//------------------------------// // Mirrors // Story: Requiem of Equestria // by TheBlox //------------------------------// Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Flake watched over Chitin in his unconscious state. It had been a couple of hours, and finally he was showing signs of movement. “He’s waking up,” Scootaloo alerted the others. Quick to react, they awaited the outcold changeling to fully awaken. “What if he tries something?” Rarity questioned nervously. As if on cue to her paranoia, the downed changeling’s eyes jolted open. He sprung to his hooves in a panic, and he immediately began charging a red aura spell. “Hold him!” Rainbow Dash shouted, and she dove into the psychotic changeling, pinning him back into the ground. “Agh!!” At first he showed signs of struggle when Rainbow Dash had him pinned, but he managed to kick her off and he stood back up. Rainbow collapsed onto her side, and she swiftly maneuvered back to her hooves again in a tense fighter stance. In the attempt to charge his spell, Chitin winced in pain, and he slouched while holding his head. “Uugh!! G’ow!” He couldn’t seem to hold the spell, and his red illuminating horn faded out. It became evident that he had a difficult time conjuring any magic in his condition; he had a migraine from being hit to the head by that rock, and it was breaking his concentration. Growling, he stood on all fours in a battle formation, and a turquoise glow took hold of his limbs. Then to his surprise, he collapsed, and found himself pinned by Rarity’s aura, holding him down by his hooves and neck. “Stop it at once!” Rarity demanded and held him there. “My Celestia, Flake saves your hide, and this is your reaction.” “I never asked for anypony’s help,” he said with a growl, attempting to push himself to his hooves, but to no avail. “Ugh, let go of me!” He tried to conjure a spell again, but he couldn’t seem to hold its charge, and it went out again in seconds. He tried to stand up again, but Rarity only pushed him into the ground harder in response, making him grumble. After a moment of silence, he looked up at them at the corners of his eyes, squinting both angrily and confused at the others. “I don’t get you… Why didn’t you just let me die in the rockslide? You could’ve just left me and run off!” He tried to free himself again, but each time he did, Rarity only held him down harder with her magic. “Ugh, you’re all fools!” “Look, Chitin,” Flake muttered and cleared his throat, approaching the pinned changeling. “We have no intentions of letting anypony die. And we need your help.” Chitin rolled his eyes in response to that. “Ohh, and now it makes sense. You need me for something—of course.” Flake sighed and sat on his flank, rubbing his brow with a hoof. “You can think however you want, but I wouldn’t have saved your ass just to gain some information.” He pointed at the buried entrance of the collapsed room where they had escaped from previously. “I risked my tail to pull you out of there before you were crushed because I choose to believe that every given life means something.” Chitin paused briefly to give Flake a disgruntled expression. “Oh, you are a sad one,” he muttered under his breath. “And pray tell, what exactly do you need my help for, hm?” The others exchanged looks with one another, and they took a moment in silence to figure out how they could bring up their request in a way he would reply without being cynical. There was, however, no way of knowing what to say aside from getting straight to the point. “Where is Fluttershy?” Flake asked, in the attempt to sound polite. “Heh, Fluttershy?” Chitin chuckled. The others winced at him in response to his laughter. “Yes, Fluttershy,” Flake replied factually. “The yellow pony with pink hair; the one you transformed into earlier. If you can take her form, then you’ve seen her.” “Hmm…” Chitin muttered and rolled his eyes. “Can’t say I know what you’re talking about.” “Don’t be smart,” Rainbow Dash impatiently grumbled. “Heh. Well, it’s kind of hard to think when you’re being pinned to the floor by the neck.” His demented eyes focused on Rarity, who looked back at him uneasily. “Let me go, and maybe I’ll talk.” There was a moment in silence; the only sound echoing in the cave was Rarity’s beaming aura on her horn. She turned to the others, uncertain what she should do. Scootaloo cleared her throat and spoke up, “Go ahead, Rarity.” “What?” she questioned the younger pony. “It’ll be fine,” the pegasus said in a reassuring tone. “Let him go.” “Are you out of your mind?!” Rainbow Dash turned to her, throwing a fit of confusion. “He’s only going to attack us again!” “Four against one, and he can’t use his magic,” Scootaloo determined, frowning at the pinned changeling. “I don’t think we’ll have any problems.” Chitin just winced at her in response. Rainbow Dash grumbled and kept a firm battle stance to prepare for the worst. Flake just stood by and watched, going with the flow and allowing Scootaloo to make her decision. With a nervous sigh, Scootaloo turned to Rarity and nodded to signal her to release the insane changeling. Then after a moment of hesitation, Rarity turned off her levitation aura, releasing Chitin. In response to her letting him go, he at first remained lying on the ground, eyeing the others. Given the opportunity to get back on his hooves, he stood back up with a slight limp. There was a lot of silence in this moment of uncertain trust. Chitin continued to coldly eye everypony else. Rainbow Dash was having a difficult time holding back from attacking him. Rarity was wide-eyed and nervous, resisting to use her magic. Then among all the silence, Scootaloo bravely stepped up to Chitin, and stood face to face with him. Chitin could feel the tension when he looked into Scootaloo’s fearless eyes. He was about to question her as to why she was now face to face with him, when he could easily just attack her right then. However, he did know better not to act, considering the others would retaliate if he did. With the way everypony was looking at him, he could tell they