Dusk Village

Nine years had passed since the rediscovery of the Alicorn castle, and the prophetic message it contained. During that incident, both Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna had been captured, in an effort to sustain the greater goal of conveying these ancient secrets. Since then, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, consisting of Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo, being the only ones able to escape, with the message in mind and their home of Dusk Village on the itinerary, all set out on a long trek, hoping that the sacrifices of those before them had not been in vain. Upon reaching Dusk Village, the small town was ecstatic to hear of more survivors. Though they told Princess Cadence everything they knew, news about Rainbow Dash was kept from Maree. They felt that there was no need to trouble the girl. Cadence was disappointed however, to find that the inscription was not fully deciphered, and that to understand it fully, they would need someone with a more complete knowledge of the language in which it was written. Nine years had passed since then. Now, after so long, it seemed as though the return of Equestria might finally be in sight, as Princess Cadence called all of the leading ponies into the council room...

"What could this meeting be about?" Maree wondered out loud to Twilight Sparkle, who walked beside her as they made their way over to Cadence. In the years passed, Maree had become a fully grown mare of 21 years, and was indeed a beautiful mare with her golden coat and wavy, red-orange mane that she kept all to her right side. She was equally capable in both flight and the magical arts, but Twilight couldn't help but think- silently of course- that Maree had fallen short of their expectations. Maree was a very bright child, who Twilight had done her very best to continue to educate even in these hectic times. Twilight Sparkle, who walked beside Maree on their trip, was now over 40 years old, thought she still looked much the same as she always had, with the exception, perhaps, of a few new wrinkles around her eyes and a slightly dimmer coat.

"She didn't really say anything about it," Twilight admitted, "All she told me was that it was urgent she saw us all as soon as possible." Twilight shook her head a little bit. "I'm worried. It's very unlike Cadence to do these kinds of things without talking to me first."

The entered into the conference room together, the last ones to do so, the other members of the council already present. The system they had put into place since Dusk Village's conception was simple, yet effective; they had a council of respectable ponies who all debated their opinions over current pressing matters, and then they voted on whatever action they should take. Cadence was at the head, and was in charge of presenting said matters to the council. Other members included Twilight, who was automatically a member as Cadence's adviser, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, who each represented one of the Elements of Harmony, Sweetie Belle and Maree, who had both been brought in at roughly the same time, made for a total of seven. Though they were the newest and the youngest, they were both intelligent and wise ponies who's opinions Cadence valued. A possibility existed that Cadence's daughter, Symphonia, who was now 15 years old, might join them one day, but she was still too young right now.

"Twilight, Maree, please take a seat." Cadence welcomed them in, though she was not her usual warm self. She had a lot on her mind, and it showed in her face.

They each took the remaining seats, and the conference began.

"Ladies, there's no debating the fact that we are indeed in need of some plan of action." Cadence began. No one added to this statement. "Our retaliation is long over due by now. We can no longer remain in the dark."

"Princess, with all due respect, this subject has been brought up countless times before." Rarity interjected. "And the same response comes up every time; we simply cannot act."

Cadence turned to face Rarity directly. "And what, predominantly, is it that prevents us from being able to fight back against Paragon?" Cadence asked. Her question was rhetorical, but several comments were immediately thrown in to back Rarity up:

"Supplies."

"Numbers."

"Morale."

"Power."

Cadence let them finish before she spoke again. "And this is something we have known about for all this time, yet it seems like we do nothing about it."

"But what can we do? Never mind the fact that we're hundreds of feet above ground level and in a very picky land for resources, we're also far away from our home and unable to help them from here. We just don’t have the numbers on our side." Sweetie Belle Spoke up.

"Which is why I've come up with a way to try and sway the numbers in our favor." Cadence replied. The whole group focused intently on Cadence. "It came to me in my sleep last night; it struck me like lightning, it even woke me up. It's an idea that I'd never consider under normal circumstances, and I know it will meet resistance, but it's probably the only viable option we have right now."

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.

There was hesitance before Cadence replied. "I want to ask... I want to ask Queen Chrysalis of the changelings for her help." There were several unfavorable responses.

"What?! Are you mad? Have you forgotten what Chrysalis put us through all through years ago?" Rarity exclaimed.

"Yeah, she was a total party crasher! She practically ruined your whole wedding!" Pinkie Pie added in agreement.

"I have to agree with them, Cadence!" Twilight said. "Chrysalis is no better than Paragon! siding with her, if it were even possible, would be as good as a suicide pact! As soon as we were done working together, she'd turn on us! She’s deceptive and manipulative, and I refuse to cooperate with her. And I suspect she will feel much the same."

