Vengeance

Chapters

1. A Princess Of The Hive
2. Birthday Wishes
3. Family
4. Schemes Of War
5. Warning - Part 1
7. A Message Received
8. A Lavender Hope
9. Have Your Cake (But Don't Eat It)
10. Among Other Things
11. Who You Were Before
12. Life Is Full Of Surprises
13. Dreams And Memories
14. Reunions
Prologue: Hatching
6. Warning - Part 2

1. A Princess Of The Hive

Twelve-year-old Chrysalis didn't get it. She just didn't get it.

The young Changeling princess ran through the corridors of the Changeling Hive, her hoofsteps echoing through the mostly empty hallways. Her tangled mane was in her face, but she didn't care. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears waiting to fall. She kept running, running to the deepest, most secret part of the Hive.

Chrysalis came to a stop at the end of the last corridor. With a quick glance around to make sure that no Changeling was watching, she closed her eyes, and her horn glowed with jewel-green magic. A rippling portal, edged with glowing green, appeared on the wall. Chrysalis stepped through it without hesitation, and the portal closed behind her.

She emerged into a large crystal cavern. Jagged, faintly glowing crystals were everywhere. Chrysalis followed a pathway made of tiny, crushed crystals, and at the end of it was a circle of tall crystals that seemed to glow green. She entered the circle. At the center was a calm pool with clear, green-tinted water.

Sitting down at the edge of the pool, Chrysalis stared at her reflection in the still water. As the youngest of the Changeling princesses, she was also the smallest, about the size of a normal pony. Her long, ragged mane and tail were deep aqua blue, and her chitin armor was very, very dark, almost black. Her eyes had turquoise-tinted whites, and were greenish-turquoise with rounded black slits for pupils. Her hooves were riddled with holes up to her knees. The holey, transparent blue insect wings on her back fluttered slightly. She had a long, sharp, crooked Changeling horn and a small, emerald-studded crown that seemed to mean nothing at all to her family.

Chrysalis let out a sigh and closed her eyes, letting the tears fall. Each teardrop splashed, glistening like diamonds, into the pool, rippling the greenish water. Her mother, Queen Thysanura, and sisters, fifteen-year-old Princess Peridot and seventeen-year-old Princess Jade, didn't care about her. She didn't mean anything to her family. Except to Emerald, her sixteen-year-old sister. Sentimentality was considered a weakness in the Hive. Hard-hearted Queen Thysanura strongly disapproved of it, and some Changeling queens would even kill their own daughters for weakness. But Emerald didn't care.

Speaking of Emerald. . .

The tap, tap of her sister's hoofsteps sounded on the crystal path, but Chrysalis didn't turn. Instead, she continued to cry. One by one, her sparkling teardrops splashed into the clear pool. She felt Emerald's wing drape lightly over her shoulders. It tickled, and Chrysalis laughed a little through her tears. "Thanks, sis," Chrysalis whispered, leaning against her sister's shoulder. More tears streamed from her eyes. "Why? Why would they do that? Why does everyone here hate me?"

Peridot and Jade had destroyed Chrysalis's entire gemstone collection this morning. It had taken her years to find those gems! And now she would have to start all over again. What was even worse, Chrysalis's thirteenth birthday was in a week.

"Chin up, Chrysalis dear," Emerald said comfortingly. Her horn glowed green, and she levitated a silk hoof-kerchief to wipe the tears from Chrysalis's eyes. "Everything will be okay, you'll see. And do you know what I got you for your birthday?" Emerald made a wrapped box appear out of thin air.

"What? What is it?" Chrysalis asked excitedly, reaching for it.

Emerald's magic gently batted her sister's hoof away. "Nuh-uh-uh, you'll see next week on your birthday," she said with a playful smile. The present disappeared with a pop! and some green sparks.

Chrysalis giggled. Emerald could always make her laugh.

"Thank you," Chrysalis said to the Changeling drone. She levitated the covered bowl next to her. "You may go."

She watched as the drone bowed and scampered away, before closing her bedroom door. Chrysalis had never liked giving orders, so she often did everything on her own, but something as simple as asking a Changeling drone to get some sweet treats from the kitchen was easy.

Chrysalis sat down on her huge, entirely black, king-sized canopy bed in the middle of the room, enjoying the soft feel of the silk sheets, and used her magic to lift the lid off the bowl. She licked her lips. Piled in the crystal bowl were at least two dozen Emerald Honey eggs—small balls of crystallized honey with sweet green syrup inside. It was the cook's specialty and Chrysalis's favorite treat.

She popped an Emerald Honey egg into her mouth and sucked on it while she cleaned up her destroyed gemstone collection on the floor. Suddenly, watching her magic surround the shattered bits of jewel, Chrysalis had an idea. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. The broken gems in the grasp of Chrysalis's magic flew together. There was a bright green flash. When Chrysalis opened her eyes, every jewel in her collection was good as new. "Yes! I did it!" she cried joyfully, nearly swallowing her entire Emerald Honey egg in the process. Ick. Okay, calm down, Chrysalis. It certainly wouldn't do for her to choke on a treat before she could show her new talent to Emerald.

Even though Emerald's room was right across the corridor from Chrysalis's, Chrysalis wanted to impress her sister. So she lit up her horn, concentrated again, and disappeared with a flash of green magic. She was gone, leaving a few stray green sparks drifting to the polished crystal floor.

Emerald was sitting at her desk, levitating a quill to write on a scroll, when there was a green flash behind her. She jumped, startled, and accidentally knocked over the crystal ink bottle that was sitting on the table. Dark green ink spilled all over the blank parchment. "Hey, what—" Emerald began indignantly, turning around.

"Hi, sis!" Chrysalis squealed happily. "Look what I can do!" In a flash (literally), she popped from the floor to the edge of Emerald's bed canopy, teetering there with a cheerful smile on her face. Woo-hoo!

"Princess Chrysalis, you get down here!" Emerald cried. "That's dangerous!" She rushed to stand under Chrysalis's position on the canopy, ready to catch her if her sister fell.

This time, Chrysalis fluttered her wings to lower herself to the floor. "That was great!" she exclaimed. "Ooh, I bet I could pop into Jade's room right now and give her a big shock! I should really do that." Princess Jade's bedroom was all the way in the other side of the Hive, probably because she wanted to get away from her sisters.

The older princess just shook her head with an indulgent smile, went over to her desk, and levitated the pooling green ink off her scroll with a simple spell, leaving the parchment clean and blank again. She watched the spilled ink trickle back into the crystal bottle. "Yes, Chrysalis, you certainly would shock Jade if you teleported into her room," she said, lifting the quill again. "But I wouldn't recommend it. She's working on an important project right now, and she won't be pleased if you just appear right there. She's a big grump."

"Oh, don't worry, sis," Chrysalis giggled. "I'll be fine!" Her horn lit up green, and she vanished again, this time in a sparkly green cloud, before Emerald could stop her.

Heartbeats later, there was a POOF! in the eldest Changeling princess's bedroom, and following that was a screech of pure fury: "WHAT! ARE! YOU! DOING! HERE!"

POOF!

On the way to the royal Hive dining hall with Emerald for dinner, Chrysalis couldn't stop giggling about the earlier episode—teleporting into Jade's room. Emerald tried to quiet her down. "Please stop the giggling, Chrysalis!" she hissed. "Mother won't be pleased, and you'll be cleaning the entire Hive for a moon before you know it."

The mention of cleaning the entire enormous Hive was enough to snap Chrysalis back into her quiet, shy, normal self. She and Emerald entered the dining hall silently, and they took their spots next to each other at the table. Queen Thysanura, Jade, and Peridot were already sitting at the table, but no one was eating yet. Royal Changeling etiquette stated that no one was allowed to eat until everyone was seated at the table. Neither Jade nor Peridot looked happy about that rule. Chrysalis and Emerald were late.

Tonight, dinner was: celestial salad (hey, Changelings do eat vegetables), a side of Emerald Honey eggs, bowls of colorful Jewel Fruit (real fruit with a jewel shell that had to be cracked open; the jewel shells would go to the royal treasury), and much, much more. Chrysalis loved celestial salad, so she heaped a lot of that on her plate, along with the sweeter-than-normal Jewel Fruit. She didn't take much Emerald Honey eggs, since she'd already eaten that today. She levitated a forkful of salad to her mouth while cracking open the hard gem shell of a ruby apple with her magic.

Jade, who was sitting across from Chrysalis, glowered at her little sister as she ate. Chrysalis hid her smile behind her glass of honey lemon tea and kept eating as if everything were normal.

However, Queen Thysanura was not a fool. She saw through her daughter's act instantly. "Princess Chrysalis, may I ask you why you are smiling?" It was not a question. The queen's voice was clear and cold. Unfair, Chrysalis thought. "I heard that you appeared in Princess Jade's bedroom and proceeded to distract her from her very important work. It is not something to laugh about." She frowned at Emerald, who was also hiding a smile behind her fancy cloth napkin. "It is unseemly for a future queen to look like that."

"I'm sorry, Mother," Emerald apologized. She shot a glance at Chrysalis.

The hesitation in Chrysalis's long silence was clear. "I'm sorry . . . Mother," she said finally, meeting Queen Thysanura's cold green gaze with a defiant glare.

The queen's eyes narrowed to slits. "Chrysalis and Emerald, you two will be cleaning the entire Hive, top to bottom, for a moon. Starting tonight," she declared.

Chrysalis's head shot up. "But—but next week's my birthday!" she protested. "Can't we at least get a break from the cleaning for that, Mother?"

"No, Princess Chrysalis," Queen Thysanura said flatly. "And I will assign some Changeling drones to keep an eye on you two while you do that." She stood up, her wings fluttering. "This dinner is over. Changelings, continue your daily and nightly routine. Daughters, go to your rooms and stay there."

A familiar stab of pain pierced Chrysalis's heart, but her eyes narrowed and her expression hardened. Do what you want, Mother. You can't stop me from doing what I want. I'm a princess, heir to the throne. And who are you? An old queen who's going to meet her end soon?

But as quickly as the thought had come into her mind, it was gone. A Changeling drone gave Chrysalis and Emerald lots of cleaning supplies. Wings drooping, head down, cracked heart aching, Chrysalis levitated the supplies with her magic and started toward the first part of the Hive that she would clean. She did not look up when Emerald went up to her and pressed her side against Chrysalis's to comfort and support her.

Chrysalis gave a sigh as her feather duster sent thick clouds of dust rolling in the air. She sneezed, and in an instant, Emerald was there, waving the clouds away with her wings. "You okay, Chrysalis?" asked the older sister, who was wiping a random green knickknack vase clean. After all, Queen Thysanura liked her decorative trinkets.

With a tired nod, Chrysalis went back to her dusting. She didn't have the energy to speak anymore, and was practically asleep on her hooves. It was well after midnight, and she and Emerald were still cleaning. They'd only gotten through about a third of the Hive, which was unbelievably huge. And then they'd have to do the same thing tomorrow, all over again, for a full moon. Queen Thysanura's punishments were severe and merciless. And there were two Changeling drones just standing there, ready to report to the queen if Chrysalis or Emerald used their magic to make the place spotless.

Chrysalis stumbled with exhaustion and sighed, glaring at the feather duster. Oh, Mother, why do you have to be so harsh? This is going to take forever. . .

Author's Note

Again, please comment!

2. Birthday Wishes

"It's my birthday!" Chrysalis squealed, bouncing on Emerald's bed and nearly flattening her sister. Suddenly she stopped, dropping like a stone and landing squarely on Emerald's back. "Aaaand we're stuck cleaning again." Her green eyes became large and dewy, and her lip stuck out in a pout. Aww, my little sister's just adorable, Emerald thought, rubbing her painful back.

"Don't worry, I've got a present ready for you," she said with a wink. "Let's go to the crystal cavern when we clean that part of the Hive. Bring the presents from Peridot, Jade, and Mother, and you can open them there."

"But what about the drones?" Chrysalis objected, finally sitting down on the bed. "They'll go straight to Mother, and the crystal cave won't be a secret anymore. And we'll be cleaning the Hive for another full moon."

"I can get rid of them, now stop fretting," Emerald said, stretching. She got out of bed and used her magic to straighten her black silk sheets, causing Chrysalis to fall off with a squeak. "We have to get cleaning. Mother will have our hides if we're not finished by midnight. She was angry enough that we weren't done cleaning by midnight yesterday."

Once again, the sisters obtained their cleaning tools from a few Changeling drones and went back to work. Chrysalis swept and dusted and mopped and swept again, cleaning with renewed energy, looking forward to opening her birthday presents. She wondered what Emerald had gotten for her. Silks? Cake? Magic potions?

Getting to the crystal-cavern portal was quick and easy. Emerald managed to lure the watchful Changeling drones away with the promise of free Emerald Honey eggs and caramel apples if they left the princesses alone; the Changelings obeyed. Chrysalis opened the portal with the three presents from her mother and sisters in her magical grasp, and they stepped into the crystal cave, stopping at the pool.

"What did they give you?" Emerald asked, flapping her wings to hover above her sister, who was opening her gifts.

Jade had given Chrysalis a corked glass bottle filled with a sloshy, bright green liquid, obviously meant for Chrysalis to drink. Chrysalis, who dabbled a lot in magic potion-making, took one sniff of the potion and determined that it was made from the poisonous leaves of the Verderia plant. A single drop of this magic plant's liquid could put a pony—or a changeling—to sleep for at least a couple of years. Ruefully, Chrysalis figured that Jade had wanted her to drink this and then fall asleep for a long, long time. Come on! Chrysalis wasn't stupid, regardless of what Jade thought of her. She set it aside. Maybe she'd find a use for the poison sometime.

Next, she opened Peridot's gift. It was an effortlessly plain rock from outside the Hive. Completely expected. Chrysalis frowned at the rock, as if it were its fault that Peridot was such a terrible sister and gift-giver, and tossed it into the pool. The highly acidic pool, which dissolved the solid matter as soon as the rock touched it. Only Changelings were immune to this acid, which was only found deep underground in the Changeling Wastelands.

Queen Thysanura's present was a small crown of jade and emeralds, exactly like the last twelve crowns she'd given Chrysalis. The Changeling princess used her magic to teleport the crown into the silk-lined crown box in her room.

Finally, it was time to open Emerald's gift. Emerald's horn glowed green, and the same wrapped present from before floated down to rest at Chrysalis's hooves. Chrysalis opened it eagerly, and her jaw dropped when she saw what it was.

It was an array of not one, but fifty new gemstones to add to Chrysalis's collection. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude and happiness. "Emerald, it's exactly what I wanted! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome, little sister," Emerald said with a smile. "But . . . it was nothing. They were pretty easy to find."

Emerald huffed and puffed as she walked through the underground tunnel in the rock, levitating a shovel and a pair of saddlebags with her magic. Her aching hooves were covered in dirt and rock dust. Must . . . keep . . . going, her mind whispered. I must do this for my sister.

She'd been digging for hours deep underground beneath the Changeling Hive, trying to find the gemstones and crystals for Chrysalis's birthday, which was in less than a week. Her wings were stiff and coated with rock dust, almost so that she couldn't fly. Although, she was too tired to fly anyway. Her aqua blue mane was limp and dirty, in need of a good washing. In her exhaustion, her bright green magic faltered slightly. Once, the shovel nearly dropped onto Emerald's head, but luckily, she regained control of her magic. The saddlebags, half-filled with jewels and crystals, were heavy, even though they were grasped in her magic and not carried on her back.

Her horn flared brighter, a sure sign that a gemstone was near. Emerald let her magic show the way. Temporarily, a group of crystals became visible underneath the hard rock-dirt. She used a stick to mark the spot, and then started to dig with the shovel. Emerald had cast a gem-finding spell that eliminated the gems she'd already found. So she was delighted when she saw that the crystals she dug up were amethyst quartz. Tucking the prettiest piece into her saddlebags, she moved on, pointing her glowing horn every which way to get a better range.

After several more hours, Emerald finally found every gemstone and crystal she was looking for. When she finally returned to her bedroom in the Hive, her dirty hooves were cracked and very close to bleeding, and she'd cut herself on many sharp bits of rock. These cuts bled. But it was worth it. Flopping down onto her bed unceremoniously, Emerald took a soft cloth dipped in soapy water and began to polish every crystal and jewel to the point where they glowed luminously.

At one point, Queen Thysanura walked in while Emerald was still polishing. The queen had a tendency to do that, and who would stop her? Emerald did some quick thinking and shoved the jewels under her bed, levitating her jewelry box to her instead. She pretended to be polishing her collection of royal jewelry. It was good acting, because Queen Thysanura seemed to buy it. With a nod to her daughter, the Changeling queen walked out the door.

Oh, I hope Chrysalis likes my gift, Emerald fretted as she polished the last crystal. There, done!

Then she allowed herself to collapse in relief.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded a voice from the portal that led back into the Hive.

"Uh-oh," Emerald muttered under her breath to Chrysalis. She turned, stood up, and bowed. "M-Mother."

Chrysalis scrambled to her hooves. "W-what are you doing here, Mother?" she cried.

"I see you've found my old potion lab," Queen Thysanura remarked, fluttering her wings to fly over and land next to the acidic pool. She studied her reflection in it, primping her long mane. "Did you know that, daughters? This was where I used to make my own highly poisonous potions. I made them from plants, crystals, anything you can imagine. Of course, all of them worked successfully. Quite a few ponies and Changelings died or went into a coma or stupor on the days I tested them out." She smirked, showing off her razor-sharp white fangs.

Chrysalis thought back to the day she and Emerald had found the crystal cavern.

"Hey, Emerald!" A six-year-old Chrysalis ran through the halls of the Changeling Hive, calling for her sister. "Come and see what I found! It's amazing!"

Emerald, who had been writing at her desk, came out of her room and smiled at her little sister. "All right. What is it?" she asked as she followed Chrysalis through the long corridors of the Hive.

"A portal to the crystal caverns under the Hive!" Chrysalis squealed excitedly. "Come on, it's this way!"

They stopped at the end of a seemingly empty corridor. "But . . . there's nothing here," Emerald said, bewildered. She peered around, as if the portal would suddenly leap out in front of her. "Are you sure?"

Chrysalis laughed, and her horn glowed green. She squinted, concentrating, and a ball of green magic grew steadily on the wall until it blossomed into a full portal. "I was practicing my invisibility spell when I ran into this wall," she explained. "The portal was right there, and I fell through it and into this cave. Maybe somepony just left it open or something. Anyway, I explored it a bit, and it's totally amazing! Come on, it's perfectly safe."

Doubtfully, Emerald followed Chrysalis's lead and stepped through the swirling green portal.

Crystal gravel crunched underneath their hooves as the two Changeling princesses walked along the path, which spanned the width of a huge lake of watery liquid that was bright green and bubbling. Emerald identified it as acid. She wasn't afraid, though, because Changelings were immune to such things. All acid did to them was make their chitin armor feel all tingly and ticklish.

"Why would the portal be open just like that?" Emerald wondered aloud.

"I don't know, sis," Chrysalis said cheerfully, bouncing on the path. "Whoever it is, thank you for showing us this cave!" she shouted at the air.

Though Emerald was amused at this, she couldn't help but think that somepony had been here before them.

"That was you!" Emerald cried, pointing at the queen. "You were in the crystal caverns that day."

"Correct as always, Emerald," Queen Thysanura purred smoothly, her green eyes narrowed. Her voice hardened. "What are you two doing here? You're supposed to clean the entire Hive for the whole day, are you not?"

"We are, Mother," Emerald said, lifting her chin coolly. "And we were cleaning. We're just taking a small break for Chrysalis's birthday." She nodded at the presents at her sister's hooves.

"No breaks are allowed here," Queen Thysanura said coldly. "Princess Chrysalis, get out of here and go back to your cleaning. Emerald, you're coming with me." She turned and walked away on the crystal gravel path.

Her head bowed, Emerald followed their mother up the path.

Chrysalis scurried after them, after using her magic to teleport her new birthday gifts back to her bedroom. She obeyed her mother's instructions this time, and returned to cleaning, while Emerald and the queen went to Thysanura's private rooms.

Tears filled Chrysalis's eyes as she stared after Emerald. And she couldn't help but worry, Will I ever see my sister again? Please, fate, have mercy on me – and my sister – this time.

Little did she know that fate was not as merciful as some believe it to be.

And she was partly right about one thing: She was not going to see her sister again for a long, long, long time.

Fate . . . is a curious and powerful thing.

It can bring ponies together. It can break them apart. It can bring them to life, give life . . . or suddenly, unfairly take away what it has given.

It can send them the courage they need to see this through. It can take away this bravery at any moment.

Or it can remain still and silent, waiting for the moment to pounce.

This is what fate did to a certain Changeling princess. Or rather, two certain Changeling princesses.

One of them expected it. She accepted it. The other was devastated. She wanted vengeance, and that's perfectly understandable. She didn't know she wanted it at the time.

But this is simply the way of fate. It is natural.

Good or evil? No one will ever truly know. They pretend to know. But they don't.

Fate will even things out at the end. You must believe that, even in the hardest of times.

The two princesses were the only ones who ever understood it.

Author's Note

So, are you pleased with the way this story is going? Do you think the chapters are too short? Please, please comment! Your criticism is very welcome.

3. Family

Emerald followed Queen Thysanura to the queen's royal living quarters. Click, tap, clop went their hole-riddled hooves on the polished corridor floors as they walked. The sound was welcome in the steely, uncomfortable silence. Emerald's wings prickled with that strange, unsettling feeling that something dark and dangerous was about to happen. All Changelings could sense emotions, but right now, Emerald couldn't pick up on any emotion from her mother. Queen Thysanura was experienced at burying her feelings.

Chrysalis wasn't, Emerald knew. Then again, her little sister was young and inexperienced.

Once they reached the queen's royal quarters, Queen Thysanura ordered every Changeling to get out and stay out of them. Several Changeling drones popped out of various places, where they had been dusting, scrubbing, straightening, or reorganizing. They scurried out the door quickly, not wanting to anger their queen and give her a reason to punish them.

The royal quarters had three rooms: a sitting room, a bedroom, and a dressing room. Emerald and the queen stepped into the sitting room, which was elegantly furnished and decorated in shades of blue and green and black, with luscious silks and dark, polished woods. That was when Queen Thysanura's long, crooked horn glowed with bright green magic, casting two quick spells on the room. Emerald recognized and identified the spells as a silencing spell, which made any words spoken here inaudible to anypony or any Changeling outside, and a locking spell, which magically allowed nopony to leave the room. The spells were both very strong, courtesy of the queen's years of magic experience. The second spell worried Emerald more. What was so secretive that they had to be magically locked inside this room?

