Celestia waved her hoof at the departing crowd as she sat on her throne. “Farewell, my little ponies, have a wonderful night.” She watched as the last pony left, the throne room doors closing behind them.
A grey mare with a brown mane and tail walked next to the throne.
“Well, Ink Well, that was a long day,” Celestia said with a smile.
“Indeed, Princess,” the mare replied.
Celestia sighed as she leaned back on her throne. “Give me a moment, my friend, I need to rest.”
“Of course, Princess,” Ink Well replied with a slight bow.
After a few minutes, Ink Well’s ears flicked at the sound of soft breathing. She turned her head towards Celestia. Ink Well’s eyes widened as she watched Celestia’s chest rise and fall slowly while her eyes were closed.
The mare’s lips curled up, revealing sharp fangs. Blinking, her brown eyes shifted to green. This is it, Chrysalis thought as her grin grew wider. What an utter fool you are, Celestia. I snuck into your kingdom, worked through the ranks, and even became your assistant, all without you knowing.
I do not know how a ruler can be so dense. Befriending me? Giving me your power? What an idiot you are. This will be your downfall. I will take your spot, I will rebuild my hive, and your kingdom will be mine.
Chrysalis licked her fangs before lunging towards the princess, her disguise bursting in a green blaze, revealing her true form.
Celestia’s eyes snapped open, her horn instantly glowing and enveloping Chrysalis in a golden aura, stopping her in her tracks.
Chrysalis’ eyes widened, staring at the Princess. Her magenta eyes were wide while her pupils were small, her face expressionless.
Celestia flicked her head, tossing the changeling into the air.
Chrysalis screamed in pain as she tumbled across the immaculate tiled floor of the throne room.
“Really, Chrysalis?” Celestia asked as she got up from her throne. “You want to do this dance again?”
Chrysalis gasped as the air was knocked out of her, her back smashing against a pillar.
“Did that blast not send the message the first time?” Celestia asked as she regally walked down the steps of her throne, her head held high, each graceful hoofstep upon the ground making only the faintest of clopping sounds on the marble floor. “Chrysalis, I really wished you got the message I was trying to give you the first time we met.”
Chrysalis groaned as she rolled back on her stomach, her green eyes locking onto the large, white pony moving towards her. Slowly, she placed her hooves on the ground, her legs shaking visibly, as she tried to stand up. “I… I will beat you,” she panted loudly. “I did it once, I can do it again, with or without love.”
How, Chrysalis thought, how is she doing this? I crushed her last time with one blow. She couldn’t even put a fight then, so why now? Yes, I had their love back then, but I was still strong enough to begin with. Celestia befriended this disguise, I have her affection! Did she get stronger? It does not matter, I can do this!
“You look confused,” Celestia remarked as she stood above the panting changeling.
Chrysalis growled as she spat at Celestia’s hooves, baring her fangs.
“Manners, young lady,” Celestia said with a frown. “There is no need for such unpleasantries.”
"Unpleasantries?! Do you think that this is one of your prissy little tea parties?" Chrysalis snapped as she slowly got back up on her hooves. “Like I would ever listen to some bi—”
Chrysalis was quickly interrupted as a hoof smacked across her muzzle, sending her back down to the ground.
“You watch your tongue, Chrysalis. I will not be talked to like that. Behave yourself—”
“I am not some pathetic child!” Chrysalis screamed as she tried to stand back up, green blood dripping from her nose and mouth. A golden aura formed around her body, pinning her down to the ground. Chrysalis grunted as she tried to move, her body shaking with effort.
“Yes, you are,” Celestia stated coldly as she looked down at Chrysalis. “Now, please behave because I really do detest violence.”
Chrysalis’ body shook even more, her nostrils flaring as she pushed herself harder. She tried to lift herself off the ground time and time again but was pushed down every time.
Celestia sighed as she closed her eyes. “Chrysalis… why do you have to be so difficult for me? Why can't we all live in peace?”
“You are tiring me with all the garbage coming out of your mouth!” Chrysalis barked as she continued her struggle. “I already know where this is going. I don’t need to hear your pretentious lectures.”
“I would disagree with that,” Celestia replied as she looked down at the changeling. “You are troublesome, I will give you that, but why must you fight? What is wrong with friendship?”
“Friendship?” Chrysalis growled. “Why should a lion befriend a lamb? You are nothing but a food source to me and my kind. Why would I care what my food thinks? Why would I give something to my dinner?”
“Is that all you see in my little ponies?” Celestia asked as she frowned. “Just food?”
“What else would I think of them?” Chrysalis snarled.
“But can’t you treat them as equals?” Celestia cried out, putting her hoof on her chest. “Can’t we be friends? Can’t we work something out? I already saw through your disguise when you came to the castle, but that is why I picked you to be my assistant. I wanted to befriend you. Did all those months mean something to you? The times we ate together, the times we just sat outside, enjoying ourselves?”
“They mean nothing, a means to an end,” Chrysalis replied.
