Crash!

I woke up with a start at the sound. I didn't like it. Tears welled up in my eyes before I started bawling and screaming. There were more loud noises coming from outside the room—screaming, crashing, and muffled yells. I clenched my eyes shut and kept crying, hoping to make the noise stop. I didn't know how long I cried, but when I stopped crying, my face was damp and my throat was sore.

Usually when I cried, one or two big creatures would come into the room. I always felt better when one of them picked me up as they talked to me in a soft voice. I didn't understand them, but the way they rocked me back and forth and the way they spoke made me feel better and sleepy. This time though, they didn't come.

The loud noise had dulled. I poked my muzzle between the bars of the box thing I sat in and looked around the room for the two creatures that took care of me. I saw the fluffy toys I liked to chew on in the corner of the room and the place where the big creatures changed the soft, white thing on my bottom, but I couldn't find the two big creatures. I was about to cry again until the door creaked open and a black thing's head popped in.

It was as big as the two that took care of me and kind of looked like them too. It had a pointy horn on its head, light blue eyes, and two sharp teeth sticking out of its mouth. It was a funny-looking thing. The creature turned its head left and right as it looked around the room. I stood on my hind legs and leaned against the bars, my head barely reaching above the side of the box thingy I stood in. I wanted to get a closer look at the strange thing. It was about to leave, but then I gave a small whine, begging for the creature to come back. It poked its head back inside the room and looked around the room again before its eyes landed on me. I gave another whine, this time louder.

The door opened fully, revealing the strange creature. The rest of its body was black except for the dark blue part on its back and the light teal wings. I noticed there were holes in its wings as well as its legs and tail. Its wings buzzed to life as it fluttered over to where I stood. I smiled and giggled at the creature. It looked so silly.

It raised one of its brows when it looked at me. I wanted to play with it, so I tried to climb out of the box. I jumped high enough so that my hooves clung to the edge of the box, but my hind legs hung in the air and pressed against the bars. The creature flew closer to me and shook its head. I gave another push against the side of the box and reached for one of the holes in its legs. I felt myself tilting forward.

There was a tug at my tail as I was about to fall. It was the creature biting onto my tail as it hovered in the air. It gently lowered me to the ground before sitting down and spitting out my tail. It let out a sigh and wiped its forehead with a hoof. I crawled up to the black thing and began sniffing and poking the holes in its legs and wings. It yanked its legs away and took a step back, giving me a harsh glare. I felt wet tears gathering around my eyes again when the thing I was playing with moved away. Its glare softened, and it gave a sigh before sitting closer to me. I immediately took that chance to play with the thing by pawing at its tail.

It gave a toothy smile before wrapping two hooves around me and lifting me up. I squealed as it carried me back to the box. It set me down, opened the window by the box, and gave me another smile. It started making its way out the window, but I bit on the end of his tail. I didn't want it to leave yet. It shook its head at me and pulled its tail out of my mouth. It turned to leave again, but I clung onto one of his rear legs. It pulled its leg away and glared at me. It made some hissing noises as it pointed at me and then at the box I was in. I didn't know what it was saying. It was about to leave through the window again, but I held onto its body.

It opened its mouth to say something again, but a loud sound boomed from outside. A clear, pink wall came out of nowhere and threw the creature out the window with me hanging onto it. It screeched and flailed its legs as we soared in the air with other black creatures that looked like the one I was holding onto. I giggled as I felt the wind rush through my mane and brush against my body.

This was fun.

---

Five minutes earlier…

The changeling queen stood within the wedding hall. She was a specimen of beauty with a hint of terror lurking within her shadow, much like how a rose has its thorns. She looked down at the ponies who had fallen before her.

