Ch.12 "Family Ties"
Chrysalis Wins
Ch.12 “Family Ties”
Amongst the bundle of towels on the floor the queen stirred. It was close to evening of the same day, and she would need to make sure the sun was pushed the rest of the way below the horizon.
It was difficult to force her eyelids open, but force them she would have to. They were her eyelids, and they would obey her, even if the rest of her body was screaming to keep sleeping! But the eyelids felt rebellious and put up a fight. After she struggled for a few moments with that particular piece of anatomy, she won. The defeated sheaths of skin retreated towards her forehead, and stayed where they were told. Hopefully this wouldn’t be a precedent for the rest of the day, or evening technically.
She hadn’t blinked more than once or twice when-
“QUEEEN, QUEEN, QUEEEEEN, QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!”
It was Colony, her mental message sounded more desperate than alert. The mood started to strike the queen with severe annoyance, and she growled. There were going to be a lot more ponies put in cocoons if it was as bad as Colony was making it out, though that was assuming she’d had the strength to actually put them in cocoons.
“Coming…”
Chrysalis replied, and she hoped that would stop the mental barrage. It wasn’t that she didn’t plan on returning as a soon as possible, she just needed to collect a little energy first. Changeling relations were established with the crystal ponies, and some vanguard would be here to collect any useful information.
“My queen, I believe something important has been discovered.”
Shade had popped his head in through the doorway, which Chrysalis had never bothered to close before she slept.
“So has Colony… What is it you’ve found Shade?”
The vanguard infiltrator wrinkled his snout, what could Colony have found? He decided to push forward his matter of business, the queen appeared to be in a sour mood.
“It’s the Crystal ponies, many of them have been, changing…”
“Changing?”
“Yes, they started to change after interacting with some parts of the empire. Things like, crystal berries, tiny ewes, and sets of jousting equipment among other things. Once the ponies interacted with these things they changed. It is quite a literal shift from their sullen, dull colors to bright and cheery ones. The smell of their happiness is littering the streets and has frankly become almost intoxicating, I’ve had my hoofs full trying to keep the swarm from feeding on them.”
“Well, that’s good. Tell the swarm that they can feed, so long as they do it lightly. Seems like this empire is full of strange magic indeed.”
The queen managed to raise herself to her hooves. This was the first good bit of news in a while, even helping shake some of her fatigue, maybe this empire would recover faster than she planned.
“Their happiness isn’t the only thing that has returned. Most of them started to remember things as well. Several have noted an important relic was missing, a Crystal Heart. Apparently Sombra hid it.”
“Well that’s all good and dandy, but we need to mobilize to Canterlot. We can chase lost relics later. Just leave a dozen vanguard here, tell the rest of the swarm to feed lightly and meet me in the central square. You have one hour.”
“Right away my queen.”
After a quick nod Shade left to carry out the order. Chrysalis moved out of the messy bathroom, and as she moved she noticed the puppy drool had dried out, which left an unpleasant residue. Her mane was stiff as a board, and her chitin had become dull and waxy. All she managed was to grunt at the inconvenience, Plain Thatch could prepare her another bath. As long as the royal chamber maid wasn’t among the reasons for Colony’s distress.
Chrysalis fed lightly from the crystal ponies that she passed in the hall. Not enough to warrant anything but a few strange looks. If they gave her a particularly uncomfortable glance, she would just say ‘Deep breathing helps me relax’. The ponies would nod their heads in understanding and go back about their business, one of the benefits of naivety
One familiar old mare with giant round glasses approached the queen, and was flanked by a drone, vanguard, and sentinel.
“Your highness, I believe I may have found something useful.”
Chrysalis had become a little more alert at this point, and addressed the older mare with the same unenthused tone she had the others.
“Yes, Ms. Maresbury?”
“This book has a general history of the Crystal Empire. Even as I read it, I started to remember many things. The Crystal Fair in particular, I remember those, and the Crystal Heart. Those were crucial parts to the nature of our empire’s magic. It’s what helped renew the Spirit of Love and unity among us, and protect us from harm.”
The changeling queen forced a smile towards the happy pony, and struggled to not roll her eyes. She was still perceived as their “savior”, and she would keep that image for as long as she could. She struggled not to be snappy as she replied to Amythest.
“One of my vanguard reported something similar, it appears you ponies just need to get familiar with this place again in order to regain your memories. Sadly I can’t help you much more on this matter, as I have important business in the south. However, your escorts will continue to help you as needed, thus feel free to ask them anything.”
“You’re not going to stay your highness?”
