The sun was rising agonizingly slow. All around, the valley was stirring to life – dark figures were descending down the vertical walls, buzzing and sneering in an insectish manner.
Silverline was hanging upside down in a well shaded chamber, surrounded by his unconscious troops. This mission was the biggest disaster he has ever witnessed. What was supposed to be a quick recon mission turned into a last stand against literally thousands of changelings, creatures that were faster and stronger than anything he had ever seen. Now he cursed his boldness and the faith he put in his training – they all should have legged it the second they heard the first rock tumble down from one of the holes in the walls.
The battle itself lasted maybe a few seconds. Silverline and his ponies shot volley after volley of multi-hued subdue spells. To no effect. Before the first of the beasts lunged at them, it got shot in the face with a potent piercing spell, one that could rend and shred a thick safe door. To no effect.
Now that he thought about it, it was a mistake to try and use magic against a foe that had both wings and a horn. They should have ran.
“Oh, I see one of the little pony spies woke up,” sounded a voice below. It was a horrible sound, haunted by a reverb that made Silverline flinch in his green goo prison. ”Good, good. We can finally get down to business.”
“I have no business with you, changeling,” calmly replied the stallion. “You won’t get anything from me. No amount of torture will make me betray my country!”
Chrysalis merely chuckled at the statement and licked her fangs. “Dear pony, why would I want to hurt you? Don’t you know that changelings choose love over war? Lots and lots of love. Come, let me show you just how...loveable, I am.”
The last thing Silverline thought before a green light enveloped his mind was:
We should have ran.
* * *
Chip was silently pacing around Twilight’s room. Conflicting feelings kept popping up in his head, buzzing around and pestering him with stupid questions that came out of nowhere.
Is it okay to be here? Should I leave? Can I wait till she wakes up? Can I flick that rogue hair from her face? Why am I even here? thought Chip, glancing at the sleeping mare. She sure looks pretty. Why does she look pretty? Since when can a changeling be a ponyphile? Is it even possible to- hold up! The changeling stopped dead in his tracks. These thoughts were getting dangerously out of hoof.
He silently smacked himself on the face, suppressing a whimper as his own hoof left a burning sensation on his cheek. This was no time for these kinds of questions. He had to help the Princess get whatever information she needed. Maybe then, once it all has been done, he would be given the luxury to debate such questions. Preferably with Twilight. Here, in Ponyville.
The morning light shone through the bedroom curtains, surprising Chip. He barely noticed he stayed up all night long in the room of his friend. A smirk found its way onto his face as he remembered the very first time they both met – she was screaming, he was falling. Reliving that would be fun…but maybe another time.
With a silent pop, the changeling vanished. The gust of air that his disappearance caused moved the note he set next to Twilight. The piece of paper gently flew down the bed and slid under it.
* * *
For the next few days, Chip was bored out of his sane mind. The Princess seemed very distracted during her visits, most of the time asking the same questions over and over again or spacing out, staring into the ceiling, apparently heavy with thought. The changeling could feel the scent of worry and fear all over her, but asking questions about it only earned him dead silence.
Slowly, his face was healing, and quite soon the stallion could talk properly. When it finally stopped hurting, he kept rattling on about how strange his voice sounded now that it was back. Celestia patiently listened to the stallion. Her mind was thousands of miles away anyway, in a not so safe place.
“And you know what the strangest thing is? I can hear myself talking,” said Chip, a note of awe in his voice. “I mean, you usually can hear yourself talk all the time. But you don’t pay attention to the sounds your mouth makes, right? Now that I can hear them, they sound so strange! Is my voice really this hoarse all the time? And what’s with that strange echo all the time? Do I have something in my throat, or was it like that all along? Oh Sun! What if there’s something in my throat? I can choke!”
As Chip kept spiraling down the panic path (complemented by various regurgitation sounds), Celestia had her own worry spiral started.
Silverline should have been back a week ago. Where is he? Did he get captured by the enemy? Is he dead, alive? Under their control? Will he ever come back? Can he come back? thought the Princess, oblivious to the Chip who was now trying to shove his hoof down his throat to find the object that kept making his voice “sound weird”.
* * *
Silverline gave out a sigh of relief as Chrysalis’ hoof ran along his chin and neck. His green eyes were focused on the changeling queen, unblinking and full of devotion. For the last week the stallion had the best time of his life.
At first, he totally unreasonably shouted blasphemy at the mare he now loved and adored. He was stubborn, unwilling to cooperate. But in her infinite wisdom and love, she gave him a chance, over and over again. Every time he remembered how he treated her wrong made him feel bad. Thankfully, in the end, her true love and affection, care and attention helped him see. Made him understand the changelings, their ways.
They were not evil creatures. Everything Celestia ever said was a lie, propaganda of the worst kind. Changelings were in fact a gentle and emphatic kind of pony. They lived in perfect harmony, without starvation, wars or politics. It was utopia, one that everypony should strive for. One that could be given to the Equestrians.
“Now, my dear Silverline, are you sure you’ll be okay?” asked Chrysalis, worry plain in her eyes. Her deep emerald eyes were set on him, making the stallion’s heart flutter and spirit lift towards the heavens.
“Of course, my love! I am the best of the best, and I shall not fail you!” fervently replied Silverline, earning himself a kiss on the cheek.
“Good boy. Now, go. Make me proud,” smiled the love of his life, watching as the stallion vanished wrapped in a red nova of magical energy.
“Go, and tell me exactly how to reach your pony brothers. So we can all ‘share the love’.”
Chrysalis’ cackling spread far and wide across the canyon, where thousands of changelings were practicing more intensely than ever for the upcoming invasion.