Winds of Change

by ClanCrusher


Chapter 4: Succession and Subterfuge

Telling my brother about Chrysalis took far longer than I had expected. I'd planned to go over the main points just to give him a general idea of what happened, but he'd known me long enough to realize when I was skimping on details, and his shield stayed up until I told him the whole story.

Predictably, once he'd learned that Chrysalis had launched another invasion into Ponyville in order to lure me away from Celestia, he was even less inclined to drop the shield than before. Things had almost escalated to the point where I was ready to blast the shield down myself until thankfully he relented, though I had a feeling that Celestia was going to be hearing from him soon. That shield on his flank wasn't just for decoration, after all.

With only a few hours until Chrysalis' arrival, I made some preparations. First was an enchanted quill that would write out whatever was said so that I wouldn't have to constantly focus my magic on the task of writing. It wasn't a tool I used very often due to the way it mangled homonyms and grammar, but it would be helpful if I had to use my magic for other things.

With that task complete, I set about searching the library for surveillance magic. Shining's spells turned up first, unsurprisingly; there was nothing subtle about my brother's magic. Celestia's spells were next, and they were a lot easier to find now that I knew what I was looking for. Hidden even more artfully than hers were...

“Luna? You too?” I asked with disbelief. Annoyed now, I finished my sweep of the house before unraveling them. I wondered again if Chrysalis knew about these spells and if she'd asked all of those embarrassing questions last time to make sure I'd do these sweeps. Had she anticipated this?

Maybe, but then again it didn't really matter. Chrysalis had specifically stated that she'd only talk with me, and no amount of bargaining had changed her mind on that point. Celestia had bent the terms of the agreement to make sure Chrysalis wouldn't overstep her bounds, but it seemed as if Chrysalis had made her own play to ensure that Celestia remained in line.

Both sides had reasons for why they did what they did; I just wish I wasn't caught in the middle.

I grabbed a few more books out of the stack I'd pulled from my personal shelves and began to pore over them. Mind-affecting magic was a very tricky subject and a closely guarded secret. Messing with anypony's mind had been the subject of hundreds of ethical debates, and any sort of magical research in that direction had been slowed to a crawl if not banned outright. There were certainly several compelling arguments for the ban, but it didn't change the fact that we had been caught flathooved when it came to Chrysalis.

Quite simply, there was no scholastic basis for understanding her abilities, and only theories existed as to what sort of things she could do to a pony's mind. Blocking thoughts, subliminal commands, mind reading...it was all just speculation. Even so, there were a few things I could do to prepare for her next visit.

I had just finished putting my precautions in place when I heard a knock on the door. Opening it, I quickly bowed in the presence of Princess Luna, flanked by two of her lunar guards.

“Princess Luna,” I greeted.

“Rise, Twilight, and be at ease,” she said, nodding to her two guards who closed the door and took up station outside. Her horn glowed and she swept her eyes across the library, a smile appearing on her face after a few moments. “I see you have found my spells as well as Celestia's.”

I prepared myself for a debate. “I really think it's for the best if-”

“My sister informed you of them so that you could decide for yourself how much of a safety net you required,” interrupted Luna, catching me off guard. “She trusts your judgment, as do I.”

“I think she'll be more open with me if she doesn't have two princesses breathing down her neck.”

Luna chuckled at the thought. “My sister and I have theorized that aside from your...personal history together, Chrysalis simply might find you easier to speak with.”

“Or she could just be targeting me because I'm not as experienced as you two, and therefore more vulnerable to manipulation,” I replied. “It's already occurred to me, so I'm sure you've both considered it.”

Luna was silent for a moment. “I won't deny it,” she said finally, “but when one is over a millennium old, everypony is inexperienced by comparison.”

I couldn't help but giggle at the thought. “I do sometimes forget how old you are. I suppose the gray hair in your mane should have clued me in, though.”

The lunar alicorn’s eyes narrowed and she lowered her head until she was at eye level with me while I tried to fight back my giggles. “‘Tis a lie.”

“Don't worry, I think Rarity might have some mane-dye in your color lying around ,” I teased, only to yelp as Luna suddenly lunged forward, tackling me to the ground.

“Take thy slanderous comments back!”

