Chapter Six
The Badlands of Equestria were, well, bad. The grounds had once been a part of Equestrian society, with lush grasses and flowers. It wasn’t the biggest, or most notable area. There didn’t use to be the biggest city, predating Manehattan in excellence. It was a simple town, full of the three tribes in harmony.
There was no big storm that caused them to change into the Badlands, or a curse. It was more of a hostile takeover. A deadly species known as the Dreadwings came. They resembled the pegasi, all with black fur and feathers.
They infected the land, as the earth ponies enhance it. The earth ponies did try fighting off the infections from the Dreadwings, but as more of them came the stronger the infection became.
Within a month, the land of Cornecope became the Badlands.
By that time, most of the Equestrians had left. Few had remained on their ancestral land, saying it was their home. The Dreadwings were banished by Princess Celestia, but too late to save the Bandlands.
The ponies that stayed work hard to rid the infections, but at a great cost...
Her origins were the furthest thing on Queen Chrysalis’ mind. She was too busy preparing her daughter for her future rule.
“Cyanide.” Chrysalis growled. Then again, anything was a growl when Chrysalis said it. “What became of the ponies that we captured and the changelings who captured them back in 995?”
The changeling sighed. She looked like a small version of her mother. The only differences being the location of her holes. Even her hair, a slimy dark green, was cut exactly like her mother’s. Her tiara was also just a bit smaller than Chrysalis’ own.
She picked up her pencil, swirling it around in her hoof. Anything was better than listening to her mother go on and in about the past.
“Cyanide!”
The princess flinched, dropping her pencil. “What?” She squealed in shock.
“Pay attention!” Chrysalis yelled.
Cyanide internally groaned. A part of her wanted to rebel against her mother, but that desire was instantly shoved aside. She was just a princess, her mother’s first born. It was her responsibility to take control over the Hive when her mother died. On that (somewhat) sad day, Cyanide would ascend to the throne and continue to spread the fear of changelings throughout the world.
Oh, that would be fun. Cyanide couldn’t wait to be the very thing invoking fear in those pathetic ponies. It was going to be glorious, taking down those annoying Princesses. Especially that Raspberry Stardust.
It would be a bloodbath.
“Yes Mother.” Cyanide grinned deviously.
Chrysalis knew that look. She chose to ignore it, feeling proud. It was good for future Queens to find their first natural enemies. Her’s had been a pony lord named Golden Shoe. She had killed him a few days after her coronation.
Changelings were a brutal race. It was normal for a Queen to commit a kill within the week of her rise to the throne. It would have been shameful if it was a first kill. Chrysalis had killed many before Golden Shoe, and she had killed many more.
If not for Raspberry Stardust, she would be killing other Equestrians.
That unicorn, she has ruined everything. Chrysalis heard she became a Princess, same for Twilight Sparkle. It made the changeling queen grin. That just made Raspberry a bigger target, made her easier to find. It would be almost too easy to kill Raspberry now.
If only Garfield Logan hadn’t told Chrysalis to back off. After they attacked Raspberry in the Everfree Forest, Logan had warned Chrysalis not to get close. He had stressed that Raspberry had forgotten about the attack, but she would connect any dots if Chrysalis were to get involved.
Logan. Now that was a player Chrysalis wanted removed from the board. He had been a thorn in her side since they met ten years ago. He was an earth pony, yet he had access to magic not used since the time of King Sombra. She had spent too long trying to forget the feeling of his magic grabbing her heart, his black eyes glowing.
He had barely aged a day since they met years ago. Logan intrigued Chrysalis by bringing her two ponies as price for a job. They later turned out to be his own parents, which Chrysalis found strange, seeing a pony give up his parents just to foalnap a foal.
Well, foal is the wrong word. More like hatchling.
It was supposed to be a simple collection. All her changelings soldiers had to do was grab that hatchling, then come back to the Hive. A five month old hatchling, yet they still mucked it up!
A camp out. A camp out had ruined their simple plan. Her changelings slaughtered the rest of the household, leaving too much evidence of their arrival.
Then, some six years later, Raspberry Stardust found a way to get revenge. That unicorn ruined the entire invasion; setting the prisoners free, giving them a chance to escape, and allowing them to create that love shield!
Chrysalis was enraged. Logan was the one who came up with their new plan of revenge. Raspberry exposed her, so she exposed Raspberry.
