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“You have got to be kidding.”
Celestia stared down the leering changeling queen through the magical barrier, held aloft by Celestia’s faithful guards. Each armored stallion stood tense behind their ruler, staring in trepidation at the two. One on each side of the barrier, each with their own army. Celestia, standing warily and protectively before her ponies; and Queen Chrysalis, her own enormous army directly behind her and awaiting the command to strike.
“I make no jokes, Celestia,” Chrysalis hummed proudly, strutting back and forth in front of the princess, just beyond her reach. “Either comply with my demands, or face the wrath of my army; and this time, your little lovebirds are out of the way in the Crystal Empire, too far away to be of any use.”
Her taunting was obvious, but Celestia was a little more worried with just how she came by the information. In all likelihood, one of her changelings had slipped in somewhere as a spy, and this made her even more nervous. Forcing herself to retain her serene façade, Celestia met the arrogant changeling’s eyes.
“Many of your children shall fall should you even think of attempting to breach Canterlot,” Celestia threatened, and Chrysalis could have sworn that she felt the sun growing just a little bit hotter from the threat. However, if she was intimidated, she didn’t show it.
“Invade Canterlot?” Chrysalis scoffed, her echoing voice ringing over the heads of the many silent ponies and changelings, each nervously preparing for battle. “Oh, please. I intend to do no such thing. Do you see this army behind me?” she asked suddenly, waving a holed hoof behind her.
“No,” Celestia deadpanned. “I have been stricken with a sudden and inexplicable case of blindness. I see no changeling army,” she spat sarcastically.
“This isn’t a quarter of the troops I have prepared to invade Ponyville.”
That caught Celestia’s attention.
The sun princess’s eyes narrowed dangerously, a burning glow emanating from behind them as she was tempted to tear down the barrier herself and lay waste to the offenders.
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” Chrysalis asked cheerfully, as if they were discussing the weather. “Are you truly willing to bet the lives of your subjects on such a frivolous wager? And that’s not even counting the tactical strikes prepared for numerous other little villages that don’t have the defensive capabilities to withstand an invasion. So many lost little lives.”
“Lives that you claim you would spare should I comply to your ‘demands’?” Celestia glowered hatefully at her old foe.
“Claim? I guarantee you,” Chrysalis said with a smirk, “Neither I nor any fragment of my army or my children shall bring harm to a single of your subjects should you submit. It’s not even that weighty a price, in retrospect…” she inspected her hoof disinterestedly.
“That’s a ridiculous notion!” Celestia raised her voice. “No one life is worth-”
“Worth an entire city?” the changeling queen hummed pleasantly. She raised her hoof again, every single subservient behind her poising to strike on her command. “You’re telling me that you would rather let everypony die than give up one little pony.”
Celestia paused, breath coming heavy through her nostrils as she weighed her options.
“No, no,” Chrysalis said cheerfully. “Take your time. I’ll give you an entire hour. I’ve waited this long; I can wait an hour longer before you give her to me.”
“And what makes you think I’ll meet the terms of your agreement?” Celestia’s brows furrowed.
“Fifty-nine minutes and counting.”
But Celestia was already gone.
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Twilight passed by row after row of changelings, each and every single one glaring at her with icy blue eyes.
“Twilight?” Spike whispered from her back as they trotted toward the barrier surrounding Canterlot. “How come the princess’s letter didn’t mention these guys?”
Twilight, however, was completely unresponsive. The letter in her saddlebag stayed firmly in her mind, the burden almost making her hooves drag.
Fortunately, she had her cautious friends directly behind her as guards to keep her on pace.
“You know you ain’t gotta do this, Twi,” Applejack said wearily as she eyed the many rows of battle-ready changelings as they neared the vibrantly colored magical barrier. “Celestia said she wouldn’t blame ya if –”
“Of course she’s not going to do it…” Rainbow Dash butted in uncomfortably, looking back and forth between the melancholy Twilight and the still-as-stone changelings alongside them. “R-right, Twilight?”
