Chrysalis woke in a foul mood. An uncomfortable evening had only heralded the path for an uncomfortable rest and an equally uncomfortable awakening.

It certainly didn't help that her royal bed (graciously donated from one of Canterlot's most exclusive hotels) was not living up to its guarantee as "the softest mattress in Equestria". She grumbled wordlessly. When she found out who was on the duty roster for Royal Bed Preparation the previous night, someling's head was going to roll.

On that note, she realized that her mattress did not feel much like any sort of cushion, properly fluffed or no. Had she fallen asleep on the throne? Hopefully not. Such an image was unbecoming of a Changeling Queen. Unless of course, in her final conscious moments, she'd managed to adopt a pose that made it look like she had merely been in deep contemplation.

It was about this time in her contemplations that Chrysalis realized that all she could see was darkness. She tried to open her eyes only, much to her surprise, to find them already open. Why was the throne room so dark? Apparently, the Royal Bed Preparer wasn't the only one whose head would be rolling.

She attempted to stand, even in the dark the throne room was familiar enough for her to navigate via memory, only to find that she could not. What she had at first mistook for an overly tight blanket resolved itself into the sensations of bindings.

She was tied up, and very securely at that.

In an instant, her sleepy mind flared to life, decades of paranoia and battle-preparations finally paying off. She flexed her whole body as her mind raced to process everything that she could.

There was darkness all around, the only light centered directly above her head. It illuminated a small patch of the darkness directly around her but failed to spread elsewhere.

Ropes were tied across all four legs as well as her barrel, holding her securely to a chair. A proper chair that is, she noticed. Equestrian made.

So. She had been kidnapped. A changeling kidnapped by a pony. Rather an ironic turn of events, she mused for a moment before focusing again on the here and now.

She activated her magic to feel for the knots and probe them for weaknesses, only to gasp as the familiar sensation lodged itself in her horn and refused to move forward. The magic couldn't pass. Something was blocking it.

But if that was the case then... no, it couldn't be. She reached out with her mind, in the way only a changeling can, and probed for the familiar buzz of the hive's mind. She could still feel it, like a silvery thread connecting her to everyling else. She sent a ping down the line; not even a message, the simplest form of changeling communication. She waited, and waited, and received only silence.

She was alone. Cut off the hive, from reinforcements and from aid. Her magic blocked and her body restrained. All she had left was her mind and her senses. So she set herself to make use of them.

This was a clever foe, of that there was no doubt. To infiltrate her hive and spirit her away, bypassing wards, guards, and her own secret security measures was no mean feat. A list of suspects filled her mind. Celestia was the obvious first choice, but she never handled conflict personally, always working through proxies and inbetweens to get her dirty work done. Which essentially meant that it could have been to work of anypony with Celestia pulling the strings three degrees of separation away.

Luna was also a possibility, but a kidnapping wasn't her style. She was from a more barbaric time, and if she could gain access to Chrysalis's private chambers while she slept, then the Queen would be dead already.

The Princess of Food would certainly be holding a grudge, both she and her buffoonish husband, but their piddling empire lacked resources for this level of operation. They would have targetted the whole hive, not her alone, probably with a large military force.

The ever-insufferable Twilight Sparkle was too softhearted to even consider a kidnapping. She would have sent a formal letter of intent before even approaching the hive. And her troublesome friends wouldn't act without her leadership.

That cut the list down significantly, but still left a litany of enemies.

She tested her bindings. Again, she found them to be expertly done. Tight enough to stop her from shimmying free, but not so tight that she could really call it uncomfortable. There was even a cushioned pad behind her head. Somepony had taken great care to ensure both her comfort and inability to escape.

She tried her magic again, the soft green glow barely going up a quarter length of her horn before encountering resistance. But maybe, if she poured enough magic into an undirected spell, she could push past it. She was just preparing to try when someone interrupted her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Chrysalis."

Chrysalis's overdriven senses immediately sucked in as much information as they could and set to processing. It was a stallion's voice, young adult by the timber, a slight regional affectation, but not one she could place. Beyond that, it was unenlighteningly mundane.

