Devious Dining

by ImpossibleReflection

Sneaky Surveying

A book was being studied by violet eyes, the item itself immersed in a lavender glow. A pair of ponies sat on mats on the ground, one of them a grey pegasus, or at least had that ruse effectively enacted, the other a studious unicorn looking over her new guidebook. Engraved upon the cover of the book was an outline of a bed, three small fillies lay in it, soundly asleep.

However one should not judge a book by it's cover, considering this was one on staying up all night. "Oh I know, how about smores?"

Chrysalis thought it over, and came to no conclusion as to what 'Smores' were, as the concept was utterly new to her, so she couldn't deny something she knew nothing about, or decline an opportunity to learn about another part of pony life. "Yes that sounds wonderful."

"I'll be right back," said the anxious mare, starting off with something familiar in the book would give her some reference compared to the previous. With the opening of a door encased in violet aura Twilight disappeared to the kitchen.

Chrysalis took this time to check once more her escape routes if this were to go sour. She went over all conceivable options to try and find the fastest, easiest way out of the library. She didn't enjoy the concept of going through a window, but yet again that was presented as the quickest way out.

The lavender mare came trotting back, in an ethereal purple glow was encased a bag of marshmallows a box of graham crackers and chocolate. Twilight had a happy expression on her face, she enjoyed them, and she finally was able to use these. She had purchased these exact items specifically for such an occasion.

Chrysalis recognized the articles, she disliked actual eating. It was an unnecessary action, and it was altogether uncomfortable, especially after it . . . she redirected her thoughts to how she was going to trick both the lunar princess as well as this bookworm.

She faced many challenges, and many risks. She made it work before, so she would have to again. If she did it properly she would leave it and all would continue on it's own accord, and if she were to be found out she would be long gone by then. She realized that She was being spoken to and left her reverie.

". . . Aren't you going to make smores? It says you have to in the book." She floated the book towards her so that she may read, it.

Chrysalis quickly read over it in hopes to find to exactly what she is supposed to do, "So it does," she states after reading the instructions. She grabs the stick that was set at her hooves while she was lost in mental worlds. She hesitated only slightly, almost trying to use her horn, but a pegasus disguise does not permit magic. She carefully planned on how exactly she was supposed to get the marshmallow onto the stick.

After some careful maneuvering of her hooves she finally managed to mount the treat upon the stick, and held it intently over the fire as she drifted off into devising again. She thought about observing the unicorn, but decided that this would not provide much information and the concept was quickly put down.

First thing she had to conceive, was how to get them both to acknowledge their suppressed feelings. This was simple, years upon years of practice showed which methods work best. usually letters, heavily laced with implied feelings, some ponies need very heavily laced letters, for some are very blunt.

She also figured that they would both be rather blunt, twilight it would seem is not the romantic type, and Luna from what she has gathered is still socially inept due to her thousand year banishment. She could not have hoped for better ponies, her excitement put her on full autopilot, and she had completed the smores without even realizing, but now she was transitioning activities, and she needed to focus on the transition.

"Alright, now let's," She glanced in her book again, "Truth or dare,"

This night is going to be magnificent, the type of night of which she dreamed since she was little. "Yes, that sounds wonderful," She had so many options to do with this. She was going to let twilight go first, to help her get an impression of the mare before swinging the conversation to her advantage. "You can ask or dare me anything."

"Oh uhm, truth or dare?" She asked.

"Well we just met, so maybe truth would help you get to know me."

"Oh well," she pondered and began looking around the room as if to spot anything that could help her, she spotted a book on a table nearby, "So, have you had a coltfriend?" she said the last part slightly quieter, meaning she was uncomfortable but curious.

The perfect state to be in for being malleable in Chrysalis' hooves. She had the perfect answer, "No, but I have had a few, marefriends," this was too easy, she didn't even have to swing the conversation.

Twilight had not expected that answer, and she was quick to turn red. She opened her mouth to speak, but she could not formulate words coherent to the situation. "I'm not making you uncomfortable am I?"

"No, it's just," Twilight pondered for a brief moment, "Just a little unexpected that's all."

"Alright then, shall we continue the game?"

"okay, it's your turn."

"Truth or dare?" She asked monotonously.