Twilight ruffled her wings awkwardly, causing Spike to jitter. The visage of the much taller Queen Chrysalis loomed quietly over them as they approached, Celestia standing just as she had an hour before on the opposite side of the barrier.
“Go on through, girls,” Twilight said softly, pulling the little dragon from her back. “You too, Spike.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Pinkie Pie chewed her lip tearfully, her pink mane flopping limply against her when Twilight shook her head.
As each of her friends stood before the small opening in the barrier, they all tried what they had been trying to do since she had received the letter. However, as she removed her saddlebag and placed it carefully in the miserable claws of her beloved assistant, they could plainly see that there was no changing her mind.
“You don’t have to worry about me.” Twilight shook her head again, pulling away from Spike as he tried to cling desperately to her neck. “It’s for the good of everypony.”
“It’s not fair, Twilight,” Rarity scowled viciously at the changeling queen, who stood passively by. Watching, waiting.
“Get through the barrier,” Twilight said a little more forcefully, nudging them toward the miniscule opening. “It won’t be open for long.”
“Twi,” Spike spluttered. “This is insane. You can’t trust anything she says…!”
“Princess Celestia,” Twilight cleared her throat. “I fully understand what is about to happen, and accept the position delegated to myself.”
The princess only gazed at her student with a look between pity and sorrow, the regret blatant on her features. She approached Twilight as closely as she could without passing through the barrier, Chrysalis’s hungry eyes following her, waiting for a single moment when she would slip up.
“I am so sorry to have placed such a terrible encumbrance upon your shoulders, little one.” Celestia held a single hoof up to the barrier, which Twilight met quietly. A slight tingling rippled along her hoof as she touched it, Twilight’s hoof meeting her own on the opposite side.
“Princess is a pretty tough job,” Twilight joked weakly. “Occupational hazards, you know.”
Celestia was a master of disguising herself beneath a mask of serenity and calm, and her student’s statement alone was nearly enough to break her.
A sharp hissing filled the air, and Twilight’s skin prickled as she realized that the sound was emanating from every changeling in the surrounding area. Even Queen Chrysalis was licking her lips, and the changeling army seemed to become just a little more energetic. It took her a moment to realize that they were feeding off of the ambient love in the air, slurping it down greedily.
Celestia frowned in slight revulsion at the display, her heartache only growing as she watched her student bow her head and resign herself to her fate. If Twilight tried hard enough, she could almost pretend that she couldn’t really hear her friends crying on the other side of the barrier.
“You have what you want, Chrysalis,” Twilight’s voice cracked.
“Oh, don’t be so sour and dour,” the changeling queen threw a holed hoof over Twilight’s shoulder cheerily, slowly leading her away through the sudden path that her servants made for her. They briskly wound away from Canterlot, the army mobilizing as the sound of buzzing wings beginning to fill the air.
“You make it sound like I don’t have reason to be.” Twilight’s voice was quiet, and croaky, but Chrysalis heard her all the same.
“Oh, my dear Twilight Sparkle,” Queen Chrysalis said with an unnaturally sharp grin, pulling her a little closer to her side and nearly causing her to stumble. “You make it sound like you didn’t sign up for this.”
Twilight cringed uneasily from the touch of the changeling ruler, but she wasn’t holding her uncomfortably close.
“Just so long as you call off the army hidden around Ponyville as well…” Twilight murmured bitterly.
“Army?” Chrysalis snorted. “What army?”
Twilight was on the verge of a confused retort before her whole world went dark.
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Twilight blinked groggily, her head heavy.
She shifted blearily beneath the sheets, the silk ruffling over her quietly as she tried to fall back asleep. Hopefully, the sweet clutches of unconsciousness would make the throbbing in her head go away. Just what had she done the night before to cause it to ache so much?
Twilight had finished stocking up on ink and quills, that much was certain. She remembered checking it off the list. Immediately afterwards, there had been the letter from Princess Celestia –
Twilight sat bolt upright in bed, silken black sheets rippling as she did so.