weren’t going to keep giving him chances like this one. Turning his neck to look at all of the eyes glaring at him made him feel small; he could do nothing if he tried, and he knew it. “Heh.” He lowered his head, then looked back up to Scootaloo with his sadistic grin. “So, you want to find Fluttershy.” He put a hoof to his chin. “Fluttershy, Fluttershy…” “Don’t pretend like you don’t know who we’re talking about!” Rainbow Dash snapped at him, spreading her wings furiously. “Fluttershy!! The element of kindness!! She’s yellow, and has butterflies for a cutie mark!” She leaned forward and shrieked louder, “Where is she?!” Chitin’s ears twitched in response to Rainbow Dash’s outburst, and he raised his head. “Oooh, you mean the weak and useless pegasus.” “Excuse me?” Rarity grumbled. “The weak and useless pegasus, I said.” Chitin’s body then engulfed in green fire, and he changed into the form of a familiar yellow pegasus with breezy pink hair. Then in Fluttershy’s innocent voice, he began whimpering, and he cowered to the floor, impersonating her cries. “Nnno! Don’t! Leave me alone!” The other ponies gasped when they saw him imitating their helpless friend. “Stop it! W-what did any of us ponies do to you?” “What did you do…?” Scootaloo snarled and stepped closer to him. Then in a burst of green fire, Chitin turned back into his normal self again. “You should see the looks on your faces right now…” He observed them with a squint and a grin. “So much hate… so much anger.” He cleared his throat and gestured to Scootaloo. “Yes, I know where that pony is. When I found her, I had to remove her from her cocoon so I could transform into her and properly mimic her personality. She put up such a pitiful fight…” “I’ll rip you a new one!” Rainbow began galloping toward Chitin, and Scootaloo held up a hoof to stop her. Rainbow halt and huffed impatiently. “I don’t want to hear another word out of this creep!” “Rainbow Dash, we need him,” Scootaloo sighed displeasingly. She then turned back to Chitin to question him, “What are you talking about? Why did you have to take her out of her cocoon?” “A changeling can’t turn into another pony if they are cocooned,” Flake explained it for her. “When a pony is in one of our cocoons, they are in a deep sleep, and all of their visual and mental properties are locked inside the mesh, where we are unable to breach and imitate in a transformation.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, then turned back to Chitin and frowned. “Right, well, where can we find her then, Chitin?” “Now hold it!” Rainbow Dash interrupted her and stubbornly stepped forward again. Chitin looked to Rainbow, keeping a bored expression. “How do we know you’re not going to pull anything else?! After that whole incident with Dozer, why should we trust you?” “Ahh, good question,” Chitin cackled and shook his head. Then he coldly stared back at Scootaloo. “Why should you trust me?” In response, Scootaloo just squinted and kept her eyes on his. “I never said I did.” Chitin raised a brow at her with a grin, and Scootaloo just pointed, trying to keep authority in the situation. “Now, lead us to her,” she demanded with a growl in her voice. “Heh.” Chitin rolled his eyes, and he turned to head into the tunnels. “Very well then, ponies… follow me, if you’re so bold.” The others all looked at each other uneasily. It took a moment of hesitation before they accepted the situation handed to them, and they began following the insane changeling. “And don’t you dare try anything,” the determined pegasus added with a threatening snarl. “Heh, heh… Right, then.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Dozer galloped through the abandoned caves to return to Scootaloo and the others, carrying her saddlebag of potions upon his back. Pressing onward, he ran by a few corridors, and he heard a rustling sound. He slowed his gallop to a more cautious trot, and he turned his neck, curious as to where the sound was coming from. He heard the sound again, and stopped with his ears perked to listen. The dark and ominous caverns around him were now silent. Keeping himself quiet, he waited until he heard that sound again. Then from the silence, he heard that scruffing sound again coming from a path to his left. Squinting, he trotted toward the passage where he heard the noise, and peered into the room. The moment he set hoof into the entrance of the unexplored passage, his eyes widened from the unexpected discovery. There in that room, he found Queen Chrysalis. Her horn was glowing yellow; she was using drilling spells to dig through the thick, solid walls of mesh and stone. For a moment, he was uncertain whether or not he should speak up and greet his Queen. If he did though, he would be inclined to question her actions. Why was she digging tunnels down here? And more importantly, why was she alone? Suddenly her ears perked, and she stopped her digging to make a quick turn to face his direction. Gritting his teeth nervously, he hid around the corner of the corridor to keep out of sight. Absolute silence fell upon the caves, and he could feel his nervous heart beating. He kept himself silent, hoping that if he didn’t say anything, he could convince the Queen that she didn’t hear or see him. He then heard her hoofsteps approaching him echo from within the cave. His eyes widened, and he turned his neck to see if there was a place to hide from her, now having the distinct feeling that he shouldn’t be here—that this was a secret. Backing away from the corridor, Chrysalis stepped into his path, and she turned to him and stopped. Her eyes jolted open, surprised to see him in these parts of the caves, and she just stood there, glaring into his eyes. Dozer found himself cowering after being caught, and she remained unspoken, as if awaiting for an explanation. “Uh…” Dozer’s nervous voice echoed from within the hollow of the caves. “What are you doing down here?” she asked him in a quick manner. Dozer had no idea how to respond to that, suddenly feeling very small. “I was um… going to ask you the same thing,” he managed to