Chapter VII
Twilight was flabbergasted, if the horrified look on her face suggested anything. “K-k-kill? Nopony said anything about killing you! What a horrible thing to suggest!” The unicorn had put both her hooves to her mouth.
Chrysalis could almost hear the young mare’s jaw creak in the wind as it hung like a porch swing. She was irrelevant. She did not matter. The Queen’s focus lay upon the alabaster Mistress of the Sun. Luna had remained quiet, her musings suggesting the blue and white mares had a connection. Perhaps telepathy? The odd and subtle movement of lips, the twitch of an ear here and there. Yes, there was some sort of mental connection between the two. Not uncommon for twin sisters. Were they twins? The eyes flicking towards each other as Celestia and Luna both absorbed the words no doubt echoing in their heads. It was possible.
Chrysalis noted Luna had refilled her teacup calmly. What sort of ‘hearing’ was this, anyway? Nothing in those insufferable (and amazingly boring) books even hinted at tea and crumpets. Nor an outdoor setting on a fine summer day. A breeze touched her cheeks and Chrysalis began to re-evaluate the insanity of these ponies.
Finally, Celestia sipped her own tea, her eyes never leaving the Queen. Her movements were delicate, each action beauty in motion. The Princess savored her drink.
Atalanta peeped.
Celestia’s gaze dropped to the pale little face staring fearlessly (and mostly blind) seemingly straight up at the alicorn. From her perspective, Celestia could only see the top of the hatchling’s bare head and her large, luminous eyes.
“No need for dramatics, Queen Chrysalis,” Celestia said firmly. “You are not here to be sentenced. This hearing is to go over the facts and details of what you and your changelings did leading up to the attack. It is rather fortunate we have the mastermind behind the assault here with us to go over the details. We just want the facts. The blame can be mulled over later.” Concern filled her eyes. “Who gave you the idea we wanted to kill you or your daughter? That is not our way.”
Chrysalis flicked an ear, keeping her focus on her forelegs folded neatly on the edge of the table. She pondered on whether it would serve any purpose to remain defiant. Still, the effort and preparation had been an impressive feat for a colony of changelings as small as hers. The hive had thrown itself into the plans she had painstakingly worked on. Everything had been as well as she could have hoped, despite the numerous near disasters.
It was a bittersweet recollection.
“Would it compromise your changelings in any way?” Luna had leaned over, her question professional. “If you do not wish to recount some details, simply inform Celestia you wish to abstain from answering. The idea is to not incriminate yourself while doing what you can to fill in where we are lacking in information. Is that acceptable?”
Chrysalis sighed and pursed her lips. Stubbornly, she glared at Celestia, then at her student before turning slowly to Luna. “Am I allowed to refuse answering questions if I feel my answers will be used against me?”
“That is your right, yes.” Luna nodded. "Remember, the spell can only be defended against if you make a quick denial. There is a delay from the moment the question is asked to when you will be compelled to answer. The duration between the asking and the compelled truth will be ten seconds. Do you understand, Queen Chrysalis?"
"I remember," said the changeling, not at all happy with the circumstances.
“I will be using a truthing spell,” announced Twilight. “Will the council for the defense please advise their client in accordance to the law? This may be an informal hearing, and therefore inadmissible in a court of law, but the truth is needed and the truth will be administered.” She sounded quite proud of herself when she was done speaking.
This whole thing was ridiculous. Celestia was looking to amuse herself and try trapping Chrysalis into admitting something damning. The Queen touched a hoof to the lump that was her daughter, still upset at being denied her first flower. Atalanta quieted and turned into the touch from her mother. A single, louder chirp accompanied the feel of two tiny hooves pushing against the sash feebly to grasp at the larger hoof.
“I understand,” grunted Chrysalis just as Luna was about to ask. “Let’s get this over with. I want to spend some time with my daughter outside after this, should my jailors permit it.” She was a bit snarky with her request. She found a plate of delicately arranged cucumber sandwiches hovering in front of her. They smelled nice with some sort of zesty sauce in the lettuce. Her stomach made her decision for her.
“I see no reason why not,” replied Celestia, who was surprised and pleased with the Queen. “Let us not go further than two hours. I shall keep the time. When I call for an end to the hearing, we can then discuss if we need to go into further discussions at the end of the day. Agreed?”
