"What do you mean 'There are no more spies in the Crystal Empire'?" Chrysalis glared at Sneaky. "Is there a reason you don't have twenty drones inside the castle?" Her voice held the edge of anger she had been nursing ever since "he" left her.

"Your Majestic Darkness of the Badlands," Sneaky's titles he made up for his queen got even more cromulent when she was angry, "maybe we should spend more time on training them? From what I understand, the ponies have captured several of our changelings now, and I am starting to suspect they may… they may have tortured information out of them."

"My little bugs?" Chrysalis' rage evaporated as shock set in. "What monster would do this? Which pony is hurting my little grubs?"

Sneaky nodded, working a "sad and solemn" look onto his face. "I believe it is Princess Cadance—"

"That… that… hussy!" Chrysalis spun around, lifting a hoof sideways to her head, resting her fetlock to her brow. "She stole him away from me, Sneaky, took him all away. If it weren't for her I wouldn't have lost my Shining Armor."

And Shining Armor… but I am never going to tell my Queen that. I like my carapace. Sneaky lowered his head, wilting his ears and crest-fin. "Maybe we should leave the Crystal Empire to settle, Your Radiant and Majestic Dark Goddess of Equestrian Doom, so we can turn our focus to other tasks that will assist with gaining a more advantageous hoof-hold in the Crystal Empire."

Chrysalis turned back to her drone and looked down on him. Her fury for Cadance was tempered suddenly. "Have every drone you will send report to me before they leave and…" Faster than Sneaky could even flinch, the Changeling Queen had the drone in a hug, squeezing him in her forelegs. "Please don't get hurt." She nuzzled his ears and head-fin, before setting the startled drone down.

When her drone left, Chrysalis slumped down on her floor and stared at her hooves. "Why did you take him from me?" She dropped her face down and started to cry.

Bright Flash was working hard, as he always was. His magic, like himself, was disguised of course. He was working over Misty's back. "How is that?"

"You know just the right spot." Misty Dew groaned a little in bliss. She found she quite enjoyed Bright's company, now that she knew he was telling her the truth. "Actually, down a bit—" The doorbell sounded, cutting off the delightful massage and drawing a soft sigh.

"Love," Bright leaned in and kissed Misty, "time to act." He nuzzled her and gave her the lightest of pushes with his magic. Her eyes started to flicker with a reflection of his power. "You are yourself, nopony is in control of you, Misty Dew."

Misty leaned up and kissed Bright firmly again. "I don't like it when you do that, but you have to, I know. Go make the bad bugs go away." She settled back down, rest her head to the side on her forehooves—to watch what went on—and feigned brainless relaxation.

Opening the door, Bright saw both Straight Horn and Dropped Ball, wearing two of the worst disguises he had ever seen. "Get off the street before somepony sees you!" He looked left and right after the two were inside, rolling his eyes before closing the door after them. "Drop, why did you come to my cover's house? Straight, you should know better than this!" He stomped a hoof and let his disguise drop with it. A soft tremble always ran through Bright when she returned to being a mare.

"We're being reassigned!" Straight Horn tossed her mane, then froze when she saw Misty. "Are you still keeping that mare around? What is up with you, Bright?" She stomped over to the pony that looked to be sunbathing under the big glass windows.

"Leave her alone. Don't you two know anything?" Bright's magic flared as Straight tried to reach out to Misty. "I swear, neither of you learned under Careful, did you?" She moved and put herself between Misty and the other two changelings.

Dropped Ball grumbled. "You know we didn't. Why, what's so good about his way?"

"Well for one, I haven't had to throw away any of my disguises yet, and I am still pulling in all that juicy information." Bright Flash gave Straight a glare that was fit to cut glass. "Now leave her alone; you can see she is under my power."

Straight Horn's eyes widened. "You're into her!" They barked a laugh. "Bright Flash, darling infiltrator of the hive, is wrapped around a mare's hoof!"

"So what? She does her job. She keeps herself fed, and she gets more intelligence than you do. If I reported how much—sorry, I mean how 'little'—you bring in, Straight, then I would get the order to send you home!" Dropped Ball was smaller than Straight, but he knew he had an ally who would stop her from doing anything crazy. "Buzz, she can bring the pony back to the hive when we are all done and be hailed a bucking hero! Get your horn on straight!"

