“My Queen, several of our units report their cover blown.” The drone said. “I believe word of our presence may be spreading.”
Queen Chrysalis cursed. She had had high hopes for Appleoosa. It was densely populated enough that all of the infiltrator units she had sent out had found targets, but not so dense that she had expected her troops to be discovered this quickly.
It had always been too much to hope that they could remain here indefinitely. Love, while a deliciously fine and powerful food source, was also an incomprehensible enigma to her people. What made it so frustrating was that infiltration required empathy, and how could one empathize with the creatures that made love? It made mimicking them long enough to feed her troops nearly impossible.
Worse still, if a number of Changelings had been discovered in this area, the ponies would be on guard, watching for them. It would only be a matter of time before the rest were rooted out. That meant even less energy resources coming in, and a need to move the Swarm to a new home, which would tax their already limited reserves to the limit. Survival would mean putting even more of her subjects into hibernation cocoons to conserve energy.
Chrysalis’s eyes scanned the room, their current hive already lined with the Cocoons of her Children. Her Swarm. She could not let them die.
She drove a hoof hard into the slime-lined floor of her Chamber. “Curse those rotten little Ponies!” She spat, “If they weren’t so rich with love, we would have departed Equestria years ago.” She turned and glared at the Changeling who had brought the message. “Send out the order to prepare to depart. We cannot allow ourselves to be discovered here by the pony forces.”
It frustrated Chrysalis that a force of Ponies could overcome a Changeling force ten times its size. She had determined that the reason for this was the pitiful amount of provisioning that they had to work with. If her army had enough food, their individual strength would easily surpass that of the ponies. As it was, though, the need to share the energy amongst all over her active Changelings had prevented any of them coming anywhere near their full strength.
“If only there was a pony that we could take that would provide us with all of the energy we need, without us having to worry about the other ponies finding out about it.” Chrysalis mused.
The Changeling- Byss, she thought his name was- sighed. “As well wish to capture the Sun, my Queen.” He said.
Chrysalis froze. Capture the Sun? Of course. It was crazy, but it was just mad enough to work.
“That’s it!” she cried, “Byss, you are a genius!”
Byss stared at her in confusion. “Thank you, my Queen…” he said unsurely, “Why am I a genius?”
Chrysalis laughed. The sound nearly startled her, as she realized that she had not actually done that in some time. “We are going to go after the Bringer of the Sun itself.” She said, a mad gleam in her eye. “We are going to replace Princess Celestia.”
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
The first step of Chrysalis’s brilliant plan involved a trip to the Archive. The Archive was the storehouse of all of the knowledge and intelligence that the changelings gained, gathered magically. It was the only changeling structure that was never moved. If any changelings in the field knew anything of relevance, the Archive would have record of it.
The importance of the Archive maintained it as a secret known only to the highest level changelings, as any threat to the archive could destroy the changeling race forever. Because of this, Chrysalis traveled there alone, leaving Byss and the other active changelings to relocate the hive to the secure location nearest to Canterlot.
The Archivist, a grizzled old changeling whose wings had long ago succumbed to his age and had a long scuff of a beard, drew himself to his hooves as Chrysalis ended. “My Queen.” He greeted her formally, “How may the Archive serve you today?”
Chrysalis looked around at the books that lined the walls. “I need knowledge of Canterlot, the surrounding area, Princess Celestia, and those immediately surrounding her.” She said.
The Archivist nodded, and stepped to a small book stand in the center of the room. “A very interesting subject, indeed, my Queen.” He said, placing a large book upon the stand. “Shall I focus it on who she loves, or those who love her?”
Chrysalis thought for a moment. “Those she loves.” She said, “All of those little ponies love Celestia every single morning. That is the point.”
The Archivist nodded again and levitated a small paintbrush tipped with golden ink, rapidly painting strange golden letters onto the book in precise, delicate strokes. When he finished, he nodded to himself and stepped back as the letters began to glow.
