Dismay Turned Discord

by Reedling

Chapter 9-Origin of Hope

“Chrysalis?” Astrum repeated. She was resting close to her somepony as he groaned in pain. Her eyes fixated on him as she spoke.

“Yes, your grace?” Chrysalis’ voice had an air of royalty to it. As she talked almost any listener felt they had been friends since childhood. It was easier for Astrum to accept this half of Crystalline was good then Morpheus. Astrum was never taunted or cursed by the dark magic Crystalline harnessed, so she couldn’t see how alarming similar this half acted.

“What do you know about your mother?”

“My father doesn’t seem to like her very much and after seeing what she did to his majesty, I do not blame him. Who is she?”

“She...She feels that we, All of Equestria shouldn’t exist.”

“That doesn’t seem fair, I mean we are both ponies. It can’t be that she doesn’t like ponies.”

Astrum smiled to the pony-like filly. She wasn’t sure if Chrysalis could tell her expression was fake, But as she turned to read her expression. Astrum realized Chrysalis didn't know that she wasn't a pony. What had Pan actually told her and what did Chrysalis actually believe was true?

“You’re worried about something...have I said something to upset you, your grace?” Astrum's glanced over Chrysalis' slight change in color. Was this normal?

“No,I’m fine. How long have you known Pan?”

“Ever since he found me in the forest....” Chrysalis tilted her head slightly.

“Her Grace doesn’t know when Pan found me? That seems odd Pan always told me you were one of his closest friends.” The filly remarked. Astrum gave a grin and then sighed in disappointment. Her eyes morphed into aqua lizard-like eyes.

“It’s a pity you’re so up-to-date with who that pathetic worm of magic cares for.” Crystalline snickered.

“My father is not pathetic nor a worm!” Chrysalis roared with a stump of her hoof, her jade eyes twinkled with a pink magic.

“Now would you look at that...That foal of an alicorn found the littlest piece of Aeaeae’s magic.” Crystalline gave a hearty chuckle finishing with a giggle that hurt the ears with its high pitched squawks.

“I am impressed with how gullible and loyal you are to him. But maybe. Maybe this is because he's been whistling you along like a loyal mutt?!” Crystalline whispered to her. The dark half’s voice echoed in the room which lost its mirage of the well lit royal bedroom and became an empty space. She could hear the sound of wind and the smell of dirt and mold. Slowly Crystalline cantered over to her smaller half. “You know where we are, don’t you?”

“It feels familiar.” Chrysalis replied, her grey ears drooping. She was not only scared of this raving unicorn but she felt an uneasy connection to her.

“Is she my mother?” She thought, and the more she thought about it she realized that was the feminine voice that came from His Majesty.

“Are you my mother?”

“I suppose in a way I could be your mother. I bet it’s just the little loop hole he has been using. You really have no clue of who I am?” Crystalline gave her smaller half no chance to answer. “I’m you!”
Chrysalis looked wildly to the black pony. “Well to be correct you are a part of me-” Crystalline turned her head to the small pony. She watched as her jade pony eyes shifted to dragon pupils for a split second. Her eyes stared with scrutiny over the taller pony’s hair, eyes, hoof holes and body.

“Pan split us in half.” Chrysalis’ voice was monotone as she spoke the truth.

“You’re the candy coated shell of me. The only thing this 'Pan' didn't do was to tell you the truth.” Crystalline folded her forelegs to cushion her head as she spoke her body floated on a cloud of dark magic. “I still don’t understand why you want to destroy Equestria...”

“My smaller half...I have no plans on moving even a brick of this 'Equestria'.”

“You...don’t?” Chrysalis tilted her head once more. Her voice sounded more childish than refined.

“Yes. I am more then a weeks away from reaching Equestria. If anyone is going to turn your home into rubble, look only to your darling 'father'..” She chuckled playfully.

“My father is a good pony!”

"Now you listen to me young one. He is far from good, his true nature is something only fathomable in giant scale. But here we are, stuck on a small scaled world filled with even smaller scaled problems. Wouldn't you say?"

