Prologue: A Wish Upon a Star
Prologue: A Wish Upon a Star
Edited by SilentBelle
I couldn’t sleep. Simple as that. Not after what happened today. I’m supposed to be the leader of my species, and what do I do? I blew the one chance we had at survival. I’m not sure what’ll happen to us now, but whatever it is, it’ll be long, painful, and most likely end with our extinction.
I’m the Queen of the Changelings, and as I write this, I weep. I weep from the agonizing injuries I’ve acquired from being flung from the top of a mountain, but those are nothing compared to the guilt I feel, swelling in my chest. I told them that we would win, that we wouldn’t have to starve out here any longer. Everyone was counting on me, and now, even in the aftermath, they still look to me for guidance. The only problem is, I can’t guide them through this. I’m lost myself, and I know that I have to be strong for them, but I just can’t. I’ve failed them as a leader, a mother, a protector...
I looked out the window just now, and saw a shooting star. I typically scoff at old pony myths, but I am weak, desperate for even a sliver of hope, so I make my wish. What else do I have to lose, anyway? I closed my eyes, and wished for a savior. Someone that can help us in our darkest hour, someone who can save my people.
I know that the star won’t actually do anything for me, but it does give me a small comfort. Weary, I crawl under the covers, and cry myself to sleep.
<~:~>
Ah, college. The wonderful feeling of having no parents to tell you what to do, living on your own, earning your keep instead of having everything served up to you on a silver platter. Truthfully, everything is perfect when it comes to your college days. Except the tests.
What a day, I thought to myself as I trudged down the path to the dorms. Seven fucking tests. What were they trying to do, bore us to death? I was exhausted, having spent the entire night studying for those damned things. I swear, if exams are somehow worse, I may just kill myself.
But, on the bright side, my roommate had recorded the latest episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic for us to watch tonight.
Now, before you immediately start raving and shouting countless obscenities or whatever petty insults you tend to use to describe a brony, let me ask you this: Have you ever seen fanart made by bronies? Have you ever read a fanfic (no, not one of those pitiful 500 word scribbles that isn’t worthy to be my toilet paper)? More importantly, have you ever sat down and watched a full episode? No? Well then, congratulations! You’re making uneducated statements about a large group of people! Just like all the whites before the Civil Rights Movement, or many of the Germans in Nazi Germany... sigh... Now, where was I? Oh yeah, reminiscing.
I’m a pretty lucky guy. Not every brony gets to have a fellow brony as a roommate in college. His name’s Keith. He’s a pretty nice guy, with brown hair and blue eyes that seem to pierce right into your soul. He doesn’t try to stare daggers at you, just comes naturally to him.
There was this one time where I brought my dog to a beach where we sometimes go to hang out and catch up during the summer. Keith took one look at him, and two seconds later my dog refused to come out from behind me for the rest of the time we’re there! Anyway, enough reminiscing, time to get back to the story. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, heading back to the dorm.
I walked through the front entrance after digging my ID card out of my bag, and called the elevator. Normally, I’d take the stairs, but I was so brain dead that the last thing I wanted to do was actually put some effort into something. I didn’t have any classes until one o’clock in the afternoon, and no homework (gotta love free periods), so the rest of my night was free!
Oh, how rude of me, I just realized that I haven’t really told you anything about myself! My name is Randy. I’m a freshmen in the University of Michigan (fuq dem spahtans!), and my interests include, but are not limited to, Creepypasta, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Portal 2, TF2, Memes, and YouTube. I get decent grades, and I see myself as a fairly nice guy. But if someone gets on my nerves, well... That’s another story. Crud, I’m getting off topic again. Celestia condemn my insufferable ADHD to the bowels of Tartarus. Not really. I love my ADHD, and if you try to take it away, I will seriously kill you.
Once I got to my floor, I walked down the hall and into my dorm. Keith was already there, browsing Equestria Daily for decent fanfics. I threw my stuff on my bunk, and flopped onto the couch.
“Well, hello there, Mr. Sunshine,” Keith remarked, turning around with a smirk. “How’d the tests go?” I responded by picking up an empty can of Red Bull and chucking it at his head. He dodged, of course. The day I actually manage to hit the guy is the day I win the lottery. “Not good, then?”
“Let me put it this way: You know what that song, Awoken, by Glaze and H8_Seed, is based on? If not, get the hell off of EQD and look it up. I’d rather go through THAT a million times, with a few thousand instances of Cupcakes thrown in there for good measure, than relive the day I’ve had today.” Getting up, I walked over to his chair, and leaned in, whispering “In short, I’d rather be put through brony hell and back for all of eternity than relive today.” Being me, it’s my job to be as funny and/or disturbing whenever I can. Sometimes I’m good at it, sometimes I’m bad at it. But what’s important is for you to think that I belong in the psych ward. Which I probably do.
Leaning back, I slap a grin upside my head and prance over to the couch once more.
Ah, Keith. He knows me so well. I can’t ever tell if he means it or not, but nevertheless he shook his head at me and produced one of his world famous facepalms. Which sounds just like a gunshot, only about 20% quieter. Go ahead, ask the cops that came by yesterday.
Deciding to let gravity have some fun, Keith drops his hand back onto the armrest of his chair, before looking up at me and grinning. “I swear dude, your analogies are getting more and more disturbing by the day.”
