Piece of Parchment

by Metemponychosis

A Changeling, A Pony and a Dragon Walked Into a Bar…

It was a nice and comfy place with a large window on one side. The counter was long and had many seats starting next to the window and coming towards the entrance, and behind it, near the ceiling, was a wooden plaque shaped like a shield that had a carved image of an alicorn sitting on a large and comfortable chair while smoking a pipe. Around the shield a scripture read ‘Chocolate Velvet’s Gentlestallion’s Club’.

The whole of the walls, ceiling and floor where covered in caramel wood and all furnishings had a wooden and velvety decoration to them following in the lines of greens, whites, gold and bronze. There were several tables, some of them occupied by colorful changelings appreciating several drinks, green velveted cards tables, a roulette and a billiard table, dice tables, domino tables. A dartboard on one of the walls and an old changeling was playing saxophone on a small stage, but the prevalent sound was that of cups, laughter and friendly banter. It wasn’t too crowded though: it was an exclusive club, after all.

In one corner, a strange group of one unicorn dressed with a purple cloak, an old and scary looking griffon, two earth ponies, one wearing a leather armor and with a crossbow on his back, and the other wearing an armor, all around a table, with paper sheets, pencils and dice.

Other than that, a thin haze of smoke accompanied the smell from scented cigars, pipes and similar smoking devices.

“Whoa… What is this place?” Spike followed the changeling and the unicorn into it. “It looks great!”

“This,” Pharynx said calmly as they walked. “Is the Changeling Rock’s very own Chocolate Velvet’s Gentlestallion’s Club. You have no idea how hard it was to build this place.”

“Why?” he followed the others to the counter.

“Because Chrysalis would throw a fit if she knew we were building a male’s club inside her nest.” The changeling answered and they sat at the bar one next to the other. “And I think Thorax would freak out too.”

“Why? Was it too expensive?” Spike looked around to the tables seeing changelings laughing and talking to each other, but also at the fine woods and fine velvet tapestry. Such as the large curtains framing the big window. The bar itself was very beautiful, made of the same noble wood. Chess tables had metallic and shiny playing pieces, the cards in the game tables were all personalized with the likeness of ‘changeling things’, including the changeling king and queen, and the king’s brother for face cards. Spike could imagine Discord for Joker. It would be too obvious not to do it. Looked awesome.

“It sure looks expensive.” He finally said, looking back at the others.

“Nah.” Shining Armor signaled to the barling. “The Prince-Consort helps fund these bars. There’s one in the Crystal Empire, in Canterlot, Manehattan, Philly, Las Pegasus, even on Cloudsdale.”

Pharynx seemed to relax once he had sat himself on the stool. “I hear the griffon king is trying to get one on Griffinsky. But I’m not sure.”

“Why not?” Spike looked at Pharynx now. “I’m sure Princess Celestia would be happy to assist, with all the drama going on with the griffons. Why don’t they have it already? The Chancellor should have had one built already.”

“Well… For one, he’s not really king yet and there is a civil war. Sort of… I’m sure the Chancellor has other things in mind, such as preparing an attack to end this whole mess he’s got in his hands. And this club thing is kind of a secret.” Shining explained. “It’s male only, and the less females know about it, the better.”

“Oooh… A secret! Even from Princess Celestia?” The dragon said, holding on to the bar, with huge eyes. “Cool! Nice of you guys to share it with me!”

“Sure, buddy!” Shining bumped his hoof with Spike’s closed fist as the barling came to them.

A simple black changeling with a red black-spotted carapace, wearing a white apron. He also had a moustache. A weird, black and whisker-like moustache. But still a moustache. “Hello, friends.”

“White Mountain Mead. Chilled.” Pharynx made a gesture with a hoof to emphasize as he looked at the available selection behind the counter. “Unicorn’s buying.”

“Blueblood Chardoneigh.” Shining said with a leg behind Spike’s shoulders. “And some soft cider for our buddy.”

“Hey, c’mon! You bring me to a place like this and want me to drink cider??” The purple dragon protested standing up.

“You do look quite young, sir.” The changeling behind the bar said, making his moustache flail around.

“I’m a dragon!” Spike pointed at his chest with a thumb. “I can take it!”

“Yeah… I’m sure you could, Spike. But I couldn’t take Twilight if she ever suspected I let you drink something stiff.” Shining frowned, followed by the Changeling.

“It’s Sweet Apple Acres cider.” He showed the glass bottle with the red apple. “Finest soft cider in Equestria!”

“Eh… Fine…” Spike relented and sat back down as the changeling went to get their drinks. “So… Why, exactly, a secret?”

“When you grow up, Spike…” Shining had a thoughtful and prophetic tone. “And start dating girls. You’ll see that they are awesome. But we need a place where we can retreat and just be with ourselves for a while. You know?”

