My Daughter Chrysalis

by Scarheart


Chapter 11 Yeah, We Just Went to Eleven!

Pre-read by Courage Fire and
DJNightmareNight.
Thanks, guys!

Daddy was pretty quiet the rest of the evening. Princess Celestia stayed for a bit longer after telling us she was going with us on this trip, trying to calm down both Fleur de Lis and Fancy Pants as her announcement caused them both to have heart attacks.

Figuratively speaking, I think.

Daddy said nothing, but watched the exchange with that flat stare of his. He gets it when he’s upset and trying to figure stuff out in his head. I could almost hear the gears turning between his ears. His emotions towards me...well, I did just moments ago tell him I tried to kill someone. He was not at all happy about that. There was a profound disappointment coming off him like a rotten stink. With it was sadness and a sense he had failed. Worse of all was his shame.

I didn’t move from where I sat, ignoring Celestia and the two unicorns while I tried to get Daddy to notice me, to feel my sadness and regret. I really didn't want him feeling like this. He was so much more pleasant to be around when he was happy and I was basking in his fatherly love. I needed that pride he had for me. This emptiness between us might as well been the Grand Canyon. I couldn't help but think I had created a rift between us because of my own stupidity. I’ve done bad things before. I mean c’mon...I’m a kid and kids spend their years doing things that make their parents grind their teeth, don’t they?

I bucked up. Badly.

Oh, sure, he petted me and scratched behind my ears, but he wasn’t getting over his bad feelings. I hurt him worse by trying to get my revenge. It wasn’t worth the effort if this was what I was going to get in return. He sometimes forgets his actions can’t mask how he feels. Daddy has a terrible poker face when it comes to his feelings.

I was in my Midnight Emerald disguise and curled myself up into a little ball next to Daddy. I must have been shivering because he felt me. To some degree, Daddy can feel what I’m feeling, though it’s nowhere near as good as me. He was the sort of guy women would kill to have if they needed a man who could read their moods correctly. I was responsible for that. Other humans have varying degrees of reading body languages, but I think I’ve had a hand—er, hoof? at making him capable of sensing emotions. I’m naturally empathic. Daddy’s connection to me over the years made him a sort of pseudo empath. It’s either a magical mutation of sorts or some sort of genetic...stuff because of constantly being in my proximity. I was not entirely sure about that. I was not a geneticist. I have no idea how psychogenetics works, so don’t ask..

I still remember Yellowstone some years ago as we were touring America during one of our summers. Daddy almost lost me once to a dog napper. It’s true! Of course, he was trying to kidnap a puppy and not a changeling filly. How was he supposed to know? Daddy followed our link to the thief, like a hound the scent! I was in my dog disguise, was drugged and rendered useless (I was eight years old at the time!), but I kept crying out to him. I was so, so scared and thought I would never see my Daddy again. He was so scared of me being discovered!

Daddy doesn’t think when he’s angry. He simply acts. Life’s simpler that way, according to his way of thinking. Of course, when he thinks, he usually gets melancholy. I keep thinking something was taken from him and I don’t mean Crystal. There’s a massive scar in his psyche. It’s as though it was either cut out or cut off from the rest of what makes him who he is. I can’t quite wrap my mind around it, but it just feels as though sometime before I met him, he was a really happy-go-lucky guy who looked forward to life. I wish he would get better.

Something took that from him. From what I've noticed over the years and have compared to other humans, it isn’t normal at all. I can’t prove it. I can sense it. Every now and then I’ll stumble across a ‘piece’—for lack of a better word—of what is missing. It’s like someone took Daddy’s happiness and utterly destroyed it on purpose.

Hey, I’m a changeling...maybe I should become a psychologist! Nah, there’s just something wrong with having the word ‘therapist’ tagged to your name. Yeah, I have a dirty mind. Get over it.

Yellowstone would have been a wonderful memory if the thief had not decided to try and dognap me. It almost ended our summer trips right then and there. It made me feel safe knowing my Daddy would do anything to protect me. Somehow, his instincts to protect as a father became intensified several times over since we linked. There’s a reason he keeps thinking nothing bad happened while I was growing up. He suppressed them. I’ve helped him do that. I want my Daddy happy. His scary side is really scary and his emotions when he rages are painful to feel.

I looked up at him mournfully from my little ball of pity, giving him those huge pity eyes of please-forgive-me-I’ll-be-a-good-girl-I-promise. I felt a twinge of guilt from him and he ruffled my mane. It was slight, but it was there. It would be a long time before he would be able to get over this and I wasn’t sure I wanted to help him smother certain feelings anymore. Growing older meant I was beginning to realize certain things. Being away from my Daddy made me realize I might have actually been doing him more harm than good by trying to keep him calm and loving with my own mind.

I never thought manipulating how he thinks could be bad. A month without his presence opened my eyes a bit. Celestia and Luna both noticed this and spoke to me at length two weeks ago and I refused to listen to them then. There was one thing they made abundantly clear: Daddy needed to have his mind repaired if he was ever going to rediscover his happiness without outside interference. He was once a proud man filled with hopes and dreams.

His ex-girlfriend shattered that. I can’t mention or ask about her, even to this day. His eyes clouded over and there was a profound shift. It wasn’t anger, but a pit of sadness triggered almost like a trap.

I shifted my attention from him, knowing he needed his space to mull over my stupidity. Instead, I perked up a little at Celestia who had put her hoof down and gave Fancy Pants a motherly smile. Fleur had protested her decision to travel with us on principle, but had settled back to watch the stallion stammer and stutter away while using words like ‘impossible’ and ‘dangerous’ to a pony with enough power to melt mountain ranges if she felt like it.

Fleur did her best to conceal her smirk as Fancy began to realize he was being patronized by his princess. He huffed and sighed in resignation. As the argument gave out its last gasp, Celestia gave it a mercy killing.

“Oh,” she added offhandedly, “Luna will be going with us as well. She’ll watch my back and I’ll watch hers and the two of us will keep our favorite changeling and human safe and sound. Fleur will go as a representative of the free pony nations as she has been tasked with the responsibility of brokering a non-aggression treaty with the Empress and the hive queens.”

At that point, I cut in. “Why are you going?” I asked, tilting my head to one side. Daddy just watched, lost in his inner thoughts. He kept petting me, shifting to lightly scratching between my ears. His fingers stopped when I asked my question. I could feel his eyes upon me as he shifted. “I mean, what is it that’s so important about us that you feel the need to go with us?”

Celestia sipped her tea for a moment, her motherly look smiling at me with a warmth ponies have taken for granted. “Because, my little changeling,” she replied, “there are certain parties out there who would like nothing better than to see harm come to you. Your father is little more than a curiosity, a strange being in a world he is not a part of. You, however have enemies who will soon be learning you are very much alive and will take steps against you.”

“Other changelings?” I guessed, thinking of Queen Druanae.

Celestia nodded. “For the most part. There are also certain ponies as well as other races with whom they have grievances against the changelings. You may or may not have had a hoof in certain transgressions, but an unprotected changeling queen no matter who she is would be too tempting a target to simply allow her to move about freely. An escort for you would require a small army, I’m afraid. The only other option I can think of is for my sister and me to go with you to not only protect you, but to push along the negotiations. They’ve been stalled long enough and I’m tired of waiting. I’m tired of the Empress giving even her own ambassador the runaround. Anzealous, despite his recent actions, is a bully, but a well-meaning one. Of all the changelings I have come to know and speak with, he is by far the most dedicated to finding a peaceful solution between changelings and ponies. I choose to travel with you, Chrysalis because you will need someone to lean against. Luna will be there if I am not enough. Your father will be there because you need him still as much as he needs you. He is the only member of your hive mind until you begin to have your own children.”

I blushed when she said that last sentence.

“As you grow older,” she continued, flickering her eyes to my father for a moment. He made a slight movement, as if adjusting uncomfortably. “You’ll find other changelings who want to become a part of your hive. Changelings work best when they are a part of a hive. Not all of them are part of one. Some choose to live their lives as independent drones. They are called Grays. Many changeling hives are grown from hiveless changelings choosing to follow a queen who suits their desires. Some will decide to join you. Your hive mind is a queen’s security blanket. Some queens feel very powerful when they have thousands of changelings who believe in them and follow them. You will be no different.”

