You're Going To Fit Right In

Just as the fangs were about to plunge into Nightmare Rarity’s flesh, a bright flash of light filled the room, revealing Daybreaker. An Alicorn of pure white fur, her mane and tail were ablaze with a wild inferno. Taking in the situation at a glance, Daybreaker threw out her forehoof and screamed in pain and rage as the fangs bit deep into her foreleg, taking the blow meant for her daughter.

“Arrrgh!”

Nightmare Rarity screamed in panic when Daybreaker’s horn glowed brightly with the intensity of the sun itself.

“Mom don’t-”

“Hungry for a Changeling, aren’t you? Alright then, take it!”

Much to Nightmare’s surprise, Daybreaker sliced off her own foreleg, chuckling. Unsteadily standing on three hooves, Daybreaker sighed in annoyance as she muttered.

“Moon’s gonna kill me for this one.”

She laughed at her own joke. As if an immortal like her could die. The very idea was so ludacris, she couldn’t help but smirk.

“Mom what are you-”

An instant later, Nightmare Rarity found herself flung back, pinned to the wall by Daybreaker’s magic, who was no longer smiling. She looked panicked as she cast her magic on not only her daughter but also Smoulder.

“Honey, Don’t move! Neither of you!”

Nightmare froze in place, watching in horrid fascination as the gaping jaws that covered Chrysalis’s unconscious form opened and closed slowly as though confused. This went on for a few gut-wrenching minutes until the mouths vanished entirely, and Chrysalis yawned, sitting up and stretching out her hooves.

Smacking her lips, she looked around in groggy confusion at the destroyed furniture all around her.

“Urgh, my head. What-what happened here? Where am I?”

Tilting her head in confusion, Chrysalis’s eyes fell on the white Alicorn before her, muttering groggily.

“Celestia?”

Daybreaker chuckled at the reaction.

“No, I am not.”

Daybreaker’s horn began to glow with the light of the sun as she added gently.

“You should get some rest, young one.”

Chrysalis was suddenly overcome with a desire to close her eyes, her head falling forward onto the remains of the table. Her tongue lolled to the side of her muzzle as she quietly snored, peacefully at rest.

Daybreaker sighed looking at the wreckage.

“Phew, glad I got here when I did.”

Limping over to Nightmare Rarity, Daybreaker gave her a gentle nuzzle before whispering.

“Are you alright, honey?”

“Yes but. Mom why are you here?”

Daybreaker laughed haughtily.

“Moon woke me up, worried about you, so she sent me. Now hold on, I’ve got to take care of this before Moon sees.”

As Nightmare Rarity watched on in awe, Daybreaker’s horn lit up and from the stump on her foreleg erupted flesh, muscle, bone and hide; rebuilding the entirety of Daybreaker’s forehoof as though it was never missing. Daybreaker admired her spell crafting, slowly bending the limb, testing it out. Smoulder stared opened mouth in utter disbelief.

That level of magic was something only a graduate of the Princess Initiative could perform. But Princess Graduates were hailed as more than flesh and bone, for not every candidate graduated, or survived the training. For every hundreds that perished, one survived.

“Excuse me but are you-”

Smoulder was cut off by Daybreaker just laughing.

“No one special.”

Daybreaker’s horn glowed once more and all the broken, splintered furniture started to rebuild itself, only it was much different. The rickety tables and chairs were now framed in bright silver with amethysts inlaid with the center of each table and the back of each high-rise dining chair. The chairs now sported a luxurious cushion of purple velvet, and a framed certificate with Twilight’s royal seal appeared on the wall. The certificate indicated that the establishment was highly recommended by the Ruler of all Creation, herself.

Daybreaker gave a roguish wink flashing her bracelet, a gold and amethyst studded design worn only by Twilight’s advisors. Smoulder gasped.

“-And I was never here because none of this ever happened. Understood?”

Smoulder just stared in disbelief at the new upgrades within her now much bigger restaurant. Tables, machines for cooking, even the new carpet on the floor of the cavern, it all sparkled and gleamed. Unable to formulate words, much less sounds, she just meekly nodded.

Daybreaker yawned and nodded, her fangs sparkling in the light as she gave a sleepy grin.

“Glad that’s settled. Alright, well, I better get these two home. Past my bedtime and all that.”

Now at the home of Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, Nightmare Rarity stood beside Daybreaker’s bed, as the Alicorn slowly scooted down under her covers; Daybreaker’s flames slowly extinguishing as she did so.

“Hey mom? What exactly is Operation: Princess?”

She muttered rapidly as though it had been hammered into her.

“P-R-I-N-C-E-S-S: Protect, Revive, Introduce, Name, Care, Encourage, Species, Survival.”

Nightmare Rarity blinked in surprise, opening her mouth to ask more, only to notice Daybreaker’s gentle breathing as her barrel slowly rose and fell; the Alicorn fast asleep.

