Princess Emerald, Daughter of Solaris

Throughout the rest of the day, Chryaslis trudged through her home with her grandfoal towing along. The fact that Trill left Emerald with her for the weekend without any warning was bad enough, now it was worse when the filly is being her usual curious self, but by being more obnoxious with her childish antics when she flat out admitted to her she liked Shining Armor. She definitely took her changeling side in a more scientific sense; being a little pest like all foals were. At least she didn't have colts around her kingdom trying to put sticks or pencils through her leg holes.

Unable to find Thorax, she really had no choice but to watch Emerald, to her irritation. Two more days of foalsitting, but all she wanted to do was just mope around her castle, groveling in her misery and boredom as her kingdom became a force to be reckoned with, only to dwindle to losing any sense of fear and hostility toward Equestria and the rest of the world. What she wouldn't give to sneak off in town, pretend to hook up with some random stallion and take their love while they're completely unaware of who she was.

"Hey, Grandma Chrysie?" Emerald asked.

Sighing heavily, Chrysalis turned her head and looked down at the filly tailing her. "What now? If you're going to go off on another singsong rant, I will punish you."

"No you can't~!" Emerald giggled. Chrysalis grumbled, her threat worthless to intimidate her grandfoal. Even if she could, she really can't, mostly to avoid Solaris' wrath if she made his daughter upset. "Can you teach me how to turn into things like you and mommy and all the changelings?"

"That should be something your mother teaches you," Chrysalis grumbled. "Faust knows she has all the time in the castle during winter to teach you."

"Well, mommy's helping daddy more with running Equestria." The queen rolled her eyes, still doubting her wild and disobedient spawn ever had an ounce of responsibility. "When I was stealing some yummy cookies with my friends, we knocked over a pan and made noise. I panicked while my friends hid, and I think I turned into something to blend in to avoid getting caught."

"...Stealing cookies," Chrysalis repeated, unimpressed by the filly's grand heist that marked her first experience as a shapeshifter.

"They were super duper chocolatey cookies," Emerald reiterated, licking her lips at the memory of the explosive chocolatey delicacy that hit her taste buds. The mention of chocolate frustrated Chrysalis, making her crave that triple chocolate cake from Sloppy Joe's restaurant last night. "Dusk Shine said I turned into a box of salt when he was looking with one of the new guards at the castle. I tried to do it again, but I don't know how I did it."

"So you still got caught...but I'm going to take a guess that Dusk, who's your personal foalsitter, assisted in your theft." Emerald nodded her head. Chrysalis was a bit curious, hearing her somehow being successful in her heist despite being spotted by someone. Since Trill neglected to explain anything about her hive to her own daughter, she was going to have to do so in her stead. "...I'll give you a lesson about shapeshifting."

"Yay!" Emerald cheered and glomped into the queen's foreleg, hugging her tightly.

Groaning, Chrysalis lifted her leg. "If I teach you, you are not going to latch onto me like that for a year."

"Nuh uh!" Emerald argued.

Seeing she wasn't going to win an argument with a five-year-old, Chrysalis sighed in defeat, then peeled the filly off her limb. "To start things off, the reason why you transformed out of the blue was because of a fight or flight reflex. Getting startled and panicked set your instincts off to hide in plain sight, which is how you were able to blend in as a container for condiments or seasoning."

"So...I have to be scared to transform?" Emerald asked.

"We are changelings; we bring fear to every creature in all of Equestria!" Chrysalis proclaimed, spreading her wings and bearing her fangs to emphasize how intimidating they were.

Down the hall approached a pair of changeling drones, both of them looking the exact opposite of scary and frightful. They were wearing a halo of bright, colorful flowers and dressed in bright blue and green togas.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," one of them greeted. Chrysalis's ears drooped and her eye twitched at the sight of the two brightly dressed drones. "We're on our way to try this interpretive dance thing going on in town."

"Ponies say it helps soothe one's aura and spirit as we dance a story to the public," the other said. "Want to come and see?"

Her growl and deadly glare told them she wasn't interested, ruining the explanation she tried to express to Emerald. The two changelings shrugged and continued on their way, baffling the changeling filly. As Twilight watched them, she held back her laughter at the ironic display. She still couldn't accept this new change for her kingdom in the era of peace Solaris brought to the world, and her changelings were living among ponies in peace and no longer in hiding. Even when Chrysalis boasts about how terrifying they are, Twilight knows that she's just all bark and no bite now. Though it still disgusted her to know that Chrysalis actually likes her brother as more than just food.

"...I think Auntie Gemstone might be scared of those goofy dresses," Emerald said.

"Ugh. Forget it," Chrysalis grumbled. "Ignoring my weakened forces doing stuff like...that, shapeshifting is not based around fear or emotions. It's about concentration and focus, much like using magic naturally."

"I'm starting to learn how to levitate stuff with my magic better," Emerald pointed out.

"Then it should come naturally to you with some practice," Chrysalis said. "Turning into an inanimate object is a little more advanced, but not as much as it is impersonating somepony." In a flash of green, Chrysalis transformed into Cadence, though the change didn't startle Emerald as she continued listening. "You have to get every single detail about them perfectly to pull it off. The hair, the fur, the eye color-" She then cleared her throat and started speaking exactly like Cadence. "-even their voice to the perfect tone and pitch." To add another example, she transformed into Celestia, this time surprising Emerald since she had never seen either of the late alicorn princesses and how tall they are. "'I am Princess Celestia. I have ruled Equestria for over a millennia with peace and motherly wisdom. I am also powerless to the great and mighty changeling queen while I sit my fat plot on my throne and scarf down hundreds of pounds of cake every day.'"

"Whoa..." Emerald was highly impressed and already eager to give shapeshifting a try.

Chrysalis smirked, turning back to normal. "I may have exaggerated how the late Princess Celestia acted, but I feel I nailed it spot on," she said with a mischievous chuckle, insulting the former Princess of the Sun. Twilight scowled, highly disapproving of her mocking her teacher, and she was going to tell Celestia herself what besmirching remarks Chrysalis made about her. "The easiest method of shapeshifting, however, is just changing your fur or hair color to something else."

"Ok! So, what do I do?" Emerald asked, tail wagging excitedly.

"We'll start with trying to change your mane to a different color," Chrysalis said. "Envision another color, or even an array of colors, and as you think it, don't focus on it with your magic. Let it happen as you transform that part of you to that color."

"Oh. Ok." Emerald closed her eyes, focusing on just changing her hair color. It was a little difficult not to use her pony magic to use it, but she concentrated on what her grandma instructed. From within, she could feel another separate magic she didn't notice before, not even when she did it by complete accident before. Willing the change to happen, her body swiftly surrounded by a green aura, and Chrysalis saw the results of the slight change in the filly's appearance. Emerald squinted one eye open, glancing up at her bangs, finding the green with a gold streak now a bright pink. Gasping, she looked at her tail, matching the same color and beamed. "I did it!"

"Yes, despite the ugly bright pink you chose," Chrysalis mumbled.

Emerald began to try wearing other colors, the green aura flickering as she went through every color she knew of from her array of crayon colors from school. From every color of the rainbow to earthy or imaginative colors she didn't know existed, Chrysalis watched, surprised to see her grandfoal already getting used to the changeling side of her magic. Emerald even mixed them to make different streaks, highlights, or different shades in unique combinations.

"Look, Grandma Chrysie, I'm doing it!" Emerald cheered.

"I can clearly see that," Chrysalis said. "Try not to overdo it. You'll use up your love energy shifting over and over."

"I don't feel tired," Emerald stated, which only infuriated the queen more knowing her grandchild has been feeding on so much of Solaris' love that she's amassed an enormous ocean of love inside her. "Umm...How do I get my normal hair back? I don't know if daddy will like it."

"You just will it back like your wild pastel experimentation," she explained.

Emerald thought of having her normal hair color, and her magic flicked and reverted back to her green hair and golden streak. "Am I ready to turn into somepony else yet?"

"Maybe, but...just keep practicing with changing your hair or fur until you're old enough to control yourself," Chrysalis said.

"You mean control my magic?" Emerald rephrased.

"Yeah, sure, that," Chrysalis mumbled.

Around the corner, Thorax turned and spotted the royal changelings. As he approached them, Emerald gave him a wave, and from the numerous changeling infants he had "carried", one of them remained as it clung onto the back of his head.

"I brought all but one little one to their brood parents," Thorax announced. "I think this little guy's parents are away from the hive."

"Does that mean you're gonna foalsit him?" Emerald asked.

"For a little, but perhaps I'll have Ocellus keep an eye on him," Thorax said. "I promised to foalsit for a couple pony foals in the town outside." The baby changeling looked at Emerald, then crawled down Thorax's neck and leg and approached her. He sat in front of Emerald, staring at her quizzically for a moment before it held up his little forearms to her. "Uhh, what's he doing?"

"Aww. I think he wants a hug!" Emerald picked up the baby changeling and hugged him.

The infant chirped and nuzzled her chest. Chrysalis frowned, the hatchlings' influence from meeting Emerald already degrading them to act like harmless puppies.

"He really seems to like you," Thorax commented. While Emerald began to play with the unnamed baby changeling, he brought his attention to his moody matriarch. "So, did you find anything else to do with her, Your Highness?"

"You just had to run off to deliver the new hatchlings," Chrysalis grumbled.

"Grandma Chrysie taught me how to use my changeling magic," Emerald said. She showed Thorax by shifting her mane color, startling the queen and Twilight watching them in amusement when her mane was now purple with a pink streak down the middle. Whether it was a weird combination she thought of at random or on purpose, it only further validated just how similar she was to her late alicorn grandmother. "Now I'm a chameleon!"

"Wow! That is impressive!" Thorax praised. "And it looks like you're already getting the hang of it." Emerald giggled, turning her mane back to normal, the changeling infant staring at her hair in awe while one of his hooves pat it curiously. "That's wonderful, Your Highness. You're bonding with Princess Emerald!"

"I was merely teaching her what's supposed to be important for all changelings to learn," Chrysalis grumpily stated. "Trill can't bother to do it, so obviously, I'm given that burden she flung onto me."

