Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, made a huge attempt to invade Canterlot during the royal wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor with her Changeling army and soon take over all of Equestria by feasting upon the love from ponies and other creatures. But thanks to the true power of love from the soon to be married couple, her plan was foiled and was forced to retreat back to their nest establishment where they had to rest and regroup. Ever since then, Chrysalis' body became filled with rage of vengeance and her mind filled with dark, evil intentions. She soon gathered her whole army of Changeling warriors to discuss things further.
"Attention, my Changeling warriors! Our efforts in Canterlot a few days ago were unfortunately cut short thanks to that insufferable Princess Cadence and her so called royal guard of a husband. Now we're stuck in deciding what our next step to feasting upon other's love is! For days; no, months, we had no love to feast upon except our very own. If things carry on this way, our powers will become weaker and weaker until we have nothing left and we risk in becoming extinct!"
She felt a deep and regretful feeling in the bowels of her body when she made the following suggestion, "Even though it pains me to resort to this, do any of you have any open suggestions that could change the tides of this dreadful hour that we lay upon?"
One of the soldiers suddenly spoke up, "Well, we could just... invade that Ponyville place, it’s near Canterlot and a much easier place to feed."
The Queen just shook her head and sighed, "Even though that seems like a good idea #186, it's not. That town is too minuscule and not good enough in my tastes. Sure, we could get a good meal out of it, but it will serve next to nothing thanks to our failure in Canterlot. Besides, I heard that those 6 pony brats who wield the elements of harmony live there; we would be easily found out and crushed before our deed was done. Escape would be futile."
"That's a... pretty stupid excuse," said a random voice within the crowd. Different Changelings gasped as Chrysalis turned into the direction of the voice with angered eyes.
"What?! Who said that?! Which one of you worms claims my excuse to be stupid?!"
A group of the soldiers quickly dispersed in panic in a circle formation leaving a lone female Changeling standing in the center. The young creature looked up at the Queen with a mix of pure confidence and slight fear.
"Solider 457," said Chrysalis with a calm yet angered face, "do you have something on your mind?"
"Well... a-any source of food is better than none, right? But you know, maybe there is a better way to go at this."
Chrysalis arched an eyebrow at this minion of hers, "Oh... do tell."
"Oh, I know; maybe we can eat like the ponies. Yeah, learn to eat what they love to eat; if we can do that, then things can be a lot easier for us!"
Many more Changeling soldiers got wide-eyed then dispersed out more as their queen landed in front of the young female solider and started to circle around her in a calm-like fashion. #457's body started to tense up.
"#457, tell me, who are we?"
"Umm... Changelings, Mistress," she said in a slight sarcastic tone.
"And what do us as Changelings do?"
"'Sigh.' We feed off the love of others and spread fear throughout Equestria."
"Good. So tell me, do you really think that creatures such as us can just feed like normal creatures... LIKE THOSE GOD-FORSAKEN PONIES!!!?"
The whole room suddenly became silent due to the sudden rage-driven shout exhorted by their queen. #457 took a deep breath and spoke again, "Well, to tell you the truth... during our invasion in Canterlot I thought about something. We have been feeding for generations by tricking others and making them believe in their love fantasies; then we use their fantasies to drain them of their energy making them weak and defenseless. But maybe there is a way we can feed off other's love without force."
Chrysalis made a little scowl at the female solider and asked, "What foolishness are you going on about?"
"We can have others love us; as we are!"
Many of the different Changelings all gasped in shock while Chrysalis suddenly became appalled with a face of disgust, "What; How can you even say that, and in front of your queen nonetheless?!"
#457 looked a bit annoyed by her queen's reaction to her thought, "Well, doing it your way hasn't worked too effectively lately now has it? You said it yourself that if we go on like this we could risk of becoming extinct. If we can try it my way, then maybe..."
"Your way!? YOUR WAY!!!?"
The solders made sure to stay out of their queen's path as she laughs hysterically. She could not believe of her minions completely serious of such an idea.