All her hard work was coming to fruition. There wouldn't be a need for her and her changelings to hide in the shadows, to be shunned back into the obscure darkness by the ponies who feared them, who hated them for what they were. Changelings and the ponies had always lived in separate worlds, one hiding in the shadows and the other basking in the sunlight. Today, the two worlds collided, two different worlds fighting for dominance, each with different reasons. One sought escape. The other sought protection. Changelings wanted to escape their bleak and dreary world where starvation awaited. Ponies wanted to protect themselves from the changelings' invasion. Which was right and which was wrong? Who was good and who was bad? It depends.

Love—it's the feeling of being wanted. It's where loneliness doesn't exist. It's happiness. Changelings needed it. But who would ever love a changeling? Ponies saw them as monsters. To changelings, ponies were monsters too.

Chrysalis peered out the window at the ensuing chaos, ignoring the weakened pony couple behind her. Ponies ran around, screaming and frantically trying to get away from their pursuers. What was once the peaceful capital of Equestria was now a battlefield. Ponies clad in armor struggled against the changelings.

Guards were pinned down by piles of changelings and trapped in sticky, green goo. The guards, who were fortunate enough not to be captured, fought against their foes, using anything they had to subdue them. Each side held nothing back. Guards lunged at changelings with their spears and shot at them with bolts of magic. Changelings pounced on them and sank their fangs into their flesh, making sure to draw blood. When there weren't any weapons around, the battle reduced into a hoof fight, each side bucking their opponent into submission. And quite often, the Royal Guard fought among themselves, not knowing who was who.

It was the perfect depiction of chaos and destruction. It was primal hate at its purest form. Neither changelings nor ponies questioned the morality of the act. They only followed orders and fought for what they believed in was right. Neither cared what happened to the other, only the sake of their own kind.

Chrysalis gave a throaty chuckle. What could they possibly do to me now? I hold their Princess, the Elements, and the royal couple in my hooves. And they plan on using love against me? I almost pity these fools—almost.

A heavenly scent filled the air, tugging at her senses. Curiosity grabbed a hold of her, and she cast a glance behind to find the source. Her eyes widened at the sight. The scent came from the unicorn and the alicorn. A pink glow wrapped the two, radiating enough love to feed the hive for years. The air shook and shimmered before bursting into a blinding flash of light, followed by an explosion and a rapidly expanding pink bubble.

Thoughts raced through her mind. The shield grew too fast for her to react. She couldn't avoid it. Not only would she get caught in it but her changelings would as well. She could only brace for the impact.

The shield slammed into her body, sending her flying with the other changelings. She fought against it, but it was no use. It carried them to the edge of Canterlot, forcing all the changelings out of the city and flinging them towards the Badlands. Chrysalis shrieked as she soared through the air uncontrollably until she and the swarm landed in a painful heap. When at last she was on the ground again, she gave one look around and groaned at the sight.

They were back where they started.

The land around was mostly barren except for the few vegetation that managed to survive the horrid conditions. The entrance to their hive was a simple cave opening that led to the dark, intricate underground tunnels where it was much cooler than the ground above. It wasn't glamorous. It wasn't a castle or a city. But it was home.

Chrysalis shakily stood on her hooves. A painful groan escaped from her. "It seems I may have underestimated these ponies. Curse that wretched unicorn! If it weren't for her, everything would have been perfect! Defeated by love, how humiliating!"

For a moment, she held victory in her hooves—the power to bend ponies to her authority, to better the lives of her subjects, to change things. She held it in her hooves, only for it to slip away when her goal was in reach. Everything had been ripped away from her in an instant by the love of two mere ponies. It hadn't been a whole day, and she lost everything. It was as if by fate's design that changelings were meant to be imprisoned in their dreary world, never to achieve the same happiness the ponies reveled in. They were fated to be despised for what they were.

Happiness was only a faraway dream for them. She learned that this was her fate, her reality, her punishment. For what, she didn't know. All she knew was that she hated this twisted world. She wanted to rip it up, tear the world to pieces, and crush it until it was nothing but dust. She wanted nothing more than to change things for the sake of her changelings and have her revenge on the world that forsook them.

