//------------------------------//
// Preachy Bullshit. 
// Story: Am I Evil 
// by Mandroid 
//------------------------------//

	
Huh, look at that. This magazine says that Sapphire Shores was getting divorced. You’d totally fuck Sapphire Shores, you should keep an eye out for her once you become famous.
You were sitting in the reception area of the Royal Palace in Canterlot trying to avoid the cold. Right after the show in Stableside, you and the band had noticed that you weren’t getting any dates for gigs until the end of the month.
Turns out it was December and you forgot about Hearth’s Warming. Again.
If you had a mom here, she’d kill you.
The band had crashed in a hotel in Canterlot and spent Hearth’s Warming drinking cheap eggnog. It wasn’t much, but you were all together, that was important.
Also you couldn’t afford anything else until you played a big enough show.
Which is why Chrysalis marching in two days after the holiday announcing she’d gotten you two shows was the best gift of all after watching Sombra pass out while wearing some of Eris’s booty shorts.
One show, the bigger of the two, was a MASSIVE blowout on New Year’s Eve in Ponyville. The other was today and…considerably more somber. The day of memorial for the defeat of the Changelings long ago.
Which made Chrysalis sitting with you and Artemis in the lobby all the stranger.
”This is taking too long, Arty.”
”It’s the speed of politics, Chryssy. Celly will meet us when she can.”
Chrysalis groans and rolls her eyes, impatiently tapping her crossed legs as she looks at you.
”And why are you here, Anon?” she asks.
“Cuz Sombra and Eris are either fuckin’ or getting high and watching cartoons or abducting children or something and I needed the air.”
You turn the page. “Plus I figure I can help pull you off Celestia if you try to kill her.
”If we ever see her.”
Clunking boots draw your attention to the archway, a tall night guard with an eyepatch looks at you.
”Kept you waiting, huh?”
Artemis groans and gets to his feet. “Sunshine Smiles, I swear to me, if you keep saying that I’m going to…rub sand in your eyes or something.”
”Consider it payback for ditching me here to go play rock star, Boss.”
Artemis grumbles. “Is she ready?”
”Princess Celestia will see you now.” The guard says, leading you back.
He leads you, Artemis, and a lagging Chrysalis through a long series of hallways to a small office near the side of the castle. Sunshine Smiles seems to always keep Chrysalis in the corner of his good eye as he leads you along. It’d be stupid to think she didn’t notice.
At the door, the guard opens it a crack and stands watch outside, letting the three of you in.






Seated at a desk in sensible attire you’d never seen a monarch in before sat Celestia of Equestria. She was filling out some paperwork or another at her desk and just now seemed to tear herself away from and look to the door.
”Oh! Artemis! Hello brother, what brings you here today?”	
Artemis dons a genuinely warm smile. “Hey there Celly, long day?”
”Oh no longer than others.” She says standing. “I see you brought friends.”
Ohshit.
“Uhm.”
You bow yourself at the waist. 
“Uh…pleasure to meet you, Your Highness?”
Chrysalis rolls her eyes and Artemis laughs. Even Celestia stifles a chuckle. “Rise Anonymous. Any friend of my brother’s has no need to bow to me.” Celestia’s eyes drift to the third monarch in the room. “Queen Chrysalis.” She says with a curt nod but still smiling. “I’m pleased to see that you made use of your freedom to come to my office, just as I was to see that you agreed to headline today’s event.”
Chrysalis blows and pops her green slimy gum.
”Yes. That’s why I’m here. I trust you’ll be at the main event?”
That sounded…suspect.
Celestia handles it rather well, however. “Indeed. As acting monarch, I attend most functions in the city. I suppose I could take some time off if there were another here…” she turns and winks at her brother. “But we must follow our passions, no?”
Artemis rubs the back of his head. “Oh sure, let’s go down that road again.”
Now you laugh.
Celestia pinches her brother’s cheek with a devilish grin. “Oh don’t be so melodramatic. If I’d let you pursue your passions a thousand years ago, you might not have had to have been imprisoned.”
Ooooh shit. You wince exaggeratedly.
“Princess Celestia is breaking out the FANGS.”
Artemis slaps her hands away. “Oh do not let her station fool you, she’s sharper than a sword this one.”
Celestia chuckles and taps her brother’s face again. “Look at you, so gaunt. Are you eating correctly? You know you could eat a full meal here with your sister once in a while.”
Artemis slaps her hands more like a child this time. “Oh now you sound like mother!”
You laugh.
Chrysalis pops another bubble behind you and draws attention to herself, she was good at that. “I don’t want to interrupt this family moment but I have what I need and these two need to be fitted for suits and practice a new song, let’s go.”
”Chryssy I-“
”I said let’s GO Artemis.” She says, grabbing the Night Prince by the shirt sleeve and dragging him out.
You wince for real now.
“Have a nice day, Your H-Celestia.”
You’re about to leave-
”Anonymous?”
You look back, Celestia has her hand out to you. “Might I ask your indulgence in something…?”
Uhh…
”ANON!” 
You point down the hall. “Can it wait? She sounds mad.”
Celestia’s warm smile returns after a brief moment and she nods. “When next I see you.”
“Till then, stay gold.”
You hurry out of the room after Chrysalis.

