused her breathing, she’d need to extract as much info as possible from these ponies, and if they saw through her lies, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to fight them off or escape in her current state. Worse yet, she had to sell a lie to these ponies that she was a harmless photographer who just got lost in this dreadful cave. It was going to take everything she had to get these ponies to believe her. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, she was ready, and there wasn’t a hint of nervousness anywhere in her body.
She focused herself, “deep breaths, breathe in and breathe out,” she said, re-centering herself. She was going to make a good first impression, it had to be perfect. Chrysalis always demanded perfection from both herself and her subjects, settling for second-best simply didn’t occur to her in any scenario.
Without further ado, she swung the doors open and headed inside.
The denizens were shocked at first, their expressions showing an immediate willingness to attack. The stallion was some sort of metallic pony, with a true to his name coat that resembled the silvery white color of tin, and blue eyes. The mare was a bat-pony with the same predatory yellow eyes she’d come to expect, though she noticed that the bat pony was covered in more fur than the bats she was familiar with. Shutterbug assumed it was a unique trait of the bat ponies native to this cave, likely an advantage meant to aid with the frigid temperatures.
More importantly, these two were armed and armored, and gave her a startled but tough look that made it clear they were ready to use violence if she presented a threat. In spite of their attempts to look tough, their shivering betrayed their nervousness, the grip they had on their spears was shoddy and their formation wasn’t even right.
The pair of petrified ponies continued to silently stare at her in fear, and Shutterbug stared right back at them with a blank expression, she was already tired of their attempts to intimidate her.
Finally, the tin-colored pony piped up, presumably the one referred to as Tinson before.
“What are you? I mean, you’re clearly a pony, and a unicorn it looks like, but your coat is a lime green with fur. I can’t think of what that would correlate to and you’ve got some kind of strange device around you too. Most importantly, I can’t detect a hint of metal on you, what’s going on here?” asked Tinson.
“Answer us, now! Otherwise my partner and I will have to give you the kebab treatment, and no pony here needs to get hurt, alright?” added Eyesoar.
Shutterbug was quick to respond, sticking to her original story, “I’m just a regular old pony, like you two. I’ve heard of bat ponies before, but I have to admit a type of ponies made of metal is a new one for me. With that said, I’m a photographer, and I work for the Canterlot Historical Society, ever heard of it?” asked Shutterbug.
“Huh, you’ve seriously never heard of metal ponies? Where are you even from?” replied Tinson.
Shutterbug responded politely, “So sorry friends, I forgot to mention that part, my bad! I must be so nervous after I got lost. I’m from Canterlot, born and raised.”
“Canterlot huh? I’ve never heard of it,” said Tinson.
“Me neither, where’s that?” asked Eyesoar with a raised eyebrow.
“How peculiar, ponies who know nothing about the capital of Equestria? Maybe my theories about a power similar to the Crystal Heart down here means there's a society similar to the Crystal Empire down here too, which could explain a few of the oddities of this place. How do I best explain this whole situation to them?” Shutterbug thought for a moment before deciding.
“To make a long story short, I was in the Everfree Forest, tracking down a lead for a story. Then, out of nowhere, I got chased by some horrible monstrosity! Before I knew it, the beast had me cornered. I had no choice but to take a leap of faith into a cave entrance, which turned out to be a lot deeper than I realized. Ever since, I’ve been stuck in this dreadful cave. It’s really a wonder I’ve survived this long, you have no idea how elated I am to find other ponies,” she explained. The best lies were based mostly in truth for a variety of reasons.
Eyesoar began to understand, “Oh, I get it now, you’re one of those surface dweller folks then. I’ve never seen any myself, but I’ve heard stories, I just can’t believe I’m really here meeting you right now! I’ve gotta know, is it true that instead of food, you get nourishment from the light produced by a big floating orb?” asked Eyesoar.
“No, we don’t. I’m assuming by “floating orb” you mean the sun. It does aid us in the cultivation of our crops, but we don’t photosynthesize like plants, sorry to disappoint,” explained Shutterbug.
