What Lies Beneath
Tempest Shadow winced and grimaced as she slipped into the bath she had drawn herself. The warm water soaked into her skin and relaxed her muscles almost immediately. The perfect treat to a long day of hard work.
“Oh Celestia, that feels good...” she murmured as she let the warm water soak into her aching joints and muscles. As she started to relax, she glanced around the recently refurbished bathroom.
Director Starlight Glimmer, as part of her new duties, had seen fit to give the castle some sorely needed renovations, including installing actual doors on the door frames, install actual windows and window frames, and give the older rooms like the library, for instance, some proper lighting. Not to mention, all of the Knights, plus Jack, now had a space of their own to call home, their private quarters so to speak.
And so Tempest was using some of her downtime to enjoy a nice, clam and relaxing bath--in her bathroom no less.
She nestled down amidst all the bubbles and inhaled the sweet scent of the incense she had borrowed--with permission of course--from Chrysalis. The former queen’s knowledge of luxury was a thing to behold, she had soon found out. A knot in her back made her eye twitch and she re-positioned herself to make it more comfortable. Taking a deep breath, she submerged her head entirely, only to spring up a moment later.
The commander of the Nightmare Knights closed her eyes and exhaled softly as a smile painted itself across her face, letting her hooves float on the water around her, simply enjoying the peace.
BRRRRRRRING...
Her ear flicked when she heard a shrill ringing from downstairs. The phone. Somepony had a job for the Knights. Tempest tried her best to ignore it, and waited for a few minutes. She figured while she had a moment to relax she was going to use it, and give their secretary a chance to do her job.
BRRRRRRRING...
Her ear flicked again and this time her eyebrow twitched.
“Come on, Jack...” she muttered, her relaxed smile quickly turning sour. She opened her eyes and called out. “Jack?!”
Silence, and the phone kept ringing.
BRRRRRRRING...
Tempest groaned and jutted her lower jaw out. “Jaaaack!” she called again, unafraid to let her displeasure be known.
More silence, save for the infernal ringing.
BRRRRRRRING...
“Ugh... Chrysalis! Tirek! ...Cozy?” she added, quieter than the others. “Anyone?!”
When silence answered her after the third time she shouted, she had had enough. She grumpily rose up out of the tub and shook her body, sending droplets of water scattering across the ground. After quickly grabbing a towel and making an attempt to dry off, she ventured downstairs, all while muttering and grumbling under her breath about losing out on ‘her’ time.
As she approached the secretary’s desk she saw a mess of magazines and notes scattered about. She tutted, brushing some aside to find the red-headed mare’s headset. Quickly placing it on her head she angled the microphone towards her mouth and cleared her throat before pressing the button and picking up.
“Hello-” she began.
”Tempest! Thank Celestia!” came the startled, almost frantic voice of Starlight Glimmer. ”Listen, we have an emergency on our hooves and I need you guys to be ready to move out as soon as possible!”
Tempest blinked.
“I-”
”Especially Chrysalis,” the director’s hurried voice added. Tempest could hear some muffled voices on the other end and furrowed her brow in concentration, trying to determine who was speaking. She blinked again and wrinkled her nose.
“Espec--Director, what-”
”Sorry, Tempest, I gotta go, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Tempest sighed and reluctantly nodded her head. “Under-”
”Good. I promise I’ll explain when I’m there, Tempest.”
With that, Starlight hung up. Tempest twisted her mouth and chewed the inside of her cheek, wistfully thinking about her bubble bath and contemplating just running another one for the briefest of moments, in spite of how urgent the director sounded. But, with a heavy sigh, she put the phone down and began to properly dry herself off to make herself presentable.
A startled gasp behind her made her ear flick. She turned around and looked right at Jackdaw Inkwell, just as the red-headed mare adjusted her glasses and stepped off the bottom step of the stairs.
“Uhh... you shouted, boss?” she said, having the sheer audacity to smile, however nervous it may have been.
Tempest glared at her before answering both bitterly and sarcastically. “Last week. But don’t worry, I sorted it out. Where are the Knights?” she grumbled, running her towel over her head.
Jack rubbed her forelegs together and looked behind her. “Uh, Chrysalis and Cozy are getting some grub in the common room. Um... T’s in the library, workin’ on somethin’. He was, I mean. Dunno if he still is or not.”
The dark mare’s eyebrow made an audible creaking sound as it arched upwards.
The secretary began to blush and she shyly traced a circle over the ground. “We weren’t doin’ anythin’ weird!” she claimed defensively. A small smile danced across her lips as she spoke. “I just... like watching him work.”
Tempest’s scowl didn’t relent as she kept vigorously rubbing her head with her towel. “Hrrrm.”
When she finished, her mane promptly poofed up into an uncanny replica of the hair that belonged to legendary party planner and partygoer Pinkie Pie. She directed her eyes upwards at the wayward curl dangling over her face and growled quietly.
“Uh, well, I’ll tell you what, boss,” Jack said, looking at the hair like it might have jumped out at her. She spun her chair around and patted the seat. “Sit down and lemme see what I can do while I ring the bell and get the guys down here.”
“Are you a hairdresser as well as a secretary now?” Tempest snapped.
“A kid I used to babysit in Manehattan was real good with hair,” Jack explained as she pressed her hoof into the buzzer, letting the alarm bell ring out through the castle and summon the Knights. “And she showed me a few things every now and then. Got her cutie mark in hairdressin’ too, from what I heard.” She chortled to herself and bobbed her head up down. “I wonder what Babs is up to now... Anyway.”
The commander saw the sense in her words and, albeit reluctantly, sat down in her chair. Soon after a pair of hooves pressed into her mane and began to do something with it. After a few minutes of semi-awkward silence she coughed into her hoof, feeling the need to speak up and make small talk. “So... you and Tirek?”
Jack answered with a heartfelt sigh as she massaged the commander’s head. “Ain’t he a dreamboat? Those muscles, that beard, the way he does that... thing with magic...” The secretary shivered and giggled softly, making Tempest’s ear flick and an odd sense that felt almost like jealousy begin to form in the pit of her stomach. “I’m not sayin’ we’re anythin’ all official-like, though. Maybe one day... Anyway you’re done, boss. Whaddya think?”
Tempest blinked as Jack flicked open a small mirror and held it in front of her face. To her surprise her mane was back to normal, although it looked shiny and new. “Thanks Jack,” she said, examining herself and feeling rather impressed with how her mane looked. “This looks really good, you sure your special talent isn’t in hairdressing?”
“Oh, pshaw,” Jack giggled and waved her hoof dismissively as she helped the commander up, just as the Knights rounded the corner.
Chrysalis looked bored if nothing else. Cozy looked ready for bed, sporting a pink onesie and nightcap, and Tirek was wearing a set of goggles atop his head, with a somewhat distant and faraway look on his face as he followed them.
Tempest straightened herself up and cracked her shoulders.
“Alright listen up everyone. That was Director Starlight on the phone just now,” she explained. “Some sort of emergency for us. She said she’s coming here very soon, so get ready. And play nice.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. “Ugh, when isn’t there some sort of emergency?” she grunted. “Did she lose a precious student? Misplace some pencils perhaps? Pah.”
While she scoffed and rustled her wings, Cozy yawned sleepily and rubbed her eyes.
Tirek roused himself out of his thoughts and stroked his beard. “Did the director say anything in regards to said emergency?” he ventured.
Tempest shook her head. “No. Just that it was urgent and to get ready. Especially you, Chrysalis.”
The changeling scowled and pursed her lips. “Especially me? Oh goodie, I can’t wait to hear what that dreadful beast has to say now.”
As if on cue, there was a pop and a flash of magic that lit up the castle. Tempest shielded her eyes briefly from the sudden burst of light. “Nightmare Knights!” she barked as she lowered her hoof. “Fall-”
She stopped herself short when she saw the director, and who was accompanying her. A creature as tall as Chrysalis stood beside the mare, looking somewhere between a stag and an insect, sporting an array of pastel colours. Tempest felt herself visibly pale and her chest tighten as his and her eyes locked.
“Oh,” she murmured.
Time seemed to slow around them all. Chrysalis’s very hair rose into the air and both sets of her wings unfurled to their full majesty, shimmering in the flickering light from the nearby lamp. Her pupils shrank to mere pinpricks and her lips peeled back to reveal her set of razor sharp fangs.
With a flash of magic, a jet of brilliant green light fired towards the director and her companion, crashing into the shield the former quickly cast around herself. “Chrysalis, wait! Please!”