say, which resulted in her frowning at him. She didn’t respond to his question, but she didn’t ask him another one either. In the attempt to lessen his nervousness, he stood taller and cleared his throat. “Why are you here, alone?” “That is none of your concern,” she replied defensively. “This doesn’t make sense. Why are you down here? Where is Trek and Chitin?” She eyed the saddlebag upon his back and squinted. “What do you have in the bag?” “Uh…” Dozer took a couple steps back, uncertain how to reply to her. The way he was stepping away from her made her stand taller, and her frowning eyes widened. “Dozer?” her voice was demanding and hoarse. “What. Is in. The bag?” He knew that if he questioned the Queen further, he would regret it. “Nothing of importance,” he said. Chrysalis gave him a bored look in response to that, and using a levitation spell, she lifted the saddlebag off of him, and brought it over to her to take a look herself. He nibbled his bottom lip nervously, and the Queen opened up the pouch in front of her. “Potions?” she questioned him and raised a brow. Taking a couple out of the bag to examine them, she read the labels. “Amplify lung capacity? Anti burning serum?” She lowered the bag and potions to look down at the anxious changeling. “Where did you get these, and why do you have them?” “Uh…” He grit his teeth, uncertain how to respond. “It… it’s a long story.” “Well, let me hear it.” “But—” he stopped himself, and took a moment to stand taller. “It’s not important.” “It is to me,” she said to him, “I want to hear the full story, from front to back. Why are you here, where did you get these potions, and where is Trek and Chitin?” “Well, can’t you first explain to me why you’re down here?” he questioned back at the Queen, his raised voice echoing again and again through the caves. He froze, realizing the irate tone of voice he was giving her. Her eyes widened in response to his suspicious behaviour, and he could tell that she was getting angry. Biting his lip, he took a chance and stepped closer to her. “With all due respect, my Queen, I would happily tell you everything… but…” He stopped, and the changeling Queen gave him a menacing look in response. “But?” “I don’t know if I can trust you right now,” he boldly replied. “Excuse me?” She winced at him and stood tall and aggressive. “If you keep this behaviour up, Dozer, I will demote you from your position in the search crew!” “I don’t give a damn about my bloody position!!” he yelled defensively at her, catching her off guard. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she even took a step back from the way he shouted at her—he even surprised himself. And now with as far as he has already gone with the way he’s spoken to her, he knew there was no point in toning himself down, or she would just talk above him again. “Look, Chrysalis. I’ve been beaten down enough by changelings who think they own me! So I don’t care any more! Banish me from the hive for all I care, I’m sick of being treated as small as a rat under Tirek’s hoof!” Silence. Chrysalis’ widened eyes slowly furrowed into something more furious, and she opened her mouth to talk back to him, when he stepped forward and continued yelling before she had a chance. “No!” he carelessly shrieked at her, “I don’t trust you! You’re hiding something, otherwise you wouldn’t be down here digging holes! Don’t you dare scold me for not telling you why I’m down here if you can’t handle explaining your own reasons!” “I don’t have to tell you anything; I am your Queen!” she roared back at him, taking two steps toward him, and her horn illuminated with a green aura. “How dare you speak to me like this, you ungrateful parasprite!” “No!!” he shouted again, disregarding her threats and her glowing horn. “How dare you!” He stood taller, and finally brought it up. “You know about that changeling tomb in these caves, don’t you!” When he called her out, she froze where she stood, and her ears fell back. Her eyes were anxiously wide, and she suddenly had nothing to say. Her silent response gave him the only clue he needed. “I knew it!” he snapped at her. “Yeah, I found that tomb, your Majesty. So explain that to me, huh?!” Chrysalis now felt put on the spot. “Nobody was meant to know about that place,” she quietly said. “Yeah, well, I do now. And it’s probably only a matter of time before everypony else does, too. Why are you down here, Chrysalis? What are you hiding from the hive?” Feeling defeated, Chrysalis let out a sigh, and she gently put the saddlebag and potions on the ground. Dozer kept his eyes pierced up at her, and she uneasily opened her mouth to speak. At first she couldn’t seem to say anything; her airway seemed to be blocked by nerves. Dozer could easily see that it was very difficult for her. “You are probably unaware,” she finally said, “But the ponies in the hive are being drained.” “Drained?” Dozer raised a brow. “You mean our supply of love is being taken?” “I’m afraid so,” she said with a sigh. “And at an exceeding rate, no less.” Dozer’s eyes wandered at the revelation, understanding the severity of the situation. “So, what does that have to do with you being down here, exactly?” he asked curiously. Another pause. Dozer looked up to Chrysalis, and she turned away with a sorrowful expression upon her face. After a long, painful hesitation, she opened her mouth to speak again. “I think… it’s time the truth came out,” she solemnly said. “Yes, it’s true… I have been hiding something from the changelings.” Dozer could’ve sworn he felt his heart stop when she admitted that. She slowly turned back to look at him, and she gestured at him with a hoof. “Please, Dozer, take a seat… There is a tale you must hear, as it is of great importance. And time is short...” “A… a tale?” He raised a brow curiously, and obediently he sat on his flank. “A tale about what?” Chrysalis’ eyes suddenly began to glisten. Confused, he paid close attention, and discovered a single tear had trickled from her eye. His eyes widened at the sight of his crying Queen, and he kept his mouth closed, saying