Love is Changelingby Inky ShadesChaptersPrologue: School for Gifted UnicornsChapter I: One Question Two AnswersChapter II: Cutie MarksPrologue: School for Gifted UnicornsThe Equestrian badlands were nearly uninhabited. It was full of sand and rocks and not much else. A few ponies were scattered sporadically across this unforgiving land. However most would return back to the green pastures and trickling rivers that made up the heartland of Equestria, back home. Thus it would seem that the badlands were abandoned, but this is exactly what the lands true masters wanted everypony to think. Changelings were a race of pony-like insects that originated from a distant land far south of Equestria. This was just what most ponies believed. In truth, the origins of the changelings were a mystery even to the changelings themselves. Every couple of decades they would be forced to migrate to a new home. The cause of this migration was simple; the changelings had run out of food. Now somepony might ask why they didn't just grow more food. This was a good question, to which the answer was this, they couldn't. Changelings didn't eat the same food as ponies and what they did eat wasn't farmable. Love, the changelings lived off of love. Why didn't they just make their own love then? There were two possible answers to this, either they couldn't or they never tried to. Either way whenever their stores of love ran out they would swarm the next inhabited land and drain it dry of all its love. Then the process would repeat again. Each time the changelings would build a massive hive full of interconnected spires of stone that loomed over their chosen victims land, but the moment their food ran out the hive would be abandoned and a new land would be picked. For as long as anypony could remember this is how it has always been. It was needless to say that the changelings didn't have the best reputation. So when the changelings decided to make Equestria their next destination nopony was happy. Princess Celestia knew and understood her subjects' fears, but she had a plan. In all the years the changeling swarm had been invading nopony had tried to establish a friendly relationship with them. She knew that the changeling queen had a daughter so as a gesture of friendship; Celestia sent the young filly a letter. In that letter was an invitation to her school, the School for Gifted Unicorns. She hoped that this could be the first step towards a bright future with the changelings. In the tallest spire of the hive was a certain gangly black changeling filly. She was quite literally bouncing around her bed chambers. There was no hiding her excitement. The letter was laid out on her bed and she had read it at least a dozen times since she received it the other day. Princess Celestia, the Princess Celestia, had sent her a letter! Not just some ordinary letter either, but an invitation to her school! To say that she was excited would be a gross understatement. The moment she read it she let out a noise that could only be described as a squee. Her mother's discouraging look at her would do nothing to dampen her spirits this time. Luckily despite her mother's disapproval she gave her permission to attend the school the next day, which was today. "Chrysalis you are going to be late! I will not have you being tardy!" her mother called up to her. "I'm coming Mom!" Chrysalis shouted, as she ran down the flight of stairs. Her mother stood at the base of the stairs waiting for her, still carrying that disapproving look. "You will address me by my proper title." "I'm sorry, Your Highness," Chrysalis said her eyes downcast. "It won't happen again." "That's what you said last time. You will be the next queen someday. It would do you good to remember your titles. Now don't forget to take this." Her mother handed her a small thermos. "This is your lunch, now go. Your chariot is waiting for you out front. Don't keep them waiting." "Thank you Mo- I mean, Your Highness." With that she was out the door. Just as her mother had said, there was a charcoal colored chariot waiting just out front. Two changelings were strapped into the front. They barely said a word to her, only asking if she was ready to leave. She hopped into the back. "I'm ready!" Their wings made a buzzing sound as they prepped for takeoff. Slowly the chariot began to rise and then they were off. As the hive became smaller the farther they flew away Chrysalis couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Never before had she been this far away from the hive, but this fact also excited her a bit. She would be able to see things that she never would have been able to otherwise. Being a princess in the hive didn't allow for as much freedom as one would think. The scenery began to change. Sand and rock gave way to grassy fields and a sprawling forest. She knew the name of the forest to it was... what was it again? The Everfree Forest that was its name! Then she saw her destination in the distance. Sitting on the side of a gigantic mountain with a waterfall flowing through it was the crown jewel of Equestria herself, the walled city of Canterlot. Even at this distance she could tell that it was beautiful. As they got closer more details of the city became apparent. Pearl white towers made up the majority of the city and almost every single one of them was topped with a golden spiral roof. Near the back of the city she could see the royal castle where the ruler of Equestria lived and just a short distance away was the school. The school resembled the castle in miniature form, only it was less massive and didn't have as many towers. Her chariot descended upon the school's tiled courtyard. She could see the unicorn fillies and colts watch her as she landed. Being a princess you'd think that she would be used to being stared at, but the way these ponies were looking at her made her uncomfortable. Of course she might have been looking at them in a bit of a funny way too. This was her first time ever seeing ponies up close. Her knowledge on them was limited to a few books she found lying in a garbage pit near the Royal Spire. Unfortunately the books weren't in the best condition when she found them so her information was even more constricted. One thing she did know was that there were three kinds of ponies. You had the magical unicorns, the flying pegasi, and the ordinary earth ponies. However, the books must have been damaged in the part where it mentioned pony coats. She had no idea that they came in so many colors! And why did a few of them have pictures on their flanks? Also why did none of them have any holes in them? Her excitement was dulled a little when she came to the realization that changelings and ponies looked nothing similar besides having a similar physical build. Quite suddenly she was feeling rather out of place, but maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe she could try out this "friendship" thing that she'd heard about, whatever it was exactly. How did she start though? The book that mentioned friendship was probably the most damaged book she had found. It did mention smiling and waving somewhere, is that what she had to do? Well it was worth a shot. Chrysalis proceeded to smile and wave at everypony around her, but none of them returned either gesture. Instead she could see them get closer together and then she heard everypony whispering at once. The occasional hoof was pointed in her direction. She was beginning to feel a little stupid and felt her cheeks get a tad bit warmer. Just when she was about to give up and find something to crawl under, two fillies approached her. Maybe her idea worked! One of the fillies had a light blue coat and violet mane. While the other one was a deep pink and had a blue mane with a silver streak going through it. The light blue filly was the first to speak. "I am Star Flare and this is Silver Streak. Who are you?" Chrysalis was pleased to see how well this was going so she was only too happy to answer. "I am Chrysalis!" "Chrysalis what a dumb name! More like Swissalis!" Star Flare said. "Yeah Swissalis," Silver Streak chimed in. Yup this was going really well... wait that wasn't very nice. "Its Chrysalis not Swissalis..." "Oh look the little horsefly looks like she wants to cry!" Star Flare said mockingly. To make matters worse several other fillies joined Star Flare and Silver Streak in her torment. "Horsefly!" they chanted cruelly. This was not how she imagined her first day at school going. She thought that ponies were supposed to be friendly, why were they being so mean to her? Was this what friendship was? If so she didn't want it if it made her feel like an unwanted freak. She did her best to keep her tears to herself, but there was no stopping them after awhile. This just seemed to add more fuel to their fire. Why wouldn't somepony help her? She couldn't deal with them all by herself. Chrysalis knew what her mother would tell her in this situation. She would say that the only one you can rely on is yourself and that you can't expect anyone else to come to your aid. Maybe her mother was right and she really didn't want her to be disappointed again. "Please stop..." She didn't sound as forceful as she wanted. In fact she sounded rather pathetic, her mother would indeed be let down by her, again. "Leave her alone Star Flare!" said a light pink filly. This filly didn't look exactly like the others either. Like her she had a horn and wings, who was she? Honestly it didn't matter if she was standing up for her. Unless she just wanted me to pick on herself then- no stop thinking that! Star Flare turned to the filly and suddenly she looked a little nervous. Chrysalis wasn't sure why, the filly didn't look intimidating. "Fine!" Star Flare turned back to Chrysalis. "We are not done. Come on Silver Streak lets go." Just like that all the ponies who were picking on her began to disperse like nothing had happened. "Thank you," Chrysalis said as she sniffed her nose. The little filly had a rather infectious smile on her face. "I am Cadence what's your name?" "Chrysalis." "Nice to meet you Chrysalis! Class is about to begin. Did you want to sit next to me?" "Really?" "Of course silly!" Cadence looked at her like she had said something amusing. "You and me are going to be very good friends!" Cadence pawed at the ground with her right fore hoof. "That is, of course, if you want to." Now it was her turn to look at Cadence like she had said something funny. "Of course I do!" Cadence looked relieved. The bell rang signaling the start of the first class. Together she and Cadence walked into the school. Chrysalis had started to doubt her decision when she arrived at the School for Gifted Unicorns, but as she looked at the light pink filly at her side she realized that she had just made a friend. So in the end she had made the right choice by attending. Everypony took their seats. The teacher, a dark blue stallion with a silver mane, levitated a small piece of chalk to the green chalkboard behind him. In fancy curved letters he wrote his name. Unfortunately Chrysalis couldn't read what he wrote. "My name is Midnight Spear and I will be one of your teachers while you attend this school," he said. "Now let's begin! Since this is your first day for you all here, there will not be any home work. Consider this an introductory class." True to his word the class was definitely a long introduction, a very long introduction. Half way through she and Cadence had stopped paying attention to what he was saying and she could've sworn that she heard somepony let out a snore at some point. No doubt the teacher noticed this, but he didn't seem all that bothered