The only light in the caves came from the soft green glow of the cocoons, but a changeling would have been home in complete and utter darkness. It was the most heavily fortified location that their hive had, guarded constantly by no less than a dozen changelings practically indoctrinated from birth into defending this place with their lives. The only others allowed inside were those who tended to the young, a select few that practically lived within this cave. The only ones who could come and go freely were Chrysalis herself and her mother.
Queen Chrysalide was in the midst of the cocoons right now, her eyes closed and her jagged horn glowing a vibrant green color, warmth and love radiating outwards to the cocoons which seemed to glow brighter in response. To the side, the young changeling princess watched and waited patiently as her mother worked.
Minutes passed and soon the green glow faded to a dim light and then went out completely, the changeling queen opening her eyes and letting out a breath before spotting her daughter sitting close by. "Aren't you supposed to be in lessons right now?"
"You know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important mother," came the reply. "Several messages from our soldiers recently came in but they know better than to disturb you during feeding."
The queen smiled and relaxed in her sitting position. "And considering they have used you as their messenger, I take it the news is not good either," she observed. "It's good to see their self-preservation instincts are working, but you really shouldn't let them shirk their duties onto you."
"If it helps, I made him grovel and beg for a full minute before I accepted his request," said the queen's daughter with a mischievous smile.
"Adequate," responded the queen with a carefully serious look on her face that soon dissolved into a chuckle. "Well then, what news do you bring me?"
"Mara has gone missing."
The queen's face remained carefully blank. "How long ago?"
"Unsure. Only she was aware of the meetings between her and the changelings in the field. We only got the report when she didn't show up for an exchange, so probably around an hour or two."
"There's more," said the queen as a statement of fact, her voice calm.
"The scouts who have been watching Queen Terranim's changelings have reported them missing as well, for at least a day now."
"Interesting." There was a long thoughtful moment of silence before the queen spoke again. "What do you make of this Chrysalis?"
Figuring that this was a test, Chrysalis put her mind to work. "It can't be the ponies themselves, otherwise there would be panic. Do you think it's...another queen?"
"That is a possibility, though the far more likely explanation is that Terranim is simply playing games with us. Testing the limits of our truce and so forth."
"But I thought Mara was one of your best! She's been with the hive since I was hatched!"
"A rather potent psychological blow, wouldn't you say? In one move, you remove a threat and make your enemy fearful of what else you might know."
"Should we retaliate?" asked Chrysalis uncertainly.
"Perhaps. There are a few options available to us. Do me a favor and tell Yensil to take care of his mark on your way out. He'll know what I mean."
"Wait, you mean to tell me that there were two changeling hives near Ponyville?" I asked incredulously.
Chrysalis nodded calmly, taking a sip of her tea. "My mother's hive, and the one belonging to Terranim. Both of us had changelings in Ponyville and Canterlot. With Celestia so close, ponies were far more warm and welcoming to others. Dignitaries were visiting all the time from all over the world so it was easier to slip in changelings unnoticed on the grounds that they were simply foreign visitors. Even the ambient love Celestia has for her subjects is powerful enough to subsist on."
"So...this is like a prime feeding ground for you then?"
The queen nodded. "And hotly contested as well. My mother Chrysalide and the queen of the other hive Terranim had an uneasy truce for about a decade and while I'm sure either queen would have been happy to take the opportunity to remove the other from power, both were content to keep to themselves so long as they could keep their hives fed."
"So what happened then?"
Chrysalis sighed and gave me a humorless smile. "It turns out I had been right all along."
"There was a third queen? How could three hives of changelings possibly exist near Canterlot without someone knowing?"
"Simple really. They couldn't."
It had taken over a month to set this meeting up. Changelings lived and thrived on deception and subtlety so any sort of meeting was an opportune time for back stabs, assassination attempts, and reconnaissance. Even the location changed no less than four times before Terranim and Chrysalide were satisfied, but it was justifiable paranoia all the same. Losing a queen wasn't the absolute end of a hive, but it did leave things disorganized and vulnerable to enemies.
At the center of the dimly lit cave stood Chrysalide, flanked by six changelings as she waited for the other queen. Off to the side was Chrysalis, surrounded by four soldiers herself while two bound prisoners were the focus of the rest. Twelve in all, though several dozen more were on the outskirts of the meeting place, ready to come at the queen's call.
