In Spike’s absence, Trixie had volunteered to keep the tree-house library clean and tidy. But with the dragon following Rainbow Dash to the Zebrica, and Trixie now on an unknown task away from Ponyville, the library grew a bit dusty and damp. The somewhat dilapidated environs did not exactly help the mood of the group.
After the well-wishing friends of Twilight accompanied her to her old tree-house library, they stayed for a while and talked. But eventually, various things demanded their attention and they had to leave one by one, and at last, only a tired-looking Spike was left.
As the dragon was wiping the floor of the library with a mop, he lowered his head dejectedly again.
It appeared that Twilight’s amnesia was quite severe, as she can only recall the fact that she was in a country called Equestria and there were princesses who rule the land.
While the fact that she had forgotten him was both stinging and heart-wrenching, but it was even more shocking that she had even forgotten about her beloved Princess Celestia, Cadance, and even her family. He dreaded the reaction and shock when any of those found out – which would be soon since Rainbow Dash had already sent out a courier to Canterlot.
“Gah!”
Suddenly, a yelp was heard from the kitchen. Spike immediately dropped the mop and rushed into the room.
“What happened, Twilight?”
“I… I’m trying to cook with my magic, but it didn’t work at all. So it kept burning and spewed everywhere before I put a cloth on the fire.”
“I thought you tried in front of the girls just now? You shouldn’t just risk your safety like that! Why are you in the kitchen cooking anyway?”
“I… uh, want to cook the dinner for you?” Twilight winced and slunk away from the somewhat overbearing purple dragon.
“Don’t be silly, Twi! I always did the cooking! Plus you’re a patient now, you can’t even walk properly without the crutch! Go stay in your bed and let me handle this!”
“Ye- Yes, Spike. But can I do something for you? Anything?”
Spike sighed. “The most that you can do for me is to rest and recover, or at least wait till we find a way to fix you up. You’re not my servant! It should be me who look after you till you get better.”
“I’m not?”
Spike slapped his forehead. “Of course not! Why in Equestria would you think that?! You’re my loving family!”
“Really? I’m glad! I love you too.” Twilight flashed him the most innocent smile he’d ever seen.
Spike exhaled heavily. Of course he’s heartened by Twilight’s declaration of affection, but she was simply not the Twilight he used to know, not to mention completely unsuited for public appearances in this state.
“Twilight…”
“Yes?”
“Even though the girls told me to get you more rest, I’m still going to fill you in with some of your own personal detail, so you don’t get confused, or worse, swindled when you talk to someone else.”
“Really? Thank you, Spike!” Twilight again smiled. “But I’m sure everypony is nice enough not to do that.”
“Yeah, we’ll see about that…” Spike rolled his eyes. “First, your parents are called Twilight Velvet and Night Light, and they live in Canterlot... the capital of Equestria, as you may recall.”
Twilight nodded, and Spike continued. “You also have a brother called Shining Armor, and he’s married several moons ago.”
“Really? Congrats!”
“Uh… Anyway, you’re a unicorn with very strong magic, therefore you were able to enter the School for Gifted Unicorns and became Princess Celestia’s personal student.”
“Whoa, am I? I didn’t feel like it when I tried my hooves at cooking just now…”
“Trust me, your condition now is just temporary.” He added under his breath. “… I hope.”
“And am I really that close to the princess?”
“Yep… She certainly loves you a lot. As for me, I’m hatched from an egg with your own magic when you were attempting to pass the entrance test.”
“So, you’re my son!” Twilight beamed. “No wonder I feel so good and safe seeing you.”
Spike blushed briefly, and scratched his head. “I- I guess you can say that. But what’s more important for you right now, is perhaps how you come to be like this.”
Twilight’s smile fell a bit. “Weren’t I always… disabled?”
“No!” Spike wincingly said. “We… we’re going to find a way to fix them!”
“Spike, as forgetful as I am now, I still understand that you simply don’t just ‘fix’ a crippled leg, or a seared eye.”
Spike bit his lips and said. “We’re working very hard to appeal to the magic of Harmony… It has woken you up, surely it can do more! Barring that, no way are they going to let a national hero hang there without giving her the best treatment possible.”
“National hero? Me?”
“Of course, Twi! You were an Element-bearer of Magic, and you saved the nation from a terrible conqueror by sacrificing yourself!”
“… Really?” Twilight asked with wide eyes. “What are the Elements?”
Spike began to describe Twilight and her friends’ exploit in Ponyville up until the changeling invasion. At first, the purple mare listened with rapt attention and curiosity, but towards the end, her ears drooped and her expression was one of worry and sadness.
“What’s wrong, Twi? Are you recalling something?”
“I’m sorry, but no. I’m just…”
“Hmm?”
“The Twilight you’ve described seemed to have achieved an awful lot. She even had a bunch of very accomplished friends as well, one of them is even a duchess leading thousands of soldiers around!”
“Twi, you’re one yourself. Princess Luna awarded you the titular duchy of Ponyville for your bravery in the Canterlot invasion.”
“No, that was the Twilight you knew. I’m not the Twilight you knew. I barely remember any of those… or any of you. I can never fill those horseshoes…”
“Don’t say that, Twilight! You’ve just forgotten those things for now! It’s still you who had saved Equestria from the changelings!”
“Changelings…” Twilight muttered repeatedly.
Spike perked up. “Hm, does the word ring a bell?”
“Vaguely… When I hear the word, there seem to be some sort of tugging in my head towards a certain direction.”
“Huh…”
Suddenly, someone knocked loudly on the front door. Turning to look at an unsure Twilight, Spike went down and answered the door.
A milky white pegasus stood at the door. Spike felt like he had seen this mare before, but he wasn’t so sure.
“Is Twilight here?”
“Huh?” Spike widened his eyes. The fact that Twilight had come back was barely known except for the Cruzesians and Zebricans. But even they did not know that Twilight had just woken up.
Outside of the small circle of Twilight’s friends, most of the Cruzesians and Zebricans had been convinced by Discord that Twilight was undergoing medical treatment privately, so it was bizarre for someone to look for Twilight in her library, at this hour no less.
“Oh, I forgot.” She looked down briefly. “Spike the Dragon, please close the door and I’ll show you something. I mean you no harm.”
“… Don’t try anything funny, madam, I can breathe really hot fire.” Spike raised a brow as he cautiously closed the door.
A green flash shone before Spike’s eyes, and when he opened his eyes again, a familiar form stood in front of him.
“Chrysalis?! What are you doing here?!” Spike shouted in great alarm, as he grabbed the nearest sharp object he could find.
“Shhh!!” Chrysalis hushed the dragon. “Stupid dragon! If I want to fool you, I wouldn’t have revealed myself!”
“Who are you calling stupid, foul villain!” Spike hissed.
Chrysalis grumbled, but she managed to compose herself before another outburst. “Excuse me and please disregard my remark. It’s hard for me to not call names all of a sudden. And please put aside any ill feelings first, I-”
Spike harrumphed and interrupted her. “I ask again, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be held by the Cruzesians?”
The green-maned changeling grinned. “I sneaked out. That guise is of the poor mare who I hypnotized to sleep.”
“What? I’m going to tell Rainbow Dash immediately!”
“Listen to me first!” Chrysalis gritted her teeth. “I’m here to help Twilight Sparkle! I would have disarmed or also hypnotized you if I have any other intention!”
“Why should I trust you? You’re the one who caused Twilight to become like… this!” Spike accused.
“I just felt a blast of energy through my connection with Twilight, and I knew something is up. So I, uh, talked the white pegasus into letting me out around the camp, when I overheard from a group of high-ranking medics who were discussing Twilight’s newest condition. Turns out she woke up finally, but can’t cast any spell. I knew something that will help her out greatly. Do you want her to be helped or not?”
“…What would you gain for helping her? I’m not at all convinced.”
“Now that the hive is back to Equestria, it’s time to regather the lost changelings so as to rebuild my-... the changlings' kingdom.”
Chrysalis stopped the query from the suspicious dragon. “You must understand the hive is not inherently at odds with you ponies. I… regret the conflicts that we had, but I merely did what I thought was best for the hive. Judging from where we are now, it appeared that I was wrong in my approach.”
“You would do well to stay put, and not to pull tricks like this.” Spike glared.
Chrysalis wearily sighed. “I told you, I have no ulterior motive this time. What can I do anyway? I’m no longer capable of mass communication as the queen just as before, nor do the other changeling recognize my authority. I’m just trying to help in my own way, and figure out the future of the changelings as well as myself.”
“Uh-huh.”
“We now practically did not have to feed for at least another moon, since the surge of energy through our link with Twilight was extremely fulfilling. It even carried a taste so uniquely delectable, it was like the famed ambrosia some ponies talk about. That was the power from the Tree of Harmony, I presume?”
Spike deliberated for a while, and then cautiously nodded with great suspicion.
“I had talked with Discord, and I’m coming to terms that maybe we changelings can conduct our businesses in a way that is less unpalatable to the ponies. Exactly how I’m not sure yet, but its success will have to hinge on the mediation from Twilight Sparkle. Plus, I don’t want to implicate a hiveling that used to be under my command, but Allela’s conducts made me wonder what she’s up to. Bottom-line, gathering the stray changelings around Equestria can only be beneficial for you all, right?”
“Why would you care about the Changeling Kingdom so much? You lost your crown already.”
For a brief moment, Chrysalis’s gaze was pained and thinly vengeful. But she quickly replaced it with a somewhat tired and dejected look.
“The Green Stigmata chose the worthy queen. When the changelings emerged from the earth, the first queen was bestowed with it naturally. I knew well that it was futile to resist it when more drastic measure turned out to fall flat on its own. But at heart I still care for my people deeply. The average changeling is frail, without collective protection of a hive and a certain cunning, he would have easily perished. Twilight Sparkle’s magic was incredibly strong and fulfilling, and since she had explicitly expressed that she’s willing to look after the changelings’ interest despite our past conflicts… If it was her, I trust that things would turn out better for us. She’s our only hope among these hostile ponies anyway.”
“… I still don’t get it. Shouldn’t you hate her for bringing down your hive?”
Chrysalis looked up. “I thought I should, but I don’t. I once suspected that it was because she had influenced me through our mental link. I still do, since meeting her did cause me to act rather strangely.”
“Are you blaming your own nasty works on her?” Spike raised his voice angrily.
“I’m just describing what happened, you’re free to disregard them.” Chrysalis huffed. “The past me would definitely not throw the hive to hopeless attacks just to get back at her, not to mention… the things that happened afterwards. I must’ve been a bit crazy.”
“What’s your point?” Spike crossed his arms.
Her voice was somewhat reluctant. “Nothing in particular, because what’s done is done. She’s the holder of the Green Stigmata now, and if I’m to keep on helping the changeling nation at this state, I’d have to deal with it and help Twilight Sparkle out… against the more unruly elements in and out of the hive.”
