Why 'Mommy Chrysalis' is Dead - A Rant on (Certain) Chrysalis Fans · 5:39am Apr 24th, 2017
Let's talk about the changelings. Specifically the S6 finale and the world-building that's come from it.
You know, I can deal with, 'I don't care for the new changeling designs'. They're bold and very different. No, not really out of a place for a show about vibrant pastel horses where one of the main characters has a rainbow for hair, but yes, grant you they are radically different. Feel free to dislike the new changelings simply because of personal preference. Kudos. You did a perfectly valid thing.
I can also appreciate people who don't like the new role the changelings have. They liked them better as vampire-esque villains who used deceit to obtain their sustenance. You know, that's cool. I liked them that way too. If you liked them more that way, and it stops you from liking the new designs all-together, that's fine. You do you. That's also a completely valid thing.
What really makes me roll my eyes though is the countless number of butthurt Chrysalis fans wearing rose-tinted glasses tainted by fandom interpretations, pretending that this outcome with Chrysalis somehow doesn't make any logical sense. Ever since the S6 finale all I've seen is the same dragged out whining, beating away at the same handful of points: 'why would the changelings want a new leader? There's no proof she ruled them through fear like Starlight said, she's just an aggressive leader. Chrysalis always provided for them and fed them, they have no reason to betray her.'
Let's get something straight - at no point following the S6 finale are any of those arguments valid because following the S6 finale, it's been made clear that Chrysalis is a tyrannical bitch who put her own power before the well-being of her subjects/children.
Some backstory...
Back in the days of Canterlot Wedding, it was far more easy to debate the scale of which Chrysalis weighed her need for power vs the well-being of her subjects. At that point, for all we knew changelings really did have to steal love in order to eat. In that finale, Chrysalis's lines were pretty evenly split between 'my subjects will be properly fed forever muwahaha' and 'look at me being an evil bitch oh gosh how I love being an evil bitch muwahaha'. Folks like me could still make arguments how her power came first even then, but it was much more grey a topic in those times.
So the S6 finale happened...
Thorax mentions that changelings are 'always hungry' (which by itself kills off the 'Chrysalis kept them fed' argument, but I digress). He also mentions that this hunger, 'need to feed' stopped when he discovered friendship. Ultimately, Thorax proved Chrysalis's archaic methods weren't the only way, but Chrysalis openly denounced these new methods. Whether she knew about sharing love already or not, she chose to cling to the archaic method of 'every changeling is always starving and needs to take love'. It's as if Chrysalis said, 'I don't care whether they're perpetually starving or not, as long as I'm in charge as their queen, that's all that matters'.
Even further, the argument could then be made that she was keeping them starving on purpose, to use that constant need to feed as a carrot on a stick - a means to continue conquering nations, feeding on love and gaining more power so that she could stay in power, and constantly grow her control as well. In that scenario, not only is she craving power above all else, but she's also treating the changelings as tools for her ambitions more than as cherished underlings and children.
Let's reflect on some quotes.
By Chrysalis:
* "As queen of the changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered. My fellow changelings will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!"
* "Shining Armor's love for you is even stronger than I thought! Consuming it has made me even more powerful than Celestia!"
* "So I could feed, of course! By replacing the most beloved figures in Equestria, my drones will be able to store all the love meant for them and return it here to me. Everypony will do as I command, and my subjects and I will feed on their love for generations!"
* "Ridiculous! The hunger of changelings can never be satisfied!"
* "You know nothing of the changelings or what it takes to be their queen! I decide what is best for my subjects, not some mewling grub!"
By Drone #375:
"Nobody's ever stood up to Chrysalis like that!
1: Even when she's talking about feeding her subjects, it's really only in the context of 'feeding them = power', not 'feeding them = nourishment'. Again, her primary concern is constantly leading back to her unyielding need to conquer everything and control everything by gaining more power, and using her changelings as the driving force for that. So, again, seeming a lot more like she sees them as tools and not as living creatures that she actually gives a fuck about past their usefulness to her.
2: Once opposition to her power is threatened, even by something that'd ultimately be better for both her subjects and herself, she violently shuts it down by saying she's the boss and 'she gets to decide what's right for them'. She doesn't even consider a better way of life for them. Nope. 'I'm in power shut up and let me continue ruling with an iron fist'.
3: The final quote is a bit of a low blow, as it wasn't part of the S6 finale, but it is worth mentioning because it does further these points. It gives insight to what the changelings may have thought of Chrysalis all along. I don't know about you but I'm leaning a lot more towards, 'bully ruling through fear' than anything else when the term 'stood up to' pops up.
Conclusion:
All evidence from the show points towards Chrysalis putting power before her own subjects, and ruling them with some aspect of fear, or by being their only choice/alternative. She cleverly combines 'gaining power' and 'feeding her subjects' as one and the same thing during dialogue, but every one of her actions has been using the changelings as pawns, as tools to accomplish conquest. In short, she got an unending power trip while guiding her species to conquer the world, using them as extensions of her will.
Ultimately this means the changelings had absolutely zero obligation to be loyal to her once they were offered a better way of life. 'Being their queen' or 'being their mom' does not provide that obligation, when we're talking about something as basic as hunger, the very will to live.
Granted, the ending was very much rushed. I agree and understand that point. It felt like the changelings turned on Chrysalis and took up this strange new offer way too quickly. It would have been much better if we saw some initial hesitation out of fear of reaction from her or something along those lines, before they took the offer.
