Death of a Queen

by Arkane12

5: Sacrifices

Back when Equestria had been nothing more to her than a name on a map, Chrysalis had enjoyed watching the sun rise. Every morning, either on her own or through the mind of one of her drones, she’d watch the first few streaks of pink split the night sky. Something about the time appealed to her. The cold shadows of the night had not entirely faded, yet the sun’s rays still carried a nostalgic warmth with them. Perhaps she simply enjoyed the way each morning felt like a new beginning, the day before little more than a memory now.

Now, as she watched dawn approach through the glass of her hospital window, that innocent hope never appeared.

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I can’t help you.” Thorax sat a few feet from the edge of Chrysalis’ bed, close enough for comfort, but still outside her restricted range. The fresh bruise staining his muzzle was evidence enough for that.

“Please, Thorax, there must be something you can tell me. Anything.” Whatever mask Twilight had been hiding beneath, her voice betrayed the inner hostility and helplessness of a scolded filly.

“I’ve never seen magic like this, Twilight.” Thorax shook his head.

“What about the other changelings? Some of them must have been close enough to Chrysalis to have seen this magic,” Twilight pleaded desperately.

“I’ve already tried to contact the other changelings back in the hive. None of them know anything about this either. They’re as lost as we are.” Thorax finally glanced up from his former queen to the princess beside him.

“Then what about books? Some of your books might give me a starting point.”

“We don’t write books, Twilight. Whatever information we need is kept in the hivemind. The only books we have are to help us learn about other cultures so we can blend in. We don’t even use those that often.” Twilight slunk to the floor. Thorax returned his focus to Chrysalis.

“Wait.” Twilight launched herself back up to her hooves, getting uncomfortably close to Thorax. “The hivemind. Can you try to retrieve Chrysalis’ memory of the spell?”

Thorax leaned away from the purple pony. “It’s not that simple, Princess.” With a sour expression, he turned to the bed-ridden changeling.

“Go ahead and tell her. I have nothing to hide at this point.” Chrysalis commanded.

Though it had been months since she ruled the hive, Thorax still maintained the instinctive pull to heed her orders. Princess Twilight gawked at them both, anxious for any new information they might provide. “We can’t see Chrysalis in our hive mind.” He stuttered as he said her name. It sounded wrong to him.

“Because she’s the queen?” Twilight asked, her hopes shattered.

“Because I can’t be part of the hivemind if I’m no longer part of the hive. I’ve been abandoned.” Chrysalis held her head high in unfounded pride.

“We didn’t abandon you.” Thorax whined like a wounded pup. He refused to meet her eyes. “I would never abandon you.”

“And that’s why you’ll never be a true king, Thorax.”

The changeling leaned back in his chair, letting his crown hang low atop his head.

“That’s not fair, Thorax has done a great job leading the new changelings.” Twilight interjected.

A short silence settled across the room before Chrysalis finally asked the question bubbling in her head. “Why are you still here, Thorax? The rest of the hive has left me behind. You should’ve done the same.”

“You could come with us, Chrysalis. Rejoin the hive.”

“Why are you still here, Thorax?”

“It would be just like old times.”

“Why are you still here, Thorax?”

The sudden anger in Chrysalis’ voice caused the others to recoil. Twilight knew deep in her gut that she should stay out of this. She felt the same whenever Celestia and Luna fought, too. Still, it felt even worse to stand idly by while her friend was berated. Thorax searched his mind for an answer he could use. He didn’t want to lie. Several times he tried to speak, but his words fumbled and died as they crossed his lips.

“Why are you still here, Thorax?” There was no rage this time, no animosity. Instead, Twilight thought she heard remorse in the Queen’s voice. Like a mother forced to scold her teary-eyed child.

“I don’t want you to die.” Thorax finally choked out.

“We both know the rules.”

“The rules are stupid.”

“They’ll keep you alive.”

“We don’t need to live like that anymore.”

“You don’t need to.”

“We can teach you.”

“Thorax, please?” Chrysalis begged. Her eyes filled with the sorrow of a long life. “Consider it my last order.”

“You’re not the queen anymore.” He hated the words, even if he had to say them. “You don’t get to order me around.”

Chrysalis didn’t argue. Instead, she let herself rest against her freshly fluffed pillow. She closed her eyes. Likewise, Thorax let himself fall back in his seat, defeated. Twilight bit her tongue until she could taste a metallic tang. Beneath their spoken words lay an entire conversation, though Twilight didn’t know where to start. Perhaps she could talk to Thorax later, ask him what had happened. For now, though, Twilight had come no closer to finding a cure for Celestia. Thorax had hardly been her first solution, but it dealt a hefty blow to her efforts, nonetheless.

---

“You should go get some rest. Luna told me she’d set aside a room for you in the castle.” Twilight put a hoof on Thorax’s shoulder. It had been four hours since their discussion. Neither changeling had spoken since.

