Green light shone from the various braziers placed throughout the chamber. The walls were black, like the night, and refracted the light into dozens of shades of green. A circular table, made of the same black stone, sat in the middle of the chamber. Eighteen thrones sat, equidistant around the table. Seventeen bore a deep green emerald embedded into the top of them, glowing with an inner light. The last one bore a shard of moonlight itself, a gift from the Princess of the Moon herself. The throne itself held the only non-Changeling in the room, a stallion, sitting tall and commanding respect from the seventeen other inhabitants. This was the council of the Changeling Empire, and they had gathered to discuss the future of the Empire.
“I tell you,” said one of the Changeling rulers sitting at the table, “it's becoming too difficult to recover love from the Equestrians.”
“Indeed,” another said, “just this last week, I had to save a few of my hivelings from capture. Knew it was a good idea to establish a high ranking position in the Destroyer's army.”
“Come on!” a familiar Changeling said. Chrysalis slammed her hooves down on the table, glaring at all of them, “If we'd taken Equestria five years ago, then we wouldn't be starving like we are.”
“Yes,” said a third Changeling, “and where would that leave us? If we'd taken Equestria, the Crystal Empire would have retaliated. There was one other Princess, now there are two. The Destroyer would not have let it happen, either. Or do you not remember when you revealed yourself?”
“I had it all under control!” Chrysalis snapped, the barb hitting home, “If that little Unicorn hadn't escaped the Caves, then Cadence would have been out of the way. I would have dealt with her after the conquest was over!”
“And how would you have handled the Dragons?” asked a fourth Changeling, resting his chin on a hoof, “Or the Griffins? Or the Zebras? Or any of the other races that are friendly with Equestrians? They would have attacked in retribution to your invasion. And the Empire could not have withstood such an onslaught.”
Chrysalis was about to reply when the Changeling situated across from the moonshard throne tapped a hoof on the table, the sound ringing through the room like a crystal note, bringing all attention to him. “It appears,” he said softly, “that there is only one way to solve this. The Shardbreaker is returning.” The room froze as the words echoed through the chamber.
“What?” asked the other sixteen in unison, “how do you know this?”
The Changeling nodded toward the stallion, then said, “prior to our meeting, Evening Fall kindly reported the latest news from the moon. He says that the Cannon is almost ready, and the Elements grow stronger. However,” he said with a dark undertone, “Equestria is not ready for him. Even with their allies, they couldn't hope to stand up against him. Even if we joined together, there is a small chance of success.”
“Then why should we?” asked one of the kings.
“Because,” the Changeling's attention now on the king, “without them, nopony can survive. Together we have a chance, however small. And this brings me to the reason I called the meeting.” He looked at each pony in the room, lingering on the stallion for a brief second longer, before continuing, “I propose that one of us tests the waters. It has been five years since the invasion of the Equestrian capital of Canterlot, and we are all starving. Our Element is not enough to sustain the entire Empire. The volunteer will locate the Elements of Harmony and question them, in order to discover their grasp of their individual Elements."
“Wait one second,” a fifth Changeling piped up, “it sounds like you already have a volunteer. Am I correct?” The Changeling nodded.
“It will be me,” he stated. The entire room rose up in an uproar, the sound reverberating around the room and increasing.
“You can't!”
“We can't lose you!”
“Who will solve our disputes?”
“Why would you do this?”
“You're the greatest of us all!”
“It is because,” the Changeling silenced all with a raise of his hooves, “the rest of you are leaders and rulers. To replace you would set back your hive more than a generation. To lose me," he smiled, "well let's face it, I don't rule anyling. My death would be easily replaceable. And besides, I will stay in contact with you all. If I don't report in every seven moon cycles, then assume something has happened to me and make the appropriate decisions.”
“But,” one of the queens began, but was silenced by the penetrating stare of the main Changeling.
“No, I've already made up my mind,” he said, “I'm heading out in two moon rises. I've already picked identified the hometown of the Elements. I'll spend my time preparing them all, secretly. We need to get them ready."
“And where would that town be?” asked Chrysalis. The Changeling tapped the table again and the center glowed a greenish color, before lines of light levitated above the surface. They watched as the lights crisscrossed and darted every which way, forming buildings. As they looked out over the miniature map, they could identify what looked like a carousel and a building made from gingerbread, as well as a clearing where the devastated hollowed out trunk of a tree stood. A crystalline spire stood, embedded into the ground at one end of the town, towering over the smaller buildings.
The Changeling smiled down at the quaint, little town, then looked at each and every one of the ponies in the room. “Ponyville.”