//------------------------------// // Sudden Awakening // Story: The Heart of The Queen // by Pumpernickel Rye //------------------------------// Sudden Awakening Aria had not had this much fun in a long time. Causing havoc all over Equestria in a single night had to be one of the best ideas Adagio ever came up with. While Luna and Chrysalis were fetching Sonata from her dream, Adagio had a great idea of what to do when she discovered they could enter another dream. It was a miracle Sonata ended up begging for and getting them the magic needed to cross dreams, so perhaps she wasn’t entirely worthless. With their diversion set up in the other dreams, they were free to move to their real targets, who weren’t hard to find. When she entered the orb, she was in the outskirts of some grassy town, where there was quite a bit of nature around her. It was a nice break from Canterlot and part of her wanted to look around at the pleasant scenery, but what wasn’t nice was who she saw. Outside of a little house across a stream were Fluttershy and Pinkie talking with two little foals. “Look, Mom!” said the colt as he held up a picture book up to the pegasus. “It says the annual butterfly migration is going to happen next week!” “Can we watch it?” asked the filly. “Pretty please?” Fluttershy bent down and picked up both children. “Of course we can! It will be a fun little family picnic for the four of us!” “Family picnic? Four of us?” Aria looked at both of the older ponies before looking down at the children. The filly was a pink earth pony with a yellow mane with the colt was an orange pegasus with a blue mane. After studying them, Aria realized that Pinkie and Fluttershy were in fact an item, or at least one of them was dreaming they were. Seeing such a sugary scene of them all hugging turned her stomach. When Fluttershy parted from her family to return to the cottage, Aria floated beside her, invisible to the dreamer. “Cute kids.” “Oh, they are! They are so excited from wanting to see the butterflies! Aren’t they just the sweetest little ponies?” “Yes, they are sweet.” Aria grinned and leaned into her ear. “Better savor the moment before they grow up. Everyone knows the sweetest kids grow up to be rebellious teenagers.” Fluttershy froze and her pupils shrank. “R-r-r-rebellious teenagers?” Turning around, she watched as her children magically transformed before their eyes. Now they were larger, wearing leather jackets, spiked bracelets, mascara over theirs eyes, and looks of disinterest on their faces. The filly had her mane buzzed off while the colt sported a large mohawk. In Aria’s opinion, this was a drastic improvement. “So what should we pack?” asked dream Pinkie, seemingly oblivious to the sudden transformation of her offspring. “Cakes? Pie? Ask Tree Hugger for her fudge brownies?” “On second thought,” spoke their daughter in a much more aggressive voice, “we’re not gonna waste our time with dumb bugs. Got this rave going on tonight where all the hot guys are.” “We’ll be back tonight. Or tomorrow. Whatever.” Fluttershy’s mouth gaped in horror while her wife didn’t seem to notice. “Darn! Okie-dokie, then! Have fun at your party!” “Later, hippies.” Too much for her fragile heart to bear, Fluttershy fell onto her knees and wept. Satisfied, Aria opened a portal in the dream and made her exit, wishing she could get a taste of her misery. Not long after, Luna appeared in the dream and knelt down by the pegasus. “Fluttershy! Whatever is the matter?” Fluttershy lifted her head and pointed toward the two ponies. “M-m-m-my children grew up to be...to be...rebellious teenagers! I have completely failed being a good mother!” After looking at the two rather unfriendly looking ponies nearby, the princess knelt beside her subject. “Nonsense. Fluttershy, you and Pinkie are some of the most kind hearted ponies in Equestria. And do not forget that you and Pinkie both have turned villains toward the light, so do you really believe that your children would grow up to be something like this? I have no doubt that they will be sweet and kind like the ponies who raised them.” The two children suddenly poofed back to their normal selves and came running over to Fluttershy. “Mommy!” cried the filly. “Please don’t cry! We didn’t mean it!” “We love you more than anything in the world! We want to see the butterflies because we know how much it means to you!” Fluttershy gasped as her two children hugged her tightly and she held them against her. “Oh thank you, Princess Luna.” Pinkie soon came over to join in and Luna felt her task was completed. She then hurried out of the dream in hopes of catching the sirens before things got much worse. Sonata entered what looked like a fancy party in Canterlot palace with so many ponies and changelings dressed in expensive clothing, all drinking wine and talking amongst themselves. Her first destination was the buffet table, despite the fact she could conjure any food at will, and was disappointed to see nothing good like chips and soda. She just wanted to find the dreamer so she could mess things up, but who was it in this huge crowd? A sudden sound of something tapping against a wine glass brought the room to silence as all turned to Celestia. “Fillies and gentlecolts, thank you again for attending this evening gathering. May I present our gracious host and outfit designer, Rarity.” Everyone applauded as Rarity stepped into view, wearing a fabulous black dress coated in diamonds. “Thank you, Princess. I am honored to be named the greatest fashion designer in all of Equestria.” Rarity motioned her hoof across the audience. “I think you all agree given you each are wearing something made with my own special touch.” The crowd cheered in agreement and Rarity descended the stairs to greet all her admirers. Sonata inspected the ponies near her to look at their clothes, finding them to be boring and anything but fun. Dull suits and stupid dresses that only existed for dumb, boring parties that only dumb rich people enjoyed. They didn’t have a DJ or anything exciting, so who cared about this party? Even worse, that pony Rarity had the nerve to think she had the best fashion sense of all time, even better than Adagio or even Sonata. It was a crime beyond comprehension, which was serious because Sonata didn’t even know what that word meant. She thought about whispering in the unicorn’s ear that she was ugly or that her clothes stunk, but she needed to go big. But how? Realizing her control over the realm, Sonata summoned multiple duplicates of herself and dressed them all in lab coats and glasses. They all got to work at various stations, some writing down on chalkboards, others typing on a computer, and the rest messing with chemical