Love is Weakness

Chapters

Part 1
Part 2

Part 1

Love is Weakness

Equestria, Present Day

Queen Chrysalis sat alone and in pain, deep within the dark confines of her castle. It had been only a week since her invasion of Canterlot had failed at the hooves of Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and Twilight Sparkle. A twinge of anger shot through her body, with a jolt of pain following soon after. How she deeply loathed those who had defeated her. She hated them all and wished only for their destruction. Well...maybe not all of them.

"My queen," hissed the voice of a changeling drone who had entered her chamber.

Chrysalis turned to her visitor. "You know how I feel about any of you barging into my chamber without knocking," she snarled. The drone gulped and took a step back. On any ordinary day, Chrysalis would have killed the drone right then and there. However, she was still heavily weak from the failed invasion and didn't want to waste any of her remaining magic on taking her anger out on somepony. She had a far more important task at hand to use her magic on. "What is it?"

"My apologies, my queen, but General Viper has returned from the mission you sent him on."

Chrysalis's mouth curled into a satisfied smile. "Excellent. Tell him to make haste and come to me."

The drone bowed, turned around, and departed through the door.

Chrysalis pulled herself off the bed she had been lying on and stretched her bandaged limbs. It would certainly take a while for her to regain her full strength, but she had a feeling that she wouldn't be living long enough to reach that point. The task she had set out for herself was most definitely a one-way trip. A suicide mission, to say the least.

She didn't care, though. She had waited a long time to track down the necessary ingredients. Her time in the Canterlot Library as Princess Cadance had provided her with the last piece of the puzzle. The last step needed to be taken for her to finally take her revenge.

There was a knock at her door.

"Come in," Chrysalis stated.

The door opened and in walked a drone a bit larger than the previous one that was wearing black war armor. "My queen, I have come with the object you tasked me to obtain," hissed General Viper.

"Excellent work, General. Bring it to me."

Viper approached Chrysalis and gave her the object, which was wrapped in a purple blanket. Chrysalis unfolded the blanket and gave a smirk of satisfaction upon seeing the Sun Daisy glowing up at her. "My queen, may I ask-"

"Let me guess, General. You're curious about why I ordered you to obtain a Sun Daisy for me, aren't you?" Chrysalis guessed as she made her way over towards a wooden cabinet.

"That would be correct, my queen."

The cabinet was opened and Chrysalis pulled out a small cauldron and several bags and vials of strange, exotic ingredients she had spent many years collecting. "I have a plan, General. A mission."

A sadistic grin appeared on Viper's face. "Have you conjured up another method for us to take over-"

"This has nothing to do with Equestria. Forget Equestria. Forget the Princesses. Forget it all."

"My queen?"

"And you can forget this queen nonsense. After today, I will no longer be your queen." Chrysalis began pouring the contents into the cauldron and stirring them together. The substance that was being formed was already heating up and bubbling due to the reactions caused by the different ingredients making contact with each other.

Viper continued to look on in confusion. "I don't understand, my...er...Chrysalis. What is this mission you are about to set out on?"

The light of Chrysalis's potion reflected off her hungry face. Every part of her was ticklish with excitement. This was it. After so many years, it was finally time for her to grant her greatest wish. Accomplish her most important goal. "General Viper, as of today, you are the King of the Changelings."

"What?!"

"You have been a great general and...an even better friend. It is only fitting that you now take my place."

"But why?! What are you doing, Chrysalis?!"

"I'm opening a portal, Viper."

"A portal? To where?"

"To another world. A place far away from here. A place where I shall find the one who wronged me." Chrysalis fell silent as she reached for the final ingredient: a bottle containing a wad of dark brown hair. "Ruling Equestria was never my true goal, Viper. It was only a step towards it. And even though it was a military failure for the changelings, it was a magnificent success for me." She took the wad of hair and added it to the potion, which proceeded to turn dark green. "Now that I think about it, I feel sorry for all those I've hurt and wronged over the years. All those innocent ponies and magical creatures. But one must do what needs to be done in order to survive, especially if you're a changeling and most especially if you're a changeling with a goal."

Chrysalis smiled as the potion illuminated up at her. It was ready. In a quick flash, she jumped up and kicked the cauldron over. The contents spilled out onto the floor. Chrysalis's horn illuminated for a second before a green bolt of lighting shot from it and struck the spilt liquid. Viper's eyes widened in amazement as the potion on the floor began to spin around in a vortex-like manner. Within seconds, a green, swirling portal was situated in the floor in front of Chrysalis and Viper. Powerful, magical winds blew up from the depths of the spinning vortex.

"Chrysalis?! Where does this portal lead to?! What goal are you seeking?!" Viper asked.

"Revenge, Viper. Something I've been waiting oh so long to get," Chrysalis replied. She turned back to smile at Viper. "Thank you for all your help, Viper. I'm certain you'll be a perfect successor. Keep our changelings alive and thriving. Invade Canterlot again if you wish. Put a spear through Princess Cadance's heart for me. Be careful...and farewell."

Chrysalis stepped towards the portal.

"Wait! Chrysalis!" Viper called. Chrysalis stopped and glanced back at Viper. "Before you go...can you at least tell me who it is you're getting revenge on?"

Chrysalis's face became stern and cold, pure hatred oozed from every pore on her face. "Her name is Cora: the Queen of Hearts. And she's going to pay for what she did to me."

With that said, Chrysalis flung herself forward into the heart of the swirling, green portal.

Wonderland, Some Years Ago

Chrissie opened her sharp green eyes to see rays of sunshine pouring in through her bedroom window. A quiet yawn escaped her lips as she sat up and stretched her arms. Her caramel skin glowed in the light of morning while her dark cerulean hair sparkled a bit in places. She often thought herself of having one of the stranger hair-skin combinations one could have but, given all of the other types of people and creatures she had come across in her exotic home that was Wonderland, she had seen crazier things.

She stood up and made her way over to the closet. Upon opening the door, she was quick to grab the nearest emerald green dress and put it on. A pair of black slippers and a spray of moderately-expensive perfume wrapped everything up in a nice bow.

No sooner had she finished dressing did a knock emanate from the front door of her cottage. "Who is it?" she asked in an almost sing-song tone.

"You know who," teased a familiar, male voice from the other side.

Chrissie laughed as she entered the living room. "No, I don't believe I do. You might have to come in and remind me."

The door opened and in walked a tall, young man with skin that was about one shade away from pale and hair nearly as blue as the ocean. He was dressed in a red-and-black soldier's uniform and carrying a brown paper bag. He gave a polite bow, reached into the bag, and presented a cream cheese danish to Chrissie. "Breakfast for the beautiful lady of the house."

Chrissie happily received the danish and took a small bite. "And, once again, you are my knight in shining armor."

"I've certainly developed a talent for being that lately. Maybe I should change my name to that. Sir Shining Armor!"

"Please don't." Chrissie gave an extremely deadpan expression. "That would be really pompous. Even for you. Stick with Aaron."

Aaron reached forward, wrapped his arms around Chrissie's waist, and pulled her close to him. "Whatever you wish, love." The two lovers locked lips in a fiery display of passion. Chrissie wished for it to never end, as she always did, but Aaron pulled away anyway. "We best not try to have our best kisses now. The wedding's not for another month."

Chrissie rolled her eyes as she strolled over to the table to finish her danish. "I don't see why we have to wait so long for the ceremony. Last time I checked, there was nothing all that dangerous happening here in Wonderland," she stated.

"Trust me. There's plenty for us Soldiers of Heart to be worrying about right now," Aaron stated as he sat down across the table from Chrissie.

"Like keeping on her majesty's good side." Chrissie made no effort in hiding her disdain for her fiancé's employer.

"Look, Chrissie, I know you're not really that fond of her-"

"You're damn right I'm not. Need I remind you about what's she's done? What she still does?"

"No. I've already seen enough of it on the job."

"And you can't possibly be okay with any of it! I know you, Aaron!"

Aaron sighed. "You're right. I hate it, what she does."

"Then why don't you just quit and allow the two of us to find work somewhere else?! Far away from her!"

"Who else is there to turn to, Chrissie? The Red Queen isn't that much better."

"At least she has the decency to not meddle around with others' hearts."

"Look, this isn't going to be forever. This job pays well and once I have enough we'll leave this place far behind."

"Promise?" Chrissie gave the cutest look she could muster and Aaron rolled his eyes in response.

"I promise. Now go ahead and finish your breakfast. It's a beautiful day and I'd like to take a walk with the most gorgeous woman in Wonderland before my shift begins."

Chrissie giggled before taking another bite of danish.

It truly was an exceptionally clear and welcoming morning in Wonderland. The Sun was incredibly bright and the occasional cloud caused the sunlight to pour down in concentrated rays, creating a spectacular light show in the morning sky.

Chrissie held onto Aaron's hand tightly as they strolled down a cobbled road. Green hills spread out in all directions with exotic plants scattered about that were native to only that section of Wonderland. A town consisting of many red and white buildings rose up in the center of the fields. It was connected to a large white and red castle as well as to a massive maze which spread out well beyond the town's limits.

As the couple entered the town, they couldn't help but notice the excited buzz in the air. The town's citizens were whispering eagerly and practically jumping up and down in excitement. Chrissie turned to Aaron just in time to see him roll his eyes.

"Is something wrong, Aaron?" she asked. "What's going on?"

Aaron shook his head. "Sometimes, the people of this town disgust me more than the Queen herself," he whispered back.

Chrissie took another look at the town's excited populace as they treaded through the entrance plaza. She had to admit that their abnormally giddy behavior had an almost dark, sadistic feel to it. A feeling that made her quickly dislike being in their presence. "Again I ask, what's going on?"

"The Queen's found more people to execute."

Chrissie gave a soft gasp as she and Aaron made their way through the town and towards the castle. They were quickly caught up in a massive crowd of townsfolk making their way across the wide drawbridge. The barrage of giddy laughter and excited conversations combined around her into an uncontrollable mesh of painful noise. She tightened her grip on Aaron's hand and simultaneously used her free hand to cover one of her ears.

The drawbridge led to an arched gateway situated in the center of the side of the white castle wall that faced the town. The silver gate was raised high enough for the townsfolk to make their way into the massive courtyard that lay beyond.

The courtyard was constructed out of red and white bricks with two fountains situated on both sides. Both of the fountains spewed out a stream of water that gradually changed between being as white as white paint and red as blood. One of the fountains was a statue of a young woman with a sad look on her face and water pouring out of her eyes and mouth. The other fountain was a statue of an impish man with messy hair and fancy clothing, which had water pouring out of his ears and nose.