Chrysalis had always loved to see the archive work. It was a magical construct said to have dated back to a time before the first Changeling Queens had crawled out of the ancient Hives to seek a new home. As she watched, symbols and words began to flow from the books lining the walls, drifting down in a glowing, spinning vortex of light, into the book on the stand.
After a time, the flow of symbols tapered off, until it finally came to a stop, sealing the book with a flash of light.
Chrysalis levitated the book off of the stand and brought it to her. She smiled “Thank you, Archivist.” She said, “Your help may have just saved our people.”
The Archivist grinned as Chrysalis turned to depart. “I do believe I have, my Queen.” He said, the sound of invisible bells echoing as he moved. “I do believe I have.”
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
The book provided by the archive was filled with information. Celestia had a long history in Equestria, Dating back thousands of years. The important part, though, was finding the right target to get in close enough to knock her out and then finding ways to keep those who could unmask Chrysalis from doing so.
The first Candidate was Princess Luna. She had Returned less than a ten months prior, and had remained fairly close by her sister’s side.
It seemed that the Lunar Princess had a prickly demeanor when it came to her subjects, which made her a good Candidate, but she seldom if ever found herself outside of Canterlot. There was no way a high profile pony could be taken within the city itself. It would require taking a different pony to get close. Might as well skip the middle-mare. Besides, Luna would be necessary when the plan was complete: Only she could raise the Sun after Celestia was captured. Celestia herself would serve as incentive for that.
The Next Candidate was Twilight Sparkle. As Celestia’s personal student, she had been close enough to the Princess for Chrysalis’s purposes, up until Luna’s return. After that she had been shifted to someplace called Ponyville. A fall from grace, perhaps?
Unfortunately, it was recorded that she had close personal relationships with more than half a dozen individuals in Ponyville. Such relationships proved to be the undoing of any Changelings unlucky enough to find them. While this “Friendship” yielded much in sustenance, it often took less than a day for such close ponies to pick up on the change in personality and out the Changeling as a fake. It would never serve her purposes long enough.
Next was… Princess Cadence. A foundling Alicorn, Princess Cadence was the adoptive niece of Princess Celestia. Her position as Princess kept her estranged from most ordinary ponies, she was currently… at Celestia’s family Chateau outside of Canterlot, with her Fiancé, Shining Armor, the current Captain of the Royal Guard.
Hmm… No friends, one deep source of love, three ponies close, all of which could be distracted by a threat to Canterlot, and all of which would be rendered helpless by the completion of the plan. There was no doubt about it. Cadence was perfect.
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
Shining Armor leaned back, enjoying the lovely evening. It was a brilliant idea coming out here for a picnic under the stars. Cadence looked particularly lovely under the light of Luna’s Moon. In the pale light, he could hardly believe such a lovely creature had agreed to marry him.
Cadence smiled at him. “You’re staring at me again.” She said, clearly adoring the attention.
Shining Armor smiled back. “Only because I am afraid that if I blink, you will vanish, and I don’t know what I would ever do without you.” He replied.
Cadence laughed her beautiful, silvery laugh, and hugged him. “Me? Vanish?” she said, “And let you disappear on me? Never. You are not getting away from me that easily.”
There was a rustling in the bushes. A member of the Royal Guard stepped quickly out of the Shadows. “My Lord, Shining Armor,” the pony announced, “Sir, we must get you and the Princess back to safety immediately. There are… Things in the woods.”
As if on cue, a dozen shadows detached from the darkness of the forest around them. In the moonlight, they were little more than silhouettes, shadows of creatures lancing out through the darkness to attack.
Shining Armor and the guardspony hurled themselves against the oncoming figures. Clashing against them in a press of bodies, Shining armor fired beams from his horn and kicked several of the things in the face, but the Guard managed to break through to Cadence again.
