“Sergeant Pokey.” Baked Bean gave his loyal guard a quick nod, then fell in step with him as they both walked outside. “I came as quickly as I could. How bad is it?”
“It’s not good, sir,” he replied with a grim frown. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, and that’s saying something since I have a bug living in my house.”
“How did this happen?”
“We’re still not sure, sir,” Pokey said as they both turned to enter the gardens. “Near as we can figure, something must have happened during Princess Celestia’s meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture.”
“How long has she been out here?”
“About half an hour or so, sir. We’ve cleared the immediate area, but most of the ponies evacuated themselves when the lightning started to strike.”
“Any injuries?” Bean asked, his eyes sweeping the sky.
“Nothing too serious. A few minor burns, a sprained fetlock, and some singed hair. Corporal Cliffside’s mane might be frayed for a while, too.”
“That’s good. Oh, here.” Bean reached into his saddlebag and produced a chocolate chip cookie. “I brought one for you.”
“Thank you, sir.” Sergeant Pokey took the offered treat, enjoyed a bite, and then pointed to a small thundercloud that had just come into view. “There she is.”
Bean snickered a bit to himself. He had never seen a rain cloud with a wavy, sparkling pastel mane before, nor had he ever seen a storm that glared down upon the world with angry magenta eyes. The interior of the cloud surged and spat with pent-up lightning, and a few stray bolts lashed out from the bottom as it charged through the sky.
“See what I mean?” Pokey said with another bite.
“Yeah, she’s probably zapped anypony who gets within a hundred feet of her,” Bean said with a nod. “I’ll go talk her down.”
“Good luck, sir. I’ll tell Horsenpfeffer to stand by. Just in case.”
Bean drew in an amused sigh. His dear Celly had been somewhat snippy over the past few days, and Bean was pretty extra sure that she was fighting against a surge of alicorn-powered pregnancy hormones. Doctor Horsenpfeffer had warned him that such a thing was likely to happen at some point, but thankfully, she usually could be placated by a peace offering of a husband loaded down with sugary treats.
Today was no exception. As soon as the irritated princess caught sight of her beloved, the glare softened, the lightning ceased, and Bean found himself rapidly hoisted up to her level in her golden magical glow. Her wing quickly pulled him into her side, and with a snort, she went back to glaring down upon the world.
“So! I hear the Agriculture meeting didn’t go as well as you’d hoped,” Bean started with his best disarming grin.
“It was fine.” Celestia snapped out her reply like the crack of a whip.
“Really? You seem a bit… tense,” he chose the word carefully, “and it’s not even noon yet. Did something happen?”
“No. Everything was fine. The first cereals are being planted now, and Minister Barley is predicting a bumper crop this year.”
“That’s good,” Bean said slowly. “But?”
“But Minister Barley is a nincompoop,” Celestia snarled, and Bean felt the hairs of his coat stand on end as a lightning bolt was launched from the cloud. “Do you know what he said to me?”
Even if he had known, Celestia didn’t give him a chance to reply. “He had the audacity to make a joke about my weight! I’ve never been more insulted in all my life!”
“What did he say, exactly?” he asked, and Celestia shifted slightly to glare at him now. “Just so I have some evidence to present to the Royal Inquisition, of course.”
“Har har,” she snorted. “But if you must know, the incident happened after the meeting. Lady Meadows asked about my pregnancy, and she expressed her rather sincere and heartfelt desire that I would be able to deliver full-term with no complications. That was nice, I thought, but then Minister Barley quipped, and I quote, ‘I don’t think that will be a problem. Our Princess is looking quite healthy.’ Can you believe that?!”
“Scandalous,” Bean said. “How dare he say you look good.”
“I know what he meant.” Celestia turned her attention back to the world beneath them, but her glare softened. “I mean, it’s not like I can help that I’ve put on weight. Doctor Horsenpfeffer told me I would gain a few pounds over the pregnancy, just like every other mare does. I don’t look fat, do I?”
Bean fired off his experienced reply with no hesitation. “No. You don’t look fat.”