She then said with a low voice. “I found out the reason why she is unable to cast magic just now, and I found a way that might be able to help her use it again.”
“… What’s the reason?”
“It’s because of the Green Stigmata.” Chrysalis exhaled. “Pony magic and changeling magic is different… When a magic user cast a spell, the magical conduit activates. It can only successfully activate when the magic oscillates in the natural frequency of the user’s body. Since unicorns and changelings have different body structures, they in general cannot cast spells adapted to each other’s physiology.”
“So you’re saying that the Green Stigmata thing changed Twilight’s response to magic?”
Chrysalis slightly nodded. She was surprised at the purple dragon’s quick thinking, as she thought he was just a baby child for Twilight Sparkle to dote on.
“Indeed. The Green Stigmata is basically a magical booster for the queen of changelings, allowing her to reach out to multiple hivelings at once to give orders. It’s naturally tuned to our own type of magic.”
She sighed. “The blast of energy that I’ve received allowed me to carefully examine the magical frequency Twilight Sparkle gives out, and it was a curious mix of pony and changeling magic. Since magic requires very precise control and calibration, it is no coincidence that she cannot cast magic as usual. It’s like putting a square peg into a hole that had changed into a circle. However, it’s also not something that the magic user herself would notice if the change is gradual. Therefore, I want to come here, tell her about that and see what we can do to reboot her magical circuit. The faster she can regain her magic, then the faster we can do something about the hive and her new status. I mean, it’s not like you guys would like the hive to ‘act up’ because of something unexpected, right?”
Spike listened and nodded imperceptibly. Chrysalis was being forthright apparently, and he’s inclined to take her words at face value for the moment, even though he hesitated to trust her completely. But then he recalled something and wryly sighed.
Chrysalis noticed his change in demeanor and asked. “What’s so funny about that, dragon?”
“You’ve come by a bad time, Chrysalis. Twilight is not quite herself right now.”
“… Wait.” Spike narrowed his eyes. “You might be the culprit of her current condition!”
“Hang on, dragon.” Chrysalis said with clear frustration. “Don’t just point an accusing claw at me without explaining what you’re talking about!”
Spike drew in a breath and said. “Hmph. Fine. She’s lost her memory, and she can’t remember a thing right now, not even me, the princesses, or her family even.”
Chrysalis looked genuinely shocked at the news, and a palpable degree of fear and worry began to set in. “What?! Oh dear, the Great Pitcher preserves us! Without her, we’re going to be blasted and diced by Celestia and her ilk!”
Looking at her panicked face, Spike felt a satisfying sense of schadenfreude. “Pfft, even if Twilight forgot about you guys, the other girls are not going to feed you to the sharks, so to speak. Haven’t you realized that the very reason Rainbow Dash insisted on keeping you and other changelings to the Cruzesians is to prevent the princesses, especially the angrier little sister, from punishing the changelings using the law or else? She’s going to appeal on your behalf sooner or later.”
Chrysalis’s eyes slowly widened. “… I didn’t realize that.”
“That’s why it’s seriously a bad move to harm the mare who was sent to guard you. She’s there for your own good, really.”
Chrysalis hurriedly said. “I didn’t harm her! I really just used talk to convince her I’m not up to no good, and then I just put her to sleep, took her badge, and put her into my bed. I even covered her with a blanket as I left! I can’t leave with her watching my every move!”
The green-maned changeling then looked down to the ground. “Speaking of which, I… I’m sorry for what happened on the ship.”
“Huh?” Spike raised his brows at the changeling’s apology, mouth slightly agape. He never in a thousand years would expect Chrysalis to apologize to him.
“W- What?” Chrysalis looked offended. “I just want to show some good will, that’s all! I did threaten to do horrible things to you after all.”
She hurriedly added. “But I never meant to do it! I was simply bluffing! And I… I…”
“I don’t know, that might just be the purple pony’s infectious feeling, but I simply can’t do that to you then, and can’t do that to you now.”
Spike originally wanted to mock the inability of the changeling to carry out the nefarious plan anyway, but when he saw the contrasting soft expression on the changeling’s hard features, his outburst dissipated.
“So…” Chrysalis again lowered her head. “She really has amnesia?”
“If I were to lie, I’d have picked a better one.”
Spike then frowned. “Could it be your Green Stigmata or some other weird changeling magic that caused her current condition? Did you make a mess of her mind when you and Discord battled?”
“I most certainly didn’t!” Chrysalis reacted somewhat angrily to his accusation. “I- I did initiate a few magical blasts back then, but Discord’s simply exaggerating, because it was well within the level of tolerance for a unicorn with such magical potential! As for the influence of Green Stigmata, I can’t say for sure, but I lean towards ‘no’. I can’t tell because this never happened before, but her inability to cast magic is what we call a passive symptom, because it was caused by drying up of her magical conduit. Sudden loss of memory is usually an active symptom, and it have likely happened because of some sort of interference or shock.”
“So, like the blasts you casted?”
“Seriously, you petulant fo-!”
Chrysalis bit down another half-spoken remark. “I- If it was my attacks that damaged her mind, she would be a babbling half-vegetable instead of an amnesiac! And unless she’s a magical creature conjured with spell, I don’t see how the Green Stigmata would interact with her memories or sense of self. I have no idea how she lost her memories at all.”
Spike scrunched his brows, but then sighed. “What do you want to do now?”
“… Can I see her?”
“Of course not!” Spike huffed angrily. “I’m considering not to report you to Rainbow Dash, and I’m already thinking if I’m crazy for believing you at all. You’re way too dangerous to be let near Twilight!”
Chrysalis gritted her teeth. “I could just make you obey me, you know!”
Spike widened his eyes alarmingly. However, he then just drily chuckled.
“Wh- Why are you laughing? I’m really going to do it, like I did to that mare!”
“Yeah, but I can see that you aren’t though. I have my fair share of together-time with a potentially mind-bending being to be taunted by empty threats like this. So what if you made me sleep or, ugh, even brainwash me… The other girls aren’t exactly idiots, you know. They will discover that immediately, and you’d burn the remaining bridges you have.”
Chrysalis angrily mumbled, but Spike simply continued. “Rather than that, why don’t you think about how you are going to deal with an angry Rainbow Dash after the poor pegasus woke up? Rainbow told me that she stood up for you in front of the princesses, she’d be very disappointed to see you do that one of her lieutenants.”
Chrysalis exhaled sharply and exclaimed. “I just want to help Twilight Sparkle, is that wrong now?!”
“Huh?”
“I… It’s not like I’ve never met annoyingly good and kind creatures on the warpath, those creatures would gladly offer up all that they have just to a passer-by. But they were, without an exception, pathetic and naïve. Their goodness is only enabled by their forgiving environment, and when I arrive to give them a dose of reality-check, it’s already too late for them.”
Chrysalis said through her teeth. “But Twilight Sparkle… I don’t know what she’s been through, but I felt it. She’s not an innocent mare.”
“Hey! Don’t you insult Twilight like that!”
“I don’t mean it as an insult. Unlike those creatures that I met, it is very clear to me that she’s not a simple bookworm she claims she is. I ask you, what kind of pampered royal student knew how to sweet-talk as well as whip the different antagonistic tribes in and out of Timbucktu into a defense force, establish a parameter that was tight as a glass jar, and set up layers of traps to immobilize our invasion force? She was much more ruthlessly efficient in Timbucktu than she was in Canterlot, which was another bemusing matter in of itself. But in any case, she could have annihilate all the changelings there and then.”
Chrysalis breathed through her teeth. “But she… didn’t. With everything that happened, it’s clear that she understood the world’s full of predators that would pound on any showing of weakness, she knew that enemies lurk in every corner of this world. But despite all, she chose the difficult path of unrelenting kindness. I have grown to… respect her for that.”
Spike listened with a slightly surprised expression, but towards the end, he again offered up a wry and bitter laugh.
“You’re going to be so disappointed then.”
“… Why?”
“Twilight… She’s now no different than those naïve creatures. I just talk with her, and she’s like a foal in the woods, trusting every word a ‘stranger’ told her and blithely smile all the time. She’s not going to inform you anything on your life philosophy in her current state.”
“But…”
“I don’t know if I will regret this later, but I… well, we haven’t really talked much, have we? You don’t look or sound like what I expect a villain to act.”
Chrysalis noticed that the purple dragon’s attitude was softening, but she was still somewhat offended.
“What exactly do you mean?” She narrowed her eyes.
“Based on what the girls told me, I thought you are the gloating type, kinda like Nightmare Moon but more, I dunno, plotting and stuffs?”
“I- don’t- gloat!” Chrysalis huffed. “I just express my confidence in my assured superiority!”
Spike just shrugged with some amusement. “Whatever you say. But your willingness to communicate is just so sharply different to the impression I had got from the girls. No wonder even Rainbow seems willing to cut you a lot of slack.”
The dragon then added quickly. “But…! Even if I let you through and you can work your way through her condition, I don’t know if it is a good idea to rekindle her magic now anyway, given how she’s... well, not quite herself right now. She had a history of being unable to control her magic.”
“Does she?”
Spike peeked at the inquiring changeling, who was clearly curious. “Very much so. For example, back when she tried to pass the entrance test to the magic school, she lost control of her magic and turned her parents into potted plants... temporarily fortunately. ”
Chrysalis shook her head and sighed.
Spike noticed her silence, but he nonetheless continued. “Yeah, so I think maybe it’s better after all for her to temporarily lose her magic for the moment… to keep her and others from harm.”
“But…” Chrysalis took in a breath. “Please?”
Spike widened his eyes. He didn’t really expect the changeling to simply plead with him. He tapped on his chin. “… I… well, you seem sincere enough, but I think I’m going to do the sensible thing and at least get a second opinion from the girls and perhaps the princesses.”
Facing a Chrysalis with an irritated frown, Spike continued. “Even though I’m convinced by your sincerity, both Twilight’s magic and memories are no laughing matter. I’ll try to get you out later using a more legitimate way, if you’re here to help Twilight. I don’t want your sneaking out to cast even more shadow on the girls’ impression on you and other changelings.”
“… Really?”
“If they discover this before you get back-”
With a loud bang, the front door to the library was battered open. A small squadron of pegasi swarmed in, and leading the squadron was none other than Rainbow Dash herself.
“Chrysalis!” Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at the changeling, who instinctively backtracked behind Spike. “Why did you escape from our custody?”
“Speaking of the cyan devil…” Chrysalis tutted her tongue.
“I would love to hear what you did to Sergeant Milestrela.” Rainbow Dash said with a palpable anger under her calm expression. “She’s barely coherent after we found her, her badge missing.”
She then turned to Spike worriedly. “She didn’t do anything to you and Twilight, did she?”
