Who You Work For
Ch2
Poor Coco Pommel was rooted on the spot, huddled and trembling, all alone, as she braced for something wretched and wicked to jump out of the darkness and do away with her. Her mind fabricated several different nightmarish shapes and figures for whatever waited in the pitch-black room. A two-tailed changeling demon, a six-legged fire-breathing monstrosity... The more she thought of what could be out there, the more violently Coco shook. The cream mare laid there, with only the figments of her imagination to keep her company, for what seemed like ages when a familiar and commanding voice suddenly snapped her out of her fear-induced stupor.
"No, no. This lighting does no good for any of us. As appealing as it may be, this darkness sets a terrible atmosphere when it comes to proper introductions for our guests of honor."
Coco panicked as she came back to reality. Coco, you fool! Is this any way to conduct yourself in the presence of the Queen of Changelings? Cowering on the floor is no way to make introductions with such an important pony! You're the guest of honor; act like it! Slowly, but surely, she stood back up and looked around to see if she could make out what lay in store for her. Unfortunately, the lack of light in the room made it impossible to distinguish anything, save the pair of menacing green eyes that remained suspended and motionless in the veil of darkness.
The prominent voice cut through the silence once again as it clearly emanated from the direction of the soul-piercing eyes. “Lights!” A sphere of brilliant yellowish-white light immediately appeared and dispersed the darkness... and all too well. The sudden change in illumination briefly blinded Coco and forced her to wince in pain as she tried to let her eyes adjust. “TOO BRIGHT, YOU IDIOT!” the voice boomed again.
Another familiar voice quickly followed. “Forgive me, my Queen,” it said hastily. Coco cautiously opened her eyes as the darkness settled back into the room.
The harsh voice returned. “Light the room with your green flame. It makes me feel more assertive.” The room was once again illuminated as soft green flames materialized from two torch stands that towered over Coco. While they could not reveal the entirety of the room, the flames proved bright enough to uncover something much darker than the black shroud that enveloped the room moments ago.
The floor itself was cobblestone, identical to the other parts of the castle Coco had already seen. A broad, silk, dark teal carpet swathed a path through the room. The carpet followed its path up a small flight of stairs and came to a rest at a jagged and rather nasty-looking throne carved out of stone and riddled with small divots. Sitting upon the throne was a changeling, but this one was different. Firstly, it was the first female changeling that Coco had ever seen, or at least distinguish. Second, the changeling was much greater in stature than the others. Thirdly, the changeling was adorned with a crown roughly resembling something akin to a tube-like flower. Based on all she had been told, Coco could only deduce one possibility as to who this being was. Sitting before her was none other than Queen Chrysalis. Coco's heart sank as she began to grasp the gravity of the situation and understand why the Queen was so greatly feared and respected by her subjects. She began to look away to avoid Chrysalis's cold stare when a familiar sight caught her attention. To the Queen's left sat a changeling unicorn armed with dark plate armor and a bared fang.
It's Fang! Coco's spirits lifted as she realized why the voice from before was so familiar. She could not help but give a small smile knowing that a friendly face was there to keep her company.
But her smile vanished as Queen Chrysalis' chilling voice filled the room again. “Much better. Yes, now I have a proper view of our guest." Coco turned her attention back to the Queen, who had her eyes locked on the frightened and pale mare as she sat majestically upon her dark marble throne. "Hello, my dear. I've been expecting you for some time now.”
Coco shivered as she timidly responded. “H-hello, C-Chrysalis.”
“Queen Chrysalis,” Fang interrupted.
The Queen glared angrily at the changeling. “Keep quiet!” she shouted as she used her magic to chuck a small stone at her guard's helmet, causing it to make a hollow “tong” sound. “When you stand beside me, you do not speak.” Fang simply nodded in acknowledgment. As she looked over to Coco again, the Queen gave a subtle smile. Not a sinister smile that would invoke fear, but rather one of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Chrysalis continued, “Thank you for taking my offer. You have no idea what kind of change you will be making here in due time.”
“W... what do you mean?” Coco stammered, confused by the Queen's statement.
Chrysalis rose from her seat and began to walk towards Coco. “As you may have already learned, my personal guard here has been on a quest to find me a pony worthy of designing a dress for me.” She gestured to Fang as she mentioned him. “And you have been hoof-picked to be the one to take up this task.” As she came within legs' distance of Coco, the Queen reached out and put her hoof under the mare's chin. Coco began to shiver uncontrollably again. “Oh, don't be afraid. We won't bring any harm to you.”
