//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: The Hive // Story: Relationships are Evil // by TheTimeSword //------------------------------// “Actually, I like the idea of not knowing where exactly we’re going. It gives this little field trip a sense of mystery.” The purple alicorn raised an eye brow to Discord’s answer. She sat directly across from him as they rode the train to Dodge City – their final stop before the queen’s home. “Mystery? That’s what I’m hoping to remove by this little field trip,” she firmly replied. He shrugged and shook his head at the same time. “That doesn’t mean it can’t be fun on the way to discovery.” She could not roll her eyes harder if she tried. “I’m about to learn a great deal about the changeling race, the last thing I need right now is fun – and definitely no chaos.” “Glad Pinkie Pie isn’t here, otherwise she’d blow a gasket. Not needing fun? How traitorous,” he said as he stretched his body along the bench he sat upon. “Every time the word changeling is brought up, all you ever say is I want to learn more or we don’t know enough about them. Why don’t you ever want to learn about other races, like for example the draconequus?” “Okay. Tell me about the draconequus’s then,” she replied, sitting forward with a feint curiosity. Discord let out a short chortle with a toothy grin. “You know about as much as I do, unfortunately,” he casually mentioned, waving the suggestion away with his hand. This was the second answer she raised an eye brow to, and this was far more demoralizing than the first. She raised her hoof, motioning to speak, but before the words could leave her throat the changeling returned to the cart with food levitating around her. “Who knew you could get free food when you posed as the Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she said as she sat down next to the real Twilight Sparkle. “It feels nice to be respected for once.” “Even the mimic is having a little fun,” cooed Discord. With a huff, Twilight swiped a doughnut out of the air and went to town, chomping with a big bite and smooshing the glaze against her lips. Crumbs fell to the floor and along the edge of her seat. The two ex-villains watched in disgust as she finished the pastry, her mouth still covered in the sugary treat’s coating. “See? I’m fun!” she said with her mouth full, causing the two to wince. Discord snapped his fingers and a napkin appeared in his hand. He extended his arm and wiped her lips. “You’re a dirty fun little mare, aren’t you?” he said with a chuckle. She quickly slapped his hand away as he finished wiping, her muzzle scrunched up worse than a ball of tossed paper. Her pouty expressions faded as she felt the warm touch of hooves and a gentle nuzzle from the queen’s mouth, who then whispered, “I like them dirty.” Before Twilight could respond, Chrysalis leaned down and licked a bit of glaze that had been missed by Discord, nibbling at Twilight’s lips in the process. This little sensual contact struck a chord with the draconequus, a frown stretched across his face just as quickly as his blushing crossed his cheeks – stirring a snide grin from the changeling. “Chrysalis, please. That’s not appropriate,” the alicorn said with a blush that matched Discord’s. “Oh? Why not?” she asked, though her inflection proved she didn’t care about the answer. Discord groaned and rolled his eyes as he sat up. “It clearly bugs her,” he replied with a low-pitched tone echoing from his throat. The changeling hissed, “What’s the matter Discord? Jealous?” “Of course not – I’d hate to be in your horseshoes right now.” Her face filled with confusion until she noticed the fuming alicorn that sat next to her, staring at her with a blushing contempt that only resounded by her deep grimace. Chrysalis let out a nervous chuckle as she became locked with the piercing eyes of the alicorn, shooting her like daggers through the heart. She wanted to turn her gaze back to the draconequus just to see his giddy reaction, but feared what the mare would do if she did. “Public displays of affection -” Twilight broke the silence, “- are NOT okay when a dating relationship has not been established. We are NOT dating, and so that is unacceptable.” “Oh,” the changeling meekly replied, feigning a smile. “Of course, my apologies Twilight. It was just to entice Discord, you understand, don’t you?” The queen’s honesty filled Twilight with a little pride, knowing that an apology would never had happened in the beginning weeks of her reformation. She gave a soft sigh and her frown faded. “Alright, it’s fine. Just keep the jokes and quips to a minimum today,” she replied as she turned her head to Discord. “Both of you.” “Of course – though you seem a bit more stressed than usual,” Chrysalis replied with a choke of concern in her voice. “I’d have to agree, and being the cause of much of your stress I’d say I’m an expert on when you’re overly frazzled,” added Discord. Twilight closed her eyes and began rubbing her temples. “I know, I know. It’s just… This trip is a really big deal for multiple reasons.” Chrysalis and Discord looked at each other with a bit of concern. “Like, what?” they asked in almost perfect unison. “Well, not only is this a test for Chrysalis to see how well she handles herself amongst her own kind, it’s also a test