Elegy for Chrysalis
by Jin-Gitaxias
Chapters
The Voice
It was an ordinary day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the former queen Chrysalis was out for a stroll. For the past couple of weeks, Twilight Sparkle was kind enough to let her stay at the library after she had introduced her to the princess. Some ponies still gave her looks, but she ignored them for the most part. Life was pleasant since she started caring for her new found friends. "Hey Chrysie!" a group of school foals formed a line in front of her, "We were just wondering if we could treat you to a milkshake?" Chrysalis smiled warmly at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "I would love to; but I have errands to run."
"You were once a queen, and now you do errands for a unicorn." Chrysalis was startled by the thought that invaded her mind. She hadn't thought like that for a while. "Ok! See ya later!" The fillies trotted away. "That was strange." She muttered to herself.
As she walked down the street, it was apparent that something was off. She turned her head towards Sugar-Cube Corner. The sign said closed. That must have happened recently, the fillies passed by offering to take her there. She gave the place a strange look as she walked past. "What else did Sparkle want?" The changeling mumbled as she took the checklist from her bag. Spike had done an excellent job of summarizing what Twilight had said. "Food: check!" She returned the paper to her bag.
It was late by the time she had returned to the Library. The sky had turned a crimson red as the sun set, and the moon was visible on the horizon. The door squeaked open to reveal a dark library. The lights flashed on in an instant. "SURPRISE!!!" Chrysalis took up a defensive stance, ready to punch whatever had shocked her. She looked around, then relaxed. A very excited Pinkie Pie appeared in front of her, "Hey Chrysie! I planned this party just for you! Isn't that GREAT?!?" she smiled from ear to ear. "It sure is! but what is the occasion?" Chrysie gave Pinkie a confused smile. "Why it's ONLY the 'We-bought-you-your-own-house-SURPRISE!' party!" At these words, the Changeling felt a mix of joy and shock. "I-I don't know what to say!"
"They take pity on you." The rogue thought flashed in her mind. She shook her head and tried to ignore the voice. "Thank you all!" "They want you gone." the voice whispered. "Let's start this off right!" Pinkie motioned towards Vinyl scratch, who had occupied the turn table by the wall. The speakers boomed to life in a thunderous bass. Chrysie made her way over to the snack bar. She was tired from the day's errands, and didn't feel like doing anything other than eating.
"So here it is!" Twilight said unceremoniously. It wasn't much to tell the truth; it was fairly old, and not too large. "It's got two levels and a basement. basically everything you need! Want to take a look around?" "Would I?!?!" the ecstatic queen rushed into the house. Nothing to impressive, but at least it was furnished. "Thank you guys!" "This place is the best they could do? It is barely fit to..." Chrysie banished the thought from existence with a grimace. She was starting to think like her old self. "I love it!" Chrysalis smiled warmly to the violet unicorn. Fluttershy stepped forward, "That's great! we knew you would like it! That is, we thought so..."
After her friends had left, Chrysalis was alone with her thoughts. Normally she didn't mind this, but after the events of today, she wasn't to sure of how to handle this. "So, we are FINALLY alone." Oh great. It was back. "You were once a QUEEN! you don't need their help." "Shut up." Chrysalis was beginning to become annoyed. She realized that the voice was her old, cruel mindset a while ago.
Chrysalis was once a queen. She had minions, and an army of them to boot. But, she was also a vicious leader born into royalty, and often though very poorly of her subjects. "You know they don't trust you, right?" Chrysalis walked in front of a mirror. Her face was calm, but the reflection wasn't her. It smiled, her eyes narrow and grin menacing. Chrysalis sighed. "Whats the matter? You know it's true." The reflection spoke. "No, they trust me. I'm their friend!" The reflection laughed deeply. "Then why did they kick you out? Why do you get strange looks on the street?" "Shut up." Chrysalis left the mirror in a huff, and stomped into her room for the night.
