Re-Collection
Chrysalis took a few steps away from us before glancing back. "Formica, we have no time to waste. Come to my side and do not fall behind." I looked up at my caretaker, who was frozen in place aside from her mouth working to shape words that her breath could not form. It didn't take much of this before Chrysalis wrapped us in her telekinesis then set us at her side. Another set of spells levitated me to Formica’s back and used the cocoon spell to attach me to her back. Formica remained still, so Chrysalis skillfully manipulated her into following her every step.
We didn't travel too far before Formica snapped out of it. She looked up at her Queen in what I expected to be confusion yet took over her own locomotion without missing a step. "Why?"
"Save your questions for later: I have a tale to share that should answer some." Formica turned her gaze to the ground and tensed up slightly.
"Back when I was a nymph, survival was far more difficult for changelings. We numbered at somewhere over three thousand.” Formica gasped. "There were many more of us before my birth, but they were lost to my grandmother's ambition; except, I realize now that it wasn't ambition that drove her.
"Creatures from which we could siphon off emotions were difficult to find, and even then, they weren't complex enough to feel any more than base fear. Any sentient being we could come across was seen as the most irreplaceable treasure. Hunger was such a constant, few understood that they were even hungry. Among those that did understand was my father.
"Day and night passed in a near endless cycle of death, hunger, and exhaustion, but no cycle can remain unbroken forever. I remember the excitement in the air then like it was yesterday. Everybuggy close enough to attend gathered to marvel over the greatest change in our society in a generation: the birth of a princess. What many of them didn't expect was how violently she would react to all but a select few getting too close.
"The food shortage only grew worse as our Queen would hoard what emotional energy she could to prepare the gel she'd need to feed her child. The deaths that followed opened many eyes, and my father wasted no time in sharing his wisdom with the disgruntled masses. I was there to see every one of his manipulations and assassinations. The Queen remained blind to his efforts: caring for her daughter and leading our pilgrimage took all her focus
"Over time, the numbers of those loyal or neutral to the Queen fell while the quantity of dissenters rose. Everything was moving smoothly until that fateful day when my father came across a loyalist Pathfinder that spun a tale of green lands to the north. What he described was the sort of fantasy that I could scarcely imagine. Even helping my father drain the Pathfinder into nothing did not disrupt my attempts to imagine such a world.
"With knowledge of greener pastures available to him, my father made the decision to accelerate his plans. I was left ill-informed and told that my role was the same as it has always been: stay at his side
"The next day, my father ran to the Queen screaming about news of fertile lands. No time was wasted in offering us an audience with his mother. He spun her a tale of a heroic Pathfinder that discovered fertile lands to feed many times our numbers. He told of how that same Pathfinder perished from hunger in his efforts to bring us this news with haste. Had she not been euphoric over the news, she would've realized that a Pathfinder foolish enough not to gorge their self with energy upon finding such a bounty is too foolish to return in time to share such news.
"In her celebration, the Queen turned away for a second: one solitary second. That's how long it took for my father to lunge forth and sink his fangs into the defenseless princess and tear out a massive wound. For three seconds, he laughed in triumph with his horn alight as the Queen turned towards him with an expression of horrified rage that haunts my thoughts even today. Not a full second passed before she turned her rage from her dead heir to me. Her magic gripped me tight and dragged me across the ground until I was at her hooves. She was ready to end me for mere association to my father, but something she sensed stopped her.
"She pressed me into the sand and glared at me with a fury I’d never seen before. 'Did you plan this?! Was this your plan all along?!' she yelled. I looked up silently, terrified for my life. I may have been with him every step of the way, but I knew nothing of what his ultimate plan was. Even as his accomplice, my father was able to raise me as an innocent bystander who knew no better, and in his last seconds, father casted a spell that transferred the essence of the slain changeling princess to one who was ignorant of the crime. The Queen admired his artful manipulations even through her grief, so she adopted me in hopes that I would possess the same cunning. I only found out later that she had had less choice in that decision than she had led me to believe.
"Once I confirmed that a Pathfinder did come from the north, we all set out for the new lands. The lands changed gradually until we reached the green plains that the Pathfinder's tale spoke of. All but the Queen stood in awe at the bounty of life that lay before us; however, that paled in comparison to when we came across our first town of ponies.
"Never before did we see beings whose form we could so easily assume. It took some time for our Infiltrators to find an opening through which they could replace an individual. That one pony had more unguarded emotion than even four other sentient beings combined: enough to feed dozens of us. The Infiltrators were full, actually full, in only half a day of feeding on the unrefined emotions in the air. There was only a few hundred of them against our thousand, so we attacked.
