On Wings of Grace

by Midnight Solace

Ch 7: A Past Forgotten

Chrysalis had just been chosen as the next queen, though she wouldn't become the actual queen until the old one died. So she was still in training, and as her final lesson, she was to go out into the pony world and replace somepony so that she could gather love for her hive. She was to do this alone, without escort, as any queen of note should be able to defend herself against the dangers of the outside world if they are to defend the hive. So Chrysalis set out to discover a pony to collect love from, unaware of the dangers that awaited her.

Chrysalis ran harder than she ever had before, her hooves aching from the effort, the Ursa Major close behind her. She had been hungry and had unknowingly stumbled onto the lair of a sleeping Ursa Major. Safe to say it was less than happy to see her as its mood suggested. It swung its trunk-like arms and cut a large gash down Chrysalis’s side, splitting the chitin and sending an bolt of pain throughout her body. Chrysalis saw a hiding place up ahead and ducked underneath a fallen tree as the Ursa Major thundered past, unaware that its quarry had escaped. Chrysalis let out a shuddering breath, crawling out from under the tree only after she had made sure the Ursa was gone. She stumbled to a nearby tree, placing a hoof against it to try and steady herself. She saw dim lights in the distance and began to stagger towards them, her injured leg dragging behind her. She only made it a few more yards before collapsing to the ground, letting out a cry of pain as she hit the unforgiving rock.

Her breathing was labored as she laid there, her own blood pooling around her. She tried to reach out to the hive-mind to call for help, but the connection was fuzzy, almost nonexistent. She began to cry as she realized she was all alone, the green tears rolling down her muzzle. Broken, dying, and all alone. She began to get desperate and started to cry out into the dark to anyone who would listen. “H-help. Help me. A-anyone. Please, someone h-help me.” cried Chrysalis, her tears coming unobstructed now. She was beginning to feel cold, losing the feeling in her limbs. She could see the pool of blood growing around her as her vision began to grow clouded. Her voice had died down to a whisper, her throat raw from crying for help.

She was dipping in and out of conscience now, and her heart was slowing down as her body chilled. She accepted her coming death with silence, for that was all she could give now. Chrysalis was so out of it that she didn’t even notice the blue blur rocketing towards her, flanked by two brown blurs. “Hang on. Don’t die on me.” cried a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. She listened to it, happy at least to know she wasn’t alone in her final moments.

It was quiet at first and Chrysalis couldn't hear a thing. Then suddenly she began to hear something. Was… was that her heart. She listened closely and recognized the constant thump of a heart beating strong and true. She could hear her own breath, faint but steady. This, coupled with her heartbeat, was more than enough to convince Chrysalis that she was alive. She cracked open her eyes to see the inside of a cave, lit by the faint flickering of a candle. There was nothing in the cave aside from the bed of matted leaves and plants that she was laying on and another identical mat across from her. There was a blue mass lying on the mat, its side rising and falling in tone with its breathing. She looked around, noticing the faint hint of light peeking in from the distant entrance and walked towards the source. When she emerged from the cave, she was bathed in the refreshing light of the sun; her wings buzzing excitedly as she felt the warmth permeate her chitin and spread throughout her body. She looked down at her body, just now noticing the thick bandages made of tightly woven leaves wrapped around her torso. She was surprised to be alive, but at the same time, happier than she ever had been before.

Then she remembered who else was sleeping in the cave when she had come to. She walked back into the cave and quietly approached the blue mass. The first thing she saw was a flowing mane, made up of many indescribable colors that currently covered most of her face and neck. She was a pony, of that Chrysalis was sure. At this discovery, her eyes narrowed threateningly as she slowly approached the sleeping pony, prepared to end her life.

And then the pony opened her eyes, her impossibly beautiful green eyes.

They were filled with such a warm, understanding sense of love that was so intense that Chrysalis could only stare into them, hopelessly trying to reach the other side of the ocean that filled her gaze. A wave of warmth flowed over her, filling her with its energy. The sudden surge of love forced Chrysalis to her haunches, unable to withstand the flow. “Oh, you are awake. That’s good. I was so worried that I might not have made it in time.” said the mare as she sat up, stretching her legs and back and blowing her mane out of her face, allowing Chrysalis another look at those impossibly green eyes. “T-thanks.” stuttered Chrysalis, just now shaking off the feeling of the mare's gaze. The mare looked back up into Chrysalis’s eyes, curiosity lingering longer than anything else. Chrysalis realized that she was still in her natural form, and quickly gathered her magic so that she could change. She shifted into some unrecognizable pony, looking back up at the mare, who was looking at her with fascination instead of the fear Chrysalis had expected. This startled her, as she had expected all ponies to hate her and her kind.

