III - The Empress
The swamp was disgusting. The stench of fetid water, animal waste and death floated upwards in a never-ending stream, the foul smell made ten times worse by the humidity and unbearable heat. The few lowly creatures that were able to carve out a living here, mostly insects, buzzed around angrily, looking for new hosts to parasitize.
It would be perfect.
Queen Chrysalis' wings fluttered upwards once, signalling to her retinue to halt. She turned and eyed her guards with the disinterest, pleased to see a glimmer of fear in their otherwise stoic expressions.
"I believe I have found us a location for our new hive."
The commander bowed deferentially. "As you wish, your majesty. Shall we return to the fold and send a team of workers here tomorrow?"
There was no hint of complaint. Changelings were used to harsh, unforgiving environments, and would happily eat food that would have turned a pony's stomach at just it's smell. But even if the Queen had picked the core of an active volcano, the commander wouldn't have raised so much as an eyebrow. Challenging the Queen directly would be akin to committing suicide.
Chrysalis considered this prospect. It was a long fly back to their camp, and they hadn't fed in days. She cared nothing for the well-being of her guards, but she was well aware that, with the destruction of her old hive by the Griffons, her position as Queen was tenuous. The commander would never challenge her openly, but the question itself was challenge enough. If she failed in her duties, she might well find herself facing insurrection. And it was a Queen's duty to provide for her subjects.
"Tonight, we camp and feed. It has been many moons since we've had a good meal. I trust your reflexes are sharp as ever, Tarsus."
The commander bowed even lower. "You are most gracious, your majesty."
Chrysalis stared him down, watching intently for the slightest sign of defiance, ready to tear him to shreds if he should show any. Eventually, she turned away. It was one thing to promise a meal - finding one would be quite another. There were surely no civilized beings out in this wilderness. In fact, the last suitable meals they had come across was a Slingtail herd almost six hours journey from here. By the time they arrived, they would surely be too exhausted to hunt effectively. Besides, Slingtails were never far from dragon nests.
Scanning the horizon intently, she breathed in deeply, hoping to pick up the scent of a wild animal. The love of beasts was not as refined or as filling as the love of a sapient creature, but it would do. The overpowering stench of the swamp was the only scent she could pick up, and her heart sank as she realized that an animal could be less than a hundred metres away and she still wouldn't be able to smell it.
Her wings fluttered. They would be searching for some time yet.
Eventually, they happened upon a manticore den. Chewed bones littered the entrance, and a soft growling from within warned them against getting too close. The pack of changelings landed a safe distance away and waited.
Chrysalis strode confidently forwards, intensely visualizing the body of a female manticore as she did so. The ground at her hooves sparked and cracked angrily, and thick emerald flames shot forth from the earth, engulfing her in seconds. When the fire died down, the Queen was gone, replaced by a chimerical beast with the body of a lioness, and a long, cruel-looking scorpion tail coiling behind her.
She paused just outside the cave entrance, then let out a low mix between a growl and a whine, quiet, but not too quiet. A few seconds passed, but nothing happened.
She tried again, louder this time. The sound of rustling echoed from the cave, and the beast stuck it's head out, eyes widening at the mere sight of a manticoress. Abandoning all trepidation, it lurched forwards from it's den and lumbered forwards, eyes dilating in anticipation.
She waited until the very last moment to strike. Normally, she preferred to have a creature fully under her control before she struck, but she was out to prove herself. A little callous brutality wouldn't be amiss. Plus, she didn't really like the way the manticore was looking at her.
Blinding emerald flames engulfed her once more, causing the manticore to howl and stumble. She had hoped the trick would be enough to send him crashing to the ground, but it merely diverted him to the side, whimpering and covering his eyes in agony. Not one to lose the advantage, she lurched forwards and sank her fangs into base of the beast's neck, shattering through several vertebra and severing the spinal cord. The beast's hulking muscles instantly gave way, and he slumped to the ground.
Chrysalis landed elegantly aside the paralyzed manticore, and spat out a mouthful of blood and flesh. She had never before defeated anything this large, and was quietly pleased with herself. Certainly, any would-be usurpers would be thinking twice after this.
A quiet buzzing sound behind her signified the arrival of her retinue. She glanced at her catch and then back to her cohort, raising an eyebrow, as if daring one of them to attempt to feed before her. When none did, she smirked, and opened her mouth to drain the lion's share of the manticore's love in one go.