"Now," Queen Thysanura said as the last green sparks faded from her horn, "let's get down to business." She smiled, showing off her needle-sharp fangs, but Emerald knew that it was not a sincere or friendly smile. She'd watched her mother use that same cold, meaningless smile when the queen was facing an enemy, and it was a smile that nobody would ever want to see.

"Mother—" Emerald began, but the queen cut her off.

"Princess Emerald," Queen Thysanura said frostily, "you know the rules of the royal Changeling Hive. The rules that every princess should live by."

"Yes, Mother." Emerald stood up a little straighter and said, with the air of somepony who had recited this many, many times before, "Pride, responsibility, coldness, intelligence, and no sentimentality. Put the Hive and your kind above all else, and do whatever it takes to keep them alive."

Queen Thysanura circled her daughter, studying Emerald with her piercing green eyes. "Very good, Emerald. Repeat that second-to-last rule, will you?"

"No sentimentality," Emerald answered. She knew exactly where this was going.

"Precisely. No sentimentality," the queen repeated, leaning in so close that she and Emerald were almost nose-to-nose. Her eyes were cold and unfeeling and merciless. "Correct me if I am wrong, Princess Emerald, but was that not sentimentality you showed to your sister, Princess Chrysalis?" Queen Thysanura leaned away again.

"It was, Mother," Emerald said, keeping her voice even and neutral. Stealthily, she used her magic intuition to test the strength and complexity of her mother's locking spell. As she'd suspected, the magic was nearly effortlessly strong. If things got ugly in here, it would be very hard to escape the room. And with Queen Thysanura, things got ugly pretty fast. "Chrysalis's my sister, and I love her. Actually, Mother, I think you're pretty lucky that all of your daughters are alive and strong here. What would they do without love?"

The Changeling queen laughed mockingly. "Really, Emerald," she said. Queen Thysanura stopped laughing, and her eyes narrowed once more. "Sentimentality is weakness, daughter. I think you—and your weak little sister—could learn something from this. Did you really think that I wouldn't notice your weakness for each other? Advantage, Emerald. A good Changeling queen always takes advantage of the situation when she gets the chance. That's precisely how I became queen, in fact. Care to hear the story?"

Emerald said nothing. She fluttered her wings, trying to hide her anxiety and discomfort. Also, she really needed to get out and stretch her wings.

Queen Thysanura started the story anyway. "About two hundred years ago, I had three sisters, just like you, Emerald," she began. "I was the eldest. My mother was Queen Flitterwing—a weak queen, in my opinion. She actually cared for others, not just her kind, but the ponies." The queen spat out the last word like it was poison. "She's more like you than I thought. I think you two, and Chrysalis, would get along just fine, which is not really a good thing. One weak deceased queen, two weak aspiring queens? Anyway, she was always good to her daughters, including me, but I think Flitterwing kept her eye on me because I was the strongest and coldest and smartest, and the most dangerous. My sisters, Ruby, Garnet, and Carnelian, were pathetic fighters. Ruby was the smartest of them, but I outsmarted them all.

"Flitterwing was getting old, and she told the four of us that we would rule together, as sisters and equals, once she died. Ruby, Garnet, and Carnelian readily agreed. But did I? Of course not! This went against royal Changeling tradition, and it still does. The traditional way of the royal family is fighting your sisters to the death. After Flitterwing was mysteriously murdered—"

It took Emerald less than a second to put two and two together. "You killed your own mother!" she cried, pointing an accusing hoof at Queen Thysanura. But of course, this sort of thing could be expected from the Changeling queen.

"Daughter, sometimes you will just have to prove your strength," Queen Thysanura replied. "Now, as I was saying, after I murdered Queen Flitterwing, I managed to unearth an ancient document. It stated that when a Changeling queen dies, the eldest daughter may go against her will if she wishes to. Changelings will do whatever their queen says, Emerald, but they treasure the princesses—the heirs to the throne. So I, as the eldest surviving member of the royal Changeling family, challenged my sisters to a magic battle. Ruby, Garnet, and Carnelian on one side, just me on the other. But I was prepared, you see.

"For years, I'd been studying an old transformation spell. I practiced it on rocks and destroyed the results, and I became quite skilled at it. In fact, I still know it. And I studied my sisters very closely, taking careful note of their strengths and weaknesses. This I used against them in the final magic battle.

"Ruby, being the second-eldest sister, was the only one who stood a chance against me. Garnet and Carnelian, the younger ones, added their magic to Ruby's magic beam, which she fired at me. But I was too quick. I dodged the ray, which destroyed a good part of the Hive. I used the transformation spell on Ruby; you'll see what she turned into. Then BOOM, Garnet and Carnelian were gone. I burned their bodies outside, because that is Changeling tradition. I may be hardhearted, but at least I still follow royal tradition. Unlike some ponies I know—or rather, knew."

Emerald had stopped paying attention by the time Queen Thysanura ended the story by saying, "So that's what happens to Changelings—royal Changelings especially—who show weakness by sentimentality. Did you learn the lesson, Emerald?"

"What? Oh, yes, maybe," Emerald said airily. She knew she was being cheeky. "What happened to Princess Ruby?"

The queen narrowed her eyes; Emerald thought she saw a spark of irritation there. "Come with me, Emerald, I have something to show you," she said. Her horn glowed green, and the spells on the room vanished.

"Yes, Mother." Emerald had no choice but to follow Queen Thysanura out of the room.

They walked briskly and silently through the long, twisting hallways of the Hive. Large green and blue jewels were embedded in the walls, giving off eerie, bright viridescent and sapphire glows. Aside from those and the long, narrow, blue-and-green silk banners that hung every twenty paces, the polished, black stone walls held little adornment. Less is more, Queen Thysanura always figured. In this case, less was more, because Changelings relied on strength, good acting, and obedience instead of beauty.

Queen Thysanura suddenly stopped. To avoid crashing into her mother, Emerald had to flap her wings and scramble backward on her hooves. She peered around the queen at the set of enormous doors made of impenetrable stone and studded with emeralds and sapphires. Emerald noticed that these jewels glowed and pulsed much brighter than the light-jewels. She felt the magic being emitted from them. She was nearly certain that the gemstones were infused with some sort of very sturdy magic.

"These are the Hive doors, the only Hive doors, that lead outside to the Wastelands," Queen Thysanura told her daughter. "And yes, as you are suspecting, the jewels reinforce the doors with very powerful magic. They make these doors impossible by any standards to get through. Only a Changeling has the magical ability to unlock the dozens of enchantments on the doors. I designed the system myself." The queen tossed her mane over her shoulder, looking more than a little smug. Grudgingly, Emerald admitted that the idea was genius and very magically strong.

"Come now, Emerald. You don't want to keep them waiting." Queen Thysanura nodded at a nearby Changeling drone, who hurried to open one of the two doors for them.

They? They who? Emerald thought as she followed her mother outside. Unless "they" are Changelings, they cannot survive out here in the Wastelands.

Here was the reason why. The whole of the Wastelands was either gray or brown and very, very dusty and dry. No plants grew here. Adding to all of that, the air was filled with toxic chemicals, making it impossible and fatal to creatures other than the Changelings who lived there. Anyone who ventured into the Wastelands who was not a Changeling would most certainly die within an hour of breathing the poisoned air. This was what made the Hive so safe. No one could get to it, and even if anyone managed to do it magically, which was highly unlikely as there were lots of bits and bobs of loose Changeling magic in the air, they would be outnumbered by the loyal Changelings who only had one mission: to defend their queen and princesses.

The Wastelands sounded exactly like the perfect vacation spot.

Emerald never went outside the Hive unless strictly necessary. There was nothing to look at out here in the Wastelands, nothing to do, nothing at all. Just gray, brown, dust, and rock. Oh, and the occasional Changeling who went out to take care of the trash, and for other reasons.

The two royal Changelings walked and walked until the Hive was just a speck in the distance. Emerald was wondering why they did not fly when Queen Thysanura stopped abruptly. "Open the tunnel!" she suddenly commanded loudly.

What tunnel? Who's going to open it? There aren't even any other Changelings around! Emerald thought, just as three ordinary Changeling drones flew to land in front of them. Okay, never mind about the "no Changelings".

"Yes, right away, my Queen," one of the Changelings hissed in their usual dry manner.

Together, the three Changeling drones shifted aside a very ordinary-looking gray boulder in front of the queen and princess, revealing a dark hole beneath the rock. The drones bowed and stood off to the side to stand guard while their rulers flapped their wings to fly into the creepy-looking hole.

The hole turned out to be an opening to a huge labyrinth of underground tunnels beneath the Wastelands. Like in the Hive, glowing green and blue jewels on the walls provided light. Queen Thysanura led Emerald through the maze confidently, as if she were here every day. One can never tell, with the Changeling queen.

Finally, after more twists and turns than Emerald cared to count, they came to a heavily bolted and enchanted door at the end of one tunnel. Queen Thysanura's horn flared, and a thick swirl of green magic fed from the tip of her twisted Changeling horn into a large green gem set in the door. The jewel pulsed wildly with bright magic light, and the door just vanished into thin air. Emerald looked back as they walked through where the door used to be, and saw that the magic door reappeared once she and the queen were through.

They walked through a short tunnel and emerged into a huge underground cavern in the rock. Emerald's eyes were dazzled by what she saw: mounds and mounds of glittering gemstones filled the cavern, some of the piles at least nine times taller than Queen Thysanura's height. The jewels gave off a light of their own, though these were not magical.

The air in here was dry and crackled with heat.

Suddenly, Emerald knew why when a shape that she'd mistaken for an enormous pile of red jewels shifted and rose to its full height. A dragon! She spread her great wings, which were scarred and torn in places, and roared out a jet of flame that would have singed Emerald's mane if she hadn't ducked quickly. The dragon, who Emerald could now see was a middle-aged female, lashed her long, spiked tail, smoke billowing from her snout. She was very beautiful, but also very angry and, Emerald guessed, had been in a terrible war with someone.

"Calm down, Ruby, it's only us," Queen Thysanura said, not at all fazed by the dragon's clear anger and fire.

Emerald gasped. This was Princess Ruby, Queen Thysanura's sister? She was a dragon?

"Yes, Emerald, I turned Ruby into a dragon and banished her here, hopefully for eternity," Queen Thysanura said, as if simply confirming that she'd just ordered a bunch of food from the kitchens. "Have you ever wondered how it feels? Well, now you will.

"This is the price you'll pay for your own impudence. Goodbye, daughter."

The queen's horn began to glow. Emerald felt herself being wrapped in her mother's magic, unable to struggle. It felt as if fire were searing her bones, and she screamed, helpless and pathetic without her magic. Ruby the dragon whimpered and then growled.

Flashes of green, and Queen Thysanura's malevolent gaze, were the last things Emerald saw before her world went black and red.

Moments later, there was an explosion that shook the Wastelands.

And then the roar of a dragon took its place.

Author's Note

Emerald's talk with the queen was a little hard to write. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and sorry for the long wait.

4. Schemes Of War

Chrysalis was in her potion room, carefully crushing a sprig of thyme for a potion with her mortar and pestle, when a somewhat faraway explosion shook the ground and the Hive with it. It was fairly subtle. Chrysalis chose to pay no mind to it, because this sort of thing wasn't uncommon in the Wastelands, where her mother often tried out new spells. This was nothing to worry about, right?

She was just about to find out how wrong she was. In the next twenty minutes or so.

This new potion would be sleep inducing, making sure that whoever drank a sip of it would sleep deeply and have nice, neutral dreams. It was inspired by Jade's potion, but while the poisonous potion was made from the Verderia plant, Chrysalis's potion would be made of natural herbs and liquids and powders. She already had shelves and shelves full of corked potions in her private potion room, which was right next to her bedroom.

Two small glass bowls, one holding powdered lavender and the other filled with chamomile powder, rested next to Chrysalis's mortar and pestle on the long worktable in the princess's potion room. She'd ground the herbs herself. Lavender, chamomile, and thyme were calming herbs with nice, fresh, natural scents.

Chrysalis dumped the newly powdered thyme into a bowl identical to the others and turned her attention to a larger glass bowl on the table. It was half-filled with: fresh, clear rainwater, which she had collected at Equestria's border with the Wastelands; several tufts of clear white cloud collected on a sunny day in Equestria and dissolved in the water; and thirteen drops of sweet golden nectar. The result was a clear, watery liquid tinted with gold from the nectar.

She levitated a glass vial over to the bowl. It contained liquid rainbow, which was, of course, collected in Equestria – there were never any rainbows in the Wastelands. Pulling out the diamond stopper, Chrysalis carefully dripped precisely seven drops of the liquid rainbow into the mixture in the bowl. The half-finished potion slowly took on a warm golden-pink hue.

Next, she took the bowls of powdered thyme, lavender, and chamomile, and poured all the powder into the brew. She stirred it counterclockwise with a large glass spoon. The potion bubbled and fizzed and turned rose pink with a hint of purple. Now it was complete. With great care, Chrysalis poured the finished sleeping potion into a glass bottle and corked it with a pink cork. Instead of setting the bottle on the shelf with her other concoctions, she decided to show this latest potion to Emerald.

Her talk with Mother must be over by now. Chrysalis trotted to her sister's room, potion in magical grip, and lightly knocked on the door three times. When no answer came, she pushed the door open. The room was empty. Hmm. Perhaps she's still with Mother, Chrysalis thought, placing the sleeping elixir back in the potion room. Oh well. I'll go check on them.

When Chrysalis got to Queen Thysanura's rooms, she knocked on the door. "Emerald? Mother? Are you in there?" she called.

The doorknob glowed green, turned, and the door opened. The Changeling queen stood there, alone, a strange look on her face. The expression vanished before Chrysalis could make sense of it. She craned her neck to look into her mother's sitting room, and just like Emerald's bedroom, no one but Queen Thysanura and Chrysalis were here. Add Emerald's mysterious disappearance and the queen's look, and what do you get? Suspicious.

"Where is Emerald, Mother?" Chrysalis asked her mother flat-out. "I thought she was with you."

Thysanura's odd expression from before returned, but she quickly put on a cold, regal, queen-like stare. "She was, Chrysalis. She left my rooms after our conversation, and I have not seen her since." Her magic reached up and adjusted her crown.

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. Something was off here. Her mother was lying, she just knew it. Chrysalis's guard went up instantly. Her gaze flicked to the large, rolled-up piece of paper in Queen Thysanura's magical grasp. "What's that, Mother?" she asked curiously.

There was a pause as Queen Thysanura looked down her nose at her daughter. Was the queen of Changelings hesitating? "Come, Chrysalis, I will show you if you really want to know," Thysanura finally said. Chrysalis stepped aside and followed her mother through the corridors of the Hive until they reached a door. It was marked with a silver plaque etched simply with the words: WAR ROOM. Vaguely, Chrysalis remembered coming into this "war-plotting room" when she was younger, just out of pure curiosity.

Her heart thudded. Was Queen Thysanura planning a war? If so, with which nation, and why? The Changelings had no reason to go to war. Well . . . Chrysalis could think of one reason, but it just seemed silly. A prophecy?

Now she knew what that piece of paper was.

The War Room was big and rectangular. The floor was shiny black glass, and the ceiling was painted with a fresco of Changelings and their Queen standing over the charred ruins of a city. A pony city: this mural represented the Prophecy Curse.

The Prophecy Curse, as it came to be known, had been foreseen thousands of years ago by a rare Changeling prophet, a princess, by the name of Princess Flitterheart. She was one of the early Changeling princesses, named for the very first queen.

Long ago, the seventh queen of the Changelings, Queen Silkwing, started a huge war with the ponies of Equestria. She attempted to seize the pony nation, but was beaten back by her daughter: Flitterheart, the famous prophet. Flitterheart, then a princess, stopped her mother and saved Equestria, but paid with her life. With her last breaths, Flitterheart produced this prophecy, the Prophecy Curse. These were her exact words, said to Equestria's Sun Princess Celestia herself: "Equestria has won today, but beware, Celestia. History will relive itself. Three thousand years from now, a many-times-great-granddaughter of mine, the Prophesied One, will rise again and war will reign. Only one with true heart will be able to stop her. She will stop her. Beware, ponies of Equestria."

Chrysalis had never believed that prophecy. But now, it was very real. It was three thousand years after the Changeling-Equestrian War and the death of Princess Flitterheart.

Her own mother was the Prophesied One. The one who would shatter Equestria.

In the middle of the War Room was a long, low table. It was cluttered with war maps, written war plans, and many other scrolls of other war stuff. Chrysalis wished now that she'd paid more attention in her classes with the Changeling tutor.

What shocked Chrysalis the most was that her sisters, Jade and Peridot, stood at the table. They were planning this war with Thysanura.

How could they?

Emerald was missing. She can't be in on this too. She would never! Chrysalis somehow knew that, wherever she was, Emerald was not doing what her other sisters were. She would never betray the Changeling Hive by leading them into a pointless battle.

Chrysalis studied her sisters' expressions closely. Jade looked cold and calculating as usual, but just a trace of doubt had wormed its way onto her face. And Peridot . . . Peridot looked scared. The second-youngest sister's eyes darted back and forth between Jade, Queen Thysanura, and Chrysalis. She was wobbly. Afraid of the war. Afraid of her own family.

With a pang, Chrysalis understood. She was afraid, too. She was angry at her mother for starting this unreasonable war, again. Hadn't Queen Silkwing's war been enough? Princess Flitterheart was right. My mother, the Prophesied One, is endangering her entire queendom. And for what? An unsettled score?

Amas, commander of the Changeling army, stood at the table with Jade and Peridot. He was a regular-looking Changeling drone.

Queen Thysanura stopped at the table with a nod to Jade, Peridot, and Commander Amas. She unrolled the piece of paper, which turned out to be a large war map of Equestria and part of the Wastelands. "Here's the plan," she said. Using her levitation, she dipped a quill into a bottle of red ink and made a scarlet dot next to the words HIVE in the Wastelands part of the map. "In exactly one moon, at dusk, we start the journey from the Hive to the border, which will take one day." The queen drew a straight line from the Hive to the Equestrian border. "We'll follow a straight line and cross the Endless Chasm here . . ." She pointed the quill at a long, jagged black line halfway between the Hive and the border, marked ENDLESS CHASM. ". . . Once we reach the border, we'll set up camp to rest and prepare until nightfall. I will cast an invisibility spell on the army, and we will travel to Canterlot by skies. Spread out across the city and attack at sunset. I want more at the palace. I wish to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna myself."

Commander Amas nodded. "A clever plan, my queen. I will tell my army to begin preparing immediately," he sibilated. "But may I ask of you, why do you want to see the pony princesses? You do not know them personally, my queen."

Thysanura's eyes flared green as she glared at him. "Do you doubt me, Commander Amas?" she hissed, anger creeping into her voice.

"N-no, my queen," the commander stammered. "I apologize for my ignorance. Permission to leave, my queen?"

"Permission granted, Commander." Queen Thysanura turned away disdainfully.

With a bow, Amas quickly flew out of the War Room and left the royal family alone.

As soon as Commander Amas was gone, Chrysalis turned to the queen. "Mother, you can't go to war with Equestria! What did they ever do to you?" she cried in distress.

"The ponies of Equestria defeated and humiliated our ancestor," Thysanura answered simply. "They won't win this time without a taste of their own medicine."

"But ponies will get hurt!" Chrysalis protested. "And what about the Changelings? Have you even thought about what will happen to them?"

"This is war, Chrysalis. Everyone gets hurt," Jade said quietly, which was unlike her. Her expression softened. "Our Changelings live to serve their queen, sister. No one expects any less from them. And . . . perhaps vengeance and war are not the answers to everything." After the queen gave her a scathing glare, she hastily added, "Though the ponies may deserve this for the defeat of Queen Silkwing."

Chrysalis immediately saw through this last lie. Perhaps her sister was different on the inside. Maybe . . . maybe Jade cared.

And maybe Peridot cared, too. The other Changeling princess looked close to terrified.

Maybe she had some allies here.

That night, when they were supposed to be asleep, Jade called Peridot and Chrysalis into her room for a talk. To shield their conversation from eavesdropping Changelings or their mother, Jade closed her black silk bed curtains and lit three wax candles, which she set on a tray in the middle of the bed. The sisters sat around the candles, snacking on Emerald Honey eggs despite the fact that this was serious.

"Listen," Jade said, her big green eyes glowing in the dim, flickering light. Then she looked around. "Wait! Where's Emerald? Isn't she coming?" She looked at Chrysalis.

"I can't find her anywhere!" Chrysalis wailed, snatching one of Jade's black pillows and burying her face in it. "I've searched the entire Hive and so have you! Mother did something to her, I just know it!" To her embarrassment, she began to cry.

Jade reached out and pulled her sister closer to her. "It's okay, Chrysalis," she said, letting the younger princess sob into her shoulder. "We'll find her. We'll search the entire world to for her. I care, Chrysalis, no matter what you think of me."

"A-and so do I," Peridot said softly. She started to cry, too, and Jade pulled her into their embrace.

"We have to do something about this war," Jade said after they returned to their places on the bed. "Thousands will get hurt! Mother doesn't worry about the death of her subjects until there's only one left."

"Somehow, we have to warn the ponies," Peridot agreed. "But how? I doubt they'd welcome a bug-pony thing that looks scary and that they'd probably never even heard of."

"We would have to warn the princesses," Chrysalis said. "I know they live in this palace in the capital city of Canterlot, on this mountain. But how do we get there? Somepony will see us before we get within ten miles of the palace."

"Invisibility!" Jade exclaimed. "I know an invisibility spell. We could use that. It lasts for two days, or until you stop it. But unfortunately, my spell isn't strong enough to hide three—or four—Changelings. Only two of us, at maximum, can go to Canterlot. One of us must stay behind. Emerald is certainly not going, since we can't find her. As soon as we get the message to Equestria, we will look for her, I promise. So who will go and who will stay?"

"I want to go," Chrysalis blurted out.

Jade and Peridot looked concerned. "You? But you're so young," Peridot said, surprised. "Maybe too young for this mission."

