The Origin of Fluffle Puffby Square RootChaptersThe PlanThe ReportThe PrisonersThe MeetingThe PrologueThe PlanSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.The ReportChrysalis paced from the near side of the cavernous throne room to the far, the two sides of herself arguing with one another. "The nonviolent approach would have worked too, but the chances of success were too low for that plan to be put into action. Everything has been put at risk just because of that." "That idea was stupid. Besides, the current plan is going to be much more successful." "At least the other tactic would not be risking the lives of our subjects." "Well, there is no going back now. It is not like the invasion can just be called off." Creeeeaaaak... The great door of the throne room was timidly opened by a young soldier. He entered slowly, and he had a puzzled expression upon his face. A few paces in he took a knee, acknowledging his queen. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but are you alright?" he asked cautiously. "Yes, I am quite fine," Chrysalis haughtily replied. As she said this she thought to herself, Well shit. Way to go, Chrysalis. Perfect time to unknowingly talk to yourself. "Why are you here?" Chrysalis questioned. "Um, oh yes, I bring news from the battlefront," the young soldier answered. At this Chrysalis's ears perked up. "What tidings do you bring?" "My liege, we have successfully captured Salt Lick City," the young soldier replied. "How in Equestria did we manage to do that?" Chrysalis asked. The young soldier looked at his queen uncertainly, as if he was unsure about what he was supposed to reveal. He muttered something under his breath and looked at the floor tile beneath Chrysalis's hoof. "Is that how you address your queen, soldier?" Chrysalis questioned, "What is it you were saying?" She was becoming impatient with the young soldier and she thought him to be an incompetent fool. The soldier looked at his hooves and more audibly said, "Commander Chelip, of my platoon, ordered everyone not to mention it." Nauplius, you idiot, he thought to himself, You are speaking to the bucking queen. She doesn't give a shit about Commander Chelip's orders. She asked you a question and you should have told her what happened in the first place. Next thing you know, you'll be imprisoned for witholding information from the government or something like that. Of course you could be over-reacting, but you never can tell with queens. "And what exactly did Commander Chelip order you to not reveal?" Chrysalis probed. "Well, Your Majesty, some younger stallions and mares came upon our camp and--" "They WHAT?!" Chrysalis screeched. "You were discovered?! You and your platoon must be the most stupid and careless in the entire Changeling army! Now I see why Chelip wanted to keep this quiet." "Your Highness, if you would allow me to explain the rest of the scenario, I think that you will find that it all happened for the best." "Fine, continue." "Um, where was I-- oh yes, they came upon our camp and they had no idea who we were. Commander Chelip actually recognized this before the rest of us." It can't hurt to put a good word in for her, Nauplius thought. "We used Emergency Alias 27 . We told them that we were a group of traveling performers and that we were just doing a quick dress rehersal for our new play, Ponies from Another Planet. Luckily, the group of ponies were none too bright. We asked them if they could show us a good place for lodging and then we all took a moment to change from our 'costumes' into a variety of pony forms. The next thing we knew, we had been let into the city without a fuss. We attacked an hour after nightfall and the rest is history." "It sounds like it was a close call, yet successful all the same," Chrysalis said, "And what of my specific orders?" "We captured the group that let us into the city," Nauplius replied, "They seemed to best fit the profile of unwary towards the Changeling race." "Wonderful. I would like to have them securely transported to the prisons of the Hive as quickly as possible." "Yes, Your Majesty." "And, soldier, what is your name?" Chrysalis asked. "Nauplius." "Very well, I will be sure to put in a good word with Commander Chelip. You are dismissed." "Thank you, Your Highness," Nauplius replied. He bowed, turned, and exited the throne room, leaving Chrysalis alone with a sense of accomplishment in her heart and with anticipation in her mind. The PrisonersI wonder how much time we have until Celestia catches wind of Salt Lick City, Chrysalis thought, But I suppose that it does not matter much, seeing that my true agenda has begun to fall into place. She closed the door to her simple living chambers; that is, they were simple considering that Chrysalis was a queen, but she was never a materialistic pony anyway. She walked through the halls towards her secretary's office, disrupting any Changeling that she passed, because they all felt obligated to bow when she approached. Chrysalis hated the fact that even in her own part of the Hive her mere presence was treated as something special. If I could just shift my form to an average Changeling, nopony would pay me any mind as I go about my business, she thought as she traveled through the corridor. Sadly for her, Changelings can not change into other Changelings. At least in this aspect, the Queen of the Changelings was equal to her subjects. Chrysalis reached the door of her destination and it quickly opened, causing Chrysalis to fall with a thud. "Oh my goodness! Are you all right, Chrysalis?" the Changeling responsible for knocking her queen to the ground asked, giving Chrysalis a hoof up. "I am quite alright, Pycna, thank you," Chrysalis replied, regaining her footing. "I was actually just coming to get you to remind you that you have a meeting with Tagma today," Pycna said, "and I'm guessing that you had forgotten, otherwise you wouldn't have come down here." Chrysalis smiled, "You would be guessing correctly. I also have an appointment for you to schedule, which is why I stopped by." "Sounds good. Come on in." They entered Pycna's office, a room with a well-organized desk in one corner, a filing cabinet in another, and a large calendar that filled an entire wall. Pycna flew over to her desk and removed a notebook and a piece of graphite. "What do you need me to arrange?" she asked, magically holding the graphite above the paper. "I need to meet with Dr. Chitin and Dr. Telson as soon as they are available," Chrysalis said, gazing at the wall calendar. "Alrighty! I'll let you know when they