Chapter 7 - Spiteful
Time blurred in my domain as thought and rumination pressed upon me. My mind wandering endless tracks in a vast desert as I thought over my meeting with the Alicorn of Love.
She had a point.
I didn’t like it, but the foolishness of not seeing what was in front of me did not serve me before, and I found myself unwilling to follow the path of ignoring the insight before my eyes and further than where it had led me.
They all had a point.
Little Lamb, the Small Queen, even the Madmare, despite how twisted the latter seemed to be, they all had a point.
But to submit, to bow? The mere thought made me bristle. To the Zebra or Griffins I could perhaps take such humiliation, but to the Ponies?!
I did not have the strength to express my rage at the idea, merely snarl and grumble in the dark silence of my cell as I was forced to consider it again and again.
Bow to the Ponies. Accept the Witch Celestia’s mercy.
Sell out my Changelings for a better life.
Play it safe or risk it all?
Die slowly, or have a chance to free us all from the shackles of our endless hunger?
Give my Changelings a chance at further life and time to prepare ourselves for a future we didn’t know would happen, or snap ourselves out of existence?
There was no finding a middle ground here. It was all or nothing in the most twisted sense, where no matter what was chosen the other may ride along as well.
I was irritated to find I had a visitor, a peculiar purple protege, a brown clipboard held in her lavender glow and a pair of saddlebags slung across her back. Extending my senses to her emotions found little, merely a bubbling pot of irritation and dissatisfaction. At least I could take solace that Twilight Sparkle would find this experience any more rewarding than I.
“Twilight Sparkle.” I began, it was unlikely the Witch’s student would leave on her own, no doubt seeing this as a sacred burden to be carried out.
… whatever ‘this’ was I knew not. Ideas I had in spades, ranging from the Witch Celestia’s own form of snubbing me by sending a lackey to perform whatever inane purpose she has, to more mundane prospects such as the ex-Element of Magic being sent to warden Equestria’s greatest prisoner.
“Queen Chrysalis.” her voice was clear, professional, almost medicinal. Much like a doctor greeting a patient at the end of a short stay in hospital.
The silence sunk in the conversation was enough to kill much thoughts of pleasantness.
“If you’ve come here with a purpose, Twilight Sparkle, I suggest you get it over with quickly before boredom comes and kills us both.”
Twilight Sparkle’s gaze flicked up from whatever was held on that clipboard of hers to meet my own green eyes, but the contact was naught but a passing second as her eyes returned to whatever was held on the piece of floating… where they were made of cork, or cardboard? It did not matter, and I brushed the straying thought aside as Twilight Sparkle spoke. “Princess Celestia has tasked me with performing an interview, with you as the interviewee..”
“Oh, what about? Has the little scholar come to learn more about her hated enemies before they’re forgotten to time?”
A slight twitch, but nonetheless Twilight Sparkle didn’t react to any satisfactory degree. “Yes, actually. Princess Celestia wants me to interview you in hopes you can shed light on some of the discoveries we’ve made.”
Sarcasm dripped off my tongue as the words slithered out, and I felt no need to stop them. I could say my piece here without fear of repercussion. There was nothing they could do to me. “Is that so? Well then, far be it from me to keep answers from the Witch.” Another errant twitch from the mare across from me. “What do you want to know, Twilight Sparkle?”
“You’re being surprisingly forthcoming about this, Chrysalis.” She grumbled, her face turning away as she reached into her bags.
I watched papers flutter out of her bag and onto her clipboard in the sparking fizzle of her lavender magic, a quill danced gracefully between the flying mass of white pages. “If that’s cause for complaint then I suppose I could always help less.”
Twilight Sparkle gave me a Look. One of those that was spelt with a capital and probably carried with it some form of mighty intent. Shame then that whatever intent that was there was lost on me as I looked past her and into the bubbling pot of emotions inside of her. It was almost like a broth, a thick base of irritation surrounding and mixed with various small chunks of other foodstuff.
Idly, I licked my lips and gave the little mare a fanged smile.
