Twilight trotted at a quick step, not quite hurrying, but certainly with an air of trepidation as she accompanied the guard that had come calling upon her to inform her where Hesperos had gone. She trusted the giant warrior as much as anypony could, but knew precisely what he was capable of and what his feelings were regarding entities that threatened her.
She was surprised to hear Chrysalis’s buzzing voice faintly through the door as she reached for the latch. An ear pressed to the door did not help much with clarity, but she could certainly tell the queen was speaking as pompously as usual, but would pause for lengths of time as if listening for a reply before starting up anew.
Twilight’s brows knit in thought as she considered that Hesperos must be communicating with her via telepathy. A haughty laugh cut off her thoughts, then she stumbled back with a quiet yip as the door opened. Hesperos paused to look down, and she could tell despite his expressionless visage that he was bemused by her presence and looking askance of her. Beyond, Chrysalis was looking somewhat hale and lounged comfortably and arrogantly in her room.
“Ah, Twilight, dear, you never told me you kept such dangerous minions of your own. This one is positively monstrous. The stories he has to share…” she purred unnervingly. Twilight glanced between the two, receiving a guiltless shrug from the rubricae. She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before looking back to Chrysalis.
“You’re looking well. Hesperos helped you out I take it?” Twilight asked hopefully.
The queen’s gaze hardened. “Unlike you ponies, he gave me the love I deserved.” Chrysalis smirked at the shocked and slightly flustered look that comment earned. “Now now, princess, get your mind out of the gutter. Your crimson killer knows how to negotiate like a changeling. A fair bargain: he knows how to channel love in a way I’ve never seen, and for it, I have agreed to… discuss where I stand with Equestria… and I suppose with you.” She feigned a yawn. “Shall we? I don’t want to take all day.”
Hesperos had disappeared long before Twilight broke from her stupor to question him about what had transpired.
Hesperos sat in his room at his table, a thick tome quickly filling with carefully penned notes about his encounter with Queen Chrysalis. Details of anatomy, reaction, psy-resonance, and other technical, physiological, and general psychological traits were all scribed in intricate detail from his recall, blessed with ever greater clarity as his psychic self healed and grew whole from his exposure to the strange energies of Equestria.
A separate, locked journal sat nearby, recently filled with the details of his conversation and interactions with every being he had met in Equestria, now with Chrysalis and personal theories on her character, his own, and how they interplayed. Among the lines of dialogue lay the foundations of one of a number of sworn pacts.