Honey Cupcakes

Chapters

(ACT 1) "I'd like to buy a dozen honey cupcakes."
"I wasn't expecting this..."
"I want to help you."
"...and that's how I met your mother!"
"Checkmate."
"What the—!?"
"What do you mean, 'She knows now'?!"
Six Nights Later....
(ACT 2) «Anything to report yet?»
"Princess Luna's here?!"

(ACT 1) "I'd like to buy a dozen honey cupcakes."

Pinkie blinked. "Wha...?"

Normally, Pinkie would be ecstatic to serve somepony a delicious treat or twelve. Normally, she'd also be celebrating the arrival of a new face in Ponyville.

But this situation was anything but normal.

"I'd like a dozen honey cupcakes, please," Chrysalis repeated.

Pinkie simply stood there for a moment, unsure of how to react. Not only had Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings and enemy of Equestria, suddenly walked into Sugarcube Corner only three weeks after the Wedding, and not only was she completely undisguised, but she was apparently here... to buy cupcakes?! The situation sounded absolutely ridiculous, and yet here she was, living it.

The Changeling's expression dropped a little at the pink mare's continued silence. "If you're worried about the cost, I assure you I have enough," she levitated a small, weathered stack of bits from the hoof-crafted saddlebags she wore.

That snapped Pinkie out of her frozen state. "You really just want cupcakes?"

"Yes, please," she nodded.

What was Pinkie supposed to do? Her thoughts jerked left and right as she fought an inner struggle between her feelings and her morals. Chrysalis was the enemy; she attacked Canterlot, and was an overall meanie pants! But when she began working here at Sugarcube corner, she'd made a vow to serve anypony, and Chrysalis fit under that description — if only vaguely.

Finally, she made her decision. "Th-that'll be 15 bits..."

The Changeling Queen smiled thankfully, levitating the amount out of her bag and onto the counter. Pinkie, without breaking eye contact, reached into her Pinkie Space and procured a box of the treats. "Thank you, Miss," Chrysalis nodded, using her mouth to grab the box by its string, then turned and walked out.

Everypony else in the room turned to look at Pinkie, their faces just as shocked and confused as the party planner's.

"I'll be back in a bit..." Without waiting for a response, the pink mare zipped off to find her friends, leaving behind a cloud of dust in her shape.

ACT 1: Somewhere In The Woods...

Chrysalis silently walked down the street, carrying her box of baked goods. She was clearly aware of the incredulous stares of the ponies around her, as well as those running out of fear, but that didn't seem to be her main focus at the moment.

What she WAS unaware of, however, was the group of six ponies and a dragon following her from a good distance away.

"I think we oughta just squash her right now!" Rainbow Dash was grousing in a hushed tone.

Twilight shook her head. "We can't just go up and assault her for no good reason; as much as I hate to admit it, she doesn't seem to be doing anything wrong."

Rarity piped up, "What if she's just playing innocent, like a Shadow Spade villain — waiting until we lower our guards before striking with whatever evil plot she's come up with?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the mare. "While that is a possibility, what kind of evil plot involves honey-flavored cupcakes?"

Pinkie gasped, "The most evilest kind of all!"

AJ huffed. "Pinkie, that was a rhetorical question. But Rarity does bring up a good point; why would she waltz inta Ponyville while undisguised if'n she weren't up ta somethin'?"

Fluttershy whispered, "Um, I think I might—"

"Argh, how much longer are we gonna follow her?!" Rainbow blurted out.

"As long as it takes," Twilight replied. "And I don't know, Applejack. But we can't just attack unprovoked; what kind of example would that be setting?"

"Girls, I think she's—"

"Twilight, what are you saying!?" Spike cried out incredulously. "This is the pony that attacked you, Shining Armor, Cadence, Canterlot, and even Celestia herself! We can't just let her wander freely!"

"Hence why we're trailing her," Twilight stated as if it were obvious.

Finally, Rainbow Dash snapped. "That's it, no more waiting!" she cried out as she began to—

"GIRLS!"

Everypony stopped and turned to face Fluttershy, who was now blushing at her own outburst. "What is it, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

She pawed he ground abashedly as she replied, "I, uh, couldn't help but notice the bump on the side of her head."

The group turned to look back at Chrysalis; indeed, there was a lump on the back side of her head, just barely visible under her ratty mane.

Twilight absorbed this new information. "That could point to several things, assuming it's genuine and not part of a ruse. She might simply be hurt and desperate, but that doesn't match up with her behavior..."

Then she gasped. "You don't think—?"

Fluttershy nodded, and Twilight looked back towards the Changeling in a new light.

Rainbow Dash, however, was still in the dark. "Think what?"

Twilight's voice replied, barely above a strained whisper, "I think she's experienced Traumatic Brain Injury of some kind."

Applejack raised an eyebrow in concern. "Really?"

"I don't know if it's delusions, amnesia, or what," Twilight was now talking more to herself than anypony else, "but I think getting blasted out of Canterlot really messed with her head."

Rainbow zipped over and grabbed Twilight by the shoulders. "Twilight, don't tell me you're actually falling for this! This is just like in Daring Do and the Stallion With No Past, where Caballeron faked amnesia in order to ambush Daring Do!"

"I admit that it is rather clichéd, but these things become clichés for a reason," Twilight pointed out.

Rainbow blinked, before she shook her head. "Well, whatever you just said, I'm not buying it! Where exactly did she get those bits, huh? Could somepony with amnesia manage to get bits without being seen, much less her?"

She had to admit that the Pegasus had a point. Where exactly did those bits come from?

But then Twilight shook her head. "Well, whatever the case is, we're not going to approach until we have our answer one way or the other."

"Excuse me, girls?" Rarity suddenly piped up, grabbing their attention. The fashionista pointed forward, making them aware that Chrysalis was headed into the Everfree Forest.

Fluttershy was now quaking with fear. "Wh-why's she going in there?"

"Probably headed back to her hideout to continue scheming," Rainbow speculated.

That earned a glare from the book-smart unicorn. "Rainbow Dash, quit it! She probably just landed in the Everfree, and made a base there."

"Seriously, Twilight," Spike piped up, "why aren't you mad at her?"

The unicorn faltered. "Of course I'm mad at her, Spike! But if she's really been injured so severely by her defeat, then I'd say that's more than enough karma."

"But you didn't know she was injured until Fluttershy pointed it out," Rarity piped up.

Twilight flustered for a bit, then sighed. "I wanted to study her at first, alright? Besides, I don't like how cold you girls are being; we're the Elements of Harmony, for pony's sake, not the Elements of Holding Grudges!"

Everypony else faltered at that. Finally, Rainbow Dash huffed. "Fine, we'll try it your way. But if she tries anything, I'm clobbering her into the ground!"

Twilight frowned, but didn't object. With a building sense of trepidation, the group began to follow Chrysalis into the forest.

"I wasn't expecting this..."

"Nor was I..." was all that Rarity could manage to say in response to Twilight's befuddled statement.

They'd been trailing Chrysalis through the Everfree for the past half an hour, carefully making sure they weren't attacked by the wildlife along the way. They passed the cliff that they'd fallen off while headed to face Nightmare Moon, crossed the same river, and eventually found themselves back at the Castle of the Two Sisters.

What they'd found there waiting for them, however, was beyond their wildest expectations.

"Do you think we should help her?" Fluttershy asked, concerned.

"Ah dunno..." Applejack responded.

Before them, nestled underneath the statue that once held the Elements of Harmony, was a very crude-looking shelter. Its roof was made of ivy, supported with long branches, padded with moss on the inside...

And Queen Chrysalis was lying within it, a clutch of glowing green eggs latched to the base of the statue.

Twilight whispered, "What do you think, Pinkie?"

The party planner, for once, was absolutely shell-shocked. She hadn't said anything since they arrived, and it was starting to grow disconcerting.

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked again.

Still no response.

The book-smart unicorn sighed, realizing that this was going nowhere fast. She turned to Rainbow Dash and asked, with just the barest hint of smugness, "How about you, Dash? Still think she's up to something?"

"Maybe," Rainbow automatically replied, still transfixed on the sight before her. "Or maybe I was a bit too quick to judge her."

It was then that Pinkie chose to speak up: "Rainbow Dash was too fast?!"

Twilight would've chuckled if Pinkie hadn't been so loud. "Who's there?" Chrysalis stood up, taking a defensive stance.

