Queen Chrysalis's thoughts were running at a thousand miles per second, but they could be summed up in eight words. Anger. Surprise. Disappointment. Pain. Dizziness. Airsickness. Concern. Fear.
Chrysalis was angry and surprised at those fools who had defeated her using what she fed on. It was one thing to drink a glass of water, but quite another to face a tidal wave.
She was disappointed in herself. Had she left well enough alone and allowed the Twilight foal to make a mockery of herself without trying to cement the defeat, her plan would have gone forth unimpeded. Cadence wouldn't have found the will to escape, and none of this would have happened. Or if she hadn't gloated so much; noticed when Cadence's bonds were broken, or not underestimated her devotion to Shining Armor, the situation could have been salvaged.
And going to the very beginning, she had to admit that her playing of Cadence had been far from her best acting. Changelings usually spent weeks, even months, stalking their target and researching their habits and mannerisms before even beginning to consider impersonating them, where Chrysalis had rushed blindly into this role like a pupa on her first outing. The Spell of Suggestion was usually a last resort, but she'd had to use and abuse it quite frequently on Shining Armor and the bridesmaids.
She hurt all over, like she'd been slammed into a brick wall, and now she was spinning madly, limbs flailing as she tumbled through the air. She was sure she'd somehow left her stomach back on the balcony, and her speed was such that the world seemed to darken around the edges of her vision. The sky and ground alternated in her sight like a strobe lantern, her head throbbed madly, and the shrieking of the wind in her ears didn't help.
While this was by no means a state she preferred, it might not have been so bad if she knew her Changelings weren't also out of commission. In the first few moments since being shoved off the balcony by the blast, she'd seen her Praetorian guard also flung away from the castle. The Changelings were spread out, likely disoriented from the blast, and several might not even recover in enough time to save themselves from the inevitable impact. And for those who survived? There was no way she could gather them all safely. And thanks to her failure, many of them would likely be hunted down by the ponies before she could get to them. While Equestria was a land of love and tolerance, she didn't want to test the limits of their mercy.
And fear, because even though she had by now managed to right herself, she was still far from in control of her flight, and the blurred streaks of brown and green that represented the ground was getting closer.
Then suddenly the world flashed white, and she crashed into a pile of cushions.
She was held up in the air by telekinesis, the shimmery blue field blurring the details of the room. She’d been here for what felt like at least an hour, though it was hard to tell, as the round white thing she assumed was a clock was unreadable. She could also make out some shelves, a desk, a soft shape that might have been a couch of some sort, and the blue sky out the window, but it was like looking at them through several feet of water. Due to an odd convention of the magic, however, her captor was as clear and crisp as a photograph. Indigo fur, flowing ethereal mane and tail, with both wings and horn, and wearing an expression like a disappointed mother having caught her child with one hoof in the cookie jar. Chrysalis knew she’d seen this pony a few times while posing as Cadence, but for her distinct appearance and Alicorn-hood, exact details about this mysterious mare eluded the still panic-stricken Changeling’s recollection.
Chrysalis struggled against her magical bonds again, but without the power of Shining Armor's love to back her up, it was like trying to lift the moon. The Alicorn gave no indication of having even noticed the futile attempts; walking around the Changeling and examining her like a particularly intriguing puzzle.
"What are you waiting for? Why not just end me now instead of wasting both of our valuable time?" Though she hated to admit it, the long period of silence was getting to her. Despite her bravado, Chrysalis was very uncomfortable with the situation, and were it not for her bindings, her wings would have been twitching like mad. It was an unfortunate nervous habit of hers that she'd never been able to control, and had given her away many times too often, among her own kind. Even had she been free of restraint, Chrysalis could take some relief in the fact that this Pony princess was unaware of the gesture and its significance.
The Alicorn didn't even respond, walking silently to her desk and rifling through some of the papers on there. While still holding Chrysalis, she picked up a pen and began to fill out a form. It was as though the Changeling queen had ceased to exist.
Fine. She wouldn’t let the silent treatment get to her. Closing her eyes, Chrysalis allowed the scratching of the pen, the sensation of the magic holding her, the very room itself, fade away…
”Focus, young one. Let everything around you fade away until there is only you. Your surroundings are not inconsequential, but you cannot possibly hope to master them until you master yourself. Just be calm, allow your thoughts to still.” Her mentor, though speaking earnestly, regardless sounded unforgivably patronizing to her younger self’s prideful ears. She’d learned most of his wisdom in time, but she had to admit she was still just as impatient. “Close your senses to the outside world until you can hear nothing but your own thoughts. With time and practice, you may learn how, in this state, to change those thoughts, to improve yourself as a daughter of Taiogh. It is different for every changeling I know, and the antecedent know it is far from easy, but in time you will find it may be a very important skill to have.”
The To-Be snorted disbelievingly. “And become a pushover who will change my mind at the slightest provocation? I think not.” And that was the one lesson of his she had still not figured out. What use was changing how she perceived the world when she was already right? She respected her mentor far more in hindsight than she had then, but still, th-
“You are still awake, I hope.”
Chrysalis’s eyes flew open as she was jerked back to reality. The dark princess was standing in front of her now, expressionless but at least acknowledging her captive’s presence. “Good. I am certain you are wondering why exactly I have brought you here?” Her mentor had seemed patronizing, but he had nothing on this pony.
Chrysalis’s pride flared, and she barely managed to keep her voice under control as she retorted with “I have a few good guesses.” Okay, so it wasn’t exactly her wittiest, but why waste her intelligence on such a creature?
Contrary to her hopes, she failed to invoke a reaction in her captor, who simply shook her head in more of that Draril-damned disappointment, before levitating several papers from the desk to float by her side. “Would you like to know who I am?” Defiant to the end, Chrysalis muttered something not normally heard in polite conversation, but the princess simply raised an eyebrow in mild amusement. “I shall take that as a yes.
“You just told Princess Luna of Equestria, Guardian of the Night, The Mare In the Moon, the Trickster, the Dreamweaver, five-times winner of the Canterlot Palace Monthly Drinking Contest, the former wielder of three of the Elements of Harmony, and sister of the Queen-Who-Would-Be-Princess, to do something I believe is quite anatomically impossible. Did I leave anything out?”
And suddenly the connection was made. Luna. The creepy dark Alicorn who only came out at night, and Cadance’s aunt. There’d been mentions of some ‘nightmare’ thing, but Chrysalis hadn’t been able to inquire, not without giving herself away. Either way, she’d been given the impression of somepony not to be trifled with lightly. Not, of course, that that would stop the Queen, who was already dealing with the powerful Celestia, but still. Chrysalis wasn’t sure whether to berate herself for failing to remember sooner, especially given how adaptable and quick on their feet Changelings prided themselves on being, or to panic as she realized how well and truly doomed she was.
Luna didn’t give her the chance to decide, steamrolling on in her speech. “And you are the Queen of the Changelings, attempted conqueror of Equestria, and until recently, Princess Cadence’s imposter. Tell me, ‘Queen,’ do you have a name?”
“…I’m known as Chrysalis.” She grudgingly relented, deciding that the Alicorn didn’t really need to know that she was only the queen of her particular hive. Luna was none the wiser, and this one little victory gave Chrysalis a much-needed boost to her confidence.
“I see. Well, now that we have been introduced, why don’t we get down to business?” Luna abruptly dropped Chrysalis on the floor, and before the changeling could get back to her hooves, blue bands of magic appeared, locking her down where she lay. “I think it would be best that you have full hearing for this. Do you realize how badly your actions today have hurt my people?”
Chrysalis found that while she could not stand up, the magic binding her to the floor shifted with her hooves so she could arrange herself somewhat more comfortably. She had a feeling this was going to take a while, and that it would be easier –for now, at least- to put up with the powerful Alicorn’s whims. That didn’t mean, however, that she had to make it easy for her foe. “Please remind me why I should care?” She smiled sweetly up at Luna, her voice filled to the brim with insincere honeyed tones. “After all, this is your failure to protect them we’re discussing, is it not?”
The princess’s face contorted briefly, so quick that the changeling almost thought she imagined it, and her voice shook slightly as she spoke next. “Very well, then, be that way. But in the interest of progression, I will act as though that had not occurred. Anyway.” While the Alicorn floated the first paper off the stack, Chrysalis allowed herself a smug smirk at the accomplishment. “First off, the damages to the city. Estimated property damage comes to about fifteen-hundred bits, the businesses coming to twice that. Many public installations were even more heavily damaged, and will likely be under construction and unusable for the next month at least. The total costs amount to something around three-hundred-thousand bits, funds from the royal treasury that could have instead gone into social programs, infrastructure, and technological and magical research. To help pay for some of that and prevent the treasury from sliding into debt, taxes will have to be raised.”
Luna quickly flipped through the papers, reading off the figures, before dramatically throwing them behind her, not looking as they scattered to cover the desk like a fine layer of snow, and leaned in closer to the unimpressed Chrysalis. Her voice became a dangerous hiss, her muscles tensing, her anger beginning to truly show through. “But you have cost us far, far more than simple money. Thanks to you revealing your kind, paranoia and mistrust will become commonplace in every home, putting previously unheard-of strain on familial and friendly bonds. Your imprisonment and impersonation of my niece has left her more damaged than I believe she’s letting on, giving her scars that I fear may never heal, and have hurt the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and their beautiful friendship even worse than the god of chaos, Discord, ever could!”
Luna stepped back, closing her eyes, taking several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Even Chrysalis, while unable to bring herself to care for the Princess’s motivations, was amazed and more than slightly intimidated by her display of passion. Several tense minutes passed, both parties recovering from the outburst. The sky darkened as the sun began to set, and sometime during this, Luna went to the window and raised the moon. Even as exhausted as she looked after this action, her bonds holding Chrysalis down never wavered in the least. A few minutes later, a flick of the Alicorn’s horn neatly pulled all the loose papers back into a cohesive stack on one corner of the desk.
And finally she returned to Chrysalis, once more wearing an expression of parental disappointment. Her voice was soft, sad, tired. “But there is something you should know, Queen of the Changelings. You haven’t hurt me or my people half as much as you’ve hurt your own.”
What? “What?” Chrysalis couldn’t stop herself from vocalizing her thoughts. “You’re lying, I’d never willingly harm my-“
“’Willingly’ is the key word here. I don’t suppose you realize this, but your invasion was reckless and foolish, doomed from the start.” This was said without any form of insult or derision; it was a simple statement of fact. “I don’t suppose you ever stopped to consider exactly what would happen if you’d actually succeeded, but in forcibly taking over the city, love would be replaced by fear and your people would have starved as surely as if you’d left well enough alone.”
“What? How dare you insinuate that my people are weak!?” Even to her own ears, the words were hollow, a weak defense against any possible exploitation. Even as she claimed otherwise, her mind’s eye began pulling up a certain memory, of commemorating the Prodigium Causa Mortis Ceremony...
Luna tried to give her a smile, whether in victory or as a consoling gesture she didn’t know, but it ended up as a painful grimace. She gulped several times before continuing. “Furthermore, now that changelings have stepped out of the mists of myth, folklore, and conspiracy theories, and into the world of solid fact, ponies will be on the alert for them. Even as I speak, leaflets on the detection and outing of such individuals are being printed and circulated throughout the nation, and the admittedly stagnant Royal guard will be given a tough new regime and sent out to every town to help in the capture of Changelings. The Palace dungeons, which have also seen little use recently will soon be full to bursting.
“You, Queen Chrysalis, have doomed your people in the most efficient way possible.”
Chrysalis wasn’t crying. No, that wet feeling in the corners of her eyes? It was simply the moisture in the room. So much moisture in this dry, dusty room. Yep. And that hiccup? It was because she swallowed something wrong. The air. Swallowed wrong, she swallowed the air… wrong.
Dammit. “Just answer (hic) me this. Wh-(hic)why?” It was an incredibly vague question, but the queen was unable to properly convey what she meant. And yet the princess understood, somehow. Perhaps not the details, but the spirit of the inquiry. And to her regret, she found that…
“I don’t know.” Luna responded. “I don’t know.”
Luna gently levitated the sleeping Changeling onto the couch in the corner, wincing as she looked at her captive’s frozen expression of outmost grief. Whether it was simple grief for her own failings or true grief for her people’s fate remained to be seen, but she would have to wait to find out, and not prematurely judge her in the meantime.
Until then… Luna smiled softly as she pulled a soft quilt over hard chitin and closed and locked the window. She had many duties to attend to in the wake of the invasion, but she knew her thoughts would remain with the strange being that resided in her office.
She stepped out and closed the door behind her, the last beam of light cutting off and sending the queen of the changelings to drift away, into the warm embrace of the night.
An arc transcribes itself in neon green against the darkness, the beginnings of a spiral.
The heart is empty, the fire little more than a spark.
One end is another beginning. One beginning marks an end.
Tuesday Afternoon
‘Ehrney, Aslith, and Ormaq! Take your Aggregate platoons and head toward the East Plaza. The element-bearers are making a break for the vault.’
Canterlot was chaos. Magical explosions rocked the city, gleeful drones zipping back and forth as ponies cowered. The Praetorian Guard known as Aslith growled even as she accepted Chrysalis’s telepathic orders, horn flickering out as she cut the connection. Perched on a fairly high balcony, the Changeling could see over most of the city, and bear witness as the ‘invasion’ devolved into complete anarchy. The Drones, lacking any sort of self-control, had quickly abandoned all pretense of professionalism once the barrier broke down, and even now a few Praetorians were seen trying to round them up and actually take over the city.
Aslith had no love lost for the pathetically overwhelmed ponies, but she was less than pleased with how the invasion was proceeding. It seemed like such things as honor and civility had gone straight out the window. Still, there was little she could do alone, except follow orders. Sighing, the Changeling turned around to take stock of what remained of her own forces, a baker’s dozen of drones that were only standing so still and attentive due to a mass Thrall spell. “Follow,” she barked, and took wing.
It didn’t take long to meet up with Ehrney and Ormaq, the former of whom had evidently gotten the same idea as Aslith, bringing an even larger squad of drones in tow. Ormaq, to his embarrassment, had only himself to present.
“The element-bearers are smart; we shouldn’t allow them to pick us out as the leaders,” Ehrney shouted over the wind, “We should lose ourselves in the crowd.” As one, the Praetorians teleported their helmets away for later retrieval, the pointless enchantments falling away to reveal a trio of True Changelings. A burst of green fire, however, and they melted seamlessly into the flock of Enthralled Drones.
The East Plaza wasn’t hard to find; Chrysalis, who had spent the last week or so living in Canterlot, had transmitted a rough map into the Guard’s minds. It was a fairly wide open space overlooking one of the city’s many parks; not quite as fancy as most of Canterlot, but passable. And it was about to become a battlefield.
Aslith touched down near the back of the crowd; not wanting to risk losing control of the Drones before she could direct their focus towards the attack.
The last of Ehrney’s group touched down just as the element-bearers arrived; a rather motley and underwhelming group of mares who collided with each other humorously as they found their way blocked. Still, Aslith prided herself on her practicality, and she wasn’t about to let herself underestimate these foes.
A tense moment of standoff ended when the most colorful of the group stepped up, and Aslith sent one of her drones forward to counter before releasing all her thralls. Battle was quickly underway.
