By the Queen's Decree
As Chip tried to turn around and quickly leave the scene, he was stopped. His own will got bent and broken, and the overpowering command of the hive ruler singled him out. His body froze and his primary mind numbed. His spark tried to regain control, but it was futile – it was way too fragile and new to be capable of beating the ancient mind of the Queen. A sound of shuffling wings neared, and soon after the Queen landed in front of the petrified changeling. She towered above him, a sleek figure of black with a greenish, greasy mane. Her horn flickered with venomous green, the colour of her eyes. Her slit shaped pupils focused on the small changeling before her. The mental grip on the changeling doubled, almost squeezing the existence from its body. A sensation like no other followed – as if someone was peeling the insides of his skull away, checking and controlling each part of it. Before he knew it, he felt the presence in his other mind. Should Chip understand the concept of horror, he would be the very avatar of this emotion. His one little precious thing was exposed and seen. It wouldn’t be long until it would be extinguished…
Instead of hearing a crack of breaking glass or feeling the nauseous sensation of being torn apart, the changeling felt…a gentle, dry desert wind sweep through his other self. It was rough, but in a way tender. It wasn’t there to harm him. He felt his spark in the grip of the Queen, but it was not being squeezed or blown out – it was being…admired?
This feeling went away as soon as it came, and Chip fell to his knees as the regal presence of the Queen backed away and returned to its perch above the collective mind. The Queen’s expression was as wicked as always, but in Chip’s eyes, something changed. She was no longer a master, to which he was only a servant. She was…a harsh mother that did what she did for the good of her children. This perception of Chrysalis made the changeling almost not notice that he was still singled out in the hive mind – he could barely sense his brothers and sisters, as If he somehow got carried away very far.
“So…Chip?” said the Queen in a cackling voice, a subtle reverb causing it to sound malicious.
The changeling froze again, this time of its own accord. The Queen spoke. In a voice. Her own voice. She said words, and he kind of understood them. What was a Chip? He knew and liked that word. Chip was something important. Yes, it was him. He was Chip. She addressed him – a changeling, one of many. But he wasn’t one of many. He was single. Now in more than just one way!
The queen rolled her eyes and began circling her subject.
“Yes, you…”, she snickered, causing Chip to lie low in a bow. The motion surprised Chrysalis, as she didn't order him to do that. It only proved that Chrysalis was correct in her suspicions, which made her more excited than she already was.
“I will speak to you now, so focus your silly little…mind.” Chrysalis paused and started circling Chip in the other direction. “Somehow, you got…corrupted. Broken, in a way. I sensed that there were, and still are, many like you within my hive. Individuals. Changelings that have a way of denying what I ask of them.” She stopped and looked the changeling in the eyes.
Chip was mortified. His other self desperately flailed about, trying to understand what the Queen said and make sense of it. So Chip was a failure? Broken, unfit for a changeling? With the primary collective mind almost gone, he could not think as straight as he hoped he would – never before in his life did he have to rely so much on his other self. He had to keep track of breathing, the muscles in his body, even blinking. Blinking was horrible. A blink was when the world went completely dark. What little visions he still had from the connection to the hive wasn’t enough, and he felt terrified.
Chrysalis was looking at him, and under that gaze he managed to calm down a bit. He once again felt the embrace of Chrysalis in his hive mind – this time it wasn’t as violent and predatory as before. It was the embrace of a mother, a protector. Chip’s vision sharpened and his muscles finally started listening to his other self – hazily, he stood up. He felt the support of his Queen, his…mother. This was only his to witness – never has he felt Chrysalis be so…like that…to any other changeling.
“You are a young one. And your ‘spark’ is still a very delicate thing,” uttered the Queen, inspecting the changeling both visually and mentally. She could barely hide the excitement and joy from the discovery of Chip. His autonomy, if used correctly, could serve her master plan that she so tenderly arranged for the past decades, if not centuries. Chip could be the first of many that could help her achieve the thing she dreamed of since she was small…
Chip’s mind was a mess, but the soothing sensation of the desert wind came back and rocked him into a comfortable state of mind. There were thoughts buzzing in the other self, and they threatened to take over again – that they didn’t was the work of the Queen, as she delicately put them away, or placed them in different formations that seemed more…coherent.
“I never thought I’d be doing this” said Chrysalis, allowing herself a small smile “Teaching a changeling how to think…”.
