//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Foresight 
// Story: A New Way 
// by Phoenix_Dragon 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 12: Foresight

The sound of the band still echoed from behind, muffled by the thick stone walls as Celestia led the way out from the parade grounds. Unlike most of those that attended the ceremony, who left through the main gate of the Guard compound and into the city itself, they passed through a smaller gate that lead into the castle proper.
As the sound of music faded, silence had fallen over the group. Sky glanced over to Celestia once again. She had greeted many ponies on the way out, but now she was quiet, wearing her usual serene smile. Even Twilight and Cadance said nothing, which was quite possibly the first time he had ever seen the two of them in close proximity and not talking, save for the occasional official function.
It wasn’t that there was nothing to say, of course. There were quite a few things Sky wanted to talk about, once they were at a place they could speak privately. Judging from the silence of the rest of the group--broken by the occasional cheerful humming from Subtle--the others felt the same way.
Rainbow was particularly antsy. She’d been tense and on-edge since the attack, and he knew the silence must have been wearing on her. At the moment, she stalked along beside him, wearing a tight grimace, her eyes narrowed.
Nictis trudged along on the other side of Sky, a similar expression taking hold each time he glanced toward the elder princesses. They had just entered the castle itself when Nictis turned not to Celestia, but Luna, and broke the silence that lingered over them. “Do you even sleep?”
The entire group turned to look at him. Luna’s pace slowed for just a moment, eyebrow raised questioningly, but then she smiled. “I think I should find it quite disappointing if I did not have the opportunity to wander the dreamlands myself, when my duties are fulfilled. Everypony needs dreams, young changeling.”
Nictis appeared unamused. “I know you don’t sleep at night.”
“Of course not,” Luna replied, raising her head. “It is my duty to watch over the night, and it is a duty I take most seriously. Nightmares are not the only danger that seeks to prey upon our subjects at night. It would be irresponsible of me to interrupt my vigil with sleep.”
Celestia chuckled softly, shaking her head. “It’s not quite so dramatic,” she said, smiling. “Current events aside.”
“Oh, I suppose not,” Luna said in a more conversational tone, before her head came up again. “In fact, with most of the administration handled during the day and fewer ponies around at night, things can be a little too uneventful around here at times.” She glanced back to Nictis, who was frowning as he walked. “And to answer you further, I catch naps where I can. I just had a quite refreshing nap, in fact. Perhaps you may wish to do so, yourself.”
“Too busy,” Nictis grumbled. “You’re not the only one with ‘duties’ to take care of.”
Sky winced and turned to Nictis. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
He was met with a flash of irritation. “What’s wrong is that a lack of sleep is making me irritable and impairing my self-control, leading me to an irrational resentment of somepony who seems like she should be just as tired as me, but is not.” A quick glance showed that Luna didn’t appear offended by the remark, instead wearing a surprisingly neutral expression. Sky doubted Nictis even noticed that, however, as he continued on. “And on top of that, there’s the irritation that I’ve apparently become so soft. It used to be that a few hours of sleep on a cold, bare rock was all I’d need for the day, maybe even two. Now I spend several hours sleeping in a nice plush bed, and I’m wiped out by mid-day. It’s pathetic.”
“I disagree,” Luna said with a toss of her head. “It merely shows that you have not had the need of making do with such little rest, and lacking in something that is completely unnecessary can hardly be considered pathetic.”
Nictis grumbled something incomprehensible.
Celestia chimed in as well. “You shouldn’t worry about becoming soft,” she said. “Over the last several months, you’ve helped many changelings find friendship and even love, and you’ve helped to make Equestria a safer place. I don’t see any weakness in getting a decent night’s sleep in exchange for what you’ve done, nor could anyone find fault with you taking a nap when it’s needed.”
“No,” Nictis said. “I’m not putting my own comfort ahead of something that could affect the entire nation. It’s not like I need a lot of sleep for talking.”
A smile played at Luna’s lips. “We could make it an order,” she mused out loud, though that earned a snort from Nictis.
“Oh, yes, because I’ve got such a good track record of following orders,” he grumbled. He was just opening his mouth to say more, but he never got a chance; Sky rolled his eyes, lit his horn, and touched it to the back of Nictis’s head. Whatever he had meant to say came out in a startled sound somewhere between a chirp and a squawk, as he jerked away. Sky kept the magic flowing until Nictis turned and delivered a firm punch to Sky’s shoulder--Rainbow tensed, wings rising to alert--before rubbing at the back of his head. “Dang it, Sky! You know how weird that feels!”
“Uh-huh,” Sky said with a growing smile. “Feel any better?”
Nictis glared back for a second before his head drooped again, and he reluctantly sighed, “Yes.” Sky could still sense a little irritation as the other changeling resumed walking, but there was also a sense of appreciation.
“Better than coffee,” Sky quipped, smiling smugly.
“Well, if that’s resolved,” Celestia said as she stopped at a large door, “I can tell Miss Tea has some things she wishes to discuss, and this room should give us enough privacy.”
They filed in, the accompanying guards shutting the door behind them to stand watch outside. The room itself had many cushions and couches, along with a few tables. Everyone had soon claimed comfy seats, except Subtle, who had hopped up to sit on the edge of the table. Three of the princesses sat together on a trio of cushions. Twilight instead sat with her friends, though it was a slightly smaller group than usual; Rarity was out in the city, Pinkie Pie had vanished early in the morning, and Fluttershy had quietly declined, saying she had some things she wanted to take care of. Once they had all settled in, Celestia gave Subtle a nod. “Go ahead.”
