For as long as we can remember, changelings have always been nomadic. We infiltrate a country for a generation or two, then leave without leaving a trace. Apparently, this is a tradition passed down from the First Queen, and has prevented the world from learning about our existence until recently. If a changeling is nearly discovered, then the entire hive will leave the nation immediately and set down somewhere else. For hundreds of years, this manner of lifestyle worked perfectly. We were legends at best and no one truly believed we existed. And then, one night, it all went wrong.
The hive was nearly discovered, and just like always, we all fled. But there was a mistake somewhere down the line. No one's really sure exactly what happened, but we know the end result; one of the unhatched changelings was left behind along with her host, a young zebra foal. Left alone and uncared for, the unfortunate host quickly withered away and the infant changeling, who had unknowingly committed murder, would have joined her victim in death if it hadn't been for a pair of zebras. The zebras had been searching for the foal but, unfortunately, they were too late. When they found the pod, they attempted to free the host trapped within and accidently ended up releasing the young changeling instead.
As I'm sure you've guessed by now, the young changeling was, of course, Chrysalis.
Chrysalis escaped, barely able to walk and running on nothing but instinct. Her innate ability to read her pursuers' emotions allowed her to avoid them and eventually escape into the wild. That was how her life started; lost, alone, and without anyone there for her. Can you even imagine it?
After that, she started to travel. Not like she had a choice though, right? Hahaha... ha. I'm sorry, that was in poor taste. Without a home, a family, or anything else to call her own, every day was simply a struggle to survive. She traveled across the world, constantly seeking a place to live; somewhere to call home.
During her travels, she saw many cultures, visited many countries, but there was one that truly stood out to her far more than any of the others; the peaceful land of Equestria. In the land of ponies, Chrysalis saw a land of light ruled by the immortal sun Princess; overflowing with love and happiness. In this country, she saw the very life that had been denied to her.
And she wanted it for herself.
Young and powerless as she was, she was unable to do anything and, stymied, she eventually continued on her travels. For several years more, she continued to travel until, at long last, she finally found the hive. Her nature as a changeling happened to be discovered by an operative in the field and he finally brought her to the hive. After over a decade of searching, the lost child had finally managed to find her way home.
But her tale doesn't end there. Chrysalis's determination, drive, and sheer strength of character quickly drew the attention of the Queen. Because of these traits, and because Chrysalis knew more of the outside world than any changeling alive, she quickly became one of the two candidates for the throne. She spoke openly of stepping into the light; of abandoning the darkness that had hid the changelings for so long and of claiming a place in the world for ourselves. We would no longer scuttle about in the shadows like mere cockroaches; we would walk openly before the world, standing tall and strong with our pride clear for all to see.
And if the world refused to accept us, then we would simply carve out a nation's 'heart' and take it for our own.
"And that is Chrysalis's story, or at least what she told us. I admit it's the abridged version, but I believe you get the point."
Loud hooffalls echoed throughout the marble hallway. Princess Cadance and Fluttershy walked beside each other, flanked by a pair of blue-eyed changeling guards. Fallen Roses walked in front of them, not meeting their eyes as she finished telling her story.
"In the end, I, too, started to believe in what she was saying. When I, as the only other candidate, started to support her, there was nothing stopping her from becoming Queen." A deep sigh escaped from Fallen Roses, as the feminine changeling turned to the two ponies. "So if you're going to blame anyone for what's happened to your country, you should blame me." Anything more she wanted to say was interrupted by a loud crack of keratin hitting chitin as a pink hoof struck her hard in the cheek.
"Princess!" Fluttershy cried in surprise.
Cadance panted heavily for breath, her upraised hoof remaining pressed just underneath Fallen Roses's eye. "You understand what you're saying, right?" She removed her slightly tender hoof from the changeling's face. "You realize what this means?"
"Yes..." Fallen Roses lifted her hoof up to cheek and felt where the Princess had struck her. The holed hoof traced a new crack that had formed in her chitin, her carapace having cracked underneath the force of Cadance's blow. "I'm aware. And I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but please, won't you hear my request?"
"You cannot be serious," Cadance growled out. Only the fact that she had been raised better than that prevented her from spitting. "You're claiming responsibility for all this, and you want me to listen to you? Why don't you just get out?! All of your kind should just wither and die!"
"Cadance!" The sudden sharp voice caused Cadance to start in surprise, her limp chains jingling freely, and she turned disbelieving eyes on the pegasus beside her. "Can't you hear how much pain she's in?" Fluttershy scolded. "Just listen to her, and believe what she says."
