Shellstrings

by shortskirtsandexplosions


The Price of Harmony

Tia, Luna, and Prince Miller threaded their way through the platform's entrance. As soon as they emerged from the tight passage, they discovered a black floor that was shifting like molasses. This caused Luna to wince. Tia and the Prince scuffled to a stop, squinting at the stone beneath them.

The piercing chorus of cricket song had reached a fever pitch. As the noise drew away from them, so did the floor. The unicorns realized that the blackness on the platform's surface was—in fact—a heterogeneous flood of beetles, scorpions, spiders, centipedes, and innumerable other arthropodic horrors. The creatures moved as one, oozing inward and rising until they formed a hauntingly tall column of wriggling limbs and antennae in the center of the granite dais. The crimson firelight of the surrounding cavern glinted eerily off their multitudinous carapaces. The cricket song by then had lowered in pitch, becoming a dull cicada-like buzz that echoed off the surrounding stalactites.

"Alright..." Luna gulped. "...eww."

"Apprentices," Prince Miller murmured. "In all your studies, have you ever seen so many vile creatures operate in such a fashion?"

Tia slowly shook her head. "No." Her eyes darted across the living column of black-shelled organisms. "Master Clover once sent us to cull a swarm of parasprites, but even they did not swarm with such collective efficiency."

"They're all varying species, sister," Luna remarked. "It isn't natural for them to act this way. Something or someone must be controlling them—"

"Magnificent, aren't they?" A voice rivuleted outward from the squirming column.

Luna flinched. She and Tia looked every which way for the source of the dialogue.

"Insects... spiders... mollusks... crustaceans... such basic creatures." The voice floated everywhere that the crimson firelight touched. "They are the simplest of lifeforms, and so very vulnerable to the whims of chaos." At last, a figure appeared, oozing through the outer layer of writhing lifeforms. She wore a thick black robe that covered her head, hooves, and horn. The cricket song intensified as she stood before them, a wry smirk appearing from beneath her hood. "She who masters chaos will soon master the fundamental components of life itself..."

Prince Miller frowned. "Chancellor Kathleen. What a vile witch you have become."

The robed mare nodded. "Thank you, dear Prince."

"Do not patronize me..." He stepped forward, snarling. "You've taken the lives of countless ponies! I swear on my House, I will make you pay for your treachery!"

"I did not take any lives, young one," the Chancellor said. Her smile broadened. "I merely unified them."

Hissing, Miller made to charge—

Tia steadied him with a gentle hoof. Nevertheless, she stepped forward, frowning at the robed figure. "Chancellor Kathleen... as magical stewards of the Nation of Equestria, my sister and I have been charged by Clover the Clever to track you down and make you answer for your criminal actions. The National Council has already voted to strip you of your authority." Her rosy eyes narrowed. "Perhaps... you might have an explanation for your most recent treachery?"

"If I have an explanation to give, it will be choice to do so." The Chancellor paced across from them. Spiders and millipedes slithered out the folds of her robe as she strolled sideways. "A most joyful... triumphant choice, mind you."

"We are the stewards of this Nation," Luna grunted, shivering in anger. "You will answer to us!"

A merry laugh flew out of Chancellor Kathleen's muzzle. "And that, young one, is where you make your most foolish mistake! I do not answer to any Nation. I do not recognize a Nation." Her eyes narrowed viciously. "Such a pathetic institution is weak... an embarrassing tribute to the ills of democracy..."

"It was the union of the three tribes that brought harmony to this frozen land!" Luna exclaimed, her temper rising. "Earth ponies... unicorns... pegasi! We'd be frozen windigo food if it weren't for our democratic actions!"

"And yet... starvation is still a bitter reality," the Chancellor murmured. "Outlying farmlands battle and quarrel with the griffons. Poverty creeps in to consume the lesser households." She scuffled to a stop, frowning. "Tell me, apprentices, what have you and your 'wise' Master Clover done to fix the injustice that continues to plague this land?"

Luna bit her lip.

Tia stepped forward. "We do not live in a perfect world. It is up to ponies like us to work tirelessly—each and every day—to ensure peace and harmony." Her eyes narrowed. "You yourself were charged with this valiant task, Chancellor, when the ponies of the Equestrian Nation voted you into office as our executive ruler. And yet... you betrayed their trust."

"You think too hastily, young sorceress," the Chancellor said. "What I've done is merely take the first step in solidifying a far more prosperous future." She waved a hoof towards the black column of shifting creatures within the center of the platform. "One that thrives off the subtle essence that empowers all that lives."

Luna gaped at her. "You expect a writhing swarm of bewitched insects and arachnids to be an aide to our Nation?"

"Not a Nation," Chancellor Kathleen rasped. "But a Queendom." She smiled. "Democracy is a very noble idea... but a flawed one. The ponies of Equestria need to unify—yes—but not in politics." She raised a hoof covered in beetles and moths. "Rather... in spirit... with all of our emotions and fears and aspirations becoming one." She blew on her fetlock, causing the insects to scatter through the air.

