Celestia, Twilight and Chrysalis sat at a round table in the princess’s chambers going over a plan to introduce Chrysalis to the public and, by Chrysalis’s request, Lightning and Quicksilver had stayed as well.
When Lightning asked why they needed to stay, Chrysalis had given them a bored look and said.
“Perspective.”
Quicksilver had taken the vague answer well enough but Lightning only got more irritated as time wore on. When asked about a specific part of the plan or if they had anything to add Quicksilver would give her opinion but Lighting would either stay quiet or excuse herself to “get some air.”
After leaving for the fourth time Chrysalis stood and made to follow Lightning.
Celestia quirked a brow. “Are you sure about following her? She doesn’t seem to be in the best of moods.”
Chrysalis turned and grinned at Celestia. “It’s fine. Trust me.”
Celestia nodded and went back to looking over their work.
Twilight turned to Celestia. “Why’s Chrysalis going after Lightning?”
Celestia sighed through her nose while shaking her head. “Most likely to try and talk to her. Despite how she acts, Chrysalis respects Lightning and would like her opinion. However I fear that if she tries talking to Lightning it may come to blows between the two.”
Quicksilver chuckled. “There’s no may about it. Those two are gonna fight.”
Twilight gasped and turned to the changeling. “What!? Then we’ve got to go make sure they don’t hurt each other.”
As Twilight started to stand Quicksilver shook her head. “That won’t do any good Twilight.”
Twilight shot a confused look at Quicksilver. “Why not?”
Quicksilver sighed. “Lightning’s.....angry with Chrysalis.”
Twilight tilted her head. “What’s Lightning got to be angry about?”
Quicksilver shook her head. “I’m not sure. All I know is that she’s angry. The emotion's radiating from her like heat off a sidewalk in July.”
Twilight sighed. “But you’re in a relationship. You really don’t know anything?”
Quicksilver rolled her eyes. “She’s keeping it to herself. She’s like that. When it matters she plays it close to the vest. She’s gotten better with sharing, relying on me to help her, but she still has her secrets.”
Twilight turned to Celestia. “What do you think about this?”
Celestia sighed. “I trust Chrysalis.” As Twilight opened her mouth to protest Celestia rose a hoof to stop her. “I trust Chrysalis, but that doesn’t mean I approve of her methods. Let’s just stand back and see what happens.”
Twilight sat with a huff. “Whatever happened to talking through differences? Those two shouldn’t fight.”
Quicksilver chuckled. “You can’t change generations of social culture Twilight. Changelings solve problems one of two ways. Subterfuge, or hitting the problem till it’s gone.”
Twilight gave the changeling a flat look. “How fascinating.”
Celestia chuckled. “Don’t worry Twilight. I’m sure things will work out for the best.”
Twilight nodded and went back to her seat to continue going over the plans.
There was a few moments of silence before Quicksilver spoke up.
“So, anyone wanna take bets on which one of them gets beat the worse?”
Celestia and Twilight gave Quiksilver an incredulous look. Quicksilver looked from Celestia to Twilight before tilting her head. “What? Something I said?”
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Lightning paced, stomping furiously from one end of the small palace garden to the other. Every so often pausing to punch or kick one of the gardens stone columns in frustration.
All the while a grimace etched firmly on her features. Two days. She’s kept us here two freakin’ days! And for what? Perspective. What’s that supposed to mean? I’ll give her perspective, right up the side of her head!
Again Lightning lashed out at a stone column, chipping a small piece off as she struck.
“I’m sure whatever the stonework did it’s very sorry.”
Lightning whipped her head around and saw Chrysalis standing at the gardens entrance. An easygoing grin on her face.
Lightnings sour expression deepened and she huffed as she turned to face Chrysalis. “What do you want?”
Chrysalis moved forward, her tone becoming airy. “Oh I just wanted to have a little chat with you.”
Lightning snorted. “I’ll bet.”
Chrysalis stopped several feet from Lightning and tilted her head. “Well why else would I be here?”
Lightning rolled her eyes. “I don’t know and frankly I don’t care. Like I said before, do whatever you want and as long as you don’t cause trouble I won’t give your horn a trim.”
Chrysalis nodded. “Oh yes about that. Do you really think you could challenge me again? Last time you had help and I wasn’t very sound of mind.”
Lightning’s eye twitched. “Whatever, just get to why you’re here. I’m starting to get a headache.”
Chrysalis chuckled. “Ok then. I want to know why you aren’t contributing to my reintroduction plan. I need the perspective of my subjects.”
Lightning rolled her eyes and started walking toward the gardens exit. “You want their perspective? Here it is. Chrysalis gone, chance at new life, everybody happy. Glad I could help.”
As Lightning passed Chrysalis, the former queen spoke. Her voice low and serious. “Why don’t you take a swing?”
Lightning froze. “What?”
Not moving Chrysalis spoke in the same tone as before. “Take a swing at me. With all the anger you’re giving off I can tell you want to.”
Lightning grit her teeth. “You want to start something? Here? Now?”
Chrysalis fluttered her wings. “If not now, when?”
Lightning said nothing and the two stood in silence. Side by side and facing away from one another as the seconds ticked away. The late afternoon air was cool and calm as the pair stood, waiting for the other to make any kind of move.
A stray leaf floated on the wind and passed between the two when it was suddenly split apart by the holed leg that Lightning bucked at Chrysalis. Chrysalis evaded and soon the two were a flurry of motion. Lightning striking out with punches and kicks as fast and with as much force as she could muster. Chrysalis, either evading or blocking the attacks sent at her and commenting as the fight went on.
