Make Love, Not War

Chapters

Chapter 1: A Desperate Queen
Chapter 2: The Changeling Exodus
Chapter 3: What Lies Beneath

Chapter 1: A Desperate Queen

The architecture of the Crystal Empire is said to be one of the greatest feats of construction. Towering spires and graceful arches made of a clouded crystal were meant to refract light and dazzle onlookers. But as Princess Cadance looked up from the blueprints, all she could see was the gaping hole made just months before during Sombra’s defeat.

The palace had been hit the hardest. Necessary force from her and Celestia to break through Sombra’s defenses, retrieve the Crystal Heart, and banish him for good. And it had worked, but the pieces seemed a lot harder to pick up.

“That’s good!” she called to the construction ponies. She could only go by their profession, for she didn’t know most of their names. “The beams should go there and there,” she pointed out to them, and the crystal ponies simply nodded and got to work.

Cadance looked around her, seeing the same tension everywhere. Crystal ponies, happy to be under a new ruler, but remorseful for their actions under the last one’s tyranny. It barely kept the Crystal Heart functioning and the Empire safe from frost.

She left the blueprints to the foreman and took flight through the hollow atrium. The upper levels were relatively unscathed and, according to the workers, structurally sound; which was good for when she needed space to breath.

On a balcony overlooking the main corridor, Cadance took a moment to look out over the reconstruction from the entrance to the Empire’s Heart. Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Sombra hadn’t been kind to the city as a whole.

While Discord had cleaned up his chaos magic, the physical damages remained. Many ponies were homeless, but at least supplies from Equestria were coming in regularly. She just wished more ponies were willing to help their crystal counterparts.

That’s when her eye caught sight of an armored guard racing down the main street toward the palace. Flaring her wings open, Cadance decided to meet him halfway.

“What’s going on?” she asked once she touched down.

“Your Majesty,” the guard said, skidding to a halt and giving a hasty salute. “We have found a pony wandering in the Frozen Wastes. She seems to be nearly frostbitten.”

Cadance blinked in disbelief. “In the Frozen Wastes?! Where is she?”

“She’s just coming into the city now, ma’am, at the guard post to the west,” the guard reported.

“I’ll see to her,” Cadance said, taking flight again before the guard could say more. Her mind poured over the scenarios as she flew.

How old was this mare? How long had she been in the Wastes? Did she get lost from a train or some other patrol? Or was she somehow a prisoner of Sombra’s left in the Wastes as punishment? Her survival to this point must’ve been a miracle.

Cadance soon arrived at the guard post, and found a trio of guards surrounding a cloaked mare. Her coat was still frosted around her hooves, and her cloak dripped with moisture from the melting snow.

“Get that cloak off of her,” Cadance ordered, and one of the guards obliged. He all but tore the fabric from the mare’s limp frame.

Her coat was light greenish grey, and she had a mane and tail of scarlet and vermilion. Her cutie mark resembled a ladybug and three leaves. Most importantly, however, was the fact that she was a unicorn, bearing no crystalline coat.

“There’s no way a mare from Equestria survived the Frozen Wastes all the way here,” Cadance said, crouching down to her muzzle. The alicorn lit her horn, and gentle swirls of pinkish fire enveloped the unconscious mare.

The mare let out a groan, then opened one emerald eye. Though Cadance’s love fire spell had warmed her body, she was still weak. She looked up to Cadance, and said in a hoarse whisper, “My… hive…”

Then, all at once, the mare fell back asleep, and more fire enveloped her body—green fire. The pony underneath transformed into a pony-esque shape made of black chitin and a thin membrane for the mane and tail. Her horn became twisted and gnarled, her long legs were full of holes, and she had thin wings laying limply at her sides.

The guards gasped and shied away, and even Cadance took a step back. Her eyes, however, fell upon a protrusion on top of the creature’s head that resembled a crown. She stared at it, fascinated.

“Your Majesty? What… is that?” One of the guards asked, breaking her trance.

Cadance blinked from her thoughts and cleared her throat. “I don’t know, but it is injured. Gently, bring it to the palace and let it rest in one of the guest rooms. Hopefully we’ll get some answers when it awakens,” she said sternly.

The guards reluctantly nodded, two lifting the back end of the creature and one in the front. Slowly, they made their way down the main street towards the palace, with Cadance and many crystal ponies watching on in curiosity.

“It seems I have more to attend to here than I thought,” Cadance sighed inwardly, before taking flight for the palace.

Blackness surrounded the queen, but not silence. Off in the distance, she could hear the buzzing of hungry mouths; the starving of her hive. Their presence grew weaker each day, and as much as it would’ve normally annoyed her, she prayed to keep hearing it; to know there was still time.

There was another noise, much closer but fainter. It was a steady beat, a rhythm of life that any changeling would know from a mile away. A heart, pumping love on a grand scale no mortal body could possess. And Chrysalis could practically taste it.

All at once, her senses returned and she shot upright, wings flared open and panting with adrenaline. She’d wandered that accursed frozen desert for so long, until she saw her crystalline destination. Then her vision had grown dark, her steps felt uneven.

Starved and delirious, she had collapsed in a snowbank. The last thing she remembered was a warmth coursing through her exoskeleton and the sight of an alicorn…

Chrysalis manically looked around, expecting a dark dungeon, cold as the wastes she’d escaped from. Instead, it was a suite of some sort, with plush carpeting and even an intricate chandelier overhead.

The cold stone floor she’d expected was replaced by a love seat and a crackling fire in the hearth before it. Still suspicious, she cautiously stepped off of her perch and looked about the room. Her horn flickered with green light and her tongue flicked against her hungry maw.

