Chrysalis wandered the streets of this strange world.
She had planned an invasion on Canterlot for years, but for now, she just wanted to relax. After all, everything was almost in place.
She let a deep, malicious chuckle out under her breath as she trotted into a place called Privet Drive.
However, as she entered, she remembered she had a definite reason for being here. Focus, Chrysalis. It's time to set things right and collect my new nymph, she thought to herself.
Though her target was not a changeling by birth, they were connected mentally to her hive, if only by accident, and physical changes were beginning to take hold. If her charge's guardians were to discover the mutations-!
No, she resolved, best not to consider that. I will rescue him before that should ever happen.
As she approached the fourth house in the suburb, her smirk twisted into a look of pure, motherly, caring rage.
No one hurt her changelings with impunity.
Not even if they were not technically or fully changelings... yet.
During one of her walks through this strange world, she had entered this place under a disguise.
However, the moment she got into the ordinary cul-de-sac, she sensed two things from house number 4.
First was a magical probe, seemingly judging her. It caught her off-guard, since magic seemed to be absent from this world, but it seemed to let her through easily enough, so she shrugged it off.
The second, however, got her attention. Abuse. Sorrow. Anger. Greed. Self-depreciation. It sickened her to the core.
Home and hearth are places of heart, she thought to herself, and this one is a haven for nothing but hate and hurt.
Dipping into the Hive Link, Chrysalis was met with the minds of her children and subjects.
Queen Mother!
Welcome, Queen Mother!
How is your reprieve, Queen Mother?
My queen, what is it you grace us with your presence for?
It warmed the queen's heart to hear the childlike mindset of a young drone, but she steeled her resolve as the first of her guards answered, and began to speak through the Link.
My children, she began, something has come to my attention, something that sickens me to the core.
Internally, Chrysalis debated which changeling to send for the task she had in mind, before she smirked, deciding to make some use of one of her less typical changelings. Thorax!
Within moments, the timid voice of the hive's runt came through the Link. M-m-me, my queen?
I choose you for the task. A house I passed by is not only magically warded in some manner, to my surprise, but it houses such negative emotion as to be unnatural for a home. Zero in on my location at the time of my connection and relay to me the cause of these emotions.
Yes, my queen. I shall do my best, Thorax answered before Chrysalis moved on in her walk and removed her mind from the Link's communication.
What Thorax had relayed to her the following day was sickening, horrifying, wrong.
And yet, it also provided an opportunity, purely by accident, to remedy the situation...
Thorax entered Privet Drive, feeling the very same things his Queen had felt.
I wish my brother was here, Thorax thought to himself, only to receive a response through the Hive.
Come on, Thorax! I know you're a wimp, his brother Pharynx said, but at least you're a wimp the queen chose for scouting! That's something to be proud of!
Thorax sighed, saying, Yes, Pharynx. I know, allowed himself a small smile, and approached the backyard, where the signals were currently concentrated, disguising himself as a black cat before carefully hiding under the bench.
"Hurry up, boy," an unnaturally thin female human said coldly to a little emaciated male child. "Those weeds shan't pluck themselves, and if you aren't precise and swift, no food for two days."
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," the boy said, which shocked Thorax. This woman was his AUNT? And she was denying him FOOD? A typical changeling in Chrysalis' hive may have only been given a little over a pure subsistence diet if they failed the Queen, but still, that was something.
Thorax then watched as Harry collapsed, a portly man with a walrus-like face and a mustache brandishing a worn belt... and lashing the child with it until he got up.
Meek as Thorax was, he was filled with a righteous rage, which was parroted by his brother as they sight-shared.
However, as the boy was forced inside, they began to sense something. Looking at the boy, they watched in surprise as the lashings, while slowly, still healed faster than a human should be able to, and they felt the boy's magic, and his thoughts, cry out for someone to care for him, to love him.
Latching onto those thoughts, Thorax was surprised to feel two things happen.
First, he felt some of his ration of love go into the boy, and saw his wounds heal a little quicker, though they seemed to develop a sort of chitin armoring at the same time.
Second, he began to feel the boy's emotions and thoughts more profoundly.
Pharynx noticed these feelings, and though he was mad, he understood it was an honest accident that they had accidentally linked the boy - Harry - to the Hive, and quite frankly, he said, the kid looks like he needs a better home and a good loving shoulder to cry on.
I couldn't agree more, Pharynx, Thorax said, before exfiltrating the garden and focusing on the accidental link to Harry. Though he felt something else trying to listen in on the connection, anyling worth their ration knew how to push off a mental assault on their own.
Hello?
What? Who is this? Where are you?
I was watching you from under the bench. I saw what they did to you.
Are you going to suggest they hit a freak like me harder?
