//------------------------------// // XII: Acceptance // Story: March to the Scaffold // by Foxy Kimchi //------------------------------// “Poor thing,” Celestia softly whispered as she cradled the unconscious Chrysalis in her forehooves. She tucked Chrysalis in towards her chest with one forehoof, the other gently stroking her back as she tried to comfort her. “Do you sense anything, Luna?” she asked, looking up at her sister. The aura from Luna’s horn slowly faded as her eyes opened. The room once again was dimly lit, the air filled with the soft hum of the life support machines. “I do not sense anything, Sister. It seems that you did more than enough in wiping out the thing that almost consumed her,” Luna replied. She looked down at her sister and raised an eyebrow. Celestia looked back up. “What do you mean, Luna?” Luna walked to Celestia's side and sat down next to her. “My analysis shows that her possession and your intervention have left her mind extremely exposed and vulnerable. You may have gone a tad overboard. When she wakes up, she will most likely be unable to control her emotions or actions. The mental barriers that she created have been destroyed, and it will take some time for her to rebuild them. “That being said, I am not arguing with your decision. It was wise to be thorough. Better to be prudent and vanquish the demon now and forever than to risk its return. I would have done the same thing. “Though I should warn you, she will likely be extremely emotional when she wakes, possibly even violent. As I said, whatever mental checks and barriers to which she is accustomed will not be there. She will calm in a couple of hours, when she has had time to sort through her thoughts. I know this because it happened to me when the Elements of Harmony saved me; after Nightmare Moon was destroyed, my mind was vulnerable. In addition, Chrysalis’ condition is much more severe than mine was. Her beliefs, her very foundation, were being challenged by her possessor. Although I doubt she would admit it, she was extremely shaken. In light of this, your intervention might have been almost traumatic. It is a pity that it was the only way to save her.” “Thanks for the warning, Luna. I am sure I will be fine. I know I may have gone overboard, but I was scared that she would be lost. It—it brought painful memories. I did not want to fail again,” Celestia murmured, turning her head away from her sister. “Sister!” Luna admonished as her wings flared out. “How many times do I have to tell you? I am the one who fell from grace, not you, and I have paid for my actions. Stop telling yourself that it was your fault; it was mine alone. I am the one who allowed myself to be consumed. Although I am your younger sister, I am clearly old enough to admit to my own mistakes! If I can raise the moon and govern by your side, then I can clearly take the blame for my own actions. So for the last time, stop acting like it was your fault!” “But Luna—” “Enough!” Luna barked, holding her hoof in front of Celestia. “This subject is over and done; I do not want to hear about it anymore. We have pressing issues right now. What shall we do with Chrysalis?” Celestia sighed, her head dropping slightly. “I suppose you are right. She is so young yet has suffered so much. All we can do is pray that Mortar Brick shall recover and offer her support when we can. Other than that, we must wait.” Just as before, Celestia gently rubbed Chrysalis’ back, soothing her as she slept. Chrysalis shifted, unconsciously moving towards the source of warmth and resting her head on Celestia. The solar princess could only smile as she looked down on Chrysalis, her eyes watering slightly. Minutes passed as a gentle silence filled the room, enveloping the area in a peaceful serenity. Celestia’s ears flicked, awakening her from her trance. She turned to look at Luna, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Is something wrong, Sister?” Celestia asked, eyes widening and wings shifting in concern. Seconds passed, and Luna pursed her lips. She opened her mouth to speak and then quickly closed it, squinting in concentration. “I do not know how to put this gently,” she finally said. “Sister, do you not find your actions slightly peculiar right now?” “What do you mean, Sister?” Celestia said, giving a confused look, her ears perking up. “What I mean is...” Luna paused. “Well, look at what you are doing right now. It has barely been a month since the changeling attack, and here you are, cradling the leader of said attack as if she were your own foal. I am not condemning your actions; it is just that how in Equestria could you do such a thing, even after she put you in that disgusting cocoon thing? I know that saving her from her possession was the right thing to do—I would have done the same. But it is how you are right now, as if you were a mother soothing her child. Do you not feel just a little resentment from her previous actions?” Celestia gave a quick chuckle before she sighed. “I know it is strange, but I cannot help myself. I treat all of our subjects as my children. My heart bleeds for them. I just want to hug each one and tell them everything will be okay, that