Crestfallen, Chrysalis opened her mouth to protest, but Jade spoke before she could say anything. "No, let Chrysalis go," she said. "It's good experience, and I think you'll do anything to avoid this war, Chrysalis. Who else is going? Me or Peridot?"

Jade and Peridot stared at each other uncertainly.

Finally, Peridot raised her hoof. "I . . . I'd like to go with Chrysalis," she nearly whispered.

"Are you sure?" asked Jade.

"Yes. Absolutely."

"Very well," Jade said. "You two will leave at dawn tomorrow. Bring food and supplies. Be quick. I won't let Mother know."

Jade stared into Chrysalis's and Peridot's eyes.

"I believe in you. I love you," she said.

"If you love us, then why did you and Peridot destroy my collection of gemstones?" Chrysalis demanded.

Peridot snorted, though she grinned in light amusement. "Way to ruin the moment, Chrysalis!"

"It was an accident," said Jade. Typical.

She ended the conversation with a final word:

"Remember."

Author's Note

I know almost nothing about planning war, so I just hope it was good.

5. Warning - Part 1

All through the night, Chrysalis and Peridot packed and readied supplies for the flight to Canterlot. Since the trip wasn't going to be very long, they only filled one pair of saddlebags with just enough food and water to keep their strength up. Since Peridot was older and bigger than Chrysalis, she would carry the saddlebags on her back. Which was a good thing, because the bags might hinder Chrysalis's flight if she were carrying them.

A few minutes before dawn, when they were at the Hive's only exit doors, Jade cast the invisibility spell on her sisters and their saddlebags. Since she was the spell caster, she could see their green-and-teal outlines. "Go now, sisters, and good luck," she whispered, after magically deactivating the enchanted crystals on the door. Jade watched them go, flying fast and steadily. "I love you," she whispered after them, even though her sisters could not hear her.

"Make sure to stay hydrated," Peridot told Chrysalis as they flapped their wings madly. "It'll keep you up for a longer period of time."

"Noted," Chrysalis said, glancing back at the Hive. It was now little more than ant-sized, from her point of view. She pulled out a map, which she had stuffed into Peridot's saddlebags at the last minute, and kept it suspended in midair with her magic as they flew. "So, like Jade said, we're on the same route that Mother's army will take. We should reach the Endless Chasm, right here on the map, in about nine hours, where we'll stop to eat a little. Then we'll get to the border fourteen hours after that break. Roughly. It'll be delayed a bit if we stop to eat again. Once we reach the border, we'll fly straight to Canterlot."

"Exactly," Peridot confirmed. She frowned at the map. "Where did you get this, Chrysalis? Changelings don't have maps of Equestria just lying around the Hive."

Chrysalis fiddled with a corner of the map, looking suspiciously guilty to Peridot.

"I . . . I stole it from Mother's War Room," Chrysalis admitted, rolling up the map and tucking it back into the saddlebags. "She's got lots of them there. I figured she wouldn't miss this one."

To Chrysalis's surprise, Peridot clapped her hooves together happily. "Way to go, sis!" she cheered. "You do have a devious streak after all! Now that's what I like to hear."

After nine hours of flying, Chrysalis was sleep-flying. Her eyes were closed, she was asleep, but she kept flying. Peridot kept a sharp eye on her sister while they flew, ready to catch Chrysalis if she fell out of the sky.

Finally, the two princesses reached their first destination: the Endless Chasm. "Chrysalis, wake up," Peridot hissed, grabbing her sister by the shoulders and shaking her hard. "We're at the Chasm! Wake up, please!"

Chrysalis opened her eyes, still sleepy. "Huh? I'm awake, I'm awake," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes with her hooves. "Wow, is that the Endless Chasm? It's huge!"

And it was. The Endless Chasm, aptly named, was literally never-ending – a black, bottomless pit. Unless you had wings or magic, if you fell into the Chasm, you would probably never come out again. It sounded lovely.

Peridot and Chrysalis sat at the edge of the Chasm for a short break to eat. They had brought some Jewel Fruit, Changeling-made cheese, small rice cakes made for travel, honey water, and plain water. Chrysalis especially liked the special cheese, hoofmade by her own kind, which had a rich, nutty flavor.

"We should get moving again," Peridot said, finishing up a sweet rice cake. She began to pack up the rest of the food. "There's still a long way to go. Drink more water."

"Yes, Mother," said Chrysalis. She rolled her eyes, took out a corked vial half-filled with water, and drank it all.

They got to the Equestrian border in about fourteen hours and a half. Once again, they stopped to eat and rest before moving on.

"I hope the princesses believe us," Chrysalis murmured. She lay on her back to stare up at the sky, a mix of the Wastelands' dusty, yellowy-orange and Equestria's bright, cloudless blue. "Who would trust a Changeling, of all things? We're as bad as Nightmare Moon or Discord or Lord Tirek, to the ponies of Equestria."

"They will believe us," Peridot said with certainty. "They will. We'll make them believe."

A day later, the invisibility spell wore off. Chrysalis and Peridot, now in Canterlot, had disguised themselves as two ordinary ponies. Chrysalis was a young unicorn mare with a cream-colored coat, warm amber eyes, and a long, wavy, light golden mane. She had a new name: Golden Diamond, which matched her fake cutie mark of a brilliant-cut golden jewel.

Peridot had chosen the form of a pegasus mare, fittingly a few years older than "Golden Diamond", with a dark blue coat, long silvery-white mane, silver eyes, and a silver feather for a cutie mark. She came up with the false name of Silver Feather. Her name matched her cutie mark, like "Golden Diamond's" did.

Neither Chrysalis nor Peridot had been to Canterlot, or Equestria, before. They went straight to the supposedly luxurious Canterlot Palace, where the two Royal Alicorn Sisters, Celestia and Luna, resided, surrounded by servants and aides and guards. Changelings didn't have a ton of knowledge about Equestrian pony culture, but they knew some things, which was better than nothing.

Chrysalis and Peridot, in their pony disguises, hid behind some rosebushes near the palace gates. On either side of the gates stood a white-coated guard stallion in the golden armor of Princess Celestia's Day Guard. They were both pegasi, one gray and one white.

"Okay. Destination reached," Peridot whispered to Chrysalis, crouched behind the thorny bushes. "Here's what we'll do. We approach the guards and request to see Princess Luna. She'd probably be more likely to trust us, listen to us, and believe what we say. Say it's urgent, because it is, and we need to see the princess right away."

"Right. Plan accepted and approved." Chrysalis batted a prickly branch away from her face. "Let's go."

They made a wide turn around the bushes, carefully staying out of the guards' sight, until they approached the gates, trying to make it look like they hadn't been hiding in the bushes just then. The two guards stiffened and shot out their wings to bar the sisters' path when the young mares stopped in front of the stallions.

"Halt! Who goes there?" demanded the guard on the left.

"We're here to see Princess Luna, sirs." Peridot spoke calmly. "It's top priority that we see her right away."

The guards eyed them suspiciously. "Do you two have an appointment with Princess Luna?" the guard on the right asked.

"N-no," Chrysalis stepped in. "But please, sir, the news is very important."

The left guard snorted. "All right. You're going to see the princess's personal aide, Sapphire Starlight. Then, and only then, she will decide if your news is important enough to talk to Princess Luna about. Lightning Fast and Sunny Flare will escort you into the palace."

As if on cue, two Day Guards, one a pegasus stallion and the other an earth pony mare, appeared on the other side of the gates, which the two gate guards opened.

"You are on the palace grounds now," said the yellow-coated mare, who Chrysalis assumed was Sunny Flare. "Come with us and don't touch anything. What are your names?"

"I'm Silver Feather, ma'am, and this is my friend Golden Diamond," Peridot lied to the guard. "We have urgent business with Princess Luna."

Sunny Flare nodded. "We heard. We are taking you to Sapphire Starlight, her personal aide."

The guards led "Silver Feather" and "Golden Diamond" through the palace's many corridors until they reached a door marked NIGHT AIDE.

Lightning Fast knocked on the door and then pushed it open. "Sapphire, these two fillies are here to speak with Princess Luna," he said. "Sunny Flare and I will leave them with you."

"Thank you, Lightning," came a voice from inside the room.

"We're not fillies," Chrysalis huffed under her breath. Sunny Flare's ear twitched, and a small smile crept onto the royal guard's face before they left.

Chrysalis and Peridot walked into the room, which turned out to be an office. A unicorn mare sat behind the large, dark mahogany desk, her horn aglow with silver magic as she wrote with five quills all at once. She was pretty and a little older than Jade – deep blue coat, lighter blue mane, indigo eyes, and a silver-white quill and ink bottle on her flank as a cutie mark. A silver plaque at the edge of her desk was etched with the name SAPPHIRE STARLIGHT. Beneath her name, in smaller letters, read Personal aide to Princess Luna.

The unicorn stopped the quills, and her magic disappeared. "I'm Sapphire Starlight, Princess Luna's personal aide," she said. "And you are . . .?"

"Oh! Yes." Peridot smiled. "I'm Silver Feather, and this is Golden Diamond. We have important news for the princess, ma'am."

"You can call me Sapphire." Sapphire Starlight frowned. "I don't recall you two asking for an appointment anytime."

"That's because we didn't," Chrysalis admitted. "It's on short notice, Sapphire."

Sapphire pursed her lips. "Well. What is your news?" she asked. "Princess Luna does not have time to waste on unimportant matters."

"I'm sorry, Sapphire," Peridot replied. "It's for only the princess to know. We can't tell you."

"I see." The mare frowned down at the paperwork on her desk. "Princess Luna is currently taking tea in the gardens with Princess Celestia. I will take you to see her. Come with me." She stood up, and her magic tugged a light white scarf from a hook and wrapped it around her neck.

It turned out that Sapphire's office had a door that led to the royal gardens that surrounded the palace. They walked through the gardens, past merrily splashing fountains of white marble and gleaming turquoise water, through jewel-toned flowers and trees, passed by koi ponds and pavilions and the small freshwater lake, and reached a private part of the gardens. This was where Princess Luna and Princess Celestia took their tea together every day, Sapphire told Peridot and Chrysalis, no matter how busy they were.

The two alicorn sisters were sitting at a table in an open pavilion, talking and sipping tea. Despite being sisters, they looked nothing alike, aside from the fact that each of them had both a unicorn horn and pegasus wings. Princess Celestia, Co-Ruler of Equestria, Diarch of the Sun and Day, had a snowy white coat and a long, flowing mane of soft pastel colors that rippled and moved in its own magic breeze. Her cutie mark was, fittingly, a blazing sun. Her younger sister, Princess Luna, Co-Ruler of Equestria, Diarch of the Moon and Night, was dark blue with a star-speckled blue mane that magically moved like her sister's. Of course, on her flank was a white crescent moon against a backdrop of inky indigo darkness. While Celestia's eyes were violet, Luna's eyes were turquoise.

"Sapphire Starlight." It was Celestia who spoke first. The Royal Sisters nodded to the Luna's aide.

"I thought I said we were not to be interrupted during our tea together, Sapphire," Luna said, levitating her teacup back to the table with a flare of blue magic.

"Your Highnesses, forgive me for the interruption," Sapphire said as she, Chrysalis, and Peridot stood at the edge of the pavilion, "but Silver Feather and Golden Diamond here say they need to speak with Princess Luna right away. The reason for this is unknown to me, as they did not tell me."

Celestia and Luna both looked the disguised sisters up and down with intense eyes that bored into them. "Very well, thank you, Sapphire," Celestia said finally. "You may leave them with us."

"Yes, Princess." Sapphire bowed and trotted away down the garden path.

Once Sapphire was gone, Luna and her sister turned back to "Silver" and "Golden". "What is it that you wanted to speak to us, or specifically me, about?" Luna asked them. She smothered a small laugh when she saw Chrysalis's and Peridot's nervous, or even scared, expressions. "Do not worry, my little ponies. We do not bite. At least, not all the time," she added with a little giggle, which earned her a look from Celestia.

"Your Highnesses, do you know of the race known as Changelings?" Chrysalis asked them, getting straight to the point.

"I believe they are the insect-like ponies who feed on love and have the ability to shape-shift into real ponies," Celestia said simply. "So yes, we do know of them."

"Why do you mention them?" asked Princess Luna. "They live in the Wastelands. We have not had contact with the Changelings in three thousand years, during the reign of one of their early queens, Silkwing."

"That's exactly why we are here," Peridot said. "Your Highnesses, you knew Princess Flitterheart, don't you?"

Celestia and Luna looked surprised. "Yes, we did," said the Sun Princess. Strangely, the alicorn sisters looked sad. Like they'd known Flitterheart, a Changeling princess, personally and liked her. "She was a Changeling princess, Queen Silkwing's daughter. She was . . . no. How do you know of her?"

"Because she is part of the reason why we came to you," Chrysalis said quietly. "It is three thousand years from the first Changeling-Equestrian War, is it not?"

Peridot took a deep breath. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, would you believe us if we told you that the Changelings are planning a war against you?"

7. A Message Received

The first thing Jade noticed when she woke up was that her head hurt. A lot. The pounding headache did not feel like it was going to relent anytime soon. Her vision was blurry and dark. No, wait, it was the room that was dark. Her eyes were just unfocused.

The second thing? She was lying in her warm, soft, familiar bed, covered with the smooth silk sheets. The crystals on the walls of her bedroom were dimmed so that she could just make out her surroundings, which helped her headache.

Jade sat up and shook her head to clear her eyesight. Suddenly, the events in the War Room came rushing back to her. Emerald. Mother. Fight. Then . . . sleeping spell? She started to panic a little. How had she gotten here? Where was Queen Thysanura? And Emerald?

First things first. Jade's magic reached for the glass pitcher of cold water she always kept on the nightstand beside her bed. Her levitation wobbled as she poured water into the glass next to the pitcher. When she picked up the glass to take a sip, however, her magic gave out completely. The fragile cup plummeted to the polished crystal floor and shattered on impact. Water and shards of broken glass sprayed across the floor. Jade frowned down at the mess. Her magic had never done that before. I must have used up all of my magical energy in the fight. It was better to lay off on the spells for now. Great! How am I supposed to do anything now? No magic means no everything – for me!

As if reading her mind, the crystals on the walls started to glow brighter, filling the room with a soft blue-green light. Right. They lit up at your will.

When her eyes adjusted to the light, Jade spotted a scroll of pale blue parchment lying on her large desk. Strange. That wasn't here before. Slowly climbing out of bed, she staggered over to the desk and sat down in the silk-cushioned chair. She picked up the scroll with her hooves, noticing that the blue wax seal was stamped with the royal seal of the Equestrian princesses, and unrolled it. The parchment was covered with these hastily scribbled words in blue ink:

Dearest sister Jade,

We have reached Canterlot without harm. The pony princesses, Celestia and Luna, have been most kind to us, especially considering that we are Changelings. They took the news well when we warned them of Mother's war. Celestia and Luna know of the Prophecy Curse – apparently and surprisingly, Princess Flitterheart was a close friend of theirs. Speaking of princesses, have you confronted Mother about Emerald yet? We still have no idea of where Emerald is right now. We trust you, Jade, and so do the princesses of Equestria. Celestia first doubted that you are truly on our side, but we convinced her otherwise. Please, please do not fail us now. We need you, sister. We await your quick reply.

Love, your sisters,

Chrysalis and Peridot

Jade immediately let out a sigh of relief. Chrysalis and Peridot were safe, at least for now. Queen Thysanura probably knew where they were by now. What was even worse was that Jade had slipped and let her mother know that none of her daughters were on the Changeling queen's side. Jade was putting everyone in danger!

I have to warn my sisters. She studied the blue scroll and sensed a tingle of magic on the parchment. A spell. A magic spell had brought this letter here. But which one? Jade didn't know any message spells. She mentally cursed herself for ignoring that part of her magic studies. It was important and useful! Why didn't she know this?

Unless . . .

There was only one other way to contact Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Chrysalis, and Peridot.

She would have to go to Canterlot herself. The capital of the pony land. It is the only way. Mother already knows, so what's the harm? Jade thought of Emerald, but pushed the thought away. There were bigger things to worry about right now.

Then something very, very, very unlucky happened.

The bedroom door opened, and Queen Thysanura – it just had to be her! – stepped inside. "Jade! What are you doing?" she demanded, seeing her daughter with the scroll. The queen's sharp eyes landed right on the seal of Equestrian royalty.

Even though it was useless now, Jade shoved the scroll into a desk drawer. "N-nothing, Mother," she stammered, jumping from her chair. "Just reading."

"Just reading, hmm? I'd like very much to see what you are so interested in." Queen Thysanura's levitation magic latched onto the drawer knob and pulled it open. Jade sprang for it, but her mother's magic pushed her back.

"No!" Helpless, unable to use her own magic, Jade watched as the queen took hold of the scroll and unrolled it. Her eyes scanned the parchment, and they seemed to get angrier with each word they read.

"Your sisters are in Equestria?" Queen Thysanura cried. "Warning the ponies? I raised them better than this!" Her accusing gaze landed on Jade. "You know about this, don't you, Jade? You're on Equestria's side! You're all worthless traitors, just like my sisters!"

She's losing it.

"No! You're the traitor," Jade shouted back at her mother. "You're betraying the Hive, and all the queens before you, by starting this senseless war! If you truly cared about us, you wouldn't be doing this to all of us! Risking the life of your entire Hive! Would any queen do that? Would even Silkwing do that? At least she had a reason!"

Thysanura's eyes widened, then narrowed to angry slits. "You shouldn't have said that, Jade." Her horn flashed.

Jade was ready. She jumped into the air and flapped her wings to fly over her mother's head and into the corridor outside her bedroom. Back in the room, Queen Thysanura's beam of magic hit the wall before the Changeling queen gave chase. I have to get out of the Hive, now! Going to Canterlot was her only option now.

Lucky for Jade, speed was on her side. She was an experienced flyer, and could say without any false modesty that, on wings, she was faster than her sisters, all of her subjects, and even her mother. Jade's wings buzzed as she flew, perhaps for her life, navigating the hundreds of twists and turns with ease. Her heart was beating hard and loud, so loud that she was almost surprised that no one else could hear it.

She dared to look back, and her heart started to pound even harder when she did. Queen Thysanura was flying, too, and she was good at it! The queen wasn't far behind. Fly faster. I have to fly faster. Jade beat her wings hard and put on a burst of speed, shooting forward.

Finally, when she reached the gem-studded doors, Jade allowed herself to pause and breathe. She had never flown that fast before. She didn't have time to waste. With a quick jolt of magic – she could use it again! – she pushed the heavy doors open and flew outside. The doors closed behind her, hopefully slamming in her mother's face.

Jade zipped through the air with speed and precision, carefully pacing herself. It would take two days to get to Canterlot, and she foolishly hadn't thought to bring any food or water. Well, she was being chased by her mother. She could go a long time without any food, but water was vital. She'd drink some, first thing, when she found a water source at the Equestrian border.

Chrysalis, Peridot, I am so sorry. I put all of us in danger.

In Canterlot, Peridot, Chrysalis, Celestia, and Luna were now in the palace. It was several hours after the letter had been sent to Jade, yet no reply had come. What was taking Jade so long?

Right now, the two Changeling guests were standing next to the Sun and Moon Princesses in Celestia's royal office. She had summoned the Captain of the Royal Guard and the Commander of the Equestrian Army here.

The Captain of the Royal Guard, Winter Wing, was a very pale blue pegasus mare with an indigo-and-blue mane and a cutie mark of a white pegasus wing overlapping a snowflake. She was wearing custom gold armor with dark indigo accents. Silver Shield, the Equestrian Army Commander, was a gray stallion, also a pegasus, with a black-and-gray mane. His cutie mark was some sort of shield with a sword crossed over it. He was not wearing any armor.

Neither Chrysalis nor Peridot knew anything about the Royal Guard or the Equestrian Army.

Silver Shield and Winter Wing stood in front of the four princesses, eyeing Chrysalis and Peridot warily. No surprise there; they looked like monsters to these ponies. At least Winter Wing looked nicer than Silver Shield, who was staring at the two Changeling royals like they might leap forward and attack them.

"Your Highnesses, with all due respect, how do you know we can trust these . . . creatures?" Silver Shield asked the alicorns, giving Chrysalis and Peridot the stink eye.

Winter Wing let out a quiet huff of air and glared at the stallion. "Excuse my brother's rudeness, Your Highnesses," she apologized. Surprisingly, the pegasus wasn't just looking at Celestia and Luna when she said it – she was apologizing to the Changelings, too. "He is not accustomed to other . . . foreign races." She gave Chrysalis and Peridot a tiny, reassuring smile.

So they were brother and sister? Interesting.

"It is fine, Captain Winter Wing," Luna assured the mare. "However, Commander Silver Shield, you asked the right question. And we give our word that you can trust Princess Peridot and Princess Chrysalis."

"Yes, Princess. I apologize." Silver Shield bowed to the night alicorn without further protest.

Celestia began to speak, her magic unrolling a large war map as she did. "Now, the Royal Guard and the Equestrian Army will have to prepare for war against the Changelings . . ."

Celestia and Luna called for a public emergency address with the entirety of Canterlot to announce the news of the brewing Changeling war. Newsponies would be there along with everypony else, Luna had said, to spread the word across Equestria with newspapers and messengers.

At exactly one hour past noontime, the two alicorn princesses stepped onto the royal addressing balcony to speak. Chrysalis and Peridot were told to stay in the shadows of the balcony's doorway until it was their turn to talk to the ponies.

A huge crowd of Canterlot ponies had gathered beneath the high balcony to hear the princesses' address. They murmured to each other, mostly in confusion and surprise.

Chrysalis felt a pang in her heart as she looked down at these Equestrian ponies. How many families would have to say goodbye to their loved ones who would join this war? How many soldiers would it take to beat back Queen Thysanura and her Changeling army? Tears sprang to Chrysalis's eyes, even though she did not know any of these ponies. How many will die to fight for Equestria against my mother?

Peridot saw her sister's tears, and reached over to give Chrysalis's hoof a reassuring squeeze with her own.

"Ponies of Canterlot," Princess Celestia began, her voice ringing loud and clear through the air, "Princess Luna and I have called for this public address because we have grim news for you. The Changelings have declared war on Equestria."

The minimal noise of the crowd exploded into murmurs, cries, and exclamations of shock. It reached Chrysalis's and Peridot's ears as a rising roar. Chrysalis's ears folded back, and she shied away from the sounds, wings fluttering nervously.