Twilight Sparkle shivered, but held strong and pressed onwards like the good little dog she was. “Are you prepared to answer some questions?”
“Does it truly matter if I am prepared or not? You’ll no doubt be back to pester me anyway.” Seeing as that garnered no response, I let out a little sigh and gave my altogether superfluous consent to partaking in this charade for the Witch.
“When inspecting the walls of the Changeling capital we found its walls were made up primarily out of an unidentified substance.”
“The Hive.” I found myself quietly correcting before moving onto the actual question, best get this over with. “I assume you’re talking about Bugstuff? Blue-ish Purple, looks a bit like wood, as strong as rock?”
“Bugstuff is what it’s called? What is it?”
“Bugstuff is to Changelings what honeycomb is to bees. Although it is far more malleable and we possess far more control over it than insects.”
“How do you make it?”
“Not in any way you Ponies could replicate.” I answered, although the dissatisfaction that emanated from Twilight Sparkle and the lack of another question to focus on left me to elaborate with a tired sigh. “We mix together our own excrement with sand and limestone before using transmutation magic on it. From there any skilled and practiced Changeling can manipulate the stuff freely.”
A deep frown marred the purple Pony’s face, and not the kind I usually enjoy. “Transmutation magic is a highly advanced form of magic, how are Changelings able to-”
“Twilight Sparkle,” I interrupted, “transmutation magic is advanced for Ponies. I’m sure you’re already aware that Changelings are not Ponies? To a race born with the ability to shapeshift, changing the nature of one thing to another is much easier than the Ponies who can only force nature to their whims.”
“I… suppose that’s plausible.” the purple Pony spoke, a slight frown lingering on her face as her quill scratched an answer onto one of her floating papers. I gave her an annoyed snort as I waited for my next question. “We found a unique room that looked like an archive of sorts but couldn’t understand what was in any of the books in there. Can you tell us what it’s purpose is?”
“I would hope I didn’t need to explain the concept of a library to you, Twilight Sparkle.”
That earned me a roll of the eyes, but the irritation still burned strong within her. “Could you tell us what was inside this ‘library’ then?”
“Manuals and journals mostly. To be used to educate and tell Changelings how things used to be done.”
For some sort of asinine reason Twilight Sparkle seemed surprised by this. “... That’s it? No scientific texts? No compositions of poetry?”
I glared at the little Pony. “When paper is a limited resource you tend to only use it for what’s important.”
“... I suppose that makes sense…” The Pony mumbled, her eyes briefly trailing to the papers that surrounded her. “And why couldn't we read them?”
“Did you really expect to find them written in perfect Equestrian?”
“Well-” Twilight Sparkle began, before sense trampled through her head and knocked whatever inane comment she was about to say out of her head. They were Ponies, almost incapable of thinking outside of their own little world. A creature that speaks Equestrian surely writes in Equestrian, would it not?
I gave another derisive snort. “Anything else, Twilight Sparkle? Or are we done here?”
Shame left Twilight Sparkle’s face as the dangling prospect of more questions was drawn away. “No, no, we still have a few more questions.”
“How many?”
“Twenty-”
“Two.” I interrupted, staring at the Pony, “you get two more questions, Twilight Sparkle, then begone, I was rather enjoying myself until you arrived and I’d much rather return to that.”
Twilight Sparkle was silent for a moment, then a moment longer, then a moment longer again.
“Okay, two questions. I can work with that. We found a big cavern full of wooden statues. All of them depicting sleeping, resting, or injured Changelings, can you explain the significance of this room?”
That caused me pause, and I slowly considered my answer as I watched Twilight Sparkle jot down more notes on her collection of fluttering pages.
“Can you tell me the state of these statues? None were harmed?”
“Most of them were left untouched, and we couldn’t find any sign of natural damage,” my ears pricked at her choice of wording, “but once we found out they were hollow we decided to open a few up to see inside-”
“You what?!” I growled, my entire body leaning forward as I took a stiff step toward the purple scholar.
“Butallwefoundinsidewassomesortoffluid!” She finished quickly.