"You wanted to ruin Equestria once before,I saw it on the glass."

"He always was one to hide answers in plain sight. And good on you for wanting to learn more then his lips will speak. How about I show you somethings he might have forgotten." Crystalline made a ball of dark blue magic appear. They seemed to be in a dark cave with black gem encrusted walls. Crystalline roped a hoof around her naive counterpart to push her forward. “This is where I was tricked by Phaun Arboreous, The winged unicorn you believe to be your father.” The orb expelled a opaque fog that took the form of several silhouettes. Chrysalis watched as the magic portrayed her father as a scared and frantic wimp. He was cornered in what looked like a library. It was hard to make out because Crystalline had put more detail into Pan and her silhouette then in the room itself.

She noticed that there were three other ponies severely beaten on the floor and her father seemed to be cowering before the dark alicorn almost double in size. Crystalline’s mirage reared her body, and cackled at what seemed like total victory, but Pan’s cloud-made doppelganger opened his eyes wildly, and lunged his horn straight into her gut.

“That’s for My Mother!” Pan screamed. His voice was hoarse, like how he talked now. Crystalline’s silhouette staggered to the floor as Pan's rose. Pan wasn’t his Spring or Autumn form. Chrysalis wasn’t sure at first if it was the magic acting like smoke, but after looking around at the scene and seeing no other magic with the same effect. It was safe to assume this was Pan’s winter form.

His hair was pure snow, even his eyebrows seemed to be made of snow! Which had a wave of dry ice-like smoke fall freely to his hooves. He stood with such poise you would expect from an aged and valiant king. “It is not my place, not even my right to choose what a creature; Pony, Griffin, Dragon et hoc genus omne will become. It is also not within your right to force a nation to believe you are Aeaeae. But I do know that I alone have the power to prevent your evil reign. Crystalline of Aether. You are banished from Equestria!” Pan roared.

As the seasoned alicorn spoke his wisdom, his eyes began to glow with a pink hue. His body motioned a polite bow, which felt unnerving as Crystalline’s blood pooled to the tip of his horn. Then he cast a mist of mixed green colored magic over her. “You?! As if you stood a chan--” Crystalline paused. She felt his magic not only go through her but try to tear her apart. “How amusing! You’re using Aeaeae’s good magic to try and what? Hurt me? I am dark magic! No creature could dare destroy me!” Crystalline cawed. As she began to motion her body to get up, Pan rammed a hoof into her wound. She gave a innocent cry, which played tricks on Pan’s mind. Standing this close to Crystalline he could feel his mind crave not only her pain but to watch her, with all of her power be just as weak as his beaten friends.

There it was, the small but potent energy that Aeaeae and her shared. Pan focused his magic to it, roping it in like a net, he whipped his neck back. Crystalline was forced to go into her smoke form, if she hadn't she would have surely cried out in anguish.

“That white ball of energy...” Chrysalis whispered.

“Is the energy that Aeaeae and I were first made of. It is the magic of our father, Aethereum. My father’s magic only knows how to create. So you were created.” Crystalline explained.

“Why bother explaining this to me?” Chrysalis wondered.

“So you know your place. You are a part of me, and Arboreus plans to use you-”

“My father would never use me!”

“Explain how you managed to conjure up all that power then? Also...you were told to use all that magic Arboreus so gladly helped you make, to what? That’s right he asked you to try and kill a part of you!”

“But you were in His Majesty, you wanted to hurt me and father.”

“Why would I hurt you? I just want my other half back. You were never even meant to exist, mind you. So isn’t it fair that I asked an old friend to help me find my other half?” Crystalline began to whine. Her hoofs making a horrible clinking noise to whatever the dark void was made out of.

Chrysalis felt her body become warm, slowly she felt a sensation on her shoulder. It grew from a gentle presence to a violent shake.

=====================================================================

“Oua--gh..my head.” Grue moaned. His eyes began focusing on a sleeping Fahdil. Her face was a heavy red and looked damp.

“Were you crying?” He wondered. Grue gave a loud sneeze that shocked Fahdil out of her sleep.

