Chrysalis's plans for having a hybrid (thanks to Shining) fail when JUST an earth pony spawns. A failed plan too many for her to cope with...Along with this child.
Chrysalis's plan might've failed in Canterlot, but she has a plan B. To have a changeling/pony hybrid (thanks to a late night with Shining) and use the child's powers for her own doing. But when a regular earth pony (that almost looks like Shining) spawns with absolutely no changeling features or powers whatsoever, she realizes that, not only will she bring it to the father, since she has no idea how take care of a pony, but that that was her last shot at getting food for her subjects. Her plans at helping her children have failed one too many times now. Maybe she shouldn't try anymore...Maybe she should just...give up...give up and take this abomination away from her so she can finally end this! Unless the child and his step parents can change that.
Authors words...yo: As per usual. Editing by Alticron. and don't worry. This is Chrysie's story here. Not Shining's.
The changeling drone held up a clipboard to defend himself for whatever rage his queen will do. “T-t-that’s right my queen...even the DNA tests proved it.”
Chrysalis grabbed the clipboard with her magic and flipped through the pages, studying each one carefully. “How many times?” She asked intensely.
“How many times what?” He asked weakly.
Chrysalis broke the board in half and narrowed her eyes. “How many times did you test it?”
The changeling started shaking “T-t-t-three.” The drone said meekly.
“Only three?!” Chrysalis threw the board pieces back at him, knocking him in the face. “Do it again!” She yelled.
“Ow!” The drone yelped as he rubbed his head. “My Queen...w-w-we're just doing a job.”
Chrysalis growled and picked up the changeling by his throat. “You don’t understand child, this is a very important task, and I must know if it this worked. Because if it...didn’t…then...d-d-did I...hit you?” Chrysalis frowned and looked into the bugs blue eyes in sympathy.
“My Queen?” The changeling continued to shake in fear, he had never seen the queen act so evil, except for the invasion of course, but never to her own subjects. She had been acting like this for quite some time now, it was only for a few weeks after the invasion failed, and she didn't want a single changeling in her quarters, but after a couple days, she was practically begging hatchlings to sleep with her for some nights, never really explaining why.
It wasn’t until a few days ago when she made more eggs that she told the others of a new plan that was coming, one that would work. This drone just hated how he had to go to her room and tell her the news that this plan was starting to backfire. He was just another caretaker, if only he chose rock instead of paper. “Um, well Queen you-”
Chrysalis pulled him in for a hug. “Please forgive me, little one. It’s just that, this would be the fifteenth time that a plan has backfired. I don’t want it to happen again!” She sniffed a bit of tears as the changeling struggled to get out of the death grip his mother was giving him. “Please tell me the egg didn’t mutate or something that could’ve caused this.”
“I-If you’re so c-concerned...neh…then why don’t you...gu...go have a look for yourself.” The changeling pointed down the hall while trying to breath through Chrysalis’ hug.
Chrysalis dropped the changeling and stared off into space. “You’re right, I must see this with my own eyes. Come along little one, let’s see if my nights with that idiot payed off.”
The changeling caught a breath and stood up. “Nights with who?” He asked stupidly.
Chrysalis levitated him and continued walking. “You know who, the one who may have devastated our kind, but will now know that revenge is-”
“A dish best served cold?” The changeling finished with a smile, which went away as his queen glared at him.
“Something like that…” She responded coldly. “Anyway, he’ll know that trying to kill us will be the biggest mistake him, his wife, and especially his sister have ever made in their lives! I swear it!” Chrysalis stopped and looked at her subject with fire in her eyes.
The changelings gulped and pointed behind him. “Um...we-we’re at the nest now…”
Chrysalis looked behind him and smiled. “Very good.” She dropped the drone and walked over him.
She took a big breath and looked around, the entire room was filled to the brim with changelings, almost each one was being cared for, except for the hoof full of caretakers, the only ones who were capable of healing their fellow brothers and sisters, but Chrysalis was more worried about the nest (or nursery, as the ponies would call it.)
Some of the caretakers took notice to the queen’s presence and stood in attention. “Queen!” One of them said. “I see that Tim has told you about the news?”
Chrysalis glanced behind her to see the changeling at the entrance panting heavily. “Yes he has...But I must see if this is true.”
The changeling raised an eye. “But he gave you the test sco-”
“She doesn’t want those Steve.” Tim walked beside his queen and continued to pant. “She wants to see it with her own eyes.”
Steve and the other changelings looked up at their queen, her expression was the most serious they had ever seen before. “Very well,” Steve said, with slight fear in his voice. “I-if you could come this way, my queen.” He extended his bandaged arm toward the entrance to the nest. (he’d extend his other arm, but it was currently casted.)
The entrance was draped with a worn fabric, since not very many changelings saw hatching as a ‘beautiful sight’ to them and would rather stay in bed and rest their wounds away then look at the nest. The queen levitated the drape out of the way and walked in, grinding her teeth in anger. “If this is some sick joke children…” She whispered.
The other changelings quivered in fear as they followed her into the nest. They gazed at the sight, the whole room was lined with cocoons, each one carefully made by egg hatchers. (The ones who see the process happen and make sure it goes successfully.) All of them were on the ground, but the cocoon on the very far right was the one every changeling was at.
Chrysalis slowly walked toward it. The caretakers looked at each other and started thinking that she would barrel through the crowd in order for her to see.
“Move…” She said darkly, making the crowd turn around, gasp, and quickly dispersed from the cocoon. She stopped mid way and looked over at the caretakers. “Are. You. Sure.” She said.
The caretakers quickly huddled. Chrysalis could only guess they were trying to figure out who should tell her. She crossed her hooves and sighed. “Just tell me, I won’t be mad.”
The hatchers that were around the cocoon quickly went toward the others eggs while the caretakers pushed Tim out of the group. He looked at them in anger. “Why did you pick rock?!” The others just pointed behind him, making Tim do the same.
The queen facehoofed. “Is it true…” She said.
“I-I-is what true.” Tim knew the answer, he just didn’t want to say it, he wanted to stall this for as long as possible.
The queen stomped her hoof down in frustration and turned around. “Can’t I get an answer out of anyling today?!”
Tim ran back to the group and hid behind them. “Next time, you’re doing it Carl.” He whispered.
“Why me?” He said, getting no response from the others. He groaned and crossed his hooves. “Man...I hate this hive.”
Chrysalis glared at her subjects and said, “Leave.” In the darkest tone of voice possible, making every caretaker and hatcher in the room do as she said within two seconds. Chrysalis sighed and put her hooves on the edge of the cocoon.
She wanted to look in it, to see if it was a lie, to see if it was a mistake, to see if this was some prank by her children, but as her eyes gazed into the glowing green open sack, she knew it was true.
There, sleeping soundly, in a pile of shells that she could only guess were from an egg, laid an all white, blue haired, non horned or winged...pony.
Chrysalis dropped her jaw and reeled her head back in horror. “No…” She whispered. “T-that didn’t happen…” She clung to her chest and looked away. “That did..not...happen.” She turned around and looked at it again.
It was still there, and it had no transparent wings, or a jagged horn, or even holes in its hooves, even it’s tail looked like...like...HIM!
“Shining...That...that...that…” Chrysalis turned away and growled. She was trying to think of what to call him, she knew what she was thinking about, that pony, that very pony, whose DNA had made it so she couldn’t bear an all powerful hybrid, the pony that finally answered her prayers to finally help her children, only for him to take it away, that pony who she...actually had sex with. Granted, he was just a mind controlled zombie at the time and just laid there and took it, but that still didn’t make it right in her eyes. “That….MONSTER!” She yelled.
Then she heard it, she knew she did, ears don’t twitch without a reason. Maybe it’s just the wind, or another sound outside of the nest, but no, it was a small yawn from that...that abomination. She turned around and looked at the cocoon again, only for her eyes to start tearing up. “No…” She cried. “Not your eyes too…”
It stared at her. Its face was filled with curiosity, and its eyes were as blue as its hair, though not as blue as a changeling’s eye. It still had white on the edge and black in the middle. Chrysalis hoped that its iris would be slightly slit like her’s, but it was nothing but a ball of black.
For the longest time, she stared at this pony. Her mind was still trying to process how this could happen. “No…” She said to the colt. “Y-you’re not a pony, you’re just some...trick of the light, some...some magic spell that turned you into this.” She put her hooves on both sides of the child and came nose to tiny nose with him. “You’re not real!”
The colt tilted it’s head and Chrysalis showed her teeth. “Change back. I know the others changed you into this pony just to spite me for what I’ve done. Change back!”
The pony continued to look at her in wonder, its blue eyes looked at her face in amazement. Then it did something Chrysalis wasn’t prepared for.
It laughed.
It closed it eyes.
Smiled.
And laughed.
Right in front of her face, and as it opened it eyes, it started to reach out and grab one of her hairs, but before he could get a grip, Chrysalis threw her hooves and head in the air and yelled. “WHY! Why do you ponies act like this! Must you laugh at everything!?”
She pointed a hoof at him. “I am not something you should be laughing at child…no...you are not my child...you some horrible creation that the others made.” She didn’t realize it, but the pony rose from it’s pile of egg shells and grabbed her hoof.
Chrysalis looked away and continued. “Maybe you’re some...some...oh come on Chrysie, just think of something that can make this not real. Maybe you could be dreaming…wha?” Chrysalis was about to pace around the room, but the baby clung to her arm and started gnawing on it.
Chrysalis glared at it and brought it up to eye level. “And just what are you doing.” The baby stopped chewing on her arm and hung from it, smiling and giggling while Chrysie resisted every part of her being to not throw the child across the room.
“No,” She continued to inspect it with anger. “I’m not like them who just throw their problems in the air.” She sat down and lifted the colt with her magic. “Why are you not afraid of me, you ugly little child? Anyone would be scared of a creatures like us, they've done that for hundreds of years, never giving us a chance at love!” She flopped her ear stems down, remembering some of it was messing with her mind. She was prepared for whatever annoying cries this colt would yell, but it continued to curl it’s body and look at her with happiness, it was making her sick.
“You think you’re trying to make me happy? You are wrong...dead wrong!” She got up and walked to a nearby table and set the child on it, And as much as she didn’t want to, she kept it away from tools used for surgery and put it in front of a mirror. “Just look! You’re not even like me!”
The colt gasped and backed away from it and clung to Chrysalis. She rolled her eyes and pushed it forward, only for it to climb on her arm and run up to her neck, holding on to it for dear life.
“So you are scared of me?” She smiled, but the child looked at her and pointed at his reflection. “What?...Yes, that is you. You are that perfectly hideous creature while I’m the...the…” They both looked at mirror. He looked at it with fear, while she looked at it with a frown. “The other hideous creature.”
The pony’s curiosity hit him and he slid down her body until he hit the table. He looked at himself again and walked cautiously closer until he was inches away. Chrysalis shook her head at the sight and sighed, knowing this was a complete waste of time, she should be getting rid of this child and...and…doing...what would she be doing? She thought about this while the colt continued to play with the mirror.
He put his hoof to the mirror and quickly pulled away in fright, only to do it again, then he put the other hoof up, then he pressed his face into it and stuck his tongue out. He giggle a licked it before shaking his head in disgust at how the glass tasted.
He looked at it again and saw that Chrysalis was now looking away. He ran up to it and raised his body so he could get a better look.
He tilted his head and tapped the glass, making Chrysie turn around (from his perspective) and glare at him. He smiled and waved at her, like she was really in front of him.
“Yes…” Chrysalis said. “I see you, and no, I don’t care.” Then the baby stepped back and turned around to see that she was behind him. He looked back and forth in confusion until Chrysalis walked up to him. “It’s just a reflection,” She pointed the mirror then to herself. “That’s a reflection of me while I am the real thing. It’s just an illusion, which you should be.” She walked away as the child tried to hold her again.
He stretched his arms out from the edge of the table, but she was too far away. Chrysalis just ignored him while she continued finding out what to do next. “It’s okay...this is just a minor setback…” She looked at the colt again to see it was still trying to reach her. “I’m not your mother!” She yelled, hoping that would make him stop, but the child continued to reach her.