"We thought it would be easy; we thought that they would submit to our numbers: we were wrong. Once we had them surrounded, they fought with a ferocity that would do predators proud. Over half our number were incapacitated as a price for our victory. Being too starved to heal and too injured to feed, it was a death sentence. I remember clearly that all but one of us felt glad that there were fewer changelings to feed. The Queen was that one exception.
"Once we had gorged ourselves, the Queen pulled me aside and asked me what I thought about the battle and our newest prey. I answered that they may have been strong enough to face starved changelings, but they would eventually fall to our superior numbers. I was certain of my answer until I looked at her expression which was what I now recognize as disappointment. 'Tell me,' she said, 'do you know how many of us they killed?' When I said 650, she shook her head and said, ‘None.’…I still don't understand her answer.
"Regardless, that day marked our first acts within the lands we would later know as Equestria as well as the prelude to my first lessons on how to be Queen." Chrysalis stopped walking and turned her gaze to the orange tinted sky. "The day is growing short. We shall find shelter and rest for the night."
Formica nodded and followed Chrysalis into some tall grass. It only took seconds to reach a burned away clearing were Chrysalis was already at work using her cocoon magic to form what I expected would be our shelter. It impressed me how versatile that spell could be.
Formica only put me on the gel floor after all potential escape routes were closed. With one last spell, Chrysalis formed a hard gel bowl that she filled with a small flame, a clear sign that she had experience with camping. The two adults laid down in a good position for keeping me within their vision while focused on each other. "Now would be a good time to ask some questions."
As Formica contemplated her questions, I had only one thing I wanted to know: what happened to the villagers. I knew that Chrysalis's story about the villagers was true. It was recorded as both the worst tragedy and the biggest mystery of the last century of pony history. Any attempt into letting myself believe that those ponies ended up okay felt like I was deluding myself, and try as I might, I could not hate them for their actions however wrong they were.
"What was her name?"
Chrysalis narrowed her vacant eyes before a quick flash of inspiration. "You mean the Queen before me? She had no name: no changeling did back then. The use of names was introduced under my rule."
"I - I've never heard of any of this. How long ago was this?"
Chrysalis tapped a hoof against her chin and hummed into the air. "I do not concern myself with tracking time. I believe it was six or seven generations ago."
'The frontier tragedy occurred 69 or 70 years ago depending on how much time has passed since my…assassination. A generation is based on what age a population begins reproducing. This would mean that changelings start reproducing as early as ten years old. With that kind of maturation rate, a changeling in their thirties would be ancient.'
I turned to Formica who was making attempts to say something while fighting like Rainbow Dash during one of my lectures. Chrysalis watched her do this with half-lidded eyes before sighing. "Tell me, would you ever do harm to any larva if…"
"I'd never!" she yelled out before snapping a hoof over her mouth.
"Then ask your question. I know that it is related to how I became the Queen's heir."
Formica swallowed loudly then took a shaky breath. "Can anybuggy be queen if they…"
"No," said Chrysalis without waiting for Formica to finish her question. "Only female changeling nymphs or larvae can receive the princess' essence. You are too old by a number of years."
The relieved sigh Formica let out seized my heart in ice. 'Was-was she actually tempted?'
"How can you trust me with this?"
Chrysalis gave me a momentary glance then sighed. "Because as one who has earned my daughter's complete trust, you've earned mine. She won’t let me raise her, so it may be up to you to tell her of her heritage should I never get the chance to do so myself."
My brow furrowed as Formica's eyes widened. "What…do you mean Your Majesty?"
Chrysalis had already turned her back to Formica and laid down by the time the question was asked. "That is enough questions for today. We shall continue tomorrow."
'Wait, what was that about?' I groaned in displeasure as I closed my eyes. 'I hate cliffhangers.'
A sudden impact to my side made me stumble and scowl through an instant of irritation. I immediately neutralized my expression and turned towards the offender. He was an unfamiliar stallion that didn't look much unlike Filthy Rich aside from his age, manestyle, horn, and darker coat.
He scanned the ground frantically mumbling phrases along the lines of, "Where'd it go?"
I repressed a chuckle at his behavior then began to scan the ground for anything out of the ordinary. It took only a second to spot a green tube sticking out from beneath my hoof. "Here," I said lifting my hoof from the object an instant before a lime-green field levitated the object's silvery blade right past my leg. I yelped and backed away from the sharp blade. "What are you doing with that?!"
The stallion turned his green eyes upon me and smiled as if nothing was wrong. "Sorry, Miss." He then turned his full attention to his knife, rotating it continually as he inspected it. "Does this look nicked to y…"
"Ah!" I yelped again with a reflex shield knocking the threat well away from me.
"Fillet!" he yelled as he dove for the knife with outstretched hooves, only to end up catching it in his magic. I got a good look at his mark, which looked exactly like his knife. He examined it again then unleashed a long exaggerated, "Noooooooooo!"
