//------------------------------// // 51: Back to Business // Story: Death of a Queen // by Arkane12 //------------------------------// “Are you sure you’ll be alright, Twilight?” Shining asked. “I was sure the last time you asked. I can only guess, but I think I’ll be pretty sure this time, too,” she said. “Besides, the Crystal Empire needs you.” “The Crystal Empire will survive just fine without me.” “And so will I, Shiny.” “I believed that up until last night. I asked her to watch over you and the moment I turn my back, we find you dying on the floor. It doesn’t exactly bolster my confidence.” “That’s not fair, Shining. Last night wasn’t her fault.” “It doesn’t matter whose fault it was. It doesn’t change what happened.” “Look. It was a . . . miscalculation. I learned my lesson. I promised her I wouldn’t try it again, so you don’t have anything to worry about.” “I hope so, Twily.” “Captain Armor” The siblings turned toward the incoming soldier. “You have something for me?” Shining asked. “Yes, Sir. Your carriage has arrived and is waiting out front.” “Thank you, Officer. Please inform the driver that we’re just waiting on Princess Cadence.” “I can go get her,” Twilight volunteered. Shining dismissed his underling with a wave. “You sure?” “Yeah. I still have to say bye to her, anyway.” Twilight threw her forelegs around her brother, squeezing his armor tight. “Do take care of yourself, Shiny. Things are getting crazy out there.” “I get the feeling things are going to get a lot crazier. I’ll send you a message as soon as we get back to the Empire. Keep us updated, alright?” “Will do.” Twilight relinquished her brother. With one last wave goodbye, she vanished in a purple-tinted flash. When she reopened her eyes, she was standing outside Cadence’s door, only inches away from a terrified changeling. “Hey, Thorax.” “Twilight?” Thorax picked himself up off the floor. “Sorry. You startled me.” “My bad.” She helped brush the dust off his shell. “Thanks. I assume you’re looking for Cadence?” He nodded to the door. “Yup. Everyone is waiting for her downstairs. You?” “Sort of. I’m looking for Chrysalis. And last I heard, Chrysalis was looking for her.” “Just you?” “Yeah. I went ahead and sent the rest of my hive back earlier. None of them were too keen on seeing her one last time. Weren’t the biggest fans of leaving me alone with her either, but they don’t have that much say in that.” “Do you need help looking?” “No. I’ll be alright.” “If you say so. I’ll make this quick, then.” With Thorax’s permission, she knocked on the door. Three sharp raps. “Who is it?” Cadence sang out from the other side. “Twilight,” she called back. “Thorax is out here, too.” “Oh! Give me one second.” The two young royals sat side-by-side. Thorax clicked his tongue to a rhythm Twilight didn’t recognize. The alicorn, meanwhile, spent her time balancing equations in her head. On second thought, she figured she probably should help Thorax with his search. That way she and Chrysalis could get to work. “Shoot.” The suddenness of Twilight’s pout threw Thorax off-beat. “What’s the matter?” “I don’t know if my lab was cleaned yet.” “What happened to your lab?” “Me and Chrysalis may or may not have demolished part of it.” “You demolished part of your lab? Like, on accident? What did you do?” Thorax asked. Given the tone of his voice, Twilight wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know. Still, he made no effort to stop her from answering. “We . . . made a bit of mess when she tried to feed.” “You what?” Thorax’s voice pitched up an octave. “I . . . may or may not have forced her to feed off me?” Twilight answered, preemptively ducking away from the changeling king. “Did she actually feed off you?” “I think so.” “Twilight, are you actually insane?” “Apparently.” “Do you know how dangerous that is? I’m kind of amazed you’re still alive.” “Yeah, yeah. I got the speech from her last night,” Twilight groaned. “I already promised that I wouldn’t do it again.” She rose, stomping her hoof as she started to pace. “I don’t get it, Thorax. She’s fed off me before. It left me drained, but never to that serious of a degree.” “It’s why Changelings don’t fall in love, Twilight.” Defeated, she plopped back down the floor where she started. “Yeah. That’s what Chrysalis said, too. That doesn’t tell me why, though.” “It’s just the way we are.” “So what then? There’s nothing to be done for it?” “Not that I know of.” “Because she loves me.” Thorax nodded. “Of course. Even nature itself wants to keep us apart at this point,” she lamented. “Thorax? Am I cruel?” “What do you mean?” “Am I being cruel to her? I love being with her. I feel a little warmer and fuzzier every time she’s around. I love hearing her jokes and listening to her sass everyone around her. And I know she enjoys my