3 - Gifts and Paranoia
Tone Shift returned a short while later, another plate of eggs on his back. He paused briefly once he exited from the kitchen, watching Chrysalis curiously. Chrysalis herself was staring with curiosity at the photo on Tone Shift’s coffee table. Wordlessly, he resumed his path and set the plate down on the table. Chrysalis leaned away from the picture and settled against the couch again, using a short burst of Telekinesis to bring the plate over to her.
“I assume the two adults in that photo are your parents?” She questioned idly, earning a short nod from Tone.
“Yeah, those are my parents. That was the day I got my cutie mark.” He replied, looking at the picture himself and smiling softly at the fond memory. He noticed Chrysalis looking far more intently at him a few moments later and quickly redirected his attention. “A-anyway, before you spooked me into the kitchen, I was trying to ask you about that bite wound on your leg.”
“It was a large cobra, if you must know.” Chrysalis grunted through a mouthful of eggs. Tone Shift whirled to look at her head-on.
“Woah, what? A cobra?! The ones around here can be pretty venomous!” He blurted, sounding rather worried. Chrysalis stared blankly at him.
“Yes, and I am a Changeling Queen. It’s more than just a rank, you know.” Chrysalis explained boredly. “It is also used to describe my physical body compared to what my drones used to be…” she winced when she said that, but continued, “I am taller, stronger, more magically gifted and also have innate resistances to things like disease, poison, toxins and venom. Not complete or total resistance, mind you, but more than enough to make the snake bite an aggravating hinderance and nothing more.”
Tone Shift nodded as he took that information in. “I see. Well, that’s a relief.” Looking briefly back towards the photo, he gave a quiet sigh. “Okay, look. You can feed off of love passively, right?”
Chrysalis nodded. “Yes. If a creature nearby is feeling love for any reason, be it from proximity to a loved one or mere fond memories, passive consumption happens.”
“And how well does that feed you?” Tone furthered, rubbing his chin in thought.
“Considering passively drawing love from an entire city block in Canterlot was barely a snack, it doesn’t draw much from individuals.”
Tone Shift tapped his chin for a moment. “Alright, well, Ponyville is pretty much the friendliest town in Equestria. If you take on a disguise and just walk around a bit, would that help you keep yourself fed?”
“Forget it.” Chrysalis said sharply, turning a harsh gaze on Tone Shift. “I could kill you and leave at any time, now. The only reason I’m not consuming all of your love and leaving your shriveled up husk on the floor is simply because… Well, we’re even.” She said, looking away slightly and sounding as if she was unsure of what she was saying. “I saved your life, you saved mine. Killing you would only leave evidence that the ponies could follow me with.”
“But, on the flip-side of that coin, you can’t just walk out and expect me to keep my mouth shut. You’re kind of screwed no matter how you flip it on that front.” He pointed out, earning a mild smirk from Chrysalis.
“Perhaps, but, in case you forgot, I can alter perceptions, influence minds and, oh yes, erase memories.” She pointed a hoof at him to emphasise the point. “I did it to you once, I can do it again.”
“If you can do that, why haven’t you yet?” Tone Shift shot back, hoping his theory on this matter was correct. “Is it because it takes too much energy?”
Chrysalis opened her mouth to say something, glared at him, lowered her hoof and growled. “Shut up.”
Tone Shift couldn’t help but laugh slightly at that. “Well, you just stay here and rest a bit longer, okay? You’re appetite brought me down to my last two eggs. I’m gonna run to the store and buy another carton.” He turned and trotted for the door. “But you’re welcome to put on a disguise and come with me, if you want. You could soak up some love passively and get in some food.”
Chrysalis scoffed, looking away. “I’ll pass.”
Tone Shift paused in the open door frame, looking at her for a moment before nodding. “Suit yourself.” He stepped out and closed the door.
After several moments of silence, Chrysalis looked back towards the photograph. From her perception, she could make out very faint wisps and marks of pink energy coming off of the photo; remnants of externalized love. Studying the locations of each spot on the photo’s glass cover, she noticed the pattern.
They looked almost exactly like the dried marks left by tears when dropped onto a solid surface.
* * * * * * *
An amused chuckle brought Chrysalis back to her senses. She opened her eyes to find her face was practically buried in a couch pillow. She sat up and shook her head slightly to get the remnants of her impromptu nap out of her system. Tone Shift was standing by the front door, looking at her with an amused smile. “You like those pillows, eh?” He asked jokingly.