The ponies quickly ducked behind the wall they were spying past. "What'll we do, Twilight?" Fluttershy quavered faintly.

The purple unicorn thought for a moment. "I think the safest option might be to come out and talk to —"

Rainbow Dash was on her quicker than lightning. Still maintaining a hushed tone, she declared, "Now, hold on a second! How is that any safer than making a tactical retreat, or just attacking her?"

"If we flee now," Twilight reasoned, "she might think we were foiled in an attempt to ambush her, so she'll be more on-edge in the future. And we are NOT going to attack her, Rainbow Dash; especially now that we've seen those eggs!"

"Show yourself!" Chrysalis shouted, still looking for the source of the voice.

Rainbow, still quiet, asked, "I don't like that thought, either, but she's still an enemy! What if she attacks as soon as she sees us, huh?"

Twilight rolled her eyes, "Then I can just use a shield spell. She's clearly weaker than she was at the Wedding, so it should be no problem."

Rainbow stared her down for a serious moment. "I really hope you know what you're doing."

Twilight nodded, then stood up straight.

Chrysalis, who was still looking around methodically, spotted her as she left her cover in a visibly passive way. A tense moment was spent as they stared each other in the eye.

Then the Queen raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

Twilight was momentarily taken aback by the question. She'd been expecting something more along the lines of 'Leave now,' or 'Twilight Sparkle!?', or even just a wordless blast of magic.

Then she regained her composure. "I saw you in town, and I wanted to know why you were headed into the Everfree."

The Queen glanced at the trees outside the Castle. "Is that what that forest is called?"

Twilight nodded. "It's pretty dangerous in there, especially if you're unfamiliar with the territory."

Chrysalis huffed, losing her battle-ready stance. "Well, thank you for the concern, but I can handle myself well enough."

"I'm sure you can," Twilight stated curtly.

A silent moment passed.

"Well?" Chrysalis prompted Twilight to continue.

The lavender mare looked around the ruins, able to see everything better now that she was closer. "This is a pretty decent set-up you've got here."

The Queen now looked confused. "Th-thank you, I suppose..."

"How long have you been here?"

"About three weeks."

That makes sense, Twilight thought to herself.

"Why do you ask?" Chrysalis's eyes narrowed, catching Twilight off guard.

It took the unicorn a moment to re-gather her thoughts. "There was a wedding three weeks ago."

Chrysalis blinked. "...okay? And....?

Twilight made a concerted effort to not let her shock show. It's true, isn't it?

Then she shook her head, playing it off. "Oh, nevermind that; I just thought I saw you at it. What's your name?"

"I am Chrysalis," the Changeling replied. "What's yours?"

That certainly cinched it. "Twilight Sparkle."

Chrysalis nodded, then turned and made her way back to her shelter.

Inside, Twilight was terribly conflicted. On one hoof, she felt like she couldn't stand by and let somepony suffer in the woods, especially if they were an expecting mother. On the other hoof, this was Queen Chrysalis, and the events of the Wedding were still fresh in everypony's minds, especially Twilight's. But on a third hoof entirely, there was the knowledge that could be learned by studying Chrysalis, knowledge about the Changelings that could strengthen Equestria's security.

So Twilight stood there, staring at the ground as she weighed the options. Chrysalis, meanwhile, had settled back down into her shelter, and was now staring at Twilight in confusion. The Queen was about to speak up, when Twilight came to a decision.

"I want to help you."

It took all of Rainbow Dash's mental strength to keep herself from rocketing out of their hiding spot and tearing Twilight a new one. Helping the enemy?! Twilight was practically commiting treason! And okay, maybe Chrysalis wasn't actually up to anything, but she still needed to pay for her crimes! With beating up the Queen off the table, then their best interest would've been in leaving her alone to fend for herself! But actively, willingly helping a known enemy to Equestria!?

As the Element of Loyalty, it stung Rainbow Dash to her core.

But from the looks on her friends' faces, the only one who agreed with her was Spike.

"Help me?" Chrysalis parroted back to Twilight, drawing Rainbow back out of her thoughts.

Twilight nodded. "I saw the eggs, Chrysalis."

The Queen instinctively bared her fangs as she bristled, but Twilight kept going. "You're fending for yourself in the middle of the woods, trying to protect them, and I can't, in good conscience, just stand by and do nothing. If you'd allow me, I would like to help you."

To emphasize her point, Twilight knelt down disarmingly. Chrysalis looked over the unicorn for a long while, a scrutinizing look on her face.

Then she asked, "And what would you expect from me in return?"

That actually caught Twilight off guard. She took a moment to gather herself before saying, "Well, I wasn't gonna ask, but since you're offering... You could answer any questions I have for you."

The Changeling blinked. "That's all?"

The unicorn nodded. "I'll try and keep them as non-prying as possible, but don't hesitate to tell me if I get a bit carried away."

Chrysalis shot a glance back at her eggs. "And my children... Will they be safe?"

Twilight nodded, "Nothing will come to harm them; not if I can help it."

Chrysalis stared down the lavender mare for the longest moment, her gaze seemingly boring into Twilight's soul for any traces of deception.

There was none to be found.

Wordlessly, Chrysalis lit her horn. Rainbow Dash nearly leapt out of her hiding spot to defend, but backed off as she realized that the Queen was, in all actuality, using her magic to carefully pick up her clutch. She watched with wide eyes as Chrysalis walked up to Twilight and stated simply:

"Lead the way."

Twilight nodded, lighting her horn. With a flash, they teleported away.

Then the group practically exploded. Rainbow Dash began ranting to the spot Twilight just was; Fluttershy was trying in vain to calm down Dash; Applejack was frozen in shock; Rarity was trying to play detective and see if she could glean any ulterior motives from either of them, coming up empty; Spike had fainted; and Pinkie...

She gasped loudly, then rocketed back towards Ponyville.

There was a party to set up.

With a flash, the pony and the Changeling appeared just inside of Fluttershy's Cottage. Twilight rubbed her temples, the effort of the teleport making her head ache slightly.

Chrysalis looked around. "Is this your place?"

The lavender unicorn shook her head, "This is actually my friend Fluttershy's house. We're just stopping here to rest because my house is too far for just one teleport."

The Changeling nodded, before beginning to look around the room. "This 'Fluttershy' must really love animals..." for some reason, she was practically salivating.

Twilight nodded. "It's her favorite thing in the world. Whereas she's uncomfortable around other ponies, she can always find comfort in animals."

Chrysalis nodded in acknowledgement, then opened her mouth. But instead of speaking, a pink haze began to appear, being drawn into her mouth.

Twilight blinked. "What're you doing?"

The Changeling paused. "I'm just collecting some of the ambient love in the air. Your friend won't notice a thing."

The unicorn nodded, somewhat unsure. "Oh, alright..."

Chrysalis was about to turn back to continue, but Twilight then had a question come to mind. "Wait a second, if you're feeding on the love, then why'd you buy those cupcakes?"

"We need both to survive," Chrysalis stated, suddenly becoming guarded. "How'd you know that I was feeding on it, though? I only said I was collecting it."

Shoot. "Well, I've heard about Changelings before." Twilight quickly said, not technically lying.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "What else do you know about us?"

"Well," Twilight began to list, "I know that you're capable of transforming your appearance, though whether that's only limited to ponies is unknown. I also know that you're especially adept at mind-altering magic, and that love also directly strengthens your magic, but too much can overwhelm and even hurt. Other than that, I don't know much, and that's kinda the reason I wanna ask those questions."

After a moment, Chrysalis nodded. "You're rather knowledgeable in this."

Despite herself, Twilight couldn't help but beam. "Thanks; I'm not the protegé of Princess Celestia for noth—"

But quickly, Twilight covered her mouth. That was a little more than she'd intended to let slip so soon.

Chrysalis cocked an eyebrow teasingly. "The student of a Princess, eh? Well, aren't you a lucky one?"

Twilight shook her head. It was already out there, so she might as well roll with it. "Luck had nothing to do with it; it took lots of hard work and perseverance."

"An admirable trait in anypony," Chrysalis agreed.

The unicorn smiled a little. She liked interacting with Chrysalis. In fact, if this weren't the pony that attacked Canterlot, she felt they might've been friends long ago.

She shook her head at that thought. "Alright, I'm ready to teleport us to my place."

Wordlessly, Chrysalis made to stand next to Twilight again, and nodded. With another flash, they were gone.

When they arrived in the Library, Chrysalis looked around. "Is it always this dark?"