beakers. Several minutes of hard work and some explosions later, the computer printed out a piece of paper and all the Sonatas gathered around it, cheering. All the Sonatas combined into the real one as the took the paper and transformed it into a scroll. Rolling it up, she turned visible and took on her pony form before running up to Rarity. “Excuse me, but you have an urgent message from Duke Bradley ‘Studmuffin’ Hunkington the Third Esquire, the most handsome pony ever!” Excited murmurs arose as Rarity fanned herself. “Oh my! Well go on! Read it!” Sonata unrolled the scroll and it fell to the floor, rolling nonstop out the exit and into the infinite beyond. “Could I get a drumroll, please?” One began as the room went dark save for the single spotlight hanging over her head. Summoning a pair of glasses, she put them on and cleared her throat. Sonata paused for a moment before she finally read it for all to hear. “You’re fat.” The unicorn gasped as her glass fell and shattered on the floor, staining it with wine. “F-fat!?” Before Sonata’s eyes, Rarity’s body began to grow heavier at an alarming rate as it tore through her dress. It wasn’t long before she was pile of lard, stuck on top of her belly and flailing her stubby legs. “Don’t look at me! DON’T LOOK AT ME!” “See ya later, Blubberty!” Sonata ran out of the dream, laughing wildly until she was gone. Chrysalis blew the doors down and immediately caught sight of the damage done. She ran up to Rarity, who had her face stuffed into a tub of ice cream, and smacked it out of her grasp. “Rarity, stop it! You’re not fat or a slob! You are one of the most disciplined ponies I have ever met. You are the epitome of beauty and do not listen to anypony who says otherwise.” In a poof of smoke, Rarity returned to her normal body mass. “Oh my!” Rarity quickly looked over herself. “I have no dress for my own party!” “Nothing wrong with going all natural,” said Chrysalis. “You have a nice figure to show off, after all.” The unicorn blushed while Chrysalis decided to leave, hoping for the chance she could wrap her hooves around their dazzling throats. “Noooooooooo!” Tirek fell to his knees, clutching his chest. “I have been defeated! How? How!?” He reached toward the heavens as his body became encased in stone, making him a decoration in his dark, gloomy throne room. “At last, Equestria is free!” The dragon knight Spike the Brave, Glorious, Fearless, Passionate, Powerful, Diligent, Enchanting, Mysterious, and Vigorous sheathed his blade. “And soon, Rarity will be too!” “You did it!” cheered his squire Thorax. “Princess Celestia is going to reward you big time for saving us from King Tirek!” “You go deliver the news of my victory! Lady Rarity is still waiting for her hero!” Thorax ran out of the lair as Spike charged past Tirek to the double doors behind him. “And her long awaited kiss,” he said to himself. Pushing them open, he was in dimly lit room with large pink curtains before him. “Lady Rarity, I, Spike the Brave, Glorious, Fearless, Passionate, Powerful, and...uh...other stuff have come to your rescue!” He pulled apart the curtains, but no amount of courage could prepare him for the doom to come. “OH MY GOSH! YOU LOOK ADORABLE!” Sonata scooped the tiny knight and nuzzled against him as he desperately reached for his sword. “I just wanna hug you forever! I always wanted a little brother! Or do I want a puppy? I know! You will be a puppy who turned into my little brother!” “Unhoof me, fiend!” Spike cried, sounding nowhere as brave from just a minute ago. “I must go save Rarity!” “Pfft. Rarity is old news! I’m way better than her in every way! Like does she ever do this?” Sonata assaulted Spike with a barrage of smooches and his struggling amplified tenfold. “You should come see me in Canterlot so we can hang out! We can have so much fun! You’re so much cooler than dumb Aria!” As she continued disrespecting Spike’s personal space, a tear in the dream appeared and Adagio popped in. “Sonata!” She looked up from her victim and waved. “Hi, Dagi! Isn’t Spike just the cutest!? We should adopt him once we take over! I promise to take him on walks!” “Stop messing around! I’ve got something you’re going to like far more than that dumb dragon.” “Okay!” Sonata set Spike on the floor, who was dazed. “Bye, Spikey! Be sure to write to me!” She jumped through the rift with Adagio and it closed behind them. Chrysalis ripped the curtains down and found the poor knight still in shock. She seethed hatefully for just missing Sonata and Adagio, but she had to check on Spike before continuing her hunt. “Spike? Are you okay?” He was unresponsive, so she gave him a hard pat on the back. “Spike!” He shook his head and looked all around before noticing her. “Sorceress Chrysalis! I was just assaulted by one of Tirek’s minions and Lady Rarity is nowhere to be found! You must assist me!” “Calm down. Sonata’s…” Chrysalis rubbed her chin. “Sorceress Chrysalis. That has a nice ring to it. Anyway, don’t worry about the sirens. They won’t bother you anymore. As for Rarity, my sorceress perception tells me she’s behind that secret door over there.” Another door popped into existence and Spike wasted no time to charge through while Chrysalis wasted no time to resume the chase. Upon exiting the dream, Aria clutched her stomach. Although the dream realm was only in the mind, she felt physically ill. Unable to hold back, she barfed up rainbow puke onto the invisible floor. Just as she thought it was over, little smiling heads appeared from the puddle. “Play with us!” “Let’s party!” “Parties forever!” As she slowly backed away with horror and disgust in her eyes, Adagio reached out from another orb and pulled Aria in. Just then, Luna and Chrysalis each exited from a dream. “Adagio just gave Rainbow Dash a fear of flying,” Chrysalis snarled. “Had the poor girl quivering like a foal.” Luna noticed the living rainbow puddle, causing both of them great discomfort, and zapped it into oblivion. “And she just made Applejack think her friends see her as a simpleton. She was very self conscious about the whole ordeal.” She grabbed a dream orb below them and held it in place. “I sense all three of them in here. This is our chance.” “Finally. Let’s finish this.” Chrysalis reached for the orb, but a barrier blocked her. “Luna, what are you doing?” “Me? What are you doing?” the princess snapped. “Planning on barging in there and beating some sense into their heads? Maybe traumatize them with threats of violence?” “As a matter of fact, yes!” Chrysalis lowered her head to Luna’s level. “How about you? Planning to ask nicely for them to stop tormenting people? Maybe offer cookies? Because we both know that’s been going so well!” Luna pushed her head forward