I will protect them from any danger. To me, they really are our children. I want to be their mother or grandmother. Even with Chrysalis, I do not harbor any resentment for her previous actions. She had a hard life, and made some mistakes, but that does not mean her heart is in the wrong place. Yes, she was punished for her actions, and I removed the dark magic from her, making her a pony. It was the only thing that I could think of that would both ensure the safety of Equestria and show mercy to somepony who desperately needs it. When she first awoke after her trial, my heart could not help but to reach out to her.” Celestia paused, looking at Luna with soft eyes. “Luna, she cried out for my help. I knew she resented me for my actions, yet to protect the one she loved, she called for me. I know she must have hated it. When I destroyed that demon, I found Chrysalis clutching a picture of Mortar. Isn’t that beautiful? I could not stop myself, so I just hugged her. At least I can provide something for her to lean on. Besides, she looked so peaceful afterwards. “I know it is silly, to have a ruler soothing a former enemy. But she is a good pony; I know it. She just had a hard life. If she wants to hate so she can feel better, then so be it. At least I can help her, then.” Luna sighed as she stood up, stretching her legs and wings in the process. “You were always the motherly one of us. I suppose it is only fitting that you would comfort her, after all. I should not have found that surprising, looking back. You are right; she has indeed suffered much. To have another entity take control of your body and then watch it commit atrocities, while unable to lift a hoof to stop it...I can only sympathize with her now after almost being possessed. I am glad that you talked me into doing things your way this time. She did deserve mercy. Ironic, is it not, that the princess of the night, not the day, would be the more fiery one? I would do well to learn from your patience.” “Well, Sister, I will bid you a good night,” Luna said with a graceful bow. “It is time for me to take court and scare the nobles.” “Now, Sister, don’t be too harsh with them,” Celestia said. “Ah, Sister, that is where you and I disagree. The nobility now is insufferable. It is time that we humbled them back to what they once were; a tiny bit of fear would do them good. You really did spoil them in my absence,” Luna remarked as she walked towards the door. “I know,” Celestia sighed. Luna’s horn glowed slightly as the door opened. “Good night, Sister. I will see you soon.” “Good night, Luna,” Celestia replied, watching Luna close the door gently behind her. Chrysalis twitched slightly as she slowly regained consciousness. She saw darkness, when suddenly a bright light burst out, banishing the shadows around her. Chrysalis gave a slight groan, feeling a light headache come on. Where am I? she thought as her breathing slowed. What happened? Ah, I don’t care; it is too comfortable here. It is so soft and warm right now. I think I smell a hint of roses. Mmm, that stroking feels nice on my back. Wait— Chrysalis’ eyes shot open, staring right into the face of a smiling Celestia. Her right eye twitched slightly before she pushed herself out of Celestia’s grasp. She hastily backpedaled before her back hit the wall. “I am sorry, Chrysalis. I was just trying to help,” Celestia said, turning towards her. Chrysalis stared at her, panting. Slowly the events from before returned to her. Her body shivered violently as she remembered what had transpired. She instantly curled up and clutched her sides. It felt as if the room’s temperature had dropped significantly. Chrysalis tried to stay warm by curling up even tighter, but to no avail. Both her mind and body felt violated, as if her very being had been exposed for the world to see. Every fault, every moment of weakness was on display. She began to feel dizzy from all the sudden emotions. The room was spinning, and she could not grasp anything to balance herself. “Chrysalis, are you feeling all right? Do you need to talk? You have been through so much; please let me help you,” Celestia said as she held out a hoof, inviting Chrysalis to come back. Chrysalis suddenly craved the warmth she felt earlier. Again her body shuddered. She had never felt so exposed in her life. Her anxiety grew, and she felt more unsafe by the second. She looked around, seeing Mortar still on his bed. Her eyes focused on Celestia again, whose hoof was still extended. Chrysalis’ eyes began to water. She inhaled sharply and quickly wiped her eyes with a hoof. Stop it! she screamed to herself. Do not look weak, especially in front of her! She bit her lip, trying to stop herself. But try as she might, she could not stop it. Her eyes began to water even more. Once again she felt that familiar craving for warmth. What are you thinking? she yelled to herself. This is Celestia! However, as her mind screamed against the very thought of it, her heart begged and pleaded to go back to that warm and soft embrace. She felt alone, and she wanted nothing more than to feel safe again. More water sprung from her eyes. She bit her lip as she tried to stop the flow, but