All for the Queen!

by ya-RInA

Rating: everyone
Tags: Queen Chrysalis, Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Princess Cadance
Length: 5015

The Canterlot Wedding is in the past, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are the rulers of the Crystal Empire. But the events of Cadence's fillyhood won't leave her alone...

The Canterlot Wedding is in the past, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are the rulers of the Crystal Empire. But Princess Cadence has one mystery in her fillyhood to solve...

Published 2016-10-07 04:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-10-07 04:30:01 UTC

All for the Queen!

Author's Note

That's my old story originally named "Все за Королеву!" written in 2013 as a sequel to "The Rise of the Queen". Events of this story take place right after the "The Canterlot Wedding" episode. There were no Flurry Heart and Thorax then, so they aren't even mentioned here. There were the letters to Princess Celestia, though =)

English isn't my native language, so if you find the mistakes, please let me know :)

All for the Queen!

“I’m here to get something what is rightfully mine!”

The green flash. The laughter. Oh, what sarcastic laughter…

“NOOO!”

Princess Cadence woke with a start, in a cold sweat. She stretched her foreleg out to touch her beloved husband, Shining Armor, who shared a bed with her.

The white unicorn opened his eyes instantly.

“What happened, my love? Had you that dream again, didn’t you?”

Cadence barely held back the tears; she only found the strength to nod.

“It’s only a nightmare. I am by your side. I’ll always be by your side now to protect you,” Shining Armor whispered softly into his wife’s ear, moving up closer to her. He gave her a gentle hug.

His warmth acted on Cadence comfortingly. She nested closer to the stallion, smelling his mane, and, little by little, her trembling stopped.

“How are you feeling?” Shining’s stare was glowing with anxiety.

“I’m better now. Thank you.” The Princess kissed him, and then she got up and approached the window. Almost the entire Crystal Empire was in view from the Royal castle’s main tower. It was slowly waking up, lit with the pink light of the rising sun barely showed over the horizon.

Everything was peaceful and calm. And there were no changelings in thousand miles around.

“They will never return,” the stallion said with confidence, approaching the pink alicorn and stopping by the window side by side with her. He overlooked their lands. “We gave them a good lesson. YOU gave them a good lesson.”

He leaned to kiss his wife, but she dodged, shaking her three-color mane (just as silk by feel, Shining remembered dreamily) in disapproval.

“The point isn’t I’m afraid of another attack. I just… It seems to me there is my fault too.”

“Your fault?” The white unicorn raised his brow, surprised. “But how do you bear on these… wild creatures from the Everfree?”

“Don’t call them that,” Cadence asked softly. “I have to tell you something very important, you know.”

“I am all the attention,” Shining answered instantly. He felt he will hear something unexpected, but…

Cadence spoke watching the sun, which was getting higher and higher. The Princess ended her story as the first rays of the sun touched the window ledge, and the birds in the royal gardens perked up and began to praise the new day. She caught her breath and finally dared to look at her husband.

“So you knew each over in your fillyhood?” Shining Armor repeated in a shock.

“Yes, as you already know. I was a filly, Chrysalis was a filly too. I made new friends easily every place I appeared in.”

“You was a charming filly – so sunny and sweet little one,” Shining Armor stroke her mane. “You’re a charming mare now. It is no wonder that you have so many friends.”

“Yes, but Chrysalis was so lonely,” the Princess frowned. “I can imagine her feelings when I called her my best friend so airily. And more, something happened then obliviously. When she emerged in my apartments, I was too scared to listen to her carefully. She was telling me something about the second meeting, but the thing is, there was no meeting anymore. I would like to meet Chrysalis again, but aunt Celestia was too angry with me after my escape. She said she was in charge of me, no one hair must fall down from my mane and tail and everything in this sort. In short, I was forbidden to leave Canterlot. And then I became a baby sitter for your little sister. She was a lovely little filly,” Princess Cadence smiled, and Shining smiled in response, remembering his little Twily.

“Time began to fly so fast… Twilight, aunt Celestia’s lessons, and then I met you, too,” Cadence blushed, her blush almost invisible against her pink coat. “I have almost forgotten about Chrysalis. At first, I wanted to meet her again, but I was afraid she wouldn’t remember me. Too many times went by, we grew up. Then there was but a shadowy picture of this event in my memory. This often happens to our old memories, you know.”

“Can you remember what exactly she said to you on the eve of the wedding?” Shining Armor asked, frowning his forehead.

