9: A Study in Contrasts
“You know, Twilight,” Fluttershy almost couldn’t believe the disaster she’d stumbled into, “I thought you’d be more organized.” Books ranging across a wide spectrum of topics had been stacked on the tables that lined the room. Loose pages, both from damaged books and scrawled notes were scattered across the floor.
“Yeah,” Twilight said like it was no big deal. “Normally Spike handles that part. With him gone, I’ve had to . . . ” She winced. “Improvise.”
“Don’t you have servants?” Chrysalis brushed past the two, focus locked on the carpeted storage area beneath the large window on the far wall. Heavy purple curtains had been drawn, blocking the midday sun. She squeezed into a small opening surrounded by dusty crates of books and miscellaneous scientific junk.
“I thought about that.” Twilight stepped aside to let Thorax through before closing the door. “They tried their best, but I couldn’t find anything I needed. I figured I’d rather have it be a mess than not be able to find something. Plus, I couldn’t do that to Spike.”
Fluttershy examined a strange glass contraption on the nearest table. A metal ring propped a thin glass file over an exposed flame. A small black rock was submerged in a bubbly pink liquid. “So, what is all this stuff?”
“My experiments. I’ve been mixing different materials to try and find a cure. None of them have done anything so far.” Twilight joined her friend’s side. “This one is my most promising. I’m attempting to mix a potion that can nullify a changeling’s magic.”
“So, what’s that floating in it?” Fluttershy asked, tapping the glass. The small stone sank slowly to the bottom.
“It may or may not be a shard of a changeling’s horn. I have so far been able to weaken their magic but can’t outright nullify it.” She scratched behind her ear. “It shows promise, but it’s still a long way from working on whatever’s wrong with Celestia.”
“Okay.” Fluttershy tapped the glass a second time, generating a small cloud of bubbles.
“So, what exactly are we supposed to do?” Thorax asked.
“Observe for now. If I have need for either of you, I’ll let you know.” Twilight offered him an enthusiastic nod. “Until then, just make sure she behaves herself.” Thorax joined Chrysalis in her impromptu box hive. From his perch, he watched the two ponies continue their introductory lecture, but neither changeling really listened for long.
“So, do you want to talk about what just happened?” Thorax asked, prodding Chrysalis. “Back in Celestia’s room.”
“No,” Chrysalis slapped his hoof away with her own, “we don’t need to talk about it.”
“I think we do.”
“Why would I care what you think?”
“Mutual respect?” He shrugged. Though Chrysalis tried her best to hide it, Thorax could hear a muffled snicker under her breath.
“Has Twilight been taking good care of you while I was gone?” Thorax thoughtlessly retrieved one of the books from a nearby box. The title resembled a sort of inane scribbling, but there was a rather impressive drawing of a leaf on the cover.
“Oh, I’m sure she and Luna will be all too happy to take care of me.” Chrysalis snorted.
“I don’t know. If you can save Celestia, maybe they’ll go easy on you.” He exchanged his tome for another. This one appeared to be an index of monsters. He opened to the Bugbear and examined the page. A few of the sheets seemed to be missing here and there.
“You really don’t know how this works, do you?” Without raising her head from the floor, she glanced upwards at Thorax. “They’ll never let me go. I’ll spend the rest of my eternal life as a statue for little foals to point at, telling stories about the big bad Changeling Queen.”
“I don’t think . . .”
“Or maybe, If I’m lucky, they’ll just decide to kill me. Would be nice to take a break from all this.” She motioned to the world around her with a foreleg.
“That’s not funny.” Thorax frowned, turning the page. Thorax didn’t recognize this monster.
“Who said it was a joke?”
“I might be able to talk to Twilight. Maybe you can come back to live with us?” Thorax asked hopefully. He flipped another page. A changeling. His mouth felt dry.
“Like that would be any better. They’d never accept me back. They shouldn’t accept me back.”
Thorax slammed the book shut and hauled it over his shoulder, earning an intense glare from Twilight. “The changelings would love to have you back. A lot of them have missed you.”
