//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Chrysalis: Rise of the Changeling Queen // by Mystic Mind //------------------------------// On a snowy winter’s day, twelve-hundred years ago, the Changeling known as Princess Chrysalis took a stroll through a small earth pony settlement. It was by no means a fancy place to live, as earth ponies tended to favour more practical architecture than their more upstart cousins. But that didn’t mean their homes were free from decoration. Chrysalis was particularly fond of the wood carvings placed in front of each house, expressing the occupant’s family history or profession in a similar manner to a cutie mark. For sure, it was a world apart from her own hive, which resembled more the extravagant designs of unicorn cities, with long pathways winding around magnificent spires, all to hold hundreds of faelings inside each structure.  Despite the bitter cold, the townsfolk did their best to focus on their daily business. Travelling traders set up campfires near their stalls in town, doing their best to advertise their wares to passers-by. The existence of extra competition didn’t bother the local shop owners at all. Rather, they welcomed it, trading and exchanging resources with their fellow earth ponies to expand their stock. While it was not uncommon to find the odd goat or griffon among the merchants, Chrysalis had not come to see them. She was here to meet her own kind, the most prevalent of non-pony races, the faelings. Much like their modern Changeling ancestors, their chitin sported a bright array colours, shimmering in the daylight. They were always accompanied by at least one or two ponies, assisting them in whatever work needed to be done. Some helped with inventory rotation, while others rattled off facts about their products, hoping to lure potential customers. There was even the odd hatchling around, playing in the snow with pony foals. It was a harmony that warmed Chrysalis’ heart, one which she wished the other pony tribes would show to their brethren. Chrysalis let out a small sigh, her breath condensing into a light mist. Winter had come sooner than expected this year, which influenced her decision to visit the earth pony tribes first. As was their namesake, earth ponies were predominantly farmers, tending to the earth around settlements to grow enough fruit, vegetables, and grains to feed the townsfolk, while also retaining a bit extra to trade off or save for difficult times. Well, difficult times had arrived in force. They brought volatile snowstorms, which had kept her confined to her hive almost every day for the past month. She tried to capitalise her time when the storms relented, but with her hive being three days’ flight away from the nearest settlement—when there was good weather—she hadn’t gotten far. Looking at the ponies and faelings around her, she smiled. From the way they laughed and joked with one another, she’d never have guessed the harvest was poor this year.  Her attention was broken when she felt something bump against her leg. Looking down, she saw a little filly lying at her hooves, cradling her right shoulder as she fought back her tears. “Pumpkin Spice!” Before Chrysalis could say anything, a deep orange coated mare rushed to the child’s aid. “Oh my stars! Please be beggin’ your pardon, Princess Chrysalis,” the mare said, bowing profusely as she pulled her foal against her chest. “The little one didn’t mean no harm. She just got carried away with her game, is all.” “It’s quite alright,” Chrysalis smiled warmly. “She caused no harm to me. But it looks like the filly has hurt her shoulder. Do you need medical assistance?” The mare looked down at Pumpkin Spice, turning her to get a better look at her injury. The filly squirmed in her grasp, biting her lip as she winced in pain. “Now you hold still, y’hear? I need to see exactly where you’re hurtin’.” The filly looked up at Chrysalis, as if pleading for some relief – though by her reddening cheeks, her mother’s fussing embarrassed her. In response, Chrysalis flared her horn with magic, calling a pair of faelings to her side. “Yes, my Matron Mother?” they replied together. “This earth pony filly appears to have hurt her shoulder,” Chrysalis said, gesturing to Pumpkin Spice who looked to be on the verge of panic. “I doubt it’s anything serious, but could you bring her to the doctor, just in case?” “Of course, Matron Mother,” the faelings performed a shallow bow before turning to the filly, who was now squirming more than ever. “Allow us to introduce ourselves,” said the faeling on the left in a soft tone. “My name is Pharynx, and this is my sister, Sclerite.” “The