She did not wait for the Elements to get the upper hand to make her escape. She did not wish to risk her hive by being encased in stone along with Nightmare Moon. Perhaps it was cowardly, perhaps it was cold. Nonetheless she was a mare of her word, and she had her objective.

Tracking down the dragon was shockingly easy. From the moment he departed the castle he soaked his surroundings in that delicious purple magic fire. From what she could detect, the trail of flames and miasma led straight towards Canterlot. What was odd was when she spotted miasma clouds slowly descending from the sky. It seemed like...

Looking up, she felt her jaw slacken. A colossal dragon, if it could be called that, soaring overhead. The familiar tasting magic fell behind it like a trail of fog, not that it seemed to be moving forward anymore. No, it was flapping its wings to remain relatively in place. It took a bit for her to find out why.

Its long serpentine neck reared back, and with a flourish it unleashed a powerful beam of pure magic. This ray of death lit the sky purple as it carved its way towards what she could only assume was the Equestrian capital in the distance. She noticed a shimmer of blue as it connected, and in an anticlimactic fashion it seemed the beam was fully neutralized. That or it carved straight through Canterlot, she couldn't quite tell from this distance.

Nonetheless she found herself hiding near the beast, waiting for the Great Maelstrom to land before making a report.

It was a smart move in hindsight, as she was blinded by the sun itself impacting the dragon directly in the chest. No, not the sun.

The Sun Titan herself.

Chrysalis had no time to panic, as she had to reposition lest she get caught in one of Princess Celestia's impressive and deadly light displays. The titan was managing to leave the surrounding wildlife completely untouched, a level of restraint that shot a spike of frustration through the changeling queen. If only she had such consideration for her home.

Things became even more complicated, as while hunting for a safe spot to observe she was bombarded with frantic messages from her spies. Using magic she carved a small trench behind a particularly steep hill, using that cover to catch her breath.

Three voices echoed, and with a sigh she commanded silence. The first to be granted speech was her lead spy, who swiftly reported the Princesses movements towards the strange threat in the distance. She ordered him to remain on standby, and granted voice to her other two.

One was a scout keeping an eye on the fallen castle, which reported the unfortunate news of Nightmare Moon's defeat. She bit back a curse, and the ground around her rippled as an inhuman bellow sounded behind her followed by a crash.

She silenced the last one before it could speak, as a loud explosion demanded her attention. She peaked over her cover and let out a hiss, dodging to the left to avoid the colliding meteor of scales landing dangerously close to her. She was spared injury by pure luck, the colossal dragon carving a massive trench past her as it crashed. No doubt from one of the sun titans spells. She commanded silence as she quickly threw up a pony disguise.

Her timing was fortunate, as within moments Celestia landed beside the downed dragon. In a flash of purple light she could see Lord Sombron kneeling in the beasts place. While he didn't seem dangerously wounded, he had welts and burns along his visible torso and arms.

Celestia bore superficial wounds as well, some bruising forming under her white coat and the beginnings of a decent sized shiner over her left eye. The two stared each other down, magic and powerful emotion seeping off of them in waves. Chrysalis had never experienced so much at once... before she could get nauseous, she dulled her senses and spun to take cover behind the now mostly demolished hill.

"You have lost, vile creature. My powers have fully returned to me, your mistress has lost. Surrender, and I shall be merciful" she could hear from her cover. She glanced around in time to watch Sombron spit blood at the mare's front hoof.

"Such sentiments are useless. We are at a stalemate, and I have no desire to face mortal courts" the dragon grumbled, and Chrysalis couldn't help but scowl. There was too much respect in that flurry of emotion for her liking. "I will now leave this place. Following does naught but cause more destruction, something we would both rather avoid. It would be pointless for Lady Moon to return to a barren rock."

"You dare. It was not me who attempted the murder of hundreds. You are not in a position to argue. Nor will you be able to stop my sun from purging any cover you find" the sun titan bellowed, and the surrounding temperature spiked. It was then that Chrysalis realized she had little time to act. Maintaining her disguise as a unicorn mare, she teleported to his side.

The shocked face of Celestia was the last thing she saw before she enveloped both herself and the dragon in green light.

Her vision blurred, and it became clear fast just how taxing warping such a magically potent being was. She warped twice, once to the Everfree forest and once more to its outskirts bordering the Wastelands. She all but collapsed into the dragon's side after that, her transformation burning away into the wind.

Strong arms held her as she caught her breath, and she suddenly found her senses assaulted with an addictive scent. She barely registered that he was holding his forearm out to her, nor did she think of the consequences of biting the dragon holding her. Instead she sank her fangs in and simply ate.

The blood, in hindsight, tasted awful. There was a method to her madness however, as this was among the faster methods to quickly syphon emotions. Had she the time, an extraction pod or mere proximity feeding would have worked. Alas, she was at a deficit that required immediate action.

All of her senses sharpened at once as she once more felt overfull. Off of a mere nibble alone... Chrysalis gingerly pried her fangs from his forearm and used a fraction of the magic syphoned to heal his wound.

"I... apologise-" she started, only to be cut off with a stern look from the creature holding her.

