Chrysalis limped through the dense forest of the Everfree, her left hind leg dragging behind as green blood oozed out of the multiple cracks in her chitin. There were even more cracks on her body, tears in her wings, and the very tip of her horn missing. She could still use magic, but it was harder to concentrate and she couldn't use it for long before the headache got too much for the changeling.
She honestly had no clue why she invaded. It was some sort of instinct. She knew they were running low on food, but why attack? Why not just ask for assistance? Why foalnap a bride to be and drain the love from her beloved? Was she truly a monster as she has been called?
Looking at herself now, yes. She used to be a beautiful queen of a equally beautiful race. A race that had been twisted by a curse set by some cackling maniac whose own body didn't even match. Because of this curse, she now walked immortal with a race that survived on stealing love, feeding off of it. They survived off of deceiving ponies, changing into them on will, starting wars to get small amounts of love just to survive for gods know how long.
They were monsters, yes, but they did not choose this. She did not choose. They didn't deserve it. But it was done. And with no reason. The only excuse the creature gave was that he just wanted to have fun, and fun was what he got. Chrysalis had no clue how he could call turning an entire peaceful race into monsters 'fun'. She called it torture.
"Down there! I think I see one!" Shouted a voice from above the canopy. Chrysalis cursed to herself. Of course they would have sent her to help track down the changelings. She did see through the disguise. It should only be right she helped hunt down and probably kill the rest of the changelings.
"Well, at least the nightmare ends." muttered Chrysalis, chuckling darkly as she sat onto her haunches.
A golden chariot pulled by two pegasi flew in front of her. In the back was two guards and the pony that was able to spot her a mile away, stop an entire army, pull through with the impossible. Twilight Sparkle
"Queen Chrysalis, you are under arrest for high treason against the solar throne. Will you come quietly?" Asked Twilight, seemingly calm about it all. Chrysalis sighed and flopped onto her back.
"Honestly, I would wish we can skip all the trials and get straight to the execution. Make nice and speedy though. The faster this is over, the faster my soul can rest." said the queen, staring at the green canopy.
"Execution? Why would we execute you?" Asked Twilight, confused by the changelings reaction.
"Let me see. I invaded your country, foalnapped a princess, beat down another, and nearly enslaved a country when there was a very simple solution." said Chrysalis, waving off a hoof. "Hurry up, please. I've had enough of this nightmare."
"And what nightmare is that?" Asked the unicorn. Chrysalis sighed and sat up.
"This!" she said, motioning to her black chitin body. "I was not born this way, Sparkle. I was born a beautiful white alicorn pony. Not a monster that survives off deception and the stealing of love."
"What were you then?"
"A flutter pony." said Chrysalis with a wistful smile. "A race that lived in absolute peace. We did not concern ourselves with foreign affairs or wars. When we asked to side with a country, we refused. We preferred neutrality. However, this caught the eye of a certain Draconequus." said the queen frowning.
"It was when he first started causing chaos. It was also around the time he first created the forest we stand in. He was...unimpressed by our 'dull' lifestyle. He wanted to have some 'fun'. Liven things up. As a result, he took the race of calm, neutral ponies and turned them into love hungry, war prone monsters.
"I pleaded, I begged, I did...unspeakable things for his pleasure, trying to fix what he had done, yet he did no such thing. He was sealed away, we starved, we fought, we nearly died off twice. It was insane chaos.
"The invasion was....not what I wanted. I couldn't control myself, couldn't think clearly. Driven by starvation, I attacked, wanting all the love we could devour. It was a search for sweet bliss, ending with us even more hungry."
"So, you were forced to do this?" Asked Twilight, somehow have gotten closer when Chrysalis wasn't looking.
"Yes. Hunger....it does things to ponies...changelings....creatures. It makes us do things we never thought we would do, only to get the smallest morsel of food to help make us last only a little while longer." said Chrysalis, laying her head on her forehooves.
Twilight bit her lip and looked back at the two guards waiting for her, their spears at the ready in the case that Chrysalis would try to attack. This was something Twilight was starting to seriously doubt.
"Then come with us to fix this." said Twilight, looking down at the changeling. Chrysalis blinked and sat up.
"Fix? How could you possibly fix this?" Asked Chrysalis, staring at the mare. Twilight smiled.
"Because I think we can try to clear your name as well as return changelings back into their natural forms." said the mare, grinning. Chrysalis blinked, her mouth hanging open. She didn't know wether to trust the mare before her and possibly save her race, or to refuse. Either way she had a chance of dying if the ponies betrayed her trust.
