The Art of Subterfuge

Chrysalis sighed as she walked through the corridors of the Castle of Friendship. It's winding halls were endlessly annoying for the sheer splendor and audacious gaudiness they oozed like a choking miasma to the changeling. She was used to dark environments, filled with literal miasmas rising from fetid pools. Metaphorical miasmas simply didn't do the job of a proper, thick miasma.

What made her state that much worse was how she had to attend to special remedial classes while staying in Twilight's home. She hadn't wanted to stay in the alicorn's home - having hoped to simply slip away in the dark of night to brew a new scheme while being nominally on the side of ponies. Having to put her bits where her mouth was in staying with the ponies was almost too much for her - but it was necessary in the end.

What she did feel wholly unnecessary were the friendship lessons that Twilight insisted upon. The pony Starlight assured her that the princess had gotten a lot better since she had the unicorn in her tutelage, but even so, Chrysalis felt that Twilight left something to be desired in a teacher. Several things in fact, but most the one she didn't miss was the awareness of who you taught. It was for the best that Twilight didn't know who she was actually trying to teach and instead thought she taught somecreature else.

Deceiving the princess of friendship into thinking she taught a willing, though slightly unreceptive, student was necessary for the long term. It ensured that she was well liked, or at least given a longer leash on which to roam. Not that she would roam far either way - she just liked the thought that she could roam if given the chance. The prospect of freedom she wasn't using was as important as using the freedom itself to the changeling, but for now she had to work under the constraints she had.

Her thoughts on the matter came to an end as she arrived at Twilight's door. As per usual, Chrysalis was attending to another friendship lesson in Twilight's quarters. Knocking on the newly minted monarch's door, Chrysalis put off her minor aggravation and did her best to turn on the face of a changeling trying to become 'better'. Appearances, after all, were everything.

"Come in, Chrysalis!" Twilight's voice rang out from inside. Chrysalis nudged the door open with her head, not caring to use her horn as she moved inside. "Thank you for coming early, I always appreciate punctuality. I'll just be a few minutes while I finish up all these reports." Twilight called over with a weary smile.

Chrysalis, the changeling that she was, had an easy time tasting the mood in the room. Changelings, it was well known, could taste love. What wasn't quite as well known, but often guessed at, was that changelings could taste - or, more accurately, sense - all other emotions. The way the emotions came across were a sort of odd melding of other senses that still presented themselves differently from said melded senses.

The prickly, sickly green, sour of anxiety rushed through Chrysalis' senses; the noxious aura emanating from the alicorn who sat at her desk surrounded by mountains of paper. It made Chrysalis' mind race wildly with all the wonderful plans that could be made when a target was anxious.

Closing the door softly behind her with a wave of her magic, Chrysalis moved quietly up to Twilight, looking down over the slightly shorter mare's shoulder at the papers that destressed her so. Primarily missives from foreign powers - doubtlessly the works of skilled diplomats testing a new regent. Chrysalis had considered intercepting some in the past to... rewrite them a tad to her benefit, but they had always been denser than she had liked.

That density was now the center of Twilight's world, and clearly the mare hated it.

"Are you alright, Twilight? Do you need anything?" Chrysalis asked in as caring tone as she could muster. Twilight sighed and shook her head slowly.

"I'll be alright, I'm just a bit stressed." Twilight admitted. "Thank you for asking, I can see our meetings are making an impact." Chrysalis smiled at this. It was true that the lessons were, by majority, completely useless to the Queen. The ones that had helped her, however, were the ones that were tantamount to acting lessons. 'How best to act with friends' was especially useful to Chrysalis. Changelings, after all, were natural born actors.

"I aim to please. Though, as a friend, I would argue that you aren't being entirely honest with me, Twilight." Chrysalis said, doing her best to not lay it on too thick. "You might not recall, but we changelings can sense emotions. You are pungent with anxiety and stress. More so than 'just a bit', I'd say." Twilight sighed once more, setting down her quill.

"I suppose." Twilight muttered. "But these are important matters of state! They are my responsibility to take care of!"

"And as your friend, I have to advise you that sometimes you have to take a moment to relax." Chrysalis soothed, doing her best to not come across as overbearing. "Trust me Twilight, your best decisions aren't burdened down by immense stress."

Twilight nodded reluctantly, pulling away from her papers. "Alright... you're right, I need to breath, I need to calm down. I can do this! I can take care of all of this! All I have to do is calm down for a second." Twilight nodded, closing her eyes. "Calm down. Yes, relax. Forgetting about the papers. Forgetting all about the very important papers. I'm doing it. I'm-" Suddenly Twilight was a flurry of activity as she turned back to the papers and dove back into the activity.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. Whether this would make her task easier or harder was yet to be seen. It did provide an opening, it was just a matter of using said opening. Unfortunately for Twilight, Chrysalis knew just how to worm her way into such scenarios.

"Twilight, let me help you." Chrysalis pleaded like a true friend, placing a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight shook her head, reading and writing away.