Tirek grabbed Chrysalis from behind, planting his hands on either side of her head to force the beam of light away from Starlight. Cozy rose up into the air to help him however she could, and yanked her nightcap off to jam down on the queen’s horn. With her magic nullified by simple cotton once again, Chrysalis took to snarling and snapping at them both like a rabid animal.
Tempest rubbed the bridge of her nose and groaned inwardly, and bemoaned Starlight’s lack of tact.
“You vile, hateful demon!” Chrysalis howled at Starlight in between snaps. “You pompous, arrogant, disgusting creature! How dare you bring that--that thing here!”
Starlight turned her ears down and trembled where she stood as her shield dissipated. Despite being Director of the Nightmare Knights, she was still very much just a pony, after all. “I’m sorry, Chrysalis,” she said, “but I had to. If we can explain-”
“No!” Chrysalis raged as Tirek and Cozy struggled in holding her back. Such was her fury that even the magic-eater’s strength couldn’t stop her from taking a step forwards. “Leave now, and maybe I won’t devour your innards!” She lashed out with a hoof and struck Tirek squarely in the jaw, making him grunt and grimace. “Unhand me you ape!” she bellowed.
Tempest sighed and removed her hoof from her nose and swished her tail out sideways behind her while they continued to grapple.
“Enough,” she said calmly, putting as much authority into her voice as she could. She hoped Chrysalis liked her enough to listen to her, even with... his presence. For Starlight’s guest was known to the Knights, especially Tempest, and especially Chrysalis. He was among a few of the things Luna had warned the commander about when she initially hired her.
First and foremost in her warnings: never force a meeting between them.
King Thorax of the Reformed Changeling Hive rubbed his neck and grimaced. He appeared grateful for the Knights’ efforts in stopping Chrysalis from attacking him and Starlight, if only slightly terrified.
“Chrysalis,” Tempest barked again. “Enough.”
Chrysalis’s eyes snapped towards her. Her lip quivered upwards, just barely managing to hide her fangs as a low growl left her throat.
The commander inhaled deeply and simply looked at her. “Let her go,” she told Tirek and Cozy, without breaking eye contact.
Tirek glanced at her with wide eyes. “Commander, are you su-”
“Yes.”
The centaur swallowed and released his hold of the former queen. Cozy fluttered her wings and came to a rest on his shoulder, just barely peeking out from behind his mass. Without a word, Chrysalis reached up to remove the nightcap adorning her horn and cast it to the ground. Her eyes glared burning hot daggers into Tempest’s, and then at Thorax.
A flash of disgust and vengeful fury crossed her face.
“Speak,” she spat.
Starlight breathed an audible sigh of relief and stepped towards Tempest. “Boy, I don’t know how you do it, Tempest, but thanks.”
The dark mare answered with a ghost of a smile and jutted her head towards Thorax. “You’d better explain what this is about, and quickly, Director.”
The Headmare-Turned-Director nodded gratefully and cleared her throat. “Right, yes. Everyone, this is Thorax, he’s-”
Chrysalis growled again as she started to pace like a tiger, watching both Starlight and the changeling king with a ferocious and intense gaze. Tempest watched her cautiously, and subtly gestured to Tirek to stay at the ready in case she tried to attack again.
“Well, I guess you don’t need introductions, do you?” Starlight winced. “In that case, um... Thorax, would you like to...?”
Thorax stepped forwards and bowed his head to each of the Knights. “First off, I don’t... really know how to say this,” he started. “Um, it’s a pleasure to meet you...” His gaze rested on Chrysalis for a minute and the former queen snapped her jaw and gnashed her teeth at him. “...Uh... to--to meet you all. I’ve heard a lot about you already.”
His voice was softer than Tempest was expecting for a creature of his size. Truthfully, she didn’t know what to expect from the king, the only changelings she had interacted with being Chrysalis--and Luna's pair of agents in the Manehattan museum. She quickly realised her knowledge of changelings was both warped by her teammate and utterly lacking in experience.
“I’ll just get right to it.” Thorax winced and fluttered his wings and swished his gossamer tail. “Changelings have been, um, missing--going missing, in the lower levels of the Hive,” he murmured softly, stumbling over his words. “There was--we--um...”
“Spit. It. Out. Worm,” Chrysalis snarled.
Starlight scowled and glared at Chrysalis. “Chrysalis, don’t-”
The Knight surged forwards, faster than Tirek could move, and towered over the young mare, making her freeze and, look up at her.
“Do not presume you may tell me what to do, or not do do, Starlight.”
Starlight, in spite of her fear, remained firm and held her head up high, matching the queen’s gaze. Before she could say anything, Thorax came to her defence.
“Leave her alone, Chrysalis,” he warned. “She’s only trying to help us, which is more than I can say for you so far!”
Somewhat impressed by his sudden backbone, Chrysalis slowly turned to look at him. The king puffed his chest out and kept his gaze trained firmly on her. His luminous disc-like eyes scanning hers. Despite his obvious fear of her, there was a certain determination in his eyes--a willingness to do anything if it meant saving his people. The commander saw it too and cleared her throat, hoping to defuse the situation before it could escalate any further.
“Please, your majesty. Go on. Tell us what happened.”
Thorax wrenched his gaze away from Chrysalis to look at her. “Yeah,” he murmured softly. “Yeah, okay. We organised a search party: My brother, Pharynx, and I, Spindleshanks, Dave and a few others all went down there to look for them and bring them home-”
Cozy snickered behind Tirek’s shoulder. “Dave? What kinda name is that?” she whispered, earning a stern shush for her troubles from the centaur as he listened intently.
Starlight and Tempest both glared at her as Thorax continued, seemingly without hearing her snide laughter. “Only... when we found them they were...” He shuddered and shivered.
Chrysalis wrinkled the end of her nose, showing the faintest race of concern for a split second, and then it passed. “They were what? Feral, perhaps? Love starved? How’s sharing a limited supply of food amongst yourselves working out for you?” she sneered cruelly. “Everyone getting enough to eat?”
The king shook his heavy head from side to side. “No--I m-mean, yes we are but, no they weren’t love starved. They were... dead,” he whispered.
Tempest felt a small sense of dread rise in her gut. “Did their spirits remain?”
Starlight tapped the ground quietly. “Tell them what you told me, Thorax,” she said quietly. “Go on.”
Thorax glanced at her and licked his lips. Tempest, Tirek and Cozy all watched him carefully and quietly, while Chrysalis just glared at him.
“Then there was a... I don’t know, a surge of magic through the tunnels, I guess? But afterwards they all... stood up.”
Tempest blinked. “They stood up?”
Tirek rubbed his chin. “Not only are the restless dead on our list of adversaries, but now we must also contend with the living dead?”
Cozy gasped softly in understanding. “Living dead? You mean zombies?!” she squealed. “We dealing with zombies now?” She grinned at Tirek and rubbed her hooves together excitedly. “Oooh hoo hoo...”
“Hardly,” Chrysalis snorted, shooting daggers towards Thorax. “Some illusion, I would venture. Although of course you would jump straight to the most implausible-”
“It’s the truth, Chrysalis!” Thorax snapped defensively. “I saw them with my own eyes. They were dead--I checked. I mourned, and just as we decided to start bringing them back to give them a proper burial, they changed.” He hesitated before continuing and grew pale. His hooves began to shake, his lip trembled and he shuddered, prompting Starlight to rub his back for reassurance. “They were angry, and looked different to a normal changeling. Not... like before," he added with a wince, "but white. Like their chitins were dying. They attacked us.” He looked down at the ground as tears rolled down his cheeks. “We only just managed to get away, but then... we heard a voice...”
Tirek leaned forwards curiously. “Care to elaborate? Did they identify themselves?”
Thorax shuddered. “It... she said she was the rightful Queen of the Changelings. That the Hive belonged to her... Pharynx had the idea of collapsing the tunnel, so we did and then... we ran.”
“A name, though?” the centaur persisted. “Did this mystery voice have a name it belonged to?”
The king nodded slowly and licked his lips. “Queen Imago.”
Chrysalis’s eyes shrank and her breathing grew heavy. “Imago?” she breathed. “Impossible. There is no way...” She moved away from them and started frantically murmuring under her breath. “Impossible...”
After roughly a minute of this, Cozy put her hoof up and waved it around. “Chryssy?” Chrysalis’s head twitched towards her.
“Hi. Who’s Imago?” the filly said, voicing their chiefest and greatest of questions.