"Apologies for taking what is offered to you are pointless. Are you recharged?"

"I can... I can perform a few more teleports. Enough to reach the hive. I may request one more feeding upon reaching safe ground. This time with less... nibbling" she murmured, licking the odd tasting blood from her fangs. She was not afforded a verbal reply, instead his hands simply adjusting to allow her freedom of movement. Getting to her hooves, she braced herself.

Two more flashes of light encompassed them, leaving them in her throne room. She watched as the anti magic field took hold of them, though something strange happened. The field actively syphoned and disrupted sources of non-changeling magic, yet when it washed over him it simply... slid off of his frame. No, that would be inaccurate. It fought to suppress his magic, yet it somehow resisted it. The exchange made him seem almost godlike, glowing in ethereal purple light. His red eyes shone through the shroud, and Chrysalis could feel her heartbeat spike.

His gaze did not meet hers, his focus squarely centred on his glowing hand. Almost without warning his palm erupted into flame, making it quite clear his magic was far from disrupted in any meaningful sense. This both pleased her immensely, and terrified her. He could be a protector to her people, but one misstep meant her greatest defense would not spare them his wrath.

When his eyes met hers, her heart stopped.

"Will this... drain effect, be constant here? While its detriment is... negligible, I find this cosmetic effect infuriatingly bright" he asked, his tone rather flat. It took a moment to remember that she could breath, and her ensuing statement did little to hide how flustered she felt.

"I did not anticipate this, as usually the Onyx Throne simply negates the usage of any non-changeling spellcraft. I know not if the glow will subside with time" she replied, her voice a pitch higher than she would have liked. Clearing her throat, she continued. "Should you wish, I could make arrangements for you to stay out of its field. It would put you in danger of scrying spells, but it would allow you better comfort."

The Fell Dragon paused, seeming to weigh his options only to seemingly settle for shaking his head.

"I would not impose so suddenly. Besides, my priority should be confirming the status of our ally. That requires enlisting your spy network. Name your price, Queen Chrysalis." She took a moment to mull over his words. After a pause she shook her head in turn.

"I would never demand favors for an action I already planned to take. Be it as it may, action this soon would only endanger us. My spies will maintain their positions, and notify me of anything done or said in passing. I cannot risk sending my scouts back to the old castle, as that is likely a royal guard hotspot as of now."

"So we must simply sit on our laurels and wait. Riveting" he groused, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Perhaps it would be best to retire and lick my wounds."

"I have lodgings prepared for you. I had sent word the moment we all agreed to cooperate, though Lady Moon's room will remain unoccupied for now. I will guide you personally, and from there I will have a dedicated drone be your guide and serve as my speaker when I am not present" she replied, brushing past him to lead him out of the throne room. Their footsteps echoed through the halls of her castle as she led him through winding paths and oddly placed stairways.

He seemed to bristle as they turned the fifth left in a row. Whatever patience he had was wearing thin it seemed.

"Is there a reason this place is so haphazardly designed? It seems as much a detriment to its inhabitants than intruders." His words made her grin mischievously, and she made a show of flipping her mane as she gave her reply.

"This palace was designed to ensnare and confuse invaders. Anyone starting on the ground floor alone would find themselves trapped in the colosseum before long, and anyone attempting to storm the upper floors could potentially find themselves stuck walking in circles. I would not bother memorizing anything, as you lack the sense required to properly find your way" she explained, a certain smugness seeping into her words. "Without knowing where every ling was and where each deposit was placed, orienting oneself is nearly impossible. And while our invaders would struggle to tell up from down..."

"You would find the abnormality in seconds and stage ambushes to wear them down. The guide is necessary then" he murmured, his eyes scanning the strange architecture. "And the risk of being smoked out?"

"Handled by the anti magic field. The sheer resources required to smoke this castle without magic would cripple even the wealthy nation of Equestria. We will not have a repeat of The Greatwood."

The two walked in silence after that. They arrived at two heavy doors, which opened effortlessly with her magic. The room was well furnished, inspired by the information she gathered in Canterlots royal palace. Much like her own room she had everything crafted for optimal comfort. Magically heated cushions, a bed made of the best materials stolen bits could buy. It had a desk meant for pony height, which she made a note to fix posthaste. There hadn't been time to adjust for height.

She watched him enter, and with a smile closed the doors behind him. She needed not wait for the drone she assigned him, as her wordless command had long since reached them. Instead she made off towards her study.

She didn't quite realize just how tired she was until her flank hit the cushion at her desk. Her chin met wood as she all but collapsed, the adrenaline in her system finally dispersing. The tingly sensation leftover from feeding had not worn away however, leaving her to cover her face with her hooves and groan.

She felt a light buzz in the back of her head. A drone, whose report had been neglected prior was requesting the opportunity to speak. The news made her groan louder. There was no rest for the Queen, it seemed.

A new threat reared its ugly head, and it was right under their hooves.

Author's Note

That does it for my second set of chapters. This sets up the pieces for the next two to three sets, and I am honestly excited.

Thank you for reading

-Marlo