In the Eyes of the Beholder (Chapter 4)

Into Hiding
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Now that their new found ability had been put in play, the collection of love became much easier. Now they could store love like sweet perfume in bottles, as well as feed upon it during the hunt. They received more than they needed, allowing more Changelings to be created, more ponies to be stolen and changed, for the camp to be expanded.

This was the cause of many a Changeling's celebration, including Princess Chrysalis's, but for Queen Emerald, it set her on unease.

Where would all the new Changeling live? Where could they store the surplus of bottled love? They had more than enough food, and collection was easy--was it time for them to move?

She voiced her concerns to her younger sister. Where did she think they should go? Some where close enough to pony settlements, but still far away. Some where a pony wouldn't think, or even want to go. Some where they could hide.

They both thought long and hard on this subject, and they discussed different options frequently. No matter the Princess's age, her opinion and ideas still mattered, as she was greatly respected by all. Especially since her discovery of the changing deception spell, her elder sister and her subjects held respect for her. She treasured and guarded it to her best ability, and held it up as best as she could. It wasn't hard, really, being Queen Emerald's sister and all. Just look nice, be inspirational, have good ideas, and you're all set!

This came easy to Chrysalis, and so she assumed that it was easy for everyone.

Emerald noticed this after a while, and when she was not trying to figure out a place for them to go, she was thinking of her sister's future.

"You will make a great Queen some day," she'd tell her sister at times.

"But you are the best Queen now!" she'd respond every time with something similar, her only respect being poured into her sister. This feeling was not a fuel like love, but she felt that it could help the Queen as well, if not in sustenance or power, but in confidence.

"Ah, yes, so I am. But one day, I shall be gone, and you are the only one who could take my place. You could even surpass my greatness when the time comes, I am sure," she would say to her sister. And she spoke with the deepest sincerity. She honestly thought that her sister would be better than her one day.

Why? Because she didn't know what it felt like to be a pony. She had never craved loved before, or remembered doing so. She'd never had a pony love her before, and didn't have the memory of denying that love to the point of erasing it almost completely. She was the closest thing to a pure-bred Changeling there was.

The Queen would sit and be in deep thought about these things, switching from the topics of her people to her sister's future in her mind. They were the two things that occupied her mind the most, the things she wondered about.

Trying to think about a place to move her Changelings to, she couldn't help but think of her parents old Castle. She dreaded returning to the place, but she felt as if that was the one place they could turn to.

She'd wait for Chrysalis to come up with more possible destinations, only to realize that there was a problem with it, or that it wouldn't work out for them. She didn't want to go back. She didn't even know if there were ponies living there now... and what of their parent's bodies? And the littered halls? The entire place had been a mess the last time she'd been there! Oh, but what else was she to do?

"Build another Castle," a voice said to her, words slithering through her mind like a snake. "Don't go back to the place that holds all those terrible memories--make something new! Your parents had a vast Kingdom, and all the ponies left!"

But what if there are ponies there now, living in small settlements? She'd think back, trying to find some excuse to not return to her homeland.

"Then send a scout team ahead. If there are ponies living there, then enslave them or change them into Changelings. You'll need more help to build a new Castle and Kingdom anyway," it hissed back. The Queen clutched her throbbing head, as if there really was a snake inside it. But she couldn't help but see its reason. The voice was right; small pony settlements would be no match for a party of Changeling drones, and she doubted there would be any there anyway.

It was their only option.

She quickly called to her sister after this, and told her of her plan. Chrysalis did not remember the place as the place of her birth, or her home. And as her elder sister had recalled before, she did not know how it was like to be a pony.

So, a small group of scouting drones were dispatched, sent to the old ruins of the once great kingdom.

They reported back quickly, telling of the odd sights they'd seen. The Castle had been over-run by the native vegetation, and most of it was either crumbling, missing, or had fallen down already. Some signs of huts, houses, and cottages remained, though all that was left were piles of hay or some splintering wood planks. They brought back small broken mementos with them, such as pictures or children's playthings, that attained the faint essence of love about them.

As soon as the love was extracted from them, Emerald instructed that they be kept as artifacts of the past kingdom, as reminders that the ponies were a lesser species. 'Look at the silly creatures--look how they love! See how naive they are?' they seemed to say to the Changelings.

The Queen decided that she'd put them out on display once her new Kingdom was established, as a sort of representations of what the were better than, of what they shouldn't become. But until that happened, she hid them away for safe keeping.

After the scouting team had returned, a larger group of Changelings were sent out to begin the construction of the new Castle. It was to be tall, imposing, and impressive; a reflection of their Queen. It would be crafted from the finest obsidian, though only the outer layers of the walls would be so, as a harder and sturdier rock would be needed for the actual building itself. The black glass was just for looks.

Why obsidian? Some say that it was to match their cruel hearts, while others say it is simply because the Changeling is black in color. But there is one speculation that I enjoy the most; it was obsidian because it was like a mirror, showing the reflection of every single thing about it. It would shine in the day light, but would not be too bright to look at. It would be illuminated during the night by the moon's smooth beams. It would be dark, like a nightmare... no matter what, you'd be able to see it, even though it was black--which was probably just Emerald's favorite color--which would normally be hard to see at night.

