The rock pick came down, and a small chip was struck out of the boulder. Trixie glared at the large stone with all the hatred she could summon for the inanimate object of her frustration. She’d been working in the field all day with the sun beating down relentlessly, and it had long since reached the point where it was getting to her. Sweat was pouring off her entire body, and she felt like she was about to drop. An earth pony would have had this bloody boulder in two pieces hours ago, she was sure of it. Trixie on the other hoof had barely knocked a few pebbles out of it so far. Trixie lifted the pick again with her magic, and swung it through the air with all the mental strength that she could still muster. The pick bounced off the obstinate chunk of granite with a disappointing *plink* noise.
Trixie gritted her teeth, and wiped off some of the sweat that had been dripping into her eyes. When she’d first arrived at the rock farm to work for Mr Pie, she had taken great pleasure imagining Twilight Sparkle’s face on every boulder, and while that admittedly had helped, it hadn’t left Trixie feeling good about herself. So she’d buried the hate and resentment, as deep down within herself as she could, and had covered it under hard work and graft. Ignatius Pie had been a great help too since she’d arrived at his farm. Thankfully he’d had some experience of cutie mark insanity syndrome—thanks to experience with his daughters apparently—and when he’d caught Trixie performing magic tricks to a couple of sacks, his old wagon and a water-butt, he had recognised the signs. There had been talks, tough ones, but he’d taken the time to help her through it, which was more than Trixie could have hoped for from her employer.
Now she got herself through the gruelling work by daydreaming of the day that her magic would be strong enough for her to be truly worthy of the title of Great and Powerful. Trixie had decided to take the attitude that magic was, in some ways, just another thing that could be exercised like anything else about her body, so swinging this pick everyday should build it up nicely. There weren’t going to be any short-cuts to real power. Maybe there could be some cheat available for a pony with serious money to her name, but Trixie was only getting a few bits at the end of each week along with room and board. Then some day when she was strong enough, it’d all be worth it, and she’d return to Ponyville... And she wasn’t entirely sure what she hoped would happen then. Maybe Twilight might be impressed that she’d inspired Trixie to such heights? That would be pretty nice actually, Trixie thought, and realised that she was smiling.
This boulder was still mocking her with its annoying solidness though. Trixie could feel the anger in her, bubbling to the surface to smash it to powder, for daring to defy the great and powerful Trixie. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. That was not her and she was going to think about this clearly. She breathed in and out a few times as she considered the problem. Trixie knew she couldn’t blast the rock with magic, as that would destroy the precious crystals forming within, which was why she had the pick. Anyway, after a full day of hard—if not very effective—labour, she barely had enough strength left in her horn to carry it anymore. The sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon, causing Trixie to let out a wry chuckle. Great, now the sun is mocking me too.
Forcing herself to think, she noticed that she had put a few more cracks in the boulder than she’d originally thought. Maybe, just maybe, if she hit it just right... She picked up the rock pick again, gave it an entirely unnecessary flashy twirl in the air—just to satisfy her inner show mare—and brought it down with the rest of her strength exactly where the pattern of fractures met.
*CRACK*
Two perfect halves split open, revealing a bounty of gems that glittered beautifully in the dying light of the day. Trixie fell backwards onto the turf with a happy grin on her face. Sooner or later, she was going to have to muster the strength to carry the gems back to the farmhouse, but for now, she had truly earned this sunset.
Trixie had barely been lying down for all of two seconds, when a loud shout brought reality back again.
“Trix’!”
She sighed, and rolled up onto her weary hooves. Leaving the gems for now, Trixie trudged back towards the farm-house. She was brought up short by the sight of a small golden chariot that formed a highly incongruent image with the humble house of the Pie family.
“Mr. Pie?” Trixie said hesitantly.
“Come in, Trix’,” Ignatius said gruffly. “Come on in. I’ve got the kettle on and there are two ponies here who would like a word with you.”