“Hum…” The dragon said with a hand on his chin, looking around the place. “I think I get it… But I see some girls around.”

“They work here.” Pharynx had his elbows on the counter. “The Prince-Consort recruited most of them.”

“So… Then… What is the difference between them and the other girls?” Spike was curious and eager to learn, staring at his two new-found mentors on gentlemanly things.

“They don’t talk about problems, for one.” Shining explained calmly. “And they look pretty.”

“Aha. I see!” Spike winked conspiratorially at him, and next the changeling brought their drinks. Wasting no time, they toasted and took a sip. “So, you really need some rest from Cadance?”

“Look at it from this perspective, Spike: the Prince-Consort lives with Princesses Celestia and Luna. And he made this place. Well… It was an idea he got from his original world… But still…”

Spike simply nodded thoughtfully, trying to assimilate the idea, but it hadn’t quite clicked in place yet. He got it that the guys needed a place to… Be guys for a while. And talk about stuff they may not want to talk in front of the ladies. He certainly got that too. But he still didn’t get that thing about talking about problems…

Meanwhile, Pharynx spoke again. “So… What is this the princesses want here, Shining Armor?”

“Cadance found an old weird letter and got it into her head that she needed to figure out some things about it. Then she recruited Twilight, and she poured even more oil into it.” Shining laid his glass on the bar. “You see, Spike? This is the sort of thing I’m talking about. With them you and your kid call your wife to bed then go on a trip to see your sister and end up in a changeling nest looking for climate records and a griffon emperor that may not even have existed.”

“Yeah… I get ya…” Spike said thoughtfully with memories of his daily life with Twilight coming back like a flood as the pieces finally clicked together. “You know? Ponyville needs a place like this.”

“Well, I’m sure you could talk to the Prince-Consort.” The bar changeling wiped a big beer glass with a white cloth. “Since you can easily to go to Canterlot, being who you are.”

“Ah… It’s not that easy. When we go to Canterlot, Twilight usually needs me on duty.” Spike was more and more convinced Ponyville needed a place like this. Then he casually turned on his stool, longingly staring at the rest of the place until he saw someone approaching. “Whoa! Ocellus!”

“Hi Spike! Nice seeing you!” She approached carrying a tray with game chips on her back and put it on the counter, then spoke to the barling. “We need more beer on the craps table, Mister Coccinelli.”

The barling nodded and went to care for the order before Spike talked to her again and the other two watched. “What are you doing here, Ocellus?”

“Well, a new brood is coming, so we’re all supposed to be here. I also need to pay for my tuition, so I’m working during vacations!” She said rather excitedly. “It’s fun! Gallus gave me the idea!”

“Uh… It’s free.” She blinked twice, looking confused at Spike. “Tuition is free at the School of Friendship, Ocellus.”

“What? But….” She looked confused for a while more, and then her eyes showed understanding and a little irritation. “Oh… Gallus…”

“Griffons, man…” Spike slowly shook his head and drank a sip of his cider. “It was a good prank though!”

***

Twlilight had imagined a nice lounging room, with lots of space and a comfy large bed where the queen would be laying. Large windows would let the sunlight in, and Chrysalis would receive all sorts of pampering from changelings. Maybe eating some refreshing fruit while other changelings carried the eggs, probably white little balls, or something, elsewhere. Maybe a small group of changelings playing a nice and relaxing song.

As soon as she saw that the door led to a dark room, she had imagined it was a sort of atrium, to separate the queen’s chambers from that changeling’s workstation. Considering the way they heard her yelling at Thorax it was probably to protect the queen’s serenity from such sort of rackets. It made sense in her head.

What happened in reality was that Twilight stepped into the dark room followed by the others and instead of a peaceful atrium they saw themselves on a bridge made of the same obsidian. It bridged the space between two circular walls, and she couldn’t see very well because it was so dark, but she was sure they were on a bridge and that it was a rather large fall on both sides with a ball-like structure ahead. A soft breeze blew around the place carrying with it an acid smell.

“So, I suppose we cross the bridge?” Cadance spoke softly as if she was afraid to wake some monster that guarded the place. “This place smells odd.”

“I think it’s chlorine.” Twilight looked down past the edge. “I think there is a pool full of it under us. But I can’t see.”

The ponies wasted no time in crossing the bridge and Twilight felt like her suspicions that this place existed to protect the queen from the noises outside were validated. In fact, she felt a pang of worry considering if she should even be there, but she had gone too far to go back now.

The other princess and the pegasus followed Twilight closely and their hoofsteps sounded weird in this place. The constant breeze unnerved them, seeming unnatural and the two princesses could feel magic at work. Nothing fancy tough: it seemed that it only served to keep the air from stagnating.

