Chatper 10: A Heart's Pain
Dear Fluttershy,
You are anything but useless. And the whining is all but indistinguishable in your letters. I promised to help you in whatever way that I can, and you can rest assured that even your most confusing of letters will be read carefully by me and every thought and feeling you divulge will be taken into account.
Telling Twilight is still the best option, but I understand your reluctance to hurt her. Perhaps that is a sign that you love her more than you think. Honesty is an aspect of friendship that tends to have a stronger grip on friends than on those in love. Feelings matter, of course, but friends can see beyond the surface layer of happiness and tend not to hesitate to be honest when necessary. Those in love, however, go to great lengths just to see their special somepony smile.
Just remember that love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.* Just because you don't feel the same passion for Twilight now that you did when you were first getting to know her does not mean that there is no deeper love, but possibly a better love has formed.
Your friend,
Cadance
Applejack was laying on her back in a bale of hay, staring up at the rafters of her barn as she tried to figure out what could have gone wrong these past few days. Her emerald eyes drifted away from the rafters and towards the small window at the apex of the north wall, showing her the barest glimpse of the moon and a small section of stars. She looked back at the rafters; they were boring enough to stare at without distracting her from her thoughts.
A few days ago she had started getting letters from the colts and stallions she had met during the ridiculous speed dating scheme that Rarity had sent her on and she had responded to them, arranging the initial dates. The one local to Ponyville was easiest to set up, but the others were willing to travel and most seemed to be ready for an immediate date. For a few days in a row she had a date with a different stallion a night. This was good for Applejack because she wanted to give them all a shot in as short a window as possible so that she could pick the best and move on. Then again, she thought, That verreh well might been the problem.
The first date had been less than she'd hoped for. It was with the blue unicorn who was really into books. Applejack didn't really think much of it at first since her friend Twilight was also a book worm, but unlike her friend this particular unicorn could not shut up about the books he read. All through lunch he just talked about one book and then another. Every time Applejack tried to steer the conversation in a new direction he'd find some reference to a book he'd read and ramble on about it. Applejack wasn't opposed to a good story, or to books in general, but this pony definitely deserved the nickname 'Egg head' a la Rainbow Dash.
The next day Applejack went out to the park to meet with the date of the series; a pegasus who claimed to be one of top athletes in Equestria. This had been an exciting idea for Applejack since she was quite the athlete in Ponyville and had a competitive edge that could cause more harm than good if left unchecked. Unfortunately for her, this 'athlete' was just a runner. He did one sport- run- and even then when Applejack challenged him to a race he accepted 'despite not earning a paycheck for his efforts' and ended up losing to her.
Applejack woke up a couple days later hoping that the next date would be less annoying than that guy. It was the brown maned pegasus from the speed date that had been as hungry as her and they ate more than they talked. This time they had lunch at The Grassy Field and, again, they ate more than they talked. When they did talk, however, they both realized that they had nothing in common. At least this date ended mutually and both were happy not to see each other again.
The jokester was scheduled for dinner that afternoon but Applejack had changed her mind about it and just stood him up.
The last stallion she spent time with was the shy one. When she'd met him at the speed date in Manehattan he had been cute. Adorable, even. But now his timidity proved to be more annoying than anything. Even Fluttershy seemed outspoken compared to this buck. The evening ended with Applejack saying 'farewell' and just leaving the quivering mass of nerves at the table to collect the check. Even she couldn't be that generous. She wasn't Rarity after all.
That evening she sat alone, as usual, in a bale of hay in the barn. She stared out at the stars and then up at the rafters, sighing once in a while. She closed her eyes and imagined Fluttershy and Twilight on their date. She felt a...spark in her chest when she pictured them sitting at a table, talking, holding hooves. Why didn't she feel that with any of the stallions? [i]Ah prolly need tah date more[/i] she thought with a sigh. The idea of going through the last few days again in the future was highly unappealing.
