Change of Heart

by Haillee

A Vistor

Chrysalis layed down in her cell. A tight chain wrapped around her neck, and four chains weaved in and out of her holes in her hooves. She was reminded of the horrors of her past again. Images flashing in and out of her head from her time being suspended off the ground. At least here she could sit down. She was alone in her cell but could see that the other cells also held prisoners. The family of bat-ponies were locked away in separate cells. The daughter now sat crying to herself as her parents argued. Chrysalis felt she wanted to comfort her but she was too far out of reach.
Chrysalis layed her head down thinking over the events of the day. What could she have done to avoid this? Nothing she had this coming for a long time. She felt the guilt of feeding off that family for the last few days. They had been so kind to her. Especially that colt. Even after finding out who she was he still wanted her to stay.
It felt like weeks with nothing to do but sit still and wait. The filly began to beg her father for food. When the door to the dungeon opened and in walked Twilight. She completely ignored Chrysalis and the parents. Both the mare and stallion stood yelling at her profusely saying such foul language. Even when Chrysalis was at her worst in anger she always held her tongue from that language especially in front of a filly!!

Twilight however just focused her gaze at this crying filly who now was covering her head. Twilight's horn glowed as a set of keys came off the wall. The went to the filly’s cell and unlocked it with a slight click. "Hello there."

"Leave her be your horrible bit-" Yelled the mare, but she was cut off by a spell that was cast by Twilight placing an invisible muzzle on all the surrounding prisoners.

"Now that everything is quiet. You and I must talk my dear." Twilight spoke trying to calm the filly. Twilight laced her hoof on the filly’s chains and brought the keys down releasing them from her leg. This got the filly to look up at the purple eyes that looked so kind.

"Now yesterday you did not seem so happy about the scene your parents played in my castle did you?" Twilight asked. Though it seemed more like a statement. The filly looked at the princess and realized she was expecting an answer. The foal looked to her parent as she saw their angry face she looked back at the ground and layed down with her hooves hiding her head again. Almost as if she could change her coat to blend in with the floor, she tried to hide form the faces all around her.

"That's what I thought." Twilight said as her horn lit a second light around the first which kept the muzzles on the pones. This new light also went around the filly’s whole body as she was levitated off the ground. She helplessly floated behind the princess toward the door. She waved goodbye to her parents that had abused so much in the past. In the door way stood a yellow pegasus waiting.
"Fluttershy, I don't know how you knew. You were right she, they are all up her wings and her back." She said as she put the filly down in front of the mare. To this Chrysalis looked at the fillies back never paying any attention to it earlier. Even from her cell which was quite a bit away she could see pink scars u her back form what seemed like a whip. He wings were worn and ruffled from years of abuse. That filly never wanted to do was she had done. She was forced.

For some reason this angered Chrysalis more than anything she wanted to get out and smack both those parents silly for doing that. They didn't deserve a daughter. Maybe Twilight, for once, was doing something smart
The door closed with a bang and the muzzles were released from the mouths of the ponies. The parents then started yelling at the top of their lungs. Chrysalis wanted to yell back at them but deiced she would need her strength. After all she was now prisoner and yes, she may be fed but she will never get love again.

Months assed and she felt almost as weak as she had when she was in the forest. The daughter of the abusive bat-ponies came to visit every now and then. Fluttershy had taken it upon herself to care for the foal as she grew up. Chrysalis soon learned the fillies name was Nightly Gaze and she lived up to it. She had gotten her cutie mark recently of a telescope. She enjoyed telling her parents about her new life and how happy she was. But they never showed any kindness always saying she should get them out and yelling at her. Chrysalis gave up trying to defend her. She was always muzzled so the family could talk.

One day the door opened and she saw the glow of the purple alicorn's horn from the door. Chrysalis waited for her muzzle but it never came. She looked up and saw that it was the couple's muzzle that was sealed. She looked at the door rather curious. Who would come visit her?

In ran a rather grown up Trance who was happy to see her for the first time in forever. At this point, Chrysalis was very weak and very thin. With no love over these months she got back to her weak self. Trance ran to the cage smiling happily. Twilight followed behind him. She didn't seem happy about this meeting. Chrysalis however didn't care she was overjoyed to see him again. His smile went to a concerning frown after he got close to see the chains and condition she was in.

