Where the Monsters Live.

by Hopefullygoodgrammar

The Tribes of the Moon.

If the Midian above was the calm, then the Midian below was the storm.

There were so many sights to see. Midian made up for the quiet death of its necropolis mantel with the lively bazaar of games and fighting and sex and bloodshed which lay beneath.

All of the elements from Chrysalis’ dreams where there. Every scent and sound. But now there were sights to go with them and what sights they were.

Peloquin and Shuna led her down a lengthy passageway: past a room of shadowed, dancing figures, past a chamber where a great, misshapen mass breathed and pulsed and was washed by bird-headed women, past a dark room where a single shadowed figure sat and examined tarot cards with gleaming red eyes.

From there the passage opened, suddenly, into the city itself.

Bowl-shaped, big enough to engulf the whole of the graveyard above as well as much of the surrounding area; filled with houses, burrows, crypts and bungalows; and lit by the amber light of torches, Chrysalis could see the Nightbreed in all of their myriad forms.

She saw a fat humanoid with his head protruding from where his navel should have been arguing with a woman covered in chocolate-colored scales. Above them a semi-transparent stingray-thing flew through the air, dodging between bridges and swooping under archways.

Across the way a winged woman with red hair spoke in low tones with a tall creature which looked to be caught somewhere between reptile and avian with his purple skin, yellow beak and lengthy talons. Chrysalis felt their eyes turn towards her when she stepped onto the nearest bridge.

The two came to her, meeting her and her aides halfway.

“And who is this?” asked the winged woman, crouching down and staring at her curiously; Chrysalis saw that her eyes were emerald green and bore slitted pupils much like her own.

“This is Chrysalis.” said Shuna, “She’s looking to join us.”

“Well she sure as hell fits the bill, man.” said the reptile creature, his voice surprisingly youthful for such a tall and twisted body, "I've never seen one like you before."

“Don’t be so rude!” scolded the woman, earning a sneer from her companion.

Ignoring the bared teeth, the woman gestured to him, “I’m Aello, he’s Mulciber, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Chrysalis.”

She extended a wing and Chrysalis shook it with one of her own. Baring her fangs in a smile which she hoped would put off Mulciber. She could taste the dislike and cruelty on his breath and she didn’t need an enemy here.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Aello.” she replied.

“Where’s Lylesburg?” asked Shuna.

“Hell if we know.” said Mulciber, shrugging, “We’ve been….preoccupied.”

He waggled his brow ridges suggestively, earning him a playful slap from Aello.

“Well, then I guess we’ll just have to look for him.” said Shuna, shrugging. She brushed past Chrysalis, her quills scraping the chitin of the changeling’s side.

Peloquin looked at Chrysalis, “You can stay here if you like, or you can explore while we do all the hard work and look for the old man.”

Chrysalis chuckled, “I think I’d like to do some exploring, I haven’t drunk my fill of this place yet.”

Peloquin smirked, then turned and headed after his lover.

Chrysalis turned back to Aello and asked, “So this...Lylesburg is your leader?”

Aello nodded, “Yep. He’s the one closest to Baphomet, so he’s the one who calls the shots.”

“Baphomet?”, Chrysalis asked, rolling the name around on her tongue.

“He’s the head honcho ‘round here.” said Mulciber, “The god who made this place as a haven for all us monsters.”

“A god?” asked Chrysalis, shocked at how casually he had used the term.

Aello nodded solemnly, “Yes, a god maimed by the cruelty of humans long, long ago when the ‘Breed walked up above with the Naturals and mingled with them. It’s strange that you haven’t heard of him. Have you dreamed of him?”

Chrysalis shook her head, “No, I’ve dreamed of this place, but not of anyone in it.”

Aello and Mulciber stared at her a moment before the latter asked, “You aren’t from around here, are you?”

Chrysalis shook her head, “No, I’m from a place called Equestria. A world far different from yours.”

Mulciber scoffed, “Another world? Are you shittin’ us? There’s no way you’re serious!”

“I don’t know.” said Aello, thoughtfully, “You’ve only been here a few years, but I’ve been here for a few decades and I’ve heard the eldest of our tribe speak of-”

“Aw, don’t tell me you actually listen to that horseshit, babe.” sneered Mulciber.

“Let me finish, bird-brain!” snapped the winged woman, “The older ‘Breed were there when we first came under attack, they were there before then, too, and they told me that there are other worlds, all connected. I just can’t remember the name...Squiddy...Scorney….Tweedleedee?”

"Ah, I'm not sure what the name is. Anyway, this place is said to be every world, every single possible place, all in once unfathomably massive continent, Baphomet came from this place, maybe he could find a way to send you back!"

Chrysalis’s eyes lit up at the prospect. The spark of hope, which had been waning ever since she had first seen the new world, rekindled.

“That…” she forced the lump in her throat down-she had cried long enough- and tried again, “That would be wonderful.”