“I’ll try. She said something like “Do you remember the time we met for the last time?” I wanted to explain her everything, but she didn’t listen.” Cadence jerked up her head, looking at her husband with her violet eyes, and he read the despair what changed to determination in their depths clouded with memories. And then his ordinarily shy wife said the phrase Shining was secretly a little bit afraid of.

“I must know what happened then.”

“But this was so long time ago…” Shining mumbled. “Is there a reason to rake up the past?”

No, the Captain of the Royal Guard and by the time His Highness Prince of the Crystal Empire wasn’t a coward. But everything he wished for after all their troubles was a honeymoon filled with love and tenderness. And now all his hopes for the calm life side by side with his wife were falling to pieces, like a house of cards caving in from the blow of the wind.

“It is,” her eyes grew distant, as if she was still looking into her memories. “It seems to me, where is a terrible mistake hiding in this situation. And this is partly a fault of mine. If I don’t know the truth, I’ll never be happy. Never.”

Shining Armor sighed obediently.

“I’ll always be with you and I’ll support every decision you make, my love,” he said. “What do you want to do?”

“I’ll tell you this later,” Cadence breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm. “But it seems to me we should leave the Crystal Empire for a while.”

~***~

The endless rain was pouring down outside the library windows. It was impossible to leave the house tonight, but Twilight Sparkle wasn’t upset; five best friends accompanied her and Spike. Informed by Rainbow Dash about the oncoming rainstorm, they decided to pass the time together, and the young magician’s house was the location where they all gathered. If the storm will last for all night – and it seemed to be so – well, then Twilight had enough room to accommodate everypony comfortably.

“Yeah, the weather team seems to exceed themselves this time,” miss Sparkle stated, watching the solid wall of water, falling down from above.

“Everypony just sooo wanted to see the sun it wasn’t raining for too long, and our plants need water, and blah blah blah,” the rainbow-maned Pegasus explained lazily, her nose in the new Daring Doo book. “So we have to overtake arrears of work.”

“I hate the rain. The nasty, horrible weather, it is.” Rarity glanced over the windowpane, the rainwater was pouring down it in streams. “Just imagine what it would do to my mane, if I wasn’t here, but outside?”

“Ya makin’ the dragon out of the parasprite, sugarcube,” Applejak noticed.

“Somepony just isn’t able to understand how important the right-fixed mane is,” the snow-white unicorn mare said to nopony in particular.

“Girls, don’t you start this again,” Twilight remembered the night this odd couple stayed in the library because of bad weather. The unplanned slumber party was near to become a war between two polar opposites, the both of them were as stubborn as a mule. When it was? Twilight couldn’t remember, but she was sure – when she only began to live in Ponyville.

“Only think about it – it’s cold, dark and damp in the street, and here is so cozy, and we are together…”

“Exactly, we are together… that’s great…” Fluttershy stammered from the very distant corner. She would never admit this, but everypony knew her little secret nonetheless – the butter-yellow mare had a horror of thunderstorm and winced every time the darkness outside the window was crossed by twitching incandescent lightning, and the tree library seemed to shake with thunder.

“Twilight, ummm… are you sure this tree can’t be struck by lightning?” Fluttershy asked for the tenth time.

“Absolutely,” the librarian pony replied tranquilly. “It’s protected by my lightning arrester charms.”

“Oh, come on, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash snorted. “Don’t be such a coward. You’re a pegasus pony, and pegasi are built to rule the weather.”

This moment there was a terrific rumble of thunder, it seemed the sky above Ponyville shattered and fell down to the ground. Everypony, even fearless Rainbow, winced this time.

“Heh-heh-heh…” the rainbow-maned pegasus giggled nervously, as everypony present’s regard turned on her. “Well, I’m swallowing my words – that was really loud!”

“Did somepony said “loud”?” Pinkie Pie perked her ears up. She was dying of boredom all this evening. “Let’s crank the music up loud and throw the party!”

This was then everypony heard a loud knocking at the door.

“Who could it be in such a rain?” Applejack mumbled.

“Whoever he may be, he must be wet through,” Twilight said, approaching the door to answer.

The door swept open, and Fluttershy gave a squeak – the lightning flashed and lit two silhouettes on the threshold, wrapped in capes. Hoods hid their faces.

“Welcome…” Twilight muttered, cowering away slightly from the door and remembering the protecting spell’s words just in case.

