There's More to Magic Than Friendship

by Haoryu Changer

Queen Chrysalis

"This way!"

Gallus and Sandbar sprinted through a thick forest home to none other than the badlands. They dodged trees and branches as they ran through the natural obstacle course, the pony carrying a passed out Smolder covered in green changeling slime.

"Come on! Hurry!" Gallus said, gliding above the sprinting Sandbar.

"No offense to her or anything, but she's kinda heavy!" He yelled. "And I thought I told you not to fly! She can spot you easier."

"I thought I told you that I'm not fast on my legs!" Gallus said with a smirk. "We just need to head to the mountains past this forest! It'll be harder to find us!"

A large shadow was then cast over them, and they looked up to see what was blocking the sun. They briefly saw an eagle hovering above them and before they could anticipate anything, the animal dove down and landed on its claws in front of their tracks, blowing dust away from below, making them stop.

The eagle lifted its head and glared at the equally angry pony, griffin and unconscious orange dragon. Slowly stalking towards them with its claws scratching the dirt ground. As it walked, green flames slowly started to appear around it on the ground, circling around the carnivore.

"Of course it's her..." Gallus said gritting his teeth.

Its wings turned from feathery to silk green with holes, its beak turned into a maw with a sadistic fanged grin and its claws turned into black holed hooves. Then finally, a bright green crown formed with a sharp green-edged horn on the forehead.

"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Queen Chrysalis laughed.

Gallus looked at Sandbar with a blank face. "Starlight did say she liked evil laughs."

"Oh, she said that?" Chrysalis mocked in gratitude. "What a very nice compliment. I should reward her."

The two students glared at her.

"I was just going on about my day when one my changelings tell me that there's an apparent breakout of my harvest. I just had to see for myself this pitiful excuse for a rescue. But it seems you only managed to snag only one of your dear friends, how unfortunate."

"What did you do to her?" Sandbar snapped. "We took her out of the cocoon hours ago! She should be awake now!"

Chrysalis laughed again. "Using my new powers, my spit, or rather my cocoons' 'goo' as you call it, now makes all non-changelings slumber if exposed to it for too long. Unless you get rid of every single bit of the remains of the cocoon, she'll be asleep for a while." She said with a smirk. "But you won't get the chance to do that!" She charged her horn and hissed.

"Get out of here! You wanted to see Yona again, right?" Gallus said, flying forward to attack Chrysalis.

"I'm not going back without you!" Sandbar yelled back, dropping Smolder on the ground, intending to charge at Chrysalis himself. But as soon as he put Smolder on the dirt ground, Gallus landed next to him with a black-marked smoking chest.

"I'd suggest you stand down, Sandbar." The Queen said. "You wouldn't want to end up like your friend now would you?"

The earth pony grunted, before sitting on his haunches and giving up.

"See? This is what happens when you foolish ponies start using your brains. No one gets hurt."

"You say that but when we give mercy to you or stand down, you still hurt those who oppose you," Gallus said in a strained voice.

"Grampa Gruff really has been light on the griffins hasn't he?" She insulted. "Mercy is nothing but weakness! It's the sole reason why Twilight and Starlight we defeated. I certainly don't need Friendship. And I don't give mercy to anyone!"

"Is that why the changelings are all like that now?" Sandbar asked with a frown. "Because they didn't agree with you? How can you call yourself a leader, let alone a Queen!"

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked with a smirk, lighting up her horn and magically slamming him to the ground by the neck. "All you can do is grovel on the ground and beg. There is no one left that can stop me and the only ones who can are being tracked down by Lord Tirek at this very moment, if not found already." The large changeling frowned at the two. "I'm growing bored of you. I'll let you know that this has been a bit fun, and I would tell you to bring others to increase the fun, but I can't just let you leave now can I? The two of you show tons of love for the dragon, this will be a very good meal."

Gallus and Sandbar gulped as Chrysalis licked her lips.

---

In the middle of the badlands, sat a hive. But not just any hive, it was the most dangerous hive in all of Equestria, and some would definitely argue in the entire world.

There was no sign of life in the area, so it was a wasteland with the holed hive in the dead center, with a forest circling around it.