and their horns clashed. “And how does pushing them around relate to friendship!?” “It’s better than letting those three walk all over you! You know what they are capable of, so let’s stop playing nice and make them realize who’s in charge!” Chrysalis slowed pushed forward against immense resistance as Luna’s hooves dragged against the floor. “Show some backbone! Put them in their place! These girls respond to nothing but punishment! Why are you letting them take advantage of you!? You are better than that, Luna!” “Chrysalis, I thought you of all people would understand what I’m trying to do!” “How would I!?” “Because being a kind friend no matter what was how Pinkie and I changed you!” It felt as if an icicle had stabbed right through Chrysalis’s heart. Chrysalis slowly raised her head and stepped back from Luna. She could see that Luna was not angry with her, but disappointed. “Why else would I be so passive toward them? Remember what you were like, even as Cherub? Even with your attitude, even when you avoided me, I never gave up on you! Would it have been better if I made threats against you to force you to change and treated you like the dirt under my hooves? Should I have tried your methods when I had you trapped alone in the mines?” As hard as she tried, Chrysalis couldn’t form a single word. “Well?” “N...no.” The changeling hung her head. “I’m sorry, Luna.” Chrysalis felt the urge to puke, but her body was too locked up to do anything but stand there. Her gaze held on the dreams falling beneath her and she counted the seconds of silence. It was inevitable that Luna would say more and part of her wish this silence could last forever so that she would not have to withstand whatever else the alicorn had in store. Sighing, Luna kissed her on the forehead. “It’s okay. I’m used to you being a hothead.” She turned toward the dream orb, watching the Dazzlings terrorize Twilight. “However, that does not mean you were entirely wrong. My methods were too easy going. I should have known by now that was not the correct choice.” Luna smacked herself on the head. “Celestia is kindest, most loving pony ever born and she couldn’t make a breakthrough, so what was I thinking trying the same?” She glanced back at Chrysalis. “It was more than kindness that changed you, wasn’t it?” “I had to face what I had done,” Chrysalis answered as she steadily walked over to Luna’s side. “Pinkie had to put some sense in my head for me to really open my eyes. I was knocked off my pedestal and I fell for a long time before crashing into the ground. You and Pinkie were there to help me get back up.” “Perhaps we should do what we were supposed to do and work on this problem together. I want to show them kindness, but now punishment is in order for what they have done.” She took Chrysalis’s hoof and looked into her eyes. “Let’s be a team this time and think of what to do with them.” Chrysalis couldn’t bare to look her in the eyes, but she knew Luna was expecting a response. Gulping, she looked at the alicorn’s warm smile staring back at her. “Okay. We will do this together.” In the midst of a raging storm out in the merciless sea, the Dazzlings circled around the sinking boat as Twilight climbed higher and higher up the crow’s nest. Without her wings or horns, she had nowhere to run and Adagio was going to enjoy this. This would serve as a taste of what would come to Twilight when she finally had her chance. Not much of the ship remained as Twilight clung on, shivering as she kept watching her tormentors move closer. Right before Adagio could reach her prey, a massive lightning bolt brightened the sky followed by a crack of thunder. “DAZZLINGS!” All of them looked up to see Princess Luna flying high above with her eyes growing intensely. “YOUR MEDDLING ENDS NOW!” Before the sirens could react, they were suddenly pulled under the water and out the other side in a dark abyss. All they could do was scream as they fell into what seemed like nothing. Shortly after, they each slammed onto the ground of the abyss. Adagio got up, looked around, and slammed her tail against the ground. “No! We were so close!” She held out her hoof in attempt to create an exit, but nothing happened. “That accursed princess robbed us of her magic!” “I knew this was a dumb idea,” Aria said as she picked herself up. “Why do I always end up listening to you?” “Shut up!” The two swam up to each up and butted heads. “You act like I tricked you into doing this, but we both know you wanted to do this so badly! It didn’t take much convincing to get you to come along, now did it?” “We could have at least just gotten Twilight, but nooooo! You wanted to ‘savor the moment’! Why bother waiting when she’s right there!?” “Girls, stop fighting!” Sonata attempted to push them apart, but they were far too strong for her. “Come on! Break it up!” “Sonata, just shut up for once in your life!” Aria roared. “No one cares about what you have to say!” Scowling, Sonata countered with, “At least I’m smart enough not to tick off Princess Luna!” “Excuse me!?” Adagio pulled Sonata by the tail. “Do you actually have the nerve to blame me for this!?” Sonata slapped Adagio’s hoof with her tail, causing the other siren to gasp. “Yeah! It’s all your fault, Adagio!” The Dazzlings went at each other without restraint, deflecting blame onto each other for their current situation or for being banished in the first place. Eventually, a noise arose which ended their arguing. Over there heads was a giant screen with a film projector playing something. Adagio immediately knew this was the work of Luna, but she dreaded to think of what she was playing at. When the image appeared, all Adagio wanted to do was disappear. Through her own eyes, she watched herself along with Aria and Sonata run back to their old house. Adagio quickly retrieved the key from her pocket and unlocked the door, allowing them all inside to finally catch their breath. All of them heavily panted in the dark foyer, where they keep their three seater couch, the recliner, the glass table, and the flat screen TV they stole with the little magic they had. She could barely make out the kitchen in the back because of how dark it was. She knew what was going to happen: She would argue with Aria while Sonata cried and then go to her room to have a complete meltdown. In the film, Adagio reached into her pocket to hold the shards of her pendant in her hand. “This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.” Sonata and Aria each did the same. “They...beat us.” Sonata sniffled and sat on the couch, never taking her eyes of her shards. “What’s going to happen?” “Nothing. Nothing is going to happen because it’s over.” Aria brushed herself of the pieces of food still clinging