She couldn’t taste anypony in the room with her, but there was a faint presence growing closer and closer. Chrysalis honed in on the door to the suite just as a maid – as apparent by her dress – opened it.

They stared at one another for a moment, and the servant was able to get out an “Oh my” before fleeing back down the hall at Chrysalis’s hissing visage. With a satisfied smirk, Chrysalis took stock of her surroundings again.

Her ear flickered towards the partially opened door and her eyes widened – the presence approaching now was faster and practically brimming with power and emotion. Nothing less was expected from an alicorn.

Cadance threw open the door to find Chrysalis sitting there, calm and composed, but with piercing eyes that studied her movements.

“You’re awake,” Cadance remarked, carefully shutting the door behind her. “Are you injured?”

“No,” Chrysalis said in a low voice.

“Alright.” Cadance walked up to her, but stopped when Chrysalis’s wings flinched and sat down at what she perceived to be a safe distance. “I am Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire. Who might you be?”

Chrysalis sat up a little straighter, a haughty look coming over her as pride held her head aloft. “I am Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the Changeling Hive,” she stated proudly.

“Changeling?” Cadance tilted her head, and Chrysalis saw her first opportunity – a lack of prior knowledge.

“Yes. We changelings live in a hive on the border of Equestria,” Chrysalis replied.

“Why were you in the Frozen Wastes then? They’re incredibly treacherous for any creature,” Cadance replied.

Chrysalis chose to look elsewhere, settling her gaze on an ornate vase set on a dresser. “You know of King Sombra?” she asked.

Cadance frowned. “How could I not? I claimed the Crystal Empire from him with Princess Celestia’s help. He has been banished for good, and I have been made ruler in his place.”

The queen eyed her up and down sideways. The alicorn exuded “love” right down to her cutie mark and coloration. But she also looked younger than the last one, and her inexperience had already shown its hoof.

“Equestria’s war with Sombra was not a good thing for us changelings. Though you may frown upon it, our sustenance relies solely on the emotion of love. With it we thrive, without it...” She frowned sourly. “We starve.”

“You eat… love?” Cadance shook her head, magical sciences could be saved for later. “So, you eat love. Then the war with Sombra…” She trailed off, hoping the queen would finish.

Begrudgingly, Chrysalis obliged. “Created a void of it. A cesspool of inedible hatred and anger we changelings could not live upon. Normally, we would hide among you ponies, as you have already seen with my own disguise, and feast. But all we found was heartache.”

Cadance gulped softly as her heart sank and nodded sadly. “There has been a great amount of heartache, on both sides of this war,” she agreed. “But we are rebuilding, though that doesn’t explain why you were found in the wastes.”

Chrysalis growled softly, swallowing her pride like an acidic pill. “My hive is dying,” she admitted, voice cracking. “My drones and scouts do not have the strength to bring love back to the hive. I took it upon myself to go in search of the Crystal Empire now that the war was over, rumored to be protected by the power of love itself. My hive needs that love to survive.”

The queen’s head sunk to her chest, refusing to look at the princess. Coming here was bad enough, but to have to be rescued as well was just another insult to her wounded pride.

Cadance cautiously walked over and set a hoof on the changeling’s shoulder. Though she tensed, she made no motion to remove it. “As Princess of Love, it is my duty that love flows freely, even to those who consume it. Whatever you need, I will do my best to provide.”

Chrysalis watched her from the corner of her eye. The genuine hopefulness exuding from her was as thick and gagging as syrup, yet there was a warmth about it. And the touch of her hoof remained, even when it did not.

“I will need to bring my changelings here so that they may regain their strength,” Chrysalis said firmly. “Afterward… we shall see.”

Cadance nodded. “I will start making preparations at once,” she said. “In the meantime, you should get your rest.”

Still a little tired, Chrysalis opened her mouth to protest being told what to do, but it died in her throat when Cadance flashed her a warm smile before she left. The changeling stared at where she had been for a moment, before returning to her seat.

Laying down, she could still feel the warmth of the alicorn’s emotions and touch, but underneath it all, gears began to turn inside her head.

Author's Note

Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 05/29/20

This is going to be one of my longest projected stories since I wrote "Laughter," and the second story in my Alternate Universe.

The title originally belonged to an idea I had where, shortly after the Canterlot Wedding, Cadance ponders over her response to Chrysalis, seeing as she's the princess of love... just in time for Chrysalis to return.

In this timeline, there is no Canterlot wedding. There are no element bearers (see Season 5's finale). The war with Sombra is over, thanks to help from Nightmare Moon and Discord (in case there was confusion from this chapter, they helped Celestia and Cadance, not Sombra) and Cadance receives the Crystal Empire afterward. Meanwhile, Chrysalis's hive is starved for love from the war. And so the story begins.

The song I used when writing this chapter was "It's Raining Somewhere Else" from Undertale. At least, I think that's the song I used.

More chapters to come.

-yours truly,
The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast

P.S. Updated as of 01/01/24!

Chapter 2: The Changeling Exodus

After a final check-in with the personnel onboard the train, Cadance made her way towards the front. After a hoofful of nearly full cars came car after car of emptiness and silence. Glancing her eyes over the bare seats, she wondered how many changelings Chrysalis ruled over.

When Cadance got to the lead car, she blinked in surprise at the light green unicorn seated in Chrysalis’s place, who stared back at her with a blank expression.

Then recognition kicked in. “Your majesty, you don’t need to disguise yourself,” she said, taking her seat.