“Hrm, where am I?”

Nightmare Rarity left the room, observing Chrysalis sitting up on the couch in the living room and looking very well-rested and confusedly looking around her. Nightmare Rarity slowly walked up to Chrysalis and sat next to her, an awkward silence falling over the two.

“So um, you’re probably confused, right now.”

Nightmare thought about what Daybreaker had said. Operation Princess was about species survival. But what exactly did that mean? And why was she chosen as the mentor for a candidate; particularly a candidate of a long extinct species, The Changelings.

“Yes, actually. Where am I?”

“In the living room of Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, Ambassadors of Harmony and Advisors to the Queen, personally.”

“And why is everything on fire?”

“Mom is a bit of a firecracker, her mane and tail are on fire, well except when she sleeps.”

“I see. Alright, one more question.”

“Yes?”

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Why am I here?”

“Well, you’ll be living here while you attend class.”

“Huh, so I’m living here now? Just like that?”

Nightmare Rarity chuckled.

“Houses are assigned based on species, but you are actually one of a kind, so you’ve been placed with us Nightmares.”

Chrysalis blinked in confusion.

“One of a kind? But the hive, my my children-”

Nightmare Rarity sighed.

“I’m not sure how to tell you this, but they were wiped out, along with the Dragons, griffons, and every non-pony.”

Chrysalis was surprised.

“But Twilight would never have let that-”

“The Twilight you know died a long time ago. She was betrayed by the Sisters when she discovered their disgusting hobby.”

Still unsure of what to think, Chrysalis waved a hoof dismissively.

“Sure. And what hobby would that be?”

“They collected statues. “

“Statues? Why would that be disgusting?”

Nightmare looked Chrysalis in the eyes, her voice full of hate and pain.

“We were the statues.”

Chrysalis sat there in mortified silence, listening as Nightmare explained further.

“They, those sisters, they went into other Universes and turned beings into statues to bring back and decorate Equestria with. In fact, every statue in Equestria was revealed to be their doing.”

Chrysalis contemplated when she, Cozy Glow and Tirek were turned to stone. Still she stayed silent, listening to Nightmare continue.

“I myself, was placed near the entrance to Tartarus. But the sisters messed with the wrong world. No creature knows where she came from or how, but Twilight descended on them like a bolt of dark Friendship taking the throne and even more than that, subjugating all of reality. She makes the rules, but they seem to be balanced more to fairness, where there is no villain or hero, instead every creature has equal suffering and profits for just as equal efforts.”

“That sounds wonderful and all, but what happened to my children?”

Nightmare shook her head.

“I don’t have the full information on that to give, I’m afraid, but tomorrow in your Princess Class you’ll find your answer. What I can tell you is-”

The next morning, Daybreaker yawned and opened her blazing yellow eyes, shining with energetic vigor. Her mane and tail ignited in a bright nova of fiery explosion. Unlike Moon, Daybreaker would never be caught dead in any outfit; stepping into the living room, her horn aglow with Solar magic.

Outside, the sun slowly rose into the sky, with Daybreaker speaking to it.

“C’mon hun, time to wake up. There we go.”

Her ears picked up sound coming from the couch behind her, Daybreaker spoke softly.

“Still awake?”

“Yeah.”

Chrysalis’s words were quiet, and Daybreaker noticed something was on her mind.

“Worried about the Princess Class, today?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

Daybreaker sat down next to the snoozing form of Nightmare, and began talking to Chrysalis; her words gentle and somewhat heartwarming to Chrysalis’s ears.

“You shouldn’t worry about losing your life in any of the classes. You’ve got a good head on that neck of yours. My best advice, well that I’m allowed to give, is to make allies. You’ll be venturing to new worlds and the key is to know when a simple word is as good as a hoof to the face and vice versa. Having allies can really ease that burden.”

Chrysalis sat in silence, considering what Daybreaker had said as Daybreaker continued.

“I want you to know something, this body gave birth to the very sun in the sky every day, and Moon’s daughter is the Moon. We’ve been around a while and we are far older than even you or even Queen Twilight. Now you may ask yourself why I am saying this-”

“Yes, I am, actually.”

Daybreaker smiled and gave Chrysalis a gentle hug, pulling her close.

“The reason is, Chrysalis, we are old enough to be your mothers-”

“I never knew my mother. Or father.”

“Well, as long as you live here, you are a Nightmare through and through. You are one of our family. Now then, daughter, would you like mom to help you get ready for class?”

Chrysalis gave a very uncharacteristic giggle, a sense of relief and gentle warmth washing over her for the first time in a long while.

“I’d love that.”

“Alright, one more time, you see a creature of unknown origins, resembling one of your classmates. Only, they are armed to the fangs with clearly lethal weaponry, and it is pointed at you. They seem to be hesitating and you can easily take them out, but fear is written on their face. What do you do?”