Soon they reached the passage into the inner wall. Now the ambient felt humid and had a stronger sour, acidy smell. The floor was still the same rocky, solid glass-like substance, but it was covered in a thin layer of thick liquid that made splashy noises at every hoofstep. They were submerged in complete darkness and the breeze had ceased.

“Ew, gross!” Cadance started shaking her hoof. Fluttershy was torn between her curiosity and fear. Twilight was completely surrendered to her curiosity. And Flurry Heart had resigned herself to sit on her mother’s back, internally angry but saying nothing, bidding her time until she could actually say anything. One day her mother would be angry at her for entering somewhere she wasn’t supposed, and she would triumphantly remind her of this day.

“Can you feel it?” Twilight waved her horn around in the dark like an antenna. “It’s magic. All over.”

“Yeah…” Cadance answered softly, a little intimidated. “It’s… Powerful.”

Not only magic, but very clearly the queen’s magic. Powerful enough that they could feel it crawling in their manes.

“Uh… Hello? Is anypony there?” With no answer Twilight’s horn shone a small light at its tip and bathed the room in its purple glow. They were in a thin and long, circular corridor that went both ways like it was circling an inner circular room and the walls were made of a thick glass-like irregular resin that looked like it was hoof molded into the wall, different from the rock.

“What is this place?” Cadance whinnied worriedly, but Twilight’s curiosity was in full swing and Fluttershy cowered behind the purple princess, yet at the same time hoofed curiously at the floor and its layer of… Something.

“I think it’s a sort of incubation chamber. This is fascinating. Did she make this all by herself?” Fluttershy said finally, and Twilight started walking along the circular wall touching the irregular glass-like wall with a wing tip.

“What is this made of?” She asked curiously.

“I don’t think I wanna know! Twilight? Eep!” Cadance skipped as fast as she dared next to Twilight, following her around in a low stance, eyeing the walls and arched ceiling as if some monster was about to jump on her back. Even Flurry Heart was starting to get worried by that point.

Fluttershy, taken by a professional curiosity had forgotten her fear and critically smelled and hoofed at the substance on the floor and walls. “It could be some sort of saliva, or some sort of mucus. Like the slime slugs make to crawl. Even a little urine.”

“It’s not urine. It’s ammonia.” Twilight said. “Careful you don’t breathe it too deeply: it’s stronger than that stuff outside. Isn’t it weird that changeling larvae would thrive in a place like this?”

“Well, if they were ponies…” Fluttershy mused. “I don’t think this is a healthy place for a baby pony.”

‘No shit, Shirelock…’ Flurry thought to herself, however when her mother looked back at her worryingly, the baby waved a hoof saying she was fine.

“So, how come changeling foals can live like this, Fluttershy?” Cadance asked, now becoming curious again.

The yellow pegasus hummed lightly. “Well, different species have different needs as much as they are vulnerable to different things. Changelings probably have chlorine and ammonia in their blood. In larger quantities than we do, and they probably perform some job on their bodies.”

“So, changelings have bleach and ammonia for blood. Wonderful.” Cadance was on the brink of freaking out again when they circled the inner wall and their conversation didn’t help, but she went on with them. Soon they came to an area where a green glow came from an archway to the inner room and Twilight moved forward. Scared out of her wits, Cadance held one of her wings in front of her eyes while holding the briefcase under the other, followed close and while at that, Fluttershy critically hoofed at a wall, looking closely at the substance that flacked off.

Coming to the archway, the first thing they saw was an eerie green glow that came from the vaulted ceiling bathing the whole room in an eerie and alien light reflecting off the resin walls like they were inside a dim and sinister green sun. Initially, it was too hard to see and the light was too bright, blinding them unable of distinguishing anything more than a vague form or two and all that registered with their senses where their own breaths, a constant and incessant dripping, the smells and a fleshy noise of something moving around.

“What was that??” Cadance barely muttered the question under her breath, all but hiding behind Twilight who hissed softly, moving her ears around. One step forward and her hoof found the thick liquid, but not the floor. She almost screamed, but Cadance held her. In shock, Twilight let go of the shine in her horn and a few instants later their surroundings started to become clear as the blinding green light subdued.

The floor was littered by green shinny eggs, some five hooves tall, supported on the ground by a thick resin and that pulsated slightly with fleshy sounds while diminutive dark shades moved within them against the green glow, all clustered together. Inside a surrounding disk of floor near the walls was a hole. A deep pool which shone with the same green light from the eggs. From its depth rose a large resin structure in the center of the room. Then they saw that the fleshy sounds didn’t come from the eggs themselves, but from a large translucent and bloated ‘thing’! Like they had never seen before. It moved around in a noisy peristalsis like a giant slug hung to the ceiling by several resin chords, moving forward eggs within, and that it delicately placed on the floor covered in green slime out of a fleshy and long tube.

Flutthershy frowned thoughtfully and rubbed her chin with her hoof. “Hum… I’m pretty sure I saw this somewhere. Was it in a theater? Or in a book?”

