//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Birth // Story: Dark as Chitin // by LostBox //------------------------------// Chapter Music Darkness completely consumed my vision. I couldn’t tell which way was up or down, almost as if I was in a suspended matrix. Strangely enough, I could still feel my body, but it felt...wrong somehow. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Finger... wait, why can’t I feel my fingers? The same went from my toes. "What’s going on?" I thought to myself, panic beginning to set it before I knew it. If I could, I would have begun hyperventilating, but was unable to even breathe. I was trapped in some kind of liquid, but I wasn’t suffocating. Being unable to breathe but not suffocate is a very jarring experience. I attempted to stretch out my limbs which I luckily still had. I couldn’t stretch out very far before my legs hit the edge of something rigid, but somewhat malleable.   I tried pushing against it to no avail. A series of thoughts took my mind by storm. "Is this some kind of cocoon? Was I abducted by aliens? Why can’t I remember anything?" “Oh, come on!” I yelled to myself as I began flailing my body around in frustration, striking the edges of my prison several times. Surprisingly, I felt my center of gravity shift, shortly after, this was followed by a significant shockwave throughout my tiny prison. Luckily, something audibly cracked. Reasoning that it must have been my cocoon, I began to feel around for any openings.  To my relief, I managed to find one. Turning on my back, I began to kick at it, each kick opening the crack up wider and wider. Eventually, my foot broke through, causing my chrysalis to leak. As soon as the fluid drained from my cocoon, a cold rush of air hit me. I gasped desperately as the frigid air filled my lungs.  Prying open the crack of the cocoon, I managed to pull myself out head first. It was still dark, but I could somewhat see my surroundings. It seemed to be some kind of expansive underground cavern. I pulled the rest of my body out and plopped out the ground with a wet thud. I attempted to stand upright but my balance was abysmal, causing me to fall to the floor again. “Great, walking's not an option. Guess I’ll have to crawl.” Managing to get to all fours, I decided to take a look at myself. Lifting my right arm in front of my face, I began inspecting it. No... hands. In fact, my arms seem to be more hoof-like than anything. Only, my fore-hooves were riddled with holes. It didn’t hurt so that's not what I was necessarily concerned with. I was more so concerned with the fact that I had hooves in the first place. The panic began to set in again. I began inspecting the rest of my body. Looking over my body, it was clear I had little to nothing relating to human physiology. In fact, I was built like a small horse... a pony. I sat on my flank and looked toward the ceiling. “What the hell is going on?” Now thinking about it, I took note of how strange my voice sounded. I was still able to speak clearly, but it sounded echoey. I mean more echoey than it would if I was in a cave, which I was. I’m not ashamed to admit it, but I felt like I was about to cry, almost. I was confused, scared, alone in the dark, and stuck inside a foreign body to top it all off.  “Cease this poor display at once!” A voice said from seemingly nowhere.  I stood up and got into a defensive position immediately. “Who’s there!?” The voice was echoey like mine, but it sounded more feminine and mature. But I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. It was almost as if it was inside my head.  “Of all the things. Honestly, I’ve never seen a changeling act so pathetic.” The voice said condescendingly.  “Where are you?!” I yelled in as threatening a tone as I could muster. This was a failure.  My hopeless confusion was met with a malevolent chuckle. “Within you, my child. I must admit though, you seem to be quite intelligent and strong for a newborn. It must have been all the love.” Strangely enough, the fear began to subside, but I was still a bit on edge.  “Changeling?” I thought to myself.  “Yes, it is what we are, it is what you are. And I am the queen of changelings, Chrysalis. Well, former queen anyway.” So, I’m a changeling then. Wait, did she just read my mind?  “Something like that,” Chrysalis said impartially. I couldn’t help but feel somewhat violated, but I still had questions that needed answering. “Do you know where I am?” “Ah, yes, I was just about to get to that. You’re currently underneath The Crystal Empire. Before I was sealed away, I decided to take an extra precaution. I birthed a single changeling within the underground caverns of The Crystal Empire. For a decade you’ve been incubating here, passively absorbing whatever residual love could reach you. Now that you’ve hatched, it’s time for my plan to truly begin.”  “Crystal Empire? Changeling? Hatched? I’m really not human anymore, let alone on Earth, am I?” I lamented.  “Human? What is that?” Chrysalis asked inquisitively. “Humans are… humans are… I don’t know.” No, it wasn't that I didn't know, it was more like I couldn't remember. I was conflicted. I felt like the answer was there, I just couldn't reach it for whatever reason. “I see. Never mind that. I have plans for you, my child.” Hearing someone call me their child felt so strange. Yet I didn’t know why. I’m so confused, it’s frustrating. “You, my little prince, are the key to my freedom. Since the defeat of my ‘comrades’ and I, Equestria has been brimming with more love than ever before. I can’t absorb any of it due to my unfortunate predicament, but you, my little prince, are a different story.” Equestria, is that a region, or the planet? And what’s with calling me a prince? Never mind that, I’d just get more confused.  “What does love have to do with anything?” Chrysalis sighed. “We changelings feed off love to survive. Not only that, it is our main source of power and magic. If I have any chance at freedom, it’s only possible if you grow stronger than several alicorns combined.” “Magic?” Chrysalis let out an even more disgruntled sigh. “Yes, magic. It’s the power to manipulate the world around oneself by will of thought. Must I explain everything?” “Well, seeing as I was just born, you’ll have a lot of explaining to do, unfortunately.” Chrysalis mumbled under her psychic breath. "You'd think the hive mind would handle that."