Sunset and 'Moon' made their way to the dais which held the crystal heart. This was their fifth visit since her arrival. She wasn't sure it was actually her favorite spot, but it was quite pretty. She much preferred the hive, mind you, but she had to be mindful of standards of "beauty" outside of it.

She had made so many trips here, (usually with Sunset Snow,) that the guards smiled and waved at her. That was an extremely good sign. She was becoming a regular. A trusted visitor. Her view was furthered when one of them called out.

"Ah, back for another visit, eh, you two? Good to see you both." Before she could reply Sunset beat her to it

"Best view in the whole empire! We have nothing like this at home." The guards chuckled, and the two made their way to the ledge. It was ice-cold with winter's chill. She hated how cold everything was around here, but at least the chef was naturally warm. It made things more bearable.

"Must be nice to be home, eh, Moon? I sorta miss the forest myself..." It would be, if she actually was home. But instead of saying that, she said something related:

"It can be really hard, being away from home for so long. Especially alone. Spend too long on your own, and you start taking to trees..." The Kirin laughed, but Chrysalis didn't think it was funny.

"That bad, huh? Well, you're back, and that's what matters."

"What about you? Do you ever want to go back?" She could feel the happiness draining from her 'companion'.

"Yes and no... I have a lot of bad memories there. Guess I'm weirdly afraid to go back?" She was right. That's a stupid thing to be afraid of. Then again, she thought of the hive.

"When we first entered the stream of silence, I thought it was my salvation. I used to hate how much I look like a Nirik. I associated it with... anger and aggression and physical strength, and all these things that didn't feel... me," she offered, unprompted. "But we entered the stream, and even with my emotions limited, I could tell it didn't actually help. The Nirik in me was locked away. So what on Equestria was the problem?"

"I presume that's how you figured out your identity," she replied blandly.

"Correct. I headed out into the world to get a new start. Presented as a mare. Later, I found out about the spell. The changes are really slow, and it needs to be maintained. But it's just a little maintenance to get to live as my true self. It's worth it."

Chrysalis found it hard to imagine. Going to such lengths only to slowly be the you that you wanted to be? As a shapeshifter, it was so natural to her to simply be what she wished. She supposed that was just the superiority of the changelings, but she did feel kind of bad for her. Well, almost. Maybe.

"What about you? What did you go out seeking?" Uh oh. She thought for a moment

"I'm not sure."

"Well what do you want out of life? What makes you happy?"

What- what makes her happy? What an absurd question! Conquest! The glory of the hive! Her and her people growing in power by the day until they can never be kept underfoot again! But that's not what she was going to say. So she thought for another moment.

"Being respected. Doing things for my kin so that we can all do well together. Safety. Stability." Nice lie.

"Oh you have family?"

"Uh they died." TERRIBLE LIE. FUCK.

"I'm so sorry..." She sat for a moment. "Well, I hope you feel safe and secure around me. I'm not just your boss. We're partners as far as I see it. For as long as you'll put up with me." Partners? Well we least it wasn't that disgusting friendship crap. She could do partners.

"Yeah, partners." She said, and 'Moon Glow' smiled at her 'partner.'

"Hell you're welcome to be an honorary family member if you want." N-no. No, no no no. She didn't need family. She had her hive. Even if there were so very few of them... Non-changelings could not be part of her hive! They were simply no use to her.

"I think I'd like that." She lied. LIED. Because that's not a thing anyone should want, except disgusting pony folk.

"Well come on Moony, I can tell you're shivering. Let's get back to the shop," she smiled. Whatever. Stupid nickname. Stupid friendship. It's not like she enjoyed ANY of this.

Why did she feel so weird inside? She resolved to look up Kirin at the library when she next got her chance. There must be some secret power they had. Clearly she hadn't examined all sides of the situation.

Not that it would matter. Soon the plan would be in motion.

Author's Note

merry chrystalis~!
It's midnight here so it's time for some bug fun! enjoy your present!

song is based of sonic and the secret rings