Mouths agape, the others held their breaths, trying not to think of all the things the image reminded them of while their wide-opened eyes took in the sight in front of them, and followed back the thin pulsating sack full of eggs to its source in the center and above the pool, upon which sat the Changeling Queen herself. Her gnarly horn shone with the creepy green light, part warm, part cold, all alien changeling magic. She had her eyes half-closed as if in a trance, with slow and deep laborious breaths, shown by a large abdomen filled with tinny shinny eggs. Her large body was held by thick strands of green resin and organic tubes that entered her neck and joint areas of her black velvety carapace on her legs. Filled with liquids and pulsating like they were blood vessels that found their way outside her body and stuck to the ceiling, which was itself covered in a large cluster of wiry and pulsating flesh and dripping a thick goo, like a cathedral of creepy.

“Oh… My…” Twilight murmured and took a step backwards, bumping into Cadance’s legs, who stared at the queen like she had forgotten she can move and breath, with her wings flared, all while Fluttershy held her own face in her hooves and stared in wonder.

It was a loud wet bang that reverberated on the resin walls when the briefcase Cadance was carrying under her wing hit the floor. All four ponies winced in terror as if it announced the end of the world and stared at the large, familiar yet at the same time alien creature in front of them.

The queen’s eyes shone like a green flame, sluggishly opening, unfocused and glassy. Her mouth opened slowly, gradually showing terrifyingly sharp and brightly white teeth, reflecting the green light as she drew a deep and noisy breath then, slowly let go of it. Her body stirred, and the resin creaked under the weight as her legs lazily unfolded, pulling at her… ‘Outside blood vessels’, for lack of a better term. Her nostrils flared and drew in air as her throat grunted like it was slowly opening.

The three adults were already at the brink of panic when the light from her horn evanesced, leaving only the dim light from the eggs and the corners of her mouth drew back in a fierce and unpleasant predatorial grimace. Her eyes finally focused, bright green and draconian, falling right upon the purple alicorn.

Twilight simply let out a small ‘squeak’ and flopped limply to the ground. Cadance screamed and Fluttershy still stared, mesmerized.

“Issy!” Said Flurry Heart, putting up her little hooves and giggling happily.

On her side, all the queen could feel was a headache coming, as soon as she saw Twilight Sparkle. It didn’t keep her from striking at them with a magic blast. Not flurry Heart, though… That one Chrysalis liked. Her magic rocked the whole room with a rumble and a bright green wave of pure changeling magic. Some heads were going to roll for this, but for now her green telekinesis lifted the baby towards herself and her predatorial grin turned to a softer shade of mischievous.

“Hi kid. Nice seeing you again.”

The baby, of course, giggled and pawed at her face.

***

Shining Armor slammed a hoof against the counter speaking a bit too loudly. “And then she said we couldn’t have one because these new airships are too expensive! Because we didn’t need one and they were a fad… Can you believe her? Too expensive… A fad…”

Around them, the bar still had its welcoming and cozy atmosphere. The old changeling playing saxophone had been replaced by another old changeling, but this one was playing the piano. The games went on and the roleplaying changelings now had what appeared to be a changeling queen with a black cloak and a spork the changeling used as royal scepter as she ordered the other players around. Some things that never seemed to run out in the bar were beers and playing chips. Even Ocellus had to leave the group and go back to work.

“Well, they kinda are…” Pharynx argued, toying with his cup on the counter.

“Ponyfeathers!” The unicorn said letting his glass rest on the counter. “How can you say they’re a fad?! They’re useful! Besides, we’re royalty. We need, as Rarity said, powers of representation. Not to mention! As soon as she saw Twilight’s ship she decided she wanted one!”

“I see what you mean, sir.” The barling said friendly, listening to their conversation.

“You just want an airship because they’re cool.” Spike held his chin on his hand while his elbow rested on the counter.

“Aren’t they, though?? Just look at Twilight’s cutter!” Shinning pointed at the window, irrespective of the airship actually being visible or not. “Just imagine what Princess Celestia is doing to her old ship!”

“Well, you may be right, Shining.” Pharynx said mindlessly hoofing around the bar his empty cup, a little bored with the conversation the unicorn had been holding for a little too long. “Those things are fine, I suppose. But it’s not like you really, really need one.”

“Well…” Said the white unicorn. “Would I die if I never got an airship? No. But! But it would make me very happy if I did have one. Why, you might ask. I will tell you why! It’s because they are ships! And they are flying. They are flying ships! Ships that fly! In the air! Like! How awesome is that?!”

“I think you may have had a little too much to drink, Shining Armor…” Spike still held his head on his hand over the bar.

“Well, the Prince is correct in saying that these ships are pretty nice to look at.” The barling said, again friendly. “Not to mention that they can be very useful.”

