Author's Note
Well, guys, that's my old story originally named "Рождение Королевы" written in 2013 and my attempt to translate it into English. English isn't my native language, so if you find the mistakes, please let me know :)
The sequel of this story: "All for the Queen!"
The Rise of the Queen
In the dusky thicket of the Everfree forest where no even the bravest pony has ever set his hoof, there lived one remarkable race. The members of this race called themselves changelings. These rare beings disliked the sunlight, kept quiet corners, hiding in the brushwood. The caves were vital for them – they bred here. Emotions were the dainty for them. Yes, you heard that right – vibrant feelings and emotions of the surroundings. Unfortunately for the changelings, nopony dropped in at their forest, and as for their Queen named Imago she was too old to lead the campaign for the portion of joy or love of somepony else. So they ate scanty specimens of the vegetal life in the main: the bitter luminescent lichen and watery berries without taste and name.
Their only hope was the new Queen, young and strong. The time moved on, however, and from the cocoons, which the present Queen left in the depths of the caves, emerged only ordinary changelings, as similar as two drops of water. But one day the fortune took pity on their swarm, and the little princess, named Chrysalis, came on the scene.
Their long-awaited Princess was weak and tender, she grew so slowly. Her mother was really upset by this fact, for she had a difficult mission to transfer all her knowledge and skills to her daughter. As soon as Chrysalis takes the crown the future of the Imago’s subjects depend on her. Chrysalis took this situation heavily, too – it was her destiny to rule her subjects, after all. Besides, the young Princess was eaten up with the strange feeling that the other changelings couldn’t understand – she felt awfully lonely. We would say she missed the company of foals as old as she was, we would say she had to make some friends. But the ordinary, untitled changelings had come to this world as already adults. Where were no other foals in their swarm; and changelings actually had no word for friendship because of its uselessness.
Chrysalis was depressed by the permanent silent presence of her subjects and by the Imago’s boring lessons about what does belong to the next Queen to do and what doesn’t. No wonder that she began to leave her native forest, and her wanderings became longer and longer. However, she didn’t know she was always under the care of her people. Her mother knew all about this forbidden strolls. Queen Imago was angry with her daughter, but said nothing to her – maybe that passion for journeys would benefit her subjects later, who knows?
~***~
The Everfree forest was explored by Chrysalis backwards and forwards. It was very dangerous for the wanderers. Not for Chrysalis, who was born here, though. No creature would put a claw on the Changeling Princess.
There was an eternal twilight under a roof of twisted branches. Outside the forest was a field, however, multicolored flowers hidden in the green grass. Chrysalis wasn’t there yet. It was scary for her who lived the whole life in the half-light to make a step into bright afternoon sunlight. But the edge of a forest beckoned her…
Chrysalis crossed the line of the trees with her eyes squeezed shut and fell to the ground because of running into something… or into somechangeling.
“Ouch!” Two voices cried out in unison.
Princess Chrysalis opened her eyes instantly and saw a filly in front of her. The filly was as old as she was; she had bright violet eyes, pink coat, and mane of yellow, crimson and purple hairs in a ponytail on the back of her head. Moreover, she had wings and a horn just like Chrysalis. We would say she was an alicorn.
This is a pony! A little pony! The young Princess understood instantly. The real pony! One of those beings Chrysalis heard so much about! Then she realized the pony was regarding her with the same interest. For a moment, she felt uneasy because of her curved horn, her hooves full of holes and her translucent wings what never wanted to lift her up in the air. But only for a moment.
“Hi!” The unknown filly greeted Chrysalis cheerfully.
“Hi, if you’re not kidding me,” Chrysalis replied cautiously.
“My name is Princess Cadence, I’m visiting my aunt, Princess Celestia, in Canterlot,” the filly said without embarrassment.
“I’m Chrysalis, The Changeling Princess,” her interlocutor introduced herself with dignity, as the next Queen should do. “I’m living here,” she added quickly just to be objective.
“Chan-ge-ling?” Cadence repeated by syllables. “And who is it? I’ve never heard about them before.”
“We can take the shape of other living beings,” Chrysalis explained.
“Really?” The alicorn Princess squinted slyly. "Prove it!"
“So you don’t believe me?” Chrysalis snorted to herself. In the same flash of time, Cadence gasped with delight as she saw the faithful copy of her. It became clear, but faded at once, trembling like the air in the heat of July. This trick took only seconds, and Cadence saw Changeling Princess again, gasping for the air, her legs shook.
“That’s still hard for me,” Chrysalis explained, as she caught her breath. “I’m… I’m growing up very slow, my mother says so.”
“That's nothing. When you’re older you will master your magic to the full,” comforted Cadence her new friend. Judging by her edifying tone, she was quoting some grown-up pony, maybe even Princess Celestia herself.
“How do you think, that a cutie mark you’ll get?” She asked to amuse Chrysalis from her unpleasant thoughts.
“We have no cutie marks,” Chrysalis snapped immediately; the word was a new one for her, and she didn’t want to show Cadence her ignorance. This Princess must think she’s a silly child.
