What is the work?[]
"Metamorphosis" is a one-shot fanfic set in The Nuptialverse, a fanfic series following the episode "A Canterlot Wedding". In this story, Queen Chrysalis's invasion of Canterlot has failed and reflects on her past life. Long ago, she was approached by Discord. Being offered the power of the three pony tribes, she has to destroy the capital building of friendship or something to gain that power.
Who is Discord and what has he done?[]
For a 6000-ish word story, there's not a lot to say. Anyways!
Discord is the spirit of disharmony who was turned to stone by Princesses Celestia and Luna during his reign of chaos. He approaches the grumbling Pegasus (Discharged by Commander Hurricane) in a desert of some sort. More mean than usual, he offers her the power of the three pony tribes, and gives her in exchange for destroying a friendship building, an army...(Very easy, barely an inconvenience) Of Flutterponies! Discord painfully transforms then into the changeling race to give to Chrysalis.
After Chrysalis goes on a rampage in the building and destroys that friendship artifact, Discord arrives and kills Pansy with some arrows, makes Chancellor Puddinghead a literal puddinghead, Smart Cookie into a broken cookie, Clover the Clever into a wreath of clovers and Princess Platinum into a platinum boulder. Yikes. He then rips a Pegasus wings off and turned her into a floating paper. (Is this dark comedy even funny?).
Once he's done, he gives Chrysalis the power of the three tribes, but doesn't make her an alicorn as he duped her into believing. Once he knocks her unconscious, he warped the room and turned her into the changeling queen we all love to hate. He kept his word after all of giving her the power of the three tribes, exactly. He breaks her back by 90 degrees when she tries to attack him. Good thing he's turned to stone by the full set (Celestia and Luna), with Chrysalis and the changelings. The end
Heinous standard and Mitigating Factors?[]
Discord is the standard. Due to not having the redeeming qualities of his mainstream counterpart and doing all this before the changeling invasion in A Canterlot Wedding, he has an advantage over Chrysalis. (I'm not master of heinous standard but I have some idea I guess). Chrysalis also goes on a rampage with her changelings in the story, but she's been used with exact words by Discord, plus it's not lethal unlike Discord's, so he's responsible for her actions on the story and isn't as bad.
Final verdict?[]
YES to this beastly, beast!