can meet with you," Pycna replied cheerfully, "Now you should probably get going for your meeting with Tagma. It'll be in her office like you requested." "Thank you, Pycna, have a good day." Chrysalis said. Then she made her way down through the many layers of the Hive until she reached the prisons. She approached the door of the prison administrator's office and opened it. At the sound of the door opening Tagma jumped to attention, "Gooday, Your Majesty. Shall I show you the way to your prisoners' cell?" "In a minute, I have a pressing question to ask you: which Changelings have the keys to the cell?" Chrysalis questioned. "Only I have said key to the cell of the ponies, My Liege," Tagma replied, magically picking up the key chain around her neck, "I thought that would be best, considering that they are technically prisoners of war." "You have good judgement, which is why you are assigned to this position," Chrysalis said, turning around to leave, "Shall we go now?" "Yes, Your Highness, I'll show you the way," Tagma locked her office doors with one of the many keys around her neck and proceeded to lead Chrysalis through a long and complicated labyrinth of tunnels and corridors. Torches hung upon the walls, sporadically placed and providing barely enough light to see by. Once they had covered a moderately long distance, Tagma stopped in front of an unassuming door, from which voices could be heard. "Come on guys, look on the bright side!" "What bright side?" "I don't know, but when we find it, we should look on it!" "I bucking hate you, Bottle Cap." Chrysalis cleared her throat and the voices instantly ceased. What now? she though to herself, You musn't scare them too much. They need to be comfortable with the Hive and with Changeling for this to work. Oh Chrysalis, what the hell have you gotten yourself into? She raised her hoof and knocked on the door, completely unsure of what she was expecting. "Who is it?" asked the voice which presumably belonged to the pony named Bottle Cap. The voice also received a good number of "shhh's" from inside the cell. "My name is Queen Chrysalis," Chrysalis replied, "I wish to speak with you all if you would allow it." "It's not exactly like we have a choice," Bottle Cap said through the door. A moment later, another voice piped up from inside the cell, "I apologize for Bottle Cap and his potentially insulting behavior. We would very much like to know what is going on." Chrysalis motioned for Tagma to unlock the door, which she did silently. The door's lock clicked and Chrysalis took a deep breath, Just be calm and collected, and everything will be fine. But what if I scare them? Should I change my appearance? No, otherwise you would confuse them later on. What do I tell them? The truth is certainly not an option. Why in Equestria did I come down here without consulting Dr. Telson first, or Dr. Chitin, or even Labium? Chrysalis stepped into the cell and looked about, darkness being the only thing meeting her eyes. Attempting to break the eerie silence she said, "It is much too dark in here. Some more light, perhaps?" Without waiting for a response, Chrysalis conjured up four lit torches and magically tacked them to the walls. Gazing around the room, she was met with the faces of seven hungry and frightened ponies. "Better?" Three of the ponies nodded their heads while the rest continued staring at the queen in shock. A pale blue unicorn, the one who had addressed the queen earlier through the cell door spoke, "Excuse me, Your Highness, but we are rather hungry. Perhaps you could speak with us over a meal?" "Of course. My apologies if you have not been provided with adequate meals," Chrysalis replied, summoning seven plates of grass and oats and placing one in front of each of the ponies. They all dug in greedily, as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. One of the stallions, an Earth pony who had a bright green coat and a silvery mane lifted his head and asked, "So why were we brought down here? I'm Bottle Cap by the way, sorry if I offended you like Dusty seems to think I did." He nodded at the unicorn mare and she smiled shyly. "You were not terribly offensive, but your apology is accepted all the same," Chrysalis replied, "And you are here because, um--" What the hell should you say? Come on, think. "We, the Changelings that is, have saved you from the destruction of Equestria. Um, we had predicted a terrible apocalypse and tried to save as many ponies as we could, but we didn't move fast enough. You all are the only ones that we managed to rescue." Chrysalis paused and looked around the cell; fourteen eyes were riveted on her, all of them looking to be on the brink of tears. "I am very sorry for all of your losses." Oh, Chrysalis, that was such a cruel thing to say. It was also a cruel thing to launch an attack on their race and to capture them, ripping them away from their families, never to be seen again. Maybe you are turning into the terrible monster that pony lore paints you to be. Chrysalis turned around to leave, glancing back into the cell to find seven ponies huddled together in a corner, shaking. She exited the small room and reentered the dim corridor. "Close the door, but leave it unlocked," Chrysalis said to Tagma. "Your Majesty, are you sure?" Tagma asked. She seems awfully somber. I wonder what happened in there. "I'm quite positive. They will not be in the mood to even consider leaving, at least for a little while." Chrysalis replied. She sighed and started to walk back towards the main part of the Hive, Tagma following close behind. As they walked Chrysalis said, "Leave them be, I shall take care of feeding them and such." "As you wish," Tagma answered, "If you have any more requests, just let me know." They parted ways, Tagma returning to her office and Chrysalis returning to her living chambers. Chrysalis closed her door and walked a few steps, then she collapsed onto the floor in tears. Chrysalis, you truly are a monster. Author's Note Hey everypony! First off, I'd like to apologize for how long it has taken to finish this chapter. A lot of factors played into its delay (writing a research paper, finals coming up, preparing for a state level math contest, etc.) The next chapter shouldn't take anywhere near as long to publish as this one did, yay! Also, there is a certain reference in here that if anypony notices, I automatically love you. As always, thank you all so much for the likes, comments, faves, and follows, you guys are the best! The MeetingWhy hasn’t she answered my knocking? Pycna asked herself, raising