Chrysalis was mortified. This can't be happening! Starshine and her were hovering watching the one day she wanted to forget, play out once more. The alicorn in the garden. In another lifetime, that was her. That was her garden. Her knees began to shake. She was surprised when Starshine gently wrapped a dragon's wing around her. For some reason she drew comfort from it. Starshine's voice was warm and comforting, no longer seductive or malicious. "Chrysalis I know you want to forget this. Watching this may make you hurt, the pain will be unbearable. Unfortunately, all your self-destructive behaviors have stemmed from this one moment in your history. It's time for you to face this demon in your past."
Chrysalis watched the alicorn below. Look at her twirling around and smiling, if only she had known. A soldier in armor approached her. A castle guard. So, it begins. "Your majesty, you have a visitor requesting an audience."
Queen Chrysalis looked at the guard who was kneeling before her in an apologetic manner. "Rise, my subject, there is no need to feel such uneasiness in my presence. It has been a while since a pony would seek consultation with myself, let us go and see this visitor."
Chrysalis watched herself from above. That dialect, ugh, this may have been eons ago, but did I really sound like that? Starshine's horn glowed red and then both her and Chrysalis were in the throne room watching the meeting occur. The visitor was rather adorned for some random pony. He was a gray unicorn with gentle eyes of green. His attire was that of royalty, ornate silver and gold armor graced his hide. He looked royal, though his speech was humble and almost submissive. It's really happening, isn't it? A tear rolled slowly down Chrysalis's muzzle. The day everything started going wrong. The day I fell in love. The day...I first met him. "Your majesty, I came in hopes of brokering a bond between our two nations."
Queen Chrsyalis smiled at the unicorn who was on bended knee before her. "Come now, no need for such formalities, please do not be afraid of me. A bond should be brokered on friendship not fear, should it not?"
The unicorn rose slowly with a delighted grin. "Forgive me, Queen Chrysalis, I come from the lands beyond your borders to the East. Allow me to introduce myself. I am King Sombra. It is my honor to meet you."
Starshine looked over at Chrysalis, her eyes widened at what she saw. Chrysalis was shaking, not in anger but in sadness. Tears had built up in her eyes. Starshine made a decision seeing the normally enraged bug queen suddenly breaking down. Her horn glowed a bright crimson, and the scene faded away. Chrysalis looked around in surprise. She was at a stone table with a cup of tea in front of her. She sniffed at it, Chamomile. She glanced up to see the thestral sitting in front of her gingerly sipping a cup herself. "Wh-"
Starshine raised a hoof which caused Chrysalis to halt mid sentence. "I thought perhaps you would be willing to talk now, is all. Please drink your tea."
Chrysalis didn't bother to argue, she picked up the tea cup using her magic and took the smallest sip. It smelled of chamomile but it tasted of - "I know you cannot stomach normal food, hun, It took a bit of coaxing but I managed to get some unfiltered love energy from Princess Cadence. You are welcome."
Though she felt grateful for a chance to calm her mind, she still felt suspicious. "Why are you toying with me, daughter of Twilight?"
The thestral snorted. "My name sweet Chrysi is Starshine. Now be a good girl and say it with me, Star-shine."
Chrysalis felt a huge wave of pressure pressing down on her. She wields great power, but this seems different then before. It's almost warm and inviting. "Forgive me, Starshine. Still why would you end my torture so early?"
Starshine smiled and tucked in her dragon wings. Looking at Chrysalis, she spoke softly, not with malice but with empathy. "I saw my past when I saw you crying, Chrysalis."
Chrysalis nearly dropped the cup of tea in surprise. Her eyes narrowed. "How could you possibly relate to what happened to me, Princess?"
Again Starshine's wings unfolded, and she said in a silky tone. "You will refer to me as Starshine, Chrysi, do not make me remind you again. Understood?"
Chrysalis saw the fire burning in the thestral's eyes. It showed her pride in her name, and to anger her any further would not be wise. "I apologize Starshine."
Starshine slowly folded her wings once more and spoke in a calm even tone. "That's better, now then this might surprise you. Even us, princesses, have our battle scars sweetie."
Chrysalis sat there, slightly stunned. She said to Starshine in a slightly sarcastic tone. "Are you telling me, daughter of-"
Starshine glared at her in such intensity that Chrysalis quickly rechose her words. "I mean Starshine. You mean to tell me the immortals of Equestria aren't flawless? Say it isn't so."
The thestral before her took a single sip of her tea before saying in a gentle voice. "It's true. You would never know it by looking at me, but I single-hoofedly caused the destruction of the universe's boundaries involving time and space; all to bring back somepony who meant the world to me."