Dammit, how did she know my ticklish areas? Unable to stop myself, I laughed uncontrollably as I rolled around on the floor with her. “Okay! Okay! I give up!” I squealed, relenting under the assault.

The attack paused as Luna waited for my apology.

“It's more silver than gray...ahhh! I'm kidding! Stoooop!”

Eventually, things settled into a more somber mood, but I was grateful for the distraction and the release of tension. It had taken some time for Luna to really integrate into the modern world and there had been a few stumbling points along the way, but Celestia had told me she was proud of how far her sister had come.

Our conversation turned to more mundane topics. Talk about spells and enchantments being put in place, the guard detail that would be watching the library through the night, and a few theories about Chrysalis' abilities and possible questions I could ask. Time passed quickly and soon Luna bid me farewell, giving me a quick hug before taking to the sky with her guards flanking her. Off in the distance I could see another squadron of lunar guards approaching, escorting Chrysalis and her own changeling minions on a course heading for my library.

---

Quiet as the night that hid his black shell, the changeling watched over his target as he went about his tasks. He was a janitor who worked a night shift at some clinic, and while he was a pleasant pony to be around, his odd hours meant that nopony ever saw much of him.

The changeling's wings extended and he flew soundlessly through the air, keeping to the roofs of the houses where the lights were out. The pony took the same route he always did, ending with a quick shortcut behind a few houses just out of sight of the main road. The changeling's body tensed and he bared his fangs, his wings spreading wide before he lunged through the air, silent as a shadow.

Two green-streaked forms slammed into him mid-flight, sending him crashing to the ground. Hooves pounded at his carapace and fangs sought out the vulnerable parts of his body as the fight degenerated into a mass of wings and legs. There was a sickening crack and the pile stopped moving before the two larger changelings withdrew from the stricken one, their curved horns glowing momentarily before green flames reduced the body to ash.

Behind them, the earth pony continued on his way, oblivious to what had just happened.

Miles away from Ponyville and a good distance beneath the earth, Queen Chrysalide let the glow of her horn fade, the mental images vanishing along with it. Similar scenes had been playing out all over Ponyville for the past month and the Red Queen had been relentless in her intrusions on both territories.

“The seventh incursion this month,” said Chrysalide solemnly. “What do you make of this, daughter?”

“She either has the resources and the changelings to spare, or she's playing hard and fast and hoping to establish a territory,” came the princess' response. “Her changelings have never been able to get the upper hand unless they've outnumbered our own two to one, which implies a lot of newborns and inexperienced soldiers. Did she ever respond to your message?”

“In a way. I've made my position quite clear that any push into my territory is going to be met with violence, and she has been evasive about picking a neutral ground to meet face-to-face.”

Another changeling arrived and briefly interrupted the conversation, bowing to the queen and presenting his report. It was an eerily similar scene but with the silver queen's changelings leading an ambush instead.

“It feels like she's pushing on both sides to see which one will give first,” observed Chrysalis.

Chrysalide shook her head. “No. Regardless of what rules she's broken, there is no possible way she has the resources to continue harassing both of us,” she murmured. Her face was calm but Chrysalis could sense her worry.

“Dusk,” said the queen suddenly, addressing one of the changelings in armor. “Call everyone back from the field and tell all of our agents to go into hiding. Organize every able-bodied scout you can muster and repeat this command to each captain,” she ordered, rising to her feet. “We only have a small window before Terranim realizes what we are doing.”

“Mom?” came Chrysalis' voice, lacking its usual playful tone. “What's going on?”

“Chrysalis, I need you to listen to me carefully. Terranim is about to make her play. I need you to organize the workers and move our colony. Don't tell me where, just use your best judgment.”

Questions exploded in her mind like fireworks but she kept them to herself for the moment, already thinking through the task. “I have a place in mind.”

“Good. Go there as soon as the changelings are ready to fly. Keep beneath the cover of the trees if you can.”

Chrysalis' mind was already caught up in the logistics of travel. It was going to be slow with changelings carrying their eggs and the young that hadn't yet mastered flight, but the colony was nothing if not efficient and it didn't take much to push them into gear. Soon, the once-quiet hive was buzzing with activity.

Preparations were halfway complete when three more scouts burst into the throne room. Their carapaces and armor showed signs of battle, and their eyes were wide and filled with relief and terror. Wordlessly they presented themselves to the queen and the princess, broadcasting their thoughts so both could see.

