Two-Sided Prequel II: Who You Work For

by FerociousCreation

The Fateful Event: Hater of Lies

The night has never been so quiet as Platinum glided through the sky along with her sister. Even her sobbing was soft as they flew toward where Celestia was. In her hooves, Velvet held a plate of red-velvet cake. It was for Coco.

As they came to the shattered window, both entered carefully, not wanting to get sliced by the sharp glass. Platinum noticed how nopony moved from their original spot since he left. Chrysalis still stood in front of Coco, and Celestia’s guardsponies remained in their organized row.

“Report!” Celestia spoke with authority. She noticed Velvet and raised a brow. “I didn’t ask you to bring another pony…”

“Forgive me, but my sister wanted to see the queen.” Velvet got a good look at Queen Chrysalis, feeling intimidated by her presence, knowing she and Platinum hurt one of her kin.

“This isn’t some innocent show-and-tell…” the princess grumbled as she glared at Platinum. “If you have not noticed, there is an elephant in the room! And I wish to not let the entire land of Equestria aware of its presence. Otherwise, there will be pandamonium!” Both Platinum and Velvet shivered as they received their scolding from their princess. “Now Platinum, report. Tell me what happened. Did you feed your ‘friend’ a solid food?”

He glanced at Chrysalis and gave her a sad smile, his ears falling back. The memory of Stitch writhing on the ground in agony was branded in his brain. “Yes. And she… was in pain when she ate the cake. It was hard to watch.”

Platinum heard Coco gasp and had a hard time prying his eyes off of her. His sister began to lament bitterly as she cried into the arm that held the plate and cake. Celestia walked over to Velvet and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Are you upset that you found out your so called friend was a changeling?” Celestia’s words were comfortable, but they stung at the batpony’s heart. Velvet kept her thoughts to herself and remained silent. She wouldn’t want anypony knowing that she still cared about Stitch.

Celestia turned her gaze at Chrysalis with a hard stare. “It is a shame that your kind brings nothing but pain…”

“And it is a shame that you don’t care for another’s feelings when they are different from you,” Coco blurted out loud, stamping her hoof down with frustration. Everypony flinched at the mare’s words. Even Chrysalis hushed her friend with a worried expression mixed with an angry growl.

Levitating the cake from Velvet’s plate, Princess Celestia brought the treat over to Coco and crammed it into the mare’s mouth. “You need to not speak against the princess. That being me.” Coco gagged, trying to force the food down her throat. Thankfully, only one-third of the cake made its way into Coco’s mouth; the rest of it fell to the floor with a splat.

Chrysalis noticed the guards glancing at each other, seeing how they were taken aback by their princess’ harsh act. The changeling needed to keep her emotions in check, hiding the rage she was feeling as she watched her friend being force fed.

After swallowing the cake, Coco coughed a little as a few flakes of bread was still caught in her throat. Many eyes watched her with intense stares. Even Platinum and Velvet watched Coco, hoping to not see her writhe in pain as Stitch did.

A minute passed. Then another. Nothing happened.

“How long did it take for your ‘friend’ to be in pain and how long did it last?” Celestia asked, looking down at Platinum.

“It was almost instant when she fell to the ground.” Platinum saw Chrysalis wince and look away. He could tell she was not pleased to hear Stitch was the one being used as a test subject. “And then she spat the cake out moments later…” Coco whispered something into Chrysalis’ ear, but the queen brushed her off.

Celestia let out a sigh, her lips sinking to a frown. “So Coco, I guess I was wrong for accusing you of being a changeling… But I do not understand why you side with the changelings still.”

Coco cleared her throat as flem began to form in her throat. “Because there is a reason, a strong one at that, why Chrysalis hates you. And despite her offer to extend her friendship to you, you downright refused it. It was not hard for me to accept it, and neither should it be difficult for you as well. Rarity told me about Twilight and her role as the Princess of Friendship. What would Twilight say about all of this?”

Several guards muttered soft words among themselves, too quiet for Coco to hear. Celestia glanced around to see her allies speaking to each other and no longer felt their need for being there. Nor did she want them changing their perspective on changelings. “I wish for everypony to leave. That is, except for Coco and the queen.”

Chrysalis’ ears twitched upon hearing the princess’ statement, speaking formally about her. The pegasus guardsponies easily made their leave, exiting out the broken window. Platinum and Velvet stared at their friend with worry. But despite them wanting to stay, the princess’ word was final. So they left without another word.

“So, once again you are alone with me and my friend.” Chrysalis straightened herself, no longer feeling the need to be too protective of Coco Pommel. “Why did you call off the guards?” Coco rounded herself from Chrysalis and stood by her side.