Trixie very reluctantly entered the living room with all the speed of a crippled snail. Anypony wanting a word with her had no chance of being in any way good news, and especially not ones turning up in that kind of chariot.
She gasped at the sight of two royal guards, in full golden armour, who were standing stiffly at attention. One was managing to maintain that state while also sipping on a cup of tea held daintily in her wings.
The other one said, “You are Trixie Lulamoon?”
“Would it help if I said no?” Trixie asked weakly, not meeting the guard’s gaze. There was something that was tickling her at the back of her mind, but she was so tired at the moment that she just couldn’t place it.
“Trix’!” Ignatius said sternly. “You be polite to our guests when you’re under my roof.”
Trixie managed to jump slightly despite her hooves feeling like lead. “Sorry, Mr. Pie,” she said.
“If this is about the Ursa—”
The royal guard took pity on the clearly suffering mare and cut her off. “You’re not in trouble, Miss Lulamoon. Your presence has been requested at the palace on a matter of great importance.”
Trixie stood stunned for a moment. “Really?” she said, unable to totally keep the excitement out of her voice.
“See, Trix’,” Ignatius said. “I just bet this is the big break that you’ve been waiting for.”
“Um, it must be important,” the other guard interjected hesitantly. “We’ve only just had a changeling invasion, and yet we’ve been sent to retrieve you.”
“Changelings?” Trixie said, still too stunned to process thoughts coherently.
“Yes, changelings,” the guard replied patiently, as the two of them manoeuvred Trixie out of the house and onto the chariot.
“Oh,” Trixie said intelligently. “What’s a changeling?”
“Never mind that,” the other guard said firmly, as her partner attached herself to the chariot. “Now, we’re just going to need you to wear this before we take off.” A silky looking white sack was held in the guard’s blue magic, and floated in front of Trixie’s face.
“Wait, what?” Trixie said, as the sack came down and plunged her into darkness.
~~~
The changeling speaker set himself low, and bared his fangs into a snarl. Luna matched it with a no less impressive snarl of her own, for being a pony entirely lacking in fangs.
<”We do not want to hurt you,”> he said, in the mix of growls, hisses, and clicks that made up the changeling language.
Luna laughed lightly. <”We do not think, perchance, that you would like to see what would happen if you tried, honoured Hive-Speaker.”>
<”Your skill with our speech is most impressive, M’Lady,” the speaker replied, bowing his head respectfully. <”Still, if you offer us violence we will meet it in kind.”
<”Hopefully that will not be required,”> Luna said, bowing her head in turn. <”What are your intentions towards these three ponies?”>
<”We were...”> The changeling paused and looked around at his kin. <”Debating that.”>
One of the Minuettes let out an urgent hiss and growled in a sotto fashion into the speaker’s ear. He let loose a low rasping chuckle.
<”Forgive me, M’Lady,”> the speaker said, and shook his head. <”This foolish nymphling thinks that you really are the Princess Luna that her mother used to frighten her to sleep with when she was small.”>
<“There is another Princess Luna then?”> she asked, raising an eyebrow.
The speaker grinned again. <”She was a great scourge of our race, they say, in olden times. They even say that she was the size of a full grown hydra, caused earthquakes as her hooves struck the ground, and painted herself in changeling blood. I am sure that such a lovely young pony as yourself is merely named after her?”> His head tilted to one side for a moment. <”I am surprised actually. I’d heard that her name was disgraced after she was banished to the moon or something.”>
Luna let forth a low growl that had nothing to do with speaking in changeling.
“Princess, what is happening?” Minuette asked quietly.
“They are not aware of who we are,” Luna said in a flat, level tone. “We are going to educate them. Get down.”
The three mares huddled down on the floor, as Luna lifted herself into the air with a single beat of her wings. A nimbus of energy played around her head like a crown.
