//------------------------------// // Ch.56 "So Proud..." // Story: Chrysalis Wins // by Arkolo //------------------------------// Chrysalis Wins Ch.56 “So Proud…” -Center of the Equestrian detachments. Shining Armor stopped his march at the top of a large hill. From his new viewpoint he could survey the Crystal Empire in the distance. There was a large grassy field that separated the prismatic city from the army he had gathered. Several lower ranking officers were scattered here and there as they kept the legion as a whole organized. Over a thousand of the royal guards were mustered. Another thousand armored guard had been recruited from around Equestria. The most numerous were the legions of militia that volunteered to assist in the princesses’ retrieval. A great hurricane cloud whirled nearby Shining’s army, and was kept in constant check by a massive congregate of pegasi. The stamp of hooves and the howl of wind kept a steady symphony of sound around the Equestrians. When Shining Armor stopped, so did the rest of ponies in army in a long chain reaction. As he stood and studied the fields, a tall maroon colored mare strode forward and stood next to him. She wore a pair of stylish spectacles and possessed a luscious golden mane. Her voice was quite somber and serious. “So, captain, how do you wish to plan this approach? The western militia’s nerves have steadily worsened as we neared our destination, as have some of the royal guards... I don’t wish to over step my bounds, but most of your ponies are having second thoughts.” The white stallion kept a stony expression as he turned to the Mayor of Manehattan. Her features remained placid and observant, rather unreadable, which added to the stallion’s internal frustration. “Again, you have my thanks mayor More. I never suspected you had the ability to organize and mobilize so many bodies. Your militia has been amazingly resolved. But this was always a volunteer motion, if any want to back out, now is the time. If their fear out matches their sense of loyalty to our princesses, then they can go back home… and accept whatever ruler comes out on top.” More raised an eye brow to that, and gently scrapped at the ground with one hoof. “Captain, are you sure you want to relay the message that way? Is this not the time for your ponies to find their courage?” Captain Shining Armor ground his teeth, and barely restrained a growl at the irritatingly calm and collected mayor. “Then how would you go about it More… I’ve addressed the troops several times over the last week. I’ve said everything about loyalty, honor, and duty that I could think of… My eyes aren’t blind, I’ve noticed the shake in many of my soldiers’ knees, the slack postures, the nervous twitches in their eyes and ears… Equestria has been peaceful for too long. The guard has taken a serious blow to their confidence. Canterlot was an utter embarrassment, we were supposed to be our nation’s best, and they wiped the floor with us…” The captain’s muzzle fell into a deep scowl, and his gaze was thrown to the ground. The grind of his teeth became quite audible, and the rest of his fairly muscular body tensed in a threatening manner. More actually started to smirk, for she saw a deep inner fire in the captain’s dark pupils. “Let’s be honest Captain… Loyalty, honor, duty… This is not what really motivates you in this endeavor, and that’s not what will really motivate them.” More gestured at the captain, then out to the rest of the equestrians. Shining’s left eye twitched something fierce, and he abruptly brought himself up to his full height. Which was slightly shorter than More, who was unusually tall for a mare, but he was still a good deal bulkier. “And what, mayor, really motivates me?” More smiled openly at the captain’s barely contained rage. Her tone finally picked up an excited and serious edge as she goaded the energy around her. “Stop playing games with yourself Shining… Chrysalis, you hate her, you loathe her, and you despise her. She humiliated you personally in front of the nation! She humiliated the guard! She humiliated Celestia herself, and took all of the princesses away! She took YOUR PRINCESS! Now she squats on them in her northern hideaway like a coward!” “I know, I KNOW! WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT MORE!” “USE THAT!” The tall mayor smacked the captain’s armored chest as she shouted, and emphasized the angry smell of tension and sweat in air. Shining’s horn actually ignited with a burst of magic, he wanted to blast something so very badly. More’s voice leveled out a little, but she still talked with a powerful, almost reverberant tone. “If those ponies are going to risk their lives, then they better feel damn sure it’s worth it. Make it personal to them, because it is. That is no lie.” Shining struggled and failed to keep his composure level, the mayor’s words cut apart his professionalism. In a vain attempt, he tried to voice his guard training. “I can’t risk losing discipline because of revenge.” “You can’t risk losing moral because your soldiers lack conviction. I’d rather have one pony resolved against his foes, than a dozen uncertain warriors that lack investment in their cause.” Despite his anger, Shining couldn’t