Chapter 1: A Strange Result
CHAPTER 1: A STRANGE RESULT
After so much planning and so much preparation, Queen Chrysalis had finally done it.
It was deep beneath the rolling hills of Equestria where she watched over her experiment. Beneath the very crust was her vast, infinite, underground domain. This was where her personal hive kingdom thrived. The walls were made up of a slimy yet crusty material painted black, as many objects in her palace possessed a hellish green glow to them. It was as if they naturally gave off the magical green aura which many changelings happened to possess. It was hard to imagine that while such an ominous location existed, that right above them was the peaceful world many called their home. A land untouched by violence, ruled by peace and tranquility, and showered by the graceful touch of harmony's protection.
But, Queen Chrysalis planned to bring an end to this.
She planned to bring an end to the bigoted ponies who believed themselves so safe, so untouchable, while under the rule of their cowardly Princess Celestia and her little minions. For on this day, while they ignorantly continued to go about their daily lives, Queen Chrysalis had created a 'minion' of her own. One who'd be able to best the Elements of Harmony in one fell swoop, who could mimic them, resist their foul weapons, and bring an end to Celestia's leadership permanently. For her minion could do everything they could, except better. Queen Chrysalis could barely hold in her excitement at the thought of her plan finally coming into fruition. Today was the day. After many trials and errors, today was the day she'd finally succeed, today was the day her creation would breath life.
The room was surprisingly vast, much bigger than the typical throne room. Queen Chrysalis stood in the middle of it all, as beneath her, engraved on the very floor would be what appeared to be a bright green runic circle. It spread to every corner of the room, and pulsed with taint magical energies. Standing on the outskirts of the scene would be many individual changelings, as they watched with fear and curiosity, worried for their precious Queen.
Queen Chrysalis wasn't worried however, she could only smirk in delight at what'd come all too soon. She snickered, as she lowered her frame, ensuring that she had all the pieces orderly laid out once again. On the floor in the middle of the runic circle would be six individual items, six strands of hair, which each bore a different color. One being a light blue shade, with the others being, purple, pink, white, yellow, and orange. In the middle of the strands of the hair would be an ominous pulsating black crystal which shimmered with electricity. Queen Chrysalis's smirk formed into a wild grin, before she burst into maniacal laughter, her voice being one of cunning brilliance. "Ahahahahahahaha! FOOLS! Today is the day that everything I've planned for will come into fruition. They thought their little tricks would be enough to stop me? Hah! Idiots, the lot of them, and soon they'll come to realize it." Queen Chrysalis paused as she closed her eyes, taking in a deep well deserved breath. She smiled softly, "Ah soon dearest Celestia. Soon you will understand just how outmatched you truly are. For once my creation is complete, it will be you, kneeling before me."
One of Queen Chrysalis's loyal subjects gulped, before approaching her cautiously. He spoke in a raspy high voice, much like you'd imagine an insect to sound like. "M-My Queen, are you certain about this? Are you sure it would be wise to create such a monster in our very home? W-What would happen if it were to resist your gracious rule?"
Another one of her subjects stepped forward, speaking on impulse. "Yes my Queen! There is far too much risk!"
Queen Chrysalis glared back at them in silence, and for a second it actually looked as if she were enlightened by their words. But it wasn't a moment later before she scowled, regarding them with disgust. "COWARDS!"
Practically all the changelings flinched in reaction to their Queen's anger.
But they weren't entirely wrong, and Chrysalis knew this, but she wouldn't back out either.
Queen Chrysalis scoffed. "Do you actually believe that I'd let my own creation best us so easily? I have my own way of dealing with such mishaps, you'd all do best to remember that. For if she would truly strike her hoof against me, then I would silence her thoroughly." Queen Chrysalis exhaled. "Now if we're done worrying about pointless things, calm yourselves my dear subjects, it is time." She looked down once again as she remained focused on the ingredients laid out before her. It was then, she used her horn to ignite the ingredients, and spark the beginning of the spell.
There was a bright flash of shimmering light that stretched across the entire room, continuously flashing different colors.