“Well, first off, I have to apologize for Golden Aegis’s absence. That was my fault. My team and I had been poring over all sorts of property records, public statements, trade histories, city records, and financial information, and I needed him to double-check my findings.”
She smiled, leaving the statement hanging there for a moment before Celestia finally indulged her. “And what exactly did you find that needed a Captain of the Royal Guard to investigate?”
“Well, somepony had to lead the raid on the safe-house we uncovered.” She happily tapped her forehooves together. “We even caught two of Chrysalis’s Infiltrators in the process!”
“Well done,” Celestia said with a nod. “I have to wonder how many more agents Chrysalis has in Canterlot. If training Infiltrators is as lengthy a process as I’ve been lead to believe, losing four of them must be quite the setback.”
“One can hope,” Subtle replied. “And I see you heard about Nictis’s success, too. I hear that was quite the show. I also hear Rabble Rouser got pretty fired up about a changeling infiltrating his rally. Or, sorry, two changelings.”
Nictis’s head snapped over to Subtle. “Speaking of which, your intelligence on him was wrong.”
Subtle blinked in surprise, her posture straightening alertly. “Really? What did you find?”
“The information you gave me listed him as being single and with no close friends,” Nictis said, “but there was a mare at his speech who appeared to be very close to him.”
Subtle frowned. “Huh. Are you… hmm.” She shook her head. “...I’m surprised we missed that. Do you have any idea who she is?”
“A disguised changeling.”
Subtle stared at him for a full two seconds before bursting out in laughter.
Nictis grimaced slightly, but said nothing. Subtle eventually reined in her laughing enough to get a few words out. “Oh, oh wow. That’s hilarious!” She wiped a hoof across her cheek. “I can’t wait to see his expression when that comes out! That’s going to be such a mess.” Her words lost any sense of amusement by the end of the sentence, though she was still fighting off the giggles even as Princess Celestia politely cleared her throat. “Ah, yes. Well, I’m afraid that’s the end of the good news. Well, mostly good news, anyway. Heh.”
Celestia nodded, giving a little sigh. “Of course. What’s the bad news?”
Sky stiffened slightly as Subtle pointed a hoof to him. “Your turn.”
“Uh, yeah,” he said, shifting his seat as he tried to relax again. “Thanks. Uh… there was another attack.”
“So I’ve heard,” Celestia replied, her voice having lost any signs of humor. A moment later her expression tightened faintly. “You were the one attacked?”
“And Rainbow Dash,” he said. “It was weird, though. He attacked us, but he didn’t really try to hurt us.”
Dash’s wings flared. “He threw a table at us!”
“Instead of using a lethal spell,” Sky countered. “And he wasn’t even trying to be subtle. It was almost like he wanted us to know he was a changeling, except he ran the moment we did. If he’d wanted to hurt us he could have jumped us at any time.”
“Hmm,” Subtle mused, tapping a hoof to her chin. “Clearly his goal wasn’t to kill or seriously injure.” She tilted her head toward Nictis. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas?”
He shook his head, but said nothing.
“Fear is a powerful motivator,” Luna said. “Perhaps he was hoping to provoke a certain response.”
“Or maybe it was a distraction?” Cadance proposed.
There was the sound of hooves from the opposite direction as Twilight stepped up to him. “If we’re going to figure out what he was trying to do, we need to know exactly what happened.”
Sky nodded. “Well, okay. Dash and I had stopped for drinks…”
He left out the details of their conversation, skipping forward to when Dash noticed the supposed pony staring at them. He described their confrontation, the increasingly odd feelings, how he realized that it was actually a changeling just a moment before his eyes flashed green and--
“Green?” Nictis and Subtle blurted out simultaneously, followed by a surprised look to each other. A moment later Subtle leaped from the table, hooves skittering on the floor for a moment before bolting for the door. “Feather! Message! Now!”
“Wha?” was all Sky managed to get out before Nictis’s hooves grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him nose-to-nose with the other changeling.
“Are you certain that their eyes flashed green?” Nictis demanded. “Absolutely certain?”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Sky said, pulling back against Nictis’s grip to no effect. “Why?”
Nictis’s expression tightened with a growing sense of irritation and incredulity. “Drones have blue eyes, Sky.”
“Oh,” Sky replied. A moment later his ears dropped, eyes widening a touch. “Oh.”
Nictis had released him, his hooves suddenly busy covering his face. He made a few sputters before wildly gesturing toward Sky with his hooves, angrily blurting out, “How in the world did you ever become an Infiltrator?”
“Hey!” Sky snapped back, pulling away. “Sorry if I’ve kind of forgotten a few things since then!”
“What, you forgot what color--”
“That’s enough,” Twilight said, stepping between them. “Let’s focus. Drones don’t have green eyes, but Chrysalis does. What about the--”
The door banged open, and Subtle poked her head in. “Nictis! Changeling princesses. Green eyes?”
“Yes,” he grunted.
“Okay, good!”
The door thumped shut again, and everyone looked back to Twilight.
“...Right,” she said, nodding. “So it was either Chrysalis or one of her princesses. I suppose the most worrying would be if Chrysalis is getting around Canterlot without us knowing.”
Luna stepped up beside Twilight. “I expect that is what Miss Tea is investigating at the moment. It would explain her haste.”
Twilight nodded. “Let’s say she has that handled, then. The other possibility is that Chrysalis has one--no, at least one of her princesses in Canterlot. What does that mean for us, and what can we do about it?”