"N-no, don't think they wrote me to ask you something. Sorry, Chrysalis, I just really have to finish these papers and then-"

"Twilight, I didn't mean with the papers." Chrysalis said, her tone almost motherly. Twilight looked over to Chrysalis, unsure what to expect from the changeling. "Twilight, you need to unwind, to relieve the tension you are feeling. It is cloudy your judgement, and that is dangerous." Chrysalis insisted.

"I suppose you are right..." Twilight sighed, looking downcast. "I just... I really need to get through all these papers. Lives may be at stake!"

"When you are a ruler," Chrysalis began, years of experience behind her, "lives are always at stake. As time goes on, you will either die of fretting or learn that you only should start to fret when its a certain number of lives. It's a horrid reality of leadership that sacrifices have to be made and that in the end we can only mitigate damages." Twilight paused at this.

"I'm not suggesting you stop caring, Twilight. That is beyond anypony. What I'm asking you to do is to let me help you calm down so that in your fervor you don't make a mistake that could cost far more lives than it saves." Chrysalis pressed. Twilight slowly nodded, turning fully away from her papers.

"Alright, what do you propose, Chrysalis?" Twilight asked, already doing better than before. Chrysalis sat down on her haunches, giving Twilight a gentle smile that never seemed to fit her features quite right.

"I propose that you let me use my skills in hypnotism to help you relax. To reach a state in which your worries are gone so that you might breeze through your work with the greatest rationality on your side." Chrysalis said, her tone pleading yet insistent. Twilight blinked a few times, considering the offer closely.

"I'm not sure how good of an idea that is, Chrysalis. Some ponies might find you using hypnotism on me... disconcerting." Twilight said, her defenses raising up against the suggestion. "I know you are well on your path to reformation and redemption, but other ponies are... flighty when they think something might be trying to control their leaders."

"A sentiment I, no doubt, helped to create when I tried to take over your brother's wedding." Chrysalis nodded. "But, you see, hypnotism isn't like what I did to him at all. That was me taking on his bride-to-be's visage and controlling him through his love for her.

"You not only know that this is me, but I doubt you love me in quite the same way that Shining Armor loves Cadence." Chrysalis smirked before returning to her line of thought. "Twilight, hypnotism is perfectly safe; you should know. Hypnotism is merely a form of guided meditation. If I had you under the deepest trance I could put you in, I would be no more able to get you to do something you wouldn't want to than I could right now."

"I... suppose that is true." Twilight nodded, her gaze drifting to her immense shelf of books - a mere drop in the bucket of her entire collection. "I have occasionally made some investigations into things like hypnotism, and they are by majority - as you said - perfectly harmless..." Twilight thought on this for a moment.

"Twilight, I promise you as a friend that I will only use hypnotism to relax you. If you give me an hour to put you under and guide you through a relaxation routine, you will find your head clearer and your body far more ready for the task ahead of you. Just give me a chance, Twilight. I want to help you." Chrysalis pleaded, pushing all of the right buttons in Twilight.

"I..." Twilight hesitated, taking a deep breath, "I trust you, Chrysalis." She said finally, making the changeling's heart jump in excitement. "Do what you can to help me to relax. And... and I'm glad that you've been so concerned about me and willing to help me in this. It shows real growth that I'm sure will only continue in the future." Chrysalis lowered her head in a grateful, nodding bow.

"Thank you, Twilight. It's only because you were willing to be my friend." Chrysalis said in a sincere voicing of gratitude. It truly was only possible because of Twilight's friendship that she had gotten this far. Now, their friendship was about to reap some rewards for the two of them. Or, at least, for Chrysalis.

"So what do you want me to do?" Twilight asked, shifting her hooves in uncomfortable embarrassment. "I've read over various entrancement techniques; which do you prefer?" Chrysalis smirked at this.

"Well first, I need you to stop analyzing everything. It will make it much harder, if not impossible. Over analyzing each thing that happens will keep your brain awake when we want it to go into a state of lowered activity." Chrysalis said. "Next, I think the best place to do this is with you laying on your bed. A relaxed position for your body will help with the process."

"Alright. I'll do my best." Twilight smiled before moving over to her bed and arranging herself into a comfortable position with her hind hooves tucked under her and her forehooves outstretched slightly for her head to rest on. "Ready, Chrysalis!" She chirped before nestling herself further into her cushy bed with a small smile on her face.

"Alright, let's begin." Chrysalis said, lighting her horn. Using her magic, she carried over a candle and, with a spark of dark green, started a flame on its wick. "I want you to watch the flame carefully, Twilight. Don't think, just watch and listen to me as I speak." Twilight's smile tugged at the corners of her mouth before she cleared her throat and settled back down, clearly having stopped herself from over analyzing Chrysalis' technique..

"Listen and relax as I guide you through the flame." Chrysalis said in a calm, even voice as she walked around to the side of the bed to be out of Twilight's line of sight. She stopped, standing right beside the bed, and lowered her head until it was a short distance from Twilight's ear - and let her words flow slowly into the alicorn's waiting mind.