Queen Chrysalis began grinning wildly once again, as the reaction began to stabilize, appearing to be wildly violent, but nothing in comparison to her previous attempts.
The rest of the changelings watched in awe as they remained towards the back of the room. Multi-colored lights just continued to flash in the darkness, as the area gave off crackling booms like that of makeshift thunder. It was practically deafening, and amazing to think Queen Chrysalis could just remain there in the middle without being phased. She didn't move an inch, she didn't want to. She was absolutely unafraid. She just stood grinning, letting off hushed chuckles as she watched everything come into form. It was around this point that even a small tremor had started to come under way, as the very room began to shake and quiver beneath their hooves. Many of the changelings gasped and grew closer to one another out of fear, but Queen Chrysalis still remained unmoved by the spectacle. She did not budge.
The strands of hair as well as the black crystal began to levitate on their own suddenly, coming together in a large transparent blue sphere, which appeared as if it were a floating orb of water. It was almost as if they were meant for one another. The materials conjugated and upon doing so, the reaction resulted in a massive knock-back. Queen Chrysalis attempted to remain stationary, but the force of the reaction was too great, even for her. She simply teleported herself further back, towards where her changelings stood as she remained focused on the center of the room. At this point, the scene began to portray something that could only be described as absolute chaos. Black lightning came from nowhere as it struck against the engraved floor, clouds and smoke began to form rapidly. A thick mist even started to drift in, as all was becoming no different from a veil, attempting to hide their eyes from something they weren't meant to see. Beyond the inaudible ambiance, now not even looking upon the experiment would be an option.
But all of it mattered little, seeing as the experiment was finally coming to an end.
Queen Chrysalis cackled, before stating, "Cover your ears my dear subjects!"
The changelings obeyed, as the moment majority of them covered their ears, a massive ring exploded outwards from the center of the room. It being like that of a sonic rainboom, except vastly downsized.
The chaos then, slowly began to subside, as all that was left, would be the thick mist which covered majority of the room.
Everypony was silent, as the changelings squinted, attempting to make out whether or not there was anything at the center of the room. To their amazement, it wasn't long before something began to come into shape. Many of them could only watch in silence, in fear as some were even trembling. There truly was something there, shrouded within the mist. All they could make out was a gray shadowy figure, an outline, as it slowly rose to its hooves.
Queen Chrysalis was silent, but based on her expression, obviously overwhelmed with joy. She was grinning fiercely still, everything had finally fallen into place. This result would be the fruit of her endeavors, she'd finally achieved the impossible. She'd actually crafted a living, breathing, weapon.
One of the changelings backed away further, looking towards the exit. "M-My Queen! What do we do?"
Queen Chrysalis ignored them, and only continued to look towards the center of the room.
The changeling continued in his desperation, as he noticed the figure continue to move and squirm. "MY QUEEN!"
Then, there was the sound of an unfamiliar coughing noise, which seemed to break the tension.
"Aheck! Aheck!......W-Wha?...What in tarnation?"
The changelings fell silent once again, the voice was far from intimidating, yet it still frightened them.
From within the veil of mist, they could now make out a pair of small wings, which were spread and stretched.
The being in the middle lowered its hind legs to sit, almost like a dog as it glanced around, obviously confused. "Hello? Is anypony out there?....Hm, shucks, this sure is weird." Based on her pitch, it was obviously female. "Magical aura is present in the area, hmmmmmm. Ah, of course!" Soon the wings spread, as there was a bright glow around the forehead area of the creature. "This should be good enough!" And in an instant, the thick imperceptible mist was gone. With a strong gust of wind, the creature managed to rid herself of that which prevented her from looking at her surroundings. And thus, also revealed her true appearance.
Queen Chrysalis looked on in amazement and joy, as she burst into laughter at the sight. "Ahahahaha!"
The changelings looked on, mesmerized.