Now, even the ponies knew what she was. A betrayer.
The Queen shook herself out of those thoughts, getting back to her daughter’s lesson.
“The changelings slaughtered the household, with the exception of two daughters and one granddaughter.” Chrysalis explained, getting back to her earlier question to Cyanide. “Cyanide, tell me why we had the soldiers executed.”
Cyanide grinned, as she usually did when execution became involved. “They left witnesses.”
“Correct.” Chrysalis said. “You never leave behind a witness. If somepony sees you feed, you feed of them as well. The same applies with killings.”
*knock* *knock* *ZAP*
“Who is it?!” Chrysalis snarled towards the entrance to the chamber.
A lone changeling stood in the doorway, the wall right beside his head leaving a trail of smoke. He was shaking, slightly.
“Mi-Mister L-Logan, M-My Queen.” The changeling bowed.
Chrysalis and Cyanide looked at him shock. The earth pony had only had conference by letter since they attacked Raspberry. To have him come to the palace, far enough to get a changeling to send word, was unsettling.
The changeling’s next words were even more so. “He’s with the prisoner.”
He was just standing there, when Chrysalis found him.
His coat was so dark brown, it was nearly black. The black mane on his head was cut in the form of a military guard, not a mane out of place. His tail was cut to the same perfection. He was a strong earth pony stallion, his legs thick with muscles. As a cutiemark, he had a leather bound journal titled on it’s side, tied closed with a black thread. On the cover of the journal was a black tiger’s paw print.
He had again not aged since their last meeting. It was as if Logan only existed when he came to speak to Chrysalis.
Garfield Logan was standing in front of the cell of the prisoner, his back to Chrysalis. It was his preferred standing point when speaking with the Changeling Queen. Because of the special nature of this prisoner, the cell was a cocoon. It was exactly like the cocoon used to hold Celestia after her defeat at the Wedding. You could make out the silhouette of the pony inside, curled in the fetal position as if it were a foal waiting for their time.
He seemed to sense her presence. Chrysalis briefly wondered if he had taken control of her when he grabbed her heart, now possessing the ability to tell where she was because of the dark magic Garfield had at his side. Chrysalis would have brushed that theory, if she actually knew anything about dark magic.
“My Queen?” A changeling guard asked. “What are your orders?”
Chrysalis kept her eyes on the unmoving Garfield. A part of her hoped he was dead, and his body had yet to crumple. “Leave us, and make sure we are undisturbed.”
“My Queen.” The changeling began, shocked by this order. “He broke into our Hive, into our most defended vault! He killed every guard posted at this door!”
The stallion snorted, as if the news pleased him. Chrysalis felt no remorse for their loss, only annoyance at needing to have them replaced.
“My orders stand. No ling is to enter.” Chrysalis stated.
“Bu-”
“Are you questioning your Queen?” She barked.
The guard’s eyes couldn’t shrink like a pony’s, but they would have. He marched out of the room, letting the door slam shut behind him.
“You’re late.” Logan commented dryly, almost in disdain.
Chrysalis stood taller, as if Logan was looking down at her. “My daughter needed to instructed on her behavior while I was in this meeting.”
Logan snorted. “Kids. Gotta love ‘um.”
Chrysalis was intrigued by his comment. She would think he hated children, given his reaction to the Stardust Slaughter. He didn’t seem to care that two foals had died, he had practically ordered that the other two follow. She had never met a pony that dark heartened.
She trotted closer to him, gazing to look at the prisoner. “Was there something you wanted?”
The dark stallion grinned. His grin made Chrysalis feel the small shred of fear in her veins. “I’m finding myself in need of a changeling.”
Chrysalis sneered. “What for?” She growled out.
Logan glanced at her, as if she were a child screaming about not getting a cookie. Oh, she hated that look on his face. “Since when did my requests earn questions?”
“Ever since you appeared in front of this prisoner.” Chrysalis pointed a hoof at the cocoon.
The pony inside didn’t move, not even a breath. She was practically dead to the outside world.
“I don’t care about her.” Logan said with an eye roll. “She’s perfectly fine where she is. No, the changeling I’m looking for is walking around this hive free.”
Chrysalis kept her growl. She would end up giving him what he wanted, she had never wanted to have him controlling her heart with dark magic again, but that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it. “What is it to be used for?”
Logan turned back to the cocoon. “How long have you had her in this?” He asked.