The former queen stalked away from them all to look out the window at the darkening skies, watching the sun disappear over the tips of the Everfree Forest. “I suppose there’s nothing else for it, is there?” she grunted. “Very well. Once she was Queen of the Changelings. The third queen there has ever been, if you must know.” As she spoke, a chill ran down her spine and a host of unwanted memories came flooding back to her of ages past. “She led our people in a time of war and famine, many, many years ago. As well as that...”
She moved to one side and faced them, her eyes ablaze with righteous fury... and hate.
“She was my mother.”
***
A long time ago. . .
Chrysalis cowered and trembled with fear as the shadow of the Sovereign Lord of Equestria descended upon her.
The unicorn king was known throughout the world as a fair ruler of his ponies, and something of a father figure to them all. But to some races, the shapeshifting changelings in particular, Morpheus, the King of Dreams, might as well have been the devil incarnate, for his wrath was great and terrible. The young nymph in his steely gaze backed up, bumping into something, and twisted her head enough to look up in relief at her own ruler and liege lord: Queen Imago of the Third Changeling Hive.
Her mother.
A changeling as dark grey as her daughter, Imago’s carapace was covered in pock marks and scars. But their similarities ended at their eyes, for while Chrysalis had two shining emeralds in her head, Imago had but one. The other remained milky white and unseeing. Both, however, glowered and radiated with hate at her arch-rival.
“Imago,” growled Morpheus.
“Morpheus,” sneered Imago, curling her lip upwards to reveal a set of jagged and uneven fangs.
The several guardsponies surrounding them quickly lowered their spears, giving the queen pause for a moment. Her cold and calculating eyes darted around them until she hissed and pulled herself up. “It seems that I am outnumbered, my lord,” she growled quietly. “So here, as a token of my goodwill, let us enter into a parley.”
She smiled. It was an unkind smile, one of a predator--like a wolf smiling at the sheep. She gnashed her teeth together at the closest guard, startling him and making him jump. After cackling cruelly and fluttering her wings, she descended into a sweeping bow before her old enemy.
“What say you, my lord? One sovereign to another?” She flashed him a wicked grin, to which he met with his own stern scowl.
“Your kind is banished from Equestria, Imago,” Morpheus declared, unimpressed by her theatrics. “You know the law forbids you from entering my kingdom.” His deep voice rumbled out across the grassy knoll like thunder. The banners on his chariot billowed out in the wind, and his long mane, seemingly alive and twinkling like a piece of the night sky itself, followed suit.
Chrysalis shivered as he directed his gaze toward her and tucked her tail in between her legs.
He said nothing for a few moments until he levelled his gaze back at her mother. “However, as I am feeling merciful today, you and your spawn may leave. I advise you take this opportunity to survive. For your child’s sake.”
Imago sneered at him and side stepped her daughter, letting Chrysalis fall back onto her flanks with a quiet ‘oof’. “Come now, Morpheus,” she crooned. “Have you not met my daughter, Chrysalis?” She pressed her hoof into the nymph’s back and shoved her forwards. “Have no fear; I suspect it was mere hunger, not malicious intent, that drove her here into your precious Equestria. Isn’t that right, girl?”
Chrysalis couldn’t move, say or do anything. Paralyzed with fear, the changeling princess began to shake and tremble, so much so that her knees knocked together like the rattling of bones. Imago clicked her tongue in distaste and glowered at the king.
Morpheus remained as stoic as ever, even as several of his royal guards clad in blackened armour approached, spears lowered, horns aglow and wings flared.
“I will not repeat myself again, Imago,” the king repeated, sounding bitter and angry. “Leave. Or perhaps you do not understand the penalty for sullying my land with your misbegotten hooves?”
Imago raised a hoof to her bad eye gently and hissed, flicking her forked tongue out at the unicorn. “I do, but the child does not.” She looked down at the nymph by her legs and smirked cruelly. “Here. If you must exact your pound of flesh, then take it.” She gave the young changeling a hard shove, sending her sprawling into the dust and muddy grass, incidentally splashing some of Morpheus’s hooves with muck and grime.
The guards rushed forwards, holding the tips of their spears to the queen’s throat. “Mangy cur!” one of them declared. “How dare you assault King Morpheus! Give us one good reason why we should not end your miserable life now!”
“Enough,” warned Morpheus.
Chrysalis quickly turned her head to look up at her mother and trembled in terror, expecting the worst--either for herself or the queen. Imago simply continued to grin, even with the sharpened point of a weapon at her throat.
Morpheus, however, simply scowled and ground his teeth together. “Does your cruelty know no limits, Imago?” he sneered. “You would throw your own child to the wolves and for what? To make me the monster you think I am?”
“The monster I think you are?” the queen tittered, taking a few steps forwards towards the king, letting the tips of the spears grind against her carapace. The guards remained steadfast, and narrowed their eyes, waiting for their lord’s command. “Perhaps, then, it would be kinder to let her starve with the rest of our kind? We are dying, you hateful creature. Have you no compassion in your heart for those not of your precious ponies?”
The black pony looked down at the young nymph staring up at him with wide eyes and an awful, cowed expression and shook his head in disbelief at the queen’s cruelty. “I have little compassion for you, Imago. And for those that follow you, but innocents such as this child have no place in our feud. In exchange for not destroying you here and now, I will take your child as my ward. A ‘political prisoner’, so to speak. What say you to that?”
Imago paused and tilted her head curiously.
“Your... ward?”
She threw her head back and cackled at him.
“You would take her as your own? To what end, I wonder?” she taunted. “Perhaps your tastes venture beyond that of simple pony delights? Perhaps you long for some plaything you can shape to your own image as you see fit, oh gracious king of Equestria.” Her cruel and mocking laughter echoed around the empty field, going unanswered save for the bristling of guards in their armour and the rustle of grass as they shifted at the uncomfortable implications of her words and looked to their king. “Or perhaps you simply wish to add her to your collection of trophies you have amassed as a ‘great protector’. Tell me, does the Griffon Emperor miss his beak?”
The queen smirked at the visible discomfort she had heaped upon them all and turned away. “But very well,” she said with a wave of her hoof. “Take her. Do as you wish with the child, King Morpheus. Kill her, spare her, turn her into your toy; I do not care. Just know that in the end, I will remain and you... will be dead.”
“How dare you!” said the same guard as before. He lunged forwards with his pear, only for green fire to envelope the queen and a mass of feathers rise into the air. A huge, black crow rose up into the sky, its caws sounding like mocking laughter.
“Leave her,” Morpheus grunted, holding up his hoof to silently tell his soldiers to stand down. “Let her run, and good riddance to her.” His eyes directed downwards at the nymph lying alone, staring up at the bird with tears in her eyes. “As for this one...”
Chrysalis felt faint. “Mother!” she called out weakly as she scrambled to her hooves. “Wait! Please don’t go...” Her wings unfurled, but as they weren’t completely developed yet, they merely fluttered uselessly and threatened to tear on the wind. She felt her chest tighten as she watched her mother fly away, and suddenly she felt very alone. Her breathing came hard and short, and black spots began to take up her vision as another pang of hunger fired through her. “Mother...”
“Sire, what would have us do with this one?” another of the guards grumbled, pointing his spear at the nymph.
The fear that the dangerously tipped point suddenly thrust into her vision gave Chrysalis enough strength to yelp and shy away. She panicked and bolted in one direction, only for the warm grip of magic to surround her and hold her steady.
“Remain still, child,” King Morpheus told her.
Petrified from fear, Chrysalis did just that. She went limp as his magic surrounded her and held her up.
After a few moments of examining her, and removing a cluster of mud from her mane, he barked an order towards the soldiers. “Stand down.”
The guard closest to them blinked and let this spear tip towards the ground. “Sire?”
“I said stand down, Shining Shield,” Morpheus repeated, fixing him with a stern look.
Shining Shield, and the other guards, quickly obeyed and raised their spears, eager to avoid the King of Dreams’ ire. He turned back to Chrysalis and gently set her down on the ground. “Do not be afraid, little one,” he said quietly and kindly. “Nopony here is going to hurt you. You have my word.”
He extended his hoof out towards her, only for her to snap her teeth at him and fire a spark of magic towards his face, harmlessly bouncing off of his cheek. Instead of being upset, he simply smiled at her, and opted for a different approach. The king sat down beside her on the grass and reached into his robes, all while the soldiers looked at both him and the young changeling utterly bewildered.
“Here,” he said, pulling out a small box. He clicked the lid off with his magic and plucked out a slice of a strange looking fruit. It was a mix of orange and red hues, and smelled quite strongly of something entirely different to what Chrysalis was used to.
“Eat. I insist.”
Chrysalis gazed up at him with saucer-sized, hungry eyes and gingerly reached out to take it in her hoof. She sniffed it suspiciously.
