By next morning, the rain had stopped. The streets were still laden with sodden puddles and overflowed drains, but the sky was beginning to clear, thanks to the efforts of the weather department. Ponies came out in droves to enjoy the cool air and the bright sunshine that the storm had left behind.
Inside the Metamorphosis Spa and Massage Parlor, the final preparations for Queen Chrysalis’s departure were being made.
Within the onsen room, the six infiltrators stood in a rough circle, their horns all aglow with magical energy. They were preparing to send their queen back to the hive, in the most direct way possible.
Teleportation spells were interesting, Psithyra thought as she strode around the circle of changelings, making sure their stances were perfect and ready. They used the same amount of magical energy regardless of distance, meaning that her own teleport back in Canterlot Castle would have taken as much out of her as if she had teleported all the way across Equestria.
And now they were preparing to actually send something across the country. Using all six infiltrators would offset the energy usage significantly, so that the burden would be shared amongst the senders and the sendees.
Queen Chrysalis loitered around in the corner, holding a bag of chips that she was eating out of.
“I have to say, Equestrian food isn’t bad in terms of flavor,” Chrysalis commented. “Not very filling, but I suppose that’s only to be expected of junk food.” She finished the bag and crumpled it up, using her magic to launch it across the room and right into a bin.
“Would you like us to send you some later?” Psithyra asked, coming over to her elder sister.
Chrysalis shook her head with a grunt. “As nice as it tastes, I don’t want to go soft. Not until I’ve conquered Canterlot properly. And it will happen, as soon as I’ve gathered up my army again.”
“Of course, your majesty,” Psithyra bowed her head slightly. “Do you have everything?”
Chrysalis looked herself over. “Let’s see. Crown, check. Wings, check. Mane, check. I think that’s all.”
“Good. We’ve just reached full thaumic charge on the teleport spell. We can send you right back to the hive. Just step into the center right there,” Psithyra gestured to her loyal infiltrators, who had green magical sparks flying around them as they waited for the spell to be cast.
“I know how a teleport spell works, Psithyra,” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “But thank you for the notice all the same.” She buzzed over into the center of the magic circle. “You will write, won’t you?” She asked.
“Every week,” Psithyra promised. “You’ll do the same?”
“If I can remember,” Chrysalis said with a cheeky smile. She flapped her hoof at her younger sister’s reproachful stare. “Okay, alright. I’ll write. I’ll have to get more paper from somewhere; there’s not a lot of it back at the hive.”
“I’ll send you some,” Psithyra lit up her own horn and added her strength to the circle of changelings. “It will be good to help you plot and plan again.”
“Just like old times,” Chrysalis chuckled. “Except maybe go easier on the insults. I am your queen, after all. As well as your older sister.”
“No promises. Say hi to everyone back at the hive for us, won’t you?”
Chrysalis said something, but it was drowned out by the crackling of the teleportation circle. With a bright green flash and the smell of burnt toast, Chrysalis vanished from the room and the magical circle faded away into a flurry of viridian embers.
For a few moments, nobody spoke.
Still with a smile on her face, Psithyra sighed and shook her head playfully. Then she looked around at her six loyal infiltrators and stood up straight.
“Well, what are we waiting for? There are ponies to pamper and secrets to harvest. The ponies won’t hypnotize themselves, you know.”
Marching up the stairs back to the lobby of the spa, the seven changelings morphed into their pony counterparts, ready for work once more. And while their identities and bodies might have been fake, the smiles they all bore were, for once, quite genuine.
FIN