Chapter Twenty
A Sudden Sense of Urgency
"They had flaws; serious flaws, sure, but they didn't deserve to die..." I began.
Chrysalis shrugged. "Then they shouldn't have killed each other."
I wanted to argue as dozens of rebuttals leaped to mind, but I could see it would be useless. So, a debate was out. I shuffled my wings back down to smoothness and shrugged. "I suppose. Anyway, it was a long time ago." Just save up all your horror and have screaming nightmares tonight, I told myself, that'll get it out of your system.[1]
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[1] Yes, sometimes I'm sarcastic and snarky to myself.
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"Hmm... yes," she said, tilting her head and giving me a considering gaze. "So that brings us to now. Now, my general out there is nearly equine, and I want to know why and how. You say it's honest and open friendship, but knowing what happened here more than a thousand years ago, are you so sure? Are you sure it's not belief?"
"The old spell you mentioned? What are the chances that it's still working after all this time?"
Chrysalis grinned. "You are truly amazing, princess! So strong, so clever, and yet you are the most terrible liar I've ever met! You couldn't manage to deceive a new-hatched grub!"
"I guess I need more practice," I grumbled.
She laughed, and for the first time that day it sounded like simple amusement, untainted by any—baggage. "First rule: If you don't think you can sell the lie convincingly, just snort or roll your eyes. A simple angry word will do. Most ponies like to avoid conflict and won't push. It wouldn't work on me, obviously, but it's still a good tactic."
"Uh... thanks, I guess," I said, frowning. "It's not like I plan on using the information, but it is interesting. What's the second rule?"
"Change the subject, of course!" Chrysalis laughed again. "Maybe all you do need is practice!"
I grimaced. It had been worth a try, but I wasn't surprised Chrysalis hadn't let me get away with it. "Alright, yes, I know the cornucopia is still working. It gave me a very nice apple, when I asked politely. Do you still use it?"
Chrysalis snorted derisively. "It can't create love, and it's dangerous. We stay away from the city unless there is a compelling reason to come here."
"Well, I still don't think it has much, if anything, to do with the general becoming a pony. It took the thoughts of thousands of unicorns to change you, right?"
"Mm, yes. And it took a very long time for me to transform."
"Right." I nodded. "And for Sesseressia, it's only been a few days."
Chrysalis lifted an eyebrow. "On a first-name basis with my most feared commander, are you? How nice."
I paused, just a second before replying. "Yes. It is nice, Chrysalis. I almost got her to sing campfire songs with us last night."
Chrysalis blinked, and then squinted at me. "Either you've gotten much better at lying in the last few minutes, or whatever is changing her body is also affecting her mind."
"I said, 'almost.' She's still the same steel-minded officer inside. She just has friends now, and ponies sometimes do dumb things for their friends that they might not do ordinarily."
Chrysalis snickered. "Oh, I've twisted enough stallions around my hoof to know that's true!"
"Uhmn... that's not quite the same... ugh, never mind." It was time to cut to the chase. "You're interested in all this because you want to go back to how you were before, right?"
She looked at me coolly for a moment before replying. "The possibility had occurred to me," she said. "If my general and a captain can begin to change in just a few days, then surely I can do the same."
"You'd give up ruling your swarm that casually?"
"Look at me," she hissed through bared fangs. "I'm a decayed husk of what I once was! Would I give up being queen of a festering hole in the ground? This..." She reared up and green magical fire swirled around her body. "...this is what I lost!"
She was right. She had been astoundingly beautiful, once. Her coat was lavender with subtle shades of blue, like the ocean on a cloudy day. Her bearing was haughty and imperious, but she was no less stunning; hers was a cold beauty. Her cutie mark was a cluster of three asymmetrical stars of four, five and six points, in colors that complemented her coat.
The green fire blossomed again almost immediately, returning Chrysalis to her debased form. Her head dropped and she panted as if the transformation had cost her a large amount of effort. "I never can... hold it for long," she gasped. "I can be anything... but myself. A truly vile curse, don't you think?"[2]
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[2] I thought it was perfectly understandable, given the obvious attitude of the ponies that had unconsciously directed the magic that had caused her metamorphosis. There was no need to drag superstitious nonsense like curses into it.
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I made a non-committal sound and nodded. "You were very beautiful," I said. It was just filler conversation to me: I was trying to buy some time to think.
"And, with your help, I could be again," she said. When I didn't immediately reply, she went on. "It would be advantageous for both of us. You will eliminate the threat of changelings forever, simply by becoming my friend. It shouldn't be difficult. We have many things in common. We are both royalty... magic users of great skill and power..."
"Maybe you could give me some fashion tips, as well."
"Of course! I..." She stopped and dropped her phony half-smile. "Ah... perhaps you will tell me what is wrong with my plan, then?"
I sighed. I was stuck. Celestia could have phrased everything just right. She could have massaged the words that needed to be said into something soft and pleasant. Maybe with a few centuries of practice, I'd be able to do the same thing on the spur of the moment. Unfortunately, right then I was stuck with the bare, unvarnished truth.
"Friendship isn't like a faucet that you can turn on and off anytime you like. Now that I know what you've been through, I have a great deal of sympathy for you, and that goes a long way toward getting me to forgive you for the things you've done in the past. But, even though there are some things about you that I find likable... and I am certainly willing to be your friend... that doesn't mean I am your friend. The real problem is... honestly... I don't think you like me at all. Real friendship is a two-way street."
"I see."
I ignored the icy cold tone of her voice and floundered on. "And there's something else. You said that if you regain your original body, that will end the changeling threat. How does that work, exactly?"