"You've got to be kidding. You are kidding, right?" Cadance shook her head in disbelief. Her limp mane, left unwashed ever since she had been captured, flopped dully in front of her face. "It's Fluttershy, right? Fluttershy, she's a changeling. Their kind lives on lies and deceit. We can't trust anything they say. And even if we can, so what? So what if life has been hard on them? You think that just because they’ve been through a few rough times, that gives them the right to hurt others as they please?"
"And why can’t we trust them?" Fluttershy huffed. "What's wrong with believing somepony once in a while? I'm sure if we just tried to understand them a little bit, we'd see that they're not monsters. All we have to do is show a little kindness."
Several seconds passed in an awkward silence before Cadance turned away from Fluttershy. "No. I'm done. If we show them even the slightest amount of kindness, they'll take advantage of us for all we're worth. Fluttershy, I hate to say it, but I think you may be too kind to deal with them."
"And what's wrong with that?" Fluttershy quickly circled around Cadance so that she was once again standing in front of the Princess. "At least I'm staying true to my Element. What about you? What happened to that love you're supposed to be so big on?" She blinked and the fire just faded from her eyes, as she seemed to abruptly realize that she was scolding a Princess. "Oh, that is, I mean..." she stammered out before dropping to the ground. "OhpleaseI'msorryIdidn'tmeanit. Pleasedon'thatemeorthrowmeinthedungeon."
Cadance bequeathed a kind smile on the shuddering pegasus before bending down to offer her a quick embrace. "Oh Fluttershy, I could never hate one of Twilight's friends." She released the smaller pony and turned to look at the still-bowing changeling; her expression turning from gentle and soft to hard and firm in the blink of an eye. "As for you..." she growled out before seeming to calm herself. "But she's right. If there's one thing I know, it's love. So if you want me to hear you out, then love is what I need."
Fallen Roses gave the Princess an uncertain look. "So...?" she started, not certain what the alicorn was getting at.
Cadance rolled her eyes. "I'm saying take me to my husband. If you want me to listen to anything you have to say, then I wish to speak with him. I won't listen to you otherwise."
Time passes slowly without anything to track it. Left alone in the darkness without even the slightest hint of light, Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire, was left without anything to do but think. Suspended from the ceiling by thick, heavy chains wrapped around his forelegs, even the simply opportunity to move about was denied him. At least the shackles didn't chafe. That was about the only good thing he had to say about his situation. As the former captain of the Guard, he had always thought the prisoners should be treated with a modicum of respect and dignity, and always made certain that every cell was clean and in good working order.
He never thought that one day, he would be the one using the cells.
Other than the occasional changeling bringing him food and water, nothing ever broke the monotony of each passing hour. Nothing, that is, with one single exception. Shining Armor raised an eyebrow at the large changeling standing a silent vigil just outside his cell. The changeling hadn't said anything when he appeared, and hadn't said anything since. He just stood there, quietly, his intelligent eyes constantly roving across Shining's body as if he was hoping to find the answer to a great mystery there.
"Something I can help you with?" Shining asked, after at least an hour had passed and the changeling still hadn't moved. The changeling didn't respond and Shining shrugged as best he could with his limbs restrained. "Outstanding. Not the talkative type, are you? I'm the same, you know. A guard's got to know when to be quiet. When we're on duty, we have to be seen, but not heard. Heck, even when we're seen, we're not supposed to be much more than furniture. Unless there's a call to action, and then we're supposed to scramble to fix whatever might be broken. And even with that, I still have no idea what I'm going to do for a replacement. Not one of them's got the right stuff necessary to be captain." And he continued to babble on, either cheerfully oblivious to how much he was giving the lie to what he said about not being a talkative pony or doing deliberately to provoke a reaction.
"Quiet."
Shining abruptly changed tacks at the voice, which sounded like the distant rumble of an avalanche overlain with that distinct buzz that all changelings seemed to share. "My my, so you do talk after all. Colour me surprised. Well, I mean my colour's white, and then there’s some blue, and..."
There was a sigh like thunder and the changeling pressed a hoof against the side of his head while squeezing his eyes shut. "Do you ever shut up? It's almost as bad as listening to that foolish Last Breath."
"Nothing else to do," Shining admitted with another restrained shrug. "I mean, I'd like get out of here and beat the lot of you black and blue, then drag you in front of the Princesses and let her determine your fate." He looked the changeling over. "Or maybe just blue. You've got the black part down already."