"Look at the candle, Twilight, and watch as the flame licks at the wax. Watch as it heats the wax until it begins to melt into beads of flowing moisture. Watch those droplets roll down until they pool in my magic. Watch as the candle's wick is slowly whittled away by the flame.

"Breathe in and out, taking in deep, long gulps of air before letting the wind flow out from your nostrils back into the world. Watch the flame as it dances atop the candle and breathe. Breathe and watch. Watch as the flame heats the wax and makes it melt. The candle knows only how to melt as the flame draws nearer. Just imagine that the candle is your worries, your stresses, all your cares, and the baggage you've built up emotionally.

"Watch as those things that had you so tightly wound begin to melt, melt, melt away. See that bead of wax there? That's your worries about how you will get through the day. Watch and breathe deeply in relief as it is taken away from the candle. You don't need it, and neither does the candle. Just watch, breathe, and relax as more and more worries melt, melt, melt away into nothingness.

"Breathe deeply, and let it all out. Breathe in cool relaxation and breathe out the stresses as they melt in the face of the fire. Feel yourself drifting, as if on a cool tide, and feel the wonderful relaxation it brings to just coast along and not have to worry. Feel the wonderful coolness of relaxation, and watch as the worries just keep drip, drip, dripping away from your mind.

"Watch as the candle just let's itself melt away and doesn't care. It doesn't need the worries. You don't need the worries. Just let yourself drift until you just feel all those worries slowly drift away from your mind. Feel how light you are, now that those burdens are gone.

"Just breathe and feel the warm, coolness of relaxation melting away your troubles as you go deeper and deeper into a worriless, relaxing, and peaceful place. Feel it all swirling about you, as if ocean currents that move in to bring you such wonderful peace, and then rush away - your worries ferried away on the falling tide.

"Falling, falling falling into blissful peace. Feel your worries gone, feel them drift away as if never having been here. Feel the peace, feel the warm, yet cooling, relaxation that fills you and the space around you now that your worries are gone and forgotten. Feel them going far, far away.

"You're so relaxed, so deeply at peace, that you can feel yourself drifting more and more. Drifting, drifting, drifting along into blissful unreality. Feel it all just become warm and cooling bliss as your eyes begin to feel heavier and heavier. Feel yourself so wonderfully, completely at peace that your eyes just don't need to stay open anymore.

"Feel them close now, and rest in a perfectly placid place. You can feel how peaceful it is here as a cool wind on a warm and sunny beach. Feel that breeze rustling your mane. Feel the sun on you, warming you inside and out. Feel the peace that is in this place, both surrounding you and flowing through you. It envelopes you in its embrace, leaving no room for anything but the blissful peace."

Chrysalis pulled back from Twilight's ear, looking on the mare. She was truly in a deep trance, her eyes closed and her breathing slow and regular. She could've been sleeping, but Chrysalis knew better. Chrysalis, horn already lit with magic, funneled magic into a new spell as she started to speak once more.

"I want you to imagine something." Chrysalis began as she walked around to the other side of the bed. "I want you to picture this in your mind as vividly as possible. Imagine the beach.

"Imagine the warm sand, the swaying trees, the cry of birds in the air, the sound of waves coming and going, the smell of sea in the air, the warmth of the setting sun, and the gentle breeze. Feel it in your mane, smell it in your nostrils, see it with your closed eyes, and know it with your placid mind.

"Feel how utterly relaxed you are, enjoy it. Know that this, this is perfection. You are alone, but only a short ways off are your friends, living peacefully as well. You lay alone, but you can see them, and they are happy - as are you. You are glad, you are happy, you are calm, and you are safe. There is nothing but peace."

Her magic now sufficiently charged, Chrysalis began to pour the magic towards the resting alicorn, wrapping it about the princess as she spoke. "Feel the warm rays of the sun dipping below the waves, feel the cool breeze cascade over you. Feel your relaxation only grow as stars shine out from the heavens with nary a cloud to spoil the view as the world enters into a peaceful dream."

Chrysalis gently massaged the magic into the folds of Twilight's mind as she whispered her words to the alicorn. "Feel blissful relaxation wrap its wings about you as you too begin to fade into a dream. It is a peaceful dream. You are safe, and the world is at peace." The changeling Queen cooed softly before pulling back.

"Feel yourself sinking deeper and deeper, never wanting to leave." Chrysalis purred. 'Twilight, I promise you as a friend that I will only use hypnotism to relax you.' Sometimes the easiest lies to tell are the ones that are true. No creature in this world that Chrysalis knew of could use hypnotism for anything more than relaxation and meditation. Changelings, though, could use hypnosis as a gateway to other things. With magics designed to affect the mind being their specialty, changelings had made great use of hypnotism in the past - which might've on some level affected the public perception on an unconscious level.