Chrysalis sighed and looked away from him. “Maybe...maybe I can change him...no...that would just kill him, he’d probably try to kill himself fir-”
Her ear twitched again, making her turn around to see the child on the floor. She held her hoof to her chest and gasped, thinking that thought had come true, but the child stood up and stat on his flank while rubbing his arm.
Chrysalis sighed again and walked over to the now whimpering pony, her shadow looming over him. As the pony looked up, Chrysalis could see that it was starting to cry, she thought she finally got the pony to fear her, but then it crawled toward her with one hoof raised.
“Get back!” She yelled and backed up while the child fell to his side and started to cry a little. “Oh for my sake...What is wrong with you?” She held him with her magic and inspected him. Doing so made him calm down and sniff a bit. “What? Does your arm hurt? Did you fall on it when your small brain realized your small arms couldn’t reach me?”
He nodded while continuing to rub his arm. Chrysalis was surprised to see that he could understand her, but she ignored it and grabbed his injured arm. “It’s not even that bad.”
The little pony whimpered as she continued to mess with his arm. “Just a little bruise. My children wouldn’t cry…over…” Chrysalis thought about that while the child finally decided to calm down. “Alright maybe my children would cry over this, but I don’t know how your kind works, so for all I know, this isn’t something a ground walker like you should be getting upset about.”
The colt sniffed a bit of snot before tilting his head at her. Chrysalis was starting to think that she was wrong and that this pony couldn’t understand a word what she was saying. “Will you just….GRAH!” Chrysalis tossed the child into the cocoon and screamed. “WHY!? Why couldn’t you just work, why won’t they ever work!” The colt popped its head out of the pile of egg shells and gazed at his mother in worry.
“W-why...every plan...every attempt at helping them...every time I try to help...it just...never works.” She looked at the colt to see it was still giving a look of sympathy. “You were my last chance colt...and you ruined it by being a weak and defenseless pony.” Chrysalis walked up the mirror and looked at herself. “Now I have nothing...just a cave as a home and subjects that will soon die off...ALL BECAUSE OF Y-” Chrysalis wanted to say it, to put the blame on this single creature, to say it was all its fault, but she knew it wasn’t true.
The pony was starting to climb out and walk to her, Chrysalis didn’t notice since she slammed her forehead on the table. “Who am I kidding.” She said miserably. “It’s all my fault, I have noling else to blame but me, I set up the plans, I told them what to do, and I failed every time. It’s all my...hu?” Chrysalis turned around and felt that her tail was currently being played with by the pony.
Chrysalis sighed and lifted her tail to eye level to see the pony was still hanging on to it. “You know exactly how to get on my nerves, don’t you?” The child laughed and proceeded to swing back and forth.
Chrysalis rolled her eyes shook him off her tail, where he then landed on the table and looked at her with a smile. “Nothing you do will cheer me up child...Nothing can right now…” Chrysalis slumped her head on the table again, this time landing on her chin.
The colt frowned and slumped its head on her nose to they could see eye to eye. Chrysalis closed her eyes and groaned. “Just leave me alone, little one. Every time I look at you you just remind me of that waste of interco- I mean...time.” She opened her eyes again to see that he was still laying on her nose. “I don’t know why you think you’re related to me,” She levitated him off and made him face the mirror. “Why can’t you just see the difference…”
Chrysalis was getting tired of yelling, so she laid on her forehead again and placed the colt on her head. “Just see it and understand you were supposed to be both. You idiotic father was a pony, and I’m a changeling...meaning you should be BOTH!”
She lifted her head and saw that he was hanging on to her horn. “You have all the features he has, even your smile is just like him. Which I’m pretty sure he’s doing the same right now. They're all laughing at me, all of them realizing that their plans for destroying our race prevailed, THAT” She slammed her hoof on the table. “IDIOTIC wife of his and that” She did it again. “MEDDLING sister and her” And again. “STUPID FRIENDS...What’s the pointing of even having them if they can be used against you…Against you…” Chrysalis looked up at the pony again, who was now chewing on her horn.
She smiled and grabbed him with her hooves. “Maybe you can be useful. Maybe I can use you to...no...use you as a hostage so...no...use...you...so...oh…oh what's the point.” She fell to the floor, knocking items off the table and falling around her and the child. None actually hitting them.
Chrysalis groaned and cradled what she thought was the child. “I’m sorry...I just...I just can't...can’t...uh?” She opened her eyes to see the colt was right in front of her...holding a quill in its mouth, while she was holding a book.
She looked at the colt in misery, know just what it was telling her. “You’re right little one. Maybe I should just...give up...give up and end this.” She grabbed the quill out of his mouth, ripped a blank paper out of the book, and dipped the quill into a puddle of ink that was in a jar, which spilt on the floor when she was slamming her hoof on the table.
She held the quill above the paper, knowing that, if she went with it, there would be no turning back. She looked at the colt one more time, he was looking at her in utter confusion, not sure as to what she was doing with the feather he was going to play with.
She levitated him up to the side of her face. “You will be the last little mistake I take care of once I’m done with this. Since I cannot fix the rest. You will never bother me or my subjects after this, and nether will I.”
She sniffed a bit and started writing. “To my loyal subjects.”
Both the changelings looked away from each other and stared at their other brother. “Maybe you want to talk to her Lee. Seeing as how you were just so brave when you heard her scream.”
Lee smacked him on the back of his head. “I was just startled was all, and you jumped higher than the rest of us.”
“Lee’s right Carl...you were acting pretty scared when she screamed ‘OH WHY!? Why must it be like this’” The other changeling said in a mocking tone.
“Don’t make fun of the queen, Sid.” The fourth, and last, changeling in the group yelled. “You try dealing with all of this, I’m sure she’s scared out of her mind.”
“You mean how you get scared of those silly stories Shift and Lift told, Stan?”
Stan backed up a bit glared at him. “They are not...that...scary…”
“Enough!” Lee yelled. “Who’s goin’ in?”
“Why don’t we do odds and evens?”
“There’s four of us Carl, that won't work.”
“Then who ever is the bravest bug...”
“In that case…” Stan said. “You go, Carl.”
“How about…” Carl looked around, then he had an idea. “Lee, why don’t you go...uh...go find someling who could help.” He winked at him while Stan tapped his hoof.
“Who else can help? Everyone else is-” Stan then felt something tap his shoulder, he groaned and looked behind him to see…
“Hi Stan.”
Stan then screamed and ran into the nest while the other three laughed for a few minutes. “Oh man...That was great, nice thinkin’ Carl.” Lee said.
“Yup, changing into your friend’s fear is a good way to-”
“Uh..guys...”
Lee, Carl, and Sid turned to the entrance to see Stan come out with a piece of paper in his hooves. “Did you guys see the queen leave the nest?”
Carl walked up to him. “Don’t think so...What's that in your hooves?”
Stan smiled. “Oh...lets see.” He rolled up the paper and smacked it across his friends face. “IT’S PAIN!” He then proceeded to smack him repetitively with the paper.
Carl shielded head while Lee snatched it out of Stan’s hooves. “ STOP! You didn’t see the queen in there?” Lee asked while he unrolled the paper.
Stan shook his head. “I didn’t even see the kid. It’s like they just vanished.”
Sid rolled his eyes. “Queens don’t vanish Stan.”
Stan ran up face to face with him. “I’m telling you, the Queen and the kid are gone, and you are a jerk for even-”
“‘To my loyal subjects.’” The other three turned to Lee as he read off the paper.
“You tryin’ to scare me again?” Stan said while the others snickered.
“This is serious guys.” Lee said “It look’s like it’s from her.”
“Well,” Sid said. “What’s it say?”
Lee adjusted the paper again and cleared his throat. “‘To my loyal subjects…”
Chrysalis stared out the window and took a deep breath, she didn't want to rush things. This was something that needed to be taken with great care, and all it takes is one small mistake for this plan to fail. She just needed to- “Um...Ma'am; your uh, child is eating your hair.”
Chrysalis grinded her teeth and looked away from the window to see that the colt was sitting on the train table and chewing on her hair. She would've throttle him if it wasn’t for the pony looking at them.
She pulled her disguised hair out of his mouth and laughed. “Oh, you know colts, they just love to mess with anything.” Chrysie grabbed the colt and held it up to her eyes. “Especially this one.”
The pony shrugged. “I wouldn’t know anything about kids. There too much of a hassle for me to have.” He pointed at the colt as it tried to grab Chrysie’s hair. “I don’t know how you mares can handle something like that.”
Chrysalis yelped at it yanked on her hair again, she growled at him and whispered. “Do it again child…” She set him on the table and stared intently at it’s blue eyes. “I don’t know how I can handle it either.”
The colt crawled up to her and tapped her on the nose, making Chrysalis sigh and the stallion chuckled. “But at least it has cuteness to make up for it. right?”
Chrysalis rested her chin on the table and sighed. “Right…”
The pony stretched in his seat. “Does he get his looks from his father? ‘cause, no offence, but, he doesn’t have any of your features.”
Chrysalis got up and look at her reflection in the window. She didn’t look like him at all, a pink mane with a yellow pelt and green eyes probably wasn’t the best disguise to use when carrying a colt like this. A being a pegasus wasn’t that convincing either. She laughed nervously and adjusted her hair. “Yes, he does look a lot like his father...almost too much.”
“How nice,” The pony smiled. “where’s your husband?”
Chrysalis turned away to hide the anger on her face. “Somewhere...” She said through her grinding teeth.
The pony chuckled. “How’s he doin’?”
Chrysalis looked back at him, trying to hold her anger. “I’m sure he’s doing fine...too fine.”
The pony seemed oblivious to her rage and looked out of his own window. “Sounds great. Where are the three of you heading?”
Chrysalis thought about that. She had no idea where this train was heading, she just flew on from the tracks, disguised, and walked in. It was almost too easy, now she just needed to figure out where that alicorn and her husband were. Perhaps they were still in Canterlot, but Chrysalis knew if her plan actually worked, she would be long gone. So where would they be?
“Um...hello?”
Chrysalis snapped out of it and looked at the stallion. “Oh...um..well, where are you going?”
He smiled. “To the Crystal Empire.”
Chrysalis shook her head. “Never heard of it.” To be fair, she never heard of any place besides Canterlot. Inside Equestria of course.
“I wouldn’t blame ya, I never heard about it until a few months ago when it was found. I just want to see what the crystal ponies look like in pony, I heard there almost see through.”
Chrysalis raised an eye. Not sure what to think about ponies with see through bodies. “Sounds… interesting.”
“Sure is, especially since the new prince and princess are there.”
Chrysalis tilted her head, doing so made the colt grab the hair that was hanging from her. “Prince and princess?”
“Yeah, I heard about them in the papers, when six brave ponies ventured out into the winter tundra, with the prince aiding them, and talking about some big bad king named Sombra after he enslaved the entire race.”
“Pfff, some villain.” Secretly, Chrysalis was rather impressed to hear one pony was able to rule like that.
The stallion got up from his seat and walked up to her. “And it was so amazing to hear that Cadenza and Shining were able to defeat that monstrosity too.”
Chrysalis stood up from her seat and dropped her jaw as the colt hung from her hair. “W-what?”
“I didn’t know they were able to do it either, but apparently the paper said that Shining’s sister and her five friends helped defeat him with some crystal heart or something.”
Chrysalis was trying to take in this new information that this stallion was giving, all the while, the colt was starting to climb from her hair to the top of her head. “H-h-how did-”
“I know, isn’t it amazing, and to think they use the power of love to stop him. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, am I right?”
Chrysalis looked around worriedly. “W-what’s that suppose to mean?”
The pony shrugged. “Well, love took down that changeling queen a few months ago, and it took out that one king, seems like it’s pretty powerful, wait...King and queen, do you think those two were trying to take over together?”
“Like I would want to…” Chrysalis scoffed before clearing her through. “I-I mean, like she, a changeling queen, would need another ruler to aid her.”
The pony backed away a bit. “Um...you okay?”
Chrysalis felt a drip of sweat starting to form around her head. “Oh...um..I’m just-”
“You seem pretty protective about her, you don’t think she’s a good guy, right?”
