Despite her cold armor and strong exoskeleton, Chrysalis was still able to feel the harsh glares dig into her like daggers as she walked down the streets of Ponyville the following morning, the sun having just risen on the horizon and waking up the ponies of the town. With Fluttershy promising to take care of Insectum and show her around, Chrysalis figured that she needed to get some things done despite the ponies.
'But much to their annoyance, I am the first thing that they have to see this morning,' Chrysalis said as she bared her fangs at a group that were muttering under their breath, causing them to scream and run for their lives while Chrysalis chuckled to herself. She regained control as she arrived at the building that she had risked walking through the pony infested streets to reach, the Post Office. A tough looking stallion had just opened up as Chrysalis's shadow fell over him, turning him around very slowly as he looked up into the green eyes of the queen of the changelings.
"Hello there," Chrysalis said with a fanged smile as the pony's eyes shrunk back into his head. "I was informed by your ruler that a letter for me would be arriving sometime today. I came here early in hopes to pick it up. And I do hope it is in, because I do not like to be disappointed." The pony took the hint and tore through his mail bag, hurling letters and packages out of the way while Chrysalis watched with an amused expression on her face.
"H-here you are, Queen Chrysalis," the pony stammered as he gingerly held out a shaking hoof that withheld the letter within. Chrysalis took it from him and excused him with a wave of her hoof, ripping open the envelope and pulling out the letter from Luna. She sat down in a café seat outside as she began to read, ignoring the looks that the early patrons were giving her.
Dear Chrysalis,
How the heck do you do it? Barely ten minutes pass here after I solve one problem before another one occurs that I have to go fix. The changelings absolutely despise my presence despite me having helped them on nearly all of their problems...and unless they need something from me they avoid me completely. Not to mention that the buildings here look like they could collapse at any moment. However, I do find it interesting that not one of them will dare to speak of you in a bad tone and it is not because of fear, as I have looked into their dreams to confirm, but because they actually respect you. Can it be that you only act tough and are sweet on the inside?...No, I doubt it. Anyway, nothing too special here except for a small band of bandits that tried to get in, but the night is my domain.
From,
Luna
P.S. Did you know Zangief dreams of wrestling? He really is simple, isn't he?
Chrysalis rolled her eyes at Luna's letter, but she was happy to hear that everything was alright. However, she was confused as to why Tenna hadn't attacked the hive in her absence, since it seemed to be the perfect time to strike. 'Maybe he actually considers Luna to be a threat and won't attack while she's there. That works out well for the both of us,' Chrysalis thought with a shrug as she gained the waiters attention with a wave of her hoof.
"So tell me, what do ponies eat for breakfast around here?" Chrysalis asked with mock interest a she scanned the menu, pretending not to notice the look on the waiters face.
"I would recommend the hay fries or a simple salad, breakfast isn't too busy a time for us," the waiter said with a calm professionalism; Chrysalis impressed that he was able to hide the disdain for her in his polite tone. She ordered the hay fries and sat back, enjoying the warm rays of the sun. She wondered for a moment of Insectum was alright, then remembered that Zangief was with her and if anything happened she'd know one way or another.
'Of course, it's hard to enjoy myself with all of this yammering going on,' Chrysalis groaned as she closed her eyes, trying to block out the voices of the ponies that whispered about her behind her back. She ignored the words as best she could, not going to let them get to her.
"Seriously, what are the princesses thinking letting her near this place?"
"I can't blame Zangief for this, he just won a match. He was probably being manipulated by Chrysalis or something."
"It had to be manipulation. You think any smart being would work for something like HER willingly?"
Chrysalis opened her cold eyes again as she heard the waiter approaching, burying her emotions as best she could. He placed the platter in front of her without emotion, but a quick glance at the other patrons told her that she had been shafted in her portions. 'That's fine with me, I'm not paying for this anyhow,' Chrysalis thought with a shrug as she began to eat silently, blocking out the voices. 'And yes you annoying, fat cow, many changelings would lay down their lives for me...' She finished and placed a few bits on the table as she left, giving the waiter a glare before he complained about there not being enough before she left the café.