Several white and red rose bushes were scattered about the courtyard and the edge of the courtyard that bordered the entrance to the castle held a raised platform constructed out of marble. The townsfolk began to gather in front of the platform. Chrissie and Aaron found a spot somewhere in the middle of the crowd.

Just then, the talking citizens were silenced by the blowing of a trumpet. A group of soldiers appeared and marched out onto the platform. Walking alongside them were five chained people, two men and three women. Chrissie felt a lump appear in her throat as the five prisoners were led into the center of the platform.

One of the soldiers stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts!" he proclaimed.

There was a cloud of purple smoke and there she was. Cora: the Queen of Hearts. She was dressed in an elegant dress of white and red, her above average white skin seemed to almost reflect like a mirror in the Wonderland sunlight, and her dark brown hair was fixed in a neat bun. She had a half smile on her face as she strode across the platform. But though she had a smile on her face, Chrissie knew there was no meaning to it. She saw no happiness emanating from the Queen's face. She only saw darkness. Darkness and emptiness.

A cold, sophisticated laugh passed through the Queen's lips as she approached the soldier that had announced her arrival. "I can take it from here, soldier," she stated firmly.

"Of course, your grace," the soldier hastily bowed and stepped back behind the prisoners.

For a moment, silence reigned supreme in the courtyard. Nobody dared speak a word. As was expected, it was the Queen of Hearts who broke the silence.

"Look at all of you. Come to once again witness the consequences of crossing me," chuckled the Queen as she started to calmly pace back and forth in the center of the platform. She came to a stop in front of a young woman with short, blonde hair. She looked to be no older than twenty at best. "Tell the people why you are here, dear." The woman remained silent. The Queen cleared her throat and took a step towards the woman. "Come now. No need to be shy. Just tell the people why you're here today."

The woman had a rebellious look in her eyes. She glanced at her fellow prisoners before turning back to the Queen. "What's the point?" she asked in response. "You're going to kill me either way."

Chrissie heard a few of the townspeople gasp around her. The Queen took another step towards the girl and place a finger under her chin. She then forced the girl to look up and make eye contact with her. "You're here because you're someone who doesn't appreciate what they have. You go against those above you and ultimately make everything worse for yourself in the process," the Queen stated with venom tainting her every word. She took her finger away from the woman's chin and turned back to the crowd.

"And you're a heartless murderer who has no right to the power you have!" the woman snapped from behind the Queen. "I damn whatever force brought you to Wonderland!"

A few more of the townsfolk gasped. The Queen simply chuckled and gave a relaxed sigh, all the while keeping her attention on her audience. "That force, child, was an awful lot like you." Chrissie felt everything grow cold as she noticed the Queen casually stretch and ready her fingers. The Queen then cleared her throat and raised her arm. "Pay attention, my loyal subjects. This is what happens to those of you who decide to bite the hand that feeds you. And don't look away. I'll know if you do." She then gave another chuckle before driving her hand deep into the woman's chest.

Chrissie couldn't bear to look. She buried her face into Aaron's arm and closed her eyes tight. She shook as the sound of the woman's screams pierced her eardrums. The screams were then followed by a sickening crunch and a dying gasp. "YOU THERE!" shouted the Queen's voice. Chrissie felt her heart stop. She opened her eyes and turned forward. The Queen of Hearts was pointing her finger directly at her. Behind the Queen, Chrissie could see the body of the woman crumpled on the floor. The Queen then waved her hand and a cloud of purple smoke surrounded Chrissie.

"Aaron?! Aaron?!" she asked in fright as she felt both the ground beneath her feet and the hand holding onto her vanish. "Aaron?!"

The smoke disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and Chrissie had to keep herself from gasping aloud when she saw that she was now standing on the platform and in front of the Queen of Hearts herself.

"There you are," chuckled the Queen as she approached Chrissie. Chrissie could feel an icy aura emanating off the Queen's body as she approached her. "Don't be afraid, child. I just wish to ask you a question."

Chrissie grabbed the sides of her dress tightly and gave a quick bow. "Yes...your majesty?" she asked in reply.

"Tell me, child. Did you not hear my instruction?"

Chrissie felt the Queen's icy glare burning deep into her skin. "No, your majesty. I heard you clearly."

The Queen took a couple steps towards Chrissie. "If that's so, why did you turn away?"

Chrissie froze. She had to be very careful with her words. One wrong statement and her heart would be dust in no time flat. "I...I...I do not think I am...worthy enough to witness such...fantastic feats performed by someone as...brilliantly powerful as you...your majesty," Chrissie replied.

The Queen chuckled again. Chrissie was beginning to hate that chuckle. "No. That's not it," said the Queen of Hearts smoothly. She took another step towards Chrissie. Chrissie found herself unable to focus on anything except the Queen's cold, emotionless eyes. "Now why don't you be a dear and tell us the truth? Why did you turn away?"

Chrissie felt the lump in her throat return. For several seconds, she struggled with what to say. She could feel dark, external forces acting on her and she knew without a doubt that they were coming from the powerful woman standing before her. She cleared her throat and finally found the right words to say. "It terrified me, your majesty. Your powers frighten me."

Chrissie shook as she heard that familiar chuckle once more. The Queen's half smile grew a little bigger. "And that's good," the Queen stated. "It is a frightening power. You would be foolish to not be afraid of it."

Chrissie took an awkward step back. "Would...would that be all, your majesty?" she asked.

"Just one last question."

"Yes, your majesty?"

"Don't look so scared, child. All I want to know is your name."

Chrissie felt like she should have been relieved but she wasn't. "Chrissie, your majesty."

"Such a simple name. Perfect for a girl such as yourself who has one of my soldier's hearts in your grasp." Chrissie gave a stunned look before quickly glancing at Aaron, who was still standing in the center of the crowd. "I know everything about everyone who works for me." Chrissie felt as if a massive weight had landed on top of her. "As long as you continue to live your life the way you currently are you should have nothing to worry about." The Queen stepped away from Chrissie and waved her hand. "You are free to leave now."

Chrissie gave a polite bow. "Thank you, your majesty." She then turned and walked off the platform. She walked past the crowd and headed towards the courtyard exit, refusing to turn back and face the cold eyes of the Queen of Hearts any longer.

"Chrissie," said the calming voice of Aaron as a loving hand grabbed her arm. She came to a stop a few steps short of the courtyard archway and turned back to face him. Looking into the caring eyes of the man she loved helped her feel a little better. "Are you...okay?"

"I've been better but at least I got out of there in one piece," Chrissie replied as she placed a hand over her heart.

Aaron took her hands and held them tightly. "I have to admit that I was a bit worried there for a moment."

"Well, at least we're apparently in the Queen's good graces for now."

"And let's have it stay that way. Agreed?"

Chrissie nodded with a smirk. "Agreed."

Aaron gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "My shift starts in a few minutes so I'm going to go ahead and head out. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Yes you will." Chrissie tapped Aaron's nose with one of her fingers and laughed.

"Try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Trust me, I'm not looking for any trouble." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Love you."

"I love you too."

The lovers let go of each others' hands. Chrissie stood under the archway for several seconds as she watched Aaron disappear back into the crowd. She noticed the Queen was about to perform another execution so she hastily turned around and ran across the drawbridge.

As she ran back into the town, she heard someone call out to her in a hoarse tone. "Chrissie!" called the voice.

Chrissie looked towards an alleyway between a bakery and a butcher shop and saw a small figure hiding in the shadows. At first, Chrissie was cautious and caught off guard. However, once she saw a pair of tall ears stick up she knew who was talking to her. A smile appeared on her face before she ran into the darkness of the alley to meet her old friend.

"Rabbit!" she exclaimed happily.

"SHHH!" hissed the White Rabbit as he placed a finger against his mouth. Though it had been a while since Chrissie had last seen her old friend, the White Rabbit hadn't changed a bit. He was still clothed in his usual black bowler hat, red-tinted glasses, white suit, white vest, white bow tie, white trousers, and black shoes. It really made Chrissie wonder about how many of each article of clothing he kept. "You know the Queen of Hearts would like nothing more than to have my head!"

"Exactly! Why are you here then?" Chrissie asked in a whisper.

"Well I was in the neighborhood and figured that I'd drop by and visit since it's been a long time since we last saw each other."

Chrissie nodded. "It has been a while."

"In fact, if my math's correct, it's been..." The Rabbit pulled out his golden pocket watch and tapped the glass. "Six months, one week, twelve days, three hours, forty-five minutes, and eighteen seconds."

Chrissie laughed. "I'll never understand how you can be so punctual."

The Rabbit shrugged his shoulders. "It's a gift." He stored his pocket watch away and snapped his fingers. "So, if your aren't too busy right now, how about a trip?"

"A trip?" A rebellious smile appeared on Chrissie's face. "Aaron won't be off until tonight and it has been a while. Sure! Why not? Dig your hole, Rabbit!"

"Excellent! And I know just the place to go!"

The Rabbit pressed a finger against the wall of the bakery and made a circular motion. Within seconds, a blue portal was situated in front of the them. "Where are we going?" Chrissie asked as the Rabbit took hold of her hand.

"It's a new place I recently discovered! It's called Equestria!" replied the Rabbit.

With that said, Chrissie and the White Rabbit jumped into the portal.

Equestria, Some Years Ago

The sound of an explosion rocked the air as the rabbit hole opened and Chrissie and the White Rabbit emerged from their trip between the worlds. The Rabbit stretched his arms and legs while Chrissie stepped forward the examine the scene before her.

"Wow," she said.

She and the Rabbit were standing in a field of grass that appeared to be on the top of an incredibly high mountain. A pathway stretched through the center of the field and ended at the foot of a charming, purple gazebo. Large, fluffy, white clouds floated above the top of the mountain and rainbows poured straight down out of them. The rainbows poured down into a vat of rainbow water that cascaded over a waterfall into both a turquoise blue lake and a river which ended in a much higher and steeper waterfall.

Chrissie stared up at the rainbow waterfalls in complete awe. "Amazing," she managed to utter.

"Yep. They sure are a sight to see," stated the Rabbit.

"That's an understatement. What's this placed called?"

"Not sure. Haven't had much of a chance to talk to the locals."

Chrissie looked out at the vast countryside that spread out away from the base of the incredibly tall mountain she was now standing atop of. "And who are the locals?"

"Talking ponies." Chrissie looked at the Rabbit with a raised eyebrow. "Oh don't give me that look! You come from a world where there are plants that make you bigger or smaller when you eat them. Heck! I, your friend, am a talking rabbit! Are talking ponies really that hard for you to believe?"

