Queen Chrysalis continued cackling while Trixie sighed. Gilda started messing with the male changeling. The queen didn't notice. Trixie looked behind her. At the end of the hall was a pair of doors, the kind that slid apart. To the left of them was what appeared to be a keyhole, except it was circular.

The blue unicorn turned back to the queen. "What's behind those doors?"

That instantly made the queen snap out of laughing. She leaned down, eye-to-eye with Trixie. "Young mare, why do you want to know?"

Trixie backed away, dragging Gilda with her. Muffled, she answered with, "Trixie doesn't have a valid answer to that, but she'll find one eventually."

The queen hovered. "What's with the talking in third person?"

"You get used to it," said Gilda. She turned back to Trixie. "Do you mind?"

Trixie spat out Gilda's tail. "If it's something you're unable to open, then Trixie will open it for you! She's pretty sure she knows how to open it." Trixie turned back to the door, reared back onto two legs, and shot a pink beam into the keyhole, which responded by deflecting it back at her.

Gilda toppled over in a laughing fit. Unable to stop himself, the male changeling joined her, borderline hysterics. Even Chrysalis coughed up a chuckle, but she returned to her serious look as she lowered herself to the floor. "Now that this foalish mare has demonstrated how only changeling magic can open the doors, can I please continue?"

Gilda got back up. "Continue what? Your cringe-making cackling that was just faceclawable?"

Now it was Gilda's turn to be met eye-to-eye by the queen. "Unless you also want to get zapped, I suggest you shut that beak of yours."

"No, thanks. I like defending my friend... s through insults."

"Very well." Chrysalis stamped a hoof sharply. "Changelings!"

An abundance of changelings materialized around Gilda with their horns glowing, inching closer and audibly sneering.

Gilda stuttered. "Come on, you wouldn't—AHHHHHHHH!"

As a cloud of dust surrounded the area where Gilda was getting mobbed, Chrysalis sighed heavily and turned back to Trixie. "Can I please continue?"

"You might as well. Trixie's messed up mane will have to wait!"

"All right then. The story of my plan to drain Twilight's magic went a bit differently than how Spike narrated it. The rest of my army fell into the town of kitties, while I flew into the ice thing that Sombra was banished to. My horn was a tad broken, but I was able to free Sombra of his prison, meaning that the Crystal Empire would return with him. His spells and curses don't disappear upon his banishment or death, but upon the latter, they gradually weaken. In return, he cast a spell that would make my horn gradually heal over time if any pain was inflicted onto it. We... got busy.

Trixie sat down and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"The one you brought here.

"Anyway, my time with Sombra lasted less than an hour. My son and I staged falling into the town of kitties to get back with the rest of the army. You know what happened next."

"Yes, you bloodily MURDERED a kitten in front of three kids! Who does that?!"

"Me. Anyway, I was left imprisoned in the castle. That Strawberry—"

"Pinkie."

"... Pie replica was SO ANNOYING. Anyway, OVER FIVE FUCKING YEARS LATER, I was able to use my magic to break out of there."

"Why couldn't you have done that earlier?"

"Because my horn was severely damaged, and Sombra was low on power throughout that fiasco and was spectacularly murdered shortly after. I didn't even bother trying to kill that replica, I just wanted to get out of there!"

"And I'm getting out of here," said a voice. Before Trixie could process this, the dust surrounding the changeling mob rose, revealing Gilda casually laying atop a pile of changeling organs and meat that was oozing with green blood. She was gnawing on a bone, and the male changeling looked like he was about to throw up. "Those thing were total wimps, but they were delish!"

Trixie turned back to the queen. "Your blood is green?"

"Yes... Anyway, I was going to send your attacker to the castle to attack Princess Twilight once more, but you just had to interfere. Of course, with this necklace, I now have another chance!"

"You know," said Trixie, "There's a very powerful amulet locked away in Zecora's hut, which is in walking distance of Ponyville."

"Already covered," said the queen. She levitated the Alicorn Amulet and put it around Trixie's neck. "I know you've handled it before. Therefore, I'm trusting you with it."

"Thanks! But how did you get it?"

"Simple." Chrysalis reared back, and she shot a beam at the keyhole. The doors opened loudly, revealing none other than Zecora, Luna, and Luna's bat-pony guards, all tied up back-to-back. Luna's horn had a black ring on it that prevented her from using magic. "I caught them making out on the moon."

Trixie grimaced. "Moon-butt was making out with Swirly Sun-butt?"

Gilda rolled over onto her chest, still on the blood-covered pile of organs. "*cough*Sunset Shimmer*cough*"

Trixie looked back at Gilda without turning her head. "You're lucky you're Trixie's only friend right now..."

"You might find a friend in me," said a menacing male voice. Without warning, a purple haze was conjured up and culminated in front of Luna. It lifted, revealing none other than King Sombra, complete with horn and everything.

"Sombra?! But thou is dead!"

"Yes, Sombra is dead. But technically, I'm not Sombra. I'm... the Pony of Shadows!"

Gilda coughed up a laugh. "Great. First changelings that are actually succubi and incubusususus, and now flippin' SHADOW ponies? Give me fucking break!"

"I'll gladly break you..." muttered the male changeling.

"You guys are familiar with the legend of Nightmare Moon, right?" asked Chrysalis.

"Yeah, so?" asked Gilda.

"Well, when Princess Celestia—"

"Totally rainbowed Luna's moony ass!"

"... Nightmare Moon's magic wasn't completely dissipated. You all know the tale of the Pony of Shadows, right?"

"Not all of us!" shouted Gilda.

"Too bad, I'm not going to waste majority of this chapter with needless exposition that bronies already know. Are you aware of how hard it was to type this one?"

"Isn't '[wasting] majority of this chapter with needless exposition that bronies already know' what you've been doing this whole time?" asked Trixie.

"Yeah, except bronies DIDN'T know all that."

"Thou is greatly bewildering us right now... Are we witnessing mass genocide beneath that griffon?"

"Yeah. Want some?" Gilda tossed a stomach with a bone jutting out of it, which the Pony of Sombra/the Sombra of shadows/Sombra the Pony of Shadows caught with his magic and shoved into Luna's mouth. Luna turned her head coughed the meat out toward Trixie.

"Hey, give me that here," said Gilda.

"You want meat that's been in a pony's mouth?" deadpanned Trixie.

"I want meat that has been in a PRINCESS' mouth."

"Fair enough." Trixie levitated the meat back to Gilda, who devoured it whole. Trixie's magic had returned to its vivid red glow it had when under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet.

The queen groaned. "Alright, fine! If you want me to supply an enormous exposition dump, I'll fill the entirety of the next chapter with it. But to do that..." She motioned for the male changeling to come forward. She leaned down and whispered something to him. He looked slightly embarrassed, but still went through with what the queen told him. This look was _______ _____'s current look.

Author's Note

I know the chapters are kind of short, but there's only so much you can draw out on any given moment.