Cadance flinched back as the mare was enveloped in a swirl of green fire, and the imposing figure of Chrysalis returned. The queen glanced down at her, before looking out the window.

“Force of habit,” was the queen’s only reply.

“Right, well, I have a good number of the Royal Guard onboard, as well as medical staff and the three closest couples the Crystal Empire could offer, as per your instructions. And Canterlot sent as many spare coaches as they could. Fortunately, without asking questions.” Cadance looked up at the Queen. “Is there anything else?”

“No, this will do,” the Queen replied, emerald eyes fixed on the window.

“Alright, well, let’s get this train moving then.”

Chrysalis frowned and leaned back as Cadance squeezed past her, using her magic to open the window. As she leaned out to wave to the engineer, Chrysalis tried her best to ignore the warmth the Princess seemed to exude, as well as the raw smell of love that radiated off of her.

There was a long, shrill whistle that brought Chrysalis back to her senses. She composed herself in the time it took Cadance to shut the window and return to her seat. The coach gave a slight lurch before the Crystal Empire’s station began to move out of view.

“Your majesty, I don’t mean to pry, but… where exactly is the changeling hive?” Cadance asked. “I’m assuming you can’t access it by rail, so—“

“You assume correctly,” Chrysalis said haughtily. “The train will have to stop when we’re close enough. I will lead you ponies from there.”

“Great.” Cadance smiled up at her. “Is there anything else we should know?”

Chrysalis’ mind wandered to the elaborate setup of the hive, the number of changelings held within, and her throne. She glanced down at the alicorn, still smiling naively, then returned to looking out at the passing scenery.

“No,” she replied.

“Alright.” Cadance looked up at the monarch, then down at the seat in front of her. She worked her jaw in thought.

“Did… any of your changelings fight in the war?” she finally asked.

“No.”

“Were any of them in the Crystal Empire when Sombra was there?”

“No.”

“Were any of them—“

“Whatever it is, no!” Chrysalis whirled around, practically muzzle-to-muzzle with Cadance, her eyes alight with anger.

Cadance backed away, then frowned up at her. Chrysalis blinked in realization and the fire in her eyes cooled. Her expression returned to neutral and she occupied herself with the window yet again.

“I’m not used to making small talk,” she said to the window softly.

“Well, I guess we should practice,” Cadance said, her smile returning. “Ask me about something.”

Chrysalis looked over her shoulder and arched an eyebrow. At the anticipatory smile, the Queen rolled her eyes. “What’s… your favorite color?”

Cadance beamed. “Well, I’ve always liked reddish-pink. When I was a filly, I couldn’t decide which I liked more; red or pink. Both of them looked so lovely, so I compromised.” She looked up to Chrysalis, who seemed a little stunned by the explanation. “What’s your favorite color?”

Chrysalis hummed. “Green, I suppose,” she mumbled, looking out the window.

Cadance sighed softly but still smiled. “Well, progress is progress,” she said more to herself.

Chrysalis, meanwhile, shut her eyes. In the blackness of her mind, she reached out to them. What functioned as her heart increased it’s beating in panic – they should’ve been growing closer to the hive, and yet the buzzing was even fainter.

She turned her head around to the right of the train, oblivious to the confused alicorn beside her. Her muzzle flickered from concentration to worry and back rapidly. The train and the pony were easy to blot out, and still the buzzing was faint.

“Stop the train!” Chrysalis bellowed, eyes shooting open.

Cadance jumped, her magic feeling around above them before grabbing ahold of the emergency brake cord. She yanked on it.

With a terrific screech of metal and a great lurch of gravity forward, the train ground to a halt. If not for a steely grip on their seats, it would’ve pitched Cadance and Chrysalis onto the floor.

“What is it?” Cadance asked as the queen darted past her into the aisle.

“We need to get to the hive now!” the queen replied, kicking open the nearest door and jumping out.

“Are we close?” Cadance called, then sighed. She turned as a few shaken guards ran into the coach.

She turned to them. “Get everyone ready, we’re going for the hive,” she told the guards. Cadance pointed one out. “You, tell the engineer and fireman to get to the nearest signal boxes and divert all trains around this one. Stay with the train when you’re done.”

The guards saluted, one departing from the coach, the rest running back down the length of the train. Cadance ran over to and through the door Chrysalis had jumped out of.

The train had come to rest in a particularly wooded section of countryside, unremarkable save for the short length of grass between the tracks and the tree line. The queen stood at the edge of the woods, shifting impatiently.

The guards were escorting the rest of the ponies off the train and towards the front. “Can’t your ponies hurry?” Chrysalis snarled.

“We’re going as fast as we can,” Cadance chided. “Are we close to the hive?”

“We could be closer, but we need to go now if we are to reach it in time!” Chrysalis exclaimed.

Cadance sighed and turned to the approaching guards. “Everypony, follow us!” she called. “Take care in the forest!”

By the time she turned to the changeling queen, Chrysalis was already airborne and making her way over the forest canopy. The princess sighed and took flight, alighting her horn. Small puffs of pink flame trailed behind her, leaving a path for the grounded ponies to follow.

The queen was flying faster than a Wonderbolt, seemingly with no regard to the princess and ponies she was leaving in the dust. However, their destination soon became clear as it loomed into view.

It was a craggy rock structure, surrounded by barren soil. It loomed like a mountain, and if not for the numerous holes carved into it, might’ve been mistaken for one. Chrysalis dove for the ground, and Cadance followed.

