Prologue

Ten trembling guards stood at an attack stance, spears at aim.

The royal sisters rose from their thrones in alert and Celestia narrowed her eyes, seeming unfazed.

"What brings you here, Chrysalis?"

The changeling queen, who once stood tall, proud and beautiful, now wears rags and in her arms, she held a crying child, begging to be fed. She swallowed and bit her lip, a bit harder than she would have liked. She clung the infant changeling close to her chest. She dare not to stare in the eyes of the sisters.

"I..."

"Well? We're waiting for whatever reason you decided to show up here," Luna sneered, the sound of rain falling against the windows filled in what would be an eerie silence.

Chrysalis looked around, surrounded by the royal guard. It didn't help either, that she had Shining Armor himself at her back, poking the tip of his spear into her, keeping her on edge.

"It's my child...I cannot care for her. That pesky Starlight Glimmer turned my hive against me!" Chrysalis growled under her breath. "I had no choice but to flee..."

Luna raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. Her tail flicked in annoyance. "And you want us to do...what about that?"

Chrysalis fought back that first tear which was trying so desperately to escape. If it got out, many would soon follow.

"I have nothing, don't you get it!?" she snapped in an attempt to keep herself mad to prevent said tear from leaking. Her child whimpered at the raising of her voice. "You ponies so stingy with your love and friendship, took all I had and now I'm left with a single child I cannot feed!"

Celestia tilted her head. "May I see her?"

Chrysalis paused for a moment.

"Y-yes...that was the idea."

"Guards. Let her through," Celestia commanded with a wave of her hand and the guards, all except Shining, lowered their spears and moved aside. "Step forward, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis did as such, coming to a stop at the base of the steps which led up to the sister's thrones.

"Sister! What are you doing?" Luna scowled her sister in a hushed whisper.

"She's with a child and on her own. She has no reason to give any attack."

Luna grumbled to herself, clearly not enjoying this.

Chrysalis lowered the hood from the hoodie her foal was wearing and turned her in her arms to face the sisters.

Celestia took a step closer, inspecting the child.

"She...my daughter...she's all I had left after Starlight ruined my empire..."

"Her eyes...are just like yours, Chrysalis. Pupils without the slits, but the same color. What's her name?" She smiled as she foal stole her pointer finger, imprisoning it in her mouth.

"Scarlet Ivy..."

"Red faith. Has a nice ring to it." Celestia fought the giggles of the child's gums tickling her finger.

Luna frowned. "I assume you're not just here to show her to us, are you? A trap maybe? I wouldn't be surprised if this were a top assassin changeling disguised as a baby changeling."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "No, the others turned into rainbow-colored love-bugs. And no, to answer your question, Luna, I am not here just to showcase a foal and leave."

"Then what do you want?" Celestia groaned, trying in vain to remove her finger from the gummy prison, for the crime it made of being a finger.

The room fell silent as Chrysalis pulled her child back, and finally, that tear escaped its own prison, wetting a small spot on the carpet.

"Well?"

Chrysalis sighed and wiped her face with an arm.

"We have no home...a hollowed out tree is where we've lived since I lost everything. Took most of my strength to get here, from the badlands, on what little love I had, most of it going to keep her fed," Chrysalis looked away, her legs trembling like Jell-o. "She's only two weeks old and being a child...she takes a lot to take care of...something I can't handle in my current situation...so...I want you to take her..."

A coincidental roar of thunder rolled through the skies just at that moment, scaring the foal into crying again.

"...What...?" Luna's arms fell, obviously dumbfounded.

Chrysalis was now at her breaking point. She clutched her child close as she cried and she fell to her knees.

"She won't last at this rate...Celestia...I can't supply her with enough love...she's all I have left...I don't want my daughter to die on me..." more tears streamed down Chrysalis' cheeks. "It took lot of courage to come here...but please...All you'd have to do is love her and I doubt that'll be hard for you ponies..."

Everyone in the room was in pure shock. The mare who once tried to over throw the princesses, now returned so skinny her ribs show, with broken pride, covered in rags and begging. Celestia was failing to hold a straight face.

"P-please...take her. She won't live long under my care..." Chrysalis held her child up to Celestia, gazing up at her with pleading waterfalls.

"This better not be some trick, Chrysalis!" Shining spat, his voice laced with pure venom. "I won't hesitate to put you down," he growled, poking her again with the tip of his spear.

