The One Who Would Do Anything For Love

by Shooting Starshine

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark
Length: 2284

The changelings are back with an unquenchable thirst for revenge. After almost a year and a winter without proper sustenance, the changelings are mangy, paranoid and worst of all vicious. Only one remains well and fed: Chrysalis, and she has a plan.

Queen Chrysalis has been starving along with the rest of her species. The hunger is driving her mad, or at least it already did. She's insane. More so than she was before and she's got a plan to use Cadence and her magic to feed the Changelings forever. But the Cutie-Map has sent Twilight and the Mane six to save the day and make sure the Changelings never cause trouble again.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-08-18 23:38:05 UTC

A Quiet Day In

Twilight Sparkle having some "Twilight Time" in her castle. She was reading "Starswirl: An Autobiography", a book she had recently discovered in a bookshop in Manehattan. It was a surprise when she found a book that wasn't in her Starswirl collection, a dedicated half of her personal library. She was so focused on reading that nothing could distract her, that was until clink she heard the sound from across the room she turned her head to one of her ink wells to be slightly askew and next to it a grinning Applejack "Trick never fails" she said, "Hey, Paperback, what are you doing here?",

"Uh, Twilight? How long have you been reading that book?"

"Not long, just 32 hours"

"You don't look so, uh", Applejack paused to think, "rested",

"That's nonsense AJ! I haven't even got to the part where he banishes the sirens to the human world!"

"Well I'm sure these, hu-mans are really interesting, Twilight but this is more important!"

"Okay", Twilight sighed as she reluctantly closed the book with her horn and placed it on a crystal table, "What's so important?"

"Yer a bit shiny on yer flank", Applejack pointed to Twilight's cutie-mark with her hoof, which was glowing brightly. "Looks like the map wants ya, looks like the map wants all of us!" Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy all walk in and just like Twilight all of their flanks were aglow. Twilight's attention was brought to AJ's flank and it too was emitting light. To send all of them, the map must have a great challenge ahead for them.

Six cutie-marks flew around the Crystal Empire like a tornado. "Yes! I'm going to see my adoring fans!" Spike exclaimed, "No, no, Spike, you may be a hero but you need to be here at the castle in case of any emergencies" Twilight explained, "plus, is your cutie mark on there?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically. "Ohh, I guess you're right."

"Sorry sugar cube," Applejack apologised, "I'll bring you back some Crystal Empire sapphires"

"On the bright side I can invite Big Mac over to watch the hoof ball match!"

"That sounds really fun!" Pinkie said, she then whispered "Let's get out of here!".

Choo Choo Changeling

Trying to catch up on lost time, Twilight was reading Starswirl the Bearded: An Autobiography on the train to The Crystal Empire, Pinkie Pie was digging into a giant platter filled with cupcakes and Pies, Fluttershy was too shy to ask anyone for a seat so she was in the luggage compartment, Applejack was competing with Rainbowdash in "Extreme 'I spy'" and Rarity was complaining  about how dirty her seat was to a porter. "Um, that's a nice crystal you have." Fluttershy commented on the large hot-pink crystal in the luggage compartment to the passenger below her, "Oh, it's nothing", he said,"May I ask why you're up there?"

"Um, no reason."

"It looks uncomfortable up there, come sit with me." He said. Fluttershy gently flew down and hopped onto the chair. "The name's Entrée Parfait", he said. Entrée was a stout Pegasus with a brown coat and a plain combed-back, black mane and a short-cut tail. His cutie mark was a clean, white plate surrounded by five stars. "I'm a food critic. For my next review, I'm going to the Crystal Lobster, the fanciest restaurant in the Crystal Empire."

"That's nice."

"So, why are you going to the Empire, err-"

"My name's Fluttershy."

"Oh, that's a beautiful name, Fluttershy" Fluttershy blushed, "Thank you, Entrée"

"Please, just call me Ant"

"Oh, okay"

"So, what  are doing here?"

"It's a very important mission of friendship, I'm here with Princess Twilight Sparkle" Entrée's face grew dark for a second as he glanced over at Twilight, who had impaled her book with her horn after getting some well needed rest, but it went back to normal as soon as it had changed.

"Oh! What is this mission?" He asked "We... don't know"

"How so?"