On the ground, the changeling hive seemed even taller and more imposing. It was eerily quiet across the barren ground, without even a whisper of wind. Chrysalis approached the hive, lighting her horn, just as the other ponies joined Cadance.

“By Celestia,” muttered one of them upon seeing the hive, holding onto her partner.

“Seems we’re here,” Cadance said with a determined face. She stepped towards the barren dirt around the hive, and the second her hoof made contact, her eyebrows shot up.

She looked up to her horn and concentrated. Not a flicker of light appeared, and the flames she had used to lead the others here flickered out of existence.

“Your majesty, what is this?” Cadance called to the queen. “Your majesty?”

Chrysalis was distracted, however. She had sent wave after wave of commands and signals into the hive. Her changelings should’ve blacked out the sky, but there was barely a response back instead.

“Chrysalis!” Cadance snapped, having closed the distance between them. It snapped Chrysalis from her thoughts. “I can’t use my magic!”

Chrysalis snorted. “There’s a throne made of an ancient stone, deep within the hive,” she said. “It’s a defensive measure to protect the hive from outside magic.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me this while we were on the train?”

“You were the only one who could use magic,” Chrysalis said, looking back at the cautiously approaching crystal ponies, then down at the alicorn. “I didn’t think it would be an issue.”

Cadance exhaled loudly, frowning. “Fine. Lead the way.”

Chrysalis walked up to the hive, her horn still glowing brightly. “Is anyling still awake?” she called into the entrance, her voice bouncing off of the walls and deep inside.

Cadance’s ear twitched at the faint sound of something buzzing, followed by another. She watched as two pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the dark, before drifting towards them. However, they fell short and had to walk the rest of the way.

The creatures resembled Chrysalis in form: black chitin exoskeletons, legs riddled with holes, thin membrane dorsal fins for a mane, similar wings, and a flat, darker membrane for a tail.

“Queen Chrysalis, thank the Hive you’ve arrived,” one gasped in a tiny, raspy voice, falling before the Queen’s hooves.

The other one stood taller at attention, but there was visible exertion. “Your Majesty, I’m afraid we’re all that’s left. The others have all gone into hibernation.”

Chrysalis growled, but it didn’t seem directed at the changelings. She bowed her head with a bitter frown, before turning to the gathered ponies.

They all looked at the changelings with hesitant curiosity, even more pronounced as the queen’s cold, green eyes grazed over them, before settling on one couple in the front.

“You two,” she said with a commanding tone, before looking to Cadance.

Cadance sighed and motioned for the two to come over. The couple – a red crystal pony and a blue crystal pony – were a part of the couples selected for the journey. The princess had guessed why they would be needed, and her suspicions were confirmed.

Fire Ruby and Sapphire Ice carefully approached, the former staying close to the latter as they did. Fire Ruby eyed the changelings and their queen with suspicion.

“My changelings need food – they need love,” Chrysalis explained, looking to the two crystal ponies.

“Alright.” Cadance turned to the couple. “Do whatever it is you do to express love to one another. I promise, you’ll be alright.”

Sapphire Ice nodded, followed by a reluctant Fire Ruby. The crimson pony pulled her partner into a tight embrace. Sapphire Ice giggled, burying her muzzle in the crook of Fire Ruby’s neck.

All at once, the changelings’ eyes lit up and rose to attention. Their fanged mouths swung agape and they took a few steps towards the ponies. Cadance shifted on her hooves, unsure if she should do something.

Thin wisps of pink, like ribbons of mist, drifted off of the pair. The changelings’ eyes turned pink as they inhaled the mist. The process took only a matter of seconds, but when it was done, both changelings were standing at attention before Chrysalis with none of the previous exertion.

Cadance looked to Ruby and Sapphire. The former’s embrace on the latter had tightened to help her stay upright. “Are you sure this will work?” she asked, turning her attention to Chrysalis.

Chrysalis glanced down at her, then to her changelings. “It will, if we conserve the love wisely,” she said, addressing her subjects as much as she did Cadance. “Spread what you can to the drones, and wake them up. Feed again as necessary.”

Both changelings saluted. Their wings blurred with excited buzzing as they darted back into the hive. Chrysalis started to head inside herself when Cadance tapped her on the shoulder. She frowned down at the alicorn.

“What can we do to help?” Cadance asked. “I know I don’t have my magic, but we can still help.”

Chrysalis’s eyebrows raised as she looked past Cadance to her entourage. None of them seemed entirely eager to be there, even on the surface, but they were being led. And if they were the good little servants Cadance had made them out to be…

“Help move any cocooned changelings outside,” Chrysalis said, her gaze returning to Cadance. “We can revive the ones we can and move the rest back to the empire.”

Cadance nodded firmly and turned to the crystal ponies. “Alright. You heard the queen. We need hoof power. Let’s go,” she ordered, though the tone was more enthusiastic than commanding.

Chrysalis watched as the guards, medical staff, and even the couples headed into the dark bowels of the hive. She was surprised when Cadance flapped her wings and flew in after them.

“You… You’re going to help?” Chrysalis asked, eyes narrowed.

Cadance turned to her, a smirk on her muzzle. “I just thought I’d lead by example,” she simply replied, before heading into the hive.

Chrysalis stood there at the entrance, baffled. Of course she was going in to help – these were her changelings after all, and they’d been without a queen’s guidance for too long. They needed her. As a princess, Chrysalis had expected Cadance to order her ponies to work and oversee them, but she was getting her hooves dirty with the rest of them.

That was something that almost made Chrysalis want to disable her throne somehow and allow the alicorn to work her magic. Almost.

Helpful as they were, these ponies were still outsiders.

