Anima Insecti

"I'm sorry, Twilight, but it appeared as if you were neither asleep nor dreaming when I checked," Luna said with a shrug, taking a bite of her waffles. "I promised I'd keep an eye out, and I did."

Twilight slumped in her chair. "Then that matches with what my machines recorded. I know what I felt, it felt like a very vivid dream. And yet my brainwaves were not in delta. So if I was not asleep..."

"A sort of trance, perhaps?" asked Celestia.

"No...that would be in the theta range." Twilight said, shooting the idea down. "The brainwaves were extremely fast, beyond gamma, beyond hypergamma, falling in...wait, could it be?"

For a moment, there was just the sound of the two elder alicorns eating their breakfast, chewing thoughtfully as they stared at Twilight, waiting for her to continue. It didn't take too long. "Lambda brain waves!" She said, pounding her hoof on the table.

"And what are these lambda waves?" Luna asked.

"It's an extremely rare brain wave. Hardly any pony gets near it, though I know it is possible if one has the intent of reaching it, usually by intense meditation. It's associated with mystical and out-of-body experiences." She says, her eyes widening. "They're not dreams! The entity is pulling me into a state of higher consciousness!"

"...so...now what?"

"I...I'm not sure." Twilight deflated once again, running a hoof through her new mane. "Whatever it is, it doesn't want to hurt me, I can tell that much. But it seems intent on turning me into a changeling, whether I want it or not." She exhaled and tapped the table with her hooves. "I guess...the next course of action would be to talk to a changeling."

"Like Thorax?"

"Mmm, possibly." She replied, biting her lip. "I was thinking more along the lines of...Chrysalis." Thankfully Luna had just finished swallowing her last bite of her waffles, or else she would have choked on the syrupy bread.

"Her?! Need we remind you of her past actions, Twilight?" Luna scoffed. "This is insanity."

"Lulu, hush." Celestia spoke up, giving her sister a pointed look before addressing Twilight. "Twilight, while I will admit to my own misgivings about seeking out Chrysalis, she...she might well be the one with answers, much as I hate to admit it."

"What if Chrysalis is behind this?" Luna countered.

"That...is also a very real possibility." Celestia conceded. "I don't like it, but I'm not going to stop you, Twilight. Go on and find her. Hopefully she is willing to help. And if she is behind this, then by Solaris will she have some explaining to do."

***

At first, Twilight wasn't sure how to go about finding a changeling queen in hiding. Would she be tucked away somewhere in the furthest reaches of the Badlands? Hmm, maybe. Or, given her desire for fresh emotional energy, was she in one of the populous Equestrian cities, blending in with a disguise? Sounds promising...

"Why don't you just ask to meet her?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Twilight turned to regard Spike with utter disbelief. He'd been watching her pondering over the problem for some time now, sitting on a stool and kicking his feet. "Run that by me again."

"Just ask to meet her?"

"Do you know how ridiculous that sounds, Spike?"

"But you were the one that told me that it never hurt to ask. Maybe ask, but uh...phrase it in a certain way to get her attention?"

Twilight opened her mouth, then slowly clamped it shut, the cogs turning in her head. "That...actually, that could work, Spike. I apologize." She levitated over a piece of parchment and her writing quill. "It certainly couldn't hurt, you're right. And if it doesn't work out, well...at least we can say we tried it. But now...what to say?"

Spike leaned on his fist, matching the furrowed brow of his sister. Then his eyes lit up and snapped his fingers. "I got it! What if you do a personal ad, and you say you're looking for someone with knowledge of rare and arcane books, and specifically a black book of possible changeling origin?"

"Spike...that...that's brilliant!" She shouted, and pulled him into a warm hug, teasing his headfrills with her newly acquired fangs.

***

And so the personal ad went out, expedited into the next edition of The Equestrian Times (one of those perks of being royalty). It read thus: Seeking an expert in arcane tomes, specifically in reference to an abyssal black tome of possible(?) changeling origin. I will meet at a place of your choosing. If you feel you can help, then please reach out to me ASAP. - Dusk Shine. Twilight knew that putting her actual name would draw too much attention, and likely much of it unwanted, so she used the pseudonym 'Dusk Shine'. Hopefully that would fly over everypony's heads and be caught by the one creature she was looking for: Chrysalis. Chrysalis may have been many things, but Twilight knew she wasn't stupid. And by letting Chrysalis decide the location of the meeting, it would give the changeling queen the control she desired and make her more amenable to the request. Now, all she had to do was wait.

The evening edition of the paper went out, and she sat up with Spike, drinking cocoa, eating snacks, and watching a Power Ponies movie with him. Though she much preferred the magic of her imagination combined with a good book, she had to admit that the film was entertaining in its own way. Besides, it was worth it, seeing her little brother so enthusiastic and almost unable to sit still, moving about as if he was a character in the film itself. Seeing him like that reminded her that she needed to spend more time with him; family was important, and she couldn't let it fall completely to the wayside because of her royal duties (or her current situation).

All the stress and worrying had her on the verge of nodding off, when a polite knock came from the castle's front door. She zoomed to the entrance, leaving a snoozing young dragon curled up on the couch. Twilight practically ripped the door open in her haste, startling the pony on the other side. "Yes?" She asked, eyes sparkling.

"A reply came to your ad, 'Dusk'." The messenger pony, a thestral mare with a grey coat and a wine-coloured mane and tail, gave her a knowing wink, handing her the message. "Don't worry, princess, your secret is safe with me. Oh, and nice fangs, by the way." With that, the thestral was off, leaving a blushing Twilight standing in the open door of her castle.

Closing the door behind her, she retreated back inside, and made her way back to the couch, gently sitting down on her side so as not to stir Spike from his sleep. She unfolded the message, and this is what it said: I believe I have some answers to your questions, Dusk. Meet me at midnight in Whitetail Woods. Yours truly, Madame Butterfly.