Twilight squinted. Indeed, it was unusually dark; especially for the middle of the day. That usually meant—

"Surprise!"

The lights all turned on, and an assault of noisemakers blared at the two. Chrysalis, startled into acting, reflexively shot a spell in front of her.

A moment of silence passed as the two stared tensely at the spot the spell had hit.

Then Pinkie tutted, "You're really tense, you know that?"

Chrysalis whipped her head around to find that Pinkie was standing on the table directly next to her. She readied another defensive spell, but Twilight shouted, "Wait, that's just Pinkie Pie!"

The Changeling paused, recognizing the face. "How did she know we were coming?"

Twilight shrugged, "She just does that. I tried figuring it out, but all that got me was a bunch of injuries."

"...what?"

"Ooh! Ooh! I can tell this one!" Pinkie raised her hoof. "It all started when my Pinkie Sense told me that stuff was gonna start falling..."

"...and that's how I met your mother!"

Author's Note

Caution: this chapter contains a recreation of a famous chess match. If you aren't familiar with chess, then your enjoyment may be hampered.

And please, don't call me a nerd for including it.

"...and that's how I met your mother!"

Chrysalis, who'd been enraptured by the story so far, did a double-take. "I'm sorry, what?"

Pinkie didn't seem to notice what she'd said. "Now, let's continue this party! And maybe later, I can tell you the story of how Twilight learned to believe in my Pinkie Sense; it's a gem!" With that, she pronked away as if nothing were wrong.

Chrysalis, absolutely stumped, turned to Twilight, who simply shrugged. "That pink one concerns me," the Changeling admitted.

That earned a chuckle from the unicorn. "I know the feeling, but she means well. Now, come on; this party won't attend itself."

With that, Twilight trotted to join her pink friend. Chrysalis managed a light chuckle, then set her clutch of eggs onto her back and made to join the festivities.

"I can't believe it," Rainbow Dash groused as they made their way back to town. "Twilight, wanting to help an enemy of Equestria?"

Fluttershy pointed out, "Chrysalis has no memory of what she's done, Rainbow; you saw the conversation they had."

The prismatic pegasus threw her forehooves in the air. "That has nothing to do with it! She still attacked Equestria, and she still needs to pay for her crimes! How can you even defend her, Flutters?!"

"Princess Luna tried to bring about eternal night, and we forgave her," Fluttershy pointed out.

"That's completely different; she's Princess Celestia's sister. Besides, you were still afraid of her afterward, right?"

"And I was wrong to be afraid of her!" Fluttershy defended.

"But what if—"

"Rainbow Dash, that's enough!" Applejack spoke for the first time since they left the ruins. "Arguin' won't get us nowhere. Ah don't trust 'er more'n Ah can throw 'er, neither, but she's got a family ta protect, an' Ah respect that. Besides, what's that sayin' 'bout the friends an' the anenomes?"

"I believe you're thinking of the phrase 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'," Rarity supplied helpfully.

AJ tipped her hat in thanks, "Exactly! It's better ta have yer enemies where ya can keep track of 'em, rather than have 'em out there doin' Celestia-knows-what!"

Rainbow grumbled, "Still, this just doesn't feel right!"

"I know!" Spike piped up. "Has Twilight completely forgotten what Chrysalis did to Canterlot? To our brother?! To Celestia!?"

Fluttershy shook her head, "I'm sure that Twilight hasn't forgotten all of that, but I think that Chrysalis has been through enough. I can't even imagine having to take refuge in the Everfree Forest, much less with a head injury and a family to protect."

"Seriously, girls," AJ admonished, "we can deal with all o' this when we git back ta town."

The group nodded (Rainbow and Spike much more reluctantly than the others), and they continued to trudge through the forest.

But then, Rainbow Dash had an idea. A wonderful idea. Rainbow Dash had a wonderfully Awesome™ idea.

She innocuously drifted to the back of the group, where Spike was silently fuming, and whispered, "Do you have any parchment and ink?"

The baby dragon blinked, then reached into his... wherever he kept things, and pulled out those items. "I live with Twilight; of course I have extra parchment."

Rainbow couldn't help but snicker at that comment. "Well, I think it's about time we send Princess Celestia another letter."

Spike blinked, then allowed a devilish smirk to cross his face. "I agree completely."

Twilight could hardly believe her eyes. Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings and attempted conqueror of Equestria...

...was playing pin-the-tail-on-the-pony. And she was rather good at it.

The Changeling lifted the blindfold after her third round. The tail she'd just placed had missed the mark by a mere two centimeters — a personal best. "Well, that was certainly amusing," she began, "but I'd like to partake in something that requires a bit more intellect."

"How about chess?" Twilight suggested.

To the unicorn's surprise, the Changeling nearly jumped for joy at the mention. NEARLY. "I'd love to," she stated after a moment of composure.

Twilight giggled a little, then used her magic to bring out a chess set. Setting it up on a nearby table, the two made to sit on opposite sides of the board — Twilight on black, Chrysalis on white.

"Your move first," Twilight offered.

Chrysalis nodded, looking over the board for a moment. Then, with her magic, she moved one of her knights to f3.

Twilight was next to move, bringing her own knight to f6. "I'd like to get started on those questions right now, if you don't mind."

"Ask away." Pawn to c4.

"Where are you from?" Pawn to g6.

Chrysalis blew a stray lock of hair out of her face as she moved a knight to c3. "The Badlands."

"Born and raised?" Bishop to g7.

"Indeed." Pawn to d4.

Twilight took the opportunity to castle with her kingside rook. "Parents?"

Chrysalis frowned. "I don't like to talk about them," she mumbled as she moved a bishop to f4.

"Fair enough," Twilight nodded as she moved a pawn to d5. "What was your childhood like?"

Queen to b3. "Same as most other drones; I ate, patrolled, slept, ate, patrolled, slept, etc."

Twilight used a pawn to capture the pawn on c4, intentionally putting it in direct line of sight from Chrysalis's queen. "How'd you become Queen, then?"

To Twilight's surprise, Chrysalis blinked. "What gave you that impression?"

The unicorn balked, game temporarily forgotten. "Uh, the fact that you look so different from every other drone?"

Chrysalis shook her head. "I'm not a Queen; I'm just a Princess."

The lavender mare processed this. 'She forgot she became a Queen? According to Ribot's Law, that suggests it was a more recent event,' she reasoned to herself. "Oh, well, nevermind, then."

Chrysalis eyed Twilight suspiciously, but didn't comment. Her queen piece captured the pawn on c4.

Twilight responded by moving a pawn to c6. "So, how'd you become a Princess, then?"

Pawn to e4. "Same as my sister; when the heir becomes unavailable, the next in line becomes the heir."

The knight from column b moved to d7. "You have sisters?"

Rook to d1. "I was the third of four. Mothra, Rhizophage, and Strigae. Mothra is the current Queen, and Strigae mostly keeps to herself."

'So something happened to Mothra,' Twilight deduced as she moved her other knight to b6. "How about Rhizophage?"

Chrysalis's expression turned forlorn. "She was slaughtered by a Dread Maulwurf some time ago."

Twilight's expression turned somber, too. "I'm sorry to hear that... I've got a brother — two if you count Spike — and I can't imagine how I'd feel if I lost either of them."

Internally, a thought occured to her: 'Wait, if she was willing to talk so openly about her sister, then whatever happened to her parents...'

After a moment of silent contemplation, Chrysalis straightened herself and moved her Queen to c5. "That was the last day we allowed any sort of vegetation near the Hive."

Twilight nodded slowly, moving a bishop to g4. "Huh. What's your greatest strength?"

Chrysalis paused. "Come again?"

"What do you believe is your greatest strength?" Twilight asked simply.

Chrysalis allowed herself a small smile as she moved a Bishop to g5. "Well, not to blow my own horn, but I'd like to think my planning skills are gormless."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

Chrysalis nodded, her smile growing slightly cocky.

"Then plan around this." Knight to a4.

Chrysalis's eyes widened. Twilight just moved her knight into the line of fire, but in such a way to where, if Chrysalis were to take it with her own knight (the only piece that could at the moment), she'd be left in a disadvantaged state no matter what she did afterward. She sweated a bit as she went over all her options, cursing herself that she hadn't moved the proper bishop to allow her to castle.

"Oh DAANG, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie spoke up for the first time in a while, reminding them both that she was still there. "That's gotta be one of the most powerful moves of all time!"

