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A Princess and Her Queen

by kildeez

Chapter 35: Chapter XXXV: Resources For The Deserving

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Though she was merely granting resources to a deserving soldier, Chrysalis couldn’t help but feel she was draping a medal around Bait’s neck. The way he beamed as he followed through the paperwork needed to grant him an investigative squad sure added to the feeling. She had to fight hard to keep that contagious little grin from spreading to her own muzzle.

“Bait of the Changeling Swarm,” she finally intoned. The small changeling stood at attention, saluting her. She pressed a small scroll into his hoof. “This is a task I would entrust to few other changelings. You and a group of your choosing are to find these traitors who have attacked my subjects and root them out. You are to do this with maximum expediency and with all effort. The royal decree you have been presented with is a sign of my trust: it grants you the powers given to all Internal Affairs investigators and grants you the ability to question anyone, detain anyone, and go anywhere required for you and your squad to root out these traitors and secure the safety of the Changeling Swarm.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He announced, the goofy grin reappearing as he tucked the scroll away along the edge of one of his holes. Nodding, Chrysalis finally rested a hoof on his shoulder. He straightened himself, gazing up at her in surprise. “Ma’am?”

She took in a deep breath. “From one changeling to another, soldier,” she said. “I’m sorry this is what it took for me to believe you. Your record alone should have validated your claims; you shouldn’t have almost needed to die for action to be taken.”

At this, the smile faded as a neon-green blush rose on his cheeks. “I...it’s alright, your highness,” he sighed. “I’m used to it.”

“One with your talents shouldn’t be so used to being ridiculed.” She replied, taking a step back.

He grinned at that, keeping his gaze to the side. “Actually, your majesty, I was referring to almost dying.”

She blinked, then she rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, you are the ultimate badass. Commander Nilex of the battle for Griffonstone reincarnated.” She straightened up as he did the same. “Now do you have a selection for your investigative squad?”

“Actually, your Majesty, I have just one,” he replied.

“Hm, I wonder who that could be,” she grunted as he grinned up at her. “Go, then,” she pointed off, back to the doors leading into the throne room. “May the spirits of the royals passed be with you in your journey for the truth!”

With a final salute, Bait buzzed up and swooped out of the room. Chrysalis stood and descended from the Crystal Throne. That had been her last meetup of the morning, and she’d engineered a fifteen minute break at this time before she was due to take a quick trip to the Crystal Heart and get an update on progress there. It’d been tricky to work out just the right schedule, but she found a little walk was just what she needed before she started making her rounds for various status updates, and then plopped into the chair behind Shining Armor’s old desk to round out the day with paperwork. Of course, the guards of the throne room fell in at her flanks to continue their duty, but she had long learned to ignore them. The tapping of their armored hooves on the marble floor became so much white noise. Mesmerizing, almost, even as she stepped out into the hall. Especially the way it echoed in the vaulted, crystalline ceilings. So...soothing.

Ten minutes later, Chrysalis blinked, looked around, and realized she had no idea where she was or what she was doing. The impeccably-polished, shimmering, crystal hallway looked like every other impeccably-polished, shimmering, crystal hallway. Trying not to look confused to the guards at her sides, she peered to her left out the corner of her eye, then to her right. She peeked as far around her as she could without moving her head. Nothing looked familiar: just an endless parade of crystal doors stretching as far as she could see.

Dangit.

She suppressed a moan of displeasure. She only had five minutes until she was supposed to be moving on with her schedule, for pity’s sake! She didn’t have time for this! Ugh, but she didn’t need her guards to know she’d gotten lost in her own castle.

Gazing around, her eyes fell on a door with a familiar shape: arched overhead, with a heavy wooden frame to prevent breaking in from the outside. A balcony! Perfect! With an outside view, she could get her bearings while pretending to admire the city! Smiling slightly at her own genius, she strutted purposefully to the door, pressed it open…

...and the last pony in the world that she wanted to see was standing there, her head up on the railing as she gazed out over the city far below. For a split second Chrysalis thought – hoped – that she could just trot back out, close the door quietly behind her, and pretend this didn’t just happen. Then Luna turned around, her gorgeous, night-blue eyes meeting Chrysalis’s own, and those hopes vanished.

Another few minutes passed where neither of them talked. Finally, Luna managed a quick: “Hi.”

