Ten trembling guards stood at an attack stance, spears at aim.
The royal sisters rose from their thrones in alert and Celestia narrowed her eyes, seeming unfazed.
"What brings you here, Chrysalis?"
The changeling queen, who once stood tall, proud and beautiful, now wears rags and in her arms, she held a crying child, begging to be fed. She swallowed and bit her lip, a bit harder than she would have liked. She clung the infant changeling close to her chest. She dare not to stare in the eyes of the sisters.
"I..."
"Well? We're waiting for whatever reason you decided to show up here," Luna sneered, the sound of rain falling against the windows filled in what would be an eerie silence.
Chrysalis looked around, surrounded by the royal guard. It didn't help either, that she had Shining Armor himself at her back, poking the tip of his spear into her, keeping her on edge.
"It's my child...I cannot care for her. That pesky Starlight Glimmer turned my hive against me!" Chrysalis growled under her breath. "I had no choice but to flee..."
Luna raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. Her tail flicked in annoyance. "And you want us to do...what about that?"
Chrysalis fought back that first tear which was trying so desperately to escape. If it got out, many would soon follow.
"I have nothing, don't you get it!?" she snapped in an attempt to keep herself mad to prevent said tear from leaking. Her child whimpered at the raising of her voice. "You ponies so stingy with your love and friendship, took all I had and now I'm left with a single child I cannot feed!"
Celestia tilted her head. "May I see her?"
Chrysalis paused for a moment.
"Y-yes...that was the idea."
"Guards. Let her through," Celestia commanded with a wave of her hand and the guards, all except Shining, lowered their spears and moved aside. "Step forward, Chrysalis."
Chrysalis did as such, coming to a stop at the base of the steps which led up to the sister's thrones.
"Sister! What are you doing?" Luna scowled her sister in a hushed whisper.
"She's with a child and on her own. She has no reason to give any attack."
Luna grumbled to herself, clearly not enjoying this.
Chrysalis lowered the hood from the hoodie her foal was wearing and turned her in her arms to face the sisters.
Celestia took a step closer, inspecting the child.
"She...my daughter...she's all I had left after Starlight ruined my empire..."
"Her eyes...are just like yours, Chrysalis. Pupils without the slits, but the same color. What's her name?" She smiled as she foal stole her pointer finger, imprisoning it in her mouth.
"Scarlet Ivy..."
"Red faith. Has a nice ring to it." Celestia fought the giggles of the child's gums tickling her finger.
Luna frowned. "I assume you're not just here to show her to us, are you? A trap maybe? I wouldn't be surprised if this were a top assassin changeling disguised as a baby changeling."
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "No, the others turned into rainbow-colored love-bugs. And no, to answer your question, Luna, I am not here just to showcase a foal and leave."
"Then what do you want?" Celestia groaned, trying in vain to remove her finger from the gummy prison, for the crime it made of being a finger.
The room fell silent as Chrysalis pulled her child back, and finally, that tear escaped its own prison, wetting a small spot on the carpet.
"Well?"
Chrysalis sighed and wiped her face with an arm.
"We have no home...a hollowed out tree is where we've lived since I lost everything. Took most of my strength to get here, from the badlands, on what little love I had, most of it going to keep her fed," Chrysalis looked away, her legs trembling like Jell-o. "She's only two weeks old and being a child...she takes a lot to take care of...something I can't handle in my current situation...so...I want you to take her..."
A coincidental roar of thunder rolled through the skies just at that moment, scaring the foal into crying again.
"...What...?" Luna's arms fell, obviously dumbfounded.
Chrysalis was now at her breaking point. She clutched her child close as she cried and she fell to her knees.
"She won't last at this rate...Celestia...I can't supply her with enough love...she's all I have left...I don't want my daughter to die on me..." more tears streamed down Chrysalis' cheeks. "It took lot of courage to come here...but please...All you'd have to do is love her and I doubt that'll be hard for you ponies..."
Everyone in the room was in pure shock. The mare who once tried to over throw the princesses, now returned so skinny her ribs show, with broken pride, covered in rags and begging. Celestia was failing to hold a straight face.
"P-please...take her. She won't live long under my care..." Chrysalis held her child up to Celestia, gazing up at her with pleading waterfalls.
"This better not be some trick, Chrysalis!" Shining spat, his voice laced with pure venom. "I won't hesitate to put you down," he growled, poking her again with the tip of his spear.
Chrysalis ignored him. "As much as I hate you, Celestia and Luna she needs you...and as much as it hurts me to have to give up the only thing I love, to those I hate, it's the only option I have..." she turned her face away, a few more tears streaming down to her chin.
Celestia couldn't fight back the gasp. "F-fair enough..." she slowly reaches out and takes the foal in her arms and Chrysalis fell to her hands and knees.
"Oh, the painful irony..." Chrysalis clenched her fists.
"I don't trust this, sister..." Luna commented as she stared at the changeling foal in Celestia's arms.
