Slowly, I woke up when I felt myself being shaken. My eyes blinked open and I yawned before finally focusing my attention on Luna.
“Dinner time, Chryssie,” Luna said with a smile. Dinner? Oh, right. I simply nodded and winced when I slowly stood up.
“Dinner, right,” I said with a breath before stepping off my bed and nearly collapsing as soon as my hooves touched the floor. Luna walked over with a worried expression as she helped me stand up.
“I was going to try to make a joke, but that seems in bad taste now,” Luna said as she supported me. I leaned on Luna while she lead me to wherever the dinner was being held.
“Which joke would you have made?” I asked with a raised brow as I gingerly walked.
“It’s probably a bad one, but I was going to say ‘how would you like your emotion tonight? Seared, raw, lightly seasoned?’ before you collapsed,” Luna said quietly.
“Seared,” I replied automatically before even registering what she had said. “Wait … seriously? You thought you could make a joke about that?”
“I don’t make jokes very often,” Luna mumbled.
“Neither do I,” I confessed. “I don’t really like making jokes anyway.”
“Well, mother has always told me that laughing is good for an injured pony in more ways than one. So, I thought I’d try to make you laugh,” Luna explained.
“I don’t know how jokes work so … can you not try to make any jokes with me?” I asked with a pointed look.
“Yeah, I can do that,” Luna said with a warm smile. “We’ll be at the dining hall in just a little bit. Hopefully, the smells won’t make you too sick when we get there.”
“Hopefully. You’ll know if they do when I run out of the room,” I said with a nervous chuckle.
“You just collapsed when you tried to stand on your own, sister. I highly doubt you’ll be running anywhere until you’ve healed more,” Luna said with a frown.
“Well then I’ll just collapse,” I replied.
“Joyous, that’ll be great fun to explain and then explain about your wounds,” Luna said sarcastically with a sad tone to her voice. I sighed and laid my ears against my head in shame.
“Sorry about making you hurt me,” I mumbled.
“Sorry for bringing up a very sore and raw topic,” Luna replied.
“It only happened four days ago. How raw did you think it would be?” My ears flicked up while I growled unintentionally and was not sorry when she flinched at my question.
“Just enough to try talking about it, but I was obviously wrong,” Luna said with her ears against her head.
“Obviously,” I muttered and shook my head. “Try again in a year or so.”
“No, I don’t think I will. I think I’ll either let that one die or let you bring it up,” Luna said with a shake of her head. I kept quiet until we reached the dining room and as soon as the smells hit me I stopped in my tracks. “Back to bed?”
“Um …” I hesitated and smelled some more before making a face and gulping. “I … I think … I can tolerate it.”
“Okay,” Luna replied and lead me to my seat next to hers that was across the table from Celestia while Mother and Father were at the head of the table. The pungent odours got worse the closer to the table I got so I breathed shallowly while looking at everypony else and avoided the food.
“Um, how is everypony?” I said hesitantly.
“Very well, thank you,” Night said before her eyes widened at the sight of me. “Chrysalis, how did you get so injured?”
“I flew around the forest and banged into a few trees,” I told her with droopy ears and a lowered head.
“You must be more careful of those trees then. They don’t seem to have much mercy when you don’t yield earlier,” Night said with a smile. I gasped a bit and looked up at her in surprise.
“How?” I asked.
“Luna’s not the only one who can shadow walk, dear. I was on my way to check on you when I noticed you two heading off somewhere and decided to follow discreetly out of curiosity before witnessing your fight. You did quite well considering Luna became her true self,” Night explained.
“There’s no use lying when you can apparently eavesdrop,” I said in disbelief.
“I am sorry for eavesdropping, but it seemed like it was a good bonding activity for you two and you both looked like you needed to let off some steam. Otherwise I would have stepped in before you got as you are, especially on your first day as a family member,” Night said as she put some food on her plate.
