Heart to Heart
“Mother… Mother, no, please!”
Crypsis struggled against her bonds, a fly trapped in a spider web of chains, as Shining screamed again, the sound ringing in her ears long after it actually stopped. Tears ran down her muzzle, dripping rhythmically on the floor as she dangled. Her shackles dug into her ankles and neck, the steel burning against her skin. Her eyes were screwed shut, unable to look anymore.
There was the sound of metal clattering to the floor. “You’ve been far too wild for far too long,” said the ethereal voice of her mother, dripping with sickening sweetness like poisoned honey. “You need to learn to not be so attached to your food. It’s not healthy.”
“Please, Mother, I’ll do anything you want,” Crypsis pleaded, hyperventilating with heavy, panting breaths, her mind wild with fear. “Just stop hurting him, please!”
“It’s just a pony, dearest,” her mother hummed as a new instrument was chosen, metal scraping against metal. “A fickle beast easily controlled with a little hypnosis. And this one had the audacity to seduce you, corrupt you, make you disobey me. That’s a crime I simply can’t abide!”
There was a sickening squelch and another scream. Crypsis’ stomach turned and heart screamed along with him.
“He’s my husband! I love him, Mother!” she shrieked. “Please, please stop!”
“Not until you’ve both learned your lesson, honey,” her mother hissed softly. “Now please stop shouting. I don’t mind the beast here screaming, but I raised you to take your punishments like a big girl.”
“No!”
Somehow, despite her closed eyes, she saw a blue mist swirl into her vision. “So this is what you’ve been dreaming about,” said the mist, the voice all too familiar.
“Luna?” Crypsis managed to choke out. “What’re you…?” As the mistress of the night formed in her mind, it finally clicked. “This… this is only a dream.” She struggled against her chains, their weight lifted by pure relief flowing through her. “I must’ve fallen asleep! Oh thank sweet Celestia, it’s only a dream!”
“A nightmare,” Luna said simply as her horn glowed. There was a burst of light, and gone were the chains, her murderous mother, and her hurting husband, leaving the two mares in the hive’s torture chamber. Black chitin lined the walls and floors, with green, bioluminescent growths as the only source of light. “And quite a telling one, at that.”
Crypsis rubbed her neck, the burn of her steel collar still there, as she looked up at the alicorn. “Telling?” she rasped. “Telling how?”
“About what you fear most this night,” Luna said as she sat down, eyes on Crypsis like a hawk. “To be honest, I expected something selfish, like retribution against you from myself, the other royals, your husband, your own family… but this was a surprise.”
Crypsis lowered her head, hiding behind her pink mane. “I thought you knew me better than that, Luna.”
“I knew Cadance better than that,” Luna said, voice betraying a wellspring of anger. “You are a stranger to me, changeling.”
“Crypsis,” she said softly, lowering her head further. “My name is Crypsis.”
“Whatever your wretch of a mother named you, you are certainly a stranger to me now,” Luna snapped. “I thought I knew you, certainly, but I never expected my friend to be a traitor!”
Crypsis recoiled from the alicorn’s brewing wrath. “I’m sorry,” was all she could say as the tears fell anew. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for lying to you. I’ll understand if you’ll never forgive me.”
There was a few seconds of silence before Luna let out a sigh. “That said,” she started, the enraged edge to her voice dulled, “I’m the last mare in the world that can throw stones when it comes to making bad decisions. Mine almost ended all life on the planet as we know it. In comparison, treason might as well be a foal stealing sweets.”
Through her sobs, Crypsis worked up the courage to raise her head. Her eyes found Luna wearing a sad smile, a foreleg extended in an offered embrace. “You… you really mean it?” she asked weakly.
Luna nodded, her face cast in shadows from the dim, green lights. “I do. Shining’s letter was disjointed and distressed, but he told us the major details. It was brave of you to defy your mother and your family to do what you felt was right. One of the bravest things I’ve seen in a long while.”
“I…” Crypsis shook her head and dove into Luna’s forelegs, happily accepting the embrace. The alicorn’s grip was soft and tight, the changeling’s chitin warmed by her fur and the changeling’s heart warmed by the gesture. “Thank you. I-I’ve had no idea what to do, what if I did was right, if I completely ruined everything or not, and, I… thank you!”
Luna leaned down and nuzzled her mane, wiping Crypsis’ tears away with a hoof. “However,” she said, a dreaded word, “your decision to commit suicide thereafter was heinous.”