The Meeting
Chrysalis was running through a long hallway. A maniacal laughter was ringing in her ears as she raced away from the creature. The hallway abruptly ended in a dead end. She turned around, to see a ominously dark figure standing over her. It laughed louder now, standing over Chrysalis with a sense of pride. "Who are you?" She choked out weakly. The figure stepped into the light. It was herself.
Chrysalis shot up, awoken by her own nightmare. She rose out of bed, then headed into the bathroom. "What are we going to do today Chrysie?" She scowled in the mirror, her reflection taunting her with a sinister smile.
"What? You can't honestly expect me NOT to be here? I'm you after all; and you're me!"
"I am NOT you!" She shouted to herself. "At least, not anymore." Her reflection shook her head. It slowly returned to Chrysalis' face, now glaring at herself.
She grunted out of annoyance and left the bathroom, walking down the stairs into the kitchen. The halls were still fairly empty, but the living room and kitchen had their appliances. The walls were the standard creme white, and the furniture looked second hand. Whatever, I can still call it home! The fridge door swung open to reveal the near emptiness that invaded the appliance. The only thing that occupied the space was a box of cupcakes Pinkie left in there for her. "Great. Cupcakes." With a sigh, she took one out, and ate it swiftly. Chrysalis then put on her saddle bags, and left her humble abode in search of groceries.
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"That will be twenty bits please!" The vendor asked. "sure." Chrysalis handed over the money. She put the items in her bag. They were almost full, but she still needed a few things. "PSST!" Chrysalis' ears perked up as she searched for the source of the noise. "PSSSSSSST!" She located it. It was coming from a light blue mare, with a darker blue mane and a bow and arrow for her cutie mark. The mare waved Chrysalis over into an alley way. The changeling rolled her eyes, and followed her into the secluded alley. "What is it?" She demanded when they were alone. The mare gave a shady look around to make sure they were alone.
"I just wanted to congratulate you!" chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "On what?" she asked flatly. "On turning a new leaf of course! Even I was shocked by your actions. Personally, I thought you would never change!" Chrysalis glared at the pony. "Who are you?" She demanded. The mare only smiled smugly, and chuckled menacingly.
"It doesn't matter who I am, what matters is that I'm proud of you Chrysalis!" The former queen lowered her head, and snarled fiercely, baring her long fangs in anger. "Who are you?" She asked menacingly. The mare chuckled, before her eyes flashed emerald green.
"Chrysie!" the changeling turned her head to see Twilight Sparkle in the maw of the alleyway. "Who are you talking to?" Sparkle asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I was just talking to..." Chrysalis turned her head back to the mare, but she was no where in sight. "... aaaaaand shes gone." She loosed a sigh, and picked her saddle bags back up, buckling them in place. "Well, ok then! How are you?" the purple mare inquired. "Fine. I was just shopping for some food."
After Twilight left to return to the library, Chrysalis continued her shopping. She was currently standing at the tomato stand. "Two bits seems pricey, but I don't care." Chrysalis took the tomatoes and put them in her saddle. She turned around to find the group of school fillies from yesterday. "let me guess. Milkshakes?" They nodded in response. She cracked a smile and giggled to herself. "If you insist so much..." Their faces simultaneously lit up in joy.
The group walked into Sugar-Cube Corner, and the bell above the door rung loudly. "Coming!" Chrysalis' ears perked up. She knew that voice, and she knew it well. A pink earth pony stepped out of the bakery carrying a tray of muffins. A loud gasping noise escaped Pinkie's lips at the sight of Chrysie. "OH MY GOSH! CHRYSIE!" A flash of pink revealed she was now inches away from the changeling.
"You finally came! I noticed you always give this place weird looks when you pass by! Is that because you have a sweet tooth?" Pinkie exclaimed jovially. While it was true she did have a sweet tooth, Chrysalis didn't care for the pony's mannerisms.
"Could you just get us some milk shakes?" Chrysalis asked. "Sure!"