"You won't be using any magic, not with that suppressor ring on." The voice came from behind her, hidden by the high back of the chair even if she craned her neck. "I'm sure you've considered forcing your magic through to overload it, but it won't work. That particular ring is refined maudite; rated to suppress magic up to alicorn levels. Courtesy of an unattended armory depot."

"Besides," he passed in front of her, though still obscured by the perfect dark, "It's as much for your protection as it mine."

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," Chrysalis spoke smoothly, evenly. Hiding any trace of emotion or even concern about her current situation. "You know my name, yet I don't know yours."

"Very true," he replied, ignoring her request entirely.

Alright. If he refused to give tit for tat, then there were plenty of other tactics. She chuckled as if amused. "So, who was it that finally managed to capture me? The Solar Guard? Lunar Force? Crystal Legion?"

"Mm... something like that." An enigmatic one, wasn't he?

Chrysalis frowned. Time to drop the niceties. "Fine, let's cut to the chase then. Clearly you want something from me, otherwise I'd be dead or locked in a forgotten hole by now."

"You're right about that." The voice came from her left this time and Chrysalis swivelled her ears to try and follow him. How was he moving so silently? And with the suppressor ring on, she couldn't even feel the emotions of the room to track his movement. "There is something I want from you."

"I won't betray my hive," she snarled, "You may have dealt a blow, but the hive can recover, even from the loss of a Queen."

Much to her surprise, the stallion chuckled. "Of that I have no doubt. Considering your generals, my bits would be on Pharynx to undergo the metamorphosis to assume your mantle."

Chrysalis's mind missed a step, though she hid it well. Pharynx was her first choice as well. How could he have known? The hierarchy of her hive, let alone their names and ambitions, should have been a complete mystery to the ponies. Just who was this stallion?

"You might be surprised to know that I know nearly as much about you hive as you do. I had to, after all, in order to find you so we could have this little meeting." There it was, the sound of a hoofstep. He was in front of her now, just barely hidden by the shadows. So close that she could almost imagine that she could make out an outline.

"And let me tell you, finding you was not an easy task."

There was a flash of blinding light, making Chrysalis hiss and screw her eyes shut against the sudden glare. When the spots had faded, she peered out into the illuminated room.

The room was fully lit now, white tiles shining as bright as day against rough brick walls. But much more interesting was what was on the wall in front her, as well as the stallion that stood beside it.

A giant map of Equestria and the surrounding lands covered most of the wall. Much of it was obscured by other pieces of papers that had been tacked on top. Newspaper clippings and magazine articles, copies of guard reports with heavily highlighted sections, photographs and sketches with small details blown up or circled. Each item was connected to points on the map and at least three other pages by strands of thread that formed a massive crimson spiderweb. And at the center of the web, where so many pieces of evidence came together, was her hive.

The stallion was... forgettable. An average build, with an average mane and average features.

He looked at her expectantly, as if waiting for her reaction like a foal showing his mother a drawing he made at school. What did he expect? Praise for his efforts? This was the least it should have taken. Recognition? She didn't know him. She couldn't remember having seen him before in her life, not that she usually paid ponies much more attention than one would give an annoying, if tasty, vegetable tray. At least she knew now that she was dealing with an individual, not an organization. It made things simpler. The most straightforward plan of action would be to deny him his reaction. She made her face like stone; impassive and uncaring.

As the silence continued and the changeling queen made no move to react, the stallion's expression fell. "Darn it," he muttered, "So much for my big reveal." He leaned back on the wall and slid down into a sitting position with a sigh.

He looked up to meet her eyes, a sad smile on his face. "You really have no idea who I am, do you?"

Chrysalis sniffed haughtily. Whatever had just broken in the stallion, it could only benefit her to grind it further into the dust. "I can honestly say that I have absolutely no idea. You look as boring and forgettable as every other pony I have ever met."

Surprisingly, this seemed to have the opposite effect of her intentions. Rather than crush his spirit further, her comment seemed to spur the stallion into new life. He hopped up, suddenly full of vigor once more. "Of course! I would, wouldn't I? You only ever saw me with my armor on."

He stepped closer, as if that would make some difference, and enunciated his words as clearly as possible.

"It was almost two years ago, just shy by a month. A few days before your changelings invaded Canterlot. On the Eastern side of the city's outer walls, in a small guard outpost. That was where we met."