nothing. The cave fell completely silent for a moment, before he had to open his mouth again to question her. “You’re… crying,” he said in a dumbfounded, quiet voice. “But… nopony’s ever seen you cry.” He had to emphasise that statement, “Ever.” She let out a very slow and inaudible sigh. During her sigh, two more tears trickled from her eyes, crawled down her cheeks, and dripped to the floor. “But I thought…” “A creature does not cry who feels no love,” she finished for him. Confused, he nibbled his bottom lip. “Y… yeah.” “What I am about to reveal to you has been untold for a very long time.” She lowered her head. “There will come a time when I will have to tell this tale to the rest of the hive as well. But, for now, because you are here, and because you know of the Great Changeling King’s Shrine, you should know the truth. And… I must start from the very beginning, for you to understand…” Dozer wasn’t sure what to say to that. Keeping seated, he waited for her story. However, something inside of him told him that he wasn’t going to like it. With a deep breath and a strong idle stance, she began her tale… ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ...Over a millenia ago—before the banishment of Nightmare Moon, some time after the defeat of Discord, and before the city of Canterlot was built—changelings and ponies lived among one another in Equestria. At this time, changelings were far different than we are today. Unlike today, we were once colourful, our limbs and wings contained no holes. Our bodies were pure and clean, and our eyes were white with coloured irises… Just like the ponies. Unlike the ponies, however, we were much, much weaker than they were. Far weaker than our race is today. Our bodies were so frail, in fact, that we could not work with the earth ponies to help tend to the land. We had our wings, but we could not fly with the pegasi, because we were not fast enough, nor could we control the weather or walk on clouds. We could not join the unicorns, because though we had our horns, we could not cast any spells. The one thing unique about us that was different from the other races, was our signature ability to change our appearance into another pony. Our ability to transform into other ponies was not as advanced as it is today. Back then, we could only turn into a pony by making eye contact with them, and once we left eye contact, the transformation would only last for mere seconds before we turned back to our normal selves. Sure it was a unique ability that gave us our race’s name, but in a way, we felt no more useful to Equestria than mirrors. At this time, there was no changeling King nor Queen. I was among the crowd of normal changelings. I was not their Queen, I was not powerful, nor was I larger in size. I was an ordinary changeling like any other, with a coat of green. My life in those days was, well… a struggle. Just like it was for any other changeling. Back when there was a city by the castle of the two sisters, I lived in a small, old home on the outskirts nearest to the forest, where most of the unwealthy lived. And I lived, married, with another changeling stallion with a blue coat. It was hard for any changeling to live in the city, as finding jobs was not easy for us considering our weaknesses, unable to do what the pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies could do. Very few of us lived within the city—many others lived in the outskirts, like myself and my husband, where the cost of living was not as strict. One early morning, a royal pegasus guard showed up at our door. He told us that Princes Celestia had a message for us, and that she wanted us to meet her in person at the castle. He took us to the castle in a flying chariot, and when we arrived, Princes Celestia herself was waiting for us at the doors. We were both, needless to say, in awe by this privilege, to see our Sun Princess face to face. “Why have you called us to your castle?” we asked her. What she was about to tell us, though, we could never have been prepared for. “I have spoken to my father,” she revealed to us. “Among all the changelings in the land, he has chosen you two specifically for something very important. He has a gift for you, and he wishes for you to meet him on the top of mount Canterlot.” She pointed a hoof across the land of Equestria, to the peak of the tallest mountain in the midst of the wide open world—a very long distance away from the castle of the two sisters. “Go there,” she said to us. “He has told me that you must travel alone, and that I must not provide you with assistance to get there. The distance you must travel is your test of devotion, to prove you are worthy of possessing his gift. The decision for you to go on this journey is yours, but you must be there before my sister, Luna, raises the moon tonight, or you won’t find him there.” He was a very mysterious alicorn, and very few have seen him in person. Not even Celestia or Luna have seen him very often. Like the changelings, the alicorn King had the ability to transform himself into another creature. He was not seen very often, because most of the time, he had taken the form of another animal to keep his identity hidden while he watched over us, protecting us in his unknown silence. He would never be involved with any choice anypony would ever make, for he was the god of balance. He would grant us our free will, whether to choose to do good or evil, and made us face the consequences if we make our choices poor ones. The only time he would ever appear, is if there was an imbalance in our world that only he could correct. Otherwise, he was always in hiding, in the shape of an animal without a spoken language. We did realize that to meet Princess Celestia’s father, the King of Equestria himself, would be a real honour. However, the decision for us to fly across the land to the tallest point of Equestria was not an easy one. When I said that our capabilities of flying were not strong, I meant that with a lot of emphasis. We were a very weak race, and we knew it. Once Celestia told us of our