Chrysalis let out a long-suffering sigh. Oh goodie. Awkward small talk. She debated just throwing herself over the railing before remembering that at her current power levels, this likely wouldn’t kill her. “Hi.” She eventually managed.

Another few minutes of awkward silence. Maybe Chrysalis could just dive-bomb right over the edge...if she moved fast enough, she might still do lasting damage…

“It’s a...great view,” Luna continued.

Chrysalis nodded. “Yes, I’m aware.” She finally said. “It’s morning, shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“We have slept enough in yon pod, we yearned for fresh air.”

“Oh.”

For a long while, the pair simply stood there, basking in the warm midday glow of the sun, both obviously searching for words just to come up empty.

“We mean...it is a really great view.” Luna finally said.

Nope. Not playing the awkward small talk game twice with the same pony. Chrysalis just snorted, turning away from the balcony, away from the railing, away from the exotic and beautiful pony that had been the first Equestrian to hear a real conversation about her past, and away from…

From nothing. Nothing at all left for her. She just had to keep telling herself that until she believed it.

“Chrysalis?” Luna gasped behind her. The Queen heard her hooves drop to the tiled floor. “Chrysalis, wait!”

“The Swarm obeys no pony,” Chrysalis responded coldly as she trotted back to the door.

“Chrysalis, I’m...I’m...” Luna gasped. “I’m sorry!

Chrysalis stopped. She heaved in a long breath. She turned to Luna with an eyebrow quirked. “Sorry? Whatever for?”

“For...lying,” Luna said. “For trying to use you the way I did.”

Another derisive snort left Chrysalis’s muzzle. “Nothing to apologize for, Princess,” she responded. “I would try to do the same if I were in your situation. In fact, it’s rather changeling-like.”

“It still wasn’t fair of us to...you know...” Luna said, her wings bristling at the changeling comment.

Again, Chrysalis heaved a long sigh. “As I said last night, life isn’t fair, princess.” Chrysalis replied.

Another long pause followed, but now only because the pair couldn’t find it in themselves to pierce it, until Luna finally said: “Dinner will be….lonely...”

Chrysalis tried to will her hooves forward, tried to force herself on, to just ignore the stupid, manipulative, idiotic, beautiful, sympathetic, little pony princess behind her, but found she couldn’t. In the end, she knew there was only one way she was going to be able to leave this balcony under her own power. Ugh, but no! This was for her changelings! She couldn’t risk them here by allowing herself to fall even further under the princess’s charms!

Unless…

A predatory grin spread across her muzzle. She could just dish out the same crap the princess had been serving these past few nights. Ohhhohohohoho, princess! She had no idea what was coming!

“Six’o’clock sharp, don’t be late,” Chrysalis said, glad she was still turned towards the door so Luna couldn’t see the fang-filled smile curling her lips.

“I...thank you,” Luna said, inclining her head towards Chrysalis.

Don’t thank me yet, princess, Chrysalis wanted to say, perhaps while kneading her hooves together wickedly, but she contented herself with stepping out of the balcony without so much as a glance over her shoulder. She did, however, allow herself a slight chortle as she trotted down the hallway. At least, until she remembered why she’d gone out on the balcony in the first place.

Cursing herself for becoming so scatterbrained, Chrysalis started her journey back down the hall, hoping to make it back to her desk at least before the afternoon’s open court.


Bait was stealth incarnate. The epitome of all that an Infiltrator could be. He was the beginning and the end as he crept from one cabinet to the next. He was darkness. He was vengeance. He was…

“Baity?” Pinkie’s voice chimed from the other side of the cabinet door. “When you’re done messing around in there, you can come out and have some cookies. But none from the black tray, okay? Those’re for Chryssie.”

Cursing, Bait rolled out of the cabinet, letting out a breath. “How’d you know I was in there?”

“Pinkie sense!” Pinkie giggled, sliding a tray full of cookies into a burning oven. “Besides, I could hear your tummy growling from way over here. You shouldn’t have skipped breakfast!”

Adding some grumbling to the cursing, Bait picked himself up off the floor. He knew he shouldn’t have skipped breakfast, she’d made it herself after all, but after that morning…

After that morning…

Ugh, there went his appetite again. One twist of his stomach and that was it. Well, maybe he could choke down a cookie or two. For her.