I was torn between scolding him for his reckless behavior or feeling sorry for his distress: I eventually settled on bafflement. I watched him cry over his blade until I noticed a miniscule flaw in the edge. "Here, let me help." I sent a touch of magic, a standard request control over something being held by another unicorn.
He gave me a good look then suddenly released the knife to me. All it took was a quick repair spell to bring the blade back to a pristine state. The stallion's wide eyes turned back to the blade before he shifted into a beaming smile. "Thank you, oh thank you!" he yelled with a lunge turned hug.
"You could've sharpened it yourself," I mouthed soundlessly: Indignant remarks are not conducive towards meeting new ponies on friendly terms.
"How can I repay you?!"
I repressed a sigh and straightened my posture the best I could. "I would like to be let go and I'd like you to promise not to hold a knife so close to anypony again."
He gasped, looked toward the dirt, then groaned all in practiced order. "Oops, I did it again."
That rose my eyebrow. "That's a…habit of yours."
"Yeah. I'm really excitable when it comes to my tools. I forget that other ponies don't like them as much."
I rolled my eyes at his somewhat familiar behavior. "That's okay, but please try to remember that knives are sharp." His chuckle opened a perfect chance for introductions. "Hello, I'm Twilight Sparkle," I said with a hoof extended.
"Fine Slice." We then bumped hooves.
'He never stopped with that habit of his. Was he Chrysalis' changeling the whole time?' I took my time opening my eyes to the dawn light. Everything was tinted green by the crystalline gel tent around us.
A quick glance around had me finding both changelings still asleep. I mentally debated the pros and cons of waking them myself versus letting them wake naturally. Eventually I reached the conclusion that an early start would be a good idea.
I inched towards Formica and nudged her with my mandibles. She roused immediately then smiled upon spotting me. "Good morning, Princesses." She blinked twice, took in her surroundings, then shot to her hooves. I could actually see her coming to terms with yesterday's events.
As she panted loudly. I tried to bring her out of her panic, but there wasn't much I could do except for playing the role of an affectionate kitten.
"Formica." She froze in place. I rotated myself over to see Chrysalis wearing what I could only describ as a patient glare. My sight was drawn to her glowing horn that randomly sparked in a way that left me lost on the nature of her spell.
Formica calmly turned towards Chrysalis and stood still breathing carefully measured breaths. Only seeing the pinprick whites of her eyes darting around proved that she hadn't magically become calm. It was then that the truth hit me. 'She's controlling her!'
"It's okay," Chrysalis said before I could think of a way to admonish her for using such a spell. "We are safe. You are safe."
Formica remained still for a few seconds after Chrysalis' horn stopped sparking, then fell to her front knees and greedily filled her lungs. A few second later and she was back to calm breathing. "Th-thank you, Your Majesty."
Chrysalis averted her eyes for a second then put on a miniscule smile. "You're…welcome."
*GGGRRRRGGrrel*
That was the most embarrassingly loud growl of my stomach that I've had in either of my lives. Having both changelings stare at me in absolute horror was not helping with the rush of blood filling my head.
Chrysalis' sudden roar stunned Formica and I, and lasted longer than comfortable. "Chrysalis, you fool. How could you forget something: so-so simple, so basic, so essential?! This is your heir, and you can't remember to bring food!"
She seethed for minutes before sharply turning to the shivering changeling beside me. "You will feed her, and I will provide all the energy you need!" Her horn glowed green and the shelter dissolved into nothing as Formica leaned over to me with weird alternating lunges. "Oh no. She isn't?"
There were a lot of things that I do not recommend: I even have a list. Being lip locked with a changeling as she regurgitates your meal into your mouth made the list as number twelve, right in between facing down a group of jerky teenage dragons and quesadillas. 'Ew, ew, gross! I think that was her tongue!'
The experience did not last long, but I knew it would happen again in the near future. Before I knew it, I was strapped to Formica's back with straps made from crystalline gel. Chrysalis' body was coated in flames leaving a tall, slender, and sandy coated unicorn with a two-toned light-brown mane in her place. "Take a pony form that is most efficient for you and stay by my side."
The flames of Formica's change were like being at the perfect distance from a cozy fireplace. The form she took was of a white pegasus with a dark pink mane. Even my bindings took the form of normal rope and straps. I was still a larva, unfortunately.
We left hastily at a slow trot, which was a fast walk for Chrysalis' longer stride. "I shall finish my tale now: We won't have a chance once we find ponies to feed from."
"We made our way further north in high spirits. Only the Queen and myself acted with our emotions subdued. In my case, it was all the lessons in poise and intimidation that restrained me from expressing my excitement. I'd be reprimanded for every dip into plebian habits. I must admit that I was glad for her lessons because only she saw my panic upon finding the next pony settlement. They easily outnumbered all that was left of our kind ten to one.
