Queen to King's Rook Five
It was not the first time she had been forcibly ejected from her target. Granted, the magical explosion was something new. But like every other time she had been discovered, her discovery served her needs.
She had left discord and disharmony in her wake. She had replaced a princess, defeated a queen, and made a mockery of their guard. Their reaction would not be measured, but radical. Old tactics would be abandoned, and new strategies implemented; suspicions would run high, and that equine tendency towards paranoia would run hot. And despite all the searching for ‘traitors,’ even if a few drones were to be found, Equestria’s new strategies would often be planned or implemented by the hooves of her agents. By curling in on itself, Equestria would draw her subjects in closer to its heart.
The plan continued, and she stood to benefit no matter what this silly little nation did; it was the way of things. Dissembling and disguise came as second nature to all of her kind, and she ruled over all of them by guile.
I do so love it when a plan comes together.
The queen of the changelings casually extended her wings, bringing herself into a lazy roll and righting herself into a proper flightpath. Back in control again, she simply enjoyed the sensation of gliding as all around her, her unseelie hive came back into control of themselves, blending into the night sky.
Good, good, my little changelings. They believe us weakened.
Pulling up sharply with her wings, the queen looped back the way she came before diving down vertically. Any ground onlooker would look at the direction he had been heading in, and not seeing her against the dark sky, believe she had simply accelerated away. They wouldn’t be looking for her several thousand feet back in an accelerated freefall. Moments before impacting the ground, she threw open her wings, buzzing for just a moment as she landed delicately.
Resume infiltration. Do not engage unless freely offered love - all you still in stealth, do not make unnecessary changes. Let them make the next move.
Above and around her, she could feel the hive righting themselves, in body as well as in mind the fire of battle becoming the ice of calculation. The entirety of the swarm meeting together was a rare event - now, they were returning to their natural state, dispersed, distant. They would return to homes and workplaces, always standoffish yet warm to their targets, their targets giving the swarm their love while never suspecting a thing. After just a little light snacking, the swarm would be at full strength again.
They believe in their victory. And that will be their downfall.
The queen laughed silently, allowing the green flame to encircle her as she chose an old disguise. It was a silly look, silver with the worst-kept sky-blue hair she had seen on mare or beast, overly round around the edges and with a goofy blue kerchief around her neck. In short, it was tacky in all the wrong ways and plain in all the right ways - the mask of mundanity, and utterly unremarkable. And so, her short-lived exile came to an end, the Queen putting on a proper level of panic onto her features as she joined the tumult in the streets.
All around her, the ponies of Canterlot were running about. The few drones who had lost consciousness were being rounded up by pony and disguised drone alike, the latter sharing brief knowing glances with their queen. Together, they were picking up the pieces of the ruined city of Canterlot, making her people above reproach even if suspected. All the disguised drones would seem shellshocked, but respond reasonably well to the care and assistance of their “friends.” Their love would bolster her hive. And all it took was one carefully prepared disaster.
Now go, my swarm, Chrysalis gloated. Wallow in their comfort. Go and feast...
In reponse, the swarm quieted. They always did, of course; she was their ruler, after all. There was only the psychic murmur as her drones came to understand her will. Through the echoes, she could catch faint glimpses of Canterlot, the sights and sounds of the city surrounding her. She nodded mechanically at a colt who offered a comforting hoof as she concentrated on the swarm. One, in particular, was about to look up to Princess Celestia, a silly ruler who suspected nothing as she laid a comforting hoof on his shoulder...
-and, all of a sudden, it wasn’t there. He hadn’t been struck, no magic had been cast, he hadn’t suddenly flown out of range of the swarm. Even if he was unconscious, he should have still left an impression in the hind mind. He was gone.
Does Celestia have some way to separate us? You- she ordered, thinking to a drone who was presently imitating a terrified baker. Go check on our swarmmates near the Princess. Make sure those accursed ponies don’t have some sort of trap we didn't prepare for.
The queen curled up in a corner, out of the way, as she focused on the faux servant, seeing the castle through the drone’s eyes. The sight and sounds and smells of ruin surrounded the drone. Chrysalis noted with some amusement the six “heroines of Equestria” ran around, trying to help; not even the strongest of the bunch was immune to the fear she had invoked, a weakness behind her smile.
And then - the drone. The drone was still talking to Princess Celestia, his voice a deep bass as he discussed the damage to the castle. Chrysalis frowned...
What sorcery is this? Drone, go - try to speak with him.
The faux filly trotted up to the drone, and lay a hoof on his shoulder. Surprised, the drone turned to look at the baker, and shared a knowing glance with her. There was a brief tug at the queen’s connection to the changeling she was riding - and then she was gone, too.
What? Is this... betrayal? The queen ground a false hoof against the ground and gave a low growl. No. This can’t be. You there, she thought, thinking to a changeling that had replaced a royal guard. Take a look in on those two. And be careful! Something’s afoot-
As she rode the false guard’s mind, he snuck into the room, only taking a brief look. The two changelings met the guard’s look, shared a look, then gave a slight frown - and the guard’s connection was torn away, as well.
Frantically, Chrysalis took a look for any drone still left in the castle. Some of the silly flowerbearers, perhaps - but as they ran in, all three tore off at once. A medic-changeling looked up from his duties - and he, too, was instanty torn free of the hive mind.
No! This makes no sense! Nothing can tear a changeling from my swarm!
Chrysalis howled in anger. Now there were no changelings left conscious near the … the aberration growing in the hivemind. She sifted through the hive as she tried to find one close enough for her to investigate - and the moment her mind alighted upon the mind of another drone, it parted. Somewhere, in the back of the mind, she realized what could be happening, but she refused.
Celestia, you may know your chess strategies, but I know the art of war...! I will find out what you are doing and stop this... this lunacy!
But as she searched more and more frantically, the sound in the mind started to rise. There was a discussion going on in the hive - one she did not authorize, and one she was not taking part in. Growling, she tried to intrude on the conversation - demanding to know what was taking up so much of her hive’s attention - but the two of them immediately tore off as her mind came in touch with her.