“N-no...I-”
The colt interrupted her by grabbing on to one of her wings swinging from it. Chrysalis looked to her side in annoyance while the pony looked on in amusement. “Aww, quite an adventurer, isn’t he?”
Chrysalis sighed, he had to thank the little one for providing a slight distraction. “Look, do you know when we’ll be at the next stop?”
The stallion looked behind her. “Actually, we’re here now.” He pointed out the window. Chrysalis turned around to see that they had indeed reached a destination, though she had no idea what it was.
She pointed at the window. “Is this...the crystal empire?”
The stallion nodded while getting his suitcase. “Yup, now I can finally see what a crystal pony looks like.” He walked away, leaving Chrysalis with a lot of information to soak in. All of this, with her worst enemies defeating another villain. It was becoming too much for her to han-
*RIP*
Chrysalis held in her screams as the colt fell to the ground with a piece of her hair in his mouth. He looked up at her and smiled. Chrysalis twitched one of her eyes and slowly picked him up.
Every part of her wanted to shove that hair down his throat. But the innocence of his eyes, and the bystanders that would soon watch, only held her back. “Just a little bit longer Chrysie,” She said to herself. “then you can be done with this.” She lifted the pony on her back and walked out the door, with her hair still in his mouth.
“Okay! Okay! I spy with my big eye...something….transparent.”
“Um….lets seeeeeeeee. That pony in red!”
“Nooooo~”
The guard crystal grunted and tapped his chin. “What about...that pony in the green?”
“Nope.” The other crystal guard shook her head and smiled.
“That one with the glasses?”
The mare leaned on the guard. “Nope.”
The stallion groaned. “That one with the long mane?”
“Nu uh," The mare said while adjusting her hair. "but pretty close.”
The male guard started to catch on. “Alright...How about the one with the filly?”
“Closer~”
“Mmmmhhhhh...How about that….that...whoa.” The stallion started trailing off as his eyes gazed on a sight that was more important than this pretend game of eye spy.
“That what Hiver?” The mare put a hoof on his armor chest plate and fluttered her eyes. “Don’t you think it’s that-”
“Beautiful, colt carrying, green eyed mare….with eyes that are so...so...amazing.”
“What?” The other guard followed her partner’s eyes to see a mare with a pink mane and yellow body coming there way. What bothered her wasn’t the colt on her back, but her eyes looking straight at Hiver’s in the most seductive way possible.
The strange mare smiled and waved. “Hello, you two wouldn’t mind helping a single mare like me,” She walked up to them and looked at the Stallion with pleading, glowing green eyes. “would you?”
The mare glared while the other guard smiled. “Of course we wouldn’t, right Loula?”
“Right…What do you need help with citizen?”
Chrysalis smiled and blinked a bit to make sure her eyes were doing their job. “Maybe you can help me get to the prince and princess’ home?” She pressed her hoof on Hiver’s armor plate.
The mare stepped between the two of them. “I’m sorry, but we can’t just let some random mare-”
“Oh come on Loula, she just want’s to know where they live, it’s no big deal.”
“No big deal! Hive, we can’t let them-”
Hiver shoved her out of the way and held Chrysalis’ hoof. “I’d be happy to show you the way to their home.”
Chrysalis giggled. “How kind of you.”
Lou ground her teeth. “Why do you wanna see them anyway?”
Chrysalis patted her colt with her wing. “I just want to show the little one where the...” Chrysalis sighed. “lovely married couple are living.” She almost threw up saying that.
Hive patted the colt’s head. “Come, let me show you and your little bundle of joy where they live. Maybe I can...show you around the town while we're at it?” Hiver leaned on her and gazed deeper into her eyes. It was only making Chrysalis’ job even easier.
All the while, Loula was resisting the urge to help that pegasus’ colt chew a piece of her hair off. “Is there a reason why that colt is chewing a piece of your hair?” She asked.
Chrysalis looked away from the guard and smiled at Lou. “Oh, he’s just having fun. Don’t you think...um...what was your name?” Chrysie tugged on on Hiver’s wings.
Hiver’s eyes turned from dark blue to bright green once she said that. “It’s Hiver.” He said lovingly.
“Hiver? What a lovely name.” Chrysalis giggled again and walked with Hiver by her side, leaving Lou with dropped jaw and a colt waving to her from the back of a stallion stealer.
“And to your left you’ll see some more lovely houses crafted by our very own crystal ponies, and over there you can see our library, filled with all the knowledge for a mare like you, and over there you can see…”
Chrysalis groaned as the stallion continued to show her around the city. She didn’t have time for this at all, nor the patience. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the colt was still there, chewing her piece of hair that he tore out on the train, she was hoping he would choke on it.
“And to your other left, you can see-” Chrysalis grabbed him before he could say another word.
“Look, this is all very amusing, but instead of looking at all this scenery, how about you...”
The stallion shook her away and looked ahead. “But there’s so much stuff for you to see! You can see-”
Chrysalis lost it. She took hold of his face and locked him with her eyes. “Just take me to where those two idiotic ruler's are!”
The guard stared deeply into her bright green eyes, he was beginning to realized that this mare needed his help. So, with his eyes also glowing green, he faced forward and said, “Yes, they’re this way.” He said in monotone.
Chrysie smiled and continued walking next to him, now she could finally clear her head of this annoying guard and think about-
*RIP*
Her eye twitched again, knowing all too well where that sound came from. She held in her screams and took a deep breath. “It’s okay, it’s fine, you’re almost there anyway.”
“Here we are!” The guard looked up, Chrysalis did the same and gasped at the sight. The tower was as tall as the one she tried to take, and the whole thing being made out of crystals only astounded her more.
“T-that tall?” Chrysalis skimmed down the rest of the tower until her eyes fell upon the door.
“Yes. Very powerful...Very nice…” Chrysalis looked back at him and saw the effects of mind control were starting to fry his brain.
She groaned and smacked him upside the head. “Thank you so much.” She said in a caring tone as the guard started regaining consciousness.
“Wha...who….Oh...Oh yeah!...No problemo miss...um...miss…” He motioned his hoof to tell him what her name was.
“A name that you shouldn’t worry your pretty little head about.” She patted his head and walked away from him.
The guard hung his mouth open as the hottest mare he had ever met walked away from him, with the colt on her back waving at him with two pieces of hair in his mouth.
“What a mare…”
Chrysalis sighed and looked up at the front doors, contemplating if she should either go through or just leave the child on the front step, but she knew others would see her doing this, and the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself.
She sighed and took the child off her back and set it on the ground. It smiled up at her and continued chewing on the pieces of hair. Chrysalis groaned and pulled the dead strands of her hair out of his mouth. The child made a grab for them but Chrysalis quickly filled the gap between her face and his. “What is with you and your sick obsession with my hair, child?” she growled.
The colt responded with his tiny hoof touching his nose. Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “You are worse than the hatchlings.”
She picked the child up again and made her way to the doors. “Just walk in and give them the child, then you can go home and forget about all of this…” Chrysalis rested her hoof on the door and looked down, knowing that if she went home, she would only be reminded that she was still a ruler with no food to give for her children.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Enough. you’ll find a way to help them Chrysie, you always…always...yes...you…” She slid her hoof down the door and sat down, the colt tumbled out of her grip and landed next to her. He looked around until his eyes met her’s. He then tilted his head, wondering why water was coming out of them.
“Because something like this is just...too much for me to-”
“But you don’t even have to do anything. You can just lay there and-”
“I’m talking about what happens after, Cadance!”
Cadance crossed her hooves. “But it’ll be fun.”
Shining shook his head. “I don’t think it will, too much responsibility, and besides, I’d rather have Twilight do it.”
Cadance tilted her head. “Why would you-”
“Because I want to be an uncle instead, so I know I have a child, yet it’s not mine.”
Cadance giggled. “Then who would you want to be your brother-in-law? Last I remember, you don’t like it when others mess with your sister.”
Shining groaned. “It was just one punch, and the private didn’t even see it coming, he should’ve thought twice before he bumped into her, and I could see he wasn’t right for her.”
Cadance came up behind him and grabbed his shoulders. “You’re too overprotective Shining, you gotta let her decide who she wants.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want her messing with a soldier who doesn’t even know how to throw a spear, or can’t even jump a hurdle, nor can he run like the rest of the perfectly good stallions who do better,” He shrugged her off. “not only that, but I don’t want her around someone who I know can't support a child.”
“So someone like you?”
Shining opened his mouth, but only knew she had a point. “I just want her to be happy.”
“Then let her chose, she didn’t choose for you when you met me.”
“Yeah, but she knew you, so that only makes it fair if I knew the guy.”
“But you did.”
“Yeah...well...he wasn’t-”
“And she might like him back.”
“But he-”
“And he could use more training.”
Shining was starting to understand that the more his wife talked, the more she was right. “But...he...I…”
Cadance wrapped her arms around his neck. “Maybe if you get to know him, then you’ll like him.”
Shining sighed. “Alright, I might as well, since it’s either that or having one of my own.”
“Are you sure you don’t wanna have one?” Cadance frowned, but Shining wasn’t buying it.
“I’m positive. It’s bad enough having one pony to look after.” He smiled.
Cadance giggled. “Same here.”
“So now I’m the one who needs caring?”
The both smiled and leaned in for a kiss, which was then interrupted by a knock at the door. They got out of their embrace and looked at the door. “Didn’t you ask for the day off?” Cadance asked.
“Yes, so either that’s food or something important, and we already had lunch.” Shining walked away from Cadance.
He closed his eyes and flared up his horn, within seconds the door opened, making Cadance gasp. Shining looked at her. “What’s wrong?” He turned back to the door. “Who’s at the do...or…” Shining backed up and stood in front of Cadance, wondering why in Equestria this of all things was right in front of their door.
“T-that’s really funny miss, but just because you have a child that...really looks like me, doesn’t mean it’s-”
“Care to explain, Shining!”
Shining yelped as Cadance pulled his hair. He pulled away from her grip and looked up at her glaring eyes “Ow...Cadance, It’s not my-”
“It is yours.” The pony at the door said in the most monotone voice she could make. “I know this since I’m the mother.” The mare, who was Chrysalis in disguise, had no time to waste when it came to getting rid of this colt, so she wanted it off her hooves as soon as possible, she didn’t care if two of her most hated enemies were staring at her, she didn’t want to have any of this, besides, she could deal with them later.
Cadance could only look back and forth at the colt on the mare’s back and her husband, it was only making her angrier by the second. “How could you?!”
Shining, on the other hoof, was taking this situation very differently. “Honey, I don’t understand a thing this mare is saying, just because she has a colt that looks…” He looked back at the colt, who did nothing but chew strands of hair and smile. “Just...like...me...Um, doesn’t mean I-”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t remember the intercourse.” The disguised mare said. “You weren’t yourself when we were doing it. You were practically laying there, dazed out of your mind and had no idea what was going on.”
Both ponies dropped their jaws while the disguised Chrysalis stood deadpanned in the face. “You act as if you don’t know me.” She said.
“Wh- uh…tug..b...o-of course I don’t know you, for- for all I know, you put a spell on your child and brought it here…” He nodded his head. “Yeah, you brought it here just so you could-”
“Well, believe me,” The mare interrupted. “I thought it was a spell to, or the children just pulling a prank on me, but no, it’s a pony, nothing more, nothing less. So…” She took the colt off her back and placed it in front of her. “Take it.” She then pushed it forward.
The colt sat up and continued chewing chrysie’s strands of hair. He had no clue what was going on, but he did like how he was looking in a mirror again, though this one looked like it was bigger, and sillier, since the face his reflection was making was hilarious.
Though, in reality, it was Shining Armor staring at the colt in utter shock and horror, unable to understand just why this colt was sitting right in front of him, with a body and face that looked just like him when he was a colt.
“Listen, lady, how did you get here anyway?” Cadance said with a glare. She was on the verge of starting a fight.
The mother mare glared right back. “If you must know; one of your guards helped point me in your direction.”
Shining took his eyes off the colt and looked back at the mare in front of them. “How? The crystals guards normally don’t aid every day ponies into bringing them to the prince and princess’s home.”