The Queen slammed her hoof down.
“Oh, now that’s mature.” Logan commented dryly.
“What is it you want of that changeling?” Chrysalis barked. “And why come to this cell?”
Logan snapped his head towards Chrysalis, so fast Chrysalis was surprised it didn’t come flying off his head. His black eyes stared right into her soul, and for a second she felt that choking feeling over her heart. She couldn’t help but back away from him, her hoof reaching up to her chest in remembrance of that pain.
He stood up, taking a steps towards her so he could convey the seriousness. Even though she was a good two heads taller than him, Chrysalis hadn’t felt this small before.
She should have killed him. Any good Queen would have killed him ages ago. Why hadn’t she? Sure Chrysalis had been curious about his utter lack of care, hoofing over his parents, but that curiosity had left fairly quickly. He was a liability now. He was a threat. Why wasn’t he dead at her feet? Why hadn’t she blasted him into nothing but ashes?
Because she knew she would fail. Once she failed, Logan would kill her. Simple as that. He was a genius, but a dark genius. It was like looking at Raspberry Stardust in a dark mirror. Chrysalis saw herself how brilliant that unicorn was, taking apart her entire plan and helping her complete it. She saw Raspberry manipulate her way into the plan, helping in it’s downfall. Logan was the opposite, he was the one who started the plan. He was the one who pointed Chrysalis at Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding, who told her about the best way to get the love out of Equestria that changelings had wanted since their birth. Logan was the one who directed her at the Stardust house, leading to their slaughter. He led the attack on Raspberry in the clearing.
Thinking more on that line of thought, it was almost like a game between the two. Garfield Logan, an evil mastermind concocting the most dastardly of plans. Raspberry Stardust, the hero who figured out the plan and saved the world.
Chrysalis had once called it flirting, she wouldn’t be surprised if killing her family was what Logan thought of as flirting.
“The cell was to get your attention.” Logan said in a dark scolding voice. “If I can get in this far, and kill your guards without as much as a thought, imagine what Raspberry could do. She still has no idea you were the one responsible for her exposure all those months ago. Right now she thinks she walked into a poison joke field.”
That much was true. After Logan had knocked Raspberry to the ground, Chrysalis had been the one to cast the spell taking off the unicorn (or whatever she was actually called) revealing her hideous true form. The one with a mane as black as a raven’s wing, and skin pale as the moon.
“Should Raspberry have a reason to come in, she would walk through the walls like they weren’t even there. You made no effort to hide that fact that this is your most valued prisoner. Raspberry would find her in seconds, and then set her free.” Logan pressed. “To use against you. What would your prisoner do if she was released? By a pony that’s fighting you?”
Chrysalis blinked, looking to the cocoon. She knew what the prisoner would do, the secrets she would expose, the weaknesses she would reveal. That prisoner was probably the creature most against Chrysalis and the Hive.
“Which changeling do you request?” Chrysalis asked.
Logan grinned. It was that condescending one that he wore as a second skin. “Cicadas have a lot of rumors on them, you know? That they live for seventeen years, that when they rub their wings together they create that sound they’re known for, or that their the symbols of rebirth or resurrection. The one I find the most is that when you see a ‘W’ in their wings it means war is coming.”
Chrysalis was mildly annoyed by the story. She got the message. He was a looking for a changeling mare named Cicada.
As strange as it was, yes changelings were boys and girls. It was easy to tell the difference, if you knew what to look for. The frills on their heads were an inch longer, and the carapace on their back was a lighter shade of blue. You would have to be somepony with a keen eye to color to notice that one, but it was there.
“We have many cicadas here-” Chrysalis began.
“The one I’m looking for has a brother.” Logan interrupted, sternly.
Now, technically, all the changelings were siblings. Much like in an actual beehive, the Queen would lay eggs and they would grow up to become changelings. Chrysalis had a special time of the month set aside for that specific purpose. Yet with so many, you can’t help but closer to some of the others. If two changelings bonded in the way of siblings, then from that day forward they were siblings. Sometimes this would happen between three, or four, and once even eight.
Point was, you could literally choose your own family. The only drawback was that they had to choose you too.
“Just one, and he would be the older of the two.” Logan clarified. “By three months.”
“Do you happen to have the brother’s name, since you already know so much about the two of them?” Chrysalis asked.
