14: Like Friends Do
“Good morning.” Twilight smiled.
“You again?” Chrysalis whined, pulling her covers up over her face.
With her magic, Twilight tugged the sheets back down. “Don’t think you can’t get away from me that easily.”
This time, the changeling rolled onto her side, showing the alicorn her back. “I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“Are you in the mood to eat?”
Chrysalis gagged. “I don’t eat. I don’t even have taste buds.”
Twilight sat down beside the bed, making herself comfortable on the stone floor. “Really? You can’t taste anything?”
“Nope.”
“What about--”
“And before you ask about food cooked with love . . . yes. We can taste that.”
Twilight laughed. Chrysalis started at the sound. “That’s exactly what I was going to ask. It’s like you read my mind or something. Remind me to bring you some of Applejack’s pie some time. It’s a secret family recipe, made with lots of love.”
“Yes, well . . . maybe I’d like it.”
Unable to find a comfortable position, Twilight leaned back, laying flat against the floor and staring at the map painted on the ceiling.
“Do you recognize any of it?” she asked.
Chrysalis glanced over her shoulder. “Any of what?”
“That map.” Twilight pointed at the ceiling. “It’s been here since the castle was built. I’ve researched it, but none of the names are familiar in any records I’ve been able to find.”
“Maybe it’s not real.”
The princess tilted her head to the side. “Yeah, but then why take the time to paint it, you know?”
Chrysalis scowled. “I haven’t the slightest idea. Is there some reason you’re still bothering me? I can hear your stomach growling from here. Why don’t you go fix that?”
Twilight sat up. “I wanted to check on you.”
Chrysalis bit back a snarky remark. “I . . . I’m fine. Just some pain. I’ve had worse.”
“Do you get hurt a lot?” Twilight asked, tilting her head to one side.
“When you’re a parasite like me, Twilight, you have to fight for whatever scraps you get. Although, it helps that I’m always wearing armor. It comes in handy when I’m fighting for my life.” Chrysalis glanced down at her chitin. She wondered how many scars it would bear if it didn’t repair itself.
“Like with whatever broke your leg the first time?”
Chrysalis’ skin started to itch under the cast. “Yes. In this case, it was an Ursa. They’re mean things.”
“Minor or Major?”
Chrysalis scrunched her muzzle. “What?”
“The Ursa,” Twilight repeated. “Was it a Minor or a Major?”
The changeling turned fully toward Twilight, allowing her to see her narrowing eyes. “What’s the difference?”
“Minors are just babies. Much smaller than the Majors.”
“Well, it was in my hive. Those tunnels aren’t that big.”
“Probably a Minor then,” Twilight decided. “You’re lucky. A Major is a scary thing to face down. One of them almost flattened Ponyville once.”
“Too bad. I would have loved to see that.”
Twilight frowned, pulling Chrysalis’ sheets over her head with a surge of magic.
This time, to Twilight’s surprise, it was the queen that laughed. It was short and cut-off, but it was there nevertheless.
“You know, you’re a lot more agreeable this morning.”
Twilight’s comment left Chrysalis feeling disgusted. But this time, that disgust wasn’t directed towards Twilight. No. Instead, it turned inward. After all her resistance, all her struggles, here she was, lying beside a pony having a casual conversation. No threats. No intimidation. No violence. She was losing her edge.
The worst part, though, is that she didn’t hate it.
“If you’re feeling nostalgic, I could always start ignoring you again.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide. “Let’s not go back to that. I don’t think I’ll be able to convince you a second time.” She chewed her lip. “Chrysalis, I didn’t want to say those horrible things to you. But I couldn’t think of any other way to get you to listen. I’m sorry.”
The changeling held her head high as she stared down at the alicorn on her floor. “Apologizing shows weakness, Twilight. Up until you said that, I actually had a shred of respect for the way you stood up to me. It takes some courage to say the things you did, even if I simultaneously hate you for it.”
With a carefree wave, Twilight returned to lying on her back. “Yeah, yeah, you hate me, I get it. But you are talking. Why don’t we start there? Just talking. Like friends do?”
“Because I would rather break another of my legs than be friends with you.”
“Technically, you have broken two. It was the same one, yeah, but you broke it twice.”
“Shut up.” Chrysalis bit her lip to fight back a grin. It would seem the princess was finally learning.
Their conversation trailed off with both of them staring up at the ceiling. They sat in silence, content and serene. That only made Twilight’s stomach growling all the more noticeable.
“I really need to eat,” she muttered.
“I can think of a really simple solution to that problem?”
“Go eat?”
Chrysalis frowned. “Less violent than my solution, but that would work too.”