"Well there's this magic map that sends us to wherever there's a problem and we go there"

"That's quite interesting." A Fluttershy heard a loud gasp behind her, "I that who I think it is?!" Rarity jumped up from her seat which was draped with a sheet. "Um", Fluttershy began, "It is!! It's Entrée Parfait!!"

"Huh?" Twilight said drowsily with a book hanging over her face, "What's happening?"

"Entrée Parfait is the greatest food critic ever! I only eat in restaurants he gives five stars." Twilight removed the book from her horn and glanced at the gem in the luggage compartment "Hey, is that pheliite?" she asked, "eye spy with my awesome eye-", Rainbow started "what's pheliite?"

"Pheliite is a rare crystal capable of absorbing and storing the energy created by love"

"Sorry, I asked" Rainbowdash went back to playing "Extreme 'I spy'". A couple seated behind Fluttershy and Entrée started laughing and as they did the gem started to glow. Entrée started to panic and started to glow green. Applejack glanced at what was currently occurring, "What in tarnation?"

"I think he's a glow-stick!" Piped up Pinkie Pie with a face coated in crumbs, "No, no! He's a superhero who can transform into a green monster! Or a-"

"CHANGELING!!" Screamed Rarity. The changeling that had been pretending to be Entrée Parfait hissed and smashed a hole in the window beside him and flew out with the pheliite in hoof. "Thank Celestia we found him out!" Exclaimed Twilight. Fluttershy looked like she might wait another year before making any new friends by herself.

The (Hilarious) Incident

"B.B.B.F.F!" Twilight exclaimed, "Li'l sis'!" Shining Armour replied "It's been so long since I've seen you, Twily!"

"I missed you Shining." Twilight said, "Where's Cadence?" She asked, "Oh", Shining Armour sighed, "She's sick with poison joke. Her wings have shrunk, her horn doesn't work and on top of that her cutie mark is now a-" he paused and then whispered something in Twilight's ear. "Oh, no!" Twilight gasped, "I thought our poison joke infections were bad!" A wave of agreement went through the small crowd behind her. "How did she get the infection?" Twilight asked. "Zecora came for an audience with the princesses and brought some tea with her. Apparently she accidentally took poison joke instead!"

"Did you say 'princesses?"

"Yeah, Celestia and Luna were there too." Shining Armour stifled a laugh, "Luna has taken over Celestia's duties. All of them but raising the sun."

"How is Celestia? Can I see her?"

"Not if you don't want nightmares!" Shining Armour shuddered, "Challenge accepted!" Rainbow Dash piped up, "Challenge? I'm in!" Applejack replied. "Her room's over there", Shining Armour pointed with his hoof to a large crystal door with two pegasi standing guard, "I won't stop you", the two ponies, one flying and one running took to the door and went in only to immediately and simultaneously leave with their backs against the door. "She's a princess", Rarity said "she can't look that bad!" She too walked into the princess' room but reacted just like the others. "Can we see Luna?" Twilight asked sounding exasperated. "Thankfully, Luna seems to have had the mildest effects. Just a shrinking and a slight lisp."

"Thank Celestia." Twilight sighed.

My Little Luna

Luna stood on a table in front of a giant magnifying glass to make her look the right size. "Greetingth!" She called to the mane six in the Royal Canterlot Voice for the sake of being heard, "What bringth you to the Crytsal Empire?" She queried, "We don't know, we just go where the map says." Twilight said, blushing slightly "Ah, yeth, I thaw it when I vithited your cathtle." Rainbow Dash sniggered but Pinkie gave her a glare.  From her experience, Pinkie knew how hard it was to have such large tongue. "We think it might have something to do with changelings." Rarity commented nonchalantly. "Changelingth?" Luna asked rhetorically, "Oh dear." Luna muttered. Fluttershy looked grim, probably lamenting on the train journey.

"We can't let Queen Chrythalith invade again!"

"I think you mean infest." Applejack said, looking a little pleased with herself. "Yeth", Luna said, slightly exasperated, "I think you should check the mineth firtht, that thould be the betht plathe to invethtigate."

"Thank you for your guidance, Luna", Twilight bowed and the Mane six filed out. As the door closed behind them, the muffled voice of Luna could be heard, "I would like thix thizzling thauthages with thauthe pleathe" she was probably talking to a servant. "Ooh! Lunch time!" Pinkie squealed, "Let's get Sombra Bean Burgers!"