"Well... th-that's not... necessarily true..." Fluttershy spoke now, taking the first supportive position for Cadence. "The changelings... they thrive on love... and positive emotions... but ever since,  you know... Paragon he... well, all I'm saying is that... well... there's not much love left to go around... maybe she could see that... possibly? And... help us..?" Her point was sloppily made, but very valid.

"Besides, I'm sure she can be reasoned with. She is intelligent... not to mention greedy. If we offer something she likes, then we'll have leverage." Sweetie Belle added.

"I still say it's a terrible idea!" Twilight was adamant. "I just... I can't forgive her for what she put me... for what she put us through. Cadence, surely you understand my feelings better than everypony here!"

"Can we please pause for a moment?" Maree finally spoke for the first time during this meeting, and all eyes turned to her. "Who exactly is this Chrysalis, and what have I not been told?" She asked.

"On my wedding day... 22 years ago... Queen Chrysalis and her army of changelings attacked Canterlot. She impersonated me to gain entrance, and used her magic to weaken Shining Armor enough so that the shield protecting the city would fall. After that, all hell broke loose. We were able to push her back in the end, but her threat loomed for a long time. For years after, we would discover ponies who were really changelings in disguise, and we would have to search for the real one. Some were never found. It was probably the most severe direct attack we've ever dealt with, until Paragon showed up." Cadence explained.

"Exactly and that's why we cannot trust her. Please, Cadence be reasonable!" Twilight insisted.

"If you want a reasonable decision to be made, allow us to come to a reasonable consensus. We will vote on whether or not we should send a party to attempt to establish diplomatic relations with Chrysalis. Vote 'For' or 'Against'." Cadence looked to her immediate left, which was where Twilight sat.

"Against!" Twilight declared firmly.

"Agreed. Against." Was Rarity's vote. Then it was Fluttershy's turn.

"I um... well... F-for..." She stuttered.

"Oh please, Fluttershy, you agree with everything Cadence says!" Rarity declared in outrage. She saw that Fluttershy was taken aback, and eased up slightly, but was still clearly annoyed.

"I just think that.. you know.. I just think that anypony's... capable of doing good." Fluttershy replied quietly.

"Well I hate to say it, Fluttershy, but I'm Against." Pinkie cast her vote. "It's not that I think you're wrong, I just think that, well, Twilight and Rarity are more right. Don't take it the wrong way."

The vote was now three Against to one For, and it was Sweetie Belle's turn.

"I vote For." Sweetie Belle said.

"What?!" Rarity exclaimed. "What in the world would compel you to vote For?"

"I spent a long time roaming Equestria during the time of Paragon's take over." Sweetie Belle started to explain. "I saw a lot of ponies suffering because of him, and it brought me infinite joy to help them when I could. But now, all I do is sit here making pointless decisions that don't get us anywhere. I'm not helping them here, and I know they're still there, and they're still suffering! I want it to end, and I want it to end now. If there's anyway I can make that happen, I'm For it."

"And I'm obviously For." Cadence concluded. "So we are currently tied, 3 For, 3 Against. Maree, you had the deciding vote. We will not interfere with your judgement, and we will act upon whatever you believe in."

Maree had already decided, and did not hesitate. "For."

Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Twilight were outraged. "What?! How could you even consider this plan?" Rarity exclaimed.

"Because Rarity, this Chrysalis, from the sounds of it, managed to infiltrate the Canterlot palace and impersonate one of the most influential ponies in the country, and deceived you all for hours, perhaps even days, before she enacted her plot. She fooled you all, and nearly beat you." Mare explained. Everyone, even those who had agreed with Maree preemptively, looked at her with confusion.

"Pardon me, Maree, but isn't that the argument being made against working with Queen Chrysalis?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"The argument being made, Sweetie Belle, is that Queen Chrysalis is not stupid. If she detects that she has a crisis situation on her hands, which she certainly will, she will negotiate, and she will help us. I have no doubt of that." Maree seemed strangely assured of this plan.

"Well then it's settled. We will send a party of representatives to speak with Chrysalis. We'll send three ponies in total, myself as the first volunteer included. Who shall join me?" Cadence looked around the room for volunteers.

Twilight sighed. "Well, I might not agree to the plan, but I will follow you wherever you go, Cadence." She said.

"And I'll go as the third." Maree volunteered.

