Chapter Five
Chrysalis and Tarnished spent the better part of the day navigating through the rolling terrain of the Macintosh Hills, sometimes chatting, but more often than not just enjoying the moderate travelling exercise in companionable silence. Part of Tarnished wished he could sense emotions like she could so he could get an idea of what was going on in her lovely little head. Knowing now that he was an open book before her was actually quite freeing in a way. It'd be next to impossible to lie to her, seeing as he couldn't lie to himself when it came to his emotions, and knowing that honesty was the only path only served to draw him closer. She hadn't revealed just how much she had seen in his head when they first met, when she dug around inside it to learn the Equestrian language, but he hoped that she had learned a lot. His previous embarrassment and worries about what she might think melted away under the warmth of her love and her non-judgemental attitude.
As their hooves finally found level ground, dry dirt and small pebbles crunching softly underhoof with each step, he turned to her, giving her a soft nuzzle. Tarnished had never had a marefriend before, being much too busy with his studies as a colt to give much attention to the fairer sex. And then, when his studies had been completed, his fierce desire to achieve scientific greatness had consumed him and extended the length of his barren love life. Now, here he was, finding himself utterly smitten with this changeling goddess, eager to split open the aquifers of love that had sat heavy and unnoticed in his heart and soul. Any thoughts of presenting Chrysalis as some sort of archaeological trophy or specimen to study and dissect were immediately dashed from his mind. He wouldn't ever subject her to such a fate. "Bit for your thoughts, Chrysalis?"
"Hmm? A bit of what?" She asked. "I don't follow."
"Oh. It's an expression. A bit is the standard Equestrian coin. One bit isn't all that much, it's just...um...huh. Trying to explain an idiom isn't as easy as I thought."
"You wish to give me a coin in exchange for my thoughts?" She asked, giggling. "You do not need to pay me for my thoughts."
"I know! Like I said, it's just an expression. I don't mean that I'll pay you for them."
"Oh, so now my thoughts aren't good enough for your money?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, trying and failing not to smirk. He groaned, smacking his forehead with his hoof.
"Can we get through a single conversation without you teasing me?" He pleaded.
"Hmm...nope!" She replied cheerfully.
"Oh, goody." He deadpanned.
"All right, I'll let up. Now, to my thoughts...I was thinking about Appleloosa. I wonder what sort of reception I will be met with there."
"Are you worried?" He asked, looking surprised.
"Mmm...a little. Keep in mind that this is new to me as well. Even though I have meditated on this assignment from my mother, it has only truly just begun, and we haven't yet spoken with anypony else. I shall do my utmost to be kind, and loving, and entreat one and all to make the change. I only want to see them be freed from the bonds of mortality, which oppress mortals all of their short lives." She turned to him. "I want to free you especially. You freed me from my slumber and did not immediately abandon me. And now you love me earnestly, even though your heart has opened to me in such a short time, surprising you with the alacrity of your feelings."
"Yes...I...I do love you, despite how quickly it has happened. I feel like a fake, like my love isn't real. Can it really be genuine love if it develops this fast?" He paused to watch a tumbleweed roll by, following it with his eyes as the wind made it dance along the empty landscape. "I've never been in a romantic entanglement before. I have no benchmark for this."
"Trust me when I say that you are genuine. The vision you saw when you slept, at the end of it you agreed to give yourself over to Xzalamat, making her your Heavenly Mother. Emotion that had been locked away and pinned down broke free, and with every passing hour in my presence the binds loosen further. You are awakening, you are developing a true heart. You love me, and you stay close to me. I love you, and I wish to change you, to open you further, to heal you. Again, I ask, will you accept it?"
"I..." He found himself hesitating, even now, even though part of him wanted to shout 'YES! YES! CHANGE ME! CHANGE ME TO THE TRUE SHAPE! FREE ME!' His mouth worked soundlessly, then he sighed and dropped his gaze, unable to look her in the eyes, feeling ashamed of his hesitation and cowardice. He felt her smooth muzzle nudging gently against his cheek a few moments later, her long tongue licking at the corner of his mouth. Her affection for him smoothed over the shame of his indecisiveness, and he felt forgiven. "...a little longer...if th-that's all right?" He asked, his voice weak.
"Of course. I can take no action unless the permission is given. But I can always ask. I will ask again later."
"Thank you, Chrysalis, you're...well, I think you're probably the kindest changeling I've ever met."
"I'm also the only changeling you've ever met," she said, giggling, and he laughed along with her. She quickly cut her laughter short, training her eyes on the edge of a small mesa ahead of them. He stopped laughing, confused, looking back and forth between her searching gaze and the mesa. "You may come out." That was the first time he had heard Chrysalis speak like the goddess she was, and he felt giddy and dizzy all at once, feeling a strong compulsion to obey. Obviously there was something about that divine voice that worked a strange power over mortals, and he watched as two juvenile buffalo appeared timidly from behind the curve of the mesa, heeding the gentle command, approaching and bowing before her.
"Oh Wonderful Mother, please do not be angry with us!" cried the one young bull.
"Yes, please deal mercifully with us!" cried the other.