help but crack a bemused smile. “Pssh, where did you learn to talk like that mayor?” More shared the smile. “There’s a reason I’ve been re-elected every year for the last decade. But I think the troops would benefit from hearing you one more time. I’ll be close by if you need reminders.” “I think you’re right mayor. Perhaps I’ve been holding back too much. It’s time to let the troops feel my fire.” Shining pounded his armored chest with a hoof as he expressed his vehemence. Then he turned towards the officers under him. Several of which stood attentively closed by, each with different expressions of conviction. “Officer Precision, rally the troops, I would have another word before we descend these hills.” “Yes captain.” Within an hour the body of the Equestrian military organized themselves at the base of Shining Armor’s hill. Row upon row of earth ponies, and unicorns lined up over the ground. They were neatly divided into armored divisions, and the more scant militias. Groups of pegasi that could be spared from storm maintenance hovered over the congregations. When all appeared ready the white stallion stood to attention, as did the officers, and in turn the rest of the army. Mayor More nudged one of the unicorn officers, and indicated her throat, then to Shining. He nodded then cast a spell at the captain. When he spoke, he spoke with a voice of thunder. “Guards, militia, volunteers, ponies. We stand on the precipice of the Crystal Empire. Past these hills and fields, lie our princesses… and the cold hearted witch the stole them! That soul-sucking demon and her minions stand between us, and freedom from her terror and tyranny!” During the brief pause when Shining caught his breadth the eastern militia group, More’s group, erupted into uproarious agreement, and they stomped their hooves in unison. The mayor took a step back and pushed her glasses higher up her snout. She wore a not so subtle smile, and a faint tint came to her crimson eyes. Then she locked her gaze onto the captain… and things started to get strangely contagious. Shining’s words started to get the crowd more, and more worked up. “She stole from me! She stole my bride! She stole from all of you! She seeks to steal the love right out of you! If she has the chance she’ll take everything you hold dear and consume it for her bloody pleasure! If she had her way, all of you would be rotting away in infernal nightmares with your souls torn to shreds!” The army really worked itself up. The eastern militia had started it, but now the rest of the forces continued to stamp, bray, and whinny at their leader’s words. The energy that leaked off the captain started to leak throughout the hills. Even unto the storm in the sky. “She won’t keep my princesses captive anymore. She won’t be allowed to manipulate us anymore. Her schemes will stop. Her minions will be thrown down. Her power will be taken away… and when Celestia is put back on her throne, we’ll throw that witch to Tartarus, and she’ll burn!” Off to the side Mayor More closed her eyes. The anger, the desire, it was so very passionate, so… intoxicating. The riled up state Shining worked the equestrians into neared its peak. “This is my war! This is your war! When we set hoof onto the field of battle, the time is ours! We will make them tremble in fear, and we will teach them what happens WHEN THEY STEAL FROM US!” The equestrian army became a thunderous cacophony. The sound of their stamps and roars was deafening. The ruckus was so great that it could be heard from a great distance off, even to the ears of the denizens of the Crystal Empire. “Equestria! With me!” Shining Armor called with his amplified voice to rally the ponies in front of him. Then he turned about, and began the march once more. The march from the hills and into the plains would bring them to the fringes of the empire. Mayor More opened her eyes again, and wore a deep, devious smile. She remained at the top of the hill, and watched as an army of cantankerous angry equestrians marched towards the empire… towards a rival royal. --- The sound of distant thunder caused Chrysalis’s ears to perk, and she set down the blue-eyed royal broodling she played with. Her sudden stiffness caused Colony to become uneasy, and the drone lowered her head. “What was that?” The thunder increased, and sounded like a distant chant. The queen stood up from the bedside, and with a very serious look to her head-drone, she spoke. “No matter what happens. Keep them safe. Be ready in case I tell you to flee.” Chrysalis gave a quick tap to her noggin, and Colony nodded in return. The drone’s breath had notably picked up however, and the queen felt torn when she turned to go. With a final glance at the broodlings she left the room, and sprinted towards a palace exit. The anti-teleportation field set up by her vanguard would also disrupt portal conjuration, so she would need to fly there. As soon as she reached a window she leapt out, and buzzed furiously with her wings, and bolted for where she had last told Crone to go. To close the distance even faster she burned love reserves and increased her physicality many times over. Soon she was a dark whiz in the sky. The breadth of the Crystal Empire blurred before her in