Luna and Twilight both nodded seriously. Chrysalis huffed and rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath all ponies were insane. The Queen did seem to relax a little, but a small cloud of fear hovered in the back of her mind. Surely this was some sort of trap. A tiny part of her was even disappointed no death sentence was to be doled out in the disguise of justice served.
"This hearing can be cancelled at anytime and the truthing spell removed at the request of the defendant should she wish to terminated the hearing early." Chrysalis' ears perked. She did not know this. This was an unexpected grace from her hostess.
The real question was if she was willing to tell the ponies just how she managed to fool them all. She savored the thought of making Celestia squirm when she was told just how easily the changelings had melded into their chain of command, becoming a part of the important cogs of the government, undermining the defenses and ultimately putting everything under one roof through a carefully manufactured outside threat. It had taken nearly the effort of the entire hive to pull it off. Chrysalis was so proud of them!
Was…
“It is the only way I can remember them,” she said softly, gently hugging Atalanta to her bosom. “Ravagers must have found them out by now. Gone. All gone. ” Her voice had dropped to a haunted whisper. She tried to reach through the Bond, but could feel nothing. The Queen had been trying since she stepped hoof outside. There was faint hope it was just a matter of distance preventing her from reaching. She nibbled on her sandwich, completely unaware she had taken a wedge. The Queen blinked and numbly ate.
“I beg your pardon?” Celestia asked.
No, she would not betray them. If there was a remote chance they had managed to get away from those horrible monsters, she would not give them away! “No matter. Ask your questions.”
“Very well. Twilight? You may begin. Keep in mind your questions must remain on topic and you cannot ask the same question the defendant already declined to answer. Am I clear?”
Twilight beamed happily. “Yes, Princess!”
Chrysalis wanted to gag.
“Excellent. Queen Chrysalis, are you ready? Is your council ready?”
“We are ready, sister. Your student may ask her questions.” Luna whispered for the changeling’s ears only, “I will answer for you, as it is rule of law for an informal hearing with such a small group. I act as your shield and your sword. I can only reply with words you use, but I may alter them to prevent you from incriminating yourself.”
Chrysalis stared at her with narrowed eyes. One brow twitched.
“Is something amiss?”
“Your accent. What happened to it?”
“I am trying not to sound… medieval. I have a speech therapist I see on Tuesdays. She says I am improving.” Luna sounded like a student who hated school.
“Ah.” Chrysalis wanted to just start strangling ponies. Scream in their faces. Ask them all why they were so stupid and pursued such stupid things. Instead, she wore her mask of being in control.
“We are ready!” said Luna with a smile to her sister.
“First question!” Twilight glared at the Queen with the effectiveness of a mouse staring down an elephant. “When you were monologuing shortly after you had captured Celestia on the day of the wedding, did you really expect to control all of Equestria?”
Chrysalis growled, reflexively petting the lump that was her daughter.
“My client refuses to answer,” translated Luna diplomatically.
Twilight paused, her ears swiveling up and down in the direction of Chrysalis. “Okay. Next question: How much planning went into the invasion and how long was the planning process from its inception to its initiation?”
Chrysalis began to hiss, managing to do it with a flat, almost bored expression. “Nine months. We made revisions once it was discovered a certain Mi Amore Cadenza was to be wed to Celestia’s Captain of the Guard.”
“Shining Armor?”
“No, I mean—” Chrysalis suddenly felt a powerful compulsion overcome her attempted snark. “Yes.” This made her scowl once she realized what had just happened.
Twilight wore a smug grin. “Why invade Equestria?”
The Queen drew in a slow, steady breath, closing her eyes. She exhaled, irritated, and shook her head. “Why do you think I invaded? Do you need me to explain the obvious to you?”
“For the records, Queen Chrysalis.” Celestia smiled placatingly and sipped her tea. “Everything being said at this table is being recorded for the Royal Archives. Also, in case you were wondering, the truth spell only takes affect when you attempt to answer a question.”
The changeling did wonder. She had reservations against truthing spells. Depending on the variation, they could make an intended target sing like a canary or make all night orgies a terrible idea. It depended upon how the spell was applied and what the user had in mind. Capability played an enormous rule. Any unicorn competent with spell casting could master the single target varieties, but for a group function took something beyond average skill.
“Why did you fail to mention the spell?” Chrysalis hissed at Luna.
