“Where am I to find a voice that keeps urging me to climb? I need to hear it again or I'll lose sight of land and be swept past my chance to survive...”
(Oh, Sleeper - “In the Wake of Pigs”)
Chrysalis strode down the halls of her castle, walking with a confident gait. Everything was going according to plan, at least as far as she could see. So far, no unexpected snags had come about. The one they called Rainbow Dash had been remarkably easy to capture, and now she was safely within the confines of the castle. Twilight and Celestia were off doing who knows what, but at least they were out of her hair, and that truthfully was the best that she could ask for.
As she passed each individual Changeling who just happened to be walking the halls as well at that moment, they all stopped whatever they were doing and bowed respectfully, paying homage to their queen. They only resumed their previous duties after Chrysalis had passed them.
Chrysalis smiled. The workings of her hive were ordered to the highest degree, and although setbacks were to be expected, they were also to be minimized as much as possible.
As she rounded the last corner that would lead her to her private quarters, though, her posture sagged slightly and her steps became less confident. The facade that she put on for her underlings could not be broken in front of them; however, there had hardly been a moment where she actually felt the same way that she allowed the rest of her subjects to think she felt.
Why are you doing this to me? she asked in her thoughts. She knew to whom she was referring to, even though she didn’t expect the being inside her to respond.
She was surprised when it did: Doing what to you, my friend? I thought we had agreed to this. I laid out my plan to you, sparing no detail, from the very beginning. And you seemed to be utterly fine with the whole thing-
I was fine with it, until it started growing past the initial boundaries! she snapped at the voice in her head. You had never mentioned anything about having to pony-nap one of the Elements of Harmony-
I did tell you, though, the voice replied, that in order for the plan to succeed in any fashion, the Elements needed to be taken care of. They were the ones who caused my downfall last time, and they tried to make sure that it was a permanent act. Were it not for the one called Twilight Sparkle not putting as much power into it as she could have, it would have been a permanent ordeal.
Chrysalis thought about it for a second. So what you’re trying to tell me, is that Twilight is the key to your survival? As she has been, this whole time?
A sinister laugh echoed in her head. Are you just now figuring this out? Why do you think I gave you specific instructions to not harm her? It was not just for the sake of old times, Chrysalis. I have reasons for everything that I do, which included making sure that the young one did not come to any harm. Though you are a key part of my plan, the most key piece to the puzzle is young Sparkle. She is the one who will ultimately be the key to my release back into the world.
Just remember your promise to me, Chrysalis pointed out. I’m risking a lot for you, more than you’ll ever know. I cannot, and I will not, allow my hive to come to ruin because of this. She stopped her walking. I can promise you that you will not enjoy it, were I to take out my anger on you, should anything happen to my subjects.
It laughed again. Oh, I shall not forget you, my Queen. However… I do not know if you will be able to keep calling yourself Queen when this is all done and over with. Maybe you shall; I have not decided yet. In the meantime, though… I believe Miss Dash is awakening in your chambers. Now might be the best time to go in and speak to her.
Chrysalis smiled. Maybe the information she sought was closer at hoof than she expected. She waited for a few moments more to see if the voice had anything else to say to her, but her mind echoed of quietness. Satisfied, she continued her stroll towards her private quarters.
A few miles off, a pair of lonely eyes espied the topmost spires of the castle that housed the Changeling queen. The azure irises saw everything, and the alicorn to whom they belonged did not like what she was seeing.
Tensions are running high these days… Luna thought to herself as she settled further down into the under-brush, trying to remain hidden from the constantly patrolling squads of Changeling sentries that patrolled the desolate lands that Chrysalis called her kingdom. They speak of many things… One held captive in the castle, another who escaped their grasp… Even a savage stalking their lands. They are all on the highest alert. Luna had a thought that the “savage” that they spoke of was actually herself, but she held no pretensions that it was completely true.
A few times on her journey, she had attempted to espy upon the dreams of sleeping Changelings that she had come across along the way. However, she had been shocked to discover that she could not see anything in their minds at all. She had pondered on this for many a day as she had made her journey, and only a few days prior she had thought of something that almost made her blood run cold.
The reason that she was not able to see anything in their dreams was not because of any kind of magick or spell that had been placed over them to prevent anyone from reading the thoughts in the darkest recesses of their minds… It was because they did not dream at all.
Why…? she questioned. Why would they be bred to have no dreams at all? It seems almost… torture, to not have any dreams at all. What must it be like to sleep every night, bleakest darkness your only companion, no memories to keep you warm like a well-lit fire?
It was only then that it came to her. They were bred this way for a reason. If they cannot dream, then they cannot have ideas of revolt. It is the ultimate control mechanism that could be placed inside anypony. She shuddered. The Queen they call Chrysalis is much more devious than anypony could have ever imagined…
Then again, she thought, how much imagining did the ponies do of the Changeling queen? The information about the Elements coming together, with the help of Cadance and Shining Armor, to defeat Chrysalis and expel the invading horde, had spread like wildfire throughout all of Equestria. With this information, though, came a sense of security that there would not be any more need for worry about this threat.
How wrong they are… Luna thought.
