An Exercise in Inter-Universal Politics

Chrysalis was, above all, glad they allowed her to build a cocoon.

She had only made the request halfheatedly. Cocoons, for a queen, were magical power generators. A way to recharge after a particularly difficult battle or breeding session. Sure, her captors—although, at this point, that noun didn't really seem appropriate for them—had been improving her housing conditions. Gave her a real, proper cell, with room to walk around in. Provided a source of fresh water that she controlled as opposed to an IV. Even added a bed that didn't smell like a hospital.

But a cocoon? She assumed that had to be way too far. Twilight would know the kind of magic she could pull off after a few hours in one. Nothing devastating, of course, but a long-distance teleport was not out of the question. Of course, knowing that Alicorn, her cell was definitely in a Mareaday cage, but still. It was a sign of trust.

Or pity. Probably pity.

Chrysalis was surprised at how fast she could make the cocoon. Normally it took her a day or so to generate just the habitable component, never mind generating the fluid inside or the various storage pods that came with it. But this time it took her about an hour to do the whole thing. Whatever she was feeding on was damn powerful.

She was grateful for the speed. It meant she could get inside it faster. Even with the horror story her life had become, the cocoon was calming. The warm fluid brushed against her chitin, soothing her aches and moistening any dry spots. The cocoon also made a wonderful place to sleep, ensuring good dreams. She needed all the help sleeping she could get, after she saw those scans.

At first, she was sure they were fabricated. A scare tactic of some kind. It would be the obvious option. Convince her that she was in mortal danger, so she would willingly submit to their demands. She quickly realized, however, that such deception was pointless. The humans could easily threaten her in twenty different ways that didn't involve fake body scans. Hell, if they pointed one of those weapons at her, she'd have no choice but to do what they wanted.

A parasite. The irony wasn't lost on Chrysalis. Especially since it was a brain-invading one. She'd always known that karma would get her for what she did to Shining Armor, but she never assumed it would be this direct. Or this permanent. No way in hell magic could remove that thing. It was way too deeply intertwined with her body. You'd need insane, machine-like precision to even get close to cutting it out. Not even the best medical unicorns could help her.

The entire affair didn't sit well with her. Yes, she too was a parasite, but she at least had noticeable physical effects. No weak, hidden-under-the-skin shenanigans. Cocoons and Changelingification. Hard to not notice something's happened when you wake up with black chitin and an irresistible desire to serve the queen.

Chrysalis rolled over in the cocoon, turning to face the window. She was surprised when she saw somebody there.

"Ah, Twilight," she said. The cocoon projected her voice outside, although it did sound a bit deeper than normal. "Always a pleasure to see my favorite Princess."

"Chrysalis, we need to do more research on that, uh, thing inside you," Twilight said. "As soon as possible."

"Mmm," Chrysalis hummed, wings buzzing behind her. "Spells?"

"Exploratory surgery," Twilight said.

Chrysalis' mind went blank. Exploratory surgery.

Even with the calming cocoon juice, she felt her heart rate increase. She didn't like surgery. She didn't like scalpels or anesthesia or surgical masks or stitches. Maybe it was her mom's warnings about what would happen to her if pony scientists captured her when she was still a filly. Maybe it was the feast of stress and fear she consumed when she spent that stint disguised as a janitor at the hospital. Maybe it was just the general idea that made her queasy.

Whatever the case, Chrysalis did not like the idea of surgery.

"I am not really, ah, comfortable with that," she said, trying to keep her voice level.

"Chrysalis, we have to," Twilight stated. "I can't see what it's doing unless I get very close access."

"I think it's pretty obvious what it's doing." Chrysalis said "There's a reason you guys had to send in soldiers with those weapons every few hours for a week."

"Well, yes, but that doesn't answer all the questions," Twilight replied. "Are they communicating you through another universe, or is everything prerecorded and stored somehow? If it is prerecorded, how do they know when and where to send the soldiers? Are the soldiers somehow also stored?"

Chrysalis bit her lip.

"I can find out a lot more information if I can get direct physical access," Twilight continued. "Including, hopefully, the answers to those questions. The humans also mentioned something about being able to gain some anatomical information about you, which they'll need if they want to cut it out."

Chrysalis felt her eyes widen. "Cut it out?"

"Well, we're not going to just keep it in you!" Twilight exclaimed.

"But... how would you possibly be able to remove it?" Chrysalis asked. "It's... far too intertwined with my own body."

"Well, I wouldn't be able to do it by myself," Twilight said. "I don't think any of the humans would either. But maybe my magic with their technology can do something."

Hm. There was a good chance Twilight was lying to appease her, but... she really had no choice but to believe the Alicorn. It really seemed to be her only hope, right?

Chrysalis sighed and tapped the side of the cocoon. The fluid drained out of it and into a storage pod connected to it behind her. The clear gel at the front of the cocoon dissolved away, and she stepped out.

"If I must, Twilight."