The echoes in the hivemind were fading; her mind raced from one thought to another, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was tearing her drones away from her swarm. Thousands of drones became hundreds as more and more, the sound of the swarm receded from her.
As hundreds became dozens, the queen rose up to her false hooves, panicking. The voices that had been in her mind ever since she was a drone herself had been quieter before - but they had never left, save in the case of a drone dying... or a drone being so close to death it chose to spare the swarm.
Is this a poison... is this a disease? Has Celestia truly stooped to such vile tactics?
She could feel the echo of a drone not far - by one of the collapsed buildings. She had never been able to hear one drone’s thoughts so clearly before - whereas before a drone’s thought was a drop in the rain, now sounded like a churchbell, one of the last voices in the hive mind. She almost took off - a quick peek in a broken window showed she was disguised as an earth pony, and probably should not try flying - in her haste to catch the process with her own eyes.
The last drone she saw was a familiar one - it had taken the place of some minor nobleman, his face normally obscured in a bowler hat, now with a mussed mane and bruises. His disguise was excellent, and he truly seemed to be accepted by the ponies around him. One of the ponies made a joke, and the changeling’s laughter seemed genuine -
And then he locked eyes with Chrysalis.
What is the meaning of this, drone? she thought angrily, the remainder of the hive mind humming with her anger as she stomped towards her subject. I ordered you to go to ground!
The disguised drone took a look at her - and snarled. Rearing back, he raised a hoof to her, and filled his illusionary lungs. Around him, the ponies that were just laughing with him looked concerned at how his face contorted, and many whirled to see where he was pointing -
but the queen of the changelings was not there.
Running, she could count the remaining minds on her hooves. The voices, she could almost make out individually; many seemed reluctant or hesitant, but even these voices, too, winked away, these remaining connections the deepest and leaving the sorest stings as they pulled away from her.
What is this? Are we lost? What has turned the swarm against itsself?
Finally, there was one voice left - a mind, only remaining drone in the hive mind. At the far edge of the range of the hive mind, he was an undisguised drone. Beyond the borders of Canterlot, he was making his way back towards the forest, towards the wild Everfree. Desperate, the queen raced towards her last remaining subject, her mind calling out towards him. With all her fear, all her anger, all her bewilderment, she put all her mental strength into sending one thought across the distance separating the two changelings: Why?
Turning around, even though he could not see her, the drone looked back towards battle-torn Canterlot. He was hesitant, and he gave a sheepish smile (or something reasonably similar to one) as he took flight, wings buzzing as he hovered away.
I’m sorry, my Queen.
And then - silence.
I have been betrayed?
She did her best to control her emotions, which wasn’t much without the rest of the hive to bouy her. She did her best to keep her voice level, and found herself screaming. And she did her best to hide - which resulted in the queen running down an alley, crying like a filly.
For the first time in her life, Queen Chrysalis was alone.
The worst part about everything wasn’t the silence. Rather, it was all the noise.
All around her, she was surrounded by the sound of citizens, of soldiers, of the wounded and the working. This night was busier than Canterlot’s busiest day, and she couldn’t track any of it.
Just a few hours ago, the traffic flow of the entire city of Canterlot was running through the back of the hive mind, plotting the ponies as they gathered on the castle - the changelings of her hive preparing to turn Canterlot Castle the largest feeding ground in history. Now, fragments of memories came back to her as she ran, snippits of information, dross from the information network she once commanded.
A coffee shop where one drone replaced the barista, becoming the beloved of all the regulars. The house of a jeweler whose children never suspected their true mother had never returned from Seaddle. An apartment where a sailor long thought lost at sea had miraculously returned after ten years. The classroom where a teacher's assistant had been bumbling through basic magic defense, to the joy of students. Each fragment of the hive memory came with small impressions of the drone that had gathered that memory, a small fragment of the thought processes, each fragment catching on to the Queen's consciousness.
Without the hivelink to dump the thoughts into, there was no reason to wonder why the wife she had married would question her - the thought fragment had the concept of wife and unease but not one iota of information about who the wife was. Similarly, a young pupa had left the hive mind a memory of a girl having a crush on him, feeding him so much young love he could almost burst - and the identity of the school they had met was the only concrete thing she could pull from the memory.
Running alongside a building, she almost ran right into a white mare - her pink mane tied into a tight braid, whipping around as she turned to face the disguised Chrysalis.
"Ugh. Watch where you're going, you silly pon-" Chrysalis barked, then paused, considering the pony she had run down.
"I could say the same thing," the nurse growled, stomping up to Chrysalis...
"Wait a minute," Chrysalis gasped. "I know you..." A memory of children lying in beds, of a nursery, of an old doctor with more certifications than sense. "You're the nursery infiltrator, watching the young parents of Canterlot...."
In response, the nurse pony smiled smugly, as her eyes flashed green. The chatter of the hive mind picked up - but Chrysalis was not invited to the conversation. And the chatter, from what little the Queen could hear, was decidedly not friendly.
Queen Chrysalis reared up, and considered beating the changeling drone before her - but then she realized that it was foolish. Momentary relief of frustration would lead to her being overwhelmed and at the mercy of a mad hivemind. The only option available to the queen was escape.
"Run if you like!" the replaced nurse laughed haughtily, as the Queen turned in mid-rear. "We can follow you anywhere - anywhere you try to hide in Canterlot!"
The moon kept watch over the streets of Canterlot as the city finally started to put itself to sleep. The sounds (both psychic and physical) of the hive searching for her had died down, and even the rebuilding was put on hold as ponies started to turn in.
A few would still be searching, of course. But no pony or changeling would look for the queen of the changelings in a cardboard box.