Chrysalis was finished her milkshake. The fillies chatted her ear off about this and that. The conversation ranging from stallions, to life as a changeling, to asking the former queen if she had someone special for hearts and hooves day. She rolled her eyes at most of these questions, and stared out the window. The fillies were asking something else, but Chrysalis was distracted by the blue mare she saw earlier. She was talking to a Police stallion, and pointed at the bakery. "Are you even listening?!?" The three fillies stared at the queen. "Of course! I was just a little distracted is all." She turned her gaze back towards the window, but the pair had moved away.
Chrysalis had since departed the sweet shop, and was headed on her way back home. "You know that mare from earlier." Great. "Who is she then?" "I'm shocked! you don't remember? It was fairly obvious..." Chrysalis walked into her house and closed the door. After the Groceries were put away, she lied down on her couch and opened a book. "You really don't remember now do you?" She grunted and banished her thoughts.
ONE MONTH LATER...
Chyrsalis was sitting on her couch, reading the latest Daring Do novel Rainbow Dash had sent her way. The evening was winding down after another unsuccessful day of job hunting. The fact was, Chrysalis couldn't hold down a job. She was either fired, or quit within the first two days.
knock! knock! knock! Chrysalis looked at the door in annoyance. She stood up, and walked over to the door. It opened with a slight creak, to reveal the same blue mare from one month earlier. "What do you want?" Chrysalis asked bluntly. "Can I come in?" With a sigh, the changeling motioned for her to enter. As soon as the door shut, the mare was surrounded in a green flame. It started at her hooves, and moved up along her body. Chrysalis recognized this transformation. It was the same one she used. She quickly tackled the other changeling to the wall. "What are YOU doing here?!?" Chrysalis spat, pinning the other against the wall. She snarled at the other, baring her fangs in anger. "What? I'm not allowed to visit my own sister?"
The False Accusation
"What? I'm not allowed to visit my own sister?" Chrysalis pinned her sibling to the wall. "Pupae." "Chrysalis." Pupae was Chrysalis' younger sister. She had a less fearsome face, and her horn wasn't as gnarled. Her hair was more cyan than Chrysalis', and she was a head shorter than her older sister. Other than that, they were identical. "Why are you here? You're the new queen, and you BANISHED me. The rightful ruler! After all I did for the colony! And now you show your face, here. Well I don't need you! OR the colony!" Chrysalis' words were filled to the brim with venom for her sibling. She was growling in between each breath.
"Geez sis! calm down! I'm just here to say hello. Also, I wanted to warn you. The police are suspicious of you." They were always suspicious of her. "I could have told you that in a heart beat." Chrysalis released her sister. "I was listening in on them, and they mentioned your name. They said something about a foal-napping." Chrysalis cocked an eyebrow. "Really now? And you heard this, when?" "Right after I said hello to you, in the alley." The former queen sighed at the new queen.
"Is that all? You wanted to bother me to tell me that I was under suspicion?" "Even I could have told you that..." Her rogue thoughts were right for once. "No, there is one more thing. The council and I have come to an agreement. You are too dangerous to let wander freely." At these words, the former queen started twitching. A sick smile spread across her face, and her pupils narrowed to a thin line. "Get out of my house."
Pupae laughed out loud. her older sibling looked and sounded truly insane. Good. Pupae shoved Chrysalis away, and walked towards the door. "You know, your too uptight. Always were, if memory serves... Not taking time to care for your younger sister." "OUT. NOW." Chrysalis looked like she went 'tardy Twilight' and was pointed towards the door with a twisted smile.
Pupae started laughing. it wasn't her laugh. It was Chrysalis' laugh. The former queen pounced at the new one, re-pinning her against the wall. An emerald green flash lit up the house, as Pupae changed back into the blue mare. Chrysalis started throwing punches, Pupae still laughing her head off.
BOOM!!! Chrysalis' head spun so fast she almost gave herself whip lash. The police had burst down the door.