<”We are Princess Luna.”> she stated, her every word humming with barely suppressed power. <”We saw the birth of your misbegotten race. We have slain your warriors and crushed hives beneath our hooves at the behest of our beloved sister. We were the nightmare that followed you into the waking day, and we have not had a chance to paint ourselves in a very long time.”>
The speaker had started to shake. The Minuette that had tried to warn him, had fainted dead away, and had reverted back into the form of a drone. Lyra’s jaw fell open, as the voice sounded far too familiar to the one that she remembered from a particular summer sun celebration. A voice that she’d been trying very hard to forget.
<“Now we ask again,”> Luna said, and every changeling in the cavern cowered at the sound of her voice. <”What were your intentions towards these three ponies?”>
The speaker was shaking far too hard to give anything like a coherent answer. There was a steadily widening circle around him, as the other changelings backed away as much as was physically possible.
Luna landed, her hooves not making a sound, as she lightly came back down to rest on the cavern floor. <”You may speak.”>
<”We weren’t going to touch them, I assure you!”> he said, his growls coming so fast it sounded like a rapid staccato to Minuette. <”Our queen left clear instructions that no pony would be harmed!”>
The princess of the night smiled kindly. <”That is acceptable to our ears, as long as that is understood by every changeling present.”> She looked around at the cavern, and all the changelings nodded vigorously. <”Now, did your queen leave any other orders?”>
<”Only that we were to remain here until further notice, P-Princess Luna.”>
<”That is also acceptable, Speaker.”> Luna said, nodding respectfully. <”I will seek an audience with your queen to ensure you are not kept waiting here too long.”>
<”Thank you, M’Lady,”> the changeling replied, and nodded back.
“What do you think they’re saying?” Lyra said.
“Who knows,” Minuette said. “They could be saying anything, growling away like that.” She was holding onto Moondancer, who was still trembling after Princess Luna’s display of power.
Luna and the speaker exchanged a few more growls and hisses, and then Luna turned to face the three mares.
“Come along,” Luna commanded. “The way out is this way.”
“They’re letting us go?” Lyra asked.
Luna smiled and glanced back at the changelings attempting to mind their own business on their side of the cavern. “Yes, they most certainly are.”
She turned back, and said, “Oh, Moondancer?”
Moondancer pushed Lyra away, turned her muzzle up at her, and then stood proudly before the alicorn. “Yes Princess Luna, what do you require of me?”
“The speaker wanted to let you know that it doesn’t normally work like that; still he’s more than ready to give it a try if you are willing,” Luna said. “We are not entirely sure what that means, but we are sure that you could explain it to us.”
“Uhh...” Moondancer attempted to say something, but had apparently lost the power of speech.
“That is a no then?”
“Uhh...”
Lyra sidled up and gently moved Moondancer out the way, while struggling to keep a grin off her face. “She’s just overawed by your presence, Princess.”
“Yes... overawed,” Moondancer mumbled, while taking one last longing look at the changeling speaker before turning away.
Some time later, the four ponies emerged from a tunnel mouth halfway up the mountain that Canterlot was built up against. Luna had stopped to raise the moon while they had still been underground and night had now set.
Minuette noticed that Luna was gazing up at the city. “Princess, are you okay?”
“We are merely surprised that Canterlot looks to be mostly intact, our subject,” Luna said, glancing down at the unicorn. “Given that changelings have invaded, and knowing my beloved sister, we honestly expected the entire city to be on fire.”
~~~
Cadance looked at the head resting on the pillow beside her. Just this morning she’d have screamed and fled the room entirely. Now she just wanted to give it another kiss. What a difference a day makes, she thought, with a smile—that she just couldn’t work out how to make go away—on her face.
“Well, I’ve never done anything like that before,” Cadance mumbled to herself, not quite realising she was voicing her thoughts out loud.
“Nor me,” Chrysalis said, stretching out on the bed languorously. “The taking of love, it’s not usually that... physical.”
Cadance squeaked in embarrassment, and then smiled. “I’ve been with stallions before, and then there was Shining Armour of course for the last year or so, but that was different,” she said. “Not bad, at all! Just different.”