She ducked her head quickly as a small group of Changelings buzzed by, chatting animatedly amongst themselves. She could decipher only a few words of what they were saying; her Changeling language skills had deteriorated a bit during her time in lunar imprisonment.
“From what do you get this information?” one of them asked. It appeared to her that this one was the de-facto leader of the squad, both by the way it carried itself and by the way the other Changelings deferred to it.
“Rumors,” another replied. “But they are… among many others. It is not just…says that.”
“If it is true,” the leader replied, “it could mean bad things for the entire nation. We must… to our Queen. She will want to know… this.” The other two members of the squad nodded, and they flew away in tandem.
Luna waited until they were out of earshot (mostly, anyways) before letting out a deep breath she had been holding in. “So something has got their hackles raised…” she murmured to herself. “I do not think it is any kind of pony threat they are talking about, or I believe they would have mentioned it as such. A detail like that generally tends to get talked about, even in the hazy generalities of an oft-repeated rumor…”
She noticed the sun settling down to the lowest part of its arc, and finally she found herself able to relax a bit. She shifted slightly, trying to keep pressure off an aching rear hoof. She had unfortunately injured it a while back while trying to evade capture by a group of Changeling sentries, and though she had tried to use her magic to heal it right away, she found that somehow her magic was being dampened in the Changeling lands.
Her mind returned to that conundrum as she pondered her current situation. “Why can I not use my magic like I normally do…? It is almost as though some kind of spell has been put into place, in order to keep non-Changeling magic from being used to its maximum efficacy… But the kind of magical power that would be required to constantly keep a spell like that active…” She shuddered, and it was not just due to the chill wind that blew now through the area.
It was the constant realization of just how truly powerful her foe was, that was causing her to feel this way.
A voice echoed complainingly in the back of her mind: But if she is truly this powerful, then how were we able to defeat her at all? Why in Equestria is she not ruling over all of us with an iron hoof as we speak? Is it possible that you’re just blowing all of this out of proportion? Luna had never really liked this side of her: the argumentative conscience that just had to make everything that she thought seem not right.
It does have a point, though… This does not seem to make any sense. I wonder what answers I will find when I reach the castle. It is nearing nightfall… She scanned the horizon as she tried to stretch her limbs again without drawing undue attention to her presence there. Maybe I will be able to find some answers in the stars…
Chrysalis paused momentarily at the entrance to her quarters. She pressed an ear to the door, in an attempt to listen for any unwanted guests- besides the one they called Rainbow Dash, that is. Satisfied in her knowledge that nothing was amiss, she opened the door to the room.
She almost didn’t catch the form hurtling itself at her in time, but her senses told her enough to back off a little bit. Fortunately for her, she had all the time in the world to react, as she heard the sound of a chain snapping taut, then a thud on the ground followed by harsh, raspy coughing. She laughed and entered the room.
“You fool,” she said mockingly as she entered the room, observing Dash sprawled awkwardly on the ground. Dash struggled to her hooves, trying to regain her sense of balance as well as her breath. She snarled at Chrysalis and spat at her, and Chrysalis saw a tinge of blood in the saliva that landed just a few inches away from her.
“You are a damned fool,” she repeated as she watched Dash’s vain internal ragings. “What made you think you could break out of my prison so easily?”
“You know just as well as I do that I will never stop!” Dash spat back with no small amount of venom. "I bet right now, my friends are coming to save me!”
“The other Elements?” she asked with a mock questioning tone to her voice. “No, I do not believe so. They would not dare brave the perilous journey that it would require to cross into our lands. And besides, even though you are loyal to them, have you ever stopped to think that they might not be so loyal to you?”
Dash didn’t respond, so Chrysalis pressed a bit further. “You have given up so much for them, young one. All the times you could have been off doing your own thing, but no. You had ‘obligations’ to fulfill.”
“It didn’t matter to me,” Dash replied. “I was happy to do it. And even if I didn’t want to, I had to. I’m part of the Elements of Harmony, in case you’d forgotten.”
“Oh no, my dear. I have not forgotten. It was you and your so-called ‘friends,’ after all, who stopped my attempt to take over Canterlot. And speaking of, how is dear Cadance? Is she recovering well? I surely hope not…”
“Why are you even doing this?” Dash asked. It seemed to Chrysalis now that Dash was getting a bit of her usual bravado back into her voice. “It seems so… useless. Why kidnap me?”
“You were convenient,” Chrysalis retorted. “Truthfully, I would have liked to have gotten Miss Sparkle, but it just so happened that you rushed into battle before she did. Not that I am surprised about that. For an Element of Harmony, you seem to not have very much regard for your own self-preservation. What do the other Elements think about that, eh?”
“I had to try something…” Dash grumbled. This was something that had been eating at her, as well. Why had she gone out there like that, chasing after Chrysalis and that Changeling? She had just been asking to get captured, and that is exactly what had happened, in spite of Twilight and Celestia already being there.
A Changeling appeared at Chrysalis’ side, and she looked down at it with an approving smile. Dash had no idea where the thought came from, but she could almost tell with certainty that this was the Changeling that had spoken to her just before she fell into Chrysalis’ trap.