Chrysalis's eyed widened. There was no mistaking those details. She struggled to push away the memories, but the emotions tied to her failed attempt at conquest were too strong.

And then it all came rushing back. Memories from the invasion. But a few days before everything had gone so horribly, horribly wrong.

Chrysalis strode confidently in her borrowed skin, grinning slightly in a sort of self-satisfaction. Though she was fully capable of assuming the form of any tribe of pony, it was still a pleasant bonus to be able to keep both her horn and wings for once. Even if they were both garishly pink for the time being.

Replacing the princess had been laughably easy. Really, how much of a fool did you have to be to decide to leave the safety of a castle, days before your wedding no less, to go and do charity work with the poor? And without a guard escort even. It was really only a matter of time before someone foalnapped her.

Plotting while she walked, Chrysalis tapped into the hive's mind to check on the progress of the rest of her plan. Her infiltrators had already replaced over thirty percent of their designated targets, putting the operation several ponies ahead of schedule. How excellent. At the current rate, it seemed as though her scheme would succeed without a hitch.

The path she had chosen led to Canterlot's East Gate. This was because of all the entrances to the city, this was the smallest and least monitored due to it being accessible be steep hoofpath only. She knew the guard schedule by heart, and had timed her arrival to coincide with the most understaffed shift. In fact, as she gazed ahead, she could see only a single stallion posted there. Tasting the emotional field confirmed that there were no others hiding just past the gate or in the nearby bushes. It was just her and the guard.

She assessed him as she made her final approach. He was a young private, fresh out of boot camp by the look of it. If his jitteriness and uneven posture weren't enough of a giveaway, he also wore the standard rank-and-file golden armor issued to all entry-level guards with the enchantment that gave them all a uniform white or grey coat. His was white, not that it really mattered.

Taking this into consideration, Chrysalis decided that a stern and strict approach would be most effective with a pony who so recently left his drill sergeant behind. She walked right up to him as he struggled to regain his correct posture and summon the gravitas necessary for interacting with royalty.

"P-P-Princess!" he stammered, throwing up a wing salute and dropping his spear in the process. He scrambled for it as Chrysalis didn't bother hiding her eye roll. If only all the Canterlot guards were this inept, then she could have invaded years ago. Finally, the stallion recovered and gave a proper salute. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, ma'am!"

"At ease soldier." His rigid posture sagged immediately. How weak. "I have finished my errand helping the poor of... Ponytown." That sounded right. "I need to return to my wedding preparations, so if you would stand aside, I'll take up as little of your time as needed."

He nodded. "Of course your highness." He held out a hoof. "Your identification papers please."

She blinked. Her what? "Excuse me?"

The hoof remained, insistent and waiting, though the stallion attached to it looked no less nervous. "Papers please, your highness. Following security protocol 2372, set in place by her Royal Majesty Princess Celestia six days ago, in light of recent security concerns for the upcoming royal wedding, upon entering the city all ponies without exception must present papers of identification." He recited it as though he had the paper printed in front of him.

Within her mind, Chrysalis scowled. Impossible! This was too sudden, too soon. Had the invasion plans been leaked? All of her infiltrators had reported in, so noling had been captured. How in the name of all her ancestors did that blasted sun princess know?

Even as such thoughts raced through her mind, Chrysalis' face remained unchanged. "Well I'm sure she didn't mean me. I'm the bride after all."

He shuffled his hooves nervously, but stood his ground. "The order said all ponies without exception... Ah, your highness ma'am."

She scowled, letting some of her inner frustration vent through her façade. "In case you haven't noticed, I am an alicorn. So that's three guesses as to who I could possibly be and I think we can confidently rule at least two of them out. So why don't we cease this pointless effort, and you let me in?"

"I-I'm so sorry y-your highness, b-b-but it's an order direct from P-Princess Celestia!" He shook so hard his horseshoes played a tune on the cobblestones. Even then he stuck to his orders.

Curse this infuriating guard! Incompetent though he may be, Chrysalis could only begrudgingly compliment the training he had received. She'd expect no less dedication to orders from her own subordinates. Then again, he was young, new to his post, and likely following his orders so diligently out of a desperate need to please authority figures. In that case, perhaps a different approach was necessary.

