Chapter 3 - In the Shadows
For Whom the Twilight Falls
Chapter 3 - In the Shadows
“Chrysalis?” Luna blurted out, the first to speak. “As in, Princess Chrysalis?” Celestia elbowed Luna, glaring at her.
“It’s alright,” Chrysalis turned the tiara over in her hole-ridden hooves. “I am Princess Chrysalis. Though, I would prefer you refer to me as Chrysalis, if you have to use my whole name. To be honest, it feels better being called a nickname like Chryssy,” she blinked away a tear. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”
Luna stared at the holes in Chrysalis’s hooves, fascinated. Celestia looked pointedly at her, before turning to Chrysalis. “Rambling is fine,” she replied breezily, sitting down on one of the seats near Chrysalis. “My sister does it all the time.” This time, it was Luna’s turn to glare at Celestia.
Chrysalis wrung her hooves, evidently at a loss of words. Before Celestia and Luna had entered the carriage, she was all alone and all she had were her thoughts. Now, there were two ponies in front of her. Not to mention, they were Princess Sunset’s students, too!
“Can I ask a question?” Chrysalis tried, wanting to break the silence. Silence had always felt wrong to her. It was one of the reasons why she couldn’t bear sitting still and filing paperwork like her mother.
“Sure!” Celestia beamed. “Although, you obviously just asked a question, but I’ll allow another.” She winked, eyes twinkling with joy and laughter.
Chrysalis let out a small giggle, in spite of the feelings rolling around inside of her. She couldn’t help it - there was something infectious about that genuine smile Celestia gave her. She straightened up, feeling a little better. There was something about these two ponies - something that interested her. It probably didn’t help that they had a phoenix preening itself with them.
“Which one of you is which?” Chrysalis absentmindedly drew a circle with her right forehoof on the carriage floor. “Like, I know your names are Luna and Celestia Solaris, but…” she spread her hooves helplessly. “As I said, I rarely leave the hive.”
Celestia grinned. “I’m Celestia! And as you can see, the better-looking one!”
“Hey!” Luna exclaimed. “Waddaya mean-”
Chrysalis giggled again, this time the sound clearer and more evident. Although she could see the annoyance on Luna’s face, she could feel the love literally rolling off them for each other. So much love...so there was how Princess Sunset was able to provide the changelings with a constant stream of love. So far, on her visit to Equestria for the Summer Sun Celebration, she had felt a massive amount of love just radiating from the ponies.
“Laughter is good for you,” Celestia leaned back into the seat, Philomena letting out an indignant squawk as Celestia almost crushed her against the wall, the phoenix just barely avoiding that by flapping her wings and hopping off Celestia. “I won’t pretend to know what you’re going through, but-“ she offered one of her hooves to Chrysalis. “-I’ll be your friend, if you want that.”
The changeling princess stared at the proffered hoof. “F-friend?”
“Friend,” Celestia confirmed. “I’m sure Luna wants to be your friend, too, right?” Her sister nodded vehemently from beside her, and the elder student grinned, “We can show you around Canterlot after the Summer Sun Celebration too! Since you’re in Equestria, why not make the most out of it?”
“Friends,” Chrysalis repeated. “I...I’ve never had ponies j-just offer that before…” a tear fell freely from her already watery eye. “T-thank you.”
“Make some friends, Chrysalis.”
“Aw,” Celestia wiped a tear from her own eyes and sniffed. “I’m a big sap for these kinda things.” Luna rolled her eyes fondly from the side. “C’mere, you.”
“Wha- what do you mean...?” Chrysalis’s eyes widened as Celestia scooted over the seats and hugged her, the white pegasus’s warmth flooding into her as the doors to the carriage shut, the train moving off. Instinctively, Chrysalis reached out for the residual love flooding the air, but immediately restrained herself. She had already enough from the crystals Princess Sunset provided the changelings with! Instead, she let herself melt into the hug, enjoying it.
“There you go,” Celestia grinned warmly, releasing Chrysalis. “A little hug always does everyone good. See, you’re smiling! Luna, tell her she’s smiling!”
