Chapter 1
Colors tumbled everywhere as Chrysalis was flung far from the castle. Screams flew from the horde of changelings as they spun, and each cut Chrysalis' heart to the core. The flight seemed endless and agonizing, the force of the blast digging deep into her carapace, cracking it in spots; which sent burning spikes of pain into her thin frame. Soon she felt her flight slow, then realized she was falling. She could do nothing as the tree-covered ground rushed to meet her.
All was black. Echoed screams emanated from the darkness. She could not see, could not feel her surroundings, could not sense her changelings. Then all was silent.
Chrysalis tried to open her eyes, but could only manage to pry them halfway. Paralyzed and dazed, she listened to the sound of rain pounding against the ground and her unfeeling body. Leaves rustled in the wind. Nothing was visible in the darkness. Exhausted, she fought to keep her eyes open, but was forced to succumb to the blackness. As her eyes slid shut, she thought she spied a small light coming closer before all turned black-until dreams came.
A picturesque field, mountains behind. Creatures of all types. Playing, laughing, loving. They turn. Colors stream away. Hatred and confusion. War. Then nothing. A dead plain. Overwhelming sorrow midst the dead. Tears.
"HEY! Wake up! Everything's all right! Come on!" The voice, young but masculine, continued until Chrysalis opened her eyes to see a beige earth pony staring at her. She blinked away tears as the pony continued, "Finally, you wake up! You were having a nightmare, I think. You wouldn't stop crying." Chrysalis rolled over, then instantly regretted it as pain flooded her stiff joints and numerous injuries. The overly excited pony spewed a continuous stream of words, mostly telling her to lie back down. She made her reply obvious by standing up despite her body's protests, letting the blanket covering her fall to the ground.
"Seriously, you are going to hurt yourself even more! Aw, buck it. I'll make us some lunch I suppose." The strange pony rambled on under his breath as he exited the tent. Chrysalis took the opportunity to gauge her surroundings. She was standing in a canvas tent set up over some kind of mat. The blanket, a simple patchwork affair of different bland materials, was lying on the ground next to a couple worn leather saddlebags. She looked herself over, noting the plethora of makeshift bandages covering cuts all over her body, kept in place by some type of adhesive. Her joints were still stiff, so she stretched each leg-much to each leg's displeasure. When she went to stretch her neck, however, she accidentally poked a hole in the tent with her horn. Gritting her teeth, she ducked her head down and tried to summon her magic to fix the hole. Her attempt was met with a spark and a headache. She grabbed her forehead with a hoof and rubbed slowly until the pain ebbed. Apparently, the magical blast didn't just hurt her physically. She finally took a deep breath and stepped outside the tent.
The little woodland campsite was quaint, containing only a single tent, a small fire, and a dried log upon which sat the pony who woke her up. He was stirring a pot sitting next to the fire in the hot coals. She cleared her throat and the pony looked up at her, shaking his long, dark brown mane out of his eyes. "Good morning sir," she tried to say, but her voice was very raspy. "Good afternoon, you mean! Sounds like you need something to drink. Canteen's next to the log, and there's a river nearby to refill it. I'm making some soup too. You are probably starving after being out cold so long. It's been two days, ya know. What happened to you anyway? I saw something fall out of the sky as I was running back to camp, and when I ran over to investigate, I found you all beaten up, unconscious, half buried in mud! I took ya back to my camp, which wasn't easy, then I got ya washed up a bit and bandaged all those wounds. You've been out cold ever since. So what happened? I don't think I gave you a chance to answer, I apologize. I ramble a bit since I don't have company that often."
Chrysalis picked up the canteen and took a long swig before clearing her throat again and answering, "I don't want to talk about it. Who are you anyway? And why would you even help me?" The earth pony facehoofed. "I'm a doofus! Name's Wanderlust. I'm an explorer. I go to unexplored areas and try to draw some basic maps, document local flora and fauna, search old ruins, that kind of thing. Explains the whole 'no visitors' thing, eh? Anyway, why wouldn't I help you? You might look a bit different- I've never seen a pony like you- but you needed help. I don't see why that's such a big deal. Besides, I love new things and new people! What's your name?" "Chrysalis." She went to sit on the ground across from Wanderlust, but he protested. "Hey, you shouldn't sit on the ground! You will get dirt in your bandages! Come sit on the log with me."
Chrysalis was dumbfounded. Here was a pony that didn't even know what she was, didn't seem to care, and was completely unafraid despite being almost half her size. It was completely alien to her. To her changelings, she was a queen; to the inhabitants of many lands, she was the evil invader. Myths portrayed her as a monster-and chances are, they were right. Her nightmare came back to haunt her. How many lands were destroyed because of the changelings' fight for survival?
"Hey, you OK there? Soup's ready, you should come sit down over here..." Wanderlust trailed off as he stared at her with his aqua eyes. Chrysalis sat down on the log as far from him as she could. He picked up the pot and poured some into a cup, then offered it to Chrysalis. She accepted the cup, but wasn't sure what to do with it. She couldn't eat it- her digestive system only worked on love energy and water as far as she knew. Tentatively she took a sip. It was hot, and tasted like the love a gardener has for his or her garden, a farmer to the field, or the love emanating from harvest festivals. It wasn't a bad taste at all. In fact, it warmed her insides and she could feel traces of love energy digesting.
"Sorry it's so bland. I don't have much in the way of herbs of spices, so it's little more than hay-berry soup."
"It's not bad... not bad at all." Chrysalis replied, looking at the dark amber mixture with a contemplative frown. Who knew what it would do to her system! At least it had some love energy in it. She looked up to the pony a few feet down the log as he threw back a couple hearty gulps of soup. "Did you..." Chrysalis started. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Did you see anypony like me out in the woods? Or is it... just me?" She opened her eyes, and stared into the fire.
"No. I didn't." A tear formed in the corner of Chrysalis' eye, a completely foreign sensation. "But we could go look for them if you wanted. I'm assuming they are important to you."
"Yes. Yes they are..." was her quiet response.