Chrysalis followed her into the hive, horn igniting with flickering green magic.

Hours later, Chrysalis fidgeted in her seat on the train. She and Cadance remained alone in their coach while the engine had left to make a U-turn at a junction down the line – it was incredibly dangerous to run a train that big in reverse.

She didn’t need to hear the buzzing to know the cars behind them were full of activity. Chrysalis felt every thought, heard every sound of reunion and camaraderie. She could sense their emotions, including their distrust of the ponies that had saved them, but that could be addressed later.

The changelings that hadn’t been brought around back at the hive had been carted back to the train. It was less of a lack of love and more of Chrysalis wanting them consolidated together safely; Next to their queen.

“Homesick?”

Chrysalis blinked out of her thoughts to find the alicorn looking up at her. Her smile was soft, apologetic almost.

“What?” she asked.

“Are you going to miss the Hive?” Cadance asked. She set one of her warm hooves on the queen’s shoulder.

Chrysalis turned in her seat to face towards the window, though the hoof lingered. “The Hive has always been our home. Of course we’re going to miss it. It has been our sanctuary for as long as I have been queen,” she replied, her voice soft even through the authority she willed in it.

“I promise, the Crystal Empire will welcome you. You and your changelings can stay there was long as you need to recuperate.” Cadance sat back in her seat with a sigh, the hoof leaving Chrysalis to fall slack. “Rebuilding takes time.”

Chrysalis glanced back at her and found her staring straight ahead. Her eyes went past the seat in front of her, lost in a sea of thoughts. The smile had slowly faltered.

Without words to reply, Chrysalis let the air grow quiet, until the sounds of a steam engine thundering past shook their coach.

“I… appreciate what you’re doing for us,” Chrysalis said, keeping her eyes to the window. Something about small talk played in the back of her head, though she wasn’t fond of the topic she’d chosen.

“I’m happy to help,” Cadance replied. Without looking, Chrysalis was sure she felt her smile returning. “Just let me know what you need once we get back to the Empire, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Cadance patted her on the shoulder, and Chrysalis let it linger there until the train started moving again, and Cadance removed it.

“My loyal subjects!” Cadance announced. Without a megaphone or some other amplification device, a lesser tone of the Royal Canterlot Voice would have to do.

She stood on the balcony overlooking one of the Empire’s main streets, a glittering mass of ponies spread out below her like a lumpy, but calm sea Just the thought of all of them looking up at her sent Cadance’s heart into overdrive.

“Queen Chrysalis and her changelings are suffering through a great hardship, as many of you are,” Cadance continued. “They are here to heal, as you all are. Please, I ask of you to lend your kindness, your generosity to them as you would your fellow pony. It is my hope that together we can rebuild the empire, and each other. Thank you.”

Cadance waved to the crowd before turning back and walking inside. As she left, the crowd stomped their hooves in applause. Already, there were some objections to the changelings from the citizens, but she had done her best to appease them. They were in the Empire, and would abide by the Empire’s rules.

Besides, they hadn’t done anything to warrant suspicion or distrust. They were still waking up from their famine of love. They needed love and support as much as any pony, if not more. Chrysalis had come to her for help in earnest – she had too much to lose, to lose that faith now.

“My loyal subjects,” Chrysalis projected among the eager black masses around her. Their glowing green eyes watched her in rapture, their minds attuned to hers.

The underground spaces beneath the Empire’s palace had proven quite adequate for a makeshift hive. The cocoons were already being set up for resting and healing. Drones had been mingled with the builders to expedite the process. They had little reason for a guard here.

“We have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity,” she continued, eyes sweeping across her changelings. “The alicorn princess has allowed us to stay, to gorge ourselves on love until we are… heh, fit.”

A smirk crossed Chrysalis’ muzzle. There wasn’t a changeling before her that wasn’t bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to borrow from pony phrases.

“Rest assured, this love will be all ours. But until then, mingle with the ponies. Don’t take too much to draw suspicion, but watch them. Learn as you always have. And build our new hive in our new home.”

The changelings around her buzzed and cheered. Their enthusiasm brought a genuine smile to Chrysalis’s muzzle, the warm kind that only a mother could express at her happy children. There was much work to be done, but for her changelings, it would be done.

Author's Note

Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 05/29/20

Been sitting on this a while. Still lacking an editor for this, so I don't know when the next chapter will be ready. Hopefully sooner than this one.

Here's to three years on Fimfiction!

-yours truly,
The Legendary Bill Cipher

P.S.: Updated as of 01/01/24!

Chapter 3: What Lies Beneath

“Thank you for coming, Queen Chrysalis,” Cadance said, looking up to the changeling monarch beside her with a kind, if not relieved smile. “I promise these talks will benefit both of us in the long run.”

Chrysalis raised a skeptical eyebrow across the table at the various crystal ponies. Each had some degree of trepidation of being in her presence, and with good reason. What good were advisors anyway?

“I should hope so,” she muttered.

Cadance cleared her throat. “Now, as I was discussing with my architectural advisor, Mica Glaze, we were thinking of having your changelings aid in the reconstruction of the Empire.” She gestured to the crystal pony, who shrunk away as Chrysalis’s eyes fell upon him like a ton of bricks.

“Y-yes, quite right,” he stuttered, adjusting his glasses. “You and your changelings have a knack for construction, and the Princess and I were thinking it would be beneficial to both our kinds if you aided us.”

“And what brought you to that conclusion?” Chrysalis asked, distaste in her tone.