to her outfit, letting the juices and chunks hit the carpet. “Well Adagio, it looks like you never lived up to your title.” “Do you think I in the mood, Aria!?” “It’s the perfect time.” She flicked a bit of tomato onto Adagio’s dress. “What was it you promised me? Wealth? Fame? Happiness? Well I’m here to collect. Where’s everything I want?” “Shut up. I don’t-” “You don’t deliver? You don’t make worthwhile plans? Sounds about right.” “Girls,” Sonata sobbed, “please don’t.” “We should have done something worse to those girls! Break their legs! Have them bash each others heads in! Something more than locking them in a room! And because of that, they didn’t just beat us! They destroyed us!” “Aria, stop talking right now or else-” “Or else what, Adagio?” She shoved her leader back, which caused Sonata to gasp and get on her feet. “What are you going to do?” She gave Adagio another shove. “Guess you’re worthless just like me without your precious voice, right!?” Adagio had gone through this whole ordeal once, but it was not any easier the second time. She looked to her two companions as they watched the screen, Sonata looking shaken while Aria seemed to be regretful, often looking away as her past self acted without relent. Adagio slowly turned back to the screen and waited for herself to storm upstairs before flying off the handle. In the film, Adagio clocked Aria right across the mouth. “H-hey wait!” shouted the real Aria. “That didn’t happen!” Adagio cringed from the sickening sound of her fist striking against the other girl’s jaw. The memory of Aria staggered back, holding her mouth as a slither of blood fell. Adagio wiped off her knuckle and looked to Sonata, who was completely mortified. Suddenly, Aria charged Adagio and wrapped her hands around her throat. Sonata screamed as Aria kept slamming her former leader against the wall before throwing her on the floor. The angry siren sat over Adagio as she choked the life out of her and steadily, her irises glowed red as her eyes became hateful yet lifeless. The real Adagio wanted this to end. She couldn’t understand what was happening, but she didn’t care. She had to get out of this dream, but there was nothing but darkness all around her. Aria, as fearless as Adagio knew her to be, was unable to control her breathing while Sonata had covered her ears and only watched with one eye. In this strange alternative memory, Adagio’s vision began to blur. Behind Aria, Sonata appeared with her face coated with tears as she raised her hand up. “LET HER GO!” At that moment, Adagio realized Sonata was holding a kitchen knife and brought it down. The real Adagio covered her eyes. But there was nothing but silence. She slowly opened her eyes to see that the movie had stopped playing, leaving an image of Aria choking the other Adagio while Sonata was bringing down her wrath, each girl carrying a dreadful glow in their eyes. The color had faded from the image save for anything red, which were the dreadful glow of their eyes and the blood falling from Aria’s mouth. Adagio hurried over to Sonata to embrace the quivering mess she had become. As for Aria, she looked ready to have the same reaction but tried very hard not to show it. It wasn’t long until something else arose from the darkness. “Girls?” Adagio gulped. “What’s that noise?” “I-I don’t know.” Sonata and Adagio held each other as the noise steadily became louder. “It’s creeping me out!” Right as the noise became loud enough for them to hear clearly, a spotlight turned on above them. None of them were sure of what to make of the situation and their confusion was only made worse when the other lights came on. All around them was an audience consisting of ponies, changelings, and even sirens sitting in seats of a theater. As more lights came on, they saw audience members above them as far as the eye could see. Each of them wore a mask resembling the face for comedy commonly shown in theaters, which was appropriate for what they were doing. They were laughing. At this point, their laughter directed at the sirens was deafening. While Sonata and Aria were terrified, Adagio grew furious. “Stop laughing!” Her words had no effect on the crowd. “STOP LAUGHING AT US!” Her rage became more intense as the mockery continued. “Luna! Luna, come out and face me!” The next thing they knew, a trap door opened beneath them and they fell once more. Each of them screamed as they once more entered the unknown depths of the dream. At last, they landed on the floor, somehow existing in the dark void. Dazed, Adagio got up, but found Luna and Chrysalis, the same size as them if not larger, standing before them and they did not look happy. However, Luna wore a black cloak around her body and a hood over her head with only her mane and glowing eyes visible. “We tried being merciful,” the princess spoke harshly. “We tried to be reasonable, but it seems you girls don’t want that. No. All you desire is disharmony and misery. After all I and my sister have tried, it’s clearly not enough.” Her wings extended and she towered over the sirens, eyes shining bright enough to hurt looking at. “AND WORST OF ALL, YOU HAVE DEFILED MY SACRED REALM. DAZZLINGS, YOUR PUNISHMENT SHALL BE MOST SEVERE!” “W-w-w-wait a minute!” Adagio began backing away and the other sirens did the same. “I-i-i-it was just some harmless fun! No big deal!” “Fun?” Chrysalis slowly approached them, grinning widely. “Oh, you want fun? I have a great idea for something fun!” The ground quaked and a loud noise erupted from behind the sirens. The floor tore open and unleashed an eruption of green fire. Sonata shrieked at the sight of it and clung to Adagio. “What’s happening!?” “Judgment.” Luna’s horn glowed and several shackles flew out from the infernal pit, locking themselves over the legs of each siren and suddenly they found themselves forced on the ground. Slowly, the chains began pulling them into the pit and they screamed. “What you are doing!?” Adagio cried. “This is crazy!” “Don’t believe it!” shouted Aria, struggling to move forward. “We’re still in the dream world! They can’t hurt us and we’ll just wake up!” Luna lowered her head to look Aria right in the eyes. “True, I cannot harm you physically here. However, I don’t think I need to tell you what effects nightmares can have mentally. Behind you is a pit that will trap you in the worst nightmares your minds can create.” “Nightmares!?” Sonata pulled against her bindings, but it was useless. “Please! Anything but nightmares!” “Oh, so we shouldn’t give you nightmares, but it’s okay for you to do so for many ponies and changelings?” questioned Chrysalis while Sonata sobbed. “We’re sorry!” Adagio struggled against her shackles. “Please! We’ll do the friendship