"Twilight, I want you to memorize this place - this feeling of utter relaxation devoid of all cares and worries." Chrysalis said, a manic smile tugging at her lips. "Feel all of it, soak it in like a warm bath. Feel how it makes you feel, and then hold onto that memory as tightly as you can." Twilight let out a gentle sigh, as if accepting all the more relaxation into herself while Chrysalis pressed all the more of her own special magic into the resting alicorn.

"Having it memorized, knowing where you are and how you feel here, I want you to know that you can return whenever you'd like." Chrysalis said with a seductress' purr. "I can help you return here. I can even make you go further. Would you like that? A place even more peaceful, even more placidly calm? A place where no worries could ever find you?"

"Yes..." Twilight breathed out. Chrysalis smiled wickedly.

"Good." Chrysalis said, moving to the foot of the bed. "Keep the memory of this place locked up tight inside of you; and know that whenever I say a special phrase you can return here. Not just to here, but to anyplace deeper I take you. Know that however deep you go, I can take you all the deeper, and then with a special phrase return you just as deep.

"Do you want to know that special phrase, Twilight?" Chrysalis asked, leaning on the bedframe in a leisurely way.

"Yes..." Twilight answered on a breath.

"The phrase is actually a group of words that I have to say in a certain order. They can be said however far apart, but your subconscious mind will remember when I have said them and keep track. That's right, you won't even have to worry yourself about keeping track of the words. The part of your brain that is in the background as you walk in the waking world will keep notes of when I speak and note down the words carefully and will know when it's time to tell the rest of you to drop all the way back down to this peaceful sleep. Isn't that nice, Twilight?" Chrysalis asked, drawing slightly closer to Twilight.

"Yes..." She murmured, her expression ever so peaceful.

"Well, I suppose I'm going to just have to tell you the special phrase. You will remember these in your unconscious mind, and only there. Your waking mind will not know about this so that it doesn't have to worry about anything. Only the unconscious part of you will have to think about it." Chrysalis said, scooting up onto the bed beside the resting princess with a predatory grin.

"The words I need to say to bring you back here, the words that only matter when I say them, are the following: slip, melt, tired, falling, and sleep. Only when I say those words and in that order will you return to this peaceful place. The words slip, melt, tired, falling, and then sleep will make you return to this place of peace, no matter when, no matter where, no matter how many words come between them. Isn't that just wonderful?"

"Yes..." Twilight replied, unable to muster anything else. Chrysalis just smiled, pulling a tad away from the princess, antsy to test the power of the words now, but having so much more to work on before she could take any ease.

"Sometimes, though, you need to be awake. Sometimes you have to be alert. Sometimes you have to say goodbye to this peaceful place for just a moment or two. There's a special phrase to accomplish that, too." Chrysalis continued. "When I want you to rise from this place back to the waking world, I will use the words Goodnight, Twilight. When I say those words, you will rise up to the waking world and your conscious mind will forget all about what happened in this wonderfully peaceful place. It will only think it spent time relaxing, which you honestly have. Relaxing in this blissfully placid place."

Chrysalis smiled, looking down at her work as she took a breath. It was a lot of effort to put in so much in one pony, but it was more than necessary. She didn't want just one feeding - no, one feeding would not be enough. Chrysalis needed something more real out of Twilight that required a great deal more effort.

"Twilight, I want you to imagine something for me in this peaceful place." Chrysalis said in a low voice. "I want you to picture a pony, but not just any pony." Chrysalis smirked, rolling her shoulders in preparation. "I want you to imagine the pony you love the most. The pony you admire the most. I want you to think about that pony and picture them in as vivid detail as you possibly can.

"Remember their scent, their color, their way of walking, and how they feel. If you've never touched them, that's alright, just imagine what they must feel like. Imagine it all and build with those thoughts a picture of them so perfect right in front of you. Make it real for yourself to the point that they might as well be standing right in front of you." Chrysalis guided. Twilight shifted slightly in her trance, but seemed to settle right back down. Caution never being amiss, Chrysalis let a little more magic flow into Twilight's mind.

The dark green massaged itself deeply into Twilight, filling her mind in a way that few ponies in history ever had their minds filled with changeling magic. There were a number who had, of course - and many had had more put in - , but Twilight was just at the start of the journey. She needed more before Chrysalis was done with her.

"Look at the pony you most love, admire, and cherish. Feel them oh so near to you. See them just there, a hoofstep away from you. Call to them, say their name, Twilight." Chrysalis urged.

"C-Celestia..." Twilight said, her tone rising slightly. Chrysalis shook her head, having figured as much. A wave of magic later, and no pony in there right mind - or wrong mind for that matter - would be able to say Chrysalis was wrong about the pony being in the room with Twilight.

"Twilight." Celestia's voice came out from Chrysalis. "I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you for finding me here in this place of quiet solitude. Isn't it just wonderful here?" Twilight smiled to herself, shivering slightly under the praise.

"T-thank you..." Twilight replied weakly, the hypnosis and the magic weighing down her mind greatly. Chrysalis smiled through Celestia's visage, drawing a tad closer.