The queen resumed her old disguise; the colors were dulled, and the accessories were thrown away, leaving her a paler pony. To her surprise, she felt washed out, her energy reserves starting to complain, starting to feel the lack of the hive's supply. As the center of the hive, she had never found herself wanting energy - but now she was feeling hunger, too, low but determined to grow. This has been a night full of firsts.
She looked at herself in the reflection of puddle. The unicorn that looked back at her was an unfamiliar face. She hadn't used that disguise since she had first infiltrated the city of Canterlot - passing herself off as a minor noble from Prance, her aloof nature and odd accent had a certain charm. With her wile, the mysterious 'Reine' had seduced a government official with connections higher than her usual rank; from those connections, she found out about the worst-kept secret in Canterlot, the courtship of Princess Cadence and Guard Captain Shining Armor.
This disguise was troublesome. For one, the hive knew who she was and could recognize her on spot. However, her cover identity was also so known; even having abandoned the guise six moons ago, she was still the beloved of many in the nation's elite. There was no shortage of dupes who would listen to her sob story and offer her assistance - and nourishing love - as she plotted the return to her hive.
She considered her old life in this guise. Playing the role of a foreigner, she could excuse just about any odd behavior, schedule, or inconsistency as being a wealthy foreign noblemare; the only real wrinkle was her cover identity's love life. She had known some of the best connected ponies in Canterlot, and two of them had sincerely courted her. When it suited her master plan, Chrysalis had allowed one - a fairly strict earth mare - to 'win' her heart. Once the queen had been able to replace Cadence, she did so without any hesitation, the old identity forgotten immediately.
But her target - well, Chrysalis knew all the details of all her targets. This mare had been without a romantic interest her entire life. When she a filly, her education consumed her; when she was a mare, her career guided her. The foolish pony imagined her heart to be walled off, when really, the ache had only grown; Chrysalis found the silly things incredibly easy to string along. And best of all - she knew that the inspector was too timid, romantically speaking, to even attempt a new relationship - she knew the silly pony would have a hole in her heart just large enough for a changeling to worm their way inside.
And best of all - her target lived alone and worked independently. Nobody would notice if her dupe went missing for a few days while she fed...
Bringing herself back to her full height, Chrysalis chuckled, the laugh rolling on and rising in pitch, until her old accent burst from her. Healing just enough of her wounds to make her look battle-tossed, the queen's disguise was complete. 'Reine' had returned, much to the peril of Canterlot and the traitorous hive within.
Oh, this is too perfect! Some plans just write themselves...!
With that, 'Reine' loped along easily. She had a mark to drain.
Author's Note
Art credit goes to schiraki on DeviantART. Thank you for allowing me to use your art. I apologize for cropping your signature out - but the 5:8 ratio used here doesn't suit your portrait format...
Ms. Harshwhinny lived alone, but as a professional pony, that was how she liked it; there was little to disrupt her orderly lifestyle.
Her living room was tidy, with exactly two chairs facing each other across a tastefully decorated table. That table had always had a delicate vase, filled with tastefully colorful tulips, which had never had a fresh-cut rose left by a visitor.
Her kitchen was precise and small, and made precise and small meals. There had never been any ornate dishes made there, never an icebox stuffed with leftovers from random dates after midnight, never the struggles for space as two ponies tried to make do in a workspace hardly large enough for one.
Her closet was neat, full of professional outfits that projected power and competence and respect. There had never been anything else; no slinky evening dresses, no hiking boots, no extravagant gowns for the gala, no silly Nightmare Night costumes, and no ornate hairties given as a gift on a moment's whimsy.
Her bed was always perfectly made, with exactly two folds in exactly one sheet. there was no rolling in the sheets, no hanging off the edge of the bed, no spontaneous jumping at ten minutes to bedtime. And there had never, ever been a second pillow.
No - Nagitha Harshwhinny was a professional pony. And every day she woke up in that tiny apartment, she looked herself in the mirror and reminded herself that she had definitely never made room for anything else.
Chrysalis, in her guise as 'Reine', smiled as she watched the lights in the window flicker off. So, it is half past ten. Even after the two past years, she knew her target's routine like the holes in her hoof. Soon, she would make a single pot of tea; and after a quick freshening up, she would turn in, for an early day tomorrow. It was at this time of day her target was at her most emotionally vulnerable; she would sometimes sit and silently shake at unbidden thoughts, the privacy of reflection betraying her professional demeanor. Chrysalis had once held her close to her chest, the very image of strength as her mark bared her heart, tearful confessions pouring like wine. Her mark feared no pony... she feared having no pony.
A wave of pain tore through Chrysalis' horn, as the hunger started to grow again. Her energy would not last the night. The setup would have to be perfect.
The timid knock on the door came as a surprise to Ms. Harshwhinny; it had been months last since someone had come calling. As she opened the door to the limit of its security chain, and flicked on the light inside, there came a high-pitched gasp, and the pony just behind the door shied away from the light - Harshwhinny's eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Who is it?" she said, sticking just enough of her snout out the door to be heard.
"Nagitha," the voice said, wavering. "It's been so long..."
"... that is my given name," Harshwhinny agreed curtly. "But I'd prefer you stick to my proper name, miss..."
"Oh, Naggy," Chrysalis said, her voice reflecting a slow oncoming relief. "You always were so stuck-up when it struck you to be..."
Harshwhinny, however, had not quite followed, and her natural suspicion was growing. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to stick to my proper name, or leave."
There was a wet sigh from behind the door, as if aching from a great pain. (Which, increasingly, was true enough.) "Very well - Ms. Harshwhinny." There was a brief flash of silver fur and blue hair, as the pony on her doorstep turned to go. "I suppose it's too long after all..."
"... wait."
The forehoof illuminated by the doorstep froze in half-step; even in the rain and after the tumult of the eventful day, whomever had stepped on her door had poise.
"... come to the light. Let me see you..."