Naturally, the group’s attention turned to Nictis, who in turn stood there silently for a moment before grumbling and rolling his eyes. “Okay, okay.” He sat down again, staring at the floor between them as he thought. “Well, it’s probably not more than one. There were very few princesses in the hive, and it sounds like that hasn’t changed since I left. Back then, there was only one princess who left the hive on anything even remotely resembling a regular basis, and that was because she led and trained the Infiltrators. I assume her replacement is the one we’re dealing with, and if so, she’s probably one of the most capable Infiltrators Chrysalis has.”
He paused before adding, “Although given the competency of the Infiltrators we have seen, that’s probably not saying much.”
Sky snorted faintly, but said nothing.
Luna gave Nictis an appraising look. “You are not impressed with their ability?”
“No,” Nictis said, eyes narrowing. “Chrysalis is incompetent as an Infiltrator, judging by everything I’ve heard of her attempted invasion. Possibly incompetent in general. Most of the Infiltrators we’ve found were discovered because of mistakes they’ve made. They’re undisciplined and unskilled. Fade is the only one we found for reasons other than his own mistakes, and he’s easily the most competent Infiltrator we’ve seen. Even then, I’d only rank him around the level of the other nymphs I trained with, and the very few of them that would have become Infiltrators still had years of training ahead of them.”
He smirked distastefully. “I would have loved to see Princess Ceymi turned loose on what passes for an Infiltrator nowadays. She’d tear them apart. Then again, she wouldn’t have let things get to this state. There probably wouldn’t have even been an invasion if she was still around.”
Celestia finally looked up from her silence, looking to Nictis. “And you would still be living a life of deception and betrayal, while those changelings who now call Equestria home would still be living in a dark hole in the ground.”
Nictis winced, eyes drifting down to the floor again.
“I understand that she was something of a role model to you,” Celestia said, “but the past can not be changed.” Her tone softened as she continued. “A good teacher must also know when to learn from their own students. The old ways of infiltration are dying, as I’m sure you’ve noted yourself. Chrysalis seeks to cling to a past that she herself threw away, while you and your peers have taken what had once been seen as an apocalyptic event and turned it into an unprecedented opportunity. If Ceymi were still alive, I would hope she would be proud of what you’ve accomplished.”
Nictis didn’t reply, his expression blank as he continued to stare at nothing.
“I hate to change the subject to something even more negative,” Luna carefully said, “but I believe we may not wish to dismiss the competency of our foe so readily. Even if those we have seen are of dubious talent, it would be presumptuous to assume they are representative of their ability as a whole..”
“Of course,” Twilight groaned, a hoof moving to the bridge of her muzzle. When she got several questioning looks, she sighed, letting her hoof drop again. “The Infiltrators we’ve caught in the past are supposedly of questionable competency, which contributed to us catching them. If they were more skilled, we may not have caught them. But if we never caught them, we wouldn’t have them as a datapoint for figuring out general competency. We’ve got a self-selecting sample group of less-competent Infiltrators, but it doesn’t say anything about the overall competency of the hive’s Infiltrators as a whole. Fade is the only datapoint we have that doesn’t belong to that group, but we have no idea where he falls in the spectrum of Infiltrator competency, either.”
Nictis sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Well, Chrysalis said Sky was one of their more experienced Infiltrators.” Sky was surprised by the feeling of awkwardness and apology that crept up in the other changeling’s feelings as Nictis glanced his way, and it was only then that he realized just how angry he was getting, himself. The realization snuffed out that anger like a candle, leaving Sky blinking, and just a little unsettled.
Why am I getting so worked up over this?
“...But,” Nictis continued, “since he doesn’t really remember much of anything from that time, it doesn’t really tell us anything about where he ranked.” He was silent for another moment before giving a little sigh, and quietly added, “Probably fairly well up there, though.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Sky muttered, though he could feel the irritation threatening to rise again.
“Anyway, this whole thing just seems like a bad idea,” Nictis said, shaking his head. “If there is a good reason for such a half-hearted attack, I can’t think of it. Maybe the changeling who did it is just a complete blithering idiot and still thinks that applying threats like that is going to work after it failed last time, but it seemed too hesitant and reluctant for that to make much sense. Unless they were somehow such an idiot that they thought it was a good idea, but still smart enough to realize it would be damaging to Chrysalis’s negotiations.”
“Such as they are,” Luna said. “She seems quite content to damage her own chances through open hostility.”
Nictis grunted. “True enough. Still, I would think even she would know better after how the last time went, and especially after your little ‘chat’ with her.”
That drew a hint of a smile from Luna.
It was Cadance who spoke next, after a few moments of quiet consideration. “What exactly were you doing before this happened?”
Sky blinked, caught off-guard by the question. “Oh, well…” He glanced over to Rainbow Dash. “We were just sitting there, having some drinks and talking.”
“Just talking?”
Sky hesitated, looking to her soft smile, then glanced once again at Rainbow Dash. “Well, we were kind of resting our wings on each other. It just seemed more comfortable and friendly…”
As he trailed off, Rainbow grumbled something and looked away, still looking as wound-up and bothered over the attack as she had earlier, though Sky thought he caught a hint of a blush. He was pretty sure he’d be doing the same if he were a pony, and was once again thankful for the different physiology. As for Cadance, her smile grew a bit brighter, though it only lasted a moment before fading again. “Is it possible this changeling doesn’t like the sight of a changeling and a pony being such close friends?”