An uppercut dodged. “Very nice, if a little slow.”
A two legged buck shoved aside. “That made my foreleg a bit numb.”
A strong right countered and held in place as Chrysalis pushed back. “I’d forgotten how strong siege drones are. You might win in a fair fight.”
Suddenly Chrysalis’s horn lit in her acid green aura and Lightning felt herself suspended, restrained, in mid air. “Too bad this isn’t a fair fight.”
Lightning struggled as best she could. Gritting her teeth as her muscles strained against the magic that held her.
Chrysalis shook her head. “Give it up Lyse. You can’t....”
Lightning snarled angrily and her own horn became surrounded in an electric green aura. Shouting as she exerted her magic Lightning was able to shatter the magical hold on herself and lunged at a surprised Chrysalis.
Lightning began repeatedly striking the former queens face. Each punch was accompanied with an angry declaration.
“Don’t!” Punch. “Call!” Punch. “Me!” Punch “LYSE!”
Lighting paused and brought her right foreleg up, changing it into a blade as she did. “My name is Lightning!”
She brought her bladed limb down, racing toward Chrysalis’s face. Lightning was breathing heavily as she left her limb buried in the soft earth next to Chrysalis’s head. Her sides heaved and her eyes misted as angry tears gathered in her eyes.
Chrysalis lay still, looking up into the face of the changeling over her as she spoke.
“You threw me away. You threw so many of us away. If you thought we were too weak. If we failed you. You’d throw us away like we were nothing.” Lighting shook her head angrily as the tears began to flow from her eyes. “All we ever did, ever wanted, was to serve you. To serve the hive. I did everything I was ordered to without question. And you still threw me away. Why?”
Chrysalis slowly, sadly, shook her head. “I can’t give you an answer.”
Lightning glared down at Chrysalis. “Why not? Aren’t you the all powerful, all knowing, eternal ruler of the glorious changeling empire?” Lighting brought her face within an inch of the queen’s as her voice became a venomous growl. “Tell me, my Queen, why you threw us away like we were nothing but tools for you to use and abandon. I can’t wait to hear how you...”
“I’m sorry.”
Lightning’s rant stopped and her eyes widened. When she spoke it was barely above a whisper. “Wh...what?”
Chrysalis stared up at Lightning. Here ears lowered and her tone mournful. “I’m sorry. I know it can’t make up for what I did and I don’t expect forgiveness but I am sorry.”
Lighting shook her head and glared. “No. No! You don’t get to apologize. Not after what you did. You used us. You used your own subjects for your little power game and made us into monsters.”
Chrysalis tilted her head. “Did I?”
Lightning blinked in confusion. “Huh?”
“If you were a monster would you have let me live just now? You had me by surprise, you could have finished me.”
Lightning brought her bladed foreleg up and looked between it and Chrysalis. After glancing from her leg to Chrysalis for a few moments Lightning changed her leg back and moved off of Chrysalis.
Chrysalis sat up and turned to face Lightning. “I might have made myself and our kind into monsters but you didn’t stay that way. So tell me, what are you?”
Lightning sat and stared ahead in thought focusing on nothing in particular. After several long minutes Lightning turned to Chrysalis. “I’m Lightning.”
Chrysalis nodded and stood. “Yes. You are.” Chrysalis started to walk away when Lightning called out to her.
“Then what are you?”
Chrysalis turned her head to Lightning, showing a small smile. “I”m the former queen of the changelings. I’m the lover of Princess Celestia. And I’m a mare looking for redemption. I’m Chrysalis. Is that enough?”
Lightning looked away and nodded. “I’m still pretty ticked at you though.”
Chrysalis chuckled. “Fair enough.” And with that Chrysalis left Lightning alone and entered the castle.
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As Chrysalis made her way through the castles halls she rounded a corner and came face to face with Celestia. The princess came forward and gently took Chrysalis’s chin in her magical grip, examining the injuries.
Celestia sighed. “Well at least it’s not as bad as I’d thought. Did you really have to do this?”
Chrysalis chuckled. “She was too angry for anything else to work. Lightning needed to let her anger out before she’d try and see me as anything other than the Queen that abandoned her and my people.”
Celestia shook her head and grinned. “Well as long as you’ve worked things out. Just try to be more diplomatic in the future.”
Chrysalis smirked. “I at least got the guards surrounding the gardens to leave for a while.”
Celestia rose a brow. “How’d you manage that?”
Chrysalis’s smirk widened. “I imitated you.”
Celestia giggled. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can think of a few things.” Chrysalis said as she wiggled her eyebrows.
Celestia nudged Chrysalis with her shoulder. “You’re impossible.” Chrysalis just kept smirking.
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Lightning returned to Celestia’s room and found everyone going over ideas for Chrysalis’s reveal again.
Lightning cleared her throat. “That Summer Sun Celebration is coming up soon. Why not try introducing Chrysalis to everyone then?”
Twilight nodded. “That could work. What do you think Princess?”
Celestia nodded. “I’ll begin making arrangements.”
Lightning sat beside Quicksilver and pressed herself into her partner's side. Quicksilver nosed Lightnings cheek. “You good now?”
Lightning nodded. “I will be.”
Quicksliver hummed thoughtfully then quirked a brow. “Hey I just thought of something.” Lightning tilted her head as Quicksilver continued. “You think Scootaloo’s gotten into any trouble while we’ve been gone?”