“No one is coming to rescue you, they don’t even know where you are” Queen Chrysalis purred, circling the two royals she had captured. “So you may as well just give me what I want.”

“You will never get the Elements of Harmony.” Shining Armour defiantly shouted from his bindings.

“Twilight will find us and stop you!” Cadence agreed, “She’s already looking for us!”

“‘Princess’ Twilight will never find you!” Chrysalis crowed, “Your pony magic doesn’t work in my Hive!” the interrogation was interrupted by a changeling soldier slamming open the door to Chrysalis’s throne room and rushing to his Queen’s side.

“WHAT!?” Chrysalis roared after a few hushed words, “Find and capture them! Immediately!”

-*｡･.:༄*:･----✶-❦-♬----*｡･.:༄*:･-

“Dun-dun, dudun duuuun, dundapdooo.” Pinkie sang quietly under her breath, Fluttershy quietly giggling beside her as the six mares breached the entrance to the Changeling Hive. Changeling drones were everywhere, buzzing from pillar to hole to wall at seeming random, but was really just them following the hive’s natural pathways.

“Alright Pinkie, you have the best chances of navigating in here,” Twilight whispered. “You should lead us.”

“Sure thing Twilight!” Pinkie bounced, choosing a path that felt right and following it. As soon as she was out of sight, however, a distinct squeal rang out and by the time even Rainbow rounded the corner, there was no sign of Pinkie.

“This isn’t good,” Rainbow mentioned.

“Not good at all, darling.” Rarity agreed.

The girls pressed on, sticking as close together as possible. Without Pinkie guiding them with her pinkie-sense, they kept finding themselves at random exits. After what felt like hours and five missing friends, Twilight found herself alone, desperately tracing and retracing her steps trying to find the way deeper into the Hive.

Twilight scampered from pillar to shadow and back again, the ever-changing hallways and staircases and doorways only serving to confuse her. She turned yet another corner only to find yet another open exit, she groaned and stomped a hoof before turning around and retracing her steps yet again.

Another ten turns, and several minutes later Twilight finds herself right back where she started, again. She was about ready to give up and call on Princess Celestia when two black, chitinous, hooves wrapped around her midsection, causing her to squeak and lifting her off the ground.

“Lemme go!” Twilight screeched, horn sparking in an attempt to defend herself. Whatever enchantment the changelings had to prevent magic was still working however so it only left her with a headache and still within the grasp of her captor.

The Changeling soon deposited her on the ground in what looked like a throne room in front of Chrysalis herself.

“Finally.” The Queen sighed.

“Cadence!” Twilight called spotting her sister-in-law, “And Shining Armour too? Where’s Flurry?”

“She’s holding her somewhere else.” Pinkie accused, pointing a damning hoof at Chrysalis.

“Pinkie! Girls!” Twilight called, “What do you want Chrysalis?”

“What do I want?” Chrysalis asked, “I want the Elements of Harmony! I will finally be unstoppable!”

“Oh yeah?” AJ challenged.

“You’re never getting the Elements!” Rainbow crowed, “You don't know where they are!”

“Idiot ponies!” Chrysalis shouted, “You will be the ones to tell me!”

“No way!” Pinkie shouted.

“Preposterous!” Rarity agreed.

“Silence!” Chrysalis stomped a hoof, silencing the ponies, “Now that all the interlopers have been captured, nopony will be coming for you, your precious Princesses don't know where you are, your very freedom hinges on me, I want the Elements of Harmony and you are going to give them to me.”

“Discord knows where you are, it’s how we found you after all.” Fluttershy quietly states.

“Princess Celestia will find us!” Twilight states.

Chrysalis lets out a wordless screech, lifting Twilight in her toxic green magic. “You will tell me, this is my home, not even Celestia has enough power to challenge me here.” she hisses in her face before roughly throwing her into the other captives and storming out of the room.

-*｡･.:༄*:･----✶-❦-♬----*｡･.:༄*:･-

“Sister.”

Celestia turned to find Princess Luna landing gently on the balcony.

“It’s late, you should be asleep.”

“Luna.” Celestia sighed.

“Don't ‘luna’ me Tia. We agreed, no more all-nighters.”

“I know, I’m worried.”

“About Princess Twilight?” Luna settled beside Celestia, looking up at the rising moon.

“And Cadence as well, who knows what’s happening out there.”

“We know where the Hive is at least.”