Well, what does he expect? He knew that I was sociophobic during high school, and still am today. The end result was me spending all of my time on the Internet.
Now, if you ask the average person how disturbing the Internet can be, they’ll probably give you an odd look, before saying that it isn’t. Those people are morons. Don’t question it, they’re morons. They’ve barely ever been online if they don’t think that the Internet can cause psychological trauma quite easily. Hell, thanks to Creepypasta, every time I hear “Pop Goes the Weasel”, I jump out of my skin!
“Whatever,” I said. “You wanna watch the new episode or not?” Sighing, he got up, grabbed the remote, and began the laborious task of retrieving the recording from the little crate of irritation known as a Comcast cable box. Yes, it is that bad. Try recording more than two shows at once, and you’ll see what I mean.
The latest episode was the Season 2 Finale. I’d been hearing all sorts of rumors about these creatures called “Changelings” around the Internet. I’ll spare you all the details of the episode, as you’ve probably already seen it. If not, stop what you’re doing, and catch up on MLP. Then come back, and continue reading this story. Don’t you dare lie about watching it. I’ll know.
Now, while I shall spare my opinions on the episode, I’m still saying what I thought of the Changelings themselves. In short, they couldn’t be 20% cooler even if you tried to make them 20% cooler. I mean, they could communicate telepathically, shapeshift, and they didn’t even have to eat physical food to sustain themselves. I don’t know about you, but that honestly sounds pretty epic. Despite the fact that they’re the bad guys, I wouldn’t mind having those powers myself! Not to mention they can fucking divebomb concrete, and get up without a scratch! “Man, I know they’re the villains, but seriously, I want those powers.”
“Tell me about it.” Keith replied. “Being able to look like anyone you pleased! Now that’d be fun. Imagine if we walked around here as, say, Justin Beiber and-” I immediately shut his face with a dirty sock. Still not sure whose it was, nor do I care. You don’t ever say you want to look like Justin Beiber. Do you hear me? Never. If you have to choose between looking like that walking, talking bundle of unstoppable agony, and having to listen to-... This sounded so much better in my head... Well, you get the idea!
He spat out the sock and just about punched me in the face, but for once, I was the one that dodged! I would’ve celebrated, but I had an angry warthog (yes, warthog. His acne makes him worthy of the insult) of a roommate to deal with. “Shh!” I scolded him, waggling a finger for emphasis. Oh gawd, it took all my strength to keep a straight face. “Before you punch me, know this: You were talking about looking like Justin Beiber. Justin. Fucking. Beiber. The one thing that’s hated on the Internetz more than MLP.” FINALLY, he gets it! Big Mac looks pink compared to Keith right about now. I’m fucking serious, I didn’t even think that there was a red as deep as Keith’s blush right now. It’s a little scary, to be honest.
After sputtering incoherently for around a minute, can’t tell if it was from the sock or the fact he was talking about looking like the Antichrist, he managed to form a sentence! Bravo, Keith, your brain survived the humiliation! “Let us never speak of this again.”
You know how I said I’m typically a nice guy? That’s only if I think you’re a good person. You see, there’s two sides of me. One of them is the rational side of me, thinking before I act. The other half I have named Adam DeHerpDerper, also known as ADHD. And yes, I’m allowed to make that joke, because I actually have ADHD. I’m not joking. I have the pill bottle to prove it.
Grinning a grin that would do Trollestia proud, I held up my necklace. It’s nothing special on the outside. However, push the button on the back like I do, and it plays back whatever sound you were just recording. I made it myself when I was obsessed with programming in middle school. I don’t have hobbies, you see. I have obsessions. The only “real” hobbies I have, so sayith my elders, are swimming, and gaming.
Anyway, I played back the whole conversation, before sprinting over to my desk with the angry warthog of death hot on my heels, and somehow managed to keep him back long enough to lock it in a drawer. We wrestled for the key for an hour before he finally got the thing. But I didn’t care. I was too tired to protest, much less care. I crawled over to my bed, and flopped down. Keith seemed to have the same idea; what else could be the creaking above me? Anyway, it had been a long day, so I did what everyone else that had a long day would do whilst lying in bed. Yawning, I closed my eyes, and began to fall asleep. And that’s when all hell broke loose.
Author's Note
Author’s Note: Hey guys, this is my first fanfic. Before I get to the point, I just want to say this: NO, IT IS NOT A FANTASY ON PAPER! The idea popped into my head the other night after reading a feels story, and I had to write it down. This HiE fic will not be about a brony going around squeeing at everything to their left, and hnnnging to everything on their right. That only works if the main character is ADHD up the wazoo. Wait... 
Forget I said that. Anyways, lots of people that I’ve had to do writing projects with have said that I should be an author, so I decided to give it a try. If you liked it, let me know how I could make it better. If you hated it, let me know why. Any tips are welcome at this point. Like I said, I’m new to this, and I’m certainly no Pen Stroke, so please, cut me a little slack here 
Also, I’ll be uploading every 2-3 days so that you all can make suggestions on how I can improve the story. To all pro authors out there: If you can teach me how to write a good 5,000 word chapter, I will be forever in debt to you, my friend 
Chapter 1: First Contact
{P.O.V. Randy}
Have you ever broken a bone before? No? Well whoop-de-do, pal. Whoop. De. Do. I’ve broken my arms and legs a couple times, even a rib once. Guess what? They’re nothing but itches compared to what I went through that night. The moment I fell asleep, there was a huge bang. I tried to hop out of bed, but it didn’t work. I wasn’t even in my bed. I was falling through what looked like hippy paradise, screaming my head off. I probably would’ve thought I was high, if I’d had the chance to form a thought. But no, fate decided to be a bitch as usual. It ended as quickly as it began, with a very rough impact.
