I, Changeling

by Majin Syeekoh

Darkest Hour

“...can finally get some sleep!” Luna demanded over the signal Chrysalis was transmitting over her horn. Luna then looked around, as if looking for guidance. “What should I say now?” Luna then looked down. “Well, I suppose I could say anything I want...or sing anything I want!” She then cleared her throat. “I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts, diddly-dee! There they are, all standing in a row, bump, bump, bump! Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head! Give ‘em a shock, a flick of the hock, that’s what...the...showmare...said?” Luna didn’t hear the changeling broadcasting her voice anymore. In fact, Queen Chrysalis had disengaged her horn from Luna’s and was now giving her an unpleasant stare.

“Really?” Chrysalis said.

Luna huffed. “Just thought they’d appreciate a bit of vaudeville.”

“Well, whatever the hay you did, it appears to be working.” Cadance said, gesturing towards Chrysalis, who was now emitting a rainbow sheen. Chrysalis looked down upon herself and gagged in disgust.

“Why do you ponies always color-code everything so...pretty?”

Celestia giggled. “I remember as Crystal Mary, the refraction of the sunlight through your body delighted everyone with rainbow glows.”

Chrysalis retched again. “Well, it’s absolutely dreadful. And it doesn’t appear to have given me enough friendship.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes, really. I’m only receiving output from half of the changelings.” Chrysalis then looked up at Celestia. “Would you like to give this a shot, fearless leader?” She said mockingly. “Honestly, I don’t see why you don’t solve this once and for all.”

Celestia hung her head low. “The magic of friendship escaped me a long time ago, Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis huffed. “Well then, why not give a speech or something? I’m sure your little ponies would much appreciate an allocution from their princess—”

“Hey!” Luna exclaimed.

“—that doesn’t involve a show.”

Celestia looked around uncomfortably, then stood up. “Well, I’m not really one for impromptu speeches...I usually have my speeches pre-prepared.” She said, stepping down to Chrysalis. “Oh well, let’s give it the old college try.” She touched her horn to Chrysalis’s.

“Friends, Equestrians, Freeponies, lend me your ears. As you may have heard, these are grave times for us all. Windigoes have invaded our lovely Equestria on the back of hatred and fear. But fear of what? Fear of the changelings, you might say? That sounds plausible, but I think it falls deeper than that. I think it is a fear of yourself that bars you from accepting the changelings into your hearts. A fear that you might forgive the changelings that invaded our fair Canterlot and accept the aggressors with open arms and forget the memory of Canterlot. But Canterlot still stands, and Queen Chrysalis is a guest of ours. In fact, she is responsible for enabling this long-range transmission to you ponies and changelings. All equinoids, in fact. And let me ask you this, freeponies. Has not a changelings eyes? Has not a changeling hooves, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a pony is? If you prick them, do they not bleed? If you tickle them, do they not laugh? If you poison them, do they not die? And if you wrong them, shall they not revenge?
If they are like us in the rest, they will resemble us in that. If a changeling wrong a pony, what is it humility? Revenge. If a pony wrong a changeling, what should his sufferance be by pony example? Why, revenge.

“But these changelings have shown us none of the hatred that you have shown them. Like Luna said, you should be ashamed of yourselves and show the famed pony Harmony that Chrysalis so pointed out. Ask a changeling how its day is. Walk a changeling home from work. Give a little love to the homeless changeling begging on the side of the street. Start up a poker game with a couple of changelings. Buy a changeling a drink. In short, show some friendship to the sons and daughters of Chrysalis, who saved you from a fate most terrible some months ago. And in our darkest hour, our lives depend on it. This is Princess Celestia, signing out.”

Celestia pulled her horn away from Chrysalis, and looked around to see the dropped jaws of Shining Armor, Luna, Cadance, and Chrysalis. She blushed a bit. “That bad, huh?”

“No, not at all…” Luna said.

“In fact…” Cadance said.

“It was beautiful.” Shining said, tearing up.

Cadance trotted over to Shining Armor and nuzzled him. “Are you crying?”

