Chrysalis looked down upon her hive. She could feel the pains of hunger eating away at her, but even more powerfully, she could feel the hunger of her entire hive. They were starving. Even now, she could feel more and more of her drones winking out of existence.
They were dying.
The changeling queen, refusing to shed tears in front of her swarm, could feel all the pain of a mother losing her children, for after all, she was. Clamping down on those thoughts before they could be picked up by her swarm, she glanced around her hastily, although only her most trusted generals appeared to be looking at her in concern. The rest of the hive went about as they always had, obedient and loyal to her, and her alone.
The generals she trusted most were given the honor of furthering her hive. Even though she could keep her hive supplied with more than enough drones to sustain it, sometimes changes needed to happen. That’s where her generals came into play.
In this way, the hive remained strong. In this way, the hive had evolved. But they were dying. They needed love to survive. And the creatures immediately accessible by their hunting grounds were becoming harder and harder to find. Hunting drones had to travel further and further to find sustenance, and even then they didn’t always return. Their voices would fall silent, and Chrysalis would know the worst had happened. They required closer sustenance. The hive had to be moved.
Chrysalis turned her gaze to the north. She knew the ponies of Equestria had established a capital there, and they loved their princesses more than anything. Ample food. She made up her mind. She would bide her time, wait for the most opportune moment to strike. Her hive would flourish, as they always should have.
***
Chrysalis was a patient creature. Patience was a requirement when on the hunt. The changes had been subtle at first, lest they raise suspicion. Carefully and meticulously, the changeling hive infiltration teams had gotten closer and closer to the princesses, and ponies that embodied the Elements of Harmony. Chrysalis would have to plan her surgical strike perfectly. All of her drones would have to catch the three princesses off-guard simultaneously in order to prevent any form of an alarm. Once the princesses were replaced, they could hoof-wave certain idiosyncrasies that didn’t line up with how the monarchs acted prior.
How would the ponies know differently? The entire rulership would be in agreement that nothing was out of the ordinary. After the princesses had been replaced, the element bearers would have to go next. They knew the princesses most intimately. Immediate family members and close friends would also have to be replaced.
And it all had to go perfectly. One slip-up and the whole coup risked being revealed. Chrysalis sighed.
I have to trust my hive. They will do what is necessary.
***
The perfect day would arrive during the time of the Grand-Galloping Gala. Equestria’s entire royalty would all be in Canterlot Castle, within their own private chambers getting ready for the ball. The bearer’s of the Elements were all invited, and would be in a period of transit via royal carriage. And better yet, due to the nature of the gala, her infiltrators had an exact time and date.
She knew precisely when the princesses would be alone, and precisely when the Element bearers would be leaving for Canterlot. Her infiltrators moved quickly, replacing officers, and managers. Some parts of the Canterlot nobility were also replaced. With the influence of the ponies she replaced, she could have them assign ponies whom she had already replaced to be the personal honor guard of the princesses. After that, it was trivial to have her swarm be the ones escorting the Element bearer’s to Canterlot.
It would be perfect. Chrysalis set her hive into motion.
Tonight, our survival is guaranteed.
***
Chrysalis had struck swiftly, and soundly. She had caught the entirety of Equestria in her web, and none of the ponies even knew to struggle. Any that were seen as suspicious… were immediately replaced.
The illusion would be trivial to keep up at this point. At their core, the ponies of Equestria were of a herd mentality. Have enough of them say one thing, and the others would follow, the fear of being left out of the herd overpowering their internal doubts.
The mountain that Canterlot stood upon was more than large enough for a hive to be created. The mines underneath provided ample open space, and more importantly, it was out of the sight of the masses. A whimper rose from one of her captives. Chrysalis looked up at the ponies still conscious in their mucous cages.
“Why… why are you doing this?”
Came the strangled, weepy voice from a yellow pegasus. Beside her, one with cyan fur and a rainbow mane glared at Chrysalis.
“Why should it matter, Fluttershy? Some jerks probably replaced us and are walking around, spreading lies about the changes that must be coming to Equestria.”
Chrysalis couldn’t help but smirk.
“And what are you so smug about?!”
Came the outraged cry from the rainbow-maned pegasus. She didn’t offer any response to her, instead choosing to turn her attention elsewhere.
“Hey, don’t you ignore me! ‘Once I’m out of here, I’ll show you who should really be smug!”
The squelching sounds of a futile struggle against the mucous tendrils ensued. Chrysalis wasn’t worried, she knew the trapping mucous was designed by hunting drones. No strength, short that of a dragon, would be able to break it. And even if it did, the mucous of the hive was always changing and adjusting, much like the hive itself. By the time one tendril was broken through, another will have formed at a different point of contact.