“Auhhh!” Grue seized again which unleashed a more powerful sneeze which caused him to fly backwards.

“Grue!” Fahdil shrieked. Her voice lasted longer then her body as she charged out of the hut.

“Wait!” Grue called. He tried to catch up to her. Normally she wasn’t this fast at all Grue could only reason that Fahdil had seen something that made her feel her life was endangered if she stayed too close to him.

“Fahdil please, I need your help!” Grue wheezed. His lungs felt a corrosive smoke cling to the walls as he panted for air, the smoke was building in him making it hard even air to enter. “Crystalline....What did I ever do to deserve this pain?” He moaned as his legs gave out.

“JuSssssttt...forget her...She’ssSsss worthless to you!” An aqua-bellied snake whispered to him.

“She’s...she’s my best friend..” Grue’s eyes squinted. He gave a deep breath in as he felt his mind be consumed in a cold and welcoming embrace. He eyes stared in a daze as his body began to feel rejuvenated as he forgot just why he was unhappy. As he laid in the soothing euphoria his eyes flickered with reptile pupils.

“Grue?” Fahdil called. She walked through the snake, which dispersed into sand colored dust.

“Huh?” His head shook wildly as he looked up to her.

“Who were you talkingto?” Fahdil asked.

“...Myself. With so much going on...It has been hard to contain my thoughts.” Grue lied. He couldn’t tell her that there was what seemed to be an ancient unicorn that was cursing him to forget every good thing he loved, not yet. “What happen?” Grue sighed he held a hoof to his head in pain. Crystalline was doing her best to thwart her trickery.

“Y-you attacked me. I tried to push you away..but-” Fahdil let her hind legs fall and she started to cry in pure shame. Grue wanted to console her, but she motioned away when he tried.

“Then I cut you! A-and you didn’t give up!...I-I care about you! I never meant to hurt you!” She cupped her fore-hooves to her eyes as she bawled the truth to him. Grue took a moment to scan his legs, they were fine. His eyebrows motioned in his confusion. “Then you fell to the floor bleeding!.....I don’t know how long I stood there motionless as I held that knife in my hoof. But I do know that an orb of blue light danced around you....and your cuts were, were gone!” She gave a soft hiccup.

“You’re scared of what you think is my magic then...”He observed.

“I knew you were different, because no one is the same. B-but...Magic...” Fahdil whimpered.

“Fahdil, Magic-users have horns. If my father is Sirius Dusk, he was a unicorn. Only a unicorn can use magic like you described....Even if I was able to make orbs of light. I wasn’t awake remember?”

“Maybe it was your father?” Fahdil gasped.

“I don’t believe my father’s spirit would come back for me...” Grue turned sadly. “If it was him though...I wish-”

“Stop it Grue!” Fahdil pleaded. He looked to her from the corner of his eye. He had almost forgot that it was Fahdil that cut him, or so she believed. Grue knew however it was all Crystalline, whether Fahdil’s hoof was the one to break skin didn't change this to Grue. He sighed.

“I’m sorry for bringing you into all of this trouble Fahdil.”

“You’re still my friend right?” She asked as she lowered her head to make eye contact.

“Yes. Why do you ask?” Grue smiled.

“I just thought you were going to say “I wish I never met you” because you seem very unhappy.” She admitted.

“Fahdil, you are my one and only friend. I am the luckiest Zebra...half Zebra that ever lived! The only wish I have, is that you never met me. ” Fahdil gasped wrapping her forehooves around him.

“What are we going to do?” Fahdil asked.

“You are going home, to your family. I’m not welcome in the village anymore. Uchawi would rather have Hofu work with him. And the Chieftain...I don’t need to verbally hear him banish me.” Grue looked away but Fahdil followed his gaze.

“I’m staying with you. You don’t know what flower is what, remember?” Her voice was sympathetic to him. Grue could only hear that adult zebra chanting. “It’s one of the reasons he still lives with us!”

“I--I’ll be fine Fahdil!”

“Oh really! Bliss root, what is it?!”