My voice was a growl as I half stalked, half dragged myself closer to the edge of my cell. “Do you even recognise the significance of what you just did- No, what am I saying. Of course you don’t. You’re nothing more than an ignorant, foolish, Pony.”
Twilight Sparkle spoke hurriedly under my glare. “Well, we knew the statues were unique since we couldn’t find any other statues or paintings of Changelings-”
“What use are pictures and statues to a race that can look like whatever we wish Pony? Think you idiotic creature.”
“Uh, I’m not an expert on wood carving or archaeology, but I think I remember one of the other researchers saying they were incredibly detailed, and some were surprisingly old as well. A carbon dating spell told us at least one of the statues was centuries old. Despite this all were in good condition and… I’m not sure what else, obviously they’re culturally significant but I can’t figure out any reason why. Nothing gave any indication that they were historical figures, and the level of detail indicates a high level of craftponyship we didn’t believe Changelings of capable of...” As Twilight Sparkle spoke her words got quieter and quieter as she slowly found herself running out of things to say under my reproachful stare.
The sound of my front hooves stiffly striking the floor as I brought myself closer registered in my mind. No longer a crisp clopping sound, but instead a dull repetitive thunk.
“They were not statues, Twilight Sparkle.” My voice was no more than a whisper, but that did nothing to stop the power behind it. I could see each shiver and shake in the purple Pony’s face as my face hovered bare inches behind the bars of my cell.
“W-what were they then?”
“Kin. Changelings. Corpses.”
Hunger.
“W-wha-”
“We are Changelings, Twilight Sparkle, what we are born from we are fated to return to.”
“Born from? Wait, were those statues...?”
“Dead changelings, who were starved and perished. When a Changeling is starved of love their carapace turns into wood, the process can take anywhere between weeks or months depending on the age of the Changeling, the older the Changeling, the more love required to sustain them, the faster, and I’ve heard more painful, the process.”
I looked into Twilight Sparkle's eyes as I spoke, never looking away, never letting her look away. She would see the truth in my eyes and suffer for it.
A choked gasp escaped the mare as, eventually, she stumbled back and contact was broken. “That’s horrifying!”
“Do you think that is something I am not already aware of? A fate I haven’t brushed time and time again? Do not be so ignorant as to state the obvious Twilight Sparkle, do not think I am unaware of the tragedy of my kind, so I remind you, Twilight Sparkle, you have one more question. Make it count or waste it, I care not so long as you leave me be after.”
Twilight Sparkle paused, nervousness flashing across her entire body with the swiftness of dry leaves thrown into fire. Her eyes darting from her clipboard to me, deep fleeting emotion flickering in her eyes as she stood back up.
I drew back from the bars of my cell, shuffling and dragging my failing body across the stone floor and away from the illuminating glow of Twilight Sparkle’s magic.
“It’s… more of a proposal really…” Twilight Sparkle’s voice stuttered, her eyes not remaining on me for more than a second before returning to her pages and clipboard for another two. “It’s more something I have to inform you of… Although I guess I could just ask your opinion on it…” more muttering from the purple mare as she attempted to work up the nerve to ask her no doubt stupid question. My opinion? I would think it hardly mattered to the Witch Celestia, “okay, okay! I got it!” delight blossomed inside of her, a false veneer of confidence pushed forward and shimmered in her eyes to hide away her feelings of horror. “I’d like to ask you about a proposal created by the diarchy of Equestria involving you, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings.”
That she spoke of my title of Queen of the Changelings told me this would not be a question about where Changeling babies came from. I tried not to let any curiosity filter into my voice, enforcing an irritated resignation as I spoke, an easy task considering how by this point I would need to force emotion into my tone to speak with it. “Let me hear your proposal then, before I pass my judgement upon whatever foolish notion you Ponies have conjured up.”
Twilight Sparkle replied promptly, her tone official and flat, as if reading off a script. “Princess Celestia has decided and declared you shall take part as the first participant of a brand new civil program, to be headed under the administration and oversight of the Solar Apprentice, Twilight Sparkle. The program aims to reform and re-integrate dangerous elements into society, known formally as the Villain Reformation and Reintegration Program, or the V.R.R. program Do you, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, acknowledge this and pledge your eager and willing participation?”