“I was afraid of that.” Celestia sighed. “You know, I don’t think you’re evil. I think you’re just spoiled. You just don’t know any other way…”
“How dare you say such a thing to me!” Chrysalis barked, again baring her fangs.
Celestia knelt before the changeling. “Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘friendship is magic’? It's a favorite saying of my faithful student.
Chrysalis snarled in response.
“No, of course you haven't,” Celestia replied in sadness. “You're a changeling. You may be a queen and have legions of servants at your command, but you are alone. In all your years, you never thought to try a different way, never realizing that many would give for free that which you take by force.”
Celestia lowered her head right next to Chrysalis' snapping jaws, staring into the changeling’s eyes. “I could teach you, you know, about friendship. It's not too late.”
“How dare you mock me…” Chrysalis growled louder. She gritted her teeth as she planted her forehooves on the ground. Her chitin exoskeleton cracked under the strain as the changeling lifted herself a few inches off the ground. “I would rather die than bow and kiss your hooves. So take your so called friendship, and shove it up your ass!”
“Chrysalis,” Celestia said softly, the aura from her horn disappearing.
Chrysalis gasped as she felt the massive weight binding her vanished. “W-what do you want?” she panted as she looked up at Celestia.
“Chrysalis, please,” Celestia replied softly as she extended her hoof towards the changeling. “Will you accept my friendship? There is nothing wrong with being friends. There is no shame in opening up. We can work this out. We can make peace between our races. So, I will ask one more time. Will you take my hoof in friendship?”
Chrysalis looked at the white hoof warily. “Maybe…” she answered softly as she extended her own hoof towards it.
“Thank you,” Celestia said with a large smile as she grasped it, helping Chrysalis stand.
Suddenly, Chrysalis yanked Celestia down, throwing the princess off balance. “Fool,” Chrysalis whispered with a vicious grin. She cocked her right forehoof back.
Celestia’s eyes widened.
There was a loud crack as Celestia was sent sailing through the air before slamming into the ground.
“What an idiot,” Chrysalis said as she slowly stood up. She cried out in pain as she put weight on her right forehoof. She winced as she lifted it off the ground and inspected it. A large crack had formed along the bottom of her leg.
“Damnit, Celestia, I knew you had a thick skull, but that was ridiculous,” she whispered as she held her injured leg near her chest. “But no matter, I broke your neck.”
Celestia laid motionless near the base of the throne.
Chrysalis limped near the fallen princess. “Now, I just need to get rid of the body—”
“It see that I have my answer,” Celestia said as she suddenly got up. She flared her nostrils then spat out a small amount of blood. “I am extremely disappointed in you, my little changeling. That was a very dirty tactic, but I should not have expected anything else from you.”
Chrysalis’ eyes widened as she took a step back, her body shivering slightly. “H-how are you still alive? That should have killed you!”
“You give yourself too much credit, my little changeling,” Celestia replied as she took a step towards Chrysalis, not a mark on her face. “I have taken worse. My little sister hits much harder.”
Chrysalis limped backwards, her body trembling.
“It seems that I need to take a different approach,” Celestia said coldly as she closed her eyes. For a few seconds she just stood there, her mane and tail waving in some strange breeze. Suddenly, she opened her eyes. Gone were the soft, magenta eyes that had promised salvation only a moment ago, replaced by sickly, green orbs. The malice which dripped from the horrid visage, rolling down her face in eldritch waves, was a stranger on the princess's face. “It seems that you won’t change your ways in your current state. That disappoints me, I truly did wish we could have worked something out.”
Chrysalis gasped as she felt her back hit a wall. Her eyes widened while her pupils shrank in fear at the sudden change. It seemed all the light in the room was sucked away by the dark aura surrounding Celestia’s horn. Chrysalis suddenly felt very cold, her body shivering even more. “You… you won’t stop me.”
“But I think I have,” Celestia rebuttaled.
Chrysalis started to hyperventilate, her heart pounding in her chest while her ears flattened. “You w-wouldn't kill me. You don’t have it in you.”
“You are right about that, my little changeling,” Celestia remarked as she stopped in front of Chrysalis. “But that doesn’t mean I am going to let you go. You have proven to me that I cannot trust you. I don’t blame you though. It is just how you grew up.”
“T-then what are you going to do?”
Celestia smiled gently with a slight tilt of her head, dark magic still floating around her, as she brought her head right next to the changeling.
Chrysalis winced as she watched Celestia’s horn come closer, shutting her eyes in fear of her impending punishment.
Celestia dipped her head forward, her horn touching Chrysalis’ forehead. “Why, I am making a friend.”
Chrysalis opened her eyes when she felt a slight tap on her head. Celestia’s face was back to normal as if nothing had happened.
She blinked and shook her head. What was that? Chrysalis thought. She looked around to check for anything irregular but found nothing. Chrysalis looked back up, seeing Celestia walking away from her.
Is she… is she toying with me? she thought to herself. Chrysalis gritted her teeth while her wings flared. How dare she!.
Chrysalis pointed her horn at Celestia. A green ball of energy formed on the tip, quickly growing larger in size.
But I can’t attack the Princess… Chrysalis suddenly thought to herself. The stray thought disrupted her concentration, the green ball of energy disappearing.