Twilight allowed herself a small blush. "Aw gee, Pinkie, it's not that— wait, what makes you say that?"

"Jonathan Rowson," Pinkie replied simply.

Both players blinked. "Who?"

"Oh, nothing," the pink mare trailed off cryptically, before bouncing happily towards the confectionary table, disappearing under the tablecloth.

Chrysalis turned to look at Twilight, who simply shrugged. "Eh, whatever; it's just Pinkie being Pinkie."

Chrysalis nodded, unsure, before resuming the game.

A mountain of pastries sat on an eloquent, golden plate. Sunlight glinted off the frosting in an incandescent manner, shimmering beautifully as the Monarch of the Sun licked her lips.

"Tia," Luna cautioned, "you know what the Royal Dietician said..."

"I know," Celestia replied, still staring longingly at the plate of baked goods, "but one or two won't hurt."

"You always say that," the Monarch of the Moon stated, "and yet, every single time, we find all the locks in the Royal Pantry busted open, and chocolate frosting all over your bedsheets."

"I can quit at any time," Celestia reasoned.

"Then quit now, before it's too late!"

Celestia opened her mouth to reply, but a wisp of magic interrupted her. In a flash of light, a scroll appeared right next to her head. "A letter from... Spike and Rainbow Dash?" she unfurled the parchment and began reading.

"What does it say, Sister?"

Celestia's eyes widened as she scanned the page. "I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short, Luna; Chrysalis is in Ponyville!"

"Checkmate."

Chrysalis balked at the sight before her. Twilight's rook had moved in for the kill, backed up by both of her bishops and a knight in an elegant pure mate. Twilight had even sacrificed her queen, yet she'd still prevailed!

The changeling could've written it off. She could've stubbornly held onto her pride, claiming it was pure luck as opposed to both luck and skill.

But this was not Queen Chrysalis, power-crazed monarch on the verge of victory. This was Princess Chrysalis, simple Changeling playing a game of chess with Twilight, and completely unaware of her previous defeat in Canterlot. "Good game," she nodded. "I guess I still have a thing or two to learn."

For a moment, Twilight didn't know how to respond. Here was Chrysalis, an enemy of state, complimenting her on her victory? "I— thank you, Chrysalis. I enjoyed it, too."

Chrysalis allowed a small smile to grace her face, before she lit her horn and started resetting the pieces.

She didn't get very far, however, before a knock on the door interrupted them. Twilight blinked, then got up. "Oh, I think that might be my friends."

Chrysalis shrunk back a little, adjusting her eggs to make sure they were protected. Twilight noticed this and gave a reassuring smile, "They're not gonna hurt you; I've got this under control."

"But still..." Just to be safe, Chrysalis moved to hide in the kitchen doorway.

With a nod, Twilight reached the door and opened it...

Then immediately gasped, ducking into an instinctive bow. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!?"

Celestia waved a hoof. "At ease, my star student."

Twilight cautiously rose back up. "What're you doing here?" She already had a good idea as to the reason, but she just had to make sure.

Celestia used her magic to summon the letter she'd received. Twilight quickly scanned it, then groaned. "Argh, I'll need to have a talk with those two..."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Is there something amiss, Twilight?"

The unicorn huffed. "They didn't give the full story."

Now Celestia was curious. "Oh? And what is the full story?"

Twilight pointed towards Chrysalis, who was still hiding in the doorway to the kitchen. She flinched when the three sets of eyes met hers, but she did not back away.

Celestia and Luna blinked. "You've already apprehended her?"

Twilight shook her head, lowering her voice so the changeling couldn't hear. "Didn't need to; she has amnesia."

Now their looks turned sceptical. "Amnesia?"

Twilight nodded. "Retrograde amnesia to be exact, brought about by an injury sustained when she was flung out of Canterlot."

"And how can you be sure of this?" Luna voiced her doubt.

"Because she came into Ponyville, undisguised, and bought a bunch of honey-flavored cupcakes."

Now both of them were now staring, baffled. "I will admit," Celestia said after a moment, "that is rather unusual...."

"Not only that, but she's forgotten she ever became a Queen in the first place. Celestia, you saw how boastful she was about that during the Wedding. Hay, even the way she's been carrying herself is off! She's not that good of an actor.

"And besides, she has eggs to protect."

The two Princesses gasped. "Eggs?"

Twilight nodded. "She was guarding them in your old castle until I offered to bring her here, and even then, the thing she was most concerned about was their safety."

Celestia and Luna took a moment to process this.

Then Celestia donned a frown. "Well, amnesiac or not, she still needs to pay for her crimes."

"I've already started asking her questions."

That seemed to satisfy Celestia. "Ah, well, nevermind then."

Luna did a double-take. "Sister, you cannot be serious! How is questioning a suitable punishment?"

Celestia winked, stating cryptically, "Trust me: when Twilight's the one doing the questioning, you'd be lucky to not be begging for mercy by the halfway point."

Luna blinked. "That didn't answer Our— I mean, my question."

Twilight used her magic to conjure a list. "Here, read this. I actually compiled this list of questions about Changelings right after the Wedding."

The Moon-themed Princess scanned the list. Then her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed red. "Alright, I understand completely now — perhaps too much, even."

Twilight nodded, taking back the list. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we were just about to play a second game of chess."

Celestia and Luna exchanged glances. "Actually, we'd like to speak with her for a moment, if that's alright?"

The unicorn blinked. "O-of course... Just don't do anything too rash, okay?"

Celestia nodded, and the two of them stepped inside the library. As soon as Twilight closed the door, Chrysalis backed slightly further into her hiding place.

"Hello, Chrysalis," Celestia stated simply.

"Princess," Chrysalis responded likewise.

"How were the cupcakes?"

The Changeling did a double-take. "What?"

"Twilight told me you bought some honey cupcakes," Celestia elaborated. "I've been meaning to try them for some time, but I never really got a chance, what with the meals during my visits being pre-planned. How were they?"

Chrysalis hesitated for a moment. "They were great."

Celestia nodded. "I'll have to keep that in mind next time I'm here. How much are they?"

"15 bits."

"That's not too much. Though I wonder how you paid for them?"

Chrysalis held up her bag of bits. "I always carry bits on me, in case of emergency."

"Wise thinking," Celestia commented.

Luna leaned in towards her sister and whispered, "Tia, what're you doing?"

"I'm simply having a conversation, dear Sister," the white Alicorn replied.

Luna frowned, but didn't comment any further.

Celestia continued, "With such pre-planning, it seems peculiar that you'd just walk into Ponyville without a disguise."

Chrysalis huffed. "I don't have enough strength to form a disguise. I figured, if I didn't act out of place, I wouldn't draw any attention to myself. But it seems that was misguided, as your student showed."

"Hiding in plain sight, doing as the Roamin's do," Celestia nodded. "A valid philosophy when applied correctly."

Luna simply couldn't believe what she was seeing. Sure, she wasn't present for the invasion itself, but they'd still attacked and subdued her beloved Sister! And now, here they were, discussing proverbs like old acquaintances?

Chrysalis scoffed, "Fat load of good it did me; Mothra's probably having a fit about me just waltzing into Ponyville, now that I think about it."

"But look on the bright side," the Monarch of the Sun pointed out. "If you hadn't done that, then Twilight wouldn't have found out that you were struggling, and you'd still be fending for yourself in the forest."

"I was doing fine on my own," Chrysalis groused.

"And yet, you still felt the need to head into town and purchase food rather than hunt."

"The prey wouldn't bloody sit still!" Chrysalis protested, though with some amount of sarcasm.

They all shared a light laugh.

"What the—!?"

Rainbow Dash thought that getting Spike to send a letter to the princesses was a stroke of genius on her part. She'd figured they'd immediately take care of the problem, and that Chrysalis would be out of their manes once and for all.

So when she arrived at the library to escort Spike home, she wasn't ready to find Princess Celestia and Princess Luna laughing with Twilight and Chrysalis.

"Ah, Rainbow Dash!" Luna smiled. "Come, join us; we were just discussing the Wonderbolts' military history."

Rainbow was at a loss for words for a moment. Then her face turned to Twilight and raised an eyebrow silently. Even if she was mad, she knew better than to play all her cards out in the open like that; she wouldn't risk provoking Chrysalis into attacking.

"Rainbow Dash, Spike," Twilight stated evenly, "I'd like you to meet Princess Chrysalis."

Unfortunately, Spike wasn't as tactful as Rainbow Dash. "What the hay, why's she still here!?"

