Queen Chrysalis, Relationship Doctor

Chapters

Unexpected Twists
Baltimare Blitz
Damage Control
A Whirlwind of Emotions
Of Light and Shadow
Setting Guidelines
Back to... normal?

Unexpected Twists

9:30am, Crystal Empire Dining Hall

Chrysalis’ original lead about asking the guards if anything strange happened during the night had led to a dead end. The guards stationed by her bedchamber, who had kept close monitoring at Chrysalis’ request, reported that Her Majesty had a very peaceful slumber, complete with a blissful smile on her muzzle. This had given Chrysalis a lot to think about, including some areas that she’d rather have stay in the deepest recesses of her mind.

“Is it possible that I have done the impossible?” Chrysalis mused to herself as she waited for Cadance and Shining Armor to join her. “There has never been any recorded instance of a changeling feeding on dream love, even I have failed in that endeavor. However, there must be some explanation as to how I woke up full, and that dream love felt so real… so sweet, fresh, and pure.”

“Good morning Your Majesty,” Cadance said with a beaming smile that brightened the room as she entered with Shining and Flurry. “did you have a good night’s rest?”

“Yes I did Princess,” Chrysalis replied as a maid brought them all a nice breakfast of pancakes, toast, haybacon, and orange juice. Despite the mysterious filling during the night, the splendid smells made the changeling drool, and she couldn’t help but fix herself a serving. “and based off the way you look, it seems you did as well.”

“That is correct,” Cadance said between attempts to feed Flurry Heart, the alicorn foal not wanting any of her mashed peas, “thank you for asking. So how does your schedule look for today?”

“Pretty busy with business picking up,” Chrysalis said, mildly surprised that Cadance was being as interested in her services as she was. “I’ve got a 10 o’clock follow up with Discord and Celestia, 11:30 with Rainbow and Pinkie, 1 with Twilight of all ponies, then a 2:15 with Cheerilee. After that, I got just over an hour break before I have a 4pm with another changeling queen who’s coltfriend broke up with her, after her disguise shattered protecting him from a fire.”

“Wow, Your Majesty,” Shining said, completely shocked that his former tormentor was doing so well for herself, actually seeming a bit reformed. “sounds like you got a full slate. Although, I do have to ask, do you have a 9am appointment available anytime this week?”

Chrysalis blinked, Shining being one of the last ponies she had expected to ask for her services, outside of Cadance herself that is. “I will have to check with Mrs. Harshwinny, but I think that something like that won’t be free until late next week. I hope that waiting won’t be too big of an issue?”

“Not at all,” Cadance, not Shining, answered as she finally managed to get Flurry Heart to eat. “We will see you at dinner tonight, so try and have a good day considering all the clients you have to deal with, and please try to keep up the good work.”

Chrysalis got up to head to her office, and as she did she nearly stopped. When she was almost out the door, she could swear that she felt a tiny trickle of love come from Cadance and into her own horn, but it was so quick she downplayed it as her imagination running wild from the previous night’s dream. Upon reaching the office, Mrs. Harshwinny was already there getting things finalized.

“Hello, Your Majesty,” Mrs. Harshwinny said as she put some papers in the filing cabinet, Chrysalis making a mental note to ask for a bigger one, “is there anything I can do for you?”

“Besides the daily resupply of refreshments, there is one thing,” Chrysalis said stopping at the entrance to her office. “Can you check the planner and see when the next available 9am appointment is?”

“Umm,” Mrs. Harshwinny paused as she sorted through the daily planner, making sure each appointment had confirmed their visit. “Considering you are starting that slot up tomorrow, and it is already a popular slot, next Saturday will be the next one. If I may prod, why do you need to know?”

“Because I want you to put down Princess Cadance and Shining Armor for that spot.” Chrysalis said in a calm tone, holding up her hoof before her secretary could ask any questions. “Do not bother asking, I know just as much as you do about that, just put them down and we will see next week. Now, if you will excuse me, you can send my first appointment in when they arrive.”

No sooner than Chrysalis had sat in her seat, Celestia and Discord entered her office, and she was surprised by their appearances. Discord was sporting rather formal attire, his own version of a solar regalia that looked like a finely tailored suit, looking as if it was cast from the smoldering plasma of the sun itself. His mane was slicked back, giving the professional look of a wise noble, his wings shining like never before.

Celestia, meanwhile, was sporting a very wild look. Her mane and tail still floated in an ethereal wind, but it had so many knots and split ends that Rarity would faint at the sight of it. Her coat was ragged and rough, uneven in some areas that made it look like she was partially shedding and a little dirty. Her wings were unkempt, several feathers dangling or broken on either side, with a very unstable look in her eyes that nearly made Chrysalis want to teleport to a safe place.

“Well, it seems you two have took on the appearance of your roles quite well.” Chrysalis said while trying her best to avoid looking into Celestia’s eyes. “Question is, how well have you two taken up each other’s duties?”

“I have taken up the mantle of raising and lowering the sun very well.” Discord said straightening his tie, one that bore the symbol of the sun. “It is easier than having to deal with chaos magic all the time, and it really is a nice change of pace having specific duties to do.”

“Very well,” Chrysalis said feeling pleased with herself, that is until she had to force herself to look at Celestia, the Alicorn of Anarchy. “and how are you adjusting Celestia? Keep in mind that it has been a week, you ready to return to your role that destiny had set forth for you?”

“No,” Celestia’s tone and grin sent pure fear down Chrysalis’ spine, but the plentiful amount of love that was being emitted washed the feeling away and left her feeling slightly love drunk, “me and Dee Dee already discussed this matter before coming here, and we both reached the same conclusion. In the week we have spent in each other’s roles, we realized that we are more suited for our new duties, so until further notice we will continue this exchange.”

“We really owe you a lot Chrysalis,” Discord said with a genuine smile as he held one of Celestia’s hooves, giving her a loving look. ”You’ve saved our relationship and showed us how we were meant to be. How can we ever repay you?”

“I think you have paid me enough.” Chrysalis said with a burp, her eyes slightly glazed over. “I think our work is done, but just to be on the safe side, I am issuing a six month follow up. So, unless there is something major that has to be discussed, you two are dismissed.”

The couple then left, with Mrs. Harshwinny bringing in another love collection container, but Chrysalis waved it off. “You’ve got twenty five minutes to find me one bigger than that, the amount of love coming off those two was intoxicating. I swear, my drones are already eating well as a result of this business, but those two alone provide the equivalent of a five course dinner. Go see what you can find while I digest and spread what I can.”

While Mrs. Harshwinny went to get a bigger collection bin, Chrysalis leaned back in her chair and started to drain away the excess love out of her body and into her drones. They eagerly soaked it up, taking their fill before receding in the hivemind once more to return to their normal tasks. Even after sharing with her drones, Chrysalis felt bloated, her body having already taken what was needed. One thing that interested her was the fact that a few of her holes looked smaller, something she mentally noted to inspect after dinner.

“I had Princess Cadance make a bigger bin for you.” Mrs. Harshwinny said entering with what looked like a ten gallon ice cream tub with a resealable lid. “She hopes that this will be big enough for the time being Your Majesty, until some more can be made. I also told her when her appointment is, and she is fine with it.”

“Thank you Mrs. Harshwinny,” Chrysalis said sitting the tub by her chair and pouring her excess love into it, to her surprise it got filled halfway. “looks like you were just in time too, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie should be waiting in the lobby.”

“I will send them in right away Your Majesty.” Mrs. Harshwinny replied with a bow as she fetched Chrysalis’s next appointment. The moment the pegasus and Earth Pony entered the room, the changeling was hit by a very unusual cocktail.

“Loyalty, happiness, a hint of betrayal, and a dose of love…” Chrysalis herself was confused as to why that concoction was evident, but being the professional she was, she knew she would find out soon. “How may I help you two on this fine morning?”

“Princess Cadance suggested we pay you a visit Your Majesty, considering that she is tied up in paperwork and is unavailable to help.” Pinkie said, putting a tray of cupcakes on the table, the aroma hitting Chrysalis in the gut like a love punch as she stared at the baker. “She told us the price for a visit was love, so I infused some of my love of cooking and my friends into the batter, I hope you like them.”

Chrysalis had never been too fond of pony food, preferring to feast on positive emotions instead, but this was one time she gladly made an exception as she ate her fourth cupcake. The frosting was light, the cupcake itself moist and flavorful, and was packed with enough love that she felt like she was gorging on the Crystal Heart.

“I swear if you were a changeling you would be my personal chef.” Chrysalis said after a small burp, her face turning pink in embarrassment. “Excuse me for that, but anyways let’s get to your problem. I have a very full slate today and don’t want to risk my appointments running over.”

“Alright, here is the deal,” Rainbow said stretching out on the couch, her form fitting Wonderbolt outfit pulling taut against her curves. “it is my birthday today, so of course Pinkie wants to throw me a party. However, I have Wonderbolt practice in an hour and a show in Baltimare tonight before going on a two week tour.”

Chrysalis facehoofed, not believing the situation that had been brought to her. “I’m surprised Twilight didn’t solve this problem, just have the party before practice or after the show. Now I see why I picked up a bit of betrayal, Pinkie feels as if you are choosing your career over her, is that assessment correct?”

Pinkie blushed hard enough that it showed through her coat, an impressive feat in Chrysalis’ eyes as the baker looked down at the floor. “You’re correct Your Majesty, considering I am using my lunch break to be here, it is a hassle trying to keep up with her schedule.”

“So you think it will be better if you called things off?” Chrysalis asked raising an eyebrow, and much to Rainbow’s shock Pinkie nodded. “I can tell you that will be a very bad idea, because you both love your jobs in addition to each other, so finding balance is key. Rainbow, perhaps you can suggest to Spitfire to start having your practices outside Ponyville? That way Pinkie can watch you perform as she works, the worse Spitfire can do is say no.”

“What about when I go on tour?” Rainbow asked, as she sat up and started to straighten a few feathers. “The Cakes have already said that Pinks is needed at the shop, and I got a pretty good earful the only time I tried sneaking Pinkie on a trip.”

“Rainbow, you are the fastest pony I know.” Chrysalis said narrowing her eyes slightly. “I’m sure that you can zip back home after every show to at least give Pinkie a hug. I understand your wings being tired, I have had more than a fair share of those circumstances, but do you think that Pinkie is worth a little extra cramping? I’m sure that she will give you massages between each tour.”

“You know what Chrysalis?” Rainbow said getting up to give Pinkie a nuzzle, the affection causing Chrysalis’ wings to softly flutter. “You're right! I gotta be more of a wingpony for my Pinks! What she needs is is just as important as what I need… no, wait more important!"”

“I need to give a bit as well,” Pinkie said giving the pegasus a tight hug. “I need to accept that her being gone for extended periods of time is part of the relationship, but no matter what she loves me.”

Chrysalis smiled, content that she had resolved another relationship problem. “That’s the spirit you two, just remember the Elements that you used to possess. Pinkie, use your laughter to make Rainbow’s day, cheering her up after a tough session as a Wonderbolt. Rainbow, show your loyalty to Pinkie, thinking only about how much she cares about you when you are feeling down.”

“Thanks for your help!” Pinkie cheerfully said giving Chrysalis a bear hug, the queen gladly returning the gesture. “You know, maybe you aren’t such a big meanie after all, just misunderstood.”

“T-thanks?” Chrysalis was floored by what Pinkie had said, surprised that a pony would actually understand her. Then again, this was the only Earth Pony she knew who could teleport and fly at will. Pinkie was out the door in a blur of cotton candy, leaving Rainbow in her dust. “Before you leave, can you do me a favor Rainbow?”

“Depends on what it is,” Rainbow said shrugging her wings. “what do you want me to do Your Majesty?”

“It is two things actually.” Chrysalis said, getting up and moving over in front of Rainbow, the pegasus taking a step back in response. “The first thing is simple, never let Pinkie go, Rainbow, I don’t know what it is but there is something special about her. That is something you should keep close to your heart, I know that we have been enemies in the past, but it took a lot of courage to face your fears and agree to the appointment.”

“I had to do it for her,” Rainbow said looking up at Chrysalis’ emerald eyes, her own magenta ones glistening just from thinking about Pinkie. ”and I will take your advice. So what is the other thing that you want from me?”

“Five front row tickets to the show in Baltimare tonight and a signed Wonderbolt poster.” Chrysalis said ruffling Rainbow’s mane, earning a squeak from the smaller mare. “I think that you have enough pull to make that happen don’t you?”

“Y-yeah…” Rainbow said with a blush, Chrysalis smirking at the embarrassment being given off by the mare who was well known to be stubborn as a mule, only bested by Applejack in that department. “Anyways, I think Pinks might get something planned now, so I will just go to practice late. Spitfire will be mad but it is my birthday, so if she doesn’t understand oh well. I will see you and your guests tonight.”

Rainbow left and Chrysalis looked out the door, Twilight was sitting on the sofa snacking on some celery with a book beside her. “You are here early Twilight, your appointment isn’t for another thirty minutes.”

Twilight jumped, not realizing that her councilor was watching her snack on her mouth watering treat. “I rather be early than late Chrysalis, and I figured that I would help myself to the snack tray while I was waiting.”

“By all means help yourself, there is plenty.” Chrysalis said stepping back into her office, Twilight following with the book and tray in her magic as she sat in the seat across from Chrysalis. “I am going to be blunt here Twilight, I never thought that we would be meeting under these circumstances.”

“To be honest,” Twilight said munching on another celery stalk. “neither did I, I always imagined our next encounter being one involving me kicking your flank to the other side of the Badlands. However, seeing the work you have done with Discord, Celestia, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders cleared enough doubt from my mind for me to set this up.”

“So why do you need this anyway?” Chrysalis said as she leaned up, propping her forelegs on the table. “Is this a problem not even the mighty Princess of Friendship can fix? Sorry if I am sounding rude, it is just that for somepony who has everything, why would she come to her own personal enemy for help?”

“Because I found something that will greatly interest you Chrysalis,” Twilight said, calmly levitating the book she had onto the desk. “I’m sure that you recognize the writing.”

Chrysalis looked at the alicorn confused, but with nothing to lose she started skimming through the book. It only took a few pages for her breath to become caught in her throat, not believing the notes that she was reading. “Twilight… how did this come into your care?”

“I was looking through some of the older works I have in my library and came across it.” Twilight said, poking her head out into the lobby and asking for another helping of celery, Mrs. Harshwinny delivering it and once again shutting the door. “I noticed it was written in the changeling language, thought you could shed some light on its origin considering it is a spell book.”

“This isn’t just any spell book Twilight,” Chrysalis said, holding the delicate work to her chest. “it is one that is given to young drones by their queen as they start to mature with their abilities. I myself had one identical to this, for this is my mother’s hoof writing, back when she was a queen and I was just a princess nymph.”

“Chrysalis, I was not expecting you to say that.” Twilight said, putting a hoof on the changeling’s withers. “Since it is that important to you, consider it a pardon gift for previous encounters.”

“Thank you Twilight,” Chrysalis said, abruptly hugging the alicorn, catching Twilight off guard. “You have no idea just how much this book means to me. I thought them all lost to the sands of time, it has been four centuries since she died and I took her place. Although I wonder, just how much of the book did you translate?”

“Most of it,” Twilight said, suddenly finding the potted ficus in the corner of the room more interesting to look at. “Thorax was a major help in that, but there were some phrases he couldn't translate. I found the section about transforming and collecting the most interesting.”

“Considering you are an actual pony of magic that is no surprise,” Chrysalis said, with a smirk. “Did you try to use the spell in the section you just mentioned?”

“I did,” A bright purple ball formed around Twilight, and when it died down Chrysalis was stunned. Not only had Twilight used the spell, she had turned herself into a mirror image of Chrysalis. “now stand aside imposter and bow to me, the true Queen of the Badlands hive.”

Feeling a bit mirthful at the fact Twilight had even managed to copy her voice, Chrysalis called upon her own fire, turning herself into a copy of Twilight while casting a bubble of silence around the room. “You evil bug! I just knew that this was just another trick of yours to try and claim all the love for yourself, now prepare to get blasted back to the Tartarus pit you came out of after my friends dethroned you.”

“You can try and beat me Sparkle,” The fake Chrysalis laughed, sending shivers down the fake Twilight’s spine, only for her to be planted against the wall by some resin that blocked her magic. Chrysalis was impressed about how well Twilight was acting as her, a case of the grass not being greener coming to her mind, “but once again you have walked right into a trap. It was foolish of you to come alone, because now I have you cornered one on one. Now sit tight and get comfortable, because once my drones arrive, you will be put in a pod to help fuel the upcoming invasion.”

“Bravo Twilight,” The fake alicorn said with a smile. “you really did a good job capturing the essence and fear that I used to cause you and your friends. Now if you would be so kind, can you get me out of this resin?”

“No problem Chrysalis.” Twilight said, turning herself back to normal, minus the fact she had kept her pupils slitted, and removing the goo so Chrysalis could resume her normal form as well. “I took acting classes at university, thought it would be a fun idea to put that skill to good use since I know how to transform now.”

“Just be careful Twilight,” Chrysalis said, in a cryptic tone. “you are messing with a form of magic that alicorns were not meant to wield. I would suggest you stay away from it totally, but knowing you that is going to be impossible, also change your eyes back to normal since they are still slitted.”

“That is on purpose since I am about to go visit Dragon Lord Ember.” Twilight said, as she headed for the door. “Anyways, I will definitely be spreading the word of your business since you get my seal of approval. Good luck.”

With that Twilight teleported away, Chrysalis noting the emerald sparks that were mixed in with Twilight’s normal teleport color. Relaying a message by drone was really easy, so Chrysalis had Slip Stream go after Twilight while her next appointment came in.

“Hello there Your Majesty,” Cheerilee said, with a bow. “my relationship problem is a little weird. Over the past few months, I have noticed that my love for teaching is just not what it used to be when I was younger.”

Chrysalis reached out her senses, finding that Cheerilee was correct. The love the teacher had for her job was still there, in fact it was still strong, but the queen could tell that it was a dying flame. “Is it the students that you have? I know of many teachers and professors that have retired and quit because of how their class behaved.”

“Oh no, it is nothing like that Your Majesty!” Cheerilee said, sitting up straighter in her seat. “It's just that I love my job, and I love gifting knowledge to little fillies and colts, but it feels like I am not going anywhere at my age. I have applied to other institutions, including Canterlot High School, but each turned me down on the grounds that they already have enough teachers.”

“Why not try and study outside of Equestria, has that crossed your mind at all?” Chrysalis was intrigued, the love coming off Cheerilee was spicy and exotic, showing a mare of many travels and knew many things. “Perhaps try and file dual citizenship in the Dragon Lands to help teach the young ones there, I know of no schools in that territory, so I’m sure that Ember will be open to the idea.”

“That is a wonderful suggestion!” Cheerilee said, doing a small dance where she now stood. “I will send her a letter as soon as I get back to Ponyville, now you should get your payment.”

Cheerilee held up a hoof, allowing her councilor to take a drink of the love she had to offer. Chrysalis took a very small sip, her mind buzzing with new Equestria knowledge and a little of dreadful calculus thrown in. The teacher left, and a quick glance at the clock showed that Chrysalis had an hour and a half to kill, so the changeling gathered the love container and headed back into the lobby.

“You have done a wonderful job today Mrs. Harshwinny,” Chrysalis said, after making sure her office was locked up. “how about you take the rest of the day off? I only have one client left today, plus she and I agreed that it would be an out-of-office visit so there really isn’t a need for you to be here alone.”

“Most gracious offer Your Majesty,” Harshwinny said, getting up from her desk. “see you bright and early tomorrow?”

“Considering we are starting an hour earlier, be here at 8:30.” Chrysalis said, as she met up with her assigned guards. “However, I want you to meet me in the throne room tonight at 6, I have a reward in store for you for all your hard work.”

“I will see you then Your Majesty.” Mrs. Harshwinny said, before heading off to another area of the castle, presumably her room as Chrysalis started going the opposite direction towards the throne room.

“Are Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor busy right now?” Chrysalis asked as she trotted along in lock step with her guards.

“No ma'am,” Corporal Bright Shard said from Chrysalis’ right side. “They both needed a break from paperwork so they are taking a recess in the throne room so their eyes can readjust.”

“Good, I request that you and Sergeant Crystalline here take me there so I can speak to them.” Chrysalis said, needing to pause for a moment to make sure that the love container was firmly on her back and would not fall off. Reason being that she almost dropped it when they rounded a sharp cornerway.

Both guards saluted and led her to the throne room, where Cadance and Shining sat in their thrones with bloodshot eyes. “Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, I was wondering if you had any plans after dinner tonight?”

“Besides getting some shuteye no,” Shining replied with a yawn. “why do you ask Your Majesty?”

“What if, by some hypothetical chance, I was able to acquire tickets to tonight’s Wonderbolt performance?” Chrysalis said, as she proudly strolled across the crystal floor, her reflection showing just like it would in a well polished mirror. The tactical queen did not need to reach out her senses to see the spark that lit in both ruler’s eyes at the prospect of getting away for a few hours. “Would you two want to go?”

“That would be great,” Cadance said, with a tired smile. “however, me and Shiny have not looked into attending on the account the show has been sold out for weeks.”

“Well surprise!” Chrysalis beamed, her smile threatening to split her jaw. “Since you two graciously gave me the chance to prove myself, I had it arranged with Rainbow that we get front row seats.”

Cadance and Shining jumped out of their seats, a sudden boost to their energy levels flowing through them as they now had something to look forward to after their daily duties were done. Cadance teleported away to get started on the next batch of paperwork, leaving Shining Armor alone.

“Once again you have surprised us Your Majesty,” Shining said, practically bouncing in place. “Although, what are we going to do about Flurry? Somepony has to watch her while we are gone, and no offense, I don’t quite trust her in your drones’ hooves yet.”

“That is understandable,” Chrysalis said as she, Bright Shard, Crystalline, and Shining made their way towards the room that Cadance had teleported to. “but I requested five seats for us. In addition to me, you, and Princess Cadance, Mrs. Harshwinny will also be joining us, and the fifth seat is for Sunburst so he can hold Flurry during the show.”

“Wow, you really thought everything out, Your Majesty,” Shining said, as he reached his destination. “I think I am speaking for both me and Cady when I say that we thank you for giving us the opportunity to get away for a bit.”

“No problem at all Prince Armor, keep in mind I had a full hive to run so I know the stress involved.” Chrysalis said as she stood in the doorway, Shining going across the room to help his wife finish up. Once she saw the full scale of the paperwork involved, the queen buzzed two law-minded drones to come help, hoping to relieve some of the pressure. “Even I found the time to get away, although it was harder than how you two go on a retreat. Keep in mind, my drones know my location at all times, so I can’t completely go off the grid even if I wanted to. Now then, I just buzzed two drones who were infiltrators in the legal department during my first invasion to come help you. After all, I think some ponies will be quite sore if you two fell asleep during the air show.”

“Thank you Your Majesty,” Cadance said sighing in relief. “so when do you plan on us meeting up to head out?”

“6pm in the throne room,” Chrysalis said in a tone that showed that time was firm. “that way we all can have dinner and a quick shower to freshen up. I have already told Mrs. Harshwinny, and I am going to have a drone inform Sunburst before I head to my next appointment. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to have a late, light lunch considering I have been snacking on love all day, but I still need something solid on my stomach.”

“We will see you at dinner then.” Cadance said with a nod of understanding. “So is there any other matter you need to ask while you are standing there, or can it wait until tonight when we have more time?”

“There is one thing, but it can wait.” Chrysalis said as her two drones, Loop Hole and Case Closed, teleported into the room. “These are the two drones that will help with your paperwork, they are very detailed and will not hesitate to correct you on anything that they find bordering on illegal or immoral. Now have a good afternoon.”

Chrysalis headed to the kitchen after dropping off the love canister in her room. Choosing to only have an alfalfa burger and a side of Kale Slaw, she made quick work of the meal before teleporting to Ponyville Spa. Before leaving she gave the two guards strict instructions that, if she was not back in an hour, to come and hunt her down and transport her back to the Empire in shackles. Upon arriving in the quiet town, she quickly took the disguise of an emerald colored pegasus mare with a light blue mane and tail before entering the establishment.

“Emerald Sky!” A peppy pegasus, with a scarlet coat and sapphire mane and tail, said giving the disguised queen a hug. Chrysalis did a quick love transfer, knowing that her client needed all the extra help she could get. “I am so glad to see you sister, it has been far too long.”

“Indeed it has Scarlet Sea,” Chrysalis said before breaking the hug. “I assume that everything has been set up already?”

“Yep! The steam room is all ours for the next forty-five minutes, and nopony will bother us while we are in there.” Scarlet said, as they passed the reception desk, Aloe waving to the two as they trotted by. Once they reached the steam room, Emerald leaned in to whisper into Chrysalis’ ear. “Thanks for that love boost by the way, I really needed it.”

“Anything for my clients,” Emerald said, as she and Scarlet entered the room and shut the door. Chrysalis dropped her Emerald disguise, before making sure that nopony was eavesdropping, then nodded to Scarlet for her to drop her own disguise. A vibrant flame surrounded Scarlet, revealing a changeling that looked much like Chrysalis, but had an orange mane and tail instead of silken blue. “especially you Shaushka. Now come and lets sit on the bench while we relax and you talk things out with me.”

