//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Accidental Soul Mates // by Autum Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter 6 ___________________________________________________________ Celestia groaned, massaging her temples with her hooves as she looked over all the paperwork she still needed to finish. After she and Shining Armour had witness Chrysalis crying over the two dead Changelings, she’d retired to her study, hoping the work she’d put off would help her relax. She’d evidently forgotten how much she hated paperwork and was now seriously considering just blasting it all to ash... except her kingdom would most likely fall apart if she didn’t handle this properly. She groaned again, flopping her head down on the table in a very un-princess-like manner. A knock on her door made her lift her head a little. “Yes?” “Princess,” Shining Armour’s voice called from the other side. “I need to speak with you.” Celestia sighed, sitting up straight; made sure the papers on her desk weren’t disordered and called for him to come in. Shining Armour entered, a concerned expression on his face. “Yes, Captain?” she asked, understanding this wasn’t a social visit. “It’s about Chrysalis,” he said. “We need to protect her.” Celestia almost rolled her eyes, but stopped herself. “I am aware, Captain Armour. Many ponies still feel she got off too easy with imprison—” “I’m not talking about the ponies.” Celestia inclined her head, indicating for him to go on. “With an assassin already having being sent to kill Chrysalis, it’s clear that her sister, the new Changeling Queen, wants her dead for some reason. If what my men have gotten out of a few of the Changelings willing to talk is true, if a Changeling is exiled from the hive, it means they are all but forgotten and never paid mind again.” “However, with Chrysalis, that doesn’t seem the case,” Celestia nodded, understanding. “So, she may know something that her sister does not want us to know.” Shining Armour nodded. “Not only that, but she knows her sister far better than we do, only having learned of Changelings after that failed invasion. And, while Chrysalis may be behind bars now, her sister is still a threat to our kingdom. If we can ensure Chrysalis will not be in danger of being attacked by Changelings from her sister’s hive, she can give us intel on how her sister thinks, what her plans would likely be. We could improve our defences to keep her sister and her Changelings out.” Celestia felt willing to agree. She remembered the fear in the eyes of the Changelings when they’d spoken of the former queen’s sister. If she scared the Changelings like that, there was good reason to believe she would be a threat to her own subjects in time. Also, if they could get the Changelings who support Chrysalis to join them, they could have some Changeling defence against the incoming invasion. However, Chrysalis’s life would constantly in danger as long as her sister wanted her dead. “Due to the hivemind we’ve learned the Changelings use, because they know their assassin and his accomplice are dead, Chrysalis’s sister must think that they failed,” Shining stated, before a glint appeared in his eye. “But, what if they were lead into believing they succeeded? Celestia frowned, unsure how to answer, before her eyes widened in understanding as she got what Shining Armour was saying. “Have Chrysalis and her Changelings brought to me at once,” she said, getting up and moving towards the door, which Shining Armour hurried out of so she could pass. He saluted, then left to give the orders. ___________________________________________________________ Celestia stood on her balcony overlooking Canterlot. Many ponies were gathered down below, all wondering why the princess was making a sudden announcement like this. Luna stood next to her older sister’s left, while Cadance stood on her right, looking unsure. Celestia cleared her throat and the crowd below fell silent. “Citizens of Equestria,” she called in a solemn voice that made all below shudder, “late this afternoon, a Changeling snuck into Canterlot Caslter, disguised as a guard. He, along with an accomplice he had hidden within the castle, broke into the cell of the prisoner Chrysalis, former Queen of the Changelings and the one behind what happened at the royal wedding, to either take her back to their hive for execution, or, if need be kill her on the spot. I can confirm that, while not taken away, Chrysalis is dead.” While there we some gasps from within the crowd, Celestia was disgusted by the amount of cheers that came along with them. “This is not something to be celebrated,” Princess Luna declared, her voice very nearly slipping into the Royal Canterlot Voice. “All life is precious and, not only has a life been taken within our own home, but it was followed by the two responsible for that first