"Ugh, fast food?" Rarity complained, "Why not go to the Crystal Lobster?" Fluttershy shook her head quite vigorously "How about The Hay Café?"

"Café? Bleh!", Rainbow Dash refused, "Why not Wonderbolt World?"

"Rainbow Dash" Twilight almost scolded, "You know that stuff's really unhealthy! Why not Read ''n' Eat?" The argument went on until they decided to eat at The Taste Of Appleloosa.

A Knight's Duties

Shining Armour placed the tray full of tasty Crystal Empire treats on the table beside Cadence with her horn hanging over her eyes and her wings the size of a dragonfly's and the mark on her flank that should not be mentioned. "How are you feeling, now, dear?" Cadence just replied with a moan. Shining Armour thought about how it must feel to have your magic drained. Absolutely debilitating judging by how Cadence was acting. Shining Armour walked up to her bedside and sat down. "Y'know Luna is quite busy, doing the work of three princesses. It's nice to see her shine after all this time." Only a grunt was returned, "Zecora says she'll get her potion ready and over here in only a few days. Right now she's just got to Ponyville." Cadence groaned. "Do you wanna hear about my day? Stop you feeling sorry for yourself, eh?" Cadence gave a groan, the way it raised in pitch at the end suggested a yes. "Well, where do I start? Ah hah. So I first get to Guard Duty and half the squad are on holiday! I must have approved them without thinking! I've been needing Luna to give me a dream appointment but I still haven't got round to it. So, with only half the guards on duty, I had to organise everything again, so that there aren't any places not being guarded and by then it was time to change the guard over! So, as the guards are changing, one of my stallions accidentally shoved a mare and she dropped her Bit purse, so, I'm chasing her down because I didn't notice until it was too late! And then there was a changeling that was detected! We had to deal with about twenty of them in one go! And then, thankfully Twilight and her friends appear but, they're saying they're on a mission or something." Cadence stayed silent. Shining Armour leaned in to Cadence and put up a magic shield. As the pink orb of privacy surrounded them, he leaned in closer to kiss Cadence but, the shield completed itself and what was in the bed was no longer Cadence, it was Queen Chrysalis. Since, no dark magic could exist within the barrier, the cloak was lifted and there was the twisted bug queen, laying in Cadence's bed. Shining Armour was filled with rage but then, nothing. Just a void of emptiness. Chrysalis had used a control spell. "That'll stop you telling those tiresome stories!" She cackled.

How To Get Love By Force

Princess Cadence woke up to the sight of green fire. She stood straight up and turned around but she was surrounded. All she could see was green, the colour of envy. As her vision came to focus she saw herself, "Hello, my name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can just call me Queen Chrysalis!." The doppelgänger in front of her transformed into the twisted form of Chrysalis. "You won't get away with this!" Cadence proclaimed, "Oh, but I will, darling, don't you remember last time? I'll just take your place, be more convincing, make sure no one finds out!"

"How can you feed a nation with just one pony? No matter how much he loves me, he would never be able to feed all your subjects!"

"Why do you think I have you here? Shining Armour is but a mere inconvenience to my plan. You have Amoremancy, the magic to control and produce love."

"Only your sick mind would believe I'd use it for you." Cadence spat. "Who said You had a choice? Every Unicorn and Alicorn has a magic capacity, an amount of magic they can handle before their body has to leak said magic so they don't go pop!" Chrysalis mimed an explosion with her hooves. "Get the pheliite!" Two changelings dragged a block of the pink crystal as tall as Celestia into the light of the fire surrounding Cadence. "You're crazy!"

"You're the one refusing to feed a dying species, Cadence. Who's crazier? Me? Or you?."

"This isn't right!"

"Oh, so you're finally seeing the fault in your actions?"

"You evil-" Chrysalis shot a bolt of pure magic at Cadence but she dodged it.

"Ha, you missed!"

"Don't forget who's in control, here." Chrysalis' horn glowed green and out from the green blaze shot out tendrils that wrapped around Cadence's legs, tail and horn. Cadence fell to the ground, writhing in agony. "Let's try this again" pure magic burst out of Chrysalis' horn and into Cadence's. Cadence screamed while Chrysalis laughed. She stopped after a few seconds and Cadence was twitching as lightning danced around her body. "Oh, you're almost fit to burst!" Chrysalis exclaimed gleefully, "Ready for round two?"