And Hearts Will Change

The Final Act

Celestia sat upon the golden throne positioned centrally against the wall in her royal audience chamber, her calm mask hiding the growing uncertainty that welled in the pit of her stomach. Despite the lack of an actual present audience, she could still feel the piercing stares of countless ponies trained upon her, condemning her without truly knowing about her currently uncommitted crime. She sighed, trying to dispel some of the tension welling in her back and shoulders. “It will do nopony any good to fret over this, Celestia. She has made her choice and neither you, nor your sister can think of an alternate method. She’s starving, thus it’s the merciful thing to do.”

Another soft exhalation and she straightened her posture back to her full, regal height. “Besides.... She is suffering terribly; that much is apparent.”

“Talking to yourself again, dear sister?” The day mare started at the sound of another voice aside from her own, but calmed quickly as soon as she recognized its source. “‘Tis troubling times indeed when we speak to ourselves. Tell me, sister. Art though having second thoughts over today’s execution?”

“Oh, Lulu. You know fully well that I’m doubting that our decision is the right one. I cannot simply shrug off the taking of another’s life as if it was nothing.” The solar goddess’ frown deepened, her facade dropped around her sibling. “I love all of my subjects whether they be pony, griffon, or changeling. I fear we are rushing our decision.”

“We are glad that we are not the only ones having doubts. However, it is not entirely our decision to make.” The moon mare nuzzled up against Celestia’s neck in an attempt to brighten her sister’s mood. “We asked what fate she desired and she hast given her answer. She has confirmed that she is not the last of the queens, so we have little reason not to respect her wish. We do not desire to see the mare suffer more than she already has. After the loss of her little ones, we are not surprised she has chosen such a path.”

Celestia nodded, remembering that night only a week prior quite vividly. Chrysalis had despaired as she held the husk of her hatchling daughter in her arms having been fed the remainder of the child’s love just to sustain her as long as possible. “It was so soon after the loss of her entire hive as well. Even considering her crimes against my Twilight and you, I cannot feel anything other than pity for her. She’s suffered so much as is evident by her visible atrophy.”

“Aye. ‘Tis a shame that the mighty changelings had fallen on such desperate times. Perhaps, if they had come to us in peace, before any of this had happened, we could have given aid to them and saved her from such a disastrous path. Thine ponies are quite open-minded and, as long as they were not drained of all essence, I am certain that they would agree to serve as host for a period of time.”

Celestia smiled and nodded. “They have grown so much over the years, Lulu. Look at Twilight, for example. She’s grown into such a beautiful young mare and is so supportive of her friends.” She turned and stared out the window towards the sun as it began its descent towards evening. "It's nearing the time.... Thank you, Luna, for easing my mind if just for this brief moment. We need to prepare. Has she... chosen her preferred method?"

"She has. Magical execution. Quick and painless with little worry of cleanup save for bodily functions post-mortem." The moon princess' impassive expression fell to be replaced by one of concern. "Celly.... I do not think I can go through with this. While I may have been upset that she impersonated me, this is not the punishment I had in mind.”

“I know, Luna, but there isn’t anything else we can do. If we release her, she’s likely to kill herself or die of starvation. You’ve seen how she is.” The lunar alicorn nodded and hung her head. “I wish there was another answer, another path to take, but in all of my years as princess, I’ve never had to deal with a situation like this. We aren’t prepared for it.” Celestia smiled softly and closed the distance between herself and her sister. “If you want, Lu, I will perform the act myself. You need not watch.”

“No.... No, I will stay. It is not your burden alone to bear.” She pulled away from the alabaster mare’s embrace and turned towards the exit. “I shall prepare the proper chamber and make sure our ponies are blockaded from the area.”

Celestia nodded and turned her gaze back out towards Canterlot city as her sister left. The weight on her heart had been lifted somewhat, Luna having offered to help support it despite both of their worries, but she still could not ease the ache completely. Death over a life without love. I understand why you made the choice, but that only makes it that much worse. Even I know the pain of having love for a pony that fate conspires to keep you from. In the end, there isn’t much you can do if you cannot move on, especially with the short life of a mortal such as yourself.

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

Rainbow Dash pulled the hot air balloon to the ground, landed herself, and collapsed in exhaustion. She groaned miserably, completely incapable of lifting any part of her body, and closed her eyes, panting and sweating uncontrollably. In seconds, she was swept off of the cool, marble ground she had fallen upon and pulled into a spine-crushing embrace only to be deposited back upon the comforting coolness once again.

“Thank you so much, Rainbow. Just stay here and I’ll send a royal guard to take you to a room where you can rest. Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you any way I can!”

The prismatic pegasus merely groaned incomprehensibly and slumped further onto the hard stone beneath her, relaxing as much as her sore body would allow her. Never. Never again, Dash. I don’t care how cute or miserable the pony is. Never. Again.

Twilight rushed into the palace, shouting rapidly at a nearby patrolling guard that her friend needed assistance as she passed, and tore through the halls at speeds any bookworm around the world would be envious of. The white marble of the castle sped by her as she raced between crowds of regular ponies and guards and teleporting past any group she couldn’t simply dodge. Turns were made without any noticeable sense of direction, but the unicorn knew the palace like the back of her hoof and, in a matter of minutes, she was barrelling down the final hallway leading to the royal throne room. A quick glance out a window showed the time to be just past one after noon.

I made it in time. Please, let me have made it in time!

The massive, gold-wrought doors blocking Twilight from her destination exploded open in a flash of magenta magic, only to be forced shut by the same glow seconds later, startling the room’s only other occupant and causing her to jumped several inches off her throne. The out-of-breath librarian skidded to a halt just in front of her wide-eyed mentor and panted in a fashion much resembling her loyal friend only moments ago. She dropped to her haunches and leaned her head back, straightening her body as much as she could to increase the airflow to her lungs as much as possible.

