Chapter Four
As the hybrid mare trotted down the streets of Ponyville, she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline she normally got when an infiltration was successful. She had to blend in, had to become something new, and had to deceive an entire town with her disguise. It was almost more satisfying to be impersonating Twilight, despite her lesser status, simply because it was a sign that Chrysalis had won. Or at least, she was one step closer to that check mate.
It is going to be difficult to go so long without having wings, she groaned internally. It would be harder to sneak into her other forms with the little dragon companion following her around all the time.
“Evenin’, Twilight!” Spike called enthusiastically, opening the door for the pony. “I can’t believe you actually stayed out all day, you musta found a really good book.”
“Oh, er,” Chrysalis said, adjusting to her new voice, “I sure did.” She fumbled around in her saddlebag, quickly pulling out a random book to hold up. “I just love the characters in…—” she paused, squinting to slowly read the title aloud, “…Traditional Unicorn Remedies for Common Equine Ailments…”
Spike stood still for a moment, blankly staring at the unicorn. Chrysalis stared back—eyes wide—aware of her mistake. When he finally opened his mouth to reply, she tensed up, waiting for the accusation.
“Uh. There are characters in a book about curing headaches?”
“M-Minor ones, background ponies, really, but they—with their magic—were the first to,” she paused, flipping through the pages rapidly with her magic, “…combine… traditional, medicinal herb grinding… and… this, oh—innate unicorn magic!” She looked up at Spike and gave him a cheesy grin. “…It’s brilliant?”
“Geez, Twilight, you are an egghead,” Spike laughed, walking in to serve up dinner for his friend. She watched as he placed a succulent looking salad on the table before her. Chrysalis planned to nibble at it, but she knew normal food didn’t provide much of anything for her kind. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure, though, she had to admit.
Thank goodness, Chrysalis sighed, walking over to the table with a slow clop in her step, He’s an idiot.
“I can’t quite put my claw on it, but something about you seems more—” Spike started, turning to face Chrysalis as she raised a fork full of salad up to her mouth, “More…green-y.” Chrysalis looked down at her fork, now glowing with green magic, and immediately dropped it back onto the plate.
“You…don’t say?” she nonchalantly inquired.
“No… I do say. You’ve never had a green fork-lifting spell before, is this some new trick from your reading today?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes…that’s right; it’s part of a new daily exercise I’m doing that’ll improve my health. Because…green magic is—” she paused, before a spark lit in her eyes, and her speech became more animated, “wild, natural. It’s the primitive magic of nature, and anyone smart enough can tap into it and take advantage of its power.”
“Well, any unicorn maybe, but I doubt I’ll ever be able to control any silverware with magic, nature-y or not. Then again, I don’t really use forks and stuff anyway, am I right?” Spike laughed. He nudged his pal to join in on poking fun at his bad eating habits.
“Er,” Chrysalis swayed, not expecting the sudden nudge, “You sure don’t, Spike.” She looked down at the laughing dragon and forced out a few giggles, keeping a close eye on him.
“I think I’m going to bed now,” she added, looking around the place. She knew the gist of where Twilight slept, but wasn’t sure how close the dragon nested to her.
“Already? Gee, you’re so sleepy today.”
“Well, all the magic usage has really…drained me,” she said tiredly, and there was a ringing truth to her words.
“Oh, ok, then. G’night Twilight!”
Chrysalis noticed the proximity of the dragon’s bed and cringed. It would be much more difficult to slip out with him being so close. She’d have to exit the normal way and transform outside, just in case.
“Pleasant dreams to you, Spike,” she said, a bit uncomfortably, and situated herself in the bed. It was nice to be able to relax again—this small cottage seemed luxurious, even though she had recently stayed at the Canterlot Castle. For the majority of her life, Chrysalis slept on the cold, hard ground, often dwelling in caverns or covered, dark forests.
As she got comfortable, she pulled the covers up over her with a flash of green, finally closing her eyes and welcoming sleep. She could already feel herself growing stronger from even just this little dragon’s love… The Queen grew excited at the thought of the days soon to come—and what a feast she would have.
***
Twilight paced endlessly around her holding place for an indeterminable amount of time—in the pitch black prison she had been thrown into, there was no way to measure time. She had circled the perimeter, carefully measuring it by placing one hoof in front of the other. Thirty hooves tall by approximately twenty-three hooves wide, she calculated, and began thoroughly investigating the walls themselves. To her surprise, the walls were not made of rock as she initially suspected—instead, they appeared to be made of some sort of…organic material with a fair amount of mud mixed in. Whatever it was, it had hardened up and seemed impenetrable.
Over the next long duration of time, Twilight began experimenting with different spells. Spells of strength and fire left no notable damage to the “walls,” and she couldn’t risk any sort of teleportation. She could be a fair distance underground and surrounded by miles of dirt for all she knew, and the Princess herself warned of the dangers of phasing into an occupied space. But still… Her stomach already began to rumble and her thirst only continued to grow. If the time came—and Twilight would know it in her heart if it had—she would attempt the blind teleport.
Please, somepony—anypony… help me…
After another full day—or night, for all she knew—of experimentation, she rolled over onto her side, tears rolling down her soft, soiled cheeks. As she lay there silently, she cast a weak illusory spell upon the ceiling of her prison. Stars shone dimly down upon her and the moon rose into the center of the sky. She smiled faintly, watching her world spin at an accelerated pace above her—even with the quickened pace, the familiarity of the night sky was comforting. Although the softly shimmering cosmos soon faded, she too was able to find sleep under its hopeful light.
***
Zecora was fast approaching Ponyville, although at this point there was no hope in tracking anything. The signs she had been following seemed completely random now, although the Changelings seemed to have split up around this area. She approached a small stream and slowly began to get her fill of water; she had been running for hours on end, and her body began to grow weak. As she raised her head up from the stream, however, she caught a glimpse of a dark creature flitting about in the distance.
She stood in indecision at the edge of the stream, debating on whether or not she should continue in the direction of Ponyville, or to investigate. If this was their nest, knowing its location would be valuable information. Nodding, she leapt over the stream and quietly made her way around the trees and brush, approaching the mysterious creature. As she continued forward, veering farther off the path to Ponyville, she saw a swarm of the Changelings buzzing around an absurdly large structure—it appeared to be some sort of… of a hive, like an insect would create. The one thing she noticed from her inconspicuous location was that this hive of sorts didn’t appear to have any sort of entrance. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that the creatures buzzing around it were mindlessly adding layers upon layers to the exterior, she would have assumed this was more likely to be some sort of cocoon. But for what?
No matter the answer, she knew this did not bode well for the ponies. Anything these mischievous Changelings were apart of certainly had to be bad news—their infamy had reached even Zecora, as a fellow Forest dweller. She turned and snuck back out, tearing off strips of bark from certain trees as she made her way to the path. With these marks and her natural navigation prowess, she was certain she could lead the ponies back here if need be. Leaving additional marks along the way, she once again sped off towards Ponyville to warn her friends before it was too late.