“Yeah, wonderful.” said Mulciber with a roll of his eyes, “If Baphomet says you can stay.”

Chrysalis gritted her teeth and opened her mouth to curse the creature, but a sudden weight on her back made her stop.

“Your fur is so soft.” said a voice which hovered somewhere between young and ancient.

Chrysalis turned and saw a small, scrawny human girl petting her.

No-not quite human. thought Chrysalis, looking at the girl’s facial features more closely.

Beneath a head of rust red curls lay a heavy, protruding brow. Beneath that lay two green eyes surrounded by darkened flesh. The cheeks protruded, along with the brow ridge, to meet at the nose, giving a slightly inhuman bend to a face which would’ve otherwise been a normal human girl.

“I’m Babette,” said the girl, “who’re you?”

Chrysalis gave her name, feeling no threat from the child.

“That’s a pretty name.” said the girl, “But, then again, we all have pretty names….except you, Mulciber..your name’s kinda weird.”

Mulciber raised a middle finger and Babette giggled.

“Babette, your mom’s looking for you!” called a voice from the shadows. A man stepped into view, looking sternly at her.

“I was just visiting Chrysalis. She’s new here.” said Babette, patiently.

“Chrysalis?”

The man, tall and slender, garbed in a long trenchcoat and a wide-brimmed hat which obscured his features, moved in closer. Chrysalis thought something about the way he moved was familiar.

“You sound like you know me, who are you?” asked the changeling.

The man laughed and reached up to take his hat off.

“Y’mean you don’t recognize this pretty face?”

Chrysalis’ jaw dropped.

Narcisse stared back at her, his toothy smile and raised brows contrasting hideously to the red, raw meat where his pate had been. His blades had done their work, but his face showed no sign of pain, in fact, Chrysalis thought that he looked more content than he had when she’d met him.

“Like the new ‘do?” he asked, running his fingers along the flayed flesh, “It’s way better than it looks. I won’t get lice, I don’t need to spend hours fretting over my luxurious mane...which for me meant deciding if salad dressing was an appropriate shampoo, and I can better appreciate those cold October gales.”

“How are you alive?” asked Chrysalis, finally finding her words.

Narcisse smirked, “I guess I’m just very lucky. I mean, people in the Old West survived getting scalped….I think. I know I read that somewhere...Ah, whatever. But, in all seriousness, I don’t really know. I guess I just….belong here. It’s a nice feeling, belonging.”

Chrysalis felt a smile tug at her lips at that remark, “It really is.”

Narcisse beamed at her and said,“I can even wear a hat now that my hair isn’t a problem.” he leaned in and said, in a stage whisper, “Between you and me, this gives me the perfect excuse to wear a badass cowboy hat for as long as I want.”

The sheer absurdity of what the man was saying broke through to her and Chrysalis let out a guffaw.

Narcisse laughed alongside her and patted her back, “I always knew there was something..unnatural about you.” he said, and his tone reassured her that it was a high compliment.

“Same here.” said Chrysalis, realizing that she meant it.

Narcisse smiled, then asked,“So….how’ve things been for you?”

Chrysalis started to answer, but a sudden rush of dizziness made her falter.

The adrenaline’s wearing off. she realized, feeling a dull ache beginning to pound in her back and hooves. She looked around, “Is there a place where I can rest? I’ll tell you everything, but I’ve had a loooong few days and my wings feel like they’re about to fall off.”

Narcisse nodded, “The tombs are pretty quiet, and, as an added bonus, the acoustics rock. Al long as y’mind having a captive audience.”

Chrysalis smiled and said, “Lead the way, my fine faceless friend.”

The man bowed and turned on his heel.

After they had vanished into the depths of Midian, Aello turned to Mulciber and said, “Well she seems nice.”

Her companion merely snorted.

Comments

[Punk Rock Prom Queen]

It lives! An excellent chapter that was worth the wait.

[Hopefullygoodgrammar]

6490119 Thank you very much :)

[The Quidam]

Glad to see this story gets a well deserved update! Hopefully the next one will be be in time to celebrate Halloween!

[Hopefullygoodgrammar]

6491996 I hope so, too :)

[Razzy]

Heard the name of the movie, never watched it.

So far I really like it, I just hope things will go well for Chryssie.

One note:

“Let me finish, bird-brain!” snapped the winged woman, “The older ‘Breed were there when we first came under attack, they were there before then, too, and they told me that there are other worlds, all connected. I just can’t remember the name...Squiddy...Scorney….Tweedleedee?”

Chrysalis’s eyes lit up at the prospect. The spark of hope, which had been waning ever since she had first seen the new world, rekindled.

Feels like there's something missing between these two paragraphs.

Cya
Raziel-chan

[Hopefullygoodgrammar]

6582206 I think there was, but I have no clue what it was. I'll have to remedy this later.