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// Blessing 
// Story: Blessing 
// by Rina 
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	It has been fifteen years after Twilight Sparkle was crowned as the newest princess of Equestria. As the princess of friendship and all that wet under the category of friendship, she would travel around the country, healing broken friendships and spreading good cheer. Her name was forever enclosed in the tomes of history books all over the world. Her defeats of multiple villains by her and her group of closely bound friends were to be repeated and passed down by word for mouth for thousands of centuries. 

Princess Twilight Sparkle's new reign brought a time of prosperity, happiness, and love. No wars broke out, for the princess was always willing to work out problems using her powers. Warring nations put their differences aside and at last became friends after generations of bloodshed and fighting. New nations were founded, and new cities cropped up in all sorts of places. 

Ponyville became a bustling center for couples and groups of friends. The new princess ensured good vibes around the city, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The city itself was no longer a small town - Celestia had personally erected new buildings and fixed and remodeled the older ones. Friends of Twilight Sparkle - Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity - were given a new home in the grandiose palace of the newest princess, and their homes were forever cherished by the masses with their renovations. The homes, now museums, each represented an element of friendship, and ponies and other races from around the planet flocked just to see those homes. 

However, Princess Celestia had noticed no changes in the attitudes of the six ponies. Despite one friend becoming a princess and having greater than normal abilities, the remaining friends had continued to act as if nothing had changed. They continued to treat each other with the same love, the same trust, and the same sense of happiness surrounded them, no matter the situation. Celestia's worst fears were gone. She had predicted that Twilight would abandon her friends in search of fame and power. But Twilight stayed. She continued to cherish her friends with the same intensity as when the group first met. 

As a result, a few weeks ago, Celestia cast a special spell, The Blessing of Eutychia*, on the group. This spell, called The Blessing, guaranteed eternal happiness, friendship, and love. With the effects of the spell, Twilight was also entrusted with casing this spell upon other ponies. 

Not failing her mentor, Twilight has cast the spell many times upon those she deemed worthy. Many ponies became eternally happy, and no ill could break the spell. The princess even brought the spell along with her for more... violent measures. 

Not a cruel leader by heart, but more as a precautionary method, Twilight Sparkle used the spell to quell a few battles, most importantly the Saddle Arabia wars. The spell, while cast with as much intensity and good measure as Princess Sparkle would possibly muster, was not used for the proper purpose. Twilight feared the spell would break, and Celestia would find out about her improper uses of magic. Twilight thus became more selective with the spell, only casting it to those she deemed worthy, often giving long examinations to those who wished to have the spell casted. The thought of a long examination by such an egghead disheartened many ponies. Instead, they began to visit the museums in hope of bonding more with their friends. 

These vibes of friendship even managed to reach the wastelands on the far end of the planet, where the ex-queen Chrysalis resided. Having failed to feed her Changelings at the Canterlot Wedding, they revolted and overthrew the queen, abandoning her in the wastelands by herself. Without having anything to feed on, she slowly deteriorated, her rage building up. Each day, she vowed to get revenge on the ponies, but how? No army, no food, nothing to sustain even herself, she was powerless. The Changelings that she had trusted and even loved for such a long time were gone. She only grew more furious with each passing second. 

However, things changed when Celestia's Blessing of Eutychia was casted. The ponies all around were affected by the spell, feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside as the love of the six friends spread out around the globe. For that split second, all those touched by the spell were touched by warmth, reminiscing about their adventures with their friends, and pushed even further to create more good memories. 

The spell managed to reach the dark wastelands. The warm feeling flooded Chrysalis, feeding her with just the right amount of energy to stand up and slowly buzz over to Ponyville, where she waited in the forests and slowly fed off of the happiness in small amounts. Just enough to get by, Chrysalis watched as ponies gleefully jumped around. Not wanting to be noticed, she only fed off of a fraction of magic from a pony, so that even they would not notice their energy sapped. She sulked around the edge of the forest, longing to join in with the festivities.

It must have been the spell, she wondered. It can't have been anything to have changed my heart so. She slowly moved closer and closer to the erected castle. She'd often see a spell casted in the room, and she'd feel, although not with the same intensity, the same surge of happiness inside of her cold heart. 

Was it really that cold, though? 

Chrysalis stayed in the woods for about a week, contemplating her own nature. All she had wanted in the wastelands was to get revenge for her lost armies and her weeks in hunger and solitude. But now, all she wanted was to feel that constant wave of happiness. She no longer thought about an empty stomach or even bothering with another war. Was that the true power of friendship? 

As night set, and Chrysalis settled in her makeshift home. She gazed back at the well-lit town, wishing to lie down in a warm bed, or stay up in the company of others. Her mind was flooded with memories of her planning her attack with her Changelings. No happiness came from that memory, but a tugging at her heart, telling her of how she felt at home, in place in society. The emptiness manifested itself by throwing in conversations from these battle planning nights. Chrysalis could not catch the words, but the sounds of emotion continued to play a melody in her mind. She covered her ears with her hooves, hoping to drown out the mournful song, but the noise only echoed in the closed off space.  Chrysalis shut her eyes, hoping to no longer see the images in her brain, but her efforts were in vain, for the images only flashed brightly. 