Chrissie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. It just seems kind of out there, even when compared to all the other worlds you've shown me." She walked over towards the lake and sat down on the edge. "Talking ponies and rainbow waterfalls. You've certainly outdone yourself this time, Rabbit. I bet Mrs. Rabbit took a real liking to this place."

"Actually...I haven't brought her here yet," the Rabbit chuckled as he sat down at the edge of the lake next to Chrissie. She turned to him with another raised eyebrow. "I'm planning on bringing her and the kids here for a picnic later this week."

"I get to see this place before your beloved!" Chrissie shook her head with a smirk. "Mrs. Rabbit won't be happy about that."

The Rabbit gave a nervous grin. "If you would be so kind, please don't tell her. I wasn't originally going to show you this place before her...but I figured you could use a change of scenery after having to deal with the Queen of Hearts." Chrissie's smirk melted into an expression of mild shock. "I saw what happened in the courtyard. Everybody was too busy focusing on the new executions to notice a rabbit in a suit hiding in the back." Chrissie sighed before looking down at the surface of the lake. She stared at her reflection intensely. "Do you want to talk about it, Chrissie?"

Chrissie shook her head before kicking the surface of the lake, sending waves of ripples spreading out into its depths. "I'm fine, Rabbit. It wasn't a particularly traumatizing experience," she replied.

"But you're still bothered," the Rabbit added.

Chrissie playfully rolled her eyes. "Well of course I'm still bothered! Everything about that woman bothers me."

"Yeah, she's a nasty piece of work. I can't imagine how many times I've come close to losing my head because of her."

"No. That's because you're stupid enough to keep popping up in her domain and getting caught," Chrissie stated with a giggle.

"It's not my fault that Wonderland turns me around sometimes!" the Rabbit argued back.

Chrissie smiled at the Rabbit. "And yet you wonder why you're always late for your important dates, Mr. Punctual." The two of them let out a hearty laugh. It faded away after a few seconds. "That woman." Chrissie shook her head. "I cannot wait for the day Aaron gets enough money to allow us to leave her domain and start off fresh somewhere else."

"Why wait for the money in order to do that?" The Rabbit twirled his fingers. "I'm sure I could find find you two a nice home in another land. Heh. Maybe I could bring you two here to Equestria."

"You know the name of the world and yet you haven't met its locals or even tried to find out the name of its rainbow waterfall mountain."

The Rabbit wiggled his ears. "That comes with the power I have to travel between worlds. I instantly learn and memorize all of their names. But getting back to the point-"

"No." Chrissie gave a small smile and shook her head. "We're not running off to another world. Wonderland is our home and I nor Aaron am going to leave it behind because of that woman."

"Then why don't I just bring you to another part of Wonderland then?"

"And then what, Rabbit? Aaron and I currently only have enough to keep us sustained in the home we have right now. I would be happy even if we just had a shack and the bare necessities of life but Aaron believes I deserve the best and I know he would be constantly kicking himself for letting me settle for just a shack."

"I see."

"If things get too bad with that woman or if things take a bad turn I'll give you a shout."

The Rabbit reached into one of his pockets. "Here." He pulled out an object and presented it to Chrissie. It was a whistle in the shape of a running white rabbit. "If you need me again or if you get caught in a jam, just blow on this and I'll come running." He placed it in her hand and she held it tightly.

"Just promise me you won't let Wonderland turn you around on the way," she said with a laugh. The Rabbit gave her an annoyed expression as she stored the whistle in one of her pockets.

Just then, a fly appeared out of nowhere and landed on Chrissie's nose. Her eyes immediately crossed and focused on the fly. "Get off me!" she ordered. She then began to wave her arms madly in the air, swatting viciously at the fly as it flew away. "Go away! Shoo! Never come back!"

As the fly disappeared into the wide Equestrian sky, the Rabbit raised an eyebrow at the now heavily breathing Chrissie. "Now what was all that about?" he asked.

"Sorry," Chrissie said with the blush as she began to relax and calmly kick her feet along the lake's surface. "I hate bugs."

Wonderland, Some Years Ago

Chrissie sat patiently in a rocking chair on the porch of her cabin. The Sun had set hours previously and the only light that remained for Chrissie was that of the full moon and the lantern hanging beside her. Her trip with the White Rabbit was still fresh in her mind and she had now occupied herself with examining the gift he had given her.

The minutes ticked by as she remained on the porch, waiting anxiously for Aaron to make his appearance from the surrounding darkness.

"Where are you, Aaron?" she asked into the night. Those were the last words she managed to utter that night before she unwillingly allowed sleep to overtake her.

Chrissie was awoken the following morning by a gentle shaking of the shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Aaron standing before her. He was still dressed in his uniform and had an odd expression on his face, as if he were trying to hold something back.

"Where the hell were you?!" Chrissie snapped as she stood up and approached her love. "I waited here all night for you!"

"You shouldn't have done that," Aaron said simply. "You know how dangerous it is at night."

"As should you!"

Aaron tapped the handle of his sword. "I think I can handle myself."

"Where were you?!"

"My shift got extended a bit. I'm sorry for worrying you." He suddenly presented something to Chrissie: a large, brown bag. "Here."

"What's this? Your apology gift?" Chrissie asked with a bit of snark as she accepted the bag.

"Everything," he replied with a gulp. "Every ounce of my money."

Chrissie paused and raised an eyebrow. Something was wrong here. "And why exactly are you giving me all of your money?"

"Because I won't be needing it any longer. You can combine it with your own savings and finally get away from here. Find a place to your liking."

Chrissie took another step towards Aaron. "Wait, wait, wait. What are you saying, exactly?" Her heart began to beat rapidly.

Aaron was silent for a few seconds. He bit his bottom lip and clutched the side of his pants tightly. "I guess I better cut to the chase then." He voice sounded a little choked up. "I've been promoted. It's a great honor and I'm proud to be serving this great land of ours." Chrissie was now even more confused. "But it's a full commitment, this position I'm now in. And...there's no room for marriage...or love."

Chrissie felt as if her heart was being punctured by a thousand arrows. "Wait, wait, wait! What are you saying?!"

"What do you think I'm saying?!" Aaron snapped. "It's over, Chrissie! The marriage is off! We're through!"

Now Chrissie felt as if her heart had been ripped straight out of her chest. She took another step towards Aaron, shaking her head slowly as she went. "No. I don't believe that," she stated.

"Believe it! It's done!" Aaron's voice was beginning to sound even more choked up, no matter how hard he was trying to put on a stern and cold expression. "Goodbye, Chrissie. This is where we go our separate ways. May you have a good life." Aaron turned around and started to walk away.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Chrissie cried as she dropped Aaron's money bag, ran forward, and grabbed his arm. "I'm not going to let you walk away! It can't be over! Not after everything we've been through!"

"Let go, Chrissie," ordered Aaron.

"No! I'm not letting you go until you tell me what the hell is going on here! None of this makes any sense!" Tears began to stream down Chrissie's face. "This isn't you! You would never do this!"

"Well I'm doing it now. Now let GO!" Chrissie gasped as Aaron's free hand came up and slapped her across the face. She lost her grip on Aaron's other hand and fell to the ground. She clutched the side of her stinging face and looked up. Aaron was staring down at her. His face was contorting between stern and sad and several tears were rolling down his cheeks.

Chrissie reached towards his face. "Aaron-"

Aaron swatted her hand away. "Go, Chrissie! Leave! Get as far away from here as you can! Start fresh somewhere else!" He began to choke on his last words. "Without me. Farewell." Aaron turned and hastily walked off down the pathway that led out of the forest and back to the plains.

Chrissie curled up in a ball on the ground, trying to let out loud cries but unable to do so due to the immense pain in her throat. She couldn't believe what had just happened. In barely a minute, her entire world and future had crumbled to dust right in front of her.

However, her incredible sadness was quickly replaced a determination unlike any she had ever had previously. She picked herself up and rushed into the trees. None of this made any sense. She knew something was wrong. She knew her love hadn't meant one word he had spouted at her. She had seen it in his eyes. Something else was going on here. Something else had been forcing him to cut all ties with her. It must have been...her.

Chrissie came to a stop. Her breathing was quick and raspy and her entire body was shaking. Something had happened to her beloved last night and she was the reason. The Queen of Hearts was involved in this somehow. Chrissie could feel it in her gut.

That's when it hit her. The weight of the possibility of who she would be going up against if she went after Aaron. She would be fighting Cora: the Queen of Hearts. The woman infamous to ripping out people's hearts and crushing them in one fell swoop. A woman who had performed terrible feats of powerful, dark magic.

Chrissie looked down at herself. And what was she? An average woman living in a cabin in the woods? Chrissie knelt down against a tree and clutched the trunk. She was an average woman going up against one of the most powerful people in Wonderland. Hell, she wasn't even completely sure if the Queen was responsible for Aaron's cold and swift change of heart. But something dark was happening here. She knew Aaron didn't do this under his own free will. Tears began to roll down her face once more as Chrissie came to terms with her current dilemma.

"What am I to do?" Chrissie asked herself through her tears. She clutched the trunk of the tree harder. "Oh, Aaron. What am I to do to bring you back?"

Suddenly, there was a tap on her shoulder. "Oi," said a straightforward, male voice. Chrissie turned around to see a young, handsome man standing behind her. He had short, black hair; fair skin; and was wearing a gray jacket. "You the one who lives in the cabin a little ways back?"

Chrissie wiped her tears away and nodded. "Yes," she replied with a small croak.

"Word of advice, don't leave your bag of money lying around." The man place Aaron's money bag next to her. "Also, best to not leave your door open."

Chrissie turned between the money bag and the man. "You...didn't steal it?"

"Why would I? It's not mine."

Chrissie gave a small smile of admiration. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." The man nodded at Chrissie and began to walk away. Chrissie kept her eye on the man as he took his leave. Suddenly, he came to a stop and Chrissie heard him mutter, "Bloody hell," to himself before turning back to Chrissie. "Say...want to grab a drink? There's a pub not too far from here."

"Thanks," Chrissie replied awkwardly as she stood up. "But...I-"

"You don't have to if you're not up to it. But, in my opinion, you look like somebody who could use a drink."

Chrissie gave a tired sigh and rubbed her forehead. She let out a soft chuckle and smiled at the man. "A drink does sound good right about now."

Chrissie and the man found a table towards the back of the pub, away from the rest of the customers. Chrissie silently gazed down at her fuzzy reflection in the beer. She looked up at the man to see him quickly draining his cup. A sense of familiarity came over her. This man looked oddly familiar. She had seen him somewhere before. But where?