Luna spread her feathered wings to their full width and raised a hoof. The clamor below ceased as the ponies fell silent to listen to their royalty's next words.

The Princess of the Moon surveyed the horde of ponies with her intense blue gaze until she was satisfied. "For those who do not know of this race, the Changelings are slightly insect-like pony-creatures that feed on love and other emotions," she explained. "The Changeling Hive, as this monarchy is called, is always ruled by a queen. The current one is Queen Thysanura. She has four daughters: princesses Jade, Emerald, Peridot, and Chrysalis."

Celestia stepped forward. "Two of Queen Thysanura's daughters, Princess Peridot and Princess Chrysalis, have come to us to aid Equestria in this war. Do not be afraid of them; they mean no harm to us. And now, a word from these two Changeling princesses." She beckoned discreetly to Peridot and Chrysalis, still hidden in the dark shade.

That was the cue they'd agreed on. Slowly, the sisters walked to the edge of the balcony, where Celestia and Luna stepped aside to make room.

Despite Celestia's reassuring words, gasps and mutters of fright drifted up from the press of ponies when they caught sight of Chrysalis and Peridot. The older sister's wings twitched uneasily. She and Chrysalis could both sense the fear and shock radiating from the ponies down there. The emotions clung to the two Changelings like thick, choking fog.

Peridot cleared her throat. "When my sisters and I heard about our mother's war plans, we knew that we couldn't let it happen," she said. "A long time ago, the Changelings' ancestor and a very famous prophet, Princess Flitterheart, delivered a prophecy called the Prophecy Curse. She predicted that, three thousand years from the first Changeling-Equestrian War, another queen would rise again and war would break out between the two lands. But Flitterheart also said that one with true heart would be able to stop Queen Thysanura. I believe that 'the one' is my sister, Princess Chrysalis."

Confused, Chrysalis tilted her head at Peridot, who smiled slightly and stepped back to allow her sister to speak.

Chrysalis returned the smile shakily and swallowed tightly, turning to face the crowd. "Peridot and I came here to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to aid them in this war," she said in a slightly wavering voice. "We must all work together to prevent another Changeling-Equestrian War. Do not underestimate the might of the Changeling Army. We, and your princesses, have seen what the Hive can do. So please, trust my sisters and I today. We will trust you if you treat us the same way you would a friend."

When Chrysalis backed off, Celestia and Luna took her place. "That is all for now, my little ponies," Luna said loudly. "We will speak again when we receive more news. Please spread the word. Thank you, everypony."

The public address was over, the message received.

But how many ponies were willing to risk their lives on the word of two Changeling princesses?

8. A Lavender Hope

The Royal Pony Sisters generously allowed Chrysalis and Peridot to stay in the suite of rooms reserved for visiting royalty or dignitaries. They gladly accepted, and that night, the Changeling sisters walked into their rooms for the first time.

This exclusive suite was complete with a huge bedroom, a spa-like bathroom, and a luxurious sitting room. The bedroom walls were calming lavender, the floor was a black-and-white checkerboard, the canopy bed draped with magenta silk and piled with fluffy pillows. The bathroom floor and walls were an intricate mosaic of white and creamy blue tiles, and the deep marble tub, sunken into the floor, looked like it could hold at least five full-grown alicorns. The sitting room was decorated in a color palette of soothing blues and complimentary oranges, with plush upholstery and very expensive-looking furniture. Each room had several tall, big windows with fancy silk drapes.

The state of the rooms should not have been a surprise to the sisters, since they were raised in a royal Hive, but these brilliant colors were all new to Chrysalis and Peridot. Plus, there was even a floating cloud bed in the bedroom, which neither of them had ever seen before. Peridot agreed to let Chrysalis try this wonderful new cloud bed for the first night. She would just sleep in the regular bed, which was almost as plush as the cloud.

But before they went to sleep, Chrysalis and Peridot decided to take a long, relaxing bath just to try out the amenities in the bathroom. Celestia and Luna had considerately sent three servant ponies – Cloverluck, a golden-and-white-maned, pale green unicorn; Raspberry Rose, a white earth pony with a dark pink mane; and Midnight Wind, a silver-gray pegasus with a dark blue mane – to assist their guests. The three young mares turned out to be efficient workers and Canterlot Castle's biggest gossips.

Raspberry filled the huge tub with hot water at just the right temperature while Midnight poured herbal bath oils and sweet-smelling flower petals into it and Cloverluck readied a diverse variety of shampoos, conditioners, and body washes. Chrysalis and Peridot slipped into the tub and sank into the luxuriously hot, herb-infused water. A mare could get used to this!

"Which mane and coat care products would you like to use, Your Highnesses?" Cloverluck asked the Changeling sisters, boxes and boxes of glass bottles floating in her pale golden magic. "We really have almost every type in Equestria. They are all made from only natural ingredients."

Chrysalis squinted at the bottles in indecision. "Let's see. I'd like to try the mint-and-thyme shampoo, the lemon mane and tail conditioner, and the lavender coat wash, please," she requested, gesturing at her selections. "And please, just call me Princess Chrysalis. I never did like the royal titles."

"As you wish, Princess," Cloverluck said with a dip of her head. She assembled Chrysalis's choices at the edge of the bathtub and turned to Peridot. "And you, Princess Peridot?"

"Oh, yes! A rosemary-mint shampoo, strawberry-citrus conditioner, and berry coat wash for me, please," Peridot said cheerfully.

"Excellent choices, Princess." Cloverluck set three more bottles of soap concoctions with Chrysalis's and busied herself with the preparation of clean towels while Raspberry and Midnight took over.

Midnight tended to Peridot, and Raspberry to Chrysalis. The earth pony and pegasus mares did a perfect job gently massaging shampoo and conditioner into their manes and tails and body wash into their coats. It was very relaxing; in fact, Chrysalis and Peridot felt more relaxed than they'd felt in years.

When the washing was over, the two servant mares helped the princesses out of the tub, and Cloverluck hurried over to dry their bodies with fresh, fluffy towels. As Chrysalis and Peridot pinned up their still-damp manes, each with one large mane clip, Raspberry came over and asked, "Do you need anything else before you retire, Your Hignesses?" She still looked a little apprehensive around the Changelings.

"Yes, it would be lovely if you could fix me a cup of hot raspberry lemon tea," Peridot said, trotting into the bedroom.

"Make that two cups, please," Chrysalis quickly added as she followed her sister.

"Right away, Your Highnesses." Midnight and Raspberry left the suite to make their tea, leaving Cloverluck alone with Peridot and Chrysalis. The unicorn was humming softly to herself while busily cleaning up the bathroom – draining the tub and putting the supplies and bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and coat wash away.

Chrysalis studied Cloverluck with interest. The light green mare didn't seem even a little scared of her and Peridot; Cloverluck looked completely at ease as she bustled around doing her job. She looked almost too comfortable . . . a flash of something like familiarity flared from her. With a small gasp, Chrysalis narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the edges of the unicorn's body. Sure enough, if she looked hard and closely enough, Chrysalis could see tiny green flickers here and there – skirting the edges of Cloverluck's mane and tail, flashing around her hooves and horn.

But that would mean . . . No way! It can't be!

Peridot noticed, her eyes darted to Chrysalis, and she instantly understood through the empathetic link they shared.

So Cloverluck is a . . .

Like she was reading Chrysalis's and Peridot's minds, Cloverluck turned and smiled. Suddenly, fangs gleamed in her mouth, a dead giveaway. "You finally figured me out, my princesses," she said smoothly. Green flames exploded around her, burning her pony disguise into nonexistence. In the ordinary unicorn's place stood a young-looking female Changeling drone, about eleven years old. But there was something different about her. Cloverluck's eyes – her normal pony eyes – were violet, instead of being bright blue, blank, and reflection-less like the gazes of the other Changelings. Also, she actually had a mane and a proper tail, which were both a pretty shade of purple. Her wings were transparent and purple, too.

"Cloverluck! You're – you're a Changeling?" Peridot gasped out, staring at her transformed subject with her jaw touching the floor – metaphorically, of course.

"At your service, my princesses," the Changeling said respectfully, with a flourishing bow. "And please, my name is Lavender."

Peridot gasped with recognition. I've seen her around the Hive, but that was years ago. And then she just disappeared. The Changeling-pony hybrid. It was before Chrysalis was born, I remember that.

"B-but how?" Chrysalis asked incredulously. "Did our mother order you to follow us here? And why do you look so different from the other Changelings?"

Strangely enough, Lavender flinched with hurt when her princess asked that last question. Her ears laid flat, but she perked them up again. "I have a lot to explain," Lavender said, looking up. Chrysalis could tell that her subject was forcing the pain away. "Let's sit down in the sitting room to talk, my princesses."

Chrysalis and Peridot flooded with sympathy for Lavender. "You may call us simply Chrysalis and Peridot, Lavender," Peridot said, opening the door to the adjoined sitting room. "Consider us friends. I believe you've earned the right."

"Thank you . . . Peridot," Lavender said, blushing faintly at her use of her princess's name.

Just then, the hoofsteps of Midnight and Raspberry returning made Lavender's ears shoot up straight. "Oh no, they can't know I'm a Changeling!" Quick as lightning, Lavender changed back to her unicorn form as Cloverluck with a burst of green fire. "Please, don't tell them!" she begged Chrysalis and Peridot.

Raspberry and Midnight entered the sitting room through the doorway that led to the bedroom. Midnight was balancing a tea tray on her back, steadying it with her wings. "Your Highnesses, your tea is ready," the pegasus said quietly, setting the tray on a side table. "We'll leave you be. Cloverluck, are you coming?"

"No, Cloverluck will be staying with us to have tea," Chrysalis said. She did not command it, but Midnight and Raspberry knew that it was a distinct order.

"Yes, of course, Your Highnesses," Raspberry uttered, flashing a questioning look at "Cloverluck" as she and Midnight left.

When the servants were gone, Lavender looked at her princesses with clear gratitude. "Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed. "Thank you so much! And now I owe you two an explanation, I suppose."

"Yes." Peridot's magic poured steaming tea into three cups and levitated one cup to each Changeling. They had all sat down on the unbelievably soft sofas. "Let's start with this. How is it that you are here in Equestria, Lavender?"

Lavender looked down at the woven rug. "You noticed that I'm different from the others," she said softly, fiddling with the cup of tea that was floating in her purple magic. "That's because my father was a pony."

Twin gasps of surprise came from the two Changeling royals. Peridot didn't know why she was still so shocked, though; she had known Lavender.

"My mother was a Changeling drone, though," Lavender admitted, keeping her gaze downcast. "They fell in love when my father caught her at the Equestrian border, collecting fresh rainwater for the queen. And then they had me."

"They were your parents?" Chrysalis's eyes brimmed with sympathy, and beside her, Peridot raised a hoof to her mouth.

"When Queen Thysanura found out, she was furious," said Lavender, with a small sniffle. Her purple eyes, staring past the sisters at something nonexistent, welled with tears, and she raised a hoof to wipe them away. "She executed my mother publicly, in front of the entire Hive, except for her daughters. And then she hunted down my father and killed him, too." Lavender raised her teacup and took a long sip.

"Oh, Lavender . . ." Peridot murmured. "I . . . I don't know what to say. I'm so, so sorry." Chrysalis nodded in agreement.

"It's okay. You couldn't have done anything, anyway." Lavender looked back up at them, a fire burning in her eyes. "After all that, the queen banished me from the Wastelands forever. She said that I was a mockery of the Changelings, that I didn't belong anywhere near her Hive. She threatened to kill me like she'd murdered my parents, if I didn't leave. So I fled here, to Equestria, to seek protection from the pony princesses. I told them about my parents, and my banishment, and they agreed to let me work in the palace under my disguise: Cloverluck.

"When I heard about the war from you, I knew what I was going to do," Lavender went on. "I do not work for Queen Thysanura anymore. I am no longer part of the Changeling Hive. But I have a duty to you, the Changeling princesses. I work for you now. I choose to help you in any way that I can. Because it is the only way that I can finally get revenge on the queen for what happened to my parents, and also because I've grown fond of you two in just this short time. And, of course, avoiding a huge war is important, too."

"Thank you, Lavender," Peridot said sincerely, setting a gentle hoof on her Changeling friend's shoulder. "We gratefully accept your help. We are in your debt now."

"No, there will be no debts," Lavender said, looking more cheerful. "After all, you agreed to keep my secret."

A light, quiet snoring interrupted the solemn conversation. Peridot and Lavender looked over to see that Chrysalis had fallen asleep, right on the sofa, her back rising and falling softly with each breath.

Peridot laughed and levitated her sister onto her back. "It's been a long day. We should be getting to bed. Lavender, why don't you sleep here, in this sitting room, tonight? You must be very tired, too," she said over her shoulder.

"Thanks for the offer, Peridot. I will." Lavender lay down on the sofa and pulled a soft, white fur blanket over herself. "Good night."

"Good night, Lavender."

Peridot snuffed out the flames of the candle lanterns and candle chandelier before she left the sitting room with Chrysalis draped over her back. She tenderly set her little sister on the hovering cloud bed, covered her with a blanket, and lovingly kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, little sis," Peridot whispered with a smile. She climbed into the ordinary canopy bed, blew out the candles, and closed her eyes.

Instantly, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep and didn't wake up until a loud noise roused her the next morning.

CRASH!

There was a thump, and then the sound of breaking glass was enough to wake Peridot from her peaceful slumber. "Aah! What is going on?" she cried, bolting upright in bed. "Lavender! What the hay is –" She broke off when she saw the mess on the floor.

The half-Changeling in question was standing by the tall dresser, an almost guilty look on her face as she shifted her legs awkwardly. Shards of colored glass lay all over the black-and-white floor – what looked like the shattered remains of the rainbow-glass butterfly-in-a-vase that had once stood on the top of the dresser.

Chrysalis was awake, too, sitting up on her cloud and watching Lavender with a sleepy expression.

"I'm sorry!" Lavender cried in a panic, her ears pinned back. "I'm really sorry! It was an accident, honestly! I-I was coming in to check on you two, and I bumped into the dresser, and it just – fell!" She stared down at the broken glass, her face falling. "It was so beautiful! And now it's ruined."

"It's all right, Lavender," Peridot said, softening. "Accidents happen, and besides, the damage is already done. Come on, let's find something to clean it up. Don't cut your – oh!"

Lavender frowned. "Oh? Oh what?"

"Your wing!" Chrysalis answered for Peridot, pointing a hoof at their new friend. "It's injured! We have to get you to a doctor, right now."

"What?" Lavender twisted around to look at her violet Changeling wings. One of them was marred by a long, single cut, from which a thin stream of scarlet blood trickled. "Oh, it's nothing," she said quickly. "My wings heal quickly, don't worry." She gingerly touched the wing, and winced visibly.

"Nothing or no, you are seeing the doctor right away," Peridot said in a no-nonsense tone that tolerated no argument. Her green magic wrapped around Lavender's hoof and practically dragged the latter to the door. Chrysalis flapped her wings to follow. "Now, point us to the palace infirmary."

"Can't, they'll know," Lavender pointed out. "We're going to Princess Celestia's private wing of the palace. Here, to make things easier." Her horn glowed with purple magic, and she vanished. "Invisibility spell. Now, take a right at the end of this hallway, and then a left . . ."

9. Have Your Cake (But Don't Eat It)

It turned out that each of the two princesses had their own private wing in the Canterlot Castle. Celestia's wing was decorated all in cheerful pastel colors, with lots of windows that let the sunshine pour in. It was a little too bright for the Changeling princesses, who grew up in a dimly lit Hive, but the light was bearable.

A Day Guard directed them to Princess Celestia's private rooftop terrace, where she was currently having breakfast with Princess Luna. The two alicorn sisters were sitting at the round, white-tablecloth-covered dining table, enjoying a nice meal of freshly baked pastries and hot tea while the warm morning breeze blew. Chrysalis even spotted a whole Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cake on the table.

Once they were on the terrace and well out of sight of the guards, Lavender undid her invisibility spell with a small purple flare.

"Lavender?" Luna set down her fork and frowned with concern. "Why aren't you disguised as Cloverluck? And – and what happened to your wing? It's bleeding!"

"Oh, yes. She bumped into a vase, it broke, and now her wing is injured," Peridot told the princesses in a flat voice. "I was wondering if you could mend it? With a spell, maybe?" She shifted shyly, which was quite unlike her. "And, well, I was hoping if you could teach me a healing spell or two. It might be useful in the future."

"Good idea, Peri," Chrysalis said brightly. She turned to Celestia and Luna. "Maybe you could teach me, too, in case something happens when we aren't together?"

Celestia dabbed at her mouth with her cloth napkin and smiled. "Of course, it would be my pleasure." She sighed a little. "I have missed being a teacher . . ." The Day Princess trailed off at the end, then shook herself. "I'll mend Lavender's wing – come here, Lavender, it won't hurt a bit – and you three are welcome to join us for breakfast before we start the magic lesson."

Lavender came closer and extended her cut left wing to Celestia, who gently used a soft hoofkerchief to clean the small amount of blood from it. Then, the regal alicorn touched the tip of her long white horn to the wound and made it light up with her soft, sun-gold magic. Chrysalis, Peridot, Lavender, and Luna watched as Celestia concentrated her magic on the gash in Lavender's violet wing. Slowly but surely, a thread of golden light wove back and forth there, closing the cut with small, neat stitches. When the injury was all sewn together, the stitches of light flashed and then disappeared, fading into the wing. There was no scar, no flaw, nothing to show that the injury had ever been there.

"That was amazing!" Chrysalis exclaimed. "Now I am absolutely positive that I want to learn this. I could actually . . . help ponies and Changelings."

"Can you fly, Lavender?" Luna asked the practical question.

The young half-Changeling flapped her wings rapidly, which was needed to gain flight with the Changelings' insect-like wings. She rose into the air and did a few loop-de-loops and dizzying turns. "Yep!" she chirped happily, coming back down to land on the solid stone. "My wings have never been better, actually."

Her stomach growled angrily and suddenly. The hint of a purple-red blush bloomed on Lavender's cheeks, and everyone else just laughed.

"Yes, Lavender's belly, I completely agree," Celestia said with a giggle. "Sit down, the three of you, and eat! You must all be starving. Oh, and by the way, you two missed dinner last night, Peridot and Chrysalislis. Were you that tired? You went to sleep just after the moon rose. Too bad you three missed out on the epic stargazing session my sister and I had."

"Stargazing?" Peridot questioned. It was like a foreign word to her and Chrysalis. There were no stars in the Wastelands.

"Yes, it is one of the best things to do on a clear night," Luna said, puffing her chest proudly. "Have you not heard of stargazing? Oh, and you should try the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness, Chrysalis. I think you'll like it, all of you."

By now, Chrysalis was stuffing her face with cake and pastries, with gulps of the decent tea in between bites and no princessly table manners at all. She slowed down and flushed a dark color when she saw that everyone was staring at her. "Sorry," Chrysalis mumbled through a mouthful of food. "But I am hungry." She cut herself a slice from the recommended Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cake and started to scarf it down with more decorum this time.

The others sat down and began to eat as well, chatting in between bites as if it were any ordinary day. Luna and Celestia pointed out the finer aspects of stargazing, and even invited the three Changelings to join them tonight. Luna would make the night sky clear just for them.

After a delicious breakfast and a lesson on magic with Celestia and Luna, Chrysalis and Peridot were granted special permission to explore Canterlot Castle with Lavender – once more disguised as Cloverluck – as their guide. There was so much to look at! Lavender took her princesses to the royal solarium first.

It was a huge, airy room at the end of the south wing with walls and a ceiling that were made of glass. Not just any type of glass – much of it was stained glass. Chunks of ruby red, garnet orange, topaz yellow, emerald green, sapphire blue, and amethyst violet made a patchwork quilt of colors on the shiny marble floor. The room appeared to be a sort of sitting room. A few round rugs lay on the floor here and there. Plush couches, sitting pillows, and small side tables stood in little circles around each rug.

"This is where the majority of the palace staff come to rest and relax," Lavender explained as they marveled at the beauty and clarity of the stained glass. "Oh, look, there's Sapphire Starlight. Hey, Sapphire!" she called and waved for no apparent reason.

The blue unicorn looked up from her paperwork nearby and smiled back, looking a little bemused.

A loud, unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out across the room: "YOU!"

Chrysalis, Peridot, and Lavender turned around to see a tall white unicorn stallion with a golden-blonde mane, light blue eyes, and a group of dollar signs and gold bits for a cutie mark. Around his neck was a collar with a red bow-tie. He looked like the stereotypical kind of stallion that mares fell helplessly in love with, but the Changelings could see past that. What was really noticeable was that his entire face had turned tomato red up to his ears.

"YOU!" he shouted again.

Peridot arched an eyebrow and glanced at Lavender, whose expression was a mixture of amusement and disgust.

"Two words: Duke Blueblood," the disguised half-Changeling whispered.

By now, the few ponies in the solarium had turned to stare at the so-called duke. Slowly, Sapphire Starlight began to step forward to the Changeling princesses' side.

Eventually, Duke Blueblood stopped shouting like a mad stallion, but his face was still bright red as he pointed an angry, accusing hoof at Chrysalis and Peridot. "You! You are the scheming, good-for-nothing bugs that are planning a war against us! They're rotten bugs, I tell you!" he yelled at the other ponies, who were looking rather annoyed.

Pretty face, not-so-pretty personality.

Sapphire Starlight stepped up and frowned at Blueblood. "Duke Blueblood, allow me to introduce Princess Peridot and Princess Chrysalislis of the Changeling Hive," she said in a seemingly patient voice. "They are legally here as temporary ambassadors from the Hive. Please be respectful to them. Your aunts would be very displeased if you spoke to royalty in this rather . . . impolite manner, my Duke. It is unseemly."

Blueblood just sputtered a little and glared at the Changelings. "I am talking to Auntie Celestia about this!" he half-shrieked, and galloped out of the solarium.

After a long silence, the other ponies shrugged and went back to whatever they had been doing before the arrogant duke had interrupted.

Chrysalis and Peridot turned to stare at Lavender and Sapphire.

Princess Luna's assistant simply shrugged. "He's always a bit high-strung," she said. "Don't mind Blueblood; he's just as young as you, and young stallions can be very, very hotheaded. This particular duke is the nephew of the Princesses. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have loads of paperwork to do."

