Jumper

by lollipopchica

Chapter 10

Author's Note:

Thanks for all the interest and commentary so far! I already have life half of this written so I'm mostly posting chapters as I finish up a new chapter (I'm currently working chap 24). But if I think it'll take me a bit longer in between post, I'll post 3 chapters instead of two.

Hope you all are well and safe!

-Lolli C.

“Did you guys know that Cadence and Chrysalis are related?” Pinkie Pie casually baited at breakfast.

“Good one, Pinkie!” Applejack rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her milk. “Stop making things up!”

“I promise, I’m not!” She defended with a mouth full of brownie.

“We’d believe you except Cadence already said they weren’t.” Rarity chimed in as she worked on a new fashion design in her notebook.

“I know,” Pinkie enthused. “That’s the crazy part! “

“Come off it! None of us are falling for your pranks today.” Rainbow Dash griped as she struggled to complete some last minute homework she’d forgotten.

“Guys I’m not lying! Like why would I lie?” At the look on bubbly girl’s face, some of the girls became thoughtful.

“Why would Cadence lie?” Came Fluttershy’s timid voice as she actually considered what the other girl had to say. “You forgot to subtract that part,” she looked over Rainbow Dash’s shoulder as she helped with her homework.

“That’s a good question,” Applejack conceded as she thought about their new friend and her new student. “We should ask her.” Chrysalis was rough around the edges for sure, but why lie about being sisters?

“I’m sure she has her reasons,” Rarity stated as she looked up from her sketch. “Is it wise to pry?” The two girls seemed like polar opposites. She found Cadence to be a beautiful and worldly influence who also held her loyalty. The fashionista was sure she had good reason for whatever she did if she did anything like Pinkie was saying to begin with.

“So we’re actually believing the Queen of Pranks?” Rainbow Dash deadpanned as she looked up from her work annoyed by both her homework and her friend. She still hadn’t forgotten the cupcake episode. The faint scar on her leg spoke volumes.

“It’s not my fault that you’re so deliciously prankable.” Pinkie smirked devilishly to Dash’s glare.

“Simmer down now gals.” Applejack sighed looking warily between the two. “Why not just ask Cadence when she shows up?”

“Ask Cadence what?” Twilight repeated as she took a seat with her friends. Today’s line was unnaturally long even if she did linger in study period a bit longer than normal.

At first, no one wanted to say anything all too aware of how much Twilight seemed to adore the other girl.

“Guys?” Twilight prompted when no one would meet her eyes.

Rainbow Dash groaned as she simply gave up on her homework. “Pinkie says that Cadence and Chrysalis are sisters.”

“Chrywho?”

“The other girl that was new...” Applejack prompted. Twilight scrunched up her face as she raked her mind for this other new girl.

“She dresses like an emo, rebel leader...” Rarity added.

Twilight laughed off Dash’s statement as she finally visualized the girl in question. She’d seen her bickering with Maud Pie and abusing Fluffle Puff in the halls before. From what she saw, this Chrysalis was always cracking sarcastic quips at anyone who seemed to piss her off. Firstly, there was no way Cadence had a sister that she didn’t know about with as much time as they hung out together. And if she did, it certainly wouldn’t be that rude girl, she thought vocalizing her thoughts. “And how would you know anyway? Aren’t you too old for pranks now, Pinkie?”

“I was at her house, Genius.” Blue eyes shone with pride.

“I’ve been to her house a dozen times.” Twilight shrugged.

“Yea but have you ever been over for dinner?” Pinkie bragged.

“Pfft...” The other’s looked on curiously as she muttered the last part. “No...”

“What was that, I don’t think we heard you.” Rainbow Dash goaded with a grin as she forgot her homework. It wasn’t often Twilight was shut down like that.

“No I’ve never actually been inside of her house.” Twilight stated lowly as she dug into her lunch a little more aggressively than necessary.

“So you wouldn’t know?” Rarity vocalized her surprise.

“Guys, I’m telling you. My sister was shocked too.”

“Then why all the secrecy?” Fluttershy wondered aloud what they were all thinking.

“That’s what I’ve been saying!”

*****

Fluffle Puff was not your average pony person. Sure one could say she was a little slow, but she was not so dimwitted as to realize that something was wrong with her friend.

‘Whats going on today?’ She signed at Maud who in turn asked the question and added her own thoughts.

“You’ve been bitchier than usual.” She agreed recalling the poor girl who’d run into Chrysalis earlier in the hallway. She hadn’t seen someone torn a new one like that in ages.

“My parents are sending me away for winter break.” Fluffle blinked. “They’re sending me to my grandmother’s so that I can get closer to my mother’s side.”

‘Forever?’

“I don’t know. They said they didn’t like the person I’m becoming and that I’ve been overly emotional and callous. I’ve barely spent any time with my mother in the last month and the first thing out of her mouth is that I’m an emotional wreck.”

’Well, I think you’re an angry girl for sure!’ Fluffle signed enthusiastically.

‘If you weren’t so brain dead, I think I’d hate you.’ Chrysalis deadpanned as she managed to sign the words.

Fluffle smiled. Maud, however, was not impressed. Only Chrysalis would pick up something like signing so she could insult someone.

“Maybe you might just enjoy yourself.” Maud shrugged. “I’d love to leave this place.” She didn’t mind Bay City, but she always imagined she’d settle in a mountain town somewhere else. “The fact that you’re so worked up only proves your mother’s point. Don’t take this the wrong way, Chrys, but you are a temperamental girl.”

‘Agreed!’ Fluffle communicated. As the weeks went on, their newest friend seemed to grow more and more bitter.

“You don’t even know what temperamental means,” Chrysalis shot back at the fluffy pony person.