“Stop struggling Rainbow Dash, it won’t make any difference.”
A third voice popped up.
“Am I correct, Queen Chrysalis?”
Chrysalis stopped, and turned to the origin of the voice. A lilac unicorn was staring her down, studying her, almost curiously. Chrysalis could also see intelligence behind those eyes. Most curious. She’d have to keep an eye on this one.
“That is indeed correct. No matter how spunky you are.” She said, with an amused look at Rainbow Dash. “The mucus will not break. And even if it did, it wouldn’t matter, because it would reform before you could do anything.”
Rainbow Dash stopped struggling for a second, glared at Chrysalis and then at the lilac one, then promptly went right back to struggling. There were three others and the princesses. One was a simple earth pony, with a stetson hat that stubbornly refused to fall off. Even when Chrysalis had her hive take it off of her, by the next day it had somehow reattached itself to her head. Chrysalis had her entirely cocooned after that. Just in case. And yet the hat still stubbornly stayed atop her head, somehow having made it through the hardened mucus membrane. The pony looked to be unconscious though, but she had a permanent guard on her regardless.
The alabaster-colored unicorn did nothing more than complain about how ‘icky’ the mucus was. But Chrysalis saw how she paid attention to her surroundings. She may play the part of the idiotic, prissy unicorn, but if there was any way to escape, she would be the one to find it. So she too, had a permanent guard that had to be rotated constantly, as she would get to talking to them about how to make more ‘fetching’ uniforms or armor. No doubt to disarm them mentally in order to learn more.
She had decided against cocooning her entirely; it was a tremendous effort to produce that form of membrane, then refine it to the correct hardness. But she was not against changing her mind in the future if the deviously perceptive unicorn became too much of an issue. The last one… the pink one…
She had to remove that one from the presence of her hive entirely for a set amount every day. Chrysalis didn’t know how one creature could love so much. She was filled with a love of everything in existence. She was currently locked in a cell of soft trapping mucus, mouth bound shut.
She had said something about ‘knowing how this story would end, so she wasn’t worried.’ Chrysalis chalked her up to being just simply insane. Regardless. Green flames enveloped Chrysalis, not painful, but giving her an outer-carapace that looked like a lithe, pink alicorn. She had to be beside the other two princesses to address them.
Their love would envelop her, and she would disperse it amongst her hive. They would be hungry no longer.
***
Chrysalis often wondered why she didn’t bother draining the heroes of Equestria entirely of their love. It wouldn’t kill them, no, but they would become despondent, and not think much beyond primal instincts to eat and drink. And with some self-analysis… she found that she was not too pleased with the answer.
She was curious. The rainbow one, Rainbow Dash, had finally given up in her struggle, electing to simply stare viciously out at any changeling unfortunate enough to pass across her vision. From the sheer amount of anger inside of those looks… Chrysalis was worried that she would overload some of her drones with the feedback loop, so potent was her anger.
If looks could kill… that one would certainly be the best at it.
She pitied the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy. She did little more than whimper at unseen nightmares when she slept, and the stench of fear permeated all around her. Changelings that got too close would have to be escorted away and given recovery leave from their jobs, lest they become babbling, insane shells of their former selves. One of the reasons Chrysalis remained curious about this group of friends and protectors, was because the only times the fury and anger cooled within Rainbow Dash was when the meek, yellow pegasus started crying. Instantly, the fires of fury were quenched, concern and care immediately replacing them. A different flame in its entirety.
Whenever that happened, the hive fed well. Chrysalis wasn’t even sure Rainbow Dash understood the intensity of her feelings towards Fluttershy. Previous attempts had been made to force Fluttershy to cry and sob more often, in the hope that the love expressed by Rainbow Dash would coalesce in a way that was more consistent. These attempts had failed, as the burning rage of the rainbow-maned pegasus overrode the warming love she was feeling behind it all. It was a rage so hot that even Chrysalis had felt its effects. No more attempts of the like were made on any of the other six, in case a similar event were to happen.
She had since released the orange one, called Applejack, from her solid cocoon. This was an experiment. Once she had regained consciousness, her first emotions were of terror, but that was quickly replaced by worry for her friends. Chrysalis would never admit it, but she admired the tenacity of that one’s spirit. No matter what the situation, she would always be the rock her friends needed her to be. Her anger was comparable to Rainbow Dash’s own, but… less intense. It was almost in the background, while her emotions were mostly those of concern and protection of those around her. Whenever any of the other friends were being overcome by despair, she was always the one to offer her shoulder to those who needed to cry. She never took the time for herself, but Chrysalis could feel her own despair bubbling up behind the strong foundation she had made of herself. It wasn’t overwhelming yet, but if things didn’t change soon, Chrysalis was convinced she’d break.