The first image was of a burning building, a house that had contained one of the changeling families the colony had moved into Ponyville. Ponies were already moving in to assist with the flames, but there was little doubt as to the fate of the changelings inside. More images came at the queen's insistence. Ponyville was a battleground, though even now it remained secret. Changelings of the silver queen were everywhere and most of the images were blurred due to the scouts keeping their distance. Some made it out. Many more did not.

More orders flew through the connection, many of which Chrysalis didn't hear due to the frantic preparations she was making herself. Queen Chrysalide was the first to leave, her soldiers splitting into two groups with the smaller one heading for Ponyville.

“Princess Chrysalis, the keepers are ready to move,” reported the lone captain that had stayed behind. He and his scouting party were all that remained of the soldiers. “Do you have a destination in mind?”

Chrysalis nodded. “I do.” Imparting the directions to the captain, she let him take the lead. The princess flew in the center of the hive while keeping them above the treetops, trading cover for speed. A changeling wouldn't have had a problem seeing them in the dark, but even now they had to keep the pegasi in mind.

It was half an hour of tense flying. The nervousness in the air was thick enough to taste and the scouts strained themselves to check everything and keep their eyes everywhere. Even a small force of enemy soldiers could cause crippling losses to them right now.

Chrysalis fought to prevent her own worry from spilling over into the hive mind, carefully guarding her emotions. All of them were looking to her for leadership; she couldn’t allow even a sliver of doubt to slip through.

Finally, their destination came into view, the sense of relief from the hive almost flooding the connection.

The princess rapidly issued orders once they landed. The eggs and the young had to be secured and defenses needed to be put in place. Although the cave granted them a small measure of security, they weren’t entirely safe. There wasn't a lot for her to do, but preparations ran more smoothly when she was overseeing them, and Chrysalis did her best to bolster them with what little confidence she could muster.

An hour passed and the work slowed down, but a sense of anxiety still hung in the air. Chrysalis had done all she could at this point. Now, it was time to wait.

“Chrysalis, are you sure this is a good place to stay?” asked the captain once he was out of earshot of the other changelings.

“No, but Chrysalide's orders were clear. All of our backup hives may be compromised and if my mo- Queen Chrysalide's gambit does not work, they will definitely be so.”

“But Queen Terranim almost certainly knows of this place,” said the captain anxiously.

“And that is why it is ideal, at least for now. There is little chance she will suspect us to be hiding in the very caves where our last meeting was held. I don't intend for us to stay here long, but it will do for now.”

Another hour passed and there was no sign of the soldiers or Chrysalide.

“Dusk,” said the princess, addressing the captain by name. “We've waited long enough. Take your scouts and begin a search of the surrounding areas.”

“But princess, if the hive is attacked-”

“Then ten soldiers is not going to make a difference,” said Chrysalis firmly. “And you would do well to remember that so long as the queen is away, I am ruling in her stead. Do not question my orders again.”

The captain looked down at the ground with shame. “Of course, Princess Chrysalis. I shall begin immediately.” Quickly gathering the scouts, the changelings flew off into the night sky and the waiting game began once again. It was a very uncomfortable feeling to suddenly be left with nothing; no information or plans for the future. Their foothold in Ponyville was all but gone now, and while there wasn't an immediate risk of food being short, the specter of starvation loomed on the horizon.

The rest of the night passed and the sun was well into the sky when news finally came back. Black dots were appearing on the horizon; more than the ten she had sent out, but far fewer than the number Chrysalide had taken.

Six of them were carrying something. The sight of it made Chrysalis' breath catch in her throat, knowing that they only would have burdened themselves with one thing. Even with her resolve steeled, looking upon her mother's body was a sobering sight.

Spying Dusk, she beckoned him over. “Please...report what has happened,” she said haltingly. “You may be brief...for now.”

Dusk spoke and Chrysalis listened. He gave his report as best he could, but he was clearly shaken by the events.

Chrysalide had started her brutal campaign in Ponyville, destroying Terranim’s hold on the town and taking down any changeling careless enough to stay. After that, It had been foal’s play to lure the enraged queen’s larger force into an ambush, but while her plan had worked, she had underestimated Terranim herself.

“She...annihilated herself to kill my mother?” asked the changeling princess in disbelief.