“Of course it is,” Nictis said. “That’s pretty much the default opinion on pony-changeling relations. If you mean that as a motivation to prompt this… encounter? Maybe. It would explain a few things, like why they didn’t attack outright, and why they allowed a confrontation to develop. Still, I would expect better of a changeling princess than to let such emotions get in the way of things.” He then frowned. “Though I expected better of the changeling queen, and we saw how well expectation and reality lined up there…”
The doors opened again as Subtle entered, kicking the doors shut behind her and seizing the momentary pause in the conversation to speak up. “I just sent a messenger to have the team around Chrysalis’s chambers double-check all of their security for any possible way changelings might slip in or out. I also sent instructions that they’ll be dispelling Chrysalis and her guards any time they leave. Obviously, we know they’re changelings, but we want to make sure they’re the right changelings. I hope that wasn’t overstepping?”
That last comment was directed to Princess Celestia, who shook her head, though she remained silent. Subtle continued. “Also, Sky, Nictis? I’d like one of you to do your fire-portal trick in Chrysalis’s chambers at some point, just to make sure they haven’t done anything to obscure magical scans. It seems unlikely, but best to be thorough. They won’t appreciate you just popping in unannounced, so maybe one of you could deliver the message when it’s time for talks, and do it on the way out?”
“I’ll do it,” Nictis immediately answered. “Portaling out seems like a wonderfully curt way of ending a conversation with her.” That response drew a smile from Subtle, and Sky managed a short snort of amusement. It did sound like it could be amusing, even if it meant meeting Chrysalis face-to-face and alone.
“Good,” Subtle replied. “And that just leaves one little thing that occured to me. Nictis, what exactly does it mean when a changeling’s eyes flash like that?”
Nictis frowned, eyeing her for a moment before replying. “It could be a few different things, I suppose. It tends to happen when a changeling’s emotions spike suddenly, if they’re not careful to control it, and sometimes in response to using or preparing a significant amount of magic. And it’s occasionally used as a signal, or even a form of intimidation.”
“And how much thought would an Infiltrator give it?”
“Fairly little,” Nictis said. “It’s generally reflexive and insignificant. It might deserve a little more thought now that ponies could use it as a means of identification, but it was always avoided in general. Even when ponies didn’t know what changelings were, they still would think it was strange, and an Infiltrator doesn’t want to be strange. Strange things draw interest.”
Subtle was nodding. “So they’re likely to be conscious of the risk of being revealed,” she said, “but how likely are they to be conscious of what color they’re showing?”
Nictis frowned, but didn’t immediately answer. Subtle’s smile grew at his silence, and a moment later she stepped up to stand in the middle of the group. “Right now, knowledge is our strongest shield. They’ve just given us a very useful piece of knowledge, and better yet, there may be the possibility that they don’t even realize it. We’re likely dealing with a changeling princess, and even if she realizes what she showed us, it’s possible Chrysalis does not. At least, not yet. What we need now is a way to take advantage of this, preferably in a way that doesn’t give up that secret.”
Celestia looked up, finally speaking again. “That is easy enough,” she said, with a firmness to her voice. “We will give Chrysalis the opportunity to explain this attack. She says she is willing to work toward peace. Now she will have to prove it.”
“Would be nice,” Subtle said. “In the meantime, I’ve got some more security measures to oversee, and plenty of digging to do. We’ve already uncovered a bit of these Infiltrators’ resources here in Canterlot, and it’s likely to lead to more. If there’s a changeling princess here in Canterlot, I’d very much like to meet her.”
She nodded and turned to walk off as Nictis spoke up. “Subtle, this is still a princess we’re talking about, and likely the leader of their Infiltrators. It’s probably a bit optimistic to hope she doesn’t realize what she showed us.”
“Oh, no,” Subtle replied with a chuckle as she continued on. “That’s not the optimistic scenario.”
Nictis frowned, but said nothing. Seeing that no further answer was coming, Sky spoke up. “Then what is?”
Subtle stopped, pressing a hoof to the door as she looked back over her shoulder. “The optimistic scenario,” she said with a sharp smile, “is that she wants us to know.”





The familiar feeling of the world moving around him faded as Nictis felt the floor grow solid beneath his hooves. The last wisps of green fire flickered from existence as he checked his position. His eyes skipped over the princesses, guards, and the other ponies and changelings before finding what he was looking for; the empty cushion set right beside the area vacated for his return trip.
He promptly flopped down onto it, sighing deeply as he sunk into the plush comfort. “Well, that was immensely satisfying.”
“Your visit went well?” Luna inquired, and he vaguely waved a hoof in her direction.
“I’ve contributed my part to International Irritate Chrysalis Day,” he said, half muffled by the cushion. “Whose turn is it now? Sky’s?”
He heard the other changeling snort softly in amusement.
Subtle’s voice came from somewhere off to his side. “Well, this thing seems to be working fine,” she said, and he rolled over to see her holding a wooden frame holding three small crystals. One of the crystals was vibrating and emitting a faint purple glow until she tapped a hoof against it; he couldn’t help but notice that Princess Twilight was watching it quite intently, a small smile on her face. “Still, I should probably make myself scarce,” Subtle continued. “Just in case.”
“And just what is ‘this thing?’” Nictis asked, looking at it as best he could without committing to the effort of lifting his head from the very comfy cushion.
“Just a little thing I dug up up for communication,” she answered, her smile growing. “Nothing so fancy as what Chrysalis was doing, but it’s something simple and easy. Each of these are magically bound with another crystal. Activate one, and the other lights up like that. That one meant that the unicorns monitoring Chrysalis’s chambers detected certain kinds of magic from inside it, such as a fire-portal. So, test successful.”
