Author's note: This chapter plays very fast and loose with canon when it comes to Equestria's history with changelings. Please bear with me in keeping in mind that I started writing and publishing this story long before season 2 was announced, and long before either the changelings or Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were mentioned. Because of that, I borrowed some canon from the Canterlot Wedding episode, but at the same time, neither Princess Cadance or Shining Armor exist in this story.

The God Particle

Chapter 48: Chrysalis

James tried to take advantage of the flight to the changeling hive by catching up on sleep, but found it impossible. The adrenaline flowing through his system was simply too much, the nervousness in the knowledge of what he was about to do simply too overwhelming.

The thought of meeting Queen Chrysalis nearly paralyzed him with fear. This was, after all, an individual so powerful that she had once defeated Princess Celestia herself in single combat. One had to have a certain amount of respect for someone capable of that, even if it was a very begrudging respect. Granted, she probably wasn't nearly as powerful now as she had been back then, given she no longer had the enormous reserves of love to draw from that she did then. But even if she only had a fraction of the power she had before, she was still a very dangerous adversary that he didn't dare underestimate.

A growing pressure in his ears told him they had started their descent. The air was ghostly smooth, chillingly so. Once again, he found himself wishing for a little bit of turbulence to offset the calm before the storm feeling that threatened to overwhelm him. A chill traveled through his body as the adrenaline spiked once more with the knowledge that they were now either very close to, or already behind enemy lines. He made a conscious effort to control his breathing and remind himself that despite Chrysalis's enormous power, he was ultimately the one with the advantage here, given he would be presenting her with a choice between survival and extinction. He only hoped the Changeling Queen was not so proud that she would choose extinction just to spite Equestria.

A few seconds later, there was a small jolt as the chariot touched down and gradually game to a stop. A series of severe bumps and rattles told him the ground beneath them was extremely rugged terrain. That the changelings preferred to construct their hives in very rough and inhospitable environments in order to make ground invasions of their territory extremely difficult was something else he had learned about them in the intelligence reports.

As the chariot rolled to a stop, he opened the door and climbed out, tugging his robe tighter around himself against the cold. Ghostly halos hung in the air where his breath froze and reflected the light of the chariot's lanterns. The ground crunched beneath his feet due to a combination of frozen and dead scrub and vegetation. He scanned the area around him as far as the pole mounted lanterns would allow him to see, but found little of interest. The land was barren, covered mostly with thorny bushes and dry grasses. Only the hardiest of trees could survive the environment of the changeling lands, and those were far and few between. Why anyone would want to live in such inhospitable territory was beyond him, and he had to remind himself that the changelings lived here by choice. Their hard, chitin covered bodies and partial insect like anatomy made them extremely adaptable to harsh climates. Changelings were capable of thriving in environments that would kill any pony, or any human for that matter. That was a point of concern for him. The changelings would be tolerating the cold and dark much better than the ponies would. If they were unable to bring back the sun, the changelings would be one of the last species to go extinct. That meant they may not see the urgency of the situation. Or perhaps Chrysalis would choose to gamble, riding out the crisis until Equestria was weakened to the point where she could easily conquer them? Only once she had Equestria under her control, would she act to stop the crisis. He felt the advantage he initially thought he had slipping away from him as he pondered that scenario.

“We're ready, Counselor.”

He turned to see one of the Pegasus Guard escorts walking up to him. He shook his head once.

“I'm going in alone, Lieutenant.”

The pegasus raised an eyebrow and frowned. “Technically, Equestria is still at war with the changelings. We're not letting you walk into a potentially hostile situation with the enemy alone, Counselor.”

The guard seemed resolute in his statement, but James wasn't to be deterred. He hadn't forgotten that ultimately, the guards had to follow his orders. He felt a tinge of annoyance at the Lieutenant's defiance. That, combined with his nervousness caused him to respond a bit more harshly than he intended.

“And what are your plans if we do run into trouble, Lieutenant? Do you think the twenty-four of you can take on the entire changeling army?”

The pegasus frowned again, his ears giving a barely noticeable droop. “No … Of course not.”

“Then I'm going in alone,” he said as he unstrapped his sword belt, holding out the sword towards the guard who took it between his jaws. “And unarmed. I'm far less likely to provoke a hostile response that way. If they see an armed royal counselor approaching the hive with twenty-four pegasus guards, they will probably think we are here to arrest Chrysalis.”

The guard nodded once, then turned and placed the sword belt gently inside the chariot, exchanging it for a lantern before turning back to James and holding it out to him, looking at him with concern. “At least take a signal flare with you then, Counselor. So that if the changelings should attack you anyway you have a way to summon us for help.”

James shook his head as he took the lantern, adjusting the baffles until it only directed light forward and at an angle to the ground directly in front of him, assuring that he would be less visible from the sides, from the air, or from a distance in front. “I appreciate your concern, Lieutenant, but they will no doubt search me and confiscate anything I'm carrying before they allow me near Chrysalis. If they find the signal flare, they might think my intention all along was to alert you once I found them. I don't want to give them any reason to think I'm coming to them with deceptive intent.”

The guard nodded once, but still looked uncertain. Nevertheless, he gave up the argument. “Be careful then, Counselor.”

“I will, Lieutenant. Make sure you keep guards posted on all sides. For all we know, changeling sentries are watching us right now. We'd never see their black carapaces in this darkness.”

“I will,” the guard said as James turned and started walking away from the chariot, deeper into enemy territory.

As he walked, he felt a tinge of regret at the harsh way he had responded to the Lieutenant. After all, the pegasus had only been concerned for his safety. He made a mental note to apologize when he saw the guard again … If he saw the guard again. Don't think that way, he chastised himself. Of course I'll see him again.

He continued deeper and deeper into changeling territory, although he really had no idea where he was going. Equestrian intelligence didn't know where the actual hive was. It was thought to be deep underground, with entrances that were well camouflaged against the terrain to make them nearly impossible to spot on aerial reconnaissance missions. The fact that the hive itself was underground also gave the changelings a survival advantage in the current crisis. They would no doubt be well below the frost-line, and the temperature would remain above freezing in their hive for much longer than it would on the surface.

A tangled vine caught his foot, and he fell forward, hitting the ground with a wince as the impact jolted him. “Damn!” he cursed to himself as he stood back up, brushing himself off and walking again, being more careful. But even then, more roots and vines threatened to tangle around his legs and trip him, while holes and ridges threatened to break an ankle if he accidentally stepped in one. Even with the lantern, it was clear why a ground assault on the changeling hive would be a very dangerous and costly operation, even during the day. He had briefly considered not taking a lantern at all, knowing that carrying it would make him far more visible. It wasn't that he was worried about the changelings finding him. After all, it might even be that the sooner they found him, the better. Rather, he was worried about the potential of griffin attacks from the air. But attempting to traverse the natural trap-laden terrain would have been suicidal without any form of light at all.

He continued walking, nearly tripping several more times, knowing only that he was heading in the right general direction, but still seeing no sign of activity. Nevertheless, he had an uneasy feeling, as if he were a deer being hunted and surrounded by a pack of wolves that he couldn't see, but still knew were out there. Surely, the changelings were watching him, remaining hidden for now to observe him, find out what his intentions were, or wait for exactly the right time to strike.