“Your mother was only concerned with how you were doing with everything, Chrysalis. The fact that you already tried to cover for Luna tells me that you’re doing fine, but let us know if there’s something we can do to help you adjust,” Morning chimed in.
“I’ll let you know then. I only covered up for Luna because she made me mad in the first place,” I admitted with a roll of my shoulders.
“And how did she do that?” Morning wondered.
“She, um … mentioned how … sorry she was … about my hive,” I said slowly.
“Mmm, I can see how that would rub you the wrong way. Brace yourself then, I have one piece of news concerning that topic,” Morning replied.
“What news?” I asked as I mentally braced myself.
“They are buried now,” Morning said as he looked into my eyes. I looked back with my own watery ones and felt my mouth open and close wordlessly as I tried to process what he had said. “I put each in their own grave after I’d found them.”
“W-Why did you do that?” I wondered.
“Because they deserved a proper burial, everypony does. I had initially just wanted to double check your story, but when I finally found your hive and what lay inside… I felt it was the right thing to do and it would help ease your mind about the whole thing,” Morning explained. I was quiet after hearing this and looked at my empty plate as I struggled to hold back hot tears.
“You don’t have to hold back, dear. We all understand and have witnessed plenty of ponies cry for those they have lost,” Night said as she got up, walked over, and gently held me with her wings. I made a keening noise in the back of my throat before finally letting go, My body shook as I cried and my mind flooded with the memories of my drones losing their connections with me and the hive as a whole. I felt the rest of my new family embrace me one by one as I wailed away.
I wanted to shove them away as I felt the need to be left alone for all eternity but my sobs prevented me from thinking straight and getting myself out of there. I continued to cry as they held me until my tears ran dry even though my body was still shaking violently.
“Being alone while you’re mourning isn’t a good idea, Chrysalis. So, please try to spend as much time with one of us as you can. We’re family and will help you as best we can,” Night said quietly.
“Why won’t you just leave me be?” I wailed.
“Because you’re my daughter, because everypony needs help sometime, and because I am a concerned mother whether we had adopted you or not,” Night replied as she nuzzled me.
“Why-Why did you adopt me? I’m just a stranger?” I asked in a sniffle as my body’s shaking slowly ceased.
“Everypony who gets adopted is a stranger, but we adopted you because you were going to die and you have a bigger role to play. Besides, who wouldn’t want another cute daughter?” Night said with a smile.
“At least I would be with my hive again,” I mumbled despite the blush I felt form at her rhetorical question. At least, I think it was rhetorical.
“You’re already with your hive, Chrysalis. They’ll always with you so long as you remember them and we may not be changelings, but we’re now your family and part of your hive,” Night replied.
“I can’t hear you in my mind so how can you be part of my hive?” I pouted.
“Your hive was your family, right? We may not be linked with your mind, but family is family. So, think of us as honorary hive members,” Morning replied. I suppose I could do that but I don’t think I’d appreciate this in the long run.
“I-I guess I can d-do that,” I said quietly while looking at my plate.
“Alright, let’s get back to dinner then,” Night said before they broke their embrace and walked back to their seats. “Are you hungry, Chrysalis?”
“I can’t eat this,” I said in an apologetic tone as I finally looked at the food that disgusted me so.
“I never said you had to eat the food, Chrysalis. All I asked was if you were hungry,” Night said.
“Not particularly,” I said sheepishly.
“Then is there anything you’d like to talk about?” Night wondered as the clink of utensils began.
“Depends what the topic is,” I said with a cautious expression.
“That’s why I’m asking you if there’s anything you’d like to talk about, dear,” Night said.
“Well, I don’t know what I’d like to talk about,” I told her with a small shrug.
“Perhaps you could tell us about yourself so you can stop being a ‘stranger’,” Night suggested.
“What’s there to talk about? My own mother died a few months ago so I had to step up to become Queen,” I told them.
