I've already done this with Nighrmare Moon, so Chrysalis couldn't hurt.

Mine would be Shallow Bay by Breaking Benjamin.

4047103 might seem weird but this is close to mine

4047103

Sinister, but not without a heart.

4047103 Not a fan of most of their work, but the lyrics to this one are quite fitting, I feel.

4047103

Hurry up, hurry up towards me,
If I am far, if I've got trouble,
If I am – in a real nightmare,
If the shadow of misfortune is at my window.
Hurry up, when they upset me one day.
Hurry up, when I need a friend.
Hurry up, when I'm sad in silence,
Hurry up, hurry up!
Don't hurry up, don't hurry up, when
When we are together and trouble is far.
The leaves and water will say ''yes'',
The stars and fires, and the trains with them.
Don't hurry up, when my eyes are in yours,
Don't hurry up, when you mustn't hurry up.
Don't hurry up, when the whole world is in silence.
Don't hurry up, don't hurry up!
Don't hurry up!

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4047149 When I listen to songs, it's mostly the lyrics.

My headcannon is that Chrysalis is not evil at all, but merely desperate to provide her subjects with food, desperate enough to attack Canterlot. She was a good queen, but tough times fucked things up and she took a last resort. And even when it's not tough, she will stay back at a meal and wait until everyone else is full before she herself feeds, and will do nearly anything to protect any given changeling-from pleading to humiliating herself; the only thing she'd ever regret doing would be killing for them.

4047186 Well you have to keep in mind, in the wedding she was very obviously enjoying what she did to the ponies. I still think she's lovely to her subjects, which just makes her specist.

Which brings up the question, what made her specist...

4047185 I saw it was in another language and I was all like

OPPAN GANGNAM STYLE!

4047191 Yes, she was enjoying it. But not so much what she was doing to the ponies so much as enjoying seeing her changelings feed. And either way, like I said, she got desperate. I don't think she planned any casualties, either.

4047204 Maybe, but I enjoy making Chrysalis more of a hard-ass than a woobie. It makes for such wonderful character growth.

4047303 Hard-asses don't really appeal to me. And when it comes to character growth, hard-asses stay hard-asses, and it doesn't take long for someone to find out they're a hard-ass, so that's pretty stiff. The only time I've seen a hard-ass chrysalis with even a little bit of character growth was when I read An Affliction of the Heart and she got killed-ed either way.

4047332 Hmm, not to toot my own horn, but I think I did pretty well in that regards with my fic.

There's also Queen of Hearts; Chrysalis starts out damn bitter there.

4047336 Yeah, that's right. Toot that horn.

4047191 That is a facet of my version of Chrysalis. The simple fact is that she will choose her own changelings over ponies, nearly every time, and actually believes that she's duty-bound to do so. She might not like herself afterwards, but it's not usually something that she'll have to think about for more than a few seconds, before making the choice.

4047567 Blood is thicker...

4047571 Also, an interesting song. A bit thought provoking when put alongside Chrysalis.

4047602 Blood is thicker or the one I linked?

4047604 The song. Like you, I don't think I'll be hunting down anymore of that band's works, but the lyrics do align fairly well with my own version of Chrysalis.

I find it useful to take a look at other interpretations and perspectives of a given character, to help provide insights that might have eluded me before, so this thread is pretty helpful to me.

4047186 If you want a better representation for mine, it's this:

I'm actually a big instrumental guy so I listen to the tone of the song more than the lyrics. When it comes to this one it gives off a lot of anger and frustration but at the same time some struggling perseverance. Pretty much how she acts in my headcanon. Angry and vengeful, but still trying to lead her people to victory.

4047103 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU_xqR35XDI

The stars are very beautiful, above the palace walls,
They shine with equal splendour, still above far humbler halls.
I watch them from my window, but their bright entrancing glow,
Reminds me of the freedom I gave up so long ago.

The royal circlet of bright gold rests lightly on my brow,
I once thought only of the rights this circlet would endow.
But once I took the crown to which I had been schooled and bred,
I found it heavy on the heart, though light upon the head.

Although I am the head of state, in truth I am the least,
The true Queen knows her people fed, before she sits to feast.
The good Queen knows her people safe, before she takes her rest,
Thinks twice and thrice and yet again, before she makes request.

For they are all my children, all, that I swore to defend,
It is my duty to become both Queen and trusted friend—
And of my children high and low, from beggar to above,
The dearest are my Heralds, who return my care with love.

The dearest are my Heralds, swift to spring to my command.
Who give me aid and fellowship, who always understand
That land and people first have needs that I may not deny—
So I must send my dearest friends to danger—and to die.

A friend, a love, a child—it matters not, I know indeed,
That I must sacrifice them all if there should be the need.
They know, and they forgive me—doing more than I require,
With willing minds and loving hearts go straight to grasp the fire.

These tears that burn my eyes are all the tears the Queen can't shed,
The tears I weep in silence as I mourn my Heralds dead.
Oh gods that dwell beyond the stars, if you can hear my cry—
Amd if you have compassion—let me send no more to die!

Simply beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0JgrOyEA3Q

Like with Nightmare Moon, I'm picking a Radiohead song. The chilling repetition of the words during the outro, and how it's sung with a sort of soothing certainty, really reminds me of the sort of relentless behavior Chrysalis will show to protect her hive. Probably doesn't help that when I first heard the song I misheard some of the lyrics as "I will eat your love," haha.

4047884 I did find an instrumental song that sort of fits my version of the invasion and its aftermath.

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