“B-but why...? Why do you need me? I mean, why bring in somepony from so far away? Don't you have any guards or servants that can make the dress for you?”
“Let me show you.” The Queen turned and faded into the darkness as she walked back towards her throne. Suddenly, a small crash broke the silence. “Who put this blasted vase in my Hall of Power!?”
Keeping his head low, Fang replied, “You did, my Queen. You personally requested that it be mov-”
A faint glow of magic pierced the darkness as it illuminated another small rock. A small whoosh as the rock zoomed towards Fang's helmet, where it bounced off and made a small, hollow tinging sound. "Didn't I tell you to keep quiet?”
“Yes, but you said to keep quiet as long as I stand at your side.” A large piece of rubble suddenly appeared from the darkness and floated through the air. It slowly made its way to Fang, stopped above him for a moment, and crashed back down to the ground, causing the poor changeling to collapse. Only a head could be seen poking out from the bottom of the rubble. Fang grumbled as he tried to make the best of his situation.
Coco began to walk over to her friend and help out, but a large green flame burst to life in front of her and blocked her forward advance. “Do not try to aid him," the Queen said sharply. "His arrogance has reaped its rewards. Helping him at this moment would only further encourage his rude behavior. Let him suffer for his insubordination.” The cream mare gulped and slowly nodded as she helplessly watched Fang struggle and squirm under the huge chunk of rubble. "As for you, my dear..." Out of the corner of her eye, Coco noticed Chrysalis slowly emerge from the darkness. She watched in amazement as the Queen, now garbed in a beautiful dress, returned to her throne. "This is why you have been summoned." Coco approached the Queen to get a better view of the outstanding hoofiwork. A light turquoise fabric covered Chrysalis from the torso down as it draped over her body. The fabric went all the way up to the midsection of the queen's neck. A golden necklace adorned with a brilliant sapphire rested where the dress cut off. The fringing itself stopped Coco in her tracks; the entire dress was lined with a tastefully fluffy white lining which gave it a unique "royal cloak" air. The entirety of the turquoise fabric was lined with a transparent silk, giving the main body of the dress the element of "hidden beauty".
Coco could not help but circle the Queen several times to fully appreciate the amount of time and effort put into this marvelous work of beauty. “I've never seen anything like this! It's beautiful!” Coco said in haste and excitement. “The silky fabric, the fur outline... oh, and this gem! Such a lovely compliment of royalty and mystery.” Chrysalis stood proudly as her dress was inspected. Coco slowly made one last pass around the Queen in silent bewilderment before bringing up a valid point. “This dress is incredibly lovely just the way it is. Why would you need my help?”
“It is indeed lovely, but it will not suffice for the event I have in mind." Chrysalis gracefully walked back to her throne and seated herself comfortably. She used her magic to lift the rubble off of Fang. He grunted as he stood up and stretched a bit to get the kink out of his back. "No, this dress must be fit for Canterlot royalty. You see, my dear, I require a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala.”
“But how come you need... wait." Coco's eyes widened. "Did you just say-”
“Yes, I did," Chrysalis answered irritably. "THE Grand Galloping Gala.”
The cream-colored mare beamed. “Wow! It must be such an honor to be invited to-”
With seemingly no provocation, the Queen suddenly shot an angry glare at Coco. “I WAS NOT INVITED!” Her outburst caused Coco to jump back and shiver in fear again.
“P-please don't yell,” Coco whimpered apprehensively.
Chrysalis's fury blazed within her like a wildfire, and her guest's small request only fueled the fire. “HOW DARE YOU! I AM THE QUEEN OF CHANGELINGS! I GIVE THE ORDERS, NOT YOU!” Her eyes glowed with a burning green aura as wisps of energy trailed through the air.
“My Queen!” Fang barked in the midst of Chrysalis' outrage. The Queen violently rose from her seat, teeth bared, as she began to move the giant chunk of rubble, poised to crush her guard again. Fang quickly spoke in an attempt to alleviate her anger, hoping that his words would save him from another backbreaking experience. “Please maintain your composure. You would not want your subjects OR our guest to see you erupt in a fit of rage. We understand your pain, my Queen. We are doing our best to aid you in your current conundrum.”