“Well, Chrysalis,” Cadance interjected politely. “We were thinking your changelings could build their own homes alongside the Empire’s citizens. You don’t have to build a hive underground, you’re very welcome here.”

She sighed. “I will have to discuss it with my hive. Especially since we’ve already put so much effort into our new hive beneath the palace,” she said.

“Great.” Cadance beamed. “We’ll bench the issue until a decision has been reached on your changelings’ part. Now, onto the commerce. We were wondering if some of your changelings would be interested in aiding with trade? Disguised, of course.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow down at her. Shortly after arriving with her hive, Chrysalis had insisted on keeping her changelings disguised towards outsiders. It seemed the Princess had actually been listening to her.

“Again, this is an issue I must take up with my changelings. It has been a while since we’ve interacted with ponies, and—”

Her ear twitched and she frowned as she turned towards the closed double doors at the entrance to the meeting hall. It wasn’t anything audible she heard. Rather, she could sense her changelings requesting her help, as well as the help of the princess.

“My changelings request my presence,” Chrysalis said standing up. She looked to Cadance, “they also request yours.”

Cadance blinked. “But… the meeting isn’t done yet. I need to make sure everything is squared away so that the empire—”

Chrysalis buzzed her wings and flew through the double doors without waiting further. Cadance sighed and smiled apologetically at her advisors.

“I’m so sorry about this. We’ll have to postpone the meeting for another time. Until then, keep going as you were,” she said.

She flared her wings before taking flight after Chrysalis, leaving her advisors mumbling and grumbling in her wake.

******

The spiral staircase that had led down to Sombra’s chambers now led to a gaping hole in the earth. Dirt and stone was packed unevenly but sturdily, ensuring the tunnels’ stability. Changelings buzzed here and there, some carrying tools and others carrying debris.

They parted for their queen as she navigated through the tunnels with a practiced ease. She didn’t slow down when a panting Cadance landed next to her, following alongside. She flashed a tired smile at the changelings she passed before addressing Chrysalis.

“Chrysalis, meetings like that are important to ensure that the Empire functions properly,” Cadance admonished.

“You lead through advisors instead of knowing what your ponies want,” Chrysalis scoffed, lighting her horn as the tunnels grew darker. It took a second to realize she didn’t need to, with her natural sense of direction, but her traveling companion could’ve used the light.

“With all due respect, we ponies don’t have… whatever sense you changelings do. How’d you even know they needed our help down here?” Cadance asked.

Chrysalis glanced at her, before focusing her gaze forward. “The changelings and I are interconnected in a hive mind if any are in distress, we can mobilize on their position by sensation and feeling alone. It’s also efficient in transferring information,” she explained.

“Wow. That’s… really handy. I guess that’s how you knew where the old hive was, right?” Cadance looked to her to see if she was right, and with a huff, Chrysalis nodded. “That’s fascinating. Do you know why they need us down here?”

“They wouldn’t have disturbed me if it was trivial,” Chrysalis replied haughtily.

They finally rounded a bend in the tunnels, and found Chrysalis’s changelings before a large, stone door. From the amount of dirt and dust on it, it had recently been unearthed. Digging tools were propped up against the walls.

As they approached, the changelings parted away from a lone changeling next to the door, who bowed to his queen.

“What is it, Elytra?” Chrysalis asked, looking to the door with little interest.

“We found this door during the excavation, your majesty,” Elytra said. “All attempts to get into it or around it have been futile.”

Chrysalis scanned the walls, ceiling, and floor. Her expert eye noted odd lumps in the earth that were the telltale signs of sealed off tunnels. That much was pertinent at least.

“And why am I to be concerned with an old door this far underground?” Chrysalis asked. Cadance frowned at her, but held her tongue.

“Well… we sensed love down here. That’s why we were digging towards it. Which is odd, because… it seems to be just a door,” Elytra explained, gesturing to the obstacle.

Chrysalis’s eyes widened and she stepped closer to the door. Carefully, she sniffed at the seam of the door and exhaled loudly. It was love, strange as it seemed. It didn’t feel organic, coming from a living being. It was residual, which only added to the mystery this far down.

Cadance cleared her throat. She glanced at Chrysalis before turning to Elytra. “If I might ask, Elytra, why did you need my help down here?” she asked politely.

“You may answer her,” Chrysalis said, returning to Cadance’s side.

“Well, there’s an inscription on the door,” Elytra said. He trotted over and pointed at a barely legible script near the seam.

Cadance lit up her horn and walked over to the script, squinting as she leaned in close. “’This door… may only be opened… by alicorn magic,’” she read slowly. “Alicorn magic?” She looked back at Chrysalis.

“Well, open it then,” Chrysalis said. “I’m no alicorn.”

Cadance frowned but stepped back. The pink glow of her horn grew brighter, encompassing the stone slab. She felt gears and mechanisms with in the door, all fabricated with the light magic of an alicorn. They moved and relented to her prying, and soon there was a loud thunk.

The tunnel shuddered as the door slide open horizontally, the halves splitting apart. The tunnel’s occupants coughed as a cloud of dust and dirt billowed out. The changelings shied away, while Chrysalis stepped forward.

She inhaled again and her pupils dilated. Chrysalis wheezed and her entire frame shuddered. “All of you! Get back!” she rasped. She bowed forward, as if she were choking or about to vomit, but made no gagging sounds.

The tunnel filled with the sound of buzzing wings as the changelings retreated. Cadance, however, cautiously stepped forward and touched Chrysalis on the shoulder. Her hoof was quickly swatted away as Chrysalis glared at her, before her gaze softened.

