A single, solitary creature made her way across the vast, seemingly unending expanse of white.
She was not a monster, and yet, neither was she a pony.
She had hooves, yes, as well as a mane and tail and four legs. She even had wings and a horn, the telltale signs of royalty in the land of Equestria, and yet, she was no alicorn.
The proof of this took the form of the insect like wings on her back, the twisted, wicked looking horn on her head, and the many holes that seemed to run up and down her leg. These features, to the untrained eye, made her legs look like Swiss cheese. She also had a lone fang protruding from her mouth as well.
She sported an obsidian colored coat that accentuated the dark green color of her eyes. Her pupils were not the usual type. What would be a normal pony pupil, big and innocent and cute-looking, was for her and others of her kind, a slit shaped, almost cat like eye that dilated depending on her emotions.
She was a changeling, a race of shape-shifting creatures that were more bug than pony. They fed off the love of others, sucking it from their bodies and using it as sustenance to fill their bellies. However, she was no ordinary changeling.
She was...the changeling queen. She was queen Chrysalis. And right now, she was not happy.
Those loathsome princesses had banished her to the desert, and even now, as she baked in the burning sun, sweating profusely as her strength slowly left her body, she cursed them and their kingdom, mentally wishing things upon them that would surprise even her if said aloud.
She had been walking for no more than half a day since her banishment first began, and already she was feeling drained of almost all her power.
She had not eaten since morning and she was in desperate need of some love to feast on. Or, at the very least, some hay.
Contrary to popular belief, changelings could eat more than just love. They also ate hay and other things. Love was just...their preferred dietary choice. It gave them power. Made them feel...stronger, faster, more agile. It was like...a jolt of tasty energy.
She desperately wished a pony would walk by, so she could sneak up on them and steal their love. She would take as much as necessary to fill her rumbling stomach, even if the pony lost the ability to love altogether. She was just that hungry.
It seemed that her prayers were answered when a lone pony stumbled out in front of her, seemingly disoriented and weak form the heat. The pony wore a bundled cloth on his head and a thin cloak that covered his flank and hid his cutie mark.
Chrysalis found herself wondering what sort of pony would be out in this scorching heat. 'Why is that pony wearing such a thin cloak? It was no wonder they were nearly toppling over from exhaustion'
No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when it was thrown away as she shook her head and looked over at her helpless victim. She trotted over to the pony and bent down to sniff him. She was finally going to get her meal.
'After all this time.' She thought as she licked her lips in anticipation, opening her mouth and revealing her fangs.
She was about to begin sucking the love from her unsuspecting captive when a strong wind blew, forcing her to shield her face from the dust and debris that threatened to either blind her or blow her away. When she looked back to her would-be food, She saw that the wind had blown off its hat. She could now see the pony's face clearly. Not that she had been trying to before, of course.
She saw that it was a stallion. Or at least that's what she assumed given his well defined facial features.
He was a tan Pegasus stallion with a blonde mane and tail. Tan wings were folded at his sides, covered in dirt and dust from his time in the unforgiving desert.
She took a look at his face.
It too, was in much the same shape as his wings. Covered in dirt and dust and grit. His eyes were closed
Despite her efforts to try and fight them, Chrysalis' motherly instincts kicked in. She put her ear to his chest to check if he was breathing.
Sure enough, the slight rise and fall of his chest told her that he was alright, just simply sleeping.
She breathed a sigh of relief and slung him onto her back, looking to carry him to safety. She picked up the pony's strange hat and placed it on her own head, trying to keep the sun away from her as much as possible.
After quite a ways of walking, she found a cave and decided to lay him down inside of it. She set him down gently onto the ground of the cave and trotted over to a corner of it to get her own sleep.