Another sigh was followed by a groan as the changeling moved his hoof from his temple to between his eyes. "I came down here to answer one simple question and all I get is a headache. Tell me, Shining Armor, what is your sister?"
"Twily?" The strength of the chains was abruptly put to the test as Shining lunged at the changeling. "If you've done anything to hurt a hair on her body, I'll-"
"I'm not interested," the changeling interrupted bluntly. "There's nothing you can do, no matter what I did."
The chains creaked and groaned as Shining's thick muscles bulged and strain, his veins standing out in stark relief even through his coat. "What did you do to my sister, you bastard?"
The changeling scoffed as he turned away. "I'm not getting an answer here," he said dismissively before starting to walk away, his long stride quickly threatening to carrying him out of Shining's sight.
"Where do you think you're going?" Shining tried to cast a spell to stop the changeling but was stopped by a sharp pain in his horn, caused by the anti-magic ring on his horn that all unicorn prisoners were forced to wear. "What in the name of Tarterus have you done to her, you freak?!" The changeling froze at the insult, his hooves scraping against the ground as he turned around, every movement sharp and controlled before he once again stood before the cell. Shining smirked, "Not so stoic after all, are you, you freakish monster?"
"You want to know what I did to your sister?" the changeling sneered. His hoof slammed against the cell door with enough force to rattle the iron bars. "You want to know what happened? I fought her. And I nearly killed her."
Cracks started to form in the stone wall that anchored Shining's chains. "You... you..." He sputtered, unable to even form a simple sentence, hate and brotherly rage completely filling him.
Undeterred, the changeling continued. "The Queen wants to keep the Bearers alive for whatever reason, but I disagree. I think every single one of them should be killed, so we can be certain they will not be a threat. And if your sister's magic hadn't suddenly shifted, I would have taken the opportunity and killed her then and there."
"I'm going to destroy you," Shining swore. His voice was low, serious. it wasn't a threat; it was a promise.
"Chained up as you are? I sincerely doubt it." The changeling gave Shining a cruel smirk, one that promised pain in his future. "But thank you for helping me answer my question. I was wondering if I should tell my Queen exactly what happened, and that Twilight Sparkle is too much of a threat to be allowed to live. And you know what? I think I will." His smirk widened as he turned away. "And your sister will die for it. So let that thought keep you warm as you rot away in your cell."
"Wait!" Shining screamed as the changeling left. "Wait, you freakish bastard!" But this time, the changeling refused to stop, and he was quickly out of sight. Shining went limp the second the changeling disappeared, and would have collapsed on the cell floor if the chains hadn't been holding him up. "No... Twily..." he muttered softly. "I promised I'd protect you... Please... forgive your older brother for being too weak..."
He was more grateful than words can describe that nobody was present to see him cry.
"Shining!" A heavy mass landed on his chest, and he felt a warm weight wrap around his body and hold him tight. His vision cleared enough to see something pink pressing against him, and it took him a moment to figure out what it was.
"Cadance...?"
"Hush, baby," his wife said gently before she released him and flew up to his forelegs. "Just let me take care of these chains, alright?" There was a loud chink as the shackles sprung open and he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. Before he could so much as figure out which way was up, let alone attempt standing, he was buried by a wave of pink.
Still confused, his legs moved on their own and wrapped around his wife, hugging her tight against him. He wasn't sure what had happened, why she had suddenly appeared, or how she had managed to get past his guards. Heck, he wasn't even sure if it was really her and not just some changeling pretending to be her. But for the moment, at least, he was willing to believe it really was her. Even if it was only a lie, it was a lie he needed.
"Oh, Shining," Cadance sobbed. She clutched him tight, crying into his shoulder while her entire body shook. "I'm so happy to see that you're alright."
"Cadance, I..." Shining's hoof slowly rose to the back of Cadance's head. He stroked it through her mane, taking a moment to simply enjoy the feeling of her presence. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. If I'd just been a little bit stronger, then-" He stopped as a dainty hoof pressed against his lips, cutting his apologies off.
"No, sweetie." Cadance looked him full in the face, her watering eyes a perfect match for his own. "You couldn't have done anything to stop this. It's not your fault, so don't be blaming yourself for it. We're together now; we can still fix it."
A small smile played on Shining's lips. "You were always the smart one." The smile vanished as his gaze slid down to the collar she had on her neck. "But what are you doing here? I thought that that oversized changeling was keeping you close to her?"