"It was nice seeing you here, Sapphire," Chrysalis called after the mare, who twitched an ear to show that she had heard. "And thank you."

Lavender smiled pleasantly, as though nothing had happened. "Now, shall we have tea here?"

After a servant brought a tray of tea and pastries to the solarium, Lavender and the Changeling guests sat down to take their morning tea. To Chrysalis's and Peridot's delight, there was almost everything on the platter of tea sweets, even a few slices of the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cake, which they gladly gulped down. While Chrysalis still liked the MMMM cake best, Peridot took interest in the sweet fruit biscuits.

"Somepony – er, someone – is sure hungry," Lavender said with a smirk, watching the two young royals stuff their faces. "We could send a Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cake home with you, Chrysalis, and a large tin of fruit biscuits for you, Peridot. When you two go back, of course."

"Really? That would be great!" Chrysalis said enthusiastically, wiping her muzzle with a cloth napkin.

"So, where to next, Lavender?" Peridot asked, eyeing a strawberry tea cake on the platter. "I would like to see the royal archives, if that's okay with the Princesses."

"We'll stop at Princess Luna's office on our way to the observatory to ask her," Lavender promised. "If she allows us, then I'll take you to the archives after we visit the observatory – it's really nice, trust me. I haven't been there in a while, actually. I think it needs dusting, and I'm actually in charge of the servants, so it's my job to make sure."

"Really? What's it like?"

A pounding headache assaulted Peridot's forehead as they walked, and when she glanced over at Chrysalis, her little sister was rubbing her head, too. "Are you two okay?" Lavender asked, noticing this.

"Fine," Peridot said. She didn't want to be a bother.

Chrysalis, on the other hoof, was blunt. "No," she said plainly. "I've got a really bad headache, and so does Peridot. I can totally tell, sis."

"There's cold water and iced tea in Princess Luna's office," Lavender said concernedly. She frowned at the way her princesses were stumbling around. "It's not far. And Chrysalis, you weren't kidding when you said that the headache is bad. Come on. Don't strain yourself. You two should probably rest after this."

While Celestia's wing of palace rooms was painted in light daytime shades, Luna's private wing was decorated in a palette of pale silvery-whites and dark blues and purples, fitting for a Princess of the Night. Her office was close to the entrance of the wing, and the three Changelings reached it soon enough. Chrysalis and Peridot were wobbling on their hooves now, Lavender trying to support both of them.

Luna was sitting behind the large mahogany desk . . . fast asleep. Her head rested on her forehooves, which were placed on her desktop, and she snored softly, her illusive mane rippling gently. She appeared to have fallen asleep while reading a huge stack of paperwork.

Lavender thought this to be quite whimsical, but there was no time to be amused right now. "Princess Luna? Princess, wake up, please," she said somewhat loudly, coming over to the desk. "Princess!"

"Hmm? What?" Princess Luna raised her head sleepily, blinking. Her eyes widened when she saw the state of her foreign guests. "By me, what happened? You two look like you're going to pass out! Here, lie down." Rushing around the table, Luna started to guide Chrysalis and Peridot toward the plush, dark blue couch at the back of her office.

Before they were within three paces of the comfortable-looking couch, the two Changeling princesses collapsed, right there, on the floor.

"Oh . . . my . . ." Luna trailed off, giving Lavender and the Changelings a very worried look.

"I have no idea, Princess."

Chrysalis woke up in a room so white that she was nearly blinded by the snowy color. White walls, white curtains, white beds, white tables, white kits with red crosses on them. She was lying in one of the beds, covered with a white comforter up to her shoulders. It was soft and rather comfy.

Definitely the royal infirmary. She tried to sit up, but her head screamed in protest, and she had to lie down again. Peridot lay awake in the bed next to Chrysalis's. Her expression was questioning as she looked at the younger sister, who shrugged in reply.

Loud, stompy hoofsteps sounded in the hallway outside the all-white infirmary, getting closer and closer. The door banged open, and a very furious-looking alicorn of the night stormed inside. Her normally gentle blue eyes were filled with fire, and her magical mane and tail billowed in an angry cloud of blue night sky and stars.

"WHERE IS HE?!" she raged, slamming a silver-clad hoof down on the white marble floor. The polished stone cracked under the force of her blow. "OH, I'LL GIVE HIM A PIECE OF MY MIND! I'LL –"

"Luna, please!" Princess Celestia hurried into the room. "Calm down, sister. Our guests are resting." She gestured at Chrysalis and Peridot, which was enough to quiet the Night Princess.

"I'm sorry," Luna said apologetically, though she still looked flaming mad. "But he poisoned them! The legal ambassadors and Changeling princesses! HOW DARE HE –"

"That is enough, Luna," Celestia said sharply, the closest she ever came to snapping at her sister. Her voice softened. "I know you're angry. But we will have to deal with that later. How are you feeling, Chrysalis and Peridot?" She approached the beds, standing between them.

"We're fine, Celestia," Peridot assured the Day Princess. "Who are you talking about? Who poisoned us?"

"Duke Blueblood," Luna spat, which earned her a warning look from Celestia. "He did it."

"I should have guessed," Chrysalis said, with a roll of her eyes. "How, though?"

"He put Verderia poison in the pastries you had with your morning tea," Celestia explained. "Or so he thought. He put something else in the poison instead of the Verderia plant – the most important part of the potion!" She rolled her eyes and snorted. "At least that caused you to sleep for only a day. He will be punished, Luna and I will see to that personally, I assure you. The servant mare who brought the tea to you, Fern Drop, had nothing to do with it, fortunately. Duke Blueblood slipped the poison into the pastries before Fern Drop could notice. Luckily, Lavender didn't eat them." Celestia glanced at "Cloverluck", who was now standing next to her. The servant gave a small nod.

"So now it's tomorrow," Lavender said. "Just before sunset, actually."

"You'll be all right," Luna said reassuringly. "The palace doctors here are the finest medics bits can buy. They'll fix you up."

Celestia grinned teasingly at her sister. "And maybe we should bring in a stoneworker pony to fix that crack you made in the floor . . ."

Author's Note

Duke Blueblood's title is not a mistake; he is our Prince Blueblood's great-grandfather or something like that. I'm still trying to figure that out. I just modeled the duke's personality after the prince's. Hope you liked it!

10. Among Other Things

The Princesses were understandably furious at Duke Blueblood's "interference". While Celestia kept her calm, however, Luna had been flying around in a fiery rage until she cooled down. Literally. At sunset, Blueblood was taken to court with Princess Celestia herself as the judge. Somewhat jokingly, Luna had been deemed unworthy of judging the duke because of her initial anger.

Now, Celestia and Luna sat on their thrones, which were next to each other on a raised dais, in the royal throne room. Luna stilled looked irked, glaring daggers at Duke Blueblood. Said duke was standing on the long carpet that ran from the Sisters' thrones to the doors, flanked by two royal guards – one Day Guard and one Night Guard. He was looking quite livid. His bow-tie was askew, a few strands of his mane were sticking out in all directions, and his cheeks were indignantly red.

The Changeling royals sat next to each other on two comfortable silk seating pillows at the foot of the throne dais, studying the duke with calm, well-practiced expressions of regal disdain. Duke Blueblood glared back, but he was careful to avoid letting his princesses see this.

Lavender sat next to Chrysalis and Peridot on a third sitting pillow. She was in her natural half-Changeling form, having dropped her disguise as Cloverluck. The rest of the palace seemed to have taken this sudden news well, especially Lavender's servant friends, Midnight Wind and Raspberry Rose.

Celestia spread her white-feathered wings, conjured up a magic golden gavel, and knocked it on the durable arm of her throne three times. "Duke Blueblood," she began grandly, "you are –"

"Let me GO!"

A loud shout from somepony outside the throne room doors drew the attention of everypony and every Changeling away from the princess. The doors banged open, and in tumbled a rather annoyed-looking Changeling princess and the two dark-armored Night Guards who were trying to subdue her.

"Guards!" Princess Luna stood up and walked over to the two thestrals, while everyone else stared. "What is this all about?"

"Y-Your Highness!" One of the guards, the thestral stallion, quickly scrambled up from the floor, as did the thestral mare. "F-forgive us!"

"We caught this Changeling lurking around in one of the upper hallways, Princess," the mare said in a much smoother tone of voice. She straightened her crooked helmet. "She appeared to have sneaked in through a nearby window. She resisted rather . . . energetically and refused to cooperate."

Meanwhile, Chrysalis and Peridot stood frozen, staring. "Jade? JADE!" Chrysalis shouted, and surged forward to plow into her sister. Unfortunately for Jade, she had to get knocked to the floor a second time while getting up.

But she was happy to see her cute little sister. "Chrysalis! You're okay," Jade exclaimed, hugging her tightly. Peridot joined them, and the sisters embraced each other, right there in the throne room.

Finally, they released each other. "Why are you here, Jade?" Peridot asked. Fear flickered across her face. "Did Mother find out?"

Jade winced. "Yes, I'm afraid so." She hung her head, ears pinning back, and looked up miserably. "I'm so sorry, sisters. I failed you. She knows we're here, and she knows that we are not on her side anymore."

"Ahem."

They all looked up at the sound of a cleared throat. Celestia walked up to the three Changeling sisters, frowning slightly. "What is going on here? Oh! And I assume that you are Princess Jade?" she said pleasantly, extending a hoof to Jade. "My sister and I welcome you to Canterlot Castle."

With just a bit of hesitation, Jade shook hooves with the Solar Princess. "Yes, Princess Celestia," she said primly. Her ears fell a little. "I suppose I have a lot to explain. Well, it all started when . . ."

When Jade looked back, the Hive was a dark dot on the horizon, and there were no signs of pursuit. Not yet, at least. But it probably wouldn't be long before Queen Thysanura gave chase and followed her to Canterlot.

When did four royal lives in the Changeling Hive become so hard?

Jade's eyes lit up as she reached the Equestrian border. "Just one more day," she muttered. "One more day, and I'll finally see my family. Keep it together. I can't fail my sisters again."

She pushed on, ignoring the pain in her strained body.

Three-quarters of a day later, Jade glared up at the cloudy gray sky, lying on her back in a thick forest. She was tired. Her wings ached, leaves and blades of grass stuck out of her mane, and her back was in dire need of a proper massage. This is all your fault, Mother, she groused to herself, tugging dead foliage out of her tangled mane. Wait – was that a bug?

Not daring to scream for fear of somepony hearing her, Jade snatched the iridescent green beetle out of her greenish-teal hair with a flare of magic and flung it away.

She had just stopped to rest in a forest near this tiny town called Ponyville. According the sign at the edge of the trees, this was called Whitetail Woods. So far, these woods had been delightful. That was not what was causing her sour mood. She was hungry and thirsty again, but every inch of her body hurt. Jade didn't want to move.

Grudgingly, she pushed herself up and nosed around in the greenery of the friendly forest to look for something edible and fit for a princess. Well, a runaway Changeling princess, but a royal nonetheless.

Looking up, Jade could just barely make out Canterlot, a speck on the mountain that rose in the distance. Canterlot wasn't very far from Ponyville – just a train ride away. Jade would have loved to take a relaxing train ride and give her exhausted wings a rest, but boarding a train cost money, and she had no bits with her.

"Hmm. I guess these will do," Jade said, discovering some edible white mushrooms and wildberries. She magically wove a basket of enchantment-tinged green reeds to hold her finds.

After a short hike through the trees, she was delighted to find a natural forest spring and a freshwater stream that led away from it. Jade pooled her magic to manifest a translucent green cup and scooped up cupfuls of water, drinking it down greedily and collecting more for later. Finding a small, grassy clearing, she piled together some dry sticks and foliage. Then she ignited the makeshift firewood with safe, smokeless fire, a simple spell that her mother had taught her. Jade ate the abundance of sweet, tart berries and watched the dancing flames as they cooked her mushrooms. When they were properly roasted, she scarfed down her meal with an absolute lack of manners. There was no one else, pony or Changeling, to see this, after all.

It was time to get moving again.

The Changeling princess reached Canterlot Castle at sunset. Crouching on a tree branch, safely out of sight, she eyed the two Night Guards standing at the golden gates. It was pretty unlikely that anyone here knew she was coming. If she walked right up to the guards, they would probably take her straight to the dungeons. And she needed to warn her sisters and the pony princesses now. But how would she get inside? This place was teeming with guards, especially now that everypony knew about the upcoming war.

She needed a plan, and she needed it now.

". . . And I tried to sneak in through a window, foolishly not thinking to disguise myself," Jade told them, licking her lips. Her mouth was dry now. "These two Night Guards caught me and brought me here, quite forcefully, I might add."

"We apologize for that," said the Night Guard mare.

"'Tis all right, Misty Moon," Luna said. "You were just doing your job. And Princess Jade, thank you for sharing your story. But the big question is, what do we do now? According to the princess here, Queen Thysanura already knows part of what we are planning, and she may be coming here even before the war starts."

"One more thing!" Jade quickly interrupted. "Thysanura told me that, well . . ." She flinched at the memory and at the words she was about to say. "Our mother turned Emerald into a dragon and trapped her in the maze of tunnels beneath the Wastelands."

Gasps came from Luna, Celestia, Chrysalis, and Peridot, but mostly from the Changeling princesses. Chrysalis's eyes started tearing up, and she quickly attempted to wipe the teardrops away. Peridot draped a hoof around her sister's shoulders and pulled Chrysalis close to her. Dismay was written all over her face, but it was not directed at Jade.

"I think you're all forgetting something," Celestia said politely. She gestured with a wing at the duke. "What of Duke Blueblood? Once you begin court, you do not end it until it is properly done."

"Very well," her younger sister sighed. She turned back to the Changelings. "Chrysalis, Peridot, why don't you show Jade to your suite? You look asleep on your hooves, Princess Jade. Celestia and I will continue court for this scoundrel."

"What are you talking about, Princess?" Jade asked, bewildered. "And who is that?" She pointed at Duke Blueblood, who was staring at her with a hostile look. He glared harder.

"I trust that your sisters will fill you in." Luna gave them all a small, friendly smile and started to walk back to the thrones. "Go and rest, and if you wish to, you are welcome to join Celestia and me on the rooftop terrace for the stargazing session tonight – after dinner, of course."

"Thank you, Luna. Come along now, let's get you cleaned up," Peridot said, almost as if she were the eldest sister. She put a comforting hoof on Jade's shoulder. "You won't believe the size of our tub!"

A hot, extended bath was just what Jade needed to soothe her aches and pains. After the three sisters dried themselves off, they looked through the collection of jewelry that Celestia and Luna had kindly given them in return for their information. They chose matching, rhombus-cut green emeralds that hung on dark-teal silk ribbons. The fine necklaces went nicely with the Changelings' coat, mane, and eye colors.

Now, the Changeling sisters sat in the alicorns' private royal dining room, their chests puffed proudly to show off the generous presents around their necks. Servant ponies brought platters of freshly cooked food to the table, each one covered with a silver dome lid. Tall glasses of sparkling fruit water, Celestia's and Luna's favorite beverage, were placed on the table in front of each royal. Jade took a sip of her drink and found that she liked it very much.

Colorful salads, appetizing soups, complex and intricate fruit arrangements, beautifully made desserts, and arrays of this strange Neighponese food called sushi covered the table. Chrysalis stared down at her gilded plate and the silver-plated knife, spoons, and forks next to it. There were about ten different forks! Who could possibly use this many at once?

Princess Celestia noticed the younger royal's confused stare. "Is there something wrong, Princess Chrysalis?" she asked, spearing a slice of avocado and a lettuce leaf with her levitated salad fork.

"Oh! What? No, everything is fine," Chrysalis said unconvincingly. She attempted a sure smile. "It's certainly not the fact that there are too many forks, or that I have no idea what these fancy . . . sushi things . . . are, or that I don't know what to eat!" She quickly clamped her hoof over her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be so rude! I just –" She started panicking unnecessarily, scrambling for unneeded words of apology.

Sitting beside Celestia, Princess Luna blinked once, then burst into delicate but full-blown peals of laughter. Across from the pony princesses and next to Chrysalis, Peridot and Jade were trying to hide their giggles, but the efforts were in vain, for they quickly succumbed to their laughter. Having better control, the Sun Regent merely smiled in gentle, polite amusement.

"Oh, by me!" Luna gasped out, her mirth subsiding. "Ahem, yes. That was just as comical as I would have expected coming from you, Chrysalis. I will certainly not apologize for the number of forks, as it is all in good fun, but there are honestly less than ten of them." Her blue magic encircled several of the extra forks and floated them to a nearby servant pony. "And have you not heard of sushi?"

"No, never," Jade chimed in with a shake of her head. "I understand that it is a common meal in the empire of Neighpon?"

"Yes, it is delicious." Celestia's levitation selected a small roll of dark seaweed, sticky rice, and colorful vegetables from the wooden "sushi boat" on the table. "It is made by spreading a thin layer of this special kind of rice on a large square of dried seaweed and adding . . ."

While the others discussed this sushi, Chrysalis sat in silent bemusement. Fancy food, fancy food talk, fancy castle . . . Is this what being royalty is like here in Equestria? If I were qualified to be a queen or a princess here, I would not make a good one. I don't want fancies and fineries. Even though Queen Thysanura does not love us, the Hive is my home. I can be myself there . . . I don't have to hide who I am. Mother is cruel, but she will be gone. Perhaps I will even be queen one day. She snorted discreetly. Dream on, Princess. You'll never be the queen of this Hive. You're too weak and sensitive. You would fall to any enemy that comes our way. You would be the end of your Hive.

Even though she knew that these thoughts were all in her head, Chrysalis couldn't help doubting herself, as she had done since the very beginning. Why do I care what Queen Thysanura thinks? I'm my own mare. I can do whatever I want . . . but I can't. I'm a princess, and a princess must put her subjects' needs before her own. Always the Hive. The Hive is always first.

Her good mood evaporated instantly, though she kept up a cheerful facade. A mask of careful deception, like the one she put on every day in the Hive.

If only someone or somepony knew her secret and her broken heart.

I'm not always who they say I am. To them, I'm the cheerful little sister who was never loved by her own mother. Pathetic, but I'm not.

I'm trapped in my life, in this nightmare and this war. I can't get out. Someone, please . . . hear me. Help me.

I just want to be free.

"I just want to be free. Is that so much to ask for?"

In her private quarters at the Hive, Queen Thysanura lay in the middle of her bed, staring up. The smooth black silk of the canopy was embroidered with green thread. The silken stitches formed the outlines of four insect-overlapped equines with familiar features. Big eyes that were the results of bright green emeralds sewn onto the fabric. Long manes in different shades of blue-green. Sharp, jagged horns. Hole-filled wings. The quartet of embroidered Changelings were flying, doing tricks that were frozen in the silk. They looked genuinely happy, something that, in truth, could never happen to their living counterparts. The real counterparts that were in Equestria right now, betraying the queen.

"Why did you have to go?" Queen Thysanura whispered at the embroidered figures of her daughters. "Why? Why can't I love you and show it? What happened to me? Why am I so alone? Is this . . . is all of this my fault?"

Silvery tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and slipped silently down her cheeks. She didn't bother to wipe them away. They would just keep coming, falling until she was empty of all tears and emotions.

"Why did you have to leave me like this?" she suddenly shouted, eager to lash out. At herself. At her daughters. No. It is not their fault. I am the only one to blame.

Then she said something that surprised even herself. She said three words that she had never, ever said before in her entire life:

"Mother . . . I'm sorry."

Author's Note

Chrysalis is really different from who she is in the future, isn't she? And a little bit like a certain Element of Magic, too! :twilightsmile:
And are you catching this? Our queen is finally changing! But will it last?

11. Who You Were Before

Deep in the crystal caverns beneath the Wastelands, two former Changeling princesses planned their escape.

One of them, a tall, majestic dragon with shining but scarred scales of ruby red, gave a hiss of annoyance and pain as the tip of one of her claws broke. "It's no use," she snapped, turning away with an angry lash of her spiky tail. She scowled at the piles of gems and the thick crystal walls of the cavern, dagger-pupiled green eyes flashing. "The walls aren't going to break, no matter what we do."

The scarlet dragon plucked a large, baby-blue sapphire from a heap of jewels and examined her reflection in it. In the light blue surface of the gem, the dragon's likeness warped and twisted into the image of a beautiful royal Changeling with a crimson mane and startlingly bright green eyes.

She blinked, and the reflection returned to that of a dragon.

The other dragon was substantially smaller than the scarlet one, and her scales were deep green and without any chips or scrapes. Like the red dragon's and like they had always been, her eyes were brilliant green with cat-slit pupils. "Please, Princess Ruby," the emerald dragon begged. "We can't just give up now! Mother – Queen Thysanura is planning something. I can feel it."

With a gusty sigh, former Princess Ruby of the Changelings sat down and curled her tail around her talons. "I'm sorry, Emerald. It's just that . . . my sister – your mother – is the most powerful being I know. She bested me, our sisters, and even you. Tell me, Princess Emerald, what chance do we have against her?"

"We can defeat her," Emerald insisted, unwilling to let go. She and her newfound aunt had to get out of here before Thysanura put the entire Hive in real danger. "We just have to be stronger than her! We are not going to die and rot here!"

"Are we?" Ruby lifted her head and pointed upwards with a claw. "Niece, do you see that green mist gathering near the cavern ceiling?"

Bewildered, Emerald tilted her head to look up. Sure enough, high above them, strange curls of transparent, pale green mist leaked from a tiny fissure in the crystal. The fog smelled faintly of water tinged with something else, something that Emerald had never smelled before. "What is that, Ruby?" she asked.

"Mist from Silkwing's Spring," Ruby answered. At Emerald's blank look, she sighed and started to explain. "In the Wastelands, there are the seven sacred Queen's Springs. Each one supposedly belongs to the spirit of one of the first seven Changeling queens. They are –"

"Flutterheart's Spring, Mistwing's Spring, Shimmerflight's Spring, Amethyst's Spring, Flittershine's Spring, Iridescence's Spring . . . and Silkwing's Spring. Yes, I know of them," Emerald stated in her matter-of-fact way. "The legend says that each of these hot springs is hidden away with magic. Silkwing's must be very close to the Hive, then. But Ruby, why would the mist matter?"

