To Give One's Love

Chapters

Isolation
The Choice
Maternal Instinct
One, now Two
The Return of a Mother

Isolation

A single, solitary creature made her way across the vast, seemingly unending expanse of white.

She was not a monster, and yet, neither was she a pony.

She had hooves, yes, as well as a mane and tail and four legs. She even had wings and a horn, the telltale signs of royalty in the land of Equestria, and yet, she was no alicorn.

The proof of this took the form of the insect like wings on her back, the twisted, wicked looking horn on her head, and the many holes that seemed to run up and down her leg. These features, to the untrained eye, made her legs look like Swiss cheese. She also had a lone fang protruding from her mouth as well.

She sported an obsidian colored coat that accentuated the dark green color of her eyes. Her pupils were not the usual type. What would be a normal pony pupil, big and innocent and cute-looking, was for her and others of her kind, a slit shaped, almost cat like eye that dilated depending on her emotions.

She was a changeling, a race of shape-shifting creatures that were more bug than pony. They fed off the love of others, sucking it from their bodies and using it as sustenance to fill their bellies. However, she was no ordinary changeling.

She was...the changeling queen. She was queen Chrysalis. And right now, she was not happy.

Those loathsome princesses had banished her to the desert, and even now, as she baked in the burning sun, sweating profusely as her strength slowly left her body, she cursed them and their kingdom, mentally wishing things upon them that would surprise even her if said aloud.

She had been walking for no more than half a day since her banishment first began, and already she was feeling drained of almost all her power.

She had not eaten since morning and she was in desperate need of some love to feast on. Or, at the very least, some hay.

Contrary to popular belief, changelings could eat more than just love. They also ate hay and other things. Love was just...their preferred dietary choice. It gave them power. Made them feel...stronger, faster, more agile. It was like...a jolt of tasty energy.

She desperately wished a pony would walk by, so she could sneak up on them and steal their love. She would take as much as necessary to fill her rumbling stomach, even if the pony lost the ability to love altogether. She was just that hungry.

It seemed that her prayers were answered when a lone pony stumbled out in front of her, seemingly disoriented and weak form the heat. The pony wore a bundled cloth on his head and a thin cloak that covered his flank and hid his cutie mark.

Chrysalis found herself wondering what sort of pony would be out in this scorching heat. 'Why is that pony wearing such a thin cloak? It was no wonder they were nearly toppling over from exhaustion'

No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when it was thrown away as she shook her head and looked over at her helpless victim. She trotted over to the pony and bent down to sniff him. She was finally going to get her meal.

'After all this time.' She thought as she licked her lips in anticipation, opening her mouth and revealing her fangs.

She was about to begin sucking the love from her unsuspecting captive when a strong wind blew, forcing her to shield her face from the dust and debris that threatened to either blind her or blow her away. When she looked back to her would-be food, She saw that the wind had blown off its hat. She could now see the pony's face clearly. Not that she had been trying to before, of course.

She saw that it was a stallion. Or at least that's what she assumed given his well defined facial features.

He was a tan Pegasus stallion with a blonde mane and tail. Tan wings were folded at his sides, covered in dirt and dust from his time in the unforgiving desert.

She took a look at his face.

It too, was in much the same shape as his wings. Covered in dirt and dust and grit. His eyes were closed

Despite her efforts to try and fight them, Chrysalis' motherly instincts kicked in. She put her ear to his chest to check if he was breathing.

Sure enough, the slight rise and fall of his chest told her that he was alright, just simply sleeping.

She breathed a sigh of relief and slung him onto her back, looking to carry him to safety. She picked up the pony's strange hat and placed it on her own head, trying to keep the sun away from her as much as possible.

After quite a ways of walking, she found a cave and decided to lay him down inside of it. She set him down gently onto the ground of the cave and trotted over to a corner of it to get her own sleep.

Author's Note

This is only my second fic. It's one that's been bothering me all week, so I decided to write it down. Or in this case type it up, I suppose? Anyway, Enjoy!

The Choice

As she slept, she dreamed.

Or was it more like a nightmare?

There she stood, defeated, bloody and broken inside of a cell deep underneath Canterlot castle.

Her attempt to ruled Equestria foiled, she was imprisoned and was now waiting for the moment she would face the princesses to receive her sentencing.

She groaned, more from frustration than the pain she felt all over her body. She had bruises everywhere from her face to her hooves thanks to the beating she had taken from the elements of harmony.