for Discord and myself.” Discord pointed to himself, more confused than ever. “Yes, you’re being tested on how well you can help when asked, even if it’s helping someone you don’t like,” she said, and then after a pause, “Then there’s my test, which is testing my role as a princess – that is to say, bringing a new race into the fold.” She let out a groan and planted a hoof against her face as she remembered the embarrassing memory of the Yak’s from Yakyakistan. It was her hope that the interaction with the changelings would turn out the same way, but without the declaration of war being brought up every few moments. The train eventually came to a stop in Dodge City. The small amount of passengers exited the train, trotting out into the beating sun. It was high noon and not a cloud appeared in the sky over the quaint town, a common occurrence. Chrysalis quickly donned a disguise, morphing into the alicorn’s own sister-in-law. As they exited, Twilight shot a stern glare to the copycat who simply rolled her eyes. “I’d rather not let the local folk know that my hive is so close to their town,” the changeling briefly mentioned. “But why Cadance?” “It holds a fond memory, plus I think I portray her quite well,” she snickered. A white stallion with blue hair sauntered up next to the two. “Three royals roaming a dusty little town in the south? Well, we wouldn’t want the locals to expect anything was up, now would we?” The stallion appeared to be Shining Armor, but his voice was raucous enough to speak volumes of whom he really was. “Really? Both of you? At this point, I may as well transform into my niece.” A groan left Twilight’s lips as they made their way through the town. Ponies stopped and stared at the trio, whispering amongst themselves or smiling and waving. They remained unusually undisturbed as they passed through and pressed on towards the swamps that bordered the east. That is, until a certain sheriff called out to the posse of supposed royals. The brown haired, mustached stallion rushed out of his office and up to the group. “Well howdy howdy. It sure is a rare sight to see some of the fanciful in our lil’ town. I must welcome you all to our humble little portion of Equestria, along with welcomin’ you back, now Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The sheriff took off his hat and placed it against his chest as he greeted the trio. “Sheriff, it’s wonderful to see you again, and on better terms. We’re actually just passing through for the moment, heading over to the Hayseed Swamps.” “I’m not sure why the blazes you’re heading down into the swamps, but I feel as though I should warn you they are off limits due to their rough and tumble nature.” “Well, we appreciate your concern, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.” He gave a nod, understanding the power she held as an alicorn. “I’d figure that to be true, however I cannot simply let you three go in without a guide, as that would be against my better judgement. If somethin’ were to happen to any of you while you were within my designation, well, I cannot fathom the consequences.” Before Twilight could decline his involvement, the disguised changeling stepped forward and said, “It’s a horribly hot day, why don’t you go get some lemonade?” His eyes widened as he struggled to maintain his specific vernacular, eventually snapping back to his role. “I see you three are well equipped. Have a wonderful day,” he said as he turned and quickly walked away. Twilight furrowed her brows as she asked, “What just happened?” She looked at the disguised draconequus – who simply shrugged – and then to the changeling. “Did you notice that?” The disguised queen smiled her pink lips at Twilight and then motioned to continue walking. As they exited the antiquated town she tentatively explained, “Sheriff Silverstar is actually a changeling – that was a code phrase I used to let him know who I was.” “What? How? When?” stammered the alicorn, surprised by the admission. “Here’s a little secret for you, Dodge City is changeling controlled. Has been since we started building it. We replace the sheriff every so often with another changeling, and he prevents swamp access. We can’t have ponies discovering our little secret, after all.” “Yes, you absolutely need to guard from ponies coming into your wonderful little swamp,” Discord sarcastically remarked. Chrysalis ignored his insult as they reached the overgrown border to the swampland. Her disguise burned away in a green fire, reverting back to her regular appearance. “Try not to get left behind Discord, it would be such a shame to lose you in these muddied grounds.” Within a second he had already transformed, a tan vest with many pockets strapped onto his chest and a large brown hat covered his head. “Worry not, I shall lead the way,” he said as a machete appeared in his hand. He made quick work of the terrain’s muck and foliage, allowing the trio to enter the Hayseed Swamps with little obstacles. She simply rolled her eyes at the sight of his adventurous inquisition. “At least he’s useful for something,” she whispered within Twilight’s earshot, getting a giggle from the alicorn in response. Discord lead the two through the vines and shrubbery that entangled the mud-filled soil. The deeper they went into the swamp, the less