“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful pegasus pony named Starshine.”

“Like all pegasi, Starshine was a wanderer. She traveled the lands with her clan and created and tamed the weather for all the creatures of the world for coin and food. Starshine was special though. For she was the child of a pegasus and a unicorn, and within her the blood of both tribes burned fiercely and granted her power far beyond that of a normal pegasus..”

“Starshine held a great lust for life and all things within it. She enjoyed dancing and good food, music and merriment, but most of all she enjoyed spreading love to all of those she met. Some might have said she was a touch too enthusiastic about doing so, but Starshine never paid them any heed. Life was simple and joyous for her.”

“But one night, a dark shadow visited Starshine. It saw within her a potency that others of her kind lacked. A power that, if properly handled, could be changed into something new. The Shadow stole Starshine from her bed amongst the clouds and dragged her to its lair. And there, Starshine was changed…”

“Her metamorphosis took many moons, but the dark power that had taken her had no concept of the passage of time. It cared nothing for the balance of the world, or the duties that it neglected. It only wished to ape the feats of beauty its creator had shown her. It wished to create creatures of its own, and in so doing become worthy of the Creator that had left her behind… all in the hopes that the Creator would return and love her as she loved it.”

The White Doe looked down upon the slumbering form, reflected in the dim light of the crystals that shone and shimmered around them. She felt a deep, abiding sadness pulse in her soul as she looked upon the poor child that lay there. “And so the dark power created its first twisted creation. A being that fed upon the love of others, rather than giving of it freely. She gave this creature cunning and guile and the means to hide itself amongst the masses, and then set it free in the world.”

The Doe folded her legs and sat down next to the still form, her voice sad though no creature could hear it. “She struggled so hard to keep bringing love and joy to others. She hid herself amongst the ponies she’d once lived beside and took every precaution to keep herself from causing harm with her unnatural need to feed. But the Shadow had made the act of consuming emotions a corruptive one, and soon those she had fed upon became obedient servants to her. In her pain, Starshine wept and lashed out in anger at those she had corrupted… only to find that her power could do far more than make them her servants. And so were the first drones born.”

The Doe sighed softly, looking off into the glittering darkness. “Centuries passed, and Starshine took her first children into hiding. She swore they would never take more than what they needed to survive and would spread their feeding out amongst as many ponies and creatures as they could, so no more would suffer her curse.” The Doe hung her head, speaking though no one was around to hear. “But loneliness was a terrible thing for one such as Starshine. For the Shadow had robbed her of her mortality, thus she was doomed to wander the world forever alone save for those she forced to become her children, wiping away all they had been before. And so she sought out the only one she thought could end her isolation.”

Then she sighed, dipping her forehead almost to the ground. “And in her desperation, she begged of the ancient spirit to save her from her curse. But the spirit had not the power to undo the black magics of her sibling, but… she could alter them. She could remake them anew, into a true race of their own and not just a toy of the Shadow. But there was a price the spirit demanded of her, in exchange for her gift, one she paid freely… and so the spirit fulfilled her need for a child, the first true Queen of the Changelings.”

The Doe’s gaze became sharp as she stood slowly, the black and chitinous form slowly stirring to life. “And so need begat need, and fear and pain begat justifications.” The Doe spoke softly as the one she regarded slowly awoke. “And now, here, so many thousands of years later, the many-times grandchild of Starshine has become everything the Shadow could have desired, in spite of all of my hopes and dreams...”

“I… what?” the black creature whispered in a sibilant voice, and the Doe gently curved her hoof towards her, then grasped at the sickly green mane. The creature winced away in pain, unable to retaliate with more than a feeble burst of green energy. “I… Unhoof me… I am… Queen…” Her voice rasped, anger and pain clouding it.

“No, little one. You are nothing but a wretch of a creature.” The Doe grasped harder, and it took no shortage of self control not to… but whatever she might have felt in anger, she would not become Umbra. “But even you can serve a higher purpose still. Even you have the power to atone for your crimes and given what you have created… you may yet achieve the dream of your ancestress.”