"Shows you just how precious friendship is to these ponies. Sure they all love one another, but somepony like me shows up and it's pitchforks and torches," she grumbled as she walked behind a building, her eyes narrowing as she had a thought. 'Say, I should test that little theory out. See just how special this friendship is.' She thought of a perfect design for a pony and her body took on their form, her black and armored exoskeleton changing into a beautiful white coat. Her green mane changed to blue with streaks of purple and her eyes became soft and caring, a sharp contrast to her normal piercing ones. She finished the illusion by using her magic to replace her missing leg, perfecting the disguise.
"Now then, let us see how they react when I am one of their own," Chrysalis snarled as she checked to make sure she looked stunning, waiting a few minutes before walking back out to the café and flashing a smile at the waiter. His face lit up immediately and he waved her over to one of the best seats in the house, Chrysalis batting her eyelashes at him while trying to hide the murderous thoughts that she had. The waiter said he would be right back while he pushed in her chair for her and place a menu politely before her, before racing off into the café with speed.
"Wow, your mane looks gorgeous." Chrysalis turned her head with a fake smile to see the smiling face of one of the ponies that had just minutes ago been whispering behind her back, yet was now talking to her with admiration in her eyes. "How do you get it to be so shiny and...straight like that?"
"Oh, just a lot of brushing and care," Chrysalis responded with fake happiness, snickering on the inside about how nice they were to her now that she was one of them. "Of course constant spa appointments are needed as well, since I can't be expected to maintain such a mane all by myself."
"It truly is a marvelous mane," one of the stallions said from behind her, Chrysalis turning to smile at him as well while at the same time hiding her eyes with her mane as to not give away her thoughts. "Of course, it's not the only marvelous thing about you. Where are you from exactly? I can't seem to place your accent."
"I'm from the east and I'm just passing through," Chrysalis honestly responded, since her hive was located in the far off east. The waiter came back and asked if she was ready to order, Chrysalis taking a quick look at all of the ponies before standing up. "If you all would excuse me, I need to use the bathroom." The moment she had walked out of sight she shifted back to her original form, hissing at them from a distance before she took to the skies and flew off. She didn't stop until she had come to a hill outside of the town, where she landed upon it and sat down. She sighed as she laid on the grass, hate in her heart as she thought about how nice they were to her just now.
'They're all hypocrites, every single one of them. Talk about how friendship is magic yet I can't even get a decent look in the city. And they wonder why I tried to kill them all.' Chrysalis closed her eyes and sat in silence beneath the suns rays for a few minutes, until the sun was blocked out by a mass of muscle that made her groan when she realized who it was. "And just when I had gotten over my immense hatred," she grumbled as she looked up at Zangief.
"So this is where you flew off to? I saw you in the town yet you did not stick around to chat!" Zangief smiled at her, yet his smile faltered a bit when she scoffed and turned her head to the side to avoid looking at the Russian. Zangief sighed as he sat down next to her, giving Chrysalis a confused look. "As I said, I saw you in town. But what I don't see if why you changed yourself to look like a pony to get into that café when you had already eaten. And don't you changelings eat love? Then again you do drink, so maybe you-"
"Oh if it will shut you up I was testing out a theory of mine!" Chrysalis half yelled at him, shutting Zangief up as she regained control of herself and sighed again. "When I went into that little café of theirs I was met with harsh words and cold stares, despite Celestia always bragging about how the ponies were the master of friendship," Chrysalis said with a scoff. "Yet I certainly wasn't feeling the love."
"Did they already know of you? Because from what I have heard most do not hate you until they get to know you," Zangief asked her, getting Chrysalis to let out another sigh as she shook her head slightly. "But why change into a pony? Why become something that you are not?"