Hours later the five of you are backstage in the city square, tuning up and stuffed into identical suits that were no unlike the one you normally wore onstage. You now appreciate how odd you must look sometimes through your mask.
The day’s festivities had gone as somberly as you’d anticipated. First a speech by Celestia, then a few military members, Prince Shining Armor and Twilight spoke a bit and then attendees milled around eating finger foods and generally being upper class twits.
”Alright, alright! Showtime!”  Chrysalis comes up behind you all clapping and wearing what amounted to basically a cocktail dress, once again standing out from everyone.
”Is everyone ready? Sombra, your sticks? Eris, are you tuned?”
“We’re fine, Chrys. Are you?” 
You put your hand on her shoulder, she jumps a tiny bit. 
“You seem kinda…on edge.”
Eris and Night Terror both nod.
Chrysalis sighs and grabs her mic, tapping it three times. “Everything’ll make sense in a bit you guys just…trust me for a few minutes more. Please.” She looks at the four of you with emerald eyes. “This is important to me.”
A long silence drops. 
”...That’s cheating.” Sombra says.
Chrysalis offers a small tired chuckle and walks through the curtains on stage. The four of you wordlessly follow her out and take your positions. Normally Chrysalis would be hyping up the crowd, but this time she just stares at Celestia in the royal box directly in front of her some fifty feet away.
”Hello.” She says as she screws in the microphone. “Some of you…may know me.”
Shining Armor was glaring at her from his table.
”Today marks the anniversary of…” you hear her gulp “The destruction of an empire…Their crimes were many and despite being necessary evils, they did not permit them. If there are any who can judge if the actions taken on them were justified…it is not me.”
She points at the mic. “I’m just here to sing.”
That gets one or two laughs.
Chrysalis nods at you as Celestia strokes her chin and Sombra does a four-count.