"I understand," she said with an exaggerated sigh and a resigned expression, "You're just doing your job. But suppose there was another way I could prove my identity to you?"

He perked up, thankful for her sudden change in tone. "Yes? Like what your highness?"

She leaned in closer and dropped her voice hushed tone. "Well, I am the Princess of Love after all. Perhaps a demonstration of my... capabilities would help you believe me?"

The stallion gulped as a furious blush grew on his face like a field of blooming poppies. "I...I..." he stammered, "P-Princess Mi Amo-"

She shushed him and placed a hooftip over his lips. "Please, call me Cadence."

He was sweating now, and his blush was so vibrant it almost looked like his armor's enchantment was malfunctioning. Chrysalis grinned; she should have used this approach from the start.

"C-C-Cad... Princess Cadence." He at least tried. "But- but I'm just a private and you're... you're a... and your getting married! The Captain!"

She shushed him again and batted her eyes. "I'm not married yet, now am I? So I don't see any problem with it. And if a princess says it's okay, then it's okay, isn't it?" She took a step around him, allowing her tail to glide up and brush under his chin. He stiffened and his wings threatened to burst free from where they were clenched at his sides. She noticed a small door set into the wall by the gate. Probably a break room for the guards between shifts, or somewhere for them to keep watch from in warmth during the winter. That would do.

"Maybe we should take this... somewhere more private, private?" She gestured to the door with a tilt of her head and another bat of her eyes. The guard nodded robotically and began following, his head following her tail like it was a leash. He fumbled a bit with a ring of keys, but soon enough found the right one and opened the door. He stood aside and let the princess enter first. She made sure to brush along him as much as possible as she entered, feeling him shiver involuntarily at her touch. She'd have to be quick to stay on schedule, but a bit of extra energy wouldn't go amiss. She pulled the door shut behind them as soon as the enraptured stallion followed her inside.

Twenty minutes later, 'Princess Cadence' exited the guard post, her hair slightly disheveled, but that was quickly fixed. Levitating a set of keys in front of her, she chuckled darkly as she let herself into Canterlot through the unguarded East Gate. "Thanks for the snack~"

"I stayed in that room for nearly three days." The stallion murmured as his reminiscing ended conveniently alongside Chrysalis's flashback. "Nopony found me until the big rescue-and-cleanup effort after the invasion was over with." He laughed lightly. "Would you believe I got a promotion out of it? For 'bravely defending my post to the point of exhaustion', ha! Though it wasn't like I could correct them. Was I supposed to just tell them that I'd actually spent the whole battle riding high on a wave of bliss and pleasure like nothing I'd ever felt before?"

The glittering in his eyes failed to diminish as he turned them back to Chrysalis. "That was when I knew that I had to find you again. What you did... what we did... something changed in me. I'd never felt like that before and it was like my whole world had somehow shifted."

Chrysalis wished she could scoff and roll her eyes at the ridiculous pony sentiment, but wisely kept such thoughts to herself. In her haste to incapacitate him before, some of the raw extracted love must have overflowed back into his body and naturally resonated with his own energy. That would explain such a ludicrous emotional high like he described. Though it was a marvel in itself that his brain hadn't melted out his ears from the overload. It would have ben amusing to watch, if a waste of food.

He had continued to ramble even while Chrysalis pondered the causes of his state, making her miss some of what had happened next. For a stallion that had tried so hard to be mysterious and aloof earlier, he seemed eager to spill his story. "...but by then I had finally figured out that Cadence was not the one I'd met that day." He spat her name with nearly as much disgust as Chrysalis would. "I had heard that changelings could transform into ponies but since I missed the invasion, I had no idea that your disguises could be so... accurate. But after a few failed passes and attempts to get her acknowledgement, I finally heard the full story about the ceremony.

I could barely stand to work under her after that. Knowing I was helping the mare that had sent my one-and-only flying into the distance. But I stuck around. I had to. I'd fallen for a mare whose face I didn't even know, and being a royal guard was the only way to keep the access I needed.

Eventually I got access to the official record of the invasion. After action reports, damage assessments, witness interviews, everything. Including descriptions and a few sketches. Most ponies seemed to have foggy memories of the event, either from trauma or some changeling ability I don't know about, but a few managed to make some rough drawings. So I worked with what I had."