lesson! Just let us go!” Chrysalis stared at her, loudly snarling as she stepped closed and pressed a hoof on top of her head. “Do you know what’s something I really hate? People who say sorry not because they feel guilt, but to get themselves out of trouble. Besides, suppose the horseshoe was on the other hoof, where Luna and I were begging you for mercy. What would you do?” Adagio looked away. She knew Chrysalis could read her like a book and it frightened her, but nowhere as much as whatever awaited down below. Looking up, she gulped. “Uh...show a little mercy?” “Goodbye.” Chrysalis turned away and the chains suddenly pulled them back, slowly dragging them toward the pit. They flailed wildly and continued screaming, which was music to the changeling’s ears. “This is insane!” Aria looked back, eyes growing as her doom came closer. “You can’t do this! You’re supposed to be about friendship and all that junk!” “Oh? Friendship?” Luna scoffed. “Is that what you want? After my sister tried teaching you three for weeks now? I’m afraid that offer has expired.” Adagio dared herself to turn around, finding the pit coming ever closer. “What do you want!? We’ll do anything!” “All we wanted was for you sirens to give friendship a chance.” Chrysalis sighed. “To abandon your foolish ways. I guess we were hoping for too much. Unless...” The way she trailed off left all of them desperate to hear the rest. “Unless you can explain to me why you three, after everything Celestia and Nymph have done for you, want to make their lives so miserable. And it better be a good answer.” Adagio tried to think of something to say, something to save them, but not only did Sonata’s crying made it hard to think, but the ticking clock made it impossible to be calm. “What did you expect!?” Aria snapped, trying to pick herself up to no avail. “I thought at least you being a changeling would make you understand what it’s like, especially after your invasion!” Immediately, the shackles halted. Adagio quickly turned around, find the tip of her tail near the edge. Looking back ahead, she watched Chrysalis walk up to Aria. “Explain.” “Since you’re a changeling, you had to trick ponies to loving you to eat, right? Like that was the normal thing you did back then?” “Right.” “Well it’s the same for sirens! Ponies are our prey to feed off of to empower our voices. And before you say any more of that friendship trash, remember that you were just like us once! You wanted to rule them rather than be friends! So what if we’re not willing to be friends with Celestia or Nymph or whatever? Why the heck do you think we want to be friends with our enemies!? Celestia was friends with Starswirl and Nymph is her friend! Do you have any idea how low I feel working for friends of the pony who banished us!?” Aria managed to pick herself up to get into Chrysalis’s face. “What about you? How badly did you want to be their friend once you got kicked out of your own kingdom and left to fend for yourself? I bet you and Twilight were real pals after that wedding! Go on! Tell me how much you loved that pest right after she ruined your life!” After some silence save for Aria’s panting, the shackles magically vanished and the Dazzlings hurried away from the pit. “I see.” Chrysalis walked back over to Luna’s side. “Aria, I understand how you feel. I once found myself at such a low point as well. I don’t know much about sirens, but is it really difficult for you to see ponies as something other than a source of power?” “I don’t know,” Adagio sneered. “How long did it take you? Besides, you may have me on a leash, but I will never give Twilight Sparkle the satisfaction of being responsible for my happiness.” “So it’s about pride. Not that I blame you. I guess Luna had the right idea.” Cracks of light appeared over the blackened void and Chrysalis looked up. “What timing. She’s already back.” The Dazzlings watched in confusion as their prison broke apart, letting in the moonlight as a figure flew down. The area the crumbled around them, revealing the moonlit meadow they had escaped from. To their surprise, the figure was Princess Luna. “Forgive my lateness. You three did quite a bit of damage to so many dreams.” The alicorn looked at the fiery pit and then to the cloaked Luna standing beside Chrysalis. “My, my. I’m surprised at your creativity, Chrysalis. Simple in design, but highly effective.” Sonata’s head bounced between the two alicorns. “Why are there two of you?” Luna magically removed the other Luna and the pit. “I was busy undoing the nightmares you sirens unleashed. The mind is delicate and I had to ensure I fixed every little thing before dealing with you. After I played that little film for you all, I left Chrysalis in charge of your punishment, although I hope she wasn’t too harsh.” “She was trying to drag us into a pit where our minds would lead us to our worst possible nightmares!” screeched Adagio, pointing a hoof at Chrysalis. “I have never been so scared in my life!” “Not to worry. We may be in her dream, but she cannot enter you minds.” “Wait, you mean that whole thing was just a hoax?” Aria growled at Chrysalis. “You tricked us!” “Oh, I assure you I didn’t. Maybe I don’t know what you truly fear, but how would you girls like a dream with thousands of tiny insects crawling all over you?” The sirens immediately backed away. “As I thought.” “Sorry to resort to such extreme measures,” said Luna, “but you have all crossed the line tonight. I hope we were able to teach you something out of this whole mess.” “More like traumatize us!” countered Aria. “How about that movie you showed us? What the heck was that all about!?” Luna took a deep breath before answering. “I’m afraid that was no mere fabrication of my power. As you already know, I can peer into your memories. Not only can I see what had happened because I can see into your thoughts at that moment. You and Adagio harbored powerful rage at that moment and were at the verge of letting it all out. To unbottle what the two of you had been holding within for some years. What I showed you was a possible outcome from that instant.” “You mean…” Sonata gulped, “that could have actually happened?” “Yes. It is fortunate none of it did.” Luna once more summoned the film screen and showed two images, one being their fight in Canterlot palace and the other being the final shot of the twisted memory. “We’re not trying to teach you friendship simply to make you nicer. You each walk a dangerous path that can fork into one of many miserable outcomes.” “What the heck does that have to do with those weird people in the audience?” asked Aria. “What?” questioned Chrysalis with a bit of a smirk. “Is that not what you sirens do? Sit back and laugh as you unleash