//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End // Story: Your Mom is My Worst Enemy // by confidentPrognosticator //------------------------------// Cadence and Shining Armor gazed lovingly at the small filly laying in the crib crying. Cadence broke the magical moment. " She's so beautiful." Shining Armor swung his head around to face her. " Not more beautiful than you." The two ponies stared at each other. Both of them wanted nothing more than to live in that moment forever. But they couldn't. Time would go on. Cadence picked up the filly and set her on her father's back. " Well, let's get you something to drink." Shining Armor carried the filly into another room. Cadence levitated a bottle of milk to the filly. She laid down with the milk and began to drink it. Cadence and Shining Armor stared at each other again, only this time they kissed. Chrysalis looked at her baby, who was already standing and walking on her own. " Honey," Chrysalis called. " Come look." Another changeling, who looked identical to Chrysalis except for a more power build and a shorter mane, flew in. " Ah," the other changeling said. " Nothing less that I would expect from any daughter of mine." Chrysalis put on a fake hurt look. " And not my children, you mean?" The other changeling smiled. " Oh, be quiet, you." The two changelings fell on each other, laughing. Suddenly a flash of worry went through Chrysalis's head. The drones... they looked at her almost like... they hated her. What if they stole her baby? Chrysalis steeled herself. No one is taking my baby,she thought to reassure herself. This baby must be kept a secret though, just in case. 5 YEARS LATER Cadence looked over at her filly, now named Lily Blossom. Her white coat and pink mane made her beautiful. Shining Armor was at work so Cadence had opted to be the stay at home mom. Lily Blossom looked at her. " Mom can I..." " No." "How about..." "No." "Well maybe..." "No." "CAN I ACTUALLY TALK!?" Cadence gave her a long look. " All right." Lily Blossom looked relieved. " So, can I go visit Celestia?" " Why would you want to do that?" Cadence was confused. " Oh, in school we're learning about how the day comes and how Princess Celestia rules the day fairly. I was told I could do an interview." Cadence was worried. Does her teacher have a few screws loose? she thought. You can't just barge in on the Princess of the day and say, 'Hey, whats up Celestia?' Cadence finally said, " All right. Go on now, get out of here!" The young alicorn giggled. " Try to chase me away, huh? Fat chance!" Mother and daughter ran around, laughing. The young changeling, now named Moth, watched her mother. " Now, if a drone sees you, make yourself one of them, like this." Her mother flashed green fire and she looked just like a drone. " Now you try." "OK!" said Moth, excited to be doing her first transformation. She flashed green. " How do I look?" " Well... Aah..." Chrysalis stuttered. Her daughter was a... very sloppy drone. She was the exact same size. Her wings were too big, and her horn too small. She had no holes, and her fangs were clearly blunt. " Um.. we'll work on that." finished Chrysalis. " Well? How did I do?" " You did..." Chrysalis tried to think of the right words. " Um... Great!" "So in other words, I did bad?" " I said we have to work on it." The young changeling sighed. She could never get a straight answer out of her mom. Moth felt like her mom never told her the truth. And if she did, it was twisted, a truth with just enough lie, or vice versa. " I'm going to try to find some food, mom." " All right." The young changeling flew away. As soon as Moth was out of earshot, Chrysalis sighed. Moth probably hated her. And Chrysalis didn't blame her. She was a horrible parent. Ever since her lifelong partner had died, and she had become a single mom, times were tough. She just didn't know what to do. Lily Blossom walked into the throne room. It was so... so... BIG. And magnificent. The princess of the day sat like a statue on her throne. Lily Blossom walked up to her. " Um... Good Morrow, your Majesty?" Celestia looked down. " Ah. Lily Blossom. I knew you would come." " How?" Lily Blossom was amazed. Did Celestia have some power that let her see the future? Couls she see the entire day? " I heard about your report." Oh. Well, not as amazing, but still cool! " So can you tell me what it's like being a Princess of the Day?" Celestia got started. " Well, I have to make sure everypony has done their job. I also must check on Discord." Lily Blossom spoke. " I had an idea. Why would you keep Discord in your garden? Why not grind him into cement and make a building?" Celestia was impressed. " I never thought of that. It might be handy to keep you around." Lily Blossom was ecastic. " YES!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, then blushed. " Oops..." Celestia smiled. " Don't worry about it... this time." " Yes of course." said Lily Blossom shyly. " Um... Can you tell me a bit more?" Moth's thoughts turned from her mother to food. Using a trick taught by her father, she scanned the area with magic. Her father... thinking of him brought tears. He had been so kind, so understanding. He had never stopped loving her, and always had told her the truth... " Stop. Just stop." she told herself. She concentrated again on scanning. Unlike normal Changelings, she could feed on hate as well. She found two drones locked in a fight, yelling angry words. Instantly, she began to feed. Their hate... it was as good as love. When she had ate her fill, she plopped down on the ground and laid back. Her mother was a confusing jumble, her father was a kind, smooth ripple. Being with her mother... she couldn't stand it. Moth sat up and said, "I have to run away. I can't take it anymore." She left a note to her mother, which read: Dear Mother, You don't have to worry about drones taking me anymore. Or anything else. Because I'm leaving. I'm not coming back. Maybe you'll understand. It's not that I don't love you. This place just feels wrong. I have to leave. I'm sorry for everything, how much of a pain I've been, and everything else. Just don't go after me. I'll find my home somewhere. Signed, Moth