The Messenger

Trade Mistakes, Forgiveness for Love, Chapter 3, Playing Messenger

By A lonelypegasus

The lone Changeling stood on the edge of the small cliff edge above the Canterlot castle, he looked down upon the age old structure and remembered vividly back to the wedding day, he was among one of the groups that were sweeping through the city districts after he helped secure the elements, he remembered the pain he felt as the Captain and the Bride's spell blasted them out of the city like they were pebbles.

But now here he was, above the city once again, but this time with an important message for the one pony that could simply end his life and possibly his hive's, but would she? closing his sky blue eyes he took a step back and in a green swirling flash he was in the form of a pegasi guard.

And if he remembered correctly, he could fly around using the patrol patterns he once used prior to the attack. he also should be able to get to the throne room if he acted like he was in a hurry, after all Changeling's are the best when it comes to acting and the art of disguise.

When he was sure that he wouldn't be routed out by his disguise, he flapped his wings a few times then abruptly leaped of the cliff and into the darkening sky, he wasn't about to return back to his Queen without fulfilling his task as he already spent three days taking the safest possible routes to the capital city without getting himself caught.

He flew around following the mental flight path he scarcely remembered, as he neared the main entrance he started to hype himself up to look like he was exhausted and panting like a dog in a sense. he landed and luckily the guards at the main door noticed his arrival and in their suspecting minds he was just another messenger in a hurry and opened the door's for him.

He mentally thanked the queen for this little slice of luck and carried in running down the fairly familiar halls and continued to make his way to the throne room.

/-\ meanwhile in the throne room /-\

"I'm sorry everypony that i've called you all here at this hour, but I wish to share something with you all"

"And what is this piece of information that you wish to share with us?" questioned the night princess whilst her sister yawned a tired yawn as Cadence leant sleepily against her husband.

"And why would you require us to hear this as well? we were just about to head of to bed" inquired Shining with a yawn.

"I'll gladly tell you all, but first I ask you all one question first. do you guys all trust me?"

The respected ponies all looked at each other with expressions of slight confusion, but they each nodded at each other then to the human.

"Of course we do Dwayne" answered Celestia who was desperately holding back her yawning.

"Alright then, about a week ago I had a thought, a slightly mad but possibly reasonable one, and it's concerning Queen Chrysalis"

This got there attention now, there eyes widened a little at the mention of the name, then Celestia spoke forth.

"After the wedding we sent out search parties to look for her and we all know that they came back with nothing."

"Yes I know that princess but at the moment im talking about prior to her plan failing"

Yet again they looked at each other.

"Go on" Celestia said again.

"Ok this is my theory, we know from what small knowledge we have on there race is that they feed of emotions specifically love correct?" they nodded "So we understand the reasoning for there invasion of Canterlot"

"To take over Equestria and claim all the love for themselves" Shining piped in.

"Yes she did say that, but I think there's actually more to what she had planned or what was happening, something different to what she did say on the day"

"What more could there have been?" asked Cadence.

"I'll get there in one second. but first let me ask, Shining could you remember what the guards said about how many changeling's were part of the city during the invasion?"

"Erm I think the number was around a couple hundred, maybe a little bit more than that but we were unsure?"

"Right, also i need to ask and i know this is sort of a private matter, but when the queen was posing as Cadence, did you ever see her out at nights or away for certain periods of time?"

He took a look at his wife then held a hoof to his muzzle.

"Hmm I remember seeing her once fly out at night when we were in the castle a week prior to the wedding, but i just played it of as stress, she said that flying around at night sometimes helps her calm herself"

"Now that confirms my suspicions"

Again the stared at him confused.

"So this is what im thinking and it's a bit of a long shot so trust me on this. Queen Chrysalis had a hive right. but maybe it was bigger than what we may have estimated before, Changeling's are known for only targeting small towns and villages in small infiltrations, so what if this hive, her hive was getting to big for simple small raids"

"Shining you may know the answer to this, if you had a city to feed, and supplies were low, way would be simplist way to feed everyone? small deliveries that could get cut out and they eventually die out. or one big one that could feed them all in one go?"

"The second?"

"Exactly, in my theory, her hive is that big, that small infiltrations weren't enough to sustain them. so they may have been going through a love famine or something like that. so what does the Queen do for her hive?"

The look of realisation on there faces told him.

"We know for months she posed as cadence and took whatever love she could and at night flew back to the hive and fed to ones that were able to partake in the invasion, you know the rest"

"You worked out all of this?"

"I saw her look at me at one point Luna, I saw her look at me with a pleading face that screamed of desperation, in that brief moment I saw her I could see past that tough outer shell and I could see a mother who cared so much for her children that she had no other option but turn to the extremities to save her children"

The four royals pondered everything there fellow human has said, never had they looked at the whole situation in a different light before, not like this.

"But there was no sighting of any of the remaining Changeling's or the Queen after the Wedding, i'm sorry to say that there's nothing we can really do any more on this subject"

"That may be true Celestia, but there could be two outcomes, either she died and her remains are still to be left discovered, or by a real slim chance that those who still remained are still alive"

"I can understand you're theories and concerns, and tonight i shall sleep on them and maybe we can discuss this further tomorrow, there's no denying that were all tired"

"Of course princess"

But before any of them could turn to head back to there beds the throne room doors burst open and one lone guard ran through panting and heaving like he just had just run the running of the leaves non-stop.

"Gasp...I have....gasp....a message...cough...for the princess" he barely said his sentence before promptly falling on his side with the human rushing to his side.