Derpy Hooves died a long time ago. She was in Canterlot for the royal wedding, and was one of many unfortunate casualties of the changeling invasion. Her daughter was not there to see Derpy die, but a changeling was there to see the filly lost and crying, stumbling after her mother but not seeing the body.

There was something in those keening cries and those wails of anguish that compelled the changeling to wipe the blood from her mouth and take on a new form. She had meant to take the filly to safety, to her family, to anywhere...

But Derpy was the only pony that little Dinky had. So the changeling stayed with the filly. Day after day, she would tell herself that this was it, that she knew ponies who could take Dinky in, who would be more than happy to. But day after day, the idea of returning to the Hive seemed more and more like a death sentence. She meant to return, she really did.

Until she didn't.

It has been three years since the Canterlot Wedding. Changeling spies have found the renegade that abandoned them at the height of their invasion. Chrysalis intends to punish this rebellion, either by public execution or by forcing Derpy to lead a charge on Ponyville.

But before the sentence is passed, Derpy is given the chance to speak to the Swarm.

Tagged as Crossover for ponifying large parts of Charlie Chaplin's final speech from The Great Dictator. I claim no ownership of those passages or the words therein, regardless of the alterations I made.

Credit to Tumblr and DeviantArt artist Drawponies for the comic that inspired this.

Also, credit to DeviantArt user Brackets002 for giving me the idea to do this. http://comments.deviantart.com/1/515238804/3759395857