“You are,” Luna confirmed. “And yes, I would be glad to be your friend too. Me and Celestia, well, it’s been hard for us to make new friends too. The nobles turn their noses up at us, since our father isn’t an actual noble by blood, just made into one. Our old friends have been too intimidated to look at us in the eye ever since we became the personal students of Princess Sunset - Well, I mean, I love every minute of being the Princess’s student, but there are side effects to that, too.”
“I know what you mean,” Chrysalis nodded, her worries and pains forgotten momentarily in the presence of Celestia and Luna. “I don’t have any friends other than my cousins, too. Thorax and Pharynx are fun to play with, but ever since we grew out of that stage, I haven’t been able to find anyone to actually hold a long enough conversation with.”
In a brief companionable silence, they shared flashed smiles borne of understanding.
“So,” Luna said finally, settling into her seat and adjusting her position to be comfortable. “Heading to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration? Why are you going so early?”
Chrysalis shook her head. “I’d rather not say why. But I will be supervising some of the ‘lings at Ponyville who are helping to organize things. Mother-” she barely managed to force out the word, hesitating slightly. “Sent fifty ahead because Princess Sunset requested it. Three centaurs are attending, the King and the two princes. The draconequui have been sighted moving towards Ponyville for the Celebration, too, so preparations are in full swing, needing everycreature we can get.”
“I see,” Celestia glanced out of the window at the scenery they were moving past. As the train chugged down the mountain Canterlot rested down on the tracks, she could see Ponyville, a distant speck. “How long does it take to get from Canterlot to Ponyville?”
“Nine hours,” Luna answered. “Assuming the train goes at an average speed of forty kilometres per hour, we’d be there within nine to ten hours, and the velocity doesn't change due to directional change-” she smiled sheepishly as Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a nerd.”
“A bit?” Celestia guffawed. “You spend half the day at the library!”
“I do not!” Luna protested. “I just spent a third-”
“More than that,” Philomena offered helpfully. “Somewhere between a third and half. A quarter?”
Luna stared. “A qua- Mena, seriously?”
“Yep.” Philomena went back to preening her feathers as Chrysalis tried not to laugh at the peeved expression on Luna’s face - whether it was from the blatant miscalculation or the insult, she didn’t know - all while Celestia was giggling.
“Anyways,” Celestia recomposed herself. “Since it’s gonna take a while, I might as well get some sleep.” She yawned. “You woke me up two hours too early today, Luna. If this takes nine hours, we’re gonna arrive there just before midnight. I’ll need some sleep if you’re gonna do another one of your all-nighters.” Philomena nodded in agreement, the phoenix’s own eyes already shutting to go to sleep.
For some reason, something Celestia said sent shivers down Chrysalis’s spine. She had heard one of those words in another context before...but where?
Celestia stretched out on the seats, before her eyes promptly shut. Before long, a low snore filled the air. Chrysalis blinked at the speed at which Celestia had fallen asleep. Just a few minutes earlier, the mare had been full of energy...
“Oh, she falls asleep fast,” Luna shrugged as she noticed Chrysalis’s expression. “Heavy sleeper, too. I had to threaten her subconscious with one of her secrets before she would wake up this morning.”
“Threaten...her subconscious?” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “Is that another way to say you used magic to enter her mind?”
“Of course not!” Luna replied quickly. “Mind magic is forbidden and the only book that I know of that has those spells are in the Restricted Section. I only get access whenever Princess Sunset wants to retrieve a particular book. I just whisper the threats into her ear, she’ll hear it. I have no idea how - she can sleep through a natural disaster.”
“I see,” Chrysalis nodded.
“Can I refer to you to as Chrysalis?” Luna asked. “Or would you prefer, y’know, Chryssy?”
“Since we’re friends now...Chryssy will do,” Chrysalis smiled. “It feels more natural to me. Chrysalis feels like it belongs to someling more...responsible than me. If you don’t mind, I would prefer Chryssy. It makes me feel more...free.”