Celestia gave him a distrustful glare. “I don’t believe you. I am fat, aren’t I?” A hoof went to her midsection as she sniffled. “But I’ve been eating kale, and seaweed, and all of that other healthy green stuff that I’ve been told to, even if it does taste like dirt. And I’ve been keeping hydrated! Why can’t other ponies see that? I’m just doing what’s best for my unborn foal, like any other mother would do. I’ve been exercising as much as I can, and I’ve been popping those prenatal vitamins like they’re candy. What more can I possibly do?”
Bean felt a twinge of guilt as the cloud beneath him began to rain. Even if he took out the extreme mood swings, it was clear that Celestia was feeling a bit self-conscious, and he could hardly blame her for that. Right now, she needed reassurance, and he probably had not been as supportive as he should have been.
But he could mend his ways, and now was the perfect time to start. With a kiss for his beloved, Bean reached into his saddlebag, and his smile matched hers as he held out a large chocolate chip cookie. “I think you need one of these.”
Celestia’s magic took the offered treat, and she began to nibble with a pleased grunt of approval. “Thank you, Bean.”
“You’re welcome.” Bean snuggled in, and his hoof began to trace small lines on her foreleg. “You do know that Minister Barley was trying to give you a compliment, right?”
“I do. It just… I guess I just took it the wrong way.”
“And it’s easy to see how you did. Since I’m a stallion, I don’t think I could ever fully understand what you’re experiencing right now. Your body is doing strange things, and I can’t imagine what it’s like to try to keep pregnancy hormones in check.”
“It’s not pleasant. I can realize, in calm moments like this, that I’m lashing out or acting irrationally, but in the moment, I just can’t control myself. Emotions just swamp me now, like trying to hold back a tidal wave with your bare hooves!” Celestia leaned over to properly nuzzle her Bean. “At least I have you. I can’t imagine what would happen if I had to go through this by myself.”
“Oh, you’d make it. I have no doubt of that,” he said. “But I could see the nobility presenting a petition to Luna calling for your banishment to the moon until you’ve had the baby.”
Celestia snorted in amusement before letting out her breath in one giant huff. “It’s so unfair. I wound up with this kind and gentle soul who makes me laugh and see the world in a brand new light, and you got—” she gestured with a wingtip “—The Princess of Whales.”
“Whale or not, I got a princess,” he noted with a kiss. “There’s only two other stallions who can make a similar claim. I even got the best princess, too! I mean, Luna is nice and all, but who could really measure up to you?”
Celestia shook her head with a small laugh. “Somepony on stilts, perhaps.”
“That’d be the only way,” he agreed as he nuzzled her neck. “I love you, my Celly.”
“And I love you, my Bean,” Celestia whispered back. “Thank you for being so supportive.”
“Sister!” Luna’s voice called out from somewhere down below. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making out with my husband!” she shouted back with a giggle. “Whatever you do, don’t come up here!”
“You need to hurry, then! We need to leave soon if we are to attend Matilda’s wedding on time!”
“That’s today?” she said to nopony in particular. “I thought it was tomorrow.”
“No, it’s today,” Bean agreed. “And she’s right, the wedding will be starting in an hour or so.”
“And this is one event that I should not be fashionably late to,” Celestia said as she poked her head over the edge of her cloud. “Allow me to finish my cookie, Lulu, and then we’ll go.”
“I sincerely hope you said ‘cookie,’ as in the baked treat,” Luna called back.
* * ✹ * *
Queen Chrysalis couldn’t stifle her giggles of glee, and she proudly paraded herself down the main street of Ponyville without a care in the world. Nothing could possibly ruin her good mood now, and for the first time in months, things were finally going the way she wanted them to.
She had to admit that the plot that she had just put into motion was rather brilliant, even for herself. Provoking the bugbear had been easy, leading it into the miserable little village that the Element Bearers called home was easier still, and the beast’s furious rampage would only intensify when the one who had provoked it in the first place showed up to defend her friends and her town.
Chrysalis could only imagine how Twilight Sparkle would explain herself when the subsequent investigation revealed it was the purple princess who had brought the bugbear blight upon the citizenry. Oh, the town might eventually figure out the truth, but she doubted these simple, backwards ponies would figure out that a changeling queen was really to blame.
