The Next Chapter

by Some Leech

Chapter 7

“Anon, before I woke up and met you, how long was I out?” Cozy asked, turning and looking up at the man.

“Not long, I don’t think - maybe a few minutes,” he responded, keeping his eyes glued on the sleeping changeling.

“You two head back upstairs and bring as much of that food as you can with you. Scour the house for anything of use and take an inventory,” Cozy directed, pointing towards the stairwell. “I’ll take care of this.”

“A...are you sure? We could stay down here and back you up,” Flurry stammered, uncomfortably shifting in place.

“No. She’s never been that trustful and, besides, she doesn’t know either of you - well, not really. Just...keep an ear out for me,” Cozy explained.

“Alright. Just start shouting if things go off the rails,” Anon grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Reluctantly, he and the Princess gathered up the canned goods and proceeded upstairs, leaving Cozy in the darkened cellar with the slumbering shapeshifter. What little light there was filtered in through a hoofful of narrow windows sitting at ground-level, giving the entire area an ominous, cave-like feeling. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a second, the small pegasus slowly exhaled.

She had no way of knowing how Chrysalis would react to being awoken in such a place, under such odd circumstances, but there was no sense in delaying the inevitable. The changeling Queen was, without a doubt, a force to be reckoned with - yet it came with a price; she was temperamental, narcissistic, and vindictive, even if she had shown the capacity to work with a team. Whether or not having the Matriarch around would be a boon or a bane may well hinge on the impending exchange.

Fluttering up to the table, Cozy gently pressed a hoof to the changeling’s shoulder. “Chrysalis,” she uttered, pushing softly against the Matriarch’s hide. “Chrysalis, wake up…”

A single harlequin eye opened, its cat-like pupil dilating in the dark, as the beast stirred. Cozy flew back and hovered several feet away. She knew first hand that waking up from the stony imprisonment could be a bit disorienting and she’d needed the encounter to be as non-confrontational as possible. The Queen’s head rose, before she shifted and fell from the table.

“Easy,” Cozy cooed, flitting closer.

“Cozy Glow?” Chrysalis blurted, seemingly noticing the pegasus for the first time. “Where am I? Where’s Tirek? Who released me?” she demanded, leaping to her hooves. “If this is some trick from Starlight Glimmer or that infernal Twilight Sparkle, so help me!” she bellowed, her horn glowing weakly in the darkened room.

“Just slow down and I’ll explain everything,” Cozy explained, floating to the floor. “For starters, you’re safe - secondly, we don’t-”

“We?!” the changeling spat, baring her fangs. “You’re in league with them, aren’t you?! Those accursed ponies have wooed you with their friendship and hoped you’d win me over - haven’t they?! They’ll have to try better than that! Just you wait, I’ll crush those pitiful-”

“Would you just give me five seconds to talk?!” Cozy shouted, angrily stomping her hoof. She’d hoped that the extended imprisonment would have at least temporarily quelled the Queen’s vitriol; but, alas, that wasn’t the case. “The elements are gone and, if I had to guess, so is Starlight Glimmer.”

Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed, as she peered down at the small mare. “What do you mean gone? Surely, their sorcery is the only reason I’m free.”

Cozy paused, studying the changeling for a moment. Something seemed off, so she went with her gut. “How long were you in the statue?” she asked, lowering her tone.

“What sort of question is that? A few months, if I had to guess, but it’s not like I had a calendar to keep track. Why?” Chrysalis hissed.

The knowledge that the Queen’s imprisonment wasn’t as psychologically taxing was curious, to say the least. It may have had something to do with her biology or mental status, potential explanations she’d be rather keen on exploring later, although it made little difference at the time. The news of their exceedingly protracted absence had to be broken and she was the best mare for the job.

“Chrysalis,” Cozy began, maintaining eye contact, “it’s been well over a hundred years.”

“Lies,” the Matriarch seethed, unflinching.

“If you don’t believe me, fine, leave - if you do want to humor me, do you want the short or long explanation?” Cozy sighed.

“The short version,” Chrysalis growled.

