Love's Lesson Learned

Fate and destiny are not kind to those who wait and lack the courage to reach out for their desire. While the growth of their friendship had hit an invisible ceiling, they concentrated on their craft. It only took a few months for him to start a slow climb up the ranks within the guard. Her mentor found her to be an easy student to teach and a quick learner of the trade. Praise and encouragement continued between the two. Of course they still took time to meet one another while they were able. Still they visited the complex mines below Canterlot. Even in those days, they knew they hadn’t seen all there was to behold of the crystals that appeared to grow at a magical rate. Both still wondered if more could come of their friendship. She particularly grew hopeful that he’d show some interest soon. The fear of taking steps back from the happy state of the relations held them back from taking that step forward.

It was his approaching promotion to captain of the guard that gave her the courage to try her hoof at adding romance to their lives. They cheered and celebrated together, as one had reached the greatest height of their dream. She started to craft a helm in secret as a gift to mark the occasion of his achievement. It was made to code and near matched the proper shape. But with some gems from their cavern and a bit of her personal flare, she customized it for him and had it presented for his ceremony. A new captain in the guard mandated such an event of course. She risked a nuzzle as she told him how proud she was. It was a little cute to see him blush in front of the stallions he’d soon command. She was allowed to tour parts of the castle while the new captain was familiarized with some new responsibilities. By chance, she met a beautiful princess upon searching rooms she was permitted to enter. She recognized the princess when they got to talking. It was the alicorn who once watched over a younger Twilight Sparkle years ago. Princess Cadance somehow knew of her untold love. Maybe it was the work she had put into her gift of the way she congratulated his promotion. The princess gave her sound advice. Nothing would happen if she did nothing and her chances were of course limited. She would speak to armor about her thoughts and feelings in hopes that something new chapter would start for their lives.

She was able to talk with the princess for some time more until the new captain came to find them. The greeting was interrupted by an alarm calls for help from the guards posted outside the doors. Before a move could be made, a swarm had broken through the doors and smashed through windows to occupy the room held by the princess and her guests. There were far too many to handle with the number of guards immediately available. All ponies were put on alert to hold their position to prevent further advances by the invaders. A few impatient members of the swarm moved to dispatch the captain and take their target alicorn. Shining Armor reared up and trampled one aggressor. The princess’s charm spell held off one changeling invader. A ward from the captain’s horn blasted the others out the window. He had every confidence in his ability to protect two of his closest friends. His confidence shook when the changelings took on new shapes. He stood against familiar faces now. Chaos broke loose when the invaders rushed forward to take girls. The captain was able to remain untouched with his own personal wards intact. But the changelings were using tricky tactics to draw attention away from the girls. While they fought to capture, decoys would take shape of the alicorn or his friend and allow capture to draw away his attention. The tactic worked. But in the end, they left with only the lesser target. For today, the alicorn was safe. Shining armor was overwhelmed and confused. He heard cries for help as Star Crystal was disabled and carried away, but those cries were mimicked by many changelings until they were successful and out of Armor’s range. Though pegasus guardsman would give chase, there would too many changelings to fight through. The flying ponies were tackle them out of flight to insure the mission’s partial success. The unicorn was gone, but it wouldn’t be known until the chaos had ended moments later.

For the next several days her world was strange and dark. She could feel that she was floating in something warm and thick. What terrified her more than the dark was the inability to find a patch of air to breath. Somehow she was surviving in the tight chamber without air. Realizing this calmed her mind just enough bring her out of the panic attack that started when her eyes opened nothingness. She could hear voices outside her prison, but couldn’t understand anything through the fluids and the barrier that held her in. The time she spent in silent darkness couldn’t be measured from the inside. It had to have been days at least, maybe weeks. Her mind had withdrawn from all thought. It was like sleeping without rest as she sat still suspended in whatever filled her small space. Harshly she was yanked into awareness again when her lungs ached and cried for air. Whatever magic has been satisfying the need broke. She struggles and writhed fearfully in her small space, using her hooves and her head to press against the walls around her. It was her horn that pierced the chamber and tore the space that freed her. She yelped as gravity took over and dropped her a few short feet to the ground.

She coughed and groaned from the impact. It took her some time before she tried moving her weak unused muscles. Finding holes in her hooves and legs made her stop and stare. Terror possessed her mind when she realized she had freed herself from. The torn chamber above her was a changeling chrysalis. She had grown into a tall lanky love leeching shape-shifter, a changeling. Her beautiful yellow mane and turned into a slimy green and her legs and neck were thinned and lengthened. Her escape alerted smaller changeling minions who went to draw the queen’s attention. Another changeling closer to her size came into view. She could see the queen’s age in the eyes and the color of a fading green mane. She felt many things as she looked up to the Queen standing over her. Star Crystal was angry, afraid, and saddened all at once. The Queen had a strange voice, smooth and alien. It nearly made her false apologies sound truly sincere. The queen could see that her newest sister antagonized her. She was prepared for such a reaction.

She asked the poor girl to recall the events about her capture, particularly the thoughts and emotions she felt. The force sent to take away the alicorn found a stronger candidate filled with a stronger love to survive the transforming. “You are here in her place because the guardsman in the room was fiercer about protecting the princess, not you a mare ready to confess a long suffering love to him. The heart does not lie, my dear. Who did your shining knight defend and who was sacrificed? He defended the pony most important to him.” She wouldn’t believe it. Shining Armor couldn’t have had any control over who would have been taken away. Even if he had… he was fulfilling his duty as captain. The Queen saw seeds of doubt had been planted. She gave her new sister one more chance to join her cause and perhaps turn the knight’s heart her way. The chance to return to him just caught her ear. “Take him for yourself,” the queen said. “Leave nothing to chance, and take what is owed. I can teach you a changeling’s ways. You can become the very center of his world, the one he will always stand beside.” Normally, such an idea wouldn’t appeal to her. She knew love couldn’t… shouldn’t be forced. But the queen’s magic easily twisted her unprotected and fragile mind to her will. Yes… why leave things to chance when she could form the life she wanted with her own power? The queen continued to sell her on the powers she could use to build up her dream. Total control over ponies around her and flawless disguises that she could use to bend even more ponies to her will. In the coming days, Star Crystal would forget her name and become Queen Chrysalis, as she was born into her new life by breaking out of her chrysalis chamber.