"You still haven't told me." Bright turned and checked on Misty, got a cautious wink from the mare, and returned it. Her blood ran cold for a moment, if it was the order to bug-out, then it was time to work her whammy on these two and head north.

"We are being upgraded. We need to find room and disguises for twenty more infiltrators, as well as offer support to another ten heading to Ponyville, and eventually more all over Equestria." Dropped Ball shook his head. "I don't get what is happening! We had this under control!"

"Is that all? Look, I'll get Misty to buy a warehouse in the work-yards, and we can have them fit that out. Put up a sign saying a new factory is opening." Bright waved a hoof dismissively. "Wait, was this the only reason you attempted to ruin my cover? What is wrong with you two?"

Straight shook like a leaf. "But they'll find out—"

"Find out you don't do anything? What a buzzing joke." Bright walked to the door, her form flickering back into that of the unicorn stallion he now used around Misty. "I meant you, Straight, you're the joke. Me and Dropped Ball are working our carapaces off for the Queen, and what are you doing? I heard you raised the tails of half the servants in the castle, and raised yours for half the guard! Get out, go. I will send you instructions the day after tomorrow."

Both changelings stared at Bright, neither was quite sure when their cohort had gained complete control of their group, although Dropped Ball had to guess around the time the mare realized that she was doing all the work. Without word, both disguised and made for the door.

"And get out, I don't want your damn AmNeigh!" Bright put on a show, pushed his fellow changelings out the door, and slammed it on them. Locking it, he turned and got two steps before being wrapped in a hug. "Is this my reward?" He hugged Misty back, squeezing her into a tight grip, even heard her sigh happily. "I really have to go, now." He nuzzled her cheek.

"Go? But we are alone again." Misty Dew's words were pitched low and sultry, she felt the eagerness of her lover in the tight little kisses and nibbles being planted down her throat. "Stay, remind me why I let you close to me."

"You can come with me if you like. It is a little bit of a trip, and I don't want to leave you alone with… Straight Horn is a little jealous, I think. And with good reason!" Bright leaned back, and flashed his eyes, clearing the last effects of the mind control he had implanted in Misty before the visit. "Come on."

"Thank you." Misty kissed Bright's cheek. "So where are we going?"

"Crystal Empire." Bright leaned up and gently nipped at Misty's ear. "It will be a long trip, I think I can think of something for us to do."

"Hi there, visiting the Crystal Empire for fun, or thinking about moving here?" Gleaming was covering for a friend, "walking the platform" to welcome new ponies to the Empire. She eyed the two unicorns, the mare with a white coat and silvery mane, the stallion sporting a brown coat of fur and a pink mane.

"Oh, you know how it is, could be visiting, could be staying." The lie was more the truth than Bright really wanted to use, but there it was. "But you know what I was really hoping for?" He gave Misty a little bump.

"We want to see the castle!" Misty Dew bumped Bright right back, both of them covering for the movements with laughter. She leaned in close to the guard, looked around as if making sure they weren't the only passengers who were riding the express from Canterlot. "We need to see the Princess and Prince."

Gleaming froze a moment, looking at the mare and stallion, trying to evaluate them herself. "Uh, well," she tried to make her cheeks blush, "since you put it that way, I know a little place." She turned, gave both of them a look over her shoulder and started to trot into town.

"What did you tell her?" Bright gave Misty an incredulous look before starting off after the female guard. "Wait a second…" It finally clicked, female guard. "Wow, they weren't joking…"

"We are both full of questions, why don't we just play tourist, and you can look anywhere but her plot, you know." Misty used her magic to reach up and grasp Bright's chin to turn his face to her.

"You started it, or she did, I am not sure which. But regardless, I am just thinking of how hot you would be in armor." Bright kissed Misty. "Mmm, I need to bring you on dates to the north more often."

"And this is the castle, nopony is following us, so it is safe to just go in. Do I want to know what is going on and— WAIT!" Gleaming ran forward just in time to get in Bright's way, the stallion about to walk right up to the spinning Crystal Heart. "Okay, now I know you are a changeling. Don't go near that, please?"