Silence reigned in the room for a moment, before Chrysalis asked, "What do you mean, 'still here'?"

Twilight put a hoof to her forehead. "Sorry, Chrysalis; I wasn't exactly alone when I found you. I thought that they'd all be in support of me, but apparently, some ponies still have some bias." Even Rainbow Dash could hear the bitterness in her voice.

Chrysalis stared at the two newcomers for a moment, eyes narrowed.

Then she asked, "And what, exactly, is that bias?"

Spike was now sweating under her gaze, but now that Spike had broken the ice, Rainbow held her ground. "You shouldn't be here! I don't know what spell you've put Twilight and the Princesses under, or what game you're pulling, but it needs to stop!"

The amnesiac Queen eyed them for a long, tense moment.

Then, without another word, she stood up, picked up her eggs in her magic, and began to head towards the exit. Rainbow preemptively leapt out of the way and got into a defensive stance, but there was no need; Chrysalis simply strolled out the door.

Spike blinked. "Well, that was anti-climactic..."

Rainbow, however, was smirking. "Another day saved, thanks to —"

"Rainbow Dash and Spike!!"

Both the pegasus and dragon froze at the voice. It was certainly the Royal Canterlot Voice, as they'd seen demonstrated on Nightmare Night, but it wasn't Luna using it.

Instead, it was Celestia.

The two very slowly turned to face the monarch, who was staring down at them in disappointment. "I expected better of you two. Twilight, go catch up to Chrysalis before she leaves fully."

The bookworm nodded, teleporting out of the library and leaving Rainbow and Spike at the mercy of both Princesses.

Luna, too, was staring at them, but her ire seemed a lot more personal.

Celestia began, "So, that is how you treat a weakened mother?"

Rainbow sputtered, "B-b-but, she's Chrysalis! She's a master of deception, and you were all falling for it!"

"Or maybe there was nothing to fall for," Celestia continued. "We spent some time with her; we had every opportunity to sense deceit from her, yet we only sensed the expected deceit of a mother trying to protect her kids."

Spike offered, "B-b-but, she's evil! She hurt so many ponies!"

Luna raised an eyebrow, "And I didn't?"

Both of them stopped dead in their tracks, suddenly realizing how INCREDIBLY hypocritical they were being. Spike whimpered nervously, while Rainbow muttered half-baked justifications that didn't sound right to her anymore.

Finally, they both fell silent, before Rainbow spoke: "We just had Equestria's best interests in mind..."

Celestia sighed, letting up a little on her demeanor. "The road to Tartarus is paved with good intentions."

Spike put his head in his hands. "We just messed up a huge opportunity, didn't we?"

"Not yet," Luna pointed out. "Not if Twilight can convince Chrysalis to come back..."

Chrysalis strode down the street, nose up in the air and eggs securely on her back. She didn't know where she was headed, since her old campsite was now known; but this time, she'd make sure to stay away from any —

*POP* "Chrysalis, wait!"

Darn it.

Chrysalis sighed, looking down to find Twilight Sparkle standing in front of her, a desperate look on her face. "What do you want? As if it weren't obvious enough..."

"Chrysalis," Twilight began, "please don't go!"

"Why? So you can plan things behind my back? So that rainbow brat can yell at me that I don't belong, when I haven't done anything to her?"

Twilight hesitated slightly at that.

This didn't go unnoticed by Chrysalis. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

The unicorn jumped, then tried to wriggle her way out of the situation. "N-n-no, of course not! I-I mean, not specifically to her, but — er, what I meant is — that is to say..."

The Queen fixed her with a harsh stare, stopping her in her tracks. "What do you know?"

Twilight tried in vain to find one last saving grace, but none came. So she eventually relented, "You attacked Canterlot."

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, tone remaining authoritative. "Your tone says you aren't lying, but I cannot recall such an event occuring."

Twilight silently gestured to the side of her own head, prompting Chrysalis to feel the bump on hers. "You were defeated, and your injuries gave you amnesia."

She raised an eyebrow. She was injured for reasons she couldn't remember...

Then she shook her head, "But that's ridiculous; why would I possibly attack the capital of Equestria? "

"I don't know," Twilight admitted, "but my friends and I were all there to witness it."

Suddenly, some puzzle pieces clicked in her head. "That's why you asked if I was at a wedding three weeks ago, isn't it? And why you assumed I was a Queen?"

The unicorn nodded. "You replaced the bride, and attacked the entire city. It was only through the power of the real bride's love for her husband that you were stopped."

Chrysalis was beginning to reel. "No, this... This can't be, I... If I was leading the charge, then... Mothra...."

To Twilight's surprise, Chrysalis actually started to tear up. "She's dead, isn't she? Mothra is dead, and I can't even remember it."

Twilight stepped forward, "Chrysalis, I'm —"

The Queen stuck out a hoof to halt her. "No, I... I need some time to..."

She couldn't even finish that sentence; she simply wandered back into the Everfree Forest to give herself time to think.

"What do you mean, 'She knows now'?!"

"She read me like a book!" Twilight defended. "She saw that I was hiding something, and broke me!"

Luna paced across the foyer. "This could be bad. If she begins remembering things, then she could turn back to evil, and we'll be back at square one."

Spike, meanwhile, was sitting in the corner, holding his legs close to his body. "I didn't realize… I'm so sorry…."

Twilight sighed. "I don't blame you for being suspicious, Spike. But you need to learn when to hold your tongue."

Spike blinked. "Why would I ever need to hold my tongue? It's not like I can lose it...."

"Not literally, Spike; it's—"

"Where did Rainbow Dash go?" Celestia spoke for the first time since her outburst, grabbing everyone's attention. They all looked around the room, but couldn't find any trace of the speedster pegasus.

Chrysalis frowned down at the ground, lost in thought. Since she'd gathered enough love at Fluttershy's cottage, she was now disguised as a mouse, and had hidden herself and her eggs under a bush just outside of Ponyville. She probably could've been thinking about how it likely wasn't healthy for her eggs to be moved around so much, but that wasn't what was front and center in her mind.

'Why did I attack Canterlot?' She just couldn't wrap her head around it. Changelings were all about discretion when it came to feeding, but Twilight had said she'd attacked Canterlot during a wedding. That went against almost everything they stood for, so why did she do it?! There had to be a reason, right?

And there was also that lingering sense of loss at Mothra's death, as well as the guilt of not being able to remember it. She was such a role model, it was hard to even imagine life without her. Chrysalis could still remember the time she provoked a bugbear, thinking the fight-or-flight would trigger her magic. Mothra had to come in and rescue her, teaching her a valuable lesson about not getting in over her head.

'Well, so much for that…' she reflected dryly. She was about to question what she'd truly learned from her sisters, when there came a voice.

"Chrysalis?"

The Changeling in question frowned; what the hay was Rainbow Dash doing here? Was she not satisfied by only yelling at her once? She decided to stay quiet and just listen.

"C'mon, please don't leave…." the pegasus appeared from the foliage, scanning the immediate area. She looked genuinely worried, and was now carrying something on her back.

When she didn't spot anything, she hit herself in the forehead. "Ugh, stupid Rainbow Dash, always jumping the gun! Why do I always do this?!"

She then projected her voice — not too loudly, lest she attract any unwanted creatures. "Well, if you can hear me, I just want to say…."

She seemed to struggle, before finally relenting, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I was so focused on trying to stop some evil plot that I didn't consider the possibility that… you didn't have one. I jumped the gun, and now you're out there again, doing who-knows-what to survive.

"Princess Luna reminded me that I'm supposed to give people second chances, but I got so caught up in the past, and in myself, that I failed to see what was happening in the present. I'm supposed to be the Element of Loyalty, but I... I didn't trust Twilight when she asked me to. She doesn't deserve that, and you don't deserve that."

Chrysalis stayed in the bush, playing it cautious. The emotions coming from Dash may have been genuine, but it'd take more than that to get back on her good side.

The pegasus wiped away something in her eye. "I know I'm not the best at sappy stuff like this, but that's how I feel, y'know?" When no response came, she sighed. "Look, I'll just leave these here, and be on my way. You don't have to come back if you don't want, but just know that I'm really, genuinely sorry for how I acted." She used her wings to lift the box from her back, and set it down on the forest floor. Stepping back, she took one last look at it. "Hopefully, nothing gets to them before you do...," she commented unsurely, before flying away.