Twilight looked worried. "Maree, no, you're still young as this could be dangerous. I know you're on the council, but.."

"Aunt Twilight, it's alright. I'll be fine. I want to go. I want to meet this Queen Chrysalis, to know what she is truly like." Maree insisted. "Besides, I can't help but feel that something good will come of my going there... something I'm going to do, or something that will happen to me... will play a significant role in our collective future."

Sweetie Belle looked at Maree funny, but didn't say anything.

"All I know is that I have to be there, Twilight." Maree had made up her mind, and Twilight relented.

"Alright, you can come. But please, be careful, alright?" Twilight sighed again, this time out of worry for Maree's safety.

"Then it is decided." Cadenced declared. "We shall set out first thing tomorrow. It will take us some time to get to he changeling kingdom; perhaps three days travel each way; and we will speak to Queen Chrysalis. I suppose this meeting is adjourned, then." Everypony got up from their seats and exited the room.

The next morning, Cadence, Twilight, and Maree all departed Dusk Village and set off to the changeling kingdom in the north-east. They were almost on opposite ends of the world from Paragon's old kingdom, in fact. Three days' travel brought them to a very flat plain, which always seemed to be cloudy and dark. On this plain, they found an abandonded looking town connected to a castle, which was apparently the home of Queen Chrysalis. This castle was in fact an old Equestrian castle, as too was the town it oversaw centuries ago. It had long since been conquered by changelings. The cause for the evacuation had been listed as unknown, as the encounter with the changelings was unprecedented, and the ponies at the time could not explain why people they knew and loved suddenly started attacking them. As a result, no one but the changelings truly know where their land of origin was, as this was their earliest known settlement in Equestrian records. Throughout the town, Twilight noted several holes in the ground that she quickly realize were dozens of small cave entrances into a catacomb that was probably enormous, where most of the changelings lived. That made sense, since the castle alone couldn't possibly hold so many. It's likely only the more intelligent or more powerful changelings inhabited the castle. The castle itself was in great disrepair; apparently the changelings were not fond of upkeep.

the trio of diplomats walked through the eerily quiet town in the direction of the castle. They were about three quarters of the way there when they detected movement from the holes in the ground. One by one, changelings crawled out the openings like gigantic, black ants. They filed in from every entrance, surrounding Cadence, Twilight and Maree, and in what seemed like just moments, there were hundreds on them already. they all hissed and sneered at the intruders, some of them crawling along the ground, some on top of the old buildings in the area. It was staggering to see how many of them there were. Twilight was already visibly disturbed, but Cadence and Maree tried to remain calm. Cadence stepped forward and tried to communicate with them.

"I am not here in an act of aggression. I am here on a mission of peace. I must speak to your leader immediately." She said in a calm, yet shaky voice. She was a little afraid, clearly, but she tried not to show it physically.

All of the changelings either continued to stare at her blankly or hiss at her, as if they hadn't even heard her.

"D-do these things even... speak?" Twilight wondered aloud.

Cadence also wondered this, now that it was brought up. "You know, I don't think we ever did definitely prove if they were sentient or not. This might end up being a lot more dangerous than I anticipated." She admitted.

Twilight's eyes bulged. "You're just thinking this through now?!"

"Well, they haven't attacked yet." Maree said, trying to restore confidence.

Cadence tried to address them again. "You're leader, the Queen!" She spoke very slowly.

All of the changelings began to chant out of sync, and their voices overlapped each other in a very unusually manner. It was a very strange sound they made as the all repeated what Cadence had said:

"The Queen......n.....the.......... the quee-quee......n..........the....................queen................ ...........queen.........quen-.............the ......th........e......queen the-.....-ueen.......... ..queen......th-................queen.........queen............................the -...een the queen............. ............................queen.........th-...................-e..............the queen...............................queen the .....................queen, the..............queen....................the ...... "

"Yes, The Queen, I need to speak to Chrysalis!" Cadence felt more confident now, glad to know they had some concept of what they were talking about.

Suddenly, all the noise stopped. Though it seemed impossible that 300 bodies could be made to not make a single noise, the silence was nevertheless nothing less than deafening. The very mention of her name was enough to grab every single one of their attentions in a way that nobody liked.

One changeling stepped forth. Unlike the others who appeared mostly mindless, this one had a purposeful look in its eye. It walked up to Cadence.

"Your... names?" It asked in a raspy, insectoid voice.

Cadence was surprised. "You can speak? I mean, you can speak properly?" Cadence replied, answering with her own question.