by it. So he just continued to prattle on. By the end of the school day when it was time to go Chrysalis couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she had to go, but Cadence had told her that they would see each other again tomorrow. This, she was looking forward to very much. Chapter I: One Question Two AnswersWhen Chrysalis returned home from school she was originally going to tell her mother about everything that had happened. However, as she told her tale she conveniently omitted a few details. For instance, she didn't tell her mother that on her first day of school everypony picked on her or that she cried. Because after all she had been told, queens and future queens do not show weakness in front of others. There was one thing that she was absolutely ecstatic to talk about and that was Cadence. After all, how often did changelings in the past have any friends let alone make any? So she told her mother everything she could about that light pink filly. Okay so she told her almost everything. A detail or two might have been twisted around ever so slightly. You know how Cadence had been the one to save her from those bullies? Well that story might have done a complete one-eighty with Chrysalis saying that she rescued Cadence. It was just a little lie, but it was worth it to see the brief look of pride on her mother's face. Almost immediately after she finished her story her mother had her whisked out of the throne room. For her mother had of course more pressing things to concern her with then the tale of one schoolfilly. Being the queen meant placing the needs of the many over the needs of the few. Even if the few included her daughter. Personal attachments had no place in royal matters. One of her mother's Royal Guard escorted Chrysalis up to her chambers. There she spent the rest of her day lying in bed, attempting to decipher the more illegible parts to her books. Little progress was made, but it gave her something to do to pass the time. Perhaps if she was able to she could find undamaged copies just lying around somewhere, maybe in another garbage pit? The sun had started to set and bathed her room in an orange glow. Her stomach rumbled and she knew that could only mean one thing, it was time for dinner. She trotted downstairs and sat down at the intricately carved stone slab that was the table. An older changeling approached the table carrying a bowl full of a crimson colored liquid, love. The changeling placed the bowl in front of her. "Mother is not coming again is she, Caretaker?" Chrysalis asked. She already knew what the answer would be, but it had become almost second nature for her to ask just the same. "The Queen is very busy," she replied. This was the answer that she expected, but still she'd be lying if she said that it wasn't disappointing to hear sometimes. Because she was often left alone her mother had hired that older changeling to tend to her while she was away. How long had that changeling been tending to her any way, was it a year or two now? At least she got to come up with a name for that changeling. Since that changeling was deemed unimportant like thousands of other changelings she didn't have a name when she started to tend to her. So she decided to call her Caretaker. It wasn't the most creative name, but she didn't seem to mind it. Not that she would have had any say in the matter if she did. Although, she would have been open to her input if she had any. Chrysalis took a sip of the love soup in front of her. This particular kind of love tasted savory. It made her wonder why it tasted this way. What was it about love that caused it to have so many flavors? She took a larger gulp of it, did the answer truly matter? Besides she probably wouldn't understand if somepony told her anyway. When she finished her dinner Caretaker took the bowl and placed it in a basin to clean later. "It is time for you to retire now, Princess." "Of course. Can you tell Mother that I said goodnight?" "Yes." "Thank you, Caretaker. Goodnight!" Chrysalis said, as she bolted up the stairs. "Princess." Chrysalis hopped unto her bed and cocooned herself under the covers. Tomorrow she would see Cadence again, tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep. The next day... Perhaps it was silly of her, but as Chrysalis looked for Cadence in the school's crowded courtyard she felt slightly nervous when she couldn't find her. What if she no longer wanted to be friends with her? It was completely ridiculous of her to think such things, but the mind didn't always work rationally. Fortunately for her she didn't have to fret for too long. Standing off to the side, next to a group of giggling fillies, was Cadence. Cadence smiled at her when she spotted the young changeling. Chrysalis couldn't help but return the expression. There was just something about Cadence that just made her feel warm inside. It was a strange feeling, but it wasn't unpleasant. They trotted over to each other. "I was looking for you!" Cadence said. "Me too!" Chrysalis said, as she practically did a little jump. Cadence giggled at her. "Are you ready for class?" she asked, placing a hoof over her mouth to stifle herself, but that didn't work and another little giggle escaped her lips. "What's so funny?" "Just you. You're still jumping." "Oh!" She blushed at the realization that she was indeed still jumping. This was kind of embarrassing and by kind of she meant mortifying. Other fillies had been watching her too and they weren't being quite as subtle as Cadence was trying to be. "Can we go inside now?" "Sure." The two of them ended up seated in the class room even before the teacher arrived to actually start the class. This made the teacher, a mare with a white coat and teal mane; give them a small nod of approval. While Chrysalis had only wanted to come in earlier to avoid be stared and or laughed at, getting on a teacher's good side seemed like a good idea. Soon everypony came in and took their seats. A few fillies glanced over at her and she thought that they were about to giggle again, but thankfully they only smirked. "Welcome class!" the teacher began. "I am your teacher, Diamond Song, and today we are going to learn about cutie marks. Who here can tell me what a cutie mark is?" Several hooves shot up into the air. Ms. Song looked over her choices appreciatively. "Mr. Lance." She had made her decision. "A cutie mark is a picture that appears on somepony's flank when they discover their special gift," the grey colt said. "Right you are Mr. Lance. You see class, when ponies are born they don't have their cutie marks yet. Usually they begin to appear around your ages now. This is because you really start to learn who you are as a pony by this time. Though there are always exceptions to the rule. Some ponies get them earlier than others and some are late bloomers. I've even heard a few ponies say that they didn't get their cutie marks until they were almost fully grown. "While the last one is an extremely rare example you shouldn't feel disappointed if you don't get your cutie mark right away. So many fillies and colts end up upset because they were the last in their class to receive their cutie mark. What they don't seem to understand is that you can't rush it. A cutie mark is something that comes naturally with time. Any questions?" "I have a question Ms. Song! Since we're unicorns why can't we just make a cutie mark appear?" Star Flare asked. "That is a good question Ms. Flare, to which I have a simple answer for you. A cutie mark only appears when its bearer realizes their special gift themselves and no amount of magic can change that. Despite this fact it never does seem to make young unicorns ever stop trying. This is all the time we have for questions, but if anypony wishes to learn more about cutie marks I will be available after class. Now, taking what we have just learned about cutie marks I want each of you to write an essay about what you think your special gift might be." When the class was over everypony handed Ms. Song their papers. Almost everypony that is except for Chrysalis. She tried to come up with something, but she didn't even know if changelings could get cutie marks. So she hung back and waited for most of the class to file out for lunch before turning in her blank paper. Luckily Ms. Song was understanding of her predicament and told her that it was fine. However, it wasn't really fine was it? This just proved again how much different she was from everypony else. She joined Cadence who was waiting just outside the door and they walked into the cafeteria to join the others for lunch. They chose a secluded table in the back of the cafeteria to eat. Despite being out of the way Chrysalis couldn't help, but notice all the ponies looking over at her. Were they still thinking about the jumping incident from earlier? No, some of their eyes were specifically targeting Cadence. Why would they be looking at her in such a manner? It didn't have to do with herself did it? She would not want Cadence to be negatively affected by her presence. "Cadence I think that they are watching us." Cadence took a bite of a bright red appl. "So?" she asked, taking another bite of the fruit. "So? Aren't you worried what they might think of you if you're seen with me? You've been so nice to me. I wouldn't want you to lose all your friends because of... me." If Cadence wasn't going to be concerned about her image then I would. "Actually I don't have any other friends besides you." There was a sad look in Cadence's eyes when she admitted this. Great I had just upset my only friend, but why was I her only friend. Cadence was the nicest pony that I knew. Admittedly I didn't know very many ponies personally, but still. How could a changeling be her only friend? Everypony should be flocking to her. Before she could stop herself she asked the one question that was on her mind. "Cadence how come you don't have any more friends? You're so nice; it doesn't make any sense to me." Cadence gave her a small smile. "If I tell you do you promise to still be my friend afterwards?" She looked at Chrysalis fearfully. Chrysalis herself was nervous too. "Of course I will," She said. Please don't let it be anything bad and make me a liar. "It's my aunt mostly..." That wasn't so bad. "Everypony believes that if they upset me she will send them to the moon." Ohh... that's not good. Wait, is that even possible? No, there was nopony who could do that! Right? "Your aunt doesn't really send ponies to the moon does she?" Please say no. "Well she did once..." "I, uh, see." She could feel herself become a little more on edge too. It wasn't fair, but she just couldn't help it. "You're scared of me now, just like the others. I can see it. Does this mean you don't want to be my friend anymore?" She could see tears forming in the pony's eyes. Cadence truly believed that she would leave her. The two of them were so very similar at this moment. Chrysalis recalled the other day when all the ponies were making fun of her. Cadence was the only pony who stood up for her and even offered her a hoof in friendship. Why couldn't she be there for her now? While she wasn't sure how she felt about her aunt sending ponies to the moon that had nothing to do with Cadence. Even if it did, didn't she deserve somepony too? Chrysalis decided that she was going to be that somepony. With a determined voice she said, "Of course I will still be your friend! It will take a little more than a story about being sent to the moon to drive me away." I'm sorry that I let you doubt me. The tears that Cadence was holding back flowed freely now. These tears confused Chrysalis. You