Chapter 2_____________________________________________________________________
Stormy held up her hooves, but her hooves didn’t belong to Stormy at all. They were jet-black, and had numerous amounts of holes in them, as though they were ashen cheese. Her wings no longer felt as though they would easily let fly with a few flaps. Instead, they felt as though she had to beat them at least 100 times a second to stay airborne.
Gabriella Greenback’s wings had snapped shut with fright, and she was falling to the ground. The changeling that was once Stormy Skies stared down at Little Apple. She was slowly walking backwards in the direction of the Apple Family barn. “Little Apple... I... I...” “You’re gonna get a big buck in the face from Applejack, that’s what!” yelled Little Apple, and she broke into a run. “No L.A., Please!” pleaded Stormy, and she flew after her. ‘Oh, please oh please forget all about this oh please please please don’t tell anypony...’ Then a thought hit her. She was a changeling- she had a horn, she could use her magic! She quickly created a mental image of Little Apple halting, unable to move any further, and it happened in reality. As much as she struggled, she couldn’t move. Stormy the Changeling landed next to the small filly, but did not have a plan as to what to do now. If only she make her forget all of this... But an Idea hatched in her brain, inspired by the story of Discord...
Little Apple gazed into the beady blue eyes of the changeling pinning her down. It whispered to her in a soft voice. “I’m so sorry, Little Apple.” The changeling lowered her head, her horn glowing lime green, and suddenly, Little Apple felt a wave of forgetfulness...
Little Apple’s pupils turned a bright green and enlarged for a little while. The filly closed her eyes and her struggling ceased. Stormy the Changeling turned. Now for Gabriella, who had been rendered unconcious from the fall...
Little Apple opened her eyes to see Stormy Skies the pegasus, laughing. “Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean for that ball to knock you over.” Little Apple laughed, remembering how the ball had knocked her off her feet and onto the ground. “Aww, It’s okay. C’mon, let’s play some more.”
Although majority of the day had been very fun, Stormy Skies came home feeling very depressed. 2 ponies had just discovered her secret, and she had to attack them both. She didn’t feel so bad about modifying Gabriella Greenback’s memory, because she deserved it, the jerk. She’d gotten Stormy into this mess. But to have done it to her own best friend... it made her feel guilty and cowardly, and she was ashamed. But it had to be done, or else, who knows what Applejack and the Elements of Harmony would’ve done to her. She might’ve even been banished to the moon! But it was all over now...right?
Ever since she had unlocked her new memory-modifying powers, apart from the shame a different side of her felt new... empowered. She knew this was sick and wrong, to enjoy playing with her friends as though they were lifeless dolls, but she could not help but feel even a slight bit excited. Who knows what she could do? If she wanted cookies, she could just replace somepony’s memories to think that they had promised her cookies 5 minutes ago! If she didn’t want to take a bath, she could make them think that she had already bathed, and much more! The possibilities were endless!
Stormy Skies watched the sun slowly set, the sky turning from indigo to scarlet to black. She made a compromise. Alright, she’d perform her spell once, Just ONCE more, and that was it, she would never use it again. She searched her room for a suitable subject. Of course, a pony would never do, it was simply too cruel. Her eyes fell upon a lone beetle. She looked over her shoulder to make sure her mother wasn’t watching, and closed the window to make sure no late-night strollers found her. Once Stormy had confirmed no one would see her, she changed into her true form to properly preform magic, and lowered her horn upon the nearly miniscule head of the beetle, and accessed it’s mind with her magic.
It was on that day that Stormy Skies learned something new- Beetles have VERY boring lives. She searched through about 2 weeks worth of memories and saw nothing but grabbing crumbs on the floor, scuttling towards a hole in the wall, and eating. She decided that she would be generous and make the beetle’s life more exciting. She erased everything the beetle knew except vital instincts, such as eating, drinking, and breathing. This would no longer be an ordinary beetle. No, this Beetle was a Knight, serving the glorious kingdom of... Beetletopia. And this knight’s name was... Sir Legsalot. And he served a beautiful queen named.... named...
“Why not yourself?” said a little voice in her head. “You would make a wonderful queen. You are beautiful. You are powerful. You have much potential.” Stormy Skies thought this over for a moment. “Alright.” she decided. “Sir Legsalot serves a beautiful queen named Stormy Skies.” Deciding she was done creating a little backstory for the entranced insect, she raised her horn and stared expectantly at it.
For a moment, the beetle did nothing. Then it scuttled away. Stormy’s heart sank a little. Oh well, it’s brain was probably too tiny to even comprehend what a queen was anyway. However the beetle returned not 10 seconds later, a large crumb on it’s back. The beetle did what was an unmistakable a bow, which caused the crumb to roll to Stormy Skies’ feet. Instead of picking it up, the beetle left it there, as though it had been a gift. Stormy smiled at the beetle. “Your queen is pleased, Sir Legsalot. You are dismissed.” she whispered. And with that, the bug ran away.
“Okay, there. You did it. You just created the most awesome beetle ever. Happy now?” she thought to herself. “No more.” Stormy Skies ate dinner, crawled in her bed, and went to sleep.