At home alone- well, Tank was with her of course- Rainbow had been laying on her bed, deep in thought, unable to sleep. When she had visited Derpy Hooves the day before and forgiven her, she had rekindled a spark within herself that she had no idea had been extinguished. When Derpy had kissed her, and flirted with her, Rainbow had denied being a lesbian but, deep down, deeper than her conscious thoughts, she had wept. She had been dreaming of the day she would be asked out by a mare, but not by Derpy. Derpy Hooves had simply been a childhood crush, something that would have been fun but ultimately would have been doomed to fail, for better or for worse.
There was a succession of thuds on the shaped cloud that served as Rainbow Dash's door. She sat up and wondered who it could be. There weren't any pegasai in Ponyville that would visit her at this time of the night and she was too far from Cloudsdale for any of her friends there to stop by. Maybe its Fluttershy!she thought, her eyes lighting up at the idea of her friend visiting. Or maybe Twilight used her freaky magic to walk on clouds again! Equal excitement. She loved her friends and had, on more than one occasion, admitted to other inquisitive ponies that if she were a lesbian she would certainly have gone for one of her best friends.
Most likely Twilight because she's a lesbian, and she's really pretty and soooo smart. I also owe her at least five awesome dates for getting me to read Daring Do. Screw it, I'll treat her to something special anyway, because she's my friend and I owe her. I'll treat Fluttershy to since they're dating. Twilight's a lucky mare to have Fluttershy. She's such a sweet and kind pony, I can only imagine how good it feels to be the focus of her affection.
She opened her door and was surprised to see the purple eyes of her former friend, Gilda. The griffon gave her a smirk and walked into her home without waiting for a welcome.
"Hey Dash," she said, looking back at Rainbow, who's jaw was open and eyes were wide. She smirked and lifted a talon to her beak. She blew a whistling sound and another griffon entered the door. Rainbow hadn't noticed him before because she was so focused on Gilda. He was a little bigger than the female griffon, his coat darker and his feathers less white and more gold. He looked about with a curious and somewhat smug attitude.
"Gilda?" Rainbow finally spoke, closing the door to prevent any more griffons that might be planning to enter from coming in. "What are you doing here? Who is he?"
"Chillax," Gilda said nonchalantly, "He's my boyfriend. We're celebrating our three month anniversary."
"Gee, that's a new record for you," Rainbow muttered, still not too happy with her being here, nor quite understanding why she was here.
"Heh, what can I say?" Gilda said as the male griffon walked up behind her, resting a talon on her rump and smirking at Rainbow Dash. "He knows what I like."
"Yeah, how nice for you," Rainbow said, "Now why are you here?"
"Good question," Gilda said, "I wanted to give you a chance to apologize and be cool again."
"What?" Rainbow asked, her nostrils flaring a little due to her sudden anger. "Meapologize?"
"Yeah," Gilda said, "Don't get me wrong, I'm still pretty pissed about how you treated me at that party, but I can understand at least. You were trying to impress your marefriend and I was cramping your style. Kinda hard to impress anyone when I'm in the room after all." Both Gilda and her partner chuckled.
"Marefriend?" Rainbow asked, "Pinkie's not my marefriend, she's-"
"Oh, riiiight," Gilda said with a wink, "I forgot, you're 'not a lesbian'." She said this using her talons to make air quotes while rolling her eyes. "Though I gotta say you do have the tongue of one." Rainbow Dash blushed and her ears flattened a little bit. "I told my man about the fun times we had in Senior Flight Academy," Gilda went on, walking over to Rainbow Dash and around behind her, encircling her like a predator, "You and me, so many stallions. How many threesomes did we have? Can you remember? I sure can't." She looked over her shoulder at her guest as she said "There were nights when we'd screw one guy, leave his house and pick up another guy within the hour. Heh, I know Dash here's the only reason I passed the academy; we fucked and sucked our way to almost all every 'A' on my report card."
Rainbow's face was burning up with embarrassment, remorse, and anger. This was a chapter of her life she had thought she had closed up. True, she had been a slut in high school and true she had done most of her more depraved acts with her friend Gilda, but after graduating and figuring out her life more Rainbow had thought she'd gotten Gilda to understand that they could be friends without the sex and everything that was going with it. Gilda had understood and for years had never mentioned it- well, once or twice when alcohol was involved maybe they both slipped back into their old habits- but now she was dredging it all up in front of this stranger and Dash didn't like where it was going.
