Sleight Gambit, the first pony King of the Changelings, was standing on the balcony of the tower he shared with his wife, Queen Chrysalis.
Their hive had fallen upon hard times lately, coming under attack by a group known as the Forefathers, who had unleashed a powerful viral weapon as part of their "Project: Infestation". The virus had infected many Changelings, turning them into mindless killing machines.
Though a cure had been found (which turned out to be Sleight's own half-Changeling blood, his grandfather being a full-fledged King Changeling), their hive had suffered greatly; Many homes had been lost, and even more lives had been snuffed out due to the disease and the attempts to stop its spreading. But rebuilding was going well, their numbers slowly increasing. Sleight and Chrysalis had been working hard during this time, and Sleight felt he'd earned a brief respite. Chrysalis, on the other hoof, decided to inspect the nursery, unable to relax until she was sure the future of their hive was secure.
"Ahh..." Sleight sighed, enjoying the warm morning sun. "Good to know things are back to normal around here. No more weird surprises lurking around the corner..."
"King Sleight!" A Changeling servant suddenly emerged onto the balcony. "An urgent matter requires your attention!"
"Of course it does." Sleight sighed. "What's up?"
"There is... somepony at the gates." The servant declared, looking like he'd seen a ghost. "Somepony who wishes to deliver a message. He says it's for royal ears only."
"Fair enough." Sleight shrugged. "I'll be right there."
Sleight made his way to the gates. As he opened them, he was greeted by a very odd sight: A creature with a similar body shape to a Changeling, but with no holes in his legs, no fangs, and a dark green body, with purple eyes and a matching shell on his back.
"King Sleight, I presume?" The stranger smiled. "A pleasure to meet you."
For a moment, Sleight gazed at the colorful sight before him, dumbfounded. Then he regained his footing.
"You... have a message for me?" He asked.
"And the Queen. Right here." The stranger passed him a letter. "It's more of an invitation, actually."
"Thanks." Sleight said flatly. "...Um, please don't take this the wrong way... but... what the hell are you?"
"...I'm a Changeling." The colorful stranger declared.
"Heh-heh, no you're not." Sleight chuckled.
"Yes I am." The stranger insisted.
"No, you're not." Sleight frowned. "Trust me, pal, I'm the King of the hive, and never before have I seen a Changeling who looks like you."
"I assure you, I am." The stranger retorted. "In fact, your Queen was once my Queen."
"...Um, no. I think Chrysalis would've told me if she ever had a non-black-shelled Changeling." Sleight said stubbornly.
“...Oh… something tells me you don't know." The stranger frowned.
"Know what?" Sleight asked.
At that point, Char walked by, doing his rounds. The second he laid eyes on the stranger and Sleight, his face was alight with panic.
"Your highnezzzzzz!" He shot forward, pulling Sleight back. "I muzzzt zzzpeak with you immediately!"
"Hey, easy!" Sleight yelped, as Char started pushing him away.
Char gave the stranger a quick glare before slamming the gates shut.
"Okay, what's going on?" Sleight dug his hooves into the ground. "Who was that... colorful stranger? Why did he call himself a Changeling? And why did he give me this invitation?"
"All will be clear zzzoon enough." Char declared. "Juzzzt azzz zzzoon azzz we find Zzzazh and Wizel..."
Wizel and Sazh were nearby, supervising some repairs.
“Wizzzel! Zzzazzzh!” Char yelled panickedly, surprising everypony they passed, especially Sleight, who'd only seen him this way back during the disease outbreak.
“Char? Whatever is the matter?” Wizel frowned.
“Yeah, where’s the fire?!” Sazh asked.
"We have a zzzituation!" Char told them. "Code: Pazzztel!"
Sazh and Wizel both froze and gasped, their faces as fearful as Char's.
“Oh no…” Sazh gulped.
“Not Code: Pastel…” Wizel whispered.
"Okay, what's going on?" Sleight growled. "Was that guy at the gates really a Changeling? He looked like somepony dumped a bucket of paint on him!"
"Let's, ah... take this somewhere more private, shall we?" Wizel suggested.
"Good idea." Sazh nodded.
"Okay, fine." Sleight sighed, following the trio to a quiet corner of the hive.
"I had hoped thizzz day would never come..." Char muttered.
"What day?" Sleight asked. "What's going on? I'm your King, remember? I have a right to know!"
“Well, Sleight… that messenger you saw…” Wizel declared. “That was a Changeling. No doubt about it.”
“What?” Sleight frowned. “But how? I’ve seen the other hives, and none of them looked like that!”
“That’s because the hive he’s from is... unique.” Sazh admitted. “He hails from the Thorax hive.”
"Thorax?" Sleight frowned. "...Who is that, and why have I never heard of her?”
"Him." Wizel corrected. "Thorax is a male Changeling, and the King of his hive."
“...Did you say 'King'?” Sleight gasped. “I thought me and grandpa were the only King Changelings! You mean to tell me there's another one?!”
“Unfortunately… yes.” Sazh sighed.
“Unbelievable… I was constantly told there were never any King Changelings before me and Prometheus!” Sleight said, agitated. “I mean, who the hell is this guy, and why have I never heard of him and this hive?!”
"That would be becauzzze the Queen utterly dezzzpizzzezzz him, and hizzz followerzzz." Char revealed.
“...What?” Sleight frowned, his anger dampening slightly. “Why?”
“Well, you’re not going to believe this… but Thorax’s hive was once our hive.” Wizel declared.
“...Say huh?” Sleight frowned. “You mean, Thorax’s hive was-”
“A part of this hive. His followers was once Chrysalis’s.” Wizel finished. “And King Thorax… was one of Chrysalis’s children.”
“...No way.” Sleight gaped. “You mean like with Miasma and Lacera-”
“Oh, hell no.” Char shuddered. “What happened between Thorax and Chryzzzalizzz is a hundred timezzz worzzze.”
“...What exactly is the story here?” Sleight frowned. “What happened?”
“I don’t know if now izzz the best time.” Char grunted. “We have a crizzzizzz on our hoovezzz!”
“Well I say it is!” Sleight scowled. “I wanna know who this Thorax is, and why a letter from him has you all freaking out!”
“Sleight, I don’t think-” Sazh murmured.
“Don’t make me order you!” Sleight threatened. “I demand to know… now.”
The three Changelings glanced at each other, then at the angry King, realizing there was no way around it.