“Twily!” So familiar and dear for the lilac unicorn voice exclaimed. One of the mysterious guests – the taller one – pushed back his hood with one careless motion.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight exclaimed, the joy of meeting her brother and the perplexity mixed in her voice. “I’m so glad to see you! But what are you doing here? You and Princess Cadence should–”

“How do you do, Twilight?” The Princess of the Crystal Empire said, pushing back her hood in her turn.

Old habits die hard, as they say. Everypony present watched familiar greeting ritual, smiling.

“I’m very happy to see both of you. But,” Twilight began, closing the door with her magic, “but explain me please, what are you doing here unaccompanied and in such a terrible weather?”

“Twilight, for Celestia’s sake,” Shining Armor grinned. “Let us to wind down after the trip.”

“But of course. Sorry,” the unicorn blushed a little. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

“Surely!” Her guests exclaimed.

~***~

“So everything with changelings is not that simple as it seemed,” Twilight picked up the kettle with her telekinesis and poured more hot and fragrant tea to her guests’ cups.

“Yes, and I have a feeling it’s partly my fault in what happened on our wedding,” Cadence took a bit of her cake. “We need your help, Twilight.”

“A-and y-y-you… re-really want to find Crysalis? After all what happened?” Fluttershy stammered.

“Oh, for Equestria! Fluttershy, if you’re chickening out, so keep your nose out of this stuff,” Rainbow Dash snorted.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Twilight shook her head, thinking. “If everything will be exactly as I’m planning, it will take presence of all Elements of Harmony.”

“But for a start don’t ya want to know there are they?” Applejack suggested. “For the last time they were flyin’ to an Appleloosa in a messy bunch.”

“I was thinking about it already… aha!” Twilight exclaimed, as an idea struck her. “Spike, give me a map of Equestria please.”

“Yes ma’am!” The baby dragon saluted, showing off before Rarity, and in another heartbeat the map Twilight asked for was lying on the table before the unicorn.

“Now… let it succeed…” The young magician muttered under her breath. Everypony in the library (eight persons apart from of its mistress) went silent respectfully, not to break the magic concentration of the twilight-colored pony.

The magical glowing enveloped Twilight’s horn, and instantly if in the answer on unicorn’s magic call the swarm of the dim-green glowing appeared on the map. Just like fireflies stuck to the paper.

“Which was to be proved!” Miss Sparkle exclaimed, peering into the map eagerly.

“Well done, Twily!” Her brother responded, surprised. “But how did you come up with this?”

“The main point is every living creature using magic has its very own, unrepeatable one. I remember the taste of changeling’s magic very well. Believe me, you won't mix it up with another one, too. And following this magic trail I found the location of the Queen and her swarm,” Twilight explained circumstantially, blushing a little because of Shining’s praise.

“We have only one problem”, Rarity lined over the map. “Your Highnesses, are you sure you want to realize your intentions?”

“There’s no need for you to be so official, we are friends after all,” Princess Cadence waved her away. “What’s the matter?”

“The right place is pretty far from here,” Applejack moved on.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Cadence replied with a sigh, but firmly, exchanging glances with her husband.

“We need to get ready in that case,” Twilight decided. “Spike, come with me. I need to write the letter for the Princess Celestia.”

~***~

The big company arrived to Appleloosa by train. The royal couple, keeping their identity unknown, made this trip in a private compartment. Other ponies spend this time, chatting merrily. Well… the main part of them. This was predictable, that the butter-yellow Pegasus didn’t maintain the other’s mood and imagined scenes of the meeting with changelings – the one was more terrible than another. But this was Fluttershy, who was able to step into manticora’s maul without fear, protecting her friends, but she wasn’t a crazy optimist, like Pinkie Pie, she hadn’t Twilight’s logical mind or Rainbow’s courage. But I’m sure you would agree that somepony should be an embodiment of the Element of Kindness. Nopony could do this better than our Fluttershy.

As they reached the terminal station, they hired a carriage with the Applejack’s help. The farmer pony felt here right at home. Four hefty stallions brought their passengers to the mountains’ foot in no time and without asking questions. After that, eight ponies and one dragon went into the depths of the caves, leading by Twilight’s magic feelings.

“Twi, are you sure we are on the right way?” Rainbow Dash said after half an hour of going round the endless monotone passages. It was pitch dark, you could only see the way, thanks to unicorn horns glowing with magic. Walls were rough like an abrasive; it was easy to skin your flanks. The ceiling was so low, that it was impossible to fly without knocking against it. Pinkie Pie had witnessed this first-hoof – she smashed her head into the stone, trying to jump as she always did, and now she went easy, scolding the cave under her breath.