Dust was kicked up in great clouds, colorful pastel forms barely distinguishable as they thrashed wildly back and forth. Aslith had not been wrong to be wary of the element-bearers; despite being mere ponies and their almost comical dispositions, they seemed to be holding up well enough against the far greater numbers. It was honestly hard to tell amidst all the chaos, though.
Aslith herself kept to the Drone disguise, watchful eyes scanning the crowd for an opening. The drones were nasty enough, but the element-bearers, she imagined, would have a considerably harder time fighting off a trained professional, especially if such skill was not expected.
However, that plan was ruined as the pink one popped up before her. Trying to throw it off balance, Aslith quickly cycled through several forms, but to her surprise, the pink one just giggled. “Ooh, do me! Do me!”
Rolling her eyes, Aslith complied without thinking. Happy? She thought, giving a sarcastically overblown smile.
“Eh, I’ve seen better.” The pink one grabbed the purple unicorn out of the crowd, twisting her friend’s tail in a strange fashion. Before Aslith could react, her vision went pink, then green, then black.
Present
Chrysalis awoke with a gasp, the strange dream she had had fading from memory as reality rudely crashed in.
Reality was unexpectedly quiet.
Her eyelids felt heavy, so she didn’t open them yet. There was something uncomfortably warm and heavy pressing down on her exoskeleton, and aside from the periodic chirp of a bird and a strange ticking noise, all was silent. She was reminded abruptly of her cocoon back at the hive, and how much more comfortable it was than here. Also discomfiting was that she had evidently fallen asleep sideways instead of properly vertical; her back ached like nobody’s business.
Actually, all of her ached. As the changeling’s nervous system started up, she found that she felt like one big bruise. The pins-and-needles of numbness only made things worse, and for a few moments the sheer pain drove every other thought away. She curled up pathetically, every movement sending a spike of lighting into her brain, until finally the numbness subsided.
Opening her eyes, she was momentarily blinded by what was actually a fairly dim light, and gradually her surroundings came into focus. Blurs of tan and black resolved themselves into walls, shelves, a desk. An office of some sort? Memories were hidden behind a curtain of stinging fuzziness, like a cotton ball filled with slivers of wood had planted itself firmly in her neural path.
She didn’t give it much thought beyond that, though, still preoccupied with more urgent matters. Even without the numbness inflaming everything, she still hurt all over, like she’d been slammed into a brick wall. Or the wall had been slammed into her, she thought, and a piece clicked into place.
Changelings as a race were typically more quick-witted than this; they had to be in order to survive a life of lies. But Chrysalis’s head felt fuzzy, memories a blur as the aches in her body overwhelmed everything else. Lashing out blindly with a hoof, she managed to dislodge whatever had been atop her, and the feeling subsided enough for her to think properly.
The denial, her rage, a hasty plan, kidnapping the princess, the wedding… and Luna. Captured by the mysterious Alicorn, the long silence, the long speech. Her plan torn down with logic, all the inherent fatal flaws that Chrysalis had blinded herself to now exposed, and the potential consequences laid out uncompromisingly. Now it all came rushing back, introducing a new kind of pain to her system, and she collapsed under the weight of all her failure. When would this torment end?
She’d failed. Failed miserably. Canterlot had been won back, her forces repelled, and now she was at the mercy of one of the three most powerful beings in the city. Shining Armor’s misplaced love had deserted her, and after a good week of raw power flowing through her veins, the return to normalcy felt worse than it actually was. What could she possibly hope to do now?
No.
The Changeling opened her eyes again (when had she closed them? Memory was like a leaf in the hurricane winds of despair, at the moment) and pushed back her nilhistic musings. You cannot hope to master your surroundings if you cannot master yourself. There was always an escape route, an alternative. Right?
She didn’t have time to break down now. So silently, unmoving, she suppressed the emotions, the crushing sense of defeat, and locked them all away in a little Pandora’s box to be opened later. Everything that had gone wrong was irrelevant; she’d keep trying until something changed.
And with that, the would-be Changeling Queen sat up straight and began to look around. She would not be defeated so easily.
The sun had risen a few hours ago, and was now at the midpoint between the eastern horizon and its eventual zenith come noon. Ponyville looked simplistically beautiful at this time of day, everything lent a watery but warm mid-morning glow. Ponies were finally starting to shake off their grogginess, and the town seemed almost normal to an outsider.
But in reality, its current bustle wasn’t quite up to the usual standard, and ponies seemed a bit more focused as they went about their business. The atmosphere was hardly poisonous, but it was certainly less relaxed than usual.
Nearly everypony had witnessed the fall of the shield and the distant explosions and chaos that had rocked Canterlot yesterday afternoon, and those that hadn’t soon heard about it. Things seemed to have returned to normal for now, but wary gazes were still often cast in the direction of the Cliffside City. Until they received official word on what had happened, though, the generally practical towns-ponies had decided to try to keep going as normal.
Finally however, a train arrived, spewing out six exhausted mares, a young dragon, and a contingent of royal guards.
“I still wish they’d let us help. I have no problem bein’ element of Honesty and all that, but this special treatment doesn’t seem quite fair to me.” Applejack had a troubled frown, and was clearly reluctant to leave the train, dragging behind the group.
“Even I must admit it doesn’t strike me well,” Rarity responded, “But we still have our families to check upon, do we not? And of course, to explain the situation properly to Ponyville.”
Rainbow Dash, even in spite of the mood, had taken wing almost instantly, the feel of even a slight breeze through her feathers feeling like a goddess-send after the stuffy dead air of the train car. “I thought that was their job, Rarity!” She nodded at the group of guards that had accompanied them.
“Well, I’m just glad to be back home,” The group’s other Pegasus chimed in silently, hiding behind her mane. “Yesterday was… scary.”
Twilight nodded in silent agreement before addressing Rainbow. “The guards are here to protect the town. Celestia put it to us to inform the mayor of what happened, and what the plan for the next few weeks will be.”
Pinkie Pie was seemingly immune to the mood, her bouncing only a little subdued compared to normal. “Well, if the plan is a ‘It Could Have Been Worse and The Wedding Is Happening Anyway’ party, then count me in!”
Twilight chuckled, and suddenly a sense of relief washed through her for the first time since the invasion; Pinkie’s proposed party seemed to confirm, oddly enough, what nothing else had; it was over. Canterlot would take a week or so to fix up the damages, but then her brother and her old foalsitter would get married for real this time, and everyone could relax. This in mind, she trotted forward with a bit more gusto, and her friends were quick to follow.
The group continued on towards town hall, not noticing as they passed a surly brown unicorn, who only had eyes for the bouncing pink one.
The sunlight that warmed a wary Ponyville had a harder time with Canterlot; it’s pleasant rays almost served to make the Mountainside City look even bleaker. The outer edges of the city, not having borne the brunt of the attack, was almost completely undamaged, but the center of the city hadn’t fared so well.
Even then, many fore-ponies noted, the damage was mostly at the surface, with some holes in walls, some toppled streetlights, scorch marks and small craters where the invaders had landed, and other problems it wouldn’t take too long to fix. Only in a few places was the damage much more substantial; a shop for glassware and windowing had had it’s entire stock smashed, a balcony somewhere had collapsed onto the street below and left a substantial pile of wreckage, and a couple homes had been all but completely gutted by the rampaging changelings. All told, a fair amount of work would still have to be put in, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as many ponies had feared.
Similarly, while the Canterlot General Hospital was almost completely filled up, and even a few medical tents had popped up elsewhere to take on the less severe cases, there was nothing truly life-threatening reported. The Changelings had certainly been rough, and at least a quarter of the city’s population would be wearing casts and slings for a while, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.
Along with the large medical tents, a number of smaller ones had sprung up like mushrooms as professional psychologists and unlicensed hacks alike prepared to deal with the more subtle scars from the event. The wide grounds separating the city from the Palace, meanwhile, found itself playing host to a quickly but sturdily built temporary shelter for those whose few whose homes had been too badly wrecked to live in until repairs had been made.
All told, the general theme seemed to be one of relief and a cautious optimism; the event had been quick and brutal, but quickly over, most of the damages not deep enough that they couldn’t be fixed up soon enough.
Of course, the invasion wouldn’t be without any more lasting impact. Aside from the building where the marriage had almost taken place, the Palace itself had gotten off surprisingly well, likely due to the disorganized nature of the attack. Now the halls were themselves a barely-organized chaos as the staff, the Day and Night Court members, and other officials of all shape and size rushed back and forth. Documents and notices and papers were numerous and heavily exchanged; an observer could almost mistake them for some strange form of currency at a frantic market.
Royal Guards marched back and forth throughout the city, checking up on things, keeping order, and apprehending the few changelings that had ended up stuck between the shield blast and a hard place. Most were too badly injured to fight back, crushed as they had been into a wall, railing, or whatever else that had blocked their path out of the city, and as Luna had predicted the evening before, soon the disused royal dungeons were cracked open, cleaned out, and filled up.
Most of the action was focused in Canterlot, but already a few trains and airships had departed to other destinations through Equestria to spread the word and some reinforcements. It was unlikely that any changelings would appear in Los Pegasus, but caution never hurt.
Indeed, already many were looking to the future, attempting to figure out how exactly to react to what had happened. But for now, in the present, Canterlot was safe.
Chrysalis was still nagged by a feeling of frustration, despite her emotional purge. Last night, her captor had driven home just how badly the Changeling had screwed up, and had subsequently borne witness to a truly pathetic breakdown. Showing weakness was tantamount to a death sentence all its own when you were at your enemy’s mercy, and if last night’s display hadn’t been of weakness, then she didn’t know what was. It was humiliating and frustrating and only worsened her already miserable position, and the thought just wouldn’t leave her alone. Still, she shoved it back, tried to ignore for now the disaster that was last night.
Last night. She hadn’t paid much attention to her surroundings then, but looking around now, she was surprised by the aesthetic. The couch she herself sat on was a creamy white, sitting diagonally in one corner. The floor was a smooth vanilla marble, with a somewhat upraised section for the dark oak desk in the center. The walls were made of sandstone; the one to Chrysalis’s left mostly obscured by bookshelves, the one to her right containing the door. The wall opposite the door had the window, though it was currently shuttered. Warm morning light spilled through the slats, dust sparkling in the beams and giving the room a dim gentle glow. The last wall, finally, was empty save for a small abstract portrait. All in all, the office didn’t feel like the workplace of a Princess of the Night.
Pillars of obsidian in each corner reached up to the high, vaulted ceiling. Set in the walls between these arches were a number of small doors, likely leading to storage. It would seem impractical to some ponies, but considering who’s office this was, it was less an inconvenience than an out-of-the way storage system with some ridiculously simple and efficient security.
Out of curiosity, Chrysalis reached up with her telekinesis and opened one of the doors, wondering what sort of items the Princess would keep in there. Or, rather, she tried to.
“What?” Nothing was happening. She was channeling the magic out through her horn, she could feel it leaving, but no matching green glow surrounded the door she had chosen. She drew in more ambient magic, but still reality stubbornly defied her demands. What about…?
Of course. The room was permeated with Anti-Magic, somehow tuned to Changeling frequencies; nothing was happening because her own magic was being nullified the moment she released it. This would be a problem.
Chrysalis’ eyes widened suddenly. What about her shape shifting? The idea of being confined to a single form, trapped so long in just one body, even if it was her own, was too horrifying to comprehend. Stumbling off the couch, she barely even cared as she collapsed to the floor. A burst of effort, and lying there in her place was a tan Pegasus with a dark green mane, which immediately gave a great sigh of relief. Only the horn’s frequencies had been affected; Chrysalis was still free in one sense.
Returning to her natural form, the Changeling slowly stood up on shaky legs. The room spun around her and her head felt strangely airy, and she suddenly realized that she had not really moved under her own power since the blast; after her mad tumble through the sky, it was no wonder her sense of balance was a mess.
Still, with uncharacteristic patience, Chrysalis managed to regain her hooves, and the room stopped wobbling after a few minutes. Once she had finally recovered her balance enough to do anything meaningful, she walked over to the door.
It was a solid black oak piece, with a magical lock. It took a few attempts to probe with telekinesis before Chrysalis remembered the Anti-Magic field, and she growled angrily at the mocking circular bit. She briefly considered bucking the door down, but the last thing she wanted was to be caught; it would make too much noise. Instead, she turned to inspect the rest of the office for any other means of escape.
She hadn’t noticed it before, as it was hidden from the couch’s corner by the bookshelves, but there was a smaller door set right next to the window’s wall. Chrysalis didn’t expect much, but flitted over for a closer look regardless, wincing at her aching wings’ protests.
This one, thankfully, had only a doorknob, and the Changeling turned it with deliberate slowness. This is a waste of time, part of her was screaming, but stealth was key if she was to have any hope of escape. Pressing herself against the door, she opened it just a crack. Thankfully the hinge seemed well-oiled, and-
Chrysalis jumped.
And then she hung her head in shame and self-loathing. Opening the door fully, the office’s dim glow spilled into a small bathroom, the loathsome mirror standing unrepentant above a washing basin. This room would be of no help.
Well, at least I know where this is if nature calls…
No! I don’t intend to be here anywhere near that long.
Growling as her general frustration rose, she stalked over to the window. “You damn well better be my escape, or so help me…” She didn’t really care if she was overheard or not at this point; the world seemed to be dead set against Chrysalis, and Chrysalis felt that the world could go screw itself for all she cared. Still, she was self-aware enough to stop and take a few deep breaths before examining the window.
Of course. Of bucking course.
Her legs trembled, her wings buzzing like crazy in spite of the pain, and a deep scowl etched itself across her face, her eyes almost able to vaporize somepony with their sheer hate. And in the face of another magical lock and window shutters made of cold, hard, unyielding steel, who could blame her?
Now, changelings could shape-shift into any living creature, and as an added bonus could change their colors to mimic their surroundings, but they couldn’t actually become any inanimate object. The same applied to natural forces such as clouds, fire, or really anything that wasn’t a living organism.
In that moment, Chrysalis became a hurricane.
The sun shone down on a Canterlot that was slowly but surely beginning to put itself back together. By tomorrow, hordes of construction ponies would start fixing up the physical components, but the core, the heart, the people – they were scarred, but safe. All wounds would heal with time.
Celestia’s office, a surprisingly small workspace bathed in hues of indigo and violet, looked out over all this. It was at the wrong angle to receive sunlight at this hour, but a subdued fire crackling quietly in the hearth made up for that. As the night prior and the news rolling in changed toward a hopeful tone, the mood in the room had begun to relax from a frigid grimness to a careful optimism. Luna and Celestia still spoke directly with one another rarely, but now it was a more comfortable silence than when Luna had first entered.
The two Alicorns stood at the window, watching the city get back on its hooves even as, in a storm of telekinesis and quills, forms and flashes of teleportation, they helped direct that very action. Occasionally one would bring a paper forward to discuss in hushed tones, but for the most part they hardly even needed to glance at the papers before a decision was reached. Cadence would have an unenviable load of paperwork herself when she awoke, as after Luna's return, she was often the tie-breaker when the sisters reached an impasse, but for now, they let her rest.
“Look at this one,” Luna said gruffly as a thin stack separated itself from the swarming flock of papers. “I wish to know whose suggestion this was so I may fire them personally.” Glancing at it, Celestia frowned in agreement.