She sighed, tilting her head slightly. “I can’t claim to know changelings. Your race is one full of secrets and shadows. Your kind excel at pretending to be something you are not. I feel the only reason the hives have not overrun Equestria is because each queen feels the other is more of a threat to her power. Compared to the rest of the world, changelings numbers are but a fraction. If they were to unite under one banner and learn to trust each other, then even Luna and I would be hard pressed to keep them at bay. Your mother is old, Chrysalis. Very, very old and very, very powerful. She might even be a match for me. Where I push to extend goodwill and peace to all the sapient beings, I fear she seeks to drive wedges of distrust and fear between them. The empress seeks order through fear and power. She is our opposite. She cannot be trusted. Her agendas are selfish and extends only as far as her daughters. Even that is tenuous. My knowledge is only based on what Anzealous has volunteered, as well as a few ancient texts I came across shortly after the invasion.”

Celestia set her teacup down and rose to her hooves. Everyone else got up, even Daddy. I reluctantly unfolded myself from my pity ball and stood on the floor.

“I have much work ahead of me before I set the sun. Mr. Spriggs?”

“Yes ma’am?” Daddy was never one for formalities, but he was polite. I really would like to meet his mom and dad one of these days. They made Daddy a very polite man. He seemed unsettled at the ‘I set the sun’ part of Celestia’s statement, but kept his mouth shut at that comment.

“I would like for you and Chrysalis to come to the palace tomorrow morning after breakfast. I’m going to speak with the empress in person and give her the answer she’s been waiting for. I have a feeling she hasn’t exactly been forthright with her intentions for peace. I’ll also have something for you to prevent somepony else from entering your mind. It’s being prepared for you as we speak. It’s a simple enchantment, but one I feel will be more than suitable for your protection against unwanted magic incursions.”

Daddy gave her an unsure look. “I don’t know,” he muttered.

Gently Celestia pointed out, “Well, I suppose writhing on the ground and gaping like a landed fish is fun for you, but I’d really not go through seeing that happen. Consider it a personal request for your safety. It will be perfectly safe for you. I’ve almost two thousand years of studying your species to know what works for you and what doesn’t.”

“Two….thousand years?”

Celestia smiled. “I should tell you about a gentle human who once preached love and tolerance along the shores of an inland sea. I spent an evening chatting with him. Such a nice man with a kind soul. He was beyond his years.” It faded as for a brief moment she remembered a moment in her past. “They killed him out of fear.”

Okay! Philosophically, she just made Dad’s brain come to a screeching halt. It took a minute for me to figure out who she might have been talking about. I gaped at her for a moment.

“Before I created my current human persona,” Celestia went on as if her little revelation was nothing of consequence, “I fostered some other forms over the centuries as I watched and learned from humanity. It was like watching children grow and learn and struggle. I could not always be there, as my duties here were focused on making Equestria a foundation for peace and prosperity. I created a secret group of ponies whose only purpose on Earth was to watch and learn and see how mankind adapted to an environment devoid of magic.”

“Huh? Wha—” Daddy ran a hand through his hair and blinked. “Are you saying you guys have been spying on us?”

“More or less,” admitted Celestia with a playful scrunch of her muzzle. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve overstayed as it is. Do have a talk with your daughter, Michael. I know you are hurt with her admission, but she desperately wants your forgiveness. There will be time later to speak more of what I know of Earth.” She looked at everyone in the room and smiled expansively. “Have a wonderful afternoon, everypony.” To Daddy she said, “I shall see you at the palace. Is nine o'clock suitable?”

“Uh, sure,” he stammered.

“Very good. Fleur? I leave everything in your capable hooves.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” replied the lovely unicorn with her trademark positive smile. “They shall be, as you say, as safe as foals in a bassinet.”

“I bid you a fond farewell, Fancy Pants,” she said at last to the stallion. He had fallen silent, a worried expression creasing his normally pleasant visage. I rather liked him as he was funny and always had something interesting to say. Fancy was very clever and treated me like his favorite niece. With a final nod, her horn flared and the Princess of the Sun vanished in the wake of her teleportation spell, golden wisps of trailing magic swirling where she had stood just moments before. Fancy Pants was left with the revelation Celestia was bound and determined to walk into a literal hornet’s nest.

Now, it took me several minutes to digest the confusion Celestia just spouted out. I considered myself a reasonably clever girl. Everything Celestia told us was within reason the truth, though judging from the way she hid her emotions deliberately, she was hiding a few things. She just hinted at knowing a certain person from human lore which opened all sorts of doors wide open. Certain groups were bound to howl and gnash their teeth should they learn of this and I can’t for the life of me fathom why she would openly admit such a thing. I get the gist of why she wants to come with us. Even if it’s mostly to offer the best protection for Daddy and me, she already alluded to the politics lumped with it.

The little speech in regards to the window she allowed into her interactions with human history only added to the confusion.

My thoughts were jarred from my inner musings when Daddy spoke up. “May I have a moment alone with my daughter?” he asked Fleur. Daddy was never one to let some things stew a bit.

“But of course!” said Fleur with a smile. “Take as much time as you need. I shall see to it the two of you are not disturbed.” I gave her a pleading look and she in turn winked at me. I felt her support and understanding as well as a bit of steel. It was as if she knew how to give me an idea of her displeasure at my antics last night.

“If you’ll excuse me,” said Fancy Pants with a polite nod. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Spriggs.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Daddy offered a smile; a genuine one. He had been so unsure and uncomfortable with this place to this point. Stallion and man shook hoof and hand. I think a sort of mutual respect was reached. Guys are weird. It takes us girls a lot of work to find members of the same sex to build up the sort of trust for a proper friendship…

Or maybe it’s just my natural changeling nature to distrust females?

Ugh!

I was interrupted from my constant inner musings (am I as bad as Daddy?) when the door closed quietly and the room was filled with heavy silence. My eyes wandered over to the massive window and the world beyond it. Summer was in full swing and I noted idly the birds in the trees. Too bad I couldn’t hear them singing. I so wanted to hear the songs of birds.

“I keep forgetting we’re not the same species,” Daddy said slowly. I turned to look at him, my ears having long beaten me in my focus upon him. He slumped into his seat, reclined back against the low backing with his arms resting along the top of the couch. Fingers drummed lightly against the finely polished wood as his eyes looked me over carefully. “I want you to always be my little girl, my little princess. Even I forget you have the heart of a predator. You’re a huntress and a territorial one. Your nature is to protect what you think is yours, even violently.”

My body stiffened. Daddy tried to reason his way through the information I told him as well as what Fancy and Celestia added. Usually something like this is beyond his grasp unless he’s had a day or two to put the pieces together. He was a doer, not a thinker and even the doing could take some coaxing if he didn't have any interest. Like a pit bull, once he latches on to something, Daddy won’t let go until he’s satisfied with his findings or there’s nothing else to be found.

“Come here,” he commanded, patting the cushion on his right side. I complied like a good girl and suddenly his arms were around me. “Lose the fake you. I want to see the girl I raised and tickled and argued with in her real form.” I did just that.

“Daddy?” I asked after shedding my disguise. “How mad at me are you?” I really didn’t have to ask as I feltl his smoldering disappointment.

He knew it was pointless to hide his feelings from me. I think it might have made raising me a real pain in the ass for him. Having a daughter who can read his emotions (and even his thoughts to a degree) might have made the role of playing father a lot like asking Bruce Campbell to fill in for Brad Pitt.

Or something like that. I’m sixteen. I say confusing things. Shut up. Okay! I like Brad Pitt! He’s cute...for a human. Sure, he’s a little older now and a bit grayer, but like Sean Connery, he’s aged like a fine wine.

Oh, for God’s sake, I’ve completely lost track of the story!

Luckily, Daddy swept away my self-imposed confusion. “Yeah, I admit I am angry with you. I don’t get mad, pumpkin. Dogs get mad. Mad dogs get put down. I’m upset and angry and disappointed with you, but I’m not mad at you.”

