A Heart of Crystal and Glass

by Mani-Roar

Chapter 20

“I don’t wanna hear it, Chrysalis.” Shining sneered up at the pink colored pony who looked exactly like me. “I don’t know if you think we’re stupid, or if you’re just taunting us. Either way, this charade ends now. What have you done with Flurry Heart? Where is my child?” Shining’s voice started to break as he said “child.” He took a moment to recompose himself, rolling his shoulders back and straightening his posture.

Chrysalis, the pink look alike, dropped her smile. She stared long and hard at Shining as if she was considering something. Her impassioned glare in his direction made me uncomfortable, jealous even.

Her voice dropped the bravado. “Do you remember what happened here a year ago?” She looked from him to me, her features contorted with rage as her eyes rested on me. “When you and Twilight…” she mimed air quotes, “‘rescued Cadence’ from this cave?”

“I remember you were doing some sort of fiendish experiment on Cadance.” Shining stomped his hoof in protest.

“And what experiment was that?” She asked him plainly, catching him off guard for a moment.

“Uh… well…” He looked like he was thinking really hard. “It wasn’t good, whatever it was.”

“Oh, honey.” She shook her head with genuine pity in her eyes. “You’ve always been so stupid. Sweet and obnoxiously cute. But really stupid.” The fact that she sounded sincere made her insults more enraging to me.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Chrysalis.” Shining fired back with a satisfied grin on his face, bouncing off her insults like they were nothing.

“Oh ho ho.” The lookalike brought her hoof to her face in fake surprise. “He’s got jokes now. Chrysalis taught you to have a little bit of spice.”

“Stop.” Shining paused after every word, emphasizing his point with audible frustration. “Calling. Her. Chrysalis.”

“Did you really never bother to ask, ‘why was she doing an experiment?’” This Cadance ignored his demand, moving on. “What was the goal? What was she trying to do?”

“Essence manipulation.” I spoke quietly.

“Oh she has a voice after all.” She looked at me amused. “That’s a pretty good memory you have there.”

“I have no memory of what happened that day.” My words felt flat and unconvincing to me. “You took my memories from me.”

“So you say. How do we know you’re telling the truth?” She asked, but turned back to Shining before either of us could answer. “Believe me, or don’t. But I have no reason to lie. Chrysalis was trying to swap our essences. She wanted access to my magic and essence so that she could replace me.”

“You lie.” Shining hissed.

The fake Cadence shrugged. The gesture was so flippant and carefree, like she didn’t care if we believed her. Which only made my resolve weaken.

Shining and I glanced at each other. Both of us were stunned, and unsure of what to say. It was an unbelievable, elaborate lie. It had to be. Yet I saw in Shining’s eyes something I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Doubt.

“The experiment was halfway done.” This Cadance went on to explain. “Our essences were intermixed with each other. Her evil plan was working. That’s when you and Twilight showed up and shut the experiment down.”

I looked over at the orb that had been cracked. The patchwork was obvious, but it had definitely been repaired.

“When Twilight shattered the orb above Chrysalis’s side…” She gestured to the marble slab on the right. “The built up energy backfired into Chrysalis, knocking her unconscious.”

“This isn’t real.” Shining shook his head, refusing to look at either her or me. “This is a lie. Why are you doing this? Why can’t you just leave us alone?” He covered his head with his hooves, as if to try and block out any incoming information.

I wish I had words to comfort him. To take away his doubt. But it felt like I was finally hearing the right side of the story for the first time.

“This is as real as it gets, Shining.” There was no joy or revelry on her face. If she was being deceptive, she was hiding it very well. The ease at which she told the story only made it feel more true.

“Especially what you did to me next.” She sneered.

“No.” Shining’s blank eyes stared at the gravelly cave floor.

“So you do remember.” I heard the pain in her voice as she went on. “I was strapped to that slab on the left, scared and alone. I felt her essence invading me, violating me, as a part of me was being stolen away. All of her anger, her hatred, her evil infected me. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t control it. I started screaming, and cursing. I thrashed about in my restraints, while she laid peacefully unconscious on her side.”

“This isn’t real. This isn’t happening.” I could hear the wavering in Shining’s voice. Skepticism was infecting both of us. I didn’t know what to believe.

“You and Twilight mistook me for Chrysalis, because of my condition.” Her voice was breaking. Downright quivering. “I tried to explain what was happening to you, but you called me a liar.” She started crying. I wanted to say it was fake, and accuse her of crocodile tears. But I was frozen in place. I watched myself cry and it felt real.