"Chrysalis! You are hereby under arrest for the foal-napping of Butter Tart!" They swarmed her, and in a second the was on the ground cuffed. "WHAT!?!? WHO!?!? I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!" "Are you alright miss?" A brown stallion checked on the (fake) mare. she was badly bruised from the furious blows of rage Chrysalis gave her. She slumped against the wall, and the stallion stood up. Another stallion opened the basement, and plunged in. He came out carrying an unconscious tan mare. She wasn't breathing. Chrysalis watched her sibling being carried to the exit. Her rage built upon itself, to the point that she over powered the four ponies on top of her. Her horn glowed a sickly green, and she loosed a bolt of destructive magic at her sibling, nearly missing. A yellow unicorn toppled the former queen over, and put his horn against her forehead. She felt really dizzy, and relaxed her muscles. The last sight she saw was Pupae's disguise, smiling wickedly at her.
The Cell
"Well now. Look what our beloved sister did to us."
Chrysalis was in the middle of a blackened forest, surrounded by dead trees and a dark fog. The forest was dark, only slightly lit up by candles on the table, and little motes of light swirling around the perimeter. The pale moonlight only served to outline the tree branches. She was sitting at a long table, on one end, but the other as well.
"She betrayed us." The other stated.
"I gave her reason. I really can't blame her for this." Chrysalis put bluntly.
"We gave her reason to banish us! Not to do this! She overstepped her boundaries."
"She did yes, but what bothers me is that I am having a conversation with myself. Inside my own head." Chrysalis said with an impatient tone.
"That's the third time we've, or you've, stated since we got here. It is a good question though. One that will be answered in time."
"I WANT TO KNOW NOW!!!" Chrysalis slammed her hooves on the table. A crack raced through the table. The forest blurred and blackened. The moon disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the forest followed suit. Chrysalis began falling through a black void.
She awoke with a start. She was not in her house anymore. In-fact, she was currently in a dungeon cell, one very similar to ones she saw when she was impersonating Cadence. The walls were carved out of a pitch black rock, and there was very little light in the room. The realization hit her like a sledgehammer, travelling with the speed necessary to perform a sonic-rainboom. They had imprisoned her. Falsely imprisoned her.
"The prisoner is in the last cell on the right, sir."
Chrysalis' ears perked up. She could hear the clopping of hooves coming closer. Maybe they knew what was going on. A pink light approached her cell.
"Well, well, well. I guess you really can't be that trust worthy after all. Not that I ever trusted you in the first place." Chrysalis knew that masculine voice. She knew it too well. A white unicorn approached around the corner. His blue hair and royal guard uniform gave him away.
"It's nice to see you too, Shining Armor. How's Cadence been? Did she recover from our little fiasco?" Chrysalis mocked friendly interest. His expression soured to a scowl, and stared directly in Chrysalis' eyes. She smiled back, baring her fangs in a sinister look.
"She's fine. No thanks to you..."
"Oh cheer up! Its not like I wanted to kill you two or anything. If I had, we would not be having this conversation, would we?"
"Because that's SO reassuring. Coming from the changeling that impersonated my wife, hypnotized me, and invaded Canterlot." Shining Armor rolled his eyes. An awkwardly silent moment passed by. Chrysalis stared at the ground, Stunned by the cruelty in the royal guard's words. Shining Armor either didn't notice, or didn't care. Chrysalis was the first to break the silence.
"Say, can you tell me how I got here? I'm afraid that sedative spell did a number on me. The last thing I remember is answering my door. Then being tackled and sedated." She asked, getting straight to the point.
Shining armor looked at her with a face of practiced neutrality. Unfortunately for the captain, it spoke volumes about the severity of the situation to the former queen. Another long, awkward moment of silence began.
"You have been imprisoned for the murder of Butter Tart."
It was at that point, Chrysalis' brain ground to a halt. Time slowed down. Her mind rushed to pick up the pace, then went full throttle against what lies she just heard. "Pupae actually killed a pony? To frame us? That's not like her. I thought she hated violence." She stared dumbly at the ground, eyes slamming open, slack jawed.
"No. I... I didn't. I wouldn't..." The words clung to the changeling's throat as she tried to process the situation. She started to shake ever so slightly. A slight grin shadowed Shining Armor's face. He would have his retribution. For Cadence, for Canterlot, for himself.