were supposed to cry when you were sad, but then why was she smiling? Cadence reached across the table and wrapped her hooves tightly around Chrysalis. What is she doing? It is so tight, but it feels... nice. Chrysalis wasn't sure what this was act was called, but she decided to imitate the filly. Chrysalis could see everypony still watching them. However at this moment she really couldn't care less. When school was over and Chrysalis was about to return to the hive she heard Cadence's voice calling out to her. "Chrysalis wait up a second!" Chrysalis stopped getting into the chariot and turned around, much to the disappointment of her rides home. "What is it?" "I was just wondering if you could stay here longer after school tomorrow. There's someplace I'd like to show you if you're interested." "Of course I'm interested!" She gave the two chariot pullers a pleading look. "If it is okay with you two." "Whatever you want," they replied. Both girls were happy with this and they did that tight squeezing thing again before parting ways. Later she was going to have to figure out what that was called. There was a question she had on her mind when she returned to the hive. A question that she hoped her mother had an answer to. She rushed into the throne room. Her mother was sitting quite regally on the throne. The throne was a massive seat carved from the stone that was part of the first changeling hive and it was adorned with portraits of all the past queens. Her mother appeared to be having a conversation with somepony. Presumably it was somepony important, but it could be very hard to tell other changelings apart sometimes. This did nothing to dissuade Chrysalis from piping up though. "Your Highness, Your Highness!" Hey I actually remembered this time! "I have a question for you!" Her mother looked annoyed at the interruption. "We shall finish our conversation later Captain." "Yes, my queen." Chrysalis could see many scars covering the changeling's body as he left. He gave her a small nod as he passed by. No way, was that the captain of the Royal Guard? It dawned on her that she may have just barged in on something important. Hopefully her mother wouldn't be too upset with her. "What is it Princess?" There was a hint of anger in her mother's voice. "Your Highness, why don't ponies like me?" Her mother smiled at her, but it wasn't warm like Cadence's. "It is because they are jealous of you. They know that you are superior to them in every way," she stated. "But why?" "Don't concern yourself with the opinions of those ponies, they are below you. As a future leader of our race it will become your job to make sure that the changeling hive continues on its path of dominance. Fear will become your greatest ally. Whether it is for your subjects or your victimes. Does this answer your question?" "I guess." No it really doesn't. "Good. Now I have to continue my duties. I trust that you can escort yourself out?" "Yes, of course!" There was still one more changeling that I could ask. Chrysalis was almost out the door when her mother's voice stopped her in her tracks. "And, Princess, I would suggest not interrupting my meetings again." "Right, sorry, Your Highness!" Get me out of here! She was glad to leave the throne room behind her. If her mother knew who she was about to see then she would probably get sealed in her room and never let out again, but this question of hers was just too important to leave. Her father would know the answer. In changeling society there was little value placed in males, espicially if you were royalty. Most males were deemed insignificant, barely worth even recognizing. Despite the fact that the vast majority of changelings were in fact male. Only females had the brains to keep the hive running. Men were only good for three things, fighting, building, and breeding. Chrysalis wasn't sure how this thought process had started, but for as far back as anypony could remember this was how it always was. If she hadn't over heard her mother talking about her father one night then she would never have known that he existed. She was nervous meeting him the first time, but she was glad that she did. He changed her mind on how she viewed males. They weren't the simple brutes that her mother made them out to be. Instead she thought that they could do just as well as the females running the hive, but some ideas right or wrong were just so ingrained into their society. It would take her years to even try to make a difference. When she told her father sometime ago that she would like to try to change the ways that males were viewed he simply told her no. To him it didn't matter, but he did not want her to ruin her image to the changeling populace. He made her promise not to tell anypony about her opinions either, especially her mother. Changes to the norm were not usually accepted by changelings. Her father lived in the commons, Spire 9, Nest 115. The first time she visited the commons she was in awe of just how many changelings lived here. Thousands upon thousands of changelings called this place home. Also the noise took her some getting used to. Back at the Royal Spire there was only a few hundred changelings so you only heard the occasional sound of flight, but here the sound was almost deafening. At any given time it seemed that half the population was in-flight. Surprisingly despite this there wasn't an over abundance of mid-air collisions. The commons were always expanding and yet there never seemed to be enough space for everypony. Chrysalis took off and flew to her father's nest. She knocked on the hole cover and waited a few moments for a response. The cover slid to the side and she was greeted by her father. "Chrysalis what are you doing here? Come in!" She set herself down and followed him inside. "Father I have a question for you," she asked, sitting down on the couch. Or at least what passed for a couch in the commons. It was more like a flat rock with a thin cushion on it. "What's your question?" He sat down next to her. "I was just wondering, why don't ponies like me?" "That's right; I had heard that you're attending that school now. Well the only answer I have is this, most ponies fear what they don't understand. I don't think that it is just you that they don't like. I think that it is changelings in general and could you really blame them? We aren't the most likeable race out there and someday soon our ways are going to catch up to us. Does this answer your question?" "Better than Mother's did, thank you!" "What was your mother's answer?" "Jealousy mostly." "That sounds about right. Now tell me about your day." Chapter II: Cutie MarksChrysalis didn’t get much sleep the other night, she was too excited. Cadence’s words were tormenting her. Just where did she plan on taking me? She tried to think of as many places as she could, but she still wasn’t very familiar with Canterlot. Especially since she hadn’t actually been anywhere beyond the school as of yet. What if it wasn’t in Canterlot? If it wasn’t in Canterlot then where else could it be? “You’re too cruel Cadence!” Chrysalis said to herself as she was still trying to think of a likely place for the filly to take her. How could she not tell me? Did she think that this wouldn’t keep me up at night? She let out a rather large yawn. Tomorrow I would have to make her tell me. Yes, tomorrow I will act like I am not interested in knowing where she is taking me. It is brilliant! She won’t be able to resist telling me! She yawned again; her eyes were feeling rather heavy now. Tomorrow, I’ll get her to tell… me to… morrow… She drifted off into a deep sleep. School… School was proceeding normally. The first thing she did when she arrived was put her plan into action. No matter how much she wanted to she would not show any interest in where Cadence planed to take her. It was hard for her to keep such a straight and disinterested face on. She really, really, wanted to know after all and Cadence knew this. Cadence seemed to see right through her facade, but no matter what she was going to keep it up. This only appeared to amuse Cadence, because whenever the filly looked at her she had a mischievous grin on her face. “Aren’t you going to ask me where I am taking you?” Cadence asked. “It doesn’t matter where we go,” Chrysalis said trying her best to sound as disinterested as possible. “Oh, really? You aren’t even the tiny tiniest bit curious to know where we’re going. Are you sure? Because it is really awesome!” “Nope!” It was hard for her to keep a straight face. “Huh, alright. We’ll see how long you last,” Cadence said with a smirk. They were at a stalemate for most of the school day. Neither of them would give in to the other. Unfortunately Chrysalis found herself on the losing side. After all, Cadence held all the cards. She didn’t actually have to tell her where she was taking her. I will get her to tell me. When school was finally over Chrysalis decided to change her plan. Maybe I’ll just ask her, but I will do it in a very casual way… “Where are we going? Tell me, tell me, tell me!” she exclaimed. That wasn’t casual. Cadence laughed at her completely failed display. “Okay I’ll tell you. What do you think about visiting the Royal Castle?” It was clear that she was just as eager to spill the beans, as I was to hear them. If she could’ve viewed herself in a mirror then she was sure that her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. “The Royal Castle! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” she squealed. “Wait… you’re not foaling with me are you?” “You silly filly did you honestly think that I would lie to you? I’m hurt,” Cadence said and gave her a little pout. “No I didn’t mean-“ Before she could finish, Chrysalis saw the pout turn into a grin in a flash. “That’s not funny. I thought that I might have upset you.” It took Cadence a moment to realize what she had almost done. “I’m sorry. I guess you aren’t use to this kind of thing where you’re from huh?” she asked. Chrysalis shook her head. “No, we don’t get this sort of thing in the hive,” she stated. “Chrysalis, what is the hive like? Is it really different from Canterlot?” You have no idea… “It would be difficult for me to explain.” This was the best answer she could think of and it was true. Compared to ponies changelings lived vastly different lives. "Do you think that I might be able to visit the hive someday?" "Umm... I don't know." This was not a question she was expecting to have to answer. Nopony besides changelings have ever been to the hive not even Princess Celestia herself, but maybe it could happen. "Someday." In truth she would very much like to show Cadence around her home. This seemed to satisfy Cadence. "Okay." "So about the Royal Castle..." Chrysalis was hesitant over what she was about to say next. She was kind of afraid of the answer. "Is it really okay for us to go there?" "Oh I'm sure that my auntie wouldn't mind. She works in the castle." "Just who is your aunt anyway?" Chrysalis asked. She could send ponies to the moon and works in the Royal Palace. I need to know who this mysterious mare is! "I'm not telling! Maybe you'll get to meet her at the castle!" Cadence said teasingly. "Now follow me!" The two fillies trotted down a major cobble stone road, lined completely with fancy shops and restaurants. Since it was mid-day there were plenty of ponies out and about enjoying their trips to the many stores. Chrysalis couldn't help but notice that a few of the ponies wore expensive looking outfits and had an air of superiority about them. With so many ponies around her, Chrysalis decided to stick close behind Cadence. She didn't want to lose her only guide