One of her subjects trotted up to her and began hissing in his native tongue. The changeling speaking waved his hooves in panic.

"What? What do you mean we have a 'small problem'?" she asked. She was in no mood for any more bad news after a failed attempt of an invasion. What more could possibly go wrong?

Giggling and screeching caught her attention, bringing her gaze towards the source of the sound. Not far off in the distance, another changeling was being squeezed in the grip of a small earth pony foal. The baby pony giggled happily as she played with the strange creature. The poor changeling tried to scramble away, but the foal clung onto him and was dragged along. The rest of the changelings backed away from the foal, in fear of being the foal's next plaything. The queen looked at scene with utter confusion before her face contorted into a grimace.

"Where did this one come from?" she asked the swarm. An air of authority radiated from her voice and glare.

A changeling, much to his reluctance, was shoved forward from the crowd. Under Chrysalis's demanding gaze, he began frantically hissing and chittering what had happened.

"So she grabbed onto you and came with us during the spell?" she asked. The changeling vehemently nodded. Chrysalis put a hoof to her head, feeling a headache growing with the situation forced onto her. What use could the foal possibly have for her? She didn't know who the foal belonged to, and she couldn't go look around Equestria after what had just happened. There was just too much risk in going. What was she supposed to do with the foal?

She felt two hooves wrap around one of her legs and found the foal looking up at her with her blue eyes, filled with awe and wonder. She was young, innocent, and naïve—a child. Chrysalis returned her stare with an annoyed glare of her own. The foal only smiled and laughed and moved under her towards her tail where she began playing with it, swatting and tugging the hole-filled tail.

Love and affection poured out the foal, filling Chrysalis up. It was delicious. Yet, it was strange that a pony would give love to a changeling, the very thing ponies hated. It was unheard of. Ponies and changelings were like water and oil; they didn't mix well together. They were too different from each other. But here, a foal was giving out love like candy. A smile crept its way onto Chrysalis's face, revealing her fangs. An idea hatched in her head. She could raise the poor foal herself. The pony didn't have a family to care for her and provided an excellent source of nourishment for her and her subjects. Chrysalis would nurture the foal and teach her to embrace the ways of changelings. It seemed there was a silver lining to this.

She nuzzled the little pony. "How would you like to live with me, little one?" she asked in a motherly way. The foal returned her affections, sending another delicious wave of love to her. Now that Chrysalis got another look at the foal, she somewhat resembled her. She was a pony with a black coat, a teal mane and tail, the same color as hers, as well as two eyes as blue as the sky. It would be easy for Chrysalis to think of her as one of her own—her own daughter. Chrysalis cradled the baby in her hooves, earning a laugh from the foal.

"Mother Chrysalis is here to care for you," she cooed. "But what should I call you? Every princess needs a name." She looked at the foal sucking on her hoof. She was an earth pony, so she couldn't fly or do magic, and of course, since she wasn't a changeling, she wouldn't be able to alter her appearance, the deceitful nature that made a changeling. She couldn't change who she was. She would remain the same pony she was for the rest of her life. After going through many names in her head, one finally stood among the rest.

"Nymph… How does that name sound?" Chrysalis asked the foal.

She let out a giggle and clopped her hooves together.

Chrysalis smiled at the foal. "Nymph, it is then. From here on, you are my daughter. Your love will feed us. And most importantly, you will help me tear the crown away from the princesses," she said as she held the pony in the air with her hooves.

The foal giggled as she was lifted.

"But that will have to wait until you have matured. For now, it is time for me to get to know my new daughter." The changeling queen placed the foal on her back. The queen, the foal, and the changelings flew into the cave, the little pony laughing all the while she rode on Chrysalis's back, unaware of the world she was thrust into, as they traveled into the dark abyss of her new home.