"This is your recompense Chrysalis. You deserve a HELL of a lot worse for your crimes, but Celestia seems to think that your execution would hinder peace talks." He laid down a specifically dreadful emphasis on 'execution'.
Something clicked in Chrysalis' head moments later. "Peace talks?" She narrowed her eyes in confusion at the stallions words.
"You know, peace talks. Treaties. Negotiations. A call to lay down arms." He sounded like a father explaining this to a young fillie, who had no ideas what any of these words meant.
"I know what those mean," A hint of irritation was 'subtly' creeping into her voice. If subtly meant fireworks in the sky, and explosions of light proclaiming 'I am here' in the middle of a quiet night. "But peace with whom?" Chrysalis was more curious than anything at this point. She just wanted to get down to the bottom of things, even if the truth was too cruel for her to handle.
"The changeling colony. Now being lead by your younger sister, if rumor has it." Shining Armor stated plainly. And too cruel the truth was. It shattered Chrysalis' mind like a plate, as her body went limp and fell to the floor with a thud.
The Dream
The dark forest and table reappeared once again in Chrysalis' mind theater. the same candles, same moon, same swirling motes of light had reappeared, only the table was much shorter. She was only sitting six feet away from her doppelganger, enough to see a worried expression.
"This is a revelation if we ever knew it. Negotiations? What would Pupae want from Celestia?"
"How did I get here?" asked a plainly confused Chrysalis, ignoring her counterpart.
"Shining Armor told us the truth. We couldn't think straight, and we needed some time for discussion anyways." Stated the other smugly.
"And just who are you to just drag me in here?" Chrysalis demanded
"I'm You." Chrysalis sighed deeply.
"Fine. You want to discuss? Lets talk." Chrysalis didn't have much choice in the matter. She was stuck here, and she knew it. "Pupae wouldn't want anything from Celestia. She wouldn't just want something from her and her alone. She would want something from Equestrian society as a whole, and is apparently trying to me us as a bargaining chip to secure it." If Chrysalis was frustrated, she didn't show it as she calmly talked to herself.
"Clever girl. Using her own sister for leverage? How come we didn't think of that earlier?" Chrysalis rolled her eyes.
"Because I still loved my sister. That, and she was part of the colony. A colony that I was entitled to rule over. It simply wasn't an option, betraying my own kind." Stated Chrysalis matter-of-factly. "Why did she Betray me then?"
"Because we aren't part of the colony anymore! We were banished!" Chrysalis sighed.
"That is true, but Pupae? Throwing me in jail? That just seems spiteful..." She sounded like she was hurt. "Especially after all I did for her. I kept her safe. I fed her. I even hypnotized one of Equestria's finest teachers for her! And what do I get in return?"
"False accusations, and imprisonment."
The two changelings were locked in intense debate, attempting to make sense of Pupae's schemes. The debate could have lasted for hours, if a certain pink mare hadn't been sneaking amongst the trees.
"Yes, your right. But..." BOOM! A loud shot like the firing of a cannon rang off inside the dreamscape. The entire area was now littered with balloons, streamers and confetti. A bright pink table cloth had made it's way onto the table, along with an assortment of sweets, ranging from cake to pies. A juke box whirred to life as a familiar song Whirred to life.
"SURPRISE!!!"
"PINKIE!!!" Both changeling shouted as one. "How in Equestria did you get inside my head?!?!"
"HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!?!?" demanded the other. Pinkie Pie was dancing by the juke box, swinging her head wildly with her eyes closed. When she opened them, the music stopped instantly.
"Whoa! There are TWO of you?!?! WOW! Did you find the mirror pond? Or did you use some strange magic to clone yourself? Oooooh! Don't tell me!" Both changelings stared at each other with bewildered looks in their eyes. "Or did some horrible event cause your mind to fragment, then rearrange itself into twoooo miiiiinds?" Pinkie asked with an emphasis. Both changelings were bewildered by the pink mare. They gave her the most confused looks ever.