Pasting on a grin, he reached to one of the trays (making sure it was not the black one, of course) and popped a couple white-chocolate macadamia nut cookies into his mouth, giving Pinkie a crumb-and-fang-filled smile that she giggled at.

“You goof!” She laughed. “You got crumbs everywhere but your mouth!”

“Wha…oh.” He laughed in response, wiping all around his mouth. “My bad.”

“S’alright,” she giggled. “Just means you’re enjoying yourself, is all.”

Bait smiled at her. A real, genuine smile, the type breaking out on his face only too often whenever she was around. “Pinkie, I...just...thank you.”

She tilted her head adorably. “For what?”

“For believing in me, even when my own queen didn’t. You pushed me forward when my own partner would’ve called me crazy, and thanks to you, I finally have a chance to prove that one of my ‘crazy theories’ is right.”

She let out that wonderful little giggle-snort again. “No prob, bob! But um...Baity?”

“Yeah?” He breathed.

“I know we’re kinda having a heartfelt moment, but you can let go of my hoof now.”

Surprised, he looked down to discover his hoof was, indeed, wrapped around hers, little pink tufts of fur poking up out of the holes in his leg. He released her slowly, carefully letting her hoof down on the table. “I just...umm…”

“Aheh...” she giggled again, awkwardly.

“I’ll...go get started on my investigation.” He said, turning towards the door.

“Okay...but Bait?”

He whipped around, ready to hear anything she might have to confess to him just then, anything at all. “Yeah?”

Smiling, she proffered a small, pink bag, dripping glitter and confetti and covered in more pink hearts than a drugstore’s Hearts and Hooves Day display. “Don’t forget your lunch. I made it myself.”

“Wha-oh!” He gasped, taking the bag in his hooves as carefully as if it were a shard of the Crystal Heart itself, and not a small paper bag stuffed with sugar. “Oh jeez, Pinkie, you didn’t have to do that.”

“No, but...I wanted to,” she giggled, and Chrysalis above, was that a blush on her cheeks!? No...no, he had to be imagining that. “Now, get goin’, okay? And don’t be late for my check-in tonight!”

“O-okay! I won’t!” He gasped, whipping around to dash out the door before the trembling in his hooves kept him from leaving the kitchen. Distracting himself, he turned his mind to the task ahead. He would have a long while to go before he cracked whatever this pony-smuggling ring was up to, but he’d get it, or his name wasn’t Bait!


And back in the kitchen, Pinkie kept her smile up long enough to know she had been left alone. She sighed and fell back against the counter. “Alone at last...” she whispered.

In a flash, she darted back to the massive pile of flour she’d encountered on her first day. They hadn’t gone through most of it, so it was still a sizable mountain. Still, she scaled it in an instant, pulling up her Pinkie-flag. She smiled down at it, then flipped it over in her hooves, breathing over its back. In a flash, a series of schematics appeared on the felt surface, invisible ink detailing a large, complex machine filled with pulleys, structured legs, and a large pilot’s chair.

Grinning, she promptly dropped in through a crack between a couple of sacks, weaving down into the pile’s heart, where a small cavern only she knew about waited for her. It hadn’t been easy, creating all of this in the moments when Bait’s concentration lapsed, his focus worn down by a day in the kitchen trying to keep up with her, but now she had all the breathing room she needed to finish it.

At the heart of the chamber towered a dark shape, barely visible amidst the light that managed to filter in through the layers of sacks. Her grin wavered as she jammed a spoon into place on the machine, extending its frame just that much more. She was almost done. Soon, she’d be able to bust out of here, grab Flutters, and find their friends. That was a good thing, right?

So why didn’t it feel as good as it should have? Yes, she was definitely happy about seeing Twi and Rares and Flutters and Dashie and AJ again, but at the same time…

An image appeared in her head. One where she towered over Bait’s wounded form. He looked up at her, utter betrayal on his face, and she looked up and all her friends were around them. And for some reason, every single equine in the image chanted one word over and over again:

“Choose.”

She bit her lip. Tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry Baity,” she whispered, wiping at her nose with the back of her hoof. “I’m really, really sorry…”


Our progress with the Heart is actually accelerating. We’re at 58% now, and it’s only expected to climb faster as the loop progresses.

Excellent. Keep me appraised and let me know the moment we hit 95.