The man finished his drink and gave a loud sigh as he placed his cup down on the table. He looked at Chrissie, noticed her drink was still full, and rubbed the spot between his eyes. "I didn't buy you your drink for you to stare at it," he stated.

"Sorry," said Chrissie in a near emotionless tone as she took a sip of the drink. It was bitter, thus reminding her why she didn't drink alcoholic beverages that often. "Got a lot on my mind."

The man snorted. "Don't we all?"

Chrissie shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose."

The man chuckled. "Funny. I buy you a drink and I don't even know your name."

It was time for Chrissie to snort. "And I don't know yours." She raised an eyebrow at her new acquaintance.

The man rubbed the back of his neck. "Well-"

Just then, the door to the pub opened and three Soldiers of Heart entered. Chrissie instantly gave the soldiers an icy stare. However, she noticed the man glance back at them only to quickly turn away and lower his head. Chrissie took another close look at the man's face and glanced back and forth between him and the soldiers. That's when it clicked.

"I knew you looked familiar!" Chrissie whispered to her acquaintance. The man looked up and met Chrissie's eyes. Chrissie couldn't help but give a snarky smile. "You're not nearly as weaselly as I've heard, Will Scarlet."

"Shhh!" hissed Will Scarlet. He took another glance at the soldiers before turning back to Chrissie. "You know it would be very rude to turn in the bloke who bought you a drink."

"Don't worry. I'm not turning you in. It'll give me satisfaction knowing that you slipped away under that woman's forces once again."

Will chuckled. "Thanks, Chrissie."

Chrissie suddenly gave a dumbfounded look. "I thought you didn't know my name," she said.

Will stroked the spot between his eyes again and sighed, "Bloody hell." Chrissie gave him an accusing look and he quickly noticed. "Okay...so I may have...kinda...come across your argument with that soldier a little while ago."

Chrissie's face became sad once again. "Aaron."

Will softly snapped his fingers. "That's him!"

Chrissie rubbed her forehead and groaned. "How much did you hear?"

"Most of it."

As she came to terms with the fact that Will Scarlet of all people had witnessed her emotional break up with Aaron, she noticed a detail that struck her as...off. "That doesn't make sense," she stated.

"What about that doesn't make sense?" Will asked. "I was walking through the woods and I stumbled across your bloke leaving ya. Nothing very complicated about that."

"Not that." Chrissie gave a quick shake of her head and bit her bottom lip. "Your reputation precedes you, Will Scarlet. Thief. Often caught deep in debt."

"Thanks for reminding me." Will rolled his eyes.

"You saw that big bag of money I left behind." Chrissie tapped the money bag under the table with her foot. "You saw all that money and instead of using it for self gain or paying off your debts...you return it to me."

Will nodded. "This is true."

"Why?"

Will gave a deep sigh. "I dunno. Just wanted to do something nice, you know? I felt...sorry for you."

"Sorry for me?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"You know, you ask a lot of questions."

"You've done things that demand questions. Now answer or I'll let those charming soldiers over there know that Will Scarlet has dropped in for a visit."

Will glanced back at the soldiers and groaned before turning back to Chrissie. "Fine. Like you...I have experience when it comes to having your heart broken."

"You?"

"Yes. Me."

They fell silent. Chrissie took another sip of her beer. "So...who broke your heart?" she asked.

Will sighed with a hint of annoyance. "She's not someone I like to think about a whole lot anymore. Her name was Anastasia," he replied.

"That's a lovely name."

Will snorted. "Yeah, well, she ended up dumping me in exchange for a better life."

"I'm sorry."

"At least your bloke still loves ya."

A powerful shock seemed to shoot straight through Chrissie's body. "What?!"

"That was no willing act on his end of things, believe me. I know when she has her hand in something."

"Who?!" Chrissie leaned in closer to Will.

"The Queen of Hearts."

Chrissie leaned back in her seat. "I knew she had something to do with this." A new thought came to mind and she once again leaned in towards Will. "But how do you know?"

"I don't know if you've heard but I once worked for the Queen of Hearts," Will informed.

Chrissie gave a look of remembrance. "Right! You were the Knave of Hearts, if what Aaron told me was accurate," she replied.

"Yeah. Queen took out my heart and forced me to work for her. That's what happened to your Aaron. When it comes to the Soldiers of Heart, a promotion is just another word for the Queen seeing you as a valuable asset to her puppet collection and taking your heart out so that she'll have your full loyalty and service."

"Wait, wait, wait. The Queen can control people with their hearts?!"

"You didn't know?"

"I knew she could take people's hearts out and crush them but I've never heard of her controlling people."

"She does it all right. Take it from a first hand witness." Will tapped the spot over his heart. "She has a vault in that maze of hers. Filled with the hearts of people she controls. Your lover's heart is in there, I'll bet."

Chrissie began stroking her chin. "A vault, huh?"

Will began to shake his head and hands. "I wouldn't try robbing it. It's heavily guarded and there's only one person so far who's managed of successfully steal from it."

"Who?" asked Chrissie as she leaned in close to Will once again.

"Alice," replied Will as he tapped the spot over his heart once again. "The person who stole my heart back from the Queen."

"Where can I find this Alice? Can she help-"

"You're a bit late on that one."

"What do you mean?"

"Alice's gone. Left Wonderland a little while ago."

Chrissie leaned back in her chair and rubbed her forehead. "Great."

"And don't you go asking me. Sorry but I've got enough trouble with the Queen of Hearts already."

Chrissie groaned. She felt so close and yet so far from getting Aaron back. She knew who was responsible now. But her goal of getting her beloved back was made only that much harder by who she was going up against. She rested her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together, resting her forehead against her locked fingers.

"Alice is gone and you won't help me, which I understand," she sighed. She lowered her hands and stared straight into Will's eyes with a look of determination. "Looks like I'll be the one to steal Aaron's heart back!"

"It'll be dangerous, Chrissie," Will warned. "You know what happens to those who cross the Queen of Hearts."

"Yes. I know it'll be dangerous. I know it'll be risky. I know what the cost will be if I fail. But I love Aaron and I'll never be complete again until I'm in his arms. I'm going to do it."

Will raised his hands in defeat. "Who am I to get in the way of a woman caught up in true love? I just hope, for your sake, this bloke of yours is worth the trouble."

"Don't worry, he is." Chrissie laughed and gave a wide smile. "Thank you, Will Scarlet." She grabbed Aaron's money bag, stood up, and extended her hand. "Thank you for everything."

Will Scarlet gave a small smile, stood up, and shook her hand. "Hey. It was nothing."

"Wait a second!" said a booming voice from a few yards away. Chrissie and Will turned to see that one of the soldiers was standing up and looking straight at them. "It's Will Scarlet!"

"Bloody hell," groaned Will.

"SEIZE HIM!" yelled the second soldier as he raised his sword and charged towards them.

Will turned back to Chrissie and gave a quick nod. "Good luck to you," he said.

"Good luck to you," Chrissie said back with a nod.

With that said, Will lunged for a nearby window and crashed through. The soldier came to a stop next to Chrissie. They both watched as, outside the window, Will stood up, dusted off his jacket, waved goodbye to Chrissie, and took off.

"STOP IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN!" ordered the soldier as he climbed through the window and continued his pursuit of Will. The other two soldiers charged out through the front door.

Chrissie calmly slung Aaron's money bag over her shoulder and made her way out of the pub. A wide smile was still plastered on her face. She had a plan now. She was going to get Aaron back his freedom!

Part 2

The Enchanted Forest, Present Day

The night was silent as moonlight poured down through the holes and cracks in the forest's canopy. Everything was calm. Suddenly, powerful gusts of wind broke the silence. A swirling, green portal appeared in the center of a small clearing. The portal was only open for a few seconds before a black figure burst forth and hit the ground hard several feet away from it. The portal closed as quickly as it had opened, the winds stopped, and silence returned.

Queen Chrysalis licked her lips and a wide smile grew upon her face when she realized that her goal had been met. She had left that wretched Equestria far behind. Cora was close by. She could sense her. Her revenge was so close to being accomplished that she could taste it dripping from her fangs.

She groaned as she pulled herself off the ground. Her body still ached from the wounds of battle and her journey through the portal had been no kinder to her injuries. But she was alive, able to walk, and still had a few sparks of magic left inside her. That's all she needed. It only took her a few seconds of looking around and using her changeling sense of smell to realize that she was not in Wonderland, the place she had hoped to see one last time before running straight into the belly of the beast.

"The Enchanted Forest," she stated calmly. She began to slowly make her way through the forest. "It's been many years. Heh. I still remember all the trips I took here with Rabbit." The Ex-Queen of the Changelings fell silent. More painful memories began to resurface. "Oh, Rabbit."

She heard the snapping of twigs nearby and a powerful scent attacked her nostrils. She was here. Cora was here.

Chrysalis hastily pressed herself against a tree and looked around the side, which gave her a clear view of another small clearing. Chrysalis held her breath in anticipation. Several seconds of silence rolled by. Then...she appeared.

Cora looked different from how Chrysalis remembered her. Her hair was still in a bun but she appeared a little bit older and was dressed in a dark blue and black dress and cloak. She strode into the clearing like a ghost, her head casually turning from side to side. She appeared to be looking for someone. Was she looking for Chrysalis. Had she somehow learned about the changeling's inter-dimensional plot? Impossible.

Thankfully, the appearance of a man in dark clothing with messy, black hair and a metal hook replacing his left hand quelled Chrysalis's temporary fears. Oh how she wanted to have the element of surprise right now.

"Hook," Cora said with a nod.

"Time has been moving forward for several months now, Cora," stated the man known as Hook. "How long are we going to waste our time dabbling about this place before-"

"Patience."

"I've been patient for over twenty-eight years."

"Last time I checked, you've been waiting far longer than that." Cora chuckled. Several chills coursed down Chrysalis's spine. "The time is close, Hook. I can feel it. Soon, we'll have what we both want."

"Good." Hook adjusted his vest. "The others still don't suspect anything?"

"Not at all. They have no idea I've replaced him. Fools, they are." Suddenly, Cora moved her head in a way that looked as if something had shocked her. "I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this conversation a little short, Hook."

"And why is that?" Hook asked with a raised eyebrow.

Cora turned in Chrysalis's direction. "Because we're no longer alone," Cora replied.

"Damn it!" Chrysalis hissed under her breath.

Hook reached for the sword strapped to his belt but Cora stopped him. She raised her arm and pointed it at the tree concealing Chrysalis from view. "It would be wise for you to come out before I burn that tree to ashes and you along with it," Cora ordered.