“Okay, you win.” Sazh sighed. “You might want to sit down. It’s a long story.”
"I've got nothing but time." Sleight sat on a stone slab. "Proceed."
“It all started thirty or so years ago.” Wizel began. “Back then, Thorax used to be one of us. He was a kind-hearted soul, and did not care for our love-stealing ways. In fact, he only wanted to make friends.”
“...That sounds a lot like you.” Sleight deadpanned.
“It does… except Thorax didn’t really hold the same social standing I enjoyed.” Wizel admitted. “The poor Changeling stuck out more than Sazh did. He was bullied, chastised, and ridiculed for his beliefs.”
"Poor guy." Sleight frowned. "Didn't think any Changeling could have it worse than Sazh..."
“It wasn’t long before Thorax abandoned the hive.” Wizel continued. “What more, he managed to do something that that none of us had achieved in twenty years… find a place within Equestrian society.”
“That can’t be right.” Sleight frowned. “What about Rein-”
The trio stared at Sleight.
“Oh... right.” Sleight cringed. “So… the ponies just accepted him?”
“Well, no.” Wizel nodded. “We don’t know all the details, but it seems that due to the help of that one dragon fellow who follows Princess Twilight around, Thorax was eventually welcomed with open hooves. However, in doing so, he was deemed a traitor to the hive. Chrysalis was not pleased.”
“And why would zzzhe be?” Char scowled. “One of her own juzzzt up and left uzzz to join the poniezzz, who, mind you, had not been kind to uzzz.”
“For once, I actually agreed with Char on something.” Sazh admitted. “I wasn't against the idea of making peace with the ponies after meeting that one colt not so long ago, but the fact that Thorax went over to them and left us all behind… it kinda hurt a bit."
“Okay…” Sleight murmured, a bit surprised by Sazh’s negativity. “But I’m still not seeing how that leads to Thorax becoming a King.”
“That's coming up.” Wizel explained. “Not long after Thorax integrated with pony society, Chrysalis devised one of her most daring schemes ever. She planned to have all the most beloved figures in Equestria replaced with her own followers, so they could pass on the populace's love for them to Chrysalis. She would have power, and effective control over all of Equestria. And we would never be without sustenance ever again.”
“...Wait, so not only is there a hive full of children of Chrysalis who took on these odd forms… not only is there a third King Changeling… but there was a THIRD attempt to take over Equestria by the Changelings?!” Sleight gaped. “...Holy crap…”
“You think that was nuts? We were actually a part of the infiltration.” Sazh revealed.
“...What? All three of you?! Char, I can understand, but you two?!” Sleight gasped, staring at Wizel and Sazh.
“It was all hooves on deck back then.” Wizel frowned. “Chrysalis wanted only the best Changelings for the infiltration, and me and Char were hoof-picked by her personally.”
“So… who did you guys end up taking the place of?” Sleight asked.
"We took the placezzz of Zzzhining Armor, Cadance and Flurry Heart." Char revealed.
"Flurry Heart?" Sleight frowned. "Who's-? Oh, that's right. Shining and Cadance's first kid. The one who's always off on goodwill tours of the lands beyond Equestria… funny that I only remember her right now.”
“You know, we all had that same feeling when we got the mission.” Wizel admitted.
“But wait, if you and Char were hoof-picked by Chrysalis, then why was Sazh there?” Sleight questioned.
"Well, I was made part of the mission at Wizel's suggestion." Sazh declared. "As a favor he asked from Chrysalis. But she insisted I play the role of Flurry Heart, since it was the simplest one."
"I was Shining Armor." Wizel smiled.
"Wait, so that would mean you were..." Sleight pointed at Char.
"Princezzzzzz Cadance." Char groaned. "Not my firzzzt choice, believe me. But Wizel had already called dibzzz on Zzzhining Armor."
"What can I say?" Wizel shrugged. "Pink just doesn't suit me."
"But it suited Char?" Sleight snorted.
"It actually did." Sazh joked. "He looked lovely..."
"Zip it, zzzhorty." Char snarled.
"So... how did it all go down?" Sleight asked.
"We struck in the night." Wizel declared. "A small squad of drones took the Crystal royal family as they slept, and we took their places..."
Many years ago...
The morning after they replaced the royal family, the trio of Changelings were preparing to step out of the bedchambers.
"Okay, time to get into character." Wizel's true voice emitted from Shining Armor's mouth.
"If I muzzzt..." Char growled, angrily brushing aside the long mane of his disguised form. "Blazzzted thing..."
"What are you complaining about?" Sazh frowned from within Flurry Heart's carrier. "You're not the one who has to act like a baby! And it’s so cramped in this tiny body!”
"A zzzimple tazzzk for a zzzimple fool." Char scoffed. "Now zip it."
"Yes, mommy..." Sazh muttered.
"What wazzz that?!" Char snarled.
"Nothing!" Sazh gulped.
In the midst of his anger, Char saw in the bedside mirror that Wizel's gaze was directed towards his back, at a certain part of his body...
"Wait, are you-?" He turned to face Wizel, who quickly looked away. "Were you zzztaring at my flank?"
"Of course not." Wizel smirked.
"You were, you filthy old pervert!" Char snarled.
"Well, you must admit, it is a fabulous flank." Wizel grinned. "Besides, it's all part of the act. You don't think the real Shining Armor wouldn't glance at his wife's lovely rear every chance he got?"
"I hate thizzz azzzzzzignment..." Char groaned.
"That's a shame, since it seems like we'll be here for a good long while." Wizel declared.
"It's kind of a big step, don't you think?" Sazh frowned. "I mean, it was one thing for Chrysalis to pose as Cadance so we could take Canterlot. She was feeding on Shining Armor's love. But we're supposed to feed on the entire Crystal Empire's love for their rulers? And the same's happening with our guys in Canterlot and Ponyville? Seems kind of greedy to me..."
"You would quezzztion our Queen'zzz vizzzionary plan?" Char growled.
"Not exactly..." Sazh squeaked.
"Right." Char nodded. "Ourzzz is not to quezzztion, but to obey."
"That's enough talk." Wizel declared, taking on Shining Armor's voice. "Time to make our royal rounds."
"You mean, time for breakfast?" Char took on Cadance's voice. "Come, little one." He used his horn to lift the carrier. "One good thing about this job? I don't have to listen to you talk."