“That would be great.” The timid changeling said taking her seat beside Chrysalis, the steam easing the tension out of her chitin. “You see, me and Comet Trail were having a nice relaxing dinner at Hayback Wheelhouse when a fire broke out in the kitchen. The cook was on his first day on the job, and somehow thought it would be a good idea to throw water on the fire, causing it to spread due to working with haybacon grease. We were at a table very close to the fire, and despite me using my magic to keep it contained, I was exposed to the heat long enough for my disguise to falter.”

“That’s when he broke up with you?” Chrysalis asked holding the now-weeping Shaushka against her barrel in a comforting embrace. “Just give it some time dear, he might come around and give you another chance, if there’s one thing I know it’s that ponies are good at that. You are my oldest friend, and I have not steered you wrong before.”

“He said we were done Chryssy!” The orange haired changeling cried out while hiding her eyes by planting them against Chrysalis’ chitin, trying to muffle her bitter tears. “I actually loved that stallion, and that is something that I have not been able to say in a very long time. We were planning on getting married, but now all that is gone because he lost all trust and faith in me. He gave me the same old ‘I can’t be with you, because there should have been no secrets’ crap that has haunted me like a plague caused by the Smooze.”

“Calm down Shau,” Chrysalis whispered in her friend’s ear, “I will tell you what I’m going to do. It just so happens that I got a bit of extra love that I can give you right now, and I will write an anonymous letter to Twilight to file your issue as a friendship problem. That way, she can summon both of you to Friendship Court to talk it out like adults. However, during the court session you need to be undisguised, and tell him your true feelings, I think that all things considered he will see that he acted badly and will take you back.”

“I certainly hope so Chrys,” Shaushka said, looking up at Chrysalis as she attempted to dry up her tears. “sure you got love to spare though? I mean, the last time we talked your hive was on the brink of collapse, what changed since then?”

“Remember that worse case scenario that I told you about?” Chrysalis said, teleporting in a handkerchief for her friend to wipe her eyes with, waiting until she got a nod to continue. “Well, it happened, so I went to Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor on my own accord and presented them with that offer. I don’t blame them for their hesitation, but they finally agreed and it has worked out better than any of us could have imagined. I’m probably the most important non-royal in the Empire right now, and to be honest I couldn’t be happier.”

“Glad to hear that everything is working in your favor,” Shaushka said, giving Chrysalis a small smile, one that tore through the veil of sadness that she had been experiencing. “hopefully with a bit of luck your good fortune would spread to me.”

“Speaking of,” Chrysalis said, as she channeled her magic, tapping into the extra love stored in the container in her room and funneling it into her friend. Shaushka briefly was surrounded by a pink hue before it sunk into her body, making her chitin look freshly polished and her mane and tail glisten like a fine morning dew. “there is the love delivered as promised. I expect to have a follow up with you after your court session with Twilight, the amount of love I gave you should hold you over in the meantime.”

“Oh trust me it will,” Shaushka said, as the two queens redisguised. “and don’t worry, my lips are sealed as to how I obtained this much love. Since our session is up, I will see you soon dear sister.”

“Yes you will, take care until then.” Chrysalis said, as the two exchanged one last hug before heading their separate ways, Shaushka to her hive, and Chrysalis back to the Crystal Empire to prepare for a post dinner trip to Baltimare.

Author's Note

Little bit different work than normal...

With the success of “Princess and Queen: Mother and Daughter” absolutely blowing my editor’s (and mine) expectations out of the water by how well I world builded off his story “Long Live the Queen”, he has gave me permission to do a continuation of his story “Queen Chrysalis, Relationship Councilor”. As mentioned in the summary, reading that fic is required to understand where this story came from.

As always, thank you Penalt for scrubing and sanitizing to get as many errors as possible.

You can find me on Patreon here.

Baltimare Blitz

Queen Chrysalis was feeling regret.

Not for getting the Wonderbolt tickets, not for having Sunburst come along, not for anything that had happened since she had “reformed” herself. However, having a terrified Flurry Heart that was in the middle of a meltdown over the carriage ride instead of teleporting straight to the stadium? That situation alone sunk deep into the old Queen’s chitin, and was the cause of her regret.

“I am so sorry,” Chrysalis said, her eyes heavy with shame. “I should have suggested we teleport instead of trying to kill time by coming by carriage.”

“It is alright,Your Highness,” Shining said, taking a turn in trying to calm down the infant alicorn. “Normally Flurry enjoys carriage rides, but I guess with so many of us in here is making her uncomfortable.”

“May I try something?” Chrysalis asked, feeling a wave of nervousness swell from the ponies around her. “I know an old lullaby my mother used to sing to me, and my clutchmates when we were young nymphs and had trouble resting.”

“Under any other circumstances I would say ‘no’, and I even brought that up before we left,” Cadance said, holding Flurry against her barrel. “But since everything we have tried has backfired on us, I think it is only fair that you have a turn.”

“Do you really think that is a good idea?” Starlight said, still trying to fix Sunburst's mane from where Flurry had ignited it. “What if she drains Flurry's love to put her to sleep?”

“I have no desire to do that, Starlight,” Chrysalis said, not hiding the agitation in her voice. “The love I receive as payment for my services is more than enough to sustain me and my drones. Heck, I'm actually having to store the excess since the hivemind is so saturated.”

“Besides, Your Highness,” Cadance said, handing Flurry over to the changeling queen. “If you did try something that dumb, it would violate your conditions of surrender, and each of us here could beat your flank by attacking in unison.”

“I know that,” Chrysalis retorted, choosing to ignore the adults and focus on Flurry as if the foal was one of her nymphs, before she started to softly sing.

”Hush little Flurry don't say a word,
Chryssy's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird don't sing,
Chryssy's gonna buy you a crystal ring.

If that crystal ring gets broke,
Chryssy's gonna buy you a goat.

And if that billy goat runs away,
Chryssy'll still love you for another day...“

The lullaby did the trick, and soon Flurry Heart stopping her whining after the second time of Chrysalis going through the song. The adorable ball of fluff gently rubbed against Chrysalis’s barrel, making a noise between a purr and a coo as she started to drift off to sleep.

“C-Chryssy…” Flurry said, much to the shock of everypony and the lone changeling, before falling into a peaceful nap.

“Her first word,” Shining and Cadance said, speaking at the exact same time. They looked to Chrysalis’s face, a mix of fear and shock flaming in her eyes. Letting Flurry sleep, Cadance leaned over to whisper so she could talk. “What is wrong Your Highness?”

“That was a very bad thing I just did,” Chrysalis said, doing her best to keep her shaking to a minimum. “As a mother, I found great joy in having my nymphs’ first word being momma or mommy. The fact I just robbed you two of that feeling is something I will carry to my grave, please forgive me.”

“Don't worry yourself, Your Highness,” Shining Armor said, petting the sleeping filly. “You managed to get her asleep when the rest of us failed, not to mention you have a lovely singing voice.”

A fierce blush colored Chrysalis' cheeks, turning them a deep shade of pink, as she looked to the others in the carriage. Each of them nodded in return, the two guards pulling them along also tilting their heads in respect.

“I honestly see myself as average,” Chrysalis said, relaxing a bit and leaning back in her seat. “I never had to lure ponies with my voice like a siren, I just had to feed off their love, and sometimes I had to resort to… drastic measures.”

“The invasion,” Starlight said, a wave of uneasiness settling in, that each of them felt. “Although I can’t help but wonder, did you ever have a true family?”

“Once,” the answer was soft, memories that the queen had long since locked away once again bubbling to the surface. “She was a lovely mare, one that didn't care about the fact that I was different from her. She loved me just the way I was, and I gladly returned it, but due to the customs at the time we had to either marry in secret or flee.”

Despite the listening group’s own feelings of not giving in deeper into the story, it was clear they were hooked. Each pony leaned in, eager to hear more about the queen’s past, the guards slowing into a descent loop around Baltimare while the city and stadium came into sight.

“Oh where to begin,” Chrysalis said, giving a heavy sigh at the part of her past she cherished the most, but was also the most painful. “I was a few hundred years old at the time, and it was a few decades after the Unification of the Tribes had happened. She was starting to come in the her own, with a nice body and carefree attitude, and was a joy to be around. We had met at an exploration summit looking for volunteers to chart the Amarezon Jungle, and as you ponies say, we fell in love at first sight.”

A round of “d’awws” came from the group, once again falling silent as Chrysalis held up a hoof to continue. “Anyways, we both knew our parents would not approve, so we had the chaplin who accompanied the group perform a wedding ceremony. After charting the jungle, the two of us now happily married, we went our separate ways to return to our homes. We exchanged love letters frequently, and looked forward to the day that we could both settle down and give up our high status lifestyle and have our own stress free lives.”

“I never knew you had this side to you, Your Highness,” Cadance said, surprised her one-time mortal enemy could be so affectionate. “So how did your respective parents react when the truth was uncovered?”

“I was about to get to that actually,” Chrysalis said, no hint of agitation in her tone. “While I was away helping my mother negotiate with the Yaks, one of my sisters found a letter I had been in the middle of writing when she went to clean my room. That trip was miserable, and we got banished from Yakyakistan for life, but it was on that day I learned to never tempt Murphy Law. When we got back to the hive and my sister showed mom the letter… it got ugly at first.”

“I can imagine so,” Sunburst said, his tone one of understanding. “Things were, and still are, pretty heated between mine and Starlight's parents over our relationship. We still love them, but until they simmer down and accept the truth we don't want their negativity in our lives.”

“Then you understand our problem,” Chrysalis said, releasing a sigh she wasn't aware she had been holding in. “Well, things blew up in a hurry. Our parents demanded we get an annulment under threat of stripped titles, but they caved when we called their bluff and saw we were all too eager for them to do it. A few weeks passed, and a dinner was agreed upon to be held in an attempt to smooth things over. My mother actually warmed up to my wife, and by the end of it they were trading jokes and making me blush by exchanging embarrassing stories.”

“I assume her parents were less open to the idea?” Starlight asked, but much to her shock Chrysalis shook her head no. “Well if not them, then who?”

“It was her sister that caused the biggest stink,” The emphasis on 'her’ was potent, everypony shuddering with a recoil at the sharpness of the tone. “Sorry about that, but back to the story, her parents eventually agreed that they would tolerate the marriage for their daughter’s sake. Her sister was livid, calling me a leech that just wanted to roll in the hay and get changelings in good graces. Me and my wife gave her a good enough beating that she stayed out of my way, that is until their parents died and they took the throne, then my life became absolutely hellish. The sister tried everything in her power to legally break the agreement between her parents and my mother, and when that didn't work she tried numerous times to exile me. Her breaking point, however, was when it was discovered I was pregnant.”

“Sounds like somepony who should run through barbed wire, then take a bath of lemon juice and salt,” Cadance said, everypony freezing at the cold-heartedness the Princess of Love was displaying. “True love always wins out, and I wish that I could have been around to give her a buck where Auntie Tia’s sun don't shine.”

“Wow Cadance,” Chrysalis said, shuddering in fear at how bad the invasion could have been if she had caught Cadance in the mood she was in now. “I never thought you could be so bitter to speak of such torture.”

“Trust me, Your Highness,” Cadance said, a deadly purr coming from her muzzle as she put a hoof under the changeling’s chin, her eyes lidden with traces of lust. “That doesn't even scratch the surface of what I wanted to do to you for all the things you did to me, including sleeping with my fiance. There were many a sweet, sweet night where I imagined tying you to a hitching post, gagging you, then beating your haunches with a leather whip until I tattooed the imprint of it into your chitin.”

“For Celestia's sake Cady, our foal is right here.” Shining said, speaking in his captain tone, but still soft enough it didn't wake Flurry. “You could have left the exact details out you know.”

“You have a point there,” Cadance said, sighing at her mistake. “Sorry about that Your Highness, you may continue the story.”

“No further interruptions, please,” Chrysalis said, hiding the fact that what Cadance had said had made her hot under the collar. “The sister attacked me when my guard was down and I was all alone, and due to the fact I was in her land, everypony believed her side over mine. The foal, a beautiful little filly, was stillborn. That matter made me grieve, and caused both me and my wife to swear vengeance on what was taken from us. She became cold hearted towards her sister, numerous issues she had becoming major. I was able to conceive again, but the night before I was to tell her the good news, the two of them got into a blowout brawl that resulted in her defeat and banishment.”

“Wait a minute…” Starlight said, a slow feeling of realization hitting each of them. “You mean-”

“Yes, Starlight,” Chrysalis said, the ponies’ shocked reactions being no surprise to her. “The two sisters are exactly the two that you think they are. Think about it, why would Celestia paint me in such a bad light after I came back? I was hoping Luna would remember our fond past and restore our love, but every attempt I've made to get near her so far has ended in bitter pain.”

“That is depressing, and I don't just mean for you either,” Cadance said, a bit of anger in her tone at the thought of her own aunt forcibly separating true love. Due to being the Princess of Love, it made her blood boil and she mentally noted to confront Celestia one on one. “You each had to spend a thousand years apart, and due to Luna not even being there for your attempt at my wedding, you missed out again.”

“I think she doesn't even remember you two being together, Your Highness,” Shining said, Chrysalis’ mood instantly plummeting. “Keep in mind, for a thousand years she only had getting revenge on Celestia running through her brain, plenty of time for her to forget why she even wanted it in the first place. You really can't be mad at her for forgetting, but hopefully since you fixed Celestia's and Discord's marriage, Celestia will let you near Luna again.”

“However,” Cadance quickly added, Chrysalis feeling more and more demoralized by the second. “Don't be surprised if she doesn't fully trust you until she remembers.”

“I will keep that in-” Chrysalis started to reply, and a lightbulb went off in her head as a brilliant idea burst forward. Making sure there was no way Flurry could hear, even while asleep, she continued. “Actually, I just thought of something that might restore the missing relationship memories. Not going to lie, I've dreamed about the two of us rolling in the hay, and you admitted dreaming about what amounts to bondage to me. How about we give each other what we dreamed about?”

“Now hold on a second,” Shining said, holding his hoof up in objection. “Both of you are married mares, and despite Luna having an excuse not to object, what makes you think I would agree to that?”

“You have rutted us both,” Chrysalis and Cadance said in unison, much to the surprise of the other but it was Cadance who spoke up first. “Think about it, you will have two of us to play with, you can't say no to that macho colt now can you?”

“I-I suppose not,” Shining said, his cheeks matching the color of his wife's coat. “I mean, I could, but they say angry sex is the best way to get out pent up aggression.”

“Can we stop this Royal, literally, clusterbuck to point out the complete absurdity of what you are suggesting?” Starlight said straining her voice to keep it soft. “A foursome to restore Princess Luna’s long lost memories, what kind of nonsense is that? What more could you possibly add to that plan, a full tack and bridle?”

“That would be nice,” Cadance said, the heaviness in her gaze being enough that Starlight realized too late that she had messed up. “And who are you to call such plans absurd Mrs. Glimmer? Did you or did you not make that stupid Equalist movement that nearly cost Equestria? That isn't even including what you did by trying to sabotage our very existence by time looping.”

Starlight was absolutely crushed, managing to only mutter a soft 'sorry’ before the carriage landed, causing each of them to act like the conversation never happened as they got out to mingle with the crowd. The moment they stretched their sore legs they were swarmed, most of the attendees being curious as to see about their own therapy session before entering the stadium.

Baltimare Stadium was massive, but still a breathtaking work of art. Home to the Baltimare Shadowcolts of the Equestrian Hoofball League, it was a large enough venue to hold concerts and airshows during the off-season without risking overcrowding.

Various posters of the Wonderbolts, each featuring Rainbow as the headliner, decorated the finely polished marble walls. The walls themselves joined the royal-purple floor to the ink-black ceiling, both made to look like you were walking between two layers of Shadowcolts fabric. Leaving the entrance and emerging on the concourse, the place opened up to a large gathering/concessions area that had various vendors stationed to serve the large crowd. The smells teased at the group's noses, like a fine edible perfume, but on account of their recent supper none of them were hungry. Just when they were about to head to the lower level seating, a familiar voice caused Chrysalis to freeze in her tracks.

“Well what do we have here,” Princess Luna said, joined by Celestia, Discord, and the former Element Bearers, as Luna eyed Chrysalis like a cat watches a mouse. “A bug lost from her nest?”

“I am reformed now, Princess Luna,” Chrysalis said, her whole body aching. Every part of her mind screamed for her to kiss those deep blue lips, to show the alicorn just how much she missed her. In the end, she knew she had to keep it professional to avoid dealing with an enraged Sun of Chaos that went by the name Celestia, or even worse being trampled by an angry mob. “At least, I am on the road to being such.”

“It will take a lot to prove that to me,” Princess Luna said sniffing Chrysalis’ mane, the changeling doing a good job of suppressing a shudder of pleasure. “Considering we are in public and you are being escorted by my niece, I won't give you such a hard time about being here in Equestria without any shackles or bindings.”

“Thank you Princess,” Chrysalis said, dipping into a bow. Something caught her sense of smell, the concoction of a powerful changeling queen’s pheromones flooding her nostrils and making them flare. “Now if you all will excuse me for a moment, I need to talk to Twilight in private about something that was discussed during our session.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, and Twilight's friends looked confused, and even Twilight herself briefly froze before addressing the situation. “Since I am her client, anything discussed between the two of us is confidential. No one is to know what we discuss, even under threat of death will the vow of silence be kept.”

Everypony backed off, Twilight's horn glowing fully lavender as she teleported Chrysalis and herself to the Castle of Friendship's library, locking the door and putting up a bubble of silence. “Something wrong Your Highness? I don't recall setting up another appointment, but I have a strong suspicion that I already know the reason why you want to talk.”

“Queens talk about matters on a first name basis Twilight,” Chrysalis said, making Twilight flinch. “Queens are different from drones, emitting a powerful pheromone that other queens can smell, and like honeybees it helps tell our drones that are not warriors apart. Drones that have earned the rank of warrior undergo a minor transformation, their chitin thickening and changing to a similar coloring to their queen, so they don't need the scent marker."

Chrysalis allowed herself a moment of satisfaction as Twilight worked for words, her entire plan of conversation derailed at the familiarity Chrysalis addressed her with. Leaning forward, hooves under her chin, a playful smile, and partially lidded eyes just to disorient her further, Chrysalis asked another, totally different question. "So tell me Twilight, how does it feel?”

“Different, but also exciting,” Twilight replied, her voice having a reverberation to it. “I'm still myself, but now I feel like I have unlocked magical possibilities that I could never fathom before. Even though I have been a changeling for just a short period of time, I truly see why you crave love. It is delicious and smooth like a cold mug of fresh cider, but also fills me like I'm at one of Pinkie's parties and gorged on cupcakes.”

“It gets better Twilight,” Chrysalis said, a mirthful grin forming on her face. “As a queen, even without sex, you will lay eggs. How many per clutch depends on your love supply and how much your body can take. You are no longer Princess Twilight Sparkle the alicorn, but Queen Twilight Sparkle the changeling. I have to ask, only because I'm curious, did the process hurt?”

“Other than my bones feeling like they were soaked in acid,” Twilight said, grimacing at the memory. “Them dissolving hurt, but the most pain was when my internal organs changed, that felt like I was being disemboweled with no painkillers.”

“I warned you Twilight,” Chrysalis said, running a hoof over her client’s mane and getting a happy chirp in response. “I told you that you were messing with magic no alicorn was supposed to wield, so the magic changed you to fit.”

“No regrets,” Twilight said, now emitting a mix of a chirp and purr at the petting. “Fun part is going to be how am I going to come out to everypony that trusts in me to protect them. I'm scared Chrysalis, and I am very fearful of being rejected just because of what I now am.”

“Twilight, you're the Queen of Friendship, if anypony rejects you then they weren't a true friend to begin with,” Chrysalis said, causing Twilight to snap her head up in shock that her enemy-turned-therapist knew anything about the concept of true friendship. “It will take some time for them to adjust, just like the Crystal Ponies have about me trotting around the Empire a free mare, but once they come to terms with it everything will be fine.”

“Can I ask you something Chrysalis?” Twilight asked, her irises changing to that of her new species. “Q-queen to queen?”

“Of course Twilight,” Chrysalis said, softly chuckling. “What is on your mind?”

“Can you teach me?” Twilight's question was more of a slight demand, her tone lightly quivering like a quill on sandpaper. “I don't want to make the same mistakes you made… no offense.”

“Twilight,” Chrysalis said, doing her best to keep from crying. “It will be my honor to teach you the ways of a changeling queen. You gave me great happiness with the gift you gave me, and it is only fair that I return the favor to you. Changelings have been the outcasts, the bad guys, the monsters for the last millennia; as one of the oldest queens still alive, I swear on my hive I will do my best to teach the newest queen to break out of the shadow.”

“Thank you Chrysalis,” Twilight said, pulling the older queen into a tight embrace. “Now come, I think Rainbow would be furious if we missed the airshow.”

“She isn't the one I'm scared of,” Chrysalis said, suppressing a shiver at getting on Pinkie's bad side. “But yes, let's go.”

With a pop of magic, the library was unlocked and silent once more as the two rulers returned to the stadium and took their seats.

In another, less glamorous, part of town, the Shattered Chitin sat. Being on the corner of Cider Boulevard and Chariot Way, the dilapidated store had been there longer than anypony could remember. It was a normal store for this part of town; a simple mom and pop that served the townsponies a variety of goods to spare them the dangerous walk to the more upscale stores downtown.

Since nopony knew how the store came to be, and the fact the interior was so outdated that dust bunnies used it as a breeding ground, rumors were spread. One clique said it was haunted; another, that it was an underground fight club; another still that it was a front for a secret changeling catacomb. But the truth was far more surreal.

Down in the basement, there was a smooth wall of loose soil. The building inspector had warned the shopkeepers not to hang anything there for fear of collapse, which would take out the store and the adjacent apartment complex. The shopkeepers agreed, and the inspector soon left, but they knew the wall's hidden purpose.

The wall actually was an illusion spell, which could only be undone by answering two riddles correctly, followed by a trigger phrase.

A lone unicorn with an orange coat and blue mane descended the rikkity steps, each creaking under the weight of the hoof that made contact with them. Upon reaching the bottom, a pulse of green filled the basement, revealing a warrior with dull orange chitin and enough holes that he could be used as a cheese grater. Moving up to the wall, just as he had many times before, he hit a certain spot and tapped it five times with two seconds between knocks.

“What creature crawls at daybreak, walks during the day, and limps at night?” A voice asked from the other side of the door.

“Pon.” the drone answered, and was immediately given the second question.

“What does a queen keep close to her at all times, but is both inside and outside her body?”

“A piece of obsidian in her body pocket, to be used as a last resort.” The drone said confidently. “Password is Macalate.”

The moment the password was said, the wall seemed to ripple, signaling that it was safe for the drone to pass through. Once he entered the other side, the wall returned to its original solid looking state and could easily fool the untrained eye.

“Damn, you look rougher than the last time you came here, Speckle Fire,” The barkeep, an Earth Pony named Tendergrass, said as she slid the arriving drone a drink. “No luck on your latest infiltration?”

“Damn unicorns and their defense wards,” Speckle said, downing the drink as fast as he could to mellow his sorrows away. “Got uncovered the moment I entered that Pony’s front door, and she could freaking fight even with her small frame.”

“I think a toast is in order,” A rough looking drone, with deep blue chitin and an aquamarine fin, said as he stopped the card game he was in the middle of dealing to. “With the exception of the Fallen One, every other queen has at least one drone here accounted for. Mares and Stallions, we all need to accept the reality that the changelings are a dying breed, and the toast should be in remembrance of those lost and the good times we once had.”

“For the Swarm, Long live the Queen!” Tendergrass said, raising a glass after pouring herself a glass of Grannyshine.

“For the Swarm, Long live the Queen!” Each drone repeated in unison before clinking their glasses to complete the toast. After drinking the cider, each of them settled into discussing how they could try to fight off starvation as long as possible until a new arrival entered the room.

“Hello everyling,” Hindsight, one of Chrysalis' sanitation drones, said as he sat at the poker table. “How are you all doing?”

None of the others answered, each too fixated on the fact Hindsight was hole free and saturated with love that was seeping from every pore. Hindsight, due to being so full of love, was blissfully unaware of the carnivorous stares he was getting.

“By the Hive, Hindsight,” Crimson Streak, a drone with blood red chitin and an onix colored fin, said as she and the others got ready to start feeding. “Where did you get so much love? The rest of us are starving and yet you of all grubs hit the honeyhole, what gives?”

“It isn't just me,” Hindsight said, dealing himself into the game as the other drones looked at him like a hyena watches an antelope. “My whole hive is full of it, and so is my queen. In fact, we have so much extra that we are trying to figure out what to do with it.”

The others, who were about to sink their fangs into their target, paused. None of them were expecting the Fallen One, the one who was stripped of all standing within the Queen Council, to be the one who was love rich. Envy, jealousy, and anger burned like a forest fire as they contacted their queens through their respective hiveminds at the sudden revelation.

“Where on Eques did she get that much love?!” The dark blue drone, who’s mother was Queen Nebula, exclaimed as he pinned Hindsight to the floor. “Only way for that to be possible is for a steady and willing supply, but the only places that exists are the ponies’ love of their Princesses and-”

“The Crystal Empire…” Tendergrass said, amazed that Chrysalis had been foolish enough to try and invade the Frozen North again. “So humor us Hindsight, did your queen take it over from Shining Armor and Cadance?”

“Nope!” Hindsight chirped, not letting anything spoil his mood as he looked at the others with a wide grin. “The three of them are actually good friends now, and my queen is practically reformed. All it took was her surrendering to Cadance and Shining and begging for mercy.”

