//------------------------------// // Important Meetings // Story: The Queen's Revenge // by Listener //------------------------------// The door opened with a groan, alerting Twilight to the changeling’s presence. As quickly as she could she went to the corner and sat down. Just as she did every time, for the last four times. “Up.” “No.” “Up. Do we have to come in and get you?” “Go away.” “Last warning. Get up.” “Go buck yourself.” A sigh. “We’re coming in and getting you.” For the fifth time since her imprisonment Twilight tried to use her magic. She hoped for anything at all to happen. Nothing happened. There wasn’t a spark. There wasn’t any aura to show that it was attempting to work. There wasn’t even that flare of magic deep inside Twilight that showed that she still had magic at all. She wasn’t sure who she was anymore. If she wasn’t a unicorn, who was she? If she couldn’t do magic, could she be the element of magic anymore? If she wasn’t her, then who the hell was she? Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed when the two changelings started to carry her to the chamber. She remembered going into the chamber, but she never remembered what happened there. She couldn’t remember getting back to her cell. All she knew of were the results. Head slung forward with her mane obscuring her field of view, she let out a tear. Just a single tear, as that was all she could afford at the moment, no more. She watched it, for the changelings carrying her had stopped for something, most likely a door. It fell, forming a perfect sphere, reflecting the light of the dark corridor and making it the brightest thing in it. Freefalling, it had found something to receive. Only to immediately give it back, like an unwanted gift. It kept giving light back to the area up until the very end, when it splattered against the cold and unwavering floor, flinging out bright flares of light, still giving its gift back until the very end. Like so many things that she had cared about, if only ever so briefly, it to passed. It had also died, now nothing more than a memory of the past. Was that all she was to her friends? Something to use so that they themselves could shine brighter? Something that was to be forgotten as soon as it was gone, no longer able to reflect anything? Was she already forgotten back home? Was she already considered dead; just a casualty of an unforeseen conflict? Was she something that had never really mattered in the end to her friends? Was she something that wasn’t seen as necessary, not even wanted to her mentors!? Letting out a small gasp, Twilight felt the changelings start to drag her again, pulling on her upper half and leaving the lower half to scrape the ground. She could feel every bump, every crack, everything about the floor through her cold legs. She even wiped away the tear stain on the floor. Even the things she cared about disappeared in time. Sometimes they disappeared quickly, leaving a shallow mark on her soul. Other times though, they stayed. They lingered, leaving a mark on her that couldn’t be healed. They healed on the surface, but inside, they never healed. Could she heal from this? She had been abused, tortured even. But Chrysalis was smart. She never had Twilight beaten. She was never physically struck, but every chance she got, Chrysalis was there, playing her mind games. Twilight wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to fully recover from this, or even if she was able to look at her friends the same way. Chrysalis had said things that seemed true, but Twilight knew her friends. She knew them. Didn’t she? Yes. She had to believe that she did know them. For if she didn’t have that trust, then she was going to die, inside. She lost her grip on consciousness and fell into the black. ---0--- Chrysalis entered the room, pleased to see that her workers had already gotten her into position. She didn’t usually come to Twilight’s... sessions. In fact, this was only her second trip to actually see it happen. The first time was to break Twilight’s will to fight even farther than the cell could. The second time she came was to see how the process worked. And now she had a piece of information that she couldn’t wait until Twilight was fully recovered to tell her. It was time sensitive. It was so... mean that she almost couldn’t do it to the poor mare. Thinking about it, she smiled. She shouldn’t. But... she did. She was passed out on the table, the tube at the side of the bed ready for insertion. Once that happened, Twilight wouldn’t be able to tolerate anything, let alone hear something and actually comprehend it. Chrysalis was told that the procedure was... painful to say the least. She smiled. This procedure that her top minds in the swarm had come up with served her purposes twofold. It hurt Twilight, yet didn’t kill her. A perfect combination for her revenge. The ending to this process, this perfect plan, would be absolutely delicious. Already the results of the transfusions could be seen. Twilight groaned, bringing Chrysalis out of her thinking stupor. Twilight must be coming around. Indeed she was. On the table her head rolled with her eyes