“There’s love in there,” Chrysalis explained, looking to the tunnel as she began to regain her composure. “Old love. Potent love.”

“I wonder where it could be coming from, under the Crystal Empire,” Cadance said. She lit her horn back up and angled it past the opened doors.

The tunnel beyond was paved with dark, smooth bricks caked in dust. They lined the entirety of the tunnel, forming a roughly square pathway into the dark. Rusty metal sconces hung at angles along the walls in pairs, empty of torches.

“We should investigate,” Chrysalis said, marching forward.

Cadance hurried after her, her magic turning the tunnel a dark shade of pink around them. “Be careful – we don’t know what’s down here,” she admonished.

“I can feel that love coursing through my veins,” Chrysalis said with a dark smirk. “Nothing would dare challenge me in here.”

Cadance huffed and shook her head. They continued in silence, but Cadance’s gaze kept angling towards Chrysalis’s legs. She frowned.

“Hey, Chrysalis,” she said. “I’ve been meaning to ask… are those holes in your legs… natural?”

Chrysalis raised an irritated eyebrow down at the alicorn over her shoulder. She let out a snort and returned her gaze forward.

“They’re… old wounds,” she replied, keeping her gaze away from the alicorn. “I used to be whole, like you. Even my horn used to be fuller and curved.”

Cadance’s eyes widened. “What… caused them?”

“I do not wish to talk about it. Let’s focus on the task at hoof: seeing whatever is down here that is producing such potent love. My changelings can’t work under these conditions,” Chrysalis replied sharply.

Cadance glanced away, biting her lower lip. “…I could… see if there’s some sort of healing spell back at the castle. Maybe we can fix your—”

“I do not need fixing!” Chrysalis snarled, practically snapping her fangs at her. Cadance recoiled against the tunnels wall as Chrysalis’s roar rumbled through the quiet space. Then, silence fell.

Chrysalis and Cadance stood there, breathing heavy and eyes locked. One towering at full eyes, slant pupils dilated and fangs bared. The other curled against the wall, the light coming from her horn flickering.

After a moment, the changeling stepped back and huffed. She looked to the cowering princess before looking away. “I’ve made peace with what’s happened to me a long time ago,” she mumbled, before turning and continuing on her way.

Cadance stood there, blinking. When her light started flickering out, she struggled to pour more magic into it. “Chrysalis! Wait,” she called after her.

But the changeling was far down the hall, almost blending in with the dark brickwork. Her eyes only found her when the queen ignited her own horn’s green, fluttering magic. She ran after her, but her eye caught something passing by them.

It was a wave of glyphs, each one glowing pink briefly. It was like a wave that flowed across the walls, floor, and ceiling in an even line back towards the entrance. After a moment, there came a distant rumble and the floor under their hooves shook.

Sounds of bricks clapping and crashing together began to rise in a cacophony, and any light from the entrance was snuffed out. Chrysalis and Cadance barely shared a glance before they took off down the tunnel, resorting to flight over running.

The sound of colliding stone grew closer and closer, the brief gusts of collapsing air threatening to clamp their tails. Then it stopped, and both Cadance and Chrysalis crashed to the ground, panting from exertion.

They perked up at the sounds of whooshing flame. Torches along the wall of the room they found themselves in ignited on their own with brilliant pink fire. The room slowly came into focus as the pair got to their hooves.

Shelves were set into the walls around them, which were made of the same dark brick as the entryway. They were full of books and bottles, alternating between the two down their height. The air was full of a faint mist, tainted pink by the wall sconces.

“What is this place?” Chrysalis asked, eyes falling to the now-sealed way they had come in. “And what was that all about?”

“I think… you triggered a booby trap,” Cadance replied. She reignited her horn and walked over to the dark bricks now filling the tunnel. She reached up and set a hoof on them. “I saw some glyphs on them, like an ancient spell.”

Chrysalis snorted. “How do you know it was my fault?” she asked, looking around the room.

“Well, I saw them right after you ignited your… horn.” Cadance tapped her chin. “And the way in needed an alicorn to open it. Maybe… maybe this place is protected from dark magic.”

“What?” Chrysalis frowned. “Are you saying my magic is dark?”

“Well, maybe not. It could be that this place is protected from anything that’s not an alicorn.” Cadance walked over to one of the shelves. “It must’ve been enchanted to keep Sombra out, and to be secure, it was only enchanted to allow alicorns in.”

“Not very effective,” Chrysalis commented dryly. “We got in.”

Cadance nodded. “Just to be safe though, you probably shouldn’t use your magic in here,” she said, leaning in to examine the books on one of the lower shelves. She squinted at the illegible writing.

“So, what exactly is this place?” Chrysalis walked over and poked some of the bottles and vials on another shelf. “Some sort of… laboratory?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Cadance pulled one of the books off the shelf with her magic and opened it. Her eyes quickly widened as they skimmed the pages. She checked another book and then another, each with the same growing awe. Chrysalis watched her confused.

“What is it?” Chrysalis asked, walking over to look over her shoulder.

“Chrysalis… these are love spells. And I bet these potions are various love enchantments and brews!” Cadance grinned as she turned to Chrysalis, the changeling taking a step back. “This is a vault of all the love magic the Crystal Empire probably had!”

“Love magic?” Chrysalis looked to the shelves. “That’d explain the potent love in here.” She smacked her lips. “Most of it leaked out, but I can still taste it.”

“Right. Speaking of out.” Cadance set the books back on the shelf and looked to the entryway with a frown. “How are we going to get out?”

“Well, I’m not allowed to use my magic,” Chrysalis said with a shrug. “So, do you have any suggestions?”

