The Queen of the Changelings was at an absolute loss. She stared down at the map strewn across the table, then at the calculations hastily scrawled onto a piece of parchment. The numbers simply didn't add up. There was no way, no way at all her army could enter Equestria without being wiped out. Her horn glowed, surrounding the map in green light. She narrowed her eyes and fired, blasting a hole through it and by extension, the table. The wood smoked for a few moments, and she bit back a frustrated scream. Her kingdom wouldn't survive for much longer without a food source. Chrysalis's wings fluttered with pent-up anxiety and rage. She needed answers, and she needed them now.
A knock sounded at her door and she whipped around. "Come in," she barked.
It swung open, admitting two changelings. She immediately recognized the two top generals of the force. "Have you found an attack route yet?" She growled.
The two sunk into a deep bow. "My Queen." They murmured, gazes glued to the floor.
"Rise!" Chrysalis spat. "Rise and face me! My kingdom is on the brink of a famine! This is no time for formalities!" She jerked a hole-ridden hoof towards the window. "Do you see what's out there? My kingdom is falling! My subjects are falling! And I will not stand for it!" Her horn glowed, surrounding the changeling nearest to her in magical essence. They flinched as they were lifted into the air and met their ruler's gaze.
"I have studied the map for days." She rasped. "There is no way my army can launch a direct attack and survive."
She released the changeling from her grasp and they buckled to their knees with a gasp. "I only need one of them." She ordered curtly, giving the soldiers that stood in the hall a nod. "Get this one out of my site."
They rushed forward, nearly tripping over their hooves, and pulled the general away. Chrysalis caught the light of hate in their eyes as they dissapeared and hid a bitter smile. Good, she thought. That'll build spirit.
The general faced her, legs trembling and face grim. "My Queen, we've discovered a way to infiltrate the country."
Chrysalis's eyes shone as she studied them. "Go on, No. 3478." She murmured. She remembered when they were just a little one, stuck in a cocoon.
The changeling's eyes widened as they were referred to by their formal title, and dipped their head in a show of respect. "You are too kind." They rumbled. Their horn glowed and a smaller version of the map she was looking at floated out of the bag that hung at their side. Chrysalis stared at the various notes, eyes narrowed and a small grin beginning to form on her face.
No. 3478 looked a bit flustered. "Unfortunately, it's been established that a direct attack on Equestria is impossible. So, we've devised a plan. Instead of a direct assault, we'll destory them from the inside-out."
Chrysalis's smile grew wider and more sadistic with every word the general spoke. Yes. Yes. This would work, she was almost sure of it. "Celestia will never expect it!" She cried gleefully.
The changeling nodded quickly in agreement. "We can create a diversion, a false attack. The ponies will think we're defeated, but in reality, we'll capture their rulers and replace them with our top agents. It'll be quick, in and out, but the effects will be disastorous." They bowed once again.
The Queen of the Changelings could picture the whole operation in her head. Launch an attack, then destroy the ponies from the inside. It sounded brilliant, but there was one thing bothering her. She turned her head towards the window and stared out at the capital of the kingdom. Crumbling buildings were strewn acros the land, and changelings of all ages flew from rooftop to rooftop. She felt her heart ache for her subjects. They needed food. Now. If it meant that she had to launch a faulty assault and get captured or killed, she would do it.
"Where are these agents?" She inquired, snapping back to attention.
The general turned to the door and turned the knob, opening it with their magic. Three changelings stepped into the room, immediately getting into a neat line and bowing to their Queen.
Chrysalis recognized their high status by their eyes- they were green instead of blue. A male, a female, and a female. She mused silently. Interesting. When she lifted her gaze once again, the three princesses of Equestria were staring at her.
Light filtered through the ceiling of the dimly-lit cell. Two pony guards stood outside it, eyes dutifully staring ahead. A faint "No," could be heard inside, and the rustling of shackles filled the air. The guards snuck quick glances at each other.
"Sit, Luna." Came a rasp, tinged with pain and thirst.
The sound of metal hitting the ground grew louder. Luna turned to her sister, eyes dark with rage. "No!" She hissed. "You may have given up, sister, but I will not stand for this!" Her hooves were stained with blood and raw from the cuffs that rubbed against her flesh.
"Calm down, Luna." Celestia ordered, voice more firm this time. "I'm thinking."
"Oh, you and your thinking!" Luna screamed, wings spreading wide as she attempted to stumble to her hooves. "That's all you do! Think and think, but never care! You never care! You don't care about Equestria, you-"
Celestia's voice cut through her sister's words, sharp as a blade. "Do not," she growled. "Do not, ever imply that I would not gladly sacrifice my life for the good of my subjects."