Chrysalis didn’t want that. Broken creatures were nothing but black holes of despair that sucked all other emotions into them. The earth pony who was the group’s rock, was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. She would need to fix this somehow, or her whole hive might become compromised.
The alabaster one was of similar spirit to Applejack. Even while she was imprisoned, she did her best to keep her mane and coat immaculate and clean. The others called her Rarity, if Chrysalis was recalling correctly. Clearly she wasn’t happy about things though, there was only so much one could do with hoof and mouth. None of her swarm paid her much attention unless she was talking with them. They found her pleasant and warm. Chrysalis knew better though. She was constantly alert, waiting for the moment to arise, whatever that moment may be.
In her, Chrysalis sensed anger, yes, but above all else, determination. She hurt for her friends’ hardships, but she didn’t dwell on that. She instead focused her attention on constantly studying everything. And Chrysalis knew she was talking with her friends, trying to keep their spirits up, giving reports on what happened, guard schedules, and really anything that they would believe to be necessary to escape. Rarity didn’t know, of course, that Chrysalis was paying attention to her too. Already, Chrysalis had contingency plans within contingency plans in case she and her friends chose to exploit the weaknesses she had found.
The pink one was no longer cocooned. She was too valuable a resource to keep contained, but Chrysalis had to establish an entire division of drones to disperse the love that one projected across the whole hive in such a way that it wouldn’t overwhelm any one changeling. Chrysalis sensed only happiness and joyfulness inside that one, only fitting that she had a name like Pinkie Pie. Chrysalis couldn’t fathom it. She was also convinced that the only reason Applejack hadn’t snapped and been broken thus far was because Pinkie Pie was able to radiate hope and happiness that was palpable, even to those not emotionally sensitive.
It seemed that the six of them together empowered each other, built off of each other’s strengths and covered each other’s weaknesses. She had reasoned that the best way to keep Applejack from exploding into despair that would suck even the happiness of the unfathomable Pinkie Pie out of existence, would be to make sure they were all together and free as she could make them.
The lilac one… She was the quietest amongst the group. The others called her Twilight Sparkle. She contained more curiosity than anger. The only real anger she felt was when Chrysalis or another changeling appeared in Celestia’s form. She also radiated fear and worry anytime she looked upon the cocooned form of Celestia. But within those deep emotions, were undertones of sorrow. She ached for the unconscious form of the princess.
Chrysalis was most fascinated by her out of all of them. As perplexed as she was at Pinkie Pie’s constant cheer, Twilight seemed to see her predicament as an incredible opportunity to learn something new.
Chrysalis was worried though. Her hive was showing signs of going hungry again. Canterlot still had many ponies in it to drain, but… they weren’t being replenished fast enough. Slowly, she could feel the whole hive on the start of the journey they had gone down before. Even if her hive didn’t see it, she could see the dwindling resources of love.
She needed to figure something out before her hive teetered into starvation again.
***
Chrysalis knew her hive would fall if she didn’t figure out how to resolve the issue of the despondent ponies. She just… couldn’t understand it. Everything had gone so well! Why was everything going so wrong now? Even worse, she had nocreatrure to turn to. Unless…
She turned to look towards the group of ponies who she had kept alive and together for the past three months.
Surely even they won’t turn me away if I explain to them that my hive… is quite possibly on the verge of extinction.
She took a deep breath, and approached the ponies. She didn’t bother trying to speak to Rainbow Dash, her rage burned brightly enough that she would never be able to get through to her. She also ignored Fluttershy, who was cowering in fear. Rainbow Dash laid beside her, and whispered quietly into Fluttershy’s ear, who calmed down a bit, and leaned into her comforter with a shuddering sigh. Rainbow Dash glared at Chrysalis as if she dared her to get closer, one wing draped over her special friend.
She stopped in front of Rarity.
“I… need help.” Chrysalis admitted.
The unicorn stared at her in shock. Then shook her head, and stared again.
“Why… should I help you at all, you brute?”
She asked, acid in her voice. Chrysalis flinched internally. There was no talking with this one either. She mumbled something akin to an apology, and moved on. Applejack just shook her head, looking over, concerned at Fluttershy. Chrysalis then stopped by Pinkie Pie
“I need--” she started, but was immediately interrupted.
“You need to talk to Twilight, not any of us.” The earth pony said quickly.