“I was freed, attacked by the royal guards, and we’re on the lam. We don’t know what’s going on, or who’s to blame, but we’re pretty sure that Twilight has something to do with it. Honestly, we weren’t expecting to find you, but I’m glad you’re here; we need all the help that we can get,” Cozy stated.

“We...You keep mentioning we. Who is this we?” the changeling pressed.

“Flurry Heart, the Princess, and Anonymous, a human,” Cozy responded.

“Flurry Heart, the offspring of Cadance and Shining Armor? You stole a baby?” Chrysalis laughed.

Fighting the urge to facehoof, Cozy remained impassive. “Again, it’s been over a century. If you don’t believe me, I’ll introduce you to them and you can see for yourself.”

The changeling squinted down at her, possibly weighing her options. “And if I refuse?”

“You can leave, if you want, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. If they’re looking for me, they’ll probably be looking for you. It’s probably smarter that we stick together - at least, for the time being. We relied on each other once, we can do it again,” Cozy murmured, extending a hoof.

“Hmmmph! Don’t get your hopes up,” Chrysalis huffed, sauntering past the pegasus and into the expansive chamber beyond.

Rolling her eyes, Cozy took flight after the Matriarch. To her knowledge, Chrysalis had always been particularly belligerent and quarrelsome - still, she wasn’t without her merits. Before she’d lost her hive, when the vast majority of the changelings had metamorphosed into their colorful and overly friendly reformed state, she’d been quite cunning. Sadly, after her defeat at the hooves of Starlight Glimmer, her faculties had diminished to a degree.

The changeling Queen had always been a fearsome threat, being able to feast upon the energies of her foes, although her mental stability had become increasingly suspect. When she had allied herself with Cozy and Tirek, she’d been caught on multiple occasions berating or discussing her machinations with a log of wood. She was still cunning, that much was for certain, yet she wasn’t as dangerous as she had been while commanding droves of her ilk.

Buzzing by Chrysalis, Cozy moved towards the stairs. “Come on, it’s this way,” she called, slowing by the bottom step. “Just don’t freak out when you see Anon. He’s kind of...different looking.” Noticing that the regal shapeshifter had come to a halt, she paused. “Something wrong?”

“How do I know you are who you say you are? For all I know, you could be one of those simpering love-bugs who blindly followed Thorax,” Chrysalis muttered.

Thankfully, Cozy had foreseen the potential suspicion and devised a countermeasure. “We sang,” she noted, causing the changeling pique an eyebrow. “Back in Grogar - I mean, Discord’s lair, you, Tirek, and myself sang a song together. It’s time to find a better way to be bad - does that ring any bells?”

The shapeshifter faltered and her expression softened, if only in the slightest degree. As far as she knew, since they were the only ones present at the time, only the trio were aware of their melodious malcontent. Without supporting testimony from Tirek, or some sort of physical test, it was the best and only option she had to procure the Queen’s trust.

“That still doesn’t prove you’re not working for the enemy,” Chrysalis grumbled. Apparently pleased with the response, she trotted over to the pegasus.

Flying up the stairs and into the kitchen, Cozy landed and lingered by the door. The changeling emerged slowly, poking her head out to peek around the corner. She couldn’t blame the Queen for being cautious in anticipating a possible ambush, so she hung back and gave her comrade plenty of room. It was only when the lanky insectile equine fully appeared did she move to the archway leading to the living room.

In hindsight, she should have given Anon and Flurry a bit of a primer on how to handle introductions, yet there hadn’t been time. Given that the Matriarch could have easily awakened at any moment, possibly resulting in an exceedingly chaotic situation, she’d done what she could. Briskly trotting to the doorway, spying the man and Princess resting on the floor, she cleared her throat.

“Ahem - I’d like to introduce you to Queen Chrysalis,” she began, stepping aside for the changeling to show herself. “Chrysalis, this is Anon and-”

“What is that?” Chrysalis balked, rearing back and leveling a hoof at the man.