Chrysalis ignored him. "As much as I hate you, Celestia and Luna she needs you...and as much as it hurts me to have to give up the only thing I love, to those I hate, it's the only option I have..." she turned her face away, a few more tears streaming down to her chin.

Celestia couldn't fight back the gasp. "F-fair enough..." she slowly reaches out and takes the foal in her arms and Chrysalis fell to her hands and knees.

"Oh, the painful irony..." Chrysalis clenched her fists.

"I don't trust this, sister..." Luna commented as she stared at the changeling foal in Celestia's arms.

"I know, Luna...but I can sense the truth in this," Celestia turned her head to face Chrysalis and held a hand down to her. "Chrysalis...I know we've had our fights in the past and to see you here now boggles my mind. But the sole fact you've resorted to such matters as this, for the better good of your child, shows you're a good mother. But, I cannot take her from you."

Slowly and shakily, Chrysalis took Celestia's hand and was aided back to her hooves.

"Alright...I guess I understand if you can't take her..." Chrysalis takes her child back and clutches her close.

"Shining Armor?"

"Y-yes, Celestia?" Shining lowered his spear in attention.

"Find these two a spare room."

Gasps were heard once again.

"But..."

"No buts," Celestia lays a hand on Chrysalis' shoulder. "Chrysalis is right. Even though we're enemies, she's willing to give her child up to us so she may properly be cared for and I have high respect for such a noble act. Besides, even if it were a trick, Chrysalis is in no shape to go firing laser beams."

"But the wedding...she took you out..." Shining stuttered.

Celestia gave a small growl. "I know very well of that, but she has no hive, no home, no way of feeding her child. I'm not so heartless to let a foal in need die, nor to take said foal from her own mother. I see room for change here and changelings are good for that. Now, Shining, find these two a room. They live here now." Celestia smiled softly

Shining sighed heavily in annoyance. "Fine. Follow me, Chrysalis," Shining rolled his eyes.

"Also, alert the rest of the guard of her stay so they don't try to attack her."

"As you wish," Shining grumbled, leading Chrysalis out of the throne room. Chrysalis mouthed a grateful thank you to Celestia.

*****

Soon enough, word got out that Queen Chrysalis was staying at the Canterlot Castle. A matter of hours, only. Chrysalis lay on the bed in the small room Shining gave them, rubbing the cheek of her sleeping child.

"Mommy loves you, my sweet Ivy," she cooed, a small smile forming, knowing her child will be okay.

She enjoyed the sound of Ivy's purring, snuggled in her arms. Then there was a knock on the door.

Chrysalis sighed, carefully moving into a sitting up position, with Ivy in her lap. "Come in."

The golden door knob light up a shallow blue and the door opened. Shining took a step into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Well, hello, Shi-"

"I don't know what you're doing here, Chrysalis" he began, cutting her off, "but I'm not falling for it. The moment you slip up, I'll send you and your kid back to where to came from," he snarled, his muscles tensed up as he clenched his fists. Nor do I know why Celestia was so easy to let you stay, but I'm onto you."

Chrysalis smirked with a tilt of her head.

"Onto what, exactly?"

"I don't know! Whatever evil plot you have planned!"

A frown replaced Chrysalis' smirk.

"So, getting the care my child needs is an evil plot? It seems my spell left some after affects from the whole wedding thing."

"Don't toy with me, Chrysalis!"

That made chrysalis giggle. "You pretty much were one."

Then, green flames whipped around Chrysalis, leaving behind an exact copy of Shining Armor, mocking him with green eyes as if she were a zombie.

Shining was not amused and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You really are a stick in the mud," Chrysalis changed back, then smiled down at her foal who slowly began to open her eyes. "Would you like to hold her?"

"...What?"

Slowly, Chrysalis stood up and held Scarlet out to Shining. "Take her. She needs your love. You know I can't feed her love. I could just take yours, but currently, you're not giving any. Don't be stingy."

"No."

"...No? So you'll just let this poor little child starve? I can understand if you'd never want to feed me, but this little filly has never wronged you. Don't do it for me, do it for her."

"Fine," shining rolled his eyes, taking the child.

Scarlet yawned, revealing little white teeth, that will soon be fangs, at the front of her mouth. Being off duty, Shining wore no armor, only a pair of cargo shorts, thus little Ivy was able to enjoy the comfort of Shining's warm fur, instead of cold, hard armor.