As if nervous, the pony on her doorstep shied briefly, taking a few nervous half-steps, before turning into the light. The unicorn that looked up at her, hopeful yet timid, was a sight. Her fur, once bright silver, was the same shade of grey as paper that had been allowed to soak in water. Her mane bore a sickly sea-green where bright blue once shown. And indulgent curves had been replaced by skeletal, gaunt curves, skin hanging off her face. But those bright green eyes, that little quiver to her lips, had never changed.
"Reine..." Harshwhinny's ears shot forwards, as she fumbled with the security chains. "Is that truly you?"
"I... I probably should have come sooner," Chrysalis' mask nervously admitted. "But I was in town for - for the wedding; I was going to visit you tomorrow morn, after my business was concluded, but then-" 'Reine' choked. "Then the wedding became a warzone..." All sufficient shades of the truth; Harshwhinny would have looked fine hanging from a corruption pod in Celestia's throne room.
"Oh, stars above," Harshwhinny whispered, as she gathered Chrysalis in her hooves; Chrysalis gave a small, relaxed sigh as she felt the love in Harshwhinny's darkened heart trickle out. "You left so suddenly..."
"I wish I had never left," 'Reine' admitted. Abandoning the hive and simply feeding on you the rest of my life did cross my mind... once. "Alas, duty doesn't always give you the chance to pack your suitcases and say your goodbyes..."
"Well, that's all in the past," Harshwhinny said, trying to put on her prim mask and drag Reine to her feet - who gasped, and winced at the sudden movement. "... are you hurt?"
Chrysalis sighed. "Well, I was at the castle when the battle was joined, dear. I might have been a bit... banged up..."
Reine's face grimaced with an appropriate level of shame as Harshwhinny's eyes flew open wide, looking over her gaunt and battered form. Within, Chrysalis held back her laughter, looking into Harshwhinny's eyes victoriously. Hooked you!
"Come inside, please," Harshwhinny said, opening her door wide, the warmth of the living room old and familiar. "Poor thing, you're so cold..."
"Thank you, Nagitha," Chrysalis said, reflecting relief in her voice as she allowed Harshwhinny to guide her in.
"It was my pleasure..." Harshwhinny's voice weakened, and a smile appeared despite herself. "... Reine."
"It's been months since we last saw each other," Harshwhinny said accusingly.
Even though it gave her no sustenance, Chrysalis sipped her cup of tea appreciatively, and furrowed her illusion's brow as if in thought.
"To be honest, Reine... I've been thinking of what I would say, what I would do, if you ever dared to show up in Canterlot again." She set her cup of tea down, and turned her head away, sighing. "But the only question I have for you now is... why?"
"You know I can't answer all your questions," Chrysalis said carefully, putting on a show of frailty. "My duty requires I-"
"Duty to what? Duty to whom?" Harshwhinny's hoof shook, and for a moment, threatened to shatter the teacup underneath.
A little exacerbation, and she'll open her true self to me...
"I-I can't tell you, Nagitha, I'm sorry." Chrysalis' illusion swallowed, and she looked away, looking everywhere but Harshwhinny's gaze.
"You're sorry." Harshwhinny's voice became a bitter growl. "Sorry. Of course. Months apart with no warning, and you're sorry. This mystery of yours was much more important than us."
"I didn't mean it like that," Chrysalis said, giving Reine's voice a nervous whimper. "My people's safety relies on my secret..."
"Oh. Of course." Harshwhinny sat up straight, and gave that little huff. On the outside, she seemed cool and collected, but Chrysalis could feel the hurt radiating from her heart.
And there it is. That delicious doubt, the need to believe.
'Reine' finally met Harshwhinny's gaze for a moment, lip quivering, and then sighed. "I... suppose I could..." Then she nodded, as if resolute. "Yes. I could." She met Harshwhinny's gaze, firm. "First - I need three questions. Three questions only I could answer."
Harshwhinny blinked. She had no parry for a question like that. "... three questions?"
'Reine' pointed up at her horn, and gave a weak smile. "Magic. I'll explain shortly."
"Very well..." Harshwhinny huffed and looked at 'Reine' suspiciously, but Chrysalis knew she had just piqued her love of mystery. "... where we met. Why our first date went wrong. And..." Harshwhinny's face scrunched as she pondered - "What happened on Greenfair Hill."
Chrysalis nodded. "I will answer those questions in order. But first, I want you to know-" Suddenly, the hunger pang grew even more powerful, and she gave an unmasked scream as she stumbled forwards. Harshwhinny immediately jumped forwards, helping 'Reine' up.
"What happened?" Harshwhinny was brusque. "Were you hurt?"
"... rather badly," Chrysalis admitted, once more dropping back to her undisguised voice. "But you need to know - I was sent to advocate peace and unity in this land. Our people are dying, and we hoped Equestria would cradle us..."
"Your people? You mean... Prance?"
'Reine' looked up and gave a weak smile. "No. I mean... my people." Chrysalis effected a harsh cough, and she felt Harshwhinny's hoof running down her back, patting her. "We sought to hide here and thrive. We never sought out..." Another pang of pain ran through Chrysalis, and her breath became genuinely ragged - "... we never sought war.'
And there would not have been war. Had it not been for Twilight Sparkle and her meddling, half the city would have been made into our little feeding ground by now.
Chrysalis' energy stores were dangerously low - the illusion was going to crack at any moment. But with a bit of showmanship, her moment of weakness would become her prestige.
"Harshwhinny... Nagitha." 'Reine' lifted her head, and put on a brave smile. "Look at me. And listen to me."
The earth pony met the unicorn's gaze, gasping at the green light pouring from within. "We met, actually, in Richmare, at the port. Although we didn't start talking until I recognized you here in Canterlot..."
Harshwhinny had seen that same green glow earlier that night - in the chaos that was the brief invasion. She whinnied in surprise and took a step back.
"When we first met... we actually fought over where to talk after dinner." 'Reine' gave a sigh, as Chrysalis allowed her internal magic to rest, her guise coming off languidly and spottily, green flame racing across her 'fur'. She closed her eyes and bit back growls as the flame raced over her black skin, revealing the bruises and wounds underneath.
