//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Sunday Morning 
// Story: Chrysalis's college days 
// by MephileztheHam 
//------------------------------//

		It was morning in the land of equestria, a sunday, most ponies would be getting ready to go out 
and have fun with friends and family, some would be preparing breakfast while others would simply sleep in, and of course the pegasi would clear the sky  above from any stray storm clouds from yesterdays thunderstorm shower giving everpony a wonderful backdrop up above to match the beautiful day. However deep down below the dirt and rock, underneath the thriving land above, another society was going along their sunday ritual a different way. Down in the abyss of Equestria lay a city made of stone and crystal rested below a stone sky of its own. Unlike the land above, this city was quiet, not a single soul roamed it's street, save for the occasional rat rifling through the trash that lay here and there on the streets, the only sign of life came from the gigantic ominous castle in the middle of the city where several orange spheres of light hovered over the castle, besides that, it was a ghost town. All was still except for a single armored creature flying through the air above the stone city, a being shaped like a pony but instead of fur and warm skin it had  cold insect chitin, a changeling. On its head proudly stood a curved horn like a unicorns, on its back buzzed insect-like wings, it's hooves much like a regular pony's except for the organic holes in them and a spiky mane on its head. But its face was covered by a helmet, hiding the glowing eyes underneath.  

It buzzed lazily along its flight path towards a hanging stone structure that hung from the cavern ceiling, a building that was supported by smaller stone arches, giving it the feeling of a upside down chapel bell tower. The changeling landed on one an open balcony and trotted inside, giving its wings a stretch before flattening them underneath its carapace. Much like the city below, the bell tower was silent, the only sounds coming from the changeling's hooves against the smooth stone floor as it made its away towards its destination. Glancing around the single circular room the changeling observed its surroundings, gazing at the various odds and ends that rested within, a single hanging cocoon like hammock against the far wall, a bookshelf, and in the center of the room, a giant white crystal floated over a rune inscribed podium, hovering around it were 3 small spheres made from gem. 

Nodding to itself in approval that everything was just how it left it, it continued on its path to the center of the room, and the giant clear crystal that floated there. Circling around the crystal the changeling inspected the giant gem, prodding it with its hooves occasionally as it did, testing the crystal's surface with each prod, making the object ding at its touch every time it did. Seemingly satisfied with its inspection the changeling nodded to itself and lowered its head, touching its horn to the crystal. Taking a deep breath the changeling stood still as its horn began to become enveloped by a blue aura. After a few moments the aura instantly brighter and its aura seeped into the crystal it touched, the blue energy mingling inside of the green crystal as it oozed inside of it like oil in water, fully enveloping the crystal until it was entirely blue. 

With a strained grunt and a few  steps back the changeling shook its horn of the residual energy, gazing at the now glowing crystal before it. Once more the changeling raised its right hoof as if to prod it once more but instead slammed it into the side of the gem, sending ripples of energy to course through the crystal, causing it to resonate with a harmonic ringing sound. The changeling stepped back, flattening its ears down against its head in reflex to the deafening ringing. With a satisfied grunt the changeling reached up to its helmet and removed it, revealing a fanged smirk, its pale eyes glowing in the crystal's light. 

“Rise and shine everpony, rise and shine”, muttered the changeling as it turned its attention to the three hovering gem spheres orbiting the crystal. Each sphere glowed a distinct color, green, orange and blue. Reaching out with its magic, the changeling pulled the green sphere to hover in front of it and proceeded to perform the same ritual that he did with the crystal, causing it to shimmer brightly. “and especially you princess”, chuckled the changeling as he tapped his hoof onto the sphere, creating the same ringing sound akin to the crystal albeit in a much quieter and soothing tone. Meanwhile at the castle, in a dark room the same sound echoed inside, awakening the inhabitant within. 

“That sound, that incessant sound again, every damn morning”, grumbled a voice in the darkness. Moments later a dim green aura flickered twice and the room was bathed in a dull just as green light. “Alright, wake up chrysalis, get off your flank and prepare yourself for the day”, echoed that ever so annoying conscience of mine. Grumbling to myself I pulled up and away from my comfy bed, gazing around at the quaint circular room I was in, it was as roomy as it was when I was much younger, the only difference was the furniture and possessions that I had salvaged from the old hive. The image of my ransacked hive flashed in my mind, with a pang of sadness I got out of bed and onto the carpet below.

Shaking my head of the depressing image I readied myself for the only part  that was enjoyable when waking at this dreadful hour, the morning stretch. “What to do today? Mother no doubt has something to announce at breakfast, but when doesn't she? Its always the same with the old crone”, I muttered to myself as I wrung out my hooves and neck, ending the routine with a cat like stretch. Satisfied that every kink in my body gone I turned my attention to my wings, willing them to pull out from their sheath. “After breakfast I suppose I will peruse the library for a few hours, besides what else can I do? Ever since that....embarrassing ordeal, hng!”, grunting at the expected pop, I flexed the now limber wings, giving them the once over before returning them back to their original position. All that was left now was to take a bath, comb my mane and put on my green sash and chest plate. With a sigh I did just that, trotting over to the bathroom, and shutting the door behind me, a new habit I learned when the last guard barged in demanding I go to mother, I miss being a queen when I didn't have to worry about my own bucking privacy. 

