Chrysalis brooded. Not in the sense that she was doing anything particularly motherly. She brooded in the sense that she was cutting back another exasperated sigh as she waited, impatiently, recalling the day this all began.

The changelings were immediately on board, having to stop themselves from cheering. Even though it was small, she had the hive. Together they would prosper.

It was in that spirit that Chrysalis found herself doing a lot of nothing. They had reached the Crystal Empire. They snuck aboard trains and disguised themselves as small animals. They had stored up love for a month and made the rough journey through the cold, disguised as beasts well suited for the climate.

Their plan was simple: Infiltrate in small groups. One or two new creatures was a surprise. Six was an event. With the safety of her hive in mind, she'd elected to go last. If any suspicion grew, it would be her that it would likely fall on.

The hive had become insubordinate at this suggestion, but seeing as it was out of concern for her, she had elected to ignore it.

The crux of her plan relied on being able to get into the royal castle without suspicion. This was easy and difficult at the same time. The Crystal Heart itself was simply out in the open and available for any Crystal Pony to waltz up and have a look. She supposed the thing acted as some sort of disgusting "symbol of hope." The thought made her want to gag.

The real issue, however, was two-fold. The heart was guarded daily at all times of day by two guards. Secondly, taking the heart would let the winter winds in, slowing down cold-sensitive changelings and causing a big stir. There was no way to simply sneak it out without a scene.

So the plan was to create a scene.

It was important she and most of the changelings became trusted community members. This would alleviate suspicion. Then one of her officers would take the shape of King Sombra, launching a false attack. It was highly likely the crystal ponies didn't know he was gone for good. Well, assuming that it wasn't another one of Discord's little tricks.

She blinked and shook herself a little. She was so lost in her machinations that she hadn't realized it was nearly time. She shifted to a simple unicorn, alibi already prepared. It was time for her first shift.

The Laughing Nirik was a recent up-and-coming noodle joint run by an owner now in over her head. The titular chef put out a call for a waitress, and although she had options, Chrysalis chose this one. She had sensed a tiny bit of shape-change magic about the alleged Kirin. With any luck they were another changeling. Should her plans fall apart she could use her queenly presence to bully the bug into obeying her true Queen.

Arriving at the door to the restaurant, the owner was just opening up. Though she was a Kirin, she had black and blue fur with hints of red, reminding one of their wrathful counterpart. Chrysalis was old enough to remember them before their seclusion, but the species as a whole had an air of mystery to them.

The Kirin finally noticed her and turned with a smile.
"Oh, good! You're here! How are you this morning?" Terrible.

"I'm doing well, thank you!" she lied, faking a grin. "Pretty nervous for my first day!" Only slightly true. She was certain she could handle the job.

"Understandable, but there's no need to be. I'm positive you'll do great!" Barf. Of course she would. What a stupid thing to say.

With - thankfully - no other words exchanged, she was allowed to enter. The inside of the place had what she presumed was traditional Kirin decorations and architecture. Tons of naturalistic decorations, earthy browns and greens, and the occasional splash of color to make it pop. All and all out felt like she had just stepped into a giant tree.

It's why she was relieved to see that with a quick glance of her arcane eye, it was indeed fireproofed. Simple enough work to do on such a small scale, but highly necessary, she imagined.

"Pretty nice, right? It's like a little slice of home." The Kirin gave her a very un-Nirik-like smile. She had to admit, the sign fit.

"So where are you from?"

Most lesser creatures would be caught offguard, but every infiltrator was prepared for a moment like this. She should know. She taught them. Her backstory was already prepared. She wasn't Chrysalis, she was Moon Glow.

"Well, I actually used to live here! But after the empire was freed from our whole curse thing, I wanted to see how much the world had changed," answered 'Moon Glow'.

"Ah! And now you're back home again?" asked the firebreather. She made sure to nod her head yes and give a big smile.

"Well, I think introductions are in order. As you know my name is Sunset Snow, and I've been in the restaurant business since the silence broke." That checked out. She had extremely little intel on Kirin, but that was the one thing she did know about.

"I heard about that on my travels. Must have been rough. I can't imagine not being able to express yourself..."

"It was," she agreed. "But in the end, it helped me learn some things about myself... So it wasn't all for nothing, I suppose." The Kirin gave a thoughtful nod. "Have you ever worked as a waitress before? It's pretty simple, but I can run you though the ropes if need be."

Chrysalis paused. She could lie and pretend she couldn't figure it out, for potential 'bonding' with her employer. But she decided against it. She would be here for awhile already

"No, I'm OK! I think I've seen a register like this one before."

"Well, we have just a little bit before open. I'll be in the kitchen. Stop me if you need literally anything. I'd rather be annoyed then have my only employee in a tight spot."

'Moon Glow' nodded and prepared herself mentally for her work.

Author's Note

Hiya! i have more chapters basically already prepared but you'll need to wait~!

This one's chapter title is based on a song from djmax technika 3. Not sure I ever actually played it though.