Cozy Glow's eyes fluttered open once more.
The featureless cell walls gave no indication as to the time. It could be one in the morning, or in the afternoon. She should have asked Luster for a clock. The harmonica had been fun, but asking for gifts too often would undermine the emotional value Luster believed she placed on them.
She huddled under her bedsheets for a few minutes before giving up. It was no use; she wasn't going to get any more sleep today. Rising to her hooves, she ambled over to the sink and rinsed her face clean.
Her thoughts slowly drifted back to the dream she'd just awoken from. It wasn't a nightmare, but it wasn't exactly a normal dream, either. No, it was far too... vivid. Certain details jumped out at her, while others were clouded, foggy. It was almost like reliving one of her own memories... or one of Chrysalis'.
She wasn't totally stupid. The memory was clearly from Chrysalis's past, somehow transplanted into her subconscious. Cozy knew virtually nothing about petrification - other than she never wanted to go through it again - but the idea that being imprisoned in the same statue with other creatures could allow the sharing of memories wasn't at all implausible. Or had Twilight accidentally chipped off part of Chrysalis' memories along with her when she'd been freed?
In any case, how she had come into possession of the memory was inconsequential. The real question was, should she tell Luster?
As soon as she arrived at the question, she decided on the answer. Admitting that she had shared memories - and possibly more - with one of Equestria's most reviled enemies was definitely not a good idea. If Luster - or Twilight - started thinking she was contaminated by Chrysalis, they might start developing a very different attitude towards her release.
She would do best, she resolved, to put it out of her mind.
She waited patiently in her cell for hours before the guard finally came. True to her word, Luster had managed to win her an hour and a half of recreation, and thankfully, away from the other prisoners. That "recreation time" consisted of being locked in an empty gym and observed through a pathetically obvious one-way mirror did little to dampen the rush she experienced at leaving her despised cell.
She spent most of today running laps around the room, occasionally testing herself on the balance beams. The rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins was intoxicating, all the more so after being locked in the same cell for the past twenty-two hours. It was a powerful incentive to keep in line, too. The prospect of losing this brief respite from solitary confinement was enough to put any rebellious thoughts to bed.
A buzzer sounded, and two mares in guard uniforms burst through the door. Ignoring her protestations, they each seized Cozy by the shoulder and marched her back to her cell. She made numerous attempts to strike up a conversation with the pair, but they simply ignored her and stared ahead, not even glancing in her direction. She was thrown roughly into her cell, and the door was curtly slammed in her face.
Chrysalis reclined back on her new throne, watching her subjects hard at work. Teams of worker drones slaved away at the wall of the throne room, supervised by snarling soldiers. Her mind began to wander as she considered the more imminent problems of her domain.
Food was, of course, the foremost problem. Though the remoteness of the hive would protect them from all but the most determined invaders, it also insulated them from a ready supply of love. The proximity of the last hive to Griffonstone had meant a ready supply of food, but it had also bought the wrath of the Empire down upon them. They would not make the same mistake this time. Travelling afield to feed was a small price to pay for the hive's security.
But where to feed from? They were not far from Yakyakistan, but it seemed wasteful to dispatch an entire team of changelings to capture a single beast. The Crystal Empire no longer existed, and the risk of retribution would too great anyway. There were a few frontier towns on the cusp of the Crystal Mountains, no doubt filled with unsuspecting pony meals. As long as they chose their target carefully, the risk of discovery was small. Celestia had been a weak and distracted leader since her sister's banishment, unlikely to do anything until it was far too late.
She studied the map her scribes had prepared for her intently. A small village seemed to jump out at her. The name of the village, Blackstone, was scribbled down in neat writing - neat for a changeling, anyway - as well as a population estimate.
It was an indescribable feeling. Years later, she would look back and be unable to place exactly what it was that had drawn her so strongly to this quaint little village in the middle of nowhere. All she knew was that it would be a terrible mistake to ignore this village for another second. She stood up on her throne and cleared her throat. In an instant, every changeling turned to face her and prostrated themselves. She glanced around for a few seconds, looking for any who dared defy her. She licked her lips, determined to impress.
"You have done a good job on the new hive. Your Queen is pleased." Her voice echoed throughout the room, and the faintest hint of a smirk crossed her lips. "And when your Queen is pleased, she provides. No more scavenging for wildlife, no more hunting beasts of the wild. Tonight, we feast on the love of ponies. And all will be satiated."
