Chapter 0- What Happened Before...And After
1000 years before the birth of Shade.
In a cave underneath the earth, the Council of Changelings sat at a long stone table. Torches dotted the walls and the normally talkative changelings were quiet and upset. No one spoke more then a few words until their leader, Queen Sharptooth came into the room. She walked up to the head of the table and sat, holding her head in her hooves for a long moment. Every changeling ceased moving as she finally raised her head. “My subject, I have grave news. We are in danger. The alicorns have defeated Discord.”
The room erupted into a hubbub as the queen banged her hoof to restore order. The changeling next to her raised his hoof. “Yes, Rocking?”
“My queen, does this mean that the alicorns were able to defeat Discord?” He asked.
Sharptooth sadly nodded. “Yes. They have petrified him, and I can only fear that we will be next to fall to them.”
As the changelings started to chatter again, one of them raised her hoof. “So, what can we do?”
“Only one thing. Survive. I have a plan that will lead us to victory against them, but it will take many years. But, you all must trust me. Do you?” No one moved, then they all eventually nodded.
“Thank you all. Now, I must finalize the details of our plan with my daughter.” The queen sadly walked down the length of the table and left the room.
. . .
In the queen's bedroom, she sat tiredly with her daughter, Dark Sun. “Listen to me carefully, my dear. The future of our race depends on you now.”
“But, can't we live peacefully with the alicorns, Mother?” The young changeling said.
The queen reluctantly shook her head. “Listen to me. Our race will hide out for one thousand years. And this is what you must do.” She patted her daughter's stomach. “When you become pregnant, you must have every changeling with the ability to cast magic, cast magic into your womb.”
“But, why?” Dark Sun asked.
“We will always have females, our bloodline will. And with this gift, we must prepare our offspring. This will charge your child with magic, then the same to the next, and the next. By the time one thousand years have passed, we will be ready. I need you to pass a message down for me.”
Dark Sun nodded. “What is it mother?”
“When the time has come, turn Celestia to stone so that the sun will fall. Then under the dark sky..” Her mother gave her a frightening grin. “The changelings will be ready to get revenge for all of this.
9 1/2 months before the birth of Shade.
“It won't work, my queen!” Shifting Rocks ran after the changeling queen. “It's impossible!”
“It has to be done.” Chrysalis said. “I'm the first queen that can't pass on magic to my daughter. She rejected it the entire time she was in my womb. It can't end with me! We need one more!”
“My queen, it it impossible! You cannot have a child with the Princess! Nopony can! No mortal creature can have a foal with an immortal!” He stammered out.
“Who said that it was going to be a mortal?” The queen said, turning to her subject.
Rocks paled. “My queen...”
Chrysalis stopped him. “Listen carefully. I have enough magic to free Discord himself. Now, I will trick Celestia into the Everfree Forest, detain her for a while and let THEM do what they need to.”
“But, won't they produce a pony or...whatever Discord is?” He asked.
“Nope.” Chrysalis said. “I will put some of my own essence inside Celestia's womb. That way, she will give birth to a changeling and we will come for him. He will have the power we need to finally finish the plan that our ancestors put in place for us so very long ago.”
The male changeling shifted his weight. “And, what would that be?”
Chrysalis turned away and continued walking down the hall. “The power to usurp the princesses, of course.”
7 years after the birth of Shade.
Chrysalis and her daughter Dancing Mist, struggled into the changeling's cave, bloody and bruised. Immediately every changeling in the room ran up to them, asking questions.
“No. No questions.” She rasped. “It was a failure. We didn't know how strong...”
“Quiet my queen.” Shifting Rocks, the queen's adviser knelt by her. “What happened?”
“Shade.” Chrysalis said. “Shade and his cursed mother. We just about had him and were going to bring him back, but she arrived just in time. Not only that, but the brat killed my mother! Killed her!” She spat out a glob of blood. “We failed, but I WILL make them pay!”
“But, how my queen?” Her adviser asked.
Chrysalis winced as magic was applied to her leg. “I have enough magic to release Discord. Now since Misty wasn't able to absorb all the magic we need, we'll have to wait. Celestia's going to cast a major memory wiping spell on all of Equestria. Fortunately, it won't penetrate underground so we won't forget about him.”