“Tw-Twilight! What are doing here? And in such a rush, too!”

Twilight took a deep breath and lowered her head to look into the sun mare’s eyes, forcing herself to keep a calm face. “I- I came to.... I came to talk to Chrysalis.” She paused for a moment, still panting from her gallop through the palace, and calmed her thundering heart as much as she could. “She’s- She’s still... alive, right? You haven’t executed her yet, right!?”

Celestia flinched at the sudden exclamation and direct words, but smiled soon after. She always was one to speak her mind. “She is. I am glad I sent you the notice right away. She wanted it done as soon as possible, after all.”

“She? You mean Luna? Why would she want to-”

“Not Luna, Twilight. Chrysalis.” Her smile faded, a process that she found to be happen much too often lately. “She’s lost so much. Her hive, her only remaining children, and her closest source of life. She doesn’t have anything else to live for.”

Twilight’s ears folded back, her face stricken with an emotion Celestia had never thought she’d see from her student in this situation. Fear. “C-can I speak with her? Before the... execution. Just once? I need to talk to her.”

“Of course you can, Twilight.” The diarch’s smile returned slightly, a glimmer of hope planted in her heart. “I fear she may not be too responsive, but you have every right to speak with her. It was you she wronged, after all.”

Celestia watched as Twilight opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it and looked back towards the golden doors she had nearly broken down in her haste. “Could you take me to her? I want to see her as soon as possible.”

“Sure. Come. We’ll take a shortcut.” Celestia stood and walked over to the eastern wall of the throne room and placed a gold-shod hoof upon a seemingly random brick in the wall. Her horn glowed yellow and, in a flash of powerful magic, a passage to the lower levels of the castle was revealed behind the false wall. She grinned in amusement as Twilight followed behind her, awestruck at the revelation of there being passages in the castle that she did not know of. “These tunnels were built long before Luna’s banishment as Nightmare Moon, back before Canterlot was even the capital of Equestria. In those times, things were quite different from the way things are now, so these passages were required in case my sister or I were ever attacked while staying here.”

“This- This is amazing! If I wasn’t so worried, I’d love to stop and examine these. Perhaps map out the layout, but....”

“I was wrong, wasn’t I?” Twilight looked up to her mentor, her expression denying any possibility that the princess could ever be mistaken. “There is no need to defend my image, Twilight. I can see it quite clearly. She never had you under her influence, did she? You truly have feelings for the young queen.”

The lavender unicorn hung her head in shame and tried to make herself as small as she could, hoping that, if she made herself invisible, she could somehow retain her mentor’s approval. “I’m sorry.... I never meant to-”

“Hush. There is nothing wrong with how you feel, Twilight. I was merely surprised. You should be proud of your love for her. For a creature as lonely as the changelings are, it is ponies like you that they need. To truly be able to love them for who they are, not what they are.”

“But, I don’t even know if that’s really how I feel! She- She lied to me.... The entire time, it was all a lie and....”

“You can find out now, Twilight.” Celestia stopped and motioned with her hoof towards the right path in the fork they had come to. “She is being held in a cell down that path. You need not worry about being stuck in here, the wall will open itself when you approach, so I will leave you on your own. Talk to her, tell her what you feel. I pray for your success, Twilight.”

Before she could protest, Twilight was left standing alone in the cold, dark hallway of Canterlot Castle’s under passages, staring down the path she had been directed to follow. Her heart raced in her chest, mimicking its pace from her run to the throne room, and sweat began forming upon her brow. Slowly, she began moving down the dim hall, chest tightening and stomach clenching with each tentative step in the right direction. Even at her sluggish pace, she came to the seemingly solid wall separating her from the castle’s prison cells in little time and stopped dead in her tracks.

“I don’t know if I can do this. What will I say? How can I face her? I don’t even know who she truly is.”

“Twilight? Is that you? I can... feel your presence. This isn’t a trick is it? Where are you?”

The unicorn’s heart skipped a beat at the insect-like beauty of the changeling queen’s voice. She took a moment to admire the multiple facets of the sound, something she had not been able to truly appreciate when her true form had been revealed. She smiled despite her worries and took a step closer to the wall. “No, it’s not a lie. I’m here. I’m right-”

The two mares stared at each other from across the miniscule amount of space between each other in stunned silence. Twilight blinked and stepped back, having not expected to end up in the very cell of the one she was seeking. Chrysalis stepped closer, her hoof extended as she tried to confirm what she was seeing, but never finished the action. It would not have been the first time her misery-pressed mind had deceived her in recent times and she had never truly expected her lost lover to actually visit.

"I- Uhm.... Chrysalis...."

"Wh- Is that really you? Am I hallucinating again?" Finally willing up the courage she had so recently lost, the emaciated changeling closed the distance between her hoof and the unicorn's cheek. She gasped at the touch of velvety fur, quickly retracting the hoof, and fought the urge to melt into tears. "Why? Why are you here? If you have come to mock me, do your worst. I have not suffered enough for my crimes. Even I feel like today is just a quick escape."

Twilight's lip quivered and she had to look away to prevent herself from crying. "It's true? You want to die? Is everything that Celestia said true?"

"I do not know what your princess has told you, so I cannot tell you what's true or false..., but I do wish to die. My life no longer has meaning." Chrysalis turned away from her surprise visitor and pressed her face against the cooler bars of her cell. "My children are gone save for the two eggs that remain in my hive, neither of which will survive the week, and the daughter that is growing in your womb. I no longer have the capacity to love. It was torn away by the loss of my swarm and betrayal."

