“Chrysalis?”
The changeling’s world snapped back into focus. She spared a glance downward, at the small purple pony using her crossed legs as a pillow.
“Yes?”
“I think I feel a bit better now.”
Twilight’s cheeks had dried, but the red tint around her eyes told the same story just as clearly.
“I said you would.”
Chrysalis released the pink stripe of Twilight’s mane, allowing the princess to sit up and join her in leaning against the wall.
“You know, I’m usually a lot better at handling pressure.”
“Even the sturdiest stone breaks if you push hard enough. Better to bend a little before the cracks start showing up. Luna should understand that better than anyone.”
“I won’t make a habit of it,” Twilight promised, leaning over and letting her head rest on Chrysalis’ shoulder. “But you never actually answered my question.”
“You’ll have to be more specific. I ignore a lot of your questions,” Chrysalis teased.
Twilight nudged her playfully.
“When I asked if you thought I could do this. Save Celestia, I mean.”
“Of course I believe in you, Twilight.”
“Well, then I guess I’ll trust you, then.”
Their quiet moment shattered with the sound of a growling stomach. Chrysalis cast a sideways glance toward the princess. Twilight, meanwhile, had frozen in terror, her cheeks glowing a bright pink.
“You know, I could really go for something to eat,” Chrysalis decided.
“Me too,” Twilight squeaked, ducking to hide away her blush.
“Then what are we doing sitting around here?” Chrysalis’s wings floated her up onto her hooves. Twilight chose a more basic solution, using the wall to steady herself as she climbed up. Together, the two of them made their way toward the more populous wings of the castle.
Along the way, Twilight made a realization.
“You know, I’m not even sure the kitchen is open this late,” she said, rounding the corner into another seemingly endless hallway.
“Shining seemed to think it would be.”
“The mess hall is definitely open. It’s specifically the kitchen that I’m thinking about. I’m not sure anyone is actually working to prepare food this late in the night. Or . . . early in the morning, I guess.”
“I feel like that’s something you should know. Isn’t this your castle?” Chrysalis asked incredulously.
“You’ve seen my castle. You’ve broken into my castle. You kidnapped me from my castle for Celestia’s sake. Chrysalis, you know full well this isn’t my castle!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Even so, didn’t you used to live here?”
“Back when I was still working directly under Celestia as her student, I did.”
“So, isn’t the hours of operation for the kitchen something you should know? I feel like that should be pretty common knowledge.”
“Maybe,” Twilight conceded, “But I never really used the kitchen back when I lived here. I had an arrangement to have my meals delivered either to my room or, failing that, to the library. During my late-night study sessions, I always made sure to have a snack ordered beforehand.”
“You took your meals in the library?” Chrysalis questioned dryly.
“On rare occasions when I didn’t eat in my room. Yes.”
“I’m not sure I fully grasped the extent of your nerdiness when I agreed to this arrangement. It might be a bit of a deal-breaker, Twilight.” Her overdramatic tone would have made thespians across Equestria swoon.
“I appreciate the attempt, but you already made that joke,” Twilight said, ignoring the slight. “If you really want to get to me, you’ll have to try a little harder than that.”
“Did I already use that?” Chrysalis chewed the inside of her cheek.
“You did. So, what else have you got?” Twilight challenged.
“Well, I could just call you a nerd?” Chrysalis suggested.
“Real original,” Twilight mused, rolling her eyes.
“Apologies, Princess. I don’t have a lot of experience mocking a romantic partner of mine. Sue me,” Chrysalis huffed, hurrying a few steps ahead. Her snobbish demeanor drew the attention of several sentries down the length of the hallway.
Twilight wrinkled her muzzle.
“I’m pretty sure that you’ve been in more relationships than I’ve had birthdays.”
“Yes, but none of them were . . . you know . . .” Chrysalis trailed off.
“None of them were what?” Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued.
“None of them were . . . real,” Chrysalis whispered, keeping her focus anywhere but on the mare beside her.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. You may think that I’m some sort of experienced love expert, but the truth is, Twilight, I’ve never been in a relationship like this before,” Chrysalis admitted.
Twilight beamed.
“It’s alright. Neither have I. But we’ll figure this out. Together. All right?”