<~:~>
{P.O.V. Chrysalis}
Meanwhile, inside the hive of the Changelings, Chrysalis was having a fitful sleep. Even in her dreams, she could not escape her failure. Over and over again, she was tortured by images of her failure. Twilight proving she was not Cadence, the love shield throwing herself, along with her Changelings, all the way back to the Badlands. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she continued to writhe about in her bed. The pain in her heart was unfathomable, one that no one, not even her, deserved to live through.
Thankfully, her sleep was soon interrupted by a loud noise. Startled, she jumped out of bed, looking around her room for the cause of the noise. She found none, shrugging it off as something from her nightmare. She was about to return to her bed, when a loud knocking came from outside her door. Secretly thankful that she had a reason to stay awake, her horn lit up, and the door was opened, revealing one of the guards, Razor Wing.
“M-My Queen,” he began, bowing, “I-I am sorry to disturb you at this hour.” Chrysalis warmly chuckled at this, hoping to calm her little Changeling’s nerves. She hated to see them so upset. “It’s quite alright, Razor Wing. I was just taking care of a few things,” she lied. “Now, is there anything I can help you with?”
Razor Wing, now calmer knowing his Queen was not angry with him for disturbing her, nodded. “Something has crashed down outside the hive. I have sent a few of the guards to investigate, as the ones that were appointed to guard the outside of the hive have not returned.”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened at this. Could the thing that crashed down have knocked out her guards, or worse? She had to know. “I wish to see the cause of the noise myself. If it managed to take out our guards, then it could be a threat to the rest of the hive. And as Queen, it is my job to keep each and every last Changeling safe to the best of my abilities.” She caught Razor off guard with her statement, but he composed himself, not wanting to show weakness in front of his ruler.
“My Queen, I’m afraid I must protest. If you got hurt-” Razor was quickly interrupted by Chrysalis, her eyes burning with determination.
“Then it is because I was doing what I was born to do. Ensuring the safety of my subjects. Now, if you’ll excuse me Razor Wing,” she said as she trotted past him and spread her wings, “We have a problem that must be dealt with, and I must insist that you come along.” Having said her piece, Chrysalis spread her wings, and took off towards the entrance. Razor facehoofed, groaning in frustration at his Queen’s bull-headedness, he spread his own wings and followed her to the main entrance of the hive.
~ ~ ~
Chrysalis was stunned when she arrived at the scene. The guards that had been stationed outside the hive were unconscious, and there was a huge, smoldering crater about twenty hooves away from the hive itself. Luckily the guards didn’t appear to have any serious injuries, but they’d definitely be sore once they awoke. Chrysalis, relieved in knowing that they would be alright, flew over to the crater, where the team of Changelings sent out earlier were gathered, eyes wide and mouths hanging open.
Confused by this, the Queen of Changelings approached one of the guards, trying to get their attention. Shockingly, it didn’t work. Chrysalis tried again with another guard, only to be met with the exact same results. This only served to confuse her even more. Why were they ignoring their Queen? She was not by any means offended by their behavior, oh no. She had long since grown weary of everyone bowing to her as soon as she was within sight. But this behavior was terribly odd for her Changelings. Growing worried, she gazed down into the pit, her reaction mimicking that of her guards.
At the bottom of the crater was no meteorite, nor cannonball or remains of any type of explosive. Lying there, in a pool of its own blood, skin charred, clothes shredded, was some sort of creature. What in the name of the hive is that thing? Chrysalis wondered. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Is that what caused the loud noise? Shaking her head, she focused on the matter at hoof. The creature was obviously hurt terribly, and would not survive unless she intervened. Her mind told her it was a foalish thing to do, but her heart ached at the sight of the creature.
What if this thing turned on her once it was healed? Why should she help it? After thinking for a moment, the answer became clear. There could be more of these creatures. What if they were invading, trying to take over while her Changelings were weak? She needed to keep this one alive, if she wanted information. Besides, she had already seen enough death to last a lifetime, as of late. She didn't want anymore blood on her hooves than she could help. Taking a deep breath, and turned to the guard on her left. “Deceiver?” She nudged the guard, knocking him out of his trance.
The guard shook his head, having finally snapped out of his trance. He faced Chrysalis, startled by her sudden appearance, but bowed nonetheless. “My Queen?”
“I need you to go and fetch the best field medics we have. I fear this creature, whatever it is, will die without proper medical treatment.” The guard was shocked by this. Since when had his Queen ever cared about the well being of any non-Changeling? But he kept his mouth shut. It was his job to follow orders, not to question them. He nodded, saluting Chrysalis, before flying back to the hive.
Satisfied, Chrysalis turned back to the crater, examining the creature closely. It appeared to be rather lanky and
awkward, most likely bipedal. However, it didn’t look like any sort of primate that she knew of. It had fur, but only on the top of its head. It appeared to wear clothes, based on the burnt and torn cloth covering his upper and lower body.