“Was it good?” Chrysalis asked.
“Perfect,” Cadance answered, with total honesty clear upon her face. “Absolutely perfect.”
“I feel like I could personally feed every single changeling in the badlands,” Chrysalis said, her voice full of absolute wonder. “I’m not glowing, or something, am I?” she asked, actually sounding a little worried.
“Well, kinda,” Cadance said, and giggled. Seeing Chrysalis’ expression, she added, “But only in the post what-we-just-did sense, anyway. You’re not actually luminescing.”
Chrysalis smiled back bashfully. “Almost surprised that I’m not floating a couple of inches above the bed the way I feel right now.”
Cadance looked away, and stared up at the mirror mounted above them on the four-poster bed. It was a terribly tacky thing, it really was. She didn’t know who’d had this bedroom before her, but Cadance could make some guesses based on their proclivities. What she couldn’t deny though, was what it reflected back filled her heart with joy. They did look very good together; even the doubts still quietly nagging away at her couldn’t argue with that.
“Y’know,” Chrysalis said, cozying up closer to her princess. “I’m pretty convinced now that you do want me as I am.” She laughed. “Very thoroughly convinced in every possible way. Still, I am a shape-shifter, and it does seem a waste to not use it every so often.”
“Chrysalis,” Cadance said, staring into the changeling queen’s eyes. “I can’t think of anypony I want more than you.”
Cadance found herself looking into her own face. “And I can’t think of anypony more beautiful,” the other Cadance said, and winked at her. “This time, I could be the princess hidden away in the gem caves completely at the mercy of the wicked changeling queen.”
The covers were flung across the room, as the real Cadance’s wings stood proudly on her back.
This is too weird, she couldn’t help thinking. Cadance also couldn’t help but thinking that she actually quite liked that idea of Chrysalis’ and she’d had honestly no clue that she could look that seductive. Some of the reactions that Shining Armour used to have suddenly made a whole lot more sense. It’s bad enough that I’m with a changeling, but now I’m becoming interested in a copy of myself? Just what kind of pony am I turning into?
Cadance leaned in and kissed the mirror image of herself. “If this is wrong, then I really don’t think that I want to be right.”
“You do appear to have a talent for it,” Chrysalis said with a wide grin, after shifting back into her regular changeling self.
“Chrysalis,” Cadance said, suddenly thoughtful.
“Yes?”
“What did you mean when you said I’d secured a future for your hive?” Cadance asked. “You’re not planning to turn me into some kind of broodmare, pumping out thousands of drones, are you?” she added, a smile playing across her face.
“No!” Chrysalis said, her eyes widening. “I’m not sure it’s even possible for us to...”
“The hive, Chrysalis,” Cadance said, pressing up close.
Chrysalis looked uncertain for a moment, and then shrugged, causing the sheets under her to bunch up. “After what we did, I’m sure I can tell you. Once we’re married it’ll be just as much your hive as mine.”
“You want to marry me?” Cadance said before she could stop herself. A very large part of her was swooning blissfully at the prospect, another was feeling like it could sonic rainboom on demand, but another part was freaking out as loud as it possibly could.
“Of course!” Chrysalis said, stealing a kiss from the surprised alicorn’s lips
“Well, the palace is still very much prepared for a wedding to take place, I suppose.” Cadance heard her voice say, apparently operating on automatic, while the rest of her was otherwise occupied.
“That settles it,” Chrysalis said enthusiastically. “We’ve just got to persuade Celestia to officiate once more, and then you’ll be all mine.”
Cadance waved her fore-hooves in a ‘slow-down’ manner. “Chrysalis, I do want to marry you.”
Chrysalis’ face fell. “I think I can hear a ‘but’ coming up...” she said unhappily.
“No, it’s not like that,” Cadance insisted. “I just want to know more about you before we make it official. Like, to pick a major example, what you meant about your hive.”
