Chapter 4
The dark quiet room resounded with the sound of knocking at the door.
A pair of gray eyes flashed open to stare at the source of the noise.
"It's seven o'clock, the time you commanded to be woken you up, my queen," said a raspy voice from behind the door.
"Yeah, yeah, thank you," answered a slightly annoyed changeling filly.
She got up from her bed, flickering on the light providing orb at the center of the room with her magic.
She walked slowly towards the mirror and let out a sigh, noticing that she hadn't matured yet.
She thought that it had to be expected, given that only two days had passed. Yet she felt mocked by her reflection, for in it she saw an adult trapped in the body of a filly, which too few took seriously.
She left the room in a rather bad mood, pacing slowly towards the nearest feeding grounds.
---
The feeding grounds were much like a self service: a long line of greenish cocoons, mostly empty, near which stood four long lines of changelings, waiting to have their share of love.
She walked straight past the nearest queue, gaining some insults from a pair of changelings that didn't recognize her, followed by their begging for forgiveness.
Ignoring them, she reached her destination and proceeded on absorbing some love from the entranced mare in the cocoon.
Once satisfied she turned and walked away, ignoring all the bows and cheering going on around her.
---
Her mood improved by the meal, she trotted gingerly towards the war room.
It was a bit far from her quarters, so it took her some time to reach the wide circular room where the three generals of her army were waiting her.
They all looked like any other changeling, except that they had a deep blue crest in the back of their heads, descending down their necks.
They all bowed their heads when she entered the room.
"Very well, what news do you have for me?" she said sitting at the table with them.
"The preparation of troops is going smoothly, my queen," said the one in front of her.
"The mobilization of the civilities is at the 47%, increasing steadily, my queen," said the one on her right.
"The gathering of food is slowed down, my queen," said the last.
"What? Why?" asked the shocked filly.
"Some changelings under my command started acting strange and released some of the captured ponies, my queen. They have been mind controlled," answered him cowering in fear.
The trio expected various kinds of outcome, all of them along the lines of 'a bloody blind rage terminating their lives in a very painful way', but nothing of the sort happened:
"Very well," she simply said keeping her cool "I already have some ideas on who is the perpetrator. Now, for the battle strategy, what do you suggest?"
---
The meeting with the general had exhausted her. The afternoon announced to be even worse.
She walked tiredly towards the nearest feeding ground, finding it unsurprisingly cramped.
This time, she decided to eat a different treat, so she disguised herself as a normal changeling and toured the room, eating out the anger from her subjects.
She was in fact her father masterpiece: engineered to be a perfected version of Chrysalis, while they were similar in aspect and power, she had a stronger personality (or so her father thought), and by sheer luck she could eat any feeling (except fear, for some reason).
She later left, feeling much better, and went towards her quarters.
The guard standing in front of her room bowed upon seeing the filly.
"Stand up. Go and fetch me the infiltration squad leader," she commanded entering the room without giving a second glance to the guard.
---
She was lying idly on her bed, staring emptily at the black ceiling, thinking on the meaning of her life: she was sure that the attack was a necessity for her people, but there wasn't really any other way at all? Nothing could be done?
The trail of her thoughts was disrupted by a knocking at the door.
"Enter," Ashley said with a plain tone.
Part of the wall slid down disappearing into the floor, revealing a changeling bearing both the insignia of the infiltration squad, a set of four purple lines on each leg, and a smaller version of the generals' crest, again in purple shades.
"Did you summon me, my queen?" asked the newcomer bowing.
"Yes," she answered jumping down her bed and starting pacing in front of him "I have found evidences that somepony is trying to sabotage my invasion using mind control over some workers. Do you know what this means?"
"I assure you that I -" started saying the still bowed changeling.
"Oh, I know very well that you, as any other ranked changeling, have your mind monitored by our father, and I'm not accusing you. No, I'm pointing the accusatory hoof on your underlings: the only changelings out of our father control able to use a minor mind controlling spell," explained Ashley raising his head with a hoof under her chin.
"Now, do you recall any strange behavior?" she asked starting to pace once again.
"My underlings are used at hiding thoughts and emotions, it will prove hard finding the culprit. May I suggest to arrest the whole team?" explained the squad leader.
