Getting Apple Bloom and her friends - or the Crusaders, as they called themselves - to the hive would be easy. Getting out of Ponyville? Much harder.
Chrysalis pondered this as she bucked the trees and carried the baskets to Applejack and Big Mac. She was getting better at it; almost all the apples fell out of the trees now. Unfortunately, not all of them landed in the baskets, and after the sixth apple nearly hitting her head, she gave up.
There was a certain peace that came with mindlessly doing the chores and farmwork, a quiet stillness found in the comfort of routine. For one who is used to voices buzzing in her head constantly, there is some relief to be found in this. But the loneliness of being away from family - no peace or stillness could make that hurt less. And so she would find a way to return home, apparently with Crusaders in tow.
She tried to think of a plan, a peaceful one. Endless diagrams were scratched in the dirt, only to be rubbed away by a hole-filled black hoof. Various disguises were attempted and scrapped, mainly because the itchy rope tied around her grew or shrunk to fit her no matter what her disguise was. Teleporting was out of the question. She could simply knock out the Apple family, minus Apple Bloom, and escape. But she didn't want to because... because...
Because it would hurt Apple Bloom to know her family was hurt, the same way Chrysalis had been hurt when her family was blasted out of Canterlot.
And because the Apples... they were her hive too, at least for now. Changelings need a hive, she reflected, just like ponies need their "friends." Not that she liked them. Granny Smith often gave her suspicious looks when she passed by, and Big Mac glared and left any room she entered. But Applejack was... was... friendly. And Apple Bloom was so sweet, so innocent - almost... well, she was reminded of Chia and Butterfly, and all the nymphs she'd watched grow over the years.
"Chryssi!" Chrysalis shook her head rapidly. How long had she been standing here, thinking?
"Yes, Apple Bloom?"
"Wanna come meet in the clubhouse?"
What? "Sure, just a minute."
"Chryssi? You goin' somewhere?" Applejack called, trotting over.
"Yeah, we're gonna try to get her a cutie mark!" Sweetie Belle interrupted, giving Chrysalis a 'hurry up' look. "All that stuff about changelings being ponies inspired us, you know?" Chrysalis withdrew and trotted to the clubhouse, trying not to look like she was running.
"Uh- alright, but don't do anything dangerous. Ya'll injured yourselves enough trying to get your own."
"Yeah, yeah, of course!" Sweetie Belle nodded quickly and galloped to the clubhouse. Applejack rolled her eyes and turned back to her work.
The clubhouse was surprisingly well-crafted, and bigger than she'd expected. The four sat in an approximate circle, looking at Chrysalis expectantly.
"Well, for starters, I'm gonna need you to untie me."
Sweetie Belle removed the rope and the magic-inhibiting ring.
"And the- oh, never mind." She flapped her wings, enjoying the buzzing sound. "Alright. Are you sure you want to do this?" They all nodded eagerly. "My hive is in the Badlands, it's very dangerous, not to mention your siblings will kill you if they find out you've been to a hive, and more importantly, that I brought you there. So not a word to anypony, got it? I don't care who you think you can trust - you can't!"
They recoiled a little. Chrysalis realized she was shouting, and hurriedly lowered her voice. "I mean - just don't tell anypony. Please."
Three little heads bobbed in unison.
Chrysalis took a deep breath. "Then let's go." Her horn lit up, creating a flaming green circle around the four of them.
"Um, Chryssi?"
"Please don't interrupt me when I am creating a flame portal," she snapped. A bubble encased them and slowly melted into the ground, bringing them with it.