“What? Can’t I show a little Liquid Pride for my Aunt-in-Law?”

Cadance chuckled and pulled away. “I suppose so, honey.” Cadance then looked over to Chrysalis, who appeared to be rising off of the ground.

“This is it...I can feel the friendship flowing through me...I just might be able to—” Chrysalis said before she was cut off by her violent midair convulsions.

“Oh, me, what’s happening?” Luna asked.

“It appears to be some kind of Friendship Overdose. Her, let me rope her in.” Celestia said as she cast out a string of magic from her horn to where Chrysalis was...or at least used to be. “Where did she go?” Everypony looked around, then Shining Armor motioned towards the ceiling.

“There she is!” he said. Everypony looked up to see Chrysalis scampering about the ceiling like a spider, then disappear. She reappeared right in front of Cadance, who leapt back in shock with a scream when she saw the madness in Chrysalis’s eyes.

“need...more…” Chrysalis groaned, reaching towards Cadance, before she was restrained by Shining Armor’s magic.

“what...are you doing!? I need more!” Chrysalis moaned as she struggled against the fetter that bound her neck.

“I’ve think you’ve had enough, lady!” Shining said triumphantly. Celestia raised a hoof. She trotted over to Chrysalis.

“Why do you need more friendship, Chrysalis?”

Chrysalis glared at Celestia. “I need more so that I can trounce the windigoes once and for all! Do you want them returning every time there’s a bit of strife in your kingdom?”

Celestia then faced Cadance. “You heard the mare.”

Cadance looked at Chrysalis, then Celestia. “I’m not sure that she can handle any more. It might kill her. Besides, this just might be another mad grab for power—”

“—SILENCE! I have had enough of you little ponies theorizing of my insane plan to overcome the fealty oath I swore! Get it through your thick little skulls that the revolution has been postponed...indefinitely!”

Cadance looked at Chrysalis. She could somehow sense through her power-drunk state that she was to be believed. Besides, if it killed her, that would be two birds with one stone.

“Alright, Chrysalis, here it comes. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She blasted Chrysalis with a pink beam which absorbed into Chrysalis, who was cycling from red to blue to violet and all the way back again. Chrysalis began violently convulsing in her fetter, thrashing about the floor. Her hoof passed through the floor, then pulled out, bringing up chunks of stone with it, showering the ponies present in bits of rock. Cadance kept blasting her, when her beam touched nothing except for the ground below where Chrysalis was standing. Cadance looked bemused. “Where did she go?”

“I dunno. Maybe she really couldn’t take it.” Shining Armor said.

“She’s here.” Celestia said. “Or at least she was here.” Cadance and Shining Armor turned to look at Celestia, while Luna had appeared to have fallen asleep standing up.

“What do you mean, Auntie?” Cadance asked.

“She’s gone off to do battle with the Windigoes.”

“But how did she break my bonds?” Shining asked.

Celestia raised an eyebrow at Shining. “Do you think you could hold me?” Shining Armor blushed sheepishly. “Well, we should all wish her luck, for she has a hard battle ahead of her.” Celestia said as she looked to the wall of the throne room, Cadance and Shining following her gaze.

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Cadance asked.

Celestia smiled. “Are we showing a little concern for the Changeling Queen?” Cadance blushed and shook her head.

“N-no! Nothing like that! Just hoping that she slays the Windigoes once and for all like she promised…” Cadance said, looking away from Celestia. Celestia smiled a knowing smile at Cadance, then glanced over to Luna, who was snoring. She swatted her with some magic, to which Luna quickly snapped awake.

“What is thine command!” Luna belted out.

“Stop snoring.” Celestia said.

“We—um, I don’t snore!”

“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that.” Luna huffed and turned away from Celestia, quickly falling asleep again.

Comments

[Dapper Guy]

Always darkest before dawn right?

[Europa]

Oh boy, Chrysalis has become unstable...

[Razzy]

Friendship meltdown imminent!

Cya
Raziel-chan