In the land of Equestria, the alicorn princess named Mi amora cadenza, better known as Princess Cadence, defeated a creature of darkness with her love for her fiancée, Shining Armor and with the help of the elements of harmony. The princess was happily married, and ruled her kingdom, the crystal empire. She thought the changelings and their nefarious queen Chrysalis, but what the pony of love didn't know was they were closer than she thought.
As the alicorn Cadence held her newborn foal, she smiled. The baby had pink fur and a yellow, purple, and pink mane that fell into curls. She was a alicorn and looked almost exactly like her mother, except she had her father's blue eyes. "Hello, my little princess." Shining Armor whispered. The filly didn't do anything, just looked into his eyes and scrunched up her own in confusion. "What should we name her?" Shining asked. "I want to name her Skyla, that was my mother's name." Cadence said. Princess Skyla looked between her parents and saw a pink aura surrounding the couple as they looked at each other. This aura was very powerful and the baby felt very full suddenly. Her parents, however, felt very weak all the sudden, but that didn't get in the way of their love for their newborn daughter, and that was one of the worst things they could've done
The new born princess was celebrated by the crystal ponies, the villagers of the crystal empire. They loved their new ruler and that made the crystal heart glow and spin. Princess Skyla gave a small "oh" in wonder of the sparkling relic. No pony noticed her eyes glow green for a few seconds, then back to sapphire blue. The baby started to sob and cry when she was taken away from the heart.
The royal family went to Canterlot to show the new princess to the rest of the alicorns. Celestia and Luna were overjoyed to see Skyla, but their happiness combined could not match that of Twilight Sparkle's. She was shedding "liquid pride" as she cradled her little niece with her magic. Skyla giggled with delight as she felt a warm sensation inside her. But, Twilight suddenly was swaying and she fell to the ground. Skyla was still tightly encased in magic and squealed with surprise. Cadence quickly elevated her child onto her own back and she and Shining raced over to Twilight. "Twilie! Are you ok?" Shining said, helping his little sister up. "I'm okay" Twilight said, weakly. "It was strange.. It was just like.." The aunt looked at her niece. "Like what?" Cadence asked. "Oh, nothing. oh, also.. I have a surprise for you two!" Twilight said, brightly suddenly. "What is it?" Shining asked, levitating Skyla closer. "I'm pregnant!" Twilight cried. Candace screamed and the mares started jumping up and down together. Shining just stood there, jaw open. "What?" He said, dryly.
5 years later, Princess Skyla flew around with her wings, while a young 4 year old orange unicorn with a purple and violet wavy mane chased after her. "Skyla! Wait up!" She giggled, trying to reach the alicorn. Skyla stopped and flew to the ground. "The point of tag is to try to run or fly away from the other pony, Fable!" She said. Fable Sparkle, daughter of Princess Twilight and Flash Sentry, looked annoyed at her older cousin. "You said you would read to me when we were done with the last game!" She pouted. "Fine! We can read your silly book!" Skyla laughed. The unicorn started to levitate a book, but it only went for a few centimeters before dropping to the ground. Skyla used her own magic to bring it to her and Fable stared at her, envious. "I wish I could do magic.." The filly sighed. "You'll get there eventually" Her cousin said, bringing the foal close to her. Skyla felt a familiar sensation pass through her, she shut her eyes and thought to herself
Stop it! Why can't I stop it?!