"And who better to teach her transformation magic than the princess's grandmare." Chrysalis glowered at Thorax, making him wilt and backpedal slightly from her gaze. "N-Not that you're...old, Y-Your Majesty."

"...You need to grow a spine," the queen grumbled.

Emerald's stomach began to grumble, startling the changeling infant as he looked at where the sound came from and to the filly still hugging him. "I'm hungry," she stated.

"Obviously, we could hear it from the other end of the hall," Chrysalis grumbled. "Let's just go to that dumb restaurant and get you fed."

"Uhh, maybe we can try to make something for her instead?" Thorax suggested. Chrysalis ignored him and walked ahead, Emerald following after her with the baby changeling crawling and clinging onto the filly's back. "Or...maybe some other time."

Upon arriving at Sloppy Joe's restaurant, Chrysalis, Emerald, and the newly hatched stowaway were quickly seated by Éclair. Sitting at the same booth, Emerald decided to try some spaghetti from the foal's menu. Chrysalis huffed at the wait for the order to be done, but she bit her tongue and avoided causing another scene around the other patrons. While bored out of her mind, Emerald entertained herself with some coloring, sipping from her chocolate milk here and there. The baby changeling looked around the restaurant curiously, all the different smells in the air making him curious as he sniffed the air. He watched Emerald sipping on her chocolate milk, finding that more interesting than the other food around them.

"Hmm? You thirsty?" Emerald asked the infant. He didn't understand her, but the filly lifted him up and put her straw up to his muzzle. "Here you go! It's chocolate milk. It's super yummy." The changeling sniffed at the straw, opening his mouth and put it over the straw, but he began to nibble on it. "You gotta slurp on it, silly." Pulling the straw out of the infant's muzzle, she showed him how to sip the liquid through the straw. Getting the idea, she placed the straw back against his muzzle, this time sucking air through to make the chocolate milk flow up the thin plastic tube and got his first taste. When it hit his taste buds, he let out a surprised chirp, swallowing the tiny mouthful. Licking his lips, his little wings fluttered, taking another sip with a content squeak. "It's really good, huh, Buggsy?"

"'Buggsy'?" Chrysalis questioned.

"Yeah! I think Buggsy's a cute name for him!" Emerald said.

"...Great. A name that won't spread fear in the ears of others," the queen grumbled. "Not to mention how much he's imprinted on you."

"What's 'imprint'?" Emerald asked.

"It means the moment he's born, the first thing he sees is who he's going to try to stick to like glue and learn everything from," Chrysalis said with a huff.

Emerald looked at Buggsy, who was too enthralled with the flavor of chocolate and kept sucking away through the straw. "...Soooooo...I have a new baby brother?"

"He ain't gonna be sticking around with you when you leave after this weekend's finally over," Chrysalis grumbled.

"Well, I like him!" Buggsy released his muzzle from the straw, letting out a burp and leaned back with a content smile, his little belly filled with delicious chocolatey goodness. Emerald went to take a sip, only to notice her cup was empty. "Hey! You little piggy!"

Chrysalis sighed in boredom, rolling her eyes, ignoring the filly patting Buggsy's belly. "Well, if it ain't my favorite customers!" Sloppy Joe approached their table, carrying Emerald's dinner in his magic aura. Chrysalis grumbled, averting her gaze from his when he gave her a sly grin. "One plate of hoofmade pasta noodles with a heaping helping of thick marinara sauce and a slice of garlic bread on the side."

"Thank you, Mr. Joe!" Emerald said as her plate was set in front of her. "Oh, and can I get a refill, please?"

"That thirsty, huh?" the stallion asked. Emerald just giggled, shaking her head and pointed to the changeling infant sitting beside her, staring up at him curiously. "...Did Thorax shrink or something?"

"This is Buggsy, and he just hatched a while ago," she said. "He drank all my chocolate milk."

"Ha, wow. Changelings sure do love their chocolate, huh?" Joe asked, amused. "We'll get that filled back up, and if Her Highness's newly born foal wants some more, we'll get the little guy another round."

"That infant is not of my progeny," Chrysalis grunted. "I haven't laid a clutch in decades."

"Huh. Kinda hard to tell with most changelings looking so much alike," Joe mumbled. "Anywho, I'll be back with some more drinks for the kiddos."

Sloppy Joe took Emerald's empty cup and returned to the kitchen. Chrysalis did not appreciate the owner and head chef of the establishment eyeing her like a piece of candy. While in disguise pretending to be another mare, she'd swallow her pride and take the flirtatious pick-up lines her stallion victims used on her just to get with her. Yesterday was a nightmare, and she had a feeling Joe was thinking of trying to flirt with her to get in her good graces AND get a chance to sleep with her. Though it had been quite a long while, she wouldn't dare dream of getting "acquainted" with someone like Sloppy Joe even if she was desperate to feed off his love.

Emerald dug into her pasta, using her table manners and using her fork to twirl several noodles around the utensil. Her first bite was met with a pleased moan, relishing the delicious sauce coating the noodles. Buggsy watched the filly, taking a sniff at the food, only to scrunch his muzzle in disgust. Sloppy Joe came back a moment later with two cups of chocolate milk for the younger changelings, Buggsy immediately latching onto his cup's straw and began gulping his drink down.

"This spaghetti is yummy!" Emerald praised.

"Excellent! Another satisfying meal for another satisfied little customer!" Sloppy Joe chuckled. "And I suppose after dinner, you'd like some of that chocolate cake for dessert?"

"Yes, please!" Emerald quickly squealed.

"And one for Her Majesty?" Joe looked at Chrysalis, wiggling his eyebrows with a wide grin.

Chrysalis grumbled, but her stomach betrayed her as it grumbled back. "...Fine. Whatever."

"Perfect. A queen-size piece for a lovely queen," the stallion said.

"Just get our stupid cake and get out of my sight," Chrysalis grumbled.

Barely taken aback by her insult, Sloppy Joe bowed his head and returned to the kitchen. "...Does Mr. Sloppy Joe like you, Grandma Chrysie?"

"Let me guess; one of those weird 'feelings' you can just tell?" Chrysalis questioned.

"Kinda," the filly said. "But you like Unca Shiney more. I don't think he has a chance."

"I do NOT like Shining Armor," Chrysalis hissed.

"She actually does," the filly whispered to the Buggsy, though he didn't understand and was too busy enjoying his chocolate milk to care.

"I heard that!" Chrysalis scolded.

Emerald finished slurping up the rest of her meal, and a moment after she finished her plate, Éclair came out with three plates with her famous triple chocolate cake. "Here you go, everypony. Thanks to your reactions last night, ponies have been asking for my chocolate cake recipe, and Sloppy Joe added it to our dessert menu."

"Whoop-de-doo. I love being so helpful to ponies," Chrysalis grumbled.

Éclair set Chrysalis's heaping slice in front of her, then took Emerald's prior plate and replaced it with her slice. She noticed Buggsy, who curiously sniffed at Emerald's cake.

"Aww, what a little cutie!" the server cooed, giving the baby changeling a little pat on the head. "Is this your foal, Your Highness?"

"...No," Chrysalis uttered. "One of the new hatchlings from the nursery, and I unfortunately have the misfortune of watching this one and my grandfoal."

"His name's Buggsy," Emerald added.

"Well, I didn't think a baby changeling would look so adorable!" Éclair said. "Enjoy your dessert."

As soon as she left, Chrysalis scarfed down a few chunks of cake. "Finally. I'm sick of all the attention from these ponies."

Emerald grabbed her new fork and took a small piece, noticing Buggsy eyeing the cake curiously as he inched closer to smell it better. "Wanna try a bite?" she asked. "Say, 'Ahh.'" Buggsy blinked as he opened his mouth, uttering a curious squeak as he copied the filly. She then brought the fork to his muzzle, setting the piece on his tongue as his lips latched down onto the utensil. His eyes widened, the overwhelming chocolate flavors washing over his young taste buds as he slowly chewed. A light trill rumbled in his throat as his muzzle curled into a dopey grin. "Good, huh? It's the bestest chocolate cake ever. Triple chocolate."

"You're going to get him addicted to this stuff before he can talk," Chrysalis mumbled, selling a moot point as she chomped down on her "royal" slice. Buggsy recovered from his chocolate craving coma, eyeing Chrysalis's much bigger slice. Flittering his wings, he got up on the table and approached her. She leered at the infant, watching him open his mouth with a cute squeak, begging for a piece of her cake. "No. As your queen, you will not beg for something that is mine. This is my cake." Buggsy looked upset, whining and begging Chrysalis to share her cake with him. "I said no! My cake!"

"Grandma, just let him have a piece," Emerald said. "He's just a baby."

"A baby who needs to know where he stands in my kingdom," Chrysalis growled. Buggsy frowned, refusing to take no for an answer and let out a hiss in defiance. Her ears twitched, hearing the infant hiss with such ferocity, but instead of praise for getting aggressive, he dove down and took a big bite of what remained of her cake. "Hey! How dare you eat my royal cake!?"

Buggsy chewed and swallowed his mouthful, satisfied and hovered back to sit next to Emerald. Chrysalis snarled, scarfing down the rest of her cake before Buggsy went and tried to steal anymore. The little infant was too stuffed with chocolate for another bite, content to sit next to Emerald as he began to doze off from his filled belly. She actually thought Buggsy had the potential to be a tough warrior when he grows up, but it was all a farce as his "aggression" was nothing more than a temper tantrum, then took matters in his own hooves. It only further established just how powerless her subjects have gotten after the appearance of the stallion who threatened to destroy everything with dark magic and merciless slaughtering.

After paying for their meals, Chrysalis led Emerald back to her palace. Buggsy was sleeping soundly on Emerald's back, snuggling up to his surrogate sibling. With it getting late, Chrysalis just wanted his grandfoal to get bathed and head straight to bed. With Thorax busy foalsitting for a pony family, all she wanted was peace and quiet. While Emerald was bathing, she took Buggsy and carried the little miscreant to where his actually family resided, finding his parents having returned and thanked their queen for showing their little one around in their absence. She barely acknowledged them and return to the royal bathhouse, finding Emerald drying herself off with a towel.