Her breathing came more heavily as she gawked at the room she lay in, the surprisingly cheery green light illuminating the room fairly well.
The more she peered about, the more questions she had.
Off in one corner was a small bookshelf, lined with an assortment of hardback and paperback books. It clashed oddly with the lime colored, nearly transparent walls; similar to the flower-decorated lamp and window blinds hanging uselessly over another section of blank wall.
“What in the world…?” Twilight breathed, thinking.
She blinked repeatedly, attempting to force the illusion from her eyes. However, the ‘illusion’ remained, and it slowly became clear to Twilight that she was not actually dreaming. She remembered blacking out shortly after Chrysalis had mentioned her apparently nonexistent army…
Twilight couldn’t necessarily guess that she would have been treated to what she supposed was meant to be some imitation of a guestroom.
Already a little shaken, Twilight jumped when she heard the flittering of paper. Quietly scolding herself for her edginess, she magically snagged the slip of paper that rustled to the floor.
Twilight Sparkle,
You shall come in the throne room.
That is all.
It didn’t take much to guess who had left her the note, but this only left Twilight feeling more confused; and a little bit curious. First, Queen Chrysalis threatens to attack Equestria unless she receives Twilight as compensation… but leaves her in a surprisingly comfortable guestroom?
“Just what are you playing at…?” Twilight breathed, furrowing her brows. The only exit was an open doorway – Twilight was a little put off to discover that there were no actual doors, only low hanging arches to represent entrances. Peering out into the hall showed her long, low identical corridors. The emerald light was a little dimmer outside the room, but still seemed to stem from some mysterious source that Twilight could not identify.
Glancing back down at the note before dropping it onto the little bookshelf, Twilight took in what few details there were in order to get her bearings; she had no intention of finding a throne room. Chrysalis had no hidden army, meaning that Ponyville was not likely in any particular danger.
Chrysalis, on the other hoof, was about to be in a world of hurt.
“Madam.”
Twilight shrieked automatically at the noise, almost leaping out of her skin. Eyes wide, her head jerked so quickly that she could have sworn that she heard her neck crack.
The little changeling showed absolutely no emotion at her shock, which she desperately struggled to hide.
The bright blue eyes of the changeling were locked onto her, and it spoke as Twilight uneasily steadied her breathing.
“Her majesty has requested your presence,” the winged changeling stated flatly, eyes never leaving her.
“Really?” Twilight replied in a half-conversational tone, speaking only to regain a proper grip on her panic addled mind. “Your queen’s note sounded more commanding than inviting.”
“Her majesty has requested your presence, immediately,” the black insectile pegasus informed her a little more forcefully. He promptly trotted off in the direction of what Twilight assumed was the throne room.
Thinking swiftly, Twilight gauged that the throne room of the changeling queen would most likely be in the center of… wherever she was, meaning that she would likely arrive at an exit by traveling in the opposite direction. With the changeling not looking back to ensure that she was following, Twilight quickly began trotting down the long tunnel away from the changeling. She passed numerous other doorways, many revealing changelings going about their businesses.
A couple she found fairly interesting, such as a few changelings using magic to sculpt an oddly gelatinous grey-green substance into various objects in some of the rooms. Things like blocks, cones, wheels; it was so fascinating watching them attempting to construct new creations from them that Twilight’s steps faltered several times, but she continued along her way.
Just how long were these halls?
Twilight trotted until her sides burned, and the uncomfortable wings on her back fluttered occasionally as she attempted to go a little faster, but to no avail. One hallway simply led to another, and it wasn’t long before Twilight was completely lost. She wandered about in irritation, her mind heavy. Perhaps she could attempt a teleportation spell or two; but in this kind of environment, there was no telling if she might accidentally teleport herself into a wall.
Or worse.