“I believe it is called a mango,” the king explained kindly. “Eat. It’s rather pleasant, I’d say. If a touch tangy.”
The nymph licked the tip of the fruit tentatively. Her tongue lit up with flavour, and her eyes grew wider--if such a thing was possible. She quickly devoured it, gnashing her teeth upon the soft, sticky fruit, and licked her lips when it was gone.
The king beamed at her. “What is your name, child?”
Chrysalis licked her hoof where some of the ‘mango’ juice had dripped and averted her eyes from him. “C-Chrysalis,” she mumbled.
The unicorn king touched her chin to raise her head up and smiled at her. It was a kind smile, wholly different from the vicious baring of fangs her mother would give her at times. “Hello, Chrysalis,” he chortled. “My name is Morpheus. If that is too difficult to say, you may call me Morph.” After a moment’s pause he carried on. “Would you like something more substantial to eat?”
The young changeling felt her tummy rumble. The fruit was nice, but she needed more. She needed love... “Y-Yes, please...”
Morpheus leaned down to her and exhaled. A thin, pink trail of mist left his mouth and travelled through the air towards her. The guards stood and watched, mouths agape at the scene before them. Their scary weapons and armour gave her pause for the briefest of moments, but Chrysalis didn’t care. The smell of the king’s love was indescribable. So rich, so pure. She couldn’t help herself, and she opened her mouth wide and inhaled as much as she could, feeling for the first time in weeks the satisfaction of a hearty meal.
As she burped and hiccupped, indicating she was finished, the king smiled at her and extended his hoof. “Come with me, Chrysalis. Allow me to show you to your new home.”
To Chrysalis it didn’t make any sense. Every story her mother had told her about Equestria was that it was a land riddled with monsters who would destroy changelings without a second thought, ruled over by the worst monster of all: King Morpheus himself. In a mere few minutes, her entire preconception of ponies had changed. For the king to show her this unexpected kindness, even going so far as to offer her his hoof to hold... it made her feel exceptionally uneasy.
And yet she felt... safe. Safe enough, at least, to reach up and put her hoof in his. He guided her over towards his chariot, a large, midnight black affair pulled by a contingent of dark pegasi--creatures Chrysalis had heard only whispered stories about. She trembled as one snorted hot air out of his nostrils at her. The guards accompanying the king followed closely behind, those pegasi among them spread their wings as they prepared to take flight, and the earth ponies and unicorns simply started the trek home.
Almost as soon as Chrysalis had settled down, they were in the air and rapidly speeding towards the Equestrian capital--a wonderful, shining palace in the middle of a lush and vibrant forest. She felt the strings of her heart tug, and a single tear rolled down her cheek as she glanced back at the grassy knoll where her life had changed.
“Mother...” she whispered softly. She started to sob quietly, as it came to her that she was most likely never going to see her mother again. Without even realising it, she pressed into the king’s side as he put a hoof around her to comfort her. Her eyelids began to droop shortly after, and soon she drifted off into a dreamless sleep...
***
The present. . .
Save for the former queen’s hoofsteps, the castle was silent as the Nightmare Knights, Starlight and Thorax all waited for Chrysalis to say, or do, something. Cozy fluttered her wings and stood in between Tirek’s legs, watching the queen paced back and forth. Tirek himself folded his arms and simply waited, and Tempest tapped her hoof, noticing how anxious Thorax looked.
“Chrysalis?” she decided to venture. “Talk to us.”
Chrysalis turned slightly to look at her. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot, brimming with fury. “It cannot be her,” she hissed. “It’s not possible.”
“Why... is that?” Starlight murmured. “I mean... if Thorax heard her, then-”
“Because she is dead,” the Knight snarled, rounding on the director. “I killed her myself when I took command over the Hive. If she has returned then... what was it all for?”
The Knights’ eyebrows skyrocketed in surprise. Cozy quivered and leaned against one of Tirek’s legs. Not even the young pegasus had a quip for that particular revelation.
Thorax grimaced and rubbed his antlers. “You see now, right?” he murmured. “That’s why I need your help. Why we need your help.”
“Help?” the queen rasped.
Thorax blanched, quickly realising he may have said the wrong thing as she fixed her hate-filled gaze upon him. “Chrysalis, please... Please... we don’t... we don’t know what else to do. You’re the only one who can help us.”
The rage that had been just barely contained by Tempest overwhelmed Chrysalis and came to a head. “Help you?! Why would I want to help a snivelling wretch like you?!” she roared, surging forwards and coming within an inch of the changeling king’s nose again. “You turned your backs on me when I gave you everything I had--everything I did, I did for you: my beloved subjects. My children! And you threw it all away at the behest of this creature!” She gestured towards Starlight, making the director turn her ears down and bite her lip sadly.
“As for you, Thorax,” Chrysalis snarled, “your kind, your ‘reformed’ changelings, are nothing but dirt under my hooves. You mean... nothing to me.” She spat her cruel words out and bared her fangs at him one final time before turning and stomping away, shoving aside Tirek and Cozy to march up the stairs, snorting and cursing under her breath.
Tempest stepped forwards to help Thorax to his hooves and hold him steady on his shaking legs, while Starlight patted his shoulder apologetically. “I’m sorry, Thorax,” the director mumbled. “I thought... I don’t know what I thought...” She sighed as she turned away, intending to leave. “Come on. Maybe Twilight will know what to do and how to help the changelings...”
The commander flicked her ear, hearing a noise upstairs like a muffled scream into a pillow, followed by a series of abnormally loud bangs and stomps. Then an unearthly silence. She and Tirek shared a glance, and she raised her hoof to stop Starlight from moving any further. “Wait just one moment, Director,” she said softly. “I think...”
Sure enough after a few seconds, Chrysalis came stomping back into view and buzzed her wings. She surveyed the room, eyeing each of the creatures in her vicinity carefully.
“Hrrrrnnnnnggg,” she groaned, and pointed at the king. She sneered at him and her hoof wavered. “You... If what you say is true, and you did indeed hear... Imago’s voice, then as much as I am loathe to admit it, I cannot possibly leave you imbecilic, cretinous ingrates to investigate it on your own.” She closed her eyes and exhaled softly, speaking through gritted teeth. “So... after some consideration, I will agree to come with you. For my own personal curiosity if nothing else.”
Thorax’s face lit up gleefully and he opened his mouth, only for her eyes to snap open and glare at him with one hoof raised.
“On the condition that we proceed my way. Is that understood?”
He blanched for a moment and looked at Starlight. She smiled at him, although it looked painfully forced and she herself looked about ready to collapse. Thorax swallowed and nodded eagerly. “Y-Yes, of course. Th-Thank you, Chrysalis.”
“As I said, I do this for my own benefit, not yours,” she spat at him as she marched forwards and waved her hoof. “Now, be a good rodent and make yourself ready. We should leave as soon as we can, but first... there is something I must do.”
Starlight nudged the changeling beside her and gestured away with her head. She mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ to Tempest before turning away, and struck up a quiet conversation with Thorax. “Sunburst told me Ocellus was great in show and tell the other day...”
Her voice grew faint as Tempest and the other Knights focused more on their teammate, co-worker, and friend.
“So what’s the plan?” the commander asked. “Chrysalis?”
But Chrysalis was a thousand miles away, a thousand years ago, remembering things she had long since thought forgotten.
Cozy clapped her hooves in front of the queen’s face, snapping her back to the present in an instant. “Equus to Chryssy. Come in Chryssy. Don’t get all weird on us now. What’s the juicy gossip? Imago is your mom, huh?”
The queen scowled at her. “There is no ‘juicy gossip’ to speak of, Cozy Glow. And while she was once, I refuse to believe Imago has returned, even as a ghost. These ‘undead’ changelings are most likely youths playing practical jokes on one another, inspired by... perhaps our exploits. And then of course there is this ‘voice’ he heard--who in reality may be nothing more than a unicorn sorcerer with delusions of grandeur and a flair for the dramatic.” She scoffed and her eyebrow twitched. “A magician, perhaps, turning tricks to-”
She stopped, realising what she had said. The Knights all bristled and flinched, and Tempest growled softly as they drew their heads together.
“Could it be Bray?” the dark mare whispered.
Tirek nodded in agreement. “It sounds on brand for that wretch, if nothing else.”
Cozy shuddered, subconsciously rubbing her leg where he had drawn her blood. “I’d rather it be zombies. That sounds kinda cool. Y’know, instead of the psycho donkey who wants to resurrect Grogar.”
