Single Parent Seeks Special Somepony

by angelofrombelow

Chapter 10

Berry took a step forward, disturbed by Surprise’s lack of a response. The changeling looked up at her, her eyes glistening.

“Please don’t go,” she said. “I’m not ordering you, I’m asking you – please don’t go. You’d be throwing away your freedom.”

“You have to make a choice. Either you let me go or you help me talk to Chrysalis,” said Berry.

“But that’s no choice at all. If you break my hypnosis, then I lose you. If we go to Chrysalis then she’ll break it herself, and I’ll lose you. We don’t have a plan, we don’t have anything. I know you’re upset, but you’re about to throw your last chance away.”

“We have to do something!” she said, stomping her hoof decisively on the floor. “I’m not prepared to live like this. Not knowing that my daughter’s coming home tomorrow. Not knowing that soon she’ll… she’ll…”

“Berry, you don’t know my mother like I do.” There was sorrow in her words. “She’s headstrong, persistent, won’t accept any view other than her own. She’s everything that I’m not. There’s no way I can convince her to set Ponyville free, especially when it’d probably doom my race to starvation. She won’t allow any loose ends.”

The earth pony sat back on her haunches as she allowed that information to sink in. She hadn’t permitted herself to admit it while she was blinded with anger, but Surprise had a point.

Berry had wanted an ending to her torment and she hadn’t cared what form it took. Now she realised she was truly trapped. The only choices that seemed available were to know that she was living in slavery, or become oblivious to it.

“I wasn’t being weak,” said Surprise. “I was protecting you. It took a lot to convince her that you weren’t a threat and if she finds out I lied to her, she’ll be so angry that it’ll be impossible to talk to her.”

She tapped her front hooves together nervously, bowing her head. “We changelings reach adulthood within hours of our creation, but she’s always treated me like a child. I was glad of it when I was in the hive. It made me feel safe.

“But now I’m out in the world, trying to make decisions for myself, she’s still treating me as such and it’s humiliating. It’s like my opinions don’t matter, I’m too young to know any better and that’s that.

“The problem is, I know I’m right. Peace is the only way forward, no matter how unlikely it seems. But as long as she remains in charge, it’ll never happen.”

Berry blinked, unsure that Surprise had truly meant what her words implied.

“Are you suggesting… are you suggesting that you have to depose her? Take over?”

The changeling stood bolt upright, the speed of her movement almost causing her to topple over backwards.

“What? No! No, I could never do that,” she said. “She’s my mother. She’s always been our leader. There’s no way the other changelings would support me.”

“I’m not so sure,” Berry said, a spark of enthusiasm slowly igniting within her. “I mean, even though Emerald Shine was aggressive, she was convinced that Chrysalis’s plan is going to fail eventually. If there was a genuine alternative, if there was a guarantee of lasting security, I think she’d take it.

“And you mentioned yourself that several other changelings feel uneasy about making others suffer just so they can get a meal. If you can win them over, you’ll overcome a major obstacle to the peace process.”

“Berry, I can’t do it,” Surprise said, certain in her inability. “I can’t betray her like that. She’s cared for me my entire life, looked over me, watched out for me.”

The earth pony wasn’t listening. She was starting to pace, trying to work out the best plan of attack. “It’s high time you started fighting your own battles. We need to be smart about it. Don’t portray it as an overthrow, just a new way of thinking. Start with Emerald Shine, build up support. Give a voice to the general consensus. With enough changelings behind you, she’ll have to cave in or…”

“I won’t do it!” Surprise shouted. Berry stopped pacing and looked at her in shock.

The changeling took a moment to compose herself. “I won’t do it,” she said. “I can’t do that to her, and I can’t cope with conflict. I’ll crumble. At worst, it’ll create two factions – one seeking peace and the other preferring the old way. Our race would fall to in-fighting and there’s no guarantee ponykind would accept either of us.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Berry went to her side and held a hoof against her shoulder, offering her reassurance. “Surprise, you’re stronger than you realise. The first night we met – only yesterday, if you can believe that – you listened to me. You did something no changeling has ever done before. You tried to find a compromise, you tried to find acceptance. And you found it.