company, too. But are we just doomed to fail at this point?” “I still don’t think I understand the question.” “She wants to be with me. But every time she is, she has the desire to feed. If she gives in to that desire, she’ll kill me. If she fights it, then it’s just tormenting her. Am I cruel for wanting this? For wanting her?” “Of course not, Twilight.” “Sometimes, I’m not so sure,” Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a handle turning. The bedroom door swung open, revealing Cadence. The princess’ smile turned lopsided as the dreary air of their conversation finally struck her. “Am I interrupting something?” “No.” Twilight shook her head. “Can we come in?” “Of course.” Cadence moved aside, ushering them through and closing the door behind them. “So, did the two of you need something?” “I had a question for you. I think Twilight’s message is a bit more important, though.” “Alright,” Cadence shrugged. “Twilight?” “Shining sent me to get you. He wanted me to tell you that your carriage arrived to take you down to the station.” Cadence spun around, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Shoot! I didn’t realize how late I was. I’d better hurry up.” With renewed energy, she began cramming her belongings into a suitcase lying on the bed. “I’m sorry. I was talking with Chrysalis. I must have lost track of time.” “Then she was here?” Thorax butted in. “Yeah. She wanted to talk to me about the reports coming in from the Crystal Empire. About the changelings and the missing ponies.” Thorax moved between Cadence and her suitcase. “And? What did you tell her?” “There wasn’t much to tell. Our reports are scattered and unconfirmed. She didn’t seem to particularly like that answer. She stormed off just a bit ago.” She side-stepped the changeling, setting a stack of clothes neatly into her case. “Well, an angry changeling queen shouldn’t be too hard to find. Thanks, Cadence.” Thorax headed for the door, but Twilight stopped him. “Would you mind waiting a second, Thorax? I need to find Chrysalis, too, but I’d like to say goodbye first.” “Sure. I’ll wait outside.” He vanished out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. “Twilight? Will everything be alright here without us?” “You and Shining worry too much. This isn’t the first crisis that I’ve been put in charge of. And I seriously doubt it will be the last. Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal?” “Let’s hear it.” “You and Shiny keep your kingdom in one piece, Luna and I will take care of this one. Sound fair?” “It does,” Cadence giggled. “We’ll miss you, Twilight.” “I’ll miss you guys, too.” The sisters both wrapped a foreleg over the other, squeezing each other tightly before letting go. “And be sure that you give Flurry Heart my love. Tell the little scamp that I miss her.” “I’m sure she’ll love to hear from her Auntie Twilight.” “Take care of yourselves,” Twilight said, reaching for the door. “We will,” Cadence promised. “And don’t worry. Once everything is under control, we’ll come right back to help.” Twilight pulled the door open. “Oh, and Twilight?” Cadence called. “Yeah?” Twilight glanced back at her sister. “Tell Chrysalis I said goodbye, and that we’ll do our best to keep everyone here in the loop on whatever information we manage to dig up. We owe her that much.” “I will.” With those final words, Twilight stepped out. Across the hall, Thorax waited patiently, scratching at his shoulder with his antler. As soon as he noticed he was no longer alone, he straightened up, badly faking a shoulder stretch. “You ready to start the search party?” Twilight asked. “At least we don’t need to requisition an airship for this one.” He started to laugh, but his expression soured almost instantly. “You don’t think we need an airship for this one, do you?” “I doubt she could have gotten that far yet,” Twilight mused. “But you were the one who guessed where she would be last time. Any ideas where she might storm off to within the castle walls?” “Give me a second to think about this.” Thorax tapped at the plate on the back of his head. “If she’s in a bad mood, I would guess she wants to be alone. I’d say we should check her room, but that’s where I came from. If I didn’t cross her on the way, then I doubt she’s there.” “I came up from the throne room,” Twilight added. “I didn’t cross her either.” “Well, that limits our choices down a bit. If she didn’t go downstairs and she’s not here, then that means she went . . .” Thorax cast a quizzical look in Twilight’s direction. “She went up,” Twilight finished. “To where? We’re at the top level of the castle, aren’t we? You think she might be climbing on the roof? Or maybe she flew down from the roof?” “Those are both possibilities, but I can think of one place we should look first. Follow me.” Twilight