"All squeaky clean!" she said.

"Great. Bed time," Chrysalis mumbled. Emerald hummed and skipped on ahead while her grandmare followed with an annoyed huff. The filly fluttered into the guest room and plopped on the bed, grabbing her teddy bear and held him, waiting to be tucked in. "Good night and whatever."

"Grandma, can you tell me a bedtime story?" Emerald asked.

Chrysalis froze, glancing back at her. "You don't need a story." Seeing the filly wasn't just going to go straight to bed tonight, the queen let out a groan, walked back toward the bed and sat down beside it. "Are you seriously not going to sleep without a dumb story?"

"Nope!" Emerald said. "And make it a good story."

"Ugh. This is ridiculous." Chrysalis sighed, but as she brainstormed a story, she grinned as she thought of the perfect one. "Ok. This is a story about a benevolent queen who ruled the entire world. Graceful, smart, and powerful, she was feared by all as they cowered at her hooves. No pony, griffon, yak, buffalo, nor even a dragon could stop her from her mighty reign. By masquerading as one of their kinds, luring them into a false sense of security, she drains the love from them when they least expect it, taking over their kingdoms without any creature expecting it until it was too late. All of the love in the world was hers to feed on as her subjects shouted her name to the-!"

"That's not a good story!" Emerald interrupted, disrupting the flow of her storytelling. The filly pouted, clearly not enjoying Chrysalis's "story", withholding the fact that she was talking about herself if things had been different back then. "That's just mean, Grandma Chrysie!"

"Well, what do you think a 'good story' is?" Chrysalis questioned. "And I was getting to the best part."

"Tell a story about a prince and a princess," Emerald requested. "And no bad stuff like stealing love. That's wrong."

"That's how we used to feed before your father introduced us to that love essence." Emerald crossed her forelegs, disappointed. Growling, Chrysalis sighed and stopped arguing before she wound up staying up all night with her granddaughter. While pondering a nicer story, despite the idea making her feel disgusted with herself, her dream she had last night came to her mind. What had occurred was still vivid in her mind, her heart already beginning to race from her dream Shining Armor's acceptance of her and showing her such romantic affection she seemed to long for. "...Alright. How about this, then? This is a story about a brave, strong prince...who falls in love with a princess from another kingdom."

"Oooooh," Emerald mumbled, getting herself comfy as she waited to listen.

Rolling her eyes, Chrysalis continued. "Many years ago, two different kingdoms lived in different regions. One does not even know the other exists as they hide from others, pretending to be other creatures to hide their terrifying appearance in their true forms. To survive, they have to hide their real bodies and live as somepony else. The princess of that kingdom was fed up living like royalty and headed out in the world on her own. While exploring, disguised as a mare who lived for exploring the dangerous wilderness, she bumps into a pony prince, but he pretended to dress and act like a commoner, for he, too, did not enjoy the luxurious lifestyle as a royal heir.

"They hid their true lives from each other as they grew to be friends. They were...inseparable and explored the land together. Over time, the princess began to fall in love with the prince, but she could not lie to him about who she was and felt it was wrong to pull the wool over his eyes. Her fear of being judged by her horrifying appearance would steer him away, a predicament she couldn't decide what to do. One night, her disguise faltered as her magic wore out, revealing her true self to the prince. He was shocked, startled, unable to believe the monster before him was the mare he had been traveling with for weeks. She dreaded he would call her a monster, a freak, an abomination, and she fled with tears streaming down her face to avoid the eventual heartbreak.

"She couldn't flee from him for long, because, to her surprise, he chased after her. Not to harm her physically or emotionally, but out of concern. She didn't want him to see her like this, as herself, because no other creature would see what she is as an equal. He refused to believe that, looking past what she looked like on the outside...and saw who she was on the inside..." Chrysalis paused, suddenly feeling despondent. Her surreal dream made her doubt if she could be seen as beautiful on the inside as any stallion would be crazy enough to look past her menacing appearance. "...He reassured her that he didn't care about her looks, if she was pretty or ugly, or didn't belong among his kind. He got to know her on their travels, and he wished to know the real her as he admitted to the princess that he was actually a prince.

"With secrets told, the two could have never been closer. And in that moment, they professed their love for each other and shared their first kiss. It was...magical for the princess, as her kind fed off of affection and love of others for nourishment, which was why they pretend to be other creatures. Taking love through lies and deceit couldn't compare to receiving it from somepony who truly loved her. It was fulfilling, more than just for sustenance; to know someone truly likes her without shying away from her appearance made her feel more confidence in herself to be who she is.

"They returned to their kingdoms, and though they were given odd looks by their subjects seeing who they brought, they stuck by each other and assured them all that they were not a threat nor dangerous to their homes. It took some time for the prince and princess's families to warm up to their lover. Months have passed as both kingdoms had met time and time again, forming a peace treaty once they were not considered enemies. And further cementing their unity, the prince and princess were wed under the eyes of both kingdoms, where they both lived happily ever-"

Getting too lost in the tale she weaved, Chrysalis looked down at Emerald, who was already fast asleep. She had no idea how long Emerald had conked out, but it at least was enough to lull her to sleep. Quietly, Chrysalis left the bedroom, pausing slightly to look back at her grandfoal, almost hesitant. Using her magic, she moved the covers over Emerald and tucked her in, barely disrupting the filly as she snuggled up to her teddy bear. Leaving the room and closing the door behind her, she was baffled by what she just did. While her thoughts reeled from the romantic story she concocted, Chrysalis made her way to her chambers, hoping beyond hope she'd get some sleep. Climbing into bed, she didn't bother with her sheets, staring blankly at the ceiling until she eventually closed her eyes and slipped off to dreamland.

Another restless sleep, leaving Chrysalis grumbling in discomfort. Her room was dark, making it hard for her to see as she sat up with a grunt. Blindly searching for her door, she found the handle and opened it, hissing slightly at the bright light that seeped through from outside. She stepped inside, her eyes slowly adjusting, but instead of being greeted by the halls of her castle, she wandered into what appeared to be a large dressing room. Hearing excited chatter and giggling, Chrysalis was appalled to see the mares who once bore the Elements of Harmony inside. Chrysalis tried to back away, but when she turned around, she was met with a big pair of blue eyes attached to a bright pink face.

"There's the mare of the hour!" Pinkie cheered.

Startled, Chrysalis fell back in the dressing room, getting the rest of the Mane Six's attention. "Well, there ya are, sugarcube! It's almost time!" Applejack said.

"And everypony thinks I sleep in too much," Rainbow scoffed.

"W-What are you talking about!?" Chrysalis questioned. "What is going on!?"

"Come along, darling! We must get you ready," Rarity said, nudging Chrysalis further into the room.

"R-Ready for what!?" Chrysalis exclaimed.

"You're getting married, silly!" Pinkie said. "How could you forget about your big day!?"

"M-Married?" the changeling queen mumbled. "M-Married to who?"

"Oh dear. She must be so nervous if she's this frazzled," Fluttershy said.

"You're marrying my brother, Chrysalis," Twilight explained. Hearing the lavender mare, she gawked at her, noticing the lack of wings as she was a unicorn in this strange dream, and she didn't show any disgust toward having her marrying Shining Armor. "It's such a big event witnessing a marriage between a pony and a changeling. Plus, this unity can help your kingdom so you no longer have to hide and feed off of love in disguise."

"I'm...WHAT!?" Chrysalis shrieked. "Why am I marrying Shining Armor!? I thought Cadence was!"

"Ha! I wished I was that lucky." Entering the room, Cadence made her presence known. Instead of being angry, she didn't seem all that bothered by Chrysalis stealing away her stallion. "Even though I dated Shining Armor for a while, I was surprised it didn't work out between us. But you, Chrysalis, you two were definitely made for each other."

"...Huh?" Dumbfounded, Rarity took the opportunity to get Chrysalis ready for the big day. The other girls' excited chatter was droned out while Rarity fixed her mane and applied the right makeup to make her look like the blushing bride she should be. As she faced the mirror, she had reverted back to her smaller, younger self just like her previous dream. From the ending of her story she told to Emerald, she was experiencing the happy ending that she shouldn't deserve, but was too powerless to stop everyone who was formerly her enemies to end the dream. "W-Why am I dreaming this? Why is this happening to me?"

"You're not getting cold hooves, are you?" Chrysalis's ears perked up at a familiar voice she hadn't heard in years. Upon entering the room, the other girls stopped talking as they looked at their guest, bowing their heads and stepping out of her path. Even Rarity had stopped fussing with Chrysalis's hair as the changeling gazed up at her mother, Queen Arachne. Having her likeness when Chrysalis became the new queen, Arachne was a slender changeling queen with her dark green mane flowing down her neck, far neater than Chrysalis had hers. She had a more regal aura to her posture and expression, more civilized than her daughter had been. "After meeting this stallion and knowing just who he is, I would be disappointed if you refused to meet him at the alter because you were experiencing stage fright."

"...M-Mother?" Chrysalis uttered.

"Do not let my appearance cease tending to my daughter," Arachne said to Rarity. "We need to tidy up that spider's nest of a mane and make her look as presentable as a princess."

Rarity immediately got back to work, brushing and straightening Chrysalis's mane. "...Y-You're...here, too?" she mumbled. "...Why?"

"Is it not obvious?" the queen asked with a small chuckle. "Besides being present to see the unity between the our hive and Equestria, I wish to see my daughter marry the stallion of her dreams."

As bewildered as she was, Chrysalis lowered her head in shame. "...But...I can't," she said. "I don't-"

"Deserve him?" Arachne interjected. "Come now, Chrysalis. The way you speak of him, it's like he was the last male on the planet and couldn't compare to whoever remained. You even claimed how delicious his love tasted. You don't want to waste something like that, do you?"