“It’s late evening now. The sun’s setting. When it rises again, my daughter will return to Ponyville and she and all the other colts and fillies will fall to Chrysalis’s spell. We have to act now. There are still ponies and changelings outside, I can hear them. The larger an audience we have, the greater our chance of success.”

“The greater the chance of a fight breaking out,” Surprise countered. “Berry, listen to me. When I suggested you run away, I wasn’t being a coward. I genuinely believe it’s your best option. You can take your daughter to safety.”

Berry grimaced. “I’m not running, I told you. I’m not willing to spend my life in fear, I’m not going to leave my friends.”

“You wouldn’t be,” she said. “Ponyville is not an island. To even reach your daughter you’d have to meet with the contingent from the Zebra Kingdom. I don’t believe for a second that you wouldn’t tell them what was going on.

“If you want Ponyville to be free, this is the only way to do it. I’ll aid your escape, give you a few hours’ head start. Then I’ll tell my mother that you’ve escaped, that you tricked me. There’ll be no way they can catch you by that point. We’ll have to start planning our next move, we’ll have to find another place to go. But we’ll have time to prepare.”

Berry shook her head, all too aware of the consequences that plan would have. “Emerald Shine knows the truth. The changelings would know you betrayed them. They’d crucify you.”

Surprise closed her eyes as if to shut out the possibility. “I’d survive,” she said. “But if you stay here, you’ll be captured eventually.”

The earth pony held a hoof to her mouth, deeply affected by the changeling’s proposal. “You’d do that for me?”

Surprise nodded silently and Berry felt a deep warmth rise within her, tempered by fear for her friend. As noble as the offer was, she knew that she couldn’t accept it.

“It still wouldn’t work,” she said. “Too many changelings would be unwilling to give it up. They’d fight for it. There’d be war. And that’s exactly what we have to avoid.” She bowed her head, moving in closer to Surprise. “No, it has to be all or nothing. Success or failure, nothing in between. Peace or servitude. As horrible as it is, there’s a chance that your kind may be able to keep up this deception indefinitely. And although we’d be enslaved, at least nopony would die.”

The changeling looked up, her expression deeply troubled. “It’s all so risky and we have no proof things can work out. We have no idea how the changelings or ponykind will react to an offer of peace.”

She frowned suddenly, then slowly walked past Berry, lost in contemplation. When she turned around again, her brow was furrowed and her eyes shone with fear, but she had clearly come to a decision.

“I think I have a plan,” she said. “The most important thing we can achieve is get my mother to listen, force her to listen. See things from your point of view.”

Berry stepped forward, prompting her to continue her line of thought.

“It’s similar to the plan we had before, but inverted,” she said. “We have to prove that ponykind are reasonable creatures, not something to be wary of. That peace is possible.

“I’m going to introduce you to my mother. Then we’ll take things from there. I’ll need your full support.”

The purple-coated pony recoiled at the thought. Now her anger had left her, nervousness had taken over. “What’s to stop her from taking over my mind? I’m a threat. At least, she’ll see me as a threat.”

“I told you, I have a plan. But it’s risky,” she said. She was about to say something but then she stopped herself.

“Are you going to tell me what it is?” A few minutes ago, Berry had been ready to storm out and find Chrysalis. Now she had cooled down, thought it out more clearly, she realised just how dangerous it would be to confront her.

She shook her head. “If I told you, you’d only try to stop me. You said it yourself, it has to be all or nothing. But this way, if it all goes horribly wrong, neither of our races will be put in danger. However, if we do get a chance to put our case then they’re going to have to decide what they want pretty quickly.”

Berry was having difficulty swallowing past the growing knot of anxiety in her throat. “You’re not making me feel any better.”