"Goo-goo, gah-gah." Sazh sighed in Flurry Heart's voice.
The three of them left the bedroom, and walked through the rest of the castle. As they neared the ground floor, they were greeted by Sunburst.
"Good morning." He smiled at them.
"Good morning, Sunburst." Wizel nodded. They had all been briefed on the intelligence gathered by their spies, so they knew full well who Sunburst was.
"Lovely day, isn't it?" Char put on a cheery face.
"It certainly is." Sunburst declared. He glanced down at Sazh. "And how's my favorite little one?"
"Bah-bah?" Sazh gurgled.
"...That's odd." Sunburst frowned.
"What is?" Wizel asked.
"Usually, Flurry Heart is thrilled to see her Crystaller." Sunburst mused. "I at least get a giggle out of her. Is she okay?"
"She, er... had a hard time sleeping last night." Char lied. "I'm sure she'll be herself again soon." He threw a quick glare Sazh's way. "If she knows what's good for her." He added under his breath.
Sazh cringed. His eyes briefly gleamed their true color. But Sunburst didn't seem to have noticed.
"I suppose that makes sense." Sunburst shrugged.
"We're going out for a quick stroll around the Empire." Wizel declared. "We'll be back soon. Let us know if anything comes up."
"I will, your highness." Sunburst nodded.
As they parted ways, the Changeling trio rounded a corner.
"Way to almozzzt get uzzz expozzzed, runt!" Char spat at Sazh in his true voice. "I knew your louzzzy acting would be a liability!"
"Hey, I just did baby talk!" Sazh protested. "What else could I have done?"
"That's enough." Wizel frowned. "I think the Crystaller bought the cover story. Now, let's get outside and start gathering love."
"Fine." Char nodded. "But you're walking in front of me, underzzztand?" He glared at Wizel. "No zzztaring at the flank!"
"Spoilsport." Wizel shook his head.
The three of them marched out onto the streets. The citizens threw smiles and curtsies their way. Some even waved at Sazh.
"So much love." Sazh whispered. "Almost like drinking water from a hose..."
"And so much power." Char smiled, still using Cadance's voice. "When we bring this love back to the Queen, she'll be even more powerful than she was at the wedding! No force in Equestria will be able to stand against her!"
"Shush." Wizel hissed. "We've got incoming..."
To the trio's surprise, they were greeted by Thorax. They were all well aware of his identity, as Chrysalis made it a point to have any deserter demonized and reviled. None of them felt fondly about him; Wizel due to his regard for Changeling loyalty, Char because he just hated any who betrayed the hive. Even Sazh didn’t like him.
"Hello, your majesties." Thorax smiled, his crystal wings glinting in the sunlight.
"Good morning, Thorax." Wizel declared.
"Every morning's a good morning ever since I came here." Thorax smiled. "It's just been so wonderful living among you, not having to steal love like other Changelings..."
"Yes." Char said through a false smile. "You must feel so good, abandoning the rest of your kind like that. You probably think you're so much better than them..."
"Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that." Thorax said awkwardly. "I just hope I can someday show them how much better life is this way..."
"Yes, that would be wonderful, wouldn't it?" Wizel nodded, betraying no hint of anger…
"It really would." Thorax smiled.
"But something tells me some Changelings wouldn't be so keen on that." Char declared. "Maybe they just prefer the way things are now, and wouldn't like being told that their way is wrong."
"Now now, dear." Wizel stepped in. "Let's not be too negative here. We don't really know what would happen."
"No, I suppose not." Char turned away.
"You'll have to forgive her." Wizel told Thorax. "Flurry Heart kept us up most of the night. We think she might be coming down with something. In fact, we're just on our way to pick up some medicine."
"Oh, then I shouldn't keep you." Thorax stepped aside. "Get well soon, Flurry Heart."
"Bleh-bleh!" Sazh gurgled in Thorax's direction.
Once Thorax was gone, Wizel led the others around a corner and turned to Char.
"Now who's almost blowing our cover?" He frowned. "Seriously, what was all that? Were you trying to alert Thorax to our presence?"
"I couldn't help myself." Char scowled. "That traitor's lucky I didn't rip his head clean off his shoulders!"
"As much as I don't like the guy, I really don't think that would have been a good idea." Sazh whispered. "Might come off as a tiny bit suspicious... What was with those sparkly wings of his, though?"
"I don't know." Wizel frowned. "Never seen anything like it before."
"I couldn't care less." Char spat. "Let's just do our job. Besides, the traitor will get what's coming to him once Equestria belongs to Chrysalis. Maybe I'll pull those sparkly wings right off of him..."
The present...
“So… you three managed to fool everypony into thinking that you were the real royal family?” Sleight asked. “How long did that last?”
"Not as long as we'd hoped." Wizel frowned. "Apparently, that Sunburst fellow somehow caught on to our ruse, and a mere two days later..."
Many years ago...
The trio were in the throne room, keeping up the illusion for the Guards.
"I must admit, it's been pretty quiet lately." Wizel sighed.
"It has, your highness." The Captain of the Guard agreed. "Barely anything's going on..."
"If you only knew..." Char muttered under his breath.
"Has anypony seen Thorax?" One Guard asked. "I normally see him around in the morning, but there's been no sign of him."
"I haven't seen him either." The Captain frowned.
"That's odd." Wizel declared, genuinely confused by that. 'I'd think the traitor would want to stay close to his new home...'
'Who carezzz?' Char thought angrily. 'If I'm lucky, the traitor won't be coming back...'
"Oh, I'm sure we'll be seeing him again soon enough." Sunburst declared, an odd look on his face.
Sazh noted the look on Sunburst's face.
'What's that supposed to-' He started asking.
Suddenly, the doors burst open, revealing the real Shining Armor, Cadance and Flurry Heart.
"Guards, arrest those three!" Shining Armor pointed at the trio. "We are the real royal family, and they are Changeling imposters!"
"What the...?" The Captain gasped.
"No, they're the imposters!" Char pointed. "We're real!"
"We can prove who's real." Shining Armor declared. "Guards, do you remember Flurry Heart's Crystalling? How I was so exhausted and panicked, I accidentally put your helmets on backwards?"
The Guards froze, remembering that instance.
"And surely you remember how I was the first of us to accept Thorax into our community?" Cadance urged. "He is a far better Changeling than those three!"
