Phie and the others boarded the train headed to Ponyville, several ponies appearing skittish in her presence but overall the boarding was uneventful. The front of the train was quite crowded, forcing them to search for open seats further back on the train. Most of the ponies packed their luggage under or over the small benches lining the walls while the others didn't have any luggage at all.
As they neared the end of the train the crowd thinned out, allowing Phie and the ponies traveling with her to finally pick out benches of their own. Phie claimed the rear-most bench on the right side of the train, allowing her to look out over lower Canterlot. The others sat near and around her, including a lankey colt.
Phie's eyes met his and he gulped, looking away as he fidgeted in place. She observed him a moment while the others finished taking their places, oblivious to the jittery colt.
"See Phie? The train is perfectly safe. You're just being paranoid." Twilight commented as she sat in front of Phie, her front hooves propped on the back of her bench.
"It's not paranoia if one is correct." Phie responded, glancing back at the colt. "What's in the last car behind us?" She suddenly asked Twilight.
"The last car?" She pondered, "It's usually changed out for a number of different cars, like storage or a kitchen, depending on the need."
Phie scooched to the end of the bench and stood in the aisle as the train whistled. There was a slight lurch as the train began moving forward.
"Where are you going?" Twilight asked.
"I'm curious about the last car." Phie replied as she released the door latch. There was a small gap between the cars with a small platform connecting them and a pair of chains as a guard. The wind whipped her cloak as she opened the door to the last car and stepped inside.
The interior was dimly lit and smelled of musty wood. Around the cabin there were a number of large crates with more of the unfamiliar symbols stamped onto them. The door opened and closed again, Phie turned to see that Twilight had followed her inside.
"Oh, it's a shipping compartment." She commented as she read a few of the addresses, "Most of these are going to Manehattan."
Phie walked around the cabin back to Twilight, "Okay, that's all I wanted to know."
Twilight shrugged, "Well let's get back to the others." Twilight opened the door and stepped over the platform to the previous cart, followed moments later by Phie.
Twilight returned to her bench and turned back to Phie as she sat back down, "Feeling safe now?"
Phie looked around the cabin again, noticing another, older looking pony had joined the colt. "Being safe is an illusion. It means you've dropped your guard and you don't notice the dangers, or you willfully ignore them."
Twilight frowned and looked around the cabin, "I don't see anything dangerous here, it's a bit more crowded than usual but that's about it. I think we should try working on your paranoia a bit when we get back to the castle."
Phie raised an eyebrow, "I would like to adjust my hypothesis regarding the train ride."
Twilight's ears perked up, "Just saying we’re completely safe isn't going to get you out of your therapy."
Phie shook her head, "While there is a smaller chance of us crashing, I believe the more likely outcome is going to be train robbery or taken hostage, perhaps even kidnapping."
Twilight stared at her for a long moment before she burst out laughing, "Hahaha! I never would have guessed you had such a sense of humor! I should have realized sooner that you were like Maud!" She wiped away a tear to see that Phie was not laughing or grinning. "Heh... Right?"
Phie blinked in response. "Oh Celestia... I can't believe you would not only think that but accuse somepony you haven't even met. I think you might need professional help." Twilight sighed.
Phie glanced to the suspicious ponies, noticing they numbered four at the moment. They were talking amongst themselves in low voices, glancing at the ponies around them, but lingering on Twilight and her friends.
"I feel that you will come to see how accurate I am in a few moments." Phie commented, gripping her staff. A fifth pony had entered the cabin, locking the door behind him. "Tell your friends to be ready to act, the next two or three minutes will be the key to victory." She said, gripping her staff as she feigned ignorance of the suspicious ponies to not draw their attention*.
Twilight was getting worried, she was sure Phie was just being paranoid because of her fear of trains, but she seemed too serious to not at least be on the lookout for trouble. She turned to AJ who was sitting with Fluttershy in front of her.
"Hey AJ," Twilight said as she propped herself up behind them, "Phie thinks we're about to be robbed or something, have you noticed anything suspicious?"
"Well, Ah've been talking with Shy about that colt there, but Ah reckon he just don't like trains none." She said, pointing out the colt who was looking around erratically.
Twilight watched him for a moment, soon coming to that conclusion as well. "I think when we get back to Ponyville we should see about getting a psychologist for Phie's paranoia."