"A-Alright. I will play along. Though, I'm guessing I'm going to be shackled and have a limiter on my horn, aren't I?" Asked the changeling. Twilight smiled sheepishly as those exact items floated out of the chariot. Sighing, Chrysalis raised her hooves to be shackled as the limiter was carefully placed onto her jagged horn and locked there.
"Alright, let's head out." said Twilight, guiding her to the chariot.
~~~~~~~~
Chrysalis took the time to enjoy the view of Canterlot as the chariot flew over the mountain city. All her other opportunities were ruined by the constant need to take care of Shining Armour lest he did something they would both regret, or she was being hurtled through the air by some sort of magical field fueled by love.
The evening sky painted the city a beautiful orange. In the back of Chrysalis' mind, a certain filly stood out. She smiled sadly, sighing as she rested her chin on the edge of the chariot.
"What's wrong?" Asked Twilight, seeming to have caught her sigh. Chrysalis remained silent.
"I got pregnant a few years back. About nine perhaps? Anyways, the baby didn't conceive until I was in my natural form. It's a shock when you are pregnant with the foal of the pony you fed off for about a week." said Chrysalis, looking over the city. Thinking this had something to do with how she was acting, Twilight decided to play along.
"What happened to the foal?" Asked the mare.
"She was born, raised off of love for the first few years of her life. Then, I had her sent out to a small earth pony town as a Pegasus. I couldn't let her stay with how fast our hives health was failing. In knew she had a better chance on her own. I haven't seen here for three years until the invasion.
"You know, Cadence originally had two rich ponies from your town set for flower girls. But, I didn't want them. I knew it was a risk if she saw me, but I asked those three filly's instead to be my flower girls, only to see her again." said the mare. Twilight sat there speechless. She could easily guess who she was talking about. Sweetie Belle was Rarity's sister, Apple Bloom was AJ's. Scootaloo, however, was an orphan from what she gathered. An orphan that was staying with Rainbow Dash.
"Did you name her, Scootaloo?" Asked Twilight, scooting a little closer to the changeling.
"I named her Pupa. Scootaloo was the name I gave her for when she was disguised. I wonder if she hates me for abandoning her." said the queen. Twilight smiled as they approached the castle gardens.
"Well, we will just have to fix that as well, don't we?" Asked Twilight, looking over at the changeling. Chrysalis scoffed.
"And how do you expect to accomplish all of this?" Asked the changeling. Twilight grinned.
"You'll see."
~~~~~~~~
Chrysalis was extremely confused she, the six elements, and Princess Celestia walked towards the garden maze. The day started out with her limping in the forest, to her confessing she had a hybrid daughter on a ride to the castle, to Celestia seemingly listening intently to her story, and now to them going over to Discord himself to fix this. She was going to need a nice long sleep once the day was over.
"So, explain to me how you are planning on fixing this." said Chrysalis, looking back at the white alicorn Princess. Celestia looked over at her and smiled warmly.
"We are going to release Discord and use all the leverage we can have him reverse the curse he place on the flutter ponies. I wanted to try and reform him, anyways." said the princess as they arrived at the statue of the Draconequus. Chrysalis scoffed at his position and expression of horror.
"Miss Dash, you collect the final piece. We will wait for you." said Celestia. The cyan Pegasus saluted before flying off. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow as the cyan dot races back into the castle.
"Where did she go?" Asked the changeling queen. Celestia only smiled as the cyan Pegasus was seen returning, going slightly slower now.
"Where we headin, Rainbow Dash?" Asked a small filly that Chrysalis knew all to well.
"Just to do something." replied the Pegasus. Chrysalis heard them land around the corner and attempted to make herself invisible. Sadly, this was not within changeling ability.
"Cool! What is..." Scootaloo cut herself off as she turned the corner, staring at the changeling queen. Chrysalis smiled sheepishly.
"Um, good evening Pupa. Wasn't expecting to see you here." said Chrysalis. Scootaloo blinked but kept a mask of unknowing.
"Pupa? My name is Scootaloo, lady." Chrysalis winced. Princess Celestia sighed and leaned forward so she was level with the orange filly.
"Your mother already explained who you are, Princess Pupa. Please, drop your disguise." said Celestia calmly. Scootaloo opened her mouth but caught site of her mother. The mare was sitting on her haunches, looking away ashamed. She nodded and enveloped herself in a violet flame.
Pupa looked like her disguise, except for the front that her wings were small insect wings and she had a jagged horn. Fangs protruded from above her bottom lip. Her irises matched Chrysalis', if only purple. Her coat remained orange, her skeleton on the inside.