Currently, inside the hive, the Changeling Queen, surrounded by non-reformed changeling guards, was carrying three cocoons containing a pony, griffin, and dragon. She was currently in the harvest chamber, where all her prey with the love they formed were being kept. There were three levels to this chamber, and as of right now she was on the third one, where she kept the most important ponies and leaders that currently existed. Well most of them anyway.

She magically placed her three cocoons, two of them with new owners, right next to three others, two of which were empty, and the third with a young Hippogriff.

"That makes four out of six for this display, or would you like to be the fifth one right now?" Chrysalis said, turning to a non-reformed changeling.

"No my queen!" The little bug said in a high pitched voice with fright all over her face.

"I was merely joking." The Queen said, lifting her subject's chin with her hoof. "Your punishment for running off to Twilight's little School of Friendship is to be my second-in-command changeling for the rest of your miserable life, my dear little Ocellus." She said so casually but with so much malice Ocellus nearly fainted while shivering. "All I need now is that yak to make this set complete. Then, once Lord Tirek brings back Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, along with their child, my entire collection will be complete." She said with an evil laugh.

"This is what you wanted to show me, my Queen, right?" Ocellus said timidly. "If that's all, I think I'll be going to my chambers i-if you don't mind." But before she could scurry off, Chrysalis took her in her magic and brought her to her face. The tall changeling didn't look angry, but Ocellus could see she had something on her mind.

"You don't think I'm stupid, do you? Your classmates come in here uninvited and try to rescue another one of your classmates, in something none other than a changeling hive, a hive that no one but a changeling can traverse through?"

"I-I-"

Chrysalis dropped her to the floor and stomped on the ground, shaking the room. "As of right now you are only one of three changelings that move with their own free will. If I catch anything like this again, I won't be bringing them back here to the hive, and you will take their place! Do you understand?!"

Ocellus nodded quickly.

"Then return to your chambers and don't try to pull this again."

The young changeling ran off, back to presumably her pod.

She passed many changelings, they stood stone still, with blank expressions, their eyes all lime green like Chrysalis's new crown, and if one would look closely at their eyes, it would seem eerie. The Queen knew she wouldn't be able to force her hive back to her side, the Magic of Friendship had 'tainted' her changelings, and it was too late. But it wasn't too late to use an ancient spell created by past changeling queens to control them.

Chrysalis humphed and made her way back to her throne room, but not before admiring the cocoons holding the various ponies, griffins, dragons and other creatures in the harvest room.

She sat down, now in her throne room, sighing in bliss. It was hard to believe she was finally a proper Queen again, with subjects, prisoners, plenty of food, and a hive. She thought back to the time when she had first declared victory with Lord Tirek and Empress Cozy Glow. How they quickly defeated the rest present with any sort of threat. How the three of them split apart after the endeavor, and how she slowly built back her hive with her changelings at her side once again.

She noticed her thoughts kept drifting to the two that helped her take over Equestria, and soon it became annoying. For the past few weeks, she's had them on her mind. In dreams, while feasting, or simply wandering around. She would always think about them, and she always wondered why.

She shook her head, she was doing it again, thinking about... them.

She didn't need to think about them anymore. They didn't matter to her. They were practically strangers to her now.

But even she knew deep down that wasn't the truth.

Leaning back on her wonderful lime green changeling throne, she called her servant. Another changeling, with purple eyes and mane, hurried over to her when the Queen clapped her hooves twice.

"I require some entertainment," To distract her. "Fetch me one of those colorful books Cozy Glow keeps sending me."

"Right away." The changeling said with a bored tone, before walking off to the storage pod.

Chrysalis hummed in annoyance. She kept reminding her to say 'my Queen,' like a proper subject. But she didn't bother doing anything about it, instead, she just waited patiently for her to retrieve her book.

Minutes passed, and the purple changeling returned with the book in hoof. She gave it to the Queen and stood at the side.

"Power Ponies." She read out loud. "What's so great about this I wonder."

"If you want to know, it's about a group of ponies with superpowers defending a city or something. I never really got into it."

"I never really asked," Chrysalis said, turning a page.

The purple changeling rolled her eyes.