The blue alicorn shrugged. “You did ask. Remember?”
In the meantime, the spell tugged and tugged at Chrysalis, compelling her to answer the question. She had deflected it, but it was clear the spell would not allow for her attempts to delay keep her from answering truthfully. The Queen considered the magic behind the spell, only to blurt out, “Love can be stored. With as much love ponies are capable of producing, not only could my hive gorge themselves, but there would be ten, no, a hundred times the love we could store.” She refused to lean on Luna, who was looking at her as though Chrysalis was wasting her availability.
Luna leaned into the Queen's ear. "Remember, you can turn to me if you require help," she reminded her with a whisper.
Chrysalis ignored her.
Twilight was quick to pounce. “What do you use love for?”
Again, the spell did its purpose, much smoother now. “We need love to power our spells. We do not have regenerating mana pools like you unicorns do. We need love to keep the Void from devouring us from the inside out.” To her horror, it was adapting to her mind!
"Chrysalis, what are you doing? 'Tis folly!" Luna was nudging the changeling with a hoof.
Chrysalis batted it away rudely. Luna huffed and gave pleading eyes for help from her sister.
“What is this void you speak of?”
“We call it the Hunger. All changelings are born with the Hunger and the Void.” Panicked eyes bulged as the Queen suddenly found herself unable to move from her seat. Why could she not not answer?
“So, you’re saying this Hunger, as you call it, is actually eating you alive?”
Chrysalis grit her teeth. “Yes.” Murder flared in her eyes as she bore them into Twilight’s soul. Otherwise, she was a mask of indifference. She refused to give these ponies the satisfaction of seeing her act unstately. The unicorn flinched from the changeling, looking to Celestia for support.
“Please refrain from imaginary disembowelments, if you would be so kind, Queen Chrysalis,” said the alicorn. “Or any other form of mayhem upon the person of Twilight Sparkle. Despite what personal agendas might exist, I will have the truth and the facts and nothing else. The questions are important and need to be answered.
“I have grown tired of waiting for you to see reason and this hearing pains me as your will is currently being suppressed. There is much more at stake than your pride. Thousands of lives may very well hang in the balance, be they pony or changeling. I cannot in good conscience allow your selfish desires to overcome the safety and security of my little ponies.” Celestia shook her head sadly.
“You tricked me!” accused Chrysalis. “I knew this was a trap!”
Next to her, Luna was making strangling sounds. "I am here to assist!" she said, again leaning into the Queen's deaf ear.
“I am sorry. You left us no choice. We have tried for weeks to reach you, to connect, to understand. You have rejected us at every turn. Please forgive me. It was my decision to do this.”
Chrysalis wanted to scream, but she would not give them the satisfaction. Furious, she glared at Celestia. “I hate you,” she seethed through clenched teeth. Atalanta squirmed uncomfortably.
“You will not speak to my sister thusly,” said Luna flatly. “I may be your council, but We will not tolerate such words in Our presence! We demand you apologize this instant!”
“I do not want to apologize,” Chrysalis said truthfully. Confounded pony magic!
“Then consider instead your daughter and how your emotions affect her.” The blue alicorn gave her a knowing look.
The Queen’s heart went cold. Her glare wavered. She found she could not look at Celestia. Her hiss was more than enough to convey what she thought of everything.
“Should I continue?” asked Twilight nervously. She was not enjoying the hearing as much as she would have hoped. There was an angry queen always staring at her with soul-devouring eyes and big, nasty teeth.
There was something to be said about terrorizing purple pony prodigies. For Chrysalis, she could not enjoy the moment as she realized she was at the mercy of that insufferable unicorn menace. However, she was able to read into the spell itself and understood it was also indiscriminate. "I will continue," she said, determined and full of pride.
Luna threw up her hooves and rolled her eyes.
“Please do, Twilight. You are doing fine.”
Twilight took in a deep breath, flicked her tail, and continued to question the changeling. “How were you able to infiltrate the guards and get to Princess Cadence?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Do you really want to know?” Chrysalis steeled herself, fighting the compulsion to obey. If changelings had sweat glands, she would be soaked in perspiration. Thankfully, she did not sweat. Twilight was looking at her expectantly. Celestia and Luna were also wanting answers.
The Queen looked at Celestia. “When did you appoint Lovebutt’s personal guards?” Her smile was faint. What little control she had, she used.
