Bug Butt Filler 15

**Chrysalis's view **
>You stare at the picture on the nightstand, contemplating what it means>He's in it, after all>And this was centuries ago>Another oddity is that you don't have a clue about this castle
>You've never heard of it
>After staring at the picture and the painting of the first immortal, you realize that he's not here
>You call out; to no response
>Then you remember you saw him crawl under the bed
>Moving it over, you spy an open trap door
>This must be where he went, so you descend in
>When you reach the floor, lights are already on
>And you see blood lingering from a battle long ago everywhere
>Somepony had fought valiantly, and probably lost
>You start down the room, but stop when you see Anon
>Scrambling away from the far side of the room
>He can barely keep himself upright, he's so scared of something
>On his wobbly path to get out of here, he almost runs into you
>You back up and give him room
>The look in his eyes are unnerving
>As though his reality had started to shatter in front of him
>You walk over to whatever he ran from, some nervous energy pushing you on
>When you see it, you do a double take
>That can't be right
>It has to be coincidence
It has to be
>You mutter
>That can't be
>...
>Him
>It just can't
>Just to be sure you aren't imagining things, you reach out and poke it
>Immediately, the body starts to crumble
>But not into small pieces of dust
>But into a dark black liquid
>On pure instinct, you jerk away the growing puddle
>Something tells you that touching that would not be a good idea
>After a moment, the puddle of black liquid somehow glows, and starts fading away
>Soon it's gone
>But when it started fading away, you felt something very familiar
>The last time you felt that was....
>When tartarus opened up and let out a horde of monsters
>If it wasn't already, something is officially off
>About everything
>You start to sympathize with Anon for thinking his reality is broken
>You turn to leave, but it just so happens that in doing so, you see what's beyond the door
>The Crystal Empire garden
>The one you were supposed to meet in in a few short hours from now
>You want to step outside, but you hold back
>A few centuries of experience serve as a warning
>You were once trapped in a labyrinth, and one way doorways were commonplace
>No sense in stepping out and having to come all the way back for Anon
>Speaking of, you head back to the room to look for him
>At first you don't see anyone
>Then you spot him curled into a ball on the far corner of the bed
>Shivering and muttering something over and over again
>You step towards him, and it sets something off
>He snaps to attention, and points
NO! I WON'T GO BACK!! YOU...You... you can't make me....
>And then he goes back to muttering something again
>You start walking closer again, now more worried
>When he screamed, his voice was shaky and cracking
>And he didn't point at you
>He pointed at the floor next to you
>Realization doesn't come to you, though you feel that it should
>When you reach him at the bed, he's not shaking anymore
>He's also not looking at anything
>He has a blank stare into nothing
>Eyes vacant of emotion
>You can't see anything happening in them
>Only your reflection
>You can't help but take a hard look at yourself
>Nopony had ever given you reason to think  about something other than the survival of your kingdom
>It's been centuries since you were viewed with something other than fear
>...
>You think back to lat night, where you let your emotions get the best of you
>Unlike any other you've ever encountered, he gave you a hug
>Comforting you in a moment of despair
>Something about him...
>Something special
>You can't place your feelings
>Not yet
>Past experience screams not to trust him, not to get too close
>But something else holds you back
>...
>It's probably the fact that he can still be of use to you and your children
>Yeah, that's it
>Must be
>You are too busy with the inner monologue to notice what else is happening
>That feeling you get when tartarus is opened is back
>And something is coming your way
>Make that three somethings
>Three Alicorns, standing side by side, glowing just enough that you can't quite discern their colors
>Each is wearing a long dress
>The dresses seem to be made of something.... alive
>Then they speak
Chrysalis, daughter of the changeling Queen
>Their voices were not loud, but in unison, and powerful
Who are you? How do you know about my parents?
>The three don't even share a glance
We know many things.
>The one in the center pulls out a thread
>Like the dresses, this thread feels
>...
>Different
>When it is brought closer to you, and you see the glow it holds, you realize what it is
>Your eyes widen in shock
Yes child. This is yours.
>The fates
>The three fates themselves
>Here, in this room
>A frown crosses the middle Fate's face
But its... Isn't
>A hoof is pointed at Anon
>Now it's your turn to frown
>You look over at Anon, but he's still staring blankly
>What do they mean, "Isn't"? isn't what?
This one has no thread. It has no fate, save what it makes for itself
>This time, they do share a look between themselves
>And you are confused more by what you see
We tried to contain it, but that won't work. We have come to warn you
>...Warn...?
Your thread; your fate; we can no longer handle it
>And with that they start to fade away
>But you can;t accept that
>You won't
Wait! What do you mean??
>They don't answer you
>They keep fading away
>Before they are completely gone, however, Anon starts to focus again
>Just before the last trace of them vanishes, he jumps out of the bed, racing towards them
HOLD IT!! I SAID WAIT!!!!!!