She blew a puff of air that almost sounded like the start of a laugh.
“I mean it.”
“No, you don’t. Even if they would accept me, I wouldn’t go back.”
“Why not?” Thorax noticed Fluttershy nodding eagerly at Twilight. He hadn’t heard the question, but she seemed excited.
“I’m not the queen anymore, Thorax. I would hope you’ve figured that out by now.” She tugged on his antler with her teeth, nearly tipping the king off his wooden throne.
“Hey, stop that.” He pulled himself free with a grunt. “Then don’t come back as queen. Maybe an advisor. Or a general. Or just a friend.” He wanted to reach out and comfort her but thought better of it. She didn’t seem to be in the mood for comfort.
“We both know that wouldn’t work.” Though her melancholy words dampened his spirits, he knew deep down he agreed with her, no matter how badly he wanted to deny it. Of course, he hadn’t expected her to take him up on his offer anyway.
Thorax let his legs relax, hanging them over the edge. He didn’t want to keep talking, but he couldn’t handle the deafening silence between them. He tried to tune back into Twilight’s rant, but the string of names and overly complex terminology just made the ache in his head worse. To her credit, Fluttershy at least seemed to be doing her best to keep up.
“Why do you still care, Thorax?”
The question blew Thorax off his crate. The two ponies cast concerned glances in his direction, but he smiled and waved to show he wasn’t seriously hurt. He hauled himself back up onto his platform. “What kind of question is that? Did you think I wouldn’t care?”
“Truthfully? I don’t know any reason you should.”
“You don’t?” Thorax flipped himself onto his back, splaying his memories across the bright white paint that lined the arched ceiling. “You raised me. You’re my queen.”
“I’m not your queen anymore, remember?” Her accusatory remark sunk into his ribs like a blade. He hadn’t meant it like that. Still, he didn’t deny he said it.
“You were my queen. You know, my first memory is of you sitting in the nursery, watching over us as we hatched.”
“I don’t remember that,” Chrysalis said, remembering the exact moment he spoke of. “I raised a lot of changelings.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you were there. You watched over us as we grew. Trained us to survive in a world that hated us—”
“Led you into a full-on war with ponies, drove my own hive to leave me behind to seek better lives, and buried my own sons and daughters. Give me some time, I’m sure I can come up with more.” Chrysalis retreated inward, tucking her head down into the dark. “You should go home. Take care of them. Do better than I could.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Thorax whispered. He couldn’t tell if she heard him.
Hours passed while Twilight ran Fluttershy through each brew she had in the works. Fluttershy did her best to try and engage Twilight but eventually accepted her role as more of a soundboard to bounce ideas off. Occasionally, the less studious pony offered a solution she thought would offer some merit. A few suggestions led Twilight to add another page to the growing heap of notes, while others were shot down almost immediately. By the time the two were finished with their work for the day, neither changeling could tell if they’d accomplished anything.
“I should head back to my room. It’s getting pretty late, and Pharynx will probably be wondering where I am,” Thorax explained. With a fond farewell to the rest of the group, he left. Chrysalis found the silence more agonizing without hearing his quiet breathing nearby.
“I’ll have one of the guards escort you down to dinner, Fluttershy.” Twilight retrieved one of her underlings and assigned him to Fluttershy. “Go ahead and start without me. It might be awhile before I’m able to join you.”
“Alright, Twilight. If you’re not down in an hour, though, I’m coming back up here to carry you down, myself. Spike made me promise.” The two of them shared a quick laugh, and then she too vanished into the winding corridors of the castle.
“And what about me?” Chrysalis asked, finally rising from her alcove.
“I’d almost forgotten you were here.”
“Glad to see I leave such an impact.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes.
“I’ll take you back to your room in a bit. I just have to finish recording my thoughts for tonight. Apparently, I only have an hour,” Twilight joked.
“Oh yes, Fluttershy’s threat,” Chrysalis mused, stretching her cramped muscles.
“That wasn’t a threat, it was a joke.” Twilight shook her head.
“Oh, it was a joke then.” Chrysalis widened her eyes in mock insult.
