//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: The Corruption 
// Story: Forbidden Friendship 
// by Dream Searcher 
//------------------------------//


Forbidden Friendship
Chapter 2: The Corruption



“Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” 
― Albert Camus


I was running away from you, you scared me. Your tattered mane, the holes in your legs, and your charcoal coat; it was just too much to handle. I know what I did wasn’t the best course of action, but it seemed the best at that moment. Fear can do crazy things to you, so you act without thinking.

I ran away, trying to get as far away from you as possible. I was scared you were going to eat me or something. Yes, I know that sounds silly, but that was going through my mind at that moment. You seemed so strange, and those fangs surely didn’t help to calm me down. Anyways, back to my story.

As I was running away, I began to think. What if you weren’t what I thought you would be? What if you were actually a very nice… mare who wanted nothing more than having contact with somepony? Slowly, my guilt began to take the place of my fear. I began to feel bad for leaving you there like that in the woods. All other ponies would have helped you, but I just worried about myself and fled.

I stopped and stood in the middle of a clearing, that’s where I saw a little squirrel. He was so cute, but the squirrel wasn’t nice to me. He had its arms crossed and gave me a disapproving look. I lowered myself to be less intimidating and began to crawl towards him.

I didn’t see it coming, it happened really fast. One moment the squirrel was several meters away from me, the next he gave my muzzle a smack with those little paws of his. It wasn’t really painful, but it shocked me nonetheless.

I stumbled back and fell on my haunches, I’d never seen a squirrel do that before, and most of the time the little critters loved me. “Why did you do that?” I asked, while rubbing my nose with my hoof, but of course the squirrel didn’t - and couldn’t - reply. Instead, he motioned to me to follow him, before disappearing behind some bushes.

Not wanting to be left behind, I began to follow him. He was fast and I had trouble keeping up with him, but when he saw that I was losing him, he stopped for a moment so I could catch up. It went on like this for five minutes until he stopped in front of another bush. He walked into it, and I did the same, since the bush was large enough for me. Through the leaves I could see a scene that broke my heart.

Sitting on the ground, while crying against a yellow flower, was you. I didn’t know you, and I was scared, but it pained me to see you like this. It felt like I was the bad pony, and I had hurt somepony else beyond measure. By then I knew why the squirrel had led me back to you. He wanted us to start over.

Fear still resided in my mind, but I knew I had to make things right. I had pained you, so I had to undo it. I lowered my head and sighed, I was about to step out of the bush. Several scenarios played in my mind, from you being angry at me, to you running away and never coming back. I dismissed all those scenarios and stepped out of the bush. Well, you know the rest.


*****


Chrysalis stared with disbelief at Cadance, though a small smile could be seen on her face. “So a squirrel convinced you to come back?”

Cadance nodded, grinning cheerfully, all her fear gone. By now she knew that the creature, whatever it was, wasn’t a threat. Actually, she was very nice and friendly, and she knew she could create a wonderful friendship between them. “Yeah, If I ever see him again, I’ll make sure to thank him properly,” Her attention was once again pulled to Chrysalis’ rather horrifying appearance. It seemed like, how bad it may sound, Chrysalis was a spawn of Tartarus, a demon walking on Equestria’s soil. But she knew Chrysalis wasn’t a demon, because a demon wouldn’t be this friendly with anypony. “Say, you never told me what you actually are.”

That was the sentence Chrysalis dreaded. She had to tell the origin of her species, the tale of her evil father, and why she had left him. It was a long, depressing story, and she really didn’t want to tell it, but when she looked at Cadance who had curiosity in her eyes, she knew that telling her story was the least she could do. “Alright, fine. Sit back and relax, because it’s going to be a long story,” With that, she began to tell about her species, and how one twisted mind created the Changelings.