"Is it really you?" Sunburst went over to inspect them... only to have Flurry Heart fly up and hug him, giggling happily. "Yes, it's you."
"So those three are imposters!" The Captain yelled, as the Guard pointed their spears at the trio.
"So much for the plan..." Sazh growled, leaping out of the carrier and changing back to normal. "At least I don't have to stay in that stupid thing any more..."
As Wizel and Char returned to their true forms, the Guards advanced upon them.
"You won't get me without a fight!" Char roared.
"I'd prefer not to fight, actually..." Sazh quivered.
"Look, maybe we can talk this out." Wzel calmly told the angry ponies. "I know we've caused you some... inconvenience, but surely we can reach a consensus here?"
"You should have thought about that before you helped imprison us." Shining declared angrily.
"Now you're going to pay the price for that crime." Cadance added.
"We were just following orders." Wizel insisted. "You can't blame us for that, can you?"
"I think you'll find we can." The Captain glared.
“...Okay, all of you can just go straight to Tartarus.” Wizel growled. He lit up his horn and blasted a hole in the wall. “Let’s go!”
“But Wizzzel!” Char protested.
“NOW!” Wizel roared.
“Ugh, fine…” Char growled. He followed Wizel and Sazh out of the hole, then glared back at the guards. ”Conzzzider yourzzzelvezzz lucky!”
The trio rushed out into the frozen wasteland, flying high above the snow. They didn't stop until they'd cleared the white expanse. Exhausted, they flew down near a ridge to catch their breath.
“Do you think we lost them?” Sazh panted.
“I... I think so.” Wizel wheezed. “We've flown a very good distance.”
"What went wrong?" Char frowned. "How did they ezzzcape?"
"Good question." Wizel mused. "Chrysalis's throne would have neutralized their magic. Escape should have been impossible."
"But it happened anyway." Sazh shuddered. "And if those three got out, who's to say the others didn't escape too?"
"We must return to the hive immediately." Wizel said solemnly. "We must learn what has transpired there."
"You won't like what you learn, believe me."
The trio turned to see Chrysalis standing before them, flanked by a group of Changelings they recognized as also being part of the infiltration effort. Chrysalis herself looked disheveled, and was missing her crown.
"Your highnezzzzzz?" Char frowned. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the hive?"
"And why are all the others with you?" Sazh added.
Chrysalis was silent.
“Chrysalis?” Wizel frowned, “Chrysalis, what’s wrong?
“The plan… the entire plan… it failed.” Chrysalis confessed. “Our captives are free, my throne was destroyed, and our infiltration has been exposed."
“What?!” The trio gasped.
"How can this be?" Wizel asked the seven who had been posing as Twilight and her friends. "I know none of you were the best actors, but I thought things were going to plan."
"Not so much." The Changeling who had posed as Twilight scowled. "We were no match for the real ones in an even battle. We were forced to flee."
"As were we." The Changeling who posed as Celestia nodded.
"We were lucky to get out of there in one piece." The Luna impostor declared. "I've never seen ponies look so angry before. Not even those two..."
“But what happened?” Char asked. “Why are you all here?”
"It was Thorax." Chrysalis scowled.
"The traitor?" Sazh frowned. "What does he have to do with any of this?"
"He has everything to with this." Chrysalis snarled. "He was part of a ridiculous little rescue team, along with the Princess of Friendship's pupil, some performer Unicorn, and that irritating Draconequus Discord. But it was Thorax who ruined it all. Thorax turned the rest of the hive against us."
“He what?!” Char snarled.
“The entire hive?” Sazh gasped.
"This cannot be..." Wizel gaped. "How could he have possibly accomplished that?"
"No Changeling in their right mind would lizzzten to that turncoat!" Char shook his head.
“That's what I thought.” Chrysalis muttered, her eyes taking on a gleam that the trio did not recognize. “But he has…” She turned around. “If you don’t believe me, then follow your Queen, and I shall show you.”
The trio obediently followed their Queen. But as they neared their former kingdom, they fell prey to worry.
"You don't think it's true, do you?" Sazh fretted. "That the rest of our kind has turned on us?"
"Why would our Queen lie?" Char asked. "Zzztill, thizzz izzz the one time I'm hoping zzzhe'zzz wrong. That there'zzz been zzzome kind of mizzzunderzzztanding..."
"As do I." Wizel admitted. "We're talking about our home and brethren here. I'm almost afraid to see what's become of them..."
Chrysalis lead the group to the outskirts of their kingdom, so that they could see with their own eyes what had become of their kinfolk, who were busy tending to damage inflicted on the hive during their transformation.
"You don't have to believe me." Chrysalis said coldly. "But I trust you will believe your own eyes."
The group looked upon the transformed Changelings with utter shock.
"Are those supposed to be... our hivemates?" Wizel gaped.
"They look like a pack of pastel crayons." Sazh cringed. "Hurts my eyes just looking at them."
"What happened to them?" Char asked. “What turned them into thezzze color-coded abominationzzz?”
"Thorax happened." Chrysalis spat. “Look there.” She pointed at a taller, more powerfully built Changeling, with orange, mandible-shaped horns, who was busy overseeing the rebuilding.
"...Um, where izzz he?" Char frowned in confusion.
"He's right there!" Chrysalis pointed again.
"All I zzzee is thizzz weird moozzze thing with wingzzz." Char shrugged.
"The 'weird moose thing' is Thorax!" Chrysalis growled.
“Zzzay huh?” Char’s jaw dropped.
“That's Thorax?” Wizel gaped. “...He looks so different.”
"What happened to him?" Sazh asked.
"He enacted some kind of transformation." Chrysalis said bitterly. "Somehow, he managed to deceive the rest of the hive into following suit. They call him 'King' now."
"A King Changeling?" Char scoffed. "Whoever heard of zzzuch a ridiculouzzz thing?"
“What do you suppose caused this transformation?” Wizel asked Chrysalis.
“I don’t know!” Chrysalis snapped. “All I know is that he had amassed a great amount of love. I tried to take that love from him, and then this happened! I don’t get it!”
“Well, neither do I.” Wizel mused. “In all of my seven hundred years, I have never seen anything like this.”
“Why exactly does this mean for us?” Sazh asked. “Does it mean we can’t go back home?”
“What do you think, you damn twit?!” Char snarled. “Thorax hazzz gone and turned mozzzt of our hive againzzzt our Queen!”
