//------------------------------// // Chapter Three: The Date (part one) // Story: Pony Courtship Rituals // by Codex Ex Equus //------------------------------// A black chariot, pulled by changelings, sat in the middle of Canterlot's fanciest downtown restaurant district, blocking off most of the street. At this point, such a sight was so routine that only a few of the most curious ponies stood gathered around. One such pony, a small filly, crept close to one of the changelings that stood in the chariot's harness. She looked up at him in amazement and wonder, and then suddenly he turned, mouth opening to reveal pointed fangs and a forked tongue as he let out a long, fearsome hiss. With a squeak of fear, the filly scrambled back until she was safely behind her mother's legs, and then peeked back out, trembling slightly. The changeling blinked, staring after her with wide, puzzled eyes, then turned to the changeling harnessed beside him. "Is that always how ponies react when you say hello?" he chirped questioningly, and the other changeling sighed and put a hoof over his face. "You really need to get out of the hive more often." Both changelings faced forward again, trying to ignore the ball of nervous, vibrating energy that was sitting upon the seat far above them and flooding their hivemind link with panicked thoughts. Queen Chrysalis sat upon her haunches, breathing rapidly with her eyes wide and unfocused as she tried to calm her frantic nerves. Whatever reassurances she'd gotten from Cadance's advice and the help of her changelings had disappeared once she'd been airborne and left to her own devices. What if Twilight had already decided she didn't love her? What if she messed up this date somehow? What if Cadance's earring broke and Chrysalis couldn't hear her advice anymore? What if she'd had her chariot land on the wrong street?! What if she'd forgotten the correct time and had already missed the dinner and now Twilight hated her again— Murmurs from the crowd caught her attention, and she looked up to see a royal chariot swooping down to land on the opposite side of the street from her own. Expecting to find one of the Royal Sisters upon its seat, she was shocked to instead see Twilight looking back at her. Concerns gone, she scrambled to her hooves and leapt down from her chariot, ignoring the cracks she left in the cobblestones as she galloped across to Twilight's chariot. "You made it!" she cried, prancing next to the chariot, and Twilight giggled. "Of course I did, silly. Did you really think I wouldn't?" "No, no… of course not." She stood there, lost as she stared at her love. Twilight had worn makeup, just to look special for this date. And she'd worn a blue dress, one that brought out the navy of her mane but was light enough to match her coat. Her jewelry was perfect, too. Gold might work on a pony like Princess Celestia, but silver was definitely more Twilight's color… Finally, Twilight cleared her throat and shifted nervously. "Oh! Here," Chrysalis held out a hoof, "we should go inside. Let me help you down." "You really don't need to," said Twilight, a slight blush on her face as she got up from her seat. "But I want to." Chrysalis's heart raced as Twilight placed her hoof in her own, and she held it steady as the pony climbed down to the street. They stood there for a moment, gazing at each other. "I can't believe you actually got us a reservation here," said Twilight finally. "This is one of the most exclusive restaurants in all of Canterlot. They say even Princess Celestia has to call at least a week in advance!" Most high class restaurants in Canterlot made sure ponies knew they were getting what they paid for: marble columns lined the walls, the tablecloths were made of silk, the silverware was actually gold, and so on. Others took the opposite approach, cultivating the appearance of a dive while still keeping prices high enough that most ponies would need to take out a second mortgage to pay for a meal. This restaurant, Le sac d'alimentation, stood out by doing neither. It was nice enough—the restaurant's name was prominently displayed on the awning over the entrance, vines grew on its quiet and unassuming brick facade—but the clue as to its real nature was the maître d' standing just inside the entrance, ready to turn away the unworthy. "Hmph. I am the Queen Princess of Equestria," proclaimed the changeling proudly, putting a hoof to her chest. "A mere visit, and they were trembling and begging for me to dine in their establishment!" "Uh huh." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well, at least I know the most you did is threaten a maitre'd or two, since I would have gotten a letter about it otherwise. And you know you're not supposed to call yourself a Queen Princess! Princess Celestia gets upset every time she hears about it! And, and, you're not supposed to declare yourself the Queen Princess of all Equestria! It's not just you!" "Oh! That's not what I meant!" Chrysalis put a hoof to her mouth. "You're a Queen Princess too, of course!" "That's…"  despite herself, Twilight let out a small snort, trying to stop herself from smiling. "Alright, alright, let's go. We can talk about it later if we need to. This is supposed to be a special night, after all." This time she was the one to hold out a hoof. Chrysalis blinked at it, then, slowly, reached out and took it. "Your dress…" said Chrysalis, as their eyes met. "Oh? Y-yes?" "It… it makes you look…" "Frumpy!" suggested Cadance through the earring. She'd allowed Chrysalis a few moments of tenderness with Twilight, but only because of the hope that letting her perform those small kindnesses would make the changeling more susceptible to her pressure to insult the small pony. "Dumpy! Dowdy! Like a mop bucket with a rag on it!" "... beautiful," finished Chrysalis. "O-oh. Well… thank you. I'd say the same back, except you're not wearing a dress." Twilight gave a nervous swallow, looking away momentarily. "But… you don't really need one." Matching blushes on their faces, the pony and the changeling climbed up the curb and passed through the doors into the restaurant together. As Chrysalis walked, she did her best to ignore the snorts of rage and grinding teeth that came to her over the earring. Chrysalis had made sure to get a private room in the restaurant for their dinner. Everything had to be just right, and having other ponies around could only cause problems, whether they were gawkers, ponies nervous at simply having a changeling around, or even the rare occurrence of protesters. Getting to the room was accomplished with little trouble, 'little trouble' in this case meaning Chrysalis threatening the maitre'd with death, making snarky comments about the restaurant's decor, and suggesting that the restaurant might have larger issues with fire if any of their food were overcooked. Twilight had finally scolded her and told her to be nice, and the conciliatory apology she'd given had seemed to make Twilight happy. The room itself was small and intimate, blocked off from the main dining area by a thick velvet curtain. Inside, the room was lit by candles in wall sconces, and there was simply a table with two chairs. Lush carpeting met up with the edges of walls painted a rich red, and a painting hung upon one wall, depicting a lush forest dappled with shafts of sunlight. "Use your magic!" whispered Cadance urgently as they moved towards the table. "Pull Twilight's chair out from under her when she tries to sit down. It'll be a joke." Chrysalis glanced towards Twilight, an almost fearful expression on her face, then turned away, shaking her head quickly. "You listen to me, Chrysalis," growled Cadance. "I am trying to help you. Do as I say!" Chrysalis stared straightforward, shaking her head even more frantically, and sat down in her chair, motions robotic. There was silence for a moment, and then Cadance's frosty voice came to her through the earring. "You are on thin ice here, Chrysalis." The changeling hunched over, burying her face in her menu, as though that could somehow block Cadance's voice from her mind. From a changeling point of view, the menu was quite boring; very few pony restaurants served meat. But thanks to Twilight, Chrysalis's culinary horizons had broadened a bit—when it came to solid food, that is—and at least a few of the dishes didn't look too gut-wrenchingly awful. "It all looks so good," said Twilight cheerfully after a few moments of inspecting her menu. "Really expensive, though." Angry whispers came through Chrysalis's earring. She bit her lip, trying to object, but the whispers grew more heated, and finally she looked up. "Well, that doesn't matter to me. After all, you're paying." Twilight's mouth dropped open as she looked at Chrysalis in shock, and the changeling sneered. "What, do I look like I'm made out of bits?" "N-no, I just thought—it's fine, I can pay." She tried to give a cheerful smile. "I have quite a bit of royal funding that I hardly ever use, not to mention a small income from all the papers I write and spells I create, so I'm not hurting for money. Order anything you want, it's my treat." Chrysalis stared across the table at her, heart melting all over again. "No, I didn't mean it like that." She reached a hoof across the table. "You don't have to—" "Please." Twilight reached out as well, laying her hoof on top of Chrysalis's. "I want to. It's the least I can do, after you put all this together for me." Chrysalis blushed as she locked eyes with Twilight. They held their hooves together for a long moment, despite the increasing volume of grinding teeth that Chrysalis heard through the earring. They ordered their meals, the waiter returning after a moment with the bottle of wine they’d chosen. Chrysalis popped the cork, pouring Twilight a glass before her own, and then lifted her glass as she set the bottle aside. “To you,” she said softly, green magical aura around glass of red wine making a cheery sight. “To… us,” responded Twilight. She floated her glass forward to clink it carefully against the one held by the suddenly-frozen changeling. Chrysalis managed to regain enough control of her movements to tilt the glass in acknowledgement, and they drank. Twilight just sipped at her wine; she was giddy enough as it was. This was exactly the kind of date she’d wanted from the beginning. No wrestling matches, no symposiums on new advances in griffin magical theory (even she’d admitted that