Chrysalis had her army arrayed before her. Shining black carapaces gleamed as her little insectile minions stood ready. Before them, on the castle walls, brave Royal Guard soldiers, they had spears and heavy armor, the swarm before them had numbers.
"Your turn, Shining Armor." Chrysalis' tossed the set of dice over to the stallion, her green magic landing them right before him. She was disguised, of course, a deep brown fur covering a unicorn's body. She had used her own mane color because nopony she knew had seen a changeling before—let alone a changeling queen—so it was a safe bet. "You mind turning this up, Beastie Colts are the best."
Shining used his magic to adjust the little record player in the corner. The repeating beat and droning voices was perfect to help him disconnect from the real world and bring him to strategy. "I think you have me again, I really hoped the pegasi squads would have done better to blunt your wedge." Nonetheless, he rolled for his army's magic attacks and banished a few of the amazingly detailed monsters that his opponent commanded. "Damn, the dice got me, you have this for sure Chryssi."
"Of course I do!" Chrysalis started bobbing her head to the music—the tune one of her favorites. "Oh, hi Cadance." She hadn't believed it at first when her two best friends started dating. Chrysalis could remember when she had left them alone for their first kiss, Cadance had become a princess. "Just beating your coltfriend again."
Cadance twitched her wings and looked about the battle-board. Little figurines were scattered here and there, Royal Guard soldiers were fallen left and right, some with a small swarm of bug-monsters. "You beat him every time, why don't you cut him some slack and let him win one?"
Chrysalis laughed and grabbed the bottle of cider she had been nursing. Tipping it back and guzzling it down, she snorted as Shining moved some of his miniatures forward, toward certain doom. "Because if I let 'future captain of the Royal Guard' Shining Armor off even once, if I let him realize what winning is like, he won't push as hard to learn tactics."
"She's right. Half my classes I take are just so I can maybe beat her, just once. Captain of the guard? I can't even beat my best friend at Invasionmallet." Shining turned and kissed Cadance. He never focused on Chrysalis' face, not when he embraced his "Cady," but if he did he would have seen a bliss that rivaled his own.
Chrysalis drank. She had only meant to attend the pony college for a few months, just long enough to grab some books and leave, but she had found friends, real friends. "I can't take any more of this. if anypony asks, I left you two love-birds sitting apart and not even able to look at each other." Chrysalis heard giggles from her friends. Walking out of the house the three shared, Chrysalis stepped through the night, tracking the path toward the Canterlot Library.
"Hello?" She poked her head in, saw the caretaker librarian behind the counter. "Hi Tight Shelves, mind if I…"
"Of course not Chryssi, you love these books even more than I do." Tight didn't even look up from her book, she knew the mare's voice well. "You want to check any out, you just tell me."
"I prefer to read them here, thanks Tight." Chrysalis couldn't help but smile, being among the ponies for most of her life had given her a lot of respect and even love for them. They might not be my species, they might even be food, but they live every moment of life only looking at the good.
The librarian left Chrysalis to her study, but it likely wasn't what she thought. Roaming through the shelves, Chrysalis made her way to the history section. A scrap of paper pulled from her saddlebag got her the list of books she was last working on. Lighting her horn and burning the precious love she had gathered from her friends, the changeling queen lifted down a heavy tome. "Now, summer sun celebration…" She reached a hoof up to push her glasses into position. "Let's see if my calculations are correct. A thousand years, minus uh…" She got out her notepad and started scribbling in it with a quill. "Just what I thought, the thousandth day. Why is this all hidden, why isn't somepony doing something about the lost sister?"
"Are you okay, dear?" Tight's voice sounded a little worried. Mostly Chryssi was so quiet she wouldn't have heard a peep from her.
"Oh, uh… do you know any more books about Nightmare Moon? Or Nightmare Night?" Chrysalis carried the heavy tome out to the librarian. It was always easier to just ask. You catch more changelings with love than anger, and all that.
"Well now most of the ones about Nightmare Night are in the foal's section, wait, we did have another one, a book about the sisters and their fight… I think it might be out at the moment. We normally wouldn't lend a one-of-a-kind, but it was Princess Celestia's personal student." Tight had checked the cards while she spoke, confirming the borrower. "You could try her, Twilight Sparkle, she has her own private library you know."
That got Chrysalis' attention. She looked at the book floating in her magic. "I just have a bad feeling about something. Did you know the summer sun celebration this year is exactly a thousand years since Nightmare Moon was banished?"
"You," Tight chuckled, "have been reading little filly stories, I think. Would you like to borrow that one?"
A stark realization came to Chrysalis. Something bad is going to happen and nopony will be there to stop it. Her heart beat a little faster, in panic. I… I am a changeling, what can I do? "N-N-No, that… that's alright."
"You sound a little upset, dear. I'll put that one back for now, do you have a friend you could go visit?" Tight Shelves checked the markings on the book and knew exactly where it had to go.
"I… yeah." Chrysalis stuffed her notebook away and, the moment she was out of the library she bolted, her hooves flashing as she galloped "home."
