Servant of the Queen

Mist Eerie stepped out of her black car in Canterlot High School’s parking lot and went to the trunk, where there was a small collection of silver gift wrapped boxes. Picking them up, she went over to the side entrance of the campus and eased the door open with her foot. Doing all this in a frilly pink dress with a matching hat probably looked a bit strange, but nobody was watching anyway. Besides, a good disguise gave people something to remember so as to draw attention away from the person underneath.

She knew the layout of the school from having impersonated Principal Celestia, and allowed herself a small smile as she passed the computer lab. Victory always felt good.

It was just after school had ended and there were students still milling about the corridors, but all of them gave Mist a wide berth when they saw her coming. Perhaps they recognized her as someone not to be trifled with.

Following her nose, Mist Eerie quickly identified the scent of the Rainbooms. They were in the music room, predictably. That was good. It would save her the hassle of finding each of them one by one.

Arriving at the music room, Mist put the wrapped boxes on a nearby table and pressed an ear to the door. Then she sniffed the air and frowned. There was a smell there which shouldn’t be possible, given Thursday night’s events. But her nose never lied, and there was no other way to find out the truth.

So she picked up the boxes and nudged the doors open with her shoe. The chatter inside quieted down and then ceased as Mist entered the room with a charming smile on her pale face. She recognized Velvet Breeze, an old acquaintance of hers, and she brought an arm behind her back and shuffled her feet further apart, her eyes narrowed at her.

It had been a long time since she had anything to do with eagle vision, but she still remembered the look. Unfortunately for Velvet today, she wasn’t here to harm anyone, so she wouldn’t turn up red to the girl.

The rest of the Rainbooms had stopped in their spots, their musical instruments in hand, and in the corner, sitting on a pile of chairs with a crutch beside him, was Home Run, a boy who shouldn’t even be here, but somehow was. She coughed, then took a deep breath, careful not to show anything on her face to give away her surprise.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Mist Eerie said, keeping the smile going. “I’m so glad to see you today. I brought something for you.”

She put the wrapped boxes down onto the band room’s main table, very well aware that she was being followed by the eyes of everyone in the room.

“Is Princess Twilight Sparkle not here today?” Mist asked, noticing the girl’s absence, instead seeing her bespectacled doppelganger.

“What do you want?” Rainbow Dash asked, shaking a fist. “You’ve already got what you wanted.”

“Why, I’m here to give you your rewards,” Mist’s smile grew wider. “It’s customary to offer some kind of compensation as thanks once someone has done you a good deed, is it not?”

“Like we’re gonna accept anythin’ from ya,” Applejack chimed in. “It’s probably poison or somethin’.”

Mist had the decency to look taken aback by the accusation. “The sirens’ voices and immortality have been returned to them because of your good work. My group simply wanted to repay you for your help in doing so. Poisoning you would do us no good at all except give us more work to do in covering up the bodies.”

The boxes glimmered invitingly in the light, the silver paper catching the girls’ attention easily. No one made any move to do anything.

With a good-natured sigh, Mist Eerie went over to the presents pile and picked up the top one.

“This one is for you, Sunset Shimmer,” she said and unwrapped it deftly. Inside was a wooden box, the lid of which Mist slid back. Nestled inside in a bed of plush velvet was a crystal sculpture of Sunset’s cutie mark, made of glittering transparent colored stone. She held it out for Sunset to take.

“It’s lovely,” Rarity gasped before catching herself. “I mean, why should we trust anything you give us?”

“And why did you wrap all of them if you’re going to open them yourselves?” Pinkie popped out from under one of Mist Eerie’s arms and poked at a box, then crawled under the table and came back up on the other side. “Seems a waste to me, though good effort, I’ll say.”

“You’re welcome to come unwrap the rest yourselves, if you like.” Mist Eerie closed the box and set it back on the stack. “I had these made soon after Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight agreed to lend us their assistance with the project. You see, we had every faith that you would come through for us.”

“And if we didn’t?” Sunset asked warily.

“Then we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Mist Eerie said cheerfully. “But let’s not dwell on ifs and buts and maybes. You have more than earned these rewards.”

Still nobody made a move. Mist noticed Sunset’s eyes, narrowed and focused.

Ah. So she has learned how to do it too.

Mist was tempted to use her own eagle vision, but Velvet Breeze and Sunset Shimmer might catch on to that. She would have to go by smell for now. There was a lot of doubt and apprehension in the air and of course, it was all pointed at her. She didn’t blame them. She did, after all, poison two of them. But, she gave them the cure, so in her books, it was all okay.

“Well. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now…” Mist began to move toward the music room doors.

“Wait.” Sunset held up her hand. “You went to an awful lot of trouble to reward us for something you forced us into. What’s your game here?”

“It was really no trouble at all,” Mist Eerie said humbly. “Like I said, people should be compensated for doing good deeds.”

“What do you hope to do with the siren gems? Are you planning on taking over the world?”

“That’s not for me to decide,” Mist replied as she adjusted her hat. “Suffice to say helping the sirens has a great deal of benefits for some important people.”