"Hey, remember that time you went into the boy's locker room?" Gilda said, "The team came back after a game and you were the last one to exit."
"No," the blue mare said, lying. That memory was burned into her brain. It was the worst one for her because it defined just how low she had sunk in those days.
"Sure ya do," Gilda said, "I remember cleaning you out afterwards," She was behind Rainbow Dash at this point and she rested her talons on her cutie mark. Rainbow Dash shivered from it; the sensation was good but the feeling was unpleasant. It brought back flashes of memory that were best left unrecalled. Her former friend kept her talons resting on her flank for longer than Rainbow Dash cared for and the multicolored tail lifted to swat it away.
"Tsk tsk tsk, thats not nice Dash." Gilda said.
"Neither is you coming in here and talking about things that are over with." Rainbow said.
"Aww, but it's our anniversary," Gilda feigned a hurt tone, "And we wanted to celebrate with a threesome." And there it was. Somehow, Rainbow Dash wasn't surprised. The first time she saw Gilda in almost two years, and the griffon wanted to screw her.
"Sorry, you wasted your time coming here." Dash said, walking to the door and opening it. "You can g-" she stopped talking when Gilda flew over and slammed the door shut.
"Sorry nothing," She said, walking closer to Rainbow Dash, causing the pegasus to back away until she hit a wall. "We're here for you, and we're not leaving without a piece of tail." She leaned in and kissed Rainbow Dash. Unlike the kiss she had received from Derpy, the beak of the griffon was hard and unrelenting. The kiss was forceful and dominating, with not even a trace of compassion or love. This kiss didn't send electric jolts of pleasure and wonder through the blue mare, but caused discomfort and revulsion. She could taste a familiar flavor on Gilda's tongue and knew where it had been within the last hour. Some griffons never change Rainbow thought as she lifted her hoof to slap Gilda away.
When her hoof made contact Gilda's head jerked to the side. She looked shocked, stunned from the blow. Then she gave Rainbow Dash a glare that froze her blood. With a roar of anger Gilda swung her talons and caught Rainbow Dash on the side of her face, leaving three deep scratches along her cheek and knocking the pony to the ground. Before Rainbow could get up, the female griffon grabbed her by the neck and lifted her high enough that her legs couldn't touch the ground. She was pinned to the wall and staring into eyes that could never belong to a friend.
"The choice isn't yours," Gilda said, her voice betraying rage. Rainbow Dash saw now what had happened. She could see the hurt in Gilda's eyes. Gilda had wanted Rainbow Dash all to herself. She had tolerated the presence of others because she knew that Dash would never have done anything with her alone. Rainbow Dash felt awful; she could sympathize with how Gilda felt. It had to be even worse than when Rainbow felt betrayed by Derpy all those years ago. Worse because whereas Derpy had openly rejected the idea, Gilda had been so close yet so far from what she wanted. It wasn't love, though. The bleeding mare could see it was not love. Gilda craved for Rainbow in a carnal way, and for that reason Dash could not feel anything other than pity and contempt for her friend.
"Gilda, I'm sorr-" She was cut off from speaking when the griffon squeezed her throat tighter. With a strong heave, Gilda tossed Rainbow Dash over her head and through the air, right into the arms of the male griffon that had come with Gilda. He wrapped his massive arms around Rainbow's chest and forelegs, keeping her from escaping despite her struggles.
"I don't care," Gilda said, walking over to her with a strut. She leaned in close again, her beak poking into the tip of Rainbow's nose. "Iron Claw and I are going to enjoy our anniversary, whether you like it or not."
Dash swallowed nervously, but her eyes widened in surprise when Tank, of all things, flew into the side of Gilda's head at top speed.
"Tank!" Rainbow yelled, happy that he had heard what was going on and came to help her. Unfortunately, Gilda was hard headed and Tank's beaming only had her stumble a little. She reached out and grabbed the turtle by the propeller mechanism that kept him flying at all times.
