//------------------------------// // Chapter 28 // Story: Looking Glass // by Hiver //------------------------------// Everypony had broken for some rest. Every guard of the castle had gathered in or around the room and everypony else had been bundled inside so they could be easier to protect. Across the hall was a second room with the changelings in it. The sun was high in the sky, filtering in through the shield bubble as I looked out the window. I just wanted to sleep. But if I went to sleep, I knew that Princess Luna was there right now and… …Okay, I was putting it off. I knew I should fill her in on what was going on, but it was so hard to talk to her. I looked to the side to the couch where Shining Armor was out like a light and deep asleep. Not surprising, he had been awake even longer than I had. So had Cadance and Midnight, but they were across the room on another couch side to side, talking quietly. Twilight Velvet and Night Light were asleep on one of the couches. Starlight had skipped that and just curled up on a large pillow, bundled beneath what looked to be twenty blankets. In fact, most ponies who weren’t guards, were asleep by now. Not that Midnight's castle had a lot of staff. Couple of maids, a chef. It had been a long night. Talon was deep asleep curled up by the fireplace. I felt my eyes start to drift closed and I forced them open again. It was dumb, I needed to sleep or I’d be useless when things start again. I knew it was dumb, but… Buck. I might as well. Going to need to sooner or later. Sighing, I looked around for a good spot to sleep. Could do the rafters, but that might be too alien for most ponies here and right now pointing out that I’m different would just increase tensions. So overstuffed armchair it is. At least it would be large enough for me t- “Page?” I blinked and then crossed over to Midnight, “Yes?” Cadence finished with a scroll and rolled it up, tying a band around it before she looked at me, “Could you bring this over to the changelings?” she said. “Of course,” I said and took it in my magic before putting it beneath my wing, “Do we expect an answer?” Cadence hesitated and then shook her head, “I don’t know. Maybe.” I nodded and headed towards the door, lighting my horn and using a trickle of magic to force my tiredness away. Not healthy, but when walking into a predator's nest, it does not pay to show weakness. Pushing the door open, I exited into the corridor to see a pair quad of guards ponies facing off across their equal number of changelings across the corridor. I looked around, giving the guards a nod before I crossed over to the changeling closer to the door, “Specter,” I told him, “I need to talk to the Queen.” He blinked at me, “You know my name?” “I do,” I told him, “Will she speak with me?” The changeling hesitated and then ducked in, closing the door behind him. I just stood and waited until the door opened again and the same changeling returned. He didn’t say anything, just opened the door for me. “Thank you,” I said and walked past, brushing my wing across his side as I thought about Luna. Never too late to start positive reinforcements to being helpful. Works on dogs, works on humans, works on timber wolves, works on ponies, works on ‘lings. The room had not been adapted with resin, too little time, but every ling in the hive was there, hundreds of them gathered in a room not a lot larger than the one across the hall. Meaning that there were lings covering every surface, including the walls and ceilings. And in the middle of it all was Chrysalis. Every step I had to carefully put my hooves down, often having to shift my course as I approached her to avoid stepping on a changeling on the floor. Most were asleep, many were watching me. Even not feeding, with this many changelings all around in this close proximity I could feel… it almost felt cold in a way. Drawing energy away from me. Not actively, just so many changelings tasting my emotions at once. I stepped over the last sleeping changeling before I looked up at Chrysalis. She studied me carefully from the armchair she was lying across, “...You really do not fear us, little bat?” “Fear is born from ignorance,” I told her, “And I know your kind, Chrysalis,” before I pulled the scroll from beneath the wing to float over to her, “message from Princess Cadance.” She took the scroll with a hoof but put it down on the chair, ignoring it in favor of studying me. I looked back up at her for a long moment before I reached down and slid a changeling to the side to have room to sit down. I then raised an eyebrow at her in slight annoyance after another couple of seconds of staring. Chrysalis looked down at me for another long moment before she picked the scroll open in her magic and slid the band off to unroll it. I looked at her as she read it. She studied the scroll for several long moments, expression unreadable and her wings relaxed against her back. Finally she dropped the scroll on the floor and looked at me again, “Yes.”