"Betrayal? How is it my fault that you were imprisoned? You lied to me!" Twilight stalked towards the changeling who merely pressed harder against the iron supports of her cage. "How could you try to make me the villain here!?" Her voice shook as she spoke and slowly lost the restraint she had held on her emotions causing warm tears to begin their trek down her cheeks. "It was you that betrayed me!"

"I did not place blame on you, Twilight. I cannot and will not. I was the one that did wrong and I'm sorry. It is my own fault that I no longer feel anything other than pain." She sluggishly lifted a hoof to stare into the brittle chitin at the flesh underneath. "Physical and emotional. I will atone for what has happened with my life and join my children in the Great Hive."

Twilight stopped in her tracks, her anger dropped. "Wh-what? You.... You're really going to...."

"Have the celestial sisters end my suffering? Yes. They asked what I would have done and I told them. I committed a dire crime against Equestria and...." She cast a fleeting glance at Twilight before staring back into the sparsely lit dungeon. "I told and they will comply."

"B-but.... What about what they want? What about the changelings? Wh-what about our child!? You said you would take care of her! I don't know anything about you or your ancestry! H-how am I supposed to raise her myself?"

The fallen queen sighed sadly and and looked back at Twilight, frowning at the pitiful state the unicorn had fallen into. She watched silently as she cried, tears falling like rivers down her face and a small trail of mucous forming from her nose. Her heart clenched at the unicorn's desperation, but she steeled herself against another blow of heartbreak. "Twilight.... There isn't a need to worry. Us changelings survive by eating emotions. Love is by far the most... nutricious of them all and the only one that can keep us alive. All you need to do is love her. I'm certain that-"

"Th-then.... Wh-what about m-me? You said that you loved me. W-was that a lie, t-too? Did you just s-say it put your seed in me? To carry on your kind for you?" Twilight turned away, pointlessly wiping her face off with her legs. "Tell me the truth. Tell me the entire story, from before we met until now. I want to know the real you.... Not somepony hiding under the guise of a friend."

"You.... Do you not hate me? When you reported me to the princesses, was it not out of spite? I have wronged you as no other could. Why do you visit now, during the last hours of my life, and weep?" Chrysalis watched Twilight, confused. She had seen many of her victims react when she had revealed her true self to them before devouring the last of their love and leaving them to wither. All of them had acted with anger, trying to lash out at her with the last bit of will they had, but never had she seen, or felt, anything like this.

Twilight merely watched, weeping as softly as she could as she waited for the answers she had demanded. She held the changeling's gaze, her eyes unwavering despite her emotional turmoil. She stared into the emerald orbs, searching deep into the depths of their master's heart, and gasped quietly. The look that she was being given, while full of sorrow, was all-too-familiar.

It was the same gaze that Chrysalis had had while disguised as Luna the night the mare had bared her heart. The same pained expression, so full of love, that she had worn while expecting rejection. Wh-why?

"No, I cannot. It would not matter either way. You made your choice and I will respect it." She broke their eye contact and focused on a section of wall to occupy her sight. "I don't want you to be here out of pity. Pity is useless to me. Please, if you're here to say goodbye, do so and let me die in peace. I can't go through with it if you're around."

"No.... You.... You don't want to die and... I don't want you to, either." Twilight, having finally gotten her emotions in check, moved closer to the imprisoned monarch and pressed her forehead to the taller mare's side. "You don't have to tell me. Not now, but.... Sometime, okay? I want to know more about you and not just so I can pity you. A mare deserves to know about the mother of her child and her lover, doesn't she?"

Chrysalis' head spun to stare at the unicorn, incredulous. D-did I feel that properly? She....

"Princess Celestia said that your influence over me would diminish over time until it disappeared completely. It's been far past the time she predicted, yet I don't feel any different at all." The black queen began to speak, but Twilight cut her off with a light nudge. "You once told me that you loved me and asked if I could return your feelings. I told you that I was willing to try and make it work, and I will, but.... No more lies. Do you truly love me, or was what you said moments ago the truth?"

"Why would you do this to me?" Chrysalis, with trails of sorrow sliding down her face, turned her head and looked into Twilight's eyes. "You sell me out to your princesses and have me taken away to rot in a cell only to show up randomly and demand answers from me. Then y-you... you raise my hopes and break down my defenses like they're nothing. I've spent my entire life honing my emotional fortitude and yet you can crush it like an ant under hoof. Why?"

"I didn't tell them! It was an accident! That week after you left, I was lonely. You had taken my heart, as Luna, and flew away with it. I sent a letter to Princess Luna thinking that you would receive it...." Twilight sighed and pressed closer to Chrysalis, resting more of her body against the taller mare. "I felt so angry back then, and I still do, but I still have feelings for you.

"So, please, come with me. I can get you out of here and talk with the princesses to pardon you. You can come back to Ponyville with me and we can start over. We'll really introduce you to my friends and, maybe, if everything works out properly, we'll raise our daughter together. As a family."

Chrysalis chuckled softly and smiled despite her tears. "You ponies are completely illogical, or perhaps just you."

"I am not illogical! Everything I do is planned out and documented in an orderly...!" Her mind flashed back to the memories of her blind panic and desperate race to get to Canterlot, then rushed forward to her present moment. She had never planned for this entire situation at all. She had expected to come here and get answer, then decide what to do next. With a frustrated huff, Twilight threw up her hooves and distorted her face into a pout. "Fine! Maybe not everything I do is planned out with dedicated precision, but this doesn't really count! It's a special situation, but the point still stands. I'm not illogical."