Cadance nibbled her lower lip, pacing back in forth. Chrysalis sat on her haunches and watched.

“We could… I could try to teleport us out of here,” Cadance said. “But… I don’t know how far down we are, and for all we know, we could be beneath the Frozen Wastes.”

“Is there some sort of mechanism in here like the door?” Chrysalis asked, looking around.

Cadance stopped in one place and her horn grew brighter. A faint wave of pink magic drifted across the walls and ceiling. With a gasp, her magic snuffed out and she panted. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Everything seems solid.”

Chrysalis frowned, getting to her hooves. “Well, whoever made this place had to have some sort of escape route,” she said, walking over to the walls. She tapped each brick she came across, listening closely to the sound.

“Well, they were probably crystal ponies,” Cadance speculated. “Crystal ponies don’t have magic, so there can’t be a way to magically get out of here…”

“Which means there’s a physical way,” Chrysalis concluded, looking to the bookshelves. “Look for something out of place.”

Cadance nodded, and the two of them descended upon the shelves, using their wings to reach the higher ones. While Chrysalis was more focused on the task at hand, Cadance took the time to check the book spines and bottle labels.

Finally, Chrysalis found a bottle labeled “Witch Hazel Oil.” When she tried to move it with her hoof, the bottle didn’t budge. Rather, it turned in place. Underneath it came the sound of creaking and groaning, and finally a satisfying click.

The room shook as the brick walls of the tunnel reset themselves, opening the way up once more. Chrysalis and Cadance smiled at one another and quickly headed back down the tunnel.

“Incredible,” Cadance said. “There’s so many spells and potions in there, so many ways to help and heal ponies.” She smiled at Chrysalis. “It was very lucky your changelings found it.”

Chrysalis looked away, the chitin around her cheeks burning. “Yes, well… you’re the one that opened the door.” She looked down and sighed. “I wanted to say… I apologize for snapping at you.”

When she turned back to Cadance, she found the alicorn had her own apologetic smile. “And I’m sorry for pressing the issue. I just… I want to know more about you and your changelings. If you know someone, you know how to help them.”

Chrysalis looked down as they walked, and silently nodded in reply.

“I can’t wait to tell the crystal ponies what we found,” Cadance remarked, before letting the conversation end.

******

“My changelings,” Chrysalis announced at the gathered, buzzing black mass. “Work in the tunnels is no longer permissible. The potent love down there, in combination with the increased pony hoof traffic, will make a hive down there unsuitable.”

There were some murmurs around her, both in the room and through the hive mind.

“Where will we stay then, your majesty?” Thorax asked. A few changelings agreed quietly.

Chrysalis smirked. “I believe Princess Cadance has given us an opportunity. Rather than build underground, my hive, we shall build alongside the crystal ponies.”

There was an immediate uproar around the room as changelings babbled externally and internally about living with ponies on the surface. Some of it was cautious, some of it was enthusiastic.

“Rest assured, this is for the best. If we are on the surface, we have a better opportunity to befriend the crystal ponies and learn their ways. It will make harvesting their love all the easier.”

“But where will we store the love?” Elytra asked. “We no longer have a structured hive.”

“The plan is to break the hive into pieces, not destroy it outright. What were once rooms shall be buildings on the surface,” Chrysalis elaborated, sharing her vision to the hive mind. The builders all murmured impressively.

“What of outsiders, your majesty?” Pharynx quickly interjected. “Underground we were tucked away, but there’s regular ponies walking around up here. They’ll spot us.”

Chrysalis exhaled. Annoyingly, he was right. “The architecture will have to mimic that of the crystal ponies if we are to avoid suspicion. If need be, builders may observe crystal pony construction sites for ideas. As for being spotted, simply disguise yourself as a crystal pony.”

The changelings continued to murmur to themselves, and Chrysalis let out an exhale. It wouldn’t be easy, but it had to work.

******

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Cadance wrote in her study. She was lucky she had her magic to write with, for her hoof was shaking from excitement. “A wondrous discovery has been made in the Crystal Empire! A chamber has been unearthed under the castle holding untold amounts of love magic. I would love to spend some time going over our discoveries as they’re cataloged and notated. I feel this find could be a benefit to all of Equestria, and a way to mend what the war has damaged. Your niece, Princess Cadance.”

Cadance sat back in her chair, eyes scanning the text quickly and mouth moving silently to form words. It was a habit she had picked up in her studies, a way to proofread her writing. And for such a momentous occasion, she didn’t want any errors.

Finally satisfied, she nodded and rolled the letter up. She wrapped a reddish-pink ribbon around it and tied it into a bow, affixing a golden seal to it. With a flash of pink magic, it was teleported away to the desk of her aunt.

She got up and walked to the door of her study, but was surprised when a magical snap sounded over her desk. Cadance turned to find a scroll waiting for her, sealed with golden ribbon and a royal crest.

Running over, she quickly opened the letter and read it quickly. A grin spread across her muzzle by the end of it, and she let out a little cheer.

“I can’t wait to show her what I found,” she whispered excitedly, tossing the reply onto her desk. She giddily trotted to the window.

In the twilight, she could see the dark shadows of the changelings, already getting to work on various piles of rubble that had once been homes and businesses. She smiled at their Queen overseeing the work.

“And maybe she’ll be able to help you, too,” she said softly, before leaving the window.

She had to get a good night’s rest – tomorrow was going to be a big day.

Author's Note

And finally, a third chapter!

Doing what I do best--messing with Equestrian lore.

I hope you all enjoy!