Chrysalis opted for a nonverbal response, simply glaring daggers at him and twitching her upper lip a bit to draw his attention to her fangs, reminding him that they hadn’t fallen out while he was out. He took the hint, dropped his smirk and shuffled into the kitchen with grocery bags in tow.
Chrysalis looked down to her foreleg to see how it was doing. The bite marks were more or less gone and the swelling had gone down considerably. She briefly tested it by pushing it into the edge of the coffee table, feeling for any pains that would make moving around troublesome. Detecting none, she carefully slipped off of the couch and stood fully upright before giving a stretch, a few satisfying pops sounding from her chitin-clad back as she finally got to work out some of this stiffness.
She took a moment, before deciding to follow Tone Shift into his kitchen. If I’m to be a prisoner in this house, I may as well know my way around… she thought to herself. Entering the kitchen revealed it doubled as a miniature dining room. The counter, fridge and cabinets all adorned the left side of the room. A small square table with two chairs that didn’t match pushed up to it occupied the corner to Chrysalis’ immediate right. The table in question had one of the grocery bags on it.
“You sure you won’t fall over?” Tone Shift asked from where he was by the fridge, drawing Chrysalis’ attention.
“I’m sure.” Chrysalis said before looking at the bag on the table again. It’s contents were oddly uniform in shape, looking almost like a block. “What is this?”
“Hm? Oh, those are books I borrowed from Princess Twilight. I don’t know if you knew this, but she has a section of her castle that doubles as a public library.” Tone Shift replied as he finished putting away the groceries before closing the fridge. “I’m kind of broke right now, so I couldn’t really buy more than that carton of eggs…” He turned to look at Chrysalis and froze at the look she was giving him.
Her glare could have easily melted steel beams if it’s intensity generated heat. Her lips curled back in a snarl as she voiced her concerns. “You told her I’m here, didn’t you?!” She snapped, hunching down slightly in preparation to either leap at him in an attack or break into a sprint to get away.
“What? No! No, I didn’t! I swear!” Tone denied, waving his forelegs in front of him frantically, hoping to avoid getting pinned to the wall by Chrysalis again. He figured if she did it again, she wouldn’t show mercy this time.
“Don’t lie to me!” Chrysalis barked before lunging at him. Tone Shift tried to duck to the side, but was too slow. Chrysalis tackled him before slamming him against the wall hard enough to shake the clock off of it’s hook, sending it clattering to the floor.
“Please! I’m not lying to you! I didn’t tell her, honest!” Tone Shift pleaded, trying to keep Chrysalis’ fangs away from him, but soon found he was trying to protect himself from the wrong body part. Her horn lit up with a bright, sickly green before she harshly pressed the tip to his forehead. Tone Shift let out a shocked gasp before going stiff and still, his eyes going dull and unfocused as Chrysalis invaded his mind…
* * * * * * *
Tone Shift nodded in thanks to the Stallion behind the counter as he spent the last of his bits on a small carton of eggs. Putting it carefully into one of his bags, he stepped out of the store and pondered what he should do next.
He glanced back towards his house, turning his thoughts to Chrysalis and her health. She seems to have improved pretty well… Maybe now would be a good time to tell the Princess she’s here. He thought before starting towards Twilight’s castle, the structure being easy enough to find with the starburst-shaped Beacon of Friendship at it’s top visible from pretty much all of Ponyville.
As he began to approach the front gates, he took a moment to pause and double check his thoughts on the matter, re-assessing how Chrysalis looked last time he saw her. He wanted to make sure she wouldn’t starve to death once she left his house. With a shrug, he pulled on the rope and handle that signaled the castle’s equivalent of a doorbell.
A minute passed before a slot in the door opened up, revealing Spike the dragon peeking through. “Oh, hiya! Do you need anything?” He asked in a friendly tone, looking at Tone Shift curiously.
“Uh, yeah. May I speak to Princess Twilight?” Tone asked carefully, keeping his posture somewhat upright.
“She’s getting herself and Starlight ready for some magic practice later, but I’ll check. Is it important?”
“Kinda.” Tone Shift said, mentally berating himself for his choice of words. It’s more than ‘kinda’ important, you big doof!