Just then, another changeling with purple eyes and red mane and tail fluttered in, bowing in front of Chrysalis. "I've searched the perimeter with my personal squad of drones, my Queen." He saluted. "There were no other sightings of any intruders."

Chrysalis tossed her book away. "Excellent work, Pharynx. You may do as you please until your next mission. We must find the remainder of the changelings so I can have my army at its highest potential, then, we can-"

"You're going to invade Cozy's empire? Aren't you."

Chrysalis stopped her speech at the statement made with a deadpan tone and turned her head to the other changeling in the room. "What makes you say that?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. It seems like something you would do. Backstab her when she isn't expecting it."

"No! I wouldn't! She's my... uh... ally. If anything were to happen when I would need her again, I would gladly take her help."

"Yup! Because she's your-"

"Don't say it," Chrysalis cut her off in a dark tone, lighting her horn and aiming at her.

"Or what?"

"I'll destroy you!"

"So?"

"I'll destroy one of your friends!"

"And I'd rather them be killed than to be trapped here until you don't need them."

"Be quiet!"

"Why, it frustrates you so much?"

"Stop talking smart, you filth!"

The purple changeling smirked. "Is it because you're so undeniably stupid you can't understand what I'm saying?"

Chrysalis hissed.

"It wasn't Ocellus that tried to free her friends, it was me. Just making it clear."

"Why, you... little..." Her horn got brighter, magic now overloading and surging.

"You said I have to be your servant to make sure you didn't hurt any of them in your cocoons. I guess they just followed me to the cocoons and back to the exit without me noticing them." She said with a smile, undoubtedly being sarcastic. "I should have really kept an eye out. They were very sneaky."

"Starlight Glimmer, I swear-"

"The only reason I even work for you is that you said you wouldn't hurt any of them. Not like I had a choice. So are you going to break your promise?" Starlight said with a mocking tone.

"You're forgetting you have no power over me." To Starlight's surprise, Chrysalis actually calmed down and her horn stopped glowing in magic. "Turning you into a changeling was enough. If you continue to annoy me, I'll simply take control over you and be done with it." She said with a grin, loosening up on her throne once again.

Starlight frowned with her fangs and fluttered her wings a bit in annoyance.

"Uh, my Queen?"

Chrysalis turned to Pharynx.

"I was wondering if you were still considering letting me visit my brother, Thorax? I know it seems suspicious and you wouldn't want to take any risks, but in the end, he's still my brother and I miss him. I understand if you don't agree."

"Such honesty," Chrysalis said. "Pharynx, you have shown nothing but loyalty ever since my victory over Equestria's princesses. And I do recall you being the only changeling other than myself who didn't immediately get tainted with the Magic of Friendship when your brother assumed my position as his own. If you continue to be loyal to me, I'll consider letting you visit that traitor."

Pharynx smiled and bowed. "Thank you so much! It's my pleasure serving you."

"Now, go along, I have no need for you." She said, and the changeling left. She then turned to Starlight, stared for a second, and frowned. "Get out of my face. Go eat your leaves or something."

Starlight rolled her eyes and saluted. "Right away, your majesty." Before fluttering her new wings, and flying off. She's gotten better at flying with her new wings over the time since Chrysalis won, one of the plus sides of becoming a changeling. But she'd still prefer being a pony again, no doubt.

The Queen sighed, and sat in the silent room, not knowing what to do. It was the same thing every day; eat, try to delight herself, and just find herself not being able to find anything so she would just sit on her throne until the day passed. The comics she received weren't her taste of entertainment at all. Queen Chrysalis had to admit, as months went by, the more bored she got. Before her victory over Twilight Sparkle, she used all her time to scheme plans of attack, if not trying to survive in the wilderness. And after that, she had Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Grogar to keep her company when the all-mighty villain took them in. In fact, all she could remember was using her time to make plans to defeat Equestria. Even before she lost her hive to Thorax, the only thing she had was her hive. Now she's simply controlling them, it wasn't the same, although she would think Sombra would have something to say about it. She even thought back to her quest to invade Canterlot during the royal wedding with Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor. That plan took years of precise study of the castle, the caves underneath, and the bride and groom. If only Twilight Sparkle hadn't stopped her back then, she probably wouldn't have met Tirek and Cozy Glow, or if she did it would be under other circumstances.