through the city, because she felt that if she did, help may be difficult to come by. "Hey, Chrysalis, what do you think our cutie marks will be?" Cadence asked. "I don't even know if changelings can get cutie marks," Chrysalis sighed. "Hmm... you know there might be a book in the castle library that could help us, if you're interested. It is a really big library after all." After Cadence had mentioned a library she was sold. "Of course I'm interested!" she said. Maybe I could find undamaged copies of my books! Besides the books she was also curious about changelings and cutie marks. Never in the history of the hive was it ever mentioned that a changeling received a cutie mark, but it wasn't impossible right? What better place to find out then the Royal Library? When the city gave way to well trimmed lawns Chrysalis realized something, they were now on the castle grounds. She judged this based on a few things. First, there were the ornate statues placed strategically along the path. Then there was an elegant three tier fountain that they went around. Second, were the guards. They had on shiny golden armor and wandered the premises, most likely on the watch for possible intruders. Lastly, there was you know, the castle itself. It stood majestically towering over the city. Everything was quite impressive especially if you were a young changeling. Two white stallions stood guard in front of the castle entrance. They seemed to be watching them approach. "Halt!" The guards' voices were booming. Chrysalis shrunk behind Cadence under their gaze. Cadence herself was undaunted by their intimidating appearance. "Oh, it is just Miss Cadence," said the guard on the left. "Would you gentlecolts mind opening the door for us?" Cadence asked in a sweet sounding voice. "Of course Miss Cadence, but I must ask, who is your friend there?" It was the guard on the right speaking this time. If they weren't about the same size then Chrysalis would have crawled right under Cadence. "This is my friend, Chrysalis! Come on, Chrysalis, say hi!" Chrysalis let out a rather undignified squeak. Did I just make that noise? Can somepony find me that rock now? Her squeak caused the guards to chuckle at her. This only made her want to hide more. After they were done having a laugh at her expense they opened the large door with their magic. "Thank you!" Cadence said. Chrysalis slinked in after her, more out of embarrassment then anything else. Once inside the guards shut them in. It didn't take her long to perk up afterwards though. The castle was just as magnificent inside as it was outside. They went down a massive vaulted hall covered with beautiful tapestries, light poured in from the arched windows. She couldn't help, but admire each and every one of the fabric hangings. Cadence let out a small cough. "Are you okay?" Chrysalis asked. "I'm fine," she responded, but shortly after she let out another small cough. "Tickle?" "No." "Are you sick?" Chrysalis put a hoof on Cadence's forehead. She couldn't feel a temperature. "I'm not sick either." Cadence moved her hoof off her head. "Then what?" "You really don't know do you? I'm trying to tell you that you're taking too long." Cadence looked like she was barely containing laughter. "Well why didn't you just say so? Is this how ponies tell somepony they're taking too long? Why are you laughing?" Muddled in the laughter Chrysalis could hear Cadence trying to say something. "I... I'm sorry! Its ju... just that you're so funny!" Cadence managed to get a hold of herself after awhile, though she couldn't quite look her in the eye. "I'm sure there is a book in the library that can help you with situations like this. Come on the library is just down the next hall." Chrysalis followed close behind Cadence and soon found herself in the library. There were so many aisles filled to the brim with books. Surely the books they sought had to be here. They split up and began the arduous task of searching. "Remember we're looking for books on cutie marks and then books to help you with interacting, but mostly cutie marks," Cadence said a few aisles away from her. "Cutie marks... cutie marks," Chrysalis repeated to herself as she pawed through her current shelf. "What's this?" She pulled out a book that didn't look like it belonged with the others. "Scrap Booking 101: Everything You Need to Know About Scrap Books." She was going to put it back, but she couldn't help being captivated by the photos on the cover. Right when she was about to flip the book open Cadence called out to her. "I found the books!" Quickly Chrysalis placed the book back when she saw Cadence approaching levitating several books in the air. What are you doing? It's just Cadence. Why are you being so secretive? Well I don't want her to laugh again... excuses! "What were you looking at just now?" "Uh, nothing!" "Uh huh." Cadence gave her a disbelieving look, but she didn't press the issue. "Come on then I found the books we were looking for." The two fillies left the library and Cadence led her to probably the pinkest bedroom she had ever seen. Okay so I've only seen one pink room, but still I can't imagine anypony with a room like this. The walls were pink, the large circular bed was pink, everything a different shade of pink! "What do you think of my room?" Cadence asked as she laid the books out over the bed. "It's very pink, but it's umm... nice?" "Really you think so? That's great!" Cadence hopped onto the bed and motioned for Chrysalis to join. She placed a book in front of each of them. "Well let's get started!" Chrysalis was only partially paying attention to the words she was reading. In the back of her mind she was still curious about the scrap booking book. Were ponies the only ones who made scrap books? Why did they make them? What was with the silly stickers on the photos? She had so many questions on her mind that there was no way she could focus on cutie marks! But she couldn't just leave her friend here. She watched Cadence as she casually turned a page with her magic. Her eyes were scanning each line of the page intently while her back legs just swayed gently in the air. Maybe if it was just for a few minutes. That should be okay right? That way I could check out the book and see if it is any good! Now how do I leave? That's when the perfect idea hit her. "Cadence where is the little fillies room?" "Huh? Oh! It is down the hall and to your right." "Thank you!" "Sure." Now she was back in the library. She didn't like lying to Cadence, but if she made it quick then everything would be fine. However, in her haste she bumped into something. She looked up, or somepony in this case. The mare she'd hit looked surprised to see her. Chrysalis shrunk away from her. She was the tallest pony she had ever seen! Physically she appeared similar to Cadence only instead of pink she was a pure shade of white. The mare looked regal with a golden crest around her neck and crown on her head. Then she saw the mare's cutie mark, a sun, and then it dawned on her. Much to her horror she had just bumped into Princess Celestia! If she could have made herself appear any smaller she would have. "P... Princess Celestia!" Chrysalis said her voice sounding similar to that of a mouse. "Somepony's in a hurry aren't they? Are you alright?" Celestia asked. She then put the book that she had back on the shelf. "Princess I... I..." "What is your name my little changeling? And what brings you to my library?" Celestia smiled at her. It looked almost as warm and sunny as her cutie mark. This did absolutely nothing to calm Chrysalis's nerves down however. She could hear her mother's voice in her head telling her to answer the Princess. No matter how much she tried her words would remain stuck on her tongue. Chrysalis, tell her your name is Chrysalis. Then apologize for bumping into her. Say it come on! She had almost built up enough courage to speak when she heard Cadence's voice behind her. "Chrysalis! Chrysa- oh there you are! I was looking for you! I forgot to tell you that the bathroom door was the third door. How come you didn't come back to the bedroom when you couldn't find it? Hi Auntie Celestia!" Did she just say Auntie Celestia? Celestia is Cadence's aunt! Ce... Celestia sent somepony to the moon! I bumped into her. She is going to send me to the moon too! Wait if she sends me to the moon then I won't be able to spend time with Cadence, please don't take me away from her! Chrysalis had fully convinced herself that she was going to be sent to the moon. This terrifying prospect caused her to blurt out. "I'm sorry that I hit you! I... I didn't mean to! Please don't send me to the moon! Please don't take me away from Cadence!" She shut her eyes tightly expecting to be sent away any moment now, but that moment never came. When she opened her eyes and peered upwards she could see that Celestia had a completely shocked expression on her face and... Did she look sad? Isn't she going to send me to the moon? "Child, where did you hear such a thing?" Celestia sounded aghast. "It's my fault, Auntie. I told her about what all the other fillies were saying," Cadence confessed. Chrysalis found herself on the receiving end of another embrace by a certain pink filly. It was so sudden, so unexpected, and so appreciated. She could feel herself calming down. It was still hard for her to speak, but she hoped that Cadence knew what she'd say if she could. Thank you. "After almost 1000 years they're still saying this about me." While Celestia smiled at them there was a deep sadness in her eyes. It looked like she was recalling a distant memory. "Princess Celestia are you okay?" Chrysalis managed to ask her voice small. Celestia sighed, "Yes, my little changeling. I was just remembering somepony I lost a long time ago." After what seemed like a few minutes Celestia's smile returned. "You are a curious example of your species-" "Chrysalis." "Chrysalis, I believe I made the right decision by sending you that invitation. Do not worry child I will not take you away from your friend. I have only sent one pony to the moon before and she did a little more than bump into me and even then I didn't want to do it. Perhaps there is still a chance... hmmm." "Princess?" "It's nothing. Now I believe there was a reason you came here. Is there a book you needed?" "A book on... scrap booking." "I'm sorry I didn't catch that last part. Don't be shy speak up." "I said a book on scrap booking." Celestia gave her an inquisitive look. "Did you say a book on scrap booking? What an interesting choice." With her magic she pulled out a book. Chrysalis recognized the cover it was Scrap Booking 101! "Is this the book you seek?" "Yes, Princess!" "A good choice, I think that you two will have fun with this one." "Hey, Auntie Celestia," Cadence began. "Do you have any advice on how we could earn our cutie marks?" "I do, patience. A cutie mark only appears when it's owner realizes their gift themselves." "But that is basically what our teacher said!" "Your teacher is right, but you could always try out different things to see what you enjoy doing." "We could quest for our cutie marks! It would be so fun! Chrysalis, do you want to try it?" Cadence sounded excited. "Of course I do!" Chrysalis replied. "Just don't do anything to dangerous okay? Now did anypony else need anything before I head back to the throne room?" Celestia looked at each of them. "Umm... Do you think you could help me find a few more books before you go?" Chrysalis asked. Author's Note Sorry the next chapter is taking so long. I am juggling several writing projects at once. Rest assured that I am working on the next chapter. It may take a while, but I will get it out. Thank you all for taking the time to read it!
