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The Three Sisters: Extended Family

by Wanderer D

Chapter 6

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The Three Sisters: Extended Family

Chapter 6

By Wanderer D

“I feel like I’ve been stuck here for months, doing nothing!!” Sweetie Belle complained.

“It’s been less than a day,” Queen Chrysalis remarked, shrugging. “You have to learn patience, sister.”

“Easy for you to say,” Sweetie Belle grumbled, “you've gotten a lot more practice, sis. But it still feels like time just forgot about us.”

“Well, it does seem like an unusually long day...” Chrysalis sighed and shook her head. “I’m just about ready to burst out, but I need more information. Just a little more before I can act.”

Sweetie Belle blinked. “Wait. What information do you need? And how can you get it?”

Chrysalis smiled. “Oh I have been getting it from you... and them,” she explained. “When they visited they told me a lot more than they imagine. Clearly Thysa is not on their side, not that she can do much other than rally allies, and they seem to be under the impression that I am controlling her actions.” She laughed. “I can tell... one of them is going to betray the others, it’s just a matter of time. And when she does, she’ll come to me.” The Queen’s smile turned into a vicious grin. “I’ll have to decide what to do with her after I deal with the others.”

Sweetie cringed. “Is that really necessary?”

Chrysalis looked down at the filly. “I can always have more daughters. I’m not even into my first century.”

“Oh...” Sweetie didn’t sound convinced. “Wait... how long does a Changeling Queen live?”

“About... four hundred years at least,” Chrysalis said after a moment of tapping her chin in thought. “Mother was roughly seven hundred when she died. And she died of natural causes.”

“She did?” Sweetie asked. “Uh... how did she die?”

“Gryphon assassin.”

“Ah.” Sweetie frowned. “No, wait, that doesn’t make sense. That's not a natural cause! How would a gryphon even find this place, then get past all the changelings and murder the queen?”

“Gryphon. Assassin.” Chrysalis repeated slowly, looking directly into Sweetie’s eyes. "And of course it's a natural cause. You cease breathing."

Sweetie Belle shrank a little under the gaze. “O-okay.”

“It was truly a ghastly occurrence,” Chrysalis said, taking her eyes away from the cringing filly. “The celebrations lasted for weeks. We didn’t even remember to bury her until the clean-up crew had to clear the aftermath of the party.”

“Wait, you had a party that lasted several weeks?”

“And the ‘gryphon assassin’ was hailed as hero to all and had she been a changeling princess—and this is pure conjecture—she might have immediately become Queen, but that’s another thing altogether. Mother was not loved. At all. By anyone. Changeling or food,” Chrysalis said with a grumbling sigh. “She was really, really disliked.”

Sweetie gulped. “That’s... really sad.”

Chrysalis did not look at her. “Yeah. It is.”

“I’m sorry,” Sweetie Belle said, giving Chrysalis a hug.

“It was for the best,” Chrysalis explained, shifting a little. “She would have doomed us all.”

Sweetie Belle didn't say anything but her look made Chrysalis roll her eyes. “She had planned something similar as my plan to take over Canterlot,” she elaborated. “Only, she wanted to take on the dragons, because, and I quote: 'Things that big must also have really big feelings.'

Sweetie Belle giggled, eliciting a smile from Chrysalis. “Yes, I thought she was joking too until I saw the maps, the logistics and plans all laid out on the table. It was fortunate that that assassin struck the moment she did.” Chrysalis shuddered. “Unlike the ponies, dragons would not have been content on letting us go.”

o.0.o

“Oh!” Rarity all but squealed in happiness. “I remember these!

Her eyes roamed the large table in front of her, where several drones, male and female, worked on preparing dishes for the princesses.

“It used to be my favorite!” she whispered excitedly to Luna and Hidden Tale, remembering where she was and the nature of their visit.

“What is it?” Luna whispered back.

“Fruit bats,” Hidden Tale said, looking over the dish.

Rarity's eyes went wide, and Luna feared her fellow royal was about to either throw up or pass out.