Thinking. Yes, Chip liked thinking. And learning too. He learned a lot from books. But Chrysalis was better than books. She spoke to his mind better than the symbols and illustrations. He understood her more. He wanted to learn.
The Queen was again a little bit startled when this time the changeling tried to mimic her voice and say something. It was a failed attempt, as a series of hisses and wheezes from a throat not used to speaking (in its unchanged form) cannot be considered a sentence. But in Chip’s mind, she heard the question clearly: “Who am I?”
“You are a changeling. As plain as the others…and as special as none of them. Don’t try to think too much over that, or you’ll just hurt yourself”, said the Queen in reply, making sure the chaos in Chip’s head didn't cause some actual damage. “From now on, you will learn under my personal tutelage. I will return you now to your brothers and sisters – but I expect you to focus on your other…mind. Tomorrow, come sunrise, I will summon you for our first lesson”
* * *
As promised, Chip was summoned the very next day. The call wasn’t an overpowering order as the changeling expected it – it was an offer (that should not be refused, but still) that he felt he had the control of accepting or not. Moreover, he hadn't heard the call in his primary mind. Chrysalis spoke directly to his spark. To the Emptiness that didn’t feel as empty now. Faintly, as if on the border of his five senses, he felt the Queen, her presence. It was comforting. And he would not make her wait for him.
As he entered the greenish road to the Queen’s lair, he felt the sensation of being torn away from the hive and embraced by Chrysalis. His spark started panicking again, but this time he managed to control it and calm himself. He still could hear whispers of the collective mind, the presence of the Queen and his own. Now his body possessed three spirits, he thought.
The Queen was as magnificent as ever. For him, there was no greater beauty in the world. Neither was there a more predatory and regal air than that around Chrysalis. She flew over to Chip and…nuzzled the air around his neck. The changeling froze as he tasted the sweetest of all emotions being exerted from the Queen – care and affection. Under normal circumstances, a changeling would have wolfed down such a treat and looked for more, even attacking if necessary. But not only was Chip removed from that instinct’s origin, he also didn’t desire to let the emotion fade away. He relished in it for as long as he could, until it got replaced by a different one – steel and discipline.
The changeling bowed before the mighty figure, daring to look up only for a short while. The Queen was smiling.
“Very good, my dear Chip. This was the first lesson that I gave you and you need to understand it well. The mind that you listen to every day, and which is the extension of my will, is no longer controlling you. You are not allowed to disobey me… ” she hissed, but quickly returned to her normal speaking voice: "but you should listen more to what your other self tells you. It is that mind that we want to train, bring out and strengthen. If you obey, you shall have whatever you wish. If you can imagine it. Try and betray me…” she hissed again, unexpectedly tearing into Chip’s mind, “and I will extinguish you!”.
Chip didn’t manage to react before the Queen retreated from his skull. The threat left him in disarray, but not for long. He was learning to control his talent…
* * *
Days passed and Chip was learning many things. The most basic was controlling his body while not under the hive influence – at first, he was clumsy and forgot to breathe most of the time. The Queen was moderately patient, but would scold or mangle Chip if he failed too many times. It was tough. Still, the rewards were worth it. After each session, that is when the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon, if the changeling did well, he received…affection. A simple nuzzle, pat on the head or rarely an embrace was all that he needed to keep wanting to best himself. Somehow, the emotion that would normally be his nourishment and a tasty treat was better to be savoured without actual consummation.
One day, after an exceptionally good performance (the changeling was learning to speak properly and managed to put together a full sentence), Chip wanted to ask if he could possibly stay with the Queen overnight. Tired, he resolved to telepathic communication, trying to put together coherent reasons for such a request – but Chrysalis felt his true reasons as plain as day. The changeling really liked her company and desired to stay with her. Close. If she ever had to be honest with herself, she enjoyed Chip’s presence at least a tiny bit as well – all the beating and scolding aside, the changeling was a refreshing distraction and someone to actually talk to, and receive words that she did not suggest back. Dialogue was the word, and it felt good to talk and exchange thoughts.
Permission granted, Chip was allowed to sleep at the far side of the lair, while the Queen resided on her greenish throne. The small changeling admired his teacher from afar – she even slept with grace, her side moving up and down in rhythm with her breath, the obscure rays of the moon reflecting on her polished chitin. Chip got accustomed to not hearing the chatter of his primary mind and learned to rely more on his own personality – as such he could truly admire the beauty of the Queen and crave her vicinity.