She narrowed her eyes. How dare they do this to her! She was the queen! She could not be defeated by mere ponies! Yet here she was, battered and beaten and wallowing in shame while sitting in a cold, dark and empty dungeon. It was so pathetic she almost laughed at the thought.

As she sat on her haunches, playing with the iron bars that made up the gate of her prison, she heard the sound of footsteps coming toward her.

"Queen Chrysalis of the changeling hive, you are to come with us." Said a castle guard as he stared into the eyes of the insect like creature that was the object of his princess' attention. "The princesses wish to see you."

Chrysalis huffed as she was escorted down the hall and up to the princess' chambers.

Once there, the guards stood on either side of the door as she entered. She stood tall in front of them, unwilling to show them any sign of fear or or disgrace.

Celestia spoke up first, saying, "Hello chrysalis. How are you feeling?"

Chrysalis puffed out her chest proudly. "I'm fine, thank you."

Celestia continued. "I assume you know why I have asked you here?"

Chrysalis grew annoyed at Celestia's dragging out her punishment. "Yes, yes, now get on with it." She said, raising her voice slightly.

"Very well then. If you insist."

Celestia closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was as if the atmosphere had instantly changed. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously. There was no longer any room for formalities. Celestia...was dead serious.

If this were anypony else, they would have shrank back at the sight of the angry princess. But this was not a regular pony. This was chrysalis.

"Queen Chrysalis. You have wronged my people. For this crime, you shall be gravely punished." Celestia said in a cold, calm, even tone as she glared down at the creature before her. The vile, wicked, evil creature who sought to do harm to her beloved subjects. She had to be dealt with. But celestia was not a killer. She did not believe that the death of another would bring peace. She closed her eyes again

'Death only brings more death.' she thought as she remembered a lesson taught to her by her own mother years ago.

She opened her eyes again. Here was a mother, so desperately in need of love for both herself and her children, that she would go to any lengths, even give her own life for the sake of her children. In a way, she was just like her.

She decided that she would do something...a little different.

She heard her sister Luna's voice from beside her. "What is your decision sister?"

Celestia looked to her sister, and then to Chrysalis. suddenly, to the shock of everyone present given the situation, she smiled.

"My decision is to banish her."

Everyone looked at the princess in disbelief. Had she gone mad? Surely she would rather kill the villainous monster and be done with it. They knew Celestia was kind and merciful, but even she had to have a breaking point, right?

Chysalis was shocked as well. She was just as sure she would be killed as they were. She had even prepared for it, telling herself that as long as her children survived, she would be fine.

Princess Luna looked at her sister in confusion. "Are you certain, sister? Surely you would rather have her executed for her heinous crime?"

Celestia only turned her smile on her sister. "No Luna. I would not. Did I kill you when you betrayed me and took on the mantle of NIghtmare Moon?"

Luna fell silent. She had to admit, her sister had a point. Even she now knew that not all peace could be achieved with force. She cursed herself for having forgotten the lesson her sister fought so hard to teach her. "I am...sorry sister."

Celestia smiled wider now. "It's quite alright. Now then..." She turned her gaze back to Chrysalis, happiness in her tone.

"Back to you."

Chrysalis, who had been checking her hooves for dirt, now returned her attention to the princess.

"As I said, I have decided to banish you. You will spend an entire month in the deserts far outside either of our kingdoms. You may return to your kingdom eventually, but only on one condition."

Chrysalis huffed again. "And what condition would that be?"

Celestia's smile returned to normal, her eyes showing a great compassion and hope for the changeling.

"You will have to change your ways. Only then can you return to your kingdom."

Chrysalis laughed. "Me? Change my ways? Who do you think I am? I am queen Chrysalis! I will never give in to you!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Celestia added quickly. "If you don't change your was within the month, you will leave me no choice but to execute you."

Chrysalis froze. Her body shook at the thought of the pain she had felt when she had first been defeated. She did not want to feel that again. She did not want to die. If she had a chance to get out of this alive, to return to her children in the hive, she had to take it.

"I...understand."

Celestia heard her and walked up to her, smiling still. "Good."

She activated her magic and created a transportation portal to send Chrysalis off. The changeling walked up to it and jumped inside, the vortex of the spell spinning her as she dropped into the portal, screaming. "Ahhhh!"

