Chrys woke up slowly the next day. Dan and the others were in high spirits. Dan, because he would be finally getting revenge on Vice Grip, and the others because it would finally all be over. For better or worse, there would be a resolution to this conflict.
For better or worse...
She went downstairs into Fluffle and Fuzzle's den and helped feed the flufflings. They were growing well, some even starting to climb the walls a bit with help. Fluffle helped nudge them as they slowly walked up the wall, being a good fluffy mom.
Chrys smiled as she watched them. She only helped where she needed as not to interfere. Fluffle and Fuzzle were good parents. She fed them their ham and watched them devour it in a swarm of adorable noms.
Fluffle padded her way over to where Chrys sat and watched.
"Hi Fluffle."
"Thpp thpp thpp?"
"No," Chrys said. "Nothing's wrong. It's just..." She looked away.
"Thpp-thpp-thpp thpp thpp-thpp thppp-thpp."
"I guess you could say that," Chrys said. In truth, seeing her with the flufflings and her own family made Chrys think about her own. The changelings had been her only family before meeting Dan and the others. Taking care of Fluffle and the flufflings helped soothe her motherly urges, but she still thought of the changelings from time to time.
Even more so recently, now that she and Dan were engaged. Becoming a queen of the changelings was something she had literally been born into; she simply became a queen and the other changelings were her drones. Things had seemed simpler back then, but they were better now. She wasn't a queen any more, but she'd never really been royalty in pony terms anyway. Now, becoming a pony princess, maybe, was a possibility.
Becoming a wife was a possibility. Maybe even mother.
The thoughts made her heart flutter, hastened her pulse. The future was daunting, but she knew that she'd be okay. She'd have Fluffle and Dan and others to get through it together. It was something challenging, even intimidating at times but it was also something to look forward to.
There were just a few things, one part of the past that had yet to be reconciled. Maybe it was time to reconcile it. Maybe it was time to let it go.
But did it want to be let go?
Fluffle nodded. "Thbbb-thpp-thbbllle-thbbb thbbb."
"I know," Chrys said. She smiled. "I'm happy for you, sweetie." Fluffle and Fuzzle had a nice family, a big one. There was Flipple and Flopple, twins, were among the oldest of their fluffy foals. Flipple was an acrobatic colt, and Flopple was a more lazy filly that liked to flop, chill and nap. She was the best at relaxing and napping, real pro. Fizzle was a hyper-active filly that really enjoyed sweets, and Fumble was a little on the clumsy side, but did his best to be helpful.
"Thrrrbbb-thrrrmmm-thrrrbb!" Fuzzle waved Fluffle over. Purfle had lost her glasses again.
"Thpp-thpp!"
Chrys nodded. "Go ahead. I'm going to go back upstairs. I'll see you for dinner."
Did her changelings have names? She'd never thought of them as anything except drones... until Shifty. Shifty, a mysterious changeling that had appeared when she'd returned to Canterlot to attack them, he'd disappeared after the battle. No one knew what became of him or where he was now.
"You're not our mother!"
Chrys remembered what he had told her, all that time ago. Originally, she and her friends had thought Shifty had said it out of resentment over her apparent 'betrayal.' But now, she was thinking it might have meant something else. If she wasn't his queen, was she still Queen Chrysalis? Or was she just Chrys?
She walked back up the stairs and into the living room. Dan, Twilight, Phoenix, Spike and Kent were all out for the day. The rest of the house was empty, except for Owlowiscious up in the observatory. He had been busy keeping track of things, any signs or developments in the stars above, seeing as how they were expecting more uninvited guests.
Sighing, she thought about maybe reading a book. Initially, she had thought of trying to help recruit allies for the final revenge on Vice Grip, but then thought better of it. Changing into something, or even going just as herself might not have the desired effect. It was a strange predicament; if she was honest, she seemed deceptive and if she deceived others, it might seem honest. Trying to be good, it was harder to deceive friends for any reason for her.
The library was still and quiet. It stayed this way for a few minutes, enough time for Chrys to pick up a book and open it, to consider reading it before she heard a noise. Music coming from the upstairs bedroom.
"Hello? Hello?" Chrys looked up and above the stairs. "Fluffle? You on the Xbox?"
No answer. But she distinctively heard the game console startup. She and Fluffle often played shooters online with Princess Luna and sometimes Button Mash.
"Is anyone up there?" Chrys flew up, skipping the stairs. She gripped the handle with her magic and slowly opened the door.
A gasp died in Chrys' throat.
The Director was sitting on the floor, playing a video game.
"Did you want to play a game?" She looked over her shoulder at Chrys, smiling. "There's still time for a little fun."
"I-I-I-I..." Instinctively, she backed away, back out the door and buzzed her wings again. But Cleo's magic pulled her quickly back in, an invisible force, no aura, and slammed the door shut behind her.
"What's wrong? Don't be shy. Come closer."
Her limbs froze. Being in the Director's grip was like being wrapped in a cold blanket of air, as if an icy gust of wind had just grabbed you. It wasn't just that she couldn't move her body; she was completely powerless. As if the area around her had suddenly become devoid of magic, cut off from everything else... and forced to watch.
"Wh-what do you want?!"
"The same as you, Chrys." The Director got up and turned to her. "I want both. I want to have my cake and eat it, too."
On the floor, Chrys scrambled to get away from her. She wasn't as brave as Twilight; her first instinct was to flee. But she was running out of space.
"I-I can get Twilight. I c-can get D-Dan!"
She smiled. The Director was back to her original form, so it seemed. She wore a dark cloak with just her muzzle poking out of it, long sleeves over withered hands with long, bony fingers. She levitated just above the floor and as usual, her very presence seemed to warp reality, changing colors and shapes and distorting the world around her. Like a phantom that simply did not belong.
"I know you can. But right now, I don't want them. I want you, Chrys."
"Wh-Why???"
"I've never really had a sister. Thinking about it, I would've liked one, if I had the opportunity. There were a lot of things I didn't have an opportunity for..." Cleo said. And her smile faded. "But you did."
"But," Chrys protested. "I... I don't have a sister."
And the Director pulled back her cloak, revealing her true face. "No. You don't."
Chrys also did not have the resilience of Twilight or her friends. Upon seeing the Director's face, her true identity, Chrys fainted.
The Director frowned. "Well, that was unexpected."
Daring Do did not risk flying. She galloped as fast her hooves could carry her, knowing she could not fly; she might crash. Her heart was in her throat, her eyes were wide in fear.
Some time ago, she received samples of Fluffle Puff's DNA from Fluffle Puff herself. With DNA samples of all the fluffle ponies, she had been able to analyze them. Just now, just a few minutes ago, she had seen the results. She had to get to Twilight. She had to get to Twilight Sparkle right now.
She burst open the doors to the library. Twilight had added her profile to the security system when it was reinstalled.
"Twilight! Twilight! Anyone? Hello!?"
She flew upstairs, looked in all the doors and looked in one just in time. Just in time to see the Director leaving through a portal with Chrys.
"Dr. Yearling, hello."
Daring Do was also too paralyzed to speak.
"Oh, what's the matter, doctor? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Before Daring could say anything back, probably to agree with that statement, Cleo and Chrys vanished through the portal. The blue energy field collapsed on itself and disappeared. Behind it, the television screen read GAME OVER.