"I know, Luna...but I can sense the truth in this," Celestia turned her head to face Chrysalis and held a hand down to her. "Chrysalis...I know we've had our fights in the past and to see you here now boggles my mind. But the sole fact you've resorted to such matters as this, for the better good of your child, shows you're a good mother. But, I cannot take her from you."
Slowly and shakily, Chrysalis took Celestia's hand and was aided back to her hooves.
"Alright...I guess I understand if you can't take her..." Chrysalis takes her child back and clutches her close.
"Shining Armor?"
"Y-yes, Celestia?" Shining lowered his spear in attention.
"Find these two a spare room."
Gasps were heard once again.
"But..."
"No buts," Celestia lays a hand on Chrysalis' shoulder. "Chrysalis is right. Even though we're enemies, she's willing to give her child up to us so she may properly be cared for and I have high respect for such a noble act. Besides, even if it were a trick, Chrysalis is in no shape to go firing laser beams."
"But the wedding...she took you out..." Shining stuttered.
Celestia gave a small growl. "I know very well of that, but she has no hive, no home, no way of feeding her child. I'm not so heartless to let a foal in need die, nor to take said foal from her own mother. I see room for change here and changelings are good for that. Now, Shining, find these two a room. They live here now." Celestia smiled softly
Shining sighed heavily in annoyance. "Fine. Follow me, Chrysalis," Shining rolled his eyes.
"Also, alert the rest of the guard of her stay so they don't try to attack her."
"As you wish," Shining grumbled, leading Chrysalis out of the throne room. Chrysalis mouthed a grateful thank you to Celestia.
*****
Soon enough, word got out that Queen Chrysalis was staying at the Canterlot Castle. A matter of hours, only. Chrysalis lay on the bed in the small room Shining gave them, rubbing the cheek of her sleeping child.
"Mommy loves you, my sweet Ivy," she cooed, a small smile forming, knowing her child will be okay.
She enjoyed the sound of Ivy's purring, snuggled in her arms. Then there was a knock on the door.
Chrysalis sighed, carefully moving into a sitting up position, with Ivy in her lap. "Come in."
The golden door knob light up a shallow blue and the door opened. Shining took a step into the room, shutting the door behind him.
"Well, hello, Shi-"
"I don't know what you're doing here, Chrysalis" he began, cutting her off, "but I'm not falling for it. The moment you slip up, I'll send you and your kid back to where to came from," he snarled, his muscles tensed up as he clenched his fists. Nor do I know why Celestia was so easy to let you stay, but I'm onto you."
Chrysalis smirked with a tilt of her head.
"Onto what, exactly?"
"I don't know! Whatever evil plot you have planned!"
A frown replaced Chrysalis' smirk.
"So, getting the care my child needs is an evil plot? It seems my spell left some after affects from the whole wedding thing."
"Don't toy with me, Chrysalis!"
That made chrysalis giggle. "You pretty much were one."
Then, green flames whipped around Chrysalis, leaving behind an exact copy of Shining Armor, mocking him with green eyes as if she were a zombie.
Shining was not amused and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You really are a stick in the mud," Chrysalis changed back, then smiled down at her foal who slowly began to open her eyes. "Would you like to hold her?"
"...What?"
Slowly, Chrysalis stood up and held Scarlet out to Shining. "Take her. She needs your love. You know I can't feed her love. I could just take yours, but currently, you're not giving any. Don't be stingy."
"No."
"...No? So you'll just let this poor little child starve? I can understand if you'd never want to feed me, but this little filly has never wronged you. Don't do it for me, do it for her."
"Fine," shining rolled his eyes, taking the child.
Scarlet yawned, revealing little white teeth, that will soon be fangs, at the front of her mouth. Being off duty, Shining wore no armor, only a pair of cargo shorts, thus little Ivy was able to enjoy the comfort of Shining's warm fur, instead of cold, hard armor.
"Ready for the plot twist?" Chrysalis smirked.
"What plot twist?"
Smiling, Chrysalis wrapped her arms around one of Shining's and in his ear, she whispered; "Flurry Heart's got a sister."
There was silence for a moment, in which Shining stood in shock. His face went pale, giving the foal back to Chrysalis, he ran out of the room, a hand over his mouth, eyes as small as pin pricks.
"Mamma," Ivy grabbed Chrysalis' nose in her hand.
Chrysalis smiled down at her and gave her a soft kiss on the head, heading out to the balcony. It was still raining, but there was a roof over their heads, so they remained dry.
"Look, sweeties," she showed Ivy the sight of buildings carrying on into the distance, ponies going about their business. "Canterlot."
She giggled and reached a hand out, then tragedy struck.
A lighting bolt came down, striking the filly's horn, surging through her and Chrysalis before fading into the ground in its blinding light. What was left, only a steaming, unconscious Queen Chrysalis and Ivy...was nowhere to be found.