Ten years later…

For as long as I can remember, I've always lived in these caverns. Glowing green moss covered the walls and rocks of the dark tunnels. Despite it being dimly lit, I knew my way around this tunnel like the back of my hoof. After all, when you're not allowed to leave the hive because it's "too dangerous outside," there's not much else to do other than walk around and meet every changeling. The reason why I couldn't go outside was because Mommy said that there were bad creatures out there that would hurt me. I didn't know what she meant by that. She said that I would be able to go out once I was old enough.

Mommy is queen of the changelings, which makes me a princess. She's really pretty. She's a lot taller than the other changelings, and she has a pair of pretty wings and a horn. I wish I had wings and a horn like hers. For some reason, I don't look like everyone else. I don't have wings or a horn, and I don't have holes on my body. When I asked Mommy about it, she said I was special. Even though I look different, she said that I'll always be her little changeling. I'll always love my mom.

Today was my tenth birthday according to Mommy. I decided that today I would sneak out of the hive and finally see what it was like outside. I hugged the wall of the tunnels and ducked behind a boulder whenever I could. Beside me was my best friend, Happy. He, like everyone else in the hive, was a changeling. Changelings didn't have names. Mommy said that names were a burden for them to carry and that we only had names because we were their rulers. I didn't understand what she meant by that either.

Happy had a name because I gave him one. I called him that because he was one of the few changelings that actually smiled. I've known him for a really long time, ever since Mommy made him my playmate. He looked after me and would often worry about the things I did. It's easy to tell the difference between changelings. For example, Happy had ears that were a tiny bit longer, eyes that were a lighter shade of blue, and his fangs gave him a toothier grin than the others.

Right now, Happy was trying to convince me not to leave. He gave a gentle tug on my tail and gave a worried hiss. I had never been able to understand what these changelings say, but I learned to read the feeling behind their words by the expression of their faces, like reading a book.

Happy's face said, "We should go back, Nymph."

I turned to him and whispered so that nobody else could hear. "Come on, Happy. We're so close! I just want to get one look and then we can go back."

He hissed and pointed towards where we came.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be such a hatchling."

Happy gave an annoyed hiss.

"Hisssss yourself."

We were now near the entrance of the hive. The glowing moss grew thinner as we got closer. The actual entrance to the hive was a large wooden door guarded by two changelings, separating me from the outside world. Mommy made sure that those two guards wouldn't let me leave. Of course, that didn't stop me one bit. I wasn't going to take the front door to get outside.

Instead, Happy and I snuck into the storage room next to the entrance. At first glance, everything looked normal for a storage room filled with cleaning supplies. But this room special was special. At the corner of the room, hidden by conveniently placed boxes, was a spot where instead of rock was soil. I found this room months ago. I've been digging a way out since then, with a little help from Happy. I had him promise to keep this a secret. Being a princess and ordering him to keep quiet about it helped out.

I pushed the boxes aside and began crawling through the small tunnel. For a few minutes, it was dark as I crawled to the outside with Happy behind me. As soon as I reached the end of the dark tunnel, I began digging with my hooves. I was like a prisoner escaping from a jail cell, only I wasn't a prisoner and this was my home. It wasn't long until the dirt gave way and light poured into the tunnel. The light was blinding, but it was warm on my face. I shielded my eyes with a hoof and scrambled out the hole. I slowly removed my hoof.

There were so many colors. The ground below me was a light shade of brown and was warm under my hooves. Above me, I saw colors of red, orange, and purple—the sky, I think it was called. I've seen these things in books when Mommy taught me. Far away, I saw trees and mountains and something perched on the side of the largest mountain. But what stood out among the rest was something bright in the sky, slowly sinking behind the trees and the mountains.

It was called a sun.

She told me it was a thing to be feared and hated. But when I saw the sun sinking in the horizon like a dying flame, I couldn't help but look at it with wonder. It was hard to describe it. It was desire. It was yearning. It was freedom—unrestrained by the enclosed walls and ceilings of the dark tunnels that made up the hive. The sun was warm and bright; it left a kiss on my cheek.