“I can empathize,” Luna stood up to trot over to Chrysalis, before sitting down next to the changeling princess. “I haven’t told you this, but my family has a long legacy. The nobles think my father was only made a noble this generation. Truth is,” she stared out of the window. “My family have been serving Princess Sunset as her Astronomers since...as far back as I know. “
“That means...my family name, Solaris, carries a lot of weight and responsibility. It’s why I prefer to be called Luna, instead of Miss Solaris. It makes me feel like I can make my own destiny, forge my own path instead of just following the path that my ancestors laid out for me.” Luna breathed out. “Celestia doesn’t know this, because she doesn’t care about the past.”
Luna rubbed at her head. “How do I put this? Her motto is ‘Live in the present, for it’s a gift.’ When I ask her a gift from who, she always just smiles at me. Ponies think she’s unintelligent. On the contrary, she’s actually smarter than me...but she wants me to shine. It’s why I’ve always studied hard, so that I can be a younger sister she can be proud of. It’s...why I want to be known as Luna, for what I have done, instead of my family name. It feels...constraining.”
“I…” Chrysalis stared at her, mouth agape. “Why did you share this with me?”
“We’re friends now, aren’t we?” Luna nudged Chrysalis lightly. “Friends share what they’re troubled about, so they can help each other. Take Celestia and Philomena, for example. They’ve known each other for a long time, and consider each other as best friends. I know that Celestia shares her troubles with Philomena, and they get through it together. I share my story with you, with the hope that you will share yours with me, so that I can help you as your friend.”
“I-” Chrysalis’s eyes watered, her emotions swelling up inside of her. A tear dripped, and the dam broke. “T-thank you, Luna. It means a lot to me…”
“Let it all out,” Luna whispered as she wrapped Chrysalis in a hug. “You can tell me what you were worried about when I first got onto the train. I could see it in your eyes, you know? You have to face it at some point. Why not now? I’m here for you.”
“I…” Arach’s disapproving face was still fresh in her memory. Her own mother had called her a drone. Just another changeling. “I feel like I’m not worthy of the role I’ve been given.” she blurted out, rubbing furiously at her eyes.
“Ever since I’ve been old enough to talk and walk, the changelings, my people, have put these expectations on me,” Chrysalis whispered. “Expectations that I would be as regal as my mother. Expectations that I would lead them into a new age. But when I turned out...different, it seemed as if the world got darker. Heavier.”
“Mother was the one constant in my life,” she retrieved the tiara from where it had fallen onto the ground from all her crying. “She encouraged me, gave me her time. She told me that I was not yet needed to bear the burden of the crown. I spent my time loving life, reading books about Equestria, wishing that I could visit. Mother would have allowed it, except that the generals feared for my safety, me being a nymph.”
“By the time I was old enough to travel to Equestria, I was already of age,” Chrysalis murmured. “Mother...changed. She grew fiercer towards me, and although she was as loving as ever, she started revering Princess Twilight even more. It was as if we had hit some point...where Princess Twilight’s influence was even greater.”
“Princess Twilight?” Luna’s eyes widened. “The princess who disappeared a thousand years ago?”
“Correct,” Chrysalis looked down on the floor. “I didn’t know what was going on. Although, I did get the feeling Mother was protecting me from something...something that scared the heck out of her. But the facts can’t be changed. She started giving me more responsibilities. I didn’t argue. I knew it was my role. My task to fulfill. That wasn’t the problem.”
“She shouted at me this morning,” Chrysalis’s tears flowed freely. “That I wasn’t fit to be her daughter until I learned to be more responsible. To be less...me, and more her. That I was yet another drone to her. It hurt. That my own...mother would say that to me. I’ve been wondering...why? She had never shouted at me before. And yet, she did. Just this morning.”
“Am I not good enough for her?” Chrysalis cried. “Am I not...strong enough?” She cried freely into Luna’s shoulder, the unicorn letting her lean into her embrace. “I just want her love. Her approval. Her smile to come back again.”
“You’ll get those again.”
