//------------------------------//
// The Science of Redemption 
// Story: Hard Chitin and Soft Fur 
// by An Intricate Disguise 
//------------------------------//

"And you're absolutely sure you're ready, Twilight?" Princess Celestia stood over the young filly as she nodded with surefire conviction. They'd been practicing advanced spells for months, now, but Celestia still felt a tinge of nervousness when it came time for her to actually perform one. 

"Definitely ready, Celly!" Twilight took a solid stance, pushing her little hooves into the marble floor and raising her head to look straight at her mentor.

Celestia chuckled whenever she heard Twilight's endearing little nickname for her. When they first started their training, she'd had difficulty pronouncing 'Celestia', and even when she finally worked out how, the nickname stuck. Celly wouldn't have it any other way.

"Alright, go! You're to teleport from here to Manehatten and back, two solid jumps." 

"Ooh! Can I grab some ice cream while I'm there?! I've heard Manehatten has these really good geleatoes—"

A soft giggle as Celestia covered her mouth with a hoof. "You mean gelato, Twilight. And no, I think it would be a touch irresponsible for me to let you wander Manehatten alone at your age. You're to come straight back, alright?" Celestia flashed a small grin. "And then, if you behave, we'll go to Donut Joe's for a late lunch." 

Twilight looked to the floor with a pout, admonished, but her excitement to try for a new magical feat quickly trounced her disappointment. Or maybe it was the offer of doughnuts and milkshakes. Either one. "Okay, I'm doing it now!"

Celestia watched with a keen eye as Twilight gathered the energy necessary to make the leap. She still couldn't believe how much raw power had manifested itself in a filly so young, and what excellent control she had over it. The way she channeled the power through her horn, her unwavering determination even when she had to break through her own barriers, it was all an amazing sight to behold.

Just when Twilight was about to leave, she saw her hoof fumble, slipping on the marble. That wasn't good. She wasn't balanced, she could make a mistake. "Twilight, stop the spell."

Twilight opened her eyes, looking to Celestia with desperation. "I-I can't! I'm going to—"

Flash!

"Twilight!" Celestia rushed forwards to the spot where her essence had dissipated, translucent strings of purple fading where the small filly had once been. When her parents had died, they had entrusted Celestia with her well-being, and now she was missing. Celestia had managed to lose her.

She shot herself to Manehatten as fast as she could, hoping above all else that Twilight would be waiting for her where she should have been. Unfortunately, there was no purple filly to be seen. She cast a scrying spell, looking to detect any residue of Twilight's energy, but found nothing in the region. Shooting back to the castle, she attempted the same, her breath coming in shallow pants.

She'd search all over Equestria if she needed to. She had to find her Twilight. 





Twilight's eyes shot open as the world came into view once more. She was somewhere she'd never seen before, that much was clear, and it certainly wasn't Manehatten. Twilight was scared, but curious all the same. The landscape seemed barren, almost devoid of life, crags and twisted spires of rock a direct contrast to the verdant, vibrant gardens she'd spent so much time in.

She knew she should have been worried, that she was in a new place with no adults around, but she was strong, she was smart, and she'd surely be okay. A little wandering, a little studying, it couldn't hurt.

Twilight descended the side of a large embankment with a short series of hops, a grin on her muzzle and a spring in her step. She had never heard of a place like this in Equestria before, it was new and exciting, and stretched as far as the eye could see. Behind her, in the distance, there had been signs of growth and life, but before her? It was like a graveyard for the entire world.

She heard nothing, save the skittering of scarabs or the flap of the occasional crow. In the distance, there was a large, twisting spire with conjoining structures around the outside, a dark tower that held an ominous presence, one that watched over the entire landscape.

And Twilight wanted to explore it. She'd write a report on it and be recognised for her findings! The place looked abandoned, anyways, so it wouldn't be dangerous or anything. She sped to a trot, imagining what it would be like to show the rest of Equestria such a place, wishing she had a camera on her to provide visual aids. Hopefully, her in depth descriptions of the area and its geology would be enough on their own. 

Twilight heard a flutter of wings. They sounded like that of a fly or locust, but much larger, and the thought of such a creature managed to perturb her, piercing her confidence. Her ears twitched as she listened out for it again, but she heard nothing else of note.

Bolstering her smile, dismissing it as her imagination, she continued on a few steps...

...only to have her view snuffed out as a bag was placed over her head. 





"My queen, we've apprehended an intruder!"

Chrysalis smiled a wide, serrated smile, eyes glinting with intrigue. "Oh, is that so? I trust you've brought them straight to me?"

The guard gulped and nodded, flashing a look behind him. "Bring her in!"

Two more changelings marched into the room, holding between them a small sack that they roughly emptied onto the floor, revealing a purple pony filly with a short scrape on her cheek. 

Chrysalis arched an eyebrow, looking down at her. "Rather small for an intruder, are you not?"

Twilight's cheeks turned a shade of crimson as she vehemently shook her head. "I... I wasn't intruding! I just got lost here, and I'm not small! I'm just not very old yet..." All of a sudden, she seemed to remember her place. "I'm sorry for being here, I didn't mean to!"

Pony love always did make the most delightful snack, but there was still something plaguing Chrysalis' mind. "Shh, shh, filly. No one is angry at you here, we're just a tad... shall we say, confused?"

As if by instinct, Twilight perked up with a smile. "Me too! I've never seen creatures like you, are you like bugs, or are you like ponies? Oh wow, you have horns, too, can you do magic?! Are those holes in your legs? I have so many questions, and—"

Well, that was disarming. Especially the fact she was prancing around in place now, staring queerly at the guards and then to Chrysalis. She'd grow tired of this and feed on her soon. "My questions first, filly. How is it that you've arrived in my land? There aren't any villages for miles, and you appear to have no one with you." 