mission, she gave us this one chance to make our choice. Either we choose to return to her royal guard’s chariot and have him take us home, or we jump off her balcony, and fly to mount Canterlot’s peak. And we had to decide together. In the end, we chose to take the leap of faith. We jumped off the balcony, and with our weak and easily exhausted wings, we flew to mount Canterlot. This was the most difficult task we have ever done together. We knew that if we were to make it there in time, we couldn’t take a break, as it would surely take us until sundown to get there. By my side, he encouraged me to keep flying. And by his, I did the same. We battled through harsh weather, and many times we wanted to give up. But with each other there to keep one another strong, despite the feat at hand, we made it to the mountain. It was so cold near the peak, and the blizzard made flying became impossible. To make it to the top, we had to resort to climbing. We still did not know what we would find at the top, nor why Celestia would send us through such a harsh task. But in the end, at the peak of the mountain, we found Celestia’s father—bright and mighty, just as the stories of him were told. “So you made it,” he solemnly said to us, a proud smile on his face. “I know you went through a very hard journey. I had to be sure.” “Sure of what?” we asked him. “Changelings: The pony race who require love to survive; to be strong. The more love you possess, the stronger you become. And you two are Equestria’s prime example of what that means. Together, you made it all the way up here, like I knew you would. You are not weak creatures like you believe you are. Together, you are strong. Your love for each other has given you the courage and the strength to make it here. A feat that, if you traveled alone, would have been unsuccessful.” “Love gives us power?” my husband was quick to ask him. “All this time, we’ve struggled to withstand our tasks to survive, and all we needed, was to obtain love?” “Yes, your race becomes stronger with love. Love is your power as magic is to a unicorn. Love is the sole thing that your race represents. And because you two have made it here, you have proven that.” The god of balance then presented us with the gift he had promised. It was a stone, and it looked like one of the elements of harmony, but it was a different colour from the other six. It was a lighter, warm pink. “This is the Element of Love,” he revealed to us. “When you touch this gem, it will grant you its power. It is not one of the key elements of harmony—it is an element on its own, which requires two ponies to use its true power. However, if just an individual tries to use its magic, they will become corrupt.” My husband and I looked to each other when he told us of that warning, and I saw a trusting smile in his eyes. I could tell he wanted the power, and I saw in his eyes that he wanted to use it for the benefit of our struggling race. “If you choose to accept my gift and touch the stone, you will each obtain the strength of an alicorn, and like we do, you will age forever.” After his explanations, he stood tall and proud, and he declared to us, “I shall deem you King and Queen of all changelings.” We were in awe. This was too good to be true for our kind. We didn’t really see it before, but we knew right then, that the changelings needed a leader of their own species. “I chose you, because I saw greatness in you,” he continued to tell us. “Always supporting each other through the good and the bad, and kept one another on each other’s hooves. Just as your element portrays. The choice is yours whether you will take on the roles of being King and Queen, but it must be a mutual decision.” After his speech, we took a short moment to think. I looked to my husband, and he looked back to me. I could tell he really wanted that power. I myself was, admittedly, a little hesitant to take on such a huge responsibility. But I felt that, as his wife, it was the right decision to make, and I accepted my role. So, together, we touched the stone. Once we came in contact with the mysterious gem, it glowed bright as day, and it levitated off of the ground before us. A crack began to form down its center, exposing a blinding light from within its core, sparks of suppressed power emanating from within. Then the element of love split in two, and each half of the stone slowly hovered closer to each of us. And with a loud crackle of thunder, they attached to our chests like medallions. Instantly, we could feel the energy flow through our bodies. The power; the strength… It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Once we had been granted our new power, the god of balance looked to us with a trusting smile. “It is done.” He stood tall to represent his authority. “Take your roles responsibly and with pride, and always remember to work together, for the element of love is only sustainable when it is shared. Love is a gift—share it with Equestria.” With his final words spoken, there was a flash of light, and the alicorn King transformed into a winged creature, and he flew away to leave us with our new destiny. I began talking to my husband—about how this was good for us; for our kind. That perhaps now we can become a bigger part of the ponies’ world, and help make a greater difference in Equestria. Then he looked at me, and he laughed. He said to me, “Now nopony will look down at us like useless mirrors.” I asked him what he meant by that, suddenly feeling worried that the power he had been given may have gotten to his head. “Did you hear what Celestia’s father said?” he asked me with his cold grin. “He said it is love that makes us strong.” “What are you saying?” I asked him. “Together, we can rule Equestria,” he boasted to me. “Let us strip the ponies of their love, and feed our kind so we can grow strong. We will become the dominant pony race. It’s time the earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi knew what it was like to be as weak as we were. Our lives were so unforgiving, we could hardly make a living. They don’t