her hoof to the doors of Chrysalis’s chambers once more. Just as before, there was no response. Pycna slowly opened the door and found Chrysalis sitting at her papery windowsill, staring out into the surrounding wastelands. “Chrysalis, are you alright? I knocked but you didn't answer.” Pycna had never seen Chrysalis in such a slump before and she was very concerned. “I am fine,” Chrysalis replied, her voice and face lacking both emotion and conviction. “I was just thinking about some decisions that I have made recently.” She blinked and a sparkling droplet rolled down the side of her face, leaving behind a glistening trail, salty and wet. “Pycna, I must confide in you the plan that I have been working on. It is not to leave this room until a later date. Do you understand?” “Of course,” Pycna placed her hoof on Chrysalis’s shoulder, “Being queen is a difficult task that can be yours alone, but I am always willing to help you ease the burden. You’ve been a great friend to me all of these years.” “You have been just as great, if not better,” Chrysalis said, her face softened and she smiled gratefully. “You know of the ponies that were captured, yes?” Pycna nodded. “I ordered their capture because I plan to keep a small colony of ponies who will provide us with a steady stream of love. My plan was to have them be treated as if they were a part of the Hive, make them feel at home, but I visited them the other day and I realized that I have completely destroyed their lives. My actions have been horrible and sickening and I just do not know what I can do to make everything right again.” She paused and looked a Pycna who was taking in what she had just heard and deriving an appropriate response. “I don’t believe that your actions were horrible or sickening.” “But their lives are in shambles,” Chrysalis protested, “as it is all my fault.” “Chryssi, you were acting with your subjects best interests in your heart. You did not ruin the lives of those ponies, even though it may seem that way now. Just give the plan a little time and its outcomes will match its intentions.” Pycna gave Chrysalis a reassuring hug, “In all of the years that I have known you, I have never known you to ruin anypony’s life and that still stands true.” “Pycna, I wish I could be nearly as wise as you are,” Chrysalis smiled. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Pycna remembered why she was there. “The meeting!” she yelped, “Chrysalis, you have a meeting with Dr. Chitin, Dr. Telson, and your advisers like right now.” A startled look passed over Chrysalis’s face. Now I have to face the, she thought. I fell apart just telling Pycna about all of it and she is my closest friend. Chrysalis closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and once again entered a state lacking all emotion. “Thank you for reminding me, Pycna. Have a good day.” And with that Chrysalis left her quarters leaving Pycna alone in the room. Oh Chryssi, Pycna thought to herself as she left her friend’s chambers, When will you ever learn that your poker face doesn't fool anypony? ~ Everything will go perfectly. Pycna understood and so will they. Chrysalis turned the last corner of her journey and faced a door. Chrysalis’s greatest fear was currently lurking behind that door; the fear of harsh judgment and being a screw-up. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in, her posture reflecting confidence. On the inside, however, Chrysalis would have preferred to enter silently only to sit in the corner and be ignored, or to not be there at all. Instead she was met with the immediate attention of five highly ranked Changelings. They stood and bowed, then waited for their queen to take her seat before sitting down themselves. “Good morning everypony. I have gathered you all here to discuss certain aspects of this war, particularly involving the prisoners that we have taken. To begin, I will answer any questions pertaining to the subject because I realize that I have made most of these decisions before consulting any of you. For that alone I must apologize, because I fear that I may have dug a treacherous pit by doing so.” Chrysalis looked around the room at the Changelings’ faces. She saw a variety of expressions: fear, shock, confusion, and amazement. Then, one of her fellow Changelings piped up. “Pits can be filled, Your Majesty,” Labium said. A quiet moment passed, during which everypony was glancing at one another, silently urging nopony in particular to speak and break the odd silence. Hex cleared her throat, “Why did we capture the ponies, might I ask? As far as I am aware we have never taken prisoners before.” “Without realizing it you have gotten straight to the point,” Chrysalis chuckled nervously, “You see, the goal of this invasion is not the same as every single invasion previous.” “Is it not to feed our subjects?” Labrum asked. “It will feed our subjects but not by the same methods as before. I ordered the capture of the ponies because I thought that we could keep a colony of them at the Hive.” “And then we could study them and perfect our pony imitation so that we could gain all the love we require through quiet infiltration rather than the full out attacks that we have tried before!” Dr. Telson exclaimed, unable to restrain herself any longer. She was known throughout the Hive as the pony who on occasion transformed into a Changeling. She was constantly researching ponies and she had interacted with them the most out of all the Changelings. “Um, that is not exactly what I had in mind,” Chrysalis grumbled. This is torturous and their assumptions are not making it any easier. “I was thinking that we could teach these ponies to love us as ourselves. That way we would not have to even leave the Hive to obtain the love we require.” “Even better!” Dr. Telson piped. “Your Majesty, you are a genius.” At least somepony supports me, Chrysalis thought as she glanced around the room once more, biting her lip and awaiting the other comments. “Well that’s all fine and dandy, but how could they accept us?” Labium asked. “And how are we going to keep them from trying to get back home?” Labrum questioned, “They are going to remember their homes and will try to escape.” “I understand these concerns but I don’t believe they are an issue. I went down to the prisons and visited them. They already seemed accepting of our race’s differences.” Chrysalis answered, “However, when I was down there they asked me why they were taken.” Chrysalis sighed and continued, “I was not expecting that at all so I ended up telling them that our race had