She noticed one of its legs was broken, a piece of bone having broken the skin, and cringed. The Queen of Changelings felt herself tearing up, and looked away from the creature. She could not show weakness in front of her subjects. She was supposed to be their rock, their source of strength. If she showed weakness, her Changelings would be lost. Sighing, she sat down, waiting for the guard to return with the doctors and of various things going on in the hive.
A few minutes later they arrived. Like everyone else, the doctors were stunned at the sight of the creature, but shook it off. They had a job to do. Soon the creature was bandaged, had regained enough blood to survive the trip, and was being moved to the infirmary for treatment. Satisfied that the creature was in good hooves, Chrysalis made her way back to her room, and recorded what had just transpired in her diary before falling asleep.
~ ~ ~
Chrysalis awoke early the next morning, rushing through her morning routine and heading towards the infirmary. She wanted to know if the creature had survived the night more than anything else. When they had found it, she couldn’t tell if it was unconscious or...
No, Chrysalis chided herself, don’t think about that. You’re a Queen. If your subjects see you break down in the hallway...
Thankfully her fear was short-lived as she found herself standing at the entrance to the infirmary. Upon entering, everyone turned to her, giving a quick bow before returning to their original tasks. Sighing, Chrysalis trotted up to one of the nurses. “Excuse me, could you tell me where I could find the creature that was brought in last night? I need to check if he’s awake.” The nurse turned around, about to explain why no one could see the creature except the staff, when she saw that it was the Queen herself. Quickly recovering from her shock, the nurse bowed and nodded before leading Chrysalis to one of the private rooms.
“I’m not completely sure of his condition,” the nurse began, “but I do know that there’s a good chance he’ll make it.” Chrysalis nodded in understanding before her mind fully processed what the nurse had said.
“He?” Chrysalis asked. “So the doctor’s have confirmed a few things about the creature?”
The nurse nodded. “Yes they have. So far, we know it’s a male, that it’s a mammal, most likely some sort of primate. But there’s one odd thing about it that we just can’t explain.” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at this, curious to know what was so special about the creature. “The doctors ran a few tests, and confirmed that the creature, well... He shouldn’t even be alive right now. Not because of his injuries, as terrible as they were. But because of the air outside the hive. The amount of dust and sulfur should’ve poisoned and killed the creature before we would’ve been able to save him. Yet he didn’t have a single speck of the dust from outside in his lungs...”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened. If this creature should’ve been dead, then why is it still alive? It just didn’t make any sense! How could it have survived if what the doctor’s told her was true?!
She decided to brush it off for now. The important thing was that the creature was going to make it. Thanking the nurse for the information, Chrysalis trotted into the room, gently closing the door behind her. The creature was covered in bandages, some already sporting droplets of blood from the terrible gashes they were covering. She could also make out a few stitches, probably from surgery. He appeared to be sleeping, so Chrysalis simply examined him a little while longer before leaving, her royal duties calling.
<~:~>
{P.O.V. Randy}
I woke up with the biggest headache I’d ever had in my life. Not just any normal headache, oh no. That kind of headache you get when you chug three Red Bulls and go get drunk afterwards. Needless to say, it’s a miracle I didn’t start screaming. It’s not because I held it back, it was because I couldn’t scream. Something was covering my mouth. It felt like... Bandages? Yeah, bandages.
Okay, I thought to myself, there’s two possibilities. One, I’m in the hospital because my dorm room exploded, or two, someone knocked me out with drugs after stunning me with a flashbang. I’ll assume the former for now. Luckily my eyes weren’t covered, and I could see what was going on around me. I was covered in bandages, with a few exposed areas that either had stitches or... Wait... Why the hell do I have stickers with glowing Japanese shit on them? Turns out they were runes. Didn’t know it at the time, obviously. I mean, come on, what hospital uses runes? None on Earth, that’s for sure.
By this point I was starting to freak out a little. The room I was in looked like a cave, with a cabinet, a sink, a few cupboards, and a door. There was probably a table next to my bed, but I couldn’t see it. Alright, so I was kidnapped. Well, time to flip my shit and bust the hell out of here. I was about to get up when the door opened. Immediately I lay back down, making my breath slow and even so my captors would think I was asleep. I kept my eyes half open though. I wanted to know who had kidnapped me so I could sic the cops on this sick bastard once I got out. Imagine my surprise when I see, of all things, a Changeling, an honest to goodness CHANGELING trot through the door.
Okay, whatever they gave me, I want more. I thought as the Changeling examined me. He... She... Screw it. The Changeling held up a clipboard with their magic, changed a few bandages, replaced the IV, and left. Once the door was closed, I just lay there. My mind was trying to figure out what the fuck I just saw. A Changeling was my nurse. A thought popped into my head, but I knew it was too good to be true. Yeah, right. Like I got sent to Equestria when I got in bed last night. That’s just stupid... Right?
Author's Note
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! It's finally out! 
It's a little rushed, I'll admit, but at least now it should pass moderation. Anyway, like the title says, this part of the story is unedited at the moment. It may be good, it might be crap. You guys let me know which and why. Please rate and comment. If you like, thanks for the support! If you dislike, at least tell me why so I can fix the story. Let's get this story on the featured list!
Also, feel free to PM me if you want to make a suggestion, or have any questions about the story. I'll answer what I can without ruining the story for you.