“Begging for mercy?” Chilam, a drone with cracked icy-blue chitin and a voice that chilled the room, said as she scoffed at the notion. “My my, your queen certainly has earned her name of being the Fallen One. Queens are supposed to be strong, resilient, confident, and defeat all lesser foes; yet, she went and threw herself at her enemy and made both herself and her drones, including you, look weak!”

“Oh yeah!?” Hindsight said, powering up his horn as his buzz briefly subsided. “If I am so weak, then how come I can do this?”

Tapping into the excess love that was flowing like honey through his hive’s hivemind, a bright pink mist started pouring out of his horn like a sprinkler. Every drone, and the lone pony, was shocked as the mist settled into the empty glasses that were on the tables with the extra soaking into each drone.

“I don't believe it,” Crimson Streak said, his anger mellowing out as his body absorbed the floating mist like a sponge, his holes shrinking slightly. “You were actually telling the truth. It has been a long time since I have been this satisfied with a meal.”

“I told you so,” Hindsight said, smiling as he powered down his horn due to each glass being filled to the brim. “Now drink up before it sours, it's a big strain to funnel love like that even though there is a surplus in the hive.”

A choir of happy chirping filled the room, each drone guzzling down the delicious necessity like it was going out of style. Over the next hour, stories were shared, mainly dealing with how Chrysalis managed to get a stable job and love supply as much merriment was exchanged.

“Never thought I would live to see the day where Chrysalis would be the one who saved the species,” Chilam said, a small hiccup escaping her lips as she finally finished drinking her eighth love smoothie. “And thank you Hindsight, I think I'm speaking for all of us when I say that we really needed that.”

“Lings gonna ling,” Hindsight said, chuckling like a lumberjack as he leaned back in his chair. “Rivalries aside, we are all the same species, so we all have to band together when times get tough.”

“Noble statement,” Tendergrass said, calmly cleaning out a glass that had accidentally fallen in the tomato paste from Chilam's spaghetti. “However, I see one major flaw with it. Here is your queen, living the life of changeling luxury, and is including being protected by Cadance and Shining Armor. Yet, look at the state your fellow species was when you entered, to me she is greedily keeping it all to herself.”

“That's not true!” Hindsight said, jumping up into a defensive position. “My queen has-”

“Tendergrass is right,” Speckle Fire said, slamming down his mug. “Why hasn't Chrysalis shared? I find it awfully smug that she is feasting like a pig while the rest of us are taking desperate measures for scraps.”

"Please everyling, give me a chance to explain myself," Hindsight said, trying to calm the other drones before glaring at Tendergrass. "And what right do you have to much such a horrible claim?"

"My grandmother was a changeling," Tendergrass said, putting Hindsight in his place with a smirk. "And I suggest you start talking because the others look hungry."

One by one the others raised their concerns, backing Hindsight into the corner of the room. Having nowhere to run, due to the bar being lined with obsidian as a means to prevent magical duels, he was left to cower in fear as the other queens prepared their swarms for an attack on the stadium.

Meanwhile, at the stadium, the airshow had just wrapped up its grand finale. Most of the Wonderbolts had retired to the locker room, the group receiving a standing ovation as they did, but Rainbow went to the announcement booth and grabbed a microphone.

“Did y’all enjoy the show?” Rainbow said, a loud cheer greeting her question before she raised her hoof for silence, which the crowd followed. “As advertised, we are going on a two week tour once we leave here tonight. Thank you one and all for once again coming out to support and cheer for us, you have no idea how good it makes us feel to put a smile on everypony’s faces.”

Chrysalis, and now Twilight, could feel it but they kept their mouths shut as Rainbow continued to speak.

“Before I retire for the night, there is one that thing I want to do,” Rainbow said, motioning with a wing for Pinkie to join her at her side. The pink mare bounced to the pegasus’ side, Rainbow wrapping a wing around her as she continued . “Y’all also know that the two of us are in a relationship. Well, earlier today, I asked her to marry me and she said yes. Both of us are looking forward to that next chapter of our lives, but there is a very special someone here that deserves all the credit. Queen Chrysalis, will you please come and stand in front of us?”

Suddenly, Chrysalis found 85,000 pairs of eyes focused only on her. Never before had she been put on the spot in such a large scale manner, even the wedding didn't have so many in attendance and her hive was just a few thousand. Nervously, she made her way over to where Rainbow and Pinkie were, and for a brief moment she questioned what had made her lose her nerve but found no answer.

“Chrysalis,” Rainbow said, a smile on her face. “You have no idea just how much your advice meant to us. After leaving your office, we talked as I flew us back to Ponyville, and a lot of progress was made. We're going to make our relationship, our marriage, work and it is all thanks to you.”

“We also agreed on something else,” Pinkie said, bouncing like a jumping bean. “Chrysalis, will you be our best mare?”

“I-I would love that.” Chrysalis said, pulling the two of them into a hug. Crowd be damned, she was in a good enough mood that she ignored the shocked gasps. However, as she held the hug, she felt a sensation she never experienced start to build and quickly let go and sat down. “Sorry about that, but now I feel really strange.”

“How so?” Pinkie asked, concern written all over her face. “Need to feed on some more love?”

“No nothing like that,” Chrysalis said, dismissing the notion with a wave of a hoof as the sensation continued to build. “It is like a warm, pleasant pressure is building and needs to be released. In fact, it is almost got me wanting to sing.”

Every dirty minded pony in the audience suddenly blushed, but the embarrassment and shame was quickly swept away by shock as Chrysalis began to sing.

”When she was just a foal,
she had just one goal…
To ascend to a queen,
And be the best ever seen...

But it was a sacra, sacra, sacrifice
Sacra, sacra, sacrifice
Sacra, sacra, sacrifice
Paid with the loss of many lives...

One day she hit her goal,
But she knew the toll…
Happiness drifted away,
And from the light she did stray.

But that was long ago in the past,
And not all things are meant to last…

For here I am standing on top, standing on top of the world.
Life can throw at me everything it has
But I'll still get off my back.

Whether I stand or whether I fall,
I will do my best and give my all.
And at the light of each new day,
I’ll head on my way.

For here I am standing on top, standing on top of the world.

I see now I was wrong,
All my vengeance is gone.
Now I'm going to spread my wings like a dove,
And help fix lost love

For here I am standing on top, standing on top of the world.
Life can throw at me everything it has
But I'll still get off my back.

Whether I stand or whether I fall,
I will do my best and give my all.
And at the light of each new day,
I’ll head on my way.

For here I am standing on top, standing on top of the world.
Oh yes, for here I standing on top…

Standing on top of the world.”

“Was that what I think it was?” Discord asked, whispering in Celestia's ear. “I have heard rumors of it happening before, I lost count at eleven, but this is the fifth I've seen in person.”

“That was a heartsong, Dee Dee,” Celestia said, perplexed, but not so much as to drop the glare she was giving Chrysalis. “Very unusual, considering no Changeling I’ve ever encountered had one. Or proto-Changelings, for that matter. I suppose this is a historical moment we just witnessed, if you’re one to care about such things.”

“Too bad the party’s over,” A voice said, followed by a sinister laugh. Everypony froze, but Chrysalis looked down right fearful, as three changeling queens emerged from the entrance tunnel.

“We really have to thank you, Fallen One, for leading us to such a…” The tallest queen said, pausing as she and her companions licked their fangs. “rich banquet.”

“You know that isn't my name Deciduous,” Chrysalis said, contemplating exit trajectories and how well she could throw Deciduous. “You should know better that that, sister.”

“Sister?” Deciduous said, chuckling as vines whipped out of her mane like living tendrils. “You were never my sister to begin with. You merely had the fortune to be part of our clutch, nothing more. I can control plants, Glacial can control ice, and Firestorm can control heat. You, however, controlled nothing and yet Mother still considered you her favorite!”

“Have you honestly forgot a key part of that Deci?” Chrysalis said, the queen with the burnt orange mane taking a step back. “I hated the fact I was the favorite. I knew, even when we got older, that I wasn't special like the three of you. Do you really think I enjoyed being bullied? Or how about the fact you tried to jeopardize my marriage?”

“Please, you had every opportunity while dear Mother gave us nothing. Don’t act like you’re the victim, you spoiled brat.” Deciduous scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You need to realize that I was trying to do you a favor, that by not getting involved in such relations, it would have strengthened your hunting skills and abilities as a queen.”

“Is that what you truly think?” Chrysalis said, pity and sadness gathering inside her. “The fact that you believe that shows how much you haven’t changed, and are the same nymph whining about not getting a new toy.”

“Enough of this you grub!” Deciduous tensed, palpable rage boiling off her as she roared, a few thick vines springing up and snaring Chrysalis’ legs. That wasn't the worst part, the worst was the fact the vines soon morphed into thick oak limbs, leaving Chrysalis exposed. “This ends now, and make sure say hello to mother for me.”

“I might not have the skills you three possess,” Chrysalis said, her voice starting soft before growing in volume. “I might not have the lands, drone numbers, or even a hive to call home. There is one thing I DO have that I always had the upper hoof on, and your constant bullying only strengthened.”

Deciduous’ snarl faded into puzzlement as Chrysalis’ stance changed. Glacial and Firestorm sniffed the air, and Deciduous herself faltered. A glowing pink speck gathered at the tip of Chrysalis’ horn, which rapidly began gathering tendrils of energy into a brighter and brighter pink sun. In a flash, Chrysalis’ wooden prison incinerated and she stomped forward, the palpable ball of energy unleashing an unbearable pressure upon the three. Deciduous tried to keep herself strong even as she felt the pang of her plant extentions dying, but caved as Glacial and Firestorm backed up in palpable horror as Chrysalis descended upon them.

“Now that I think about it, I have two things you three don't have.” Chrysalis said, her confidence returning like a flaming sun. “I have love, and I have a chaotic ally.”

Celestia grinned, her horn glowing a soft teal as each of the three troublesome queens’ manes turned into a different flavor of bubblegum.

“Is that chaotic enough for you Chrysalis?” Celestia said, taking great pleasure at the queens’ aggravation. “I can do their tails as well, or perhaps maybe their-”

“Oh no, that was quite enough I think,” Chrysalis said, smiling as she turned back to her sisters. “So, are we going to settle our differences like adults or squabbling drones?”

“Adults…” Glacier said, before starting to emit a soft chuckle. “Adult queens!”

A low buzzing was off in the distance, one that quickly amplified as the twilight sky was bathed in a sheet of darkness. Most of the drones stayed in the air, but enough of them swarmed down to keep the screaming ponies shaking in their seats.

“You aren't the only ones with drones you know,” Chrysalis said, and a quick summons over the hivemind brought her her most trusted fighters, minus Hindsight. “You want these ponies’ love, then you'll have to go through me to get them.”

“And me!” Twilight said, leaping into the air and doing a barrel roll as she was engulfed in lavender and emerald flames. Chrysalis' sisters gulped as Twilight landed, each of them realizing just how much of a hornet nest they had stumbled into.

Twilight was now just a half-hoof shorter than Chrysalis, but made up for it with her shapely body that made her absorb a sharp wave of lust. Her mane and tail, both retaining their original color scheme, were longer but now had several differences.

The right strip of dark blue was so dark it was almost black, the edge being dotted with points of light similar to the stars in Luna's mane but less numerous. Closer to the center, the dark blue lightened, the lavender having deepened a few hues and softly lit like a sun glow. As it joined the strip on the left side of her mane, it brightened considerably, like a cascade of sunlight setting over a valley.

The rest of her features were just as striking. The plumpness of her midsection that she had as a pony was gone, replaced by lean and powerful muscles that added to her look of her intimidation but also drew focus to her curvy hips and plot. Her chitin, flawless and at a master polish, gleamed under the stadium lights and was covered in an array of enchantment lines that meet in a focal point at the center of her cutie mark.

“I am the balance between night and day,” Twilight said, standing confidently beside a very impressed Chrysalis. She could feel the love of the crowd focused on her, but amongst the delicious sea was one sour pearl. Much to Twilight's shock, she realized it was coming from Celestia, and she made a mental note to ask about that later before continuing. “In the absence of Celestia and Luna of Canterlot, I would be in control of ensuring everypony continued their daily lives unchanged. As such, I will forever serve to protect countless generations of ponies and changelings, as the Queen of Friendship. Chrysalis, and Thorax before her, realized the old ways of handling things are no longer resolute! We can be friends, not enemies, if you are willing to give friendship a try.”

“Do you honestly think we care about your precious friendship?” Firestorm said, softly chuckling. “And just because you are now one of us, doesn't mean you are one of us. The way I see it, you could be a powerful queen, but only if you let go and embrace the hunger and let it drive you. You could be mighty, and show whelps like our unfortunate sister what it truly means to a queen of something.”

“ENOUGH!” Chrysalis said, her ichor starting to feel like it was boiling from the build up of anger. “I've had it with you seeing me as lower than pond scum. You wanted a fight, well guess what, it is your Judgement Day.”

“Everypony attack!” A voice in the crowd, who Twilight realized as Cherry Berry, said. Being a Ponyvilleite, Twilight knew what was coming next as everypony got in the face of the nearest changeling.

“Goaded into striking first,” Celestia said, shaking her head. “Seems some things never change with age Dee Dee.”

“No they don't my love,” Discord said, tempted to interfere but realized that it would have been pointless to try and contain such a large scale crowd by himself. “Although, I am curious as to how you know them so personally.”

Celestia didn't answer, instead glancing between Luna and Chrysalis with a fierce glare at the changeling below them. For so long she had tried to keep them apart, the banishment to the moon being part of the reason why she chose that route, but would never admit it. She considered herself lucky that Luna didn't remember that part of her past, but deep down she started to mentally steel herself for the inevitable fight that was going to break loose when she did remember.

“Well what do we have here?” A drone, one of Glacial’s by the coloring, said as he looked at the couple with hunger. “I am looking forward to draining you dry.”

“As if you would succeed bug,” Celestia said, looking over her shoulder as her mane and tail seemed to burn hotter. “Your whole kind has always threatened the peace of Equestria, and are nothing more than pests!”

Much to her chagrin, Twilight had heard, and the Queen of Friendship felt heartbroken as she looked at her former mentor in sadness while the conversation was taking place.

“Pests huh?” The drone said, backing up a bit as he started to fly up into an attack position. “Yet the weakest and most pathetic queen in history defeated you. What does that say about your standing?”

Every pony and changeling froze in place at the flare that erupted from the drone, nothing more than ash remaining in its’ place.

“I'm still standing,” Celestia bitterly said, watching the ash fall to the stadium floor as her eyes slitted. “Which is more than most of you will be able to say by the end of this day.”

“Well what are ya waiting for?” Apple Bloom, who was standing at the door leading to the bathrooms, said as she waved a hoof to the shocked crowd. “Come on now, fight some more! Everypony, defend everythin’ we know and love, we beat these bugs once and we’ll do it again!”

The fighting resumed, but Celestia was now cornered by Luna, Twilight, Discord, Cadance, and a very pissed off Glacial.

“Have you gone mad mare?!” Glacial said, getting in Celestia’s face. “I may not care about your race, but I know better than to commit cold blooded murder in front of young ones! Now, every single foal who witnessed that is going to be very afraid of you.”

“I hate to admit it sister,” Luna said, nodding in agreement towards Glacial. “I never thought I would ever side with a changeling, but what you did went too far. Now I'm going to have long, rough nights trying to maintain the fillies’ and colts’ dreamscapes so you aren't made out to be a monster.”

“Why did you do it…” Twilight said, anger in her tear-soaked eyes as she slapped the Chaos Alicorn. “What happened to cause you to hate changelings so much?”

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” A voice ,that sounded like an angry mother, said as a teleport flash died down in the middle of the arena making each queen’s eyes shrink to pinpricks.

There stood a beautiful changeling queen, taller than any other and putting off an air of elegance. Her ivory white chitin pulsed with life, and her monarch butterfly wings glimmered like gold. The jagged horn on her head glowed like a rainbow, making Rainbow herself jealous.

“It can't be…” Deciduous said, a soft whimper escaping her lips as she backed up and whispered in Chrysalis’ ear. “I thought she was just a myth.”

“Rest assured, I am no myth,” The mysterious queen said, every drone hovering in place waiting for their queens’ orders. “And I am quite sore at you Deciduous, Firestorm, and Glacial for such an unwarranted attack. That has never been the changeling way. Even when times were at their hardest, a queen is supposed to still keep a level head, and one of Glacial's drones just paid the ultimate price for your greed youngling.”

“How do ya know that?” Applejack questioned, raising her eyebrow. “You weren't even here, who are you anyway?”

“The Hivemother,” Twilight said gliding down and bowing to the head queen. “The mother of all changelings. I suggest you all show respect and bow as well.”

Celestia and Luna did, the older sister nearly shaking in her fur at seeing the ancient being. There were very, very few in existence that Celestia knew she had no chance of beating in a fight, but the Hivemother was one of them.

“Queen Sparkle, arise,” The Hivemother said, speaking in a tone that took Twilight back to her most cherished moments with Celestia as she rose back straight. “I know of you and your friends’ legacy, told by countless changelings through the hiveminds in addition to my own research, and it is my pleasure to recognize you as a true changeling.”

“You can't be serious Your Majesty,” Firestorm said, ignoring her sisters’ silent pleas to stand down. “She wasn't even born a changeling! Besides, why are you so mad at us for attacking when Chrysalis did the same thing to the Crystal Empire?”

“A very good question, it is,” Hivemother said, making Chrysalis shuffle in place. “But, she has made great strides to amend her mistake, and learned her lesson. Also, does it matter if a changeling was born a changeling or wanted to be one? It was her choice, a rather stupid one in my opinion, but I respect it. She has values a queen should live by, yet you three ignore. She is loyal, puts others before herself, and in the heat of battle would put her own carapace on the line to ensure her subjects survived.”

Twilight beamed with pride, and three heads dropped in shame as Hivemother walked passed them to head towards where Celestia was quivering.

“Before I deal with you Celestia, I do believe I have a question to answer.” Hivemother said, looking back towards Applejack. “The simple answer is all hiveminds are connected, and there was a lot of panicked chatter over it after the stunt this filly pulled in a temper tantrum.”

Several snickers were heard, but those were hushed as Hivemother turned her attention back to Celestia.

“Am I a pest Celestia?” Hivemother asked, her tone an unnatural calm that made everypony and ling uneasy. “Is that what you see me as?”

“No, not you,” Celestia said, her voice faltering slightly. “Just those who try and mess with my little pon-”

“Shut up, right now,” Hivemother said, cutting the Alicorn off mid-sentence, nopony believing what they had just heard. “They never were just your little ponies. They are yours, Luna’s, and Discord’s and that’s the way it will remain until one of you step down. Changelings, as a race, always strived for peace and make alliances with other nations. It was a belief that Chrysalis’ mother tried her best to follow… with mixed results. What lays at the core of the issue is your inability to let your personal grudge go, and if you were a queen, I would have long since stripped you of that title.”

“You don't understand Hivemother,” Celestia said, pointing an accusing hoof at Chrysalis in the process. “She corrupted my sister, the pony closest to me after our parents died, and I will never accept that bug as my in-law. She tried to rob my niece of her wedding, then tried to take over Canterlot, how do you justify that?”

“And likewise, how do you justify your hatred?” Hivemother said, a bit of irritation creeping into her tone. “You do not understand the hunger Celestia, I may not feel it to the extent most do, but I still do feel it. It is consuming, and everyone including those close to you are nothing more than a food source. Chrysalis was just trying to feed her children, and as I said earlier, she is making amends for her actions. You however, are making no such attempt, in such that you failed the very principles of friendship and forgiveness you have instilled for generations.”

Hivemother then turned her attention from Celestia, to Luna and Discord, holding her head up high before dropping into a respectful bow.

“Lord Discord, Princess Luna,” Hivemother said, her voice almost Fluttershy-like in tone. “I, the Hivemother of the Changelings, request council in an attempt to patch relations between our nations, and hope a trade alliance can be forged from the meeting.”

“We would be delighted to partake in such talks,” Discord said, giving his wife a serious glare. “And please, forgive my wife for her behavior towards you. I have no idea what has her so testy right now, or what she meant by Chrysalis causing Luna to betray her.”

“That has me confused as well,” Luna said, directing her gaze at Celestia like she was about to activate a firing squad. “Please, do humor us as to what a changeling did back then to cause such an accusation.”

“You really don't remember?” Hivemother asked, slightly amused until Luna shook her head no. “Luna, you and Chrysalis are married. In fact, I was having a nice tea date with your daughter until I had to come here and prevent a massacre from occurring.”

“Tantabus, if this is one of your cruel, sick jokes, you got your point across.” Luna said, to nopony in particular as she did into denial. “There is no way I could have sired a foal, let alone with a changeling! Perhaps I am trapped by the Nightmare, that would explain everything perfectly, but I’m certainly not asleep right now.”

“Lulu,” Celestia said, giving Luna a boop on the nose. “Do you think that you are overreacting a tad bit?”

“Says the one who just incinerated a changeling,” Luna said, a dark edge on her voice that made Celestia gulp. “Changelings have done nothing but try and weasel their way into the Canterlot elite, but since the detection spells were made, those cases have stopped. Yet, even you are going along with the lies that they are trying to convince me are fact?”

Celestia said nothing.

“Calm yourself Luna,” Chrysalis said, hesitantly moving towards the confused alicorn in an effort to try and stabilize the situation. “This is no nightmare, and this is no dream, this is all happening for real. You are in denial due to a mix of memory loss and not wanting to believe what you are hearing. We were happy before your banishment, but unfortunately, that day you were sent to the moon is when I found out I was pregnant so I couldn't tell you.”

Luna gave the changeling a long, hard look. There was a hint of hate, a touch of refusal, but the most powerful emotion coming off her was turmoil. For Chrysalis, she didn't have to reach out to feel those things, she could see them raging in Luna's beautiful moonlit eyes.

It was like being trapped in deja vu. Just like when they arrived, Chrysalis wanted nothing more than to pull the Princess of the Night into a tight hug, but after witnessing what Celestia did to Glacial's drone, she knew that likely would have been a death sentence. Not only was it dejavu, to her it felt as if she foresaw her own demise.

“When you come to the meeting, I will have your daughter come along and join me,” Hivemother said, much to Chrysalis’ shock. “That is the only way I can see you finally accepting the facts that have been told to you.”

“Very well, now I’m going back to the castle and sleep,” Luna said, her horn starting to glow for a teleport spell. “Perhaps some clue will come to me in my dreams as to what path I should follow next, plus I need extra energy since a certain somepony, “ she said, with an accusing tone before continuing, “decided to make my job inadvertently harder for the foreseeable future.”

In a flash, Luna was back in her bedroom at the castle. For several hours she tried resting, but sleep would not come to ease her troubled mind. One thing that had been told to her was plaguing her thoughts, the fact a key piece of memory from a joyous time in her life was not coming to her.

“There must be something I can do that will help me remember,” Luna said, to the silence of her bedroom after another failed memory scrying spell turned up nothing. “There has to be…”

A knock at the door gained her attention, and a moment later a batpony guard entered that looked like he had been through a war against a pack of cockatrice. Scars covered him like a barbed wire mesh from neck to flank, several fresh ones still shimmering with blood that had not quite dried.

“I am back, Your Highness,” The stallion said, getting down into a deep bow. “The mission is complete, but it didn't come without casualties. Including myself, only four of the squadron were able to come back alive, but I'm the only one who can walk properly right now.”

“That's a shame Borealis,” Luna said, sighing as she snuggled more into her covers, not wanting to do anything except stay in her comfortable place of fluffy solitude. “Seems I can't catch a break today, and if it wasn't for the fact I have to closely monitored the dream realm tonight I would take it off to clear my head.”

“Is there anything I can do for you Night Mother?” Borealis asked, moving closer to the bed while keeping his tone just above a whisper. “As your Captain of the Noctrals, I am here to serve to the fullest capability possible.”

“No offense, but you look like you couldn't beat a filly in a scooter race right now,” Luna said, admiring her Captain’s loyalty to his duty, but she also wanted her guard in top shape. “Take a month off to nurse your wounds, you deserve it for your bravery against the blasted Amarezons that confiscated the Lunar Fruitlands.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Borealis said, giving a salute with his right wing, which made his face curl into a grimace. “Also, nopony is waiting for Night Court, so you have a few extra hours to yourself before it will be time for you to patrol the dream realm.”

““Good," Luna said, relieved that she didn't have to worry about rushing until the busiest part of her night hit. "If you have no other news to report, you are dismissed for the month unless the need arises to call upon you early. Use the time to be with your family, and go through resumés to pick out who will replace the troops you lost."

Borealis bowed then departed, leaving Luna to stew on yet another thing that was ruffling her feathers. The Amarezon ponies were wild and uncultered by civilized standards, that much she knew from reading and scout teams that she had in place. The fact they somehow managed to raid the Lunar Fruitlands and defeat the guards stationed there baffled her, and also made things difficult for her batpony troops due to mangoes being in short supply elsewhere.

"At least on the moon I had no issues to give me a headache," Luna said, bitterly muttering as she looked out the window to her celestial object. “I sure hope that I have enough energy to stay awake tomorrow, it would be rather rude to fall asleep during an important meeting.”

A lightbulb went off in her head at the last remark, her muzzle curling into a smile that would make a possessed cat’s blood run cold and freeze any unfortunate Wendigo in its’ place.