Freak? I would be a hypocrite if I called you a freak. I was horrified, in fact.
Don't be. Uncle Vernon said freaks deserve punishment.
Oh, please. Name one freakish thing you did.
When they gave me a haircut, they punished me when I had all my hair the next morning.
Hair growth? It's part of what I do for a meal. Can't explain how you did it, but still...
When my cousin Dudley was Harry Hunting one day, I ended up in a really high place, higher than I expected; on the school rooftop.
That sounds like teleportation. Me and my family did that a few times.
Whenever Uncle Vernon punishes me, somehow my injuries heal faster than they should. This time, they created these hard plates that are spreading across my skin.
...Okay, the chitin plates were my fault, but that was completely accidental.
Weird things always seem to happen around me when I'm scared or confused, and my aunt and uncle hate it.
...I saw. Now, I don't want to sound creepy, but if you found a caring and accepting mother, would you leave your family behind? Even if she looked... scary?
...I suppose it would be better than living here. What do you look like?
...Okay, Harry, now don't be scared. I'm going to show you. Here.
In Harry's mind, he saw the forming image of a smiling black insectoid pony sitting down like a dog, wings eagerly buzzing and bright blue eyes.
...You were right, Harry said. You do look kind of freakish.
Yeah... and I'm not exactly the best example of an Equestrian changeling. We're all raised as and expected to be warriors; I'm the only one that doesn't want to be a warrior. My big brother Pharynx, though... he's the best warrior in the whole Hive.
The image of Thorax faded, to be replaced with a gruffer changeling, more built than Thorax, with purple eyes and wings and red fins.
Hive? Well, you do look kind of like insects...
The whole Hive lives under our mother, the one who sent me to investigate the emotions she felt while passing by; Queen Chrysalis, the first Changeling. She may not seem like a caring individual, but she's planning a whole invasion of the Equestrian capital of Canterlot, simply to collect love for us to feed on.
As Thorax described her, Harry could see her standing tall, a tattered dark cerulean mane and tail with a proud crown behind her jagged horn drawing his attention to her half-lidded, confident smirk with slit green eyes.
She doesn't sound very nice to others... but you seem to have a high opinion of her, and she does look pretty. I'll trust you.
With that, Thorax cut the communication, and reported back to Chrysalis.
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With every word she heard of Harry's punishment, how he had been relegated to a servant and how he had been abused by those who were supposed to care for him, Chrysalis grew more furious.
Eventually, she realized that this boy, tortured and sad, would be both an excellent source of love and a good start into examining the apparent magic of this world if she took him in.
However, she admitted to herself it was more than that. Thorax was right; she was very caring for her drones, nymphs, hivemates, and even those she considered as means to an end, even if she didn't seem like it at times. After all, she was responsible for each and every changeling, not just as a leader, but as a mother figure.
And now that Harry knew of her caring, and that he was linked to the Hive, how could she refuse him a better home?
Digging into Petunia Dursley's family proved interesting; her sister, Lily, exhibited similar powers to Harry in her youth, and their friend, Severus Prince-Snape, had told her that she was a Muggle-born witch, and that she had been put down for a place at Hogwarts, a school specializing in the craft. Apparently, Petunia wanted a similar invitation, even messaging the headmaster of the school, a mister Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, but genetics did not favor her, causing her to become bitter about the Wizarding World.
Lily had died in a car crash, publicly, but digging deeper led to Chrysalis finding some inconsistencies in the story; she was found in a wrecked house, and other than injuries from the debris, she appeared to have just... stopped living. So had her husband.
She resolved to search deeper into it after Harry was safe, and considering she went to he house on a post day, after the mail had been delivered, she shifted into a dark cerulean letter with moderate harlequin ink that only he could see reading,
Harry Potter
4 Privet Drive
For your eyes only
Thorax Chrysalia
Badlands Hive
Equestria
She couldn't explain it, but she always got a giddy prancing feeling when a plan came together so well.
------------------------
When Harry was sent out to get the post, he noticed an odd black letter addressed straight to him.
Noticing it was for him, and return-addressed with Thorax's name, he slipped it secretly into his cupboard and delivered the rest of the mail to his relatives.
Once that was done, he opened the letter and saw a message on it.
Hello, Harry. Surprised?
I'm here.
-Chrysalis
It was then that he noticed the letter had eyes (the sclerae were the same color as the ink, with dark grayish opal pupils,) which quickly closed as the letters changed.
First off, I'm glad to meet you. Thorax told me everything.
As for why I'm a letter... Changelings thrive and depend on their ability to look like anything they want within certain parameters. We take the form of something or someone precious to you, and your love for it feeds us.