A sudden screech from above pierced the night sky. Quickly, James looked up to see a large, dark silhouette diving straight towards him, razor sharp talons extended to grab him. Griffin! He realized with a panic, quickly diving to the ground and flattening himself, feeling a rush of air as the griffin's body passed just over the top of him. He quickly stood back up, instinctively reaching for his sword, panic flooding over him as he remembered he'd left it back at the chariot.

The griffin gave a scream of rage again, furious that it had missed its target. James quickly spun around, fear flooding through him as he realized there was no shelter for him to take in the barren, open land. He could dive into the thorny bushes, but he doubted even that would deter the griffin. He watched as the griffin banked sharply, coming around for a second pass and diving towards him again, giving another screech of rage. Knowing that running was futile, he raised his arms, shielding his vulnerable head and neck, and waited for the attack.

Feathers flew as the griffin was suddenly thrown sharply off course by something that had slammed roughly into its side. The griffin let lose another shriek that sounded to be a combination of rage, surprise, and pain. Before the griffin was able to wheel on its attacker, something slammed into it hard from above, sending it plummeting several feet before it recovered.

The Pegasus Guards must have seen the griffin inbound and come to my rescue, he thought. But then, one of them flew through the lantern light, and he saw the dark shine of coal black chitin, and the insect like wings. Another shriek as the changeling he had just seen slammed into the griffin's side, once again, sending it tumbling.

A mixture of relief and fear went through him now. At first, he had been sure the griffin would kill him. Now, there was no doubt it had been changelings that had saved his life. But even though he had been preparing for it, now that the changelings had actually found him, he feared what would happen next.

He continued to watch the battle unfold above him. At least ten changelings surrounded the griffin now, attacking from all sides. As soon as the griffin would lash out at one of them, another would attack its unprotected side. Once again, the griffin screamed in frustration, its motions quickly slowing down, as if it were rapidly growing tired. In fact, now it was obvious that the griffin was more focused on trying to escape than on attacking the changelings. But it was just as obvious that the changelings had no intention of letting it do so. They kept it boxed in from all sides. Every time it turned and tried to flee, it found itself confronted by a changeling, while the changelings in the direction it had just turned from would dive in and attack.

James found it odd that the griffin had tired so rapidly, and given up the fight so quickly. It was unlike any griffin attack he had ever seen against the Pegasus Guard.  Only then did he notice that each time the changelings attacked, they deposited a slimy green resin-like substance on its wings. The griffin shook its wings, trying desperately to throw off the slimy substance, but it adhered firmly. James realized it was the resin-like substance that had slowed the griffin down so quickly, and now had it desperately looking for an escape route.

The changelings dived in again, once, twice, and the griffin let out a shriek of fear as it tumbled to the ground, its wings no longer able to move faster than a snail's pace, and the weight of the sticky green resin being too much for it. Immediately, the changelings were on it, and he lost sight of it as they surrounded it. The griffin gave one more cry, but then went silent. For the next few seconds, he saw nothing except the changelings moving back and forth. Then, they slowly started to move off of the griffin and step backwards, still keeping it surrounded and seeming ready to pounce on it again. James fully expected to see the griffin dead, and was surprised when he saw it was still very much alive and struggling violently. However, now its talons were bound behind its back in the slimy green resin, its wings bound tightly to its sides, and its legs folded and bound tightly together. A layer of the green substance also surrounded its beak, holding it tightly shut.

Once again, the griffin tried to stand, and for a moment, James thought it would break free of the bonds. It struggled with effort, the changelings remaining ready to pounce. The sticky green restraints held firm, and the griffin collapsed to the ground again, exhausted and breathing heavily. Now, it simply looked up at its captors, an expression of fear clearly visible in its eyes, which reflected the light of the lantern.

“Get him loaded onto one of the carts,” he heard a female voice say. “Take him back to the hive and put him in a dungeon cell. Leave the restraints on. When I make my report, I'll inform Queen Chrysalis we made an unexpected capture and find out what she wants done with him.”

“Yes, Commander,” he heard several changelings respond. Then, the changeling that had given the order, turned and walked towards him. She said nothing for now, but her eyes told him not to try anything. Given how easily they had subdued the griffin, he had no intention of doing so. Instead, he simply said the first thing that came to his mind.

“You saved my life.”

“Of course we did. I'm quite certain The Queen wouldn't appreciate a griffin killing you before you've been interrogated to find out exactly why one of Celestia's Council members would risk coming here. Although I think I can safely say it has something to do with this crisis. My name's Antenna, by the way. Commander Antenna, of Queen Chrysalis's Imperial Army.”

“James … Counselor James Peterson. How'd you know I was in trouble?” he asked, immediately realizing it was a stupid question.

“We've been following you for at least the last twenty minutes. We wanted to make sure you truly were alone before we confronted you. When the griffin attacked and none of your guards came to your rescue, it became obvious you were.”

He nodded, then turned his head to look at the griffin, who was now being loaded onto a wooden cart. The griffin had long since given up trying to break free of the strong green resin that bound him, but he still had the same expression of fear in his eyes. “What's gonna happen to him?” he asked, turning back to the changeling commander.

“Whatever Queen Chrysalis wants to happen to him. He'll either stay in the dungeon, or more likely, be placed in a cocoon as a food source for hatchlings,” she responded without any hint of emotion in her voice, causing him to grimace. Yes, the griffin had tried to kill him. Still, he wouldn't wish that fate on anyone.

“Can't … can't you at least use non-sapient animals to feed the hatchlings?” he asked nervously, feeling his stomach turn slightly as unwanted thoughts of the griffin's fate invaded his mind. She looked at him as if he had just asked the dumbest question in the world before responding.

“Non-sapient animals are useless when it comes to extracting love.” She paused for a moment as he continued to look at the griffin, the feeling of illness still prevalent as he tried to divert his mind from the griffin's likely fate. She spoke again, bringing his attention back to her.

“You should be more worried about your own fate than the fate of the griffin. After all, your fate might be the same as his. If that's what The Queen decides.”

Again, he felt fear try to overwhelm him, but he did his best to hide it. “You'll take me to see Queen Chrysalis then?”

She gave him an amused smirk before responding. “You ask me as if you still have a choice in the matter. Yes, you will see The Queen, but you're a prisoner now. Turn around, hooves behind your back. I suggest you comply fully, unless you wanna end up like him,” she said, nodding to the griffin who was bound so tightly that it looked to be painfully uncomfortable.

He winced and quickly did as she had ordered, turning and placing his hands behind his back. Given how easily the changelings had subdued and restrained the mighty griffin, he knew he didn't stand a chance against even one of them. The thought of resisting never even crossed his mind.

He felt a weird sensation as something warm and slimy began to flow over his wrists and forearms, quickly hardening into a very firm resin that didn't allow him to move at all. In a brief moment of panic, he realized it was the same substance that the griffin was bound in. It felt very strange, but he relaxed a little when he realized she had stopped at his forearms and didn't seem to have any intentions of binding him as tightly as the griffin was bound.

Once she had restrained him, he felt her forehooves move over his robe as she searched him for any objects he might be carrying. He was glad now he'd insisted on not taking the signal flare.

“Turn around,” she ordered, and he quickly complied. “You'll be riding the rest of the way in a cart. So at least you won't have to worry about tripping anymore.”

“I don't have to share a cart with him, do I?” he nodded at the griffin. “Nothing personal against him, other than the fact that he tried to kill me.”