Shifting wasn't so convinced. “If Misty wasn't able to absorb the magic, doesn't it mean that the plan failed?”
“Of course not! I still have magic, don't I?” Chrysalis smiled at her adviser. “I'll just need to have a foal with the princess's son, be him willing...” She hissed as her leg smarted. “Or not.”
3 minutes after Shade's defeat
The changeling queen stood over the body of her enemy. But when she thought about it, he wasn't merely just her enemy. He was her tool, her adversary and for a very brief time, her lover. But alas, he wasn't needed anymore and Chrysalis didn't want him to come back and ruin her plans.
Sobbing reached her ears and she turned to see Shade's former mare, Fluttershy weeping over his body. She had also been a pain to Chrysalis. A minor one, but one just the same. Right before Shade had died, she had explained that she would make her suffer. And as she watched the pegasus cry over the lost of the one she loved, she was happy that it was beginning.
She walked over and rested a wing on Fluttershy. “It's sad, isn't it? Personally, I had plans for him to live and rule next to me. It would have worked, him by my side and crushing anypony in my way. But when I thought about it, it could have never worked. He wouldn't turn against his precious mother.”
The pegasus spoke from between clenched teeth. “You didn't have to kill him.”
“Oh, but I did.” Chrysalis patted Fluttershy on the head. “See, Shade is a rather resourceful little changeling. If I had left him alive, then he would have found some way to thwart my plans. Remember how he avoided all of his father's attempts to control him? I decided to play it safe, and simply eliminate my threat.”
Seeing a flash of light next to Shade's body, Chrysalis realized that it was Shade's promise necklace and reached down toward it. She jerked back in surprise as Fluttershy slapped her hoof as hard as she could. “Well, what's this then?”
If looks could kill, Chrysalis would have combusted on the spot. “Don't touch him or anything on him. You've done enough.”
Chrysalis appeared to think for a moment, then whirled around to smack Fluttershy on the cheek, spinning her to the ground. “You aren't in control, pegasus. I will do what I want, when I want and how I want to do it. And the first thing...”
Chrysalis summoned magic to her, rather easy seeing as how the changeling's body was virtually nothing but magic. She lifted Shade's body into the air, causing Fluttershy to gasp. “What are you doing?!”
“The son of the princess.” Chrysalis said. “Supposed to be her greatest weapon, and turned out to be her greatest weakness. Although, he did fight well.” With a blast of magic, she launched Shade's body far towards the Everfree.
“Shade!” Fluttershy made as if to launch herself towards her changeling's flying body, but was grabbed and yanked backward with magic.
“He's gone, Fluttershy.” Chrysalis said. “It's time for you to realize just how the rules are going to be now. Let's go pay a visit to the family, shall we?” With a flash of green light, Chrysalis and Fluttershy disappeared.
What the queen forgot was that Misty was still in that field. After Chrysalis disappeared with Fluttershy, the changeling sat and looked at the direction that she had thrown Shade's body. About, ten minutes passed, then she rose up and flew towards the forest as fast as her wings could carry her.
20 minutes after Shade's defeat.
“Get her OUT of there!” Luna launched herself at the changeling queen, who merely swatted her away.
Celestia struggled, but it was no use. Not only was she still weak from the sudden drain of her energy, but her hooves were stone and she couldn't free herself. She tried again to cast a spell, any type of spell, but the strain nearly made her pass out.
The princesses were in the throne room with changelings around the whole perimeter of the castle. Unlike the changelings at Cadence's wedding, these changelings had red eyes. Celestia shuddered as a cold feeling raced down her spine. She glanced downwards to see more of her lower half turn gray.
Celestia lurched forward as Fluttershy threw herself and tightly grasped the princess, sobbing. “Dear Fluttershy, what...”
“She killed him.” The pegasus sobbed. “He didn't have a chance, Princess. Shade tried, but I was there when he slipped away. I gave him all the love I could, but...” She collapsed against the princess's side, crying harder.
Celestia winced as another flash of pain raced though her body. The alicorn bent her head and wrapped a wing around the crying Fluttershy, softly weeping with her. The alicorn deeply cared for her son, and the truth from somepony she trusted shook her to the core.
Chrysalis lazily strolled up to the weeping pair, pausing only to lift Luna into the air and drop her next to her sister. “Oh, come on you two. Smile a bit! It's gonna be a GREAT day!”