“So, there’s nothing else you’d like us to know about you or that we should know beyond your name, race, and that small bit of information?” Morning asked.
“I was born two hundred years ago, I’m a changeling and we’re not really that known amongst the other kingdoms because we mainly like to blend in by taking on their forms and feeding off of their love,” I told him bluntly and hoped he would be satisfied with that.
“Yeah, nothing new besides your age there, honey. I guess we’ll just have to learn more about you day by day,” Morning said with a shrug. Luna glanced at me, but just continued eating her food without saying anything. I didn’t know what to make of that so I just let it be for now.
“One thing my mom told me before she passed on was to beware a white Alicorn. I didn’t know what she meant at the time but now I’m presented with two possible choices. You and Celestia,” I said finally.
“Ah, she probably meant me then. She might have seen the last time I used my true form to fight and warned you because of it,” Morning said as he stared off into the distance.
“That’s a possibility,” I murmured.
“Any idea why she warned you about us?” Celestia asked curiously.
“No, why would I?” I retorted.
“Just wondering if she’d given you a reason or if you had any guesses, that’s all,” Celestia replied.
“No, she didn’t,” I sighed and bowed my head once more.
“So, what did you think of Luna’s true form, Chrysalis?” Night asked.
“It seemed more awe-inspiring than Celestia’s,” I replied thoughtfully and smiled toothily at them, thankful for the change of subject.
“They gained them under different circumstances. Celestia’s is the way it is because of how she was feeling and what was happening at the time. Luna’s is like that for the same reasons, but instead of wanting to frighten or intimidate somepony and being angry she was in awe of the dragon and myself and felt calm once she’d looked at me and how I reacted at the time she gained it,” Night explained.
“So Luna’s is less chaotic than what Celestia’s is because of the different circumstances?” I asked for confirmation.
“Yes, and yours will be affected in the same way if you gain one,” Night confirmed.
“That will be something to see then, won’t it?” I asked sarcastically.
“It might actually be something to see even if you don’t believe it,” Night said with a shrug of her wings. “The future is changeable and even the smallest thing can have a great effect on it.”
“That sounds like something a scroll would say,” I said.
“And something those who get visions say,” Morning replied with a grin before getting elbowed by Night. I blinked at this and looked at Night.
“What did he mean by that?” I asked curiously. Night glared at her husband before sighing.
“I get visions of the future every now and then, Chrysalis,” Night admitted.
“You get visions? How is that even possible?” I asked in shock.
“I do and I’m not sure how it’s possible except to say that Faust gives them to me,” Night replied.
“Say I believe you. What kind of visions do you usually get?” I asked skeptically.
“One’s that I can affect. I saw you and how your death would affect the future. How you would die in the forest after finding this castle and staying away after seeing either Celestia or Morning fly out of it,” Night said as she put her elbows on the table and leaned on them while pressing her forehooves together.
“And you adopted me because of that?” I questioned.
“Yes, but that’s not the entirety of it. Having another cute daughter is nice. Especially one that is closer in age than Celestia and Luna are,” Night said with a smile. I looked at her for a few minutes before finally shaking my head.
“There’s no use in arguing about whether visions are real or not,” I stated calmly.
“No, there truly isn’t. Just remember when times get hard that you can rely on your family to help you. That much of my visions of the future is true,” Night replied.
“I’ll do my best to remember that then,” I said with a nod and was somewhat glad that I had gotten used to the smell without making a disgusted look but eating was an entirely different matter so I figured I’d just let it be for the time being.
“I’m just glad that you seem to be getting along with your sisters despite recent events,” Night replied before saying something under her breath that I didn’t quite catch.
“Recent events being my fight with Luna and what I called Celestia without meaning to?” I asked with narrowed eyes while trying to figure out what she had said after the fact.
“The fight I knew about, but I didn’t know about you calling Celestia anything,” Night admitted as she looked between the three of us. Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned anything.