one had been a bad idea), no apple picking outings that turned into them being chased off the property by pitchfork-wielding ponies (although Applejack had been very understanding about the whole incident once she’d calmed down). This was a classic romantic date: dinner in a fancy restaurant, wine, a private room lit only by candles… it was just like in all the books she’d read to prepare for this. Even better, it was with the Chrysalis she knew and lov… liked. She was prickly and grumpy like always, and that just made the sudden doses of sweetness all the better. Chrysalis, for her part, took several gulps of her wine. She needed something to calm her jangling nerves. Everything had gone well so far, but experience had already proven that disaster lurked around every corner, even with Cadance’s help. And those thoughts of her teacher and guide didn’t help, either. She’d followed the instructions to make Twilight pay for the meal, but she’d also ignored two of Cadance’s other orders, and the seething silence coming through the earring now was frightening. Above all, though, the unknown was what worried her. She’d never been nervous before, and that was making it all worse. She was a Queen, other changelings and ponies got nervous around her; she didn’t get nervous about anything! The entire idea was ridiculous. But then she looked across the table at Twilight from over her lowered wineglass, and perversely felt herself calm slightly as she realized exactly why she was so nervous in the first place: because that was her Queen sitting there. "I like your perfume," said Twilight suddenly, breaking Chrysalis out of her reverie. “Oh! T-thank you.” “It’s a really nice scent. I can’t place it, but it’s quite exotic.” “Just a little something I had in my collection,” Chrysalis replied nonchalantly with a wave of her hoof, even as she smiled with glee internally. I knew dead manticore was the right choice! "So, how have you been?" asked Chrysalis after a moment. Twilight’s compliment had been a huge boost to her confidence, but her hooves still fidgeted nervously on the tabletop. "Anything exciting happen recently?" "Oh, the usual. Pinkie 'invented' a new kind of cupcake that set things on fire, Spike's been moping around because Rarity went on a date with some stallion recently… oh, and Rainbow almost got fired from the weather team for making clouds in certain 'suggestive' shapes. Again. Nothing really new." "Ah. So, no exciting battles against villains trying to take over Equestria?" teased Chrysalis, and Twilight snorted. "No, no, everything's been all quiet on that front." She lifted her wineglass to take a sip, and gave Chrysalis a glance over the top of its rim. "I think they're all too scared of the big, mean villain that seems to have taken up permanent residence here." "I think you forgot to add beautiful and intelligent, too," said Chrysalis, giving a toss of her mane and winking. Twilight chuckled, but then quickly sobered up. "Actually, I am worried about something along those lines, but it's more of a domestic political thing." "Oh?" "Yes. How have your changelings been doing, trying to fit in?" "Ah." Chrysalis leaned back in her seat. "You're talking about all the protests." "Yes. Not all ponies are happy to forgive you after what you did, and tried to do." Chrysalis let out a dismissive snort and rolled her eyes, and Twilight frowned. "Don't be that way! I'm trying to help you and your changelings, and your attitude is not helping. The fact that I had to apologize for your actions on your behalf only hurts things as well." Most ponies had been terrified to learn of the wedding of one of their Princesses to the Queen of the changelings who had attacked their kingdom, fearing it was another ploy. The actual wedding itself, along with the obvious support of the other Princesses, had quelled much of that fear. But no matter how much harmony and friendship Equestria held, there would always be some ponies who distrusted such obvious outsiders. It didn't help that the changelings were hard and dark compared to the soft and bright ponies, nor that they could only speak in hisses, snarls and clicks in their natural forms. Beyond that, it was just hard for even the most forgiving ponies to put the invasion behind them, and when a pony wasn't inclined towards forgiveness in the first place… To the shame of the Princesses, and most of the rest of Equestria, a number of protests had cropped up, demanding various things—the banishment of all the changelings being a popular goal, but worse ones as well, up to and including the impeachment of the Princesses for even considering amnesty, and the execution of Chrysalis. Naturally, the Princesses were disinclined to listen to these demands. Especially the latter, in Twilight's case. One particularly egregious protest had resulted in a mad scramble through ancient legal documents to prove that it was actually legal for a Princess to destroy any part of Canterlot she wished, provided no life was lost and the damages were repaid. But at the same time, they could not forbid the protests, free speech being cherished in Equestria as it was, and they had to just counter the protests and attempt to sway public opinion in their