"Twilight, I want you to feel the cool waves again. Feel them washing over you. When they slosh against your sides you can feel it, the push against a lingering worry. Do you feel it, my faithful student?" Chrysalis asked in Celestia's maternal voice.

"Yes..." Twilight said softly in the depths of her trance.

"Let them carry away that worry from you. I am here, I can protect you. There is no fear. There is no worry. There is just you, the waves of cooling calm, and me. I am here with you, and I am so proud of you. Please, let the waves wash away that last fear, that last doubt, and cleanse you of all your burdens forever." Chrysalis encouraged. Twilight smiled softly, and let out a sigh.

"Yes, princess..." Twilight murmured.

"Very good," Chrysalis said, already formulating her next route of progress in the alicorn's state, "very, very good, my faithful student. As reward, whenever the secret phrase that brings you to trance is spoken, it will bring you here. Where no fear or doubt can touch you. Where your cares are so far removed that you couldn't find them if you tried.

"And now that we are alone, just you and I in this wonderful place, I have some secret lessons to teach you. It's a very special set of lessons that only the most faithful students I have ever get to know. I haven't shared these secret lessons with anycreature in hundreds of years. Do you want to learn my secret lessons? They're very special lessons and carry certain responsibilities with them. Responsibilities I expect you, my faithful student, to fulfill if you are to know the secret lessons. Do you want to learn them, my faithful student?"

"Yes, princess..." Twilight replied from deep in her trance. Chrysalis smiled and leaned in closer.

"Are you sure, my faithful student? I do not doubt that you are able to fully learn my secret lessons, but you may wish to reconsider. Are you absolutely sure that you wish to learn all that I have to offer you and to perform what duties those lessons impose upon you, my faithful student?" Chrysalis asked in a concerned mockery of Celestia's voice.

"Yes, princess..." Twilight muttered once more.

"Very well, my faithful student, I will teach you my secret lessons. Learn them well and be sure to act on them as they necessitate." Chrysalis said, pouring a little more changeling magic into Twilight, letting it thoroughly soak through the mare before continuing.

"Your first lesson is this: Celestia is your Queen." Chrysalis said in a whisper, as if imparting a world-shattering revelation. "Few know this, and you will not tell them. You may be Equestria's princess, but I am your Queen." Chrysalis said, implanting the words deeper into Twilight's mind. "What is your first lesson?" Chrysalis asked in Celestia's soothing voice.

"Celestia is my Queen..." Twilight repeated, her voice low and calm.

"Very good, my faithful student, very good." Celestia's voice echoed in Twilight's ears. "That is your first lesson: I am your Queen. I am not everypony's Queen, but I am yours." Chrysalis reinforced. "Are you ready for your second lesson, my faithful student?"

"Yes, my Queen..." Twilight replied, not missing a beat even in her trance. Chrysalis smiled, knowing full well that all of this was implanting itself deep inside Twilight's subconscious - just where Chrysalis wanted it.

"Your second lesson, my faithful student, is this: As a princess, it is your duty to obey your Queen. You must obey your Queen, as must anypony who I am the Queen of." Chrysalis said in a calm tone while seeding more changeling magic deep inside Twilight's mind. "What is your second lesson?"

"I must obey my Queen..." Twilight answered with a firm certainty. The lessons were already having a wonderful effect on the pony, and this was only the beginning.

"Good, my faithful student, very good. You learn quickly as always. Are you ready for your third lesson, my faithful student?" Chrysalis said with a purr, watching as Twilight's barrel widened and contract with each successive breath.

"Yes, my Queen..." Twilight said, confidence shining through even when in trance.

"Your third lesson from my secret lessons, my faithful student, is this: no pony can ever disobey their Queen. You may never do something I forbid you to do, and must always do what I order you to do. It is imperative that you never disobey your Queen. Disobedience cannot be tolerate, nor can tardy obedience. Slow obedience is disobedience, and disobedience can not be allowed. What are your three lessons thus far, my faithful student? Say their number and recite them to me."

Twilight stirred, her expression shifting slightly before she calmed down once more as the changeling magic pushed down on the balance of her mind. "There are three lessons. Lesson One: Celestia is my Queen. Lesson Two: I must obey my Queen. Lesson Three: I must never disobey my Queen."

"Correction, my faithful student, Lesson Three is not 'I must never disobey my Queen'." Chrysalis countered softly, making sure to not disturb Twilight in her trance. "Lesson Three is 'I cannot disobey my Queen'. The phrase 'I must never' implies that you might, 'I cannot' means there is no possibility. Is there a possibility, my faithful student?"

"No, my Queen..." Twilight breathed out.

"What is Lesson Three, my faithful student?" Chrysalis pressed again, smiling all the while.

"I cannot disobey my Queen..." Twilight answered calmly.

"Very good, my faithful student. Just three more lessons today, and then we will have a practical test on what you have learned, alright?"