"But he isn't mine. He...He belongs to Cadence." In the mirror, she expected Cadence to glare at her, but she was too busy talking to Twilight, laughing as they joked about something in a conversation she couldn't hear. "...I only used him, and his love for her...I don't understand why my dreams keep revolving around him. None of this makes sense."

"Are you afraid to admit that you truly love him?" Arachne's question caused Chrysalis to glance up at her mother in shock. "Despite 'using' him, despite whatever you may have done, you deny what you long for when you believe it is out of your reach? If there was something you did to hurt him, you still have a chance to make amends and achieve what you desire. We have hid ourselves because of who we are on the outside, but in this new era between ponies and changelings, we can express who we are on the inside. Our feelings, our interests, thoughts and secrets that we wish to reveal. Chrysalis, this is something more than just a peace treaty; this is the opportunity to show your future husband something you have wanted for so long."

Love.

Chrysalis closed her eyes, processing the strange, motherly speech Arachne gave her. This was nothing like her mother when she was still around, but, it felt soothing to hear despite their estranged relationship. When she opened her eyes, she gasped as she stood at the entrance to the cathedral inside Canterlot Castle. Her ears heard the faint sound of the wedding march sung by Fluttershy's bird choir, the may guests down the pews split between pony guests on her right side and the changelings of her hive on the left. Standing at the altar was Princess Celestia, who was the overseer of the marriage, and already standing there, wearing his royal guard dress uniform, was Shining Armor. Everyone sitting in the pews were nothing but a blur, faceless bodies that were present for the occasion. All she could focus on was Shining Armor, the pony who she used to attempt to take over Equestria by pretending to be Cadence. Her heart warred with her past, but her mother's words echoed in her ears over the wedding march.

Her hooves moved on their own as she walked down the red carpet, ignoring the flower fillies skipping ahead and spreading flower petals. She could feel a glorious silk wedding gown, the bright white contrasting with her black chitin. In the reflection of the glass along the walls, she could see herself in her wedding dress, the train slowly dragging behind her as she wore a wedding veil over her face, her mane flowing gracefully down over her left shoulder. She didn't look beautiful in her mind, unable to believe the others in her dream thought the opposite. Shining Armor continued watching her as she got closer, staring at her in absolute awe, never averting his gaze from hers. Her heart pounded in her chest, terrified, but she wished for this moment to truly be happening and never wake up.

Chrysalis finally reached the altar, standing before Celestia while facing Shining Armor. His aura grasped her veil, lifting it over her head.

"You're...beautiful," Shining Armor said, the romantic comment making her blush as she glanced down.

She had no words to rebute, nothing to dissuade his thoughts and make him realize she wasn't the one for him. Celestia was already beginning her opening speech, but all Chrysalis could hear was muffled words. It felt like the world had faded away, leaving only the two of them. Chrysalis never imagined she'd ever fall in love with anyone, not even someone who she manipulated to steal every ounce of love within them. Shining Armor couldn't tear his eyes away from her, standing there looking as handsome as he was in that moment. Strong and muscular, a soft, loving gaze, his desire to protect and care for her. It felt too good to be true, and Chrysalis didn't deserve him, but she couldn't deny what he heart longed for, even if she felt it was impossible in the real world.

"Do you, Shining Armor, take Princess Chrysalis to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Celestia said, bringing Chrysalis back to the chapel.

"I do," Shining said without a hint of hesitation.

"And do you, Princess Chrysalis, take Shining Armor to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Celestia asked the changeling.

She stared at Shining Armor, tears welling in her eyes as she struggled to not break down and sob uncontrollably. "...I-I..." She wanted to say no, but despite knowing this was all just a dream, she didn't want this chance to go to waste after it was interrupted years ago during her invasion. "...I do."

"By the power vested in me, I know pronounce you husband and wife," Celestia said.

Chrysalis hesitated, but Shining Armor leaned forward, his eyes closed as he puckered his lips for their kiss to seal the deal in their marriage. She gulped nervously, leaning forward, afraid to close her eyes and suddenly wake up to making out with her pillow. She wanted to feel his lips against hers. She wanted him. She needed him. She loved Shining Armor.

When she didn't feel his lips, Chrysalis squinted her eyes open, but instead of Shining Armor's blue eyes, she was met with a pair of blood red irises on the face of the most destructive villain ever to have existed in Equestria. "Hello, 'dear'." Chrysalis screamed, scrambling backward and tripping over her dress. Breathing heavily, she gazed up at the murderous dictator who brought terror to the world for fifteen years. Cackling at her terror, Lucifer approached her, his aura sparking and formed a spear of dark ether over him. "Oh, how I love weddings. When they end in tragedy."

Lucifer flung his spear at Chrysalis, making her panic as she rolled away. The spear caught her dress, tearing it off of her as she sprinted for her life, hearing the manic unicorn's laughter echo in the now empty chapel. She breached through the door, entering a destroyed Canterlot laid in ruins outside of the castle. She froze, gasping in horror at the bloody massacre left at the front gates. Many ponies and changelings were cut down, some with missing limbs or painful internal damage from a number of his range of ethereal weaponry. Rising from the ruined buildings, a tall, demonic figure stood several stories tall, gazing down at Chrysalis with a low, gutteral rumble, choosing her as its next victim. Lucifer's demonic form stomped toward her, making the changeling panic and flee back inside the castle, which was just barely standing by what few supports remained from his destructive wake.

"Why is this happening to me!? Chrysalis cried out, scared for her life as she tried to find refuge inside. "Why can't I wake up!? WHY AM I BEING TORMENTED LIKE THIS!?"

Suddenly, dark chains shot out from the hall she sprinted down. Unable to avoid them, they attached themselves through the hooves in her legs, capturing her and ensnared her. She fell with a grunt, then yelled as she was dragged down a darkened corridor, being whipped around in the many tight twists and turns. She finally came to a stop, very little light reaching the chamber she was dragged in. She tried to call out for help, but her ears twitched when she heard grunts coming from in front of her.

"C-Chrysie?" Hearing Shining Armor's voice, her heart sank as a faint light lit up around the stallion. He was bound in similar dark chains, his body battered and bruised, his fur and mane matted and scuffed, like he had been tortured for months. Hearing Lucifer chuckle in the darkness, Chrysalis gasped when his eyes began to glow ominously behind Shining Armor. He stepped forward, wielding a massive ethereal hammer of darkness, dragging it along the ground with a manic grin on his muzzle. "D-Don't you dare hurt her."

"Silence, traitor!" Lucifer punched Shining in the back of the head, scowling angrily at him. "Pretending to be a mercenary for hire and slipping information to your resistance. Your efforts were futile from the start, and for your treason when you were meant to be my right hoof pony, I will make your death incredibly painful. And in front of this worthless bug who hid like a coward and watched as I burned the world down."

Controlling Shining's chains, he forced the stallion's forelegs to stretch forward on the ground. "N-No. Don't let her watch this!" Shining pleaded. "Chrysie, look away!"

"She's going to watch every second of it. She's already missed my conquest, killing my surrogate mother, her sister, and her pupil. I'm gonna make sure she sees what she's been missing." Chrysalis wasn't able to look away regardless, even as the chains slithered and kept her head still. Shining struggled, but he couldn't break free, powerless by Lucifer's dark chains as he watched the evil unicorn raise the hammer up high. "No one is going to save either of you now. Not even Princess Twilight Sparkle's bastard foal!"

The hammer swiftly slammed down, a loud crunch echoing following by Shining Armor screaming in agony, writhing under his bindings as his left foreleg was crushed. Chrysalis felt sick to her stomach from the painful sound, watching Lucifer's hammer slowly rise and revealing the broken, semi-crushed limb. Hearing him laugh with such sadistic glee, Chrysalis had enough and tried to break free from her bindings, but to no avail.

"NO! STOP IT!" Chrysalis begged. "STOP!" Her words fell on deaf ears. Lucifer slammed his hammer down on Shining's other leg, inflicting more excruciating pain. Shining struggled to breathe as he cried out in pain, trying to stay strong even as tears streamed down his face from the agony burning his nerves in his mangled forelegs. "D-Don't...Don't kill him! PLEASE!"

"You have no room to bargain," Lucifer said. His hammer faded and shifted his aura into his favored weapon; a katana. He stepped behind Shining Armor, waving his sword around as his aura forcibly lifted the battered unicorn up in the air by his broken forelegs. Shining could barely utter a whimper, fading in and out of consciousness from the tidal wave of pain coursing through him. "Those who dare cross me will be met by my blade."

Shining grunted, his eyes squinting open as best as possible as he fought against his waning consciousness and gazing at the tear-stricken changeling. "...C-Chrysie...I...I l-lo-GHH!"

His words were silenced by Lucifer's blade piercing straight through his chest. Shining's breathing grew ragged as blood began to spill from his mouth, his lung and heart run through. The last of his life faded as he fell limp, the chains around Shining's corpse fading, letting him flop to the ground as blood began to pool around the fatal wound. Words failed Chrysalis as she silently stared at Shining Armor, brutally taken away from her, and she couldn't do anything to save him. She didn't have time to mourn when Lucifer stepped in her line of sight, his ethereal katana dripping Shining's blood.

"What a pity," Lucifer tutted mockingly. "Couldn't profess his love to you with his final breath...It's too bad you never felt the same way." He then hovered the mare up in the air, moving her away as the light around Shining's body completely faded. A reddish-orange glow behind her began to light up behind her, with unbearably hot temperatures rising as the air was filled with noxious sulfur and carbon monoxide gas. She feared to look down, finding herself being held over the mouth of a molten volcano. "All you are is a love-sucking parasite. What sort of creature like you can possibly FEEL love?"

"...I-I do love him," Chrysalis sobbed.

"Oh? Is it him, or the love he felt for the princess he really loved?" Lucifer questioned with a wicked smile. "But don't worry. You'll be reunited with him in the afterlife...right after you plummet and burn alive in the depths of Tartarus!"

