“You know I was joking, right?”

Cozy stared up at the crystal castle, then back at her travel companion.

“No, you were right. I need answers,” Chrysalis glared at the towering pillars reflecting in the autumn daylight. “I have to know what that mare was thinking when she was handling the roster.”

“I mean I always savor when you tell me I’m right, but this still seems really stupid,” Cozy said, shaking her head in disapproval.

“Well, I didn’t ask you to be here, now did I?” Chrysalis snarled. “I’m capable of handling my own demons without an annoying pink one tailing me wherever I go.”

Cozy rolled her eyes, sarcastically patting Chrysalis on the back. “Riiiight. Whatever, I’m gonna see if I can trick Sunburst into jerking off Flash or something,” she said before flying off.

With an annoyed scowl on her face, Chrysalis stomped her way through the castle. Her focus was set on getting to the throne room, no matter who would get in her way. Though even as she slowed down to look, none of the guards seemed to even acknowledge her existence.

No matter, she kicked the double doors to the throne room open, pointing an accusatory hoof at the princess on the throne. “You! I want answers, now!” she hissed.

Cadence and Shining Armor looked up at the intruder that just burst through their castle without so much as a flinch of surprise.

“Oh hey, Chrysalis, what do you want to know?” Cadence said with a smile and gentle wave.

“I…” Chrysalis paused, confused why they weren’t even shocked she stormed in. “I want answers to this whole…thing that you’re hosting!”

Shining casually sipped from his mug of coffee. “Is there a problem with how we’ve been hosting No Clop so far?”

Chrysalis stomped her hoof on the floor. “First off, why would you two even think of inviting me to participate? Surely you must have some sort of ulterior motive!”

Cadence and Shining armor exchanged looks.

“Well, you still said yes, didn’t you?” Shining shrugged. “Plus you’re always going on about your pride as a changeling, and we figured you should get a second shot at proving that.”

“Plus we heard from about your situation from Cozy Glow, and you seemed so lonely-”

“I neither want nor need your pity!” Chrysalis barked, her lower eyelid twitching in fury. “But even besides me, why everyone else?”

Cadence tilted her head. “I don’t follow. I just thought it’d be nice to give some others a chance to join in on this fun little game.”

“Oh, don’t give me that!” Chrysalis scoffed. “These ponies and other creatures from all around the world, some of them barely have a connection to anyone else! There must be some other reason they’re on the roster!”

Cadence’s expression hardened up. “Do you truly want to know?”

Chrysalis’s head perked up. “Are you going to tell me?”

Cadence stood up, her face still serious. “Very well.”

Without another word, she started walking off, and Shining Armor quietly followed behind, slowly shaking his head in disapproval.

Now confused and slightly concerned, Chrysalis followed.

The walk was short and quiet, but plenty awkward as Cadence opened the door up to what looked like the couple’s bedroom.

“Is this some kind of twisted joke?” Chrysalis said, blood already rushing to her cheeks.

Still silent, Cadence walked to one of the walls and knocked on it with her hoof. The crystalline walls started to give way to create a hidden entrance to another room. Cadence stepped aside, gesturing with her hoof to let Chrysalis go in first.

“What…what is this?”

The side room was deceptively large, but there was so much that was placed inside. Blackboards, file cabinets, and thick binders. It looked more like something Twilight would have.

But the most concerning thing was on the walls. All the walls. Photographs of ponies, griffons, dragons and all sorts of other characters, connected by different colors of string. Red string between pairings like Yona and Sandbar, Thorax and Ember, and Fluttershy and Discord. Purple string linking Kerfuffle, Celaeno, and Tempest together, as well as Tree Hugger with Fluttershy, Harshwhinny, and Discord. Several of the strings had sticky notes attached with various comments like “Very serious”, “Open relationship”, “Hasn’t confessed yet” and much more. Feather Bangs in particular had a lot of notes and strings attached to his picture.