Resisting the urge to grind her teeth as she arrived at yet another dead end, Twilight turned on the spot and jogged past a slightly surprised changeling, who only nodded at her. She scolded herself for jumping again, continuously expecting one of them to attack. Their sharp, fang-like incisors didn’t help her feel any more comfortable.
Spotting a bright light ahead as she turned the umpteenth corner, Twilight’s heart soared as she quickened her pace. It was a much more vibrant light that she approached, the taste of victory already on her tongue.
At least, until she spotted the little bedroom that she had left a while ago.
Releasing a groan of frustration, Twilight brushed a lock of violet mane from her face and began to focus.
Teleportation it was, then.
“Madam.”
Twilight jerked, but didn’t shriek like she did the last time. She couldn’t tell if it was the same changeling that she had seen before, but guessed that it was from the unamused expression on its face. It stood before her in the doorway, tapping his hoof against the hard floor.
“If you are quite finished, madam, her highness is growing impatient,” the changeling explained, and Twilight sighed heavily through her nostrils. She followed close behind as he left, considering her options. Her best bet of properly navigating this maze was to follow the changeling, in all likelihood.
One thing that bothered her, however, stuck in her mind the entire way.
The room looked exactly the same as she had left it, in the exception of one minor detail.
The note on the bookshelf was gone.
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Twilight followed the changeling guide for what felt like hours, but knew that it couldn’t possibly have been that long.
She did her best to memorize the many twists and curves of the passages, but due to the similar nature of the hive, Twilight had difficulty even remembering where they had passed before long. For all she knew, the guide might well be leading her in circles to further confuse her.
She frowned, the scowl plain on her face as they passed another empty room.
“Something the matter, madam?”
Twilight blinked, nearly bumping into her guide when he suddenly stopped to face her.
“What?”
“Perhaps something is bothering you, madam?” the changeling asked curiously in an oddly droning voice.
“Gee, I wonder what it could be,” Twilight seethed sarcastically.
The changeling, evidently uninterested, simply turned on the spot and led her through a much larger archway. Her eyes widened slightly at the much higher ceiling, the pillars and columns of ichor-colored supports reaching up to the sky drew her attention. The whorls and curves in them seemed to reflect the much more brightly lit room slightly, and the expansive throne room was indeed a little impressive.
Still not as impressive as Celestia’s throne room.
The frown etched a little more deeply onto her face as Twilight’s guide bowed to his queen, silently bowing out of the throne room.
“Certainly are one to take your time, aren’t you, ‘princess’?” Queen Chrysalis hummed, and Twilight noted the multiple guards standing diligently behind her and blocking her retreat. Twilight was a little more uneasy upon noticing that Chrysalis held the note from earlier, even going so far as to beckon Twilight forward with it.
“I thought I was rather implicit,” Chrysalis stated boredly, giving the note another little wave. “Was I not?”
“What’s the meaning of all this, Chrysalis?” Twilight asked in distaste, her mind flying. There didn’t seem to be any other exits, but…
A small green spark alit atop the changeling queen’s jagged horn, and Twilight felt herself suddenly pulled forward inch by inch by invisible hooves. She was stopped in front of the lime green, high backed ichor throne, and Twilight shuffled uncomfortably from the hungry glare Chrysalis was giving her.
“Come now, Twilight,” Chrysalis spoke quietly with a small, sharp grin. “Surely even you can be diplomatic for a little while.”
Twilight started an angry retort, but was swiftly cut off by a holed hoof.
“Manners, young lady!” Chrysalis taunted her. “Technically royalty or not, you are still a guest; and as such, should you wish to speak to the queen of the hive, you should behave courteously.”
“I’m not toadying to your whims, Queen Chrysalis,” Twilight spat.
The changeling queen’s sharp grin only grew.
“You shall prostate yourself before your queen.”
Twilight opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again.
“… Don’t you mean, ‘prostrate’?”
“No,” Chrysalis beamed wickedly. “No, I don’t.”
Twilight flushed, color rushing to her cheeks.