Chrysalis was silent for a moment. “I suppose I can tell you, Cadance. Especially after what you’ve done. You might look like a pony, but I know your heart is changeling.”
Cadance’s face went blank, as she attempted to process that compliment. Well, she was pretty sure it was a compliment. Then my heart does belong to a changeling now, doesn’t it, she thought to herself.
“My hive...” Chrysalis started to say, clearly struggling with the words. “My entire hive is what you’ve seen. Barely several hundred or so changelings in total, after we were driven out of the badlands.”
“Driven out, by who?” Cadance asked, as she inwardly wondered what exactly was a normal size for a hive then.
“What else?” Chrysalis said cynically. “Another changeling hive of course.”
“You fight amongst yourselves?”
“Not often, but yes,” Chrysalis admitted. “Queen Nychus decided that she wanted our territory, and took it.” She went on entirely without emotion. “Killed my mother, and her swarm lord. I was barely older than a mere nymph at the time. Far too young to become a queen normally, but given we were running for our lives at the time, I didn’t have a whole lot of options.”
Seeing Cadance’s expression, she laughed bitterly. “C’mon, do you really think that any changeling would try something so risky as this if they didn’t have absolutely any other choice?”
Cadance couldn’t help herself, and asked the first question that came to mind. “So, how old are you now then?”
Chrysalis shrugged again. “I hadn’t fully matured when we lost our original hive. Far too many years spent wandering the badlands aimlessly looking for some scrap of land that wasn’t claimed by another hive. Add a few more planning this, so late twenties, I guess?” Chrysalis smiled. “I suppose you being an alicorn, you must be in your early thousands. You don’t look it, by the way.”
Cadance smiled back. “I was born a pegasus, the alicorn thing happened later, and I’m about the same age as you, if you must know.” Her expression grew more serious. “You really lost both of your parents?” she asked.
“Yes,” Chrysalis said, and then gasped as Cadance hugged her tightly.
“I’m an orphan too,” Cadance said quietly. “I never even knew mine...”
“Oh.”
They lay together like that for a while, just sharing the comfort of their bodies against each other.
“So, if there’s so few of you left, then what are you going to do?” Cadance asked.
“I honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead,” Chrysalis confessed. “The way I’m feeling right now, I probably could keep my entire hive fed without them having to drain love from ponies themselves. Still they can’t stay in that cave forever.”
“We will work it out,” Cadance said softly, “Together.”
~~~
“Excuse me,” Twilight said, and stepped past the royal guard. The royal guard moved to block her.
Twilight stared at the completely inexpressive face for a moment, and then quickly skittered back when she saw his eyes flash green.
Her horn reflexively crackled with energy. “I suggest you get out of my way, changeling.”
The fake royal guard shook his head and stood his ground.
“I don’t want to blast you, but...” Twilight said, letting the other option hang in the air.
He shrugged nonchalantly.
Twilight let loose a large breath that she’d been holding. “Okay, what do you want?”
The changeling growled and pointed a forehoof directly at her.
“You want me?”
A nod.
“Why?”
He rolled his eyes, as if what he wanted was self-evident.
“I’m not planning to let anything drain my love today,” Twilight stated dangerously, pawing at the stone floor.
The changeling shook his head, and then sighed deeply.
“You don’t want to feed off me?” Twilight asked.
He chuckled lightly, and then shrugged again. Twilight got the impression that while he certainly wouldn’t say no to the idea, that wasn’t what he was here for right now.
“So, you do want something else, and from me specifically rather than any otherpony?”
He rested his head in his forehooves, apparently inwardly calling out for the strength to deal with this.
“Hang on,” Twilight said, suddenly smiling in recollection. “It’s been years since I’ve got a chance to use this one. Last time was when Princess Celestia insisted I spend an afternoon trying to endure the daughter to the Fen Clan ambassador, and she didn’t speak a word of Equestrian.” She glanced up at the ceiling. “Not that really improved her company, or the smell.” Twilight was silent for a moment, and then admitted, “Then again, I wasn’t all that sociable either back then.”