She smirked slightly at his off attempt at humor. “You'll have your own cart. But you will have to be blindfolded. You're lucky you didn't find the entrance to the hive before we captured you. If you had, Queen Chrysalis would have never allowed you leave again, given you'd be obligated as a royal counselor to report the location of the hive to your princesses. Of course, I make no guarantees that she will ever allow you to leave anyway.”

Once again, he felt a surge of fear at the thought of being a prisoner here forever, especially given the Royal Guard didn't actually know where the hive was, and would be unable to rescue him. “Even if I had found the entrance, I doubt I could have found my way back to it or told anypony how to get here. Not in this kind of darkness.”

“She still wouldn't have taken the risk,” she said, turning and motioning him to follow. He did so, and stopped when he was outside a black wooden cart that was a utilitarian military transport. She motioned for him to climb inside, and he did so, sitting down on the floor—there were no seats. Then, she climbed in with him.

Opening a lid on a chest next to her, she removed a blindfold, holding the ends with the holes in her forelegs. He made no attempt to resist her as she placed it over his eyes and tied it behind his head. He heard several more changeling soldiers climb into the cart, feeling a couple brush against him. Then, there was a small jolt as the cart began to bounce over the rough terrain.

“So,” the changeling commander he now knew as Antenna began, “Celestia is on another planet, Luna is being held captive by the griffins, and you've got unknown traitors in your ranks. A dire situation indeed.”

James blinked behind his blindfold. “How'd you know all that?” he asked in astonishment.

“We have changeling spies in Canterlot. It's no secret. We even have spies in the castle. Some of them might even be ponies you think are your friends.” She had said it with an air of accomplishment, obviously very proud of the fact that the changelings had managed to infiltrate deep into Canterlot's inner circle, even the castle itself.

“I guess I shouldn't be surprised to hear that,” he responded.

“Don't worry though. None of the Council members are changelings. Believe me, we've tried. The Queen has tried for decades to get a changeling on the Royal Council. But your princesses are far too careful about choosing Council members for that.”

“I suspect the Council binding spell would reveal a changeling for who they really were anyway,” he added.

“We've thought the same thing. We'll probably never know for sure since it's unlikely any changeling spy will ever be able to fool enough ponies so thoroughly that they're in a position to be asked to join the Council. So how'd you be the one unlucky enough to get stuck with this assignment? Coming here to meet us that is?”

“I was the only one that wasn't a pony,” he responded simply. She gave a slight chuckle in response.

“Yes, I suppose that was a wise decision to send you then.”

For the next minute or so, neither of them said anything, the only sounds the bumps and jolts of the wheels traveling over the rough terrain. The changeling commander seemed friendly enough, even making conversation with him. At the same time, he knew she was a trained military professional and was probably trying to engage him in conversation so that he might accidentally slip and tell her something that could be valuable intelligence information. But so far, the conversation had seemed harmless and innocent enough.  He even found himself taking a liking to her, despite the fact that he was her prisoner. Perhaps changelings weren't quite as bad as he had thought up to this point? He frowned again, that idea being pushed out of his mind as his thoughts returned to the impending fate of the bound griffin in the other cart.

“Aren't you worried the griffin will escape once he recovers his energy? After all, I saw the bonds stretching when he tried to escape the first time,” he remarked.

She gave a dark snicker before responding. “You try to escape.”

“What?” he said, unsure if he'd heard her right.

“Go ahead. Try it.”

He hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

With that, he strained his muscles, trying as hard as he could to pull his arms apart. To his surprise, he found that he was able to pull them apart slightly. However, it took all of his effort, and he couldn't manage to stretch the resin more than about an inch. His muscles burned with the effort as he tried to pull further, quickly growing tired. When he relaxed, the resin binding his arms together snapped back to its original shape, resuming its tight, form-fitting bond around his arms and hands.

“It's somewhat elastic,” he remarked. “Like a strong bungee cord or something.”

“Yes, it is,” Antenna responded. “As you now know firsthoof, the stretching is normal. The elasticity absorbs any attempts at escape and prevents the substance from cracking.”

He nodded slightly, but still had his doubts. “Nevertheless, I'm not nearly as strong as a griffin,” he countered.

“We've held creatures much stronger than griffins with that resin. Including dragons and feral beasts such as manticores. We even successfully held down a hydra with it once. Stone for stone, changeling resin is ten times stronger than steel. And the elasticity makes it even stronger. Our bodies naturally produce it. The ponies have tried for decades to synthetically or magically produce it, but so far, they've been unable to do so,” she said with a note of pride in her voice.

James raised an eyebrow behind his blindfold. On one hand, the knowledge that his hands and arms were covered in the bodily secretions of an insectoid like creature was not a pleasant thought. But on the other hand, the scientist in him couldn't help but marvel at the potential applications for such a substance. A malleable, form-fitting, elastic substance ten times stronger than steel. Everything from emergency splinting and casting of broken bones, to sealing of serious wounds, to emergency patching of cracks in dams and levees seemed like potentially revolutionary uses for such a substance.

“We're here,” Antenna said, bringing him out of his thoughts as the cart came to a bumpy halt. “Step down carefully. I'll guide you. Once we're inside the hive, I'll remove your blindfold.”

He followed her instructions, stepping down and walking with her guidance. Then, he heard the sounds of something being unbolted, followed by the squeaking sound of a door opening.

“Careful. You're about to step on a ramp that slopes downward at a pretty steep angle,” his captor instructed. He said nothing in response, but heeded her warning, watching his step carefully as he felt the ground slope beneath him. Another squeaking noise, and the door slammed shut behind them, echoing off what he could tell from the sound was a long corridor. A second later, the locking bolts slammed back into place with a second boom that reverberated through the hall.

“Stop here,” she ordered. He did so, and he felt her chitin covered hooves at the back of his head as she untied the blindfold, pulling it away.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw the corridor was dimly lit with a green hued light. Glowing, green, twisted stalactites hung from the ceiling, as if they were skeletal fingers pointing and illuminating the passage. As they descended deeper underground, the air gradually warmed, also taking on an earthen musty smell to it. The walls of the hive appeared to be natural dirt, the ceiling held up by timbers glued together with natural changeling resin. That was another potential use for the substance, he realized now. An industrial bonding agent far stronger than any currently known to humanity.

They continued deeper into the hive, navigating multiple turns like a maze. He quickly lost track of where he was, where he had been, how many turns they had taken and what direction they had been in. Even if he had remembered how to get to the hive itself, he never would have remembered how to navigate through the hive once he was inside. Even worse, at least in this situation, he'd never remember how to find the exit should he have to make a run for it and try to escape.

To his left, an oval-shaped opening led into a small room. Several changelings were gathered in it. They glared at him and made hissing noises, but made no effort to do anything else given he seemed to be a prisoner of one of their military commanders. He did his best to ignore them, keeping his eyes facing forward, and only looking at them through his side vision.

Several more twists and turns later, they approached a heavily reinforced door that appeared to be made from iron. Four changeling guards stood to either side of it.

“Stop here,” his captor ordered. He quickly complied. “I'm afraid you'll have to wait in the dungeon until Queen Chrysalis is ready to see you,” she informed him, one of the guards turning to unlock the heavy iron door. As they opened it, straining with the effort, a light breeze flowed out from behind it, smelling even more musty than the air in the corridors they had been walking through. It was obvious now that the area he was being lead to was the hive's dungeon, and that it was not particularly well ventilated.