predicted an apocalypse and that we managed to save them. I figured that way there would be no home for them to return to.” “Excuse me, Your Highness, but how long do you plan to keep a colony here?” Dr. Chitin asked. Everypony turned and looked at him. He had been silent up until now. “As long as possible, Doctor,” Chrysalis answered, “We all agree that this plan has promise.” “I see,” Dr. Chitin replied, his brows knit, “Did you tell our captives that they were the only ones to survive the apocalypse?” “Well yes, I did. That way there would be nopony for them to return to.” “All due respects Your Highness, but I believe that we have stumbled upon the pit you mentioned earlier. We will not be able to keep a colony for long because we only have seven individuals. Inbreeding will become a very large problem after a few generations.” The room fell silent as everypony grasped this major flaw in their minds. I knew this meeting was going along too smoothly. Now it is not, thanks to my error, Chrysalis thought, Not having this meeting before visiting the prisoners has really come to bite me in the butt. “Wait a minute,” Hex projected, “This isn’t all bad. If we discover that a colony of ponies is too difficult to handle they will die out from a variety of inbreeding complications –“ “Or we could just kill them,” Labrum interrupted. “True, but that’s not the point of what I’m trying to say,” Hex huffed, “Now, I’m no doctor, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that inbreeding will cause our colony to die out eventually. This colony can be our test run. If we discover that this is not an efficient method for obtaining love then we will drop the project once the colony dies out,” she glanced over at Labrum, “or sooner. Now, if we discover that keeping a colony is beneficial then we can perfect our methods and start another colony once the original one dies or sooner.” Chrysalis blinked. Did she just solve all of my problems and mistakes in a short speech, or am I dreaming? “That sounds good to me,” Labrum said. Everypony else nodded their heads in agreement. Chrysalis cleared her throat, “Very well. Is anypony opposed to keeping a colony of ponies in the Hive?” There was silence. “Ok. Dr. Chitin, would you be willing to monitor the wellbeing of the ponies and provide medical care?” “Yes.” “And Dr. Telson, would you help them get adjusted to the Hive and such?” “Of course! I would be honored.” “And lastly, Hex, would you oversee this project? I know it is a lot to ask but I feel that your department will benefit the most. This will be a wonderful opportunity to perfect out imitation techniques.” “I am up to the task, Your Majesty.” “It is settled then. Seven housing units are to be prepared next to Dr. Telson’s so that she can best assist our little colony. We will aim for the ponies to move into the units in two days’ time. This meeting is adjourned.” Everypony left the room, but Labium lagged behind. “Your Majesty, may I have a word please?” Chrysalis looked up, “Is something troubling you?” “If you are going to let these ponies have free range of the Hive, or even if you aren't, you must let the public know about it.” “Oh, I never thought of that. And we do not have any idea to how they will react, do we?” “None. If you would like, I can prepare a speech for you that would explain the situation to the public.” “That would be greatly appreciated. We are swimming in uncharted waters as far as keeping the public happy goes.” “I know. Have a good day, Your Majesty.” Labium curtly bowed and left the room. Chrysalis got up from her seat and stretched. I would say that the meeting went very well. Now all that is left to get through is the public announcement and the actual implementation of the plan. She glanced up at that the clock that was hanging above the door. It is about time for their lunch. Her horn glowed green and seven plates of food were teleported to a certain cell in the prisons. ~ “Everypony, the grub’s here!” Bottle Cap yelled. “This room ain’t that big. There’s no need to yell,” A pink female pegasus with a short brown mane grumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “Well, Soap Suds, somepony likes to sleep until noon and needs to be woken up.” Bottle Cap grinned. “I bucking hate you, Bottle Cap. Where is my food?" “I’m not your slave. Go get it yourself.” “Would you both shut up?” Crystal Dust scolded. Bottle Cap snickered, “Jeez, somepony is in a mood today.” “Sorry. I’m trying to think and you two are making it rather difficult.” “Hey Dusty, no worries. What are you doing trying to think on an empty stomach anyway?” Bottle Cap brought her a plate of apples and oats. “Hey! How come you’ll get her food?” Soap Suds whined. “Because she isn't annoying.” Bottle Cap replied. Another one of the captured ponies, an orange stallion with a dark blue mane spoke up, “And I thought it was obvious who he carried a torch for.” “Shut up Spoke.” Bottle Cap mumbled. “Getting defensive about it just proves my case.” Spoke said before digging into his own plate. “Whatever.” Bottle Cap said, ending the conversation. Everypony ate the rest of the meal in silence. When she finished, Crystal Dust went back to her cot and continued to think. Soap Suds stretched her wings the best that she could in the low ceilinged chamber. Spoke and Bottle Cap finished last, gathered the plates up, and put them by the door where they were out of the way until they disappeared with a green flash. “Thanks a lot.” Bottle Cap quietly said. “Any time.” Spoke replied, grinning. In response Bottle Cap shoved Spoke into the door. The force pushed open the unlocked door and Spoke tumbled out into the hallway. Author's Note Enjoy your chapter, guys. The PrologueAuthor's Note This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic ever, so any comments, suggestions, and/or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. I also realize that this "chapter" is painfully short, but it's only meant to be a very brief prologue. The Prologue Throughout Equestria history there has been many a skirmish with the Changeling race. Most of these conflicts were so brief and insignificant that there is not a textbook in the world that mentions them. A hooful of invasions, however, had enough of a degree of success to be mentioned in the history books, such as the set of clashes now known as the Founding Battles, which took place shortly after Equestria was founded by the three pony tribes. Even though the Changelings have made a very valiant effort to capture Equestria, every single one of their invasions have failed, including the Invasion of the South, during which this story takes place.