Seeing this, Shining Armor raised his head. “Get her to safety!” he shouted, “I will hold these fiends off!”
The Guardspony nodded. “Of course, my lord.” He said, turning to tackle one of the creatures that had nearly reached the Princess. “Come, Princess, we must get you back to the Chateau. It will be safe there.”
Cadence hesitated. “What about Shining Armor?” she demanded.
In response, Shining Armor unleashed a burst of magic, hurling his foes back. “I will be fine!” he shouted, as another wave of enemies rushed from the woods, “Get out of here. I will cover your escape.”
Cadence nodded. “You had better make it back, Shining Armor!” she shouted, and then she and the Guardspony broke and ran for the castle.
Cadence kept slowing down and looking back, tensing whenever she saw a burst of Shining Armor’s Magic behind her.
The guardspony she was with turned back. “Not to worry, my Princess, I am sure Lord Shining Armor will best his foes.” He said.
Cadence nodded. “I am certain he will.” She said, turning to look at the pony with her. “Just as I am certain you will see me safely reunited with him… I am sorry, I don’t recall your name, guardspony.”
The guard shot her a grin. “Byss, my Lady.” He said, “My name is Byss.”
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
Shining Armor called upon all of his combat training and spellcraft to hold off the horde of shadowy creatures. He knew he could cast his defense shield and hold them off until reinforcements arrived, but he worried that, faced with an impenetrable barrier, the beasts might turn their attention on Cadence and that guard.
He had to hold out, but there were just so many of them, and in the moon shadows, they were all but invisible, lancing blows, striking from the dark. It was not more than a few minutes before one of their attacks got lucky, slipping through his defenses and driving the wind from his lungs. Then a blow to the side of his head sent him spinning to the ground. After that they were on him. It was all he could do to hold them back from making a killing blow. As hope faded, he prayed that Cadence was not the one who would find his corpse. By Celesita, he hoped that she had made it back alright.
And then there was a shout. A burst of light. And another. Suddenly the pounding hooves slowed down, and the shadowy things were thrown off of him. Bursts of green light flung them back.
“Drive them back!” That was Cadence’s voice, Shining Armor thought. “Protect Shining Armor!”
In the haze of fading consciousness, Shining Armor looked up and saw Cadence’s face. But… it seemed somehow alien. Not the face he knew, full of love and compassion. This face was more… hungry.
It wasn’t her.
He needed to find Cadence… She was in danger... He needed to…
“Cadence” placed her hooves on the sides of his head. “Don’t worry, my darling.” She said, “I will take care of you.”
There was a flash of green, and everything was alright again. He had his Cadence, and now he could rest.
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
Author's Note
I had originally intended to make this a one-shot, but my muses handed me a perfect spot to end the chapter. The Archive is something I came up with to be a part of the problem, allowing Changelings to gather raw data without having true understanding of what it suggests. Let me know what you think. I like constructive Criticism.
The trip into Canterlot was a brief, though nerve-wracking one, for Shining Armor. Time was of the essence, of course- Princess Celestia had to be warned of the impending threat to Canterlot- but he could not shake the feeling that something was terribly, horribly wrong.
He thought it might have something to do with the fact that Cadence had not brought that huge chest when they were taking into Canterlot with them when they had left the city originally. The thing was huge, and it bothered him a little that he had not noticed it before.
Then, there was Cadence herself. She had, in a fit of sudden formality, begun using the original name she had been given when she had first been taken in by the Princess, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza”, and had insisted on being called that by everypony. Even him. She was still his Cadence, though, whatever she wanted to be called, but that, too, bothered him.
Or it could be the question of why couldn’t he recall the names of the dozen or so soldiers that Cadence had insisted on having accompany them? He was certain he had trained them himself, since Cadence had assured him of it, but that certainty was not producing names, or even recollection of the time spent on that training. Perhaps it was the blow to the head he had taken during the fight, but his lack of knowledge of these supposedly steadfast and loyal ponies made him nervous.