halfway open. The classic pose of the still sleepy. That would change shortly, as Twilight came around to her senses. Just in time for Chrysalis’ news. “Twilight, good to see you again. I must say though, you appear to have changed since I last left you. You look good. Did you do something to your mane? Well, what’s left of it.” Twilight flinched on the table. She knew how she looked. It scared her. Her eyes were wide open now. Chrysalis continued. “And your coat! You must tell me what you did to coat! I swear, this process is more of a beauty one than of actual changing. That black sheen!” Twilight whipped her head to the side, trying to do anything that would stop Chrysalis from seeing that she had won. She did it to hide the tears in her eyes. Chrysalis saw it anyway. A slight smile flitted around her lips, threatening to bloom into a full smile of joy. She couldn’t allow that to happen though. Not yet, at least. She had one last thing to say. And it would break her. It would suffocate any hope left. Lifting up her hoof, Chrysalis grabbed Twilight by the chin, forcing the lavender mare to look at her. Wrenching, Twilight tried desperately to look at something, anything that wasn’t the Queen’s face. It was no use. Twilight was weak from the months spent in her cell. Forced, she stared into Chrysalises eyes, her own showing the absolute terror that she felt. Chrysalis failed at keeping her elation down, and a smile appeared on her muzzle. “Happy twenty-sixth birthday Twilight.” She nodded to the changeling in charge of the transfusion, giving the changeling permission to start. Bowing its head, it jammed the needle into Twilight’s foreleg, and another changeling doing the same to one of her back legs. Twilight screamed. ---0--- Dash’s hoof slammed down on the table, startling the assembled group. The group had been at sugarcube corner for about five minutes and, according to Dash’s perspective, nothing was getting done. “Why hasn’t anypony done anything to find Twilight?” Rarity and Applejack sighed. This was a question that they all had been wondering, but only Rainbow Dash had the audacity to ask the question. Several times. “Dash, I have all the force I can afford to divert at the moment on this. If I could be out there searching for her constantly like you I would. But as much as I love my sister, and as much as it pains me, I can’t be out there all the time. I have my responsibility to the Princess and Canterlot.” Shining Armor said sadly. “Can’t you, I don’t know, get a replacement? Do something! I’m sick and tired of the guards sitting on their butts and doing nothing! She’s been gone over a month now!” She yelled, losing her cool for a moment. “She has been gone for one month, three weeks, and five days. Don’t you think I know this Dash? She’s my sister, and the more time that she’s gone, the higher the chance that we never see her again!” A gasp came from the door. Rarity looked over at the door, where Spike had just entered. Ignoring the two ponies glaring daggers at each other. “Spike, I thought I told you to stay back at the boutique.” Rarity said in a disapproving, parently way. “I know Rarity, but I was wondering if I could go to the library for a bit? It’s been awhile since it was open, and-” He started, only to be interrupted by Rarity again.   “Of course Spike! That’s a wonderful idea. Now, why don’t you and I go down to the library right now and get everything set up real quick. Wouldn’t that be lovely?” She said, trying to distract Spike from what he accidentally overheard. “Sounds good Rarity.” Standing up, she went to the entrance of the small confectionary and ushered Spike out the door before any more damage could be done. Turning around, she gave Dash and Shining a little piece of her mind before she left. “I’ll be back in a little bit. I hope that you two have put your differences behind you. Twilight was a friend to all of us. Don’t you think for a single moment that her disappearance has affected us any less than it has on you.” With those words she swept out of the little shop in a way that only Rarity could. An awkward moment followed her exit, with silence only enhancing it. The rest of the ponies in the bakery slowly returned back to their conservations, this time with hushed tones. “I reckon she’s right girls. And Shining, of course. Twi being gone has been hard on us all. But getting at each other’s throats is not going to do anypony any good. We need to stick together if we’re going to have any chance at seeing her again.” Applejack said, breaking the group’s silence. More silence followed, with Dash and Shining Armor finishing their stare down. Each one broke off and stared at the floor, both slightly ashamed at their outbursts. Shining was the first to apologize. “Rarity and Applejack are right. We need to be organized, and fighting amongst each other isn’t going to help. I do have some good news, but they come with bad news also.” Dash looked up at the news, surprised. “I thought we weren’t ‘privy’ to this information, or whatever the crap term your guard people use.” She said, ending with a sour tone. This earned her another look from