what felt like moments. She slowed once she neared the wall, and when she did so there was a great bustle to witness. The walls and ground around it scurried with activity. Spare drones, vanguard, and sentinels rushed about the fortifications with fervor. To make sense of the mess Chrysalis opted into the mental spectrum, to try and find Crone’s signature, which she did easily enough. It was quick and easy matter to close the distance. She was just behind the wall. The queen landed next to her sister with a thud, and quickly noticed a certain changeling king was there as well. Both of them eyed her as she made her entrance. “The real Chrysalis I presume?” Specter’s tone carried a fair bit of harshness to it, which instantly brought a frown to her muzzle. “If you’re the real Specter…” The tall king let out a sigh, and nodded his head, his tone was far more amiable the second time. “I’ve been trying to talk your sister out of her misgui-” “He wants us to abandon the swarm and go with him.” Crone quickly interrupted, and caused Chrysalis’s eyes to go wide with surprise, her wings even jutted out defensively. “What?” Specter raised his voice, irritated at Crone’s outburst. “To stay would mean death. The other royals have gathered against you. The equestrians, germane, and a contingent of prench have gathered against you. They figured out your retreat for what it was… A sign of vulnerability, and they plan to capitalize on it… I offer the way of least bloodshed. I know our basis for trust is thin, but your other options are far worse.” “But you would require us to abandon our swarm?” “I could make space for a few favored servants. But I really believe this is for your swarm’s best interest. Your enemies want you, not your underlings. They’ll give them a fair chance at re-integration. It was a common practice for widowed swarms not too long ago.” “Widowed swarms?” “Swarms that lost their royals. But our time is short. Your sister has refused, but will you see reason?” The queen with the jagged horn bit her lower lip. Her mind flashed almost instantly to the two royal broodlings back in the palace. Her voice was filled with trepidation. “What about Celestia and Luna? They will hunt us down.” “I know places they will never find you. In a few decades, this will all blow over and they can forget about it.” Chrysalis’s gaze flickered with uncertainty, and her tail picked up a particularly nervous twitch. Crone saw this and her brow furrowed angrily, she pulled her sister close and whispered into her ear. “You’re not going to consider that are you? He already called me a fool… In turn that means he thinks you’re a fool too. If we go with him, he’s going to treat us like juveniles; he’s going to make us dependent on him. Can’t you see this is just a conniving ploy on his part, to get two young royals on his side? If he doesn’t care about our swarm, then he doesn’t really care about us.” “…But the broodlings Crone.” “What about them?” “I’m not sure we can guarantee their safety.” Chrysalis closed her eyes and emotion started to rile up through her throat to her face. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be… Royal broodlings had finally come, but why did it have to be right before an oncoming catastrophe? --- -The Germane battle company King Torque trotted along at the front of his army, which numbered in the thousands. All of them were armored head to hoof in the finest craft. Not that the ponies of germane really needed armor to resist blades, their coats and flesh were already durable as spring steel. No, the armor they wore was composed of null-iron, a substance which proved particularly resilient against magic. It was unpopular in Equestria because contact also removed the wearer’s ability to use magic. This meant unicorns couldn’t cast spells, pegasi couldn’t fly or manipulate weather, and earth ponies would lose much of their strength if they tried to wear it. The germane, who weren’t magically inclined, didn’t find that much of a drawback. The giant germane king tilted his head towards the south, where the equestrians could be heard making a loud ruckus. Also the thunder and lightning strikes under their conjured hurricane proved to be quite a distraction. So he bellowed out an order. “Generrral Welding, interrrcept the equestrrrians. I don’t want them doing something they’ll rrregret.” “Right away your majesty.” An armored mare to the king’s side signaled a few of her subordinates. Soon a several germane runners were off, and sprinted towards the equestrian forces. Meanwhile the rest of the battle company rounded about, and followed the runners course, albeit much slower. This was heralded by the sound of powerful war-horns to reorganize their force. When the instruments sounded, every metallic-born pony swiveled with uncanny unity. The unified stamp of germane hooves echoed loudly, loud enough to compete with the battle chant and thunder of the equestrians. For each germane pony stomped with the weight and mass of many non-metal ponies. Torque eyed the fields around him in another brief assessment. He was head and neck taller than any pony in his army, so they didn’t obscured much of what he saw. His vision roamed from the great spire atop the crystal