"Aww, does lil' Dashie have a pet?" she asked, her voice mocking an innocent one but dripping with malevolent intent. She brought her free flaw up to Tank's face but the turtle was quick enough to retreat into his shell. "Hmph, fine then." she said, reaching up and snapping one of the two wings on the propeller. "Oh dear, your propeller broke. I sure hope turtles can walk on clouds."
"NO!" Rainbow yelled, "Please don't! I'll do anything you want!" She meant it to. What was some physical abuse and depravity to saving the life of one of her friends. Tank meant more than a lot to her; he had demonstrated loyalty in the face of her negligence and despite all she had done to dishearten him he worked hard to be her pet.
Gilda looked at Rainbow Dash for several quiet seconds before dropping Tank. The turtle and broken contraption fell right through the cloud floor.
"TAAAAAANNNNKKK!" Rainbow screamed, jerking against Iron Claw's arms. She couldn't break from their grip and she felt a part of her falling with Tank. Her eyes burned with tears as she flailed, kicking with her unbound legs, trying to do something to get down there and save her pet.
"Oops," was all Gilda had to say, a wicked grin on her face. She waited for Rainbow to stop screaming and take a breath before backhanding her across the face to shut her up. "C'mon Iron Claw, let's take her to the bedroom."
The rainbow maned pony suddenly went close to limp in Iron Claw's arms. He dropped her to the clouds and grabbed her by the hoof, dragging her across the floor as he followed Gilda. The cloud surface of her floor didn't hurt Rainbow Dash as she was pulled across it. It hurt a little when her shoulder hit the door frame to her room, but other than that her mind was awash with grief. Tank...her pet...her twenty-four-seven friend...was gone. She had just let Gilda drop him to his death, and now she was going to let them do what they wanted with her body and she knew she was just going to lay there and take it.
Iron Claw picked Rainbow Dash up and tossed her onto the bed. Gilda climbed on top of Rainbow and immediately began to kiss her. She laid her body along the pegasai's and while one talon was busy wrapping around her neck, keeping a firm grip lest Rainbow forget where she was and who was in charge, the other one dragged the tips of its talons down her coat, leaving a light scratching sensation that made Rainbow more and more wary as it approached her nether region. Just as they were about to touch the most sensitive spot Dash could think of, the claws vanished from her body and the probing tongue was pulled from Rainbow's mouth.
Gilda's bulk was replaced by her gold and black feathered friend. He stood up over Rainbow Dash, staring straight into her eyes. For some reason she could not comprehend, she had trouble looking away from his elongated, dark irises. They did not attract her- in fact, they were rather repulsive, as far as eyes went- but they kept her attention. She sniffed back some tears and snot but ceased outwardly crying. Tank's death weighed heavily on her mind, but this stare was dominating, demanding.
She suddenly felt her hoof being moved. She couldn't look away from him to see what exactly was happening, but she assumed it was Gilda moving her hoof. It was pressed against something familiar to Rainbow Dash. Warm, firm, a faint pulse. Iron Claw grinned a little a moment after Rainbow was forced to touch his member. Gilda made her stroke it while the male began to gently move his hips.
Tears returned to Rainbow Dash's eyes as the realization of just how real this all was hit her. Tank was gone. She was going to be raped. Gilda moved Rainbow's hoof faster and Iron Claw moved himself faster as well. Rainbow could feel a tongue slide up her shoulder and neck to her ear.
"Well Dash," Gilda whispered, a seductive tone she remembered from her teenage years, "Where should he fuck you first?"
Rainbow couldn't answer. She wouldn't answer. There was nothing arousing about this, nothing romantic, nothing to set any part of her body or mind into a sexual frenzy. All there was was fear, and sadness.
Gilda flicked her nose to get Rainbow's attention. Iron Claw had closed his eyes while grinding against her hoof so his spell was broken. Rainbow Dash looked at Gilda was tear filled, pleading eyes but the Griffon stared back at her like a cat who had finally cornered its mouse and was just playing with it until it would devour it.
"Fine," Gilda said. She forced Rainbow's hoof to lower the aroused member of Iron Claw down her stomach. Rainbow Dash felt the tip slide over her coat and the griffon made a low throaty growl to vocalize his pleasure. Gilda then had Rainbow put the tip at her entrance and Dash closed her eyes tight, expecting the male griffon to thrust his hips forward and penetrate her.
