//------------------------------// // 1 - Prologue // Story: Change // by tom117z //------------------------------// A mother will do a lot for her child, even give them up if it meant them having a safer life growing up, despite the obvious pain that comes for the parent. **** Darkness hung over the Equestrian capital city of Canterlot. The city was quiet as the moon hung low, the mare that controlled it silently watching the planet below. The only activity in Canterlot’s higher end districts belonged to the occasional patrol of the city's guards, or the odd stray animal prowling the night in search of food. Most of the night activity took place in the lower districts of Canterlot, where all of the night clubs and speakeasies were located. But tonight was different. Tonight Canterlot was host to a cloaked visitor, prowling through the streets. The visitor had an equine form, but it was trying to avoid being seen by anypony, guard or random civilian. Taking a break in an unlit alley, Queen Chrysalis removed her hood. Ensuring that nopony was watching, she lit her horn and retrieved her map. She was looking for one house in particular, a house belonging to one of Canterlot’s lower noble families. Chrysalis had done her research, sifting through family after family trying to find the perfect one; and in the end there was really only one viable choice among them. The household of Night Light and Twilight Velvet. -Twilight Velvet-. An odd coincidence she shared a name with the nymph contained in the bundle Chrysalis held close. -Princess Twilight of the Badlands changeling hive, daughter of Queen Chrysalis-. She had been named Twilight due to her sparkling lavender eyes. Most queens were born with green eyes, but her daughter was different. The first time she had looked upon them, they had reminded Chrysalis of the sky at the edge of the Badlands, only coloured so during the transition between day and night - twilight. Twilight's carapace was pitch black, and holes were lining her hooves just like with every other changeling. Her mane was a transparent blue with a green highlight striking through it; her tail had the same colouration. Small wings fluttered on the back of the sleeping nymph and a small black stub of a horn just poked through her mane. Chrysalis had been so overjoyed when Twilight was born; and she had vowed that day to protect her beloved daughter no matter the cost. And what a cost it would be. Changelings can survive without love energy; simply by eating both meat and vegetables, but they are extremely weak without any love. A maturing changeling queen is very different. During their early years, a new princess requires a steady stream of passive love in order to survive. A lack of love energies during this period would be fatal. The problem is even more striking during puberty, and young adulthood, where the transition from Princess to Queen begins. During this stage, the ling changes from needing passive love to active love, and with this change comes a huge hunger; needing more love in a short space of time then they have ever absorbed throughout their lifetime. Therein lays the problem. The Badlands hive was in the middle of the worst love shortage for over two hundred years. The amount of available love energy in the hive would never be enough to sustain the new-born ling. Chrysalis loved her daughter more than anything, but the love from one Changeling can't be absorbed by another; it had to be from the reservoir (the name for the hives communal love storage), or another sentient species. So Chrysalis had to make a choice, give up her daughter, or watch her starve to death. She chose life. Night Light and Twilight Velvet already had a son, a young colt by the name of Shining Armor. The couple had been noted as one of the most loving families in Canterlot, and her spies had told her that Shining had been wishing for a sister for quite some time – anything and everything counted when it came to saving Twilight. Chrysalis finally spotted the house she was looking for, and quickly made her way up to it. Standing just by the front door, Chrysalis looked down into the bundle she carried, watching as Twilight sleepily opened her eyes. A small giggle emerged from Twilight as she booped Chrysalis's muzzle with her hoof. A warm smile crossed Chrysalis's face, but tears also came to her eyes; giving her up was the hardest thing she had to decide, and likely ever would have to do. "Shh, go back to sleep, and remember that… that… ” Chrysalis choked down a few of her tears, “that I will always love you..." Chrysalis gently nuzzled her daughter, who slowly closed her eyes and drifted back into a peaceful slumber. Chrysalis's horn lit up and enveloped Twilight, slowly replacing the changeling nymph with the image of a small lavender unicorn filly. "I will always be close by, my child; I will always keep you safe". Slowly and reluctantly, Chrysalis placed the bundle on the doorstep. Next to the bundle she prepared to place a small piece of paper with a name written on it. While changelings don't tend to have last names, ponies do, so Chrysalis had to invent one for her. As Chrysalis looked down at Twilight, a patch of cloud moved out of the way, and the moonlight shone through. Twilight rolled in her blankets, and as she did so, one of her eyes cracked open. For the briefest of seconds, the moonlight sparkled back up at Chrysalis, before Twilight closed her eyes and rolled back over. That was it; she knew her daughter's name. Placing the paper down on the bundle, Chrysalis knocked on the door several times, as loud as she could, and then hid in a nearby alleyway again. Lights switched on upstairs, slowly progressing to the ground floor, until the door swung open, bathing the doorstep in light. A very, very tired Twilight Velvet emerged. Squinting her eyes, Velvet called out. "Hello?" Night Light quickly came up behind her, and swung a glance up and down the street. Seeing nothing, he shook his head. "Huh, damned pranksters, likely just some colts messing about in the dead of night." Velvet sighed. "Let's just go back to... wait..." A small gurgling sound could be heard. Velvet noticed the bundle on the door step, and looked closer. She was met with the face of a sleeping lavender filly, with a dark blue mane and a pink highlight striking through it. "Huh?! Nighty, look at this!" "What is it dear… a new-born filly? On our doorstep? Who would abandon the poor thing like this?" "I don't know, but we can't just leave her out here like this!" "I... you're right, bring her in. Oh Shining's going to love this..." "Well dear, you better go and wake him then," Velvet smiled. Night Light retreated into the house to wake his son, while Velvet gently picked up the bundle and examined the filly within. "Hello there, what's your name?" It was then Velvet noticed the small piece of paper, levitating it up to her she read the name out loud. "Twilight Sparkle." Eighteen Years Later... Six mares sat just outside Ponyville, enjoying a picnic in the idyllic countryside, before said picnic was interrupted by the belching of a small purple dragon. "Twi... light! ...I... have... Lemme just... " Spike spluttered out, before a belch and a roar of green flames erupted from his mouth, causing a note to appear in front of Twilight. Twilight picked up the scroll and read it out loud. Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot. "Wedding?" Twilight became confused. I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to provide the music. Pinkie Pie, I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception. Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering for the reception.  Rainbow Dash I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their "I do"'s. Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids. At that point Rarity seemed to stop functioning. And as for you, Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all: Making sure that everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia. "But... I don't understand. Who's getting married?" Twilight asked questioningly, wondering if perhaps they had heard anything. "Oh, wait! Uh, I was probably supposed to give you this one first!" Spike realised and handed Twilight a second scroll. Twilight rolled her eyes, and read out the second scroll. "Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and... my brother?!"