“All this time... there's a whole colony of them at Sweet Apple Acres...” Rarity was salivating. “And I never thought to cook them. I can't believe I never noticed!”

Luna exchanged a glance with Hidden Tale. “Is this all you eat?”

“Of course not,” Hidden Tale chuckled, taking a sudden air of arrogance and control. “Follow me, young ones.”

He lead them to the table. “Carry on,” he waved a hoof casually to one of the chefs when they stopped. “I'm introducing the newest cooks to the kitchen.”

The chefs nodded, returning to their work.

“As you can see, we have the fruit bats, the centipedes over here, mushrooms, sala-tree roots, a great variety of bulbs and chocolate. All for the pleasure of our queen and princesses.”

Rarity and Luna nodded, the first trying her best to not simply bite into everything, the second carefully keeping herself from accidentally bumping against a pile of dead animals.

“How are you handling it?” Luna whispered when she saw Rarity shudder.

“I... I'm having a really rough time, princess,” Rarity confessed, gulping and trying to force her eyes to look at anything but the fruit bats. "I don't mean to alarm you, but I am holding back some very powerful urges to gorge myself right now... it's been such a long time... changelings are omnivores. We need animal protein, we need starch, we need... a little of everything, even emotions. While in Ponyville all I could eat was... well, vegetables...” she cringed. “I don't mean that I don't love my veggies, but...” she gulped. “But... F-fruit bats... oh my Celestia. I have lusted for that dish all these years, princess. You have no idea just how much I've wanted to sink my teeth into one of those. Had I known... oh, Celestia, had I known...”

“There, there,” Luna patted her friend's back. “Patience. I am sure that when we free your sister—”

“What are you three doing here?!” A changeling interrupted, trotting towards them angrily. “I don't recall allowing anyone else in here. You three. Who are you? What are your names?”

“Now, you listen here,” Hidden Tale growled, getting in the face of the changeling that had marched up to them. “These two were just assigned to start working in the kitchen and—”

“What is she doing!?” the changeling shouted, pushing Hidden Tale out of the way.

Luna blinked, thinking he was talking about her, but then she looked at Rarity and realized the changeling queen had left her side and was happily chewing a cooked fruit bat to the horrified looks of the chefs and servants.

“I'll have her executed for this! That food is only for...” he trailed off as Rarity moaned in bliss.

“Fruit bats...” Rarity whispered, her form shimmering as her disguise was completely forgotten in a moment of infinite culinary pleasure. Instead of a pretty-but-normal female changeling, now stood a queen.

All movement in the kitchen halted.

Licking her chops, Rarity let out a slow, shuddering sigh of pleasure and then opened her eyes. “Uh-oh...”

o.0.o

“Something is not right,” Arachne said, sitting in front of the pod containing Twilight. “I can feel it in my exoskeleton.”

“Are you sure it's not just that you haven't waxed it in a while?” Acari offered. “It's really relaxing.”

“I don't have time to do that!” Arachne snapped. “What are we going to do about this?” she pointed behind her at the pod.

Acari and Phasmi looked at each other before looking back at her. “Well,” Phasmi cleared her throat. “We could let her go.”

“Are you crazy? If we do that she'll tell their queen where we are!” Arachne growled.

“Princess,” Acari corrected.

“Whatever!” Arachne snapped.

“We have to think of alternatives,” Phasmi said, looking from one sister to the other. “Freeing her and taking her somewhere safe while she's unconscious, is one option, but not the only one. We could set her free and explain the situation to her.”

Arachne shook her head. “Ponies hate us! Why would she even listen?”

“She's supposed to be one of the most intelligent ponies ever,” Acari said. “Perhaps she will give us the benefit of doubt.”

“Perhaps she will blast us to pieces!” Arachne grumbled.

“Regardless, we need to reach a consensus,” Phasmi sighed. “Whatever we do, we can't harm her. We should decide soon, her absence must have been discovered by now and enough time has passed for the ponies to set their own plans in motion.”

“Fine then,” Arachne grumbled, getting up. “I'll think about it,” she muttered, walking out of the pod room.

Acari watched her leave before looking back at Phasmi. “Arachne is losing it.”