“Resurrect who now?” Jack piped up, startling the Knights a touch as she spoke for the first time in a while. She rolled her eyes at them and sighed. “Yeah I’m still here, ain’t I? Did you say Grogar? Big evil overlord type?”
Tempest tapped her chin in thought. “If... and that’s a big ‘if’, it is Bray, why would he target the changelings?” she mused. “Just to disrupt another kingdom?”
“Perhaps,” Chrysalis grumbled. “And as much as I may hate... them, I would say I hate him more.” Her lip curled upwards into a snarl as she spoke.
“Nopony?” Jack sulked when none of them answered her. “A’ight, whatever.” She slumped back in her chair and returned to her magazine, once again tuning out of the conversation, and some would say reality.
“Further more, Commander...” the changeling continued, looking down at the ground. “I would ask that I go with Thorax alone.” She glanced up at Tempest, noting the commander’s stone-cold expression and thoughtful eyes.
Cozy’s ears pricked up and she wrinkled not just her nose but her entire face in protest. “Eh? Why?” She grew defensive quickly, and jabbed her hoof at Chrysalis. “You just wanna kick that creep’s flank yourself, right?” she demanded. “Well I want some revenge for my leg, too. So I’m coming with you!”
Tirek scuffed her on the back of the head again. “We all want to get our own on that beast,” he grunted at her. “If you remember, he made a fool of us.” He looked at Chrysalis curiously as he finished. “But yes, any reason as to why you wish to venture into this one alone, Chrysalis?”
Chrysalis inhaled through her teeth. “If Imago has returned... then it will be exceedingly dangerous. She was a tyrant, a vicious, bloodthirsty monster in life uncaring for anyone but herself, and in death... she may be worse--especially since how she has apparently mastered necromancy. Again, this may all be hyperbole and the machinations of a mere insane donkey.” She set her jaw and grimaced. “Even so, on the off chance my mother is... there, I cannot allow any of you to put yourselves in harm’s way because of her. Or them.” She jutted her head towards where Thorax and Starlight were standing and talking and her lip twitched. “No ifs, buts or exceptions of any sort.”
Tirek folded his arms and snorted. “So you would throw yourself to the wolves to save us from a grisly fate, is that it?” he sneered. After a moment’s pause his lip twitched upwards and he placed his hand palm side down on his chest in a begrudging sign of respect. “Admirable. If foolish.”
The queen rolled her eyes at him and met Tempest’s gaze. The commander had been quiet for a while now. The displeasure across her face was as plain as day and easy to see, making the former queen internally wince. “Tempest...” she said softly. “What say you?”
After some internal deliberation, Tempest sighed and raised her hoof. “As long as you know what you’re doing and stay safe,” she murmured, prodding Chrysalis’s chest as she emphasized the order, “I give you permission to go. Don’t make me regret this, Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis briefly sagged with relief before pulling herself up and cracking her neck. She bowed her head towards the commander. “I... thank you, Commander. I assure you, I have no intention of dying tonight.”
The commander forced a smile while Cozy gaped.
“You’re all nuts!” she cried. “Chryssy can’t go by herself--what if something happens? What if it is Bray and what if he gets her? What then, huh?” Tears began to well up in her eyes as she protested more and more. Tirek planted one hand down on her head in an attempt to calm her as she glared at the changeling defiantly. Chrysalis simply looked back at her and took a deep breath.
“If you must know, Cozy, I wouldn’t... entirely be alone,” she murmured. All of them, not just Cozy, grew curious and watched her expectantly. She grimaced and turned her face away in an attempt to hide the growing blush on her cheeks. “You see... there is one other who I can safely assume could hold her own against Imago, if indeed she has returned--or even Bray for that matter...”
A lightbulb came on inside Tempest’s head as she had a sudden thought of who Chrysalis meant as Cozy rubbed her eyes and sniffed. “Who?” the filly mumbled.
The changeling’s eyebrow twitched as she and looked down towards the nearby desk, where Jack absentmindedly slid her the phone, her nose buried in a magazine--apparently not as oblivious to the entire scenario as she chose let on. The knowing look she gave the queen over the rim of her glasses said it all, really, alongside the slightly mischievous smirk.
Chrysalis pursed her lips and picked up the receiver with her magic. “A... friend,” she muttered. Her cheeks remained a steady deep red, and her wings seemed to shimmer brighter than normal--nowadays--as she spoke. They stayed that way even as she picked up the receiver and began to dial.
***
The skies across Equestria lit up in a fiery blaze of orange as the sun set on another day.
All across Manehattan, from the skyscrapers that made up the city’s skyline to the neon signs and commercials of Bridleway, the glow of the city that never sleeps lit up the rapidly approaching night.
“Hnnnnng...”
In one such skyscraper, in one of the luscious high rise apartments near the top, a lone pony sat at a long table. She sighed as she poured herself a bowl of cereal, and glared at the picture of her own face on the box as she set it down away from her.
“I hate Celesti’Os,” she muttered.
Celestia, the former Princess of the Sun, submerged her spoon in the milk and began to stir absentmindedly. Her mane was frizzy and unbrushed, as was her tail. Both had messy streaks of pink in them after several failed attempts to dye them to their original colour, before she wielded the Elements of Harmony. Entirely of her own volition, mind, and not because a certain someone had said they preferred it that way.
Her trip around Equestria that she had planned for when she was retired was cut short when she realised how dreadfully boring it all was on her own. If Luna was beside her, then maybe she might have staved off the boredom long enough for them to do something wild and crazy together, but alas, her baby sister had her own thing going on with the Nightmare Knights. And whatever she was doing now in the Crystal Empire.
Outside her open window, she could hear the hustle and bustle of city nightlife. Manehattan was always one of her favourites to visit, and with no duties as a princess, she decided it would be a good place to relax. Except she had done anything but relax as her mind continuously wandered over to certain creatures, and one in particular that she hopelessly pined for: one of the aforementioned Nightmare Knights themselves.
She and Chrysalis hadn’t spoken since last Hearts and Hooves day, yet every day since, that kiss they shared played on Celestia’s mind. That reaffirmation of affection she hadn’t felt in an age made the former princess’s chest swell and her heartbeat quicken, and she wished for nothing more than to simply spend time with the changeling again.
And yet... they hadn’t even so much as sent each other a letter in all that time. Celestia bit her lip. Was she being unreasonable? Chrysalis had said she needed time to process, but if they didn’t speak at all for weeks on end, then was there even anything to speak of when they did finally next meet?
With a forlorn sigh, she decided that she had had enough of sitting at table by herself and decided to move. She grabbed her bowl, wrapped her black and chitinous grey dressing gown around her, and slunk over towards her sofa. After brushing aside some wayward feathers littering her spot she slumped down into a heap. The remote lay nearby, seemingly taunting her just out of hoof’s reach. Though perhaps a small bit of a technophobe she was, she had gotten used to more than one modern device recently. Her horn lit up in a flash and encased it in a warm golden aura to bring it over to her, where she then flicked the television on just in time to catch another episode of Serpientes Largas: Bodas Y Traiciones.
She munched and crunched on her cereal as she quietly watched the soap opera with little interest.
“¡Ayy dios mío! ¿Por qué no me amas?” cried the mare on screen to her apparent paramour, a tall and rugged stallion with distant, green eyes.
“Big mood, Señorita,” Celestia muttered as she hopelessly poked her cereal with her spoon. Being fluent in almost every dialect and sublanguage of Equestrian meant that she was able to understand Mexicoltan with ease. She slumped further down into her cushions and pillows in a mess, wishing, not so secretly perhaps, for Chrysalis to walk through the door.
In a fleeting, futile hope, she shifted enough to look at said door and held her breath. Of course nothing, and nopony, came.
With a wistful sigh and a sad exhale through her nose, she lazily poked and prodded at her cereal for what felt like hours, but was in reality seconds, until the phone rang. With a grunt and a grumble she used her magic to bring it over to herself and held it up to her ear. “Hello?” she said wearily.
Only silence and the crackle and hiss of static answered her, prompting her to repeat herself, albeit far grumpier. “Hello?” After a few more seconds and just as she was about to hang up, she heard a familiar voice.
”Celestia.”
Celestia bolted upright so quickly she knocked her bowl down, sending soggy cereal all over the place. “Chrysalis?” she breathed. A series of noises and flabbergasted words left her mouth, her mind unable to comprehend what was happening. “H-How are you?” she stammered.
Chrysalis sighed on the other end. A heavy and forlorn sigh. ”Less than ideal. Are you free?” she said slowly.