However, after looking closely at Chryalis's character, and noticing the subtle details the animators added (see below), the rushed reformation is more a time limitation than it was a shoe-horning of a specific outcome.
During Starlight's speech there where four or so moments where the entire scene cut away to show the changelings considering Starlight's words about a better life by exchanging nervous expressions with each other. These expressions also ranged from thoughtful to fearful and curious. In fact, throughout the entire final scene - from when Chrysalis was draining Thorax, to any of the times Chrysalis was being ruthless towards Starlight, many changelings looked on with those same conflicted or surprised expressions. And then finally, after the reformation, when the entire group watches Chrysalis emerge from the rubble, the drones too look at her with anger/contempt. Clearly, Chrysalis never had a fan club in the first place among her own subjects.
Watch the scene again for yourself, just this time ignore Starlight, Chrysalis and Thorax.
Obviously no it's not much, but it is more than enough to prove the aim the writers and animators were going for when it came to how the changelings felt regarding their current leadership situation. They felt doubt, and had willingness to try something new and better. If those few, short-lived fearful and curious expressions had a more generous time allowance, I'm certain we would have gotten a more flushed out reformation by the changelings, seeking that way out of Chrysalis's cruel grip.
I like Chrysalis, but I like her as the ruthless villain she is. I never bought the 'mommy Chrysalis' thing the fandom created, because she's been a classic, utterly selfish Disney-style villain from day one. I hate to see people bashing everything about the S6 finale simply because they'd rather view Chrysalis as something other than what she is in the canon. Don't whine at the show because you'd rather use fandom interpretations as expectations for canon. Chrysalis's character has never once given any workable evidence that she cares for the changelings past their usefulness to her, and with the events we're starting to see from the S6 finale and what we have of S7 so far, it looks like she did rule through fear after all.
Thanks for reading~ 
It felt for a long time like it was rare to find someone who actually shared this viewpoint. Awesome that someone finally put it into words. Also, I really like how in-depth and detailed this explanation was; I can't find any "holes" in it. :P
4508028 Glad to see more of the like mind, as well!
I've rolled my eyes literally all hiatus watching annoyed Chrysalis fans type up huge storms of complaining, quite often on DeviantART from an artist venting frustration, or in Derpibooru comments or in alike places. It's gotten to a point where I wanted to make a massive singular argument and just link it the next time it happens.
I don't usually partake in drama and arguing of course, but some of these people make really petty artworks or arguments to vent, dragging in all kinds of bullshit wounded deer crap like, 'so I guess I learned from this finale that aggressive woman who take charge should be replaced by calm-minded men' and I'm just like, 'she's a miserable bitch who's had this coming all series long, how are you not seeing this'.
4508047
I don't know why this argument would exist, because none of the main characters are afraid to get dirty if it calls for it; Twilight has the Tirek fight, Princess Celestia has the fight against Nightmare Moon and the King Sombra timeline, and it's implied even Zecora was able to match Chrysalis in the Chrysalis timeline. Aggressive is fine, the problem is, as you said, Chrysalis was a power-hungry bitch.
I'd argue the same thing happened with Starlight and I'm kind of madder about that one; Starlight had the bitch tendencies and turned around too quickly. I would have liked some more hesitation, both on her end about actually seeing "hey, this friendship thing isn't so bad" and on Twilight's end of "I'm not sure if I'm actually getting through to her" sort of thing.
4508062 I totally agree. :)
Also, I did actually add to the post just now. I added the clip of the reformation and defeat of Chrysalis. Most people forget the background changelings did have numerous moments where they shared doubtful looks to each other during Starlight's speech, and how many of them had those same expressions throughout most of the scenes where Chrysalis was being ruthless. it's very subtle, but they did that BECAUSE of the time limitations, which just proves my point.
I knew she was pure evil before they revealed she was. I honestly never understood why the fandom adopted the whole "mommy Chrysalis" thing, but I've seen how people in this fandom are like, long enough to know that the very second one of their precious headcanons are threatened, then they throw a huge apocalyptic temper tantrum that wouldn't be out of place from one that a baby would have.
SO in other words, Chrysalis is either keeping her people hungry to maintain rule over them, or too stupid to realize the nature of her own species' biology.
Rant against the Changeling Fanbase, You all ruined Changelings
By NavelClassicChangelingFan
XD (If you don't know what I'm referencing, I'm fairly certain the original video is deleted so watch this)
Anyway, totally agree with everything you said, but fans will be fans, and we all know how they get.
I personally like the Changelings as both an enemy and friend, and I like both versions of the Changelings as well.`
4508122
It gets ridiculous, for sure. I used to be an administrator for message boards, both pony and non-pony, and the asinine drama, stubborness and childish behavior people had was part of what drove me
to drinkfrom the job. That said, because I don't have to deal with it on a day to day basis anymore, it's fun to make a big statement once in a while just because I love to write walls of text.4508202
I'd say 'too stubborn' than 'too stupid', if nothing else she is very clever. She just doesn't want them to prosper if she's not in charge. And because she can't conquer nations and be a power hungry despot unless they're constantly hungry and need to feed/steal love from other creatures, the only way to live with her as your queen seems to be, 'constantly be hungry'.
4508210
The old ones were great villains with an amazingly unique lore concept, the new ones are adorable and open every possible door for being cute out the dickens. 
I love the new and old changelings as well.