Chrysalis was not tired after her journey. She was more invigorated than anything, but she knew her troops would feel the fatigue of the distance between Farana and the small mountains which lay just below the capital city of Equestria, Canterlot.
So Chrysalis made sure to direct each and every Changeling into the hollow mountain that would be their current Hive. Chrysalis could sense the change in her Changelings, as well as in herself. The air here truly did seem to be laced easily with the love that abounded. The Changelings could do more than simply survive here. They could thrive.
As Chrysalis settled the last newborn Changeling into place in the mountain, she prepared to address the masses as well as set out alone to begin her plan.
“My Changelings. I know that you can sense what I do above us. A feast unlike any we have ever had or heard of before. I know that it will be hard to restrain yourselves, but I must ask you to do that while I assure our victory above. If revealed in our only mildly rejuvenated state now, we could be overpowered by these ponies. So please rest here. Rest, and wait for my signal. Once I have sent it, we will be ready to take Equestria for our own!” Chrysalis cheered out over her Changelings, all of who echoed her enthusiasm back and added their own on top of it.
Chrysalis smiled and let but a couple tears fall as her race cheered her forward, giving the entirety of their futures to their Queen. Chrysalis quickly squared her face and set out for Canterlot above them.
Chrysalis again carried her saddlebags, though they felt much heavier to her now because of their current importance. Chrysalis flew outside the visible barriers of Canterlot, certain she must not be seen in this form at all. Once she was beyond the last watchtower, she settled in to wait for a pony to appear.
Chrysalis had been told to take the form and daily life of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza once she was safely within Canterlot without detection, but she could not simply disguise herself as the blushing bride of an Alicorn and come sauntering out of the woods so easily. She would be found out far too soon. And so Chrysalis resigned to wait until a pony would leave Canterlot for a time, and take their place in order to enter the city. If suspicions were raised, Chrysalis had the bits to swat them away.
Chrysalis waited for nearly 6 hours outside the city before the pony she needed revealed herself. The blue coated, silver-maned mare walked quite defeated out of the City and boarded the train, looking as though she desired no more than to never see the city again. The Great and Powerful Trixie now had another city which hated her it seemed.
Shortly after the train had left the sight line of Canterlot, with the real Trixie on board, Chrysalis shivered momentarily as she warped into the mare’s form. The cape and hat were beyond gaudy for her tastes, but they were necessary for the illusion. Since Chrysalis had not born witness to Trixie speaking, she would simply have to do her best to imitate the mare for the time being. The fake Trixie galloped forward, a look of distress on her features and tears in her eyes, as Chrysalis were certain that chivalry must still exist in Canterlot of all places.
“Oh! I forgot my luggage up at my suite! I can’t leave without it, but it doesn’t look like I can just saunter back into Canterlot like that….” Chrysalis softly carried her voice over the ears of the station’s guards, smiling inward as she saw them turn grief stricken to one another, and then gallop forward to her location.
“It’s not regulation to let ponies just walk into Canterlot like this, but we did just see you board the train a short while ago with nothing, so we’ll make an exception for such a grief stricken mare.” The guard on the right told Chrysalis as she swatted away her fake tears with a hoof as she looked up ‘shocked’ into his face.
“Really? Oh thank you. Please take some bits for your trouble. They’re all I have and all I can offer to two such chivalrous guards.” Chrysalis slid two considerable stacks of coins out of her saddlebags with her magic, and passed one to each guard, who looked shocked yet happy for a moment before pocketing the bits, and guiding ‘Trixie’ forward without another thought.
**
Chrysalis nearly danced in giddiness once she was free of the guard’s sight, not truly believing just how easy it had been to sneak into Canterlot undetected. Chrysalis restrained herself, but only just barely. She continued forward, certain she must scope out locations and ponies before heading after Mi Amore Cadenza.
As Chrysalis flitted about Canterlot though, she came to see how unoriginal a city it was. Though it was quite refined, it was all different shades of the same thing. Chrysalis might indeed have a hard time preventing the ponies that could stop her plan from involving themselves.
As it so happened, Chrysalis came across a group of 3 mares, one green, one blue, and one rose coloured, outside a café very close to the castle. As she came within their sight, Chrysalis saw both mockery and disgust in their smiles. Clearly the pony she was impersonating had not made a decent impression on these ponies. This was the first step to her plan succeeding, perfecting the illusion of her disguise to those who might see through it, so Chrysalis made her way over to the mares.
“Lovely day for a drink isn’t it?” Chrysalis spoke up from Trixie’s form, causing laughter to erupt easily from the 3 mares as they believed it was truly a small talking Trixie before them.
The laughter could not continue. It could draw much too unwanted attention. And so, Chrysalis released her magic on the 3 mares before her. For a moment, each looked scared and shocked, but then a face of clear thoughtlessness came over them. Chrysalis flared her eyes green again as she fed from the mares and prepared to instil instructions in them.
“You will never laugh at my actions or words. You will never contradict me, or I will increase the despair you feel beneath your surface tenfold. When Princess Mi Amore Cadenza comes to you to make you her bridesmaids, you will agree wholeheartedly. You will do everything she asks of you at all times, or you will be removed. Am I clear?” Chrysalis taunted, her true voice coming out of Trixie’s form silently now.
“Yes.” All three mares echoed as Chrysalis released her initial spell on them.
Chrysalis continued forward from the mares, a sneer on her face now and a link to the mares forged in the back of her consciousness. She had to hurry and take over the Princess now. That encounter had proven to Chrysalis that no matter how she looked or acted, her disguises could not fool everypony, and so she must now hide behind the power and fear of authority to complete that illusion entirely.