“Are you not afraid of me.” asked Chrysalis, shifting back to her original form, confused by the mare’s lack of fear. “Of course not. I’ve seen things a lot scarier than you. In fact, I think you’re pretty… cool.” said the mare as she touched Chrysalis’s chitin covered back and ran her hoof through her mangy mane. Chrysalis wasn’t sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment, so she simply went with the latter. The mare was now circling Chrysalis, trying to see if there were any other strange features. Her curiosity was like that of a newborn foal, eager to learn whatever she could. “What’s your name?” asked the mare, finally sitting down across from Chrysalis, apparently having had her fill of new knowledge. Chrysalis was hesitant at first, but at seeing the mare's pleading and innocent gaze, she just let out a sigh of defeat. “Chrysalis. And your name?” asked Chrysalis. “Oh, I’m Winter Song. Mom and dad are out right now, so I can’t leave the cave. But we can still have fun while we wait for them to return.” said Winter, bouncing around Chrysalis like a little filly. Chrysalis couldn't help but smile at the energy the young mare put forth, and she was even more puzzled by the constant flow of love that was coming off of her, even though she wasn’t consciously doing it.

“How are you doing that?” asked Chrysalis, determined to get an answer from the mare. Winter just stared back at her, confused. “Doing what?” asked Winter, who had ceased her bouncing and was staring intently at Chrysalis. “How is it that you have so much love.” asked Chrysalis, causing Winter to look at the ground in thought. “I don’t know. It’s always just been like that. Whether I’m taking care of the creatures of the Everfree or just walking through the forest, it always just seemed like everything around me got a little brighter when I was around. Have you ever felt that way Chryssie?” asked Winter, looking up at the startled changeling. “C-Chryssie. Why would you change my name so easily?” asked Chrysalis, unsure of how to respond to the out of the blue nickname. “Well, friends call each other nicknames, don’t they?” asked Winter. “I- I wouldn't know. Where I’m from, there aren't really a lot of opportunities to make friends.” said Chrysalis as she thought back to her hive. Even now, as she tried to reach for it, the connection was still just out of reach and she felt isolated once more.

That is, until she felt a pair of hooves wrap around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace. “Well then, I guess we’re just going to have to fix that, best friend.” said Winter, releasing Chrysalis from the hug and holding out her hoof. Chrysalis looked at it skeptically before a smile spread across her face. She raised her own hole-filled hoof and bumped it against Winter’s as the two giggled like little fillies. “Best Friends Forever.” agreed Chrysalis.

“And ever since that moment, Winter and I always did the some of the craziest things together. We were inseparable.” said Chrysalis as Luna and Twilight listened intently. Rainbow was still fast asleep, exhausted from the night’s activities. Winter was curled protectively around her, a happy smile adorning her tired face as she settled in to sleep next to the mare she loved. Chrysalis looked at them, happy that her friend could find her own special somepony, even if she had been rather shy around other actual ponies when she was younger. “But what happened. You said you hadn't seen her for years, but at yet you say you were inseparable.” asked Twilight, enthralled by the changeling’s tale. At this, Chrysalis’s face darkened as the painful memory returned to her. Her sudden change of attitude did not elude the princess of the night’s sight and she began to listen even closer to the story. “Well, it was a few years later and we were both older, more mature. Winter had to go into town to get some supplies for medicines that she could not get in the forest. And I decided to go with her, so I could see what a pony village looked like. It was the first time I had ever seen her lose control of her magic.” said Chrysalis as she slipped back into her tale.

“So this is what a pony village looks like.” said Chrysalis as she followed close behind Winter, wary of the odd, if not angry looks she was receiving from the ponies they passed. “Yep. I’ve only ever been here twice, but I assume it is alright.” said Winter, levitating the list of supplies she needed in front of her face, scrutinizing it closely. “Hmm, it seems the first item we need is Veranda Hanging Lilies for the new pain reliever medicine I’m working on. I can’t really find a lot of them in the forest, although I hear that they are quite common in this village. Why don’t you wait outside for me while I go in and buy some.” said Winter, gesturing for Chrysalis to wait by the door before she walked into the store. Chrysalis did so and then reached for her hive-mind connection. It grown far stronger and she could now feel the thoughts of her fellow changelings as they went about their day, bland as they may have been.

She was so in tune with the hive-mind that she didn’t hear the buck coming before she was sent flying over the railing of the store, legs flailing in the air. She hit the ground hard as the wind was knocked out of her. She looked up to see numerous angry ponies gathering around her, murderous intent in their eyes. “Look, it’s another monster from the Everfree.” said one of the ponies. “Yeah. Come on everypony. Let’s teach this monster that we won’t let them push us around anymore.” said one of the larger stallions before kicking Chrysalis in the stomach, causing pain to shoot through her as she felt one of her ribs crack. Another kick came. And another. And another. They just kept coming, and all Chrysalis could do was curl up in a ball and try to limit the damage as much as possible. “W-Winter. Winter. Please, help me.” cried Chrysalis, gasping the words through gritted teeth as another kick sent a wave of pain through her. That one actually caused her to spit up blood, the bright red contrasting sharply against the sandy ground.