“He is Anonymous the human,” Cozy stated, swinging her hoof towards the only other pony present, “and she is Princess-”

“What in the world is a hyu-man? Are you some strange offspring of a minotaur?” Chrysalis continued, looking to the man with disdain.

“Human,” Anon clarified, steadily getting to his feet. Taking two steps forward, leaving plenty of space between himself and the changeling, he extended an open hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

The Queen glanced from his hand, to his face, then back to his hand, before flicking her head dismissively to the side. “I don’t shake,” she haughtily scoffed, only then deciding to pay the alicorn any mind.

Flurry, who had apparently thought it was a good time to get into their rations, seamlessly fished a pickle spear from a mason jar and levitated it forward. “Pickle?” she offered, smiling congenially.

“I beg your pardon?” Chrysalis chirped, eyeing the floating sliver of preserved cucumber.

“They’re sweet pickles but I think one of these jars has dill. It’s not like they’re labeled or anything, so we’re having to guess,” Flurry said, sliding a second container over.

“This,” Cozy began, struggling to fight back her growing frustration, “is Princess Flurry Heart.”

“And you’re the daughter of Shining Armor and Cadance? Tell me, is there any way you can prove you’re the progeny of those two?” Chrysalis inquired, staring down the alicorn.

“I know mom used to talk about how you almost ruined their wedding. Oh! And that time you captured the Princesses and brought them to your hive. I wasn’t even around for most of your adventures,” Flurry noted, taking a bite of her snack.

“Conquests,” Chrysalis corrected, scowling over at the Princess. “They weren’t adventures.”

“Still, they sounded exciting!” the alicorn exclaimed, resealing the jar and grinning excitedly.

Without saying a word, bearing a somewhat pained expression, Chrysalis turned and peered over at the small pegasus beside her. It was a priceless moment, one which caused Cozy to shake her head. Flurry’s cheerful demeanor, while refreshing, was hardly something she could have expected herself - still, the Princess had earned a modicum of her trust.

Anon, realizing he wasn’t going to get a handshake, plodded back over and eased himself down beside the Princess. Standing beside the changeling, at the opposite side of the room from the man and alicorn, Cozy peeked up at her former accomplice. The fact that Chrysalis hadn’t bolted was definitely a good sign, but there was still a lot of ground to cover.

“Why didn’t you think that abandoning a pint-sized pegasus, her pet hyu-man, and Princess was a good idea?” Chrysalis matter-of-factly asked.

“It’s a long story and I - excuse me - we still don’t have all the details,” Cozy groused, trotting over to a jar of pickled carrots. Pushing the container with one hoof, back to where the Queen stood, she smirked at the tall shapeshifter. “But if you want to have a snack before you go, I’ll do my best to tell you everything that we do know.”

“Very well,” Chrysalis grunted, seating herself with her back to the wall. “But if this involves anything involving the power of friendship, I’m taking my carrots and leaving,” she added, pulling the jar of cured root vegetables over to herself.

Seating herself a few feet away, making herself comfortable, Cozy did her best to recount the events since her awakening. Anon and Flurry interjected here or there, filling in a few gaps which she’d been unaware of herself - such as the Princess’ brief capture outside of Fluttershy’s derelict homestead. Chrysalis stayed quiet, for the most part, mutely eating the meager meal and listening to the tale.

As Cozy finished catching the Queen up on the recent events, the room fell silent. For the second day in a row, she’d found herself in a stranger’s house - except this time their band had grown and they still weren’t exactly sure where they were. With the sun well on its way to setting, the changeling stood, pushed the then empty jar away, and stretched her legs.

“I wish I could say it was fun, but it wasn’t. Best of luck with the little mess you’ve found yourselves in,” Chrysalis yawned, strutting towards the front door.

“You’re leaving already?” Flurry asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Without breaking pace, not even bothering to give the group a second glance, Chrysalis extended her wings. “Why would I? This is your problem with your Princess.”

