Walk, don't run. Unless you're late for the bus.
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Some things can't be changed.
Starlight believes otherwise.
Now part of the Royal Canterlot Library.
Inspired by the original art by Plainoasis.
Edited by Jack of a Few Trades, JackRipper, ROBCakeran53, Flutterpriest, and Enigmatic Otaku.
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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Interesting story, fully explores the history/consequence/future&past of changelings. And while i believe in second begginings some things are so hard rooted into beings that they cannot be let go.
Changelings did what they had to, they fed because it was their nature. The world rejected them first as monsters, and when the world rejects you, you become what the world sees in you. Many examples are in our world aswell from plants or animals or even people.
To let go of yourself is to betray yourself but to become better you need to do it yourself, if somebody else does it for you or helps you the meaning is lessened. Some may need a push but the final decision lays with the person whos changing. It is hard to betray your own principles and the hate that was wrought on them. We all feel for better or worse. We can choose, yes, to forgive but never to forget. They say wounds heal with time but the scars will take far longer to fade.
If I have seen anything so far Equestria is a false utopia, A heaven for ponies and what we see before the school of friendship arc is very tense nation relations and overal bias on different races of the world.
Dragons are fierce monsters
Yaks are seen as incompetent traditionalist nomads
Griffons as warlike and mean beings
Zebras as primitive tribes
And even the three pony tribes are still at each others throats given the chance and opportunity
Many other races withdrew from the world and chose to be forgotten to be left alone rather than be pulled into conflicts (merponies and other unseen races but mentioned)
All in all I do believe that changelings becoming a part of the whole was a good thing but they sacrificed EVERYTHING they were to be something out of desperation. It is the same principle of Change or Die there is no redemption on who they were, they had to become something comepletly new to be accepted.
This was freaking amazing. Keep up the good work!
I feel like this could be one of the final episodes in the series. If Crysalis was to never reform, stuck in her ways, she would be left to her ways and disappear from th e face of the world. It would close her villain ark but give off an ending that would be left ambigiuos but satisfactory.
One thing I admired of this character is her set ways in the series for 7 years. Even given opportunities to reform, she rejected them. This is a villain worth keeping as such.
Oh Chrysalis, you don't have nothing. You have an open door in front of you, and a choice as to whether or not to walk through it. Change is always frightening, even to a changeling...but it's even scarier when you're alone. Just give it a chance.
This was a wonderful story, really. I'm always a sucker for Chrysalis redemption stories, even if this is just a story letting Chrysalis know that she could be redeemed if she wanted.
Whelp. Time to ruin it with MST3K style comments. Sorry.
Starlight Glimmer: "Huh, all this time everypony thought you had no heart, but it turns out you've got two?"
Chrysalis: "Three, actually, though they don't quite work like pony...wait, shut up! We're getting off topic!"
The show has done a pretty good job showcasing just how lonely Chrysalis is right now. If we go by the comics, she's over a thousand years old, and unlike Tirek or Nightmare Moon or Grogar she spent most of that time active and doing things with her changelings. Imagine never being alone, for over a thousand years.
Huh...now I have an idea for a fic...Chrysalis while impersonating Cadance, having to spend a night with no one she knows nearby. Just wakes up in the middle of the night and she can't break characters or go out to the Swarm and has to find some way to deal with that.
Chrysalis: "Daddy? What about him?"
Starlight: "...okay, we're gonna circle back to that later."
Chrysalis: "Also this tree is technically my mom. It's complicated."
Of only the writers for the show were this good...
Your character work is nothing short of impressive. I wish I could make interactions between mine feel as natural and smooth as yours are. Glad to see this up on the site, bro!
When I read the description of the scenery, a lone tree in a green landscape, my first thought was of the Moon from Majora's Mask. Until Chrysalis called the tree her birthplace, I thought this might be some sort of afterlife or in-between place.
Starlight pretty much told her what I could.
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We are changing every day. We are dying every night. This is called surviving.