know what it was like to be so unfathomably useless.” No, I did not like the direction he was taking his power. But, I had to admit that he had a point about the ponies being superior among our race. So as his wife—and now Queen—I felt obligated to obey. Together, we returned to the city. We learned of a way to absorb the love from within the ponies. And so, we taught the rest of the changelings how to consume it, to transfer the ponies’ energy into our own bodies. “Now, feed!” we commanded the changelings who were still weak. The changelings began absorbing the energies from the ponies, and gradually became stronger. It wasn’t long before the changeling race was suddenly able to cast spells of their own, and they started cocooning other ponies with mesh as well, like we taught them to with the new magic we had been given. Absorbing the ponies’ love gave them unicorn magic, and they began trapping the ponies in mesh prisons so they couldn’t escape. With our strengthened wings, not even the fastest pegasi could get away. And with our powerful bodies, we could take down even the strongest earth ponies. While the other changelings were after the ponies among the city, my husband and I went for the castle. We took down the royal guards, and went after their Princesses. I went after Celestia, and he pursued Luna. I caught Celestia, and I was about to trap her in mesh so that I could drain her. I had her pinned… and she looked up at me with her terrified eyes. “Who are you…?” she asked me, frightened and trembling. “You’re a monster,” she gasped. I didn’t know what she meant, but the words she said to me had opened my eyes a little. She was right, I had become a monster. And then, while I had her pinned, I saw my reflection in the tiles of the castle floor. I was dark, and the brightness in my eyes was faded and dull… I had holes in my mane and my wings, which had faded into a translucent teal colour. And my limbs were even developing holes in them as well. I looked hideous, I thought! “What happened to me?!” I bounced back, afraid of what I had become. My husband returned to me in this moment and saw me, and I saw him… His coat was black as night, his eyes were red as blood, and his legs were jagged and crippled. He had even grown—nearly triple my size. He had become worse than even myself… He looked powerful—it was evident that he had absorbed all of the love in Princess Luna to get to that point. He was now stronger than he was when the alicorn King granted us with our new abilities in the first place, and now even stronger than Celestia herself. Celestia saw him, and she staggered to her hooves. She was even more frightened now of him than she was of me. And, for some reason, I was, too. I saw it now: The king had warned us this would happen if we use our power for our own selves, and that is exactly what we were doing. And it corrupted us. It ate us alive, and it starved us of the very element we were meant to represent. I could tell he was about to go for Celestia so he could take her power, too. As he marched toward Celestia, she gave us each one last glance, and escaped with a teleportation spell. “She is only delaying her inevitable capture,” he said with a twisted expression. “These ponies are useless to us. Let us begin our own kingdom away from this place.” At this point, I was too frightened of him to disobey. I also could not bring it to myself to betray my husband who loved me for so long. So, I followed him, and we exit the castle of the two sisters to rendezvous with the other changelings. The moment we opened the door of the castle, we peered outside, and we saw the havoc our changeling subjects have wreaked across the city. And then we saw them… Just like us, they had become dark, and their eyes had lost their irises. Our entire race was like this now. They all looked like us; like oversized insects. Never knowing how to obtain love, we taught them to steal it; to absorb it. And as a result, they became what they are because of the act of selfishness. The greed for power had corrupt us all, and it made us hungry for more. I stood there, jaw hanging open with disbelief in what I was seeing. We had come back to the city to make our kind stronger, and that’s exactly what we did… We made them strong; we were now the dominant populated species of Equestria. But what I did not think would happen to us was this. We have become monsters of greed, and we portrayed the exact opposite of the element that the King of Equestria has told my husband and I what we represented. We were no representation of love—we were thieves. “We do not need the ponies,” my husband shouted to the changelings, who all stood by and listened to his words. “We have what we now need. We can begin the growth of our colony now that we are strong!” Despite their change, it seemed that the changelings looked up to him. I could see that they were happy with their power; they didn’t seem to care what they had become at all, as long as they were stronger than the ponies were. When I saw their proud faces of themselves, I felt that, as Queen, it was only right to let be what had become of them… Because, why would I try to object to something that made my colony so happy? We left the city, leaving the drained ponies behind, and we made our way back to the mountain. We dug our home within the rocks, representing the location of our kingdom as where the power we had been granted all began. And from there we strived. We were strong; unbeatable. Within our tunnels—which today are abandoned—my husband dug out and constructed a shrine. And within his shrine, there was a stone slab, where he wrote a prophecy. “From dawn to dusk, I’m feared at sight; my wrath eternal, like Nightmare Night. My time will come, and all shall hail; and those oppose, shall surely fail. For each betrayer, shall decor my shrine; my death be theirs, a return be mine. New body and soul, new mind and power; my place be taken, for the darkest hour.” I never knew what he meant in that message, but I’ve always been afraid to ask him. A year had gone by, and he and I