"Faced with those odds, our Queen decided that a more subtle approach would be best from then on. All surviving changelings were ordered to spread out in groups of one-hundred to form hidden hives and gather what information they could about our new prey.
"The Queen and I made for the country's core alone in search for the center of power. What we found was their soldiers and the commander of the sun. That very sun that had cooked so many of our number in those wastes we walked. It was decided then that we could only hide, but I wanted more.
"The years passed with me hidden away and learning all that the Queen could teach me on how to lead. Eventually I began to notice her becoming weakened with each passing month. When I asked why, I was told that she was dying. There can only be one queen, so when her time would come to pass, my time would begin."
"Wait…"
"Yes, Formica. My days are now numbered. It will be close to five years before I pass my life and title to whosoever possess my daughter's essence. If my daughter does not survive, I will find it nearly impossible to act against her successor.
"I promised myself that I would never sire a successor the day the Queen passed. What I did not expect was how much I needed to have a daughter. I held back the urge with countless sons, but I realized that my resolve would not last. It was upon that realization that I decided that it was time we returned from parasites to predators, and the royal wedding was my perfect chance."
Chrysalis snorted with grit teeth that held back even greater rage. "That day was a farce. Never could I have imagined that anything other than a changeling could harness the power of love. So many of our finest warrior did not survive that day” her eyes went from hard to downcast “so we had to hide away all over again. News spread and distrust festered across the pony population. Infiltrators were tested every day and finding food became ever harder to come by.
"Eight years later, the need to birth my heir became unbearable, but I could not birth her. I failed: Surely she would be killed just like the Princess before me. I needed to cement my worth, so I formed a new plan: a plan to take away their hero, Princess Twilight Sparkle.
"I just knew that it would work. I would show those ponies that none of them were safe, not even their hero. I would show them that we were more than parasites." She suddenly stopped and stomped with all her force. "I was a fool! I've always been a fool, only now do I realize it! They are right to want my daughter gone, but I will not let her perish easily! They'll have to earn her life! My daughter will be Queen, no matter who or what stands in her way."
Chrysalis lowered her head and struggled to replace the breath lost in her rage. "I will not lose her, I can't." Tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to shed them.
Moments passed until the transformed queen's breathing calmed. Formica approached slowly and placed a hoof gently upon her side. "Your Majesty?"
Chrysalis looked up at Formica with a smile that was much less unsettling with a pony's mouth. "You are proof that my daughter is wiser than I am." Chrysalis stood tall, as if all that weighed her was gone, and continued forth. "Come, it would be a shame if I let hunger claim her."
And so we went in search for food that I hoped wouldn't involve hurting anypony to get.
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Interesting.
I hope you can keep this rate up, I'd hate to come to a point where another year goes by. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.
another good chapter sir, I look forward to more.
I'll echo some of the previous readers' sentiments here... please keep updating! This is really good!
Oh my gosh I'm always so excited when I see an update for this story. And every chapter does turn out to be a treat, this one included.
I'm sitting here with a silly grin and eagerly awaiting the next.
~Nightjar
Avesum! Keep going!
A couple of errors and stuff here and there Maco. (Ie. a period after an exclamation mark, etc.) if you need one, feel free to send me a PM if you're interested.
Stupid .. thing. No idea what it is, but it won't let me edit, and sometimes cancels my posts. In any case, if you need an editor or a proofreader, feel free to PM me.*
Im Very interested in where this goes. Please for the love of God don't let this die!
"I'm still looking for someone who'll be willing to pre-read my chapters as I'm writing it." You sure?
6989992 again
Don't you ever stop updating!
I'm just waiting for the moment Twilight can speak: "Oh yeah, remember the pony you murdered in cold blood for your kingdom? Yeah, I am your heir now..."
Funny that fate has such a sence of irony. I wonder if Twilight will start acting in character and reveal herself later, if not wait to betray Chrysalis when the time comes. After everything that has happened and all that was taken from her, she has alot of time alone for dark thoughts to fester.
To be the Daughter Chrysalis dreamed of.. Then suddenly break her in more ways than one.
I'll pre-read for you
...Did someone mention quesadillas?
You have much more yet to learn, my student. To become a true author is to become a true troll and doing so both discreetly and indiscreetly.
I find it so cute when they say 'buggy'. Anybuggy.
For me, the suspense so far is in how much Chrysalis knows. I mean, she seems not to based on her surprise at Twilight's hatred, but then again she seems in a weird emotional space in relation to her daughter generally; her story seemed to speak of denying Twilight to the ponies instead of stealing her for the changelings, but then again...
Only one nitpick noticed:
hoard
This should "daughter". Sons really can't be princesses.
Why Chrysalis is leaving the hives is not very well explained. Also, queens have a very short life time compared to alicorns and Granny Smith.