"Because Silkwing's Spring is cursed," Ruby said bluntly. "They say that after Queen Silkwing started the first Changeling-Equestrian war, when her spirit began to be pulled into darkness, her spring's water became poisoned. No one, pony or Changeling, can do anything with it. They cannot even touch the tainted water without knowing great pain or, in the worst case, death. That is actually why the Changelings stopped their tradition of creating springs to honor their queens. Did you know that?"

"N-no," said Emerald, taken aback. "I, well . . . I always wondered why there were only seven springs, but I didn't stop to think why Silkwing was the last of them."

"Yes, knowledge of the Queen's Springs was quite lost to both pony and Changeling after they dropped the custom. It is now one of the greatest secrets kept by the royal family of the Changeling Hive." Ruby's long tail swept across the floor in displeasure, pushing aside gems of all shapes and sizes. "But the point is, because Silkwing's Spring is cursed, the mist from its water is also poisonous."

"Oh." Emerald knew that it was a stupid thing to say right now, but what else can you say to something like that? "Sooooooo . . . how much time do we have before we die?"

Ruby looked at her niece strangely, then gave a short laugh that echoed around the crystal cavern. "Oh . . . no, no, no," she said with a draconic smile. "That's not how the mist works. The water from Silkwing's Spring is magical and poisonous, so therefore its mist is also magical and poisonous, but in a very different way. The mist contains powerful, ancient magic that will most likely benefit us, but in the worst-case scenario, it will kill us. It all depends on the spirit of Queen Silkwing."

"Wait, what?" Emerald interrupted. "I thought that was just a myth! How can the spirit of a dead queen decide our fate?"

With an amused snort, the older Changeling-turned-dragon shook her head. "It is anything but a myth, Emerald. Now listen. Silkwing's spirit is very much real, and it lives in the heart of her spring. And so a tiny bit of her is with us right now, judging us. The mist should change us in . . . let's see . . . a few hours or so."

"Change us? What do you mean?" Emerald's curiosity was piqued. Her eagerness to learn brought a smile to Ruby's face. Her young niece reminded her so much of . . . Ruby shook the thought away.

"We'll be changed back into Changelings, of course," Ruby replied, as if Emerald should have known the answer. "Where do you think the Queen's Springs get their magic – out of the air? No, it is Changeling magic that helps the springs to survive here.

"Being turned back to our natural forms is only one of two options that Queen Silkwing has," continued Ruby. "The other option? Death." She said this last part simply and offhoofedly, in a way that astonished Emerald.

"But . . . it won't come to that, right?" the younger princess asked hopefully.

"I don't know, Emerald. Your mother put us in this cavern for a reason. Did you really think that she wouldn't have noticed or made use of Silkwing's mist here? She knows of this curse, and she must have assumed that Queen Silkwing would deem us unworthy of being changed back and spared from death. Of course, we can only hope that she was wrong. We will find out in due time."

In due time.

"Keep it together. Keep it together."

Queen Thysanura paced back and forth in her bedroom, her wings twitching restlessly, her breathing fast and distressed. She felt a strange sensation in her black chitin coat: fire-hot, ice-cold, and then back again. Her horn tingled in an odd way, itching to cast a spell to vent her worries and discomfort. Any spell.

The door creaked open without warning, causing Thysanura to jump a mile into the air. "Your Majesty? Are you all right?" asked a feminine voice.

After steadying her breaths, the queen inhaled and exhaled deeply, and turned to face Melody, her daytime chambermaid. The young female Changeling was levitating a gold-plated tray of tea and all sorts of pastries in her glowing magic. With a small squeak, Melody fell down in a deep bow, the tray still floating in her grasp.

She was scared. Everyone was scared of Queen Thysanura.

This had never bothered Thysanura before. She'd never had any qualms about making others frightened of her. Why shouldn't they fear her? She was a queen, and she deserved to be treated like one.

But things change.

"P-please, stand up," Thysanura said shakily, extending a hoof to her quivering maid.

"Your Majesty?" Melody stared at her queen in bewilderment, startled by Thysanura's sudden change in behavior.

"Stand up, Melody." The Changeling queen took Melody by the hoof and helped her up, much to her maid's confusion and surprise. Thysanura's magic took the tea tray from Melody and set it on a nearby table. "And . . . thank you. You are dismissed for the day."

"Yes, Your Majesty . . ." Melody trailed off, slowly walking through the doorway and casting strange looks at Thysanura. She quickly shook herself. "Good day, my Queen!"

Once the younger Changeling was gone, the old queen sighed and turned to her black-and-silver vanity table against the wall. The large oval mirror was cracked down the middle, a long, clean split, and a jagged piece was missing from the top, where the corner of the glass would have been – if the mirror were rectangular. Two sides. Split personality. She saw her reflection in the smooth crystal glass, fractured in two. A single teardrop leaked from her right eye and splattered across a silvery shard of reflective glass on the table. The missing chunk of mirror.

Mustering a tiny, tearful smile, Thysanura's magical green aura surrounded the piece of glass and floated it in front of her, spinning slowly. After a long moment, she fitted the glass into its former place. The mirror was still broken, but at least it was partly whole.

Am I just a mirror? A reflection of myself, of who I used to be?

No, I'm not. Thysanura glared at her cracked image in the mirror. This is the real me now. And I'm not going back.

I am going to do what is right.

She looked away from the mirror and smiled a real smile, not one of her cold, malice-filled ones. Then she furrowed her brow. Commander Amas, meet me in the War Room. NOW. Thysanura sent this short message through the mind link and abruptly left her bedroom. I will show them who I really am.

"The judgment should come any minute now," Ruby whispered. She wasn't sure why she was whispering, but it seemed appropriate now. "Come on, come on, come on . . ."

Emerald sat next to her aunt, her twitching tail betraying her impatience and desperation. Finally, she said, "You know, Aunt Ruby, doing that won't make the judgment come any faster. Just sit here and try to relax, all right?"

Instead of listening to Emerald, Ruby did just the opposite. She got up from her fidgety position and started to pace, her tail swishing from side to side. "I can't. How can you relax when a queen's spirit is deciding your crucial fate right this instant? We could die, Emerald!" She plopped down again and crunched a sweet amethyst with her teeth.

"Fine, you have a point," Emerald grumbled. "But look, just –"

She was cut off rather suddenly when a burst of green flames encircled her and Ruby, closing them in. Emerald's wide eyes glowed in the bright firelight. "Is – is this supposed to happen?" she demanded, backing away from the burning fire. A dragon's scales were fire-resistant, but these flames were clearly magical.

"Don't know. Never seen this before," was Ruby's plain reply.

Then the spirit appeared, and time seemed to stop.

A swirl of green mist rose from the fire, creating a Changeling-like shape. Features formed: eyes, a snout, a mouth, fangs, Changeling wings, a crooked horn, a mane and tail, the like. The spirit's eyes glowed white until the color bled away, leaving behind luminescent green eyes with narrow dragon pupils.

"Queen Silkwing," Ruby breathed. She lowered her head in a respectful bow, and Emerald quickly followed her example, not wanting to anger a powerful queen's spirit.

"Rise." The spirit's voice was soft and musical, like the gentle lullaby of a delicate glass harp. Not at all like Emerald had imagined Silkwing, the Changeling queen who had started a war between the Hive and the ponies of Equestria.

"I have come to pass my judgment on you, Princess Ruby and Princess Emerald," Silkwing's spirit said softly, her words like the wind. "I am very proud to call you two my many-times-great granddaughters."

"So . . . you won't kill us?" Emerald asked optimistically.

Silkwing threw her head back and laughed quietly. "Nay, Emerald. You two have proven yourselves truly worthy. I can see it in your hearts. You are free from the chains of your dragon bodies." Her horn glowed, and a haze of green magic streamed from it, wrapping around Emerald and Ruby. "Goodbye, my beloved family."

The spirit of Queen Silkwing faded into the mist.

The foggy, feather-light magic surrounded the two Changeling princesses. They rose into the air, floating serenely, hanging there with the ribbons of misty green enchantment. Emerald felt a strange tingle in her dragon scales and looked down. She and Ruby were glowing pale green. And then her vision was blinded by a blur of soft, pearly white.

When Queen Thysanura entered the Hive's War Room, Commander Amas was already there, looking over the maps that were strewn across the table and parts of the floor. The sight of her commander and the reminders of her brewing war made an uncomfortable chill run through Thysanura. But she was going to fix all that.

Stalking up to the table, Thysanura faced Amas with a firm, steely look in her eye. "Commander, this war is over."

There was a long pause. Then, "What?" the army commander asked, blinking fast. "I'm sorry, what was that, my Queen?"

"I don't know how to make my words any clearer," the queen said unyieldingly. She leaned forward to look Amas in the eye and repeated herself harshly but slowly. "This. War. Is. Over. NOW. Tell the army to stop preparing for it. Drop the planning. I am done with this."

"I-I'm afraid I do not understand, Your Majesty," Commander Amas stammered, shrinking away from his queen's hard stare. "Is this about our progress in creating magic-proof talismans and ever-burning fire? I assure you, our thaumaturges can –"

"No, it is not about that," Thysanura interrupted him. She turned her back on Amas to stare at the wall and ceiling murals, the paintings of the Prophecy Curse. How she hated those paintings. They were nothing but a curse like the one they depicted, constantly reminding her of who she was supposed to be.

Well, they are wrong. I guess you were wrong, Princess Flitterheart. I will not be defined by a prophecy or its curse.

"This war is pointless, Amas," Thysanura hissed, glaring at the murals. "How many lives, Changeling and pony, would be lost because of us? Why should we start a war just because some prophecy tells us to? Who are they to tell us what to do?" She sent her silent apology to Princess Flitterheart. She had always greatly respected the famous prophet, and there was no reason to stop it now. "Perhaps it is time for something new. Maybe peace can be worked out between the Hive and Equestria."

"Peace?" spat Amas, slamming a hoof on the floor. "Those ponies would not reason with us! We are monsters in their eyes! You are a fool if you think that they would listen to us! I –"

His eyes widened.

"SILENCE!" Queen Thysanura thundered. She stalked toward her army commander, angry flames flickering around her. Her long mane and tail started to move and ripple with a fiery green glow, much like the way the Equestrian princesses' hair floated in a nonexistent breeze. Her white fangs, slightly elongated, were sharper than the deadliest magical spears and a million times more poisonous. She actually started to rise above the ground in her sheer amount of magical fury. She thrust her muzzle close to Amas's, so close that he could see the fire burning inside her eyes.

"I always knew you were an arrogant fool, Amas, but even I didn't know that you would go this far!" she shouted. A stray flame streaked from her mane, igniting one of the commander's wings. He squealed like a filly and proceeded to frenziedly beat out the fire by flapping his wings madly.

"You would question ME?!" Thysanura screeched. "YOU STUPID, MINDLESS IDIOT!"

"Y-Y-Your M-M-M-Majesty, f-forgive m-m-me," Amas stuttered, scrabbling to get away from the Changeling on fire.

"Forgiveness is something you must earn," the furious queen hissed. "Go to your army and call off this war! If I hear any more of this nonsense, there will be immediate, PAINFUL consequences by burning! Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Shaking only slightly, Amas stood up. He met her eyes and said, unexpectedly:

"No."

12. Life Is Full Of Surprises

The flaming, floating queen froze. "WHAT?!" she bellowed, her words echoing through the entire Hive. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"I said no," Commander Amas repeated. He glared up at his queen. "You are going against the will of the Hive and the queens before you. Changelings are meant to be a violent race, not a peaceful one." He spat out the word peaceful like it was venomous. "We have spent several days preparing for this war, and we are not going back! I'm not the fool, Thysanura; you are. You think the ponies would see reason? Well, you thought wrong! I will continue this war, and nothing will get in my way!"

"How dare you," Queen Thysanura whispered. Her fire flared brighter around her. "HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME! Amas, I hereby relieve you of your duty. YOU ARE NO LONGER COMMANDER OF THE CHANGELING ARMY, and in addition, I BANISH YOU FROM MY HIVE – FOREVER!"

"Your orders mean nothing to me, Your Majesty," Amas sneered. Quick as lightning, he zipped to the door on his wings and saluted his queen for the very last time. "Goodbye, Thysanura, I wish you bad luck forever." His horn started to glow.

Before Thysanura had time to react, a beam of green magic slammed into her. It struck her out of the air, and she was thrown back against the wall. Clouds of smoke filled the room as her fire was quelled and her dying magic failed her. When the vapor cleared, Amas was gone.

Thysanura was faintly aware of the two Changeling guards who rushed into the War Room with cries of shock and concern. Their voices and shapes blurred together in her mind. Her vision swam and darkened. Fiery pain touched every part of her body.

"Commander . . . Amas . . . is . . ." she croaked weakly, barely able to hear her own words.

And then everything went black, and she knew no more.

Emerald fired another blast of magic from her horn and stumbled back, panting heavily. Her attempt bounced off the deflective crystal walls and finally smashed into a mound of gemstones, shattering them to dust. Her horn flickered weakly, and smoke rose from it. Tentatively, Emerald licked a hoof and gently touched it to her horn. It stopped glowing and smoking.

"We . . . have to . . . get out of . . . here," Ruby wheezed, gasping for air. She snuffed out a tiny flame that had been burning in her tail. "Must . . . warn them."

They had been changed back into their natural forms. Ruby was every bit as beautiful as Emerald had imagined, with a silky scarlet mane and tail and Queen Thysanura's shocking green eyes. She also possessed immense magical knowledge and power, perhaps even rivaling Equestria's greatest unicorn mage, Star Swirl the Bearded.

Ruby's ears twitched. She instantly froze and spun around to face the impenetrable door, where the magic gems glowed. "Did you hear that?" she hissed, crouching down low.

"Hear what?" Emerald frowned and started to walk up to the door, but Ruby's magic snatched her back by the tail.

"Don't. It could be someone dangerous," the older princess whispered. "Stay down with me. You didn't hear those voices and hoofsteps?"

Emerald swiveled her ears around and strained her hearing. Ruby was right. Faint hoofbeats and what sounded like a duet of male voices were slowly approaching their prison door. She listened harder. The hoofsteps sounded light, hollow. "That sounds like Changelings," she muttered to Ruby. "Two male drones. I wonder what they're here for."

"We're about to find out." Ruby nodded toward the door. The enchanted jewels had started to glow brightly.

The heavy door banged open, and two normal Changeling drones entered. They were carrying a tall, once-regal queen Changeling between them. Her wings looked ragged and torn, her chitin scarred and smeared with small streaks of bright red blood.

What went unnoticed by Ruby but not by Emerald was that the two Changelings' eyes were glowing unnaturally white.

The pair of drones carelessly tossed Queen Thysanura into the cavern as if she weighed no heavier than a pegasus feather. The pathetic-looking old queen collapsed in a heap on the hard stone floor and did not get up.

Ruby and Emerald wore matching faces of absolute shock. They stood frozen, completely stunned. What was this? Thysanura was their queen! Had she been overthrown somehow?

But that's impossible, Emerald protested silently. Mother can't be beaten that easily.

"She's done for now," one of the Changelings said roughly. He spat at the three royal Changelings – his superiors and rulers! "Come on, let's go. Bye-bye, Your Highnesses."

The second drone curled his lip at Ruby, Emerald, and Thysanura before leaving. The door slammed shut behind them, the gemstones flaring once to lock it.

Ruby immediately rushed to her older sister's side while Emerald just stood there like a statue, too astounded to do anything else. "Emerald, niece, she needs help," Ruby called to her, crouching next to Queen Thysanura.

Emerald blinked a few times, then nodded and hurried over. "Of course. What happened to you, Mother?" she asked out loud, not exactly expecting an answer.

Thysanura was in far worse condition than she had looked. Her delicate wings were shredded to bits, so much that Ruby thought she might never be able to gain flight again. Bloody scars, burns, and blisters marred her chitin armor, looking very painful, no doubt. At least Thysanura was unconscious, unable to feel anything right now.

She was wrong.

Thysanura opened her eyes. She was floating in swirling blackness and shadows, hanging suspended in the air. She did not need to use her wings to hover this time. Strangely, she felt no pain at all, only a quiet calmness.

Am I dead? Is this the Changelings' spiritual realm, the Black Heaven?

"No, Thysanura, you are not dead yet," said a hauntingly familiar voice behind her. "You are on the brink of death, but there are those who could save you."

That voice . . . No! It can't be! The sound brought fresh tears and memories to Thysanura, and she slowly turned around. ". . . Mother?" she whispered. Part of her hoped that it was not truly her mother, and the other half desperately wished to see Flitterwing again.

Standing behind Thysanura, with a gentle, loving smile on her face, was the former Changeling queen. Her now-ethereal mane and tail billowed calmly, and she was clad in a flowing robe woven of translucent black-and-white mist.

"Mother," Thysanura said softly. She ran to Queen Flitterwing and threw herself into her mother's warm embrace, realizing that the other queen was see-through – an apparition. Tears spilled from her eyes, and she buried her face in Flitterwing's mane. She felt like a little filly again, crying in her mother's tight clasp.

Thysanura looked up at Flitterwing's face, expecting to see resentment or anger. But instead, all she saw in her mother's shimmering eyes was a deep love and compassion. "Mother, I'm so sorry," she murmured, her cheeks wet with salty tears.

"Shhh, do not cry, my sweet," Queen Flitterwing whispered with a tender smile. She softly stroked her daughter's mane. "I have forgiven you already, long ago. I am very proud of you, my precious little Thysa."

"How can you be proud of me?" Thysanura cried, lifting her head to stare at Flitterwing. "I killed you! It's my fault that we're here! I could have stopped this from happening! But no, I chose to start a war and –"

"No. No, Thysanura, it is not your fault," said Flitterwing. She held her daughter by the shoulders and looked into Thysanura's eyes. "I have always loved you and believed in you. You have always been my pride. I promise you, nothing will ever, ever change that." Which, of course, only made Thysanura cry harder.

"Always do what you know is right," Flitterwing continued. "I love you, darling."

Thysanura managed to smile through her tears. "I love you, too, Mother." She blinked away the teardrops, which fell into the darkness.

Queen Flitterwing started to fade. "Wait! Mother, come back!" Thysanura cried. She tried to run after her mother, but she stayed in place. "Wait! I have questions for you! Mother!"

"I love you, Thysanura. Remember that."

Flitterwing was gone. Thysanura stopped, her throat raw from shouting. A bright light grew in her vision, and she was swept up in a field of white.

"Look, I think she's waking up."

"Are you sure she's going to be okay, Ruby?"

What? My sister? Thysanura's muddled mind failed to put two and two together. She struggled to open her eyes. When she did, a blast of light assaulted her vision, and she quickly slammed her eyes shut against the blinding illumination. She tried again, and succeeded in keeping them open this time. Then she attempted to move, and a bolt of pain zinged through her battered body.

"Stay still, sister." Ruby's voice, a voice she had not heard in a long time. "You've been badly injured. It would be best to stop moving right now."

Thysanura took the hint and tried to remain motionless. When her eyesight cleared, she saw the familiar faces of her sister and daughter looking down at her, their eyes filled with concern. Ruby's horn glowed, and a tingle passed through Thysanura. A little bit of the throbbing sting faded, but it was still there.

"W-where am I?" Thysanura rasped, turning her head painfully. She caught sight of mirror-like crystal and heaps of glittering jewels. The crystal cavern where I banished Ruby and Emerald. For the second time in her life, she felt remorse, a sharp pang of guilt that weighed down on her heart.

"I think you know, Mother," Emerald answered. Thysanura winced at the sharp undertones in her daughter's voice.

"You changed back from dragon form?" the old queen asked. She twitched as Ruby's healing spell sent another ticklish sensation through her.

"Yes. Being a dragon was not much to my liking," Ruby replied, her eyes fixed on her sister's wings. She touched one of them. "Can you feel this, sister? Your wings are quite ruined, and I don't know if you can ever fly again."

"N-no, I can't feel my wings at all." Thysanura started to feel a slight panic. "What do you mean, I might not ever fly again? No! That's not possible! My wings heal very rapidly." I can't lose my ability to fly! Flight was the only thing I had for freedom.

"Please, calm down, Mother." Emerald gave a reluctant sigh. "Unfortunately, your wings are shredded and partly burned to ashes. What Ruby means is, we don't know if you're going to lose them. It is entirely possible that they might heal."

Possible isn't good enough, Thysanura thought, but she held her tongue. Ruby and Emerald were doing their best to help her. "What – what other injuries do I have?" she questioned, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Gashes, blisters, and second-degree burns all over your body," Ruby said in a medically professional sort of way. "We've managed to bandage the cuts with healing magic, but some of the worst ones will most likely scar. Luckily, the burns will fade in due time." She very obviously did not mention the wings again, and Thysanura didn't press her.

"Can I stand up now?"

After a moment of hesitation and back-and-forth glances between the others, Emerald finally nodded. "Yes, you can try, and we'll help you, but try to be slow and careful," she said. "We don't want to risk opening your wounds again."

Gingerly, Thysanura sat up, wincing as her back cracked loudly. With the minimal assistance of Emerald and Ruby, she slowly accomplished the task of getting to her hooves and standing on her own. Her body still ached, but it wasn't as bad as before. "Thank you."

"Why are you here, Mother?"

Emerald's blunt question caught Thysanura by surprise. "Well, I suppose I should tell you sooner than later," she said. She started pacing back and forth to work out her kinked muscles, ignoring the tiny twinges of pain each step brought her. "Long story short . . . I decided to end the war planning, and Amas refused to listen."

"Who is Amas?" Ruby looked at Thysanura, and then Emerald.

"The commander of the Changeling Hive army," Emerald answered. She tilted her head at her mother. "Or is he the former commander? You did say he denied your orders, Mother."

She is so smart. She would make a good queen someday. I am so proud of her. "You're right. I relieved Amas of his position and banished him from the Hive, but he defied me. He said that he would continue this war, with or without me. Then he attacked me." At this, gasps of shock escaped from Emerald and Ruby. "And, well . . . I think it's safe to say that I am no longer the Queen of this Hive."

"What? How can one little Changeling drone dethrone his ruler?" Emerald demanded, stunned. "Wait! Did you see that the drones' eyes were glowing?" She glanced at Ruby, who shook her head in puzzlement. "He enchanted our Changelings! That must be why they were so cooperative with him!"

"That's impossible," Ruby hissed angrily. "That lowly rat! But how can he be powerful enough to do an enchantment of that level? He must have had some magical help from someone very powerful . . ."