The dark chains disappeared, but Chrysalis couldn't flee as two swift slices of Lucifer's blade struck her sides. As she fell, she tied to fly, only to look at her sides, seeing sliced off stumps hidden under the shell that concealed her wings. Lucifer's laughter echoed and mocked Chrysalis as she heard the cries of everyone who had been killed by the stallion. The lava got closer and closer as she screamed in anguish and terror.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Shooting up from her bed, Chrysalis hyperventilated, sweating up a storm with tears streaming down her face. Her body was trembling, yet another dream that felt so real, but the worst nightmare she had ever experienced in her entire life. Just as she wanted the dream to be true after living in denial for so long, it was quickly taken away from her. The shock faded, quickly turning to seething rage, unable to receive any happiness even in her sleep. "...Why...? Why!? WHY!? WHY AM I PLAGUED BY-!?"

"Grandma?" Freezing, Chrysalis slowly looked at her doorway. Pushed wide open, Emerald stood outside, her teddy bear sitting on her back with a tired gaze. "...I had a bad dream."

Whether the filly noticed the messed up state Chrysalis was in or not, the queen wiped her foreleg over her face, brushing away the tears as she got out of bed. "...Probably...not as bad as mine," she uttered. Taking Emerald back to her room, she put her back into bed, but she didn't just up and leave her to just naturally go back to sleep. She wanted to lie to assure her nothing was going to harm her, but she'd be lying to herself. After tucking her back under the covers, Chrysalis wanted to know what had bothered the filly and woke her up. "What...sort of nightmare did you have?"

"...It was a monster," Emerald mumbled. If Chrysalis weren't so distressed from her nightmare, she would have rolled her eyes and questioned what sort of creature could be more threatening than her. "...You and Unca Shiney were attacked by the monster."

"...W-What?" Stunned, Chrysalis dreaded to know what Emerald had dreamed up. If she was this specific over who was present, and if this monster was who she was talking about, then something must have gone horribly wrong from the coincidental nightmares. "Uhh...W-What...did the monster...look like?"

Emerald held Teddy tightly, afraid to say what it was. "...I-It was...the pony on the window," she said.

"'Window?'" Chrysalis questioned, starting to grow irritable if her fearful monster was a random glass mural she saw out in town.

"Th-There's...a window back home...It showed daddy fighting that monster," Emerald explained. The queen's pupils shrunk, her stomach turning in knots as her grandfoal was talking about Lucifer. "He...He broke Unca Shiney's legs...He hurt everypony..." She began to tear up, gazing up at Chrysalis. "...I-Is...Is that what happened to Unca Shiney?"

Chrysalis was struck dumbfounded. She knew next to nothing about nightmares as they're just dreams that come and go, but if Emerald somehow had the same exact nightmare and witnessed what she experienced, this filly either accidentally performed some sort of astral projection or some other reason she couldn't find an explanation for. Emerald trembled, afraid to know the truth despite witnessing the nightmare limb-crushing heavily embellished what had happened years ago. Chrysalis stood up and climbed into bed, laying next to Emerald.

"...I...I don't know," Chrysalis mumbled. Emerald whimpered, cuddling up to her grandmother for protection and comfort. By motherly instinct she'd never seemed to have gained upon birthing her clutches, or even Trill, Chrysalis pulled the filly closer to her, running her hoof through her mane to comfort her. "...He...He isn't around anymore...That monster...can't hurt anypony else...Your father stopped him, all on his own."

Despite her lack of confidence, her words were able to settle Emerald a little bit. It took a while for the filly to clam down, passing out while safe and sound in her grandma's hooves. Once she was asleep, Chrysalis carefully left the bedroom, her mind reeling. She wasn't going back to sleep at this rate, not after the traumatizing nightmare ruined what she wanted to experience that she couldn't in real life. She was internally struggling, still wanting to deny these feelings as she kept her reputation as a menacing queen of her hive, but a part of her was afraid to do so, even if she might not have another chance if she keeps holing herself away from everyone else; from Shining Armor.

Unable to take her wildly conflicting emotions, Chrysalis flew off down the hall, out of her castle and her hive, speeding off toward the north.

Inside of the royal palace of the Crystal Empire, the royal family were sound asleep while the only activity came from the night guards patrolling the halls and watching the front gates. Though the kingdom hadn't suffered many deadly threats not including Sombra, his return, or the unruly winter storms that affect the frozen north, the guards were vigilant in their duty after Lucifer's decade and a half reign across the rest of Equestria.

In the royal chambers of the crystal couple, Shining Armor and Cadence were sound asleep, though the peace was disturbed for Shining Armor when he grimaced. The light throbbing in his forelegs made it hard for him to get enough rest, even with the pain killers to help dull his severe injuries. Though every bone and nerve in his legs were crushed, Lucifer must have given him some slight bit of mercy using his magic to re-mend them, but left him in excruciating pain to torture him until Solaris made his presence. Shining would have rather been amputated, but the doctors say he was lucky and didn't have to be permanently confined in a wheelchair the rest of his life and keep his limbs.

Waking up with a grunt, he sat up, looking over at Cadence. He didn't want to wake her up, knowing how badly she dotes over him and his health. She had every right to when he spent fifteen years masquerading as a mercenary for hire, intending to get his revenge for what Lucifer did to Twilight, only to keep playing as a spy for the resistance force until the time came to liberate their kingdom from the unicorn tyrant. It was still incredible knowing how long he'd gone without getting caught.

Shifting himself to the edge of the bed, Shining Armor lowered his hind legs, taking in a deep breath as he brought one of his forelegs down. Putting weight on it, he stifled a grunt, grimacing as the pain flared up in his leg, but he refused to stop letting his new handicap keep him from being independent. As he put down his other hoof, he huffed, fighting through the pain as he slowly shuffled his way to the door to start his trek to get himself a drink.

Barely halfway toward the door, the sound of magic and a soft blue light lit up the dim bedroom as the stallion's walker slid in front of him. "Take your walker, dear."

Shining winced, looking back at the bed, seeing his wife was awake and watched him struggle. "...I-I got this, Cadence," he assured.

"Shiney, I could tell you were in pain the moment you tried to get out of bed," Cadence said. Shining sighed, giving in as he sat down, his wife moving his walker closer to him, and set his forelegs on the rest before standing back up on his hind legs. "I know you hate using that, but if you don't want to keep hurting yourself, this will help."

"I already feel like an old stallion with this thing," he grumbled.

"Would you want to collapse in pain and be unable to get back up until somepony found you?" she asked. He hung his head, feeling like he was being scolded, even though Cadence is just concerned about his well-being. "I'm not upset at you for being stubborn. You know how worried I've been when you risked your life undercover with that monster for so many years. Even a slip and fall is going to make me worry."

"...I know," Shining sighed. "It was only a matter of time before he eventually caught wind of me...And almost ruined Sol's chance to put an end to him if I wasn't held hostage."

Cadence got out of bed and walked over to him. "I'm just glad he brought you back alive." Gently taking his hooves, she leaned forward and kissed Shining. "I always feared something terrible would happen to you for so many years, but I wouldn't have been alone mourning for you if he was too late."

The guilt for his selfish actions still weighed heavily on Shining Armor. His nephew had gone through so much pressure, so much sorrow, all for the future of Equestria. His rage and desire to avenge his baby sister from her gruesome fate blinded him from how much Cadence would have missed him if he got killed. And if Trill didn't sneak after Solaris and helped in his rescue, he could have met his end and devastated his nephew from one of the only few blood relatives he had left. Now peace had been restored, he's settled down with Cadence, they have Flurry Heart, and despite his broken forelegs, he was living his life as best as he could. He wished he could have played with Flurry more without his handicap, but their daughter didn't care so long as she had him to support her to the best of his ability.

"I'm sorry," Shining apologized, giving Cadence a light nuzzle. "I just don't want to be such a huge burden for any of you."

"You're not, dear. I promise." As the two leaned closer for another kiss, their bedroom door was opened by one of their guards.

"Your Highnesses, there's a-" The stallion froze, seemingly interrupting a private moment between the royal couple. "I...hope I'm not intruding."

"It's not like you're walking in on us in the throes of passion," Cadence giggled, flustering the poor stallion while Shining rolled his eyes.

"What's going on?" Shining asked.

"Uhh, there's...something that nearly froze to death out in the frozen wasteland and wound up collapsed at the entrance," he said. "They mentioned your name, Prince Shining Armor."

"Me?" Shining questioned, the couple glancing at each other before returning their attention to the guard. "What...do they look like?"

"It was tall...black, thick skin with a green shell, kinda like a beatle's when they hide their wings, a crooked horn, fangs, and green hair that looks like it was made out of webbing." The description startled the couple, the empire knowing little to nothing about the changelings due to their cold-blooded nature and how dangerous it was for them to be out in an environment like theirs.

Taken inside the castle, Chrysalis shivered violently as her body tried to warm up while she struggled not to pass out. "T-T-This...w-was...t-t-t-the d-dumbest th-thing I've ever d-d-d-done," she grumbled to herself. The guards who helped her inside wrapped her with a warm blanket, helping her body temperature heat back up. "I-I'm n-never going to g-get any p-peace. W-Why did I c-come here?"

The guards led the changeling queen to one of the guest rooms, her trembling getting less violent as she regained her body heat. She warmed up enough for Cadence to arrive, still surprised to see her having come all this way without any way of protecting her from the cold.

"Chrysalis?" she called out, getting the queen's attention. Chrysalis glanced at her before she looked back at the ground, focusing and getting warm. "Could one of you gentlecolts make some hot chocolate for us?"

"Yes, Princess Cadence," one guard answered before he left to do as she instructed.

"Hot chocolate, Your Highness?" the other guard asked, confused.

"Changelings rely on love energy for sustenance, but chocolate's a perfect substitution for them," Cadence explained. "Changelings rarely come up to the Crystal Empire because they can't handle the cold, even when bundled up in layers of clothes." Enlightened, the guard just nodded his head. "Would you give us a moment? And when Shining catches up, let him know where we are."

He saluted and exited the room, leaving his princess with the queen. "Whoopee. I'm getting the royal Crystal Empire treatment," Chrysalis grumbled.