“Oh, so you don’t know that the cutie mark is, do you?” Cadence chirped. “That’s a pony’s very own mark. We have marks on our flanks. We earn them, then we find out that our main talent is. My aunt Celestia says everypony get it, eventually, the main thing is not to despair and to wait patiently. I was waiting so long for mine, but now it’s here, look!”
Chrysalis gave pink filly’s croup a side look. The Cadence’s cutie mark was an image of a light-blue, heart-shaped gem enchased in gold.
“How did you get here?” Chrysalis asked. “Did you fly from Canterlot?”
“Of course I didn’t!” Cadence laughed. Her laugh was just like a ring of the crystal bells. “Today is the Summer Sun Celebration! My aunt Celestia raised the sun before thousands of our subjects. The ceremony took the place in Ponyville this time. Ponyville is very close to Everfree forest, you could travel there on your foot. The holiday for the citizens will take the rest of the day. And as for the royals – we have this ceremonial dinner, ugh, that is sooo boring! So I just disappeared for a while. I want to travel the world. I can’t always sit under aunt Celestia’s wing, right? I haven’t seen my country, except Canterlot and Ponyville.”
“Raised the sun?” Chrysalis repeated. That was the only thing she could catch from the stream of the young Princess’s words.
“But, yes. Why does this surprise you so much? Or the creatures of the Everfree don’t know about this?”
“The Everfree is a very special place. It lives its own life,” Chrysalis announced, her voice grew serious. “It’s very dangerous for the strangers. Only the one who was born in the Everfree can feel here safe…”
“Tell me more about your home,” the pink alicorn asked.
“I’ll tell you about Everfree only if you will tell me about Cantelot!” Chrysalis laughed.
The young fillies spend this day talking and playing merrily. This was the first time Chrysalis discovered games, which were ordinary for the young ponies, such as hide-and-seek and tag. Cadence didn’t reproach Changeling Princess with her ignorance of these simple things; she explained Chrysalis the rules of every new game patiently and, to be honest, sometimes she even loosed purposely to let her new friend win one more time.
When the sun began to go down, Cadence sighed sadly. “I’ve got to go. I suppose my aunt Celestia had noticed my absence already.”
“You’ll get plenty of punishment, will you?” Chrysalis asked with sympathy. She knew what the real punishment was; what was no wonder since her mother was very strict with Chrysalis hoping to harden her daughter’s heart.
“I don’t think so. I just don’t want to bother her,” Cadence replied simply.
They both kept quiet.
“Well, I must go. Thank you for this great day,” the pink filly broke the silence.
“Thank you too,” the black one echoed.
“I wish we’ll meet again someday,” Cadence said with embarrassment.
“Do you really want to meet me again?” Chrysalis looked at her, surprised.
“Of course I do!” The alicorn filly laughed. “I’ll miss you. We are friends now, you know. You are my friend, and I am your friend. You can always count on me.”
“We are friends? Yes… surely…” Chrysalis stammered. A friend. This was such a wonderful word which meant Cadence.
“See you later!” Cadence shouted, resolving this situation. With this, she turned around and cantered back to Ponyville.
Chrysalis was looking after her a long time; Cadence’s pink figure with her multicolored main and tail fluttering in the wind grew smaller, and the Changeling Princess thought she wanted to remember this image for the rest of her life. Then she turned her muzzle to the forest and headed to the thicket.
The tall black shadow, which was following the Princess all this day long, hiding in the nearby bushes, began to move too. The shadow could not hurry. It will outrun the short-legged Chrysalis anyway.
~***~
Chrysalis was running through the windfall like a whirlwind. She was so impressed by her new acquaintance she felt for a minute her hooves were off the ground. How could it be? Or she finally took off? Chrysalis looked over her shoulder to see her wings still folded on her back. But even this disappointing discovery couldn’t overshadow her rainbow-colored mood.
She saw a pony, a real pony, and not an ordinary pony, but a princess! They were talking and playing together! That pony called Chrysalis a friend! She said she will miss Chrysalis!
Her mother always repeated her no good could come from ponies. Ponies are running away as they see your curved horn, your fangs and hooves full of holes. They answer the only purpose – to swallow their feelings. All of this wasn’t true!
The young Princess was overwhelmed with emotions. She needed to share her happiness with her mother, her closest being, even though she has always been so stiff and cold.
Queen Imago was lying on her throne covered with the moss and the spider web, her appearance stately.
“Your Majesty, mother, I need to tell you something very important. I met such a wonderful creature today…” Chrysalis, dying of awe and choking with delight at the same time, told her mother about her meeting with Cadence.
“We would like to meet again, may we?”
Queen Imago nodded with favor. “Why not?” She said. “I think she could teach you something.”
“Really?” Chrysalis jumped to her hooves with delight. She has already begun to think already she will be forbidden to meet with her new friend, and now – such a luck! So she bounced away, shouting “Thank you! Thank you!” with every jump; behavior of that sort did not belong to the Princess, obviously. Queen Imago followed her daughter with her eyes. You could interpret her stare as you wished.
