//------------------------------// // Dreams // Story: Ebony and Ivory: Growing up Changeling // by SGZone //------------------------------// Ebony glared at the wall next to his bed. Curled up in a ball of anguish. Hot angry tears streamed down his face and dripping onto his pillow. His lips quivered in pain. He played out what had just happened over in his head once more. Deepening his sorrow. ‘I knew it,’ he barked in his mind as more tears fell. He had known for a while that this would happen but didn’t make the blow any softer when he heard it. “I should have known. I can’t do any anything.” He sighed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You two can never be kings.” It took Ebony a second to register what his mother had told him. Chrysalis called him and Ivory to talk to them about something. He thought she might have something great planned like taking on one of her trips to meet other rulers. Like when they met Celestia and Twilight. They were thirteen now, young men by Equestrian standards, and were more than ready for a bigger taste of the outside world. Ebony stared at his mother, perplexed. “What are you talking about?” He asked. Was this some kind of a joke? Of course they could they were the princes after all and princes become kings. However, as much as he wanted to deny her words and cling to his hopes of being king and leading his people to a bright tomorrow. He knew in the back of his mind that this was never going to happen. He tried to prepare himself but it still felt like his heart was being torn out. “Ebony, I’m sorry, but you two can never become kings.” She repeated her words heavy with regret. “Of course we can. I will be. We’re princes after all. That’s what you’ve been teaching us.” Ebony replied trying to laugh it off. Internally pleading that this was a joke that his mother was merely testing their resolve. Pleading that he would he wouldn’t have to give up his dream and could still fulfill the dreams of his fellow Changelings like Sunlight. Chrysalis stared at her son seeing the internal battle play in his head as despair crept into his bright red eyes. A mountain of regret crushed her. “I-I have been teaching you to be leaders of all sorts not just kings.” She responded delicately. But she knew that was a lie too. She fooled herself and them into thinking they could become kings. But now it was time to face reality and it killed them both. “But why not!?” Ebony cried. He knew why but he wanted to hear it from his mother’s mouth. “I’m sorry but a ruler of the changelings needs to be able to use the hive mind. Which is just impossible for a human.” Chrysalis explained. That was a good reason but not the one he wanted. “Not only that but there is no way the Hive could accept having a human as a king. They barely accept you as princes.” Ebony looked down. His heart had plummeted into his stomach. As his hopes and dreams came crashing down around his ears. There it was, because he was damned Equestrian all his work and all his goals were being dashed. His ears were burning red as he held back his tears. Despair swept over him. Thinking that he could not be great like his aunts and mother. All because he was a gross Equestrian. “Wh-why did you lie to me! You said I was going to be a great king!”” Ebony lashed out. This was her fault if she had never even told him then this wouldn’t have happened. “Ebony, no… I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know what to say. You were so young I…” Chrysalis blathered. She didn’t know what to say. Ebony had these dreams of being king for as long as she could remember. She just couldn’t tell a child his biggest dreams were impossible. Instead she encouraged him raising him up only for her to tear him down at his highest. “Yo-You told us th-that we were going to change things that we were going to change their minds about us; that they would accept us. Was that lie too? Did we lie to Sunlight when we said we would bridge the gaps.” He sobbed. Was this there fate? To always be looked at as different and be only princes by name. Barely helping their people. “Ebony ,sweetie, no come here.” Chrysalis cooed trying to bring Ebony into a hug. But he recoiled from her touch. “Don’t touch me. You’ve been lying to me every day. Making me believe in myself only to bring me down! I-I hate you!” He screamed. Ebony eyes widened in shock at what he just said. He looked at his mother’s equally shocked expression. Panicking he bolted for the door and tore off down the hall. ‘I can’t believe I just said that.’ Ebony shuddered in his mind. He didn’t even bother to look up as he sprinted down the hall. His heart pounding in his ear from the exhilaration and the shame. He looked down at his pistoning light brown arm. His face contorted into a silent rage. He grabbed a bit of his skin between his finger and thumb. He didn’t hate his mother he hated himself, his equestrian self, that kept him from being one with his society. “I wish I was never born as an Equestrian.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ebony pinched at the same bit of skin again. It had turned red and was throbbing from his repeated assaults. He heard another knock at his door. “Ebony please open the door. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Chrysalis pleaded from behind the door for the upteenth time. But Ebony didn’t get up, he couldn’t. He didn’t have the courage to face her after what he said. Chrysalis slid down the door as her attempt to coax her son out failed, again. Her eyes were bloodshot red and tired. “What kind of a mother does this to her own child.” She muttered burying her head in her arms. ‘You never should have adopted them. You’re a horrible parent,’ she scolded herself. A soft touch on her shoulder shook her from her depressed stupor, it was Ivory. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chrysalis could only look on in shock and awe as Ebony sprinted down the hall. Her brain was still registering what had just happened. ‘He just said he hated me, my god what have I done.’ She gasped. Her eyes drifted to Ivory who was just as disturbed. “Ivory…Do you feel the same?” Chrysalis began. Ivory looked up at his mother and then looked away in shame. “No of course not but there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” Ivory blushed. “I’ve been meaning to ask Aunt Alexandrae to train m more. You see I want to enter the military and maybe become captain of the royal guards.” He admitted. “Oh Ivory, that’s… wonderful! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Chrysalis asked. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I was worried you would be disappointed.” Ivory responded. “What? Why would you think that?” Chrysalis asked. “Well it’s just that you’ve been teaching us how to be like you. You know teaching us to be political leaders like a governor or councilmen. I thought you’d be upset that I didn’t want to, I find it really boring.” He blushed. Chrysalis giggled at his comment. “Oh Ivory I wasn’t trying force you to be like me. I was just teaching you what it took to be a leader for anything. Like the way my parents taught me. Whether that’s as a military commander or a councilman.” She smiled. Caressing his cheek with her palm and brushing his bangs from his eyes. “It’s why I had you two have those special lessons with your aunts every couple of weeks. So you could learn more about how they helped the hive and you could choose for yourselves.” She continued. Ivory smiled at his mother as a huge weight was lifted from his chest. “Thanks mom. I should have you told you sooner." He smiled ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Hey mom I went and got Aunty Alexandrae.” He said. Chrysalis looked over to see her sister lording over her. “So you finally told him.” She stated. “Ivory filled me in on what happened.” “Oh Alex. I don’t know what to do he won’t come out. I really screwed up this time. He really hates me. I’m a horrible mother.” Chrysalis blubbered. “Hey enough of that,” Alexandrae snapped. “I won’t heart of it.” She stated. “Here let me talk to him.” Alexandrae shooshed Chrysalis aside and pounded on the door. “Ebony, it’s me.” No response. “Ebony either open the door or I’m breaking it open.” Once again silence responded them. Alexandrae gripped the handle tightly ready to break the door handle with one fierce twist. However before she could break the poor door handle like a wrist the sound of tumblers moving stopped her. The door peaked open. Alexandrae cracked the door open a little more and slipped inside. Once inside she saw Ebony had already jumped onto his bed facing away from her. ‘Okay how to approach this?’ Alex wondered walking over to the bed. “So tough day, huh?” She asked. Nothing. Alex sighed and took a seat at the foot of his bed “Look, believe it or not I know how you feel. You’re crushed, you’re lost, you’re wondering what you’ll do now,” she said placing her hand on his leg. “I felt the same way when I lost the crown to your mother.” She admitted. “Our parents taught us that no matter what: as the royal family we must dedicate our lives for the betterment of the hive. I’m sure Chrysalis has been teaching you the same. I decided that the best way to do that was to become queen.” Alex explained. “When I lost I was crushed all my dreams and aspirations shattered. I know how you feel.” “No you don’t!” He snapped springing from his curled position with a sharp glare. Alexandrae responded with admonishing raised eyebrow, calming him down. Ebony then turned his attention to the floor, dejected. “I’m not upset about never being able to rule. I’ve known that I wouldn’t be king for a few years now.” He said. “Then why are you so upset?” She asked. Gently scratching his back. “Because I want to be a leader. I want to be everything that mom’s been teaching us but it feels like I never will.” He responded. “All because I’m a stupid equestrian,” he spat. It was then Alexandrae noticed his bright red forearm. Pain and worry swept through her heart as she gently grasped the injury but let him continue. The warm embrace of his aunt melted Ebony’s icy defenses as he began to weep once more. “I want to help Changelings like Sunshine but it feels like I’ll never be able to. It feels like they’ll always hate me and things will never change. I was born with all this magic and talent but I feel wasted.” He whimpered. “Ebony things will change one day and they will get better.” She cooed. “They just need more time to get to know you.” She said. “How do you know, though?” He asked with desperate eyes. Alexandrae took a deep breath