faelings you were playing with?” added Sclerite. “They are all part of our big family, too. They mean you no harm, and neither do we.” “I’d like to ask you a silly question, if I may?” Pharynx smiled. “What’s your favourite animal that’s not a faeling or a pony?” Pumpkin thought about the question for a moment. “I like sheep,” she said. “Because they’re big and fluffy.” In a flash of green magic, the assistant faelings transformed themselves into small sheep, making sure to generate coats with extra fluff. The filly’s face lit up, her jaw dropping. “Mommy, can I go with the magic sheep to see the doctor?” Pumpkin looked at her mother with a wide-eyed stare. Her mother hesitated, but ultimately she stood no chance against the classic puppy-eye look. “Alright,” she relented. “You just behave yourself, y’hear? And don’t go runnin’ off anywhere until I come to pick ya up.” “Yes, mommy!” Pumpkin chirped. It seemed, at first, that she’d forgotten all about her injury, though she soon got a harsh reminder. The second she tried to climb on the sheep-faeling’s back, she winced with pain, falling onto her side yet again. “Here, let me help you with that,” Chrysalis said. Sparking her horn, she took hold of the filly with her magic and carefully levitated her into a mounted position. “Rest easy now, little one.” “Thank ya kindly, Princess Chrysalis,” the mother bowed once again. “Is there anythin’ I can do to repay ya?” “Oh, no, you hold no debt to me,” Chrysalis smiled. “Though I would like to know your name, so we can perhaps catch up more in future.” The mare blushed. “Sorry, I guess I forgot t’ introduce myself. The name’s Pepper Spice. I run a little café not far from here. It should go without sayin’, but you’re welcome there anytime.” “It’s good to meet you, Pepper. I’ll be sure to stop by once I’ve caught up with the rest of my subject—” Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blasted Chrysalis with a face-full of snow. From out of nowhere, a gang of pegasi swooped into town, causing the locals to scatter in fear. By the time Chrysalis wiped her face clear of snow, the pegasi were already wreaking havoc, diving toward the earth pony citizens in unprovoked attacks. A few traders tried to defend themselves, but they barely managed to get in more than a hit or two. Worse still, if a Pegasus wasn’t assaulting, they took out their aggression on the trader stalls instead, smashing to pieces anything they could get their hooves on. “What is the meaning of this?!” Chrysalis boomed, her powerful voice commanding silence. All eyes turned to her. In particular, the leader of the Pegasus gang landed a short distance ahead of her. She was a scruffy mare, sporting an unkempt fur coat that was deep red in colour. This was in sharp contrast to the mane, dyed hot pink and combed back into a mohawk. Despite the cocky grin on her face, Chrysalis could tell she wasn’t in the best of health. Her wings were missing several feathers, exposing the skin underneath, riddled with sores, likely from parasitic insect bites. “Well, what do you know?” the Pegasus mare said with a sarcastic sneer. “Looks like the earth ponies have an infestation on their hooves. Not surprising when they roll around in the dirt all day!” The other pegasi burst out laughing, much to the chagrin of the townsfolk. Pepper Spice, however, refused to take the insult lying down. “What in Mother Gaia’s name do you airheads want with us?!” she snapped. “We already sold all the spare produce we could to Cloudsdale. In case you’re blind as well as dumb, the snowstorms meant we can’t sell anymore, lest our kids start goin’ hungry!” Chrysalis cringed at the petty insults, though she knew Pepper made a good point. The earth ponies weren’t being selfish, they just provided what was within their means. “Come now, there’s no need for such strong—” “Cloudsdale?” the Pegasus mare spat on the ground, ignoring Chrysalis’ plea for peace. “Who do you think you’re buckin’ talking about, pal? I’m Swift Nimbus, heir to the founding family of Cloudsdale! Dirt lovers like you were made to serve us, so we’re the ones who’ll decide if your paltry offerings are enough.” “Everypony, please calm down!” Chrysalis stepped forward, trying to put herself between Pepper and Nimbus. “Why must we trade insults when we can discuss this like adults? I’m sure we can come to a mutually beneficial solution.” “Back off, bug brain!” Nimbus snapped, flaring her wings. “This is pony business. We pegasi are sick of taking shit from earth ponies, putting up with whatever leftover scraps they throw at us. We’re here to take back what’s rightfully ours, and we’re not about to let any dirt