Lesson Seven: Taking Responsibility
The fear, the terror, was gone. A moment later, the darkness followed as Twilight's horn began to emit another steady glow, lighting up the chamber once more.
And there stood Manti, straining to stand on trembling hooves. Gone was the terrible monster that had brought Twilight to tears mere moments ago, and in its place was the thin, frail form of a far too old changeling. Where before, Manti seemed untouchable, unstoppable and completely in control, Twilight could now see the changeling's own confidence draining away.
Twilight had been right.
“You what?” Manti quietly demanded, even as she took another step back from Twilight.
“I said...” Twilight paused long enough for her to get her own hooves under her body again. Manti was visibly startled at the sound of the young princess rising to stand upon her own hooves “...I figured out your spell.”
It was actually amazing how quickly everything Twilight knew about magic started coming back to her, once she had undone what Manti had placed upon her.
There were a great number of different spells in the world, most of which could be fit neatly within certain sets and categories. One of the most prevalent ways of organizing spells was by fitting them into schools, wherein all spells within a particular school were related to a particular goal, like protection or moving things. Or affecting the mind of a target.
But one could also organize spells by the magical structure of the spells themselves. Many spells needed to be maintained with a constant supply of energy from the caster. Others could be maintained with a sort of...reservoir of magic, allowing the caster to place the spell, and have it maintain itself till its energy ran out. Most of the more traditional mind-altering spells, tended to fall into one of these two classifications. And then there was another group of spells that could be described as 'instantaneous'. You cast the spell, it exerts a tangible physical effect upon the world, and then it's done.
This last variety of spell was tricky, in some ways.
You couldn't dispel, using magic to dismantle another spell directly, whatever effects such a spell had caused. If you generated a magical fireball and used it to burn away a piece of paper, you couldn't then just dispel the ashes back into an unblemished piece of paper. The magic had already done its job, and faded away. At best, one would need to cast a second spell to turn ashes into paper, or, if one was prepared, use another spell to protect the piece of paper from the fire, before it was ever burned.
Twilight couldn't dispel the magic that had been placed upon her by Manti, because the magic had already dissipated, leaving behind its 'burn marks' on Twilight. And she couldn't block the spell, because it had already been cast upon her while her guard had been down.
All of that zipped through Twilight's mind over the course of the short silence between Twilight and Chrysalis' mother. It was amazing how much clearer things seemed now.
These thoughts all seemed lost on the old changeling, as it seemed Manti's was busy trying to decide between glowering down at Twilight, or letting her mouth hang open in shock at this development.
Twilight had to smile at the sight, just a bit. Though her amusement quickly faded, as she remembered just what Manti had attempted to do to her.
Twilight narrowed her eyes into a glare, before taking a step towards the bemused changeling “You brainwashed me, didn't you? I'm guessing before I even stepped into your room.”
“...Is that what I did, now?” The changeling snarled out, unable to think of another response.
“Yes. I'm guessing you buried some sort of trigger in my mind, that when set off would cause me to feel nothing but fear for you. That's why you were channeling magic through your horn before. You weren't maintaining the spell, you were making sure that I could still see you. To fuel the compulsion you implanted.” Things seemed so much clearer, it all seemed obvious now that she was beyond Manti's influence “And that's also why I couldn't dispel the fear using magic or block what you were doing. You had already rewritten my mind. You didn't need to sustain that with any more magic once you were done...Now that I think about it, that probably wasn't the only compulsion you implanted, was it?”
Manti didn't respond, though she didn't need to. Every hoofstep into the former Queen's room Twilight had been forced to drive down her own instincts, even as they screamed at her that something was wrong. Considering how often those very instincts had saved lives...
Manti hadn't just created feelings of fear, or created some sort of magical aura, or enchanted Twilight to start screaming and crying on command. The changeling's magic had changed the very way Twilight thought and reacted. Manti's magic had made it so that, in the same way that getting pricked by a needle would cause pain or touching a piece of ice would chill her skin, Twilight would be terrified of the mere sight of the elderly changeling.
“That's it, isn't it? The moment you sensed me outside of your doors, you took your opportunity, luring me in so you could complete your spell.” Twilight asked again, her own anger rising as Manti held her silence.
Twilight stood there for several seconds staring into Manti's pale eyes, almost hoping that the changeling would try to deny any of it.
“...How did you undo my magic?” Manti quietly asked, seemingly disregarding Twilight's accusations.
“Y-you-...you're not even going to deny it?” Twilight asked in aggravation.
“I don't care about your theories or feelings. There's no way some...pony, could undo my work. How was it done?” Manti demanded again, the changeling having reined in her own earlier shock.
Again Twilight found herself at a lack for a response.
For a moment, Twilight thought that, perhaps, Manti simply wanted to know if there was some sort of weakness that Twilight had exploited. So that she might make another attempt. But that idea was ridiculous. Surely Manti didn't think Twilight would be caught unaware a second time, after what had just transpired?