*****


Changelings weren’t always Changelings, you know. We used to be ponies, just like you, but we were still a bit different. We had wings and horns, so we were technically Alicorns, but our magical abilities weren’t strong, we could only levitate, and our wings could only carry us for a couple of seconds before we would receive a shock of pain. Those little dysfunctions didn’t stop us from enjoying our lives though. But then He came, Equinox.

He was a Draconequus, one of the oldest there was, and maybe that took a toll on his mind, because he was crazy. He came to us, preaching about how he would be our savior. He would give us more magical power, and strengthen our wings so that we could fly. We were gullible, so decided to believe him, and he screwed us over real good, pardon the language. Instead of healing us, he made it worse. He transformed us into what we are now, a twisted, scary species, stealing love from ponies who - in the end - become one of us. After our transformation, we didn’t have the power to defeat Equinox, so he teleported away and never showed his face again. He died a few months later from old age, thus our hope to transform back to the species we once were died with him.

Back then we used to live in a little village not far from the Northern Mountains, but the Queen who reigned during that time decided it was best to leave and avoid any form of contact with ponies or other living beings. She chose the Wastelands as our new home, since it was so inhospitable that only a few ponies dared to cross that dead place. The few ponies who crossed the Wastelands were food for our kind because we needed love to survive, normal food didn't suffice anymore. That’s the worst pain our kind has to suffer through, we technically kill ponies in order to stay alive, we became predators due to Equinox... That was the story my mom told me before she put me to sleep, so that I never could forget that deep inside, we were still ponies.


*****


Chrysalis couldn’t stop the tear that escaped her eye and went down her cheek. Just at the moment it was going to drop to the ground, Cadance wiped it away with her hoof, before giving her new friend a warm hug. The Changelings had to endure a cruel fate and she could see that it still hurt many generations later. She just couldn’t imagine her own race going through that, it would be hell.

“Shh, it’ll be alright, I’m here with you now,” she softly told her Changeling friend. She knew she couldn’t change the past, but at least she was comforting her.

“Thank you,” Chrysalis quietly murmured. She was glad Cadance was comforting her, but she was disgusted at the same time. Disgusted of herself, because the love Cadance was giving her went straight to her belly.

Cadance released the hug, but stayed seated near to Chrysalis in case she needed some support again. “You said something about your mother?” Cadance watched both a flash of sadness and happiness cross Chrysalis’ features, but she eventually settled on a small, sad smile.

“Yeah, she used to be both queen and a loving mother, but a disease took her away from me - from us - a few years ago. Since then my father rules the hive with an iron hoof. Some Changelings call it The Corruption, the day my father took power. It’s highly unusual that a male Changeling leads the hive, it only happens when the daughter of the queen isn’t ready yet to ascend to the throne. I was still too young.

“The Changelings called it The Corruption because…”


*****


“But father, we can’t kill ponies just like that. Please, let them go, or at least turn them into one of us. We’re Changelings, we aren’t murderers. Mother wouldn’t have wanted this,” I pleaded on my knees, trying to save the lives of the three ponies restrained behind me. Those three unfortunate souls were on a camping trip in the Wastelands when they were captured by my own kind. Why they wanted to venture through the Wastelands was a mystery to me, but I was going to do everything I could to save them.

“Silence!” My father bellowed, creating a silence in the progress so one could only hear some water dropping down from a stalactite. When he was pleased that there was no more noise, he turned to me, eyes narrowing in the process. “Your mother was weak, she couldn’t reign, and now I will correct all her mistakes. My name will shine in the annals of history whilst Andradite will be forgotten. Now, I ask you one more time. Are you going to kill them? Or do I have to do it myself?”

I could sense that my father was on the verge of eruption, but I just couldn’t kill those ponies. My father may not have loved my mother and respected her ways of dealing with issues, but I did, and I knew that killing ponies wasn’t the way. “But father, aren’t we ponies? If we kill them, we’re killing our own kind, that’s what mother used to say.” I looked straight in his eyes and saw the hatred burning.