Of course, this was only the first part of her glorious plans, and now it was time to execute stage two. Chrysalis loved weddings, and for the first time in her life, she had actually been invited to attend one. It was beyond obvious that the googly-eyed mailmare that had delivered the invite had gotten the wrong pony, but that little detail wasn’t going to stop the queen of the changeling hordes from attending. She had sent back her RSVP, as the invite had instructed, so there was really no reason why she should be denied admittance.
Chrysalis couldn’t care less about the dress, and she wasn’t going to partake in any cake, given what species Matilda was. Donkeys were horribly conservative creatures, and their fashion sense was out of date by at least a hundred years, to say nothing of their atrocious baking skills. But weddings were a fantastic source of love, and by the end of the day, she would be waddling back to Pokey’s house after gorging herself on the emotions of the day.
The things that she could do with said love nearly made her head spin. True, she would not gain the same level of power that she had when she had been leeching Shining Armor’s love for Cadence, but it would be more than enough for whatever devious design she came up with.
“Hey, isn’t that Chrysalis?” A nearby pony tried to ask his neighbor in a low voice, but it wasn’t low enough to go unheard by the Queen.
“No, I don’t think so. I don’t remember her being rainbow colored. That changeling looks like it got run over by a paint wagon or something.”
“Ah. Wonder what it’s doing here.”
Chrysalis’s smile faltered, and she snarled to herself as her pace quickened. She wasn’t sure if she was more offended over being called an it, or the fact that her technicolor molt destroyed the air of seductive evil that she had spent decades perfecting. Once she was back to her original colors, she made a note to come back and show those two simpletons why she was the fearsome queen of the changeling hordes.
A deep roar from somewhere behind her brought the smile back in full force. Ponies began to scream, and a chunk of thatched roof went flying overhead. “Gee, I wonder if that horrible monster is aggravated. What an unfortunate shame that such a calamitous event has befallen this fair town! If only there was somepony who could save us!”
Sure enough, those magic words seemed to force the Element Bearers to appear. Chrysalis snickered as the six of them charged into battle without a sideways glance towards her, and she began to hum a happy tune to herself as she sidestepped the chimney that had been lobbed at Rainbow Dash.
There was nothing that picked up her spirits quite like the sounds of mayhem and destruction.
* * ✹ * *
“Queen Chrysalis! What are you doing here?!”
The changeling queen rolled her eyes and produced her invitation for the hostile earth pony in front of her. “I’m here as an invited guest, whoever you are. Now step aside.”
“What?” the grey-maned pony took the invitation and adjusted her glasses. “How in Equestria did you get invited?”
“I’m an old friend of the bride,” Chrysalis lied. “She and I go way back.”
“You’re friends with Matilda?”
“Sure am, Fussyflanks. You wouldn’t believe the tartarus we used to raise together!”
“That does explain Matilda’s rather colorful past.” The pony returned the invitation, then gave her collar a quick adjustment as she stood a bit taller. “It’s a bit peculiar, but no more peculiar than Steven being friends with Cranky, I suppose. On behalf of the citizens of Ponyville, I, Mayor Mare, welcome you to our town. Please, make yourself comfortable, and let me know if you need anything. I’m afraid we’re running a bit behind schedule today, due to some unforeseen complications—”
“FLOWERS!” somepony’s voice screeched over the roar of the bugbear outside.
“—but I assure you that everything will be ready soon. Help yourself to the punch, once it’s brought in. If you’ll excuse me.”
Chrysalis nodded, and she glanced around at the empty, undecorated hall as the mayor trotted away. At least somepony showed her the proper respect, and had enough decency to keep their trap shut about the queen’s unintended color palette.
But she was a bit concerned about the wedding. Why was nothing ready yet? Where were the flowers, the cake, the decorations? All of these things had been planned out months in advance in her own failed wedding to Shining Armor, so there was really no excuse for the lack of preparation.
“I can’t believe she got the date wrong!” A voice cut into the silence as two ponies entered from the front of the hall. “We’re really going to have to rush to get everything ready.”
“You said it, Bon Bon,” a mint green unicorn replied to her beige friend. “It’s a good thing I have my best friend to—Chrysalis!”
“You leave me out of this,” Chrysalis snarked. “I’ll have no part in any of your little pony schemes.”