“The meeting, of course!” Luna said, now feeling giddy at the prospect of having two major thorns in her side removed at once. “In exchange for peace, I can have Chrysalis and her sisters reclaim the mango fields. My precious batponies will get their food supply back, and if I am lucky maybe one or two of them queens will not come back. Although, if Chrysalis and Hivemother were speaking the truth, I would prefer that she be one of the ones to come back alive.”

Humming an old, but familiar tune, Luna skipped out the door to prepare for a run that had been a long time in the making.

Author's Note

You can support me on Patreon here. Now for a couple quick takes:

First of all, the biggest concern from readers in the last chapter was closing plotlines too soon, so I came up to bat as a switchhitter for this and have a lot of different things that could go a bunch of different directions.

Also, this is a personal milestone, first chapter I ever did with 10k words. I have climbed a high mountain to reach this point, but I have yet to hit the summit.

Thank you Penalt for your help with the first half of this chapter, and hope you come back better than ever soon.

Thanks goes to HiddenMaster for doing final editing.

Now here is bukbug as she appears in the story

Damage Control

All it takes is one act, to see a changeling... differently,
Especially a queen that, before had acted so... Selfishly

In one quick flash three evil queens came and made everypony want to run and hide,
But the good queen stood her ground and smiled as she said that she had switched her side...

The announcement was shocking,
Emotions started rocking
Nopony could believe what they were seeing
As the good queen started seething

(Oh yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)

And the mare in the back said "everypony attack!" and it became a Balt'mare Blitz
And the filly at the door exclaimed "come fight some more!" as chaos reigned the Balt'mare Blitz.

Balt'mare Blitz
Balt'mare Blitz
(Ohhhh yeah!)
Balt'mare Blitz
Balt'mare Blitz

Things are now different, being evil is all that she knew
Then as if by fate, she found something good that she could do

Well a drone from the attack started talking smack
As he took off and started to fly
But Celestia looked over her shoulder, her mane starting to smolder
As she called fire from the sky

Quick as lightning
The situation became frightening
Everypony continued the beating
Until the head queen called a meeting

(Oh yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)

And the mare in the back said "everypony attack!" and it became a Balt'mare Blitz
And the filly at the door exclaimed "come fight some more!" as chaos reigned the Balt'mare Blitz.

Balt'mare Blitz
Balt'mare Blitz
(Ohhhh yeah!)
Balt'mare Blitz
Balt'mare Blitz

It's its the Balt'mare Blitz
It's its the Balt'mare Blitz
It's its the Balt'mare Blitz
It's its the Balt’mare Baltz

Balt'mare Blitz
Balt'mare Blitz!

Chrysalis was in a good mood, for more than one reason. Not only did she finally have an upper hoof on her sisters, but her act of siding with the ponies had also given her a lot of praise. Vinyl Scratch, aka the famous DJPON3, had personally requested a private recording session; the results being the current number one trending song not only in Equestria, but also the Crystal Empire, and the Dragon Lands. However, it seemed like she was the only one in Karma’s good graces.

Chrysalis, her sisters, Twilight, Discord, Luna, and Celestia were in Canterlot Castle, which seemed like the safest place to be considering the chaos that had erupted in Baltimare after the dust settled from Hivemother preventing a full-on massacre. Ponies took to the streets, carrying with them anything that depicted Celestia, and burning them in a massive bonfire while making calls for her imprisonment. The chaos was like an exotic wine to the Chaos Alicorn, tingling her taste buds and making her want more, but Discord had been able to calm the crowd before pitchforks were needed.

Chrysalis' sisters were no better off than they were before the attack, deciding to stick close to Discord under an amnesty pact for the sake of their hives. None of them were happy, but considering the alternative and who they were about to face, it was the best option to choose. Deciduous had been the most upset, with her sour apple flavored mane being the flavor she hated the most. Glacial and Firestorm, who respectively had cinnamon and winter mint flavored manes, were fine with their flavors, and got a kick out of seeing their older sibling acting like a foal who had just had her ice cream privileges revoked.

Overall, everyone's nerves were fried, with the littlest things threatening to cause a full-blown brawl. However, the only thing keeping the group from getting into a shouting match was the fifth queen that was with them. Twilight was angry, angrier than even Luna was, and the tense waves flowing from the new queen made it feel like gravity itself had intensified in the confines of the hallway. Yet, despite the overall tension, Chrysalis wasn't going to let that deter her as she finished her tune.

"Must you really sing that accursed song?” Deciduous asked, looking at Chrysalis with an annoyed look. “It just came out, but I really don't want any more reminders of how badly we blotched that attack.”

“You need to lighten up,” Chrysalis said, skipping as she and the other attendees to the meeting made their way towards the Canterlot Castle meeting room. “You were the dumbflank for attacking the show, and it cost Glacial one of her drones!”

“In fairness,” Deciduous said, her tone dangerously level as she bit back a strong retort, deciding that it was best to to the high road. “None of us were expecting Celestia to actually be the Princess of Chaos. When our drones relayed the message, we thought that it was nothing more than an elaborate prank that was published, simple satire meant to start off any wannabe attackers. Speaking of, she must feel pretty low right now, considering that two she once held close to her heart currently hate her guts.”

Chrysalis knew she couldn't refute the statement, for it was the Friendship Queen's anger that was making her chitin crawl. The lavender-colored power plant trotting behind her creeping towards meltdown quickly made Chrysalis get her priorities in order, with emotion control the top priority for when the agreed upon lessons began. Glancing to Celestia, the Chaos Alicorn did nothing to hide her guilt, avoiding the looks her sister, husband, and former student were giving her as they continued along step by agonizing step.

She could tell that Celestia felt horrible about the act that she had committed, bags visible under her sunken eyes, and her frazzled mane and tail clinging to her body like wet rags. In hindsight, Chrysalis figured that it was karma for the way that Celestia had cast her out all those years ago, forcing her to take up the painful path that led to the eventual wedding plot. Allowing herself to drift towards the back of the group, she matched Luna’s pace as they continued onward.

“Luna,” Chrysalis said, placing a wing over the Princess of the Night's back. “No matter what happens as a result of this meeting, I am here for you, no matter what.”

“We shall see where your loyalties lie,” Luna’s remark was like a dagger to Chrysalis’ heart, but the changeling couldn't blame her for it one bit. "I am still doubting your own redemption, but I will admit that your actions in Baltimare saved thousands of my subjects' lives, and for that I do owe you a chance to fully prove me wrong."

"Thanks Luna," Chrysalis said, keeping herself from showing too much joy at the compliment. "It was hard at first, considering how twisted my thoughts were for so long, but Cadance and Shining have helped to show me the error of my ways. It feels good to help others with their loves, knowing that I help guide my clients to continue a path of love and happiness, but I still have a long way to go before I can feel like I have repaid my debt. I'm sure you can relate on that note."

"I can, but I think the focus should be on my sister's actions right now," Luna said, her tone taking on a load of agtivation. “I can't believe Tia resorted to such brutish tactics, ones that threaten the very nature of Equestria. In addition, I haven’t had a peaceful slumber since the incident, for there are numerous foals and adults that have manifested Daybreaker into their dreams, each having her attacking and/or eating them.”

“I'm surprised that is all you had to deal with,” Chrysalis said, gently brushing along Luna's back. Feeling the powerful muscles of her dear alicorn relax to her touch, Chrysalis continued the motion. “Have you had the chance to think over the other part of the meeting? This is going to be a very tense situation, I am just concerned about how you are going to handle it.”

“I have been in far worse situations before Chrysalis,” Luna's tone was sharp as steel, but carried no weight behind it. Her inner voice kept protesting having Chrysalis so close, let alone touching her, but with as hard as her job had been since the attack she welcomed the impromptu massage. “I am trying to keep an open mind about everything, I really am, but until I see the proof for myself there will still be doubt.”

“That's more than understandable Luna,” Chrysalis hated to admit it, but deep down there was still a pit of regret for not reuniting her family sooner. “I would be skeptical too if I was in your horseshoes. I mean, if a member of my enemy's species claimed that I was married to one of them? I would doubt it as well.”

“Glad that you can see it from my point then,” Luna said, taking a deep breath before dropping her voice level. “Now then, Chrysalis, can you tell me about our daughter?”

“I haven't seen her in centuries,” Chrysalis said, flinching from a sharp wave of anger that burned through her like wax paper in a flame. “Before you get too angry, please understand that the last time I saw her was when she left the hive to go off on her own. Unlike ponies, who tend to keep in touch, changelings don't. Under most circumstances, when a princess or young queen leaves their home, that is the last time they have any contact with their parents.”

“Yet, the Hivemother said that all hiveminds were connected,” Luna said, looking at Chrysalis like a cat that had cornered a canary. “Care to explain that? If all of them are connected, then how come you didn't remain in contact with her?”

“The answer is simpler than you are trying to make it sound,” Glacial said, using Luna's question as an excuse to rest her glare. “Individually, our hiveminds are separate. I can't hear Chrysalis’, she can't hear mine, none of us can hear Twilight's, and so on and so forth. Since the Hivemother is the genesis of our species, every queen's hivemind is connected to her, an anchor point as it were.”

“So the Hivemother is like a semi-solid boundary?” Twilight asked, the scientist side of her showing as she mentally took notes on everything. “All of us are connected to her, she is connected to us, but we aren't connected to each other?”

“Spot on,” Firestorm said, softly chuckling at the shine that came to Twilight's eyes. “Thing is, all of us thought of her as nothing more than a historical figure at the most, or mythical at the least. There have been no recorded encounters with her as far back as records have been kept, which is why all of us were shocked that she even appeared. Mother claimed to have had spoken with her, but she never did report it to the Queen Council. In fact, the only mentioning she has is-”

“In this old book perhaps?” Twilight said, suspending the old book in her magic. How she had managed to teleport it all the way from the Crystal Empire, Chrysalis couldn't figure out. “It was in my library's archives, so I gave it to Chrysalis as payment for a therapy session.”

A look of longing, fondness, and remembrance crossed Deci's, Firestorm's, and Glacial's faces at seeing the book. Firestorm was the first to grab it, going over it like an artist inspecting a suspected imitation piece. Each sister couldn't believe what they were actually holding in their hooves, a relic from a time that had escaped to the far edges of their memories.

“So this is how-” Deci couldn't finish her statement, Twilight's nod being the only answer she needed as she levitated the book back to the Queen of Friendship, who teleported it away shortly after. “I thought all traces of mom had been lost forever…”

“So did I,” Chrysalis said, a small smile forming at her sisters’ reactions to the book. “I was shocked myself when Twilight gave it to me, but if you three behave during the meeting, I will let each of you take turns borrowing it for a few days at a time. Unless, of course, Twilight makes copies for each of us and she keeps the original. That way, no fighting will occur over who has what copy.”

“That sounds good to me,” Firestorm said, and for the first time since she had been seen, smiled at Chrysalis. “It will be a nice change of pace compared to the last few days. However, just absorbing the ambient love in the air around you has been a welcome change compared to scrap fighting with the other queens.”

“Other?” Celestia could tell that her voice was not welcome, especially from the way Glacial glanced at her, but the thought of more queens possibly invading Equestria made up her mind for her. “Just how many more are there?”

“Not including us five?” Glacial said, counting Twilight into her figure. “There are four more, each scattered in a different part of Equestria.”

“So, four others, which means nine total,” Celestia said, an uneasy feeling threatening to overwhelm her at the mere thought that such a situation had formed without her knowledge. “Are any of the other queens’ drones here in Canterlot?”

“There are a good number of them, not just in town, but amongst your staff and ranks.” Glacial loved seeing Celestia squirm at her answer, considering it a small consolation prize for losing a hard-working drone. “Does that thought trouble you? The very species you wish to end, is actually right under your nose? The best part is, as a queen I can tell who is and who isn't a drone, but I am not going to tell you which is which. Good luck finding out.”

“Why you little-” Celestia was fast, but years of fighting villain after villain had sharpened Twilight's reflexes. Before Celestia could land a blow, she was held tight in a lavender glow, the Queen of Friendship glaring at her former mentor with nothing but spite, a feeling that rattled Celestia to her core. “If I promise to behave, will you let me go Twilight?”

“That really depends on you, Celestia,” Twilight said, showing no remorse for her actions as she carried Celestia along in her magic like a wolf carrying a pup that was in trouble. “How do I know you won’t act out anyway? Up until now, I have viewed you with the utmost respect, a ruler that was both tough and fair while seeing about her subjects. What I saw the other day, however, completely shattered that vision.

The mare I saw was not Celestia the Wise, nor Celestia the Peacekeeper; no, the mare I saw was Celestia the Dictator. Is your hatred justified? Is it really worth it? The answer to both is ‘no’, and I am disappointed in you for what you did."

Celestia said nothing, but Twilight could tell that her former mentor was slowly losing balance control. To her, it seemed like Celestia didn't care that she had cut a life short, but was hoping against hope that the mare she looked up to as a filly would come around to see the logic behind her being in the wrong.

"I couldn't help but notice that when I revealed what I now am, you felt disappointment towards me," Twilight said, sighing at not being told to stop. "At first, I was puzzled as to why you felt that way, but the last few days have given me time to think, and I reached the conclusion that you are disappointed that I am no longer a pony. Is my hypothesis correct?”

“Yes, Twilight, it was,” Celestia said, hardening her gaze against the changeling that she once felt like a daughter to her. “Can't you see? I saw your potential. I had my fair pick of many talented individuals in your class, including Lyra Heartstrings and Moondancer, but I chose you. I knew that with my guidance, you would accomplish so much. Test after test, trial after trial, you rose to the occasion and exceeded all expectations that I had set. However, since you became an alicorn, that dynamic has shifted.

We used to be so close, telling each other how our day was, and it filled my heart with joy knowing that you would listen to every detail, no matter how boring it was. Once you ascended, that closeness started to crumble. You stopped sending in Friendship Reports, something I enjoyed to read over a cup of fine tea after a long day on the throne. You becoming a changeling was your own choice, but to me it feels like the final nail in the coffin has been put in place."

"I see," Twilight's two words had the weight of a million mountains. Chrysalis and Deciduous exchanged a silent look of fear at how rapidly Twilight's emotions had cooled, her mood and expression becoming neutral and unreadable. "Seems to me, you have trouble with change. You like things a certain way, and when they don't agree with your ideas, it causes you to grow an edge. I can see how it didn't show while Luna was banished, because you had full control of any changes that needed to be done, but there is something you need to realize; the world is not perfect for any individual, including me, and including you.”

“Ok then Ms. Know It All,” Celestia’s frustration tried to show itself once more, but she quickly collected herself once she saw Twilight's horn starting to glow again. “Why are you acting like I am the bad mare here? You haven't experienced the things I have, made choices that rip your conscience apart because they go against your own morals. I was just trying to protect you and everypony else, Twilight, that's why I acted the way I did towards that drone.”

“Protect me?” Twilight scoffed, shaking her head at Celestia's answer. "The same way you tried to 'protect' Luna? By taking control of the situation and buck the consequences thereafter? You claim to have visioned me and my friends taking up the Elements of Harmony to rescue your sister from darkness, but since then we have been the ones keeping the citizens safe, making you nothing more than a figurehead of the Diarchy.

Nightmare? Sombra? Discord? Starlight? That was us using the power of friendship to win the day. Ponies, griffins, changelings, and dragons all respect us, and that will always continue because that is what our destinies have led us to. You, however, now have ponies all over Equestria wanting you in shackles. I am in no position to judge you, but your grudge has no footing and you will have to own up to your crime, whether you like it or not. You are no longer the Chessmaster, for you are in checkmate."

"You are forgetting two things Twilight," Celestia's harsh tone, a tone the queen had never heard before, made her chitin shake. "One, I am still in control of the sun. Without my magic, Nightmare's vision will become a reality and an eternal night will rule this whole planet for all of eternity. Two, as the Chaos Goddess, I am the medium for chaos magic, meaning that the plundervine incident will pale in comparison to what would happen should chaos run uncontrolled."

"That is true," Twilight said, clearing her throat and straightening her posture. "But we will see shortly how you will be punished, for we have arrived."

Two guards, one a changeling and one a Solar Zealot, respectfully bowed as they opened the doors for the approaching ensemble. Twilight entered first, taking note that Cadance, Shining Armor, Starlight, and her other friends were already seated around the table, the most surprising being Rainbow and Pinkie.

"I am surprised to see you two here," Twilight said, looking towards the couple who were seated at the end of the table. "I thought you had departed for Saddle Arabia by now Rainbow."

"I was supposed to," Rainbow said, draping a wing around Pinkie's back. "But Pinks went to Spitfire privately to talk. I do not know what was said, and Pinks is refusing to tell me due to it being a confidential Pinkie Promise, but all I know is that I don't have to join the tour until they make it back into Equestria next week."

"I have to look out for my fiancé," Pinkie said, giving Rainbow a light kiss on the cheek. "Me and Spitty sat down, I told her how I felt, and since the tour could not be put off, I gave her an alternative that she gladly took after thinking about the long term results. End of discussion."

"That was wonderful that you did that," Everyone spun to face the entrance that came from the guest suite, only to be greeted by Hivemother standing in the doorway as she looked at Pinkie with a smile. "It shows your commitment and loyalty, two attributes that are key ground points for any relationship to work. However, before we begin, I do believe that there is someone who needs to be introduced."

"This is it…" Luna thought, surprised at herself that she actually was feeling nervous. "Time to see how I will proceed going forward…"

When the mare entered the room, Luna's jaw was not the only one to drop in shock.

There stood an elegant changeling queen. With her dark navy chitin and two-toned blue and emerald mane and tail, there was no doubt in anypony's mind who the changeling was related to. She moved with the grace and poise of a true royal, keeping her head held high and her ears pointed straight. The light moving over her still-folded wings made them look a silver-grey, her deep aquamarine eyes giving light to a sea of emotion. Excitement and nervousness dominated the slitted pools, with a touch of anger giving them an edge and definition.

"Hello, Princess Luna," The queen said, her eyes starting to shimmer from tears that were starting to develop as she offered a hoof. "I am Queen Nebula, your daughter, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you after all these years."

"I-it is a pleasure for me as well," Luna's world seemed to spin, like the force of gravity had suddenly shifted. Despite Nebula's regal posture and actions, the Princess of the Night knew better, and could tell that the changeling before her was fighting back the urge to wrap her in a hug. Bumping the extended hoof with her own, Luna threw Nebula by surprise by being the one to engage the hug. "I honestly can't put any words to how I feel right now… But there is no question that you are my offspring."

"No words are needed for now, but we have a lot to talk about don't we?" Nebula's tone was soft and lighthearted, like a filly telling their parent a joke. Cutting her eyes over to Chrysalis, her smile only grew. "Hello to you too mom, it's been awhile."

"Been far too long dear," Chrysalis said, joining the hug that Luna and Nebula were sharing. To her utter shock, Luna and Nebula both draped a wing around her back, leading her to only tighten the embrace with her hooves. The world seemed to fall away around her, all her troubled thoughts becoming naught, as for the first time in her life she had her whole family together at once. "So how have you been doing my dear little Nebby?"

"Mom whyyyyyyy,“ Nebula said, a blush starting to color her cheeks. “Why you embarrassing me like that?”

“Because you’re my daughter,” Chrysalis said, chuckling as the trio broke their embrace. “That, and it has been so long since I’ve seen you, I gotta make up for the lost time somehow dear."

"I think the nickname is cute," Luna said, causing Nebula's brush to intensify. However, Luna could tell the changeling's eyes were locked on Celestia, glaring at her like a black hole targeting its next victim. Deep down, Luna had felt the sharp shift in her own mind, and knew that a shadow from the past was taking great joy in the show. Clearing her throat to prevent a fight, it had the desired effect, for Nebula's vision was directed to her once more. "Now then, I am sure there will be plenty of time for a… 'family reunion after the meeting, but for now, lets take our seats so we can proceed."

Celestia said nothing, a shiver running down her spine at Luna's tone when talking about having a family reunion, but she couldn't help but see the seven sets of eyes turned to her.

"Now that introductions are out the way, I shall begin," Hivemother said, the room falling into a tensioned silence. "First of all, Princess Luna, Lord Discord, I give my most sincere apologies for the behavior of the queens that decided to attack your peaceful nation. I do not approve of their actions, and I will deal with them individually in time, but I hope we can move past this incident and a treaty can be reached."

"I, Discord the Wise, do accept your apology," Discord said, putting a claw over his chest as he gave a polite curtsy. "Just as I have forgiven you, I hope you can forgive my wife for her actions. All I ask is for your punishment to be fair and just to the magnitude of the crime."

"The deal has been stuck, the accord has been reached," Hivemother said, glancing across the table to her left. "Princess Luna, as the Princess of the Night and seated upon the Olivine Throne, do you have anything to add so we can begin?"

"I suppose I could start the proceedings," Luna said, making a mental note to exclude Chrysalis from the plan she had thought of after the Baltimare attack. "I am dealing with a bit of an issue with some of my assets. Amarezonian ponies have been at war with some of my subjects at the southern end of Equestria over my Lunar Fruitlands.

Apparently, their chief claims their ancestors staked the area around 350 years ago; which, if you look at my pre-banishment records, show that is false. Even before I was banished, those lands have always been the primary source for my guards' supply of mangos, but it seems that somepony forgot to keep an eye on those lands…"

Celestia didn't say a word, going as far as averting her gaze as Luna gave her a look that could have melted obsidian.

"Seems reasonable," Hivemother said, raising an objective eyebrow at the navy blue alicorn. "Don't get me wrong, I can tell that you are trying to use this as a way of personal gain, but a key part of every treaty is compromise. I will allow your request to be made official, but it will require you to give something in return that carries equal weight."

"Equal weight?" Luna said, slightly tilting her head. "What is it that you would deem acceptable? Say… taking some of their drones and incorporate them into my guard ranks, would that work?"

"A pie is only as good as the sum of its parts Luna," Hivemother said, her eyes closed in thought as she thought over the proposal. "In this case, your part balances out. You are to take in 20 warrior drones apiece from Deciduous', Firestorm's, and Glacial's hives and to have them train as full-time members of your guard. In exchange, the three queens themselves will oversee the reclamation of your lands, in exchange for ten percent of the produce. Do you agree to those terms?"

"Yes, Hivemother, I do agree," Luna said, allowing a smile to crest her lips as she leaned back in her seat. "Cost me a bit more than I wanted to give, but the payoff will be worth it… Those Amarezons won't know what hit them!"

"Now that is out of the way," Hivemother said, her tone sharpening as she looked at Discord. "We can discuss the punishment of your wife… As you can imagine with how the general opinion is right now, this is a very fragile situation. I have heard many protests, with punishments ranging from banishment to execution, but I think that those are far too harsh. I am sure that you can sympathize there, marital bias aside of course."

"I can," Discord said, nodding at Hivemother's reasoning. "I have done many rash and horrible things over the course of my life, things that not even my wife knows and I will carry to my grave; yet, even at my worst, I never intentionally killed somepony. I always saw chaos as a game, a game of seeing how many pieces I can play without resulting in destruction, not as a means to try and eliminate because of a petty grudge. Whatever you decide her punishment should be, I will go along with."

"Glad that we won't have to argue then, " Hivemother said, cutting her eyes to Celestia once more. "Celestia, you knowingly and deliberately executed a drone that was defenseless. You used your magic to do an act that is punishable with death under both pony and changeling laws. Since you are the only one who can control the sun, and are the medium to keep chaos in check, I can't kill you. However, since you seem to have trouble with your sister and Chrysalis being a couple, my sentence is for you to spend a year and a day as a drone while working for Chrysalis' office.

All wages that you would have received are to be garnished and sent to Glacial as compensation. You will still have your ability to control the sun and chaos, those things are not going to be stripped, but during the time that will be your only magic available. Another thing, you are not to use your chaos powers to get revenge, nor manipulate anypony into doing your ill will for you. If you do, your punishment will be extended for a length of time to be determined by how severe of a violation you commit."

Celestia waited. One heartbeat, then two, then three, but it became painfully obvious to her that nopony was doing to plead in her defense. Her husband had already agreed, Cadance and Twilight had nodded at the judgment, and Chrysalis' sisters each were clearly trying to hold in giggles. Those reactions had hurt, the other Bearers also showing agreement also was another nail against her; however, seeing her own sister, the sister that she had tried to save all those moons ago, also agree was her breakpoint.

And the sun flared inside her.

"Do none of you have anything to say for yourselves!?" Celestia said, her mane and tail becoming increasingly erratic as the temperature of the room seemed to skyrocket. "That punishment does not seem fit for the deed done, which was justifiable. That flying mosquitiic parasite threatened to drain me and my husband dry, I simply took action in self-defense to keep me and my husband safe."

*CRUNCH*

All eyes turned to Chrysalis, who's hoof had just cracked the stone table like a mallet to a grape. Everyone could tell she was white-hot with anger, her eyes nothing but pits of emerald fire as she struggled to keep her rage in check.

"He. Didn't. Attack." Chrysalis said, each word being forced through her gritted teeth. "He just said what he was going to do, but he took no action. Tossing him with your magic? Understandable. Hitting him with a blast to knock him unconscious? Understandable. However, crumbling him into ashes? On the list of things that are not ok, that is definitely not ok! You can't even play the self-defense card, because you attacked first. I'm not stupid, you don't have a problem with anyling but me, all because you can't accept the fact me and Luna are married and have a daughter."