Coco was stunned by both fear and bewilderment from what she had just witnessed. Pain? What is he talking about? And why did she yell like that?
The Queen paused for a moment to prevent herself from doing anything irrational while her emotions were so unruly, and took the time to calm herself. Slowly, but surely, she regained her composure and her temper subsided. She sat back down in her throne and gently lowered the rubble back at its original spot on the ground before continuing. “I was not invited,” she answered in her naturally calm tone.
It took Coco a bit of strength to swallow the lump in her throat that choked her up. “I-if you weren't invited, then... how will you be able to get in?”
Chrysalis smiled slyly. “I had one of my guards disguise himself and infiltrate the castle to steal a few tickets. How do you think I was able to carry out our little... scheme in Canterlot years ago?”
Coco's mind flashed back to the reported events of that day as the Queen began talking about the incident. “Oh, that's right. The entire thing made the headlines back in Manehattan way back when."
The Queen's smile quickly vanished and was replaced by an unpleasant grimace. "How charming. I'm so glad that our drastic failure of a plan was broadcast across all of Equestria... just as I hoped was the case," she remarked sarcastically.
"Oops." Coco blushed and darted her eyes about as she realized she had confirmed the Queen's and the changelings' fears. "Sorry. I didn't know that you didn't know that news had... never mind. I still don't understand why you've brought me here."
“Has it not been made clear already? You are here to make a dress for me," Chrysalis replied with slight exasperation. "Do not make me repeat myself again.”
“Could you be more specific?”
The Queen put her hoof to her face as her patience grew thin. “Must you question everything?”
“I just want to know...” The mare shifted around uncomfortably, hoping that her choice of words and questions would not cause another argument.
Chrysalis snorted in frustration, but eventually gave in to the request. “Very well.” She glanced over to Fang, who firmly nodded in agreement, and turned her attention back to Coco. "There are several reasons as to why you have been brought here. Firstly, this dress, while beautiful, would never pass in the eyes of an expert dressmaker where you live. You see, this dress is not made from 'proper' fabric, such as the cotton thread you so commonly use."
Coco tilted her head in confusion. "Wait... then what did you use for your dress?" she pondered aloud.
"The dress you see here is made from the silk webbing that our spiders produce.”
Coco's rather shy disposition disappeared in the blink of an eye. “Silk webbing fabric?!” Chrysalis remained unfazed by the mare's outburst, but Fang could not help but jump a bit in surprise. “That's incredible! And fairly impossible, speaking from experience!”
The Queen chuckled to herself. “It's a rather simple task for us. I take it that none of your kind has the prowess required to use this silk for fabrics?”
Coco was still taken aback by this revelation. Her excitement got the best of her again as her mouth moved at incredible speeds, hardly giving her a chance to breathe. “No, never! Well, not the techniques, but it's been proven time and again just how versatile the stuff is! Spider webbing is delicate - as it is strong, and it's incredibly adhesive in its raw form, as you probably already know. And it's because of this that this stuff would be great for fabric, both in theory - AND practicality, as you've shown me. It's just that so many designers have spent years on end trying to make a fabric out of silk spider webbing, but nopony has ever managed to find a way to properly work with the stuff without destroying it - in the process, and every effort to use it in fabric has left each craftspony emptyhoofed. And now here I am, a witness to the result of a properly prepared batch of silk spider webbing used as fabric for a beautiful creation!” She allowed herself a moment to properly catch her breath once everything on her mind had been spoken.
Chrysalis and Fang both sat in stunned silence as they tried to fathom just how this mare's mouth was able to move at such incredible speeds with such little need for breath. "Your capacity for extended periods of speech frighten me, dear," the Queen said worriedly. "Nevertheless, this dress will not work. In the same way, your kind cannot work with silk spider webbing, we changelings cannot work with cotton and wool. This is only one of several reasons why I need a designer such as yourself.”
“How's that? Not being able to work with cotton, that is?” Coco asked.