“What are you doing here?!” the green one challenged, her horn flaring with magic.
Chrysalis had a witty retort, but it was lost as her eyes narrowed in on the changeling who had just buzzed into the room. “I’m looking for a little lost drone. Answers to the name of Kevin,” she snarled.
“Your Majesty!” Kevin dropped the table he was carrying, and he bowed before his queen. “You don’t look quite like yourself. Not! Not that—um, that’s a bad look for you…”
“Ladies, would you excuse us for just a moment?” Chrysalis’ magic snagged Kevin’s ear, and he whimpered as she dragged him to the far end of the hall.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
“You’d better have a good reason for being here, you little maggot,” Chrysalis hissed as she threw him against a wall. “You’re supposed to be at the hive with everybuggy else. Start talking.”
“I was invited here by Cranky.” Kevin cowered before his queen, his eyes firmly on the ground.
“The groom? How in Equestria do you know him?”
“I was on guard duty when he found the hive, while you were in Canterlot with Shining Armor. I was bored, and he was thirsty, so I gave him some water and struck up a conversation. We spent a few hours talking about his search for Matilda, and I felt bad for him. So, when he said he was going to give up, I told him he should go to Ponyville.”
Chrysalis stared at the insolent little drone at her feet, her fury quickly rising to a boil. “Let me get this straight, Kevin. In a fit of boredom, not only did you decide to let an intruder live and leave with the location to the hive, you also befriended him?!”
“Did I mention it was a really boring night?” he offered with a nervous chuckle.
“Okay. Breathe,” Chrysalis told herself, her teeth gnashing together as if she was preparing to chew Kevin up and spit out the splintered remains like he was a sunflower seed. “As of this very moment, you can kiss your dental plan goodbye, and you’ve lost your profit sharing bonus. I hope you’re happy.”
“Would it be too much to ask for you to just squish me?” Kevin meekly asked. “There’s no way I can afford the out-of-pocket expenses for the root canal on my left fang.”
“You should have thought of that when you decided to make friends with a trespasser,” she snapped. “Now go help the ponies get things set up. If anything happens to keep this wedding from happening, I will personally take the deficit of love out of your paycheck and your exoskeleton. Is that clear?”
“Perfectly clear, Your Most Generous Grace,” Kevin said with a confused look. “But, if I may, why are you…”
“I highly suggest you forget that question,” she snarled. “In fact, if you tell anybuggy about this,” she motioned to her colorful self with a hoof, “I will personally haul you off and feed you to the dragons. I hear changelings are a delicacy, something like caviar as I understand it. It’ll be amusing to watch them rip you apart, segment by segment.”
“I won’t say a word.”
“Good. Now get out of my sight.”
Chrysalis continued to glare at Kevin as he scampered away. The last thing she needed was for word of her molt to get back to the hive, but she felt confident that her little minion had gotten the hint. Since Celestia and her miserable little ponies still didn’t know where her hive was, Kevin’s silence would be enough to keep her secret shame safe.
* * ✹ * *
“Good afternoon, Your Highnesses and Miss Wysteria!” Mayor Mare bowed deeply as the royal entourage disembarked from their train. “On the behalf of Matilda and Cranky, I thank you all for taking the time to come to Ponyville today.”
“We wouldn’t dream of missing it.” Princess Cadence nudged her husband and snickered. “Do you remember when Matilda helped us with the snakes?”
“I thought we agreed to never speak of that again,” Celestia huffed, her feathers ruffling in annoyance. “Or should I remind you two of the punishment that you both endured for that?”
“It was all Cadence’s idea!” Shining protested. “I was dragged into it unwillingly!”
Cadence let out a seductive hum and brushed up against him with a mischievous grin. “As I recall, you were easily bribed with a few kisses, some tickling, and the promise of an unforgettable night. You didn’t hesitate when it came time to break into Auntie Celestia’s chambers.”
“I knew it!” Celestia jabbed a hoof at the captain of the guard and smiled. “There was no way you three miscreants could have gotten in otherwise!”
“In the interest of time, perhaps we should discuss this matter later?” Luna remarked with a roll of her eyes. “But remind me to ask you for the particulars when we get home.”
