//------------------------------// // Hunger is Distasteful // Story: A Glimmer of Truth: Book One // by NightmareTRXY32 //------------------------------// There was no way that she could have known what was to come. Chrysalis was a creature of Habit, in her past life as well as now. She still had that small voice nagging at her for all the wrongs she had done in the past. She could still feel like she was living in the past. It was all so clear to her. Like stepping into a mirror and having its contents spill out around her. There was something else though. She could feel the hunger gnawing at her stomach. It was so intense right now. She tried to ignore it as she looked out the castle window, but it wouldn't subside. She turned to the one beside her, the one that she had bested when she invaded his fortress. "You'll do very nicely," she purred. The kind of pur that lacked any and all emotion to it. It was devoid of feeling, just like she was. Her heart was nearly dark and cold because of the spell laid upon her so many years ago. You could almost describe the Changelings as being like Vampires with how they fed on others. Even now she couldn't resist it anymore. She had to satiate the lust that was building inside of her. She sank her fangs into his neck, and cast the spell. The love began to drain from his body, swirling into the air and traveling towards Chrysalis. She sucked it into her mouth and could feel his essence strengthening her. The look of hopelessness he conveyed was lost on her at first. "Noo, I can't die like this," he lamented as his strength started to fade. She knew he was on his way to the afterlife by the end of the day if not sooner. His passing would be enough to break the bonds that held the kingdom together. She'd annex his lands and claim them as her fledgling empire's new feeding grounds. It wouldn't be until later that she'd see the forces of the other two Kingdoms gathering outside of her new " capital". All living things need to eat, The queen was sure of that. And she had an entire array of food before from beyond the borders of Equestria. The Unicorn King was easy to drain. He was already dying, what was draining the rest of his life compared to letting him linger on this way. In her mind, she was doing him a service. As the last threads of life drained away from him, she turned to her 'subjects' and gave them the command they had been longing to hear. "Go, Feed." And with that, a number of them set off after the rest of the unicorns that were locked in that cellar that was close by. Screams could be heard echoing up from above. A few had tried to escape, but they were easily caught and brought before her majesty. She looked them over before selecting some of the mares that were with the others, sinking her jagged fangs into their throats, one at a time. There was a scream and then a subtle moan, as if the mare was being driven to some form of sick ecstasy. When her eyes opened again, they were shimmering neon green. It was like watching a nightmare unfold. A very long and unending nightmare that there was no escape from. They could do nothing but look on in horror at what was unfolding before them. The Guards were the first ones to almost vomit at the sight that they were witnessing. It was all rather surreal. Chrysalis could see this and started to grin wickedly. It was the exact response she had been hoping for. And she relished in every moment of it. The mare's coat began to flake off in patches until a new changeling was standing before the Queen. The others in the group could only look on, horrified at what they had all just witnessed. Chrysalis ordered any of mare that was in the building to be brought before her. Most of the commoners were dead, drained of their love, or eaten alive by these obsidian-clad monsters. They watched helplessly as the mares that were with them were taken before the Queen and subverted by her magic. Half were turned into Changelings, the others were kept as breeding stock. They watched in horror as a number of changelings took the ones that were under a mind spell and began mating with them right then and there. One of the castle guards that was still alive watched as a changeling took a mare that was under the mind spell and forced itself on her right before his eyes. He wasn't sure what was worse, the look on the Changeling's face, or that the mare seemed to almost enjoy being dominated by the way she kept pushing her flank against this beast, almost like she grinding with it as if she were in heat. Before he could even think of acting out, the Fallen Alicorn approached him. He could feel a strange sensation come over his body. Soon he was also placed under a mind spell, with her straddling him now. Chrysalis walked around him a few times to get a good look at one of the soon-to-be newest members of her growing Empire. She ran her now jagged and forked tongue over his neck, before finding the softest spot to bite down on. "I think you'll do just fine."She almost purred as her fangs sunk into the guard's neck. She could feel the blood trickle out from where she bite him. But it didn't matter really after she bit him, the conversion process would erase what was left of his personality until he was just another drone committed to her service. A part of her was screaming for her to stop this madness, and be reasonable. But that voice was just a remnant of who and what she used to be. Before his betrayal of her. Before she was cursed to this form she was in now. SHe found herself arguing with a ghost it seemed. That insipid voice wouldn't go away. It was a constant nagging reminder of the pony she used to be. But as far as Chrysalis was concerned, the past was dead and buried. She didn't know wrong she would be several decades from that point in time. She would come to regret what she had become when the Canterlot invasion occurred. She also found that it would be the one time she would be close enough to Luna to reveal the truth. All she could do now was prepare for the day that this curse would be lifted, and she would be returned to her original state. For ones like her the ghosts of their past have a hard time leaving them alone. even after sieging the Castle and draining the love from the King of the Unicorns, Chrysalis was not prepared for what awaited her and her subjects when they looked out the nearest window of the King's castle keep. What she saw took her breath away right at that moment. Outside were ten thousand Unicorns in military regalia as far as her eyes could see. Apparently someone had gotten word out that the king was dead and his castle under siege. For one of the few moments in her life, she could fear seeping into what was left of her heart. That's when she realized it wasnt all Unicorns. There were soldiers from the Pegasi Legions embedded as well. With a legend leading the charge to the castle. "Pegasi and Unicorns of the West!", the commander hollered," Swords will be broken, shields will be splintered, for a new day, a red day, AS THE SUN RISES!!!,", Commander Hurricane boasted as she stormed forward with her battalion towards the castle gates. "Form Ranks!" Chrysalis shouted to her commanders as they met their enemies on the field of battle. She wasn't going to lose her new territory to a damned pegasus-led army. She inspected her troops as Commander Hurricane's forces came closer into view. "Pikes in front, Mages behind!", She prepared herself as they got closer. As soon as the enemy forces came up over the ridge she turned and yelled. "FIRE!" Chrysalis watched as a volley of green magic soared through the air and descended on Hurricane's advancing army. She watched as a few were knocked to the ground, most likely dead or wounded from the ferocity of the spells. It became more and more evident that they weren't being deterred by it. "Ahhhhhhhhhh.. ATTACK!!" Commander screamed as she led her pegasi legion into the fray. She cut down the first few changelings that tried to attack her and Private Pansy, her gladius stained with green blood. They pushed through the changeling army with an advancing shield wall as soon as they could erect one. Chrysalis felt her blood run cold at the sight of her forces being massacred like this. She pulled out a rusty Great mace and swung it in a wide arc, knocking back several earth pony soldiers, and Griffons. Several of them tried to blindside her but were stopped by the mace slamming into the sides of their bodies. She crushed the skull of the Griffon commander with enough force to send others reeling backward. She turned around into to come face to face with Commander Hurricane. The two of them could only glare at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. She took the time to mock her opponent for even considering facing her one on one. "Your a fool to face me like this." Chrysalis taunted. " Do you not know Death when you see it you foolish bird brain of a Pony." Her taunts struck the right nerve it seemed. "If I'm to die, I'll die on my hooves with your body broken in front of me!" Hurricane roared, slamming into the Queen and burying her blade into the Queen's foreleg. Chrysalis yelped, and hit Commander Hurricane in the side with an errant magic blast. It was enough to knock the mare on her flank and bruise half her side. Chrysalis knew that she had to withdraw or she'd lose the rest of her armies. She couldn't make a blunder right now and play into this pony's hooves. If only she'd kept her smarts in the coming centuries, she could have won in Canterlot. She withdrew to the castle and rallied the rest of her forces for a possible siege.