She wondered what it would be like if she hadn't met them like she did. She was forced to work with them because of Grogar, no, because of Discord. She actually might have fought them needlessly because of her own foolishness and destroyed them when she could have used them, or even get defeated by Tirek's magic stealing ability with the aid of Cozy Glow. She wouldn't have teamed up with them to succeed in her plans, and she wouldn't have her hive back and be stronger than ever with the power of Grogar's bell. She might have failed in one of her many plans and would have been sent to Tartarus with them for all she knew.

She wondered how the other two met, she knew Tirek was imprisoned in Tartarus, but how did he get to know Cozy Glow, who was just a random filly she had never met before. She was really intrigued, they really didn't seem all that friendly when they were together, but she remembered Cozy explaining to her that Tirek was some sort of a mentor when she was just starting the whole 'take over Equestria' thing. Perhaps she wrote to Tirek, but did Tartarus even have a mailbox? She might have to ask them herself-

She was doing it again.

She was thinking about them again.

Queen Chrysalis care nor involve herself with others. Queen Chrysalis doesn't have friends.

Sighing, completely by herself in her quiet throne room, Chrysalis waited for any signs of the two returning. When she got none, she got off of her throne, lit up her horn and shot her royal seat with a lime green magic beam. The throne shook a bit, then glowed bright green, before flashing and becoming transparent, outlined lime green. Behind it revealed a staircase going downwards, and Chrysalis proceeded to go through the transparent throne and down the stairs. A few seconds after she left, the throne went back to normal, as if nothing happened.

She walked down the set of spiral stairs, and when the staircase ended she entered the deep underground where a large room sat, with black support beams keeping the room collapsing.

In the middle of the room sat a large green cage, with a very familiar being inside.

"Of course. I haven't seen you in almost a year and when I find you you're sleeping." Chrysalis blankly said.

The creature, formerly King Thorax, still reformed, was sound asleep on his side in the middle of the cage, snoring, and mumbling.

The Queen slammed a hoof on the cage's bar, rattling the whole thing and making a loud sound travel throughout the room, waking up the King.

Thorax was startled when he awoke and scrambled to his chest. "Oh," He started before picking himself up. "It's you, Chrysalis."

"I'm surprised you look so well, Thorax." She spat. "I thought you would have starved by now."

"I don't need to eat love anymore." Thorax frowned. "I'm sharing it with everyone, including you. I guess you still don't understand that after all these years. That's pretty sad in my opinion."

"I don't need your love nor your opinions!" Chrysalis snapped.

"Why are you visiting me then?" Thorax asked. "To gloat? I think I've heard enough now, Chrysalis. It's getting to the point where it's more annoying than intimidating."

"Hmph." Chrysalis sat down. "I guess you could say I was bored."

"And the changeling you come to talk to is me," Thorax stated, sitting himself down on his haunches. "I've been pretty bored too, sitting in this cage and all. And while I've been begging for a break of being the King of Changelings, this isn't what I had in mind."

"Perhaps you should have given me back my hive when you had the chance," Chrysalis said with a smirk.

Thorax laughed. "Never in a million years." He said, not trying to sound like he was joking.

His laughter slowly died down, and his smile faded. He looked up to Chrysalis and stared her in the eyes. "It's not too late you know."

"For what?" Chrysalis raised a brow.

"I may be leading the Changelings in the right direction-"

"I doubt that."

"-but you were definitely a better leader, I do have to admit."

"..." Chrysalis didn't know what to say about this compliment.

"I would have loved to see what would have happened if you actually reformed with us. I can still see that happening, but only you can make that choice."

"What makes you think I will?" She asked. "I already have everything I've ever wanted. I have my hive again, the magical prowess I once thought I could only dream of, and you and Starlight in my clutches."

"Yet you're still bored."

Chrysalis stopped talking at that statement and stared at Thorax.

"Chrysalis, the only thing that's stopping you is the fact that you're afraid of change. You think there's only one way of doing things and that just isn't true. It's really ironic if you think about it. Changelings were made to change, yet you won't let yourself change, to evolve even. You lost sight of what was needed and all that was in your vision was revenge on Starlight ever since she and I stopped your plans."