>But he was too late
>The fates had vanished
>And it hits you that it was a mere shadow of their true forms
>A tiny fraction of their powers
>You stave off questions, and turn to Anon instead
>...

**Back to Anon**
>After running out of that damn room, you don't remember much
>You vaguely recall curling into a ball somewhere
>But what you do remember is a time after what must have been your life with King Ibaje
>It was hell
>You were imprisoned
>You remember being trapped in a cage
>A cage held over a black river
>Likely the Lethe
>You remember the eternity of being trapped alone
>The memory of things in life making a hunger
>That turned into a need
>A need to get out
>It would seem that somehow you've managed it
>You're alive again
>And nothing can touch you
>Not even fate
>You stop spacing out
>And when you look up, you see them
>Those bitches who pinned you down and forced you to live in that damn cage
HOLD IT!!
>The trio glance your way, and panic flashes across their features
>They are wearing those dresses made from the threads of many lives, and destinies
>Truly masterpieces of all art
>It just serves to remind you what they've done
I SAID WAIT!!!!!!
>You scream out, lunging at them
>But they finish vanishing before you can touch them
Dammit!!
>You couldn't do anything
>But what could you have done?
>Chrysalis's stare distracts your thoughts
>She's looking a little shell shocked
>She must have spoken to them
A-Anon?
>....
Do you know... who they were?
>Of course
Yes. Fate herself, in three personas
>Venomous hat is pouring through your words
>It seems to make Chrysalis visibly hurt
>She grimaces, as if your anger is physically hurting her
>That causes you to switch from anger to concern, and then she looks better
What was that?
>She looks at you like you should know, then realizes something
>Probably why you shouldn't know whatever it is
As a changeling, we need more than food to survive
>What?
>How does she mean?
We also need emotion. Specifically love.
>...
Any form, be it sympathy, friendship, or more
>That must mean...
You change shape to disguise as someone else to steal love?
>She nods
Yes. Though we've always had the ability, we didn't always need to use it, as we do now
>She goes on to explain how the crystal empire itself was once home to changelings, who prospered from something called the crystal heart
>Some time before Ibaje, some pony stirred the pot, and eventually ponies came to distrust the changelings
>Soon after that, they were exiled
>They still had a connection to the heart, but it was fading slowly with each passing decade
>Turns out that the shard wasn't the only thing Sombra messed with
>He hid away the crystal heart, and then the entire crystal empire vanished without a trace
>This cut the changelings off completely
>Love is now rationed in a sense, and she sends her children out to get love
>They operate almost like a battery, only they don't hold love past what they need
>The rest goes to the hive for the others
>All of this is fascinating to you
>You wonder if she's fed off of you
>She's had ample opportunity lately
>She's like your best friend
>And last night....
>You were there for her
>Comforting your newest friend while she was in the dumps
>You'd do it for anyone
>Yeah, you'd do the same for any friend of yours
>...
>Do the same....
The sun's setting
>Chrysalis interrupts your thoughts in a gentle voice
>You smile
Looks like it. Shall we take that door downstairs?
>She smiles back, and you both walk through the long room and out the door together
>Next thing you know, you're in the garden
>Shining isn't here yet, so you take the moment to sit down and admire the view
>Chrysalis sits down next to you
>Almost like last night, when she was watching the fires burn
>Only now she's not sad, just in a peaceful state of awe, like you
>You don't know why, but you feel compelled to speak
This view sure is something. Nothing like...
>For a moment, you struggle to recall your home
>Then you remember
>Living in the city, never out in the country like this
Nothing like the city back home
>You sigh, and watch the sun as it goes down
>....
A-Anon?
>Chrysalis says, scooting closer, and facing you directly
>You stare into those green eyes, the proximity alone making you nervous
>Your heart starts beating a little faster
Y-yes?
>Dammit
>Don't stutter Anon
I....
>Before she could continue, something slams into the back of you
>Shoving you forward
>Directly into Chrysalis
>Particularly her face
>Your lips meet for an instant, as your momentum takes the both of you a couple feet back
>On top of the obvious results, you feel another sensation
>Like the air was being sucked out of your lungs
>And then just like that, something felt like it was missing
Mwahaha! It is mine once again!
>A dark voice booms behind you
>You finally seperate from Chrysalis, both of you rather flustered
>And you see Cadence, Shining Armor, and Twilight
>Cadence is smirking at the two of you, while the others are staring at the pony-thing behind you
>Really, it was more a black mist with eyes that had green coming off of them, and a glowing red horn
>But it's enough to creep you out
>Then the mysterious figure sank into the ground, vanishing
>It's then you realize why it feels familiar
>When Twilight teleported here the first time, that thing's presence was what you had felt
>That's when Shining shouts out
Sombra! You won't get away with this!
>He is of course met with silence
>Then he and Twilight turn to you
>Lo and behold, while no longer tangled on the ground with Chrysalis, you were still on top of her
>....
>Both of you leap away at the same time, not looking at each other
>Cadence just snickers to herself
>...
>This evening should be fun...