misery onto others? Doesn’t it make you smile to make others fight with one another? We just thought you each needed a taste of what it’s like to be on the receiving end.” “Before you dare brush off anything Celestia teaches you, consider where you are now from the path you have walked. Your awful relationship with one another prevents you from reaching out to one another and instead bottle those twisted feelings until they are too much.” The images swirled around and merged together, forming one of Luna herself. “When that happens, the consequences will be dire.” The image of Luna began morphing and changing in color, transforming in a much larger black alicorn with glowing eyes that had slit pupils. Adagio assumed this was Nightmare Moon that she had heard about quite often from Celestia. The mere image of her sent shivers down her spine as she couldn’t fathom what sort of nightmares Luna could conjure if she was actually evil. When she looked back, Adagio noticed something off. Everything around her was steadily becoming a blur and the scenery in the distance seemed to be shrinking. “Morning approaches, so our lesson is concluded. What you do next is your own decision, but I pray you will carefully consider what path you follow. Farewell, sirens.” Before any of them could reply, the world around them disappeared and they found themselves back in Canterlot. Adagio felt exhausted as she sat up from her bed and looked at both of her roommates. None of them said a single word as Aria slowly crawled out of bed and left the room, never once looking at either of them. When they found the energy to do so, Adagio and Sonata got up and followed, hoping to find emotional comfort in a stack of pancakes. The following night, Chrysalis and Celestia appeared in the alicorn’s bedroom. “You must have been very busy to drop by this late,” spoke Celestia before making herself comfortable on her bed on the floor. Why Celestia chose to have this as her bed was something Chrysalis doubted she would ever understand. “Our sisters will be happy to see you.” “I’m mostly here for Luna, but I’ll be sure to drop by Nymph’s room first.” Chrysalis headed for the door, but then turned back. “So what of the Dazzlings? Have they been much trouble today?” “No, they have been very cooperative, even if they did seem a bit uncomfortable. I don’t know how, but you and Luna really made a breakthrough with them. I’m going to write to Twilight and I think she will be very happy with the news.” “Just hope they stay that way. Have a good night, Celestia.” Before she reached the doorknob, the door opened before her as two familiar faces appeared. What took Chrysalis by surprise was the two of them being together “Oh. Good evening, Thorax and...Aria.” “Hello.” Aria pushed the little cart past Chrysalis and placed a slice of cake and a glass of wine on the floor next to Celestia. “Here you are, Princess Celestia.” “Thank you.” The alicorn levitated the glass to her lips and took a sip. “Sorry to make the request so late, but I was simply in the mood.” Aria bowed her head. “I’m glad to be of service. Good night.” She turned around before noticing the way Chrysalis was staring at her, but she simply walked on. Chrysalis exchanged her confused expression with Thorax, who only shrugged. Once they had stepped into the hall, the former queen crept to the doorway to eavesdrop. “So what’s the deal with Cherub? I thought royalty could only marry royalty or something. Seems kinda weird for Luna to date somepony running a dating service.” “Cherub is a lot more than she looks,” answered Thorax with a bit of delight. “I’m sure you two would get along if you got to know her.” “Doubt it. I want to stay far and away from mushy-gushy romance.” Aria visibly shivered. “Since Twilight is the Princess of Friendship, perhaps the stupidest thing I ever heard of outside of anything Sonata says, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made Cherub the Princess of Love or something.” “You mean Princess Cadance? She rules the Crystal Empire to the north. Didn’t they already tell you that?” “Probably, but I doubt I cared enough to listen.” Chrysalis snuck out of the room to ensure they remained within earshot. “So what do you normally do for fun other than follow us around?” “Lots of stuff! I read Equestrian history, work on my book, sometimes I-” “Forget I asked. Ever play poker or something?” “I don’t really know how to play.” “I’ll teach you. We can start betting once you get the hang of it, but I hope your ready to take a dent to your bank account.” Aria passed the little cart to Thorax. “Go get me some beer and I’ll find a deck of cards and meet you in your room.” The pair went their separate ways at the end of the hall and Chrysalis turned around. She had so many questions for Celestia, but she would wait for tomorrow. Right now, she had one stop to make before Luna. When she reached the guest room where the queen resided, she could hear familiar voices from within. Rather than knock, Chrysalis opened the door and Nymph gasped. “W-what are you doing here!? Haven’t you heard of knocking!?” Chrysalis could only stare speechless at the scene. Nymph was sitting at her dresser, but there was an image of Rarity in the mirror and one of Cadance in the crystal ball, each pony looking equally as nervous. After studying their faces, her eyes slowly drifted to the typewriter and the various pages next to it. She had her suspicions. She didn’t want to believe it was true, but here was all the proof she needed. “So sister,” Chrysalis spoke deviously as she closed the door behind her, “is this what you mean by busying yourself with royal duties?” “C-Chrysie!” Nymph stammered as she hastily grabbed every sheet of paper around her and held them behind herself. “L-let us explain!” “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The elder changeling slowly walked over to them while wearing a mischievous smile. “Let’s see. We have Cadance, the Princess of Love.” Cadance blushed intensely and tried not to look at her. “Lovely to see you again, by the way. I never had the chance to say it personally, but congratulations on your little miracle. You will be a great mother.” “T-thank you. I just...hope they can accept you when they’re older.” “I hope so too.” Chrysalis then turned her head to the mirror. “And we have Rarity, another pony who likes to gossip about the love lives of others while fantasizing about her own.” The unicorn ducked down and quickly reappeared, disguising herself with a trench coat, a giant hat, and many scarves covering her face. “Now please understand!” said Cadance. “We all have a very good reason for doing this!” Chrysalis couldn’t help but grin at the alicorn. “Do you? Knowing