Now, for my greatest trick...
"And on Greenfair hill... we had just had too much to drink, so we just lay on the grass and watched the stars - and, unbeknownst to us, there was a meteor storm that night. So you made a wish on a falling star... and then I did... and then, as if in answer, they kept falling all night."
Chrysalis opened her eyes. The true extent of her injuries would be visible; so would her true form. But with the growling pain building in her subsiding for now, she was able to open her eyes with a calm smile on her face, her poise having returned.
"You know, Nagitha, you never told me what you wished for..."
The pony's throat went dry, and her voice was barely above a squeak. "... that you'd tell me the truth one day..."
Huh. Most of these ponies have much simpler, poetic desires... oh, well. One plays the hand they're dealt.
"Then look on the truth," Chrysalis said, rising to a height and projecting more power than she felt at the moment. "This is why I had to hide from you. This is why I had to act in secret. My kind were dying - and my duty to them was to save them." Chrysalis smiled, the bitterness in her voice real but the sorrow in her eyes a ploy. "And now, they're all gone..."
She tilted her eyes just barely up at Harshwhinny, calculating her reactions. Harshwhinny, who reveled in criticism, who loved discovering a pony's dirty secrets... and who had undoubtedly been very lonely these past few months. As if on cue, Harshwhinny took a single step forwards, still hesitant.
"You failed."
Chrysalis looked up, and resisted the urge to snarl. Her mask was still on, after all.
"It's over, you know," she said, sitting down before Chrysalis. "They were scattered, you know. Yet somehow you remained..."
At the thought of how her hive had 'scattered', turning away from her and rejecting her, Chrysalis scowled. Yet - she could say nothing. Instead, she just heaved again, and sprawled. "Indeed, it's... over." Having to say it gave a bit of finality in her mind, and she shrugged heavily. "And I don't have anywhere to go..."
"Nowhere?" Harshwhinny scoffed. "Surely there's going to be somewhere..."
"And how will I get there?" the Queen laughed bitterly. "The town - and this nation - are on high alert for changelings. I will be spotted the moment I step past this door..."
"Even under your disguise?"
"What disguise?" Chrysalis spat. "I spent the last of my energy just getting here." It was intended as a lie, but she could feel the hollowness spreading and making her words more true with every moment."
Harshwhinny fixed Chrysalis with a gaze. She knew that gaze well; she was arriving at a judgement, the same face that made her such a beast as a mahjong player and such an unflaggable bureaucrat. Finally, the pony stood, and sighed.
"You need time to come up with a plan. And you don't have it." She narrowed her eyes, and turned around, before Chrysalis could respond. "Three days, Reine - until you know where you can go."
Chrysalis felt herself wilt a little. And yet, that glow she once knew - that love - hadn't faded. So she smiled, and shook her head. What a silly little pony. A little show of faith... "Chrysalis."
Harshwhinny turned her head around quickly, her eyes narrow. "Pardon?"
"'Reine' is just an alias, nothing more," the changeling queen said, as she rose to her hooves. "The name I was born to... was Chrysalis."
Harshwhinny nodded. "Well, whatever it is... Chrysalis. You have three days."
But as Harshwhinny turned to head into the kitchen, Chrysalis reveled in the awakening sensations radiating off of her.
The evening was late, and both were tired; the evening passed by in a familiar silence. Harshwhinny helped herself to a nightcap, and Chrysalis did her best to project wounded serenity as she sat in quiet thought across from her. But there was an elephant in the room.
"I take it, then, that you'll spin a cocoon," the pony finally said, breaking the silence.
Chrysalis's eyes flew open wide, and she did blinked in surprise. "... what?"
"To sleep, of course." Harshwhinny smiled sullenly, and set her teacup down. "That is, if insects sleep at all..."
"Insect? Insect?" Chrysalis's voice rose incredulously, and she smirked softly. "I'll have you know we are unseelie, not insects. Our skin might resemble chitin, but a heart beats in us the same as you."
Of course, said heart normally relies on a hive-link in order to maintain energy in suspension by permanent transfer between changelings, being that love only has value in transfer, but the concept is the same.
"No. A changeling sleeps, like most other living beings." She smiled weakly, and let her voice trail off. "I suppose it was too much to expect...."
"You suppose it was what?"
Chrysalis lifted her head, and met Harshwhinny with the same sort of gaze that 'Reine' had once fixed her with. "Why... to expect sleeping arrangements to continue from where they were before."
She chuckled as Harshwhinny froze, and leaned in softly. "I have to admit, it's been a while. I've missed having someone in my hooves..."
Harshwhinny turned away, and frowned.
"Surely you don't find me that monstrous, do you?" That wounded incredulity rose in her voice. "I may be punctured and perforated, true, but that should have no effect on whether a sheet hangs over me."
"No." Harshwhinny's ears flicked away and she averted her eyes, growling quietly, "It's not that."
"Oh... well. I see." Chrysalis sighed softly. "Well, I suppose it was inevitable. Somepony with such a quiet charm and a efficient wit as yours... they probably fell for you as soon as they heard your voice. But tell me," Chrysalis said, taking another, cautious step closer. "Who is the lucky pony?"
The pony drew in her breath - then sagged under it, and sighed. "It's not... I don't have any-"
"Ah." Chrysalis gave what she hoped was a sympathetic smile. "Then I don't see-"
"You abandoned me."
Chrysalis froze. Her gambit was in peril - and she needed time to come up with a response. Harshwhinny didn't stop, however, the words falling out of her.
"And you did it without any - any notification. Not even, 'An emergency has come up and I cannot explain.' Not one word. You left me," Harshwhinny said, her ire rising, "And I found out once I woke up cold. And alone." Harshwhinny turned to face Chrysalis again - her body shaking to match her ire.
"And you come back because you need me. How dare you?"
