Twenty years ago.
Chrysalis awoke to the clatter of arms and hissing of magic emanating from the direction towards the entrance of the hive. Startled and desperate to protect her children, she jolted upwards, flared her wings and bolted through the twisting corridors towards the sound of battle. She arrived on the battle scene to see, to her horror, part of the royal equestrian guard attempting to force their way into the interior of the hive. The small amount of guards confused her to no end, for surely they knew her army could fend off a few measly ponies. Though a sudden jolt of fear hit her heart as a loud crash from the direction of the hatchery pierced her ears.
Chrysalis bolted as fast as her wings could handle in the direction of the hatchery with a desperation to make whoever was brave enough to attack her newborns never see the light of day again. She dashed through the twisting corridors with a look of menace glowing within her eyes. There was nothing more she cared about than her children, and no pony would take them from her as long as she continued to draw breath.
She froze as she rounded the corner, shock and horror replacing the menace within her eyes. Before her stood a sight she had hoped to never set eyes on. The majority of the hatchery chamber before her laid cracked and broken, spilling out the vital fluids that were necessary for her children's hatch. Rage welled up inside of Chrysalis as she regained her composure. She cast her gaze towards the noises of the royal guards and charged after them, her eyes and horn blazing with emerald fury. The guards turned towards her, the glare in their eyes morphing into fear as emerald met turquoise. The guards scrambled to their hooves as they spread their wings and burst into flight, but Chrysalis was ready. She let the charge within her horn burst free, letting all the charged energy through without the normal mental chains restricting it.
The guards screamed as the emerald energy seared and tore at their flesh. A smug grin formed on the queen's face as she laughed at the thought of ponies attempting to infiltrate her hive. She had trained her children day and night, always showing them to serve for the sole purpose of bettering the hive. The queen let out a laugh associated with those who thought themselves invulnerable, though it soon faltered when she saw the chaos sprawled out before her.
Less than half her young that had yet to be hatched remained. Her eggs lay cracked and crushed before her horrified gaze, fueling her heart with a rage that she felt would stand within her until her life's end. Emerald fury clashed with every other color one could pssibly think of as she turned her murderous gaze towards the remaining guards. They responded with a kind of terror they had never thought possible to contain within themselves. Chrysalis gestered to her remaining guards to leave the area as her horn lit with a brilliant emerald light as a similar colored barrier prevented further cowardice from the guards remaining within the room. Seeing no other choice, the guards charged towards her, spears held firm in an attempt to at least break her determined concentration of seeing their demise.
Chrysalis raised a barrier around herself, though it was not one of force as changeling magic could not sustain such an effect over long periods of time. The guards charged at it, realizing this critical aspect a moment too late as they rammed full force, into it in an attempt to shatter it. As every guard too close to recall their movement charged into the barrier, they screamed in agony as their bodies were vaporized into nothing from the sheer amount of heat energy the barrier contained close to itself. Chrysalis laughed at the guards folly attempt in defeating her as she released a massive wave of emerald energy with the same effects upon the remaining guards. She let the barriers drop as she trudged in persuit of the guards that had fled her wrath. There could be no one allowed to get away with harming or killing her young, for they were all she truly cared about within this world.
Chrysalis rounded a corner and put on another burst of speed feuled by her rage at once again seeing the beings that had ruined most of her remaining life's pride. The guards shrieked at hearing her hooves gaining behind them, though they were unable to escape her wrath with their armor weighing them down. She let out another wave of emerald fury in their direction with the same results among all the remaining guards, save for one wearing silver plating that the magic passed over harmlessly. She screamed in rage as her horn charged up once again, this time with a concussive blast aimed towards him. The remaining guard, hinted towards being their commander, screamed as he was thrown against the nearby wall. He got up again, coughing and sputtering small pools of blood, as he turned to face his enemy.
He cackled as he met her gaze, "Even if you kill me, you will not bring back your young. You will never rebuild your empire to terrorize any more lovers in our kingdom. Not before the remaining of your kind dies off."