I drooped my ears and sighed, nearly to the brink of tears again. I knew I had disappointed my Dad and I never wanted to do that. What good is a source of love when they don’t love you anymore? A changeling feels so empty when they don’t have love to fill them. It’s probably our greatest weakness, our want and need for love. It’s not just a source of power for us, but also a sense of fulfillment we can never satiate. I’ve had thirteen years to figure this out on my own and another month among the ponies to stitch it all together. I don’t have everything down, not by a long shot, but suffice to say I have a pretty good idea.

Changelings need love to feel complete. We can’t hold on to it because something within us devours it. I can’t keep it. Something burns it or uses it. I really can’t fathom it because I don’t fully understand why. I have to know why. I need to know why!

“I wanted to protect you,” I blubbered, my face suddenly buried in his chest. Daddy automatically wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into a tight hug. “You were hurt and I didn’t know what else to do! Everyone was telling me to wait and wait and do nothing while you lay there all helpless and hurt! You screamed in pain and I felt your pain, Daddy! I could feel it and I wanted to make the one who hurt you feel what I was feeling.”

A kaleidoscope of emotions washed over me. Daddy was upset, of course, but there was understanding, profound and sad as I could feel him reaching back into his own memories. I could sense he was struggling through...gaps? I was really paying attention to where he was trying to work his train of thought and I saw something very odd and even disturbing in his mind. No, I couldn’t fully make it out, but it went back to my suspicions someone messed with his head a long time ago. If only I could make heads or tails of it!

Resignation and eventual love washed over me and it broke me again from my musings. To me, it felt like a warm waterfall cascading over me slowly at first, then washing over me with increasing acceptance until it was just below what I normally felt from my Daddy.

“I forgive you,” he said quietly in my ear. “You did what you did out of love.” There was a pause. The man sighed. “You still need to be punished,” Daddy added quickly. Sternly.

I pulled back from him and stared with puppy dog eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but it clamped shut as I realized he was right. Daddy usually was, even though he was a crusty old grunt who still could barely manage changing a tire. Still, he was my first teacher, my best teacher and more than just the guy who raised me like a daughter. He was my best friend.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked in resignation. Knowing him, I think I already had a clue.

“I want you to apologize to this Anzealous guy,” he told me simply.

I groaned. “But he’s faaaaat!” I complained. Not to mention he played with your brain like it was a goddamn Etch-A-Sketch!

He gave me a meaningful glare. “I don’t care. You’re going to do it and I want to meet him myself. I’m not too happy he poked around my head and I intend to get an apology from him first. If he doesn’t give me one, then to hell with you giving him one.”

Well, at least he gave me that.

Fiiiiine,” I relented with a pout.

“One more thing,” my dear, lovely father decided to add. Michael Spriggs had a gift for adding details as a filthy afterthought. “You’re going to offer your help at the embassy as an apology to all the other changelings you disrupted with your antics. For a month and during their office hours, whatever they are.”

I stared at him incredulously. “That’s not faaaiiir!” I whined piteously.

“Don’t look at me in that tone of face, young lady,” he said, bopping on the end of my muzzle with a forefinger. “You don’t have to like it, but you will do it. Do I make myself clear, Chryssie?” He never uses my name unless he’s dead serious.

But—”

“And you’ll apologize to each and everyone of those changelings personally. I know you realized you were making a big mistake and decided not to do anything stupendously stupid like killing anyone.” Dad stared at the ceiling for a moment as he considered further punishments dancing around his head. “Oh, and during that month, you’re also grounded to your room. Anything past that I’ll leave to Celestia and Luna.”

I echoed out my previous— “That’s not faaaiiir!” —and flailed my hooves at Daddy.

“Life’s not fair,” he replied as cool as a cucumber. I hate cucumbers. Unless they’re turned into pickles. I like pickled cucumbers. Especially when they’re the sweet sliced ones for sandwiches.

“This su-uuuuucks!” I complained mightily, throwing my head back dramatically..

“Punishments usually do,” Daddy said with an uncaring shrug.

You know what? I really didn’t care. All I cared for was the growing love coming from my Daddy. For those that take love for granting, trying living in the shoes of a changeling. Daddy hugs are the best things in the world, even if you think you’re too old for them. I felt safe in my dad’s arms, even if he was really mean about dishing out punishments.

He can be a lovable jerk. Celestia was right: he didn’t kill me. I sure as hell wish he had. Besides, I still owed him for embarrassing me by calling out that stallion who was staring at my ass.


The next morning I woke up in my own bedroom Fleur had been so kind to provide for me. It was the first rays of sunshine falling over my eyes that roused me from a wonderful dream involving lots and lots of children with solid glowing blue eyes looking up at me in adoration while I happily doled out slices of pepperoni pizza with sweet love sauce.

It was such a weird dream! “We love you, mommy!” they had chirped at me through mouthfuls of love pizza (yes, love pizza). The repeated chorus echoed as a fading memory. Weird, but cool. Is it normal to wake up to a sense of longing? I guess all that talk about eggs and kids yesterday stirred something within me. Judging from Dad’s reaction yesterday to the idea of me being pregnant, I’m pretty sure he’d only want that after I got married, or whatever is socially acceptable in changeling society.

“Oh,that’s right. We’re going to the palace today,” I groaned, sitting up as I rubbed my eyes with both hooves. I looked back at my pillow and noted I had drooled on it some time during the night. There was a tear in the sheet. I think I caught a fang, too. I ran my tongue over my gums. Sure enough, a bit of thread was found.

Was I trying to eat the bed?

Yes, it was a mattress stuffed with clouds and no, they were not edible. That still didn’t explain why my mouth was so dry. I sat up, yawned mightily and made a throaty noise to go with it. My jaws distended and repositioned themselves before settling comfortably back into place.

I’ll bet you didn’t know I could unhinge my jaws like a snake, did you?

The servants knew better than to barge into my room. Besides, I knew the language they preferred to speak. It’s only slightly different than French and the differences seem to be more regional than anything else. A lot of the words are more formal than informal. I imagine people from the French Revolution would be able to converse easily with the Prench ponies. It’s a pretty language and fun to speak. I took online courses and I’ve had a chance to practice with Fleur. She said I wasn’t too bad at it, though some of my inflections are a bit off. At least I can roll my ‘r’s.

I forced myself out of bed and shuffled my way to the bathroom, smacking my lips. I showered, taking my time and shifting to my Midnight Emerald disguise in the process. I wondered if Daddy was awake yet while brushing my teeth with supplies provided by the Fleur de Lis house. Surprisingly, they used some names I was familiar with.

After my shower, I dried myself off with a spell Twilight taught me and probably spent about fifteen minutes or so brushing my mane. My hair is the only thing I’m not tomboyish about. I emerged from the bathroom to find breakfast had been brought and laid out on the small table by the window. It was a simple breakfast; diced fruit, orange juice, English muffins (or whatever ponies called it on this world), oatmeal, and poached eggs. I ate quickly as the doors opened after a polite knock. Two maids came in, wishing me good morning as they asked permission to do begin cleaning. By then, I was finishing my orange juice. I asked where Daddy was on my way out and was given directions.

This mansion was huge. I would not have been at all surprised if they had provided for me a map of the grounds. He was already up and having breakfast with Fleur in the dining room, I was informed. Why wasn’t I invited? My steps took me there at a pace slightly past hurried.

As it turned out, Fleur de Lis was in the middle of checking my father’s mind for any malingering after effects of the attack to his mind. There was a nurse there sent by the hospital where Daddy had been. She was busy doing nurse things like checking blood pressure, drawing blood, taking temperatures, as well as a couple of other examinations I could not name off the top of my head. She was just finishing up as I entered the dining room. Daddy was rubbing the crook in his elbow where he pressed a bit of gauze into his skin. He saw me enter and smiled.

“What was that all about?” I asked as I went up to him.

“I’m a guinea pig,” grunted Daddy as I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. “Good morning, pumpkin. Sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” I replied as I greeted Fleur with a smile. “The bed was awesome!” I told her.