"Is she not going to show?" asked the changeling princess after several long moments of silence.
"She will show. She is merely searching for ambushes or potential traps at the moment."
"How can you tell?"
"Because it is what I would do were our roles reversed."
Seconds ticked by and Chrysalis tried to stay interested, but her eyes were soon wandering and her thoughts drifted. Her mother had described these games of intrigue as dangerous and exciting and her many stories reflected that. Right now though, it just seemed to involve a lot of waiting and mistrust.
"They're here," said the queen rather suddenly, a faint buzzing sound filling the cave as the changelings from the other hive began to make their appearance. The soldiers came first, looking around the cavern, though none of them moved beyond the invisible boundary that indicated Chrysalide's territory.
At long last, the other changeling queen emerged, walking calmly into the dimly lit cavern while twelve soldiers moved into formation around her. "Queen Chrysalide," greeted Terranim as her own prisoners were brought forward. Mara was among them. "And Princess Chrysalis as well."
"Queen Terranim," responded Chrysalide.
Since the forms of changelings were naturally malleable, how they presented themselves was often a matter of personal taste. Terranim's hive was distinguished by their silver markings and the queen reflected that in the pattern of her translucent wings and the highlights of her tail and mane. Terranim thought it make her look ageless. Chrysalis just thought it made her look old.
"I sincerely hope you are not trying to pass off your drones as prisoners," said Chrysalide after a long moment of silence.
"And I could say much the same about you," responded Terranim, pointing one of her legs at the captives Chrysalide had bound.
"Interesting. Did your interrogation reveal which hive they were from?" said the green tailed queen, quickly shifting gears.
Terranim shook her head. "Not a word from either of them no matter what techniques I tried. They are either fiercely loyal or simply not intelligent enough to betray their secrets." A discreet nod passed between the queen and a guard, one of the changeling drones approaching the bound captives. In a single swift move, he brought his leg down upon Mara's neck, filling the cave with a disturbing sound. Chrysalide and Terranim never broke eye contact.
"Tell me what sort of markings you see," said the silver maned queen.
"Red markings around the feet and wings," came the raspy voice of the changeling in charge of the prisoners. "And a red mark in a lightning bolt pattern across the back."
"So there is a third," said Chrysalide finally, stating what everyone was thinking. "A rather vain and young one if her markings are any indication."
"Or one who simply wishes to send a message," retorted Terranim. "She did manage to catch two of my hive after all."
"But in doing so she has tipped her hand somewhat."
"It either speaks of excessive confidence or arrogance. Regardless, this changes little between us." It was a lie and both queens knew it. Plans were already forming on both sides now that a somewhat-certainty had become an absolute certainty.
"Of course," said Chrysalide amicably with a small smile.
The conversation dissolved into more mundane things. Hinting at possible plans, alluding to prisoners, and thinly veiled warnings. The soldiers on each side continued to glare daggers at one another while Chrysalis tried to not look bored. The interesting part of the night had passed and things had dissolved into little more than a cordial, if someone tense, business meeting.
"It was a pleasure meeting with you again Queen Terranim," said the emerald queen, drawing Chrysalis out of her thoughts. "I shall send word if there are any developments."
"And I shall do the same," said the silver queen with a nod of her head. Chrysalide was the first to leave, her soldiers and prisoners in tow, not looking back.
"So what happens now?" asked the changeling princess once she was sure they were out of earshot.
"Now? We send a message to the red queen and find out what game she is playing," she said, gesturing towards the two captives. "I have little doubt that Terranim will be doing the same."
"More waiting then?" said the princess with a sigh.
"Patience my dear daughter. Games of intrigue take time to unfold."
My pen paused as queen Chrysalis stopped talking. I had to admit, she was a good storyteller. Maybe she had inherited her mother's talent for making these games seem interesting even if the reality involved long periods of waiting in between brief moments of excitement.
"So what happened then?" I asked once the moment of silence had been drawn out to the point of awkwardness.
"Patience Twilight," she said, her eyes mischievous. I knew right then and there that I wasn't going to get another word out of her. Maybe it was her way of insuring that she'd get another night together by promising more of the story then.