Manti had all but admitted that her goal was to drive apart Chrysalis and Celestia, by attacking Twilight. The elderly changeling had gone on-and-on about how much she hated Princess Celestia, and how much she hated the influence Princess Celestia had over Chrysalis. Chrysalis' mother had tortured Twilight with the ultimate goal of ensuring that no peace could be reached between Ponies and Changelings, with no concern for how self-destructive and insane that course would be...
“You don't care what happens to the changelings...” Twilight quietly accused, as she started to realize the truth of Manti.
None of this was about doing what Manti thought was right. This wasn't about doing what was best for the Changelings. It wasn't even about protecting her daughter, Chrysalis. This was all about control.
Manti was a narcissist.
And she had been throwing it in Twilight's face the whole time they had been talking.
Despite whatever feelings Manti might have had for Chrysalis, the one thing that she had made apparently clear to Twilight is that Chrysalis was her's. In Manti's mind, Chrysalis wasn't just her daughter, she outright belonged to the ancient monarch. Chrysalis was supposed to be Manti's ultimate achievement, the perfect successor, molded to Manti's views of perfection, and embodying her will after death. Chrysalis was going to be the one that overcame every obstacle that Manti could not. But Chrysalis never bowed to that role, choosing to cut her own path, one that eventually intersected with Princess Celestia. And Princess Celestia began to pull Chrysalis even further from Manti's vision, smoothing away the hard edges that Manti had carved into her daughter over the years.
Chrysalis was meant to be Manti's legacy, and Princess Celestia had taken that away from her.
And Manti hated her for it.
All of Manti's claims that Celestia had corrupted and twisted Chrysalis, were less about her daughter being misled and misused, and more like...somepony adding there own touches to a masterfully created painting, and thus ruining it, at least in Manti's mind
It all came together in that light.
There had to be easier ways for Manti to have sabotaged things, if that was truly her goal. She clearly had more influence than Chrysalis was entirely aware of, so arranging for an accident wouldn't have been impossible. And even if she didn't want to entrust her plan to any other, Manti surely could have picked a different way to attack Twilight. Even as weak as she was now, Manti could have put an end to Twilight when she was laying helplessly on the floor. She could have killed Twilight, if that had been her goal. Manti needed to be the one to do it to satisfy her own pride, and she chose how she was going to dispose of Twilight with the goal of satisfying her own hatred for Princess Celestia.
Simply killing Twilight wouldn't have been enough in Manti's view.
In the same way that Princess Celestia had changed who Chrysalis was, Manti wanted to change who Twilight was.
Over a vendetta that, likely, only Manti was truly aware of.
And even now, Manti didn't truly care about any of the possible consequences for her actions, just the fact that Twilight had gotten the better of her. Just as with Chrysalis, Manti hadn't been able to control Twilight.
Though, perhaps ironically, it wasn't entirely Celestia's fault that Manti's attempt to control Twilight had failed.
Discord could take some of the blame for that.
“How dare you? Everything I have ever done has been-...” Manti began to snarl out before a fit of coughing overtook the changeling.
Some small part of Twilight considered trying to assist as the changeling continued to hack and attempt to clear her throat. A larger part of Twilight was less sympathetic to the changeling's woes.
“You really are a monster...” Twilight didn't need to shout it, as this wasn't some outraged insult she was delivering. Just a simple statement of fact.
This seemed to earn Manti's attention again, even as her coughing fit persisted. She seemed to almost force her lungs back into control though force of will, even as her legs gave out, forcing her to lay down on the floor. The changeling sent another baleful gaze towards Twilight as she asked again.
“How?”
Her voice sounded even more ragged than before.
Twilight simply frowned at the changeling for several moments, suddenly very upset with these insights “I used to think Chrysalis was the worst being I had ever met. Even worse than Discord or Sombra. She manipulated my brother, just so she could drain him away. Abducting and imprisoning one of my dearest friends, just to get her out of the way. She turned my friends against me!”
Glaring now at the changeling, whose own blind stare firmly met the young princess' gaze, Twilight had to take a breath to calm herself, before continuing “But after meeting you...I can't help but be amazed at how decent and moral Chrysalis actually turned out to be!”
“I don't need-” Manti started.
“She actually cares about her subjects! Even when Chrysalis was doing terrible things, I can at least believe she thought she was trying to do the right thing for them! And it's becoming more and more obvious that she didn't want to lose what she had with Princess Celstia, but thought she had to!”
Easily one of the most disturbing of things Twilight had learned about Chrysalis, was the true goal of the Canterlot Invasion. Love and power were certainly goals from the beginning, with outright conquest being added to the list as circumstances changed. But the ultimate objective, what Chrysalis had been aiming to accomplish regardless of the success or failure of the rest of the plan, was to betray and shatter the bond between herself and Princess Celestia.