Tia winced, waving the inoffensive swarm past her face. "You speak of a collective consciousness," she remarked. Luna blinked at her.

"That I do, young one," the Chancellor said with a nod. She adjusted the hood of her cloak, and the unicorns could see a peculiarly bright glint to her green eyes, peering outward like emerald lanterns. "The equines of this land are like... drones lost from an ant colony. It has taken me several years of intense study to discover the unbridled essence waiting inside all of us. We are all like lost foals, really... waiting and yearning for our beloved mother to corral us under one song."

"And you expect to be this 'mother,' I take it," Tia said.

The Chancellor bowed. "If it must be so..."

"I don't care how hard you've toiled," Prince Miller grumbled. "Black magic is black magic. All this time, you should have been working tirelessly to assure the peace and prosperity of our subjects. It's what you were elected for!"

"Oh, but I have—!"

"Then tell us!" Prince Miller hollered, "Was it you who dimmed the sky?!" He gestured towards the cavernous ceiling. "Was it you who took the golden light from the heavens!"

Luna glanced at the Prince, then at Kathleen.

The Chancellor took a deep breath. "To control chaos... one must harness that which opposes it. The Sun—and all of its warmth and renewing properties—is the perfect source of harmonic energy. So, if you must know... yes... I am responsible for the so-called 'dimming' of this fragile, mortal realm."

Miller's ears folded back as he paled at that revelation.

"Then give that energy back!" Luna barked. "Restore the harmony that you've stolen from the sky!"

"And why should I?" Kathleen glared at her from under her hood. "I've already gotten what I wanted." A sharp grin. "When refined, harmony is no less serrated a dagger than chaos. I dug into the essence of all life. I lopped the fruit from the tree... then poured it into a magical frame like one might collect honey in a jar. And what I've conjured is oh... so sweet. The perfect gift for my brand new children..."

Tia cocked her head aside. "Children?"

"Mmmmm... indeed." Chancellor Kathleen pivoted about and gestured at the writhing black column. "Behold."

The sounds of cicadas increased. The three young unicorns watched as the insects and spiders rolled away like a parting veil. Beneath the column there stood an enormous cocoon comprised of a viscous green slime. Several ventricles pulsated from within, glowing with an eerie emerald light. Nestled inside these chambers—curled up in fetal positions—were dozens of adult ponies, seemingly unconscious.

Luna held a hoof over her muzzle.

Tia watched with a gaping expression.

"Heaven's frost..." Prince Miller stammered. "...what is this abomination?"

"I call it the Chrysalis," Chancellor Kathleen said. "And it will usher in a new age of harmony for all ponies."

"Prince Miller!" Luna hissed, pointing. "Their necklaces! The pendants on their persons!"

Tia also saw them through the translucent shell of the cocoon. "They all bear the Platinum Seal."

Luna looked at the Prince. "Your vassals... she... she took them..."

Swallowing, Miller glared up at the Chancellor. "What have you done to my subjects?"

"It's as I said, young prince. I did not extinguish them... at least..." She chuckled, pacing towards the enormous green structure. "... not all of them. Sadly, a few did not survive the transformation process. But those that did..." She stroked her hoof lovingly across the slimy contours. "...they have my eternal pride. And love." She turned to squint a glowing eye at the trio. "That is what this is all about, of course."

"What?" Tia blinked.

"Love," the Chancellor said. "Like the adoration you hold for your younger sister, but obscure it beneath an abrasive veneer of authority." Her eyes swept towards Luna. "Or your untold feelings of amorous affection for the Prince." As Luna furiously blushed, the Chancellor gazed at Miller. "And General Pansy's grandfoal. I can see how devastated you are at her passing—"

"Enough!" Prince Miller seethed, his vicious eyes tearing. "You were always one for superfluous speeches, Kathleen. But this absurdity ends now!" He dragged a hoof angrily against the stone floor. "In the name of Equestrian Democracy, you shall surrender my vassals at once—" He gasped suddenly, freezing in mid-speech. His eyes glowed until they matched the color and brightness of the Chancellor in front of him.

"Prince?" Tia stammered. She turned to face the stallion. "Prince Miller!"

The stallion whimpered. Shuffling... he marched slowly forward until he stood at Kathleen's side.

"Poor... sad little colt..." The Chancellor raised a dark hoof and gently draped it over his shoulder. Beetles and ants crawled across his coat as she leaned down to nuzzle him. "Your passion betrays you. But that is quite alright." She caressed his cheek. "I shall give you a place to channel your emotion." She looked up, smiling. "Such will be my gift to all my subjects."

"Your subjects?!" Luna panted, shivering. "You weirdo! What have you done to him?!"

"I've simply liberated him from the burden of having to feel on his own," the Chancellor said. "It's the same as with his former slaves... only now they are all at peace. Their pain is my pain. In the collective pool of their feelings, the anguish is diluted... and all that persists is love." She grinned, and for a moment she bore fangs. "I intend to let them feed on that love... and soon all of Equestria will be invited to the banquet."