Dusk nodded. “Terranim put every ounce of energy she could into attacking. Her body was burning up but she kept going anyways, drawing on everything and anything she could.”

Chrysalis approached the scarred, fallen form of her mother. Even in death, she managed to look dignified. Questions flew through her mind. Had Chrysalide known Terranim would do this? Had she sacrificed herself intentionally?

“Princess...no, Queen Chrysalis, what would you have us do?”

Privately, she was thankful for Dusk's support, but she didn't let it show. “Gather your remaining soldiers for a meeting. The Red Queen is likely to assimilate the remainders of Terranim's hive, and Ponyville will be under heavy watch. Take your scouts abroad and find us a potential nesting ground. We can't use any of the old sites or even the backup sites that my...mother had planned on.”

The changelings raced to accompany their tasks while a few of the handlers gently wrapped up Chrysalide's body. There would be time to deal with that later. Right now, her hive needed her.

---

Chrysalis paused and I fought back a groan. She was going to do it again. “So what happened?” I asked cautiously.

“Well, I'm sitting here before you right now, surely you can guess how things turned out.”

“Just because I know Daring Do is going to be fine at the end of the book doesn't mean I don't want to hear the story,” I said with a glare, sitting back on my flank. “You're really going to do this, aren't you?”

The queen smiled and nodded. I was just starting to think about conjuring up a giant flyswatter when my common sense kicked in and calmed me down. This was another one of her games and I was playing right into it.

Instead of saying anything further, I leveled my horn at her before letting loose with a burst of violet magic. I enjoyed the brief expression of shock on Chrysalis' face before she realized that I hadn't targeted her, but rather the ring that had been put around her horn.

“You weakened it,” said Chrysalis after a moment.

“I can only do it once this evening, and I only gave you sufficient power to transform yourself, nothing more. The limiter should give you access to enough magic at a time with a few seconds delay in-between.”

“And you know exactly how much I need just from seeing a few transformations?” Despite her relaxed tone, I got the feeling that she was rather impressed.

“Yes, but most of those times I was fighting for my life. I was hoping to examine this in a more stable environment.”

“Very well, I shall avoid attacking you while you study, then,” teased the queen. “Any requests?”

“What form do you take when you don't have a pony template to go on?” I asked.

Chrysalis seemed to consider the question for a moment before green fire enveloped her body. Her figure condensed as she took on the form of a gray unicorn with a sea-green mane, essentially a lighter color palette from the black-on-green look that she had in her natural form.

“What happens when you try to use magic in a non-unicorn shape?”

“Then my horn appears. It is impossible to hide it while performing magic.”

I rubbed a hoof under my chin as I examined the queen's body. On the surface it was flawless and even the magical signature she gave off had changed accordingly. “Can you change the color of your magic, as well?” I asked, remembering the telltale green glow of her horn during the Canterlot wedding fiasco.

“Yes, but it takes additional energy to mask the color,” she replied, letting her horn glow a soft blue before switching it to a light red. “Almost twice the energy, in fact.”

For the next hour I grilled her about her abilities, asking for details and particulars about everything I could think of. There was a limit to the size they could take, as their mass couldn't change no matter what form they took. Taking a new form in and of itself didn't actually drain magic or energy, and provided they kept themselves sustained, they could hold a transformation indefinitely. As an experiment, I showed her a picture of Daring Do and asked her to transform. Again, it was perfect on the surface, but something was amiss this time and it took me a minute to figure out what.

“Your magical signature didn't change,” I said finally, eyes widening with realization.

Chrysalis nodded with a small smile that looked a tad creepy on the face of Daring Do. “Yes, that's correct. Fabricating a magical signature is exceedingly difficult without a living base to work from, and while it is possible to create a signature without one, any close friend or family member will notice something is off right away. That is why we use others as templates.”

“Can't you just pull those templates from memory, though?”

“Yes, but copying from the original leaves less room for error. Even the smallest deviation will make other ponies suspicious, and most of my changelings do not have the talent for magic that I do. But I think we've talked about my shape-changing enough for now,” she said, mischief in her eyes.

My eyes narrowed. She was getting bored. That was not a good sign. “I think I've studied the effects of your poison enough.”