"Yes, my Queen..." Twilight said in her trance, waiting like a sponge for water to fill it. The sight was just so delicious to Chrysalis; she couldn't help but want to pounce on the vulnerable alicorn right there and then. She didn't, however; the plan she had formed for Twilight holding her back in anticipation of greater rewards.

"Lesson four is as follows: all the subjects of the Queen love her. Not with the love of a usual host of subjects, for a Queen is exclusive. A Queen rules her princesses, not a populace or an army, but her princesses alone. Those that are under a Queen love their Queen with everything in them. Their love is deep, unending, and reverential. The love of a Queen's subjects is even greater than the love those subjects have for family, friends, spouse, or even self.

"It is a love that bind and keeps a Queen's subjects to her. It is a love that would have them sacrifice all they had for their Queen. It is a love that makes them do all their Queen will have of them." Chrysalis said, licking her lips at the thought. "You are my subject, my faithful student, and you love your Queen. You love me." She reinforced, whispering the words softly into Twilight's ear.

"Repeat the lesson, and know that like the rest, it is true beyond words. Repeat the lesson I have just taught you and feel its truth course through your veins like a cool glass of water on a burning summer day - refreshing and completing in a way that goes beyond words."

"I love my Queen..." Twilight said finally, a light blush briefly touching her features before it was consumed by the tranquility of her trance. Chrysalis smiled at this and pulled a bit back.

"Your next lesson, the penultimate lesson for the day, is this: you lust for your Queen." Chrysalis said, anticipating the rush of emotions in her subject so that they would overwhelm her. "All subjects of their Queen lust for their Queen. Love so deep and profound as you learned in Lesson Four could but result in this lust.

"In your dreams you can see me, and you hunger. In your waking hours you think on me and feel the power of lust taking your heart as if an army taking a castle by storm. You feel your heart soar when I speak to you and feel a wrongness when I am not near. You need your Queen, for your lust has taken such hold that without the object of its affections you feel incomplete.

"You know this, as do all the subjects of their Queen. You know you lust for your Queen like no other creature. You may lust for others at times, but none are as close in your mind in sheer power of lusting drive to your Queen. They are but pale imitations of the effect I have over you, and the lust they inspire serves only to remind you of your Queen." Chrysalis said, watching as the princess squirmed.

Not wanting to take a chance, Chrysalis let all the more magic flow inside of Twilight - even as it made her feel so much weaker. She didn't have much more to implant in Twilight, but she had enough to ensure she'd win out in the end. All the while, as dark green seeped deeper into Twilight, the alicorn shifted in trance, her mind desperately fighting - or perhaps all too readily accepting - the words they had heard in Celestia's voice; a voice that the mind no doubt trusted so very deeply.

"My faithful student, I want you to repeat all your lessons to me before I finish and teach you the last lesson for the day. Repeat them all to me one by one with their number and let me hear you accept them fully as you say them." Chrysalis urged in the perfect imitation of Celestia that only a changeling could pull off.

"Lesson One:" Twilight began slowly, her breath steadying out as she did, "Celestia is my Queen. Lesson Two: I obey my Queen." Already Twilight seemed to have returned to her previous calm, her own words reinforcing those she had heard Celestia speak.

"Lesson Three: I cannot disobey my Queen. Lesson Four: I love my Queen." Twilight said, all the confidence in the world behind those words. "Lesson Five: I..." She paused briefly, as if the words were too heavy for her to speak.

"My faithful student, I only teach you the truth. These secret lessons are my gift to you. You asked me to teach them to you. I asked if you were willing and you told me you were. My faithful student, trust that what I say to you is not a lie. Trust that all these lessons are the truth that I have saved for when you were ready to hear them." Chrysalis said, her voice steeped in motherly concern. "Please, my faithful student, finish repeating your lessons."

For a moment, Twilight remained silent in spite of these words. Deep within her a battle was waged between the part of her mind that desperately had wanted to reject the words as false and the part that had already accepted them as truth. For a heart stopping second, Chrysalis feared all her magic had been for naught. It looked in that moment as if Twilight would break free from the words and the magic and know what the duplicitous changeling queen was up to.

And then Twilight let out a long sigh and settled back down on the bed before opening her mouth. "Lesson Five: I lust for my Queen." She said finally, her mind fully accepting the notion.

"I'm so proud of you, my faithful student. Many have failed when they heard that lesson - refusing to accept it - but like all of my secret lessons, it is true. Please, my faithful student, I want you to repeat the phrase 'all the secret lessons my Queen teaches are true', just so that I may know that you are earnest before this last lesson for the day." Chrysalis pressed.

"All the secret lessons my Queen teaches are true..." Twilight repeated without hesitation.

"Say it again, my faithful student, but this time I want you to believe it. Believe it as if your life depended on it. Believe it as if it were the only thing that mattered in the world." Chrysalis pushed, readying herself for the worst but biting her lip in hope for the best.

Twilight, still deep in her trance, took a deep breath in and then let it out. "All the secret lessons my Queen teaches are true..." Twilight said, her voice firm and resolute against all opposition.