~***~
She was waiting for the next meeting so impatiently like for no one event in her short life, counting the days. Leaving her thicket every morning, she was watching the road to Ponyville, in spite of the weather. Sometimes she thought it was a good idea to reach Ponyville, and from Ponyville she could get to Canterlot, where Cadence lived. If all the ponies were so nice and friendly, just like her friend, it would be no trouble for Chrysalis to find the pink alicorn filly. Everypony would show her the right way with pleasure.
But this plan remained only her dream. In the reality, something deep inside Chrysalis kept her in her forest, not letting her leave the line of the trees. There was only thing remaining for the young changeling – waiting, until Cadence decided to visit her.
Lying under the spreading bush on the Everfree’s border one morning, Chrysalis felt her heart struck heavily. It knew who was heading to the Everfree, it knew that earlier, than Chrysalis herself.
“Hi!” Chrysalis shouted, jumping to her hooves, nearly gasping with excitement. “I waited for you here every day!”
Her so long-awaited guest was not alone. Two foals – the pegasus colt and the unicorn filly, flanked her, they were similar like twins. They both had curled mains and stiff expressions.
“Ah, Cadence, did you tell us about her?” the unicorn filly wrinkled her nose. “I can't think what you saw in her? Look at her horn! That is simply terrible! And what about her fangs and main? What a bad taste!”
“And what about her hooves?” the colt added. “Why are they looking like this? Did mice gnaw through them? ”
“But… but I… Cadence, why don’t you say a word?” Poor Chrysalis cried, making a step back. She felt like those foals threw icy water on her. All the joy of seeing her long-awaited friend melted instantly. “We are friends after all! We are…”
“A royal person like her wouldn't care to have anything to do with such a commoner like you!” The unicorn filly snapped.
“I’m not a commoner!” Chrysalis snorted. “I’m the Next Queen of Changelings and I demand for the appropriate treatment!”
“Come on! You look like a rotten branch, not like a queen! Go on the swamp and rule frogs and gnats there!” The Pegasus snorted.
“Cadence, please tell them something!” Chrysalis pleaded, looking at her friend imploringly. Requesting protection wasn’t royal, but then she totally forgot about who she was. Cadence, however, withdrew her eyes and said with a muffled voice, which sounded not like hers. “No. They are right. Everything what happened with us was a mistake. I’ll never be friends with somepony like you.”
Chrysalis couldn’t bare the last part. She turned over, sobbing, and run home, to the forest, with hot tears in her eyes, hearing the foals hooting. Her little heart filled with happiness only moments ago squeezed so bad it could stop beating right now. Away from here!
If she could find the strength to turn back, she would see something very interesting and important. The silhouettes of Cadence and foals escorting her began to wobble, changing…
“We’ll see what you will say about friendship now, my daughter!” Queen Imago laughed, throwing off the form of the pink alicorn filly like the carnival costume she was tired of. Two foals who escorted the ‘Princess’ were enveloped with green flames. Two changelings crouched on each side of the Queen, showing their fangs in the grins of pleasure.
~***~
The world that seemed so safe and unshakable can change in one moment. It seemed to Chrysalis, she was running this way overflowed with happiness thousand years ago. Now she wanted only to hide somewhere to shed her tears. Crying wasn’t royal, but what else could the poor humiliated filly do?
Only in the thicket Chrysalis could afford this little weakness. Tears flowed down her wrinkled muzzle, disappearing in the thick carpet of the moss. As she suddenly realized something, she stopped crying and sat down, straightening her shoulders proudly. Her eyes were glowing green. It seemed to her she finally knew how to help her in her trouble. She should be patient. She will grow up, she will be big and strong, and she will teach how to handle with her magic. And then they’ll regret. They will remember about her, Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen!
So Queen Imago got her wish finally.
~***~
She had to wait for years. Chrysalis visited Canterlot many times, pretending to be other ponies, walked through its streets, sipping the cocktail consisting of the citizen’s feelings … and looking for her. She heard snatches of their conversations, and so she learned about the coming wedding of Princess Cadence and somepony named Shining Armor. Then her long-awaited time to shine finally came.
Cadence freeze in horror as she saw a black changeling entering her apartments.
“Well, well, so we met again, Princess! Judging by your frightened look, you don’t remember me, do you?”
“Chrysalis! I’m so glad to see you again,” Cadence breathed, recognizing her old acquaintance in the uninvited guest.
“Oh, it sounds so false, my dear Princess! Did you forget how we met for the last time?” Chrysalis bared her fangs.
“Oh yes! I’m so sorry, I broke my promise. I couldn’t meet you… My aunt Celestia was so scared by my escape, so I was forbidden to leave Canterlot after that incident… How did you get here? And why are you here? D-do you want to congratulate me on my wedding?” Cadence asked with hope in her voice.
“I’m here to get something what is rightfully mine!”
The green flash… And Cadence dropped into darkness. To find herself in the Canterlot catacombs later.