Spike sighed. “No, she didn’t. She sneaked out just so that she can help Twilight regain her magic. She also said she only put the sergeant to sleep in order to come here secretly.”
“… You believe her?”
“She convinced me, at least. I’m still not going to let her see Twilight, though, not because I don’t trust her, but because of something else. That’s something we should’ve discussed earlier today.”
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes on the purple dragon, and after she felt nothing weird from him, she told the soldiers next to her to stand guard outside the door, and gestured Spike to explain.
The purple dragon then told her of the discussion he just had with Chrysalis, and Rainbow Dash’s stern frown turned into an unsure gaze.
Chrysalis preempted the cyan mare’s query. “Sorry about the white pegasus. She’s in no danger of anything, she’d only be sleepy for these few hours. I really want to just sneak out for a short while and help the purple pony out. Here, take her badge back.”
Rainbow Dash took the badge and shook her head. “Chrysalis, you didn’t have to sneak out like that. We can just talk! If you told Milestrela to find me, I’m sure I can come by the end of today at least.”
“I didn’t think-”
“What Spike told you is true. At first, I do think that keeping you and other changelings in confinement serve a security purpose. But it’s soon apparent that you’re now simply too few to cause any big trouble. On the contrary, I had suspected a lot of ponies out here are probably out for your blood, and that only got confirmed after I came back. Since Cruzesians have no bad blood with changelings, you’ll be mostly safe staying in our camp.”
Chrysalis bit her lips in acknowledgement of the cyan mare’s benevolent intention, but she nonetheless frowned. “We are not your foals! We can manage ourselves just fine, without you restricting our freedom of movement.”
“If any of the changelings are mobbed, it would be a dereliction of duties on our part.”
“What duties exactly?” Chrysalis asked in annoyance.
“We have to ensure your safety until Twilight recovers her memories and magic. We can only discuss the future of the changelings with both the input of Twilight and a return to normalcy. This is both a promise to the princesses, to Twilight, and to you as well. That’s not to say you’ll get a free pass in anything, but hey, you should get my point.”
“No, I don’t! I’m fed up with having to stay in your cramped camp anymore!”
Although Chrysalis tried to sound threatening and aggressive, it came out a little weak and only sounded whiny and petulant.
“Don’t make my work harder than it is, okay?” Rainbow Dash sighed through her teeth. “Fine, let me tell you something. We’ve trying to arrange a compromise with Applejack, and the changelings may be able to actually settle down alongside the Zebricans near the Apples’ farm on your own. You can live without military surveillance, as long as you don’t just sneak away like this. Officially, you will still be under Cruzesian ‘custody’, but it will just be in name.”
“This… This sounds nice and all, but we changelings aren’t farmers! We can’t feed ourselves with apples!”
“It’s just a temporary assignment. Don’t you say you still have a moon to spare before you all go hungry? If so, good! We have a moon to figure out what’s wrong with Twilight, do a proper introduction of her and the changelings alike, and then invent a way that can both satisfy your need to feed and the customs of Equestrians.”
“You’re crazy! How can we do so many things in just a moon?”
Both Spike and Rainbow Dash silently took note of the use of ‘we’, and they gave a coincidental glance to each other. While Spike’s expression was more complicated, Rainbow Dash looked gladder that she was softening.
“Even if there isn’t a way for you to feed by then, I guess a normal Twilight should be able to figure out something else, or directly supply energy for the small cohort of changelings here.”
“Spike? Who is this guest here? She looks...”
The dragon, ponies and changelings collectively looked back in shock. A smiling Twilight leaned on the crutch and stood near the stairwell.
The purple mare tilted her head and said. “Ah, she must be one of the changelings you mentioned.”
“T- Twilight…” Spike widened her eyes.
“I was waiting upstairs, but you didn’t come back for a long time, so I took my crutch and get down to see what’s going on.”
“You all seem to be talking something important.” Twilight flashed them a bashful smile. “Don’t worry, I haven’t heard a thing at all, as usual, ha ha!”
Rainbow Dash and Spike, though, couldn’t spare even a half-smile, as they were both saddened by her words’ implications. After a few awkward chuckles, the purple mare sighed and said. “I’m sorry, I seem to have make you even more annoyed.”
Rainbow Dash hurriedly said. “No, Twi, you haven’t! Don’t be silly!”
Twilight just smilingly shook her head. However, she suddenly focused on the changeling in the room, who was studying the purple mare with an intense gaze. Once Chrysalis noticed Twilight was looking back at her, she unconsciously averted her eyes.
“You…”
“Wait, Twilight, don’t get close-” Spike called out.
Twilight regardless trotted near to Chrysalis with a surprisingly quick pace. “You’re the end of the line.”
“H- huh?”
“There are lines that extended from my core, and one of them lead to you. It is very strong and tangible. Do you know what that is?”
“Lines? Oh, you mean…”
Chrysalis gulped. “So yeah, w- we are changelings. And we feed on love instead of pony food.”
“Oh woah.”
“I’m Chrysalis. I used to lead the largest band of changelings. But… things happened, and I’m no longer the queen… You are. The lines are our magical connections with you, for you have been sustaining us with your magic.”
“Uh huh… Wait, what?”
“Chrysalis, you shouldn’t give her a shock like that.” Rainbow Dash frowned.
“She has to know!” Chrysalis insisted. “There are several hundreds of changelings out there, and most of them are persuaded by Allela to recognize you as queen in name. However, if you’re serious at being a queen, you doesn’t simply sit quietly and receive tribute, you have to uphold her duties in order to gain their respect. I don’t want the hive I used to lead and still love to fall apart because of anarchy or some strange machinations!”
“I- I…” Twilight looked somewhat distressed. “I’ll see what I can do…”
“You can start by listening to me and try to rekindle your magic. Or at least try to draw upon your newfound connections and show that there is still a queen there!”
“How can I do so?”
“Now now.” Chrysalis grinned at a pliant Twilight. “I will direct a small blast of changeling magic through our connection, and your task is to take it and draw it out of your horn. With your predilection to magic, surely you would begin to master the whole thing afterwards. After all, even the lowest drones use it as easily as breathing.”
“It’s still too dangerous!” Spike interjected. “Who knows what would happen after pushing Twilight closer to changeling magic? She might lose her unicorn magic altogether! Or there will be a giant explosion! Worst yet, she might change species altogether and become a changeling entirely! Also, didn’t we just talk about how she might not be able to control her magic yet?”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, we should of course aim at nursing Twilight to full health, we shouldn’t force her and even put her into danger like this!”
“I-” Twilight weakly called out, but her voice was overwhelmed by the assertive tone of her cyan friend.
“And you, Chrysalis.” Rainbow Dash turned to the changeling, who was disappointed and annoyed at the same time. “I’m grateful for your intention to help Twilight, but at the same time, you did lay your hoof on one of my loyal lieutenants, whose job was only to protect you from harm. I want you to apologize to her.”
“What? Apologizing to my jailer? You don’t even let me do the one thing I want to do! Get your head out of the cloud first, Rainbow Dash.”
“I insist, Chrysalis. I don’t think you real-”
Chrysalis tutted and cut her off. “I reject your ridiculous demand, Rainbow Dash. Who are you to command me to do anything?”
“R- Rainbow, I want to try her suggestion out!”
Rainbow Dash was surprised by the interruption by her purple friend. “Twi?”
The purple mare smiled sadly. “… I don’t want to be this useless anymore. I’m no royal student, not to mention the savior of Equestria. I’m just a bed-bound amnesiac with a lot of undeserved care and attention.”
Rainbow Dash winced. “No, Twi, y-”
“Even if I can’t regain my memories at the moment and be the Twilight you know, I still want to help. Doing nothing is no going to help or change my current status.”
Chrysalis smirked. “Aha, she herself wants to. What are you going to say about that, rainbow mane?”
Rainbow Dash sighed wearily. “… Can you ensure that there will be no danger whatsoever?”
“I will of course intervene if there is anything wrong. Can’t get the queen killed, can I? But then, I can’t guarantee anything, since this has to be the first time a non-changeling bears the Green Stigmata. Who knows what will happen exactly?”
Spike shook his head. “Twilight, Rainbow, this is a risky affair.”
Twilight begged. “Spike, please…”
Spike originally wanted to continue to stonewall, but Twilight’s pleading gaze was melting away his objection. He eventually sighed. “…I’m not saying no, but shouldn’t we at least bring in more magic users in case things go awry? I’m talking about Rares and Discord. Rosencross is also a changeling, she can also help spot if anything is wrong.”
“Argh…” Chrysalis frowned. “You’re bringing that red menace here?”
“Well, if you aren’t doing anything shady, then why would you mind?”
“I am not! You can have all of them here, it doesn’t matter. Phalena can help me out even, if I can tolerate her presence long enough before I vomit that is.”
“Fine. I’ll send ponies out to gather them. In the meantime, you’re advised to stay put in here, Chrysalis. If you go missing again, then I’ll not be able to shield you from the princesses’ wrath anymore. I’ll talk to you about other things later.”
Chrysalis huffed. “Tsk, go already.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Well, well, well. Aren’t you a naughty little changeling, Chryssy? Sneaking away from the cyan one? You out of all people should know what an angry Celestia could do to you.”
Chrysalis hissed. “Shut up, Discord. And get on with this.”
“Rainbow, where is Rarity?” Spike asked.
“We can’t find her in Ponyville at the moment. She must have left right after our meeting this noon and gone north to Raritan or Canterlot. You know, she’s insanely busy these days.”
Rosencross didn’t speak, and simply gave a cold stare to Chrysalis.
“Phalena, are you going to stand there or are you going to help?” Chrysalis said with annoyance. “If you don’t want to keep an eye on your beloved Twilight, then it’s entirely up to you.”
Both Rosencross and Twilight looked flustered, but the red mare quickly recovered. “Chrysalis, you’re still so unbearable.”
“Much obliged. Your sight is also quite unbearable to me too, as it reminds me of how weakness can doom a hive.”
“You!”
“Alright, let’s focus on the task on hand, shall we?!” Discord loudly banged a gong he pulled out of nowhere, causing everyone in the room to cover their ears with pain.
“Fine!” Chrysalis huffed. “Twilight Sparkle, come and point your horn towards me.”
“Y- Yes!” Twilight was still half-spooked by Discord, as she timidly walked near Chrysalis. Everyone else simply stared intensely.
“Just in case, try casting your usual magic, any spell will do.”
Twilight hesitantly nodded. A trickle of sparks came out of her horn, but like flickering streetlight, it soon fluttered into nothingness.
“What were you trying to cast?”
“A basic levitation spell…”
“Well, at least her amnesia isn’t complete, as she still remembers the spells she learnt.”
The green-maned changeling then nodded. “Now, try to, for a lack of a better word, ‘tug tight’ at our connection or ‘line’, and prepare to receive the energy blast.”