He tugged a rope hanging from the ceiling. As he pulled, Chrysalis felt her chair begin to rotate. Each tug on the rope turned her another few degrees as the mural on the next wall progressively filled more of her field of view.

The whole next wall was covered in artwork. Sketches, drawings, and paintings across countless mediums and art styles. Edges overlapped like a pile of expensive leaves, but the central character in each piece was always unobstructed.

Chrysalis.

Chrysalis standing. Chrysalis sitting. Chrysalis rearing to attack and Chrysalis giving bedroom eyes. Chrysalis lounging on the solar throne and Chrysalis lounging on petal-strewn cushions.

In some she looked like a monster, with jagged chitin and a feral snarl. In others she looked like a pony in all but the smallest details, as though she'd taken Celestia's body shape but kept her own appearance.

On paper and canvas and wood, it was an unending sea of Chrysalis.

"You like it?" He asked again in that tone, like a foal seeking parental approval. "It's taken me a lot of work."

He left his map of Equestria behind and stood by the leftmost part of his mural, where the images tended towards the 'monstrous'. "A lot of these early ones are artist's depictions based on a couple of ponies' clearer memories." He stroked one that looked like a normal changeling but with grotesquely extended legs and neck. "They're... far from perfect, especially after seeing you in the flesh, but they were all I had in those early days."

He moved along the wall, the pictures increasing in quality and composition as he went. "I tried paying artists to make more, but it was hard to try and convey that I wasn't looking for hyper-realistic and scary pictures. Most of them thought I was either writing a historical account of the battle that needed illustrations, or a book to scare foals."

He paused. The picture in front of him was a very accurate depiction, as though the artist had been there. Chrysalis, flying through the throne room at the crest of a great pink bubble. The other half of the picture was covered up. "And some of them kept including her in the pictures as well."

He glanced over to his Queen, who was watching him with rapt attention. He smiled, glad that she approved thus far. "Eventually I found a group of somewhat deviant artists who were finally able to give me what I wanted, though their prices made regular commissions difficult." He nodded towards a matched pair of pictures of her splayed invitingly on long pillows. "Like this one. I got his one when..."

Chrysalis was not at all paying attention to her captor's ramblings about his art collection. Anyone who has sat on a throne long enough learns how to feign interest in rambling speeches that they couldn't care less about. Even now most of her focus was fixated on escape, something for which she had finally found a thread.

A little known fact about changelings is that, compared to a unicorn's horn which has a perfectly circular base, a changeling's horn is ever so slightly elliptical. That being said, Chrysalis could still feel the barest trickle of magic through her horn. It was small, less than a foal could output, but it was a start. With patience and a healthy dose of discretion, she might be able to maneuver the ring up her horn high enough that she could blow it off without blowing off her horn in the process.

But she needed time, otherwise it would risk the stallion noticing or worse, permanent damage to her magic. She needed him to keep talking. But on anything other than the history of every piece of art he had of her. It was mind-numbingly dull.

"Yes, yes, they're quite flattering," she interrupted his story about a mock-up magazine cover depicting her in a pose that Chrysalis wasn't sure she could even contort into, "But getting back to the topic, how was it you were able to track me down? You had drive, clearly, but you would need resources, information, contacts."

"Oh, right." He took a moment to refocus himself before grinning deviously. "Well you can thank Shining Armor for that. I never would have been able to do it if it wasn't for him."

A young guard stood dutifully outside the chambers of the Crystal Empire throne room. He did everything dutifully, just in case any small moment of indiscretion might potentially lead to his dismissal. As much as he hated being in the Guard, it was the only place where he could access the resources that he needed.

To be fair, he didn't hate being in the Guard specifically, rather, it was what and who he had to guard. The Crystal Empire: countless leagues to the north and as far away as possible from the last, and only, place he'd met the mare of his dreams. And Princess Cadence: the wicked harpy who'd blasted his love into the horizon and brazenly deceived him into thinking that she was the mare he had devoted himself to. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of how one day, if he worked hard, he would be able to see her again. And then, once more, they could-

"Ah, there you are Sergeant."

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a knuckleheaded nuisance of a stallion.

"Captain Shining Armor, sir," he acknowledged.