“Huh?” Thorax blinked; his train of thought derailed.

“It’s been a long day. You should rest.” She repeated. The irony of the statement would go unnoticed by every occupant in the room.

“You’re right.” He didn’t sound like he believed it, but he rose from his chair regardless. “Luna told us about that. Pharynx has been waiting up there all day, probably.” He gave an unconvincing chuckle.

“You guys have a way to feed, right?”

“Don’t worry, Princess, we can take care of ourselves.” He turned to Chrysalis. She turned as far as she could to avoid his gaze. “I’ll be back tomorrow to feed you again.”

“You don’t need to be here daily.” Chrysalis muttered.

“I didn’t think so either. Then Doctor Heart told me about your leg. It’ll never heal if you don’t have the energy for it. Besides, I’ve got plenty of love to spare. I hope you know that.”

Chrysalis didn’t answer, but the silence said plenty.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, Twilight. Will you be leaving too?” Thorax asked.

“I think I’ll stay a little longer.” Twilight smiled.

“Right. Well, if you want to talk about anything, I’ll be just down the hall from you. I might not be able to help you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try.” With a nod to her and a longing look to Chrysalis, he left.

Twilight flipped the switch on the wall, plunging the room into darkness. The sun had already started to sink beneath the horizon, casting an orange glow across the scene. She moved to Celestia’s side, pulling a chair up behind her. While seated, she lay her head across the alicorn’s white fur.

“Don’t you think you were a little hard on him?” Twilight’s head didn’t move as she spoke.

“I think he’s being too lenient.” Chrysalis answered, equally as disinterested in focusing on the alicorn. To the unknowing eye, they both would’ve appeared to have been asleep.

“He really does care about you, you know?”

“That’s why I’m disappointed.”

“Seems cruel to me.”

Chrysalis snorted. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand. It’s a changeling thing.”

“Really? I haven’t seen any changelings abandoning one another in the streets. You sure this isn’t just a ‘Chrysalis’ thing?” Twilight didn’t bother to hide the venom creeping into her voice.

Chrysalis stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating her next statement carefully. “How does it feel, Twilight, to watch Celestia die? To sit there and know that there’s a chance she might never wake up. This person who’s been such a massive influence on your life and who you love like family might be dead within the next few weeks?”

Twilight didn’t answer. Chrysalis hadn’t expected one. “I’d wager it hurts. An unbearable agony deep in your soul. A wound that time will never fully restore. You wonder if there’s anything that can be done to save them. You’d trade anything for just a little more time with them.”

“Stop it, Chrysalis. I don’t want to hear this.” Chrysalis didn’t hear her.

“Let me tell you a story.”

“I said stop, Chrysalis.”

“Centuries ago, a hatching was born into the hive. It’s chitin never grew properly. He couldn’t supply enough love to feed and heal himself in the hive. Any attempts to leave and try his hoof at infiltration would’ve seen him torn to pieces beneath the sandstorms of the badlands. He had to be cared for every single day of his life.

“The next year rolled around, and with it, a new generation of drones would hatch. Too many. We didn’t have the resources to feed them all. I decided that what little we had would be rationed. They’d be given just enough to live. Several of the older drones volunteered their shares, but it still wouldn’t be enough. We couldn’t spare enough for the weak.

“It took three days for him to lose his struggle. The hive didn’t object. The drone himself didn’t object. In his final moments, he couldn’t have been happier. He would die a hero of the swarm. I felt him draw his last breath, cradled to my chest. The hive honored his sacrifice, but his name would be lost to the ages. I might be the only one who remembers him now.

“He is but one in the sea of faces that haunt me when I close my eyes. The mother that couldn’t save them. The hive would survive, though. That became the first rule of the Changelings. Those who couldn’t provide for the hive would be left behind. Thorax disregards that lesson, and in doing so, endangers his hive. That is why he will not survive as king.”

“Chrysalis, how could you –”

“I am a monster, Twilight Sparkle.”

Finally roused from her embrace, Twilight could only watch as the first rays of moonlight shimmered against the black shell of the changeling queen. Her eyes were locked far beyond the horizon, watching far into the past. The lavender alicorn swallowed the bile in her throat. She recognized the look on Chrysalis’ face. She’d seen Celestia use the same stoic mask to hide.

“Thorax found another way.” Twilight shook.

“For now. There will come a day when the love they provide one another won’t be enough. From there, his decisions will shape the new hive. They will attempt to return to the way of life I trained him for, and they will likely still die. Or, they will beg the ponies to save them, and spend the rest of history as pets to you and your princesses. Such are the choices of leaders, Twilight. I thought Celestia would’ve taught you that.”

“You don’t know anything about Celestia. She would never sacrifice her subjects or her friends. She’d find another way.”