The ReportChrysalis paced from the near side of the cavernous throne room to the far, the two sides of herself arguing with one another. "The nonviolent approach would have worked too, but the chances of success were too low for that plan to be put into action. Everything has been put at risk just because of that." "That idea was stupid. Besides, the current plan is going to be much more successful." "At least the other tactic would not be risking the lives of our subjects." "Well, there is no going back now. It is not like the invasion can just be called off." Creeeeaaaak... The great door of the throne room was timidly opened by a young soldier. He entered slowly, and he had a puzzled expression upon his face. A few paces in he took a knee, acknowledging his queen. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but are you alright?" he asked cautiously. "Yes, I am quite fine," Chrysalis haughtily replied. As she said this she thought to herself, Well shit. Way to go, Chrysalis. Perfect time to unknowingly talk to yourself. "Why are you here?" Chrysalis questioned. "Um, oh yes, I bring news from the battlefront," the young soldier answered. At this Chrysalis's ears perked up. "What tidings do you bring?" "My liege, we have successfully captured Salt Lick City," the young soldier replied. "How in Equestria did we manage to do that?" Chrysalis asked. The young soldier looked at his queen uncertainly, as if he was unsure about what he was supposed to reveal. He muttered something under his breath and looked at the floor tile beneath Chrysalis's hoof. "Is that how you address your queen, soldier?" Chrysalis questioned, "What is it you were saying?" She was becoming impatient with the young soldier and she thought him to be an incompetent fool. The soldier looked at his hooves and more audibly said, "Commander Chelip, of my platoon, ordered everyone not to mention it." Nauplius, you idiot, he thought to himself, You are speaking to the bucking queen. She doesn't give a shit about Commander Chelip's orders. She asked you a question and you should have told her what happened in the first place. Next thing you know, you'll be imprisoned for witholding information from the government or something like that. Of course you could be over-reacting, but you never can tell with queens. "And what exactly did Commander Chelip order you to not reveal?" Chrysalis probed. "Well, Your Majesty, some younger stallions and mares came upon our camp and--" "They WHAT?!" Chrysalis screeched. "You were discovered?! You and your platoon must be the most stupid and careless in the entire Changeling army! Now I see why Chelip wanted to keep this quiet." "Your Highness, if you would allow me to explain the rest of the scenario, I think that you will find that it all happened for the best." "Fine, continue." "Um, where was I-- oh yes, they came upon our camp and they had no idea who we were. Commander Chelip actually recognized this before the rest of us." It can't hurt to put a good word in for her, Nauplius thought. "We used Emergency Alias 27 . We told them that we were a group of traveling performers and that we were just doing a quick dress rehersal for our new play, Ponies from Another Planet. Luckily, the group of ponies were none too bright. We asked them if they could show us a good place for lodging and then we all took a moment to change from our 'costumes' into a variety of pony forms. The next thing we knew, we had been let into the city without a fuss. We attacked an hour after nightfall and the rest is history." "It sounds like it was a close call, yet successful all the same," Chrysalis said, "And what of my specific orders?" "We captured the group that let us into the city," Nauplius replied, "They seemed to best fit the profile of unwary towards the Changeling race." "Wonderful. I would like to have them securely transported to the prisons of the Hive as quickly as possible." "Yes, Your Majesty." "And, soldier, what is your name?" Chrysalis asked. "Nauplius." "Very well, I will be sure to put in a good word with Commander Chelip. You are dismissed." "Thank you, Your Highness," Nauplius replied. He bowed, turned, and exited the throne room, leaving Chrysalis alone with a sense of accomplishment in her heart and with anticipation in her mind.
The PrisonersI wonder how much time we have until Celestia catches wind of Salt Lick City, Chrysalis thought, But I suppose that it does not matter much, seeing that my true agenda has begun to fall into place. She closed the door to her simple living chambers; that is, they were simple considering that Chrysalis was a queen, but she was never a materialistic pony anyway. She walked through the halls towards her secretary's office, disrupting any Changeling that she passed, because they all felt obligated to bow when she approached. Chrysalis hated the fact that even in her own part of the Hive her mere presence was treated as something special. If I could just shift my form to an average Changeling, nopony would pay me any mind as I go about my business, she thought as she traveled through the corridor. Sadly for her, Changelings can not change into other Changelings. At least in this aspect, the Queen of the Changelings was equal to her subjects. Chrysalis reached the door of her destination and it quickly opened, causing Chrysalis to fall with a thud. "Oh my goodness! Are you all right, Chrysalis?" the Changeling responsible for knocking her queen to the ground asked, giving Chrysalis a hoof up. "I am quite alright, Pycna, thank you," Chrysalis replied, regaining her footing. "I was actually just coming to get you to remind you that you have a meeting with Tagma today," Pycna said, "and I'm guessing that you had forgotten, otherwise you wouldn't have come down here." Chrysalis smiled, "You would be guessing correctly. I also have an appointment for you to schedule, which is why I stopped by." "Sounds good. Come on in." They entered Pycna's office, a room with a well-organized desk in one corner, a filing cabinet in another, and a large calendar that filled an entire wall. Pycna flew over to her desk and removed a notebook and a piece of graphite. "What do you need me to arrange?" she asked, magically holding the graphite above the paper. "I need to meet with Dr. Chitin and Dr. Telson as soon as they are available," Chrysalis said, gazing at the wall calendar. "Alrighty! I'll let you know when they can meet with you," Pycna replied cheerfully, "Now you should probably get going for