Chrysalis blinked, then turned away, finally making her way to the only one left. Twilight Sparkle, who was asleep at the moment. Chrysalis prodded her with her hoof until she gently awoke. A small spike of fear, quickly beaten back as a burning curiosity overcame her.
“What did you need, Queen Chrysalis?”
That was another thing Chrysalis found fascinating about the unicorn. She always referred to Chrysalis as ‘Queen Chrysalis,’ never changing. Never calling her anything less, or more.
“I need… help. My hive is…” She paused, then lowered her voice so her drones wouldn’t overhear her. “My hive is on the verge of extinction. Even if they don’t see it, it’s becoming harder and harder to find creatures to feed on.”
The unicorn regarded her silently. Then something seemed to click in her head.
“That’s why you expanded into Canterlot… isn’t it? You weren’t invading… you were only doing what was best for your hive in order to survive...”
Chrysalis hesitated, then not seeing any reason to be anything less than transparent with the only creature that seemed to be willing to hear her out. She nodded.
“Yes. Our previous hunting grounds were becoming more and more diminished. My drones were starving to death… I could feel them as they took their last breaths.”
A spark of sympathy radiated from Twilight, Chrysalis ignored it and continued.
“I had no choice but to move the hive, or we would've been wiped out. I regret that we had to resort to invasion… but at the time I didn’t see any alternative.”
“Do you… see an alternative now?”
Chrysalis fell silent. Did she?
Yes.
She decided. Having been around these ponies for so long, not just the six she held captive, but also the ones she addressed, wearing the form of their princess; these ponies thrived on harmony and peace. Perhaps if she’d just made an appeal she’d have been able to achieve the same goal without violence… She bowed her head.
“Yes. I now see that I was… too fast in my decision. Too desperate. Perhaps I could’ve done this all without harming the ponies of Equestria. I just don’t know how I can recover from this now. If I reveal myself to the world, they will react with righteous anger, and invade. Or worse, cease to trust each other… therefore making this a barren place devoid of love and trust. This is… a situation desirable to no one.”
The unicorn was studying her, and Chrysalis could even feel the burning gazes of the other five on her. A wave of several complicated emotions radiated from all of them. Anger, confusion, disgust, sympathy, sorrow, pity, distrust… sadness? It all swam around them, permeating everything. Her changelings in the area were staggering about, confused. She sent them away, assuring them that she’d be fine alone. They left reluctantly, but unable to go against her will.
“Queen Chrysalis, I can assure you that as a member of the races of Equestria that we are very forgiving of our enemies.” She chuckled lightly. “For better or for worse. It’s what’s so inspirational about us, I feel. We inspire friendship and harmony in all that we encounter. It’s our greatest strength, but without caution, it’s also our greatest weakness.”
Chrysalis couldn’t help but agree. It was… stirring. Even when the ponies of Canterlot were drained of love, they still banded together, and worked through hardships. Constantly striving to regain what they had felt they had lost.
“I have to agree with you. You ponies are… something else entirely. Are you really sure I can recover from this?”
The unicorn was still studying her.
“It won’t be easy, and it will be a long journey. But yes, I believe you should be able to.”
Chrysalis sighed. That was more of a relief to hear than she thought it would be.
“Very well, how do I start?”
The unicorn smiled.
“You’ll have to free us first.”
Chrysalis immediately didn’t like that.
“I’m… not sure I can do that. You must understand… I’m nothing more than a hostile force having taken over your capital… and the rainbow one in particular seems deadly angry most of the time.”
Twilight frowned.
“The first step of cooperation is trust. You have to trust that we’re willing to change, and work with you. I know I am, and while I can’t speak for my friends… I’m sure they will too.”
She then glared in the direction of the rainbow one.
“Whatever, long as they don’t hurt Fluttershy, I don’t care what they do.”
The rainbow one declared, shooting daggers at Chrysalis.
Me. She means me.
Chrysalis withered a bit in the ferocity and intensity of that stare.
I pity anycreature who would dare harm the one you love.
The rest of the ponies in the group were staring at Chrysalis. Desperate hope surrounding most of them, and sincere happiness from Pinkie Pie.
She knew this would happen… didn’t she? How is that even possible?
Chrysalis put that aside and instead focused back on the purple unicorn that was staring up at her, a soft smile on her face. Chrysalis sighed, and sent out a message across her hive, notifying them of what was happening next. Confusion nearly overwhelmed her senses, but then it subsided. They trusted her to do what was best for the hive. She cast the release spell, and the mucous membranes around the six ponies she had held captive for so long dissipated. They stared at their hooves, unsure if it was real or not. She then turned to the magic-absorbing rocks that she had kept in the area for self-defense. Silently, she commanded her generals to remove them, and destroy them. They complied without question, and with cries of joy, both the unicorns of the group cast the first spells they had in months, having felt the magical energy surge back into them.