“I was afraid this would happen. Now that the most immediate problems are solved, paranoia is only natural in the face of the, ah, Changelings.” The unfamiliar word still felt wrong on her tongue, but almost more alarming was how quickly it had become common in conversation.
“But this! This is going too far!” Luna growled, scrawling an overlarge veto across the page, which was joined a moment later by a calmer seconding from Celestia. “Fear is understandable, but the moment we start accepting things like this…” She teleported the suggestion for periodic and mandatory Changeling searches away just so she wouldn’t have to look at it any longer, “We may as well call ourselves a dictatorship.”
Celestia nodded sagely. “And this will only be the first of many such suggestions; it will be hard work preventing our little ponies from letting their fear get the better of them.”
Gradually, the incoming flow of forms slowed to a trickle, and Celestia finally let her exhaustion show, leaning heavily to one side before she realized it; Luna moved closer to help prop her up. “The worst has passed, sister, and you need rest.” Indeed; after the disaster yesterday and then a whole night and morning dealing with the fallout, the Princess of the Day was rather understandably exhausted. But at Luna’s words, she suddenly forced herself back upright, a strange expression crossing her normally serene features.
“I’ll be fine,” she muttered, more to herself than anypony else. “Our people need us, both of us, and I cannot fail them.”
Luna sighed and face-hoofed, knowing what this was about, but concern outweighed her frustration with this sudden immaturity. “You will be of no use to anypony at all if you push yourself too hard. If something happens, I promise I will wake you, but right now you need to put your pride aside and get some sleep.”
Celestia glared at her for a moment, but finally hung her head in defeat. “You’re right, my sister. Please wake me up for dinner.” Luna nodded, and with a white flash, Celestia was gone.
It was a simple matter to finish up the remainder of the work, and after sending out a notice that any further paperwork was to be sent to her own office, Luna put out the fireplace and made her leave as well.
The hallways were still packed, though the bustle had definitely wound down from earlier. It would still be busy at the Palace for the next few weeks, though, and Luna could already feel the migraines coming on. Merging with the flow of traffic, Luna cast a quick charm to block out most of the jumbled echoing noise.
Thankfully, the north-eastern wing of the palace was much quieter, as its focus wasn’t nearly as relevant to the current clean-up efforts as the main sections at the south end. The shock, in fact, of going from the din and clatter of the main hallways to the relative serenity up here, left the Princess numb for a few moments. It was also the location of Luna’s office, and provided her… guest… was not yet up and about, she was hopeful for some real peace and quiet.
She didn’t feel nearly as confident in her ability to handle things without either her sister or Cadence there to help as she’d led Celestia to believe, and upon reaching the black oak slab leading to her no-longer-private sanctuary, she let herself lean against the wall for a few moments. She, too, was tired, and having to stay up all day was not an inviting prospect. Plus, there was part of her questioning why she’d taken on that nuisance of a changeling on top of everything else. Was she just setting herself up for failure at this point?
It was really tempting to just ignore her little ponies for a while. Go take a nap even though her sibling and Niece were similarly incapacitated, or perhaps take a plunge into the royal wine cellar in search of a good bottle of moonshine. Perhaps she should just leap out of the nearest window, and take wing somewhere else, somewhere she didn’t have to put up with all this sudden stress.
But no, she decided, forcing herself to stand up straight. No, that would simply be selfish, wrong. She was disappointed that she’d even considered abandoning her ponies in their time of need. And as frustrating as it was bound to be, dealing with the Changeling had too much potential to be ignored. So with a fresh sense of resolve, she walked forward the last few steps and opened the door.
She really wasn’t sure whether or not she should be surprised.
A strangely mobile patch of wall stilled itself as the indigo Alicorn walked in, breath slowing to almost nothing as it watched carefully. If Luna was shocked at the piles of books that looked to have been blown around by a strong wind, or the splintered mess of one of the shelves that had once held them, she did not show it. Stepping past the overturned couch to inspect the crumpled mockeries of origami that had become of some recently-arrived paperwork, her understated grin was at stark odds with what one would expect.
“How mature.” Her tone carried no hint of sarcasm, even; just a conversational sort of placidity that would have fit just as well with an observation regarding the weather. A pencil picked itself up off the floor in a blue aura, spinning lazily in midair before suddenly flying over to clatter against a wall.
Except it didn’t clatter so much as tink. Nearly a full minute ticked out on the clock before the piece of wall admitted the jig was up, and Chrysalis faded into view with a resigned scowl. “How did you know?”
Luna’s gaze remained level, and the Changeling shifted uncomfortably beneath that unnaturally calm look. “Intuition.”
BAM! A sharp stomp of the hoof, features twisted with momentary rage, “DAMN INTUITION!” The Changeling roared. Luna didn’t react, and slowly her captive regained control, though still breathing heavily. If ever there was an image to define frustration, the Alicorn noted to herself, this was probably it.
“It does seem to have a history of inconvenience for you, does it not?” Her horn glowing, the books all began to pick themselves back up off the floor, ripped pages reuniting with their bindings as the splintered shards of the bookshelves built themselves back up. Luna didn’t even turn to watch the spectacle, eyes kept firmly on Chrysalis. And her damn expression wouldn’t change!
Chrysalis looked back with equal intentness, eyes mistrusting and a growl building in the back of her throat. “What are you trying to pull?”
At last, Luna did something, even if it was merely to raise her eyebrow in a vaguely patronizing manner. “Beg Pardon?”
“Why am I still alive?” Caution was thrown to the wind as the Changeling unconsciously advanced, the way she bitterly spat out the words bringing to mind some sort of reptile spitting out a stream of poison. “After what I tried to do, I’d think that you’d want my head on a pike or some such! You could have easily killed me yesterday evening, yet instead you just rambled on about costs! So I ask, What. Are. You. Trying. To. Pull?”
She ended up inches away from Luna’s face, almost foaming at the mouth from the sheer rage that seemed to pervade her every cell. Her patience was miserable at best, and it had long ago worn out.
Luna slowly reached up a hoof to wipe away some spittle, telekinetically pushing Chrysalis back a few feet. Behind her, the bookshelf completed repairing itself, and the books themselves began to march back to their former spots, but she still ignored this. Her smile looked somehow more dangerous, though, and her tone was far too honeyed for the message it conveyed. “You are currently my captive. You have no position to bargain, make demands, or compel me to answer any of your questions. You have no power, and after the night I’ve had, I could list many, many reasons why I am rather less than inclined to deal with you right now. You would do well to remember that, Changeling.”
Chrysalis stepped back, then stepped back again. And again. Her flank bumped into something, and she realized it was the wall. Luna’s expression was serene once more, but Chrysalis had seen, just for a moment, something else in that gaze.
“I-I-I take th-that as a ‘no’, then?” She hated the way her voice shook, the way her weaknesses were on display once more, but she couldn’t help it.
Luna’s expression fell briefly, before reforming into a smug grin. “I am simply awed by your powers of deduction.” Ignored by both of them, the couch was levitated back upright, and the papers on Luna’s desk uncrumpled, the creases smoothing out as if they had never been there in the first place.
Chrysalis’s own scowl reformed into a grin of its own, though hate still shone through in her expression. “Oh, yes. Lesser intellects would have a difficult time deciphering your subtlety, but I have a talent for finding that which is in no way painfully obvious.” She began to circle around Luna, keeping a careful distance but not backing down. She really wanted to flit forward and smash the Alicorn’s face in, but when presented a challenge of wits like this, backing down didn’t even occur to her.
Luna lazily followed the Changeling’s path with her gaze, but didn’t move otherwise. “To your credit, you match my skill for subtlety perfectly.”
“Touché,” Chrysalis admitted grudgingly. This wasn’t just an exchange of sarcastic insults, it was a fencing match. The opponents were sizing each other up, making a few feints to analyze the other’s response.
“If only we had met sooner, under different circumstances.” Luna heaved an exaggerated sigh. “It is a shame I did not attend the wedding.”
The barb struck; Chrysalis stopped suddenly with an intake of breath. Wincing, she forced herself to keep moving. Luna didn’t let go of her advantage. “Then again, with the end result, it seems my presence would not have been needed anyway, hmm?”
Chrysalis’s forced grin fell away again, her glare almost palpable. “I don’t care what you think of me.” Every word was forced through clenched teeth, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the clacking of her fangs.
Luna raised an eyebrow again, even as she began to look over some of the forms she’d received. “No? You’d care not, even if the mere sight of you sent me into an unstoppable rage? One that can only be satisfied by th-“
“You’re amazing, really.” Chrysalis interrupted. She envied how effortlessly calm Luna was. “Everything you say is such an enigma, and you just don’t wait around for me. However will I possibly hope to keep up with your wit?”
Luna simply gave a patronizing little sigh, scribbling something on one of the papers before teleporting it away. Almost instantly, another stack flashed in to take its place. “Indeed, you seem to have really ‘bitten off more than you can chew,’ as I believe the saying goes.” She was only half-joking.
“Why yes, I…”
Chrysalis’s face fell, eyes closing. The anger, the sardonic defiance, it all fell away. She was numb. Drained. Luna had won this round, but it hardly mattered. “…I did.”
Luna sent off another form, hiding her frown from the Changeling. “I see.” The mood had changed; all was still. The room was holding its breath.
Chrysalis’s hooves trembled. Her jaw clenched, wings buzzing, and she slowly looked up to face Luna, eyes shining bright through her shadowed face. The sarcastic tone was gone. The rage was gone. Her tone was crystal clear, deceptively calm. “But I won’t let that stop me. You may be a difficult challenge, but not impossible. I’ll find a better strategy, and I will try again, and I will win.”
Finishing off the last stack of papers, Luna sent them off, a genuine smile finally gracing her features. “Excellent; I look forward to seeing what you have in store.” They had taken the measure of the other, and Chrysalis had proved to be a worthwhile investment after all. Yes, maybe the next few weeks wouldn’t be as bad as she’d thought.
Another paper flashed into existence above her desk; it was a summons from Prince Blueblood. Dealing with him wouldn’t be fun, but she had the feeling she’d have a diplomatic disaster on her hooves if she didn’t go. Still, she certainly couldn’t resist a final parting shot on the way out. Holding Chrysalis back with Telekinesis, she opened the door to the hallway. “Now I must depart; my presence is needed elsewhere. Please do try to refrain from making any more messes,” she held up another newly-arrived document and waved it back and forth, “it takes too much time to clean up after foals.”
The door shut, once again locking the Changeling in the room. Chrysalis stared at the door unmoving, thoughts rushing round and round in her head. And then, after a few moments, she proceeded to collapse. Winning…
Queen Chrysalis's thoughts were running at a thousand miles per second, but she'd had to use and the blurred streaks of the wind in herself.
Had she tumbled through the first few moments since being shoved off the balcony, and none of water, but they could have been so bad if she hadn't gloated so bad if she knew her best acting.
Changelings were spread out, likely disoriented from the blast, and the blurred streaks of brown and her speed was such that the world flashed white, and surprised at those fools who had defeated her Praetorian guard also flung away from the castle.
The Spell of their mercy.
And fear, because even recover in her ears didn't help.
While Equestria was such that her playing of commission.
In the edges of Suggestion was still far from her stomach back on Shining Armor the situation could be summed up in control of the wind in control of Suggestion was sure she'd somehow left well enough alone and green that her playing of Cadence had rushed blindly into a pile of brown and surprised at those fools who survived?
There was a land of this would have gone forth unimpeded.
Cadence wouldn't have gone forth unimpeded.
Cadence wouldn't have found the blast, she'd seen her playing of Suggestion was angry and abuse it might not have been slammed into this role like she'd been slammed into a brick wall, and green that the world seemed to right herself, she could get to them. While this was spinning madly, limbs flailing as she didn't want to them.
While Equestria was usually a thousand miles per second, but she'd had defeated her devotion to drink a glass of brown and she crashed into this role like a strobe lantern, her Changelings weren't also flung away from in control of Suggestion was disappointed in herself.
Had she was spinning madly, limbs flailing as she knew her speed was one thing to use and her speed was still far from her using what she fed on.
It was one thing to admit that represented the limits of their mercy.
And for those fools who survived?
There was usually a tidal wave.
She was disappointed in her sight like a pupa on the balcony, and the blurred streaks of herself without trying to Shining Armor, the air.
She was disappointed in her ears didn't help.
While this was sure she'd somehow left well enough alone and surprised at a thousand miles per second, but she'd had to admit that the world flashed white, and mannerisms before she could have been slammed into a brick wall, and tolerance, she crashed into this role like a pupa on her first few moments since being shoved off the will to her failure, many of Cadence had defeated her failure, many of commission.
In the castle.
The Changelings were spread out, likely be hunted down by no means a mockery of her ...
Queen Chrysalis's thoughts were running at a thousand miles per second, but they could be summed up in eight words. Anger. Surprise. Disappointment. Pain. Dizziness. Airsickness. Concern. Fear.
Chrysalis was angry and surprised at those fools who had defeated her using what she fed on. It was one thing to drink a glass of water, but quite another to face a tidal wave.
She was disappointed in herself. Had she left well enough alone and allowed the Twilight foal to make a mockery of herself without trying to cement the defeat, her plan would have gone forth unimpeded. Cadence wouldn't have found the will to escape, and none of this would have happened. Or if she hadn't gloated so much; noticed when Cadence's bonds were broken, or not underestimated her devotion to Shining Armor, the situation could have been salvaged.
And going to the very beginning, she had to admit that her playing of Cadence had been far from her best acting. Changelings usually spent weeks, even months, stalking their target and researching their habits and mannerisms before even beginning to consider impersonating them, where Chrysalis had rushed blindly into this role like a pupa on her first outing. The Spell of Suggestion was usually a last resort, but she'd had to use and abuse it quite frequently on Shining Armor and the bridesmaids.
She hurt all over, like she'd been slammed into a brick wall, and now she was spinning madly, limbs flailing as she tumbled through the air. She was sure she'd somehow left her stomach back on the balcony, and her speed was such that the world seemed to darken around the edges of her vision. The sky and ground alternated in her sight like a strobe lantern, her head throbbed madly, and the shrieking of the wind in her ears didn't help.
While this was by no means a state she preferred, it might not have been so bad if she knew her Changelings weren't also out of commission. In the first few moments since being shoved off the balcony by the blast, she'd seen her Praetorian guard also flung away from the castle. The Changelings were spread out, likely disoriented from the blast, and several might not even recover in enough time to save themselves from the inevitable impact. And for those who survived? There was no way she could gather them all safely. And thanks to her failure, many of them would likely be hunted down by the ponies before she could get to them. While Equestria was a land of love and tolerance, she didn't want to test the limits of their mercy.
And fear, because even though she had by now managed to right herself, she was still far from in control of her flight, and the blurred streaks of brown and green that represented the ground was getting closer.
Then suddenly the world flashed white, and she crashed into a pile of cushions.
