Journey Of The Worstby CyndaquilChaptersI Can't Take You AnywhereA Moment To UnwindOur Hero's Mission. Also, Our Villains MissionChrysalis Tries AgainI Can't Take You AnywhereIt was the day after the capture of Queen Chrysalis. Her prison was not what the changeling had expected. She slept on a queen sized bed, in a well kept room. The bed was too soft, and the blankets too cozy. It would be dangerous to become overly accustomed to such comforts in her present circumstances. Chrysalis had been told to stay in this room, and not attract any attention. She had been visited only once, by a maid who dropped off her breakfast. She tried asking questions, she was even nice. The maid refused to answer. She did ask if Chrysalis needed anything else, and on a whim, the queen asked for a newspaper. There was a full length mirror. She looked herself over for a minute or two, then decided that a gold necklace really did not suit her skin tone. It was not the four walls that took away her freedom, it was this magic item, coupled with Cadance’s watchful eye. As it stood, Cadance could supposedly see everything that Chrysalis does, and punish her with powerful magic at any moment. What could Cadance possibly be planning to do with her? Surely not all the prisoners were eating Eggs Benedict. There was a bookshelf. Princess Cadance must have chosen the titles herself. It contained two types of books: harlequin romance novels, and texts from Twilight Sparkle’s friendship school. She only read her newspaper. There was nothing about her capture in the morning edition. The position of the sun told her that it was already close to noon, when there came a gentle tapping upon the chamber door. It was that maid again. “I have instructions from zee princess. Transform yourself, so you look like me. Exit zee room, turn right until you find zee stairs. Go up two floors. Head left, then take your second right. Look for a room with a red door, and climb another staircase. Zee princess will meet you at zee top. Speak to no pony. Am I needing to repeat any of dis.” “If any pony speaks to me, do I need to copy your ridiculous fake sounding accent?” The maid was a petite thing with a grey coat and a black mane. She was cute enough, despite the bland colour palette. The bows and ribbons of her frilly uniform were more difficult to copy then her body. Chrysalis considered pretending she couldn’t copy her outfit, and demanding that the timid little thing strip for her. She opted not to be so bold, since Cadance was surely watching. She transformed into the maid, and tucked her gold necklace under her apron. Between the newspaper and this rendezvous, Chrysalis realized that her capture was being kept a secret. She wondered if even Shining Armour knew. Surely he would have stopped by to visit, if he were aware she was in the castle. The maids instructions led her to the tower where the Crystal Heart was kept. Cadance was doing something rather odd. Laid out upon the floor was a full scale map of Equestria. Daylight, passing through the Crystal Heart had made several bright spots on the floor. She was moving the map around, so that the bright spots shined upon the locations on the map. If one bright spot hit the Kirrin Village, and another touched Manehattan, then a third spot was in the middle of the ocean. She decided this was wrong, and tried pointing the first bright spot at Ponyville. It was obvious to Chrysalis first the sun and moon could be used as marking waypoints to position the map, and second, the map needed to be brought higher, so that the magnification of the Crystal Heart fit with the scale of the map. Chrysalis had no interest in pointing this out. Chrysalis coughed to get her attention. Cadance turned. Despite knowing it was there, Chrysalis was surprised by the sight of her own evil eye, the one that watched her at all times. Cadance greeted the Changeling queen in a bit too friendly a manner, then made her way to a table with a mirror, and put on a contact lens, to hide her evil eye. “So master, what is your wish?” Chrysalis’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Stay disguised as a maid for now.” “Transformed,” Chrysalis corrected. Apparently the distinction between a disguise and a transformation really got to her, and it was a knife Cadance was actually quite willing to twist. “Transformed. Anyway, we’re going to visit Twilight’s school.” Queen Chrysalis raised a single brow upon hearing this. “Princess Cadance, if you plan to enrol me at that school, then I’d sooner be put to death.” The train ride was surprisingly pleasant. They had a private booth, the view was quite scenic, and the lunch cart was serving cucumber sandwiches. Her only complaint is that she actually did have to copy the maids stupid accent. At the station, Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon, appeared to carry bags and escort them to the school. Chrysalis had a little trouble keeping up her act in the presence of Startlight Glimmer, partly because of her role in the mutiny of the changeling hive, and mostly because she kept trying to make insufferably boring smalltalk. When they reached the school, Cadance whispered to Chrysalis: “I’m going to confide in Twilight Sparkle. She might overreact, so stay outside until I call for you.” Chrysalis nodded. “And don’t make any trouble.” Chrysalis just stood outside, hooves crossed, and an impatient expression upon her pony muzzle. She looked conspicuous dressed as a maid, but not as conspicuous as a changeling queen. There came a voice from above. “It’s really you, isn’t it?” Chrysalis looked up, and recognized, little Ocellus, the odd little changeling that was attending Sparkle’s school. She hovered more like a hummingbird then a Pegasus, even making a buzzing noise. “Are you going to expose me?” Ocellus looked down, a little bit shamefully. Under her rule, changelings were taught that outing a transformed changeling was the worst thing you could ever do. She hovered downward, and stood near her. “No babies have been born in the hive since you left.” “Obviously not.” Ocellus inched a little closer. “Thorax told me, if you don’t come back, by the time I’m grown up, then I might be the one who they give the royal jelly.” Ocellus looked up with frightened eyes. “Does it hurt to become a Queen?” Cadance had taken out her contact lens, and shown the evil eye to Twilight Sparkle. She explained the events of the night before. Twilight listened carefully, and thought for a time before giving her reply. Now she was giving some lecture on how you can’t help others until they choose to be helped, with the possible exception of Nightmare moon. Cadance was about to insist she had the situation under control when she suddenly held her hoof to her eye. It was clear that she was in great pain. She was also the cause of her own pain. What Chrysalis did not know, is that Cadance could not use the subjugation necklace without feeling pain herself. She was using it. At that moment, Queen Chrysalis, who still looked like a maid, leapt at little Ocellus, and pinned her to the ground. She was about to rip into her neck with horse teeth, when she was overcome with a convulsion. The necklace flew in the other direction, acting as a leash to pull her back. She fought against it, and was wrought with yet another convulsion. “You think you can replace me!” She screeched. “You’re mine, you’ll never…” Chrysalis passed out, her hoof still reaching towards Ocellus. A Moment To UnwindThe trip to Ponyville had actually been rather pleasant. The trip from, was not so. It was no fault of the trains hospitality staff, there was still beautiful scenery, comfortable private booths, and all the cucumber sandwiches a creature could eat. That which did ruin the train’s ambiance, was Cadance’s incessant nagging. The incident with Ocellus had not really been so bad, at least in Chrysalis’s opinion. She had been transformed during the entire event, and no pony knew who she was, except maybe Twilight Sparkle. Chrysalis explained all this to Cadance. It didn’t help her case much, or at all. Cadance still had several problems with the whole ordeal. Confiding in Twilight Sparkle was supposed to bring relief to Cadance’s troubled thoughts. Now, for Twilight, keeping the secret meant having a scandal and possibly a cover up at her own friendship