With a whoosh and a pop, the Rarity suddenly looked and smelled immaculate, then she immediately started fussing over her friends. The lilac unicorn in front of Chrysalis gently used her magic to lift up Chrysalis’s chin.
“Chin up, your majesty. We’ll figure this out. I’ll be your liaison between the princesses and you. They’ll listen to you if I support you.”
Chrysalis looked up nervously to the three princesses, still unconscious and encased in hard mucus. She could dispel it with a simple spell but... she had no way of knowing what they’d do next with their own magic.
The unicorn’s words repeated themselves in her head. Mutual trust. If they weren’t going to trust her initially, it was up to her to show them that she could be trusted.
Determination now filled her being. She cast the spell, and prepared herself for what was to come.
***
Chrysalis carefully caught the three of the princesses in the air with her own magic, they were still regaining control of their movement, and wouldn’t have a chance to catch themselves before they’d slam into the ground. Soon as they were upright and standing on their hooves, she felt three different reactions within them.
Within Celestia, she felt confusion, then anger, quickly squashed by happiness when her eyes fell on Twilight. These two clearly had a connection, the love flowing between them was almost palpable.
Within Luna, she felt fear, followed by anger. She was the first to act, casting a spell, and summoning moonlight-silver armor into existence around her body; two swords of pure moonstone also appeared beside her, and she nearly charged into a fight. Then she noticed that all the ponies in the area were free, and that her sister was looking on in curiosity at Chrysalis. She hesitated, not acting on instinct, but still ready for a fight nonetheless.
Within Cadence, she felt love directed towards Twilight, not as intense as Celestia’s, but still significant and deeply rooted, as well as a similar curiosity that Twilight exhibited. She was still tense, as if she was ready for a fight, but she had no arms or armor. Her stance looked like a fusion of that of a dancer’s and a soldier’s. She too looked to Celestia, and waited.
Celestia was the first to speak. In a voice tense, but still beautiful and full, washed over Chrysalis.
“What is going on here? Twilight? I need an explanation. Is this an illusion?” Her eyes hardened as she shifted her look to Chrysalis. “What is it that thou hast done with my student?”
Chrysalis stumbled back from the sheer volume and power of the voice, quickly signaling that all was well to her hive, before they burst into the room, swarming to protect their queen.
“Princess! Calm down! It’s me, it’s really me, Twilight!”
But Celestia was already moving. With a battle cry, she charged Chrysalis, magic coalescing in her horn. Behind her, the other two princesses were charging too. Following their princess.
Time seemed to slow down. Chrysalis could see everything. The growing horror on the face of Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy covering her eyes, and trembling, Rainbow Dash, who wasn’t sure if she should be charging Chrysalis like her princesses, or to hold back like her friend. Applejack staring on with a neutral expression on her face, Rarity covering her mouth, and Pinkie Pie looking, for the first time that Chrysalis had ever seen, worried. At the same time, she could feel her hive responding to her own fear. It was nearly overwhelming as she held them back. Ordering them to not engage. She could feel their thoughts.
Our queen is in danger. We must protect the queen.
No! They couldn’t! She had to prove herself to be no threat!
If our queen is dead, the hive will die.
But if the hive protected their queen, the hive might still die.
This all happened in the matter of a second. And then Celestia was upon her. Chrysalis grit her teeth, and focused on simply staying alive. A bolt of burning magical energy singed her mane, as she ducked out of the way. A near miss. Celestia didn’t just have her magic though, she now had a blade of what looked to be pure sunlight grasped in her magical grip. It was twice Chrysalis’s size.
A sudden cold pain raced across her side. She hissed, as she turned her attention to her other assailants. The lunar diarch had slashed into her, and was about to strike with the other sword. The wound was ice-cold… and seemed to be spreading across her body. Then Chrysalis felt the breath knocked out of her, as Cadence buried her hoof into Chrysalis’s other side. That side felt numb, and she couldn’t move that side of her body easily. Chrysalis staggered backwards, and her hive responded to her pain. Overriding her commands. They burst inside, and formed up around their queen.
This… no… this can’t be happening! I wanted to avoid violence!
Twilight looked on, horrified.
“P-princess! Stop! You’re ruining this!”
