"This will be perfect." Gel walked them over to where a whole rack of the halters were resting. Without even thinking twice, Twilight reached out and lifted one of them up and brought it closer. It made her giggle inside, was Gel being an extension of her or was she being an extension of him?

Lifting a hoof, Gel pressed it against a particular set of crystals at the buckles of the halter, the tiny things shattering as he put pressure on them. "Those are what locks down magic?" Twilight smiled at this, he was a very tricky stallion when he wanted to be.

"Yeah, now come on and lets make some noise, yell a bit, blast with some magic."

Twilight giggled and lined her horn up with a big crystal light source and blasted. The discordant tone it set off was really loud. Gel tossed the halter beside where the two unconscious changelings were and struck a pose. She felt silly standing there, waiting for… a changeling bolted in and looked around, spotting them.

"Stop right there!" Their eyes glowed green but Twilight didn't feel any of the effects of it.

"I am Princess Twilight Sparkle and I demand audience with your queen!" Twilight's voice was strong and sure, but it didn't faze the changeling.

"Of course, I will take you right to her if you are a good filly and let me put a nice halter on you." The words had no effect on Twilight but she felt herself sway just a little, Gel playing the part.

"Oh… oh I guess so." Twilight stepped forward, right beside the sabotaged halter, she lowered her head and nosed at the thing.

"There, see, now if you are who you say you are the queen will want to speak with you. She has a special set of pods built just to trap strong alicorns." The changeling's tone sent a shiver down Twilight's spine. A pod was not what she wanted to be in. A tiny, betraying voice whispered in the back of her mind, that if the pod belonged to Gel she might not object. It was easy to blush as the halter was fitted and she felt the changeling brush her mind with their hunger. "You really are a princess. This is the best day ever." The last of the buckles was fastened and Twilight felt a tug on the leash, her legs following all on their own.

"Someone is enjoying some ideas." Gel's words strayed to her ears and it made her blush harder. She cursed him for being able to feel her desire. "You ready to unload? All you need to do is get that ring on her horn and I will be able to grab her."

Twilight nodded and clamped down slowly on him, making Gel squirm a little inside her. He didn't want to distract the mare too much, a lot was riding on the next few minutes.

"My queen! My queen! I captured you a new snack!" The changeling leading them tugged on the leash and trotted into a high-vaulted room. Gel's disguise, keeping them looking just like a slightly larger Twilight Sparkle was holding up.

"Well well, we meet again you little wedding crasher." Twilight's gaze was caught by Chrysalis' own as the queen addressed her. "Come up here, filly, I want to drink from you myself."

Her legs shook, but Gel wasn't sure if it was Twilight or himself that was trembling, it was a good effect regardless. They worked together, each giving assistance and support to the other until they were at the bottom of the dais that the queen changeling's throne was perched upon.

"You came alone? Do you think you are worth the safety of all of Equestria? I will spare your little town, however, because you were the only pony brave enough to come here. Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, what does it feel like to be powerless, weak and at the mercy of even the smallest changeling here?" Chrysalis didn't need distracting, Twilight realized, she was already in full-on villain-monologue mode. The more monsters she faced, the more likely it was that she would fall asleep during one of these moments.

"I came because… I can't deny it any longer, Queen Chrysalis. From the first moment I laid eyes upon you, I was in love." Gel's words came from Twilight's mouth and it was shock and surprise that was felt, not adoration and love. "Twilight," the words were directly into her ears, "come on my princess, you need to feel love when she reaches for you…" There was a gentle massage within her, undulating pressure in her passage that was impossible for Twilight's body to resist.

Then came the fangs.

"Look at her, think of her wrapped around you, like I am." Gel's words guided Twilight, she felt a measure of control given to him in this and she closed her eyes and focused simply on her pleasure.

"This… this can't be… I never guessed…" Twilight opened her eyes at the queen's words, seeing the big changeling stepping down from her throne and coming closer. "Twilight Sparkle, you are delicious…" She felt the queen reach into her and drink. She drank long and hard, it made Twilight stagger a touch. A new strength supported her. Chrysalis.

"I couldn't stop thinking of you, my queen." Gel was buttering his mother up. It felt odd to be doing it this way but when the time had been right he just felt this would be the best distraction. Pressure against their lips blocked his focus for a moment as Chrysalis kissed them. "Now, Twilight."

Twilight's horn glowed, with the queen's eyes closed she never saw the small obsidian ring float up in purple magic and slip down her horn. "What…" Chrysalis pulled back with a cry. She gazed at Twilight and Gel. "What have you done to me? Why isn't my magic working?" Her horn was too long, Twilight noticed, to see where the ring was caught on one of the hole-gaps in the changeling's horn.