"Chancellor..." Tia exhaled. "...you've gone completely mad."

"A narrow-minded perspective from a narrow-minded sorceress." The Chancellor patted the hypnotized prince's head and trotted forward to meet the two mares. "Equestria—as a democracy—is antithetical to harmony. You two and Master Clover are fools... parading about and doing parlor tricks with the slim hope that it will fix all the porous holes of this doomed land. I am quite sorry about the Sun, yes, but—in the future my Queendom will bring—the only light that we will need is that which pulsates from within... the heart of all emotion... and the engine that will power my great, harmonious hive."

Before Tia could respond—

"You see one monster, you've seen them all!" Luna aimed her horn forward. "Let go of the Prince!"

"Luna, no—!" Tia stretched her hoof out.

But it was too late. FLAAAAASH! A bright blast of harmonic energy flew across the chamber, crossing the distance from Luna's horn and connecting with the Chancellor's body.

Chancellor Kathleen flinched, bracing herself as a wall of writhing insects leapt in front of her, forming a shield—

POWWW! Flame erupted upon contact. The far end of the platform was showered with a smoldering carpet of beetle shells and spider legs.

Luna and Tia flinched from the blast. As the light died down, they gazed at the settling column of smoke. What they saw brought a mutual gasp from both their throats.

The cloak had been completely evaporated from the Chancellor's figure. She stood tall and exposed, her black coat and limbs steaming with magical energies. Behind her slender, glowing horn and smokey green mane... a pair of gossamer dragonfly wings extended outward from her figure, glimmering in the crimson light.

"Sister, look..." Luna stared in disbelief. "A unicorn... with wings?!"

Tia's muzzle hung agape. "Good heavens..." She grimaced. "...Chancellor... what in Tartarus have you become?"

Cricket song rose and fell with every breath. Sweating, Kathleen nevertheless managed a fanged smile as she flexed the appendages in question.

"Royalty," she answered.

A half-second later—FLASH! Kathleen fired a solid line of vaporous green magic at the siblings.

"Luna! Shield yourself—" And Tia's voice was overwhelmed by a blistering wall of black magic. She held her ground, blocking the onslaught with a harmonic shield conjured in front of her.

Luna wasn't quite so lucky. Her legs buckled as she attempted to ward off the blast. Seconds later, she was propelled backwards and into a crumbling stalactite. "Ooomf!"

Tia glanced behind her shoulder, gasping. With a snarl, she slammed her hooves down—loosening several chunks of rock from the platform's surface. The shards lifted upwards, and she zapped each with her horn. The rocks turned into projectiles, sailing towards the Chancellor via arcane propulsion.

Kathleen relinquished her attack on the siblings. She backtrotted, aiming her horn and blasting the rocks as they came at her from multiple angles. At last, she flapped her dragonfly wings, knocking the rest of the projectiles off-target. They flew into the far walls of the cavern, exploding in puffs of harmonic light.

In the meantime, Tia had rushed over to her sister's side. "Luna! Are you alright?!" She felt the mare's horn. "Did her powers bewitch you?"

"Mrmmmff..." Luna sputtered, hobbling up to her hooves. "Will you please mind your own personal space?"

Tia sighed through a wry smirk. "You're still you, alright."

"Hmmm... curious..."

The two young sorceresses glanced over at the Chancellor.

Kathleen hovered gracefully above the center of the platform. By now, her voice had taken on a queer, vibrating tonality that added menace to her words: "It seems as though I've underestimated the training that Clover put you through. You two are far too immersed in controlled magics to be persuaded into my fold. Nevertheless... emotions are always... always universal." She aimed her horn at the Chrysalis below.

ZAAAP!

The ginormous cocoon lit up like a Hearth's Warming Tree, and then—POW! It exploded in a brilliant splash of green juices.

Tia and Luna hopped back to avoid the slime. As the mists cleared, they watched in horror as multiple equine figures shuffled out of the mess. Soon, a phalanx of mind-controlled ponies stood alongside Prince Miller, malevolently glaring at the two unicorns.

"It is time that I let my foals trot on their own four hooves," Kathleen mused. "Or... if not theirs..." She smiled. "...then on the hooves of the ones that you love."

"What..." Luna stammered. "...is she rambling about?"

"Shhhh..." Tia stared at the slime-covered ponies at Miller's side. "Sister, look."

Before them, the freshly-hatched equines lumbered forward. One by one they hissed—to the point that their muzzles stretched to grotesque proportions. Insectoid fangs protruded, popping loose and ripping outward from their fleshy veneer. Soon, hunched equine shapes with obsidian carapaces shook off their previous skins like loose gloves. Before the two sisters could even react, the creatures burst into emerald flame... only to suddenly materialize as immaculate doppelgangers of Luna, Tia, and the Prince.

The two unicorns backed up, suddenly mirrored by an earthen room full of their identical selves. The sounds of cicadas increased exponentially.

"And now, my children..." the Chancellor sang, waving a regal hoof. "...feed."