Chapter 2: Behind the Crown
Chapter 2: Behind the Crown
{P.O.V. Randy}
I was stuck there, in that bed, for nearly a month. It. Was. Torture! I couldn't move at all because they chained my hands and feet to the bed! Apparently some of the nurses assigned to me were too scared to even walk in the damn room because I might be "dangerous". I would've facepalmed, but all that did was rattle my chains and give me a sore wrist.
As I've said, I've got ADHD. I need to move. Birds need to fly, grass needs to grow, and I need to fidget. If I can't fidget, I start to go bonkers. I'm serious. When I was in 4th Grade, our teacher put the dick in dictator. He'd yell at you if you breathed wrong, let alone squirm a little. One day, I snapped. Screaming my head off, I ran out of the room, down the hall and out the front of the school. He caught me. I had to stay inside at recess, writing lines for the rest of the year. I can still feel the hand cramps... Come to think of it, these chains might not have been such a bad idea. Why, you ask? Because I wanted to choke the life out of the next Changeling that walked through that door.
I immediately regretted those thoughts when, of all Changelings, Chrysalis, their Queen, trotted into the room, followed by a nurse and several guards. Alright, screw that plan. I may be crazy, but I'm not THAT crazy. Might as well play nice for now and see what the hell's up.
The nurse trotted over to me. I could see that it was terrified by the look in its eyes. It really didn't want to be there. I soon learned why. She began to remove the bandages covering my mouth, and backed away. I mean sure, they took them off to feed me and such, but they always put it right back on afterwards. By the way, mushroom and oat stew is now my least favorite food of all time. Whoever created it gets my vote for top contestant for the "Go to Hell" award guaranteed.
Chrysalis stared at me, an air of curiosity about her. Normally, I would've acted like a total smart ass and said something along the lines of "You like what you see?" But I wisely kept my trap shut, knowing full well that if I said one wrong word, I'd be Changeling chow.
<~:~>
{P.O.V. Chrysalis, Five Minutes Earlier}
Chrysalis stood outside the creature's room, mentally preparing herself. It had been a month since they found him half dead outside the hive, and she needed answers. She needed to know what he was, where he came from, and what his intentions were. For all she knew, he could be a deranged lunatic prisoner from the Griffon Kingdom, determined to finish what the ponies had started.
She trembled as she recalled her trip to the Griffon Kingdom all those years ago, begging the king to allow her subjects to feed on the local populace...
<~:~>
{P.O.V. Chrysalis, Several Year Prior}
As she flew outside the capital of the Griffons, Chrysalis ran through her plan one last time. She had requested an audience with the Griffon King, keeping the details vague. Experience had taught her that revealing the reason for her request often resulted in denial, followed by banishment from their kingdom. But even after all this time, she could not understand why.
The process is harmless, she thought to herself. I'm the only Changeling that could ever take enough love from someone to cause any damage, and I'd never do such a thing. Why do they always hate us so much? We've never done anything wrong to them... She felt a tear run down her cheek, and pushed the thoughts out of her head. She refused to look weak in front of her future allies.
A few minutes later the palace was in sight. Chrysalis landed in front of the gates, only to be stopped by two guards posted on either side.
"Halt!" The first griffon shouted. She appeared to be of the Golden Eagle variety, based on the fact that the feathers covering her head were brown instead of white. She had piercing yellow eyes, the left having a scar running over it. The griffon practically oozed anger at the sight of Queen of Changelings. "What business do you have here?"
Chrysalis wondered why this Griffon had a particular hatred for her, as she had never met her before. Shrugging it off, she replied. "I have arranged to meet with your king this day. He knew I was coming."
The Griffon narrowed her eyes, analyzing Chrysalis' body, looking for any sign that she was lying. A flattened ear, averted eyes, shaky legs, anything. She found none of these, and turned to her partner. "Go check." Saluting, the other guard flew off, returning soon after, confirming Chrysalis' claims. Satisfied, the Griffon opened the gates, and allowed Chrysalis inside. The guard on the right walked ahead of Chrysalis, explaining that she would show her where the throne room was.
Thanking them, the Queen of Changelings followed the Griffon into the castle.
~ ~ ~
Soon they arrived at the throne room. The doors were made of solid oak, riddled with carvings telling of ancient battles won countless years ago. It was beautiful, in its own way, although the image of a pony head mounted on a spear made Chrysalis cringe slightly. "I thought the Griffons and Ponies were in good relations?"
"We are," the guard replied. "That carving is from thousands of years ago, put there by our ancestors. It does make visits from their Princess really awkward, I'll admit." The guard laughed, followed by Chrysalis, the latter more to be polite than actually finding something like that humorous.
"Here, I'll open it for you." Grabbing one of the large brass handles on the door, the Griffon pulled with all her might, causing the doors to swing open with a loud creak, most likely from the lack of lubricant on the hinges.
"Enter!" The king called out to them, resting on his throne. Not wishing to displease him, Chrysalis trotted inside, making sure her wings were flared and her head facing the ground. Just like her mother had taught her. Once she was at the proper distance, she stopped, kneeling before the king. She could sense that the king was pleased by Chrysalis' performance, both from the happiness he emitted and his voice. "Rise." He commanded, his voice much more friendly.
Obeying the command, Chrysalis rose back to her full height, and folded her wings. The king eyed her, trying to figure out what she was. Her form reminded him of a pony, yet she looked nothing like one. Instead of fur, her exterior was plated with thick chitin. Her eyes were draconic in appearance, and her hooves, horn, wings, mane, and tail were all riddled with holes. But what the king noticed more than anything was that this creature lacked a Cutie Mark, as the Princess had told him all ponies possessed one.
