Equestrian Legends

Chapter 2

Eyes heavy with exhaustion, mind heavy with frustration; Luna entered her private quarters quietly. As she did, she stepped very casually out of her shoes like it was nothing. A trick she had learned from her sister since her return several years ago. This was followed by her detaching her regalia and gently setting it aside before trudging onto her bed and finally collapsing with a grunt. The comfort was instantaneous as it filled every inch of her body. Being a much sought after sensation after the night she had, which is what made it all the better as she finally began to unwind.

Luna snuggled right into the bed, adjusting her position just a tiny bit as she yawned fairly loudly, knowing full well that there wasn’t a single pony in the room for the moment. She didn’t even bother being polite either due to that. It was the time where she could truly be comfortable without a care in the world. What made it all the better was the fact that the curtains were even drawn, making it far easier for her to feel the sweet embrace of sleep beginning to take her.

As it did, all the stress in her body seemed to drift away as she found that perfectly blissful spot on her bed. It was in that moment where she glanced at the empty side of her bed and a tiny wave of loneliness washed over her. Despite knowing the reason why it was empty, it didn’t fill the void very well as she moved her hoof over the spot very casually as her mind drifted off to a certain stallion that shared the bed with her.

Despite all of her power and influence, this was still one of the downsides of being a leader. Being torn away from someone she cared very deeply for was rough, even if it was just for a short time. Even knowing this, she didn’t like it even if there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. All she could really do was wish he would return soon or enter a deep slumber as so she could join him in his dreams. With another heavy sigh she finally turned away from the door, attempting to keep her mind off of the issue. Instead returning her focus to the problems at hand.

‘How did Tia not lose her mind for over a thousand years...?’ she grumbled, yawning once again as her gaze focused onto a flowing curtain. ‘Petitioners, politics...prisoners...I’m amazed she’s not locked in a padded cell...’ Luna paused a moment at her own thoughts, laughing very softly, ‘Then again, she never had to deal with her psychotic alter ego locked in a dungeon...’ A groan escaped her throat the more she thought about it. Perhaps she should try another tactic with Nightmare? With how slow progress had been over the past few years it made her wonder if she should actually just release her. ‘No...Tia would lose her mind if she knew Nightmare was actually still alive! Plus...it would send Equestria into a panic just knowing it...’ this thought was followed by another yawn as exhaustion continued to creep up on the mare. “How could this possibly get any worse?” she voiced in the yawn.

The very instant Luna had asked that single question, the door opened and shut very quickly. The sound alone was enough to re-energize her, knowing full well there was only one pony that didn’t knock upon entering her room. It was the tall and fairly muscular unicorn with a fine forest green coat and a wild brown mane. Instantly she flipped to face the stallion with a wide smile. With the clear desire to snuggle him to death, but not wanting to leave the comfort of the bed, she cleverly scooted on it, gesturing her hooves out much like a newborn foal would when it wanted attention from its parents. With a face that would cause a heart attack from adorableness overload in lesser ponies.

“As they say, get your flank over here and give me some snuggles!” she ordered, wiggling her hooves as she did, virtually begging for them. “After the day I’ve had, I need them!”

“You may want to wait a few minutes for that Luna...” he muttered, much to her own dismay as by not only the expression on his face, but by the mannerism in which he stood before her the news wasn’t good.

“Oh come on! Can I not have one day where Equestria isn’t in danger of being destroyed or taken over by some creature?” she sighed, “Why can’t I just have a few minutes without everything going to Tartarus!?” Luna’s hooves dropped, which came along with a look of extreme displeasure and annoyance. “Emerald...can we at least have a proper greeting before you give me any news? I’ve had a long day and I haven’t seen you in a week...”

“But...” Emerald attempted to argue, only knowing it was futile as her horn lit up. This immediately resulted in her taking ahold of his ear and virtually dragging him across the room. It was a fairly painful process on his part, but relatively short-lived as he was soon met with the sweet, sweet embrace of the lunar mare. The kiss washed away all of Luna’s cares in a matter of moments as a shiver ran up her spine. No matter how many times it happened, she always enjoyed it and she couldn’t ever quite explain why this happened. She didn’t care why or how it happened either, as it just melted away all of her troubles before she finally pulled away.

“Now that’s a proper greeting...” Luna cooed, gently caressing his cheek, “Now...what do you need to tell me?” It took Emerald a couple of seconds to regain his focus before actually speaking, as he too seemed to be in need of that kiss.

“Well...the emergency at the small outpost south of Las Pegasus was resolved,” he started,

“Excellent! What was it?” Luna interrupted,

“Bring her in!” Emerald called out.

Two unicorn guards entered very quietly, between them however was the shock of Luna’s life. At that moment, she felt as though she would’ve had a heart attack from the sheer shock alone, having not expected to ever see it with her own eyes. It even caused her to shoot upright from the lying position. Bound and gagged with a magic-restricting device attached to her horn was a black, pony-like figure. She had a long, scraggly looking mane with insect wings, holes in her hooves and cat-like green eyes. The very last thing Luna took notice of though was the crown that sat atop her head, right next to her horn.