Prologue: School for Gifted UnicornsThe Equestrian badlands were nearly uninhabited. It was full of sand and rocks and not much else. A few ponies were scattered sporadically across this unforgiving land. However most would return back to the green pastures and trickling rivers that made up the heartland of Equestria, back home. Thus it would seem that the badlands were abandoned, but this is exactly what the lands true masters wanted everypony to think. Changelings were a race of pony-like insects that originated from a distant land far south of Equestria. This was just what most ponies believed. In truth, the origins of the changelings were a mystery even to the changelings themselves. Every couple of decades they would be forced to migrate to a new home. The cause of this migration was simple; the changelings had run out of food. Now somepony might ask why they didn't just grow more food. This was a good question, to which the answer was this, they couldn't. Changelings didn't eat the same food as ponies and what they did eat wasn't farmable. Love, the changelings lived off of love. Why didn't they just make their own love then? There were two possible answers to this, either they couldn't or they never tried to. Either way whenever their stores of love ran out they would swarm the next inhabited land and drain it dry of all its love. Then the process would repeat again. Each time the changelings would build a massive hive full of interconnected spires of stone that loomed over their chosen victims land, but the moment their food ran out the hive would be abandoned and a new land would be picked. For as long as anypony could remember this is how it has always been. It was needless to say that the changelings didn't have the best reputation. So when the changelings decided to make Equestria their next destination nopony was happy. Princess Celestia knew and understood her subjects' fears, but she had a plan. In all the years the changeling swarm had been invading nopony had tried to establish a friendly relationship with them. She knew that the changeling queen had a daughter so as a gesture of friendship; Celestia sent the young filly a letter. In that letter was an invitation to her school, the School for Gifted Unicorns. She hoped that this could be the first step towards a bright future with the changelings. In the tallest spire of the hive was a certain gangly black changeling filly. She was quite literally bouncing around her bed chambers. There was no hiding her excitement. The letter was laid out on her bed and she had read it at least a dozen times since she received it the other day. Princess Celestia, the Princess Celestia, had sent her a letter! Not just some ordinary letter either, but an invitation to her school! To say that she was excited would be a gross understatement. The moment she read it she let out a noise that could only be described as a squee. Her mother's discouraging look at her would do nothing to dampen her spirits this time. Luckily despite her mother's disapproval she gave her permission to attend the school the next day, which was today. "Chrysalis you are going to be late! I will not have you being tardy!" her mother called up to her. "I'm coming Mom!" Chrysalis shouted, as she ran down the flight of stairs. Her mother stood at the base of the stairs waiting for her, still carrying that disapproving look. "You will address me by my proper title." "I'm sorry, Your Highness," Chrysalis said her eyes downcast. "It won't happen again." "That's what you said last time. You will be the next queen someday. It would do you good to remember your titles. Now don't forget to take this." Her mother handed her a small thermos. "This is your lunch, now go. Your chariot is waiting for you out front. Don't keep them waiting." "Thank you Mo- I mean, Your Highness." With that she was out the door. Just as her mother had said, there was a charcoal colored chariot waiting just out front. Two changelings were strapped into the front. They barely said a word to her, only asking if she was ready to leave. She hopped into the back. "I'm ready!" Their wings made a buzzing sound as they prepped for takeoff. Slowly the chariot began to rise and then they were off. As the hive became smaller the farther they flew away Chrysalis couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Never before had she been this far away from the hive, but this fact also excited her a bit. She would be able to see things that she never would have been able to otherwise. Being a princess in the hive didn't allow for as much freedom as one would think. The scenery began to change. Sand and rock gave way to grassy fields and a sprawling forest. She knew the name of the forest to it was... what was it again? The Everfree Forest that was its name! Then she saw her destination in the distance. Sitting on the side of a gigantic mountain with a waterfall flowing through it was the crown jewel of Equestria herself, the walled city of Canterlot. Even at this distance she could tell that it was beautiful. As they got closer more details of the city became apparent. Pearl white towers made up the majority of the city and almost every single one of them was topped with a golden spiral roof. Near the back of the city she could see the royal castle where the ruler of Equestria lived and just a short distance away was the school. The school resembled the castle in miniature form, only it was less massive and didn't have as many towers. Her chariot descended upon the school's tiled courtyard. She could see the unicorn fillies and colts watch her as she landed. Being a princess you'd think that she would be used to being stared at, but the way these ponies were looking at her made her uncomfortable. Of course she might have been looking at them in a bit of a funny way too. This was her first time ever seeing ponies up close. Her knowledge on them was limited to a few books she found lying in a garbage pit near the Royal Spire. Unfortunately the books weren't in the best condition when she found them so her information was even more constricted. One thing she did know was that there were three kinds of ponies. You had the magical unicorns, the flying pegasi, and the ordinary earth ponies. However, the books must have been damaged in the part where it mentioned pony coats. She had no idea that they came in so many colors! And why did a few of them have pictures on their flanks? Also why did none of them have any holes in them? Her excitement was dulled a little when she came to the realization that changelings and ponies looked nothing similar besides having a similar physical build. Quite suddenly she was feeling rather out of place, but maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe she could try out this "friendship" thing that she'd heard about, whatever it was exactly. How did she start though? The book that mentioned friendship was probably the most damaged book she had found. It did mention smiling and waving somewhere, is that what she had to do? Well it was worth a shot. Chrysalis proceeded to smile and wave at everypony around her, but none of them returned either gesture. Instead she could see them get closer together and then she heard everypony whispering at once. The occasional hoof was pointed in her direction. She was beginning to feel a little stupid and felt her cheeks get a tad bit warmer. Just when she was about to give up and find something to crawl under, two fillies approached her. Maybe her idea worked! One of the fillies had a light blue coat and violet mane. While the other one was a deep pink and had a blue mane with a silver streak going through it. The light blue filly was the first to speak. "I am Star Flare and this is Silver Streak. Who are you?" Chrysalis was pleased to see how well this was going so she was only too happy to answer. "I am Chrysalis!" "Chrysalis what a dumb name! More like Swissalis!" Star Flare said. "Yeah Swissalis," Silver Streak chimed in. Yup this was going really well... wait that wasn't very nice. "Its Chrysalis not Swissalis..." "Oh look the little horsefly looks like she wants to cry!" Star Flare said mockingly. To make matters worse several other fillies joined Star Flare and Silver Streak in her torment. "Horsefly!" they chanted cruelly. This was not how she imagined her first day at school going. She thought that ponies were supposed to be friendly, why were they being so mean to her? Was this what friendship was? If so she didn't want it if it made her feel like an unwanted freak. She did her best to keep her tears to herself, but there was no stopping them after awhile. This just seemed to add more fuel to their fire. Why wouldn't somepony help her? She couldn't deal with them all by herself. Chrysalis knew what her mother would tell her in this situation. She would say that the only one you can rely on is yourself and that you can't expect anyone else to come to your aid. Maybe her mother was right and she really didn't want her to be disappointed again. "Please stop..." She didn't sound as forceful as she wanted. In fact she sounded rather pathetic, her mother would indeed be let down by her, again. "Leave her alone Star Flare!" said a light pink filly. This filly didn't look exactly like the others either. Like her she had a horn and wings, who was she? Honestly it didn't matter if she was standing up for her. Unless she just wanted me to pick on herself then- no stop thinking that! Star Flare turned to the filly and suddenly she looked a little nervous. Chrysalis wasn't sure why, the filly didn't look intimidating. "Fine!" Star Flare turned back to Chrysalis. "We are not done. Come on Silver Streak lets go." Just like that all the ponies who were picking on her began to disperse like nothing had happened. "Thank you," Chrysalis said as she sniffed her nose. The little filly had a rather infectious smile on her face. "I am Cadence what's your name?" "Chrysalis." "Nice to meet you Chrysalis! Class is about to begin. Did you want to sit next to me?" "Really?" "Of course silly!" Cadence looked at her like she had said something amusing. "You and me are going to be very good friends!" Cadence pawed at the ground with her right fore hoof. "That is, of course, if you want to." Now it was her turn to look at Cadence like she had said something funny. "Of course I do!" Cadence looked relieved. The bell rang signaling the start of the first class. Together she and Cadence walked into the school. Chrysalis had started to doubt her decision when she arrived at the School for Gifted Unicorns, but as she looked at the light pink filly at her side she realized that she had just made a friend. So in the end she had made the right choice by attending. Everypony took their seats. The teacher, a dark blue stallion with a silver mane, levitated a small piece of chalk to the green chalkboard behind him. In fancy curved letters he wrote his name. Unfortunately Chrysalis couldn't read what he wrote. "My name is Midnight Spear and I will be one of your teachers while you attend this school," he said. "Now let's begin! Since this is your first day for you all here, there will not be any home work. Consider this an introductory class." True to his word the class was definitely a long introduction, a very long introduction. Half way through she and Cadence had stopped paying attention to what he was saying and she could've sworn that she heard somepony let out a snore at some point. No doubt the teacher noticed this, but he didn't seem all that bothered by it. So he just continued to prattle on. By the end of the school day when it was time to go Chrysalis couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she had to go, but Cadence had told her that they would see each other again tomorrow. This, she was looking forward to very much.