Chrysalis was silent for a moment, her lips drawn thin. "Well, then. What would you have had me do?" She looked Harshwhinny in the eyes. "The survival of my entire race on one side of the scales... and you were placed on the other." Chrysalis stepped as close as she dared to Harshwhinny. "Loneliness forever - or blood on your hooves. Tell me, Nagitha; what do you choose?"
"I choose honesty," she spat. But Chrysalis could see a twitch under her eye, a shuffle in her hooves, and pressed.
"Right, honesty. Just go about and tell the whole of Equestria that the monster under the bed is real and their race is dying of hunger," Chrysalis said dryly. "The good gentle ponies of Equestria will forget we look like this when they hear how much it hurts." She waved a hoof at the outside, and the faint murmur of activity that could still be heard. "They certainly won't raise any mobs."
"So yes, Nagitha. I abandoned you. I took a risk. And it failed. It was either risk every drone - or abandon them all while I lived in happy decadence here in Canterlot." Chrysalis smiled bitterly, hardly needing to strain. "And so, I lost everything."
Chrysalis could feel the change in her heart before Harshwhinny knew it in her head; her heart cracked open, fresh with the love she had denied she felt; still, she theatrically turned away as Harshwhinny spoke up.
"Wait."
Chrysalis paused, hoof held close to her chest, as she looked back. "Yes?"
"It's..." Harshwhinny snorted and shook her mane, but her voice was weak. "I... forgive you."
"What?" Chrysalis had heard the word before, but never with herself as its target.
"I forgive you," Harshwhinny sighed. "You must have been under... truly incredible strain. I can't say I've ever known its like."
"Well, it doesn't really matter now," Chrysalis smirked bitterly, as she resumed stepping out the door. "I'll never have that sort of pressure ever again..."
She gave a yelp as she felt a tug from behind - and looked back to see Harshwhinny biting down firmly into her tail and tugging her backwards. Once Chrysalis had cleared the door, Nagitha darted out in front of her, sliding in front of the changeling and looking up as she bodily closed the door.
"And I'm not letting you walk out without a proper goodbye ever again."
Harshwhinny looked herself in the mirror. She didn't feel like stepping out - and for a moment, seriously considered curling up in the bathtub to sleep. But, the tiny apartment had only one bed - if she was going to offer the changeling once known as Reine a room for the night, there was only one place to put her.
I told myself I'd... be stronger. Well, now, there's nothing for it.
Stepping out of the bedroom, she looked on the queen, comparing the dark monster in her bed with the pony in her memories. She didn't look the same. She certainly didn't sound the same, now that she had stopped affecting that Prench accent she now recognized as ridiculous. But her moves were the same; the changeling on her bed acted like nothing so much as a great cat, sprawled out languidly and watching her as if intent to pounce.
"Now, you're going to stay on your side of the bed, right?"
"Oh, absolutely," the changeling queen smiled, giving a little purr as she stretched out, yawning and showing rows of sharp teeth. "No slipping over the midway line, no curling up against you, no... shenanigans."
Harshwhinny squeaked, and Chrysalis laughed softly, feeling safe to let a semblance of her haughty self show through.
"Nothing?" The little yellow mare bit her lip, looking more nervous than she ever had.
"I promise."
Harshwhinny kept her eyes on Chrysalis, but gradually climbed up into the bed, keeping her spine straight as she slipped up.
"Why so nervous?" Chrysalis put on her widest smile.
"Well, it's just..."
"... it's because I'm a changeling, isn't it."
"No... it's just..." Harshwhinny shrugged, and finished climbing in, laying as far as possible on the other edge of the bed. "Yes. Yes it is."
"If it helps, dear, I've always been one," Chrysalis smirked.
"Well... can't you stop being a changeling? Isn't that kind of what changelings do?"
"Would that I could," Chrysalis growled. "But I'm far too drained to fly, much less any magic tricks."
"Oh."
They looked at each other, across the bed, a standoff across the crease up the middle of the sheet.
"Well."
"It's been quite a day."
"You have no idea."
Harshwhinny sighed, and closed her eyes; her guest followed suit.
"It'll be a long day tommorow. I can't stay here forever, you know."
Across the bed, a soft grunt. "No, of course not. Canterlot is no place for a changeling, now, I suppose."
"Well, I'll figure something out." Chrysalis gave a haughty little smirk. "I didn't get where I was by being foolish..."
A silence fell upon them, and the nighttime began.
Chrysalis waited patiently for Harshwhinny to turn in. Asleep, she would have no defenses at all. But as the minutes dragged on, Chrysalis could hear her breathing - not slowing in the least, matching the roil of emotions radiating off of her. After a few minutes more, Chrysalis could feel the bed give, as the earth pony lifted herself up.
"Nagitha? Are you...?"
Without prompting - and without any warning - the pony rolled over, right into the changeling's hooves. Reaching her destination, Harshwhinny turned over until she was facing Chrysalis, her muzzle to her chest and her head resting in a notch in Chrysalis' foreleg.
"Whatever happened to staying on my side of the bed?
Chrysalis could feel Harshwhinny's snort brushing her dark skin. "You're still on your side. But I never said I couldn't roll over," she laughed, as she lifted a foreleg to squeeze Chrysalis tight.
As the changeling got used to the feeling of a pony nuzzling in against her heart, Chrysalis couldn't help but savor the emotion, the all-encompassing warmth of Harshwhinny's adoration. It filled Chrysalis up, spreading from her 'heart' to the holes in her hooves - that feeling of warmth and light and correctness.
The queen opened her eyes, her porose hooves holding Harshwhinny tight... and her mouth curling up in a vicious smile. This is it!
Gasping with realization, Harshwhinny tried to struggle, but the grip was too strong; the queen's hooves interlocked with each other, forming an inescapable grip. "Wait.... what..." Her head fell forwards as a burst of feeble light surrounded Chrysalis' horn; has Harshwhinny's eyes opened, there was a green cast to them, matching the queen's.