“Thank you,” she said and nibbled on a bit of toast with jam. She chewed and swallowed. “We shall be leaving in a half an hour.”

“I’m ready to go,” I quipped, taking a seat next to Dad.

“I haven’t had my coffee yet,” said Dad as he held up his cup knowingly. “Considering everyone is up and at ‘em, I don’t think taking it a little easy is going to hurt anyone. Relax, pumpkin.”

A maid entered the room and hurried to Fleur’s side. My ears perked and swiveled as the little scene attracted both my attention and Dad’s. I caught a few words, namely ‘changeling’ and ‘wishes to speak with you in private’. Was Avon calling? Mary Kay? Jehovah’s Witnesses? The Cat in the Hat? Fleur smiled at the mare and stood up. I settled on going with Publisher’s Clearing House.

“Pardon me, I have an unexpected guest,” she said apologetically. “I will not be long, I do not think.” Fleur smiled that smile of hers and disappeared from the room with a grace I was jealous of. The girl could move!

For some reason, I thought to look at my dad to see if he watched her leave.

He did. I peered closely at him and felt…curiosity?

Well, that was disappointing.

Wait...was that a grin on his face? “Daddy?”

“Hmm?”

“Were you staring at Fleur’s butt?”

Awkward silence.

“Aren’t you currently under punishment?”

I clamped my mouth shut, but grinned at him anyway.

“Shooting for two months?” he asked as he brought his coffee to his lips.

I shrugged. “Totally worth it.” Chryssie may be grounded, but Chryssie’s revenge has just begun! “I love you, Daddy.” Apply large, innocent-eyed appearance. Let the adorableness consume him! Let thirteen years of perfected practice take over!

He grunted sourly at me, but was blushing a little bit. He might not have been outright attracted to Fleur, but he definitely did flash curiosity. I sensed a tremor in the Force!

And so it begins… I giggled inwardly.


As it turned out, the visitor was none other than Anzealous himself, former ambassador to Equestria and a member of the Druanae Hive. With him was his replacement, Ambassador Fae who had been sworn in last night. The fat little bastard was none the worse for wear as he waddled in only slightly less arrogant than I remember. Fae, I noted was a bit taller than him and was probably even pretty by changeling standards, though she seemed to have a little bit of chunkiness to her. Both were escorted by no less than four Royal Guards; two unicorns, a pegasus, and an earth pony. One of the unicorns was one Dad recognized. What was his name? Real Balls? No. Steel Jaw.

What the hell kind of name is Steel Jaw for a unicorn? From what Daddy told me, he’s a jerk and a bigot towards Changelings. Why, I don’t know. While we had been waiting for Fleur to deal with her guests, one of the maids came in a few minutes later and guided us to the same room we met with Celestia yesterday. It was there we found the guards and their changeling charges, seated at the same little coffee table clucking away like a flock of chickens.

Anzealous took one look at me and screamed like a filly. The four guards regarded me with curious stares before they put one and one together and came up with an adult changeling terrified of a teenage changeling who happened to be hot to boot! Fleur was startled by the sudden outburst from the fat bug and immediately had a hoof to her chest.

“Oh ma qualité!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide as she seemed greatly amused once she got over her startled state. Fleur de Lis began to giggle as the female changeling next to her simply sighed and waved at me.

“She’s not going to eat you, Anzy,” she told him firmly.

“That’s a queen, of course she’s going to eat me!” he whimpered as he hovered on his buzzing wings. His solid colored eyes were fixed on me.

“Anzy!” the female changeling said as she rolled her eyes. “Sit down before you embarass yourself even further.”

“But Fae…” his voice trailed as his shoulders slumped, his legs dangling limply. Keeping his eyes glued to me, he settled down next to his changeling companion. Then, as he settled on the couch, he noticed Daddy standing next to me. He squinted at him for a moment, raising a hoof and shaking it at him. “You seem familiar.”

“That’s the human you assaulted,” Fleur told him pointedly even as she moved to place herself firmly between Dad and Anzealous.

“Him?”

As the former ambassador wondered out loud, Daddy tensed and immediately screamed, “YOU!” With a roar savage enough to make me yelp in surprise and fear, he hurled himself at a fat creature only a third his size. According to my nose, someone wet themselves.

It wasn’t me this time.

He didn’t even bother trying to hide his sudden explosion of rage. It caught everyone in the room by surprise, except Fleur. With her horn flaring, she assumed a wide stance with her hooves and caught him in midair. Her pale violet eyes narrowed slightly as she not only had to contend with my father’s weight and momentum, but his willpower as well. His eyes bulged in their sockets as he struggled against her magic and her own willpower. He snarled as he realized Fleur held him fast. Their eyes locked.

“No,” she told him firmly as she stood proudly. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Please. There will be peace in my house.”

Daddy towered over her, his shoulders rolled forward, his arms stiff and his hands balled into white-knuckled fists. His anger was so painful, I had to block him. I had felt a human’s anger before. It’s not pretty. It’s far from comfortable. It terrifies me to this day. The man I saw as my father clenched his teeth in hate, glaring at the cowering tubby changeling and his equally quailing replacement. His steeled eyes then went to Fleur who met him calmly and in a way Celestia would approve.

“There will be peace in my house,” she reiterated firmly, yet in a gentle tone. By now the guards were moving in, closing into a square around Daddy. “I am your friend, Michael Spriggs. The changeling has come to make amends, oiu? His queen commands it. His empress commands it. I asked for it. Are you more than a simple soldier? Are you not a being of compassion? Can you not forgive?”

Daddy’s eyes widened, regarding her. They swirled in indecision and confusion.

The guards began to move in.

“No!” she commanded them sharply. “Do not interfere.” Her horn flared and she pushed them back with her magic and her will. “You will only make things worse. My command of no violence extends especially to you guards.” For the first time, she displayed her displeasure with a simple glint in her eye. “Understood?”

I sensed annoyance from her. Annoyance and irritation. Disappointment and determination. Fleur de Lis gave me a taste of her magic right there and then. She didn’t even need to work the spell in her mind. A simple thought and application of her power and she effectively held everybody in the room at her mercy. Maybe the rumors she was as powerful as Starswirl the Bearded had some truth to them.

“Lieutenant Steel Jaw, am I understood?” she repeated her question, raising her voice just a tad and focusing it at the unicorn stallion.

Steel Jaw swallowed hard and nodded. “Stand down,” he commanded the other three guards.

Très bon.” She smiled, turning her attention to my dad. “Monsieur Spriggs,” Fleur said to him, again in a gentle voice, “I understand your pain, mon ami, but I need you to begin your healing if you are going to be of any use to your fille, oiu? She will need you whole in the days to come. You will need to be strong, to be whole. The changelings will find your weakness and exploit it. That is how they are. In order to not fall to them, you must first learn to forgive.” She sat on her haunches and tilted her head to one side, offering a relaxed smile.

Dad stared at her for a moment, unsure as to what he should do.

“I want to earn your trust,” Fleur said. “What must I do to earn it? Please tell me. Will striking me satisfy you? Then do so. Upon my face. Across my chest. Let me feel your wrath.”

Dad flinched from her. “No!” His rage dropped like an iceberg into the Bering Sea. The
cold shock of her statement pulled him from his angry state. He slumped, his fingers unfurling from his palms.

“Daddy?” I croaked. Raising a hoof, I was about to step forward.

“No!” Fleur said sharply. “Stay where you are, ma Emeraude!” She turned her attention back to my dad. “I await your decision. If striking me will ease your pain, then strike. You have put off seeking help long enough. Know this, Monsieur Michael Spriggs: Your sorrow is not of your own making. Magic traces years old are upon your spirit and scar your soul. Something was taken from you; your joy. The zest you once had for life was taken forcibly from you. The process was slow, perhaps taking two or three years. The tests at the hospital suggest this, however it cannot be confirmed.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Daddy demands, reeling as he clearly doesn’t believe her. I gape at Fleur is disbelief.

“Ponies have been monitoring your world for centuries. Were you not paying attention?” Fleur takes a step towards him. “If ponies are able to step into your world, who knows what else has been watching humanity?”