“SHE was the disturbance at the outpost?” Luna inquired, astonished that they were even able to capture her.

“Yes...apparently she was attempting to steal some medical supplies and food,” Emerald nodded, “It took at least six unicorns, including myself to subdue her...she’s surprisingly strong.”

“Was anypony seriously injured?” she asked further,

“Thankfully, no...but the building will require repair...”

“If that’s the only problem...then I’m relieved, because as you know...” Luna began, shifting a gaze over the creature. “She did nearly kill my sister several months back.” A few muffled shouts came from the creature at that point, her eyes telling part of the story. Shifting from angry to sad in a relatively short amount of time. She even tried to struggle in the chains to use her hooves as a form of communication. It was to no avail however, as her bindings had been fairly well placed, thus severely limiting her communication capabilities. It eventually reached a point where she just completely gave up in trying to talk or even emote her way out of the situation and just lowered her head in despair.

In the past, Luna would’ve just ignored another’s body language. However, recent experiences had taught her that in these days, it was actually a necessity in figuring what a pony truly wanted and needed. It had become one of the most useful skills in her arsenal, especially when dealing with politicians and the occasional petitioner for her court. The prisoner’s body language spoke volumes alone of what she had been after, thus causing her to give a small gesture to dismiss the guards on either side. This left the two of them seeming rather confused for just a moment before taking their leave.

“If you will, Emerald...” she whispered, leaving even the unicorn a bit confused. “Please...remove the gag at least, I want to hear what she desires to say.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Emerald asked, his ear twitching just a tiny bit in curiosity. “I mean...she is a Changeling...and she could use just her words to seduce the two of us to escape...” The particular words that slipped from Emerald’s mouth though seemed to cause an uproar with the changeling. It made her begin to struggle in the chains and shout incoherently through the gag with rather annoyed and a very angry look in her eyes. She even reached out at the unicorn, whom was forced to take a step back. Luna laughed softly at the reaction.

“Emerald...how much do you know about Changelings?” Luna inquired, “Because...words alone will not seduce us and judging by her body language alone. Aside from the fact she wants to strangle you now...she won’t try anything. She has little to lose at this point.”

“How do you know for sure!?” he argued,

“I...just happen to have a bit of experience with Changelings...a little...but not very much...” she pointed out, “And...I know that they can’t seduce a pony through their voice alone. Even a changeling queen can’t do it...” This caused another, far more agreeable muffled cry from the changeling queen before finally beginning to calm down. She seemed rather insulted by everything that had been said by the pony before it seemed a realization dawned on her. It was at that point that her gaze seemed to focus a bit more on Emerald, where, even gagged she tried to ask a question. It was useless though, at least until Emerald reached up and finally unhooked it.

“She did call you Emerald, right?” were the first words from her mouth, “As in...Emerald Crescent?” his ears twitched just a little as the initial shock of the changeling queen actually knowing his name. It was a befuddling moment, even for Luna. Was his reputation really that well known? It almost seemed like she knew him too as her gaze drew closer. Making him very clearly uncomfortable.

“What’s...it to you?” he asked, tilting his head with a great deal of curiosity, “How...do you even KNOW my name?” This made her freeze for just a couple of moments as she considered her words very carefully. She knew all too well that a single wrong move now could cost her quite a bit more than she had and she couldn’t risk anymore at this point. A little battered, exhausted and without magic wasn’t a very good combination when it came to facing an Equestrian Princess...especially Princess Luna.

“Well...” she began, after a few seconds of thought, “I was...your brother’s lover for a very long time...” she finally admitted. Emerald’s mind went blank the very instant the words registered, however it seemed as though they didn’t want to register. Because for as far back as he could recall, his brother didn’t ever have any Changeling lovers. This made him relatively confused and once it finally clicked in his mind, he turned his head at Luna. Whom seemed just as dumbstruck as her own lover was.

“You...were...” she stammered, trying to wrap her head around the thought before a shiver traveled up her spine. It wasn’t until she finally turned back to the unicorn that everything finally began to click into place.

“Wait a second...you were that mare that...broke his heart...weren’t you?” he finally asked, only receiving a very slow and almost saddened nod. What happened next though was something that not even Luna despite all the years of experience she had in similar situations, saw coming. Crack! Within a moment, the changeling found herself completely floored, flung right into the wall with only a single hoof to the jaw. On top of the minor injuries now, she even had a massive, throbbing pain in her jaw. Making her wonder if that single strike had actually broken it. “That was for driving my brother away and wrecking what was left of our family!”

“Emerald! We don’t attack prisoners for personal reasons!” Luna stated, actually having to hold him back before he took a second swing. She had just been thankful that Emerald didn’t seem to fight back very much against her grip before finally calming himself down again. “Now if you please...go into the hall or onto the balcony until you cool off a bit more...Chrysalis and I must chat.” Like before, this seemed to cause a bit of confusion within the unicorn. Whom turned to Luna with a rather curious look on his face.