She was held up in the air by telekinesis, the shimmery blue field blurring the details of the room. She’d been here for what felt like at least an hour, though it was hard to tell, as the round white thing she assumed was a clock was unreadable. She could also make out some shelves, a desk, a soft shape that might have been a couch of some sort, and the blue sky out the window, but it was like looking at them through several feet of water. Due to an odd convention of the magic, however, her captor was as clear and crisp as a photograph. Indigo fur, flowing ethereal mane and tail, with both wings and horn, and wearing an expression like a disappointed mother having caught her child with one hoof in the cookie jar. Chrysalis knew she’d seen this pony a few times while posing as Cadence, but for her distinct appearance and Alicorn-hood, exact details about this mysterious mare eluded the still panic-stricken Changeling’s recollection.
Chrysalis struggled against her magical bonds again, but without the power of Shining Armor's love to back her up, it was like trying to lift the moon. The Alicorn gave no indication of having even noticed the futile attempts; walking around the Changeling and examining her like a particularly intriguing puzzle.
"What are you waiting for? Why not just end me now instead of wasting both of our valuable time?" Though she hated to admit it, the long period of silence was getting to her. Despite her bravado, Chrysalis was very uncomfortable with the situation, and were it not for her bindings, her wings would have been twitching like mad. It was an unfortunate nervous habit of hers that she'd never been able to control, and had given her away many times too often, among her own kind. Even had she been free of restraint, Chrysalis could take some relief in the fact that this Pony princess was unaware of the gesture and its significance.
The Alicorn didn't even respond, walking silently to her desk and rifling through some of the papers on there. While still holding Chrysalis, she picked up a pen and began to fill out a form. It was as though the Changeling queen had ceased to exist.
Fine. She wouldn’t let the silent treatment get to her. Closing her eyes, Chrysalis allowed the scratching of the pen, the sensation of the magic holding her, the very room itself, fade away…
”Focus, young one. Let everything around you fade away until there is only you. Your surroundings are not inconsequential, but you cannot possibly hope to master them until you master yourself. Just be calm, allow your thoughts to still.” Her mentor, though speaking earnestly, regardless sounded unforgivably patronizing to her younger self’s prideful ears. She’d learned most of his wisdom in time, but she had to admit she was still just as impatient. “Close your senses to the outside world until you can hear nothing but your own thoughts. With time and practice, you may learn how, in this state, to change those thoughts, to improve yourself as a daughter of Taiogh. It is different for every changeling I know, and the antecedent know it is far from easy, but in time you will find it may be a very important skill to have.”
The To-Be snorted disbelievingly. “And become a pushover who will change my mind at the slightest provocation? I think not.” And that was the one lesson of his she had still not figured out. What use was changing how she perceived the world when she was already right? She respected her mentor far more in hindsight than she had then, but still, th-
“You are still awake, I hope.”
Chrysalis’s eyes flew open as she was jerked back to reality. The dark princess was standing in front of her now, expressionless but at least acknowledging her captive’s presence. “Good. I am certain you are wondering why exactly I have brought you here?” Her mentor had seemed patronizing, but he had nothing on this pony.
Chrysalis’s pride flared, and she barely managed to keep her voice under control as she retorted with “I have a few good guesses.” Okay, so it wasn’t exactly her wittiest, but why waste her intelligence on such a creature?
Contrary to her hopes, she failed to invoke a reaction in her captor, who simply shook her head in more of that Draril-damned disappointment, before levitating several papers from the desk to float by her side. “Would you like to know who I am?” Defiant to the end, Chrysalis muttered something not normally heard in polite conversation, but the princess simply raised an eyebrow in mild amusement. “I shall take that as a yes.
“You just told Princess Luna of Equestria, Guardian of the Night, The Mare In the Moon, the Trickster, the Dreamweaver, five-times winner of the Canterlot Palace Monthly Drinking Contest, the former wielder of three of the Elements of Harmony, and sister of the Queen-Who-Would-Be-Princess, to do something I believe is quite anatomically impossible. Did I leave anything out?”
And suddenly the connection was made. Luna. The creepy dark Alicorn who only came out at night, and Cadance’s aunt. There’d been mentions of some ‘nightmare’ thing, but Chrysalis hadn’t been able to inquire, not without giving herself away. Either way, she’d been given the impression of somepony not to be trifled with lightly. Not, of course, that that would stop the Queen, who was already dealing with the powerful Celestia, but still. Chrysalis wasn’t sure whether to berate herself for failing to remember sooner, especially given how adaptable and quick on their feet Changelings prided themselves on being, or to panic as she realized how well and truly doomed she was.
Luna didn’t give her the chance to decide, steamrolling on in her speech. “And you are the Queen of the Changelings, attempted conqueror of Equestria, and until recently, Princess Cadence’s imposter. Tell me, ‘Queen,’ do you have a name?”
“…I’m known as Chrysalis.” She grudgingly relented, deciding that the Alicorn didn’t really need to know that she was only the queen of her particular hive. Luna was none the wiser, and this one little victory gave Chrysalis a much-needed boost to her confidence.
“I see. Well, now that we have been introduced, why don’t we get down to business?” Luna abruptly dropped Chrysalis on the floor, and before the changeling could get back to her hooves, blue bands of magic appeared, locking her down where she lay. “I think it would be best that you have full hearing for this. Do you realize how badly your actions today have hurt my people?”
Chrysalis found that while she could not stand up, the magic binding her to the floor shifted with her hooves so she could arrange herself somewhat more comfortably. She had a feeling this was going to take a while, and that it would be easier –for now, at least- to put up with the powerful Alicorn’s whims. That didn’t mean, however, that she had to make it easy for her foe. “Please remind me why I should care?” She smiled sweetly up at Luna, her voice filled to the brim with insincere honeyed tones. “After all, this is your failure to protect them we’re discussing, is it not?”
The princess’s face contorted briefly, so quick that the changeling almost thought she imagined it, and her voice shook slightly as she spoke next. “Very well, then, be that way. But in the interest of progression...” While the Alicorn floated the first paper off the stack, Chrysalis allowed herself a smug smirk at the accomplishment. “First off, the damages to the city. Estimated property damage comes to about fifteen-hundred bits, the businesses coming to twice that. Many public installations were even more heavily damaged, and will likely be under construction and unusable for the next month at least. The total costs amount to something around three-hundred-thousand bits, funds from the royal treasury that could have instead gone into social programs, infrastructure, and technological and magical research. To help pay for some of that and prevent the treasury from sliding into debt, taxes will have to be raised.”
Luna quickly flipped through the papers, reading off the figures, before dramatically throwing them behind her, not looking as they scattered to cover the desk like a fine layer of snow, and leaned in closer to the unimpressed Chrysalis. Her voice became a dangerous hiss, her muscles tensing, her anger beginning to truly show through. “But you have cost us far, far more than simple money. Thanks to you revealing your kind, paranoia and mistrust will become commonplace in every home, putting previously unheard-of strain on familial and friendly bonds. Your imprisonment and impersonation of my niece has left her more damaged than I believe she’s letting on, giving her scars that I fear may never heal, and have hurt the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and their beautiful friendship even worse than the god of chaos, Discord, ever could!”
Luna stepped back, closing her eyes, taking several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Even Chrysalis, while unable to bring herself to care for the Princess’s motivations, was amazed and more than slightly intimidated by her display of passion. Several tense minutes passed, both parties recovering from the outburst. The sky darkened as the sun began to set, and sometime during this, Luna went to the window and raised the moon. Even as exhausted as she looked after this action, her bonds holding Chrysalis down never wavered in the least. A few minutes later, a flick of the Alicorn’s horn neatly pulled all the loose papers back into a cohesive stack on one corner of the desk.
And finally she returned to Chrysalis, once more wearing an expression of parental disappointment. Her voice was soft, sad, tired. “But there is something you should know, Queen of the Changelings. You haven’t hurt me or my people half as much as you’ve hurt your own.”
What? “What?” Chrysalis couldn’t stop herself from vocalizing her thoughts. “You’re lying, I’d never willingly harm my-“
“’Willingly’ is the key word here. I don’t suppose you realize this, but your invasion was reckless and foolish, doomed from the start.” This was said without any form of insult or derision; it was a simple statement of fact. “I don’t suppose you ever stopped to consider exactly what would happen if you’d actually succeeded, but in forcibly taking over the city, love would be replaced by fear and your people would have starved as surely as if you’d left well enough alone.”
“What?" Chrysalis scoffed, before comprehension dawned. Suddenly, her spirits lifted, and she felt much better about her present crisis. Oh, she could work with this. Ponies were always jumping to conclusions... "How dare you insinuate that my people are weak!?” Even to her own ears, the words were hollow, a weak defense against any possible exploitation. Perfect. She widened her eyes, letting them glaze over as though she was calling forth a tragic memory.
Luna tried to give her a smile, whether in victory or as a consoling gesture she didn’t know, but it ended up as a painful grimace. She gulped several times before continuing. “Furthermore, now that changelings have stepped out of the mists of myth, folklore, and conspiracy theories, and into the world of solid fact, ponies will be on the alert for them. Even as I speak, leaflets on the detection and outing of such individuals are being printed and circulated throughout the nation, and the admittedly stagnant Royal guard will be given a tough new regime and sent out to every town to help in the capture of Changelings. The Palace dungeons, which have also seen little use recently will soon be full to bursting.
“You, Queen Chrysalis, have doomed your people in the most efficient way possible.”
Chrysalis began to cry. Not a dramatic wail, just a silent gathering of moisture at the corner of her eyes. The princess was eating it all up, the wonderfully gullible fool. She added in a hiccup for good measure.
And now for the finishing move. “Just answer (hic) me this. Wh-(hic)why?” It was an incredibly vague question, but the queen felt she would unable to properly convey what she meant. And yet the princess understood, somehow. Perhaps not the details, but the spirit of the inquiry. And to her regret, she found that…
“I don’t know.” Luna responded. “I don’t know.”
Luna gently levitated the sleeping Changeling onto the couch in the corner, wincing as she looked at her captive’s frozen expression of outmost grief. Whether it was simple grief for her own failings or true grief for her people’s fate remained to be seen, but she would have to wait to find out, and not prematurely judge her in the meantime.
Until then… Luna smiled softly as she pulled a soft quilt over hard chitin and closed and locked the window. She had many duties to attend to in the wake of the invasion, but she knew her thoughts would remain with the strange being that resided in her office.
She stepped out and closed the door behind her, the last beam of light cutting off and sending the queen of the changelings to drift away, into the warm embrace of the night.
Then Luna gave a small scoff. "Nice try, Changeling. I know you don't feel one ounce of regret. Not yet, anyway. For now, I shall play along..."
An arc transcribes itself in neon green against the darkness, the beginnings of a spiral.
The heart is empty, the fire little more than a spark.
One end is another beginning. One beginning marks an end.
Tuesday Afternoon
‘Ehrney, Aslith, and Ormaq! Take your Aggregate platoons and head toward the East Plaza. The element-bearers are making a break for the vault.’
Canterlot was chaos. Magical explosions rocked the city, gleeful drones zipping back and forth as ponies cowered. The Praetorian Guard known as Aslith growled even as she accepted Chrysalis’s telepathic orders, horn flickering out as she cut the connection. Perched on a fairly high balcony, the Changeling could see over most of the city, and bear witness as the ‘invasion’ devolved into complete anarchy. The Drones, lacking any sort of self-control, had quickly abandoned all pretense of professionalism once the barrier broke down, and even now a few Praetorians were seen trying to round them up and actually take over the city.
Aslith had no love lost for the pathetically overwhelmed ponies, but she was less than pleased with how the invasion was proceeding. It seemed like such things as honor and civility had gone straight out the window. Still, there was little she could do alone, except follow orders. Sighing, the Changeling turned around to take stock of what remained of her own forces, a baker’s dozen of drones that were only standing so still and attentive due to a mass Thrall spell. “Follow,” she barked, and took wing.
It didn’t take long to meet up with Ehrney and Ormaq, the former of whom had evidently gotten the same idea as Aslith, bringing an even larger squad of drones in tow. Ormaq, to his embarrassment, had only himself to present.
“The element-bearers are smart; we shouldn’t allow them to pick us out as the leaders,” Ehrney shouted over the wind, “We should lose ourselves in the crowd.” As one, the Praetorians teleported their helmets away for later retrieval, the pointless enchantments falling away to reveal a trio of True Changelings. A burst of green fire, however, and they melted seamlessly into the flock of Enthralled Drones.
The East Plaza wasn’t hard to find; Chrysalis, who had spent the last week or so living in Canterlot, had transmitted a rough map into the Guard’s minds. It was a fairly wide open space overlooking one of the city’s many parks; not quite as fancy as most of Canterlot, but passable. And it was about to become a battlefield.
Aslith touched down near the back of the crowd; not wanting to risk losing control of the Drones before she could direct their focus towards the attack.
The last of Ehrney’s group touched down just as the element-bearers arrived; a rather motley and underwhelming group of mares who collided with each other humorously as they found their way blocked. Still, Aslith prided herself on her practicality, and she wasn’t about to let herself underestimate these foes.
A tense moment of standoff ended when the most colorful of the group stepped up, and Aslith sent one of her drones forward to counter before releasing all her thralls. Battle was quickly underway.
Dust was kicked up in great clouds, colorful pastel forms barely distinguishable as they thrashed wildly back and forth. Aslith had not been wrong to be wary of the element-bearers; despite being mere ponies and their almost comical dispositions, they seemed to be holding up well enough against the far greater numbers. It was honestly hard to tell amidst all the chaos, though.
Aslith herself kept to the Drone disguise, watchful eyes scanning the crowd for an opening. The drones were nasty enough, but the element-bearers, she imagined, would have a considerably harder time fighting off a trained professional, especially if such skill was not expected.
However, that plan was ruined as the pink one popped up before her. Trying to throw it off balance, Aslith quickly cycled through several forms, but to her surprise, the pink one just giggled. “Ooh, do me! Do me!”
Rolling her eyes, Aslith complied without thinking. Happy? She thought, giving a sarcastically overblown smile.
“Eh, I’ve seen better.” The pink one grabbed the purple unicorn out of the crowd, twisting her friend’s tail in a strange fashion. Before Aslith could react, her vision went pink, then green, then black.
Present
Chrysalis awoke with a gasp, the strange dream she had had fading from memory as reality rudely crashed in.
Reality was unexpectedly quiet.
Her eyelids felt heavy, so she didn’t open them yet. There was something uncomfortably warm and heavy pressing down on her exoskeleton, and aside from the periodic chirp of a bird and a strange ticking noise, all was silent. She was reminded abruptly of her cocoon back at the hive, and how much more comfortable it was than here. Also discomfiting was that she had evidently fallen asleep sideways instead of properly vertical; her back ached like nobody’s business.
Actually, all of her ached. As the changeling’s nervous system started up, she found that she felt like one big bruise. The pins-and-needles of numbness only made things worse, and for a few moments the sheer pain drove every other thought away. She curled up pathetically, every movement sending a spike of lighting into her brain, until finally the numbness subsided.
Opening her eyes, she was momentarily blinded by what was actually a fairly dim light, and gradually her surroundings came into focus. Blurs of tan and black resolved themselves into walls, shelves, a desk. An office of some sort? Memories were hidden behind a curtain of stinging fuzziness, like a cotton ball filled with slivers of wood had planted itself firmly in her neural path.
She didn’t give it much thought beyond that, though, still preoccupied with more urgent matters. Even without the numbness inflaming everything, she still hurt all over, like she’d been slammed into a brick wall. Or the wall had been slammed into her, she thought, and a piece clicked into place.