I did some research into Lily Potter, too. The cause of death wasn't excessive inertial force like a car crash, though... it was like their bodies just stopped functioning.
And as much as your aunt protests freakishness... Well, looking into your mother's past, she actually wrote to the headmaster of Lily's "freakish" school and begged him to take her as well. Can you imagine?
Anyway, because of what Thorax did, you've probably noticed your skin hardening. That's because our magic seems to have interacted with your own, turning you at least part changeling.
Now, I've studied a few things in this world, but I think that my way will work better for this. Don't mind the ring of flames.
As soon as Harry read that, a ring of green flames surrounded him, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in a much wider dark place, the chitin plates on his body having turned black.
The letter flew from his hands, wreathed in the same green fire, before emerging as Chrysalis.
"Welcome to the Hive, Harry," she said as Thorax and Pharynx (he recognized those distinct purple eyes) stood next to her with a nymph, eyes a darker blue. "These three shall be your closest brothers and sister in the Hive, your overseers and charges; Thorax, Pharynx, and Ocellus."
Harry smiled warmly. He had a family that he felt would care for him. For the first time in his life, he felt loved... and it seemed to energize him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was, somehow, feeding off of their love.
Although, why was their chitin turning colors in his mind?
That thought was interrupted when a crystal materialized seemingly from nowhere with a note. Harry picked up the note and read as the sky outside the badlands showed a pink cloud fleeing the scene.
My nephew said you might want this. It shows everything that's happened so far. Actually, it's only just started. If you want to see the show up front, find a way to blend in... in a week. Happy Summer Sun.
-He-Who-Does-Not-Make Sense
P.S: You should be there when I get out. It will be interesting... and delicious.
Chrysalis didn't know how the crystal got here, but one thing was for sure:
She wanted to teach Harry how to be a changeling.
Of course, her plans went into overdrive when, almost in response to his being in the hive, the chitin spread rapidly over Harry to his and her surprise, turning his form into that of an adolescent royal, though his appearance didn't fundamentally change.
For one, his pupils had become a slightly lighter shade than Chrysalis', and his messy haircut was unchanged as it dyed to a purplish-black.
Second, his horn appeared more complete and less jagged than hers, but still in the straight point of a royal.
Third, his fingers had receded seamlessly into his new hooves as holes were painlessly punched in his forearms before coming out, clawed and armoured, and yet a perfect balance of soft and firm.
Fourth and most surprisingly, however, was that Harry's scar exuded a black smoke that seemed to scream in pain as even more love flooded Harry's system before being disintegrated by the combination of Pharynx, Thorax, and Chrysalis' magic.
After the ordeal, Harry was instinctually uncomfortable in his new form, and Chrysalis could feel him desiring to return to being that same boy that entered the hive.
Just as he thought this, though, green flame wreathed his form, and when it cleared, Harry was normal; no plates of chitin, no injuries, just a little human boy.
That as it seemed, Harry still felt different, still felt his new form underneath. Knowing that this form was, in some way, an accidental gift from his new mother and brother, he hugged her and his new siblings, if not by birth, then now by magic.
After the touchy moment, though, the three changelings left Harry with Chrysalis, who quickly began to school Harry in the basics of taking an Equestrian Pony form.
After deliberating for the following day, he decided his alias of Unseen Lightning would be a pegasus with a blue coat, and his mane similar but longer in a crimson amaranth shade with a streak of emerald, his eyes colored in the purple shade of his real mane.
He spent three days honing his disguise, creating a story of a pegasus colt from Trottingham (Chrysalis had figured his accent would fit in there) who had come to Ponyville on vacation with his unicorn mother Crystalline Cloud to see the festivities.
Crystalline Cloud, who Chrysalis based on Lily Potter/Evans, had a green-white coat, beautiful warm emerald eyes, a flowing vibrant auburn-red mane, and a caring yet regal poise.
The very next day, Chrysalis and Harry appeared in ceremony before the entire hive.
All Infiltrators had been recalled, making "surprise business trips" to show their respect for their Queen's command.
Harry, Thorax, and Chrysalis now stood on a raised stage in front of the Black Throne, Chrysalis' seat of power and the main defense of the hive, situated in a magical deadzone known as the Badlands.
"My children," Chrysalis addressed, the words reverberating through the minds of everyling present, "the three days before this have been a myriad of tasks and revelations. Three days ago, I felt an abnormal amount of hatred coming from a human world suburban house known as Number Four, Privet Drive."
The changelings hissed at the reminder in righteous rancour, spooking Harry a bit with their fangs, but Chrysalis laid a hoof on him in reassurance as she continued. "The very next day, our scout relayed the situation; the people that occupied this spot of hatred were abusing their nephew, a human child named Harry James Potter, simply because his parents were members of a local enclave of a hidden side of the world, one which held magic aplenty while their world, the 'Muggle' world, held nothing of the sort."