“Let's go,” she ordered once the door had been opened.

His heart began to beat faster now as fear rose in him once again. Had he been tricked? Were they simply planning to leave him in the dungeon? Or worse yet, place him in a feeding cocoon? For a brief moment, he contemplated making a break for it. But with his arms heavily bound, Antenna standing to his right, and eight changeling guards near the dungeon entrance, he knew he would only get a few feet before he was brought down and subdued. His thoughts returned to the heavily bound griffin and he quickly abandoned any thoughts of running.

A light but firm jab from Antenna's horn reminded him that he was still standing still. “I said move,” she ordered, slightly more assertively this time. He started walking again, proceeding into the dimly lit dungeon corridor. To his left and right, were more iron doors that he assumed lead to individual cells. Whether any were occupied or not, he couldn't tell. There were no windows or bars on any of the doors. He assumed the captured griffin was probably down here somewhere though, or soon would be.

“Stop here,” she ordered, and he did as instructed. She stuck her horn into a lock on the door they were in front of and he heard a clang as it unlocked. Unlike locks in the Canterlot dungeon, this one appeared to be purely mechanical, as he hadn't seen any magical discharge from Antenna's horn. When the door opened, he saw a small room that appeared to be made mostly from natural earth. Hardened green resin covered the walls and floors, presumably to prevent prisoners from attempting to escape by digging their way out. There were no windows in the small cell, no chairs, and no bed.

“Only non-changeling prisoners are held in this wing of the dungeon,” Antenna informed him. “A changeling's body also produces an enzyme that can dissolve the resin they produce, so obviously holding changelings in these resin reinforced cells would not be feasible. But no other species has the capability to dissolve the resin.” Why she thought he would want to know that, he wasn't sure.

Reluctantly, knowing he had no other choice, he stepped into the cell. His arms were starting to get sore from having been tightly bound behind him for so long, and he hoped she might remove the bonds now that he was secure in a cell. Unfortunately, she made no move to do so.

“I'll come get you when The Queen is ready to see you,” she said before stepping back and closing the door. Darkness overwhelmed him as all light was shut out from the room, and he heard a loud clang as the lock slid back into place, trapping him inside the dark cell.

Unable to see anything, he walked carefully until he gently bumped into the wall. Then, he turned around and slid down slowly until he was sitting on the floor, panic starting to take over again. Thoughts of never seeing the outside world again started to force their way into his mind. And even worse yet, thoughts of never seeing Twilight Sparkle again. What had he gotten himself into? He'd walked right into a trap. Now that they had him in this cell, they were never going to let him out. At least not until they were ready to place him in a feeder cocoon. He had felt alone in the chariot on the flight here. But now, he felt completely lost, as if he were alone in a universe where nothing else existed. Nothing except the darkness that surrounded him. Despair began to set in, and he felt that he was about to cry.

Don't think that way, he chastised himself, trying to stop his mind from going to such dark places. Chrysalis is just messing with me. She's just trying to make a point that the meeting will happen on her time, when she wants it to rather than when I want it to. She's just trying to wear me down and show me that no one will intimidate her or control her schedule. Not even a representative of the most powerful ruler in the world.

That thought calmed him down somewhat. After all, they went to the trouble of saving his life from the griffin attack. Surely Chrysalis would at least want to find out why he wanted to see her so badly that he was willing to risk traveling through such hostile territory unarmed. He smirked slightly at that thought. The waiting must be as uncomfortable for her as it was for him. The suspense of waiting to know what it was he wanted was probably killing her, and it was probably all she could do to maintain her little game of establishing that things would happen on her time rather than his.

As he continued to sit in the dark, he lost track of time. But the dull ache in his immobile arms was getting worse to the point that it was becoming difficult to ignore. He suspected Chrysalis was using this as a minor form of torture to try to soften him up so he would be more timid and easy to manipulate when he finally did get his audience with her.

His thoughts drifted to Twilight now. Oh how he wished he were with her. His mind thought of Hearth's Warming Eve and a warm, blazing fire. Of gently falling snow outside the window and the aroma of peppermint tea, steam rising from the teacups as they discussed science, magic, and culture. He thought of a warm bed, her lying next to him, her legs wrapped around him and his arms around her. He smiled at that, almost able to completely distract himself from the situation he was in.

A loud clang jerked him roughly back to attention. He looked up to see the door opening, squinting his eyes slightly as the green light flowed into his cell after what he thought must have been several hours in total darkness.

“The Queen will see you now,” the familiar voice of Antenna said as she motioned him towards her. He nodded slightly and stood up, walking towards the door and stepping out of the cell. He walked beside her as she started to lead him down several more corridors, again, following a maze like pattern of twists and turns. He was alone with Antenna now, no other guards having been assigned to him.

“Could you please stop thinking about her?” she suddenly asked, startling him from his thoughts which had started to drift again.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Her. Whoever she is. Could you please stop thinking about her? Changelings are attracted to love like a shark to blood. You're making it rather difficult for me to resist the urge to tackle you and start feeding.”

“Right … Uh … sorry about that,” he said sheepishly, flushing with embarrassment and nervousness, trying to push any thoughts of Twilight out of his mind for the time being.

She lead him through several more turns before ordering him to halt. In front of him, stood a set of unremarkable steel doors, no more fancy than the doors leading into the dungeon. Two changeling guards stood on either side, both armed with wicked-looking spears to augment their natural weapons.

“This is Queen Chrysalis's lair. I've been instructed to remove your restraints before we enter,” she said as she walked around behind him. Once again, he felt a slimy substance flow over him as the resin seemed to melt away. Actually, melt wasn't the right word. It seemed to sublimate, going directly from a nearly solid substance to an invisible gas.

He brought his arms back around in front of him. Given they had been bound behind him for so long, the temptation to stretch the muscles was strong. But he resisted it, not wanting to give Antenna or the guards at the door any sign that the tight restraints had affected him. It was better not to show any weakness, he thought.

The simplicity of the doors leading to Chrysalis's lair, as Antenna had called it, was not lost on him. It seemed utilitarianism was an ingrained part of changeling culture. Even the changeling queen herself seemed to eschew appearances and fancy design in favor of raw functionality.

Antenna spoke something to the guards that he didn't hear. One of them turned around and pounded his chitin-covered hoof on the door once. A clang followed as the locks disengaged from the inside and the doors begin to open inward.

She motioned for him to move, and he entered the lair. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to the front, where Chrysalis herself sat on an onyx colored throne. Her green eyes seemed to bore into him, her fangs slightly visible around her muzzle. He kept his eyes diverted slightly downward, knowing from his brief study of changeling protocol that you were not allowed to look directly at the queen. A sense of raw power emanated from Chrysalis, similar but different to the power he had felt emanating from Celestia the first time he had met her. But whereas Celestia's power had felt warm and awe-inspiring in a pleasant sort of way, Chrysalis's felt cold and inspired a sense of awe that brought only fear. He did his best not to show it as he took four more steps forward, then stopped and gave the traditional diplomatic bow at the waist.

“Thank you for granting me this audience, Your Highness,” he said before coming up from the bow. Although in Equestria, protocol was that you didn't speak until Princess Celestia or Princess Luna spoke to you first, he knew from his short study of changeling culture that their protocol dictated that you immediately thank the queen for granting you an audience before anything else was said. He was glad he'd remembered to do so, and hoped it would get things off to a smooth start. Chrysalis said nothing, but flicked one of her dark forehooves towards her, motioning him to approach. He did so, moving closer to the platform her throne sat on.