I suggested in the form of a loud blurt, “Changelings?” My gaze settled coldly upon Anzealous and Fae.

“This conversation is best served with the Sun and the Moon present,” Fleur announces calmly, her magical aura lessening back to being nearly non existent. “All those gathered here have an appointment to meet them this morning. Let us not keep them waiting.”

She didn’t say ‘no’. I glared at the two shape shifters on the couch. Yeah, I want to hear more about this. However, first things first. “Apologize,” I snarled to Anzealous, pointing a hoof at my dad. “That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?”

Fleur said, “Indeed. That is why I called him here.” Her eyes shifted from Daddy, to me, then to the fat bug trying hard to make himself small. “Isn’t the correct, Ambassador Anzealous?”

He cleared his throat. “Former ambassador, if you must know.” His voice had an odd crack to it stemming from his fear of Daddy, Fleur, and little ‘ole me. “And you are quite correct.” His solid eyes dimmed for a second, then brightened as they settled on the tall, pale ape with the reddish brown hair with bits of gray beginning to show.

Daddy forgot to shave again. Three-day-old stubble seems to stick out noticeably, as if I’m just now paying attention to it. Which I am. I chided myself for not reminding him.

The former ambassador hopped to the ground and trotted next to Fleur, hanging his head in a manner that was neither proud nor submissive. It was determined. Once he stood next to the unicorn mare, he lay down at my dad’s feet and touched the tip of his muzzle to the floor.

“I beg your forgiveness, human for invading your mind. I meant no harm as I only wanted to satisfy my curiosity in service to my queen and my empress.”

It was killing him to grovel like this.

I found myself liking it.

Daddy was less eloquent. Placing his hands on his hips, he glared down at the little black ball of prostate changeling, his emotions playing over his face like a bad B movie. Fleur gave him an encouraging nod and I found myself next to him and smiling. I nudged him so he could see it. C’mon, Daddy! Bury the hatchet! I don’t like the little shit anymore than you, but I get the feeling we’re going to see a lot of him.

He considered Anzealous, closed his eyes for a moment, moving his lips as he silently talked to himself. When he reopened his eyes, he rolled them to the ceiling, pulling his arms up and crossing them over his chest. “Apology accepted,” he said as if someone was pulling his teeth.

Yes, he dragged that out deliberately. No, he was not happy about accepting the apology. Maybe something good would come from this. Or it would end up being an unmitigated disaster.

Whatever.

“Stop groveling,” he growled to Anzealous. “It’s embarrassing.”

The changeling looked up from the floor and rose to his hooves. “Yes, well, I did overstep my authority and I did do something that might have plunged Equestria and the Empire into a state of war.” A rueful smirk creased his dark face. “Imagine if my desire for peace would have ended in such a tragic state. The irony would have been bitter indeed.”

Yep. He’s an arrogant little prick. I think I made a mistake in letting him live. Said the changeling who screamed like a terrified little girl while being chased by Rapeface the Clown.

Daddy only nodded. “I really don’t give a damn about politics, Andrew.”

Fleur leaned towards him. “Anzealous,” she corrected sweetly. “I thank you for your compassion, Michael.” Indicating the other changeling still sitting on the couch (and wearing a very smug grin directed at Anzy), she introduced her. “That is Lady Fae, newly minted as the Ambassador to Equestria for the Changeling Empire, daughter of Queen Druanae and of the Druanae Hive.”

Fae smiled and waved. “Nice to meet you!” she chirped. “My, you’re a tall one!”

Dad nodded and gave her a grin. “You’re almost as pretty as my daughter,” he told her, completely changing from barely tolerant of Anzealous to being downright friendly to Fae. She accepted the compliment with an unfettered smile.

Did you know ponies find changelings in their natural forms to be, for the most part, utterly terrifying? I think it’s the fangs and the solid colored eyes. I’m thinking the only reason they’re not in disguise was because they were told not to be, or something like that. Maybe it’s because changelings are black.

Satisfied her house was not going to degenerate into a battlefield, Fleur de Lis said to the group, “Very well! Let us all make our way outside to the chariots waiting to whisk us away to Canterlot! Let us not keep the royals waiting as they are very busy mares, non?”

With that, we went to Canterlot.


After a month of living in the castle, I can still say the place confuses the hell out of me. With so much added on over the years—yeah it looks beautiful and magnificent. There are so many twists, turns and stairs (oh, God the stairs!), the place is a literal maze to those who are unfamiliar with the layout. We were where we needed to be at nine o’clock on the dot and ushered into the throne room. The number of guards were typical, but I found their eyes on me, it seemed.

Hostility! Hostility everywhere!

I guess my little jaunt into the changeling wing had cause quite a bit of embarrassment to the Royal Guards. There had always been a rivalry between the Solar and Lunar guards, but when one side failed, the other also felt the backlash of the failure to do their duty. It would be later I would figure out I had just made asses of them not once, but twice now.

I guess some badassery simply transfers from one incarnation to the next.

Princess Celestia awaited us from her throne, apparently at the end of a meeting with members of her staff as well as other government officials I had no clue as to who they were. We were announced and a few looks were thrown our way. Daddy kept a hand on the back of my neck. I don’t know if it was to keep me calm or to keep himself calm, but it was reassuring.

Fleur kept herself between the changelings as Daddy and I were on her left, the changelings on her right. Anzealous had been looking at me a lot, then would stare at Daddy. He was still terrified of me, if a bit confused. When he looked at my dad, I felt guilt emanating from him. Celestia dismissed the ponies around her and they quietly walked past us, a few curious glances thrown at Daddy and the changelings. Dad just smiled and kept his eyes on the Solar Princess. He was both frightened and in awe of her. Small wonder as to why.

Celestia dismissed the guards, but asked for Steel Jaw and the three guards with him to remain. The unicorn had been quiet the whole time. None of those in his little group spoke, but remained silent as ghosts. Even their hoofsteps seemed muffled. Training, I guess. Niceties were exchanged as well as a bit of small talk. I ignored it all as I wanted to get this thing over with. I guess this empress lady is my mom, has talked to Celestia and for some reason my Daddy.

Why didn’t she want to talk to me? Is she that much of a cold-hearted bitch I’m not worth talking to? Am I dead to her eyes or am I just a matter of inconvenience? The thoughts had danced in my mind since Celestia’s announcement, but mutely. I didn’t think of this empress as my mom. She’s a stranger, a non-factor in my life. My life was on Earth, not Equestria. My month here was among the ponies, not the changelings. Sure, things were hard without my dad, but not once did this so-called mother of mine even give a thought to me! Did Celestia protect me from her for a reason? What game was she playing? Everything was so confusing!

Daddy nudged me. “Pay attention,” he murmured.

“Wha—?” I stammered, looking up to see Celestia smiling down at me.

“I asked if you were ready to meet your mother,” she said with infinite patience (and a giggle).

“I guess,” I answered with the enthusiasm of getting a root canal. “Not really,” I admitted.

She hummed, allowing a knowing nod. “Steel Jaw, you and your guards are dismissed for now. See the watch commander for further orders.”

“Yes, your Highness,” he replied crisply and saluted. He turned and departed, his guards filing singley out behind him. I never did get a reading off either him or the guards. Was their armor enchanted? Possibly. My curiosity and unwanted thought interrupted the gnawing feeling in my gut long enough to give me a reprieve of sorts.

Celestia swept her magnificent magenta eyes warm and welcoming. “Everyone else, please follow me.”

Well, of course she’s not going to say ‘everypony’. Does my Daddy look like a pony to you? Celestia is sensitive like that.

We did so and went through a side door and into the depths of the ancient bastion of Equestria’s might. I swear, if the spells used in the masonry wasn’t proof against time and the elements, so much of this place would look weathered and worn. As it was, only the deeper parts of the castle showed any signs of how old the place really was. We passed through this part and soon began to climb up a tower leading to the quarters of the Princess of the Sun.

Luna was waiting for us, as well as Twilight Sparkle, and…

...Princess Cadence.

I splayed my ears against my skull and immediately assumed a submissive (and terrified) pose, freezing in my tracks and just inside the doors to Celestia’s chambers. For some reason, I could not move. I could not breath. I panicked. I immediately needed my Daddy for security.