"What in the world are you doing up here?" Cadence questioned. "Usually, you don't leave your kingdom at all unless Discord forces you to...Or, when you feel like he'd force you to."

"I know," Chrysalis grumbled. "I didn't come here for the scenery, so just butt out of whatever I want to do."

"One of our guards said you mentioned Shining Armor," Cadence pressed. "Why?" Waiting for an angry exclamation of defiance, Chrysalis remained quiet. "...Chrysalis?"

"What?" she mumbled.

"...Is everything alright?" Cadence asked, starting to get a little concerned with the changeling queen. They may have had some bad blood in the past, but with her nephew and Chrysalis's daughter a married couple, they were an estranged extended family, but that didn't mean she didn't want anything to happen to her former enemy. "Chrysalis?"

"...I...I just want to talk to Shining Armor," Chrysalis said. Now Cadence grew concerned; Chrysalis usually had an air of arrogance and pride, and when questioned about her thoughts, they were always met with snide remarks. The changeling before the alicorn was like a stranger in the same body, but far more self-conscious, timid, despondent. "...Just him. Alone."

Before Cadence could question why, the guard who volunteered to make Chrysalis's warm beverage returned with a mug of hot chocolate. "Prince Shining Armor is on his way," he said.

"Thank you," Cadence said, dismissing the stallion and handed the mug to Chrysalis. Chrysalis took a couple sips, feeling much warmer, but still uncomfortable with the reason behind her presence here. "Is this something personal? From the wedding, or-?"

"You won't like what it is I want," Chrysalis interrupted.

"Huh?" A minute later, Shining Armor finally entered the room, stunned to see Chrysalis as he slowly made his way inside.

"Is she ok?" Shining Armor asked.

"Well, she looks like she's warmed up enough, except she only wants to talk to you about something," Cadence said. "And being vague about why."

"...Ok." Shining shuffled himself closer to both mares, wincing slightly as he sat between Cadence and Chrysalis. Chrysalis hadn't looked away from him the moment she heard him enter, her gaze lingering on his front legs, sparking back the shocking reunion back during the liberation and the cruel nightmare of what she believed happened to him. "You could have frozen to death coming here."

"...I have too much going on in my mind to think rationally," Chrysalis mumbled.

"With what, exactly?" Shining asked. "From Solaris's letters, you don't really get out much and rarely visit him, Trill, or Emerald. Sounds really boring just sitting at home doing nothing. Believe me."

"Hmph. Try asking your nephew that when he and my daughter sprung a surprise foalsitting job for me to do for the weekend," Chrysalis grunted.

"Wait, you're supposed to be foalsitting Emerald in your kingdom? And you're here!?" Cadence exclaimed.

"She's sound asleep, and I have thousands of changelings back home who will check on her if she needs anything," Chrysalis grumbled. "I didn't agree to it. They just dropped her off like I was going to say yes the moment they arrived, and then they just leave to focus on some 'royal politics'. In other words, they want some privacy away from their daughter so they can buck like wild rabbits in heat for a whole weekend." Cadence groaned and facehooved in exasperation. Even Shining Armor was a little unnerved, though both ponies were more disturbed by the fact they left Emerald alone. "Don't judge me with how I raise a foal. My former clutches were simple and they followed my every order. But when Trill was born, it was just a massive nightmare dealing with her defiance during the worst fifteen years of our lives."

"Ok, leaving a five-year-old filly by herself aside, is that why you're here?" Shining questioned.

"No! I..." Chrysalis struggled to explain her true purpose for being here. With Cadence insistent on hearing what she wanted, she didn't want to instigate a fight or disdain toward her for Solaris's sake. She was only delaying the inevitable, and even if she couldn't get what she planned to get from Shining Armor, it was best to get it off her chest and be rid of all the frustration from her bottled up emotions. Sighing, Chrysalis gulped down the rest of her hot chocolate, licking her lips and setting the mug down on a nearby coffee table. "...I've been...having these...dreams these tonight and last night...on top of all the things Trill talks about how much love Solaris gives her and gloating about it to me every chance she gets...The first time I witnessed that, I couldn't believe that something like that was possible...and what I have been doing for decades, what my mother and grandmothers before me for generations have done...we struggled for survival by stealing love instead of being given it."

Shining and Cadence looked at each other, then back to Chrysalis. "So, strange dreams and your thoughts on feeding off of genuine love..." Cadence put the pieces together and had a hunch as to where Chrysalis was going with her still somewhat vague explanation. "...Oh my gosh."

"What?" Shining asked.

"Now I see why you only wanted to talk to Shining Armor," Cadence said. Chrysalis grumbled to herself, waiting for a possible slap or a blast of magic to slam her into the wall. However, when she looked at the alicorn, she was startled to see her with a smug smirk on her muzzle. "I thought it was weird how different you've been acting whenever we're around you. Especially toward Shiney."

Shining Armor looked at both mares, growing confused by what his wife stated. "What are you talking about?"

"Chrysalis somehow grew a crush on you, hon," Cadence explained, making the stallion balk and quickly snap his head in the changeling queen's direction.

"I-I do not!" Chrysalis shouted. "Why in Tartarus would I even have a crush on a stallion who I used for food!? That is absolutely ridiculous!"

"So you're not saying that you haven't been jealous of Trill eating her fill of love and you want to experience it for yourself?" Cadence asked teasingly.

"No! I'd rather take love by force!" Chrysalis exclaimed in denial. "It doesn't help that my dreams involved Shining Armor really being in love with me, not in disguise, as ME, and showering me with affection where it felt so real, only to wake up and have that moment be snatched away from me!" Realizing what she revealed in her outburst, Chrysalis bit her lip, blushing madly. Cadence still held her smug grin, but Shining Armor was just sitting there, wide-eyed, taken aback in shock. "...U-Uhh..."

"Were those dreams...'frisky'?" Cadence asked curiously.

"C-Cadence!" Shining exclaimed.

"What? I'm just wondering what sort of wet dreams this highly experienced queen has about you," Cadence said with a shrug. "Has my husband really plagued your thoughts all this time? Maybe if you were successful back then, you could have had him all to yourself."

"...I...didn't really think much about him that way," Chrysalis admitted. "...Emerald kept pestering me about it when she told me she could 'sense' love coming from me when I was around Shining Armor during that Hearth's Warming party." Cadence's grin faltered, she and Shining growing a little curious to what their niece was able to tell that Chrysalis couldn't. "She kept asking if I liked Shining Armor like that...I mean, how can I after what I did to the two of you?"

"...Well, it has been so long since your planned invasion," Shining said.

"We're still really sore about that, but what you did to us paled in comparison to what Lucifer had done to everypony else," Cadence added. "Water under the bridge...well, sort of. Kidnapping me and trapping me under the mines was not what I had planned for my big day."

"...Speaking of weddings...what I dreamed tonight was why I came here," Chrysalis said. "...Both this and last night's felt all too real to even be a fantasy in my subconscious. I saw Twilight Sparkle and her friends, they held no animosity toward me and assisted preparing for my wedding...with Shining. You were there, too, Cadence. You weren't even upset or mad at me." She avoided mentioning her mother's presence, or what could have been a part of her in her mother's image trying to tell her what she had been denying herself for so long. "...I then walk down the aisle, wearing a wedding dress I didn't think I'd look good in while in my natural form. Celestia oversaw the ceremony, but all I could focus on was him...And when it came to an end after the 'I do's'...my dream turned into a nightmare."

"Uhh, what?" Shining questioned, sounding offended. "Marrying me became a nightmare? But...you like me?"

"...It was ruined...by Lucifer." Shining and Cadence grimaced, getting the idea of how badly Chrysalis's dream wedding ended. Chrysalis couldn't bring up what she was forced to witnessed, but Shining caught her glimpsing at his forelegs. "I-I...woke up, but then Emerald came into my room, said she had a bad dream, and when I put her to bed, she asked...if what happened to Shining really happened. I don't know what she saw, but if she dreamed the exact same horrible act of that monster permanently hobbling you with a giant hammer, I panicked and thought something bad happened to you!"

Hearing that Emerald had the same nightmare as Chrysalis startled the royal couple. Such a traumatizing scene shouldn't have ever been thought of by any foal, even as a nightmare, but sharing the exact same dream was concerning. Emerald was smart for her age and could potentially be as intelligent and magically powerful as her late grandmother if she could astral project herself subconsciously in another's dream just like Luna could. Whatever both the queen and young princess had witnessed, Shining glanced at his legs, thankful that neither of them were physically there to see, let alone feel, the bone-crushing injuries the dark stallion left him.

"...This...really freaked you out this badly, huh?" Shining asked.

"I've been like this ever since we met again back in Canterlot when we helped fight back against Lucifer and his reckless army," Chrysalis said. "You and Trill just poofed in front of us, you were an absolute mess with your legs bandaged in crude casts, malnourished, you looked like you were about to be dead! I don't even know why I cared about your safety or health, but it's been eating at me, and it doesn't help that my daughter keeps gloating about how delicious Solaris's love is because she loves him! She just has to rub it in, but even if I wanted to, I can't just...take you from Cadence..."

"Because I love and married Cadence?" Shining asked, confused.

"...It's more than because you're with her," Chrysalis uttered, tightening the blanket around herself as she internally struggled with her pride and the heart she didn't know she had pushing past what she had been denying herself since she discovered what true love could do for a changeling. "I only saw you as fodder to feed me and grow stronger so I could take over Equestria. I brainwashed you, held Cadence hostage beneath the crystal mines of Canterlot, my acting as a bridezilla made you uninvite your sister to be a part of your wedding. Helping Equestria after I forced my kingdom to remain in hiding during Lucifer's reign doesn't make up for what I did to all of you. Not even my daughter marrying your nephew constitutes any redemption for me. I STILL want Equestria to be mine. I STILL want to take all the love Equestria has for myself!