“Oh?” Celestia asked as she turned around, a smile still adorning her face. “Is something wrong?”
“W-what did you do to me?”
“Do you remember the last time you were here?” Celestia asked, her face unchanging. “Do you remember a pony by the name of Fluttershy? Yellow pegasus with a pink mane, very shy. She was one of my student’s friends.
“Anyway, the thing that amazed me about her was that she has this special talent when dealing with animals. I asked her the last time she was here on how she does it. You know what she told me? She told me that even the wildest beast can be tamed. The secret, though, is to train them when they are young.”
Chrysalis jerked her head back, a flash of images and thoughts invading her memory. She saw a small, tan unicorn filly with a silver mane and tail. Chrysalis gripped her head with her hooves as she curled up. Her pupils shrunk to pinpricks while her eyes widened at the sudden realization of what was happening. “No,” she whispered to herself. “This can’t be happening. Not to me, I am stronger than this. I am a—”
She stopped as she couldn’t remember. She looked at her black, armored hooves. “T-this doesn’t seem right,” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.
Chrysalis looked up at Celestia, a wave of confusion crossing her face.
Celestia knelt down, gently lifting Chrysalis’ chin with a hoof, the softest, most genuinely caring look on her face. "But isn't that what you want? Don’t you want my friendship?" Celestia cooed.
This experience was somehow strangely familiar to Chrysalis, taking a new identity and making it your own. Only now… she wasn’t in control. Chrysalis’ eyes widened in horror while her body trembled. The images and memories started to form a solid identity. A little pony who was shy with no friends. She couldn’t remember any parents. A large building with a sign reading ‘Canterlot Orphanage’, came into view as a wave of loneliness shook her.
Oh, how she hated the loneliness...
"Just kill me right now!” Chrysalis cried as she leapt towards Celestia, latching on to one of Celestia’s forelegs. Chrysalis looked up, her green eyes wide. Her right eye still retained it’s reptilian-like pupil, but her left pupil had transformed into one of a normal pony. “Let me die knowing who I am! Let me at least know my name!"
Celestia continued to smile as she brought her face right in front of Chrysalis. “I told you,” she whispered gently, “I rather not kill my enemies, Chrysalis. Not when I might have use for them."
“N-no… I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings! I will not be beaten like this,” the changeling gasped, as her mind clung desperately to itself. She could feel Celestia’s magic slowly prying it from her grasp like an orb of oiled marble. “I’m Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings. I’m Chrysalis, Queen of… Queen of…” Her irises shrunk to pinpricks as the thought escaped her grasp.
“I am Chrysalis… I am C-Chrysalis…” the changeling whispered desperately.
“I-I am… Chry-Chry-salis…
“I am… Chrys…
“I am…
“I am...
“I am… Silver… Silver Skip?
“Right?”
She looked up at the alicorn for answers, tears flowing freely from her eyes. “P-please,” she sobbed as she looked up at Celestia, her mane falling over her eyes. “M-make it stop. I don’t know who I am anymore. J-just make it stop… p-please… I’m scared. I don’t know what is going on…”
"Is there something wrong? You don't want to be my friend?" Celestia responded as she pulled her head back, a worried look on her face.
Chrysalis looked up, tears pouring out of her eyes. "Yes!" she screamed. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I want to be… I want to be your friend!" She fell down to the ground, crying.
“There, there, the worst is almost over,” Celestia whispered, a look of sadness on her face as she stroked Chrysalis’ mane. “Just relax, don’t fight it anymore.”
“I… I,” Chrysalis whimpered, her tears hitting the ground.
“It’s alright,” Celestia cooed, “Everything is going to be alright in the end. I promise.”
Chrysalis’ form slowly shrank. Her black chitin shattered and fell, exposing soft fur underneath, while her dark-cerulean mane morphed to a silver-white. Finally, the soft, green glow of Chrysalis’ magic encompassed her small furry body for but a moment, before dissipating, revealing a tan pony.
The small pony looked up, her green eyes puffy and red. "P-Princess Celestia, why… why am I crying?"
"Shh, shh" Celestia cooed as she gently wrapped her hooves and wings around the small unicorn filly. "It’s alright,” she continued as she stroked the frightened filly’s silver mane, gently rocking back and forth, “you just had a nightmare. You were just scared at the thought of living here, but it will all be okay. Don’t worry your sweet little head. This is your new home now. You will love it here. I guarantee it."
The small filly sniffed loudly, wiping her nose with a hoof, a large smile forming on her face. "Really?”
"Yes," Celestia embraced her just a little bit tighter as a warm genuine smile appeared on her face. “Yes. Yes you will, my most faithful student.”
Author's Note
A massive thanks to Conicer, who not only help make this story, but pretty much gave me the idea for it. If it was not for him and his ideas, I would never imagined this story.
Second, I would like to thank Evehly for making this amazing cover art. Thanks a bunch!
Lastly, I would like to thank my other editors amactia, Dawnscroll, Kevinltk, and theRedBrony. Where would I be without them?