She initially had an impassive glare as she scrutinized me, but that faded to bewilderment. The Princess of Love tried to look to her elders for encouragement, but could not tear her eyes off of me. What anxiety she had turned to concern.

“Oh, God...Oh God!” I whimpered after a long and awkward moment. “I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” Why was I apologizing to this mare I had only heard of? I remember watching the cartoon and never really thought of this moment happening. It wasn’t until I actually stepped into Equestria and her name was mentioned in a conversation. I hyperventilated then it dawned on me. I was trembling despite the words of kindness coming from one of the kindest, most loving ponies known to all, young and old, rich and poor. She had political enemies because she urged love and kindness and forgiveness. Orphans went to bed at night dreaming of her visits the next day. When Princess Cadence visited, it was not because it was an obligation to her. She came to her subjects because she wanted to and made it a point to mingle among the common everypony. She read stories to foals and made a day of it.

She was this world’s Princess Diana.

“Chrysalis,” said someone somewhere. I think it was Celestia. I was too busy focusing on Cadence to pay attention. “You’re not here for that. Cadence has already forgiven you and knows you’re not the same mare as before.”

A warm sensation washed over me. Some sort of calming magic, I think. It was very powerful.

“She does not speak like the old Chrysalis,” observed the pink princess. She gave me a small smile. “I want to think you are a different mare. Please don’t be afraid of me.” Her voice is very gentle and very kind. In her eyes was a sort of fear one gets when one realizes they’ve just run over a kitten while backing the car out of the driveway.

Daddy placed his hand on the back of my neck and gave me a comforting squeeze. I leaned into him without thinking, shrinking from an alicorn who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Twilight came around to my other side and gave me an encouraging smile.

“Nothing but friends here, Chrys,” she said, using my shortened name she and her friends called me, “and your imposing father.” Mirth filled eyes went to my Daddy.

Daddy guffawed at her voiced vision of him, but said nothing. He felt really uncomfortable standing in a room practically oozing with the living auras of concentrated magic.

“Let us not tarry,” sang Luna, her meaning swathed with the business at hand. “Sheath your fears, young Chrysalis. You are among friends, as Twilight Sparkle so notably and accurately informed. Michael Spriggs, may I present to you Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, ruler of the Crystal Empire."

While Daddy and Cadence made nice with each other, I found my crippled attention drawn to Luna.

I wish she’d loosen up. Still, that’s one of the things I like about her. For all her formal words and addresses, she still wants to be a part of modern Equestria and has a hunger to catch up with the thousand years she was locked in the moon. I asked her about it once, what it was like to be in the moon. Her response chilled me to the bone when she flashed a smile not meant for mortal eyes, filling me with cold terror. Those blue eyes of hers held me like a pair of sapphire lunar orbs. Two words drifted to my ears from her lips like an avalanche.

Absolute loneliness.”

Before I could run from her, she swept me into a hug, begging her forgiveness. The past she had lost herself in was rightfully behind her, she told me. To feel such a thing again would be enough for her to desire an end to her immortal life. Her place was at her sister’s side, guiding Equestria to a brighter tomorrow through love and temperance. Luna asked me then to never ask such a question of her again. Some things were simply too painful to dwell upon.

“When you have age as your companion,” Luna said to me then, “When you have a kingdom around you. When you have stood the test of time and bear the scars of hard-won victories, then shall I open myself to you my sorry past.”

I came to cherish her odd mix of blunt eloquence and tough love. Luna was ancient school.

Now, her words to me were, “Stand tall. Stand proud. One day you will be counted as among the most powerful in all the world. Let this day mark the first of many crossroads in your journey through life.”

Twilight gave me an encouraging nuzzle.

Celestia came forward. “Michael, I have something for you,” she said to the man. Daddy tensed. “I told you I would have something to protect you from magic.” He said nothing, but nodded, not really sure what to expect. “This was made for you by a collaboration of the finest casters from the university. Once I told the the purpose it was for and for whom it was to be made, the unicorns threw themselves into the task with the enthusiasm of teenagers!” She wore a smile as a rather plain but beautifully made wooden box came from her desk and floated in the grasp of her telekinesis.

It floated in front of Daddy. “What is it?” he asked suspiciously.

Celestia prods him with, “Open it. It won’t bite. I promise it’s perfectly safe.” The simple-looking thing hovers there, a veritable Pandora’s Box in Daddy’s eyes.

Daddy hesitated, then reached for it. Once he had the box in both hands, Celestia released her own hold and looked on expectantly, a slowly growing smile matching her dancing eyes. She was very pleased with whatever was inside. I’ll bet a pie on a spring will come out and slap Dad in the face like a woman’s rejection.

I’ll admit, I’d pay to see that.

Nothing like that happened. After a moment or two of fiddling with the box, Daddy sheepsihly figures out the latch and opens the box, pointedly looking directly into the box and not at the bemused grins on everybody’s face from watching the chimp figure out the puzzle box holding the prized banana in it.

Figuratively speaking, of course. Well, humans and chimpanzees are pretty close to each other in terms of their DNA. Try ninety-eight point eight percent, or something around that number.

...I got off track again, didn’t I?

Daddy reaches into the box and pulls out a golden chain necklace with a simple gem cut like an arrowhead dangling from it. It swirls with colors much like Celestia’s mane. Holding it up to his eye, my dad scrutinizes it for a moment. “It’s very pretty,” he stammers, not really sure how to respond to the gift. Saucer-like eyes coupled with a hanging jaw hold the room in suspense. The poor guy is completely out of his element and the auras around him have reduced him to the point of wanting to offer a sacrifice to the goddesses around him.

“Put it on,” Celestia encouraged him. Daddy began fumbling with the clasp and working it around his neck.

Luna had already grabbed the box from nerveless fingers and set it aside. As much as she disliked humans (she’s told me many times before, viewing them as too chaotic and too unpredictable), Luna was willing to concede some humans weren’t all that bad. I think she grudgingly respected Daddy, but why eluded me. This was recent.

“What does it do?” I asked while Daddy had decided to go mime on us. Well, he was trying to say something, but a bad case of overawe had stricken him dumb. I decided then and there to act as his translator.

“It’s an inhibitor,” Twilight began, happy to fill in details with more details and details of the details to make sure nobody missed out on the details. She ruffled her wings as she smiled. “So long as the gem is in contact with the designated wearer, nopony can use any form of harmful spell directly on the wearer.”

Daddy looked at her, trying (and failing) to quirk an eyebrow. Both rose instead. “No more scrambled brain?” he asked hopefully and wryly.

“Nope!” Twilight tilted her head to one side and pointed at the gem. “There are several very powerful enchantments in the gem for the sole purpose of acting as a natural defense against unwanted magic. However, it’s drawback won’t extend to poisons or magic used in the area around the wearer. If you need magic healing, you’ll need to take it off. Also, it’s bound only to you, so nopony else will be able to use it. It’s just a simple necklace to anypony else.”

I nudged my old man hard in the thigh. “Daddy says thank you, Princess Celestia.”

“Right!” he grunted, blushing. “Thanks!”

The mares giggled, save for Luna and Celestia. “Keep it beneath your shirt and against your skin,” advised Luna evenly. “The creature with whom we are about to speak with is not above feeling out with her power for weakness. She is enormously strong, Michael Spriggs. I would not think less of you should you chose not to speak with her out of fear. My sister and I are suppressing our magic for your sake.”

Yeah...they kind of were doing that. Magic poisoning can happen in all sorts of ways. With Luna and Celestia, their very auras could if they chose crush the mind of a human with no effort. I think it was a good idea nobody thought to tell him. Daddy would have had a reaction on the scale of ‘The End is Now!’. Nobody wants that. He’s already had a hard three days in Equestria. Michael Spriggs was not exactly the poster boy for endorsing vacations to Canterlot. It wasn’t because of what they were—alicorns. No, Celestia was essentially the living embodiment of the sun as over the centuries the two became so intertwined, she was like an avatar. Luna was the same way, save the moon was her connection to the sky. Both were very powerful and thus made the mere presence of the two ancient mares like basking in the presence of goddesses. There was an old tale of Celestia lost her unborn child long ago because of her own power. It’s not a very popular one, as one can imagine. Only those who harbor bad vibes for the princess would stoop to that level. I think she’d make a decent mom.