lovers stand in our way.” “I’d like to see you try, airheads!” Pepper lowered her head and widened her stance, preparing to charge. “Ain’t nothin’ gonna stop me from protectin’ my kids.” At that, Nimbus’ eye twitched. It was a subtle gesture, but one Chrysalis understood all too well. Things were about to get ugly. “Alright, if that’s how you’re playing it,” Nimbus announced, clapping her hooves together as she leapt into the air. “You heard the gal, my loyal subjects. Let’s teach the dirt lovers a lesson!” Wasting no time, the Pegasi attacked, launching themselves forward with heavy wing beats and slamming into the earth pony citizens. Others stepped up their destruction, smashing their way into home after home, ransacking them for any food contained within. The earth ponies were far from helpless, however. Many charged in after the pegasi, cornering them wherever their flight advantage was lost. Others still clambered up hidden staircases and leapt from the rooftops, though only a lucky few timed their jumps well enough to catch a marauder in flight. Chrysalis couldn’t believe her eyes. Why were ponies being so cruel to one another? Yes, food shortages were a problem, but that shouldn’t have been an excuse for such senseless violence! After the kindness shown by Pepper, a mare who was now brawling with the pink-haired Pegasus, she couldn’t stand by and let the chaos spread any further. Hear my voice, my dearest kin, Chrysalis transmitted her thoughts to every faeling in town. Please, bring this violence to an end, so no more harm may come to these ponies. As one, the faelings reacted, their attention snapping to the scuffle. Then, they transformed, selecting the forms of griffons to rush in and push the brawlers away from one another. A few ponies backed off at once, recognising this as a fight they couldn’t win – though most still tried to fight on. Those who wouldn’t settle were quickly restrained, finding themselves no match for the superior strength of the griffon form. That left but two ponies still fighting, both of whom Chrysalis would address herself. She didn’t need to transform, her magic was already powerful, grabbing both Pepper and Nimbus within her aura. “It appears I have to separate you like children,” Chrysalis snapped, shooting both mares a scornful look. “If you want to overcome adversity, then you must cooperate. One of you tends to the earth, while the other tends to the weather. I may not understand why you insist on fighting, but this madness stops right now.” Pepper looked away, her cheeks flushing bright red. Nimbus, by contrast, showed no such shame, instead gritting her teeth as she shot Chrysalis a deep, hate-filled look. “Do you know how many earth pony towns have blocked our food supply?!” she snapped, trying and failing to wriggle free from Chrysalis’ entrapment. “They blame us for the bad harvest! No matter what we say, they won’t trade us anything until we change the weather. Do they honestly think we haven’t tried that? My…” The words caught in her throat. Chrysalis felt the emotions shift within the Pegasus mare. This wasn’t mere anger - it was frustration. “My child is sick,” Nimbus continued, fighting back the tears. “We’re so short on food, she ate something poisonous by mistake. We don’t know what it is, and our doctors have their hooves full. All because these dirt lovers decided to blame their shitty farming on us!” “And how is attacking us going to help, ya stupid airheads?” Pepper snapped back. “I feel for ya, pal, I really do. I’m a mother myself. I don’t know the first thing about weather workin’, but I know stealin’ our food ain’t gonna make your little one any better.” “Don’t you dare talk about my child that way!” Now Nimbus was furious, gnashing her teeth at Pepper like a rabid dog. “For all I know, she was poisoned deliberately, out of spite!” “Listen to yourselves!” Chrysalis interrupted. “Pepper is right, nothing will come from pointless fights. Why not ask the unicorn tribes for help? Surely they can get to the bottom of this issue?” For once, both Pepper and Nimbus shared the same reaction: looking at each other, then turning up their noses in disgust. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” Pepper exclaimed. “Those stuck-up, high-horn royals want nothin’ to do with us.” “They’d probably curse us for darin’ to step hoof in their towns,” added Nimbus, rolling her eyes. “To them, we’re no better than savages, unlike them. Know-it-all pricks.” Chrysalis sighed and rubbed her forehead. “This is ridiculous. There must be something you can work… out… together…” suddenly, her magic faded, then vanished, her vision blurring as she struggled to remain standing. Her rapid-onset affliction rippled through her fellow faelings, reverting to their base forms as their strength vanished. “Princess Chrysalis!” Pepper landed with a thud and broke into a gallop, rushing to her side. Nimbus didn’t follow suit. Instead, she just huffed and hovered in mid-air. “Let’s get out of here,” she said to her Pegasus followers. “Nothing good’s gonna come from this town.” Defeated, the pegasi made a hasty exit, leaving empty-hoofed. For a few moments after, all was silent. The traders picked up the pieces of their shattered stalls, salvaging whatever they could. But none of them chose to resume business as usual. In fact, most of the townsponies decided to head home instead, the parents hastily grabbing their children in case the pegasi wanted round two. This left Pepper alone with Chrysalis and the faelings. “Y’all okay here, Chrysalis?” she slid up alongside the faeling princess to help her keep balance. “I… I think I will be,” Chrysalis replied, though she was breathing heavily. “I’m sorry, I can’t visit your café today. I must return to my hive and rest for a while.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Pepper furrowed her brow. “You’re not gonna get far in this condition. Please, rest a while and build up your strength. It’s the least I can do after causin’ ya so much trouble.” “Thank you, Pepper,” Chrysalis smiled, feeling her strength slowly return. “But I’m already feeling much better. What about you, though? Are you hurt at all?” Pepper shook her head. “Nothin’ a hot bath won’t fix. That said, I’d best be gettin’ back to Pumpkin Spice. The doctor shoulda got a good look at her now.” “Mommy!” as if on cue, Pumpkin came galloping back into her mother’s waiting hooves. “Did mean sky ponies hurt you? The magic sheep got hurt protecting me.” “I’m alright, Pumpkin,” Pepper pulled her daughter into a tight hug, kissing her on the forehead. “I’m not hurt, thanks to Chrysalis here.” Pumpkin looked up at Chrysalis. Where just minutes ago she looked upon her with fear, now she was smiling brightly. She took Chrysalis’ hoof within her own and shook it. “Thank you for protecting my mommy, Miss Chrysalis. I love you!” The words shot through Chrysalis’ mind like a lightning bolt, a surge of life returning to her weakened limbs. For the first time in many years, she felt her cheeks flush bright red. “I love you, too, little one,” Chrysalis smiled in return, accepting the foal’s hoofshake. “Your love gives life to both me and all of my kind. I hope you can learn to love other ponies as you have loved me.” With that, Chrysalis telepathically called to all the other faelings within the town. Together, they formed a swarm around their princess, protecting her as they turned their backs on the earth ponies and began the journey back to their hive. Thorax took a break from recanting his tale to take another sip of his tea. It had cooled significantly since he started talking, though if it tasted worse, he didn’t show. Twilight almost lamented the fact she couldn’t transcribe his emotions through her text. This historical account had to be purely factual, free from personal bias. Yet, as professional as she tried to be, she still felt the lump in her throat from all the details he’d discussed so far. “I don’t believe it…” As soon as the words left her lips, her body stiffened. She hadn’t intended to say that out loud. “I mean, I do believe what you told me, Thorax. It’s just hard to imagine Chrysalis ever being kind!” Thorax gave a solemn nod. “Trust me, I know. Just one year ago, it would’ve been hard to believe any Changeling could be kind, wouldn’t it?” Twilight bowed her head, her ears falling flat. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.” Thorax shook his head. “Don’t worry, you didn’t. You said it yourself, this was always going to be a difficult subject.” “Well, I can say you’re handling the subject extremely well,” Twilight added. “It sounds to me like Chrysalis genuinely wanted peace between ponies. Even if she… lost sight of that goal, you never did. I don’t think Spike would’ve latched on to you without good reason.” “Thanks, Twilight,” sipped once more. “I think more Changelings would’ve felt the same way, were it not for what Chrysalis became.” Twilight sat her pen and parchment down, finishing her own tea to emotionally prepare herself for the tale to come. “Would you like some more?” she asked, grasping the kettle in her magic. “I’m alright, thanks. I’m ready to continue, if that’s okay?” “Of course,” Twilight nodded and dipped the end of her quill in the ink pot. “What were the long-term effects of the pre-unification war?”