“She already has, Twilight. Her sister for her subjects. Ask Luna, if you really don’t know what I’m talking about.” Twilight didn’t need to ask. “And what about you, Twilight. Will you be able to make that same choice, in her shoes?”

“I told you, I’d find another way.”

“What about to save Celestia. Here and now. Would you sacrifice a pony you’ve never met to save your mentor? You could spin it however you like. You could tell yourself you only chose the way you did for the good of Equestria. Maybe you secretly like the way control feels. Doesn’t matter.”

“I’m nothing like you, Chrysalis.” Twilight bit her tongue.

“You keep repeating that. Maybe one day it’ll be true.”

“That’s enough.” Twilight returned to her mentor’s side.

A bitter jealousy crept into her heart at how quickly the changeling had been able to nod off. When the guard came to retrieve the princess, she hadn’t been sleeping. Even once they’d escorted her to her chambers, where she cowered beneath heavy wool sheets, sleep refused to overtake the alicorn. Her mind constantly shifted to the room around her. Her symbol, painted on the wall, a mocking sign of her immense magical prowess. Experiments meant to heal the princess lay scattered across a multitude of desks and tables, all catastrophic failures. The tomes sat on the shelves, ignorant of any critical knowledge.

Like sharks amidst a bloody wreck, Chrysalis’ words circled through Twilight’s head. She would never sacrifice a pony for her princess. She felt reasonably sure of that. Still, the question made her think. She’d just about run out of leads and Celestia only grew worse with each passing day. What would she give to save her? What cost could she live with? As dawn broke, Twilight had an idea. A terrible idea, but an idea, nonetheless.

Much to the surprise of her personal guard, Twilight left her quarters early. The princess moved with a fierce determination, forcing them to trot quickly to keep up with her. Down a rather regal flight of stairs. Past the kitchens and the enticing scent of a warm breakfast. Between the confused soldiers standing at attention outside the royal court.

With a flash of magic, Twilight forced the doors open. The sudden noise nearly knocked Luna from the throne at the other end of the marble hallway. The mare’s march continued past portraits, depicting her and her friends’ adventures through shards of stained glass. Memories of each disaster sought to direct Twilight from her path, but she wouldn’t stop.

“Twilight. I hadn’t expected you to be up so early. Did you need a sounding board for a new hypothesis? More supplies for a new experiment?” Luna asked, a little intimidated by the sheer willpower of her sister’s student.

“Luna, I need you to do something for me.” Twilight’s hooves stopped at the base of the stairs leading to the throne. Even with the red carpet, she could feel the cold stone underneath.

“Of course, Twilight.” Luna leaned in closer, eager.

As she spoke, Chrysalis’ words echoed through her mind. She would never sacrifice another pony, but she couldn’t deny the kernel of truth hidden within the lesson. There was no doubt this would be dangerous, but maybe that would be the cost.

“Luna.” Twilight drew a deep breath. “I want you to release Chrysalis.”

Comments

[Zhafran]

I though, Twilight would have a discussion with her friends first, but okay...

[Arkane12]

10421545
Don't worry. She's got a plan.

[Razzy]

That was heavy.

Well, it only makes sense. Conservation of mass and energy dictates that you cannot make something out of nothing. The changelings will eventually outstrip whatever love they can produce or receive.

'Centuries ago, a hatching was born into the hive' -

[lainverse]

10440014
Except love is an emotion. How exactly changelings acquire energy from it is a mystery on its own which even changelings themselves may not truly know. In a world saturated with magic as much as Equestria our laws of physics simply can't apply since magic must be accounted in equations. It stand aside the mass and the energy and can turn into either. So, we are talking about mass, energy and magic preservation, and don't forget there are different types of it as well each whimsical in its own way.

So, can changelings produce infinite energy? Likely not, but what if they can absorb magic from environment now and radiate it with their emotions to let others consume it and turn into energy? This way they can have supply of energy as long as there's magic without relying on ponies doing first half for them. Magic is clearly comes from "renewable" source similar to wind and solar power. They are not infinite, but when they run out that will be least of our problems. May not even be ours. Magic in their world is likely similar, so they shouldn't run out unless something catastrophic happen.

[Azure Drache]

Interesting so far. There are a few spots I need to re-read to get sure about them, but besides that good work.

[SuperSaiyanDiclonius]

10530941
To be fair, emotions are chemical reactions on our brains. It's possible that Changelings feed off the chemical.

[Nailah]

Hmm... This was certainly different. I do agree that it feels out of place for Twilight to not confide in her friends, but die to the injuries of Celestia, it makes sense she'd be panicked. The thing I liked most about this chapter was your portrayal of Thorax, it feels very in line with Canon, yet also giving a bit of your own unique charm. Interesting

[Yubella]

“Luna.” Twilight drew a deep breath. “I want you to release Chrysalis.”

Trap. Instantly call trap