“A..It’s part of the Bliss fruit tree!”

“What about Ali thistle?”

“It’s a weed that causes stomach pain to zebras and relieves a unicorn’s headache.”

“Sun spindle!”

“Helps you see at night.”

“Willow’s weep?!”

"It’s a tree not a flower.”

“What about. -Uh...About...” Fahdil was out of rehashed lessons Maua had taught. Grue looked to Fahdil with a wide smile. It was because of the tribe coddling him that he had a hard time learning.

“Because I need to know.”

“What?”

“I need to remember every word Maua taught me if I want to survive in The Brush. I don’t need you getting hurt anymore from me. Now please go home Fahdil.”

“If that’s what you want Grue....”

The two hugged tighter than ever before, then they turned and walked their separate paths. Only one of them looked back and her eyes watered to the friend who really cared for her despite what she had done.

=====================================================================

“Dear wake up!” Pan wheezed frantically. His eyes were bloodshot from sleep deprivation.

“Thank goodness, You are okay!” Pan hugged her as she rested on a plush bed.

“Where are we father?” Chrysalis asked shyly.

“In the company of family and friends dear.” He answered.

“You are a guest of the Solus family Chrysalis. You will be staying in our protection now that-”

“Now that Crystalline is out there.”The little filly asked.

“Yes. She’s not only poisoned my husband, but the king. She might see this quick victory as Equestria being weak.”

“She doesn’t want to hurt Equestria....I heard her in my dream. She wants me back.”

Astrum looked to Pan. The two of them stared for a while trying to plan how to interrogate Chrysalis for more of this 'dream' she had. Pan motioned a loving smile, while Astrum’s eyebrows almost slammed into her eyes in anger. It was clear that Astrum wanted the facts no matter the toll it would cause to Chrysalis’ psyche. She had subjects, a family to protect and with her somepony in such a grave state she couldn’t be her old self. In her heart she ached for a chance to be Brightly-lit Days, life was so simple when she was a Pegasus.

“What did she tell you Chrysalis. My husband’s life hangs on your words.” Astrum asked coldly. Her head lowered to cover her eyes as she spoke.

“She has no plans on leaving wherever she is. She thinks father will-will destroy Equestria.” Chrysalis tried to hide herself under the blanket covering her flank, but Astrum flung the blanket away with her magic. Pan jumped up to grab it in his teeth, he covered it back over her.

“Astrum Galaxia! Stop acting like a spoiled noble. This is not how royalty treats a guest, no matter the stress or fears you hold!” He scolded.

“He’s my husband!” She cried.

“-And my dearest friend. I feel your pain Astrum I do...But near Chrysalis you have to be happy.”

“My stomach hurts daddy.” Chrysalis whined. She gripped her chest tightly, curling her hind legs together in a feeble attempt to stop the pain.

“Chrysalis still has the curse. Whatever bad feelings loom inside her, They will make her just as ill as Morpheus is.” He turned to whisper to Astrum.

“Please do not waste my years of care and fatherhood in one night. The worse she is treated...She’ll become just like her real form.”

“What about my fillies? I can’t control how they react.” Astrum whispered back.

“Let us hope Aethereum has mercy on Equestria.” He snickered with an uncomfortable humor.

“I’m sorry Chrysalis. If I may blame anything on my bad manners, let it be lack of sleep. I know something that will cheer you up dear. Have you ever seen a sunrise?”

“I live in a forest...with tall trees.”

“Then you are in for a real treat. I have a daughter that can lift the sun. Why don’t we go wake her up and see the sunrise?” Astrum smiled. She hoped her overexerted hospitality would help Chrysalis out of her pain. Now that she was forced to be cordial to Chrysalis she couldn’t help but feel admiration for Pan. He had to spend years with her and always made sure to put on his best face? He knew more about being royalty then she thought.

“I’d like that Your Grace.” Chrysalis smiled as she wiped a tear away.

Author's Note:

New chapters will be published every 3rd and 21st of each month and,
if you see any grammatical errors don't be afraid to post them!