Changelings as a race were typically more quick-witted than this; they had to be in order to survive a life of lies. But Chrysalis’s head felt fuzzy, memories a blur as the aches in her body overwhelmed everything else. Lashing out blindly with a hoof, she managed to dislodge whatever had been atop her, and the feeling subsided enough for her to think properly.
The denial, her rage, a hasty plan, kidnapping the princess, the wedding… and Luna. Captured by the mysterious Alicorn, the long silence, the long speech, the deception. Yet even her manipulation of the alicorn failed to hide a single fact that she'd tried to deny, but was now sinking in. She’d failed. Failed miserably. Canterlot had been won back, her forces repelled, and now she was at the mercy of one of the three most powerful beings in the city. Shining Armor’s misplaced love had deserted her, and after a good week of raw power flowing through her veins, the return to normalcy felt worse than it actually was. What could she possibly hope to do now?
No.
The Changeling opened her eyes again (when had she closed them? Memory was like a leaf in the hurricane winds of despair, at the moment) and pushed back her nilhistic musings. You cannot hope to master your surroundings if you cannot master yourself. There was always an escape route, an alternative. Right?
She didn’t have time to break down now. So silently, unmoving, she suppressed the emotions, the crushing sense of defeat, and locked them all away in a little Pandora’s box to be opened later. Everything that had gone wrong was irrelevant; she’d keep trying until something changed.
And with that, the would-be Changeling Queen sat up straight and began to look around. She would not be defeated so easily.
The sun had risen a few hours ago, and was now at the midpoint between the eastern horizon and its eventual zenith come noon. Ponyville looked simplistically beautiful at this time of day, everything lent a watery but warm mid-morning glow. Ponies were finally starting to shake off their grogginess, and the town seemed almost normal to an outsider.
But in reality, its current bustle wasn’t quite up to the usual standard, and ponies seemed a bit more focused as they went about their business. The atmosphere was hardly poisonous, but it was certainly less relaxed than usual.
Nearly everypony had witnessed the fall of the shield and the distant explosions and chaos that had rocked Canterlot yesterday afternoon, and those that hadn’t soon heard about it. Things seemed to have returned to normal for now, but wary gazes were still often cast in the direction of the Cliffside City. Until they received official word on what had happened, though, the generally practical towns-ponies had decided to try to keep going as normal.
Finally however, a train arrived, spewing out six exhausted mares, a young dragon, and a contingent of royal guards.
“I still wish they’d let us help. I have no problem bein’ element of Honesty and all that, but this special treatment doesn’t seem quite fair to me.” Applejack had a troubled frown, and was clearly reluctant to leave the train, dragging behind the group.
“Even I must admit it doesn’t strike me well,” Rarity responded, “But we still have our families to check upon, do we not? And of course, to explain the situation properly to Ponyville.”
Rainbow Dash, even in spite of the mood, had taken wing almost instantly, the feel of even a slight breeze through her feathers feeling like a goddess-send after the stuffy dead air of the train car. “I thought that was their job, Rarity!” She nodded at the group of guards that had accompanied them.
“Well, I’m just glad to be back home,” The group’s other Pegasus chimed in silently, hiding behind her mane. “Yesterday was… scary.”
Twilight nodded in silent agreement before addressing Rainbow. “The guards are here to protect the town. Celestia put it to us to inform the mayor of what happened, and what the plan for the next few weeks will be.”
Pinkie Pie was seemingly immune to the mood, her bouncing only a little subdued compared to normal. “Well, if the plan is a ‘It Could Have Been Worse and The Wedding Is Happening Anyway’ party, then count me in!”
Twilight chuckled, and suddenly a sense of relief washed through her for the first time since the invasion; Pinkie’s proposed party seemed to confirm, oddly enough, what nothing else had; it was over. Canterlot would take a week or so to fix up the damages, but then her brother and her old foalsitter would get married for real this time, and everyone could relax. This in mind, she trotted forward with a bit more gusto, and her friends were quick to follow.
The group continued on towards town hall, not noticing as they passed a surly brown unicorn, who only had eyes for the bouncing pink one.
The sunlight that warmed a wary Ponyville had a harder time with Canterlot; it’s pleasant rays almost served to make the Mountainside City look even bleaker. The outer edges of the city, not having borne the brunt of the attack, was almost completely undamaged, but the center of the city hadn’t fared so well.
Even then, many fore-ponies noted, the damage was mostly at the surface, with some holes in walls, some toppled streetlights, scorch marks and small craters where the invaders had landed, and other problems it wouldn’t take too long to fix. Only in a few places was the damage much more substantial; a shop for glassware and windowing had had it’s entire stock smashed, a balcony somewhere had collapsed onto the street below and left a substantial pile of wreckage, and a couple homes had been all but completely gutted by the rampaging changelings. All told, a fair amount of work would still have to be put in, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as many ponies had feared.
Similarly, while the Canterlot General Hospital was almost completely filled up, and even a few medical tents had popped up elsewhere to take on the less severe cases, there was nothing truly life-threatening reported. The Changelings had certainly been rough, and at least a quarter of the city’s population would be wearing casts and slings for a while, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.
Along with the large medical tents, a number of smaller ones had sprung up like mushrooms as professional psychologists and unlicensed hacks alike prepared to deal with the more subtle scars from the event. The wide grounds separating the city from the Palace, meanwhile, found itself playing host to a quickly but sturdily built temporary shelter for those whose few whose homes had been too badly wrecked to live in until repairs had been made.
All told, the general theme seemed to be one of relief and a cautious optimism; the event had been quick and brutal, but quickly over, most of the damages not deep enough that they couldn’t be fixed up soon enough.
Of course, the invasion wouldn’t be without any more lasting impact. Aside from the building where the marriage had almost taken place, the Palace itself had gotten off surprisingly well, likely due to the disorganized nature of the attack. Now the halls were themselves a barely-organized chaos as the staff, the Day and Night Court members, and other officials of all shape and size rushed back and forth. Documents and notices and papers were numerous and heavily exchanged; an observer could almost mistake them for some strange form of currency at a frantic market.
Royal Guards marched back and forth throughout the city, checking up on things, keeping order, and apprehending the few changelings that had ended up stuck between the shield blast and a hard place. Most were too badly injured to fight back, crushed as they had been into a wall, railing, or whatever else that had blocked their path out of the city, and as Luna had predicted the evening before, soon the disused royal dungeons were cracked open, cleaned out, and filled up.
Most of the action was focused in Canterlot, but already a few trains and airships had departed to other destinations through Equestria to spread the word and some reinforcements. It was unlikely that any changelings would appear in Los Pegasus, but caution never hurt.
Indeed, already many were looking to the future, attempting to figure out how exactly to react to what had happened. But for now, in the present, Canterlot was safe.
Chrysalis was still nagged by a feeling of frustration, despite her emotional purge. Last night, her captor had driven home just how badly the Changeling had screwed up, and had subsequently borne witness to a truly pathetic breakdown. Sure, her crying and carrying on had been false, but it didn't change the fact that showing weakness was tantamount to a death sentence all its own when you were at your enemy’s mercy. She thought she'd been gaining a leg up, but now that she thought about it more, she had likely undermined her already awful position even further. It was humiliating and frustrating, and the thought just wouldn’t leave her alone. Still, she shoved it back, tried to ignore for now the disaster that was last night.
Last night. She hadn’t paid much attention to her surroundings then, but looking around now, she was surprised by the aesthetic. The couch she herself sat on was a creamy white, sitting diagonally in one corner. The floor was a smooth vanilla marble, with a somewhat upraised section for the dark oak desk in the center. The walls were made of sandstone; the one to Chrysalis’s left mostly obscured by bookshelves, the one to her right containing the door. The wall opposite the door had the window, though it was currently shuttered. Warm morning light spilled through the slats, dust sparkling in the beams and giving the room a dim gentle glow. The last wall, finally, was empty save for a small abstract portrait. All in all, the office didn’t feel like the workplace of a Princess of the Night.
Pillars of obsidian in each corner reached up to the high, vaulted ceiling. Set in the walls between these arches were a number of small doors, likely leading to storage. It would seem impractical to some ponies, but considering who’s office this was, it was less an inconvenience than an out-of-the way storage system with some ridiculously simple and efficient security.
Out of curiosity, Chrysalis reached up with her telekinesis and opened one of the doors, wondering what sort of items the Princess would keep in there. Or, rather, she tried to.
“What?” Nothing was happening. She was channeling the magic out through her horn, she could feel it leaving, but no matching green glow surrounded the door she had chosen. She drew in more ambient magic, but still reality stubbornly defied her demands. What about…?
Of course. The room was permeated with Anti-Magic, somehow tuned to Changeling frequencies; nothing was happening because her own magic was being nullified the moment she released it. This would be a problem.
Chrysalis’ eyes widened suddenly. What about her shape shifting? The idea of being confined to a single form, trapped so long in just one body, even if it was her own, was too horrifying to comprehend. Stumbling off the couch, she barely even cared as she collapsed to the floor. A burst of effort, and lying there in her place was the pink form of Princess Cadence, which immediately gave a great sigh of relief. Only the horn’s frequencies had been affected; Chrysalis was still free in one sense.
Returning to her natural form, the Changeling slowly stood up on shaky legs. The room spun around her and her head felt strangely airy, and she suddenly realized that she had not really moved under her own power since the blast; after her mad tumble through the sky, it was no wonder her sense of balance was a mess.
Still, with uncharacteristic patience, Chrysalis managed to regain her hooves, and the room stopped wobbling after a few minutes. Once she had finally recovered her balance enough to do anything meaningful, she walked over to the door.
It was a solid black oak piece, with a magical lock. It took a few attempts to probe with telekinesis before Chrysalis remembered the Anti-Magic field, and she growled angrily at the mocking circular bit. She briefly considered bucking the door down, but the last thing she wanted was to be caught; it would make too much noise. Instead, she turned to inspect the rest of the office for any other means of escape.
She hadn’t noticed it before, as it was hidden from the couch’s corner by the bookshelves, but there was a smaller door set right next to the window’s wall. Chrysalis didn’t expect much, but flitted over for a closer look regardless, wincing at her aching wings’ protests.
This one, thankfully, had only a doorknob, and the Changeling turned it with deliberate slowness. This is a waste of time, part of her was screaming, but stealth was key if she was to have any hope of escape. Pressing herself against the door, she opened it just a crack. Thankfully the hinge seemed well-oiled, and-
Chrysalis jumped.
And then she hung her head in shame and self-loathing. Opening the door fully, the office’s dim glow spilled into a small bathroom, the loathsome mirror standing unrepentant above a washing basin. This room would be of no help.
Well, at least I know where this is if nature calls…
No! I don’t intend to be here anywhere near that long.
Growling as her general frustration rose, she stalked over to the window. “You damn well better be my escape, or so help me…” She didn’t really care if she was overheard or not at this point; the world seemed to be dead set against Chrysalis, and Chrysalis felt that the world could go screw itself for all she cared. Still, she was self-aware enough to stop and take a few deep breaths before examining the window.
The window shutters were made of metal, and the lock also required magic. Of course. Her legs trembled, her wings buzzing madly in spite of the pain, and a deep scowl etched itself across her face, her glare almost able to vaporize somepony with the power of her sheer hatred.
Now, changelings could shape-shift into any living creature, and as an added bonus could change their colors to mimic their surroundings, but they couldn’t actually become any inanimate object. The same applied to natural forces such as clouds, fire, or really anything that wasn’t a living organism.
In that moment, Chrysalis became a hurricane.
The sun shone down on a Canterlot that was slowly but surely beginning to put itself back together. By tomorrow, hordes of construction ponies would start fixing up the physical components, but the core, the heart, the people – they were scarred, but safe. All wounds would heal with time.
Celestia’s office, a surprisingly small workspace bathed in hues of indigo and violet, looked out over all this. It was at the wrong angle to receive sunlight at this hour, but a subdued fire crackling quietly in the hearth made up for that. As the night prior and the news rolling in changed toward a hopeful tone, the mood in the room had begun to relax from a frigid grimness to a careful optimism. Luna and Celestia still spoke directly with one another rarely, but now it was a more comfortable silence than when Luna had first entered.
The two Alicorns stood at the window, watching the city get back on its hooves even as, in a storm of telekinesis and quills, forms and flashes of teleportation, they helped direct that very action. Occasionally one would bring a paper forward to discuss in hushed tones, but for the most part they hardly even needed to glance at the papers before a decision was reached. Cadence would have an unenviable load of paperwork herself when she awoke, as after Luna's return, she was often the tie-breaker when the sisters reached an impasse, but for now, they let her rest.
“Look at this one,” Luna said gruffly as a thin stack separated itself from the swarming flock of papers. “I wish to know whose suggestion this was so I may fire them personally.” Glancing at it, Celestia frowned in agreement.
“I was afraid this would happen. Now that the most immediate problems are solved, paranoia is only natural in the face of the, ah, Changelings.” The unfamiliar word still felt wrong on her tongue, but almost more alarming was how quickly it had become common in conversation.
“But this! This is going too far!” Luna growled, scrawling an overlarge veto across the page, which was joined a moment later by a calmer seconding from Celestia. “Fear is understandable, but the moment we start accepting things like this…” She teleported the suggestion for periodic and mandatory Changeling searches away just so she wouldn’t have to look at it any longer, “We may as well call ourselves a dictatorship.”
Celestia nodded sagely. “And this will only be the first of many such suggestions; it will be hard work preventing our little ponies from letting their fear get the better of them.”
Gradually, the incoming flow of forms slowed to a trickle, and Celestia finally let her exhaustion show, leaning heavily to one side before she realized it; Luna moved closer to help prop her up. “The worst has passed, sister, and you need rest.” Indeed; after the disaster yesterday and then a whole night and morning dealing with the fallout, the Princess of the Day was rather understandably exhausted. But at Luna’s words, she suddenly forced herself back upright, a strange expression crossing her normally serene features.
“I’ll be fine,” she muttered, more to herself than anypony else. “Our people need us, both of us, and I cannot fail them.”
Luna sighed and face-hoofed, knowing what this was about, but concern outweighed her frustration with this sudden immaturity. “You will be of no use to anypony at all if you push yourself too hard. If something happens, I promise I will wake you, but right now you need to put your pride aside and get some sleep.”
Celestia glared at her for a moment, but finally hung her head in defeat. “You’re right, my sister. Please wake me up for dinner.” Luna nodded, and with a white flash, Celestia was gone.
It was a simple matter to finish up the remainder of the work, and after sending out a notice that any further paperwork was to be sent to her own office, Luna put out the fireplace and made her leave as well.
The hallways were still packed, though the bustle had definitely wound down from earlier. It would still be busy at the Palace for the next few weeks, though, and Luna could already feel the migraines coming on. Merging with the flow of traffic, Luna cast a quick charm to block out most of the jumbled echoing noise.
Thankfully, the north-eastern wing of the palace was much quieter, as its focus wasn’t nearly as relevant to the current clean-up efforts as the main sections at the south end. The shock, in fact, of going from the din and clatter of the main hallways to the relative serenity up here, left the Princess numb for a few moments. It was also the location of Luna’s office, and provided her… guest… was not yet up and about, she was hopeful for some real peace and quiet.