The idea of somepony, even Chrysalis, purposely trying to destroy the trust and friendship that was shared with another, had gone against so much of what Twilight now cherished. Worse yet, Chrysalis' reasoning made a terrible kind of sense, when spelled out. A ruler's first obligation was to their subjects, and what surer means of making sure that one does not give in to temptation, than removing the option of giving in to that temptation.
Chrysalis had been trying to betray Princess Celestia for the sake of making sure that she couldn't betray her changelings.
And now Manti was offering a great deal of...context behind that reasoning. Twilight was starting to wonder how many of Chrysalis' more...deplorable actions during the Invasion had been encouraged by her horrible mother.
“...I think Chrysalis' friendship with Princess Celestia has done more for her than you ever have.” Twilight quietly told Manti.
For a moment, Twilight had thought that she had shocked Manti into silence. She found herself quickly dismissing that as a possibility, when Twilight noticed the changeling slowly shifting her legs to stand. Shaking with both fury and effort, Manti stood up again.
“Friendship? Friendship!?!” Manti's voice cracked, as she screeched at Twilight “Don't call it that! Don't call that friendship!”
Twilight found herself taking a step back in momentary fear; not the mindless terror of before, but the rational fear of a dangerous and unpredictable being. Twilight found herself channeling a shade more power, as she leaned her horn slightly more towards the former queen.
“I know what your precious princess is doing! I know what she wants from my Chrysalis! And I know what's she's done to my daughter!...” A moment later Manti's strength seemed to leave her, as once again, one of her front legs gave out beneath her.
Manti's chest wheezed like a bellows, as the changeling gulped down air raggedly. Manti didn't bother raising her blind eyes towards Twilight again, as she muttered the next words “I raised her. I was there for her like no one else was...made her mine...made her strong...made it so that she wouldn't yield. My daughter wouldn't bow...she's not soft...”
Twilight couldn't help but feel some degree of pity at this sight. Manti didn't even seem to be really talking to Twilight at this point. Eventually Twilight just had to shake her head at this “Just...stop, alright?”
Twilight distantly hoped that, perhaps, Manti had heeded her request. When the elderly changeling loosed a labored chuckle, Twilight couldn't begin to imagine what that meant. The former queen's moods were even more mercurial than Chrysalis'.
The word's that followed however shed some light on the matter.
“...No...she's not soft.” Manti quietly said. A moment later, Manti again forced her body to obey, as she again rose to all four hooves, a weak glow emanating from her horn “...Perhaps...I just need to...show her...”
Twilight's own concern was growing by leaps and bounds, though oddly it wasn't for her own welfare. Twilight was far from an expert on Changeling physiology, but the elderly changeling's body looked as if it would shake apart with the force of exertion it was under. This worry was only reinforced, as Manti forced a hoof forward. The changeling seemed to sway on her hooves for a moment, making it seem as if Manti would passout at any moment.
“S-stop! You're going to hurt yourself at this rate.” Twilight soon pleaded, disturbed by what she was seeing.
Manti tried to loose a cackle at these words, though it quickly devolved into more coughing. As the coughing fit subsided, Manti seemed to sway, almost drunkenly, as she took another step forward, bearing a grin of cracked and broken fangs at Twilight “...Tell me...now...how did you break my magic...dear? I'm so...curious.”
Twilight again found herself slowly backing away from Manti, unsure what to do, as the changeling tried to speak around labored breaths.
“It's over! You're going to kill yourself!” Twilight shouted at the, apparently, insane changeling.
“...And how terrible...that would be...” Manti slowly rasped out.
“It would be! Now stop!” Twilight shouted back.
“...I can...only imagine...” Manti began, before trailing off. Despite her own growing horror with the unfolding situation, Twilight still couldn't stop herself from fixing her ears upon the changeling's voice.
“...what Chrysalis would think...” Manti slowly said.
It took Twilight a moment to process what the elderly changeling was implying, and then it hit her.
Manti was going to drive herself to death, in the hopes of the blame falling on Twilight.
Twilight wasn't the one standing on death's door here. Twilight wasn't sporting any visible injuries, while Manti looked as if she was about to fall apart. And, while unintentional, her being in these chambers probably would qualify as trespassing. If a changeling found Twilight here, standing in front of the dead body of the former queen, it wouldn't be too great a leap for them to come to the conclusion that Manti was hoping for. Twilight would probably come to the same conclusion, in a similar situation.
“Don't do this...” Twilight quietly requested, almost not believing the lengths that Manti would go to sabotage...everything “You don't need to do this! Chrysalis-”
“I'm doing this for Chrysalis!” Manti reaffirmed.
“No! You're not! You're doing this for yourself!” Twilight shouted back.
“Maybe it's...both...” Manti again loosed another chuckle, as she forced herself to take another step towards Twilight “...How?”
Twilight again found herself glaring at the elder changeling, before she shook her head “I don't-”
“Twilight!”