"You corrupted her," Celestia's words were colder than a Windego's heart, but sharper than a Neighponese blade. "Unlike our parents, I noticed she was acting strange after returning from that trip with that group of hers, but I passed it off as residual adrenalin from her expedition. Then the days stretched into weeks and months, the whole time still acting strange and sensitive, but when she brought you to dinner that fateful night everything connected into place. Looking back, I do regret not spending more time with Lulu, but I think you can take pride in knowing that you caused her to succumb to the darkness."

"Me?" Chrysalis' tone bore genuine confusion, but her body language was like trapping a bull in a cage at a rodeo and wanting for the starting clock to begin. "How did I cause the Nightmare? If anything, I helped to keep it at bay for as long as it did because I had to keep calming Lulu down whenever she was about to beat your flank into the throne room floor.

I couldn't help that I was at a checkup when the fight broke out, but you sure did seem dry up your magigator tears quite quickly once you saw me looking heartbroken. Instead of spending your time trying to figure out ways to banish me, that was the time that you could have used to make Lulu feel wanted."

"I can see why Celestia can accuse you of that though," Shining said, only to flinch from the look the enraged queen was giving him. "I mean, you did the same thing to me, so her logic is sound. You say it was pure love, but to her it was nothing but a trick."

"Thank you for being the voice of reason," Celestia said, a surge of hope filling her. "I love my sister, and I don't want to see her hurt."

"Oh?" Chrysalis said, surprised that Celestia was actually trying to prolong the meeting. "You say that you didn't want to hurt her, but in the long run you did just that. You have no clue how many times she visited me at the hive bawling her eyes out at how you were ignoring her pleas for help. Since you wouldn't let me stay in the castle, she knew I couldn't do anything, but I still comforted her to the best of my ability."

"As revealing as this has been for the uninformed," Starlight said, not allowing Celestia to retort while trying to diffuse the impending emotional explosion as her friends looked at the bickering duo with a look of pure shock. Celestia was now nose to nose with Chrysalis, neither giving an inch. "You both need to calm down. Anger isn't an answer here, and as a former villain myself, I can tell this is going to end badly for all parties involved if things continue."

"I agree with that assessment," Hivemother said, snaring Celestia in her magic as a cacoon of pure light started to encase the alicorn. "Celestia, let's hope for everypony's sake that by the end of your punishment, you have learned a valuable lesson in humility."

Celestia wanted to fight, her rage pushing her to her limit as she started to gather her magic, the long-time foe against her sister being the intended target. Just as she was about to unleash it, the cocoon completed, instantly cutting off the spell as she started to feel a strange sensation wash over her like slow-moving molasses.

Her muscles went taught and her body quivered, as if every muscle was having a case of the Charlies all at the same time. She had been in many painful situations over the course of her life, including having to spend a week in the core of her own sun as punishment for breaking her father's cherished sundial as a filly, but even that ordeal paled in comparison to the pressure she was feeling being exerted on every inch of her body. She fought hard, desperate to break free, but the moment she heard her wings snap she knew she was in trouble.

Ivory feathers drifted from her spasming wings, floating down and dissolving into the walls that contained her. The wings themselves, now featherless, started to shrink, the membrane thinning and becoming translucent and rounded as the bones in them vanished. A powerful itching started to spread from her hooves upwards, but with no room to scratch, she was left watching in horror as her fur thinned, the pink skin underneath becoming harder and darkening until it was as black as the void of space.

The force of gravity seemed to intensify, pushing her into a tighter and tighter form as her insides started to change. Some organs, like her stomach, shrank while her love sac formed and connected itself to all her vital organs and her bloodstream. The new organ flared to life, pulsing a complex blend of pheromones and chemicals that caused her blood to thicken into ichor and allowed her white and red blood cells to absorb emotions better while also embedding the different emotion signals into her brain.

Celestia, for the first time, could feel the emotions swirling in the room; the waves of disappointment crashing into her like the eyewall of a cyclone on a battered ship. The feeling seemed to accelerate her changes, her horn becoming chipped and jagged as her ethereal mane and tail fell away as a head and tail fin formed in their place. Things seemed to settle, making Celestia assume that the changes were over, but that proved to be a false sense of security as a splitting headache reverberated in her skull.

Hundreds of voices swarmed her mind, drowning out her own sense of thought. Her head swam amongst the voices, just one of many on an endless connection, until one voice came through that pushed all the others back.

"Good to see that your hivemind properly developed,"< Chrysalis said, making Celestia shake her head in an attempt to get the queen's voice out of her mind. The distraction was good enough to make the former alicorn not realize that holes had started to form on her legs and wings, and that two fangs had started to grow. >"Let me be the first to tell you to welcome to the swarm."<

"I swear that I will not be so easily quieted!"< Celestia said, her anger cascading over the hivemind. However, much to her horror, she felt her limbs go numb as a force washed away the anger and made it feel like the hivemind had tightened around her brain. >"W-what are you doing? Why can't I move?!"<

"You have a lot to learn about being a changeling, but you better be lucky I'm patient,"< Chrysalis brisked, like a mother scolding a foal. >"What I am doing is no different than what I do with any other drone who misbehaves. As queen of the hive, I have a strong influence over our hivemind, and can exert a force that locks a drone or drones in place until they comply. Think of it as being in a timeout, now, are you going to comply?"<

"Fine… I will, my Queen,"< Celestia said, hoping the added title would help put her over and make Chrysalis back of. It took a moment, but the feeling retreated as her prison started to crack, allowing the others to see how she looked for the first time. "So, basically, I am screwed then since you can do that trick."

"That wasn't a trick," Hivemother said, giving Celestia a knowing smirk. "All queens, including Twilight, have that ability; it serves as a way not only to punish, but also as a way to remind everyling in the hive just who is in charge. As I said, as long as you behave, your punishment will end a year and a day from now, but since I am in a decent mood I am going to overlook the fact you tried to break that transformative cocoon. If there is no further business, I suggest we end talks here, because I need to talk with Discord in private about a few things."

"Hivemother, if I may," Glacial said, pausing until the ancient queen gestured for her to continue. "What about the subject of the love stores Chrysalis gets from her business? Her hive being saturated is the only reason why we attacked in the first place. It isn't fair that she is feasting while the rest of us are starving."

"Thank you for bringing that up, because that had slipped my mind," Hivemother said, turning to face Chrysalis. "Chrysalis, how much love store can you give each queen, not including myself and Twilight, and still not suffer?"

"Roughly seven percent," Chrysalis said, doing the calculations in her head more than once just to be sure. "Any more than that and I might have issues, but still, seven percent is better than nothing. It would equate to what I gorged myself with at Shining's wedding multiplied by a factor of 2.1."

"I don't like the sound of that at all," Celestia said, ignoring Chrysalis' pointed glare. "Just what you got from Shining was enough to beat me at max power, you double that, and Equestria would have a hostile takeover situation on their hooves."

"Which is why, in exchange for love supplies, each queen would swear Equestria and the Crystal Empire as an ally," Hivemother said, now looking straight up aggravated. "You have been on the throne for over 1100 years, and still can't manage a peaceful truce?"

Celestia kept her muzzle shut.

"I do have a question," Nebula said, clearing her throat to get attention. "Since we're laying everything out on the table, would it be feasible for Luna to come back to the Crystal Empire? I would love the chance to get to know her better, and I am sure mom would love that opportunity as well."

"I would enjoy some time to regroup," Luna said, causing both Chrysalis and Nebula to beam a smile. "Although, what do you suggest as a means of keeping things in line while I am gone? There is still a lot of paperwork to file, introducing the drones to the guard, and I must keep up my duties of the moon and dreamwalking."

"As far as dreamwalking, I could handle it," Discord said, much to Chrysalis' relief. "Since I am no longer tied to chaos, I have been having more frequent dreams, so if you would just tell me how to project into the dream realm I could do it."

"The paperwork and guard stuff I could easily do," Hivemother said, giving Luna a warm smile at feeling the Princess of the Night's hesitation. "All that would need to be done is giving a public address saying that you need a chance to adjust and clear your head. Considering I stopped the fight from becoming a bigger bloodbath, I shouldn't have too much trouble out of anypony. Plus it would give me a chance to mingle with today's generation. All you would have to do is raise and lower the moon each night."

"That is a very tempting offer," Luna said, her lips curled into a smile. "It will also give me the opportunity to spend time with my niece, one who I still owe a spa day to."

"YES!" Chrysalis, Cadance, and Nebula exclaimed, jumping out of their seats and giving the air a hoofpump. For a moment, the three said nothing, but soon erupted into a giggle fit that left each of them unable to talk.

"With that," Hivemother said, chuckling at the display. "This meeting is now adjourned."

One by one the group filed out, with a very bitter Celestia being led along by Chrysalis, with Luna and Nebula on her flanks as Discord poofed back to his office. Then Cadance and Shining departed, then Twilight's friends, and lastly Chrysalis' sisters. That left Hivemother all alone with nothing but her thoughts until a scroll bound with Twilight's cutie mark appeared on the table in front of her.

Breaking the seal, and after scanning over the letter, Hivemother smiled.

Darkness had fallen upon the Castle of Friendship. With Luna's moon and stars blanketing the sky like fireflies drawn to a lantern, Hivemother was able to trot along the halls with the swiftness of an owl on a midnight hunt. Through the halls and up flight after flight of stairs, she moved like a graceful shadow, not wanting to disturb Spike, Starlight, and Trixie, until she eventually tapped on the oaken door that rested at the highest point of the castle.

"You may enter," Twilight said, using her magic to keep the hinges from creaking. She had made herself comfortable in her favorite chair, the fire burning in the fireplace bathing the room in a soft, warm glow. "Welcome to my private study Hivemother, and I am glad that you accepted my invitation."

"Pleasure is mine, Queen Sparkle," Hivemother said, giving the lavender queen a nod of respect. "It isn't often a queen invites another to her private chambers, but I do believe it is time history is once again written, publicized for all to learn and to help ease the tensions of Equestria."

"Why were the old records of you destroyed to begin with?" Twilight said, summoning a second seat and positioning it on the other side of the coffee table. "Only thing I have uncovered was the brief paragraph in Chrysalis' old book."

"Power and corruption," Hivemother said, taking her seat as Twilight started to scribble on a scroll. "Keep in mind, I am the first changeling, but I do have my weaknesses. If a source of dark magic is strong enough, it could easily take control of me, but it would have to be way stronger than the spells Sombra used. I'm talking on a level with the Smooze itself. Think about how bad of a situation that would be, with how strong my magic is, being controlled by somepony with dark and selfish intentions."

"The Smooze?" Twilight said, tilting her head as she retrieved a book without losing control of the quill and scroll. "According to the archived accounts of it, it was a tarry pit of bubbling, liquefied evil."

"That would be correct," Hivemother said, her face becoming downtrodden. "I should know, because I was created from it."

"You were-" Twilight's brain short-circuited, did a hard reboot, and even then needed a jolt from her nervous system to properly function. "Just… what?!"

"Please, allow me to explain," Hivemother's tone softened, her eyes gazing to the fire. In the flames, she saw nothing but pure darkness as an omnipresent feeling reached out into her mind with a lovely voice and tried to lure her in, but it was to no avail. "Everypony knows the tale of Equestria, how the four tribes lived in peace until that fateful day the unicorns attacked the Earth Ponies, but the story of our species, the changeling, dates back even further.

I know not of how my Mistress found such evil, nor how she had come to hate ponies as she had, but what I do know is the results of her hate and experimenting resulted in the Smooze. From that pit two creatures, the likes of which the world had never seen, were molded into the image of my Mistress' liking. I was made first, my sister shortly after, and due to us being the DNA combination of every lifeform she dubbed us changelings."

The flames leaped out at the two seated queens, causing Twilight to jump until Hivemother put a hoof on her shoulder. Before Twilight's eyes, an image appeared in the flames, which at first looked like a normal queen until she took a closer look. The form was bulkier, as if it had took up Bulk Biceps' training routine and pushed it to the max. The wings looked like they were silver, but with an edge that Twilight could tell served as a makeshift blade if the need had arisen.

"This was my initial form," Hivemother said, ending the image and allowing the flames to die down once more. "A creature of pure evil, and no free will, doing only what my Mistress commanded. For many centuries, the two of us did what Mistress ordered, going from town to town and foalnapping many citizens for Mistress to make more of us. Despite her hatred, even Mistress saw how having too many powerful beings under her control was a bad idea, so the converted were made in a way that me and my sister could control them.

Then one day, everything changed. Mistress had heard about a powerful unicorn, a gifted one who was developing new spells with already-available magic. The potential was immense, but also a double-edged sword; unlike the others, she didn't want to convert him so she could fully have his talents at her disposal, but it also risked making her known to an enemy if he didn't agree to be her apprentice."

"You know," Twilight said, softly chuckling as she teleported in some tea for the two of them. "If I didn't know any better, based on that description, I would have assumed that you were talking about Starswirl. Yet, the way you make it sound like, all this happened before he was born."

"I am talking about Starswirl," Hivemother took no small amount of pride in seeing the smartest being she had known since those days so speechless and flabbergasted. The shock and awe in those magenta slits sparkled in the light, and Hivemother could tell she was fully engrossed. "He was a young stallion back then, roughly the age that you are now, and had devoted his life to his studies. Nothing could tear him away from his work, but it was slowly overwhelming him. Mistress thought it would be a good idea to go to him disguised and earn his trust, so that is what I did.

Taking the form of a 'well endowed' unicorn mare, I went to him as a fan who was a major fan of his publications. At first, he was hesitant, but after I showed him that I could easily perform some of his more complex spells, he took me under his tutoring on the spot. Over the following months, the two of us worked nonstop, but his warm soul started to chip away at the darkness in my heart."

"You fell in love," Twilight said, a smile gracing her lips as she sipped her tea. "How did your sister react to you starting to warm up?"

"At first she wanted to use it as a tool, a means to make it easier for him to come over to Mistress' side, but after several tea visits she saw the same thing I did," Hivemother said, sipping her tea as she hummed at the taste. "Ponies were not the enemy like Mistress had made them out to be, but were a kind, caring species that had their own goals and dreams. They had no intention of world domination or the like, they just wanted to live life to the fullest.

Unfortunately, Mistress was impatient, and after several times blowing her off, she decided to make an unannounced personal visit. The feeling of betrayal coming from Starswirl ripped me apart, making me shed my disguise as Mistress towered over me, ready to deal a blow that would kill me. Just as the blow was about to hit, I found myself slammed against the wall… my sister taking the blast for me."

"She sacrificed herself," Twilight said, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. "She cared for you, paying for it with her life. What was her name?"

"Her name?" Hivemother said, squeezing her eyes shut as that painful memory resurfaced. "Her name was a phrase everypony uses in today's society to describe an action when their mind becomes clear to a sudden revelation. Epiphany.

I didn't have time to mourn, for Mistress was still out for my head, but something ignited inside of me. I swore on my sister's dead body that I would not let her death be in vain, and between me and Starswirl, we managed to kill my creator. Afterwards, me and him buried my sister and had a long chat. It was agreed that we wouldn't pursue a relationship but remain close friends and allies. All those that me and my sister converted? They remained loyal to me, but Starswirl used a cleansing spell to rid us of Mistress' influence."

"Wow," Twilight said, taking a moment pause to refill her teacup. "I had no idea about all of this. Although, if your sister was named Epiphany, what is your and your Mistress' names?"

"I had a name, but I rebuked it the day my sister died Twilight," Hivemother said, draining her third cup of tea. "For many years, I was known as 'The Nameless' or 'The Wanderer', but after realizing the nature of the hivemind being akin to that of a bumblebee hive, I took the name Hivemother and have called myself that since. As for my creator, her name was Entropy."

"And all things fall into disorder," Twilight said, reciting the definition. "Considering she made you and Epiphany to cause havoc on ponykind, the name fitted her well. So what happened after that?"

"After everything settled?" Hivemother asked, only for her to be answered by Twilight teleporting in more ink and quills. "Well, with both my creator and sister dead, all I had were the converts that were connected to me and nowhere to go. Luckily, Starswirl came up with a brilliant solution. At the time, a unicorn expedition team had uncovered a massive crystal cave, and the opportunity presented itself.

I used a bit of specialized magic to combine the souls of those converts to the crystal, and thus the first generation of Crystal Ponies was born. Over time, the changeling gene became less and less, so in essence, they are a true race of pony. Alas, even that was not enough, for the untold horrors of the Frozen North soon made it known the new residents were not welcome."

"Windego…" Just saying the word sent a shiver down Twilight's spine, the sudden reflex causing her to start on a new quill due to the old one breaking at the motion. "Do you know how they were made? Or, at least, where they came from?"

"I don't, but they really didn't like us being there," Hivemother said, catching herself from flinching. "Those spirits broke through line after line of defenses, an unstoppable force that nearly made me pack up everypony and flee to Equestria under asylum. The only reason I didn't was that Starswirl came to me with a new spell, one that he was sure would keep those evil spirits at bay once and for all. After carving out a piece of crystal to use as a conductor and medium, he had me funnel all the love I had for my sister into it to use as a weapon because the Windegos left houses with couples alone."

"The Crystal Heart," Twilight said, taking a pause to rub the building pull of Luna's dreamrealm from her eyes. "So it is literally a weapon of love then, and it makes sense why no evil can get near it because it is powered by pure emotions."

"Correct," Hivemother said, putting down her teacup and looking at Twilight in a relaxed pose. "I do think we should stop for tonight though, you look to be fighting off sleep."

"I'm fine," Twilight said, only to let out a long, drawn-out yawn. "Ok, maybe I am a little tired, that is something coffee can fix. I have pulled all-nighters before, so this is still early for me."

"Maybe as a pony you could handle it, but a queen's mind works differently," Hivemother said, her tone taking that of a teacher. Twilight recognized the shift, setting down her quill as she leaned in to listen. "A queen needs rest to help keep her hivemind healthy, for lack of sleep will slowly make her too fatigued to keep it maintained. Although, before you run off to bed, I do want to discuss your feelings for Celestia earlier. Troubled me, they did."

All traces of sleep vanished from Twilight's eyes, her pupils dilating as her chitin went rigid. Hivemother's multicolored irises were soft and inviting, but Twilight knew that she was about to jump down a rabbit hole that she had hoped to put off for at least a week.

"What about my feelings?" Twilight said, trying to act as calm as possible. "Do I not have the right to be bitter and angry at her? My entire foalhood was revolved around my studies, but it was also her who sent me to Ponyville to make friends and to learn the value of the power of friendship. I feel like all those lessons, all those teachings, were nothing more than to cover up her true colors. Looking back, now it makes sense why she didn't believe me at Candace's wedding, because she didn't want to believe Chrysalis had resurfaced."

"I do suppose that is part of it," Hivemother said, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "But I specifically want to discuss your anger. When you decided to shed your feathers and take up the Gossamer Oath, it bound you for life. Since you were not born a changeling, you have no sense of how to maintain a balance with your emotions, something I hope Chrysalis does a terrific job of teaching you. Anger is white hot, and in the absence of love can be a good short-term power boost, but you must not let it control you.

Take a step back and look at where we are. You invited me into your study, have a warm fire going, and served us both some delicious jasmine honey tea while I gave you a history lesson. Now, does this ring a bell?"

"Reminds me of when I was a filly," Twilight said, her tone soft as tears started to build in her eyes. "Just I was in the role of Celestia, and you in the role of me."

"See? You don't actually hate her," Hivemother said, using her magic to pull Twilight into her lap. The simple gesture was enough, and soon she felt Twilight's tears running down her chitin as she wrapped her wings around the Queen of Friendship. "Forgiveness is a part of friendship, is it not? You have to give it time, but I know that the two of you will bury the hatchet at some point. Noling is perfect, but as we go through life, we have to do our part to make this world a better place.

When you became a changeling, your very means of survival shifted. Yes, you can still consume the foods and beverages that you've always enjoyed, but they no longer have any nutritional value to you. You need love to live, and a happier and more loving world guarantees that you and your drones will have a long, productive life."

"That's the part I'm still trying to wrap my head around," Twilight said, her eyes cutting downward. "Motherhood has never been on my mind, like at all, now I have to face the fact that I will be a mother. So, just out of curiosity, how do changelings reproduce?"

"There are actually several ways," Hivemother said, her wings unfolding ever-so-slightly. "The first, of course, is traditional intercourse with a stallion. Another, and a rather unique one is getting a unicorn to…"

Leaning in close and whispering Twilight's ear, Hivemother gave Twilight a wingboner from how detailed and graphic the image played out in her head.

"Seems that one is a winner, and I am sure Starlight would like to assist," Hivemother said, smiling at how adorable Twilight looked with her blush. "That being said, there is another way for a queen to have drones, and it is one that might be the most common for you. As the old adage goes, too much love is a bad thing, because your body will be so saturated you will have no way to continue feeding. When that happens, your body will produce a signal that allows your eggs to absorb the excess, thus producing more drones."

"Wait, so I can perform parthenogenesis?" Twilight asked, now in full scholar mode. "There are so many interesting things I want to test now! Who knows, maybe I'll discover secrets about a changeling's magic and body that have never been discovered before."

"As the Bearer of Magic itself, I'm sure you will," Hivemother said, her own curiosity getting the better of her as she imagined the possibilities that Twilight would discover. "Your hivemind is already growing and maturing, that I can feel, so don't be surprised if you start laying in the next couple of weeks. If you want, you can send me reports on everything you discover, all I ask is to try to not overdo it while you are carrying."

"Sounds like a plan then," Twilight said, the exhaustion from earlier returning with full force as she leaned against Hivemother's barrel. "How long does a changeling pregnancy last?"

"That really depends," Hivemother said, getting out of her chair as she started walking Twilight towards her bedroom. "If you get pregnant with anything other than drones, the length of pregnancy will be equal to the species you conceived; drones, meanwhile, are only a month."

"There is much I still have to prepare for then," Twilight said, leaning on to Hivemother's side as they continued their walk, but guiding the way through the halls. "Gut out the basement for hive structure, making a hive structure about how would I designate who to what role…"

"All things to worry for another day," Hivemother said, using her magic to open the door for Twilight after reaching her bedroom. "After all, you still have to lay your first clutch. For now, all you should worry about is getting a peaceful slumber; the future is fluid, always in motion, but your actions now will have a vast influence on what happens down the line. Work hard to get your emotions in check, and the rest should fall into place smoothly."

"Thank you," Twilight said, crawling under her covers and snuggling her pillow. "But before you go, think you could tell me a bedtime story?"

"Hmm… I think I know a good one; it is a story of triumph, love gained and lost, and paying the ultimate sacrifice to protect her subjects." Hivemother said, smirking as Twilight's tired eyes shone in recognition. "This is the story of Queen Amore, the Changeling Queen of the North Crystal Throne."

Author's Note

I had more planned for this chapter, but due to a time crunch (increased work hours), I have to proceed as is.

Thanks to my editor Penalt and my Patreons Azeazezar and Shooting Star for thier input and editing.

Want to join my squad for as little as $1USD/month? Head over to my Pareeon here to see my tiers.

A Whirlwind of Emotions

"Chryssy, Chryssy wake up! You ok?"

"Ugh?" The first thoughts of consciousness that came to the forefront of the Queen of the Changeling's mind were a wild roller coaster of emotions, ones that she was not ready to face. However, they soon slowed, allowing her to catch a glimpse of her surroundings. Multiple tubes went into her left foreleg, the pulses of the heart monitor being the only ambient sound in the room, and the very concerned look of the Princess of Love pierced her straight to the core. "Cadence? What happened? Last I remember-"

"You fainted," Cadance said, a gentle curtness to her tone that revealed the worry Chrysalis was feeling from her was not being hidden. "We were heading to your office, when suddenly you just… collapsed. Shiny and Luna are currently with your daughter, and I managed to free up your schedule a bit to give you some extra rest."

"I see," Chrysalis noted, a quick glance around the room showing that, much to her surprise, there were no guards stationed in the faintly-lavender scented room. With just her, Cadance, and Cadance's royal doctor in the room, she couldn't help but smirk. "You know, it is awfully unwise for someone of your standing to not have a guard detail in my presence, I am Chrysalis the Feared after all."

"Mmm, maybe," Cadance's playful tone, combined with the fact she started brushing Chrysalis' mane as she hummed, was enough to lure the dread queen into letting her guard down. She knew that Cadance had known there was no fire behind the statement, but deep down she felt no anger at the self-revelation. "But then again, I think it is story time, one I think you will enjoy."

"I am not Flurry Heart," Chrysalis deadpanned, not happy that she was being treated like a foal, but considering said foal could inflict some painful wounds if it wanted, she simply huffed. "Nonetheless, continue."

"Thank you," With a smile, Cadance cleared her throat, never once stopping the brush until she was sure all the knots were taken care of. "Now then, a long time ago, far away in Canterlot, there was a young pegasus mare, and all her life she was an outcast. Nopony played with her, nopony invited her to parties or just to hang out, when all she wanted was friendship. It hurt her, deeply, and over time her heart slowly closed itself off, accepting that she would die a lonely mare.

"One day, however, she met a nice stallion, one who shared the same interests as her and they soon became fast friends. For the first time in her life, she was happy, but sadly it was just a fleeting thing. Less than a year after they met, he died in a horrific accident, one that permanently traumatized the mare and made her close her heart once more. Not out of grief, but out of fear."