It simply added to the intimidating atmosphere about it. The design was said to be extravagant; spiraling towers, jagged peaks--like a huge mountain of magnificence!
But it took many years for this amazing feat of architecture to be completed, as only a few of the Changelings knew anything about building something on such a large scale. They had enough brute force, but where would they get the extra planning and calculation from? The had the brawn, but not the brain.

By then, the three race divided Kingdoms were up and thriving, their silly agreement between each other intact.

Earth Ponies made the food.

Pegasi provided the protection and military support.

Unicorns consisted of scholars.

In a way, they were all still one civilization. They worked together to survive, yet they hated one another. Most Changelings couldn't see why, and just passed it off as another stupid pony trait.

"Ponies are judgmental," they'd say to one another, "Ponies are full of hate. It is a blessing that they might also supply our love."

"More like a miracle,"

To them, the pony races didn't matter when it came to food. But when it came to building the Queen's new castle, who do you think they went to? The unicorns of course.

Another group, smaller in size, was sent to kidnap some of the best architects of the Unicorn Kingdom, in hopes that they might achieve their great plan. Six stallions were chosen, six to plan out the massive building, six ponies within new Changeling borders.

They were taken to the site, and were immediately set to work. It is said that there may have been a seventh, but he was killed or turned into a Changeling since he refused to work. It could just be a rumor, but many like to speculate the worst about other species.

Whether or not there was a seventh, six unicorn stallions started their work. They did their very best, possibly out of fear, but also out of excitement. This was their special talent after all, and they had been chosen to create an amazingly huge and intricate design that would last essentially forever. The food they were given wasn't the best—not because the Changelings were being mean, but because the few of them that used to cook as ponies couldn't remember well or even at all how to do so, and the acquiring of the ingredients was very hard—and they slept very little, but they drove on.

Within a few months, the foundation was down and the plans completed. The unicorns were given the choice of going back home, staying, or becoming Changelings themselves. Sounds a bit too merciful for them, does it? Queen Emerald wanted them all to stay. She thought they all would, given their stay and enthusiasm. She was one stallion short correct.

One stallion, by the name of Sandstone, opted to return home. In efforts to keep the other five, as refusing his choice would seem unbecoming of their soon to be Queen, she let him go. She made him promise to not tell of their advancements, to not tell of her rising Kingdom.

He simply chuckled, tipped his hat, and said good bye.

A group of drones disguised as ponies escorted him home, though it was unknown that Chrysalis had followed. She was curious as to why he wanted to return to his pitiful life when he was given the choice of becoming something much greater. He was a pony, but couldn't even a species as dull as he be able to see that he'd been given the choice of a life time?

They arrived at a rather large house—maybe he was a noble? Chrysalis didn't quite understand how the social structure worked with ponykind, but wasn't it the nobles who had the large houses?—with an iron gate about it. A yell was heard from somewhere on the estate, and a mare came galloping forward.

"Sandstone!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face. "Oh Sandstone, I thought you'd never return!" She embraced him, and it was then obvious that they loved one another as billows of the sweet mist seemed to be erupting from the two. It was all the drones could do to not collect it.

"But I have returned, and that is all that matters," he said to her, "and thanks to these fine ponies, I have made my journey safely."

At those last words, Chrysalis was confused. Hadn't they kidnapped him, causing his absence? Shouldn't he be angry at her?

The mare turned her head to face the Changelings, a smile visible on her face. She was not very pretty, but they could sense her kindness. Is that why the stallion loved her? Chrysalis had thought it'd been for looks, not personality.

"Thank you," she said to them, and for a moment, she was pretty. She then let out a short gasp. "Oh my- only some of you are unicorns!"

Of course. The typical pony prejudice. Chrysalis growled quietly to herself; why hadn't they all been unicorns? What stupidity had befallen the ones who had turned into pegasi or earth ponies when going into a unicorn exclusive nation?

"They are from a small settlement of mixed races, sweetheart," the stallion responded, "There they do not care whether you are a unicorn,"

"Oh. That sounds… lovely," the mare said, trying to uphold her previous composer. It was obvious that it struck her as odd. "Well, good bye, and thank you again!"

The Changelings then left, and as soon as they were out of the Unicornian borders, Chrysalis gave the drones a good scolding.

As soon as they returned, Chrysalis went straight to her sister to ask about the couple.

"Why, that was true love you witnessed," answered her sister, "It is like a curse upon the ponies. They become as one, and if the other is gone, they become a shell of their former selves. Most cannot even survive without the other if they know that they will never return. But if it has not been confirmed that they died, they will hold onto the belief that they will someday return to them, against all voice of reason."

"That sounds terrible!" said the younger sister, "I am glad that that cannot every happen to us."

"Yes, it is truly a blessing," Emerald agreed, "And we can thank Discord for that." She sounded neither happy nor sad at these words, no sort of emotion hanging on to them as she turned to leave. She went off to monitor her Castle's process, along with the once-unicorns who had become the official over seers of the project.

As her sister had stayed her previous questions, her words brought a new one to her mind. Who was Discord? Should she thank him? Was it proper to give him her respect as she gave it to her sister? Emerald hadn't seem to give any to him, yet she said he was the one to thank…

She decided that she'd find him one day, and settle the matter for herself.