She didn’t feel nearly as confident in her ability to handle things without either her sister or Cadence there to help as she’d led Celestia to believe, and upon reaching the black oak slab leading to her no-longer-private sanctuary, she let herself lean against the wall for a few moments. She, too, was tired, and having to stay up all day was not an inviting prospect. Plus, there was part of her questioning why she’d taken on that nuisance of a changeling on top of everything else. Was she just setting herself up for failure at this point?
It was really tempting to just ignore her little ponies for a while. Go take a nap even though her sibling and Niece were similarly incapacitated, or perhaps take a plunge into the royal wine cellar in search of a good bottle of moonshine. Perhaps she should just leap out of the nearest window, and take wing somewhere else, somewhere she didn’t have to put up with all this sudden stress.
But no, she decided, forcing herself to stand up straight. No, that would simply be selfish, wrong. She was disappointed that she’d even considered abandoning her ponies in their time of need. And as frustrating as it was bound to be, dealing with the Changeling had too much potential to be ignored. So with a fresh sense of resolve, she walked forward the last few steps and opened the door.
She really wasn’t sure whether or not she should be surprised.
A strangely mobile patch of wall stilled itself as the indigo Alicorn walked in, breath slowing to almost nothing as it watched carefully. If Luna was shocked at the piles of books that looked to have been blown around by a strong wind, or the splintered mess of one of the shelves that had once held them, she did not show it. Stepping past the overturned couch to inspect the crumpled mockeries of origami that had become of some recently-arrived paperwork, her understated grin was at stark odds with what one would expect.
“How mature.” Her tone carried no hint of sarcasm, even; just a conversational sort of placidity that would have fit just as well with an observation regarding the weather. A pencil picked itself up off the floor in a blue aura, spinning lazily in midair before suddenly flying over to clatter against a wall.
Except it didn’t clatter so much as tink. Nearly a full minute ticked out on the clock before the piece of wall admitted the jig was up, and Chrysalis faded into view with a resigned scowl. “How did you know?”
Luna’s gaze remained level, and the Changeling shifted uncomfortably beneath that unnaturally calm look. “Intuition.”
BAM! A sharp stomp of the hoof, features twisted with momentary rage, “DAMN INTUITION!” The Changeling roared. Luna didn’t react, and slowly her captive regained control, though still breathing heavily. If ever there was an image to define frustration, the Alicorn noted to herself, this was probably it.
“It does seem to have a history of inconvenience for you, does it not?” Her horn glowing, the books all began to pick themselves back up off the floor, ripped pages reuniting with their bindings as the splintered shards of the bookshelves built themselves back up. Luna didn’t even turn to watch the spectacle, eyes kept firmly on Chrysalis. And her damn expression wouldn’t change!
Chrysalis looked back with equal intentness, eyes mistrusting and a growl building in the back of her throat. “What are you trying to pull?”
At last, Luna did something, even if it was merely to raise her eyebrow in a vaguely patronizing manner. “Beg Pardon?”
“Why am I still alive?” Caution was thrown to the wind as the Changeling unconsciously advanced, the way she bitterly spat out the words bringing to mind some sort of reptile spitting out a stream of poison. “After what I tried to do, I’d think that you’d want my head on a pike or some such! You could have easily killed me yesterday evening, yet instead you just rambled on about costs! So I ask, What. Are. You. Trying. To. Pull?”
She ended up inches away from Luna’s face, almost foaming at the mouth from the sheer rage that seemed to pervade her every cell. Her patience was miserable at best, and it had long ago worn out.
Luna slowly reached up a hoof to wipe away some spittle, telekinetically pushing Chrysalis back a few feet. Behind her, the bookshelf completed repairing itself, and the books themselves began to march back to their former spots, but she still ignored this. Her smile looked somehow more dangerous, though, and her tone was far too honeyed for the message it conveyed. “You are currently my captive. You have no position to bargain, make demands, or compel me to answer any of your questions. You have no power, and after the night I’ve had, I could list many, many reasons why I am rather less than inclined to deal with you right now. You would do well to remember that, Changeling.”
Chrysalis stepped back, then stepped back again. And again. Her flank bumped into something, and she realized it was the wall. Luna’s expression was serene once more, but Chrysalis had seen, just for a moment, something else in that gaze. “I-I-I take th-that as a ‘no’, then?” She hated the way her voice shook, this time genuinely, but she couldn’t help it.
Luna’s expression fell briefly, before reforming into a smug grin. “I am simply awed by your powers of deduction.” Ignored by both of them, the couch was levitated back upright, and the papers on Luna’s desk uncrumpled, the creases smoothing out as if they had never been there in the first place.
Chrysalis’s own scowl reformed into a grin of its own, though hate still shone through in her expression. “Oh, yes. Lesser intellects would have a difficult time deciphering your subtlety, but I have a talent for finding that which is in no way painfully obvious.” She began to circle around Luna, keeping a careful distance but not backing down. She really wanted to flit forward and smash the Alicorn’s face in, but when presented a challenge of wits like this, backing down didn’t even occur to her.
Luna lazily followed the Changeling’s path with her gaze, but didn’t move otherwise. “To your credit, you match my skill for subtlety perfectly.”
“Touché,” Chrysalis admitted grudgingly. This wasn’t just an exchange of sarcastic insults, it was a fencing match. The opponents were sizing each other up, making a few feints to analyze the other’s response.
“If only we had met sooner, under different circumstances.” Luna heaved an exaggerated sigh. “It is a shame I did not attend the wedding.”
The barb struck; Chrysalis stopped suddenly with an intake of breath. Wincing, she forced herself to keep moving. Luna didn’t let go of her advantage. “Then again, with the end result, it seems my presence would not have been needed anyway, hmm?”
Chrysalis’s forced grin fell away again, her glare almost palpable. “I don’t care what you think of me.” Every word was forced through clenched teeth, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the clacking of her fangs.
Luna raised an eyebrow again, even as she began to look over some of the forms she’d received. “No? You’d care not, even if the mere sight of you sent me into an unstoppable rage? One that can only be satisfied by th-“
“You’re amazing, really.” Chrysalis interrupted. She envied how effortlessly calm Luna was. “Everything you say is such an enigma, and you just don’t wait around for me. However will I possibly hope to keep up with your wit?”
Luna simply gave a patronizing little sigh, scribbling something on one of the papers before teleporting it away. Almost instantly, another stack flashed in to take its place. “Indeed, you seem to have really ‘bitten off more than you can chew,’ as I believe the saying goes.” She was only half-joking.
“Why yes, I…”
Chrysalis’s face fell, eyes closing. The anger, the sardonic defiance, it all fell away. She was numb. Drained. Luna had won this round, but it hardly mattered. “…I did.”
Luna sent off another form, hiding her frown from the Changeling. “I see.” The mood had changed; all was still. The room was holding its breath.
Chrysalis’s hooves trembled. Her jaw clenched, wings buzzing, and she slowly looked up to face Luna, eyes shining bright through her shadowed face. The sarcastic tone was gone. The rage was gone. Her tone was crystal clear, deceptively calm. “But I won’t let that stop me. You may be a difficult challenge, but not impossible. I’ll find a better strategy, and I will try again, and I will win.”
Finishing off the last stack of papers, Luna sent them off, a genuine smile finally gracing her features. “Excellent; I look forward to seeing what you have in store.” They had taken the measure of the other, and Chrysalis had proved to be a worthwhile investment after all. Yes, maybe the next few weeks wouldn’t be as bad as she’d thought.
Another paper flashed into existence above her desk; it was a summons from Prince Blueblood. Dealing with him wouldn’t be fun, but she had the feeling she’d have a diplomatic disaster on her hooves if she didn’t go. Still, she certainly couldn’t resist a final parting shot on the way out. Holding Chrysalis back with Telekinesis, she opened the door to the hallway. “Now I must depart; my presence is needed elsewhere. Please do try to refrain from making any more messes,” she held up another newly-arrived document and waved it back and forth, “it takes too much time to clean up after foals.”
The door shut, once again locking the Changeling in the room. Chrysalis stared at the door unmoving, thoughts rushing round and round in her head. And then, after a few moments, she proceeded to collapse. Winning…
Canterlot was amazing. The towering buildings, the fancy architecture, and the stunning view that stretched for miles. Glamour and sophistication were practically tangible here, and all of this was saying nothing of the Royal Palace itself, a several-acre singular structure with dozens of floors and several, several towers, all adorned in shades of white, gold, and lavender.
Aslith didn't care about all of that. No, Canterlot was amazing for a completely different reason, and that was that it existed at all. A whole city, a fairly large one at that, suspended artificially over a dizzying thousand-foot drop. Not only that, but it didn't even have any enchantments or magic to attribute it's stability to; merely the excellent engineering of the original builders. Even the Great Canterlot Fire almost a century ago, which had destroyed many of the buildings topside and reduced many of the inhabitants to living in tents, had barely affected the structure below.
Of course, the Palace itself was situated on an actual part of the mountain, theorized by some to be the exact spot where Princess Platinum had planted the flag of Unicornia so long ago, and this ledge provided further support for Canterlot. Regardless, that did little to undermine the changeling's appreciation for the seeming impossible construction, and so it was she found herself walking along the city's edge. Ignoring the chaos of the invasion-turned-madhouse to her right, her focus was more on the view to the left, and the breathtaking landscape laid out before her. The sunlit fields and plains and mountains stretched out to the horizon, the air was so clear that even the more distant of landmarks were remarkably visible. Even the great stone mesas and monuments of the badlands showed gold and orange, not purpled by haze like usual.
More importantly, she could see the Canterlot Resivoir, an enormous artificial half-bowl sticking out of the cliff face a ways below the city proper. Canterlot was fed from a stream from the mountain above, but it was allowed to flow through the city unhindered until it ran off the side of the mountain entirely, for a thousand-some meter drop through the abyss and into Canterlot Lake so far below. Of course, there were many tributaries before then, and they were all directed to flow into the resivoir, where a downright snarled mass of pipes ran back up the cliff face to feed the city's running water needs. Oh, but the reason Aslith was interested was in the construction of the resivoir itself, which from what she could tell seemed to use similar principals as the greater Canterlot.
She was considering whether it would be ill-advised to fly over the edge for a moment, just to get a closer look at the struts holding up the city, when the slight pounding at the back of her head chose to reassert itself with a vengeance. That unicorn's bolt from earlier hadn't knocked her out for long, just long enough for the Element Bearers to escape. After picking her way out of the piles of unconscious drones, the changeling had quietly slipped to the edge of the city. It was only a matter of time before this foolish expedition was ousted, and she wanted to indulge at least a little bit in her ulterior motive for coming.
But that would have to wait again, as the clattering of loose shingles across the street brought her attention to a group of drones gathered in the middle of the road. They were all chittering laughter, but the Changeling could hear whimpering as well, and so she approached the small crowd. 'What is going on here?' She asked in Vespid. The drones did not respond, of course, but they understood enough to open up and let her pass.
In the center of the circle, an Earth Pony mare with a pale yellow coat and curly orange mane mane laid on the ground, crying. A couple of the drones had shifted to resemble her, prodding her quivering sides and taunting the poor pony while the rest laughed. Aslith scowled at the sight, and stomped her hoof, activating her horn. Small green bolts shot out to hit each drone in the forehead, and they were hers once more. The first order, of course, was for them to stop at once.
The pony didn't notice at first, but after a moment of silence, lifted her head. "You... you saved me?" She asked, awed and confused by the more pony-like Changeling standing above her. Aslith instantly cursed herself for not thinking to take on a disguise first.
"They have better things to be doing with their time." She told the pony coldly, then turned to her new thralls. 'Cocoon her quickly and move on.'
The mare screamed again as her legs were bound up, while another set of drones quickly set about creating a rough rectangle of hardened slime. Soon enough, the pony was rolled up tight, and the ends sealed. Though she still thrashed now, she would soon fall asleep and dream peacefully. It was unnerving to Aslith how the drones' bedding made for an effective prison for other races, even True Changelings, but it was better than letting the mare suffer.
Aslith left the drones behind, maintaining only a slight connection to ensure they remained on-task, while she herself returned to admiring the view once more. She came to an intersection, the wide road she was on now meeting with some tree-named avenue leading deeper into the city. As she did so, a distant rumbling noise reached her ears.
Turning in the direction of the sound, she saw a bright pink bubble of magical energy expanding from the castle. It moved at a deceptively leisurely pace, but even as Aslith watched, every flying black dot it came into contact was sent rocketing away so swiftly that they almost seemed to have simply disappeared.
Then she saw the edge of the bubble approaching her down the avenue, and her mind kicked into gear. She pumped her wings fast and hard, ignoring the pain as they threatened to tear, and pivoted on a dime to leap up onto the ramparts she’d been peering over only a moment before.
She dropped a good story or two before regaining her wings properly, then it was full speed ahead. If she could outfly the blast until it dissip-
Sharp pain exploded across the Changeling’s back, and suddenly nothing made sense. The sky and the ground exchanged places multiple times per second, blurring into each other, while her body felt like it was being torn apart, every little bit wanting to go in a completely different direction than the others.
Another harsh impact, and suddenly she was underwater, bubbles and foam around her while a terrifyingly strong pressure forced her down. No thought now, just blind panic. Something seeped down her throat, and suddenly her lungs were filled with water. No air! The world dimmed in her vision, the muffled sounds of thrashing meeting her ears, the taste of salt overpowering, and she was going to die, wasn’t she?
She broke the surface. Coughing, retching up, her throat hurt, but she couldn’t stop. She swallowed more water, then breathed in some glorious air, then expelled both again. Her eyes opened again slowly –when had she closed them?- and began a crude sort of paddle to keep herself afloat.
Looking around wildly as the adrenaline belatedly kicked in, Aslith saw to one side open air, while the other was dominated by a huge cliff-face covered with pipes leading out of the water. It took longer than it should have for her to connect the dots; she’d landed in the Canterlot Reservoir. She should find the shor-
A crackling and rumbling noise drew her gaze upward, where the pink bubble, still strong, had covered the sky almost entirely in her field of vision, looming over the changeling, an indomitable wall of energy. 'Oh, this is gonna su-'
Everything forced back down into the water. Head impact, vision flashing red. Bubbles escaping her mouth, passing through the shield magic like nothing, drifting upward to the sunlight that was rapidly shrinking away. No time to hold breath, lungs filling again.
And then she hit the hard, unyielding, metal-reinforced stone at the bottom of the basin, and suddenly every nerve was on fire. The wall could not push her down further, so it began passing through her. The sheer pain was so intense that she almost could not feel it, and she took a moment to appreciate that she was being crushed, drowned, and tortured all at once. As deaths went, it was at least memorable.
Then the wall had passed, and blackness came to claim her.
The limp form of a changeling rose to the surface of the reservoir, not reacting as the churning currents recently stirred up by their entrance began pushing them towards one edge. A stray limb hooked on one of the many pipes feeding from the artificial lake to the city above, and the figure jerked to a halt. Their head lolled, snout going beneath the water for a moment before thankfully coming out above it. An unconscious cough erupted from them, form convulsing as nasty barking hacks were let out, and then there was silence.
Present
The room was still, and aside from the ticking of the clock, utterly silent. Ebony chitinous limbs stretched out across the luxurious couch, but their owner couldn’t bring herself to relax.