“Then what were you referring to?” I asked in an attempt to avoid the obviously implied question.
“The fight and your mental state, dear. If Celestia hasn’t done anything about whatever it was that you called her then I won’t pry,” Night replied.
“Uh-huh,” I said distractedly as I avoided looking at Celestia when Night replied.
“Would you prefer her to do something, Chrysalis? Because that can be arranged,” Night said.
“She said she would teach me how to fight with my hooves and that she would wait until my wounds have healed,” I replied.
“Then I suggest you wear some padding when that happens,” Morning said with a chuckle.
“How hard does she hit?” I said. Okay, now I’m worried.
“Depends on her mood, but she’s the second strongest of the four of us when it comes to physical strength,” Morning explained.
“So … how hard would she hit if I said that she had chubby flanks?” I asked in a hypothetical way.
“Well, she’d be trying to exercise enough to either prove she doesn’t or make sure she doesn’t so...I think I’d wear her down a bit before hand if you’d said that,” Morning said with a grin.
“Well … I may have said that earlier today,” I finally admitted and looked at Celestia apologetically.
“That explains why I didn’t have any practice dummies to hit earlier,” Morning said before Celestia blushed in embarrassment.
“You had no way of knowing and you are injured so don’t worry about it, sister,” Celestia said.
“Right, so I don’t have to worry about calling you ‘fat flanks’ for today?” I asked curiously.
“You now know so try to restrain yourself, please,” Celestia replied.
“I’ll restrain myself then, Sister,” I said with a huff.
“Thank you, Chrysalis. Luna teases me about it enough as it is,” Celestia explained.
“Does she now?” I asked and looked at Luna with a sly smile.
“I don’t know what Sister is talking about. It’s not like I give her random cakes from the kitchens after she gets mad at me or anything,” Luna said in denial.
“You do too! I raise my voice a bit and you show back up with a cake then you tease me about it going right to my flank and affecting how my cutie mark looks,” Celestia replied.
“So you do tease her about it,” I commented drily as I watched them argue back and forth.
“Fine, I admit it, but I’ve gotten used to how she fights and you haven’t as of yet. So, I warned you about teasing her,” Luna admitted with a shrug.
“Ah. I think I’ll need that warning for when she and I begin training,” I said with a small laugh.
“I swear the Royal Patissiere is making more cakes than necessary just to make sure there’s one whenever Luna needs one,” Celestia grumbled.
“Well, it’s wonderful seeing you three get to know each other, but Morning and I have matters to attend to,” Night said with a giggle as she and Morning stood and walked to a door.
“I’ll … see you in the morning, I guess?” I said uncertainly.
“You can always come visit in the throne room, honey. We always make time when one of our daughters wants to talk or needs us for something,” Night said before they disappeared behind the doorframe.
“So … you think the Royal Patisserie is making extras just in case Luna teases you?” I asked when their parents were out of earshot.
“Yes, she doesn’t normally make cake very often, but ever since Luna started using them to get me to not be mad at her the number has increased drastically,” Celestia said as she looked at Luna pointedly.
“She noticed how much you liked her cakes, Celestia. So, she made them more frequently. I just happen to get there before they are served so I can give them to you,” Luna replied.
“She would probably have to increase the number again if you hear me tease you,” I chimed in. Celestia sighed heavily.
“At this rate, I will either get a fat flank or I’ll have two sisters that are constantly in the infirmary,” Celestia said as she ran a hoof down her muzzle.
“Celestia, you’re far too paranoid about getting a fat flank to actually get one and we’ll be fine. You can’t hit what you can’t see after all. Well, not physically,” Luna replied.
“It could be both. You could get a fat flank as well as put both your sisters in the infirmary over and over again,” I said with a shrug. “Luna’s right. You can’t hit us if you can’t physically see us.”
“Luna’s got her shadows so I know about her method, but I don’t know about yours, Chrysalis,” Celestia said.