Celestia looked up at the queen. Tears still streamed down her face, but her intense anger forced the changeling to take a step back. “Chrysalis, I don't care how long it takes, but you made a big mistake by taking my son from me.”
“See, here's the thing.” Chrysalis said. “Usually, I'd actually be rather intimidated by you threatening me. But seeing as how your sister was so easily beaten, and you're slowly turning into stone, it's not that frightening.”
Luna slowly raised her head. “What...is happening to my sister?”
Chrysalis was only to eager to explain. “Celestia and Shade have a physical bond, because of Celestia's attachment to him and Shade's physical structure. Seeing as how our dear princess in immortal, if Shade were to die prematurely, then Celestia's body will reject her soul. Basically, she's going to turn into stone, much as how Discord is.”
“But, then where will her soul be?!” Luna cried.
“In her body.” Chrysalis said with a smile. “It'll just be too weak to keep her body active.”
Celestia gasped as the gray coloring reached her chest. “Chrysalis, please. Stop this. I know you have the ability to.”
“Sorry Celestia.” The queen walked up to the solar princess. “After all these years, I will finally be the one to complete the plan of my ancestors.”
Fluttershy pulled her face away from Celestia's side and stared at the changeling. “Why? That was made a thousand years ago. Why couldn't you have tried to make peace with everypony?”
Chrysalis looked at her. “Because, we had Equestria first. Then these two alicorns swooped in and took it from us! We never-!” She stopped and gave the trio a creepy smile. “I don't need to reassure myself. I have completed my plan and now the results will be shown.”
As the gray reached Celestia's neck, Luna and Fluttershy tried one more time. “Please! Just cure it!”
Celestia refused to plead for her life, instead staring Chrysalis in the face. “You truly think that you've won, don't you?”
“Of course.” The changeling queen said. “The Elements won't work without that one.” She pointed at Fluttershy. “Luna will never have enough time to formulate a plan against me, and your son is dead. Whatever made you think that I haven't won?”
Celestia gave a final smile. “Just wait and enjoy the small time you have ruling Equestria. I promise the answer will be quite shocking.”
As the princess finished speaking, she raised her head. The gray finally went up her neck and covered her entire head, all the way to the tip of her horn. Luna burst into tears at the loss of her sister, but Fluttershy glared at Chrysalis.
“Oh please. Will you stop acting like you're going to do something?” She burst out saying. “It's annoying!”
Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, twirling her necklace around her neck. “I wonder Chrysalis. Why couldn't you take Shade's necklace off, if he was dead?” With that, she turned away as two changelings flew next to her to lead her away.
A very brief chill raced though Chrysalis’s spine, before she shrugged it off. “No time for threats now.” She spun around next to Luna. “It's time to run a country, my style!”
2 hours after Shade's defeat
Deep in the Everfree Forest, a lone zebra was picking her way though the woods. She wasn't lost, oh no. She was simply looking for any roots or plants she could use for her potions. Her name was Zecora and she had lived in the Everfree for quite a while.
After she had helped the Bearers with a ridiculous case of Poison Joke, she had become friends with almost everypony in Ponyville. She was asked several times if she wanted to live in the town, but she had declined. Living in the woods was easier for her, seeing as how she could normally find anything she needed for her many potion ideas.
As of today, she was actually looking for Poison Joke, trying to develop a immunity potion for the strange flower. Her concentration was broken however, when she heard a female cry from the woods. “Help!!”
Zecora glanced around, but didn't see anything. Turning back to the task at hoof, she assumed that she had only been hearing things. That thought was crushed however, when she heard the cry again. “Help me, please!”
“Oh! A cry for help I hear/Where are you exactly, my dear?” Zecora called out, trying to walk towards the cries.
“Help me!” Finally locking the area of the voice, the zebra ran towards it. She turned past a tree and stopped short, seeing a strange dark blue figure and the flash of gold. She knelt down by the pony. “A horrible wound I am seeing/Are you still among the living?” She checked for a pulse and a heartbeat, but felt nothing. She was about to turn away from the pony to find a way to move him, before noticing something strange by his nose and mouth. There was a small leaf by it.
And even though there was no wind, or movement in the forest, the leaf was moving.