She tucked it into the small saddlebags at her side. “It was an idea I’d come up with some time ago. It seemed like the perfect way for agents to send messages back and forth, even if the quality of them is generally so low that ranges are rather limited. I even came up with a whole series of codes to use with them, but we’ve never really had the opportunity--”
“Miss Tea,” Celestia gently interrupted, with a soft smile. “You should probably hurry if you don’t want to be here when Chrysalis arrives.”
“She shouldn’t have left yet,” Subtle replied with a quick glance back to her saddlebags, but then shook her head and chuckled. “Well, assuming they’re all working. Right! Story time later.” She grinned to Nictis, then gave an elaborate and exaggerated bow toward the gathered princesses. “Your Highnesses.”
She then turned and walked to the rear door of the chamber. There was a distinct bounce to her step. At least somebody is having a good day, Nictis thought.
The others talked some, but none of it registered with him. He tuned it out, just soaking in the comfort of where he lay. His rest seemed all too short, over in what could have been a moment or an hour, as his ears picked up a faint sound past the drone of conversation: the sound of hooves meeting the stone floor outside with a bit too much weight, and a bit too spaced out, to have been a normal pony.
He was just pushing himself upright as the doors swung open, allowing Chrysalis to enter. All traces of fatigue were swept away as he took on a carefully neutral mask, sitting firm and upright; he would not show her any weakness.
She spared him only a momentary glance and a fleeting sense of irritation before looking back to Celestia. The princess was standing, grim-faced, her wings raised. Princess Luna stood beside her, devoid of the amusement she had shown earlier. In fact, everyone in the room shared the same general expression of disapproval, all focused on the Chrysalis.
The queen came to a halt, frowning. “Oh, what now?”
Celestia’s spoke with an even, firm tone. “Once again, your changelings have attacked my subjects. Here you say you finally want peace, but out there your agents still work against Equestria. Explain this.”
Chrysalis’s lips curled, baring her sharp teeth. She took a moment to look around the room at the expectant and disapproving faces before focusing her gaze on Celestia again. Her eyes narrowed as she stalked forward. “And how, precisely, do you expect me to explain something I know nothing about?”
“We are not fools,” Celestia retorted, her eyes narrowing as well. “We were not so naive as to assume the few Infiltrators you called in were all you had under your command in Canterlot. We knew you had more out there. What’s more, we know you have been in contact with them.”
Chrysalis’s glare deepened as Celestia continued. “We have captured some of your Infiltrators. We don’t know how you’ve been getting messages in and out of the castle, but it’s undeniable that you have. So you will explain exactly why changelings under your direct command have carried out yet another attack on my subjects.”
Some little voice in the back of Nictis’s mind became very obsessed over the fact that Celestia had just told a blatant lie. Another little voice approvingly noted that she had told it well.
“If that’s what happened, I would like to know myself,” Chrysalis spat back. “Yes, of course I kept some Infiltrators out of your grasp. I wasn’t going to hand over all of them when I was still uncertain of this whole ‘negotiation’ nonsense, but having them attack your precious little ponies would be counterproductive. I ordered them to avoid any form of violence except in the most desperate of times, so unless you’re complaining of my subjects defending themselves against yours, they acted against my explicit orders.”
“So again you claim to be unable to control your own Infiltrators.”
Chrysalis bit back a snarl, jerking a hoof to the side to make a sweeping gesture toward Nictis, Sky, and the other changelings. “Equestria seems to have that effect on my subjects.”
Celestia stared straight into Chrysalis’s eyes. “That should tell you something,” she said, just a hint softer than her previous tone.
It was answered by a dismissive snort. Chrysalis looked away, grimacing in anger for a moment. She then glanced to Luna before focusing on Celestia again. This time, she spoke a little more levelly. “What do you want, Celestia?”
“You’ve said several times that you desire peace, but all the lies you have told have made your words meaningless. Instead, you will have to show it through your actions, and you will start by bringing in every single one of the changelings you have hidden in Canterlot.”
Chrysalis snarled, but the expression faded quickly. Still, she remained silent for several seconds before replying. “Very well. It’s not as if they’d make much difference, anyway. Will that satisfy you?”
“If you follow through, and bring in every one of your changelings here in Canterlot,” Celestia said, “it will be a start.”
Chrysalis turned away, a bit of a strut returning to her step as she walked a couple steps. She again held her head high, and a hint of a smug smile contrasted with the earlier anger. “Well, I can’t promise all of them. There are probably still a few Infiltrators operating independently in Canterlot, and there is no way of directly contacting them.”
“Then you will put in the effort to find them,” Celestia said, and Luna followed up.
“Because if we should uncover them ourselves,” Luna said, “it will look as if you were lying yet again. I would hope we need not illustrate the consequences of such an event.”
Chrysalis paused to frown at the darker alicorn, but the smug smile returned quickly. “Very well. If you want me to track them down, you’ll need to permit a few more of my changelings out to act as messengers. I think four should be able to manage, unless you could be persuaded to allow more out.”
“Four,” Celestia said, “and they will all have a full Royal Guard escort.”
“Whatever makes you feel better,” Chrysalis said with a roll of her eyes. “Now then, if that’s out of the way, I assume it’s time for more of your ‘talks?’”
Celestia’s wings settled at her side again, though she remained standing. Nictis was surprised how calm and gentle her tone was, as the words that followed could have easily been delivered as a harsh rebuke. “There is little point in continuing negotiations until we have resolved this matter, one way or the other. You may return to your chambers. The Guards outside will receive the messengers you select and see them escorted into the city. Once you have recalled all of your agents, we can discuss what comes next.”
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes slightly, a frown crossing her muzzle again. “Fine,” she replied. “But I’d rather not waste the rest of the evening just because you don’t feel like talking. I want to speak with these Infiltrators you’ve captured.”