“Just be ready to argue in favour of peace. I’ll protect you. We’re running out of time.”

Surprise paused, then looked around the room slowly, taking in her surroundings. “You know,” she said, her voice faltering. “This could be the last time we ever see each other. In these circumstances at least. Still free. Still knowing each other.”

A wave of sadness passed over Berry as she realised she was right. For the briefest of moments she wanted to call off the whole mission, but she knew that was impossible. Things had gone too far.

If she had to choose somepony to be the saviour of Ponyville she would have been the last one on the list, but that was the way it had fallen and she had a responsibility to fulfil.

“Is there anything you want to say? Anything you want me to do?” she asked Surprise.

The changeling hesitated a while, considering the questions but coming up blank. She was apparently too nervous to think of anything but the task that lay ahead of them. She repeated the question to Berry.

The pony fell quiet. There was a moment here, a chance for her to make a move.

But the possibilities of it frightened her. This was a time of high emotion and she didn’t know if what she was feeling came from her heart or the situation. Surprise hadn’t said anything when given the opportunity, even though Berry was certain now that there was something there.

Perhaps it was easier this way. If they made that step, it would be harder to risk everything.

Berry cleared her throat. “There is one thing,” she said, her voice cracking. “If the worst happens, if I do lose myself, could you make sure… could you make sure that Ruby Pinch and I are happy?”

“Of course.” Surprise looked away so she couldn’t see her face. “If I was in your situation, I’d ask you to do the same for me.”

All that was left to be said had been spoken. There was nothing left to do now but to step out into the evening air, the sun slowly setting on another day.

The original residents of Ponyville were starting to settle into a routine with its new entrants. The hubbub of before, when changelings were busy finding ponies to pair themselves up with, had died down to a gentle hum of conversation.

The streets were still busier than they would normally be on a Sunday evening, with changelings chatting away merrily with their prey. The more they learned about them, the easier it would be to maintain the deception.

As far as the ponyfolk were concerned, it was now as if they had always been here. Memories had been rewritten to match a version of history that suited them.

Berry tried her best to appear calm while ignoring the scenes around her as best she could. She kept her vision blinkered, paying no heed to the periphery, and focused on her destination.

Surprise was keeping pace beside her, adopting a stride that was supposed to seem confident. It was forced – her hoofsteps were landing on the ground too hard, her legs were a little too rigid.

Her pretence faltered further when Twilight’s library came into view. As the front door drew ever closer, the pegasus began to fall behind and Berry had to slow down to stay level with her.

When they were just a few yards away she stopped completely, stricken with anxiety.

“Surprise.” Berry was unsuccessfully trying not to let her own fear show. “Surprise, you shouldn’t be this afraid of your own mother. You’ve got to be strong.”

“It’s not her I’m afraid of, you know that,” she whispered back. “I’m afraid of what comes next.”

Steeling herself, she marched up to the door and rapped it hard three times. There was a moment’s pause, just enough time to make Berry feel queasy, then it opened wide.

A tall white pegasus with a whispery, light blue mane stood in the doorway, her cold demeanour making her an imposing sight.

Her expression brightened when she saw Surprise but the warmth faded slightly when she saw Berry standing a few yards behind her.

“Surprise, my dear. What can I do for you?” she asked.

The younger changeling took a breath to steady her nerve. “Mother, we need to talk. About everything.”

Chrysalis frowned, already having an inkling about where this was going and not liking it one bit. “Come inside then, where we can chat in private.”

Surprise shook her head. “No. This is too important, and she’s a part of it.” She indicated towards Berry, who stepped forward so she was by her side. The pony kept her vision locked downwards.

The changeling queen sighed in concerned exasperation. “Surprise, what’s happening here? What have you done?”

“I’m doing…” Her voice cracked and she was forced to clear her throat. “I’m doing what’s best for our race. For both of our races.”

“She’s still self-aware, isn’t she?” Chrysalis frowned, visibly forcing down her anger. “What did I tell you before? I warned you. A single chink in the armour will be enough to bring all of this crashing down.”