"If I remember correctly, I am the queen here! Look at us, no one would ever accept us for who we are or how we look; which is why we do what we have to do! If we’re not loved, then we’ll take the love from them so we can continue to become stronger"
"But how do you even know that if you don't even try," said the solider, "Can't you at least give it a chance!"
"Enough, #457! Your idea is nothing but a useless vision that can never be obtained! It's completely foolish to even think of such a thing! Now get back in line so we can hear other ideas that aren't so... preposterous." She gave a little snicker as she walked away from the female Changeling.
#457's anger started to rise over the insults she was given, plus the pain she has gone through and she just lost her cool. She stormed at her queen as her back was turned. However, Chrysalis turned around upon hearing her coming; but before she realized, #457 came up to her face... and slapped her! The sound of the impact echoed throughout the cave, and everyone stood in pure shock and fear about what was going to happen.
"Oh yeah; well, I think that you think that it's stupid because... you never fell in love ever since your mom and dad passed on, haven't you!?"
Chrysalis eyes went from shock to pure angst and hatred; she buzzed her wings in anger as she leered at the young changeling.
"That is it, isn't,” she said in a mocking tone, “Ha! After all, they meant everything to you and you always wanted them to be with you! But after they died, you lost the will to believe in true love; what you have us do now is not for true love, just for a need of want! No wonder others would never love you; as far as I'm concerned, I'd say it was all your fault of everything that has happened!"
Chrysalis became overly furious about one of her minions insulting her in such a manner.
"How dare you! How dare you raise your voice to your queen and bring up the death of her parents in such a manner, you insolent little brat!
Her soldiers knew what was coming next as they coward in fear seeing their queens horn glowing an eerie green and her wings continued to buzz ever so loudly from her rage towards the female changeling. #457 stepped back and trembled a little knowing what was going to come; almost regretting her recent words to Chrysalis.
"I'll show you true love; true tough love!"
With one swift motion, a massive aura beam shot out of the queen's horn and blasted #457 across the room. She ended up slamming into a stone wall with great force; fracturing both of her wings in the process. She got up and groaned while shaking the pain off and glaring at her queen. Chrysalis stood back up while staring at her with wrath-filled eyes and spoke out.
“Is that enough love for you!? You're lucky I didn't fracture your entire body, insolent bug!"
She used her magic to float #457 back in front of her and slammed her onto the ground. She continued rant at her relentlessly.
"You have deliberately insulted your queen and all your brothers and sisters here; as well as mocking our very way of life! You want to try it your way, fine. From this moment forth, you are hereby banished from us; banished from this establishment and you’re not set foot around here ever again! Let’s see if your way can save you now!”
#457 stood with her mouth agape and buzzed her wings with anger; but then winced a little from the pain, “What, you can’t be serious?!”
“Oh, I couldn’t be any more serious than I am already, darling.”
She looked around at all the others wondering what any of them would say.
“Come on you guys! Is anyone going to stand up for me?!”
All the others Changelings had mixed reactions; some were kind of looking away trying not to make eye contact, some were going to say something but couldn’t get it out, and some were right with their queen; staring and glaring at the female Changeling looking smug and not caring at all. She couldn’t believe no one would say anything.
Chrysalis just chuckled lightly, “I’m afraid you’re all alone. Now leave my sight at once; and if you so chose as to set foot around here again, I will have you executed, immediately!”
“Well… well fine,” #457 said with tears in her eyes, “see if I care! But just you wait; I will find someone who will love me for who I am and not because of some tricky illusion;” she ran out to the entrance of their cave home and then faced them again, “and then we’ll see who has the foolish idea!”
After that, she ran out of the entrance opening and out into the nearby dark forest while still crying. Chrysalis flew back up on the tall stone platform that served as her throne and stood before her subjects looking down at them, “Well my minions, I do hope you have all learned from this; no one can truly love a changeling. What we do is our way of life, and no such foolish thought can change anything! And anyone who ever insults me will be dealt with severely... or worse.”
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The now lone changeling was stampeding through the dark forest not knowing where she was going. She was lamenting and muttering to herself of what just happened by at the nest.
“Stupid Chrysalis! Stupid clan! Well… I’ll show them; I’ll show them that my idea might actually work! I can do it! I will do it!”