Celestia gave a long, thoughtful look before speaking. “I think we can do that. You may speak with them, individually, but not alone. They will be returned to the hive at a later date, but for now they are prisoners, and somepony will have to accompany you.” She paused to gesture to the side. “I believe Nictis would be ideal.”
His first reaction was to grimace at the prospect of spending that much time around Chrysalis, but he managed to hide the expression before the queen had looked at him. It was only a small consolation that she looked no more thrilled at the prospect than he did. She eyed him for only a moment before turning back to Celestia. “I’m also still waiting to speak with Chirrup.”
“The graduation ceremony only recently finished,” Celestia said, shaking her head. “He will be notified of your request this evening, and I am sure you will receive your reply shortly after that.”
“Oh, of course,” Chrysalis bitterly replied. “I have to do everything immediately, or else, but go ahead and take your time with anything I ask for.”
Celestia sighed. In the moment of quiet this allowed, Princess Cadance spoke out. “Are you really trying to play the victim in all this?”
“Oh, you must be enjoying this,” Chrysalis said, sneering at Cadance. “Is that why you came here, for some pathetic sense of vengeance? Were you hoping to see me humiliated, now that you’ve got all the better princesses backing you up?”
Celestia’s wings rose again. “Chrysalis,” she warned, but Cadance waved a hoof in her direction.
“No,” she said. “It’s fine.”
Princess Cadance stood, facing Chrysalis. Nictis caught all the subtle details an untrained eye might have missed: the faint hesitation before she moved, the barely perceptible waver of her hoof, the tightness in her jaw and neck. She stepped forward, and though she barely came up to Chrysalis’s chest, she stood her ground before the smugly smiling queen. Behind her, Shining Armor remained sitting, though tensed and ready to leap to her aid.
“I have no desire to see you humiliated,” Cadance said; any hint of the casual and friendly tone of earlier was gone, though it didn’t go so far as to sound angry. “The only thing I want is to make sure you don’t hurt anypony else, ever again. I see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna giving you every opportunity to become something better, and then I see you spitting in their faces. You don’t even appreciate how lenient they’ve been. As far as I can see, Equestria would be better off with you removed from power.” A faint scowl crossed her face as she gestured toward the very quiet changelings sitting nearby. “And for that matter, so would your hive.”
Chrysalis snorted in reply. “The only reason I’m even considering this peace is for the sake of the hive.”
“Only because of what it gets you,” Cadance said, eyes narrowing. “You’re losing control, aren’t you? Your subjects are fleeing from your hive to take their chances with a nation you’ve told them is their enemy. Your grip over them is failing. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To keep more of your power from slipping through your hooves?”
“I am here for the good of the hive,” Chrysalis growled. “The traitors who fled for their own selfish desires only weaken it, and they will be dealt with in time.”
“Dealt with?” Cadance echoed, her expression tightening. “Listen to yourself! Your species lives off love, but you’re full of nothing but hatred. It’s no wonder that they’ve been leaving you when you can’t show them what they need so much.”
“We consume love, little princess. We don’t roll around in it like you ponies. I’ve kept the hive fed, despite the hardships we’ve endured.”
“Yes, you’ve kept them fed,” Cadance replied. “Barely. And that’s it. There’s more to being a good ruler than doing the bare minimum for your subjects. They’ve gotten a glimpse of how much better things could be. You could be a responsible ruler, helping your subjects to prosper. Instead, you’re content to be nothing but a petty tyrant.” Her wings spread, eyes narrowing further. “As far as I’m concerned, Equestria should do everything it can to keep you from power. If you’re so determined to be nothing but a monster, then that’s how you should be treated.”
“A monster?” Chrysalis said, though it wasn’t said with any anger. Instead, it was said with amusement, which soon turned into a giggling laugh. “That’s what changelings are, little princess. I would have thought you of all ponies would have understood that.”
“You’re the only one acting like a monster here,” Cadance shot back, again sweeping a hoof toward the nearby changelings. “You could do to learn from their example.”
“And which one would you be referring to? The one who abused orphan foals for years?” Chrysalis leaned in with a sharp-toothed grin, while several ponies--including all the other princesses--tensed. “Or do you mean the one who uncovered Canterlot’s weaknesses, planned out how to dismantle the Royal Guard, and helped to find the best time and place to replace a certain soon-to-be-wed princess?”
Beside him, Sky went rigid. Cadance did the same, eyes darting toward them before fixing her gaze on Chrysalis again. There was a distinct pause before she spoke again, quieter than before. “At least they’re trying.”
Chrysalis laughed again as she turned away. “I’m here, talking peace, aren’t I?”
Nictis snorted. Judging from the range of emotions that flashed across Cadance’s face, she had a similar opinion of the queen’s statement. “But you don’t want peace, do you?” Cadance finally said, her tone darkened. “You just want what it gets you, and as soon as you have that, you’ll just go back to your old ways.”
“Mmm,” Chrysalis hummed in amusement before looking smugly over her shoulder. “But that’s not so different from them, is it?” she asked, tilting her head toward the watching changelings. “‘Sky’ just needs to remember who he really is to turn his back on all this ridiculous sentimentality. Nictis doesn’t even need that much.”
Nictis nearly flinched when she looked straight at him, but he kept his expression fixed, meeting her smug grin with an icy calm expression. “Oh, yes,” Chrysalis said, “I see those little glares you give me. I can feel all that anger and hatred in you. I know what’s in there. It would take such a tiny push to get you to abandon this act and show them what a real monster is.”