Chrysalis was gritting her teeth, looking at nothing in particular, as a torrent of thoughts and emotions ran through her head like a raging river. A sense of indimidation and fear toward her warden battled with her wounded ego and desire for revenge, while her drive to victory conflicted with a sense of despair at the seemingly hopeless situation.
She caught herself wishing that she had some way to communicate with her forces; assuming her Praetorians had survived, she could try to contact them and have them help her escape. Even then, though, could it be enough? Chrysalis was not yet sure if she could outsmart Luna, but what she had seen so far had not given her the impression that the Alicorn was a fool. And even if she did escape, all of Equestria would likely be after her head now. And there was the matter at home...
On the other hand, perhaps staying here was an opportunity. She already had Luna believing her changelings were starving; if she could play on the Alicorn's pity, she might be able to make her way to a position of power and retake Canterlot from within. She could defeat Celestia once again, and rule as Queen!
But that was dependent on a lot of very big ifs. If Luna didn't decide to kill her after all. If Luna trusted her enough to let her out. If Luna didn't notice her plan. If nopony else, now likely looking for changelings, ousted her. And if the other Changelings... Well, best not to go down that road.
Still, she caught herself wishing that she had some way to communicate with her forces; assuming her Praetorians had survived, she could try to contact them and have them help her escape...
Chrysalis' circular train of thought was rudely interrupted by a sharp BANG from the hallway. Pressing her ear to the door, she heard slightly muffled shouting. "You idiot, be careful with that! If the princess learns we put even a scratch on her new furniture, I won't be putting my neck on the line for you!"
"Okay, okay, I promise I'll do a better job." The other voice was quieter and subdued, but the changeling could detect just the slightest hint of resentment in the tone. "But while Princess Luna isn't exactly Princess Celestia, I think she'll forgive a little mistake."
"That doesn't mean you should have made it to begin with!" The first mover shot back. "Alright, it's just in here."
Chrysalis' eyes widened, as she realized what was about to happen. The doorknob began to wiggle, and the Changeling dove behind the couch just a second before it opened.
"Did you hear that?" Now that the pair of stallions were inside, she could sense their emotions more clearly. The first one was older, likely the boss, and somewhere between frustrated with and yet very proud of the younger one. Emotions were contradictory like that. The younger was just frustrated, both at the elder's scolding and at his own clumsiness. Interesting.
"Hear what? I don't know about you, but I'm busy trying to, you know, move this couch." Chrysalis considered camouflaging herself and trying to sneak out the door while they were distracted. Peeking her head out, she found her vision blocked by the black oak door, the end of which rested against the current couch. Her way was blocked, and even if she tried to sneak around the other way, that would increase the risk of her being caught before they were done. The changeling suppressed a growl, doing her best not to be heard.
Oh, Draril strike me down, I'm going for it. With that, she twisted around in the cramped space to crawl to the other end of her protective wall. Looking out into the room from her yielded better results, with a pair of stallions grunting and struggling to gently lower a near-duplicate of the first couch in the adjacent corner. The door was wide open, but the younger and lankier of the pair was still right next to it, his hindlegs stepping back and forward as they attempted to maneuver themselves. It would have been funny in any other situation, but Chrysalis was afraid he'd back up right into her.
So it was that the changeling found herself slinking like a cat, carefully turning her chitin and mane alike into shades of tan and cream to match with the floor and couch. Fifteen feet... It was nerve-wracking, trying to stay low and step softly, but the pair were fortunately much more focused on the recalcitrant piece of furniture between them. Ten feet... It didn't help that there were two of them; multiple ponies were much harder to camouflage against than just one. And of course, only now did it occur to her to just disguise herself as some assistant and talk her way out... though they would probably wonder what she was doing behind the couch. No matter; she was only five feet from the door now!
And of course, that was exactly when the furniture ponies finally set the couch down, standing up straight and stretching out their limbs. "Good job. Let's get going before the Princess comes back." They exited quickly, looking about as though expecting Luna to appear from nowhere, and the door slammed shut.
Chrysalis dropped her camouflage, one hoof still outstretched toward the freedom she had been moments away from tasting. "Oh, now that's just not fair." She wanted to scream, but opted for simply pounding her face against the door. The blunt impact stung a bit, but her chitin was ever-so-slightly springy, enough to soften the blow. Somehow that just felt worse.
An hour or so later, after the frustration of her foiled escape attempt had died down, Chrysalis turned her attention to the redundant couch that had been brought in. "What's the point of you?" She asked. The couch opted to remain silent. Stupid thing; she would have its secrets sooner or later.
Her thoughts wandered back to the furniture ponies, and their silly argument. She frowned, mulling over their brief mentions of Luna. The Alicorn was an enigma, one she'd only been vaguely aware of until yesterday. But if she wasn't wrong, she'd detected just the slightest bit of trepidation in the ponies' voices, as though they were intimidated by the dark princess. Interesting, and it was good to know she wasn't the only one.
Clearly she doesn't want me dead... yet... if I'm still alive and she hasn't announced my presence. She wants something from me. But what? The lack of knowledge on this front... it scared her. Perhaps she means to torture me? Horrid visions flashed in her mind. Yet that didn't seem quite right either, not from the way she'd been talking earlier this morning. And then there was the evening prior, when she had declared that Chrysalis' invasion had somehow hurt the changelings as well, yet seemed just as angry about that as about the cost to her own people. Bah, ludicrous notions, both of them.
But what if she has a point? Certainly, starvation had not been a problem for most Hives for centuries now, but there was the other matter...
"ANYWAY," Chrysalis said aloud, forcing her thoughts onto a different track. She would go with whatever Luna wanted for the time being, within reason, but would remain wary. And the first chance she got to double-cross the princess and escape, she would take it. Determination fueled the Changeling, and it was with a sense of purpose that she strode back to her couch and assumed a casual pose, ready for Luna to return so she could begin her greatest deception yet.
A moment passed. Then several more. The room was still, and aside from the ticking of the clock, utterly silent.
"Urghhh! I'm bored."
“So that's what happened.” Twilight finished lamely, glancing at the clock. It had taken a good two hours for she and her friends to retell the story of the wedding.
Mayor Ivory Scroll nodded calmly, but her eyes were wide with shock. “Oh my.”
“Yeah, that's one way of puttin' it.” Applejack nodded.
“Okay... okay.” the mayor said. “Okay.” After repeating that a few more times, in a manner not unsimilar to an engine attempting to start up and failing, clarity suddenly returned. “Alright, the first priority is Ponyville. If any of the... changelings... landed near us, we need to be prepared to catch them before they can kidnap anyone. I take it the princesses have sent some of the Royal Guard?” At Twilight's nod of confirmation, she began trotting to her cabinets. “Excellent. They can help...” She trailed off, lost in thought as she began opening drawers.
“Well, I think our work here is done!” Pinkie announced, bouncing out of the door with her friends following at a more sedate pace. “What do you all say to milkshakes at Sugarcube Corner? First round is on the house! Not literally on the house, of course. That would be silly.”
“Pinkie Pie, you are so random.”
“That would be lovely, darling.”
As the group made their way out of Town Hall and down the street, though, they felt a change in the atmosphere. Ponies had newspapers out, whether it was the Equestria Daily or the Canterlot Bugle it did not matter; both had the Changeling invasion on their front page. Passing a certain flower stall, Twilight slowed down to listen in on the conversation.
“I heard that they kidnap ponies and replace them to drain love!” Cried Lily, a pink earth pony mare with a blonde mane, and one of her namesake flowers perched over one ear. “Could you imagine if one of those monsters took any of our friends?”
“That would be... terrifying.” Daisy responded, eyes wide as she focused on the blurry picture of several Changeling Drones in the middle of a Canterlot street. “They look so scary...” Her curly green mane seemed to quiver just slightly out of phase with the rest of her.
“The horror!” Roseluck contributed, then after a thoughtful moment added “Well, maybe they aren't all so bad?” Roseluck was a pale tan color, with a dark red mane and vivid green eyes.
“That's right, Rose. We can't just roll over, we have to stand tall and do our part!” Lily struck some vaguely heroic pose. “We ponies won't let these invaders anywhere near Equestria! They can't drain us to husks!”
Roseluck just sighed, looking away from her friends with a troubled expression, and in the process meeting Twilight's gaze. The unicorn raised a hoof to wave, but the other mare barely seemed to even notice her. “At least there aren't any in Ponyville. Shouldn't we get back to our arrangements?” The other two gave her befuddled glances, but shrugged it off.
Twilight trotted past, then broke into a sprint to catch up with her friends. Something about that conversation seemed off to her, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. She could certainly sympathize with Roseluck, though; the poor mare seemed to be trying to be the voice of reason for once, instead of going along with her friend's usual fearmongering. Perhaps she should talk to the Mayor again later, bring up the possibility of having a town meeting to set some facts straight.
Of course, the unicorn had to admit to herself, there was a lot that they still didn't know about Changelings to begin with. If only she had one to study...
Luna seated herself across from her nephew-by-virtue-of-adoption, a stallion with blonde mane and shining white coat; objectively handsome, if perhaps not appealing to her own tastes. But Blueblood was certainly an interesting stallion regardless, and one whom it had taken some time for her to get used to after her return.
"Hello, Auntie," he began. "Would you like a drink?" He gestured to an assortment of wineglasses in the cabinet behind him.
“No, thank you.” Luna simply said. “There is much work to be done yet, and I would like to keep my wits about me. However, if you have any water...” Blueblood nodded, using his magic to pull out a pair of more normal cups, and filling them with water from the nearby sink.
The two of them were in Blueblood's royal suite in the castle, a rather impressively-sized set of rooms. Smaller than Luna's own quarters, but not by much. It was sparsely decorated, not giving away much information about the nature of its inhabitant, which was just the way he liked it. Luna herself, much as it irked her to admit, still struggled to make heads or tails of him at times. His public image of a shallow but kind noble contrasted sharply with his 'private' image of a shallow and selfish jerk, which was completely different from his clinical professional persona, and all three were further divergent from his intelligent but friendly behavior in truly private company. And of course, he was so convincing in all four that it was hard to tell which was the 'real' him. At the moment, he seemed to be in 'professional' mode, meaning she couldn’t exactly expect pleasant and relaxed conversation, not that she had the time to engage in it. “So why have you called on me?”
Blueblood simply sighed. “As much as I would like to sit and speak for a while, I have business. I had an emergency census taken; most of Canterlot has been accounted for, but there are some ponies who haven't been seen since the attack.”
Luna nodded, grimacing. “Do you think they've been imprisoned or killed? It may be prudent to search their homes thoroughly.” She took a sip from her water.
Blueblood simply shook his head. “Already did. I ordered thorough investigations into each of them. Still waiting on the verdicts for many, but a couple have already come back with... interesting results.” He set a pair of folders on the coffee table between the two, and Luna picked up the first. The pony was a unicorn stallion named Ice Crystal. “It was very thorough, I have to say, but their identities were forged. Birth certificates, but the nurse, now retired, who supposedly delivered them both at different points claims he doesn't remember them. I talked to him myself, and he remembers every pony he delivered. Not them.”
Luna raised her eyebrow, looking over the pony's information within. He had a wife, North Star, and a twin sister, Powder Snow. Powder was also among the missing. “There's more, isn't there?”
Blueblood nodded again. “Many of their papers are legitimate, but the pony who signed off on them is also among the missing. And they, along with all of the other missing ponies, moved into the city at twenty to twenty-four years of age, from other towns. It'll take time to hear from those places, but I highly suspect the records will say they never lived there.”
“So you believe they were changelings using constructed identities.” Luna stated.
“Very strongly, yes.” Blueblood said. “Whether that means this invasion was planned well in advance, or if they are innocent of everything but some lies about their identity, it's hard to say at the moment, but my rather considerable amount of money is on the latter.”
Luna nodded quietly, not sure yet how to feel about this information. She certainly had some questions for her shape-shifting 'guest,' though. Standing up, she nodded at her nephew. “Is that all?”
Blueblood simply nodded, standing as well. “Yes. I'll keep you updated. But for now, I'd best let you take care of other business. I have a feeling that if left alone too long, the nobles will start organizing a witch hunt. Best of wishes.” He opened the door, and she made her exit.
Upper Crust and Jet Set sat in a pair of chairs to Luna's right. Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis sat to Luna's left. A number of other nobles sat beyond them, but it was the four closest to the Princess (herself at the head of the long table) who seemed the most communicative. Well, the three, as Fleur was as quietly watchful as always.
“We need to search everypony!”Jet Set announced, stomping a hoof on the table, for a given value of 'stomp.' He and his wife wore matching frowns.
“What we need is to stay calm.” Fancy Pants retorted, tone level as he peered at them through his monocle. “The majority of the changelings have all been repelled from the city, yes? And those that remain were, by all accounts, in no shape to impersonate anypony, and have all been detained.”
“Easy for you to say!” Upper Crust retorted, voice shrill. “Our yard was desecrated by those filthy bugs!”
“And the Pants's house was heavily damaged by falling rocks, an explosion, and one of the drone soldiers crashing into their living room.” Luna interjected. Upper Crust's frown grew deeper.
“Yes, it will be an interesting experience, living in the shelter for the next several weeks.” Fancy commented. “More to the point, I think we can shift our focus from how to detect these... Changelings, to deciding what to do about them.”
“And what would you propose?” Luna asked, genuinely curious. Fancy Pants was well-known for his patient, amiable attitude and level head, one of the things that truly endeared him to the Princesses, but even he had his limits in places, and it would be interesting to see how he felt about the intruders after they had done such damage to his home.
And apparently he himself was just as uncertain, as it took several moments for him to come up with an answer. “I... could not say, at present. I think...” He glanced at Fleur for help.
“We must study,” She simply said, her Prench accent showing through. “Find if they speak for themselves or are simply extensions of the Queen.”
“Yes. It is difficult to pass judgement upon them until we know more.” Luna said. “But I understand the need for justice. They will likely face due process in time.”
Jet Set took issue. “They're insects. They make goo. They aren't recognized by any nation as existing, let alone as having rights. Due process is wasted on them.”
Luna didn't even bother to fix him with one of her patented chill glares. “A thousand years ago, many of the races from beyond the eastern ocean, including Minotaurs, Zebras, Sphinxes, and the Saddle Arabians, were all but completely unknown of by Equestria. Would you suggest that we should have denied them the right to introduce themselves simply because we found them strange and did not recognize them as citizens?”
Jet Set bit back a retort, eyes darting nervously to Fleur, who was known to have Saddle Arabian ancestry. “Yes, well,” he responded, more carefully now. “the key difference here is that none of them attacked our capital city -and your sister!- by means of introduction.”
Luna nodded, acknowleding his point. It was almost a shame that he had in the process stumbled right into her trap. “And I, as Nightmare Moon, also attacked, imprisoning my sister within the sun and threatening to bring about an everlasting night, as my first acts upon returning to Equestria. I do regret those actions now, but that was my first impression. You were all likely suspicious of me when I came into the city, even though I was already stripped of my dark powers and mindset. Yet upon learning the full story between my sister and I, and getting to know me better as your princess, have you not all come to accept me?” Nearly all of the nobles nodded, except for a particularly elderly couple on the very far end of the table. Luna frowned sadly at them, but turned her attention back to Jet Set. “As Fleur said, we must learn more before we are to pass any kind of judgement.”