“That’s because I made the idiot bring me here.” The mare said nonchalantly, causing the couple to raise their eyes.
“You....made him bring you here?” Cadance asked, thinking that this sounded very familiar.
Chrysalis groaned, knowing sooner or later these two would figure out her disguise. She just wanted to get out of this situation and move on with the rest of her short life. “Yes.” She said. “I did. I did the same exact trick on your husband a year or so ago.”
“Same tri...what? What are you talking about, what trick?” Shining was still trying to put the pieces together while Cadance was starting to understand who this mare really was.
Cadance looked away from her and thought about this. “A year ago, that was...that was when I was...wait…” Cadance stepped back. “No...n-no that’s not...that’s…”
“What’s wrong Cadance?” Shining ignored the child next to him and looked at his wife. “I mean, besides this mare telling us that I’m a father, when the only mare I ever fell in love with was you.”
“Technically, that’s not true, Shining.”
Shining closed his eyes and groaned, just as Cadance gasped in horror. “You know what, mare. Why don’t you just take your child and go...go...g-g-go…”
Once Shining opened his eyes, he looked into another pair, a pair of eyes that he never forgot about, the same pair that he saw just a week after the wedding, the same pair that he saw in his nightmares, the completely green eyes with a black slit right in the middle. These were the same eyes That made him blank out and forget everything, and not care for anyone, except for...her.
“You…” Shining said in a dark tone as he stepped back and stood in front of his wife in a protective manor. He clenched his teeth and looked up at the now fully changed mare in front of them.
“You act as though you’re surprised to see me.” Chrysalis said without a care for what would happen after this. She flared up her horn and closed the door behind her, not wanting anyone else to interfere with this little exchange.
Cadance and Shining stood their ground, knowing what this changeling was capable of. “What do you think you’re doing here Chrysalis!” Shining yelled.
The queen facehoofed. “Are you still that stupid! I told you I was here to give you this.” She pointed at the colt, who was now on his back, rolling back and forth in a playful manner.
“What do you mean ‘still’, and where did you get that colt?” Shining started getting the idea that she stole the colt just to make an excuse to...to...well, to do something!
“What I mean is that you are still an idiot.” Chrysalis stood over him. “You have a mind that is so simple to control, that I don’t even need to think clearly to fry your brain, I’d do it now if I wasn’t on a time crunch, and if your wife wasn’t here.”
Shining stood his ground while Cadance came between the two of them. “My husband is not an idiot, and he will never love you.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes as the colt started making his way up her leg. “I don’t care who he loves, I just want this colt” She almost jumped when she turned to see the child on her back. “Out of my hooves.” She slowly turned to the couple again. “So take it.”
Shining stomped his hoof. “What does this colt have anything to do with-”
“For one thing! He’s your son, and two, I have no idea how to raise a pony!”
“He’s not my son, that wouldn’t make any sense.” Shining knew for a fact that changelings don’t have pony children, they only have drones and nothing more.
“I know it doesn’t make any sense, which is why I don’t want to have any part of it, so take it!” Chrysalis grabbed the child with her magic and threw it at Cadance, who caught it with her own magic.
“How is he your child? He doesn’t even look like a changeling.” Cadance inspected the colt, not a single feature on it had any indication what it was part changeling.
“You can blame your husband for that.” She pointed at said accused husband and glared at him.
Shining was completely flabbergasted. “Me? What did I do? You were the one who-”
Chrysalis pushed Cadance out of the way and grabbed Shining by the throat. “You were the one who wasted a whole forty five minutes of intercourse! You just had to be one of those kinds of stallions and last forever. I didn’t even want any enjoyment out of it. All I wanted was a child that would be my plan B, but no, you ruined it, just like you ruined all my plans for feeding my kind!”
Shining struggled to get out of the panting changelings grasp, luckily, Cadance helped by smacking Chrysalis across the face, sending her a few feet back. “You had sex with my husband!?”
Chrysalis rubbed the side of her face. “You act like you care that I mated with your husband.” Chrysalis didn’t know anything about what these ponies cared about when I came to sex, it’s not like it’s personal or anything, it’s just intercourse.
As for Shining and Cadance, they looked at her with wide eyes and dropped jaws. “I-I-I had...had...you….and me...we…” Shining looked away and rubbed his head, trying to comprehend everything that was happening.
While he was doing that, Cadance was on the verge of blasting this queen a second time. “I do care, Chrysie! How could you do this?”
“Simple. I just made him look into my eyes and then once he was under my control I laid him on the bed and I got on top of him and-”
“I mean WHY!? Why did you do it?” Cadance didn’t want to know ‘how’ it happened at all.
“So I could have a hybrid that would have the powers of a pony and those of a changeling, but your husband's DNA decided to favor all of his kind and completely ignore what I had and made….THAT!” Chrysalis pointed at the colt again, who was looking up at his still zoned out father.
“So, you tried to make a hybrid? Why? How would making one even make a difference?” Cadance was starting to question this queens plan, it was starting to become even more outrages by the minute.
Chrysalis had enough, now was the time to leave, now was the time to finally rid this child and forget all of this, she would just answer this and leave. “He would help by...by b-by...uh, by dealing with...by...by controlling...welding...d-destroying...uh…” She sat down and looked down at the floor, wonder just what would happen if this plan did work, if she bread a hybrid, how would it help her? It would at least take a few years until it was ready, and even then the changelings wouldn’t be very strong.
“Well?” Cadance crossed her arms, wanting to hear whatever crazy answer this changeling would give her.
“I-I...I don’t know…”
Cadance ran up to her and went nose to nose with the queen. “Well how does that even make any logical...wait...you...don’t know?” Cadance backed up. “T-then why did-”
“WILL YOU STOP ASKING THESE QUESTION, YOU IGNORANT MARE!” Chrysalis yelled, causing Cadance to back up into the still zoned out Shining and the colt, who was now hiding behind her. “You don’t even need to ask anything, you just need to take this abomination out of my sight and just let me and the rest of my children die in peace, it’s what you wanted in the first place anyway!” Chrysalis panted heavily just as a stream of tears were making their way down her face.
Cadance cringed and the colt hung onto her leg, wondering why his mother was making water come out of her eyes again. “D-die?” Cadance wasn’t sure if she heard that right. She didn’t want their species to not exist, she just didn’t want them in Equestria, they could go somewhere else, like...like… “Oh…” She thought “There is no where else.”
“Please,” Chrysalis continued. “Just take the child and leave us, and don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want to see my children in a dead pile while your guards stand right next to them with spears prepared to strike me tomorrow.” Chrysalis hung her head again and tried to wipe the tears away.
Cadance bit her bottom lip, she hated seeing her worst enemy telling her that she had sex with her husband, but she also hated seeing her cry like this, especially after telling her that their species would soon die out, all because of her and her husband. speaking of which. “Um, Shining, do you have...you know...anything to say?”
Shining only responded with slight whispered to himself and hooves covering his face. “I-I don’t...I mean, I wasn't...forty five minutes?”
“What?” Cadance stepped away while Chrysalis raised her head, her tears now dried off.
“Well, I mean, forty five minutes is...well...I..I didn’t even know I could-” He rubbed his arm and looked at the changeling queen. “Uh...how was it?”
Chrysalis tilted her head while Cadance dropped her jaw again. “That’s what you care about right now?” Cadance stormed up to her husband and looked down at him. “Shining, I don’t know if you were listening, but she just said that her kind was dying, and that she-”
“It was...alright…” Chrysalis looked away. “I’ve had better but...not the worst.” She shrugged while Cadance started losing her mind.
“I-I-I...you really care about this now?”
“Hey, I was just answering a question, princess,” Chrysalis sat up taller and continued. “and I seriously doubt you know anything about what your Shining does in bed.” She then stepped forward. “You, have had sex with him, right?”
Shining looked at the child while Cadance pulled her hair. “NO! I’m not like you who has sex with the first stallion she meets, I want to make sure we’re both ready for a child.”
“He looked ready.” Chrysalis put on a smug face, now knowing that this mare was getting a bit ticked off at her for this.
“That’s because you controlled him!” Cadance went nose to nose with Chrysalis again while Shining held up the colt to eye level.
Chrysalis smiled. For her, this was some form of revenge on the mare that blasted her out of equestria, so she might as well make the best of it. “Oh, I doubt it even matters anyway. It’s not like you would do any better.”
Cadance’s fuse finally lit once that statement was heard, before anyone knew it the princesses and queen were into a full argument of raised voices and sexual slurs to each other, all the while, Shining was too busy looking at his son.
The colt reached up for Shining’s hair. “What is with you and hair, little one?” Shining chuckled, now seeing just why Cadance wanted one of these. It would only be better if-
Shining stared blankly into the distance with an idea that he knew would probably kill him, but his male mind decided to ask it anyway. “Um...Hey, Chrysalis?”
“WHAT?!” Both the mares yelled, still fired up from the argument.
Shining flinched, starting to think asking wasn’t a good idea, but he still went with it and said. “Um...well, you could always…” Shining shrugged. “Try again.”
“...What?” Cadance and Chrysalis said in unison.
“Well, I mean, if your kind is really in trouble...and...if you really need…” Shining trailed off while Cadance walked up to him.
“Shining, are you asking what I think you’re asking?” Cadance clenched her teeth, wanting an answer before she smacks something.
Meanwhile, Chrysalis was starting to understand. “I think he is.” Chrysalis tapped her chin and grinned. “I guess he really cares about me wanting to-”
“Oh, no he doesn’t!” Cadance grabbed Shining’s arm, making him cringe a bit.
“Ow, Cadance, that kinda hu-”
Cadance glared at him. “Shining, you better be joking, cause if you aren't.”
Chrysalis ran up to them and grabbed Shining’s other arm. “Oh, I think he is.” She pulled, making Cadance do the same.
“Chrysalis, I’m telling you right now, if you even think about it…”
“I’m just answering him, and I’m saying if he wants to…”
Both of the mares when eye to eye while Shining stood in between both of them with the colt still in his hooves. His male mind was now starting to realize this was a stupid question to ask. “Um...girls.”
“I bet you don’t even know how to do it, princess.” Chrysalis said mockingly.
“Oh really now?” Cadance was starting to not care about anything but proving this changeling wrong, that she was the princess of love and that she is very capable of anything involving it. “Do you even know who you’re talking to? I am the princess of love, and I know how to please a stallion.”
“Uh...girls, y-you’re kinda crushing my arms.” Shining looked down to see that the colt had now fallen asleep from boredom. He then realized that this colt would be his ticket out of this situation, no one wants to have sex while a child was in the room, right?
“Prove it…” Chrysalis said slowly, knowing this was her second chance at getting revenge, and at forming her plan, but she could worry about that later.
“Oh...It’s on bug.” And once Cadance said that she threw Shining to the other side of the room, making his back smack onto the side of the bed.
“Do you have to be so rough...w-wait, t-the colt.” Shining stood up to see two mares eyes each other as they made their way toward him, he looked down to see of the child was still in his hooves, but it seems that the colt was now on the floor, sound asleep with his flank in the air.
Shining looked back at the two mares, who now stood inches away from him. He was looking all around for a way out of this, but with the doors locked, and them being on the fifth floor, he knew it was either jumping out a window, or…
Shining gulped. “C-can’t we just talk about this?”
Chrysalis chuckled. “I doubt talking will prove anything, Shining. Unless the princess thinks talking is how it works?”
Cadance glared at her once last time before she pounced on Shining. Chrysalis grinned and did the same. As for Shining, he could only think of one thing during all of this.
Everyone in the hive was silent, no one dared to speak up once Lee read the last sentence of the letter. Even Lee himself wasn’t sure if he read everything else right, but there it was, in plain stolen ink. Lee sat down on the cave floor and looked back over the letter. “I...I...I…” He couldn’t make out a sentence of this, no one could understand how something like this could even be written.
After minutes of silence, one changeling stood up. “So...s-she’s really gonna...you know…” She looked over at the rest of the brothers and sisters, all of them having the same face of shock, horror, awkwardness, and confusion.