Twilight paused at the muffled sound of her name being called out, her right ear turning towards the sound. It took a moment for Twilight to realize that it wasn't just in her head.
“Twilight! You in there?!”
Manti, as exhausted as she was, found her attention being diverted to the doors leading into her chambers, as well, dragging her blind gaze over Twilight's shoulder.
“...Rainbow Dash?” Twilight quietly asked, no one in particular.
“...Who?” Manti asked.
“Hey! Is this the room or not?!” Rainbow Dash shouted from the other side of the door.
“Yes. Now step away from it!” Chrysalis responded a moment later.
“What?! Fat chance! You said-!” Rainbow Dash called back.
“I know what I said! Now move away from that door, so I can-” Chrysalis argued.
“I'm not going anywhere if Twilight's in trouble! There's no way!”
“If you think I'm letting you go in there-”
“Who said you're letting me go anywhere?!”
“...Hm.” Twilight found herself turning towards Manti, as the former Queen let out a grunt that seemed to convey something between 'Seriously?' and 'How typical...' in regards to the ongoing argument between Rainbow Dash and Chrysalis.
Twilight really didn't like the that she found herself kind of agreeing with Manti.
“Sit down! And let me handle it!” Came Chrysalis' muffled shout back at the pegasus.
“You want to handle it? Fine!” Rainbow Dash countered.
This ongoing argument had really ruined the mood, Twilight thought to herself. Shaking her head, Twilight decided that she needed to try to speak up now to, among other things, stop this argument between Chrysalis and her friend.
“Rainbow Dash! It's me, I'm-” Twilight called out, as she approached the double doors.
“Twilight!? Hold on! I'm coming!” Rainbow Dash called back.
“Wait, Rainbow! I need to-” Twilight began to call back.
The young princess was cutoff as the heavy wooden doors were slammed open, by a powerful buck from her friend.
In retrospect, Twilight conceded that she really shouldn't have been standing so close to the doors, as one of those same doors suddenly smacked into her face, with no small amount of force.
A moment later, a rainbow trailing blur zipped in to the room, before resolving into Rainbow Dash.
“Twi! Twi! Where are you?!” Rainbow Dash began calling out for Twilight, not noticing the purple princess nursing her bruised head, on the floor by the door. Suddenly catching sight of the elderly changeling, now laying down on the floor again, the impulsive pegasus darted in front of Manti “Alright, I'm only asking once! What did you do with Twilight?!”
Twilight was moments away from providing an answer, having started to stand up once more, when the door suddenly banged into her head again, as Chrysalis passed through the doors.
Twilight could stand up to the most evil and powerful entities in the land with dignity and strength. But the moment she was reunited with her friends, Twilight all too often found herself slipping into slapstick routines. There was something very wrong with that...
“Get away from her now!” Chrysalis quickly demanded of Rainbow Dash, as she stomped into the room.
“This was your plan the whole time, wasn't it?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, as she rounded back on Chrysalis “Luring me away so...whoever this is, could do...something to Twi!”
“Are you- I'm the one who led you here in the first place! You wouldn't have known anything was wrong if I hadn't said anything!” Chrysalis countered angrily.
“I- Well-...it doesn't mean you didn't have something to do with it! And I'm gonna figure out what it is! Now where's Twilight?!” Rainbow Dash again demanded.
Though still dazed, Twilight couldn't help but note that Manti seemed rather amused by all of this, even as the elderly changeling was recovering from earlier. At this rate, Manti final plan might have been proven completely unnecessary.
Twilight needed to get things under control.
“Dash, I'm-” Twilight quietly called over.
“Twilight?!” Rainbow Dash immediately broke off her argument with Chrysalis, as she heard Twilight's call.
Rainbow Dash quickly darted over towards the still open doors, before inexplicably, by Twilight's estimation, trying to push the doors open even further. Again slamming a door into Twilight's already abused cranium.
Rainbow Dash quickly pulled the door back, having felt the impact, to reveal Twilight to all those present.
“Twilight! You're alive! What happened? Are you alright?” Rainbow Dash asked, as she picked up the still dazed Twilight.
“...It's getting worse by the moment, Dash.” Twilight sarcastically noted.
“I knew it! What is it? Poison?! Did that freaky changeling poison you!?” Rainbow Dash asked of Twilight, even as she looked over Twilight for any wounds. Suddenly letting Twilight once more drop to the floor, to Twilight's annoyance, Rainbow Dash flew back over to Manti before jabbing a hoof in the elderly changeling's direction “You did something to her didn't you?!”
Manti considered the pegasus for a moment, before smirking a bit “...that I did.”
“I knew it, she-” Rainbow Dash began.
“I already told you-” Chrysalis started, near simultaneously.
“Would everypony just be quiet!?!” Twilight cut both of them off, with a shout.