“You see?” Shinning pointed a hoof at the barling. “You hearing that? He understands. Cheers, man. If I could, I’d give you one! You understand why everypony should have an airship! They are so much fun too! Why just another day, I read this article… It was a Playcolt article, and it was about these airships! And the writer knew what he was talking about! You see: Fancypants ordered one of those…”

Spike held his giggling and Pharynx rested his face on the counter while Shining Armor explained in rich detail why is it that, in that writer’s opinion any high-class male of the Equestrian society should own a private airship, including descriptions of photos of Fancypants and his wife aboard their airship. Shinning Armor, of course, being himself a high-class male of the Equestrian society.

Then the door to the pub opened and in came Starlight Glimmer wearing a costume made from black garbage bags calmly trotting towards the bar and carrying Flurry Heart in her magic, while the baby was wearing some weird white baby clothing.

“Hey guys.” She said happily and Flurry greeted them too.

“Huh?” Spike was as surprised as were Shining Armor and Pharynx, staring at the pony, her costume and the baby and her own costume.

“There you go, here is daddy!” She said as she delivered Flurry Heart to Shining Armor, who took her in his hooves still staring at her costume.

“Is this a… Changeling larva costume?” He looked at the baby he held the baby in his hooves.

Starlight used her magic to get rid the garbage bags she had covered herself with as she spoke cheerfully and sat next to them, signaling the barling with a stiff raised hoof. “Sure is! They’re selling three Bits each! Hi Spike!”

“Uh… What are you doing here? And why is Flurry Heart disguised as a changeling larva?” Shining asked a bit stunned, a bit on the defensive, enough to have recovered from the effects of alcohol. Though he wasn’t entirely sure if he wasn’t dreaming and Princess Luna wouldn’t pop in through the window and proceed to chastise him over drinking while going out with Cadance and the baby.

“First of all, it’s fine!” She calmly showed them a small brooch on her hoof that mimicked the bar’s emblem. “I’m ‘in’.”

“But…” Shinning didn’t distrust her, yet he was a little worried. “What about the others?”

“Ah, they’re not. Geez…” She laughed a little. “Can you imagine Twilight knowing about a place like this? Rarity might be, though… She’s high class.”

“But… No. That’s not what I mean! Where are the others?” He insisted. “Why isn’t Flurry Heart with Cadance? And Where are Cadance and Twilight?”

“Ah. They’re with Twilight.” She grabbed the big glass of beer that came sliding down the counter and took a sip, smiling happily. Changeling beer was good! “They’ve been arrested for disturbing the queen while she was laying eggs.”

Shining blinked a couple of times. Maybe the drinks had dimmed his mind for a while. “What?”

“Did you say they were arrested?” Spike too was having trouble believing it. “How do you even arrest a princess? Where are they?!”

“Yep.” Another generous sip went down. “I’m sure the Queen knows how, and they’re in a dungeon down below. There are some cells and interrogation rooms… You know… A Dungeon.”

“Then why didn’t they arrest you?!” Spike opened his arms in a noticeable level of distress, standing on his stool.

“They did, but I took Flurry and snuck out.” She said calmly. “They put Twilight and Cadance in a magic-resistant cell. But put me with the others in a normal cell.”

“They put you on a normal cell?” Pharynx stared blankly at her. Someling was soon to be in a heap of trouble this. That unicorn has been on Chrysalis’ List for a couple of years before they allied with the ponies.

“Sorry… The Intelligence Department really dropped the ball on this one. I dressed her like that, disguised me as a changeling and came here.” She looked at him with a worried frown. “You’re not going to arrest me, are you?”

He sighed. “No… It’s not worth it. Just stay here till they’re free and it’s fine. How did noling stop you with that disguise?”

“Yeah!” Spike agreed. “You were literally wearing garbage bags!”

“Well, I think they saw I wasn’t a changeling… But I also think they preferred to not get involved…” She said, gesturing from one side to the other with her hooves.

“Disguise by weirdness…” Shining said nonchalantly. “That is a new one. Gotta teach that to our spies…”

“I asked Thorax to talk to Chrysalis and calm her down. I also asked to not get the Princess involved.”

“We already have two princesses involved.” Spike showed her two fingers, watching as she drank.

“You know… ‘The’ Princess.” Starlight Glimmer had decided that she preferred to spare her teacher. Poor Twilight would hear about this from her old teacher forever if it reached her.

***

Twilight woke slowly, with a harsh and acute pain on the side of her head. She moaned pathetically and curled into a ball, trying to fend off the painful throbbing in her head, instinctively massaging her temples with her hooves.

“Wake up already!” Came the anxious shout and she fell off the bed she was in with a panicked scream. When she hit the hard floor, she was almost sure she had broken her horn off.