“Halt,” she ordered suddenly, her voice laced with contempt that caused a feeling of uneasiness to rise in his chest. He quickly complied, standing as still as possible, remembering to keep his eyes diverted downward slightly.

“Kneel,” she said coldly.

“Your Highness?” he questioned. He'd already given the diplomatic bow that international protocol required and knew he wasn't supposed to be expected to do anything more. Chrysalis spoke again, her voice laced with malice.

“If you want this audience you will kneel in the same way you would to one of your precious princesses.”

He winced, uneasiness flooding through him at what he was being asked to do. The thought of kneeling to the Changeling Queen felt like a severe betrayal of his loyalty to his own Princesses. It caused him to hesitate. Chrysalis didn't wait long before speaking again.

“I am not known for my patience, Counselor. I suggest you make your decision quickly, or this meeting is over and I will have you escorted back to the border of my land.”

He winced again, feeling shame overcome him as he did what she had instructed, lowering himself to one knee and bowing his head. Despite the fact that he knew she was just trying to humiliate him and break him down, he couldn't avoid feeling that he had just seriously betrayed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Nevertheless, he resisted the urge to stand. Several seconds passed before the Changeling Queen gave a dark snicker, and spoke again.

“That's much better, Counselor. You may rise.”

He did so, trying desperately to get himself back into a frame of mind where he had some control over this meeting. But he found he was having a hard time pushing the shame out of his mind now. Having been forced to kneel before Chrysalis was unnerving him badly, leaving no doubt in his mind that he held very few cards in this game. He'd have to play them very carefully if he was to get what he wanted from her.

“So, Counselor … What is it that brings you to me?” she asked, standing up from her throne and slowly walking down the stairs, approaching him slowly, making a point of showing him her sharp fangs.

“As you already know, Your Highness, Princess Celestia is trapped in another world, Princess Luna is being held captive by the griffins, and this entire world faces a crisis without the sun. Furthermore, Equestria has come under attack by griffins, possibly dragons, and the forces from The Beyond threaten to breach the magical barriers.”

“As you said, you aren't telling me anything I didn't already know,” she scowled. “Except for the part about The Beyond. But that doesn't explain why you have come to me.”

He hesitated for a moment, gathering his confidence before responding. “I've come to ask for the assistance of the changeling army, Your Highness. Equestria's military forces do not have the strength to fight the griffins as well as protect the borders from breach by forces of The Beyond.”

She hesitated for a moment, making him think she had been taken off guard by his request. But then she responded in a resolute tone of voice. “Impossible. The changelings do not form alliances with any other nations. Especially not Equestria.”

“You may not care about Equestria, Your Highness. But even the changeling race will eventually perish without the sun.”

“We would perish anyway if we were to form alliances with other nations. The only reason we survive at all is because of our isolation and self-reliance. It is that which makes us strong, and which makes other nations fear us,” she countered, walking in a circle around him once. It unnerved him and he had to resist the urge to turn and follow her movements, half expecting her to attack him from behind. She stopped in front of him again. “We have no allies. No friends. You come to me for help, but you despise me. Changelings can sense love. And all you have for me is contempt. That is all anyone has for our race. And that is why we must remain isolated and self-reliant.”

He hesitated for several moments, choosing his words very carefully before responding. “You're right, Your Highness. I have no love for you. Nor do I have any respect for you. I address you as Your Highness because diplomatic protocol requires me to. I knelt before you and bowed to you because you refused to grant me this audience if I didn't. But I was just going through the motions.” She glared at him and opened her mouth to speak, but he took a risk and cut her off before she could. “But you could change all that, Your Highness. You could earn my respect if you helped save Equestria. You could earn my admiration. And the changelings could even earn the love of ponies if they did so.”

She was quiet for a moment, but then gave a brief, dark laugh before responding.

“Nice try, Counselor. But save your pitiful attempts at persuasive sweet-talking for some pony. It might actually work on one of their soft hearts. You know nothing of the changelings!” she spat.

“I know that you weren't always like this, Your Highness. In fact, I know that two centuries ago, Equestrian Intelligence believed you held great promise.”

She seemed to recoil slightly at that, as if he had struck some kind of nerve. He felt hope start to rise in him. Maybe, just maybe, he had turned the tables back to his advantage. There were several long moments of silence before Chrysalis turned her attention to her guards.

“Leave us,” she commanded in no uncertain terms. The guards hesitated only a moment before quickly obeying, turning and opening the large double doors with a loud sliding sound. After they had exited, they closed the doors again, and a clang echoed off the walls of Chrysalis's lair, gradually growing fainter until quiet prevailed once more.

Chrysalis hesitated for a few more moments. James could hear his own heartbeat as he continued to keep his eyes diverted towards the floor slightly, remembering the admonishment that changeling protocol dictated no one was allowed to look directly at The Queen. To do so was considered a challenge to her rule and was to invite combat. He almost recoiled when she raised a foreleg, placing her chitin covered hoof under his chin and pulling his head up gently but firmly, forcing him to look directly at her now whether he wanted to or not.

“Do you know how the Changeling Empire came to be?” she finally asked, her forehoof still under his chin and keeping his attention focused on her.

“Unfortunately, Your Highness, I only had a couple of hours to study changelings before I left for this meeting. The history of The Empire was not something I was able to get to.”

She took her forehoof off his chin, but he didn't look back down, assuming she wanted him to keep his attention on her now. “Just as well,” she said, turning around to face away from him as she started walking. “I'd rather you hear the story directly from me anyway rather than from Equestria's anti-changeling biased history books. Walk with me.”

He made no attempt to argue with her about whether Equestria's history books were, in fact, biased against changelings or not, instead, following her as she had instructed. She lead him to the doors, pounding her forehoof against them once, then taking a few steps backwards as they opened. She stepped out, beckoning him to follow and leading him down a series of corridors in another maze like pattern before stopping in front of another nondescript steel door. Then, she inserted her horn into a hole in the door, disengaging the lock. The frame of the door began to glow with a translucent green as it slid open slowly She entered the room, motioning him to follow.

He found himself in a relatively small room. Dominating the room, and built against the opposite wall, was a large statue of a changeling that he estimated to be fifteen feet tall. She wore a crown, similar to the one Chrysalis herself wore. At her hooves, was a griffin, sprawled on its side, the changeling standing over it with her forehoof stepping on the side of its head in triumph. On the base of the statue were several lines of writing in a script that he couldn't read. He watched in surprise as Chrysalis bowed before the giant statue for a couple of seconds, making him assume the statue was some sort of shrine. Not wanting to seem disrespectful, he bowed as well, limiting his bow to the diplomatic form he had used when first entering her lair. When Chrysalis came up from her bow, she turned and addressed him again.

“Do you know who this is?” she asked.

“I'm afraid I don't, Your Highness.”

“This, is Queen Dorylini the Great. Founder of the Changeling Empire and the first Queen of the Changelings.”

She turned sideways now, taking a few paces to the left, and beginning what James assumed was going to be a long story on the history of the changelings.