darted off, propelling herself with her powerful wings. “Wait! Where are we going?” Thorax sprinted after her. “Twilight?” “Keep up, Thorax,” Twilight called back. “I’m trying,” Thorax cried between panting breaths. “What? Oh.” Realizing just how far behind the changeling had fallen, Twilight reared, bringing her hooves slamming down onto the tile. “Sorry.” “It’s alright. I just wasn’t ready for a race.” He landed behind her, gratefully catching his breath as his wings folded back beneath his shell. “When did you get so fast?” “I don’t know.” Twilight shrugged. “I guess I’m just feeling a little fast, you know?” “No. I have no idea what you mean.” This time, Twilight sauntered off at a more casual pace, leading the changeling king down a hallway he never saw before. “It’s tough to explain. Excited? Anxious? I feel like I can’t sit still. Like I need to hurry.” “A second wind sort of thing?” “No. A little less benevolent than that.” “An adrenaline rush?” “Closer.” The halls shifted around them. The white walls gave way to darker wooden paneling. Windows were formed of shards of stained glass, arranged in the image of the royal sisters. Even with the midday sun above, no light could break through the color. “What is this place?” Thorax wondered aloud. “The Celestial Observatory.” Twilight explained. “The what?” “You’ll see what I mean when we get inside. Just make sure you stay close to me, okay?” The deeper they delved into the shadowed hall, the fewer fancy decorations greeted them. Paintings on the wall were torn or simply missing. Great stone guardians flanked them as they moved. Thorax had never seen such creatures, either in depiction or in the flesh. They resembled dragons, though far slenderer. “What are these?” Thorax asked as they passed by. “Gargoyles,” Twilight answered. “Gargoyles? Aren’t they supposed to go on the outside of the castle?” The changeling slowed, inspecting the silent sentinel. “And I have to say, I’ve never seen one that looked like this.” Hearing the distance in his voice, Twilight glanced over her shoulder to see the changeling lagging. With a start, she rushed back to his side. “I told you to stay close.” “Sorry. I was just admiring the handiwork. Who carved these?” Thorax returned to his examination, searching for some sort of signature that would mark the artist. His hunt ceased when he felt a tingle on the nape of his neck, beneath his chitin. He shuddered, taking a large step back from the statue. “They’re not decorations, Thorax. Don’t play with them.” Finally, he noticed what had triggered his fight-or-flight. Silently, the statue’s head had bent down slightly, watching him. “Is it supposed to be staring at me?” Thorax squeaked. “This is War.” “Wait.” Thorax whipped around to look at the second statue. It hadn’t moved yet the changeling knew it was watching him. “They’re real?” “This is War.” Twilight motioned to the nearer gargoyle. “The other one is his brother, Wither. They’re the guardians of the Observatory.” “They seem nice,” Thorax cried, ducking behind Twilight. “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Sir.” “They’re not much of conversationalists, I’m afraid to say.” “We don’t have to worry about them attacking us, do we?” “No.” Twilight reached forward, running a hoof along War’s wicked stone talon. “They remember me as Celestia’s student. I’m one of four ponies in Equestria they would allow up here. As long as you’re with me, you’re safe.” Thorax breathed a sigh of relief, wiping his brow. “Just don’t fall too far behind,” Twilight finished. “Right. Wait. Hold on a second, Twilight. Weren’t we looking for Chrysalis?” “We still are.” “You really think she came up here? She wouldn’t have been able to make it past these guards, would she?” “They might be big, scary, and eat magic, but they’re not omniscient. You don’t think Chrysalis could have snuck past them?” “It’s possible, I guess. But why would she?” “Well, if she’s not here, we’re in trouble. This was the only way she could have gone without drawing attention or passing one of us. Now enough standing around, let’s go.” Twilight brought him to the end of the hallway, to a simple wooden door. “It’s less . . . fancy, then I was expecting,” Thorax said. The princess’ horn burned with magic, producing the click of a lock being unlatched from inside the room. With the turn of a handle, the door swung open. “What is the place?” Thorax asked, taking in his new surroundings. “The Celestial Observatory,” Twilight answered. The room almost appeared normal. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Most of the tomes stored upon them were covered with a thick layer of dust. In the center of the room, several pillows had been pieced together to form a plush nest. A solar insignia was embroidered into each one. To the right of their entry, an obscenely tall door led out to a small stone balcony. A golden machine was stashed in the corner. With a flash of magic, Twilight switched it on. The ornate crate began to glow. A projector of some sort, Thorax realized. It displayed the sky as it was outside. The sun hung in the middle of the room, surrounded by a dizzying swirl of stars. “What is this?” Thorax couldn’t look away from the image. “I told you. This is the Celestial Observatory.” “That doesn’t answer my question, Twilight.” “It’s one of Equestria’s greatest secrets. That display is far more than a mere image. It’s the controls.” “The controls?” “For Celestial bodies. The sun. The moon. The stars. Each of them can be moved with this device, supposing the user has sufficient magic. It wasn’t always Celestia and Luna’s job to take care of that, you know. It’s an incredibly complex magical machine.” “Seems dangerous.” “Of course it is. Luckily, it takes obscene amounts of magical power to use.” Twilight switched it back off, plunging the windowless room back into the dim light. “Even Cadence couldn’t manage it by herself.” “I guess that explains the tight security.” “It’s only one of many secrets in this room, Thorax,” Twilight said proudly, before quickly adding, “So don’t touch anything while you’re here.” “Hooves to myself. Got it. I don’t see Chrysalis, though.” “Yeah. I noticed that, too. I don’t get it. This was the only way she could have gone without either of us seeing her. Unless she broke a window somewhere. But she wouldn’t be crazy enough to go flying out during the daylight by herself, would she?” “I doubt it. I guess we just missed her, then.” “I’ll get the guards. We’ll track her down.” “Don’t worry about it, Twilight.” Thorax bowed his head. “I’ve wasted enough time as it is.” “I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “I didn’t mean it like that,” Thorax eagerly explained. “I just mean that I’ve been really thinking about our talk. As usual, she was right.” “About what?” “Since she arrived here, I’ve been fretting over her as though she were still a little nymph.” “Don’t listen to her. There’s nothing wrong with worrying about your loved ones.” “Normally, I’d agree with that,” Thorax admitted. “But with Chrysalis? She’s been taking care of herself longer than I’ve been alive. It’s not wrong to fret about loved ones, but it is wrong to fret about her. She is more than capable. And because of my worry, I’ve been shirking my duties as king.” Twilight clapped a hoof onto his shoulder. “You’re doing a fine job, Thorax.” “It still doesn’t feel real sometimes, you know?” She flexed her wings, raising them toward her face. “Better than most.” “And now, with this new crisis on the horizon, my changelings need me. I’ve spent enough time away from the hive as it is. Will you do me a favor, Twilight?” “What’s that?” “I’m going to go ahead and start heading home. The next time you see Chrysalis, will you give her a message from me?” “Of course.” “Tell her that I said goodbye. I don’t know how long it will be until we can see one another again. And remind her that if she ever wants to come home, her children will be waiting for her. She’ll always have a place with us.” Twilight nodded. “I’ll pass that along.” “One more thing? I-If . . . If she decides she doesn’t want to come home . . .” Thorax sighed. “Whatever path she decides on, I’m happy for her. And you. For what it’s worth.” “It’s worth a lot, Thorax. Thank you. If you’ve really decided to go, I’ll walk you out.” Thorax motioned to the balcony door. “Everyone else may or may not think that I’ve already left. It might be better if I sneak out. Do you mind?” “Go right ahead.” The two of them stepped out onto the stubby balcony. Twilight stayed in the doorway, propping it open with a hoof while Thorax stepped up onto the railing. “Goodbye, King Thorax.” “Until next time, Princess.” He winked before vanishing in a blinding green flash. Twilight watched the raven soar drop from its stone perch and soar off into the distance. “Glad to see he’s learning.” Twilight didn’t have the energy to be startled by the sudden Chrysalis standing behind her. “Don’t you think it’s rude to let him leave without even a wave?” “Call it a test. He passed with flying colors.” Chrysalis shrugged. “Besides. I’ve never been one for solemn goodbyes.” Retreating back into the room, Twilight allowed the door to slam shut behind her. She fumbled her way over to Celestia’s fluffy den, collapsing face-first into the pillows. Chrysalis wandered over to the edge of the pile, watching Twilight with the barest hint of a grin. “You can never make anything easy, can you?” Twilight groaned. “And deny you the fun?” “Your fun gets to be a little much sometimes.” “So, how did you know I’d be up here?” Twilight rolled over onto