“You’re gonna love mine,” I grinned before concentrating on the spell without making my horn light up and slowly turned invisible in front of her eyes. I then silently got up with another quick spell and walked behind her without either of them hearing a thing.
“And this is why there’s no magic allowed when we train our physical abilities,” Celestia grumbled as she looked around and swiveled her ears in every direction.
“But you didn’t see my horn light up, did you?” I whispered into one of her ears before quickly running silently to Luna. Celestia jumped out of her chair as she looked at where I had been when I whispered to her.
“No, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t use magic,” Celestia replied. I grinned at her.
“Watch the door,” I whispered to Luna from right next to her before I cast an illusion spell. I walked in through the door that their parents had walked out of and quickly looked around the room.
“Use magic to do what?” I asked with a shocked expression.
“Turn invisible, sneak around, and whisper in my ear causing me to jump out of my chair,” Celestia said to the illusion of me that had walked in.
“What are you talking about? I only just got out of bed,” I told her and carefully walked my illusion up to her.
“Lies. You were here with us for dinner earlier,” Celestia said.
“No, I wasn’t. I was in bed and I’ve only just now found the dining room after getting directions from your parents,” I said firmly.
“One, they’re our parents, sister. Two, with your injuries you’d need somepony to support you as you walk for awhile and three…” Celestia said before casting a spell that encompassed the room. “You’re standing next to Luna.”
“One, even after having a day of getting to know them, it still feels weird to call them my parents as well. Two, I used the wall as I walked about. Three, I’m standing right here,” I said from directly behind her as I canceled out the illusion.
“You were next to Luna when I cast the detect life spell,” Celestia said as she whipped around to face me.
“No, I was standing were that illusion was,” I said and pointed to where my illusion had died.
“Then we either have an intruder and you can mask yourself from detect life spells or you are tricking me again cause I know what my spell told me. There was another life sign next to Luna when I cast it,” Celestia explained.
“Tricking you? Who said I was tricking you?” I asked from beside Luna as my second illusion faded out.
“You basically just admitted you were without outright saying it,” Celestia deadpanned.
“No I wasn’t. All these illusions are just hard to keep track of,” I said in frustration as my third illusion faded out while I leaned heavily against the doorframe our parents had walked out of.
“Chrysalis, the purpose of illusions is to trick somepony whether they’re hard to keep track of or not and whether it’s for fun or not,” Celestia pointed out.
“I never said I was tricking. You just keep thinking I am so try that life-detect spell again,” I told her from beside Luna and subtly faked a beating heartbeat in the illusion against the doorframe.
“No, I don’t have time for these frustrating games of yours,” Celestia said angrily before teleporting away.
“Maybe I took it too far,” I groaned from underneath the table as both illusions faded out and I faded back into existence while rubbing my horn.
“You’re injured. Of course, you took it too far. Let’s get you some rest,” Luna said as she helped me out from under the table.
“I know now that Celestia doesn’t enjoy games, but did you enjoy it? Maybe?” I asked hesitantly as I narrowly missed the tabletop while getting up.
“I did enjoy it and Celestia enjoys games when she knows they’re games. She definitely didn’t know that was a game. I’m actually surprised she didn’t leave earlier considering the amount of studies mom and dad give her,” Luna said.
“Help me back to my room then. I only wanted her to get confused. I didn’t expect the life-detect spell at all,” I said with a disappointed shake of my head. I should learn how to mask my illusions from life-detect spells to make them more realistic.
“Want me to get a cake for you?” Luna asked as she helped me walk back to my room.
“To help calm down Celestia?” I asked back.
“Yeah and only that since teasing her right now might not be the brightest idea,” Luna replied. I nodded at this and sighed as I leaned heavily while walking back.
“Just make sure she knows it’s from me,” I said quietly.
“I’ll have them put ‘From: Chrysalis’ on the top in icing,” Luna replied with a smile.
“Thanks,” I grinned.