The changeling made no effort to reply to her directly. "Your names." This time it was more of a statement or command, rather than a question.

"Right, sorry." Cadence quickly apologized. "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but most simply call me Cadence. The others behind me are my sister-in-law, Twilight Sparkle and my..." She paused for a moment to think about Maree's relationship to her. She knew there was one, but she had never really thought about it. "...My cousin, Maree. We are representatives of the Equestrian Crown, and we would like to discuss diplomatic matters with your Queen, Chrysalis." Cadence was as formal as she could be, in an effort not to trigger any offense.

Maree turned to Twilight suddenly, and said, "You know, that reminds me: I've thought about it lately, and I don't think it's appropriate to call you my aunt anymore."

Twilight was caught off guard. Why would Maree bring this up now? "Huh? Why?"

"Well, if I am Paragon's daughter truly, and Paragon is Celestia's half-brother, as Celestia's niece, I am related to Cadence. And since you're her sister in law... we're actually related on the same generational level." Maree explained.

Twilight was very confused, but she started to understand a little. "So what would that make you in relation to me?" She wondered aloud.

"A half... cousin... in law?"

They both looked at each other silently.

"Just Twilight, then." Twilight concluded.

"Alright then... Twilight."

Meanwhile, the changeling sneered at Cadence. It hadn't really understood most of what she had said, other than one key word.

"Equestrians!" It snarled. The crowd of changelings started to become restless. "The Queen... does not... like... Equestrians!" This changeling, though evidently more intelligent than the others, still had a very limited grasp on language.

"Please, we do not need to start a skirmish, we just want to speak to the queen!" Cadence repeated, in the hopes that restating the same request enough time would allow her message to get across.

"Food is... scarce... Equestrian... is food..." The changeling's expression started to change from that of a sneer to a expression of lust. "Your love... is... tasty!" They were now aware of the fact that the others changelings were starting to close in on them. Even Cadence was starting to express concern.

"Wait, wait! Please, listen.." But they wouldn't. The had food on their minds and they were consumed by their need to consume. Just as they were about to close right on top of them Maree stepped forward in a very commanding fashion.

"Stop!" She ordered. They slowed, but they did not cease movement completely. "Look, you could take our lives, and eat all of our energy away, and you'd be fed for hours, maybe a day. But then what?" Finally they stopped. The changeling ambassador, as it were, glared at Maree. "You'd still die, just the same. we know you're in danger of extinction. We know your food has become scarce, and we know you're in just as much trouble as we are. Which is why we've come to negotiate a long term solution, one that we can both benefit from! All we have to do is speak with your queen. If she doesn't like our plan, then you can eat us."

Twilight couldn't help but speak up. "Uh, That was nice and all, Maree, but might I suggest we re-word it so that there isn't a point where they have permission to eat us, regardless of the outcome? I mean, I 'm really just not a fan of gambling... especially with my life..."

"Twilight, calm down." Maree hushed her elder. Twilight looked like she wanted to say more, but ultimately decided against it.

The changeling looked at Maree, what little mental capacity it had in maximum overdrive, thinking about her proposal. Finally, it spoke.

"...Follow." It commanded, and turned away. After a cautious moment of silence and stillness, it turned back to them and reaffirmed what they though they'd heard. "Come to... castle... meet the Queen... talk." The Equestrian diplomats were all relieved to hear that they weren't going to be eaten, and followed the changeling into the castle, all the while getting the nastiest looks imaginable by the other changelings who glared at them as they walked by casually.

The interior of the castle was dimly lit; you'd think the changelings had something against bright lights. Cadence, Twilight and Maree followed their changeling guide through the inner halls of the castle. Many other changelings scuttled by as they walked, throwing them mean, confused looks. The castle looked as though it was literally falling apart; the place probably hadn't seen repairs in centuries. Dust and grime coated every surface that wasn't otherwise occupied by other such nasty substances. They didn't travel long before they arrived at the throne room of the castle, which was quite crowded with other changelings, all mindlessly bustling around. It was very distracting in fact, and it took the trio of diplomats a minute to notice the very person they had come to see, all the way in the back of the room, perched atop a throne that didn't belong to her. Here, Queen Chrysalis of the changelings glared fiercely at them, locking onto them the moment they entered the room. The other changelings all stopped what they were doing to take notice as well, and again that painful silence fell upon them. They felt the melting glare of Queen Chrysalis on their shoulders as they walked slowly up to the throne. The look was so fierce, that only Maree could bare to return it.