“Enough about her! She was too merciful, too compassionate, and too much of an idiot. Her preaching about us being ponies is just some little bedtime stories for little Changelings! We aren’t ponies, we haven’t been since Equinox payed us a visit,” He always hated it when I disobeyed him. The other Changelings were as docile as can be, but I always tried to stop him. “Chrysalis, go to your room.”

“But, father, I-”

“Now!” He stomped his hoof against the armrest of the throne, and it sent a light shockwave through the hive.

I knew that I had lost the battle and lowered my head in a submissive manner. I turned and slowly began to walk the three captives. They all stared at me with puffy red eyes, probably fearing for their lives. Sadness overwhelmed me, for I knew I could not save them. “Sorry,” I said quickly, before running away, not wanting their responses. Still, I heard one of them shouting ‘it’s alright’, which was quickly replaced by a gurgle.

I arrived at my room not much later and closed the door behind me. I had to calm down, so I looked at my room. My books, filled with information about the pony world, were stacked neatly on their respective shelves at the end of the room. My bed was placed against the right wall of the room and on it lay a small cube of amethyst. That cube was the last gift my mother gave me before she departed to the next world. That was my room, just some shelves and a bed,  just the way I like it.

I had calmed down a bit when there was a knock at my door. Afraid that it was my father, I opened the door just slightly and peered through. On the other side, however, was not him, but my own personal nurse - the one whom had helped my mother raise me. “Yes?” I asked, in a rather shy tone. I could see that the nurse wasn’t calm either.

“Can I come inside? It’s urgent,” she asked,  looking behind her.

Seeing no problem with that, I opened the door for her to come in. She was my nurse, so I knew I shouldn’t be afraid of her. She hastily stepped through the portal and I closed the door behind her. She was still nervous, so I was about to offer her some rest on my bed, but she cut me off.

“Your father wants to kill you.” It was a hasty response.

I needed a moment to process that sentence. My own father wanted to kill me: his daughter, and heir to the throne. Now I knew why some Changelings called this The Corruption, my father had been corrupted. “But why?” Was all I could ask, the shock was still present in both my mind and body. The nurse saw that I was going to lose my balance and quickly stood by my side, trying her best to stop me from falling to the ground. I gave her a little smile and a nuzzle as a sign of gratitude. Father may call them obedient pets, but to me they’re ponies with feelings. We can receive love, but we can also give it.

“Some Changelings picked up him talking to himself, apparently you have been too much of a problem, so he wants you dead.” She guided me to the bed and made me lie down on it.

I needed a few moments to calm down. I knew father wasn’t exactly a saint, but I never expected this. It all didn’t matter now, father wanted to kill me, and I had to find a way to save myself. “What can I do?” I asked the nurse, and she gave me a small reassuring smile, but I knew that she too was very nervous.

“What can we do? You’re not alone in this, never forget that.” She walked towards the wall of the bookshelves and gave it a little buck with her hind legs. A second later, a part of the wall - which seemed to be a hidden door - opened and I could see a large dark hallway. She turned back to me. “You are going to leave the hive, some Changelings volunteered to go with you, they’ll protect you.”

“But what about the hive? If I go, then there’s no female heir; the hive will go extinct,” I was the only female heir, and the only female capable of creating more Changelings.

She glared at me, something I totally didn’t expect from her. “So what, if he manages to kill you, we’d also be without a female heir. If you manage to escape, you can start anew somewhere else. We’re doomed, Princess, you’re not.”

I wanted to protest, to see if there was another way that didn’t involve abandoning the hive, but just when I wanted to open my mouth, there was a knock on the door. “Chrysalis, we need to talk,” It was the voice of my father.

“Oh no,” I whispered. Fear began to nestle itself in my body, I couldn’t move my legs, I was immobilized on my bed.

The nurse looked at the door, took a deep breath in, and let it out. “Just a minute, my King, the Princess is a little bit sick now. Could you wait there for a moment, I only need to give her some love and she’ll feel a lot better,” My nurse motioned with her hoof to me, probably to get me moving, but my limbs were frozen from fear and shock. She looked at me, cast a quick glance at the door, and helped me get up.