A trembling built in his limbs, that familiar twinge of adrenaline growing despite his attempts to deny the anger. His jaw tightened, and there was a hint of a growl behind his voice. “If you really think that’s true, then you should probably stop pushing me.”
She simply grinned at him for a moment before turning the smug expression back to Cadance. “See?”
Cadance met the grin with a glare of her own, her head rising defiantly. “I see more than you do, Chrysalis. You can’t even see the difference, can you? Sure, they may be capable of doing horrible things. Many ponies are, too. The difference is that they’re seeking a way to live without hurting others, while you enjoy it.”
Unsurprisingly, that drew another soft chuckle from Chrysalis. “I’ve always thought it was important to enjoy what you do.”
Luna cut in, her voice sharp. “Then you had best find something new to enjoy, Chrysalis, for those days are at an end.”
“Oh, relax,” Chrysalis replied with a dramatic roll of her eyes. “I’m perfectly willing to give this whole peace thing a chance. If it ends up being better for my hive, then you’ll have no problems from me.”
The sharp smile she flashed at the end of the statement was less than encouraging.
“We had best not,” Luna replied, her head held high, “I need not remind you that we have alternatives.”
Any amusement vanished from Chrysalis, replaced with a dark scowl. “Not that it seems to stop you,” she noted with a soft growl.
Celestia finally spoke again. “That’s enough for now. Chrysalis?” The queen turned to face her, glaring back at Celestia’s calm but firm expression. “You may return to your chambers. A messenger will be sent for you when it’s time for those meetings you requested.”
Chrysalis replied with a derisive snort. “Don’t take too long about it,” she said as she turned and walked to the door.
“Chrysalis.” Luna’s voice cut across the distance, bringing the queen to a halt once again. The princess gave a thin smile. “We are allowing the interviews you requested as a favor to you, one we are under no obligation to fulfill. You should show some gratitude that we are allowing it.”
Chrysalis glared back at her, silent for several seconds. Eventually her lips curled back in a snarl as she growled, “Thank you.”
She then turned, threw the doors open, and stalked out.
As soon as the pair of Royal Guards had shut the door again, Cadance let out an aggravated groan, flopping down on her cushion in a rather un-princessly fashion. “I still can’t believe she can be so… so sadistic! How can anyone live off love but be so completely devoid of it?”
Shining Armor hooked a leg comfortingly around his wife, sharing a quick nuzzle.
Nictis was looking down at his hoof, willing the last faint trembles of adrenaline away while silently grumbling to himself. He hadn’t even noticed Sky had moved until he heard his voice near the young princess and her husband.
“Princess Cadance,” Sky said, his voice full of anxiety. “I-I don’t know if what she said is true, but--”
“Don’t,” Cadance replied, sharply, though her tone immediately softened. “Just… don’t listen to her. Don’t give her that. I don’t care if it’s true or not, she’s just trying to hurt us, and I’m not going to let her.”
Nictis snorted softly to himself, a feeling of irritation growing in him until he finally looked over to the oldest princess. “Do you really think this is going to work, Celestia?” he growled. “You know she’s just going to do the same thing she did before. She’ll call in a few of her Infiltrators and swear that it’s all of them, while the rest keep doing whatever it is they’ve been doing.”
“Yes,” Celestia sighed. “I know.”
“Then what’s the point of all of this?” Nictis snapped. The tremble that had started earlier had returned. “You already know she needs to be stripped of her power or she’ll just stab you in the back once she gets what she wants. What, are we just wasting our time here so you feel more justified when you do it?”
“Nictis!” Luna sharply called out, fixing him with a disapproving glare as he flinched back. “You are addressing a princess of Equestria. You have been invited to speak on these matters, but you will show some respect.”
Nictis’s mouth moved silently for a few seconds, his mind scrambled through a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions. It took far longer than he liked before finally settling on a simple reply, his voice subdued and slightly shaky. “Sorry.” His head drooped, eyes falling to the floor. His heart beat loudly in his ears.
He heard Celestia’s quiet voice. “It’s alright, Luna,” she said to her sister. This was followed by the quiet sound of shifting movement, and then the sound of metal-clad hoof-steps. Nictis looked up past the golden shoes to see Celestia standing there before him, and had to push down on the sudden tension that shot through him.
She considered him silently for a moment before speaking. “You and Chrysalis are much alike.”
His ears pinned back, while the feeling of tension made good progress towards full-on fear. “We’re nothing alike,” he insisted, a hint of indignation mixed in with the faint tremble of his voice.
Celestia shook her head. “You have your differences, yes,” she said. “But I’ve read of how you conducted yourself when you first came to Equestria,” she said, calmly. “Twilight Sparkle was thorough in her interviews and in her documentation. You lied and schemed. You manipulated ponies, preying on them. You hurt ponies, some in ways that have still not healed. On top of it all, you took pride in these things. Ponies were nothing but tools to be used for your own goals. You enjoyed your successes, and you enjoyed your dominance over your prey. You took pride in your ability to hurt those you wanted to, and you enjoyed it. You were, quite simply, a sadist.”
Her words were calm and gentle, but he found himself trembling nonetheless. He wanted to object, but even as the words came to mind, he dismissed them. He couldn’t bring himself to honestly justify those acts. Nor could he bring himself to put on an act of calm to cover up growing discomfort and guilt. Instead, he just bowed his head.
“That has changed,” Celestia said, “but it was not something that happened quickly. You lived among ponies, without any other changelings to reinforce the views of your hive, with your trained talent at understanding the mentality of others, and still it was years before you were willing to consider what was right before your eyes. If that younger you were here now, I expect his reaction would be little different from Chrysalis.”