"Well, that's..." Her eyes awkwardly slid away from him, and he noticed for the first time the pair of individuals that had entered his cage behind her. The first was a pegasus that he recognized as being one of his sister's friends; he was pretty sure her name was Fluttershy. She was shivering slightly and was biting her lower lip. Shining didn't think she was going to say anything any time soon. The second was even more of a surprise; an untransformed changeling stared at him. Even as he watched, the changeling's tongue licked at the air before retracting back into its mouth. "What?" he asked her.
"Your love is most delicious," it said with a lilting, feminine voice. "It's very... pure. Yes, that's the word. You must care for each other very much."
"Uh huh... Cadance, who is this?"
Cadance rubbed the tears out her eyes before turning her head back to look at the changeling standing behind her. "Oh, this is Fallen Roses. She's the one who brought me here to you. Don't worry, Shining, we're going to get you out of this."
"Easy there, Princess," Fallen Roses interrupted with an upraised hoof. "Don't misrepresent me; I'm not on your side and I can't allow the Prince to leave his cell. Once we're done here, you and Fluttershy are going to return to your rooms nice and quietly."
Cadance let out a gasp of dismay. "What? But-?"
"You wanted to see your husband, and I let you. That was the deal." Fallen Roses gave the married couple an apologetic look. "For what it's worth, I am sorry."
"No. No!" Cadance grabbed Shining Armor tighter, holding him against her like an oversized teddy bear. "I won't accept it! Not after I haven't seen him this long, you're not splitting us apart so soon! I won't allow it!"
Fallen Roses sighed. "Look, I have my orders, and I have to follow them. I was never told I couldn't bring you down here, but the Queen will probably still scold me if she finds out. That said, if you try to escape, I will have to stop you. So don't bother trying to remove those anti-magic rings on your horns; I can have guards down here long before you manage to take them off."
"But-!" Cadance looked up at Shining Armor desperately. "But-!"
Shining sighed, and he gave his wife a brave smile as he rubbed reassuringly at the back of her neck. "It's alright, don't worry about me. I'll be fine, and we will me again. I promise you that." Cadance leaned against his chest, and he held her tightly as he looked up at the changeling. "By the way, what was that deal you spoke of earlier? In exchange for bringing them down here, I mean."
"Mmm." The changeling tilted her neck back and stared at the ceiling for several seconds as she appeared to get her thoughts in order. "This is a bit awkward for me to ask, but I need your help."
An upraised eyebrow was Shining's immediate reaction, followed by a disbelieving laugh. "Our help? What possible help could you hope for from three of your Queen's prisoners?"
Fallen Roses flinched. It was slight, almost unnoticeable, but Shining Armor's trained eyes caught on it instantly. "I..." The changeling took in a deep breath, obviously fortifying herself for whatever wild demand she was about to make. "I want you to save the Queen!"
Three sceptical sets of eyes stared back at her. "The Queen," Shining Armor repeated eventually, not sure if he had heard her correctly.
"That's right." Fallen Roses nodded.
"Your Queen."
"Yes." Nod.
"The one who's holding us captive."
Uncertain nod.
Shining Armor sighed as he leaned back against the wall of his cell. The hoof that wasn't holding his wife found its way to his face. "Alright, if we agree to this nonsense - and I'm not saying we are - but if we agree to this, what would we be protecting the Queen from?"
Fallen Roses gave him a determined look. Her gaze was firm and true, lacking any hint of lies or misdirection. What she said, she clearly meant it with all her heart. "Herself."
There was silence in the room as the three ponies present tried to process the bizarre request. The silence was broken by a sharp, almost bitter laugh. "What's this?" Cadance choked out past unkind laughter. "Even her own subjects knows what a terrible ruler she is!"
"No!" Fallen Roses protested with a slow shake of her head. "That's not it at all. If that were all it was, maybe this would be easier." She gave a sad sigh, filled with sorrow and uncertainty.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but why are you asking us to do this?" Fluttershy said in a voice that would have passed unheard if there hadn't been a lull in the conversation following Fallen Roses' sigh. "Aren't you betraying your Queen?"
The changeling gave Fluttershy a tiny, yet kind, smile "It might be difficult for ponies to understand, but this is part of our loyalty. We're not mindless drones, we're not slaves, and we're not extensions of the Queen. We are individuals, with our own minds and our own will. If we think that the Queen is making a mistake, it's our duty to stop her."
Cadance frowned as she leaned back against Shining's chest. She wrapped his forelegs around her barrel before letting her own forelegs rest against them. "Sorry, but I can't understand that. The ruler has a duty to lead their subjects. If the subjects are constantly watching their leader for mistakes, how can they possibly respect the individual wearing the crown?"