her back. “Logically. Through the process of elimination . . .” “That simple? Seems I need to step up my—” “And because Cadence told me about your chat. Thorax figured you’d want to be alone. This was where I went when I wanted to be alone. Although, I’m not sure how you got in here.” “The balcony,” Chrysalis said flatly. Twilight sat up. “You didn’t break the wards, did you?” “Wards?” Chrysalis circled in place for a moment before bedding down. “Yes. The magical wards that kept the door locked. Don’t tell me you just walked in?” “The door wasn’t locked,” Chrysalis explained. “I just thought this was another one of Celestia’s towers. And with her . . . out of commission, I thought I’d have some solitude.” “Fantastic,” Twilight lamented, crashing back into and cuddling a nearby cushion. “What else could possibly go wrong?” “Well—” “Answer that, and I will blast you out Canterlot farther than Cadence and Shining could ever dream,” Twilight threatened, her voice muffled by the pillow over her face. Chrysalis studied the room around her. When this had just been another tower, she hadn’t the faintest interest in it. Now that she realized she had in fact broken into the mind of Equestria’s capital, she felt a renewed interest in it. The books caught her eye first. She hadn’t noticed before, but many of them were written in obscure languages, using symbols she didn’t recognize. From there, she turned to the golden machine. No switches or levers. She assumed Twilight used a specific spell to power it. Occasionally, she would find her focus drawn to Twilight, still curled up on the floor. More than anything, though, she caught herself on that sunny sigil that adorned Celestia’s belongings. Finally, the question bubbling in her mind rose to the surface. “These are Celestia’s belongings, aren’t they?” “Yes.” “You think about her a lot, don’t you?” “Yes.” “Tell me about her?” “Where do I start?” Twilight chuckled morosely. “She was . . . she is amazing. The day she agreed to teach me was the happiest one in my life.” “She sounds perfect.” “In a lot of ways. One night, I got in a stupid argument with her. I don’t remember what we were fighting about, but I remember being furious.” Twilight rolled onto her stomach. “Whenever I was upset, I’d come up here to think. I’d look through these old books, hoping to find something new to occupy my mind. On that particular day, something just snapped.” She stood, making her way over to the shelves. Chrysalis’ gaze followed. “Whenever things were too rough, I found one particular book . . .” She plucked a red book from the shelf and blew the dust from the cover. “It was the magic manual that taught me my first new spell as her student. But even that couldn’t take my mind off our fight.” “Twilight, why are you telling me this?” Chrysalis asked worriedly. The princess was beyond such questions. Her mind dwelled in the past. “Reading it just made me angrier, I threw it across the room as hard as I could. The spine broke on impact. Pages went everywhere. I remember taking what was left of it and sitting right there.” She pointed to the cozy bed where Chrysalis was still waiting. “That was the first time I’d ever broken something of hers. I panicked. Hours were spent lying there, agonizing over what she’d do to me. That night, I cried myself to sleep.” “I woke up before dawn, hoping I could sneak down to my room before Celestia found me. I was too late, though. She was lying beside me, still snoring soundly. I found the book pieced back together in her hooves.” The flicker of consciousness ignited in Twilight’s eyes. “When I realized what had happened, my perception of her changed. She became a second mother to me. I know my family loved me. But, as awful as it sounds, sometimes it felt like she was more my mother than Velvet could be.” She slid the book back into its place. “Listen to me. I sound like a brat—” “Did you ever see her as . . . more?” “I lived in awe of her. She was a goddess.” “When you look at me . . . do you wish it were her, lying here?” Twilight’s head snapped toward the changeling, who met her with a steely gaze of her own. The longer the silence dragged on, the softer her chitinous features grew. Finally, after what felt like a silent eternity, Twilight found her answer. “No. Our relationship was never like that. We were simply Student and Master.” “You don’t sound very sure.” “I never gave love much thought. I couldn’t even make friends. Maybe, if I’d met her later . . . But there’s no sense in asking what if.” “I can’t replace her. You understand that, don’t you?” “I would never ask you to do that,” Twilight promised. “But . . .” Chrysalis rose from her bedding. “There is another option. One I can help you with.” “What’s that?” asked Twilight, curious. “We can save the one you already have.”