“Ow… What…” As she reoriented herself, she saw that she was next to Cadance, who helped her on to her hooves. They were in a small room with, literally a pile of hay. At least their bathroom seemed to be a separated room and they each had a ‘bed’ which amounted to a pony sized block of stone.

Wait a second. She was in a cell!

She turned to the bars, where the strange white-silvery changeling was looking at them. That moment Twilight felt a sharp pain in her forehead and yelped in surprise as her vision blurred and sounds seemed distant. Instinctively she shook her head to ease the pain.

“Twilight!” Cadance touched her with a friendly hoof.

“Careful! You’re wearing a magic inhibitor ring!” The changeling actually sounded worried now, instead of furiously shrieking all the time. She had her hooves wrapped around the bars, sitting on the other side and looking at the pair through them. “The Queen has ordered you arrested for interfering with the Spawning Pool. Hum… King Thorax tried to intervene, but me yelling at him earlier may have intimidated him a little…”

“Spawning pool?” Twilight slowly regaining her bearings again and quickly moved closer to the bars. She was somewhat shocked. That changeling sounded like a completely different changeling now that she wasn’t yelling in panic all the time.

The changeling nodded positively. “She’ll come talk to you as soon as she is done. Meanwhile, I’m afraid you’ll have to remain here.”

Then it occurred to Twilight that the changeling was likely calmer and friendlier now because there weren’t nosy intruders at her workstation and what likely was the most important thing that ever happens in the hive wasn’t in danger because of some entitled princess. Having come to her senses, Twilight had her priorities straight this time. A cold hand of fright grasped her stomach as she realized that if the changelings were that worried, she could’ve caused the death of an infant even before it had a chance at life! “Please! Say we didn’t hurt her! Or the eggs!”

“It took a few additional precautions, but…” The changeling shook her head. “The queen’s magic protected them from any pathogens or extraneous magic.”

Twilight breathed a little easier. She could deal with being arrested, but not with causing the death of a changeling infant. Not after all that the Queen and the Princess had achieved. “Did we… Did we really put the new changelings in danger?”

“Well… Not that much. But there are reasons only the queen can be at the Spawning Pool.” She started gesticulating with her hooves. “You see… The pool has substances that the queen produces that will inform the eggs what caste the changeling inside them should be. And we can’t know for sure what would happen if strange substances made their way into the pool and affect concentration ratios. It could generate inviable spawnlings that wouldn’t fully differentiate. It’s a complicated science. Quite a bit more than pony embryology.”

The changeling lowered her head. “Hum… We… We die a lot. Our bodies don’t function in the same ways as yours. The same magic that makes things work right with you doesn’t work very well with us, and so we need to take all sorts of precautions to ensure the least possible are stillborn. That is why we were dying, and the Queen signed the Heartmend Treaty… Princess Cadance’s magic reinvigorated us.”

For a brief instant Twilight realized that the more she listened, the more the whole legend about Mother Farfalla made sense, but that was no time to think of legends and she was shocked at the revelation.

“That’s horrible!” Twilight was shocked and so was Cadance, but the older one let her sister-in-law maintain the conversation, only listening and paying attention. “I never knew any of that. I thought that we had healed you. Like… Completely. And that is why changelings were becoming colorful and happy.”

The changeling looked at her with a weird expression. “Those are the worker castes. The black ones belong to the military castes.”

“Wait!” Suddenly Twilight remembered some important things. “Where are Fluttershy and Flurry Heart?”

Cadance answered calmly, sitting in the middle of the cell. “Fluttershy is with the others in another cell. Flurry Heart is with Shining Armor. Apparently, he was with Pharynx and he attested Shinny didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Your friend, Starlight Glimmer, appeared somewhere with the baby and gave her to her Prince Shining Armor. I think she escaped or noling captured her. I don’t know.” The doctor shrugged.

“I have to go now. There is a lot of work pending the laying of the new eggs. I need to coordinate the other eggmaidens and the Queen is going to be furious if things don’t go perfectly.”

Having said that, she awkwardly left and closed a door behind her, leaving the two ponies alone with each other.

“Goodness. Are you hurt, Cadance?” Twilight turned to her.

“I’m fine. Chrysalis hit us with a pretty hard magical attack.” Then she grinned at Twilight. “After you flopped to the floor like a ragdoll, that is.”

The other laughed sarcastically. “Do you think she’s too angry?”

“I’d imagine she’s furious.” Cadance frowned. “I hope we learned a lesson today.”

“Fine. I know what I did was wrong.” Twilight nodded with a large dose of frustration. “But my intentions were good. I hope she isn’t too angry. Enough to keep us out of the archives.”

“I hope she’s not angry enough to complain to Princess Celestia!” Twilight hadn’t even thought of that and after hearing Cadance her fur stood a little on her back.

While they were talking, they didn’t hear the door opening, but one of the changeling soldiers approached them, talking rudely as he opened the cell with a large key. “Sparkle, you’re wanted in the interrogation room.”