“You remember Adriu, don’t you, young one? That is his name, after all. He is the one who was with me that night.” It was almost as though Chrysalis could read Dash’s thoughts, and Dash reeled at the realization. Adriu inclined his head towards Dash, and Dash could almost sense a reverential respect in the gesture.
Almost immediately, Dash heard that rich-timbred voice echo through her head. If it were me imprisoning you, I would most certainly provide you with more fitting accomodations. Sadly, I have no say in the matter. I do wish that you not hold this against me.
Dash spoke aloud in response: “It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you at all.”
An odd look crossed Chrysalis’ face. “Who are you talking to, young one? No one spoke at all…” An amused grin then formed. “If you are attempting to convince me that you are insane, young Dash, you need not do so. I already believe it with all of my heart.”
“Why are you keeping me here?” Dash asked plaintively. “Why not just let me go?”
“First of all, you know entirely too much about my lands now. I cannot let you go, and risk having that information fall into the hands of my enemies. Second, you do have a purpose in the overall scheme of things. Not now, but soon.” She was about to continue, when another Changeling appeared at the door and bowed to her.
“My queen,” he said from his prone position, “it is almost time for the council meeting.”
“Ah yes,” she said. She turned to Dash. “I am terribly sorry, but I must take leave now. Adriu will watch over you until I return, to make sure you don’t try anything that would mess up our plans.” She laughed and strode out the door, the Changeling who had come to get her following in her stead.
Dash sank to the ground, exhausted. All she wanted to do now was to sleep, and never wake up. Adriu came over to her and lay in front of her, staring deeply into her eyes.
“What do you want?” Dash asked, almost boredly.
You intrigue me, if I might be perfectly honest. You are in a situation where there is no hope at all of you escaping alive, and yet you still hold out in the hopes that your friends will come rescue you. Why is that? Why are you still fighting?
“It’s not like I have another alternative…” Dash grumbled. “I have to fight. I’m a fighter. It’s in my blood. I haven’t been given anything on a silver platter my entire life. It’s in my nature to fight for everything that I have.”
Adriu nodded. I very much know the feeling of which you speak, friend. It is something that is well-known amongst the Changelings. They fight constantly to gain our Queen’s favor, which I might add is not an easy task in the slightest. And even if we gain her favor, we must always fight to maintain it, which is even harder than gaining it to begin with.
“Why do you do it, then? Why not just… not care?
The thought of “not caring” about our Queen’s favor never crosses our minds. It is bred in us from the very beginning. To go against it, is to go against the very fabric of our beings. We do not, because we cannot.
Dash sighed. “It’s the same way, I guess, for both of us. You were bred to serve, I was bred to fight.” She shifted slightly. “I hope my friends come soon.”
Adriu rested his head on his forelegs. Even if they do come, sadly, there will be nothing they can do to stop Chrysalis from enacting her role in her ultimate plan. Something about that jarred some memories in Dash’s head, about what Twilight had told her.
“The whole Nightmare Moon thing?” She laughed mirthlessly. “That’s just a crock. Nightmare Moon can’t be brought back, and she won’t. We beat her, and that’s all there is to it.”
You did not defeat her wholly, though. You merely destroyed her body. Her soul, however, is an entirely different matter. I do not blame any of you, though. You could not have known that a soul can be destroyed, but only by a magick so dark that it has been banned in Equestria for thousands of years. Conveniently, I might add, by the same ruler who even now is the head of the entire land.
Something about that didn’t sit right with Dash. “So wait, you’re telling me that Celestia knew of a way to beat Nightmare Moon completely and totally, and she banned it from being used?”
She did it for the safety of the Equestrian nations, not just so that it could not be used on Nightmare Moon. In fact, at that point, the entity known as Nightmare Moon had not even revealed herself to Celestia- or Luna, for that matter. It was still quietly waiting in the shadows, for that one perfect moment to strike.
“How do you know so much?” Dash asked. “None of that was written in any history book I’ve ever seen. And believe me, I’ve seen enough of them from Twilight trying to get me to read more about Equestrian history."
Adriu’s response was prompt and simple. I have spoken to her.
This threw Dash for a major loop. “Wait. You’ve personally spoken to Nightmare Moon? How?”
It was one of the times when Chrysalis was having her conversations with her spirit. I accidentally tapped into the connection, and for a few seconds I was listening to the two of them talking. I even asked her a question, which she answered for me.
Dash almost couldn’t help herself. “What was the question?”
I asked her how she was going to manage this whole endeavor. She spoke to me of an eldritch magick, so old that it pre-dated even Celestia herself. All she needed, she said, was a sacrifice, and the spell could be set in motion.
His words hit Dash like a ton of bricks. “Wait… You can’t possibly be saying…”
Adriu looked at Rainbow Dash, and she could almost sense an aura of sadness emanating from his eyes. That is exactly what I am saying. You are the sacrifice that Chrysalis is going to use to bring Nightmare Moon back from her prison. He smiled. You should have seen it coming, young one. And because you did not... You will not be leaving this castle alive.
He closed his eyes and went to sleep, leaving Dash with nothing but her tears.