Sunset rested a hand on her chest. “If you want to take over, we’ll stop you. We won’t just sit by and let them and you changelings do that.”

Pinkie bobbed her head up and down. “Yeah! Twilight’s stopped your changeling invasions before. She’ll do it again!”

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about,” Mist said calmly. “If it makes you feel better to think up silly stories, then by all means go ahead. It doesn’t change the fact that you have all been very helpful to us, and we are grateful for your assistance.”

“You don’t fool us. Not anymore. We know you serve Chrysalis, the changeling queen and that… that…” Sunset suddenly paused. Her brow furled as something seemed to register in her mind.

Mist didn’t like that look. She slowly moved her left hand to the mouth of her purse, allowing her fingers to trace over the grip of her tranquiliser pistol.

“It’s you.” All eyes turned to Velvet, who continued before Sunset could. “No. You’re dead.”

A hand went to her head as she stumbled back, and she would’ve fallen if not for Fluttershy and Applejack catching her under the arms.

“Velvet? What’s wrong?” Sunset was by her side in an instant.

“That’s why the sirens looked so familiar…” Velvet gasped, her breath ragged and slow. “All of that, I had already known all of it… All this time. It’s her… It’s Mirror Match.”

The room fell silent and the air seemed to grow heavy around everyone.

Mist Eerie stood still, with one foot in the doorway and her left hand inside her handbag, her index finger curling around the trigger of her weapon. This was not part of the plan, and Mist didn’t like it when things did not go according to plan.

“But you’re not just Mirror Match. Are you?” Sunset smelled of shock. There was more to come. “You’re the one Emerald Edge knew. Aren’t you?”

Mist Eerie remained silent. She pushed the doors open with her heel and stepped outside into the hallway, but not before giving Sunset a glowing-eyed look that spoke volumes.

Then she poked her head back inside and smiled. “Oh, by the way. Good to see you alive and well, Home Run. I know someone who will be pleased to know you’re still with us.”

Then she was gliding down the hallways, moving as quickly as a human could, needing to get home as soon as possible. There was much going on, and there was much her family had to know.

Of course Velvet would remember her. She slammed a palm to her forehead, almost knocking her hat off as she grinded her teeth in anguish. She had made all those dumb decisions back before she found Chrysalis again, letting the girl parade around her penthouse.

If being a queen is marked by such poor judgement, then my sister can keep her crown.

She got back into her car and revved the engine, reversing back onto the main road and gunning it for the Wings Estate. She was probably speeding but she didn’t care. It wasn’t like she ever drove under the speed limit anyway.

Upon arriving back home, Mist Eerie quickly went upstairs into Psithyra’s bedroom and removed her face and clothing, swapping it out for something more suited for home life.

Psithyra’s niece had not gone to school today, even though it was Monday. After dressing in a plain t-shirt and a pair of soft pants, Psithyra went over to her niece’s room with a spring in her step. At least there was good news for one of them.

“Come on, just eat it,” she heard voices coming from her niece’s room. “You’re not like your mom and aunt. You need to eat.”

Psithyra approached the room, which was near enough to the sirens’ room to hear the singing coming from within. It was sweet and melodious now, just like when they had first met.

“One spoon. Say aaaahhh.”

“I don’t want any…”

She rounded the corner and spotted Sonata Dusk sitting by Chrysidea’s side, holding a tray of cereal and a spoon.

“Oh, hi, Psithyra.” Sonata smiled cheerily. “How was the day?”

“It went well enough, all things considered,” Psithyra mused. “Sunset Shimmer and her friends weren’t too pleased to see me again, but maybe the presents I left them will mellow their mood.”

“Oh, that’s good! I’ve been trying to get Dea to eat, but she still doesn’t want to. Look how skinny she’s gotten.”

“I’m not any skinnier.” Chrysidea groaned into her pillow, lying facedown on her bed. “I don’t want any. I just want to be alone.”

“But you haven’t eaten anything for days,” Sonata protested.

“Sonata, why don’t you go sing with your sisters?” Psithyra suggested kindly. “I think I have something that will get my niece’s spirits back up.”

“Okay!” Sonata picked up the tray of cereal and skipped out of the room, breaking into song once she was clear.

“Nothing’s going to cheer me up, Aunt Psithyraaa…” The young changeling drawled miserably and grabbed her unicorn plushie. “I’d rather just disappear.”

"I wager this will cheer you up," Psithyra said brightly. "I went to CHS today to give presents to the girls who helped fix the sirens' pendants, and who do you think I saw there?"

“What, the Rainbooms?”

“Well, yes. But I saw someone else too.”

“Ugh…” Chrysidea sighed, clearly in no mood for her aunt's guessing games. “Who?”

The smug grin on Psithyra’s face grew ever wider. “I saw Home Run. He isn’t dead after all!”

Chrysidea’s eyes shot open wide, still puffy and red from crying. "What did you just say?" She sounded almost desperate.

"I know, I was surprised as well," Psithyra said amicably. "But my nose is never wrong, even if they somehow managed to hoodwink my eyes."

“He’s… Home Run’s…” Chrysidea wiped at her nose. “But… how?”