“The changelings were originally a prey species. Long before I was born, of course. In those days, changeling groups were made up of small, nomadic hives that were more like mobile tribal societies. Our numbers were small, predation keeping our population very low. Everything from griffins, to dragons, to feral beasts like timberwolves and manticores preyed on us. Originally, we used our resin only for defensive purposes. When attacked by predators, we'd run. As we ran, we'd leave a trail of resin behind us. The resin would bind to the paws of predators, slowing them down as if they were running through quicksand, and allowing us to escape, assuming, of course, that we had a large enough head start on the predator, and enough warning of their approach.

“Approximately fifteen hundred years ago, a young changeling girl by the name of Dorylini, only twelve years old, decided she was tired of being prey; tired of running all the time; tired of seeing her friends killed; and tired of having hives destroyed and constantly having to move, pick up the pieces, and rebuild. She proposed the radical idea that we should fight back when attacked, and that we could use our natural defensive resin as an offensive weapon to attack and subdue our enemies. Of course, the tribal elders at the time laughed at her. Thought her insane. But the young girl was not to be deterred. She proposed her radical idea to younger members of her hive, boys and girls her own age, and slightly older, who were not so set in their traditional ways as the elders. Among the youth, her idea took root, and her young followers slowly but steadily grew as she promised a life free from predators and free from being on the run to those who would follow her. Needless to say, this didn't go over well with the elders and other adults of her hive, who were firmly set in their traditional, nomadic ways of life, and tensions began to rise between the old and the youth. The adults considered the youth to be rebellious and disrespectful, whereas the youth insisted the adults were outdated, and their ways would only lead to the extinction of the changeling race.

“Tensions came to a boiling point when the young Dorylini, along with some of her followers, were ambushed by a lone timberwolf. But instead of running, they stood their ground and went on the attack. Needless to say, this surprised and confused the beastly wolf, who had never seen changelings fight back before, especially not ones so young. Dorylini and her followers swarmed around the wolf, depositing their sticky resin on it and biting whenever they got the chance. The battle was long, and hard fought, but gradually, the wolf tired, becoming more and more weighed down. Eventually, it fell, and the girl and her followers bound it tightly in resin. Try as it might, the timberwolf was unable to break free. Unfortunately, Dorylini had lost two of her followers in the battle. But still, they had done something no changeling had ever done before. They had fought back, instead of run. And they had emerged victorious.”

Chrysalis paced around him in a circle once more, as she continued her story.

“The young changelings fashioned a skid out of wood, and rolled the timberwolf onto it. Then, they dragged the subdued beast back to their hive, expecting to be welcomed as heroes for their accomplishment. Instead, Dorylini was the subject of hate and scorn. The elders held her responsible for the death of her two companions, and labeled her a troublemaker who was a serious danger to the hive. Because of that, she was banished from the hive forever, driven out into the wilderness. Of course, the elders were certain she would die out there, either from exposure, or from predation. At least, that's what they had hoped would happen to her. But they had failed to account for the impact the tale of her bravery had had on the youth, and how quickly her story would spread to other hives.

“Dorylini became an idol among young changelings. A symbol of youthful power and of a new future where changelings would not have to live in fear of predators, and would forge their own destiny instead of being constantly driven from place to place by other races. Young changelings from dozens of hives who dared to dream ventured out into the wilderness in search of her. Many fell to predation. But that also meant the ones who survived and found her were strong and determined. Before the age of thirteen, Dorylini had founded her own hive, and her followers had declared her their queen, abandoning the traditional tribal elder system of leadership in favor of a powerful monarch they believed in and could all get behind. As the legend of Dorylini grew, her hive grew with it as she attracted more and more young changelings to her radical new ideas, and they abandoned their own hives to join her and her promise of a new way of life. This in itself, was a radically new idea. Changelings migrating away from one hive to join another was unheard of at the time. As Dorylini's strength in numbers grew, her hive became more and more successful at defeating those who tried to prey on them, and at protecting their hive from destruction. Dorylini and her followers honed their battle techniques and became skilled warriors, and fear of her and her hive of young, radical changelings grew among the beasts, as well as among the griffins. The hunters had now become the hunted.”

Chrysalis continued pacing back and forth in front of him as she told her story, like a history teacher addressing a room full of students, even though he was the only 'student' in the room.

“Dorylini had not forgotten the elders who had driven her from her old hive, and at the age of fourteen, she returned with her followers. Of course, as she expected, the hive was no longer there, the foolish old elders and their hive having been forced to move once again due to predation, leaving nothing but the ruins of the old hive as evidence. Dorylini and her followers spent the next two days searching the area, until one of her scouts reported that he had found the hive.

“That night, Dorylini ordered the attack. The battle didn't last long. The stodgy tribal elders and the untrained peasants of their hive were no match for her and her skilled warriors. Within four days, the hive had fallen to her and her followers, and the elders had been captured. Rather than kill them for having banished her, she forced all of them to kneel before her, acknowledge her as their queen, and swear their loyalty to her. The elders were then stripped of all of their power and made into servants, while the able-bodied changelings of the hive were drafted into Dorylini's army and trained in the combat tactics she and her warriors had developed and perfected while defending themselves against attacks from predators.

“Their quick victory over her old hive inspired her and her warriors. And soon, they raided another hive, conquering it and once again, forcing its elders to kneel before Dorylini and swear their loyalty to her. They continued raiding and conquering hives as quickly as possible, intent on conquering every changeling hive before any of them had a chance to develop defenses. Within six months, the young Queen Dorylini had become known as Queen Dorylini the Great. On the very day of her fifteenth birthday, the final changeling hive fell to her and her warriors, and the last of the changeling elders were stripped of their power and forced to swear loyalty to her. At the age of fifteen, Dorylini had conquered and united the entire changeling race, turning them from a small, disorganized race of prey, into a powerful, united empire that was a true force to be reckoned with. By the age of sixteen, she had expanded her empire, conquering the Diamond Dogs. With the fall of the Diamond Dogs, even the mighty griffins came to fear the name of Queen Dorylini the Great.”

She stopped now, turning to face him once again. “And now, perhaps, you see why our independence, self-reliance, and the fear we instill in others are the things that have not only allowed us to survive, but to prosper.”

“And Equestria did nothing to stop her from conquering the Diamond Dogs, Your Highness?” James asked.

“Nothing. Their official reason was that she had acted in justified self-defense, since there had been several small raids by diamond dogs into the Changeling Empire where her subjects had been attacked, and sometimes killed.”

“But you don't believe the official reason, I take it?”

“Oh, that may have been part of it, but I strongly suspect it wasn't the only reason. Even Celestia will admit that she and her advisers had been caught completely off guard by how fast the imperial revolution in the changeling tribes had taken place. If Queen Dorylini's conquest of the tribes was going to succeed at all, they had expected it to take at least a decade. In all honesty, I don't think they ever expected that one so young could pull off such a conquest. I don't think they took her seriously. And they definitely were not prepared when it took her only a year to complete her conquest. By the time she invaded the Diamond Dog lands, I think Celestia was not entirely convinced Equestria could win a war against Queen Dorylini's massive army. And even if they could win, Celestia herself had estimated that repelling the changeling invasion from the Diamond Dog lands would cost the lives of at least sixty thousand Royal Guards. I don't think she was prepared to sacrifice that many lives of her own soldiers to help the diamond dogs, especially given Equestria had had their own troubles with the dogs.”

He nodded once before responding. “So that's where it came from … And yet, Your Highness, Equestrian Intelligence believed you might be the one to find some kind of middle ground. To abandon the militaristic empire style of ruling that was founded by this Queen Dorylini the Great in favor of a more diplomatic approach to international relations.”

