Although many years had passed since she was last in Canterlot, Chrysalis knew where she was going. The castle hadn't changed at all, it was just as grand as ever. The pure white walls, the tapestries showing the history of the royal family. All of it just as she remembered. Though now it was all bathed in a shadow that should not be. Despite it being nearly midday, the full moon still shone high in the sky. "It is just as Master Star Swirl said," Chrysalis thought to herself. "What ever has driven Luna to this will pay." she growled. With that, she lit her horn with its emerald light and opened the door to the throne room.
The throne room itself was much like it should have been. The only difference was with the flames that burned on the candles and torches. Instead of being a regular fire, the flames were green, not unlike changeling flames. Tho that was normal compared to the one who sat on the throne. The alicorn was and yet was not Luna. It was as if a shadow had taken her. Her midnight blue coat was replaced with one the color of inky shadows, and her eyes - once so full of love and compassion- were now cold and full of hate.
As Chrysalis approached the throne, the alicorn who sat upon it boomed at her. "Who are you and why have you come?"
"Have you truly forgotten me already?" Chrysalis asked with a hit of sadness in her voice. "As for why I am here, it is because of a promise I once made to you and you made to me. That is that if anything threatened the ponies of Equestria or the changelings of The Dune Sea, we would stand together and face it as sisters like our mothers did before us.”
"Chrysalis," the alicorn spoke as if the name was poison. "What great threat could you be speaking of?" she asked as she stepped down to approach the changeling queen. "As you can see, this is a peaceful night. All is right with the world. I'm afraid you made this trip for nothing."
"It’s nearly midday. The sun should have risen hours ago, why has it not? Also where is your sister? Isn't it she that rules during the day?”
"She is resting, and you are right she does rule during the day. But as I've told you, this is the night and there will never be another dawn. I have wrapped the world in a lullaby, one that will make the ponies learn to love the night, and those who will not love me will learn to fear me, instead."
"Lullaby? Love or fear you? What are you? There is no way Luna would do this on her own.”
"You're smarter than her sister, I'll give you that at least. I am the true ruler of the night. The one the pitiful fool thought she could keep in check," she announced proudly. She inclined her head in a polite greeting. "I am Melinoe, goddess of nightmares. Now I will give you the same choice I gave Celestia. You can either bend your knee and swear to me and the night follow me the one true ruler of this world, or you can suffer the same fate she did. Think before you act. I will need a general to lead my armies, I can use someone like you. You're powerful, cunning, even ruthless when you have to be. You are a leader that knows what it's like to make tough choices. The ones that keep you up at night, the ones that take a little bit of your soul each time you make one. Follow me and you will answer to nopony but me. Everything from the lowliest ant to the greatest dragon will bow to you."
"You make a tempting offer. One that in another time and place I may have taken. I am just as you described. I am more powerful than most. I can think of only three beings that could truly rival me in power. I guess it’s correct to say two now, since Celestia has been dealt with. I am more cunning than you know, a changeling queen doesn't stay queen for long if they don't know how the game is played, and I have been playing the great game for many, many years. And you're right, I have made many choices that haunt me. Some that I know I had no choice but to make, others I may have been wrong to make but they were my mistakes to make and they have made me who I am today. But there is one thing about me you don't seem to know.”
"What's that?" boomed Melinoe.
“I'm loyal to my friends," she answered strongly. With that, Chrysalis's horn flared and Melinoe was bathed in an emerald glow and was thrown back into the throne with the force of a cannon. "Let me make you a counter offer. You let Luna go and scurry back into whatever hole you crawled out of never to return and I'll let you live."
"You dare to strike me?!!" Melinoe screamed at Chrysalis as she rose to her hooves. She quickly regained her composure. “This is exactly why I want you to join me. With my magic and your bravery that borders on stupidity, no one could stop us. And if by some miracle you did beat me, all you would be doing is killing your friend. Could you live with yourself if you did that? Kill one of the only ponies that ever truly loved you?"
"Whether I can or not, anything else that happens is no longer your concern. Soon you will be dead erased from this world.”
"What of your friend? Will you really kill her too?"
"I know Luna would rather die than hurt those she loves. I can sense her inside you still. All the rage, hatred, sorrow, everything. The fact that she was too weak to stop you herself, you used her to kill her sister and to top it off making me kill my best friend … my sister. She's ready to die, daemon. Are you?”
"SO BE IT! I HAVE COME TOO FAR TO FAIL! NOW DIE LIKE THE REST!!" Melinoe shouted with a voice that could split the heavens as her horn glowed an ice blue.
The words had barely left Melinoe's throat when Chrysalis became like a living shadow and darted towards her with a speed not even a goddess could react to. She took the dagger she had at her waist and ran it with deadly precision across her throat. "Forgive me, Luna," Chrysalis whispered softly. "Sorry I couldn't save you."
Melinoe's eyes softened - and she was Luna once again, no doubt about it.
With her last bit of strength she pulled Chrysalis into a hug.
Hoping she knew she forgave her.