"Perhaps it's just due to my inexperience in dealing with your kind, but everything you've done goes against everything changelings believe in... typically." She brought her hoof up to rub the moisture from her face and winced as her tears burned her exposed flesh.

"Wh-what's wrong with your legs? Why do you have holes where your skin should be? Why can I see through them?" Twilight held one of the mare's legs out before her in a magical field and pressed a hoof against the soft, yet firm, skin around one of the holes. She drew back in surprise when Chrysalis pulled her leg away from her grasp. "I-I kind of expected it to be harder. Your skin, that is. Like the green shell on your back and around your barrel. But it's less chitinous that I thought....

"It hurts though, doesn't it?" She moved closer to the queen's front legs to get a better view of them without the need to move them. "What happened? Did.... Was this from your time in here?"

"No, it wasn't. Not all of it, at least." Chrysalis stood to her full height and pressed a foreleg closer to where Twilight was sitting. "You can observe it, but try not to touch near the deterioration." The scholarly unicorn nodded and inspected the sores as closely as the changelings limitations would allow her, taking special care to not aggravate the wounds any further. "It's a symptom typical to changelings that manifests differently among the swarm and the queens. We call it Atrophy of the Loveless.

"In short, it causes our bodies to eat away at our skin when we are starved of love as our skin absorbs large amounts of the nutrients from feeding. Typically, a queen's skin is as durable as granite yet as soft to the touch as your own, but when we are unable to acquire sustenance.... Well, this happens. It can eat away at any part of our bodies and my legs are not the only part of me to suffer. They are, however, the only parts of me where I can feel it." Chrysalis sighed and lowered her hoof to the floor and opened her mouth as wide as she could.

Twilight flinched back when she saw the brittle flesh connecting the mare's jaws tear and ooze with green fluid. "Doesn't that hurt? How can you suffer through that so calmly!?"

"I don't have nerves there or else it would cause me endless suffering. One uses one's mouth for many things during their life, especially when one cannot use magic." She glanced out towards the door at the end of the dungeon, marked by the faint light spewing from beneath it. "However much I would enjoy sitting here and talking with you about my many ailments, wouldn't it be best if we found a better place to do so? As long as your offer was sincere, at least."

"Of course it was! I am many things, but a liar is not one of them! It would be cruel to offer you freedom and a chance at redemption only to deny you such things later. We'll leave the way I came in."

Twilight stood and began walking into the dark halls from which she had arrived. She lit her horn, casting a minor spell of light from the tip to illuminate the path for them, just as Celestia had done on the way here, and turned to make sure Chrysalis was following behind her.

The changeling stood several feet back, watching the unicorn move ahead and only made to follow when she was a safe distance away. Or, rather, she made the attempt to create distance between them. Twilight rushed back to her cell the moment she noticed the gap between them and immediately began inspecting her for injuries, a frantic look of worry etched onto her face.

"Are you alright? I didn't hurt you when I touched your legs, did I?"

"No, I'm fine. Let's go." Chrysalis pushed past Twilight and walked briskly into the darkness, leaving the lavender mare to rush to close the gap between them.

Twilight slowed as she caught up and glanced at the changeling worriedly. "You seem distant. After.... After seeing you cry back there, I didn't expect your mood to turn sour so quickly. I thought you were glad that I came?"

"I am, but-" She sighed and slouched into her walk. "I'm joyed that you came here for me, but I guess we both have things to work through. When you confronted me at your library, I was confused and more than little fearful. I never wanted you to find out and, looking back on the situation, I see that it was inevitable that something unveiled the truth. But, when the princesses came, Celestia and the true Luna, I was terrified.

"I do love you, you know. It's something that no changeling has ever felt for another species as far as I'm aware of, at least." Chrysalis slowed to a more languid pace and allowed her shorter companion to ease her own. "Well, when the princesses came, I was terrified and emotionally crushed. I trusted you wholeheartedly. I know that I was lying the entire time, but it still hurt.... I'll be truthful from now on, though. If it means I can have another chance, I'll do anything."

As if on cue, the wall they were coming upon opened to reveal the agonizingly bright throne room of Canterlot Castle complete with a pair of alicorns waiting on the other side. Luna was the first to act and jumped towards the escaped prisoner, wings flared and magic ready. Celestia stood and calmly walked over to the trio, a soft smile gracing her lips.

"You will do anything within your capabilities, won't you, Chrysalis? After all, you currently owe your life to my little Twilight, willingly or not." Her smile widened as she reached the small group and placed a comforting hoof on her sister's shoulder. "It's all right, Lulu. Twilight released her by my guidance and I do not wish for her to go back and I'm quite certain that you don't either."

The midnight alicorn relaxed her stance and frowned at her sister. "Sister, we have asked thee not to use pet names around our subjects! It's belittling!" Celestia merely giggled which elicited a sigh of frustration from Luna. "Celestia is correct, though. We will admit that we did not approve of thine choice of punishment. It... troubled us. We are gladdened by thine choice, young queen."

"It was an easy choice to make when presented, but I'm afraid it will be the most difficult one. Not that it's a bad option, though." She smiled softly and glanced down at Twilight who returned a similar, but much more nervous grin. "I believe it will be hardest on Twilight, though. I have done much to earn distrust and, as a changeling, I know how difficult it is to earn trust from strong-willed creatures."

Celestia nodded and gracefully sat upon the floor where she stood. "Very well, as long as you and Twilight agree to work on your bond once more, I will allow you to return to Ponyville with her and live in her custody. However, I have one more question for you, Chrysalis, and another for you as well, Twilight, depending on how she answers hers." Luna looked to her sister and locked eyes with her, nodding slowly. "You are likely to be compelled, rather, need to revive your swarm. It is in your nature as queen to have the need to expand your nest and breed more changelings, but you know what would happen should you do so."