She didn’t know exactly what happened, other than the fact that the kicking had stopped. She shakily looked up and saw a sight that would forever be burned into her mind. Winter stood just outside the door of the store, her eyes shining an icy blue, her mane flowing in vibrant waves of its own accord despite no natural wind being present. Her coat seemed to have taken on a magical luster as frost began to coat it. Ice was quickly forming around the area that Winter stood in, the winds picking up as storm clouds began to form above. “You. You ponies. You ponies dared to hurt my friend.” growled Winter as she stalked forward, the ground freezing wherever she stepped. A wall of white had surrounded the town, the frigid wind blocking anypony from seeing in or out. Many of the ponies had back away, cowering in fear at the sight of the godlike figure before them. But a few stood up to her, the same arrogant, contemptuous scowl on their faces as when they had beaten her. “Who are you to stop us from beating this monster? Are you in league with it or something?” demanded the pony.

He didn’t get an answer though as a bright green aura surrounded him, picking him up high off of the ground. “So you think she is a monster. Only a monster would attack an innocent pony. And you are the ones who attacked her.” screamed Winter as she used her magic to snap the ponies neck, dropping his body to the ground. The ice was now growing on anything that was the source of Winter’s anger. Ponies only made it a few feet before being frozen solid, their coats becoming blue as they were encased in ice. The wind began tearing the shingles and boards from the buildings around her as Winter’s magic grew to unimaginable heights. The destruction caused was unbelievable. But that wasn’t what Chrysalis was worried about. She began to crawl towards Winter was glaring hatefully at the now frozen ponies.

“W-Winter. Please. You have to stop. This has gone too far.” said Chrysalis, reaching out a hoof to grab hold of Winter. She didn’t get far before being hit with a telekinetic blast that knocked her off of her hooves, sending her flying back several feet. When she looked back up, it wasn’t Winter looking back at her, but something else entirely. “NO. They deserve far worse than what I have done to them.” yelled Winter, before looking at the injuries she had caused to her best friend. Her eyes slowly returned to their normal green color as the rest of her soon returned to normal as well. The wall of snow that had surrounded the town soon dissipated, revealing the destruction caused by Winter’s out of control magic.

“No. What have I done?” whimpered Winter, backing away from Chrysalis. She looked around and saw the frozen ponies and the destroyed buildings, all surrounded by thick layers of snow and ice. “What have I done?” sobbed Winter as she spread her wings, preparing to take flight. “Winter.” said Chrysalis, reaching out a hoof to comfort her friend. But Winter just flinched away, her eyes full of fear and concern, but not for herself, but for her friend and any other ponies that might cross her path. “No. I’m a monster. I hurt all of these innocent ponies and they didn’t even have a chance. Please Chryssie, stay away from me. I don’t want to hurt you too.” cried Winter as she took to the skies, flying away from the place as quickly as she could, not even looking back. Not wanting to look back at the destruction she had caused. Chrysalis just sat there, watching her friend fly away, not knowing where she was going or if she would ever see her again. But Chrysalis knew one thing. Winter was no monster. She had seen the tears that Winter had cried for the ponies she had hurt. No monster would have cried for her victim.

Chrysalis knew she wouldn't be coming back, so she painstakingly rose to her hooves, her injured body protesting the continued abuse. She began to walk back into the Everfree, planning to walk all the way back to her hive, for that was the only place she had left that even closely resembled a home and family. Her true home for the past few years had been that cave with Winter. Laughing with her. Crying with her. Comforting her and being comforted by her. That had been true family. That had been real love. So with tears falling down her face, Chrysalis began the long trek back to her hive, vowing that if she ever got the chance to see her friend again, she would apologize. She would apologize and hold her close, assuring her that everything would be alright and that tomorrow would be better. With this promise in mind, she walked.

Chrysalis didn’t even realize she had been crying while she told the story until Twilight levitated a tissue over to her, motioning for her to take it. Chrysalis gratefully did so and wiped the tears from her eyes. Luna was just looking at Chrysalis thoughtfully as she finally came to understand just what Winter meant to Chrysalis and what everypony meant to Winter. “She was more afraid of using her power and hurting other ponies than not using it and being hurt herself.” said Luna quietly as she stood and began to trot towards the door. “Where are you going, princess?” asked Luna. Luna just looked over to the sleeping forms of Rainbow Dash and Winter Song, both snoring happily as they embraced one another. A smile crossed her face before being replaced with a frown once more. “To have a word with my sister.” said Luna as she stepped outside and took flight, heading towards Canterlot.

Twilight and Chrysalis looked at each other with worried expressions before Twilight sighed and looked back at Chrysalis. “Come on. We may as well find you somewhere to sleep.” said Twilight before walking off deeper into the house, followed by Chrysalis.

Author's Note:

Here we are. Chrysalis's and Winter's past, brief as it may be. We'll be focusing more on Celestia and her actions in the next chapter, so hoped you enjoyed this chapter and see you in the next one. Comments are still welcome.