Twilight pressed a foreleg over her face, blocking whatever light seeped in beneath her eyelids. Any other night, she would simply have rolled her back toward the source. Unfortunately, her current condition made that impossible. Still beneath her covers, she arched her back, listening as her bones popped into place one-by-one. Her undamaged wing unfurled to its full length.
“Did I wake you?” Chrysalis apologized.
Instead of answering, Twilight slipped out of her bed, her hooves recoiling at the touch of the freezing tile. Once her eyes adjusted to the light pouring in, she noticed what exactly she had been trying to block out. Her balcony doors had been pulled inward, their purple curtains billowing in the morning wind. Chrysalis waited on the stone beyond, hooves up on the stone railing. Past her, the top half of the sun poked over the mountains.
“What are you doing up this early?” Twilight’s dry throat made her voice rather raspy.
“I’m usually up this early.” Chrysalis kept her focus on the horizon.
Drawn forth by the hidden hand of magic, Twilight’s covers lifted from her bed, wrapping around her like a coat as she joined her friend on the terrace. Below, the gardeners had already started on their daily chores. Guards in varying colors of armor patrolled the walkways, watching the skies for incoming threats or departing changelings.
“Why?” Twilight asked, craning her neck.
“I like mornings like this,” She said with a shrug.
Above, a team of pegasi gathered silver clouds over the castle. They zipped to-and-fro, building the towering grey fluff like fillies piecing together a puzzle. Twilight watched a pegasus laugh at an unheard joke as he worked.
“It’s probably going to rain,” She pointed out.
“Must be nice to control the weather.”
“It’s not as easy as it looks.” Twilight thought back to her days of flight training with Dash. She briefly covered weather control but lacked the necessary intuition of a pegasus to do well. How long had it been since she practiced? Any other teacher than Dash would probably have been disappointed.
Their perfect morning ended with the sound of Twilight’s grumbling stomach. Her cheeks burned bright red as cowered into her repurposed bedsheet.
“Time for breakfast already?” Chrysalis laughed, noticing the other mare’s embarrassment.
“It’s not my fault. I didn’t eat dinner last night,” Twilight explained in an unusually squeaky tone.
“Well, if you’re heading downstairs, I guess I should head back to my room.”
The two of them moved back inside, closing off the sunlight behind them. Twilight shed her quilt, tossing it haphazardly onto the bed with the thought to fix it later.
“You could join me.”
“I feel as though that would get us both in trouble,” Chrysalis watched Twilight from the corner of her eye.
“From who? The crowd in the dining hall is usually sparse this early in the morning. Besides, we can take the long way if you’re worried about disturbing the guards.”
“It’s your castle. Or at least more your castle than mine. Either way, I’ll follow your lead.” Chrysalis waved a hoof.
“Good. Maybe we can even continue our discussion from last night.”
With their plans settled, Twilight started for the dining hall, Chrysalis just behind her. As they left, the two sentries fell into line wordlessly. Excluding Twilight, the group watched one another closely. Still, neither faction intended on starting a confrontation this early.
Growing weary of contesting her escort, Chrysalis inspected the world around her in quiet contemplation. She didn’t recognize this section of the castle. Still, no other guards were here to pester her, so she didn’t mind. Twilight’s confident strut meant that at the very least, she knew where they were going.
“Why are you so curious about changelings?” Chrysalis asked as they turned down a much thinner passage.
“I’m curious about a lot of things.” Twilight shrugged. “And anything I can learn about your kind could be the key to helping Celestia.”
“How did anything you learned last night help with that?”
A staircase led down several stories. The sound of rattling armor superseded their echoing steps.
“Any little bit might help form a new hypothesis.”
“Does that mean you’ve given up on that idea you were working on before yesterday’s . . . accident.”
“My potion? I’m hoping it might be able to counter a changeling’s magic. If I’m right, it might be able to neutralize the poison killing Celestia.”
“If it doesn’t?”
“Then I’ll have to make a few changes. Or we’ll have to come up with a new idea.”
“What about the method we discussed in the Gardens. Have you given that any consideration?”
Twilight sighed. “I told you, I have no intention of sacrificing a changeling to save Celestia.”
“And Luna?”
“Neither does she. I know the two of you don’t see eye-to-eye, but can you try to have a bit of faith in her? For me?” Twilight pleaded.