I wanted to show my mother the sunset. Maybe then she wouldn't see the sun as a detestable thing of hatred. Seeing the outside world with my own eyes was different than looking at the pictures. I could see, touch, and hear everything. The shadows grew as the sun was swallowed up from afar. Soon, everything was dark again. Only this time, instead of a ceiling above me, there was a sea of stars. In the sun's place was something white and round: it was the moon.

"Wow…" I finally managed to say.

I stood there taking in everything until I was shaken by the changeling next to me. Happy pleaded me to return to the hive.

"Alright, Happy. Let's go back." The changeling gave his toothy grin, and I laughed.

We went back to the hole we came from. I made sure to cover the hole with a rock before going back into the tunnel. Happy and I snuck our way back into the deeper part of the hive where Mommy and I lived. In these parts of the hive, the tunnels were lit by green-flamed torches that hung on the walls. There were more changelings around, but I made sure to take the path with the least amount of changelings.

Eventually, we reached my room. Happy slumped on the ground while I went to my bathroom to bathe and wash the dirt off me. Once I washed the evidence off my fur coat, I trotted back to my room to see Mommy in my room.

"Mommy!" I shouted as I went up to nuzzle her. She craned her neck down to nuzzle me.

"Hello, my little changeling princess. How was your day?" she greeted.

"It was great!" I said. "Happy and I played a lot of games and I finished reading a book and…" I was about to tell her what I saw today, but then I remembered that I had to keep that a secret. "… and then we played hide-and-seek."

She gave a chuckle. "My, it certainly sounds like you've had a wonderful day."

I looked around and noticed that Happy wasn't around. "Where did Happy go?"

"Hmm? Oh, I sent him to retrieve your dinner. It should be ready by now. Come along, Nymph."

I followed my mother out the room, and we made our way to the throne room. For some reason, I always ate in the throne room with all the other changelings watching. I've grown used to their stares by now. I was enjoying a bowl of apples, freshly picked by some of the changeling servants, while I sat on a small throne next to my mother. The throne room looked magnificent with its regal appearance and black and green colors. Mommy and the changelings never ate, or at least I've never seen them eat. I was always the one that was eating, while everyone else just sat with their horns glowing green. For some reason when everyone's horns stopped glowing, Mommy looked tired when all she had done was sit next to me. I rubbed the side of my face against her body to comfort her. Just a simple action would bring her spirit up and bring a smile to her face.

"Thank you, Nymph," she said.

The changelings left and returned to their tasks. Most of them worked on expanding the hive or serving me and my mother. Some of them, however, went up to the surface. Usually, they came back with food. Other times, they would bring back nothing and their horns and Mommy's horn would glow like before. And sometimes, they didn't come back at all. I've always wondered where they had gone. Maybe they loved the outside world so much that they left the hive?

Once Mommy felt better, she turned to me. "Since it's your birthday, I have a surprise for you." She clapped her hooves twice, summoning a changeling into the throne room. It was Happy who flew into the room. What he was carrying made my mouth water.

"Is that…?" In Happy's hooves was a plate holding a slice of a small white pastry with strawberries and a candle on top. It was almost as big as my hoof.

"Yes, Nymph. It's a cake. I know how much you've always wanted to try it, so I sent him to get one for you." I've only seen a cake in a book, and I have always wanted one ever since. Although it was smaller than the one I saw in the book, I gladly accepted the gift. I took the plate, giving Happy a smile which he returned with his own. "Blow out the candle, Nymph, and make a wish," said my mother.

I could have wished for a lot of things, like a horn or a pair of wings like Mommy's. But instead, I made a different wish. I closed my eyes, blew out the candle, and made my wish. I wished Mommy could see the sunset with me. I opened my eyes and looked at my mother. She gave a warm smile.

"Happy Birthday, Nymph."