“What is your problem with Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, setting her quill down to give her prisoner her full attention.
“I don’t know what you mean. I don’t have a problem with Fluttershy,” Chrysalis lied.
“And I’m queen of the changelings.” Twilight rose from her seat. “Don’t lie to me, Chrysalis.”
“I shall lie to you as I please.”
Twilight threw her hooves up in defeat. “Fine. Don’t talk. Suffer in silence over there, by yourself. I couldn’t care less.”
“I’d prefer if one of the guards could return me to my room. I have a lot of being imprisoned to catch up on.”
“If it means I get some quiet to focus on my work, then fine.” She hollered for her escort, “Would you mind taking Chrysalis back to her room for the evening. I’ll send someone up to relieve you shortly.” The guard bowed, drawing his spear and herding Chrysalis towards the stairs. She allowed him to chaperone her back to her quarters before slamming the door in his face.
She made her way into the rather ostentatious bathroom connected to her room. A dull tan paint gave the bathroom a more personal feeling. A marble sink sat atop a wooden cabinet stocked with basic toiletries. She hadn’t bothered to explore the bathroom during her time here. She’d never had a reason to use it.
In the corner, Chrysalis finally found what she’d hoped would be here. A porcelain tub held in place with half a dozen golden dragon claws. The bath had been sized to fit fully grown alicorns with room to spare. Still hovering in the air, she used her hooves to turn the water on and kicked the door closed. It took less than a minute before a column of steam flooded the room.
The mirror over the sink showed an image of a changeling queen. She allowed her reflection to study her body for a moment. Her chitin had grown lighter. A single shade lighter, but lighter, nonetheless. Her green mane had lost its flare, pressed flatly to her neck. She examined the remains of her horn. It looked perfectly smooth. Too perfect to be natural. She wagered that either the hospital staff or Luna had seen fit to make sure she couldn’t use it to gore them. A smart decision, for a pony.
Sufficiently disgusted with the creature staring back at her, Chrysalis pulled herself away from the mirror. She leaned against the edge of the tub, reaching down to her leg. Tugging at the buckles on her brace seemed a fruitless task. They required a dexterity she didn’t have. Desperate, she tried to gather her focus and summon her magic. A few green cinders swirled forward, extinguishing before they could even hit the soft white rug sitting on the tile.
Surrendering, Chrysalis fluttered into the air and eased her body into the hot water. She’d have to ask Doctor Heart for a new one tomorrow. Preferably, one she could use herself. Still, those were problems for future Chrysalis. Present Chrysalis wasn’t thinking at all. To any pony, the water would’ve been scalding. To a changeling, their shell provided protection from heat, meaning she needed to go overboard to feel the warmth of the water against her skin. Even the thin layer that had formed over her injured leg would be enough to keep her safe.
“Chrysalis?” Out in her room, the door opened. The changeling groaned, regretting that she’d left the light on. Twilight must’ve seen the gold shine under the door. “Chrysalis, are you in there?”
“No. I escaped and am currently leading the guards on a chase around the gardens. Try looking there,” Chrysalis yelled back before repositioning herself to a more comfortable spot.
“We need to talk. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Shut up. I’m trying to relax in here, and you’re making that very difficult.”
Silence. She hadn’t heard retreating hooves, so she guessed Twilight had rooted herself outside the bathroom door. “Do you need soap?”
“Can’t you just leave me in peace for a night. I promise I’ll ignore whatever you have to say tomorrow.”
“Chrysalis,” Twilight’s voice grew soft, “I’m not leaving until we talk.”
“Then say what you need to say and go.” Chrysalis splashed a hoof through the water. The ache in her core had finally started to fade.
“I found the book Thorax had been reading.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Twilight.”
Twilight huffed. “Fine. Just keep in mind that this is your fault.”
“What’s my—” Chrysalis jumped as a magenta light blinded her, the sudden movement sending a wave crashing over the rim of the tub. Twilight’s form materialized on the bathmat.
“This. This is your fault. Me being in here.”
