Pure white beauty, accented with flowing blue hair the color of the clear blue water. This creature was the very idea of grace. Her eyes were the deepest blue, her wings, while unmistably insectile, were the very picture of what beauty meant on a hot summer day. The Alicorn stood for freedom, peace and life. She was the ruler of her people, a race of Ponies that had long since existed, parallel to Princess Celestia and her younger sister, Luna. While the sisters ruled the cities and created government, this Alicorn promoted freedom among the wilds of the Everfree, where her ponies lived.
All was not peaceful, however. The Nyphms and Dryads made peace difficult. 'All falls under the laws of Nature' was often the excuse whenever one of her ponies suffered under the hungry vines and blossoms of the Gods of the forest.
One day, it had become too much. The Queen could bear the pain of her people no more. Her ponies were peaceful and defenseless against the malice of the other Forest Gods. She had to take drastic action, or her ponies would live no longer. There was only one that could help her. The Royal Sisters had been cold to her in her time of need. They were having their own problems. Of course, it was with this 'problem' that she needed to hold court with.
So, on one dreary, misty night, she found him. Discord, the God of Chaos, listened to her plight. She needed strength. She needed courage for her defenseless ponies. She needed an edge. So, Discord struck a bargain with her. A God's Bargain. The price, he said, would make itself clear when the time was right.
So, she made a deal with the devil. When she reached to shake his claw, she felt terrible pain as her beautiful body began to change. Her pure white was darkened, her fur fell out and her body formed a hard shell. Her wings were torn, and shortened. Strange holes formed in her wings, her tail, her legs. Her horn became twisted and longer. Hard, piercing fangs formed in her mouth.
Her body was new, powerful. Her magic powers had increased, and when she had gone home she found that all her ponies had undergone the drastic change. Discord had explained that with their new powers, they could change at will, disguise themselves to hide or ambush. The Queen was overjoyed.
These new forms were powerful, and would protect them all from the Nymphs and the Dryads. As the Queen discovered her new powers and strength, she decided that she and her ponies had suffered enough under the merciless slaughter of the Gods of the Forest. She began a campaign to wipe out her enemies, once and for all. There would be no mercy as there had been none for them.
Slowly, the Nymphs began to die out as their numbers were cut, quickly and without reserve. Upon victory, the Queen revelled in her victory. The deed was done, the Nymphs were finally gone. It was then that she wished to have her ponies return to their former beauty.
She tried many times, resulting in many different forms.
But, try as she might, she could not even mimic her former glory. None of her children could. Discord's price had been made clear. For while they may now have had the power to defend themselves, and to conquer as had been made apparent by the erradication of the Nymphs, they would forever remain as the ugly creatures their Queen had made them. The Changelings and their queen, no longer welcome among the eyes of the world, sank into darkness, forever cursing their very existence.
Chrysalis awoke with a start. Blasted race memory. Her mother often told her of the days before. Although she hadn't been there, she often had dreams of the past. It was never very conducive to waking in a good mood.
Her bad mood was further escalated as one of her commanders burst into her chambers. Without even knocking! She sat up furiously, her horn blazing with magic. "What is the meaning of this? How dare you!" Her commander came to a halt and prostrated himself before her, his wings buzzing with aggitation. "A thousand apologies, my Queen! I have news, dire news!"
Chrysalis glared down at him over her nose, then waggled a holed hoof. "Continue..." Her soldier looked up at her again. "My Queen, a Nymph has been sighted, far from her home!" Chrysalis suddenly felt excited. Another Nymph? After all these years? "Well? Did you slay her? Have you brought me her corpse?"
Her solder, Nuzo, swallowed hard. This would be the painful part. "W-well...we tried, your majesty, but...we failed. Sh-she was protected by a God! A...a Storm-Bringer!" "WHAT?" Chrysalis rose to her hooves, towering over her tiny commander. He yelped and scrambled away from her in fear. Chrysalis' temper was legendary, a far cry from her usually peaceful mother. The Queen's magic flared, but at the last minute, the deadly green glow faded. She looked down at Nuzo, her eyes deadly serious as she said, "And where are they now?"
Nuzo sighed inwardly. Perhaps he wouldn't be demoted after all? "Our best trackers have been following them, my Queen. They are returning to Nymph territory, but there is a window of opportunity here...If we take a large strike force now, we could cut them off and ambush them!"
Chrysalis held a hoof to her chin, a broad, dreamy smile on her face. "Yes...Yes. Go, take as many of our strikers as you need, Nuzo! Bring me their corpses. No, leave the Storm-Bringer. Kill him if you must, but bring me the nymph's head!"
Spark Storm walked slowly with Orea at his side. Since the encounter with the Changelings, she hadn't stopped looking at him. It was starting to get unnerving. He glanced at her, brows furrowed and ears down. "What." She quickly looked away, but returned her gaze just as quickly. "It is just...you are magnificent." This caught him completely off-guard. He blushed and looked away with a dismissive shrug. "It's nothing. Just something I picked up a little while ago on accident."
Orea looked confused. "I do not understand. Were you not born with your power?" Spark Storm shook his head sadly. "No...Look." He turned to her and offered her one of his wings, stretching it out. "Don't you see? My wings aren't natural. They can't even fly. All they really do, is..." She gasped when his wing flickered to life, the little blue lines of light dancing inbetween his feathers. She regarded this with awe and fear and curiosity. "I wish I could touch the light, it is so beautiful." She looked up into his eyes, the light reflecting, dancing in her deep green eyes. "You are beautiful."
Spark Storm swallowed hard as she looked at him. Only one other mare had ever looked at him the way she looked at him now, and it made him nervous. "Well uh, th-thank you. We should probably get going..."
Orea smiled and leaned against Spark's side as they walked. It unnerved him a bit to be flirting so shamelessly with him, but at least she wasn't as bad as that vine creature. She seemed innocent, and this was the only thing that kept Spark from throwing her off him. He had actually started to feel that her company was pleasant when they became surrounded by not ten Changelings, but by fifty. He stepped in front of Orea, who had already begun to tremble.
"So there you are! Prepare for your deaths, children!" The Changelings began to converge on the two of them. Spark's wings flared threateningly, but he wasn't so sure he'd be successful this time...
Guys, I owe the first half of this chapter to artist-apprentice587 on deviantart. The artist's Reflection picture is inspiration for the Queen's original form. Permission was granted to me to use her appearance, so thanks so much, artist-apprentice587!