"Why did you do it?" Asked Pupa, turning to her mother.
"If you mean abandoning you, it was because I didn't want you to starve. Starving forced me to do what I did. I didn't know what I was doing until it was too late." said Chrysalis, still refusing to look at her daughter. "I knew you deserved to live somewhere better."
"But why didn't you visit?" Asked the filly, stamping a hoof. Chrysalis winced.
"I'm a queen of a starving race. It's hard to collect food and see my own daughter at the same time. It hurt me to ignore you for these past three years." said Chrysalis. She sighed and looked over at the elements. "Can we get this over with? Please?" she asked. Celestia nodded.
"Alright. Do you remember the spell, Twilight?" Asked the princess. Twilight nodded before turning to the statue of Discord. The other elements took stance in front of him, standing their ground as the elements started to activate. Feeling a hoof grip around hers, Chrysalis looked down to see Pupa gripping onto her hoof as she watched the elements worked. The changeling smiled and wrapped a hoof around her, watching the work before them.
There was the iconic cackle of Discord himself as the stone broke away, revealing the Draconequus before them. Chrysalis fought the urge to strike the creature, leaving it be for a time when her daughter wasn't there to witness. However, she simply settled for speaking.
"After three thousand years the urge to kill you has only increased, Discord." said Chrysalis, remaining composed. The Draconequus turned his attention towards the changeling and laughed.
"And after three thousand years you pull off the evil insect well, Metamorphosis." said Discord.
"That's because you changed me into this damned thing!" Shouted the queen.
"And that's why you brought you back, Discord." said Celestia, scowling at the Draconequus as she stepped past Chrysalis. "Your actions against the Chrysalis and her race has caught up to them and caused them to attack against will. We demand you reverse the curse you placed on them." said the solar princess.
"Well, I can and I can't." said Discord, leaning back on his tail.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Asked Chrysalis, gritting her teeth. Discord sighed.
"The changelings were an....earlier peace. So many mistakes. One of them being I can reverse almost everything, but the transforming thing stays, that has been sitting too long." said Discord.
"What can you change?" Asked Pupa. Discord looked down at the filly and then up at Chrysalis.
"Gotten busy have we, Chryssie?" He asked with a smirk. Chrysalis blushed and looked away.
"Just answer the damn question."
"Well, little filly, I can turn your true forms back into flutter ponies. So, beautiful butterfly wings, you and mommy will have your horns back to normal. And your diet will be that of a pony." said Discord, leaning back on his tail once more.
"But the ability to change into other ponies stays?" Asked Chrysalis. Discord nodded.
"I really don't know how to explain it. It's been there long enough that it's part of flutter pony DNA now. Even if flutter ponies are born without horns, they can still transform." said the Draconequus. Chrysalis sighed and massaged her temples.
"Well, it's better than being this and eating off love. Alright, turn us back." Discord gave the changeling a look. Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Please?"
"Good girl." said the Draconequus with a smirk. With a snap of his claws, the two changelings were enveloped in a bright flash of light, engulfing them fully as they transformed into what they were meant to be.
Once the light faded away, to ponies stood were Chrysalis and Pupa once stood. Chrysalis was now a white alicorn, her horn parting her green mane that hung over her eyes. Pupa kept her orange coat and purple mane, her horn straightening back out. Both lost their fangs and their eyes were normal. The change that stood out, though, were their wings.
They were still insect wings, but they were that of a butterfly. A rainbow of colors adorned the fragile yet powerful wings that came with being a flutter pony. They were what the gods designed them to be.
"Gods has it been forever since I've seen my own wings." said Chrysalis as she examined her wings. Pupa looked over her own and frowned.
"Mine are still under grown." said the filly. Chrysalis leaned down and enveloped her into an embrace.
"And that's alright. You are my special filly and gods be damned if me or anyone cares if your wings are smaller than average. You are you and that's all that matters." said the alicorn, nuzzling her daughter. Pupa smiled and nuzzled back. Dash took this time to ruin the family moment to sweeping down towards the filly.
"Yeah, and you still have the most awesomest teacher to teach how to fly!" Said the Pegasus. Chrysalis giggled and shook her head.
"Sorry, Dash. That title is mine. Butterfly and pegasi wings are similar in some ways, but are completely different when it comes to flight." said the queen. Dash dropped to the ground.
"Oh right. I knew that." The group, excluding Discord who was too busy trying to entertain himself by turning a flower into numerous objects, giggled at the comment.
"Oh, Twilight." said Chrysalis, finally realizing something. "What is the housing market in Ponyville?"