I bit back my disappointment and tried not to let it show. It had taken a while for the implications to really sink in, but now the possibilities were growing by the second. Chrysalis was an opportunity to do new, never before documented research about a species that had long been shrouded in mystery. History, social structure, magical abilities...it was all here, calmly drinking my tea.
"I can taste your excitement Twilight," she murmured. "It's quite invigorating. Having the chance to study a new species must be quite an opportunity for you. Are you still looking to get your own book published?"
"First, that's really creepy. Feel free to keep that information to yourself. Second, how did you know about that?" I asked, my eyes narrowing once again.
"Well, it's an ability Changelings have that allow us to sense the emotional state-"
"I meant about the book!" I snapped.
"Really Twilight, it wasn't terribly hard to find out information about you. You're a rather popular pony even outside of Ponyville. The white mare, Rarity, is a treasure trove of gossip and was quite eager to sing your praises when she was fitting one of my minions for a dress."
I resisted the urge to rub my head with a hoof. I cared for Rarity dearly, but she could be a bit loose with her tongue if approached in a friendly manner. Still, it's not like I told her to keep it a secret or anything. My attention was drawn back to her as the insect like wings fluttered a bit, the queen taking a new position on the cushion and looking somewhat restless. A quick glance at the clock on the wall showed me that we'd been at this for some time now, though fatigue was the very last thing I was feeling.
"Tell me Twilight, would you like a practical demonstration of my abilities?" asked the changeling rather suddenly, standing up and stretching out her wings. "I'm quite happy to regale you with tales until your ink runs dry, but you'll never really learn about me from word of mouth alone."
"Could you possibly say that in a way that sounds less ominous?" I asked, going for a snide remark to buy me time to think on what she was offering. Since her magic and her shape shifting powers were sealed, there was little question as to what she had in mind and about a hundred reasons to refuse it. At the same time I owed it to Celestia and Luna to find out as much as I possibly could about her.
"You know better than anyone all of the contingencies that have been put in place for my visit. Just how much of a risk is it to you?" asked the queen calmly.
Letting out a sigh, I dropped the pen and let it rest on the paper. She wasn't going to try anything tonight. Luna's guards were no doubt outside right now, keeping an eye on the place and Celestia herself was planning to look me over tomorrow and make sure I wasn't under any sort of influence. "So...do you just bite someone and inject venom into them?"
Chrysalis chuckled lightly, obviously finding humor in my timidness. "Not unless I'm in a hurry. There is a far more gentle way to do it."
"And that is?" I asked, deeply suspicious.
Raising one of her legs, the black colored queen beckoned me forward. Cautiously, I scooted towards her while instinctively drawing upon my magic, still nervous about being so close to her. The next part happened so fast that it took me completely off guard. With a surprising amount of tenderness her leg slid beneath my neck and pushed up, drawing me level with her face. I had a moment to see her almost gleeful look before she descended, pressing her mouth to mine, tongue slipping past my half open mouth and darting inside and leaving a lingering taste and a tingling sensation behind.
A second passed, and then two. The magic I had been reaching for reacted to my panic and a violet explosion threw the two of us back, the queen crashing into the bookshelf opposite myself and causing several large volumes to tumble onto the ground and ruin Spike's hard work. I was the first to recover, levitating several books off of me as I glared at the heap Chrysalis had landed in. "What was...what was that?"
"The more pleasant method," said the queen with amusement as she shifted the books off of her. "What are you feeling right now?"
The magical rush from earlier slowly faded, new sensations starting to make themselves known throughout my body. "I feel...warm...hard to think..." I said aloud, my magic once again lifting the pen as I quickly jotted down the sensations as fast as the words came to mind.
"What else?" pressed the changeling queen, moving past her seat to stand directly in front of me.
"It's...like a feeling of safety..." I said, struggling to find the words. "Like I'm in the presence of someone I can trust completely."
This was the changeling's poison at work. I knew it even as I was writing these feelings down. It was hard to keep my mind straight as I was both simultaneously trying to explore the sensations while also resist them. The queen had a knowing look on her face as she stalked closer, nearly brushing against me.
"Do you prefer stallions or mares, Twilight?"