“Are you so sure about that, given everything that’s happened? Unless you have some sort of official pardon hidden under that carapace, there’s a really good chance Twilight and the royal guards will be looking for you. Even you realize there’s strength in numbers,” Cozy quipped. “And,” she smugly added, “Anon did mention rogue changelings running around. I can’t be sure, but I’d bet my bottom bit that they don’t have a Queen looking over them; even if they did, she’s definitely not a Queen of your caliber.”

“Hyu-man,” Chrysalis demanded, turning to thrust a hoof in the man’s direction, “is this true?”

“Well, yeah, there are bands of them running around - at least, that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t think that they’re very organized or anything, since they supposedly only prey upon small groups, but I could be wrong,” Anon explained, giving her a shrug.

“Interesting…” the Queen hummed, shrewdly rubbing her chin. “If there are changelings who had shrugged off the bonds of friendship, to be sure, they’d revere me and my bravery…”

“I bet they even tell stories about you,” Flurry chimed in, shooting Cozy a wink.

Either the Princess had made a darn good educated guess or she’d read about the Matriarch’s vainglorious nature - regardless, the comment seemed to hit the nail on the head. Chrysalis turned, leaving her back to the exit, and stepped back into the room. Cozy breathed a sigh of relief, realizing they’d at least temporarily gained a potent ally or, at the very least, traveling companion.

“I presume you haven't scouted the area,” Chrysalis postulated, looking to each of the three in turn.

“Not yet, no. But, to be fair, it’s not like any of us could sneak around all that easily,” Cozy moped, sullenly shaking her head. “Do you think you could? I mean, you are the best one here for the job.”

“Hmmhmmhmm - Clearly,” the shapeshifter chuckled. “I suppose I could, but don’t any of you dare touch those apricot preserves. Yes, Flurry, the ones you were eyeing.”

“Oh…” Flurry sighed, begrudgingly sliding the small jar away from her flank.

“Good,” Chrysalis snickered, licking her chops and eyeing the marmalade. With her sweet prize claimed, she wheeled back around towards the front door. “I’ll be back shortly before dark.”

In a flash of brilliant green light, the changeling transformed into an innocuous flamingo hued pegasus mare and saw herself out, leaving the trio to their devices for the time being. The trio looked at each other, in silence, as they processed the arrival of their new party member - that was, until Cozy stood. The little pony smiled and trotted over towards Anon and Flurry; she could already tell, judging from the looks they were giving her, she was about to be hit with a number of questions.

“Is she always that full of herself?” Anon asked.

“Mom told me she was greedy and all, but I didn’t think she would be this bad. Do I have to give up the apricots? I’ll share them with her, honest, but I at least want a taste!” Flurry lamented.

“Believe it or not, she’s not that bad - a bit egotistical and outspoken, true, but not terrible,” Cozy countered, recalling the time she’d spent with the changeling and centaur.

She, Tirek, and Chrysalis had shared quite a bit of time together, working in concert to overthrow the imitation of Grogar. There’d been a fair bit of bickering between them, each lashing out at the other for petty grievances here or there, although they’d successfully found a way to make it work. In the end, it was their differences that brought them closer together, with each learning to rely on the others’ strengths.

Cozy’s time with them had given her something few others had - insight. Neither Tirek or Chrysalis were pure evil, driven by wickedness for wickedness’ sake - no, they were simply broken. Tragedies of the past and loss had helped shape them into what they inevitably had grown to be; it wasn’t an exoneration of their actions by any means, although getting to know them meant understanding how they functioned and why they had done the things they did.

“How not?” the Princess chirped.

The question snapped Cozy from her ruminations.“How not?” she parroted.

“You said she’s not that bad. How is she not that bad?” Flurry pressed.

Cozy pursed her lips, trying to tell if the alicorn was pulling her leg or not. It was a rare, rare thing for a Princess to genuinely ask what made a villain bad - at least, in her experience it was - and she was reluctant not to answer. She closed her eyes, thought for a moment, and drew a breath.

“Imagine having a pet cat that you raised ever since they were a little tiny kitten. You spend your whole life looking after it, doing anything you had to do to make sure it survived. You even went so far as to steal food from a grocery store to make sure the little thing was fed,” she calmly explained, keeping her voice down. “Now, after years of doing everything you could for them, the grocery owner comes into your house and tells you he’s taking your cat away to give it a new life.”