“I suppose I can try, though I doubt she’ll show me the same courtesy.”
The purple princess frowned. “That’s not a great start.”
“I’m sorry.” Chrysalis spent a moment calming herself. “I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you.” Twilight rolled the words around her head. “And I’ll try to make sure Luna does that same for you. Is that fair?”
“I suppose.”
“Thank you.”
With their conversation finished, the four travelers finally reached the bottom of the stairs. A thin brick archway opened into the dining hall. In her place at the head of the table, Luna resided over the remains of her breakfast, cradling a novelty rainbow mug. She indulged in a long sip of her freshly brewed coffee.
“Good morning, Luna,” Twilight announced, leading her entourage into the room.
“Morning, Twilight. I didn’t think you would be up so early. Doctor Heart specifically instructed me to let you sleep in. How are you feeling?”
Twilight nestled into position beside Luna. She adjusted her bandages and presented her damaged wing. “A little beat up. Nothing to be worried about. Don’t know how long it’ll be before I can fly right again.”
“And your horn?”
“Still in one piece.”
“Good to hear. I was worried about you.”
“That’s kind of you to say, Princess. Really, it wasn’t anything serious.”
Chrysalis and her guards still waited near the entryway, unwilling to approach the royal duo conversing at the table. Twilight, noticing their apprehension, motioned for them to join her with a delighted grin.
“I see you brought company,” Luna said, watching as the rest of the group filed in.
“I didn’t know if you would be here, so I invited Chrysalis to join me. The guards just follow her everywhere.”
Chrysalis planted herself at Twilight’s side, making sure to give Luna a wide berth as she passed, and endeavored to keep the smaller alicorn between them at all times. Her precise movements didn’t go unnoticed by a worried Twilight.
“I must apologize on behalf of the kitchen staff,” Luna said after a long drink, “I admit, I am unsure if they have any experience serving a changeling.”
“That’s quite alright.” Chrysalis gripped tight to the visage of a desperately pleading Twilight. “I haven’t managed to work up an appetite yet this morning.” She gave the sincerest smile she could manage. The pride written across Twilight’s face told her she had done well.
“You and Twilight have been spending quite a bit of time together, recently. Have you uncovered anything of note?” Luna watched their reactions.
“If we’re getting on to business,” Twilight began, “I think we’d best do so in private.” She motioned to the guards waiting nearby.
“If you think it best, then go ahead.”
“You two.”
“Yes, Princess?” The stallions snapped to attention.
“Have you eaten yet?”
“No, Princess.”
“Then you’re dismissed for the rest of the morning. Go enjoy breakfast. We’ll send word if we require any assistance.”
The two stallions looked to Luna for permission. She responded with a bored nod; the lower half of her face hidden by her cup. They shuffled off noisily to join their brothers-in-arms in the next room.
“You were saying?” Luna asked.
“I think I might have figured out a way to help Celestia.” Twilight beamed. “We know that whatever is doing this to her is some kind of changeling magic. I’ve been trying to work from that angle. I think I may have found a way to nullify the magic, and by hopeful extension, the poison.”
“Have you tested it yet?”
“No. I was hoping to get that done today.”
Chrysalis’ focus shifted from the conversation. A young blue mare dressed in a pristine servant’s uniform watched her from the kitchen window. The mare kept her gaze locked on Chrysalis, flavoring the surrounding air with the horrid taste of fear. The changeling rested her head on the table, avoiding visual contact with her observer.
Eventually, the small mare gathered enough courage to reveal herself. She produced a small notebook from one of the myriad pockets on her apron and retrieved the pencil tucked behind her ear.
“Can I take your order, Princess?” Her voice was practically a whisper.
“Oatmeal. With blueberries and a little drizzle of honey,” Twilight said with a practiced familiarity.
“And for y- you?” She turned to Chrysalis, terrified.
“Nothing for me.” She shooed the waiter away. The poor pony radiated relief.
The waitress scribbled a quick word on her notepad before leaving to fill the orders.
“I had hoped the castle staff would have warmed up to you a little by now,” Luna sighed.
Chrysalis snorted. “You said that so confidently I almost believed you.”
The attitude earned her an angry frown from Twilight. “You said you’d try to be nice,” she scolded under her breath.
Luna hid a smirk behind another sip.
“I’m sorry, Princess. We’re still working on her etiquette.”