“But that’s exactly it,” she said urgently, frightened that she was already losing the battle. “What we have here, it won’t last. It can’t last. We have to find an alternative, otherwise we’ll face extinction. We have to find peace.”

“And I’ve already told you that’s impossible.” She nodded towards Berry. “Is that what this one told you? That she wants peace? Borne out of desperation, no doubt. She saw that you were superior and tried to make a bargain.”

“That’s not true,” Surprise said. She ruffled her wings, almost taking flight so she would be at eye-level with her mother, but lost her nerve and remained grounded. “It was mutual. Yes, she was afraid, yes, she knew I was stronger than her…”

“Keep your voice down.” Chrysalis hissed the warning under her breath, immediately silencing her daughter. The taller changeling waved a greeting to a pony passing by, maintaining a cheery façade until any danger of being overheard had gone.

“You have to be careful,” she said, then indicated inside the library before closing the front door. “Twilight Sparkle is inside. Busy studying, as is her way. And you, you have brought this pony here.” She growled dangerously. “All she has to do is call out and our entire plan is at risk. You’ve put us all in jeopardy.”

She grinned, addressing Berry. “But you’re not going to call out, are you? You’re too afraid. Too afraid to carry out your ploy. And now you’re not going to get the chance.”

She reached out a hoof towards the earth pony but Surprise jumped in between them. “No!” she cried, causing her mother to recoil in shock. “No, I’m not going to let you do it. You’re going to listen to me!”

Berry was trembling, driven mute by fright. Surprise recognised her fear and extended her nearest wing, offering shelter and drawing her closer.

“We came to a decision,” she said, her nerves causing her to speak a little too quickly. “We realised how fragile the spell would be. How difficult it would be to keep watch over everypony and make sure they didn’t realise what was happening. We knew that if things didn’t change, the changeling race would eventually have to fight for its survival. There would be war.”

Chrysalis exhaled hard, realising that her daughter needed reassurance. “That’s not going to happen. We’ve won. Victory is ours, now and forever. Now we have a stronghold here, we can spread our influence throughout the land…”

“And spread our forces more and more thinly until there’s no way we can keep control of it all. This isn’t going to work, mother,” Surprise said, with all the strength she could muster. Chrysalis didn’t have an immediate answer to that, so she tried to press her advantage.

“Berry hatched a plan to integrate me into pony society. She introduced me to her friends and I was getting along well with them. We were just about to put the theory to the test. We were going to reveal my true identity to them but then your original scheme kicked in and it was too late.”

Chrysalis was still listening but she was distracted. The three of them were beginning to attract attention, what with Berry cowering under Surprise’s wing. Nopony was close enough to eavesdrop yet – some other changelings had realised something was wrong and were gently steering their charges away, but she was still worried.

“It was going to be the final proof of whether ponies could ever truly get along with us,” Surprise said. “If they turned on me, like you warned me they would before I first came here, I knew things would still turn out alright. One of the others would get to Twilight and Ponyville would be taken over, and I would be content with that. I would know that peace between our two races was impossible.”

The changeling queen allowed her to continue, feeling that she was coming to a conclusion and this little show of dissension would soon be nipped in the bud.

“But after the time I’ve spent with Berry, I know that’s not true,” she said, a nervous smile coming to her lips. “We’ve made a connection, a strong connection, in the space of just a day. I’ve only known her for a few hours but it feels like so much longer. She’s my friend, someone I can confide in, someone I’d do anything to protect. And if we just give it a chance, on both sides, I know that others among us could find the same.”

Those last few sentences hit Chrysalis like a jolt of electricity and she stood stock still, staring at her daughter in stunned silence.

Surprise was a little confused by her reaction but her expression held a glimmer of hope. Perhaps her mother had suddenly realised the truth?

Berry timidly looked up from underneath the changeling’s wing, curious as to why everything had gone quiet.