The black chitinous form winced at the harshness of those words before her luminous green eyes snapped wide. “The Progenitor. You… you are the one… You and that…” She swallowed suddenly, and the Doe felt a burst of satisfaction. “You were the one. Wait! My children…” Her voice broke in mid-word, and her head tried to yank away from the Doe’s hoof as she searched around her. “Where are they!?”

For a moment, the Doe felt a stab of pity. The creature was far from at fault for what she was, the product of generations of other Queens who had been driven to greater and greater extremes to ensure their survival. From pity came shame, and she hung her head low. She was supposed to forgive such creatures, to see them guided back into the Light… and all she had done was ignore them in favor of her own personal crusade. “Your children are not far, and they are safe. As are a few others of your kind.” She spoke softly, releasing the Queen’s mane.

“Then… where are we?” Queen Chrysalis rose from the ground slowly, unsteadily. Yet she poured every ounce of her willpower into making her rise look regal. The Doe sighed silently, knowing any offer of help would be instantly rebuffed. “I… I do not know this place. How did I come to be here?” Chrysalis’ voice was gaining strength and arrogance by the moment, which immediately withered under the Doe’s icy gaze.

“You are where you and your children will be safe. Your warriors and guard will awaken soon, as will those needed to care for your brood.” The Doe raised her hoof toward one dimly lit passageway. “I will go and speak to your new hosts, and I shall warn you. They are the only reason that your children live and are not now licking the hooves of your new Mistress of Shadow. You will show them according respect… and humility.”

The Queen’s back stiffened, but slowly the pride that sang in the muscles of the one called Chrysalis collapsed. “There are so few of us left…” she whispered, her unsteady stance collapsing like her pride, sending her nigh on crashing to the ground. “I do not… I cannot… What do I do? There are so few…”

The Doe shook her head once, turning away. “Those creatures you call your children are all you will need. Preserve them, and your race is secure. Keep that in mind when you meet those who will safeguard them as we march to war.” She marched off into the caverns, leaving the lonely creature behind her. “And remember, Chrysalis…” She turned her head as she called upon the wind. “You owe a debt.”

And then, she was gone.

Cadence was not going to get angry or frightened. She was, however, going to get an explanation. “You are going to have to repeat that, your Grace,” she said oh-so-quietly, able to feel her husband's tension as he sat next to her. “Because I thought I just heard you say there is a Changeling swarm in Canterlot. Again.”

The Doe was as unflappable as the western wind, and her voice remained as serene as Celestia’s at her most maddening. “She is no threat to you, Crystal Princess. The vast majority of her swarm is dead or worse. Her most precious children are now locked safely away in one of your vaults, and her entire species is at the mercy of your Royal Guard.” The Doe’s voice went hard for a moment, her eyes narrowing. “She will be needed, Princess Cadence. Alive and thankful for her salvation, and not as a useless and rotting corpse.”

Cadence winced away at that description, but could not bring herself to agree with the Doe’s words. Still… It was pretty obvious that she was playing a much deeper game here. She wanted Chrysalis alive to wield as a weapon against the Shadow, that much was clear. But why? What made that bitch so special to the Doe? I won’t be able to find out… unless I leave her alive. “I will consider your words, but I had best get down there before she gets any ideas.” She kept it simple and tried to keep the anger out of her voice. The last thing she needed was to antagonize the ruler of the Deerfolk.

The Doe simply gave a short nod and vanished on the spot. She’d been doing that a lot lately, and Cadence was getting the impression that time was running short for her much vaunted plans. She leaned back into the chair and bit at her lip. “Shiny…” she half whispered, aware of the fear in her tone.

For his part, Shining Armor’s tension disappeared, and he quickly threw his forelegs around her to embrace her tightly. “You’ve got nothing to be scared of, Cadey. We’ve had those caverns sealed up tight since the wedding. If she really is down there, she’s got nowhere to go.” His head came up for a moment, and with a few silent gestures and a glare, the Royal Guards in the room departed… likely to check on just that possibility. Shining Armor took a deep breath and exhaled. “We could just… leave her down there.”