"Of course. I already have the compulsion to lay after the loss of my last two, after all. And I know where you're going with this. My children do not have the longevity of myself or you ponies." She frowned at the thought of her children dying around her as she continued to live on. "It would be troublesome to have them integrate into your society and develop any sort of close relationship with a pony in order to feed only to die within a few years' time.

"That is... a difficult issue to address. Normally, they would feed for months at the most and drain their host to death unless ordered not to. It eliminated the risk of emotional breakdown on the host's side from loss of their partner. My best choice would be to not lay and prevent further issues, but...."

"Thou wouldst be unable to hold to such a task. It wouldst be nigh impossible to force such urges to disappear." Luna stepped closer and imposed her full height, allowing her coat to darken as she coalesced magic into it. "We offer thee a choice. We sisters are capable of suppressing thy need to breed with magic, but such spells have dangerous side-effects. We wouldst not only quell thy need, but also destroy any further ability to do so."

"Are you.... Do you mean she wouldn't be able to have children anymore?" Twilight glanced up at her companion, worry etched upon her features.

"We are not finished, Twilight, but that is what such a spell entails. So long as she creates the eggs within her body, so too does her body force her to want to lay them. We have a second option, though." Celestia widened her ever-present smile and nodded to her sister. "We could allow you to recreate your swarm under the agreement that they acquire love without any form of disguise. It would be difficult for the first few years as my little ponies have never seen your kind before, but I believe the rewards would be worth the struggle.

"Now, this is a decision that both of you need to make as it will affect both of your lives drastically. You can consider this your first step to bridging the chasm your actions have created between the two of you." She nodded towards her sister who spread her wings and ignited her horn before disappearing into a mist of stars and flowing through the doors and out of the room. "We'll allow you to stay here for tonight in order to give you more time to talk. Luna has gone to prepare a room for the two of you, one with two beds should they both be required, and will fetch you shortly."

"Celestia."

"Princess."

The two mares looked at each other and smiled warmly. Twilight stepped forward and bowed slightly before gazing up into the solar diarch's eyes. "We already know what the answer will be. We may have issues with trust right now, but we both know that we'll resolve them. I'm certain that she can hold off her need until we are ready to delve into that path together, but cutting them off forever will help nopony."

Chrysalis nodded and brushed a hoof across Twilight's cheek, taking care to avoid scratching her with a claw. "I put my faith in Twilight in hopes that she will help me to control my needs. I do not expect her to let me fall to temptation. We will reform my hive together and educate them in new ways to feed. We will accept all responsibility for the actions of my children and hope that you will allow us to do so under our own discretion."

Celestia beamed and nodded. "My faithful student, my offer still stands for the night of rest if you still want it. You need not accept, but I implore you to be mindful of Rainbow Dash's current state of exhaustion before you decide this time." The alabaster mare gave a mischievous smile as Twilight's calm demeanor turned into a panicked frenzy.

"Oh buck! I completely forgot about Rainbow! She's going to be soooooo mad when she finds out I didn't make sure she got help. Ohnoohnoohnoohno!" Twilight turned and raced out of the throne room with record speed leaving Chrysalis to stare incredulously after her and Celestia to snicker quietly.

"Don't worry. She'll calm down as soon as she realizes that we already took care of her friend." The royal alicorn exhaled heavily to calm herself, then looked back to the changeling to find a warm smile upon her face. "You look much less intimidating when you smile like that." Chrysalis immediately wiped all emotion from her expression and coughed to try and hide her embarrassment. "Thank you for choosing Twilight. It brings me endless relief to not have to execute you and I can see it has raised Twilight's spirits as well."

"I didn't change my mind for you. I almost didn't do it for her, either. I'm certain you are aware of why, though."

"Yes, I am. You don't have-"

"Princess! That was mean! You could have told me that Dash had already been helped! I almost had a heart attack!"

Celestia and Chrysalis laughed as Twilight pouted angrily. "I'm sorry, my faithful student. You'll have to excuse a mare for seeking a way to lighten a situation." She watched Twilight carefully, her grin never faltering, until the small mare gave in and smiled in return. "Come. Let's get you two situated in time for dinner. Luna should be making her way back here with news of your room shortly."

Twilight nodded and turned to leave, oblivious to the fact that the other two hadn't begun to follow. Celestia opened her mouth, preparing to speak, when she was cut off by a halting hoof. "Don't. I don't want to talk about it until it's time."

"Of course. If you ever want to, remember that my sister and I have experience regarding the subject. We will support you when you need it."

Chrysalis nodded and followed in Twilight's hoofsteps with Celestia following along just behind her. She looked out the various windows dotting the hallway and sighed. One day, I'll tell her.

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

Twilight exhaled heavily as she stepped past the threshold of her tree home and flopped down on her side upon the cool wooden floor. A small smile crept across her lips when she heard another set of hooves and a pair of claws move behind her followed by the soft click of her door closing. "I really enjoy spending time with everypony, but it sure is exhausting. The books I read on pregnancy didn't say anything about having less energy this early in."

"That's because your books don't take the fact that our child is a changeling and not a normal pony into account." Chrysalis smiled and leaned down over the unicorn to plant a kiss upon her cheek. Twilight sighed and pressed against the black mare's lips, revelling in the affection.

"Blech! Why do you have to get all mushy while I'm around?" Spike huffed and crossed his arms before marching off towards the kitchen. "I'm going to find some gems to eat before you start pulling me into your girly stuff."