Logan snarled. Chrysalis noticed that for the first time he had true disgust in his eyes, true rage. When the Invasion had failed, he had been greatly annoyed. When they first failed grabbing the hatchling, he had been mildly angered.
This, this was different. His eyes had the slightest glow to them. His legs clenched, as if holding back the urge to attack. Logan took a quick breath, visibly calming. That anger still lurked in his black eyes.
“I would rather not share that.” Logan said finally.
Chrysalis suspected something amiss. He had never asked for a changeling specifically, only a task. “What did the brother do to you?” She couldn’t resist asking. “Take away one of your toys?”
He sneered. Chrysalis gave herself a small pat on the thorax. This was a positive for her. She didn’t even need the sister, she could just give Logan the brother and have a bargaining chip. In exchange for the brother, she could make him promise the defeat of Raspberry once a-
She hit the wall before she could finish her thought.
Okay. Clearly the brother was a touchy subject.
“Give me the Cicada with a brother three months older, or I do that again.” Logan ordered.
He didn’t raise his voice, Chrysalis noted. His voice had that anger, that rage he had buried only minutes prior. Logan hated this brother with a passion, as much as she hated Raspberry. If not more so.
“Are you going to kill her?” Chrysalis asked. Not out of concern, more of that cat killing curiosity.
“I want her dead, but I need her alive.” Logan went on. He looked back to the cocoon. “I thought of anyone, you would be the one to greatly understand the purpose of a prisoner, rather than a corpse.”
“A bargaining chip?” Chrysalis mused. “For the brother? Is this going to help us with Raspberry?”
“It’ll help me, not you.” Logan said. “I have other underlings, you know. Not keeping all my eggs in one basket, or whatever you changelings say.”
“But it will take down Raspberry?”
“Oh, it’ll cripple her.” Logan admitted with a dark smile. “When she finds out about this.” He paused, shuddering in joy. “The look on her face. I wish I could take a picture of it. She’ll be destroyed. She’ll spend the rest of her life stewing in her own guilt.”
“Why would she care about a random changeling?” Chrysalis asked.
“Because I care about that random changeling.” Logan retorted. He made his way towards the door. “I expect her in an hour, alive.”
“Seven years.” Chrysalis suddenly said.
Logan paused. “Yes?” He drawled out, waiting to see what idiotic thing the Queen of Bad Actors said now.
“She’s been in there seven years.” Chrysalis glanced back to the cocoon.
The pony inside still hadn’t moved.
Logan nodded, making a small hmm noise. “Seven. In some cultures, they believe the number seven is the number for perfection. Who knows, maybe this’ll be the year you let her out.”
Chrysalis snorted. “Unlikely.”
Logan grinned, then walked towards the door.
“When will we take down Raspberry Stardust?” Chrysalis asked.
Logan kept walking, tilting his head. “What is the date?”
Chrysalis flinched back, confused at the question. “August 15th.” Chrysalis answered, confusedly.
“Then, Chrysalis, I say everything is going as it should be. She‘ll come to us in a month, give or take a day or two.”
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My Logic/Reasoning-senses are tingling and telling me the cocoon pony is Raspberry's mom.
In Chrysalis' thought it mentions that Raspberry's family is killed and then six years later she stops the invasion. The pony has also been in the cocoon for seven years. I believe it's been about a year since the invasion, so logically I would make that my guess.
Either way, you'll keep me guessing to the end, I'm sure. Just keep doing what you're doing and you can't go wrong!
Looking forward to the next one.
Best Wishes- Knight
6587841 Thanks for the comments!
And, that would be an interesting theory, but let me stop you there. The entire Stardust family died that day, with only Raspberry, Killjoy and Lilac as survivors. Ya know, until Killjoy died.
It was a good idea. I'm not gonna say who is in the cocoon, only that she's been in there seven years and Chrysalis does not want Raspberry getting her out.
6589910
Well, I still think it was a good guess. Also, I was right in saying that you will keep me guessing, so how about a hint? Is the pony in the cocoon an OC?
Feel free to not answer the question, it's a long shot.
But yeah, you really are doing a great job with the flow, pacing, delivery, and intrigue factor with this story. I hope my story turns out half this good.
Best Wishes- Knight
6590114 Yes, she is an OC
Hmm, if Chrysalis was smarter she might use this "brother of Cicada" in a scheme to purposefully enlist the aid of Raspberry. Why are these hitherto unknown characters so important?
Keep going! ;)