25: Iris
Chrysalis recognized the callous caress of flattened rock and dirt long before she ever opened her eyes. She scrunched her nose, pushing back against the assaulting stench of wet earth. Somewhere in the dark, she could hear water dripping; a perfect mimicry of a ticking clock. With a deep breath, she peeled herself from her stone bed, staggering upward with the grace of a drunkard climbing out of the gutter.
The cave stretched on endlessly in front of her, lit by the fading green shimmer of gems embedded in the walls. Without knowing why, she pressed forward into the gaping maw. Stone columns pressed inward from the ceiling and floor: sharpened teeth inviting the changeling closer with a devilish grin.
She stumbled out of the dark into a massive chamber. Dozens of similarly featureless tunnels spun out in every direction. On the ceiling, larger variations of the same green crystals were embedded into gaps in the rock, casting the room in a venomous green light. A sickening familiarity washed over Chrysalis.
Her instincts took over, pushing her toward a tunnel on the left. As she walked, she timed each step with the splash of the omnipresent dripping. Her eyes drifted closed, casting away the deception of sight. Devoting her focus to the rest of her senses, she heard the buzzing of insect wings.
Her path finally ended at a set of monolithic iron gates. The dark forms of changelings lined the engravings, all bowing in reverence to a central figure. A changeling queen. With a frustrated huff, Chrysalis kicked the doors open, revealing a seemingly endless hall.
Vaulted stone took the place of the sky, held aloft by impossibly proportioned pillars. The green crystals grew from the walls, illuminating the oppressive atmosphere. In the center of the room, an obsidian pillar rose from the floor, bearing a throne of finely hewn rock. A blood-red carpet welcomed the changeling’s approach.
With a heavy first step, she pushed forward into the great hall. She felt eyes watching from the shadowed corners. They studied her every move. But she ignored them. Each step grew louder than the last. Only one thing mattered right now.
“What are you doing here?” Chrysalis demanded. The only answer came from her own voice, repeating the question back to her. “Hiding is useless, I know you’re there.” Nothing. “What’s the matter? I thought you loved the spotlight?”
“I sincerely hope you’re not speaking to me with that tone.”
Finally, an answer. But not from who she expected. Nor from where. The voice drew Chrysalis' eyes up to the throne, where a Changeling Queen sat, leaning back against the black stone. Her violet eyes watched Chrysalis with an intrigued squint. Her lips were curled into a smile.
“Iris,” Chrysalis spat.
“Now, now, is that any way to greet me, after all these years we’ve been apart?” Iris asked, pressing a hoof to her chest in mock offense.
“I’d say it’s nicer than you deserve.” Chrysalis sighed. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here to help you, of course,” Iris explained.
“I don’t need any help from you.” Chrysalis shook her head. “I don’t want any help from you.”
“Then I guess I can enjoy the show.” Iris laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Chrysalis demanded.
But Iris was gone from her throne.
A second set of steps caught her attention. She twirled around, unsure of what she expected to see approaching her. It disgusted her that she hoped it would be Twilight. Instead, an angelic white form stepped out from the dark mouth cave. Her rainbow mane billowed even without the wind.
“Thorax told me I would find you here,” Celestia said.
Neither creature dared to move. “And just what are you? Another trick of my ailing mind?” Chrysalis asked, sneering at the newcomer. This imposter’s flanks were too thin to be Celestia. There was also the dead giveaway that her mane was missing a color. “What do you want?”
“I want you to come with me,” Celestia said. “You will return with me to Canterlot to face judgment for your crimes.” Her horn started to glow. “Surrender. I do not wish to hurt you.”
Chrysalis chuckled. “Really? Do you think this little ploy amuses me?” She widened her stance, watching for the slightest muscle twitch from her target. She could still see the broken shard of her horn on her forehead, but she didn’t exactly have the luxury of holding her magic back at the moment. “You are a pale imitation of Celestia. I won’t be going anywhere with you.”
With a burst of light, Celestia released a blinding flare. Chrysalis winced, but refused to break line of sight with the alicorn. Seemingly unaware that her distraction didn’t work, Celestia charged. She took to the air on her wings, falling toward the changeling like a meteor.
Driven by instinct, Chrysalis launched herself backwards, using her wings to extend her dodge. The burning alicorn slammed into the earth with her hooves, shaking the mountain as it scattered cracks across the throne room floor.