favor as best they could. At least when a protest descended into violence, arrests could be made, but that was an outcome no one wanted to see. Fortunately, no changelings or ponies had been hurt, at least so far. "I don't have anything to apologize for," sniffed Chrysalis dismissively, turning up her nose. "I do what I need to do to feed the hive. That is all that I care about." "What about me?" asked Twilight, and Chrysalis gave a little jump. "I mean, you did attack my kingdom, all of my friends and family. Why, you didn't even know about me at the time! What if we had never met, and I had gotten hurt in the attack?" "That's not fair," huffed Chrysalis, crossing her forelegs. "You're asking about something I couldn't possibly have predicted." "Okay, fine. Then what if you had known about me? What if you had met me before even beginning the invasion and fallen in love with me? Would you have still gone through with it?" Chrysalis looked at her for a moment, then grinned widely, fangs dripping venom. "Without hesitation. I would have redoubled my preparations if I had known about you beforehoof. I would have taken no prisoners and allowed no chances at failure, and I would have made you mine." Twilight stared back at her, mouth struggling. "You're terrible…" she said finally, trying to hide her smile and blush behind a hoof. "And that's what makes me so irresistible, isn't it?" Chrysalis asked, tilting her head to give Twilight a sultry stare. With a bit of effort, Twilight managed to get herself under control, and gave Chrysalis a stern look. "What it makes you is in danger, Chrysalis. You and your changelings. These protesters aren't just going to go away, and some of them have been making threats. You do know that there are anti-changeling groups forming, right? Some of the reports we've been getting about them are frightening, too. They've been talking about actual violence." "I'm sure it will be fine," said Chrysalis unconcernedly, shrugging. "How can you be so calm?!" "Because we're not going to let them actually do anything." "What…" Twilight glared suspiciously at Chrysalis. "What do you mean?" "We're the ones who formed all those anti-changeling groups," replied Chrysalis smugly. "W-what?!" There was a flash of green light, and suddenly Applejack was sitting at the table across from her. "Well, shucks, pardner this ain't our first rodeo, y'all know what I'm sayin’? Yeehaw, yippee-ki-yay—" "Stop that!" snapped Twilight, and Chrysalis switched back into her true form. "I told you not to change into my friends! And your Applejack is terrible, anyway." She glared at Chrysalis until the changeling hung her head, and then nodded. "That's better. Now, tell me exactly what you've been doing." "As I was trying to say, we know how all this works. Ponies are so distrusting, just because you want to imitate their loved ones and feed off their love." "Yes, imagine that," said Twilight dryly. "We knew what to expect when we decided to try integrating with Equestria. Even if we hadn't, it's not too hard to guess how ponies would react to our presence. You talk about what a shame it is that your ponies are protesting, that they fear the unknown, but that's just normal behavior. We've seen countless civilizations over the centuries, all across the world, and yours is no exception." She held Twilight's eyes for a moment, then continued. "These anti-changeling groups were going to form anyway, so… we simply formed them first. We're the leaders of the groups, we direct their actions and control their moves." She smiled evilly. "We keep an eye on them, keep ourselves safe… and if a member or two happens to be a little bit too enthusiastic, we arrange things so that they stop being a problem." "What… do you mean?" Chrysalis rolled her eyes upward, expression innocent. "Did you hear about those ponies who tried to firebomb a 'changeling owned' store downtown?" "You didn't." "The Royal Guards showed up just in time, didn't they?" "What if they hadn't?! Someone could have lost their business! Or even gotten really hurt!" "But they didn't." Chrysalis gave Twilight an uncomfortable look. "We're being… careful, Twilight. For you." Twilight groaned and buried her face in her hooves. "Thank you, but… don't do anything like that again. Nothing that could even possibly hurt a pony." An angry sigh came from the changeling, but she nodded. "Fine." "And… I want to tell you to stop leading the anti-changeling groups, but it is keeping your changelings safe..." "Then why would you want us to stop?" asked Chrysalis, looking puzzled and almost hurt. "Because it's just so… evil!" cried Twilight. "You're using your shapeshifting abilities to manipulate ponies! That's… that's wrong, even if it is for a good reason!" "Sometimes I don't understand you ponies at all," said Chrysalis softly, shaking her head. "I know. I feel the same way about you." Twilight's head was bowed, but then she raised it and gave the changeling a trembling smile. "But, I do like learning about you. So that I can understand." Chrysalis smiled back. "I've found I actually feel the same way." They made small talk for the next few minutes, just the meaningless talk of two ponies who liked to be around each other. And when they ran out of things to say, they didn't have to say anything. Just happy to be together, they sat in comfortable silence—aside from Chrysalis's humming, of course...   