"If'n ya say so, Twi. Ah know when someone's ly'en but actually believ'n there's danger everywhere? Ah got nothin." AJ turned an motioned to the bench with Pinkie and Rainbow, "Can ya see how RD is doing?"
Twilight glanced over, Pinkie was sitting side by side with Rainbow, who was leaning heavily into her. "Sure, It'll just take a moment." AJ nodded as Twilight moved to the other bench. "Hey Pinkie, how's she doing?" She asked.
Pinkie smiled, "She's starting to come around, she's eating all my cupcakes though!"
Twilight leaned around to get a better look, Rainbow was using Pinkie as a headrest while idly munching on several cupcakes and the occasional cookie. "Are you feeling alright, Rainbow?"
Rainbow nodded slightly with a far off look in her eyes, crumbs clung to her muzzle and dirtied the bench beneath her. "She means she's doing just fine!" Pinkie translated.
"Right... Well just say the word if she starts getting weird again." Twilight said, "Oh also, Phie thinks we might be in danger and has asked me to let you all know."
"Oh yea! Rainbow distracted me, but my knee has been pinchy since we got on the train, which means something scary is about to happen!" Pinkie replied with a grin.
Twilight's eye twitched.
Meanwhile
Rarity moved to Twilight's empty bench and struck up a conversation with Phie.
"I just wanted to apologize for saying that your robes were tacky, I'm sorry." She apologized, "I just don't see the appeal, they look like they don't breath well and they seem almost too baggy. If you like I'm sure I could make you some robes that would be more comfortable?" she offered.
Phie nodded in acknowledgement, "No need to apologize, but thank you. As for my robes, each fiber was enchanted during their creation and assembly, the spells included are ones to keep the internal temperature at a constant, so it is cool on warm days and warm on cool days. There are limits of course but it's perfect for traveling. They also provide some basic protection and they are quite durable. There's also over a hundred pockets hidden throughout. However, if you would like to expand my wardrobe you are more than welcome to do so."
Rarity gaped, "I... I had no idea... Do you know how the magic was applied? Could you teach me?! I'm sure I could make my outfits even more splendid!" She cheered, "But between you and me, I'm growing tired of just stitching gems onto the dresses. Yes they are pretty and it does increase the value of the dress, but I'm looking for something new to put myself ahead of the competition."
"I understand." She said, "However, I will need to study how my world's magic would need to be formulated for use with a horn, hooves, or wings before I can teach magic in any capacity. I have a few books of enchantments, I can't enchant anything myself but you would be more than welcome to see if they are within your ability to cast. If they are beyond you, I am sure you could find a mage to hire to assist with the enchanting."
Rarity turned to Starlight, Trixie, and Spike who were chatting amongst themselves across the isle, "Starlight, would you like to work in my boutique?"
Starlight turned her attention to Rarity, "Well, I'd be glad to help out but I'm not sure how good I'll be making dresses."
"What about me, Rarity?" Spike asked sadly.
"Oh Spikey, my door is always open to you dear, but I might need a full time employee if Phie can teach them a few things. This is all in the future though, so don't worry your pretty little fins over it."
Spike blushed and hid his face, "... She thinks my fins are... pretty?"
"Relax Spike, it's a figure of speech." Trixie replied in amusement, "What, do you LIKE Rarity or something?" She teased.
Spike blushed harder and began gibbering to himself for a moment before fleeing to an empty bench in embarrassment.
Rarity frowned, "You don't need to tease him about that."
"Everypony knows, besides, you should just start dating him anyway or dump him instead of leading him on like this." Trixie replied as she munched on some salted peanuts.
Rarity sputtered a bit, "B-but he's too young still! And I'm not sure if I want to say no, I don't want to break his heart..."
"Oh please, if you cared about his feelings you wouldnt string him along like this. You're using his affections for you against him for your own benefit." Trixie commented smugly, "But that's none of my business."
Rarity was about to furiously retort but Starlight butted in, "Stop it, both of you. Trixie, it's her choice. Rarity, calm down she's just messing with you."
There was a small jingle as Phie got their attention, "While that exchange was both enlightening and entertaining, I recommend paying attention to the situation."
"What situation?" Starlight asked. A moment later the train car lurched to the left. Out the starboard window they could see the rest of the train moving along the normal track, and at the split in the track was what appeared to be a railroad pony operating the lever that changed the direction of their cars. At the head of their car, one of the ponies associated with the nervous colt was holding the bolt that locked the mechanism connecting the cars.