What is this feeling? Chrysalis's brain screamed at itself. Why don't you just stop! She growled lightly, rustling the leaves in front of her with her breath. She opened her eyes, moved her hooves from her ears, and stood up, breathing in the crisp forest air. The moon was just rising, so she reckoned she had enough time. She flew out of the forest and into civilization, no longer caring if she was seen. She had tasted the love of the ponies, yet it seemed bitter, as if something was missing. A pang of guilt ran through Chrysalis's body as she remembered her hungry Changelings. She shook her head and flew closer to the castle. They have abandoned her; it was no use thinking about them now. 

Twilight was just settling down with her books and a warm cup of coffee (she had come to like the drink, despite its bitter taste) when she felt a small disruption in the air around her. She shrugged and put her glasses on and began to read her book. It was a novel about a lover who killed himself because he thought that his young wife was dead. Twilight had borrowed the book from Celestia, who had obtained it from the author himself hundreds of years ago. She flipped to the next page when she noticed the disruption again, this time stronger. She lifted her ears up cautiously, and readied her magic. She knew that she closed off Blessings an hour before sunset, but there was always some straggler group that wanted to have a Blessing. Twilight prepared herself to shoo the newcomers off, often having to explain in very simple English that she couldn't possibly give a Blessing during the night. She threw her blanket over her wings and trotted down the long staircase. She felt her feathers get ruffled by the haphazardly placed garment, but that was something she would have to deal with later. She nodded to the night guards to open the door. 

The large door opened to reveal the very last pony Twilight Sparkle expected to see in Ponyville, the bustling City of Happiness. She made a small face of disgust before wiping it clean. In front of her lay the diminished form of Queen Chrysalis. Twilight quickly scanned the nearby areas for changelings, or any other creatures. 

"Is there something I could possibly help you with?" Twilight asked, apprehensively. She felt the same disturbance for a third time. There was something wrong with the entire scene. Could this be a sort of scheme? Surely, there has got to be some catch. Twilight nodded to the guards, and they took the blanket off of the princess. 

"Princess... You have to help me!" Chrysalis pleaded, her voice blending the right amount of pain and sadness to soften Twilight's harsh gaze. Chrysalis attempted to stand up, but she did not prevail - her flight had taken all of her energy. Her legs shook and she collapsed.

Twilight jumped at the opposing pony's movements. "I'm not quite so sure what you mean, and if you do not leave immediately, I will be forced to call in reinforcements," Twilight caught a guard moving in the corner of her eye. She looked over, and shook her head no. Twilight was not a cruel leader, and she deemed it necessary to find out Chrysalis's plan, even if she had to use her magic. 

But something was wrong with the obsidian and blue-green mare. She seemed... powerless, at least. She seemed so close to death, that Twilight was tempted to take her inside. No, this is not a good idea. She probably has a plan to do something like this. Twilight nearly turned around and headed back inside her fortified castle before a quiet whisper called her back. 

"Please... A... Anything..." Chrysalis barely lifted her head, her body gathering dust from the ground. Her hair was no longer sleek and shiny, but a dull and faded blue. Chrysalis could no longer hold her memories back. They slashed and hacked at Chrysalis's iron-cast heart, already having broken in. But the blood that flowed from the inside did not quench their thirst. Chrysalis heard the chuckles of laughter, the times of feeding, the nights of planning, and each memory sliced through her heart. Each sound deafened her and overwhelmed her pleas for help. 

Twilight could feel the pain emanating from the body in front of her, and she sighed, and with a heavy heart, said, "I'm sorry, I cannot risk the safety of all of my subjects to help one," Twilight immediately regretted her words. As a ruler, she was to help each and every single one of her subjects, no matter her personal cost. If she was to sacrifice herself for this being, then would her friends ever forgive her? Would Celestia ever look back on her actions as something valiant? 

Chrysalis looked at Twilight, her eyes filled to the brim with pain. "B-blessing..." She whispered, putting her head back down in the dirt.

Twilight shook her head, outraged. "A Blessing?! How could someone like... You! How could someone like you come for a Blessing!" Twilight spat in Chrysalis's direction. "You eat away at other ponies' happiness, and want me to cast a spell of eternal happiness to you? You don't have any friends, either!" Twilight stepped back into her castle. "I am never Blessing you! You are nothing but a selfish monster. You deserve to die alone in the cold!" 

Chrysalis felt this new feeling explode in her heart. She felt her stomach twist and turn, and her breath began to come more rapidly. she gasped for breath as the feeling washed over her in waves. 

"Now, scram! Rot in Tartarus!" Twilight slammed the door of the castle shut.