Chrysalis herself bore little to no resemblance to the Chrysalis they once knew. She appeared to be much weaker and decrepit, showing signs of lost body weight and paler skin than normal. Her usually aqua colored 'mane' (a term which they only used due to it's resemblance to that of a pony's mane; it is yet unknown what the proper term for it is) was nearly gray in color, and even her face showed highly pronounced wrinkles. Relatively speaking in comparison to ponies, she looked as though she had aged considerably, but this was merely an illusion; her physical appearance had nothing to do with her age; rather it was the result of her being deathly low on life from lack of feeding. There was an awkward pause after the changeling finished escorting Cadence Maree and Twilight to the throne, so the changeling escort decided to try and explain their appearance.

"My Queen.. they come to speak... with you..." It began.

"I am one with the Collective, just as you are, drone, I am fully aware as to why they are here." Chrysalis replied coldly, her harsh, echoing voice reflecting the weakness her body displayed. "I don't understand your justification for allowing them in, however. This, I am still unclear on." She regarded the changeling with a look that might have killed lesser beings.

"Please, allow us to explain..." Maree tried to speak, but Chrysalis cut her off.

"You will not address me, child, unless you are first addressed by me!" She snarled at Maree, who retracted herself promptly. Chrysalis coughed a few times, and then spoke again.

"Why have you come here, to my home, and why should it matter to me at all?" She asked quite flatly.

Cadence was the first to reply. "Queen Chrysalis, you remember me, yes? I am Princess Cadence, Celestia's niece. We... met once."

Chrysalis' upper lip was twitching at unpleasant memories. "To say I remember you would be a hideous understatement. I live this miserably non-existence because of my failure in Canterlot on that day, 22 years ago. There isn't a single detail about that day that I don't remember, nor is there a day that goes by I'm not reminded of it." She leaned forward, looking Cadence directly in the eye. "You ruined me."

Twilight was outraged. "She ruined YOU? What about her? You tried to ruin the best day of her life! How dare you accuse her of-"

"YOU WILL BE SILENT!" Chrysalis hissed at Twilight, shutting her up immediately. "You will not speak again, lest you marry the idea of having your lifeless husks being discarded in my dungeon after we have all drained you of all the happiness in your life!" Cadence waited a moment for the tension in the air to cool down before she continued speaking.

"Chrysalis.. Queen Chrysalis, I will get straight to the point. I would like to negotiated a truce with you." She offered.

Cadence was confused, and even looked a little disgusted. "What is this?"

"Well, I won't lie to you Chrysalis, our situation has become quite dire as of these past few years." Cadence admitted. "We have been forced out of our home, and most of the ponies we know and love are dead or captured. At this point, very few of us remain who are able to actively fight back."

Chrysalis leaned back in her chair, a more understanding look on her face. "Yes... I have heard  rumors on the winds of this... this... Paragon... who has claimed Equestria as his own. This concerns me not."

"On the contrary, I think you'd find that we are indeed linked..."

"There's nothing contrary about it, Cadence." Chrysalis cut her off again. "To what extent and under what circumstances you live are none of my concern. In fact, I'd prefer you all dead anyway." Chrysalis' posture was unmovable.

"I highly doubt that." Cadence replied. Chrysalis frowned at her. "You see, Chrysalis, you need us."

"How exactly have you managed to fool yourself into thinking that?"

"It's quite simple. you feed on positive emotions for sustenance. Now that we Equestrians are in danger of being wiped out, your old food source is going away." Cadence was starting to speak with more confidence. "Look at you. You look awful. You can't be far now. If you continue not to feed, you will die. And if you don't help us restore our people, all changelings will die. Your entire race will be extinguished, right alongside ours."

Chrysalis leered at Cadence, though her look was far less aggressive now. Cadence had her.

"And in exchange for my services... in what way shall we be rewarded?" She asked.

"Rewarded? You need us! Your very survival depends on this!" Twilight called out again.

Chrysalis slowly shook her head. "I do not deny that what you say is true, but I assure you, little girl, that I will live more than long enough to see you die at my feet, and I warn you, I can be a very spiteful person. I won't just work for you for nothing."

Cadence sighed. Chrysalis had her now, too. "Alright then. What do you want?"

Chrysalis thought for a moment, and for the first time since they had been there, she smiled. It was a much more subtle, more sly smile than Paragon's.

"Sacrifice." Was all she said.