"No need for that, " Shining Armor eased him with a shake of his head. "This isn't a surprise performance review."

The guard nodded, and relaxed his posture slightly. As much as he could while his anger still simmered away in the background.

"So," the captain started, ignorant to his officer's true feelings, "What do you think of the Crystal Empire?"

"A fine place sir." It was not. Dragons could melt into slag for all he cared. "It's a privledge to serve here."

"Good, good," he nodded. "You've been here how long? Three months?"

"Nearly four, sir."

"That's right. And in that time you've already made something of a name for yourself."

"Sir?"

Shining Armor leaned in and lowered his voice. "Word gets around, Sergeant. Rumors have been trickling up the ranks about your particular views on... changelings."

He stiffened. Was this it? Was this the moment when everything would come crashing down?

The captain continued. "I've never heard such righteous fury before." He gave the sergeant a soft glance and put a hoof on his pauldron. "I know the invasion took a toll on you. It hit all of us hard. Just know that you're not alone in your feelings."

The guard relaxed again. His cover was holding. He had tried once to test the waters of the barracks with a few leading questions to see how the other guards felt about changelings. Hoping for the small chance that he might finally find a comrade-in-arms who shared his controversial opinion of them. But he had met a wall of anger and hatred, and the only way to protect his secret was to reply in turn but even stronger. And then he kept up the lie with occasional exclamations on how evil changelings were and how much he hated them, even though each statement weighed heavy on his heart as he thought of the queen he loved. But he preserved, and that diligence seemed ready to pay dividends.

"In light of this," Shining Armor continued, "I'd like to extend to you a very special opportunity. I'm putting together a task force, the best of the best, whose sole mission will be to track down Chrysalis and her hive."

Could it be? Was fate finally rewarding him for his patience and perseverance? He stilled the fluttering of his heart lest it give him away.

"It's a cross-jurisdictional effort headed by Commander Radar Rider of the EUP, Captain Blue Lamp of the Night Guard, and myself. We're all hoof-picking the best mares and stallions we know of; those with particular sets of skills and with axes to grind against the changelings. You'll have access to the highest level of security clearance and all the latest intelligence. Everything you'll need to track those monsters down."

Shining Armor's hushed tone returned to normal levels. "I know it's a lot to take in, but this operation is moving fast. There's no obligation to accept, but with us, you'll finally be able to get exactly what you want from the changelings."

He held out a hoof, offering the chance of a lifetime.

"So, Lieutenant Sentry, will you join us?"

"And so I did," he concluded, wrapping up his story. Chrysalis tracked him with her eyes as he slowly paced the room. "I got access to materials and intel like I never knew and started planning my own operation." He nodded towards his wall map. "I decided that if I wanted something, then I had to reach out and take it. I had to steal you from your hive before they could." He turned back to her. "And now we're here."

Chrysalis tapped the edges of her chair with her hooves, which was the closest she could come to a slow mocking clap. "Oh well done, points all around. So what now that you've managed to capture me? If you know as much about me as you claim to, then you'd know that you must be dreaming to think I'd love you."

"I know," he replied softly, tenderly even, "I don't need you to love me, I just need you. It's... it's burning inside me. This feeling, this need. I've got to have all of you."

"And I have no need for you." She shot back. "Do you plan to keep me here forever? Locked up like an animal to sate your needs when you feel like it?"

"No! I-"

"And how do you plan to keep me alive? I cannot eat with this inhibitor ring on, and I know you know that the moment it's off you'll be the one tied up and unconscious. There is no way you'll allow me to die, so I've already won. So why shouldn't I just take you as my captive back to the hive?"

"Your hive isn't safe!" he cried, "They were planning an assault! If I hadn't gotten you out when I had..."

"You're a fool." Chrysalis leered at him. "We knew of the attack. We were fully prepared to sacrifice a few underlings in a staged resistance to let the guard think they had wiped us out. So I ask you again, what makes you worth me having anything to do with you once I am free?"

"I can be useful!" he insisted, "I had access to all the information. I know everything anypony knows about changelings or plans against you!"

"Information which will become more obsolete the longer you are not with the guard." She leaned forward, as much as her bonds would allow. "Face it, you're practically worthless. Your value to me is only equal to how much food you could be worth."