"I teleported here! It was an accident, but I came from Canterlot, and—"

"Canterlot?!" Chrysalis' eyes widened, her mouth agape. "Who sent you here? It must have been a powerful mage... We're hundreds of miles from Canterlot!"

Twilight shot her a petulant stare. "I did it all on my own! Just because I'm small doesn't mean I don't know how to do magic!"

"...you mean to tell me that you shot yourself all the way from Canterlot to the changeling territories in a single leap, with no assistance?" 

"Yup!" Twilight nodded, clearly proud of herself. 

Chrysalis leaned forwards in her throne, surveying the curious child. "You're quite the anomaly, young one. You have no one else with you, I trust?"

Twilight shook her head, and Chrysalis only grinned wider. Such a powerful filly, her magic, her love, it was so ripe that she could almost taste it just standing across the room from her. Her guards clearly had the same impression, but they faltered under her gaze. This one was all hers. With a flash of magic, she shot across the room and approached Twilight, casting a spell to drain her of any power she might have had.

After a few seconds, she felt something horribly soft and plush rubbing against her foreleg. "Ooh! It's hard, and smooth! Is your body like armour, or something?"

The filly wasn't being drained. Her spell—albeit a weak one—was having barely any affect on her. She looked to see if Twilight was beginning to feel faint, but instead, she was—was she taking notes? "What is your name, strange filly?"

"My name is Twilight Sparkle and I'm a magic student!" she announced with a flick of her mane and a great big smile. "And I really, really wanna write a report on this place! Will you help me do that?"

She was so sickeningly adorable, the way her tail swung, the patter of her tiny hooves, her oblivious nature even in the face of such great danger... "You must have a very good teacher, if you're able to teleport so far at such a young age."

"Of course! Celly is my teacher!"

Celly? Chrysalis hadn't heard of this venerable Celly, but if they were capable of producing a magician like Twilight, they must have been quite the accomplished mage. Still, it was of no real consequence. Chrysalis prepared a more powerful spell, one that would undoubtedly overwhelm any defences this filly may have had. It almost seemed sad to drain something so pure.

"Oh, I mean Princess Celestia. Sorry, I forgot no one knows what I mean when I say Celly."

Chrysalis' spell snagged, her entire body froze. She was still for a few moments, attempting to comprehend the bombshell that had just been dropped on her. "You mean to tell me that you are the princess' personal pupil?"

"Star pupil!" Twilight chirped with closed eyes and a grin. 

"Guards, leave us. And not a hair on this filly's head is to be touched, or the ramifications will be dire." Her subjects left immediately, masking any emotions they may have felt. Twilight continued to look around the throne room with a peering eye as Chrysalis realised how powerful of a position she found herself in.

This filly was clearly important to Celestia... "Does anypony know you're here?"

Twilight bit her lip for a second, then shook her head. "I wasn't meant to teleport here, Celestia is probably wondering where I got off to."

Even better. The question was, what to do with this pony? Draining her would certainly be a significant boost in power, but there were other options. She could hold her ransom and use her as an effective bargaining chip, she was sure that Celestia must have cared for this Twilight... 

But what about the bigger picture? Why was she so important? If a filly like that was so powerful at such a young age, so important that Celestia devoted her time to teaching her, how powerful could she become? More powerful than her, or even Celestia herself? Chrysalis felt her eyes returning to the child as she tapped on a wall, listening for a hollow sound, muzzle scrunched up in concentration. If she were to take over her training, take her in as one of her own, could such a weapon be used against Celestia when the time came? 

"Twilight, how would you like to stay here for a while? I'll help you write your report, and I might even be able to teach you a few things while you spend time with us."

Twilight spun around with gusto, but her eyes travelled to the ceiling as she began to mull the offer over. "But what about Celly? She'll wonder where I got off to, and that could end up worrying her. I don't wanna worry Celly."

Chrysalis walked over to her, softly ruffling her mane. "Don't you worry about Celly, I'll be sure to let her know that you're staying here for the time being. So how about it, Twilight?"

"In that case..." Twilight hummed for a second, putting on a show of deciding, but her tail was already twirling. "Yes!" she announced, leaping around Chrysalis in little hops that were so horribly heartwarming that Chrysalis was sure she felt a small flutter of affection. "Oh, this is gonna be great! You can tell me all about your race, and I can practice magic with you! Thank you so much!"

What was this... there was a contact against her chest, it felt fluffy and perfect and like nothing she had ever experienced before. She could feel the love drifting off of Twilight, flowing directly towards her... but she wasn't taking it? No, Twilight was giving it to her of her own accord, an embrace of gratitude and happiness, tight and so very warm. 

Chrysalis raised a hoof to pat the smaller pony on the back, she could barely contain herself. It was the most affection she'd ever imparted on another being, but she'd also never been cuddled by another, not in her own body, not without pretending to be another. Each touch awakened something deep within her, it made her feel as if she should have felt this wondrous sensation before, and it was a crime that she'd yet to. 

But whose fault was it really? Those who wouldn't share their love, or hers for attempting to steal it? 

She was broken from her conflicted thoughts by a hiccup from below, one she felt reverberate against her chest like the beating of another heart. "So, what do I call you?"

"Queen Chrysalis is my title."

"Oh, okay!" Twilight pulled back, looking up at her. "Queen Chri-Chrysa-Chryssi—"

No one had ever called her anything but her official title before. She would make an exception for this filly. "Chryssi will do just fine."

"You've got it, Queen Chryssi!"

Twilight smiled that infectious smile again, and was she... was she smiling back? 

Chrysalis had truly never encountered such a bewildering creature before, and even beyond the lust for power and strength, she was truly glad that she had.