"That…" Chrysalis, even with the traces of motherly love that Cadance was giving her, no doubt a mental reflex of story times to Flurry, felt hollow. Her mouth was dry, and a weight tightened around her heart as she remembered when Luna was banished. "That sounds terrible…"

"Quite," Cadance nodded, pausing a moment before continuing. "As you can guess, losing her beloved deeply stung, to the point she swore to never love again. For a long time, she didn't, and she nearly died herself from malnutrition. Alas, that was not the end for her, while out for a stroll as she was contemplating her final resting place she was mugged in an alley. She begged for them to kill her, but before the dagger could be driven in, a rookie guard put a stop to it. With the culprit captured, the guard checked on the mare, only for their eyes to meet. When they did, the mare felt her flanks heat up as her cutie mark formed, and a new sense of purpose filled her. They eventually got married and had a loving family, but the moral of the story is not to let your burdens crush you. Fight through them, and everypony has a special somepony, even if they are not a pony. Love finds a way."

"That story, it was about you wasn't it?" Chrysalis could feel the alicorn's emotions flinch at the question, giving her the answer she needed. "That is not the stories I have heard about you, if anything, I would have thought Celestia would-"

"Would what, treat me like a princess?" Cadance snorted, the dismissiveness surprising Chrysalis with the wave of resentment that accompanied it. "She tried, oh trust me she tried, but I demanded to have no guard detail and to live away from the castle. I wanted to live among the subjects to get a better feel for how Auntie was doing as a ruler. I wanted nothing to do with being a ruler in my youth, I just wanted to be a happy little pegasus that could forge her own path and live carefree. Before you ask, it wasn't my looks or who I was that made me an outcast, it was my special talent starting to manifest that did me in."

"The fact you tried to strengthen love was enough to have them push you away?" Chrysalis was stunned, knowing how important friendship was to ponies, it seemed out of place to her. "No offense, but those sound like the kind of ponies that deserve to spend a few weeks in a pod as punishment. Not for harvesting, but actual punishment."

"Remind me to inquire about that later," Cadance mused, sending a chill up Chrysalis' spine from both mental fantasy and also the implications of revealing that information. "Anyway, they thought I was being pushy and that I needed to mind my business, and I had to oblige to stay out of trouble… Can't tell you how many relationships I saw fizzle as a result, but oh well."

"Depends on the matter of approach," Chrysalis said, pausing for a moment as she considered her wording. "Upfront you meet resistance, stealthy far less so and it is easier to succeed. So, if you don't mind me asking, how did your first love die?"

"Framed for a crime he did not commit, then while he was awaiting trial, had a massive hailstone dropped on his head while in the courtyard on his yard time.” Chrysalis could see, and feel, the pain in Cadance’s eyes as she spoke, the painful memories lashing at the changeling’s defenses like weaponized vines that drew emotional ichor with every strike. The pain soon gave way to a cold satisfaction, one that made Chrysalis feel true fear and sent her mind racing. "Its a shame really, nopony ended up finding out how the sod ended up how he did, but that is for the best in my opinion."

"You killed him in revenge, didn't you?" The inquiry hit right where Chrysalis hoped, the Princess of Love having to briefly advert her gaze at the question. The nurse, much to the changeling's suspicion, did not even blink at the implications. "I do not feel any guilt coming from you either, you actually have no regret about what you did."

"Love is a powerful emotion," Cadance said, once again meeting Chrysalis' eyes with her own. "It is needed for your kind to live, and it is what powers both my special talent and the Crystal Heart. However, it is also a vice, one that demands your soul as payment. We both know the feeling of a loved one being torn from us, you by Aunt Lulu's banishment, and me by the untimely death of my coltfriend.

"I have no shame, nor guilt, because I feel as if it was an equal measure for what was taken from me. You being pregnant at the time of your wife's banishment no doubt was a burden, but at least we have long enough of a lifespan that you were bound to reunite with her at some point. As for me, I never would have him back. We all do things that we are not proud of in the name of love, but we cannot change the past now can we?"

"Do not compare your loss to mine," Chrysalis fumed, Cadance gulping at the embers that danced in the emerald eyes of the changeling queen. "Much like Discord, I have never intentionally killed someone. Think, for a moment, about what Celestia took from me Cadance. She took away a foal from me and Lulu by making it stillborn from her actions, and she made me spend so long without my wife. I had her, dead to rights, at the wedding but even with all she did to me killing her was not in my plans.

"Would I kill if someone threatened the lives of somepony I care about? Yes. Would I kill if they succeeded in killing my loved ones? No. I would want them to suffer, knowing what they did with justice properly served. I do have some degree of morals Cadance, so I pity what happened to you, but I cannot condone the means you went to."

"You sound like Shiny," Cadance dryly laughed, making Chrysalis confused at the reaction. "Look at us, discussing things of yesteryear like an old couple or old friends instead of talking about the future. So, what are you going to do when you get out of here? Aside from your duties of course."

"That depends really," Chrysalis sighed, not happy the subject was changed so abruptly but chose not to push her boundaries. "I have a lot of things to process mentally and emotionally. After all, as you said, love is a powerful emotion."

"Looking forward to time with Auntie aren't you?" Cadence giggled, a light blush showing on Chrysalis' cheeks at the thought of possibly having some 'personal cuddle therapy' with her beloved. "I'll take that as a yes. We both know the Empire lacks the diverse activities Equestria has to offer, but I do hope the two of you are able to reconnect."

"Same here," Chrysalis' tone wavered, a tear rolling down her cheek as her mind turned to not-so-happy scenarios. "I love her Cadance, what if we aren't able to redevelop the bond we once had? I-"

"Look at me," Chrysalis, after a brief hesitation, did as instructed, gazing into the eyes of the Princess of Love. "You have to be patient, give it time, and do not worry about those thoughts. At the very least, you have a family here with me, Shiny, and Flurry so you will never be alone again. You have my vow…"

Chrysalis' breath hitched at the pause in Cadance's sentence, not from the pony she once swore as an enemy moving closer to be muzzle to muzzle, but from her feeling all of the alicorn's resistance crumble as a smile graced her lips.

"And you have my love."

Fireworks exploded in Chrysalis' mind when Cadance's lips met hers, all her negative thoughts being banished in a tidal wave of raw love that threatened to consume her very being. The soft, rose pink lips calmed her inner turmoil, but also made her want more as the two mares increased the embrace.

And all across the hive mind, every drone felt it when the Queen of the Badlands fired it off in pulses to prevent an overflow, soon falling to the ground where they stood as they drank in the rich food supply. Deciduous, Firestorm, and Glacial all welcomed the meal, gorging themselves like Bulk Biceps on a protein shake bender, but Nebula had a different reaction entirely.

"We need to check on mother," The changeling said, jumping to her hooves and startling both Luna and Shining armor into an alert state. "She just had to dump off a massive amount of raw love."

"Our wife vented love?" Luna asked, a bit of fear mingling into her Olde Equish. "Pray tell, dear daughter, what would cause a changeling to do such?"

"Overflow," Nebula said, opening the door and informing the guards stationed outside the doors to lead the trio to where Chrysalis had been resting. "Much like how a pony can die from too much food, too much love can kill a changeling. Venting helps negate it when the hive mind is too saturated, but as much as she is giving off? She would have had to have drawn straight from the Crystal Heart."

"Or an equivalent," Shining heart threatened to skip a beat, his throat burning dry from a few possibilities that made him feel ill. Yet, reaching the medical room, they only found a shocked Twilight Sparkle standing in a slight love daze. "Twily? What are you doing here, where are Cady and Chrysalis?"

"I was standing guard, as per my duty as Ambassador, while disguised as Cadance's royal doctor," Twilight said, her words slightly slurred as she shook off the effects of the close-proximity love blast. "As for your second question? I have no idea, Cadance kissed Chrysalis to give her a love boost, then next thing I know they both were encased in a prism of light as they vanished."

"Vanished?" Luna's brow was raised higher than her moon at midnight, figuratively reaching for her mane as all eyes were drawn on her. "That almost sounds like an ascension, but prismatic colors? The only thing I know-"

"Oh bugger."

Time and space seemed to bend for Chrysalis and Cadance as they floated in a sea of nothingness. All around the pair they could hear faint whispers, echoes of the past that made memory after memory rush in a torrent that had no breakpoint. However, before they were swallowed in the depths of their own minds and turmoil, everything went calm.

”Hello you two”

The voice was welcoming, like a mother embracing their foal after being away for an extended period. Even with no words being exchanged between the pair, a mix of both fear and confusion made them clutch tighter to the other.

”Be not afraid,”

This time, a figure began to form, one that made both of the mare's jaws drop in shock. Before them was the Tree of Harmony, the elements glistening from its branches, and the Crystal Heart pulsing brightly in the center of the healthy trunk.

”For I am Harmony, and I bid thee welcome.”

"Harmony?!" Chrysalis exclaimed, wondering for a moment if she had died and was just hallucinating as her brain shut down. "Why have you summoned me? Cadence I can understand from her connection to the Crystal Heart, but I am a changeling."

"One that has love for two of the princesses," Harmony replied, making both alicorn and changeling look at each other with light blushes as the branches containing Loyalty and Honesty reached towards the pair. "A love that will ensure the Frozen North is protected from Windegos as long as you both draw breath, even after Prince Armor passes on."

"She cannot replace my Shiny," Cadance growled, a cocoon of anger shrouding her aura as she lowered into a defensive position. "Even after-"

"Foolish mare," Harmony said, making Cadance try to harness her magic, but much to her shock she could not even draw a spark. "Do you honestly expect me to believe you would? No, but on the current course, one aspect of your love of Chrysalis will be forged in time of mourning."

"Wait," Cadance's eyes went wide, her bottom lip trembling as her throat suddenly lost all moisture. "You can't mean-"

“You are an alicorn, Shining a unicorn,” Harmony’s remark cut Cadance to the core, the Princess of Love lowering her gaze to her hooves. “He still has many years ahead, but he has nowhere near the lifespan you do.”

“I-am aware,” Cadance stuttered, Chrysalis feeling a whirlwind of emotions from the pony she had a secret crush on soon fanning the flames of her frustration. “But who are you to bring us here to talk about what will be one of the hardest moments of my life?! I do not care if I had forever or a day, I love every moment that I am with my Shiny. He has my heart, he is my everything, and we have a daughter that is a beautiful testament to our bond and love.”

“And I will give my all to protect them,” The words left Chrysalis’ lips without thinking, without hesitation, surprising even herself in the conviction she put behind them. “I came to the Empire a broken and defeated Queen, one who was on the brink of having the hive die out from lack of sustainable love. Despite everything I did to Shining Armor, by brainwashing and stealing his love. Despite everything I did to Cadance by almost robbing her of her husband and wedding day. Despite my crimes towards the crystal ponies by doing those unspeakable acts towards their rulers, they all took me in. I have all of them to thank for my redemption, and…”

Tears, white hot from pent-up emotion that hit all at once freely flowed. The old her would have chided herself for crying in the presence of others, a sign of weakness showing in the mask of the Queen of the Badlands. However, deep down in her mind, she looked at the cruel reflection of her past self and rammed it with her horn. In the here and now, those tears were not a weakness, but instead a flood of relief and weight being removed from her mind.

“A-and for saving my children, and saving me from myself…” Looking up at Harmony, Chrysalis took a few steps towards the astral figure and shocking Cadance with the flair of conviction she showed, Her steps were steady and true, the trot of a ruler who had everything to bare and nothing to lose. The Mare who had bested the Bringer of the Day in combat, and captured the Heart of the Moon within her breast. In that moment, something bloomed inside the Princess of Love, as if she was looking at Chrysalis in a new, loving light as the changeling spoke again. “I owe them everything, and I will put my life on the line to ensure their protection, as well as the well being of the Crystal Ponies. Their battles are now mine, by hoof and by sword, and unless you have something actually useful to give us I ask that you bid us leave.”

“Such vigor, to stand up to me in the flesh,” Harmony had no hint of aggression in her tone, in fact, Chrysalis could feel the faintest traces of humor coming from her. Just even feeling the humor sent the changeling's mind racing to try and find a logical conclusion, and it bothered her that she couldn't. ”Very well, I do suppose that I have hit a few sensitive subjects, so I shall grant thy boon. I may be Harmony, but that does not mean that everything is rosy. With good, comes bad, and it is the balance of the two that ensures I exist and continue to ensure things try and remain peaceful. Yet, that will not always be the case, for there are times one must endure hardship to grow. This is something you both know first hoof.”

Both mares simply nodded, neither saying a word as they both felt more needed to be said.

”Now, I hinted at something earlier, something subtle. Think on my words after I called Cadenza foolish, did you two notice something very specific that I said?”

"You said ‘current course’," Cadance said, new hope filling her a couple branches moved in a bidding motion. "That shows there are more paths ahead, but I am confused. By that, it hints that there is a way to prolong Shiny's life, but there are no mentioned cases of a male alicorn in the historical texts I have read."

”And that is so, but there is another method to prolong his life without ascension,” Chrysalis’ ichor ran cold under her shell, her heart briefly skipping out of rhythm as she felt Harmony’s presence center around her. ”Isn’t that right Chrsyalis?”

“Chrysalis?” Cadance’s inquisitive tone was met with silence, the changeling froze in place in what the alicorn could tell was fear. “Chryssy, what is wrong? You look more terrified than when I strolled into the reception hall at your invasion.”

“First of all, that stung,” Chrysalis said, trying to gather herself, and could feel that Cadance regretted the analogy. “Second, there is a way, if I make Shining a changeling royal it would increase the lifespan. The process is something I am unsure if he would agree with, all things considered.”

“Oh,” The flicker flame of hope Cadance had dimmed, but did not go fully out. “We will have to ask him when we get back then. Now, Harmony, would you be so kind?”

That afternoon, many of the adult crystal ponies gathered in the various bars, carrying on murmurs of rumors that Shining Armor had been seen carrying a small suitcase towards one of the higher-suited apartments that had been built for overflow during diplomatic trips. A few of the guard, and several maids that had been in earshot, tried to keep peace by saying that the Prince Consort merely needed some time to clear his head after the events that had unfolded in Baltimare and Canterlot. It was a half truth, one that satisfied one part of the rumor mill. The Crystal Heart having a slower rotation, and a soft emerald pattern that had emerged in it, did little to quiet the others.

And in the Royal Bedroom, a princess wept.

Author's Note

Happy New Year from Prismfire Productions! ~Lily-Ann

Of Light and Shadow

The early morning sun shone brightly over the Crystal Empire, but its rays brought no warmth to the citizens. Everypony was on edge, doubly so since Princess Cadance released an announcement through her advisor that she would not be accepting any visitors other than family, and, for the meantime, Princess Luna would be holding court. The guards, anticipating a rush of petitioners, had organized a line that stretched from the door of the throne room to the Spire courtyard, with Celestia volunteering to help in any way she could.

What nopony expected, however, was Queen Chrysalis and Queen Nebula trotting along in lockstep when Luna came to the throne room to begin the proceedings, and almost immediately shouts started to ring out against the changelings being in attendance.

"Silence!" Luna boomed, keeping her tone just below Canterlot-Voice levels, but clearly not in the mood to deal with any rousers. "Do we need to remind thee both are members of the royal family? They both have executive permission from your princess to be here, but I want to make one statement clear: anyone who is here for the sole purpose of asking about her is to depart. Rest assured, she is in good health, but needs time to adjust to the messy results that occurred in Baltimare."

Almost immediately, all eyes went to Celestia, making the drone shudder in her chitin from the amount of hate directed at her. Much to her surprise, however, Chrysalis left Luna's side and stood between her and the gathered group.

"I do not appreciate you all giving my drone any more grief than she is already dealing with," The queen snipped, the tide shifting from hate to shame. "Have I not strived to make relationships regrow? Have I not sent my drones to help assist around the Empire? They are happy to work, and I am happy to do my part. Celestia made a mistake, we all do. Now please, unless you had an appointment with either Cadance or me, I ask you to leave."

Almost immediately, ponies started to filter back outside the palace, spreading the word to those who had not been in earshot. Like a silent cloud they returned to their homes and businesses, starting their traditional morning routine and leaving behind one very relieved drone.

"Thank you for protecting me," Celestia said, sliding onto her haunches as she looked down at her hooves. "You didn't have to do that, all things considered."

"I did have to do that," Chrysalis' tone was low, but lacked the heat that it had just moments earlier as she watched the petitioners that had stayed behind start to filter into their place in line. "You may be my drone and a part of my hive right now as a result of your actions, but you are still my sister. I would hate to have lost another family member again."

"Such is the price we pay for our positions, death is an inevitability," Celestia sighed, leaning against one of Chrysalis' legs. "So much happening so fast, facing emotions I had long kept away… It is a lot to process at once."

"Tell me about it," Chrysalis chuckled, watching as Nebula and Luna led the first petitioner into the throne room as she wrapped her leg around Celestia in a half-hug. "I never thought I would see my daughter and sisters again, let alone be on good terms with the latter. I do want you to sit in when I do my session in a bit, but for now, your queen has a personal task that she wants you to do."

"A personal-" Celestia stammered, shocked that Chrysalis had used that wording. She had heard from her hivemates that doing a personal errand of the queen was the highest honor a drone could have. Reaching out with her new neuro network, she was surprised to find no hints of jealousy, but rather only felt encouragement as she snapped into a salute. "What task do you ask of me, My Queen?"

"A simple one," Summoning a small bag of bits, she levitated them over to the drone and put it on her back. "I got a feeling that I am going to be occupied for a while, so I want you to take that bag of bits down to the orphanage at the edge of town and present it to them in my stead. Afterwards, I want you to report to Optical to start learning changeling magic until lunch, at which point you are to report back here. Think you can do those two things?"

"Right away, My Queen," Celestia nodded, and she could feel from the weight of the bag that it was no paltry sum. Breaking free of the hug, she started off down the hall, but paused before she got out of Chrysalis' earshot. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, how is it that you have this many bits? Unless I was mistaken, I thought you only took love as payment?"

"I do," Chrysalis said, letting out a slight chuckle as she used her magic to give Celestia a light head pat. "However, that doesn't mean I don't have bits stored around for emergency use, I have had several centuries to rack up interest after all. If that sates your curiosity, you may run along."

"Yes mam," Celestia turned as she spoke, heading out the door and taking off in a gentle trot to avoid making the bag fall off her back. Even with it being flanked by her insectile wings, she knew that they were more delicate than her normal alicorn ones, and had to be more careful. With the morning events still fresh on her mind, she decided to not stop for anything until she reached the orphanage, giving a knock on the door. "Delivery, is anyone in?"

"One moment," A voice said from within, and a couple minutes later the muffled sounds of the young ones stopped and the door opened to reveal an elderly unicorn mare with a fading orange coat and blue mane and tail. "Hello there, may I ask who the delivery is for? I have not put in any special orders."

"It is for you mam," Celestia said, motioning to the bag on her back with a hoof. "I was specifically asked by My Queen to bring it to you in her stead, seeing as how she is currently wrapped up in court."

"Did she now," The mare said, taking the bag with her magic and taking a peek inside, her grip almost slipping from pure shock. "Oh my goodness…"

"What's wrong?" Celestia's question was met with a single bit that the unicorn levitated over to her. Instead of the traditional gold piece that everypony used, the bit she was holding was platinum, which brought back a rush of memories of having to use the heavier metal during the Second Purrsian War due to the scarcity of gold during the timeframe. In the present, the platinum bit was highly valued with collectors, often fetching a rate of 2500:1 for one in less than mint condition. "I-I think we need to continue this conversation inside, lest anyone sees. If I may enter, that is."

"You may," The mare, taking back the bit, said as she stepped aside and allowed Celestia to enter. "I know it isn't much to look at, but I try to make due."

"Thank you," Celestia said, looking around at the establishment, and what she saw made her frown. The furniture was worn down, multiple toys and books were in rugged condition, and the young ones themselves looked a little worse for wear. Seeing the conditions made something inside Celestia's mind boil, with Chrysalis having to send a mental comfort wave to smother the flame before it got too big. "Wh-what happened? I thought orphanages were supposed to be well-kept and had a nanny or two, but this is the complete opposite of that."

"Sounds like some drone has spent too much time in the poshness of Canterlot, eh Celestia?" The mare's emotions soured, but her overall tone did not change due to the fillies and colts being able to overhear. The moment the fallen princess' name was invoked, however, every single one of the little ones' attention fell on the two, and Celestia could feel youthful excitement coming from all of them. "This is how things are when they are not run by nobility or have an unlimited flow of bits. I am certain that on your many tours of Equestria you have noticed this, or were you often directed by a city's officials where to go?"

Celestia merely lowered her head, for if she possessed her normal tail, it would have been flat against her as she pinned down her ears.

"Thought so," The mare nodded, gesturing the two to the kitchen after explaining to the youngins that she needed to discuss 'adult matters', when in fact she had them both sit at the table and start counting the bits after retrieving Celestia a juice box. "Getting back on point, it is one reason why I left Equestria, got tired of seeing so many ponies being neglected, even at the school in Horseton where I was overseer had it bad. Thus, I packed up my bags and moved up here with my husband and opened this orphanage as a way to give back to a community that took us in no questions asked, but things got rough after he passed a couple years back. That you can clearly see, and the allotment I get from the Princess helps keep food on the table for the ones I care for, but not much else considering how expensive things got after Tirek decided to attack."

"Not the first time I heard that complaint, but that was mainly from nobles who are strict with their spending." Celestia, taking a few sips of her juice, allowed that thought to stew in her brain. "Guess dealing with them made me numb to the actual problem. I can't help but wonder, why didn't you petition Cadance for extra bits, or at the very least, some hired help from one of the castle staff?"

"Spoken like a true princess," The mare smiled, sorting the bits into even stacks. "As for your question, when do I have the time? I have to rely on Chrysalis' drones to do my food runs, and with the ruckus that is happening in Equestria and now the Princess herself, it is just a case of bad timing."

"Fair," Celestia mused, sorting everything that she had been giving into mental folders and processing into sequence. "I noticed that there was not a single crystal pony in the group, how are there orphans up here if it is not the crystal ponies who are the ones giving their foals up for adoption?"

"Adults who do not want to pay for an expense," The mare said coldly, making a shiver run down Celestia's spine as the mare narrowed her gaze. "They come up here, drop the foals off, then board the next train back to Equestria. I have tried to adopt the ones we have out, but nopony has been willing to take up the fees. Which, I should mention, I only charge 250 bits compared to what it is back in Equestria. A happy and loving home for the children is my primary concern, and I worry as to what will happen to them considering my age. I am not getting any younger."

"Sounds like a big problem, but a manageable one," Tossing the now-empty juice container in the trash, Celestia looked as the mare finished counting the bits. "It is clear you are an excellent caregiver, but you're stressed. Before I present my solution, how many bits did My Queen give you?"

"2-200…" The unicorn stammered, and Celestia did not need to feel the mare's shock to see and hear it, it being plain as day in her tone and facial expression. "That comes out to 50,000 bits depending on the collector, what have I done to deserve such a boon?!"

"I can think of a few good reasons, and they all are in the next room," Celestia said, gesturing with a hoof in the direction of where the fillies and colts were now playing, if the sounds of giggles were any indication. "But, perhaps, I may have a solution that is more beneficial to how current circumstances stand. Although, you have not told me your name, I only ask so that I can address you properly."

"Lilac Amber," The mare said, a hint of embarrassment registering at the edge of Celestia's emotion pick up. "So, Celestia, what is it that you have in mind that could improve this place with the bits I was given?"

"Well Ms. Amber, my suggestion is that you open a boarding school," Celestia could see the wheels of recognition turning in Lilac's eyes, her orange pupils slowly widening as the suggestion started off a chain reaction in her mind. "The Crystal Empire doesn't have a school, so that will save a lot of headache from parents needing to send their children to Equestria during the spring for schools there. Plus, you won't have to worry about the young ones you currently have needing to be adopted out, they can be your first class."

"A boarding school you say," Lilac, now bearing a bright smile, rubbed a hoof under her chin as she thought the idea over in more detail. "I suppose that is a rather promising outlook, but the question I have for you is how would I go about getting more hooves to help? Not to mention, I will have to update the furnishings to a more suitable environment, and put in a formal permit request."

"I can help with that!" Celestia giggled, leaping to her hooves as Lilac looked at her confused. "I can let My Queen know, and between her and Luna, they can handle the paperwork to get everything off the ground. I will even see if I can get a few drones who worked in the old hive nursery to lead a hoof if they are able."

"You would do that for me?" Lilac asked, only to scoop Celestia up in a hug when she gave an enthusiastic nod. "Oh, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me. Say, do you think you can say for a bit? I am sure the others would love for you to."

"I kinda do know how you feel, changeling, remember?" Celestia chuckled, knowing that the spark had been ignited back in the caregiver. "As for your request, I have to decline at this time since I am on a rather tight schedule. Not only do I have to go do magic lessons, I also have to be back by lunch to attend My Queen's session with her appointments."

"Oh dear," Lilac frowned, eyeing the clock on the far wall with a worried frown. "I do hope that I am not going to get you in trouble with how late I kept you."

"I should be fine," Celestia shrugged, having already explained over the hive mind that she was running late due to helping a pony in need, something that Chrysalis approved of but demanded to know details when she got done with her magic session in the courtyard. "Any punishment given is worth the trouble since I was able to help you out with your problem."

"Quite sweet of you to say," Lilac said, leading Celestia to the door after saying goodbye to the others, much to their disappointment. "I do hope that you will be able to visit sometime soon?"

"I should be free most evenings and on Sunday," Celestia said, giving her wings a few buzzes as she got into a hover. "But I will try to visit as soon as I can, I promise."

"That is good to know," Lilac said, letting out a soft sigh as she gazed towards the Spire. "You know, you don't make that bad of a drone."