light shined through the canopy above. Strange animal noises Twilight had never heard echoed amongst the trees. She slowly felt the unease of the darkness creeping upon her, but it did not last, as they eventually reached a clearing in the swamp. “I assume this is it,” Discord reckoned as he cut the last of the vines that blocked their path. A nauseating smell emanated from the clearing where white pillars of stone jutted from the ground. Shin high water surrounded the pillars in pools, and in the middle of them all laid the tallest, largest pillar. It was the size of the town hall in Ponyville and contained many open holes large enough for a pony to enter. The warm, humid air made it just as hard to breathe as the accompanying smell. Discord snapped a gas mask into existence and shoved it on his snout. “You know, I was joking last time, but you really don’t need to guard this place,” he said whilst gagging. Clouds of smoke bellowed out of the smaller pillars, giving the area a smell of copper and tar. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t smell inside,” the queen replied as her wings began to buzz. She then flew towards the main pillar with the two quickly following behind, hoping she was right. They entered a hole near the top of the large, white pillar and glided down until they reached at flat surface where a cave lead them deeper down into the earthen caverns. The smell slowly faded and was replaced with a hot, dusty air. Brightly lit gems of teal, larger than Chrysalis and Discord combined, guided the way through the cavern as it twisted and turned. A generous walk finally gave way to the changeling hive. It was an open pit from where they stood, walkways and side paths all leading every which way, and little nooks built into the sides of the dark brown dirt walls. The ground at the very bottom of the pit was lit up by the same type of stone from the tunnel. Changelings of varying looks buzzed around the hive, entering the nooks that seemed to hold beds and random assortments of items – some had more some had less. “This is incredible!” Twilight exclaimed, surprised to see such a well maintained civilization. Her yell caused all the changelings to cease what they were doing and look up at the alicorn. “Oops,” she softly uttered once she realized they were all concentrating on her. The hive’s inhabitants stirred with a panic, rising up to greet the intruder with violence – only to stop short as the queen approached Twilight’s side. They quickly formed into position, over a hundred changelings by Twilight’s quick count, all saluting their leader. Chrysalis stood proud and pointed to herself before speaking loudly to the mass, “I have returned with company, my dear children. Please be on your best behavior and clean this place up while we’re here, I will be giving them the grand tour of our delightful little home.” In an instant the gathering buzzed off and began meticulously working to clean the cavernous pit below. Twilight scratched her head, surprised by how well the changelings obeyed their ruler. “Why did you tell them to clean? I’m here to see how you all live in an ordinary life, it won’t be ordinary if everything is being tidied,” she remarked. “They’d just be staring at you and Discord the entire time if I didn’t give them something to do, and that would be rather awkward. At least you’ll get to see how they work together to complete a goal,” Chrysalis explained. Discord finally spoke up after mumbling to himself during the encounter, “Wasps!” The two mares looked at the draconequus, confused by his outburst. He quickly wrapped his arm around the queen’s neck and said, “I always thought you were more of a bee, being the whole queen bee thing, but bees don’t live in the ground – some wasps do! I think…” Through gritted teeth, Chrysalis asked, “And why does it matter?” He gave a delightful smile as he replied, “I can insult you with the correct slurs now that I know exactly what type of insect you are!” The queen turned and shoved him, angrily snarling at the same time. “You are in MY domain now! I suggest you keep that tongue at the back of your throat otherwise I’ll cut it off!” she snapped at him. Quickly rushing between the two, Twilight whispered, “Discord, don’t provoke Chrysalis! We are a guest in her home and we are here to learn!” With a roll of his eyes and a cross of his arms, he muttered, “Fine, fine. I’ve got what I wanted anyways.” He then began walking down the path into the pit. “Since I’m a guest I may as well make myself comfortable!” Chrysalis turned to Twilight and groaned, “If he breaks anything, I’m holding you responsible.” ~*~*~*~*~*~ The two mares stood in an antechamber at the bottom of the hive. The giant teal gem glowed behind them, illuminating the hefty door that blocked their way. Two changelings that were decked in shoddy armor quickly pushed open the stone doors, granting access to the queen and the alicorn. To Twilight’s surprise, the chamber was half the size of the Canterlot throne room – and much dirtier. “This is where you live; your room?” Twilight questioned as she entered, staring up at the ceiling that sparkled from hundreds of tiny teal stones. Shelves and chests lined the sides of the room, filled to the brim with unique things or ordinary objects most ponies