“Chrysalis…” Wizel frowned. “I’m so sorry… I-”
“Save the apologies, Wizel.” Chrysalis said coldly. “They made their choice. All we can do now is find another place and build a new hive. To Tartarus with those traitors!”
“But Chrysalis, they're our fellow Changelings!” Wizel protested.
“Not anymore.” Chrysalis snarled. “If they'd rather have that traitor be their leader than their own mother, then what do I care? Let them wallow in their technicolor treachery. Together, we shall continue down the true path of the Changelings!”
"Zzzoundzzz good to me." Char snarled. "Let'zzz leave thezzze traitorzzz to their repulzzzive anticzzz."
“...Well, it’s not like we have any choice, do we?” Wizel sighed. “...As if the Changeling race isn’t suffering enough already.”
"But at least we're all still together, right?" Sazh pointed out. “That oughta count for something.”
“I think that’zzz a matter of perzzzpective.” Char grumbled.
“Enough, Char.” Chrysalis glared at Char. “For once, Sazh has a point. While I may have lost so many of my children… I still have all of you.” She let out a small sigh. “I want you all to know that your loyalty means everything to me.”
"We will always be loyal to you, my Queen." The Twilight impersonator declared, his comrades bowing in agreement.
"Azzz far azzz I am concerned, you are the face of the true Changeling race." Char declared.
"I doubt I'd fit in with those new guys." Sazh shrugged. "So I'm staying with all of you."
"I promised your mother I would stand by your side, and I will keep that promise, no matter what." Wizel declared.
“And make no mistake.” Chrysalis gave a dark snarl. “If I ever see Thorax again, I’ll make him rue the day he crossed me.”
"Hear, hear." Char agreed. "Now, let uzzz leave thizzz accurzzzed place."
"And hopefully, never see it again." Chrysalis growled.
As the group flew away, Wizel couldn't help but be perturbed by what Chrysalis had said.
'Is she really so willing to leave her home and subjects behind, no matter what has happened?' He frowned. 'Chrysalis, is this truly what you think?'
The present...
“Holy crap…” Sleight murmured.
“And that’s pretty much what happened.” Wizel declared. “What we didn't know at the time was that Thorax and his hive had transformed themselves by actually giving out the love within them." Wizel declared. "We didn't learn this until later on. But at the time, we felt they had betrayed the rest of us for no reason. That is why I didn’t think too highly of him.”
“Wait, if most of the hive joined Thorax, then how do you explain some of the older Changelings in this hive?” Sleight frowned.
“When we said most, we didn’t mean it was just the Queen, us three, and the impersonators.” Wizel deadpanned. “There were still many of us ‘unchanged’ Changelings, either out on faraway missions, or in places such as Aerovis and Russiaddle. However, it did not change the fact that we had lost most of our numbers within a single day.”
“And to add insult to injury, Thorax and the hive made peace with the ponies.” Sazh added.
“Wait… I don’t get it, if they made peace, then why did all this anti-Changeling stuff go on for so long?” Sleight frowned.
“Apparently, we ‘evil’ Changelings were considered a completely different species from these ‘changedlings’, as some called them.” Wizel grumbled. “Thorax and his followers were all exempt from the worst of Changeling prejudice.”
“Really?” Sleight scowled. “Thorax screwed Chrysalis and his fellow Changelings over, just like that?”
“Actually… no.” Wizel declared. “Believe it or not, Thorax actually was trying to convince the ponies to try and make peace with us. He has been for a while.”
"He has?" Sleight frowned.
"Thorax has long tried to create peace between the ponies and the ‘unchanged’ Changelings." Sazh admitted. "But failed, due to ponies not wanting peace with Chrysalis, and Chrysalis’s own hostile actions, like the attack on the Crystal Empire a while back."
“So… how did all that affect this hive?” Sleight frowned.
“Well, the Queen refuzzzed to even allow uzzz to zzzpeak of Thorax and his hive." Char recalled. "In fact, zzzhe refuzzzed to even acknowledge their exizzztence. Azzz zzzhe put it, we were 'to pretend they didn’t exizzt’. ZZZhe even made the promizzze that if Thorax were to ever crozzzzzz our pathzzz again, she would kill him. No, annihilate him!”
“Fortunately, it hasn’t come to pass yet.” Sazh mused. “Since the failed infiltration, Chrysalis has been too busy trying to rebuild what was left of our hive to consider going after Thorax and his hive. Even before Project: Infestation, our numbers weren't quite up to the task. So the two hives just steered clear of each other."
“Then why are you guys panicking right now?” Sleight asked. “From what you've told me, Thorax doesn’t sound like a bad guy.”
“It’zzz not Thorax we’re worried about. It’zz the Queen.” Char murmured.
“What? What do you mean by that?” Sleight frowned.
“You must understand. Thorax had taken most of her hive.” Wizel declared. “The hive that her mother entrusted her with. The hive filled with her children, as well as the children of those before her. Such a loss left a very deep scar upon Chrysalis’s mind. Just the mere mention of Thorax’s name ignites the overwhelming hate Chrysalis has for him.”
“You can’t be serious. Chrysalis would not get that angry.” Sleight scoffed in disbelief.
"You have no idea." Sazh snorted. "Anything even slightly hinting at Thorax would set her off."
"Like any mention of the other hive, or a Changeling talking about 'adding a little color' to zzzomething." Char frowned. "Zzzhe would unleazzzh a fury like no other upon the lucklezzzzzz fool who zzzaid thozzze wordzzz."
"One time, all it took was a Changeling referring to the part of our bodies known as the 'thorax' to send Chrysalis flying into a blood-red rage." Wizel sighed.
“...She really hates Thorax that much?” Sleight whispered, cowed by such violent acts.
“I’m afraid so.” Wizel nodded solemnly. “However, despite this, Thorax has been sending messages such as the one today for years, trying to convince Chrysalis to come to his hive and talk things over. Every time Chrysalis gets one of them, she gets angry, and we have to deal with her being that way for weeks. So, for the sake of every Changeling in this hive, we've been going to great lengths to circumvent these ‘incidents’. After the first few letters, we just started burning the notes.”
"As far as we're concerned, we're better off apart." Sazh nodded. "For all our sakes."
Sleight stood in place for a moment, processing all the information.
"Wait a second." He frowned. "If this is all part of your history, then how come none of you ever told me about it before?"