Cadence watched the two sisters argue, eyelids drooping with exhaustion. Her ribs jutted out of her chest, and she grimaced as she took another rasping breath. She turned away and began to cough. Her eyes fluttered shut as she glanced at the blood that stained the cell floor.
And so, three princesses of Equestria lay in a cell, slowly dying.
***
"Would you like anything else, Princesses?" Quail Heart gave a grand bow, her cheeks warming with a faint blush. It wasn't everyday a simple maid pony like herself served the princesses of Equestria, after all.
Princess Cadence turned to the earth pony and gave a kind shake of her head. "Thank you, Quail Heart." She said, taking a quick sip of her tea. "That will be all."
Quail Heart nodded eagerly and began to back out of the room, smiling all the way. She couldn't help raising her head to admire it one last time- it was, to put it simply, gorgeous. The walls were made of a blue crystal, and the large windows had flags bearing the seal of Equestria draped around them. In the very center was a large table, lined with gems. Three out of four princesses of Equestria sat around it, sipping at their tea and nibbling at biscuits.
As soon as she was out of the room and scurrying down the hall, humming happily to herself, Princess Luna spit out her tea and scowled. "These ponies and their foul tea."
"There, there Diana." Princess Cadence murmured. "It won't be long before the Queen returns."
Upon entering Equestria, the three Changelings had quickly decided that numbers weren't enough- they needed names, if they were truly to fit in with these ponies. As they fluttered throigh the night sky, enjoying the strong wind and coolness of the night, No. 9087 (Now referred to as Orion) suggested they draw inspiration from the first thing they spotted in the pony kingdom- the starry night sky. Now they were Diana (Disguised as Princess Luna) Orion (Disguised as Princess Celestia ) and Estelle (Disguised as Princess Cadence).
Estelle ruffled her wings in a mixture of anxiety and agitation. "It's been far too long. What if she doesn't come? I'm sick and tired of hearing those petty pony princesses whine and cry about their subjects and their thrones." She imitated a melodramatic swoon, which earned a sharp, rather forced laugh from Diana.
"You have to admit," Diana said, "They are powerful." She, unlike Estelle, was glad to be away from the Changeling Kingdom. She had never had many fond memories- only rigorous training and hunger. Horrible, crippling hunger, the kind that would make one crawl in on their self and hope for a swift death. Her gaze shifted to Estelle, and she felt a momentary flash of envy. Estelle had grown up in the castle, since she had been born to one of the richest families. She had been trained for this role since a few years of age- she was agile, quick, and struck with deadly precision.
Orion rolled her words over in his head for a few moments before nodding. His horn lit up with golden magic as he raised his cup of tea high in the air. "Their magic is very unlike ours." He commented. "Very... fluid."
Diana gave a sigh. "I'm bored." She hissed. "Estelle, let's go pay those pathetic ponies another visit." She felt her heart began to burn with new-found hate- a dangerous thing to have when undercover. She hated being forced into this role, she hated leaving her kingdom behind, but most of all, she hated the ponies. Her blue eyes flashed green as she scowled at Estelle.
Estelle rose to her hooves and nodded. She pretended to not feel Orion's disapproving gaze burning into her. "Besides, the ponies will get suspicious if we don't pretend to prod them for information." When the changelings had switched places with the princesses, they had also made sure to switch roles- Equestria was now under the impression that Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were the changelings.
Orion nodded. "I suppose so," he said, "Though I don't think it's necessary to torture them."
The sudden clamor of movement that broke out made Estelle jump- Diana had disappeared in a flash of blue and re-appeared in front of her comrade, eyes narrowed.
"These ponies left us to starve. They rejected us when our people were dropping dead from lack of food. They didn't give us mercy, so I don't think they deserve it, either."
"Then I will go attend to the royal duties." He replied after a pause.
Diana didn't respond, whipping around to trot angrily out of the room. Estelle followed after her, shooting an inquiring glance at Orion.
***
Orion dreaded when Princess Twilight would come flying into the castle, happy-go-lucky and completely and utterly unaware that her beloved mentor was really rotting in a cell underground. He hated having to hug her, and ask her about her friends, and listen to her drone on and on about how she was fitting into her new role as a princess. But Orion was no fool. The Queen had decided not to replace Twilight as well for a reason- her friends. She was far too close to ponies that might be able to detect a slight change in her personality or speak.
The other princesses, however, were easy enough imitate. Shining Armor had been quickly taken out while "on duty", and Estelle just had to shut herself inside her room in the castle and sob loudly whenever a maid scurried past for a week or two.
Thoughts filled his head as he soared above the castle, gliding on the breeze that rustled the trees below him. This was the ideal spot to raise to lower the sun- a large, secluded field. He touched down and raised his head, squinting as he tried to make out Diana's shape as she plummeted towards him.