Stretching her tired limbs, Twilight rose. “You could come with me? It would get you out of your room for a while.”
The changeling crossed her forehooves. “Maybe I just so happen to like spending all day locked up in this room.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? Seems kind of dreary.”
In a flash, Twilight vanished, reappearing nearby and narrowly avoiding the pillow launched at her. Chrysalis sat up in her bed, fuming.
“Of course I don’t like it. This place sucks. But I’m not allowed to leave.”
“If you’re with me, the guards won’t mind. But there’s also the issue of your leg. Maybe I could send for a wheelchair? Would that help?”
Chrysalis kicked off her covers at sat, hauling her casted leg over the edge of the bed.
“You mean this thing?”
She tapped the plaster limb on the tile floor.
Twilight winced.
“Doesn’t that hurt?”
“No. It’s unnecessary. Remove it.”
As she stepped forward for a closer look, Twilight pursed her lips. “I don’t know if I should do that without the doctor’s permission.”
Chrysalis scoffed. “Look, Twilight, if you can’t trust me on something this simple, this is never going to work. So quit being annoying for once in your life and take this stupid thing off me before I break it over your head.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just--”
Twilight hit the deck as another pillow sailed over her head. This one crashed into one of the bookcases with enough force to knock the vase off the top shelf. It fell to the ground with a crash. The sound drew the guards, but she waved them off.
“Take. It. Off.”
“Alright, fine. Just calm down.”
As she summoned her magic, Twilight moved in as close as she dared to get.
“What’s taking so long?” Chrysalis demanded.
“Don’t move an inch” Twilight warned.
A thin beam of light emanated from her horn, slicing through the cast with a clean vertical cut. A bit of force split the mold wide open. Twilight turned away, hoping to avoid the gruesome sight. To her amazement, the limb appeared intact, wrapped in bandages stained with dry blood.
“Impressed?” Chrysalis asked, reading the confusion on the pony’s face.
“Your leg is . . . it shouldn’t have done that. I was stuck in a cast for weeks last time. How did you . . . ?”
“I had planned to catch you off-guard with it when I made my escape, but that cast was just too annoying to deal with,” Chrysalis huffed. At this point, even she wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not. “Don’t worry, it’s still broken. But at the very least, I can put some weight on it.”
Twilight lifted her gaze to meet the changeling’s smug smile. “I didn’t know changelings could do that.”
“Of course you didn’t.” She spat her words like they tasted bitter. “You don’t know anything about me or my kind.”
“Then help me learn,” Twilight begged.
“I’ll consider your plea,” Chrysalis rose from her bed with a dramatic flourish. She pushed past Twilight, heading for the door. “For now, I just want to get out of this place. Even if that means that I have to spend time with you.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, but followed it with a smile.
“You ponies just have to make everything gaudy, don’t you?” Chrysalis asked as she eyed the massive doors to the mess hall.
“That’s rich, coming from you,” Twilight muttered.
The changeling glared at her from the corner of her eye. “What was that?”
“I didn’t say anything,” Twilight lied, suddenly interested in the far wall.
Chrysalis frowned, but said nothing. Instead, she turned up her nose and threw the doors open with as much force as she could muster. They slammed into the stops with a sound like a cannon, drawing the gaze of everyone in the room.
Conversations fell silent across the hall as Chrysalis stepped forward. Several soldiers moved for their weapons, but Twilight called them off. Intoxicated by the authority her presence commanded, Chrysalis held her head high and kept her pace slow. She felt every eye on her and bore their stares with a wicked smile.
“Pay attention, Twilight. That is how you make an entrance,” she said.
“Really? Because it seems like a good way to anger every soldier in the caste at once. My authority can only keep them from hurting you, it won’t stop them from hating you.”
The changeling’s cackle sent a cold chill through the room. “It’s cute that you think these mindless drones could hurt me.”
Her statement elicited several angry growls from the crowd. She focused on one of the disgruntled soldiers. Looking down at him, she dared him to step forward. Both of them stood down as Twilight stepped between them.
“What are you doing?”
“Just enjoying my freedom, obviously.”
Twilight shook her head. “To me, it looks like you’re trying to get back on my bad side.”
Chrysalis’ proud facade cracked. She turned away, scowling. “You’re no fun. Do you know that?”
Twilight pointed to the passage at the back of the hall. “Keep. Walking. Now.”
Chrysalis hesitated, only fanning the flames burning in Twilight’s chest. She glanced around the room, watching the crowd as intently as they watched her. Electricity filled the air as Twilight readied a spell. But before things could escalate further, the changeling turned her cheek and started walking.
Twilight exhaled slowly as she let her spell fizzle out. “Stop,” she said, skirting around Chrysalis and cutting her off.