life’s light being extinguished.” “Let this be known to all of Equestria and beyond,” Celestia continued, her voice calm. “We shall be holding a funeral for the former Changeling Queen, in respect of the fact that she was under our care and we could not keep her safe,” she finished the latter half of her sentence rather loudly when several nobles, Blueblood among them, began to protest to the idea. Celestia took a deep breath, before her tone became gentler, though the volume she spoke at was still very loud. “I call out to any and all Changelings hiding amongst our own kind and any others. If you were loyal to Chrysalis when she was alive, we invite you here as guests to attend her funeral. I promise in my own name that you will come to no harm during your stay.” With her speech done, Celestia and Luna returned inside, leaving all those who had heard to decide on their next actions. If they were lucky, one of Chitan’s spies had been amongst the crowd and would report back to the Queen. No doubt they would be hesitant to believe her word and would have another Changeling come to the funeral in disguise and report back after. ___________________________________________________________ The funeral wasn’t much of an affair. Aside from Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armour, along with several other guards, Twilight and the other Bearers and the Changelings that were loyal to their former queen (those who’d been with her since the end of the failed invasion donning their original looks), not many had come to the funeral. Over the last two days at least a hundred Changelings had come forward, wishing to pay their respects to their fallen queen during her funeral. It was being held late in the afternoon of the second day since the announcement, close to sunset. One of the Changelings who’d been with Chrysalis before had said she’d always enjoyed sunsets. It was the only reason she’d ever gone outside the hive before the invasion. The funeral didn’t go for too long, the only real speeches being made by the Changelings, many of whom could barely speak through their sobbing as they told of the Queen who'd thought, not of herself, but only of the well-being of her subjects, who'd shown kindness to even the weakest Changeling and encouraged them on. Chrysalis was laid within a tomb forged of magic from Celestia and Luna themselves. It looked like any ordinary tomb you would find in a cemetery, nothing fancy, while the other two Changelings were placed within graves sitting on either side of the tomb. Once the funeral was finished, all left, the Changelings going with the princesses to learn just what was to happen to them now that their queen was gone and they couldn't return to their old hive. Several hours after everypony had gone, a figure snuck into the cemetery. They were not cloaked and strode towards the most recently constructed resting place, not caring to keep eye out for any Royal Guards. It had been learned during the preparations for the failed invasion that guards patrolled the cemeteries every second night and, fortunately, that night there would be no petrol. After reaching the construction, he walked through the hallway and, using his magic, lifted the lid of the tomb. He went down, his senses reaching out for anything, any emotions at all that did not match anything but the lesser creatures living near the vicinity. After the announcement had gone out that the former Queen had been killed, the Queen had sent him out to see if it was true, or just a lie the Equestrians were trying to pull over her eyes. When the Queen had sent two Changelings to infiltrate, the moment they’d come within range of the city, their connections had been compromised. While they’d been able to keep connected, they couldn’t send or receive anything over the link. When the link had dropped completely, it was a sign they’d lost the connection due to the two Changelings’ deaths, which they’d first thought meant they’d failed to at least kill the former queen themselves. But, as he grew closer and closer to the stone coffin, he sensed nothing, not even the beat of a Changeling’s magic, which was always present aside for in death. His horn glowed with its green aura, which then wrapped around the lid of the coffin and raised it, before letting it fall the floor with a hard crash. The reasons for this were varied. One reason, the main one, was that, being no-longer the Queen and not simply by death, he, like his brothers and sisters, cared nothing for showing respect to the exiled Changelings. The second, however, was, if she were somehow hiding every trace of something that could be used to prove she was faking and was, in fact, alive, she would have lost her concentration at the sudden sound and jumped. However, the body lying in the casket did not move. Holding his breath, the Changeling