In fact, what brought him to his bride-to-be’s room this time was the fact that several of the guards in her entourage had been acting as if they had forgotten their training entirely. They did not salute him quickly enough and they seemed unsure as to if they should act immediately when he gave them an order, claiming that they had their orders from Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.
He tapped his hoof on the door, intending to discuss with Cadence the lack of decorum of her guards, but then…
All he could recall was her hooves on his head, cradling him and holding him to her, her eyes filling his field of vision, and nothing was wrong. The guards, they were only doing what they were ordered. That made sense. They had their orders, so his own orders had confused them. Nothing wrong there.
And yet… Shining Armor left the room feeling dizzy. He hoped they could reach the safety of the City soon.
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
Byss stared after Shining Armor with a slightly concerned look on his face. He looked at Chrysalis, who was breathing a little more heavily now than she had been. “My Queen,” he said softly, “You cannot continue to alter his mind like that. You know how taxing it is. Especially when he keeps resisting like that.”
Chrysalis glared at Byss for a long moment, not so much annoyed at his insubordination so much as at the fact that he was right: If Shining Armor continued to resist her influence, the effort of keeping him under her control would deplete her energy reserves faster than his love for Cadence would be able to build them. “Well, what else can I do?” she demanded. “Shining Armor knows Cadence too well, and his mind keeps rebelling against the idea of me being her. He keeps picking up on every single detail that is wrong. If he outs me, we won’t even make it into Canterlot.”
Byss thought for a long moment. “So… give him something else to think about.” He said, “Something that will bring him to you willingly.”
Chrysalis raised a pink eyebrow. “Such as?” she asked.
Byss rubbed his hoof on his chin. “How about pain?” he suggested. “If you use pain, he will focus on the pain, instead of the details around him. And then you can have him come to you to relieve it, and you can ensure that he is still under your control. If he submits to your magic willingly, it will reduce the energy cost.”
Chrysalis stared at Byss for a long moment. “How did you come up with that?” she asked.
Byss smiled. “I replaced a healer once.” He said, “When my prey was in pain, they were far more likely to miss things.”
Chrysalis smiled, and swept out of the room. “Brilliant.” She said, “I shall begin immediately.”
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza walked into Princess Celestia’s throne room, ushered in by several of Celestia’s guards. “Princess Celestia…” Shining Armor said, looking absolutely worse for wear. “There is a force of enemies outside of Canterlot. They attacked us at the Chateau outside the City. We need to- nuuuugh!”
He flinched, reeling, and slumped against Cadenza, prompting Celestia to take several steps down from her throne before the Pink furred Princess raised a forestalling hoof. “Oh, no.” she said primly, “His injuries must be worse than I thought! Princess, you need to see to the defense of the City. The threat is very real. I will see to my Fiancé’s wounds personally.”
Celestia looked at Cadenza for a long moment, and finally nodded. “Very well.” She said, “I shall leave him to you while I confer with my sister.”
Celestia galloped from the room, headed for her sister’s quarters, leaving “Cadenza” and her “Guards” to carry the collapsed Stallion to the chamber that had been set aside for the true Cadence. Chrysalis had extracted its location from Cadence along with various other pieces of information during the trip by threatening to hurt Shining Armor.
Ponies were so weak willed.
Her chest had already been delivered down into the crystal caves below Canterlot, with the real Princess inside. She would be kept there, where the crystals prevent her from mustering the magic to escape, for as long as Chrysalis could continue to use her for information. After that, she would be easily disposed of.
When they reached the room, Shining Armor stirred. “Cadence!” he mumbled.
Chrysalis placed her hooves on the sides of his head. “I told you… My name is Mi Amore Cadenza.” She said sinisterly, “Now relax and let me take care of you.”