“That’s disappointing, but whatever, you can tell me more later. A surface dweller all the way down here though, weird. Should we report this to the boss?” asked Tinson.
“Obviously!” Eyesoar yelled. “You wanted to report a storehouse with the same urgency as a world-ending threat, but now you don’t know what to do about a surface dweller? Use your noggin, Tin, you weren’t born yesterday!” said Eyesoar, before slapping him with her wing.
“Ow! That one actually hurt!” complained Tinson. “Though, I kinda deserved that. If you think we should report it, I’ll follow your lead. We should get going soon though, the boss will really wanna know about this.”
Tinson remembered to say something he nearly forgot, “You! Surface Dweller! You’re coming with us! Continue cooperating and everything will go smoothly. Really sorry to spring this on you lady, it’s just protocol.”
Shutterbug thought to decline, but she was in no position to do so. She could fight her way out if needed, so there was little danger once she thought over it a bit more. She debated with herself for a moment about how she could use this situation to her advantage, and decided to go along with the two soldiers as requested.
“Can I look at something first? There’s a sour smell coming from a box back in there and I’d like to at least know what’s causing it,” pleaded Shutterbug, putting on her best attempt at soft, innocent, adorable little eyes.
Eyesoar yielded in the face of such innocence,“Fine, but make it quick, we’re both tired after a hard day’s work and we’d like to get back home before we pass out.”
Shutterbug understood. “Oh thank you, thank you ever so much! I promise it won’t take but a moment,” said Shutterbug.
With that, Shutterbug ran past the soldiers and raced towards the scent. Within moments, she went into the main storage room, out of earshot of the soldiers, and was able to determine which container held the curious scent, a rickety old chest. She hastily opened it, but the only thing inside was a bottle containing some sort of viscous black liquid. She recognized the way it was contained, the very same way her hive would bottle up love and store it for later use. But this wasn’t love, this was something far darker. Still, she had been growing peckish, and she was too curious to back out now. She removed the cork keeping the bottle sealed, and drank up the mysterious emotion in an instant.
For a moment, she felt sick to her stomach. It tasted and felt like eating rotten, molded cheese found in the wilderness. Shutterbug felt delirious, her surroundings were horrifying. She was locked in a dungeon and sentenced to death for her crimes against Equestria, all the while Starlight Glimmer and Thorax were just outside her reach, laughing at her and smiling.
Then she suddenly snapped back to the real world, back in the storehouse. What sort of hallucinatory substance she had just taken? This was the stuff of nightmares in a bottle, not the kind of emotion she would store back at the hive.
She nearly threw up on the spot, “Ugh, that was …revolting. What was that? It definitely wasn’t love. Wait..the sweat smell, the anxious curiosity, the feeling of adrenaline rushing through one’s veins, I’ve been feeling…this is bottled fear! But that doesn’t make the slightest bit of sense, a changeling wouldn’t bother keeping bottled fear around, especially if this storehouse was meant to serve as a hideout. I’ll have to get to the bottom of this, but in the meantime, I’m keeping my senses peeled for any more of this,” said Shutterbug, befuddled by her findings.
With the conclusion of her findings, Shutterbug walked back through the double doors and met up with the pair of soldiers.
"Finally done?" asked Tinson.
"Yes, I found what I needed," said Shutterbug.
"Let's get going. Stick to the path and don't wander too far from us, you never know what might pop out around here," said Eyesoar.
“And where are we going exactly anyways? I don’t mean to pry, but I’d like to know where I’m being taken before we go, as long as that’s alright of course?” pleaded Shutterbug.
“The Kingdom of Orelia, that’s where,” replied Tinson.
Her thoughts raced, that was the same kingdom mentioned by the construct before, the evidence of a society of ponies living underground continued to pile up. There were so many possibilities from such a place, especially considering they didn’t seem to be aware of Equestria at large. So many possibilities, so little time. What mattered now was following the pair of soldiers to this destination to see it for herself. She could only imagine what awaited her there.
The three ponies exited the storehouse. Though the path ahead would be long, they began their journey.