listened. Save the faint sounds from the outside, there was utter silence and his senses told him no emotions or magic were coming from the body in front of him. Of the two Changelings in that tomb, only one was alive. Satisfied, he sent the message to his Queen, feeling the hive rejoice with the news and left, leaving the lid off of the coffin, not bothering to return it to its place, only stopping after exiting the tomb to pay small respects to his two brothers that had died in the name of their queen. ___________________________________________________________ Late the next night, from within the tomb, the sound of very faint, slow breathing could be heard. After a few minutes, Chrysalis slowly opened her eyes, blinking wearily. Her body was slow to react, but, after a while, she managed to force herself out of the coffin, just as her disguise fell. She landed on the stone floor and wobbled for a bit as she gained proper feeling in her legs again. Once she’d gotten a better balance, she lit her horn and a panel of the floor glowed along with it, moved aside and she levitated something that looked like her old self out of it and placed it in the coffin. She shivered as she looked at it. It was a clone of herself, the same in every way, aside from being completely lifeless. Knowing it would cause suspicion to move the lid back on, she left it there and turned to leave. As she walked up the steps, she was covered by green flames. When they faded, she looked like an old brown coated stallion with no mane and a limp grey tail, with a headstone for a cutie mark, a pony known to many as the grave keeper. In her disguise, she stepped out of the tomb and looked around. “Did it work?” a voice asked from behind some trees. Chrysalis smirked. “Like a charm,” she said with the old pony’s gravelly voice. Shining Armour stepped out of the shadows, nodding and led the stallion until they were far enough away from the cemetery to be sure they weren’t being watched, especially after Shining used his shield spell around himself and the disguised Changeling to check if any Changelings from Chitan’s hive were nearby by expanding the field for a few miles. Chrysalis smiled. “Now I can take a more appropriate form,” the voice changing to her own as she was engulfed in green flames and returned to the form she and her loyal Changelings had changed to. When the flames faded, Shining Armour found himself blushing. While he’d noticed the different form Chrysalis had taken before from within her cell, he’d never gotten a good look at her and, since she’d had to take on her old form for the plan to work, he’d not gotten to see her properly. Now, however, with the glow of Luna’s moon shining down on them, he got a very good look at the form she and her Changelings had chosen. The way her mane shone in the moonlight and the way that same light reflected off of her carapace... he found himself blushing at just how beautiful she really was. She must have sensed the odd feelings that were suddenly welling in him at the sight of her, because she blushed, her own cheeks turning a light pink as she looked down at the ground and coughed. “Ahem. Should we not be returning to the castle, before anypony or anyling spots us out here?” Her question seemed to snap him from his stupor because he violently shook his head, then nodded and led her back towards the secret path they’d planned to use. ___________________________________________________________ Princess Celestia was sitting in her study, enjoying a nice cup of jasmine tea as she went over several papers. Luna had offered to take some of the stressful work off her hooves, lessening the load Celestia had to deal with. She’d been all to happy to accept Luna’s offer, though she hoped Luna knew what she was getting into. Just as she’d finished a form telling the Duke of Trottingham why they couldn’t afford to spread funding right now, especially for something as trivial as a statue of herself and Luna, there was a knock on her door. Her smile grew a little more. “Enter,” she called. The door glowed with a purple aura and it opened, revealing Shining Armour and Chrysalis as they walked in. Celestia held back her smirk. “So, our little ruse worked, I take it?” 73 Hours Ago Chrysalis stood with her Changelings in the throne room, Celestia looking down at them, Luna sitting on the throne next to her. “Chrysalis of the Changelings,” the white Alicorn said, her face expressionless. “You stand accused of ponynapping and impersonating a member of the royal family and intent to invade and conquer Equestria. These are facts, not chance.” Chrysalis braced herself for it, feeling her Changelings doing the same. “However, it has become apparent that your life is forfeit to your old hive,” Celestia continued. “The fact that your own sister sent assasins after you with little care how many ponies