would consider to be trash. In the middle of it all, against the back wall, there was a bed. It was twice the size of any bed Twilight had ever seen before and the darkest shade of green she had ever witnessed. “Home sweet home,” Chrysalis replied. She walked past the alicorn and over to the bed. Twilight slowly followed behind, taking a turn to get the full breath of the room. She stopped once she felt the softness of the purple rug that stretched out from the bed, surprised by something so tender being used in the dark, damp depths of the earth. “It’s quite amazing, your room, your city, your kind. I’ve never seen anything like it.” “You mean you’ve never seen anybody live in a cave with dirt walls before?” the changeling sassed, demeaning herself for the sake of the joke – she could do that as long as Discord wasn’t around to hear. The alicorn meandered around, looking at the objects of the room. Trunks were battered and bruised, paint peeling from the edges. Bookshelves were chipped and some had warped – possibly from rain. Even the rug had threads torn and edges cut. The only thing that remained intact seemed to be the bed Chrysalis sat upon. It wasn’t just the furniture she noticed, it was the items as well. Books were well worn, possibly missing pages, and had damaged covers. A few stuffed toys had missing buttons or even ligaments. She opened one of the chests and a shadeless broken lamp was the first thing that sat atop the other junk. Underneath were a random assortment of clothes, magazines, and random knickknacks. Something caught her eye, causing her to reach in and pull out a golden cane with her face plastered at the top. “How in the world…” her voice trailed off. “Yes, yes, go through all of my things, I won’t stop you,” Chrysalis remarked from the bed. Twilight quickly dropped it back in and closed the chest. “Sorry, just looking around. You sure do collect a lot of unique things.” “I figured that’s what you were doing,” she replied with a grin. “I know, I know. A queen should have more treasure, but I can’t take everything my subjects bring in – they deserve to have things of their own.” Treasure? Wow, thought Twilight, cringing at the idea of calling this stuff anything other than garbage. She meandered her way back over to Chrysalis and stood in front of the bed. She noted how clean it looked for being in a cave. The changeling queen motioned for her to sit atop the cushioned spread, to which she complied. “So, there’s a lot less changelings here than I expected, especially for the amount of… goodies, you’ve collected. Why do they collect these random things?” Chrysalis’s face soured for a moment, only to fade to a happy smile as she got up and trotted over to a chest. “Whenever they’re out collecting love they sometimes come back with something they like. If I like it, I take it, one of the perks of being queen I suppose.” She levitated a comic out and brought it back over to the bed. “This one is my absolute favorite!” A stallion with red dreadlocks appeared to be on the cover with Mane-iac, the two wildly firing lasers with the caption ‘Love is Hairy’ written in bold just above their heads. Twilight raised an eyebrow and then looked up at the elated changeling. “Yes, well, you should bring it back with us then. We’ll have to make a day out of just reading comics,” Twilight tried to pacify the queen, hoping they could move on to learning more about her species. Chrysalis frowned and her brow sagged, as if she was insulted. “Well, why don’t we read it right now?” Twilight could tell she looked hurt, but knew they couldn’t waste time on anything other than learning. She had to think of a way to wiggle out of it without hurting the changeling’s feelings even more. Luckily for her, she had brought her trump card and didn’t even know it. The stone doors of the room gusted open, followed by the laughter of an ecstatic draconequus. “There you two are!” he called out, causing the queen to scrunch her muzzle. “This place is amazing!” “You’re… enjoying yourself?” Twilight asked as she stepped off the bed. She noticed he wore a beret between his horns as he came closer. He grabbed the pink head ornament and shoved it in front of the alicorn’s face. “Absolutely! These insects have been collecting trash all over Equestria for centuries, a millennia! Maybe even years!” “Trash?” Chrysalis’s face soured at the description. “This beret was actually mine! I thought I had lost it when I was sealed away in stone the first time, but it seems it has been here, safely held by a changeling!” He then flipped the hat upside down and showed the inside. “Look, it’s even got my name embroidered on it so I could find it again!” With white needle work the inside read ‘Disharmony A. Cordial’. Twilight’s brow furrowed as she read the embroidery. “Your name isn’t just Discord? I had no idea. Though, cordial isn’t how I’d describe you, that’s for sure.” “How dare you! I am nothing but cordial!” he said with a huff as he placed the beret back atop his head. “Did you steal that from one of my changelings? You can’t just take things, even if they did belong to you originally!” Chrysalis growled, she was tired of his antics – and him in general. He simply shook his head and said, “No, that’s the best part! They’re all willing to trade their items