Twilight giggled, shaking her head, and turned her gaze up to the changeling who took a seat at her back. "It's been almost three months since we came back from Canterlot and he still acts like that when we kiss. Sometimes I forget that he's so young."

"We only recently started showing our affection, so it doesn't come as a surprise. It's still pretty new to him."

"Well, that's true. And while you spent your time as Luna, we were much more discreet about it, aside from our first night." She chuckled and pressed herself against Chrysalis' legs. "When he came to check on us, both of us covered in our fluids, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Luckily we were facing away from him. I'd hate to have to explain that." Twilight grinned, but her elation quickly sobered as she allowed her marefriend to lie across her chest and rest her head near her own. "I can think of another close friend that hasn't quite adjusted either. Why were you so distant during the pet play date? Was something wrong?"

Chrysalis frowned slightly and closed her eyes. "I just don't feel comfortable around everybody without a disguise. We aren't meant to expose our true selves and it's disconcerting. Plus, it doesn't help that your friends still distrust me. Except for that pink one, Pinkie Pie. She doesn't seem to hold any ill will towards me at all."

Twilight nodded and caressed her growing stomach. "I don't think Pinkie could ever dislike anybody, she's just... Pinkie, but I think I understand what you mean. The others will come to believe in you as I do, but the sudden revelation that you had deceived us and got me pregnant made them cautious. We'll eventually get them to accept you again, but it'll take work." She smiled up at the changeling and kissed her lips lightly. "I wasn't sure myself, for a while, but you've proven yourself to me. I'm so glad I was able to come to your rescue. I'm not sure I could have found love again."

"That's nonsense., Twilight. Anypony would be blessed to know you, let alone have you as a partner. Why, if you were to ask one of your friends, I'm certain you'd be surprised by the results. They love you dearly and friendly affection can easily turn into romantic love." The black queen smiled, pleased, as a surge of love filled her with vigor. "Thank you for coming to me, but I wouldn't advise asking any of your friends how they feel about you. You are the beautiful mother of my daughter and I won't let anybody else have you."

Chrysalis pulled the lavender unicorn into a tight embrace and pressed their lips together, connecting them in a passionate kiss that ended with the pair panting for breath and staring into each other's eyes. Twilight shifted uncomfortably as her backside began to heat up, the aphrodisiac qualities of her lover's saliva having begun to ignite her arousal. She lost herself in the bright emerald pools belonging to the changeling that lay across her body and had to fight for control as she felt herself begin to fall into the hot depths of desire.

The queen grinned as she felt the young mare's heart rate increase and inhaled the early traces of her arousal. Twilight, however, huffed in mild annoyance. "You need to hold back on your kisses! I can't easily ignore this, you know, and having this happen everytime we kiss could be an issue!"

Chrysalis spoke with her voice barely above a whisper, following the unicorn's lead, right next to Twilight's sensitive ear. "We could just take care of it. It has been four months since our last time, after all."

"We can't. Spike's awake and just around the corner! The last time was a close enough call and I know we won't get away with it this time."

The changeling looked around the library, scouting out the various possible places they could couple for one that would provide them with privacy, and grinned as her sight fell upon the closed door to Twilight's guest room. She turned to gaze back down at the unicorn whose face had flushed brightly as she restrained her burning heat. "If you can't suppress it, I think I've found somewhere we can copulate without fear of discovery."

Twilight bit her bottom lip, glanced nervously towards the kitchen where her draconic ward was currently feasting upon the various jewels she had in supply, before looking back up at her companion. "I-I'm kind of nervous, to be honest. This was how our last session happened, similarly, at the least. Then, you turned out not to be who you appeared and I almost lost you. I know it's irrational, but I'm scared that, if we do this again, you'll leave me alone and hurting...."

Chrysalis stared down at the unicorn, sorrow dancing languidly in her eyes as she fought off the regret of past mistakes. "Twilight, if I ever left you, hurt you like that again, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I don't think your friends or the princesses would hold back their search for my head, either." She smiled softly and pressed her lips against the mother-to-be's forehead, using the action to allow the guilt she felt to subside. "If you don't want to, we won't. You didn't ingest enough of my saliva to succumb to desire unless you let yourself do so."

Twilight nodded, but pulled her partner back into another kiss, parting the mare's lips to let her tongue dance around the changeling's mouth and teeth. She breathed through her nose as she tasted the sweet nectar that was her lover's saliva, losing herself in the rising heat caused by the aphrodisiacal influx. She pulled away, panting like a hound in heat, and cast a lustful gaze to Chrysalis before calling out into the kitchen. "Spike! Chrysalis and I are going to rest in the guest room! If you want anything, just help yourself!"

"Sweet! Sure thing, Twi!"

The purple unicorn ignored the sound of the words ice cream coming from her assistant's direction and quickly led the changeling queen to the spare bedroom and locked the door behind her. She panted heavily, struggling to hold back her lust, and gently laid her lover down upon the moderately sized bed nestled in the back corner of the room. The changeling smiled as Twilight climbed on top of her, resting her pregnancy-burdened body atop the inky mare's barrel, and connected their muzzles into another struggle of dominance.

Twilight moaned into her love's mouth and recoiled slightly as she felt Chrysalis' long, seeking tongue push past her own and explore her. She tasted the sweet muscle as it toiled against her own, snaking about her mouth and partially down her throat, to fill her body with the passion fuel that had lit her desire minutes ago. Reluctantly, she pulled away from the kiss, guided by the insectoid's clawed hooves, and rolled onto her back.