Chrysalis looked up at Luna’s confident expression. “How...can you be so sure?” She whispered. “You’ve never met my mother.”
“I haven’t, that's true,” Luna answered, beaming. “But to get something, you have to believe in it first. Your mother sent you to Ponyville to supervise fifty of your people, right? Show her you can do that well, and maybe she’ll see your true value. You’re not just Princess Chrysalis, Chryssy,” Chrysalis looked at her in wonder. “You are Princess Chrysalis and Chryssy in one. Show her that. Show her who you are.”
Chrysalis paused, reflecting on Luna's words. Something about the unicorn...she seemed to have had experience with her problem too. The changeling smiled wanly. “I can do that.”
Luna grinned. “That’s the spirit. Now, do you feel better?”
“Yes,” the changeling princess answered, surprising herself. It was the truth - her heart felt better - even if the pain had not fully gone away. She had a goal now. To show her mother who she truly was. “You...helped me, Luna. I am… Thank you.”
“Now, now,” Luna playfully swatted her with a hoof. “There’s no need to thank me. This is what friends are for - a shoulder to lean on. You listened to my story and let me let it all out. That shows you have what it takes to be a good friend. I am glad to have met you, Chryssy. When the Summer Sun Celebration is over - let’s meet up more often. If you need help convincing your mother for anything - just ask me. I’ll try to see if Princess Sunset can put in a word.”
“Thank you so much.” Chrysalis whispered, blinking rapidly.
“Didn’t I just say not to thank me?” Luna teased. “Anyways, what my sister says is right. It’s a long journey to Ponyville, it’d be good if we got some sleep and some rest. It’d be better for us - since you’ll be busy supervising the changelings and I have some studying to do at the Ponyville Town Library.”
“I suppose,” Chrysalis allowed as Luna got up to cross the carriage, heading for the opposite row of seats to lie down. “I’ll...see you when I wake up, then.”
“Have a good sleep!” Luna closed her eyes, and she was asleep soon enough. Chrysalis smiled at the sight, before closing her own eyes, letting sleep take her. Thank you, Luna, for being my friend…
“Is everything ready?” A sharp and cruel voice cut through the air. “The Summer Sun Celebration is in a few days. My return needs to be perfect. Nothing should be out of place."
Chrysalis looked around her. Where was she? Above her, there was a night sky of the deepest blue and black, darkened stars everywhere. However, she didn’t even seem to be walking on anything. In fact...her eyes widened. Was that air below her?
“Yes, my queen. The preparations in Canterlot are ready. We stand by for your return to the throne.” Chrysalis opened her mouth to gasp, recognizing the voice. That was...her mother? Suddenly, a lavender hoof covered her mouth, allowing no sound to come out.
Chrysalis started panicking, but a reassuring hoof placed itself on her shoulder. She looked to her side to see a lavender unicorn smiling warmly at her. On the unicorn's flank, a starburst mark could be seen, stars surrounding it. Removing her hoof from Chrysalis’s mouth, the mare lifted it up to her own mouth, doing the universal signal for quiet.
“Shh,” the lavender unicorn whispered. “I don’t know how you’re here, but you are. You need to be quiet, otherwise, your mother’s efforts to hide you from her gaze will be in vain. Do not let her know of your presence.”
“Is someone out there?” the cruel voice barked out. “I can feel you, you know? Spying on royalty is a crime punishable by death! This is my realm. I will find you.” Chrysalis tracked the voice to her right, and her eyes locked onto an impossible sight.
A dark purple alicorn clad in silver and black armor stood there, her mane flowing in an insane display of power. Stars dotted the flowing mane, glimmering in the darkness. By the side of the alicorn, a sword sheath could be seen, and power radiated from it.
Standing behind the alicorn was her mother, her eyes cold and unfeeling. The changeling queen seemed more submissive, too, her regal stance gone. “M-mother?” Chrysalis whispered. The alicorn’s head snapped to her location, the whisper heard..