“What about me?” Cadance touched her chest with a hoof.”

“Just the short one.”

“I’m not short!” She flared her wings, I a bit of an immature fit.

The changeling simply looked at the two, one next to the other. “Looks short to me.”

She grunted but didn’t answer. Instead looked at the lock the changeling had opened. Twilight knew those… The lock was enchanted in such a way that if any magic, at all, interfered, it wouldn’t open. It only opened with the normal key-lock mechanism. But, anyway, she went out while Cadance kept staring, and then she followed the changeling, after he locked the door again.

They went down the corridor, past a door and past a bend, passing in front of a larger cell (it had more than one piles of hay and more stony beds) where Twilight’s friends were. They called to her and she stopped.

“Girls!” She stopped by the bars, and Applejack approached.

“Why exactly have we been arrested?” The farmpony asked inquisitively. “I don’t remember doing anything wrong!”

“Unless looking at the decoration is wrong…” Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, from the back.

Twilight huffed. “Apparently, the changelings have very strict regulations about access to the ‘spawning pool’.”

Applejacks’s raised eyebrow didn’t seem convinced and Twilight sighed deeply. “I went into a place I shouldn’t have and now I’m in trouble and they brought you in too because the queen is angry and military changelings are jerks.”

Rarity harrumphed. “At least we can find solace in the fact that everypony is well.”

Finally, Twilight huffed again. “Sorry girls. It’s all my fault.”

“That’s alright, Twilight!” Pinkie chirped happily, indifferent to all the angry ponies around her. “We know how you are!”

At least she got a few laughs off them. At Twilight’s expense, sure, but still…

The changeling soldier let out a derisive chuckle asked as he pushed Twilight along. “Let’s go pony… I don’t get paid by the hour.”

Twilight didn’t have time for much more and resigned to following the changeling soldier down the long corridor. It was dark and it was cold. It was scary and it was the kind of place that gave wings to the imagination in the worst possible ways. Fortunately, Twilight was well aware of that. Not only that, but Twilight understood herself and her own fears. She may still fall prey to her curiosity and scientific searches, but her fears were another thing. And she once read a book about resisting torture.

Throughout her career as Princess Celestia’s apprentice. No. As her Most Prized Pupil. Her Most Beloved Student, her protegee, and then, as Princess of Friendship, a Princess of Equestria, she has had a career as a scholar and as a mage, not to mention as a principal in her very own School of Friendship! She liked to think it mimicked Celestia’s own school of magic for talented unicorns or even Luna’s orphanage. Her work might not be on the level of the legendary, but it was pretty damn impressive.

Throughout her career she fought and defeated all sorts of monsters and terrors, including, but not limited to dragons, chimeras, hydras, evil goddesses possessed with sorrow, mad gods of chaos, ancient tyrant kings, centaur necromancers, giant snakes, evil creepy monsters, ponies possessed by evil spirits, ponies possessed by dangerous artifacts, draconian contracts, shady salesponies, government officials, the Canterlot Society for the Good Manners of Royalty, taxes, the training regimen of Royal Guards, Rainbow Dash’s training regimen, sparring sessions with the other princesses and taking care of Flurry Heart. Not necessarily in that order.

Throughout all that there were only three things that she feared. The first were quesadillas. Well, she didn’t really fear quesadillas, but she simply could not ignore their… Cheesy, oily, character. Cheese was delicious, but quesadillas corrupted cheese in the same way Discord corrupted the minds of ponies! One day, she would convince Princess Celestia of the horror they wrought upon Equestria and then, they would be banished!

The second thing she feared most was her mother. Not that Miss Twilight Velvet was a bad pony. Not by any meaning of the word, quite the contrary actually. Her mother was a loving and caring pony, and that is what usually got Twilight and Shining Armor without fault. Whenever they misbehaved, she would cry! It made them feel worse than if she had picked up a switch and beat their flanks off already.

Of course, there was the thing she feared the most. Disappointing Princess Celestia. One could think that she would fear disappointing her mother first, but Princess Celestia employed a particularly evil form of ‘motherly punishment’. First of all, there was the first layer, the most obvious… Twilight didn’t want to disappoint her because the Princess invested in her. She put her faith in Twilight. Second, she could decide Twilight’s future. Wherever or not Twilight would progress, stagnate or regress in her studies. In the earlier years of her tutelage this was particularly scary to Twilight until she grew more confident when… Never. Twilight admitted she was still terrified of disappointing her eternal tutor. She might in fact be doing that right now, considering she could have ended with the Heartmend Treaty due to her curiosity.

No, don’t think about it. It was all about her academical interest in the Changeling spawning process. It sounded better that way. And possibly an investigation of mismanagement.