Sitting in the middle of the room, would be an obvious pony, but it was what she possessed in particular that made her stand out. She bore wings, and a horn, and was indefinitely what appeared to be, a living breathing alicorn. Her coat was a bright orange color as her mane was a gorgeous snow white shade, yet her bangs were curled and seemed to have streaks of various different colors. Her eyes were a rosy tint, and her cutie mark was six diamonds of different colors as well, all in a circular formation. She was wide eyed, and obviously a little confused about this whole scenario.
The alicorn immediately took notice of the changelings, but looked unafraid. "Oh? What's this!? Howdy! This all seems pretty weird huh? I mean, shucks, I can't even remember where I'm from, who I am, or why I'm here." She paused raising a hoof to her muzzle, tapping it softly. "Yet I seem to possess a fair amount of knowledge regarding many different things. Such as these words, and even the awareness of my wings and horns." She shrugged with a giggle, "Dah! I reckon it must have something to do with ya'll, it'd be the most reasonable explanation I'm sure." She looked to all of them, glancing around the room. "What's wrong? Why do you all look so scared? It's not like I'm gonna hurt any of ya! I may have just arrived but trust me, I'd never get that serious. I mean, wouldn't it be silly to just go around causing trouble for those partially responsible for my existence." She soon conjured a makeshift fan, before chuckling again. "OH, also, do any of you got any books? I'd love to learn more about this world, more than I already know. And I happen to know a lot!" She flapped her wings before crossing her forehooves glancing around at them. "So what's it going to be strange fellas? You going to help me out or not? If not, I'm afraid I'll have to take my leave! There's so much stuff I want to-"
"STOP!" Queen Chrysalis stated with a mighty stomp of her hoof. She looked up with a smirk.
The alicorn filly paused, as she turned to look down at Queen Chrysalis. "Oh! Hi there! What can I do for ya? You look different from all the others, might I assume you're the boss lady?" Her horn started to glow once again as she conjured a candy bar and took a bite out of it, as she then lit up with joy. "Ooooooh! Totally awesome! I reckon that if I even possess knowledge about sweet delicacies such as this, then there's so much more for me to discover! Hurry lady! I've gotta go out and see more of the world. I'm sorry if I sound mean, I'm just so excited!!!" She then reappeared back on the floor as she started bouncing around in circles, much like a rabbit. "Libraries! Candy! Sports! Clothes! Oh oh oh oh! I just can't wait I tell ya, it'll be awesome! I was totally meant for this! I can feel it!"
Queen Chrysalis looked fairly uncertain, but she still smiled softly. Guess it was to be expected in some way, due to just what this alicorn in particular was made up of. "Yes yes of course child. You will most certainly see the world, and have all that you desire. Your astonishing insight despite your age amazes me, but, I guess that's to be expected considering just how special you truly are. Tell me child, do you have any sort of clue, just who I might be, when it comes to you?"
The alicorn paused, ceasing in her hopping before she turned to Chrysalis. She lowered her hind legs once again before rubbing her chin, raising a brow, and putting on a contemplative expression. "Hmmmmmm!" Her eyes scanned Chrysalis up and down before she blinked a bit. She chuckled again, before shaking her head. "No! I'm sorry ma'am! But I don't know!" She immediately went back to complaining. "Ooooooh! I want to go out already! There's so much! So many things, I NEED to do, but,..WHERE DO I START?!" She grinned looking towards the ground, "I should be studying on the possibilities of my existence! Or..Or maybe throwing a party!" She shook her head hurriedly, "Oh but I need to make friends first!....Maybe I should get a job!" She fell silent looking down in contemplation tapping her muzzle once again. "I'd sure like to tend to animals, or maybe make clothes." Her eyes then snapped wide as she looked back to the changelings surrounding the room with an excited gasp. "Or you guys, you guys can tell me! I've got many talents to repay you for! Hehe...or...or-" She raised her hooves to her head. Yet for a fleeting moment, the alicorn looked frightened. "There are so many things!...It's overwhelming, flooding my mind, haha!" Her look became more severe the more she continued to dwell on the subject. "How do I decide?"
"You could say that I'm your mother." Queen Chrysalis added, during the alicorn's vibrant outburst.