Chapter I: One Question Two AnswersWhen Chrysalis returned home from school she was originally going to tell her mother about everything that had happened. However, as she told her tale she conveniently omitted a few details. For instance, she didn't tell her mother that on her first day of school everypony picked on her or that she cried. Because after all she had been told, queens and future queens do not show weakness in front of others. There was one thing that she was absolutely ecstatic to talk about and that was Cadence. After all, how often did changelings in the past have any friends let alone make any? So she told her mother everything she could about that light pink filly. Okay so she told her almost everything. A detail or two might have been twisted around ever so slightly. You know how Cadence had been the one to save her from those bullies? Well that story might have done a complete one-eighty with Chrysalis saying that she rescued Cadence. It was just a little lie, but it was worth it to see the brief look of pride on her mother's face. Almost immediately after she finished her story her mother had her whisked out of the throne room. For her mother had of course more pressing things to concern her with then the tale of one schoolfilly. Being the queen meant placing the needs of the many over the needs of the few. Even if the few included her daughter. Personal attachments had no place in royal matters. One of her mother's Royal Guard escorted Chrysalis up to her chambers. There she spent the rest of her day lying in bed, attempting to decipher the more illegible parts to her books. Little progress was made, but it gave her something to do to pass the time. Perhaps if she was able to she could find undamaged copies just lying around somewhere, maybe in another garbage pit? The sun had started to set and bathed her room in an orange glow. Her stomach rumbled and she knew that could only mean one thing, it was time for dinner. She trotted downstairs and sat down at the intricately carved stone slab that was the table. An older changeling approached the table carrying a bowl full of a crimson colored liquid, love. The changeling placed the bowl in front of her. "Mother is not coming again is she, Caretaker?" Chrysalis asked. She already knew what the answer would be, but it had become almost second nature for her to ask just the same. "The Queen is very busy," she replied. This was the answer that she expected, but still she'd be lying if she said that it wasn't disappointing to hear sometimes. Because she was often left alone her mother had hired that older changeling to tend to her while she was away. How long had that changeling been tending to her any way, was it a year or two now? At least she got to come up with a name for that changeling. Since that changeling was deemed unimportant like thousands of other changelings she didn't have a name when she started to tend to her. So she decided to call her Caretaker. It wasn't the most creative name, but she didn't seem to mind it. Not that she would have had any say in the matter if she did. Although, she would have been open to her input if she had any. Chrysalis took a sip of the love soup in front of her. This particular kind of love tasted savory. It made her wonder why it tasted this way. What was it about love that caused it to have so many flavors? She took a larger gulp of it, did the answer truly matter? Besides she probably wouldn't understand if somepony told her anyway. When she finished her dinner Caretaker took the bowl and placed it in a basin to clean later. "It is time for you to retire now, Princess." "Of course. Can you tell Mother that I said goodnight?" "Yes." "Thank you, Caretaker. Goodnight!" Chrysalis said, as she bolted up the stairs. "Princess." Chrysalis hopped unto her bed and cocooned herself under the covers. Tomorrow she would see Cadence again, tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep. The next day... Perhaps it was silly of her, but as Chrysalis looked for Cadence in the school's crowded courtyard she felt slightly nervous when she couldn't find her. What if she no longer wanted to be friends with her? It was completely ridiculous of her to think such things, but the mind didn't always work rationally. Fortunately for her she didn't have to fret for too long. Standing off to the side, next to a group of giggling fillies, was Cadence. Cadence smiled at her when she spotted the young changeling. Chrysalis couldn't help but return the expression. There was just something about Cadence that just made her feel warm inside. It was a strange feeling, but it wasn't unpleasant. They trotted over to each other. "I was looking for you!" Cadence said. "Me too!" Chrysalis said, as she practically did a little jump. Cadence giggled at her. "Are you ready for class?" she asked, placing a hoof over her mouth to stifle herself, but that didn't work and another little giggle escaped her lips. "What's so funny?" "Just you. You're still jumping." "Oh!" She blushed at the realization that she was indeed still jumping. This was kind of embarrassing and by kind of she meant mortifying. Other fillies had been watching her too and they weren't being quite as subtle as Cadence was trying to be. "Can we go inside now?" "Sure." The two of them ended up seated in the class room even before the teacher arrived to actually start the class. This made the teacher, a mare with a white coat and teal mane; give them a small nod of approval. While Chrysalis had only wanted to come in earlier to avoid be stared and or laughed at, getting on a teacher's good side seemed like a good idea. Soon everypony came in and took their seats. A few fillies glanced over at her and she thought that they were about to giggle again, but thankfully they only smirked. "Welcome class!" the teacher began. "I am your teacher, Diamond Song, and today we are going to learn about cutie marks. Who here can tell me what a cutie mark is?" Several hooves shot up into the air. Ms. Song looked over her choices appreciatively. "Mr. Lance." She had made her decision. "A cutie mark is a picture that appears on somepony's flank when they discover their special gift," the grey colt said. "Right you are Mr. Lance. You see class, when ponies are born they don't have their cutie marks yet. Usually they begin to appear around your ages now. This is because you really start to learn who you are as a pony by this time. Though there are always exceptions to the rule. Some ponies get them earlier than others and some are late bloomers. I've even heard a few ponies say that they didn't get their cutie marks until they were almost fully grown. "While the last one is an extremely rare example you shouldn't feel disappointed if you don't get your cutie mark right away. So many fillies and colts end up upset because they were the last in their class to receive their cutie mark. What they don't seem to understand is that you can't rush it. A cutie mark is something that comes naturally with time. Any questions?" "I have a question Ms. Song! Since we're unicorns why can't we just make a cutie mark appear?" Star Flare asked. "That is a good question Ms. Flare, to which I have a simple answer for you. A cutie mark only appears when its bearer realizes their special gift themselves and no amount of magic can change that. Despite this fact it never does seem to make young unicorns ever stop trying. This is all the time we have for questions, but if anypony wishes to learn more about cutie marks I will be available after class. Now, taking what we have just learned about cutie marks I want each of you to write an essay about what you think your special gift might be." When the class was over everypony handed Ms. Song their papers. Almost everypony that is except for Chrysalis. She tried to come up with something, but she didn't even know if changelings could get cutie marks. So she hung back and waited for most of the class to file out for lunch before turning in her blank paper. Luckily Ms. Song was understanding of her predicament and told her that it was fine. However, it wasn't really fine was it? This just proved again how much different she was from everypony else. She joined Cadence who was waiting just outside the door and they walked into the cafeteria to join the others for lunch. They chose a secluded table in the back of the cafeteria to eat. Despite being out of the way Chrysalis couldn't help, but notice all the ponies looking over at her. Were they still thinking about the jumping incident from earlier? No, some of their eyes were specifically targeting Cadence. Why would they be looking at her in such a manner? It didn't have to do with herself did it? She would not want Cadence to be negatively affected by her presence. "Cadence I think that they are watching us." Cadence took a bite of a bright red appl. "So?" she asked, taking another bite of the fruit. "So? Aren't you worried what they might think of you if you're seen with me? You've been so nice to me. I wouldn't want you to lose all your friends because of... me." If Cadence wasn't going to be concerned about her image then I would. "Actually I don't have any other friends besides you." There was a sad look in Cadence's eyes when she admitted this. Great I had just upset my only friend, but why was I her only friend. Cadence was the nicest pony that I knew. Admittedly I didn't know very many ponies personally, but still. How could a changeling be her only friend? Everypony should be flocking to her. Before she could stop herself she asked the one question that was on her mind. "Cadence how come you don't have any more friends? You're so nice; it doesn't make any sense to me." Cadence gave her a small smile. "If I tell you do you promise to still be my friend afterwards?" She looked at Chrysalis fearfully. Chrysalis herself was nervous too. "Of course I will," She said. Please don't let it be anything bad and make me a liar. "It's my aunt mostly..." That wasn't so bad. "Everypony believes that if they upset me she will send them to the moon." Ohh... that's not good. Wait, is that even possible? No, there was nopony who could do that! Right? "Your aunt doesn't really send ponies to the moon does she?" Please say no. "Well she did once..." "I, uh, see." She could feel herself become a little more on edge too. It wasn't fair, but she just couldn't help it. "You're scared of me now, just like the others. I can see it. Does this mean you don't want to be my friend anymore?" She could see tears forming in the pony's eyes. Cadence truly believed that she would leave her. The two of them were so very similar at this moment. Chrysalis recalled the other day when all the ponies were making fun of her. Cadence was the only pony who stood up for her and even offered her a hoof in friendship. Why couldn't she be there for her now? While she wasn't sure how she felt about her aunt sending ponies to the moon that had nothing to do with Cadence. Even if it did, didn't she deserve somepony too? Chrysalis decided that she was going to be that somepony. With a determined voice she said, "Of course I will still be your friend! It will take a little more than a story about being sent to the moon to drive me away." I'm sorry that I let you doubt me. The tears that Cadence was holding back flowed freely now. These tears confused Chrysalis. You were supposed to cry when you were sad, but then why was she