Chrysalis chirruped softly and gently caressed their cheeks with her hoof. "Rise, my sons, and fear not. I am not upset." With a goofy look on their faces they rose, staring at her with eyes brimming with adoration. "Now, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
"I am Fades Into Shadows," proclaimed the one on the left, his coat quite a lot darker than that of the average buffalo. With a dark coat like that, it probably helped explain his given name.
"And I am Runs Swiftly Towards Dawn," proclaimed the other, who looked a lot more lean and wiry than his companion.
"I perceive that you are brothers. Is this correct?" They both nodded, amazed that she could tell, since they looked so very different from each other. "Why were you two spying on me and my consort?"
"C-consort?" Tarnished spluttered, eyes wide, taken by surprise at the appellation just now given to him. The corner of Chrysalis' mouth tugged up a little in a ghost of a smirk, but she pretended to pay him no mind for now.
"Our apologies, Mother, but it is buffalo land that you stand on, and my brother and I are scouts." Runs Swiftly Towards Dawn nodded in confirmation of his brother's words. "You are, of course, more than welcome on our soil. But it is still our duty to keep an eye on the comings and goings in our territory."
"I see." She looked at them curiously. "Not that I mind, of course, but why do you call me 'Mother'?"
"In the stories that we have passed down orally, from generation to generation since the very beginning of buffalokind, it is said that we were created and placed here by a divine creature, whose skin was made of black onyx, whose hair was as the twilight sky, with green cat's eyes and fangs for teeth. If you are not her, you at least are related to her, since you match the description."
Chrysalis shared a meaningful glance with Tarnished, who merely shrugged. "Most buffalo traditions and stories haven't been documented yet by Equestrian scholars. I certainly haven't heard this myself. Besides, as far as I'm aware, buffalo don't share a lot with those that they are not well-acquainted with."
"It is true. Our ways are very important to us, and we would not cheapen them by telling them to strangers. If one becomes a soul brother or sister to the tribe, then that is another matter." Runs Swiftly said matter-of-factly. "A pony named Braeburn has fallen in love with a cow of our tribe named Little Strongheart, and over time he has drawn closer to us as well as her, and we have gradually revealed our ways to him. He is a good pony, that one."
"Well, I can tell you for a certainty that I am related to the one you speak of. Likely it is my mother who is described. I have been in a slumber since the beginnings of Equestria, when the only race was that of ponykind, so it must be her who breathed into you the breath of life." The two young buffalo bowed again, and she waited for them to rise before continuing. "My consort and I are passing through. We are headed for Appleloosa."
"If you continue on by hoof, you are not likely to reach Appleloosa before nightfall." Runs Swiftly turned to his brother and spoke in a low voice in their indigenous language. Fades responded, and words were gently passed back and forth. Then, satisfied with their parley, he turned to look at Chrysalis once more. "We would like to have you as a guest in our camp, Mother, if you would stay with us the night."
"I would be delighted," she purred, "provided that you extend the same respect and courtesy to my consort. He is on the path of the divine."
"Oh, o-of course!" Fades blurted out, looking from her to Tarnished Relic, whom he bowed to. His brother swiftly followed suit.
"U-um...you may rise." Tarnished squirmed uncomfortably, unaccustomed to having such honour thrown his way. "The goddess Chrysalis and I are happy to accept your hospitality." The words came out awkward and stilted, but neither of the buffalo faltered because of his uncertainty.
"Then come, Daughter of Our Wonderful Mother and He Who Ascends To Godhood, follow us to our camp. The day is getting on, and by the time we arrive the sun will almost be extinguished." Fades Swiftly spoke these titles with reverence, then turned around and began to lead the way, Runs Swiftly falling in at his side.
"Shall we, my handsome ascending one?" Chrysalis giggled.
"What'll I ever do with you." He muttered, rolling his eyes.
* * *
The buffalo lead them in silence, and the two interlopers were happy to just walk quietly behind them. The sun, inching its way down as afternoon turned into evening, was sitting upon the horizon when they finally reached the buffalo camp. Teepees poked up into the air between the milling buffalo, which at a distance looked like a breathing, shifting mass of shaggy hair painted in varying shades of brown. Despite the great number of buffalo gathered there, likely just shy of a hundred, there wasn't a cacophony of noise being stirred up by the ponderous and bulky beasts; they may have dwarfed ponies in size but they certainly were a good deal quieter. As the buffalo laid their eyes on Chrysalis, however, the noise gathered in volume as voices spoke in hushed tones of awe and delight.
"Our Mother, she has returned to us!"
"O bless us, Mother, bless your children!"
Chrysalis took it all in stride, smiling benevolently at each and every buffalo. She was truly in her element, Tarnished realized. He was still struggling with seeing her as the goddess she was, since she was so playful and down-to-earth that she seemed so very pony-like. Of course, he'd had no prior experience with divine beings, unless Celestia and Luna counted. The two princesses swore that they were not goddesses and did their utmost to disabuse their little ponies of that notion, and yet the notion still remained. He couldn't blame the doubters, as he had his own doubts too.