Chrysalis waited for another moment, just long enough to make sure that Dash was really gone, before using her magic to bring the box closer. She opened it, then paused.

'Honey cupcakes... how fitting.' Scanning them with her magic just to be safe, she took one out and bit it.

It was even sweeter than last time.

Chrysalis glanced to where Rainbow Dash went, then resumed eating -- she still needed that time to think, after all.

Meanwhile, the search for Rainbow Dash was entering Panic Mode. Twilight was teleporting between rooftops, Spike was asking the ponies on the street, and the Princesses were searching the Library from top to bottom (didn't want to come out and make the citizens worry, after all).

Twilight was just starting to lose the shape of her hair, when she spotted Rainbow Dash returning to town. "There you are!" she shouted, teleporting in close to her prismatic friend. "Where the hay did you go without telling anypony?!"

"Just trying to make peace with Chrysalis," Rainbow replied simply, looking somewhat better, but still very much down.

That certainly made Twilight pause. "You were?" A nod. "How so?"

"Got her some cupcakes," she pulled out a receipt from Sugar Cube Corner. "Couldn't find her, so I left them near the forest."

"That's… a rather quick turnaround," Twilight remarked, not 100% believing, but still able to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Yeah, well, when Princess Celestia of all ponies yells at you, that tends to get your head screwed on straight," she stated, with just a hint of self-loathing.

Twilight may not have been the most socially conscious pony at times, but she certainly picked up on that. "Well, I'm glad you were able to go through with it."

Rainbow shrugged, "Meh." With that, she flew back to the Library.

Twilight watched her for a moment, then glanced back out at the forest. All they could reasonably do now was hope that Chrysalis would be alright.

…

The ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters stood there, silently weathering the elements for hundreds of years. Many travelers had happened upon it during their journeys, but not many knew the full significance of the structure, or what had really happened there.

Chrysalis didn't know, either, but it still held a special place in her heart for a different reason: this was where she and Mothra used to play together, back before the Hive was driven out of Equestria entirely. Life was so much simpler back then; they'd slide down the banisters, run down seemingly endless hallways, explore secret passageways, practice flying laps between the remaining towers, and get lost reading books in the library. In fact, if it weren't for a spell that Mothra had cast six hundred years ago, those books would likely have been taken away by time.

The Changeling sighed. She knew that they weren't immortal, just really long-lived. She knew that, eventually, they'd all kick the bucket, and leave their children alone in this life. But it didn't make Mothra's death any less painful; in fact, it made it more so. She still had her whole life ahead of her; what the hay happened?!

Only little snippets were beginning to come back, but not enough to piece together what actually happened. A feeling of panic, a sad look in Mothra's eye, a great deal of anger... Chrysalis wracked her brain, trying to remember anything else, but no such luck. She sighed, setting her eggs down in a nook between two toppled pillars, and got comfortable.

Six Nights Later....

Chrysalis was on a boat floating in a vast, endless ocean, which sparkled like the night sky despite it appearing to be day. Her eggs were there, too, but they'd sprouted legs, and were now acting as her crew.

"All systems good, My Captain," said one, in both every voice and no voice at all.

"Excellent, Lieutenant," she commended. "I'll put in a good word with your Commander."

"Thank you, My Captain." With that, the nameless egg left to continue its work.

Suddenly, a large wave rocked the boat. Chrysalis grabbed onto the railing to steady herself, helpless as she watched her entire crew tumble off the port side. She looked around angrily for the source of the wave, then gasped.

A titanic unicorn stallion was wading knee-deep in the ocean, looming over the ship with a cold look in its arctic blue eyes and a glimmering amber mane. The wind was picking up, and Chrysalis gritted her teeth from the effort of hanging on, but to no avail; she slipped, and fell through the water as though it weren't even there.

She didn't know how long she fell for, but she eventually landed on an arid hillside just outside the Hive. A storm was brewing in the distance, the scarce bushes nearby were withering one by one in front of her eyes, and the moon seemed to have a mane of flowing stars.

"After them! Don't let them escape!"

Chrysalis turned her head to see a group of Changelings, led by Mothra, charging towards a group of ponies that were running away from them. Their hiking clothes and large saddlebags gave the impression that they were explorers. What they were doing here, Chrysalis had no idea, but they'd wandered too close to the Hive, so now they had to capture them to retain their secrecy.

And smack dab in the middle of them was that unicorn stallion with the amber mane.

Mothra and her troops dashed towards the fleeing ponies, gaining ground quickly. Some of the earth ponies bucked rocks backwards to try and slow them down, and they got a few of the drones, but there were simply too many of them. Chrysalis began to run forward, a cold sense of dread creeping down her spine.

Then Mothra began to encroach on the ponies.

The unicorn turned his head, horn aglow.

"Mothra, look out!"

She never stood a chance.

Chrysalis jerked awake, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Her carapace was lathered in sweat, and her breathing was heavy. Regardless, she kept her head held against the ground for a moment as she processed the first clear dream she'd had since she landed in the Everfree.

Then she sat up, made sure her eggs were secured on her back, and teleported away to find some answers.

The scratching of quill on parchment was the only sound Twilight could hear as she worked late into the night. She was currently writing a letter to Princess Celestia, updating her on things in Ponyville.

Then someone knocked quietly on the front door. Twilight wouldn't have even noticed if she hadn't placed an enchantment on the door. Twilight, curious as to who could be visiting at this late hour, set down her quill, walked into the foyer, and opened the door.

"Hello, Twilight."

The unicorn blinked at the familiar face. It'd been almost a week since she'd last seen it, but she recognized it all the same. "Oh, Chrysalis! Uh, come on in!"

Chrysalis did so, sitting down at the table in the center of the room and setting her eggs on one of the chairs. Now that the Queen was in the candlelight, Twilight noticed that she was in rough shape. She had bags under her eyes, her mane was unkempt, she seemed drenched in sweat, and was an overall mess - even more so than usual. "Are you alright?" Twilight asked.

"Depends on how you answer this question," she stated coolly. "Was there a white unicorn stallion with amber hair at the wedding?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Wha?"

"White unicorn stallion, blue eyes, amber hair." She hesitated for a moment, before transforming her head into a copy of the stallion's.

Twilight blinked. "Prince Blueblood? No, he was in Fillydelphia that week."

Chrysalis reverted to her natural form, her own emotionally fried expression retaking her face. "...he was?"

Twilight nodded, confused.

The changeling stood stock still for several seconds, eye twitching.

Then she started to laugh. "Well, isn't that just terrific!"

"What is?" Twilight was getting a bit disconcerted. "And how do you even know Blueblood?"

"The ONE pony that I ACTUALLY wanted revenge on," she cackled a little crazily, "and he wasn't even AT the Invasion!"

Then she slammed her head on the table so hard that the wood cracked a little, her laughs falling silent. "What is wrong with me?"

"Chrysalis," Twilight asked a bit more forcefully, "could you please tell me what's going on, and what you meant by all of that?"

Without even lifting her head off the table, Chrysalis recounted her dream. Twilight listened at first with curiosity, then with horror as she realized what it meant.

"Chrysalis, that's...." the unicorn had absolutely no idea how to respond. She went to stand up, paused, sat back down, shuffled a bit in her seat, tried to find something for her eyes to focus on, and finally hit her hoof against the table in frustration. "That's just... I really don't know what to say... how are you, um, feeling?"

"How do you think?" Chrysalis rolled her head so that one eye could glare at Twilight.

Twilight blinked. "Yeah, that was a pretty dumb question. But, um, are you going to be okay?"

Chrysalis lifted her head, thinking over her feelings. "Well, I can remember how mad I was, and I'm certainly not that mad anymore...."

"If there's anything I can do to help—"

Chrysalis turned on Twilight. "Why are you so eager to help?? Judging from what you told me, you should be the one asking what I can do for you! I attacked your kingdom in a fit of blind rage; why are you so damn forgiving?!"

"Because that's what friends do."

Chrysalis blinked, her anger falling short.

"We are friends now, aren't we?" Twilight smiled hopefully, not even missing a beat.

The Changeling looked away. "I've never had friends before. Servants, yes. Neighbors, occasionally. But a friend?" She fell silent at that.

"Then would you allow me the honor of being your first?"

Chrysalis hesitated for the longest moment.

Then she allowed herself a little smile. "I suppose I wouldn't mind."

Twilight's smile grew in return. "So, what can I do to help?"

Author's Note

How's it only been 5 months since I last updated this story? It feels like so much longer!