"And if the subjects think that the one wearing the crown is making a mistake, should they just ignore it?" Fallen Roses shot back. Her body went stiff and straight, and her voice increased in volume with every word she said. "If you thought that Princess Celestia was doing something she shouldn't, would you just let it slide without saying anything? Would you really just cover your head and hope for the best? Is that your answer? Would you cower hopelessly, even as everything was destroyed around you?"
"Princess Celestia would never do that!" Cadance shouted angrily.
"Really?" Fallen Roses said with a mocking lilt to her voice. "This the same Princess Celestia that failed to notice as her sister became Nightmare Moon? You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe the tales of her perfection."
"Why, you-"
"Now, now," Shining interceded, quickly trying to diffuse the growing situation between the two females. "Let's all just calm down; we're getting off track."
"I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy muttered. "It's because of my question..."
"No, it was a good question." With a flick of her limp diaphanous tail, Fallen Roses leaned against the cell bars. She stared past where Shining Armor and Princess Cadance sat, her unfocused gaze locked on the unremarkable stone wall behind them. "In any case, the reason I'm asking for your help is because of my loyalty to Queen Chrysalis. Never forget that."
Shining nodded at her. "Noted. But then, if you're not on our side, why should we help you? What's in it for us if you are not going to help us?"
"I never said I wasn't going to help you," Fallen Roses said with a quiet, almost dreamlike quality to her voice. "I may not be able to release you, but there is something I can do..."
"No."
"Oh, come on, Shining," Cadance said. "I know where you're coming from, but I don't think we're going to get any better options than this."
Shining Armor crossed his forelegs and frowned at all three of the females present. "I said no and I meant no. No way."
Cadance groaned at her husband's stubbornness. "You're being overprotective. She's a grown mare now; she can handle it."
"And you're being too easygoing. How can you even ask me to do this? To just leave everything in Twily's hooves and just hope for the best? You were her foalsitter, Cadance; I thought you'd understand."
Cadance's eyes slid closed and she leaned her head into the hollow space under Shining Armor's throat. "It's because I was her foalsitter that I can see what a strong mare that filly I used to take care of has become. She'll take on any challenge that faces her and overcome it with a smile." She gestured at the yellow pegasus in the corner. "Fluttershy believes in her; why can't you?"
"Because I'm her big brother!" Shining Armor cried, almost shouting in frustration. "I'm supposed to be there for her! I'm supposed to protect her! If I can't even do that, why did I even bother spending so much time training for the royal guard!?"
"To protect everypony, not just her," Cadance answered. "You swore an oath to protect the nation, and you've always given everything you've had to uphold that oath. It was that drive of yours that made me fall for you in the first place. Twilight might not be a guard, but she is undeniably your sister; she has the same drive that you do, and holds much of the same values. We can trust her. She's not just the best pony to handle this; she's the only pony able to handle this."
"I..." A deep sigh flew from between Shining's lips and he rested his chin on the top of Cadance's head. "I hope you're right."
Fallen Roses perked up, her eyes shining hopefully. "So does that mean you accept?"
Shining looked down and Cadance tilted her head up to stare into his eyes. Her eyes, so filled with love for him, reassured him and filled him with hope. There was still a dark pit of bubbling emotions brewing inside him, and he desperately wanted to find somewhere to throw up, but the sight of those eyes were enough to quash his feelings of self-loathing and failure, even if only a little bit. "Yeah," he said. "We accept. We'll play the model prisoners for your Queen, and in exchange..."
"You had better hold your end of the deal," Cadance said, finishing Shining's sentence. "When Twilight arrives at Canterlot, you will make sure she makes it to the castle."
"Then we are in agreement," Fallen Roses said, bowing to the couple. "Thank you."
The time passed quickly after that. Far too quickly for the young married couple. Eventually, Fallen Roses took Fluttershy and Cadance back to their rooms, leaving Shining alone in his dank, dark cell. The deal that had been proposed was accepted. The ponies would make no moves to escape and do nothing that might cause stress to the changeling Queen. Whether intentional or not, that feeling somehow managed to spread throughout the entire city, filling the inhabitants with mixed feelings of hope and anticipation.
Regardless of if they were aware of it or not, everypony was waiting for the appearance of the Element of Magic. The entire city held its breath, and through some sort of magic, an unspoken thought reached the mind of every stallion, mare, and foal.
Regardless of the outcome, Twilight Sparkle's arrival was going to change everything.