With the final word, she slammed her hoof into the ground, sending tremors rippling through the throne room. Her subjects rose from their bows and howled their appreciation, with a ferocity and eagerness that sent electric shocks through her carapace.
Blackstone was bigger than she had expected. As it first appeared over the horizon, a soft amber jewel glittering in the darkness, she couldn't help but be drawn to a large, ornately decorated temple in the centre of the village, feeling the same powerful urge she had felt from the map.
They emerged from the night-time void and descended in their hundreds, not bothering to disguise themselves, revelling in the terrified screams of the ponies as they scattered. Legends of the changelings were widespread throughout Equestria, though few ponies had come across a changeling themselves. The stories of foal-eating magical bugs of immense power were exaggerations, but the terror the stories inspired in ponyfolk was very much on their side.
As terror gave way to chaos, the feeding began. The lucky few that escaped disappeared into the darkness, but most were seized by at least one changeling, or, if they were unlucky, a group. The screams began to die down as, one by one, the villagers were drained of their love.
The smell of love in the air was overpowering, and under any other circumstances, she would have abandoned her dignity and joined in the carnage. However, she still found herself unable to tear her attention away from the temple in the centre of the village. The air around it was thick with the scent of fear, but there was something else, too. An indescribable aura cloaked the building, exacerbating her curiosity ever further.
Chrysalis readied herself for break down the gaudy doors, but before she could raise a single hoof, the doors swung open of its own accord. She raised an eyebrow in incredulity as an aged, cloaked unicorn stallion stumbled out and collapsed at her hooves.
"Please... don't..."
The sheer desperation in his voice sent shivers down her spine. She ignored his whimpers and stepped over him, crossing through the entrance and squinting into the darkness. She could make out at least a dozen other ponies, huddled together around a large monolith structure. She ignited her horn, bathing the room in an eerie pale green glow. In the new light, she could make out a series of intricate carvings lining the walls. She didn't speak the written language of ponies, but she could tell from the illustrations that the temple was dedicated to the worship of Princess Luna.
The monolithic structure was just that, an enormous black monolith that pulsed with an unearthly magic unlike any she had come across. Every pony in the room was a unicorn, and they all wore the same plain robes. They were gathered around the monolith and pressed against it protectively, affording it a reverence worthy of a religious artefact. One of the younger, bolder mares snarled aggressively at her as she approached.
"Leave!"
Chrysalis cackled in response. "You are brave to challenge me, little filly." Her eyes narrowed. "What is this..." She waved her hoof at the structure. "...thing?"
The mare clamped up and shook her head furiously. Beside her, an older mare spoke up.
"Why do you care? It belongs to our village."
Chrysalis smirked. "Belonged to your village. To the victor, the spoils. And now, you're going to tell me what it does. Or else."
The mare didn't flinch. "Or else what?"
Chrysalis yawned, horn glowing brighter. "Or... I can destroy it. It's of little consequence to me, either way."
"No!" The mare clung tighter than ever to the rock as tears began to stream down her face. "Do whatever you like to us, but don't destroy it! Please!" She took a few deep, raggedy breaths, then relented.
"It is a gift from Nightmare Moon, one that fell from the sky many years ago. We unicorns serve it and feed it our magic, and in return, Nightmare Moon watches over us."
"It saps the magic of unicorns, you mean. Well, how wonderful. It will serve as a fine addition to the defences of my hive. Now, stand aside, and I may yet spare your lives."
One of the stallions spoke up, an ancient stallion who probably couldn't stand to face her if he wanted. "Take us... with you. We will... serve you... as your slaves. But... do not... separate us... from this... gift."
Chrysalis threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, how touching. So much misplaced love... delicious." Striding forwards, she seized the nearest monk in her magical grip and raised him up into the air. "Don't worry. You'll be meeting your precious goddess very soon."
She fed like a wild animal, draining each meal as slowly as possible to wring as much love out of each one as she could, before tossing the husk aside and seizing the next, not bothering to cocoon them. Some struggled, some even fought back. But without their magic, they were no threat at all. The whimpering and begging of her victims-to-be as they watched her feed on their siblings was music to her ears.
The religious fervour within each and every one of them was like three ponies worth of love, and she found herself satiated much faster than she had expected. Eventually, she had had her fill. As she dropped her final meal, she felt her senses slowly begin to return, taking in the havoc she had wrought around her. Less than half of the cult was still alive, clinging to their precious monument tighter than ever. With her feeding frenzy bringing new clarity, she began to piece together her next steps.