noticed something… We were all slowly getting weaker. We were starving, and we needed more love. So he proposed that the best option for us, was to return to the ponies and steal more of it. I was not going to deny that this had to be done for the sake of our race, so I followed him. When we returned to the city, we noticed something. While we were getting weaker over time, they were getting stronger. They have replenished all the strength that we had drained—they had become the way they once were, with their hearts renewed of love. I had no explanation for how this was possible, but it was astonishing to me. Acknowledging their regained power, I felt concerned for my own species. Why were the ponies able to recollect their lost love while our own race would drain without it? My husband overlooked this and saw it as an opportunity to regain our lost power back, to grow even stronger once more. I will be honest, I did not like the way our species had to stay alive. But, because my race was now corrupt from the misuse of the element of love, I knew we had no choice. We had to feed, and the ponies contained the largest source of love among any other species. If we did not, we would surely become extinct. I hated it, but as Queen, I felt the heavy responsibility of keeping my children alive. I could not let them starve to death. Like we did a year ago, we reigned the city. We began cocooning ponies, and just like we did the last time, while the little changelings went after the ponies, my husband and I went for the castle to take on the alicorns so the other changelings did not have to. We burst through the castle doors, and there on the other side of the entrance, we saw Celestia in her throne, powered with all her strength. Luna, however, was not present. Celestia looked down to us, frowning with burning anger. She stood from her throne, and opposed us, with tears raining from her eyes. “You will pay for corrupting Luna!” she roared with her hurt and loud voice. “Because you had taken her love away, she had lost herself, and became a threat to Equestria! After you and your subjects disappeared from our city, I had to banish my sister to the moon!” Hearing that felt horrible. I turned to my husband, who stood far taller than I, to see if he felt the same pain I did… but in his eyes, I saw nothing. He was long gone and lost with the power he had stolen from Luna. He felt nothing—no pity; no sorrow… just hunger. He did not care. Still wielding his half of the element of love, he continued to use it for his own gain like he has done since the beginning of our ascensions. Before a fight were to begin, a small flying creature came down from above, perching on the ground, separating us from Celestia. We stood, confused, and Celestia seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on. And in a flash of blinding light, the animal transformed, and turned into an alicorn—the King who had given us our powers. I was frightened at the sight of him. My husband, however, just coldly glared at him as if nothing bothered him. And for the first time, I cowered in fear, and I cried. I cried so hard, thinking of all the horrible things I have done with the power he had given me. “Hmph, if you are going to be weak, you can stay out of my way,” my husband growled at me, shunning me for my helpless cries. He stepped forward to oppose the king, and I stood, watching in tears. “I must stop you, for nopony else can,” said the alicorn king, and he seemed to be directing his comments closer to my husband. “You have abused the power I have given you, and now are so far gone, you are already dead inside. And before you continue to grow strong, you must fall.” The king closed his eyes, and tears rolled down his cheeks. His horn lit up, and a magic aura surrounded him, and sparks flew in mystifying patterns. I watched him, and the spell he was performing has never been seen before. But the moment he began, Celestia went on a riot. “Father, no!!” the sun princess shrieked and galloped to him. “No, please!! Don’t do it, father!! There has to be another way!” She tried shaking his shoulder. “You can’t perform this spell without Mother and survive it! It takes two in love to activate this spell!” “Understand, my daughter, that there isn’t another way,” he quietly said, looking down to her while his body was fuming with energy. Her eyes widened, and more tears rolled down her cheeks. “It is time I reunite with her now. Please, understand. You have made me so proud, my little Celestia. You will be a fine ruler alone.” “Quit stalling and face me!” my husband shouted to Celestia’s father. “I am the Great Changeling King! I am the Requiem of Equestria!” He stomped the ground with his heavy hoof. “You dare oppose me?!” The waves of magic kept rippling around the powerful alicorn. He gave his daughter a tender smile, then after that final glance at her, he made a more serious facial expression as he turned back to face the changeling king. Celestia wouldn’t stop crying. I didn’t understand what was happening, but it was obviously big. I stepped back, away from my husband, and I watched it happen. He seemed so brave with the way he performed his spell, and his horn began to glow brighter by the second. “Great Changeling King,” said Celestia’s father called out to him. “I make no room for any hate in my heart for anypony… not even for the likes of you. But as the god of balance, it is my solemn duty to make this sacrifice. I must protect Equestria, and if I don’t do this now, you will prevail. I’ve seen the dark future, and I must prevent it. You are lost, and you will never be found.” He winced in pain, and a grunt escaped his throat. Celestia backed away, as his aura was becoming more intensified. “Your power is false; you feel nothing. True love conquers all… What you have in you is stolen.” With one last strong and bold stance, an explosion erupted from his horn that cast through everything around him. However, nothing was effected by the blast. The only thing that happened after that flash of light, was the Changeling King had