Twilight gulped and nodded, but Spike asked in worry. “What exactly are you trying to do again?”
Chrysalis sighed impatiently. “I told you! I will send a small blast of changeling magic through our connection. Since she have the Green Stigmata, it should be channeled towards her magical core pretty quickly. But before it dissolves into her magical potential, she must draw upon it and cast it out. If she succeeds, then it would serve as a seed which direct energy from your magical core and manifest as a bright green flash of pure magical energy. She’d likely be able to cast changeling magic afterwards, and with luck, it would flush out anything that blocks her unicorn magic as well.”
“Still sounds way out there.” Spike harrumphed. “Then again, I only knew as much about magic as Twi taught me.”
“Phalena, if you don’t want her to get hurt or anything, chip in and stabilize our connection.”
Rosencross tutted, but she also walked near the duo and prepared herself. “Mind you, my magical conduit has been left unused for a very long time. I can’t cast much changeling magic myself. There is only that much that I can do.”
Rainbow Dash looked on uncertainly, and she poked Discord with a concerned look.
“Do you think I should gather the other girls still? Just in case?”
“My dear Rainbow Dash, when have you become a pansy? Why don’t we wait until all three princesses to come up as well?”
Rainbow Dash grumbled. “I just want to let them know as well!”
“Yeah, as much as I care for the purple egghead, if we have to wait for everyone to chime in before she does anything, then chaos helps us all. At least those you gather can actually help if anything mess up, and if yours truly can’t do anything to help, what makes you think the others can?”
“Geez, fine…” Even though the cyan mare was annoyed in tone, she was still relieved by the chaos spirit’s words.
“Three… Two… One… Go!”
Just when Rainbow Dash and Discord was chatting, Chrysalis already casted her magic.
Green light temporarily shone brightly in front of her forehead, accompanied by a loud gasp. To the bewilderment of everyone involved, the one who yelped was not Twilight, but Chrysalis herself. The changeling tumbled backwards and fell flat on the ground. Even Rosencross was stunned backwards, her mane looked slightly singed by the reaction.
“What happened?” Spike asked hurriedly.
“I have no idea! But I seem… okay?” Twilight said worriedly. “Are you two alright?”
Rosencross looked stupefied for a moment, and then she vigorously shook her head. “T- Twilight, it was a veritable explosion of changeling magic!”
“Really? But are you hurt in any way?”
“I’m fine, because I pulled away early. But that one over there, hm, I can’t tell.”
“Chrysalis?” Twilight asked tentatively.
Chrysalis unsteadily stood up, her wavy wane stood up as if she was struck by a bolt of lightning.
“Gburghgh-”
“H- Huh?” Twilight blinked in confusion.
“Pbbt!” Chrysalis shook her head, tutted her swollen tongue and spat. “B- By the Great Pitcher, how is that possible…”
“What do you mean, Chrysalis?” Rosencross raised a brow.
She looked at Twilight with a complicated look. “… I should know back when I was in Zebrica. I had thought that her magical potential was already ridiculously high when we first fought in Canterlot. And then the siege happened, and I got curbstomped. Even taken into account of my weakened state, she’s becoming even stronger. And now, barely a moment after she woke up, she again casually released a blast of changeling magic that would have knocked me senselessly if it was an offensive spell. Maybe Allela saw that in you before me.”
Twilight gave her an uncertain smile. “Thank you, Chrysalis. I- It seems that I can now draw upon changeling magic, but my unicorn magic is still not working…”
Rosencross interjected. “That’s good enough for now, Twilight. You can use changeling magic for basic telekinesis. You can even move yourself with changeling magic. It would not replace walking on hooves, but it’s better than the crutch a thousand times.”
“Not to mention you can communicate with any changeling within a certain distance by telepathy.” Chrysalis added.
“Telepathy?”
“Yeah, how do you think queens and squadron leaders communicate on the battlefield?” Chrysalis smirked. “It’s somewhat consuming in terms of magic, the longer the distance, the more tiring it is, but it is very convenient to talk without having to meet face-to-face.”
“Indeed…”
“And of course I shall teach you the spells you need to rule over a hive.”
“Hey!” Rosencross interrupted. “Why does it have to be you who teach Twilight? I also know changeling magic well enough to teach her! You should just go back to your confinement as with before! Who knows when you will change your mind suddenly and want to harm Twilight to get back your throne?”
“You fool, I’m over it!” Chrysalis gritted her teeth. “I will not renege my words to my hivelings! When I said I abdicated, I abdicated and that’s it! The Green Stigmata chose Twilight Sparkle, and I will accept it!”
“Yeah, like the time you-”
“Shut up loser, I have no time for-”
“Can you two please stop arguing for a change?!”
Spike said loudly and sternly. “How exactly is feuding here going to help Twilight? If you two are serious about standing with Twilight, then learn to stand with each other for a change! I thought Discord caused Twilight’s death, but even I still learn to let forgiveness into my heart, and our kindness paid off in the form of our cooperation and her safe return. If you are not even prepared to put aside your differences for just a moment and do this together for Twilight, then why in the Tartarus are you here?!”
Discord glanced at Spike, and turned to Rosencross. “I hate being the one who does the moralizing, Rosy, but he’s right. Compassion and forgiveness, boring as they might seem, are what’ve rafted this shaky boat through the more difficult times. Regardless what Chryssy might act, we’d do well not to just dwell on the wrongdoings and hatred of the past.”
Rosencross felt like her heart was being twisted by a pair of pincers. She didn’t want to make this occasion for Twilight about herself instead, but at the end, emotions overwhelmed her and she broke down in tears.
“Compassion…? Compassion? You ask me to give out compassion and understanding, but who gives compassion to my own hivelings! Don’t you realize? They were like my precious children! And the one who brutally took them away from me stood right in front of me, persistently mocking their memories! I can already hardly live with myself after shamelessly escaping alone, and I tried my best to tolerate her presence afterwards. Now you told me to completely disregard her crimes and act as if nothing happened at all?”
Discord frowned. He’s bad at dealing with emotional mares. “No, I don’t mean-“
Rosencross simply cut him off. “I have lived and worked in bawdy taverns in Timbucktu ever since I escaped. I’ve already sold away what remained of my dignity for some meagre amount of tasteless ‘love’. Twilight discovered me and brought me out of my misery, she gave me a new lease of an upstanding life with honor. But now, what you’re asking me to do is no different than trampling on my self-respect again!”
“Rosy-“
“I- I need some time of my own! I’m sorry!”
To the gasps of the mares and shock of the others, Rosencross bolted out of the library quickly.
“Weakling does what a weakling does. Running away as always.” Chrysalis tutted.
“Chryssy…” Discord gave her a disapproving glare.
“What? I’m just saying I think.”
“You can be honest without being cruel.” Twilight muttered quietly, to the surprise of the purple dragon.
Spike then nodded emphatically. “Also, it’s hard for her to forgive and forget when you’re being this difficult. Discord, a prankster spirit at heart as he may be, has been consistently remorseful and helpful after what happened in Canterlot.”
“Spike’s right.” Rainbow Dash frowned. “We don’t exactly expect you to suddenly act like a charity worker, but can you at least show some respect for the fallen… uh, hivelings of hers?”
Chrysalis opened her mouth to retort, but Twilight added her plea. “Please, Chrysalis?”
“… Tsk, alright. I’ll see to it… Maybe.”
The green-maned changeling then glanced at Discord. “Hey, you. Why don’t you go catch her before she does something stupid out there? It’d be really bad if she goes on a rampage and exposes us all to the ponies.”
Discord sighed and nodded. “Right, I’ll check her out.”
He then waltzed out of the library and disappeared in the shadow of the night.
Just when those who remained began to discuss if they shall call it a day, the door to the library suddenly opened forcefully again.
“Huh? Discord’s quick.” Spike muttered.
But this time, instead of the chaos spirit, a white pegasus rammed open the door with an incensed and mortified expression.
“Tu!” Milestrela pointed an accusing hoof to Chrysalis. “W- W- What kind of evil maldição have you put onto me! I’ve never slept on my duty before!”
Chrysalis blinked and rolled her eyes. “Oh, relax, missus. It was just a simple sleep spell. If it was anything malicious, do you think you can still come here and yell at me?”
The green-maned changeling then tutted. “Think of it as a payback for stuffing me with your boring manual when I demanded some real books to read.”
“You vile changeling! You have rendered me unclean with your foul enchantment!”
“What the heck are you talking about? By the way, in case you haven’t noticed, your grand duchess and top commander is standing over there while you scream like crazy.”
Milestrela almost bit her tongue. Her vision was almost tunnel-like as she was focused on berating Chrysalis, but now that she had calmed down a bit, her face turned green at displaying disrespect in front of Rainbow Dash.
“Stand at ease, sergeant Milestrela. No offense is taken.”
Rainbow Dash saluted per protocol, and then she whispered to Chrysalis. “Non-unicorn Cruzesians are very sensitive about being casted any sort of magic. Cruzesians are strong believers of animism, and magic is among the most forceful ways one can disrupt another’s anima. So yeah, unsolicited magical casting is akin to cursing them and their entire family. That’s also why I demanded an explanation and apology from you so strongly.”
Chrysalis looked surprised, and then she said to Milestrela while shaking her head. “… Tsk. Well, I’m sorry, okay? I never meant you harm, and you treated me with respect otherwise.”
“… You didn’t curse me or anything?”
“Get on with it, you superstitious fool. I’m not a barbaric hut shaman like those dang zebras.”
“Careful, Chryssy, the girls frown on casual racism like that.” Discord whistled.
Rainbow Dash shook her head, but amusement was apparent in her eyes. She turned to Milestrela. “… Well, lieutenant. You need not worry about that too much, she’s not cursing you or anything. If you’re still worried, I will arrange Misty- I mean, Mistral Trail to perform a cleansing ritual for you in these few days.”
“R- Really? The last time I asked, the unicorns have a really long waiting list! Dona Mistral’s one is as long as a year!” Milestrela looked overjoyed.
“Combat-related injuries excepted.” Rainbow Dash smirked.
“Thank you very much, Your Grace!”
She then awkwardly gawked at the group, and hurriedly added. “I shall wait patiently outside to escort the changeling back to the camp.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “No need, sergeant. I’ll shortly arrange an alternate place for her as well as the other changelings to stay.”
“Y- Yes, Your Grace…”
“Don’t worry, lieutenant. That was planned long ago, it is not due to any perceived slack of duty. You’ve done the best you can. Return to the camp and be discharged for the day and the next.”
“Thank you, Your Grace! I’ll excuse myself now!” Milestrela saluted with a beaming smile, and exited the library quickly.