palace, to the walls that were freshly built around the empire, and finally to the other advancing army. It appeared the bulk of the equestrian force had leveled out into the plains, and fast approached the walls. The runners general Welding had sent blew their shrill high pitched horns, and successfully garnered the attention of the equestrian force. The germane king was pleased to see the other army slow and stop. The swirl of a hurricane also ceased its advance, and now hung at the edge of the empire, as a great dark menace. Soon the distance was closed, and Torque, at the head of his army approached the middle ground. He put on a broad comfortable smile when he saw a small bands of Equestria’s leaders come forward. Torque signaled Welding to come to his side, then the two of them advanced toward the field meeting. When they were within distinguishable distances, King Torque recognized the equestrian captain, and bellowed out with his deep reverberant voice. “Grrreetings, captain Shining Arrrmorrr. I must say I’m surrrprised to see ya. Last I hearrrd you werrre capturrred.” Two other officers of the royal guard stood next to Shining Armor, and the captain collected himself before he replied. “King Torque, what are you doing here? With the rest of germane behind you no less.” “Oi, I imagine somethin’ similar to what yourrr doin’. I’ve come forrr some rrreclamation.” “I would gladly accept you as an ally then. I think that would embolden both of our ponies greatly.” “Aye, that sounds nice an’ all, but tharrr be one thing I’d like ya to do firrrst.” Shining just raised an eyebrow in response. Torque’s expression suddenly went from kindly and amiable, to harsh and threatening. He stomped a hoof, and caused a ripple in the ground that made every nearby pony jump. “CALL OFF THAT FRRRAG BLASTED STORRRM! The crrrystal ponies are family to me and my ponies. After a thousand years we finally have the opperrrtunity to be family again. If you think about throwing that storrrm in tharrr like some senseless baffoon, queen Chrrrysaw-lis will be the least of yurrr prrroblems.” The germane king stretched his body to its full stature, and towered over every other pony in that meeting. Despite the intimidation, Shining kept himself steeled, his tone was quite serious as well, but his voice didn’t carry with the same volume or magnitude. “I have one priority, king Torque, and that is to retrieve my princesses. I don’t want to use the storm if I don’t have to, but I will keep my options available.” “If yurrr so inclined to keep yurrr options open, then let’s see if we can get Chrrrysaw-lis to talk. Afterrr all the parrrrading you and I have done, she might feel inclined to come to terrrms.” “Talk?” The alabaster captain’s expression fell into a dark scowl. “She’s already said everything she needs to with her previous actions.” “Slow down Mrrr. Armorrr. Beforrre ya go barrrgin’ in, ya need to considerrr it first. She could have the prrrincesses ready to be executed if you set a hoof into herrr domain. Then ya would lose yurrr purrrpose bein’ herrre.” “She could have done that a while ago if she wanted… horse apples, she could have done that to me if she wanted. I don’t think she will, I don’t think she’d dare.” “An animal is most dangerrrous when it’s corrrnerrred Captain. I won’t rrrisk spilling unnecessarrry blood. Stand herrre if ya like, but I demand time to speak with this queen. If ya won’t wait, then I think we betterrr resolve our differrrences rrright now.” A precarious, deadly edge danced in the expressions between the two stallions, and a long stretch of silence stood between them. In the background the equestrian army was still riled up, and complaints started to build the longer they held their ground. Thunder rattled endlessly from the stalled out storm. Meanwhile the germane stood still at attention, a wall of iron clad statues ready to charge at a moment’s notice. --- -nearby woods scattered amongst the hills. Hidden amongst the brush and foliage was a fairly small group, a few were changelings, and a few were changelings disguised as prench ponies. Close to the back was a large changeling queen, her bright orange neck fin stood tall and proud, and her silver mane hung long and straight. She sat on her rump, her horn aglow, and several long sharp objects were manipulated carefully with her arcane touch. A blue maned vanguard stood silently at attention. He shifted his eyes from their natural teal state, to the golden orbs of eagle eyes. With the increased perception he spied through the slivers of vision permitted by the woods. “So who are the targets then? Are we aiming for all of their leadership?” The large queen gave her servant an odd look, something between a smirk and straight face. “We’re not here to kill any ponies Fetish. We’re waiting for any one of my old friends to show themselves. When a target is confirmed, I’ll feel free to strike.” One of the sharp objects, which appeared similar to a spear head, glowed brightly under the magical scrutiny of the queen. It shifted, and the complexion became smeared. Now, instead of reflecting light like a normal object, the dark blade appeared to absorb it, and the physical presence dimmed everything near it. Satisfied