Dark Alleys, Bright Hearts

Celestia pulls away, her horn going dark. She blinks, and shakes her head, “It’s too late, Luna, her mind has retreated into itself.”

Luna steps up beside her, “Was a defeat by thine horn too much for her to take?”

She nods, “She... she believes I’m a tyrant, Luna. One willing to blackmail and kidnap and use a... use a reformation spell. Her mind sees herself losing to Cadence and Shining Armor, not me. Her mind sees herself working alongside other villains of the past in some sort of righteous rebellion against me.”

Luna raises an eyebrow, “She believes she is righteous?”

She nods again, “Yes, she believes I am some evil tyrant hidden behind a false guise of kindness.” Celestia shakes her head, and sighs, “What could have caused this, Luna?”

Luna shrugs, “From what we’ve seen since our return, sister, thine reign alone has been one of peace and diplomacy. The Griffons, the Minotaur, the Zebra, the Yaks, all look upon thee as a friend and ally. We doth not know of the Changeling opinion of thou.”

She looks back at the hospital bed, where Chrysalis lays, “I haven’t interacted with the changelings much. Is that what caused this? A possible great Queen, driven down by my inaction?”

Luna shakes her head, “Nay, sister, do not place the guilt of another’s actions upon thy own self. It was Chrysalis who invaded, it was Chrysalis who kidnapped Cadenza, it was her who controlled Shining Armor, and it was her who was foolish enough to challenge thou to a magical duel. Could thou have done more to get in contact with the changelings? Verily, if thine word is to be trusted. Did thou know this would happen if thy didn’t contact them? Nay, thou didn’t know. Thy are not perfect sister, none of us are, but thee are good. Perhaps it could be that Chrysalis is good as well, it is likely she is. But good nary counts when thy are on the offense, as she was. We are in the right, sister, this is merely an opportunity for further growth.”

Celestia shakes her head, “I just can’t shake the feeling that her idea of who I am is my fault, Luna. I can’t help but think who else might think of me like she does.”

Luna steps closer, “If her idea of thou were caused by thine actions, then this is thy time to learn. Perhaps thou should take initiative and go to the festivals the ponies throw for thou. Make friends, mingle, show them that thy are but a normal mare with abnormal age. It has worked wonders for us, in the town of Ponyville.”

She smiles, “Perhaps I should, but that’s a talk for later. Right now, we have a more pressing issue.”

“Verily, especially since our attempts to heal and wake her as of yet have failed.”

She nods, “I think I might have an idea. You remember the legend of Sleeping Handsome, right?”

Luna grins, “Verily, sister, for we witnessed the events the story tells.”

Celestia pauses, “That was a true story?”

Luna nods, “We pranked a friend of ours with a sleeping curse, and told his wife where to find him and how to wake him. He was very thankful. Apparently she wasn’t the best at giving out affection.”

She smiles, “Of course, I should have known. Anyway, you know the story?”

“Have we not just proved we know?”

She nods, “Well, yes, you have. I think that story could possibly relate to this. You see, in Chrysalis’s visions, or dreams, or whatever they are, she met a creature called a human, known as Mark. Her heart within her mind has developed strong feelings for him, though her mind doesn’t acknowledge it.”

Luna raises an eyebrow, “She fell in love with what amounts to an imaginary friend? Truly, such a sad statement has never been uttered before.”

Celestia smiles, “But, there’s an important detail. A lot of them. This Mark character, and his backstory, it’s too consistent to be from a dream or vision. I think she’s having an actual vision of somepony else. Maybe... maybe they might be sharing a dream somehow. If we found him, and got him here to give her some actual love, it might give her enough energy to wake up.”

Luna nods, “If your assertion that this ‘Mark’ is real rings true, then we come to a better question. Should we wake her up?”

She nods, “Yes, Luna, we should. She made a mistake, but it was a mistake founded on good intentions and desperation. We’ve done worse for less.”

“So her heart is righteous?”

She nods again, “Chrysalis’s heart is bright, even if she prefers to sulk in dark alleys. I truly believe that if we could find this Mark, and wake her up, she could become a great friend and a great Queen to the changelings. We could help her changelings, and save them from starvation.”

Luna nods, “Then that is what we shall do.”

Celestia smiles, looking back at Chrysalis, and placing a hoof on her own, “Hang in there, Chrysalis, we’ll wake you up.”