She continued to go onward, but she was traveling for at least an hour now and she could already feel her strength sapping from her body; but she didn't let that bother her yet. Her travel was soon cut short when she heard a nearby low growl.
“Huh, who’s there?”
A dark, menacing creature with a body made of branches with glowing green eyes crawling out on four legs with claws as sharp as daggers were out was edging towards her in an attempt to have a late-morning snack.
“It’s… a Timber wolf! Oh, that’s just great.”
Normally a changeling could take on a Timber Wolf, but it could sense that she was weak and almost defenseless. It crept closer and closer with no sign of leaving her alone. She was already as pissed off as it is, and this situation didn’t help any.
“Alright you, I don’t have time to mess with you; so… BACK OFF!!!”
She stood her ground; and despite her power being a bit weak she used her shape-shifting ability to transform into a creature that Timber Wolves mostly fear… an Ursa Minor. She let out a huge roar that literally shook the entire earth around them and made the Wolf freeze in place with its tail tucked in between its legs. It started to whimper and then turned around and ran off. No-pony else realized this because her location in the Everfree forest was little ways off from civilization.
She changed back and had a mischievous grin on her face while shouting out, “Yeah, that’s right! You better run! There is no way I’m going to let something like you mess up my chance in proving my fact that we can be appreciated without tricks; but by being the way we are!”
But she soon realized that her current actions on the Timber Wolf caused her to become weaker than she already was. She began to have second thoughts of what she was trying to prove before. A single tear trickled down her cheek.
“Oh, who am I kidding? Maybe… Chrysalis was right; no one is going to love me for who I am; especially not after the invasion in Canterlot. And in the state I'm in, I might not even... m-make it. Ugh, I’m so stupid!”
She just sighed and got back up on her feet, “Oh well, it’s too late to turn back now; I’m… on my own.”
She continued to travel through the dark forest for about an hour or so while hanging her head down the entire time; feeling weaker and weaker with each step. With her banishment from her home and nowhere else to go, where was she going to go now? She suddenly released a violent coughing fit before collapsing on the ground. "Could this be it," she thought to herself, "Am i... going to d-d-die..."
Suddenly, she caught a whiff of something that she wouldn't believe. Whatever it was, it caused her to rise up to her feet as she ran towards the source in which she could smell. She finally got into a clearing and saw a nearby town in the distance. It was rather a small town from her view and she could see some fillies and colts playing ball nearby it. She started to think to herself, “Could this be… Ponyville?”
It was; and it seemed like a lovely place to be. She could tell because of the surrounding sweet aura of love and friendship among its citizens; and it was slowly starting to fill up her strength. She decided that maybe she could hang around here for a few days re-fuel her strength; however, she couldn’t just waltz in there as she was; every-pony would freak out. Also, she couldn’t just disguise herself as someone who lived there already; the citizens would become suspicious. #457 soon decided that it was time to try and cast a transform spell that she learned to change herself into a non-existing pony; but it wasn’t going to be easy for her. It was going to be hard enough for her to pull it off; and the state she was in could hinder too. She hid in some thick bushes, and then closed her eyes as she concentrated on her transforming energies within her, then chanted these words,
“With everything in my power with pure, positive bliss, change me into a pony that doesn’t exist!”
When the spell ended, she was still herself, but she was now a pony; a light-pink unicorn with a mane made of dangling fire-red dreadlocks flowing from her head to her wavy tail. However, the transformation made her eyes stay the same emerald green color; she was sure that no one would realize that anyway. Aside from that, for her first time fully using that spell, it was a huge success!
“Well, I guess this will do,” she said while admiring her work, “I just hope I won’t draw too much attention to myself by any-pony.”
She stayed on her guard and braced herself as she started to head towards the town. She didn’t know what was going to happen next, but she had nothing left to lose except finding her idea to be truthful. On her way there, her heart suddenly went all a-flutter while thinking a certain thought on her mind.
“Gee, I wonder if… he lives here.”
(Edit changes inspired by a completely edited version by MuffinsRule)