I Lied

Dear Cady

I...

I...

I...Oh! I'm sorry about that. I'm using a spell to translate speech to text, so if it sounds like the letter is rambling, that's because it probably is. I...I don't think I could go through with this if I tried writing it all out personally.

I'm writing this because something's come up, and I don't know if I'll be able to return or how it will turn out or-

Sorry. It's hard to keep my thoughts composed with everything that's come up, especially considering what I want-no need to tell you.

Well, if you're reading this, then all is not going to as smoothly as I had hoped. I'm terribly sorry you had to wake up alone and that I left without a word, but I have no choice.

You know, it's kind of funny. For months now, I've been trying to bring this up with you, over dinner, during our time alone, but something always came up and then Flurry Heart was born and that's been an adventure in and of itself. Now...

I'm afraid. I don't know how you're going to react to this, but Fate has forced my hoof, and I hate doing this by a note of all things but I'm afraid I won't get another chance to tell you if I don't take it now.

Just know...I love you and Flurry more than anything else in the world. Please don't forget that.

(Sigh)

There's no good way to say this, is there? Heh. If there was, I wouldn't have waited this long.

Well, here goes...

Wait! Cady, for the love of all that is holy before reading any further, please get a cup or two of that calming Chamomile tea you like so much, and please make sure you're sitting down. I don't want you to hurt yourself.

There, now isn't that nice? Feeling calm and steady, with that adorable little smile you have with every sip?

Okay. Good. Here goes.

Cady...I'm not the stallion you think I am. Okay, well in a way I am and I am not and-sorry, going off track.

I'm not really Shining Armor. I'm actually Queen Chrysalis.

If you're still reading this, then no. You're not hallucinating and you did read that right. I actually am Queen Chrysalis.

I'm sure you're wondering how this came about, so sit back, keep reading, and for the love of Harmony drink more of that tea.

Back during the months leading up the Changeling invasion, things went about as expected. I kidnapped you (and I feel really bad about that now, so please forgive me), and hypnotized Shining. Well, this is where it gets...awkward.

You see, a few days before Twilight showed up, I had a bit too much wine that evening, I realized I hadn't gotten laid in far too long, Shining Armor was just there, all studly and so eager to obey every order no matter how sensual it might become, and to top it all off I thought he might appreciate a sneak peak at the wedding night before the invasion. So, I sneaked into his room that night and...

I killed him.

I swear I didn't mean to! It's just, with him being the captain of the guard and in remarkable shape, I just thought he might be able to take a bit more punishment than normal, but I miscalculated how unprepared he was for such advanced techniques-seriously, it wasn't anywhere near as kinky as we get and he kind of sort of had a massive heat attack and died. Granted, he had this hilarious dopey smile on his face, but...still dead.

And then I heard the door to his quarters start to open, and I might have sort of completely freaked out.

Panicked, I had what would turn out to be one of the least thought out decisions of my life.

I impersonated Shining Armor.

In retrospect, it was brilliant, but at the time I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. By impersonating Shining and later on having one of my daughters impersonate me (Oh boy, Euphoria just lived that up-she was a horrible actor, but she had the time of her life hamming up that performance), I diverted a lot of attention from myself and inadvertently saved myself from the Love Wave and possibly my entire Hive-more on that later. Anyway, the nosy maid walked in, saw me standing there disguised as Shining, a very unconscious and rapidly dying Shining slowly falling off of me with a wet "squelch", and calmly walked out.

I still have no idea who that maid actually was, or why she didn't report this to Celestia. Still, worked out for me.

The rest of the story plays out like you remember it: my daughter disguised as me continued to act like she was controlling me while being an utter bitch to everyone around her (I have no idea where she gets it from), Twilight eventually found you, and through the power of love, you repelled the entire invasion, and then we had our wedding, a delightful party, and afterward the best sixteen sweaty hours of our life.

(By the way, with your stamina, Shining didn't really have long to live anyway-Oh. Sorry. Not the point.)

Now, I'm sure you have a few questions as to how this all worked out, so let me answer them.

First off, the wave of love that threw the Changelings out of Canterlot? Apparently, it's target specific, and in this case, it targeted Changelings, but did not target the fiance of the bride even if she was secretly a Changeling Queen. Also, I know you like to think all of that was the fruit of our love, but...no. It was all you. You're the Alicorn of Love for a reason, after all. I just added some glowing lights to match yours as you cast the spell.

Secondly, I'm sure you're wondering how I impersonated Shining based on my daughter's ridiculous performance. Well, the answer to this is simple: my daughter is an absolutely terrible actor and I'm a magnificent one. We, that is my Hive, had composed extremely detailed dossiers on every pony in the palace, and I personally memorized every facet of ponies of interest and importance' history and personality, quirks, and so on, and Shining was definitely on that list.

So, yeah, I will fully admit I winged it at first with constant fear I would slip up and be discovered, but as I said, I'm a great actor, and besides, it gradually become more and more natural to the point I didn't have to try anymore.

Third, your spell that effortlessly pushed my entire hive out of Canterlot was the single sexiest thing I have ever seen in my entire life, and the only thing that stopped me from jumping you was the fact that Shining was never known to be turned on by displays of raw power. Weird, huh?