Trying to be as silent as he could, he approached Chrysalis step by step. Soon, he was nearly face to face with the mare. Her eyes were closed, and Chip could feel the air she blew out from her nose. A funny cold ran through his back, a pleasurable shiver. His other mind gave him crazy ideas about…snuggling up to the Queen. Or at least fitting into that space between her head and front legs. His thoughts conflicted, so he finally decided on sleeping a foot away from the Queen’s side, watching her. It was a tiring day, and he fell asleep almost instantly.
Chrysalis was always vigilant and observed with her mind’s eye Chip’s sneak attempt at approaching her. He was a wild card and she could not predict his actions – it was kind of exciting, a new feeling to her. She could not tell what her subject would do, but should he even dare to “snuggle up”, she would break his neck, stitch it back with magic as painfully as she could and then break it again, leaving him to stare at his flank for a day or two before fixing him permanently. Luckily for Chip, he decided to sleep just a step away from her. She looked through his eyes and hooked up to his thoughts – they were warm and fuzzy, the kind that gives power and tastes delicious. But instead of consuming those…she just felt them. She felt them until the little Changeling faded into sleep. The Queen realised that she was also learning something from her little student – something maybe not entirely reasonable or useful…but in a way…precious. Without a sound, the Queen moved Chip just a little bit closer with magic and put a wing around him.
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*Ahem*
D'awwww
That is all
Dislike bar be ninja. It is there, but unseen.
So.....cute.....
On a more serious note: my teeth might not handle all the cute but it's a sacrifice i'm willing to make
We hath taken thine Queen as hostage. Prepare to die by ou minds of the finest if love!
Chrysalis is now officially a pony.
Seems very interesting.
Oh, and that was referencing the fact that Chryalis normally does not have the capability to even comprehend the feeling of...affection. Now she clearly wishes to induce it as well.
I can't tell if this is motherly love or not! I assume it is, considering all changelings are the children of the Hive Queen. either way, I'm glad I have 52 chapters to work through, it makes me a happeh broneh
1078272
I was going to comment something like this, but you not only beat me to the punch, but hit the nail right on the head. Here, have a tyrant Celestia.
Oh, it would appear that there's no emote for tyrant Celestia. So here's a trollestia.
Tyrant Celestia needs to be in more fics.
Well well well. What have we here, a blast of
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Aye. Brutal efficient diabeetus.
I can't help but draw some parallels between Chrysalis and Chip's relationship and that of Solaris and Crepuscular Twinkle. *cough* Sorry, Celestia and Twilight Sparkle.
Different in some distinct ways, but kindred in spirit. It's quite cute actually.
Strike the Earth!
-Onyx
fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/106/a/d/no_flowers_for_you_by_clk300-d4wf2wi.png
My favorite part of this chapter is the character development of Chrysalis. She is the kind of character hard to trust. Does she truly feel something for her citizens? Not really; I feel like this adds to how she feels for Chip? Does she find him to be more than a soul moving about? The end was a nice touch. Another thing loved here was the description of his feelings as the Queen is around him. He feels all these emotions and describes them in such a way that can make such a fear relatable. Nothing here I really feel bad. The only thing I have to mention here that I see a lot of is:
Capitalizing these words after the pauses is not necessary. I'm only saying this because it's seen constantly. They are pauses in a sentence, and therefore not a whole different sentence, and therefore does not need to be capitalized. Also, I want to look at this particular paragraph for a few things aside from this:
First off, the tenses are changed a little here. She "doesn't" want to cause actual damage, and this is a present tense term. I'm doing this part MOSTLY because you need to keep this in mind for any chapters beyond what you have written; keep it in the tense it is in, which is the past. After fixing a few other problems, it should turn out like so:
That's just simple stuff, but yes, my main focus for that was the tense problem. Other than that, it's doing pretty well.
Why have I not read this until now? This is putting changelings in a new light. One that I might adapt to my idea of changelings. *cough* exo-skeleton like protosuits *cough*.
Onwards, minion! To the next chapter!
Oh my goodness a Mommy Chrysalis story, I haven't really read one of these before.
Proceeding eagerly.
this reminds me of a comic book, i forget the title, where a super-villain broke someone's neck, and left him with a permanently backwards head...later the victim caught up with the villain, who, ironically, was in a hospital with a bad heart...and decided it would be crueler to leave him there than to kill him! as he walked away, the villain actually said, "come back..."
Cute. Bootstrapping a real mind does take a lot of effort.