"Finally caught you, my silly little pony." The queen shushed the earth mare with a smirk, and ran one hoof through her hair in mocking affection. "There, there; just relax. Soon you won't have anything to worry about ever again..."
The love in Harshwhinny's heart was hidden under dense layers, but was sweet, and able to be drawn out now that Harshwhinny had cracked her shell - like drawing marrow from a cracked bone. Chrysalis drank deep, savoring every moment, every nuance of her former lover's adoration.
"I have never been this hungry before..."
Harshwhinny shuddered, but she was losing too much energy to give more than a feeble squeak. Her bleary eyes barely caught Chrysalis' smile before rolling back, swooning in Chrysalis' arms - and shattering all resistance.
"Now to feed," the queen purred. Strengthened by the energy, her horn glowed brighter, and her spirit reached out to grasp Harshwhinny's, laying it out in layers, sifting through mundane and emotionless memories like a fork spreading leaves of lettuce, peeking through it to find the juiciest parts. Despite her brusque exterior, Harshwhinny's soul and memories were just as delicious as any pony she had ever dined upon.
Oh, here's a lovely little moment. Our first long conversation - in a queue. The queen licked her lips, and growled happily. I do so love the taste of falling in love... With a happy coo, the queen drew that memory out of Harshwhinny and into herself, savoring the sensation of it wriggling its way into her and filling her with the love the pony felt at that moment.
Now here's another one of us - that silly moment lying in the grass. I knew had her hooked on my every word - but now I can see how smitten she was. And with a thought and a flick of memory, that moment was gone forever, devoured.
Here's how she felt after I kissed her on the cheek, that first time - oh, she was so adorable being strung along. As she withdrew that memory, however, she could see the image of herself fixated in it - Harshwhinny looking into Reine's eyes, and the almost worshipful feeling that followed. I... perhaps I'll leave this one here. For later.
Oooh, here's a lovely one - longing. My first 'expedition' to have certain key members of the guard replaced. She had been thinking about asking me out? Such wonderful heartache - well, down the hatch! As her acidic magic clamped upon that moment and drew it out, the queen could feel her vigor returning, the brightness in her eyes and her magic nearly back normal now.
Another search found another moment - dripping with pain, fresh. This one is recent - she was bitter and trying so hard to deny how lonely she was. Oh, has she been able to go even a single day without thinking of me? Chrysalis gathered up a few of those days - memories of a pony crying herself to sleep when nopony could witness her weakness - and savored the schadenfreude as her heartache was drawn out of her soul.
Here's another... movie night. Oh, I remember this well. Chrysalis' own memories of the moment made it easy to draw it out, forming two halves of a whole moment; remembering both her own perspective and Harshwhinny's at once, the feeling of the small mare curling up against the unicorn, focusing on the heartbeat next to her rather than the screen before her. Chrysalis smiled softly, as she felt a small memory of all the energy she had enjoyed - she had basked for days in the emotion Harshwhinny had given her over the course of the movie. She released it and smiled smugly, letting the memory fall back into place in its creator. You always were so easy to lead along...
And finally, after a few more mundane memories of classes and paperwork were pulled away and tossed aside, did Chrysalis find a particularly rich memory - the weight of it feeling like something alive in the grip of her memories. Chrysalis cracked open the memory, to feel what it was. It was shortly before Chrysalis would find her new mark, the Princess Cadence - and shortly after the two had made love for the first time. Harshwhinny was curled up against Reine in much the same way she was curled up against the changeling queen now - but what was going through her mind was completely different. Chrysalis had been lost in the sheer physicality of the act - but the earth pony, her eyes shining and unable to resist a giggle at the look on the 'unicorn''s face, had been thinking of something else entirely: I wonder what she'd say if I asked.
Asked? Asked what? Keeping that memory grasped firmly, Chrysalis sifted through Harshwhinny's mind, tugging this way and that, following the emotional and logical links that joined that memory to others. Mundane memories - Harshwhinny's nervousness at her first time, memories of the frankly boring dinner date before their evening - led to slightly more in depth memories: thoughts about the clothes she had worn, worrying about expenses, the need for more overtime at the office. All these memories kept circling in on certain points, until she found one in particular - one that was incompletely formed, but was incredibly full of emotion. Chrysalis grabbed this memory and pulled it out -
In it, Harshwhinny held a ring - and Reine's smiling face as she dipped her horn low to accept it, the silver of the ring matching the dress the unicorn was wearing. This was no memory at all. It was a hope, full of potential and born of so much raw emotion - directed not at the mask, not the mysterious outsider, but the actor playing the role - the haughtiness, the aloofness, the dramatic Queen pulling the faux-unicorn's strings. Wrapped up in that silly little pony's hope were dozens of other thoughts - the disbelief that she could find someone at her age, thoughts of where to find a house large enough for two, wondering what 'Reine' would think about having children.
In shock, she dropped the memory, which rebounded back to its owner; the sickly light of the queen's magic broke immediately, and the room was dropped back to dark. Harshwhinny still was in a daze, changeling magic having dug deep through her, and she was unaware of what the queen had seen - in fact, in several cases, she would never be aware of those moments ever again.
"Rei- Chrysalis," she said weakly, looking up. "What happened?"
"I... I was weak," the queen said, turning her head away. "It had been... too long. I needed some energy to... to make it through the night.
"Are you... are you crying?"
"No... no, I'm not crying." Chrysalis shook her head and made a brave little grin, trying to match Reine's demeanor and utterly failing. She gave her former lover a soft squeeze, and sighed, "A changeling cannot cry..."
Hours had gone by and Chrysalis - who had drained enough energy from Harshwhinny to not need to feed for some time - just held the pony close to her chest. She had been utterly unaware of just what she had lost, and a few more bold lies and half-hearted explanation later, Chrysalis had convinced her to fall back asleep, nuzzled in so damnably close to her heart once more.
Well, this is it. Such powerful energy, you can drain her dry and-
And then what? Leave her a crippled husk? And then where are we to go, once her mind is a vegetable and her body fails along with it?