“Please, be quiet, Rainbow,” Fluttershy laid back her ears – the echo, what was sleeping in the underground caves, waked by the voice of the rainbow-maned Pegasus and began to walk through the stone passages.

“Fluttershy, this is only an echo. It can’t eat you,” Dash snorted.

“I know, but it sounds so… scary…”

“I’m absolutely sure I choose the right direction,” Twilight’s calm voice contrasted with Rainbow’s impatient call and Fluttershy’s scared whisper. “But it seems to me we have a problem… Don’t move!”

“What happened?” Rarity exclaimed, scared.

“Nothing… That is to say there’s nothing before us,” Twilight stopped sharply as she felt an emptiness under her hoof. She craned her neck and looked down.

“That is to say the floor of the cave is going down with high angle,” the lavender unicorn corrected herself.

“So how do we―” Cadence began.

“M-m-maybe that’s the case we should turn around and g-go away…” Fluttershy assumed hesitantly.

“Let me go!” Pinkie pushed her way through a crowd, looked down excitedly and surveyed her friends. “Have you ponies ever sledded?”

“Pinkie, wait! We don’t know what is do―”

It was too late. The pink pony jumped down with an enthusiastic shout, and a few seconds later everypony heard her high-pitched voice again.

“Come here everypony! It’s funny!”

The other ponies – willingly or gingerly – followed her friend and made sure, it really felt like a sledding. The soft sand awaited them below, so nopony got hurt. There was one problem, however, – they were deeper within the mountain, and nopony had an idea, how long will take this trip.

“So how long do we look for them?” Rainbow asked loudly, impatient.

“We… we don’t need to look any further,” Twilight gasped. They all huddled together, back to back.

The threatening, sounding almost snakelike hissing filled the cave. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her friends.

Chrysalis was standing in the center of the cave, surrounded by her faithful changelings, which were ready to rush in a fight for their Queen. Her eyes glowed in the half-light, the green discharge ran up and down her horn, she was ready to throw an attacking spell on them.

“Stop!” Twilight shouted, stepping forward. “Please don’t attack us! We came in peace. Just listen to us!”

“In peace?” Crysalis gave an eerie humorless laugh. “What sort of business to discuss might have you, young Princess Celestia’s upstart?”

“Actually, I was the pony who asked Twilight to search for you,” Princess Cadence fell into conversation.

“Oh, look who is there! That’s YOU!” Chrysalis’s eyes flashed with rage. “And your damned groom is here too!”

“With your permission, Your Majesty, I’m her husband already!” Shining Armor said; there was freezing politeness bordering on a contempt in his voice. He pushed his wife back, leaned his head, and the cloud of his crimson magic wrapped his horn.

“Stop! Stop this madness! Honey, please calm down. Nopony won’t harm me,” Cadence shouted.

“Well, it’s not for long,” Chrysalis’s fangs were bared in a sinister grin. “I’ve got to admit, I’m intrigued by your sudden appearance a little. I want to know the purpose you all have. And then I’ll decide what to do with you.”

“And that's the way the cookie crumbles,” Applejack muttered under her breath. “We went to the peace talks, and now we are trapped.”

“It wasn’t a good idea to come here, if you ask me,” Rarity said, voice trembling. “What has gotten into us, when we gave our agreement to take part in this madness? They are changelings, after all, they don’t understand, what kindness and mercy are…”

“Don’t be afraid, lady Rarity, I’ll protect you!” Spike wanted to look valiant; his voice betrayed his real feelings, however.

“I know, I know, you’re my hero,” the snow-white mare answered absentmindedly, gently moving ‘her hero’ away from the supposed battlefield with her hoof.

“So give me an answer, what are you doing here?” Queen’s voice rang with rage. “Wasn’t it enough for you then you bounced me and my subjects out of Canterlot for everypony’s delectation? Isn’t it enough for you that we are crowded here, having no power left? Isn’t it enough for you?...” Her tone crackled, when her voice winced at her last words.

Twilight looked more closely at the Queen… and she saw countless blisters looking like burns on the changeling’s body. Some of them burst, revealing the flesh, and the wounds were bleeding with acid green liquid; some of them healed up already and became scars, but there were brand new and just formed blisters. The young magician winced and turned an eye away. Why did she do this? She couldn’t say, if that feeling she had was a disgust or… a sympathy?

