Rarity ambled through a thin forest, her weary legs barely carrying her. The air was humid and had a disgusting, mossy smell. How long had she been traveling? Days? Weeks? Months? She couldn’t tell; the days blurred by. Rarity shook her head, trying to collect her thoughts.
She didn’t know where she was going. But as long as it was far from Equestria, she would simply have to deal with it. Rarity’s stomach growled, and her mouth felt dry. She groaned, throwing her head back.
“Not again…” Rarity whined, prodding at her empty stomach. Throughout her journey, she had only been able to eat the brittle forest grass. It made her stomach churn, but it at least gave her a little bit of energy.
Rarity began to scan her surroundings, looking for another horrid plant to eat. Instead, her gaze wandered to a little mouse. It rubbed its face with its paws, scurrying towards a puddle.
She licked her lips. If it was alive, it had love, didn’t it? Rarity would never stoop that low, but…she did need food. And a lady mustn’t starve herself. If she didn’t resort to eating love, she was sure to die out here.
Rarity began to salivate, her mind growing foggy. She needed to eat. She crouched down, shuffling on her hooves. A pinch of love wouldn’t hurt, would it? It was just a little mouse; who would care if she took a bite?
The mare stalked the rodent, crouching close to the ground. Rarity’s eyes followed its every move. She shuffled forward, licking her lips. She lit up her horn, attempting to grab the feeble rodent. Unfortunately, Rarity’s horn defied her. Her horn sparked, a migraine rippling across her temple.
“Eep!” She squeaked, bringing her hooves to her aching head. The mouse's ears twitched before it made a mad dash into a bush.
Rarity bolted up, attempting to chase the mouse. Unfortunately, her legs gave out. Rarity collapsed to the ground, pebbles scraping her knees. Dust matted into her fur. Rarity watched as the mouse scattered out of sight.
Rage swelled in Rarity’s chest. She shrieked, kicking her legs into the air. She bellowed until her face turned red. She was a terrible pony, a terrible changeling, and she was a mess!
She wanted to go home! Rarity hated this weather, and she hated this forest!
Her skin was clammy, and she was just sure she smelled rancid. Oh, how she wish she could be in the spa, getting her worries massaged away. Rarity panted, her face turning to its usual white.
She sighed, standing up. Now that she was done with her temper tantrum, she needed to continue her unknowing trek. She could eat real food when she got to her destination. Not some nasty love.
Where was she going again? Rarity paused, looking at her surroundings. The air smelled moist and grassy. She stuck her tongue out and scrunched her nose.
Rarity’s ear twitched. Left. Rarity needed to go left. She didn’t know why she needed to go left;
she just did. This is how she had been getting around. Listening to the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Rarity felt like she was on the verge of death. Her legs ached, and her hooves were beginning to blister. But Rarity couldn’t stop now; she was close to where she needed to be; she could feel it.
Rarity sniffed the air. The air smelled familiar, like a childhood home. Rarity’s tired walk turned into an excited trot.
She exited the forest, finding a clearing. She was starting to think she’d be trapped in that forest forever. It was rather refreshing to see something other than trees and grass. Rarity carefully walked to the edge of the clearing, stopping at the edge of a cliff.
In the distance stood a tower. It looked like it was made of stone and covered in thousands of holes.
Rarity stared at the massive tower, squinting curiously. Some…things swarmed around the building, looking like little bugs. Rarity needed to go there; she had to. It felt terrible, yet…it felt like home. This is where her body had been telling her to go.
She looked over the ledge. It wasn’t too far of a drop, but she certainly couldn’t jump. Rarity carefully stepped over the edge, lowering herself over it. She fell flat onto her flank, sliding down the ledge. Rarity rubbed her sore bottom, huffing.
“Oooow.” She muttered. That was much less graceful than she had planned. Rarity stretched her hindquarters, beginning to walk towards the tower.
What could lie inside? Fabric? Riches? The possibilities were endless. If her heart had led her here, maybe she deserved what it was inside.
What if it was a cure for being a changeling?! Rarity could go back home!
Her excited trot turned into a hopeful prance.
The closer she got, the more buzzing she heard. It sounded like disgusting flies. Rarity scrunched her face in disgust. What were those things? She squinted, trying to make out the blurry figures. Her eyes widened.
Changelings.
Rarity ducked behind a boulder, clamping her hoof over her muzzle. Why did her instincts lead her here, of all places? She knew it made sense but didn’t want to believe it.
She needed to get out of here fast. She’d rather spend a thousand more years in that dreadful forest than be here. Rarity turned on the bulbs of her hooves, keeping her body close to the ground.