for other junk! It’s like one big flea market, and I don’t even mean the bug pun for once!” He squeezed his face with his hands and did a little twirl. “I am so happy I agreed to come along!” “Wait, they just trade you their items? Is that a common thing for ponies?” Chrysalis looked to Twilight for answers, hoping for something. “Discord is technically right, there are markets where you can trade things or spend bits. It’s common, especially in small towns like Ponyville. Have you never thought to ask your changelings about what they saw whenever they were among my kind?” She was surprised that Chrysalis didn’t know something about her changelings – she didn’t expect much, but she did expect her to know all about her own species. Chrysalis placed her hoof against her chin, contemplating the last time she asked her servants anything. “Well, it’s rather uncommon for me to be at the hive nowadays, I rarely have time to debrief any of my minions when I am here.” The alicorn frowned at the answer, finally coming to terms of what she must do. “Discord, I’ve got a job for you,” she said as she stared him directly in the eyes. He stiffened and then saluted, his beret titled against his horns. “Keep Chrysalis company, I don’t want her leaving this room,” she commanded, to which he gave a nod. “Wait, what? Where are you going?” the changeling called out as she attempted to follow Twilight to the door, only to be blocked by Discord. “I’m going to learn!” she ambiguously yelled back as the stone doors closed behind her. Chrysalis stood slack jawed for a moment, only to shift her focus to the militarized draconequus. “So, uh… Nice hat?” His eyes slanted as he chided her, “It’s a beret.” ~*~*~*~*~*~ Twilight had already climbed half way up the paths of the pit, unable to find any changeling that would give her the time of day. She passed many off-shoots to what she assumed were tunnels to other parts of the hive, but first she needed a guide – and an unbiased one at that. As she passed one of the nooks, she bore witness to several changelings crowding around another, cheering and giggling. Every nook was open to the rest of the pit, and so it didn’t take long for the small crowd to notice the alicorn. They quickly scattered, buzzing back to their own nooks and staring at the alicorn from a distance. All but two had fled – the one who the crowd had been focusing on, and one who had been part of the crowd. She calmly approached the two leftovers and noticed the one was holding a toy – the ball in a cup game, something most foals grew tired of quickly. A small giggle left her throat as she smiled and drew closer to the two, then she asked, “Let me guess, you traded Discord?” The two were immediately startled by the voice, quickly turning to see who it was – but not before the one on the right hid the toy behind his back. “Don’t be frightened, I’m not here to hurt you or take it away.” “W-Who are you?” the one on the left asked. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, I’m friends with your queen,” she answered. “You’re friends with the queen!?” the one on the right asked with disbelief, and then followed up with, “Uh, what’s a friend?” The question shocked Twilight – it had never occurred to her how little changelings knew of the pony world. “Well, uh,” she hesitated, trying to think of how to explain friendship. “A friend is someone you enjoy spending time with and be there for both the good and the bad.” The one on the right turned to the one on the left and said, “Does that mean we’re friends, Timber?” Timber responded in kind, “I guess so Toy, we spend a lot of time together.” “Timber and Toy, huh? I never expected those to be names for changelings,” Twilight remarked aloud. Toy shook his head and then said, “Actually, those are just nicknames. I’m Cltholothorp and he’s Zentoonl.” Twilight stood blank faced, trying her hardest not to laugh. Well I certainly wasn’t expecting that either, she thought. Why can’t they have more normal names like Applejack, Shining Armor, or Rainbow Dash? So absurd. Once her silent laughter simmered she greeted them by their nicknames, “Well, I’m just going to call you Timber and Toy if that’s alright. Where did you get those nicknames, anyway?” “Tim here likes trees and wood,” Toy replied. “Toy likes toys,” Timber added. He then turned to Toy and said, “Show her your new toy!” The changeling lifted his hoof from behind his back, the ball dangling on a string from the side of the cup. He attempted to toss the ball into the cup, only to have it miss. He did this for a few times before finally managing to get it in. The two changelings stomped their hooves in excitement, as if it was the greatest thing they had ever seen – and it probably was. “Very… nice,” she praised, to which the changelings smiled big. “I don’t suppose I could pry you away from your new excitement to have you help me, could I?” “Sure!” Toy enthusiastically replied. “What do you need help with?” “Well, I need to be shown around your hive, I need to see everything that I can so that I may better understand how you all operate. Even if it’s bad or secretive, I need to see it,” she explained, hoping they would guide her. Timber playfully pounced around her and said, “We can do that! Do you want to meet everyone else too?” She gave a