The princess took a long look around her apartment, in particular at the upturned bowl of cereal and the milk seeping into the carpet. “I... yes, of course. Is everything alright?” She pressed her teeth into her lip as she heard another sigh.
”No,” Chrysalis answered. The tone of her voice sent a shiver down Celestia’s spine. ”I require your assistance.”
“What’s wrong?”
If she wasn’t already worrying, the silence that followed Chrysalis’s voice made Celestia start to.
”I’m being tasked by... Director Starlight to investigate for... ugh, King Thorax on a matter most urgent.”
Chrysalis sighed again, while Celestia waited with bated breath.
”Imago... might have returned. And she may be raising an army of undead changelings to invade the world... Need I say more?”
The Alicorn of the Sun felt her lower lip quiver. “Imago?” she breathed, letting her mane spill down over her face. An uncharacteristic anger flashed across her eyes and she grit her teeth together before composing herself. “Yes of course I’ll come,” she said calmly. “Where are we meeting?”
”The borders of the changeling kingdom. I’m travelling there as soon as we finish this conversation.”
Celestia nodded and swallowed hard. Suddenly her tongue felt very dry. “I’ll see you there, then. Good-”
There was a click as Chrysalis hung up without another word. The princess sat in absolute silence for a few moments, feeling her heart pound away in her chest with such ferocity it may have threatened to burst free from her chest altogether.
Memories of ages past flooded her mind. Things best left forgotten... Heart wrenching sorrow... An unending pit of rage... Centuries of unbearable guilt...
She stood up quickly. Her horn lit up with a bright flash as she removed her dressing gown and cast it across her sofa. She picked up her bowl, grabbed a nearby tea towel to throw over the milk stain and switched off the television all in a heartbeat’s length. Then, she strode into her bedroom full of purpose and determination to grab her brush and make herself look somewhat presentable.
Once finished, she returned to the main room and the balcony. She thrust the stained glass doors open and inhaled the dusk air.
“Wherever you are, Luna, and whatever you’re doing, I hope you know what you’ve started,” she murmured quietly as she unfurled her wings to their full majesty.
The magic of the pegasi flowed through her wings. She could feel the wind in each and every feather, and a quiet resolve took hold of her mind as she willed the sky to embrace her like it once did, to grant her the speed she needed.
With any luck, the only good that could come from tonight was an ample amount of closure. For both her and Chrysalis’s sakes.
After crouching low, she leapt up into the air, soaring high above the skyline of Manehattan, and sped on her way towards the Changeling Hive.
***
A long time ago. . .
“Hi! I’m Celestia, who are you?”
Chrysalis looked the cheerful, pink maned pegasus before her up and down. On her back was another small pony, a unicorn--a mere foal at that--sucking on a pacifier and watching her with wide, shining eyes. Morpheus smiled as he patted her shoulder reassuringly and gestured for her to speak.
“M... My name is Chrysalis,” the nymph said slowly. It still didn’t seem real that she was being invited into the home off her mother’s enemy. It felt like a dream. Fitting, she supposed for the King of Dreams.
Celestia swung her hoof forwards and pulled her into a hug. “Hi, Chrysalis!” she said cheerfully, squeezing so hard Chrysalis started to see spots before releasing her and gesturing to the filly on her back. “This is Luna, my baby sister. We’re princesses, are you a princess too?”
The nymph blinked and rubbed her throat. “Uh...” Was she a princess? She supposed she was, if her mother was queen. It didn’t sound right, though. “I, uh...”
“That’s hardly important, Celestia,” Morpheus chuckled, interrupting her thoughts, and patted her on the shoulder. “Chrysalis here has had a long day. Do you think you can make her feel welcome?”
After eagerly nodding and with a slightly mischievous grin, Celestia clapped her hooves together happily. “Yaaay! New friend!” On her back, Luna attempted to follow suit, and haphazardly banged her hooves together, accidentally getting caught in her, what Chrysalis presumed to be her sister’s, mane. “Ow! Father!”
The king chortled softly and used his magic to untangle the royal siblings. “Always getting in your sister’s mane, aren’t you, Luna?” he cooed, nuzzling the foal’s nose. “Come away, young one.”
He strode towards a nearby chair and sat down, letting Luna rest on his chest as he leaned back.
For Chrysalis it was almost too much. The scent of this rich, pure love these ponies had for one another was delicious. So much so that she swayed back and forth on the spot, inadvertently drawing Celestia’s curious gaze. She blinked and readjusted herself, lowering her head to appear submissive, even more so as the young princess began to circle her.
“I’ve never seen a pony like you before,” she said quietly. “Where do you come from?”
Morpheus carefully watched from nearby, remaining silent on the matter.
“Um... my home?” Chrysalis offered, unsure of what she meant.
Celestia spread her wings outwards and looked at them, and then at those on the nymph’s back. Chrysalis mirrored her action and spread her own wings, much to the princess’s delight.
“You have such pretty wings!” Celestia cried.
Chrysalis smiled briefly. “Th-Thank you.” she traced her eyes over the pristine white feathers on the pony’s back. “S-So do you.”
“And you have a horn, too! Can you do magic?”
The nymph’s eyes crossed as she looked up at her horn. It was small, for a changeling, and she wasn’t particularly good at casting any sort of spells. There were others in the Hive who were far better at magic than her, her mother first and foremost, followed closely by her teacher: Old Tweezel. She swallowed. “Um... n-no,” she mumbled, wincing at how Celestia’s face fell.
“Oh.”
“But I can do this?”
Green fire sprung up around the nymph, shocking Celestia and making her step backwards in alarm. Again, Morpheus simply watched, although his teeth clenched together and his piercing eyes narrowed slightly for a brief moment as the fire faded and another Celestia stood in Chrysalis’s place.
Celestia, the real Celestia, gasped and pointed a hoof. “You look just like me! Wow!” She giggled and clapped her hooves together. “Another! Oh, can you do Luna?”
Chrysalis nodded, and fluttered her pegasus wings. With another flash, she appeared like the babbling baby foal, and looked up at the elder sister with wide, shining eyes.
“Awww! Look, father!” the princess cried happily. “Another Luna! Can you teach me that sort of magic?”
“It’s not magic,” Chrysalis said, matter of factly as she transformed back into Celestia. “It’s biology.”
“Biolo-what?”
“Bi-ol-ogy. It’s something our bodies can do.” Chrysalis smiled happily, thankful for Old Tweezel’s lessons in why a changeling can change, and remembering his praise with fondness. She was the best at it, he told her, better than even the most hardened infiltrators. “All we have to do is picture another creature clearly in our minds, and it doesn’t even have to be a pony.”
She cycled through several creatures in demonstration, lighting up the room with bright flashes of green, all while Celestia watched in awe. Finally, she settled on her own regular changeling appearance, and couldn’t stop smiling.
“Whoa... So... you can be anything?” A flash of mischievousness travelled through the young filly’s eyes. “Say... a spider? One that Mr. Floop the cook definitely isn’t afraid of?”
The changeling caught on quickly and matched her grin with her own. “I... could,” she murmured. “But-”
Morpheus cleared his throat loudly, drawing the attention of both fillies. Chrysalis clammed up and lowered her head submissively. The king was nicer than she had been led to believe, but he was still scary. “There’ll be no scaring the servants anymore, Celestia,” he said sternly.
Celestia turned her ears down and nodded. “Yes, father...”
Morpheus looked down at Chrysalis next. “Furthermore, there will be no trickery or deception in this house, Chrysalis,” he said, not unlike how Old Tweezel spoke. “And while you are our guest, I tell you this not as a father, but as a king. There will be no impersonations of any of the royal family. Is that understood?”
“Y-Yes, sir,” Chrysalis mumbled shyly.
The king nodded in satisfaction and his horn lit up, his magic surrounding the filly on his chest. “Good. Celestia, take your sister. I must visit your mother and inform her of the good news.”
Celestia fluttered her wings as Luna came to a rest in between them. “What good news is that, father?” she asked.
Morpheus’s hardened face softened. “About Chrysalis coming to stay with us, of course,” he chuckled, patting Chrysalis on the back gently. “I would ask that you treat her like your own sister while she is here, my love.” He lowered himself down and nuzzled the pink haired pegasus. “Can you do that for me, my little Starfire?”
“Father!” the princess scolded, waving him away as she pouted. “You know I do not approve of that nickname you gave me.”
Luna appeared to dislike not having the attention, and clambered over her sister’s head to plan her hooves on the king’s face and babble incoherently in his face. All the while Chrysalis watched, smelling the intoxicating scent of their love with no small amount of jealousy. Her mother had not even once given her a shred of affection, let alone nuzzle her. She wondered what it felt like, and her eyelids fluttered slightly as the scent overwhelmed her.