For the first time since Chrysalis and Rainbow Dash had arrived, they actually seemed to be directing their attention towards Twilight. Silence reigned for a few moments, as they all stared at one another.
The silence was broken by the sound of hooves on stone, as Blueblood appeared at the door. Out of breath, having apparently galloped some distance, Blueblood took a moment to compose himself “My apologies...it seemed like something might be...wrong, when I saw everypony flying this way.”
With her attention finally on the entrance to the room, Twilight was a bit surprised to note that Alate and Cryptic also seemed to watching on anxiously, hovering just past the threshold into the room. Her attention quickly turned back to Blueblood as he finished regaining his composure.
The stallion took a moment to cast his gaze across the room, and finding its various occupants staring at him “...what did I miss?”
Twilight quietly suspected that nopony there knew exactly what they wanted to say, about what the stallion may have missed. Apart from Rainbow Dash.
“...some changeling attacked Twilight!” Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted, while pointing a hoof at the amused Manti.
“What?!” Blueblood asked in shocked, while Twilight quietly entertained the thought of face-hooving at that moment.
“They lured her down here so they could poison her or something! I'm betting it was her plan the whole time!” Rainbow Dash continued, moving her accusing hoof towards Chrysalis now.
“I already told you! I'm the one who led you here!” Chrysalis again reminded the pegasus.
“Twilight, are you alright? Are you injured at all.” Blueblood asked, as he moved over to assist Twilight. Twilight found herself briefly hesitating before accepting the stallion's helping hoof, and standing back up “I'm...fine, I think.”
With that, Blueblood also angrily rounded on Chrysalis “I demand an explanation for this!”
Chrysalis, already aggravated with Rainbow Dash through this whole matter, seemed unable to respond, stymied by her own frustration and total lack of actual answers.
“Yeah! And that one even admitted that she did something to Twilight!” Rainbow Dash added 'helpfully'.
“Is this true?!” Blueblood demanded, now growing a bit angrier.
“Nothing happened, alright!” Twilight suddenly shouted over everypony present.
“...seriously? Twi, you look like you just got smacked around by a bear.” Rainbow Dash pointed out. Which was not unfair, as Twilight still looked quite disheveled as a result of her experiences, with her coat matted with sweat and her mane sticking out in all directions.
“I-...that would be my fault.” Twilight said.
“What?” Rainbow Dash and Manti asked at the same time, while everyone else simply settled for looking over towards Twilight.
“I said it's my fault, Dash.” Twilight reiterated with more certainty.
“Perhaps...you should explain what happened here, Twilight.” Blueblood suggested.
“I will.” Twilight agreed, as she glanced towards Manti. Swallowing, Twilight started “So, uhm...I kind of got a bit lost earlier.”
When nopony or changeling tried to interrupt her, for once, Twilight took another breath before continuing “Anyway, I didn't really want to wander around and risk getting even more lost than I already was, so I decided to try to find somepony that could give me some directions, instead. That's when I ran into Chrysalis' mother.”
“Hold it, hold it, hold it for a sec!” Rainbow Dash said, holding her hooves up to signal for Twilight to pause for a moment. A moment later, Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof towards Chrysalis “...she has a mom?”
Nearly everyone present sent looks of annoyance and exasperation the pegasus' way. Picking up on the ire being sent her way, Rainbow Dash held up her hooves defensively “What? That's news to me. How was I supposed to know she had a mom, like some kind of regular pony?”
Twilight simply shook her head at her friend's antics, before trying to re-focus on what she was saying.
Twilight had to make a conscious effort to avoid sending any pointed looks Manti's way, as she continued. Twilight had no idea how much Manti would say in front of Chrysalis, or how much Chrysalis might believe. Though, going by Manti's continuing silence, it wasn't much “After I introduced myself, we chatted for a bit, when she...suggested I stay here for a while.”
“That's it?” Rainbow Dash asked doubtfully. Both Blueblood and Chrysalis also looked rather skeptical, as Twilight nodded.
“Then why do you look like you just lost a fight with a manticore?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Indeed.” Blueblood agreed.
“That-...well, while I was waiting here with Chrysalis' mother, we discussed a few things. Didn't we?” Twilight asked of Manti, to which the elderly changeling didn't respond.
“...eventually, the topic of Changeling magic came up, and...she offered to give me a lesson on the subject.” Twilight continued.
“...What kind of lesson?” Chrysalis quietly asked, her gaze trailing over her mother.
“Just a quick demonstration, that's all.” Twilight said calmly “I suppose, I shouldn't have been so eager to experience a new kind of magic without first making sure it was safe. That was my mistake, as I happened to react a bit poorly to the magic involved...That's all.”
“...I see.” Blueblood said, as Twilight finished her explanation of what happened. Rainbow Dash still looked skeptical, and looked ready to say as much, but Prince Blueblood beat her to the punch “Well, then. I suppose, that's a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything. Just a bit of misfortune and somewhat incautious fascination with magic. Quite reckless on Twilight's part, wouldn't you agree, Lady Rainbow Dash?”