school. Cadance didn’t dare ask her to do such a thing. She also felt sorry for Ocellus. Apparently, Chrysalis’s brand of evil does fall into one of those sub categories where she could not be left alone with children. On top of all that, she’d have to think up some way to keep her most loyal and generous maid safe from having a criminal record. Some time later, the princess did have one question for her. “Why did you fight Ocellus?” Chrysalis told her about the royal jelly. She explained how only a tiny bit is distilled from all the nectar produced in the hive. Words could not do justice to the experience of letting it touch your palette. Usually, once a year, the drones are all rewarded with a small taste. However, if the hive is in need of a new queen, then they all forgo the reward and stockpile the royal jelly for seven years. Finally, the seven year supply is given to a single female of the hive. That is just one part, in the ritual for creating a new queen. “I wasn’t going to let that upstart challenge my rightful position.” Cadance nodded in understanding, not in approval, just understanding. Though it wasn’t the best time to talk, at all, Chrysalis did have something she’d been meaning to ask. “Why is my capture a secret? It is a triumph, isn’t it? You should be boasting, not covering it up.” She didn’t get an answer right away, though at least asking this made Cadance shut up for a while. “If I announced your capture, you’d be sent somewhere else. I’m not even sure where. Right now, I have need of you.” This was all the answer she recieved. It took some time to trot from the train station to the castle. Cadance’s mood seemed to improve once she was among her ponies. She stopped at the flower shop, spent a little time smelling their wares, then checked on her orders. The shopkeep recited a long list what was to be sent to whom. Twenty-three items into the list, she corrected the shopkeep on a date. Thirty-seven items into the list, she told him that the occasion was an anniversary, not a birthday. Chrysalis was starting to close her eyes when a pony with a moustache surprised her. “Helping the Princess on her rounds, are ye Lovely dear.” The pony was purposely loud, and there was a cheekiness to him. He was either trying to help keep her from getting caught sleeping on the job, or startle her awake, as a prank. The pony smelled of soot, and carried tools. Perhaps he was the chimney sweep. Chrysalis briefly wondered if she should answer “yes” or “oui”. What sort of accent did the maid have? She just nodded, and tried to smile. The dirty pony whispered something in her ear, that made her blush. Cadance explained later, the maids name is ‘Lovely Gentle Hoof,’ and that was her colt-friend. The sun was hot, and this maids body was weak. Chrysalis would have preferred going straight to the castle. Cadance made a second stop on the way. Some colts and filly’s were playing kick ball. At first it seemed the Cadance was going to pass by them, then one of the colts kicked the ball to her and shouted “Come join us princess.” She looked back at Chrysalis, uncertain. Misunderstanding the problem, the colt offered to let Lovely play too. Chrysalis, currently known as Lovely Gentle Hoof, told them to play without her. The princess, joining children in a game, or learning an absurd number of special occasions throughout the kingdom, Chrysalis wondered if Cadance cultivated her personality and relationships specifically to make stealing her identity more difficult. While scrimmaging to intercept the ball, Cadance lost her contact lens. Every pony stopped to help her look for it. It was a surprise to the filly’s that she wore contacts. She kept her eye closed the entire time, not wanting any of them to see her one evil eye. Though no pony said anything, they were surprised when the maid didn’t come to help. Chrysalis wondered, with the eye closed, could Cadance still see what she was doing. She slipped into a corner, and looked for something, just naughty enough to get the princesses attention. She saw a tiny mouse, searching for scraps. Unfortunately the Chrystal empire is so clean, that the rodents don’t fare very well. With a wicked smile, Chrysalis morphed into a cat. This alone was an act of defiance. She found that the magic necklace took the form of a little collar with a bell on it. Slowly, she crept upon her prey. The bell started to ring, when Chrysalis was not even moving. It rang, and rang. Startled, the little mouse scurried off. She tried to give chase, only to have the think move behind some cans. When she returned to the ball field, the princess had just found the contact lens. She greeted the form of Lovely Gentle Hoof with a teasing “Hello kitten.” Upon arriving at the castle, Chrysalis was immediately sent back to her room. Cadance met with the real Lovely Gentle Hoof, who was in a pleasant enough mood, not yet having heard about the incident in Ponyville. “Madame Princess, a package has arrive-ed for Madame Chrysalis. I ‘ave placed it in her room.” This was unexpected. No pony should even know that Chrysalis was her prisoner. “Thorax, lord of the changelings, delivered it personally.” “What was it?” “It looked like a jar of green honey.” Chrysalis eyed the jar, that was sitting on her desk. She opened it, and took a sniff, wanting to verify that it was not fake. This small jar must have been at least the years entire supply. There was a note, with Ocellus’s signature on it. All it said was: We’ll wait for you. Chrysalis just stared at the jar for a few moments, then brought it close to her lips. The changeling queen had been ordered to keep the same sleeping hours that Cadance did. This was to keep Cadance from being woken up by her evil eye. It was no surprise that Chrysalis was disobeying her. Cadance turned and peeked through her sleep mask, to make sure her husband was not awake. The pace of his breathing, and the occasional snorting noise, confirmed that he was not. Underneath the sleep mask, she opened her evil eye, and watched. Chrysalis wasn’t even disguising herself, she crept on the roof, as if showing off how easily she could sneak past the guard sentries. The queen of the changelings made her way into the tower where the crystal heart is kept. Surely this was the place to stop her. It would be madness to let her tamper with the magic that made their kingdom livable. If any harm came to the crystal, then storms would rage. Cadance was ready. To her surprise, Chrysalis did not go straight for the heart. First she went to find the map. Using whatever she could find in the room, she elevated the map in the correct height, angle, and position. Cadance had discovered, some time ago, that light passing through the heart, would leave spots on the floor. The positions of these spots did not seem to depend on in what direction the sun or moon was facing the crystal heart. Over time, a suspicion began to form in her mind. Now the spots were aligned perfectly with points on the map. She even taped it in place. Our Hero's Mission. Also, Our Villains MissionOur Hero's Mission. Also, Our Villains Mission Cadance could not sleep with a contact lens in her eye, so she took to wearing a sleeping mask. For the first few nights it was fine. She would pretend to sleep until Shinning Armour actually did fall asleep, then she would remove the lens, and levitate it into a hiding spot. Being a former Palace Guard, Shiny would wake at dawn, letting his wife sleep a bit longer. This is how she kept her evil eye a secret. One morning Shiny nudged her with his muzzle. “Wakey, Wakey,” he said. “Five more minutes,” Cadance pleaded. Unfortunately Shiny wasn’t having it. He took the mask and removed it with his teeth. It was a close call. So surprised was she that her eyes were wide open. To her luck, the sun greeted her a little too suddenly and this second surprise caused her to immediately shut her eyes again. Shiny did not see. Shining Armour wanted her to look. He had brought her breakfast in bed. She pretended to wipe the sleep from her eyes, knowing it would not buy her much time. Thankfully it was enough. Lovely Gentle-Hooves, the maid, and the only pony who knows Cadance’s secret, was the one carrying in the trays. She knocked over a glass of orange juice to create a distraction. Concerned about broken glass, and not the least bit angry, Shiny