you three, I’m going to have to disagree with that.” “W-why?” asked Rarity. “What makes you think that?” “Because for the last time, Twilight is not looking for a special somepony!” All three of them froze and looked at each other, no doubt unsure what to do with their little secret exposed. “T-Twilight?” repeated Nymph. “Don’t play dumb.” She pointed at the typewriter in front of her sister. “You always want to do this and that with the girl to help her ‘improve’ while these two ponies always breathe down her neck for being a single princess. Obviously you were writing a list of ideas for lovers or perhaps traits you could help her improve on.” Chrysalis could only shake her head. “I suggest you all give up while you are ahead because we all know by now that Twilight will be defiant to the very end and you don’t want to scare her away from love. No offense, but you three can be very nosey in other ponies’ business.” “Whatever you say!” Nymph grinned as innocently as she could, but it had no effect on her sister. “We promise to leave her alone! Just please don’t tell anypony what you saw!” “Secrecy is my specialty.” Chrysalis opened the door and looked back. “Goodnight, you little cupids.” Once she left, the changeling couldn’t help but laugh. Her sister needed better ways to spend her free time. At least it was many steps above writing another terrible romance novel. It was some time until she arrived outside Luna’s room and her pleasure vanished. Only a cold, empty feeling remained as she looked upon the door, but she knew stalling would get her nowhere. Chrysalis didn’t even knock as she let herself in. “Guess who.” Luna stood up from her desk, smiling. “Chrysie? Now this is a pleasant surprise.” When Chrysalis closed the door, she returned to her true form and met Luna for a kiss. Already this was a good start. “I think we did a real good job last night.” “So I noticed.” She happily tussled Luna’s magical mane. “Looks like you might be the better teacher after all. You even managed to teach me something.” As Luna giggled, she finally noticed the saddlebags Chrysalis was carrying. “Chrysie? What is that you have there?” “This?” Chrysalis opened one and held up a sac, which jingled as it moved. “Just a large sum of bits. Enough for a few hours of fun at the arcade given your pace.” Luna’s eyes bounced between her and the bag. “The arcade? But you hate that place!” “True, but perhaps I could learn to love it.” Chrysalis blushed and glanced away. “Sort of like how I learned to love you.” She could sense Luna’s excitement as she reached for the bag, but then there was hesitation and worry. In her head, Chrysalis begged Luna to just take the bag and go with her, but fate was not so kind. “Chrysalis, tell me what this is about.” The first thought that crossed her mind was to brush it off, but she would never forget her promise to Luna about secrets. Sighing, Chrysalis went over to the bed and laid down with Luna beside her. “I felt horrible all day because of how I acted toward you last night. I felt so guilty that I didn’t bother to open Cupid’s Arrow today. I should have never talked to you like that. Even if I didn’t agree with your methods, I should have been supportive. I was too stupid to realize I was being played by those girls and made a mess of everything.” She moved her hoof over Luna’s. “I’m sorry for what I did. Can you forgive me?” Chuckling, Luna kissed the tip of Chrysalis’s nose. “Of course I do. Chrysalis, couples get into arguments all the time. It’s normal for ponies and changelings. I admit I got a little heated myself, so you’re not entirely to blame.” She brushed some of the changeling’s mane that hung in front of her face. “Don’t worry about what happened. I’m not mad or anything. I’m actually touched you felt bad enough that you felt you needed to make it up to me.” Chrysalis, however, did not smile. “Is there something else?” “I’m afraid so.” Chrysalis took a deep breath. “The reason I acted the way I did toward the Dazzlings is because I am terrified of them. Ever since they came back to this world, I keep having these horrible thoughts of them running loose to place you under their control or worse. The worst part is I wouldn’t be able to save you.” She pounded her hoof against the mattress. “I was strong enough to defeat Celestia, but I was so useless when those vines or Tirek took you away. I know my job of evacuating the ponies and changelings was important, but I should have been able to do so much more.” Crawling closer to her, Luna held Chrysalis’s head in her hooves. “Have you felt this way the whole time? Why didn’t you say anything?” “Because I’m embarrassed and frustrated. It won’t be long until danger strikes this kingdom again and I keep hoping for a chance to redeem myself. If I can’t protect you, then what good am I?” Luna rolled herself on top of her and their faces were mere inches apart. “Chrysie, I don’t love you because I expect you to swoop in and rescue me. There are so many reasons you are special to me. Besides, I feel the same way too, you know. I’ve gone from Equestria’s protector to an occasional damsel in distress.” “R-right. I should have realized that.” “Don’t worry about last night. Just promise to be more friendly to them. They actually are trying to improve, even if it is just to stay out of trouble.” “Anything for my princess.” They exchanged a passionate kiss and Luna rolled off of her. “So how about it?” Chrysalis sat up and gave her bag another jingle. “Ready for a night of fun? At this time of night, I’m sure we can have the whole place to ourselves.” “As marvelous as that sounds, I think I have a better idea.” Luna magically set aside the sac. “Why don’t we just lay here tonight and just talk? Just the two of us without any wild excitement.” “You know, that’s a wonderful idea.” Luna dimmed the lights of the room and they held each other in the darkness. Running her hoof up and down the alicorn’s soft coat, Chrysalis asked, “What did you want to talk about, Lulu?” “Anything, really. I just want enjoy our short time together.” She sighed while playing with Chrysalis’s mane. “You know, sometimes I wish I didn’t watch over the night. What I want more than anything in the world is more time to be with you and Celestia.” “I know how you feel. Sometimes I wish I was not of royalty. I want to be with you, but once my authority is restored, my changelings will want me back in Bugartha. Obviously I want to go back home, but I neither want to leave you behind or pull you away from your own family.” Chrysalis immediately felt as if she made a mistake when she sensed worry and uncertainty within Luna. “There’s no point in fussing over it now. I won’t be going home for a long time, so