"Twelve units away from their mansions won't dampen too much the preparations," mumbled the queen before shouting "So be it! Guard!"
The door slid open once again, revealing the guard she had called.
"Yes, your majesty?" he asked bowing.
"Both of you, go, take some more soldiers and arrest the whole infiltration squad! You are dismissed!" ordered Ashley.
A minute later, she was once again alone with her thoughts.
---
Ashley trotted with haste towards the war room, eager to discover the results of her strategy.
Upon approaching the room, she noticed that six guards stood on both sides of the door; between those, she recognized the one that stood out of her quarters.
She walked past them and into the room, where twelve changelings bowed at her appearance.
"Those are the prisoners, my queen," said the infiltration squad leader.
"I see just eleven of them," pointed out the queen.
"Yes your majesty, one of my underlings is nowhere to be found," apologized the still bowed leader.
"I guess that we have our first suspect, but I don't like superficial works," she said pacing slowly in front of the now standing line of changelings.
"You," she said stopping in front of the seventh from the right, her voice sounding sweet and comforting yet still raspy and double toned "Did you try to stop the invasion? Don't lie: I am good at finding liars."
"No, my queen," he answered without changing his expression.
"And you?" she asked to the one on her left.
"No my queen."
She continued her interrogatory without a comment until she questioned everypony.
"I must praise your work, commander, they are really good at hiding feelings and thoughts. They almost fooled me. Almost..." said Ashley trotting back to the squad leader with an amused tone.
"My queen?" asked the confused changeling.
"They all sabotaged the invasion," explained her with a serious tone.
The culprits shared a worried look between them.
"But not out of their free will: they had been controlled by somepony, the missing one I'd say."
"I'll find him my queen, let me handle this," said the commander putting a hoof on his chest.
"No, I need you for another task. Clear your underlings' minds and secure that the food gathering isn't hindered anymore. Keep your underlings near, understood?" she ordered.
The whole troop nodded.
She walked out of the room and addressed the guards:
"Go and tell the other guards that we are searching for the last member of the infiltration squad. He is a dangerous traitor, so pay attention. Bring him back alive, but you have permission to kill him if he resists. Go now."
The guards bowed and trotted away in different directions.
Ashley nodded, pleased of how she had handled the situation. She then walked towards her quarters wearing a satisfied expression.
---
She looked expectantly to the captain of the guards standing in front of her.
"Well? Where is the traitor?" she asked.
"We don't know, your majesty," he said hanging his head "He is for sure out of the hive: we found two unconscious sentinels and a track of hoofprints, but nothing more."
"I see... Very well, captain. Cease the search but double the surveillance. You can go now."
When the changeling left, she decided it was time to go to bed.
She went to the mirror and looked at his reflection.
"It wasn't such a grand plan, uh?" she asked to the image "What will you do if the invasion ends like this? Maybe you should have tried to have a word with Celestia, they say she's very understanding and kind... No, if we wait for the ponies to accept us, we will become a memory! I must convince myself that this is the right curse of action!"
She then flew on the bed and laid to rest.
"We wont suffer anymore once the attack is concluded, this I promise to my children," she murmured before drifting into sleep.
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The song was kinda random... but then again, it's Metalica, so I'm not complaining
I wonder who is that Changeling who betrayed his hive ?
Did he had some plans to take over Hive after Queen failure, or do she wanted peace above war, the story taken unexpected turn.
Not bad chapter. I can't wait til Shining finds out 'Green Cloud' is really Chrysalis and that he's married to both her and Cadence.
1985553
There's a meaninig to the choice: Ashley wants the Changelings(the memory) not to disappear(to remain), a part for that, yeah, it's kind of random
1985722 1987986
I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a bit longer
1998151
Thank you, I didn't even knew they weren't sinonims
It is indeed inspired by it
2007424
I already said the other guy why I choose Ashley as name, and sincerely I cannot find a more fitting name (in my opinion, of course). Yet I'm sorry that this particular breaks your immersion
2008256
You want to find a name that is related to insects or flowers, or anything latin, or lanitized, or even faux-latin. The point is, something technical yet still functions as a workable word.
Silly father of Changelings, you can't improve on perfection, and Chryssie is already perfect.
Me: Then... She has a better plot?