“You threatened me.” Her face contorted with every word. “You cast me out. You told me that if I didn’t leave you would… you would…” She paused as more tears trickled down her face.

She sucked in a deep breath, gnashing her teeth together and rearing up. “The experiment was a success!”

She pointed at me, causing me to startle. “You brought home the monster, and nursed her back to health. She replaced me. She stole my life. She took over the Crystal Empire just as she planned all along. You fell for it. And now you have a bastard child with her! That child should be ours, Shining. Not hers!”

Shining glared up at her. He looked like he wanted to argue back. Take offense to his daughter being called a ‘bastard.’ In the end he just stood there.

“I had to do something.” She shook her head as a few tears flung from her cheek and fell to her hooves. “I couldn’t stay silent in exile any longer. Once I learned you had a child… our child… with that monster… I couldn’t stand it.”

She receded into herself a bit. Wings drooping to hug herself. “I’m sorry for taking drastic measures, but…” She held her hoof out towards Shining. Practically reaching for him. “...I had lost you. Truly lost you. I was holding out hope that you would wake up and realize that something was wrong. That you’d come to me eventually. Realize that she was a fake but…”

Something was off, besides the obvious. She was trying to guilt him into taking her back. But even if what she was saying was true? It was her who attacked the capital. She was working with the Changelings. That had to be true. Who else could that have been in the tower by the Crystal Heart?

I closed my eyes and focused on my connection to the Crystal Heart. Did you know? I asked him as anger filled my mind.

Answer me! I demanded. He gave me no response other than the feeling of sadness in his essence.

“Stop. Wait a minute.” Shining stood up tall, definitely raising his head. “None of this makes any sense.” Hope filled my heart as he regained his composure. “We had Changeling checkpoints in place for months. If she was Chrysalis, we would have detected her hundreds of times by now.” He glared up at her. Not falling prey to her sob story. To her lies.

Please let it be lies.

“I can explain that.” Twilight Sparkle walked out of the cave corridor. She walked past us and joined the other Cadance on the raised platform.

“Twilie?” Shining looked up at her stunned.

“We were tricked, Shining.” She shook her head and looked down at her perplexed brother.

“We fell for her lies!” Twilight pointed at me. All of the hatred she had ever expressed for Queen Chrysalis was beamed at me through her gaze. Her hateful wrinkled brow gaze. I instinctively took a big step back. This was the Princess of Friendship’s rage directed at me. I had every right to be afraid.

“I don’t understand…” Shining began to ask, but Twilight continued.

“The Changeling test is flawed. It wasn’t really a Changeling test at all.” Her words were cold and calculated, like she was trying to hold back her emotions by giving a dry lecture.

“We don’t know much about Changeling anatomy, so a proper magic test would be quite cumbersome, and difficult to teach and replicate.” She stood side by side with the new Cadance like partners. Did Twilight help kidnap my baby?

“It’s much easier to just test for a pony essence. That’s all the magic test is. It detects a pony’s essence. And since the experiment mixed their essences together, both of them would pass a Changeling test. Observe.” Twilight activated her magic as violet haze quickly scanned over the other Cadance.

“She’s clear.” The Cadence didn’t even look smug about it. In fact, she looked downright heartbroken.

Twilight turned her horn to me and activated her magic again. I wanted to run. Her eyes said she wanted to attack me. The haze covered my body for a moment, and the test was over before I could even think about it too hard.

“Also clear.” Twilight shook her head. “At least as far as the test can tell.”

Shining looked at me with fear and confusion in his eyes. The suspicion he regarded me with stung, but I had a bigger burning question I needed answered.

“Twilight, where is Flurry Heart?” I heard the panic in my voice.

“The baby?” Twilight looked confused. “She’s back at the castle.”

“She told us that she was holding Flurry Heart hostage and that we had better come alone, or else.” I pointed at the other Cadance. I didn’t have a defense or counter theory to what they were saying. I couldn’t remember anything from before I woke up in the Crystal Castle. I could actually be Chrysalis and not know. I could have been anyone. Was I really this creature that I had come to hate so much? Whatever the truth was, I had to know if my child was safe. Nothing else mattered to me, even if I was the fraud they said I was. I had to make sure she was safe first.

“Cadance?” Twilight stared perplexed at her.

“I- I panicked.” Her eyes darted between Twilight and Shining. “I just wanted to make sure they showed up. I needed the collateral. Or, at least, the threat of collateral.”