rushed to help her. This allowed Cadance to slip on her contact lens while he wasn’t looking. It is difficult to describe the sensation of a changeling transformation. What an outsider sees is the changeling being consumed and reshaped by an ominous green flame. This is how it happens, and can mostly be taken at face value. First the changeling observes the essence of its target. This is an extension of the ability to steal love. To take something, you must be able to perceive it, just as you might perceive something tangible, and less esoteric. Next, they create a flame, to burn this essence into their own being. The changeling does not have to actively focus on transforming. Fire does not need to be told to burn. The flame burned and raged and even reached her core. She could feel the flame attempting to burn away that anger. It wanted her to let go. It promised her joy, and warmth, and…love. It promised that the transformation could go all the way, could remake her and redefine her true self. That wasn’t true. No changeling can create a fire strong enough to burn the core itself. There was another close call. Shining Armour noticed something wrong with her eye. She had to put on the lens quickly and without washing it properly. As a result, her eye was irritated, causing redness and tears. It stung horribly. Shining saw Cadance rubbing her eye. When he moved into to take a closer look, Cadance tried to back away. Shining wouldn’t have it. He looked closely and eyed her suspiciously. It was a tense moment. If you look close enough, can you tell that some-pony is wearing a contact lens? Finally he spoke. “It’s probably the sleep mask. You should stop wearing that thing.” It wasn’t easy, pretending that morning was anything other than stressful. The feeling of wanting her husband out of the way was a strange one for the princess of love. At last she was able to resume her work. She had seen what Chrysalis was up to the night before. She saw if through her evil eye. The same one that was causing her so much trouble. Now she could see it through her good eye as well. Interesting aside, colours look different through different eyes. Having never seen through eyes other than her own before, it hadn’t occurred to her that the experience could vary from pony to pony. She wondered if tastes where different also. In her excitement, she entered Chrysalis’ chamber without knocking. She knew, of course, what Chrysalis was doing, and it even amused her to walk in at that moment. Chrysalis was transformed into Cadance. In the mirror, she practiced phrases she’d heard the princess use, trying to get her expressions just right. Cadance grinned when she caught her doing this. Chrysalis blushed, which might not have been possible in her form proper. “Improving your disguise, I see.” “A transformation is no mere disguise.” Chrysalis reminded her, in a voice dripping with bile. Before she could change back, Cadance asked, “May I try something.” “I’m your prisoner,” Chrysalis reminded her. Cadance nuzzled Chrysalis’ muzzle. Unconsciously Chrysalis leaned into the sensation, inviting her to continue. “Just like me.” “I’ve become you.” “No, it’s still just a disguise.” They made their way to the Chamber of the Crystal Heart. Cadance no longer wanted Chrysalis to impersonate the maid, for fear of damaging Lovely Gentle-Hooves good name. There was still a need to sneak Chrysalis from one room to another without being seen. So it was that the dreaded Queen Chrysalis was forced to become a purse pet. Cadance’s first suggestion was that she ‘disguise’ herself as a puppy. This was too far beneath her dignity, so she compromised and ‘transformed’ into a ferret instead. On the way to the chamber, no less then three ponies wanted to see the new pet. Cadance warned them the creature might bite. She lied and said it was a rescue animal. To the Changeling Queen’s credit, she only bit one pony. Despite being cross about the biting, Cadance thanked Chrysalis for finally aligning the Magical Map of Love. And yes, that’s what she was calling it. Chrysalis eyed the set-up. Sunlight passed through the crystal, refracting into five seperate points of light which each hit specific places on the map. The other day, there had only been three points. Though the message wasn’t as magically spelled-out as Twilights friendship map, both were convinced that some sort of divination was being performed. “Is this thing why you’re keeping me around?” “It is.” Cadance spoke with pride, seeming to miss the contempt in Chrysalis’ voice. “You have been a princess at least several years longer then Twilight Sparkle, you used to foal-sit her, and now you are trying to imitate her. It’s pathetic. What are you going to do? A map that tracks down the lovesick teens and bickering old couples; How foolish. Cadance braced herself. As much as she didn’t like Chrysalis right now, she was afraid of how she might feel to hear the maps true purpose. “I’m trying to track down Ronin Changelings. They tend to cause love emergencies, the kind this map can track.” “Huh.” “That’s it…Huh?” “Ronins are changelings who either abandoned the hive or were exiled. If the existence of changelings was still a secret, they would be my enemies. As it stands, they are no concern of mine.” “Your knowledge will help me find them, and your powers will help me fight them.” “I suppose you would need to rely on the powers of others.” Cadance bit her lip, fighting the desire to return her insults, especially after Chrysalis provided her the perfect opportunity. “So does this mean my next train ride will be in the section where people keep their pets. Cadance stopped her self from laughing at the idea. “No, I’ve thought about it. I need to be able to move around more freely, maybe even covertly. I’ll need a transformation of my own. This piqued Chrysalis’ interest, though it didn’t surprise her as much as the next thing Cadance said. “And you will need to become better at impersonating me.” PIEBALD: A MINING COMMUNITY NORTHEAST OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE \ “To miracles my friends” What seemed like a group of Colts clashed their cider mugs together in cheer. “To miracles.” Piebald was a harsh place to live. It was remote and isolated. Most of the community consisted of seasonal workers. Everything was expensive to import, and it was an open secret that the locals who lived in Piebald year round supplemented there diets through breaking of the taboo surrounding the consumption of animal flesh. The name references to a black and white coat on a horse. It was fitting because the rock in the mines was black, and everything else in Piebald was coated in white. Three months ago there was a cave-in. Seven miners were believed to have been lost, leaving their wives as supposed widows. No pony had seen a body, and a few still prayed for a miracle. Then one day the miners seemingly returned, welcomed with open hooves, and of course love. “This was brilliant,” said Tergite, who currently appeared to be a moustachioed colt in a wooly sweater. “Absolutely,” agreed Maxilla Pulp. “By day we feed on the husbands still trapped in the mines, and by night we feed on their wives, who think their husbands have returned to them.” “And the husbands to all the mining for us, of course,” Cercus added. If it is not abundantly clear at this point, these are ronin changelings, feeding on love, as well as cider and rare animal flesh. “Don’t forget, it’s dangerous for so many of us to gather in one place.” Mandible warned. The others reminded him that it was his idea they be here. When Mandible started to get moody, they patted him on the back, saying things like ‘there-there’ and ‘chin-up.’ “Don’t worry. This whole community is cut off from the rest of Equestria for about three months out of the year.” “Just don’t forget we’re here for a purpose.” “Do you really think that Chemist of yours can do what he promised.” The reminder made Mandible cringe. He was pretending to be a mare, forgoing his male pride, for the sake of the plan. He’d lured a prominent chemist from the Crystal empire, by posing as a mare who had emotional significance to him. It disgusted the proud male. “Do you really think he can synthesize the royal jelly.” “It’s not magic, its just a chemical. Give him a jar, and he’ll give us a bathtub in return.” “We still need that jar you know.” Mandible gritted his teeth. Mandible made his way to a cave, on the outskirts of Piebald. It was there that the female he carried affection for rested, sharing warmth with a family of hibernating vulpine. She was in that form again. He never saw her as her true self anymore. It is like she is ashamed of it. Spiracle, as she was called back in the hive, took the form of a pony she admired. She’d taken that form so long, she’d even gained some of that ponies unique affinity. She had a yellow coat, a pink mane, and a disgustingly kind demeanour. Like this, she was not the creature he loved. Four years ago, she was different. It was always in her nature to want to emulate some other creature. Many changelings are like that. Four years ago, she was fixated on Chrysalis. Maybe she was actually fixated on the concept of procreation. She wanted to breed. To win her favour, Mandible stole a years supply of royal jelly. His plan was to keep this a secret, and do so for seven years. The hive was in an uproar. None-the-less, he thought himself sneaky enough to get away with it. He was just a dumb child back then. Unfortunately, his need to boast got the better of him. He showed her the jar, the one jar. It takes seven years supply to turn one female into a Changeling Queen. One jar isn’t enough. It was only enough to get them both exiled. Spiracle said she forgave Mandible. She was too nice not to. He wondered if she would forgive this. Mandible roller her over, and brushed a bang out of her eye. Once again she was sleeping with the jar. It was precious to her, even if she’d never dared taste what was inside. He slipped the jar form her hooves. Spiracle shuddered, as though the world had grown colder. Mandible moved a baby vulpine into her arms, thinking it might compensate. Next he whispered into her ear. ”It’s happening. You’ll be a finer Queen then she ever was.” Author's Note I’m back I guess. If anyones still following from way back, sorry for the wait. Chrysalis Tries AgainIt was a dark and stormy night. Princess Cadance looked outside and grinned. So many great adventures started this way. Perhaps that made it a bit cliche, not that Cadance cared in the least. If something works then it will be done again. Even if something doesn’t work, you try again, until you’re sure it’s the concept and not the execution that failed. Perseverance is how progress is made after all. Stories and art were a little different. They had that give and take relationship between the needs for novelty and consistency. She was getting lost in her thoughts again. This wasn’t a story. Later it would be a story. Right now, it was the start of an adventure. A clap of thunder was not the thing that interrupted her musings, what did that came after. Little Flurry Heart began to cry. Cadance crawled next to her, allowing the baby to snuggle against the warm fur, and listen to her mothers heartbeat. A guard knocked on her chamber door. “I told you I was not to be disturbed.” Cadance reprimanded. There was a pause. No pony expects so curt a reply from the normally kind princess. “Orders from the prince. I was sent to inform you that he won’t be returning until late. He is investigating a possible security breach. There’s some broken fence in sector 12.” Shining Armour was wasting his time. Anything from sector 12 can only be a distraction. It would be foolish to actually invade from there. Besides, doesn’t he know that she can just fly over fences? “Fine, now go.” The guard left, though he left wondering if her behaviour was strange enough to warrant a report. Flurry Heart was crying once again, and Cadance did what she could do to comfort her. There was a crack of thunder. At that same instant, the window shudders flew open. With the sudden change in air pressure, every lantern in the room lost its flame. There were twelve lanterns, and Cadance new they couldn’t have all gone out under natural circumstances. She made a light with her unicorn magic, only to find herself face to face with someone who had invaded her castle. “Scream and I’ll kill you!” Chrysalis whispered, holding her finger up to Cadance’s lips, in order to shush the princess. “Hold Flurry for a minute, will you.” Chrysalis looked at Cadance incredulously. The baby was crying, so she rocked her gently, then morphed her hoof into a type of appendage that members of her brood liked to suckle on. Cadance proceeded to close the window, and light three lanterns. She then inspected the window, to make sure there was no broken glass. Finally she went back to Chrysalis, and took her baby. “I could have hurt the infant.” “You’re a mother.” With a flash of green flame, Chrysalis transformed herself. “I’m going to steal your identity, and feed. The ponies that love you will be reduced to empty husks.” Though she now looked like Princess Cadance, her voice still had the deeper echoing quality. “Somethings off.” “Excuse me.” “When you impersonated me before, the disguise was better somehow.” Chrysalis seethed. “It’s a transformation, not a mere disguise, and it is a perfect transformation.” Cadance made a mocking smirk. “Okay, so step outside, and see if any pony thinks you’re me.” Chrysalis decided to do just that, only first she gagged Cadence, then tied her up, then stuffed her in the closet. Flurry laughed, as thought it were all a fun game. There was a sound of annoyed grunting. A few minutes later, she returned to the closet, and slipped off the gag. “I can’t walk through the door.” Cadance explained: “Oh yes, I remember now, there is a magic barrier on the door, its one of Shining Armour’s new security measures.” Cadance neglected to mention that Chrysalis shouldn’t have been able to pass through the window either, unless she herself had lowered the barrier. “How do you get through the door?” “Most ponies have badges, I however have a security talisman built into the gold necklace I always wear.” In a spurt of green flame, the fake necklace Chrysalis had been wearing disappeared. With her mouth, she unclasped the one on Cadance’s nape. She used something akin to Unicorn magic to drape it around her own neck. As soon as she put it on, something happened. Cadance, the real Cadance, her left eye transformed. It became an evil eye that resembled Chrysalis’s eye when she was in her natural form. Chrysalis eyed her suspiciously. A pink light began to emanate from Cadance’s unicorn horn. The necklace reacted. The band slithered like a snake. It wrapped more snuggly around Chrysalis’s neck. The pendant of the necklace slithered upwards, as though readying itself to stab Chrysalis in the eye. Then the necklace crackled with a purple magic. Interesting side note, the original concept for the magic necklace was to have it choke Chrysalis when she misbehaved. Cadance decided that was too cruel, and opted instead for a purifying magical energy, that would cause pain to any evil thing without doing physical harm. Chrysalis demanded Cadance release her from whatever magic this was, then she pleaded. Soon she was convulsing on the floor, and begging for mercy. When she saw that Chrysalis was about to pass out, the glow on Cadance’s horn dimmed and the pain subsided. “Untie me,” Cadance ordered. When she was well enough to walk, Chrysalis complied. She untied the Princess, and let her go. Chrysalis tried turning into a snake, and the necklace shrunk into a little bow wrapped around her neck. She turned into a fly, then an amoeba, then changed directions and turned into a hippopotamus. That last one was a mistake. Though the necklace could transform to become smaller, it wouldn’t grow bigger. It was also, quite unbreakable. Chrysalis’s hippopotamus face turned blue, and she quickly returned to her bug like changeling body. “What is this horrid magic?” “While you’re wearing that necklace I will be aware of all that you do.” She pointed a hoof at her now evil looking eye. “If you misbehave, then I can reprimand you.” This next part Cadance spoke very intentionally, yet she tried to sound like it just slipped out. “I was a bit worried for a second. The necklace recognizes me as its master. If your transformation was indeed perfect, then you would have been able to fool it’s magic. Obviously your transformation is incomplete.” Hearing that last part made Chrysalis seethe with fury once more. “Now that you’ve enslaved me, Princess of Love, what do you plan to do with me?”