Luna emptied her mug and set it aside. “There are some things that can’t be taught, Twilight. It doesn’t bother me.”
“Well it bothers me,” Twilight explained.
“Now that she has found her voice, maybe she would be willing to answer a few questions I have been pondering over for the last few days.” Luna’s smile tightened.
“Ask away.” Chrysalis refused to meet either pony’s gaze.
“I wanted to ask about your little revelation to Twilight the other day. The one about a possible cure for my sister.”
“Anything specific?”
“Well, there are a few . . . hazy details I would like clarified. If it is not too much trouble, of course.”
Twilight’s nerves visibly rattled.
“I have nothing left to hide,” Chrysalis admitted as innocently as she could.
“How does it work?”
“I believe I explained fairly clearly.”
“Humor me.”
Chrysalis exhaled slowly. “Then I’ll do my best to keep it simple for you. It’s a trick we changelings are capable of. By utilizing a heavy dose of magic, we can heal other creatures. For most changelings, the excessive drain is enough to kill them.”
“Is any changeling capable of such feats?”
“Why do you want to know?” Chrysalis inquired.
“I simply want to know why this was kept a secret from us. I can understand you would lie, but Thorax and Pharynx? They both know the dire ramifications of my sister’s situation, yet they opted to help hide your secret. I suppose if you can’t answer, I can always . . . ask the two of them.” Luna twirled the silver spoon in her dish.
Chrysalis studied the other two. Every instinct in her regarded Luna as a threat, and the hesitation in her voice struck a nerve. Given Twilight’s absent stare, Chrysalis figured she hadn’t noticed it. “I’m more than happy to answer your questions. I’m simply . . . curious.” This only drew more ire from both.
“So then, do you intend on answering my question?” Luna tried again.
“Theoretically, any of them should be capable of it with the right training and emotional control. The bigger issue is that I’m the only changeling alive that meets either of those criteria.”
“Sacrificing you is the only way to save my sister?” Luna sounded dour.
“Before you go getting your hopes up, I should tell you that I’ve never done it either. More importantly, I can’t do it.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?” Hostility crept into the princess’ voice.
“Can’t,” Chrysalis said, tapping a hoof against the broken nub she once called a horn.
Luna’s mask dropped, revealing a tired, broken mare underneath. Her guard down, the room flooded with a bitter taste comprised equally of pain and sorrow.
“I’m sorry,” Chrysalis admitted. Perhaps she had misjudged Luna. Or maybe she simply wore a second mask beneath the first. It didn’t really matter at this point; the damage had been done.
“Are you lying to me again, Chrysalis? Is this another of your games?” Luna asked, her voice inching closer to her Royal Canterlot voice. Twilight drew inward, unwilling to take any further part in this conversation.
“No. It’s why I didn’t tell you at first. Either of you. I didn’t think an impossible task worthy of mentioning. Worse, I believed you would force one of my changelings to try and do it in my place. Such an undertaking would accomplish nothing but more death. Perhaps I made the wrong decision.”
Chrysalis couldn’t vocalize her feelings. She felt guilt bubbling deep inside. She had done this to them. She had put them in this position. If she were able to trade her life for Celestia, she would gladly have done it. She would have done it simply for Twilight’s sake.
The kitchen staff returned, Twilight’s breakfast and Luna’s coffee in tow. They cleared away the old dishes and left hastily. They didn’t need to be changelings to feel the emotion running hot in the air. Luna downed her drink in record time, as if doing so would wake her from this nightmare. Twilight had lost her appetite, preferring instead to simply turn the grey slop over in the bowl endlessly.
Luna eventually recovered. “For your sake, I hope you find another way to save my sister.”
“I’m doing my best,” Chrysalis defended.
“I don’t care. Regardless of Twilight’s lax treatment of you, I urge you to remember that you are still a prisoner here, Chrysalis. If my sister does not recover, your punishment falls to me, and I will be more than happy to see it through.” With that, the dark princess rose, making her way to the exit with a pair of her thestrals appearing behind her.
“Twilight?” Luna stopped just shy of reaching the handle.
“Yes?” Her voice sounded tiny. Terrified. She looked far more worried than she ever had facing Chrysalis.
“We have guests arriving sometime today.”
“Who?”
“Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. I asked them here to help you and keep an eye on Chrysalis. Prepare yourself for their arrival.” And with those parting words, Luna vanished into the mess hall.