The only chapter
Luna had been dreading this.
Ever since her niece’s wedding, she knew this was coming. She had been putting it off, but with the defeat of Chrysalis, the changeling queen, it was only a matter of time before she faced the consequences of her actions.
A knock at her balcony door alerted her to the presence of her visitor. It could only be her, no-one else would be at her chambers at midnight. With a heavy heart she went to open it, only for a green aura to surround the lock and open it from outside, and very smug looking Queen Chrysalis walked in from out of the dark.
The two monarchs stared at each other across the room, Chrysalis’s self satisfied grin meeting Luna’s annoyed frown. Luna noticed the bandages around the queen's midsection.
“Well, finally done avoiding me, are you Luna?” said Chrysalis.
Luna grunted, before gesturing to the bandages. “Had a rough landing?”
Chrysalis waved a hoof. “Just a broken rib or two, nothing a little magic won’t fix, how about we get right to business?”
Luna sighed before pulling a table and two cushions into the centre of the room. Both queen and princess take a seat, the former giving a little sigh of relief.
“Ahh, that's better, I don’t need to tell you how hard the flight between here and the badlands is on the back,” said Chrysalis, wiggling her tush against the cushion.
“Well maybe if you took some time and exercised more, then it wouldn’t be a problem,” sniped Luna.
Chrysalis gave a laugh. “Me? Exercise? Now that would be the day, maybe when you get a social life.”
“Hey!” exclaimed Luna indignantly.
Chrysalis ignored the outburst. “The healthy lifestyle may be good for some, but I prefer the pampered life, myself.” Chrysalis then started leaning on her forehooves and started staring at Luna, smiling expectantly.
Luna shifted uncomfortably under the changeling’s gaze. She briefly became intensely interested in the star patterns on the ceiling, then one of the wall lamps, and finally the wood texture of the table.
Eventually the expectant silence became too much for the alicorn. “Well? Spit it out already, I know you want to.”
“I want you to say it,” said Chrysalis, her expression not changing.
“Do I have to?” said Luna, grimacing.
Chrysalis just kept starring.
Luna, drummed her hooves on the table for a minute, before throwing them in the air. “Fine, You win! Happy now!”
“Not until you admit that I’m right,” Chrysalis said in a singsong voice.
“I will not!” huffed Luna, “While I admit that you won our little wager, I still maintain Celestia’s stance that the power of friendship and love is not an adequate defence against all aggressors.”
“Why not? It worked against me,” said Chrysalis slyly.
Luna pointed a hoof accusingly in Chrysalis’s face. “Don’t give me that, I saw you. You were trying to lose, I saw your acting, you were hamming it up the entire time, and your hubris levels were off the charts.”
Chrysalis scoffed. “Oh really, and how many of Equestria's villains were not complete hams? Even you were completely hammy as Nightmare Moon.”
Luna opened her mouth, then closed it again, then opened it again. “That... may be the case, but that still doesn’t give you an excuse to give less than your best, you promised to at least try to win!”
“And who’s to say that I didn’t?” said Chrysalis, still smug. “I had managed to infiltrate the wedding, disable the guard chain of command by enthralling the guard captain, defeat the Elements of Harmony before they could be used, took down Celestia in single combat, with the power of love I might add-”
“Love that you stole, and she was holding back,” grumbled Luna.
“Don’t nitpick Lu, it's unbecoming.” chided Chrysalis. “Now where was I? Oh yes, my changelings took down the guards in all the confusion after the shield broke, I disabled every line of defence Celestia had at her disposal, all that was left was the tired and hungry princess of love and her enthralled fiance, who could have had no way of stopping me...”
“Don’t give me that, you planned that from the very beginning didn’t you?” accused Luna.
Chrysalis gave a look of mock affront. “Why Lu, you wound me, to think that you would accuse me, Chrysalis, the queen of the changelings, a race of deceivers, would subtly manipulate a situation so it would come out in my favour, the very thought…”
“Yeah, yeah, you can stop rubbing it in now,” said Luna. “Teach me to make a bet with a changeling.”
“Why, It never has before. Which reminds me…” Chrysalis reached out with her magic and pulled a deck of cards out of Luna's dresser, expertly shuffling them. “Care to play?”
Luna thought for a minute, before shrugging. “Sure, deal me.”
Chrysalis dealt out the cards and they settled down to play an ancient game, a game unknown to all but the most learned historians and a few immortals. Luna doubted if even her sister remembered it, but Luna and Chrysalis did. They played in silence, placing down cards, taking cards away, grinning or grimacing where appropriate.
“I missed this,” said Chrysalis, breaking the silence.
“You mean recently, or…” Luna waved her hoof, indicating what they both knew.
“Both, really, it's hard to find friends in this line of work…” said Chrysalis.
After a pause for her to make her play, Luna said softly, “Sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologise for, I should have been there for you, instead I let you suffer alone.”