Chrysalis flashed a predatory grin, her sharp teeth glinting in the light provided by the singular arcano-bulb hanging above them, before pouncing upon the vulnerable unicorn, much to said unicorn's delight. Her face hovered over Twilight's, her thin, stringy hair tracing against the small mare's chest from her reversed position, and then leaned down to nip gently at her neck. She allowed her ivory teeth to scrape the skin under lavender fur, drawing a surprised, throaty gasp from the dominated pony, and followed it with a lick across the pricked flesh, melding the sharp pain with delicious pleasure in her lover's mind.

Her descent continued undeterred, grazing over Twilight's chest, past her rounded belly, and down to her swollen, dribbling teats. She kissed around each of the nipples, dabbing at the trails of sweet mare milk with a flick of her serpentine tongue and relishing the euphoric taste of a mother's nectar. "Ohh, Twilight. You are positively delectable. I am jealous of our child already. She'll have these succulent teats all for herself when she's born into this world."

The lust-addled librarian giggled and brought her hooves up to massage Chrysalis' supple, black flanks. "She will, but I'm afraid these breasts of mine will become sore during my time without a daughter to drain them for me throughout my remaining term. It would be incredibly kind if somepony were to help me with them until then."

Chrysalis chuckled, her harmonious voice vibrating against her mate's firm peaks. "That could be arranged. It would most certainly be a fair trade." She opened her maw and closed it upon one of Twilight's seeping mounds, sucking the entire breast into her mouth before drawing back and suckling upon the nipple. She sighed happily as the creamy white filled her mouth, teasing her taste buds as it made its way down the mare's throat, and began gently nibbling upon the hard bud, reminiscent of times long past, to add the faint metallic tinge of blood to the mix.

She heard the unicorn whimper with mild pain, but a quick lashing of her tongue across the injured teat morphed the pained whine into one of bliss. "You should become accustomed to such pain before we are true mothers. I remember being merciless when it came to nursing from my mother, so you should expect similar results from our daughter. Fret not, though, as I will be oh-so-gentle with my nibbling."

She felt Twilight's nod against her thighs followed by a hot wetness sliding across her own humble breasts before setting to work on her lover's other teat. In moments, the unicorn's other nursing mound was drained and she allowed herself to move on.

Stretching her neck down further, Chrysalis' muzzle met with Twilight's sopping honeypot which exuded a powerful musk and oozed with copious amounts of mare come. She took a deep breath, becoming drunk with desire under the influence of her marefriend's heat, and stood to better allow herself access to the Holy Grail displayed before her. She dove into the winking, flooding pool and sucked upon Twilight's hole making the unicorn groan into a hoof to muffle her urge to scream. She could already feel her lover's well convulsing against her lips as she climaxed, rewarding Chrysalis with a torrent of mare fluid to lap at as she helped her ride out her orgasm.

Twilight sighed as her body finally relaxed, allowing her to look down, embarrassed, at her interspecies lover between her legs. "Y-you made me come first again. It w-was sooo incredible, but i-it's not fair."

Chrysalis smiled warmly as she turned about, simultaneously flashing with green fire, to rest atop Twilight, her new mass of flesh pressing between the unicorn's sensitive breasts and against her foal-laden stomach. "You are the mother of our daughter, the pony carrying the last of my race, and the only non-changeling that I love. Fairness is not truly important and, besides, we'll both have our fill by the end."

Twilight gasped as she felt the familiar weight of mare meat press against her thigh as the changeling shifted, moving so she could pierce Twilight's anxious vagina. "O-oh! I forgot about that, but you can't! I don't want to risk harming the foal, but... I want it so badly."

Chrysalis nodded and looked into Twilight's amethyst eyes, her own reptilian emeralds glowing with lustful fervor. "We could always use the... back entrance. It will be uncomfortable for a while, but can be equally pleasurable if taken slowly."

The scholarly mare chewed on her bottom lip, debating whether or not she wanted to venture into such an unknown area, but it did not take long for her studious nature and aching lust to choose her words for her. "Gently..., please."

The onyx monarch grinned and expediently slathered her mare meat in Twilight's juices, anxiously awaiting the moment she would push into the resistant pucker waiting below. In seconds, aided by the river of lubricant provided by the unicorn, Chrysalis stood, her unflared head prodding gently against the darkened purple rose, poised to begin. She leaned down to plant a soothing kiss upon Twilight's lips and nuzzled against the side of her face. "Just relax and you'll be wallowing in pleasure before you even know it."

Twilight nodded and relaxed herself as much as she could, preparing herself for the inevitable discomfort of having her tailhole stretched and filled. The head of Chrysalis' rod slipped past her lax anus, catching her off guard and making her clamp tightly around the shaft. She squealed, almost drawing blood as she bit her lip to keep from screaming, and writhed under the obsidian changeling. "Stop! Stop! Please, stop! I-I can't!"

Chrysalis pulled out slowly, gazing worriedly down at the whimpering mare, and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Shhh.... Maybe some other time when you're more prepared for it. Don't worry, we can stop here."

Twilight shook her head and fought back the tears that stung at the corners of her eyes. "No, I'll be fine, but can we do something else? I-I think I'll be able to replicate your morphing. I can pleasure you that way, even if it won't be able to give you children yet."

The queen looked down at Twilight, surprised, but smiled and kissed her forehead. "You never cease to amaze me. It's no wonder you're Celestia's prized pupil."

The lavender unicorn blushed and focused her magic into the tip of her horn. Magical light danced from the point and lit up the room in a brilliant display of magenta only to disappear with a soft pop as the spell was cast. Chrysalis was surprised by the sudden presence of new warmth twitching and throbbing against her stomach and stood to find a mottled purple and black phallus bobbing eagerly beneath her.

Twilight gasped as a wholly different flood of feelings emanated from her crotch, centered on the stiff length protruding from a new sheath just below her breasts. "O-oh, wow! This feels...."