"Whoa! Could you knock?" Shining jumped up off the couch as Chrysalis came inside. "Hey, I was only joking, what's up Chryssi?" He saw the clear shock and worry on the mare's face; it was contagious.
"Nightmare Moon is coming. She is… I don't even know what. What would you do if you were banished to the moon for a thousand years? You would be pretty annoyed, right?" Chrysalis dearly wanted somepony to take her seriously but the moment she had said "Nightmare Moon" she got that same look from Shining And Cadance. "I am not joking here! This is all going to-"
"Chryssi, stop! It's a foal's tale to make little fillies and colts snuggle into bed and not try to stay awake. There is nothing to this." Cadance stepped up to the mare, inadvertently flooding the changeling with enough love to feed her entire hive—of twelve.
"Wait, I remember now. Where was that book?" Chrysalis moved away from the warm source of love and found her own stash of books. Flicking through one, she found the map she was looking for. "There is an old ruined castle in… the Everfree. The Castle of the Two Sister… that must be where she will come back!" Slamming the book closed, Chrysalis looked around, spotting Shining and Cadance both looking at her. "We need to go there, we have to try to fight Nightmare Moon!"
"Where?" Shining blinked. "Isn't that forest out near Ponyville?" Cadance nodded to him. "Well, it can wait until tomorrow, right?"
"But… but…" Chrysalis' eyes narrowed in panic. "Tomorrow is the day of the summer sun celebration…" A chill went down Chrysalis's spine. "Cadance, can you… can you get me there?"
"Chryssi, Princess Celestia will be in Ponyville, don't worry about any old story." Cadance waved a hoof in the air.
"I… I gotta go." Chrysalis bolted out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
"Chryssi! Come back!" Shining stuck his head outside, looking after his friend. "Hey, Chryssi!"
"Shining, she can't go anywhere, come back inside. The trains aren't running at this hour and she isn't a pegasus." Cadance stepped up beside her coltfriend. "Besides, she always comes back eventually so let her work out what she needs to, we can snuggle more."
Galloping through the streets of Canterlot, Chrysalis was on a mission. She raced to the house she knew she was always welcome at. Bursting in the door, she looked around the apparently empty room. "My drones, we need to move. A horror that will destroy the world is coming."
Furniture flashed green, one lamp, then a couch, a chair—more and more. Once the light show ended, there was a dozen drones looking to their disguised queen with absolute devotion.
Green fire boiled around Chrysalis and a pair of brown pegasus wings spread from her sides. "Pegasi, quickly. We are heading to Ponyville!" Flames flashed up and soon a small army of pegasi stood before the queen of the changelings. "We fly."
Wings thundered as Chrysalis and her drones took to the sky and winged down from the mountain. "Nightmare Moon is coming back tomorrow, she is going to destroy Equestria!"
"My Queen, if you say it is so, then it is so." Braced Might flew beside and just behind his mother, his Queen. "Morning is not far off, we should reach the town just after it."
"I don't know if there will be a morning, Braced." Chrysalis powered forward, her form breaking a wave of air ahead of the V formation, dragging her force down to the village below.
They flew in silence, the dark night swallowing their shapes up, but at last Braced broke the quiet of wings in the air. "It should be morning, My Queen."
"I know, something is very wrong, I… it must be Nightmare Moon." Chrysalis' heart hardened and she paid for acceleration with altitude. Diving shapes moved after her, the small hive she supported always keeping up. Just as they reached the outskirts of the town a huge rainbow shot into the air, lancing the sky from the direction of the dark Everfree Forest. "What is that?"
"Pure magic!" Braced halted beside his queen. "Something gave off an enormous amount of energy." thirteen changelings stared in shock, panic rife within them. "We are going to investigate?"
Chrysalis flapped her wings, sending herself forward—her drones kept up. Reaching the border of the forest, she was about to enter it when the sun started to rise. "What?"
"My Queen, you have a horn…" Braced flapped and put himself between Chrysalis and a little procession of ponies that appeared on the edge of the forest.
With a flash of fire Chrysalis adjusted her form into that of a regular pegasus. "What is going on?" She poked her head past her faithful drone and saw Princess Celestia, accompanied by a bunch of young mares. "Is that another alicorn? Wait, that must be the other sister!"
The changelings all landed and walked the short distance back to town. The presentation Celestia was making was short, and typically "pony", but Chrysalis got everything she needed to know from it. The young mares had saved the day, practically by accident. "Excuse me! Twilight Sparkle?" Chrysalis trotted up to the purple unicorn who had, apparently, saved Equestria. "How did you do that?"
Twilight beamed in delight. "With the help of my friends, we unlocked the Elements of Harmony and-"
"Okay, and how did you know about them?" Chrysalis pushed, fluttering her feathered wings a little in worry.
"It just felt right. There wasn't really anything I could find about them, but when I met my friends it all came together!" Twilight felt a little odd about the strange pegasus. "Do I know you?"
"Oh, uh… probably not. I was just flying past with my... friends." Chrysalis wasn't quite the best at making up lies on the spot—she preferred to plan them carefully. "So you just sort of stumbled on it? Unlocking the Elements and… saving all Equestria?"