"Normally I would go with the later, but she was here before the event." Chrysalis pointed to the other. "How did you know about that by the way? And how did you get here?" Inquired an incredibly confused sounding Chrysalis. Both changelings had their eyes locked firmly on Pinkie.
"Well, I was in my bed, then I found myself in this dark, spooky forest. I wandered around for a while before I saw some light, then I followed it here. I saw a grumpy looking changeling queen, and fired my party cannon! As for the event, I went through something similar when I thought none of my friends liked me anymore! I remember I started to talk to myself as well! So what happened that I guessed was so traumatic?"
"Well, that's a delicate situatio..."
"We are currently being falsely accused of a murder, locked in a dungeon underneath Canterlot, and just found out our sister Pupae is in negotiations with Celestia and is using us a bargaining chip." Chrysalis glared down her counterpart, who shrugged playfully. "What? She deserves to know."
Pinkie's jaw hit the floor. Her mane suddenly straightened out, deflating like a balloon. "Oh. That's pretty serious." Pinkie sounded just as serious as their predicament. Chrysalis glared at the other, who just shrugged playfully. "Maybe I should go see Twilight. But first," The music started to replay, as the changelings looked at each other in horror. "I know just what will cheer you both up!"
"PINKIE!!!" the changelings shouted in unison. She either didn't hear them, which was likely because the music was deafening, or she didn't care. She was there to make them smile. What they actually did, was panic at the thought of Pinkie running rampant through the changeling's mind.
They both tried to grab the party animal's attention, but failed miserably as a knew music began to take it's place.
"My name is..."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Both changelings screamed. They turned,
and ran into the foggy forest at top speed. The branches pelted Chrysalis harshly, and didn't let up. After what felt like hours, she stopped, and hid in a nearby tree trunk. The music slowed, and faded eerily slowly. Soon after, a creepy laugh sprung up. The type of laugh you'd expect to hear from a lunatic.
"You don't like my parties either? FINE." The word 'fine' sounded distorted, like two different personalities were saying it at the same time. The beating of hooves could be heard in the distance. Chrysalis heart started to races, her eyes widened. The hooves got closer, and closer, until Chrysalis was staring into her own eyes.The other quickly punched Chrysalis in the face. She yelped, and stumbled back out of the tree.
"Hit me back! end this nightmare!" Chrysalis charged up her horn, "NOT WITH MAGIC NOT WITH-" an emerald bolt of magic loosed out her gnarled horn, striking the doppelganger in the chest. The changeling recoiled like she hit herself, and her wings started burning. They both fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Chrysalis slipped into a blackness, ending the dream turned pink, chaotic nightmare.
The Trial
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble." -Plautus
"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love." -Hubert H. Humphrey
Chrysalis awoke in searing pain. Her head was pounding. Her chest was burning. She felt like she went ten rounds with a manticore. The flickering of torch light drew her attention away from the pain. In looking around, Chrysalis found that she was still inside her dark, depressing cell. A quick look through the iron bars held no image of the captain of the royal guard. Chrysalis turned her head to look at the small cot in the cell.
It was the only thing offering any respite from the pain. It practically begged to be lied upon, like it was calling her name. The changeling rose off the ground. Just getting onto her hooves was a struggle. Her legs wobbled terribly, and she felt light headed whenever she moved.
Chrysalis laid down. The cot instantly greeted her with a rough softness. Unfortunately it wasn't much better than the ground in the comfort department. Chrysalis sighed deeply. All she could do now was sit and wait around for something to occur.
The changeling had tried to sleep, but to no avail. She drank a gallon of water out of boredom, not ending well. She even resorted to playing with her mane to keep her mind occupied. Nothing worked. She was still bored. Worst of all, there was no clock, no window,and no way to tell the passage of time. Chrysalis had finally settled on staring at the ceiling, contemplating her life so far.