“As changelings, our bodies are covered with tiny hairs that allow us to stick to surfaces and materials much better than other beings, very similar to the nature of insects' bodies. Your kind cannot properly work with spider webbing because you lack these hairs, and we cannot properly manipulate other fabrics because we are covered in them. These hairs, in conjunction with a thin layer of oil that covers our bodies, allow us to work with silk webbing with relative ease. Adversely, they make working with cotton a nightmare. It is not that these other fabrics are too fragile, but they simply stick to us all too well. However, these hairs do not limit us to sticking to fabrics alone. We are quite capable of clinging to many kinds of surfaces and walls, such as the stone walls that account for a large portion of this castle's structure. I think it is only appropriate that you are treated with a visual aid.” Chrysalis rose from her throne and strolled over to the wall directly behind. She placed one hoof on the wall, then another, until all four hooves were off the ground and firmly planted on the wall. Coco's jaw dropped at this gravity-defying display. The Queen steadily scaled the stone surface for a good fifteen feet, stopped, and turned back around to speak with the mare watching in astonishment below. “Do you see what I mean?”
Coco slowly nodded, still completely floored by the demonstration. Just like an insect...
Chrysalis buzzed her wings, detached herself from the wall with little effort, and slowly descended back down to the ground. “Now that you have witnessed our ability to adhere to a slippery stone surface with ease, try to imagine our frustration working with tiny strands of cotton.”
“I don't think I can," the cream mare said in a hushed tone. "But... wow. Being able to climb up walls so easily... That sure is something.”
Holding her head high, Chrysalis said, “We are a unique type of creature, and we are proud to be what we are.” Even Fang held his head high and puffed his chest out.
Coco grinned. “At least you have a good sense of pride.”
“We need it. Without it, there would be no will to survive. This brings me to my second point involving your presence here..." The Queen closed her eyes in brief meditation as she contemplated how to go about with the anticipated discussion. She slowly opened her eyes again and began to speak. “As you may know, we feed off of love.” The changeling's horn glowed softly, and a rather hefty and extravagant frame floated in from the darkness. She levitated the frame over to Coco to let the mare get a decent view of the lovely waterfall depicted within the frame. “Love comes in many forms. Cute and colorful, like siblings and young children who grow up together, learn together, and get a feel for the world together; strong and steadfast, like everlasting friends who understand each other better than they understand themselves and stand by each other, even in the darkest of times; romantic and passionate, like blooming lovers who wish for nothing more than to share their laughter, sorrow, and love with each other and face every day as an unstoppable team; and even in dedication, such as the dedication put in this incredibly detailed work of art.” Chrysalis drew the painting back to herself, aimed her hole-riddled horn at the painting, and blasted the beautiful works, frame and all, with a concentrated beam of malevolent green energy. As the beam remained tethered to the frame, the once-beautiful art slowly lost its life and color. Within moments, the picture was nothing more than a black, faded and indescribable image.
The Queen smiled as she discretely licked her lips. “Quite a delectable treat.” She set the frame down by her throne and continued, “This is just one way of obtaining love.” Coco could hardly utter a single word before Chrysalis held her hoof up to silence the mare. “If any sort of love is put into an object during its creation, we are capable of draining that love. The more effort and love put into making an object, the more sustenance we can obtain. Such actions have a rather negative impact on those objects, as you have seen, but we do what we must. Surely you must have witnessed such an event already on your way here with my esteemed guard.” Chrysalis subtly tilted her head in Fang's direction.
"So that's why Fang wanted me to put a little more effort and love in his brownie and coffee that I made," Coco thought aloud. "That also explains the green glow from his horn -"
Chrysalis raised her hoof again to interrupt the cream mare's tangent. “There is one more way we can obtain the love we need: a direct source of affection and love. No middle pony, no feeding off others' love... no, we earn it for ourselves. Such a method requires the use of a disguise and is no easy feat, but it certainly pays off, and very well, in the end. A day's worth of affection earned in such a way from one pony can sustain a fully grown changeling for a week. Imagine the amount of affection that can be harvested from a crowd of ponies!”
Coco connected the dots in her mind. "So this is where I come in to the picture? With the dress that I'm guessing is going to be made specially for you? With love and affection?"
“Correct. I want you to design a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala far more exquisite and luxurious than anypony has ever seen so that I may disguise myself and bathe in the attention and admiration of everypony who attends the event. You must also be sure to make it with the utmost care, love and affection, as if you were pouring your soul into its creation. It is not something we changelings can do ourselves. This is why you are here. Your skills vastly outshine those of even the best of my kin's dressmakers, and you have special properties that we changelings do not possess.” the Queen stated. She stared at Coco rather intently as she concluded the brief summary of her plan. "I imagine this clears every question up for you, does it not?"