“I suppose we will.” Chrysalis returned her gracious smile. “Nerd.”
“Whatever you say, My Queen,” Twilight shot back with an overdramatic flourish.
“I see a bit of my sass is finally rubbing off on you.” Chrysalis sniffled. “I’m so proud.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Twilight affectionately shoulder-bumped the changeling. “Don’t get used to it.”
The duo shared a laugh as they finally arrived at the grand entrance to the mess hall. The guards on duty acknowledged them as they passed into the great chamber beyond. Despite the late hour, several soldiers were still gathered around the room. They stayed in thin clumps, swapping stories of their nightly patrols.
The guards didn’t even try to hide their contemptuous glares as Chrysalis passed by. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have given them a second thought. With Luna’s announcement, however, these hostile stares left her feeling oddly cold, even beneath her fluffy attire. At the very least, the princess’s presence seemed to be enough to soothe their bite.
“Do they look at every changeling the same way?” Chrysalis wondered under her breath.
“What was that?” Twilight asked over her shoulder.
“Nothing. Just thinking out loud.”
At the end of the main aisle, a trio of ponies dressed in white hats and aprons were doling out meals to hungry soldiers. Their confections ranged from sweet desserts to a rainbow of different colored soups. Each customer left eager to enjoy their overdue dinner.
As the two mares drew close, one of the servers stepped forward. The young green mare smoothed her dirty apron and adjusted her hat before bowing.
“Good evening, Princess Twilight.”
“And to you as well. My companion and I were unable to make it to dinner at a reasonable time. I don’t suppose your crew is still taking orders for tonight, are they?”
“For you, Your Majesty? Of course. What would you like?”
Chrysalis only half-listened as Twilight rattled off a list of ingredients for a salad. Rather, she was preoccupied watching the rest of the kitchen staff sitting in the back. They were gathered around a small circular table, reclining in simple wooden seats. To a casual observer, they appeared to be resting at the end of a long shift. Chrysalis knew better. She saw every tensed muscle, each subtle shift in their demeanor as they noticed the changeling.
Or perhaps she was simply being paranoid.
She supposed it made no difference to her, either way.
A light tap on her shoulder brought her back into the conversation.
“Hmm?” she grunted.
The chef sat silently, her pencil resting against her notepad expectantly. Beside her, Twilight was waiting patiently.
“Are you going to order?” she asked.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Chrysalis explained.
“You sure?”
“I am.”
“Suit yourself.” Twilight shrugged, turning back to the chef. “And I guess I’ll add a slice of that apple pie you were talking about.”
“Excellent choice, Princess.”
Tucking her notepad into one of the pockets on her apron, the mare made her way back into the kitchen. Without a word, the rest of the crew gathered their things and followed.
“We should go find a seat,” Twilight said. “They’ll bring it out to us when it’s ready.”
The two claimed a section of the benches just off the main aisle. Twilight passed the time resting her chin on the edge of the table. Chrysalis kept her eyes on the far window. With the glare, she couldn’t make out anything of the night beyond. A small part of her wished that the shadows would sneak in through the glass, shrouding her from the prying eyes she could feel boring into her back. Assuming, obviously, that dark tendrils weren’t still waiting there to drag her back into their hellish nightmare.
It only took a few minutes before a server arrived, balancing Twilight’s dinner on a silver tray. He was an older stallion sporting a thinning grey beard. The same one that had been watching Chrysalis while they ordered.
He set out a rather austere white plate, laden with lettuce, carrots, cucumber slices, and a whole host of various vegetables. A viscous vinaigrette had been drizzled over the top. Beside it, he set a smaller saucer holding a golden slice of apple pie. Each dish had its own fork to go with it. His job complete, the server took his leave.
“Here.” Twilight slid the pie slice across the table.
Chrysalis stared down at the dish offered to her. The movement had caused a few drops of the honey-like filling to spill out.
“You’re giving me your slice of pie?”
“Yeah. I ordered it for you.”
“I appreciate the thought, Twilight, but changelings don’t really eat like you ponies do.”
“I know, but you still can, right? I mean, don’t you eat when you’re undercover?”
“More out of necessity for keeping up appearances, rather than nutrition. Food doesn’t really do much for us in that department. In fact, I don’t think I’ve eaten anything in years.”