"If I may ask," the king began, "what are you?" Chrysalis, having anticipated the question, readily replied "I am what is known as a Changeling. We are shape shifters." The king's eyes widened at this. Shape shifters? This could either be very good or very bad for his kingdom. They could have replaced his entire staff, and he'd be none the wiser!
Despite all these thoughts running through his head, the Griffon maintained his composure, and continued. "I see." He pulls out the letter Chrysalis sent him prior to the visit, and reads it over. "You were rather vague while explaining the reason for your visit. Could you tell me what it is that you want from us?"
The Queen of Changelings steeled herself, fearing what the next few seconds would bring. This is it, she thought. The moment of truth. Taking a deep breath, Chrysalis began. "My subjects and I need food, your majesty. We cannot produce our food ourselves, and we are running out quickly."
The king pondered this, relieved that this new species did not wish to take anything valuable from him. It was just food, right? "Alright," he replied, "I see no problem with this. But uh, what is it exactly that you eat?"
She froze for a moment, terror filling her body. This could end two ways, with banishment or tolerance. Chrysalis preyed it would be the latter for once. "Love, your majesty." The king, caught off guard by such a bizarre answer, thought the Changeling was mocking his intelligence for a moment. His anger was about to surface when Chrysalis continued. "I know it sound bizarre, your majesty, but that's really what we eat! My subjects and I feed off of the emotions of others. We use our magic and our shapeshifting abilities to accomplish this. But we tire of deceiving everyone, we wish to become a part of the world, to be able to visit the other nations in our true forms as friends!" Her eyes focused on her hooves. "But that's just it, your majesty. I have tried to negotiate with the other tribes, and every time, they banished myself and my subjects from their lands. We regret our past way of life, and we wish to change for the better! But we need a source of love to feed on, or we'll die out! Please, help us, your majesty!"
The Queen of Changelings, strong, composed, and graceful, was now at the foot of the Griffon King's throne, begging for his help. The Griffon King considered what she had told him. Her tale was indeed sad. Everyone had turned her away, and perhaps he was their last hope. However, if everyone else turned her away, they must have had good reason. Perhaps when a Changeling fed off another, there were side affects that she was refused to tell him? The king was angered by this, uphauled that this parasite dared to enter his kingdom and ask to feed off of his Griffons! He would not stand for it!
"Guards!" he barked. Several Griffons flew to his side, having been hiding in the balconies built into the walls of the throne room. "Get this... This monster out of my sight!" The guards saluted, grabbing Chrysalis and dragging her out of the throne room.
Her eyes widened, having heard what the king had ordered. No, she though, her eyes brimming with tears. I can't fail them agian! "Please!" She begged, fighting against the guards. "My subjects will starve if you don't help us! Have you no compassion, no sympathy for those in need?!" The king had heard enough. He sprang from his throne, eyes blazing with fury. "Do not speak to me, parasite! he roared. "You tried to deceive me with your twisted lies, but I know better! As you get stronger, we'll become weak! Then you'll attack us, talking over these lands and claiming them for yourself! I am the King of Griffons! I have slain Hydras and Manticores to keep my kingdom safe, and I will do the same to you if any of your kind ever show yourselves around my kingdom again!"
Breathing heavily, he sat back down, having said his piece. His fiery rage sated, the burning in his chest was replaced by a soothing calm. He was done speaking to this creature. "If you ever try to return," he began, "I will cut off your head and mount your skull on the head of my throne to serve as a reminder to your subjects." Chrysalis, defeated, no longer caring for her appearance, kept silent as she let herself be led out of the palace, tears rolling down her cheeks...
<~:~>
{P.O.V. Chrysalis, Present}
"My Queen?" One of the guards asked, having grown concerned for his ruler's well being. "Are you alright?" She had been standing in front of the door for several minutes now, staring off into the distance. The guard wondered what it was that seemed to be upsetting their all powerful ruler so deeply. Surely nothing in existence could shake her this terribly, right?
Chrysalis, having been startled out of her flashback, shook her head. That had been the worst of all her visits to the other kingdoms. She was always polite to their leaders, always letting them say their piece before even thinking of saying a word. Yet in the end the result was always the same. They banished her, along with her subjects, from their lands, refusing to show even an ounce of pity for the poor queen.
The flashback had been extremely vivid. She almost forgot where she was for a moment. Taking a shaky breath, the Queen of Changelings turned to face her guard, giving him a warm smile and a nod. "I am fine. I was just lost in my thoughts for a moment." The guard raised an eyebrow at this, not quite sure what to make of the situation. He knew his queen wasn't telling him something, but what? Shrugging it off, he nodded.
Thankful that her guard had decided to let it go, she turned back to the nurse. "Whenever you're ready." The nurse nodded, steeling herself. The creature inside that room frightened her, but she couldn't let the Queen know! What would she think of a cowardly Changeling like herself? Not highly, that's for sure. Mustering up all the courage she could, she willed her magic to come to her horn, grasped the handle with it, and opened the door, revealing the creature that haunted her nightmares.