“And yes, of course I love you too, my Stardust,” Morpheus chuckled as he kissed Luna’s forehead, just beneath her small horn. He glanced at Chrysalis and offered his hoof to her to help her stand. “You see, Chrysalis? Despite what your mother may have taught you, ponies are not bad creatures. We love, we laugh, and we enjoy one another’s company.”
Chrysalis felt her mouth twitch upwards into a friendly smile. “Yes, sir,” she said respectfully.
Morpheus smiled once more, then flourished his mane and turned away. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, leaving the fillies and the nymph to whatever mischief they may be able to conjure up.
Celestia certainly had some in mind as she smiled at Chrysalis. “So what do you do for fun, Chrysalis?”
The nymph wrinkled her nose, her smile rapidly fading. “Fun?” she mumbled. “What is fun?”
The princess gaped at her. “Huh? What do you mean ‘what is fun’? It’s fun, silly! Sometimes I read a book or play with Luna, or...” She dropped her voice an octave and leaned in, looking around in an melodramatic fashion. “...Sometimes I sneak into the kitchens to steal some cake.”
Chrysalis frowned. “Isn’t that... dangerous?” she asked, remembering the punishment for stealing from the love stores in the Hive.
“Only if you get caught.”
The princess’s eyebrows wiggled as the filly on her back giggled happily. Soon the elder sister began to giggle too, until she was holding her sides with her wings and trying to catch her breath. Chrysalis felt her mouth twitch upwards again as their laughter was infectious, and soon she started to laugh too. She hadn’t laughed in a long time. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last...
“I can see that we’re going to be such good friends already...” Celestia said as she held her hoof out.
Chrysalis gingerly reached out and took it as her eyes started to brim with fresh tears. She had never had a friend before. It made her insides feel all fuzzy and warm.
And she liked it.
She liked it a lot. She liked Celestia a lot...
***
The present. . .
Even within her armoured carapace, Chrysalis could feel the night’s cold and biting wind.
Her mane fluttered out to the side as she stood on a grassy knoll overlooking the Changeling Hive. The tall spires that were once hers still remained. Although instead of her magnificent Dark Tower, tall and imposing, there was instead a sickeningly colourful thing painted with swirly shades of aquamarine and green as some of the spires’ tips had trees growing out of them.
And not only that, the barren wasteland that once made up the landscape had changed too. Yes the jagged earth still remained, looking like someone had carved up the very ground with a knife, but it was all... green. And nice.
She hated it. And couldn’t hide her disgust even if she wanted to.
The rustling of feathers and the rush of wind behind her made her ear flick. “You’re late,” she said stiffly.
As Celestia stepped up beside her she offered her a tight smile and bumped their hips together. “Considering you gave me barely any notice I think I’ve made good time.”
They stared at one another for a moment before breaking into sets of smiles, although Chrysalis’s was far more akin to a grimace than an actual smile. Celestia saw it as such and swallowed. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“How do you think?” Chrysalis snapped. She blanched, not intending to sound so harsh and sighed. “Celestia, if... if Imago... if she is here, I don’t know if I can... do it again.” She lowered her head and curled her lip upwards. “I don’t know if I can kill her again.”
Celestia reached out and touched her chin, turning her head so they faced each other. “Hey,” she said softly and as reassuringly as she could. “I’ll be right beside you, okay? Don’t-”
The snap of a twig nearby made her pause. Both of their heads turned towards the treeline. Silence, save for the wind rustling the leaves above answered them.
Chrysalis coughed, prompting Celestia to pull her hoof away. They both quickly readjusted herself and rustled their wings respectively. “Yes, well. We should proceed,” the changeling said. “Starlight already sent his majesty to go on ahead to pacify... his subjects. Let them know I mean them no harm or some such.” She tutted in utter disdain.
The princess bobbed her head. “A smart move, I think. No offence to you, Chrysalis, but I’m not sure the changelings would be so eager to see you.”
“Believe me, I am not eager to see their miserable colourful faces either,” Chrysalis clapped back. Her eyes suddenly traced over Celestia’s mane as the moonlight caught it at just the right angle, revealing several messy streaks of pink. “What’s wrong with your mane?”
Celestia grinned sheepishly at her. “Slight mishap with some conditioner this morning.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
“...Uh huh.”
After a few seconds more of silence and staring at one another, they broke out into a set of smiles. Quiet at first, their giggles turned into hearty laughter that travelled through the dark of night. Celestia went to put a hoof around her to pull her into a hug, but hesitated at the last moment. Chrysalis noticed the hesitation and her smile quickly faded and she jutted her head towards the Hive. “Ahem. As I said: we should proceed. I would assume you are eager to return to some important ex-princess duties, yes?”
Celestia paused before nodding glumly, thinking about her miserable, lonely existence in an empty apartment. “Yes. Important... things...”
They walked side by side in silence down the hill, and remained in silence until they reached the very edge of the Hive, gazing up at the towering structure. Chrysalis traced her eyes over a nearby shrubbery and grumbled under her breath. She stamped her hoof a few times loudly on a rock nearby, signalling their arrival.
Celestia nudged her side gently and raised her eyebrows. “I know it’s going to be difficult, Chrysalis, but try to be nice.”
“Hrrrnnn...”
When Thorax nor any of his changelings came forwards and the pair were left in silence once again, Chrysalis growled again. “Where is that slug? And for that matter where are the sentries?” She looked up and around the entranceway. “There should be someone here.”
Celestia pricked her ears up and listened. “Yes, it is quiet, isn’t it?” she murmured. “Too quiet.”
“I can hear breathing,” the changeling grunted, peering into the cavernous entrance to the Hive. “But it’s not coming from in there...”
She spun around as quick as a cat and ignited her horn. Her green magic surrounded something, and lifted it into the air, where it squirmed silently in an attempt to free itself.
The princess warily eyed the suspicious thing up and down. “What is it?” she murmured “I’m not too familiar with the creatures that inhabit this part of Equestria, I must confess.”
“No...” Chrysalis growled. Her magic flashed around whatever it was she was holding and soon it began to materialise into existence, with a series of protestations and cries.
“Put me down, Chryssy!”
A small, dishevelled-looking pink pegasus filly soon faded into existence.
“A spy.” Chrysalis’s horn deactivated and her magical glow left the filly she was holding.
Cozy Glow dropped to the ground in a heap and rubbed her head. She had some leaves in her mane and some mud on her coat, indicating she had most likely been hiding in a tree or a bush for some time. Blinking, she looked up at the adults and smiled weakly. “Surpriiise.”
The changeling looked down at her in a barely contained fury and sneered at her. “Why are you here, Cozy Glow? I specifically told you all I would be coming here without any of you.”
The filly quickly jumped up and puffed her chest out defiantly. “Listen, even if Tempy and Tirek think it’s okay for you to go alone, I don’t, okay? And neither did Starlight. So she cast some invisibility spell over me and sent me ahead of you. Y’know, to keep an, uh... eye on you--wow, yeah I hear it now, yikes.”
The changeling tutted and snarled at her. “Of course Starlight Glimmer would stoop so low as to use a child to spy on me, the baleful wretch that she is.” She buzzed her wings and held her head up high. “Well you can just go on and fly back to the castle now, can’t you? Now that her spell has been lifted.”
Cozy wilted and looked around at her wings. “I can’t fly that far,” she said quietly. “Can’t I just stay with you? I’ll be good, I promise.” She puffed her lip out and widened her eyes as far as they would go. “Pretty please?”
“No. Absolutely not,” Chrysalis protested. “As I said, this is far too dangerous and especially no place for a-”
She froze when she heard a quiet titter, and slowly looked over at Celestia.
Cozy did so as well and sheepishly waved at the former princess, who from the looks of it was desperately trying not to laugh. She held her hoof over her mouth--although that didn’t stop her smile from reaching her eyes.
Chrysalis’s eyebrow twitched. She held up a wing, hiding herself and her little comrade from view. “This is no place for a child,” she hissed. “And besides, I... I have something I need to attend to.”
“Is ‘something’ Celestia?”
There was a soft whack and a low pitched whine as Chrysalis’s hoof connected with Cozy’s head.
“Owww.”
“Be silent you little beast,” the queen rasped. Her gaze travelled over the filly’s back, specifically at her wings. “You can fly back, surely. You’re a pegasus, aren’t you?” she hissed.