“I can’t even take a bath without you bothering me, can I?” Chrysalis groaned. “Whatever happened to having privacy?” She gave an overly dramatic sigh.
“This is important. Besides, you’re our prisoner. You don’t get to have privacy.” Twilight hovered a book past her, hovering it so Chrysalis could examine the cover. A collection depicting some of the most dangerous monsters in Equestria.
“This is what’s so important?” Chrysalis sounded thoroughly unimpressed.
“Yes. Well, no. Kind of.” Twilight shook her head. “Look, just humor me, will you?”
“Fine, if I must.” Chrysalis rested her head back against the tub, closing her eyes.
“I was thinking about what you said to Fluttershy earlier.”
“Yes?” Chrysalis sank deeper below the surface. “I recall.”
“You tried to apologize, and we just ignored you. I thought Fluttershy was so upset with you because you’d scared her. I know she doesn’t take being scared well, even from ponies she knows as well as me.” She watched for any shift in the changeling’s face. “And then I saw this.” The book flipped open to the image of a generic changeling. “Fluttershy thinks you’re a monster.”
“She isn’t the only one, Twilight.”
“I think if other ponies got to know you, they’d think better of you.”
Chrysalis’ sudden laughter sent Twilight scampering backward. “I am a monster, Twilight. Remember, we had this discussion already.”
“I’ve been thinking, Chrysalis. About you.”
“Oh? Please enlighten me..”
“I . . . I’ve been reconsidering.” Twilight lay her body on the cold tiles near the door. Her vacant expression seemed to be watching beyond these four walls.
“Then why did you jump between the two of us when I stopped her?” Chrysalis’ snapped.
“I –”
“You wanted to protect her. Instinctively or not, I’m still a monster to you, Twilight. That won’t change. It shouldn’t change.”
“I don’t think that. We believed Discord was a monster.” She looked shamefully at the book held aloft by her magic. “We thought the rest of the changelings were monsters, too. I don’t want to fight you, Chrysalis.”
The two sat in silence for a long while. Twilight waited for Chrysalis to say something. To say anything. Chrysalis had no intention of indulging her. In fact, she couldn’t even think of a rational response to that revelation. She made sure not to show her confusion.
“Is that all you have to say?” Chrysalis shrugged.
Twilight nodded slowly. “I’m sorry that I made you feel that way.”
“You have every reason to think of me that way, Twilight. I’ve never given you any other.” Her water had started to cool. She couldn’t feel the warmth anymore. She couldn’t feel anything.
“Maybe we can change that.” Twilight offered a kind smile.
“Killing your princess is a pretty bad start.”
“What about saving a princess?” Twilight offered.
“That I tried to kill. You really just don’t get it, Twilight. Maybe you’ll see me in a new light. Maybe you won’t. It doesn’t really matter. All Equestria feels the same as Fluttershy. And I’m not the fondest of them either.”
“Are you fond of me?” Twilight watched the gears in the changeling’s head churn.
“No,” Chrysalis finally said. “You’re just another pony to me. Go finish your dinner now, would you? I need to draw a second bath; this one is cold now.” She refused to notice Twilight’s sullen expression. Without another word, Twilight released the lock with her magic, dragging her book along with her and leaving the changeling to her relaxing evening.
Chrysalis waited until she heard the second door close before she threw her head back. With her uninjured hindleg, she kicked the knob for the faucet, setting it as far into the red as it could. No matter how many times she refilled the tub, the water never felt as soothing as the first one.
Maybe someday, you’ll understand, Twilight.
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Three chapter at once?
Am I dreaming?
This is of interest to me.
10440946
Probably. Does that make me a figment of your imagination?
10440981
Me too
Jeez, she really sounds severely depressed.
Kinda hoping her horn isn't gone for good, Chryssie needs her forehead scythe for friendly gorings.
Can't wait for more of her past to be revealed.