She had never seen anything like it before. This is what frightened her. She was a Changeling! She knew of every kind of creature in existence, yet she had no idea what this thing was! This is what scared her; the unknown... Still, she had a job to do. Trotting over to the creature, she removed the bandages on its mouth, and trotted back over to the the group.
The creature eyed them curiously, as if it were trying to understand why they had done that. But Chrysalis knew better. She could tell the creature was sentient, and knew what they were going to do. Perhaps he had never seen a Changeling prior to coming here?
Chrysalis cleared her throat, ready to begin the interrogation. "Hello? Can you understand me?"
<~:~>
{P.O.V. Randy}
Well, I'm proud to say that I shat not a brick when Chrissy started speaking English. To be honest, I thought that their language would turn out to be some high pitched chatter or something. But no, they actually spoke English. This is great! I thought to myself. They speak English! Now I don't have to worry about translation issues and I can get myself out of here faster! I nearly squeed in joy, but then the rational part broke the surface and bitch slapped me back into reality. They were expecting an answer, and I was going to give them one.
"Yes," I replied, "I can." Great fucking job Brain. Couldn't you think of something, I don't know, THAT'S NOT OVERDONE?! Lucky for me, Chrysalis doesn't seem to care. Probably too busy thinking about how a malnourished, hairless Orangutang could actually talk. Or at least what she probably thought was a malnourished, hairless Orangutang.
"Well," she said. "That's good. Then we can get this over with quickly." She pulled out a notepad and a quill, levitating both in her magic. My jaw dropped at the sight. I mean sure, I knew the Changelings could use magic. But that didn't make it any less surprising when all of a sudden two radiation green thingamabobbers were floating in the air right in front of her!
I guess my jaw had dropped a little lower than I thought. Chrysalis was giving me the dreaded "Dafuq are you doin?" look. I shut my trap, embarrassed. "Sorry," I said. "We don't have magic where I come from. I was just... Surprised, is all..." Oh God, it's getting worse! I screamed in my head. And indeed it was. The tell tale characteristics of my least favorite face became more and more defined as my words took Chrysalis' brain and beat the everlovin' crap out of it.
She shook her head. I had obviously confused her, or she thought I was crazy. Probably the last one. She looked at me again, obviously confused about something. Alright, good. For now I'm labeled as sane. "Wait," she asked, "let me get this straight. You don't have magic where you're from?"
"No," I replied. "As you can probably guess, I'm not from anywhere around here. Back where I'm from, magic is a fantasy, something that only little children believe in, a myth. We have technology, which does many of the things your magic can probably do, and more." And why the hell am I telling them all of this? I thought to myself. Oh yeah, because I don't have much of a choice. They can probably read my mind or some shit, but Chrysalis probably wants to be polite or something and interrogate me the old fashioned way.
Chrysalis seemed intrigued by this. Sadly, she had to be all boring and official, writing it down to save for another session. "Alright, what are you exactly? I've never seen anything quite like you before." Of course you haven't... I thought, mentally facepalming. "I'm a human. I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one in existence on this planet, or in this universe, either or," I explain, shrugging.
"So you're not from this world at all then?"
"That would be correct."
"Then how did you get here?" Well, let's think about this for a moment, shall we? I got sent to the world of a little kid's show during the night, and inter-dimensional travel is impossible right now in my world, and the Multiverse Theory is just that: A theory. So yeah, I did the impossible by getting in bed last night, and was sent to a world that shouldn't even exist.
I answered as truthfully and respectfully as I could. "The hell if I know." Chrysalis seemed a little surprised at my crude language, but I didn't give a fuck. Why should I care what she thinks? It's not like she ever did anything for me, right?
It is at that exact moment that I look down at the bandages and began to think. I've been here for about a month, woke up sore as hell on the first day, and I'm covered in bandages... "Uh, sorry, that was uncalled for..." I apologized again. I say sorry automatically these days. Bump into someone at the store, I apologize without a second thought. It comes in handy quite a bit, to be honest. People think I'm a "Nice, respectful, polite young man." Gag me with a spoon...
"So," I continue, "what kind of shape was I in when you, uh, found me?" Chrysalis winced at this. Shit, bad question. ABORT, ABORT! "I-I-" She interrupts me.
"It's quite alright." She began, her voice calm and soothing. "You deserve to know." She takes a deep breath, before explaining all the events prior to this. How they found me lying in a crater, half dead, bones poking out of my skin, which was cooked to a lovely golden brown. She said that I lost a lot of blood, and that the air outside should've killed me because of how much sulfur and dust was in it. And yet, my lungs were perfectly fine.
A million questions raced through my head as I processed what Chrysalis had just said. I should be dead? Then why am I still alive?! Why is everything so complicated now?! I groan in frustration, not caring what the however many effin Changelings in the room thought of me. This is too much, I thought. I've been abducted by whatever and got plopped down in Equestria, or whatever country these assbags lived in, and I'm supposed to be dead. What else could possibly go wrong?!
She seemed to sense how pissed off I was. Her gaze became sympathetic, and she waved the others out of the room before turning back to me. "Do you want some time alone?" she asked. I nodded, refusing to speak in case I lashed out at her for this. "Alright. I'll send someone to check on you in a few hours." She closed the door, and left me to my thoughts.
I waited until the sounds of her hoofsteps were long gone, and I screamed. Out of frustration, sorrow, or whatever other emotions I might've been feeling, I'll never know. I just screamed, and kept screaming until I was hoarse. I felt drained, and I knew I couldn't continue even if my voice had still worked. Sighing, I closed my eyes, and tried to get some sleep.