Crypsis shrank in the alicorn’s grip. “I know… I know. I need to face the music, not just run away. I’ve done horrible things, and I deserve to-”
Luna put her hoof on Crypsis’ lips. She pulled away a little, tears running down her own face as she said, “No, because you’re my friend, you foolish, foolish mare. As bad as affairs are at the moment, they can be remedied. Changeling or no, I would never forgive myself if I lost you over this, or anything else.”
Crypsis avoided eye contact, trying to pull away from the hug as if it burned. “Luna, I almost doomed the country. No, not just that, I almost doomed two countries to enslavement! I don’t deserve your friendship, or anyone else’s.”
Luna just held her tighter, laying her head on Crypsis’ neck. “And thankfully such things aren’t up to you, Cadance… Crypsis. You need a friend more than ever in these dark times, and I’m more than willing to provide.”
Crypsis paused, pondering as her own tears fell into Luna’s coat, before finally returning the hug. “Thank you, Luna. I… I can’t even begin to thank you properly, but thank you so much.”
“Make no mistake, I am very angry with you,” Luna said through gritted teeth, “but in the end, I still love you. I think the others, even Shining, will come to that same conclusion. Just give it time.”
Crypsis shook her head and pulled away to look Luna in the eye. “I don’t think we have time, Luna. Mother won’t take this lying down. Shining and I are targets now, and there’s nobody we can trust besides you and the other alicorns. Anybody in both your courts and mine could be one of my siblings.”
“But you don’t know who,” Luna said with a raised brow.
Crypsis shook her head. “No, I don’t. I only have info on my own branch, and they’ve decided to stay neutral, for now. The only changeling that knows everyone’s positions is, well, Mother herself. Unless we have a plan, we’re sunk sooner or later.”
“Sister and I have been discussing courses of action. She thinks that we should offer asylum to any and all changelings that wish to defect from your mother’s empire,” Luna explained, stroking Crypsis’ back gently. “You can’t be the only one that feels the way you do about Chrysalis, it’d provide us with valuable intel from a wide range of regions, and we could use them for counter-intelligence work.”
Crypsis paused and hummed, thinking it over. “I’m not the only one, I know that. But don’t expect a huge turnout; most of my siblings are either fiercely loyal to Mother, or absolutely terrified of her. And even then, you’ll only get drones. My high-born sisters would never dream of betraying an empire that suites them so well,” she spat with a hiss.
“Still, it would be a start. And then there’s the matter of finding Cadance. Even if we do find her, we have no way of knowing if it’s another fake. We’ve decided that once you arrive in Canterlot, we’ll put Twilight to the task of devising a means to dispel changeling disguises.” Luna paused and added, hesitation clear, “Once Twilight calms down, that is.”
Crypsis let out a worried little chitter, her wings humming. “How is she taking the news…?”
“Not well,” Luna sighed, ears flat. “She at first was disbelieving, but has since flown into a grief-stricken rage. We’re hoping she settles down by the time you arrive.”
Crypsis stared into space, her wings lightly buzzing as she thought. “This… this is going to take years to fix… isn’t it?” she asked, voice soft and afraid.
“Perhaps even decades,” Luna answered, nuzzling her muzzle against the changeling’s.
“I was afraid of that,” Crypsis mumbled, weakly returning the gesture.
Luna looked down at the younger mare with concern in her eyes and asked, “Cadance… Crypsis… how do you see this whole affair ending?”
Crypsis’ wings hummed again, and she took in a deep breath. “With Shining filing for divorce… and my mother in jail, or me in a casket.”
“You really think she’d kill you if we don’t stop her?” Luna asked gently.
“No. But if she takes me away from Shining, from you, from everyone else… if she locks me in the hive… I won’t hesitate to end it.” She looked up at Luna with placid, resolute eyes. “I’d have nothing left, anyway.”
Luna held her close once more, draping her neck and head over the smaller mare. “Please don’t say things like that. If your mother does steal you from us, we’ll save you. I promise.”
Crypsis found no words to say as she relaxed in Luna’s embrace, her ears drinking in the larger mare’s soft breathing as she basked in the warmth of the alicorn’s fur. She couldn’t tell if moments or minutes of silence followed between the two. It hardly mattered. It was still a while before she said, “Luna?”
“Yes?”
“Could you… please not leave? Until I wake up, anyway,” she asked with a shiver. “I really don’t want to dream again.”