“Yes, that’s what it makes, love, if it aimed not at you, but against you,” Chrysalis observed calmly. The sarcastic smile touched her lips as she saw the lavender unicorn’s confusion. “I wonder why it didn’t turn me to the pile of ash…”

“Chrysalis, I’m so sorry,” Cadence said all of a sudden. She saw injures left by her and Shining combined magic, and there was deepest sympathy in her eyes. “What can I do for you?”

“I wouldn’t take your help even if you could do anything,” Chrysalis informed with arrogance.

“Are you despising me?” The pink alicorn was looking into Chrysalis’s eyes – they were phosphorescent green, their pupils vertical, creep and unusual. The Princess’s heart sunk a little at that she saw in their depths – a loneliness, a desire to take and not to give, and something as unpleasant as this, – but she managed not to look away.

“Why do I deserve this? Why was my happiness the one you tried to break?” Cadence kept asking, she seemed not notice Chrysalis began to get mad. Her eyes flared and went out like fading embers; she tapped the stone floor with her forehoof nervously.

“Why?” The Changeling Queen mocked the Princess with her own voice. “I’ll explain you, if you don’t understand this by your own. Who promised me to meet again? Who called me a friend?”

“You’re absolutely right,” The Princess sighed. “I should not take the friendship so lightly. But I explained you already; aunt Celestia never let me leave the castle after this accident…”

“I don’t believe you!” Chrysalis snorted. “If it wasn’t you, who was it in that case? Who came to me in the Everfree and took two friends along?”

“In the Everfree? Two friends? Wait―”

“Exactly! You weren’t alone! There were a unicorn filly and a pegasus colt with you, the twins, they insulted me, ME, the Next Queen! So if I was only a dirt under their hooves! And you didn’t say a word in the defense of me!”

“A pegasus? A unicorn? Pony twins?” Cadence repeated in confusion. “I’ve never had friends like that!”

“Who could it be in that case? Who could know about our acquaintance, but you ponies?” Chrysalis raised her brow. The Princess Cadence’s perplexity was honest. Nopony, even a prima Donna of the Canterlot Royal Dramatic Theatre, could fool a changeling, since that was a feelings-eating being.

“Wait! Two ponies, you said?” Twilight interrupted. “But what if they were… not quite ponies?”

“What are you hinting at?” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. “Call the Royal advisor to me now!” She shouted to a crowd of her subjects.

Changelings gave the way quickly, and a very old changeling limped through the crowd. He was so old his body was pinto, and his wings became meager, his fangs were blunt with old age. The decrepit old changeling bowed to his Queen awkwardly and stood before her, waiting for orders, his legs shook with weakness.

“This is my oldest and most loyal changeling. He has held his post even then my mother was a Queen,” Chrysalis reported to surprised ponies. Then she addressed the advisor in a changeling’s native language.

Everypony heard this odd conversation sounding like humming, buzzing and cracking. All of a sudden, it snapped, and Chrysalis’s horn threw a branched lightning. It stroke a floor by adwisor’s hooves, sending the bits of the stone fly in every direction, the old changeling shrunk in a horror.

“You’re right! I hate to admit this, but you’re right!” Chrysalis shouted, turning her head to face the pink alicorn. “That was my mother who did this! She didn’t like how I treated ponies, and she decided to teach me a lesson. She took your form, and he,” she nodded to the old advisor’s side, “he played a part of one of your ‘friends’.”

“Do you… do you believe my now?” Cadence asked softly.

“Yes, I am. No one could fool the changeling Queen – even the other changeling,” The Queen answered in a sharp tone. “But she was right nonetheless. I’m not able to change my being. We are eating love, and there is nothing we could do with it.”

“If you let me, Your Majesty… I have an idea.” Twilight almost jumped up and down just like studious school pony, who wants to speak in class.

“Should we trust you?” Crysalis shut her eyes, tired. “We have no other way, though.”

“I give you my word, Your Majesty; I won’t hurt you or your subjects. I can’t change your nature, but I can correct it a little.” Twilight opened her saddlebag and began to go through its contents. One moment later, each of her five friends was wearing the precious necklace, which represented the Element of Harmony. The glow and surprised exclamations of the five ponies filled the cave.

“Elements of Harmony! Whee!”

“Twilight, dear, what do you have in your mind?”

“B-but what would… ummm… Princess Celestia say? ”

“Yeah, srsly, is the Princess informed about that?”