I Can't Take You AnywhereIt was the day after the capture of Queen Chrysalis. Her prison was not what the changeling had expected. She slept on a queen sized bed, in a well kept room. The bed was too soft, and the blankets too cozy. It would be dangerous to become overly accustomed to such comforts in her present circumstances. Chrysalis had been told to stay in this room, and not attract any attention. She had been visited only once, by a maid who dropped off her breakfast. She tried asking questions, she was even nice. The maid refused to answer. She did ask if Chrysalis needed anything else, and on a whim, the queen asked for a newspaper. There was a full length mirror. She looked herself over for a minute or two, then decided that a gold necklace really did not suit her skin tone. It was not the four walls that took away her freedom, it was this magic item, coupled with Cadance’s watchful eye. As it stood, Cadance could supposedly see everything that Chrysalis does, and punish her with powerful magic at any moment. What could Cadance possibly be planning to do with her? Surely not all the prisoners were eating Eggs Benedict. There was a bookshelf. Princess Cadance must have chosen the titles herself. It contained two types of books: harlequin romance novels, and texts from Twilight Sparkle’s friendship school. She only read her newspaper. There was nothing about her capture in the morning edition. The position of the sun told her that it was already close to noon, when there came a gentle tapping upon the chamber door. It was that maid again. “I have instructions from zee princess. Transform yourself, so you look like me. Exit zee room, turn right until you find zee stairs. Go up two floors. Head left, then take your second right. Look for a room with a red door, and climb another staircase. Zee princess will meet you at zee top. Speak to no pony. Am I needing to repeat any of dis.” “If any pony speaks to me, do I need to copy your ridiculous fake sounding accent?” The maid was a petite thing with a grey coat and a black mane. She was cute enough, despite the bland colour palette. The bows and ribbons of her frilly uniform were more difficult to copy then her body. Chrysalis considered pretending she couldn’t copy her outfit, and demanding that the timid little thing strip for her. She opted not to be so bold, since Cadance was surely watching. She transformed into the maid, and tucked her gold necklace under her apron. Between the newspaper and this rendezvous, Chrysalis realized that her capture was being kept a secret. She wondered if even Shining Armour knew. Surely he would have stopped by to visit, if he were aware she was in the castle. The maids instructions led her to the tower where the Crystal Heart was kept. Cadance was doing something rather odd. Laid out upon the floor was a full scale map of Equestria. Daylight, passing through the Crystal Heart had made several bright spots on the floor. She was moving the map around, so that the bright spots shined upon the locations on the map. If one bright spot hit the Kirrin Village, and another touched Manehattan, then a third spot was in the middle of the ocean. She decided this was wrong, and tried pointing the first bright spot at Ponyville. It was obvious to Chrysalis first the sun and moon could be used as marking waypoints to position the map, and second, the map needed to be brought higher, so that the magnification of the Crystal Heart fit with the scale of the map. Chrysalis had no interest in pointing this out. Chrysalis coughed to get her attention. Cadance turned. Despite knowing it was there, Chrysalis was surprised by the sight of her own evil eye, the one that watched her at all times. Cadance greeted the Changeling queen in a bit too friendly a manner, then made her way to a table with a mirror, and put on a contact lens, to hide her evil eye. “So master, what is your wish?” Chrysalis’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Stay disguised as a maid for now.” “Transformed,” Chrysalis corrected. Apparently the distinction between a disguise and a transformation really got to her, and it was a knife Cadance was actually quite willing to twist. “Transformed. Anyway, we’re going to visit Twilight’s school.” Queen Chrysalis raised a single brow upon hearing this. “Princess Cadance, if you plan to enrol me at that school, then I’d sooner be put to death.” The train ride was surprisingly pleasant. They had a private booth, the view was quite scenic, and the lunch cart was serving cucumber sandwiches. Her only complaint is that she actually did have to copy the maids stupid accent. At the station, Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon, appeared to carry bags and escort them to the school. Chrysalis had a little trouble keeping up her act in the presence of Startlight Glimmer, partly because of her role in the mutiny of the changeling hive, and mostly because she kept trying to make insufferably boring smalltalk. When they reached the school, Cadance whispered to Chrysalis: “I’m going to confide in Twilight Sparkle. She might overreact, so stay outside until I call for you.” Chrysalis nodded. “And don’t make any trouble.” Chrysalis just stood outside, hooves crossed, and an impatient expression upon her pony muzzle. She looked conspicuous dressed as a maid, but not as conspicuous as a changeling queen. There came a voice from above. “It’s really you, isn’t it?” Chrysalis looked up, and recognized, little Ocellus, the odd little changeling that was attending Sparkle’s school. She hovered more like a hummingbird then a Pegasus, even making a buzzing noise. “Are you going to expose me?” Ocellus looked down, a little bit shamefully. Under her rule, changelings were taught that outing a transformed changeling was the worst thing you could ever do. She hovered downward, and stood near her. “No babies have been born in the hive since you left.” “Obviously not.” Ocellus inched a little closer. “Thorax told me, if you don’t come back, by the time I’m grown up, then I might be the one who they give the royal jelly.” Ocellus looked up with frightened eyes. “Does it hurt to become a Queen?” Cadance had taken out her contact lens, and shown the evil eye to Twilight Sparkle. She explained the events of the night before. Twilight listened carefully, and thought for a time before giving her reply. Now she was giving some lecture on how you can’t help others until they choose to be helped, with the possible exception of Nightmare moon. Cadance was about to insist she had the situation under control when she suddenly held her hoof to her eye. It was clear that she was in great pain. She was also the cause of her own pain. What Chrysalis did not know, is that Cadance could not use the subjugation necklace without feeling pain herself. She was using it. At that moment, Queen Chrysalis, who still looked like a maid, leapt at little Ocellus, and pinned her to the ground. She was about to rip into her neck with horse teeth, when she was overcome with a convulsion. The necklace flew in the other direction, acting as a leash to pull her back. She fought against it, and was wrought with yet another convulsion. “You think you can replace me!” She screeched. “You’re mine, you’ll never…” Chrysalis passed out, her hoof still reaching towards Ocellus.
