The cold caught in his chest as he panted down the damp night air, looking nervously from left to right in the swirling mist that enveloped his hoofsteps, drawn on by some inexplicable desire. Because of his size, he could not step over the lower bushes and brambles that adults could clear easily and found the going difficult, especially where he moved off the established tracks.
He had always known never to sneak out of his bedroom once he had been put to bed and had never sought to betray that covenant of trust, but this was different; the irresistible siren’s call only seeming to get stronger the further into the forest he strayed.
Finally he emerged into a clearing, surrounded on all sides by the thickening mist, only eerie skeletal outlines of occasional trees punctuating the disorientating uniformity that swallowed him up.
“Well, what do we have here?” came an oily voice from nearby. He recognised it as female, but somehow lacking the warmth and love of all the mares he knew. He started to feel afraid.
A dark silhouette emerged from the mist, a pair of ethereally glowing green eyes surveying her visitor. He turned to run, but couldn’t distinguish one direction from another. He wanted to run back the way he had come but couldn’t work out which way to go, so just ran as fast as he could away from this nightmarish figure.
“Princess Luna, help!” he cried, feeling fear’s icy grip tightening around his heart and suddenly wishing too late that he had never left home in the first place.
The laugh of the strange mare bounced off the mist in every direction, shadowing him as he ran for his life, terrified.
Suddenly in front of him, a tree stump appeared, but he had no time to react and tripped, falling flat on the ground in front of something casting a dark shadow. He screamed, fearing his short life was just about to come to an end and folded his trembling forelegs over his muzzle, not wishing to see the coup de grâce that he knew from his nightmares would surely follow.
“You need not be afraid” said a kindly voice that inspired confidence whilst at the same time commanding authority.
“Princess Luna!” cheered the colt, leaping up to hug the nearest midnight blue foreleg, tears of relief running down his muzzle.
“Stay close to me, young Pipsqueak, there is treachery afoot tonight.”
Luna was on her guard, prepared to tackle swiftly with whatever threat that may emerge from any bearing, hundreds of years of military experience rising to hone her senses; no adversary was going to get the better of her in a sneak attack. The tip of her horn glowed and suddenly there was a flash as she became the epicentre of a disc of blue light that spread outwards, devouring the mist as it radiated across the clearing.
Luna stood resolutely, surveying the full extent of the landscape that was now bathed in silver moonlight, quickly scanning for what foul creatures the mist could have been concealing. The moon looked down impassively, holding in its revealing gaze not only her and the young colt, but a third form, black with a straggly light blue mane and piercing green eyes.
“Chrysalis!” accused Luna, closing on Equestria’s old enemy, horn lit.
The deposed Queen looked momentarily shocked at having suddenly been exposed and gasped, raising a foreleg defensively. She looked straight into the eyes of an angry Princess Luna, whose head was lowered and pointing her glowing horn directly at her! This sight alone would have caused any sane pony, or any other creature for that matter to run, but instead she held her ground and allowed herself to crack a smile.
“This is too low even for you!” hissed Luna, extending her wings “Explain thyself and make it good!”
“I merely cast an attraction spell” she replied, “And sadly, this little runt is all that answered.”
“Thou hast me to answer to now!” growled Luna, her horn fizzing with the expectation of imminently casting some awful spell, the like of which Equestria had not seen in over a thousand years.
“Actually, it’s you I wanted to see” stated Chrysalis calmly. Too calmly for Luna’s liking.
“We are waiting” snarled Luna, a murderous glint in her eyes.
“Firstly, you can see that my horn isn’t even lit, so my motives can be trusted. Would you please show me the same courtesy?”
“No. We shall not trust you until Tartarus freezes over.”
Pip was watching the intense drama play out, but now peeping out from behind the relative safety of one of Luna’s rear legs, listening as her mode of speech drifted between the contemporary and olde Canterlot in response to her rising anger.
“Your sister is stronger than you are, and I beat her in a fair fight if you remember. I could easily beat you too if I wanted.”
“You had a Changeling army behind you then. Now you are alone and weak. Also I sincerely doubt that fight was as fair as you say. We will not shirk our duty to subdue you!”
“Sadly, I am in no position to challenge anything you say” admitted Chrysalis, her confidence seeming to evaporate, “You may enchant my horn if you wish, so we can talk a little more comfortably.”
“Very well” agreed Luna, casting a spell that caused a blue glow to cover the holed black horn. Having seen no attempt at duplicity, Luna furled her wings cautiously, but continued staring unblinkingly into those big green eyes.
“Talk.”
“Tell me Princess Luna” she said, addressing her with her formal title, “If you were aware you had the last Manticore in existence, or the last Ursa, would you kill them for your own safety or sustain them? Would you show mercy or deny them the chance of repentance?”
“Where are you going with this, Chrysalis?”
“I am the last of my kind. My changelings were beautiful; each one was clone, a projection of their father, and I loved them all. When ponies invaded my hive and my beloved changelings morphed into new creatures, I sustained injuries, injuries of a type that now prevent me from starting another colony unless I can find a new mate. That is why I cast this spell with the last of my remaining strength in the hope of attracting a partner, but as you can see, that didn’t work out. Now I have no magic, no mate and no future. Take me with you, Luna; parade me, humiliate me, imprison me, do with me as you will, but don’t leave me barren, I beg you.”