“Case in point,” Maud commented absently. “We like your ability to see life in shades of grey, but if you’re going to treat us like shit, then we have other vices that actually make us feel good.” Maud turned back around in her seat and motioned for Fluffle to do the same. With a smile and a shrug, the fluffle pony person followed her lead, effectively ending the conversation.

Chrysalis flushed in embarrassment.

Lately she’d been attacking everyone for problems of her own creation. Cadence wholeheartedly deserved whatever she got. Her parents had done a lot even when she refused to tell them why. Shining Armor only tried to befriend her and instead of being decent, she shut down and left him in the dark.

Maud and Fluffle had been so nice to her. Maud hadn’t even brought up her relationship with Cadence yet, electing to let her share her own secrets.

With a frown, she realized she really was a bitch.

With a sigh, she forced herself to pay attention to her first period teacher.

“What...” Her eyes widened in genuine shock when she saw a photo of changeling citizens in their capital on the projector.

“Changelings are not only physically different, but they are also culturally different believing in a caste system as opposed to free will.” The teacher was saying.

“Aren’t they like succu...bi...bisses- or something?” One kid asked eliciting snickers from some of the students.

“Not quite, but they do feed off people’s emotions. Primarily love.”

Swallowing down the disgust some of her other classmates were feeling, Chrysalis listened on.

“They can’t all be like that. I don’t see any harm in letting a person prove themselves before judging them so harshly.” Maud chimed in thoughtfully.

“Let’s review their history, shall we? For centuries, changelings have been considered duplicitous due to their unique magical abilities and their parasitic need to siphon love from other people.“ The teacher continued matter-of-factly. “The Dark Trials of 1752 are a prime example of the destructive seeds a changeling can sew if given the chance. The tragedy that befell the Port of Semele is also another example of the hostilities that Changelings have been a part of.”

The teacher paused before addressing the class.

“Have any of you heard of Equestrian Order 786?”

A couple of students raised their hands, while most shook their heads no.

“In the last twenty years or so, Equestrians have become a much more tolerant people, and thus have opened our borders to our Badland neighbors. Changelings have seen the majesty of this land are immigrating here in record numbers. Canterlot even boasts a Changeling Embassy, run and established by the Royal Alicorn family. Assimilating into Equestrian society, however has proven to be the biggest challenge.“

“What will this new law do?” Shining Armor asked, intrigued and put off by this new topic.

The teacher smirked. “Equestrian Order 786 aims to help changelings assimilate into proper society. Not only does it make changeling magic illegal, but it also dissuades a lings natural desire for subterfuge with strict laws and punishments, showing that duplicity will not be accepted here.” The sharp taste of pride was the worst.

Before Chrysalis knew it, her hand was raised and her temper had overshadowed any of her newest realizations or declarations to be better.

“I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Are all teacher bigots or are you an exception?”

Twenty sets of eyes turned to her, betraying their disbelief and shock at her nerve.

“Excuse me?” The teacher sputtered as she turned red in the face. “What did you just call me?!”

Fifteen minutes later, and the Halfling found herself fuming outside of the classroom as she tossed her backpack angrily to the ground.

The fuck she was going to the principal’s office.

The nerve of that uppity teacher, she thought mortified to learn that’s what pony people thought of her and her family. Sure there were some bad lings, but bad people were everywhere, race aside. Wiping furiously at her eyes, she dropped to her knees to grab her books that spilled out of her bag.

“What an ignorant cow!” She seethed reaching for her things.

”You’re not just rude, you’re reckless.”

She looked up to see Shining Armor staring down at her with her personal sketchbook in hand.

“What do you want?” She sneered not caring that she probably seemed more of a brat than she did a rational upperclassman.

“You seemed really upset and I wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

“Well I’m fine.”

“Clearly.” He rolled his eyes at the display, hating that he was so well-versed in shitty girl behavior. Dropping down to one knee, he grabbed her bag and held it open for her. “For the record, I don’t think you were wrong but calling our teacher a ‘bigot’ maybe wasn’t the best way to go about it.

“Why should I censor myself for someone like that? Why should I be anything other than what I am? What’s so wrong with me?” Green eyes blazed as the darker teen found herself expressing her true thoughts. “I’m so sick of all this fucking pretense and these frauds walking these halls and pretending to be something they’re not.” She honestly hadn’t meant to speak so freely, but once she started she couldn’t stop. “I guess if you aren’t all rainbows and cupcakes there’s no place for you here! She really thinks that Equestrians are better than anyone or anything else- and yet I’m the bad guy?!”

“Hey...” He carefully grasped her arms and looked her in her face. “It’s okay...”

His gaze certainly was disarming, she thought as she heard herself stuttering like an idiot. If it were anyone else, she’d have freaked out, but Shining Armor seemed to always be around encouraging the best in her- even if he didn’t know it.

“Chrysalis?”

“I p-prefer Rude Girl...” A flash of familiarity came over him as he studied the faceted girl in front of him.

“No, you’re Chrysalis.” Even though they weren’t friends he could tell she wasn’t as bad as she acted. “Let’s take a walk.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened as her mind processed his offer. “B-but what about class?” And Cadence, she wanted to add.

“I think I can miss a day.” The two stood and he handed her her bag.

“We’re not friends... Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because you liked my drawing.” He grinned to which she blushed. “I don’t see anyone else out here checking on you.”

Averting her eyes as she accepted his statement. Not even Maud or Fluffle had followed. Chrysalis conceded that maybe she was a little difficult at times and that she owed her friends an apology. “Thanks,” she muttered, “I guess I have been a queen bee.”

“I’m sure you have your reasons,” he shrugged with that grin again.

Chrysalis thought she felt her heart skip.