“But you're still eager to see if it's possible to resist the effects, aren't you? I'm sure you've already devised other methods.” The form of Daring Do slipped away and Chrysalis stood in front of me once again, leaning down slightly to get eye level with me.

“Maybe,” I said, unconsciously taking a step back.

“And you can't be certain that magic won't enhance the effects either, right?” she added, taking another step forward. My flank hit the bookshelf behind me.

“...maybe. But I think I'll take the bite this time,” I said, glaring at her.

“Was my kissing really that bad?”

“Shut it!” I snapped, a bit of crimson appearing on my nose. “I need to study both methods!”

She grinned, baring her fangs at me. Somehow they seemed just a bit sharper than before. “It's not a pleasant experience, Twilight. Poison is for manipulation. Venom is used to...incapacitate.”

Spending an evening paralyzed from Chrysalis' venom didn't sound very fun, but the alternative...with a sigh, I swept the area with my magic, making absolutely sure there weren't any surveillance spells this time. Even as I slowly made up my mind, I could hear Rainbow Dash's voice reminding me about her passive influencing abilities, and I expanded my scan to her as well. There was nothing; no magic, changeling or otherwise, coming from anywhere, and if I couldn't detect it, then it didn't exist.

“Fine...do it,” I said finally.

“Do what?” came the innocent reply as she leaned just a bit closer.

“Do...your thing.”

“What thing?”

My head snapped up and I fixed her with my best death glare. “Chrysalis, I swear to Celestia if you're going to make me-mmphh!”

I fought down the urge to blast her with my magic as her mouth pressed against mine for the second time. Since I wasn't trying to violently throw her away this time, my mind was flooded with details. Her tongue, long and flexible, was sliding against my muzzle, gently teasing my mouth as one of her legs wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer. I could feel the effects of the poison as well, tinged with what little magic she was able to draw upon for the occasion. The results were telling, though. Last night had felt like being under a gentle calming spell. Tonight felt like I was riding high on Pinkie's Tutti-Frutti Sherbet Sugar Punch.

Seconds ticked by and the queen only seemed to deepen the kiss, her tongue sliding into my mouth, caressing my tongue with hers. I wasn't even aware she was drawing me into an embrace until I was pressing up against her body. Finally, the need to breathe brought me back to reality, the queen not resisting as I pushed her away, taking several gasping breaths as I began to try and fight the familiar sensations of the poison.

“Did you enjoy that?” asked Chrysalis softly.

“Y-yes.” Dammit!

“Why, thank you,” she said with mock cheerfulness. “And since you were so honest, I'll teach you a little something more about the poison in you right now.” Looking straight into my eyes, I could see a green fire in them as she opened her mouth to give me an order.

“I want you to kill Princess Celestia.”

My mind reeled in horror. I trembled, expecting the euphoric sensation to come over me at any minute...but nothing happened. There wasn't even a tingle. It was though the poison didn't even exist. The second my panic died down though, the rage swelled. “Y-you! How could you even...”

“Relax, Twilight,” came her calm voice. This time I felt the full force of the poison, my body becoming still and my rage draining away. “Tell me what your favorite magical spell is.”

“Teleportation,” I answered, the rush immediately coming back.

“Would you kindly go and kill Princess Luna?”

Again, nothing. My mouth opened and the words slowly came out. “N-no...never!”

“As you can see, I can't just ask you anything, although maybe after ten years of constant exposure you might be more open to the idea.”

“You couldn't get my brother to drop the shield around Canterlot either, could you?” I theorized.

“Correct, but I could easily get a mare to tell me where she's keeping her more risqué books,” she replied, her horn flashing as she spoke.

“Loose floorboard beneath the bed upstairs,” came my reply as the magical twinge compelled me to answer. “Why are you so interested in this stuff?” I snapped at her in embarrassment.

Chrysalis simply smiled. I tried to summon up any sort of anger or rage, but the poison was already calming those emotions as quickly as they built up. At the same time, I noticed her horn glowing. She was using her own magic to influence the poison in certain subtle ways, showing me her abilities even now.

“Now why don't I give you a small taste of what your brother went through?”

I could only really recall my experience of what happened next after the fact. Her body changed once again, her green mane turning a deep purple color and her carapace shifting from a hard shell to soft white fur. Her horn glowed again and suddenly all of the minutiae I might have noticed to distinguish her from the original began to get...’smoothed over’ was the best way I could describe it. Looking back, I could tell several small details were off, but the poison was muddling my senses, convincing me that they didn't really matter.

