The hospital lights were a blinding white, with white walls and ponies of all colors in white and light teal nursing scrubs. It was like looking at pieces of a shattered rainbow, scattered across a white, cloudy sky. It smelled strongly of rubbing alcohol, and that scent of hospitals that nobody can quite name. Usually, the maternity ward was around half full, but tonight it was as still as a summer night. Like the rest of the hospital, the walls were blinding white. The nurses on the night shift were either tending to the newborn fillies and colts or getting prepared to welcome more expectant mothers.

Suddenly, the doors leading to the maternity ward burst open, with three nurses and a woman on a rolling bed headed to the birth room. One nurse was a lavender unicorn named Blooming Carnation with dark blue hair that fell in curls. Another was a dark yellow Pegasus with white hair named Blonde Butter. The last one was another unicorn, but she had silver skin with white, short hair. Her name was Cloudy Metal. The woman on the bed was strikingly beautiful, but strange and very different from your average pony. Her skin was as black as jet, with straight, dark turquoise hair that fell across her face and draped down her back like a cape. Her matching colored wings added to the cape-like appearance. Her wings were like that of an insect;translucent, pointed at the ends and had small holes in them to match those on the end of her hooves. Her crooked, black horn fastened to her head also bore some holes and scratches. She had lime green irises, and her sclera was a lighter green color. She had catlike pupils, which were widened in pain from being in labor. She was hissing, revealing sharp, white fangs as white as the hospital walls.

Her name was Queen Chrysalis, and she was feared far and wide for sabotaging the Canterlot Wedding and kidnapping the royals around 20 years ago. Despite all that, she decided to have a fresh start. She gathered her subjects, and searched for a new place to live, away from the other ponies. 20 years ago, they found their valley and christened it Shift Shape City. Now, they reside in their secret valley, where the changelings live in harmony, separated from the rest of the world.

Behind her and the bed trailed a handsome, muscular pony like the one on the bed, but his unkempt mane and tail were incredibly short, and his wings were tucked. He also had no horn, as only royals have horns and wings. He appeared incredibly scared for the well-being of the mare on the bed, and was trembling so hard you could barely see defining features of his face. His name was King Morpheus, and he was Captain of the Changeling Guard. He was also Chrysalis's husband, and they ruled with equal power. However, he was very submissive to his wife. Especially when they had to work on weekends. NEVER mess with Chrysalis when she's taking a nap, or you may find yourself with a mouthful of feathers and a possible black eye. She swings really hard.

Morpheus kept muttering to himself, "It's okay. She'll be okay, you'll be okay." He seemed to be talking to the woman and himself at the same time. When they reached the birth room, the woman was taken behind a white curtain and the man was told to wait outside the room. He protested, "What if she needs me?! I'd kill myself if I couldn't be there for her!" They insisted it was better they only had ONE stressed pony in the room. After all, he wasn't the one giving birth, here. He reluctantly agreed to wait outside. Pacing, back and forth, Morpheus thought to himself, What if she needs me? What if the nurses screw something up? What if they run out of supplies and they needed some pony else to grab them? All these thoughts were running through his head.

About 5 hours later, he could hear the cries of a newborn filly. The doctor came from behind the curtain, and said, "You may see your wife now." Before the words had even left his mouth, he rushed into the ward, where he found Chrysalis laying in bed, looking extremely exhausted. She lifted her head when Morpheus entered and gave a small smile. He smiled back. She looked down at her right side lovingly, with the kind of love only mothers know. Morpheus slowly approached her side. Her wings were covering a small, black and turquoise lump. He couldn't quite tell what it was, but Chrysalis looked pleased by it. When he came close enough, she lifted her veil-like wings, to reveal a small, sleeping foal nestled by her side.

She had long, wavy hair like her mother, and her tiny wings glimmered when they hit the light in a certain way. Morpheus was dumbstruck. "She's so beautiful..." he murmured. He looked to his wife, and leaning in close, shared a small kiss with her. Pulling away, he asked, "What will we name her?" Queen Chrysalis looked down at her newborn daughter lovingly, and Morpheus knew she already had selected a name. "Pupa," she said softly, as not to wake the foal. "Princess Pupa of the Changeling Empire. Oh, my beautiful daughter, you will be an amazing queen one day."