Cozy shook her head. “Yeeeah, but I was raised by unicorns, so I never learned how to fly that well.” She fluttered her wings in an over dramatic fashion and sighed heavily as she glumly turned away, dragging her hooves through the dirt. “I guess I’ll just have to walk home. Golly I hope I don’t die on the way there. Would you rather starve to death or get eaten by a bear?”
She didn’t get more than a few centimetres away before Chrysalis groaned and relented.
“Ugggh... you hateful little... Fine. You can stay, on the condition that you do exactly as I say, when I say it.” She added as the filly’s face lit up. With a snort, Chrysalis shook her head and pulled herself up, freezing midway for a moment as a thought crossed her mind. “Does Tempest at least know you’re here? Or Tirek, for that matter?”
The filly cringed slightly as Chrysalis moved her wing. “Uhh, well, no. Starlight knew Tempy wouldn’t allow her to send me to spy on you, so she, uh... well... nopony knows I’m here.” She flashed a smile at the queen as they approached the former princess, and in an attempt to quickly change conversation, struck up a conversation with her. “Hi, Celestia.”
The corners of Celestia’s mouth became lopsided as she fought to keep her giggles under control. “Hello, Cozy Glow,” she said. “How are you? I don’t believe we have spoken much, have we?” She glanced up at Chrysalis with a coy smile, who in turn tutted and stormed on ahead, towards the mouth of the Hive.
Cozy shrugged. “Eh not too bad, not too bad. Chryssy says I can come with you.” She hesitated and looked the alicorn up and down. “Uh, are you okay with that?”
“Oh yes, by all means listen to her feelings on the matter, not my dire warnings,” Chrysalis grumbled as she stormed past.
Celestia smiled again and shook her head. “My opinion, Cozy, is that even though what we are about to do has the potential to be very dangerous... two Nightmare Knights are better than one.” Her eyes briefly met the changeling’s for a moment, in a knowing look.
“Yeah that’s what I think, too.” Cozy beamed happily, looking quite pleased she had gotten her way--and apparently swayed Celestia enough to agree with her. “Plus, y’know, I wanna be there when you two tear Bray apart.”
The princess’s smile grew tight. “Hmm. Yes, quite.”
She, of course, knew of Bray thanks to Twilight filling her in on the events of the Knights’ escapades in Saddle Arabia, and, more precisely, to ask for advice on the matter. The only advice she could possibly give was trust that the Knights, and Luna, knew what they were doing.
Chrysalis came to a halt and stared into the darkness of the Hive ahead of her. “Thorax!” she barked. When still nobody answered her, she sighed and hung her head. “Perhaps the wretch has taken what is left of his brood and fled,” she muttered, tapering off into a small tangent of indecipherable grumbling. “No matter. Come on. No time like the present.”
Cozy trotted forwards happily, doing her best to keep up with the queen’s long strides, while Celestia followed closely behind. Just before she entered the maw of the Hive, the Alicorn of the Sun looked up at the tall spires above, noting how foreboding and intimidating they were in the pale moonlight. A shiver ran down her spine before she spurred herself forwards, further into the darkness.
***
Deep, deep underground... a creature stirred, brought to life by the darkest and foulest of magics.
Her carapace, once sleek and beautiful, now misshapen and fetid, glinted in the pale light cast by her horn as it pulsed softly, commanding and directing her beloved subjects to where their simple, festering minds needed to go. Her chest rose and fell with painful, strained breaths.
Her withered and decayed lips pulled back into a wicked smirk, revealing her yellowed and cracked teeth, and her eyes--one pale green and one solid white--flashed with pure malice.
“She’s here...” she whispered. A dry, rasping laughter escaped her decaying throat. “But she is... not alone... No matter. Bring her to me, my children...”
Around her, her once dead subjects began to chatter and chirp among themselves as they scurried to obey. Their bone white chitins seemed to almost glow in the paleness of her majesty as her rotten and translucent wings unfurled, sending hordes of flies forth into the air, shimmering in the low light.
Very soon now her swarm would reclaim the world above, away from this dark place. Soon the world would tremble once more at her name.
She who dragged herself out of Tartarus itself...
She who would consume the world for her Hive...
The Pale Queen...
Imago...
Her bloated belly heaved and pulsated again as another round of eggs spewed forth. Changelings, born dead yet brought to life by wicked and tainted magic, immediately started to snap and claw at one another, eager to feed.
“Soon...” she hissed at them. “Soon my pets...”
The rotting queen raised her head and looked into the eyes of her latest prey, the so-called King of the Changelings, and grinned at him.
Thorax would have screamed, were his mouth not covered up by secreted bile. His eyes grew wide as they darted around the other cocoons, tracing the faces of those he had left behind when he went for help. In just a few hours, his Hive, his friends and his family, seemed all but doomed. Their fate, and his, lay in the hooves of who was once their downfall, their oppressor and tyrant. He could only hope that Chrysalis was ready.
And that she would hurry while they were still alive...
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Whew, another one down. Another like dozen or so deadlines I set myself swiftly cast aside and ignored
Anyways. I know ya'lls like world building and backstories, so have some major L O R E to pick at. I wanna say it won't be as much of a wait til the next one, but... y'know.
I'll try. Maybe as a Christmas present.
Hasta luego mi amores. See ya next time!
Just.... wow.
Totally looking forward to the next chapter.
11063592
This is an interesting trio to do this mission. I wonder if Cozy will be able to come up with a good plan to actually help out. Imago looks to be a scary villain and her connection to Chrysalis, and potentially Celestia, is very interesting. I'm very much looking forward to how this will all play out.
I'm surprised Luna didn't do this during her time as director.
It's nice to see characters mentioned like this.
Chrysalis does have a point here. It was pretty irresponsible of Starlight to send Cozy there alone like that. She must be desperate.
Sooooo...... Imago is seeming a lot like a spider boss you would find in a video game. Anyone else think that?
Oooohhh, this'll be exciting!
11063901
I'd venture to guess she was too busy sorting out the back end of her work as Director to focus more on the front end, i.e. the Knights themselves
Yeah you'd think so wouldn't you?
Irresponsible, reckless, possibly just slander to cover Cozy's own tracks y'know one and the same really
11063952
"Are you prepared to dedicate yourself to Our Fair Lady? Then I will make available whatever you require. If you need something, ask me first."
wow, this arc looks like a bid for an adventure of at least 2 chapters long with a twisted and dramatic "devil may cry 5" storyline.
At least Queen Imago has the potential to become an interesting antagonist. I hope she won't be the "boring monster of the week". I want to know the views of all parties to the conflict.
P.S. Why did I expect Morpheus to tell Chrysalis to choose between red and blue fruit?
P.P.S. is it a coincidence that I’m reading the chapter where Chrysalis’s mother returns, and at this time we have a “mother’s day” holiday?
As they say, there's no deadline that cannot be delayed.
Dunno, Chryssie's mom seems like a real friendly type. Parent od the millennium, even.
"Don't interrupt me, I'm having a traumatic childhood flashback."
I see Celestia is spending her time fruitfully.
Bonus points if Celesti-Os are shaped like Celestia's head.
Jeez, great ideas, Glimglam. Are you trying to get someone killed? Because that's how you get someone killed.
And Thorax is once again useless, what a surprise... Not!
11064006 Well, now you're contractually obligated to make Chryssie use a certain line when saving someone young from Imago. Check the official pop culture reference guidebook, it's there.
'you sure you’re special talent' - your
'could hold her own Imago' - own against Imago
'and haphazardly banged her hooves together, and accidentally get caught in her, what Chrysalis presumed to be her sister’s, mane' - and haphazardly banged her hooves together, accidentally getting caught in her, what Chrysalis presumed to be sister’s, mane
'dishevelled looking' - dishevelled-looking
'keeping her best to keep up' - doing her best to keep up
11064984
P.P.P.S. By the way, it is somehow strange that the body of the Imago did not rot into dust over these millennia. Logically, nothing should have been left from her during this time.
11064984
Ha that is a weird coincidence
You know pop culture too well I think is why haha.
Although she may (or may not) be beaten soon, Imago's definitely going to be a thorn in more than one of the Knights' (and others) side for a while yet.
But y'know.
Spoilers
11064995
I'm just toying with the idea of keeping a certain word in or swapping it out to something a bit more lore friendly. We'll see.
Thought I'd got most of 'em
Yeah best mom ever, right?
Legit I might steal that line at some point that's pretty funny
Spending her time as fruitfully as daddy owl is anyways
Oh believe me that line (that whole encounter) is already written
Thanks once again unofficial editor in chief!
11065048
ffs the image wont load :( sadness.
Spoilers