your meeting with Tagma. It'll be in her office like you requested." "Thank you, Pycna, have a good day." Chrysalis said. Then she made her way down through the many layers of the Hive until she reached the prisons. She approached the door of the prison administrator's office and opened it. At the sound of the door opening Tagma jumped to attention, "Gooday, Your Majesty. Shall I show you the way to your prisoners' cell?" "In a minute, I have a pressing question to ask you: which Changelings have the keys to the cell?" Chrysalis questioned. "Only I have said key to the cell of the ponies, My Liege," Tagma replied, magically picking up the key chain around her neck, "I thought that would be best, considering that they are technically prisoners of war." "You have good judgement, which is why you are assigned to this position," Chrysalis said, turning around to leave, "Shall we go now?" "Yes, Your Highness, I'll show you the way," Tagma locked her office doors with one of the many keys around her neck and proceeded to lead Chrysalis through a long and complicated labyrinth of tunnels and corridors. Torches hung upon the walls, sporadically placed and providing barely enough light to see by. Once they had covered a moderately long distance, Tagma stopped in front of an unassuming door, from which voices could be heard. "Come on guys, look on the bright side!" "What bright side?" "I don't know, but when we find it, we should look on it!" "I bucking hate you, Bottle Cap." Chrysalis cleared her throat and the voices instantly ceased. What now? she though to herself, You musn't scare them too much. They need to be comfortable with the Hive and with Changeling for this to work. Oh Chrysalis, what the hell have you gotten yourself into? She raised her hoof and knocked on the door, completely unsure of what she was expecting. "Who is it?" asked the voice which presumably belonged to the pony named Bottle Cap. The voice also received a good number of "shhh's" from inside the cell. "My name is Queen Chrysalis," Chrysalis replied, "I wish to speak with you all if you would allow it." "It's not exactly like we have a choice," Bottle Cap said through the door. A moment later, another voice piped up from inside the cell, "I apologize for Bottle Cap and his potentially insulting behavior. We would very much like to know what is going on." Chrysalis motioned for Tagma to unlock the door, which she did silently. The door's lock clicked and Chrysalis took a deep breath, Just be calm and collected, and everything will be fine. But what if I scare them? Should I change my appearance? No, otherwise you would confuse them later on. What do I tell them? The truth is certainly not an option. Why in Equestria did I come down here without consulting Dr. Telson first, or Dr. Chitin, or even Labium? Chrysalis stepped into the cell and looked about, darkness being the only thing meeting her eyes. Attempting to break the eerie silence she said, "It is much too dark in here. Some more light, perhaps?" Without waiting for a response, Chrysalis conjured up four lit torches and magically tacked them to the walls. Gazing around the room, she was met with the faces of seven hungry and frightened ponies. "Better?" Three of the ponies nodded their heads while the rest continued staring at the queen in shock. A pale blue unicorn, the one who had addressed the queen earlier through the cell door spoke, "Excuse me, Your Highness, but we are rather hungry. Perhaps you could speak with us over a meal?" "Of course. My apologies if you have not been provided with adequate meals," Chrysalis replied, summoning seven plates of grass and oats and placing one in front of each of the ponies. They all dug in greedily, as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. One of the stallions, an Earth pony who had a bright green coat and a silvery mane lifted his head and asked, "So why were we brought down here? I'm Bottle Cap by the way, sorry if I offended you like Dusty seems to think I did." He nodded at the unicorn mare and she smiled shyly. "You were not terribly offensive, but your apology is accepted all the same," Chrysalis replied, "And you are here because, um--" What the hell should you say? Come on, think. "We, the Changelings that is, have saved you from the destruction of Equestria. Um, we had predicted a terrible apocalypse and tried to save as many ponies as we could, but we didn't move fast enough. You all are the only ones that we managed to rescue." Chrysalis paused and looked around the cell; fourteen eyes were riveted on her, all of them looking to be on the brink of tears. "I am very sorry for all of your losses." Oh, Chrysalis, that was such a cruel thing to say. It was also a cruel thing to launch an attack on their race and to capture them, ripping them away from their families, never to be seen again. Maybe you are turning into the terrible monster that pony lore paints you to be. Chrysalis turned around to leave, glancing back into the cell to find seven ponies huddled together in a corner, shaking. She exited the small room and reentered the dim corridor. "Close the door, but leave it unlocked," Chrysalis said to Tagma. "Your Majesty, are you sure?" Tagma asked. She seems awfully somber. I wonder what happened in there. "I'm quite positive. They will not be in the mood to even consider leaving, at least for a little while." Chrysalis replied. She sighed and started to walk back towards the main part of the Hive, Tagma following close behind. As they walked Chrysalis said, "Leave them be, I shall take care of feeding them and such." "As you wish," Tagma answered, "If you have any more requests, just let me know." They parted ways, Tagma returning to her office and Chrysalis returning to her living chambers. Chrysalis closed her door and walked a few steps, then she collapsed onto the floor in tears. Chrysalis, you truly are a monster. Author's Note Hey everypony! First off, I'd like to apologize for how long it has taken to finish this chapter. A lot of factors played into its delay (writing a research paper, finals coming up, preparing for a state level math contest, etc.) The next chapter shouldn't take anywhere near as long to publish as this one did, yay! Also, there is a certain reference in here that if anypony notices, I automatically love you. As always, thank you all so much for the likes, comments, faves, and follows, you guys are the best!