“Are ya sure it will help, sugarcube?”

“Ask all questions afterwards, please! Very well!” the lavender magician mare announced, on her head. “Shining, Cadence, we need your help, too. Without the Seventh Element where’s nothing to do.”

“Stop it! Don’t dare! Your damn Elements… and the magic of love…” Chrysalis leapt forward. Her changelings hummed menacingly, forming into battle order.

“Do you see that?” Twilight said triumphantly. “I knew it! Chrysalis, do you feel what’s going on with every changeling of your swarm?”

“Well… of course. Taking this gift is the responsibility of every new Queen, who comes to the throne,” Chrysalis answered, a little bit surprised.

“And you, in your turn, are ready to give your lives for your Queen. If she’s gone, you’re gone too,” Twilight nodded to the changelings. They buzzed their agreement.

“So you are bound together more tightly than any other creatures in Equestria. You are the self-contained system, so why don’t you simply take and give energy to each other, within your… family?”

“Is it… dangerous?” Chrysalis asked, looking worried.

“Don’t be afraid. The magic is only an instrument. Its effect depends on your aim. Now we all want only to help you,” Twilight calmed.

The cave went silent. After a moment, Shining Armor asked his sister softly, “Are you sure this will work? I’ve never heard about this before…”

“Worst-case scenario, everything will stay as it is. Best-case scenario – everything will be as I said,” Twilight shook her fringe. “Well, do we try or not?”

~***~

“…how does it feel?” Twilight’s voice reached for the Queen’s stunned mind.

The Queen of the Changelings shook her head, analyzing her feelings. One minute earlier, she seemed to melt in the rush of the magic light, disembodied and weightless. That felt… pleasant. The magic, what was so merciless to her and her people before, now was rocking her on the waves of the endless ocean. Chrysalis found herself thinking it was better if this will last forever. The everlasting loneliness and hunger, the lack of emotions, what couldn’t be shown by the changelings, it all vanished. There were no burns on her body, too. Instead, she was filled with a new feeling – feeling of the unity with all her subjects, with every changeling, who was getting to his shaking legs, trying the stiff wings…

“I’ve never thought I’ll say this, but thank you, Twilight Sparkle,” Chrysalis said all of a sudden. At first sight, she hasn’t changed at all – she had the same hard wings folded on her back, hooves with holes, crooked horn and the lifeless veil of the mane. Twilight noticed, however, the Queen’s sight became really, really softer.

“May there be everypony and everychangeling present the witness – I give the Word of the Queen, I’ll never attack Equestria and the Crystal Empire again,” Chrysalis continued a bit louder to be sure that all heard her.

“Where you will go now?” Cadence asked.

“I don’t know yet. We’ll try to start over… somewhere far away from here,” Chrysalis scoffed.

The two of them – the Princess and the Queen – stared into each other’s eyes – and this stare seemed to erase all years of the misunderstanding and insult between them…

“Thank you – and farewell,” they said in unison.

“So let us take our tails out of here,” Rainbow grumbled. “Or you want to live here in this cave?”

~***~

They left the caves and had a rest, building up their strength before the way back home. Rainbow was flying above her friend’s heads, warming up her wings. Pinkie rolled on the ground, laughing, happy to see the sunset sky again. Rarity primped her mane, and Spike watched her secretly (or he thought so). Twilight, the royal couple and Applejack and Flurretshy, who joined them, kept aloof, having a conversation.

“So what do you say, darling, have you peace of mind now?” Shining smiled.

“Yes, I have,” The Princess of Love breathed. “It was vital for me to resolve this misunderstanding.”

“Twi, aren’t the changelings eatin’ the feelings anymore now?” Appledjack fell into conversation.

“Well, it’s impossible to change the changeling’s nature entirely. But they can hold out using only their own bounds for a while. And they won’t need so much love from inside later, too,” Twilight explained.

And they all stared thoughtfully in that direction, there Chrysalis headed with her swarm, and wished good luck to the Queen.

Dear Princess Celestia!

We all taught a very good lesson today. Nopony could be considered certainly guilty, if you don’t know the motives of his actions. No matter how evil and despaired the creature may look, there is a chance to show them another way. There is no need to change his whole life cardinally. It’s enough only to show them a new meaning of life. And then everything going to be alright.

Your very faithful student Twilight Sparkle, her family and friends.

P.S. The Elements of Harmony and the Element of Love worked together just as I thought they would. I’ll send you the detailed report later.