"But I can't anymore, and I...can't adjust to all of this after all I've wanted for so long! All of the changelings no longer show any aggression, ponies don't fear me, I don't even know what to do with my life without plans of world domination ever since your sister came to me to ask me to do her this favor for this bigshot hero who would bring peace back to Equestria, and it just so happened to be her foal; not a fully grown stallion, but a teenager! And Trill acts so smug proving me wrong every single time she kisses him in front of me to make me jealous, and it works! The love she's given is so much stronger from her genuinely loving him has made me jealous, which makes me think about you and drives me insane! I want it, but I know I can't because you can't like a monster like me who impersonated the pony you really love, so I stay as far away from all of you to avoid bumping into you to keep myself from going more mad, except Discord keeps dragging me around against my will, Solaris guilt trips me, and Emerald has made it impossible to say no to everything the last two days and bonding more! I don't DESERVE to be liked or tolerated, but I want to be, which is confusing me and twisting me up on the inside to the point where I don't even know who I am anymore!"

Chrysalis panted, trembling after she finally exploded and expressed all her transgressions out on Cadence and Shining Armor. She was supposed to feel better, but to show this much weakness only made her feel worse. She didn't dare look at the couple, unaware of how blown away the changeling queen, the brooding, irate, and anti-social former villain many years ago was so internally troubled with her thoughts and feelings. What really shocked them was that she admitted she wanted affection unconditionally, but refused to try because she felt she deserved no redemption despite having done so much for Solaris when he hit his lowest point after completing his final trial. If Chrysalis didn't care about anyone other than herself, why did she help him and finally decide to take action with her army to assist him in freeing the world from Equestria's most dangerous tyrant? Why does she stick around when Discord "invited" her to all the gatherings, when Trill went into labor, and making Emerald happy despite not wanting to bond with her grandfoal?

"You're afraid to change who you are, but you shouldn't be," Cadence spoke up. "Well, nixing the former thoughts of world conquest, you did see how badly that went with Lucifer."

"And you helped support Solaris along with us, even though you didn't have to," Shining added. "We may have had some bad blood between us, but that doesn't mean you can't change for the better."

"I'd rather turn into a bright, colorful butterfly if I wanted to 'change'," Chrysalis grumbled bitterly.

"On the inside, Chrysalis," Cadence stated. "Befriending Equestrians and no longer hiding away because of your appearance is more beneficial for you and the changelings. Would you rather starve to death and be treated like monsters or no longer need to steal love for survival and be free to be among the world as you are?"

"...I don't want to starve," Chrysalis mumbled. "It was a life we've lived for generations...Even my own mother had scolded me not to get too attached to whoever I saw as my victim. Just feed, drop them once the well runs dry, then move on to the next...Then Trill breaks that rule we've followed for centuries, and changes everything about what we thought about how we consume love..."

Though Chrysalis wants to change, she still feels glued to how they lived in their old ways. And from how dejected she feels, she didn't think she would ever experience a taste of true love. Cadence pondered over what she came up with, grinning slightly as she glanced at her husband and her former enemy and stallion stealer.

"If you're still unsure...then kiss Shining," she suggested.

Both Chrysalis and Shining Armor gawked at her. "WHAT!?" they exclaimed.

"Trill's proven it to you, and I'm sure some of your loyal subjects back home have experienced it for themselves over the years," Cadence said. "If you still think you're not able to change, then kiss Shining Armor and see if that kind of love you give tastes better than taking it for yourself."

"Uhh, no offense to Chrysalis, but...I-I don't...really feel close to her to just...do that," Shining said.

"And yet you decided to marry her," Chrysalis grumbled.

"Have you forgotten I was the Princess of Love before we moved to the Crystal Empire to rule over the kingdom?" Cadence stated. "I could tell if two ponies were meant to be together. Maybe Emmy, too. And if she likes the idea, perhaps she's more right to believe in it than you think."

"We don't release any love," Chrysalis explained. "It's impossible for us. If that were true, I would have sensed it come from Trill after so many displays of affection she gives to Solaris to torment me."

"Only one way to find out." Cadence nudged Shining and Chrysalis closer with her magic, startling the duo. "If it's true, I will allow sharing Shiney with you if you have a craving for some true love."

"Cadence, I don't-" Shining tried to interject, but Cadence squished his cheeks in her hooves, forcing his head to turn back to Chrysalis.

"Honey, by living a double life as Lucifer's mercenary and surviving that long without getting caught, having your legs broken warrants the insane bravery to have other mares crawling all over you," Cadence said. "You may have grown up a nerdy colt, but when you became a guard captain, I did notice some heads turn when they saw you as a heartthrob of a stud you became. And you still are despite you being handicapped."

Shining removed his wife's hooves from his face with his magic, glancing at her with a deadpanned leer, but then glanced back at Chrysalis. She was still in disbelief that Cadence was actually giving her permission to lock lips with her husband, no strings attached, no conditions. Chrysalis still felt uncertain and Shining Armor didn't seem on board with this. With Cadence being this adamantly insistent, they weren't going to get out of this until SHE was more satisfied than either of them.

"...Alright. But, I'm not sure if this will even work," Shining said with a defeated sigh. "I can handle being around you now, but I still feel...Well, brainwashing me still doesn't help me forgive you for that."

"Uhh..." Chrysalis shapeshifted, turning herself into Cadence with a sheepish grin. "Maybe if you kissed me as Cadence instead?"

"Nope! No transformations!" Cadence interjected, making Chrysalis frown and turn back to normal. "It wouldn't count if you were pretending to be somepony else. From your own skin, not in another's."

Chrysalis huffed, but when she looked at Shining again, the affection she felt from his dream version came back to remind her how she slowly came to realize her feelings. Despite it failing, she was going to give it a shot. Gulping nervously, ignoring the eager audience moving herself to get a better view, Chrysalis leaned toward Shining Armor as he did the same, his eyes closed as he braced himself for the conflicting experience. Inches before their muzzles touched, Chrysalis hesitated, backing away slightly, but with a little "helpful" nudge from Cadence's magic behind her head, their lips touched, causing her to grunt in surprise.

She wasn't too unfamiliar with making out with Shining Armor before the royal wedding, but it felt so much more different when she wasn't disguised. As he began to kiss her, her eyes grew wide as she felt love energy flowing into her. Despite Shining's own hesitation, Chrysalis was startled by what love he was giving her that was real, not fake. It tasted like nothing she'd ever had before; sweeter than chocolate, more filling than stolen love and the essence substitute. Genuine love would never compare to what she stole from every other pony or creature she used through her whole life.

Chrysalis's eyes began to droop, unaware of her horn sparking to life as she "absorbed" Shining's love. She pressed her muzzle closer against his with her eyes closed, feeling him do the same as he warmed up to the act, barely shying away from her fangs and began filling her more with his love. Hooves soon joined in their romantic display, Chrysalis's reaching to cup the stallion's face, Shining's embracing her and pulling her closer. One long kiss turned into more, heavy breaths through their nostrils as their lips refused to part for air. Cadence was surprised by how affectionate that one kiss caused them to make out with each other, smirking coyly when she noticed how brightly Chrysalis's horn was sparking. Like with Trill and Solaris, Chrysalis was enjoying her "meal", and Shining didn't seem to be against kissing their former foe anymore. And she didn't need to influence their passion with her unique love magic; all of it was truly genuine love.

After several minutes, Chrysalis had her fill as she moved back, their lips parting with a wet smack. Panting slightly, Chrysalis gazed in Shining's eyes, both of them blushing when they snapped out of their daze. Chrysalis moved her hooves away from Shining's face, shuffling away from him slightly while being mindful of his hooves still wrapped around her.

"...Umm...T-That was...something?" Shining bashfully said.

"That looked like it was about to get steamy," Cadence teased. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Chrysalis looked away, biting her lower lip sheepishly. "...It...was nice," she admitted.

"Better than stealing love?" Cadence asked.

Chrysalis frowned and glowered at the alicorn, but her gaze softened, embarrassed. "...Y-Yes," she mumbled.

"Great! And if Shining doesn't mind, though I doubt he did when he seemed to enjoy himself, too-" The stallion groaned, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in response. "-you're welcome to have his love. Though, we'll have to make the visit to avoid you risking your death of cold."

"Between the two of us, Cadence, I thought you'd be less enthused by all this, not fully onboard," Shining muttered.

"Well, you married her," Chrysalis uttered.

"Speaking of, since you're supposed to be foalsitting Emerald for Solaris and Trill, I think he'd have a panic attack if the mare he trusted to watch his little filly is somewhere else and left her all alone," Cadence reminded the queen.

"But there's thousands of-!" Chrysalis began to argue, but she paused and let out a heavy sigh. "...Whatever."

"I'll have the conductors set our train car up for the trip across the tundra." Cadence stood up, skipping toward the door, pausing to look back at the changeling. "Feel a whole lot better, Chrysie?"

"Hmph. Perhaps," Chrysalis grumbled. "But don't call me that. It's bad enough that Emerald keeps calling me that. And whatever happened between us, nopony else will not hear of this."

"Come on, Chrysalis, drop that stone-cold image of yourself and embrace the change," Cadence said. "It was kind of cute watching and listening to you making out with MY husband."

Chrysalis growled, scrunching her muzzle angrily at the comment. Cadence snickered, having her fun picking on her and continued on her way to get the changeling's ride ready. Alone with Shining Armor, Chrysalis sighed heavily, her disgruntled expression fading. She didn't know if she was dreaming and was going to wake up again for her happiness to be snatched from her once more.

"So, uhh...this is gonna be a little...weird, isn't it?" Shining asked.

"I'm just waiting to wake up back in my bed and be more frustrated," Chrysalis said. "...I thought you weren't going to share your love and disappoint me."

"I didn't say it was bad, though being married to Cadence for this long, I half expected her to divorce me when I took on the persona of Zero and risk getting myself killed trying to assassinate Lucifer," Shining said. "But she didn't. Even when I realized how stupid I was doing that and kept my own disguise up to give news to the resistance as the years passed." He lifted his hooves, gazing at his bandaged legs, grimacing slightly from the twinge of pain in his damaged nerves. "I am glad you came to help that day. You helped Solaris and saved everypony in Canterlot before it was turned into a deadly battleground. Deep down, I think you do care, but you express it in your own way."