we’ll figure it out together when we get there.” “Hopefully it will be soon.” Luna rolled to face away from her. “However, I must confess my own doubts. Similar to you, I feel as if I have not being doing enough to aid you in your time of need. You long to return home and yet I have not provided you with some idea to make that possible. Chrysalis, I have long tried to think of something to help you, but that answer still remains out of my grasp. I don’t expect you to come rescue me from every threat that comes to Equestria, but I should be expected to have my subjects trust in my decisions and give you a chance.” Chrysalis wrapped all of her legs around the princess. “You have nothing to be ashamed about. It’s not just you who doesn’t have an answer. Nymph has tried several times and failed, Celestia insists on playing on the long game without any certainty of the outcome, and as for me, I honestly don’t know what to do. We all don’t have a clue on what to do. As much as I miss home, there are plenty of things in Equestria that keep me going.” She tenderly rubbed her muzzle against the top of Luna’s head. “I’m sure you can figure out what one of those things is.” She loosened her grip to allow Luna to flip around and felt relief when she made out Luna’s smile in the faint glow of her mane. “Sometimes I forget just how sweet you can be.” “It’s hard to find that possible considering the amount of my jelly you tend to scarf down.” The couple shared a giggle. “You know, maybe talking can wait for another day. I was hoping to do something fun tonight.” Chrysalis once more lifted the bag. “Come on. I see the hunger in your eyes. We could team up and beat House of the Bed 2 like you always wanted.” A sudden surge of nervousness made itself known in Luna, leaving Chrysalis completely baffled. “Do you have something else in mind?” “I do. I have been thinking about it for some time now.” Luna got off the bed and Chrysalis felt something was off. She could still sense the lingering fear dwelling inside, but there were also traces of desire. “I...I think it’s time I returned the favor.” “Oh?” “You always want to make me feel happy, so I think it is only fair if I did the same for you.” Luna stripped herself naked, causing Chrysalis’s heart to run wild, and crawled onto the bed. “I... I know I’m still uneasy about pleasures of the flesh, but with you, it feels...right. When we first had sex, I didn’t want the night to end, not because of the pleasure, but because it was with you. You complete me, Chrysalis, and I’m going to make you feel the same way I did.” When Chrysalis had spent the day wondering what could happen when she visited Luna after the hassle in the dream world, this was the absolute last thing she expected, but she was more than happy to oblige. “Lulu, I must say I am quite proud of you,” she teased. “Are you sure your ready?” Luna nodded, although heavily blushing and clearly sweating. “Our first time, you did most of the work because I was so nervous and inexperienced. I was the one who benefitted the most, but I think as lovers, I should do my part as well.” The lights went out and the only thing visible in the bedroom was the soft glow of Luna’s mane. “May I, Chrysalis?” The changeling got comfortable on the bed by spread out all of her legs, completely exposing herself. “My body is yours tonight, my princess.” In the faint blue light, Luna moved on top of Chrysalis and pressed her lips against hers, their tongues entwined. It was good Luna remembered what she taught her about foreplay before the main event. Chrysalis, in her moment of bliss, opened one eye and looked to Luna’s flank. With her horn, the pony’s rear glowed green as it ever so slightly enlarged and Chrysalis gave it a squeeze with her hoof. Luna moaned and pulled back from the kiss. She turned back to look at herself and gave Chrysalis a disgruntled look. “I thought I was the one who would be pleasing you tonight. And you promised not to do this again!” “Come on. Just a taste. After all, didn’t we have so much fun with this last time?” Sighing, Luna got off of Chrysalis and laid on her stomach. Eagerly, Chrysalis laid on top of Luna. “Looks like it’s a full moon tonight!” “You said the exact thing last time!” After a few strokes, Chrysalis could sense the increased flow of love coming from Luna and consumed it, desiring only more amore. However, Chrysalis felt she had taken the reigns long enough and picked herself up. “Okay, Luna. Now it’s your turn.” She gave Luna’s butt a hard smack, causing the alicorn to shriek, and returned it to normal size. “Why did you do that!?” Chrysalis reached to grab Luna’s face and squeezed it. “Because you make the most adorable noises when I get playful.” She reached under Luna’s chin. “Maybe I should take over to see what other sorts of sounds you can make? You have no idea how good it feels to have a princess as a plaything.” She was suddenly pulled onto the bed with her legs were suddenly stretched out and bound by magical blue bonds. “L-Lulu?” “You have gotten carried away, Chrysie,” Luna whispered seductively as she slowly crawled on top of her. “This is my night and for trying to take that away from me, loving to embarrass me, and to dare to treat me like your toy, I feel some discipline is in order.” Looking at the mischievous eyes of Luna filled Chrysalis with a mixture of fear and excitement. She never expected Luna to try to be dominant so soon, but she was desperate to see where she was going. Luna moved her head down and Chrysalis grew more eager as she awaited whatever was coming. However, to her horror, Luna’s head stopped right over her weak spot: her soft, transparent belly. Before she could say anything, the alicorn’s tongue quickly ran across it, causing her to shriek as well as laugh. “Make as much noise as you like. My magic will keep anyone from hearing us.” “L-L-L-L-LUNA!” Chrysalis cried, laughing as Luna’s barrage of licks kept assaulting her. “I’m t-t-t-t-ticklish there! H-h-have m-mercy!” She pulled against her restraints, but she was completely helpless. Her cries fell on deaf ears and Luna continued, sometimes slowing her place for longer, more powerful licks. Chrysalis threw her head back, panting rapidly as her face became moist with sweat. She sensed Luna’s love pouring out, so she opened her mouth and fed on as much as she could in between her laughter. At last, Luna ceased her torment and freed Chrysalis. The changeling sat up to catch her breath, but Luna gently pushed her back down the bed. “That was just the warm up,” Luna said with complete confidence, although her face was still entirely red. “It’s time for you to feel the embrace of the night!” Chrysalis slept that night with a belly full of love.