I've actually had this chapter done for a while, but I was trying to force in a conversation with Luna when there really doesn't need to be one (though Luna is still present for the dream sequence, as shown by the Moon having her mane). I also tried splitting it into two chapters at one point, starting the next chapter with Chrysalis and Twilight's reunion. But without the Luna stuff, it makes more sense to be just one.

So, this concludes Arc 1. Stay tuned as I figure out what the heck Arc 2 will be about!

(And no, I'm not trying to villain-ize Blueblood, or pin the Invasion on him. He was in a life-threatening situation, and did what he had to in order for his group to survive. And what Chrysalis did, regardless of motive, was entirely her own choice.)

You might be wondering what Blueblood was doing out in the Badlands. Rest assured, an explanation will come in Arc 2.

(ACT 2) «Anything to report yet?»

«Negative, my Queen,» the drone sent back through the Hive Mind.

The Queen slumped back in her hiding spot. She didn't like being this close to civilization, but given how relatively young she was, she had to be at such close range for the Hive Mind to work.

But there were more pressing matters at the moment. It'd been 4½ weeks since the invasion, and still, Chrysalis hadn't come back. They knew roughly where she'd landed, but by the time they'd recuperated enough to send out a search party, there wasn't a trace of her - not even a corpse. And they couldn't reach her through the Hive Mind, either; something had cut their connection.

But they all knew her; if there was even the slimmest chance that she was alive, then she'd no doubt be fighting until the very end. Rhizophage had found that trait quite admirable, but Mothra had expressed concern that it might spell disaster if channeled in the wrong direction.

'Oh, how right you were,' Strigae thought to herself, recalling how devastating the Invasion had been. She hadn't participated herself, but given the state of the drones that managed to return, she didn't doubt for a second how capable the ponies were when they needed to be.

«My Queen!» The drone's sudden urgency pulled Strigae out of her thoughts. «I just saw something!»

The drone was currently walking down Main Street, disguised as an average Earth Pony. He'd seen a flash of green just as he was turning his head, but by the time he looked back, it was already over. He then relayed this all to Strigae.

"That almost certainly confirms it," the young monarch muttered to herself. She told the drone, «Alright, stay in the general area, but don't break character. I'll send in a couple more scouts to covertly sweep the area.»

The drone sent back an affirmative, before the line went silent.

"Just what are you up to, sis?"

ACT 2: The Search For Blueblood

"Just what are we up to, Twilight?" Chrysalis asked, her voice shifted to fit her disguise.

"I've already told you, Rarity," Twilight acted the part, "we're just going on a quick trip to Canterlot."

"And what of my... You know?" The former Queen couldn't help but let some worry slip into her voice as she glanced back at the Library.

"Spike's already taking care of it."

The eggs lay in a protective basket as Spike sat in a nearby chair and watched, Peewee perched atop his head.

"So," Spike started, still looking at the eggs, "you guys doing alright?"

The eggs said nothing.

Spike chuckled to himself. "Yeah, I get that. I came from an egg, too, so I know how that is."

The eggs remained silent.

Spike then sighed. "Not much for conversation, are they?" He rhetorically asked his little pet phoenix.

Peewee chirped in response.

Regardless, doubt still nagged at Chrysalis, even after they boarded the train. She kept pacing back and forth along the car, while Twilight watched from her seat. It was odd for her, seeing the former invader so nervous (even if she was disguised as Rarity, who she was far more used to seeing like this).

"Look," Twilight finally piped up as soon as she figured out the words, "I know you're worried, but right now, we need to focus on the task at hoof. What're we going to do once we arrive in Canterlot?"

Chrysalis finally stopped pacing, but still didn't take a seat. "Well, one thing's for sure; we need to figure out why Blueblood was there in the first place."

Twilight nodded. "If we can't find him directly, we'll need to ask Celestia —"

Chrysalis held up her hoof to stop Twilight. "I, uh... I don't think I'm ready to face her again. Not after remembering...." She cut it off there because there were still other passengers in the train car with them.

Twilight nodded. "Then how about Luna?"

Chrysalis hesitantly nodded. "Yeah, I think I can handle that."

"And if she doesn't know?"

The disguised queen gulped. "Then hopefully, I'll be ready by then."

The day was still young when Applejack entered Sugarcube Corner. She briefly scanned the tables until she spotted the prismatic hair of Rainbow Dash, and headed over.

When the pegasus noticed her approaching, she sighed in relief. "About time; I've been sitting here for three whole minutes, just staring at the menu."

AJ took note of the subtle teasing tone, and shot back: "Just imagine if'n it were four minutes; who knows what you woulda done?"

They both chuckled a little, before Rainbow Dash got up to order their treats (a glazed apple donut for AJ, and a lemon cupcake for Dash). Once she sat back down to wait, they started some small talk — mostly normal stuff, like how Dash was preparing to apply for the Wonderbolts Academy.

Then the topic changed. "Have you heard anything about Chrysalis lately?" AJ made sure to speak in a more hushed tone.

Dash shook her head. "Nothing you haven't. I'm still really worried that I screwed up big time."

"We were all suspicious at first," AJ reminded her. "Ah don't exactly agree with how ya went about it, but Ah can see where ya were comin' from."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't exactly fix what I did."

"Ah know..." They fell into an awkward silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say.

Thankfully, they didn't need to figure it out yet, because Pinkie chose that moment to bring them their food with a chipper, "Hope you girls enjoy!"

"Thanks, Pinkie," they both replied, before digging into their confectioneries. They were tasty, but couldn't distract them from the conversation forever.

"AJ...?" Rainbow finally continued.

The country mare raised an eyebrow in response.

"Do you think... even if she is telling the truth, and were willing to put everything behind her... would Equestria even be ready to forgive her?"

AJ thought for a moment. "Well, maybe in places like Dodge Junction, where they're far enough removed. As fer places like here... Ah'm not sure. Ah s'pose it's still too soon t' tell."

"Yeah, I thought so, too...." Once again, they continued to eat, now more unsure than ever.

After what felt like years, Chrysalis finally felt the train roll to a stop at Canterlot Station. Her anxiety made her shoot out of her seat faster than Twilight could even blink, but she paused when she caught sight of somepony out the window.

"Twilight? I know we agreed to see Princess Luna, but is she supposed to meet us here?"

Author's Note

I finally got back to writing this! I was stuck on the AJ and RD section, then started focusing on getting my YouTube channel back up and running, and because of all of that, I lost a lot of that original momentum.

But I've finally broken through, and here we are! I've got a good majority of it planned out, so hopefully, the next chapter won't take so long (no promises, though).

"Princess Luna's here?!"

"See for yourself," Chrysalis gestured out the window, still disguised as Rarity. Twilight peeked around the edge; indeed, the Princess of the Night was standing in broad daylight on the train platform, flanked by several of her guard. They all looked a little tired from being up this early, but they held firm nonetheless.

"Well, isn't that a good thing? We did just agree to see her."

"Yes, but why is she here? Is she expecting us, or is it coincidence?"

"I don't know, but it seems we're about to find out." She pointed out the window again, bringing attention to the fact that Luna and her entourage were now boarding the train. This caused Chrysalis to start losing her cool, her breathing growing much quicker.

The Princess entered the car they were in, her guards not far behind. Chrysalis sensed that she was taken aback at the sight of them, but her face hardly registered it at all. "Greetings, Twilight, 'Rarity'," she stated the latter with just enough air quotes for them to pick up that she knew, but not enough for potential eavesdroppers to do the same. "You're just the ponies I wished to see."

Twilight was the first to step forward. "How'd you know we were coming?"

"It is my job to monitor the dreams of Equestria and protect its citizens from nightmares. I was making my rounds last night when I found a very peculiar one." Chrysalis started sweating at that. "I was unsure if I should intervene or not, but the dream ended before I could decide.

"Then, my sister told me that you didn't send your nightly missive updating her on the situation, and we were able to put the pieces together that something happened. Meeting you here was actually a fortunate coincidence; I was planning on taking the train to meet you."

"Why not use a personal carriage?" Twilight asked.

Luna blushed faintly. "Well... truth is, I've never been on a train before, and wanted to experience it."

Twilight, not really knowing how to respond to that, went with a simple, "Oh."

"So," Chrysalis began, "exactly how much of my dream did you see?"

"Enough," Luna answered vaguely. She turned around and beckoned them to follow. "Come, there is much to discuss."