Psithyra shrugged. "No idea. Maybe they managed to find an antidote for the poison. Maybe your mother's brewing skills are in need of a tune up. Whatever the reason, Home Run is alive and well. Isn't that something to smile about?"

“Is it… Is it really true? You’re not pulling my legs?”

"Sweetie, would I lie to you?" Psithyra chided. "If you don’t believe my words, why not text him? Surely he will answer."

Chrysidea reached for her phone, but stopped midway.

"I… don't know if I can." She looked to her aunt. “Why hasn’t he messaged me all this time? To tell me he was fine? And… And I’m the one who threw the dagger. The one he bought for me. I’m the one who even supposedly killed him.”

Psithyra looked at her niece sympathetically. “That is true. But if he really does love you, you’ll be able to work past a problem like this. It might take some time, like myself and your mother after Trotsylvania, but we managed to sort things out in the end. I only hope your problem won’t take over a hundred years to solve.”

“Y-Yeah…” Chrysidea sighed. “But at least Home Run’s alive.”

There was a loud growling sound all of a sudden. Both changelings looked around for the source, and the younger one blushed when the source turned out to be her stomach.

“Has your appetite returned then?” Psithyra smiled. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and I’ll fix you something to eat, hmm?”

“Sounds good. Thanks as always, Aunt Psithyra.”

Not long after, Chrysidea was inhaling a large plate of pasta with red sauce and cheese. She had not realized how hungry she had become while moping about in her room. Now the simple dish seemed like the best food in the world, and she soon finished the plate.

“More?” Psithyra brought the pot over to refill the dish.

While she did so, the trapdoor in the corner of the kitchen eased open and Chrysalis emerged from the cellar.

“Oh, look. You’re finally done with your dithering,” the eldest changeling said as she closed the cellar entrance behind herself. “About time.”

Chrysidea flashed her an eye of annoyance and said nothing, instead returning to her refilled plate.

Psithyra approached Chrysalis slowly. “Sister, I think we need to talk. Alone.”

“You know that if there’s two of us, it’s not alone, right?” Chrysalis pointed out. She rolled her eyes and followed her younger sister out of the kitchen and into the hallway outside.

Psithyra was the first to speak.

“Chryssie. They know.”

“They? Who’re they?” Chrysalis was nonplussed. “They know what? Speak in complete sentences, will you.”

“The girls I’ve been working with,” Psithyra hissed. “They knew me in my other personas. It couldn’t be avoided, and now they’ve put two and two together to figure out our real identities.”

“I thought you made sure not to let anything get tracked back to us,” Chrysalis growled. “You specifically assured me of such. How did they even come to this conclusion? How do we know they haven’t told anyone else? There is a strict ‘no torches and pitchforks’ policy on my property.”

“That Velvet Breeze remembered her time snooping into my Manehattan penthouse.” Psithyra ran a hand through her purple hair. “It was when I was looking for you. My transitioning into a queen took away my ability to plan well.”

“And whose own fault is that?” Chrysalis flicked at her fingernails.

“Mine, I admit,” Psithyra mumbled. “But if you hadn’t been such an incorrigible blockhead back at Trotsylvania-”

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. “We are not playing the blame game here. You just admitted it was your fault. The question we should be asking is, do they have any evidence? The word of a famous movie star definitely outweighs that of a bunch of little girls, but that’s if they have no proof.”

The younger sister shook her head. “No, it’s just little things, like how my penthouse had the picture of the sirens and us and the haikus I wrote when I was in the East. And Emerald must’ve told Sunset something, because she knew as well. She knew I knew Emerald.”

Chrysalis laughed. “Now how can a dead person tell that girl anything? You must’ve done it yourself. Look at what you’ve done. I’ve blended in for generation after generation and I will not be undone by you, my advisor, who’s supposed to know better than to reveal herself like that.”

“I know, I know…” Psithyra grumbled. “But I was thinking just now. If the girls know about us, wouldn’t it be more prudent to try and win them over as allies? If we were on the same side, then we wouldn’t need to worry about them revealing our presence to other people.”

“You mean like with the sparkly-haired knightess?” Chrysalis snorted. “If I recall, you only told her about yourself because it was unavoidable at the time.”

“And it was your fault that I had to,” Psithyra countered. “If I hadn’t saved Emerald by revealing my changeling nature, she would have died and your orders to kill Morn Dread would have gone unfulfilled.”

“Are you blaming me? Because it sounds like you’re blaming me.”

“You ordered the death of my son. As his mother, I wanted nothing more than to see him grow old. It’s because of you I never got that chance.”

“Yeah, well,” Chrysalis sniffed. “If he hadn’t gone ballistic over his father, I might not have had to arrange his demise. I blame that on the human side of him. Pah, humans. Lowly, unknowing little gremlins they are. I’m glad my daughter finally killed off the one she was hunting. She was getting far too attached to him for her own good. And look how well she got over it; admittedly it took like four days, but she’s up and about now.”

“Ahh… about that.”

Chrysidea jumped as her mother’s enraged voice tore through her ears.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S STILL ALIVE?!”