“Curse her, it's not fair!” Chrysalis wailed, stomping her hoof against the dry soil, stirring a cloud of dust. Of course, in The Badlands, there were few other options – dry soil and rocks, mostly, with tall spires of rocks interspersed throughout. She resisted the urge to cough, trying to keep her royal demeanor.
“If I may, Your Supreme Majesty, you did defeat her.” The changeling that addressed her bowed deeply, and even though he was obscured slightly behind the kicked-up dust, she saw the two hairs of his mane that remained a pale shade of cyan. “You shamed her in front of her court, and her most beloved ponies.”
“It's of little comfort, Chambin,”she retorted, “until she has suffered as I have!” She paused and smiled at her closest servant. “When I see Princess Celestia stripped of Equestria, and forced to wander the world in shame, only then will I rejoice!”
“What about finding a stable food source?” another changeling added. Chambin gave a sideways look of warning.
“I don't see why we can't have both, Faerbin,” the queen replied, her eyes narrowing so slightly that the changeling failed to notice. “Once we have thwarted her, her kingdom will be in such disarray that we can easily blend in and feed anywhere in Equestria.”
“The elites should have no problem with that,” Faerbin replied, brushing her hoof against the small tuft of red mane that did not match the pure black of the common changeling, “but the others have trouble maintaining the change indefinitely.” Chrysalis frowned pensively, her eyes narrowing further.
“If I may add, Your Supreme Majesty,” Chambin ventured, “There is still the problem of her guardians.”
“She cannot keep Shining Armor and that wretched Cadence by her forever,” Chrysalis snapped.
“Even so, I didn't mean those ones, Milady. Your cunning strategy, reserving the elites to keep the bearers of the Elements of Harmony away from their power worked this time,” Chambin managed to keep it sincere even while thinking it was luck more than anything, “but I fear they will be better prepared in any future confrontation.”
“Yes, that Twilight Sparkle especially irks me!” Chrysalis shouted, stamping again. “She was the downfall of all my planning! If there was a way to cause personal pain to her in all of this, it would make my victory all the more satisfying.”
“She relies on and protects her closest friends above all else,” Faerbin mused. “Hurting them would be the best way to hurt her.”
“Yes!” said Chrysalis, her eyes aglow. “And they are the other bearers as well. How it would utterly destroy her if they betrayed her.”
“I don't think–” Chambin began.
“No, I know they wouldn't.” Chrysalis anticipated the objection. “But if they were changelings, they could betray her at a crucial moment, and stop the Elements of Harmony from working at the same time. Oh, the look on her face would be priceless!” Chrysalis' distant expression gave away that she was playing it out in her mind, as she cackled slightly to herself.
“But milady,” Chambin objected, “If she could tell that you, our Queen and Supreme Ruler, wasn't somepony that she hadn't seen in years, how could anypony hope to fool her about her closest friends?”
“They would have to be very good at it, dear Chambin,” she mused, moving closer to him. “The best, in fact.” She leaned in very close and looked him directly in the eyes as she mused this.
“B-but... milady,” Chambin stammered, “as your closest personal guard–”
“We are on the edge of barren lands, Chambin, and far from the entrance to Tartarus. Neither pony nor beast is likely to seek us out here. No,” she stood and looked across the sand where her changelings were busily burrowing a new den into the sands, “It must be you. Oh, and take Faerbin with you as well.”
“Me!?” Faerbin had been smiling silently Chambin was dismissed, and was caught off guard when she was drawn in. “Why me?”
“Can you recommend better elite changelings than you two, Faerbin?” Chrysalis snapped.
“I... I suppose not.” Faerbin replied, raising her head. It was Chambin's turn to chuckle inwardly. Faerbin's pride committed her to this mission more than Chrysalis' command ever could.
“Then go!” Chrysalis commanded. “Study them, become them, replace them! Return to me only with a message of your success.” Chambin and Faerbin both bowed deeply and took flight to the north.
* * *
“Are we sure this will work?” Faerbin asked they hid at the edge of the Everfree Forest. “I fear our Queen has become blinded by her need for vengeance.”
“I will not question her orders, Faerbin,” Chambin replied. “Our queen is ever vigilant in her protection of her people.” He couldn't help but being concerned - if Chrysalis herself could not emulate Cadence well enough, how could they possibly hope to? It nagged at him that she seemed to do so well at it until Twilight Sparkle showed up. She knew Cadence wouldn't have been so cold to Twilight Sparkle, so why couldn't she keep up the ruse? “Let's just not underestimate the bearer of the Element of Magic,” he suggested aloud.
“Right,” said Faerbin. “So, who are we?”
“Well, I've been thinking. The pink one is always with her friends, so there'd be almost no chance to perfect her character without being discovered.”
“Pinkie Pie, you mean. Don't know why she picked you, you've not been in the field for too long.”
“I'll catch up fast,” Chambin retorted, trying to hide his own doubts. “The white one... Rarity?” He awaited a confirming nod from Faerbin, while he tried to remember the reports. “She's likewise constantly planning events or working with customers.”
“Applejack has too much family too close,” Faerbin continued the thought. “That leaves Fluttershy, right on the edge of town, and Rainbow Dash, who is often practicing or napping out of view.”
“Kindness and Loyalty. I've never been very fond of animals in general, why don't you take Fluttershy?”
“What? Are you questioning my loyalty? Besides, you're not the most athletic.”
“Well, shall we race, then? Around that tree and back.” Chambin pointed to a distant tree, then scratched a finish line in the ground with one hoof. He concentrated and assumed the form of a pegasus pony before crouching at the ready.
“I suppose that's the way to figure it out,” Faerbin said, snorting. She too shifted and crouched on the line.
“Go!” Chambin yelled, launching himself forward. He wasn't sure why the difference was so important to him. Faerbin was right, being athletic wasn't really Chambin's style, but he knew they needed to succeed, for their Queen's sake, and he felt somehow this was how he could best do it. He was through the turn and leaving Faerbin behind before his mind was back on what he was doing, and as a result he won by a few full pony lengths.
“Have it your way, then,” Faerbin said, a hint of confusion in her voice as they landed. “Shall we begin?”