Metamorpha was currently in her room. It had been a few hours since Cadence had, quite literally, seen the true world, and the changeling princess was reading a few books her aides had brought from the Hive. More specifically, history books. One could only learn so much from the Hive Mind, after all.

She had been reading for two hours when a knock came from her door. "Enter," she said, and the door opened, revealing a changeling sentinel, which had been the main changeling type the Elements had encountered while Metamorpha was still posing as a pony. He wore dark blue armor, and his helmet was on, a slight blade on the under portion of his horn designating him as a captain. "What is it," she asked, not taking her eyes off the book.

"Princess, the guards for the Elements reports they are with clear sight, though two have tried to fight and are currently restrained."

Ah, yes. Metamorpha had wanted the five Elements back to normal so they would know how they lost. Well, that and changing ponies to changelings, which is what she had planned for Rainbow Dash and Rarity, needed the ponies to be as natural as possible. "Tell the guards I will be along shortly," she told the guard. "I want to finish the chapter on the Hive war, just two more pages."

"Normal, or your page size, Princess?"

"Standard," Metamorpha said, it being a common and friendly joke between her and the guards as to the version of pages there were in circumstances such as this. "And done," she said, gently folding the page corner before closing the book and placing it on her bed. She then got off her bed. "Let's go."

"Follow me, Princess," he guard captain said, and with that, the two left the guest wing of the palace. As they walked, the two began a conversation, Metamorpha and this guard having been friends, much as they could be with just the Hive mind and the off real life visit under Chrysalis' orders.

"So, Mist," Metamorpha said, "how's your family doing?"

"Quite well," Green Mist said. "Amber and little Carapacia(1) are looking forward to moving here once we secure the city."

"Well, let me know when they get here," Metamorpha said with a smile. "I'd be happy to greet the family of my guard captain."

"I will, Princess," he said. "Carapacia will be ecstatic to meet you."

"Mist, how many times do I need to say it," Metamorpha asked, putting on a small frown, though a joking one. "You don't need to call me any title, just my name when it's the two of us."

"Force of habit," Mist said. "So, if I may ask, I heard you were making the bearers of Generosity and Loyalty into changelings for your own entourage. That right?"(2)

"Yep," Metamorpha said. "Only ones out of them I would consider friends, and they have traits that'll help us get new land. The others? I have no idea what to do with them. Applejack would probably try to lead a resistance, Pinkie Pie is so random I'm afraid to do anything with her, and Fluttershy? She'd probably be the only one to go back to Ponyville."

"You know, I don't think the others would like me saying this," Mist said, "personal shit and all, I mean, but i did hear a few guards say that, if the others were put into the food service, they'd help."

"So in basic terms, if we hypnotized them to where they wanted to help feed changelings, the guards under you would be happy to fuck them?"

"Bingo."

Metamorpha sighed as the two entered the cell castle dungeons. "I swear, not even an hour after taking the city, I had to deal with soldiers raping mares. I won't let our people become akin to the Caribou, not after our ancestors wiped them out of existence. If they are ot help feed our people, it will be by their own will."

"You do realize by that logic, we would starve quickly, right?"

"And you do know there are a few towns on Equestria's edges that have non-disguised changelings living there as an equal, right. They're still alive."

"Fair point," Mist said.

"Besides, we can always feed off the residual love of couples until enough time passes." It was with that sentence that the two made it to a heavily guarded cell, twenty sentinels in green armor, designating them being form the elite Shadow Corps, standing at guard. They stood straight to begin with, and became even more so when Metamorpha walked up. "Have the Elements given you any trouble?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle, Your Highness," the lead one said. "The worst we've acquired are dents and bruises."

"And the Elements?"

"Restrained as per your orders."

"Good," Metamorpha said. "Stay out here while I go inside."

"Yes, Highness," the guards said as the changeling princess opened the door, and walked in the cell, closing the door, knowing the guards would rush in if she screamed or sent a signal through the hive mind.

The sight was what Metamorpha was expecting. The five pony bearers were chained, in the case of Rainbow and Fluttershy being fitted with wing binders and a magic inhibitor ring in Rarity's case. Pinkie was the only one not chained, because, well, Pinkie. Even if she were chained, she would just somehow warp away. No use wasting the energy, in Metamorpha's opinion.

"What do you want, bug," Rainbow asked, the sight of the five, except Pinkie though she was looking there too, fixed on the door, and glares came from the others.

"I came to answer what questions you have," Metamorpha asked, her arms crossed. "And before you ask, no, I won't let you go."

"Then how about you tell us what happened to the real Twilight," Rainbow said, venom in her voice.

"'Twilight' doesn't exist, not really," Metamorpha said. "I'd say to settle in, as the story is long, but, well. . ."

"Ah, shut it," Rainbow said.

"You're lucky I'm not a bloodthirsty princess," the changeling princess said.. "So, from the beginning, I was adopted by Twilight Velvet and Night Light here in Canterlot. I knew my heritage because, even as nymphs, the changeling equivalent of fillies and foals, are connected to the Hive mind. I had my disguise put on before I was put in the adoption center, and didn't know of my heritage until I was five, when my mother contacted me through it. I was home in my room, reading, when she did so, and, I'll admit, it did freak me out, but after I calmed down, she told me the basics: what I was, and why I was there."

"But if that's the case," Applejack, her wrists kept to the wall with titanium shackles," said, "why'd y'all betray the princess?"

"I can't betray those I have no loyalty to," Metamorpha said. "But that helps transition to that part of the story. When I told my mother I had become Celestia's student, I also told her a plan I had come up with. I had seen that Shining and Cadence were in love, even before they could see it, and I knew they would get married. Literally everything I've done since then was either helping changelings into different towns, Ponyville included before I got there, and I did free research on spells related to raising and lowering the moon so that we don't need to rely on Celestia and Luna. I'll admit, the only thing that wasn't accounted for was the Elements and Luna, but we were able to adjust the plan and come up with back ups."

"And what do you plan on doing to us," Rarity asked.

"Well, I'll keep that a little secret," Metamorpha said with a sly grin on her face. "But i can say that two of you are going to like it."

Here, a message came for he rover the Hive mind. Metamorpha, her mother said. Would you come to my quarters. Cadence is being difficult. Nothing major, just cast a spell on her to prevent her from moving so the guards can place her in the pod.

Coming. "Sorry, girls, but something came up," she told the Elements in a slight mocking tone. "But so long as you don't do anything stupid, nothing bad will happen." With that, Metamorpha turned to leave the room, and opened the door with her magic. "Take Rainbow Dash and Rarity Belle to the conversion pods tomorrow," she told the guards after leaving the room and closing the door. "As for the others, make sure no one enters, and they are not to be violated in anyway. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," the lead guard said

"Good," the changeling princess said. "Come on, Mist. Mother wants me to help with something."

"Shouldn't keep her waiting, then," Mist said, and the two made their way to Chrysalis' personal quarters, leaving the Elements behind, and none the wiser as to what awaited two of them. Next Chapter: Convincing Love Estimated time remaining: 42 Minutes