were injured is proof of that.” Chrysalis frowned, now with confusion. What did this have to do with her sentence. “Under normal circumstances,” Luna continued for her sister, “you would be sentenced to banishment.” The nymphs cuddled closer to their mothers. Celestia smiled. “However, we have an ultimatum you may wish to take advantage of instead.” Chrysalis nodded slowly. “I’m listening.” Luna smiled and called out, “Bring her in.” The doors opened and they all turned to see Shining Armour (who Chrysalis noticed was doing everything not to look at her), leading an equine with black and white stripes, wearing golden rings around her neck. A Zebra. However, something was bothering the Changeling. When she saw that Shining Armour was trying everything to keep from looking at her she felt confusion, two different kinds. One, why he was doing so, coupled with a small twinge of sadness at the fact that he was doing so, and the second, confusion as to why she had that feeling in the first place. “As you know, the Changelings sent to assassinate you failed in their mission,” Celestia said, her voice calling Chryslais back to reality. “What you may not know is that, since your failed invasion, we have fortified the majority of Canterlot from Changeling magic. In layman’s terms, aside from the link you share with the Changelings loyal to you, no hivemind link works within the city. This being the case, while they were still linked to your sister’s hive, once within the walls of this city, they could not communicate with the hive.” “This is supposed to matter to me because...?” Chrysalis asked, starting to become bored with how long this was going. She was starting to wish they’d just finish and banish her and her Changelings already. At least then she wouldn’t have to listen to this drivel. Luna smirked. “Because they were unable to report whether or not they succeeded in their mission before they passed.” “If that is your idea of good news, I fail to understand it,” Chrysalis scowled. “With what you described, my sister will still know that her Changelings failed and are now dead.” Luna shook her head. “All she knows is that they have died. She does not know whether or not they completed their mission before they perished. And we are going to let her know, or rather think, that they did.” At once Chrysalis’ Changelings hissed, their wings buzzing. “So, what?” she asked, her voice cold. “You plan on ending my life here instead? You plan on doing the job for her?” Celestia shook her head. “I said we have an ultimatum. This is it, Chrysalis. Zecora, care to explain?” The Zebra, who’d made it to the throne during the conversation, nodded, then looked to the Changeling. “There is a potion I can quickly have made, that will make your body’s reactions delayed. Over a few days, your sister will be convinced she has no need for dread, for she will be informed that you are truly, and utterly dead.” Chrysalis deadpanned. The zebra was rhyming, of course. That was one of the reasons she’d never sent Changelings to infiltrate Zebrica. After her first scooting party had returned, the rhyming speech they’d been stuck using, having gotten so used to it during their cover, had given her the worst headaches. She looked to the white Alicorn, who chuckled. “She means that we are going to fake your death with a potion that Zecora has made.” “This potion will put you in a death-like state for seventy-two hours,” Luna continued. “In return, you must relinquish your title as queen and must be guarded all times by Shining Armour and help prepare Equestria for future changeling attacks. After you have proven yourself, and your loyal Changelings swear fealty to Equestria, you will be a free pony, erm, Changeling, as will they be.” The other Changelings still hissed, their wings buzzing like angry hornets. “You wish for me to cease ruling over my new hive?” Chrysalis asked, her eyes narrowed. Celestia shook her head. “No. You may retain the title of duchess or princess, if you wish to keep such a title, but you will no long refer to yourself as a queen, thus undermining ourselves.” Chrysalis continued to scowl. “And what do we get out of this?” she indicated to her Changelings. Celestia smiled warmly. “As Luna stated, after you have proven yourself, and your loyal Changelings swear fealty to Equestria, you will all be free. You will even be allowed to live among our subjects and create a new hive that will coexist with Equestria.” “And just what will you do during these seventy-two hours in which I shall be in this death-like state?” she asked, narrowing her eyes again. There had to be another side to this. Luna smirked. “We will hold a funeral for you and the two Changelings you wished laid to rest.” This was met by one Changeling teleporting in front of Chrysalis and leaning forward, as if to attack. Neither Alicorns paid