"I..." She took a deep breath, panting slightly. "I have... had my fill. You are... lucky. Your Queen is feeling generous. You will be permitted to live. As our slaves."
The unicorns said nothing, the looks of shock and horror on their faces never fading. Chrysalis swept from the temple and was greeted with the sight of the village in ruins. The feeding spree had subsided, and those few ponies who had yet to fall victim to a changeling's hunger had been herded into the centre of town by her soldiers. She could tell from the vacuous, dead expressions the catches wore that these traumatized specimens would make poor meals. She let out a low, guttural snarl, and instantly a troop of soldiers stood in front of her, bowing deeply.
"In that temple there lies a monolith and a group of ponies. I want them both taken to my throne room. Unharmed. If there's so much as a scratch on either one, every one of you will regret the day you hatched for the rest of your short lives. Understood?"
The soldiers nodded in unison. "As you wish, your majesty."
Chrysalis nodded, satisfied. Then, clearing her throat, she addressed her subjects at large. "From this day forward, this village never existed. Once you're finished here, torch this place and reduce it to the ground. Let nothing survive."
"...might need a doctor. Oh! Cozy? Can you hear me?"
Cozy glared through bleary eyes at a pink-and-amber blob that was all too familiar. "Luster..."
"Yes, it's me! You're okay, Cozy. You're safe. You just fainted. I - No, I don't want the guards to handle this! Is that a real question? Here we are, let's just... sit you upright."
As her vision stabilized, Cozy took in her surroundings. Luster and a prison nurse were staring fretfully down at her. She was back in her cell. What had happened? All she remembered was being returned to her cell. Had she over-exerted herself during exercise?
"What..." She felt unbearably weak. "What's going... on?"
Luster hesitated, then leaned in and gave her a hug. Somewhere in the back of Cozy's befuddled mind, she was surprised how nice it felt. "Oh, Sweet Celestia, I was so worried! You were talking like normal, then you just up and collapsed! I thought... I thought you might be..."
She didn't - couldn't - finish. "I'm going to get you out of here, Cozy. Tonight. I don't care if I have to smuggle you out in my saddlebag, you're not spending any more time in this Luna-damned cell!" Her voice trembled with anger as she choked out the words.
Cozy was only half-listening. What was Luster talking about? Cozy didn't remember her arriving today at all, much less having a conversation with her. Had she forgotten everything when she passed out? She remembered Chrysalis' memories perfectly.
Luster stepped back, slightly embarrassed, and gave her a kindly smile. "Well, as long as you're okay, everything's going to be fine. I just... need to step out for a moment. I'll be back soon. Do you want Tender Heart to stay here with you while I'm gone?"
Cozy glanced at the nurse, who looked as if she'd rather swallow a mouthful of rusty nails than be locked in a room with her. "No. I mean, I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Luster nodded. "Like I said, I'll be back as soon as I can."
She kept her kindly expression up until she was well out of the door, at which point it twisted and hardened into a snarl.
"It could be an act."
Luster slammed her hooves onto the warden's desk, causing him to jump. "It wasn't! I was there when it happened, in case you'd forgotten! I can tell the difference between a filly playing sick and a foal having a nervous breakdown!"
Strong Lock sighed. "This is no ordinary filly we're talking about here. In any case, it's not up to me. I'm holding her here at the request of Princess Twilight - your mentor, I believe. Why did you even come to me in the first place?"
"Because - Well, because I..." Luster trailed off, not willing to admit the reason why.
"If I had to guess, it would be because the Princess has already refused your request. Believe it or not, I don't get to release prisoners when I feel like it, Miss Dawn. My advice is that you should take your case back to the Princess. Given the circumstances, she may have a change of heart."
"But you can at least have her moved out of that awful cube, can't you?" Luster pressed on, desperate to win some small victory.
"And put her where? General population?" He rose to his hooves and pointed at the exit. "I'm a busy stallion, Miss Dawn, and I can't make any more time in my schedule for this. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Luster slowly rose to her hooves, shaking with anger. "So, you're just going to ignore it? How can you do this to a little filly? Do you agree with this?"
"I don't play politics, Miss Dawn. I've asked once. Please don't make me ask again."
