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by tom117z

Chapter 13: 13 - Flying Lessons

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The Badlands hive



“Watch out for that-“

The warning came too late as Twilight slammed face first into a rather large rock, to which Chrysalis simply sighed with a facehoof.

Chrysalis, Twilight and a few snickering guards stood just outside one of the entrances to the Badlands Changeling Hive. After three days of milling about studying every single book in the library she could Chrysalis had finally managed to drag Twilight into the flying lessons she herself had actually asked for. So far the results were less than spectacular.

“Flailing your wings isn’t going to get you anywhere, you need to be in sync, unless of course you like the taste of sediment,” Chrysalis said in frustration.

“Ugh, flying is much harder than Rainbow Dash makes it out to be. At the end of the day I’m a mage, not a wonderbolt. Changeling magic I can handle just fine.”

Demonstrating her point Twilight summoned green flames around her and sank into the floor, before a second portal appeared right next to Chrysalis with Twilight stepping out.

“Wait… how did you learn that so quickly?”

Twilight glanced towards the starburst on her flank. “Well magic is kind of my thing.”

“Yes… well it still needs some work, you burnt a few hairs,” Chrysalis pointed at a few charred split ends in Twilight’s mane.

“Maybe so… but it’s still more successful than this flying business.”

“You don’t exactly have to be a wonderbolt, but having a queen kill herself because of her shoddy flying skills would be a rather pathetic way for a hive to go out,” Chrysalis groused.

“So I’m pathetic now?” Twilight frowned at her.

“That’s not what I said!” A mixture of annoyance and fear crossed her face. Insulting her daughter was the last thing she wanted to do.

Twilight sighed, relenting. “Yeah I know; it’s just so frustrating doing the same thing over and over again for five hours with no real progress. Some would say that’s the definition of insanity.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘no’ progress, when we started you couldn’t even get off the ground,” Chrysalis said trying to comfort her despondent daughter. “Let’s keep trying, I’m sure that you will get it in no time my daughter.”

“Yeah I suppose.”

Chrysalis looked at her guards, before moving closer to Twilight’s ear and speaking in a hushed tone. “Hey, can I reveal something?”

“What?” Twilight said in peeked curiosity.

Chrysalis pulled away from Twilight’s ear, instead opting to use the hive to communicate what she had to say.

Chrysalis continued. “Well, the first time I tried to fly do you know what happened?”

“What?” Twilight asked again, also over the hive.

“I crashed into the crystal in the atrium, or at least the old one as it smashed.”

“You what?” The shock registered on Twilight's face for a few moments, before she forced it back to neutral.

“Yeah, I managed to break the whole thing… and myself. We were lucky we had a single reserve crystal for emergencies, the very one you see there today. It was actually years before mother even let me attempt flight again.”

Twilight couldn’t suppress a giggle. “Wow that’s pretty bad.”

“Uh-huh, if anypony today found out my reputation would be ruined!” The internal voice sounded like Rarity, but the smile on her mother face let her know her true intent.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah I doubt that, but don’t worry, your secrets safe with me.”

Chrysalis moved away, and cast an eye over the vast wasteland. “It’s not so much my reputation with my own subjects, but more the risk of the other queens finding out.”

“The other queens?” Twilight asked questioningly, moving to verbal communication rather than over the hive.

“I would be a laughing stock to them, and there are many who look for any sign of weakness for an excuse to attack. Should they be able find the hive anyway.”

“I don’t see how a botched flight would be seen as a sign of weakness, it’s hardly logical to think that something like that from centuries ago would be relevant now.”

“Who said those queens were logical? Power is all they care for, and they don’t care how they achieve it.”

Twilight thought on that for a few seconds. “Well, surely not all queens are like that. I mean after spending time with you, I can see that you aren’t.”

“I’m not sure the Equestrians would agree, but thank you. And no, not all queens are like that, just a few like Crudelis and the late Imperatrix. Most queens just like to keep to themselves, only having contact with the others at the council. We think it’s best to distance ourselves from other queens just in case they do something stupid.”

“Like invade Canterlot?” Twilight quipped with a smirk, receiving a playful smack around the ear in return.

“I was thinking more on the lines of the war with the thestrals.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Wait what?”

“It was a very long time ago, before your princesses defeated Discord and were raised to the throne in the process. I doubt the thestrals remember it beyond stories, even our knowledge of the event is… sketchy at best. What we do know is that a hive decided to make conquest against the then reclusive thestrals, only to fail and have the entire hive slaughtered.”