“Well, that’s it then.” Rainbow Dash shook her head again. “This night has been very tiring for everyone. And I trust that Discord can manage himself, hopefully together with Rosencross... I’ll send off someone to check them out later. But Twilight’s right, we have to look to the future, but without sleep, none of us can keep our eyes open.”
The group chuckled, even Chrysalis snorted, and when she noticed a few prying gazes, she tried desperately to hide her amusement.
“Come, Chrysalis, you should come to have a look of your residence for the next moon.”
Rainbow Dash blinked. “But mind you, the whole hive would be there as well, including Allela.”
Chrysalis’s expression was inscrutable, but eventually she sighed. “… Got it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Whoa, Rainbow, you shoulda rung a cowbell before dropping by with a hundred o’ critters next time, in the middle of the night, no less.” Applejack muttered.
“We are not ‘critters’, you uncultured farm pony.” Chrysalis harrumphed.
The former changeling queen was again donning her disguise of green-maned orange pegasus in public, looking like a cousin of Geuse with a perpetually annoyed face.
Her former lieutenant Allela, stood at a distance from her. Their unspoken tension was palpable. The other disguised changelings stood behind them, flanked by Cruzesian pegasi and unicorns twice their number.
Applejack turned to Chrysalis sharply. “Mind you, Chrysalis, Ah do this only at the behest of mah friends, especially Rainbow Dash. Ah shall be gracious and give you and your hive somewhere to stay, as Ah do to all my visiting cousins. But even though she promise to give you some freedom of movement, Ah’m still watchin’ yer every move.”
She added with an annoyed huff. “They might trust you because you flash them a smile or somethin’, but Ah’ll always remember someone’s lies and deceit.”
“Tsk, are you going to let us in or not, or do you want to trash-talk under the moonlight?”
Allela glanced at Chrysalis, and bowed towards Applejack. “I appreciate your hospitality, Miss Applejack. Please forget our previous transgression for a moment, and let us stay in for the night first. We can discuss and stipulate our terms next morning. I believe most of my fellow hivelings would be glad to live in peace given the opportunity.”
Applejack looked at Allela. The grey mare was like a younger version of the Mayor Mare, but Allela looked even more subdued. Maybe it was the fact that she once set Chrysalis up and forced her to renounce her crown, Applejack was ambivalent towards the changeling lieutenant. She cheered the fact that she rose against Chrysalis in the notoriously monotonic hive, and she seemed strangely personable for a changeling, Rosencross excepted. But she couldn’t quite shake off the idea that she was buttering them up for something. After all, as Rainbow Dash said, a turncoat once can be a turncoat again.
Applejack sighed. “Fine. We happen to have refurnished the quarter Ah reserved fer you guys since Rainbow asked last time. Follow me, but tread lightly. Mah family and most of the guests have already gone to sleep.”
Chrysalis mumbled, while Allela continued beaming her smile. The disguised changeling hive streamed into the reclusive quarter at the far side of the farm, dissolving one by one into the unlit farm houses. Applejack watched the two senior changelings walking one after another, and sighed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rosencross ran across the streets into the periphery of Ponyville. The stars were crystal bright and the moon shone gently, but it barely calmed the sadness within the red mare.
It had been a long while since she reminisced about her lost hive.
Hers was unique, a spring of respite among the warring hives strewn across the Great Desert and West Zebrica. She remembered the day she took over the Green Stigmata of her own hive. Everything was fine and peaceful in their reclusive hive until the day Chrysalis invaded in the name of binding every changeling to a single kingdom.
She barely had any mind to consider what the ‘right’ way was for changelings to live their lives. The only thing she knew that she lost her one and only hive in the world, and after all the years praying for Chrysalis’s downfall, she might be forced to bite back her bile by having to accommodate the wish of her benefactor.
All the resentful, sad and painful feelings just exploded. She didn’t understand why the mares, Discord and Spike could all be so forgiving towards Chrysalis.
An ill thought came up in her mind. Perhaps they could afford to be magnanimous because Twilight was found to be alive, and even Harmony seemed to be smiling upon her, as it really brought her back after falling into coma for so long. Her hive, though, was long buried under the orange desert sand. Not even a miracle will bring them back.
She briefly paused, shocked at herself who was somehow resenting Twilight for the luck and attention she got. The very one mare who lent her a hoof when she was most downtrodden.
Self-loathing welled up in her mind, as she galloped into the forest next to Ponyville. Far away from the ruckus of the settlement, she felt even more starkly alone.
Tired by her running, she sat down under one particularly large tree. She began to sniffle at her own failure and selfishness.
Cold wind blew through dark forest, and distant howling reverberated from every corner.
The tree moved with the wind, its branches and leaves shaking.
At first she paid it little heed. But some time afterwards, she felt something was not right.
There was too much shaking for a supposedly immobile tree.
She gulped and wiped her eyes. And suddenly, a snorting sound could be heard.
“Who!” She turned and yelled in alarm.
With a dull ‘thorp’, the tree she was leaning on turned into something with a much softer and furry surface. Feeling hot breath breathing down her neck, she gasped and almost jumped, but a strong arm brought her near to the strange creature.
“Gah! Let off me!”
“Rosy! Calm down!”
Rosencross stopped dead in her struggle and let out a yelp of surprise, she blinked and saw clearly the yellow glint reflecting off Discord’s eyes.
“D- Discord!”
“You’ve been a very silly changeling, Rosy.” Discord crossed his arms. “Where do you think you’re running away to?”
“I- I said I need some time! Leave me alone!”
“Rosy, dear, be honest to yourself. At times like these, you clearly need someone next to you the most.”
Rosencross sniffled again. She gritted her teeth, pouted and began to pound Discord in the chest. “W… Why are you acting all gentle and kind?! Aren’t you a spirit of chaos?! Are you the one who took immense joy at screwing others over?!”
She added through her gritted teeth. “Why don’t you just go and stay with her? Welcome her with extended hooves! Even though she hurt goodness knows how many, including your own loved ones! Never mind my meaningless attachment towards my lost hive!”
Expecting some sarcastic bite-back for her apparent jealousy and pettiness, Rosencross was surprised that Discord merely shook his head and looked at her with a thoughtful look.
“Rosy, you think that we’re going too easy on Chrysalis, don’t you?”
Rosencross widened her eyes, but she quickly said. “… So what if I do!”
She bit on her lips and hissed. “On the ship, you told me how she was being turned, and how she changed for the better. Even Twilight, before she loses her memories, was excessively forgiving towards her even as the accursed green-mane was sacrilegiously using her body like a puppet… But to my eyes and my ears, she was still the nasty and cruel one who casually mock the memories of my fallen hivelings! I don’t get it, where does all your trust and forgiveness come from?!”
She drew in a long breath and continued. “And what if one day she really was turned?! Does this erase all her past wrongdoings? Does it bring back those whom she coldheartedly stomped on and squashed on her misguided way to dominate all things under the sun?! Because of her, the name of changelings are cursed across the land! Because of her, all of us suffered unnecessary and immeasurable pain! Why, just why?!”
“No, of course not. And you’re right, her actions are inexcusable.”
“If so, why are you all offering her a safe refuge?!”
Discord instead muttered. “Do you also doubt Twilight, since she seemed to have condone her as well?”
Rosencross lowly grunted. “I- If she hadn’t lost her memories, I would certainly ask why she would do something th- this foolish!”
Discord looked up to the canopy of the forest. Shafts of moonlight pierced from the gaps of the leaves and branches. “I don’t think you’d even need to ask.”
“… Huh?”
“On matters of forgiveness, Twilight and her friends are basically cut from the same cloth. The six girls are colorful characters on their own, but when it comes to forgiving the inexcusable, I believe even the most stubborn among them would ultimately do the same, as they have done with me. That’s what I’ve seen and experienced myself. Even Applejack, who was clearly doubtful of Chrysalis’s sincerity, was likely just worrying whether she would flip-flop and hurt her friends again, rather than licking at the wounds of the past.”
“But… that makes… no sense...” Rosencross’s voice weakened.
“I never said it does. It’s what makes their actions so paradoxical and thus intriguing.”
Discord gently muttered. “After I turned my back at Twilight and her friends for… some rather petty reason, and made a mess of things in Canterlot, the very first reaction from them was, of course, shock at my betrayal. But then, there was no anger, only sadness. There was not an ounce of desire to punish or yell, even as I knelt vulnerable before the ruins of the Royal Garden. After things settled down a bit, I asked Fluttershy why they’re so keen to forgive someone who did something so unforgivable.”
Knowing that Discord would explain anyway, Rosencross still couldn’t help but ask. “… What did she say?”
“People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.”
Towards an astonished Rosencross, Discord added the last sentence.
“Give the world the best you have and you'll get bucked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.”
He sighed. “Rosy, forgiveness is an attribute of the strong. The weak cannot afford to be forgiving. The girls, in my eyes, are the strongest force in the world.”
Rosencross gazed at Discord long and hard. Eventually, she said with a shaky voice. “I… I’m not strong. I’m weak, alone! Even the one mare who cared for me had now forgotten about me entirely…”
“When we’re alone, we becomes weak. Unity makes strength, that’s why we stuck together in Equestria, that’s why Twilight gathered you all on her journey.”
Discord then stroked the deep red mane of Rosencross lightly. “And why would you say you’re alone? I’m right here with you. Why, you’ve been laying on me comfortably for so long after I let off my claw. Isn’t my chest the comfiest place in the world?”
Rosencross yelped and immediately pushed Discord away and yelled. “You’re the lowest!”
“But also the dearest, right?” Discord smirked.
“Don’t joke your way out of this!” She shouted. “Wh- What are you going to do with her?”
“What do you mean…? Ah! Well, don’t you worry, dear, I ain’t gonna give you up for her. You’re the spiciest red-head that I’ve ever met, and she’s a bit too cold for my taste.”
Rosencross furiously blushed. She quickly raised a hoof and slapped Discord.
“Ouch! Rosy! Violence is not the answer!”
“To you it always is!” She crossed her hooves and huffed. “You always only maintain your seriousness for just a minute!”
“Oh, you like me acting all serious? It’s so taxing for me to keep a straight face for so long! But ah, the things we do for love…”
“You!”
“Okay, okay!”
Discord chortled. He then turned serious as told. “Well, that’s why I can’t really act tough towards Chrysalis, because I’ve also benefited from their insistent kindness. If not for the purple egghead’s kindness, you won’t even be here with us, will you?”
“B- But Chrysalis!”
“Can you try to accommodate her for a bit, for Twilight… and my sake?”
Rosencross lowered her head and muttered with a distraught look. “… It’s not fair… Why does she deserve leniency? She didn’t give any to me and my hivelings back then…!”
“Rosy, hear me out. Although it was what happened to Twilight that made me think my life over, it was far from the only hurtful things that I did to others. I’m not trying to make what you’ve been through sounds trivial, but what Chrysalis did was arguably a hair of what I had done to the entire Equestria back when I was king. If the ponies were to really count each of my ‘crimes’, then probably they’ll rule that a thousand years in stone is not quite enough.”