More hissing sounded out, and Chrysalis held up a hoof to silence the crowd as she continued. "When our scout sensed his magic and his thoughts, he reached out to him in compassion and pity, which inadvertently caused Harry to receive a link to our Hive, and start turning into a changeling. Though this was an unexpected development, it presented both urgency and opportunity to us, as our scout comforted Harry in his time of need and gave him an offer of family with our hive. Let us now congratulate that scout now. Thorax, step forward."
Thorax stood tall, but carried a warm smile as he came to the front of the stage and waved. The hive was silent for a moment, perhaps wondering how the wimpy, outcast drudge had received a royal commendation...
...only for Pharynx to start stomping and clapping with a wry and brotherly smirk on his muzzle, leading the rest of the hive to give him a round of applause.
Thorax smiled happily as he was given the approval of his hive, and Chrysalis leaned in and said, "I may have found a use for you, Thorax," before he hopped down from the stage.
Chrysalis silenced the hive with a hoof before she went on. "After receiving this report, I looked into the Dursleys' history, and found that the matriarch, Petunia Dursley nee Evans, was sister to Harry's Muggle-born magical mother, Lily Potter, and, in fact, Petunia desired the same power, even messaging the headmaster of the country's magic school, Albus Dumbledore, who has quite a few middle names to omit. Looking into Lily, I performed a personal autopsy, and the death of her and her husband James, while it was written off as a carriage crash by the Dursleys, was entirely different than kinetic force; their nerve systems and biological functions were entirely shut down by, as I discovered after securing Harry, an instant-death curse known as Avada Kedavra, one of their Ministry's three Unforgivable Curses."
The changelings were shocked at the existence of such a vile spell, and Chrysalis continued. "The spell manifests as a bolt of acid-green light. Harry's parents were murdered during the campaign of a pureblood supremacist, Tom Marvolo Riddle, known more commonly under the Taboo-enchanted name of Voldemort. When he atttacked Harry, with this curse, however, it rebounded upon him, and he was struck down with a piece of his soul attaching to Harry in a curse scar. The process of becoming a changeling, however, loosened its bond to Harry, allowing us to obliterate it entirely. There are more observations to make, but they will be omitted from this speech to save us time and patience. This will only take the rest of the evening to wrap up."
The changeling infiltrators let out a sigh of relief, and Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Only the day prior this gathering, I set into motion a plan to retrieve Harry after learning of the accidental establishment of a link. That plan has led me to induct Harry fully as a new member of our Hive. But Harry does not simply enter our family as a drone. Harry Potter, would you kindly step forth?"
Harry did, and most every changeling was surprised to see him look like a royal. "Harry James Potter became a royal changeling, yes, but it is not only due to that that I do this. A hive is a family, and I have accepted Harry into our fold as my personal charge. It is my great honor to say, Harry, that I declare you the Royal Ward of the Chrysalian Hive. Your name as Potter is yours to take on, but underneath, from this point forward, you shall always underneath be... Harry Chrysalia!"
The hive applauded this declaration with great jubilation, and Harry smiled. He had a family that loved him, and even though they were a tad atypical, being emotivorous insectoid equines, they loved him and he loved them with no caveats.
And as the two of them made their plans, other plans fell apart...
The day before...
Albus Dumbledore returned to his office in Hogwarts, expecting nothing of a shock.
However, he received three.
First and least, he had run out of sherbet lemons.
Second, the student admission registry pulsed with magic before opening to the page of a certain Boy-Who-Lived. However, the name Potter was replaced with Chrysalia, and three others were apparently attending alongside him, though what sort of names were Thorax, Pharynx, and Ocellus?
The mailing location of the letters had been obscure, and there was no real address, leading him to believe the Chrysalia family were nomads, or at least had no estate of their own. One thing was certain; he would need to clear up the accounts that Harry had as the last Potter heir.
Third, as if in response to the registry, the monitoring items keyed to the blood wards upon the Dursley residence had fallen silent, indicating Harry no longer truly called the house home.
The monitor on the Horcrux in Harry's scar, however, had stopped entirely, which brought an actual spark of joy into the shock of the other news; the Horcrux had been destroyed somehow, yet Harry was still somehow alive, as another monitor told him.
What does it all mean?, Dumbledore pondered, pacing in his study. He only had so much to go on.
Making up his mind, he threw a handful of Floo Powder into his fireplace and stuck his head in.
"Minerva," he called, "I need you to investigate these 'Chrysalia' wizards. If they have collected Harry Potter, then we must gauge how ready they are to defend him..."