"Without a queen, they will have no direction," Chrysalis said carelessly, with a toss of her head. "No cohesion, no hope. They will eventually starve, be killed, or simply die. Without me to produce more of them, they will be extinct in a generation."
"Nice."
"So your sympathy now extends to the hordes that would have devoured your kingdom?"
"I... I honestly don't know. If Sesseressia and Csharreee had suddenly shown up in Equestria, I would have blasted them without hesitation or remorse. But now..." I groped for the right words for a moment as Chrysalis stood there, looking down her snout at me. "I've seen the good in them and... yes, they are friends, okay? Of a sort, at the very least. And that seems to be enough to... to lift the curse they've inherited from you. So, what about the rest of your hive? Don't they deserve the same chance at redemption, too?"
Chrysalis glared at me and then, without warning, suddenly whirled and stomped out of the library. I followed her into the street where she leaped into the air and flew away without a word.
I stood there, watching her get smaller and smaller until she was lost in the sky. Good going, Sparkle, I thought. You served that proud and selfish queen just the right amount of condescension. Any more, and she would have tried to rip your head off. Any less, and she might have stayed to talk.
Jigsaw and the changelings had seen the queen's furious exit from where they had been waiting down the street. They approached slowly, except for Jigsaw, who cantered up to me and skidded to a stop. "Is everything alright, Twilight?"
"I lectured her."
"You... oh stars above, really? Did you... I mean... how bad was it?
"Bad enough."
"Roadapples!" she cursed quietly.
"Yep."
By that time, the changelings had arrived, and the general simply cocked her head at me.
I shook my head. "No, she didn't leave any instructions for you guys. She was in a bit of a hurry to get a long way away from me."
"Can we expect an attack?" Sesseressia asked. Well, that's a military pony for you: Always concerned about the most direct form of diplomacy.
"I wouldn't be surprised. She was pretty mad."
Sesseressia considered for a moment and then said, "With your magic and my knowledge of tactics, we should be safe enough if we prepare well."
That brought a hiss of angry surprise from the drones. Sesseressia didn't bother turning to face them when she spoke. "I will not strike at my queen, but neither will I allow her to harm my new friend... my new… tribe. You can go tell her that if you wish."
I turned to them and pointed a hoof at the one on the left. "Yes, you! Go and convey the general's message. And add that Twilight Sparkle is still willing to try to find some way to be friends. Got that?" I didn't wait for an answer. I pointed at the other drone. "You stay here in case we need to send another message."
"And me?" Csharreee asked.
That was a very good question. "What do you want to do? No, scratch that. What do you think would be the best thing to do?"
She thought about it for a long time. "I will return to the hive in order to know my queen's wishes," she said, sounding not all that happy about her decision.
I just nodded. I didn't trust myself to speak.
When Csharreee had gone, I told the remaining drone to wait in the library until I sent for her. Then I led Jigsaw and Sesseressia toward the center of town. At a gallop.
"Okay, Sessi, I hope your decision back there wasn't some sort of deception, because I'm pretty sure that what we're going to attempt now would cause Chrysalis to completely lose it."
"Oh? You're not just here for the broken pots? What a surprise. And, by the way, I'd prefer it if you didn't call me Sessi."
"If I need to scream for your help, five syllables is way too long. Deal with it."
"Will there be screaming?"
"There usually is. Maybe this time will be different."
"Maybe you should fill in the details for me?" she suggested.
"No time. In short, there's a gigantic crystal filled with dark magic under the city center. It's still active, but it's defective, unstable, and really, really dangerous! We're going to try to... deactivate it," I explained between breaths.
"It must have been there for a very long time. Why the sudden urgency?"
"Because it responds to the thoughts of the ponies around it, and if Chrysalis starts a magical slug-fest with me, the thing might react badly. Very badly."
"So," Jigsaw interjected. "You've figured out how to drain the crystal without blowing up the mesa and poisoning the whole desert?"
Sesseressia made a sort of strangled noise, which I ignored. "I... I have a working hypothesis," I said.
"That's not a 'yes!'" Jigsaw pointed out.
"I was hoping you wouldn't notice." I was grinning like an idiot for some reason. Sometimes I react strangely to stress.
I threw open the doors to the cornucopia building and we galloped inside, skidding to a stop in front of the pedestal. I paused for a second to slow my breathing and then said, "May I have a quarter mile of seven strand copper cable about the diameter of a bit coin, please?"
The coil of wire that appeared still had a Baltimare Light & Power inventory label on it. Jigsaw and Sesseressia moved the heavy coil to one side to clear the pedestal for my next order and I continued stealing valuable equipment from all the cities of Equestria that were in range. I made a mental note to try and reimburse any companies or individuals that had suffered unexplained thefts of like items on that day when I got back home. It was going to completely mess up my budget.
I double checked the pile and, when I was satisfied that I hadn't forgotten anything, I pressed the two bejeweled fruit on the pedestal that opened the secret stairway, and motioned for Jigsaw to precede me. "Down we go! I'll teleport the stuff down to us when we get to the bottom. Remember about the traps."
"Why don't you just teleport us all?" Sesseressia asked.
"The crystal doesn't play well with normal magic. I did a teleport out of the cavern but, since I'll have to... err... translate the matrices for the spell on the fly, it will be too dangerous to risk teleporting living beings into that environment.," I explained. "Oh, that reminds me! Don't use your magic down there or the crystal will kill you."
"You are completely crazy," she said.
"It's the world that's crazy!" I snorted, pushing her ahead of me toward the stairs. "Sometimes I think I'm the only sane pony in it!"
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