The big green eyes broke contact with Luna’s and turned to face the ground, little sparkles like crystals refracting the moon’s light on her tears as they fell to the ground.
“I have only ever fought to protect my children, a trait that I believe even ponies do in protecting their young. Am I really so different from the rest of ponykind, Luna?”
With this, she looked back up into her eyes, the tracks of her tears now all too apparent, and knelt.
“I kneel before you, Luna. You have won. I have lost.”
Luna was taken aback by what she heard. She had never even considered Chrysalis as being so vulnerable before, yet she was riven by indecision. Certainly there was an undeniable temptation to slay her as she knelt defenceless before her, but she had surrendered willingly and earned the right to be heard.
Chrysalis may have had a point, maybe she was just acting to protect her children, but the attack during Cadence’s wedding had been well planned and cleverly executed, and yet nopony had been killed. In the course of such an operation, casualties could, indeed should have been expected, yet there had been none. This defied probability and pointed to careful organisation and strict adherence to specific orders, her orders.
She stared down at the fallen Queen, watching the small movements of her chest as she breathed; no more tears, just resignation and defeat.
“Princess Luna” came a small voice, “What are you going to do with her?”
“She is a Queen, she deserves her dignity” replied Luna, “She has wronged all of Equestria, but it would be inappropriate for me to act in haste as judge, jury … and executioner. I must consult with my sister.”
“Her army was scary, I remember them coming to Canterlot, but they’re all our friends now, aren’t they?”
“Yes, but do not forget she cast a spell that took you from your home and made you walk through the wild Everfree alone tonight. This is not a safe place for one as young as you at any time, especially at night.”
Luna turned her attention back to the moth-eaten form in front of her, noticeably addressing her in a much harsher tone than she had used with Pip, “You may rise Queen Chrysalis. We have an errand to run, thence we will travel onward to Canterlot. I can make no guarantee of the fate which may befall you, and be in no doubt that I shall not flinch if I am called upon to administer your punishment, however severe that may be, but that must wait until we have returned your latest victim to his family.”
Chrysalis rose, subdued, “Thank you Princess Luna” she whispered.
Luna levitated the young pinto colt onto her back and began her walk back to civilisation, keeping Chrysalis in full view at all times.
“Princess Luna, I’m scared” Pip confided, “My parents are bound to tell me off.”
“I shall explain for you, do not worry” she replied, thinking how disproportionate it was that he was more concerned about how his parents would react to his being returned safely, than the fact that he had just come face to face with the treacherous Queen Chrysalis in the depths of the Everfree at night.
“Thank you - you’re my favourite Princess ever!”
Luna allowed a small smile to creep onto her face as she strode over the bushes in her way and got back onto the main path to Ponyville.
“I sense a lot of love there” lamented Chrysalis.
“Don’t even think about trying to feed off it” warned Luna.
“My horn …” she replied unhappily, “I couldn’t if I wanted to.”
When they arrived at Pip’s home, the young colt started to become most agitated.
“What are you going to do?” he asked nervously, ”They won’t like being woken up …”
“Trust me, young Pipsqueak” said Luna quietly, “ Just you mark my words, they will be very happy to see you.
“I sure hope so” he replied, his onset of nerves being held in check, at least temporarily by his faith in his favourite Princess.
Luna kept a watchful eye on Chrysalis for the slightest hint of duplicity, but there was none. Nonetheless, she kept her in plain sight as she lit her horn and sent a sprinkling of magic towards the house, where it sought out the parents’ bedroom and entered through the window. In a flash, the light turned on and hoofsteps could be heard coming down the stairs to the front door. There was a pause while the owner of the hoofsteps stopped and straightened themselves quickly in front of the hall mirror before opening the door.
A bespectacled pinto stallion in a nightshirt stood in the doorway looking surprised to be there, and doubly surprised to see the midnight Princess making a house call in the middle of the night.
“Princess Luna” he stammered, “I … I thought I was imagining it when a shining pony visited me in my dream and led me down to open the door.”
She levitated his son off her back and lowered him carefully to the ground.
“Young Pipsqueak was lured from his bed by some rogue magic that was cast tonight, but I have apprehended the miscreant and countered the spell; he is safe now. It was not his fault so please do not punish him - he is a good colt and will grow into a fine stallion.
“Thank you Princess Luna, you’re the best!” cried Pip as he hugged her foreleg and then trotted back to his waiting father who picked him up and gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead.
“Thank you” said the grateful stallion, “I had no idea he had gone, but thank the stars you were there to rescue him.”
“Like I say, it was but a random event and will not be repeated. You are a good father and your son will not let you down. Young Pipsqueak will fill you in on the details tomorrow, but for now I will cast a spell that will put you into a sound sleep as soon as your head rests upon your pillow. Good night and sleep well.”
“Goodnight Princess, and thank you” replied the stallion before hesitating for a second and turning back to face her, “You do know you’re his inspiration don’t you?”
“Then we have something in common, for I know he looks up to you too” said Luna, “Now fare thee well as the sleep spell will begin to take effect whether you are in your bed or not.”