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They were not aware of what caused their apperance. Neither was Starswirl.
Queen Chrysalis is going to be reformed. It's a guarantee. MLP is still first and foremost, a kids show, so they are going to end it on a happy note.
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And this is where we disagree, 90% of us survive from day to day, only very few of us truly live. To live you need to live for something, for a purpose or for someone. Or you simply survive without an aim searching for a reason to live, day to day repeating the routine.
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Thppppp, you’re no fun.
Seriously, that represents Chrysalis's mane so well.
This was extremely well-written. All the emotions and expressions are described in such painstaking detail, and the language feels so rich with meaning. Starlight's perception and thoughts were well done, and you did an excellent job of conveying the Changeling Queen's perspective too. The whole of the tale also has a very thoughtful, serious and contemplative tone to it. A rather engaging read. Thank you kindly for sharing.
Mmmmh, I can only wish that Starlight is like this in the show. They seriously need to take advantage of her 'villainous traits' that may still in her more, being calm, cold, calculating, and maybe more confident and comfortable in talking about 'bad things'. Sure, it may give a wrong message to the audience, but this is how I always see her.
But to be fair, they kinda did do that in the show, though never in this degree.
Anyway, do you ever think of making a sequel, perhaps on both outcomes where Chrysalis will either be reformed or not? This fic is godlike, instant 10/10 from me
9706937 Silly pony. There is no such thing as a 'real' utopia. The very word can be translated as 'nowhere'. Anyone who actually believes in a utopia failed to get the joke of its literary creation in the first place.
What there WILL be is 'perfection', as defined by me once I come to dominate the galaxy.
Also, you're rather putting far too much meaning into the show canon Changeling transformation. They were never defined to begin with and thus never had any personalities to abandon. They were a literal characterization and backstory black hole, and ANY interpretation could have been shoved upon them (the sheer plethora of fanfics about their history which could STILL work to this day is evidence of how thinly they've been written). The only two with any traits at all were Chrysalis and Thorax... NEITHER OF WHICH underwent any significant change. Thorax merely became a Skittles Bug, and only lost the cravings he hated already. Chrysalis ended up hating everything... which was pretty much the same. The rest... they just went along with what the writers scribbled in crayon on their wide-ruled Hello Kitty notebooks.
Not with nothing, no. For you see, you have been left with an idea, and ideas, whatever they may be, do not leave so easily.
9708751
And sadly i will have to agree with you, Its a damn shame how much backstory and a whole story arc could have been made but because of laziness and a need for a another generic villain they got skipped mostly.
9708751
Somewhat interestingly, the only time we ever see rank and file changelings acting entirely on their own they're all delighting in bullying the one disguised as Spike. This doesn't entirely mesh well with what the end of that episode led us to believe with the whole 'it was big meanie Chrysalis forcing them to do it the whole time' thing.
9707467
Tell that to Sombra, he's been blown to pieces twice now.
Funny, that's literally why she lost the first time.
I'm guessing Starlight is trying to butter her up. Her enormous ego tripping her up is Chrysalis's greatest flaw.
Too i.ytimg.com/vi/Ze0-cQVVaGE/maxresdefault.jpg
If she, for example, had a couple letters on her, that would sound a tiny bit less totally unconvincing
About how to use new information for her new very devious revenge plan. Mwa-ha-ha
Great job
Hm
Chryssi, silly bug; that's MY job!
9711320 But Sombra isn't really even a character. He's a caricature, especially after that last episode with him. There was nothing to him but a cliché mustache-twirling villain.
Chrysalis has been given a personality and a motive beyond just "MUWAH HA HA, RULE ZHE VURLD!!". Therefore, by kiddie cartoon rules, they can't kill her.
9726001
And Tierk?
9729323 Tirek has slightly more personality, and isn't as over-the-top in his cliche villainy. But still not all that much of a character.
Discord is the most 'complete' of any of the big-league MLP villains.