Celestia slowly advanced on Chrysalis, flanked by Luna and Cadence. The hive hissed menacingly at the princesses who had dared attack their queen, but they held back. In spite of her pain, Chrysalis forced herself to maintain concentration. If her concentration broke… She didn’t want to think about what would happen.
“Twilight? What are you doing beside that creature?”
Twilight was suddenly next to her..
“It’s going to be okay Queen Chrysalis… we can still fix this.”
Chrysalis nearly fell, but caught herself. Cold. She felt cold. She looked at the vicious slash that Luna had given her, and saw silvery tendrils marching across her cracked carapace in a starburst formation.
Twilight was panicking, she clearly knew something Chrysalis didn’t. Twilight concentrated, a spell forming in her horn, and then she touched it to the center of the wound. Chrysalis had to bite down to avoid screaming at the white-hot pain that flared across her. But the coldness stopped spreading.
“Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings regrets her actions of invading Equestria. She acted out of desperation to save her hive.” Twilight declared boldly.
Celestia was not yet convinced.
“Impossible. That creature attacked us and our ponies without provocation. It is our solemn duty to put her down, as well as the rest of her despicable hive.”
And then Celestia was moving again. The changeling swarm moved too, and the two forces collided, as a bitter melee broke out. Chrysalis forced herself to think through the pain that still lingered.
Flee my children! Flee and protect yourselves! I can handle this! You must LEAVE. They will kill you without hesitation!
A ripple went through the swarm, and then as one they lifted off, leaving their queen to the fate of the three confused princesses.
I couldn’t save all of them...
Chrysalis thought sorrowfully, seeing the broken bodies of 4 drones and one of her generals upon the ground. She didn’t dare look closer at them. She didn’t want to see what they had endured to protect her. That wasn’t how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to protect them.
Chrysalis forced herself to stand up straight, and met the gazes of the princesses. Cadence and Luna started forward again, but halted when Celestia held up her hoof.
“Explain.”
With that simple command, Chrysalis knew that the only reason she and her hive weren’t smoldering ruins, having been burned by the fury of the sun, was because Twilight was there. Such power… she was lucky to have caught them all off-guard. And luckier still that she hadn’t decided to drain Twilight and her friends of their love.
Celestia’s gaze burned into her, and for the first time in many years. Chrysalis was afraid. Ignoring her fear though, she spoke clearly and confidently. She was a ruler, addressing another ruler. Not some squirming whelp of a grub.
“My hive was on the verge of extinction. Our previous hunting grounds were entirely drained of love, and we had nowhere else to go. I acted upon what I believed to be the most logical course of action for the good of the hive. I did not want to do what I did, but I--”
Chrysalis suddenly wasn’t able to speak, as she broke down into a ragged coughing fit. She felt woozy. Twilight was besides her again, murmuring words that Chrysalis couldn’t hear. All that Chrysalis could hear was ringing, and her vision was blurring. She leaned against Twilight, and through her pain, she felt the presence of several other creatures.
Rarity and Fluttershy had moved to help her. They supported her, didn’t allow her to fall. Rainbow Dash was looking on in disbelief, and Chrysalis could feel her confusion. Applejack had her stetson down over her eyes, as if she couldn’t bare to watch, but also couldn’t find it in herself to help. Pinkie Pie… she looked to be in another world. She was staring blankly into open space, her eyes glassy.
Why is Fluttershy helping me? She… She has no reason to, and she shouldn’t… I don’t deserve her kindness. Not yet. And Rarity… she called me a brute not too long ago. Why is she helping me?
Despite her confusion, Chrysalis couldn’t help but feel empowered by the kindness of Twilight and her friends. She found the strength in herself to continue.
“I saw no other choice. In my desperate haste, I failed to see that negotiation was an option. I will not excuse, nor justify my actions. But I will still stand beside them. I am willing to change now, for the good of both our nations. But my hive will always come first, above all other creatures.”
“And the sudden flight of your protectors?”
“I called them off. I did not release the three of you to fight.”
“Then why,” Came the voice of the younger sister. “Did they attack us?”
Chrysalis coughed again, and ignored the sticky sensation and the taste of iron that followed it.
“They were protecting their queen. Protecting me. They would fight for me, and they…” Chrysalis hesitated, and looked at the five changelings that lay dead on the ground before the rulership of Equestria. She was fighting tears. “...they would die for me.”
“Sister, I do not believe this creature. This could be a trick.”
Celestia regarded Luna, considering her words, then looked to Twilight.
“Twilight Sparkle, our most faithful student. Does the Queen of the Changelings speak truthfully?”
Twilight jumped, before nodding.