There was little I could say to such a grand statement.
Such a grand and foolish and arrogant statement.
Honesty is not a virtue of mine, and it is not often I speak the first thing that comes to mind, but I found on this rare occasion that I did, dropping almost all decorum and pretenses.
“What.”
Of course, that simple word transformed into a raging snarl faster than the purple idiot before me could even blink.
“What!?”
How dare they express their arrogance in such a way? What right did they believe they had to make such proclamations. I found myself considering attempting to turn myself into a dragon- such an act would have killed me instantly, but if survive perhaps I could do so long enough to roast that idiotic mare that dared speak such words in presence.
“T-this was an official decision that Princess Celestia and I discussed over the duration of your stay here in Canterlot. W-we believed it to be the most suitable course of action rather than a lengthy prison sentence. We believe that i-if you tried to get along with Ponies you wouldn’t want to return to bad habits-”
“Bad habits?! Is that what you call doing everything in your power to save your kind from a life of pain, servitude, or universal death? You Ponies truly are arrogant, believing that the virtues you do not even practice will ‘redeem’ those that go against you. Blind, arrogant, I name you Twilight Sparkle, I name you the Sightless Student. Let it forever be a reminder of your failings, let it be a symbol of shame upon you, let all Changelings that ever cross your path know of your arrogance and foolishness.” My words snarled together, and I was not entirely sure which were spoken in my head and which were spoken aloud.
There was no magic in my words. Not of the Pony kind at least, but there was the magic we had sought to mimic. No lightning or fire were caused by my words. No, instead there was something else. A deep power. Old and ancient and lumbering. Old enough that its awakening was swiftly followed by its fall into slumber. The power of promise.
It did not roar, it did not challenge or command, no, instead I felt it answer the plea of a worm. My plea to name my enemy. It did not answer with mercy, nor with gratitude or greed, but with boredom and a raised brow.
The Sightless Student stood stupefied, but unaware. It was my rage that captured her attention, not my words.
“I… I’m sorry you feel that way,” The Sightless Student spoke, cowed but still ignorant, “but I hope we can work through it with the Power of Friendship-”
“Friendship? Yes because it was friendship that defeated my Changelings, it will be friendship that keeps them from starving, it will no doubt be the well meaning and doubtlessly generous friendship of you Ponies that will keep me alive in the many years to come.” I turned to The Sightless, and a wicked idea jumped into my mind, “Was it not friendship that abandoned you, Sightless? Where was friendship for you on the day of the Canterlot Invasion? Did your friends not all turn on you, trusting a stranger over the friend that introduced them to said stranger? Or did they not leave to be trapped under the caves of Canterlot? It was not your friends that saved the day for you Ponies, or was it the power of Love? Although maybe you are right about one thing, tell me, Sightless, will friendship bring back the lovers Applejack and Rainbow Dash? Or will they stay slain by my hoof-”
“SHUT UP!” The Sightless Student screamed. Bristling, wild anger flailing and lashing around inside of her.
“What’s the matter? I’m sure you’d find it comforting to know that their last thoughts were of what conquered me the first time. Love is a powerful emotion, just ask the sma- ask your sister-in-law, I’m sure she’d be glad to tell you the strength of love, perhaps offer it for you to study rather than the untimely end to your friendships-”
“SHUT UP!” She screamed again, horn crackling with power. The white pages suspended in the air did not so much fall out of her grip but were torn out as her magical prowess gathered itself, creating a blinding beacon of light from her horn.
“You threaten me, Sightless Student? I don’t see how you could. You do not possess the will to harm me, not like your more noble brother. Tell me, do nightmares of me trouble him still? I learnt of some lingering memories of me appearing in his dreams while he was under my thrall. Would you kill me, Sightless Student, and finish what your brother could not?”
My grin was eager as I taunted. Oh, imagine how the Witch would react, knowing her student had given into my temptation. She would no doubt feel shame, and the Sightless Student would know she felt shame. How graciously would she fall, covered in my blood?