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He's also had more screen time then the other's. But I still personally like Chrysie
9730827 Ya know, you'd think that with this being the final season and promoting this big villain team-up... that they'd spend more episodes than 3 so far actually DEVELOPING THEM!!
Instead, Sombra was LESS of a character than when all he did was snarl about crystals. And then he got blowed up again. Cozy Glow is... still just annoying. And Grogar, despite claiming super-brilliance... is kinda a total putz who just immediately gave up on his all-powerful bell when his henchmonsters claimed they couldn't get it.
They're like... He-Man villains or something lame like that.
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Aren't you being a little cruel to the he-man villains?
I mean they were made how many decades ago?
9732603 I grew up with them. We all made fun of them. We knew how cheesy it was and loved it anyway, because it was perfect cheese. When they tried making movies of our delightfully dumb cartoons, however... yeah, we all stayed home.
9734143
Godzilla and Scooby Doo were my faves growing up. Now it's more Godzilla.
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9735001
If this is just between you two, do you mind moving this conversation to PMs?
Nice, just really nice. :D
Oh I love this story it gives more heart to them both.
9709240
This comment aged pretty well
I love this insight into Starlight's character. In a way, she's not trying to help Chrysalis - just trying to right her previous wrong and cleanse her own conscience.
Starlight's a pony with clear confidence issues, and a troubled timeline-threatening history that brings her senses of justice into question. But it's that same monumental misdeed the thing which pushes her to go out and beyond for just as big a redemption. It's a selfish act, but it's also selfless. Does that make sense?
Nerding out aside, great story. Glad I finally got to it after so long in my read-it-laters. I'd hoped to see a more conclusive finish, so if you were ever to make a sequel I'd be delighted.
Edit: Well darn, I just noticed your blog post from last week. I swear I wasn't trying to draw a comparison or anything. Hope you get better soon.
That is literally what happened during the Canterlot invasion. And fleeing the hive after the mass metamorphosis.
I admit, Chrysalis has always left me cold, largely because of how she seemed to mismanage her assets. A massive legion of shapeshifters, and she goes for the frontal assault. The Season 6 finale didn't do much to endear her to me either, putting the lie to her sympathy plea. But this... This does work, especially the open-ended ending. It can lead as much to reformation as the canon outcome, and I appreciate the ambiguity. Chrysalis herself doesn't always mesh with her past words or deeds... but she's always been best at deceiving herself. Great work on this; it takes a lot for me to enjoy a round of sympathy for the bug queen.
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I felt Starlight would have to be a little sychophantish in order for Chrysalis to listen to her, but I do see the problem.
In retrospect, I think a better line might be:
You can has review!
HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET JACK TO EDIT FOR YOU?!
Well now I want to know what this Chrysalis will do! This is a wonderful first chapter, darnit!
Freedom's just another word for...
9707467
Boy, do I have news for you from the future
This had such a great atmosphere, with the constantly thick tension in the air. One of things I love about Starlight is how ballsy she can be, and that's certainly on full display here, with her walking unarmed into the figurative lion's den.
Wow.
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Nothing left to lose. Nothing ain't worth nothing but at least it's free.
Feeling good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues.
Feeling good was good enough for me...
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee.
I like this detail. Without it could be just generic rumbling how Chrysalis gets kicked from her own house, but this neat way to imply that she really did care bout her subjects.
Now I interrupt this fan fiction to bring you a special message from the Princess of Friendship's voice actress herself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzqmvInMsVU
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Unfortunately the show began to retcon the 'mother Chrysalis' headcanon months after this story was published. Ocellus was given two guardian changelings heavily implied to be her parents.
static.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/0/06/Octavia_%22now_soloing_fortissimo%21%22_S9E20.png
Either Chrysalis was never the birth mother of all changelings, or the changelings went under a sort of mass-adoption once Thorax went into power. Suppose it's up to the individual to find which is more believable.
Quality delivery. No saving the world, no high adventure...simply a conversation, and yet with all the tension and uncertainty of an epic.
Well done.