A set of hoof beats trotted down the hall. The changeling's ears perked up at the suddenly approaching sound. She lifted her head to peer out the cell. The cell opposite of Chrysalis had it's door open wide, like it was expecting a visitor. The torch light revealed two ponies walking to the open cell. One was a royal guard, as to be expected, but the other mare Chrysalis didn't recognize. She was a light blue-cyan, and her man was a lighter shade of cyan, with a streak of white running down the side. Her cutie mark puzzled Chrysalis though. It was a wand and crescent moon.
Chrysalis took a moment to examine the mare's face. She was obviously in disbelief, but looked hurt as well.
"There you go Trixie! Next time, don't forget to renew your street performing licence!" The jailer escorted Trixie into her cell and closed the gate on her. As soon as the Guard left, Trixie started to talk to herself, completely unawares of a certain changeling listening to her every word.
"Oh, why didn't the great, and apologetic Trixie just renew that stupid licence! They said next time was jail time, but did Trixie listen? NOOOO..." Chrysalis stared at the pony blankly. "Trixie just HAD to do that one last performance! A lot of good that did! Now Trixie is in jail!" The self conversation could have continued on like this for hours, until Chrysalis said something.
"You know your'e not alone right?" Trixie jumped at the sudden remark. "Who's there?" Chrysalis was sitting in the shadows, so it wasn't too hard to believe that she wasn't detected. The black chitin did it's best to hide her, as per usual. But Chrysalis wanted some company. The tall changeling (former) queen arose off of her bed, much to her muscle's complaints, and walked to the bars.
Trixie gasped and stepped back into the corner of her cell. "W-Who are you?" She barely stammered out.
"I WAS the changeling queen Chrysalis. Now, it's just Chrysalis." Trixie calmed down a bit. "Chrysalis? As in, THE Chrysalis? The changeling queen that moved to Ponyville?" Trixie seemed to relax a little at the mentioning of her name. Apparently this whole "I'm reformed and moving to Ponyville" business was a big deal in Equestria. Especially after she tried to invade Canterlot.
"No. I'm the one that sells clocks in Manehatten." Trixie rolled her eyes at the blatant sarcasm. "Wait, what do you mean, former?" Trixie raised an eyebrow.
"Former. I once ruled over all the changelings in the badlands. But after the failed invasion of Canterlot, I was axed from the throne by my sister," She spat the word 'sister' with enough venom to drop a rhino in its tracks, "Although I still technically am a queen. I just don't rule any pony anymore."
"Like a queen bee? But with no colony?" "Exactly."
The Day had worn on for hours. The changeling had been conversing with the show pony for all that time, much to the complaint of the other prisoners.
"...So THAT'S why you don't trust wheels! And I was starting to have my doubts about you..." the changeling said with a small, mocking grin. Trixie just laughed at her. "And the great, and apologetic Trixie can understand why hate Discord so much! He must have been just terrible." Chrysalis looked at the floor. "You have no idea..." Several awkward moments passed between the two, before Trixie spoke up.
"So why are you in here? I thought the princesses pardoned you. Being reformed and all."
"That they did, but my sister..." Chrysalis trailed off. Her face contorted from thought, first from regret, to anger, before finally settling on betrayal. "...she framed me for a murder. To have me out of the way, so she can negotiate with Celestia and the 'Canterlot Elite'." Chrysalis rolled her eyes at the mention of those high-and-mighty acting bastards.
"Oh." Trixie lowered her head. "Yikes."
Chrysalis lied back down on the welcoming cot. It's hard springs doing their best to hold the giant form of Chrysalis, doing their best to comfort her from the pain. Chrysalis soon fell asleep.
The dreamscape had reappeared. The table was shorter. There was no pink party mare this time, and strangely enough, no doppelganger. Just traces of another changeling's magic. "Wait..." Chrysalis looked closely at the remains of the magic. It was roughly changeling shaped, and had a hole burned clean through it. The chest was blackened from a bolt of magic, and It looked a lot like Chrysalis. "Pupae..."