The alicorn looked back up towards Queen Chrysalis, as the words seemed to stun her. She just remained there, looking up at Chrysalis for a few seconds before bursting into giggles. "Eheheheh! That's just silly! But we look nothing alike. You said it yourself, I'm pretty smart, so I know we've gotta have at least some identical features lady." She looked back down at her hoof, "I'm orange, and you're black and green. It just doesn't add up!" The alicorn just sighed as she shook her head. "Well, I'm sorry about this ya'll, but there's stuff I have to do! I've got so much to learn, so much to see! It'll be amazing! Bye! Later! Toodaloo! Adios! Sayonara darlings!" And with a wave, the alicorn spread her wings, as she looked towards the the ceiling of the room. Suddenly she looked fairly determined as with a mighty flap, she burst upward resulting in a mighty shockwave, and in the next instant, she was simply gone. Almost as if having natural instinct in the assumption of her location, she teleported out of the room of her birth, as if it were just another casual day.
All that would be left of the alicorn's presence would be a silent gust of wind that swirled about the room after her departure.
One of the many changelings approached his Queen hurriedly. "M-My Queen, it's gone..."
Queen Chrysalis only looked up towards the ceiling with a smile. "Yes, this is good. It'll all be fine."
The changeling looked a little confused, for obvious reasons. "Good? My Queen, you expected this?"
Queen Chrysalis snickered. "No, can't say that I did. But, she is practically just as I'd imagined, she's a strange, quirky little thing, but she'll come along soon enough. Either way, we've got plenty of time, there is nothing to worry about." Queen Chrysalis simply turned towards the exit of the room, closing her eyes, still with a smirk. "I'll be going out."
Many of the changelings remained still, as they watched their Queen depart from the room. Many could only sit and wonder just what their Queen was planning in order to react so calmly to what just happened.
Could she really have wanted something such as this to happen?
As Queen Chrysalis exited the room, she stood in a long narrow hallway, with streams of changeling guards standing at attention along the walls, not budging an inch. Many of them simply kept their eyes forward, and as their Queen passed them, they regarded her with simple nods. Hanging along the walls were also lanterns of green flame, giving little light to this dark underground kingdom. But as Queen Chrysalis trotted, she looked a little more flustered than earlier, as she glanced down at the ground as if questioning her own actions. In her mind, she thought of Shining Armor and Cadence, together at the Crystal Empire as a smirk crept onto her face. She looked ahead again with determination. "Hmph."
Meanwhile, up on the surface, would be the recently created alicorn.
She was alone in a large plain of grass, as she was awestruck, looking at this open world. She took a moment to take in all the scenery. The gorgeous lands in the distance only made her want to satisfy her quench for exploration even more. She burst up on her hooves, flapping her wings with a cheer. "Haha! AMAZING! It's all so beautiful! I even know what this is!" She stuck her muzzle against the grass. "THIS IS GRASS!" Then she looked up, pointing a hoof. "THOSE ARE CLOUDS!" She giggled before doing a spin and pointing towards a tree in the distance. "THOSE, ARE TREES!" She exhaled before leaning back in midair. "I really wonder how I know these things." As she looked up at the sky, she thought of Queen Chrysalis's words. You could say that I'm your mother. She looked contemplative, as she puckered her lower lip. "Could it really be true? I guess it does seem to make sense. Surely all of this ain't normal." Her expression sunk into the form of a pout. "Well, I'll worry about all that later!" She stretched before rising further up into the skies. She rose to the elevation of the very clouds before peering off into the distant lands of Equestria. "Guess I forgot I don't know where any towns or cities are." She clapped her hooves, "No worries! Hehe, I'll just challenge myself then. One minute to find a town!" She smirked, before readying herself in a flight position. "Three,.......two.......one.......BOOM!!!" And with a might flap of her wings, in a instant an astonishing rainbow ring propelled outwards from her body, as she burst forward, disappearing off into the distant lands she was so eager to explore.
Ways away from her location, would be a small shining speck in the distance, that speck being the gleaming Crystal Empire.