"This situation." Phie responded.
The ponies, friends and strangers alike, screamed in fear as the out-of-control train cars careened down a hill and into a dark cave. The cars lurched with a crunch as the front end smashed through a wooden barrier, the wheels screamed as the momentum pushed them through loose, old and rusted rails. A moment later the cars smashed through another barrier that marked the end of the track, causing the cars to swivel back and forth as the steel wheels of the cars dug into the stone of the tunnel for another hundred feet before grinding to a halt.
As the dust began to settle a voice spoke out, "So it was both a hijacking AND a crash."
As the ponies finished coughing up any dust they had inhaled, the unicorns among them lit the tips of their horns. The car was a wreck, the front end was falling apart and the wood was splintered, all the windows had shattered, leaving glass all over the floor. A few of the benches had broken from the bed of the car and piled up near the front.
"Is everypony alright?" Twilight called out. She was answered with several shaky affirmatives, several ponies had minor cuts and bruises but overall they were fine.
"I have rations for about a day for everyone, a week if we use the bare minimum to survive." Phie said as she brushed the broken glass off of her robes. "Has anyone seen where the four ponies with the younger one went? Were they tossed outside or buried in the rubble?"
Pinkie suddenly gasped, "Rainbow Dash is gone too!" Several of the ponies also gasped and started to panic.
Phie banged her staff on the floor causing the car to fill with thuds and jingles. "Everyone, ponies, calm down."
Several of the ponies glared at her, "How do you expect us to remain calm in this situation!?" a pink mare yelled at her.
"Yeah! I bet you caused this!" Another one, a yellow mare, shouted. "I saw it go into the back car before we left Canterlot!"
"Sorry, but I'm not dumb enough to be a part of an accident I orchestrated." Phie cut them off, "If I was the one behind this, I would have hired some expendable personnel to pull off the job so if they are captured they won't trace back to myself, then I would ensure those that survived received medical attention and some sort of food because dying of starvation and infection is not only unpleasant but there's no point in a dead hostage. If there are a large number of civilians then I would ensure I had taken one or two hostages immediately to ensure the others complied with my demands and behaved."
Phie paced around the cabin as she continued, "So if that were the case then I or my more trusted and loyal partners would be near enough to claim said hostage. Then I would blindfold or knock out everyone to take them to another unknown location so they wouldn't know where they are. Being that this is a large group it would take fewer resources to just put a bag on our heads, chain us together, and lead us to the more permanent holding area." Phie stopped and looked out one of the broken windows, "Something like that?"
The ponies in the car immediately turned to look out the windows as well, but could only see darkness. A moment later the darkness lit up, revealing the four ponies and the colt on either side of a large, black, insectoid looking pony, her horn glowing the same sickly color as the light above them. "Yes, it was almost too accurate for my liking, however it just means that great minds think alike."
Her horn glowed again and brought forward a slightly battered Rainbow Dash, "Now, be good little ponies and come with us, and nobody has to get hurt."
"But she said a dead hostage is useless!" The pink mare tried to argue in defiance, "You need us alive!"
"While that is true, I have more than enough extras, and breaking a few limbs won't kill you, will it?" the tall mare smiled evilly. The ponies in the car gulped and filed out slowly, gathering in front of her.
Phie did a final search of the cabin before making her way into the cargo hold. Unfortunately the boxes were blocking the door from opening. She sighed and soon joined the others in front of their captor. "So, who, and what, are you?" She asked.
Twilight was about to respond but the taller mare cut her off, "I could ask the same of you. I am Queen Chrysalis, queen of the changelings!" The ponies beside her were engulfed in green flames for a moment before revealing they had a similar bug-like appearance to their queen. "And I'm here to get my revenge on those that ruined me!"
"Ah, I see." Phie responded, "I am Archmage Phie, you may call me Phie or Archmage or 'hey you,' it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
The ponies and changelings stared at her for a moment, "Phie, why are you exchanging pleasantries with not only the enemy of Equestria, but our captor as well?" Twilight asked through teeth clenched in anger.
Phie smiled slightly, "Because being civil accomplishes many things, and we're both unknowns to each other. It's dangerous to act without any idea of the other's abilities." Phie looked back to the queen, "And your ability to completely change your forms is absolutely wonderful! I would like to talk more about that actually."