Chrysalis opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Her eyes flicked between Surprise and Berry, noted their closeness, and she slowly came to a conclusion that she found scarcely believable.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she murmured. “You’ve got to… but no, there it is. I can see it. I can almost feel it.”

She drew herself up to her full height, raising her head as she looked down on Surprise. “You’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you?”

The pegasus jerked her head back in shock. “I… I’ve what?” she said quietly.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t realise. Surely you’re not that naïve.” Chrysalis smiled after a moment’s consideration. “But perhaps that makes things easier.”

She began prowling round the pair of them in a circle, reclaiming her authority. “I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised by it, given the circumstances of your birth. You were created by love, after all, so it holds that you would be more susceptible to it. You’re different to the rest of us, my dear. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but there’s something you have to realise.”

She leaned her head in close, speaking in a whisper. “You’re sick. You’re not well. This creature has corrupted you and her influence needs to be broken. It’ll hurt for a while but you’ll thank me for it later. Love is a disease – it blinds reason and impairs judgement.”

She narrowed her eyes, her lips curving cruelly upwards. “But don’t worry. You said you would do anything to protect her? Well, I would do anything to protect you. She needs to join the others. We’ll all be safer then. She can still be yours, and in time you’ll realise the only reason we need these creatures is to feed.”

Surprise pulled Berry closer to her as Chrysalis stood over them. “Stand aside,” the queen demanded.

Berry sensed the battle was all but over. Surprise had been knocked for a loop and it had caused her to lose her nerve. She didn’t have the wherewithal to argue with her mother any more and that was the only thing that could protect the earth pony – the older changeling was stronger physically and was not above using force. Drastic action was needed.

In a sudden burst of movement, Berry broke free from Surprise’s grip and went for the door. Chrysalis was no longer standing in front of it so she couldn’t get there in time to prevent the pony from knocking hard against it, but she was quickly upon her.

The changeling queen lifted her up and slammed her hard against the wall, pushing against her with such strength that Berry felt sure her collarbone was going to snap.

“Oh, you’re a tricky one, aren’t you?” she hissed. “It’s bad enough what you’ve done to my daughter, but you had to take things just that little bit further. Well, no more.”

Berry squeezed her eyes shut and tried to turn her head away, wincing at the pain as Chrysalis crushed her shoulders.

The changeling chuckled. “Avert your gaze all you like, it won’t do you any good. You’ve already been hit by Twilight’s spell – my words are all I need to give you that little push to put you under.

“And do you know the best thing about all this? My daughter’s realised the truth. You’ll notice she hasn’t made a move against me. She knows that your little love games were…”

She was interrupted by a high-pitched scream, echoing from the town centre. A ripple of fear and chaos audibly rippled through Ponyville.

“Changeling!” a voice cried. “There’s a changeling outside Twilight’s library!”

Chrysalis dropped Berry immediately and turned round, fearful that her secret had been exposed.

But she was not the one who was in danger.

Berry opened her eyes and gasped when she saw what had happened – Surprise had turned into her changeling form and was facing the approaching crowd of ponies, standing tall despite her fear of what was coming.

“Surprise.” Chrysalis was horrified and afraid of what was going to happen to her daughter. “Surprise, what have you done?”

She didn’t look back. “I’ve made a choice,” she said. “Perhaps… perhaps a sacrifice.”

The ponies were almost upon her now, with the stronger ones taking the lead. A rainbow-streaked blur rose from the group and dived downwards, aiming to tackle her. Surprise closed her eyes, wincing as she prepared to take the blow.

Behind her, there was a click as the library door opened.

Comments

[angelofrombelow]

Sorry for the delay in getting this up. Real-life stuff got in the way.

[Kail]

Damn cliffhangers! Surprise's really taking a risk here. I just hope she didn't go all in with a pair of two's as her hand.

[Satto Kez]

damn this story is amazing! and Damn them Cliffhangers... come on Berry you can protect her! you are the only one that can!