"PUPAE." The realization hit chrysalis like a freight train. "PUUUUPAAAAAE!!!" Chrysalis slammed her hooves down on the table in a fit of soror-cidal rage. It cracked from the force, but didn't buckle. Her own sister had tried to drive her insane! She violated her mind! The one place never meant to be violated! Sure it could be deceived easily enough, Which Chrysalis had done on numerous occasions. But spells like that were outlawed for a reason! They messed you up, bad. But as much as Chrysalis tried to hate her sister, the only thing she felt was the pain of betrayal. She still felt something for her sister. She was her own sibling after all. How could she not care for her?
Chrysalis glared at the remnants with enough hate and disappointment to set them ablaze. A quick bolt of magic vaporized the thing, leaving nothing but ash. She stood victoriously over the table, when Chrysalis felt dizzy. She collapsed moments later.
Some guard slid some prison 'food' into Chrysalis' cell, waking her rudely. The word 'food' being used pretty loosely. Changeling slime would be envious of the sticky qualities of this muck. Chrysalis took the tray and wolfed down the 'food'. Trixie was up as well, holding a "I'm in deep thought don't disturb me" look about her. The guard made his rounds, then the great and apologetic Trixie spoke up.
"Hey, tell me something then, did you use any magic on the deceased's body?" Chrysalis cocked an eyebrow.
"No. Why?" Trixie perked up. "Because, that means that they can't prove that you did it! If they can't find any of your magical residue on the body, then your all in the clear!" Trixie grinned from ear to ear.
"Why is she so happy? She's not going anywhere soon." "Thanks kid. You just saved my hide. Or in my case, Chitin." Chrysalis rolled over onto her side.
CLICK. CLACK. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! The iron bars on Chrysalis' cell opened loudly, alerting every pony in the dungeon. She rolled over on her cot to face the noise maker. Shining armor was standing there, with five guards in tow. She rolled over again to face the wall. "Its too early for this..." Her head felt as if it would implode at the slightest bump, and her muscles were starting a civil war with each other.
"Queen Chrysalis." Shining Armor's voice echoed across the entire dungeon. Other prisoners started to gripe about the noise level on this particular morning. She covered her head with a pillow.
"You can quit with the formalities captain. I'm no longer queen of anything." He seemed to ignore her as he rambled on.
"You are hereby being summoned into the Royal Canterlot Court to stand trial for foal napping and murder." Chrysalis started to shift in her cot. "This is the sentencing hearing. You will..." He was cut off when Chrysalis practically jumped off of her cot, his words finally clicking into place in her head. "Can we just get this over with? I don't have all day." The news that she might be able to go free set her heart ablaze. As she was leaving her cell, she nodded at a very tired Trixie.
Chrysalis was waiting outside the courtroom. The hearing would begin in five minutes, and she was anxious to prove her innocence. Many of Canterlot's royalty and powerful were already in court. Celestia, Luna, Mi Amore Cadenza, the elitists, Discord, and the jury, were all waiting for the clock to strike 1 PM. Chrysalis was practicing her defense in her head, mentally going over everything she needed to say. Twilight Sparkle would have been envious of Chrysalis' mental list. It rivaled anything Chrysalis had done before, and accounted for almost every possibility. Chrysalis wasn't the queen of the changelings for being an unprepared pushover. Except at that damned wedding.
Chrysalis was excited to say the least, the prospect of being able to go home filled her mind. Visions of Ponyville filled her head. pictures of her friends smiling warmly, the library, her house...
"GONG!" The doors slid open and Chrysalis walked inside, head held high. "Nothing held back" She told herself as Every pony arose from their seats. Quick glances left and right told her exactly what the spectators wanted. Her imprisoned for life, or worse. Chrysalis took her seat at the defense table. Up with the judge were just who she was expecting. The princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, some nobles she didn't know enough to care about/care about to know about. And that smug bastard, Discord. "Well, this court room just got a whole lot more interesting..."
"Chrysalis, you stand accused of foal napping, and murder. How do you plea?" She looked at the judge with a sly grin. "Not guilty."