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!
And are you catching this? Our queen is finally changing! But will it last?