“Uh...yeah. I guess so...” Rainbow Dash hesitantly agreed.
“Yes, just a simple misunderstanding, rather than any sort of foulplay on Queen Chrysalis' part.” Blueblood calmly reiterated, causing Rainbow Dash to glance a bit sheepishly in the Changeling Queen's direction.
“Indeed. A very...satisfactory explanation.” Chrysalis agreed.
“You don't seriously-” Manti began.
“As Princess Twilight Sparkle said, nothing worse than a bit of inadvertent trespassing and some incautiously applied magic has occurred here. And unless somechangeling would like to contradict the events, as she has described them, we should move on.” Chrysalis firmly stated “Despite appearances, no one was attacked here today. Though, I dare say you have overexerted yourself, mother.”
“What?” Manti asked.
“You are clearly exhausted by today's events. This was a bit too much excitement, I think, for someone in your condition, mother.” Chrysalis suggested easily.
“I am not-” Manti began again.
“Will everyone else please wait outside, while I help her back to her bed?” Chrysalis calmly requested of everyone else present.
“...Still can't believe that Chrysalis has a mom.” Rainbow Dash muttered before flying towards the still open doors.
Blueblood simply nodded before making his own way from the chambers.
Twilight found herself lingering behind a bit, watching as Chrysalis guided the ancient changeling back to her bed. The whole time Manti glared hot daggers towards Twilight.
Chrysalis rejoined everypony and changeling a few minutes later.
“My apologies. My mother can be quite...stubborn, at times. It took some time getting her to take her rest.” Chrysalis calmly explained, as she closed the doors behind her.
“Well, I'm just glad that we have everything settled now.” Blueblood said.
“Not quite. I still need to speak with Princess Twilight for a moment, in private.” Chrysalis said, as she stepped down further down the tunnel, evidently expecting Twilight to follow.
“What do you need to speak with me about?” Twilight asked, hesitant to follow the changeling.
“You've been the subject of Mind Magic. I should check for any lingering issues.” Chrysalis explained.
“And you can't do that here?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“...No.” Chrysalis said, before turning towards Alate and Cryptic “Keep an eye on them, while we talk.”
Both changelings quickly saluted, both apparently in no hurry to anger their Queen again.
Twilight looked over towards Blueblood, who seemed to be maintaining a carefully neutral expression, before turning her attention onto Rainbow Dash. The pegasus seemed a bit annoyed by Chrysalis' terse response, but otherwise fine. Sparing a smile for her friend “I'll be right back, Dash.”
“Yeah...just be careful. Alright?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I will be, Dash.” Twilight reassured her friend, before cantering after Chrysalis.
A few moments later, Twilight drew up alongside the Queen of the Changelings “What did you want to talk with me about?”
“As I said, you should be checked for any remaining issues after being assaulted with Mind Magic.” Chrysalis told Twilight matter-of-factly.
“I-I never said-” Twilight began.
“You don't seriously think that I believed that story, do you?” Chrysalis asked. Twilight found herself frowning a bit in response, as Chrysalis continued “Honestly, the only one fool enough to believe it, was that loud-mouthed pegas-”
“I'd appreciate it if you'd stop insulting my friends.” Twilight suddenly snapped, surprising both Chrysalis and herself. Her emotions must still running a bit high after everything, Twilight thought to herself “Th-that is to say, that-”
“Very well, I suppose that's fair.” Chrysalis stopped Twilight before she could begin to backtrack on her words “...you would agree that your little story, was purely for...Rainbow Dash's benefit, correct?”
Twilight didn't really know how to respond to that. She didn't really think that asking, would have been enough to convince Chrysalis to spare her friends of the changeling's harsh words “I...guess so.”
Chrysalis nodded at Twilight's agreement before continuing “I doubt there was any need for you to try to cover for my mother.”
“I-...it's not that.” Twilight confessed, before meeting Chrysalis' gaze “She was...trying to sabotage everything. I didn't want to give her a...second opportunity.”
“I see...” Chrysalis let that hang in the air for a few moments, before she set her horn aglow, startling Twilight a bit and causing the princess to take a cautious step back. Chrysalis reined in a small amount of annoyance at this “I need to check for any lingering damage.”
Twilight remained a bit anxious, the memories of the last time a changeling had mucked around in her mind still very fresh. It took her a moment to compose herself, before she looked back up towards Chrysalis. After a few moments, Twilight nodded for Chrysalis to continue.
Just as before, Twilight found that she couldn't feel a thing, as Chrysalis' magic settled over her. Even as she tried to remain aware of any errant thoughts that might suggest that something was wrong, everything felt...normal.
Twilight was broken from her thoughts, as Chrysalis let out her own hum, before asking “How did you undo what she did to you?”
“I'm sorry?” Twilight asked, not having been paying perfect attention to Chrysalis' words.