Rarity came face to face with a changeling. The changeling hissed, picking Rarity up with a magical grasp.
“Put me down, you ruffian!” Rarity scolded, kicking at the changeling's head. The creature clamped its teeth onto Rarity’s leg. The mare twisted her body, letting out a guttural screech. Rarity lunged her head forward, her temple colliding with the changelings.
The changeling stumbled back, releasing its grip. Rarity stood low to the ground, her horn shining threateningly. She might not have much in her, but she needed to fight.
The changeling let out another threatening hiss, charging at Rarity. Rarity attempted to move, but her legs locked up. The awful creature pinned her legs to the ground, towering over her. And with that, Rarity passed out.
“Get up, weakling.” Someone hissed, nudging at Rarity’s head. Rarity groggily opened her eyes, her head aching. The floor below her was cold, nearly making her tremble.
Rarity’s eyes widened. Queen Chrysalis. Rarity wanted to run, but her body couldn’t move. Chrysalis smirked.
“Look at you; you came crawling, just as I said you would.” She eyed Rarity, circling her feeble form. Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but only a pathetic squeak was formed.
“It’s just as I thought. You’re weak.” Chrysalis taunted. Rarity tried to stand up, but Chrysalis pressed her hoof into her back. It was cold and bony, feeling like a ton. Rarity collapsed to the ground.
“I want to go home.” Rarity croaked out. Chrysalis gave Rarity a fake pitied pout.
“This is your home now.” She clarified. “And with your help, we can infiltrate Equestria! Starting with that puny love princess and her boy toy.” Chrysalis spat out.
“What are you going to do? Kidnap them? You can’t even get in. They’ve doubled…no tripled the security since your attack.” Rarity lied through her teeth. Chrysalis only laughed.
“Oh, I’m not going to do it.” She snorted. “You are.”
Queen Chrysalis shot a magic beam, hitting Rarity’s forehead. For a brief second, it hurt. It felt like a piercing in her brain. But then, it felt marvelous. Her stomach felt full, and all of her worries washed away.
For the first time in a month, Rarity felt truly happy. She looked up at Queen Chrysalis, a loving smile on her face.
“At your service, my queen.” Rarity bowed. Chrysalis puffed out her chest, grinning menacingly.
“Now, let us get started.”
Shining Armor and Princess Cadence walked down the empty streets of Canterlot. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating the streets.
“I just think training periods should be longer. The guards could barely handle the changelings.” Shining Armor said with a shrug. Cadence nodded, following her husband's ramblings.
“Hello there.” Someone greeted in a sing-songy tone, breaking their conversation. Shining Armor nearly jumped from his skin, twirling on his hooves.
“Who goes there?” Shining Armor shouted, defensively standing in front of Cadence. Someone stood in an alleyway, their smile practically glowing in the dark. Cadance squinted, leaning on her front hooves.
“Rarity?” She muttered. The alicorn's eyes lit up. “Rarity! Where have you been? Your friends have been worried sick!” Cadence asked, nudging past her husband.
Rarity had an unnaturally wide smile on her face. Her face quickly dropped as if she remembered something dire.
“You have to come quickly. Twilight got attacked by changelings!” Rarity shrieked. They gasped.
“I’ll get back-up!” Shining Armor lept into action. Rarity yanked the stallion back, shaking her head.
“There’s no time, we have to go now!” Rarity instructed. She began to run, leading the pair to the outskirts of Canterlot. She could hear the pair close behind.
Soon, she led them far from Canterlot. Far enough from any buildings or ponies.
“She’s over there!” Rarity pointed to a field. A purple unicorn lay, her breathing ragged.
“Twilight!” Cadence shouted, rushing to her sister-in-law's side. She pressed her head against Twilight’s chest, searching for a heartbeat. Her weak breathing turned rhythmic, turning into a light chuckle.
The unicorn stood up, her horn glowing a bright green. She let out a laugh that sounded nothing like Twilight.
With a quick blast of magic, Cadence was thrown back. She skid across the grass, her head slamming against a rock.
Shining Armor gaped at Cadence, quickly turning back to Twilight. She stared back, an eery smile on her face.
“Get him.”
Rarity lunged at Shining Armor, grabbing her by her horn. She pressed her weight down, making Shining Armor stumble headfirst into the ground.
Before Shining Armor could regain his balance, Rarity gave his head a rather forceful kick. He went limp.
‘Twilight’ stared down at the couple with a grin. With a quick flash, ‘Twilight’ turned into Chrysalis.
“Excellent job.” Chrysalis praised. Warmness swelled in Rarity’s chest, and she broke into a grin. She had helped her queen! It was the most euphoric feeling she had ever felt.
“Thank you, my queen!”