//------------------------------//
// Separate ways#3 
// Story: My little Pony: Uncommon Connection II 
// by Spitfire16 
//------------------------------//

On a lonely Cliffside the Changeling queen stood on the edge and looked out to the never ending rocky ruin. This was where she was banished after being defeated by the mane six.

A changeling approached, "We've searched every inch of this world…there doesn't seem to be any chance of escape."

"I see." The queen replied simply, she didn't turn to face her subject.

The Changeling lowered its head, feeling that it has disappointed Chrysalis with an answer other than the one presented, "I'm…sorry, your highness."

"…It's alright," she finally replied, "It's not your fault." the Changeling raised its eyes up at the queen only to see her still faced out toward the desolate land, "Go meet up with the others and rest. You've all worked hard today." Chrysalis didn't seem at all disappointed in her subjects attempt to find a way out of their rocky prison.

The Changeling bowed respectfully, "Yes, your highness." the Changeling looked at the back of her queen, the Changeling was considered after hearing the tone in Chrysalis voice however she did as her queen asked. Chrysalis was in deep thought, remembering what Celestia said to her not too long ago.

"I'd rather be a sorry excuse for a ruler than an evil one, parasitizing on the feelings of others. You're a mosquito that lives in a world full of love and friendship." Celestia fell to the ground, unable to pick herself up, "It's too bad you don't know what the feeling is like. You have no friends at all."

Chrysalis huffed at Celestia notion, "I have no friends? You imprisoned your own sister. I can tell she holds some resentment for you as she obviously didn't care when we fought in Canterlot. She wasn't even there to help you."

"That may have been true if Luna was like you." Celestia turned to her sister, "But she's not." Chrysalis remained silent, "My sister loves me and she knows that I love her too. She is very kind and knows how to forgive and no matter what happens, this will always be so. I really hope that one day you will learn what it means to love and be loved back." Though the situation was grim Celestia smiled, "Maybe then you'll realize you don't need to steal the emotions of others to be happy. I believe in my student and her friends."

"You're wrong, Celestia…" she said underneath her breath. Closing her eyes Chrysalis thought back on the past.

-Canterlot Castle, throne room-
-The past-

Inside the castle a young filly and a colt were playing together in the throne room. The filly was Cadence and the colt was Shining Armor.

"Gotcha again!" Cadence teased the young colt as she had him pinned down to the ground in a friendly play fighting match.

Shining Armor squirmed in an attempt to break himself free, "No fair!" he continued to struggle but nothing he did worked against his filly friend.

Cadence allowed Shining Armor to get up only to skip around him while laughing, "I'm just better than you!" she gloated, "You got beat by a girl!" her last line was in the form a mocking tune.

Shining Armor stood up and fixed his messy mane, "I haven't eaten anything today. I'm not feeling like myself…" Cadence didn't buy Shining Armor's tales and was still happy she was able to outdo him in play fighting.

The throne room doors opened and the two kids looked over. Princess Celestia entered the room. Following behind her was another young filly. She looked a little older than Cadence and Shining Armor but nevertheless they were around the same age.

Unlike a pony however, she had a sharp pair of fangs and dark green eyes with elongated oval pupils. She had a teal mane and tail. Her legs, mane, and tail are full of holes and her limbs and torso are very slender. Like other non-pony characters, she has no cutie mark. It was obvious the filly was Chrysalis.

Princess Celestia walked by the two youngsters and gave them a smile. The filly that entered with Celestia stood alone by the door, looking lost.

"Is she alright?" Cadence whispered to her friend.

"I'll go see." Shining Armor walked over to the strange looking Pony.

Chrysalis saw that Shining Armor was approaching and tried hiding her appearance. Once he approached her he was confused as to why she was hiding herself.

"Hi," he greeted with a smile, "my name's Shining Armor. What's yours?"

She didn't say anything.

"Do you have a name?" he asked as he tried to figure her out.

She turned her eyes to him and then back over to the empty side of the room, "…C-Chrysalis."

"Chrysalis?" he repeated, "That's a pretty neat name." he smiled once more after complimenting her though Chrysalis remained quiet.

Cadence saw Shining Armor making conversation and walked over there as well, "Is everything ok?" she asked as she stood beside her colt friend.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Shining Armor answered positively, "Her name's Chrysalis."

Chrysalis peaked at the two from her mane.

Cadence turned to Chrysalis with another warm smile, "Hi, my name is Cadence."

She still remained quiet despite the two making a friendly introduction. The two friends were puzzled at how quiet she was and how troubled she looked.