He did, repeatedly, relentlessly, and Rainbow Dash cried out in pain. It didn't' hurt as much as when she lost her virginity, nor was he as big as some of the teachers she seduced in school, but there was nothing for her to enjoy. No excitement, no lubrication, just pain and fear. Her entire body moved with his thrusts, and sharp pain in her shoulders told Rainbow that the griffon's talons were firmly holding her in place for his pleasure.
Gilda leaned over and kissed her, muffling Rainbow's cries and protests. She would have pushed Gilda away with her hooves but every time she tried to move her arms from a certain position the nails digging into her shoulders hurt more. She had no idea how long Iron Claw used her marehood like he did, but it felt interminable for Rainbow Dash. Eventually, however, he pulled out and let go of her. The soreness between her legs was suddenly soothed by Gilda's tongue. The female griffon had been quick to crawl down the bed and lay between Dash's hind legs and taste her former bedmate. Iron Claw, meanwhile, moved to the head of the bed.
He pulled Rainbow Dash's mane down and around to get her to look away from Gilda and up at him. Again his eyes captivated her against her will. He used two talons to pry her mouth open then slid his slickened member in. He pushed it deeper into her mouth and down her throat. Rainbow Dash had long ago conquered her gag reflex but right now she wished she hadn't. She tasted herself on his shaft as it forced its way in and out. Again he gripped her shoulders and began a rhythm similar to earlier but a little more subdued.
Against her will, Rainbow Dash moaned a little as the pleasure she couldn't avoid from Gilda licking her raw lips gently and tenderly. The moan became a cry of pain when Gilda's claws dug into her flanks. The nails pierced her cutie mark and the sensitive skin beneath screamed through her nervous system and she made a few attempts to buck her hips away, but when motion intensified the pain she froze up.
Surprisingly, Iron Claw pulled his member out of Rainbow Dash's mouth. She breathed heavily for a bit, catching her breath because breathing through her nose was only just barely sufficient, and then gasped when she felt a sudden blow against the side of her face. She was dazed and her eyes spun dizzily as he grumbled "Don't just lay there, suck it!" and held the tip of his dick over her face. She just looked up at it with no desire all, but another strike to her face, this one a balled fist, inspired her to open her mouth and actively, if half-heartedly, begin to suck on the griffon's cock. He smiled down at her as she relented. She tried to look back up at him but one of her eyes was starting to swell shut from the punch she had just taken.
Gilda squeezed her talons, the nails cutting a little deeper and the pain returning with new vigor. She cried out in pain once more, then silently sucked Iron Claw's dick while tears ran up her face and onto the bed under her head. She hoped he would finish up soon and they would leave her alone. She wanted the night to be over, but she was not going to be so lucky.
The two griffons switched places again. Iron claw got between her legs and grabbed one of her flanks. His nails pierced her hide as he pulled, flipping her over to her stomach. The marks bled and Rainbow Dash tried to hide in her audible cry of pain, but her face glistened with tears as she looked up at Gilda's uncaring face. She couldn't imagine having ever thought that Gilda was actually a friend. What sort of friend could do this?
Iron claw pulled Rainbow Dash by the hind legs to the edge of the bed. Her tail immediately went to cover her rear end, but that was a mistake. Sharp nails dug into her back and left long red marks on the blue coat. She screamed and Gilda grabbed her mane to force her face down into the cloud, muffling the cries. Moving her tail away, Rainbow exposed her ass to the griffon. Iron Claw gripped her cheeks without care for how it felt for Dash and forced himself inside of her. Fortunately, he did this slowly. Not quite slow enough for Rainbow Dash to fully acclimate to the size difference, but slower than he had been for her before.
Gilda spread her legs and lifted Rainbow Dash's face up enough to force her nose to be buried in her excited pussy. Gilda was clearly getting off on this whole night; Dash could tell by the smell and taste that was being forced upon her.