before responding. “Because I used to hate you.” She stated. Ebony’s eyes went wide in shock. Alexandrae had always been one of his role models and best friends. “When your mother first brought you to us I couldn’t stand the sight of you. I called you gross little Equestrians, I refused to hold you, I even refused to be near you if I could help it. ” She elaborated. “For years I treated you terribly, I tolerated your existence but I didn’t care about you, I was just like the rest of them,” regret filled her body like poison that twisted her stomach. She pulled him closer. “It wasn’t until years later that I realized how foolish I was. Now I couldn’t imagine my life without you and Ivory. ” She said. She blinked away a few tears of remorse. “So things will get better you just have to keep trying and relax,” she smiled pulling him into a hug. “But what if they don’t? What if nothing changes no matter what I do. What if-” but before he could finish Alex placed a finger on his lips. “I said relax, you’re only thirteen, you have plenty of time to figure what you’re going to do and we’ll be here to help you.” She said. With an encouraging pat on his back. “Now why don’t we talk to your mother about this.” She smiled getting off of the bed and over to the board. Ebony was hesitant on confronting his mother but knew he had to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile Chrysalis and Ivory waited for what seemed forever. Chrysalis had stopped crying, content that someone was in there with Ebony talking to him. The two chose to wait in almost complete silence until Ivory decided to break it. “So, Mom, we can’t become kings because we're Equestrians, right?” Ivory asked. “Unfortunately yes that is the case, the changelings need a changeling to rule them. Partly because a ruler needs to connect to the hive mind to check and of course culturally,” she sighed. “Having an Equestrian rule over the Changelings is like having a Changeling rule over the Equestrians it just won’t happen, at least not for a long time.” “Mom, will I be able to become a captain or even a guard if I’m Equestrian?” He asked. “Well of course you will if you work hard at it.” She replied. “Yes but you said the same thing about king how is this any different. I mean if I don’t become a leader or something great how can I gain their trust. Then if I don’t gain their trust how will I change things for changelings like Sunlight? ” He asked with eyes drenched in panic. “Ivory you will do wondrous things for our hive because you are my son. You will be great as a captain of the guard.” She smiled with a kiss on the top of his head. “But what if you’re wrong,” he cried. “ Because I’m an equestrian I’ll fail before I’m even given a chance. I just want to be like you,” he murmured. A solemn frown descending on his face. “Ivory listen-” but before she could say another word the door beside them opened up. Chrysalis shot up and pushed past Alex to wrap Ebony up in her arms. “Oh Ebony I’m so so sorry for everything I didn’t mean to hurt you so badly, can you ever forgive me?” She asked, peppering his cheek with kisses “I’m the one that should be sorry,” he mumbled. As he pulled his mom in closer and nuzzling her neck. “I didn’t mean what I said I was just angry, and afraid, and upset, and I’m sorry,” he whimpered. With his own barrage of kisses. “I know but I should have been honest with you from the beginning instead of lying to you for all these years. Then you wouldn’t have been so upset.” She cooed, putting him down. “Mom I wasn’t angry over that I was, no I am, scared that I may never be a real prince. A real leader like you,” he admitted. The familiar words rang in Chrysalis’s ears. Chrysalis looked into her son’s eyes. They were bright but hungry like a starving child’s, they were looking for some sort of comfort or nourishment. Chrysalis bent over and pulled them in close touching their foreheads with her’s. “Ebony and Ivory listen to me. Banish those dark thoughts because you will be great leaders. ” She whispered. “Because you two are my sons no matter what they say or how much they protest it. You are my sons and you will do great things.” she smiled. With great emphasis that they were her’s no matter what. Raising the spirits of the two princes as they remembered they were not alone. “You are princes of this hive and as long as you work for greatness you will achieve it, regardless if you’re Equestrian or Changeling. Part of being a leader is overcoming adversity and while I never faced what you two must endure you will overcome it. And I’m going to help every step of the way because I’m your mother, understood?” She asked. Her strong stare penetrating them and filling their hollowed hearts with confidence. The two princes smiled and nodded. “That’s my boys.” Chrysalis smiled pulling them close and nuzzling them. Which they happily reciprocated. They then felt something press against their backs and bury into the backs of their heads. “Don’t forget that Chrysalis isn’t the only one in this castle. Your aunts and I will be right by your side too.” Alexandrae whispered. The two princes smiles grew even warmer as the doubts and fears swirled out of their mind. As confidence and the strength of youth filled them back up as they took comfort in the security of their family.