"Your death will at least avenge them." Chrysalis sneered. "There is no reason why I cannot try." She let out another concussive blast towards him, followed by another and another in an attempt to sate her rage towards him at his expense. Long after the guard has been killed, she continued to blast him with emerald energy in a desperate attempt to end her agony. At last when the guard was no longer recognizable through the remaining mangled corpse, Chrysalis felt fatigue wash over her and collapsed where she was, still screaming and weeping in sorrow and agony until she could no longer muster any tears.
*
Chrysalis awoke on the floor where she had previously been screaming, her few remaining children looking down at her in worry. She looked up with tears still in her eyes as she spoke, "They killed them all. Every last remaining sibling you had still to hatch." She looked down again, continuing to weep, though without any tears.
One of her children put a hoof upon her shoulder in an attempt to console her, causing her to look up towards him. "Can't you get vengence upon them, my queen?"
"Not after most of the soldiers were killed." She looked away again before realization hit her. "Though, maybe I could through non-militaristic ways."
Chrysalis stood up, turning again to face her children. "I want you all to look for any survivors and remaining soldiers within the hive. Tell them I want them to guard it until I return. I am going to equestria on my own."
Her child looked mortified, "But its too dangerous! you-"
He was silenced by a raise of her hoof. "This minion requires stealth, and having other soldiers with me will only raise its chance of disaster."
With that, she trudged on towards the exit of the hive, flying out and towards the speck representing equestria in the distance.
*
Chrysalis stood near the back entrace to a house of a single couple, ready to enter with a spring at a moments chance. She gazed into a window at the couple talking about their soon-to-be newborn and ocassionally nuzzling eachother with an affection she had never seen among any species in her lifetime. Standing up in response to the wifes movement towards the door, she readied herself to pounce upon her at the perfect time. Nothing could stop this moment, for her whole species was relying upon it.
The back door burst open, much to the surprise of the couple who froze with terror. Chrysalis took her chance.
She plunched her horn against the mother's stomach, forcing her newly thought up spell through her horn. Immediately the husband rammed into her, but she held firm with a determination like no other burning within her eyes. The wife cried and weeped as she felt Chrysalis pour the remaining part of the spell into her child, feeling it reshape and form within her stomach.
Chrysalis took a step back as she admired her work, a mischeavious smill upon her face. "Your child is now mine" she laughed as she turned towards the door once again.
" WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR CHILD!" the mare screamed, tears continuing to stream down her face.
Chrysalis turned to her to convey one last message, "You shall see soon enough." With that she bounded out the door and back towards her hive, leaving the couple to weep and ponder what she had done.
The present day.
I stared with my mouth hanging open as Celestia finished conveying what she knew from the couple of my childhood story to me.
"It was you within that mare's body locust," she sighed. "Your parents nearly went crazy with emotional pain, especially your mother, when I told them there was nothing even I could do after Chrysalis had claimed you. They left you at her doorstep to ensure no more harm would come to you within pony society after you were born. I'm sure they would be ecstatic to see you again after all these years, even with these complications you have aquired."
"You mean I was never a changeling at heart? That poor excuse of a queen was never my real mother?" I asked, a tear coming to my eye. I looked away to proccess what she had said. "I had never thought that possible. I want to see my real parents right away!" I bawled upon the cell floor as I attempted to proccess what I had been told, but to no avail. I sat there crying until a pool of clear, salty ooze formed beneath me. Celestia sat there until I had stopped, pulling me close afterwords until I had forced my chocking sobs down my throat.
Celestia let go and spoke, "I don't want to upset you, but I feel it to be best to speak of invasion strategy before introducing you to your parents." I nodded and explained that the changelings had planned to wait outside the Canterlot borders while Chrysalis attempted to infiltrate with a disguise of a pony of royal status. Celestia stared at me for a moment before nodding and unlocking my cage to lead me to my temporary living quarters. I nodded and stood, wincing as a shot of pain went up through my entire body. Celestia gave a worried glance towards me before levitating me onto her back to ease my pain from walking. I could tell she wished to know the cause, though let it slide for the moment before seeing me starting to drift off to sleep. I closed my eyes as I slipped into peaceful dreams at last.