"Start licking" Gilda said, two sharp claws pushing into the tip of her ear. The threat was obvious and Rainbow Dash didn't want any more pain. She pleased Gilda with her tongue as the griffon behind her began to find a faster, more aggressive pace with which to fuck her. Dash cried as she ate Gilda out, her muzzle rubbing against the excited clitoris of the griffon. Her tongue lapped deeply into the moist folds of her former friend and Rainbow Dash was again reminded of other similar encounters back in high school. This exact position had been one of Gilda's favorites and Rainbow, always wanting to share her stallion of the night with her friend, was willing to go for it despite the anal discomfort.
Unlike the past, Gilda was the first one to reach her orgasm. She roared in a high pitched almost-squeel, her claws digging into the back of Dash's head. She rolled away from the pegasus when she was done and Rainbow had to wait in her own pain as Iron Claws finished up, filling her rear with his uncomfortably hot semen. He pulled out of her then picked her up. He tossed her onto the floor and walked over her. Reaching down, he began to softly caress one of Rainbow Dash's wings, the sensation and sheer surprising gentleness surprised Rainbow and she looked up at him through the non-black-and-blue eye. Like griffons, the wings of a pegasus could be powerful sources of pleasure if treated right, like they were now.
"Tell anyone," he said, grabbing one of her feathers and twisting it slightly. Also like griffons, mistreating a wing was an incredibly, mind-numbingly painful experience, and the way he was twisting her blue feather was leaving Rainbow Dash completely breathless, unable to even scream, "and I will remove every feather on your body, one at a time." To emphasize this he pulled the feather out completely and Rainbow Dash almost blacked out. The edges of her vision darkened for a few seconds before her breath came back to her and she let out a long, pained wail.
This had the effect of getting Gilda back into a proper state of mind. "Pfft," she scoffed, getting off of the bed and using her claw to fix her own feathers a little, "What a baby. Lets fly Iron Claw." The male griffon only nodded ad the two left Rainbow Dash on the floor of her bedroom. She was laying exactly how she left, too sore to move, to overcome by self disgust and pain. As the sun rose and the light filtered through her window, she finally passed out.
The Mare Mountains. Tall, rigid, rather barren. Near the peaks of some there was an eternal coating of snow. Due to the warm climate of the region at this time of year, none of it affected Dune Sea's army. In fact, the melting permafrost from the summits flowed down in crystal clear streams that enabled her soldiers to replenish their water supplies and drink the freshest water available. It had quite the moral boost in that regard.
The frequency of Changeling attacks had risen to a point that Dune Sea was considering taking up paranoia as a psychosis to help her prepare against these metamorphic creatures. Her men refused to do anything in groups of less than five, and even then they always had a second group observing what they did. Any sphinx or zebra who was out of somebody's site for even an instant was imprisoned and interrogated while being administered the potion that would force a Changeling to revert back to its true form. The only good aspect of this frequency and the increasing desperation of the Changeling tactics was that Dune Sea was certain she was getting closer and closer their hive, or nest, or whatever it was the ugly creatures called home.
"Incoming!" A lieutenant shouted. Dune Sea's carriage came to a stop and her guards swarmed around her. Paying no heed to them, the Empresses sphinx rose to her feet and looked off in the direction of the sounds of combat. A larger than yet seen swarm of Changelings had descended upon the western-most flank of her march and were quickly assuming the appearances of any sphinx or zebra they could find, dead or alive. It was causing an increase in confusion on that end of the march.
One Changeling rose above the rest. This one was several times larger than the others and made a bee-line, flying straight towards Dune Sea at top speed. Her guards prepared to fight but even from this distance the sphinx leader could see not hostility in the eye of the approaching Changeling, but desperation and anger. This large one must be the leader of the creatures, and she was here to plead.
"Stand down." She ordered. Without question every guard lowered their weapons and allowed the blue haired Changeling to fly over them and land on the same platform that Dune Sea stood upon. There was a quick flicker of the sphinx's tail and a half dozen of her aides rushed off to a nearby cart and began to pull items from it.
"And you are?" Dune Sea asked the tall figure standing over her.