“Once again, are you sure that’s wise Luna?” he asked, concerned about what had happened to her sister not that long ago. “I mean...she did nearly...” Before he could finish though, a very familiar expression appeared on the princess’ face. It was a gaze of pure frustration and annoyance. One he recognized from endless hours of court as well as any sort of contact with a certain other pony that caused the entire castle a great deal of stress.

“I know Emerald, but aside from that mouth of hers...”

“Hey!” Chrysalis snapped, taking offense to just the tone of Luna’s voice, still rubbing the portion of her jaw that Emerald had struck. The act of speaking alone causing another wave of pain to blast over her. “Ow...” she whimpered, ‘Were unicorns always this strong or is it just him?’

“...She is bound completely...movement is restricted and she can’t even use her magic,” Luna added, “Now...please go into the hall or onto the balcony...” Emerald opened his mouth to argue, but instead was met with his lover’s hoof right over it. Luna wasn’t about to have an argument in this situation, he could clearly see this just by the look in her eyes. Regardless of the fact he felt it could end rather badly if she lost her temper. He sighed very softly and nodded before placing a very quick kiss on her lips.

Chrysalis’ stomach growled from the sight and a bit of drool fell from the corner of her mouth. Oh how she wished she could feed off of this love right now, despite only being able to feel it. It was a very sweet kind of love, one that could sustain her for a month after just a few moments of siphoning. The contact with them would have to be enough though and thankfully for her it was. Giving just a tiny bit of relief from the gnawing hunger she had upon entering the room. By the time Emerald had vanished behind the balcony doors, the emptiness in her stomach had all but vanished.

“You love him quite a bit...don’t you?” she finally posed, wiping her mouth of the drool.

“That’s not your business,” Luna stated, her tone growing rather aggressive, “And let me make this very clear...if it wasn’t for the laws requiring my sister’s decision too...I would’ve splattered you all over these walls the moment you entered.” Chrysalis gulped at the sheer directness of the lunar mare. It was rare to see such a blunt sentence from a royal, let alone from one of the pony sisters.

“A-and...why, dare I ask would you do that?” Chrysalis asked, even though she could simply guess at the answer.

“Because of not only the damage you and your people have caused...” Luna began, “But for nearly ruining Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding AND nearly killing my sister. The latter of which...is likely to result in your execution.” The words sent a chill down Chrysalis’ spine the likes of which she hadn’t ever felt before. The mixture of hurt and anger she could feel didn’t seem to come from just what Luna had mentioned, but it was as if she was redirecting some of her problems onto her.

“If...that’s going to be the case...” Chrysalis finally spoke up, beginning to approach Luna. “Can you at least grant me a last request?” she paused, her gaze shifting over to the balcony for just a moment before returning to the lunar mare. ‘If...Emerald is here...then...he might be here too...’ It was in that one moment another thought popped into her head. One that nearly overtook the original thought on what she could do with a last request. “If you can...make it two requests....”

“While they are rare...those given the death sentence are usually given a last request,” Luna mentioned, “But you’re only granted ONE request within reason. Give me a reason why I should grant you two.” This would prove to be a challenge for the changeling as she considered which request would be for the better or at least a very good reason for why she should have two.

“As you’re aware...we did invade Canterlot...however...the result ended up being fairly bad,” she pointed out, “And...well...many of my people are now scattered across Equestria, severely injured. I’ve sent several search parties out for many of them, but we lack the resources to transport any of the injured. My first request is...you send help to them. Its the least Equestria can do for us should I be executed...”

“I’ll talk to my sister about that one...” Luna muttered, a pang of remorse appearing on her face. As if she was trying to relate to the changeling queen. It was almost as if she actually did want to help, but was holding back out of the anger she still had lingering for her. “As for the other one?”

“That one is a personal request...” Chrysalis muttered, “I...want to see Emerald’s brother again. Be able to talk to him one final time.” Her ears visibly lowered as she mentioned him, a bit of guilt becoming visible on her face as if she had done something in the past that she really regretted. Even more than the devastation she had caused to her own people. This was a feeling even Luna could relate to and it was heartbreaking to see.

“Swear to me you won’t try anything foolish,” Luna began, “And you won’t try to seduce him either...as he’s smitten with another.” This seemed to hit home with Chrysalis visibly as a bit of heartache struck her. It even seemed to pile on with everything else she was feeling, making her head lower just a bit more than it had been a second earlier.

‘So...he’s moved on?’  she thought, despite the pain it caused her to think about it, a very tiny smile began to move across her face.  “I understand...” she finally nodded. “When can I see him though?”

“Today actually...” Luna smirked, “I have an idea that’ll work out perfectly for this situation....” It was true too, along with that though she had an ulterior motive to this plan and while Chrysalis could actually feel the deceptive nature of the plan. She couldn’t exactly tell what it was or what it meant for her. Which, perhaps was a good thing for the lunar mare as she didn’t want another living soul to know about Nightmare’s existence. At least, not yet.