Twilight glared down at the small orb as it repeated the words her bug had recorded earlier. As Chrysalis’s voice drifted from it, her breathing rose, an angry blush rising on her face.

...have kept their word, and the convoys have been coming in steady without hint of tampering.

Good to know Celestia can honor her word. Of course, if a single guardspony so much as sets hoof within the perimeter, you know what to do.”

Of course, my Queen. Speaking of, what are your plans for the Princess?

Oh...I believe I shall keep my promise to her. For tonight.

Ahh...so another dinner then?

Indeed.

A single pulse from Twilight’s horn stopped the recording. She met the eyes of the other mares, her head slowly scanning over their faces. The fact that nobody had pointed out they were using a bug to spy on bugs only highlighted Pinkie’s absence. “I don’t think I have to tell you how ominous this all sounds,” she said, tapping at the table, a long sigh heaving from her body.

“I say,” Rarity gasped, eventually breaking the silence. “What exactly do you suppose she meant by...’Dinner with the Princess’?”

“Nothin’ good, I’m sure,” Applejack grunted. “Prolly her way of talkin’ about drainin’ Luna.”

“Plus, there’s all that stuff about the Crystal Heart,” Rainbow put in. “What’s that all about?”

“Probably something evil and with the destruction of Equestria in mind,” Twilight replied, repeating Applejack’s sentiment. “Whatever we have planned, I think we need to move soon. Possibly even tonight.”

The mares all gasped. “Tonight!?” Rarity said, standing up from the table. “Twilight dear, I’m as eager to save our friends as any mare at this table, but isn’t this a little...rash?”

“I gotta agree with Rares here,” Applejack huffed. “We still ain’t got a plan fer bustin’ Luna outta the dungeons, an’ we don’t even know where Shinin’ and Cadence’re bein’ held!”

“And I say she’s right!” Rainbow bellowed, also standing up. “Honestly, I can’t believe we spent this long talkin’ about saving our friends instead of just going out there and doin’ it! We beat the changelings once, we can do it again!”

“Technically, Shining Armor and Cadence beat the changelings,” Rarity spat. “Need I remind you their love magic was the only thing that saved us in the end, and we don’t even know where to look for them!”

“So!? Even if we can’t find them, we gotta bust out Flutters and Pinkie!”

“Girls...” Twilight interjected.

“An’ what about the princess!? What if we do get Fluttershy and Pinkie out, but we can’t figure out gettin’ her free? What’ll Chrysalis do to her after we get outta there!?”

“Girls.”

“We’ll bust her out too! We have to!” Rainbow’s head swiveled wildly around. “Our closest friends are all stuck having Celestia-knows-what done to them, and all we’ve done about it is talk!”

“Girls!”

“Darling, I care deeply for our friends too, everypony here does; but that doesn’t mean we risk ourselves getting captured on a half-baked scheme when a few more days might be all we need to...”

Twilight’s hooves thundered on the table, her magically-amplified voice booming over the room: “GIRLS!”

The whole table fell silent. All eyes turned back to Twilight. In turn, she slowly slid back down into her seat. “This isn’t just about our friends, this is about time,” she said with a long sigh, whipping out the small orb once more. With another pulse of her horn, the changeling’s voice filled the room:

...We’re at 58% now...

Twilight’s horn pulsed, and the recording rewound and replayed, “...We’re at 58% now...

One more time, “...We’re at 58% now...

She tucked the orb away once more. “I’ve been going through the recordings again, focusing this time on all conversation about the Heart. A few days ago, Chrysalis started receiving daily reports about something referred to as ‘The Loop’, something that had to do with the Crystal Heart.” She intoned, her glare circling the table as she tucked her clenched hooves under her chin, tapping them nervously. “She has been receiving daily status updates on it: always just a percentage, always something she responds to with some thought and calculation.”

“Alright,” Applejack said, leaning back in her chair with her hooves crossed. “Well, 58% don’t sound too bad. That’s still a failure in school.”

“It doesn’t,” Twilight admitted. “Until you take into account that yesterday, it was at 24%. The day before, eleven. And the day before that, five.” She tented her hooves on the table and regarded each mare gravely. “Does anypony else see the pattern?”

Applejack and Rarity’s eyes bulged, their jaws dropping. Their salesmare’s minds didn’t need long to piece it together. “Doubling...” Rarity gasped in horror.