Shining Armor gave a cry that ended abruptly as he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Byss stepped to his Queen’s side. “My Queen, if I might ask:” he said, “Why did you not take the Princess in the throne room just now?”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Did you see the look on her face?” she asked, “She and Cadence were clearly very close. She picked up that something was wrong almost immediately. Her defenses were up. I had to make it look like I was concerned with something else. Being distracted is an excellent way to play off the difference in personality, which is why Phase Two needs the Army outside the City, and the Wedding inside.”
Byss smiled. “The Army to distract them, and the wedding to distract you.” He said, “It is brilliant, my Queen.”
Chrysalis tossed her hair aloofly. “Of course it is.” She said, “Don’t forget who you are talking to. It is Celestia’s Practice to stand before a bride and groom and face the wedding audience to announce them as bride and groom. That is the perfect moment to strike.”
Byss nodded. “And what are I and the rest of your ‘guards’ to do while you arrange the wedding?” he asked.
Chrysalis smiled. “With the City in danger, Celestia will post all the guards she can on the walls.” She said, “They should be well spread out enough that even with your limited reserves of power, you should be able to isolate them, one at a time, and neutralize them. When the time comes for me to strike, I want as little interference as possible.”
Byss nodded, a malicious smile on his face. “Yes my queen.” He said, “It would be an honor.”
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
“We should not be holding the Wedding at all under these dire circumstances, let alone moving it up.” Luna was saying as Cadenza walked into the War Room. “Our full attention needs to be on defending the City, not frivolous parties.”
Cadenza shot the Lunar Princess an annoyed glance. Luna did not know Cadence as well as Celestia did, but she still represented a threat to her plan. “There is nothing frivolous about keeping up morale.” She countered primly, “The Citizens of Canterlot are already getting worried over what it might mean if this proves to be an extended siege. If those… things… choose to clamp down on our trade routes instead of striking randomly at settlements and travelers around the City, we would be in big trouble. The citizens know this, and the fear of it might drive them to do something foolish.”
Celestia nodded. They had been having roughly the same argument ever since Cadenza had told them that she intended to move her wedding up to show the citizens, and the enemy, that they would not live in fear. “Cadenza is right, Luna.” She said, “If we give in to the enemy’s scare tactics, they win. The fact that these… shadow creatures… have not attacked our trade proves that they are not strong enough to do worse than scare us. We cannot let them succeed.”
Luna nodded in deference to her sister, but it was clear that she was not convinced.
Cadenza grinned. “I will see to the preparations for the Wedding, while you two, and Shining Armor see to the defense of the City.” She said, “We cannot let the enemy scare us.”
Luna’s head rose slightly. “Speaking of Shining Armor, should he not be present at this meeting?” she asked.
Cadenza nodded and indicated the shining purple magic field that dominated the sky. “My fiancé has been wearing himself out maintaining the shield dome around the city as well as seeing to his duties with the Royal Guard.” She said, “It would not be so taxing for him if he had had more chance to recover from his injuries before he had insisted on putting the shield up. I do what I can, but until he gets time to rest and heal, he is not going to be able to keep this up consistently.”
Luna nodded. “Shining Armor’s contribution *is* important.” She said, “If he needs the rest, we can deal with the countryside while he focuses on the shield.”
Cadenza nodded. “He should be back to himself by the time the Wedding is over.” She said, with a slight smile. “I do hope that won’t be too taxing on you.”
The Princesses nodded.
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
The plan was coming together.
The Invitations were out, the arrangements were made. With Shining Armor nearly blacking out from pain from maintaining the shield, and the Princesses constantly looking outward for threats, none of them could hope to realize the nature of the threat within.
In three days’ time, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza” and Shining Armor would say their vows, Celestia would fall, and a new era would begin. An era ruled by the changelings. Every angle had been considered, every eventuality planned for. Chrysalis’s plan was ready, and once it began there was nothing that could possibly get in her-
“Cadence! Sunshine, sunshine, Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”
Oh… Horse apples.
.o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o. .o0o.