Hesitantly, regretfully, shakily, Nictis nodded.
“Everypony has done something they regret,” Celestia said, offering a faint smile. “We make mistakes, even horrible ones, but we can move beyond these things. You are one more proof of that.”
She turned back, returning to her cushion. “I do not expect that Chrysalis could come to value friendship with ponies any more readily than you did,” she said as she sat. “While your example gives hope, I honestly don’t know if she will ever be swayed. I am not blind to her aggression, and I will not allow it to continue, but I will not simply cast her aside. There is some small hope that she might learn, but that hope can only diminish if I must strip her hive from her.
“What I do know is that this is worth trying. Both Equestria and the changeling hive will benefit from peace, but the change will surely cause disruptions in the hive. It could benefit from a strong leader, one they would recognize and follow. While we may not convince her of the value of friendship here, we may be able to convince her to engage with us through peaceful means, and that would be good enough.”
Nictis swallowed around a lump in his throat, taking a moment to prepare so that his voice wouldn’t sound strained. “What I said before still stands. She’ll just use peace as an opportunity to grow stronger, and then she’ll turn on us.”
“Oh, I’m well aware of that,” Celestia replied, a hint of a smile flickering across her features. “Her change of heart was rather transparent, and I expect that she’s already scheming at how she can turn our gifts against us. We will have to be wary, but it is a threat we know the source of. Eventually, Chrysalis will wish to strike us, but I doubt she will try anything before she is fully prepared. Her previous attempt threw the entire population of her hive against Canterlot in a surprise attack, one made by an enemy we had no understanding of and whose capabilities we did not know, and it failed. It was a narrow failure, but it was a failure nonetheless, and now her advantage is gone.
“Instead, I expect her to wait. She’ll let us help improve her infrastructure and industry. The hive is small, and I expect we can bring its standards up to something approaching Equestria’s in just a few years. After that will come a population boom. Changelings grow faster than ponies, so it wouldn’t take long for her to swell her numbers. Within twenty years, she may be able to support an army rivaling the active Royal Guard in numbers, and backed with at least some semblance of industry and a large number of spies.”
Several of those gathered in the room were looking to Celestia with expressions of concern and skepticism. Nictis was not one of those; instead, his expression simply turned thoughtful as he looked down at the floor again. The words that followed were no surprise to him.
“I have seen many times just how long twenty years can be for ponies,” Celestia said. “I imagine it is no different for changelings. In the time it takes for Chrysalis to turn our generosity into a weapon, the hive will have seen twenty years of peace, living with ponies. Twenty years of mingling, as ponies help improve their lives and bring them food. Eventually, much of the hive will have never even known a time when ponies and changelings didn’t live together.
“Chrysalis will finally have the power she wants, and she’ll be completely incapable of using it.”
A thoughtful silence followed, lasting several seconds before Luna spoke. “And if we are very fortunate, perhaps a few decades of amicable coexistence might sway Chrysalis, herself.” There was another pause, and Nictis could practically hear the smile in her voice. “I suppose I ought to deal with her somewhat more gently, in that case.”
“No,” Celestia replied. “She needs a strong hoof to restrain her from doing something more drastic, something that would bring more harm to our subjects and force us to remove her. We must make sure she knows the consequences her actions will bring, and that we are both willing and capable of dealing with her if she does not behave.”
“Mmm,” Luna mused for a moment, and when she spoke, there was a touch of amusement behind her words. “So you’re saying I was right?”
Celestia’s reply was a single soft chuckle.
Nictis finally looked back up to the princess. “I’m still worried that you’re being too optimistic.”
“Don’t be,” Subtle said from right behind him, prompting a sudden feeling of self-irritation that he allowed himself to show a flinch of surprise. She gave him a sense of amusement as she stepped up beside him, smiling. “Optimism and wariness aren’t exactly contradictory, you know. We’ll be keeping a good, close eye on Chrysalis and everything she does.” Her smile turned into a full-on grin. “And I can probably hire on a good number of changelings in that time. Maybe I can even get you to train them up!”
His response was to frown at the thought, which only seemed to amuse her more.
“We can discuss your staff at another time,” Celestia softly interjected. “For now, I’d like you to question the newest changelings you’ve captured. When you’re done with that, you can invite Chrysalis to talk with them. Perhaps we can learn something from their meeting.”
Subtle was beaming. “My thoughts exactly, princess!”
Princess Celestia nodded, returning the smile before turning to the side. “I also have an important task for you, Twilight,” she said, earning an eager smile from the younger princess.
Subtle nudged Nictis lightly. “Come on, we shouldn’t keep the princess waiting.”
Nictis grumbled, slowly pushing himself back up to his hooves and trudging alongside Subtle.
“I’ll see if we can’t get some coffee or strong tea or something,” Subtle said, still sounding far too energetic for Nictis’s tastes. “And I’m sure I’ve got some spare love if that’d do better for you.”
He frowned, looking at her with his eyes narrowed critically. “You sound way too comfortable saying that.”
“The greatest armor against fear is knowledge,” Subtle said in a serious, if slightly over-dramatic, tone. Then she shrugged, speaking normally again. “Or so Cloak would say, on the rare occasion you could actually get him to speak more than two words in a row. I don’t know if he thought that up himself or if he was quoting somepony else, but either way…”
He followed along silently for a moment before his frown finally faded. “Okay, I kind of like that one.”
“I thought you might,” Subtle replied as they reached the doors. She opened it, turning to look back at him. The sharpness had returned to her smile. “Now then, let’s get to work.”