A Moment To UnwindThe trip to Ponyville had actually been rather pleasant. The trip from, was not so. It was no fault of the trains hospitality staff, there was still beautiful scenery, comfortable private booths, and all the cucumber sandwiches a creature could eat. That which did ruin the train’s ambiance, was Cadance’s incessant nagging. The incident with Ocellus had not really been so bad, at least in Chrysalis’s opinion. She had been transformed during the entire event, and no pony knew who she was, except maybe Twilight Sparkle. Chrysalis explained all this to Cadance. It didn’t help her case much, or at all. Cadance still had several problems with the whole ordeal. Confiding in Twilight Sparkle was supposed to bring relief to Cadance’s troubled thoughts. Now, for Twilight, keeping the secret meant having a scandal and possibly a cover up at her own friendship school. Cadance didn’t dare ask her to do such a thing. She also felt sorry for Ocellus. Apparently, Chrysalis’s brand of evil does fall into one of those sub categories where she could not be left alone with children. On top of all that, she’d have to think up some way to keep her most loyal and generous maid safe from having a criminal record. Some time later, the princess did have one question for her. “Why did you fight Ocellus?” Chrysalis told her about the royal jelly. She explained how only a tiny bit is distilled from all the nectar produced in the hive. Words could not do justice to the experience of letting it touch your palette. Usually, once a year, the drones are all rewarded with a small taste. However, if the hive is in need of a new queen, then they all forgo the reward and stockpile the royal jelly for seven years. Finally, the seven year supply is given to a single female of the hive. That is just one part, in the ritual for creating a new queen. “I wasn’t going to let that upstart challenge my rightful position.” Cadance nodded in understanding, not in approval, just understanding. Though it wasn’t the best time to talk, at all, Chrysalis did have something she’d been meaning to ask. “Why is my capture a secret? It is a triumph, isn’t it? You should be boasting, not covering it up.” She didn’t get an answer right away, though at least asking this made Cadance shut up for a while. “If I announced your capture, you’d be sent somewhere else. I’m not even sure where. Right now, I have need of you.” This was all the answer she recieved. It took some time to trot from the train station to the castle. Cadance’s mood seemed to improve once she was among her ponies. She stopped at the flower shop, spent a little time smelling their wares, then checked on her orders. The shopkeep recited a long list what was to be sent to whom. Twenty-three items into the list, she corrected the shopkeep on a date. Thirty-seven items into the list, she told him that the occasion was an anniversary, not a birthday. Chrysalis was starting to close her eyes when a pony with a moustache surprised her. “Helping the Princess on her rounds, are ye Lovely dear.” The pony was purposely loud, and there was a cheekiness to him. He was either trying to help keep her from getting caught sleeping on the job, or startle her awake, as a prank. The pony smelled of soot, and carried tools. Perhaps he was the chimney sweep. Chrysalis briefly wondered if she should answer “yes” or “oui”. What sort of accent did the maid have? She just nodded, and tried to smile. The dirty pony whispered something in her ear, that made her blush. Cadance explained later, the maids name is ‘Lovely Gentle Hoof,’ and that was her colt-friend. The sun was hot, and this maids body was weak. Chrysalis would have preferred going straight to the castle. Cadance made a second stop on the way. Some colts and filly’s were playing kick ball. At first it seemed the Cadance was going to pass by them, then one of the colts kicked the ball to her and shouted “Come join us princess.” She looked back at Chrysalis, uncertain. Misunderstanding the problem, the colt offered to let Lovely play too. Chrysalis, currently known as Lovely Gentle Hoof, told them to play without her. The princess, joining children in a game, or learning an absurd number of special occasions throughout the kingdom, Chrysalis wondered if Cadance cultivated her personality and relationships specifically to make stealing her identity more difficult. While scrimmaging to intercept the ball, Cadance lost her contact lens. Every pony stopped to help her look for it. It was a surprise to the filly’s that she wore contacts. She kept her eye closed the entire time, not wanting any of them to see her one evil eye. Though no pony said anything, they were surprised when the maid didn’t come to help. Chrysalis wondered, with the eye closed, could Cadance still see what she was doing. She slipped into a corner, and looked for something, just naughty enough to get the princesses attention. She saw a tiny mouse, searching for scraps. Unfortunately the Chrystal empire is so clean, that the rodents don’t fare very well. With a wicked smile, Chrysalis morphed into a cat. This alone was an act of defiance. She found that the magic necklace took the form of a little collar with a bell on it. Slowly, she crept upon her prey. The bell started to ring, when Chrysalis was not even moving. It rang, and rang. Startled, the little mouse scurried off. She tried to give chase, only to have the think move behind some cans. When she returned to the ball field, the princess had just found the contact lens. She greeted the form of Lovely Gentle Hoof with a teasing “Hello kitten.” Upon arriving at the castle, Chrysalis was immediately sent back to her room. Cadance met with the real Lovely Gentle Hoof, who was in a pleasant enough mood, not yet having heard about the incident in Ponyville. “Madame Princess, a package has arrive-ed for Madame Chrysalis. I ‘ave placed it in her room.” This was unexpected. No pony should even know that Chrysalis was her prisoner. “Thorax, lord of the changelings, delivered it personally.” “What was it?” “It looked like a jar of green honey.” Chrysalis eyed the jar, that was sitting on her desk. She opened it, and took a sniff, wanting to verify that it was not fake. This small jar must have been at least the years entire supply. There was a note, with Ocellus’s signature on it. All it said was: We’ll wait for you. Chrysalis just stared at the jar for a few moments, then brought it close to her lips. The changeling queen had been ordered to keep the same sleeping hours that Cadance did. This was to keep Cadance from being woken up by her evil eye. It was no surprise that Chrysalis was disobeying her. Cadance turned and peeked through her sleep mask, to make sure her husband was not awake. The pace of his breathing, and the occasional snorting noise, confirmed that he was not. Underneath the sleep mask, she opened her evil eye, and watched. Chrysalis wasn’t even disguising herself, she crept on the roof, as if showing off how easily she could sneak past the guard sentries. The queen of the changelings made her way into the tower where the crystal heart is kept. Surely this was the place to stop her. It would be madness to let her tamper with the magic that made their kingdom livable. If any harm came to the crystal, then storms would rage. Cadance was ready. To her surprise, Chrysalis did not go straight for the heart. First she went to find the map. Using whatever she could find in the room, she elevated the map in the correct height, angle, and position. Cadance had discovered, some time ago, that light passing through the heart, would leave spots on the floor. The positions of these spots did not seem to depend on in what direction the sun or moon was facing the crystal heart. Over time, a suspicion began to form in her mind. Now the spots were aligned perfectly with points on the map. She even taped it in place.
Our Hero's Mission. Also, Our Villains MissionOur Hero's Mission. Also, Our Villains Mission Cadance could not sleep with a contact lens in her eye, so she took to wearing a sleeping mask. For the first few nights it was fine. She would pretend to sleep until Shinning Armour actually did fall asleep, then she would remove the lens, and levitate it into a hiding spot. Being a former Palace Guard, Shiny would wake at dawn, letting his wife sleep a bit longer. This is how she kept her evil eye a secret. One morning Shiny nudged her with his muzzle. “Wakey, Wakey,” he said. “Five more minutes,” Cadance pleaded. Unfortunately Shiny wasn’t having it. He took the mask and removed it with his teeth. It was a close call. So surprised was she that her eyes were wide open. To her luck, the sun greeted her a little too suddenly and this second surprise caused her to immediately shut her eyes again. Shiny did not see. Shining Armour wanted her to look. He had brought her breakfast in bed. She pretended to wipe the sleep from her eyes, knowing it would not buy her much time. Thankfully it was enough. Lovely Gentle-Hooves, the maid, and the only pony who knows Cadance’s secret, was the one carrying in the trays. She knocked over a glass of orange juice to create a distraction. Concerned about broken glass, and not the least bit angry, Shiny rushed to help her. This allowed Cadance to slip on her contact lens