And oh, how tempting a thought that was! No need to do anything, simply leave her imprisoned and helpless down in those infernal caverns until nature took its course. No magic, no love, no more Changelings. It was an elegant and simple enough solution to a long standing and thorny problem, and Cadence had to admit the idea appealed to her. Maybe, just maybe, she could use it as a way of convincing Twilight that all of this insanity was unnecessary. Except…

Except without even trying, she could just imagine the voice of Princess Celestia ringing in her ears. We are better than that, niece. Rich with scorn and anger at Cadence even considering such a course of action. She sighed miserably, rubbing at her forehead with her hooves. Today had been shaping up to be such a good day too. “We’re going to need to consult with Luna… and I don’t think we can do that, Shiny. Much as she might deserve it.”

Shining Armor nodded then hopped to his hooves. “Let's go see if she’s left any other surprises for us.” He arched an eyebrow at her, and Cadence couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Promise you won’t beat the tar out of her before I get my chance?”

Cadence laughed. “No promises, Shiny.”

If she hadn’t spent the last year living in a city made of the stuff, Cadence was quite sure she would have come to utterly despise crystal. The weeks she’d spent down here, barely kept alive for reasons she didn’t entirely understand, would have been enough to make anypony rather leery of crystals. It was actually somewhat ironic just how much she’d become accustomed to the things, given that there was literally no escaping the stuff back home.

“We can confirm there are a fairly substantial number of changelings down there, M’lady. Thanks to the precautions Princess Celestia put in place.” The nameless Royal Guardspony said in a stolid but firm voice. “We can also confirm that they are all in ill health, badly injured or just plain vexed in a way we do not entirely understand.” The guardspony frowned, glaring at the ground. “They have all been badly affected by some kind of magical attack. If we go in hard and fast, we could pretty easily sweep the entire cavern clean of the filth.”

Cadence sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy… not by a longshot. “No, guardspony. As much as I might personally enjoy that…” She winced away from those thoughts. They were unbecoming of a princess, and more importantly; it was the sort of thing she imagined Umbra doing. “We will see if they cannot be convinced to make peace. Perhaps they will be thankful for their salvation?” She commented with an upbeat tone… one that even she knew was a little forced.

The guardspony rolled his eyes and tilted his head to one side as the sound of grinding stone interrupted them. “That’ll be the sealing rock. Come on, Princess. Let’s go see if these bugs are interested in peace.” He snorted, letting her know what he thought of that possibility.

The stones they’d used to seal the crystal caverns from entry were massive hulks of granite, placed by Princess Celestia shortly following the Royal Wedding. Fortunately, she’d made them just small enough for regular ponies to be capable of moving them… even if it took a great deal of strength to do so. The stones were now tugged aside, leaving just a bare crack between the wall and themselves. Enough for a few ponies to get through, but not many at any one time. “Stay here, guardspony,” she said quietly, turning around and sending the silent magical signal.

Moments later, her dearest husband trotted up in his full battle armor with a grin on his face. “I’ll put up a sealing shield. If necessary, it’ll keep them contained until Princess Luna can come down and deal with the problem.” His horn blazed to life with it’s own special brand of violet magic, and a deep purple bubble enveloped the both of them. “C’mon, Cadey.” He trotted in front of her, and she dutifully followed behind.

Once inside, he turned and another shield sprang up behind them, sealing off the crack in the doorway before he kept walking. Not much had changed down here, besides a few token signs of archeologists working to unearth secrets of the caverns when Celestia allowed them such access. Odd, she hadn’t thought this place was quite that vast, she didn’t see a single sign of-

A Changeling warrior, sleek and lethal looking buzzed up to the shield, followed by nearly two or three dozen more… and simply hovered there. Cadence had given a little start, but there was nothing about how they moved that indicated aggression. In fact, they looked haggard, moving not in precise formation but in a loose sort of swarm. Nopony moved for a full thirty seconds, and then… one of the warriors reached out a hoof and very clearly beckoned them to follow.

Cadence couldn’t help but feel a little shocked, but Shining showed nothing. He just nodded and started moving toward the swarm… still holding up the shield. Cadence followed along, and the pair of them descended a series of gentle slopes deeper into the mines, slowly but surely coming across more and more clusters of Changelings…. and all of them looked much the worse for wear. The guardspony had not been inaccurate, a decisive assault by the Royal Guard would undoubtedly wipe them all out.