"He bested me in a fight," Thysanura said dryly. "A magic fight. And then he threw me down here, I guess. Perhaps Amas has already declared himself the Hive's new monarch? I wonder what the unenchanted populace is thinking right now. But enough from me. What are your sisters doing in Canterlot, Emerald?"

"Warning Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of this war," Emerald sighed. She shared a glance with her aunt. "Rightfully so, now that Amas has presumably taken over our Hive." Her voice conveyed the anger she felt at this, a simple Changeling drone besting her family and stealing the throne.

"Then we must go to them and inform them of this." Thysanura's pacing became brisk as she thought deeply.

"Yes, but how will we get out of this cavern?" Ruby asked, gesturing at their surroundings. "And even if we did, how would we get to Canterlot with you, sister? Perhaps you should stay here."

Thysanura turned with a smirk on her face and a bright glint in her eyes. "But I have a plan. I know every secret of these caverns. And that is just part of the fun! Now, listen to me."

"Brilliant idea, Thysa," Ruby said lightheartedly, brushing dust off her chitin as they walked. "I don't know what we'd do without you!"

The former queen had come up with this brilliant plan, which Ruby and Emerald had helped sharpen and perfect. First, they combined their magic to disable the door's magic gems with an old, incredibly powerful spell that only Thysanura knew – "They underestimated us," she'd said with a scoff, once they had exited the cavern. "That was hilariously easy." Then came a surprise: apparently, Amas had sent two enchanted Changeling drones to guard the prisoners outside the door. The three royals had been more than happy to knock out both of them and throw the guards into the cave. After feeding some of her magic into the jewels to lock the door, Thysanura was now leading Ruby and Emerald through the labyrinth of tunnels.

When they reached the exit to the tunnels, Emerald put a hoof on her mother's shoulder. "Wait."

"What is it, Emerald?" Thysanura asked, turning to face her daughter. To her surprise, tears were glistening in Emerald's eyes.

Emerald smiled. "I am proud of you, Mother. You chose to end the war instead of continuing the pointless battle. I forgive you for everything you did. Thank you." She hugged Thysanura tightly, and after a moment of surprise, the former queen smiled and embraced her daughter back.

You will always be my pride.

"Now comes the fun part!" Thysanura cheered as they emerged above ground, into the fresh air. Well, it was as fresh as the air in the Wastelands can be. ". . . Teleportation!"

Her horn lit up. "Onward to Canterlot, Equestria!"

With a cheerful POP! and a happy POOF! and a flash of green magic, they were gone.

Author's Note

Aren't surprises so surprising? :heart:

I just had a random burst of inspiration with this chapter; that's how I got it finished one day after the last one. Yay for quickly finished chapters! :twilightblush:

13. Dreams And Memories

"Wow."

Chrysalis voiced everyone's thoughts in one word as they gazed up in wonder at the sparkling, silver-dotted splendor of the night sky. Celestia, Luna, Lavender, and the Changeling sisters were standing on Canterlot Castle's grand rooftop terrace shortly after sunset. The sky was truly exquisite tonight, courtesy of the Princess of the Night. The beauty of the deep, jewel-blue color mixed with the orangey-pink hues of the fading sunset and speckled with millions of twinkling stars was unrivaled by anything else.

Now Peridot knew why it was called the Starlight Terrace. It was a sight to remember for eternity. Would the night sky ever be as clear again?

How wonderful would it be to have the ability to move the moon and scatter the stars across the sky? Jade thought, drinking in the divinity of every precious moment. She glanced over at Princess Luna, smiling at the alicorn's expression of pure freedom and lighthearted joy. We owe it all to her. Here, closest to the sky, she is completely free of kingdoms, politics, and royal duties. I wish I had a place like this, where I could be myself and be truly free.

As if reading Jade's thoughts, Luna looked over at the eldest Changeling princess and smiled softly, before turning away to stare back up at the sky.

They all went to bed just before midnight, yawning and stumbling on their hooves as they slowly walked through the castle and back to their rooms. It had been a long day, and all they wanted was to rest in deep, peaceful slumber.

Snoring emanated from the two limp forms laid over Jade's back: Peridot and Chrysalis, who had both fallen asleep a little before they left the Starlight Terrace. They weren't exactly feather-light, but they weren't that heavy, either. Jade made her steps light and deliberate, careful not to disturb the sleepers on her back.

She pushed open the door to their guest suite and walked inside, lighting a single oil lamp with a flick of her horn. In addition to the cloud bed that was already there, an extra one had been brought into the bedroom after Jade's sudden appearance at the alicorns' castle. She levitated Peridot off her back and onto the first cloud, and then Chrysalis was laid on the next. Soft feather comforters, floating in Jade's magic, covered their slumbering bodies with gentle warmth.

Once her sisters were tucked in nicely, Jade yawned wide and finally allowed herself to snuggle into the big four-poster bed. She pulled the rich comforter up to her chin, blew out the flame burning in the lamp, and fell into the welcoming, blissful state of unconsciousness.

Dreams came to her immediately.

She was running.

She didn't know what she was running from, but whatever it was, she knew that she couldn't let it catch up with her. It was something dangerous and unwanted. A menace, an enemy. And it was getting closer and closer by the split second.

Jade's lungs burned, and her legs ached, but she kept galloping. At some point, she realized that she was running through the familiar hallways of the Hive. Home. Wait . . . how had she gotten back here? She had been in Canterlot!

But there was no more time to dwell on that. She skidded to a halt at an intersection in the hallway, a fork that she was sure she had never seen in the Hive before. Three separate corridors branched from this one. Magic green letters floated in the air at the beginning of each one. The hallway on the left was marked FREEDOM, the one in the middle was LOVE, and hanging in the passage to her right was FORTITUDE.

Jade had never been more puzzled. Well, that wasn't exactly true. There was that time when . . . never mind. It wasn't important now. What was really vital at that moment was that her pursuer was gaining on her and would reach her in a matter of seconds.

She looked down each corridor, not really knowing what to expect. But there was an image in each one. A vision of the future where she chose one of these hallways?

The FREEDOM passage, the one on her left, was filled with the picture of a beautiful sunset sky, where the first bright stars were starting to appear. Orange-and-pink-tinged clouds streaked the glowing sky like the strokes of a paintbrush. It was Jade's own personal paradise, a world where she could be free.

She took a step toward it, but something made her pause and look at the others. Tears sprang to her eyes when she caught sight of the mirage in the corridor called LOVE. Chrysalis, Peridot, Emerald, even Celestia, Luna, and Lavender, were here, laughing and talking together on a glorious spring day. They looked so happy, so content. Her loved ones were together in this place. Jade longed to join them, but she took a moment to stare down the last hallway.

FORTITUDE was different. Instead of a tempting illusion like the others, this hall had nothing in it. Just a swirl of thick gray mist. Like that future was yet to be determined. But it was Fortitude, wasn't it? Courage to face what happens next.

Hoofbeats pounded on the floor behind her. She was running out of time.

Panic raged inside Jade's mind. She tried to take a step forward, as if thinking that her hooves would guide her by themselves, but she couldn't move. Looking down, she cried out as she saw her hooves – they were made of stone! And that wasn't all. The pale gray color was spreading, freezing her legs in place.

She was stuck.

Jade looked back down the hallway behind her. A long shadow was approaching quickly, a shifting shape on the walls and floor. Huge wings, a long-fanged snout, a spiked tail, spear-sharp claws . . . A dragon?

The frightening creature had silver claws and horns, a set of wings that left a trail of shadows behind them, and shining scales of darkest night. Dark, glittering purple flames flickered around its snout, but that wasn't what really scared Jade. It was the brilliant violet eyes of the she-dragon, narrowed in rage.

She-dragon. Somehow, Jade knew that it was female. That didn't make her any less scared, however. And those eyes . . . she had seen that amethyst gaze before.

"Nidra?" But that didn't seem like the Queen Nidra that Jade knew as a friend.

In response, the Queen of all Night Dragons opened her mouth wide to reveal gleaming fangs. Burning fire glowed in her throat. In less than a split second, the flames shot out of the dragon's mouth, heading straight for Jade. She tried to duck or run, but part of her was still frozen in stone. She could feel the crackling heat getting closer . . . and closer . . . and closer . . . Bracing herself, she squeezed her eyes shut prepared for the worst.

But it never came.

When she didn't feel fire, Jade risked cracking open her eyes. A transparent shield of blue magic had formed around her. The blast of sparkling dragonfire hit the barrier and eddied harmlessly around it, curling into dark gray smoke that dissolved in the air.

The manifestation of Nidra, the queen dragon, hissed and opened her mouth to try again. But this time, something else stopped her. A voice.

"That is enough."

A bright flash bathed the hallway in a moon-white light. Nearly blinded, Jade squinted against the illumination, just in time to see the Dragon of Shadows blown away by the light like weightless black smoke. The light started to fade so that she could make out the familiar form of a dark blue alicorn.

"Princess Luna!" she cried in relief – and also a little bit of confusion. "What are you doing here?"

The princess gave a small nod and lit up her horn. The background of the Hive vanished to make way for a pale blue landscape glowing with the light of a million stars. Jade, standing next to Luna on a not-so-solid-looking path of stars, instantly felt a sense of calm. Nothing bad could happen here.

"Where are we?" Jade's question echoed through the apparently endless starscape.

"Why, the dreamscape, of course," Luna said proudly, gesturing around them with a silver-clad hoof. "The place where all dreams are created. My place. I think you would understand that more than anypony or anyone, Princess Jade, wouldn't you?"

"Y-Yes, I would and I do," Jade answered, slightly startled.

Noticing the other princess's surprise, Luna smiled with a knowing twinkle in her blue eyes. "It would be unbecoming for the Princess of Dreams to be unaware of a dream so free like yours," she said softly.

"The dream – was that your doing?"

"No, not at all." Luna's magic glowed to rearrange several bright stars into the shape of a dragon. "The Night Dragon in your dream – Queen Nidra Nightwing. How do you know her? Are you old acquaintances?"

"Can I answer you when I'm awake?" was Jade's reply.

Luna looked a little bewildered, but she nodded quickly. "Of course. Sleep well, Princess Jade."

The dreamscape started to disappear, wiped away by a wave of soothing blackness. And then Jade felt herself fall into a deeper sleep. This time, no dreams or nightmares disturbed her peaceful slumber. Nothing disrupted her, until a loud voice cut into her consciousness and broke the gentle euphoria.

"Jade! Jade, wake up!" Someone had grabbed her by the shoulders and was shaking her, much to her annoyance.

"What! Stop that." Jade groggily opened her eyes and peered up at her sisters, who were standing next to her bed with tired expressions and frizzy manes. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with her hooves. My dream. Was any of it real? Was Princess Luna really there? "What's going on?"

"Princess Luna has called an emergency meeting with us on the Starlight Terrace, right now," Peridot reported, attempting to smooth down her mussed hair. "It must be something important for her to wake us this early."

How early? Jade glanced out the large window, where the curtains had been drawn back to let the dim light stream into the room. Just a sliver of Celestia's sun had risen over the horizon, three-quarters of the sky were still dark, and stars still glittered against the dark blue backdrop. Sweet Flutterheart, it was barely dawn!

But the dream . . . it was real. Luna wants to hear my story about Nidra.

"Okay, I think I know what this is all about," Jade said, forcing herself to slide out of the warm, comfortable bed and leave the soft luxury behind. "Just brush your teeth, wash your faces, and give your manes and tails a quick brush. I'm going to kill her for getting us up at this time of day just out of impatience," she grumbled, mostly to herself. It didn't go unnoticed by her sisters, however, and they exchanged amused looks.

Twenty minutes later, the three sisters finally reached the Starlight Terrace. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were standing next to each other at the edge, gazing at the sun as Celestia raised it with her powerful alicorn magic. Jade was awed by this spectacular sight and the display of magical prowess.

Upon hearing their approach, Luna turned and smiled, with an extra wink for Jade. "Good morning, my new friends," she greeted them in a bright, chipper voice. "I believe Jade here has a memory to share with us . . ."

Fourteen years ago, at the Changeling Hive . . .

I sullenly followed my mother through the twisting halls of the Hive, which I called home. "Motheeerrrr," I whined softly, kicking at an uneven bump in the hall runner. "Why do I have to attend this summit? Emerald gets to skip it, and you know I hate being around strangers."

Queen Thysanura looked down at me with a frown. "Stop complaining, Jade," she said sharply, and I winced, stung. Her tone of voice softened a tiny bit, almost unnoticeably. "I've already explained this to you. Emerald is too young to attend the Grand Summit of all lands, and besides, it's good experience for a future queen like you. Come, let's hurry to make it in time. I don't want to miss meeting any of our . . . interesting guests."

She means potential enemies, I thought as we continued on to the Hive's grand summit chamber. I knew my mother well enough, almost as well as she knew herself. She had no idea that I knew this, and I wanted to keep it that way. I had seen what she could do.

Two of our most loyal Changeling drones stood guard on either side of the doors to the summit chamber, each of them holding a very pointy spear. I eyed the weapons as Mother and I stepped through the doors that the guards had opened for us. Those spears were not the least bit ordinary, despite their looks. Made of both magically and physically unbreakable black diamond, the spears had long shafts carved with enchantment runes and fang-sharp points tipped with poison that could kill any known creature in existence at first touch.

It comforted me to know that the Hive was so well guarded, but it also made me wary of dangerous accidents or – worse – sudden betrayal.

The Grand Summit Chamber was a huge, round room with dark blue walls and the ceiling mural of Luna's deep midnight sky sparkling with stars. The floor was made of cold, flawless white marble, and chandeliers of enchanted glowing crystals hung from the ceiling. Lit candles were also held in crystal sconces mounted on the walls, where silvery-gray silk draperies hung as well. Round tables covered with lace-edged white tablecloths were sprinkled throughout the room, with seven chairs at each one. Glasses of chilled water and a centerpiece of glowing crystal flowers occupied every table.

Most of the guests didn't know it, but a heavy amount of carefully constructed enchantments had been cast on this room for security purposes. I had read the sheaf of papers on Mother's desk and studiously memorized the list of spells by heart.

My mother and I stood close to the open doors, waiting for everyone to get here. The first foreign delegation to arrive was the draconequus one.

This was the very first time I'd ever seen a draconequus. I had to admit, seeing their jumble of different, mixed body parts gave me quite a fright. I didn't exactly scream, but I let out a strangled sort of yelp and instantly hid behind Mother's legs. The draconequus royal family, Queen Pandora and King Illusion, thought that I was so cute. At least they didn't try to scare me any more than they'd already did. Unintentionally, of course. Overall, they seemed like pretty decent someones. Well . . . except for the fact that their son, Prince Discord, acted a little . . . chaotic.

"It's a pleasure to have you here, Queen Pandora and King Illusion," Mother said, her eyes carrying an icy glint in their dark green depths as she gave a small, curt bow. "I look forward to conversing about old times."

If the draconequus royals noticed Thysanura's regular chilly tone and aura, they didn't show it.

Queen Pandora smiled. It was a friendly, sincere smile, not at all like one of Mother's frosty, fanged smirks. "Yes, thank you, Queen Thysanura, and so do we," she said with a courteous dip of her head before she and King Illusion walked away from us.

The next deputations included the centaurs and gargoyles, the Crystal Empress, and the Equestrian princesses, Celestia and Luna. The one after those was my favorite.

"Welcome to my Hive, Princess Fluffle Puff," my mother said in her usual cold voice. How could she be so serious right now? How?! "I am eager to meet your rather . . . interesting subjects."

Princess Fluffle Puff, who was apparently the ruler of this race called Fluffy Ponies. They were covered in dense layers of colored fluff from head to tail! Their princess was no different. Fluffle Puff was swathed in ridiculously pink fluff. From what I could see around her outrageously thick coat of fur, she wore a crown, a torc, and horseshoes. Her royal regalia was golden and set with small pink crystal hearts.

But what was really interesting and funny about Princess Fluffle Puff was that she would only speak in . . . "Fluffy Language", as I called it. Her response to Mother's greeting was this: "Pfft, pfffbt, pffft pffbt, pffft pfft pffffbt, pfffft."

It was hilarious! I clamped my hooves over my muzzle to keep from laughing out loud, but I was shaking from the effort and my barely contained laughter. Fluffle Puff and the rest of the Fluffy Ponies passed by without seeming to notice my convulsive giggles.

Next came the dragons. I couldn't help shrinking away a little as Queen Eclipse Nightwing of the Night Dragons loomed over me and even Mother. Her daughter, a shy-looking Night Dragon princess, was much smaller and younger than her mother, who looked practically ancient. I noticed that while Eclipse was decorated with several strands of jewels and a gem-encrusted crown on her head, the princess wore only a tiny crown of diamonds and amethysts. Aside from that, her body was bare of any jewelry.

"I am honored to see you here, Queen Eclipse," Mother said. For some reason, she did not mention the dragon princess.

"Yes, thank you." Eclipse's voice was cold and calculating, just like my mother's. I thought that they would have been good friends because of their personalities.

Suddenly, the queen's daughter bounded forward and extended her sharp talon to me. "Hi, I'm Nidra!" she said cheerfully. "What's your name, Princess?"

"M-My name is J-J-Jade," I stuttered, still a little frightened of her. I reached out a trembling hoof to shake her claw. "It – it's nice to meet you, P-Princess Nidra."

"You, too!" Nidra was so bright and sunny – a good quality, but not for a future dragon queen. "So, what do you want to do together?" she asked me, the young eagerness clear in her amethyst-colored eyes.

I remained quiet for a long moment, quite confused. She wanted to play with me? No one but Emerald had ever wanted to give me their time of day.

When I didn't respond right away, Nidra's wings drooped sadly. "Oh . . . okay," she mumbled in disappointment. "I – I'll just, um, leave you be, then . . ." She started to follow after Queen Eclipse, who was walking away from us.

"No, wait!" I called after her, finding my voice again. She turned, her expression hopeful. "Um . . . what do you want to do, Nidra?"

Her whole face lit up in excitement and happiness. "Oh! Oh! Can you show me around the Hive, Jade?" she asked with shining eyes and a big smile. She then turned to our mothers. "Pretty, pretty please, Mom?"

I looked back at Mother and Eclipse. The queen dragon sighed and nodded. My mother rolled her eyes and gave her own permission as well. "You may go." Her voice was exasperated.

"YES!" Nidra cheered.

"Let's go!"

Author's Note

And that is how Jade made friends with the dragon princess! Also, don't you just love fluffy Princess Fluffle Puffs?

This chapter is longer than I intended to make it. Now you know what happens when I suddenly find lots of inspiration.

Don't worry, Princess Nidra will play a far more important part in this story than you think . . .

14. Reunions

Just after sunrise that day, the former Changeling royalty reached the capital city of Equestria.

Thysanura, Ruby, and Emerald popped into existence in front of Canterlot Castle and shook green glitter from their coats – "I'm not sorry about that," the former queen said smugly, contrary to apologies. "The glitter I added backfired on us. It is fun, though."

Suddenly noticing exactly where they were, Emerald facehoofed. "Mother! You didn't!" she cried out. "Do you know where we are? Why did you have to choose here, of all places, to just appear?"

Unaware of this mysterious and dangerous issue, Thysanura shook her head. "We're at Canterlot Castle, just like you asked," she said in complete bewilderment. "Isn't that what both of you wanted?" She turned to her sister for help.

Laughing would probably not have been appropriate in their situation. "Sister, you don't understand," Ruby responded, trying and utterly failing to squash her amused smirk. "We are at Canterlot Castle, the residence of the Royal Alicorn Sisters, right out in the open, where everypony can see us. Does that not trouble you one bit?"

"HEY!"

The shouts and hoofbeats of several heavily armed guards began to approach them quickly, much to Emerald's and Ruby's alarm and horror. Eyes wide, they whipped back to Thysanura.

"Oh," the old queen said, a little belatedly. "I get it now. So . . . RUN!"

And run they did. Emerald and Ruby shot forward like their wings were on fire. Thysanura was remarkably fast, too, especially for her old age. But while the others flew, zipping around trees and walls and the like, she was bound to the ground because of her tattered wings, forced to teleport around.

"Now permanent coat glitter is the least of our worries," Emerald muttered.

Speed was on their side, but time was not. Even so, they managed to get pretty far before they were enveloped in a shimmering orange forcefield. Of course! Thysanura silently cursed herself for mindlessly running away. The unicorn guards had magic.

But then again, so did the Changelings.

"Blast! And I mean it quite literally!" Ruby called loudly to her sister and niece. She started to fire her magic at the shield, focusing the bright green beam on one area of the barrier.

"Mother, this is what happens when you refuse to heed our simple directions! Did you even hear us say them?" Emerald grumbled to Thysanura. She combined her magic with her aunt's, blazing a powerful ray of pure energy at the same spot. A short moment later, Thysanura joined them.

"Well, of course I did," the eldest Changeling huffed back, struggling to keep her magic under control. "Maybe . . . I was a little . . . distracted . . . at the time. But I heard you . . . perhaps." She grunted as three other unicorns added their layers of magic to the shield. Purple and red and blue sparkled over the orange that was already there, reinforcing it.

"You could have tried to listen better," Emerald retorted, though not very angrily, and left the rest of the argument for later. This was a chance to practice her magic, and who would say no to that? But it was also a dire situation where someone could get hurt.

One guard had already run from the scene to call for backup. It wouldn't be long before Thysanura, Emerald, and Ruby were outnumbered and forced to surrender or to fight until they fell.

They didn't see it coming.

The four unicorns who were keeping up the shields nodded to each other in a silent message and pressed down on their barriers. The quadruple-layered, bubble-shaped forcefield started to shrink down, faster than lightning, with the velocity and mass of magically high numbers. They'll be squashed like the hideous bugs they are, one particularly rude and careless guard thought to himself.

Noticing that something was amiss, Ruby looked up, and her pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. "LOOK OUT!" she screeched in alarm, but it was too late.

The shield smashed down on the three Changelings, four waves of intensely focused unicorn magic crashing into them. The royals' magic blinked out, and their minds flickered in and out of consciousness. Emerald heard one question before she succumbed to the rising darkness in her vision and passed out completely:

"Captain, should we execute them immediately or leave them for the Princesses to deal with?"

She didn't know which option would be the preferable one.

Ruby woke up to the sound of hoofsteps falling on a stone floor. The noise was close to her, perhaps a few feet away, though it could have been much farther. Her head hurt like crazy, probably due to the amount of magic that had been forced upon her, Emerald, and Thysanura.