"Skyla.." Fable yawned. "I'm sleepy.. Don't feel good." She said. "I… I understand if you want some rest then! Don't let me stop you!" Skyla laughed nervously. "Nah, I want to stay here, with you!" Fable giggled. "I don't want anything to make you more sick, that's all!" Her cousin huffed, trying not to drain any more energy from the filly. Fable closed her eyes and yawned. "Fable! Please go away!" Skyla protested, trying in vain to shake her awake. The princess still felt the intense, almost unbearable, energy draining from the small unicorn. Skyla pushed the filly away, but the energy still came to her. She backed away until her body touched cool glass. Skyla gasped and turned to a mirror. Instead of herself, a horrifying alicorn stared back, but it was not a pony. It was a filly with a sleek black body with holes in it. She had beadle green eyes and cobwebby curls for her mane. Skyla screamed and the door burst open. Shining Armor, Cadence, and Twilight ran into the room. Twilight gasped at the sight of Fable, sleeping on the ground and ran to her. Cadence went to her daughter and Shining Armor helped try to wake his niece. Skyla was hyperventilating and staring at the mirror but only saw the princess she saw every day. "Honey, are you okay?" Cadence asked, hugging her close. "Mom, What do I look like?" The filly whispered, trembling. Cadence, Twilight, and Shining stared at Skyla. "You look… Normal?" Shining said, raising a eyebrow. Skyla glanced back at the mirror, to reassure herself then looked back at the ponies. "Mommy?" Fable asked, finally awake. Twilight exhaled and hugged her child. The little unicorn looked at her older cousin and frowned. Skyla gulped. Had she seen it? Would she tell? "You silly pony! You didn't wake me up! Did I drool on you?" Fable laughed. "Er, sorry!" Skyla said, nervously. "That's ok!" Her cousin giggled. "Skyla, are you sure you're okay? Do you know what happened to Fable?" Twilight asked, concerned for the safety of both her niece and daughter.
Don't you know I'm draining energy from you too? Skyla thought.
"No, I-I don't know what happened, she just fell asleep…" Skyla murmured. "I was just sleepy!" Fable said. Twilight looked straight at Skyla. "I see.." She said. "Cadence, Shining, shall we continue planning the crystal fair? The others have a few ideas." Twilight said, looking to her brother and sister in law and they walked out the door. "Others?" The young alicorn asked Fable. "The elements of harmony!" Her cousin cried with delight. "Oh, of course" Skyla remembered her mother telling her the story of how the elements had used a lot of things to beat the changelings, she gulped at how her reflection from earlier had looked just like the evil queen in her mother's story. She shuddered at the thought of Queen Chrysalis, but even more at the little filly she had seen in the mirror. "Skyla? You're shaking!" Fable gasped. "What? I'm fine!" The princess tried to assured her. "You know I'm a princess of friendship, right? I can almost tell when someone isn't using a element!" Her cousin said, almost as if reprimanding Skyla. "Err, I have to get something from my room" The filly coughed. Without waiting for her cousin to reply, she ran up the stairs.
Skyla lay on her bed, trying to understand why this was happening. "Why do I keep taking my family's energy? Why do I take every ponies energy?" The princess asked herself. She looked in her own mirror and thought
I wish I could be some pony else!
Suddenly she was engulfed in green flames and saw the changeling alicorn again. Skyla gasped and realized it wasn't just the mirror, she was a changeling, a real changeling. "No…" The changeling whispered. "I'm the enemy.. I'm a monster!" She sobbed.
"No! No, no, no!" Skyla gasped. The little changeling in the mirror was still there. "I'm good! I'm good! I'm not a changeling! I can't be!" She choked out. Skyla realized that this must be the reason ponies were weak around her. Their love came to her. But why had it only come now?
"I have to get out of here!" She cried, remembering the stories her parents battle with the changelings so many years ago. At first, she adored the wonderful tales of her aunt Twilight not being fooled by the evil queen's disguise as Skyla's mother and rushing to the rescue of the real princess of love! She used to sit in awe, listening to how her parents used their love to banish all the changelings and giggle at the element of laughter's weapon, but now she shivered as she thought of the party cannon.
Sneaking in the shadows, no one knew of the small changeling. Princess Skyla frowned. She didn't know how to change back to her filly form, how was she suppose to get out? Plus, it didn't help that her stomach was growling.
I need love… But how to get it? She asked.