"I am Queen Chrysallis," the large Changeling answered, her voice carrying the clear ring of regality that was present in Dune Sea's own manner of speech as well. "I am the ruler of the Changeling race, and I am here to plead for mercy." As she spoke that sentence, Chrysallis seemed to lose some of her luster. She stooped a little, her heirs of regality dropped in submission.
"Indeed?" Dune Sea commented, "You attack my army and then come to beg for forgiveness when we reap what has been sewn?"
"I did not know-" Chrysallis began to speak before being interrupted.
"You know nothing," Dune Sea said, her voice as demeaning as it could be, "You are a fool. The worst sort of fool; the fool that begs forgiveness rather than stand by their mistake. You came here to attempt and fill my ears with useless excuses and..." The Empress stopped her rant and let out an exasperated sigh, "Forgive my rudeness. Royalty must not argue like this in front of those beneath us." Despite the presence of many armed guards, Dune Sea was clearly comfortable enough to say whatever she wished. Chrysallis was more than a little surprised by this; as a ruler herself she had to lie, scheme, backstab and flatter her way to complete power. "Come with me," the sphinx said, turning around and stepping down from her chariot. Chrysallis obeyed, though had momentarily considered not doing it. As Dune Sea had demonstrated, she needed to maintain some aspect of regality if she were to save face.
There was a large tent hastily constructed in the few minutes since Dune Sea had silently ordered it. Inside the air was dark and cool, a few candles lit to fill the makeshift room with aromas pleasing to the Empress and foreign to Chrysallis.
"Have a drink" The Sphinx said, pouring herself one first before handing a bottle to the Changeling queen. Chrysallis watched Dune Sea drink before pouring herself some of the beverage and sniffing it. It smelled not very unpleasant, and tasting it provided some rather unique flavors. "It is a mixture of fruits grown far to the south of here," Dune Sea explained, reading the expression on Chrysalis's face. "They grow in a far more arid land than what we are currently traveling through, and have developed strong flavors. Mixing them properly provides the greatest quality of taste without becoming overbearing to the senses. There are other additives to give the drink different effects. I prefer a rare herb that keeps my body awake and my mind keen. A small dose is all that is required for several hours of stable energy and clarity."
"That is fascinating," Chrysallis said, being polite so as to not upset the Empress.
"The particular herb also grants me immunity to another plant. The plant in question is called [i]Felonias[/i]. When drank, it opens the receptive parts of a being's mind. Making them more susceptible to mind altering toxins, such as the kind I lined your cup with before you began to drink."
"Fascinating," Chrysallis said, wondering why the Empress was explaining her machinations to her. What the Empress did was for hers to do. What did it matter that Queen Chrysallis understood or not?
"No, not quite," Dune Sea said, smiling, "What is fascinating is that those toxins, combined with the spell I have been casting on you since we made eye contact on your approach, grants me a lifetime complete control over your mind. You will never question my authority and my merest whim is an irresistible order to you. Until I die you will never be free of the spell."
"I understand," Chrysallis said with a nod. "Is there something that you wish of me, my Empress?"
"Yes," Dune Sea said, "I want to know what it is that your people feed on. They have surprising tenacity for such a barren wasteland. There must be some source of food that can support a hive as large as yours with this much energy."
"No food," Chrysallis said, "We derive energy from the power of love." When Dune Sea rolled her eyes Chrysallis lifted one of her ligaments and made a pleading expression, "Please, listen, and do not scoff. Love is a powerful energy and our bodies can harvest it ambiently. As long as love exists we will live. The nearer we are to it, the stronger we become." She looked down at the table and sighed, "But unfortunately my hubris caused our exile. We were once in a land that was filled with love, but in my arrogance I thought we could move out of the shadows and stop nibbling on the ambient energies and become direct receivers of its power. Alas, I overplayed my hand and we were cast out."
"From where?" Dune Sea asked. A land with a lot of love had a lot of life, and a lot of life was what Dune Sea needed for the Rising Empire.
"Equestria," Chrysallis said, "If you continue to travel North, beyond the Dragonlands, you will find it."
"Tell me about Equestria," Dune said said, sitting down with an almost feral smile on her face. She glanced at Chrysalis's flank and was pleased to see a golden-brown beetle in a contemplative pose. Chrysallis was her new advisor.