Discord shook his head. “That’s what would happen if they’re fixated on retribution… There is beauty in the girls’ brand of kindness and forgiveness. It’s the fragrance that the rose sheds on the horseshoe that has crushed it.”
Rosencross bit her lips, and Discord continued. “This is the fragrance that moves even a thousand-year-old spirit, and I’m confident that they’ll move Chrysalis as well eventually.”
He then thinly grinned. “I know it sounds idealistic, but if they have the temerity to keep to it, then why can’t we, Rosy?”
Rosencross glared at Discord long and hard, and eventually, she sighed. “I don’t know if I can be as accepting as them.”
“Rosy, forgiveness is not forgetfulness, and you’re also not obligated to make friend with her. You simply release her from your judgment, and yourself from unending ill will. It does not require you to build relationship with her until real changes happen. But when she finally says the magic word, you’ll find a miracle in your heart that allow you to reach out in a bridge of reconciliation. And that day would not be far away if we remain earnest, strong and steady.”
Rosencross looked up to Discord with wide, watery eyes. At last, she nodded and said. “…I guess I can… at least try.”
“Thank you, Rosy. Shall we take a walk before we go back and face our mundane troubles?”
Rosencross nodded carefully, and the two began to traverse the forest.
The Everfree at night had a bad reputation among the Equestrians. But to someone like Discord, none of the inhabitants of the forest really constitute as a threat to him.
They wandered the forest with no particular destination in mind. This part of the forest remained undisturbed even as the nearby Ponyville rapidly ballooned.
“Discord…”
“Yes, Rosy?”
“I… I will be blunt. But I don’t understand you.”
“Oh? Do tell.” The chaos spirit grinned in interest.
“You’re very ancient.”
“Hey, it’s not very nice to bring up the matter of age to an ever youthful spirit like moi.”
“… You literally just mentioned that you’re a ‘thousand-year-old spirit’.”
“It’s a figure of speech, dear. At heart I’m always twenty.”
“Tsk, more like three.”
Discord laughed aloud. “I like your razor-sharp tongue, Rosy. Twilight and Fluttershy always talked to me like I was a pup, while others talk to me like I was the devil. Only you eviscerate me verbally while sounding like you never mean it.”
Rosencross grumbled. “You shameless git!”
“Fine, fine, what’re you trying to say?” Discord chortled.
Rosencross harrumphed. “You have been chaos king of Equestria and be a general nuisance for so long. I just don’t understand how someone with such a past and such a reputation act so…”
She gulped and lowered her voice. “Kind and gentle…”
Discord grinned. “Kind and gentle, eh? You said that before. That’s indeed some adjectives I’d never think would associate myself with. Then again, before I broke out of the stone, I never picture how my life would turn out to be in such a relatively short period of time. Even I don’t really know about myself sometimes, spending all my time and efforts just to have my life revolving around one purple unicorn.”
“… Aren’t we all.”
“Hah! But seriously, if you ask me all formal and like, I’d tell you that I see potential in the girls, not just Twilight, but also her friends, to really shake things up in Equestria. Therefore acting out of my elements a bit to satisfy them is acceptable. It’s, in a roundabout way, appealing to my true element. But as I think it over as we talk, it’s just a rationalization on my part.”
“… So what’s the true reason after all?”
“The true reason…” Discord, for once, looked uncertain. “… Maybe like all living things in the world, I too long for some sort of companionship. It’s bewitching, and you won’t want to let go once you have a real taste of it. I’ve been a pain in the plot for so long, and I had been reaping its bitter fruit. I don’t want to be a pain in the plot anymore and lose those who’re willing to stand by me despite my spotty past.”
He sighed. “They’ve taught me that I can have fun without being cruelly insensitive. But as I myself discover, just not doing the ‘bad’ things is not enough. To make others tolerate my presence, I need to actually do good, excessively good even, to get those who look down on you as scourge of the earth to have a fleeting thought of reevaluation.”
Discord paused for a while. “Of course, as you may have noticed, their unrelenting kindness is also rubbing off me, or else I couldn’t spout that string of adages to you. So you can say it’s both a necessity and a want. It redeems me, and it’s also beginning to feel good as I see the smiles on others.”
He bitterly chuckled. “So what if I lived for so long, I’ve still learnt so little. If not for my curious encounter with Twilight and her friend, I’d still be a stupid old fart encased in the stone, not just physically, but mentally as well.”
“D- Don’t say that… You’re not stupid.”
“Nah, I’m still regretting my actions with my every step. Even before what happened in Canterlot, I already hurt Twilight and Fluttershy by playing with their feelings because of some useless doubt. I even did the heinous thing and use magic to soften her up despite her trust.”
Rosencross gasped, and she noticed that Discord looked really old for a fraction of the second.
“Even towards someone who was so unscrupulous and worthless, Twilight never gave up on me. I owe her my freedom, my… everything indeed. Acting somewhat kind in her tribute is barely anything on my part.”
“Discord…”
Rosencross muttered, and then gasped again.
“What’s wrong, Rosy?”
“Look at where we are!”
The gaps in the tree canopy has been replaced with rock crevices. As they were having a heartfelt discussion, they had unintentionally reentered the cave of the Tree of Harmony they’ve visited earlier that day.
“This can’t be a coincidence…”
“Do you mean we should…?”
Discord gulped. The last time he got into physical contact with the Tree of Harmony, he got the layer of skin on his claws seared off as if he touched lava.
Looking at the uncertain face on the draconequus, Rosencross asked. “What are we waiting for? Shouldn’t we just go onto the slab and see what happen?”
Discord sighed. “You know, I am a spirit of disharmony. The Tree of Harmony is my antithesis. It wasn’t a pretty sight the last time I touched it.”
Rosencross’s gaze flickered. “… What happened?”
“My claws got burned into a crisp.”
The red mare winced, but she then asked. “But… do you want to save Twilight?”
“Of course I do! Well darn, here goes nothing!”
Discord grunted and jumped towards the slab, but Rosencross pulled him back a bit.
“What is it, Rosy?”
“You know, Discord, if you do get hurt because of this try… I…”
“You will do something for me?”
Her face reddened and she turned away from his gaze. “I… will look after you personal- Ah!”
Rosencross gasped as she was pulled onto the slab by a giddy chaos draconequus. Discord caught her hoof with his claw, when an electrifying feeling suddenly ran through both of them.
“Whoa?!” She yelped again.
Both of them glowed a curious shade of purple and white. Suddenly, their past experiences back flashed in front of their eyes. They both gasped, as a kaleidoscope of imageries burst into life. Discord saw his path to friendship with a hint of wistfulness but also understanding, while Rosencross saw her path to forgiveness with newly found steadiness.
Discord suddenly felt that his neck was strangely light. He looked down to the ground and found the neck ring Celestia put on had simply fallen off.
“Wo-wo-we-wa.” Discord was surprised and also overjoyed. He snapped his finger to produce a bin, which he used to toss the torque inside. “Sweet chaos I’m free again!”
Rosencross sharply inhaled as if she was underwater for a long time. Looking at the equally shocked face of Discord, she suddenly felt a surge of power inside her body, directly coming from her link with Twilight.
Something long lost and obstructed seemed to be blasted open by such an inundation of magic. She opened her eyes wide and gingerly tried to do something she had not done for years.
A reddish green flame surrounded her, and suddenly, instead of a rose-red earth pony, a tall and regal changeling stood in front of the chaos spirit. Her flowing red mane covered part of her face, but it barely hid her own surprise.
“Rosy? What’s up?”
Rosencross bit her lips in excitement. “Just now, a giant blast of energy was sent through my link from Twilight! I wonder if something does happen with her…”
“The slab’s gone, something good must have happened with her, I guess.”
Discord then gently brushed through the now much taller mare’s flowing mane. “We can go check Twilight out in the morning. But now, let’s have a well-earned rest first, eh?”
He brightly grinned. “Now that the restraint Celestia gave me is gone, I no longer need charging up to bring others into my pocket dimension. So how about a staying in my home for the night, my dear Rosencross?”
Rosencross widened her eyes, and she gingerly nodded eventually.
“And even though I’m not injured, are you still going to be my personal nurse? I’m all game for just play, you know.”
Rosencross blushed furiously and smacked the chaos draconequus on his head.
“Ouch!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Discord! Where’ve you been?!” Rainbow Dash looked overjoyed and exasperated at the same time.
“I went to find Rosy, I told ya. She wandered into the Everfree, so it took a little bit longer.”
“I- I see.” She sighed. “It’s nice of you to drop by and tell me that. Now I can recall those I sent out to find you two.”
“In the interest of things, did anything good happen to Twilight last night?”
“H- How do you know?!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t hide her pleasant surprise. “But yes! Spike dropped by and told me that Twilight’s wonky hearing seemed to have been healed, out of the blue!”
“Woohoo! Score one for team Discord!”
“Huh? How’s it related to you?”
“I gave a good talking to Rosy, and we waltzed to the Tree of Harmony. There we successfully activated another slab. I can bet you my left horn that it’s how Twilight gets her hearing back.”
“Wow, so Kanipha’s right about them.” Rainbow Dash said thoughtfully.
“Yeah, pretty convoluted for it to screw us over just to dish out some ‘friendship lessons’.”
Rainbow Dash looked half-worried and half-amused, but she remained quiet.
Discord tutted. “Of course I’m glad that Twilight’s getting better, but I’m not a fan of the implication that the Tree had a hand in the matter, benign or else.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t like the feeling of being manipulated and controlled by some sort of higher power, especially considering my status as a primordial spirit.”
“No one like that kind of feeling. I’d be pretty mad as well if this is all planned by the Spirits of Harmony in advance. I’ll probably take the simple life Twi once saw over the mess we have now.”
A veil of silence descended between the two. Busy movement could still be heard outside of the temporary camp near Ponyville, where the construction of a more permanent barrack was underway.
“So… is there anything else, Discord?”
“I just wonder if you have time for a chat, it’s all.”
“… Huh.” Rainbow Dash widened her eyes. “Yes?”
“You look tired.”
“What? Me?” Rainbow Dash looked truly surprised. “Well, we all haven’t got a good night’s sleep last night, so that’s for certain, isn’t it?”
Discord thinly smirked. “I’m not talking about that kind of tiredness.”
“Then…?”
To the rainbow mare’s further shock, Discord bowed.
“W- What’s up all of a sudden?”
“I must thank you for everything. You’ve played a big part in Twilight’s safe return.”
Rainbow Dash raised her brows, and then she slowly shook her head and chortled. “Oh, you mean that? You must’ve gotten loco all of a sudden or something. Finding Twilight’s always a personal thing for me, you don’t have to thank me for that. Thank the Zebricans and the Cruzesians instead.”