The only consolation was that the guard from last week won't be walking straight anytime soon, I made sure of that. Chuckling to myself I remembered the look on the guard's face when I threw him right through the wall with my magic, from then on all the guards knocked but I still closed the door, just in case. With a flick of my horn I snapped my magic out towards the bath, willing the crank clockwise to allow the water to flow.  After a few moments the tub was filled with steaming water, which was a surprise, usually my sister, Gynaephora, hogs the morning water, leaving me with the cold remains which means she must still be sleeping, good, time to return the favor. Testing the water I found it just right, dipping myself into the water and its warm embrace. 

“Ah this is heaven, I just want to soak here all day”, sighing to myself as I raked my hooves through the water and raising them in the air, watching the water drip from the holes in them. Curious things, these holes are, most ponies wonder if they served a purpose besides making changelings look like swiss cheese, they do actually, for one thing it makes us more aerodynamic during flight, and the other thing is that they are really good instruments if you get just the right amount of air to pass through them, believe it or not. Shaking my right hoof of the residual droplets I pulled it to my lips like a flute, taking a short breath and blowing, eliciting a dull whistle. While doing this I reached out with my magic for my bathing essentials, feeling a tug of resistance as I pulled a bar of soap and a vial of green fluid to hover before my eyes.  “shampoo first, soap second”, I thought as I emptied the contents of the vial over my head, relishing in the tingling sensation of the viscous fluids.

Bath time flew by as I finished up cleaning myself with a dry towel and planting my rump on a stool in front of the bathroom mirror and sink. “Hello beautiful, so flawless, so perfect, my my even your eyes look extra villainous this dreadful morning, your only flaw are those bags under them”, I cood at my reflection, running my hooves under my eyes, stretching out the wrinkled skin. With a sigh I reached into the sink and pulled out a brush and began doing what a brush was made for. A few moments later and my hair was back to its wonderful luster, “Perfect, now all that is left to do now is eat with the family, ugh, hopefully dear sister will sleep in this time so mother and I can catch up without her incessant prattling”, I said to no one in particular as I trotted towards the one and only door out of my bedroom, stopping at my dresser to dress myself in my clothes, tying a green sash around my back and belly as well as fitting my specially made chest plate onto myself with my magic. Giving myself a one more look in the mirror to make sure all was in order I made my way to the double doors outside. 

With a clunk and chink I closed the door behind me and entered the grand halls of the citadel, I couldn't help but be in awe whenever I strolled these halls, as much as I miss my old castle, the citadel was a league of its own. The stone floors covered in thick orange rugs with green trim, the hanging crystals on the wall giving off their orange glow, and best of all the gothic stained glass windows each portraying their own stories, its a shame I never did the same with my old home, outside of the throne room decorations anyway. 

“Princess?”, a voice in my ear caused me to jump, quickly turning to meet with the gaze of one of my personal guard by by the looks of the tell tale dark green body armor. 

“What in the name of the gods do you bucking want? You nearly scared me out of my shell you fool!”, I hissed, glaring at the now trembling guard. 

“I-I was told to see if you had woken up princess, I am sorry for alarming you, I apologize”, the guard changeling stammered as he shuffled his hooves in place. Rolling my eyes with a sigh I facehooved, 

“It is alright, er Squelch was it? No harm done, but don't you dare sneak up on me again.”, I said softly to reassure the now calm, but still twitchy guard 

“U-understood princess, queen Artiidaes wishes to see you in the dining hall, she has important news to relay to you and your sister, and again I apologize for the scare princess”, and with that said, Squelch banged his right hoof over his chest plate in salute and marched off down the hall and out of sight. 

“Important news huh? Well now, wouldn't want to be late then”, thinking to myself as I trotted in the opposite direction. Suddenly a jolt of pain shot through my limbs, a painful reminder of what happened 2 months ago. “Damn those pastel ingrates, damn Cadance and Shining armor, and most of all damn that purple unicorn shrew Twilight and her band of misfits!”, I grunted in a quiet yell, trudging along on pained hooves.  Everything ached, the throbbing pain in my limbs screamed in protest at ever step I took, but taking a rest off of my hooves was not an option, not when mother is waiting, and gods forbid you test her patience, as calm as she was, she could snap, and by the gods did she snap. After what felt like an agonizing eternity I arrived to the giant stone doors that lead to the dining hall, two stoic guards flanked each door. The guards nodded at me before flaring their magic hold onto their respective door and opened, revealing the grandness that was the dining hall, a obnoxiously long table sat in the middle covered in food, and at the end of said table was mother, she wasn't smiling like she usually does in the morning, and that means she is in a serious mood, buck.