Stray arcs of power lept from the Sightless Student’s horn, and I laughed.
Brilliant! Brilliant! How wonderfully brilliant this was! I had given up on provoking them, but it seems at least one of my plans would be a success after all.
“Come now, Sightless Student, do your-”
The sound of a door crashing open cut me off.
The cold of my cell was banished by a warm glow.
The Sightless Student froze at the entering presence.
I snarled.
The Witch had come.
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OOOOOOOOOH BOI!
What a cliffhanger man I can't wait its going to be interesting love the story
twilight might be smart and powerful but man she can be the sightless student like are queen says she be like it seem she take after celestia in certain regards as sunset did but apparently twilight was way luckier since she was started younger then sunset... even less experienced!
poor girl doesn't understand the burn she got by the old magic itself!
wonder how bunyip's/changelings survived the wendigo winters? did they turn themselves into seeds? can changelings do that? turn into seeds or emergency state like it?
think this have some mlp comic elements? cause that mean history in passing between princess and queen comic mlp celestia thrown chrysalis and her people into a volcano i don't blame the princess too much an invasion after her sister banishment does make ugly choices...
Goddamit Twilight, why don't you understand the situaion before you make a decision?
Talking without thinking...
Seeing things idealistically is good twilight BUT it needs a careful approach.
Chrysalis is right about what she said. I mean before the Magic of Friendship came to Equestria, all species had their own way of survival. I mean it's unfair and harsh but it was their own ways of living. I mean if they added that harsh truth in the show, then Thorax's way of Sharing love is just an insult to the Changelings of the past who had to collect love to survive
10779202
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhckuhUxcgA
I'm sorry but the changeling ways was made by their stupid Queen, they were vampires, draining love nonstop.
and if they had taken over Canterlot or Equestria what then?
They breed the ponies to make more love as even in cocoons they would died out in the end.
Also in the episode Chrysalis said her way was all that matter she never bothered to choose another, she never cared to.
As if there was another way she loose her status of power.
No thorax way is only insulting to Chrysalis, that is a fact.
Boy, did Twilight come across as pompous in this chapter. It’s pretty easy to empathize with Chrysalis here. What’s sad is that it isn’t hard to read the canon Twilight as a pompous brown-noser with lots of book sense but little sympathy for anyone who doesn’t adhere to her sense of order. This became even more apparent when she became a princess, and became more oficial.
On Chryssy’s side, I wish the show had portrayed her more like this. She had such potential in her first appearance, but then the show wrote her off as just another bad guy. She was overthrown and replaced by the milktoast moose. Yet there was such potential for more nuanced storytelling with a character who did bad things out of necessity than because she was simply bad.
As for the story, it looks as though Twilight’s arrogance has undone a lot of the growth her other friends had brought about in Chrysalis. Now Celestia’s deigned to make her appearance, and I fear this will only escalate further. Reforming Chrysalis is well and good, but the ponies are going to need to seriously reconsider how they’re going about it. This callous dismissal of Chrysalis’ actions as “bad habits” as well as labeling her a “villain” shows how little the ponies actually understand why she attacked to begin with. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear they wrote it that way so Chrysalis would undoubtedly reject it, and then claim they tried to redeem her but she in her wickedness rejected it, so when she does die they can keep their squeaky clean image...
But let’s see what Celestia has to say.
10782639
Isn't that what Celestia has done her whole life? Rewrite things the way she wants. She hid the existence of almost every threat to Equestria from everyone.
Look also what they did with Lighting Dust and how Dash was still only focused on her self and being the center of attention.
Did... did Twilight and the ponies just desacrate a changeling corpse basically?
10786180
Several by Twilights account.
Kill her now. Do it. One, twilight is an idiot. Two, I wouldn't speak to her or sunbutt. Three, I grow tired of these visits yet know they will come no matter what
Oh my goddess. I'm laughing at the outrage but this horse it going to make me kill her by the end of the day. Both her, and the other two princesses that aren't Luna
You mean the bitch