"Chrysalis issued an edict, not long after the new hive was up and running." Wizel declared. "That there was to be no mention of Thorax or his followers, under penalty of banishment. She even forbade myself and Sazh from telling you."
“What?! Then what about the other hives? How come they never mention Thorax?” Sleight pointed out.
“Well, there was an incident where Lacera mocked Chrysalis for letting Thorax take her hive…” Wizel mused. “I’m not going to go into any details… but after that incident, the other Queens dared not mention Thorax in her presence. Not if they wanted their hives to live.”
“Then what about the summits? If Thorax is a King, how come I never saw him at one?” Sleight questioned.
“Chrysalis made a point to tell Celestia and the others of her ‘distaste’ towards Thorax.” Sazh cringed. “I think they arranged it so that the two would never meet… and for good reasons.”
“All this... because of one guy?” Sleight frowned.
“What can we say? It’s a real sore spot with her." Sazh shrugged.
"Sore enough that she hid it from me?" Sleight asked, hurt. "Her own husband?"
"Apparently zzzo." Char sighed. “We’re zzzorry, but you can zzzee why we're worried. Thankfully, I caught you when I did… zzzo, crizzzizzz averted.”
"So what, I'm supposed to just pretend this invitation was never delivered?" Sleight glared.
“That’s the idea, yeah.” Sazh nodded.
“It's worked so far.” Wizel agreed.
“Well, it won’t work this time.” Sleight declared firmly. “I am not going to allow this lie to continue any further. There have been enough secrets around here.”
"I heavily advise against this, my King." Wizel urged him. "Chrysalis will not be happy to get that invitation."
"Maybe it won't be so bad." Sleight shrugged as he took the letter. "Maybe she's simmered down after all these years. I mean, when was the last time she actually received one of these?"
“...I won't lie, it has been a while.” Sazh admitted, glancing at Char and Wizel. “Maybe Sleight has a point.”
“ZZZo do our hornzzz, but you don’t zzzee uzzz agreeing with them!” Char glared.
“None of us enjoys lying to our Queen, Sleight.” Wizel frowned. “But trust me, this will ensure the hive’s survival.”
“Now you’re all being melodramatic!” Sleight glared.
"Hey, let's check the letter ourselves, just to be safe.” Sazh declared, as he took the letter from Sleight and opened it. “It might not even be an invitation.”
“Come on, you guys, don’t you think that by hiding the letters, you're doing more harm than good?” Sleight scowled.
“We had conzzzidered that.” Char frowned. “Then Chryzzzalizzz nearly wiped out my entire zzzquadron when the sight of some of Thorax's subjects sent her into a blind rage.”
“But wouldn’t you guys want Chrysalis to settle things with Thorax?” Sleight suggested. “To not have to walk on eggshells around her when the subject comes up? To maybe even allow the hives to mingle?”
“Of course I would want that.” Wizel sighed, “I want nothing more than to be able to see my old brethren again, and maybe make amends with Thorax. But Chrysalis shows no signs of ever forgiving Thorax for what he did. Trust me, I tried to reason with her many times. And every time, it resulted in me getting tossed out by my tail.” He then added under his breath. “She has a really strong neck.”
“It juzzzt hazzz to be thizzz way.” Char declared. “Truzzzt uzzz, if Chryzzzalizzz and Thorax were to ever meet again, there would be blood. Lotzzz and lotzzz of blood.”
“Exactly.” Wizel nodded. “All we need to do is just burn the invitation and-”
“Um, I don’t think that's going to work.” Sazh frowned, lowering the letter.
“Why?” Wizel and Char glanced at Sazh.
“What’s wrong, Sazh?” Sleight asked.
“This isn't an invitation to come to Thorax's hive." Sazh gulped. "In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Look."
Sleight read the note.
"'Dear Chrysalis, I am afraid I've grown tired of my invitations being ignored." He said aloud. "'I want to talk to you face to face. And since you won't come to me, I and my council will be coming to your hive. We will arrive promptly at noon tomorrow, to finally discuss matters. I hope we will be able to conduct our meeting in a civil, orderly manner. Yours truly, King Thorax'."
"H-he'zzz coming here?" Char trembled. "Oh, buck..."
"This is catastrophic." Wizel said worriedly. "Thorax... here... I fear the hive won't survive Chrysalis's wrath!"
"The second Thorax arrives, we're all dead." Sazh cringed. "We gotta do something. Anything!"
“There’s nothing we can do, guys.” Sleight frowned. “The letter says he’s coming tomorrow. And it sounds like he’s not going to stop 'till he and Chrysalis have a little chat.”
“You don’t underzzztand!” Char snarled. “Chryzzzalis zzzaid zzzhe wazzz going to kill him if they ever zzzee each other again! Thorax will be a dead bug once he zzztepzzz into our hive!”
“Come on, give Chrysalis the benefit of the doubt!” Sleight scowled. “Even if she is still angry at Thorax, it will do her no good to hold onto this grudge! We’ll just have to do what we can to make sure Chrysalis doesn’t destroy anything. What do you say?”
The trio all looked away nervously.
"Okay, first things first: We all tell Chrysalis together." Sleight smiled. "It won't be so bad if the four of us are there."
"Zzzayzzz you." Char shuddered.
"I still don't think this is a good idea." Wizel shook his head.
"Come on, guys." Sleight urged. "Are you with me or not?"
"You know I can only say 'yes' to that question." Sazh groaned.
"I suppose it is my duty..." Wizel shrugged.
"Today'zzz a good day to die, anyway." Char grunted.
The three of them made their way to the tower. Chrysalis was in the throne room, taking a break from her work.
"Ah, there you are, Sleight." She mused. "Been chatting with the boys again, I see?"
"Yeah, just chattin' about stuff." Sazh smiled.
"Random, pointlezzzzzz, not-important-at-all zzztuff." Char added.
"Nothing you should concern yourself with." Wizel said awkwardly.
Rolling his eyes, Sleight stepped forward.
"Well, Chryssy." He gave a small smile. "We, er, just received this message."
Sleight handed Chrysalis the letter. She read it, then slowly lowered it, showing her face to be surprisingly passive.
“So… what do you think?” Sleight smirked.
"...Interesting." She muttered. “I haven’t heard from him in a while… I wondered why.”
“Well, it’s a mystery to me.” Wizel lied.