10441444
All of this and more on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z (Or a few episodes. Or seasons. We'll see)
10441835
I think Luna's the more interesting of the two princesses. I have nothing against Celestia, I find that I tend to empathize with Luna more (at least how I see her). Even after her exile, I feel she still struggles with the same issue she had before. I'd like to think she can still be impulsive, but now is at least able to temper it with patience. While Celestia's patience seems almost limitless, I feel there's a very real breaking point for Luna. I don't know, maybe that's just me.
Personally, I think Fluttershy clashes best with Chrysalis. A pony who's spent almost the whole of her journey trying to overcome fear being put face-to-face with a creature from her nightmares. I think it creates a different contrast between their characters, showing just how far each of them has come down from their former extreme.
And Discord. Oh boy. I'm not sure if he'll show up. I don't even mean that narratively. I mean I have no idea if I can introduce Discord while keeping the rather somber tone. I have a few ideas I'm playing around with right now. I guess we'll both be waiting for the chapter he shows up.
Thanks for your feedback.
Oh wow. This chapter was fun. Once again I love the power dynamic between Thorax and Chrysalis.
I wonder if Chryssy realizes just how good she is at self-deception? I mean...
Methinks she doth protest too much.
So far we haven't seen where the story's 'Romance' tag comes from, but I really love Twi/Chrysalis ships, so I'm gonna really hope it's going that way.
10441853
Regarding the relationship in the story: I've never written romance before. I wanted it to be a slow burn between them, to try to make their changing relationship to seem believable. I know the tag probably confused more than a few people, but we should be getting to some fun parts soon. I hope these chapters lived up to your expectations, I'll have more for you by the 25th.
I don't know how to do spoiler tags, so I just made the wording ambiguous. It is obvious I don't know how to use this site yet?
10441857
When you're typing your comment, you can highlight the text you want hidden then click on the little box above the text box that looks like a "Sp" in a charcoal-colored box.
Alternatively, you can type [ , then spoiler, then ]. To end the spoiler, do the same thing except with a forward slash in front of the word spoiler. ( [ , then /spoiler , then ])
10441862
Ahh. We work by HTML here. That makes sense, actually.
10441876
There's also this, from Fimfiction's help section.
https://www.fimfiction.net/articles/bbcode
what kind of ship is this story?
10443365
Are you asking about who the romance is between, or just what kind of romance story is it?
The former answer is Twilight and Chrysalis.
The latter answer is a very slow, atmospheric one.
10445107
Sounds like fun
Why does this have so few readers??? This must be fixed!
Really though, great story so far. Can't wait for the next chapter. :)
10445393
Well thank you. I've enjoyed writing it as much as you've enjoyed reading it.
I've been trying to find new groups to add it to so more readers can join, but I'm not entirely sure where else to add it.
10445434
I can't think of any group off the top of my head beyond: https://www.fimfiction.net/group/629/queen-chrysaliss-changeling-swarm
Past them, I really don't know.
10445478
I'm in that one, already. Thanks for the suggestion tho.
personally, I still have not been able to accept the fact that the Changelings were able to overcome their hunger simply by sharing love among themselves. It's like trying to get useful energy from a perpetual motion machine. "the consumer will never be able to generate more energy than it consumes" - no matter how losslessly he generates energy, sooner or later he will stop.
Changelings could move closer to the crystal empire where the love they need is literally in the air, they could be more actively involved in charity, receiving the love they need in return, they could be more actively integrated into society, but in the canon they made the process of reformation as clumsy and lazy as this possibly.
I love your story and so I hope you take some time to tell the story.
10458348
Thanks for the input. I agree that it feels a little contrived. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
10458348
I figure the transformation after learning the mechanism of sharing love is similar to an Ascension, in that it gives a massive power boost. In this case, each changeling gets a reserve large enough to feed a hive, that they then share among themselves, but they still will run out.
10504463
That's the idea I was going for with this story. It works for now, but the changelings won't be able to last forever without outside help. It's why Chrysalis never viewed it as a solution. That, and her pride kept her from asking for help.
I dont like that. At all. This whole quote basically says flee while you can and destroy the research
No you dont want to 'fight' anyone. Now beating, making them submit, etcetera etcetera? Now that's what you want. Most importantly, you want to win.