Twilight thought about it, it did sort of make sense. "Yup." Her answer seemed to have shocked the strange pony and, shuffling away, she left Chrysalis.
"She… it was dumb luck?" Chrysalis trembled. "This is so wrong, the world can't be left to chance, it just can't!"
"My Queen?" More than one of her drones moved in close, murmuring and seeking reassurance. Braced pushed in to face his mother. "My Queen, mom… what's wrong?"
The voice tore Chrysalis from her panic. "Equestria is unprotected, Princess Celestia…" She started to hyperventilate, panting hard and staring blindly ahead.
"Send her a letter?" Braced leaned in, pressed his hornless head into her shoulder. "She has guarded the world fine until now, maybe she just doesn't see the threats?"
The steady words of her foal grounded Chrysalis. She got her breathing under control again first, then managed to stop the crazy rumble in her head. "You're right, of course you are right. And now if she has her sister with her, surely they can stand together against future threats? Maybe we can help her, be the eyes Equestria needs!"
Snapping to attention her drones seemed the very pillars of support she needed. Chrysalis smiled wide. "Come on, we will get back to Canterlot and I will write Princess Celestia a letter."
The changelings spread their wings and followed their queen and feeling the sure conviction behind her decision. It was a more relaxed, if difficult flight; they had to regain all the altitude they had burned up for speed the previous night. Chrysalis got back to the house she shared with Shining and Cadance around midday. "Hey, anypony home?"
"Chryssi? Where'd you go last night?" Cadance's voice came from the living room, and shortly the disguised changeling met her there. "Have you slept at all, Chryssi?"
"It was a long night." Chrysalis tried to keep the pun out of her voice, but a pillow was lobbed at her.
"The princesses came back a few hours ago and made a proclamation. Luna is recovering but it seemed really odd. You were totally right, she was the Mare in the Moon…" Cadance got up and stepped up to her friend, putting a foreleg and a wing around her. "I am sorry I acted that way, I guess it just seemed so strange."
Chrysalis was shocked by the apology, she reached up a hoof and hugged the pink alicorn back. "It was pretty out there. I am going to apply to Princess Celestia… I think I am good at finding these things before they happen…"
Cadance drew herself back from the unicorn. "That is a great idea! Chryssi, you are sharp as a nail, you should totally do that!" Both mares felt their hearts soar at the idea. "You want a drink? I was just chilling with some cider."
After the hug and the raw friendship radiated by the novice princess, Chrysalis was quite full, but she had to keep up appearances. "Sure." She slumped down onto the couch; muscles she didn't even have right now ached.
"Oh, you probably missed the news, Shiny got into the guard, with his schooling he is going in as an officer… just between us, it is totally stupid mares can't join." Cadance poured another long glass of cider and topped hers off. "You beat him, every single game…"
Chrysalis blushed. "Real fighting isn't that game. In real combat you… what?"
"You, you know the difference between your little game and the real world, that is the most important step." Cadance floated the glass over to her friend. Slumping down on the couch, she reached out her magic to the little record player. "I really wish I could apply for an assignment, but no, I had to go and get a horn. I want… I want to help ponies, to really push out and make the whole of Equestria safe."
The words were inspirational for Chrysalis, as she began to write out her letter to Princess Celestia, she mulled over the other mare's words. "How do you mean? Fight all the monsters that come?"
"Well, if Shiny was with me, sure. But I don't work like that, you know I can't help but love everypony, it…" Cadance looked back over her shoulder, gazing at her cutie mark.
"Love." Chrysalis sighed. If it were just Cadance, Shining, and myself, I could be happy and survive, even thrive. She really has so much love. "I know you will find your place one day, Cadance, this world is many things, but unjust to good ponies…" It made her think back to the little town of Ponyville, and what would have happened if Twilight and her friends hadn't just happened to guess right.
"It's not!" Cadance giggled and sipped her drink. "So, how is your letter going?"
"Badly, how do I write this that will have her take me seriously?" Chrysalis crossed out the start of the letter again.
Dear Princess Celestia, I discovered the return of Nightmare Moon, before the event, and I think I am qualified to aid in further such events. At present I am studying history and law, but I think you will find I could be a great help to finding future disasters in advance and dealing with them. Your faithful subject, Chryssi Cross.
"It's a bit short…" Cadance frowned. "Here, let me embellish it a little."
Chrysalis blushed. "It doesn't need embellishing, it is the truth!" She tried to grab her notepad back from the alicorn, to little actual effect. Not that Chrysalis ever used her full power.
"The truth is not always what Auntie wants to hear." Cadance started rewording and writing out the letter, expanding the core facts out to nearly four pages in very short order. Staring over Cadance's shoulder, almost mesmerized by the eloquence used, Chrysalis' jaw hung open a little.
"You're the best, Cadance." Chrysalis sighed and watched as Cadance, with her tongue sticking out to the side, went on for nearly ten pages. By the time the alicorn had put down the quill and cracked her neck to one side, the disguised changeling had finished her drink and had gotten them both another.
"There, now you just copy that out onto a scroll and let me deliver it." Cadance beamed at her friend, if there was one thing she could do, that was take care of friends and help them be just what they should be.