“Hmph.” The alicorn’s eyes raked over her location, but her gaze slid over Chrysalis like the changeling princess wasn’t even there. “Seems like there is no one. Arach, make sure preparations are perfect. I want no flaw in the plan. My return shall be glorious.” As her mother lowered her head, the two dissolved into the shadows.
“She thinks this is her realm?” The lavender unicorn grinned. “She’s just a usurper. The realm of dreams is mine to defend from all threats, including her.” She glanced at Chrysalis. “If you’re wondering how she didn’t see you, I hid you from her sight. I still have some control over the dream realm. You’re safe, for now.”
“W-who are you?” Chrysalis blurted out. “And who was that with my mother? Why was she so different?”
“So many questions,” the lavender unicorn mused. “And yet no answer that can be given. At least, not a satisfactory one. As for me, you can call me Sparkle.” She beamed. “Though, telling you my name won’t help. When you wake up, you’ll barely remember this dream. It’ll just seem like a distant nightmare, something that you’re supposed to forget. However, you’ll remember this dream when you most need it to connect the dots.”
“Sp-sparkle?” Chrysalis whispered. “How…?”
“Shh…” Sparkle smiled. “You’ve seen what you need to. For now, this is goodbye. You need to wake up.”
“Wait!” Chrysalis cried out. “What do you mean? Why do I have to forget-?” Sparkle winked in response, and the world dissolved into darkness.
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First!!
Great chapter! Sweet Tia and Lulu, I hope Chryssi remembers more than she's supposed to
Interesting... It seems either the good elements of Twilight, or Twilight herself are still in play! Maybe this means Midnight will be hindered by her better self...
Squeeee, this is getting better and better! Wonderful work, guys!
On a side note, I hope you're feeling better Meowofy! Take care of yourself, and Sinner, you too!
Seems that Twilight still have some power over the dream realm albeit little. Hmm... So either Arach was forced to align with Midnight or that she knew about Midnight's return and aligned herself with her to keep Chrysalis safe. I wonder if Arach approached Sunset about this so to keep her in the loop of Midnight's plans.
So we have three Element Bearers so far! Who will they meet up with next?
Also, Chryssy is adorable.
Interesting! It seems Twilight is an entity that somewhat exists separately from Midnight.
If Celestia was the Element of Laughter, I wouldn't be surprised, canon Celestia did have a good sense of humor.
God this story is so good, instantly one of my favourites on this site, i cant wait to see how it plays out
”A quarter is not between a half and a third! If you’re going to tease me, do it properly!”
That certainly explains the state of historical literacy in most Equestrias.
The plot thickens most intriguingly. Looking forward to further developments.
Really love this so far. Chrysalis is super fun and I like the tender moment between her and Luna as they work together through their issues. I really like the idea of Luna's and Celestia's backstories, the idea of a legacy of astronomers is neat. Also, the small change of Celestia's personality to be super supportive of Luna to ensure she's recognized for her talent is sweet and I love it.
Liking all the elements, both literal and metaphorical, that is starting to come together in this. My only thing is that the pacing seems *very* fast, but at the same time, it gets to the good stuff at a good clip, so I can't complain to much about that. Anyways, tis fun!
ooh, super ominous! Luna's nascent dreamwalking abilities, and descent from a line of astronomers are great bits of biography, and i love this echo of canon Celestia's aloofness being mistaken for idiocy or incompetency, as well as her seeming forgetfulness of important bits of Equestria's history that she herself lived through and affected. and i was surprised by Pharynx and Thorax's appearance, since i figured young Chryssy was a sign that Chrysalis, like Celestia, had been leading the changelings for a millennium in canon. regardless, the changeling/Twilight connection is fun to see, as is the conspiracy and its revelation both happening in the dreamscape. more questions to look forward to the answers to!
Ouch. I had a conversation with my father not long ago that went very similarly to this. Took me 10+ years to finally tell him how I felt. I feel this really deeply right now.
OKAY SO THE PLOT THICKENS EVEN MORE AND CHRYSALIS' MUM IS EITHER BRAINWASHED OR A BITCH