Falling from Grace

by Diamond Sparkle

Chapter One-The State Visit

"All rise for Her Divine Majesty, the Princess Celestia, Turner of the Sun," said the Lord Chancellor Golden Dawn, a unicorn with yellow fur and a scepter symbol as a cutie mark.

Princess Celestia sat upon her throne and thought. If I don't look properly royal and regal now then I never will be. I've been washed, brushed, my hooves and horn lovingly polished until they gleam. My breastplate, shoes and crown have been cleaned with care for the occasion. Sometimes, just occasionally I wish that all this putting on royal airs was not necessary. That Golden Dawn is too pompous for his own good sometimes.But it is a formal diplomatic mission that is visiting me today, from Queen Chrysalis no less, so one must obey proper protocol, or what would they think of me. I'm representing Equestria here after all. When Celestia sat down, there was a loud grating of chairs as the courtiers and various bureaucrats sat down as well.

"The Changeling diplomats from the Changeling Queendom will now approach the royal throne now, bow low and state their business," Golden Dawn announced, and three Changelings entered the room and were stared at by everypony, for few ponies had seen Changelings displaying themselves openly in public. They gazed at the holes in the chitinous legs and insectoid wings, and wondered how they were able to fly or walk at all, and how any creature could have such holes in their body and not be rolling around in agony.

There were so many rumors flying around about the Changelings. That they ate meat every day, and kidnapped ponies, took them back to their Hives, and there slaughtered, cooked and ate them. That they were mere zombies with no minds of their own, totally controlled by their Queen. That they wanted to kill members of every race other then their own. And many more, none of them nice.

The three Changelings did as they were told, then one of them who wore a golden sash spoke. "Your Majesty, I am Ambassador Shucknin, sent to tell you that Her Majesty Queen Chrysalis is aware how disapproving you are of the recent kidnapping of Sweet Sticks."

"Oh, I am. Her husband was horrified when he came home early from work one day and found his beloved wife in her true form as one of you, and really wants her back. It is disrespect to me when you kidnap ponies who have done nothing to you whatsoever. If you feel a pony has committed a crime, it has to go through formal extradition proceedings. And who knows how many other kidnappings you may have done without it being known about?"

"Her Majesty, Queen Chrysalis is willing to release Sweet Sticks if you are willing to talk to her about the situation in her Hive."

Shining Armour, Captain of the Royal Guards, here forgot royal protocol and blurted out "Your Majesty, if you go in there, you will never come out. Most likely, they'll try and replace you with one of them."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "I am not stupid, Captain. I am aware of the dangers in entering a Changeling Hive, and of the many stories that may or may not be true about the Changelings. However, I do not think they would breech the tenants of diplomacy by doing such a thing during a formal state visit. I have lived a very long time, and our land has not always been at peace like today. There were wars back then-real battles in which soldiers died on both sides, but when diplomats met each other formally, the rules were always respected to the letter and nopony was kept as a prisoner or murdered. No member of another species either for that matter. I refuse to beleave that the Queen Chrysalis would be so low as to order her subjects to attack me at a diplomatic summit."

She turned to the Changelings. "Ambassador, I will come in a week, with an escort of Royal Guards and advisers of course, and in the full glare of publicity until the real talking starts. I trust your Queen to respect the diplomatic conventions."

A week later the royal train pulled in at the border with the Changeling Queendom at the aptly named End Of The Line station, having taken days to reach it. No rails went on into the land of the Changelings; the only way forward was by hoof or wing. Up above, like in the Everfree Forest, the clouds moved as they would, for the Changelings it seemed had no Weather Service. The ground was much dryer here, if not a true desert, and the Ambassador and his staff waited for them.
After a short speech of welcome they took to the air and soon enough the earthen dome of a Changeling Hive loomed up in front of them, with here and there Changelings outside guarding the entrances, checking the dome for any cracks and delivering messages. Several guards shuddered in mid-flight at the thought of entering such a place, where they would be utterly surrounded by those who they feared. Two unicorn reporters from the Ponyville Free Press were brought along in a sky chariot to report on things.

As they landed, Shining Armour told Celestia "Princess, it's not too late to back out. I implore you as the Captain of your Guards...don't go in there. I don't trust those Changelings for a second, and I would hate it if anything nasty happened to you."

"Captain, I have lived a thousand years. I have been alive when ponies fought violent wars against griffins, changelings and each other. If need be, it could happen again, and the changelings know it. That, and sometimes royalty have to trust each other. This is a public summit, everypony knows about it. Don't you think I have not faced a few plots against my rule in the past thousand years? Whatever the changelings attempt, they won't do it here."

When they went into the Changeling Hive, things were much cooler then outside, and it was lit not by the light of the sun, but by what looked like a glowing green goo smeared in thick lines against the walls of every twisting tunnel. Inside, rank on rank of changelings were drawn up in parade-ground formation in platoons and companies, their numbers dwarfing the number of Royal Guards Shining Armour had brought with him. On a throne of black ebony set with amber sat their ruler, Queen Chrysalis.

"Welcome, welcome. You need have nothing to fear. Since you are clearly so worried, you can keep your spears with you. We have some pony food that we brought for the banquet using certain...deep-cover agents in Canterlot,as we didn't think ponies would want to meet Changelings in plain sight. Princess Celestia-you can sit by me. Monarchs should sit together."

The Queen led the way to the banqueting hall. Whilst there was hay, oats, apples and other fine food, there appeared to be nothing for the Changelings except a couple of green cocoons hanging from the ceiling almost to the table that hardly looked at all edible from a pony point of view.

"What do you eat, your Majesty?," Celestia asked politely.

Chrysalis replied "It's hard for everyone but a Changeling to understand, but we feed on love. Tragically we cannot feed on love from each other, or on the love from pet animals, only the love of another intelligent creature. Gaining love the romantic way is hard, and near-impossible when openly a Changeling. Even in another shape, it can take a very long time, and all that time we cannot feed. Even when we are well fed, we can go no more then a month or so without love or we starve to death. And our helpless grubs-they need love everyday or they first cry from hunger and then starve only days later. Imagine going without food for weeks on end, all the time trying to get a romantic relationship going. It is far better to take the shape of a pony or griffin in a romantic relationship already and then feed off the love in the existing relationship. And said pony or griffin is fanged, webbed up in a cocoon and then taken back to the Hive to feed the grubs and the Changelings who for whatever reason are not undercover.Of course we can feel love for each other, we just can't feed off it."

"So in those cocoons are ponies? That's horrible. They must be in so much pain..."

"You might think so, but the cocoon prevents bedsores and other such wounds, and mentally, they think they are living a life that is often a lot better then their real one and are with their loved ones. That makes the love leak out where it can be eaten by adult Changelings and grubs alike. After the meal we'll set those two free as a sign of goodwill. Once they've stretched their limbs a bit, they'll be fine."

Comments

[The ancient one]

"Why did Chrysalis attack Canterlot when she already ruled a Changeling Hive full of Changelings that loved her? Was it desire for more power, was there a love famine starving her subjects, or was there another reason behind it?"

She already said the reason she attacked Canterlot was to feed her changelings. Maybe put an alternate universe tag on it? I unno, just an opinion.

[Relevant Heavy Metal]

Grace - Tony Iommi with Glenn Hughes

[xDan]

Chrysalis already stated that the attack was to feed her changelings. This is probably AU...

[Perteks]

Interesting conception for start. Let's see how it will roll out