Phasmi sighed. “I know. But we must trust her to be strong enough to pull through. We can't do this on our own. I just wish Thysa had...” she trailed off. “I guess there's no point in wishful thinking.”

Acari shook her head, standing up as well. “We all need some rest, sister. Let's each consider what our best course of action should be, then reconvene when we have all calmed down.”

Phasmi nodded, looking absently at Twilight's sleeping form while her sister walked away.

o.0.o

“Ah don't know, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said as they approached the Library. “It's mighty strange that Sweetie didn't come back after taking Thysa to see Rarity.”

“I'm sure they just all got stuck drinking tea with Rarity,” Scootaloo groaned. “Come on, we'll see her tomorrow in school.”

“Then why aren't they at the Carrousel Boutique?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah just want to check, okay?”

“Fine.”

The pair made it to the Golden Oaks Library and knocked on the door.

To their surprise, it was Applejack who opened the door. “Well, what in tarnation are y'all doin' here?”

“Sis?” Apple Bloom asked. “What are you doin' here? Ah thought libraries were not your favorite place.”

Applejack frowned. “Never mind that, Ah asked you a question.”

“We're here to see if Twilight knows where Sweetie Belle is. She was supposed to be with Rarity but they were not in the boutique. We've already checked Sugarcube Corner.”

“Um... Ah-ah don't know, girls, maybe she's uh...” Applejack squirmed under the gaze of the two fillies. “Uh... P-Pinkie Pie! We have visitors!” she shouted looking over her shoulder.

“We do?!” Pinkie Pie asked from behind Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, making them both shout in surprise. “We do! That's amazing! Hello girls!”

“Pinkie, you have to stop doing that!” Apple Bloom groaned. “Don't you remember what happened to Sweetie Belle last time!?”

“Did she burst into green flames revealing she had always been a changeling!?” Pinkie Pie gasped.

“No!” Scootaloo groaned. “She passed out! Where do you get that stuff?!”

“Ah, hehe,” Applejack interrupted, chuckling nervously and looking extremely guilty. “J-just remember girls, it's just Pinkie bein' Pinkie Pie.”

Apple Bloom's eyes narrowed. “Riiight.”

“Eeeyup!” Pinkie Pie shouted, skipping around them. “Sweetie's not a changeling! Sweetie's not a changeling!” She stopped, eyes wide. “Unless... can changelings turn ponies into changelings?! That would be so cool!” she turned to look at a horrified Applejack. “She could have a moment with her two sisters! It would be the three sisters! All over again!”

“Wait, what?” Scootaloo asked, blinking. “Sweetie only has one sister,” she pointed out.

“And she's a pony,” Apple Bloom added.

“And changelings can't turn ponies into changelings, that's a myth,” Thysa added, nodding her head.

Applejack sighed in relief. “Well, Ah'm glad that's...” she blinked. “Wait...”

“Thysa!” Apple Bloom smiled. “Where's Sweetie?”

“She was captured by my evil sister and taken into custody to the changeling hive in the wastelands,” Thysa said.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Applejack sighed. “Okay girls, come inside, we have some things we need to discuss.” She glared at Thysa. “And you, princess, better learn to keep quiet, secrets like these can get a lot of ponies in trouble if they're not kept!”

Thysa cringed. “Sorry...”

“Aw, it's okay!” Pinkie Pie grinned. “Come on, let's go party!”

o.0.o

Slowly, as night descended onto Ponyville and the lights of the small town lit up, peace seemed settle into it.

However, had anypony been close to the Everfree forest, they might have noticed several shadows moving to and fro.

The shadows whispered to each other, and their attention turned to the town.

Soon... soon they would move out.

o.0.o End Chapter 6 o.0.o

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone. Yeah, took a while. Again, no editor/proof-reader on these chapters, so forgive the mistakes, or if you want, point them out in the comments.

A little side note: Thanks Fifth, for the FB idea!

~WD

Next Chapter: Fake Chapter 7: April Fools Edition... Or is it? Estimated time remaining: 52 Minutes
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