And for the first time, seeing such creatures up close when they were not trying to kill anypony… Cadence could not help but feel pity for them. They were huddling close to one another, treating their wounded and tending to tiny fires. All of them looked up as they passed, thousands of jewel-like eyes blinking rapidly at them. There was a palpable air of defeat and doom in the cavern, and it was one not even she could go unaffected by. “What did Twilight do to them?” she half whispered, in horror and sorrow.

“Broke us,” came a sibilant and familiar voice echoing down the caverns. “I did not think such a creature as she could exist. A pony who could wield her own closest kin as a weapon.” The voice laughed harshly, echoing as they rounded the corner into a large cavern…. in the center of which Queen Chrysalis lay on a bed of worn blankets, surrounded by a host of the most dangerous looking changelings Cadence could have imagined. The Queen looked…. “Yes. My children are all but gone now, and though you could not begin to comprehend what that means, it has caused me great pain.” Her words rasped, her eyes almost sunken. Her body was even more skeletal than it had been before. “So. Have you come to end my race forever?”

Cadence knew it wasn’t wise. She knew it wasn’t even close to smart. But by the Moon, she could not leave any such creature, not even her, in that state. She shoved her way past Shiny’s shield, and galloped across the distance between them. It only took a single thought to invoke her innermost magics… and the room flooded with a vibrant pink light. Instantly, every eye in the room focused upon her… and Chrysalis’ own eyes widened to the point of pure shock. Then her pupils focused to points, and she breathed in raspingly, Cadence able to feel the Queen drawing in the strength of her love and making it a part of herself. The guards made no motion at first, but then made much the same actions. Breathing in… and yet, they were clearly not breathing in air. Had she been a normal pony, Cadence knew she would have been weakened by such attention… but she was not a normal pony. And her Love was far from ordinary.

She blazed the magic with all of her strength for nearly a minute before withdrawing it, panting from the effort. “After all I have done to you,” Chrysalis said slowly, her voice quiet… thoughtful. “I come to your door, desperate and starving, and guilty of every possible crime. There is no hope for me to defend myself or my children, and yet you feed me without so much as a second thought.” Her eyes were much sharper, and no longer sunk into her head as she glanced up. Gone was the desperation, and only wary curiosity remained. “Why?”

Cadence… honestly did not know. Except, she did, if she admitted it to herself. “Whatever you may have done to me, I am not such a monster as to condemn an entire species to extinction for my revenge,” she found herself saying quietly, as Shining Armor arrived at her side, the temporary weakness of what she’d done banished in a single instant from the touch of his hoof, and she smiled at him. “Think what you will of us, Chrysalis. Think us weak or foolish, but you are now in the very same boat as we are, and if we do not stand together, we shall all fall separately to the Shadow.”

Cadence fixed her gaze on Chrysalis, feeling a grim mood settle upon her again. “Make no mistake, Chrysalis. Twilight will come here. She will know she cannot accomplish her goals if she continues to ignore the might of Canterlot and Equestria. We are even now moving to bring the full brunt of our power against her.” She slammed her hoof into the ground and advanced past Shining’s shield again, coming face to face with the Changeling. “You could run, of course. But if Canterlot falls, you will be running on borrowed time.”

Cadence pressed in, her voice a harsh whisper, “She has already conquered Roam. The Zebrican islands are easily within her grasp. The Ki-Lin kingdoms will not be able to stand against her army should she conquer them. And then where will you run? To the lands of the Dragons? To far off Saddle Arabia? Knowing that Twilight and her vile shadow will follow you to the utter ends of the earth?”

Chrysalis’ hoof came up slowly and silently begged for a chance to speak. Cadence snapped her mouth shut and withdrew a bit, nodding once. “I have…” Chrysalis sighed. “No intention of running from her. We would be unable to run very far as it is.” She gazed silently past Cadence, toward the caverns they had come from. “We have perilous little energy remaining. Even if we were to feed our way across the land like locusts, we would undoubtedly be destroyed long before we reached any safety.”

Cadence felt her mouth tighten a little at such a casual description of a heinous act… but then… “I am not a fool, Princess,” Chrysalis growled faintly. “Whatever I might personally desire is no longer relevant. My life was forfeit the moment that bit-” She bit off the word, then growled, “that magic brought me here. My children-” Chrysalis’ voice broke in midword, almost descending into a sob in her chest. “I must preserve them. I must find them food, shelter, and safety before any ambition of my own. So I must beg for such, however much I might hate it like poison.”