Slowly, I began to feel and move my legs again. I lowered my head towards her head so we could whisper, we couldn’t risk father hearing us. “What about you? When he opens that door and sees that I’m gone, he’ll kill you for sure. Please, come with me,”

My nurse gave me that reassuring smile of hers and shook her head. Even with that smile on her face, I could sense the sadness and regret behind her façade. “No, Princess, I can’t. Somepony has to buy you some time so that you can escape, and that somepony will be me,” She began to push me towards the hallway, but I planted my hooves firmly against the ground. I wasn’t leaving without her. “Please, Princess, I need you to cooperate. You’re the last hope the Changelings have, just accept the fact you can’t save us all and enjoy the rest of your life,” And with that, she gave me one final push, and I found myself in the hallway. I looked at her, tears streaming down both her and my face, we both knew what was going to happen now. “Enjoy life. Goodbye,” She bucked the wall again and the door closed.

I saw the door close and jumped towards it, but it was too late, I was too late. On the other side I could hear the door opening and the voice of both my nurse and my father. I couldn’t hear what they were saying due to the thickness of the walls, but it didn’t sound good because I could hear the volume of my father’s voice rising. Once again fearing for my life, I began to walk through the hallway. After a few seconds I came at some stairs and that’s when I heard it, my nurse’s scream. I knew what my father had done, and from that moment on, I promised myself one thing: I was going to kill my father in order to save the hive. The time for tears was over, it was all about revenge.


*****


“So, what happened then?” Cadance asked with a voice that had a mixture of fear and pity, but mostly the latter.

“I continued climbing the stairs and eventually it lead to an abandoned building in the middle of the Wastelands. Outside the building I met up with twenty Changelings, together we came here to create a new life for ourselves,” Chrysalis said as she watched the sunset through the trees. It felt really good to tell her story to somepony else, she felt more free and happy.

“Are really going to do it?” Cadance asked with a timid voice, and rather afraid of that delicate subject. Chrysalis cocked her head and raised one of her eyebrows, signifying that she didn’t understand Cadance’s question. Cadance then reformulated her question. “Are you really going to kill your father? I know he’s a bad pony and all, but he’s still your father,” Cadance was against killing and everything that had to do with fighting, but she knew she couldn’t stop Chrysalis if she really wanted to commit the act.

Chrysalis sighed. “It’s gruesome, isn’t it? Sitting next to a Changeling who wants to kill her own father, but to me he stopped being my father a long time ago. Besides, I need to kill him if I want to save the hive. I know they’re still alive, I can sense them, but they won’t stay this way if my father still lives,”

Cadance knew she couldn’t talk her new friend out of it, it was going to happen no matter what. Still, she could show Chrysalis some love before she departed. “When are you going back?”

Chrysalis shrugged. “I don’t know, somewhere between now and six months, I think. Why?”

Now Cadance began to smile, it was almost creepy to Chrysalis. “Well, now that we have six months, we can enjoy ourselves during that time, and you can sleep in the Palace of Creation, my home. How does that sound?”

It sounded wonderful to Chrysalis. Six months of no worries and cares, just enjoying life. Still, there was one problem. “But what about my Changelings? I can’t leave them here in the forest.”

Cadance waved a dismissive hoof at her. “They can come too, the Palace has enough rooms for twenty Changelings, and you’ll sleep in my chamber.”

Chrysalis could only laugh at that, she was really glad she had found a pony like Cadance. “Alright, I bite, I’ll stay with you for six months, but first allow me to gather my Changelings.”

Cadance nodded and Chrysalis began to walk towards the place where she had hidden her Changelings. Meanwhile, Cadance watched the sky and the clouds drifting by, she was going to give Chrysalis the best six months of her life and, hopefully, they wouldn’t be the last.