“Based on my studies of the hive during my… stay, here. Yes. The changelings operate on what seems to be a hive mind. They obey their queen. The changelings are similar to bees. Only, it’s not just pheromones that control the changelings, they’re also connected. She…” Twilight swallowed. “She likely felt everything when you killed her guards. It would be akin to a pony being killed mid-dream, Princess Luna.”
Luna recoiled from the dead bodies, and Chrysalis could feel horror emanating from her.
Yes… I felt everything. I always feel it when one of the hive dies…
“And worse…” Twilight continued, her voice soft with emotion. “One of the guards you killed has the markings of a general. These changelings seem to be more autonomous than the rest of the drones. He… he likely wasn’t acting on instinct to protect his queen. He truly loved and respected her, and chose to defend his queen to the death.”
Princess Cadence paled when she heard that, and she too looked down on the crumpled corpses, trying to find the dead general amongst them. Celestia’s eyes turned back to Chrysalis, and bored into her. Chrysalis had never felt more exposed in her life.
“And you… believe that the queen wishes for cooperation between our nations?”
Celestia asked, voice strong and unwavering. But Chrysalis could sense regret bleeding out of her, and across the ground. She knew, probably better than most, what it was that Chrysalis was now going through.
“I do, princess. She made her case quite clear to me, before agreeing to release you three and my friends in good faith to allow negotiations to commence. I have already volunteered my services as liaison between her and you.”
And the first thing you did was attack her, and kill her subjects.
Twilight’s words seemed to ring clear and unsaid across the battlefield. Celestia clearly didn’t miss the unsaid message, as she breathed a soft breath of pain. Twilight turned away from her, and instead focused on administering aid to Chrysalis’s wounds, whispering hushed commands to Rarity so she could help. As the healing magic washed through Chrysalis, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Celestia. She clearly valued Twilight Sparkle’s words, and the love between them was very clear. In fact, if Chrysalis didn’t know better, she’d have guessed that Celestia was Twilight’s mother. Or, at least Celestia felt that way. The love Twilight expressed was that of a friend, and student. Celestia forced herself through her internal pain, and spoke. Voice strong and clear as ever, revealing nothing.
“How many of our ponies were harmed in this invasion?”
Celestia asked, concern clear in her voice.
“Your ponies will all recover. None were drained to the point of real harm, and they will recover within a few weeks.”
Celestia regarded her, then her gaze became distant. Chrysalis looked on, confused. Chrysalis watched as several complicated emotions marched across Celestia’s psyche. Shame at not being there for her subjects, though they weren’t aware of it, regret at having reacted on instinct alone when they were freed, and pain at her surrogate daughter’s reaction to what she had done. Then her eyes softened, and she looked at Chrysalis with understanding and newfound respect.
“In the good faith of our student Twilight Sparkle, we agree to open negotiations. However, you must leave us to explain what happened to our ponies. We will meet on neutral ground in one month’s time, and we shall discuss it then. Our ponies will decide if you are worth trusting.”
Chrysalis bowed her head. She had no choice. She’d plead her case. Now the ponies would decide what happened next.
She desperately hoped they were as forgiving as Twilight claimed them to be.
***
Chrysalis was nervous. She stood on the border of Equestria, flanked by two of her most capable generals. Twilight and Rarity accompanied her. They were at the designated meeting point, and awaited the arrival of the princesses and their own delegations.
She knew she’d be outnumbered if it came to battle. But she doubted that would happen. She was more worried that the ponies of Equestria had rejected her plea for cooperation and negotiation. Her hive was okay for now, having been full for a long period of time while they occupied the heart of Equestria, but now with no other sustenance, as she had forbidden any draining of love from Equestrian citizens, she worried that they would suffer if the Equestrians denied her request.
She had been doing some thinking though, and experimenting. Her hive, always loyal to her, always trusting of her… they were as much her children as they were her subjects. She sensed similar love emanating from the princesses of Equestria.
Her experiments had borne some fruit though. She had theorized that reversing the act of absorbing love from creatures could result in transferring love from changeling to changeling. When two changelings transferred love to each other, instead of simply resulting in a net neutral feeling, or one feeling more drained than the other, they both had felt full, as if they’d drained a creature. The two were then able to transfer love to another set of two and the results were the same. Two, then four, then eight, then sixteen changelings had felt full of love. And onwards.
She reasoned that this could be used to save the hive if the Equestrians denied her proposal. They wouldn’t grow, but they would at least stay content and not starve. She assumed that other sources of love would be required to truly flourish, but she didn’t know that yet. She would need the support of the Equestrians to further that experiment, and that meant she had to secure a treaty with the rulership of Equestria. The sun glinted off three approaching chariots, all being flown by pegasi of varying degrees.