“A wonderful idea,” Celestia said with a wicked grin. “That will give me time to figure out what to do with you two.”
“Forgive me,” Mayor Mare cut in, “but you seem to be missing your husband, Princess Celestia. Is everything alright?”
Celestia nodded. “Prince Bean will be here shortly. He was,” she cleared her throat, “detained due to an incident that happened this morning.”
“Detained?”
“My dear sister got a burr under her saddle and started electrocuting ponies with a stormcloud,” Luna gleefully offered as the group began to walk into town. “The Prince offered to finalize and notarize the paperwork needed to put the injured guards on leave so we would not be late for the wedding.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Celestia grumbled. “Horsenpfeffer said everypony will be fine in a week or two.”
“I can’t wait to get the debrief on this one,” Shining cackled. “Perhaps we can call a truce? I’ll forget this incident if you forget the snakes.”
“Deal,” Celestia agreed. “Now then, let us not keep the wedding from starting on time.”
Princess Celestia, Mare of the Morn, and Princess Luna, Mare of the Moon, offered a thin grin to a pair passing ponies, then turned so they could properly bicker with each other.
“What do you mean you left the present on the counter?!” Celestia hissed her whispered anger through clenched teeth.
“I thought you were bringing it!” Luna harshly snarled back.
Celestia let out an annoyed scoff. “Well, this is just wonderful!”
The argument was interrupted by Spike, who casually strode between them and deposited a large green present on the table. If he had overheard their hushed argument, he said nothing about it, nor did he react in the slightest to their obviously fake smiles.
“I handled the gift for Shining Armor and Cadence!” Luna snapped as soon as the young dragon had left the vicinity. “You were supposed to do this one, remember?”
“Well, we can’t just come to this wedding empty-hooved!”
“Hey sweetie.” Baked Bean appeared out of nowhere, gave his wife a kiss on the cheek, and slid a pink present off his back and onto the table. “Sorry I’m late. You left this on the counter, by the way. Good thing I saw it, eh?”
Luna’s grin went from ear to ear, and Celestia nickered in annoyance. “Shut up, Luna.”
“Now now, ladies,” Bean said, and he put a hoof on both of their chests, as if to keep them apart. “You two can fight over this later. The wedding is just about to start.”
The three of them then moved towards their seats, with the two sisters still glaring daggers at each other. Before either of them could resume the argument, however, Bean pointed to Shining Armor. “Do we need to help him?”
Celestia chuckled as Shining let out a loud sob. “No, he’s always like this at weddings.” Her ears flicked back when he somehow let loose a louder wail and fell into Cadence’s embrace. “Usually he waits until the wedding starts, however.”
“So, what is the final report?” Luna asked as they took their seats.
“Corporal Cliffside, Private Rock Steady, and Private Bebop will be out of commission for a week, and then Doctor Horsenpfeffer wants them on light duty for three weeks after that, just to be safe. The damage to the grounds was minimal, but we are going to have to pay for the repairs. Seems we maxed out our palace insurance policy with the whole Tirek and Bob the Changeling mess. Minister Penny Wise should have the final cost once we get back, and I’m pretty extra sure she’s going to blame me for the damage.”
“She’d better not,” Celestia muttered.
“Attention, everypony!” a beige mare in sunglasses proclaimed from the entrance. “Our friends have done it! They’ve defeated the bugbear!”
The assembled townsfolk broke into a cheer, but Celestia’s gaze remained fixed on the pony who had made the announcement. “Well, this is a most disturbing revelation.”
“It is?” Bean asked.
“Yes. It would seem that Agent Bon Bon’s cover has been compromised,” she whispered to him.
“Agent?” Bean’s eyes darted between his wife and the mare with the two-tone mane. “Wait. Is she a member of—”
“Shh, not here.” Celestia put a hoof on Bean’s lips to silence him, and she glanced around the room to see if anypony had heard. “But yes, she is. We’ll have to pull her aside after the wedding to discuss what has happened. I would hate to reassign her, but we might be forced to.” Celestia tapped her chin with a hoof. “Bean, why don’t we have you make contact. Be casual; act like you’re simply saying hello. The code phrase is ‘I never liked pineapple on my pizza.’”