Luckily, Twilight and Cadence did not have such connections to massive balls in the sky and could hang around Daddy like a couple of drinking buddies, if you get the idea. They couldn’t hurt Daddy. They don’t have the oppressive magic of massive celestial bodies permeating their forms.

It almost seems as if the sun and the moon are living entities themselves.

Daddy was holding up the arrowhead necklace, examining the gem. It looked rough-hewn, almost as if it was hand made. It looked like the real thing; a flint arrowhead but filled with swirling colors like a prism. It wasn’t quite the gem I thought it was at first glance. This was much, much cooler. My old man liked it.

“Time is short,” Celestia said to everyone. “Mr. Spriggs, if you would be so kind as to stand next to me. Chrysalis, please stay near your father. Luna will be next to you. Twilight, you and Cadence keep Ambassador Fae and Anzealous between the two of you. Lady Fleur, stay behind father and daughter and keep a shield spell at the ready. I don’t know what she’ll do once we establish contact, but it’ll be something against our human guest. Be ready, ladies.”

Are we making a phone call or preparing to defend? Holy Christ, is my ‘mother’ really that much of a bitch?

For the first time, I noticed a green orb a lot like the one I peed on (if you tell my dad, I swear I’ll tear your arms off and beat you to death with them). It was on a much grander pedestal. I can feel the magic begin to hum from the forms of both Celestia and Luna as they place the call. The orb rose from its resting place and began to glow, spinning as it went.

I wondered if they were calling collect.

A column a green appeared, darkened, shifting as if coming into focus. For a moment, it burst bright white like a camera flash, then it goes black like a menacing column of shadow. Magic pulsed and throbbed, thrumming through my body. This dreadful feeling gripped my heart and I felt a presence as foreboding I have ever felt. It was a darkness, demonic and thick with malevolence. A pair of dragon eyes blazed to life within the depths of the column. A magic I was not familiar with yet felt as though I should know it filled the room. Celestia braced, taking a step to the side closer to Daddy. Luna slid closer to me, her face determined. The Sun appeared as calm as a perfect spring day, the Moon as still as a winter night.

This new magic was earthy, as if it came from the bowels of the earth. The very heart of the planet seemed to reverberate through this magic. I finally began to understand little by little why it was so familiar to me. It was changeling magic, the very magic I used. Everyone in the room was bathed in sickly green light. Daddy shielded his eyes, but tried to look. I could feel his fear rising up again. A hand reflexively reached to me. In my own fear, I found I sought my father’s touch. Together, we depended on each other to face this fearful thing as she made her presence felt for all to know.

“Three days have come. Three days have passed. Hast thou brought me mine child?” spoke a voice of a thousand tones. It was a choir of time with ignorance to mortality. Her voice was alluring, terrifying; demonic yet angelic. Her voice was many, speaking with one tongue. It exuded power and confidence.

Did Chryssie remember to go to the bathroom before facing mommy? Yes, Chryssie did! Chryssie’s such a good girl!

Oddly, I felt compelled to love whatever lay hidden beneath the glow of those slitted eyes regarding me with appraisal. I feared those eyes, the way they bore into me as if my very soul was being scrutinized. I was starting to feel dizzy as something vast and impossible pressed into my mind.

Something white shot up in front of me, the sound of snapping feathers biting through the air interrupting whatever mind slap was punishing me.

“Ahhh,” whispered the terrible voice I wanted to love. “Thou art mine daughter. Thou art whole. Thou art of sound body and mind. This is good.” She did not seem to mind Celestia had intervened by thrusting her wing between our line of sight. I heaved a sigh of relief and shuddered.

Good and Evil in one room. That’s what I was thinking as a little whine escaped my lips. Celestia’s wing fell away and she gave me a studious look and a sense I was safe at her side. Still I trembled.

Ah, be thou Satan? Get thee hence, for Goddess is with me!

“Chrysalis, Chrysalis,” she cooed, her gaze softening as she looked at me. “Long did I mourn thy death. I feared thee taken forever from mine sight. Thou art the same, yet different. It is as though the course of life hath been reset before thee and thy path is untrodden. Thy way is lost. I shall give thee thy proper path. Come home, my child. Let me embrace thee. Let me welcome thee back to mine bosom.” I felt a smile upon me and thought I caught a glimpse of impressive fangs within the darkness. Her attention shifted before I could say anything.

Not that I was able to speak. Mind numbing fear had rendered me paralyzed, like I had just realized I really couldn’t believe it was not butter.

“And thou art the human,” rasped the Devil to Daddy. My terror froze me. My love for that voice begged me to fall to my knees and declare myself hers. What power was this? Why was it so overwhelming? It rivaled Celestia’s! How was this possible? “It is good to see thee with mine own eyes.” Her voice sounds disjointed, broken.

She reminded me of Maleficent. I remember the animated Disney movie, Sleeping Beauty and its chief villain, the black witch. I had nightmares as a filly, but always watched the movie. It was my favorite then and still one of the most memorable films resonating in my mind to this day. A villain had come before me, those eyes reminding me of her. I could almost make out her form.

Daddy found his voice and even managed to come across as conversational. “It’s nice to finally meet you, too.”

“Steady,” Celestia said calmly. “She’s testing you.”

Those eyes flickered to the white alicorn. “In all things, a test. In all actions, there is judgement. Yes, this is a test, human Michael Spriggs. This is the same test you have been participating in for a very long time.” There was amusement in her tone as her focus drifted from Celestia to me, then back to Daddy where it settled. “Daughter, dost thou sense thy adopted father’s love for thee?”

Wordlessly I nodded, not ready to allow myself words to her.

“Dost thou sense mine love for thee?”

A curious question, I thought to myself, looking down at my hooves. Did I sense it? Was it there? I had withdrawn into myself, fearful of touching the darkness flowing around us. Celestia and Luna kept it at bay, but the undulating shadows seemed warm and inviting. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to look up, to gaze again into those eyes and reach out with my thoughts to taste her emotions. They called out to me, a soft whisper tickling at my ears, begging for me to notice. There was nothing at first when I touched my sense to her darkness. The shadow pulsed and swam slowly over me, delicately touching at me as if not believing I was real. There was a desperation there, to be loved. It was insatiable, familiar, and terrifyingly massive. Only Celestia and Luna billowed with such a presence. It was from there the darkness originated from. It was from there her hopelessness stemmed from. It was from there she hoped to fill it with as much love as she could desperately fill. Her hunger for love was offset for a wild sense a miracle had happened and I was that miracle.

My baby, oh, my child! How I missed thee!

I was taken aback by this. Not at all did I expect such a feeling for me! Daddy loved me unconditionally, but this was profound and ancient. This was something tested by time and tribulations. This was scarred by pain and suffering the likes of which I had never sensed before so openly and with such rawness.

A tear trickled down my cheek and I drew in a sharp breath, not realizing I had forgone the key need to breathe.

This...this was not evil! It couldn’t be evil! I could feel conflict growing within me as something hauntingly familiar slammed headlong into the beliefs Daddy instilled in me over the past thirteen years. I could not move, but those familiar fingers touched my chitin and calmed me enough.

“Momma?” I squeaked incredulously.

I could hear Celestia’s smile in her voice, “I am pleased to present to you your daughter. I also insist my sister and I present her to you personally in your presence within your throne room. Perhaps we can at last meet face to face and find a lasting peace between our two races. It will then be a cornerstone to peace with the other races.”

“Thy reason is more personal, Goddess of the Sun,” whispered the creature I was still struggling inwardly to accept as my mother. “Thou doth rush because thou doth sense an opening for a pursuit thou hast sought for an age.” Smugness dripped from her tone as it became arrogant. “Thou doth distrust mine intentions and seek to go beyond thy comfortable borders of thy nation for matters not of your concern.”