The changelings looked uncomfortable and took a fighting stance, "Um, no. That's our secret and I refuse to reveal whatever secrets we still have."
"Ah. It was worth a try. Shall we be going?" Phie replied.
"You are way to calm about this." Starlight remarked.
"Well, it's like this. If you are running for your life, but the one that's after you is walking, what does that mean?" Phie asked.
"Because he's... slow? Out of shape?" one of the ponies asked.
"No, it's because he doesn't have to, you are captured and he's taking his time, knowing you can't get away." Phie smiled again, "That is why I am not worried."
"So you have a plan?" Twilight asked with hope.
"No, of course not." She responded to the chagrin of the others, "I am merely prepared. We are in good health, we have some food, we have light and warmth and magic. For the time being there is nothing to worry about."
Chrysalis cleared her throat, "Are you done? Or did you want to tell me what you're planning? Because I would gladly like to hear more."
Phie jingled her staff, "Just stating what we all already know. Shall we be going then?"
The queen chuckled, "What if we're already here?"
Phie looked back to the crashed remains of the car and back to the queen, "If that were true I would question your ability to formulate plans to completion. By now the train should have realized it's missing two cars, and trains have set rails that they can move on. It wouldn't take long for them to find where the track splits and follow the rails into this cave and directly to this location. With that in mind I estimate our discovery within a few hours maximum, and no doubt they will have guards among them."
The changelings blinked, then as one looked to their queen, who blinked as well. "W-what!? Pah! I so have a plan!" She scoffed, "We go... this way!" She proclaimed, turning and walking further into the darkness of the cave.
Everyone watched her go for a minute, "Usually you have the captives go first to just ensure they don't try to run."
Twilight rounded on Phie, "Why do you keep helping her?!"
"Because this is just sad, pitiful even." Phie responded. "I wonder what happened to her...?"
The queen of the changelings stopped walking and spun around, "Actually, you know what? It doesn't matter if we're discovered, because I have the ones that I want to punish right here in front of me."
The four adult changelings quickly charged forward and encased their captives’ hooves in a green gel-like substance, or the bottom of their robes in the case for Phie. Chrysalis placed Dash on the ground where she was gooped in place as well.
"You three are the most troublesome, so I'm going to drain you first." She said as she pointed her horn at Twilight, Trixie, and Starlight. "See? I've learned the hard way that you so-called heros are more resourceful than I had given you credit." Energy began to drain from their chests, causing them to groan and enter a trance-like state as the queen licked her lips. "Mmmm... Yes... Delicious."
"Fascinating!" Phie exclaimed as she furiously took notes and drew illustrations. "What type of energy are you draining? Its signature is different than life energy, and they are planar beings so it's not celestial or unholy."
"Do you not care for the wellbeing of these ponies?" She asked as she started draining the others, not wasting any time.
"They aren't going to die, not yet anyway, so there is no cause for concern." Phie snapped the book shut to see her drain the last of the ponies, they were alive if not mentally all there. "My concern is you. What do you hope to gain from this, what is the energy you absorbed, why are you an enemy to Equestria? Just, why?"
The queen smirked, "Your concern is not needed, nor is your pity. But you have been civil, which is more than I can say any other race has given me, so I think I could answer those questions." She licked her lips again, "Phie, was it?"
Phie nodded as she continued, "I'll spare you the details, but my kind feed on emotions. Love is the most powerful and nourishing, but any emotion can feed us. Some emotions carry with them memories if they are strong enough. Point is, my hive was starving, dying off. There wasn't any food to feed on, so we starved. Without food, there was no energy to change our forms. If we can't change our forms, we can’t gather more energy. We were stuck. So we took a vote, and decided an invasion of the city with the most amount of love would supply us with enough power to escape and return to our old way of life.
"So we attacked Canterlot on the day of the wedding of Princess Cadence. I took her form and gained enough power from her husband's love to match Celestia in a fight, and won. We had nearly completed our goal when we were blasted away, losing everything we had gained and more in the process. That was her doing, there." She pointed out Twilight.
"After that we managed to regroup, but the energy supply was gone. We were forced to kidnap and replace ponies for periods much longer than we normally would do. It made us sloppy, but we kept surviving. I eventually managed to capture this one, her friends, and both princesses as well as the entire town of Ponyville. They were to supply us with the power we needed to return to our lives, to the way things had been for thousands for years. But no, it was just a fairy tale I fooled myself into believing."