"What's the matter? Ring got your magic?" But as Twilight goaded Chrysalis the worst thing happened. The other changeling flew in a high arc and landed on their queen's head, yanking the ring free. "Oh…"

"… crap." Gel spoke the word right into Twilight's ear. This wasn't good and he took a step back. "Blast her, blast her for all you are…"

"No, stop right there." Chrysalis' eyes started to glow. "You foul little pony, walk yourself to your new home and sink your head in that pod forever!"

Twilight never saw the brightness of the queen's gaze. But she did see the mare's eyes.

Gel was mentally trembling, had he done it in time…

Chrysalis, blinking and looking a little surprised, shocked and lost. She shook her head and looked around, it was a soft voice that finally asked, "Where is my pod?"

"This way, your highness." Gel and Twilight moved and spoke almost as one, their relief palpable, but they knew they weren't out of the woods. "Just down the hall and we can get you safe in your pod." Gel continued, coaxing the dread-queen along, seeing her following like a puppy.

The big, princess-sized pods were easy to spot, they were not only physically larger than the rest but pulsed brightly, awaiting their captives. "Here you are now, this is your new home."

Chrysalis' smile was something nopony had seen before, it was bright, care-free. "Thank you." She reached out a hoof and petting Twilight and Gel on the head before she climbed in the biggest pod and snuggled down inside it. The pod was a greedy beast. They worked mostly on reflexes and instinct and this one snapped closed around the biggest meal it had ever found.

Suspended inside, Chrysalis gave a happy gurgle in the goop, relaxing and smiling as her mind wove a dream of love and compassion for her.

"So she is trapped?" Twilight looked down at the sealed up pod.

"That… that worked too easily. Let's get your friends out." Twilight felt a nuzzle against her cheek as Gel spoke to her.

Of course there were a lot of occupied pods, a whole city worth and then some, but they didn't play favorites. Twilight started opening the nearest pods, townsfolk from Dodge City coming out, yawning and looking around a little lost. It was then Twilight realized they were still warped with changeling magic. She wove her spell big, feeling an odd twist of blackness flowing through and around her normally pure purple magic. "Gel?"

"What?" Gel felt better than he had ever before. He gave Twilight a gentle squeeze and kept focusing on whatever it was he felt himself a part of.

Twilight's magic, woven with Gel's latent energy, constructed an immense spell built with the power of friendship and love. It was potent enough that it wasn't just the ponies coming out of pods that could see clearly. A flood of changelings wandered down, seeing their queen locked in a pod, they watched as the ponies they had all worked so hard to capture getting free.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" One changeling didn't sound sure of themselves.

Another poked their shoulder. "Why would we? That was what SHE wanted." Their hoof, full of holes, pointed at the podded queen.

"Changelings, you have a choice." Twilight's voice lifted, amplified by Gel's tricks. "Come with me, back to Equestria. I promise you that the crimes of your queen will not be held against you."

The hive could see the power radiating from Twilight, they responded to the mix of changeling energy wrapping around the princess. One stepped froward. "To Tartarus with this hive. I don't want to live in a hole in the ground!"

More voiced their opinion but a heavy weight suddenly hit Twilight from the side. "Sugarcube! I knew you wouldn't let us down!" Applejack was hugging the alicorn and changeling from one side.

"Of course you wouldn't leave us here, after all, you had the best flight teacher ever." Twilight's other side was taken up with Rainbow Dash. Yellow blur of wings rushed to the little group and joined in the little celebration.

More and more ponies were climbing from pods, and soon the changelings were helping them.

Dear Princess Celestia, I learned a whole new set of lessons on this trip. I learned of a new kind of friendship-

Twilight set the quill down, her head turning to Gel as he was nibbling at her flank. "Don't mind me." His voice was warm, and he was lounging in his black-carapaced glory.

"You are such a tease. I need to finish this before I sleep." Twilight reached for the quill and was about to start again when there was another gentle nip.

"Don't bother, you won't be sleeping at all tonight, my princess." His words put a fire in more than Twilight's cheeks.

"No, darn it Gel, let me finish." The alicorn was laughing though, her side twitching with every nibble.

, love. It may not be as legendary as my brother and Cadance, but we are working on that. I learned that not every monster needs a rainbow to defeat, I learned that not every vile beast deserves to be stuck in a wasteland. Your faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"Now send it out to Spike and let me get back to our lessons."

Twilight had only a moment to blink the scroll to Spike's room before she was pounced on and trapped by Gel Pattern. Even as his body flowed over her, trapping her and making her squirm, she couldn't stop thinking about how lucky she was to have such a wonderful new, special, friend.

Author's Note

Oh damn it, that was as fun to write as it was to think up. Of course things didn't go quite as planned and a villain who defeats themselves is so very convenient, but it was a good lesson for Twilight.

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