Discord wagged his finger and said. “When I said you look tired, I mean something exactly like that. You’re acting way too responsible and mature for Rainbow Dash.”
The cyan mare widened her eyes. Her cheeks reddened and she protested immediately. “Hey! You jerk! What do you mean by that?!”
“I just want to remind you that you should not let your responsibilities bind yourself too much. With Twilight out of the action, you seem to have taken on the mantle of leadership in the group. Well, I’m not going to dispute leadership position with someone literally leading thousands of soldiers, but I know a Rainbow Dash before all these ruckuses.”
Rainbow Dash gazed at Discord silently.
“We all have grown and changed with what happened. But the Rainbow Dash I knew wasn’t someone that’s okay with being serious all the time and running through administrative nonsense the whole day. You’re a prankster with an obsession for speed racing, not quite like what you’ve involved yourself with right now. I’m just making sure that you’re still being yourself, and not putting on an unwanted mask in the name of loyalty. ”
“… You really sound like a mentor to us right now, huh?”
“Heh.”
Rainbow Dash looked aside, and then sighed after a long pause. “… I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“I didn’t trust you enough at first, so I’ve been sending out someone to spy on you.”
Discord tutted. “I knew that all along. What, do you think I can’t hear them scribbling for ‘no reason’ all the time?”
The cyan mare looked shocked, but she quickly shook her head and looked aside. “… I know that you’ve talked Chrysalis into being pliant, and presumably you also talked with Rosencross to make her feel better. And now you even talk to me about my ability to adapt.”
She looked at Discord with uncertainty. “I want to ask you as well, are you comfortable with what you’re currently doing?”
“… Heh, how about you answer my question, then I answer yours?”
“Very well.” Rainbow Dash wryly smiled. “I was somewhat surprised that you asked me that question, because it reminded me of Fluttershy who asked me basically the same question before we sailed out of Las Pegasus.”
“Huh, really?”
“You’re right that my dream was to soar the sky and be a Wonderbolt. In fact, back when Twi and I met, and she had to resort to a shadier way to connect with me, she used the vision of me failing a Wonderbolt show to terrify me and lower my defense.”
“Delightfully twisted.” Discord smirked. “It just sounded a bit out of character for the softie to do something like that.”
“Out of character, eh? She had been a confused mind herself, and I’m not exactly sure if everything would still turn out like this if she asked nice and proper. But hey, what had happened had happened. And for a time, the vision of failing Wonderbolt had haunted me deeply, making me doubt my chances to get into Wonderbolts. Even though through her vision, I knew I had the potential to become a real Wonderbolt, but fear is, you know, irrational, and I’ve begun to slack off in my personal training.”
“Huh…”
“Before we broke you out of stone, Twilight tried to get one of us to run the new newspaper which would’ve become The Mirror. Fluttershy and I responded to her call. But at the time, I was merely looking for something to do other than facing my growing fear of failure, while helping my good friend of course. Long story short, Fluttershy eventually talked me into facing my fear, and I pulled off the Sonic Rainboom in the Cloudeseum. I was even on track of entering the Wonderbolt Academy before all these happened. That’s why Fluttershy was so concerned that I might be again suppressing my own will and aspirations by involving myself in Cruzesian matters.”
She grinned. “Her worry was not unfounded. You simply don’t walk back from a position like this. It’s no longer only about me, Twilight, or my other friends. What I do will affect the politics and the fate of a nation. Being a warband leader, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll never be able to return to my simple life in the past, or go join Wonderbolt freely.”
“Yeah, don’t you think that is a little bit too much for a young mare like you to handle?”
“I thank you for your concern, Discord. Allow me to say this, my current burden is arguably heavier than Twilight’s, even if and when she becomes the Princess of Friendship in the potential future. After all, you don’t have to look after thousands of feeding mouth and marching hooves as a Princess of Friendship.”
The cyan mare then raised her hoof. “But strangely, I don’t feel as dejected as I should be, even though I may not be able to wow ponies with my awesome acrobatics, and have to bury my head in less flashy work.”
“And why is that?”
“I told Fluttershy the same thing. I’ve traced back to the source of my passion. It’s not that flying doesn’t bring me an exciting rush anymore, but I also did it to make others happy and inspired. I’ve come to realize that it can be done in ways other than acrobatic shows. While I’m sad to put my dream to join Wonderbolt on a halt, it is still rewarding to help my good and loyal Cruzesians to fulfill their dreams of exploring the limits of horizons and living in a bountiful land across the sea, not to mention the perk of being aided in my quest to find Twilight.”
She winked. “So yeah, in short, totally worth it!”
“Alright then.”
“So what about you? We’ve chatted about this on the ship, but I just can’t shake off the feeling that you’ve been acting way out of your elements.”
“You’re also the second person who ask me this question, in fact. Can’t a draconequus be all charming and nice for a day without being doubted for his sincerity?”
Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes and waited for Discord to continue.
“You don’t get baited like Rosy did, well played.”
He smirked. “But don’t you worry. I’m now honest enough to admit that I appreciate your company.”
“And how relieved I am to hear that, Discord.” Rainbow Dash also grinned.
“Heh, I’m also comfortable with what I’m doing right now. To be honest, I only start to slowly realize after I’ve talked so much recently. I thought being a mediator is against my nature and more importantly, boring. But it feels better than I thought knowing that I’m doing my part to mend us together when Twilight’s recovering.”
“Discord…”
“What happened and what I found out afterwards… Everything had made me feel pretty old.”
The cyan mare bit her lips.
“And when you realize that you’re old, you begin to think that mellowing out a bit isn’t a bad choice.”
“We still need you by our side for the foreseeable future.”
“So long as you make this journey less of a chore and more of an adventure, then I might occasionally turn up.”
Rainbow Dash smirked, but their conversation was cut short by someone who appeared at the entrance.
“Your Grace, may I enter?”
“Come in, Misty.”
Mistral Trail waded through the curtain to greet Rainbow Dash. She was surprised to see Discord there as well, but she politely smiled and said. “Your Grace, Dom Discord, I come to bring you some important news. The two Equestrian Princesses are on the way to Ponyville to visit Twilight. Along also come Dona Twilight’s family, the illustrious Princess Cadance, as well as Dona Twilight’s friend Trixie.”
“Wow, they all come at once?” Discord widened his eyes.
Rainbow Dash heavily inhaled. “Thanks, Misty. We will go to the library to accompany Twilight.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Twilight!”
“Rainbow Dash, Discord, nice to see you.” Twilight turned from the small table she was sitting on and smiled to the newcomers.
Spike tilted his head in confusion. “Didn’t I just drop by in your camp earlier this morning? What brings you back so fast?”
The cyan mare scratched her face. “Well, good news is, Twilight’s improving condition is likely due to the combined work of Discord and Rosencross. They successfully activated another slab last night.”
“Really?!” Spike looked overjoyed, and rushed to the side of Discord. “Thank you, thank you!”
“W- Well, you’re welcome…” Discord was still unused to such a genuine display of gratitude.
Twilight uncertainly said. “D- Doesn’t that mean it’s all up to my loyal friends that I’ll return to full health?”
“What’s the problem, Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I… am just sad that I can’t help myself.”
“Twilight…” Spike bit his lips, and then widened his eyes suddenly. “Oh dear, this means the remaining of us had to find some ways to activate the slabs as well!”
“Well, duh.” Discord rolled his eyes.
“This is true, but we must deal with something more immediate first.” Rainbow Dash said.
“What’s it?” Spike asked.
“The princesses, Twilight’s family, as well as Trixie are all coming to see Twilight.”
“What?!” The purple mare and dragon exclaimed in shock.
“Don’t worry. My messenger has already relayed your current condition to them, so they all have some mental preparation. Just remember, Twilight, it’s not your fault that you lose your memories of your loved ones. Together we’ll figure a way out of this.”
But before Twilight could respond, the visitors already knocked on the door.
“C- Coming!” Spike yelled, as he opened the door to the library.
“Hello, my good Spike.” Celestia smiled. “I heard that Twilight is already awake.”
“… Yeah, she is. She’s right there by the table.”
Celestia couldn’t hide her joyous mood at seeing Twilight once more. “My faithful student, I’m so pleased to see you finally wake from your coma.”
“I- I… Thank you, Your Highness…?”
Celestia winced. “So it’s true…”
“I’m so sorry…”
“This is none of your fault, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said with a frown.
The originally enthusiastic family of Twilight now simply looked disappointed and distraught.
“I know it’s a bit hard to accept that Twilight’s forgotten us for the moment. But there’s some promising development with regards to the Tree of Harmony.”
“Do tell… um…” Cadance fumbled over her address.
“Princess Cadance, I’m Rainbow Dash, once Element-bearer and currently leader of the Cruzesians.”
She then waved her hoof. “It turns out that the condition of the Tree is really tied to the recovery of Twilight. By activating the slabs on site, the magic of Harmony restored Twilight’s health bit by bit. So far, she’s already been woken up and has her hearing restored by its magic. I’m confident that shall the remaining of us figure out some way to activate the remaining slabs, Twilight should be nursed to full health in a short amount of time.”
“That’s good to hear…” Shining Armor sighed. “What exactly did you do to activate the power of the Tree of Harmony?”
Her father, Night Light added with the vigorous nod from his wife. “Shining’s right, is there anything we can help?”
“Regrettably, there’s little that you can do.”
“… Discord?” Several of the visitors gave the evil eye to the draconequus, but he merely shrugged them off.
“I hate to say it as a spirit of chaos, but it’s clear that what we’ve done is tied to the manifestation of Harmony within us – the close circle of Twilight after she became the Element-bearer of magic. So far, we have Rainbow Dash and her loyal lieutenant Mistral Trail, who together discovered both the importance of loyalty and the importance to temper it with a sense of discretion. Me and Rosy, who learnt a meaningful lesson in forgiveness and redemption. If I must hazard a guess, what the remaining pairs of partners must each find ways to redefine and reforge their ‘elements’, both literally and figuratively, in order to help Twilight. It’s a task that can only be done by us and us alone.”
“Discord…” Celestia muttered. “What you’ve said shows that you’ve put a lot of thought into this.”
“Meh, I can’t claim credit for this idea. One of Twi’s Zebrican companions, called Kanipha, came up with the mold of this explanation.”
“Regardless, we can’t deny that your heart is in the right place, and your action has been consistent with your claim of care for Twilight. I just want all of you to know that we shall give you all the assistance you need in your quest to activate the power of Harmony in the Tree.”
The visitors then each traded greetings and chatted with Twilight in hope that she would at least remember something about them. However, the conversation inevitably led to their hard-to-hide disappointment.