Cadence stared at Chrysalis, who rose slowly to her hooves, and then bowed her head toward her. “If I must buy those things with my life, so be it. I ask only that you preserve the cocoons that now hold my heirs. My warriors and drones will become dormant and awaken when the new Queen is born.” Her eyes came up sharp, and a fierceness still lurked in her spirit. “If you are truly as noble as you claim, you will save them, Princess.”

Cadence wanted, so very much, to end this wicked creature’s life there and then. But that… would not be justice. “I accept your life,” she snapped softly, Shining giving her a wide eyed look. “You now serve the crown of Equestria, and you will turn that not inconsiderable mind of yours to helping us preserve it. You live, breathe, and walk free on my sufferance.” She turned on her heel and began marching back through the cave. “Make yourself presentable for public consumption and meet us at the south cave entrance. I will…” She inhaled deeply, “deal with the needs of your children. Shiny. Come.”

Cadence marched past the guards with a new unicorn now in tow. She was colored a dark charcoal grey, with glittering emerald eyes and a sharp, wicked horn. Up the stairs they marched, as the Royal Guards settled into new places at the sides of the unsealed entrance to the caverns. “Your Majesty, I have a special report from Cloudsdale!” a Royal Guard announced, galloping up to her at full speed. “There is a massive rogue winter storm coming in off the eastern coast of Equestria. The weather controllers have never seen anything like it before!”

Cadence stared at the Royal Guard, but the new unicorn only nodded grimly. The Royal Guard proffered up a tightly wound scroll. “They said they’ll do what they can, but there’s no way they’re going to be able to stop it from dumping a foot of snow across the entire eastern seaboard. The Weather Advisory Board has asked for your presence in Cloudsdale immediately.”

Cadence turned to the new unicorn, narrowing her eyes. “You expected this?” she asked quietly.

The unicorn nodded once. “There are other powers in the world beginning to move. They obviously seek to freeze us in an early winter, just as they sought to do the same to me and my kin. The question is obvious though. Who… and why?”

Cadence nodded once, then blew out her cheeks. “Shiny, keep an eye on her. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She flared out her wings and swept up into the darkening skies, feeling a strange chill race across her body as winds and weather billowed out of the east… where Celestia was. Was this a good sign?

Or were they only now beginning to understand the threat that was poised to consume them all?

Twilight stared at Mother, almost unable to register what she had said. Mother stood in silence, her head half bowed and her poise concerned. “Two feet?” Twilight echoed softly, unable to believe the news. It had barely been Nightmare Night yesterday. What had happened to autumn?

Mother nodded once. “It will get much deeper before long. Our new children are safe down here, as are we, thanks to the steam vents. If necessary, we should be able to teleport ourselves out of these caverns to a safe place, but even I lack the raw power to transport so many new children out of here in any large numbers.” Mother gestured helplessly toward the cavern exit. “Someone out there wants to freeze everything solid.”

Twilight glared out of the caverns and wondered silently who could be responsible. There were many possibilities… and she liked none of them.

Star Swirl extended his hoof, and a single delicate snowflake drifted down upon it. His tongue darted out, snatching the crystal from the hooftip before it could melt, and worked his jaw as he tasted of the water. He felt his brow furrow, and his eyes darken, and he snarled softly. “What are you doing Whisper, you utter fool?”

Jade Whisper folded her hooves against one another and bowed her head. All now rested on her shoulders. The world. Her ponies. Civilization itself. Everything held by a thread of fate and balance. The Goddess would be wroth with her, of that there was no question. The only question that remained, the only true test that had not been fulfilled, now awaited.

Would Amaterasu slay her, or spare her life?

Would the Goddess of the Sun take on her guise as Destroyer…

Or Savior?

Author's Notes:

I know this chapter is flawed.

Let's get that out of the way right off the bat. I know there are problems here, structurally and otherwise.

But I am not spending another week trying to iron that out. I'm just going to have to accept the crowbar method and deal with it, and move on to the next one, which will be SO MUCH EASIER.

That is the end of my frustration.

Carry on.