“When she came of age,” Celestia responded softly. Her eyes went round. “She chose them herself.”
Chrysalis smiled.
“What did you do with the original guards?” Twilight demanded.
“They were the original guards.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve had changelings gathering intelligence on you ponies for nearly twenty-five years. This included looking out for newborns in hospitals born with a low chance of survival. They were replaced and parents who thought they were losing their children were instead given nymphs as replacements.” Chrysalis sighed, patting Atalanta. “Not an easy thing to do on many levels, I assure you.” For some reason, she found she wanted to tell them everything now. “Sometimes heartbreak is necessary in the name of love.”
Twilight was a mix of outrage and sadness. It took a great deal effort for her to remember what she was there to do. She muttered something under her breath before refocusing. She asked Chrysalis, “You replaced foals? What did you do with the ones you took?”
“They were loved. And their time came. Then they were mourned.” Chrysalis felt a heavy lump in her throat remembering. There had been a lot of weeping. She had personally had a hoof in participating in the decisions she had made. “I have never had anything against the innocent, be they pony or otherwise. Short lives deserve all the love that can be given to them.”
“You foalnapped sick foals?” Chrysalis felt thick pulses of disgust from three distinct ponies in varying degrees. She winced against it despite herself. Celestia glared at her, pushing aside the outrage that made the changeling want to shrivel up and die.
“Dying foals, Celestia,” corrected the Queen tiredly. “I wept for them. I wept for the mothers who gave up their nymphs to be raised by ponies. We sacrificed of ourselves so your ponies would have the children they thought they had lost forever. It was decided the best way to protect our future was to put our future in the hooves of your ponies.”
Twilight waved a hoof helplessly. “But you hate us ponies. That doesn’t make any sense!”
Chrysalis considered the unicorn before smirking. “There are some things in this world that makes us see past our hatred when survival hangs in the balance. Did you think you were the only victims in all of this?”
“Are you saying you are a victim? Of what? From who?”
“The world is full of monsters, Twilight Sparkle. You are fortunate your life is here, in Equestria, where even the weather bends to the will of the pegasi.” Chrysalis looked the elder diarch in the eye.
“You mean to tell me you have been embedded among us for years?”
“I am a changeling. I by nature adapt and change to my surroundings. All changelings, with proper training and guidance, can fit into almost any society seamlessly and while still retaining their identity. The Bond allows them this. They always know where their true home is.”
Chrysalis sighed, not from guilt, but from resignation. “In short, yes. Some of my changelings have been your citizens for more than a generation.”
"Why did I even bother?" moaned Luna, shaking her head.
iakovl looked over the the chapter. If there are any typos, it's his fault. I have a bag of tomatoes at the ready!
...actually, I just had him gloss over it, without giving him the benefit of properly editing this chapter.
I'm so sorry! I blame my excitement! The good news is most of the next chapter is already written and just needs a little bit of machete love! Okay, make it a lot. I had to do a lot of rewriting. This is a turning point as one arc draws to a close. Bear with me. 
Enjoy!!
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Do go on. I wonder what happens next.
Welp, there went the trust I had for Celestia. The chances of this fic ending even somewhat favorably for Chrysalis look increasingly bleak to me. I need more!
I expect a lot of folks to rush to Chrysalis' side in this, condemning Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and every single pony alive. And I partly agree.
Not so much for Chrysalis' sake, who hardly deserves the pity, but for stooping to truth spells and trickery. At least they honestly feel bad about it, something I do not expect of Chrysalis herself.
And I love how the queen slowly realises that the little purple Unicorn she likes to dismiss is actually rather powerful.
Dirty ponys. Cant blame them, though, such breaches in security cant be tolerated, but they could buy info with promise of patronage or safety for example, no reason to torture woman when she can spill all info in certain circumanstances. Hipocrytes. I hope they wont find out about Atalantes father, no mother should be separated with child.
Funny, they found out that Cadance killed not just faceless monsters but actual persons and citizens of Equestria. Good job, Cady, its your first bloodbath.
hmm Will give credit there that the view of the threat was all from chrysalis paranoia. Though let us see how it continues.
Not bad but danm cilly,twi,lulu dick move truth spell i do not agre but woud do my self
Is ther going to be a nother Q&A soon
6487783
Well, Celestia did say they tried for weeks. And if you look back at the comments, people were cheering for Chrysalis to remain defiant no matter what Celestia or Luna offered.