She resumed her teacher-like pacing again.

“Yes, well … I was young and foolish in those days. A naive optimist. Did you know there were two griffin kingdoms once? The one you are familiar with across the Sea of Tears, currently ruled by King Aetos, and the Southern Griffin Kingdom, ruled by a queen whose name is not to be spoken in my presence. What happened to the Southern Griffin Kingdom you wonder? You're standing on it. Well, technically underneath it.”

“Your Highness?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“While I was attempting to adopt a more diplomatic approach to ruling and abandon the militaristic ways that had been championed by Dorylini the Great, as well as followed by her successors, individual griffins began to become more bold. Griffin incursions into populated changeling areas were common, as were griffins preying on changelings. One hundred and sixty-four years ago, I invaded and conquered the Southern Griffin Kingdom, annexing it into the Changeling Empire.”

“And Princess Celestia made no moves to stop you from doing so?”

“On the contrary. At the time, she supported my effort to take land from the griffins.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because she agreed with our position that we needed to expand our territory so we would have a buffer zone against griffin attacks into heavily populated changeling hive areas.”

“But annexing their entire kingdom?”

“She didn't approve of that. But she was busy dealing with her own griffin problems from across the sea.”

He said nothing in response as she continued her story.

“Once we had invaded to the center of the Southern Griffin Kingdom, we captured their queen. I forced her to kneel before me and acknowledge me as her new ruler. I even made her into my personal slave. Oh, she was useless of course when it came to doing any real work, since up until then, she'd never had to do any work. She didn't even know how to cook. Making her my personal slave was largely symbolic. A constant reminder to the griffins of just how far they'd fallen. That now, even their mighty queen was nothing more than a slave to Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings.

“After that, we never had problems with griffin attacks again. And that was how I learned the fallacy of diplomacy for the changelings. That was how I learned that the militaristic empire of Queen Dorylini was the only way forward for the changeling race.”

“But you have no griffin slaves today, do you, Your Highness?”

“I abolished slavery eighty years ago,” she responded flatly.

“Then Equestrian Intelligence was right. You do have poten–“

She chuckled darkly before looking at him again. “I'm sorry to disappoint you, Counselor. But my decision to abolish slavery was not made out of the goodness of my heart or any such nonsense. It was a purely practical decision. Slaves can revolt. Feeders locked in cocoons cannot.”

“I see …” he said with a frown.

“After we had conquered the Southern Griffin Kingdom, I figured why not Equestria? If we could take Equestria, the whole world would fear us. And no nation would dare threaten the changelings. I would complete the work that Dorylini the Great had begun, and bring her vision of a world where changelings could live and thrive, completely free from fear of attack from other nations and species to fruition.”

“With all due respect … You lost in Equestria, Your Highness,” he noted.

She snickered again, resuming her teacher-like pacing in front of him. “The battle for Canterlot wasn't a total loss.”

“It wasn't?”

“Not at all. Celestia defeated Discord, Sombra, and even Nightmare Moon. But I was the one adversary she could not defeat. And Celestia will remember for all of eternity that it was I, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, who bested her in single combat. That it was I who had her sprawled on the ground at my hooves. That it was I who had her completely at my mercy. And she will spend all of eternity wondering whether I could do it again. And meanwhile, the whole world fears me. Oh, other world leaders may laugh in public about our defeat in Equestria. But there's not one of them who would have dared invade Canterlot the way I did. And behind closed doors, they whisper amongst themselves in fear about Queen Chrysalis, the one who brought the mighty Princess Celestia herself to her knees.”

She stopped her pacing again and looked directly into his eyes now, smirking and revealing her fangs before continuing.

“And one day, I will force Celestia to kneel before me and acknowledge me as her queen … Perhaps I will even turn your precious Celestia into my personal slave, just as I did the queen of the Southern Griffin Kingdom. I hope you enjoyed kneeling and bowing to me in my lair, Counselor. Because you'll be doing a lot more of it when you and the rest of the Council renounces their allegiance to Celestia, and swear loyalty to me, Queen Chrysalis.” She continued to look directly at him as she stopped talking.

He had to bite his tongue, feeling anger rise up inside of him. He wanted to blow up at her. He wanted to tell her that it would never happen. Despite the fact that he knew she was just trying to bait him, it was all he could do not to fall for her trap and play her game. Instead, he thought of a way to turn it to his own advantage, to use her own game against her. He showed no emotion, looking directly back into her eyes as he responded.

“Well, Your Highness. If Equestria falls and Celestia remains stranded on Earth, then you'll never get the chance to force her to kneel before you and acknowledge you as queen, now will you.”

For several long moments, she continued to simply look at him. He looked back at her, feeling as if they were in a staring contest in which he refused to blink. Then, unexpectedly, she threw her head back and gave a malice laced laugh for a moment before looking back at him. “Touche, Counselor. I admire your wit. I'll give you that much. And you have some courage to stand up to me like that.”

She turned towards the door which was still open, stepping out of it and motioning him to follow. He did so, and she closed the door to the shrine, then lead him back to her lair where she returned to her throne, leaving him standing in front of her once again.

“Commander Antenna?” she called out.

“Yes, My Queen,” Antenna responded, appearing from somewhere James hadn't even realized she had been.

“Take the Counselor to a guest cell please. I will send for him when I am ready to give my decision.”

“Yes, My Queen,” Antenna responded, bowing before motioning James to follow. He made the traditional diplomatic bow to Chrysalis again—relieved that she didn't ask him to kneel again—before turning to follow Antenna. Once they were outside of Chrysalis's lair and the doors had been closed, she turned her head to look at him.

“She must like you. Or at least you earned a modicum of respect from her. She's having you sent to a guest cell instead of the dungeon.”

“A guest cell doesn't sound much better,” he protested.

She chuckled lightly. “All living quarters in a changeling hive are called cells. Guest cells are some of the most well furnished. Better than the cells that even most changeling military officers have.”

He said nothing in response, simply following her through the maze that he had since decided was standard changeling hive structure. How the changelings themselves managed to navigate it without getting lost was beyond him. Eventually, she stopped in front of yet another nondescript door, which she pushed open with her forehoof.

“I'll come for you as soon as The Queen has made her decision,” she said as he walked into the room. She closed the door, and he was surprised to hear no locks engaging. Not that locking him in the room would have served much purpose. The changelings obviously knew he hadn't come this far for a meeting with The Queen only to sneak away from the hive before he had gotten an answer from her. And besides that, the hive was crawling with soldiers, and he'd never be able to navigate his way through the maze and back to the entrance.

Looking around the cell he was in, he found it to be typical changeling utilitarian in nature, but still somewhat cozy.  There was a reasonably sized bed up against one wall, and a desk against the opposite wall. There were no windows, of course, given the hive was underground. But the room was well lighted with the glowing green stalactites hanging from the ceiling. He sat down on the bed, which turned out to be surprisingly comfortable, then laid down on it. For now, he simply stared at the ceiling and the glowing stalactites. Briefly, he wondered if it were possible to turn them off when one wanted to sleep, but he saw no obvious way to do so. He allowed himself to relax a little for the first time since beginning this trip, some of his nervousness having abated now that the meeting with Chrysalis was over. For the next thirty minutes or so, he let his mind wander. A knock at the door brought his attention back and he stood up again.