Cadence shivered at the sound of that morbid word. "S-sacrifice..? What exactly do you mean by that?" She was afraid to ask, and far more afraid of the answer.

"My people hunger... they need sacrifice... to feed them..." Chrysalis fantasized about the idea, licking her lips.

"That is absolutely out of the question!" Twilight interrupted yet again. "We would never offer up our own people for such a cruel fate! It's madness!"

"Twilight, please..." Cadence tried to silence her. "In theory, how many ponies would we be talking about?" Cadence asked.

"Are you kidding? You can't seriously be thinking about this!" Twilight was appalled.

"It takes many ponies to feed many changelings..." Chrysalis' reply was deliberately vague.

"What would you get out of one couple? Directly linked and together, they would produce far more love for you to consume than individuals."

Chrysalis furrowed her brow, and looked as if in disbelief. "A couple? That is but a drop in the bucket for my numbers! Why, I would need new sacrifices daily for that to have any effect!" She exclaimed.

I will need to confer on this matter, please give us a moment." Cadence turned to face Twilight and Maree.

"Personally I think this plan is absolutely crazy!" Twilight exclaimed. "We can't even entertain this offer."

"Well to be fair, it's only a matter of feeding off emotional energy." Maree pointed out.

"Yeah, and besides, Shining Armor was exposed to Chrysalis' influence for days before we stopped her, and he recovered just fine." Cadence added.

"I'd still rather deal with her for a few days than deal with their entire army for 5 minutes." Twilight countered.

"And I agree, daily is too often. I think I can fight that." Cadence relented. "Other than that I don't we really have much choice."

Twilight hated the fact that she had to agree, logically. "It's such a horrible situation we are in..."

They all turned back to face Chrysalis, who was clearly enjoying her new position of power.

"We have discussed the situation.." Cadence began. "And we have determined that a new couple each and every day is more than we can allow. At most, I can only offer you a maximum of 200 per year. No more."

Chrysalis did not like this at all. "Then there is no deal!" She declared.

"Well if that's the way you see it.." Cadence turned around, headed for the exit. "Twilight, Maree, let us go. we can do nothing more here." The all walked together. There was tension in the air, as the two battled each others's wits. both needed each other out of sheer survival necessity, yet neither would budge on their deal. It all came down to a game of chicken to see who would duck first.

"Wait!" Chrysalis called after them. She sighed, realizing she had lost. "Very well. 200 sacrifices per year. She accepted. "But there is something else I shall have in exchange!"

Cadence was immediately suspicious. "What is it?"

Chrysalis smiled that grim smile again. "A husband. I wish to be married into the royal family, so that I have a place in line for the throne."

Ignoring all other absurdities with that request, the first thing that jumped to mind, oddly enough was, "But... there aren't any male heirs to the throne right now!"

Chrysalis seemed a little bit disappointed, but quickly counter offered. "Then I suppose I'll just have to settle for the next best thing... a wife..."

Cadence, Twilight, and Maree all looked at each, not sure if any of them had heard that entirely right. Before any of them had the chance to ask the obvious question, another changeling entered the room... or rather, a changeling like creature. He was definitively male, unlike most changelings (Chrysalis not withstanding) who were neutral in gender, and was much more robust looking with a fuller body than Chrysalis. His mane was the same color, but his horn was straight, not warped like most changelings. He only had fangs on his upper jaw, and his eyes were grayer than Chrysalis' hair.

"A wife... for my son, Prince Argon." She finished her sentence.

Prince Argon walked up beside her mother's throne. "You called me through the Collective, mother. What is it you would ask of me?" His voice was deep like thunder, loud enough that the vibrations shook the Equestrians a little.

"My Prince, I may have found a possible suitor for you..." Chrysalis told him, and then spoke again to Cadence. "So, what will it be, my Equestrian friends? Who shall wed my son?"

There was silence for a moment. Cadence was unusually quiet, and the look on her face told Twilight exactly what she was feeling. Twilight realized quickly that the only other suitor of full blood, really, was Cadence's daughter, Symphonia. At only 15 years of age, she was much too young to be sworn off to anyone for life. Twilight decided that she wouldn't let her be forced into something like this, and decided that she would stand in. Chrysalis would never have to know about Cadence's daughter. As A sister in law, Twilight can lay claims to the throne if all those before her in line are either deceased or willing abdicate responsibility. Under these circumstances, that seemed likely. Twilight stepped forward.

"Chrysalis, I-"

"I'll do it." Maree cut her off. All eyes were on Maree in an instant. "I will marry Prince Argon."