"Chrysalis are you ok? It looks like you haven't eaten in forever!" Trance said concerned trying to reach her through the bars. Chrysalis tried to move herself forward for him to reach just one simple touch would give her peace. But her chains denied her from positioning herself to the front of her cage. Twilight saw the struggle of Chrysalis face and looked rather upset at her performance. Trance was onto something she was thin. Twilight never paid her attention but she looked starving. But she knew why that was and refused to accommodate that pleasure of hers. However right now she figured Chrysalis could use a small lesson on friendship. She loosened the chains on her and watched as Chrysalis crawled toward the young stallion. They hugged happily as Chrysalis finally spoke.

"I am fine. I am feed fine, I just have a weird eating habit. Need more then these ponies can give. "

Twilight stood shocked form what she heard. She sounded liked she was trying to protect the stallion from the fate that she had chosen. Had this creature that seemed so full of hate possibly made a friend? NO, it was an act. Like what she tried to pull on that guard a while back.

"Anything I can do?" Trance asked picking up Chrysalis head as she began to feel the weakness in her neck. Chrysalis looked up at him and saw all the love that surrounded him. Was that all for her? How could a pony care about a monster like her?

"Don't try Chrysalis." Stated Twilight. Trance looked back at her with a pleading eye and then back at Chrysalis after realizing what she needed. After her capture, he looked up changelings they needed love to live. Trance looked at her face as it layed on him through the bars... He wasn't sure how it worked but he knew one thing. He loved her. Without warning he leaned in and gave Chrysalis a kiss upon her lip.

Twilight nor Chrysalis saw this coming Twilight leaped forward and Chrysalis just stayed in place shocked at what this colt had done. Twilight pull him back away from the cell as she watched Chrysalis with a hateful glare. Chrysalis felt a tad bit of response back in her body, but before she could react she felt the chains weaving back between her hooves. Chrysalis tried to stand and give a thanks to her friend only to find he was being held back by Twilight.
"Chrysalis! I told you not to try why did you do that? How did you do that? That magic blocker should have-"

"I didn't." Said Chrysalis still shocked at this act from Trance.

"Please don't hurt her she is my friend, please Twilight. She doesn't deserve what you have done to her. She only wanted to help!" Trance yelled as he was slowly pushed into the hall outside the dungeon. His yells and cries still were held from outside as the magic holding the other two prisoner’s mouths at bay were released.

Chrysalis just stood staring at the door as her friend was taken away.

Her chains now kept her to the back of her cage. Twilight visited day to talk and tighten her chains. "Out of all the things Chrysalis. What did you do to the colt? I thought for maybe a second you could change you could make a friend." Twilight went on and on about friendship for a while. But Chrysalis never said a word instead she stared at the door where her friends was taken.

"Did you care for him?" Twilight asked, to those word Chrysalis looked back and focused on the princess who stood in her cage. Chrysalis never would admit how she felt to a prim princess. She tried that before, and she didn't plan on doing it again.

"Why don't you talk to Celestia. She is the one that can explain why I am the way I am. I am tired of my past and only wish for the future to come quickly."

"Chrysalis! What I don't understand is why you won't even try to change. If you want to live you need to change or you will die of starvation-"

"I will not! You feed me food of your pony kind. Though I may stop taking it due to this. No I will not starve without love! What happens to me is much worse. I grow weak lose powers lose the ability to stand and speak. If that were the worse I would be fine, but no it just so happens that I will grow in much pain. I will lose my sight my legs will begin to grow long and stale. They will be unusable. And then my wings will fall of then my horn. I am no normal changeling as you think. I am the first changeling! And were most changelings will die without love I will not. No matter how much I wish I could!"
Twilight stood shocked at these words. The sound of this disgusted her. Made her question even more why she is unwilling to change if this would be her fate. She had to talk to Celestia.

Celestia arrived soon after she got Twilight's letter. She made her way into the castle a tad worried about the conversation they would need to have today.

"Princess! You came." Twilight said happily running to her mentor.

"Yes, I got your letter. And my dear if you truly want to know I will tell you but it is not pretty nor, am I proud of the past." Celestia said.

Twilight looked confused as they made their way to the study. The two alicorns sat down on some soft couches. Twilight looked at her teacher waiting for the story she was hoping would explain why Chrysalis refused to look at thing her way.

Celestia let out a sigh and began. "My dear Chrysalis was born different from other fillies. She was born around the time of Star-swirled. But she was born with hole in her hooves and horn. She unlike most was also born an alicorn. But she was born with the bug like wings you see today."

Twilight stared confused, this didn't explain much. Expect that she was born weird. But an alicorn? "I thought you said Flurry Heart was the first alicorn born Equestria ever saw."