The rest of the night was just the standard sleepover, but chrysalis used the opportunity to examine the purple mare.

Chrysalis took the time to get a good impression of the purple mare. She occasionally put romantic hints in her speech, Twilight picked up on none of them. Each time she put increased the blatancy ever so slightly, but Twilight did not catch on to it. Chrysalis was wondering how blatant romantic hints would be for her to catch on. maybe outright saying it, but that would be harder to deny, at least with hints she could deny that she implied anything of that nature.

She knew that writing for her would be fairly easy, just be overly blatant with it. Outright say it in the letter she was to send, but for Luna she was going to have to inquire to Luna's diction if twilight was to be fooled. Once the makeover activity came around she decided to strike up conversation. "I heard that you spent Nightmare Night with Princes Luna, I must say I am jealous, What was it like?" she took on a curious voice like a schoofilly who had heard tidbits of a rumor and wanted to know more.

"yes I did, Everypony believed her to be nightmare moon, and feared her. She did not understand why they where fearing her, she expected to be loved like her sister," Twilight paused there, "Is there anything specific you wanted to know?"

"Nothing specific, how about you just retell the entire night?"

"um," Twilight flipped through the book, "Ah yes here it is, story time, It is supposed to be a scary story, I don't think that counts as a scary story?"

"I wouldn't know, how about you just tell it anyway," Chrysalis tried to sound informal to get closer to the element of magic.

"Can we do that? Just tell any story instead of a scary one?" she flipped through the book and started to become quite panicked.

"Of course you can. It is your slumber party not the book's," Chrysalis' comment did little to assuage Twilight's nervous disposition.

"But it is supposed to be by the book."

"If the book was an exact guideline the sleepovers would soon become boring," Chimed Chrysalis.

"I guess your right," Twilight droned, defeated, her head hanging low.

"Don't feel down," Chrysalis brought a hoof under Twilight's chin to lift her face up, "Just tell the story you will feel better after the story is over."

"Alright," She looked around, "Can you cover your eyes for a moment?" Twilight asked, a tinge of nervousness permeating her voice.

Chrysalis complied, but she listened very carefully mapping out her exact steps. Twilight moved some books, and chrysalis mentally noted where they where, and then Twilight's hoofsteps returned twilight back to Chrysalis. "Alright you can open your eyes now."

Twilight was levitating a notebook, and opened it to the first page, "I document parts of my life, Holidays especially," Twilight blatantly lied, and chrysalis could tell. This notebook was not quite a documentation of a day of her life, but more of a notebook on Luna.

She retold the entire night in excruciating detail. It was Just what Chrysalis required, but more than she ever expected to ever gain before she enacted her plan, much less a single night, at this rate her plan come to fruition by weeks end.

Though before long they did have to go to sleep, Twilight had Chrysalis close her eyes while she put the book back, then gave her a bed at the base of her own to sleep for the night.

Once Chrysalis was confident that Twilight had fallen into slumber, she crept from her bed as silently as she could and went to the shelf which contained the notebook, She had to know what else that item contained. The large portion of it is her questioning herself, about her preferences, results from tests in magazines, all of them pointing in a single direction. Twilight was denying it, but she was aware of her feelings.

This was going to be too easy, Chrysalis cooed mentally, placing the book exactly as it was before, exactly not any difference, even for one who looked for any tampering would have difficulty noticing something was wrong. She returned to the bed to sleep, even a changeling needs to rest their mind.

She had enough information for the letter, to set her plan in motion, she was slightly short on information of Luna, but enough to make due at imitating her. As for the sending of the letters, she would either become a mailmare, and take the letters herself, or intercept the return letters some other way. So that the letters would not get to either party but instead get to Chrysalis and learn from each time they get together. Each time she goes on a date with either of them she will be able to model herself after the one she dated a little more accurately and thus be less likely to be discovered. If she were to be discovered it would be the end of the changeling queen, and changelings as a race would cease to be. Failure was not an option for the queen of the changelings.

The night passed quickly through Chrysalis' dreamless night. She rarely dreamed and she did not really mind, she found dreams pointless. She was for the most part practical.