it was to no avail. Stop it! she pleaded to herself. Suck it up and just stop it! However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she slowly lifted a hoof towards Celestia, sniffling. At that moment, Chrysalis jumped up and ran towards Celestia. She buried her head into Celestia’s shoulder, and for the first time in her life, cried. Every bottled up emotion, every feeling of sorrow and hardship she had ever experienced, from her childhood to Mortar, she let loose. She could no longer shoulder her burdens anymore, at least not alone. Chrysalis cried out loudly, sobbing uncontrollably as the floodgates opened. Celestia let out a small gasp, surprised by Chrysalis’ sudden action. However, she quickly wrapped her hooves around Chrysalis, bringing her closer against her body. “There, there, little one, it is all right,” Celestia said soothingly as she rubbed a hoof against Chrysalis’ back. “Just let it all out. Don’t hold anything back.” Chrysalis just planted her head against Celestia’s warm shoulder and cried. It took a while before Chrysalis finally settled down, letting out an occasional sob. “Feeling better?” Celestia whispered, gently rubbing Chrysalis’ back with a forehoof. Chrysalis nodded, clinging more to Celestia. She felt relieved and exhausted, the heavy burden she had been carrying finally lifted. Chrysalis did not want to leave Celestia’s embrace, afraid that the anxiety and feelings of vulnerability would return. Minutes passed before Chrysalis looked up. “I guess that's it, then,” she said softly. ‘What do you mean?” Celestia asked with a puzzled look. “Do not play games, Celestia. Look at me! I just cried my heart and eyes out to my former enemy. I am so utterly pathetic! Instead of dealing with my own problems, I came running back to you and crying. I’d never cried in my life, and now I did it in front of you. What is worse is that I do not even want to leave right now. I don’t know if you brainwashed me, or if it has something to do with this body, or worst of all if it is just what I want. “I am so tired. I can’t go on fighting for revenge or power. It is not worth it anymore. All I want now is just to live my life with Mortar, if that is even possible. No more, Celestia. I submit. You win.” “Chrysalis,” Celestia said firmly but softly as she gently lifted Chrysalis’ chin with a forehoof, looking directly at her, “this was never meant to be some sort of competition, or attempt at humiliation. Nor would I ever do such a thing as to control someone’s mind. I understand that I put you in a very difficult position by making you a pony, but it was never meant to be a form of submission. I know that my actions against you were harsh, but I did what I thought was best. I had to protect Equestria while also giving you a chance at happiness. You may disagree on what happiness is, but this is the only way that I know of. I just wanted to give you a second chance, a chance at happiness. Your life has been so rough and hard; I just wanted to give you a break. I never wanted anypony to get hurt, including you. “Chrysalis, I am deeply sorry for what I put you through. I never meant for any of this to happen. If you want to resent me, that is fine; I cannot argue with that. “However, I do ask this: Will you accept my hoof in friendship? I do not want you to submit to me as would a loser in battle. You have struggled so much, and yet you are so young. Let me help you carry those burdens.” Chrysalis looked up, staring into Celestia’s magenta eyes. “Is that all you really wanted, my happiness and friendship?” “Yes, it is. I wanted to give you a chance at happiness in the only way I know how,” Celestia replied softly. Chrysalis sighed, brought her head back down on Celestia’s shoulder, and closed her eyes. “Then I accept your offer.” Celestia smiled, hugging Chrysalis tightly. “Thank you.” Chrysalis lay there, enjoying Celestia’s warmth. It felt great to no longer have enemies, to no longer be fueled by hate and anger. She was starting to see why every Equestrian loved their princesses. “Is there anything that we can do for Mortar?” Chrysalis finally asked. “Sadly there is not. Everything that could have been done has been done. It is up to him now. I know it looks grim and bleak, but have faith. He is one of the earth. If anypony could survive such an ordeal, then it would be an earth pony.” “I was afraid you were going to say that. I am sorry; this is all my fault. If only I did not yell at him,” Chrysalis said quietly. “Chrysalis, it is not your fault. From what you told me, it was just an accident. You never meant for it to happen,” Celestia replied. Again Chrysalis just lay there, letting time pass. Finally she looked up, rubbing her eyes clear. “Celestia...” She exhaled, puffing out her chest. “Yes. Chrysalis?” Celestia replied. The ex-changeling and former queen straightened herself. “I do not know what the future holds, but I know this: Chrysalis died here today with that monster. Whatever happens, I will embrace the new life you’ve given me for better or worse. I do not want to dwell on the past. So from now on, call me ‘Silver Skip.’” Celestia smiled, her eyes watering. “Very well, Silver.”