Luster sneered, then turned tail and strutted out of the warden's office with contempt. In truth, she'd more or less expected that reaction, but it didn't stop her from being furious. How could she face Cozy again, after promising her freedom and failing to deliver it?
Maybe she didn't. She had one last trick hidden in her coat.
The cult had wept when she'd desecrated their holy artefact into the shape of a throne. In response, she had perched atop it and laughed, before ordering every one of them to depart from the throne room, never to be reunited with their precious monolith ever again. From the remaining rock, she had crafted amulets, bracelets and other adornments for her soldiers to wear in battle.
The hive attacked neighbouring villages with impunity, feeding at will and carting off herds of slaves. The stories of bugs with the power to steal the magic of unicorns spread like wildfire and quickly became the stuff of legend. Soon, ponies stopped fighting back altogether, and fled in their thousands from areas known to be frequented by changelings. The hive soon came to dominate the region altogether, and carved a great empire out of their northern hunting grounds,
And at the centre of it all was their Queen, Chrysalis. The unquestioned, unchallenged, revered queen of the changelings, whose word was law.
They truly were the good old days.
Twilight glanced up from her book as the door swung open. To her surprise, it was Luster standing in the doorway, a stony look on her face.
"Luster?" Smiling, she closed the book and rose to her hooves. "How good to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Your highness." Luster bowed. "I have a... request."
"Oh?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "How may I be of assistance?"
"I want Cozy Glow out of that prison. Now." Taking a deep breath, she began to talk. Twilight sat and listened silently as she explained everything. She said nothing during Luster's diatribe against the prison, masking her emotions with perfect skill. Eventually, Luster trailed off and fell silent, mouth dry and tongue sore from talking at such length.
"I see. Unfortunately, I believe this issue was raised only a few days ago. I said no then, and I must give the same answer now. I understand you are upset. But the risk is simply too great. Cozy stays where she is."
The words fell from Twilight's lips like a death sentence. Luster felt her blood boil. Once again, nopony cared. Luster wanted to scream. She wanted to call Twilight every name under the sun. A small part of her even wanted to physically attack her mentor.
"Then I quit."
Twilight blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I quit. If you don't... If you won't let Cozy out of that cell, then you're going to have to find yourself a new protégé."
Twilight shook her head at the words. "Luster, come now. You are not seeing reason."
"I'm not seeing reason? You threw a little filly in jail! Have you even seen the cell you threw her in? Of course you haven't, have you? You have no right to call yourself a teacher. You failed her twenty-three years ago, so why should I expect any different this time?" She threw her head back and laughed hysterically, quite demented. "Why would I ever, ever want to call somepony like you my teacher!"
She regretted the words the second they left her mouth, but she wasn't one to back down from what she'd said. Twilight flinched slightly at the words, but continued to mask her feelings perfectly.
"Is that how you truly feel, Luster?"
Luster braced herself. "Yes."
The Princess closed her eyes, obviously frustrated. "You are being irrational, Luster. You have a role to play that is bigger than you realize. I cannot allow you to leave my mentorship. Not after all this effort." She opened her eyes, an unpleasant gaze behind them.
"But obviously, you wish to issue orders before your time. As you wish, it shall be. I will leave Cozy Glow's security arrangements to you alone from now on. And you alone will shoulder the burden of blame for what may happen." Twilight seized a parchment and quill and scribbled aggressively at the paper. "Here."
She all but threw the paper at Luster. "A release order. You can stay up tonight and figure out somewhere safe to keep her. Now leave me. I have many other matters to attend to today."
Luster felt a lump form in her throat. She had had myriad arguments with her mentor in the past, but never before had the calm, even-headed Twilight ordered her to depart from her presence. "Princess, I..."
"Leave." The words were cold and hostile, and the eyes behind them were merciless. Dutifully, Luster turned around and walked out, feeling the steely gaze of her mentor burning a hole in her coat the whole time.
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Interesting stuff.
Love it!
I really did not expect Chrysalis to be a thing here. I expected Twilight to be the empress. I wonder if those memories are related to the nightmares Starlight mentioned in the last chapter. Either way, its about as brutal as you'd expect it to be given how long ago it was.
I think that Twilight is trying too hard to act like Celestia while not realizing that Luster isn't like she was. Methinks that she may get her own Sunset Shimmer if she doesn't pull her act together. It should be interesting to see how Luster deals with Cozy now.
Chrysalis, where did she came from?
Damn, something's not right with Twilight.