“Why?” Princess Celestia shook her head and looked to Coco. “I don’t want your friend’s words poisoning my guard’s minds.” Both leaders lowered their heads, horns at the ready. “How dare you Coco… How dare you try and guilt trip me and use my precious student as an example! This is not about friendship! This about a pair of liars before me. And I hate liars...”

“You hate liars,” Chrysalis spoke, her expression hot with anger. “And yet, you lie about the past. You lie about my story, pretending it was nothing more than a legend. A myth. And you are unaware of who you killed…”

To Coco’s and Chrysalis’ surprise, Celestia held a wicked grin. Then she began to laugh. “You know what! You are right! I do know the legend you speak of. About how you came to me, asking for food.”

“So you do remember my daughter?” the queen spoke softly. “Do you understand what it was like to watch her starve before my eyes, after you denied us food? Do you know what it is like to watch the one you love the most perish?” Coco grabbed her friend’s hoof, knowing Chrysalis was feeling upset at the memory.

“Of course I do. I know what it is like to watch a beloved be claimed by death.” Celestia glanced at a painting of Star Swirl the Bearded, her expression holding a faint frown. But it was short lived, and was replaced with a mean sneer. “And I am glad she perished.”

Rage flooded through Chrysalis’ blood, as her horn began to blaze with hot green flames. “You WITCH!” Celestia retaliated with the act and conjured up blinding light.

“You want to know why I am glad she was lost!?” the princess yelled. “She threatened me! She told me that you and your hive will attack if there is no exchange of love! So I gave her nothing! And now here you are, threatening me! Unable to move on!”

Both leaders wielded intense power. One light-green fire, the other white light. Coco could feel the heat between them, both the tension and the energy from their awesome might. And she has had enough of the strife.

“STOP!” Coco screamed. She ran in between Chrysalis and Celestia as a boarder. “If you both want to start a pointless squabble that causes more harm than good, then fine!” The pony stared at the queen with sadness in her eyes. “But you will have to get through me first. For I stand in the middle on this.”

Slowly, both princess and queen dismissed their magic and stared at the pony, in thought of Coco’s words. “I think your time here is over Coco Pommel. Please leave with your friend. And don’t cause any trouble, now or ever.”

“Of course Princess Celestia.” The pony nodded with a polite bow, despite not taking a liking to the alicorn’s current actions. Coco tugged at Chrysalis’ arm, but the changeling yanked it away.

“Will you be heckling my friend from now on?” she hissed.

“You remember using Discord to try and make me feel guilty earlier this evening? Just like him, I will have Coco roam free with no charge against her. If she does do any harm, then I will be swift to stop her.” Chrysalis grumbled in her throat, but Coco pulled on her arm once more. This time, the queen moved and began to follow the mare.

The pony and changeling left the princess alone in Star Swirl’s office. She stared at the ground, the glass shining like innocent diamonds. Celestia turned her eyes toward the picture of the famous wizard. His pose was strong despite his age in the portret. Suddenly, the memories of the past flooded the alicorn’s mind and she began to lament.

She began to remember her times with Star Swirl, from the time she became his apprentice, to the day he- Celestia tried to remember Chrysalis’ daughter’s face, but her memories were blank of the changeling.

“Why…? Why did it all have to happen at once…? My sister, my old friend… They both lied to me in the past. That’s why I hate liars.” Unfortunately, her words fell on deaf ears. There was nopony to hear her. And nopony to help comfort her. “I didn’t mean to kill your child… I was scared by her words…” Celestia let out a sigh, sniffing hard through her nostrils, no longer wanting to cry any longer.

She raised her head and flashed a bright light from her horn. Within seconds, Celestia’s guards once again flooded into the room. Platinum and Velvet remained outside, peering into the room as they flapped their wings.

“Princess, is everything okay?” one stallion asked.

“Where did the other two go?” another spoke.

Before another question was asked, Celestia raised her hoof to stop anymore potential words. “They are leaving.” She wiped at her eyes before continuing. “I want everything you all have witnessed to keep confidential. We wouldn’t want anypony panicking because of a changeling sighting.” Celestia looked to the window and saw the two batponies looking at her. “That includes you both as well.”

Comments

[Bramzter]

Sooo i am guessing something happened between starswirl and chrysalis's daughter perhaps which lead to a unfortunate end... maybe.. who knows?

Or starswirl could have been a changeling i don't know. I don't believe for a second celly's story about threatening war tho

Edit: Or not i guess, couldn't really get much stuff out of the ending. eh.

[Black Hoof]

I imagine Twilight would tell Celestia she has a lot to think about.

[FerociousCreation]

7778541 Remind you of a particular episode?

[Starlight Nova]

This is the FIRST installment of the Two Sided series.

...Then why does the story say it's the second prequel?