But it didn’t stop at just the current year’s participants, there were far more on the walls linked by threads and marked with sticky notes. Zecora and Daring Do, Cheerilee and Soarin’, Limestone Pie and Gilda, Pharynx and Mina…It was almost like all of Equestria and beyond was being…monitored…

“I…this is…!” Chrysalis felt her breathing getting shorter. All this information was getting to be too much to process.

At first glance, it looked so chaotic, but as Chrysalis started to study how each character connected to the others, she saw how it was organized to a meticulous and frightening degree.

“You’re not the only one who gets stronger from love, you know,” Cadence finally spoke up, standing in the entryway. “It’s been such a delight getting all these new participants.”

“So…this is why you…!”

Cadence calmly nodded. “All of those ponies and buffalo and parrots that weren’t in the big inner circle before…Just have them participate in No Clop November, and that’s suddenly dozens of potential romantic connections right there! Of course, it doesn’t hurt to strengthen the love some couples already have for each other, maybe while adding a third or a fourth into the mix…”

Chrysalis looked at Shining Armor. “How are you so calm? H-How long have you known?!”

Shining took a tired sip of his coffee. “Honestly, after the first few years, it became kinda normal.”

“It takes a lot of energy to magically force love. It’s a lot easier to just give a bunch of little nudges. Sure, it takes a bit more time, but when the love is more genuine, it’s easier to subtly manipulate them to do what you want…” Cadence's smug smile turned into a wicked grin. “After all, it’s amazing the lengths some will go to for love. As I’m sure you know already, Chrysalis.”

“Wha…huh?”

“Just imagine all the little things I could make happen just because someone loved their significant other. Improved physical health because muscles are attractive, precious gems being bought and sold because it makes a lovely gift to boost our economy, or perhaps a jealous or heartbroken ruler declares war…”

Chrysalis’s jaw was agape. “W-Why show me this? Why tell me any of this!?”

“Because…what are you going to do? Who are you going to tell?” Cadence sneered, walking right up to the terrified changeling’s face. “Who’s going to believe you?”

For the first time, Chrysalis felt genuinely scared of Cadence. “Someone will have to believe me! They’ll find out about all of this! I-I won’t let you conquer Equestria before I do!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of plans for you, Chryssie…” Cadence smirked, holding up pictures of 3 different ponies: A gray mare with a cross-eyed stare, an all-too familiar orange earth pony with a cowboy hat, and a green stallion with 5 o'clock shadow that already filled Chrysalis with disgust just by looking at him.

“No…NO! You wouldn’t…!? Y-You’re not the type…!” Chrysalis’s legs gave out from under her as her head started to spin. The last clear image she saw was of Cadence’s wicked grin, her maniacal laughter echoing in her ears before everything went dark.

“...llo? Helloooooo? Chryssie?”

“Nnnguh…wuh? Huh? Who…?” Chrysalis groaned. Instead of being inside of Cadence’s castle, she was out on the streets of the empire, with Cozy Glow knocking her hoof on her head.

“Oh good, you’re finally awake. Sheesh, I almost considered getting worried for you!”

“I…where’s Cadence? I have to stop-”

“Hell if I know,” Cozy shrugged. “I just came back to see you out cold. What even happened to you?”

Chrysalis quickly shoved her hoof in front of Cozy’s mouth. “No time for that! We have to stop Princess Cadence from taking over Equestria with love!”

Cozy Glow blinked in bewilderment. “Wow, you musta hit your head hard or something.”

“No! I swear! She’s…evil! She’s planning on making everyone fall in love with each other so that she can manipulate them and everyone will do her bidding!”

Cozy rolled her eyes as she pushed the rambling Chrysalis in the direction of the train station. “Yeah yeah, sure, grandma. Let’s get you to bed.”

Author's Note

Look I know the nominations for next year's participants won't be for a while, but you guys have the chance to do the FUNNIEST thing.

3246932 / 3246934