Chrysalis groaned as she stood up. She adjusted her bandages slightly before taking a deep breath and stepping into the clearing. Upon seeing her, both Cora and Hook gave surprised expressions. Chrysalis smiled with satisfaction upon seeing this. Sure, Chrysalis hadn't been able to pounce on Cora and catch her off guard but she was happy to know that she had surprised the Queen of Hearts in some aspect.

Her heart was beating at insane speeds as she approached Cora. The changeling had spent many years dreaming about this moment. The second she confronted the very woman who had ruined her life. The woman who had damned her to a life as a changeling in Equestria.

"What the hell is that?" Hook asked.

Chrysalis glared at Cora. "Hello, Cora," she hissed.

Hook rolled his eyes. "And it speaks. Of course."

Cora gave an amused smile. "I'm sorry but I don't believe we've met," she stated with a chuckle.

"Oh yes we have," Chrysalis spat with venom infecting her every word. "Though I shouldn't be surprised that an old hag such as yourself wouldn't remember me after all these years."

Hook smirked at Cora. "Looks like someone's gotten on the swarm's bad side," he said.

Chrysalis turned her glaring eyes to Hook. "Shut up, pirate." Her attention drifted back to Cora. "This is between me and the Queen of Hearts."

"You know of me from Wonderland then?" Cora asked with a curious smile. "So who are you?"

"I am Chrysalis, now former Queen of the Changelings. But I wasn't always like this," Chrysalis hissed as she took a few steps towards Cora. "I used to be a normal, innocent woman in Wonderland. I had a home. I had a future. I had love. And then you took it all away!" Chrysalis's sadistic smile returned. "I told you I'd come back...and now I have."

Cora suddenly gave a look of remembrance. "Ah. Now I remember," she said. "The foolish girl caught in love's chains."

"Can somebody bloody explain to me what the hell is happening here?" Hook asked.

"I think it's time you took your leave, Hook," said Cora as she faced Hook. "I have a few old issues to discuss with Chrissie here."

"But-"

Cora waved her hand and Hook disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Silence reigned over the forest once again. The Queen of the Changelings and the Queen of Hearts stared each other down as the world around them waited in anticipation for the first move.

Wonderland, Some Years Ago

Chrissie looked around the edge of the hedge and instantly focused on the large, white vault situated in the center of the clearing. It was a fair-sized marble building with columns and a golden dome. It was guarded by four heavily armed soldiers and Chrissie had spent the last few hours memorizing their walking pattern. How long they stood looking in one direction. How long it took for them to turn around. How long it took for them to walk around the vault as a whole.

Now, she was ready.

For a moment, she pulled out and examined the White Rabbit's gift to her. She had considered the thought of using his portal abilities to help her steal Aaron's heart back. But she had decided against it due to wanting to avoid the risk of bringing her friend back into the clutches of the Queen. So, she had decided to pull an Alice and go the old fashioned route.

"You can do this, Chrissie," she said under her breath. "You can do this. For Aaron." She placed the Rabbit's gift back in her pocket and turned her attention back to the guards.

Once the guards began to walk to the other side of the vault, Chrissie silently dashed towards a large, potted plant and hid behind it. She glanced back at the vault entrance and sighed. She wished she could just walk in but she needed to obtain the key from one of the guards first.

To herself, she counted down the minute-long wait for the guards to return to her side of the vault. When they finally made their return, Chrissie sidled against the side of the potted plant to the side facing away from the vault. She glanced around just in time to see the two pairs of guards walking towards each other in a straight line. Chrissie could see a key hanging from the belt of the guard closest to her. It was time for her to make her move.

In a quick yet stealthy motion, she slid away from the potted plant and walked behind the guard, thus blocking her from the view of the two guards walking in her direction. The two pairs of guards came to a halt and Chrissie hastily grabbed the key and lifted it off the guard's belt. She clutched the key close to her heart and counted down. "Three, two, one," she mouthed to herself. As the soldiers turned to face away from the vault door, Chrissie slid behind one of the columns situated next to the door. Two of the soldiers backed up against columns, blocking Chrissie's path to the door. "Three, two, one." The two soldiers stepped forward. Chrissie quickly and carefully passed behind the backs of the guards and reached the door. As she did so, the two outermost guards stepped forward and prepared to turn around. Chrissie slid the key into the lock and thanked the heavens that it didn't make a sound. Her heart was beating at what felt like a million beats a minute as she turned the lock and pushed the door open. She slid through the open door, removed the key from the lock, and shut the door behind her just before the guards turned around.

She was in.

Inside the vault was a massive wall of golden drawers. Chrissie stared at the wall for several seconds before blowing raspberries and rubbing her forehead. "Great," she sighed as she approached the drawers. Each drawer was labeled with what Chrissie assumed were card labels from a deck of cards. Aaron's heart was in one of the drawers a few inches from her. She was so excruciatingly close to Aaron's heart and yet, still, she was oh so far away. "Tell me where to find you, Aaron."

Chrissie stared at the wall in silence for what seemed like ages. Eventually, an idea popped into her head. It was a long shot but it was the best thing she could think of.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused. If you love me, Aaron, call out to me, she thought. Tell me where to find you. Let me know where you're being kept. Then, as if on cue, a soft scream began to pierce Chrissie's eardrums. It was close. Oh so terribly close.

While still focusing and keeping her eyes shut tight, Chrissie blindly followed the noise. She followed it towards the right edge of the wall. When she stepped towards the wall, she could hear the soft scream emanating from above her. Still keeping her eyes closed, she pressed her hand against the wall of drawers. It felt oddly cold but she could also feel a source of warmth emanating from above her hand. Slowly, she moved her hand in the direction of the heat. Once her hand was pressed against a drawer about as hot as a pie fresh from the oven, she knew she had found it.

Chrissie opened her eyes and opened the drawer that was two rows above her head. She reached inside and found a wooden box. Once she had pulled the box out, she closed the drawer and examined the it.

She could feel a lovely warmth emanating from within the box. Taking a deep breath, she opened the lid. Inside was a glowing red heart. Waves of red and white light spread out from it and Chrissie couldn't help but smile when she saw it.

"I've found you, Aaron," she said with a quiet laugh. "I did it. You're free again."

She closed the lid and began to walk towards the doors to see if it was safe to leave. Suddenly, the doors to the vault flew inward and Chrissie froze with horror when she saw who was standing in the threshold.

"Going somewhere?" asked the Queen of Hearts with her usual chuckle.

Chrissie was shell-shocked. "How...how the hell-"

"Did I know you were in here?" The Queen took a step towards Chrissie. "I learned from the last time someone stole a heart from me. I placed a silent alarm spell over this vault. If someone's in here who shouldn't be, I know." Chrissie took a step back. "You know what happens to people who steal from me. Right, Chrissie?" Chrissie tightened her grip on the box holding Aaron's heart and simultaneously placed her free hand over her own heart. "It's such a shame, really. You're such a young, pretty thing. Probably had your whole life ahead of you. All you had to do was leave well enough alone and continue on your way." The Queen began to approach Chrissie.

"Wait!" Chrissie cried. She backed up and slammed hard into the wall of drawers. The force of her impact knocked something about of her pocket: the Rabbit's gift to her.

The Queen stopped when she noticed the white rabbit whistle. "What do we have here?" she asked. She waved her hand and the whistle flew off the ground and landed in her hand. She examined the gift closely before turning back to Chrissie. "A white rabbit?"

"It's nothing," Chrissie replied quickly.

"Oh I don't believe that." The Queen chuckled. "Tell me what this is." Chrissie remained silent. The Queen rolled her eyes and waved her hand.

Suddenly, a powerful force overcame Chrissie and she couldn't stop herself from spilling out the truth. "It's a whistle I got from my friend, the White Rabbit, as a gift. He told me that if I needed him to come to my aid all I'd have to do is blow on it." Chrissie let out a pained gasp and clutched her throat.

"I see." A wide smile appeared on the Queen's face. "Guards!" Two guards appeared in the doorway. "Take the girl to the castle." The Queen walked up to Chrissie and grabbed her face, forcing Chrissie to look straight into her cold eyes. "I may have found a use for her in order to make everybody happy."

The guards led Chrissie up to one of the highest floors of the castle. The hallway she soon found herself being forced to walk through was a massive passageway filled with large openings that gave her a wide view of the land beyond the castle. Everything was, as Chrissie had expected, either red, black, or white in color. Several statues and paintings scattered about were dedicated to the suits of cards, but most of them focused on hearts. Again, Chrissie found no surprise there.

Chrissie's trek through the castle came to an end in an open laboratory of sorts. Like the hallway she had just walked through, the room she was now in had a massive opening that gave a spectacular view of the Queen's maze and the land beyond. There were several tables scattered about the room. Each of the tables was covered in a variety of potions, liquids, and substances that Chrissie hoped remained within their containers.

Just then, there was a purple cloud of smoke and the Queen of Hearts appeared. Plastered on her face was a small smile of satisfaction that gave Chrissie an overwhelming urge to slap her.

"Did you enjoy your walk up here?" the Queen asked in a teasing manner. Chrissie remained silent. "You should feel honored, Chrissie. Not many people get to see this part of the castle."

Not like anyone wants to anyway, Chrissie retorted in thought.

"Now then," the Queen continued. "I believe we're missing somebody. Let's bring him in, shall we?"

The Queen waved her hand and another cloud of purple smoke appeared. Chrissie's eyes widened as she saw Aaron emerge from the cloud.

Aaron gave a look of confusion before noticing the Queen and giving a quick bow. "My queen!" he exclaimed. "What may I do for you?" The Queen tilted her head in Chrissie's direction and Aaron turned towards Chrissie. All color appeared to drain out of his already pale enough skin. "Chrissie?!"

"I'm sorry, Aaron!" Chrissie cried.

"What the...what the hell are you-"

"She's been a foolish girl," stated the Queen simply. "So caught up in the control of love that she attempted to steal from my vault." The Queen then presented to Aaron the wooden box containing his heart. "And she almost ran away with my property."

"It's not your property!" Chrissie blurted out angrily.

"Chrissie!" Aaron hissed as he beckoned her to be silent.

"It's his heart!"

Chrissie was forced to endure another one of the Queen's egotistical chuckles. "I am well aware that it's his heart, child," the Queen replied as she tapped the box. "But it is also my property." The Queen stepped in between Chrissie and Aaron. Aaron appeared to still be in shock over the situation. "I was extremely close to ripping out her heart and crushing it for her crime. But then she provided me with something incredibly useful."