But finally there was the third layer of her mentor’s, educational practices. Princess Celestia brokered no quarter for misbehaving foals. While she would understand frustrated foals that misbehaved out of emotional immaturity, she would tolerate no tantrum, and was a firm believer of the ‘spare the rod, spoil the foal’ mentality. And considering Twilight’s obstinate nature, her childish-self tested her limits many times. None of those times intentionally, one should understand, but out of the boundless curiosity of an intelligent and perspicacious mind. But the terrible thing about it, was that hurting Twilight hurt the princess even more, which hurt Twilight and it all became a pathetic cycle, worse than death itself!

Come to think of it, the Princess did incentivize Twilight to be curious. Just not to cross her limits. Which is exactly what she did with the Spawning Pool, and now she was going to face the consequences of her imprudent choices. While Twilight didn’t think she needed to fear the switch or even the magical kindergarten anymore it was very possible that the Princess could revoke her title!

Twilight had her doubts if Princess Celestia could do that but then, maybe she could, since she always seemed to have her way in the political scenario of Equestria. And without her title Twilight would be shamed as the first princess ever to become a princess and then lose her title! Her family would be shamed! Her friends would be shamed! Her whole town would be shamed! Her school! Her students!

What is worse is that because of her being the cause to all of this the princess would let Chrysalis do anything she wanted to her so that she could protect the treaty!

She could see as clear as day the Princess’ deathly sad expression as she was forced to turn a blind eye to whatever Chrysalis decided to do with Twilight a shame on itself and it was all because Twilight had to behave like a foal raiding a cookie jar before dinner!

Finally, Twilight realized this whole line of thought ended up in the diametrical opposite of where she wanted it to go.

Right now, of course instead of mentally preparing for whatever the changelings had in store for her she saw herself standing in front of a simple door and she shook like she was a small filly in front of the Princess’ office expecting to be sent home, never to return to the Princess’ school and having her entire future denied to her.

What would the changelings do to her? There were several ways to torture a pony and all of them made Twilight’s skin crawl and stomach turn. After what she saw in the Spawning Pool she imagined some creepy biological horror, rusted torture instruments, magical parasites that forced their way into your muzzle and crawled around in your brain looking for information, magical batteries, or pure and simple pliers…

She was about to scream but steeled herself while the changeling escorting her stared curiously at the purple alicorn sweating by the gallons and hyperventilating like she was about to have a heart attack. He pushed the door, it opened, and it was just Queen Chrysalis sitting behind a desk with a plateful of quesadillas.

Twilight stared at her and she ate one of those things, holding it in her magical telekinesis. She bit at the thing and that disgusting, greasy cheese escaped from every little hole in the tortilla. It looked like a yellow greasy slime, running down the sides of her mouth and, to add insult to injury it had bacon and minced meat.

She screamed inside and decided that she hated Chrysalis.

Comments

[raven618]

Most certainly a unique version of the changlings. Now if we could return to the matter at hoof, the false history, Luna's hording of the stars.

[Metemponychosis]

9612971
The whole detour will make sense in a while. I'm laying some ground rules about how magic, society and politics work. It's important for the whole mythology of this story. Not to mention I felt Twilight and Cadance couldn't get out free of consequences of what they did. It also will help the story flow.

I also don't want to give out the whole story too fast because it's a bit complicated and only a couple of characters actually understand what happened, and things they thing are connected one way actually are in another way. And all of them have reasons why they don't want it to surface. Actually, only two characters know the whole story and they haven't appeared yet. Twilight and Cadance will need to understand things and their opinions need to shift in a way that is clear why they did. The whole thing is worldview changing.

The rabbit hole still goes a little deeper, though, both in the past and present. Right now, they are exploring the one in the present, but they'll converge in one big mess. This story is pretentious as hell. I'm trying to make it fun too, with jokes and references.

I also need to juggle a few characters around and Celestia, Luna, The Lion, The Consort, all need a presentation. Also a better look about how Equestria works and why things don't seem well in the griffon lands. If I don't cover these, the whole problem with the past won't make much sense.

[Kevin Lee]

Oh, really--you should've had Twilight Velvet and Celestia alongside Chrysie in the room... Just for shits'n'giggles.

I mean, if Chrysie was already that well prepared....

So, no "get away from her, you bitch!" moment from Cadance when Chrysie started playing with Newt?

[Metemponychosis]

10862392
Funny thing is that it actually was the original idea.
But events further in the story forbid that.

[Enderstorm]

“Look at it from this perspective, Spike: the Prince-Consort lives with Princesses Celestia and Luna. And he made this place. Well… It was an idea he got from his original world… But still…”

Hold on, "original world"? Prince Consort? Did I miss a prequel?

[Metemponychosis]

11416389
No. His story, The Manufactured Stallion, is going to come eventually. It's going to be a spin-off, exploring his origins and the beginning of his relationship with Celestia and Luna.