Chrysalis was completely slack-jawed. She didn't know what to say. She continued sipping her delicious tea and listened as Starshine told her tale. What do I say to that? Chrysalis heard as Starshine shared with her, her own misadventures in the name of love. As she finished her tale, Starshine looked at Chrysalis and said softly, "perhaps we are not so different as you would have thought, sweet Chrysi."
Her tea now gone, Chrysalis felt strange after hearing that tale. Almost as if... Why do I even care? Why did it feel like Starshine wasn't taunting her but truly reaching out to her? "Starshine why are you going to such lengths for somepony like me?"
"The reason sweet Chrysi is I already know what you did. I understand what it means to try and save somepony at any cost. You like me became blind-sighted by such a narrow view. Your actions caused your kingdoms to fall. I also know you want nothing more than to suffer for eternity for it. I however want you to understand others have been there too. The only reason I sit before you a princess, is because my purity of heart was rewarded by Faust and my slate wiped clean. Something to think about. Have some more tea and think about what you want to do. If there is even a small chance to have it all washed away shouldn't it be worth chasing?"
A slight chill rippled down Starshine's spine. Ah, finally. Starshine thought as she smiled at Chrysalis. The former Hive Queen looked at the thestral before her. Why? Chrysalis thought. Why does she care so much about me moving on? She took a slow deep breath and decided to take a risk. In that moment Chrysalis did something she swore she would never do again. She made herself vulnerable as she revealed her deepest insecurities to the one before her. "Starshine, I...I'm afraid that some of us aren't quite so...brave. I ran from what I did and lost everything because of it. My hopes, my dreams, my love. I lost them all. I am not so sure I deserve the chance to start over."
The chill had spread to bring forth goosebumps upon Starshine's forelegs. "Mmmmm I can understand that, sweet Chrysi, looking in a mirror can be a bit....overwhelming sometimes. Perhaps however you don't need to do it alone."
At that moment, all light in the small stone room went out. The sounds of labored breathing and heavy hoofsteps could be heard. A low gravely voice was then heard to speak. "She is right, bug queen. You were not alone in going wayward. Even in the darkness I can see that princess there has a light to give us a chance we may never have again. Perhaps, we should take advantage of it together."
Starshine smiled. Was wondering when he would show up. Chrysalis was slightly taken aback. Was the shadowmancer himself attempting compassion? What was his angle? "S-Sombra?"
The black head nodded. "Hello again, bug queen."
Chrysalis glared. "What are you doing he-"
Her words died mid-sentence. His voice was still gravely, and brooding but did she detect a trace of.... Regret? That can't be right, how could he possibly feel regret? Starshine slowly unfolded her wings and said simply, "It is time. Chrysalis, Sombra, eons ago before the formation of the Crystal Empire the two of you were prominent heads of your own little empires. Are you both ready to truly understand the truth of what occurred the week your empires fell?"
Chrysalis looked nervously at Starshine, "I'm not sure I'm strong enough, Starshine."
Her eyes grew wide as she felt Sombra grasp her hoof. His voice devoid of soul but tinged with emotion. "No alone you are not. Together however the two of us will be."
Chrysalis felt a smile long since forgotten creep onto her muzzle. Turning towards Starshine once more after a appreciative glance towards Sombra she stated boldly, "Let's go."
The royal thestral's horn began to glow and as the darkness grew brighter, she thought back to right before she joined Chrysalis in this room. "what are you doing here?"
Sombra stood in the corridor outside of the room for the next subject. Next to him stood Chrysalis, frozen in the time spell still. "No reason in particular, princess."
Starshine smiled softly, her wings folded back down. "She really means a lot to you, doesn't she?"
Looking at her, Sombra spoke in his gravely voice, the tone dark and brooding. "Don't be ridiculous I just felt like being here."
Starshine gently pat him on the head as she whispered, though no pony else could hear, "We both know you can leave Tartarus in an instant should you wish it. Your powers came at a rather...high cost did they not? A cost that prevents you from being tethered here like the rest. So why stick around?"
Laughing hollowly Sombra spoke once more. "There is a promise I made, that I plan to keep. Even if it takes an eternity for it to happen, Princess."
As she slowly walked passed him her horn began to glow and her voice rang in his mind like a broken record. "If you want to help her, join us. She won't be able to do it without you."
***
The bright flash of light enveloped the three and they vanished, on their way once more to the ethereal plane. Starshine grinned to herself, happy her plan was on track. My hunch was right.