Music 
One part of this song you were really happy with was the opening riff. It was heavy and slow and really drove the song forward. After your first riff, the rest of the band joins in. Terror providing an eerie backdrop of whine and Sombra chugging out light but rhythmic beats on his crystal drum set.
You play the opening chord twice more.
Chrysalis grips the microphone with both hands and bobs with her head facing down, hair covering her face. Eventually she leans forward and enraptures the attending on the first verse.
”We are…not your kind of people…you seem kind of phony…everything’s a lie…”
All eyes are on Chrysalis, exactly as she probably intended, and she stares right back at them as she pours her heart into the lyrics she’d been sitting on for years.
You crank up the gain and start a supporting whining bridge with Night Terror. Chrysalis extends her arms out to her sides and sways in the breeze, serenading the audience with her words and drawing them closer and closer to the stage. Eris joins her for harmonizing vocals.
You, meanwhile, slip your slide over your middle finger and pluck out a few up-scaling twangs while Terror provides rhythm.
Chrysalis, during the calm, flips her hair forward to hide her face again. During this, her image shifts. Small gasps from the crowd reach the stage as a crooked horn sprouts from her head and her skin turns as black as her dress, holes appearing in her exposed arms.
Celestia watches with piercing interest, but the show goes on.
You play your opening riff again to bring the chorus back.
The Changed Chrysalis leans forward in the same pose as she did when she looked as she normally did, staring with the same intensity as she had before.
”Running around, trying to fit it, waiting to be loved…”
He words reach the ears of the attendance, people still inching closer towards the stage and holding up lighters. Pinpricked embers spring to life in front of the stage.
Eris goes to her microphone again, once more providing harmony.
”When you build a shell, build an army in your mind. You can’t sit still and you don’t like hanging ‘round the crowd…they don’t understand.” Chrysalis says, shaking her head.
Chrysalis locks eyes with both Celestia off stage and Night Terror on-stage. Her words now turn more personal, painting a vague picture of the decimation of a race.
If you remembered the showed you’d played at the Canterlot Musical Society, as well as because you’d heard them both bitch when they were plastered, you knew what exactly went down.
Chrysalis extends her arms out toward the crowd…and the sea of embers turns emerald green.
The images of the lighter holder’s shimmers, just as it did Chrysalis, and suddenly the high and mighty attendees were face to face with about thirty odd newly revealed Changelings. Friends, colleagues, spouses, pillars of the community. The citizens of Canterlot were now being directly told that their hated enemies of the past had secretly been an integral part of them for as long as they could remember.
Chrysalis stands in the spotlight that shines on her as the rest of you keep playing. Tears stream down her cheeks but she still smiles of at the light, her arms outstretched to her side.
”We are extraordinary people…we are…”
She repeats herself thrice more and lets you and Terror bring the song to a close. The Changelings in the crowd keep themselves natural as Chrysalis re-assumes her old form and takes the mic.
”Whomever we were in the past…whomever we are today, none of that really matters. I’m not here to hurt anyone…I’m just here to sing.”
Chrysalis turns and leaves the mic on stage as she heads back, the rest of you quickly behind her.

“Holy shit.”
You all leave the stunned crowd and find Chrysalis heaving over and resting her hands on her knees breathing heavily. ”I feel…like I’m about…to throw up…”
The four of you get around her.
“Hold up, give her some space…”
Chrysalis takes a few deep breaths and stands tall, wiping her mouth.
“Are you…okay?”
She blinks a few times. “I feel like…I’m still in a dream.”
”Chryssy…” Chrysalis turns to her left and looks Artemis in the eyes as he removes his Nightmarish helmet and reverts to normal. “I don’t- I mean I knew what I was doing back then but…Chryssy I had no idea it had all…you never show…I’m so sorry.” He says.
Chrysalis quietly laughs once and falls forward, wrapping her arms around his torso and closing her eyes on his chest. “No hard feelings, Artemis…everyone is young and stupid sometimes.”
Artemis chuckles and pats her back, planting a light kiss on top of her head. “You did a really good thing today, Chrysalis…”
”I can only hope.” She says.
”Stop hoping.” You hear Eris say.
Everyone looks and joins her over by the curtain she had pulled back to look at the crowd.
The Changelings, still natural and acting as if nothing had changed, were being vindicated as the other attendees engaged them in conversation.
No one had on angry faces, or looks of disgust or distrust. Even Shining Armor spoke to one of the guards who had changed with an understanding smile as the guard recounted something or another to him.
Chrysalis’s tears come back as she gasps and covers her mouth with her hands.
And the five of you watch music you played help heal centuries old wounds.