The New Substitutes

by Chemtest

Chrysalis

The clack of heels can be plainly heard through the mostly silent classroom. The only noise created comes from a group of students who sit in the corner, the sounds of snapping, talking, and the turning of pages. The other students all stare at the strange group, until the door opens.

Chrysalis walks into the room, her garb being a simple black dress and heels. Her wild green hair hangs behind a face that carries both wisdom, and beauty at once. The look tied all together by an emotionless smile.

Most students look at her as soon as they hear her enter, as she seems to exude some aura of leadership. The only ones that don’t are the five students in the corner. One leans backward over his desk, tossing a ball into the air. Another snaps as the ball reaches it’s apex, turning it into a square, before snapping again and turning it back into a ball. Two of them talk over cola and cheeseits, snapping both items into something different as they talk. The final one lifts up a book, and snaps, changing it into a handheld console, already playing a game. The mismatched t-shirts and shorts they all wear makes any good fashionista go into a stroke when they look in their direction. Rarity has already been given the day off... before the class even began.

Chrysalis stops at her desk, and places down her briefcase there. She glares at them as they continue to ignore her. She turns to the other students, “My name is Q-Miss Chrysalis.” She walks over to the corner with the students in it, “And I don’t like it when people think they can get away with insubordination.”

The student throwing the ball up looks at her, “Something the problem?”

She glares right back, “When I speak, I expect you all to pay attention. When you are in school, I expect you to do schoolwork.”

The student catches the ball once more, and throws it up again, “We are doing schoolwork.”

She gives him all the anger she can manage, “And what, prey tell, would that be?”

He motions around with his other hand, “We’re studying. As Discord said, we gotta be unpredictable. Well, without this studying, what hope could we have to defeat an enemy?”

Chrysalis leans down into his face, “What’s your name, young man?”

He smiles, “Big Twist!” He then starts to ignore her and looks over to his friend who snaps at the ball, “Hey, Up Heavel? What do you do if an enemy approaches you with a sword?”

He smiles as he snaps more, “Well, first we attack, then faint, but we rise from the faint! Then we slide over to the enemy, and snap the ground under their feet into pure melted sugar! As they slowly sink in and burn to death, take a bit of the sugar and add it to your coffee.”

Chrysalis simply decides to back off, and allow the students to do whatever. She walks back up to the whiteboard, and looks at the rest of the students, “I am here to teach you tactics, and how to win not only a battle, but a war. Take out a sheet of paper, I expect to see notes.”

She draws on the whiteboard, “Say you are going against an enemy nation. They have three rulers that are near demi-gods, a weapon so powerful it can wipe you and your army out if they get to it, a reinforced city, and around one hundred trained guards. There is a wedding between a guard and one of the rulers. You have one demi-god ruler, around two hundred soldiers, and the ability for all of them to shapeshift. They are a hive mind, if the ruler is defeated, the entire army is. How do you win?”

One student raises their hand slowly, “You would overwhelm them with numbers and rush the weapon and then use it against the three rulers so the enemy will surrender early, and you can use the guards later in another assault.”

Chrysalis slightly nods at the students answer, “What is your name?”

He answers readily, “Scarlet Chorus, ma’m.”

She nods, “Good answer, but incorrect. An outright charge would cause too many casualties on your side. What’s the point of a victory if there’s nobody there to celebrate it with you?” She looks around more, “Anyone else?”

Another student raises their hand, “Meet with them to discus peace, in a hard to reach place for the enemy. Then have your soldiers cut down all the guards and any civilian that tries to alert their rulers. Claim the weapon, and get it to the location. Then duck out as your troops use the weapon against the rulers.”

Before Chrysalis can even speak, Scarlet does, “That’s stupid. You would kill all the civilians which could be used later as soldiers or workers.”

He retorts, “Oh, and having all your troops die in a full frontal assault is better?”

Scarlet scoffs, “They are mearly short term sacrifices for long term growth.”

Chrysalis interrupts the two, “What is your name?”

The student looks over to her, “Dis Favor.”

She smiles, “Right, Dis Favor, Scarlet Chorus, you are both right in a way. Both of your strategies would work, but their is a much easier way.” She draws a big word on the board, and looks back, “This is what I shall teach you. The art of infiltration and subterfuge.”

Author's Note:

Writing with Chrysalis is so hard because I always misspell her name.