"What's wrong?" Cadence asked with concern, "It seems like you're hiding."

"Aren't…you afraid?" Chrysalis asked the two.

Cadence looked at Shining Armor, "Afraid?"

"Afraid of what?" the colt asked.

"…Me." The small Changeling asked making her voice more clear as she was surprised by how welcoming the two were to her.

Cadence has never seen anything quite like Chrysalis but she still wondered why she was so strange, "Of course not. Why would we be afraid of you?"

Chrysalis shook her head and allowed the two to look at full figure, "Look at me." She said to the two wanting to see the difference between them.

"We are." Shining Armor said to her, still not seeing what Chrysalis was trying to get at.

Chrysalis's eyes slightly widened, "But…I'm…"

"Our new friend?" Shining Armor asked enthusiastically.

Chrysalis took a step back, "Friend?" she asked in confusion.

"Yeah, our friend." He repeated with a smile.

"Chrysalis will be staying with me in Canterlot for a while." Cadence and Shining Armor turned to the princess, "I see you two have reached out to her already." Celestia approached the three young Ponies with her casual and warm smile.

Shining Armor nodded at the princess, "Yeah. She's our new friend."

"Your friend?" Celestia asked in joy, Chrysalis wasn't around for long but already made things interesting, "That's wonderful."

Cadence looked up to her aunt, "So, she'll be staying here?"

"Yes." Celestia answered the young filly, "I'm going to take her under my wing and have her be my student. She's had…a hard time adjusting."

The sound of voices from her past played in Chrysalis head…

"What is it!?"

"Eugh! It's disgusting!"

"Keep it away from the kids!"

A hopeful Chrysalis made her way to a playground full of playful and cheerful young ponies, hoping she would be able to make friends. Once the ponies saw Chrysalis approaching they ran off. Seeing them running away Chrysalis stopped. Standing in the exact same spot the kids were just playing. The park was empty and she was alone. A ball rolled by and tapped her hoof.

In another flash she was sitting by herself on a hillside watching other fillies and colts play together, she eyed them enviously, trying to keep out of sight.

Chrysalis was sitting on the outskirts of an unknown town crying. The ponies of the town all banded together to make sure she wouldn't enter.

"Monster!"

In the present Chrysalis snapped out of her cruel flashback. She looked down to the floor with grief in her eyes.

Celestia noticed Chrysalis and was a bit worried she was dwelling on her past, she looked back at the two younger Ponies, "With the right guidance I'm sure she'll be able to do great things. But, first, she must learn about the gift of friendship. Cadence, I would like for you to help show her this gift."

"Me?" Cadence asked with bright twinkling purple eyes.

"Can I count on you my little niece?"

Cadence happily nodded to her aunt's request.

Shining Armor on the other hand/hoof felt a bit left out, "Hey, I wanna help too!"

Celestia giggled at Armor's anxiousness, "I'm counting on both of you."

"You bet!" Shining Armor was the first to agree to his duties.

Cadence held her hoof up to "You can count on us!"

The word, "Friend", was the only thing on the young Changeling's mind as Princess Celestia talked to the others.

Fast forward a few years later Chrysalis has grown in size. She was about the same as a typical mare in Ponyville in terms of height. She stood alone on the castle's balcony, looking out to Canterlot.

"Hey, what're you doing out here?"

Chrysalis looked behind her and saw Cadence approaching her, "…Oh. Hi." She greeted the young Alicorn.

Cadence stood beside Chrysalis, "How come you're out here by yourself?"

"Just looking out at the stars…" Chrysalis hid behind her mane, "No big deal."

"You're still doing that?" Cadence asked, Chrysalis moved her eyes over to Cadence she didn't understand what she meant and Cadence knew it, "Hiding behind your mane." Cadence told the confusion Changeling as she placed a hoof on her shoulder, "You've been doing that since we've met you."

Chrysalis sighed, "…I'm a monster, terrifying. I don't want anypony looking at me."

"Monster?" Cadence was a bit shocked Chrysalis would label herself as such, "Who told you that?"

"Who hasn't told me that?"

A serious look formed in Cadence's eyes, "…I haven't." she said softly to Chrysalis, "How could somepony call you that?"

Chrysalis turned to Cadence to face her, "Look at me." She revealed her most notable traits including her fangs, horn and holes in her leg, "I'm not like you or…the princess or anypony." she looked down at her hooves, "I'm different."

"No you're not." Cadence picked up Chrysalis hooves, "See?"