nervous chuckle to the suggestion. “I’m not sure I could meet thousands of you in a day and still be able to remember all your names – but maybe just a few, okay?” The two changelings looked at each other and then back to the alicorn. “Thousands? There’s barely two hundred of us,” corrected Toy. While the pit of changelings looked large enough to hold thousands from Twilight’s perspective, she did expect to see more. To Discord’s credit, she had imagined the place to be like an actual beehive, one where thousands of thousands made honey – or in this case, mimicked ponies. She thought back to the Canterlot invasion, surely there were more than just two hundred. “Less than two hundred, huh?” she mused for a moment. “Were you two there when you changelings invaded Canterlot? It was during a wedding.” They both nodded to the question, to which she then asked, “Weren’t there more of you during the invasion?” Toy’s eyes sagged as he frowned. “No. That was pretty much all of us. We had more in the beginning, but… That was a long time ago.” It was then Twilight realized she hadn’t asked the most important question, not to them, and definitely not to Chrysalis. “Where did you all come from?” They both scratched their heads and shrugged. Toy then said, “The queen used to tell the story of how we arrived here, but it’s been so long I don’t even remember. You should ask her.” She gave a gentle nod and muttered, “Oh, I shall.” She then turned back to face the rest of the pit, noting how most of the changelings still stared at her from a distance. “Now, how about that tour?” They quickly rushed to her side and began pulling her in different directions, up and down, and all around the hive. Most of the other changelings stayed their distance, but a few reluctantly met the alicorn princess. Amongst the nooks were a few access tunnels that led to other parts of the hive, one caught Twilight’s attention almost immediately. A room as large as Chrysalis’s bedroom held a machine that was too foreign for Twilight to discern what it could be. “What is this thing?” she simply asked, staring up at the green glass that was held by the metal walls of the contraption. It was large enough to reach the ceiling with two tubes on both sides, connecting to panels next to the apparatus. “This is our love machine! We put a pony inside and then drain their love!” Timber excited explained, his inflection felt like a foal who was describing a drawing they made. “D-Does it harm the pony? Why would you even need something like this?” Toy unsubtly leaned to Timber and whispered in his ear. Timber quickly frowned and shook his head, then turned his focus back to Twilight. “Uh, I’m not sure I’m supposed to be actually showing you this,” he said. Twilight rolled her eyes and replied, “Probably not, but Chrysalis was going to have to show me this eventually.” She trotted up to the machine and began studying the buttons and knobs. “Now, I’ll ask again, do you know if this hurts the pony? How much love does it drain?” “I don’t think it hurts the pony, they kind of just sit there – though I think that’s because of the paralyzation,” Timber replied. And then, after a pause, “We uh – me and Toy don’t actually work with the love machine.” “All we know is what we’ve seen whenever Chrysalis brings in one of your kind. She’s the only one allowed to bring in someone from the outside. When she does, some of the weakers get to feast on the love it gives,” Toy explained. Well, that’s horrifying, she thought to herself. This ominous machine is giving me the heebie-jeebies. She quickly backed out of the room with the two changelings and moved on to the next piece of the hive. After traveling through the main room, they walked down a corridor that held cages large enough for a pony to stand in. There weren’t more than five by her count, but she thought it strange they were there in the first place. The room they were walking to was much larger than any of the previous, except for that of the main chamber. Though the room was vast, it held little. A simple set of cushiony looking chairs, and in the middle was a large crystal ball atop a pylon. She slowly approached the orb, examining the purple, cloudy surface that the glass held. She looked back to see if the two changelings were beside her, only to see they held awkwardly by the door. “Aren’t you two coming?” she called out. They shook their heads. “We’re not allowed in here unless Queen Chrysalis allows it,” Timber answered. She turned her attention back to the ball, knowing they wouldn’t be any help understanding what it was even if they were allowed in. “This must be how she spied on me,” she whispered to herself, tapping the crystal with her hoof. “Maybe it’s voice activated? Show me Discord,” commanded the alicorn, but to no avail. She shrugged and then said, “Alright, show me Princess Celestia.” Purple coloring shifted, but nothing appeared in the reflection of the ball. She let out a groan of frustration, knowing she would have to get Chrysalis to show her this as well. Just before she gave up, a voice called out from the entrance, “Put your hoof on it! See if that works!” She turned to see who had said that, only to witness the gathering of changelings that appeared behind Toy and Timber, mostly those she had already met and a few