"Ahhhh!" Chrysalis woke up from her dream, screaming. She looked around quickly to see where she was, then she remembered. "Oh yeah that's right! I saved a stallion from death." She looked herself over and noticed that she had been sweating. "It must be from that dream." She said, narrowing her eyes. "Cursed Celestia. i'll be beack one day, and when I do, i'll-"

"You'll what?" All of a sudden a stallion's voice rang out from right beside her. "What are you talking about?"

Chrysalis looked to her right and saw the tan and blonde stallion she saved. She jumped, startled."Y-you! What are you doing here?"

Maternal Instinct

The tan and blonde stallion looked confused at the statement he'd just heard. "Well, you just said it yourself didn't you? You saved me."

Chrysalis rubbed the back of her head, chuckling. "Oh, that's right. I did." Then something occurred to her. She had been asleep, and she was sure he had been asleep when she brought him inside the cave. If he'd woke up before she did then...

"Were you watching me sleep?"

The stallion stopped in his tracks. He looked at her. "Well, yes. I woke up an hour before you did. You were tossing and turning in your sleep, so..."

Chrysalis cocked an eyebrow. "So?"

"So I held your hoof to calm you down..."

Chrysalis looked at the stallion, then at her hooves. 'He...touched me? A pony...touched me?'

Chrysalis exploded in rage. "You filthy peasant! How dare you lay a hoof on me! Do you know who I am?"

The stallion flinched. This mare was scary. "N-no i don't. I don't know!"

Chrysalis backed away from the male, puffed out her chest, and placed a hoof to her heart, saying in a haughty tone, "I am Chrysalis. Queen of the changelings!"

The insect queen looked at the stallion, gauging his reaction. He had an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Queen of the what now?" He said to her, still looking confused.

Chrysalis was shocked. How had he not heard of her? She was a queen after all. "Changelings? A race of bug like ponies with wings and a horn?"

"Nope. Never heard of them." The blonde pony answered.

The changeling reared up at him. She was about to suck the love out of him right then and there when...

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" The blond pony dropped onto his belly in pain.

Once again, Chrysalis' motherly instincts kicked in involuntarily. She found herself deeply worried about the stallion's well-being. She didn't want to see him hurt like that. It made her heart hurt.

She looked him over, worry plastered on her face like a stamp.

When she saw what was hurting him, she came closer.

His leg was bruised and sprained.

"Oh no...your leg... It's injured..." She immediately started thinking of ways she could help him, while a voice in the back of her mind admonished her.

'Why am I helping this poor excuse for a stallion? It's not like I care whether he lives or dies. He is my food, nothing more.'

Yet, even as she thought that, there was another voice, encouraging her.

'You're helping him because he needs help. He's alone and in pain with no one to keep him company. No one to trust. You're the only one who can help him. You're a mother, Chrysalis. It's in your nature.'

As that internal conflict was going on, she was thinking of ways to help the poor pony before her. She could fashion a brace using twigs and some leaves or something, but this was a desert, not a forest, and there were no signs of civilization as far as the eye can see. She had no choice. she would have to ask him.

"Excuse me. Sorry I do not know your name. Is there anywhere here where I can get medical supplies?"

" My name's True Wind. Th-There's a camp a little ways away from here." The stallion said through pained sobs.

All of a sudden, Chrysalis understood why the stallion had popped up in front of her only a day before. He was a part of a group that was near where she had been. He must have gotten lost or something.

She knew what she had to do. She couldn't let him move from this spot. His leg may not be broken, but straining it may cause lasting injury of some kind of he's not careful, which she was going to make extra sure he was being.

She told him to stay put as she went. He protested quite a bit and she understood why, but she had to go. So she told him so.

After he relented, she made her way across the desert toward the camp, making sure to follow the way he told her to.

When she got there, which took her a day to do. she heard voices coming from the tents that made up the camp.

It was not a particularly militant looking place, so she thought if she just asked, they might give her some medicine or something to help the ailing pony that needed her help. That being said, she was the changeling queen, and that title made her presence both very hard to miss and very hard to get acquainted with. As in, everypony she went around thought she was evil.

she made her way to what looked to her like the leader's tent.

As she got up to the tent, she found herself once again doubting her resolve. Who was this pony to her, that she would be willing to do this for him? Did she think of him as a friend? Did she see him as a fellow wanderer? Honestly, she didn't know herself.

Why was she doing this?! She wanted the answer so bad it was frustrating. What had his simple presence done to her?