"What are you doing?"

Cadence tapped their hooves together, "We've both got hooves."

Chrysalis brought her hooves down, "Well, yeah, who doesn't?" she asked unknowingly helping Cadence out with her response.

Cadence placed Chrysalis hoof on her own chest, "That's your heart" Cadence pointed out to Chrysalis who was still a bit lost at what Cadence was getting at. Cadence then placed her own hoof on her chest to show Chrysalis where her heart was, "This is my heart. It beats like yours and it's in the same place."

"What does that prove?" Chrysalis asked.

"They're exactly the same." A stallion spoke out to the two, "Just like every other pony in Ponyville."

The two mares turned to the stallion's voice, it was Shining Armor.

He walked over to them and stood on the other side of Chrysalis, "Like everypony, you have a heartbeat. Like everypony, you have feelings. You're not a monster." Chrysalis didn't reply but his words have touched her, "Don't worry about what others say to you. A good friend sees you for who you are, doesn't matter what you look like." Shining Armor looked over to Cadence, "Like us."

Cadence and Shining Armor looked at each other for a second, Cadence started to giggle and soon laugh.

"Hey, what's so funny?" he asked the laughing Alicorn.

"You." She giggled again, "That was lame." She started to laugh.

Shining Armor blushed in embarrassment, "W-Wha-? I was only just trying to help…"

Cadence to laugh, Shining Armor couldn't help but laugh as well. Chrysalis watched the two and observed their laughter. She formed a smile and let out a small chuckle seeing the two laughing.

Cadence saw her smile and was surprised, "Hey, Chrysalis, you smiled. No…" she corrected herself, "you're laughing!" she happily stated.

"Laugh?" Chrysalis raised her hoof and touched her mouth. She looked rather lost upon feeling her happiness which caused her smile to leave.

Shining Armor placed a hoof on her shoulder, "You look confused, like you've never smiled or something."

"I guess…it's been so long that I forgotten how to. I've never had…friends."

Shining Armor remembered the first day Chrysalis arrived, "Yeah. I remember the princess mentioned that. She tasked us with teaching you about the gift of friendship." he looked over to Cadence, "I'd say we're nearly done."

Chrysalis looked at the stallion in shock, "Done?" she said in a bit of a panic, "So…we won't be friends anymore?"

"Of course we'll be friends." Shining Armor reassured her, "We're friends till the end. Once you form a connection like that there's no breaking it."

"In fact, I made you a present." Cadence told Chrysalis.

"For me?" she asked surprised.

Cadence held up a star shaped accessory. In the middle was a picture of a heart. Behind the heart was a shield with a purple star on its front. The picture was a combination of Cadence's and Shining Armor's cutie marks.

"What is this, Cadence?" Chrysalis asked as she held the star.

"It's a friendship present. They say if you give them to a very special friend you'll be friends forever. There, in the center, are a picture of Shining Armor and my cutie mark. If you ever get lonely you can look at it and remember that we're friends, forever."

Cadence and Shining Armor gave Chrysalis warm smiles. Their love and affection have truly touched Chrysalis once empty and alone heart. Her eyes filled with water and she began to cry.

"…What's wrong?" Shining Armor asked as he took a step closer to her.

Chrysalis shook her head, "Nothing. I'm just…sad." she continued looking down at her star.

"Why are you sad?" Cadence was a bit worried at what the answer might be, the gift she presented to Chrysalis could've reminded her more of her past.

"It's not…sadness I've felt before. I am sad but at the same time I'm happy. I'm…I'm happy that something can make me feel this sadness. It makes me feel alive. It makes me feel like…I'm somepony, something with a heart. You two…are my...my…" she didn't know the proper words to define the two, it wasn't often she heard it.

Cadence and Shining Armor came together and embraced Chrysalis. Her eyes widened, "Your friends." They answered finding the words she was looking for.

In the present Chrysalis was still looking out to the ruin of the realm she and her subjects were banished to. She opened her eyes and finished reminiscing on the life she once had. Her horn was shrouded in a green aura as she looked down at her hoof.

"With the right guidance I'm sure she'll be able to do great things. But, first, she must learn about the gift of friendship. Cadence, I would like for you to help show her this gift."

In her hoof formed a small accessory star with the image of two cutie marks formed in the center.

A droplet of water hit the center. Chrysalis held her hoof over the edge and hesitantly dropped the accessory over the Cliffside where it plummeted down into a gorge.

"Right you are, Princess. And 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!"



"What happened to me…?"