She pointed to Starlight and Trixie, "These two, and their companion Discord, tracked me down and freed everypony. Then they convinced most of the hive to betray what made them changelings, she convinced them to give the emotions that sustain us freely, causing them to enter their third stage of life... One I cannot achieve."
"Instead of come clean, I fled with these five here and planned on how i was going to capture and drain them. I do not want to kill them, but I do want their energy, which I just succeeded in obtaining. It will last us several months because there are so few of us. They will be discovered, but we will be long gone..." She trailed off.
"You don't know where to run, do you?" Phie asked.
“We aren’t like the ponies or zebras. We can’t just… find another place to live.” She stomped her hoof. “But we won't just wait for the princesses or whomever to find us and do who-knows-what.” She sighed and rubbed her temple, “I'm glad they were able to achieve the full metamorphosis, the rest of the hive that is. Ponies like colorful and fluffy things. They’ll be fine under their new king.”
“So they never fully grew up?” Phie asked her.
“No,” she shook her head, “The energy consumption required was too great for the hive to supply, so to ensure our survival as a species we, myself and the queens before me, kept that from them.” She sighed and closed her eyes, as though remembering another time. “I think it would be lovely if I could join them in their new forms…”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Phie said in sincerity, “I know many people who lost their homes, their families. They became outcasts, wanderers. Unloved and unwanted.”
The queen frowned, “What do you know about being an outcast? My kind, what remains, are going to be hunted the rest of our lives because of what we were forced to do out of desperation.”
Phie frowned, “I was like you once…” She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. “Are they aware of what we are saying?” she motioned to the ponies standing in place with dull expressions on their faces.
Chrysalis shook her head, “No, they won’t remember a thing.”
Phie nodded, “Good, I don’t want them to hear this, they are too innocent.” The queen raised an eyebrow. “If you wish, you may feed on my emotions, but not too much. You might become ill.”
“I’ve never heard of a changeling becoming ill from feeding, but you listened to my story, I shall at least do the same.” She said as she pointed her horn at Phie, her magic pulling out a tiny about of emotional energy. However, the moment she tasted it, her magic vanished and she stepped back in shock.
“What?! What was that?” She asked, “What the hell happened… Why? Why are you drowning in…” She trailed off, searching for a word that accurately described the emotions, “Just pure despair… How are you still alive?”
Phie smiled grimly, “I’m a bit stubborn.” She tapped the butt of her staff against the goop binding her to the ground, causing it to break apart and free her without issue. “I’d rather be sitting for this.”
Chrysalis nodded and sat as well. Once Phie was situated she began her tale, “I’m not from this plane, I’m technically an outsider here. I’m an elf, a species that does not die of old age like other races, and naturally attuned to magic. About five hundred and sixteen years ago, my mother gave her life on the day I was born. A human man and woman helped her during her final hours and cared for me after her passing.
“I grew up in a small human village thinking I myself was a human as well. I did not know it at the time, but upon maturity an elf’s hair changes from brown to white, a sign of their connection to magic. Their ears tend to start growing out around that time as well.
“When my hair started changing color, I panicked. I sought help from my best friend, Felix, but he didn’t know either. One of the townsfolk, an old wise woman, said I had been touched by a witch and I would die the night of the next full moon. This, of course, was not true.
“But word spread of the ‘witch child’ in the village, and it reached the then-capital, ruled by the pope. The pope sent his papal knights to investigate the witch child and kill her and any witches they could find.
“I awoke that morning to a pounding on my window, it was Felix. He warned me that the knights were looking for me and that I needed to run. I trusted him, so I opened the window and we hid in a burrow not far from town. I watched as the knights pulled my parents from our home, demanding to know my whereabouts. As they argued my innocence the knights set my home ablaze. They soon bound and tethered my parents to poles for refusing the pope’s will to turn me over even though they didn't know where I was.
“They were burned alive, screaming as their flesh charred and their eyes melted. The knights started to question the town, soon coming to the incorrect conclusion that they were harboring witches. The knights slaughtered everybody. They killed all of my friends, everyone I had called family, their wives, their children, the unborn, nobody was spared as they hunted down the cattle and even their pets, throwing their bodies into the ever increasing infurno.