He paused, hesitating a moment before he lowered his head and answered in a resigned tone. "I'd be okay with that."

That threw Chrysalis off her beat for a moment. No pony, not once, had ever offered to willingly be part of the hive's food stocks. "You'd be nothing," she reminded, "A conditional slave at best, unconscious food at worst. You'd likely never see a member of the Guard again"

"...that'd be alright." He looked up again and closed the gap between them. "They can't see what you mean to me. And I know you can't either but... so long as I can be close to you, that I can see your face and know that you're near... " He stroked her face as she struggled to remain impassive, "I'll be happy."

Chrysalis smiled in a manner usually reserved for crocodiles and snakes. This was not exactly how she had planned on things going today, but as always, she had come out on top. She had learned of a pony taskforce allied against her and discovered an imminent invasion threat to the hive. Something which would be communicated to the hive the moment she removed her inhibitor. The stallion was... useful, and conveniently easy to manipulate. He'd be placed in a pod, milked for intelligence and love, and eventually cast aside like so many others. He was an unusual circumstance though; Chrysalis had never tasted love that was directed at her intentionally. It might even be slightly more potent than normal stolen love.

She jiggled the magic-inhibiting ring a little more. It was in the last crook of her horn now, and all it would take to free herself was a small magic blast. She could almost feel the emotion in the room now, though it was still faint and inaccessible. But not for long.

"Well then..." she chuckled, "I suppose there's no sense in waiting around. I would say it's time I took control of the situation, but it was in my control form the start." She ignited her horn and with a quick flare of magic, fractured the inhibitor ring into pieces that went flying to opposite corners of the room.

The stallion screamed something, but Chrysalis could not hear it. She was drowning in a sudden and unstoppable flood of emotion.

What she tasted was not the bubbly champagne-like taste of infatuation and puppy-love. Nor was it the savory and filling flavor of genuine love. It wasn't even the simple rousing energy of lust. This was deeper and darker; heady like a strong crimson wine that flooded the senses and overflowed across them into every corner of the mind.

This was passionate, vibrant, overpowering.

This was obsession.

It wasn't enough that it radiated off the stallion like a miniature sun, no, everything in the room was just saturated in it. Every photo, every sketch, even the very walls oozed emotional residue like waves of oppressive heat from a forge.

And her changeling instincts went into overdrive. Like a sinkhole opening in the bottom of a lake, the emotional energy rushed in. Through her mouth, through her horn, even her very chitin started drinking it in like a sponge. It was too much! An overload of energy, the most she'd ever felt in one place, forced it's way into her until her emotional stores were full to bursting and yet still it continued to push from the sheer pressure. She tried to siphon it away through her connection to the hive, but even that was taking teaspoons from a barrel. If the love she'd taken from Shining Armor was like siphoning water from a river, then this was like standing in the mouth of the river with a funnel down her throat.

Her chitin glowed as her body burned through the energy as fast as she could take it in. Her tattered mane rose into the air, shimmering and flowing in an invisible breeze like the princesses'. Her eyes were consumed by a pink light which shone out like carnival spotlights.

The emotion was not just concentrated. It was powerful, pure, and singularly focused on her in particular.

It went on for what felt like hours, but what was probably only a few minutes, until an equilibrium was finally reached.

Sensation returned to her slowly. She'd been untied and laid down caringly, the stallion hovering over her as he attempted an uneducated sort of CPR. If she hadn't been overflowing with energy, he might have fractured the chitin. She sat up, slowly, as her vision continued to swim.

"I'm so sorry!" he lamented, "I told you the ring was for your protection too, but you probably though I was just trying to be mysterious. I mean I was, but I was serious too!"

She silenced him with a wave of her hoof and looked at him in a new light. It was impossible not to. Even now, though tinged with panic and worry, positive emotions overflowed from him like a waterfall. Just being near him felt like having raw power injected into her veins. It was intoxicating.

"There's been a change of plan," she gasped, struggling to maintain a regal bearing while feeling as though breathing too strongly might blow the stallion through the wall. "Given the strength of your love, and the potential for the hive..." she smiled, genuinely smiled at him, "How does Royal Consort sound?"

His eyes brimmed with tears as he replied: "It sounds heavenly... my Queen."