curious onlookers. “Okay,” she muttered, hoping they would be right. She placed her hoof on the crystal and said, “Show me Shining Armor.” It whirled for a brief moment, only to fail once more. A frown formed across her face, and out of frustration she yelled, “Show me anything!” Finally, the purple clouds shifted and whirled, parting in the middle to reveal a purple dragon cooking a batch of cookies. Spike? Why in Equestria, she thought, confused as to why it would show him. She shook her head and stepped down, waltzing back over to the changelings. They all cheered as she approached, causing even more confusion for the young alicorn. “Nobody is allowed to use that except Queen Chrysalis! You’re amazing!” one of them yelled. “Yes, well, speaking of Chrysalis, I need to get back to her. She’s got a lot of explaining to do,” Twilight mentioned. Toy rushed to her side and began to whine, “But you haven’t even met Bone yet! He’s the coolest!” Many of the other changelings nodded in agreement to his comment. “Alright, I’ll meet him and then head back to your queen’s room,” she replied. A smile crossed her face as Toy and Timber cheered, along with the other changelings that now seemed to congregate around her. They walked to a special little nook that was near the top of the pit, off the main path and out of the way from any other outcropping. The changeling inside was busy shoving his face into a basket of clothing as Twilight walked up with Toy and Timber, the other changelings already disbanding from her side. Toy yelled the changeling’s name to get his attention, “Bone!” Bone quickly shot his head up, clothes flying up with it. He turned his attention to the trio, immediately stopping at the sight of the alicorn. His mouth fell agape as he stared at Twilight, blush appeared across his muzzle – something Twilight had never actually seen on a changeling. “You alright, Bone?” Timber asked, to which he got no response. Twilight took a moment to look around the little nook, noticing that there were not in fact any bones as his name suggested. Instead, posters and drawings of ponies lined the walls, all mares and all in compromising positions. It was then she noticed that the clothing basket he had been busy with was not just filled with a random assortment of clothing, but with specific frilly garments. She began to blush harder than Bone, finally realizing where his nickname came from. “I think she’s broken too,” Toy replied as he waved a hoof in front of her face. She eventually snapped back to reality as she caught a certain drawing in her peripherals. Her focus turned and stared at the picture. “I-Is… Is this me?” she questioned aloud, noting the multi-colored purple mane, violet fur, and starry cutie mark. The mare in the picture sat with her rump towards the viewer, a book conveniently placed as a censor. At the bottom of the page, a name was written in red ink. “Does that say…? Fluttershy!?” Levitating the drawing off the wall, she quickly folded it and placed it under her wing – her face red with embarrassment. This caused Bone to snap out of his stupor and yell, “Hey, you can’t just take that!” With a groan, she rolled her eyes – knowing full well she could just zap the changeling unconscious. Instead, she asked, “Can I trade you something for it, then?” “Uh,” he stammered, still slightly stupefied. “W-What do you have to trade?” Taking into account the room and the suggestive posters in it, she decided something his style would be an easy trade. “How about a kiss on the cheek? That sound good?” “A kiss!?” Timber and Toy yelled from behind. “Told you Bone was the coolest!” one of them yelled. Bone didn’t hesitate to answer, “Deal!” The two changelings watched as Twilight leaned in and gave him a big smooch on the cheek – to which he immediately swooned and flopped to the ground. She let out a giggle and murmured, “Rarity’s not going to believe this.” She then turned and walked past Toy and Timber who stood bewildered. Before they went to follow her, Timber leaned into Toy’s ear and whispered, “Why’d he like that?” “Kissing transfers love! He just got her to give him love for free! Bone’s the coolest!” Toy eagerly replied, then tapped Bone on the head. “Hey, you okay? Bone? Bone?” ~*~*~*~*~*~ “Does this mean the tour is over?” Timber said with a depressed inflection. “Yes, I’m sorry, but it is,” replied the alicorn. “But since you two were such big helps, you deserve a reward.” She gave them both a kiss on the cheek, causing the rest of the hive – who were watching from above – to cheer and holler at the presents. The two guards were awkwardly staring at her with mouths agape before finally realizing they had to let her in – possibly wishing that it had been them instead. They quickly pushed open the stone doors to Chrysalis’s room. She slowly trotted in and raised a questioning brow to the two ex-villains that sat upon the bed. To her surprise, they hadn’t killed each other. “Okay, now roll a d-twenty.” Twilight slowly came upon Discord and Chrysalis, a splayed roll of paper sat in front of them with strange figures propped atop. Discord gently rolled a die and then yelled, “Natural twenty!” Chrysalis immediately cheered in response. “What in the world is going on here?” Twilight yelled as she trotted up next to the