with the transformation, the giant changeling placed the piece on a flat stone table, and worked on the next sharp metal object. The vanguard next to her shifted his eyes with a green flash, and they changed from eagle eyes back to his regular blue orbs. He iterated a few mental commands to the rest of the small group. Then turned to address his preoccupied queen. “Very well Monny, the scouts are scrutinizing every inch of the field. If something comes up you will know immediately.” Plink… another light consuming blade was added to the flat stone surface. “Thank you Fetish. Hmm, even if we manage only one trophy out of this venture, I’ll come home very satisfied.” She shuddered slightly at the end, and her eyes rolled back into her head at the thought. Fetish kept a straight face and bowed. “For your pleasure Monny.” --- Chrysalis and Crone continued to whisper at one another with increased agitation. Both of their wings had the same nervous flick, both of their tails had the same nervous swish. The even scrapped at the ground the same time with their hooves. As amused as Specter might have been, his irritation took precedence. The two queens didn’t appear to slow their debate at all, and time wasn’t something he could waste. “It’s clear both of you are having trouble deciding. Perhaps the consequences aren’t clear enough. I’m going to leave now, and let you play your silly game of defense.” “What? Wait!” Chrysalis suddenly asserted herself and stepped forward. But Specter held up a hoof to quiet her. “Don’t worry, I’ll check in again soon, after the bodies start to pile up, and both of you have had time to think…” Before either sister could utter another word, Specter faded away… quite a literal fade, as there was no fancy flash of magic, no sign of a portal, and no flash of teleportation. The king was just gone after his form evaporated. Both sisters stood there speechless, their options had narrowed yet more, down to the razor’s edge it appeared. Chrysalis’s posture readily slumped and her face contorted in a most displeased manner. The thunder in the background became more ominous than ever, and the nearby changelings could feel their hearts beat more rapidly within their chests. Meanwhile Crone’s face hardened, and she approached the other changelings that occupied the ramparts. Things needed to be organized for the inevitable conflict, and if her sister was too busy with her own thoughts, then she would manage it. Alone by the wall, Chrysalis just stared idly at the ground. Being invaded was not nearly as thrilling as being the invader. Another roar of thunder rumbled particularly close by, and she flinched. Her ears perked when she heard an unfamiliar voice speak from behind her. “Oh, why the long face? Things are absolutely fantastic!” She rounded about to see who it was, and she gaped in shock. A tall chimera of a creature stood there with the largest grin on his twisted face. The next noticeable detail was what he carried. Chrysalis had to blink once to understand what she looked at. Held in his lion paw was a string, connected to that string and floating in the air like a balloons were two cocoons. In those cocoons were Celestia and Cadance. Her look of shock and disgruntlement sent the tall conglomerate of animal parts into hysterics. “Hahaha! That look never gets old, especially when it comes from those who think themselves high and mighty.” The changeling queen shook her head and tried to come back to her senses. “Those two are mine! Put them down!” “O’cmon queeny, don’t behave like Celestia here, I was very much looking forward to meeting you. I mean it’s not every day I get to see princess party-pooper plastered into submission like this. I find it a wonderful irony and vindication to see her strung up and imprisoned. I mean she did the same to me not to long ago. Though if you really feel so possessive I suppose I’ll concede one of them.” He grabbed one of the strings in his eagle claw, and offered it to Chrysalis. She looked at him with a primal sense of apprehension, and things started to slowly click in her mind. His form, though alien, she had seen somewhere before. She reached out a grabbed the string offered to her, it was the Celestia cocoon balloon. “Discord?” “Yes, the very same. I’m glad my reputation hasn’t decayed altogether, I mean my time was so brief on the last occasion.” “Weren’t you stone… in the garden?” “Oh, I was, I was, up until the last few days. I have you to thank for my newfound freedom.” “Me?” Discord swung around his eagle arm down and around Chrysalis, and both of them disappeared in a white flash. The next moment they were high up in the air, perched on a solitary cloud. From this viewpoint they could easily observe the armies of ponies in the fields, and the empire behind them. The sudden shift in placement caused the queen to fidget in surprise, and her mouth fell open. Her disorientation was over soon enough, and she could hear the draconequus laugh again. That’s when she noticed he still had his eagle arm around her. “Hehehe HAHAHA! Oh my, too precious… But to be serious for a moment. My dear… Its not typical for me to admit any kind of feelings for another pony, but right now… I’m just filled with pride.” The