vanished in a cloud of ashes. My eyes widened when I saw the death of my husband, and all that was left of him was his half of the Element of Love. The stone dropped to the ground and rolled across the tiles, and it stopped at my hooves. I looked up, and I saw the god of balance lying on the floor. Celestia was crying over him, and I knew what had happened. He had given his life to save Equestria from us. I realized just how big of a sacrifice it was, and I knew I would do the same for my own kind. I looked back to the stone at my hooves, and with my heart pounding from nerves, I reached down, and I picked it up. In that moment, I for some reason wasn’t sure how to feel. My husband was deceased, but I did not feel the pain. Did the things he put me through truly make me feel he was a monster who had this fate coming? Or was it the fact that I was corrupt like he was from using the element of love in the way it was not meant to be used? It was hard to know, because at that moment, I felt no emotion for this loss. But I saw the pain in Celestia, and I wanted it to go away. “I’ll leave Equestria,” I said to her. She looked up to me from over her father, wide-eyed and confused. Before she had a chance to say another word, I left the castle with both halves of the Element of Love in my possession. I brought my changelings away from the city, and we returned to the mountain. I made a temporary stop into the caves, where I returned to the Changeling King’s shrine that he built. And when i was there, I removed my own half of the stone, and hid both shards of the Element of Love in the core of the mountain in this shrine. I couldn’t wield that stone any more. It has done nothing for me but corruption. I was not worthy of such a role. Once I hid the Element of Love within the tomb of dead changelings—those who were killed by the Changeling King himself when they turned against him throughout the year in our hive—I exit the mountain to leave it all behind, and with the colony, I left Equestria… ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Dozer stared blankly when he heard Chrysalis’ horrifying backstory. His wide eyes wandered aimlessly. The unravelled truth of his Queen was very deep, and it struck him very hard. “Why… would you tell me that?” he asked her, winded by his own question. “You would never have told just anypony else that story. Why me, and why now?” “I told you what you needed to hear, because you know of the shrine, and sooner or later the truth would have to come out, anyway. Because, time is short for us all. And the more we know, the better chance we have to survive what is coming…” Dozer nibbled his bottom lip. “And, what is coming?” “The Great Changeling King’s prophecy is coming true,” she solemnly said. “New body and soul, new mind and power; my place be taken, for the darkest hour,” she recited the final line of the passage. “The reason the love in the ponies is draining, is because it is being stolen. And the only way it can be taken at such a rapid pace, is if the changeling is powerful and large enough.” “Wait… are you saying that the Changeling King has returned?” “More or less, but not exactly,” she explained. “A changeling has discovered the secret within that tomb you found. New mind and power—somepony else is following the Changeling King’s hoofsteps… Somepony found the Element of Love, who now possesses the power of our King, and is growing stronger by each passing second because he is draining our ponies.” She lowered her head. “I fear that he will attack the hive to take our love as well. And if he does that, the rest of us won’t survive. At this point, he will surely be unbeatable; I will be unable to protect the changelings alone… We are not prepared to face up against him, and at any time now, he will surely strike the hive.” Chrysalis turned back to the tunnel she was digging in, and she trot inside. Dozer picked up the saddlebag of potions, and he nervously and curiously followed her. “There is but one solution, and our only resort to saving our kind.” A saddened expression upon her face, she continued digging into the wall with her magic. “Because there is no other way to stop him.” “What solution…?” Dozer questioned her. “Why are you digging here?” Chrysalis turned to him with a guilty expression. “Dozer, the rest of you don’t know so much about love, or what it represents, because the Changeling King and I taught you the selfish act of consuming it… Once you have been exposed to it, you have become corrupt just like the King and myself, and it became the only way I could keep feeding it to you. One thing about love that I have always known, however, is that I would do anything to keep my children alive. And I understood that when I saw Celestia’s father make his sacrifice to save his own children.” Dozer tilted his head, feeling the tension in the Queen’s tears. “I continued pursuing what I’ve done for the last millennia, collecting love so my subjects could survive. And I took us back to Canterlot a thousand years after we left Equestria, because my children were starving—they were dying. And ponies contain the greatest source of love among any other living soul.” She squinted in self-disgust. “I did not want to come here. I did not want to cocoon all these ponies. But for the sake of my little changelings, it had to be done. I am no less your Queen than I consider myself your Mother.” Dozer’s eyes widened when she said that last comment. His eyes wandered, and he felt warmth and in shock when she told him that. “And so, that leaves me with the reason I am down here.” She turned back to the wall. He could see that what she was about to do was very hard for her. With one final jolt of magic into the rock, it collapsed, revealing a new room beyond it. There was a cocoon on the other side, and within the mesh prison contained a lavender alicorn princess. “Our last resort, is to awaken the Elements of Harmony…” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Many thanks to these gentlecolts: Proofreading and other Assistance by Morfonious and David Hasselhoof.