There are times I really wished I thought before I leaped. What had started out just looking for a part of Father to lay to rest had turned into my trying to take over the Crystal Empire when his lingering anger and resentment overrode me.
I'm actually glad I was defeated, despite the wounds. I was lucky I hadn't been banished to the moon, truth be told. But even the moon seemed preferable to what was happening now.
I had managed to piece together what had happened to me in between the assaults on my sensibilities. The chitinous clicking, the hissing snarls, the feeling of being emotionally drained all the time, it didn't take a genius to conclude that Changelings were involved.
But I didn't know what they wanted with me. I was a broken, pitiful wretch of a pony. My eyes were blinded from the mantic backlash of the final spell I had tried to cast in my ill-fated march on the northern kingdom goddess knows how long ago. My constant slips into a comatose state to heal had made me lose track of time, to say nothing of my capture here. My fur had grown back in and most of the burn scars had either healed or become smaller in that time, but I could still feel the cracks in my horn and when I did sleep, I felt the pain all over again.
Sighing, I closed my useless eyes and eased back into memories of happier times, when things made sense. I opened my eyes and saw the gentle snowfall of the village that I had made my home after the curse had been lifted and breathed deeply the cool and crisp air, troubles and pain fading to the background.
It wasn't a very large village, maybe two hundred ponies all told. Life here was hard, but fair. We had everything we needed here.
"My," a voice purred, behind me, stealing what little peace I had managed to garner. "I can see why you keep coming here. It's very idyllic. It's almost sickening."
"Can't you at least let me have this one place without defiling it?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Oh," the saccharine voice said, it's owner walking around into my view. Tall and lean, she might have been beautiful if not for her fractured appearance. Her diaphanous wings were tattered, her body full of holes, and her hair hanging in lank, seemingly unwashed strands. Madness swam in her eyes and a green aura swirled around her twisted horn that almost hid the small crown that topped her head.
"If I did that," she continued, reaching out with a hoof and tilting my head to face her. Her smile held teeth too sharp for any pony and her breath smelt of fetid water. "What would I feed my new brood?"
"My pain and agony aren't enough?" I spat, twisting my head away.
"Those are delicious, yes," Chrysalis admitted. "But robbing you of your happiness is a flavor this hive has never tasted before. And, personally, mining the secrets from your mind that you've tried to erase is so much easier with your will broken from having every last refuge taken from you."
The village disappeared, and memories started to blur by. I saw the ponies bring me the chest that contained my father's horn, then the months of research I had spent looking for so many spells that had been lost to the depths of time. I was sickened, watching as though the pony doing it was somepony else entirely. Almost every spell was either forbidden or unneeded in times of peace.
Self-recriminations slowly gave way to pain as everything tended to when Chrysalis rummaged through my mind. I collapsed, screaming in agony once again as her hungry look took on a blissful look. The swirl of memories stopped on a single thaumaturgic formula, one that I recognized through the haze of pain as the one that had put me in this state.
"Found it," she hissed as I began to black out. "Thank you, my dear."
I peaked back into the room, seeing Sunshine still curled up on the bed. I walked out and came up to her and began to run kisses up her back, stopping as I reached her mane.
"Don't stop now," she whispered sleepily. "I happen to like that."
I laughed. "Come on, love," I said, giving her a nudge. "It's check-out day and Oxygen Rush will have the boat here in two hours."
She groaned. "Already?" She rolled out of bed, the braided bun wobbling slightly from where it had come undone. The scar on her left shoulder caught the light, almost hidden under her bluish-purple coat. Memories of seeing her get hit flashed to my mind.
I nodded. "I've already packed what I could with you sleeping," I said, eyes unable to leave the wound. "Why won't you let one of us finish healing that?" I asked.
She glanced at me as she levitated her glasses over. "What, the scar?"
"Yeah," I said. "Between the court healers and the number of princesses you know, let alone the Sirens, you don't have to have something like that."
She grabbed the bedsheet in her aura and began making the bed. "It's a reminder of a lesson learned," she whispered. "I can still feel the occasional twinge in my left arm from where I broke it if the weather's going to turn. That taught me to always keep an eye on where I'm going. This will remind me to analyse more carefully and to trust my friends." She flashed me a grin as she fluffed the pillows. "And then there's this," she said, giving our bond a quick thrum.
"What's that teach you?" I said, returning the wave of love.
"That good things can come of even the worst ideas," she said, walking over and nuzzling me.
I breathed in her scent, the lavender and strawberry aroma that had been a constant in my life for the last year, nuzzling her back.
"Well," she said, sliding away while a rolled up bit of parchment appeared with a azure flash. "Time to see what's left to do!"
I laughed. "Really, Twi," I said as I wiped a tear away. "Another checklist?"
"You never know when one will be useful," she said, sliding open dresser drawers and checking off items I couldn't read from my position.
"I'll make some breakfast," I said as she went to the closet. "You knock yourself out with your double checking."
I doubt she heard me as she began to hum a song along with her work.