“Yes, and no other ponies have been captured.”

“We will do what we can, but the Changeling’s protective barrier is still active and just as annoying as I remember it.” Luna pouted, leaning against her sister’s side. Celestia chuckled lightly, lifting her brush from the railing and running it through Luna’s star-scattered locks.

“Tiaaa,” Luna whined, squirming under Celestia’s ministrations, managing to lose only a couple stars before escaping. “Go to bed, I will guard our little ponies tonight.”

“As you command, your highness.” Celestia mock bowed, letting her long hair brush the ground beside her hooves, a smile playing at her lips. Luna laughs as she lifts off Celestia’s balcony.

“Goodnight, sister.”

-*｡･.:༄*:･----✶-❦-♬----*｡･.:༄*:･-

Fluttershy cried out as she was thrown into the wall once again by Chrysalis.

“Tell me where the Elements of Harmony are!” the Changeling Queen screams.

“No matter what you do to us.” Twilight coughed wetly, “We will never tell you where the Tree is.”

“The Tree?” Chrysalis purred, perking up. “And what exactly is this Tree?”

Twilight, realizing her mistake, clammed up as Chrysalis stalked toward her.

“My Queen.” a drone buzzed, interrupting the interrogation.

“What now?” Chrysalis groaned.

“The Night Lady is pressing on the barrier again.” the drone seemed almost apologetic.

Chrysalis sighed heavily, leaving the room with only a grumbled: “Keep an eye on the prisoners.”

Twilight and the others were grateful for the Night Lady, whoever she was, she was the only respite from Queen Chrysalis they could get. The changeling drone nervously checked the hall after Chrysalis left before beckoning a few of its fellows into the room. After a few buzzed words between them, they spread out between the ponies, the first changeling approaching Twilight herself.

“I mean no harm.” the changeling’s voice seemed masculine. “I mean to heal.”

“Oh, that’s kind of you.” Twilight accepted, allowing the changeling to bandage a small cut on her brow with a small amount of green jelly. She can hear Pinkie asking her changeling medic how it tastes.

“She’ll never give up, you know.” the kind Changeling whispered. “She’s stubborn like that.”

“We can't just give her the Elements, that’s not how it works,” Twilight informed him.

“But you must!”

“Even if we could we wont.” Twilight shook her head.

The changeling shook his head sadly, moving on to Twilight’s wings, the sticky jelly gluing her feathers together uncomfortably.

“It isn’t right.” he buzzed, “The way she treats you.”

“Who?” Twilight asked.

-*｡･.:༄*:･----✶-❦-♬----*｡･.:༄*:･-

“Princess, the perimeter is complete, the Guard is ready to infiltrate the Changeling Hive at your command.”

“Thank you Captain.” Celestia stood from her throne, “You are dismissed until further notice.”

Luna’s cool blue magic sputtered out as the Captain left the hall, sighing tiredly.

“Any luck?”

“Nay, the barrier stands stronger than previous.”

“Thank you Luna, you should get some rest.”

Luna nodded, rising unsteadily and flaring her wings in an attempt to steady herself.

Celestia watched worriedly as Luna left the hall, before turning to the southern windows. This little used hall was the sisters’ seat of power during conflicts large and small with windows facing each cardinal direction near the top of Canterlot Castle, and the place they had ruled from the past three days.

“Hang in there Twilight, we’re coming.”

-*｡･.:༄*:･----✶-❦-♬----*｡･.:༄*:･-

“I am losing my patience.” Chrysalis growled as she entered the ponies’ cell, “you will tell me where the Tree of Harmony is today.”

“And how exactly do you plan on making us tell you?” Cadence challenges, “It’s pretty clear that you aren’t willing to seriously hurt any of us, nor are you going to kill us.”

“And trying your ‘truth serum’ on us again is going to be less than helpful.” AJ added.

Chrysalis chuckled and tapped her hoof on the ground twice, summoning a few changeling drones. “Oh you’ll tell me.” the drones spread through the ponies, sticking them in place with a generous application of green jelly.

“I’m sorry.” the drone whispered to Twilight as he stuck her down, the same changeling that had been caring for her wounds.

“Because if you don't…” Chrysalis continued, tapping her hoof again once the ponies were all restrained. “I will kill your precious foal.”

The door opened.

Author's Note

Again, I wanna give a huge thanks to my editor, Ellie for helping me show this story some more love. You dah best, girlfriend!