So many questions still not answered, the girl almost screamed at the opening of a door nearby. It wasn't a guard, it was worse, the element of generosity, Rarity came out. Skyla was still well hidden, but really scared. As Rarity walked nearer, the changeling felt her mind grow blank and a young preteen unicorn appeared in her mind. The filly had snow white fur, like Rarity, and light pink and purple curls with jade green eyes, and also had a colorful shield with a music note in it for a cutie mark. Before Skyla got a moment to wonder who this mysterious girl was, she saw a flash of green and gave a whispered gasp. She was only a few inches taller and had white fur, she had turned into the filly from her head. She looked around. Well, at least now she had a disguise. Now, as the preteen unicorn, Skyla snuck out of the shadows and was about to walk away, when she heard a gasp. "S-sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked. The fake filly turned to face the mare. Suddenly, she felt an almost overwhelming amount of love pour into her. "Sweetie Belle.. What are you doing here?" Rarity asked, tears welling in her eyes. "What do you mean? I came to see you!" The fake Sweetie Belle said, nervously. "You said you never wanted to see me again!" Rarity choked in a happy sob, and without warning, embraced her sister. Still feeling the love, Skyla continued to act. "It's all in the past now." She whispered. Suddenly Rarity pushed her back. "No.. You said that you could never forgive me, for what I did to you." She said, looking puzzled. "I.. Still love you, no matter what!" The girl chuckled, nervously. "Okay.. Sweetie, are you living a full life with Pip? Is it really all that you hoped?" Rarity said, narrowing her eyebrows. "Sure is!" The mare said. "How are Applebloom and Scootaloo?" Rarity asked.
Who are these all ponies? Skyla thought.
"We lost touch." She hurried out. Rarity's horn glowed and Skyla found she couldn't hardly breath. "Who are you?! How dare you pose as my sister! Sweetie Belle was upset because I wouldn't allow her to date Button Mash so she ran away, and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo have their destinies intertwined with hers so they stay at her side!" Rarity yelled. The door swung open and the rest of the elements with Cadence and Shining Armor ran out. The ponies were mortified at the sight of Rarity shouting at her own little sister who was gasping for air above her. "What in the hay are you doing, Rarity?!" Applejack called. Rarity growled at her, then released the choking mare. "That's not Sweetie Belle! It's a changeling!" She yelled. "What's going on?" A soft voice asked from behind the group. The ponies turned to see Fable peeking through the doorway. When she glanced at the fake mare sprawled on the ground, she gasped. The kind filly ran to the fake Sweetie Belle when she changed into princess Twilight Sparkle. The ponies gasped and Fable ran back to her real mother and the elements of harmony who shielded their princess. Skyla stood, a bit surprised about being so tall. Though she might not be related, the filly was still cared about in the changeling's heart, so she tried to calm the ponies. "I- I don't know what's going on! Please believe me!" The alicorn double cried. Suddenly, a crystal guard came rushing down the stairs. "Your majesties! Princess Skyla is gone! We can't find her anywhere!" He said, addressing Shining Armor and Cadence. Shining turned to the trembling changeling. "Where's my daughter?!" He yelled. Fable stepped out of her shield of ponies. The filly had anger burning in her eyes, a look Skyla had never seen in her, hatred. Then the only pony Skyla truly loved, despised her. "How dare you!" The filly screamed at the changeling. "Where is my cousin!? What have you done!?" She yelled, stepping closer to her mother's double. At that moment, Skyla saw her filly self instead of Twilight as the child's most loved, still having no control over her new power, she turned right back to her pony self, but her own cousin only stared in disbelief. "Fable! Don't you see? I'm-" Skyla started to explain. "I see a changeling! Something that has haunted my nightmares! I see a monster!" Fable yelled, tears streaming down her face. "But.. You love me!" Skyla gasped. "I'll never love something as evil as you!" Fable softly spoke. The filly looked straight into her secretly cousins eyes. "Now, where is princess Skyla" she asked, still softly. The changeling felt her own love for any pony drain away, she realized that the only pony she truly loved, was going against her. Her heart shattered, and the empty space filled with anger, fear, disgust, and hatred. "Your princess?" She whispered, staring into the filly's innocent eyes. She grabbed the child's chin and laughed at the fear in her eyes. "She's gone" she whispered, then threw the filly away. The guards grabbed Skyla on either side, but she was still laughing. "Did you hear me, you poor fools? She's gone!" She yelled at the adults. Then she looked straight into her parents eyes. "And she's NEVER coming back." She growled.
Deep within the caves of the changelings, their queen laughed at her enemies fear though a crystal gazing ball . "Oh, my dear Cadence, your little brat will come in handy, or should I say my little brat? No pony will be able to stop that princess when I get ahold of her." Chrysalis chuckled. "Not even you and your precious friends, Twilight." She added, stealing a look at the elements of harmony, which were trying to comfort their filly princess. "No pony." She whispered, gazing at her little prodigy trying to escape the guard
