Chrysalis wakes up buried under a heavy darkness, groggy. "Did I win? Where am I?" she wonders, having lost her recollection of what had recently transpired.

She gradually recalls developing a plan to take over Equestria and get revenge on the ponies who ruined their invasion of Canterlot. How she and her Changelings systematically took down and supplanted each one of them. From the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the Alicorn Diarchs, Celestia and Luna, to Shining Armor, Cadance and her deformed spawn.

Suddenly what happened at the end came back too. How that little traitor Thorax led a rescue mission along with two unicorn mares and the Lord of Chaos, Discord, all ending with her being blown into her throne by a wave of love, and finally her entire throne room exploding from a tremendous burst of energy resulting from multiple Changelings present sharing love.

Then fury coursed through her dorsal channels, completely awakening her.

Extricating herself from the rubble, Chrysalis hisses menacingly, ready to pick up the fight where she left off. Unfortunately for her, she was out of commission for too much time, long enough to allow the traitor and the others to free all of their prisoners.

But before she has to fend off against more opponents than she could count at the moment, she was caught off guard by the one called Starlight Glimmer approaching her.

In a mix of confusion and caution, barely standing now that the injection of fury has subsided, the Queen could do nothing but listen to what she knew would be yet another of the speeches that this unicorn mare seemed to be fond of.

"When Twilight and her friends defeated me, I chose to run away and seek revenge! You don't have to!" Starlight pleaded, getting closer to her. "You can be the leader your subjects deserve." She concluded, the strong winds dramatically blowing her hair accentuating the resolve and conviction with which she had expressed herself.

Chrysalis looked at the ground, conflicted and a little scared of her words. Was she serious? After everything that had happened, after everything she had put them through, this mare was extending to her a hoof in friendship, willing to forget and forgive all of her transgressions?

But above all.

Was SHE serious? Was she considering doing it? Was she insane? Had that unicorn's words about finding a new way of life for the Changelings through friendship and sharing love gotten to her? The fact that her hoof was slowly approaching Starlight's seemed to suggest as much. Was she willing to admit defeat to get what this pony was talking about?

The thought of running away and seek revenge crosses her mind. But as quickly as it came, it was gone. After what Starlight had said, Chrysalis considered that course of action would be derivative and lacking in originality on her part, even if she believe she could successfully carry out her revenge.

Weighing her pride against everything else, her kingdom, her power, her subjects… her children; they obviously won out, after all, they were the reason she had done and would do everything. Still, it was hard to swallow all that bile.

But NO! Less than half an inch from joining hooves, Chrysalis realized that if she was willing to admit defeat —not that the Queen would ever acknowledge it as such— it would have to be on her terms, not the ponies'.

"FINE!" Chrysalis shouted, smacking Starlight hoof away. "I... accept this peace offering. By the grace of the Queen of the Changelings, you are all free to go now."

With that said, the aforementioned Queen of the Changelings marched regally, with a monumental effort on her part to hide the limp in her right hind leg and the accompanying pain, towards seemingly the only way out still standing.

*Ahem* somepony cough loudly.

"WHAT!?" Chrysalis screamed, a hemolymph vessel on her forehead ready to pop, spinning around, her leg pain be damn. "You've already stopped my plan, destroyed my hive and compromised my kingdom's defenses! What more do you want!?"

"A proper reformation," Starlight said, not quite there, staring at her swatted hoof.

"Friendship," Twilight added.

"Apologies for all the wrong you've done to us," Cadance demanded, her husband off to the side and her filly on her back, the three of them looking not too happy.

"A proper peace treaty between our species," Celestia finished.

"HA!" A dry laugh escaped the Queen's throat, a hair-raising sound halfway between the hiss of a cat and the shrill creaking sound of a cicada. "No. Never. Not in a million years. And not in the mood right now, Celestia," Chrysalis replied, pointing at each of them before turning and continuing her retreat.

"If you want my word backed by ink, it'll have to wait. I'm not that hard to find, not now that you know where I live."

Wanting to end the argument as short as it was and avoid giving the ponies a chance to change their minds, Chrysalis shot off the throne room now turned atrium, visibly limping, unable to help but wince in pain.

"What do we do now?" Approaching an unamused Celestia, Twilight asks.

"We take our small victories home and celebrate them," the Diarch of the Sun replies, now with a warm smile adorning her features.

"You're right, Princess," Twilight says cheerfully. "Are we all ready to go?" the Princess of Friendship asks the rest of her friends, who cheer in agreement.

Ready to cast a teleportation spell, Twilight stops, noticing Starlight's downcast state.

"Are you okay, Starlight?" Twilight approaches her, worried.

"Did I do right?"

"What?"

"Did I do right?" Starlight asks again, this time her self-doubt apparent. "Because I'm not entirely sure that I did right."

Twilight beamed at Starlight and places a hoof on her shoulder.

"Starlight, you rescued us, stopped Chrysalis' plans, and convinced her to make peace with us. You did wonderful, and as my student I couldn't be more proud of you." Twilight stated and the rest agreed in unison.

"Thank you very much, Twilight," Starlight blushed at the compliment, regaining some modicum of confidence and tranquillity. But one worry still persist within her. "Can we trust her? Can we really be sure that Chrysalis will stop being evil and uphold her word of peace with us?"

"I think so," Celestia chimed in. "Something tells me that we will eventually make peace with the Changelings, whether Chrysalis wanted it or not." The Princess of the Sun concluded with a great deal of certainty, her smile widening as she observed a group of reformed Changelings talking happily with Thorax.

Author's Note

So, this little story came to me a few days ago, and not wanting to put off writing and publishing it until I've finished the current big story I'm working on (which will probably take me the rest of next year to finish), I've decided to post it now and probably finish posting the rest of it before the year is out.

Rewatching To Where and Back Again - Part 2 for the development of this story, I found it extremely amusing how Starlight is quick to declare Chrysalis dead and Thorax as the new 'leader' of the Changelings, only for her to take the title away from Thorax to give it back to Chrysalis the moment she is shown to be alive.