"Exciting, right?" Twilight nodded and stared wide-eyed at her length. "It'll feel even better inside of me. You don't have to worry about preparing me. I've been ready since the moment we kissed." Chrysalis stood in a flash of fire, reverting herself back to normal, and spun around again to press her barrel against the sheets, positioning herself so her lover could mount her without the issue of their obvious height difference, as she leaked bright green fluids upon the bedspread.

The purple unicorn rolled onto her stomach and quickly crawled over to the waiting changeling, but paused when she heard a faint clicking, barely audible over Chrysalis' expectant pants. "What's that sound?" She saw the queen tense up and cover herself with her tail in a sudden show of modesty, but failed in her not-so-subtle attempt to hide her marehood. "Why are you-? Oh...."

Twilight stared at the six little black talons writhing methodically from around Chrysalis' bright green clitoris, only visible when she parted the soft, hole-ridden black lips of her vagina. She flinched away involuntarily, somewhat intimidated.

The changeling huffed, frustrated, and tried to wrench her tail out of the unicorn's magical grasp. "I'm sorry, Twilight. I can't seem to be able to get today to work out properly. You can see why I don't typically bed with my prey in my natural form, aside from the obvious reasons. We changelings are intimidating. I can promise that I won't hurt you, but if you want to stop, then I won't mind."

N-no! Erm..., no. I can do it. It's just, different. You have to let me study you sometime. abook on changeling physiology, especially when you start laying again, would be revolutionary!" Chrysalis chuckled as Twilight's scholarly nature took hold once again during one of their carnal acts, but nodded her assent as she stopped struggling to free her tail.

In seconds, Twilight was pressing up against the soft, green love hole of her royal lover, shivering in delight and mild uncertainty as the clawed fingers squeezed and massaged her shaft. She took a moment to wonder about the nature of such appendages, but didn't give herself any time to truly contemplate it before plunging deep into the eager depths of Chrysalis' box.

Both mares moaned loudly, nearly releasing immediately upon insertion, but restrained themselves in the spirit of making this experience a lasting one. Twilight felt the claws stiffen around her shaft, no longer manipulating the hefty phallus to, instead, focus on squeezing her as tightly as they could without piercing her skin. She sighed happily and ground her member against her marefriend's cervix, instinctively prodding against the insectoid's womb.

Twilight allowed herself a moment to make certain she would not come the second she decided to pull back, then did just that; she followed it up with a quick, powerful, and awkward thrust which pounded Chrysalis' womb and made her sensitive testicles slap against the changeling's nub. She growled hungrily and began pumping into and out of the mare, her mare, making her groan blissfully under the sexual onslaught.

The lavender unicorn grunted, her rapid pace quickly draining her already limited stamina, but also pushing her closer and closer to a second climax. She could feel Chrysalis tighten around her, the queen's sheath crush her mighty sword, and the claws work her over once again. She wanted to give her beloved a second and even a third release, to repay her for the ones she'd taken selfishly for herself, but her endurance wouldn't last.

Twilight fell atop Chrysalis' back and moaned into her neck, erratically thrusting her hips as her shaft's head flared up and released her magical seed into the changeling's hungry cauldron. The black fingers massaged her aching member, coaxing more come to pump into their master and not stopping even after Twilight had no more to give.

The two lay there, lavender atop obsidian, breathing heavily with bright smiles upon their faces. "I can see... why you liked that. It kind of makes me wish I was a stallion already, but then I would have missed out on the wonder of bearing your child." She leaned down to kiss Chrysalis' neck and nuzzled her lightly. "I love you, Chrys...."

The changeling looked up at her and her smile slowly morphed into a frown as guilt chewed at her conscience. "Twilight...." The unicorn opened her eyes at the somber tone of her lover and soon her own expression matched the one she saw. "I have something that I need to tell you. It's... important, but I didn't want it to hurt you. I should have listened to Celestia back in Canterlot and told you then, but.... I wanted to build our relationship again without having it dangle above our heads. I guess I never did learn my lesson from my first lie."

"Wh-what is it? We agreed that there wouldn't be any more lies."

Chrysalis sighed heavily, the burden of the truth weighing heavily upon her, and spoke, calmly and evenly. She couldn't show any weakness for that would be Twilight's place. She would be needed to support the unicorn as she suffered for her.

And her worries came true.

At the revelation, Twilight broke down into frantic sobbing and clung to the changeling, desperate to never let go. Chrysalis merely held her, lying upon her back with the mare in her embrace, and whispered soothing words into her ear, assuring her that all would be right, that everything would be fine in the end.

~{A}~{H}~{W}~{C}~

Author's Notes: Check it! An entire chapter done on my phone and boy what a doozy that cliffhanger is. I bet that, if I took the collective rage generated by you guys created by this cliffhanger and harnessed it, I could create another sun. Anyhoof, lots of feels (and awesome changeling physiology, Woo!) in this chapter. only one more to go and that will (hopefully) be just a short epilogue. Thanks for stickin with me on this one as I am well aware that it deviates from my typically paced stories. As soon as I finish the epilogue (hopefully within a day or two) I'll be moving on back to Necro Domina (yay! finally, amirite?) Anyhoof, see you, space cowponies! Peppy out~!

Editor’s Notes: I’m just going to go ahead and warn you guys right now (and this is a slight spoiler). If you don’t want to be sad, don’t read the epilogue. I know how Peppy plans to wrap this one up so... yeah. There’s my two bits for the day. Ciao!

P.S. Since Peppy's interwebs will be down until sometime tomorrow, he won't be commenting for awhile. That being said, I'm currently using his profile to upload this.