“There are more reasons to eat than nutrition,” Twilight argued. She lifted her fork with her magic before stabbing it through a chunk of carrot. “That’s especially true of desserts. Besides, I distinctly remember you eating at Cadence’s wedding.”
Chrysalis took hold of her own utensil, poking at the slice on her plate. “How and why do you remember that?”
“I remember a lot about that day,” Twilight admitted, biting the orange bit from the tip of her fork. “I was following Cadence – or you, rather – trying to find out what you were up to. And then . . . well, you know how the story goes from there.”
“I locked you in the caves beneath Canterlot.”
“Yeah.”
“I . . . uh . . . don’t know if I ever apologized for that.” Chrysalis poked at a piece of apple that had fallen on her plate.
Twilight shifted uncomfortably.
“Maybe we should change the subject.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you have to tiptoe around me, Twilight. We both know what happened. Neither of us can change it.”
Twilight took a few silent bites.
“So, what were you thinking about?”
“My past failures,” Chrysalis moaned.
“Not right now,” Twilight corrected her with a frown. “I meant earlier when you were talking to yourself. I didn’t quite hear you.”
Chrysalis took the opportunity to shovel a piece of the pie into her mouth. Even as muted as it was, she could feel the tingle of sweetness within. Not sugar. She wouldn’t have been able to taste that. Instead, she tasted the saccharine tang of love. Most importantly, though, the distraction gave her a moment to think.
“I was thinking about Alicorn physiology,” Chrysalis lied, swallowing hard.
“Really?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, really. In particular, I was thinking about a rumor I heard once. Many ponies believe that alicorns don’t eat, drink, or sleep. But I guess those are just rumors after all.”
“Not exactly. See, I’ve done my own fair share of thinking about that myself. Back when I first got my wings, I spent several weeks extensively studying my new form. I also managed to snag a few samples from other alicorns to compare them to. I actually found out a lot of interesting things. Want to hear about them?”
The candlelight flickered in Twilight’s eyes, transforming them into seas of little stars. The overwhelming amount of child-like energy packed into that look drove a spike of fear into Chrysalis’ heart.
“Samples?” She repeated.
“Yeah.” Twilight speared her fork into her salad, leaving it to stand on its own while she gestured madly with her hooves. “Tufts of fur. Strands of their manes. Things like that. I even managed to snag one of Luna’s feathers without her noticing.”
“I don’t know if I should be impressed or terrified,” Chrysalis said plainly.
“Anyways,” Twilight continued, “I compared theirs with my own, and discovered something pretty cool.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Tell me,” Chrysalis said, hoping she sounded more interested than she really was.
“As you may know, each pony has their own magic that manifests in different ways. Well, alicorns are far beyond any of that. As a combination of races, they have inherited an overwhelming amount of magic into their forms, adding a sort of mystical component to their bodies.”
“Makes sense.” Chrysalis nodded along.
“This component is what allows us to have such impressive magical abilities, such as the ability to control celestial bodies. And since we’re sustained magically, it lessens the strain on our bodies, meaning we require less sleep, food, or drink than an average pony. As we age, our magic becomes stronger, and our bodies become more resilient. This also results in increased size and a complete halt to aging.”
“Similar to a changeling Royal?” Chrysalis pointed out.
Twilight tapped her chin.
“I’ll have to do a few more comparisons before I can answer that confidently. If I might ask though, why the sudden interest?”
Chrysalis indulged in another bite of her dessert.
“I was just . . . wondering if it might have something to do with Celestia’s reaction to your cure. If alicorn physiology is different, it might have its own interaction with my magic.”
“I thought of that, too. I hypothesized that Celestia’s unique form is what kept her alive all this time. But I hadn’t considered the possibility that it might have changed how our cure works.”
“Well, you won’t be able to test anything until we’re finished eating,” Chrysalis reminded her.
“Right.” Twilight retrieved her fork and resumed her meal in silence.
Chrysalis scooped a bit of the crust into her mouth. At this point, she didn’t even know if she was eating because she enjoyed it, or just out of boredom. Regardless, she made sure to finish hers first, meaning Twilight wouldn’t have to wait once she was done.
“I’ll take your plate, Your Majesty.”