Bright Flash blinked his eyes and looked around as if stunned. "Uh… what was… what is that?' He backed away as instructed, mostly because Gleaming was herding him away.

"The stairs, go on, up you go." Gleaming caught the unicorn mare's eyes and nodded to Bright. "Inside, once he breaks sight with it there won't be a problem. It gets some changelings this way." True to her words, once Bright was in the stairway he shook his head. "There, see? All good."

At the top of the stairs was the entrance hall, and at the end of that the big doors leading to the throne room. "Just taking some ponies on a tour." Gleaming gave her drollest smile to the guards on duty and led the couple right up to the doors. Inside, Princess Cadance sat on her throne, looking as regal as ever.

"My queen." Bright Flash trotted forward, passing Gleaming and bowing his head. Just as he lifted his eyes back up, he let his disguise drop. "There is grave news from Canterlot, and it couldn't wait." He looked around a little, feeling a touch odd; Princess Cadance wasn't radiating love, not a drop. His face fell and his throat went dry.

"Private Gleaming Shine, please close the doors. You may go." Cadance waved a hoof at Gleaming in a dismissive manner.

"Of course, Princess." Gleaming bowed deeply, turned, and did as instructed.

The moment the big doors were closed, Shining dropped his disguise. "Sorry, Bright, I was giving Cady a little break. What is the problem?" He pulled the disguise of his wife back up, his magic easily doing the task.

"S-S-Shining Armor…" Misty held it together, closed her eyes and thought of a hooficure, relaxing under the sun-windows, and even getting her mane done. It never ceased to help her relax.

"Queen Chrysalis has sent a larger group of infiltrators to Canterlot, and more to Ponyville, and elsewhere." Bright explained what she knew. "I… I am a little scared, my Queen, but if you want me to go back and continue, I can."

"If you were going to return, how long would you have before you need to leave?" Shining stretched her wings up and out, unconsciously making the "royal alicorn pose" that princesses were known for.

"If I am going back, I need to be on a train no later than midday tomorrow." Bright felt the hard shove in his side. "What?"

" 'We,' you mean. I am not going to let you go back there and be in all kinds of danger alone." Misty Dew's scolding tone was all for Bright. "Just you try to stop me!"

Shining's eyes widened, realizing that the two mares were certainly back together again, she could even taste the slight wafting love that Misty had for Bright. "We will see what Careful Steps says. I am still learning the finer points of espionage, and would be mad not to consult him." Shining ruffled her wings and folded them down to her back. "So, you want dinner and a room for the night? We can meet when you wake tomorrow."

Bright blinked at how quickly and surely her queen had decided a course. She beamed happily and almost chirped in relief. "Until—"

"I want a tour." Misty glared first at her partner, then at the Prince-disguised-as-Princess. "Where was that nice mare? She will be fine, just have her cover her plot up."

Shining blinked at the demands. She looked to Bright Flash and saw resignation. "I will call her, if it pleases your highness?" She grinned at her own joke.

"Finally!" Misty lifted her jaw, quite liking the little gag. "Somepony recognizes my talents!"

Author's Notes:

Princess Luna: "Do you honestly believe that Trixe will perform well in the role of a spy when she often tends to be a rather large braggart?"

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

Princess Luna blinked at the question. "First of all, I would not know anything of anypony named 'Trixie Lulamoon.' " She gave a knowing wink. "Second, we have had talks with our neice, and while she has her eccentricities, she certainly realizes the gravity of the situation. I would have full confidence that not only if such a mare as Trixie Lulamoon existed, and was a long-lost descendant of mine, that she would be able to keep me informed as she works, and uses every skill she has for the betterment of Equestria." Luna used a dark-colored fork to break a little corner-piece from the square mud cake slice she had on a plate. "Besides, it isn't often a pony finds out they could be made a princess. I think Trixie Lulamoon, if she existed, which is only a guess, would work very hard indeed."

~~~~~+++++~~~~~

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and I they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, I they will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! I They will pick one question per chapter.

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