Twilight herself was quickly tired out by the bombarding queries, and Spike eventually helped her upstairs for a rest, leaving the visitors awkwardly standing in the library with dejected looks.
“Give Twi some time, and give us some time. We’re going to return Twi to normal for sure, since Harmony is on our side.”
The wincing looks were calmed by the cyan mare’s words.
“You’re right, Rainbow Dash.” Celestia smiled.
After a pause, Rainbow Dash turned to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. “Congratulations on your marriage and ascending to the throne of Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor. The Cruzesians were stalwart allies of the crystal ponies, and they are thrilled that the Eternal City had returned after such an unfortunate turn of event.”
“I’m ashamed to say, but I know little about the Cruzesians until relatively recently. Even among my subjects, few seem to be cognizant about the presence of a nation far across the Southern Sea.”
“… Not at all. Some might be disappointed, but most of us should understand. Living in the heart of the rainforest meant that they essentially lived in a time capsule. Their knowledge about the world is still frozen at what their ancestors knew thousands of years ago. Equestria, for example, was still a loose militaristic confederation, and much had changed since then.”
Rainbow Dash smiled. “Still, they would greatly appreciate it if you two can come by and honor their presence. This can only be good for the peace between the two nations.”
“Uh…” Cadance looked somewhat reserved, when Shining Armor interjected.
“Ra- I mean, Grand Duchess. As a former captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, I’m concerned that you mention the matter of peace, when the incident in Las Pegasus gave the Equestrian Nation a great spook back then.”
“You don’t have to couch your words, Prince Shining Armor. We’re all clear-sighted ponies here, and I know what you’re getting at. No, the Cruzesians are not going to act hostile towards Equestria even without my mediation. This is a time of great change for the Cruzesians, when ideas both young and old clash. But there is one thing that most Cruzesians want more than ever, and that is peace after their thousand-year struggle with the Black Snake, the powerful and aggressive spirit of their mother river. Those who come with me may be well armed physically, but they too want nothing more than a place to live and a place to grow.”
Celestia and Luna clearly noticed that Rainbow Dash’s words were not just for Cadance and Shining Armor, but also them.
“I’ll be glad to come visit the Cruzesians in my official capacity as the princess of Crystal Empire, but I’m just afraid that I can’t stay for long.”
“Your kind gesture will be more than enough.” Rainbow Dash nodded emphatically. “Though if you can tell, I’d like to know if it is related to the thing that kept you two in the North earlier.”
Cadance sighed and grimaced. “Well, it’s no secret… As Princess Celestia had probably told you already, the populace of Crystal Empire are restive. The Crystal ponies are, sadly, not too receptive to my message of sisterly love. What’s more, some of them do not like to idea of…”
Rainbow Dash supplied. “Getting back into the fold of Equestria?”
“How’d you know?” Shining Armor raised a brow.
“Just a wild guess. I suppose it’s natural for them to be a bit paranoid after a thousand years in the void of time.”
“I’m surprised and impressed, Grand Duchess.” Celestia interjected with a smile. “Twilight’s friends all have a remarkable degree of acumen. No wonder you’re elevated towards such a high status across the seas.”
Cadance smiled as well. “If not for the fact that Sunset Shimmer is such an able hoof, and that you have your own soldiers to lead, I’d have been the shameless one and invite you to help us out in the Crystal Empire.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “So… can you tell me more about Sunset Shimmer?”
“She was a former student of mine. She began her studies shortly before Twilight did. She was an ambitious but also very impatient mare… She eventually left me to pursue a path of her own.”
Celestia then said with a hint of wistfulness. “Perhaps it was for the better. When she was under my tutelage, she was… well, rash and callous to a degree that once worried me. She also seemed to be overly sly and wily. I thought she was bound to go astray. Alas, even with my long experience in observing ponies, I couldn’t be more wrong.”
“How so, may I ask?”
“Well, I met her when she came and brought us the news of the Empire’s return. The first thing she did was apologizing for her impertinence and sudden departure. It seemed to me that she was merely overly eager to prove herself, and achieving such a great feat actually mellowed her down. She’s now a perfectly civil and personable mare.”
“I would love to meet her.” Rainbow Dash nodded reservedly.
Looking at the tentative look on the cyan mare’s face, Shining Armor added. “Sunset Shimmer is a very able administrator and leader. The Crystal ponies have reestablished the Crystalline Assembly amid the post-Sombra rumble. However, letting ponies run things themselves has the disadvantage of turning things into a bit of a free-for-all bedlam.”
Cadance added. “With things now wiped clean like a blank slate, a lot of ponies quickly formed interest groups and organizations to have a say on what to do with the reborn Crystal Empire. Some workers are tired of the drudgery they had to endure under Sombra’s rule, and now they demand better rights and treatments. I’d like to give them what they asked, but those are way beyond our current means, and it absolutely alienates the nobles and important ponies that we have to rely on in the Empire.”
“Huh.”
“Shockingly, some ponies decided to take matters into their own hooves, and occupied the farms, factories and even our national granary, to punish the so-called ‘stiff-necked’ nobles.”
“…”
“Sunset, though, deal with all these with absolute finesse and firmness. Not only is she privy to minute crystal pony customs, she also has a way with ponies. She convinced many officials to carry out our order faithfully. On the other hoof, she firmly cracked down on the rife malfeasance caused by nepotistic council ponies who drove a wedge between us and the populace. She organized and personally oversaw the formation of the Voluntary Squadron to keep the peace on the street, while using her excellent oratories to appease and even draw support from the formerly disgruntled workers and farmers. She’s a born politician I may say.”
“Intriguing…” Rainbow Dash nodded. She had further thoughts, especially as she noticed the curious silence from Trixie, who looked as if she wanted to say something, but couldn’t due to the presence of much bigger figures.
She then nodded again. “If you please, Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, please drop by at our camp anytime today. I must now go back there as well to conduct some business, so you can either follow me or come by later.”
Spike then added diplomatically. “And you would like to stay with Twi for longer, I think she’d be okay after a little rest.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two Princesses took their leave, followed by Twilight’s parents. Cadance and Shining Armor followed Rainbow Dash away shortly thereafter after bidding Twilight farewell.
They took solace that despite her memory loss, Twilight seemed quite warm and receptive to their presence when they were merely spending time together without intense questioning.
With the purple mare again resting upstairs and Discord scampering away for something on his own, the previously crowded library became quiet again. Trixie and Spike, the only two who were left, looked at each other with a tired smile.
“So… um, Trixie, what do you want to do, now that Twi’s back?” Spike asked.
“Trixie will move my stuffs out very soon. After all, the library’s Twilight’s, whether she’s lost her memory or not.”
“You can still stay here if you want, you know.”
The blue unicorn smirked. “Trixie has a house in Ponyville, I’m not in need of a place to stay.”
“Oh well… You don’t need to if you don’t want to.”
Trixie widened her eyes and shook her head. “No, no! Trixie thinks fondly of the time I spent with you! It’s just that… it’s a bit… incriminating for a drake and a not quite related mare to stay in one house.”
Spike’s face reddened, and he spluttered. “I- I see…”
Amidst an awkward silence, Spike tried his best to find some other topic to chat. He eventually asked. “Um, what exactly were you doing up north?”
“Princess Cadance and Shining Armor thought that a magic show might placate the Crystal ponies for a bit. So Trixie did a tour there. They would have found Pinkie to go too if she was not with you guys.”
“So did it work?”
“What do you mean? If you mean if Trixie made ponies happy, then I suppose I did. If you mean my show going without a hitch, then it also did… just kinda.”
Looking at the hesitant face of the blue mare, Spike grinned. “Trixie, you can tell me the honest truth, I’m not going to tell Cadance, Shining Armor or the princesses about it.”
Trixie slowly sighed. “Spike… I’m worried. The situation up north is not very good. While Trixie was doing the show, some ponies outside the venue were protesting about something. But before they interrupted me, a bunch of ponies in deep green shirts arrested every single one of them. They were far from gentle either, as I saw some of them were clearly hurt.”
“Are those the so-called ‘Voluntary Squadrons’?”
“Trixie think so. They were quite brutish, even though they did keep the streets free from disruptive ponies. I told Princess Cadance about it, and she said she had already instructed Sunset Shimmer to tone them down a bit. I only hope that she really did so.”
“You don’t think it was necessary.”
“Trixie don’t really know, as I wasn’t able to see the whole picture. The protesters were mostly unarmed poor laborers, but some of them did break into government offices several times and caused quite a scare before.”
Spike let out a breath and asked. “Trixie, do you trust Sunset Shimmer?”
“W- Why do you ask?”
“I notice that you were quite quiet at the party when Rainbow asked about her. Do you think that there is something else to this mare?”
“… Trixie don’t know her personally enough to form an opinion. But I would think twice before trusting her on something.”
“Why?”
“She just sounds… way too smooth. She always has the right thing to say to everypony. She’s tongue is not just silver, but gem-crusted gold.”
“… If it’s just that, it doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Well, insincerity aside, she also did not shy from using force on the citizens. Plus I suspect her to have used some backhanded methods and bribery to bring over officials as well.”
“That doesn’t sound good, but it sounds like she’s being a stereotypical pitiless politician.” Spike shrugged. “If Cadance and even the princesses trust her enough for her efficiency, then there is little we can do.”
Trixie wanted to retort, but she eventually sighed. “… Trixie suppose.”
“But the very reason that I ask you about her is that I have some suspicion about this mare. It just sounds out there for a former student of Celestia to take on an ancient sorcerer-king, won and saved a whole nation just like that. Even Twilight, no offense meant, failed to defeat Chrysalis cleanly in Canterlot. I know it’s unfair, but…”
“I don’t doubt her abilities, though. She just looked crazily competent, and I thought Twilight was quite the mare to get things done already. If not for the hiccup at my show, I’d probably be showering her with praise now.”
“… I see.”
Spike exhaled. Noticing the still cloudy expression of the blue mare, he asked. “You still look sad.”
“… I feel like I’m not blending in.”
“Trixie-” Spike bit his lips and interjected. But Trixie merely went on.
“Even when it comes to helping Twilight, I seem to be unable to do anything substantial, because I’m not among those who are chosen by the Tree of Harmony.”
Spike hurriedly said. “Don’t say that, Trixie! Of course you can help! Those picks are just Pinkie’s silly twitches!”
“But it works for Discord and his partner, though?”
“… Maybe it’s fluke?”
Trixie sadly smiled. “You don’t have to console me like that. Maybe even Harmony thinks that I’m not a worthy enough companion for Twilight.”
Spike winced, and he again looked for something to say to make Trixie feel better. Eventually, he resigned in defeat. “Trixie, I don’t claim to know about the will of Harmony, but I can tell you the story of Twilight in Zebrica. Would you be interested?”
Trixie widened her eyes in surprise, and her frown turned into a smile.
“… Sure!”