Twilight nodded. “A little bit more than doubling, in fact. So at 58%, whatever is being done to the Heart...”

“...will be all finished up tomorrow,” Applejack gasped.

Twilight nodded at her. “Tomorrow around midday, to be precise, if whatever they’re doing continues to hold to the mathematical model I plotted for it.” Her gaze once again met the eyes of the mares gathered around her. “Combine that with these ongoing ‘dinners’ with Luna, which I have to take as her siphoning off love, and we have a ticking time bomb on our hooves. I may not know what Chrysalis is doing with the Crystal Heart, but considering it’s an artifact steeped in the collective love of the crystal ponies, I think we can all assume the worst and figure that when it’s done she will be nigh-unstoppable.”

She let out a long, shivering breath. “I know it may seem short-sighted right now, and it is, believe me. Attacking Chrysalis right now would be one of the most short-sighted, idiotic things we could do. But the fact of the matter is we don’t have time to wait and come up with something better. We have to move with what little we have tonight, because tomorrow...”

“Tomorrow, Chrysalis will have whatever she needs from the Heart,” Rainbow said, eyes still wide.

Twilight nodded once more. “And after she has that...who knows? Could she take on Celestia? Defeat Equestria’s armies right here, single-hoofedly? March on Canterlot?” She shook her head. “We just don’t know.”

A moment of silence overtook the table. Finally, Applejack climbed down. “Welp, I’m gonna go get a little more practice with m’buckin’ in.” She announced.

“I’ll go line up the boys!” Rarity added, hopping away from the table. “They best be in tip-top shape if we’re going to be moving tonight!”

“I’ll join ya!” Rainbow said. “We’ll put ‘em through their paces and get some last-minute prep in!”

Twilight sighed, sinking into her chair. She smiled, grinning at the fact that not a single mare had backed down, but then, had she expected any different?

Already, Rarity and Rainbow were exchanging plans for last-minute training, and she wished she could join them. But she knew they already had her plans drawn up from nights spent laboring over hoof-drawn schematics. No, she had a decidedly less-pleasant task ahead of her.

“We need everypony we can get,” she whispered to herself as she tip-hoofed away, creeping up the stairs to the roof. “We need everypony we can get...”

As usual, Petalgrown hadn’t moved from her spot beneath the ragged canopy. Her mane stuck out in places, hanging in greasy tendrils from lack of maintenance, and bags quivered under her eyes. And still, Twilight kept her distance, not only out of respect for her emotional state, but just because every time she got any closer, her heart started racing. It was as if the rage growing in Petalgrown was a physical shield around her, preventing anypony from getting close.

Twilight cleared her throat. As usual, Petalgrown didn’t move. After sitting awkwardly for a few minutes, Twilight sighed. “We’re moving against the changelings tonight. I thought you might be interested in helping. We...kinda need everypony we can get here, and I know you’re in a serious state, but...”

“I’ll do it.”

Those three words were the first Twilight had heard from Petalgrown’s mouth since their first day together. She blinked, her eyebrows rising, then she finally processed what was said and pasted on a smile. “That’s….great! Thank you so much!”

“Maybe we’ll find Sprinkleshine there.”

Twilight’s smile faded, her heart dropping. “Petalgrown...” she said breathlessly. “You need to accept--”

Petalgrown turned, leveling a gaze upon her so filled with fire and rage Twilight was surprised she didn’t spontaneously combust. As it was, it took all her strength to keep from backing up a few steps. She let out a long, shivering breath. “Glad to have you on board,” she said quickly, turning to half-trot, half-gallop back down the steps.

Muzzle wrinkling, Petalgrown turned back to her vigil, gazing hatefully up at the sky. “I’ll save you, Sprinkles,” she whispered, a fire burning in her eyes and growing in her heart. “Even if Chrysalis herself stands in my way. I don’t care what that evil bug is planning, I will find you!”

Author's Notes:

Welp, there you go, another chapter after only a year or so.

God, I'm so sorry. I could make the usual excuses involving work and all that, but really it all came down to laziness combined with apathy. I had the time, but not the energy needed to continue. So sorry.

Anyway, we have definitely reached a climax of sorts, so I definitely think the next few chapters shouldn't be so hard to get out. Stay tuned, kids!

Next Chapter: Chapter XXXVI: The Nursery Falls Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 45 Minutes
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