It takes a while longer than I anticipated initially, but Chrysalis finally makes it here, though by any entrance if she started out in Wisconsin. She looks quite worn out.
“Greetings Jon. We haven’t chatted in a while. I sure hope my prediction of the level of importance for this matter is quite accurate, as it’s not even dawn yet.”
“Sorry Chrysalis. It has to do with Carina.”
Chrysalis walks to her unconscious subject and begins laying her hoof on Carina’s head. Chrysalis then returns her hoof and aggressively rubs the floor with it, likely to regenerate whatever heat was taken from her.
“What happened to her? No changeling should feel this cold.”
“We don’t know. That’s why Carve and I contacted you.”
“No matter who awoke me, they did the right thing. This is the coldest any changeling alive has ever been.”
Chrysalis kneels down next to Carina, careful of watching her step with the egg in front of the latter’s face. Immediately situated, Chrysalis hugs her, laying her right hoof across the back. Suddenly, Carina’s eyes start to glow open.
“Huh?”
“Carina...”
“Hmmm...”
“Carina... do you remember me?”
“Queen Chrysalis... W-what are we doing here?”
“Haven’t I told you... Chrysalis is just fine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Carina... don’t you remember what happened?”
“Why do you keep calling me Carina?”
“You... don’t remember?”
“Queen Chrysalis... why am I here? Did we win?”
Chrysalis lets Carina go and walks to the rest of us.
“It seems Carina’s memories have been reversed.”
“What’s going on... Queen Chrysalis...”
Chrysalis walks back to Carina and tucks her under her foreleg with another long hug.
“Shhh... Areola... the queen is with you.”
“What’s... happening?”
“Well, we may get a new addition to the hive today... Happy Hearth’s Warming.”
“...A... reward...”
Carina starts closing her eyes again, and a few seconds later... Chrysalis buries her face into Carina’s neck. Chrysalis has lost Carina mid-hug.
“...Mom...”
Aita simply sits down and looks at the floor with his ears drooped, Sophie kneeling down to hug him.
Jon slowly approaches Chrysalis and Carina.
I’m still at a loss for words... the very changeling I came to know and love the most... she’s now with Thorax...
I look at Chrysalis again, who finds the egg once more. She floats it to Aita, who looks a bit puzzled as a result.
“Chrysalis...” Jon starts.
Chrysalis sets Carina down and turns around, scowling at Jon with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Jon ...did I not tell you seven and a half years ago to take care of my Carina?”
“You did...”
“...THEN WHY WAS CARINA IN THIS STATE?!? YOU KNEW HOW TO CARE FOR HER!!! YOU PROMISED TO CARE FOR HER!!! HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN TO MY CARINA!!!”
“I’m... I’m so-”
“NO APOLOGY WILL EVER EASE THE ANGER I HAVE FOR THE SHEER INCOMPETENCE YOU HAVE DISPLAYED BY LETTING THIS HAPPEN!!! THE FACT I TRUSTED YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE DISGUSTS ME TO NO END!!!
As Chrysalis lashes, everyone, including myself, starts wiping their eyes. Chrysalis turns back to Carina and hugs her one more time. Jon sits down onto the floor.
“A-are-”
“GO... we are no longer on speaking terms...”
“...okay...”
Jon gets back up and leaves the room.
I walk over to Chrysalis and sit down silently, listening to her moan. Poor queen... I wouldn’t be surprised if she skipped the rest of Hearth’s Warming... like what happened to me with Nightmare Night when I saw Rolling Acres getting torn down. As I paw at the floor, Aita and Sophie begin walking to the waiting room.
“Chrysalis... I’m so sorry about Carina...”
Chrysalis gently sets Carina back down and looks back to me.
“...She was our friend...”
“I know... and now, yet another loss we missed the signs of.”
“...Carve?”
“Yes, Chrysalis?”
“...Can you talk to Aita for me?”
“Sure... what about?”
“Whether or not he wants to come to the hive with us.”
“Okay. I’ll ask him.”
I proceed to get up and start heading to the waiting room.
;=;
As I enter the waiting room, I find Aita and Sophie sitting next to each other, Sophie petting him.
I motion Aita to come to me, which he does.
“What’s going on, Carve?”
“Well, I think I have a basis of what Chrysalis wants to do once she and I are done here. I’ll have to ask Chrysalis, but if you still want to live with Sophie, I’m sure I can teach you a trick Carina and I have known, that way we could get in touch with each other from Equestria to Wisconsin and back.”
“Hmm... I don’t know, Carve. Chrysalis seemed pretty mad at Jon,” Sophie points out. “I don’t think she’d feel very happy about Aita staying with someone who lives next door to the person who permanently lost her trust.”
“Well, you can care for a changeling, right?”
“Sure, but I live next to Jon, who is my uncle’s friend. I’m not saying Jon’s a bad guy, because he isn’t, but I don’t think Chrysalis would want Aita living so close to him.”
“Sophie, I wouldn’t have asked Aita if he wanted to come with me and Chrysalis if she never asked me to, so at least she still trusts you to care for him.”
“Wait, she explicitly asked you offer Aita to come with you two?”
“I think I understand what Carve means. But you’re right, Sophie, that we live next to Jon. After seeing Queen Chrysalis get that angry at him, I don’t think living here would feel right.”
“You think so, Aita?”
Aita nods at Sophie.
“Yeah. But I still do want to find out what you and Mom learned to do, Carve.”
“Hmm... I think there’s one place for you in Equestria to be able to make use of learning that. It feels like just the right place.”
“What is it, Carve?”
“You know about Princess Twilight and her friends?”
“Yeah. That’s the main 6... oohhhhhhhh... you want me to live in Ponyville! That sounds perfect!!”
“Yeah. Living in the hive, you probably wouldn’t come across any scrolls unless me or any other Equestria resident visits, so you’ll live in Ponyville if I teach you what I learned to do?”
Aita nods at me.