Not that I think what they're doing now is the right thing (though I admit to a certain sense of satisfaction at seeing Chrysalis brought low). However, we shouldn't act like they jumped to mind control without any preamble. Not even Chrysalis believed that.
Using the truth spell on Chrysalis may be somewhat underhanded, but something had forced the hooves of the princesses. "Thousands of lives may very well hang in the balance, be they pony or changeling. I cannot in good conscience allow your selfish desires to overcome the safety and security of my little ponies.”"
Is Celestia & Luna aware of the Scavangers & need Chrysalis cooperation to deal with them? After all, Chrysalis knows they have been hunted by them for decades. Are these the Scavangers of Huntress Taalia, if so... Does that means Chrysalis somehow escaped her? Escaping her sad fate as a breeder? Hence why her hive are being hunted, which in turn forced her an attempt to conquer Equestria?
"be they pony or changeling..." Why is Celestia speaking with concern about the Changelings? Does she knows about the whereabouts of Chrysalis' hive. Did they survive the expulsion, or simply not all of the Changeling were expelled? But are now prisoners & kept from communicating with their queen for safety reasons?
These are my question, can't wait for the next update. This story is sad, the suffering of Chrysalis & her people, & the heart breaking decisions she had to make. I think the tag sad, should be added to the story.
6488130 Celestia has lost all credibility. I hope Chrysalis refuses to cooperate or give any more ground from now on, as well as condemning the measures taken against her and insists on compensation (that does not require her to be a puppet ruler under Celestia or harm Changeling independence.
There are things you can't do and still call yourself a good guy and look yourself in a mirror at the same time. This was one of them. Chrysalis has every right to be mad right now, and they have no right to demand ANYTHING from her after pulling that evil trick.
6487701 Why have you lost trust in Celestia? Chrysalis is a bitch and she's only being presented as someone to sympathise for because the story is from her POV.
...
Dang it, I jus got a really dark idea for that little foal replacement bit...
damn you.
Nice job, nice job
6488191
I lost trust in Celestia because she flat out lied. Her so-called attempts to reach, and understand Chrysalis have been nothing short of abuse to her, and even Atalanta to an extent. And then she has the gall to hide behind her serene facade while informing Chrysalis that she is under a compulsion to reveal secrets, with Twilight being her smug little helper monkey for the proceedings. Chrysalis is no saint obviously, but we've been treated to seeing and understanding that her invasion was born out of desperation. Her hive is now presumably destroyed or captured as well. So to watch Celestia, Luna, and Twilight sitting pretty while being her chief jailers and overseers of her torment, especially after it appeared that they were going to temper their treatment of Chrysalis, has forced me to lose trust in them all.
6488106
Chrysalis' time in captivity hasn't exactly been a gentle experience, and she's still holding out hope that some of her hive might exist. After having been
manponychangeling handled by a group of "doctors" and their brutish guards, would you be keen to cooperating?6488272 Where else could the changelings have infiltrated? Have you asked yourself that question?
Edit: Keep in mind Chrysalis resisted her captors every step of the way.
6488290
I'm not sure what you mean by this, tbh. Are you implying there was somewhere else she could or should have infiltrated? What does that have to do with what I said? As to resisting her guards, it doesn't strike me as terribly unreasonable. She's a prisoner of war, and a former head of state, and she lost said state to her own machinations failing. Why on earth would she cooperate?
6488305 Chrysalis' instinct is to fight. She was separated from her daughter (I'll let you figure out who watched over her while her mother was getting her reluctant physical).
6488313
I hear you man, but I don't understand what we're discussing at the moment. If anything, what you just said lends credence to my belief that she's being mistreated, and has no reason to cooperate with her captors.
6488272 But Chrysalis was the aggressor in the invasion and was being entirely uncooperative even before whatever abuse occurred.
6488290
I'm confused as to why you think that would change anything. For example in the case of capture of soldiers, they're expected to take every chance to resist their captors while keeping their own safety. http://www.usmcpress.com/heritage/code_conduct.htm
Specifically
Article III: If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
Article V: When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service, number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
Nothing she has done during captivity has been especially unreasonable excepting perhaps the doctors examination. However, given their obvious lack of knowledge, they really weren't doing that for her or her daughters good, but as a way of learning about them. Only one step short of performing a vivisection.