“A pale imitation of Celestia indeed,” Chrysalis taunted.
The imposter relaxed. Her body started to change, to grow thinner. Blood drooled from her flank. Black veins crawled across her skin. “Is this nearer to the mark?” it asked.
“You’re not fooling me, creature. You aren’t Celestia.”
“Oh, but I am,” the creature said, its voice thin and raspy. “Don’t you recognize me? I’m what’s left of her. I’m the Celestia you created.” It stepped forward. Chrysalis stepped back. “What’s the matter, Chrysalis? Are you afraid of me? Are you afraid of your own creation?” She paused. “Or am I simply a reminder of the truth? All the pain and suffering you cause, come back to haunt you?”
“You’re not real,” Chrysalis shook her head and growled.
“I assure you, Chrysalis, that I am very real.” With a primal howl, Celestia rocketed upward, twisting through the air and summoning a sandstorm with a flap of her wings. She reared back, gathering an orb of energy at the end of her horn. Her horn flicked, launching a fireball toward the changeling.
Chrysalis’ hooves beat the earth as she galloped away. To her dismay, the projectile curved through the air, tracking her. More problematic, the false Celestia didn’t cease her assault. She sped through the air, her powerful wings creating a relentless gale as she went.
Nearing the end of the great hall, Chrysalis had no choice but to use her magic. Rather than the beast after her, she targeted her spell toward the approaching door. A green blast tore the doors from their hinges, allowing her access to the cave beyond.
As she ran, Chrysalis dared a glance back over her shoulder. Celestia’s blazing sun was catching up too quickly. And even beyond that, she could see the caster herself. The alicorn’s white wings were accented with orange. A wreath of flame covered her.
Chrysalis turned her focus forward. She could already feel her magic draining. She kept her spell up, though, using it to hold the bone of her leg together while she ran. Blood was already pouring from the joint. She could see a light at the end of the cave. She could feel the humidity in the air and knew she was going the right way.
“Last chance, Celly. Stand down and you won’t have to face the humiliation of being killed by a half-dead changeling queen,” Chrysalis taunted. The response was an animalistic shriek. Whatever that thing was, it clearly didn’t care about playing its part properly. It sped forward, catching its own star on its hoof, carrying it forward with her momentum.
The opening approached quickly. Only a few more seconds. Chrysalis could feel the heat. She pretended not to notice that the hairs of her tail were smoldering. She just had to hold on one more second.
Chrysalis reached the end of the cave and leapt. She fell through the massive chamber, aiming for boiling springs at the core of the mountain. The false Celestia blared through the opening like a shooting star. Rather than following Chrysalis down, she tilted upward. Her speed carried her to the highest point of the chamber.
She slammed into the wall hoof-first. Several chunks of stone tore from the wall, shook loose by the impact. Celestia pushed off the ceiling, leaving a hole where she had been standing. As she rushed forward, she carried the sun on her hoof, swinging it like a punch.
Chrysalis dove into the water and swam towards the bottom as quickly as she could, praying she was fast enough to pull this off.
Celestia hit the surface of the water like a bomb. Her sun erupted, turning the first fifteen feet of water into steam in the blink of an eye. Even down in the depths, Chrysalis could feel the already boiling water heat up. The Celestia creature released her magic, sending the sun spiraling to the bottom.
It started to pulse. Chrysalis pressed herself down as far as she could. She braced herself, but nothing she did could prepare her for the firestorm that tore at her shell. The sun erupted, creating a column of fire underwater. Stone walls started to drip as they turned to slag.
Now.
Chrysalis cast her spell, tearing a small boulder from the wall and tossing it in front of her like a shield. Even in the shade, she could feel her skin blister within her chitin. Then, as quickly as it had started, the flames vanished.
The Celestial creature hovered near the roof of the cavern. The flames had torn past her, hot enough to split the mountain above her in two. Magma slathered her feathers, cooling to black glass as she hovered over the carnage.
Chrysalis used the excessive steam to her advantage. Her wings moved slowly, allowing her to glide silently without buzzing. She positioned herself underneath the imposter and took her rock shield in her magic. With a burst of focus, she sent the missile skyward. Celestia reacted just as planned. She charged toward the stone, her horn, searing. She split the stone in two clean through the center.