Lee sighed and folded the paper. “Guess so, I mean, This paper...i-it’s just…”
Sid stepped forward “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many different emotions on one paper.” He looked over at Stan. “Are you sure you got the right one?”
Stan nodded. “It was on the child’s bed, and I doubt they know how to write when they’re this young.”
Lee bit his lip. “Well, she is going through a tough time guys.”
One changeling glared at him. “Oh, so she’s going through a time so tough that she would-”
“I’m just saying that she’s...hard to understand right now.” He unfolded the paper and looked at the first few sentences. “I mean, first she talks about how she’s leaving and not coming back, then it’s about soon she’ll have a plan ready.” He looked back up. “Like, how does that even make any sense?”
One changeling scratched his ear and said, “Maybe she has another plan that doesn’t involve us?”
Another looked at him. “Why would she say that? We’re always in some sorta plan, why aren’t we a part of it now?”
Lee looked at the paper again. “And what about this, ‘soon you will all understand how important it is to rule once I’m done.’”
Carl fidgeted. “Maybe she will come back?”
A sister facehoofed. “She just said she wouldn’t, so what makes you think she-”
“Carl might be right.” Lee said. “I mean, ever since she was waiting for that child she changed emotions a lot, one week before she didn’t want anyling around, and the one before that she was practically begging hatchlings to sleep with her at night, then she talks about the days when she was in love a few days after the plan, then she’s barking orders left and right like she always does the first day.” Lee clenched the paper tighter. “It’s like she’s not herself, she’s not acting the way she should.”
“Then how would she act?” One brother questioned.
Lee shrugged and looked over the paper. “Well, the queen I know wouldn’t take a child back, then try to take back the prince and princess herself, then try to force a child on them, then she...would.” He started squinting. “‘try and see if I could be better at feeding off love?’” Lee looked up, seeing confusion plastered over every face.
“So, let me get this straight.” Sid started walking. “She wants to give the child back, then ponynap the prince and princess by proving she’s better at ‘feeding’, then just toss them and the child out, without the thought of them coming back, and just rule the empire, then try and negotiate with the other princess for peace while hoping the kid would deal with the prince and princess?” Sid stood in front of Lee. “Cause that has got to be the stupidest, most obscene, most idiotic, most out of character plan I have ever heard of.” He snatched the paper out of Lee’s hoof. “Are you sure you read this right?”
Lee nodded. “Word for word, sentence for sentence. I’m starting to think she’s not even our queen if she had a plan like that.”
“Maybe she’s not.” One brother said. “Maybe that child really brought her down so much that she’s not herself anymore.”
“If a child like that can change your emotions to sad, then mad, then happy, then lustful, then angry, then peaceful...Then that is one powerful colt.”
The others couldn’t help but nod. “Maybe that colt does have powers.” Carl said, causing head to turn towards him.
“So you’re saying that he can change the personalities of others at will?” Lee crossed his arms; not buying it
Carl shrugged. “I dunno, if we can control love, then maybe he can do the same, and seeing as how he’s a pony, he can probably control other emotions, heck, he could probably do it in his sleep.”
“Then wouldn’t he have done the same to us?” A caretaker questioned. “Cause I didn’t really feel anything when that child was hatching.”
“Maybe he chooses when he wants to, I’m sure if you have powers, you can at least control them.” The others couldn’t argue with that logic.
Stan rubbed his chin. “So...you’re saying that at a young age, he can control it?” After that sentence, more changelings got confused than others.
“Well, how about certain situations?”
“Maybe a high standing creature needs to be around.”
“Perhaps it only works when he sleeps.”
“Maybe it only works on certain creatures?”
“Does it only work on females?”
Everyone looked at Carl when he said that, he only held his hoof up in defense. “I’m just saying that the only caretakers who were with him were males...right?”
Others were about to object, but one of the caretakers nodded. “Well, the other ones were taking care of the older hatchlings while the rest of us tended to that pony.”
“Then what about the others?”
"Perhaps it's scientific."
Soon the entire hive was asking questions. Lee turned away from this and thought to himself. Sid did the same. “What’cha thinkin’ Lee? You believe any of this?”
Lee groaned. “If it really only works on girls, than wouldn't that mean that the prince wouldn’t...get affected?”
Sid glared at him. “Why don’t you go ask him.” He said sarcastically.
Lee glared at him. “Just think about this for a sec, if the colt changed the personalities of the females, then wouldn’t the male just stay in character? I mean, love magic, for us, only works on the opposite sex.” He then realized what he said. "I mean, I'm not being sexist, that's just...the way it works, and I'm not saying it's right or wrong, I'm just sayin' that-"
Sid looked at the letter. “So, if Chrysalis is currently trying to ‘prove her love’, then wouldn’t the princess try to do the same while he just lays back and gets-”
“Maybe…” Lee nodded. “If that child really has emotion control, then I’m sure that stallion would be having a great time right now.”
“I am not having a great time right now.” Shining cradled the colt while another plate flew over his head, crashing right behind Chrysalis.
“GET OUT!” Cadance yelled, preparing for more objects to be thrown.
“All I want is peace.” Chrysalis begged. “Can’t you just give me a AH!” She ducked just in time to avoid a potted plant.
“I’d rather prove my skills in bed than negotiate with the likes of you!” Cadance dropped the soon-to-be-projectiles and launched at Chrysalis.
Shining could only watch in horror on the side of the bed. “What is wrong with them, first it's a sex fight, now it's a fight-fight.” He looked down at the colt, seeing that he was chewing on his tail. “And what is it with you and hair, colt? You need to understand that it’s not food.” He yanked his tail away while the child cocked his head.
“Just try and fight me!” Cadance yelled. “I want to just see how well you can anyway.”
Chrysalis smiled. “So you want me beat you again, just like I did with-”
*SMASH*
More furniture was smashed as Cadance threw Chrysalis across the room. “You don’t understand anything, you monster. Caring for an entire empire is hard enough, now you give us a child?”
Chrysalis cracked her neck. “I understand what it’s like, princess, caring for an entire race, trying to love each subject, all the while, trying to take care of yourself in the process.”
Cadance stepped toward her. “Y-You understand.”
Chrysalis sniffed. “Of course I do, my subjects can’t take care of themselves alone, they need a leader, and that’s exactly what I want to be.”
Cadance gasped and held her hooves to her mouth. “Y-You’re subjects aren’t doing good?”
Chrysalis slowly nodded. “Nothing to help, all I want is someone who can-”
She was interrupted by a hug from Cadance. “I’m sure we can come up with something, queen."
Chrysalis closed her eyes and hugged back. “I just hope I can still be who I once was.”
“What the hay…” Shining couldn’t believe what he was seeing, first a fight that he knew would lead to death, now hugs and peace. “What is with these two?” He looked at the colt, seeing him clapping his hooves together and giggling. “I need to get you out of here, little guy. This is too dangerous, for all we know, they could-”
*CRASH*
“YOU LIE!”
“AND YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!”
Shining stood up and nodded. “Yep, time to go.” Without another word, and a colt on his back, he stood up from behind the bed and quickly made his way to the door, thankful the mares were too busy with the fight, or negotiation, or whatever it was they were doing.
Once Shining closed the door, another clash was heard. “Prepare for an onslaught none have ever seen.” Cadance yelled.
“My children are suffering, don’t you get it!?” Chrysalis yelled back.
“I think it all started with my mother, she never appreciated the way I wanted to rule, and she would never stop nagging me about how I don’t have a mate yet.”
Cadance nodded and continued scribbling down notes on her clipboard. “So, do you think this is the cause for this behavior?”
Chrysalis sighed and adjusted herself on the bed. “I don’t even know anymore.” She craned her neck toward Cadance. “Princess, do you ever think that...well…”
Cadance put down her clipboard and frowned. “What, that you’re not good enough for your kind?” She hung her head. “Because I know how that feels too…”
Chrysalis raised her head. “Oh, don’t say that, Cadance, I’m sure you’re a great ruler...better than me...by far.” She ended with slight sarcasm in her voice.
Cadance slowly held her head back up. “W-What did you just say?”
Chrysalis smiled. “I said that perhaps you should leave the ruling to your husband, seeing as how he knows more about ruling than he does in bed.”
Cadance snapped the clipboard with her magic and threw the pieces on the ground, giving Chrysalis deja vu. “OH! So you think you’re better than me?”
Chrysalis got off the bed and rubbed her arm. “I don’t know...m-maybe...I just thought that...that” She started to trail off, mostly due to a headache she was getting.
Cadance slowly made her way to the changeling queen. “I swear, if you even...if you even...even talk about...about…” Cadance held her head and groaned, starting to feel a headache as well.
Both rulers groaned and spun around before shaking their heads, they then questioned what happened before turning around, now looking into each others eyes.
Cadance gasped. “C-Chrysalis!”
The queen dropped her jaw. “M-Mia Amore Cadenza?
“Actually, It’s Mi Amore Cadenza.” Cadance corrected before realizing the situation. “W-wait, what am I even saying. What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here? What are you doing here, this is my- wait…” Chrysalis looked around the room in astonishment. “T-This isn’t my hive.”
“This is my castle, Chrysalis!” Cadance went into a defensive stance and glared at the changeling queen. “And you shouldn’t be here.”
“Where is that colt? I know it was right next to me in that cocoon, or...on a desk...or mirror or...” Chrysalis rubbed her head again, finding it hard to remember.
“Colt? You mean that foal you brought here.” Cadance rubbed her head. “At least...I think you did…I-I know you brought something!”
Chrysalis looked back at her. “Cadenza, the only thing I brought here is probably myself, and if you can’t remember that, then I’m sure you can’t remember the rest.”
“T-the rest of what?” Cadance stepped back.
Chrysalis stepped closer, glaring daggers into the princess. “Don’t you remember, Cadance, when I brainwashed your husband, and looked just. LIKE. Y-”
*KNOCK KNOCK*
Both rulers turned to the door. Cadance could only guess it was one of the crystal guards and yelled. “Guards! There’s an intru-”
Chrysalis tackled her to the ground and quickly disguised as the pink alicorn. “N-Nothing to worry about.” She yelled in Cadance’s voice. “J-Just trying to-”
Cadance used all her strength and flung the doppelganger off her. She sat up and screamed. “Open the door alre-”
Chrysalis wrapped one foreleg around Cadance and another around her mouth. “D-Don’t open the door, I-I...uh...I’m not decent.”
“Since when are ponies not decent?” Cadance growled and smacked the back of her head into the queen's forehead. Causing both to have another headache. Chrysalis let go of her and rubbed her head in pain. Seeing this, Cadance ran to the front doors and grabbed the handle, only for Chrysalis to jump and grab her back hooves. “L-Let go! You-”
The still disguised Chrysalis stood up and continued yanking on Cadance’s legs. “I’m not letting go until you say tell the guards to-”
With a turn of the handle, the door flung open, making both fall backwards from the queen’s constant pulling. “Uhhgh…” Chrysalis groaned and stood on her forelegs. “Can’t anyling let us finish a sentence al..rea...dy...wha?”
Chrysalis craned her head up and gasped, seeing two crystal guards at the front doors, She tried to stand on all fours, but Cadance landed on top of her and held her down. “Guards, quick, this impostor-”
“No, this impostor tried to capture me! Get this changeling off of me and..throw...her...wait a second.” Chrysalis shoved Cadance off of her and squinted at the guards, both of them smiling at the sight. “How did-”
“W-why are you two just standing there!” Cadance yelled and pointed at her impostor. “Can’t you tell that this is the overgrown bug that tried to ruin my wedding and brainwashed-”
“That dim witted husband of yours?” The guards chuckled, making Cadance drop her jaw.
“I-Is that anyway to address your captain of the royal-”
Chrysalis changed back into her normal form and turned to Cadance. “They’re not your soldiers, princess.” Chrysalis looked back at the guards and flared her horn, forcing both of them drop their disguises. “They’re mine.”
Cadance gasped. “S-So you are planning to invade us!”
Both changelings looked at one another “Q-Queen! Why did you drop your disguise?”