“You told them you kidnapped their baby?” Twilight looked hurt by Cadance’s actions, and she responded in kind to neutralize the situation.

“It was reckless of me. I shouldn't have done that.” She rubbed her head with her hoof like she had a headache. “I’ve just been through so much this last year. I must not be thinking straight.”

“It’s alright, Cadance. You didn’t mean any harm.” Twilight smiled and rubbed her shoulder. Couldn’t she hear it? The fake hurt in her voice? It was so obvious to me that she was playing it up. Covering for doing something truly messed up, and Twilight was buying all of it.

“She’s at the castle?” Shining’s eyes glimmered with hope.

“Yes.” Twilight confirmed. “We took Pellucid into custody, and moved the baby to another room. She’s being looked after. I promise.”

“What?” I cried, shocked at what Twilight said. “Why? What did Pell do?”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed at me. “She’s your accomplice. She’s known who you really are the whole time, and helped keep you under cover.”

“Pell?” I asked openly. She knew who I really was? When? How?

“I don’t buy it.” Shining declared.

“Shining-” Twilight began but he interrupted.

“You say we were fooled, but how do we know that Chrysalis isn’t fooling you?” He accused his sister.

“What?” Twilight looked offended. Cadance scrunched her face like an indignant child.

“I think Chrysalis is using Cadance’s memory loss to confuse us. Make us doubt. Remember, she wanted to replace Cadance, right?” He pointed at the other Cadance. “Well making us think you’re the real Cadance is one way to do that.” The irony of what he was saying was not lost on me.

“So you want proof?” The other Cadance grinned, her smugness returned. “Then let's prove it.” She pointed to the repaired orb.

“Twilight and I fixed the equipment, and figured out how to use the device.” She and Twilight nodded at each other.

“It’s actually a brilliant machine. Evil, but brilliant.” Twilight explained. “As long as we set it to reverse the swap, and let the machine finish completely…” She blushed a little at that. “It should be perfectly safe. After all, it was designed by an essence manipulation expert.”

Me. Chrysalis. Cadance and I were the premiere experts in essence manipulation. At least I would be if I could remember.

“We already have proof.” Shining spoke up again. “Cadance has a magical bond with the Crystal Heart. There’s no way Chrysalis could do that.” His words were confident.

“I’m sorry, Shining. I know this is tough to hear. But that’s also where she’s manipulated you.” Twilight stared at him with pity. “Chrysalis has half of Cadance’s essence in her. The Crystal Heat isn’t a living thinking being. It would be as easily tricked as the Changeling test.”

Not alive my ass I thought, making sure the Crystal Heart heard me.

“But-” Shining started, but the other Cadance jumped in.

“It’s true.” She shook her head as if it were just a darn shame. “I would know. My connection has dimmed because she tricked the Heart with my essence.”

I glared long and hard at the other Cadance, the other me, until she also met my eyes. She knew as well as I did that the Crystal Heart was alive. It’s power given freely. But, anything that made me look good was inconvenient for her. She was willing to blatantly lie to them to get her way. I saw the hidden, knowing grin as she looked at me. It was my word against hers, and arguing about the Crystal Heart wouldn’t get us anywhere. We needed hard proof here and now.

“I’m willing to prove who I am at anytime.” The other Cadance declared. “Let’s see who is really lying.”

“This is insane.” Shining stepped forward. “I don’t want to subject Cadance to that awful machine again. I don’t want to make her go through that. I-”

“Shining.” Twilight interrupted. “She either goes on the platform willingly or… well, let’s not have it come to that.”

He looked at me with hesitation. He knew what I was about to say and it already upset him.

“I’ll do it.” I said to Twilight and the other Cadance. “Let’s settle this once and for all.”

“Cadance…” Saying that name held so much reverence for him. I walked over to him, and caressed his cheek. He leaned his head into my touch.

“I know it’s not true.” He said, kissing my hoof. “I believe you.”

“Shining.” I began and he looked into my eyes. “Whatever happens, I love you. Please know that I genuinely and truly do. I love our daughter and the life we’ve had together this past year. Whatever happens, that will never change and I will always be grateful.” I felt my own eyes tearing up.

“Cadance?” That name again.

I let go of him to walk up the raised platform. His eyes were too full of fear and doubt. I couldn’t look at him. I had to stare forward at the other Cadance, and then Twilight, and then the slab. I quietly laid myself on the slab and looked up at the cave ceiling. The stalactites stared back at me like eyes watching, judging our experiment.