The MeetingWhy hasn’t she answered my knocking? Pycna asked herself, raising her hoof to the doors of Chrysalis’s chambers once more. Just as before, there was no response. Pycna slowly opened the door and found Chrysalis sitting at her papery windowsill, staring out into the surrounding wastelands. “Chrysalis, are you alright? I knocked but you didn't answer.” Pycna had never seen Chrysalis in such a slump before and she was very concerned. “I am fine,” Chrysalis replied, her voice and face lacking both emotion and conviction. “I was just thinking about some decisions that I have made recently.” She blinked and a sparkling droplet rolled down the side of her face, leaving behind a glistening trail, salty and wet. “Pycna, I must confide in you the plan that I have been working on. It is not to leave this room until a later date. Do you understand?” “Of course,” Pycna placed her hoof on Chrysalis’s shoulder, “Being queen is a difficult task that can be yours alone, but I am always willing to help you ease the burden. You’ve been a great friend to me all of these years.” “You have been just as great, if not better,” Chrysalis said, her face softened and she smiled gratefully. “You know of the ponies that were captured, yes?” Pycna nodded. “I ordered their capture because I plan to keep a small colony of ponies who will provide us with a steady stream of love. My plan was to have them be treated as if they were a part of the Hive, make them feel at home, but I visited them the other day and I realized that I have completely destroyed their lives. My actions have been horrible and sickening and I just do not know what I can do to make everything right again.” She paused and looked a Pycna who was taking in what she had just heard and deriving an appropriate response. “I don’t believe that your actions were horrible or sickening.” “But their lives are in shambles,” Chrysalis protested, “as it is all my fault.” “Chryssi, you were acting with your subjects best interests in your heart. You did not ruin the lives of those ponies, even though it may seem that way now. Just give the plan a little time and its outcomes will match its intentions.” Pycna gave Chrysalis a reassuring hug, “In all of the years that I have known you, I have never known you to ruin anypony’s life and that still stands true.” “Pycna, I wish I could be nearly as wise as you are,” Chrysalis smiled. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Pycna remembered why she was there. “The meeting!” she yelped, “Chrysalis, you have a meeting with Dr. Chitin, Dr. Telson, and your advisers like right now.” A startled look passed over Chrysalis’s face. Now I have to face the, she thought. I fell apart just telling Pycna about all of it and she is my closest friend. Chrysalis closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and once again entered a state lacking all emotion. “Thank you for reminding me, Pycna. Have a good day.” And with that Chrysalis left her quarters leaving Pycna alone in the room. Oh Chryssi, Pycna thought to herself as she left her friend’s chambers, When will you ever learn that your poker face doesn't fool anypony? ~ Everything will go perfectly. Pycna understood and so will they. Chrysalis turned the last corner of her journey and faced a door. Chrysalis’s greatest fear was currently lurking behind that door; the fear of harsh judgment and being a screw-up. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in, her posture reflecting confidence. On the inside, however, Chrysalis would have preferred to enter silently only to sit in the corner and be ignored, or to not be there at all. Instead she was met with the immediate attention of five highly ranked Changelings. They stood and bowed, then waited for their queen to take her seat before sitting down themselves. “Good morning everypony. I have gathered you all here to discuss certain aspects of this war, particularly involving the prisoners that we have taken. To begin, I will answer any questions pertaining to the subject because I realize that I have made most of these decisions before consulting any of you. For that alone I must apologize, because I fear that I may have dug a treacherous pit by doing so.” Chrysalis looked around the room at the Changelings’ faces. She saw a variety of expressions: fear, shock, confusion, and amazement. Then, one of her fellow Changelings piped up. “Pits can be filled, Your Majesty,” Labium said. A quiet moment passed, during which everypony was glancing at one another, silently urging nopony in particular to speak and break the odd silence. Hex cleared her throat, “Why did we capture the ponies, might I ask? As far as I am aware we have never taken prisoners before.” “Without realizing it you have gotten straight to the point,” Chrysalis chuckled nervously, “You see, the goal of this invasion is not the same as every single invasion previous.” “Is it not to feed our subjects?” Labrum asked. “It will feed our subjects but not by the same methods as before. I ordered the capture of the ponies because I thought that we could keep a colony of them at the Hive.” “And then we could study them and perfect our pony imitation so that we could gain all the love we require through quiet infiltration rather than the full out attacks that we have tried before!” Dr. Telson exclaimed, unable to restrain herself any longer. She was known throughout the Hive as the pony who on occasion transformed into a Changeling. She was constantly researching ponies and she had interacted with them the most out of all the Changelings. “Um, that is not exactly what I had in mind,” Chrysalis grumbled. This is torturous and their assumptions are not making it any easier. “I was thinking that we could teach these ponies to love us as ourselves. That way we would not have to even leave the Hive to obtain the love we require.” “Even better!” Dr. Telson piped. “Your Majesty, you are a genius.” At least somepony supports me, Chrysalis thought as she glanced around the room once more, biting her lip and awaiting the other comments. “Well that’s all fine and dandy, but how could they accept us?” Labium asked. “And how are we going to keep them from trying to get back home?” Labrum questioned, “They are going to remember their homes and will try to escape.” “I understand these concerns but I don’t believe they are an issue. I went down to the prisons and visited them. They already seemed accepting of our race’s differences.” Chrysalis answered, “However, when I was down there they asked me why they were taken.” Chrysalis sighed and continued, “I was not expecting that at all so I ended up telling them that our race had predicted an apocalypse and that we managed to save them. I figured that way there would