She awoke from her slumber late in the morning, the sun was high in the sky. She looked over her disguise to make sure none of it has slipped during her slumber. Her disguise checked out without any flaws in its structure. She had an unimaginable amount of practice in shape shifting, but neglecting to check on a disguise is a fools mistake, and Queen Chrysalis was no fool.

She walked down to the main lobby of the library, Twilight was reading a novel, and blushing, it was the same book that Twilight looked at before asking Chrysalis the coltfriend question. Chrysalis could only assume that it was a romantic novel, probably somewhat smutty. "Thank you very much Miss Sparkle, I am going to head off to try and find work" Chrysalis lied.

"Are you going to be back again to spend another night?"

"I will try not to, I don't want to be a burden to you." She was going to try to find another place to stay if she could, because staying there would be rather dangerous after a while.

Chrysalis tread downtown in the hopes of finding the post office, so that she may find out who the mailmare is that carries the letters from Ponyville to Canterlot. Then all she had to do was replace them, bribe them or intercept them. Unfortunately she had little to bribe with, so that only left the option of taking their place and doing their work or intercepting the letters before the got to Twilight.

After a short amount of wandering through the town she came across a building that had a sign in the shape of a letter hanging over the door.

she waited in the shade of a nearby building, to either think of a plausible reason for asking who takes the mail to Canterlot, or to wait and see who it is. Though her thinking was cut short, a pegasus stallion with a cart came out of the side of the building. She carefully observed his entire form, while he prepped for his flight. After taking off she observed where he was headed.

To Chrysalis' disappointment he headed in an entirely different direction, towards Fillydelphia. She went back under the overhang to try to continue thinking of a way to properly ask for who takes the mail. Though soon another courier came out, this one a mare. Chrysalis did the same for the last one, examined her entire form as she prepped, how she moved. Then observed which way she took off. This time for Canterlot.

She stayed under the overhang and thought about her plan and any flaws that may arise, or anything she would like to avoid. She wanted to avoid pulling that heavy cart, she had not realized that so much mail was sent.

If she were to do anything else she would need more knowledge on how the postal system works. For that she was going to ask. Something simple, her go to intelligence gaining excuse, she would say she was going to write a paper. She used it often, but it worked and ponies more often than not just comply and answer any questions that are asked. So it was time for her to find out how the postal system works in Ponyville. She walked into the front door of the quaint building.

Inside the structure was very bland, the walls where all painted a simple tan color. in places there where wooden crates, folded cardboard boxes, trays which contained letters, a box here and there filled with scroll ribbons, scattered piles of parchment. There was no conceivable order to how everything was placed. On the far side of the room there was a counter that surrounded a door on the far side of it, the counter had a section that could raise up to allow the pony working there to enter and leave.

She went up to said counter and rang a bell. A few moments later a beige stallion wearing glasses and a calm demeanor came to the counter, "Hello Ms, may I help you?"

"Yes you can. I'm going to write a report on the postal system, and I was wondering if you could show me how everything operates?" she said matter of factly.

"Well come on back and I will show you, stay as long as you like. Just try to not get in my way," he stated in a friendly neutral tone.

He lifted the gate on the counter, and let Chrysalis through. and lead her to the back of the office where the mail was sorted. Now that he was no longer behind the counter She could see his cutie-mark, It consisted of three envelopes.

In the research she found out it took over a day to sort out the letters once they had arrived. and with the distance between here and Canterlot, by the time they get back it is rare that any of them actually get sorted. She had her plan. Chrysalis would simply sneak in at night and intercept the letters and replace them.

Now there was no kinks left in her plan, and it was about to be enacted. Her hive will be reconstructed and stronger than ever.

Comments

[ImpossibleReflection]

If you see any errors please tell me.

And for those who will say I had the lyrics wrong for This Day Aria, i was actually using the lyrics to This Spy Aria, a parody of it.

[PonyJesus]

But, what if Twilight uses spike to send the letters? Chysalis' plan would fall apart before it began! While this is all well and good for the HMS TwiLuna, it is no good for her.

[Gwenio]

1641584

Using Spike risks nosy older sister seeing the letters.

[ImpossibleReflection]

1641584
1641777
I have already had that incorporated into the next chapter.

edit: how chrysalis avoids it.
1641642
Alright, i will space them.
edit: they are spaced