while he wasn’t looking. It is difficult to describe the sensation of a changeling transformation. What an outsider sees is the changeling being consumed and reshaped by an ominous green flame. This is how it happens, and can mostly be taken at face value. First the changeling observes the essence of its target. This is an extension of the ability to steal love. To take something, you must be able to perceive it, just as you might perceive something tangible, and less esoteric. Next, they create a flame, to burn this essence into their own being. The changeling does not have to actively focus on transforming. Fire does not need to be told to burn. The flame burned and raged and even reached her core. She could feel the flame attempting to burn away that anger. It wanted her to let go. It promised her joy, and warmth, and…love. It promised that the transformation could go all the way, could remake her and redefine her true self. That wasn’t true. No changeling can create a fire strong enough to burn the core itself. There was another close call. Shining Armour noticed something wrong with her eye. She had to put on the lens quickly and without washing it properly. As a result, her eye was irritated, causing redness and tears. It stung horribly. Shining saw Cadance rubbing her eye. When he moved into to take a closer look, Cadance tried to back away. Shining wouldn’t have it. He looked closely and eyed her suspiciously. It was a tense moment. If you look close enough, can you tell that some-pony is wearing a contact lens? Finally he spoke. “It’s probably the sleep mask. You should stop wearing that thing.” It wasn’t easy, pretending that morning was anything other than stressful. The feeling of wanting her husband out of the way was a strange one for the princess of love. At last she was able to resume her work. She had seen what Chrysalis was up to the night before. She saw if through her evil eye. The same one that was causing her so much trouble. Now she could see it through her good eye as well. Interesting aside, colours look different through different eyes. Having never seen through eyes other than her own before, it hadn’t occurred to her that the experience could vary from pony to pony. She wondered if tastes where different also. In her excitement, she entered Chrysalis’ chamber without knocking. She knew, of course, what Chrysalis was doing, and it even amused her to walk in at that moment. Chrysalis was transformed into Cadance. In the mirror, she practiced phrases she’d heard the princess use, trying to get her expressions just right. Cadance grinned when she caught her doing this. Chrysalis blushed, which might not have been possible in her form proper. “Improving your disguise, I see.” “A transformation is no mere disguise.” Chrysalis reminded her, in a voice dripping with bile. Before she could change back, Cadance asked, “May I try something.” “I’m your prisoner,” Chrysalis reminded her. Cadance nuzzled Chrysalis’ muzzle. Unconsciously Chrysalis leaned into the sensation, inviting her to continue. “Just like me.” “I’ve become you.” “No, it’s still just a disguise.” They made their way to the Chamber of the Crystal Heart. Cadance no longer wanted Chrysalis to impersonate the maid, for fear of damaging Lovely Gentle-Hooves good name. There was still a need to sneak Chrysalis from one room to another without being seen. So it was that the dreaded Queen Chrysalis was forced to become a purse pet. Cadance’s first suggestion was that she ‘disguise’ herself as a puppy. This was too far beneath her dignity, so she compromised and ‘transformed’ into a ferret instead. On the way to the chamber, no less then three ponies wanted to see the new pet. Cadance warned them the creature might bite. She lied and said it was a rescue animal. To the Changeling Queen’s credit, she only bit one pony. Despite being cross about the biting, Cadance thanked Chrysalis for finally aligning the Magical Map of Love. And yes, that’s what she was calling it. Chrysalis eyed the set-up. Sunlight passed through the crystal, refracting into five seperate points of light which each hit specific places on the map. The other day, there had only been three points. Though the message wasn’t as magically spelled-out as Twilights friendship map, both were convinced that some sort of divination was being performed. “Is this thing why you’re keeping me around?” “It is.” Cadance spoke with pride, seeming to miss the contempt in Chrysalis’ voice. “You have been a princess at least several years longer then Twilight Sparkle, you used to foal-sit her, and now you are trying to imitate her. It’s pathetic. What are you going to do? A map that tracks down the lovesick teens and bickering old couples; How foolish. Cadance braced herself. As much as she didn’t like Chrysalis right now, she was afraid of how she might feel to hear the maps true purpose. “I’m trying to track down Ronin Changelings. They tend to cause love emergencies, the kind this map can track.” “Huh.” “That’s it…Huh?” “Ronins are changelings who either abandoned the hive or were exiled. If the existence of changelings was still a secret, they would be my enemies. As it stands, they are no concern of mine.” “Your knowledge will help me find them, and your powers will help me fight them.” “I suppose you would need to rely on the powers of others.” Cadance bit her lip, fighting the desire to return her insults, especially after Chrysalis provided her the perfect opportunity. “So does this mean my next train ride will be in the section where people keep their pets. Cadance stopped her self from laughing at the idea. “No, I’ve thought about it. I need to be able to move around more freely, maybe even covertly. I’ll need a transformation of my own. This piqued Chrysalis’ interest, though it didn’t surprise her as much as the next thing Cadance said. “And you will need to become better at impersonating me.” PIEBALD: A MINING COMMUNITY NORTHEAST OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE \ “To miracles my friends” What seemed like a group of Colts clashed their cider mugs together in cheer. “To miracles.” Piebald was a harsh place to live. It was remote and isolated. Most of the community consisted of seasonal workers. Everything was expensive to import, and it was an open secret that the locals who lived in Piebald year round supplemented there diets through breaking of the taboo surrounding the consumption of animal flesh. The name references to a black and white coat on a horse. It was fitting because the rock in the mines was black, and everything else in Piebald was coated in white. Three months ago there was a cave-in. Seven miners were believed to have been lost, leaving their wives as supposed widows. No pony had seen a body, and a few still prayed for a miracle. Then one day the miners seemingly returned, welcomed with open hooves, and of course love. “This was brilliant,” said Tergite, who currently appeared to be a moustachioed colt in a wooly sweater. “Absolutely,” agreed Maxilla Pulp. “By day we feed on the husbands still trapped in the mines, and by night we feed on their wives, who think their husbands have returned to them.” “And the husbands to all the mining for us, of course,” Cercus added. If it is not abundantly clear at this point, these are ronin changelings, feeding on love, as well as cider and rare animal flesh. “Don’t forget, it’s dangerous for so many of us to gather in one place.” Mandible warned. The others reminded him that it was his idea they be here. When Mandible started to get moody, they patted him on the back, saying things like ‘there-there’ and ‘chin-up.’ “Don’t worry. This whole community is cut off from the rest of Equestria for about three months out of the year.” “Just don’t forget we’re here for a purpose.” “Do you really think that Chemist of yours can do what he promised.” The reminder made Mandible cringe. He was pretending to be a mare, forgoing his male pride, for the sake of the plan. He’d lured a prominent chemist from the Crystal empire, by posing as a mare who had emotional significance to him. It disgusted the proud male. “Do you really think he can synthesize the royal jelly.” “It’s not magic, its just a chemical. Give him a jar, and he’ll give us a bathtub in return.” “We still need that jar you know.” Mandible gritted his teeth. Mandible made his way to a cave, on the outskirts of Piebald. It was there that the female he carried affection for rested, sharing warmth with a family of hibernating vulpine. She was in that form again. He never saw her as her true self anymore. It is like she is ashamed of it. Spiracle, as she was called back in the hive, took the form of a pony she admired. She’d taken that form so long, she’d even gained some of that ponies unique affinity. She had a yellow coat, a pink mane, and a disgustingly kind demeanour. Like this, she was not the creature he loved. Four years ago, she was different. It was always in her nature to want to emulate some other creature. Many changelings are like that. Four years ago, she was fixated on Chrysalis. Maybe she was actually fixated on the concept of procreation. She wanted to breed. To win her favour, Mandible stole a years supply of royal jelly. His plan was to keep this a secret, and do so for seven years. The hive was in an uproar. None-the-less, he thought himself sneaky enough to get away with it. He was just a dumb child back then. Unfortunately, his need to boast got the better of him. He showed her the jar, the one jar. It takes seven years supply to turn one female into a Changeling Queen. One jar isn’t enough. It was only enough to get them both exiled. Spiracle said she forgave Mandible. She was too nice not to. He wondered if she would forgive this. Mandible roller her over, and brushed a bang out of her eye. Once again she was sleeping with the jar. It was precious to her, even if she’d never dared taste what was inside. He slipped the jar form her hooves. Spiracle shuddered, as though the world had grown colder. Mandible moved a baby vulpine into her arms, thinking it might compensate. Next he whispered into her ear. ”It’s happening. You’ll be a finer Queen then she ever was.” Author's Note I’m back I guess. If anyones still following from way back, sorry for the wait.
Chrysalis Tries AgainIt was a dark and stormy night. Princess Cadance looked outside and grinned. So many great adventures started this way. Perhaps that made it a bit cliche, not that Cadance cared in the least. If something works then it will be done again. Even if something doesn’t work, you try again, until you’re sure it’s the concept and not the execution that failed. Perseverance is how progress is made after all. Stories and art were a little different. They had that give and take relationship between the needs for novelty and consistency. She was getting lost in her thoughts again. This wasn’t a story. Later it would be a story. Right now, it was the start of an adventure. A clap of thunder was not the thing that interrupted her musings, what did that came after. Little Flurry Heart began to cry. Cadance crawled next to her, allowing the baby to snuggle against the warm fur, and listen to her mothers heartbeat. A guard knocked on her chamber door. “I told you I was not to be disturbed.” Cadance reprimanded. There was a pause. No pony expects so curt a reply from the normally kind princess. “Orders from the prince. I was sent to inform you that he won’t be returning until late. He is investigating a possible security breach. There’s some broken fence in sector 12.” Shining Armour was wasting his time. Anything from sector 12 can only be a distraction. It would be foolish to actually invade from there. Besides, doesn’t he know that she can just fly over fences? “Fine, now go.” The guard left, though he left wondering if her behaviour was strange enough to warrant a report. Flurry Heart was crying once again, and Cadance did what she could do to comfort her. There was a crack of thunder. At that same instant, the window shudders flew open. With the sudden change in air pressure, every lantern in the room lost its flame. There were twelve lanterns, and Cadance new they couldn’t have all gone out under natural circumstances. She made a light with her unicorn magic, only to find herself face to face with someone who had invaded her castle. “Scream and I’ll kill you!” Chrysalis whispered, holding her finger up to Cadance’s lips, in order to shush the princess. “Hold Flurry for a minute, will you.” Chrysalis looked at Cadance incredulously. The baby was crying, so she rocked her gently, then morphed her hoof into a type of appendage that members of her brood liked to suckle on. Cadance proceeded to close the window, and light three lanterns. She then inspected the window, to make sure there was no broken glass. Finally she went back to Chrysalis, and took her baby. “I could have hurt the infant.” “You’re a mother.” With a flash of green flame, Chrysalis transformed herself. “I’m going to steal your identity, and feed. The ponies that love you will be reduced to empty husks.” Though she now looked like Princess Cadance, her voice still had the deeper echoing quality. “Somethings off.” “Excuse me.” “When you impersonated me before, the disguise was better somehow.” Chrysalis seethed. “It’s a transformation, not a mere disguise, and it is a perfect transformation.” Cadance made a mocking smirk. “Okay, so step outside, and see if any pony thinks you’re me.” Chrysalis decided to do just that, only first she gagged Cadence, then tied her up, then stuffed her in the closet. Flurry laughed, as thought it were all a fun game. There was a sound of annoyed grunting. A few minutes later, she returned to the closet, and slipped off the gag. “I can’t walk through the door.” Cadance explained: “Oh yes, I remember now, there is a magic barrier on the door, its one of Shining Armour’s new security measures.” Cadance neglected to mention that Chrysalis shouldn’t have been able to pass through the window either, unless she herself had lowered the barrier. “How do you get through the door?” “Most ponies have badges, I however have a security talisman built into the gold necklace I always wear.” In a spurt of green flame, the fake necklace Chrysalis had been wearing disappeared. With her mouth, she unclasped the one on Cadance’s nape. She used something akin to Unicorn magic to drape it around her own neck. As soon as she put it on, something happened. Cadance, the real Cadance, her left eye transformed. It became an evil eye that resembled Chrysalis’s eye when she was in her natural form. Chrysalis eyed her suspiciously. A pink light began to emanate from Cadance’s unicorn horn. The necklace reacted. The band slithered like a snake. It wrapped more snuggly around Chrysalis’s neck. The pendant of the necklace slithered upwards, as though readying itself to stab Chrysalis in the eye. Then the necklace crackled with a purple magic. Interesting side note, the original concept for the magic necklace was to have it choke Chrysalis when she misbehaved. Cadance decided that was too cruel, and opted instead for a purifying magical energy, that would cause pain to any evil thing without doing physical harm. Chrysalis demanded Cadance release her from whatever magic this was, then she pleaded. Soon she was convulsing on the floor, and begging for mercy. When she saw that Chrysalis was about to pass out, the glow on Cadance’s horn dimmed and the pain subsided. “Untie me,” Cadance ordered. When she was well enough to walk, Chrysalis complied. She untied the Princess, and let her go. Chrysalis tried turning into a snake, and the necklace shrunk into a little bow wrapped around her neck. She turned into a fly, then an amoeba, then changed directions and turned into a hippopotamus. That last one was a mistake. Though the necklace could transform to become smaller, it wouldn’t grow bigger. It was also, quite unbreakable. Chrysalis’s hippopotamus face turned blue, and she quickly returned to her bug like changeling body. “What is this horrid magic?” “While you’re wearing that necklace I will be aware of all that you do.” She pointed a hoof at her now evil looking eye. “If you misbehave, then I can reprimand you.” This next part Cadance spoke very intentionally, yet she tried to sound like it just slipped out. “I was a bit worried for a second. The necklace recognizes me as its master. If your transformation was indeed perfect, then you would have been able to fool it’s magic. Obviously your transformation is incomplete.” Hearing that last part made Chrysalis seethe with fury once more. “Now that you’ve enslaved me, Princess of Love, what do you plan to do with me?”