She was...not herself.

She is the Changeling Queen. She is a force of evil put on this earth to conquer the whole of Equestria. She is... She is... She didn't know what she was anymore.

How dare that stallion make her feel this way! Sure he was nice, and he seemed to be fine with hanging around her but...she didn't even know his name!

But that was not important. What was important, was that he needed her help, and she was going to give it to him.

She walked into the tent of the group's leader and said, "Hello? Is anyone there? My companion needs help and I was hoping I could find some supplies to help him get better?" As soon as she finished the sentence, she saw a single pony walk up to her. "Hello. My name is Blue Sundae and I am this group's leader. I thought I heard you say you wanted supplies?"

Chrysalis spoke up. "Yes. I require bandages and wood, I also may have need of other supplies due to the fact that my companion and I are traveling this desert together."

Blue smiled. "Tell me. what is your companion's name?"

"His name is True Wind"

Sundae's Eyes went wide at this. "Y-you mean..."

"Yes? Do you know him?" Chrysalis said with a look of confusion on her face.

"Know him? Know him? The group's been looking for him for days!"

Chrysalis was shocked at this. "Oh really? I-i'm sorry...I didn't kno-"

"Do you know where he is?" Blue cut her off.

"Well, I found him trotting across the desert. He looked weak and tired so I brought him to a cave. Shall I show you where?"

"Yes, please." Sundae asked.

One, now Two

As Chrysalis led the group to the cave where she left True Wind, they told her what happened.

They told her about how he was sent out to gather any possible food or supplies, only to be gone for half the day. The team got worried, but he had done this before and come back safely, so they thought they would wait it out, see of he came back.

That was a bad idea. Obviously.

When they got to the cave, what followed was nothing less than a cheerful reunion. The group had a party in their tent and invited Chrysalis along, treating her as the guest of honor due to the fact that she saved their friend.

After that party, Chrysalis spent a lot of time with the group. Mostly with True Wind. She found herself unable to stay away from him. Not because he was good looking, which he was, or becausse he was smart, or anything like that. It was because he had a tendency to hurt himself.

She spent the rest of the month traveling with the group and getting to know the dusty colored stallion.

Little did she know, the princesses were watching.

Both princess Celestia and princess Luna smiled at the effectiveness of their punishment. It had done wonders for chrysalis in the first few days. Her identity as a queen was so shaken up that she had to find a new purpose for herself. As it turns out, she found it in the group. But mostly, she found it in True Wind, her travel companion and new friend.

The Return of a Mother

It was the last day of the month, thus marking the end of Chrysalis' banishment. It had gone so smoothly that the princesses almost thought something was suspicious about it. Their thoughts proved false.

Chrysalis was ready to return, she wanted to tell the princesses all about her time in the desert. How dun it had been to travel with the group. How it made her feel to be around True Wind, the only pony she ever truly considered a friend. She wanted to return to the hive to see her children, and tell them of the wonderful opportunity given to her by the princesses.

She had been given a chance. Instead of being killed for her transgressions, she had been given a chance to change her ways. It was the most amazing thing ever to happen to her. It allowed her to find a friend who loves her, and gave her the chance to give that love back.

It was night time by now. Everyone was asleep. Chrysalis was getting ready to turn in for the night herself.. She got into bed and under the covers. Early into the night, she awoke again to a bright light entering her room. She immediately knew what it meant. It was time.

She heard a voice beside her ":What is that light, Chryssy?" True Wind had taken to calling her chryssy at some point along their travels. At first she hated the tired old nickname. But eventually, she got used to it.

"It's nothing Wind." She said to the stallion. She was trying to figure out what to say to tell him it was time for her to go as she slid out of bed and trotted over to the light.

As soon as she figured out what to say, she turned. "Listen, Wind. I have to go now. My time is up. It was very fun with you. I've never felt anything like the time I spent with you. Where I come from, love is not so easily given to people like me. I sincerely thank you for this time. I will never forget you."

True Wind thought he was seeing a dream. Although he understood what it meant. It was time for Chryssy to return to her home. If that is what she wanted, he would not stop her. Hewatched as she disappeared into a portal of light. He said goodbye to her one last time, and went back to sleep.

Once back in the castle, Chrysalis told the princesses all about her adventures with the group from the desert, she told them about the parties, the battles, the love they shared. But mostly, she told them of True Wind, who gave her a chance to feel love one more time.