"That's because Equestria never really saw Chrysalis. Chrysalis's mother was not a good mare. When she saw how her child looked she tried to deny her. Try to understand Chrysalis grew up trapped in the house of her mother. Every time she tried to go out and make friends her mother would do unspeakable things to her. Hang her upside down and abuse her. She used the holes in her legs and wrapped them in chains and held them in the air. While she whipped her."

Twilight stared at the ground upset and angry about this. Chrysalis never had friend. That explained why she couldn't seem to show much emotion. She was never given any.

"One day Chrysalis got a book from the library. It was old ancient. Its cover said it was by Star Swirled but this was not one of his. This held darker magic. I am still uncertain how it ended up in a library. Anyways, she used a spell thinking it would help her escape her mother’s house and when she casted it, things started to go south. I had no idea Chrysalis ever was in trouble, didn't know she existed. Until one day she came to the castle she looked evil then and I did not know what else to do. She was feeding off the love of my subjects. She never meant to but she had attacked her mother and killed her. All she wanted was love. The one thing she was denied all her life. That what the spell did. Find the thing you have been denied and make you feed off if it."

Twilight began to look at her hooves. What was this spell. How can a filly be so strong?

Celestia continued. "Finally, the guard caught her and brought her to me. She was crying when I first saw her. Said she didn't know how to make it stop. Explained about her mother and the spell. I looked everywhere for a spell that would pull this curse off her. But to no prevail. She needed love, and no matter how much she got she would need more. My ponies were already scared and hopeless. I didn't see any other choice but to get rid of her. I thought I would be doing her a kindness. She found out my intentions. I don't blame her for what she did then. She found broke out and ran. All was right and my land. I thought she had died long ago. Not until Cadence's wedding did I realize she was alive."

Twilight looked at the Celestia, had her mentor really consider killing a filly? And one that had been through all that to start with. She felt bad for the creature in her dungeon. Twilight ran off from her to another room. Leaving Celestia to sit in silence.

Downstairs Chrysalis sat as she heard the door open again. This time she was shocked to see Celestia coming in. Celestia close the door behind her and looked at Chrysalis. Slowly she walked down the row of cells to Chrysalis. Where she sat outside the cell and stared at her.

"Long time no see." Celestia said.

"Hmp. Ya not long enough. What do you want?" Chrysalis spoke rudely.

"Just to check on you." She looked back at Chrysalis legs. They were in chains just like when she was a filly. That must hurt. Celestia's horn glowed as the chains were unwrapped from her holes. Chrysalis let out a sigh of relief as her hooves were free. She looked up to Chrysalis as she left the dungeon. she let out a slight smile before laying down with her now free hooves spread across the cage.

A few weeks later a morning start quiet. The couple had recently been allowed to share a cell, ever since they have been making non-stop noise. Chrysalis never even saw any love coming from those two. She began to think they just do that to pass the time. A sudden crash however came from the door. The dust didn't have time to settle before Trance ran into the room. He ran straight to Chrysalis.

"Hello. Let’s get you help!" He said as he rummaged through his bag. He pulled out a dark green potion which he poured on the door. Though the kiss she received the week’s prier had worn off and she was once again weak. Even weaker then she was before. She could not stand but she looked up at Trance with get fear and worry. The cage lock seemed to melt as the potion was poured. He saves a little bit of it and bucked the door down. He ran to her side and poured the potion on the chains around her neck and hooves. He got under her waist and began to drag her on his back.

"Come on Chrysalis, you got to get out. You will die!" He said as he dragged her out of the dungeon. The two bat-ponies watch sitting by in awe at this sight.

Guards form around the castle quickly ran toward the dungeon. Trance watched while holding his friend on his back as the guard surrounded him. Twilight appeared with a pop and a flash of purple light.

"Trance, young one she is not what you think. She has brained washed you. Give her to us. we can help you." Twilight pleading trying to reach out. Trance however had layed Chrysalis down on the floor and poured the last of his potion on her horn.

"NO!" Yelled Twilight as she ran forward to stop this. Only to have the wind knocked out of her by a spell that escaped Chrysalis’s horn, sending all the guards back, she passed out from the spell and begun to bleed from her nose. Trance quickly picked her up and ran for the exit. Spike saw them run by and watched as he could do nothing to help. They ran straight out the front door and into the Everfree forest.

"I got you Chrysalis. No one will hurt you again."