"Ready for the plot twist?" Chrysalis smirked.

"What plot twist?"

Smiling, Chrysalis wrapped her arms around one of Shining's and in his ear, she whispered; "Flurry Heart's got a sister."

There was silence for a moment, in which Shining stood in shock. His face went pale, giving the foal back to Chrysalis, he ran out of the room, a hand over his mouth, eyes as small as pin pricks.

"Mamma," Ivy grabbed Chrysalis' nose in her hand.

Chrysalis smiled down at her and gave her a soft kiss on the head, heading out to the balcony. It was still raining, but there was a roof over their heads, so they remained dry.

"Look, sweeties," she showed Ivy the sight of buildings carrying on into the distance, ponies going about their business. "Canterlot."

She giggled and reached a hand out, then tragedy struck.

A lighting bolt came down, striking the filly's horn, surging through her and Chrysalis before fading into the ground in its blinding light. What was left, only a steaming, unconscious Queen Chrysalis and Ivy...was nowhere to be found.

Chapter 1: Scarlet

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The rain poured.

It tapped light, unrhythmically against the glass. The sun had gone down hours ago and a couple took shelter under the covers on the living room couch, watching their nightly show. Other than work, the day was, as usual, uneventful. The daily life made the couple feel...as if they'd been caught in a time loop.

Conan droned on, however, till there was an interruption in the connection. First static, then the screen began to flash black and white, the dim light in the kitchen just across the living room began to flicker.

"Dear, go check the fuse box," the wife requested and the husband promptly obeyed her, but not without giving her a kiss first.

He made his way across the smooth carpeted room, through the kitchen and to the basement stairs. His wife followed.

"They're all fine, but that doesn't explain what's going on with the lights," the husband commented.

"I'll go call the electric company," the wife replied and left him to his devices.

However, as the wife came back into the kitchen, she noticed the sky looked rather odd. A faint green light showed through a part of the clouds above. She was about to shake it off and head for the phone, until a large, green lightning bolt snapped, cracked and split the tree outside in half. The sound of thunder soon followed, loud enough to shake the house slightly.

She could hear a faint cry outside.

"Honey! I think there's a child outside, I heard crying!" the wife didn't care to put shoes or a coat on - she went out the kitchen door and rushed outside to find the source of the crying.

"Where!?" he glanced left and right as he exited the house behind her, a flashlight in hand, bright, illuminating the grass.

The couple lived outside the city, which meant no nearby houses, which meant the child could be anywhere.

"I hear it coming from the tree..."

"Or what's left of it," the husband sighed, rushing with his wife, across the tall grass, to the remains of the tree.

Upon finding the source of the crying, the wife nearly screamed. What they saw, looked to be a mix of what they could only guess as bug...and human. A jagged horn jutted from its forehead, leathery wings from its back. One was bent and both were twitching out of control. Its face in the soggy dirt, and green blood oozing from its cheek showed it was hurt.

"The hell is that thing...should I get my gun?" the husband asked.

"What!? No! its hurt!" the wife slowly reached out to it and slowly tried to pick it up. The little infant sized creature only struggled harder as she pulled it out of the dirt. "Poor thing..." she held it in her right arm and wiped the green goo off its cheek.

She headed back inside and quickly brought it upstairs where she dried it with a towel, which seemed to soothe it a little.

"Do you even know what that thing is?" the husband asked, following her about like a lost puppy dog, inspecting the being which currently occupied his wife's arms.

"No..." she said, staring into the huge orbs with blue and yellow-green irises, which were the creature's eyes. Its little hand held onto her forefinger.

Being in the light now, she could see more defined features, such as the pointy ears, tail and hooves at the ends of its legs.

"Its name is Scarlet Ivy," she stated.

The husband seemed dumbfounded. "You named it?"

"No," she presented to him a golden locket she found it had. The backside read her name. Then she opened it.

Upon doing so, it glowed yellow, which startled the couple and they watched in awe as the locket left the wife's hand and it floated down to the floor, just inches above. There was a flicker and a hologram of what looked like a bigger version of Scarlet appeared.

"Hello," it began, it had tears in its eyes. "If you've opened this, it means you've found my daughter. Her name is Scarlet Ivy. I miss her dearly, so please return her to me. She's all I have...but please care for her. It's a lot to ask, knowing how I've been in the past, but she's all I have. Again, I miss her dearly..."

Once finished, the hologram disappeared and the locket closed.