I took a bite out of the cake. My taste buds were overwhelmed with sweetness. It was one of the best things I had ever eaten. "This is delicious! Mommy, you should try some!" I said to my mother, holding the cake up to her. She tittered when she saw a bit of cake stuck on the tip of my nose.

She shook her head. "No thank you, Nymph. I'm full at the moment. It's your gift, so you should be the one to eat it."

My ears dropped. "Really? I wanted to share it with you." I turned to Happy who was waiting for orders. "Do you want some Happy?"

He shook his head.

I shrugged my shoulders and finished the rest of my cake, covering parts of face with its tasty goodness. I cleaned myself up with a napkin that was given to me by my mother.

Since I was older now, maybe Mommy would let me go outside now and maybe even watch the sunset with me? I cleared my throat. "M-Mommy?"

"Yes, dear? Is something wrong?"

"No, I was just wondering…" I felt nervous asking her the question. "Am I old enough to go outside now?"

She took on a stern expression. "You cannot leave the hive until you are older."

"But how long until I'm old enough?" I whined.

"Until you've learned all there is to learn about being a princess," she said firmly. "There are things out there you are not ready for yet."

I could feel my anger rising. "What could possibly be so bad out there that you want to keep me locked in here?"

Mother remained firm on her decision. "I'm sorry, Nymph. But you have to stay in the hive until I have deemed you are ready. For now, I want you to return to your chambers. It is getting late."

I stayed silent as Happy led me to my room. As soon as we entered my room, I started kicking and screaming, letting out all my frustration in my tantrum. I didn't understand why she thought I couldn't take care of myself out there. Outside seemed much more peaceful than I thought. I've stepped outside before and nothing bad happened to me. I wanted to leave this dark and dreary place. I've only had a taste of what was waiting for me outside, and I craved for more. Outside was so much better than being in this hive. It was bright and warm and colorful. In here, it was dark, depressing, and boring.

When I stopped my tantrum, I looked around and found my room in a complete mess. My blanket and pillow was thrown off the bed. Books were scattered all over the floor. And I found Happy taking cover under the bed. I think I might have scared him a little because he flinched when I poked my head under the bed.

"Sorry about that, Happy," I said. He chittered quietly. "I'm alright now. I was just angry that Mommy still wouldn't let me go outside."

Happy had crawled out from under the bed and began patting me on the shoulder, giving me some more hisses of comfort followed by his goofy smile.

"I just wish she didn't keep me locked up in here. I mean, I can take care of myself." I sat on my haunches. "Just once, I'd like to show her the sunset."

Then an idea hit me. "I know what I can do!" Happy tilted his head and gave a questioning hiss.

"She wants me to be older, right? Well, what if I acted older and showed her that I can take care of myself? If I go to the surface and show her I can handle myself, then she'll let me go outside whenever I want."

Happy shook his head quickly. "Of course it's a good idea!" I replied. I began making my way out the door. I turned my head to the changeling. "You can come too, unless you're too scared…" I heard him give a sigh of defeat before flying after me.

We snuck our way back to the hole to the surface. Many of the changelings were asleep by now, so it wasn't hard to reach the place without getting caught. Once in the storage closet, I moved the boxes out of the way and climbed through the hole with Happy following me. At the end of the tunnel, I pushed the rock that covered the hole aside and climbed out. It was dark outside, but I preferred this darkness than the hive's darkness. It wasn't completely dark outside. Everything bathed in the moonlight. I was free again. The fresh air nipped at me. It felt great.

I felt a tug on my tail and turned around to see Happy, who had a worried look on his face. I smiled. "We can't go back now, Happy. Getting outside was the first step. The real adventure begins now."

I saw a light in the distance. It was coming from the object that was perched on the side of the large mountain. I figured that would be worth checking out, so I began sprinting in that direction. I laughed as I felt the excitement build up in me, while Happy flew beside me. I was finally going to see the world with my own eyes.