“It's open,” he said, feeling like a foal for doing so. There was no obvious way to lock the door from the inside. The door opened and he saw Antenna on the other side.

“The Queen is ready to see you again.”

“Thank you,” he nodded, following her through the maze and back to Chrysalis's lair. Once inside, he went through the traditional bow again, before approaching her throne, stopping at the same distance she had ordered him to stop at last time. He kept his eyes averted again as she looked at him, and he noticed her expression seemed to have softened somewhat. When she spoke again, it was in a slightly gentler tone than she had used before.

“If I give you military assistance, what will happen if the Changeling Empire comes under threat?”

“If The Empire comes under threat, You have my word, backed by the full authority of The Regent, and the Princesses, that all changeling soldiers will be allowed to return here to defend the hive, Your Highness.”

For nearly a minute, nothing was said as Chrysalis appeared to be lost in thought. Then she nodded once.

“Very well. I shall provide you with fourteen thousand changeling soldiers now. If more are needed, we can discuss that later. It will take an hour for them to be ready to leave.”

Fourteen thousand? James thought to himself in astonishment. At best he'd been hoping she might give him a few thousand. But fourteen thousand? In his surprise, he almost forgot himself, suddenly realizing he hadn't given her any response yet.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Your generous assistance is greatly appreciated.”

She nodded once in response. “You may go. Commander, please show the Counselor his way out of the hive.”

“My Queen,” Antenna acknowledged, bowing. James followed suit, bowing at the waist again before turning and leaving with her.

James waited until they were well away from Chrysalis's lair and the doors were closed before speaking.

“I have to say, she gave far more than I expected.”

“The Queen is no fool,” Antenna responded. “She might follow Dorylini The Great's militaristic style of leadership, but she knows that even changelings can't survive forever without the sun.”

As she lead him through the maze, she stopped him just before the ramp leading upwards, where she put his blindfold back on. Then, they started to ascend the ramp, and he felt it become colder again as they approached the surface. A blast of cold air hit him as the main hive doors opened again, and they stepped outside. Antenna helped him over to his cart, and helped him climb in. Then, they started on their way back towards where he had left his guards. Once they were a significant distance away from the hive, she removed his blindfold. Eventually, they came to a stop.

“I'm afraid this is where we part ways, Counselor,” she said as she picked up his lantern in her mouth, handing it back to him. “Your guard convey is straight ahead, about one hundred strides.  The changeling soldiers will be joining you shortly.”

“Thank you, Commander,” he said, stepping down from the cart. She nodded once.

“Say hello to whoever she is you were teasing me with back there,” she said with a grin before the cart turned and she and her escort started making their way back to the hive. He watched her leave with another flush of embarrassment over the incident, before turning and walking in the direction she had indicated his convoy was, reaching it shortly after.

“We were beginning to get worried about you, Counselor,” The Lieutenant he had gotten short with earlier stated. “How'd things go?”

“Lieutenant,” he acknowledged. “Mission accomplished. Better than we could have hoped for. She's giving us fourteen thousand soldiers.”

“Fourteen thousand?” the pegasus responded, raising an eyebrow. “How'd you get her to be so generous?”

“I think it was a combination of several things, including the fact that she knows even the changelings can't survive forever without the sun; the fact that she's not about to let anyone else steal her thunder when it comes to being the one who eventually defeats Princess Celestia, especially not the griffins; and the fact that she has such a bad history with the griffins that she wasn't about to pass up any opportunity to punish them, especially if that opportunity was blessed by Equestria.”

“Ambitious, isn't she?” The pegasus responded.

He nodded. “They'll be here shortly. We'll leave for Canterlot as soon as they arrive. But we'll stop just outside of Las Pegasus for a brief rest and to send a couple of scouts into the city for news.”

“As you say, Counselor.”

“And Lieutenant … I want to apologize for snapping at you earlier … I was under a lot of stress with the upcoming meeting with Chrysalis, and it caused me to respond harshly.”

“I understand Counselor. And I assure you, it's nothing to worry about.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

A few minutes later, they heard a loud swarming noise approaching from the south, but they could see nothing in the total darkness.

“I think that's our cue,” James said, climbing into the chariot and closing the door. Immediately, the chariot and his guard escorts took to the air, turning to the north towards Las Pegasus. James allowed himself to relax now, feeling at ease for the first time since he'd left Canterlot. Before, he knew it, he was asleep, and he didn't wake up again until he felt a slight jolt as the chariot touched down and came to a stop. Stretching a bit, he opened the door and stepped out, finding they were in a slightly wooded area, the lights of Las Pegasus visible in the distance.

“Scouts have continued on to the city and should report back within an hour,” the Lieutenant informed him, seeming a bit nervous.

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” James acknowledged, before looking past him, now seeing what had him nervous. As far as he could see, were rows and rows of jet black changelings. They were very difficult to see in the dark, but occasionally, the lantern light would reflect off one of their fangs, or their green eyes, or glint off their carapaces. He had to admit, it was a somewhat unnerving sight.

He sat down on the ground next to the chariot now, letting his thoughts drift back to Twilight, thinking he was probably far enough away from any of the changelings where he wouldn't tempt their feeding reflexes. In just ten hours, they would be back in Canterlot where he would be able to see her again. To hold her again. He thought about her interrogating the dragon, which caused him a moment of anxiety. At the same time, he knew his fear was probably irrational. She would be with multiple unicorn guards to protect her. Of course, she was also fully capable of protecting herself. Furthermore, he had to believe that Ambassador Firewing was still loyal to Celestia, and that it was rogue dragons acting outside the Elder Dragon Council's orders that were responsible for the attacks. Nevertheless, he would feel  much better once he was back in Canterlot and hugging her in his arms again. Just ten more hours, which would pass quickly if he were able to get back to sleep once they were en-route again.

“Counselor?” the Lieutenant interrupted his thoughts. The pegasus had a serious note of concern in his voice now.

“Yes?” James answered.

“The scouts are back. They've brought news from Las Pegasus. Massive griffin invasion in progress on the east coast. The invasion force numbers over ten thousand.”

“Ten thousand?” James asked in astonishment, feeling that his heart was both trying to leap into his throat and sink into his stomach at the same time.

“Affirmative, Counselor. That news came directly from the Royal Guard station in Las Pegasus, so it's probably accurate.”

“Shhhhit,” James said to himself quietly, although he was sure the Lieutenant had heard.

“Counselor, we need a decision,” the pegasus prodded.

James desperately wanted to go back to Canterlot and see Twilight Sparkle. To make sure she was okay. But he also knew he couldn't do that. Equestria needed him more right now. With a pain in his heart, he made his decision, calling out loudly to all the gathered guards and changelings.”

“Prepare to move out! We fly east-northeast!”

“Counselor? Canterlot is due northeast. Not east-northeast” one of his Pegasus Guard escorts pointed out. James shook his head.

“We're not going to Canterlot. We're going to the Sea of Tears to join the battle against the Griffin Kingdom.”

Author's note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and sorry for the delay in getting it out. Hopefully the length made up for the delay.

For those of you intrigued by the story of Queen Dorylini the Great and the rise of the Changeling Empire, I've decided I have enough headcanon material regarding it that I'm going to write a spinoff story about it for my NaNoWriMo project this year. I never thought I'd do it, but yes, I'm actually going to write a changeling focused story. Look for it to start publishing in the first week of November, and it should wrap up by December 1st. Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks again for reading!