She skidded across the grass as she landed, and Orion gave her an amused look. Always the show-off.
Diana trotted up to him and ducked her head in a quick greeting, breath coming in pants. "Almost... missed it," she managed to get out.
"Flying too fast again?" Orion quickly looked around, before turning back to her. "Diana, a pony could have saw you!" His gaze flicked over her for a moment. "I feel like you and Estelle aren't taking our mission seriously enough. It's only been a few months and you two are already losing focus. The Queen will be here soon, and what will you two have done? Messing around and toying with princesses." Once he started, he couldn't stop, the words just flowed out. "We're supposed to be serving our Kingdpm."
Diana turned away from Orion. "I am serving my Kingdom." She said, but even to herself, the words sounded hollow. When she was young, she had been pulled off the streets and forced into training in the castle. Could she really stand by a kingdom like that? But as soon as the thought filled her head, she stiffened and tried to erase it. Of course you're loyal!
Orion shook his head. "Just think about it, all right?" He said, voice tight.
Diana gave a nod and raised her head, horn glowing with magic. She closed her eyes and let the familiar feeling wash over her. "Luna is lucky," she murmured.
Orion was mimicking her movement, horn glowing a deep golden. He had heard her comment, but decided to ignore it. Diana had a more... rebellious spirit than him. Estelle was really just bored with life. What had happened to them? He recalled when they had first entered Equestria, laughing and joking and caring and crying and getting through everything together. Now, they were separated by chasms of guilt and bitterness. He opened his eyes and watched as the sun set. The sky bled orange and pink, and he and Diana stood there, watching it through empty eyes.
***
Manehattan was absolutely gorgeous at night- the city was filled with lights and sounds, and Estelle couldn't get enough of it. Diana flew at her side. Today, she was a white pegasus with dark blue hair that fell in curls at her shoulders. Estelle had chosen a more rebellious look, being a black pegasus with an electric blue mane that grew in mohawk-like spikes.
"It's so pretty." Estelle commented breathlessly. In the changeling kingdom, there were no cities like these, with jet-black nights and colorful lights drowning out the stars.
Diana closed her eyes as she glided on a soft breeze and nodded. It was beautiful, almost too beautiful for her to bear. Her heart ached with love for it- for the happiness of the ponies, for the wondrous sights, for the feeling that Equestria carried. There was only way to get rid of the thoughts that plagued her.
"Let's set down over there." Diana gestured with a hoof to a particularly flashy building. As they began to lose altitude, a long line trailing from the entrance to down the street came into view.
"A club?" Estelle said, peering at the line from the roof of the building. Diana padded to her side, wining against the wind that blew in her direction, sending her mane flying in different directions. She nodded.
The inside of the club- called Scratch, for some reason- was noisy, flashy, and filled with ponies. The scent of sweat and drinks mixed in the air, making Diana dizzy as soon as she stepped in. She had been here before, but it wasn't nearly as crowded as now.
Estelle gave a hyperactive giggle and raised a wing. "I'm going in. I'll meet you here later." With a final squeal, she pressed into the throng of ponies.
Diana watched the crowd swallow her and looked around for something to do. She certainly wasn't going to dance. Her eyes were uncertain as she fluttered a few feet above the ground, trying to make out what was beyond the crowd. Booths lined the back- she could clearly see that.
Something tugging on her tail caused her to give a surprised yelp and look down. A unicorn stared up at her, eyelids drooping in her drunkenness. She gave a hiccup. "Well, hello there."
Diana lowered herself onto the ground and rolled her eyes.
"Ah there honey, don't look so angry." The unicorn stumbled forward and planted a sloppy kiss on Diana's cheek. Diana's eyes widened and she jerked backwards.
"Get off me," she hissed, feeling herself begin to blush.
"You're right! I should've introduced myself. Should've... should've..." The unicorn suddenly burst into loud sobs.
Diana was in shock. Was she hallucinating this? She must be. "Are you... are you alright?" She inquired meekly, unsure how to address the very drunk pony currently crying in front of her.
"I'm Dawn Blaze." The pony choked out. Diana squinted, trying to make out her shape in the momentary darkness, and realized that she was a light cream unicorn with a red mane.
"Come on, Dawn Blaze." Diana mumbled, allowing the unicorn to lean on her shoulder. "Let's get you to a booth."
***
Author's Note
There. There. This chapter was pretty fun to write! Aaa hmm keep in mind that this is a draft, and I'm still trying to flesh out the characters. If you notice any holes in the plot, please let me know! Constructive criticism is welcomed and greatly encouraged!