They were almost disappointed when the waiter returned with their meals, but the chefs had lived up to their reputations. Twilight had a salad made from what seemed to be the lushest, greenest lettuce ever grown. Crisp tomatoes and cucumbers decorated the leaves, along with a few rare and expensive truffles. There was even a sprinkling of pepper in her dressing, just the way she liked. Chrysalis, meanwhile, had a plate that seemed to be dripping with zap-apple jam. From experience, though, Twilight knew there was a pile of other vegetables underneath all that jam. It really was one of the most expensive things on the menu—zap-apple jam was not cheap, there being such a limited supply of it—but it was one of the few vegetarian meals Chrysalis truly enjoyed, and Twilight decided it was worth the bits to see the changeling so happy. "You keep eating food full of that much sugar and you're going to lose your fangs," observed Twilight. She might like to see Chrysalis happy, but that didn't mean she was above some friendly teasing. "Well, what can I say? I like to eat sweet things." Chrysalis gave her a smoldering glance across the table, running her tongue slowly over her lips. "Although, I haven't gotten a taste of the sweetest thing in the room yet..." "Okay, okay, let's just eat," said Twilight, a flustered blush on her face. They ate eagerly, talking little besides sounds of pleasure at the taste of their meals. What they did say consisted mostly of Twilight raving about how good the food was and complementing the chefs, and even Chrysalis grudgingly admitted her meal was delicious. They were partway through the meal when Chrysalis suddenly jumped, nearly sending her wineglass flying. "Are you okay?" asked Twilight, concern clear on her face. "Oh, um, yes, I-I just…" Chrysalis coughed into her hoof a few times. "I just got something caught in my throat." She gave Twilight a wide, uncertain smile. "All better now!" Twilight looked at her for a moment longer, then nodded and resumed eating, while Chrysalis looked down at her plate. "Don't pretend you can't hear me," came Cadance's voice over the earring, icily calm with fury. "Do what I say!" "But… but everything's going so well!" Chrysalis whispered quietly but intensely into her meal. "I just want to talk with her a little more. Please, don't make me do this." "I am trying to help you here, Chrysalis!" Cadance had abandoned all pretense at kindness and was simply shouting orders now. "This is your last chance, and if you don't do this I am done with you!" Chrysalis remained staring down at her plate. "Now pick up your food and throw it on the floor, then tell Twilight dinner's over. It's time to move onto something else." The changeling's breath started to become ragged and she shook her head, but otherwise didn't move. "Pick up your food, Chrysalis, and dump it on the floor." Slowly, Chrysalis brought her hoof up to her plate. She held it there for a moment, then raised it further and pulled the earring from her ear. "Chrysalis? Chrysalis, what are you—!" Cadance's voice faded as Chrysalis moved the earring down and dropped it on the floor. She hesitated for a second, then brought her hind leg down, grinding the earring under her hoof. There was a crunch and a brief flash of magic dissipating into the air, and then nothing. Twilight looked up as she saw Chrysalis's body jerk with the force of the stomp, and felt the slight tingle of magic. "Chrysalis? What was that? Are you alright?" Chrysalis continued to stare at her plate, getting her breathing back under control, then looked up. "Yes, Twilight. Everything's fine." She smiled. "Everything's just fine, now." Cadance's head jerked back as the image of Chrysalis's hoof grew large on the crystal ball's surface, then there was a squeal of magical feedback and the crystal went blank. She stood there for a long moment, staring unbelievingly at the dead crystal ball. "She… she didn't." The crystal ball remained totally, tauntingly empty of any images. "She didn't!" There was an explosion of magic, as Cadance summoned her regalia to herself and her hair twisted about her head, styling itself back into its usual regal form. "That arrogant, insolent little bug!" She walked to the balcony door, kicking it open and striding out. Silence descended over the street below as the passing ponies looked up and beheld a Princess blazing with righteous fury climbing up onto the railing outside her room. "Fine, then!" she bellowed. "If I have to bring the love myself, I will!" She kicked off from the balcony, spreading her wings and sweeping out over Canterlot. Their meals had been finished and the plates taken away, but Chrysalis and Twilight had remained at their table, chatting happily for several minutes. "Thank you for this night, Chrysalis," said Twilight finally. "I—" "Don't say anything else, Twilight, please." Chrysalis reached across the table towards her, eyes pleading. "I have so much more planned for you tonight, so much more I want to show you. I… I just…" "It's okay, Chrysalis." Twilight