“Because I’m quite concerned as to how you two are here, I don’t remember calling an invasion.” She glared at Cadance. “Well, not yet anyway.”
Cadance stepped closer to Chrysalis while the two changelings shut the door. “Chrysalis.” Cadance started. “If you think you’re going to rule Equestria, then you’re wrong! You will never-”
"Uh...queen?” One of the changelings said. “Where’s the colt?”
Both rulers turned to them. “Colt, what...oh, so there was a pony...w-wait, how do you two know I was here.”
“We got your letter.” the changeling on the right said. “It said you would come here and…” The changeling reached behind his back and pulled out said letter. “‘and bring the child for the two idiotic rulers to have while you waited for it to overpower them’” He read before looking back at his ruler, whose jaw was now dropped.
“I...I wrote a letter?” Chrysalis said. “S-Since when?”
“Since you left the hive.” The changeling on the left said. “Me and Lee came here to wonder why you were planning all of this, because from the rest of this paper.” He snatched the letter out of Lee’s hooves and looked over it. “It’s not...well, that thought out of a plan.”
Cadance stomped her front hoof. “So you were planning on invading.”
Chrysalis shook her head. “I don’t even remember writing something...at least...I don’t think I did.”
Lee shrugged. “Well, Stan here found the note in the infirmary, and it did match you hornwriting, and even though it told us not to follow, we were kinda worried.”
Cadance tilted her head. “So, you were planning something, but it was very...convoluted?” She asked.
Chrysalis sighed. “I can’t even remember, all I remember is having a plan for a changeling hybrid that your idiot husband would give me, but then something back fired and it...it...it did...something or…”
“W-wait! A hybrid? With Shining!?” Cadance ran up to her and went nose to nose. “Are you saying that you...you…”
“I what?” Chrysalis pushed her away. “Princess, I don’t think now is the time to care about how I-”
The changelings cleared their throats. “Um...I think we can kinda clear some things up.”
Chrysalis turned away from Cadance and walked up to her children. “But I don’t even know why you two are here, I mean, I can understand why you’re here, Lee, but what about you, Stan?”
The left changeling shrugged. “Lee didn’t want Clem to come here, so he chose me, plus, I think this is like my...third cameo...I guess I’m just that popular.”
Lee rolled his eyes. “As Stan and I were saying,”
“And we were gonna send Alex, but he’s way too small to handle something like this, metaphorically speaking, of course.”
“Stan...”
“And Euqinu is way too crazy for this kind of thing…”
“Stan.”
“And Lach and Luke are out gettin’ love, and I doubt they’ll-”
“STAN!”
Stan turned to Lee and said, “What? I’m just explaining to-”
“Just ex-nay on the reference-ay and tell the queen about that colt!”
Chrysalis tilted her head. “What about that colt?”
Cadance growled. “Yeah, for all I know you could be lying about-”
Both changelings turned to each other, then to the rulers. “Well,” Lee started. “We started coming up with a working theory.”
Chrysalis raised an eye. “Which is?”
Stan and Lee looked at each other again before turning back to their queen. “That...uh...” Lee fidgeted, starting to get nervous from this. “that...uh, pony...child...foal...colt...thing...uh…”
Stan coughed. “W-whatever it’s called...it...uh…it...does things.”
Chrysalis crossed her forelegs while Cadance watched in confusion. “What ‘things?’” Chrysalis asked.
Lee and Stan looked at each other again. “Well,” Lee cringed. “that pony does...things that are...pretty...bad...n’stuff…”
“Yeah...n’stuff…” Stan did the same while Chrysalis facehoofed.
Cadance stepped beside her and couldn't help but ask, “What’s wrong with them?”
“They always act like this…” Chrysalis said. “I could never understand why…”
Cadance tilted her head, noticing what was going on. “You sure it’s not because they...fear you?”
“Tsh...Really princess?” Chrysalis scoffed. “My subjects fear nothing. They are trained to invoke fear into everyone they meet. Not have fear.” She turned to them and yelled, “IS THAT CORRECT!?”
Both changelings yelped, shielded their faces with their hooves and screamed in a mixture of panic and fear, “Yes queen! Whatever you say! We’ll obey! We’ll behave! Please don’t hurt us! We’ll be good! WE PROMISE!”
Chrysalis shook her head and turned to Cadance. “Well...they’re not afraid of you ponies, at least.”
Stan slowly put his hoof down, “A-Actually, I still have a fear for that pri-”
“SILENCE!”
Stan immediately dropped to the floor and bowed. “Yesmyqueen!” He silently whimpered.
Cadance stepped closer to the cowering changelings. “Look, if we’re going to figure out what’s going on, then how about you let me ask them.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Like I need your help.”
Cadance sighed and walked up to the still cowering changelings. “Um...Lee and Stan, was it?”
Chrysalis huffed and turned away while the changelings open their eyes. “Uh...y-yes?” Lee asked.
“Look, I’ll admit, I may still be a bit angry after what you all did.” She turned to Chrysalis. “Especially your queen.”
“Tsh, like I care.” Chrysalis responded.
Cadance ignored her and turned faced the bugs again. “But right now, helping us just might make up for it.”
Both changelings stood up. “I-It can?” They said.
“I doubt that.” Chrysalis sneered.
Cadance turned back to her and yelled, “Will you be quiet!”
“Why? They won’t even tell you anything, they are trained to not let a single piece of information leak out of-”
“The colt can change emotion.”
Both Chrysalis and Cadance raised an eye toward Stan. “W-What?” Cadance asked.
Lee scuffed the floor. “Yeah, we all thought that, with the queen constantly changing character, that the colt could've controlled emotions, sorta how Chrysalis controlled your husband into sleeping with her.”
Silence filled the room once Lee finished that sentence. Neither of the changelings noticed. “What?” Stan shrugged. “She just slept with him, nothing to-”
Cadance stomped her hoof on the ground, making the ground shake, and before anyone could react, Cadance turned toward Chrysalis with glowing white eyes. “How dare you!”
“How dare I?” Chrysalis pointed at herself. “So what if I did your husband, it’s not like it’s that big of a deal for you ponies.”
Chrysalis then felt the force of a train slam into her, causing her to crash into the wall. “You heartless monster!” Cadance yelled before charging at her again.
And just like that, another fight broke out, the changelings could only watch as their queen punched and kicked the princess while the pony did the same. Lee nudged Stan and whispered. “Hey, where is that stallion anyway?”
Stan shrugged. “Maybe he has the colt, it would explain why they're not here. Nice rhyme, by the way.” They turned back to the fight that was still going on and cringed. “Should we...help or something, they don’t seem to notice that that prince of hers isn’t even here?”
Lee started opening the door. “How about we just find the colt instead, I-I’m sure they’ll settle things out.”
Stan heard a plate smash. “Yeah...g-good idea.” With that they slowly opened the door and slid their way out of the room, just as Chrysalis flew right into it.
“Okay...well, I spy with my brown eyes...a..uh...”
“A cheater…”
The crystal guard looked at his partner. “Cheater? How am I cheating, in fact, how can you even cheat in this game?”
“Not the game, Hiver!”
Hiver stepped back. “Uh...you okay Loula? You’re not acting-”
Loula glared at him. “I’m acting just fine, you on the other hoof…”
Hiver tilted his head. “What’s wrong with you, Loula?”
“Oh, what’s wrong with me?” The crystal mare went face to face with Hiver. “What’s wrong with YOU!”
Hiver raised his hoof to his chest in defence. “What do you mean ‘what’s wrong with me?’”
Loula stepped closer to him. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. How you ran off with that mare and totally forgot about me!”
“Ran off with some...I didn’t run anywhere, I’ve been with you this whole ti-”
*SMACK*
Hiver felt the sting of a slap on the side of his face. He rubbed it and looked at Loula again. “What was that for?” He asked, only for her to do it again on the other side.
“Stop lying, Hiver. You ditched your post and left me for that mare!” She frowned and looked away. “What ever happened to us, Hiver?”
“What mare? I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about, Loula.” He rested a hoof on her. “And I would never leave any mare for yo-”
“OW! W-Will you quit tearing off my hair!”
Both crystal guards jumped in surprise as a familiar white stallion made his way to them. “C-Captain Shining?” Hiver said while saluting.
Shining took his eyes off the colt and faced them. “At ease, soldiers. I-I really don’t have time for-”
Loula gasped. “W-Were’d you get that foal?”
Shining raised a brow and looked back at the colt, which was chewing a piece of hair. “Uh...I-I found it…”
“Found it?” Hiver frowned. “I guess some mares need to know what responsibility is before raising a kid.”
Loula tapped her chin. “I swear I’ve seen that colt befo...w-wait! Are you trying to get at something, Hiver!”
Hiver backed up, as did Shining. “W-What? I-I wasn’t.”
Loula then leaned on him with lidded eyes. “Because I think I have an idea as to what you mean~”
Hiver stood still. “Y-You do?”
Loula then went nose to nose with him. “Oh yes...I think I do.” Without warning, she stepped back and slapped him so hard he fell to the ground. “You need to learn when a mare needs space!”
Hiver stood up and Shining held his hoof to his mouth, both stunted as to how this mare was acting. “Loula?”
Loula then sniffed and turned away. “You just don’t understand!” She then ran away from them, crying the whole time.
Hiver and Shining stood on the road in astonishment while the colt giggled. Shining stepped beside the guard. “Uh...soldier?” He said. “Is there a reason why she’s acting like that?”
Hiver shrugged. “Dames, who could figure them.” He turned to Shinings back. “What’s with the kid? Can’t say I’ve ever seen this little guy before.” Hiver chuckled. “It kinda looks like you, Captain.”
Shining flinched. “Uh...y-yeah...q-quite that coincidence. heheh.”
Hiver then widened his eyes. “No way, y-you actually…”
“What about me?” Shining asked.
Hiver smiled, already guessing why the colt was with him. “So, what’d you name him.”
“Name?” Shining looked behind him again, seeing the colt with his tongue out. “Uh...I-I don’t know his-”
“Come on, Captain, you can tell me, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, you just gave the little guy a new home is all.”
Shining turned back to Hiver. “A new what?”
“Yeah, I mean, you and the princess have been together for a while, I could’ve guessed sooner or later you would’ve had one, but I guess the princess just couldn’t wait and decide to adopt one instead.”
“A-adopt!” Shining looked at the colt again, who was looking around the town in astonishment, mostly at the mares. “I-we...we didn’t adopt a colt!”
Hiver rolled his eyes. “I guess you were the one who picked him out, I mean, he looks just like-”
“He’s not adopted!” Shining yelled.
Hiver laughed. “You just said you found him, Captain, and I doubt your wife can deliver this fast, it’s only been like...what, half a year...more?”
Hiver stepped back. “I don’t know, Captain. Either you picked him out for your looks, or your genes are pretty spot on.”
Shining turned back to the colt and cringed, it was almost like looking in a mirror, a young one. “Listen, soldier. this colt is...well…”
“Well what? Captain, from what I’m getting at...it’s like you cheated on Ca-”
Shining smacked the guards helmet off him. “I would never do that to her!” He yelled, just as the colt slid down Shining’s tail on the on the pavement. “And I’ve never had any other relationship in my life!”
Hiver put his helmet back on. “What about that queen?”
Shining froze. Though he wasn’t surprised that many knew about how he was in control of that changeling during the wedding. “Uh...t-that doesn’t count.”
“Yeah, but you were with her for like...what? A couple weeks?” Hiver said. “You don’t think you two ever...you know.” He did two nudges and winked twice
Shining dropped his jaw. “H-How dare you even ask that, I am a royal guard, the prince of the crystal empire, and, like I said, am a loyal husband who would never betray his wife.” He stepped closer to Hiver. “And I would never have any consent with that queen what-so-ever!” He continued staring into the guards eyes, but after the face of distrust continued looking at Shining, he sighed and whispered, “Three times.”
Hiver smiled and nodded. “niiiice. So, you weren’t brainwashed the whole time then?”
Shining stomped the pavement. “I had no choice! I was under her control, and it’s not nice, soldier! How would you like it if part of your mind was hypnotised and the other part of you had to bare witness to some succubus having her way with you!”