The disappointment that flooded from the pony blew past the changelings nearby like a foul breeze. The vanguard, sentinel, and drone wrinkled their snouts in dislike. Chrysalis answered the sad question hurriedly, as she wished the distasteful air to disappear.
“My business is urgent. I’ll return again when I have the time. Just enjoy your lives without Sombra. Go, make happiness, joy, friends, love, and all those good things. Like I said, the changelings are stronger the more positive you ponies are. Just look at us as a surrogate Crystal Heart, until you find the real one.”
“That is fair news, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Farewell Ms. Maresbury.”
“Your highness.”
Amethyst Maresbury left with her assistants, and the large history book was placed on the drone’s back. The drone was already carrying saddle bags full of text, and gave a strained grunt as last bit of weight was added on. It gave a stink eye to both the vanguard and sentinel, but the other two had insisted it was the drone’s job. They were too busy reading or keeping an eye out for danger. The drone rolled it’s eyes, though it was almost impossible to tell, with drone eyes being so blue and featureless.
Chrysalis went to the palace balcony, and readied her wings. No stairs this time, just a simple glide down to the square, where she could patiently wait for the rest of the swarm to gather. She had acquired a decent breakfast from the palace attendants, but not a real power boost. In order to make a portal back, all of the changelings would need to add a little energy to it, rather than just rely on the queen’s magic.
As the queen looked around she saw the evidence of Shade’s and Amethyst’s reports. Several of the crystal ponies had gained a significant amount of color. There were a few food stands, and small sheep running around. Other various pleasantries and cheer making items had been discovered and shared. One good sniff revealed a great deal of change within them.
The crystal ponies witnessed the terror of their old king’s return, only to see him flee, and many had found courage and hope. The queen grinned in approval, this may be a profitable venture yet.
---
Meanwhile, a littler earlier in Canterlot…
If a changeling could sweat through their chitin, Colony would. Instead she merely hyperventilated. Her blue eyes flashed frequently as she gave sporadic mental commands to the drones in the city. Almost all of the sentinels and vanguard had left with the queen, which left Colony with a force that consisted mostly of drones to keep things orderly.
Almost immediately after the queen left with the militant section of the swarm, a number of ponies acted suspiciously. Colony cursed under her breath now.
“Festering cod flies, why did the queen have to be so public with her exit!”
The head of the drones stood in front of the palace gates, along with a few vanguards, and a large bundle of drones, which flew about. On the other side of the occupied street was a large crowd of ponies. All of the furry equines had scowls of anger written deep on their faces. A number of them stomped their hooves brashly.
“We want Applejack back!”
Cried the cantankerous voice of Granny Smith, the rest of the apple family riled up in agreement. Along with Apple Bloom and Big Mac, most of the extended family had come, including the Oranges. All of them were, understandably fired up, given that one of their own had been unjustly imprisoned. Apples stick together, no matter the weather.
“You also took one of the Pies, and we want her back”
Pie family and relatives had also shown up in large numbers. Unicorns from Twilight’s and Rarity's families approached the gates and all voiced their discontent. An older rainbow maned stallion pegasus hovered in the air and threateningly beat his hooves together, actually creating small sparks of electricity between them.
Many more ponies voiced that a member of their family was a part of the guard, and they wanted to see them.
Dozens of upset family members slowly advanced, closer and closer to the gates. Colony gulped, she was a task manager, not a changeling that dealt with riots and other potentially violent situations. That’s what the vanguard and sentinels were for.
The ponies were only a few strides away now, and Colony could almost feel the heat of their breath. She had to do something to get them to back off, after drawing several blanks; she went with the first idea that popped in her head.
Colony flew behind the wall, so she would be obscured from the angry mob’s line of sight.
Green fire swirled around the head drone and her form grew in height. Her transparent insect wings gained feathers, a long flowing mane and tail replaced the fin-like appendages. On the other side of the wall stood a great white alicorn, and mock Celestia wore a stern face.
She rounded the wall, and opened the gates. Her eyes flashed blue towards the other changelings before she addressed the crowd. It felt quite different, to look at equines at this height. Colony almost felt powerful, despite the bluff.
“Order! My little ponies!”
When Celestia’s form had opened the gates there was a ragged gasp through the crowd. Some of the ponies immediately stopped their protest and dove into a bow, many followed suit. Others were caught off guard, but stared suspiciously. A few were not buying it at all.
“Be calm ponies, and do not worry. The new queen is organizing things as I speak. Your family members are in no danger.”