The same stallion that had served their food reappeared, snatching their empty dishes and adding them to an already stacked pile.
“Thank you,” Twilight told him.
Without another word, they were back out in the hallway, heading for Twilight’s study.
“You know, for something that doesn’t eat, you seemed to enjoy your meal,” Twilight said, a mischievous smile worming across her face.
“I wouldn’t exactly call a single slice of pie a meal,” Chrysalis argued.
“Fine. You seemed to enjoy your snack,” Twilight corrected.
“Decide what you wish, dear Twilight. Perhaps I simply ate it to keep you from bugging me?”
“You enjoyed it. Don’t try to weasel out of it.”
“I assure you that I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re referring to. I never weasel.”
“I’ll be sure to let Applejack know. According to the kitchen staff, she made it specifically for you. She thought you might need some cheering up after we brought you back.”
“Oh good,” Chrysalis groaned. “At least she chose a tasteless poison.”
“She wouldn’t poison you.” Twilight wrinkled her nose. “Not on purpose, at least.”
“That’s comforting?”
Though she hated admitting it to herself, Chrysalis found her way up to the study easily. The landmarks along the paths were becoming familiar. She recognized a painting of a half-dozen roses that hung on the wall. A vase filled with lavender that stood just slightly off-center on the table. Even markings as simple as chipped edges on the floor tiles. And finally, she met those great white gates that barred the way into Twilight’s study, complete with two solar sentries.
Twilight opened the door with her magic, but stepped aside, beckoning Chrysalis to go on without her. Though concerned, Chrysalis did as she asked. She heard Twilight whisper something to one of her guards, followed immediately by the sound of armor marching off into the distance. Then, a door, closing and locking.
Chrysalis silently debated whether or not she should turn.
“Did you enjoy eating dinner with me?” Twilight asked.
“Well enough, I suppose,” Chrysalis responded.
She heard Twilight’s steps getting closer.
“Was it a filling meal?”
“You know the answer to that.”
She was right behind Chrysalis now.
“Would you like something else?”
“How about you say what you’re really thinking, Twilight.”
Twilight’s steps paused.
“You’re going to feed off me,” She commanded.
“We’ve been through this already. I won’t do it.”
“You have to. You said yourself that you can’t use your magic without feeding. And if we’re going to fix this cure, we need your magic. Unless you thought of another way?”
“No. Not yet,” Chrysalis spat.
“Well, time’s up.”
“Please don’t ask me to do this, Twilight.”
Twilight circled around to meet the changeling face-to-face. “Please. I need you to do this. For Equestria. For me.” She rose up on her hind legs, wrapping herself around Chrysalis’ neck in a tight hug.
“I can’t,” Chrysalis whispered.
Twilight caressed the changeling’s cheek, guiding her to meet the alicorn’s gaze. “Why not? Tell me what’s wrong and I’ll fix it.”
“There’s nothing to fix, Twilight. It’s dangerous. And if I hurt you—”
Twilight silenced her by pressing a hoof gently to her lips.
“Do you trust me, Chrysalis?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Then will you believe me when I say that I know you can do this?”
“It’s not that simple—”
This time, Twilight silenced her with a kiss.
Chrysalis battled against her nature. She tried to pull away, but her changeling instincts took control. Her mind grew dizzy, her muscles began to ache. The aromatic taste of love blossomed in the air, burning Chrysalis’ lungs as she struggled to deny herself the privilege of a single drop. But she couldn’t fight the inevitable forever. Like a starving beast, she pinned Twilight to the floor, refusing to let their lips part. The smaller mare squirmed, but made no attempt to escape.
Rather, time slowed to a crawl as Twilight’s thoughts fled and her senses failed. Reality itself drifted away as the corners of her eyes grew dim. Silence overtook everything save for the sound of her heartbeat hammering in her ears. Her stomach twisted and turned on itself. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice screamed at her to fight back. To flee. To do anything but lie here and play victim to a predator like Chrysalis.
But she didn’t care. Over everything else, Twilight felt a sense of euphoria. Nothing mattered anymore except for the two of them, tangled together on the scratchy rug, enveloped in a green haze. She could feel Chrysalis’ warm breath. With each eager gasp, the pony slipped further away.
And then it was over.