“There must be more! This is an entire missing page in pony history, this requires research! There must be more books about it somewhere in the library! I mu-“

“Oh no you don’t! I didn’t drag you out here just so you could wander right back into that library again!” Twilight had started to move towards the gateway, but her rear hooves were held back by Chrysalis’s magic.

Twilight huffed in annoyance, but ultimately relented, after all, the library wasn’t going anywhere.

“Oh fine. But mother, I will one day make you see the great value books have on this world! And I suppose there also might be information deep in the Canterlot Royal Archives, so I’ll just have a peek when I visit my friends.” Twilight finished, before noticing that Queen Chrysalis was staring at her wide eyed.

“Are… you OK?” Twilight asked, concern flooding her voice.

“You… you called me mother,” Chrysalis near-whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.

Twilight shifted awkwardly. “I did? I… didn’t even notice. Not that it’s a bad thing I did but- well I…”

Chrysalis dropped to her knees, quickly wiped a single escaping tear from her eye, and grabbed Twilight into a carapace cracking hug. “You have no idea how long I have longed to hear you call me that…”

Twilight thoughts quickly shifted to Twilight Velvet, and how she suddenly felt she was betraying the mother who had painstakingly raised her. But then something said by Carduus rang in her ears.

--“You want to know what I think, Princess Twilight? I know the importance of family first hoof, and I think this shouldn’t change a damn thing between you and your pony family. If anything, this is just an extension of your family rather than a replacement. Your mother loves you, as does Velvet I’m sure.”--

A smile grew on Twilight’s muzzle, and she hugged Chrysalis back, receiving a loving nuzzle from her mother.

‘Carduus is right, this doesn’t change a thing. Velvet is my mother, and so is Chrysalis. I… love them both.’

It was then a then a thought occurred to Twilight.

“What… what happened to my father? My biological father I mean…”

Chrysalis broke away from Twilight. The light and joy from moments ago had vanished, leaving a dead look in her eyes.

In a flat, almost hollow voice. “Do you remember the reason why I had to give you up?”

“The love shortage right?”

“Yes… the thing is I’m not sure if I could have given you up. I was fifty-fifty, and more than likely would have stubbornly kept you with me despite the danger, if…”

Chrysalis took a deep breath, before releasing it in a long, sad sigh.

“If your father hadn’t passed on. The love shortage took its toll on all of us, some more than others. Your father… he became too weak from the lack of love energy and just… stopped. One minute he was here the next… I found out later why he ran out of energy so fast. He had been secretly giving it all to you.”

Twilight sat in silence, absorbing the new information. Her gut twisted and she couldn’t help but shed a tear for a stallion she would never get the chance to know, and who had probably saved her life.

“His name was Virum.”

“You… were alone for so long. I’m beginning to see things your way, in terms of Canterlot I believe. That still doesn’t mean I approve though!” Twilight added quickly.

“Neither would I expect you to. But the thought of losing you again…”

Twilight looked away from her mother for a moment, going into deep thought over a question she had been asking herself since this started.

“I have pictures of him, if you’d like to see them.”

“I would like that.”

Before either their conversation or the flying lesson could continue a Changeling guard ran up to the two royals and threw a salute.

“Your Highnesses! We’ve captured a small team of ponies tailing some of our drones!”

“What!” both royals shouted at once, making the drone realize that they probably should have informed them of the situation when it first emerged.

“Why didn’t you inform us of this before!?” Chrysalis barked at the now fearful changeling.

“I- we…”

“Ugh, never mind for now” Chrysalis growled, “Have them taken to the holding cells, but don’t place them in any. And have Carduus and his squad meet us there.”

“Yes your highness!” The changeling saluted again before running off.

Twilight gave her mother a worried look. “By holding cells I assume you mean those green pod things?”

“Yes, we adapted the pods in which we keep our young to hold prisoners, it’s much more effective than traditional means of detainment. Anyway we should go, there might be somepony there whom you know perhaps?” Chrysalis began to move towards the hive’s entrance.

Twilight herself instantly had her suspicions as to who it was.

‘Well there is only one guard I can think of who would brave a desolate wasteland right after, say… his sister was taken.’

Twilight began following her mother towards the hives entrance, both moving at a brisk pace.

‘Oh Shining what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?’

Author's Notes:

It's Christmas next weekend so the likelihood of me finishing and releasing a chapter is near around nill.

Merry Christmas in the meantime! :twilightsmile:

Next Chapter: 14 - Flashback: Hearth's Warming Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 11 Minutes
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