Twilight and Chrysalis glanced at each other, then began to follow.

"I wonder how Spike is doing," Twilight pondered.

Spike periodically glanced up from the comic book he was reading, checking that the eggs were still safe. Peewee had fallen asleep on the desk next to him, snoring little puffs of smoke. The sunlight filtered in through the closed blinds and, combined with everything else, gave Spike that special feeling that a filly might get during summer vacation.

"Nearly noon, and nothing to report yet...." Spike paused as his stomach grumbled. "Unless that counts."

He quickly got up, checking back one last time, before heading into the kitchen. He checked the cupboards, but was surprised to find that they were nearly empty.

"Right," he remembered, "we were supposed to go grocery shopping today." His stomach grumbled louder, but the only things in the pantry were things Twilight liked. "What am I supposed to do? I can't exactly leave right now...."

He peeked back at the eggs, then glanced at Peewee, and hatched an idea.

It was nearly noon by the time that Dashie and AJ left Sugarcube Corner. They had perked up slightly, but were still slightly sullen from their conversation.

"So," Rainbow tried to bring the mood back up, "any good news on the farm lately?"

"Well, we're preparing for the Summer Harvest Parade next week. And our cousin Babs is gonna be comin' over to help celebrate."

"Oh, that sounds like fun! I should be able to —"

Whatever Rainbow Dash was about to say died in her throat as something red-and-yellow flew directly between them. They both looked back to find that it was Peewee, heading towards Sugarcube Corner with a rolled up piece of parchment in his claws.

"What's Peewee doin' out here all on his lonesome?" Applejack asked.

"I dunno, but judging by that paper, I'm guessing it's not an accident."

AJ looked at her. "Is it even our place ta be pryin'?"

Dash hesitated for a moment, then took off after Peewee. AJ sighed, then followed behind.

«My Queen,» one of the drones began, «I just spotted something strange.»

«What is it, Ely?» Queen Strigae asked.

«A baby phoenix carrying a roll of parchment is flying down Fourth Street, with the Elements of Loyalty and Honesty in hot pursuit.»

Strigae blinked. That was certainly abnormal, but it didn't quite scream 'Chrysalis' to her.

Still, better to be safe than sorry. «Alright, get to a secluded spot, then initiate infiltration tactic Epsilon-6.»

«Roger that,» Ely replied, before ducking off to find a back alley.

Strigae sighed, stretching in her cramped hiding space. Her left hoof brought down a cobweb with it, and she looked down at it, finding that the spider it belonged to was now trying to bite her.

Unfortunately for it, its bite proved no match against her chitin. She slurped up the creature, wiping the leftover cobwebs on a nearby support beam. 'Hopefully, we'll find her soon,' she bemoaned to herself. 'I like free snacks and all, but it's just too musty here for my liking.'

Princess Luna's study was rather unorthodox, relative to her sister's. There was the same kind of fireplace, but instead of a fancy couch in front of it, it was instead a pile of plush cushions and pillows arranged on the floor. The bookshelves were just as full, but instead of books on cooking and old legends, there were instead detective stories, romantic novellas, and scripts from centuries-old plays. The large window on the east side also had its curtains drawn, as opposed to Celestia's open, west-facing window. And instead of a perch where Philomena would preen herself, it was instead a small tree, with Tiberius the possum hanging from one of its branches.

It was here that Twilight and Chrysalis found themselves, waiting while Luna went to retrieve something. Chrysalis had dropped her disguise once they entered, and they now sat on cushions taken from the pile.

"What do you think she's getting?" Chrysalis asked.

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm guessing it has to do with your dream last night."

"Yeah, well, no duh," Chrysalis rolled her eyes, then got up and started looking through the shelves. She stopped when she reached the romance section, and Twilight was about to ask what she was doing, when the pink haze of love began to appear from the vicinity of the books.

"Ah, feeding?" Twilight asked.

Chrysalis nodded. "Romance novels always collect a lot of residual love energy."

Twilight thought for a moment. "If you can eat ambient love energy, then why feed on ponies?"

"Much more filling when it comes from the source," Chrysalis explained. "It's like trying to survive off the crumbs instead of the meal they came from."

Twilight didn't particularly like the comparison, but understood the logic behind it.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Luna returned. In her magic, she held a couple of scrolls and a platter of different treats, which included honey cupcakes.

"Speaking of a meal..." Chrysalis licked her lips, eyeing the cupcakes. Luna smirked at her expression, and allowed Chrysalis to levitate one to her. The former queen took a bite, nearly tearing up at how good it tasted.

"Now, let's get down to business," Luna began, taking out one of the scrolls. "First of all, I want to have you read this over."

The scroll floated over to Chrysalis, who'd almost entirely devoured the cupcake in that short amount of time. "What ish it?" She asked through a mouthful of pastry.

"It's a first draft for a royal decree we plan to send to Ponyville," Luna explained. "It's only a temporary measure that should hopefully make it so you can walk around in public without having the guards called on you. We can discuss a proper treatise between us once this whole mess has been sorted."

Chrysalis swallowed, then read it over. She paused on one part: " 'She shall not be let out of sight of a wielder of the Elements of Harmony until a fortnight has passed'?"

"Just to put the citizens' minds at ease," the Princess elaborated.

Chrysalis continued reading, then nodded. "The terms seem fair enough at a glance, though I'll have to take a second look once this meeting here is over."

"Excellent," Luna smiled, taking the scroll back. "Next, I'd like to discuss the nightmare you experienced last night."

"I'd certainly like that as well," Chrysalis stated simply.

Luna hesitated for a moment, then looked through her scrolls as she began: "Six weeks ago, I found Prince Blueblood in the West Courtyard, watching a group of tourists. We began to chat, and he made some... less-than appropriate comments about their appearance and perceived wealth. I tried to tell him off for it, but he kept at it. And based on what the castle staff told me, this was not the first time.

"Of course, I decided he needed to be taught a lesson. It was fortunate coincidence that, a few days prior, one of our scouting platoons had to send home a number of soldiers due to sickness. So I decided to send him, thinking he'd simply spend a month in a cabin, getting his act together.

"Unfortunately, it would appear that somepony spotted something suspicious in the Badlands, and...." She pulled out another scroll and floated it over to Chrysalis, who opened it.

Princess Luna,

It is with the utmost urgency that we inform you of recent events, and seek your knowledge. Prince Blueblood's platoon was deployed to investigate reports of unusual activity, but yesterday afternoon, only twelve of them returned, battered and bruised, claiming to have been attacked.

They described their assailants as pony-sized insects, gray and black in color, and bearing gnarled fangs and pointed horns. This description matches with the mythical Changelings, and their injuries are quite real, but all accounts of them are relegated to myth and fairy tale. We were hoping to hear your opinion.

We also regret to inform you that the Prince was so distraught by the events that he left the complex in the middle of the night. Sentinel Graze had spotted him and tried to intervene, but the Prince, in his distraught state, lashed out and knocked him unconscious before making a break for it. We're currently doing our best to locate him, but with so many of our troops either sick or injured, we're having no such luck.

Chrysalis couldn't read any more. A shadow fell over her face as she processed.

"That," explained Luna, "was written almost five weeks ago. However, I only received it this morning, after seeing your dream and becoming concerned. Turns out the carrier had misplaced it, and it got lost until I came looking."

Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes locked on Chrysalis, waiting for the reaction.

Her face fell flat.

She took a deep breath...

And she stood up, walked to the window, and wordlessly drew open the curtains.

Both mares glanced at each other, then quickly stood up in case she tried something. "Chrysalis?"

She didn't respond, just stared out of the window, standing almost completely motionless. Twilight cautiously crept around to look her in the eyes.

Nothing. There was no discernible emotion in those distinctly green eyes whatsoever. Twilight hadn't noticed before how expressive they could be, but now that they were devoid of anything, it frightened Twilight on an entirely new level.

"I..." She was so caught off-guard that she was left floundering for words. What could she possibly say?

"I can see that you need some time to process," Luna read the room. "Take as much as you need; we'll be here to talk once you're ready."

With that, Twilight rejoined Luna at their seats, waiting for the Queen to come back to reality.

Author's Note

See? That didn't take too long; it's only been –
*(Sees calendar)*
TEN MONTHS?!

Sorry it took so long, guys; been trying to figure out how to write Chrysalis here while balancing out the tone (to be honest, I'm still trying to figure it out). To reward you for your patience, here's this story's longest chapter yet!

Just know that I am still working on these!