The changeling queen couldn’t help but twist her lips into a wicked grin. She clung to the half-globe of stone, her shell blending perfectly with the scorched surface. She dropped from her hiding place. Her shadow swept over the Celestia, but it didn’t react fast enough. It flipped upward, firing a firestream straight up into the sky, but Chrysalis was too close already. She closed her teeth around the pony’s throat, tasting a spray of blood as she clamped her jaws shut. Their combined weight dragged them out of the sky.
As they tumbled through the air, it kicked at Chrysalis, breaking bones wherever it could land a solid blow. But Chrysalis refused to let go. She carried the beast in her teeth, spirling down straight into the brand new molten core.
The changeling twisted at the last moment, releasing her bite, and following by using her opponent as a springboard, slowing her fall while sending the false alicorn deep into the layer of stone.
Chrysalis caught herself with her wings, stopping only a few feet before impact. Emerald flame gathered at the tip of her broken horn. The earth beneath her shook. Vents of lava tore through all around her, raining molten metal across the battlefield. The imposter pulled itself from the crater of its landing.
Its throat had been torn open, staining the fur on its chest and flank a deep pink. It wheezed with each breath, occasionally choking on blood. Chrysalis found it amazing the beast could even stand. “She . . . will never forgive you . . . for what you’ve done to me.” It sputtered a mouthful of red onto the ground and finally collapsed. The black veins on its body vanished.
Chrysalis hung her head. “There. I’ve broken your toy. Now show yourself so I can do the same to you,” she screamed into the emptiness.
“You’ve grown weak since we fought last.”
Chrysalis turned toward the voice. Toward Iris. “Didn’t I tell you to get lost?”
“You did.” Iris practically pranced past. “You’ve lost a great deal of blood. Your consciousness will be fading in minutes. Your magic is already failing. You’re a broken and disheveled mess.”
“Come here. I’ll show you just how broken I am,” Chrysalis tried to snarl, but collapsed.
A hoof caught her before she could hit the stone. She recognized it, of course. Black chitin, riddled with holes, and nearly the size of her whole barrel. She struggled to glance upward, into the face she hated.
“Rest, dear. I’ve got you.”
Chrysalis tried to push away from the larger changeling, but only succeeded in knocking herself to the ground. The other changeling queen stood over her, watching. “Get away from me, Iris. I want nothing to do with you.” She swiped weakly, missing by a wide margin.
“You would prefer to die here?” Iris asked, running a hoof through her red-striped mane. “But it would be such a waste.”
“Why do you care?” Chrysalis scowled.
Iris lifted Chrysalis’ head by her mane. “Even after all the horrible things you did to me, Chrysalis, you still have the blood of a changeling coursing through your veins. Don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“Prove it. Stand up.” She released her grip, letting Chrysalis crash back to the ground. “I will be waiting for you in the throne room, supposing you can make it there alive. We have much work to do.”
Chrysalis forced her body to stand, keeping herself upright through sheer willpower. The imposter Celestia was still alive, lying on its side in an ever growing red pool. Even if she knew better, the beast still resembled Celestia. It forced her to think about the real one, lying, dying in her bed.
She spat on the body as the last of its life twitched out.
Chrysalis limped into the throne room. It had been over an hour since she hauled her broken body up and out of the ravine she created. As promised, Iris sat upon the throne, watching her younger counterpart limp toward her.
“What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?” Chrysalis demanded.
“Bring you here?” Iris raised an eyebrow. “I did no such thing. Princess Luna dragged you here, if you remember. I’m simply here to help you survive.”
“Why?”
Iris sighed. “Because I’ve been watching you, Chrysalis.”
“Cut the crap. You’re dead. You’re not watching anyone.”
“Come now, Chrysalis. When did you become so naive? I’m only as dead as I wanted you to believe I am. It was rather easy to fool you, actually. And now you’re about to fall for another lie. It’s sad to watch, really.”
“You’re talking about Celestia.”
“Is that really her name? How gaudy.” Iris faked a gag. “But yes.”
Chrysalis shook her head “That thing wasn’t Celestia.”
“Does it matter what that thing was. I’m not talking about it. I’m talking about the real one. The one that you brought down with my venom. I know you’ve been trying to help that odd Twilight mare to cure it. I can’t for the life of me understand why, though.”
“Twilight promised me a new life. One where I don’t have to fight every day for survival, where I don’t have to kill and threaten just to eat. One where I can finally be happy.”
“What a joke,” Iris scowled.
“I trust her.”