“The village was burned to the ground, but Felix had saved me. We waited in the burrow as long as we could, but we needed to go, get to someplace safe. He took the lead, guiding us away from the village and into the woods. We thought the knights had gone by this time, we were proven wrong when we stumbled into their camp.
“We ran as fast as we could, but we were out maneuvered. Felix pulled out his dagger, but we were surrounded. He turned just enough to meet my gaze as he whispered for me to run. Before I could argue, he threw himself at the knight before us, ripping out his throat before turning to the next one.
“It happened almost too quickly for me to process, so I ran. I heard his cry of pain as he was run through, but still I ran. I don't know how he did it, but he held them off with his life long enough to ensure my escape.”
Phie wiped the tear from her face as she pulled out a red book, “Two hundred and eighty seven people died in the village. I have their names, and the dates they died, written here. You ask me how I’m still alive, I will tell you.”
Phie looked up and met the gaze of the queen of the changelings, “I am alive, so that I may honor the life and death of those I am responsible for. I am alive so they are remembered. I am alive so the survivors never forget.
“I have survived three hundred years of witch hunts while millions of my own kind were hunted and slaughtered like a plague. To this day, people with an affinity for magic are treated as outcasts, punished for being born different. I am alive to find those people, and give them hope, give them a home, give them a family, because I will not stand by idly and watch history continue to repeat itself.”
The changelings sat in silence, unable to respond as she continued, “Over the years, my burden has increased. Those I was unable to protect, people who gave themselves unto me, those I have been forced to kill by my own hand. I have them all written here.” She flipped through the pages, each one filled top to bottom with names and dates. “There are too many… I cannot count them, I fear that knowledge would destroy me.”
She sighed and closed the book, hiding it within her robes, “I am hoping this world can ease my soul. I am tired, but I cannot give up while the memories of so many depend on me.”
Phie’s thoughts were interrupted as Chrysalis stood and pulled her into a rough hug. “I may not be so good at connecting with others, but as a changeling we know the truth behind the emotions. I cannot fathom the world you had lived in, but I do know it was horrible, far more than I have any right to argue against.”
Phie returned the hug gently as she continued, “You know, as strange as it is, I don't think I’m quite ready to try and disappear. You’re right, the memories will always be there. Perhaps I should do as you and try to move on in a beneficial way.”
“But my queen! We don’t know what they will do to you!” One of the changelings warned her.
“No, we don’t, but running isn't the answer either. It's time to move on with our heads held high and accept whatever comes our way. We will get through this, we will manage a new life, not on the run, but be it among the ponies and their fear or in a cell below Canterlot, I will accept that fate. Not for friendship, not for myself, but for my people. Thank you, Archmage Phie, I see that now.”
“Pat pat.” Phie replied.
Chrysalis broke the hug and stepped back, wiping the moisture from her eyes. “So, what now?”
“Do you wish to join me in my quest of enlightenment, wherever that may lead?” Phie asked as she jingled her staff. “I warn you, the road ahead will be long and treacherous, but will make you stronger, and perhaps a bit more mad. But sometimes just a little bit of madness is all that’s needed.”
Chrysalis gave a cocky smile, “Then let us walk into the mad king’s lair.”
“That’s next Thursday.” Phie responded.
Chrysalis went wide eyed, “You were serious?”
“I am always serious.” Phie replied. “Except when I’m joking. Good luck figuring that out. Heh.”
“Right… I am curious though, If I was intending to kill them, what would you have done?” Chrysalis asked, “You didn't believe you were in any danger at all, did you?”
“I suppose I didn't smell like fear?” Phie reasoned.
“It’s not that simple but technically yes.” Chrysalis replied.
“Well if I or any of the others were in danger I would have summoned a battalion of warriors to my side to lay waste to you and your changelings. But it didn't need to come to that, so best not to dwell on it.” Phie stood and dusted herself off.
“Now, shall we see where the road may take us?” She asked, extending a hand in friendship.
“I think I’m beginning to like you more than the other races of Equestria.” Chrysalis placed her hoof in Phie’s hand, sharing a quick shake to seal the deal.
The next day, Twilight’s castle
“I think I’m beginning to hate you more than the other races of Equestria.” Chrysalis bemoaned.
“It could be worse.” Phie replied.
“I can’t believe it! I have three students now!” Twilight cheered as she jumped around them in circles. “Woohoo! YAASS!!”