<~:~>
{P.O.V. Chrysalis}
A few minutes after she left the "human" to his thoughts, Chrysalis received a notice from the infirmary. Apparently after she left, the human had started screaming at the top of his lungs, and wouldn't stop until they cast a sleep spell on him. Sighing, she wadded up the paper into a ball, and tossed it in the corner before burying her face in her hooves.
Why was she so concerned about this creature?! She just didn't get it. For all she knew, he was just like the others. Afraid of her because of what she needed to do to survive. But... Then again, maybe he was like her, an outcast? It was too good to be true. There was no way... And yet, the more she thought about it, the more she felt the human wouldn't hate her once he knew their secret. Perhaps he'd even help them!
She smiled at the idea, but brushed it off. There was no time for silly fantasies about acceptance in this world. She had a kingdom to run, after all. Feeling much better, she lifted her quill, and set to work.
~ ~ ~
A knock was heard from the door of the Changeling Queen's study. Chrysalis, having succumbed to exhaustion gained from running her kingdom, awoke with a start, looking around. Recalling where she was, she sighed, opening the door of her study to reveal Razor Wing. "My Queen," he began, bowing, "it is time for you to hold your court." With a heavy sigh, his queen arose from behind her desk, and trotted over.
"Very well, Razor." She replied, her voice dripping with reluctance. Razor nodded, before walking off, expecting Chrysalis to follow. She did, of course, but only because she knew they would find her if she ran. Court was usually something she looked forward to, back before she and her subjects had attacked Canterlot. Now though, it was just a reminder of how truly powerless she was to help her little Changelings.
She glanced out one of the windows of her underground palace, which was fashioned after the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. In the streets below, she could see a few of her soldiers, wounded from the love shield Cadence and her husband had used on them all. He was missing a wing, and one of his once bright, blue eyes had turned to a lifeless grey. It was not that they did not have enough medicine, or that "human" required too much maintenance. Rather, it was the fact that all of the hive's resources had gone towards that final assault. The soldiers had nothing left to pay the doctors with, leaving them to become worthless beggars on the streets.
Sighing, Chrysalis forced herself to look away from the heart-wrenching scene outside. She had a job to do, after all.
~ ~ ~
In this next part, I recommend listening to this song while reading. In my opinion, it sets the mood marvelously. Song.
A few minutes later, Razor and Chrysalis had reached the throne room. It was nothing glamorous, save for a few green banners sporting the emblem of her kingdom, and the gleaming obsidian throne, which rose high above the floor. Flying over, the Queen of Changelings took her rightful place on the throne, and court began. Unlike the days of old, her Changelings came not to seek power and wealth, but simple things, such as medicine, clothing, or a simple meal. None of these things Chrysalis could grant, however. Just like every day prior, she turned them away.
After a few hours of this, court was over for the day. Sighing heavily, the Changeling Queen rose, stretched, her muscles having done stiff from resting on her throne for so long, and prepared to leave the throne room. However, she halted at the sound of a large commotion coming from outside. Why would anyone wish to fight at a time like this? Her question was soon answered, however, as the doors of the throne room burst open, revealing three Changelings. The first one was a male, strongly built and clearly had at one point been very handsome. However, the struggles of war had aged him considerably, leaving him with a crippled leg and wing, and the face of an old stallion. The second was a beautiful lady, her eyes shining with tears as she held the third, a small child, crying.
"Your majesty!" The first said, bowing. "Please, you must help us! Our child has not eaten in weeks! We have no food left for her, or ourselves even!"
"We've sold everything we have!" The second continued, rocking the child as it continued to cry. "But it's not enough! No one has any food for our child! Please, just a small bite! It will keep her alive long enough for us to find her some more on our own!" Chrysalis was shell-shocked. A child was suffering because of her actions now? What kind of monster was she?
The child cringed, wrapping her forehooves around her stomach. "Mommy!" she cried out, tears flowing down her face. "It hurts! Make it stop!" The mother, not knowing what else to do, set her daughter down, hugging her as she whispered sweet nothings, hoping to calm her child.
The father knelt down next to them, hugging his wife. "Please..." he asked, turning his eyes towards Chrysalis. "Don't you have anything for her?" She shook her head, unable to speak with his eyes, pools of unending despair, locked with her own.
The mother began to weep, clutching the child. Its breathing had become labored, and blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, a sign that her parents claims were true. She had not been able to get any love for weeks, and her body had given up. The child smiled, her brain having lost enough power to register the pain in her stomach, and closed her eyes, sighing in content. She was gone...
Author's Note
And here is Chapter 2! Rate and comment, if you please! I absolutely LOVE feedback. And jeez, 30+ favorites in one day?! ~~I can't believe you guys actually LIKE this piece of~~ I'm so happy you're all enjoying my story! Special thanks to hollowhoofer, silver_fang, and twilight fan for pre reading this chapter! Also, thanks to Brony19 and pinkaminamurderingpie for pre reading the Prologue! You guys're awesome!
UPDATE: Listen guys, I know you've been wanting to see the next chapter. I'm trying, I really am. But my grades are going to shit right now, and I need to focus on them. I'm going to go to the current chapter I'm working on, and see what I can do. But for now, don't expect and update for a bit :(