"Mares," I said automatically before my mind could catch up with the words. Horrified, I slapped a hoof to my muzzle, eyes wide as I looked up at her fanged grin.
"Put your hoof down and relax Twilight," she said, her voice firm but gentle. My leg shook just a bit but slowly pulled away from my mouth and rested on the ground.
"How many ponies know?" she asked after a moment, her voice still calm and gentle. Perhaps it was the poison but her voice sounded quite a bit like Celestia's right now. Warm and comforting, but firm as well.
"N-nopony..." I clenched my teeth as I tried to fight the answer this time but it still came out anyways. "Just you." Part of me wanted to scream at her to stop asking questions but another part of me was desperate to fight and see if I could throw this off under my own power.
"Do you find any of your mare-friends attractive?" asked the queen, her voice still light and gentle. Again the compulsion to answer rose but I managed to fight it back this time...for about a full second.
"Y-yes," I gasped out, sweating slightly, closing my eyes tightly so I wouldn't have to see Chrysalis' growing smile.
"Which-" Before she could finish the sentence my horn flashed with a brilliant violet color. The sounds in the library were suddenly cut off. I could read the motions of her mouth but no words came through for me to hear. A spell of deafness. I couldn't answer any questions or obey any orders I couldn't hear and with her magic sealed there was no way for her to communicate with me mentally either.
Letting out a breath that I couldn't hear, I looked up to Chrysalis and gave her a somewhat smug look though the brief sense of victory faded as I saw that her warm smile had turned into a full fanged grin. Slowly, she moved back towards a sitting position, relaxing back down on one of the cushions. I took this as a peace offering and lowered my spell as well, though I was prepared to snap it back into place at a moment's notice.
"Very clever Twilight Sparkle," she practically purred in approval.
"Your poison...it's strong..." I conceded after making certain that she wasn't about to sneak in a question on me while my guard was down.
"You shouldn't have expected anything less from a queen." There was a bit of pride in her voice now.
"Right...but about these questions-"
"Nothing you tell me will leave this library without your permission," she cut in, waving away my protests. "You still wish to continue your research yes?"
Compelled to answer, I let out a 'yes' even as I was nodding my head. Was there any way of resisting these effects without magic? I suppose it was my job to find out.
"Then I will ask you questions and give you the opportunity to study this as much as you'd like," said the queen in the tone of one who was bestowing a great honor or gift upon a subject. "Feel free to deafen yourself again if you don't think you can handle it."
I didn't really consider myself as competitive as Rainbow Dash, but I got an inkling that this is what Applejack must have felt like every time the pegasus baited her into a contest. If I didn't want her to hear the answer to something then all I had to do was deafen her instead. Swallowing my embarrassment I nodded for her to continue. How bad could her questions really get?
"Who was the first mare you had a crush on?"
Damn! "C-Celestia," I said after a full second and a half of resistance.
"You certainly have lofty goals," said the changeling queen, clearly having fun at my expense. "What about her do you like most of all?"
"It's just...how easy she makes things look. She's always graceful and poised and she makes everypony feel special just talking to them." My words were a bit halted and broken as I tried to resist the compulsion to answer, but eventually it came just like the others before it.
Even as she got one embarrassing answer after the next, my mind was still working on the sensations I was feeling and the pen continued to write down my thoughts. Every time she asked a question it felt like something was grabbing onto my mane and pulling, getting stronger and stronger until I gave her the answer she was looking for.
Not every question she asked me was about my secret desires. Some were completely mundane such as asking about my past, how I had met Spike, and my favorite things to eat, but every now and again she'd slip in a personal question. I quickly found out that it was possible to get away with half-truths in some cases and resisting the compulsion did get easier over time, but Chrysalis knew of this weakness as well and would often ask me to clarify or elaborate on my answers.
Finally it got to the point where my mind was almost clear again. Chrysalis' eyes glanced towards the clock and her smile faded just a bit. "You should be feeling the end of it about now, but just to be sure...which one of your friends do you find most attractive?" she asked, repeating the question that had panicked me into protecting myself with magic before.