be no home for them to return to.” “Excuse me, Your Highness, but how long do you plan to keep a colony here?” Dr. Chitin asked. Everypony turned and looked at him. He had been silent up until now. “As long as possible, Doctor,” Chrysalis answered, “We all agree that this plan has promise.” “I see,” Dr. Chitin replied, his brows knit, “Did you tell our captives that they were the only ones to survive the apocalypse?” “Well yes, I did. That way there would be nopony for them to return to.” “All due respects Your Highness, but I believe that we have stumbled upon the pit you mentioned earlier. We will not be able to keep a colony for long because we only have seven individuals. Inbreeding will become a very large problem after a few generations.” The room fell silent as everypony grasped this major flaw in their minds. I knew this meeting was going along too smoothly. Now it is not, thanks to my error, Chrysalis thought, Not having this meeting before visiting the prisoners has really come to bite me in the butt. “Wait a minute,” Hex projected, “This isn’t all bad. If we discover that a colony of ponies is too difficult to handle they will die out from a variety of inbreeding complications –“ “Or we could just kill them,” Labrum interrupted. “True, but that’s not the point of what I’m trying to say,” Hex huffed, “Now, I’m no doctor, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that inbreeding will cause our colony to die out eventually. This colony can be our test run. If we discover that this is not an efficient method for obtaining love then we will drop the project once the colony dies out,” she glanced over at Labrum, “or sooner. Now, if we discover that keeping a colony is beneficial then we can perfect our methods and start another colony once the original one dies or sooner.” Chrysalis blinked. Did she just solve all of my problems and mistakes in a short speech, or am I dreaming? “That sounds good to me,” Labrum said. Everypony else nodded their heads in agreement. Chrysalis cleared her throat, “Very well. Is anypony opposed to keeping a colony of ponies in the Hive?” There was silence. “Ok. Dr. Chitin, would you be willing to monitor the wellbeing of the ponies and provide medical care?” “Yes.” “And Dr. Telson, would you help them get adjusted to the Hive and such?” “Of course! I would be honored.” “And lastly, Hex, would you oversee this project? I know it is a lot to ask but I feel that your department will benefit the most. This will be a wonderful opportunity to perfect out imitation techniques.” “I am up to the task, Your Majesty.” “It is settled then. Seven housing units are to be prepared next to Dr. Telson’s so that she can best assist our little colony. We will aim for the ponies to move into the units in two days’ time. This meeting is adjourned.” Everypony left the room, but Labium lagged behind. “Your Majesty, may I have a word please?” Chrysalis looked up, “Is something troubling you?” “If you are going to let these ponies have free range of the Hive, or even if you aren't, you must let the public know about it.” “Oh, I never thought of that. And we do not have any idea to how they will react, do we?” “None. If you would like, I can prepare a speech for you that would explain the situation to the public.” “That would be greatly appreciated. We are swimming in uncharted waters as far as keeping the public happy goes.” “I know. Have a good day, Your Majesty.” Labium curtly bowed and left the room. Chrysalis got up from her seat and stretched. I would say that the meeting went very well. Now all that is left to get through is the public announcement and the actual implementation of the plan. She glanced up at that the clock that was hanging above the door. It is about time for their lunch. Her horn glowed green and seven plates of food were teleported to a certain cell in the prisons. ~ “Everypony, the grub’s here!” Bottle Cap yelled. “This room ain’t that big. There’s no need to yell,” A pink female pegasus with a short brown mane grumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “Well, Soap Suds, somepony likes to sleep until noon and needs to be woken up.” Bottle Cap grinned. “I bucking hate you, Bottle Cap. Where is my food?" “I’m not your slave. Go get it yourself.” “Would you both shut up?” Crystal Dust scolded. Bottle Cap snickered, “Jeez, somepony is in a mood today.” “Sorry. I’m trying to think and you two are making it rather difficult.” “Hey Dusty, no worries. What are you doing trying to think on an empty stomach anyway?” Bottle Cap brought her a plate of apples and oats. “Hey! How come you’ll get her food?” Soap Suds whined. “Because she isn't annoying.” Bottle Cap replied. Another one of the captured ponies, an orange stallion with a dark blue mane spoke up, “And I thought it was obvious who he carried a torch for.” “Shut up Spoke.” Bottle Cap mumbled. “Getting defensive about it just proves my case.” Spoke said before digging into his own plate. “Whatever.” Bottle Cap said, ending the conversation. Everypony ate the rest of the meal in silence. When she finished, Crystal Dust went back to her cot and continued to think. Soap Suds stretched her wings the best that she could in the low ceilinged chamber. Spoke and Bottle Cap finished last, gathered the plates up, and put them by the door where they were out of the way until they disappeared with a green flash. “Thanks a lot.” Bottle Cap quietly said. “Any time.” Spoke replied, grinning. In response Bottle Cap shoved Spoke into the door. The force pushed open the unlocked door and Spoke tumbled out into the hallway. Author's Note Enjoy your chapter, guys.
The PrologueAuthor's Note This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic ever, so any comments, suggestions, and/or constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. I also realize that this "chapter" is painfully short, but it's only meant to be a very brief prologue. The Prologue Throughout Equestria history there has been many a skirmish with the Changeling race. Most of these conflicts were so brief and insignificant that there is not a textbook in the world that mentions them. A hooful of invasions, however, had enough of a degree of success to be mentioned in the history books, such as the set of clashes now known as the Founding Battles, which took place shortly after Equestria was founded by the three pony tribes. Even though the Changelings have made a very valiant effort to capture Equestria, every single one of their invasions have failed, including the Invasion of the South, during which this story takes place.