"Stop that! I don't regret anything I've done up to this point."

"You're missing the point, Chrysalis. It's not that you don't regret your actions! Your revenge clouded your mind, you didn't want to accept the truth and you didn't care about the hive anymore!" Thorax told.

"That isn't true! Everything I've done, all that I've accomplished was for the hive!"

"And now you forcefully control them. You can't call that a hive, that's called slavery."

Chrysalis stood up and hissed at Thorax but the kinder changeling didn't stop. "The Changelings were so happy once I became their leader, no matter how much you deny that, it's the truth! We weren't starving anymore, we had more allies and friends, and we were stronger than ever! It makes me wonder if you ever cared about us. When we invaded Canterlot, and when you kidnaped all of Equestria's protectors, were your intentions really for the hive, or for yourself?"

"Of course it was for the hive-"

"Maybe because when something benefits the hive it indirectly benefits you more?"

Chrysalis roared and fired a blast through the bars of the cage and towards Thorax. The Changeling King used his magic to block the attack. "I may not be strong enough to defeat you, but I can hold my own. In fact, I could break out of here any time I wanted."

Chrysalis laughed. "Even if you broke out, I have pretty much all of the most powerful beings in my clutches, and those who aren't are either being tracked down by Lord Tirek or already sealed away where no one will ever find them!"

"Hm... That seems to be the only reason why I'm not free yet." Thorax agreed. "How are your two friends anyways."

Chrysalis hissed a tad. "They aren't my friends."

"Alright, then how are they anyway?"

She paused. "I don't know. I haven't spoken to them since we won. They probably forgot all about me." There was a hint of sadness in that statement.

"Sounds to me like you miss them."

"Of course I don't you fool!" Chrysalis said, snapping out of it. "They were merely allies with the same goal as I."

"People who are simular usually become friends," Thorax said. "It's like I said, you're forcing yourself not to believe it. But they were your friends at one point."

"Allies." Chrysalis corrected.

Thorax shook his head in shame, and Chrysalis's eye twitched as she glared at the other changeling through the bars of the cage. "Allies, friends, pals, they're all similar. I truly hope you understand one day Chrysalis, I really do."

"For what? So I'll let you out because you're my friend?"

Thorax shook his head again, "Not even for my sake, but for yours. You may not realize it yet, but when you do it'll come crashing down on you."

"Realize what?"

"That you'll be alone, no matter how much you follow this path you currently believe in."

Chrysalis cackled. "Alone? That's what I'll realize? You're a fool if you think that will bother me." She continued to laugh at Thorax as she got up and left the room up the stairs, leaving the fallen king to sigh to himself.

"You'll either stay alone forever, or one day finally realize it." Thorax said sadly as he sat down and watched his former Queen leave the room.

"I hope its the latter."

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

Harsh... if I'd type something on the argument between Thorax and Chrysalis about the hive is something about Chrysalis constantly sacrifice her magic and increase her hunger to give Changelings life and the ponies only like you for your looks. If not than tell me one thing; which race is friends with ponies that looked hideous to them and Discord don't count?

[titanhades70]

9896256
Except Changelings still look hideous, just a different type of hideous.

[StubobNumbers]

9896321
I dunno. The old school Changelings, esp Chrysalis look kinda hot, in some of the fanart anyway.

[GamePlayer64]

9897101
Badass for me but now their all clique colorful pony version bugs

[Bunny CarrotHunter]

Oh I love these type of stories. I love how in character Chrysalis, Starlight and Thorax are. It makes the emotional/angst scenes give a much bigger impact. Will we see Tirek’s side in all of this now? Will they reunite some again? Please write more! 💖

[Razzy]

Well, Starlight is certainly better off.

Dunno, Thorax, Chryssie was all about her changelings feeding during the first invasion, kinda looks like she was providing for you all. And then you turned on her without a second thought. Be grateful she didn't break all your limbs.

[Fire_Bolteli]

I'm loving this story!! I'm looking forward to the next chapter!!

[ledezma25]

gotta admit this is way better then i expected. I love the idea of chrysalis having display cocoon sets, kinda like how the ponies have display statues...