“What in the world makes you think that I would ever comply to a demand that ludicrous?” she glowered, trying to keep her wounded sense of pride intact.
“Hm,” Chrysalis inspected her hoof quietly. “And here I was, under the impression that you could read.”
“E-excuse me?”
“Again, was I not rather implicit?” the changeling queen leaned forward on her throne, beckoning the awkward pony toward her once more. “I did say that you would come in the throne room. I wish to watch you do it, right now, right here in front of me.”
Heat blossomed into Twilight’s cheeks at the admission, only fueling Chrysalis’s Cheshire smile.
“Not on your life, bug.”
Chrysalis’s smile suddenly vanished.
With an angry glare, Chrysalis’s eyes narrowed dangerously at the same time that she magically yanked Twilight forward, causing her to stumble on the steps to the throne.
Twilight instinctively fought against the invisible hooves, magically lashing out – however, she was quickly stifled by the changeling queen’s onslaught of magical energy, and soon found herself dangling in the air by her back hoof.
She spun slowly from an unseen grasp, and Twilight crossed her hooves across her chest with an unamused frown.
“Are you quite finished?” Chrysalis asked cheerfully.
“I think I’ve already heard that once today,” Twilight grumbled. At least her mane wasn’t in her eyes anymore.
“Really, Twilight Sparkle-” Chrysalis purred. “-you’re so rude. I don’t know how that tyrant manages to put up with you.”
“You take that back!” Twilight shouted, attempting to hurl a blast of violet magic at the tittering queen. However, Chrysalis only snuffed out Twilight’s horn with apparent ease, a slight hissing rising as she did so.
How was she even doing that?
“Ooh, it would appear that I’ve hurt poor little Twilight’s tender... sensibilities,” Chrysalis giggled, and Twilight felt herself being magically raised a little further into the air by both of her back hooves. Her purple wings flapped uselessly against dead air, and within moments they were also mystically pinned to hers sides.
“Stop that!” Twilight commanded, struggling hopelessly. She glared daggers into the luminescent sea green eyes of the changeling queen, an entertained stare meeting her. “Right this moment! And we are not on a first name basis!”
“Fine,” she could almost hear Chrysalis smiling as she was turned on the spot, facing the row of silently watching guards. “From now on, I’m calling you ‘Sugar Teats’.”
“What?” Twilight sputtered. “That’s – no, I – hey, hey, hey hey HEY!”
She squirmed in panic as she felt a hot, wet length reaching between her legs; and a deep blush dashed into her cheeks again, realizing that it was Chrysalis’s tongue.
It didn’t help that Twilight was suspended in midair, blood already rushing to her head. That, in addition to the sudden surprise, gave her a jolt of dizziness intermingled with embarrassment from the surveillance of her changeling guards.
The hot tongue caressingly across Twilight’s button, teasing her into writhing again. Desperate to look away from the unblinking stares of the many guards, mortified and uncomfortable, Twilight tried to cast her gaze at the hard floor –
– only to bite back a moan as the unexpectedly long, serpentine tongue of Queen Chrysalis slid hotly inside her.
Twilight let out a high pitched squeal of indignity as she struggled to cover her face with a length of her mane and what she could of her hooves.
“Something the matter, Sugar Teats?” Chrysalis withdrew from Twilight suddenly, leaving her feeling faint.
Twilight spluttered something incomprehensible, wriggling weakly as she tried not to look at anypony.
“Couldn’t possibly be the fact that you’re assaulting me,” Twilight mumbled in humiliation.
“I didn’t think so, either,” Chrysalis responded with another grin.
Twilight didn’t get the chance to reply before the hot breath of Chrysalis came down hard and heavy between her legs, and Twilight bit her lip in anticipation. Instead of plunging directly back into her, however, her extensive tongue flickered back and forth across her slit. Twilight exhaled shakily, her vision beginning to swim. She moaned again, arching her back in discomfort and reaching vainly for the floor, unable to hold her hooves over her face any longer.