"Anything to help me be a better pony," Celestia surprised herself at the fact she did not argue Lilac's remark, which stirred up some conflicting feelings deep inside her mind. "I may be the Bearer of Chaos, but this form limits what I can and cannot do. Anyway, I must be off, take care!"

Turning with a start, Celestia set her sights back on the Spire, a strange eagerness filling her as she started to mentally prepare for her first lessons on trying to control her new changeling magic. Up to this point, she had not dared to tap into her mana once, having been disgusted with the fact that the magic was now that of a changeling instead of her normal magic, but the events of this morning had started to make her rethink her position. Chrysalis defending her from the morning crowd had given her pause, which set a mental stone in motion that picked up speed with the fact she had actually been giddy to help Lilac while presenting Chrysalis in a positive light.

That fact slightly disturbed her, how for so long she had fought to keep the changeling queen at bay, only to now be her willing servant. She knew that Chrysalis could 'keep her in line' should she try to rebel, but before she could descend further down her mental rabbit hole, a sharp whistle caught her attention.

"You are late greenhorn," A voice, who Celestia understood to be Optical Fibrus, Captain of the Changeling Infantry, said as the drone walked over. Unlike most of the others, he had a bit more build to his frame, muscles that made his chitin look like chiseled obsidian, and a slightly more angled face that made his fangs look deadlier. "Our Queen told me that would be the case seeing as how you got delayed from an errand you were running for her, but I will not accept constant tardiness, is that clear?"

"Yes sir," Celestia said, snapping into a salute that seemed to satisfy the guard drone. "So, what are we going to start with, transformation magic?"

"Not in the slightest," Fibrus sneered, causing Celestia to take a step back and gulp as a sharp wave of agitation assaulted her senses. "You may be the Bringer of Chaos, but you get no special privileges with me. I am doing to run you the same way I run any of my other recruits, so drop and give me twenty pushups."

"Wait," Celestia said, pausing as she raised a hoof to voice her confusion. "I thought that I was here for magic lessons, not guard training. Was a change made that I am not aware of?"

"Nope," Fibrus' horn glowed, and when it died down Cekestia could feel a saddlebag on her back, and by her estimate fifty kilos in weighs on each side. "You will get you magic lessons, but I always run my recruits through a warm up routine first. After all, what good is a drone that is strong in magic, but weak in body? Not good at all I tell you, so start the routine, the faster you get through it the more time we have. Clock is ticking."

"This is so much more intensive than I thought it was going to be," Celestia thought, making sure to do a full repetition to not draw the ire of her instructor. "No wonder they were able to fight so well at the invasion, they are trained to brawl. No, they are trained to survive…"

"Not bad recruit, though you tired out towards the end," Fibrus smirked, noticing that Celestia was a little wobbly the last few reps. "You have a long way to go before I can consider you an elite drone, but you show promise. Now, with the saddle bag still on, ten laps around the courtyard. Go!"

Taking off with a gallop, Celestia did her best to do as instructed. She knew better than to try and to cheat with her chaos magic to maintain her stamina, a slight trickle of fear creeping into her mind about what Chrysalis would do if she saw that plan through. The logical part of her brain told her that her sentence likely would have been extended, something that she did not want to happen, so when her energy finally dropped halfway through her eighth lap, she slowed to a shameful trot back to where Fibrus stood.

"No more," Celestia panted, sliding onto the ground with her hooves outstretched, no small part of her knowing that her days of sitting on the throne and eating cake were coming back to haunt her. "I need a breather, please."

"Seven and a half laps," Fibrus chided, slightly shaking his head as he removed the saddlebags, much to Celestia's relief. "Pathetic! I have had more scrawny drones than you put up more of an endurance run. Now, seeing as we are running a little behind, we are going to go on to the start of your lessons. The first one is simple: love collecting."

"Love collecting?" Celestial asked, tilting her head as she got back onto her hooves, her breathing slowly returning to normal. "Why would I need to learn that when I was appointed to help Our Queen with her love therapy sessions? Besides, I won't be getting any love as payment anyway, and the hive mind is saturated."

"Ah, but I said I was going to treat you no differently than any other drone, did I not?" Fibrus said, grinning as he looked down at the now-quivering Celestia. "What if Our Queen has to travel abroad and finds herself unable to sustain your company? You would have to fend for yourself, and a changeling that cannot collect love is dead in the ground. Now… let's dance."

"You did WHAT?!" Chrysalis was mad, and while she had excused Celestia for being late to training, she had grown rather annoyed at the fact she had missed her noon return time. So while her client, Sweetie Belle, looked on, she lashed at her Captain for putting Celestia on mandatory bedrest due to burning through her love reserves. "What made you think that moving straight into levitation and teleportation after teaching her how to collect love was a good idea?! Unlike the rest of the hive, her love pool is strictly limited, so she ended up burning through her supply without being able to refill it."

"Many apologies, My Queen," Fibrus stammered, sinking as low as he could against the floor. "If I had known-"

"Why do you think I only wanted you to teach her defense and attack spells that have a low draw rate?" Chrysalis snapped, picking up Fibrus in her magic. Before she could fully unload, however, she curbed her rage enough not to scare off Sweetie Belle. "Her horn was smoking when she was brought in by the Crystal Brigade, do not let it happen again or there will be consequences."

"Understood, My Queen," Fibrus said, being unceremoniously dropped to the floor, got into a deep bow. "I shall follow your instructions to the letter."

"Good, now get out of my sight!" Fibrus did not need to be asked twice, teleporting out of the throne room the moment Chrysalis finished her declaration. Taking a few moments to recognise herself, she turned to her young client. "Sorry you had to witness that."

"I have seen uglier arguments between my sister and Rainbow over the Wonderbolt uniform," Sweetie shrugged, not knowing that statement had captured Chrysalis' attention. "Anyway, Your Majesty, I came to give an update since the last time me and the other crusaders visited you."

"Very well," The queen nodded, and although she could feel the friendship love that Sweetie had for her two fellow crusaders, a love that she had been able to salvage, she dared not to drink. "What all has occurred since we last spoke?"

"Our bond has grown stronger," Sweetie smiled, showing off her flank to show Chrysalis her cutie mark. "We even got our cutie marks at the same time, and they all have the same shield backdrop!"

"Do they now?" Chrysalis was intrigued, never before had she heard of more than one pony sharing the exact same details in their cutie marks. She had seen cutie marks that share a similar realm or purpose, like how the Apple Clan all had cutie marks relating to apples, but for a trio to be so closely intertwined brought a smile to her face. "Well then, since the three of you have your cutie marks, what is next for the Cutie Mark Crusaders? If I recall, the reason for the club's very existence was to find your marks, with that done, what is your new focus?"

"We are going to try and help fillies and colts find their way," Sweetie beamed, a giggle escaping as she bounced briefly in place. "The three of us, Silver Spoon, and Babs Seed are going to try and help ponies that were like us, that have no cutie mark or are outcasts, to help guide them towards getting their own marks and being more sociable."

"That is quite an ambitious goal," Chrysalis said, leaning forward from where she sat on Cadance's throne. "Of course, schooling should come first, but when you all get older you should open a center or something that can actually start putting out resource material to help promote your endeavor."

"That is the plan," Sweetie nodded, pulling two jars out of her backpack and levitating one over to Chrysalis. "I know that you refuse to drink my love, but Applejack and Granny Smith figured this was a good substitute since they are busy with the harvest. It is also why Scootaloo isn't here, she is helping pull the carts to the market."

"A drink is a bit of an unorthodox payment, but if it is from Applejack and Granny I am not going to complain," Chrysalis' eyes widened as soon as she popped open the jar, the strong aroma of the love put into the apple from seed to final product overwhelming the alcohol that was also present. She knew that one sip would likely put her out of commission for several hours, but her attention turned to the fact Sweetie Belle was sipping out her own jar. “Um, Sweetie, aren’t you a bit too young to be drinking?”

“It helps me cope,” Sweetie’s reply made the entire room drop a few degrees, a look of concern crossing both the guards and Chrysalis’ faces as the filly continued on. “Like I said on our last trip, I am really proud of my sister, but when the seasons change she gets swapped with orders from all over. I often am left alone when my friends are not available, and since I am banned from cooking after I almost burned down the boutique making toast there is nothing much else for me to do.”

“Ok, this is a problem,” Chrysalis thought, making a mental note to scold Rarity later for being a neglectful caregiver. “Ok, first off, no more alcohol. That stuff is bad for adults and even worse for ponies your age. Does anyone know about the fact you feel lonely and drink?”

“No, Your Majesty,” Sweetie sighed, swirling her drink in her magic as she looked into the fermented beverage. “I snuck this jar and poured a little off the top of yours just so I could have a taste for myself. As for the loneliness, it got worse after me and Button called off our friendship because he got upset that I whined about him only wanting to spend time with me while I watched him play video games. Literally, no other time, just watch and nothing else.”

“Oh dear,” Chrysalis frowned, realizing that Sweetie was experiencing circumstances that would wear down even the hardest of adults over time. Without a second thought, she picked the filly up in her magic and brought her into her lap to hold her, something that she felt was right. “Well, sounds to me like you need to have a hobby, is there anything that you like to do?"

"W-well," Sweetie, trying to hold in a sniffle, stuttered as she clinged onto the changeling queen. The chitin felt different than fur, but not in a way that she would complain due to enjoying being held. "Sometimes I like to sing when I am in the shower or doing chores. Imagining that I am in front of a crowd and putting on a show to help ponies cheer up, it helps to make the tssk go by quicker."

"Singing is a nice activity," Chrysalis could tell that Sweetie was a ball of emotion, and much like when she had preserved the friendship the filly had with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, she was compelled to act. "How about you sing to me?"

"Your Majesty?!" Sweetie leapt to her hooves, eyes wide in shock while Chrysalis gave herself a mental pat on the back for snapping the unicorn out of her funk. "I-I do not think that I am good enough to sing for you, no offense."

"If you think you are good enough to imagine performing in front of a crowd, you are good enough to perform for a single changeling, don't you think?" Chrysalis could tell her question hit home, a degree of nervousness creeping into Sweetie's emotions telling her that she was at least considering it. "It can be anything, something that you learned in school perhaps? Or, maybe, you fancy to write your own music?"

"The songs at school are ok," Sweetie huffed, pawing a hoof on the crystaline floor as started to calm herself down. "However, there is one song that I came up with that resonates within my mind."

As soon as Sweetie cleared her throat, Chrysalis could feel the room start to drum out a beat.

Oh oh oh oh oh…

The sun always shines,
But why not within my mind?
What am I supposed to be…
How can I break free?
Awake in the dark,
The thoughts bite like a shark…
But what am I supposed to be…
And how can I break free?!

Oh oh…
How can, I break free?!

Growing up is always hard,
And I'm just tryin' to do my part.
Yet the feeling always stays,
In both the nights and days.
Am I the one that's w-w-w-wrong?

I try, I try, with all my might,
To silence the shadow in my sight.
The lies told are strong.
Beating like a gong.
Do I even belong?...

Oh oh…
How can, I break free?!

All of Ponyville knows who I am,
For the Crusader Cause I will stand.
Long as there's a chance, I will carry on,
For there is no hope if I am gone…
I'm a fallen soldier.
Lost to the gloom.
But I won't surrender unto my doom!

Oh oh…
How can, I break free?!

I, don't know how much longer…
That I can push, back the tide.
I, got to get stronger…
Unless, I run and hide.

Oh oh…
How can, I break free?!

"That was… wow," Chrysalis struggled even to put that response together, mentally blown away about how much heart someone so young had put into such a depressing song. She knew the unicorn had talent, a raw untapped potential that she could latch on to pull her out her mental rut. "I am ordering that you start to write to me at least once a week to keep me informed on how your mentality is, and also get in touch with Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch to start composing your music. I will send correspondence to both of them, so don't worry about having to have Rarity fret over another expense. This is not negotiable."

"Really?" Sweetie raised an eyebrow and set her face in a deadpan, her emotional output having gone flat. "And when I write to you, how am I to pay for those writing sessions since you refuse to feed off someone my age?"

"Considering the circumstances, I am waiving the cost," Chrysalis' reply, much to her chagrin, did little to move her client's expression. "What? I will feel guilty about having to request my normal cost to a minor, so don't worry about having to pay to write your pen pal a letter. Talk to Twilight when you get back to Ponyville about getting you a specialized dragonfire candle so you can message me directly. Oh, and before you think you can get out of that, I will be messaging her to see if you went by to get it."

"You really are serious about that huh?" Sweetie sighed, finally relenting when Chrysalis gave a firm nod in return. "Fine, I will do as you asked, but I do have one question. Mrs. Melody lives in Canterlot, when will I have time to have lessons with her?"

"Oh, you must not have heard then," Chrysalis facehoofed, mentally reminding herself that Ponyville often got their news a minimum of four days late, something that she made a note to look into later. "Octavia is moving to Ponyville to help revamp Vinyl’s nightclub and so the two of them can spend more time together. That also opens the door for you to talk with both of them, like I had initially suggested.”

“Oh,” Sweetie said, giving a slight nod as she headed for the door. “I will send a message via the candle once I get back to Ponyville and get it from Twilight. Until then, Your Majesty.”

“Until then,” Chrysalis waited until Sweetie had left the throne room to summon a pillow, screaming into it in frustration at the situation she had put herself in. She knew that she would take an extra-long swig of the cider later, but as she sent the pillow back to her room she composed herself before looking at the stationed guards. “Send word to Lulu and Cadance that I am going out for a couple of hours, I have a personal matter to attend to that needs to be addressed. Also, have my sisters be told that when they depart to Luna’s mango fields tomorrow, I will be there to see them off.”

Making sure the instructions were followed, she summoned a few blank scrolls and an inkwell. She had grown accustomed to the task, having to sign enough papers between her time disguised as Cadance and just to set up her therapy business, and with a flick of her magic the letters were sent off as she strolled out the Spire doors and headed for a specific destination. Deep down, the changeling queen hoped that her ensuing visit would sooth over the rough patches that had been uncovered the night before, or at the very least, kept things from getting any worse as she knocked on a specific door.

"Just a minute," The occupant said, only to reveal Shining Armor after the locks were undone, a frown on his face immediately forming at seeing his former seductress. "What are you doing here, Your Majesty? Let me guess, Cady or Luna asked you to come on their behalf to get me to come back?"

"I am here on my own violation," Chrysalis said, entering the room and locking the door, throwing up a soundproofing spell to ensure the conversation was private as she sat on the bed. "Now then, I gave you last night and most of the day to sort your thoughts, I am curious as to how you are feeling right now."

"You are a changeling, you know good and well how I am feeling," Shining quipped, drawing a frown out of the emotivore as she lowered her gaze at him. "My stance on the matter has not changed a single bit, when my time comes, it has come."

"Which I respect in earnest," Chrysalis was in full therapist mode, her face setting into a neutral expression as she relaxed her frame. "The well-being of the Empire is firmly in capable hooves between Cadance and me, and should Flurry not want the throne when she gets older-"

"I do not want her to," Shining's statement made Chrysalis' jaw drop, making the stallion get a smirk at the reaction. "Was not expecting that reply huh? I know it will be her choice in the end, but I do not want her to take up after me or Cady. What I want for her is for her to have a full life, free of the responsibilities the throne entitles. If she wants to pursue down our paths? I won't like it, but I will still support my daughter."

"You were awfully quick to try and derail, but you forget who you are talking with," Chrysalis huffed, making Shining's ears droop slightly. "You cannot blame your wife for feeling like she does, she has spent all day in her bedroom crying so I can tell you that she does feel bad about the argument."

"One that should have been avoided entirely," Shining leveled a hoof at Chrysalis, a glare in his eyes as he unleashed his pent up emotions. "You are trying to steal Cady away from me, just like you tried to steal my love of her for your failed invasion plot."

"Are you seriously accusing me of that?" Chrysalis deadpanned, unamused by the accusation that had just been thrown in her face. "Look, we both love her dearly, I would rather face the guillotine than do anything that would hurt her or Lulu."

"Oh, but not me then?" Shining raised an eyebrow, but motioned that he was not done talking by waving his hoof sideways. "Celestia is already a changeling as punishment for her crimes, Cady came to me all happy and hopeful, after you two returned from vanishing I might add, I would agree to be a changeling princess to extend my life. Can't help but wonder if that is your eventual plan, to have everyone become members of your hive then take down the other queens to be the top bug."

"I would nev-"

"Before you finish that thought, let me remind you of something," Shining interrupted, Chrysalis suddenly feeling like the smaller of the two as the Prince Consort continued to tear into her mental defenses. "You did horrible things to me and Cady, things we both have forgiven you for. The scars, however, remain, and no amount of therapy can fix that. Have you seen the Crystal Heart today by chance? It has emerald streaks in it, the same color as your eyes in fact."

"No surprise there," Chrysalis sighed, looking at the floor to avoid Shining's heated glare. "The embodiment of Harmony me and her saw was made of the Tree and the Heart, so I have a sneaky suspicion that I am now bound to the Heart and Empire through Cadance."

"Well isn't that convenient?" Shining was a stallion disciplined by Celestia herself, but even he had an end to his patience and the end was now met. "Want to know the irony? Me and Cady were going to let you in as our third, but in light of recent events, I need to reevaluate my stance and give it some more thought."

"Even if it means Cadance has to suffer?" Chrysalis bellowed, leaping to her hooves in a fury and making Shining go on the defensive, lowering as his horn started to glow. "I have done everything I could to atone for my past transgressions, I have turned over a new leaf, and I finally have my family back together. For someone with a shield cutie mark, you have done a good job at shielding your heart. Drop that shield so-"

For Chrysalis, everything went dark, a broken night lamp by her head as Shining stood tall over her with a triumphant look on his face.

Author's Note

Two chapters since the start of the year, where will the ride end? -Lily-Ann

Setting Guidelines

The midnight moon hug in its place over the Crystal Empire, the realm itself having fallen into a blissful slumber. The nation was still, but if one listened close enough they could hear the faint and mystical language of sugar plums dancing from house to house. Legends spoke that the fae, a distant relative of the breezies that lived in seclusion, could understand the words and translate in perfect detail. In fact, it was said that should a pony come across one of the elusive folk, what was spoken by their sugar plums would be brought to fruition, whether it be good or bad. However, even in the relative tranquility of the landscape, there was one pony that was not having a restful night's slumber. Sure, he was in the depths of his personal dreamscape, but his dreams were far from pleasant.

“What is wrong Shiny?” Cadance’s voice echoed in the Prince Consort’s ears, but had a reverb to the underlying tone that he had come to hate with a fiery passion. Galloping across the expanse of the training grounds, he had a clear path to the building that took up the furthest corner of the Spire’s grounds. It was there that the more advanced, and prototype, majika devices were kept, with access restricted to only himself, Cadance, and the guard captain. Yet, pure adrenaline flowed through his veins as he fired mini explosive shields behind him to get a bit of separation with his pursuer. “Now now love, I only wish to talk to you dear. So, please, lets just talk this out ok?”

“Shut up you monster!” Shining roared, reflexes honed from years of training under Celestia allowing him to dodge a spell from the former, disgraced princess. With a well-timed counter, he swung his body in a sweeping arc, connecting a blow on the drone’s muzzle and sending her off hissing in pain before resuming his gallop. “You are not my wife, just wearing her face and voice to lure me into a trap of corruption.”

“Do you honestly think I would do such a thing to my husband?” With a quick teleport, the Queen of Love teleported into Shining’s path, horn flaring to life as she suspended the flailing, enraged unicorn in midair. “I just want us to have a long and happy life together, is that really such a bad thing?”

“I would gladly spend the rest of my days at Cady’s side,” Shining knew that, as things stood, he was trapped. With his magical capabilities limited outside of his superior shield magic, and his channeling flow currently being suppressed, he had no choice but to look at the mockery of his love with the fire of a thousand Tartaruses. “With you, however, I would rather see your body withering away from a reduced trickle of love and being subjected to the raging blizzard outside of the Empire for eternity. Unable to die due to the miniscule amounts of love that the Heart pulses out, forever to suffer for what you did to the mare that means the world to me.”

“Pray tell, what doest thou have to say for the mare that holds our heart?” Luna's cold tone pierced the dream as the Warden of the Dreamrealm made herself known in a burst of purple and blue shadow flames that made the dream itself freeze in place. To Shining’s relief, this meant that he was freed from the captive magic the faux Cadance had placed on him, but as the Lunar Mare approached he felt as if he had leapt out of a fireplace and into a raging volcano. “The self-same mare that you had the gall to knock out and re-aggravate her prior head injury!”

“In my defense-”

“Spare us thy pity, former Captain Shining Armor,” Luna sneered, her eyes narrowing as her horn flared to life, the surroundings changing to that of the surface of the moon. The rational part of Shining’s mind briefly panicked from not having any air to breathe, but an unamused eyebrow raise from Luna reminded him that they were still in the dream realm. “Chryssy told us that she was just talking to thee when the blow was struck. As is, you better have a good excuse for doing what you did, or there will be repercussions levied.”

“She is trying to take Cady from me, do you think that I am just going to stand by and let her succeed?” Shining sneered, waiting for Luna to interrupt, but when the starry princess stayed silent he pressed on and letting his pent-up rage boil out like an erupting volcano. “Seriously, considering that she failed at the wedding invasion by using me with her manipulative magics, this time she is taking a mare-on-mare approach by using Cady to drive the wedge. The fact that she is bringing Harmony into this as a cover to gain a respective motive is insulting to everything everypony believes in. I mean, even the Crystal Heart is being twisted by her vile magics.”

“Unfortunately for thee, our wife speaks the truth.” Having quelled her own emotions, Luna started slipping more into modern Ponish, something that she was thankful to having learned from Twilight and greatly aided in helping get her more firmer points across. She could tell that her answer only made her nephew angrier, but like a bandage, she knew it was better to get the point over in one go. “Everything she claims that Harmony told her is fact, for Harmony visited me several nights ago warning me to be ready for an attack close to my heart soon after she revealed information to someone close to me.”

“Is that so?” Shining deadpanned, a tiny part of his mind crying out that Luna had spent so much time around Chrysalis that her points had become clouded, but overall a sinking feeling started to dominate his mind. “With that vague of a descriptor, it could have been anypony, even Celestia since she is your sister.”

“Be that as it may, there is a place in my heart for Chryssy that even my dear sister cannot touch,” Luna said, a small smile briefly forming before her facial expression resumed being stoic. “Seeing as how she is my wife-”

“Before you continue that, I have a very important question to ask you,” Shining could tell that cutting in did not sit well with the older mare, a deep frown and agitated tail flick being her response. “Do you see her as your wife? Considering that the two of you spent so long apart, and you refused to believe you were married until seeing your daughter, do you trust that she will not use that as leverage to try and bend all of us to her whelm as leverage?”

“Being married to Cadance, I would have thought that you have learned by now that love has many different forms,” Luna’s statement made Shining wilt, his pride being dealt a blow from how close to the chest it struck. “Whereas recent events have been turmoil, me and her have been trying to once again draw close. It is the least I can do considering how even after all this time her love of me has never faltered, and, being honest, I am finding myself falling in love with her all over again. It truly is amazing at how tender she really is, she is caring, understanding, and is an excellent multitasker. Then again, considering she has to keep up with all her drones, it is only natural that is the case. Tell me Shining, have you seen this side of her since she submitted herself to you and our niece’s authority?”

“I have,” Shining sighed, sinking onto his haunches and looking at the lifeless, grey powder that composed the moon’s surface as he spoke. “She has been doing wonders with that therapy endeavor of hers, and I honestly thought that she was turning a new leaf with everypony. Hay, she is a great foalsitter for Flurry Heart, but Cady proposing that I be made into a changeling royal so soon after Celestia got turned into one as a punishment…”

“It triggered the trauma,” Wrapping a navy-blue wing around the stallion, Luna brought him close and held him in a soft hug. Shining, caught off guard by the sudden change in the princess’ demeanor, briefly flinched before allowing himself to relax against the soft, lavender and lilac smelling fur. “I am sorry that it brought those feelings to the surface, but seeing as you are now calm, may I ask if you still harbor those intrusive thoughts towards my dear wife?”

“No,” Shining sighed, his muscles feeling heavier as the adrenaline poured out of his body and left him feeling as if his tendons had been replaced by cement. He knew that he had acted harshly by knocking out the reformed changeling queen, and knew that multiple apologies would have to be told to more than one individual.“It was merely out of reflex from how my past experiences with her fueled my panic and anxiety. Still, even though I can see my foolishness, I still remain steadfast in my position regarding turning me into a changeling and my life span. When I die, no matter when that may be, that is when I will pass on. Granted, I know that Cady will be heartbroken for a bit, but I know that she will have a support circle to help her cope.”

“Already accepting your mortality, how noble,” Luna knickered, earning a rather confused look from Shining as he pulled himself out of the hug, having felt it had drawn out to the point of awkwardness. “Not many in your position have accepted those terms in my time, often doing whatever it took to try and give themselves as much time as possible. Duty coming before honor and morals, something that often had rather tragic results of their own doing. More than once, an elder captain or commander suffered a rather gruesome death from their mana pool burning their bodies from the inside out in a balefire. Not a pretty sight to witness, even the aftermath is pungent with burnt copper and sulfur, and the bubbling biomass is enough to make even the hardiest of soldiers lose the contents of their stomachs. Luckily for whom we know, you will not have to suffer that considering that you have come to terms with your eventual death.”