bed. “Twilight! Chrysalis is teaching me to play this wonderful game called Ogres and Oubliettes! It’s just as chaotic as me!” he squealed. “Though, I don’t like the rules or strategizing very much.” He lifted the sheet next to him and eyeballed it. “He’s a natural! I swear if I ever get a group together Discord will be in it for sure,” the changeling said, as if to commend the draconequus. The alicorn stood there, slack jawed and befuddled, trying to comprehend the two getting along. The two ex-villains looked to her expectantly, waiting for her to speak. “Well, uh, I’d hate to break your little game up, but I’m mostly done here,” she mentioned as she scratched the back of her neck. “Aww, well that’s okay. Since we’re here I’ll make sure to pack up some of my stuff before we head back to Ponyville,” Chrysalis replied as she hopped off the bed. “Did you find out everything you needed?” She rubbed her forehead and said, “No, I could use some explanations though. For starters, that machine that eats love and the crystal ball that spies on ponies. After that, you could explain why your changelings go by nicknames, or where you came from – since none of them seem to know.” The queen stopped in her place, either surprised by the amount of requests or what the requests were about. She then continued with her task, levitating a dusty bag out of a chest and stockpiling papers, collectibles, and books into the satchel. After finishing, she tossed the bag onto the bed and turned to face the patient alicorn. “The machine is meant to drain a pony’s love, and allow my weaker soldiers to absorb it. It’s for those who cannot leave the hive, for them to survive. No, the victim is not harmed – I know that was your next question. They’re in a comatose state during the process.” Discord shifted his beret, watching in silence as the queen continued. “The crystal ball is used to spy on ponies who are a thorn in my side – mostly you these days. That’s how I found your brother, and most of my other victims.” She paused for a moment, deliberating to herself before she continued, “As for the third, what was it? Nicknames? I have no idea what you’re talking about, honestly.” “What about the forth?” Twilight replied, a serious inclination in her tone. “We came from a land far away where a witch cursed our race. She forced us to consume love in order to live. At the time we had thousands of us, but when we could not absorb love, nor knew what it was, our flames started extinguishing. I led my people across the sea here, to Equestria, where we’ve spent time just trying to survive,” she explained, placing a hoof against her forehead as she told the tragic tale. “Oh, I-I’m so sorry,” Twilight replied, shocked by the revelation. “It is alright, it is not a story I enjoy telling.” A single tear dripped from Chrysalis’s eye, to which she quickly wiped away. Discord rose from the bed and said, “Yes, Twilight. Don’t give her any sympathy – mostly because she’s lying.” The two mares stood with mouths agape, surprised by Discord’s bluntness. “I’m the Lord of Chaos, you can’t lie to me, lies are chaos in audible form,” he added with a smug grin. The queen grimaced as Twilight yelled, “How dare you lie to me, tug on my heart strings! I am trying to help you! Have you been lying to me this whole time!?” Chrysalis gritted her teeth, her muscles tensing up. “You want to know the real story? Fine. The truth is I’m a terrible leader and lost thousands of changelings within the first forty days of being brought into this sickening world.” Twilight glanced at Discord who gave a nod, confirming she wasn’t lying, and then asked, “How?” “We awoke in a swamp, contained in green pods, in a far away land. There were thousands of us, all breaking out at once. I spent the first ten days trying to get to know every single one of my fellow changelings – a lot of them I grew to care for. After forty days, thousands began to perish. We all felt sickly. We tried to eat food – or what seemed like food – but it didn’t help, we needed something more.” “But it’s not your fault. You didn’t know you needed love, did you?” Chrysalis shook her head. “No, but I was largest so I was named the leader. Our numbers dwindled to about six hundred, and by that time I had lost many that I grew fond of. We finally discovered you ponies, but our first interaction had screams of terror involved. When we learned we could transform into copies of your kind it became clear what we were meant to do, and since then our hunt for love has been everlasting. Many of my kind never recovered from the lack of love, only living now because we were able to find a way to share it with them. Even then, it was barely enough – a machine was eventually made.” “I see. I think I’ve heard enough,” Twilight replied. “Do you still have the plans for the machine?” The changeling levitated the paper that had been their Ogres and Oubliettes board. “Right here. I always keep it close to what I love, err, so to speak.” Twilight spread the paper into the air, examining the plans that were almost illegibly written on the back. “This is what I need. We should head back to Ponyville so that I can begin making preparations.” “W-What are you going to do?” Chrysalis inquired, worried her lies had gotten her into trouble. “I’m going to save your species.”