Surprisingly, Twilight found herself slowly being lowered to the ground. Thankfully, Twilight rested her body against the cool floor, but her back hooves remained suspended as she was turned to face the changeling queen. Another bright blush burned against Twilight’s cheeks when she watched Chrysalis nudge her smooth black jaw tenderly against her.
Twilight felt sweat beading on her, and she used her forehooves to keep balance while her back legs were levitated higher into the air, pressing her softly against Chrysalis. She whimpered and closed her eyes tightly, unwillingly arching her back again as Chrysalis’s tongue slithered rapidly inside and out of her, the excitement growing.
Before too long, Twilight vaguely wondered if Chrysalis’s magic was simply lifting and lowering her, or if her own hips were bucking against her. Continuously expecting the sharp teeth of the queen to sink into her, Twilight clenched up a little every time she rose up to meet Chrysalis’s lips; but she was never bitten, a jagged pain never arose from her bottom half that she feared.
Twilight’s head felt foggy, and she could have sworn that if her face grew any hotter it would combust.
Chrysalis’s tongue darted deeply inside of her in rhythm to her movements, her pointed teeth occasionally nibbling against her flesh and causing her to clench her muscles automatically again and again. She gasped as she was brought closer and closer to arrival, twisting perversely as she fought back against the tide that drew her nearer the shore.
Twilight screamed suddenly, her shrill cry piercing the air as she climaxed. Chrysalis’s winding tongue abruptly lurched inside her as she spasmed, tightening around her as the pressure blooming in her was released in a long, jittering spurt.
After a couple of moments, Twilight’s quivering legs were lowered gently to the floor, and she was embarrassed further to see the deviate fluid dripping from Chrysalis’s pleased face.
“I’ll admit,” Chrysalis buzzed with a grin. “You didn’t take nearly as long as your brother.”
“Leave Shining out of this, Chrysalis,” Twilight’s panting came out shaking and feeble.
“Hm. Whatever happened to not being on a first name basis, eh, Sugar Teats?”
“Eat me, that’s what.”
Chrysalis only snorted.
“I just did.”
Twilight reddened, the sudden comprehension that she was no longer held aloft hitting her as well. Unfortunately, her legs felt wobbly and weak, and it took much of her strength to even remain conscious as she lay on her back.
“I’m not quite full,” Chrysalis stated quietly, lifting Twilight with her own unexpectedly strong holed hooves instead of magic and seating her in an awkward position on her lap. “But I suppose that I am satisfied… for a while. For now, we shall receive a short intermission.”
“What-what are you going to do to me?” Twilight flinched, but Chrysalis only wrapped her hooves around her comfortably.
“Oh, don’t sound so nervous. I would assume that you would like to know the reason behind my actions, would you not?”
Twilight blinked as she was made to relax against the queen, her thoughts heavy.
“Oh,” she nodded after a couple of moments. “You mean, the invasion threats. I-I thought you meant, the-the, um…”
Chrysalis leered silently as Twilight became more embarrassed, but the changeling queen only pulled her a little closer.
“As if I needed a reason to have a little… snack,” Chrysalis nibbled her ear smoothly, causing Twilight to shiver with anticipation again. She continued for several minutes, even eliciting another low moan from Twilight.
“But enough for now…” Chrysalis hummed, gently releasing Twilight and allowing her to slide damply to the floor. “Come.”
“… I just did.”
Chrysalis actually laughed aloud from her confession.
She laughed a lot.
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“That depends. You got it?” Applejack muttered from the side of her mouth.
“Duh. ‘Course I do,” Rainbow Dash hushed her, stuffing the equipment into the saddlebag. “Tell Rarity to get into position in approximately three minutes.”
“And then?” Pinkie Pie asked nervously, hardly seen by the lamplight in the dark room.
“Then the obvious,” Rainbow Dash slammed one hoof into the other angrily. She huffed, her wings ruffling against her sides in determination.
“We save Twilight.”
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