The Queen took out Chrissie's white rabbit whistle and presented it to Aaron.

"A rabbit whistle, your majesty?" Aaron asked.

"Not just any rabbit whistle. A white rabbit whistle." The Queen turned around to face Chrissie. "One that can bring the White Rabbit into my clutches with only one blow from Chrissie herself." The Queen strolled over towards the opening and gazed out upon her maze. "I've spent quite some time trying to catch that White Rabbit; and now I have the means to bring him right to me." The Queen smiled as she turned back towards Chrissie and Aaron. "It's because of this that I've decided to offer a deal for you, Chrissie."

"A deal?" Chrissie asked.

"Yes." The Queen began to approach Chrissie. She came to a stop in front of her and dangled the white rabbit whistle in front of her face. "Summon the White Rabbit. Bring him to me and I'll return Aaron's heart. You two will be free to leave here together."

"Chrissie, you can't!" Aaron blurted out suddenly. "He's your f-"

The Queen tightened her hold on the wooden box and Aaron fell silent. "Be quiet, soldier. The women our discussing business."

Chrissie glanced over at Aaron. His eyes were wide and Chrissie was sure that he'd be yelling at her at the top of his lungs if he weren't being controlled by the Queen. Chrissie then returned her gaze to the Queen's dark eyes. "Why do you want the White Rabbit so badly?" she found herself asking. "What did he do to make you want to kill him?"

"Kill him?" the Queen asked before breaking out into a short fit of amused laughter. "Foolish girl. I don't intend to kill the White Rabbit. I intend to use him."

Chrissie gulped. "Use him?"

"Yes. I'm sure you're aware of his special talent, correct? His talent for digging very unique rabbit holes." Chrissie gave a nervous nod. "I only wish for him to take me on a trip and that's it."

"You've sure gone through a lot of trouble hunting him down in order for him to take you on this trip."

"The place I wish to travel to is a destination I'm desperately seeking. I'd travel there myself if I could but traveling between worlds is a tricky affair." The Queen pointed at a nearby table. "I've created many spells and potions in my many attempts to get to my destination." She approached the table and picked up a bottle of black powder. "This is my most recent creation. Sadly, it can only teleport someone anywhere they wish throughout Wonderland and that's it." The Queen placed the bottle down and turned back to Chrissie. "That's why I need the White Rabbit, Chrissie. All you have to do is summon him and we'll both have what we want. I'll have my trip and you'll have your lover's heart." The Queen dangled the white rabbit whistle in front of Chrissie once more. "Do we have a deal?"

Chrissie stared at the whistle. "I summon the White Rabbit and you'll give Aaron's heart back?" she asked.

"You have my word as a queen," the Queen replied as she tapped the wooden box.

The Queen handed the whistle to Chrissie and she carefully accepted it. She stared at it for a few seconds then looked at Aaron. "Chrissie," he managed to utter in a hoarse whisper.

Chrissie could feel the world closing in around her. Was she about to lead her friend into mortal danger? But if she refused, the Queen would probably kill them both. It couldn't be that bad, could it? The Queen just wanted the Rabbit to take her somewhere. That wasn't so horrible. The Queen would have her trip, the Rabbit would finally have the Queen off his back, and she would have Aaron. Everybody wins.

After several long seconds of thought, Chrissie pressed her lips against the mouthpiece and blew. A lovely, whimsical melody came forth and echoed throughout the room. Throughout the time the melody spent bouncing off Chrissie's eardrums, she felt relaxed and hopeful. Everything was going to be okay.

Chrissie took her mouth away from the mouthpiece and the last remnants of the melody dissipated into nothing. A fair amount of silence followed as Chrissie and the Queen waited in anticipation for the Rabbit's arrival.

Then, suddenly, a geyser of dust spewed up from the center of the room. The White Rabbit climbed out of the rabbit hole and dusted off his suit and trousers. "Chrissie!" he coughed through the dust. "I came as soon as I-" Before he could finish his sentence, the Queen snapped her fingers and the two guards holding Chrissie released her, ran over to the Rabbit, and picked him up by his ears. "What?! Let go!" The Rabbit swatted his arms and legs back and forth to no avail.

The Queen chuckled and smiled at Chrissie. She tossed the box containing Aaron's heart at her and Chrissie nearly dived forward to catch it.

"Hello, Rabbit," said the Queen as she approached the dangling White Rabbit. "How nice to finally have your company."

"What...your majesty?!" gasped the Rabbit. "How?! What?!" He looked around frantically in order to take in the situation. Eventually, his eyes focused on Chrissie. "Chrissie...did you-"

"Yes, she did. She summoned you here," the Queen answered.

Chrissie began to feel an overwhelming amount of guilt within her. Based on the Queen's words, she wasn't condemning him to death. Yet she still felt like she had betrayed her friend's trust. There was no other way. Besides, everything's going to be okay. Everybody wins here. Everybody wins, thought Chrissie as pained tears began to streak down her face. Aaron noticed this and, now being free from the Queen's control, walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and Chrissie shook as a familiar warmth coursed through her. She had her love again. She was in his arms and his heart was in her hands.

"She attempted to steal back her lover's heart from me and I was ready to kill them both," the Queen continued with a chuckle. "Then she provided me with the means to bring you to me." The Queen pointed at the whistle in Chrissie's hands. "But, fear not, Rabbit. I don't intend to kill you."

"You...don't?" asked the Rabbit.

"I never did. As I explained to Chrissie here, I just want you to use that special talent of yours to take me somewhere."

"That's all?"

"That's all." The Queen nodded and smiled at the Rabbit. "You do that and I'll stop hunting you and these two lovers will be free to walk out of here, both hearts intact."

Chrissie looked into Aaron's eyes and he looked right back. The two of them then turned to the Rabbit, who, while hurt, appeared relieved. "Well, if that's all you want and the reward will be the freedom of me and my...friends, I suppose that won't be a problem."

"Excellent!" The Queen snapped her fingers and the soldiers dropped him. Once the Rabbit had gotten himself back up, the Queen led him over to the wall opposite to the open view of outside.

"Where do you wish to go?" the Rabbit asked as he walked.

"The Enchanted Forest," the Queen replied. She came to a stop by the wall and turned to Chrissie and Aaron. "You two are free to go. Go enjoy your life far away from my kingdom."

"Thank you, your majesty," said Aaron. Chrissie allowed Aaron begin slowly leading her away but she couldn't resist listening to the conversation going on behind her as she walked.

"Why the Enchanted Forest, if you don't mind me asking?" she heard the Rabbit ask.

"There's somebody there who desperately needs my guidance...and a lesson," she heard the Queen reply.

"Okay then. The Enchanted Forest, coming up!"

"Excellent. Once this is done, I hope you'll enjoy your promotion from being one of my most wanted."

Chrissie and Aaron froze with terror and turned around. The Rabbit had dug one of his paws into the wall and was beginning to open the rabbit hole. The Queen was behind him. Her arm was extended and her hand was prepared for grabbing.

"Oh no. What have I done?!" Chrissie asked in horror. She looked at Aaron. "I can't let this happen." Chrissie shoved the wooden box into Aaron's arms. "Get out of here with your heart. I'll save Rabbit."

Aaron gasped, "But-"

Chrissie hastily grabbed Aaron's face and pulled him into a passionate kiss that seemed to last forever. Eventually, she managed to gain the strength to separate her from him. "I love you, Aaron."

"And I love you, Chrissie."

"Now get the hell out of here!"

In that moment, Chrissie and Aaron took off in opposite directions; Aaron down the long hallway and Chrissie back towards the lab.

The Rabbit was almost done opening the rabbit hole and the Queen appeared to be a second away from taking his heart. A million different scenarios passed through Chrissie's mind as she ran towards the lab. None of them were good.

Chrissie's eyes turned away from the Queen and focused on the lab table. Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the bottle of black teleportation powder the Queen had mentioned earlier. That's it! exclaimed Chrissie in thought as she lunged for the table. She grabbed the bottle of black powder and tore the lid off. She turned her attention back to the Rabbit, the Queen, and the guards. Miraculously, none of them had noticed her yet.

Chrissie hastily sidestepped until she had a clean shot at the Rabbit. The Queen flexed her arm back as the Rabbit was about to finish producing the rabbit hole, a blue outline now etched into the wall. Chrissie only had one shot at this. She had to make this count.

"RABBIT!" she shouted. The Rabbit, the Queen, and the guards all turned towards her, all of them taken completely off guard. "GO HOME!" Chrissie pushed the bottle forward, spraying the black powder all over the Rabbit.

"NO!" yelled the Queen angrily as she reached for the Rabbit. However, in a split second, the black teleportation powder wrapped around the Rabbit and he disappeared in a flash of orange light. The Queen shook with fury when she saw her hand go through air instead of the Rabbit's body. She turned towards Chrissie and pointed at her. "I gave you a second chance...and now you've gone and blown it."

Chrissie dodged behind the lab table as soon as she saw the Queen raise her arm. The guards charged towards the table. Chrissie threw a random bottle of orange liquid at them. The bottle shattered on the guards' spears and splashed over them. A second later, the guards disappeared in a fiery orange and yellow flash.

"You lying hag!" Chrissie snapped from behind the table. "You said that all you wanted was a trip!"

"And I did want that trip! But the chance of having the White Rabbit's heart under my control was too good an opportunity to pass up. But now I have neither! The portal is incomplete and the Rabbit's gone! Because you couldn't leave well enough alone!" A chill coursed down Chrissie's spine as the Queen gave her now infamous chuckle. "We had a deal...and you broke it, Chrissie."

Chrissie glanced under the table and saw the Queen wave her hand. There were two clouds of purple smoke. Aaron appeared in the center of the room while the wooden box containing his heart appeared in the Queen's hands.

Chrissie jumped up. "NO!" she cried as she grabbed a random bottle containing a blue liquid. She threw it at the Queen. The Queen dodged the attack and the bottle shattered on the ground in front of the Rabbit's incomplete rabbit hole, spilling the contents all over the floor by the wall.

The Queen tore open the wooden box and pulled Aaron's heart out. Both Chrissie and Aaron gave horrified looks while the Queen gave a sadistic half smile. "We had a deal," the Queen stated. "And you broke it. You took the Rabbit and my trip away from me and now I take your love away from you."

"NO!" Chrissie screamed as tears began to pour down her face. Time seemed to slow down as the Queen crushed Aaron's heart to dust in her hand. Aaron clutched his chest and gave a pained groan before falling to the floor. Chrissie ran around the table and dashed to Aaron's aid. She knelt down next to him and held his head in her arms. "AARON!"