“I can do that,” he softly said with a nod. “But pineapple on pizza really is actually pretty good. It’s one of my favorite toppings, to be honest.”
“We’ll need a new phrase after this, so you can establish what the new one will be. Perhaps something about how horrible ketchup is?” Celestia said with a giggle.
“I’ll work on it.”
From his vantage point on the observation deck, Sergeant Hokey Pokey drew in a silent breath while watching the crowd below. Though the threat to the royals from the citizens of Ponyville was non-existent, he and Sergeant Clover had been both surprised and disturbed when they found a changeling.
Admittedly, changelings had become a fairly common problem in their lives, but this one was slightly difficult to take as a serious threat, mostly because he began each sentence with an apology. And his name was Kevin, which really did not scream ‘evil vicious killer changeling’ in any language. It was more like it whispered ‘isolated geek seeking a dentist,’ since he had one broken-off fang and a somewhat crooked smile.
So while Kevin seemed inoffensive enough, the guards were determined not to take any chances. While Pokey surveyed the area from above, Clover remained close enough to tackle the bug, should he try to make any funny moves. Other than his constantly bringing her hors d’oeuvre and asking if she wanted any punch, of course.
Pokey was grateful that the other wedding guests were giving Kevin a wide berth, as that made it all the easier to keep tabs on his location, and to catch him in the act of changing, if he tried to.
“Is everypony here?” Mayor Mare asked, and Pokey glanced out the bay window to his left. Princess Twilight and the Element Bearers were making a mad dash towards them, but with a hearty slam, Derpy closed and locked the entrance without even noticing what she’d done.
“All set, Mayor!” she called back, and Pokey chuckled to himself. Thankfully, Twilight and her friends were quick to move to a nearby open window, and they huddled together to ensure all could see the proceedings.
“So, how did you find out about the wedding?” he asked in a low voice, so as not to interrupt Mayor Mare’s speech.
“I was invited, believe it or not,” Chrysalis replied, and an invitation held aloft by green magic moved into his view. “See? I’m being a good little bug, my sweet babboo.”
“Not your sweet babboo,” he muttered as she rubbed up against him like a housecat in heat.
“Deny it all you like, but we both know you’re lying,” she cooed. “You know you love me, Pokey-poo.”
“I’ll take babboo over Pokey-poo any day,” he grumbled. “What do you plan on doing with all of this love? Gonna try to take over Canterlot again?”
“Mm, perhaps I will,” Chrysalis purred. “Then you and I could have a lovely fight. I can only imagine the moves you’d put on me.”
Pokey could only sigh in amusement to that. “You are insufferable, you know that?”
“Would you have me any other way?”
The question hit him with far more force than it should have. He had fallen in love with Bluebelle, and he was going to propose to her. In his mind, that perfect mare had been killed by Chrysalis when she had revealed herself and her deception, and he had been both unwilling and unable to forgive her for such a heinous crime.
But as he thought her words over, his mind went over the time that Chrysalis had spent in his house since then, and he noticed for the first time that Chrysalis and Bluebelle were remarkably similar.
There were obvious differences, of course, and not just in physical appearance. Chrysalis was devious, manipulative, and unabashedly evil. She reveled in her nefarious plots, and she was so self-centered that it was a wonder that any of her plans worked in the first place. Above all, everything had to be about her, in one way or another. She was the prima donna on the stage of life, and she would never let you forget it, either.
But Pokey had to admit a begrudging admiration of her tenacity and resolve. Each of her defeats had been met with a renewed effort for success, like a military commander⁽¹⁾ who was consumed and committed to winning a war, despite the individual battles that might be lost. Chrysalis never quit, and she never surrendered. He appreciated that devotion to her cause, misguided as it was, and he was even impressed by it.
⁽¹⁾Pokey also cheered for the Detrot Lions, who held an unenviable 0-127 record over the last seven seasons but were beginning to show some real promise this year.
—
Buried deeply underneath all of the bravado and the posturing, though, was a remarkably sensitive and thoughtful bug. It was a side of her that came out in the quiet moments, when she was still and when she felt safe.⁽²⁾ He recalled one conversation—and only one—when she had expressed a sincere concern for her drones and their well-being, and how that had caught him by surprise. She was a cruel taskmaster, but her minions did not go hungry, and they were kept safe and warm through her efforts to protect her hive. Occasionally, she would ask him how his day had gone, and rarely, he could somehow tell that she was asking because she was genuinely interested, and not because she was fishing for information.