We find another. We seduce him or her and make him believe in us the way we made this one believe and-
And we leave another body for the Guard to find - or worse, the traitorous old hive. The guard will suspect. The hive will know. And what then? With no hive to distribute the love, it'll just be an endless chain of seduction, destruction, and fleeing. Flight for the rest of our life, until death or desturction.
But we can't just sit here and starve!
Chrysalis felt the pony in her arms shift and give a little coo, sighing. She was certain that Nagitha would be dreaming - likely of the memories and hopes she had pulled loose - and instinctively, she rose a holy hoof up to her mane, brushing it free.
There is... another option.
She thought of Nagitha's hopes, and smiled wanly. No matter how much she might deny it, with no hivemind to feed her, one pony would never be able to keep a changeling queen alive - she'd fall apart from the strain, and the queen would have to go hunting once more.
Or... she could give it up.
Sighing, Chrysalis made her decision - and turned her mind-tearing powers in on herself.
It wasn't hard - a changeling's mind was simplistic, compared to the sticky layers of a pony's mind - sheaves falling like pages, concepts forming covers around the pages, fields arranged into loose stacks. But there was one 'book' in the center of her mind - one that stood alone, one that connected to nothing. That book linked her mind to her body and to her magic. It was ravenous, desiring nothing but more and more and more. It linked her to her hive and to magic because those were efficient, but what little it offered was nothing compared to the incredible demands it made. It was what made her a changeling - and simply put, what made a changeling a changeling, more than magic, more than shapeshifting, was an eternal, painful, unrelenting hunger.
Chrysalis considered that 'book' in her mind, looking in on herself as she was certain no changeling ever had. It felt denser than reality - only the greatest of efforts made it visible, because otherwise, it would eat anything that would approach it. That incredible gravity drew in anything that reached for it - and so, most changelings, she was sure, would never look at this. They would never question why they were hungry or why they had to fed - it was easier just to find ways to sate it as long as possible. But the changeling queen was strong - the love that Harshwhinny had for her was strong than the second-hand love she had felt for any pony silly enough to believe her masks.
And so, with the determination that both love and desperation can give someone powering her, Chrysalis took a hold of that supernatural hunger and fed it into itself.
There was a terrible spark and burst of light from her, but only for a moment. In that moment, as her hunger ate itself, she could feel herself falling away. The echoes of the hive mind went first. The connection to her magic blinked out, as the glow in her eyes and horn faded for the last time. Finally, she felt her stomach turn, and for an agonizing moment, she couldn't feel her heart in her chest - but they feebly restarted.
She had just turned her back on the hive, on her magic, and on the only way she had to feed; there could only be one end. But, for the first time in her life, she wasn't hungry.
With a sigh, Chrysalis shifted under Harshwhinny's sheets, nuzzling her head up under Nagitha's - and smiling softly to feel her hooves tugging her close, the changeling being held close to the earth pony's heart. With a sigh, the changeling closed her eyes, and just let herself be held, the deep breaths of the sleeping pony before her hypnotizing her.
I've never felt this... warm before.
She had never felt love like this - not this direct sensation of its delicious glow, but the indirect implication in her actions. The way Harshwhinny smiled, or stroked along the chitin of her back; the way she occasionally rocked, or murmured adoringly. The changeling sighed softly, and did her best to just close her eyes, the way she had seen earth ponies do so many times before - realizing she didn't miss the hive, or her magic, or even her power. In another life, she could have had this.
Perhaps this won't be so bad...
Harshwhinny woke late, having curled away in the middle of the night. And, unlike last time, she didn't wake alone - Chrysalis was on her side of the bed, curled away.
"Good morning, dear," she whispered softly, smiling as she sat up. She vaguely remembered the night before - the green glint in Chrysalis' eyes, the feeling of draining - the vagueness of her memories. So this was life with a changeling.
She had dreamt well; something had stirred old memories, and she had dreamed a silly dream, of a wedding in a hall of Castle Canterlot - the Princess herself officiating as she walked down the isle to a smiling Reine. In last night's dream, Reine looked like a changeling, and not a unicorn, but the matched dresses (in seafoam green) looked beautiful, and the rings they shared glinted in the light cast by the stained glass.
After washing up briefly, Harshwhinny chuckled; Chrysalis was still in bed. "Rise and shine, silly," she smiled, laying a hoof on the covers and pulling them back. "It's getting late..."
To her shock, Chrysalis moved - but not the stirring of a body at rest, but stiffly, as if there was a rod that ran through her spine. She looked dry, and the bruises and cuts on her body seemed to have dried out, rather than to have healed. Harshwhinny reached out. "Chrysalis, are you feeling-"
She was cold and brittle to the touch.
Harshwhinny looked over Chrysalis in a panic, shivvering. The changeling queen had gone to bed injured - and rather than drain enough energy to become whole, the queen had chosen to abandon her hunger. But without her hunger, without something to give her energy, she had run herself dry.
When she ran out into the streets, the guard unit she found gave her a once-over; but finding nothing physically wrong with her, they simply cleaned up, yet another dead changeling husk from the previous day's invasion. The guardsponies congratulated her for defeating a changeling that had attacked her in her own home at the middle of the night; they were caught completely off guard when, as they started to describe how she could have easily been drained of her entire soul, she broke down screaming.
Author's Note
They all rejected her after their flight;
all that energy spent on frontal war!
They resumed scavenging their love like before
and cut her voice off from their hivemind's light
leaving their once belov'd queen to her plight.
She just barely reached her old lover's door -
though her face did not match her old voice -
would she, somehow, forgive her for one night?
For once, she did not dare wear any guise.
They sang their old songs, and she held her tight,
like fillies a-court, not as queen and drone.
And though she might feast that one final time,
she simply basked in her love's quiet light;
the Queen could not bear dying all alone.
Harshwhinny's first name came from Appleoosa Redeye by Fuzzyfurvert.