“T...that’s awful!” Flurry bleated, askance. “He wouldn’t take my kitten away! I wouldn’t let him!”

“But what about the cat?” Anon interjected. “Will the cat be alright?”

“The cat would be fine - no, better than fine. The issue is that you would have something that you’d poured your heart and soul into looking after taken away,” Cozy whispered. “That’s what happened to Chrysalis. Kindness and friendship saved her hive from starvation, yet she lost them all in the process.”

“Mom and Twilight said that Thorax and friendship saved the changelings!” Flurry attested.

“They did, yes, but that doesn’t mean everyone was happy about it. Chrysalis devoted herself to the hive, devising schemes to keep them alive and fed. Her brood was all she had - after they were gone…” Cozy trailed off.

“I am going to give her the biggest hug when she gets back!” the Princess proclaimed.

Stepping between the two, Cozy shook her head. It wasn’t her place to speak about others behind their back, though she’d had few other options. They didn’t have time for Flurry and Anon to naturally learn about Chrysalis, so she’d taken the expedited route. “Just keep quiet about this. Be patient with her and give her space, please, both of you.”

“Well, I’m still giving her the apricots,” Flurry huffed.

“I won’t say anything, don’t worry,” Anon affirmed, nodding.

“Good. Now, before it gets too dark, let’s tidy up for the night. Anon, if you could go and get us a little bit of wood from the treeline, that would be great,” Cozy instructed, swinging her attention from the man to the Princess. “Flurry, if you don’t mind, go get us some water in that pot from the kitchen. I’ll get those bedrooms cleaned out a bit and clear the chimney.”

“I think I saw some cattails by the water. Is it alright if Flurry and I go together?” Anon inquired.

“That’s fine, just try to be vigilant and don’t take too long. Until Chrysalis gets back, we don’t know what’s out there,” Cozy noted.

The three parted shortly thereafter, with Flurry accompanying Anon to fetch water and firewood. Even if they didn’t use the lumber to warm themselves, having some handy couldn’t hurt anything. With her companions gone, Cozy set herself to work making the place more livable.

They had two dingy sheets, a set of curtains that could double as a blanket, one pillow, and a tiny throw rug she rolled into a makeshift cushion; it wasn’t a lot, but it was better than sleeping on bare wood. After dividing the linens, as they were, between the two bedrooms and the living room, she checked the chimney. Thankfully, due to a metal cover over its crown, the shaft was free of debris or buildup.

It didn’t take her long to get the house as serviceable as possible, even going so far as to sweep the property a second time for anything of use. In less than an hour, Anon and Flurry made their way back with not only water and a few decent chunks of dried timber but some cattail roots as well; apparently, according to the man, the things were edible once cooked.

As afternoon dragged on, with the coming night, the three decided to start a small fire; it wasn’t a decision they came lightly to, although the water they’d retrieved had been from a marsh and, just to be safe, needed to be boiled. Chatting on into the evening, with Anon regaling them of the technological marvels of his homeland, Cozy grew increasingly concerned about Chrysalis.

She wouldn’t put it past the changeling to bolt, yet she held onto hope that that wasn’t the case. Hours passed and, though she couldn’t tell exactly what time it was, she knew it was growing late. Before she knew it, Anon and Flurry decided to turn in for the night. She’d asked that the man make himself comfortable in the living room, staying warm by the fire, while the Princess could sleep in one of the two bedrooms.

Telling her comrades that she’d join them before long, she strolled onto the back porch to wait. Sitting on the wooden planks of the small porch, she peered up at the darkened sky. She could only imagine what obstacles awaited them, but she dearly hoped they wouldn’t be in for any more abrupt surprises. She chuckled, wondering if they’d inadvertently stumble across the actual Grogar or some other mythical creature.

“Your friends are...interesting,” a voice softly noted, though she’d half expected to hear it.