By the way, Changelings are technically hermaphroditic even if our default form is female. This comes into play when we fully assume the gender of whatever we're impersonating, so if you're wondering about that...yeah. Oh, and Flurry Heart being an Alicorn is probably a result of me being a Queen but using my magic to assume a pony form on top of my power coming together with yours to produce our adorable bundle of joy and destruction.

At first, I fully intended to abandon or turn on you at the first opportunity. Granted, there was a lot of lust there, but you had just ruined my plans and I was pissed. But, my hive was hurt, morale was low, and your love for Shining was the absolute tastiest and most nutritious thing I have ever encountered. Like dark chocolate with a sweet raspberry sauce.

I know full well it saved several of my daughter's lives and kept them and myself from starving to death in the months after the invasion as I coordinated a regrouping effort while living a double life as Shining. I'm sorry, but I have to be truthful here. I used you, and while I feel bad about it, I can't say I regret it. Your intense love saved the lives of my entire hive, and gave us hope at an all time low.

Then the Crystal Empire happened.

With us handing Sombra his own shadowy ass on a platter and spreading love throughout all of Equestria, life has never been better for my changelings. Before, we had to scrounge for what little we could get, but with the Crystal Heart going, love has been practically palpable and in the air. And...

Remember that strangely huge influx of Equestrian immigrants who proved greatly useful in helping the Crystal Empire adjust to the modern world? Yeah...that's my hive. All of it. With Crystal ponies being so trusting and full of love, my hive is better nourished than any other on the planet.

I never intended to, but living with you, day in and day out, I slowly fell for you harder than anything else I have ever done in my life. I kept lying to myself, saying I was just using you, but the moment you bounced up to with a joyous smile on you face, eyes sparkling and happily told me you were pregnant...I knew. I love you more than anything else in the world, and that's why I'm writing this. Even now, I hate the thought of leaving your side even for a brief time, and it's agonizing to do this through letter, but as I said I might not have another chance.

I recently got a correspondence from another one of the Hives outside Equestria, and apparently Cousin Coco is trying to end the world.

Again.

But, apparently she's serious this time, and it's not something the locals in her area can handle. Cady, Changeling hives are isolationist to the extreme. Sure, we exchange individuals from time to time, but for the most part, we stick to our own. Comes with being descended from incredibly territorial predators. In fact, we value our isolation from one another so much that entire hidden wars have been waged between hives simply because a scout got lost and wandered into their territory. You don't even want to know how tense and complicated diplomatic talks can get.

Cady, I don't know how to hammer home how serious this is, but hopefully this will help: when both Tirek and Discord raged across Equestria and Tirek took our powers, I still didn't think the situation desperate enough to warrant asking the other Hives for help. If they're asking me, it's bad. Real Bad.

I've left with my royal daughters and a contingent of my elite guard (so, if a lot of the palace staff is missing don't worry) to confront Coco and try to contain her madness, but...

I'm scared.

Before, her attempts were laughable, not serious. If I get a chance, you have to hear about some of her schemes. Even Discord would be befuddled by some of them.

...

Now, though? I'm told she's gotten a hold of something akin to the Alicorn Amulet, only ten times worse. And, she's an insane Queen on top of that, so not only is it unlikely we can talk her out of it, any fighting is going to be that much more horrific. If it comes to that, this will not be an easy fight, and we're fully expecting significant casualties, especially if she drags her Hive into this.

That's why I'm writing this. I-there's a good chance I won't return, and I don't want to leave you in the dark about all of this. I've made preparations with my one royal daughter I left behind. Euphoria's-yes, that Euphoria and current Captain of the Crystal Guard-is a good girl, if a bit impulsive, and I trust she can rise to the task as the new queen of the Hive if I fail to return. Please, be kind to her. I know Changelings aren't always nice-my past proves that-but we can learn kindness if given a chance.

I know I've committed serious crimes, and some of what I've done is unforgivable, but I know our love was real, even if it was formed on a...(sob)...lie.

I...I hope you don't hate me.

Please don't.

Sincerely,

Your love formerly masquerading as Shining Armor,

High Queen Chrysalis

Author's Note

Well, that is easily the most f****d up relationship I've ever written.

Or someone is playing a very disturbed prank on Cadence.

I honestly don't know.

Regardless, I'm pretty sure this has driven the story into crack fic territory.

Been in a bit of a funk lately, so I decided a bit more to this was in order. Helped that I got a bit of inspiration from one particular comment as well.

While in the previous chapter I had no idea if Chrysalis was telling the truth or not, this one is set in another dimension with a different set of Changeling Biology quirks that are similar to but different from the first. So, they're not really related, but considering this is in such a similar vein to the first and still fits the title more or less, I don't think it deserves its own story.

By the way, this is probably the true final chapter. I honestly don't see what more I could do here, at least not without expanding significantly into other characters. Maybe I could go off with another full story, but I think I'm calling it complete on this story.

As usual, any feedback and constructive criticism is welcome. They're the only way I'll ever learn from my own mistakes and grow as a writer, after all. Flames will be used to roast delicious marshmallows.