This doesn't preclude the conventions on the treatment of prisoners being important.
6488391
Yeah, she was the aggressor and she lost just about everything and everyone she had thanks to her actions, save for Atalanta. As for being uncooperative, aside from hissing and glaring at the ponies who came into her cell, she only became violent when they forced her to undergo that examination, if I'm not mistaken. Yes, the ponies were completely justified in imprisoning her, and fighting off her hive. But treating her like an unruly beast while they handle her with all of the civility of an alien abduction, on top of the fact that she is facing the uncertainty of what befall her hive- except that is is almost certainly bad, and her position is not only sympathetic to me, but completely understandable. The ponies have no moral high ground to stand on that I have seen.
I'm sorry, but am I missing something here? It seems we have a rather large inconsistency.
6488650 meant to fix that.
6488653 I'm still confused. We have this here:
And yet later we get this:
And later we even get this:
So, did Luna lie? Or does she change her mind halfway through?
6488755 Celestia was speaking the second quote.
6488792 I know, but Luna didn't say anything against it. Basically, Luna guaranteed Chrysalis that she wouldn't have to answer any questions if she didn't want to, but later Celestia and Twilight basically said: " Actually, you do have to answer all our questions" and Luna didn't say "Ah, actually guys, I kind of promised her she didn't, so you have to turn the spell off."
So my question is why did Luna allow Celestia and Twilight to force the answers out of her, when it was agreed beforehand that that was not going to happen? And for that matter, why did Celestia and Twilight not say anything to the contrary beforehand? Are they really that underhanded?
6488818 Fuck. I'm taking down the chapter. My apologies to my readers.
Well, you definitely succeeded in changing the tone of this chapter. The ponies are no longer liars at least. Looking forward to more.
6489015 Hopefully I can avoid such gaffes in the future.
6488285
"Keep" cooperating? She's been there for months. She's sent three guard to the infirmary, possibly crippling one of them for life. That was before the trip to the doctors. She broke the jaw of another during the examination. They probably started treating her this way because she kept attacking the guards whenever they didn't use extreme force.
Not that that makes it okay, of course.
6488572
See above.
6488189
Compensation? Fine. However, the ponies should then weigh it against all of Chrysalis' crimes. I'm pretty sure she'd end up paying more, and not just because of a supposed pony bias.
6488290
It's curious how many of your readers emphasise so much with Chrysalis. A lot of what's happening to her, she brought on herself through her arrogance and paranoia.
Addendum: Ah, so there was a snag in the narrative, too. Yeah, that can screw things up.
6489172
Reread chapter one sir. She did that in the defense of her child. Were the ponies going to hurt either of them at that point? Probably not intentionally, but Chrysalis wasn't having it. Those guards and scientists made the unfortunate mistake of trying to assert authority a new mother, yet she only hurt the guards. Even Luna saw that for what it was. Also, I intentionally used the word "keen", not "keep".
6488189 Obviously Chrysalis is furious what they did to her, but she has herself to blame. Yet in a way, Chrysalis did what she did, trying to assure the future of her people. She is a mare that had really suffered, watching her mother die. Her land destroyed & her hive enslaved. And she is no monster, although it may sound deplorable she foal naps to replace them with nymphs, she cared for the unfortunate little ones until their end, & obviously it hurt her when she ordered the changeling mothers to surrender those nymphs. But I feel one reason she tried to take over Equestria was to power herself with love to defend her hive from I suspect may be the Scavengers & maybe that tiger princess Thaalia, & not just feed her people.
I feel something serious is happening, & it forced Celestia to do what she needed to do. She took the least possible "evil" that won't bring harm, but the most infuriate the victim. I think that who ever is chasing Changeling will harm her Kingdom as well. I don't think it is much an evil, considering it is a magical world. That is my interpretation I take as a whole from the story.
6489325
Yes, I misread your post. My apologies.
However, the defiance and violence started on her end. It was there from the very beginning. She wanted to hurt the doctor examining her as well. To not acknowledge this and push every blame onto the ponies is distorting things. As it is, she might've attacked the scientists next if Princess Luna hadn't inervened.
Chrysalis has herself to blame for most of what's happened here.