The cream mare gave an awkward smile. “Well... not exactly. There are a few thing still bothering me.”
The Queen rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Such as...?”
“I mean... I don't mean to say that you will, but... will you be invading Canterlot on the night of the Grand Galloping Gala?” Coco's voice squeaked a bit as she finished her question.
“No.” To Coco's surprise, Chrysalis's reply was rather calm. "There is no plan for taking such drastic measures, and I would prefer it stay that way."
The mare slouched her body in relief. Oh, thank goodness!
“You need not worry. If your hoofiwork is as extraordinary as it has been made out to be, then there will be no need to bring harm to anypony... not this time...” Chrysalis' eyes began to burn again, when her eyes met Fang's. She clenched her lids shut and asked, “What other pointless queries occupy your mind?”
“Oh! Right. Let's see... Is... there a particular theme for the Gala?”
Chrysalis scowled. "As a matter of fact, there is," she said through gritted teeth. "The theme for this year's Gala is centered around..." She paused for a moment to steel herself for what she had to say next. “...Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.” The very names of the two ponies responsible for her downfall in Canterlot burned like acid in her mouth. “In celebration of their anniversary AND the anniversary of their triumph over us. However, as much as I adore the idea of returning the favor of an expulsion from Canterlot, it is not in my interests to cause any trouble, but rather to secure the attention of the guests of honor and the attendees, as I mentioned before."
”Oh." Coco frowned... and suddenly gasped as every implication and associated conclusion of this news hit her like giant pieces of rubble. "Oh! Oh, dear! I'm so sorry! Now I see why this whole ordeal is causing so much emotional turmoil for you."
“It will prove to be less taxing on my 'emotions' if you can find it in your range of self-control, limited as it may be, to KEEP YOUR BADGERING TO A MINIMUM!" The Queen's eyes began to burn again as her voice reached a thunderous volume. Almost instinctively, Coco shied away from her in response. Chrysalis noticed the cream mare's behavior and was immediately forced to remember the outcome of her last outburst. She looked again to Fang, as if expecting some sort of answer or explanation for Coco's behavior, but all her guard and in-the-moment adviser had to offer was a disapproving shake of the head. The Queen took a few deep breaths and allowed herself to continue once her levelheadedness and calm voice returned. "However, as it stands, the most pressing matter is the assurance of a proper dress for the Gala. Neither my emotional ties in the matter nor your persistent questioning is of importance in its outcome.”
Coco carefully approached the Queen again, still rather jumpy from her repeated behavior. Well, now I know which of her buttons not to push. I mean, my goodness! I knew she was harsh and commanding, but this sudden sort of frenzy seems rather out of character, even with the given circumstances “I suppose y-you have a point. B-but can I a-ask one more thing?”
“Do you ever stop talking?”
“I just want to b-be informed... I just got here, after all.”
“NO! No more questions!" Chrysalis leaned back in her throne and tilted her head back in exhaustion. "It is extremely late, and your previous questions have completely worn me out.”
Despite the warning, Coco could not keep her question bottled up. “Who gave you this idea to go to the Grand Galloping Gala?” Chrysalis paid no mind to the mare's question. She simply rose from her seat and made her way to the back of the room in silence.
“Sea More gave her the idea,” Fang blurted out. "He believed that it would be beneficial if the Que - OOF!" In a split second, the guard found himself beneath the giant piece of rubble once more. "Why me?"
The Queen stopped in place for a moment to retort harshly. “Do not answer for me.” She shook her head and softly commented to herself. "He just never learns..."
Coco looked towards the Queen and Fang and asked, “Isn't Sea More the master duelist that gave me the tour?”
Chrysalis turned on the spot and stared Coco down with another burning glare and hissed, “Silence! I said no more questions!”
Fang butted in again. “Indeed, he is.” The rubble was briefly lifted off of the changeling's body before it crashed right back down. “AH! I think you broke something!”
Chrysalis snorted in frustrated satisfaction. “Now, if you don't mind...” - she turned back around - “...I am off to my quarters for some much-needed rest. SEA MORE!”
The doors that led in from the hall burst open. Light flooded into the room and a lone changeling stood at the doorway. “Yes, my Queen!”.