The quickly dying Aaron looked up at Chrissie and smiled. "It's okay, Chrissie," he stated as the life hastily drained out of him. "You...did...the...right...thing...in...the...end." Aaron gave one last breath and his eyes closed forever.

"Aaron! AARON!" Chrissie began to sob over her lover's body. "I love you...goodbye."

"Foolish girl," stated the Queen bluntly. Chrissie looked up to see a sadistic smirk on her face. "Love is weakness. Look at what it's brought you. Nothing but pain and suffering."

Chrissie could feel her face contorting with anger. "No," she stated furiously.

The Queen looked amused. "No?"

"Love didn't bring me this. You did! You brought this upon me, Cora!"

"You dare-"

"Oh I dare! I swear on my life that you'll pay for this! You'll get yours, bitch!" Chrissie reached into Aaron's sheath and grabbed his sword. She jumped up and aimed the sword at Cora.

Cora laughed. "You honestly think you can hurt me with that thing?!"

"I'll show you what love can make a person do!" Chrissie lunged for Cora but the Queen disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Chrissie turned around to see Cora appear by the lab tables.

Cora smiled as she grabbed a bottle of green liquid. "I think I know just the type of punishment someone like you deserves."

Chrissie charged at Cora, the sword at the ready. Cora threw the bottle of green liquid at her. In moment of instinct, Chrissie swung the sword forward and smashed it into the oncoming bottle. The bottle shattered upon impact and Chrissie's eyes widened as the green contents splashed all over her. Almost instantly, her entire body felt as if a million hot swords had punctured deep into her skin. A loud scream of pain emanated from Chrissie's lips as she, due to reflex, tossed the sword back into the puddle of blue liquid on the floor. The blue liquid simultaneously splashed up onto the Rabbit's incomplete rabbit hole and caused the sword to rust over.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Chrissie shrieked as her entire body writhed with pain. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

"What you deserve," Cora replied with a satisfied smirk on the other side of the table. "You're a slave to love. Ruining your life over such a pathetic weakness. I think it's only fitting that your outside reflects what you truly are."

Chrissie's pained screams began to turn into hisses and roars. Strange holes began to appear all over her body. Her fingers and toes started to stick together. Her teeth slowly grew sharp. Her caramel skin started to gray over. Strange appendages began to protrude from her back.

Just as Chrissie thought she was going to die from the pain, an unexpected explosion emanated behind her. Chrissie slammed against the edge of the lab table while the surprised Cora was knocked back a few inches.

"What the hell?!" Cora asked in shock.

The pained Chrissie turned around to see that the Rabbit's rabbit hole had opened. However, this one was different from all the others she had seen. Instead of just being blue, it was a whole array of colors. Bolts of lighting shot out of the edges and the portal started to produce a powerful suction, dragging everything in the room towards it. Cora appeared to use a spell to keep her remained in place but Chrissie could feel herself sliding towards the portal.

NO! SHE HAS TO PAY! SHE MUST PAY! Chrissie screamed in thought. As the lab table in front of her tipped over from the portal's strength, Chrissie jumped up and practically flew over towards the still surprised Cora. To Chrissie's satisfaction, Cora was caught off guard and she managed to grab a thick handful of her hair.

"Let go!" Cora ordered.

"NO! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY! I SWEAR THAT YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" Chrissie shouted as the portal's strength grew. Her entire body was soon levitating in the air and being pulled in the direction in the portal. The only thing keeping her from being pulled in was her grip on Cora's hair.

Cora reached up and dug her nails into Chrissie's transforming arm. "You got what you deserved, you foolish girl! Now let go and accept your fate!"

Chrissie could feel her grip loosening. "I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS, CORA! I DON'T CARE IF IT TAKES A DAY, A MONTH, A YEAR, OR SEVERAL DECADES! WE WILL MEET AGAIN AND YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME! I SWEAR IT!" Chrissie could feel putrid venom infecting every word spewed from her furious mouth; and, strangely, she swore she could feel actual venom dripping from her sharpening teeth.

With one last pull from the portal, the clump of hair on Cora's head within Chrissie's grasp broke away. Cora, to Chrissie's joy, let out a yell of pain in response to the wad of hair being pulled from her head. Chrissie continued to writhe, contort, and scream with pain as she was pulled into the rainbow colored portal.

Equestria, Some Years Ago

The barn was empty aside from a few mountains of hay. The only light was that of the moonlight outside and the lantern lights emanating from the farmhouse a few yards away, both of which entered the barn's interior through the cracked barn doors.

Suddenly, the sound of a small explosion rocked the silence and a cloud of dirt and hay shot into the air. A weak, groaning figure pulled itself out of the new hole in the barn's floor and collapsed onto a nearby mound of hay.

Chrissie was relieved to feel the physical pain slowly fading away, but the emotional pain still ran deep. He was gone. Aaron was gone. And now she wasn't even in Wonderland anymore. But that wasn't all.

Chrissie picked herself up. She could feel that her body had changed. She didn't know what she was. All she could tell was that she probably wasn't human anymore. Still in a bit of pain from the transformation and the trip, she trudged across the barn towards an old mirror dangling from a wooden post. What she saw in the dusty glass nearly made her burst into another wave of tears.

A horse-insect hybrid of sorts stared back at her from the reflective glass. Her caramel skin was replaced by that of an incredibly dark gray coat. Her teeth were now sharp fangs and a jagged horn of sorts protruded from her forehead. The only traits that seemed to stick from her original form were her green eyes and dark cerulean hair. Things only got worse for her when she looked back to examine her bug-like wings and hole-filled legs.

"What am I?" Chrissie asked, her voice now raspy and, fittingly, almost insect in nature. "What did that bitch turn me into?!" Suddenly, a terrible wave of weakness overcame her. She couldn't explain why but now she was incredibly hungry. But it wasn't food she desired, not normal food anyway. She desired something far more valuable. Something of greater worth. "Love." Her already raspy voice seemed to grow even hoarser. "I need love. Must find love."

This new desire for love was different from what she had previously had with Aaron. She longed to see Aaron again and be with him but that type of love isn't what she was craving right now. She wasn't craving love as emotional satisfaction. She was longing for it as a food source. She needed to absorb it into her. How? Why? She wasn't sure but she had a feeling it had something to do with the new form she had been cursed with.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught her attention. I can't be seen! Not like this! she thought in panic as she made her way over towards a tall mountain of hay. She quickly hid behind it and watched as a new figure entered the barn.

It was a horse, from what Chrissie could see. It appeared to be a mare with a short brown mane, rusty red coat, and a spatula tattoo of sorts on its rump. "Hello? Is anypony in here?" asked the mare as she entered.

Pony? Great. I must be in that Equestria place Rabbit took me to, Chrissie groaned in thought. Guilty pains coursed through her mind when she thought of the White Rabbit. The mare quickly noticed the crater in the center of the barn and approached it. Maybe she can help me. I mean, she's a talking pony. I'm sure something like me won't be that shocking to her.

"Hello?" Chrissie asked nervously as she stood up. The mare jumped and turned in Chrissie's direction. Chrissie remained hidden in the shadows.

"Who's there?!" asked the mare in a panicked tone.

"I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Chrissie. I'm...a bit hurt and I could use some help."

"Well I can't really help somepony who's hiding in the dark."

Chrissie giggled. "Right." Chrissie slowly emerged from the shadows and, almost instantly, the mare let out a terrified scream upon seeing her.

"What the hay are you?!"

Chrissie carefully approached the mare. "I'm not going to-"

The mare grabbed a nearby pitchfork and pointed it at her. "Stay back!"

"Are you kidding me?! You're a talking pony for Heaven's sake! How do you find something like me that weird?!"

"Stay back! STAY BACK!" The mare began to prod the pitchfork at Chrissie.

"I'm not looking for any trouble, okay?! I just need some help!" The mare continued to prod Chrissie with the weapon. Chrissie was quickly getting annoyed. It wasn't until the pitchfork grazed her still pained body that she snapped. "Okay! I have had enough of this!" Chrissie grabbed the pitchfork. For what seemed like forever, Chrissie and the mare struggled to hold onto the weapon. Chrissie was ready to take the pitchfork and just toss it off into the corner of the barn so she could talk sense into the frightened pony. However, due to the mare slipping at an odd angle, Chrissie ended up twisting the pitchfork back and stabbing it straight through the mare's neck. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!"

The mare's eyes went wide as she registered what had just happened. A shrill, pained, gurgling shriek passed through her lips as she fell back onto one of the many hay piles. A terrible chill shook throughout Chrissie's body as she watched the mare writhe weakly in the hay before finally falling still, the weapon constantly sticking out of her like a massive dinner fork.

Chrissie felt cold sweat roll down her face. She had underestimated the strength of her new body. She had killed this innocent creature.

No! she stated in thought. I didn't do this. This was her fault! If she hadn't overreacted, this could have been avoided! Stupid pony.

"Patty?!" called an alarmed, masculine voice from outside. "Patty Flip?! What's wrong?! Are you okay?!"

"Oh no," gasped Chrissie under her breath. With a swift motion, she pulled the pitchfork from the body and tossed it into a dark corner. She then hastily covered the mare's body in hay, concealing it and the forming puddle of blood from view. She then turned towards the barn doors and could see the shadow of a masculine pony approaching. She was about to go off and hide in the darkness when a new instinct came over her.

Cover. I need cover, she thought. She glanced over at the spot where she had hidden the mare's body. In that instant, she got a picture of the mare known as Patty Flip in her mind and focused on it. Suddenly, a flash of green fire enveloped her. By the time Chrissie's eyes had adjusted from the unexpected flash of light, the head of a stallion was peering through the doors at her.

"Patty?" he asked as he entered. He was tall and far more muscular than what Chrissie had originally thought a pony could be. He had an orange coat, a dusty brown mane, and a silver trowel tattoo on his rump. Once inside the barn, he approached Chrissie with a look on concern on his face. "Patty? Is something wrong?"

Is...is he talking to me? Chrissie asked in thought before looking down at herself. When she looked down, she saw that her dark gray coat and hole-filled legs were now replaced by a rusty red coat and set of normal legs devoid of any holes. After examining herself, she quickly glanced at the body's hiding spot. Have I...transformed into that mare?!

The stallion was standing right in front of her now. Looking at him, Chrissie felt that her transformation had resulted in a deduction of height as well. "Patty? You in there?" he asked before lovingly tapping her on the head. Each touch from the stallion's hoof sent a satisfying sensation through Chrissie's body. Each tap was like a sip of hot chocolate on a cold winter's night and her mouth watered for more of what he was giving her.