6488272 Tormented? Where? When did it happened?
Sorry, I know what you mean. The guards & doctors should have thought to ask, making matter worse is that they didn't know that the baby & mother are suppose to be kept close. But I think it is more of the guards fault, especially the prison guards. They may be hard because they have to deal with prisoners, violent ones and Chrysalis not only attack their country, she defeated the solar princess!
She's been violent since her capture, sending one guard to early retirement. Chrysalis is too aggressive for her own good, & she is too paranoid. Obviously the result of growing up in a violent society.
I find it interesting how people get engrossed in the story. What the heck, so do I. It's fun reading people opinions. I try to figure out the story by watching clues in the story, trying to guess the what's next to the plot & even how it's going to end.
6488313 LOL! I have to reread that chapter to figure that one our, in case I missed it.
6489432
The defiance did start on her end. You're absolutely correct in that the violence started with her too, that we can see, but it started because her space as a mother with her child was being violated. She was probably agitated to begin with, given her situation, so the fact that those ponies ignored what were almost certainly plainly telegraphed signs of "stay the fuck away from us", is their own fault.
6489433
The forceful examination of her while being separated from Atalanta. She wasn't asked or persuaded to go, she was hauled to the table and chained like a beast, all the while being humiliated and fearful for her nymph, and they made casual small talk with her while doing it. Also, part of that post was in reference to the newly edited chapter 7, where it previously appeared that she was lied to by Celestia and Luna during her interrogation, about being able to refuse to answer.
6489451
Question. Does that mean it was okay for the ponies to manhandle her as they did to get her to the doctor? I don't think so myself, and neither do Luna or Celestia, but there might be such a thing as giving her too much of a pass on things.
I mean, you can turn it around, too. "If she acts like a feral beast, we need to treat her like a feral beast."
Again, I don't agree, but a lot of hardship could've been avoided if Chrysalis had just told them about the need to keep the nymph and mother together.
6489477
Again, at the end of the part where she was examined, somepony could be heard saying "Did anyone even ask her to come voluntarily?", or something to that effect. The answer was no. We'll never find out how it might have gone if somepony with an ounce of tact and empathy had asked her to come, or even laid out terms that one way or another, this was what was going to happen. She was simply forced into that examination, and separated from her child.
6489491
We'll never know, but we can make an educated guess: No. There's no hint that she would've reacted differently if the ponies got down to their knees and begged. Other than to feel smug, perhaps. She's pretty smug about her defiance as it is, what with screaming at Celestia she'd rather die than cooperate.
And the separation thing is truly unfortunate. Doubly so as Chrysalis refused to tell anypony about it. Triple unfortunate as the ponies have been doing their best to nurse her back to health and keep her child safe and got little but broken bones and crippling injuries to show for it.
6489511
Celestia:
Chrysalis:
6489537
Celestia:
6489578
6489537
Just to help out a little: Celestia was talking about the information they needed to prevent future problems with changelings. The other had to do with a physical. Two completely different things.
Chrysalis will not betray her changelings by giving them away.
Chrysalis will (grudgingly) allow herself to be examined, provided she is given a say.
6489587
Would she have done so without experiencing the ponies being capable of picking her up and doing it regardless of her defiance? I can't say I would've seen that the way she was written. Being shown her limits seemed to me to be a big motivator for her actions, including a raging jealousy.
6489604 They forgot to treat her like a lady. They only saw the monster. That has since been corrected, now that Luna has been able to get involved.
6489624
So, the answer is "yes", eh? Huh. I honestly didn't get that from reading the parts.
6489604
To be honest with you, I don't think she would have said yes initially. But back to my earlier post, they could have told her it was going to happen one way or another, if she refused the "offer". But she wasn't given the chance to be told, and by extension she didn't have the chance to tell them that it was dangerous to be separated from her nymph. She was simply abducted from her cell. That is pretty much why I think the ponies were wrong in that situation.
6489637
And I agree.
6489642
Then to quote Ron White: "Then what the hell are we arguing about?" *wry grin*
6489633
6489637
She would have agreed, but only on the condition an equal was her escort. Chrysalis won't let just anyone be her escort. And her daughter would never leave her presence.
Atalanta would have been a big no-no, no matter what. Ponies touching her would basically be signing their own death warrants.
6489673
Sounds about right. Heh, sorry we've been using the comments as a chat room. Probably going to sleep soon at any rate.