laid her hoof on top of Chrysalis's once more. "I understand how special you want this night to be, and it has been, even just this meal. Anything you want to do, I will." She smiled. "But maybe… we could delay your other plans a bit? I like just sitting here, talking to you." "Of course, Twilight. Anything you want." They looked at each other, then, at the same time, both moved forward, leaning across the table towards each other. A commotion suddenly interrupted them, and they sat back. Muffled voices came through the curtain blocking off their room, strident at first then changing to a nearly inaudible apologetic tone. More murmurs arose after a moment, with what sounded like a few angry shouts, and then the sound of multiple tramping hoofs that slowly faded away to silence. Chrysalis and Twilight looked at each other. "What do you think that was about?" asked Chrysalis, arching an eyebrow upwards. "I don't know, but I kind of want to see. It might be trouble!" Chrysalis sighed and rolled her eyes, but got out of her chair as well. "The trials of being married to a curious pony," she muttered under her breath. Still, Twilight had been right about the possibility of changelings being in danger in the city. The chances of something happening here was remote, but better to be safe. Twilight started to draw back the curtain, then paused. "Listen," she said in a hushed voice. "Do you hear that?" They both listened, cocking their ears towards the slight gap in the curtain. There were no sounds, none at all. Not the clink of silverware on plates as diners ate their meals, not the murmur of patrons conversing quietly, not even the muted chaos that always leaked out of a restaurant's kitchen. Chrysalis and Twilight looked at each other again, then slowly pushed their heads through the curtain. The entire restaurant was empty. It was completely devoid of both customers and employees, but there were signs they had been there recently. Nearly every table had a meal on it, all in various states of having been partially eaten. Carts of deserts lay scattered about like abandoned carriages, and trays of food looked to have been hurriedly placed on the ground. Most tables appeared pristine, but a few chairs were knocked over, and one or two evening coats remained on seats. "What is this?" asked Chrysalis quietly, emerging from the curtained doorway with Twilight right behind her. "Did all the ponies disappear? Is that something ponies can do?" "This better not be the rapture," said Twilight grumpily. "Celestia promised me there was at least another three millennia left." "Oh, don't worry about all this," said a voice that caused both pony and changeling to jerk around. "I just figured we could use some privacy for what's about to happen." From the entryway, Cadance trotted in, beaming happily. "Cadance!" "Cadance?" The three stood for a moment in silence: Cadance with a smile on her face, Chrysalis looking worried and surprised, and Twilight just looking surprised. Finally, Twilight looked at Chrysalis. "Was this your doing?" she said slyly, nudging the changeling with an elbow. "Did you bring her here to meet us, finally?" "I… think I did?" said Chrysalis slowly. "I'm going to go say hello—" Twilight started to move forward, then stopped and looked up at Chrysalis. "Oh, I mean… if that's okay. This is our special night, I shouldn't just run off to greet somepony, even if they are a friend." "No, no, it's fine. Go ahead." Chrysalis watched as Twilight trotted across the empty restaurant, gnawing on her lip as fear gnawed at her innards. What was Cadance going to do? Was she going to—Chrysalis let out a little gasp. Was she going to tell Twilight about the help she'd been giving her? Was that going to be her punishment for destroying the earring? And if it was, how would Twilight take it? Would she be flattered that Chrysalis cared so much about her that she'd sought out the Princess of Love herself to help win her heart, even though they were mortal enemies? Or would she be furious when she realized that all the romantic pony things Chrysalis had done had actually been Cadance's ideas? She held up a hoof, wanting to call Twilight back, then dropped it. If there was one thing she had learned about ponies, it was that they didn't like lies. It had explained so much of their dislike of changelings, whose entire lives were built around deceit. Maybe it would be better if Twilight found out now. Better to end it all here than have years of happiness turn to bitterness, regret and hatred. Chrysalis tried to convince herself that was true, and couldn't. But she did trust Twilight. And she loved her. Whatever the pony felt, she would accept it. "Cadance!" Twilight bounced to a halt in front of Cadence, and began to do a dance. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…" She stopped, to let Cadance continue their traditional greeting, and the other Princess obliged. Almost. "I am here to make you and your wife separate!" sang Cadance cheerfully. She smiled down at Twilight as the smaller pony slowly backed away, fear and confusion beginning to grow on her face. "I know, it's not very good, is it? Sorry, that was the best I could come up with on such short notice."