Hiver shrugged. “I’d be pretty turned on, to tell you the truth.”
Shining then knocked the guards helmet off him and glared. “Not the answer I wanted.”
Hiver rubbed his head and picked his helmet off the ground. “I’m just giving an honest answer here, besides, I’m sure some chicks would probably be into the same thing.”
“What? Getting raped?”
Hiver put his helmet back on. “Not raped, just...having sex against your will.”
Shining knocked his helmet off again. “That’s the definition of it, soldier.”
Hiver groaned, starting to get a headache from this. “I’m sure there’s more detail in that, Captain and you were the one who asked it, besides, I’m sure you liked it.”
“I didn’t...I mean, I wasn’t...I couldn’t...it’s not...when we...I was...uhg…” Shining stomped his hoof. “I didn’t even know it was her at the time, though!”
“Well, could ya tell the difference?”
Shining cocked his head. “Tell the difference...what do you-” He then blushed. “Oh!...well, uh…”
“Come on, captain.” Hiver motioned his hoof to make him continue. “I’m sure succubi are a bit better than-”
Shining knocked his helmet off a fourth time. “I don’t care how...good she was...I-I’d never choose that monster over Cadance!”
Hiver rubbed his head, starting to get sick of the constant pain. “I didn’t say you had to choose, heck, if I were you, I’d pick both.”
Shining shivered with that statement. “You. Are. Sick, you know that?”
Hiver shrugged. “At least I didn’t have sex with a giant insect.”
Hiver then fell to the ground with a bloody nose, he looked up to see Shining staring daggers into his eyes. “Do you know who you’re talking to, soldier!”
Hiver got back up, starting to realize this situation. “Yeah, I do, I’m talking to a captain, who probably cheated on his wife and is now carrying a colt on his...on his…w-where did-”
Without warning, Shining grab the stallion by the neck and push him up against a nearby wall. “Take that back.” He said menacingly.
Hiver glared back. “Listen, Shining. I can tell what’s going on...the colt; the nervousness; your wife not knowing...from the sounds of it, it’s like you’re just trying to hide that colt from her.”
Shining went nose to nose with him. “I. Didn’t. Cheat.”
Hiver pushed him off. “Then why does the colt look like you, huh? Cause if the only other thing you did was...well, that bug, then I’m probably sure some weird hybrid would’ve been made out of him and not some regular pony.”
Shining sighed. Knowing that telling him the truth would be better than him thinking he was cheating on Cadance. “Alright soldier, I’ll tell you the truth, but after this, we need to rally up a lot of reinforcements, because if we just charge in with this colt on...” Shining craned his neck to look at his back, seeing that nothing was on it. “W-where did he go?”
“That’s what I asked you, Captain.” Hiver sniffed and rubbed his nose, getting some of the blood off him. “That really hurt by the-”
Shining pulled Hiver to the street and started walking. “Now’s not the time, soldier. We need to find that colt.”
“Because if we can’t, then the queen’s gonna be pretty mad at us.”
The disguised Stan rolled his eyes and looked back at Lee, who was disguised as well. “I really doubt she would care about that colt. She doesn’t even like that thing anyway.”
“It’s not just about the queen, Stan. We both know how dangerous that little pony could be.”
“We don’t even know if he has powers or not. For all we know, that kid doesn’t even-”
*SLAM*
Stan and Lee jumped as they witness a Stallion get thrown against a wall. He then fell on the sidewalk and groaned. “I just asked how you’re all shiny like that, no need to.”
A mare then ran up to him and pinned his stomach to the ground. “Did I say you could ask!”
The stallion cringed. “W-Well…”
The mare then turned him over so they were eye to eye. “Cause you don’t have to ask permission~” She said while trailing a hoof down his chest.
“W-what are you.”
The mare then ran her hoof up to his neck and pressed down. “All you stallions are the same, always thinking about what a mare has on her!”
The stallion struggled. “I...geh….d-didn’t...blek…”
The mare then wrapped her forearms around him and pulled him in for a hug. “I-It’s okay.” She sniffed. “W-will find a better way.”
“Uh…” Was all the stallion could say as she hugged tighter.
Stan and Lee could only stare in astonishment. “Well,” Stan said. “I’m guessing the colt is probably nearby.”
“W-We were right…” Lee said. “T-That colt can control-”
*SMASH*
Stan and Lee looked over to where the stallion and mare were, seeing that the stallion went through a window and the mare was dusting her hooves off. “That’ll teach you.” She said before storming off.
The stallion slowly held his head up and said, “I shoulda stayed at that train.” He then fell down, knocked out cold.
Stan looked at Lee again. “Did you see that!”
Lee slowly nodded. “Y-Yeah, m-mares must be tougher than I thought.”
“Is that some statement!”
Lee yelped and turned around to see another mare tapping her hoof on the ground. “U-U-Uh...uh..”Lee stuttered, starting to shake.
The mare stepped forward and pressed her chest against his. “Cause mares like me are pretty tough, in more ways than one…” She blinked twice with lidded eyes and a smile that made Lee even more uncomfortable.
While Lee was getting violated. Stan looked around the street, hoping to find some trace of a blue haired, white colt. It wasn’t until he glanced over at two mares in a catfight to see the colt clapping his hooves together next to them.
Stan tapped on Lee’s shoulder. “Lee, I found him, he’s over-” Stan then gasped once Lee turned around with a bruised right eye. “Uh...Lee?”
Lee sighed, knowing he felt worse than this a few months back. “I’m fine, d-did you find him?”
Stan looked back to see the colt now walking toward another group of mares, all of which were fighting over a stallion. “Quick, we gotta save him.”
“Who?” Lee said. “The stallion or the-”
“The stallion can handle himself, Lee.” As if on cue, the stallion shrieked in fear and ran out of the group of mares, he continued screaming and ran past them with the mares hot on his trail. Luckily, Stan and Lee were able to get out of the way in time. “See.”
“Lucky guy.” Lee huffed. “Getting love for free when we have to bust our-”
“Lets go!” Stan yanked Lee over to the colt, who was looking around in amusement. “W-We need to get this guy out of the streets!” Stan yelled, grabbing the colt. The colt only looked at him and and tried to get a piece of his fake hair. Fortunately, Stan pulled away in time. “Any ideas?” Stan asked his brother.
Lee bit his lip and looked over to a nearby alleyway. “Better than nothing.”
Stan hoisted the colt on his back made a break for it. They managed to make it just as two mares ran right beside them, yelling for someone to stop. The changelings ignored this and ran behind a dumpster.
“Y-you think anyone saw us?” Stan said, now holding the colt in his front hooves.
Lee panted heavily. “Hopefully not, so...about that colt.” Lee pointed at said colt, who was still trying to reach for Stan’s hair.
Stan growled and looked at the pony straight in the eyes. “Listen, kid, if you can understand...well, anything, than stop your crazy powers and-”
Stan yelped and dropped the colt on the ground, both backing away from him. “D-did He..just…just.”
The colt then stood on all fours. “Soon, all of eqwestia will b̵͇͓̝͓̘͙̩͠o̡̠̙̬͍̣̲̪w͙̩͚̳̹͡ ̷̸̩͉̪̝̦t̛̤̯̖̕ọ̷̫̺͓́͜ ̰̠̞̼͖͜m̷҉̱̬̭̹̜̫i̵̳̩͔̮͚̘͖e̶̫̞̱̦͓͓̲̼͍͟͡ ̡҉̳̦̦̮̻̞̘ͅẃ̟͓͍u͝҉̺͕i̲͍͇͕̪̣͝l̸̞̟̹͕͈̠͙̮͝l̹͓͙͡”
Lee gasped. “W-what the heck’s wrong with y-”
The colt then flared his tiny horn and shot a blast of magic right in front of Lee, making him jump and hug Stan in fear. “Your qween made a wong choice giving birth to mee.” The colt continued. "For soon, evwey mare in the world will b̸͏͈̜̞͎̦͍̳͙͟o͏̷̦̣̙̠͜w̶̸͇̞̗̭ ͇̻̩͝t͡҉̬̭̺̫͎̖̣͙o̺͚̗ ̷͔̭̞̗͉̻̤m͈̥̬͈̮͙͘̕e͈̟̲̩é҉̣̪ once I’m at full powar!”
Stan hugged Lee back in constant fear, colt or not, it was really scary the way he talked. “Si-Since when did you act like some evil little-”
“S͎̼͍͙̱͕͟I̳̰̖͟͡͠W̶̡͏̣͖͉̬͔E̢͓̥̮̜̜͇̕N̢̛̻̫̤̻̩͓͘C̫̜͈̥̗̳͢E̳͕̗̬͇͟͝!̲͎̕͟” Both changelings fell to the floor from his sudden outburst. “You will soon all obey me. Once I contwool every mare in da world, the stawians will soon do da same!”
Stan raised his head. “Why not control everypony? Why just the mares?”
The colt paused. “Well, my chwangliny magic can only contwol the oposwet gender.” He then gave a menacing glare that made Lee shiver and gave Stan flashbacks to his nightmares. “But that’s all I need in order to w͏̶̗̩̥͉̰u̘l҉̬̘͎̪̪l̦̮̬̟̬̕ ̸̴̩͓̫̣̹ḑ͓̟́ạ ̴̗͍͓̟̗̯̰͖͘w҉̡̭̳͚͇̤͢o̢̖̹̥̪̺̳̞͢r̢̠̭͇̣͈̖l̷̘̻̠̪͙̼̕ḏ̸̷̣̣̤͜"̸͚̲͔̜̜̹́̕
Lee stood up. “Why the heck are you evil now? You were just an innocent kid a second ago!”
The colt giggled. “Like mwother, l̮̝̫̲̪͘i͓̹̬̮k̳̘̭̣̮͝ę̭̤͚ͅ ̷̢̤̹̱̱̖̼s̵̴̪̭̪o҉̢͙̬̙̪̫̳ņ̵̙͉̞̗̱̙̥͚̫͜"̴̪̘̲̺̠̩͜ The colt stepped forward, making Stan and Lee step back. “When I came ouwta tat cocoon, I finowy fwelt fwee! And as soon as I gazed into da eyes of my mowther, I knew she would be my ticket outa dat stupid, stinky cave. I just needed to act just like a inocent widle colt, some stewped stuff here, fear in da miwer der, and once I did tat, I topped it off wiff a letter witten under my contwol.” He chuckled. "And dat hair was so tasty."
Lee nudged Stan and whispered, “That probably would explain the poor planning.”
The colt stomped the ground. “It was all I could tink of at da tiem.” He crossed his tiny forelegs. “Lets see you try to mayk a pwan in minutes.”
Stan rolled his eyes. “Oh please, me and Carl thought up a plan at that train station in under-”
The foal shot another bolt of light right in between Stan and Lee again, making them yelp. "̩̪Q͕̝̪͙͉̳̱͜u̴̘̣ị̧͖̤̪̼̜̳̯͟ͅe͙͕͉̗̬͙̘͜t̢̙̤͉̟͕͚̲̲!̷̦̠̕͞"̢̨̟̣̳͈̘̥͢ He yelled. “tat pwan was pwabably stewped, but dis one is betta, this one will mayk evwey pony rule unda my control, and nothing will stwap me!” The colt then raised his head to the sky and cackled with laughter.
Stan and Lee looked out of the alleyway and into the town seeing every mare yelling at each other or having a fight with a stallion, as for the stallions, they were all running away like it was spring time. “W-We need to get out of here.” Stan whispered. “This colts gone mad.”
Lee pointed at the still laughing foal. “It’s just a little pony, what’s the worse he can do?”
“Would you like to f̝̰̜͈ͅi̸҉̲͍͓̖n̠͔̺̘͚͙͘d̡̩̱̘͓̙͞ ̙̪̭̟̳͓͞ǫ̤̘͕͚̠͉͕̕ú͎̹̫t̡̖̭̤̗̬͡ͅ?̬͖̳̙̯̣͓̱"̨̬̜̀̕ Without warning, the colt blasted Lee, sending him tumbling into a nearby trash can.
“Lee!” Stan yelled before looking back at the colt, who was now walking closer and closer to him.