“You don’t have to blame yourself.”
“Only when you stop blaming yourself.”
“...Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it, it's what friends are for... that and self pity tastes absolutely bitter.”
Luna rolled her eyes and continued playing. She looked down at her hand, before grinning and placing down a card.
Chrysalis looked down at it and sighed. “You win, it seems.”
Luna smiled and gathered up the cards, shuffling them. “Another game?”
“Actually since I have you in a more favourable mood, I’d like to talk to you about fulfilling your end of our bet,” said Chrysalis, steepling her hooves.
Luna sighed. “I can’t remember, what did I promise you?”
“A favour, as a matter of fact,” said Chrysalis, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing too embarrassing… at least for you.” To Luna’s surprise Chrysalis started blushing.
Luna was more curious now than guarded. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’d like you to be my wingmare and help me land a date,” said Chrysalis, her eyes shifting uncomfortably.
Lunas eyebrow raised. “You want me... to be your wingmare?”
Chrysalis put up her hooves defensively. “I know how that sounds, but trust me, no one is better disposed to help me in this situation, you see it's somepony special.”
“Well who is it?” said Luna, leaning in, “although if you say it's me, broken ribs or no I will punch you in the gut.”
Chrysalis gave a laugh. “No not that, I wouldn’t have beat about the bush this long if that was the case, I would have just snogged you already.”
Luna tapped her hoof impatiently. “Then would you kindly stop beating about the bush now.”
“Fair enough, I’ve kept you waiting long enough, it's…” Chrysalis’s eyes suddenly widened. “Oh no.”
“What! What is it!” cried Luna, jumping to her hooves and looking around, expecting an unknown observer or assailant. But she stopped when she heard Chrysalis banging her head against the wall.
“Stupid, Stupid STUPID!!” she said with every bash, forcing Luna to pull her off the wall.
“What's gotten into you all of a sudden?” said Luna.
“I’ve been a complete fool, Luna!” said the hysterical changeling, “I’ve made a terrible mistake in my plans.”
Luna couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. “Are you, Chrysalis, admitting that you did something wrong?”
Chrysalis gave her a scathing look.
“Right, right, sorry,” said Luna. “Please continue.”
Chrysalis took some calming breaths, but her voice was still shaky when she said, “Well I’ve had a crush on someone in your life for quite some time, but I never new how to broach it, I thought I could use this bet to make you introduce me to her…”
“And the thought that you could have just asked me never entered your mind, why?” Luna asked.
“Because my mind doesn’t work that way, that's why!” cried Chrysalis. “Anyway, so I went through with the bet, and during the invasion I got rather carried away, and I may have… hurt my crush.”
“Oh…” said Luna, who started patting her on the back, while trying to think of anyone Chrysalis would have personally hurt, there was Cadance, but that seemed highly unlikely, only two other names stood out that Luna could be considered close to…
“Twilight?” Luna asked hopefully.
Chrysalis shook her head.
Luna grimaced, that could only mean…
“No…” said Luna, hoping she was wrong.
Chrysalis nodded mutely.
“You can’t seriously mean…”
Another nod.
“You have a crush on my sister!?” Luna exclaimed.
“Not so loud, please!” said Chrysalis, “I don’t need the whole world to know.”
“Of all the mares in Equestria, you are gunning for my sister.”
“The same sister that I lasered in the face,” lamented Chrysalis. “You got me into this mess Luna, you get me out!”
“Wha- How is this my fault!?” said Luna indignantly.
“This bet was your idea in the first place,” said Chrysalis.
“I meant it only in jest, you were the one who took me up on it,” countered Luna.
“Yes, well, but- Argh! Help me Luna, I don’t know what to do!” wailed Chrysalis.
Luna tried to calm Chrysalis down. “It's ok Chrys, we just need some time to think, we’ll come up with something.”
Chrysalis calmed down somewhat, but still looked like a wreck. Luna said, “Look, how about I get something to calm your nerves?”
“Something strong, I hope?” said Chrysalis.
Luna went for the door. “I’ll see what we have in the cellar…” She then noticed the door was ajar.
Thinking quickly she wrenched the door open, only to find Celestia standing on the landing with a look of shock on her face.
There was a pregnant pause as everyone simply stared, this gave birth to a lot of smaller silences, each just as awkward as the first.
“How… how long have you been standing there?”Luna finally asked.
“Since… since she arrived,” said Celestia evenly.
“I… see,” said Luna. “Goodnight, sister.”
“Goodnight, Luna,” said Celestia.
Luna slowly closed the door, and she eventually heard Celestia's retreating hoofsteps and wingbeats.
“Well I think, that's enough for me for one night,” said Chrysalis, getting up quickly, “I might just go home and die quietly, if it's all the same to you.”
“Good plan, I’ll come with you,” said Luna, gathering up some of her possessions for an overnight trip. “I don’t want to be here when she gets over the shock.”