“I can sense the last lingering traces of her spell. It's something of a signature of my mother's, a spell whose effects are very difficult to undo. I find myself doubting that Celestia covered this sort of thing.” Chrysalis clarified.
“Oh...” Twilight had almost forgotten just how she had overcome Manti's magic in all the confusion. Twilight glanced up towards Chrysalis once more, before clearing her throat “Uhm, you remember when Discord first broke out of his prison?”
“Discord...Yes, I recall that.” Chrysalis quietly said, spitting out the name 'Discord' with no small amount of venom. Twilight suspected the Changeling Queen didn't have any fonder memories of the dracoequus, than Twilight did.
“When Discord first broke out, my friends and I set out to try and stop him...he tricked us. Got us separated and...” Twilight trailed off for a moment. As terrible as that whole experience had been, Discord had never brainwashed Twilight directly. She hadn't been forced to experience that till just now.
“...he brainwashed my friends, in a similar manner, to keep us from using the Elements of Harmony. I had to find a way to undo what he did in order to stop him.” Twilight finished.
“Mm. You still shouldn't have been able to realize that you had been brainwashed however. That is kind of the point of such magics.” Chrysalis pointed out neutrally.
“Right...I ended up studying up on the subject afterwards, to try to find a...counter to those kinds of spells.” That wasn't exactly the truth, Twilight knew. What she had studied was the 'Reformation Spell', which was essentially another kind of brainwashing...
Twilight decided that she needed to shelve this particular moral quandary for some other time.
At least, Chrysalis seemed satisfied with Twilight's explanation “I suppose that's fortunate then...whatever spell you used, it seems to have overridden the programming she used on you.”
Twilight glanced towards Chrysalis, remembering something that Manti had mentioned “Are you...very good at this Mind Magic? Your mother suggested you weren't as...enthusiastic, as she was about it.”
Chrysalis spared a glance towards Twilight, before finishing whatever spell she was using to check upon Twilight's mind “A lack of...enthusiasm, does not mean I lack the skill. That often seems lost on her...”
“...Why is she still around?” Twilight asked suddenly.
“What?” Chrysalis asked, obviously surprised by the question.
Suddenly realizing just how...wrong a question that was to ask of someone, Twilight quickly turned away from Chrysalis “I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-”
“Because I care for her, and because she doesn't want to die.”
Twilight hadn't expected an answer. She found herself staring at Queen of the Changelings, with Chrysalis staring back. Again Twilight was reminded of the things Manti said, and found that she couldn't really hold Chrysalis' gaze.
“...she said that she wanted to die.” Twilight confessed to Chrysalis.
Chrysalis seemed to consider Twilight for a few moments, surprisingly calm “...my mother has told me, on more than one occasion, that she cherishes every moment of life that I give her...She's also told me that she'll cherish them all the more when I kill her.”
Twilight didn't have any response, and could only stare at Chrysalis.
“She doesn't want to die...she wants me to choose to let her die.” Chrysalis coolly explained “Now...have I satisfied your curiosity?”
Twilight found it hard to look back towards Chrysalis, suddenly a bit ashamed by how much she had pried into Chrysalis' personal issues.
“Did she...is Manti the one that came up with the Invasion?” Twilight asked, now unwilling to leave anything unanswered.
“...What did she say?” Chrysalis asked, her voice hardening now.
“Nothing exactly...but she-” Twilight began.
“Good.” Chrysalis quickly cut-off Twilight, before leaning in imposingly “And let me make something abundantly clear to you, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Whatever my mother may or may not have said, she is not the one that made that decision. It was mine.”
“But-” Twilight tried to interrupt.
“It was mine when I abducted Cadenza, and imprisoned her. It was my decision when I drained your beloved brother of his power. And especially when I turned your friends against you, it was my decision. I enjoyed defeating Celestia, and having her at my mercy. I hadn't felt that powerful and alive and certain, in centuries. Do. You. Understand?” Chrysalis asked, after having explained things in no uncertain terms.
Twilight again had no words. She couldn't understand it...
“...they were my mistakes.” Chrysalis finally said “And now, I'm trying to fix them...We should rejoin your friends. We still need to finish your little tour.”
“What?!” Twilight swore that if it was possible, she would have some form of emotional whiplash by now.
“We should have enough time, for one last stop.” Chrysalis told Twilight, without looking back.
“After all that? What could be so important, that you still have to show me?!” Twilight asked, still flabbergasted.
“The Library.” Chrysalis easily replied.
“...Oh.”
“Indeed.”
Twilight was getting very confused.
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Manti should just be killed out of sheer pragmatism. She's dangerous to have around.
Great. Twilight just escaped being hypnotized by Manti, and now Chrysalis has hypnotized her... with books.