“Dis will be a day wong wemenbered.” He shouted; flaring up his horn again “It will be da day w̱̹̣͔i̷̱̞̳͜d̸͙͍̤̭̹̕d͕̤̝̕l̨̜̻͕̗͎̖̰̕͟e̲̲̙̘̣̳͚̱̣ ̝̞͍̝̀S҉҉̠̫̠͈͕ͅh̲͎̝̪̮̬͓͟͜i͇̪̙͡ń̴̲͕͟y̩̜͜͜ wuuls all of Equwestia!”
Chrysalis looked over her shoulder to see that Cadance was still hot on her hooves. After that fight in the bedroom went haywire it moved to the halls, then after getting scratched, bitten, punched, kicked, bruised, and overall in pain, Chrysalis decided to make a run for it.
“You’re a crazy mare, Cadenza!” Chrysalis yelled over her shoulders as she ran closer and closer to the exit.
“And you’re a backstabbing, manipulative monster!” Cadance yelled back.
Chrysalis panted as she finally grabbed the handle to the outside. She pulled as hard as she could to get it open, only for Cadance to tackle her, sending both of them tumbling outside. “So it was a pull…” Chrysalis mumbled while getting back up on her legs.
She was then immediately blasted by magic from Cadance, sending her out into the open. “You will pay for what you’ve done!” Cadance screamed.
Chrysalis slowly staggered up and groaned. “All I did was destroy a wedding and sleep with your husband. I’ve had worse done to me!”
“Like what?” Cadance yelled.
Chrysalis thought about that for a second. “Um...I’ve had myself get blasted miles away from Canterlot; I’ve also had my plans foiled because your sister-in-law just had a be a little bi-”
Cadance shot a bolt of magic right at her, luckily, Chrysalis was able to duck just in time before running back into a sprint. Cadance soon followed. “You can run! But you can’t hide, Chrysalis!”
Shining groaned. “I said, watch for the colt, and the mares. They’re acting really...strange today.” Shining cringed and looked around, still seeing nothing but mass panic.
Hiver continued walking along Shining. “Maybe it’s because of the season...isn’t it spring time?”
“No, Hiver. it’s...it’s...probably...uh…” Shining scratched his head and looked around, trying to find some indication as to what season it is, but all he saw was a mares either attacking or violating stallions.
Hiver noticed and nudged Shining. “Should we...do something, or…”
“Something’s just not right.” Shining said. “Barely any of the ponies here are in character right now.”
“Yeah...well, should we get some guards to help or-”
“It’s as if something’s...wrong with them.”
“Then get some guards to-”
Shining went eye to eye with Hiver. “Hiver, we need to do something about this.”
Hiver sighed and said, “Well, what do you want to do, it’s your empire.”
Shining glared at him. “It’s mine and my wife’s.” He turned away and looked back into the street, still seeing the constant fights. “So...this is what Twilly has to deal with in her town…”
“What? Rampaging mares?”
Shining shook his head. “I’m talking about some of the random chaos that happens over there in ponyville.”
“Oh...so those newspapers weren't lying, and here I thought that place wouldn’t have ursa bears and three headed dogs running around town.”
Shining sighed. “I don’t know how she deals with it, and I really have no idea how I’ll deal with this.”
Hiver tapped his chin. “Maybe your wife can help. Assuming she wouldn’t be mad at you for-”
“I already told you, Hiver!” Shining pointed in a random direction and yelled. “That colt isn’t adopted, it isn’t Cadance’s and it’s-”
“Currently getting attacked by your own guards?”
“Exactly, so can we please drop the...the…” Shining then turned to where he was pointing to see that there were, indeed, two guards fighting a colt in an alley, which was just them flailing their arms around and getting throw against the wall by some imaginary source.
Hiver leaned into Shining’s ear. “So, should we-”
“HEY!” Shining yelled, making Hiver back up. “You two! Stop terrorizing that child!”
The two guards glanced over to Shining while the colt tilted it’s head at them. “Uh…” One of the guards straightened himself up and coughed. “T-this isn’t-”
“This is exactly what it looks like.” the other guard finished, making the first one smack him upside the head.
“Shut it Sta...er...private!” the guard yelled before turning back to Shining. “Listen..uh...sir, that colt is the devil’s creation!”
Shining raised a brow and looked down at the child. All he saw was his own young reflection. No red eyes or fangs like his guards had said. “What are you two talking about. This is an innocent little colt, not some demonic creation.”
Both guards looked at the colt again, it’s red eyes still looking into their soul. “Don’t you see the look it’s giving you!? It’s gonna-”
“All I see are two soldiers who are terrorizing an innocent child.”
“Innocent my flank!” one of them yelled and pointed at the colt. “That kid was on us like changelings on a vine full of black flowers!”
Shining backed up. “Vine full of what?”
“You know.” the other said. “Those sweet, tasty flowers with flavors that not even a changeling can resist…” he then started drooling. “Those things are just as good as love, if only it wasn’t harder to find.” he huffed before looking back at Shining, who was glaring at him. “What?”
“So Chrysalis did send her own drones out here too.”
Lee and Stan looked at each their disguised faces. “I think he knows.” Stan whispered.
“Gee,” Lee said, starting to drop his disguise. “you think?” He then hit Stan on the head, making his disguise go away as well.
Shining stepped back flared his horn, surrounding the colt in his aura and pulling him away from the changelings. “You two and your queen made a big mistake coming here.” He shouted.
“And you!” Lee started. “Made a mistake in...uh…in...”
“In facing us!” Stan yelled, now taking an attacking stance. “I fought you two stories ago, and I can do it again!”
“What are you talking abou-”
“CHARGE!” Stan yelled as he ran at Shining with full speed, knocking him into the streets and making him drop the child on the curb. Lee did the same to Hiver and tumbled out of the alley.
Shining threw Stan off him and got up on his hooves, only for him to be tackled again, by Stan. “Get off me, you bug!”
The stallions and mares in the street were too busy either fighting or running away from each other to notice the two guards and changelings fighting.
Hiver threw Lee over to Stan, knocking him off Shining. “Get off the captain!”
Lee and Stan quickly stood up and faced the guards. Stan growled. “Prepare yourselves for a fight that not even the author can wri-”
“CHILDREN! STOP!”
Stan and Lee’s ears perked up, hearing the sound of their queen. “C-Chrysalis?” They called out.
Shining looked around. “I heard that evil bug! Where is she?”
“Don’t talk that way to our mother!” Lee yelled. “I’ll have you-”
“Lee!”
Lee jumped as he heard his queen’s voice inches away from his ear, only to find out that she was inches away. “Q-queen?”
Chrysalis grabbed both of them. “Children, now isn’t the time to be fighting! Now’s the time to run!”
“Run?” Stan said. “Run from wha-”
“CHRYSAAAALLLIIISSS!”
The guards and changelings turned toward the end of the streets, seeing an all too familiar pink alicorn make their way toward them.
“I spoke too soon…” Chrysalis grimaced and tried to hide behind her children, which was hard with her being two times their size.
“You okay queen?” Stan asked.
“Sush! You want her to see me!”
Lee raised an eye. “What are you talking about, she can see you just fi-”
“Then make way!” Chrysalis then shoved the two bugs out of the way and started walking toward Cadance.
As for Shining and Hiver, they stood in the way of Cadance’s path. “How can you two still be fighting?” Shining asked, only for Cadance to shove him and Hiver out of the way.
“Chrysalis, please understand that all I want is for this to end!” Cadance cried out.
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. “Oh...I indeed do plan on ending this.”
Cadance crossed her forearms and huffed. “What, like your past relationships with other stallions!”
As the argument continued, Lee and Stan made their way to Shining. “Uh...Mr. Armor?”
“What is wrong with them?” Shining said.
“It’s that colt!” Stan yelled, pointing at the colt still sitting on the sidewalk. “His magic is making every mare in this place act like this.”
“He is?” Shining flared his horn and brought the kid up to him, its smile still present on its face and its hooves still trying to reach his hair. “Hmmm…” Shining tapped his chin and looked around again, now seeing his wife and Chrysalis hugging each other. Shining sighed and turned to Hiver. “Cadent, give me a ring.”
“A ring?” Stan and Lee said in unison.
Hiver reached behind him and pulled out a green colored ring. “It’s a ring for a horn.” Hiver started to explain. “Makes it so prisoners don’t use any magic, we’re trying to be a bigger one for you bugs.” Lee glared and Stan snickered as Hiver tossed the ring to Shining.
Shining instinctively tried to grab it with his magic, only to hit him on the nose. “Ugh...keep forgetting about that.” He then picked it up with his hooves and looked at the colt, which was now chewing on his hair.
Shining pulled away and placed the ring on the little pony, though the colt didn’t seem to care as continued chewing.
As for Stan and Lee, they saw the colt scream in agony and a blast of magic shoot out of the his horn once the ring was put on, going straight up into the sky before causing a huge burst that spread across the empire.
“Okay…” Shining said. “So is every mare supposed...to...what the…” Shining started looking around in bewilderment, as did Stan, Lee, and Hiver. Now seeing a sight they never thought possible.
Every mare, even the queen and princess, were now on the ground sleeping soundly, After some time, Stan and Lee walked up to their queen. “Uh...Chrysalis...you there?” He nudged her, only to get a murmur in response.
Shining could only keep his jaw dropped and eyes wide. “T-that...it..how is...why can…”
*RIP*
Shining’s eye twitched, feeling immense pain in his head. He swallowed his screams and looked down at his apparent son, who only looked around the area with blue hair in his mouth. “You know what…” Shining sighed. “I don’t even care anymore.” He hoisted the colt on his back and turned to Hiver, who was also looking around in astonishment. “Come on, cadet, help me with Cadance.”
Hiver snapped back into the situation and nodded. “Yes sir...but...uh, what about the bugs?”
Shining turned to the changelings, who were also trying to carry Chrysalis. Shining was thinking about capturing them and their queen, but with all the chaos that was cause today, he didn’t have much energy for it, and he was pretty sure the other guards were either hiding or sleeping. “Let’s just let them off with a warning.” Shining said.
“You sure?” Hiver asked. “I mean, I could probably-”
“Can we just relax for a bit and be thankful the two changelings knew how to calm everypony down.”
“Yeah!” Stan shouted, trying to get Chrysalis on his back. “Some thanks would be nice.”
Shining rolled his eyes. “Tell you what, if you two promise to stay out of the crystal empire-”
“Believe us when we say we will.” Stan said with Lee helping hoist Chrysalis on both their backs. “We ain’t commin’ back for a while, alright?”
Hiver threw Cadance on his back and walked up to Shining. “Are you a hundred percent sure about this, captain?”
Shining nodded. “Two hundred percent sure, I’d rather not deal with a colt and three prisoners.” Shining craned his head over to the tower. “Let’s just go home.”
Hiver shrugged. “Alright, but if they come back, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”
Shining turned back to the changelings one more time, seeing them walk away with Chrysalis on their backs. He turned to the colt, seeing it was still chewing his hair. “I still have no idea what to do with you, child.”
“Set him up for adoption.” Hiver suggested. “I’m sure it can’t be that hard to buy a colt so powerful that it can control mares with his magic.”
Shining glared at him in response and continued walking. “I can already tell this just a bad story waiting to happen.”
As for Stan and Lee, they continued walking with their mother on their backs. “Guess that colt’s gonna take over Equestria.” Stan said.
“Yup.” Lee nodded. “it’s just like that story Sid told us.” He shivered. “Except this time it’s not some red colored, black haired little colt.”
“Yeah, and it doesn’t have any wings on it either.” Stan shivered too and looked ahead, still seeing every mare asleep and no stallion in sight. “You know, the empire is pretty weak right now, don’t you think we should-”
“Stan, I’d rather not have another black eye, or another invasion, or a queen that will probably make an even worse plan than before.” He adjusted his back and looked forward. “Let’s just go home and move on with our lives.”
"Fine." Stan cringed and looked behind him, seeing the colt was still looking at them, his red eyes piercing into his soul. Stan gulped and turned forward. “It’s just a story Stan...just a story…”