“Take our guest to her chambers.” With one last glow of her horn, Chrysalis lifted the rubble off of Fang and hurled it into the back left corner of the room. "And have Inferno Fang here assist you."
“Th-thank you, my Queen...” The large-fanged changeling slowly stood up and bowed, grimacing in pain as he did so.
The Queen refused to acknowledge his courtesy and simply continued walking. “Tomorrow, you will begin making my dress. Think well and hard on what you need to do. Do not disappoint me...” And with that, she vanished into the darkness.
“Come!” Sea Moor's beckoning voice echoed through the throne room. "I shall show you to your room." Coco hurried over to join him in front of the doorway. "You are required to join us, Fang. Walk it off. You'll be fine." Fang slowly made his way towards the others, aching with each step, and used his magic to seal the chamber doors behind him. The three grouped up and made their way down the grand halls with Sea More in the lead.
The cream mare warily looked back over her shoulder. “The Queen kind of scares me...”
“Don't worry, she won't hurt you,” Sea More said reassuringly.
“Really?" Coco asked nervously. "She seemed rather eager to use that giant piece of rubble as 'positive reinforcement' on Fang.”
“Well, you are a valuable asset to her endeavors at the moment. I doubt that she would try to harm the one trying to help her.”
“Even she is rather eager to release her frustration on her guards and subjects, as she's clearly demonstrated tonight,” Fang grumbled as he limped forward.
“That's because you don't shut up,” Sea More commented absentmindedly.
“Fair enough. However, it does not keep me from my duties to the Queen.”
Sea More nodded. “True, true. Anyways...” The changeling looked over to Coco. “Your chambers are not too far down the halls. The room is actually quite cozy.”
“A-alright, that's good to hear.” There were still questions dancing around in Coco's head, but she decided to keep them to herself for the time being and follow the changelings' lead in a rather uneasy silence.
"Indeed." Sea More thought aloud, “Anyways, I'm glad the Queen finally swept the cobwebs out of her ears and decided to listen to me for once. This will certainly be an interesting turn of events...”
***
The three continued down the halls for a few minutes, navigating the twists, turns, and corners and passing several more statues and paintings, each with their own story and signs of age along the way. Coco kept to herself while Fang and Sea More discussed the various events of the day. As the three turned down a short hallway, Coco caught sight of a rather old door, banded in metal and cracked and peeling at the edges.
The group approached the end of the hallway when Sea More suddenly stopped and turned around to Coco. The changeling gestured toward the door. "These are the chambers that Queen Chrysalis has assigned to you."
“So this is where I will be staying?”
“Correct. All of your baggage is already inside.”
Coco peeked into the dark room. All she could properly make out with the light from the hall was a rather tarnished and tattered bed. The rest of the room was concealed by darkness, save a corner of the room illuminated by a small sliver of moonlight pouring in from behind a curtain. "It looks rather... homey?"
Trying to make haste, Sea More quickly called out, “Well, good night to you, Miss Pommel. Have a good night's rest,” and he and Fang turned around and made their way back into the halls.
Coco pulled her head out of the doorway. “W-wait!” she shouted. The changelings flinched and halted. “Umm... Fang?”
Fang cautiously turned around. “Hmm?”
Coco skittered over to Fang. She slowly wrapped her hooves around her friend and gave him a small hug. “Thank you...” she whispered softly. "For everything."
"M-my pleasure," the changeling stammered.
The two stood motionless, eyes locked, unsure of what to do or say. Sea More hesitantly spoke up to break the tension. "Shall we... all get some rest now? Long day and whatnot..." Coco and Fang immediately turned bright red with embarrassment and gave each other a last quick 'goodbye' before heading off in opposite directions. “Good night,” Sea More called out one last time. He glanced over at Fang and noticed something odd about the way his friend walked. “No more limping, I see. I'm guessing that you decided to use the love she gave you to heal yourself, then?” Fang pressed forward in silence, not daring to meet his friend's gaze.
Coco rushed into the room, quickly slammed the door behind her, and hopped on the bed, which turned out to be a much softer landing than expected. She stared at the ceiling motionlessly. The cream mare wriggled around a bit as she silently tried to contemplate exactly how she would go about with the Queen's dress, hoping to devise at least one solid plan of action for the task ahead, but exhaustion from her incredibly eventful day finally caught up with her, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.