Spike nodded before closing the slot and presumably running off to let Twilight know he was here. Tone Shift waited patiently, standing still for almost another two minutes before the door was enveloped in a lavender glow and swung inwards. Princess Twilight stepped out, wearing a curious, albeit also somewhat annoyed, smile. Tone Shift swiftly dropped into a bow, earning a rolling of Twilight’s eyes.
“No need for that. Stand up.” She said casually, earning a nod from Tone Shift as he stood.
“Thanks for agreeing to speak with me, your highness.” Tone Shift said, trying to figure out how to word his message.
“Spike said you called it important, so here I am. What do you need to discuss?” Twilight asked, cutting right to the point.
“Right. See, I…” Tone Shift paused, the words catching in his throat. Twilight looked at him curiously as he awkwardly shifted his weight around.
“Go on, I’m listening.” Twilight urged gently, now looking genuinely intrigued.
“I, uh…” Tone Shift could feel a bead of sweat making it’s way down the back of his neck. What the buck is wrong with me? Just say it! He screamed at himself mentally. “I, well… I have a friend visiting and was wondering if I could borrow some books from your library for them to read while they’re here.”
Twilight gave a chuckle. “You know, the entrance to the public library of the castle is over there.” She pointed a hoof to the set of doors that had been installed a few months back, leading into the recently carved-out public library.
“Oh! Heh, sorry. I must have missed that. Very sorry for wasting your time, your highness!” He gave an apologetic bow before quickly scurrying off towards said door. He only stopped when he heard the doors to the castle close, taking a few breaths before stomping in frustration.
What the hay was that?! Why didn’t I say it?! Ugh…
Exasperated, he took a moment to get his head together before heading for the library to borrow a few fiction books. Chrysalis could use something to keep her entertained while he was busy trying to find more work.
* * * * * * *
Chrysalis pulled her horn away from Tone Shift’s forehead, causing him to collapse into a crumpled up heap on the floor, gasping for breath and shaking slightly as his skin crawled. Chrysalis stared at him unbelievingly. “...You had every opportunity to turn me in and possibly earn a reward for my capture… and you didn’t. ...Why?”
Tone Shift looked up at her before slowly getting to his hooves. “Because, just like you said, I saved your life… what kind of pony would I be if I ruined your life just after saving it?” He grunted slightly as his body protested, but he continued regardless. “It would be selfish, manipulative, dishonest and just plain cruel of me to do.” He leaned against the wall slightly, pushing a hoof against it to keep himself steady.
Chrysalis stared at him with wide eyes, taking a step away from him before looking away. Tone Shift couldn’t see her face through her mane, but she looked very tense and seemed to be shaking slightly. He went to say something, but didn’t get the chance. Chrysalis picked up the bag of books in her magic and swiftly exited the room, leaving Tone Shift to catch his breath.
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Premise looks interesting, I'll see if I can get around to it when I have more time to read.
Damn, got through the chapter faster than i thought i would. Once again; no spelling errors, nothing wrong with the grammar, and the story is running smoothly. I might do a few things differently, but this is your story, and so far you are doing fine.
A+
Chryssie: 'I just have something in my eye, yeah.'
7996356 I take it you're enjoying the story? If so, I hope I can keep you entertained.
If not, I apologize for presuming.
7996364 I am enjoying it quite a bit indeed.
7996385 Yee!
I think Chryssi's gonna get plenty of love in the future, depending on where Skijarama takes this...
Because it would be a changeling thing to do?
I disagree, but I could see someone, especially somePONY thinking that way.
Only problem with the whole story...
COBRAS?! Ponyville- COBRAS?! Really?! Cobras? In Ponyville? Sounds more like a sports-ball team. GO PONYVILLE COBRAS!
Cobras live in Africa, Australia and Southern Asia. Ponyville strikes me as more American/European.
While listening to the audiobook, I just remember pausing for like 5 minutes to go, "Cobras?! Reallyl?Ponyville Cobras?! Highly venomous Ponyville Cobras? In Ponyville? Really? Cobras? Seriously? Cobras?"
Also, while Chryssi was going through Tone's memories, maybe it's just me, but I wish he'd taken a moment after leaving Twilight's Library to look in a passing mirror and say, "Told you..."
11621654
It's worth noting that Ponyville also has a Fluttershy, and if anyone would have a cobra in Ponyville, it would be her.