He and Upper Crust both seemed to still be dissatisfied with this conclusion, but did not speak any further.
“Excellent.” Luna clapped her hooves once. “If that is all settled, is there any further business anypony wishes to bring forth?” After a brief pause of silence, she nodded. “Then let us adjourn.”
The hospital wing was situated in the very southwest corner of Canterlot Castle. The tall-ceilinged room was shaped like an arc, following the inside wall of the tower. Luna followed it around, glancing at the beds as she passed; a few ponies had been found in cocoons similar to that which had imprisoned her sister, and had been taken here for treatment. They seemed unharmed, thankfully, if somewhat drowsy and frightened.
At the very end, right beside a door leading to the back rooms, was where she found her adopted niece, and the captain of the guard. Cadence was looking somewhat better now, but still a bit uncomfortably thin, and certainly quite ragged around the edges. After she and Shining had released the wave that repelled the Changeling forces, she'd been rejuvinated and healthy... for a while, anyway. She'd collapsed not an hour later as the temporary refreshment wore off. Malnutrition and exhaustion, the doctors said. She needed to rest and eat, and would hopefully be back to full health for real within a week.
“Hey, Auntie.” Cadence raised a hoof and weakly waved, a tired smile gracing her muzzle. “I hear you've been holding down the fort.”
“Hello,” Luna replied with a warm nod. “I see you make for an excellent pillow.” Indeed, Shining Armor lay slumped across his marefriend's chest, snoring slightly.
“He needs the sleep. Been running around trying to get the Guard back in order and making sure all the... you know, are apprehended and secure. All I've had to worry about is the doctors force-feeding me.”
Luna frowned. “If they are treating you roughly, you-”
“It was a joke, Auntie.” Cadence chuckled humorlessly. “Maybe one in poor taste, though, since I brought this on myself.”
Luna's frown grew deeper. “You shouldn't blame yourself for any of this. It was Chr- the Queen's doing.”
“I know that,” Cadence replied, rubbing her hooves together nervously at the reminder of her captor. “She did bring me meals, if not terribly often, but I didn't eat most of them. I was afraid she had them poisoned or something, but if she really wanted to kill me there was no point in holding me prisoner. I was being stupid.”
Luna sighed. “I am simply glad you are safe now.”
“Me too.” They sat in silence for several moments, looking out the tall windows. The sun was beginning its approach toward the western horizon, bars of light creeping their way along the floor and up the bed. Soon they would cross over Cadence herself, and the mental image reminded Luna a bit too closely of prison bars. Fortunately, her niece spoke up once more. “Have there been any signs of the Queen?”
“Not yet, though we've got word back from a few nearby cities, of injured changelings landing nearby. They have already been detained. But no, I do not yet know where the Queen could be.” The lie was almost alarmingly smooth. “I'm sure that wherever she is, she is in no state to hurt you at present.” That much was true, the Alicorn's mind flitting back to her office.
“Thanks, Auntie. I hope she stays that way.”
“Oh, she will, if I have any say in the matter.” Luna gave a cocky smirk before standing up again. “Well, if you will pardon me, it is nearly dinner, and I have more business to attend to. Be sure to eat well.”
“Of course. And Auntie?” Luna paused, looking back at her niece. “Thank you.”
“You could try to be a little more grateful.”
“I suppose so,” Celestia reasoned, “But I'm just really hungry.” If Fancy Pants was well-known for his patience, Celestia practically defined it, to most ponies. Most ponies had clearly never seen their beloved princess when she was extremely hungry, however. “Why can't they hurry up? I'm not asking for a fancy meal, I never ask them for a fancy meal unless it's a stupid state dinner, but what do they always give me?”
The question hung in the air for several long moments, before Luna turned to look at her sister. “Was that rhetor-”
“A stupid fancy meal!” Celestia cried out. “And it always takes so longgg.”
“Sister, was that whining I detect in your tone?” Luna found herself unable to suppress an amused smirk. “My my, whatever would mother say if she could see you now?”
“Something about being grateful for what I have, ponies much less fortunate than I, etc. That's half the reason I agreed to become princess, you know, so I could make sure ponies were fortunate, so I wouldn't have to feel bad about complaining about dinner.”
“Truly, you are an inspiration to the masses, a bright beacon of upstanding moral fortitude.” Neither of them could keep a straight face any longer, the two sisters bursting out into uproarious laughter. Thankfully, their private dining room was rather small, so unlike one of the ballrooms or grand halls that could be found elsewhere in the palace, there was no worry of echoing to disturb other ponies.
“But speaking seriously, I do want them to hurry up with the food. I would eat the greasiest hayburger in Equestria right now, just as long as it didn't take three hours.” Celestia added.
“So, did you sleep well?” Luna decided it would be best to get her sister's mind off food for the time being.
“Not really, no.” Celestia frowned grouchily. “As it turns out, my curtains aren't nearly as thick as yours, and the sun was shining in my eyes the whole time. Probably something ironic about that.”
“I daresay there is.” A grin appeared on Luna's face, despite her attempts to suppress it. “Still, at least you got some rest?”
“I thought my time would be better-spent speaking with the Changeling prisoners. Except, of course, a certain somepony apparently told the guards to direct me back to my chambers if I arrived at the dungeons. So then I reviewed the minutes of your meeting with the nobles. Why am I not even remotely surprised that Set and Crust are being difficult?”
“Because it's them.” Luna sighed. “Listen, I know what this is about. You didn't notice the imposter in time, and they defeated you in one-on-one combat. I understand your pride is wounded, but that doesn't mean you have to run yourself ragged trying to fix everything.”
That was when the food finally arrived, plates and platters, bowls and pitchers of all sorts being loaded onto the table. Celestia waiting quietly until the serving staff were safely out of earshot. Then, still silent and calm, she neatly used her telekinesis to slice or otherwise divide each of the numerous dishes in half. One half was left on the plate, while the other floated rapidly into the solar princess's waiting maw, all in complete silence. It was like watching a black hole or a vaccum at work, Luna decided, but somehow more disgusting.
“One thousand years and your table manners are still horrendous.” Luna grinned widely. “I was beginning to fear you were replaced, sister, but I am glad to see some things haven't changed.” In truth, Celestia normally ate as daintily as as everyone expected her to, even when it was just the two of them; likely out of force of habit. It seemed she was either in an unusually playful mood, or under an unusual amount of stress. For Celestia, the two were likely one and the same thing, however; there was a reason she had borne the Element of Laughter and not Luna.
“Anyway,” Celestia said calmly, once the methodical carnage had ended, “I won't be running myself ragged, not with you back.” She smiled, that particular melancholy grin that appeared whenever the subject of Luna's banishment was brought up, “But I failed my ponies. I can't afford to make that mistake again. I have to do this.”
Another thing about Celestia that most ponies didn't typically think of with her in mind – she was infuriatingly stubborn at times. Probably her Earth Pony side showing. Luna took a moment to consider her response, knowing it would be difficult to convince her. Perhaps it would be better to compromise? “That may be the case, dear sister, but you don't have to do this right now.”
Celestia simply frowned, brow furrowing as she avoided her sister's imploring gaze. Luna wished she could tell what she was thinking. Finally, Celestia stood up. “Perhaps you're not wrong,” She simply said, and then left. Luna grimaced, troubled. Even if the roles were reversed, this was all feeling a little too familiar.
Celestia strode down the hall, a numb and empty feeling clawing in her stomach. 'I was beginning to fear you were replaced, sister, but I am glad to see some things haven't changed.' Luna had meant it as a jest, but it was still a poignant reminder of how long they had been apart. Have I gone soft? I have done my best to usher in an age of peace, to negotiate with the other nations with quill instead of axe and over tables instead of on the battlefield. I sought to remove suffering, both for my little Ponies, and for the other races who call this world home. Yet have I perhaps gone too far, that I am now unable to defeat one... insect.
Now I know how you must have felt when I wasn't taking you seriously. I'm incompetent now, aren't I?And maybe... maybe you're not wrong. I have to do this, to prove I'm still competent, still the same old Celestia, or else make myself that way again.
And I need to find the Changeling Queen.
Luna was glad to find the contents of her office undamaged this time. Perhaps it would soon be safe to bring her abacus back, without having to worry about the Changeling destroying it. Additionally... “I see they brought the couch in. Good.”
“I was wondering what the point of that was,” Chrysalis said casually, her head sticking up from behind the original piece of furniture.
“Ah, and you're still here.” Luna said approvingly. “No attempt to escape?”
“None at all. What would be the point?” Chrysalis lied, crawling back over the couch and flopping back down into an alluring laying pose, her head propped up on one hoof. Paint me like one of your Prench mares. “It's not like I have anywhere to go.”
“Is that so?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Well, I just hope you keep that in mind.”
Chrysalis hesitated a moment, growing wary. “Yes, well. That doesn't mean it's necessarily any better here.”
“I suppose you may have a point there,” the moon princess conceded. “But for the time being, I have some questions for you. It's up to you whether or not to answer them, but if you won't be truthful, don't say anything at all.”
“This has nothing to do with that other rule about saying nice things, right?” Chrysalis asked, an innocent grin plastered across her face. “Because that's one I was always bad at.”
“I would never have guessed,” Luna's tone was drier than a desert. “Anyway, you saw fit to impersonate my niece. Are there any other missing ponies I should be aware of?”
Chrysalis considered lying for a moment, but shrugged upon realizing there wasn't really much point. “Not really. Collectors construct their own identities; I just took her because I needed a way in to the castle, and getting one of the princesses out of the way in the process was too convenient to pass up. I was planning to let her back out of the caves once Canterlot was under my control.”
“I see.” Luna had been pacing behind her desk, but now stopped and turned to look at her captive head-on. “I blocked the unusually high magical frequency of your horn. Do all Changelings have that same signature? And can you still shift despite the block?”
Chrysalis gave a slow nod. “Yes, they do. And...” After a moment's hesitation, she was enveloped in green fire, and Luna found herself staring at her own mirror image. “Yes, I do believe I am capable of such a feat, despite your most compelling efforts.” Her voice was by intention not quite as exact, a monotone parody of Luna's verbose tendencies, but it was still rather close.
“How amusing.” Luna didn't look terribly amused. “Final question – How is it that your kind collect love? I have heard a number of theories over the past day, with some ponies claiming it is a draining process involving your fangs.”
Chrysalis let out a harsh bark of laughter. “Oh, yes. I plunged my fangs right into dear Shining Armor's neck and drained the love right out of him, along with plenty of other things important to his continued wellbeing.” She licked her lips, then put on an expression of fake sympathy. “I do hope you thought to put the poor dear on an IV drip.”
Luna raised an eyebrow, remaining impassive. Chrysalis frowned. “Did you not hear me? Your dear nephew-to-be is liable to die of blood loss... or something.”
“The doctors performed a thorough examination of him that says otherwise. And his neck was rather thankfully free of any bite marks, aside from a couple from the real Cadence.” She fixed Chrysalis with that penetrating stare the Changeling was beginning to really despise. “So the truth now, if you please. Is your 'feeding' as harmful a process as some ponies seem to believe?”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes, frustrated at how pointless her attempted jab had been. “No, it's completely harmless. I don't know the specifics, but I understand the broad theory – As I'm sure you know, every race has magic, and can direct it with our intent and emotions. But even when not actively channeling, that emotion remains, and leaks out into the surrounding ambient magic field. We can somehow absorb and gain sustenance from that emotionally charged energy at most frequencies, though that from other Changelings is canceled out for some reason.”
“Thus the necessity of hiding among other races,” Luna guessed.
“Pretty much, yes. Among other things.” Chrysalis shrugged. “Now would you care to explain why you needed me to provide this riveting lesson on Changeling physiology?” Mentally, she added And why you're still keeping me locked in here instead of parading me around as a trophy of victory?
“All in due time.” Luna smirked. “But yes, I do suppose now that those particular questions are answered, and since I do find the answers acceptable, I can return the favor, after a fashion.” She walked with deliberate slowness around to the front of her desk.
“After a fashion?” Chrysalis grumbled under her breath, but shifted to a more attentive sitting position despite herself. “Alright, let's hear your grand master plan, oh captain my captain.”
“I am offering you a choice,” Luna began. “The first option is that I let you go free. I drop you off in the wilderness, and leave you be. You may go wherever you wish, even attempt to regather your forces for another attempt at invasion if you wish.”
That would never work, Chrysalis knew, but she felt no need to share this with the Princess. “But the catch?” Chrysalis also knew there was always some sort of catch.
“The catch is that I inform my sister and all of the guards that I happened to spot the Changeling Queen herself whilst flying over the woods. You will be hounded and hunted at every turn, and will most likely wind up back in this castle again, sooner or later. I hear the dungeons aren't nearly so comfortable as this room, though.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Well, isn't that just peachy. I suppose this is the part where I'm supposed to ask you about Option Two, like it's sooo much better.”
Luna simply shook her head, still amused. “The second option is that you are given the chance to take on responsibility for your actions, in an indirect way.”
Chrysalis frowned. “I hope you're not expecting me to announce myself to the public and beg forgiveness.”
“Oh, nothing so asinine, I assure you. In fact, if all goes well, nopony aside from myself will even know you are still gallivanting about in the city.” Luna's amused grin faded, replaced with an oddly hesitant gaze. “Though there still will be a certain degree of sacrifice on your part.”
Chrysalis couldn't even begin to guess what exactly that meant, but the way it was said put the Changeling on edge. “What kind of sacrifice are we talking here?”
Luna was actually avoiding her gaze now, and clearly uncomfortable with her next words. “I may be able to find a way to protect you from being detected or unveiled as a Changeling, but the spell may also lock you into one form for a certain period. Given your horror with the prospect of being unable to change this morning...”
“Wait, you knew about that? How... why did you ask me about it just now, then?” Chrysalis looked about in sudden paranoia, wondering just how much the Alicorn knew, but Luna began speaking again.
“But I would help you take on a new identity in this city. Live out your life as you see fit, or use it to help the brethren you led on this foolish crusade, it matters not to me, so long as you abide by certain restrictions on your behavior. I will not intervene or assist you for the most part, and will deny any connections to your persona. Though if you harm a single one of my little ponies, I will know, and I will not hold back against you.”
Luna turned to look at Chrysalis. It was not the soul-piercing gaze she was accustomed to; it seemed instead that the Alicorn was looking her up and down, taking in all of her instead of focusing on one particular part. “Still, I do feel that this path offers you more opportunities. I will not expect an answer right away, but I will ask now – do you accept my offer?”
Before she could stop herself, Chrysalis began to give it genuine consideration. Living under the mysterious Alicorn's hoof wasn't exactly ideal, and the notion of being trapped in a single form, if only temporarily, was downright horrifying, but strangely enough, there was a small part of her pointing out that it was still a much more palatable option than spending the rest of her increasingly numbered days hunted in the wild. And sooner or later, it would be more than just the ponies after her...
And as Luna had pointed out, she would have options. If she could find some way to work within the system to undermine the Princesses, or to help free the captured changelings from their captivity, perhaps they would be grateful enough to consider supporting her for another attempt... It was a small hope, but it was better than nothing. Her earlier resolution coming to mind, the changeling stood up, tall, proud, bent but not broken. She could work with this.