“Hmm…” Chrysalis murmured.
Sazh, Wizel, and Char frowned in confusion.
"She's taking it pretty well, don't you think?" Sazh whispered.
"She is." Wizel nodded. "Far better than I imagined."
"Maybe you were right, Zzzleight." Char mused. "Maybe zzzhe hazzz zzzimmered down."
"Told ya." Sleight smirked, as he turned to Chrysalis. “So… how do you want to go about-”
Chrysalis's horn glowed. At the same time, a window slammed shut.
"Uhh..." Sleight frowned.
One by one, the other windows slammed shut, as did the doors. Chrysalis’s expression grew darker with each slam.
“Oh Faust, no!” Sazh gasped.
“Get to the doorzzz!” Char screeched.
“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Wizel cried, as the trio turned and fled.
“Guys, wait!” Sleight called after them.
The trio darted to the doors as fast as they could, desperate to get out of there before the proverbial bomb exploded. However, they weren’t fast enough, as the front doors shut tight on them.
“Oh no…” Sazh whimpered.
“This will not end well for us.” Wizel murmured.
“Lauren help us all…” Char declared, frightened.
Sleight watched nervously as Chrysalis’s eyes took a vicious gleam, sensing the overwhelming rage within her.
“Um, Chrysalis…?” Sleight asked tenderly.
"RAAAARRRGGGHHH!" Chrysalis screamed. Her screech was so loud that a few windows cracked.
“Chrysalis, I know what you're thinking-” Sleight stammered.
"How dare that backstabbing, traitorous son-of-a-dung-beetle even think of coming here!" Chrysalis roared.
"Easy there, Chryssy..." Sleight tried to calm her down. "I'm sure Thorax-"
"THORAAAAAX!!" Chrysalis succumbed completely to her rage.
"Whoops." Sleight cringed.
Chrysalis started firing blasts from her horn all across the room.
"Yikes!" Sazh ducked one bolt.
“Hit the deck!” Char cried, bringing his fellow Changelings to the ground.
“Chrysalis, please!” Sleight pleaded.
“No!” Chrysalis snarled. “After all these years, after everything he did, he has the gall to decide that he can just waltz in here?! That wretched little piece of-RAAAARGH!”
She fired a powerful blast upwards, shooting through the roof.
Meanwhile…
Back at the destroyed observatory, where an airship owned by the Forefathers had crashed, something began to stir within the rubble of the wrecked aircraft, and a Earth Pony emerged, his uniform torn to shreds.
“Holy crap... I somehow survived that brutal airship crash that murdered all my comrades except me!” The pony gasped. He then snarled. “But now that I am alive, I will carry on Gridlock's legacy, and all of Equestria will know my-”
Suddenly, the blast that Chrysalis had fired came down upon the airship, blowing it to smithereens.
“AUUUUGGGGH!” The agent screeched, as his body was completely incinerated.
Back at the tower…
Chrysalis was still fuming, spouting angry words as the trio and Sleight watched on in fear.
"Well, turns out I was right after all." Wizel cringed. "This is exactly how I thought she'd take it!"
"I knew thizzz wazzz a bad idea..." Char groaned.
“And once again, I agree with Char!” Sazh frowned, as he glared at Sleight. “Thanks a lot, Sleight!”
“Chryssy, calm down!” Sleight urged. “Look, I know some bad stuff went down between you and Thorax but-”
"Oh, really?" Chrysalis glared at the trio, who all cowered under her venomous gaze. "I wonder how you discovered this? Especially when I explicitly forbid any mention of him!"
"Don't blame them." Sleight declared. "I ordered them to tell me after I met one of Thorax’s Changelings. I wanted to do this. I decided that enough was enough. That it was time to clear the air between you and Thorax.”
“And why would you think I'd want to do that?!” Chrysalis growled.
“Because maybe it wouldn’t be so bad?” Sleight frowned.
"'Wouldn’t be so bad'!?" Chrysalis spat. "Thorax took my hive from me! Stabbed me in the back! Brainwashed almost all my subjects! All in the space of a few moments! Because of him, my hive almost ceased to exist!"
"But that was so long ago." Sleight pointed out. "Don't you think it's time to bury the hatchet?"
"No! Thorax has already turned my children against me once!" Chrysalis hissed. "And I know he will try to do it again! I worked hard to rebuild this hive after what Thorax did, and I will not have all my efforts be for naught!”
"Look, Thorax is coming here, to this hive. And he made it clear that he isn’t taking 'no' for an answer." Sleight told her. "Maybe this is a sign. A chance to finally work things out, to come to an agreement and make peace."
"I would never make any sort of agreement with that filth." Chrysalis snarled.
"What about me, though?" Sleight asked. "We rule this hive together, remember? I should have a say in things. And I say we should hear him out.”
“And I say we boot his flank back to his hive… which was my hive!” Chrysalis snarled.
“Chrysalis, work with me, please!” Sleight groaned. “All I ask is that you give me the chance to meet Thorax and see what it is he wants. If I don’t like what I hear, I’ll gladly kick him out myself… does that sound good?”
"...I suppose." Chrysalis sighed.
"And we should get to talking without any mad mood swings, right?" Sleight urged.
"Right." Chrysalis mumbled.
"So you're agreeing to play nice?" Sleight asked.
"If I must." Chrysalis groaned. "But I swear, if Thorax tries anything, I will obliterate him right where he stands, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me, got it?”
"Close enough." Sleight sighed.
The trio stood back up, hoping the trouble was over.
"So, I guess we're having guests after all." Sazh mused.
"It would appear so." Wizel nodded.
"Let'zzz juzzzt hope thingzz don't go crazy..." Char cringed. “And that we survive thizzz.”
Following an awkward night between Sleight and Chrysalis (involving very little cuddling), the two stood on the balcony, awaiting their guests.
"You promise to keep your temper under control?" Sleight asked.
"We'll see..." Chrysalis growled.
Sleight kept his eyes open, while Chrysalis looked like she couldn't care less.
“Hey, I think I see them!” Sleight pointed.
The two glanced towards the entrance. Thorax had indeed arrived, bringing with him a procession of Changeling advisors, each a different color.
"Oh, good." Chrysalis scowled, watching their approach. "He brought one of every flavor."
"Come on, Chrys." Sleight urged. "Be nice."
"This is me being nice." Chrysalis sneered. "Now, let's get down there. Time to receive our 'honored guests'..."