The couple were speechless.

15 years and 48 weeks later...

I woke to the sound of a rhythmic pencil tapping upon my desk, followed by a throat being cleared. Slowly, my eyes opened as I lifted my sore cheek from my arm. My teacher, Mr. Pinsky, shook his head at me. His eyes were hidden behind the reflection of the light off his glasses.

"No sleeping in class...and you've gone and drooled on your...phone?" His hand suddenly reached down, snatching it from me and gave it a wipe with the sleeve of his green button up. Everyone was looking by now. "Let's see what was so important you decided to not do your weekly quiz, shall we?"

"Give that back!" I pleaded as he walked up the desk aisle of the brightly sun-lit room.

His British accent annoyed me.

His love for the color green resulted in forest green painted walls and books and all sorts of things with accents of brown with the natural light did make the room better for learning in. Unlike other classes with lacked color.

His eyes squinted as he held up the phone. "Hello Baby Boo, I'll see u at 8, lots of love and kisses!"

The room became an uproar of laughter and chuckles and giggles, my cheeks becoming as red as ripe cherries from pure embarrassment. I could only lower my head in shame.

"Funny, I'd expect this to be from a boyfriend, who'd later dump you for a prettier girl, since that's how it works, not your mum," he continued, earning more laughter from the class. "You should know, Scarlet, that texting isn't allowed in my class, or any phone use at all! This will wait here for you to pick up after school is over," he finished, dumping my phone into one of his desk drawers.

"Now, then. I'd like you all to get out your English textbooks and we can resume where we left off, where Juliet kills herself, since her actual boyfriend is "dead." Some coincidental turn of events, I might add." he turns back to give me a wink. "But soft! There is much to learn!," he chuckled contently to himself.

I seemed to be his favorite to pick on.

"Ass," I whispered to myself, pulling the requested book out of my bag, after pulling up my hood to hide the shame.

About twenty minutes of reading went by, and I noticed a tingling in my right arm. Assuming it's just fallen asleep, I do what I can to answer the questions in the textbook. However, I couldn't think straight. The dream I'd just had was...very unusual. I dreamt I was small, from the fact I was being held in a pair of arms. This person holding me I couldn't make out clearly. It was a silhouette that appeared to be human...but something entirely different at the same time.

For whatever reason, my subconscious seems to tell me I have a connection to this dream.

The tingling in my arm increases, and in a certain spot, began to burn. My hand clutched instinctively, my other going to pull back my sleeve. I nearly screamed at what I saw, but only squeaked.

There

Was

Hole

Arm.

"I need to go to the bathroom," I blurted out loud.

The teacher responded with a "shooing" motion to the door with his hand and quicker than the Flash, I ran from the room and down the hall. I made sure to keep my arm covered, only to see another hole. I rushed into the bathroom and bumped into another girl as I entered. She cussed at me before taking her leave.

I checked my arm again, and lo and behold was another hole, but in the other arm this time.

"The heck is happening to me!?"

Hands shaking and breathing uneven, I entered a stall and shut my eyes tight. I clenched my hands into fists, wishing for this to stop as I felt another hole start to open up. I felt tingling all over me, stomach churning.

"Please stop!"

And it did. It was gone. At an instant, the tingling was gone. Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw my arms.

No holes.

"Oh, thank God," I muttered to myself, checking the rest of me.

Seeing what looked like a blue tail shrink into my spine made me scream a bit.

The bathroom door opened. "Somebody hurt in there?" came the voice of the E.L.A teacher.

"Y-yeah, just...just saw a spider," I replied.

"You killed it, right?"

"Yeah, it's all good in the hood," I chuckled quietly and nervously to myself.

The door closed and I could hear her high heels continue down the hall. After sitting for a few moments, wondering what the hell just happened, I then got up and proceeded to leave as well, hoping what just occurred won't happen again. I don't plan on telling anyone about it, either. I then saw myself in the sink mirror.

Still me; a red-headed nerd, wearing blue shorts and a shirt with a creeper on it. So what, I like Minecraft. The odd thing was my eye color. Blue...which turned to a yellow-greenish towards the bottom of the iris. That's not normal.

I could only assume it came from nearly turning into human Swiss cheese.

With a heavy sigh, I left the bathroom to continue my school day. Of course with whatever sanity remained of me from what I had just experienced.

When the Mare Comes Around

by Skepticaliz19

Prologue

Chapter 1: Scarlet