//------------------------------// // The Twelve Days of Hearth's Warming Corespondence // Story: Thirty Chrysalises // by Diamond Sparkle //------------------------------// (Classified Transcripts from Canterlot Intelligence, which has managed to infiltrate the private communications of the Changeling Hives, posted illegally on Ponyleaks.) Hearth's Warming Day, December 25th, 2013 CR Dear Miasma, I loved the gorgeous gift that you sent me for Hearth's Warming. You know how much I enjoy eating pears, so you sent me a whole tree of them, with a pretty partridge in it as well. How nice of you. You always send me the very finest presents. I hope that you found my gift to you as enjoyable. Yours Lovingly, Queen Chrysalis. Boxing Day, December 26th, 2013 CR Dear Miasma, those two turtle doves that you sent love each other so much, that my subjects can use them as a food source without draining them to the point of sickness or death. Just the sort of present to give to a Hive that has been very short of love recently. The three birds that you have sent are enough, however, as they need to defecate like any living creature. Yours Lovingly, Queen Chrysalis. December 27th, 2013 CR Dear Miasma, perhaps I did not make it clear enough that the birds you had sent me were enough. Today you sent me three Prench hens. My subjects are getting fed up of cleaning their droppings. We need to keep our Hive clean, to avoid any risk of a deadly cordyceps infection. You're a changeling yourself, you know how dangerous the cordyceps fungus can be. I like it that you have sent me so many gifts, but please, no more birds. Yours sincerely, Queen Chrysalis. December 28th, 2013 CR Miasma....I said to you, no more birds, and you sent me four calling birds. The noise they are making is keeping many of my subjects awake, and it's a struggle to keep the Hive clean. I know you love me and want to send me all sorts of gifts, but please, stop it with the birds. The partridge was sweet, and the turtle doves were useful, but the hens are annoying and the calling birds are a menace. No more birds, thank you very much. Yours sincerely, Queen Chrysalis. December 29th, 2013 CR Miasma, I'm pleased that my message about no more birds finally got through to you, but you sent me five gold...rings. Rings, for someling who has hooves. How am I supposed to put them on? I can't put them on my horn, because the metal interferes with my magic. Yes, I know I'm a changeling, so I could take the shape of a griffin or grow fingers to put them on. But the first would at least at first freak out my subjects who would think that a giant griffin had somehow invaded not only the Hive but also the Royal Quarters, and the second would make it hard for me to walk properly. Golden necklaces, bracelets or earrings would have been wonderful, but sending me jewellery that I can't wear in my own form or in pony form must be a joke of yours. A not very funny joke. Yours sincerely, Queen Chrysalis. December 30th, 2013 CR Miasma...I have told you several times, NO MORE BIRDS. And what did you do? You sent me six pregnant geese, that started laying eggs. I got my subjects to eat the eggs. Are you trying to infect my Hive with cordyceps?? I am wondering by now if you still love me or not. If something is wrong, come and talk about it and stop pestering my subjects with unwanted farm animals. Queen Chrysalis. New Year's Eve, December the 31st, 2013 CR Miasma, you have outdone yourself this time. What in the name of the First Changeling made you send seven swans to my Hive? They attacked my subjects and several of said subjects are now in the hospital with cracked carapaces. Said swans were killed and roasted on my orders and used for food, along with all the birds except for my pet partridge and the two love-producing turtle doves. at least those two are useful. No more birds-any more that you send will be eaten by my subjects, who have had quite enough of cleaning up after them. Queen Chrysalis New Year's Day, January the 1st, 2014 CR Why the buck did you send eight maids to my Hive for? I have quite enough of my own subjects to feed. They were politely but firmly sent back to your hive. If you want to send me lots of gifts, I can send you a list of things that I'd actually like. Still, at least you didn't send any more birds. Queen Chrysalis January 2nd,2014 CR OK, this is getting beyond a joke now. You send nine drummers drumming on war drums, at a time when my subjects are already extremely annoyed with yours, and then you wonder why they were attacked on sight? As far as they were concerned, they thought that the safety and the security of my Hive was being threatened and they were defending it. Your request for extradition of my subjects is refused. No more gifts please from you, I have got thoroughly fed up with them. In fact, your girlfriend status is formally revoked and I am closing the border between our respective Hives until further notice. Queen Chrysalis January 3rd 2014 CR Given the tension that now exists between our Hives, one of the worst things you could have possibly done was to send ten pipers piping on war pipes up to the border. They got the beating they deserved and were very lucky that my guards only used the butts of their spears on them instead of the points. My general suggested raiding your Hive and razing it to the ground. I talked him out of it, since we Changelings have enough foes as it is without fighting each other. Stay away from my border. Queen Chrysalis. January 4th 2014 CR Sending eleven of your highest ranking lords to ask for peace between us was a good idea, but instead of waiting for permission to cross the border and showing the guards their diplomatic ID, they started leaping all over the place. That is why one of them was punched in the head, after he leapt over the formally closed border, and that is why they were all refused entry. If they are diplomats they should behave like it. Leaping about is not lordly behaviour at all. You never see my lords behaving like that. Queen Chrysalis. Queen Miasma, my queen has ordered me to withdraw with my entire diplomatic staff from your Hive and your diplomats have all been declared persona non grata after an incident where twelve ladies from your Hive were sent dancing up to the border, where they apparently tried to seduce their way in and were arrested as suspected spies. Any more contact between our Hives, my Queen has told me, will leas to war being declared between our two Hives. Yours sincerely, Ambassador Chucknin.