"Gladly." Sleight nodded.
The local Changelings stared at the new arrivals as they made their way through the hive. Many of them had never seen this kind of Changeling before.
"Look at those colors..." Glinda gasped. "Amazing..."
Moments later, Thorax and his group reached the tower. Thorax had grown slightly more solid and solemn over the years, with slight bags under his eyes.
"Wow." Sleight whispered as they came near. "And I thought the messenger was colorful..."
Thorax stopped mere feet before them.
"Chrysalis." He nodded curtly.
"Thorax." Chrysalis said through gritted teeth.
"King Sleight." Thorax noted. "I've heard a lot about you."
"All good, I trust?" Sleight smiled.
"Mostly." Thorax nodded. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, though. I was very surprised to hear Chrysalis had taken a pony for a husband."
"You're not the only with surprises, you know..." Chrysalis snorted.
"So I've heard." Thorax declared. "Your hive has certainly had some interesting times."
"More interesting than your little pastel utopia." Chrysalis spat.
"Okay, let's head over to the throne room." Sleight said nervously. "Get down to business..."
"Please, wait out here." Thorax told his advisors. "This must be between the three of us."
"Yes, your highness." The blue Changeling nodded.
Sleight, Chrysalis and Thorax made their way to the throne room. Thorax took in the surroundings.
“I must say, Chrysalis, these lands are beautiful.” Thorax smiled. “It does my heart good to see that you and the others have been doing so well for yourselves since the peace treaty.”
“Yes, yes, it is very nice.” Chrysalis scoffed. “It’s nothing like the caves we used to dwell in… or the original hive, but we Changelings were built to endure… though you probably wouldn’t know that, after all the time you spent among ponies.”
“Chrysalis...” Sleight frowned.
“No, it’s fine, Sleight.” Thorax sighed. “I understand that Chrysalis still harbors some resentment, especially considering how we left things all those years ago..”
“Oh, is that what you tell your children?” Chrysalis sneered sarcastically, before scowling. “Oh, wait, those were my children… and my mother’s children… and her mother’s children...”
“I realize that, Chrysalis.” Thorax declared. “And I make no attempt to tell them otherwise. I simply address them as a good King would address his subjects.”
"A King..." Chrysalis scoffed. "You're just a drone who got unbelievably lucky."
"No luckier than you were when your mother chose you to be the next Queen." Thorax pointed out. "We both took what fate gave us, and made the best of it."
“So, tell me, Thorax… why are you here?” Chrysalis asked in a quasi-accusatory tone. "You've been content to keep your distance for years. Why come here now?"
“...That is a very good question.” Sleight admitted. “Your letter only said that you wanted to talk to Chrysalis face to face.”
“Well, for one, Chrysalis wasn’t responding to all the letters I've been sending.” Thorax frowned. “I must have sent hundreds of them over the past couple of years.”
“...Funny, because I hadn’t received any after the tenth one.” Chrysalis glared.
“That’s strange.” Thorax mused. “The messenger told me that the messages had been successfully delivered every time.”
“Oh, they must have gotten misplaced then.” Sleight chimed in, desperate to cover for his friends. “Even now, the mailing system in this country leaves much to be desired, am I right?”
“...Right…” Thorax said, bemused. “But after some deliberation with my advisors, I decided to come here and speak to you Changeling to Changeling. King to Queen.”
“And what is it that you wish to talk about?” Chrysalis frowned.
“The thing is, Chrysalis… I came here to apologize.” Thorax said solemnly.
For the first time since learning of Thorax’s coming, Chrysalis’s scowl disappeared, replaced with a look of confusion.
“Apologize?” She asked. “For what exactly?”
“Well, for everything.” Thorax mused. “I know that I left you and all your subjects in a bad spot after what happened all those years ago. Some things were said and done, things that left a bad taste in both our mouths. In spite of everything I did when I left the hive, the last thing I wanted was to put you or any of my brethren through the hardships you've experienced.”
“Oh…” Chrysalis wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Well, I think that was a nice thing to do.” Sleight smiled, “The others told me about how you've been trying to help these Changelings out.” He turned to Chrysalis. “Isn't that nice, Chrysalis?”
“No… because despite Thorax’s ‘efforts’, it wasn’t he who suggested the peace treaty all those years ago.” Chrysalis growled, her pride stoking her anger. “Where was he when we were starving, hmm?”
"I'll admit, I was wary of approaching you back then." Thorax confessed. "I wanted to help, but I was worried you'd be too proud to accept it. But I shouldn't have let that worry stop me from helping my fellow Changelings."
"If you can even call yourselves that." Chrysalis sneered.
"We may be different on the outside and inside, but we're all still Changlings where it counts." Thorax declared. "We were all born from eggs, all felt the same hunger, and we all strive to keep our hives strong."
"I suppose you have a point." Chrysalis snorted.
"I know how hard it is to lead." Thorax declared. "I know the burden that comes with guiding your hive and keeping it safe. It's hard work, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is." Chrysalis admitted.
"So we do have something in common after all, right?" Thorax smiled. "That alone should count for something, shouldn't it?"
"Perhaps..." Chrysalis shrugged.
"Despite everything, I have the utmost respect for you, Chrysalis." Thorax declared. "It can't have been easy to bounce back from what happened, but you succeeded. You're more of a leader than I gave you credit for."
"It's good to know that even the benevolent Thorax can be wrong..." Chrysalis smiled. "I will admit that you've done an... adequate job of leading yourself. You must be doing something right."
"Thank you." Thorax said awkwardly.
'Maybe things will be okay after all...' Sleight thought, noticing that Chrysalis seemed to be loosening up.
“I should add that I also come here to make a request of you…” Thorax announced.
“A request?” Chrysalis asked. “What kind of request?”
“A very important one. One that I cannot ask of anypony else.” Thorax explained.
“Well, don’t leave us in the dark. What is it?” Sleight urged.
“As you wish…” Thorax nodded. “Chrysalis… I've come to ask that you and I join our hives together, so that we can reunite our brethren once again.”
In an instant, the room went quiet… and very cold. Chrysalis’s smile disappeared.
"Oh no..." Sleight groaned, knowing Chrysalis would have only one response to this.
"WHAAAAATTTT?!!" Chrysalis screeched, loud enough for ponies in the next county to hear… and to shatter the already-cracked windows.