Fades and Runs Swiftly had left them and run ahead, moving to the largest teepee, which stood in the center of the camp, standing several feet taller than the rest. Tarnished and Chrysalis paused outside of the tent, waiting, while the curious buffalo swarmed around them on all sides. Tarnished fidgeted nervously, and Chrysalis, sensing his discomfort, turned to the crowd.
"Give us some space, if you would." Tarnished shivered again, feeling the power of The Voice, almost tangible, his body tingling warmly all over. All at once the crowd that had been pressing in retreated, heads bowed. "Thank you."
A moment later a rather broadly-built older bull emerged from the teepee, the two young bulls following behind him. "Oh, so their story is true! Our Mother's Daughter, here, in our midst!" He bowed, and Chrysalis leaned down to press a kiss between his eyes. His eyes shot open, his stiff posture relaxing considerably. "M-my aches, they're gone!" All of the buffalo gasped. He looked at her with eyes wide with excitement and awe. "You...you healed me?"
"Of course, Chief Thunderhooves. I take no delight in pain. May pain die away and pleasure take its place." Tarnished joined the buffalo in their slack-jawed stares. With every passing hour she seemed to be reclaiming the divinity that had lain dormant all those aeons, her corporeal form being infused with more power and more purpose. Her poise had changed; she stood taller, straighter, green eyes looking at the mortals before her, love and pity radiating from her gaze.
"Th-thank you! You do us all a great honour by deigning to stand in our midst. It is truly a joyous day, this day you have graced us with your mighty presence. What do you desire? Food? Drink? A place to lay your head?" The Chief was obviously overcome with joy, especially given the fact that for the first time in several years his body did not ache in any way. He looked as if he had shed many years and was about to race across the hard-packed sandy soil, feeling the energy of his youth and the desire to expend it.
"I require no physical sustenance, nor do I have the need of sleep." She turned her head and nodded towards Tarnished, who was pressed up affectionately against her side, having recovered from his brief shock. "My consort will require all of those, however. If you would give him food and drink, and provide us a bed..." She paused for a moment to giggle, making Tarnished, as well as several of the buffalo, blush. "...we would be most grateful to you."
"Of course, of course!" Chief Thunderhooves turned to his tribe, calling out orders in the buffalo tongue. The buffalo dispersed to follow his instructions (though a few rubberneckers lingered until the chief gave them pointed stares), leaving him with Chrysalis and Tarnished Relic. "You shall receive whatever you need, as long as it is in our power to grant it. While my people prepare those things for you, would you care to step inside my tent? I should very much like to talk to you, and to share a pipe with you."
"Share a pipe?" She asked, tilting her head.
"A ceremonial pipe, Chrysalis." Tarnished supplied. "I've heard tell of the buffalo passing around a pipe, smoking some sort of herb mixture."
"It is as you say, Consort of Chrysalis." Tarnished sighed, his name once again being relegated to the sidelines and replaced with titles and honorifics. "We shall smoke some kinnikinnick. It will put you at ease."
"If you say so," he muttered, stepping past the chief and ducking under the tent flap, disappearing into the teepee.
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It sounds like she'll have a bunch of willing changelings soon.
7567502 Heehee ^,,^
Hmm, I like the world building. It's so nice to see the buffalo culture expanded line that. I can just imagine the tale of their creation, spoken in the rhythm of the desert, passed down from generation to generation, weaving the promise of a day when their mother will return and bring glory to the world, and they will become one with her in this new land, words passing through the smoke of the pipes as the village elder, looking as ancient as the wind-shorn mountains in the desert, shares the tale with the young ones.
I'm a sucker for native American myths. :B
*Alondro smirks* And everything she says could be absolute lies if she is instead the Goddess of Deception, who feeds on the love of her victims and gradually transforms them into her drones, now free from her imprisonment after spreading a false narrative across the ancient past to ensure there would be those who'd believe her from the outset once she returned.
The willingly gullible are the easiest to fool. And clever devils have the best tricks.
I always keep in mind that little teensy cautionary idiom: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. In addition, there's the other maxim: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
7567502 A shorter version of my point.
Buffalo worldbuilding, yay!
Hmm, so she has inbuilt panacea. Chryssy can do a WORLD of good with that power alone. Nevermind freaking immortality. (Well, negligible senescene I assume).
420 change it.
This is too perfect.
There's no way that this 'True Shape' thing is as sunshine and rainbows as appears in the label. There's gotta be a catch to "Perfection".
7567706 The 'Queen of Blades' is Sarah Kerrigan. That's not even remotely close to 'Xzalamat'.
Xzalamat's name was modeled after Tiamat, the Mesopotamian primordial goddess of the ocean, who, with her mate Abzu, produced the other gods.
7567784 JUST BLAZE derpicdn.net/img/view/2016/8/13/1223715__safe_solo_smoking_tree+hugger_drugs_marijuana_blunt_artist-colon-fly-dash-gray.jpeg
7567827 "And what would a mortal know of perfection?"
7567757 I knew somepony would giggle at that.
7568032 What would a goddess know about cons? Yours is too obvious...
7574804 Eh, never said I was subtle. :P