Celestia’s chariot was pulled by two pegasi adorned in golden armor. She could see no weapons, but she’d seen firsthoof what the speed of those pegasi were.
Cadence’s chariot was pulled by two pegasi adorned in crystalline armor, and they themselves shone as if they had coats of crystals. They were truly beautiful. Residents of the newly-reformed crystal empire, Chrysalis believed with no doubt.
The third chariot, Luna’s chariot, was carried by two pegasi who looked different from Celestia’s. Their armor was silver, much like the armor Luna had summoned to herself one month prior. And their wings, instead of being downy and feathered, were leathery and batlike.
Thestrals.
Chrysalis realized quickly. Well, she didn’t see an army approaching… so that was good news. Her generals did not follow her, and neither did Twilight or Rarity. This was a meeting amongst rulership. She walked with purpose forward to where the sky chariots were touching down. This was her best shot, if she brought the idea of living symbiotically with the Equestrians as opposed to like parasites… Maybe, just maybe the two nations could grow stronger. The meeting point was at the base of two hills. The four rulers would meet there, and their guard would hold position at the top of the opposing hills.
“Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings. You stand before us, awaiting judgement, and we stand before you awaiting your proposal. Speak plainly, or do not speak at all. What are the terms of the proposal you have in your mind?”
Chrysalis gulped. Even when her voice wasn’t magically enhanced, the voice of Celestia was still powerful. And commanded authority and respect. She was lucky that they were even here at all. Luna and Cadence stood silently beside Celestia, looking down on Chrysalis.
Chrysalis stood straight, and tall as she could. She was a Queen. Her voice carried weight.
“I have not been stagnant in my time away from Equestria. I have been looking at alternative ways to sustain my hive without draining a living creature. And my research has borne fruit!”
Celestia’s impassive expression didn’t change, neither did Luna’s. Cadence though, looked on in interest.
“As your student and my liaison Twilight Sparkle can tell you, we have discovered a phenomenon of sorts that we had never seen before. When changelings share their love, it flows between them in a mutually beneficial way. Both changelings are filled, and can spread their love to others in the hive. In this way, we can sustain ourselves without draining anycreature. The only issue is that we cannot change and evolve without the introduction of new love to us! I have not been able to find out what it’s like if another creature and a changeling were to interact in such a way, as I have ordered my hive to not touch your subjects. Twilight Sparkle kept many notes on the experiment, and subsequent theories that arose. This means that we will not starve if you refuse my plea to work together, but my proposal remains the same. I would like to integrate my changelings naturally into the nation of Equestria, they will be clearly shown to be changelings, and the hope is that the exchange of ideas and love will become mutually beneficial to the two of our great nations. I await your decision, with respect.”
Chrysalis surprised all creatures there, including her generals, her liaison and Rarity, as she lowered into a bow before the three princesses.
A long silence surrounded the area, and Chrysalis didn’t dare look up at the three princesses above her.
“Very well. You may rise, Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.”
Chrysalis did so, and looked up at the rulers of Equestria, heart swelling.
“You have presented your case to us, and we have already reviewed the files our student has kept on your experiments. And we are also aware of the fact that none of your swarm have fed on another pony throughout this month. Having presented this fact, and the research to the ponies of Equestria, we have found your proposal to be just, and fair. We agree to these terms, and hope that a greater alliance will arise from this agreement.”
Chrysalis almost couldn’t fathom what had happened. She had done it! She had secured an alliance with Equestria! She lowered her head.
“I… I thank you, Princess Celestia of Equestria. And all of you, princesses of your ponies. You… have no idea how much this means to my hive. To me.”
Celestia smiled warmly down upon her, as did Luna and Cadence.
“I promise to you, on my life and honor as a queen, that I will not waste this opportunity.”
Chrysalis couldn’t describe the feelings she was feeling, and that her whole hive was in turn feeling. She had done it. She had done it. She had done it! The times ahead would be hard, and stressful. Of that, she was certain. But she also knew for certain that things were going to get better.
This is how it was meant to be. This is how we’ll prepare. Prepare for anything!
Unbeknownst to Chrysalis and the three princesses, another creature had observed what had transpired. A dragon, having stayed hidden and out of sight, quietly made his way a safe distance, before taking off and flying towards the dragon lands.
An alliance between Equestria and the Changelings would be troublesome for their own plans. He had to let the High Talon know. Expansion had become much, much more difficult. They needed to change their plans, and delay their action. They needed to upset the balance of this alliance if they had any hope of expansion.