Shining. This time it wasn’t one of reproach. Instead, it was a look one would expect to see on Dash’s face, or maybe Pinkie’s, whenever they were out pranking. “Dash, if you had let me get a word in at the beginning of this fiasco, I would’ve told you that I am also sick and tired of nothing getting done about this. So... against my better judgement, I’m going under the table. Maybe some ponies I know that aren’t restricted by all the by-laws and rules of the guard force could get something done.” A sly look had taken root on his face during his impromptu speech. “Yeah! That’s more like it! What have we got?” Dash’s elation quickly made her forget their small tiff. “I’ve got some-” Shining started, only to be interrupted by Applejack. It was her turn to argue her point. She started off this point by slamming her hoof on the table. It seemed to be the thing to do. “Ah want to get Twi back as much as you guys, but sneaking around the government’s back? That’s not right. In fact, it’s just downright dishonest. Ah won’t take any part of this.” “Even if the idea was the Princess’ herself?” Shining countered. The news startled Applejack. “Well. If it was the Princess’ idea then it must be okay." Dash wasn't done yet. "Okay then, but why has it taken this long to actually do anything?" "Because as much as I want to, we can't just storm into other countries accusing them of harbouring changelings. That would just end up with us with more problems to take care of before we could find Twilight." Dash nodded. "Okay then. I'll buy that." Nodding, he starts to tell the pair the news. “I’ll tell you the good news first. I admit that we  haven’t done much for the past month, but we’ve been working on it.. But...” He aimed a look at Dash before at Applejack. “...But we have gotten something figured out. We have essentially figured out where she’s not.  She’s not in any of our allies’ countries, she’s not in Equestria, and she’s not in the dragon’s country.” He stopped, sighed, and gave a sad look. “Now for the bad news. We have two countries where the changelings may be hiding Twilly. One we can safely assume that they aren’t there, because of the heat. Zebrica is too hot for the changeling. They don’t have the body functions to sufficiently cool themselves down. The other place...” He swallowed hard. “The other place we cannot go. We have been expressly been banned from. We can’t go, on risk of death, maybe even an inter-racial war.” “Where?” Dash said. The entirety of SugarCube Corner was quiet, listening in. “The badlands. That’s the only viable place left that they could be.” “The badlands? Where’s that?” A voice asked. It wasn’t Applejack or Dash. Whirling around, they saw a mint green mare that they knew from around town. “Well? Where is it?” Lyra asked. “Lyra! You can’t be hearing this!” Dash hissed at her. “Dash, no offense, but if you want a private conversation with somepony, don’t do it in the middle of town. Especially not in SugarCube Corner.” “Okay. My fault. Now go!” Dash said, whispering still. “I can go over there, or I can stay over here. Either way I’m going to hear this. Everypony in this place has overheard your conversation with Twi’s brother. Now, maybe we weren’t Twilight’s best friends like the elements of harmony were, but almost everypony in town is friends with her. And if there’s something that we could do to help her, then I’ll be damned before I just walk away!” Lyra said, giving quite a speech. Everypony in the place cheered loudly. Shining Armor grinned. “Okay then. You can hear this too. But I can’t promise you'll be able to help. The badlands are where the tyrants, before Celestia’s and Luna’s time, sent the worst of the worst to be punished, making it one of the most dangerous places to be.” “Sugarcube, if it’s where they sent the criminals back then, should they all be dead?” Applejack asked. “Yes. That was their plan. One thing popped up the the Solar Tyrant wasn’t expecting. Love. Or, at least, some form of intimacy. All we know is that the recon team that was sent there about fifteen years ago didn’t come back.” “Then what can we do?” Somepony asked the question that was on everypony’s mind. Shining sighed deeply. “There is a thought that’s been floating around the barracks. Perhaps a small task force, maybe three to five ponies could, in theory, sneak in and retrieve a package. A pony package.” “So... you need volunteers or what?” Dash asked. “ ‘Cause you don’t even need to ask me. I’m going.” The tone of her voice left no room for argument. “Then we’d need another volunteer, two at the most. It will take some time to get supplies ready. Maybe a week at the most. Could you go through and get some ponies?” “Sure thing. We’ll have them ready by the time you get back.” Applejack said. “Good. Remember, we want ponies that will get in, get out, and leave with no trace. No ponies with a personal vendetta allowed, okay?.” “Oh. Don’t worry about that. We’ll get sneaky ponies. But if we have to bash some changeling heads...” Dash said, leaving it hanging. “Then no pony could blame you for it. Just don’t go looking for it.” “I won’t. But something tells me that they will.”