“And that’s why I’m here. To remind you of the truth. Tell me something, do you really believe those ponies will accept you? After everything you did? That . . . what were their names . . . Shining Armor and Princess Cadance would ever forgive you for what you did for them?”
“Twilight promised--”
“And when has a promise ever meant anything to you?” Iris snapped. “You’re being played for a fool. Is it really so difficult for you to see that? They’re using your help to save their leader, and then they’ll toss you aside to let you rot.”
“They beat me. They destroyed my home, they subjugated my army, and now they just hold the blade over my head. If that’s what they decide, then that’s what happens,” Chrysalis said. She finally reached the stairs to the throne. She collapsed onto one of the nearby pillars, using it to prop her broken form up to talk. A sharp pain in her chest was making it harder to breathe. “If they want me dead, then I’m already dead.”
“So, that’s it then? This is where the legend ends?” Iris asked. Chrysalis thought she heard genuine sorrow in her voice. “In a bloody wreck, brought down by mere ponies. You should hope history forgets that ending.”
“And what would you suggest I do instead?”
A gleam of silver. Chrysalis saw it, but couldn’t drag her body out of the way of it. A blade speared into her chest, nailing her to her rest. The pain in her chest expanded. Her breathing turned shallow. A burning glare snapped upward. Luna, or rather, another imposter arrived from one of the many hallways leading into the throne room.
“What a shame. It seems she’s going to kill you, Chrysalis,” Iris said, stifling a laugh. “It would be one thing to die to the sun goddess. But to Luna?”
The edges of Chrysalis’ vision turned gray. The pain started to numb as the cold set in.
“Then . . . I die . . .” Chrysalis gasped.
“There is another way. You know what I’m talking about.” Iris stepped down off her throne, circling the dying changeling. Luna didn’t seem to notice her. “You’ve become weak since you left me, Chrysalis. But my blood still boils in your veins. My power is still yours to command. Use it. Take your place as the Queen you should be.”
Iris’ steps stopped as the changeling vanished.
Luna yanked the blade free from its bloody sheath. Chrysalis’ body slumped to the side, falling still. Her eyes lost their focus.
Is this where the legend ends?
Over and over again, Iris’ words echoed through her head. She was going to die here. She was going to die. To die. She didn’t want to. She didn’t want it to end like this. Fear seized her heart. A fear of death spilled into her soul.
“Goodbye, Chrysalis. I hate to admit it, but I intend on enjoying this,” Luna said, pressing her blade to the changeling’s neck.
My power is yours to command!
Use it! Take your place as the Rebel Queen you once were!
Luna’s blade swung, burying itself into Chrysalis' neck. She didn’t even feel it.
Chrysalis’ eyes refocused. Her iris crackled with green lightning. She raised her head to stare down the image of Luna. The alicorn backed away as energy arced across Chrysalis’ chitin.
The Rebel Queen.
Chrysalis laughed as she ripped the steel blade from her neck.
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I think I remember having the conversation about something like this. If every change lane is connected to the Hive mind, do they really truly die or are there memories, emotions and everything else put inside the hive mind for later generations. I understand with thorax he would have a brand new hive mind basically but chrysalis still is connected to the old one so doesn't she should be able to gain the power or skills of anyone who passed forward. It seems like she already knows that. Whatever illusions Luna's trying to convey are not going to work on her.
11791985
I mean, their consciousness is gone. But the memories they shared with others remain, so long as someone is left who remembers them. It's also not necessarily a two-way street. A queen plays a big role in that she's sort of the repository of all that knowledge. A queen knows it all, but the queen can allow drones to tap into it. Does that make sense? Take Iris for example. Chrysalis knows who Iris is. But Thorax does not. She never allowed him into those memories, so he never learned of them. And now that they're separated, he likely never will.
So Twilight gets dream's of snuggle bug's and Chrysalis dream's to becoming deus ex machina... sound's about right. Even if Chrysalis has more going on then the other's with how her mind works.
Also is this the teneberus thing? I never watched past the interdiction to Starlight but this is starting to sound related
is iris related to chrysalis?
11792236
The Tantabus? No. The Tantabus was something Luna created.
11792319
So, no idea if this counts as a spoiler, but I believe this part in the original story calls out their relationship, but never Iris’ name. If you’re really curious, you can try to connect the dots there. At this point in the story, though, we’re not quite sure who she is. She’s a powerful changeling queen. I can tell you that much. And one that’s physically larger than Chrysalis, if that tells you anything.