Chrysalis wilted, one of her hooves gently taking one of his. "By caring only for myself and dismissing anything nice I do as repaying a favor I never made," she said. "...If we attacked sooner, this wouldn't have happened to you..."

"And everyone else's lives would have been lost in the process," Shining added. Chrysalis sighed, preferring to have gone out fighting than hide like a coward. Though, from her nightmare, she fled and was powerless to escape from Lucifer, making her feel like a hypocrite. "It probably would have been a whole lot worse for Solaris regardless what we all could have done. I do appreciate you being there for him and being so concerned for me...Maybe underneath that tough chitin, you're a majestic butterfly on the inside."

The compliment made Chrysalis blush heavily, unable to process how to take it. "Y-Yeah right," she grumbled. She pouted when she heard Shining chuckle at her reaction. "You're not that charming anymore, just so you know."

"And yet we made out as if we were teenagers who couldn't get enough of each other," Shining mentioned, making the queen huff and stand up.

"I'm heading back home before I get a lashing from your nephew if he decides to return sooner than planned." She began to march off to wait for her train back to her kingdom, but just as she passed Shining Armor, she stopped and looked back at him. "...Shining Armor?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"...If...things were different...would we have been...together?" Chrysalis asked.

"...I'm...not sure," Shining answered, thinking about what his life would have been like if he met Chrysalis first. "...If you weren't afraid to show me who you really were, I might have given you a chance if I never met Cadence."

To know that there might have been a chance, it made Chrysalis's heart flutter. If she had known him years ago, if she had ventured off on her own like Trill had, she could have discovered how powerful falling in love and giving love would have benefitted her kingdom instead. Her story she told Emerald could have been a fantasy come to life if she followed every detail in her youth. Turning around, she lowered her head and leaned forward, planting a kiss on Shining's cheek.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you," she said before she took her leave.

Stunned, Shining Armor watched the changeling queen leave. He brought his hoof up to where she kissed his cheek, bewildered by how different Chrysalis was now.

"...This is gonna be really tough to get used to," he uttered to himself.

Dawn began to rise once Chrysalis returned home to her kingdom in the Crystal Empire's royal car. Despite the lengthy trip and the luxurious space, Chrysalis was wide awake. Shining's lips still lingered on hers, the love she tasted tingling her taste buds and left her with a fuller belly than she'd ever had it filled in her life. Dream or not, she was afraid to wake back up for it to not have happened.

Exiting the train car upon its arrival, Chrysalis flew over the pony settlement and back inside her mountain home. Despite how tired she was, she was eventually going to be woken up by one of her soldiers or Emerald. Reaching her chambers, she was about to walk inside, but decided to check in on Emerald to see if she was ok after last night's nightmare scare. Peeking inside, the filly was sound asleep, barely bothered by being woken up abruptly by her bad dream. With the sun rising, it was probably time for her to get up.

Chrysalis stepped inside and approached the bed, gently nudging Emerald to wake her up. "Time to get up, Emerald," she said.

Emerald squinted her eyes, roused from her slumber as she let out a yawn. "Morning, grandma," she greeted. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "...Is it morning? It's hard to tell."

"That's what an internal clock is for," Chrysalis said. "Come on. Let's get you breakfast."

"But my mane's all messy," Emerald said, trying to pat down her bed head.

"We're not living in a pompous castle where we have to care about our appearance twenty-four seven," Chrysalis stated, flipping around her own messy mane. "This is my kingdom. My castle, my rules." She gave the filly a sly smirk. Emerald grinned, running her hooves through her mane, making it as messy and unkempt as possible, showing off her lazy day style. "Better."

While Emerald skipped behind Chrysalis as they left the room, Twilight stared at the queen, perturbed by her sudden change in behavior after last night. "Where did she go after putting her to bed? And why is she so much more...relaxed?"

Throughout the rest of the day, Emerald had a lot more fun with her grandma than the last couple days combined. She learned a little more about her changeling heritage, practicing using her changeling magic to get better at being a future master of disguise like her grandma, and got to play with the changeling babies again. She was able to recognize Buggsy out of the dozens of hatchlings when he flittered up to her for a friendly hug, already looking up to her as his brood sister. When Thorax joined them to make sure things were going smoothly with his queen's bonding with her granddaughter, he noticed Chrysalis was much less distant with Emerald and didn't try to pawn her off to him to entertain her. It was almost disturbing to see, but at least Emerald was having fun.

With the day nearly coming to an end, Chrysalis packed up her grandfoal's belongings, then waited outside for Solaris and Trill to arrive to pick her up. Right on time, the chariot could be seen in the distance as the pegasi pulling it made a landing and came to a complete stop.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Emerald cheered and flew up to her parents, Solaris catching her in his hooves and snuggled up to him.

"Looks like you had a lot of fun with grandma, huh?" Solaris said.

"Lots of fun! Look what grandma taught me, daddy!" Lighting up her horn, Emerald's body shimmered a bright green, changing her fur and mane to look like a natural-born royal changeling.

"Shapeshifting magic?" Solaris uttered.

"Wow. Mom was teaching you that?" Trill asked.

"Only because you weren't teaching her about the basics as a changeling," Chrysalis said, plopping all of Emerald's stuff on her daughter's back. "She has a lot of potential. Luckily, I didn't hesitate to show her how to embrace her changeling magic."

"I only know how to change my fur or mane," Emerald said, shifting her colors back to normal. "I even saw a lot of baby changelings hatching, and had one imprint on me!"

"Uhh, imprint?" As Solaris questioned his daughter, he grimaced when he felt something bite one of his legs. Lifting up his left hind leg, he spotted an infant changeling using his limb as a chew toy. "Why do they like to bite me?"

"Buggsy, that's my daddy!" Emerald scolded. "He's not food!"

Buggsy gazed at Emerald, releasing his small fangs from his limb, then crawled up along him to reach the filly. "Ok. You named a little changeling. And he's...imprinted on you. Is...that a bad thing?"

"He's probably just so attached to her after hanging out with her yesterday," Chrysalis said, levitating the infant off of Solaris and hovered him beside her. "Unlike you, the hatchlings didn't nibble on her. She could be a good big sister."

Trill winced, throwing all of Emerald's stuff in the chariot as she glared at her mother. "Ok, one: I am NOT giving birth to another foal in that way again," she said. "No offense, Solly, but one is enough for me."

"Heh. Fair enough," Solaris said with a nervous grin.

"And two: you are giving Emmy...a compliment!?" Trill's statement began to make Solaris curious as well. She wasn't as irritated or annoyed at their presence, despite how tired she looked. "...Mom, are you sick or something?"

"No. Nothing's wrong with me," Chrysalis assured. Trill was skeptical, only to yelp when she was suddenly dragged forward by her mother's aura until they bumped snouts. "But the next time you spring a foalsitting job on me like this, you send me a letter or a note and wait for me to say yes or no. I am a busy queen, after all."

"...You were gonna say no regardless," Trill grunted. "And you're not busy; you're bored as hay on your throne day in and day out. Even before we were freed from the terror of Lucifer's demonic wrath."

"Well, next time, give me a warning if you want to take three days to take part in 'royal meetings' as a code for a private, nonstop romp."

Trill was surprised at first, only to burst out laughing, confusing Chrysalis. "Oh, goodness," Solaris groaned, setting Emerald inside the chariot while he approached his wife and mother-in-law. "Chrysalis, Trill and I aren't always doing...that every day. We really did have a few important meetings to attend to the whole weekend. Most of them were about relations between some of the other neighboring kingdoms around Equestria after the mess Lucifer left us. It may have been ten years ago since things were better, but his actions left us with such a huge toll on trade agreements with the other kingdoms: Mt. Aris, Yakyakistan, Abyssinia, Farasi, Caninia, just to name a few of the many other countries who felt threatened by his power."

"...What? Actual...meetings with...?" Chrysalis looked at Solaris and her snickering daughter, taken aback by their excuse was for a legitimate reason, not as a personal mini-honeymoon. "...But you two sounded like you were in a rush."

"Because we were running a little behind," Solaris admitted.

"Blame Solly and Emmy for triple-checking all her stuff for her weekend at grandma's," Trill said, giggling some more before she sighed. "Oh, mom. Come on. I may have a libido, but I'm not THAT crazy to put Solly through the wringer."

"Ehh, our attempt to conceive Emmy disagrees," the alicorn stated, his pupils shrinking in horror at the intimate beast he unleashed. "Changelings going into heat is not fun."

"We don't have heat cycles," Chrysalis said.

"...Exactly," Solaris mumbled. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "Well, next time you're interested in watching Emmy for us, I'll be sure to send you a letter via dragon fire."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't forget about that," Chrysalis warned.

Solaris returned to the chariot, but Trill looked at her mother, finding something strange about her behavior. "You sure nothing's up, mom?"

"Doesn't your daughter have school tomorrow?" Chrysalis questioned with a scowl.

"...Ok, there's the grumpy changeling queen I know and tolerate," Trill said.

The queen rolled her eyes in response. Trill hovered off and into the chariot, eyeing Chrysalis curiously. While Emerald waved to her grandmother, she gave Solaris a small peck on the lips, gauging her reaction to get a rise out of her. Surprisingly, she didn't get frustrated or annoyed, baffling her.

"Uhh, what was that for?" Solaris asked curiously.

"Trying to tease mom," she said. "Didn't really work for some reason."

"Ugh. Trill, you don't need to keep fighting with her over petty squabbles," Solaris argued.

"Bye, Grandma Chrysie! Bye Buggsy!" Emerald called out as the pegasi guards took off, flying the chariot back home to Canterlot.

Chrysalis waved them goodbye while Buggsy tilted his head, wondering where his brood sister was going. After watching them disappear on the horizon, Chrysalis let out an exhausted sigh and returned back to her castle. She dropped off Buggsy to his family before retiring to her room. As she got comfortable for a long, much needed sleep, she drifted off with a small smile. Tonight's dream was sure to be pleasant one for her, and she wouldn't worry about it tormenting her now that she had gotten what her heart desired.