queen pushed his arm away, and he didn’t resist. He seemed in much too good a mood to complain about anything. She, however, began to feel quite irritated. “What are you on about? What do you want to accomplish here anyway? I have a war on my doorstep, and I should get back to tending it.” To that discord just blew a loud obnoxious raspberry, and chuckled as he continued. “That war on your doorstep is precisely why I’m here, and why I’m so proud of you. You see, it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen any one pony cause so much chaos. A long time since I’ve seen any pony get so many individuals mad at them. I mean you’ve dragged multiple nations into this, and even now their fighting at the chance to merely get at you!” With a snap of his fingers, Discord brought up a pair of binoculars, and put them over the queen’s eyes, then gently angled her head towards the field below. Chrysalis could see Shining Armor and some giant germane pony stomp and bray at one another, the conversation appeared as if it could go violent at any second. The struggle below actually brought a flicker of a smile to her muzzle, but she quickly put the binoculars down. “While that is nice to see, I’d still appreciate it if you answered my earlier question.” Discord picked up the binoculars for himself, and giggled like he was some sneaky foal who thought he got away with something grand. He also dignified the queen with an answer. “Do you really have to ask why I’m here? … The chaos ofcourse! You’ve made this area the largest potential for chaos central I’ve seen in ages. How could I miss this?” The binoculars were tossed to the side, and after they fell for some distance, exploded violently. “Plus I wanted to actually meet the one responsible for putting the equestrian royalty into comas, and the one responsible for getting the elements of harmony locked up. I mean, you did it very directly, but I find that no less admirable! I mean, not every creature can be as manipulative as yours truly.” Chrysalis sighed, as hope drained out of her again. “So you plan to merely sit back and watch?” “Sit and watch? Hmm, while that certainly has some entertaining merits, I find this too good an opportunity to simply sit by and watch. Not to discredit your ingenuity or anything, but this situation appears fairly predictable.” With another snap of his fingers the two of them, and their floating princess toys, reappeared much closer to the center of the empire. Discord not stood upright, and wore some strange military outfit, decorated with dozens of medals that made no sense to Chrysalis. “You see out there are thousands of armed and trained warriors ready to rush in here and take what they want. You, you only have hundreds that are actually experienced in combat… but half of your population is preoccupied cradling babies. Not something most veteran generals would view as an asset.” “I am well aware.” “So you’re also aware this is a great stage for a massacre. Again, not to your discredit your majesty, I’m sure your soldiers are as valiant as can be, but the fact of the matter is your outnumbered, out experienced, and out maneuvered. You may put up a good fight, but everything is simply working against you. At the end of the day, if things go as planned, there are going to be a lot of dead ponies and changelings…” The nonchalance and factualness discord intonated left her feeling worse and worse. She had already been nervous, anxiety had steadily risen within her, and her ability to stay composed was already weak. Hearing some indifferent creature that apparently ‘liked’ her, say she was royally doomed almost shattered her at this point. Her voice actually started to break. “Y-you h-have legendary powers d-don’t you? Would you p-please… help me?” Discord simply raised a wiry white eyebrow. “If you know me, you know I’m not in the business of doing favors.” Her face fell, and she slumped down on their cloud, she even let go of her Celestia cocoon balloon absentmindedly. The princess started to simply float off into space, and Discord flicked his eyes back and forth between the queen, and float away alicorn. A smile cracked over his uneven mouth. “But there’s no need to be depressed my dear. As I said earlier, things are absolutely fantastic. I already have plans to rearrange the circumstances. As lovely and chaotic as war can be, the after affects are often most dull.” With another snap of his claws a pony mannequin appeared in his hands, and he proceeded to twirl it around. “See, a dead pony is no more fun than a rag doll. Sure, the slapstick of a ragdoll has its value, but it gets boring a lot faster than a pony which continues to live. A live pony can keep quarreling, complaining, fighting, and otherwise stay expressive.” Chrysalis’s brow furrowed as she tilted her head, now she was just confused. The draconequus noticed her confusion, and burst into laughter. “HEHAHAHEHEA! It’ll be much easier to simply show you want I mean. Get your game face on queeny, because I’m going to compose the battlefield! I promise, you’ll love it!” Discord raised both of his paws up high and made an epic double snap! All Chrysalis knew before things flashed white, was that she didn’t trust that mad grin.