“Cadance, are you sure you want to do this?” Twilight’s loving, and concerned voice asked.

“Yes.” I replied out of habit.

“I was talking to her.” Twilight’s condemning tone cut into me. The other Cadance laid down on the slab to my left.

“Don’t worry, Twilight.” Cadance’s overly saccharine tone annoyed me. “I promise everything will be ok.” I watched as Twilight took Cadance’s hoof into hers to comfort her. No one stood by my side to comfort me. Shining looked frozen in place where he stood, trapped between two worlds. His doubts were just enough to make him keep a cautious distance.

“Activate it.” Cadance commanded.

Twilight hesitated one last time before her horn lit up with a gentle purple glow. I watched as the orbs filled with light. It was so bright I had to shield my face from their powerful radiance. As my eyes adjusted, I stared up at the spectacle. What looked like an emerald lightning bolt arced between the two orbs. The orb on my side was discolored in the places it was repaired. Would it hold? Would it shatter over me again, killing me this time? If it turned out I was Queen Chrysalis, the source of all our pain, the bane of me and Shining, and Twilight, and the Crystal empire, would I even want to wake up again?

A nauseating feeling overtook me as what felt like my soul leaving my body evacuated up to the glowing orb. It filled with a cloudy pink mist. The other orb filled with a similar mist that was emerald green. My essence was diminished. I could feel that half of me was gone. It floated above me in this unnatural, wicked machine. Had I built this? Was I truly that wicked?

My body jolted involuntarily as something new forced its way into my being. It filled the empty half of my essence with something dark and hideous. To my chagrin, it was also familiar. Then the emotions hit me. It was like the opposite of being drained. Powerful emotions pierced their way into my head. I felt like my mind would explode. So much anger and resentment flooded into my essence. Was this truly me? Is this who I was?

As if answering my own question, the memories began swarming into my consciousness. The locked away, forbidden parts of me that were missing suddenly came back in force. And it horrified me.

I remembered my hive. A cavalcade of tunnels and chambers, built up into asymmetrical spires. Changelings filled every corner of these halls. They were my Changelings, my children. Flurry Heart wasn’t my first born, not by far. I tried to think of her. Focus on my new baby, but the onslaught of memories were too much to ignore. I saw Canterlot Castle, and a wedding taking place in the great chamber. There I was standing next to Shining Armor. His eyes were glazed over from a stupefying love spell that I had cast on him. I saw my Changelings attacking the city on my command. I saw everything. More than I wanted to ever see or know.

I was Queen Chrysalis. I was the Changeling Queen. This was not my body. This was not my home. I had planned everything. I disguised myself as Cadance and captured her. I brought her to this cave to steal her essence and take her place. I wanted to take over the Crystal Empire from the inside so that my Changelings, my children, could feed on their love, and never go hungry again. To fill up the terrifying curse that forced us to feed on others. A curse that could be satisfied, but never satiated. A sickness with no cure. We never asked for this curse, this hunger. Yet someone had to lead us. Someone had to ensure our survival, and that someone was me. I loved my hivelings, and I would do anything to keep them safe and fed. Even if it meant tormenting and terrifying unsuspecting populations. I had rationalized it for years, my entire life. I believed that we did what we had to do. That it was right. That all of these lesser species we consumed deserved it. We deserved their love as food. How dare they live and love alike? How dare they get to have a happy and fulfilling life that we were denied? Why shouldn’t we take everything from them? The whole world was ours. It was mine. Everything was mine and I would stop at nothing to obtain it.

I was a monster.

****

Author's Note:

Best song to pair with this chapter:

Dropper Vampire & Heartsong -Block Out The Sun (feat. Koa)

Comments

[TCC56]

You two idiots. Why did you do that.

[TronicsM]

Acabo de salirme de mi clase de la uni y valio la pena.
Buen cap: solo falta responder unas cuantas cosas pero eso sucedera despues.

[Wooden Wheel]

Not alive my ass I thought, making sure the Crystal Heart heard me.

Such eloquence had not been heard since the days of bards and troubadours.

[vectorVll]

I thought you were going to do something like this earlier but happily surprised that you saved it for later. It kind of gave it away when she was a little too nice to thorax.

But I still think it's a little bit too late their personalities have been switch either for too long or too thoroughly That cadence the original would lie about kidnapping a child and threatening harm and then crocodile her tears to get out of it so's a deeper problem. With her character then what obviously should be wrong with it