"Again it was to prove a point, since they treated pony me a lot nicer than they did Chrysalis," she grumbled before hints of sadness began to appear in her eyes. "And...it's nice, every once in a while, to be treated like a normal person, treated like one of the masses. In the hive I'm the queen and out here I'm a monster. Sometimes it's nice to just...change into a pony and enjoy what it's like to be somepony else." She then turned to look up at Zangief for a moment, seeing a look of confusion on his face. "Don't you ever wish that? That you could just be...normal? Accepted?"
"I have had that thought once or twice, how it would be to be a regular person, to not have the weight of the fans to win or the expectations of my motherland on my shoulders. That I could live a normal life and be normal," Zangief said with a nod before a massive smile crossed his face. "But then I think to myself "I am Zangief", so why would I want to be anybody else? Being Zangief is the best thing that I can do."
"Is that you're dumb way of telling me to be myself and not care what others think?" Chrysalis asked with a smirk.
"Well, I was saying to try to be more like me, but I suppose being yourself works as well." Chrysalis did let a dry laugh escape her lips at his words, once again knowing that he had insulted her without trying to.
"I don't know why I bother. I'd rather be the hated enemy of the ponies and the ruler of the changeling hive than be a hypocritical pony that vomits lessons about friendship one moment and then hate on a stranger a moment later," Chrysalis said with her old pride back in her voice, Zangief smiling at the change. "Although I suppose that that kind of thinking is why I don't have any friends." Zangief began to laugh loudly at her words, getting a look from Chrysalis as he calmed down.
"Chrysalis, I am wounded! Here you are saying that you have no friends when I am sitting right next to you! Am I not your friend?!" Zangief asked her with a laugh, Chrysalis giving him a deadpan look until his smile fell off his face.
"No, you're an annoyance that stays at my house and eats my food," she responded with a shake of her head. "Besides, why on Equis would you think that we are friends? You're annoying and I say nasty things about you and treat you like trash. You still would want to be friends knowing full well what I'm like?"
"Chrysalis, I am from Russia. Your words hurt me as much as a the cold harms the bears of my motherland!" Zangief said with a laugh as he panted Chrysalis on the back, his might nearly knocking her over. "And that is just it! The ponies know what you are like and hate you for it! Yet I know what you are like and I do not care! Not to mention you gave me food and worthy opponents to fight! Does that not make us friends?!"
Chrysalis looked up at the smiling face of the cyclone for a full minute as she thought about his words, slowly starting to realize that was he said was true. She then began to think about all of the times he had fought for the changelings...fought for her and all the while with a smile on his face. And despite her treating him like crap, always being a jerk to him, he never once complained or got angry.
'Because he's my friend,' she thought with a small smile before shaking her head, looking up at the smiling face of Zangief again. "Alright, I guess we are friends. And as friends I want you to go to that café and piledrive ever single pony that is sitting there. That'll teach them to be hypocrites."
"HAHA! There is the Chrysalis that I know," Zangief exclaimed as he rose to his feet, picking up Chrysalis and tucking her under one of his mighty arms. "And now that you are feeling better, come with me! That pink pony wants to throw a party for us yet she could not track you down! Let us go!"
"Please no."
With another booming laugh Zangief walked towards the town again with the queen of the changelings tucked under his arms, a smile on his face as she hung limp, having accepted her fate. But although he could not see it, there was a smile on her face, a smile that came from the thought of having an actual friend. Something she'd never thought she'd get to have.
←↙↓↘→↗+H
"Tenna, it is almost complete. Once the moves have been downloaded into it's mind it should be operational." The changeling general smiled to himself as he looked up at the massive metal monster that rested in the upright position before him, almost as amazing as the genuine article. "Now we have a spell in place that will allow you to give it orders, although it will not give you the ability to control it in battle. If you wished to do that, things would get...messy."
"That is fine with me. After all, this will only be a test run," Tenna said with a smile as he reached up and placed a hoof on the red Z. "But after that, think of all the possibilities that can be achieved! And if this machine fails...I already know what phase two will be. And it will make me the strongest being in Equestria."