“Find anything?” Cozy asked, looking to her side.

“No, unfortunately, although I believe we’re near Hayseed Junction. There’s a set of train tracks, about a mile from here, that don’t appear to have been used in some time,” Chrysalis stated, pointing over her shoulder.

“If you’re right, we shouldn’t be too far from Dodge Junction,” Cozy thought aloud, as the changeling walked up and sat next to her. Resting in the cool night air, listening to the sound of frogs in the distance, the pair looked up at the heavens.

“Is she really gone?” Chrysalis quietly inquired.

Turning her head, the pegasus blinked. “Who?”

“Starlight, Thorax, all the rest,” the Matriarch clarified, fixating on a twinkling star above.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they are…” Cozy admitted.

It was still pretty hard to comprehend, although Chrysalis would probably have a harder time coming to grips with everything. While she’d been unlucky enough to recount a large amount of her imprisonment, the changeling seemed to have inexplicably hibernated through most of her stony confinement. In a sense, she envied her chitinous companion’s lack of torment.

“Do you trust them?” Chrysalis asked, gazing down at the small pony beside her.

Cozy paused, if only for a moment, before answering. “Yeah. They’ve given me no reason not to and they’ve both fought to protect me. I’m pretty sure if you give them a chance, they’ll do the same for you.”

The changeling opened her mouth to speak, stopped, then quietly stood and moved to the door. “I’m going to bed. Tell them not to disturb me.”

“First bedroom on the right,” Cozy quietly shouted, indicating the vacant room.

Fate was a funny and fickle thing. Resting under the pale moonlight, watching fireflies dancing about in the tall grass, she pushed herself up. She really did trust Anon and Flurry, as much as she could possibly trust two creatures she’d only recently met, and she’d forged an alliance with Chrysalis ages ago. The trio with whom she’d found herself, while odd, were the only ones she could place her faith in - so she did just that. Getting to her hooves, she trotted back inside to settle in for the night.

Comments

[duckmagee]

new party member joined: queen grumpy

[GamePlayer64]

“That’s what happened to Chrysalis. Kindness and friendship saved her hive from starvation, yet she lost them all in the process.”

“Mom and Twilight said that Thorax and friendship saved the changelings!” Flurry attested.

“They did, yes, but that doesn’t mean everyone was happy about it. Chrysalis devoted herself to the hive, devising schemes to keep them alive and fed. Her brood was all she had - after they were gone…” Cozy trailed off.

Yeah... That is true. Thorax see her ways as cruelty but she just wanted to keep them alive without outside help or unnatural ways.

[ShadowLDrago]

“Is she always that full of herself?” Anon asked.

Like you would not believe.

[Resu]

I wonder how old is Chrysalis in this universe. It was never said how old she actyally is in the show. I, going by other persons fanon, belive that she had thousands, but it might not be the case in here.
On one hoof she felt that her stone inprisonment lasted months, that would point to her beeing old. On the other hoof her reaction to ponies passing away suggests that it is new to her. Do changeling eat fruit, or is it just because it tastes good?

[GrandAdmiral MitthRawN]

10387753
In the comics they said she was over 1000 years old. She was born from a magical tree.
The tree used a unicorn skull and an insect that were there and starswhirl released her by cracking the tree though he did not notice. Pretty adult material in the comics I'm not even joking that's her origins.

[Some Leech]

10397790
Yup

As an avid fan of the comics, that's my canon for her

[Razzy]

Her royal grumpiness, everyone!

Interesting that she didn't think it was long. Either she really slept through or, or she's so old a few hundred years is short for her.

'Why would I?' - Why wouldn't I? Makes more sense seeing Cozy's l question.

[KvAT]

Cozy is not only a natural strategist, she's also a natural leader. I really love seeing the logistical side of this all, so far.

10397790
The comic is PG-13 or even more, so I'm not surprised. And it's actually enjoyable to read, like maturely enjoyable.

[hmaf43]

this cozy doesn't acts like cozy at all, but i liked it.

she's like protagonists from a sub-genre of Jfantasy novel. "villain redo".