“I disarm them. They clearly aren’t used to combat, and are waiting for a reason to attack, but are so high-strung that they may mistake words for that reason. After disarming them, I would consider how best to approach them, without the threat of harm.”

Daybreaker and Chrysalis sat on the couch discussing hypotheticals that Daybreaker had assured Chrysalis she might encounter in her first class. Right beside Chrysalis, Nightmare slept soundly, a blanket delicately draped over her.

Daybreaker nodded.

“Very good, remember, sometimes the best solution is only a piece of the entire puzzle. And these are all real individuals with real lives. It may not be as cut and dry as it seems at first.”

Suddenly, the front door flew open with a thunderous bang, causing Chrysalis to jump in surprise. In the doorway stood a disgruntled mare of ebony black fur and seafoam green eyes. Her voice was like crashing thunder as she grumbled.

“If one more pony tells me they can’t decipher the Yak’s genome biodata, I’ll rip-”

Pausing, Nightmare Moon stared at Chrysalis for a moment of awkward silence before glancing at Daybreaker. The Eternal Night’s eyes showed signs of fatigue, and she didn’t really seem to notice any of them. She grunted short utterances with a deadpan tone.

“Changeling?”

“Yep.”

“We adopting her?”

“Yep.”

“Huh. Dinner?”

“On the stove.”

“Perfect.”

With that Nightmare Moon walked past Chrysalis into the kitchen where moments later a shout of pure ecstasy rang forth.

“Bloodmoon Pancakes! Thanks, Day!”

Daybreaker chuckled.

“Anytime, Moon.”

Chrysalis looked a Daybreaker.

“Is she okay?”

Daybreaker nodded.

“She’s fine, just tired from a stressful shift.”

Nightmare Moon sauntered in, looking much more lively and levitating a can of ‘carbonated blood’. Cracking open the pop top, Nightmare Moon took a quick swig of the red liquid inside, before putting her hind hooves up in Daybreaker’s face. She whined softly.

“Day, rub my hooves.”

Taking it in stride, Daybreaker got down on her knees, and began rubbing Nightmare Moon’s aching hooves, gently asking.

“Long Night, Moon?”

Taking a long sip of her beverage, Nightmare Moon started in.

“Ah it was the worst! Miss Great and Powerful spilled a particularly rare tube of Yak hemoglobin. On me! Clover and Grogar got into yet another fight, and I swear, if Somber hadn’t stopped me I would have killed them then and there.”

Daybreaker spoke ever so gently.

“Moon, you know they do their best.”

“Yeah, but I hate them all.”

“I know, I know.”

Nightmare Moon sighed in silence for a moment before turning to Chrysalis.

“So, you’re the Changeling Queen-”

Her tone suddenly changed to one of happiness.

“It’s great that you’ll be joining us.”

Chrysalis just stared in disbelief at the shift in tone. Unable to come up with any actual words she just sort of stammered out.

“Th-Thnvrx”

Daybreaker chuckled while Nightmare Moon furiously stated.

“I’m not that scary! Daybreaker, tell her!”

Daybreaker just laughed.

“Nope, she’s actually much scarier.”

Hours later, In a long hallway, Chrysalis and Nightmare Rarity stood in line; neither sure what to really expect, and both going over what Moon and Day had told them. Never be afraid to solve a dilemma one piece of the puzzle at a time. In front of them others took their class assignment before moving to a nearby doorway.

When you find yourselves out of options, defiance can be better than compliance. Another student went through the door. A door that led to nowhere. The door had nothing on the other side of it. Yet, those the entered it vanished. Your class will not conclude until either you are victorious or until you perish. It was almost their turn. Your teacher will be experience, the instructor is there to judge you, not guide you. You must rely on each other in order to succeed.

Stepping up to the counter, Chrysalis noticed a strange creature at the counter. It stood on two legs and talked basic Ponish. It wore a pearl necklace and was clearly feminine in nature. The female stood there, with a forced smile, the odd mane on her head flowing down with Strawberry Blonde locks, and beside her was a mug of some brown liquid. She spoke with a sweet- almost comatose inducingly so- voice.

“Next! Ah, the fabled Changeling Queen. Looking forward to what you can do. Let’s see, oooh are you in for a treat, looks like your first assignment is the Universe of Insanity. Your instructors will be Brutalight Sparcake and her partner Rainbine. Just walk through that door over there, have fun~ Next!”

Chrysalis stared at the ordinary looking oak door, reaching for it. What awaited her and Nightmare Rarity? Could she handle it? And for what purpose was it necessary? Turning the handle, Chrysalis slowly pulled it open and stared in awe at the swirling portal before her.

Taking a deep breath she turned to Nightmare Rarity and saw her smiling.

“Let’s do this, Darling.”

Nodding, Chrysalis stepped into the portal and vanished in an instant.