She opened her eyes and struggled to sit up as a twinge of pain stung her tired muscles. The three of them were in a small, bland room filled with plain, steel-gray stone: stone floor, stone walls, and stone sleeping ledges on the walls. The one thing here that wasn't stone was the iron bars bolted across the entrance. With a locked door, of course.

A dungeon cell.

Thysanura was sitting on one of the carved rock ledges, looking glum and completely defeated. Emerald was the one who was pacing, each hoof coming down hard on the floor as she walked briskly back and forth in the cramped space.

It took Ruby a moment to notice that each of them had been fitted with an etched silver neck brace – enchanted collars that prevented them from using their magic for as long as they were wearing them. The shackles were working double duty: thick metal chains connected them to bolts on the wall.

Seeing that her aunt was now awake, Emerald raised a hoof as Ruby opened her mouth to speak. "Don't bother. There's no way out," she said bluntly. "We very obviously can't use our magic, and these bars are enchanted. We're not strong enough to break them or the chains."

"That's not what I was going to say," Ruby sniffed, slightly offended at this challenge to her intelligence. She lifted a hoof and started to reach up . . . into her mane? . . . until a new voice spoke and stopped her. It sounded rich, regal, and every bit like a princess.

"Captain Winter Wing, where did you say you found these Changelings?"

"Celestia," Thysanura hissed quietly. The others turned to her, startled by her sudden word. Emerald started to ask a question, but a shake of her mother's head silenced her.

Two ponies walked into view in the narrow hallway outside their cell: a white, rainbow-maned alicorn and a blue-coated, full-armored pegasus with an indigo-and-blue mane. "These three were found on the north side of the castle, Princess," the pegasus mare said, hefting a long silver spear she held with her hoof as they stopped in front of the Changelings' dungeon room. "They must have teleported there, because my guards spotted them appearing in a burst of green light."

And glitter, Emerald thought silently, brushing at her coat, where a few of the offending sparkles remained.

Princess Celestia and the pegasus who was apparently Captain Winter Wing turned to the half-complete family of Changeling royals. Without a word, Emerald, Ruby, and Thysanura got up to stand in a straight row, facing the ponies with cold, blank stares.

After a glance at her companion, it was Celestia who spoke first. "What are your names and ranks, Changelings?" she asked. It was a very straightforward question, and the pony princess's voice was not filled with malice or anger, but simple determination. Ruby tasted a hint of empathy, too, though not much to her surprise. My nieces must have told them about us already.

"We owe you no answer, Princess," Thysanura growled with an ice-cold hatred that no one had ever felt before. Her kin stared at her in surprise before Ruby nudged her sister in the side, earning an angry hiss that made her draw back, confused.

While the sisters frowned back and forth at each other, Emerald glanced at Celestia and was startled to see a spark of recognition . . . and sadness . . . in the famed Sun Alicorn's eyes. Say something before she gets the wrong impression of you! "Um . . . I am Princess Emerald, that is my aunt Princess Ruby, and that one over there is my mother . . ."

". . . Queen Thysanura," Princess Celestia finished with a small nod. "I know."

To her slight frustration, Emerald's curiosity got the best of her once again. "How do you know my mother?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. "Were you friends? Old acquaintances?"

Celestia's lips curved up in a tiny smile at the younger princesses's eager interest, but as soon as it had appeared, it vanished like sunshine on a rainy day. "You could say that, yes," she sighed, with a notable tinge of sadness. "Thysa . . . Queen Thysanura . . . well, I'd best tell you later, Princess Emerald."

It wasn't really the answer Emerald wanted, but she nodded. "Of course. I understand," she said, trying not to sound incredibly disappointed. She wanted to know how there was a connection between her mother and the alicorn princess.

"You don't understand everything, Emerald." Thysanura stepped up to the metal bars, her muzzle inches away from Celestia's as she glared angrily. "How are you doing with your new student, Celestia?" she spat. "I bet she's so much better than me. I hope you're happy without me, Princess! Because I am never going back!"

Emerald and Ruby froze, stunned. Why was Thysanura acting so strange and cold all of a sudden?

Celestia's ears folded back. "I-I'm sorry, Thysa!" she cried. Tears were gathering in the corners of her purple eyes. "I-I didn't know! Thysa, I –"

"Don't call me that!" Thysanura shouted. She thrust her head close to the alicorn's, so close that Celestia swore she could see the flames dancing in the Changeling queen's eyes. "I am not your pet pupil anymore. I am not a weak filly. Don't you get it, Celestia?! I am not your Thysa!"

The Diarch of the Sun forced herself to look her former student in the eyes. "Whatever else you might say," she whispered in a tearful, trembling voice, "you will always be my little princess."

The fire faded, and Thysanura turned away with tears welling up in her eyes. "Then why did you let me go, Celestia?" she murmured softly. "Why did you let them take me away? You promised me. You told me, I will always be here if you need me, Thysa. And then you broke that promise. Why?"

Her words hung in the air like a lingering echo. Celestia flinched, as if Thysanura had struck her across the face. Unable to meet the queen's gaze, she dropped her head, tears splattering on the stone floor.

Captain Winter Wing looked at her ruler, then Thysanura, and then her gaze flitted back to Celestia. "Princess?" she said politely, clearing her throat quietly.

Celestia's head shot up. She quickly wiped away her tears. "Ah, yes. Thank you, Captain. Why are you here?" she asked, addressing the "visiting" Changelings. Her brow furrowed. "To officially declare war like Princess Chrysalislis and Princess Peridot have warned us?"

"What? No!" Ruby exclaimed. Her wings buzzed, like she was agitated, and she glanced at her sister, slumped in the back of their cell. When Thysanura said nothing, the scarlet-maned princess continued. "You did not hear this yet, but the war is off. We're done with it. We came hear to tell you that. Nothing more."

"Where are Chrysalis, Jade, Peridot?" Emerald asked. "I want to see them."

The Day Alicorn seemed unaware of Emerald's question. Instead, she stared at Ruby with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Why should I believe you?" she said flatly, regaining most of her composure.

"You don't have to," Ruby answered simply. "But you should. You have no reason to believe us, and yet we have no reason to trust you, either." She turned away from Celestia with an offhoofed shrug, but Emerald could detect the hints and flashes of anger in her aunt's eyes.

"I want to see my sisters," Emerald repeated firmly. "Why aren't they with you right now? Don't they know that we are here, Celestia?"

Hesitation flared in Celestia's gaze. "They are . . . occupied at the moment," she said. "But don't worry, my sister Luna is watching over them. No one in the castle will hurt them."

"You mean like how my daughters were poisoned?" Thysanura stalked up to Celestia, her face still wet with angry teardrops. Her eyes narrowed in the furious glare of a worried mother. "By your own nephew, no less, right under your nose, in your High and Mighty Castle! That despicable, miserable stallion you call a Duke!"

"You . . . you know about that?" Celestia asked, startled. "Nopony told your Hive about it! I –"

"You are a blind, careless, self-conceited pony!" the former queen shouted at her. "Did you ever stop to think about the lives of those you fought against to defend your precious Equestria? Do you even know or care about the dark path your sister is about to take? No?! Then let us go, because YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT OUR FATE AT ALL!"

Princess Celestia was completely silent, her ears laid flat against her flowing mane. She had no good comeback, nothing to defend herself against those accusations . . . because all of those were true.

Watching the pathetic princess only made Thysanura's anger grow. "When you banished all those enemies of Equestria," she hissed in a suddenly soft, icy voice, "you did not give one thought about what would happen to them and the ones that they loved. You never wondered why they did all those things. You only thought about the welfare of your subjects. If I am right, and you never saw things the way they did, then you don't deserve to rule at all, because a true princess must know compassion.

"YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED ALL THOSE DEATHS, CELESTIA!" Queen Thysanura screeched. "It's your fault that Equestria has any enemies at all!

"But I won't be like you." Her words fell from her like flower petals in the rain. "I will give you a second chance, and tell you what we came here for. A warning of battle."

Her eyes flashed green. "Because I am not the one you should fear."

Prologue: Hatching

"What does Mother want now?" Peridot grumbled to Jade and Emerald as they walked to the royal Changeling Hive nursery. Their hoofsteps tapped on the polished corridor floor.

"It's obviously a hatching," said Jade, who was fluttering her wings to hover above the others. "But why would Mother want us to attend an ordinary hatching? She normally doesn't even attend them herself."

"Unless. . ." Emerald's wings buzzed excitedly. "Unless it's a royal hatching!" she exclaimed. "What if we're going to have a little sister?"

"Bah. Little sisters." Princess Jade, the oldest of the Changeling princesses, rolled her eyes. "Why would we need another? There are three of us already. And I'm the eldest, which means I'm the most likely to win when we fight each other to the death after Mother dies."

"If she ever dies," Peridot, the youngest of the three, muttered. "Anyway, let's just hurry up so we can get this over with."

When the three princesses entered the Hive nursery, their mother, Queen Thysanura of the Changelings, was already there. "Good, you're finally here," the queen said without looking up. "You're just in time to see your newest sister hatch." She pointed at a large green egg with a shimmery shine to it and a crack down the middle.

Emerald raised her eyebrow at Jade and Peridot. I told you so! she thought triumphantly, turning to the egg.

The green Changeling egg rocked back and forth, its smooth surface becoming webbed with cracks. While Emerald leaned forward with interest, Peridot and Queen Thysanura watched idly, and Jade hovered above them carelessly. Suddenly, the egg shattered, revealing a tiny Changeling inside.

"She's beautiful," breathed Emerald. She used her magic to levitate the last bits of eggshell off the newborn princess. Welcome to the world, my precious sister.

The young Changeling squeaked, unfurling her transparent, aqua-blue, insect-like wings. Her horn was short but crooked and still sharp. Her shining green eyes were large and innocent, and her blue mane was still damp. Emerald tenderly picked her up and set her sister on her back. "What are you going to name her, Mother?" she asked, glancing at Queen Thysanura.

"Chrysalis," the queen decided. "She will be Princess Chrysalis. Emerald, since you're so obsessed with her, you will take your sister to your room and she will sleep there."

"Gladly, Mother." Emerald bowed to Queen Thysanura and watched as her family left the nursery. When they were all gone, leaving Emerald and little Chrysalis alone, the older Changeling princess turned back to the remains of her sister's egg. Her horn glowed green, surrounding the largest piece of eggshell with a magical aura. I'll keep this for sentimentality's sake. I don't care what you'll say about that, Mother.

"Come on, Chrysa," Emerald said to her new little sister. "Let's go and meet the world."

Author's Note

This story is my favorite out of the ones I've written. Hope you like it, and please comment! :twilightsmile:

6. Warning - Part 2

The shocked silence that followed Peridot's question was shattered by the stunned voice of the Princess of the Night: "I think I would if you could give us a reasonable explanation, Silver Feather and Golden Diamond."

Celestia leaned forward with interest and a small frown. "How, pray tell, do you know this, my little ponies? Knowledge of the Changelings is old and outdated, not to mention the fact that very few ponies have ever heard of the race." Her long horn lit up with a warm golden glow, which wrapped around her teacup and brought it to her lips.

Another long silence.

"Princesses, do you trust us?" Chrysalis asked at last. Her eyes darted to Peridot, who froze up. Her little sister's eyes were filled with self-doubt, mirroring Peridot's own feelings.

Luna studied them. "A peculiar question. Perhaps my sister would allow me to answer it." When Celestia answered with a small nod and a quelling look, she said, "Silver Feather, Golden Diamond, I think it is fair to say that Celestia and I will trust anypony in Equestria who bears no ill intention."

"Well said, sister," Celestia added, still looking curiously at the two near-strangers. "Do we have a reason to distrust you, my little ponies? I sincerely hope not."

Peridot swallowed nervously. Chrysalis seemed paralyzed, unable to speak (nerves, she guessed), so Peridot had to say it. "I hope you do not – no, will not – distrust us when I say this," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Your Highnesses, allow me to introduce ourselves truthfully: I am Princess Peridot of the Changelings of the Wastelands, and this is my younger sister, Princess Chrysalis."

Long silence, longer silence, even longer silence. Why was everything filled with silences?

The clear shock on the two pony princesses' faces lingered.

This time, it was Celestia who broke the quiet into a million pieces. "If you really are Changeling princesses, why do you look like my little ponies?" she asked, tilting her head. Her violet eyes were . . . suspicious? No. More like a blend of suspicion and curiosity. Peridot suspected that Celestia already knew the answer to her own question.

Chrysalis's head tilted in turn. "I would have thought you'd figured that out by know, Princess Celestia," she said with a smile. Her fangs glinted – something that had not been revealed to the ponies before. "We are called Changelings for a reason, Your Highness."

That was the unseen cue. Emerald flame encircled the two Changelings, ripping their disguises away. Their pony-furred coats turned black as a starless midnight sky. Peridot's pegasus wings shed their feathers, revealing holey, insect-like, translucent blue wings. Chrysalis's unicorn horn turned long and crooked and sharp. Their hooves filled with holes, their legs growing longer. Their manes turned long, hole-riddled, ragged, and teal, Peridot's hair a bit greener than Chrysalis's. White fangs gleamed in their mouths. Their eyes turned bluish-green and slit-pupiled.

Celestia and Luna watched this stunning transformation with wide, disbelieving eyes. Neither of them made a move to attack the two fully changed Changeling princesses now standing in front of them.

"Well," Peridot said, smiling anxiously. "Do you need more proof that we are, in fact, Princesses of the Changeling Hive and Wastelands?"

It was proof enough. They didn't need any more of it.

While her sisters were in Canterlot with the pony princesses, Jade was stuck in her room back in the Hive. She was stretched out lazily on her bed, trying to think of ways to conceal Peridot's and Chrysalis's mysterious disappearances for as long as possible. Unsurprisingly, her mother was excellent at sniffing out lies. It had to be good and reasonable.

Suddenly, Jade thought of Emerald and felt guilty for not being more worried. What if Emerald was injured somewhere and unable to call for help? Had Queen Thysanura done something to her? Panicked, Jade leaped off her bed and threw open her door. I have to go look for her! Oh, where is Emerald when you really, really, really need her? Mother's probably in the War Room, though. I will ask her first.

Jade skidded to a halt at the War Room door, panting and gasping for breath. Was this really a good idea? Barging into the room to demand of her mother where Emerald was? Shaking off her doubts, Jade pushed the door open and stumbled inside.

Queen Thysanura was standing at the long, low table with Commander Amas, going over the battle plans.

Jade stormed up to her mother and fixed Amas with a steely, well-practiced glare. "Commander, you are dismissed," she said, turning back to the queen. "I must speak to my mother in private."

"Yes, my princess." Commander Amas bowed to his royalty and flew off without protest, not wanting to risk feeling the angry wrath of his princess.

Once the commander was gone, Queen Thysanura glared at her daughter. "What is the meaning of this, Jade? First your sisters disappear without a trace, then you march in here to interrupt my war planning. Do you know where Peridot and Chrysalis have gone off to?"

"I believe they have gone to dig for rare gems and crystals, Mother." Jade lied and fought to keep her voice icy and even, an illusion of calmness and composure, and lifted her chin. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. Where is Emerald, Mother?"

There was a long pause. The queen looked down her nose at her daughter. "How would I know? Emerald is always going off on her own, isn't she, Jade?" It was not an interrogative statement at all.

"No, Mother, she isn't. You should know your daughters better than that," Jade said with narrowed eyes. Emerald would never, ever leave her sisters without telling them first. Mother does know us better than that. She's faking it. She did something to Emerald. "Where is she? What did you do to her? Tell me, Mother. Now."

Queen Thysanura raised a perfectly polished hoof and studied it. "Oh, fine, if you want to know, I turned Emerald into a dragon." She said it almost casually, turning her hoof this way and that to examine it closely.

"What? You did what?" Jade shouted at her mother. "Why would you do that?! She's your daughter! Where? Where is she now!"

"You won't be able to find out soon enough, dear Jade." The Changeling queen's horn began to glow ominously, preparing to cast a spell.

Instantly, Jade threw up a magical green forcefield in front of herself, a split second before her mother's spell slammed into it and was deflected, burning a hole in the wall. The shield flickered but held. Jade recognized it as an immensely powerful banishment spell. Banishment to where? she wondered. Somewhere awful, no doubt.

A few Changeling drones peeked into the room, but they quickly scurried away under the queen's hot, angry glare.

"Why would you do that to your own daughters?" Jade screamed, trying to keep her forcefield at full strength while running through her mental list of attack and defense spells. "Don't you care at all?"

"I care about the well-being of my Hive!" Queen Thysanura snapped back at her, horn flashing.

Stone spell! Jade struggled to pour more energy into her barrier. When the queen's ray of magic hit it, gray spread rapidly across the swirling, transparent green shield, turning it to stone in a matter of seconds. After just a moment, the smooth gray stone cracked, letting iridescent green light filter through. A surge of magic rippled through Jade's forcefield, and the stone covering shattered, spilling pieces of rock everywhere.

"You don't care about your subjects!" Jade yelled. With a flare of magic, her barrier expanded, slamming her mother into a wall with a wave of green energy. Thysanura hit the wall with so much force that it cracked. "If you did, you wouldn't be sending them into this pointless war of yours!"

Queen Thysanura stood up and brushed the chips of stone from her coat. Jade faced her, ears flat against her mane, horn lit up. She was panting from the effort of keeping her shield intact and strong.

But what really astonished the queen was that the corners of Jade's eyes sparkled with tears.

Thysanura's heart softened. She lowered her head and cast another spell.

Thick green mist billowed from the tip of the Changeling queen's horn. Before Jade could react, the mist reached her, and she fell immediately into a deep, dreamless, painless sleep. Queen Thysanura allowed herself a tiny smile and levitated her daughter onto her back.

But before she left the War Room with Jade, Thysanura paused to wipe away the tears that had gathered in her once cold, unfeeling green eyes.

"Why don't you two sit down and explain," Princess Celestia said slowly. Her magic pulled two more chairs up to the pavilion table where she and Luna already sat.

"Thank you, Princess," Chrysalis said, genuinely grateful. Her hooves were tired. She sat, and after a moment of hesitation, Peridot did as well.

"Please, call us Celestia and Luna," the older pony princess said. "We are equals now, aren't we?"

"It would seem that way," Peridot agreed.

Luna quietly poured hot tea into two delicate porcelain teacups for the guests. Chrysalis breathed in the sweet, calming aroma and raised her cup to take a sip. Mmm, raspberry leaf tea – her favorite.

"Right. I'll start at the beginning," Peridot said, setting down her teacup. "Celestia, Luna, I believe you know of Princess Flitterheart's Prophecy Curse?"

Princess Luna flicked an ear. "Yes. Flitterheart was a dear friend of ours, in fact. As you may already know, she was a famous prophet in the Changeling world. She delivered her prophecy just before she died." Celestia nodded in agreement.

"It has been three thousand years since the Prophecy Curse," said Chrysalis. "And now our mother, Queen Thysanura, is planning an elaborate war against Equestria. We came here to warn you about her."

Celestia's violet eyes flicked first to Chrysalis, then to Peridot, and back again. "Why would you warn us?" she asked. "You have no reason to side with us, nor do we have any reason to believe you."

Peridot leaned forward, her gaze dead serious, and said simply, "Would you rather find out the hard way, Celestia?" She leaned back, point made, and swirled a honey-laden stirrer in her tea.

"Do you think we want this war? A war that can extinguish both of our races overnight?" Chrysalis added. "This concerns all of us. Not just the Changelings, and not just the Equestrian ponies. We're warning you because we care. If we had decided not to, where would you be now? Clueless and vulnerable to attack?"

"I agree, Chrysalis." Luna frowned. "Do the Changelings have any other allies we should know of? Anypony powerful enough to defeat us, besides your mother's own army?"

"No, my mother has no ally except for her Changeling forces," Peridot replied truthfully. "But our sister, Jade, is back in the Hive right now, trying to keep Queen Thysanura from knowing that we are gone. I do hope that she has been successful so far."

"How do we know we can trust this sister of yours?" Celestia asked suspiciously. "For all we know, she could be pretending to be on your side. Perhaps she is secretly working with the queen, and maybe she will betray you at some point."

Chrysalis gave her an icy look, trying not to be offended by the sun princess. "Everything here is a matter of trust, Celestia, isn't it?" she said, feeling very defensive of her sister. "Trust us when we say that you can trust Jade. She has never failed or betrayed us before, and we have no reason to think otherwise of her. She is one of the most trustworthy ponies – or Changelings – I know. I can assure you of that." Of course, Jade wasn't on our side before . . . Chrysalis thought, but pushed it away and kept it to herself.

"Another thing," Peridot interrupted. "We have another sister named Emerald. She disappeared before we left for Canterlot, and we have not seen her since. I'm certain that Emerald is not working with our mother – she would never do that! – but I don't think she's aware of this war. We have reason to believe that Queen Thysanura did something to her."

"Your fears may be correct," Luna said. "Who would know except for your mother? She seems to be very cunning, just like our old enemy and your ancestor, Queen Silkwing. I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, in this case."

"Jade might," Chrysalis said suddenly. "I mean, Jade might know what happened to Emerald. If she's on our side, then she might have interrogated Mother. If only we had some way to ask her. We could send a letter, but there's no way to get it to the Wastelands and the Hive fast enough."

"I may have a solution," Celestia chimed in. When they all turned to look at her, she continued, "I know a spell that can send – teleport, actually – anything to its designated receiver in less than five seconds. It's very efficient."

"Good plan! Now, do you happen to have some parchment, ink, and a quill that I could use to write the letter?" Peridot asked the pony princesses.

"Coming right up. Here, use my personal stationary," said Luna. Her long horn glowed with her soft blue magic, and a blue-tinged scroll of parchment, crystal bottle of blue ink, and blue feather quill appeared out of thin air. "Will these do, Peridot?"

"Perfectly." Peridot took the items in her own magic, unfurled the blue scroll (which had a silver-and-blue crescent moon stamped at the top), dipped the blue quill into the blue ink, and began to write. She read her words aloud as she scrawled them quickly, the quill moving across the parchment with impressive and neat speed. "Dearest sister Jade . . ."

Author's Note

When this story is finished, I'll provide you with a spoiler of the other side story's cover art before it comes out. I got the great idea for it when I wrote the chapter Family for this story! You'll just have to wait to see it.