She closed her eyes, as she pieced together the components for spell number twelve: Fishy’s Ubiquitous Understander.
<”Hello,”> she snarled experimentally.
<”Your accent is atrocious,”> the changeling said. <”Still, it proves your command of magic is as impressive as I’ve heard.”>
Twilight’s brow furrowed, as she tried to focus the spell to sync up with her thoughts correctly. She was sure he’d just said: ‘Your commanding is magical, impress upon the atrocious proof is heard,’ which she was sure couldn’t be right.
<”Could you repeat that? More slowly please,”> she said, struggling to get her tongue to make the popping sound in the right places.
He did as requested, and Twilight nodded as she was pretty sure that she’d got it that time.
<”So, what do you want from me?”> Twilight asked, when she was sure that she would be able to understand the answer.
The disguised changeling sighed. <”What do you think, Twilight Sparkle? I can’t imagine that you’re any happier about the current events than I am.”>
<”You’re the one that freed Princess Celestia!”> Twilight said, her voice raising. <”The swarm lord or something, right?”>
The swarm lord nodded again. <”That is my title, yes.”>
<”What do you think I can do about this then?”>
<”If your magic is as strong as I’ve heard,”> the changeling replied, <”Then you shouldn’t have any problems casting the same spell that your princess did.”>
Her eyes widened. <”You want me to reverse what Cadance did,”> she stated.
<”Yes, don’t you?”> the changeling said, stepping closer to her.
<”Of course!”> Twilight quickly hissed back. <”I don’t think I can cast that spell she did,”> she said, glancing downwards and shuffled her hooves. <”I’ve not had the best of luck trying out love magic.”>
<”Can I at least count on your help doing what you can to free my queen from this spell?”> he pressed. <”And your princess at the same time, of course.”>
The unicorn was lost in thought for a moment. <”I don’t know...”> Twilight growled slowly. <”Wouldn’t that just lead to you attacking us all over again?”>
<”I imagine our queen would choose to flee if she did not have the love of the captain or the princess to draw on,”> the changeling swarm lord replied. <”That is a risk you’d have to take though to free your princess, I suppose.”>
<“I don’t know.”> Twilight stared down the corridor past the changeling. She knew that even now Chrysalis could be doing monstrous things to Cadance out of some misguided idea of inflicted love. Then again, she really didn’t want a horde of changelings rampaging around Canterlot again.
<”You need some time to think about it, I understand.”>
<”Yes, yes I think I do,”> Twilight agreed. <”How will I know which of the guards are you if I want to talk again?”>
<”I did have an idea about that, actually,”> he said. <”We could form a mental connection, a hive of our own, if you will.”>
Twilight visibly flinched. <”And that would involve what?”>
<”Touch horns with me,”> he said, moving his head closer to Twilight’s. The magic disguising him faded around the white horn, revealing a black jagged one in its place.
She grimaced. <”You’re not just going to do me what Chrysalis did to my brother?”>
<”To the mighty Twilight Sparkle?”> The swarm lord grinned. <”I doubt I could, even if I wanted to.”>
Twilight blushed slightly at the compliment. <“And this would just allow us to communicate?”>
The changeling nodded, the torch-light ominously glinting on his horn.
“Okay,” she said in regular Equestrian, and moved the horn to touch his.
She stopped when they were just inches apart. “You swear on your loyalty to your queen that I will not be harmed?”
The changeling nodded once more, and Twilight touched her horn to his.
For a moment Twilight felt that she did not exist in a single body anymore, but two. She was sure she could feel the heavy golden armour on her back, could see herself and also the changeling superimposed over the top of each other, as her vision blurred.
‘Twilight Sparkle,’ she thought—no, a voice in her head that sounded exactly like her own—thought. ‘We are going to make this right.’