“Now what? Am I not walking properly?”
“If Luna’s in there still, she probably won’t be happy to see you. Let me go first and let her know what’s going on.” Twilight opened the door, but stopped halfway through the doorway. “Stay here. Try not to cause any trouble.”
“I’ll do my best,” Chrysalis said, nodding.
“Thank you.”
Twilight walked into the Royal Dining Hall. As she suspected, Luna still sat at the head of the table, sipping a piping hot beverage from a mug. One of Celestia’s mugs, judging by the rainbow-shaped handle.
“Good morning, Princess Luna.”
Luna’s eyes snapped open. “I am awake! I was just resting my eyes!” she shouted.
Twilight recoiled from the sudden outburst. “Princess Luna? Don’t worry, it’s just me.”
The lunar princess’ red-rimmed eyes focused on the smaller alicorn. “Oh. Good morning. I did not see you there.” She tried to hide her embarrassment behind a nervous smile. “Are you here to join me for breakfast?”
“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked, climbing into her seat.
“Hmm? Yes. Everything is fine. The last few days have just been a little light on sleep.” Luna threw her head back and downed the rest of her coffee. “But I am handling it quite well, of course. I think I am going to order another coffee. Would you like one as well?”
“No thank you, Princess. But I’m glad I ran into you here. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Luna leaned forward as far as she could without falling out of her chair. “Oh? I am listening.”
“It’s about my work. I talked with--”
The doors from the mess hall blasted open in an all too familiar manner. Twilight flinched, sucking air through her teeth. Startled, Luna nearly toppled over her seat.
“Good morning,” Chrysalis announced as she strutted into the room.
Sobered by the sudden threat, Luna rocketed up to her hooves. Her horn exploded with dark energy, causing the shadows in the corners of the room to stretch out.
“Chrysalis? What are you doing? I told you to wait,” Twilight said, slamming her hoof down on the table.
The changeling held up a hoof cautiously. “You were taking too long. I got bored.”
“What are you doing here, Chrysalis?” Luna demanded.
“Calm yourself, Luna. I’m here at Twilight’s request,” she said with a smirk.
The rattled alicorn turned to Twilight. “Explain, Twilight. Is she telling the truth?”
“I was trying to explain. But someone interrupted me.” She side-eyed Chrysalis. “I asked Chrysalis to join me here. I wanted to tell you that Chrysalis has given me some information that could help save Celestia.”
Luna assaulted Chrysalis with a deadly glare. “And you’re sure she can be trusted?”
Twilight tried to answer, but could only manage an exasperated sigh.
“Of course you can trust me,” Chrysalis pressed a hoof to her chest, feigning insult. “If I were going to lie to her, I would have at least made it sound possible to save Celestia.”
“You’re not helping,” Twilight said. “Just sit down, be quiet, and let me handle this.”
Chrysalis shrugged and did as she was commanded. She slumped down into one of the chairs and put her hooves up on the table. The buckles on her brace rattled as she manually lifted her lame limb.
“What did she say, Twilight?” Luna asked.
Twilight’s jaw unclenched as the lights in the room returned to full strength. “It’s an old changeling spell. It’s not something we’ll find in any magical textbook. She told me that there is a spell that can counter it, but it's not an option.”
“And why not?” Luna said.
“It requires a changeling with an exceptional amount of magic. The power required is immense enough that only a powerful changeling like Chrysalis could cast it, though it would cost her life.”
Luna waited for Twilight to continue. When no further explanation came, she spoke up “I have yet to see the problem, Twilight. If she must die, so be it.”
The young princess gasped.
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. She almost looked impressed. “As happy as I would be to lay down my life for you, Princess, I can’t,” she said.
Luna turned to her. “And why not?”
Chrysalis tapped the broken horn on her forehead. “I can’t focus my magic. The spell would more than likely just kill us both.”
As she settled back in her seat, Luna rubbed her temple. “Tell me you at least have some shred of good news, Twilight.”
Twilight nodded. “I think so. I’m working on a potion meant to dispel magic. If I can manage that, then I should be able to stop the poison.”
“Are you even sure that’s possible?”
A long silence filled the room. Twilight chewed the inside of her cheek. “No. But it’s the only choice we have.”
Luna turned her gaze to Chrysalis. Then returned it to Twilight. She took a long breath before standing. “Very well. Keep me updated with your results. In the meantime, I’m removing Chrysalis from your guardianship.”
“What?” Twilight jumped out of her seat. “Princess Luna, I still need her help.”
“Even if we assume she told you the truth, that does not change the fact that Chrysalis is dangerous. Do not think that last night’s events were kept from me. I know she hurt you.”