“Perhaps,” Celestia allowed with a bob of her muzzle. “Peace is my goal. Two worlds converge and there must be everlasting peace. War would be devastating and a misunderstanding could be the ruin of all.”

Luna followed up her sister’s words with, “You have not the means by which to carry out a war with Equestria, Empress. Shall we dispense with the pretense and focus on the truth?”

‘Sil’, as Daddy called her, chuckled. “Truth is subjective, is it not, Lady of the NIght? Was it not the truth which led you to realize the power of the Nightmare? Was it not the truth which shattered thy silly thoughts your night could ever be as beloved as the day?”

Luna’s eyes narrowed and the muscles in her neck tightened, but she bit back whatever retort was on her lips. I could almost imagine her shadow behind her doing really bad and violent things to the shadowy column addressing us.

“Very mature,” grated Daddy under his breath as he rolled his eyes. Only my ears caught those words as his head inclined towards mine. Louder, he said, “Yeah, and acting like a badass is going to win you so many friends, Sil.”

She looks at him in what I imagine looks like unexpected surprise at his outburst. “Thou shouldst be in awe of mine power and rendered mute.”

“Told you she’d try something,” Celestia muttered to Luna.

Luna snorted.

As I realized she did try to shut Daddy up, any niceness I had towards Sil dropped like a sack of fail. “Leave my Daddy alone!” I shouted, moving to get between them.

“Mother.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Leave my Daddy alone, Mother,” Sil corrected me.

As Luke said to Vader while clinging for dear life, “I’ll never join you!” Of course, that was all in my little changeling head.

“Come home, Chrysalis. Take your place at my side and together with you sisters we shall show the world what the changeling race truly is,” she beckoned in a silken voice. She was ignoring Daddy again, as well as the presence of the alicorns, the unicorn, and the two quaking changelings pressing themselves to the floor in mortal terror. Being in the presence of their empress had overwhelmed the poor things. It was like meeting God to them.

“Do you not wish to see how other changelings live? Do you not wish to see what a changeling is? Do you not wish to partake in your heritage and claim the hive rightfully yours by your blood? Do you not wish to brood your children in the safety of your hive and under my care? Do you not wish to realize your full potential? Do you not wish to meet your sisters? Think on this. Come. Visit. Sit with me. Sit with your sisters. We shall talk of private matters not meant for the ears of ponies. Think on this. See all the splendors of our race with your own eyes. Come to my city and see the statue set in your honor on the day of your birth. Come and at least visit your mother. I miss thee and thought thee lost to the clutches of the Reaper.” Her plea washed over me, almost to the point of begging without forcing her to let go of her pride.

I have sisters? “Is Daddy invited?”

Fangs flashed within a smile. “He will be a welcome guest. He will be treated with the utmost care and respect of any male of his station. He shall be given the title of Father Consort, a rank not held by a male changeling in over four hundred years. Michael Spriggs shall be under my personal protection.”

Uh, was she supposed to come off as… hungry like that?

“As he shall remain under mine,” Celestia added ruefully. “I do not know how I feel about your convenient little declaration, Empress.” On my other side, Luna snorted.

“Then I invite thee as a Beloved Guest of the Empire.” Her voice hissed like a sand-strewn wind.

“Will you also extend your invitation to my sister, Luna?”

There was a pause. “If that is thy desire. Bring with thee an entourage befitting a delegation of peace, Celestia. We shall talk of peace as thou doth desire.” Sil shifted as if she was sitting back, her stance speculative. “None of my daughters nor their changelings shall move upon Equestria in the absence of their princesses, so I doth declare. Let this be a first example of trust between our races.”

Luna and Celestia nodded silently in neutral agreement.

“It is settled. Go ye to the east, across the sea. Seek out the ruins of Arcadus, the ancient fallen kingdom of the minotaurs. Within its shattered capital shalt thou find thy escort to my bastion. Thou mayest bring an honor guard of no more than a score. Thy hoofmaidens shall be no more than two. Heed my instructions on this. Anzealous shalt be thy guide. Queen Druanae was most kind in offering his services as a part of his atonement for his most inappropriate invasion of an unprepared mind.” Sil inclined her head slightly at my old man. “Is this acceptable, Princesses?” Her words hovered expectantly.

Celestia looked at Luna. Luna seemed to consider something. Were they communicating telepathically? After several moments, they came to a consensus, both nodding at Sil and saying in one voice, “It is agreed.”

My…mother then asked Daddy, “Hast thou accepted the invitation I extended thee, Michael Spriggs of Earth, Beloved Guest and Father Consort to the Empire? Thou shalt be as a king and honored as such.”

Daddy swallowed hard. “Uh, sure?”

Sil nodded. “It is agreed then. Thy courage is commendable in the face of my power. Perhaps my daughter was correct in her assessment of thee. Come to my home. I am eager to see thy face before me and know thy scent. Thy taste is…robust.”

Aaaaaand there’s the predatory grin! Why was I expecting it? Because it’s what I would have done. Having a badass fang-filled smile is simply epic, so long as you brush and floss regularly. I will admit I was pretty jealous at how long Sil’s fangs were.

“It will take three days to plan the trip, gather supplies, and get a ship,” Celestia said. “Perhaps seven or eight days to cross the ocean and another two to three once we’re past the Dragonstone. Two weeks, Luna?” she asked her sister.

“This sounds correct, barring foul weather,” replied her sister.

“Acceptable terms. I will give thee until the the first day of the dragon migration.” Sil’s aura lessened considerably, even becoming gentle. “I eagerly await embracing my daughter. Such a happy turn of fate! I bid thee all farewell. Thou shalt be watched.”

With that, the column of darkness abruptly disappeared and the ball settled gently upon its pedestal. The aura faded completely and the room suddenly felt devoid of energy. All around me, the mares heaved great sighs of relief. Daddy was shaking visibly while Twilight simply stood where she had been, staring in amazement at the spot where the Empress’ projection had been.

“To think she could project her power over so great a distance,” she murmured.

“Nevermind that, Twilight.” Celestia was troubled. “It’s time to make ready for a journey.”

“Of course. I made a list just in case.”

The white alicorn laughed. “I knew you would be ready for anything.”

“Ah, princess?” Daddy interrupted, holding a finger in the air. He waited until she hummed for him to ask his question. “What personal crap of yours was she talking about?”

“It’s personal,” she said coolly. “You are in no danger, for the moment. I suggest you return to Lady Fleur de Lis’ home and make your own preparations for the journey ahead. You are committed, aren’t you?”

“I choose to be with my kid.” Daddy crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

“Commendable. Perhaps unwise,” noted Luna carefully. “I would not see you come to harm, Michael Spriggs. Perhaps it is best you are returned to your world.”

Fleur broke her long silence. “I disagree. He must go. He has to go. There are answers to his condition at the end of his journey.” Daddy gave her a strange look, but said nothing. She merely smiled at him placatingly.

Celestia nickered. “What leads you to believe this?”

“Indeed,” intoned Luna, curious. “What is your reasoning?”

Fleur studied Daddy carefully, pursing her lips. “She knows more of him than she is letting on. I have no proof. I simply feel it. It is the instinct, non? There was the way she used her words, her tone. Perhaps she misleads, perhaps she hides the truth behind more truths.”

“I’m going,” Daddy insisted.

Mom, I’m coming, and I’m bringing my dad and two alicorns, each capable of leveling an entire mountain range. Oh, and Fleur as well. She’re pretty good at that magic thing, too. Daddy once said we would visit Europe. Guess what? We’re visiting Europe, this world’s version. The one with Prance in it. Apparently where we’re going is where Romania would be on Earth. How fitting. I swear to God, if we run into someone named Van Helsing, I’m going to scream. .

Luna moved past us and whispered into her sister’s ear. Celestia listened, her eyes locked and far away. Both cast a slow look at the pedestal, their eyes narrowed in speculation.

It dawned on me why they might be worried. Sil was very powerful and had an earthy presence about her. She felt to me like the weight of the world was behind her. Her power was like a towering mountain just moments from falling upon me, an avalanche of terror waiting to happen at the slightest offense.

Daddy and I were going to be leaving soon for her house.

I am going to die, aren’t I?

Yay Daddy and me.