"Good." Chrysalis encouraged. "Hold that phrase deep within your subconscious - deep within the mind that holds the keys behind the mind you work with during your waking day. Keep it deep inside of you and remember it. In your darkest hours know that it is true - that I am true." Twilight let out a contented sigh in response, much to Chrysalis' silent jubilation.

"Please, for my sake and yours, believe me, my faithful student." Chrysalis said, pleading in Celestia's voice. "Now please, once more tell me your Fifth Lesson. Repeat it to me and believe it in the deepest corner of your soul, for it is paramount in your service to your Queen."

Twilight this time did not hesitate in the slightest, simply taking in a breath and then speaking aloud. "Lesson Five: I lust for my Queen." Chrysalis smiled and nodded at her little pupil.

"Good, my faithful student, I am so very proud of your progress." Chrysalis praised. "Your final lesson for the day, though, I fear may be hard. It is the lesson that ensures you are truly ready to proceed into your Queen's service." Chrysalis said, drawing nearer to Twilight. "The fifth lesson removes a fourth of those who might've been in my service and sends them from whence they came. You have passed thus far, but before you lies a test of your resolve for which you must be ready.

"I doubt you not, my faithful student, for I am sure of your abilities. I know that if you dig into the profundities of your heart that you will find strength beyond the challenge ahead. Though this lesson has removed all but the finest, I am sure that you are not the dross this lesson aims to remove from the gold of those true subjects of mine.

"I ask you only remember your lessons: That I am your Queen, that you obey your Queen, that you cannot disobey your Queen, that you love your Queen, and that you lust for your Queen. These lessons have taken your determination and have refined it, hardened it. It is ready, and you need but survive this challenge to go beyond." Chrysalis smiled inwardly while letting a serious frown take her disguised features.

"If you do not pass, my faithful student, and you are found unworthy to learn and keep this lesson in you, you will be released from my service. You will forget your lessons, forget your love, forget your lust, and - worst still - I will be forced to make you forget your Queen. It is the way of this test, my faithful student, so I implore you for your sake to fight hard against all reservations you might have.

"Let all that might hold you back fall away now. Let your inhibitions to serving me as your Queen be burned on the pyre of your true dedication to your Queen. Fight hard against the temptation to falter, my most precious and faithful student, and come out on the other side of the challenge this most difficult lesson has for you." Chrysalis said, pulling away from Twilight slightly as she prepared herself.

"Are you ready, my faithful student? Are you prepared against yourself to receive this: the hardest lesson you shall learn today?" Chrysalis demanded in Celestia's soft voice.

"Yes, my Queen." Twilight said, her voice firmer than ever before. Chrysalis smiled at this, only hoping that the resolution in the pony would hold out against this last test. Not a test of the pony, but a test of Chrysalis' hold over the pony.

"Lesson Six is this: as my subject, you must debase yourself. You must serve and be as a slave to your Queen. This is proper, but it is not enough. You must thoroughly realize within yourself that not only is your humbling before me necessary, but it is exciting. Your final lesson of the day is that you find your own debasement an exciting, erotic thrill.

"Your embarrassment before me, for me, and at my orders is arousing to you. It must be, for the secrets lessons have so declared, and the secret lessons I share with you are true." Chrysalis said, her voice firm. "What is your sixth lesson, my faithful student? Repeat it, and know it is the truth." Twilight, much as Chrysalis had hoped, simply drew a breath in and spoke without any sign of hesitation.

"My embarrassment is arousing to me." Twilight summarized in a calm tone.

"Is this true, my faithful student?" Chrysalis asked.

"Yes, my Queen." Twilight said, the sure tone to her voice now firmly set, no longer trailing off into a breath despite remaining in a trance.

"Very good." Chrysalis smiled. "Now, I want you to slowly rouse to wakefulness, being released from your trance into the world of the waking. You will know your lessons and you will know them to be true. Am I understood?" Chrysalis asked, stepping a tad closer to the bed, resting a hoof on the plush surface.

"Yes, my Queen." Twilight answered. Chrysalis' wings buzzed absently in a thrill of deep enjoyment at the plight the unwitting princess was now in. If Twilight knew what was happening to her she'd no doubt summon her friends to her aid, but she had no idea. She thought she taught a creature who wanted to learn all she had to offer, and she was wrong. She thought she was under Celestia's enthrall, and she was wrong. She was wrong, and it was delicious!

"Rising now, my faithful student," Chrysalis said in a calm whisper in Twilight's ear as she lifted herself into the bed beside Twilight, "remembering all the lessons, knowing them all to be true, and acting on that knowledge. Awake now."

For the first time in a good while, Twilight opened her eyes. She stared straight ahead for a few moments before lifting her head and looking about the room, starting on the side opposite Chrysalis. The alicorn scanned the room, as if still in a trance, before her eyes finally found the pony beside her.

All at once, her eyes widened in reverential surprise before she bowed her head. "Princess Celestia!" She breathed in complete surprise. "I... I thought that..."