Stormy had a most strange dream that night. She was in her changeling form once more. Applejack was standing in front of her, scowling. “What?” asked Stormy. The orange cowpony said nothing, but instead transformed into Little Apple. “YOU’RE A CHANGELIN’!” she shrieked once more. Stormy stared unamusedly at her. “Yeah. So? I’m still a good friend... right? Good friends don’t care what you are or what you look like, Good friends care about what’s inside...” “Right you are, darling.” said an unfamiliar voice. Stormy turned her head to get a good look at the mystery speaker. It was a jet black pony- or... was it a pony? It was quite tall for a pony, about as tall as Celestia, but VERY different. It had holes in its legs, hair, and tail. It had short, pearl-white fangs, and teal eyes. Her voice sounded almost insect-like, ringing with every word she spoke. “It is a very well known rule of friendship, Celestia even has her little minions learning it, yet they don’t seem to actually USE this knowledge, do they?” Stormy Skies did not know how to reply to this. “The ponies are all fools. They accept a zebra, who has threatened, not actually done, but threatened to curse them all, but they despise an innocent changeling?” Stormy bared her fangs. “I know you... You’re Queen Chrysalis! You nearly took over all of Equestria! You aren’t innocent at all!” The smile faded from the Changeling Queen’s face. “I did what I had to. My Changelings have spent nearly 47 YEARS starving, unable to find enough love to uphold the entire colony. We had a choice, starve and die out, or conquer a land with enough food to last us a century. If it was up to you to feed over a thousand ponies, which would you choose?” Stormy thought over this carefully. If she had to feed over a thousand starving ponies... “I...guess you’re right...” The grin returned to Queen Chrysalis’ face, and she laughed. “I thought so... But that’s off topic. I have visited you to make a deal.” “A... deal?” Stormy asked, her voice wavering. “Yes, a deal, dear Stormy. You are one of the most magically talented changelings I have ever seen in my entire life. I myself have the ability to control only 10 ponies at a time. You can rewrite as many memories as you want. As you have been living here for your entire life, nopony will ever suspect you.” “Suspect me for what?” Stormy Skies demanded. “I want you to corner as many ponies as possible, modify their memories to make them believe that they must go to the Everfree Forest. I will wait for them there. Using this method, We shall take over Ponyville, and then ALL of Equestria!” Stormy Skies gave Chrysalis a stern stare. “Why would I do that?” “Ah, yes, your end of the bargain... Upon our victory, I shall award you with power. You will become one with my colony, and not only that, but a princess. Yes... Stormy Skies... Princess of the Changelings AND Equestria, and when I die, Queen. But if, and ONLY if, you decide to help me.” Stormy Skies did not reply, but instead turned away to process it through her brain.
If I accept... I will become a princess, and later a queen of all the chagelings. And I shall rule all of Ponyville- No... EQUESTRIA... And if I don’t accept, I don’t get any of that.... But I can warn the Elements of Harmony, right?’ ‘But they probably won’t believe you, will they?’ said a nasty little voice in her head. ‘You heard Applejack. Nopony’s seen head nor tail of the changelings ever since the Canterlot Invasion, why would they attack now?’ ‘But if I choose to accept, my family and friends will hate me.’ Chrysalis seemed to read her mind, for she said, “The ponies at home do not truly love you. They only like you because they think you are a pony. If you were honest with them, they would hate you. That is not love, that is prejudice. If we are victorious, you shall come with me, my changeling minions and I will not care about what you look like. We will appreciate you for what you are- a sly, love-consuming changeling...”
It was those words that set her off. She took in what Chrysalis had said, and her heart filled with hatred and bad feelings for her pony kin back home. If Darkest Autumn loved her, why did she not tell her what she really was? Why did she not tell her she was a Changeling? If Little Apple was really her friend, why had she panicked at the sight of her true form, even though she seemed to have liked her before?
Stormy Skies turned back to face the Queen of Changelings, her eyes gleaming with rage, tears welling up with sadness. “I will send you as many ponies as I can.” She said firmly, as this was her final descision. Chrysalis placed a hole-covered hoof on Stormy’s shoulder. “You have chosen wisely.” She whispered, and faded away until she was no more.
Stormy looked away from where Chrysalis had once been and turned to face where Little Apple was standing. Except she was no longer Little Apple. Now she had taken the form of a Pink Alicorn with magenta wings. Her Cutie mark was a heart-shaped diamond whose rim was encrusted with gold. Her mane was very pretty, except for the fact that it was dirty and tangled. Stormy gave it a look of curiosity, and the pink alicorn began to speak.
“You have chosen a path in which your power will rise,
but you must ask yourself, was it really that wise?
You will soon see the consequences of the path you chose,
Will it bring you happiness, or even more woes?”
The rhyming pony faded away just as Queen Chrysalis had, and Stormy Skies was finally alone.
Queen Depravia Cassandra Chrysalis woke up with a start in the throneroom of her hive in which she ruled. She had just had a very weird dream. She had met a changeling who lived in Ponyville disguised as a young pegasus foal named Stormy Skies, and revealed her next plan to take over Equestria to her. Chrysalis had absolutely no idea who Stormy Skies was, yet it felt as though she had known her since she was a young hatchling. She did know one thing however, and it brought her the first smile she had ever had in 3 years.
Changeling children were EASILY manipulated.