"R...ra..." I stopped suddenly, my body trembling, and then I let out a breath. The effects were gone. I checked the time. Even the small amount she had given me had lasted almost an hour. Suddenly the fatigue of the mental battle I had been waging caught up with me and even remaining in a sitting position became difficult. "Side effects?" I asked groggily.
"Only when you try and fight it," said Chrysalis, walking over to my prone form, one of her legs gently brushing along my mane. I didn't have the strength to protest. "It will fade soon enough, but perhaps this is a good place to stop tonight."
I let out a yelp as Chrysalis' fore-hooves grabbed me around the middle and easily lifted me up and over her head, draping me across her back with my stomach resting upon the green rings circling her middle. The smooth, slick, and slightly soft feeling of her stomach contrasted sharply with the rest of her carapace. Effortlessly handling my weight, she made her way up the stairs towards my bed.
"One more question before I leave," said Chrysalis, gently sliding me from her back to the bed. Somehow this almost affectionate treatment from her was even more embarrassing than answering all of those things she had asked me before. "Did I steal your first real kiss?"
"Just...just go! I'm tired!" I snapped out, pulling the covers over my head. Chrysalis' delicate laughter seemed to echo around my room as she took the window and flew off into the night, soon joined by a contingent of Lunar Stallions ready to escort her back to Canterlot.
It was probably Luna's influence that gave me a relatively dreamless sleep that night and I was thankful for it. Chrysalis had given me a lot to think about last night and one of the things I learned early on was that sleeping on a problem was a great way to help your mind sort things out. Yawning lightly I stretched my hooves out, only to yelp as I was treated to a sight more blinding than the sun filtering in through the window.
"Princess Celestia!" I made a fool of myself attempting to kick the covers away and give her a proper bow, but a hoof resting against my side quickly stopped me.
"Lay still my student," she murmured, her horn glowing in a way that was almost painful to look at. Lowering her head she hovered her horn above my body, filling me with the warm, welcoming feeling of her magic. "I sense only a trace of residual poison in your body and no mind altering magic to speak of."
Resting back against the pillow I let out a sigh of relief. I hadn't expected her to do anything rash and all logic said that she wouldn't, but it was nice to get a clean bill of health from the sun princess all the same.
"How did your meeting go?"
"It was...very civil," I said after giving it some thought. "Almost surprisingly so. I have my notes and findings written up so feel free to take a copy." Fighting back another yawn, I got up from my bed and stretched out my legs, running through a quick mental exercise to get my magic warmed up as well.
"Were the safety measures adequate?"
I nodded. "Very. Maybe even a bit too much."
Celestia turned to face me directly, her mane flowing behind her in an invisible breeze to reveal both of her eyes. It was a sign that this conversation was about to take a very serious turn. "I know what you're about to ask of me Twilight."
"Then you should already know the logical reasons as to why it needs to happen." I probably should have waited until at least later in the day before springing this on her but there was no stopping it now. In my mind I was already piecing together a mental checklist of the points I could bring up-
"Very well. I will give you control over how much power Chrysalis can access."
My mental checklist was crumpled up and tossed into the wastebasket of my mind. "Really? Just like that?"
"Twilight, you have saved Equestria three times now. While I hold no trust for queen Chrysalis, I do trust my most capable student."
"Thank you Princess," I said with relief, touched at her faith in me. "One more feat of heroism and I get a free Pinkie Party complete with a musical number," I teased, trying to lighten the mood as I ran through a few levitation exercises.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm Twilight, but you might find yourself giving the changeling queen a lot more than a few of your hidden crushes if you're not careful."
The book I had been levitating hit the ground with a thud. "W-wait, how did you-"
"I had surveillance spells in place."
"B-but I checked!"
"You are a gifted student Twilight, but I still have a few secrets I've yet to reveal to you."
"And you heard..."
"Everything."
"Even the um..."
"Yes, even that. It was quite flattering praise."
I would have gladly taken on Discord and Nightmare Moon with a hoof tied behind my back right now if I could have escaped from Celestia's knowing smile.
"It has been a while since I've taken a mare into my bed, but if you still have that crush on me from all those years ago-"
"Sorry got lots of things to do today and notes to prepare I'll talk with you tomorrow and we'll continue this conversation never goodbye!"
A pack of bloodthirsty timber wolves couldn't have gotten me out of there faster.