"What is your First Lesson, Twilight?" Chrysalis asked, her tone firm yet caring. Twilight blinked, looking up at Chrysalis in bewilderment before tears of joy began to pool in her eyes, her lips pulled into a genuine smile.

"You are my Queen..." She breathed. "I... I almost thought it was all a dream... a wonderful, wonderful dream." Twilight said in a low murmur, staring in awe at the Celestia before her.

"It was, my faithful student." Chrysalis said with a sweet smile. "My sister is not the only pony that can walk dreams. I rarely do it, but this time it was necessary. I had to find out if you were ready for the next stage of your training."

"I am, my Queen." Twilight said, bowing her head once more. "Teach me, please! Use me! Have of me what you will! Oh sweet, merciful Queen Celestia!" Twilight cried, her voice altered in her tears. Chrysalis set a gentle hoof on the princess, more than a little pleased to see the mare in such a state.

What she hadn't expected what the violent shudder from the mare as she touched her. "Twilight, are you alright?" She asked, not sure what had just happened for a second. And then it became abundantly clear. Her changeling sense - as well as her normal senses - told her exactly what had happened even before Twilight confessed.

"I'm sorry, my Queen... I... I came." Twilight said sheepishly. "Y-your touch is just... so glorious. I couldn't restrain myself; I'm sorry!" She burbled, digging her head into the blankets. Chrysalis couldn't help but smile as she removed her hoof from Twilight's shoulder.

"It is alright, my faithful student. I forget the effect I have on others at times." Chrysalis comforted. "Though I do now have a task for you, much as you requested." Twilight shot her head up instantly, all smiles at the prospect of serving her Queen - of servicing her Queen.

"You have made a mess, my faithful student." Chrysalis pointed out. "I want you to clean it up. Clean the bed of your orgasm like a proper student." Chrysalis ordered. Twilight immediately bounded to her hooves and dashed away. "STOP!" Chrysalis called in an imperious tone.

Twilight froze midair, turning about to look at her Queen. "Come back here, I have yet to finish my order, Twilight." Chrysalis chided. Stooping low and rushing over on her hooves, Twilight quickly was back at the side of the bed, pressed against the floor as she burbled out apology after apology.

"Enough, my faithful student, it was a mistake of eagerness, and so forgivable - for now." Chrysalis said, a hint of a threat taking her words. "As I was saying, I want you to clean your bed of the mess you made. I want you to do this for me, and to do it for me with your tongue and mouth." Chrysalis said, finishing her order. Twilight nodded a split second later, jumping up onto the bed.

With gusto beyond what Chrysalis had expected, even with the amount of reinforcing words and magic she had used, Twilight set about licking up the more readily available part of the mess. Long strokes of her tongue caught up the moisture she had let out into the world, drawing it in to her mouth before swallowing it down so that another lick could bring in more.

Soon Twilight stopped licking and began to suckle at the blanket, drawing out more of the juices. Chrysalis watched enthralled as Twilight worked hard at the task in a way that set a flame of desire in the changeling. A desire that Chrysalis would never stop working at, even if she might not indulge as much as she wanted to at the moment.

A few final licks later, Twilight drew her head up and looked down at the bed before turning to Chrysalis with a smile. "I have licked and sucked up the mess, my Queen!" She reported cheerfully. Chrysalis smiled at this, looking behind Twilight.

"And have successfully made another." Chrysalis commented. Twilight looked, and there behind her, a small pool of her arousal sat a top the bed, already soaking in.

"Fiddlesticks! Allow me to clean it up, my Queen!" Twilight said, hopping to the task. What Twilight may not have noticed was the fact she had turned her back on Chrysalis. She might also not have thought about the fact that the position she had taken made viewing her nethers that much easier.

Chrysalis did notice.

Moving forward, Chrysalis lapped at the moist sex of the excited mare. Twilight jumped slightly, giving a surprised 'eep' at the unexpected contact. Chrysalis gave Twilight a smile and then cleared her throat.

"Twilight, I order you to clean the mess you made while cleaning your last and to do so while lifting your tail for me." Chrysalis said in Celestia's voice. "Do not leave off cleaning until you are finished, no matter what."

"Y-yes, my Queen." Twilight said, moving back to her work slowly. With little hesitation, as implanted in her with the lessons Chrysalis had taught, she raised her tail up, allowing Chrysalis full access. With a devilish smile, Chrysalis lapped once more, feeling Twilight shiver under her touch.

Not wanting to waste such a wonderful opportunity, Chrysalis set about lapping away at Twilight's moist sex. With care, she avoided doing anything else, paying no heed to Twilight's clit or any other such avenue of pleasure - simply licking in slow, long strokes across the mare's pussy.

Twilight moaned into the bed, doing her best to clean up the small pool she had left even as she was serviced by her Queen. She loved every second of every sensation. The taste on her tongue - the taste of herself - linked itself to this pleasure, and she loved it!

How little did the princess know that today was but the start, the first time of many. Chrysalis, for one, couldn't wait to teach again.