“Yeah, lucky,” Shining Armor had a reputation in the ranks for having an iron stomach, something that helped on more than one occasion when he had to endure drills the day after a cider binge. However, hearing what attempting to unnaturally extend his lifespan cemented two fundamental facts in his mind: It reassured his statement to Cadance that he wanted to have a normal lifespan if he could help it, and it also made him wonder if throwing up in a dream meant throwing up in the waking world. The latter making him a bit wary to wake up at the approaching dawn. “Anyway, is there anything else that you think we need to talk about? No offense, but hearing that description has me feeling a bit… queasy.”

“Oh? Has something finally pierced the unbreakable hull that is your stomach?” Despite the question being playfully asked in jest, she knew that the unicorn was probably regretting any meal he may have had before retiring for slumber. She had deliberately went into as much detail as she could to get her point across, but having seen it first hoof, the visual was something that would remain with her until her grave. “A bit of water and a salt lick should help settle your stomach when you wake up, but before I disperse this place to allow you to get that remedy, what are your plans for today?”

“Well, I was going to just take things in stride, and spend some time training of course,” While the answer was the truth, what he did not tell Luna was that he was going to imagine the innocent training dummies being Chrysalis as he pummeled them into oblivion. Now, however, he knew that the day was going to be spent doing something far more important. “However, I think that I will spend the day trying to patch things up with Cady. I love her, and it was wrong of me to walk out like I did thinking that she was the source of the issue.”

“Good thing that you know a good therapist then,” Luna giggled, making Shining blush slightly in embarrassment at the situation that was being offered. “In all seriousness, you should get to know Chryssy more, the mare she is, not the image that she is having to keep up in public. You may be surprised with what you find out for yourself.”

Once again pulsing her horn, Luna vanished from Shining’s sight, the Land of Nod leaving with her as a state of consciousness brought him to full attention. Rousing out of bed and making his way over to the area where the salt lick was kept for any guests that rented the abode, he took a slow drag across the rough surface as he fell into his thoughts. Luna identifying trauma as the source of his actions did not sit well with the former Captain of the Guard, and while Shining knew that Cadance and Chrysalis would both eventually forgive him, his pride felt wounded that he decided to let something get under her skin to the point that it nearly developed into a grudge. He had done his hardest to be the best husband possible, and now that the anger had evaporated, only shame remained.

“Have I really fallen this low…” Shining muttered, looking at himself in the mirror, the deep bags under his eyes matching his gloomy complexion as he finished the salt lick and throwed the empty stick in the trash. “I really do need to fix this, for us.”

Channeling his magic, he popped himself into the royal bedchamber in the Spire, and what he saw nearly broke his heart. Cadance was laying in bed, the pillows soaked with tears, and looked as if she had not bathed in a week. Her coat, mane, and tail all were ragged and disheavled, and her sniffles had a light raggedness that indicated a sore throat. Seeing her in the state put in perspective that while he had been angry, his wife had clearly been suffering from guilt, just as Chrysalis had told him the previous day.

“Hey, Cady,” Shining said, effortlessly gliding over the covers and pulling the alicorn into a cuddle, not minding the faint smell of salt that was evident from the dried, bitter tears. “It is ok dear, I am here, everything is going to be ok.”

“S-shiny?” Cadance rasped, blinking a few times in confusion until she realized that her husband was in fact holding her and it was not a mirage. Realizing this fact, she snuggled deeper into the embrace, clinging to him as if her life depended on it and wrapping a wing around his barrel. “I am so sorry, can you forgive me?”

“Shh, it is not you who needs to be apologizing,” Nuzzling the top of her head, Shining could feel her wife’s muscles briefly tense at the statement before they eased once more. “I am the one who messed up by letting my own personal feelings take control of the discussion. Instead of talking things out with you, about how we both feel, I put up a shield and blocked your emotions out. It is just, considering all Chrysalis put us through in the past with her imitation and infiltration, I thought that she was trying to steal you from me. That, combined with my thoughts regarding my death, made me snap.”

“I did the same thing,” Cadance sighed, her sore eyes welcoming the soft feeling of Shining’s fur. While the pillows had done a good job of absorbing the torrent of pain the previous night, the vanilla cream scent that flooded her senses never failed to calm her nerves, no matter how upset or depressed that she was. “I knew when I married you that the lifespan issue would come up at some point, but since I was given a potential option to increase your lifespan… I kind of went with it and pressed the issue instead of asking why you wanted to turn it down. So, with apologies out the way, may I ask why you do not want to take it?”

“I was born a unicorn dear, and seeing as how I am male, I know ascension is out the question,” Shining said, gently rubbing Cadance’s back with a hoof as he continued. “Sure, there are spells that can turn me into a mare, or take the presented offer, but I do not want to. The way I see it is if I did, then how is that honestly fair? Life would become a daily slag through the same old routine, and that would take the joy out of it. Knowing that I am on borrowed time makes me enjoy each little moment more in my mental house of memories, because it is an opportunity that may never come back up again.”

“Whereas I will have to eventually face that,” Cadance mused, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as she closed her eyes and thought over Shining’s point. As she did, she could see his reasoning, and it made her realize that she had taken her own ascension for granted. Had she not become an alicorn, she would not have even lived long enough to meet Shining Armor considering pegasi had the shortest lifespan out of the three base tribes. “Well, buck…”

“Language dear,” Shining chuckled, giving Cadance a soft boop on her snoot and making her go crosseyed as a result. It was a reaction that he loved to see, and while the Crystal Princess denied it with a fiery passion, he thought the expression she made was simply adorable. “Anyway, I will do better going forward on not letting my past control my fears and emotions. I am not perfect, but since I recognize the issue, it is something that I can work on.”

“And I will do better by not pushing a sensitive issue without consulting your emotions,” Cadance said, leaning her head up and giving Shining a quick kiss on lips. “So, where does this leave Chrysalis? We have talked about letting her in before, has your position changed or are you still on the fence and need more time to recover?”

“I have made my decision,” Once more, Shining could feel Cadance’s breathing hitch, all while mentally readying himself for saying what he knew that he would never come back from. “All things considered regarding her redemption, and with recent revelations in mind, I have decided to give you two my blessing.”

“Wait really?” Cadance exclaimed, her tone pitching in surprise while her eyes widened in shock. She had thought that Shining would have said no since he had reacted the way he did at Harmony’s suggestion, so it was a genuine shock that he relented. “You are not just saying that out of guilt I hope.”

“Not in the slightest, I mean it,” While a tiny part of him took offense to the barb, Shining dared not to let it show, instead smothering it from gaining any traction. He had made a vow on his wedding day to be there for Cadance no matter what, and he was determined to fulfill it. “I am not going to be around forever Cady, and seeing how Chryssy pained for Luna after all that time apart, I know that you and Flurry will be in good hooves when I depart for the Great Pasture. Is she still in medbay?”

“She got released about fifteen minutes or so ago, according to one of the guards anyway,” Cadance got off the bed as she talked, entering the bathroom and started to draw up a bath as Shining followed her. “However, the nurse limited her to staying in the Spire for the time being until she fully recovers from her concussion, so I suggest checking her room first before starting around everywhere else or pestering the guards.”

“Thanks love,” Stealing one last kiss, Shining headed out of the royal suite, the guard stationed outside the door snapping to attention in alarm before relaxing at the sight of the Royal Consort. Giving the mare a gentle smile and returning the salute, he headed towards the guest chambers, only to meet a set of blue eyes that burned like a frostbite. “Oh, hello there Glacial, is Chrysalis around? I need to speak with her and apologize for my actions yesterday.”

“You? Apologize? That is rich,” Glacial scoffed, only to soften her look when she sensed no ill-will from the stallion. The anger remained, but it was muddled due to seeing that Shining was sincere with his statement, his guilt nearly making her blanch from the sour flavor. “Well then, you seem to be speaking the truth. My sister is currently in the library alone, do not make me regret telling you this information.”

“You won’t, I swear it on my rank,” Crossing a hoof over his chest and giving a slight bow, Shining glanced at the saddle bags that fit snug against the queen’s sides, as well as the miniature trunk that was propped against the doorway. “You leaving already? I thought for sure that you and your sisters would have wanted to spend more time with Chryssy before departing.”

“Deci and Fire left last night, I stayed behind to make sure Chrysalis would fully recover,” Glacial’s tone had a slight bite that made Shining flinch, the reaction making her smirk. There was a reason that her drones feared her, and why anyone who was deemed an enemy took the “Card of the Blizzard” as a serious threat. She was ruthless when mad, and more than once had frozen a victim in a layer of unmeltable ice, a frozen tomb that zapped the strength while the encased was alive. "We do have to uphold our end of the plea deal for the mess in Baltimare after all, besides, Luna is our sister. Whether by ichor or marriage, she is still family."

"Just like one day Cady and Flurry will be," Shining's remark made Glacial blink in confusion, but by the time realization set in the Prince Consort had already departed and made his way into the library. True to Glacial's word, Chrysalis sat alone in one of the plush chairs reading a book, a concussion recovery wrap firmly in place on her scalp. "Hey Chryssy, got a moment to talk about yesterday?"

"I do," Chrysalis said, putting down her book and turning to look at him. "But spare the apology, regret always tastes like rancid peanut butter."

"Then why should I even bother talking," Shining sighed, sitting across from Chrysalis and letting out a soft groan as the comfy seat went to work taking the tension out of his back. “Look, I know I screwed up but I was hoping that we could at least be civil about this and put it behind us.”

“Quite right, it is best for the Empire after all,” Stretching her long, hole-filled legs, Chrysalis shifted her posture so that one leg was draped over the other as she raised a figurative eyebrow at the stallion who nearly ended her existence. “So, how long do I have until I have to close up shop and leave the Empire?"

"You don't," Shining could tell from how Chrysalis' position shifted that it was not the answer that she had been expecting. "I want to lay out some concerns that I have regarding you dating your fiancee."

"Fianc-" Chrysalis started, shocked at Shining's statement, only to stop herself once the unicorn gave a slight shake of his head. "Alright, you have my attention, you may proceed."

"Thank you," Relaxing his aching muscles and allowing gravity to do its job, Shining eased into the lush seat and let out a satisfied hum. For the briefest of moments Luna's realm threatened to steal him away, but he matched it with his resolve to set things right and was able to fight it off. "Now then, you are aware that Cady is related to Luna, have the two of them discussed that with you?"

"They have," Chrysalis nodded, her magic sending her book back to its proper place on the shelves."While there was an initiaawkwardness, it was agreed that considering the generation gap, there are no issues regarding me and Cadence being a couple."

"Ok, good to know," Shining sighed, not wanting to press forward but knew he had no choice. "Flurry Heart, what are your feelings regarding her?"

"An adorable but chaotic bundle," Chrysalis chuckled, and despite himself Shining could not help but agree considering the shenanigans the filly had already gotten into. "But to answer the question, I wish to have a hoof in raising her, and eventually help guide her into being an adult mare and give what advice I can with whatever path she chooses in life."

"Fair enough," Shining sighed, not looking the changeling queen in the face as he steeled himself for the heaviest question on his mind. "Now then, does Cady love you?"

"Somewhat, a mere spark in comparison to mine and Lulu's love, or yours and her's,' Chrysalis saw Shining ease at the answer, a flood of relief threatening to drown her before she cleared her throat. "Doesn't matter though, you will always have her heart Shining Armor. On that point, you have my word as a changeling queen."

"It isn't that Chrysalis," Shining sighed, slinking deeper into his chair as the world around him suddenly seemed bigger. "I just never in a million years thought that love could be so complicated."

"Love is sweet, but also ruthless. A gentle shield but a flaming sword. It can build, but also destroy. Give life, but also give death." Chrysalis said, making Shining blink in surprise at the description, a look that made the changeling queen giggle. "Bear in mind, it is my species' life force and source of food, so I know first hoof about the intricate matters of it. Tell me Shining, is Cadence the only mare in your eyes, or perhaps is there someone else as well?"

"There is," Shining sighed, knowing good and well that if he tried to lie about the matter Chrysalis would slice through it. "However, I am not paying any mind to those thoughts, seeing as how I believe them to just be a result of how I've been feeling recently about the idea of Cady seeing someone other than me. No offense."

"It takes far more than that to offend me," Chrysalis chuckled, feeling amused at the fact the stallion she once had to mind control was being so freely open with her. "However, you are still wise enough to see that those feelings are, to your mind, an illusion. Tell you what, I do think it is unfair that this mess has caused such great distress to your mental health, so how about I treat you to a date after I hold down a shift at my station. It would be just the two of us, and give you a chance to actually see the real me, instead of the love-starved psychotic queen that you met me as."

"Sounds reasonable," Shining said, nodding at the suggestion. Considering the nightmare the prior night, and how well she was liked by the citizens of the Empire, he saw no fault in the offer on the table. "It would give me a chance to have closure with our history at least."

"Mhm," Chrysalis smiled, giving Shining a look that was a far softer version of how she used to enchant him with no magic added. "As far as the closure, who better to help than a professional therapist?"

Back to... normal?

*Clickity clack Clickity clack swoosh*
*Clickity clack Clickity clack swoosh*
*Clickity clack Clickity clack swoosh swoosh*

The lonesome sound of the Friendship Express, broken only by the sound of the wings of the Pegasi clearing the track, was the sole point of Celestia's focus. It made her think about this moment, and the events that had transpired to make her subject to such a, in her opinion, lowly punishment. She had run away so many times before when it mattered, casting aside her troubles to burden others to deal with them; when, in the grand scheme of things, it was her that was the burden to those advisers and nobles. That she now saw, and her using her powers when she shouldn't have was the final straw that broke the cartmule's back.

She had accomplished so much through her long life that more of the tiny details, like establishing the first Equestrian aqueduct system to help the potato and wheat farmers on the other side of Mount Canter, was forgotten to time when compared to her legendary status as a Commander during the Griffonian Wars.

Yet, despite being good at so much, her true power had never been necessary.

She was the strongest of the Equestrian tribes, the pinnacle that helped maintain peace and Harmony for over 1000 years, but her charisma and ability to keep everypony happy was like paint over a hidden layer of rust. Even recently, she had given the task of keeping Equestria safe to Twilight and her friends, leaving her with little more to do than sit in on tiresome meetings and making public appearances. This had lured her deeper into the false sense that everything was perfect in her vision of the world.

However, Harmony destroyed that vision when Chrysalis resurfaced, ripping open deep scars and making Celestia strive to bring stability back to her ideal world; a world that shattered like glass when she called upon her sun to send that drone to a fiery demise. At that moment, the rusted interior of her image crumbled to ash just like her victim, revealing to everypony just how flawed she actually was.

Now, here she was, listening to every turn of the gears that meant another turn further from her room, her place of refuge when she needed to unwind and clear her troubling thoughts away. Yet, now, she could only watch as the rolling emerald-green flowers and hills that made up the border zone with the Frozen North slowly turned brown and snow started to dominate the landscape.

In a way, Celestia could relate to the change in scenery. Up until that fateful dinner, she had been like the hills, full of warmth with no blemish to her bond with her sister. After the dinner, however, her overprotectiveness and ambition to ensure Luna stayed on the right path started to corrode the bond and weaken it; while simultaneously, her heart began to grow cold at Chrysalis and wanted the changeling to be out her life completely like the lifelessness of the Frozen North.

"Are you ok?"< The voice, accompanied by a chirp, snapped Celestia out of her thoughts as she turned her attention to the hivemind, where another drone was speaking to her. ">You seem awfully troubled about something, want to talk about it?<"

"I am troubled about many things,<" Celestia said, the bite in her tone being noticed by Chrysalis, who simply turned to the former alicorn and shook her head. ">Sorry, but I have been under a lot of stress recently, and so much happening in a short period of time requires me to sort through the events, to come to grips with everything.<"

">Starting to feel guilty about how you treated our queen?<" Celestia could tell the question was sincere, but her silence at not correcting 'our' told the drone all she needed to know. ">So you are then, and that is a good thing. Since you can now feel emotions, I'm sure you can feel how rich the love our queen has for your sister is.<"

Celestia didn't want to admit it, but she could actually see a fine pink mist swirling from Chrysalis as she draped a wing around Luna, the Alicorn being fast asleep after being up longer than normal. A small part of her mind still rebelled, screaming and swearing that the queen was up to no good, that everything up to this point had been an elaborate ruse.

">I can taste it,<" Celestia said, letting out a small sigh as she glanced down to her chest, which was faintly colored with a larger version of her cutie mark and served as a reminder of just who she was. ">It tastes like a rich, moist chocolate cake with made-from-scratch buttermilk frosting between every layer. Filling, sweet, and satisfying.>"

">Which means it is genuine,<" The drone said, letting out a satisfied chirp at Celestia's answer. ">Now, how about you switch focus to your sister, what do you feel from her?<"

It took Celestia a few minutes to pick out Luna's emotions out of the sea around her, but like a master chef picking out the freshest ingredients at the market she was able to isolate Luna's emotions from the rest.

">Uncertainty for starters,<" Celestia said, pausing briefly to sift through Luna's emotional cocktail. "Lets see… sadness, distrust, hurt, and also a hint of longing.<"

">Why do you think that is?<" The drone asked, giving the tone of a teacher instructing a filly. ">All those tie in together.<"

">It is because of me, isn't it?<" Celestia's tone was reduced to a whimper, her body sliding down in her seat to the point she nearly fell out of it. ">I was just trying to be a good sister!<"

"It is ironic, isn't it?" Chrysalis said out loud, cutting into the hivemind conversation. "Look at what being a 'good sister' caused. She was driven into madness, and missed out a millennia!! It meant 1000 years away from you, never knowing her daughter, and making me turn down a path of crime that I never wanted to do. Now, for Lulu's sake, I am more than willing to let bygones be bygones, but the question is are you willing to give me a chance?"

"I-I don't know, my Queen," Celestia said, once again looking out to the snow-covered landscape. "I don't think I am ready to move on just yet… I'm sorry."

Celestia heard Chrysalis rise out her seat and move towards her, but she refused to look at her temporary queen. The snow outside had become a raging blizzard, matching the raging emotions that swam inside her own head. Rage, regret, denial, and guilt swirled to the surface and faded away in the twisting confines of her skull until Chrysalis put a wing around her.

"Look around Tia," Chrysalis said, rubbing Celestia's back. "All of us in this train car are connected to one another. From my sisters, to Amore, and even the Bearers, we all are just a part of the long and storied history of Equestria. Is it all cupcakes and rainbows? No, because there is no such thing as perfection.

Everyone has their flaws, and I had to rely on mine to keep my hive alive. I do hope by the end of your punishment you are a better pony than you were when we set back out for the Empire."

"i'm sorry to interrupt, but we're here," Cadance said, the raging storm outside the window being reduced to nothing as the train entered the border of the Crystal Empire; the midday sun beaming down on the majestic home of the Crystal Ponies, and sending out a cascade of vibrant colors in all directions. Even with numerous trips to the Empire throughout the course of her life, Celestia felt as if she was visiting it for the first time as the Crystal Heart filled her to the brim with the pulsating waves of love that it emitted as it steadily continued its beating.

"Tasty, isn't it?" Chrysalis said, noting the change in Celestia's expression. "The love the Heart puts out is a nice appetizer, doing little more than warming up the taste buds in preparation for the main course. In your case, however, the love from the Heart is the only love you will be receiving during the course of your sentence."

"Only kind?" Celestia's full question was interrupted by gigglechirps when the train lurched to a stop, causing Luna to make a honking noise as she jolted from her slumber. "What other kinds are there?"

"Multiple," Chrysalis said, motioning for Celestia to get out her seat and follow the others outside. "Of course, there is romantic love. Then there is love for one's craft or trade, like Pinkie Pie deliciously uses. Then there is love for an object, love for family, greed is love of wealth, money, or power, and there is even love of oneself; and even then the flavor varies from pony to pony based on their life experiences. Yet, all those pale in comparison to the sweetest love of all, a mother's love. Whatever I receive as payment for my services I normally spread out over the hivemind, but as stated in your punishment, your portion will go to Glacial."

Celestia followed along in silence as the group exited the train, noting that the Crystal Ponies were treating Chrysalis with the same level of regard and respect as they gave Cadance and Shining Armor. That feeling turned into intense scorn as Celestia trotted past, making her want to go hide somewhere as they approached the Crystal Spire. Even the confines that housed the Royal Family of the Crystal Empire offered Celestia no reprieve, for guards and maids that had answered her every aid and need on prior visits acted like she wasn't in their presence. Celestia, on her part, at least tried to strike up a conversation, but the guard simply ignored her and proceeded to fill in Cadance and Shining Armor on the happenings of the Empire in their absence as the group was escorted to the royal dining hall.

"It is my duty as Host to provide nourishment to you all after such a long journey," Cadance said, making a smile tug at the corner of Chrysalis' lips. Celestia knew the ancient pact between Host and Guest, having used it herself whenever the need had arised for a diplomatic meeting or hosting an extended political summit in Canterlot; so she picked up on the implied tone that her niece had used even without the sacred Oath being verbally given. "So please, my cherished Guests, take a seat and join me at the table as we share in the merriment of a long overdue reunion."

Celestia felt that Cadance's wording had been deliberate, which was something that got on her nerves as she silently took her seat. As Cadance's Guest, it meant she had to hold herself to a high regard, thus rendering her manner of recourse to a bare minimum to prevent the figurative kettle she was in from becoming any hotter. On the flip side, being deemed a Guest meant that she was spared from all vengeance by the staff and Crystal Ponies, a compromise she was more than willing to take considering the circumstances. As she watched everyone order a different dish for the feast, she started to have a bizarre sensation build up in her. All the courses, including Luna's personal favorite of blueberry pancakes, sounded delicious but none seemed to feel appetizing to her as the maid continued her rounds. This made her sit in silence as a part of her mind wondered what was wrong with her, and just how much of {i}her{/i} was actually left after the transformation.

"Hello there Celestia," The maid, Ruby Fallow, said as he made Celestia jump, the Chaos goddess not realizing it was her turn to place a recommendation. "Would you like me to suggest your usual?"

"Actually, no, I don't want my usual," Celestia could feel the shock that matched the expression on everypony's face, but every part of her mind was screaming that something was terribly wrong. She had earned a reputation of ordering the same thing for every meal, on every visit, and the kitchen staff had grown accustomed to already having a red velvet cake with crushed crumble topping already prepared upon her arrival.. Yet, not even her favorite snack seemed to tingle her tastebuds, something she solely blamed on the form she was now imprisoned in. "I'll have whatever My Queen suggests, if that will be no issue, that is."

"Love pudding, made medium-thin, and a strawberry love-infused smoothie, " Chrysalis knew that Celestia was having issues with her new dietary needs, and even with their past she knew how to be the better mare. "And, if she is up for it afterwards, give her a slice of her favorite dessert as a treat."

Ruby took the order and best a hasty retreat, feeling the safety of the kitchen better than at the mercy of the building tension in the dining hall.

"So, Nebula," Luna said, trying to jumpstart a conversation, everyone clearly feeling the same uneasiness Chrysalis and Celestia were being bathed in. "How have you been the last few centuries?"

"Well enough I suppose," Nebula said, letting out a sigh every ruler knew was one of a lifetime of hardships. "Once I left mother's hive and set out on my own, I had to make myself scarce for multiple reasons. Not only because of mother having to get exodused but also because of my connection to you made me a very high-profile political target."

"Political target?" Cadance said, voicing her confusion at the explanation. "You are lineage to the Olivine Throne, so why couldn't you just come out and take Luna's place?"

"That will be because of Celestia's sanctions," Nebula's words were plasma, each syllable burning Celestia's world more and more as she stared at her hooves. "Any changeling caught was to be sent straight to the dungeon without a trial, and mother was public-enemy-number-one. The strategy was foolproof, with mom and me in hiding, and no other kin to speak of, Celestia assumed solo rule and nopony was none the wiser about why there was no heir."

"What about marital records?" Twilight said, addressing the elephant in the explanation. "Surely there must have been something-"

"There were no official records," Chrysalis said, bearing the piercing look Twilight was giving her. "Picture yourself, a mare from an esteemed family, marrying a peasant who couldn't even own a claim of their own. Surely in these times it would be welcomed, but back then it wouldn't go well at all; thus, it was agreed that while the marriage would be officially recognized behind closed doors, there would be no formal writing In order prevent backlash on Luna. If you want any more information, feel free to ask those that rode with me to Baltimare because I honestly don't feel like repeating that story."

"I will fill you in later Twilight," Starlight said, effectively shutting down the conversation as she looked at her redeemer. "It isn't something that should be discussed at the dinner table. In fact, personally, it is only something that could be talked over while sitting in front of a full liquor bar!"

"Seriously…" Twilight was not amused, she knew the reference well from the fact how much Sunset and Human Pinkie loved watching a certain streamer, and could only facehoof as Pinkie giggled. "You seriously went there…"

"Twilight, I was bent on destroying as many lives as possible and had a cat named Spleenery before it died and you eventually made me see the err of my ways." The way Starlight spoke was like a villain detailing their backstory to their captor, something that Twilight had far too many experiences in for her own personal liking. "So, when Sunset showed me the streamer, I could relate to his method of torturing whatever unfortunate souls he made in his simulations."

"Be that as it may," Chrysalis said, smiling to herself as Luna rested on her shoulder. "I don't want any discussion right now, all I want to hear is about the meal only so I can get back in rhythm with my duties."

And as the staff brought out the meal, the band that had been orchestrating a soft musical number the entire time in the background, continued to play.

Author's Note

Short chapter, but with the SARS-norval Coronavirus being documented in my county today, I got bigger things to worry about than horsewords...