Mock Celestia’s voice had sounded flawless, just like the real thing, but a few other details were lacking. First off she didn’t have any of the royal regalia on, no crown or hoof shoes. The hair was right, but Colony had forgotten one obvious detail while conjuring the form, the cutie mark…
“Celestia’s not a blank flank! It’s a changeling in disguise!”
“Oh molt flakes…”
The crowd boiled over, and rushed forward. Colony and the changelings in front of the gates soon found themselves trampled upon. The flood of angry equines bowled over the insectile guards with their sheer mass, and ran through the open gates.
The light purple pegasus stallion with rainbow mane dashed through the air, and outmaneuvered the drones that tried to block him. He easily nailed a few of them with a good quick hoof here and there, which dropped them from the sky.
A mob of angry ponies successfully entered the castle grounds, where many more drones appeared to oppose them. But the crowd wouldn’t be stopped.
Mock Celestia lay on the ground and groaned. Dirty hoof prints left impressions up and down the tall body. Several feathers lay in a scattered mess around the not-so-regal form. Green fire melted the disguise away and the smaller Colony struggled to get up.
“Queen, queen, queeeeen, queeeeeeeeeeeeen!”
She shot the mental message to the queen. Things had really gotten out of hoof. Before the drone in charge could fully raise her head from the ground, a small set of hooves shoved her face back into the dust and cobble stone.
“That’s for mah sister!”
Apple Bloom yipped, and she jumped off of Colony’s head. The drone growled and lifted her head again, only for it to be shoved down again.
“That’s for my sister!”
Squeaked Sweetie Belle, and she jumped off Colony’s head. The drone hesitated to lift her head, and wondered whether it would be worth it. Maybe she should just stay down, but these were fillies, she could handle fillies. Colony strained her neck for the third time to-
“Cutie Mark Crusader Rebel Rousers YAY!”
Scootaloo repeatedly jumped up and down on Colony’s head. The task manager, turned riot manager found her snout buried deeply between two cobble stones.
“Rainbow Dash isn’t technically my sister, but she’s close enough….Also I want to feel included so, EAT DIRT CHANGELING!”
She did not attempt to get up again…
For fun 
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5901712
yep lol, this fic ain't even close to being done. The other part of the premise is i want to continue it with what pops up in season 5, and a scheduled season 6. I still have a alot of catching up to do
well that was quick. with more the entirety of the apple family there, chrysalis is........
wait. pie family. tht would mean both big mac and maud is.........
whelp that was a very short rule for the changelings.......... i would mean that as a joke, but seriously, the apple family are seem to be nortorious for theri strength and family devotion. a changeling queen, hell not even discord, would sway them.
and maud pie is probably already smashing through solid walls looking for pinkie pie.
even if chrysalis was not weakened right now, i doubt she could handle dozens of earth ponies hell bent of rescuing their own, especially with big mac and a likely very, very cross maud pie in the group........
also maybe twilight's mom........ shrugs. not sure. always had the thought that the magic thing came from their mother for some reason.
Well this is going to be fun
Hope for Chrysalis' sake that the prisoners are well hidden and protected before she arrives, otherwise her reign will be short lived...
Also, Colony should've had an extra whiffer of Celestia before transforming. Maybe that way his rouse would've worked...
Question will everyone get capture or will Queen Crysalis and her consol make a negotiate to release the mane six if they promise not to set foot on canterloot because a good leader has to make a good chose and nobody wants a war. I hope this edvise helps you unless you have a plan set up but you could use it if you want.
To the author.
5902120 considering there are several dozen of the most superhuman of the pony breeds running in, including maud pie more than likely, i doubt she is gonna be able to retake the city from them.
especially if she draws maud's attention. even if she wasn't weakened, likely having to repel giant shards of castle being flung at your would really burn through them love calories.
5902097 Don't count the changelings out just yet.
Yes, things are looking bad right now but Chrysalis wouldn't risk leaving a small force behind without there being some back-up plan. Changelings are known to be sneaky. The only chance Colony and the remaining changelings have right now is keeping the ponies away from the prisoners until their queen returns.
And by the looks of things, that's going to be a challenge of 'Tirek' levels
5902120
awwww, but those are spoiler questions
, I definitely appreciate your iquiries and suggestions. They help give me a alternate perspectives on the way things can play out. 
I am excitedly writing the next chapter, dis gonna be fun
Capitalize Colony.
was making it out
Capitalize Shade.
Capitalize Colony.
HA!
Oh right, the family members. That could end up being a problem. At least they don't know where the dungeons are... right?