[Morphy]

7778591

Question is now will Celestia continue to "lose it" as more and more of her closest friends and such become sympathetic to the Changelings? I never thought Celestia as stubborn to a fault but this is really making it seem so.

[Always Breakfast]

But it was short lived, and was replaced with a mean sneer. “And I am glad she perished.”

Okay, wow. I can see a checkered past making Celestia distrustful, and even being no-nonsense and a bit paranoid over an opponent who took her down once. But this line may be, like, the single most fundamentally un-Celestia thing ever. I'm having trouble adequately describing how OOC that is. I'm even willing to accept that she might have been unexpectedly ruthless and warlordy in the past, but she very clearly isn't present-day.

I mean, if she holds a grudge this long over an emissary from a starving race simply telling her they'll attack if not allowed to subsist, one assumes she would've dropped the freaking sun on the yaks -- who, mind you, did declare war over a party.

Also not buying that she's that frothing-angry about lies. She's a diplomat and politician, who deceives her own student into being in the right place at the right time. She breathes lies; doing that while still being a good person is half of why we love her.

[Razzy]

>Elephant in the room

Oh come on, Sunbutt, you're not THAT fat...

>Pandamonium

<Platinum> Changelings!

*a moment later*

Why didn't I listen!? *carried away by a flood of pandas*

(should be pandemonium, by the way)

Welp, even with the apparent remorse at the end, Sunbutt saying that she's glad that Chryssie's daughter died makes me really have her, though I'm interested what really happened back then.

[Superbowl]

7778656 Yeah, Celestia's been kinda crazy stupid since learning of Chrysalis, it's honestly kinda hard to read at this point with how absurd it is.

[Clear_Skies]

Well it was fun reading this while it lasted, but the sudden sharp change of characters for the sake of "But it needs feels" whether sad or angry, has left me a bit bitter in its taste.

I get you want to have Celestia framed as an antagonist due to Chrysalis's own desires and thoughts, but the sudden change of the character we know, you might as well just toss alternate reality while your at it.

If we have Discord who literally causes mass mayhem given forgiveness (a mayhem that goes beyond even that of the changelings), then its hard to accept that she would be so irresponsibly stupid, hypocritical in her (friendship) and very undiplomatic.

The long waits for chapters and the slowly disintegrating character establishments are just not doing it for me. Thank you for the ride, it was fun while it lasted.

[ocbaker]

Like others have said, Celestia is so extremely OOC, for no good reason either. If Celestia is going to be like that then there really needs to be a reason for it, it should have been built into the story sooner, hints should have been dropped that Celestia isn't all she seems. As it stands Celestia just should have acted in the way she has with Chrysalis.

I highly suggest you change Celestias character back to something that is more in character. There are other much better ways to bring conflict or contention in between Celestia & Chrysalis and it doesn't require Celestia flying off the handle and cause harm in the manner she did with Coco.

[FerociousCreation]

7781692 I was planning on explaining her backstory as to why she did what she did in the next story. However, I noticed too late as to how I was portraying Celestia's attitude. So now, I need to explain those actions now. It will not change the entire plot. In fact, it may make it more interesting. But honestly, I think I really messed up with Celestia's character... I was worried something like this would happen and I want to explain her reasoning. I just hope I am not too late to recover the story...

[FerociousCreation]

7778618 The reason as to why this story is a sequal will be relieved soon.

[Always Breakfast]

7781721
I think the main thing to keep in mind here is that Equestria's track record on reforming supervillains is currently three for three, Celestia personally went out of her way for two of them, and went really far out on a limb for another she had absolutely no reason to and could have demolished her if it didn't take. If she ever says out loud that she's glad somepony died, they had better be the sort that go exploding cities for funsies.

It's perfectly possible to set up a past-fueled personal conflict, and it's even plausible for her to have rejected Chrysalis's daughter once upon a time. But the problem you're going to run into is that here and now it would resolve very quickly. Desperation and pain driving good people to bad things is something Celestia knows far more personally than she ever wanted to. Unless the changeling princess was literally eating foals and cackling, Celestia would probably have spent the last several centuries second-guessing herself, if not regarding that decision as one of the most horrible mistakes she's ever made.

If anything, the most likely source of continued conflict is that she'd be suspicious of any attempt at peace because she knows exactly how badly she wronged them and thinks it's beyond repair.

[Black Hoof]

7778591
I hope Coco and Chrysalis go to try with Twilight and her friends next.

[TheYear2525]

Holy Guacamole what a climax. It went so very different than I anticipated. Now the title actually makes sense to me . I felt that despair . Shouldn't have read it at 3am on a (work-)monday, didn't exactly lull me into sleep ^^; .

[Redwolf777sg]

“And I am glad she perished.”

I always knew you were a two-faced tyrant Celestia... You passive aggressive bitch!