“Let me explain–”
“I am not finished speaking, Twilight. I know you think that you can help her, but you seem to have forgotten who exactly you are dealing with. To remind you, I brought in some extra help. Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor will be arriving tomorrow. Upon their arrival, they will be taking immediate control of Chrysalis’ confinement. Have I made myself clear?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, Princess Luna, I--”
The castle itself quaked as Luna raised her voice. “I do not wish to hear your arguments, Twilight. Chrysalis is no longer your concern.” She stopped herself, lowering her voice back to a commanding whisper. “She will still aid you in your experiments, Twilight. But she will do so under whatever rules your brother sets for you. Outside of that, you are forbidden from seeing her. Do I make myself clear?”
Twilight’s throat dried, her pulse quickened. Thoughts raced through her mind too quickly to grasp. To her surprise, she felt her teeth grinding. “That’s not your decision to make!”
“Excuse me?” Luna’s cold stare extinguished some of Twilight’s anger.
Still, the smaller alicorn pushed onward. “Chrysalis is my responsibility. And I’m handling it just fine. I’ve been able to get through to her. Take her away from me, and you take away any hope she has for a future.”
“Chrysalis’ future is not my concern. Equestria's is. As it should be yours.” Luna rose to her full height. “Do not forget why you brought her here, Twilight. She is a danger to you. To Celestia. To all of Equestria. No matter how friendly she might seem to you, she is a threat and will be treated as such.”
Twilight’s anger boiled over. Yet, her voice dropped to a whisper. “Equestria used to say the same about you.”
Luna took a generous step back. After a long, silent moment, the surprise on her face turned to fury. “Cadance and Shining Armor will be taking control of Chrysalis.” The shadows around the room started to flicker and seep into the room. “This is not up for debate, Twilight. Celestia entrusted me with Equestria during her absence, and I intend to do whatever it takes to protect it.” Luna composed herself, straightening her mane and adjusting her necklace before gracefully storming out.
“Well. That could have gone better,” Twilight muttered, plopping down into her chair. Only after a minute of silence, she worked up the nerve to look at Chrysalis. The sight made her queasy.
Chrysalis leaned back in her chair, her hoof tapping on the armrest. She kept her eyes cast downward and her lips pursed.
“I’m sorry, Chrysalis, I--”
“Don’t.” The changeling forced herself to stand. “It was foolish of me to assume that any other outcome was possible. I shall have the guards escort me back to my room. Enjoy your breakfast, Twilight.”
With a limp in her step, Chrysalis left.
Twilight buried her head in her hooves. She didn’t feel hungry anymore.
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Oof. Twilight was finally making progress and then super stressed and ultra tired Luna decided she had enough. My biggest surprise is that Twilight isn't looking for some way to restore Chrysalis's horn or even asked her if she could restore her own horn in time. She still has bits of Chrysalis's broken horn around. That would seem like a more viable option than trying to make a brand new magic cleansing potion.
11786127
I don’t know if Twilight would view restoring Chrysalis’’ horn as a valid solution, seeing as she believes it would kill Chrysalis in return if she were to cast the spell. Likewise, returning Chrysalis’ magic to her full control would probably be seen as a pretty dangerous idea.
11786152
The only reason Chrysalis said it would be lethal is if she tried to heal her without her horn. Unless I missed something? And yeah, letting Chrysalis have full magic control is dangerous and based on the flimsiest of trust, but I don't see this imaginary potion Twilight is going to invent as being something that can come into creation.
11786127
Twilight might be as far as liking Chrysalis in a weird "Your sarcasm matches my own" sort of way, but it's still a FAR CRY from trusting her to actually try and heal Celestia, instead of either escaping or trying to depose the other alicorns.
Plus, it requires a massive amount of energy that the Queen still doesn't have.
11786183
Only answer I got is for the energy. If she got enough love from Thorax and the changelings, she could heal herself and have enough power to heal Celestia. But yeah, requires trust that isn't there yet.
Ah so that's who Luna contacted. Funny how the only thing's she's doing is proving Chrysalis right. That she is evil and no true leeway will ever be given to her in the end no matter what she does.
Of course she would bring both of the one's that are the most likely to hate Chrysalis. Sure it's deserved but Twilight actually managed to make head way. I'd question why bother and not just cut straight to the torture but I guess that's pointless seeing as she already explained what she did. So... dungeon?
"The power required is immense enough that only a powerful changeling like Chrysalis could cast it, though it would cost her life.”
I don't recall this being mentioned as a trade-off like that prior to this sentence. Did I miss something?
11873946
Might not have come across the most cleanly, but Twilight was more referring to Chrysalis blowing herself up with the spell’s backlash.