4651078 Perhaps, but most folks aren't purely pragmatic. For all the...horribleness that is Manti, there were times when she was more nurturing towards Chrysalis. She does genuinely care about Chrysalis...unfortunately, it's buried under her fairly terrible nature and a lot of rationalizations.
And, yeah, Chrysalis doesn't really know enough to even begin to try to apologize...apart from the fact that Twilight is practically in love with books. She originally had no intention of showing Twilight the library.
That was good, although I was really expecting a sarcastic comment about the door's contribution to Twilight's state in the conversation with Rainbow.
Also, I really do not see this being effectively wrapped up in another chapter because it feels like we have only just gotten into the hive given that Pinkie has not thrown her party yet. Chrysalis is only just now starting to come around, Blueblood feels underutilized, and Rainbow still has a long way to go on trusting changelings. Granted not all of this should happen in one visit, but it still feels like there is a lot more that still needs to happen before the end of the visit and by extension the story so I think trying to wrap it all up in one chapter is just not going to work.
4651238 You may be right. I have been repeatedly wrong in my predictions on how long this story will end up being. Just going to have to see what happens as I begin writing the next chapter up.
4651249 Well, I couldn't not bring those two along, now could I? But yeah, bringing those two along let me ramp up some issues and have more missteps take place.
And, while Rainbow Dash is still leery and paranoid of the changelings, it's only out of concern for her friends, Twilight in particular, given the events of the Royal Wedding. And she's starting to come around to seeing the changelings, at least, as not that different from ponies.
All I will say about Pinkie Pie, is that she can befriend anyone if she puts her mind to it.
I'm not sure if it's the same in previous chapters or not, but you seem to be using a few too many commas in your dialogue. It makes the characters come off as hesitant, even when that probably wasn't your intent.
4651078 She's Chrysalis's mother. Chrysalis would no more kill her then you would kill your mother.
4651431 I know that. Doesn't make the pragmatic thing to do any different.
*Grins* Another awesome chapter. Twilight always amuses me how she can yoyo from being so smart and savvy to being such a twit.
4651249 Honestly, Rainbow is extremely smart, she just rarely takes the time to think things through. You have to look closely, but her intelligence is very clearly displayed in the show on a regular basis.
As for Pinkie, I do not even try to quantify her. That way lies madness.
As such, I would hesitate to say she is dumber than AJ, although it is definitely possible.
4651320 Sounds good.
4651404 Thanks for mentioning that. I'm probably going to go over the last few chapters, during the next couple of days, to finish correcting errors, like what you mentioned. The price one pays for being one's own editor.
4652279 And yes, Rainbow Dash is very smart. But she's also anxious right now, and very protective of Twilight right now. I imagine that she felt rather guilty about how things played out during the Invasion, not trusting Twilight's instincts and all that, and is now doubling down on the protectiveness.
I actually took into account the episode where they're all trying to teach Dash about the Wonderbolts, and used that as a bit of measure for how smart she is. She's very observant and can learn very quickly, but she often doesn't realize what she does know until she thinks it through, or has it pointed out to her.
And you just can't peg down Pinkie.
And yeah, thinking about it, this story is going to be at least two more chapters. Can you believe I thought this story wasn't going to be more than three chapters on the outset?
4652279
4652555
I'll agree with that. They are however, the most annoying pair. Not to viewers, I'm not touching that can of worms, except to say I rarely find any of the Elements annoying. They're the most annoying in universe, as evidenced by "A Friend In Deed" and "Mare Do Well" among other episodes.
Basically the two with the habit of coming on too strong.
4655463 Well, it pays to remember that Rainbow Dash is very confrontational and impulsive, and does not like or trust Chrysalis. As I mentioned earlier, she's also dealing with some earlier memories relating to the Canterlot Wedding, and the guilt she has over not trusting Twilight then. She is going to be hard to be around right now.
She will level out a bit next chapter, and be a lot more easy going in future stories that I feature her in.
All that being said, I am glad you are still enjoying the fic.
4654789 "A Friend In Deed"
Ah, Pinkie Pie at her most Warner Brothery(and Warner Sister)-est!
You must not appreciate the mastery of trolling that the Animaniacs wielded in their time.
I was their star pupil.
Doctor Helix Splice spies upon the bug ponies to see if he can find the three-legged changeling that murdered his wife and framed his for it.
"The thing I don't get," he muses. "Is why the darn thing couldn't just shapeshift a new leg."
4658239
No, I quite did. But the Warner Brothers (and the Warner Sister) generally gave the impression they were doing it deliberately, unlike Pinkie.
Also, like I said, I'm not the one being annoyed, the people in the show are.
4658992 In story, as well, in this case.
4651431 Some people don't have a problem with that, ya know?
Still nope. Four more to go at this point in time. Onward!
... I didn't think I could love your Chryssie even more, but here we are.
Yeah, Rainbow came off as incredibly annoying in this chapter, I hope she dials it down a bit. And Chryssie should get the Nobel peace prize for putting up with her without strangling her.