attention to this, however, as Luna continued. “The funeral will be announced, letting all know that you are dead. We will also let it be known that any Changelings currently not here that are still loyal to you, but have yet to make it for they do not know what to do, are welcome to come to the funeral and pay their respects, with my word that they will not be harmed whilst they are here.” “However, there are two alternative reasons for the funeral,” Celestia smiled. “It will be a cover to find those Changelings still loyal to you and to bring them to Equestria’s side.” “The other, more important reason, is that, knowing your sister, from what we can guess, she will send at least a few Changelings from her hive to check and see if you truly are dead. In that death-like state, they will be able to tell no difference between yourself and the two Changelings that are truly dead.” When the funeral is over and you awaken, Shining Armour will bring you back to the castle under the cover of night, with your sister none the wiser,” Celestia chuckled. “And with her Changelings reporting my passing, she will not keep sending Changelings to find me,” the Changeling queen... well, princess now, she supposed, said. She looked back at her Changelings and nodded, looking back to the Alicorns. “Very well. I relinquish my title of Queen and take on the title princess,” she bowed to them. “But keep your word,” she warned, her eyes going dark. “If even one of my Changelings is harmed...” Celestia nodded, her face becoming expressionless again. “You have our word.” “Um, if I may speak,” one of the male Changelings stepped forward. “How will this work? We Changelings feed on and sense emotions. Won’t all the Changelings that come sense that none of us,” he indicated to the other Changelings, “are saddened by our que—” he coughed, “our princess’s passing?” Celestia nodded, her expression becoming grim. “That is where you come in, Chrysalis. You must use a memory spell on your Changelings that, for those seventy-two hours, will make them believe you are dead.” Chrysalis scowled. “Must I? I do not wish to cause my Changelings the distress believing I am dead will make them go through.” Celestia nodded solemnly. “Would you rather risk their lives, with yoru sister sending more assassins after you?” She was about to argue, when what the Alicorn said rang in her mind. It was true. Several of her Changelings had been injured when those first two assassins had come. They would not allow an assassin from Chitan’s hive to take her life, putting their own in danger if necessary. Chrysalis sighed and nodded. Celestia gave a small smile. “Very well. Zecora, prepare the potion. Chrysalis, your part comes first.” Chrysalis nodded and turned around, her face apologetic. “Forgive me, my Changelings,” she said, her horn glowing. They all gave her sad smiles, before the light had consumed them all. When it faded, they were all lying unconscious on the throne room floor, their forms disguised as what they used to be. NOW “It is good to see you again, Princess Crystil,” Celestia said, getting up from her seat. The Changeling winced a little at the new title she would have to get used to. However, she had more pressing concerns on her mind. “Are my Changelings alright?” Celestia sighed. “It was not easy for them. Many almost ended their own lives, not sure how to go one without your guidance and leadership.” The Changeling princess winced again. She wished she hadn’t had to put her subjects through such a horrible experience. Celestia smiled. “However, those you cast the spell on reacquired their memories a few hours ago. They have been informing the others of the plan and that you are, in fact, well and healthy, as well as getting them all to conform to your new shape.” The black princess’ mind eased and she sighed. “May I see them now?” Celestia nodded. “You may. I will have one of the guards show you the floor they are staying on.” She nodded and, a few minutes later, a Pegasus guard arrived an escorted her out of the study and towards where she could sense her Changelings were waiting for her. Once she was out of earshot, Celestia whispered to Shining Armour, “Be sure to guard her well, Captain.” Shining nodded, then left, heading in the same direction the guard and new princess had gone. Celestia smirked. Shining Armour did not understand what was going on, but she knew why he’d asked to personally guard the Changeling Princess and her hive. Even if it wasn't originally what fate had had in store, it would the reality that now was and she found it rather amusing to see him they way he was now. It was like watching what happened with Cadance all over again. It was quite adorable, really. With the matter settled for now, she returned to her paperwork. Maybe, for the first time in weeks, she’d be able to get a good night’s sleep.