smiling? Cadence reached across the table and wrapped her hooves tightly around Chrysalis. What is she doing? It is so tight, but it feels... nice. Chrysalis wasn't sure what this was act was called, but she decided to imitate the filly. Chrysalis could see everypony still watching them. However at this moment she really couldn't care less. When school was over and Chrysalis was about to return to the hive she heard Cadence's voice calling out to her. "Chrysalis wait up a second!" Chrysalis stopped getting into the chariot and turned around, much to the disappointment of her rides home. "What is it?" "I was just wondering if you could stay here longer after school tomorrow. There's someplace I'd like to show you if you're interested." "Of course I'm interested!" She gave the two chariot pullers a pleading look. "If it is okay with you two." "Whatever you want," they replied. Both girls were happy with this and they did that tight squeezing thing again before parting ways. Later she was going to have to figure out what that was called. There was a question she had on her mind when she returned to the hive. A question that she hoped her mother had an answer to. She rushed into the throne room. Her mother was sitting quite regally on the throne. The throne was a massive seat carved from the stone that was part of the first changeling hive and it was adorned with portraits of all the past queens. Her mother appeared to be having a conversation with somepony. Presumably it was somepony important, but it could be very hard to tell other changelings apart sometimes. This did nothing to dissuade Chrysalis from piping up though. "Your Highness, Your Highness!" Hey I actually remembered this time! "I have a question for you!" Her mother looked annoyed at the interruption. "We shall finish our conversation later Captain." "Yes, my queen." Chrysalis could see many scars covering the changeling's body as he left. He gave her a small nod as he passed by. No way, was that the captain of the Royal Guard? It dawned on her that she may have just barged in on something important. Hopefully her mother wouldn't be too upset with her. "What is it Princess?" There was a hint of anger in her mother's voice. "Your Highness, why don't ponies like me?" Her mother smiled at her, but it wasn't warm like Cadence's. "It is because they are jealous of you. They know that you are superior to them in every way," she stated. "But why?" "Don't concern yourself with the opinions of those ponies, they are below you. As a future leader of our race it will become your job to make sure that the changeling hive continues on its path of dominance. Fear will become your greatest ally. Whether it is for your subjects or your victimes. Does this answer your question?" "I guess." No it really doesn't. "Good. Now I have to continue my duties. I trust that you can escort yourself out?" "Yes, of course!" There was still one more changeling that I could ask. Chrysalis was almost out the door when her mother's voice stopped her in her tracks. "And, Princess, I would suggest not interrupting my meetings again." "Right, sorry, Your Highness!" Get me out of here! She was glad to leave the throne room behind her. If her mother knew who she was about to see then she would probably get sealed in her room and never let out again, but this question of hers was just too important to leave. Her father would know the answer. In changeling society there was little value placed in males, espicially if you were royalty. Most males were deemed insignificant, barely worth even recognizing. Despite the fact that the vast majority of changelings were in fact male. Only females had the brains to keep the hive running. Men were only good for three things, fighting, building, and breeding. Chrysalis wasn't sure how this thought process had started, but for as far back as anypony could remember this was how it always was. If she hadn't over heard her mother talking about her father one night then she would never have known that he existed. She was nervous meeting him the first time, but she was glad that she did. He changed her mind on how she viewed males. They weren't the simple brutes that her mother made them out to be. Instead she thought that they could do just as well as the females running the hive, but some ideas right or wrong were just so ingrained into their society. It would take her years to even try to make a difference. When she told her father sometime ago that she would like to try to change the ways that males were viewed he simply told her no. To him it didn't matter, but he did not want her to ruin her image to the changeling populace. He made her promise not to tell anypony about her opinions either, especially her mother. Changes to the norm were not usually accepted by changelings. Her father lived in the commons, Spire 9, Nest 115. The first time she visited the commons she was in awe of just how many changelings lived here. Thousands upon thousands of changelings called this place home. Also the noise took her some getting used to. Back at the Royal Spire there was only a few hundred changelings so you only heard the occasional sound of flight, but here the sound was almost deafening. At any given time it seemed that half the population was in-flight. Surprisingly despite this there wasn't an over abundance of mid-air collisions. The commons were always expanding and yet there never seemed to be enough space for everypony. Chrysalis took off and flew to her father's nest. She knocked on the hole cover and waited a few moments for a response. The cover slid to the side and she was greeted by her father. "Chrysalis what are you doing here? Come in!" She set herself down and followed him inside. "Father I have a question for you," she asked, sitting down on the couch. Or at least what passed for a couch in the commons. It was more like a flat rock with a thin cushion on it. "What's your question?" He sat down next to her. "I was just wondering, why don't ponies like me?" "That's right; I had heard that you're attending that school now. Well the only answer I have is this, most ponies fear what they don't understand. I don't think that it is just you that they don't like. I think that it is changelings in general and could you really blame them? We aren't the most likeable race out there and someday soon our ways are going to catch up to us. Does this answer your question?" "Better than Mother's did, thank you!" "What was your mother's answer?" "Jealousy mostly." "That sounds about right. Now tell me about your day."
Chapter II: Cutie MarksChrysalis didn’t get much sleep the other night, she was too excited. Cadence’s words were tormenting her. Just where did she plan on taking me? She tried to think of as many places as she could, but she still wasn’t very familiar with Canterlot. Especially since she hadn’t actually been anywhere beyond the school as of yet. What if it wasn’t in Canterlot? If it wasn’t in Canterlot then where else could it be? “You’re too cruel Cadence!” Chrysalis said to herself as she was still trying to think of a likely place for the filly to take her. How could she not tell me? Did she think that this wouldn’t keep me up at night? She let out a rather large yawn. Tomorrow I would have to make her tell me. Yes, tomorrow I will act like I am not interested in knowing where she is taking me. It is brilliant! She won’t be able to resist telling me! She yawned again; her eyes were feeling rather heavy now. Tomorrow, I’ll get her to tell… me to… morrow… She drifted off into a deep sleep. School… School was proceeding normally. The first thing she did when she arrived was put her plan into action. No matter how much she wanted to she would not show any interest in where Cadence planed to take her. It was hard for her to keep such a straight and disinterested face on. She really, really, wanted to know after all and Cadence knew this. Cadence seemed to see right through her facade, but no matter what she was going to keep it up. This only appeared to amuse Cadence, because whenever the filly looked at her she had a mischievous grin on her face. “Aren’t you going to ask me where I am taking you?” Cadence asked. “It doesn’t matter where we go,” Chrysalis said trying her best to sound as disinterested as possible. “Oh, really? You aren’t even the tiny tiniest bit curious to know where we’re going. Are you sure? Because it is really awesome!” “Nope!” It was hard for her to keep a straight face. “Huh, alright. We’ll see how long you last,” Cadence said with a smirk. They were at a stalemate for most of the school day. Neither of them would give in to the other. Unfortunately Chrysalis found herself on the losing side. After all, Cadence held all the cards. She didn’t actually have to tell her where she was taking her. I will get her to tell me. When school was finally over Chrysalis decided to change her plan. Maybe I’ll just ask her, but I will do it in a very casual way… “Where are we going? Tell me, tell me, tell me!” she exclaimed. That wasn’t casual. Cadence laughed at her completely failed display. “Okay I’ll tell you. What do you think about visiting the Royal Castle?” It was clear that she was just as eager to spill the beans, as I was to hear them. If she could’ve viewed herself in a mirror then she was sure that her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. “The Royal Castle! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” she squealed. “Wait… you’re not foaling with me are you?” “You silly filly did you honestly think that I would lie to you? I’m hurt,” Cadence said and gave her a little pout. “No I didn’t mean-“ Before she could finish, Chrysalis saw the pout turn into a grin in a flash. “That’s not funny. I thought that I might have upset you.” It took Cadence a moment to realize what she had almost done. “I’m sorry. I guess you aren’t use to this kind of thing where you’re from huh?” she asked. Chrysalis shook her head. “No, we don’t get this sort of thing in the hive,” she stated. “Chrysalis, what is the hive like? Is it really different from Canterlot?” You have no idea… “It would be difficult for me to explain.” This was the best answer she could think of and it was true. Compared to ponies changelings lived vastly different lives. "Do you think that I might be able to visit the hive someday?" "Umm... I don't know." This was not a question she was expecting to have to answer. Nopony besides changelings have ever been to the hive not even Princess Celestia herself, but maybe it could happen. "Someday." In truth she would very much like to show Cadence around her home. This seemed to satisfy Cadence. "Okay." "So about the Royal Castle..." Chrysalis was hesitant over what she was about to say next. She was kind of afraid of the answer. "Is it really okay for us to go there?" "Oh I'm sure that my auntie wouldn't mind. She works in the castle." "Just who is your aunt anyway?" Chrysalis asked. She could send ponies to the moon and works in the Royal Palace. I need to know who this mysterious mare is! "I'm not telling! Maybe you'll get to meet her at the castle!" Cadence said teasingly. "Now follow me!" The two fillies trotted down a major cobble stone road, lined completely with fancy shops and restaurants. Since it was mid-day there were plenty of ponies out and about enjoying their trips to the many stores. Chrysalis couldn't help but notice that a few of the ponies wore expensive looking outfits and had an air of superiority about them. With so many ponies around her, Chrysalis decided to stick close behind Cadence. She didn't want to lose her only guide through the city, because she felt that if she did, help may be