Swan Lake was walking back to her house after walking her new friend back home. It was dark, but the way was short and safe so her parents wouldn’t worry too much. In the darkness, she bumped into somepony. Maybe another new friend?
 
The figure before her was a purple unicorn, smiling down at her sweetly. “Hello little one. May I walk you home? No filly should be out alone this late.”
 
“Oh..my mommy says I shouldn’t talk to strangers! I’ll be okay ma’am!” Swan attempted to walk away, but the older mare soon pulled her attention right back with the mention of a familiar name.
 
“I’m not a stranger, dear, I’m Smoky’s mother. You know me. He forgot something at your house and asked me to pick it up for him, so if I walk you home I can get it.”
 
“Oh okay!” Naively enough, Swan believed and allowed the mare to trot alongside her. She didn’t think that a thing in the world was wrong at the moment.
 
But as Swan followed after the mare, her surroundings suddenly became unfamiliar as they took all kinds of twists and turns. This wasn’t the way home!
 
“Miss? Where are we going?”
 
“Do not fret dear,” the mare said as she nudged her down the path. “We’re just going in a new direction.”
 
Suddenly, they came across a big camouflaged, hideaway and Swan became even more uneasy. “I really think we should head back! It’s even darker here than it was before! And it’s getting super late!” She took a few steps back only to bump into another mare, but this one was big and black and had holes in her legs.
 
Swan looked between the mare and the figure slowly approaching her out from the shadows. It was Smokey Fog but he looked…weird! He had holes in him too! And he looked really sad.
 
“Smokey! Help! I don’t know who this lady is!”
 
The tall mare swiveled her head around to face him, the terrifying grin still spread across her face.
 
“Hello Philia. Are you ready to feed?”
 
Smokey—Philia looked up at them with wide, pleading eyes. “Mommy! What are you doing to her?”
 
“I’m getting us a meal, my son. That was the plan all along,” Chrysalis waved him off. “Now if you’re not going to feed, I might as well take it for mysel~~”
 
“NO!” Philia jumped at her, yanking her leg with tears forming in his eyes. “Don’t hurt her! She’s my friend!”
 
“Ponies aren’t our friends, Philia! We are changelings! Their love is our FOOD!”
 
In an instant, Philia felt a swift kick as he was thrown to the ground, a flash of green light blinding him. Swan’s screams pierced his ears. When he regained his bearings, he looked up and watched, helplessly, as the filly writhed in agony from his mother sucking her love out.
 
“SWAN!!! NO!!!” Philia screamed and sobbed as Swan slowly went limp, a lifeless husk of the filly he knew. Of his first and only friend.
 
Chrysalis dropped the body and turned towards him, licking her lips carelessly. “Thank you, Philia, for seasoning this wretched foal for our meal. It wouldn’t have been nearly as filling without your help in luring her in.”
 
“Wha~~” Philia froze in shock. “You USED ME?? I wasn’t really supposed to make friends, but to get food for YOU?? SHE DIDN’T DESERVE THIS!!!”
 
“It’s time you learn about being a changeling, Philia. None of this pathetic pony nonsense. Speaking of pathetic-” She snatched him up and ripped the bracelet off his wrist. “Take that ridiculous thing off!”
 
“No!” Philia cried. “Swan Lake made that for me!”
 
“You can forget about that pathetic little Swan Lake!” Chrysalis kicked the body aside. “She got in the way! We cannot let their silly friendship disrupt our quest for power! Do you want to be hungry all the time?”
 
Philia sniffled and whimpered, “N-no…”
 
“Good. Sometimes these things need to be done for the better good, Philia. It’s long past time you understand that.”
 
And with that, Philia lowered his head, still crying, and followed Chrysalis into the night. And with one look back at Swan’s lifeless body, he knew—he could never make another friend again.