“Whatever you desire,” Luna answered. She gently draped her wings around the changeling dreamer, and the two friends sat together in the comfort of silence and stillness until the waking world once again beckoned.
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A very nice addition, and good to see not everypony is against Crypsis
Nice to see Luna siding with Crypsis...
this actually begs the question; if things go completely south and she has to live again in a changeling court or whatever, she could still always be in contact with Luna through dreams.
I wonder how many friendships Luna keeps up with in this way
Another lovely little chapter. Rest assured that we still enjoy this.
Awaiting for Twilight´s meeting. I guess there won´t be more "sunshines and ladybugs" anymore
Wasn't Crypsis the only Cadance Luna ever knew?
4363630 4363651
Thank you! And I figured that Luna would be more forgiving than the others; she's needed forgiveness in the past herself, after all.
4363699
Very brilliant idea, honestly.
That... hm, I actually hadn't considered that.
4363730
Thank you; I certainly hope so.
4363832
Ohhh definitely not.
4363867
Correct. But said dialogue was a guilt trip, I guess you could say; a "I don't know you anymore" slap to the face.
At least Luna is on Crypsis side, it should hopefully make things at least a little bit easier for her.
I hope Twilight will become friends again with her... Pleaaaase.
PS: Nice to see a new update
4363907
Yes, that's true... still I think Tia will be forgiving as well, giving Luna and Discord a second chance.
4363907
Though, if she was being genuine, then Luna and everypony still knows her. They just never knew her name or her real face.
4363832
Suddenly, the "Ladybugs" parts makes a bit of sense
4363960 Oh wow, I never thought of that before.
I'm really liking the Crypsis & Luna friendship on display in this chapter.
4363960 Oh heck yeah, that's a fun idea.
I get the same fear when I write, don't worry it's really good and still has a lot of power in it.
Not every chapter may be as singularly powerful as the first one you wrote. They don't have to be. You're telling a longer story now so we'd expect some slower points that bridge more exciting sections. It's all good as long as the story keeps moving and you keep trying like this.
Dude this story is awesome!
So happy this is alive, great chapter by the way.
Upvoted and favorited. Eagerly looking forward to more.
I like how understanding Luna is here.
Surely Cadence need as much help as she can get.
I am so looking to see the meeting between Twilight and fake Cadence.
Just write. That's all the advice I can give. Write without fear, because there's always the rewrite.
I both dread and eagerly await the upcoming meeting with Twilight and Crypdence.
Worth the wait.
4416204
Nope.
It is good enough, do not worry. The plot is promising, the writing is good, and the characters are sympathetic.
Look at that rating! If you feel it's that bad, this pretty much says it isn't!
I'm likig it so far, and it s well written, so I would really hate for this to be cancelled :/
Even more when it's an original idea that, to my knowledge, hasn't been used before!
Please keep writing!
I love her name and I can see why you would choose it.
Have I ever told you I love mysteries?
It suits ya in a way.
It's a shame this will never be updated because its a masterful piece of work. In fact, this was the story that convinced me to follow you in the first place, along with All That Glitters and In the Pale Moonlight. How long will this charade last?
That fear is like a plague... Dun worry though, everyone's enjoying the story!
Lovely work! I can't wait to read more
Will you ever finish this?
If you're having trouble getting inspiration or time, find some prospective writers and become the editor of the piece. Turn it into a collab, or cancel and hand the rights over to another more active writer. This story is too. freaking. awesome. to let stop.
Since you haven't been online in three months, I am going to assume you are gone for good, so I will stick just to the first chapter.
It liked it. It is a very interesting idea, making Cadance a changeling since the very beginning.
5561859 Seconded. I would gladly try to help this story if I can.
6142036
If the author is MIA, why not just take his story and continue it under your name? It's not like he'll be around to complain about it.
6206979 Because that would be against the site rules. If I tried to post the story in any way, it would be copyright plagiarism Besides, I already have enough stories to work on. I don't need to add another. It's one thing to try to help, but another to take on the entire story.
Oh my gosh. I started sobbing at the end of this one. Don't you dare question your writing skills. You're freaking amazing and this story in absolutely beautiful, even if horrifyingly sad at the same time. I love this story more than any other I have read on this site. Please don't give up on yourself and your writing. I'm rooting for you!
Still no update. That is my only true displeasure with this story.
7192186 I think he quit FIMfiction for good. If an author just up and leaves like that, no updates or blogs for nearly two years, they've either quit or died. That's the unfortunate guess.