5902161 I actually agree with most of the things you said, except for the danger of the earth ponies. Because there's one thing the changelings can do to instantly render the earth ponies useless. Lift them into the air. No traction, no strength, no nothing.
And while Maud could burrow through the castle, I don't know if she'd risk collapsing said castle on her sister in the process.
5902294 you mean get the changelings directly within range of the hooves that can bust down trees and crack stone?
5902299 Well yeah, if they get that close. And the other two tribes would probably help with that, but just on their own the earth ponies aren't gonna be able to do much against mini-alicorns.
5902310 telekinesis fields, surprisingly easy to break. and the changelings seem reliant on direct attack, li9kely because using magic actually burns energy.
not to mention in all the encounters i can judge, earth ponies are the most effective at kicking changeling ass.
5902318
Hey look, another thing you seemingly made up out of thin air!
Gee, it's almost like doing stuff requires energy.
... how in the living fuck?
5902318
As much as I'm a fan of earth ponies, I feel you're putting TOO MUCH faith in their abilities.
Yes, earth ponies are strong but that doesn't make them stronger than pegasi and unicorns. I feel it's about equal. Each of the pony races can do things the others can't, but it doesn't make one pony superior to the other. It's all about teamwork.
5902329 sweetie belle snatching a paper held in telekinesis, rainbow dash hitting tiwlight horn.
what i meant was that they would not just recover that energy. that i would say is a prime weakness. because theri powers seem, to some degree, reliant on energy they eat, it means they are not naturally capable of recuperating loss strength.
5902366 to get technical they ARE stronger in the sense of physical force. i guess it depends on the enemy. changelings rely on direct conflict so earth ponies are the best bet. albeit if the changelings were being more triscky, then the unicorns are a better bet......
oddly enough the pegasi are the only ones that seem to be left out here. they are tough but not tough enough that changelings would be better off avoiding them.
something i kinda realized too. they can manipulate weather but neither the show guys nor the comic guys seem intersted in exploring how pegasi could use that abilitiy in a fight.
5902497
Ah, that's what you meant. Apologies.
5902497
Not always. Rainbow Dash (a pegasus) did beat Applejack in a Hoof Wrestle in the episode 'Fall Weather Friends', but mostly because Rainbow is the more athletic type.
Except in the episode 'Power Ponies', although that one wasn't technically canon since everything happened in a comic book.
5902634
ironically all those abilities were basically just natural powers for ponies, short of the hulk strength and flash speed. they should have been called redundant ponies.
also let us do the math. would Aj use the kind of strength she uses to buck apples and even break trees, against rainbow dash in an arm wrestling match?
5902826
Only if it was called Leg Wrestling. Then she definitively would've won
5902866 and likely break rainbow dash's leg in the process
And thus the first problems from taking a country by force begin to emerge.
If your gonna add scenes like that last part at least put in a comedy tag.
5902075 You are careful to seperate the passage of time between each story arc?
Just asking to clarify that some of the events you're throwing in isn't happening immediately after the other. So far the current chapters have given me the sudden impression that the time between the wedding and the appearance of the Crystal Empire happened in just a couple of days. You will allow the Queen some ample time to 'relax' every once in a while, right?
5904462
Naw, I'm gonna work that horse to death
, but ya the whole crystal empire thing happened pretty quickly. The show, being as obscure about time as ever, didn't really specify. But i'm sure it was a few days or weeks or something. Hopefully after Shining and Cadance's honey moon right?
...
...
...
...
JUST KIDDING
But i think the empire might appear a little faster than it did because of Chrysalis taking down Celestia and Luna. Sealing up those two weakened their magical hold on sombra (at least this story assumes.) . And the empire would pop up as soon as he did, because the whole disappearance was connected with the crystal tyrant.
Chrysalis will get a breather, not everything bad happens at once, usually...
5903550
Ty for the comment! You think this story is funny enough to deserve a comedy tag?
5904752
I think the humor is unintended since I assume your trying to do a serious try at the Changelings winning, but it still is there.
5904756
Alright, added the tag
5904748
I can buy that
That's good. While it is fun to have Chrysalis and her changelings work hard in trying to maintain a firm grip on Equestria, as well as dealing with one annoying situation after another, it's nice to have a little breather every once in a while. Usually...
I mean, aside from political issues, there is A LOT that's appearantly going happen... pond clones... unicorns with alicorn amulets... (can't wait for that one
) 
And let's not forget a certain mirror leading to a certain somewhere... Poor Chrysalis sure has her work cut out for her
a haha ha wow how did NOT see this coming!.
Apples stick together, no matter the weather. YAY for refrances.