⁽²⁾A little alcohol went a long way in removing her internal filters too, he had discovered.
—
“No,” he softly said, his eyes drifting to Matilda and Cranky. “I don’t suppose I would.”
Chrysalis let out a small gasp of glee, and Pokey felt his heart skip a beat as she pressed more of her surprisingly soft self against his side. “Did I just hear you right, my sweet Pokey? Have you finally admitted defeat?”
“You wish,” he snorted, but with a grin. “There’s still plenty about you that I would change, if I could. But if I could just get you to drop the walls, there might be something worth staying for.”
“So help me, I will corrupt you one of these days.” Chrysalis nipped at his neck, and a low note rumbled deep in her chest as his wing wrapped over her. “You’ll see. I’m a very stubborn bug.”
Pokey chuckled, and he pulled the queen in a bit closer. “We’ll see who corrupts who.”
The two said nothing as Cranky and Matilda kissed over the cheer of the crowd, but then Chrysalis spoke up again. “You know, I thought I would hate Matilda’s dress, but it’s not all that bad, now that I really look at it. It’s still horribly outdated and frumpy, but it does have a sort of classic timelessness to it. If I made a few modifications, I bet it would look fabulous on me.”
Pokey glanced at the bug in his embrace. He tried to picture her in such a gown.
And he had to admit that she would look good. Not that he would ever tell her that, of course.
He’d never hear the end of it if he did.
* * ✹ * *
“Matilda, I just love your dress!” Lyra gushed. “It’s so exquisite!”
“Why thank you, dear!” Matilda blushed slightly, but her smile couldn’t be any bigger. “It’s an old family heirloom, believe it or not. My mother wore it, and her mother, and her mother before that!”
“That covers the ‘something old’ part pretty well then, doesn’t it?” Lyra giggled. “And Cranky! Who did your hair? It looks so luxuriant.”
“Oh, well…”he grumbled with a bashful grin. “Steven might have helped me out with that. A little.”
“Hey,” Bon Bon interrupted with a tap on Lyra’s shoulder. “I need to go use the little filly’s room. I’ll be right back, okay? Save me some punch.”
Lyra nodded, and Bon Bon quickly trotted towards the restrooms. Just before she reached them, however, she surreptitiously made a left turn, quickly descended a flight of stairs, glanced up and down the basement hallway, and ducked into the hall’s archive room. The heavy, Everfree Forest-proof door slid closed behind her, the sound muffled and removed by a golden magical glow.
“Agent.” The meager light of a candle flared to life, and was just bright enough to illuminate the stern faces of Celestia, Luna, and Baked Bean.
“Your Highnesses.” Bon Bon bowed with a quick bob of her head.
“Report.”
“Intel is still a bit sketchy, but it looks like the bugbear was provoked into coming here. I was able to blend into the crowd and remain undetected.”
“And what of Lyra Heartstrings?” Luna asked.
Bon Bon’s gaze flicked to her hooves. “She remains ignorant. I used cover story number seven, and gave her the fake name of Sweetie Drops. She believed everything I said.”
“Good,” Celestia said with a sigh of relief. “It would have taken years to undo the damage, had you been compromised.”
“Perhaps I need to be reassigned, Princess,” Bon Bon said in a soft tone. “I think I’ve become too attached to the local population.”
“That’s exactly what we need, Agent,” Celestia replied. “They won’t trust you if you’re not their friend. Lyra especially.”
Bon Bon sucked in a breath, and she stood at her full height. Celestia was right. She had known the risks when she’d agreed to take this assignment, and she had known of the sacrifices she’d have to make.
“Forgive me, Princess. I admit that I was a little disturbed by what has happened, but I won’t let this affect me.”
“And that’s why you’re the best,” Celestia said with a warm smile and a nod towards the door. “Get back to the wedding, before anypony starts to miss you. We’ll be watching.”
Bon Bon nodded, and she left as quickly as she’d come. It was time to get back to work.
* * ✹ * *