difficult to come by. "Hey, Chrysalis, what do you think our cutie marks will be?" Cadence asked. "I don't even know if changelings can get cutie marks," Chrysalis sighed. "Hmm... you know there might be a book in the castle library that could help us, if you're interested. It is a really big library after all." After Cadence had mentioned a library she was sold. "Of course I'm interested!" she said. Maybe I could find undamaged copies of my books! Besides the books she was also curious about changelings and cutie marks. Never in the history of the hive was it ever mentioned that a changeling received a cutie mark, but it wasn't impossible right? What better place to find out then the Royal Library? When the city gave way to well trimmed lawns Chrysalis realized something, they were now on the castle grounds. She judged this based on a few things. First, there were the ornate statues placed strategically along the path. Then there was an elegant three tier fountain that they went around. Second, were the guards. They had on shiny golden armor and wandered the premises, most likely on the watch for possible intruders. Lastly, there was you know, the castle itself. It stood majestically towering over the city. Everything was quite impressive especially if you were a young changeling. Two white stallions stood guard in front of the castle entrance. They seemed to be watching them approach. "Halt!" The guards' voices were booming. Chrysalis shrunk behind Cadence under their gaze. Cadence herself was undaunted by their intimidating appearance. "Oh, it is just Miss Cadence," said the guard on the left. "Would you gentlecolts mind opening the door for us?" Cadence asked in a sweet sounding voice. "Of course Miss Cadence, but I must ask, who is your friend there?" It was the guard on the right speaking this time. If they weren't about the same size then Chrysalis would have crawled right under Cadence. "This is my friend, Chrysalis! Come on, Chrysalis, say hi!" Chrysalis let out a rather undignified squeak. Did I just make that noise? Can somepony find me that rock now? Her squeak caused the guards to chuckle at her. This only made her want to hide more. After they were done having a laugh at her expense they opened the large door with their magic. "Thank you!" Cadence said. Chrysalis slinked in after her, more out of embarrassment then anything else. Once inside the guards shut them in. It didn't take her long to perk up afterwards though. The castle was just as magnificent inside as it was outside. They went down a massive vaulted hall covered with beautiful tapestries, light poured in from the arched windows. She couldn't help, but admire each and every one of the fabric hangings. Cadence let out a small cough. "Are you okay?" Chrysalis asked. "I'm fine," she responded, but shortly after she let out another small cough. "Tickle?" "No." "Are you sick?" Chrysalis put a hoof on Cadence's forehead. She couldn't feel a temperature. "I'm not sick either." Cadence moved her hoof off her head. "Then what?" "You really don't know do you? I'm trying to tell you that you're taking too long." Cadence looked like she was barely containing laughter. "Well why didn't you just say so? Is this how ponies tell somepony they're taking too long? Why are you laughing?" Muddled in the laughter Chrysalis could hear Cadence trying to say something. "I... I'm sorry! Its ju... just that you're so funny!" Cadence managed to get a hold of herself after awhile, though she couldn't quite look her in the eye. "I'm sure there is a book in the library that can help you with situations like this. Come on the library is just down the next hall." Chrysalis followed close behind Cadence and soon found herself in the library. There were so many aisles filled to the brim with books. Surely the books they sought had to be here. They split up and began the arduous task of searching. "Remember we're looking for books on cutie marks and then books to help you with interacting, but mostly cutie marks," Cadence said a few aisles away from her. "Cutie marks... cutie marks," Chrysalis repeated to herself as she pawed through her current shelf. "What's this?" She pulled out a book that didn't look like it belonged with the others. "Scrap Booking 101: Everything You Need to Know About Scrap Books." She was going to put it back, but she couldn't help being captivated by the photos on the cover. Right when she was about to flip the book open Cadence called out to her. "I found the books!" Quickly Chrysalis placed the book back when she saw Cadence approaching levitating several books in the air. What are you doing? It's just Cadence. Why are you being so secretive? Well I don't want her to laugh again... excuses! "What were you looking at just now?" "Uh, nothing!" "Uh huh." Cadence gave her a disbelieving look, but she didn't press the issue. "Come on then I found the books we were looking for." The two fillies left the library and Cadence led her to probably the pinkest bedroom she had ever seen. Okay so I've only seen one pink room, but still I can't imagine anypony with a room like this. The walls were pink, the large circular bed was pink, everything a different shade of pink! "What do you think of my room?" Cadence asked as she laid the books out over the bed. "It's very pink, but it's umm... nice?" "Really you think so? That's great!" Cadence hopped onto the bed and motioned for Chrysalis to join. She placed a book in front of each of them. "Well let's get started!" Chrysalis was only partially paying attention to the words she was reading. In the back of her mind she was still curious about the scrap booking book. Were ponies the only ones who made scrap books? Why did they make them? What was with the silly stickers on the photos? She had so many questions on her mind that there was no way she could focus on cutie marks! But she couldn't just leave her friend here. She watched Cadence as she casually turned a page with her magic. Her eyes were scanning each line of the page intently while her back legs just swayed gently in the air. Maybe if it was just for a few minutes. That should be okay right? That way I could check out the book and see if it is any good! Now how do I leave? That's when the perfect idea hit her. "Cadence where is the little fillies room?" "Huh? Oh! It is down the hall and to your right." "Thank you!" "Sure." Now she was back in the library. She didn't like lying to Cadence, but if she made it quick then everything would be fine. However, in her haste she bumped into something. She looked up, or somepony in this case. The mare she'd hit looked surprised to see her. Chrysalis shrunk away from her. She was the tallest pony she had ever seen! Physically she appeared similar to Cadence only instead of pink she was a pure shade of white. The mare looked regal with a golden crest around her neck and crown on her head. Then she saw the mare's cutie mark, a sun, and then it dawned on her. Much to her horror she had just bumped into Princess Celestia! If she could have made herself appear any smaller she would have. "P... Princess Celestia!" Chrysalis said her voice sounding similar to that of a mouse. "Somepony's in a hurry aren't they? Are you alright?" Celestia asked. She then put the book that she had back on the shelf. "Princess I... I..." "What is your name my little changeling? And what brings you to my library?" Celestia smiled at her. It looked almost as warm and sunny as her cutie mark. This did absolutely nothing to calm Chrysalis's nerves down however. She could hear her mother's voice in her head telling her to answer the Princess. No matter how much she tried her words would remain stuck on her tongue. Chrysalis, tell her your name is Chrysalis. Then apologize for bumping into her. Say it come on! She had almost built up enough courage to speak when she heard Cadence's voice behind her. "Chrysalis! Chrysa- oh there you are! I was looking for you! I forgot to tell you that the bathroom door was the third door. How come you didn't come back to the bedroom when you couldn't find it? Hi Auntie Celestia!" Did she just say Auntie Celestia? Celestia is Cadence's aunt! Ce... Celestia sent somepony to the moon! I bumped into her. She is going to send me to the moon too! Wait if she sends me to the moon then I won't be able to spend time with Cadence, please don't take me away from her! Chrysalis had fully convinced herself that she was going to be sent to the moon. This terrifying prospect caused her to blurt out. "I'm sorry that I hit you! I... I didn't mean to! Please don't send me to the moon! Please don't take me away from Cadence!" She shut her eyes tightly expecting to be sent away any moment now, but that moment never came. When she opened her eyes and peered upwards she could see that Celestia had a completely shocked expression on her face and... Did she look sad? Isn't she going to send me to the moon? "Child, where did you hear such a thing?" Celestia sounded aghast. "It's my fault, Auntie. I told her about what all the other fillies were saying," Cadence confessed. Chrysalis found herself on the receiving end of another embrace by a certain pink filly. It was so sudden, so unexpected, and so appreciated. She could feel herself calming down. It was still hard for her to speak, but she hoped that Cadence knew what she'd say if she could. Thank you. "After almost 1000 years they're still saying this about me." While Celestia smiled at them there was a deep sadness in her eyes. It looked like she was recalling a distant memory. "Princess Celestia are you okay?" Chrysalis managed to ask her voice small. Celestia sighed, "Yes, my little changeling. I was just remembering somepony I lost a long time ago." After what seemed like a few minutes Celestia's smile returned. "You are a curious example of your species-" "Chrysalis." "Chrysalis, I believe I made the right decision by sending you that invitation. Do not worry child I will not take you away from your friend. I have only sent one pony to the moon before and she did a little more than bump into me and even then I didn't want to do it. Perhaps there is still a chance... hmmm." "Princess?" "It's nothing. Now I believe there was a reason you came here. Is there a book you needed?" "A book on... scrap booking." "I'm sorry I didn't catch that last part. Don't be shy speak up." "I said a book on scrap booking." Celestia gave her an inquisitive look. "Did you say a book on scrap booking? What an interesting choice." With her magic she pulled out a book. Chrysalis recognized the cover it was Scrap Booking 101! "Is this the book you seek?" "Yes, Princess!" "A good choice, I think that you two will have fun with this one." "Hey, Auntie Celestia," Cadence began. "Do you have any advice on how we could earn our cutie marks?" "I do, patience. A cutie mark only appears when it's owner realizes their gift themselves." "But that is basically what our teacher said!" "Your teacher is right, but you could always try out different things to see what you enjoy doing." "We could quest for our cutie marks! It would be so fun! Chrysalis, do you want to try it?" Cadence sounded excited. "Of course I do!" Chrysalis replied. "Just don't do anything to dangerous okay? Now did anypony else need anything before I head back to the throne room?" Celestia looked at each of them. "Umm... Do you think you could help me find a few more books before you go?" Chrysalis asked. Author's Note Sorry the next chapter is taking so long. I am juggling several writing projects at once. Rest assured that I am working on the next chapter. It may take a while, but I will get it out. Thank you all for taking the time to read it!