My mind seemed to turn on itself, arguing that this wasn't Chrysalis, even though she'd been standing before me moments ago.

“My, this is such a chilly night. Would you mind if I put a kettle on?” asked the white mare kindly. “I would adore some tea right now. Where do you keep it?”

Rarity knew where my tea was kept. She was, after all, the one who kept my kitchen stocked with it, but my mind didn't focus on the thought before my mouth was moving. “Yeah, go ahead, it's in the cupboard on the far left.”

Was this how my brother had felt? No, he probably had it even worse. Cadance hadn't talked much about her imprisonment, but news had gotten to me in a roundabout way, estimating her imprisonment at a week or so.

Rarity's horn glowed a soft green color, but again, my mind didn't pick up on that detail, not consciously anyways. A pair of cups and saucers along with a sugar bowl arranged themselves neatly on the table, soon followed by napkins and mats, the unicorn taking care to set them perfectly while waiting for the kettle to boil.

“Now then, why don't we talk about what's on your mind? That is why you called me here, after all.”

“I...did?” I said uncertainly.

“Of course. It seemed rather urgent, too. Does this have to do with the crush you have on Rainbow Dash?”

I squeaked, my hooves bumping the table in surprise. “H-how did you know about that?”

Rarity gave me a warm smile and a wink. “I may not be in Canterlot anymore, dear, but I do keep my hoof in gossip circles and an eye on developing relationships. Especially among my close friends.”

“W-well, I don't...I don't even know if she's into mares,” I said shakily, slowly gaining confidence now that my friend had broached the subject.

“Well, her tastes might have changed, but she's had dates with both in the past. Why not simply ask her out and see where things go?”

“Because I don't want it to affect our friendship,” came my immediate reply. The kettle whistled and there was a brief pause as Rarity brought the tea in and poured a cup for me. “I don't even know if it's a real attraction or just infatuation.”

“Well, that is the entire purpose of a date, Twilight. And if things don't work out, do you really think Rainbow would distance herself from you?”

“No...she is Loyalty, after all,” I said with a weak smile.

“Good. Now, I'm sure you've already read a few books, but there are more subtle methods you can use to gauge her interest,” said Rarity, taking a sip of her tea as she prepared to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies.

I talked with her for a long while. Despite being at the opposite end of the cultural bell curve from Rainbow Dash, she still had remarkable insight into her character, suggesting a few places where the two of us could hang out that might be fun for both of us. I tried suggesting a few places that I imagined Rainbow might find entertaining even if they weren't my usual fare, but Rarity quickly put a stop to those thoughts, gently informing me that a couple should be able to have fun together without simply catering to each other’s desires.

I hadn't even noticed how much time had passed until I began yawning.

“This has been a delightful evening, Twilight, but I really must get back to my shop and rest.” I walked her to the door and gave her a hug.

“Thanks for all your help, Rarity.”

“Think nothing of it, Twilight,” she said, giving me a friendly nuzzle before turning and trotting off.

I stood there for several seconds afterwards, my thoughts slowly filtering back into my mind, the haze gradually disappearing. I began to notice details once again, like how Rarity wasn't walking in the direction of her shop. The sight of the lunar guards flying from their hiding places to take position on either side of her finally broke the spell.

Hooves trembling, I ran back into the library, pulling out books with my magic and throwing them on the ground as I accessed the hidden compartment where I’d set up the self-writing notes. It was a giant block of text, lacking even the most basic punctuation and grammar, but the spell was robust enough to start a new line whenever someone else started speaking.

Feeling a cold chill work its way through my body, I re-read the conversation between me and Ra...no...Chrysalis. When had I lost sight of who she was? I couldn’t really tell just by reading over the transcription, and even now I was having to mentally correct their names. Was this what she could do with only a fraction of her power unlocked?

My hooves trembled as the scroll fell from my magical hold, the long piece of paper unrolling several feet as I tried to come to grips with my own mind. The deeply personal conversation I'd had about Rainbow Dash with Rar- Chrysalis seemed like a minor problem when confronted with the reality that I couldn't trust my own thoughts.

“Sweet Celestia, what have I gotten myself into?”