"I'm fine...darling," Chrissie replied awkwardly with the mare's voice now replacing hers. "Something just scared me. That's all."

The stallion smirked with relief and kissed Chrissie on the cheek, sending another pulse of strength through her body. "You must have scared yourself quite a bit. You've never called me darling before."

Chrissie gave a seductive smile and kissed the stallion back. "Well there's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

"I suppose there is, darling."

Chrissie couldn't help but take note of her mixed feelings about the situation. On one hand, she was feeling extremely guilty. She had just stabbed a pitchfork through who she had assumed to be this stallion's wife and was now impersonating her. But, on the other hand, a part of Chrissie was actually enjoying the suspense of the whole situation and was satisfied with the fact that she was actually fooling this stallion into believing that she was his wife. Chrissie assumed this was another new instinct brought upon by her transformation.

Chrissie began to lovingly caress her hoof across the stallion's chest. "Everything's fine. Why don't you head back inside? I'll be in shortly. There's a few things I want to check out," she stated teasingly.

The stallion bent forward and kissed her dead on the lips. An electrical surge of pleasurable strength coursed through her. The stallion pulled away and gave Chrissie a lustful smile. "Okay then. When you're done out here, meet me in the bedroom. Then we can do some relaxing. We've been far too busy lately," he said back.

"Perfect. See you in a minute, you naughty stallion."

The stallion chuckled and kissed her again before slowly retreating from the barn.

Once Chrissie was alone again, she thought about her new body and was welcomed with another flash of green fire. When she looked down at her body, it was back to the way it was when she had arrived through the rabbit hole.

"It seems I can transform in this new body," Chrissie stated aloud to herself. She thought of the stallion she had just talked to, focused on his image, and, after another flash of green fire, found herself in the body of a muscular, orange stallion. She thought back to the mare and transformed into her. She then thought back to her new body and transformed back into it. After doing this a few times, she pictured her old human form in her mind. Sadly, this was the one time a transformation refused to occur. "Must be a part of whatever curse she inflicted upon me."

She sat down on the barn floor and took a few deep breaths. So much had happened in the past few minutes that she was still taking it all in. Aaron was gone. She was trapped in a new body in a new world. She had killed an innocent pony and that pony's husband was currently waiting inside the house for her to make love to him while impersonating his now dead wife. There was so much wrong with this situation. So much pain. So much horror and sadness. All because of what she did.

Chrissie looked over at the rabbit hole and noticed a wad of dark brown hair lying next to it. She reached over and picked it up with her hooves. That woman had ruined everything. Taken everything from her. Her love. Her body. Her home. All gone.

She will pay, Chrissie thought as she examined the wad of hair. I will find her again and make her pay. Until then, I will need to survive. I will need to do whatever it takes in order to find a way back to her. I will need to do whatever it takes to live as long as I need to in order to accomplish my goal. I will survive in this new world. I will find the means to get back to her. I will make her pay. No matter what it takes. Chrissie glanced over at the hidden body of Patty Flip before once again transforming into the form of the departed mare. No matter what it takes.

The Enchanted Forest, Present Day

Chrysalis and Cora continued to stare each other down as they started to walk in a circle within the forest clearing.

"I must admit, this new form fits you nicely, Chrissie," Cora teased with her usual chuckle.

"Chrissie died a long time ago thanks to you," Chrysalis snapped. "I, Chrysalis, will be happy enough to seek out vengeance in her place."

"It doesn't matter which name you go by. Whether you're Chrissie or Chrysalis, you'll always be that foolish girl from Wonderland suffering from the weakness of love."

"I'm not the same as I was when we last saw each other, Cora. I've done many things in these past few years. Terrible things. Horrible things. All for the sake of my goal of finding you again and giving you what you deserve."

"You couldn't kill me all those years ago when I killed your lover. What makes you think you can kill me now?"

"Like I said, I've changed over the years. Besides, who said anything about me killing you?"

Cora stopped. "What?" she asked with a hint of confusion.

"Don't worry," said Chrysalis as she bared her fangs. "You'll understand soon enough." With that said, in spite of her injuries, Chrysalis extended her wings and leapt into the air.

Cora quickly conjured a fireball and launched it at the changeling. Chrysalis dodged the magical attack and flew straight at Cora. Cora waved her arm and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, appearing on the other side of the clearing. Chrysalis flew at her again, dodging fireballs and other various spells sent her way as she went. Once again, when Chrysalis reached her, Cora disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

"You're going to have a to do a lot more than flying around if you want to come even a little close to defeating me," Cora laughed on the other side of the clearing.

Chrysalis smiled at her enemy. She was going to end this. Right now. She took a deep breath and spat a wad of green changeling goo onto the ground in front of her. Within seconds, the goo hardened into a crystal-like substance. "Don't worry, Cora," Chrysalis said back. "I promise to not disappoint."

A second later, Chrysalis brought both of her forehooves down on the hardened goo. A loud bang ran out as a cloud of green gas filled the clearing.

As soon as the gas filled the air, Chrysalis took off. She only had a few seconds to act and didn't have enough energy for a retry. It was now or never. Years of preparation, hatred, and patience had led to this moment. The time for payment had come.

Chrysalis flew as fast as she could. Her wings felt like they could rip off at any second. After about just under three seconds of flying, all of the gas was blown away.

Cora stood just a few feet away from the flying Chrysalis, her arm extended in a swiping motion. She looked up and instantly saw Chrysalis flying towards her. Cora raised her arm up. Whether to teleport or conjure another spell, Chrysalis was not sure. But it didn't matter.

Chrysalis gave one last powerful push in Cora's direction and opened her mouth wide. Then, before Cora had the chance to perform any other feats of dark magic, Chrysalis slammed into her and brought her teeth down on Cora's extended arm.

Chrysalis poured every remaining ounce of her magic into her bite. The taste of Cora's blood on her tongue was more satisfying than any amount of love she had absorbed throughout her entire tenure as a changeling.

Cora let out a surprised, pained gasp in response to Chrysalis's bite and hastily knocked her to the ground. Chrysalis groaned upon hitting the ground but looked on in complete joy as Cora clutched her injured arm. After a few seconds of pain, Cora waved her hand over the wound and it instantly healed itself.

Cora looked up from her healed arm and smirked before walking over towards the weak Chrysalis lying on the ground. "Was that really your plan? A bite?" she asked with a laugh. "I must say that I am disappointed."

"Don't be," said Chrysalis before a thrilled series of laughs escaped her lips.

"What are you laughing about? You failed! That bite of yours was nothing! I healed it with barely an ounce of my magical energy!"

"I told you, Cora. I didn't come here to kill you. I came here to make you pay for your crimes against me, as well as against the many others you've most likely wronged throughout your life."

Cora grabbed the laughing Chrysalis with her magic and lifted her up into the air in front of her. The changeling was still laughing when she and Cora met eye-to-eye. "What is it that you've done then?" Cora asked with a stern, unimpressed expression.

Chrysalis smiled sadistically. "I've cursed you, Cora. I've placed a powerful changeling curse on you that I've spent many years preparing and perfecting. Just for you."

Cora snickered. "Really? A curse?"

"Don't underestimate it, Cora. Changeling magic is very different from and far less predictable than any magic you've probably come across before. I've just poured every last ounce of my changeling magic into placing my curse on you." Chrysalis gave out another laugh. "With my curse, I take away the thing you took away from me."

"And what was that?"

"A happy ending." Cora fell silent and Chrysalis broke into another quick fit of laughter. "No matter what you do or how far you go, you will never obtain what you most desire. Whatever power you seek or goal you have set out for yourself, you are now destined to fail. You will fail, Cora, and I will have the last laugh! I've won, Cora. I've won!" Chrysalis continued to laugh madly, her loud shrieks echoed throughout the forest around them.

Suddenly, Cora reached forward and plunged her hand deep into Chrysalis's chest. Chrysalis gave a pained groan as Cora removed her blackened heart from her body. Cora examined the heart in her hand before smirked at Chrysalis. "My magic is more powerful than yours, insect. Whatever little curse you've attempted to place on me, I will be able to overcome it," Cora stated. "You may think you've won but you've really lost. And now, I think it's time I did what I should have done all those years ago."

Chrysalis smiled madly at Cora and began laughing again. Her laughing was brought to a sudden halt when Cora began to squeeze her heart tightly. The levitation spell faded away and Chrysalis fell to the ground. The changeling could feel the life painfully drifting out of her as Cora slowly crushed her heart to dust within her hand. "It...is...done," Chrysalis stated as she watched her own heart get crushed. Her vision began to blur and every sense of life faded away. Before she was finally released from this plane of existence, one final image passed through her mind. "A...Aaron."

Chrysalis's heart disintegrated into dust and the former Queen of the Changelings was silenced forever.

Cora stared out upon the early morning Sun as she stood at the edge of the forest. The vast expanse of the ocean spread out in front of her. An island was situated just about a quarter mile off shore. She would have to return to the refugee camp there soon and continue her façade as Sir Lancelot.

She looked down and stared at the lifeless body of Chrysalis lying on the ground next to her. She had spent some time thinking about what she wanted to do to the body of the foolish girl from her past.

Thinking she could place a curse on me of all people. Ridiculous, Cora stated in thought as she stared down at the body. Just then, an idea came to Cora and she smiled down at the dead changeling with satisfaction. With a twirl of her finger, the changeling corpse transformed into a small, glass vial.

"Might as well put you to some use," said Cora as she picked the vial up and stared through it, getting a fuzzy view of the shoreline in front of her. "Who knows when I might need a vial to put something in?" Just then, a figure in pink appeared within Cora's view through the vial and, for a split second, the vial glowed bright green. "What's this?" Cora lowered the vial and stared out upon the shoreline.

Four women were making their way along the shore. Two were riding horses while the other two had their hands tied and were being led by the first pair. Cora didn't recognize any of the women aside from the one with short, black hair and dressed in strange, pink and white clothing. It took Cora a second to realize who the woman was. It had been many years since she had last seen her. In fact, the woman had been a little girl when they had last met.

"Snow White," Cora sated with a smile. "The time has come. The chance for me to see my daughter again has finally come at last." Cora looked at the vial that had been Chrysalis's body and smirked. "It looks like you failed, Chrissie. I'll be getting my happy ending after all." With that said, Cora stored the vial away in her cloak and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

I told you I'd have the last laugh, Cora...

Author's Note

Feedback and constructive criticism is welcomed.